I <3 homemade cookies. And I wish I made them more. I really wish I made these more...all my favorite flavors of fall...in cookie form. While it's still humid and up in the 90s some days, we have had a few "tastes of fall" and cool, crisp mornings. I often make pumpkin muffins or pumpkin oatmeal or pumpkin quinoa (recipe coming Friday!) and find that I have a little … [Read more...]
Crispy Ranch Mozzarella Chicken Strips Recipe
Homemade chicken strips packed with delicious flavors - a kid-favorite for sure! Quick, easy and crowd-pleasing is this very simple chicken recipe. I made it with chicken breast strips and pantry staples I had on hand. Grab chicken tenderloins when this is on sale and get these made for dinner! Crispy Ranch Mozzarella Chicken Strips Homemade chicken strips … [Read more...]
How to Make an Egg Tortilla
Egg Tortillas make a fantastic alternative to tortillas in the traditional breakfast taco. You start out cooking them like an omelet...except you use way less egg in the skillet so that they are thin enough to 'roll' and thick enough to hold cheese and other ingredients inside. Once you've made these egg tortillas, try them in our Ham & Cheese Breakfast Egg … [Read more...]
How to Bake Brown Rice in the Oven
Easy Way to Cook Brown Rice in the Oven Friends...I'm baking brown rice these days. For years, I'd made it on the stovetop, as that's how I learned how to cook rice when I lived in the Dominican Republic years ago. Then I discovered the rice cooker. I've only been using my rice cooker for a few months, but I love it. It cooks the rice so beautifully, and the clean up is … [Read more...]
8 Homemade Mix Recipes – From Taco Seasoning to Cocoa Mix
Skip the pricey packets and bottles, and try these delicious homemade mix recipes instead! Some of the most popular recipes here on $5 Dinners are the homemade mixes. Their posts and pages get thousands of visits each week, so I thought I'd pull them all together into one place for you. … [Read more...]
Grocery Store Shortcuts for Homemade Meals
I really prefer to feed my family home cooked meals, but some days that just isn't as easy as others. For example, I like to prepare pizza dough ahead of time and keep it in the freezer for future meals, however there are days that the family wants pizza but I completely forget to take the dough out to thaw in time. Here are a few tips and tricks for using grocery store … [Read more...]
Dairy Free Hot Cocoa Mix
Hey y'all! The boys were begging (seriously, begging) for hot cocoa the other night. So in an attempt to appease their pleading, I stumbled across an amazing "homemade dairy free hot cocoa mix." Most (if not all) store bought cocoa mix contains dry milk of some kind, so I never get it for them. But this mix that I blended up is simple and perfect, plus it tastes great in both … [Read more...]
Gourmet Homemade Microwave Popcorn
There are controversial chemicals in packaged microwave popcorn but our family loves to eat popcorn as a healthy snack, and I really enjoy the convenience of popping it in the microwave, so we simply make our own using brown paper lunch bags. It's quick and easy to make and also costs a fraction of the price of the packaged variety. All you need are a few simple … [Read more...]
Homemade Break ‘n Bake Cookies
Two cookie dough posts in one week. You'd think I was pregnant and craving cookies or something. (Oh wait.) Actually, I really should have included this in Monday's How to Freeze Cookie Dough article, but we'll let this one stand on its own. I love gifting people with homemade cookie dough. And this is a simple and easy way to do it! Scoop into groups of … [Read more...]
How to Freeze Cookie Dough
Do you know the reason why you should freeze cookie dough?! Here I explain why you should freeze cookie dough and how to properly freeze cookie dough! I've shared a few of my tips for how to freeze cookie dough in the past, and I wanted to revisit it again as we move into the holiday baking season. I'm planning on doing a couple of "dough makes" in November, as … [Read more...]