I love me some balsamic vinaigrette dressing. It's a RARE occasion that I don't order it with a salad when out for dinner. And I LOVE to make it at home for my lunch salads. {More on my recent 'saladforlunch-atarian' confession.} I think balsamic vinaigrette 'goes' on just about any salad, but it's especially delicious on this Italian inspired salad. Toss this gluten free … [Read more...]
Creamy Ranch Chicken Skillet Dinner
So this is seriously, slamming delicious. Like, gourmet restaurant delicious. I'm not sure if it's the homemade 'cream of mushroom' sauce {photo tutorial below} or the homemade ranch dressing mix. It's probably the combination of the ranch and mushroom flavors, all cream-ified together. Whatever it is, it's slamming delicious. Like Ka-Bam. Slam. Jam. Delicious. My … [Read more...]
Homemade Pumpkin Roll
Go ahead and reach through your screen and grab a lick of that cream cheese filling. Or just drool on your keyboard a bit. (We won't judge. We're all doing it, whether we admit it or not.) A holiday staple in many homes...here is the $5 Dinners version! This delicious treat is worth every.single.step that it takes to create such a masterpiece. Because … [Read more...]
Chocolate Cherry Chiperoons
Chiperoon??? Yes. Chiperoon. If a Macaroon and a Chocolate Chip Cookie got married and had a kid...it would be a chip-eroon. Which is exactly what you find here! You're planning a cookie exchange, attending one, or just baking up a storm and wanna try a new cookie recipe, look no further! These are all about the fruity burst from the cherries, combined with … [Read more...]
Baked Pumpkin Pancakes with Homemade Pumpkin Syrup
The pumpkin insanity continues. From my Spiced Pumpkin Latte to my beloved Pumpkin Pie French Toast...we are adding this to list of Erin's best pumpkin recipes. Y'all. Holy Pumpkin-Moly. Y'ALL. Seriously. You have to make these. If you're part of our $5 Meal Plan, you'll be trying these soon. And it's going to be REALLY hard for me not to add them to the plans … [Read more...]
Vegetable Alfredo Sauce
Have you ever made your own Alfredo sauce?! If not, I implore you. Challenge you. Demand you. (hehe!) No, I really think you should try it! I love playing with homemade white sauces, and in this case an Alfredo sauce with veggies. Creamy, cheesy, salty and delicious over pasta! For this Alfredo sauce, I decided to save myself a few calories and used whole milk instead … [Read more...]
Homemade Freezer Friendly Whole Wheat Pizza Crust
Our family loves pizza. Even the dairy free kids. (They get special cheese.) There is just something about pizza. The crust, the sweeter sauce, the cheese, the flavor explosions from the toppings. Or maybe this Americanized Italian food somehow transports us to a world across the ocean to the boot shaped country...and we dream and long for a vacation or trip there. {Oh … [Read more...]
How to Cook Whole Chicken in the Slow Cooker
Stretch your grocery dollars when you learn how to cook whole chicken in the slow cooker to make shredded chicken and homemade chicken broth. Learn how to cook a whole chicken in the slow cooker, and you'll end up with a double dose of $$ savings and chicken for dinner or your freezer! Welcome to the first post in the "31 Days of Freezer Cooking Recipes" … [Read more...]
Homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte
It's BACK. The "PSL"...but you don't have to drop $5 a pop...you can make your own! And FWIW - I'm in the "SCM" camp. Hence all the salted caramel recipes. Salted Caramel Mocha Fudge Salted Caramel Brownie Parfait (And a Salted Caramel Mocha Brownie recipe coming next week!) Are you in the PSL group or the SCM group?! Homemade … [Read more...]
How to Roast Hatch Chiles
My trip to the grocery store last week almost brought me to tears. An old friend caught my eye as I entered the store. The beautiful, glossy green pepper I look forward to every year was back. I knew that my weekend would revolve around roasting and enjoying these deliciously warm, smoky, and mildly hot Hatch chiles. If you’re new to Hatch green chile peppers then let me … [Read more...]