My adventures in the kitchen last week once again highlighted why it can be frustrating to rely too much on recipes that use a particular size or brand of a pre-packaged convenience item at the grocery store. As the years go by, these products may be discontinued or reintroduced inRead More
Grandma’s Apple Pie Filling
This week when I turned to my favorite craft column in our Sunday newspaper, I saw a headline that I think all of us DIY crafty types need to hear once in awhile. It said “Dear Crafters, it’s OK to not make everything this Halloween”. She went on to sayRead More
Bisquick Blueberry Muffins
One of the homemade recipes that I’ve shared here that I always keep on hand in my pantry is my homemade version of Bisquick. It’s a simple and frugal mixture of flour, baking powder, salt and shortening. Because I always have a canister of my homemade Bisquick in my pantry,Read More
Quick Mix Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies
Who likes homemade cookies? Me! Who likes homemade cookies but doesn’t feel like baking them in the summer and would rather float around in the pool instead? Umm, me again. What to do? Well, many times in the summer I rely on my No Bake Chocolate Cookies which are always aRead More
Got Ripe Bananas? Make Homemade Banana Bread!
I like having bananas around the house. Until I don’t. Bananas sure have a way of turning ripe, brown, and spotty when you’re not paying attention. And then what? I always have good intentions. I’ll bake some bread! I’ll make a smoothie! I’ll freeze them! But usually I don’t.Read More
My Favorite Cut-Out Cookie Recipe
Most of the time when I make homemade cookies I stick with the basic stuff. I whip up some chocolate chip cookies, or I stir together my trusty Chocolate No Bake cookies, or these tasty Oatmeal Chip cookies. But every so often I get a little more ambitious (usually aroundRead More
My Favorite Magic Bars
This recipe is an oldie but a goodie and has been a staple in my recipe box for years. When I want a homemade sweet treat, this recipe is a quick and easy one to fall back on that doesn’t take much effort because you can breeze through itRead More
Homemade Magic Shell Ice Cream Topping
For the last couple of weeks, the Aldi grocery store where I shop has had a big ole display of Magic Shell ice cream topping by the checkout. I was tempted to buy some. Even picked up a bottle and almost put it in my cart. But then . .Read More
Refreshing Lime Pie
Now that we know how to make our own graham cracker pie crusts, we need something tasty to fill them up with, right? For summer time, this refreshing lime pie really hits the spot and stirs together super fast too for those hot days when we’re all feeling aRead More
How To Make A Graham Cracker Pie Crust
Sure, it can be convenient to buy the ready-made graham cracker pie crusts, but did you know it’s almost as quick and easy to Make Your Own graham cracker pie crust? It’s really just a matter of crushing some graham crackers, adding a little sugar and melted butter, andRead More
Baking Brown Bread in Tin Cans
Today I’m taking a little trip down memory lane. It all started a few weeks ago when I saw something on Pinterest about baking in tin cans instead of using ordinary pans. I read a little further and smiled because it was as if they had discovered something brand new. Read More
Holiday Treats: Snickers Cookies
I love these cookies. And judging by the amount of times I get asked for this recipe, I would say lots of other people love them too. What makes these cookies so tasty and special? There’s a secret ingredient hidden inside. A miniature Snickers candy bar! The little candy barsRead More
Make Your Own Favorite Hostess Treats
By now you’ve probably heard the news that Hostess announced it would shut down operations and go out of business. Yikes! No More Twinkies!! People are already going into a panic and buying bagfuls of Hostess snacks before it’s too late. But before you totally freak out – rememberRead More
One Muffin Mix – Endless Possibilities!
Tired of cold cereal for breakfast? Me too. How about some delicious homemade muffins – and maybe some fresh fruit, and juice too? *Yum – that’s better * To help you whip up some frugal homemade muffins a little faster, try this master Muffin Mix. It makes a prettyRead More
Sometimes It’s Not About Cute – Part 3
Have you ever made a layered baking mix in a canning jar for gift giving? I’ve made several over the years, as well as having received them too. They’re handy to have around and are easy to put together too. But once in a while I put together a mixRead More
Pretzel Treats for Valentine’s Day
Don’t you just love the folks over at the M & M factory? We can count on them at every holiday season to crank out M & M candies in coordinating holiday colors that we just have to buy (or is it just me that thinks I have to?) SoRead More
Quick and Easy Beer Bread
Perhaps you’ve made the popular Beer Bread from the Tastefully Simple brand of quick mixes. It’s yummy stuff but at $5 a mix it’s pricey too. Why not save a little money and make your own beer bread? All you need are three ingredients – self rising flour, sugar, andRead More
Oatmeal Chip Cookies
Not all homemade cookies are meant to be fancy. Sure, there are times when it’s fun to get out the frosting, or the sprinkles, or play around with some new exotic flavors. But most of the time . . . just give me a good dependable cookie recipe that I knowRead More
Homemade Brownies: You Don’t Need A Mix!
Soft chewy brownies and a cold glass of milk make a classic snack that never goes out of style. With this easy homemade brownie recipe you can quickly stir together a batch with ingredients you probably already have in the pantry. So far, this is my favorite from scratch brownieRead More
Chocolate No Bake Cookies
Here’s a recipe that’s an oldie but a goodie for making a quick homemade cookie. I’ve had this recipe for Chocolate No Bake Cookies in my recipe box for a loooong time. In fact I remember when I clipped this recipe out of a newspaper years ago it was titledRead More