Makes 6 servings

• 1/2 pound ground beef
• 1/2 pound bulk sweet Italian sausages
• 1 (15-ounce) container refrigerated marinara sauce
• 1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
• 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes with Italian seasoning, undrained
• 1 (9-ounce) package refrigerated cheese-filled ravioli
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese or pizza cheese blend (4 ounces)

1. Heat oven to 375°. Cook beef and sausage in 10-inch skillet over medium heat about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until brown; drain.

2. Stir marinara sauce, mushrooms and tomatoes into beef mixture. Pour half of sauce mixture into ungreased rectangular baking dish, 11 x 7 x 1 1/2 inches. Arrange ravioli in sauce in dish. Pour remaining sauce mixture over ravioli. Sprinkle with cheese.

3. Bake uncovered 20 to 25 minutes or until ravioli is tender and mixture is hot.

Makes 8 servings

• 16 slices white bread crumbs (crusts removed), cubed
• 16 slices (about 1 pound) ham, cut into bite-size pieces
• 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Swiss cheese
• 5 eggs, beaten
• 3 cups milk
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon onion salt
• 2-1/2 cups crushed cornflakes
• 1/3 cup butter or margarine, melted

In a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish, layer half of the bread, ham, cheddar cheese and Swiss cheese. Repeat. Combine eggs, milk, mustard and onion salt; pour over layered mixture. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Combine cornflakes and butter; sprinkle on top. Bake at 375° for 40 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Makes 5 servings

• 1 pound boneless skinless turkey breast cut into 1/4″ strips
• 2 tablespoons olive oil divided
• 1 sweet red pepper sliced
• 1 cup broccoli florets
• 1/2 cup onions chopped
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 3/4 cup reduced sodium chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce
• 1 8-ounce can water chestnuts drained
• 1/4 teaspoon salt free seasonings
• 5 cups hot cooked rice

1.  In a large nonstick skillet or wok, stir-fry turkey in 1 T. oil until no longer pink.  Remove and keep warm.

2.  Stir-fry the red pepper, broccoli, onion, garlic and ginger in remaining oil for 3-4 minutes or until broccoli is crisp-tender.

3.  In a small bowl, combine cornstarch, broth, and soy sauce until smooth; stir into skillet.  Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened.

4.  Add turkey, water chestnuts and seasoning.  Blend and heat through.  Serve over rice.

Makes 6 servings

• 3 chicken breasts cooked, cut in small pieces.
• 1 8-ounce can mushrooms drained
• 1 16-ounce bag mixed vegetables frozen
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme
• 2 10 1/2-ounce cans gravy (chicken)
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 frozen pie crusts (Pillsbury Pie Crust Dough)
• 1 egg white

Place one pie crust into pie plate.

Mix all the other ingredients in a bowl.

Place mixture into pie shell.

Place second crust on top and flute edges.

Bake 350° for 45 minutes or until crust is browned lightly.  Let set for 10 minutes, serve.

Makes 6 servings

• 6-8 slices ham
• 8-10 medium potatoes thinly sliced
• 1 onion thinly sliced (optional)
• Salt to taste
• Pepper to taste
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (or American Cheese)
• 1 10 3/4-ounce can cream of celery soup
• Paprika

Put half of ham, potatoes, and onions in slow cooker.  Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and cheese.  Repeat Layers

Spoon soup over top.  Sprinkle with Paprika

Cover.  Cook on low 8-10 hours, or high 4 hours.

Makes 6 servings

• 3/4 pound pork sausages bulk
• 1/2 pound ground beef
• 1 cup bread crumbs soft
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 egg lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon sage ground
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme ground
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 16-ounce can pork and beans
• 1 8 1/2-ounce can lima beans drained
• 2 teaspoons dried minced onion
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 3 cups potatoes hot seasoned mashed
• 1 egg lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 375°. In a large bowl, mix together sausage, ground beef, bread crumbs, water, egg, sage, thyme and pepper. Press evenly into a 9-inch pie plate, forming a 3/4 - to 1-inch layer on bottom and sides of plate. Bake for 20 minutes; drain off excess fat.

In a medium bowl, stir together beans, onion and Worcestershire sauce. Spoon mixture into meat shell. Bake for 15 minutes or until bean mixture is bubbly; remove from oven. Turn oven to broil.

In a medium bowl, mix potatoes and egg until well blended. Carefully spread potato-egg mixture over bean mixture, sealing to edge of pie plate. Broil 4 inches from heat source until top is lightly browned. Cut into wedges to serve.

Makes 6 servings

• 2/3 cup bread crumbs
• 1 cup milk
• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
• 2 eggs slightly beaten
• 1/4 cup onions chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon sage dried
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon Dijon style mustard

Combine bread crumbs, milk, ground beef, eggs, onion, salt, pepper, and sage. Spoon into 7 1/2×3 1/2×2 1/2-inch meat loaf pan; press to make even.

In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, catsup, nutmeg, and mustard. Set aside.

Bake loaf at 350 degrees F. for 1 hour. Remove from oven and spread sauce over loaf; bake for an additional 15 minutes.

Makes 3 servings

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 (9-ounce) package frozen spinach in a pouch, thawed, squeezed to drain
• 1 cup mashed potatoes
• 3/4 cup soft bread crumbs
• 1 egg
• 1/4 teaspoon grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/8 teaspoon white peppers
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 1/2 cups spaghetti sauce

1. In large bowl, combine flour and all ingredients except spaghetti sauce. Mix until mixture forms a smooth dough. Divide dough into quarters. Form each quarter into log 3/4 inch thick and 12 inches long. Cut each log into 1-inch pieces. If necessary, roll pieces lightly in additional flour to keep from sticking.

2. Heat oven to 325°F. Grease 12×8-inch (2-quart) baking dish. In large saucepan, bring 4 cups water to a boil. Reduce heat to low; drop dough pieces, a few at a time, into simmering water. Cook 4 minutes. Remove gnocchi with slotted spoon; place in greased baking dish. Repeat with remaining dough pieces.

3. Bake at 325°F. for 20 to 25 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

4. Meanwhile, heat spaghetti sauce. Serve sauce over gnocchi.

Makes 10 servings

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 onion, yellow, medium
• 2 cans cream of mushroom soup
• 2 cans tomato soup
• 2 cups elbow macaroni, uncooked
• Salt, to taste
• Pepper, to taste

Chop Onion. Add onion to hamburger and brown over medium heat until fully cooked.

While browning hamburger, bring 5qts of water to a boil and cook macaroni until tender.(10-12 min)

Drain pasta from water and add to the cooked meat, then add soups.

Simmer over medium heat until heated thoroughly.

Makes 6 servings

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 4-ounce can diced green chilies (optional)
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 cups cubed boneless skinless chicken breast halves cooked
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese divided
• 6 flour tortillas
• 1/4 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9×13 baking dish.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and sauté the green onion until tender (about 3 to 4 minutes).

Add the garlic powder, then stir in the green chilies, cream of mushroom soup and sour cream. Mix well.

Reserve 3/4 of this sauce and set aside.

To the remaining 1/4 of the sauce in the saucepan, add the chicken and 1 cup of shredded Cheddar cheese. Stir together.

Fill each flour tortilla with the chicken mixture and roll up. Place seam side down in the prepared baking dish.

In a small bowl combine the reserved 3/4 of the sauce with the milk. Spoon this mixture over the rolled tortillas and top with the remaining 1 cup of shredded Cheddar cheese.

Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly.

Makes 4 servings

• 1 ham steak 1 1/2 -inch thick center cut
• * Part two.
• 1/4 cup butter or margarine
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1/4 cup orange juice concentrate
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon ground
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg ground
• 1/8 teaspoon cloves ground
• 1/2 cup apple jelly

Heat oven to 350° F. Slash fat around edges of ham steak; place in greased shallow oven dish and cover with foil. Bake for 40 minutes.

Spiced Apple Jelly Sauce
*Melt butter or margarine in small saucepan; add flour and stir for 3 to 4 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and cook, stirring constantly until it comes to a full rolling boil. Serve ham with sauce spooned over the top.

Makes 6 servings

• 1 12-ounce package frozen hash brown potatoes thawed
• 1/2 cup carrots shredded
• 1 tablespoon green onions chopped
• 1 1/4 teaspoons dill weed dried
• 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 8-ounce package American cheese sharp, sliced, cut in half diagonally
• 4 eggs beaten
• 1 cup milk
• 1 12-ounce package frozen breaded fish sticks
• Paprika

Preheat oven to 325°. Grease a 1 1/2 -quart square baking dish.

In a large bowl, break up potatoes with a fork. Add carrot, green onion, dill weed, seasoned salt and pepper; toss until combined. Spread half of the vegetable mixture in baking dish. Top with half of the cheese. Repeat.

In a medium bowl, stir eggs and milk until blended. Pour over cheese. Arrange fish sticks on top and sprinkle lightly with paprika.

Bake for 50 to 55 minutes or until center is almost set and fish sticks are golden brown.

Makes 6 servings

• 1/4 cup lemon juice fresh
• 1 broiler-fryer chicken 3-pound quartered, or 3 pounds chicken breasts
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 egg lightly beaten
• 1 1/2 cups bread crumbs dry fine
• Vegetable oil
• Lemon wedges

Sprinkle lemon juice over chicken and turn until thoroughly moistened. Let stand 1 1/2 hours, turning pieces occasionally. Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Sprinkle with salt; dip in flour and shake off excess. Dip in egg; roll in bread crumbs to coat thoroughly. In a heavy skillet, heat oil (should be 1/4 -inch deep at all times during frying). Add one-half of chicken pieces and when deep golden brown, turn and complete frying. Test for doneness. Remove to platter and keep warm. Fry remaining chicken. Serve garnished with lemon wedges.

Makes 8 servings

• 5 to 6 slices bread (crusts removed), buttered and cut into cubes
• 3/4 pound longhorn cheese grated
• 1/2 pound pork sausages bulk pork sausage
• 4 eggs beaten
• 2 cups milk
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
• 2 to 4 green chilies or to taste

In a greased 8-inch square baking dish, place layers of bread, cheese, sausage, and bread, respectively. Add eggs to milk, salt, and mustard; blend well. Pour over bread; top with green chilies. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Bake for 1 hour in a preheated 325° F oven; cover the last 5 minutes. Serve immediately.

Note: This recipe works best with day-old bread.

Makes 5 servings

• 1 13 1/2-ounce bag frozen chicken nuggets
• 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 26-ounce jar spaghetti sauce
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1.  Place chicken nuggets in a greased 11×7 inch baking dish.

2.  Sprinkle with Parmesan Cheese.

3.  Top with Spaghetti sauce, mozzarella cheese and Italian Seasoning.

4.  Cover and bake at 30 degrees for 30-35 minutes of until chicken is heated through and cheese is melted.

Makes 4 servings

• 1 cup hot water
• 6 dried Chinese black or shitake mushrooms (1/2 ounce)
• 8 ounces uncooked soba (buckwheat) noodles or whole wheat spaghetti
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 1 (8-ounce) package sliced mushrooms (3 cups)
• 8 ounces fresh shitake, crimini or baby portabella mushrooms, sliced
• 1/3 cup teriyaki sauce
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1. Pour water over dried mushrooms in small bowl. Let stand about 20 minutes or until soft; drain. Rinse with warm water; drain. Squeeze out excess moisture from mushrooms. Remove and discard stems; cut caps into 1/2-inch strips.

2. Cook and drain noodles as directed on package.

3. Heat oil in 12-inch skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add onion; stir-fry 3 minutes. Add all mushrooms; stir-fry 3 minutes. Stir in teriyaki sauce; reduce heat. Partially cover and simmer about 2 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Stir in noodles, cilantro and, if desired, 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seed.

Makes 6 servings

• 8 ounces pasta spirals or tubes
• 1 pound ground beef
• 6 bacon strips diced
• 1 can tomato soup
• 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded

1.  Cook pasta according to package directions.

2.  Meanwhile, in a skillet cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink.  Drain and set aside.

3.  In the same skillet, cook bacon until crisp; remove bacon and discard drippings.  Dice Bacon

4.  Drain pasta, add to the skillet.  Add soup, beef and bacon and heat through.

5.  Sprinkle with cheese, cover and cook until the cheese is melted.

Makes 6 servings

• 6 pork loin rib chops, 1/2 inch thick (about 1 1/2 pounds)
• 1 (10 3/4-ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 1 (4-ounce) can mushrooms pieces and stems, undrained
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tablespoons dry white wine or apple juice
• 3/4 teaspoon chopped fresh or 1/4 tsp dried thyme leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 6 medium new potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds), cut into fourths
• 1 tablespoon diced pimiento
• 1 (16-ounce) bag frozen green peas, rinsed and drained

1. Spray 10-inch nonstick skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium-high heat. Cook pork in skillet, turning once, until brown.

2. Mix soup, mushrooms, water, wine, thyme, garlic powder and Worcestershire sauce; pour over pork. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 15 minutes.

3. Add potatoes. Cover and simmer 15 minutes. Stir in pimiento and peas. Cover and simmer about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until peas are tender and pork is slightly pink when cut near bone.

Makes 4 servings

• 1 package chicken stir fry skillet meal

Prepare the chicken stir-fry skillet meal as directed on package.

Makes 4 servings

• 3 to 4 pounds boneless pork loin country-style ribs
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 cup chili sauce
• 1/4 cup orange marmalade
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon ground mustard
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives, if desired

1. Heat oven to 350°.

2. Place ribs in rectangular pan, 13 X 9 X 2 inches. Sprinkle both sides with salt, marjoram and pepper. Cover tightly with aluminum foil.

3. Bake 1 hour 30 minutes to 1 hour 45 minutes or until tender; drain.

4. While ribs are baking, mix chili sauce, marmalade, Worcestershire sauce and mustard in 1-quart saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until flavors are blended. Stir in chives. Brush sauce over ribs.

5. Bake uncovered 15 minutes. Brush again with sauce. Bake 10 to 15 minutes longer or until ribs are glazed. Serve with remaining sauce.

Makes 6 servings

• 1 1/2 cups cut-up cooked turkeys
• 1/3 cup chili sauce
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper sauce
• 1 small onion, sliced and separated into rings
• 1 1/2 cups Original Bisquick®
• 1/3 cup cold water
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (4 ounces)

1. Heat oven to 375°. Mix turkey, chili sauce, honey, soy sauce, pepper sauce and onion; set aside.

2. Mix Bisquick and cold water until dough forms; beat 20 strokes. Roll or pat dough into 12 x 6-inch rectangle on ungreased cookie sheet; pinch edge to form 1/2-inch rim. Spoon turkey mixture onto dough.

3. Bake 25 minutes or until edge of crust is light brown. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake about 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. HIGH ALTITUDE (3500 to 6500 feet): Heat oven to 400°.

Hi, I’m looking for some vegetarian crockpot recipes that doesn’t use chicken or beef broth.

This post was submitted by Sharon.

Hi all…My husband & 2 kiddos LOVES egg nog and it can get pretty pricey at the store.I’m hoping that you all had an easy to make egg nog recipe. Thanks in advance

This post was submitted by Trish.

I’m looking for a sugar free french vanilla coffee creamer recipe to replace Coffee-Mate French Vanilla creamer. It’s getting to be way too expensive to buy but I love it so!
Thanks!!!!

This post was submitted by Julie.

Back in the 50’s my mother used to make what we called Fudge Pie. Filling was more of a chocolate syrup, a thin layer. My brother and I would eat the entire pie fresh out of the oven when we got home from school. I have tried many Fudge Pie recipes over the years that were more of a brownie-like consistency and while these are very good, they are not what I remember. Can anyone help???

This post was submitted by burled.

My husband and I have been trying to perfect homemade pizzas. We have about everything down pat, except we just can’t get the dough perfected. I make it in the bread machine, but when cooked, doesn’t have a nice, light texture. Any suggestions?? Thanks!

This post was submitted by Anita Williams.

My Boys like this one….2 boxes of mac. and cheese, 2 cans of Tuna in water. And a little bit of Miracle whip ( I use generic tastes just as good)

Fix Mac & Cheese as it says on box. Drain tuna and flake , add too Mac and Cheese. I add a spoonful of miraclewhip. ( I add one then taste if I think it needs more than I add more)salt and pepper to taste.

This post was submitted by Cindy.

This recipe came from one of those Church fund raising cook books. My husband wont eat Spam,but he eats this and loves it.
2-12 oz cans Spam
2-Tbl vegetable oil
3/4 c. onion,sliced
3/4 c. green pepper,slivered
1- 1 lb.4 oz can pineapple chunks
1/4 c. cider vinegar
1/3 c. brown sugar,packed
2- Tbl.cornstarch
1- Tbl.soy sauce
1/2 tsp.ginger
4 c.hot cooked rice
In skillet,brown Spam in oil; remove.Saute’ onion and pepper in oil remaining in skillet until almost tender.Return meat to skillet.Drain syrup from pineapple,add enough water to make 1 1/2 cups liquid.Add pineapple to skillet.Combine pineapple liquid,vinegar,sugar,cornstarch,soy sauce and ginger; add to skillet.Simmer until sauce thickens,stirring constantly. Simmer 3 min.Serve over rice

For best results use Spam, not Treat or Lunchen meat, and brown well. Browning changes the taste.

For enough to feed my husband(big appetite) and myself I use 1 can of meat and 1/2 the pineapple chunks,but use the same measurments for the sauce.
My husband prefers it served over egg noodles insted of rice.
I have also subsituted pre-cooked chicken for Spam.

This post was submitted by Mo.

I’m looking for a spaghetti sauce recipe that uses only fresh tomatoes. Where I live there are no canned shortcuts such as tomato sauce and tomato paste available.
Thanks for your help

This post was submitted by Kelly.

I got a lot of cans of evaporated milk with my WIC package thinking I would use them in recipes. The only thing is - I have no recipes!! I would love to hear any and all types of dishes that call for evaporated milk any of you have used and enjoy. Thanks so much!

This post was submitted by LeaG.

My mom used to have this recipe that was my Grandma’s. But, she lost it. It wasn’t the usual shortcake made with bisquick. I remember it only had about 6 ingrediants and sugar was one of them. It was almost like a sweet short cake. Does anyone have a recipe that sounds like this?

This post was submitted by Shawna.

I am in desperate need of some affordable alternatives to pasta.

We LOVE pasta and I have lots of great recipes, but hubby and I have been substituting pasta and other “carby” foods with veggies while the zucchini harvest was so good. Now that gardens are slowing down, we don’t want to go back (we ended up losing a LOT of weight :~)

I need help keeping our grocery budget down and still eating yummy foods that are healthy.

Any ideas?

Thanks,
Jenni

This post was submitted by Jenni.

Ingredients:

olive oil, enough to coat pan
1 large onion, chopped
8 eggs
1 can of peas,drained or pkg.frozen peas
1 8 oz.can tomato sauce
8 slices American cheese
salt and pepper to taste

In large frying pan, put enough olive oil to coat pan. Stir fry onion until transparant. Add peas and tomato sauce. Then crack each egg and carefully drop into pan on top of peas and sauce, spacing out for individual portions. Try not to break the yolk. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cover and let cook until the yolks are cooked but not hard. Uncover and place slice of cheese over each egg. Cover and cook additional minute or until cheese melts. Serve with good crusty Italian bread to dab up all the delicious sauce.

My Mom made this thrifty dish for our family of 9, using a big roasting pan to accommodate a dozen or more eggs. She would serve it in the roasting pan like it was a leg of lamb and we all loved it!

This post was submitted by Esther Cochrane.

We were in North Carolina over the weekend and we had delicious Apple Barbecue Sauce. Does anyone have a recipe? Thanks

This post was submitted by Cathy Hubbs.

With the holidays coming up I have been doing some online shopping. Some places have started to use brown paper as a filler instead of those annoying peanuts.
Instead of throwing it away I have been letting me daughter (she’s 2) decorate it and then using that to wrap the gifts! Not only is it free wrapping paper but it keeps my toddler entertained!!

Note From The Hillbilly Housewife

What a wonderful idea. If your kids are a little bit older, you could also make potato stamps. Get some red and green paint and let them stamp designs all over the paper.

This post was submitted by Sarah Bernhard.

I’m looking for a homemade gluten free/dairy free baking mix I can use like Bisquick. Thanks

This post was submitted by susan.

Does anyone have an easy, homemade recipe to make dog biscuits/snacks? I have “cookie” cutters, but no recipes. I thank you and my Rudy thanks you too!

This post was submitted by Joy.

I want to can sauerkraut this year. Does anyone out their know of an easy way to just can it instead of using a crock and letting it ferment for weeks? I am looking for a very simple way to make it. Help.

This post was submitted by Julie.

October 28st 2009

Editorial

This past weekend was “Make A Difference Day” - something we always recognize with our girl scout troops. This year we organized a food drive to stock  a local food bank. We also had a nice daisy scout meeting yesterday about making the world a better place. It is amazing how many ideas 6-year-olds can come up with. They included planting flowers, making and sending cards, being nice to other kids even when they are different, helping mom and dad, recycling … These girls just kept going and we all promised to do our part in making the world a better place. Today’s Inspirational Story was inspired by this “theme” as well. It made me cry and I hope it will touch you as well.

The Hillbilly Housewife Blog Tour is finishing up. This week I’m blogging on FamilyFoodies.com as well as a few other blogs. You can see one of my posts about holiday meal planning in the article section below. Once some of the other posts are up, I will post another update with links of where you can find them on the HBHW blog.

The crockpot cooking ebook was such a hit that I decided to keep it on sale for a few more days. If you haven’t gotten yoru copy yet, you can order it here - Crockpot Cooking Made Simple.

For the next few days you can get your copy for $5 here:

Crockpot Cooking Made Simple

Of course I’m still donating 20% of all profits to Breast Cancer Research this month and that applies to any Crockpot Ebook sales as well.

That’s it for this week. As always, I welcome your comments and suggestions. Feel free to email me at susanne@hillbillyhousewife.com

Warm Regards,

Susanne - The Hillbilly Housewife

Inspirational Quote

“Friendship isn’t a big thing - it’s a million little things”. -Author Unknown

Shared by Ellie Mae, one of our members in the Hillbilly Housewife Club

Sponsor

Living On A Dime E-book Extravaganza package- Retail Price - 11 e-books for $45.00

The Living On A Dime E-book Extravaganza package - 11 e-books for $45.00. The e-books included in this offer (Money Management, Grocery Savings, Cleaning Cents, Kids Cents, Debt Free Holidays, Menus On A Dime, Quick Dinners, Plan Ahead Leftovers, Pretty For Pennies, Moving On A Dime and Gifts In A Jar) are also available separately and are described below. Click Here to learn more about The Living On A Dime E-book Extravaganza package.

Reader Question

No new reader questions this week. Email me yours

News From The HBHW Club

This is a new section of the newsletter. Each week I’m going to share some tidbits of what’s going on at the HBHW Club with you. I hope you enjoy these extra tips, recipes and ideas and of course would love to have you join the club.

As a HBHW newsletter subscriber, you can join for only $10 per month here: http://www.hillbillyhousewifeclub.com/special.html

And to make it even easier, I’ll let you try it out for just a dollar for the first 7 days.

Here’s one of the recipes that were submitted this past week.

Nutty Pumpkin Bread

* 2 cups flour
* 2 tsps baking powder
* 1/2 tsp baking soda
* 1 tsp salt
* 1 tsp cinnamon
* 1/2 tsp nutmeg
* 1 cup pumpkin
* 1 cup sugar
* 1/2 cup milk
* 2 eggs
* 1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
* 1 cup chopped nuts – your choice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

In separate bowl, combine the pumpkin, sugar, milk, and eggs.

Carefully add the dry ingredients to wet ingredients, then add softened butter and combine well.  Add nuts and stir.

Pour mixture into a loaf pan and bake in a 350 degree oven for 45 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted in the middle comes out dry.

And here are some of the other recipes that have been added in the past few days.

• Easy Stuffed Bell Peppers
• Regal Pumpkin Cake
• Nutty Popcorn Crunch
• Oven Baked Caramel Corn
• Spiced Hot Apple Cider
• Elegant Pumpkin Squares

All in all, we have over 230 new recipes in the member area already.

What else has been going on at the HBHW Club? We’ve been talking about getting ready for Halloween, making petfood, copycat recipes and cleaning grease off the stove.  I’m sure you have a lot to contribute to the conversation. Ready to join us? Try The HBHW Club for only $1. We’d love to have you! http://www.hillbillyhousewifeclub.com/special.html

Featured Article

This week as part of my HBHW on the Road blog tour, I’m writing on FamilyFoodies.com. On Monday I shared some tips on how to plan the big holiday meals coming up (Thanksgiving, Christmas etc.). I find that doing some propper planning ahead of time makes a big job much easier and I actually have enough energy at the end to enjoy the meal and spending time with my family and friends. Here it is:

Planning Ahead For The Big Holiday Meals

Frugal Tips

Frugal Thanksgiving Decorations
Since Thanksgiving in the US is just a few days away, I thought I’d share some of my favorite frugal Thanksgiving decorating tips. Anything from pumpkins to fall flowers can be used to make a prett …

Grocery List
I make a grocery list with the following heading: Meats, Produce, Dairy, Can Goods, Frozen, & Misc: No Eat. In doing this I can get in and out of the grocery store without back tracking through t …

Frugal Vegetable Soup Mix
I keep leftover vegetables in a gallon bag in the freezer. When the bag is full, it’s simple to add hamburger or other meat and make a great soup or stew since the vegetables are already seasone …

Do you have a tip to share? Fill out the submit a frugal tip form and I’ll be glad to add it to the site and share your tip in an upcoming edition of the newsletter.

Recipes

Here are some of the most recent recipes that have been added to the HBHW site. Enjoy!

Pork & Kraut with Dumpling’s
3-4pd. pork roast, add 1 medium sliced onion,1qt.jar of homemade sauerkraut (or 2cans of sauerkraut),caraway seed, pepper&salt,1/2 stick butter or margarine,add water to the roast alittle less tha …

A Different Green Bean Casserole
1 lb frozen french cut green beans 1 can cream of celery soup or 10 oz of the homemade equivelant. 1 cup slivered toasted almonds Mix green beans with 1/2 cup almonds and the cream of celery soup and …

Sweet and Sour Chicken and Rice
Suggested ingredients and amounts (all are adjustable to your taste) 3-4 cups cooked rice 1 cup broccoli florets or peas 2-3 scrambled eggs 1-2 cooked and cubed chicken breasts (optional) 1 bottle swe …

Cranberry Chutney
4 small oranges 2 cups sugar (or sugar substitute) 4 cups fresh cranberries 1 cup chopped unpeeled apple 1/2 cup seedless raisins 1/2 cup chopped walnuts 1 Tablespoon vinegar 1/2 teaspoon ground ginge …

Delicious Beans and Potatoes
Make mashed potatoes. While they are cooking take cooked pinto beans, drained, cooked kidney beans, drained, or a mix, or leftover bean soup or leftover beans that kidney or pinto beans are in them, …

Do you have a recipe you would like to share? Click here to send it to me and I’ll be happy to add it to the website.

I’m Looking For:

This section is going to be all about you. If you are looking for a particular recipe or a tip on how to do something, submit it here and I will post it in an upcoming newsletter. I’ll give you my input and other readers of the newsletter will have the opportunity to share their recipes and tips as well. So take a moment to post your questions and of course if you have a tip or idea for any question posted in this section feel free to leave a comment under the appropriate post.

I’m Looking For Requests

Scratch Jiffy Cornbread Recipe
looking for a from scratch recipe for cornbread that tastes like the Jiffy brand. I’ve tried adding sugar to some recipes, but they still don’t taste similar. My son prefers this to sout …

In search of gluten-free lemon bars
Lemon bars are an economical sweet and have always been my favourite but now I must cook gluten-free meals (no wheat or wheat byproducts, read flour, etc., etc., - everything, especially prepared food …

Closet Damp Absorber
Hi Just wondering in any readers have any ideas on how to make your own closet damp absorber, you know the sort that collects the humid water in linen closets etc. Gayle This post was submitted by gay …

Egg Nog Recipes
I am looking for a variety of egg nog recipes out there. If you have a great traditional recipe, or one with a different twist or flavor to it, I’d love to hear about it. This post was submitted …

Homemade Johnson’s No More Bedhead spray
I have boys with thick hair that needs quick taming in the morning. Plain water isn’t controlling it. I sometimes use No More Bedhead or No More Tangles, but it’s too costly anymore. I won …

Cooking Turkey
Last year there was a post on how to use your oven as a slow cooker and cook a turkey overnight. My turkey turned out fantastic!! But, I lost my directions. Please help! This post was submitted by …

Chicken and Dumplings Recipe - Homemade
looking for homemade chicken and dumplings made the old- fashioned way.thank you. From Susanne - Here’s my chicken and dumplings recipe. My biggest trick is to start the day before by cooking th …

Sweet Potatoe Cassarole
I am looking for a sweat potatoe cassarole that has the marshmellowes on top and has a thick like syrup and fruit cocktail in it. my aunt used to make it but she passed away and no one remembered to b …

Pie Shell Cake
I’m looking for a recipe for a cake that was baked in a pie shell. It may have had chocolate syrup on the bottom. It was great and my kids loved it. Now I would like to make it for the grandk …

Removing Rocks in Beans
Does anyone have a method for removing all the pebbles from pinto & other dried beans? This post was submitted by Nancy.

I’m Looking For Responses
Below you will find some of the recent responses to the “I’m Looking For” Requests. You may also want to go directly to this section and browse through all the recent submissions and replies. To do so, click on “I’m Looking for” here, and start looking through them.

Comment on Homemade Johnson’s No More Bedhead spray by Ellen
If you just want to tame it and not remove tangles, try a little salt water in a spray bottle.

Comment on Reconstituting Powdered Milk by Debie
I don’t know much about powdered milk. Does it not cost more to use than purchasing regular milk? If it is cheaper, how do you get your family to switch over?

Comment on Apron Evangelism by Debie
Just wanted to say thanks for reminding me why I wear my apron!! Actually my daughter thought I wasn’t feeling well the other day when I didn’t put it on in the morning. Amazing how one gets in a ha …

Comment on Low Cal recipes by Nancy R.
If you search Diabetic recipes, and weight watchers recipes they are all low calorie. I did weight watchers for 2 years now, 1 year in meetings and 1 year on my own and am 10 lbs from my goal weight. …

Comment on Crockpot Cranberry Pork by ridgerunner
Comment for Joni… your recipe is so darn good!!! Fried Potato’s and onion’s on the side and hope to eat it all for yourself. I love to cook with pork, for that matter. The aroma this time of year is …

Comment on Indian Pudding Recipe by DE
Nadine - notice this site is titled “hillbillyhousewife”…probably not a place to spread enlightenment.

Comment on Closet Damp Absorber by brande
baking soda

Comment on Quick Sugar Cookies by Angela
These cookies are so good and easy to make. I did use real unsalted butter instead of margarine and increased the milk by 1/2 to 1 tsp. They turned out perfect. I will make these again, (as the fir …

Comment on Haitian Spaghetti Sauce by Nick
Try this recipe. It’s worked for me. http://i-jat.blogspot.com/2008/10/haitian-spaghetti.html

Comment on Chicken and Dumplings Recipe - Homemade by kitty wilson
I have always made mine by boiling the fryer with onion, celery and poltery seasoning as well as salt and pepper. I also completely cover the chicken and save some of the broth to freeze to use for …

Inspirational Story

WHO YOU ARE MAKES A DIFFERENCE

- Author Unknown

A teacher in New York City decided to honor each of her graduating high school seniors by telling each of them the difference she felt they made as an individual.

She called each student to the front of the class, one at a time. First she told the student how they had made a difference to her and the class. Then she presented them with a blue ribbon imprinted with gold letters reading: “Who I Am Makes a Difference.”

She noticed a considerable attitudinal change in the class. So she decided to do a class project to determine what impact such recognition could have on their local community.

She gave each student three more ribbons, and asked them to go out and spread an “acknowledgment ceremony.”

One of the boys in the class went to a junior executive in a nearby company, and honored him for helping him with his career planning. He gave him a blue ribbon and put it on his shirt.

Then the boy gave the executive two extra ribbons and asked him to find someone else to honor, and to in turn give them the extra blue ribbon so they could acknowledge a third person. The student asked the executive to report back to tell him what happened.

Later that day the junior executive went in to see his boss, who was known as a rather bad-tempered man. He sat his boss down and he told him that he deeply admired him for being a creative genius. The boss was very surprised. The junior executive asked him if he would accept the gift of the blue ribbon, and asked for permission to pin it on him.

His surprised boss gave his permission. The executive pinned the blue ribbon on his boss’s jacket directly above his heart. Then he gave his boss the third blue ribbon, and told him of the boy’s request.

That night the boss sat his 14-year-old son down and told him: “The most incredible thing happened to me today. I was in my office and one of my junior executives came in and told me he admired me, He gave me a blue ribbon for being a creative genius. Imagine that. He thinks I’m a creative genius.”

He then told his son he wanted to honor him, and pinned the last remaining blue ribbon on his son’s t-shirt.

The startled boy began to sob. He couldn’t stop. His whole body shook. He looked at his father through his tears and told him: “Dad, earlier tonight I sat in my room and wrote a letter to you and Mom explaining why I was killing myself, and asking you to forgive me. I was going to commit suicide after you were asleep. I didn’t think you cared for me at all.”

His father walked upstairs and found a heartfelt letter full of anguish and pain. The envelope was addressed, “Mom and Dad.”

The boss went back to work a changed man. He called in each employee one at a time to let them know that they made a difference.

Who you are DOES make a difference!
Don’t forget it!
And make sure the people in your life
know how special they are!

Final Thought

That’s it for this edition of the Hillbilly Housewife Newsletter. I hope you’ve had as much fun reading it as I had creating it for you. I also hope that you have found the information helpful and useful. And by all means feel free to forward the newsletter to family and friends or even better, encourage them to subscribe to it.

Do you have a question, a tip, a recipe or a story you’d like to share with us? Email it to me and I’ll include it in a future issue. Can’t wait to see what you have to say.

Warm Wishes,

Susanne - The Hillbilly Housewife

Makes 8 servings

• 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic or onion powder
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 2 cups Original Bisquick®
• 1/2 cup cold water
• 1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack-Colby cheese (6 ounces)
• 2 cups cut-up cooked chicken
• 1/2 cup sliced ripe olives
• 1 medium avocado, sliced

Heat oven to 425°. Grease 12-inch pizza pan. Mix tomato sauce, oregano, basil, salt, garlic powder and pepper; set aside.

Mix Bisquick and cold water until soft dough forms. Press dough in pizza pan, using fingers dusted with Bisquick; pinch edge to form 1/2-inch rim. Sprinkle
1/2 cup of the cheese over dough. Spread tomato sauce over cheese. Top with chicken and olives. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup cheese.

Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until crust is golden brown and cheese is bubbly. Garnish with avocado slices.

Makes 24 servings

• 3 pounds ground beef or turkey
• 1 large onion, coarsely chopped (1 cup)
• 1 1/2 medium stalks celery, chopped (1 1/2)
• 1 cup barbecue sauce
• 1 (26 1/2-ounce) can sloppy joe sauce
• 24 hamburger buns

Cook turkey and onion in 4-quart Dutch oven over medium heat about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until turkey is no longer pink; drain.

Mix turkey mixture and remaining ingredients except buns in 3 1/2- to 6-quart slow cooker.

Cover and cook on low heat setting 7 to 9 hours.

Increase heat setting to high. Uncover and cook 5 to 10 minutes or until desired consistency. Stir well before serving. Fill buns with turkey mixture.

Makes 6 servings

• 6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (about 1 3/40
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise or salad dressing
• 3 tablespoons Dijon or spicy brown mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 pound new potatoes, each cut into 6 wedges
• Chopped fresh chives, if desired

Heat oven to 350°. Line broiler pan with aluminum foil. Spray rack of broiler pan with cooking spray. Arrange chicken on center of rack in broiler pan; sprinkle both sides with salt.

Mix mayonnaise, mustard, pepper and garlic in large bowl; brush about 3 tablespoons mixture on chicken. Add potatoes to remaining mayonnaise mixture; toss. Arrange potatoes around chicken.

Bake uncovered 45 to 55 minutes, turning potatoes halfway through cooking, until juice of chicken is no longer pink when centers of thickest pieces are cut and potatoes are tender. Sprinkle with chives.

Makes 4 servings

• 1 1/3 cups instant potato flakes or dry mashed potato mix
• 1 1/3 cups water
• 1/3 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons butter or margarine
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup sweet pickle relish
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise or salad dressing
• 1 tablespoon instant dried minced onion
• 2 teaspoons mustard
• 4 to 6 hot dogs

Heat oven to 350°. Make mashed potatoes as directed on package, using water, milk, butter and salt. Stir in relish, mayonnaise, onion and mustard. Spread in ungreased 1-quart casserole.

Cut each frank lengthwise in half, then crosswise in half. Insert frank pieces around edge of mashed potatoes.

Bake uncovered 25 to 30 minutes or until center is hot.

Makes 8 servings

• 2 1/2 pounds boneless beef top round steaks, trimmed of fat
• 1 large onion, cut in half and sliced
• 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can stewed tomatoes, undrained
• 1 envelope (1.12 ounces) fajita seasoning mix
• 1 medium red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 medium green bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 4 cups uncooked instant rice
• 4 1/4 cups water
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

Cut beef into 2-inch pieces. Mix beef and onion in 3 1/2- to 4-quart slow cooker. Mix tomatoes and fajita seasoning mix in small bowl; pour over beef mixture. Top with bell peppers.

Cover and cook on low heat setting 7 to 9 hours.

Cook rice in 4 cups of the water as directed on package. Meanwhile, mix remaining 1/4 cup water and the flour; gradually stir into beef mixture in cooker. Increase heat setting to high. Cover and cook about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened. Serve over rice.

Makes 4 servings

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• 1 (10-ounce) package frozen tiny peas, partially thawed
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• 1/2 pound spaghetti or linguine, broken into 2-inch lengths

Pour the oil into a skillet large enough to hold the pasta. Add the onion and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion is tender and lightly browned, about 12 minutes. Stir in the peas and cook for about 5 minutes more, until the peas are tender. Season with salt and pepper.

In a medium bowl, beat the eggs with the cheese and salt and pepper to taste.

Bring at least 4 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot. Add 2 tablespoons of salt, then the pasta. Stir well. Cook over high heat, stirring frequently, until the pasta is tender but slightly underdone. Drain the pasta, reserving some of the cooking water.

Stir the pasta into the skillet with the peas. Add the egg mixture and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, about 2 minutes, until the eggs are lightly set. Add a little of the cooking water if the pasta seems dry. Serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings

• 4 T-bone or New York strip beef steaks (1 inch thick)
• Lemon pepper seasoning to taste

Sprinkle steaks with lemon pepper. Broil in a preheated broiler 3-4 in. from the heat for 5-7 minutes per side or until the steaks reach desired doneness.

Please Note - October Angel Food Menus are delivered in November, so you will actually be using them throughout November.

The four weekly menus are based on the food items provided by Angel Food Ministries in October which include:

• 1.5 lb. New York Strip Steaks (3 x 8 oz.)
• 1 lb. Seak Fajita Strips
• 2 lb. Chicken Stir Fry Skillet Meal
• 1 lb. Lean Ground Beef
• 1.5 lb. Breaded White Meat Chicken Tenders
• 1 lb. avg. Center Cut Ham Steaks (Hickory Smoked)
• 1 lb. Bake or Fry Fish Sticks (32 ct.)
• 1 lb. Pasta
• 25 oz. Marinara Sauce
• 1 lb. Frozen Baby Lima Beans
• 1 lb. Frozen Mixed Vegetables
• 2 lb. bag Fresh Apples 9approx. 8-10 ct.)
• 10 ct. Flour Tortilla Wraps
• 2% Shelf Stable Milk
• Dozen Eggs
• Dessert

Each weekly shopping list includes any additional items you need to prepare the dinner recipes suggested in the weekly menu. We’ve done our best to include low cost groceries to supplement what’s in the angel food box to come up with 4 x 7 dinner suggestions. I suggest you make sure to also have some of your family’s favorite side dishes on hand. I usually have rice, pasta and potatoes close by as well as fruits and vegetables that are on sale as well as canned items.

These menus are sponsored by our friends at Menu Planning Central. If you are looking for different types of weekly menus including kid-friendly, healthy and vegetarian options, take a look at www.menuplanningcentral.com

Week 1

Sunday
Lemon Pepper Steak

Monday
Pasta with Peas and Eggs

Tuesday
Fajita Beef Dinner

Wednesday
Hot Dog Casserole

Thursday
Zesty Roasted Chicken with Potatoes

Friday
Sloppy Joes

Saturday
California Pizza

Weekly Menu and Recipes Printable (PDF)

Weekly Shopping List (PDF)

These are PDF files. To save them to your computer, right click on the link and choose “Save Target As”. You will need a PDF Reader to view them. You can download the adobe reader free from adobe.com

Week 2

Sunday
Barbecued Turkey Bake

Monday
Chili-Orange Country Style Ribs

Tuesday
Chicken Stir Fry Skillet Meal

Wednesday
Pork Chop and Potato Skillet

Thursday
Bacon Cheeseburger Pasta

Friday
Teriyaki Noodles

Saturday
Chicken Nugget Casserole

Weekly Menu and Recipes Printable (PDF)

Weekly Shopping List (PDF)

These are PDF files. To save them to your computer, right click on the link and choose “Save Target As”. You will need a PDF Reader to view them. You can download the adobe reader free from adobe.com

Week 3

Sunday
Cheesy Chili Strata

Monday
Lemon Breaded Fried Chicken

Tuesday
Easy Scandinavian Supper

Wednesday
Ham Steak with Spiced Apple Jelly Sauce

Thursday
Chicken Enchiladas

Friday
Easy Hamburger Hotdish

Saturday
Spinach Gnocchi

Weekly Menu and Recipes Printable (PDF)

Weekly Shopping List (PDF)

These are PDF files. To save them to your computer, right click on the link and choose “Save Target As”. You will need a PDF Reader to view them. You can download the adobe reader free from adobe.com

Week 4

Sunday
Meat Loaf

Monday
Chuckwagon Supper Pie

Tuesday
Ham and Scalloped Potatoes

Wednesday
Chicken Pot Pie

Thursday
Turkey Stir Fry

Friday
Ham and Cheese Soufflé

Saturday
Cheesy Italian Ravioli

Weekly Menu and Recipes Printable (PDF)

Weekly Shopping List (PDF)

These are PDF files. To save them to your computer, right click on the link and choose “Save Target As”. You will need a PDF Reader to view them. You can download the adobe reader free from adobe.com

No matter what I cook, I always have a “ring” of leftovers..you know that stuff that gets under the metal rings of your electric stove burners?

After the stove cools, I take my baking soda and sprinkle it over the spill and then just scrub. I don’t add water to the baking soda…it works like a charm!

This post was submitted by Stephanie Fish.

I have tried everything to get the textured bottom of my fiberglass tub clean and nothing works. Does anyone know of anything that will work?

This post was submitted by Amy.

I had a recipie for christmas cookies that had dates, nuts, candied cherries, flour, and rest of the normal stuff. I would love to have this recipie, i’ve tried using chocolate chip dough but it just didn’t turn out good, got any ideas?

This post was submitted by Diane.

Hi
instead of purchasing bench spray I use 1/2 spray bottle of white vinegar
about 4 large lemons squeezed and sieved
then top up bottle with water and shake

Omit lemons if you dont have surplus to use eg. lemon tree! You can use a few drops of frangrance oil. Vinegar smell disappears in a few seconds

This post was submitted by gayle.

My friend and I always said to each other if you want to save STAY OUT OF THE STORES. We buy once a month and make do with that. It works if you take a list and buy nothing else unless something you use all the time is on sale. Carolyn Page

This post was submitted by Carolyn Page.

when I am cooking and need a little something on the frying pan I put some extra lite oil on a small spray bottle and spray just a little and not adding a lot of calories to my food.

This post was submitted by Anna.

Another tip to keep bacon from shrinking is to dredge it in flour before frying - it comes out with a crispy coating and there is less shrinkage!! I have been doing this for years. For variation, I sometimes add black pepper to the flour for an added zing!

This post was submitted by Robbie.

I love the flavored coffee creamers, but can no longer afford to buy them. I’m looking for some recipes (preferably sugar-free) for some tried and true yummy coffee creamers.

This post was submitted by Martha .

My husband and i just determined that we could save about $25-30 per year by purchasing our butter in pound sections at Costco rather than quarters. The difference in price is just under $3 per package of 4 lbs of butter. It may not seem like a lot, but between that and the other little changes, we should see some improvement in our finances rather quickly without actually giving up anything!

Thanks for all your frugal tips!

This post was submitted by Angela Varela.

When I was a child a lady in our church made home-made gummies in the shape of dinosaurs. They were made with grape jelly I think?? She said they were lower in sugar than store-bought. I would love to make these with my kids if anyone has a recipe.

This post was submitted by lisa james.

Yet another way to make your dollar stretch further with a larger family is to serve meat and bean chili (seasoning made from scratch) with cornbread. But before you think you have *ho-hum* heard this before, let me tell you how i do it.

Using a greased muffin/cupcake pan or other small baking dishes, scoop a small amount of chili into bottom of baking cups, top with shredded cheese (shred and freeze this yourself to save money and starch), then pour cornbread mix over the top to cover it all. Bake in 400 degree oven until cornbread is set. Pop them out upside down (or scoop if you are using attached muffin cup pan) onto plates. The results are a bubbly, oozy, delicious chili stretcher! I came up with this when i had leftover chili, but it wasn’t enough to feed our entire family. Now i do it on purpose to save meat/protein and still serve a nutritious meal.

This post was submitted by Angela Varela.

I would like to be able to make my own hazelnut (powdered) coffee creamer. I have been searching the web but have not found a recipe for this flavored coffee creamer.

If anyone has any tried-and-true powdered coffee creamer recipes, various flavors, they would be useful.

This post was submitted by Susan.

I love California rolls (but nobody else in the house does) and I always have nearly 1/2 of an avocado left. I recently found that they freeze quite well. Simply mash the ripe avocado in a bowl and add about a teaspoon of lemon juice and freeze. I freeze them in an ice cube tray, so I can pop a cube out later to spread on a sandwich or use several cubes to make a small batch of guacamole. Just thaw at room temperature. If you don’t care about the ‘look’ you can even spread the mashed avocado on your seaweed, lay on the crabmeat and cucumber and make your California roll this way.

This post was submitted by Anita.

I am looking for an old recipe my grandmother used to make. She made a molasses-based cookie dough, but set it on the back of the stove to ferment for three days before baking. The family called them pffersneuses, but most recipes I find for that do not have molasses and use pepper. Her recipe did not have pepper and the cookies were soft, not crunchy.

This post was submitted by Naola Vaughn.

I have an abundance of sirloin and round steaks and I need recipes please. We raise our own beef and I need to clean out the freezer.

This post was submitted by Carla.

I am looking for a recipe that my grandmother talks of often. She made it often when she was in her teens. It is called FRIED FUDGE. She says it is made in a skillet on the stove top. Please help. I’d like to make her some for Christmas. Thanks, Shanley

This post was submitted by Shanley Allen.

Chopped olives added to ground beef when browning give the impression of more meat than there is. Add them to spaghetti sauce when you want to use less meat.

This post was submitted by Barb.

I need to fing some easy and inexpensive gifts for Christmas. Do you have any ideas esp for teenagers (I have a lot of nieces and nephews) and for friends and coworkers?

This post was submitted by Lin.

My husband and I used to frequent a Southwestern restaurant in Tulsa, OK around the 21st and Harvard area. We can’t remember the name and they were no longer there when we visited. They had a wonderful concoction of all the leftover smoked meats from the previous day and they called it Pulled Meat Stew. I would love to find this recipe or something similar.

This post was submitted by Ruth Ann.

My Grandma use to make a dish on holiday’s..it had while ball’s in it I think it was made from bread dough.had a while sause with poppy seeds in it..They are all gone now But I sure would like to fine that recipe,if anyone can help me ..God Bless & Thank Ya ..

This post was submitted by Sarah Brown.

I learned to do this onion thing when I was young. In the really old days women would just braid the tops of onions together and hang them up, but now days the tops are cut off before we ever get them. so you take old panty hose and put an onion in and tie a knot, then another onion and a knot. I get around 20 to 24 onions per hose. I hang them up and there we go, Onions Aleggo! I go to the food pantry’s around town and they frequently have 50 pound bags of onions you can have. I get what they will let me take and do this all over my kitchen. They have air around them so they do not spoil. Its served me well over all of my years!

This post was submitted by Erma E. Koebel.

I was wondering how to make a marble cake from a yellow cake. I know to reserve some of the yellow batter, but how much cocoa and other chocolately fixins are added? Thank you.

This post was submitted by Laurie S.

At one time my mom had a great breakfast cookie recipe. It used oatmeal & some other things, was low in sugar, and we got to grab one on our way to school in the morning. Do you know any good recipes for this?

This post was submitted by Sarah.

I need to know how to dry pumpkin and acorn squash seeds to use in my garden next year!

This post was submitted by timberlee lautenschleger.

I was told to use a couple of drops of bleach in a old milk jug to save water and to keep it from going”skunky” after just a short time.We tend to lose power in my neck of the woods and I don’t want to spend money on bottled water or have to replace the water I do save so often. Anyone have any other ideas?

This post was submitted by timberlee lautenschleger.

October 21st 2009

Editorial

Hi there… it’s another cold morning here in the south, which isn’t usually a problem, except for the fact that we just found out that our heat isn’t working. It should be fixed in the next few days and in the meantime we’re making do with thick socks and some blankets and afghans. I’m about to start a big pot of split pea soup and make some fresh bread in the breadmaker for a nice warm lunch.

I’m excited to announce the next ebook in the HBHW collection - Crockpot Cooking Made Simple. And to go with the theme both featured articles this week are on slowcooker cooking.

I mentioned this new guide in an email I sent out yesterday and so far, 80 people got their copy. The feedback has been phenomenal. For the next few days you can get your copy for $5 here:

Crockpot Cooking Made Simple

Of course I’m still donating 20% of all profits to Breast Cancer Research this month and that applies to any Crockpot Ebook sales as well.

That’s it for this week. As always, I welcome your comments and suggestions. Feel free to email me at susanne@hillbillyhousewife.com

Warm Regards,

Susanne - The Hillbilly Housewife

Inspirational Quote

“Life is change. Growth is optional. Choose wisely.” - Karen Kaiser Clark

Shared by Patti, one of our members in the Hillbilly Housewife Club

Sponsor

Living On A Dime E-book Extravaganza package- Retail Price - 11 e-books for $45.00

The Living On A Dime E-book Extravaganza package - 11 e-books for $45.00. The e-books included in this offer (Money Management, Grocery Savings, Cleaning Cents, Kids Cents, Debt Free Holidays, Menus On A Dime, Quick Dinners, Plan Ahead Leftovers, Pretty For Pennies, Moving On A Dime and Gifts In A Jar) are also available separately and are described below. Click Here to learn more about The Living On A Dime E-book Extravaganza package.

Reader Question

I didn’t get any new reader questions via email this week, so I grabbed one out of the HBHW Club Forum. Here it is:

I grew up in a family where I ate everything on my plate. This included kidney beans, lima beans, pinto beans, split pea soup and, well you get the idea.

My family will eat pork n beans from a can that I “doctor” up and they tolerate chili beans in the chili (although my son digs them out of the bowl and refuses to eat them). I want to start serving lentils and other beans in order to stretch my grocery budget and was wondering does anyone have some tips for serving them to picky eaters (or disguising them in a dish). Added to this dilemma is the fact that my husband dislikes cheese for the most part. He will eat it on pizza and sliced extremely thin for grilled cheese but that is it. I love cheese and so does my son so I usually sprinkle cheese on our section of a casserole.

I was thinking of adding lentils to chili or cook them with meat as a meat stretcher - something I have never done. Anyone ideas?

Martha C. from Iowa

Adding lentils and beans to stretch ground beef is an excellent idea. You may also want to try this recipe
http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/tacolentilsrice.htm

I’ve made lentil sloppy joes before that turned out great. Cook the lentils, saute some onion in a pan in a little oil until soft, add your lentils and a some sloppy joe sauce. Simmer, then serve on buns.

News From The HBHW Club

This is a new section of the newsletter. Each week I’m going to share some tidbits of what’s going on at the HBHW Club with you. I hope you enjoy these extra tips, recipes and ideas and of course would love to have you join the club.

As a HBHW newsletter subscriber, you can join for only $10 per month here: http://www.hillbillyhousewifeclub.com/special.html

And to make it even easier, I’ll let you try it out for just a dollar for the first 7 days.

Here’s one of the recipes that were submitted this past week.

Stuffed Tuna Rolls

* 10 to 15 dinner rolls (depending on size)

* 1 lb Cheddar cheese, shredded
* 1 green bell pepper, chopped fine
* 1 bunch green onions, chopped fine
* 1/2 cup chili sauce
* 3/4 cup mayonnaise
* dash Worcestershire sauce
* dash hot sauce (optional)
* 2 large cans tuna in water, drained

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Slice into roll about 1/3 way lengthwise and scoop out some of insides.  Mix all ingredients together until blended well.  Divide tuna filling evenly between the rolls, stuffing pretty full.  Wrap each roll tightly in tin foil and place on baking sheet in 350 degree oven for 30 to 40 minutes.  (You may open foil for a few minutes to crisp the roll.   You can substitute crab meat for this recipe if you have it on hand instead of tuna.

And here are some of the other recipes that have been added in the past few days.

• Elegant Pumpkin Squares
• Homemade Shake-It Bake-It
• German Crumb Coffee Cake
• Cajun Cabbage Bake
• Tuna Potato Patties

All in all, we have over 230 new recipes in the member area already.

What else has been going on at the HBHW Club? We’ve been talking about homemade Christmas gifts (Members are busy coming up with as many ideas as possible for every letter of the alphabet - what a fun post to read every day), implementing things from this month’s resource report about saving on utilities, pressure cooking and more.  I’m sure you have a lot to contribute to the conversation. Ready to join us? Try The HBHW Club for only $1. We’d love to have you! http://www.hillbillyhousewifeclub.com/special.html

Featured Article

I have two articles for you today. Since crockpot cooking has been on my mind quite a bit this week, both of them are on that topic. Here they are:

Quick and Easy Crockpot Recipes

Planning Crockpot Meals

Frugal Tips

Frugal Thanksgiving Decorations
Since Thanksgiving in the US is just a few days away, I thought I’d share some of my favorite frugal Thanksgiving decorating tips. Anything from pumpkins to fall flowers can be used to make a prett …

Grocery List
I make a grocery list with the following heading: Meats, Produce, Dairy, Can Goods, Frozen, & Misc: No Eat. In doing this I can get in and out of the grocery store without back tracking through t …

Frugal Vegetable Soup Mix
I keep leftover vegetables in a gallon bag in the freezer. When the bag is full, it’s simple to add hamburger or other meat and make a great soup or stew since the vegetables are already seasone …

Do you have a tip to share? Fill out the submit a frugal tip form and I’ll be glad to add it to the site and share your tip in an upcoming edition of the newsletter.

Recipes

Here are some of the most recent recipes that have been added to the HBHW site. Enjoy!

Pork & Kraut with Dumpling’s
3-4pd. pork roast, add 1 medium sliced onion,1qt.jar of homemade sauerkraut (or 2cans of sauerkraut),caraway seed, pepper&salt,1/2 stick butter or margarine,add water to the roast alittle less tha …

A Different Green Bean Casserole
1 lb frozen french cut green beans 1 can cream of celery soup or 10 oz of the homemade equivelant. 1 cup slivered toasted almonds Mix green beans with 1/2 cup almonds and the cream of celery soup and …

Sweet and Sour Chicken and Rice
Suggested ingredients and amounts (all are adjustable to your taste) 3-4 cups cooked rice 1 cup broccoli florets or peas 2-3 scrambled eggs 1-2 cooked and cubed chicken breasts (optional) 1 bottle swe …

Cranberry Chutney
4 small oranges 2 cups sugar (or sugar substitute) 4 cups fresh cranberries 1 cup chopped unpeeled apple 1/2 cup seedless raisins 1/2 cup chopped walnuts 1 Tablespoon vinegar 1/2 teaspoon ground ginge …

Delicious Beans and Potatoes
Make mashed potatoes. While they are cooking take cooked pinto beans, drained, cooked kidney beans, drained, or a mix, or leftover bean soup or leftover beans that kidney or pinto beans are in them, …

Do you have a recipe you would like to share? Click here to send it to me and I’ll be happy to add it to the website.

I’m Looking For:

This section is going to be all about you. If you are looking for a particular recipe or a tip on how to do something, submit it here and I will post it in an upcoming newsletter. I’ll give you my input and other readers of the newsletter will have the opportunity to share their recipes and tips as well. So take a moment to post your questions and of course if you have a tip or idea for any question posted in this section feel free to leave a comment under the appropriate post.

I’m Looking For Requests

Scratch Jiffy Cornbread Recipe
looking for a from scratch recipe for cornbread that tastes like the Jiffy brand. I’ve tried adding sugar to some recipes, but they still don’t taste similar. My son prefers this to sout …

In search of gluten-free lemon bars
Lemon bars are an economical sweet and have always been my favourite but now I must cook gluten-free meals (no wheat or wheat byproducts, read flour, etc., etc., - everything, especially prepared food …

Closet Damp Absorber
Hi Just wondering in any readers have any ideas on how to make your own closet damp absorber, you know the sort that collects the humid water in linen closets etc. Gayle This post was submitted by gay …

Egg Nog Recipes
I am looking for a variety of egg nog recipes out there. If you have a great traditional recipe, or one with a different twist or flavor to it, I’d love to hear about it. This post was submitted …

Homemade Johnson’s No More Bedhead spray
I have boys with thick hair that needs quick taming in the morning. Plain water isn’t controlling it. I sometimes use No More Bedhead or No More Tangles, but it’s too costly anymore. I won …

Cooking Turkey
Last year there was a post on how to use your oven as a slow cooker and cook a turkey overnight. My turkey turned out fantastic!! But, I lost my directions. Please help! This post was submitted by …

Chicken and Dumplings Recipe - Homemade
looking for homemade chicken and dumplings made the old- fashioned way.thank you. From Susanne - Here’s my chicken and dumplings recipe. My biggest trick is to start the day before by cooking th …

Sweet Potatoe Cassarole
I am looking for a sweat potatoe cassarole that has the marshmellowes on top and has a thick like syrup and fruit cocktail in it. my aunt used to make it but she passed away and no one remembered to b …

Pie Shell Cake
I’m looking for a recipe for a cake that was baked in a pie shell. It may have had chocolate syrup on the bottom. It was great and my kids loved it. Now I would like to make it for the grandk …

Removing Rocks in Beans
Does anyone have a method for removing all the pebbles from pinto & other dried beans? This post was submitted by Nancy.

I’m Looking For Responses
Below you will find some of the recent responses to the “I’m Looking For” Requests. You may also want to go directly to this section and browse through all the recent submissions and replies. To do so, click on “I’m Looking for” here, and start looking through them.

Comment on Homemade Johnson’s No More Bedhead spray by Ellen
If you just want to tame it and not remove tangles, try a little salt water in a spray bottle.

Comment on Reconstituting Powdered Milk by Debie
I don’t know much about powdered milk. Does it not cost more to use than purchasing regular milk? If it is cheaper, how do you get your family to switch over?

Comment on Apron Evangelism by Debie
Just wanted to say thanks for reminding me why I wear my apron!! Actually my daughter thought I wasn’t feeling well the other day when I didn’t put it on in the morning. Amazing how one gets in a ha …

Comment on Low Cal recipes by Nancy R.
If you search Diabetic recipes, and weight watchers recipes they are all low calorie. I did weight watchers for 2 years now, 1 year in meetings and 1 year on my own and am 10 lbs from my goal weight. …

Comment on Crockpot Cranberry Pork by ridgerunner
Comment for Joni… your recipe is so darn good!!! Fried Potato’s and onion’s on the side and hope to eat it all for yourself. I love to cook with pork, for that matter. The aroma this time of year is …

Comment on Indian Pudding Recipe by DE
Nadine - notice this site is titled “hillbillyhousewife”…probably not a place to spread enlightenment.

Comment on Closet Damp Absorber by brande
baking soda

Comment on Quick Sugar Cookies by Angela
These cookies are so good and easy to make. I did use real unsalted butter instead of margarine and increased the milk by 1/2 to 1 tsp. They turned out perfect. I will make these again, (as the fir …

Comment on Haitian Spaghetti Sauce by Nick
Try this recipe. It’s worked for me. http://i-jat.blogspot.com/2008/10/haitian-spaghetti.html

Comment on Chicken and Dumplings Recipe - Homemade by kitty wilson
I have always made mine by boiling the fryer with onion, celery and poltery seasoning as well as salt and pepper. I also completely cover the chicken and save some of the broth to freeze to use for …

Inspirational Story

A SLAVE TO HIS DESTINY

by Adam Khan, , Self-Help Stuff That Works

One morning a sixteen-year-old boy was kidnapped from his house by a band of knife-wielding thugs and taken to another country, there to be sold as a slave. The year was 401 AD.

He was made a shepherd. Slaves were not allowed to wear clothes, so he was often dangerously cold and frequently on the verge of starvation. He spent months at a time without seeing another human being — a severe psychological torture.

But this greatest of difficulties was transformed into the greatest of blessings because it gave him an opportunity not many get in a lifetime. Long lengths of solitude have been used by people all through history to meditate, to learn to control the mind and to explore the depths of feeling and thought to a degree impossible in the hubbub of normal life.

He wasn’t looking for such an “opportunity,” but he got it anyway. He had never been a religious person, but to hold himself together and take his mind off the pain, he began to pray, so much that “…in one day,” he wrote later, “I would say as many as a hundred prayers and after dark nearly as many again…I would wake and pray before daybreak — through snow, frost, and rain….”

This young man, at the onset of his manhood, got a ‘raw deal.’ But therein lies the lesson. Nobody gets a perfect life. The question is not “What could I have done if I’d gotten a better life?” but rather “What can I do with the life I’ve got?”

How can you take your personality, your circumstances, your upbringing, the time and place you live in, and make something extraordinary out of it? What can you do with what you’ve got?

The young slave prayed. He didn’t have much else available to do, so he did what he could with all his might. And after six years of praying, he heard a voice in his sleep say that his prayers would be answered: He was going home. He sat bolt upright and the voice said, “Look, your ship is ready.”

He was a long way from the ocean, but he started walking. After two hundred miles, he came to the ocean and there was a ship, preparing to leave for Britain, his homeland. Somehow he got aboard the ship and went home to reunite with his family.

But he had changed. The sixteen-year-old boy had become a holy man. He had visions. He heard the voices of the people from the island he had left — Ireland — calling him back. The voices were persistent, and he eventually left his family to become ordained as a priest and a bishop with the intention of returning to Ireland and converting the Irish to Christianity.

At the time, the Irish were fierce, illiterate, Iron-Age people. For over eleven hundred years, the Roman Empire had been spreading its civilizing influence from Africa to Britain, but Rome never conquered Ireland.

The people of Ireland warred constantly. They made human sacrifices of prisoners of war and sacrificed newborns to the gods of the harvest. They hung the skulls of their enemies on their belts as ornaments.

Our slave-boy-turned-bishop decided to make these people literate and peaceful. Braving dangers and obstacles of tremendous magnitude, he actually succeeded! By the end of his life, Ireland was Christian. Slavery had ceased entirely. Wars were much less frequent, and literacy was spreading.

How did he do it? He began by teaching people to read — starting with the Bible. Students eventually became teachers and went to other parts of the island to create new places of learning, and wherever they went, they brought the know-how to turn sheepskin into paper and paper into books.

Copying books became the major religious activity of that country. The Irish had a long-standing love of words, and it expressed itself to the full when they became literate. Monks spent their lives copying books: the Bible, the lives of saints, and the works accumulated by the Roman culture — Latin, Greek, and Hebrew books, grammars, the works of Plato, Aristotle, Virgil, Homer, Greek philosophy, math, geometry, astronomy.

In fact, because so many books were being copied, they were saved, because as Ireland was being civilized, the Roman Empire was falling apart. Libraries disappeared in Europe. Books were no longer copied (except in the city of Rome itself), and children were no longer taught to read. The civilization that had been built up over eleven centuries disintegrated. This was the beginning of the Dark Ages.

Because our slave-boy-turned-bishop transformed his suffering into a mission, civilization itself, in the form of literature and the accumulated knowledge contained in that literature, was saved and not lost during that time of darkness. He was named a saint, the famous Saint Patrick. You can read the full and fascinating story if you like in the excellent book How the Irish Saved Civilization by Thomas Cahill.

“Very interesting,” you might say, “but what does that have to do with me?”

Well…you are also in some circumstances or other, and it’s not all peaches and cream, is it? There’s some stuff you don’t like — maybe something about your circumstances, perhaps, or maybe some events that occurred in your childhood.

But here you are, with that past, with these circumstances, with the things you consider less than ideal. What are you going to do with them? If those circumstances have made you uniquely qualified for some contribution, what would it be?

You may not know the answer to that question right now, but keep in mind that the circumstances you think only spell misery may contain the seeds of something profoundly Good. Assume that’s true, and the assumption will begin to gather evidence until your misery is transformed, as Saint Patrick’s suffering was, from a raw deal to the perfect preparation for something better.

Ask yourself and keep asking, “Given my upbringing and circumstances, what Good am I especially qualified to do?”

Final Thought

That’s it for this edition of the Hillbilly Housewife Newsletter. I hope you’ve had as much fun reading it as I had creating it for you. I also hope that you have found the information helpful and useful. And by all means feel free to forward the newsletter to family and friends or even better, encourage them to subscribe to it.

Do you have a question, a tip, a recipe or a story you’d like to share with us? Email it to me and I’ll include it in a future issue. Can’t wait to see what you have to say.

Warm Wishes,

Susanne - The Hillbilly Housewife

I love crockpot cooking, but the one thing I struggled with for quite some time, is that I simply wouldn’t think about it ahead of time. Around 3pm it would occur to me that a particular meal would have been perfect for crockpot cooking. Unfortunately by then it was usually to late. Over the years I’ve gotten more and more into meal planning, and at least one dish each week comes from my crockpot. But you don’t have to plan every meal ahead of time to take advantage of crockpot cooking. Here are a few of my best tips to plan your crockpot meals.

Declare A Crockpot Day

Decide on one day of the week and make it “crockpot day”. In other words you will know that on Wednesday for example you will always make a crockpot meal. Getting out the crockpot in the morning on that particular day and getting dinner started in the slowcooker will quickly become second habit and you don’t have to worry about forgetting to plan ahead anymore.

Note To Self

After you get back from the store with a particular roast or whatever else you decided you want to cook in the crockpot, write yourself a note as a reminder. The writing down part itself will help you remember (similar to how you know most of what you need to buy after you write a shopping list, even if you leave it sitting on the kitchen table - and yes, I’ve done that plenty of times). I also still stick the note on my fridge … just in case.

Postpone

If everything else fails and you forgot to put your ingredients in the crock pot, consider postponing the meal until the next day. Of course that only works if you have something else you can prepare the conventional way instead. Just take a look around your fridge and pantry and then decide.

I hope you will start to make your slowcooker one of your favorite kitchen appliances. You just can’t beat the ease of use and all the time you’re saving because you don’t have to stand around the stove stirring pots. I invite you to take a look at my newest ebook - Crockpot Cooking Made Simple. It’s full of recipes, but also plenty of tips for choosing and caring for a slowcooker and my favorite - how to convert recipes into crockpot versions.

I thought I’d share some quick and easy crockpot recipes with you. The term may be a little misleading though. While they don’t necessarily cook very quickly (nothing in a crockpot does), they are fast and simple to put together. Then just leave the actual cooking to your slowcooker.

What I like about the recipes below is that I don’t have to think too much about them and there aren’t dozens of ingredients to hunt for to get the meal started. I was talking to my good friend Tracy yesterday and since I just finished my crockpot cooking guide, the topic of using a slowcooker came up. She mentioned that her biggest challenge is to plan ahead and actually get something cooking in this nifty little appliance. That’s what got me thinking about these recipes. You don’t have to do a lot of planning and shopping. You just add everything early in the day and cook it until it’s time for dinner.

Crockpot Chicken

This is my favorite way to cook a whole chicken. Just add it to your crockpot, along with some water and a few chicken bullion cubes. Cook on low for about 8 to 10 hours or on high for about 6 hours or until the meat starts to fall off the bone. Take out the meat and shred.

Simple Beef Roast

This beef recipe is just as simple. Pick up whatever beef roast is on sale that week, add it to your crockpot along with some beef broth (water and bullion is fine as well) and a package of dry onion soup mix. Cooking times vary depending on the size of the roast but are similar to the chicken ones. You’ll know it’d done when the roast falls appart.

Pinto Beans

When you’re not in a rush, but don’t want to babysit a pot of beans cooking on the stove, put the dry beans (no soaking needed) and plenty of water to cover them in your crockpot. If you’d like add a piece of ham or a few slices of bacon. Cook all day on low.

By the way, you can find more crockpot recipes here.

Quick Dinner

1 lb smoked sausage or smoked Keilbasa—or brats—or sliced sausage in less amount—bias cut

2 sweet potatoes sliced ½ “ thick
2 apples cut in wedges
¼ cup orange juice
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsbp cinnamon

The recipe reads:
Quick sauté the sausage
And add the rest….simmer for 30 minutes
Serve with really good rye or pumpernickel bread

However,

I put all ingredients in an iron skillet, cover and bake in oven until potatoes are done. Sometimes, I add more orange juice or liquid and add dumplings. Really good in the winter….and hardy!

Or….

Put all ingredients in a crock pot (my preferred way) and go about your business….

I don’t know where this recipe came from or I would give the credit. This recipe can doubled or tripled depending on how many are to be fed.

Ready to learn more about crockpot cooking? Get my Crockpot Cooking Made Simple ebook today and find out how you can work this into your meal plan, how to choose a good crockpot and most importantly how to convert your favorite recipes to work in a slow cooker.

This post was submitted by Wyneta Miller.

Always rinse bacon under cold water before frying, it will reduce the amount the bacon shrinks when you cook it.

This post was submitted by Gerard.

This is unbelievable! The main ingredient in this extremely healthy smoothie is SPINACH and my kids (girls aged 2 and four) go crazy for it. I ask them if they like spinach and they scream “Yeah”. Even my very pick husband like it, so much that I grew spinach in my garden this year…

1 banana, cut into chunks
1 cup green seedless grapes, washed
500g container vanilla yogurt
1/2 granny smith apple, cored and chopped
1/2 ripe pear, cored and chopped
1 cup frozen spinach (or 1 1/2 cups fresh)
Throw ingredients into a blender until it resembles SLIME!! (So much fun and so very nutritious!)

This post was submitted by Shirley .

I am looking for a recipe for a cake that included mashed potatoes and cocoa I think. It was light brown and very moist. The frosting involved cooking flour and water and was very fluffy. It was a favorite in my mom’s family and I cannot find the recipe anywhere. Thanks!

This post was submitted by maryl .

My son is getting married (not the first time) and he wants me to make the wedding cake. Dose any one have a great recipe? I sure would appreciate.

This post was submitted by carolyn robinson.

Hi! I found a vegetarian gluten ham recipe on this site a couple years ago, and loved it. It became a tradition for my kids and I on the holidays, and when I went to find it over Easter, the recipe was gone. Sadly, I never saved the recipe, just the link. Is there any way you could re-post it for me, or maybe email it to me? It would make us all so happy to be able to make it again this holiday season.

Thanks so much!!

Veronica

This post was submitted by Veronica Clevidence.

Can’t find French Apple Pie like I had as a child. It was a regular apple pie except the filling had raisins and it tasted like a touch of nutmeg or allspice. After baking, the top pie crust was glazed with a powdered sugar icing that had some spice in it. Thanks for helping me go back in time.

This post was submitted by Priscilla.

I wanted to preserve my mother-in-laws handwritten recipes. First started scanning them into my computer. Then, decided to use my digital camera instead. Just lay the recipe card on the table and snap a picture. After downloading the pictures to the computer, you can rename them by the name of the recipe. You can even go further and prepare the dish, take a picture of it and add it to your collection.
I did this and then saved them on CD’s to give to our daughters and daughter-in-law. A nice gift for them, and no hard feelings that they didn’t get grandma’s recipes.

This post was submitted by Esther.

I’m looking for a easy recipie for carmel turtle candy. I know it might not be “frugal” but it would make wonderful Christmas gifts and I’m just craving them and can’t afford the store bought ones. Help!!!!!

This post was submitted by Diane.

I`m looking for a recipe for candy using canned frosting. I saw it either on Sadra Lee`s Semi Homemade or from a Heloise hint. Can anyone help? Please

This post was submitted by Maxine Cenker.

Hi from New Zealand
I think I am gluten intolerant. I would appreciate any helpful info on being gluten free, recipes, websites, lists of foods with gluten in,etc.
Thanks
PS: I love the hillbilly housewife website.

This post was submitted by Melanie.

I am looking for recipes to make my own food coloring, as my child is unable to ingest the artificial kinds due to medical reasons. The ones that you can buy are quite expensive and I was looking for a recipe to make my own with the holidays coming up. Thank you for your help!

This post was submitted by Jessica.

I recently bought a pressure cooker. I am interested in some recipe’s/tips for using it. My mom was always to scared to use hers, so I didn’t grow up around one. I think I’m going to love it though!

This post was submitted by Melissa.

My fiberglass shower suround gets really discolored, mostly from iron in our water. I can’t use Bon Ami–it scratches the fiberglass. And the cleaners I’ve looked at in the store either aren’t safe for fiberglass, or haven’t worked. I’ve tried three or four different ones.

This post was submitted by Ruth Allinger.

a great way to sharpen scissors or a paper cutter is to cut several times through tin foil…it works!

This post was submitted by cara.

October 14th 2009

Editorial

It’s been another busy week here are the Myers house. Our daughter finally started feeling better after being sick the week before, but as of last night it seems like we’re going through the next round of cold/ flu like symptoms. It just seems to be one of those years where we’re coming down with a lot more stuff than usual.

I’m also still busy writing on all sorts of frugal living and cooking blogs. This week I’m sharing some tips on freezer cooking on  the Living on a Dime Blog. When you get a chance, stop by and leave some comments. Next week I’ll be on Econobusters.com

I’m still busy working on the next few HBHW ebooks (including one on Crockpot cooking and one on Pressure Cooking). As you know I’m donating 20% of my profits this month to Breast Cancer Research and am working hard to make sure I can write them a nice check. Speaking of which… my latest ebook “Meal Planning Made Simple” is still on sale for the rest of the week for $7.00. Now is the perfect time to get a great deal on this ebook full of meal planning tips  and 6 sample menus and also support a charitable cause.

The newsletter as always was a lot of fun to put together. I hope you enjoy the inspirational story and take a moment to help out a fellow HBHW reader in the “I’m Looking For” section.

That’s it for this week. I hope you’ll follow me along on my blog tour this month and leave plenty of comments. My stop this week is at Living On A Dime. I’m enjoying writing for such a great blog and site.

That’s it for this week. As always, I welcome your comments and suggestions. Feel free to email me at susanne@hillbillyhousewife.com

Warm Regards,

Susanne - The Hillbilly Housewife

P.S. Remember to do regular monthly breast exams and contact your physician right away if you feel a lump. Early detection and treatment are your best bet for surviving breast cancer.

Inspirational Quote

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow. “-Melody Beattie

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Reader Question

I’ve been trying some new recipes and am a bit confused on stock vs. broth. Are they the same or is there a difference?

Jamie

Another great questions - HBHW readers are on a roll here lately

The basic difference is what you boil with it. When you are making stock you include the meat and bones along with some vegetables and seasonings. When making broth you leave out the bones. A stock usually tastes richer because of the addition of the bones during the cooking process.

Susanne

News From The HBHW Club

This is a new section of the newsletter. Each week I’m going to share some tidbits of what’s going on at the HBHW Club with you. I hope you enjoy these extra tips, recipes and ideas and of course would love to have you join the club.

As a HBHW newsletter subscriber, you can join for only $10 per month here: http://www.hillbillyhousewifeclub.com/special.html

And to make it even easier, I’ll let you try it out for just a dollar for the first 7 days.

Here’s one of the recipes that were submitted this past week.

Tuna Potato Patties

* 6 cups mashed potatoes
* 1 egg
* 1 Tblsp grated fresh sweet onion
* 1 large can good tuna, drained
* 1/2 tsp salt (optional)

Stir egg into mashed potatoes, add onion, then tuna, mixing well, but not over mixing.  Shape into 6 patties.  Heat oil in skillet and fry patties over medium high heat until golden brown.

You can serve these with a slice of cheese on top and in a toasted bun for a nice, big sandwich.   Or serve the pattie as is alongside a big salad.

And here are some of the other recipes that have been added in the past few days.

• Homemade Teriyaki Chicken Bake
• Sweet Potato & Apples Skillet
• Party Time Potatoes
• Crunchy Cheddar Potato Bake
• Pumpkin Lemon Cream Pie

All in all, we have over 200 new recipes in the member area already.

What else has been going on at the HBHW Club? We’ve been talking about the cooler weather, homemade kitchen crafts and some inspirational quotes. In fact, the quote in today’s newsletter was shared by a HBHW club member on the membership forum. I’m sure you have a lot to contribute to the conversation. Ready to join us? Try The HBHW Club for only $1. We’d love to have you! http://www.hillbillyhousewifeclub.com/special.html

Featured Article

Instead of sharing one of the articles I’ve written on the Living On A Dime Blog this week, I thought I’d share an article by Tawra from that wonderful site with you instead. It’s all about roasting pumpkins and what to do with both the seeds and the pumpkin flesh. Here it is:

How To Roast A Pumpkin

Frugal Tips

Frugal Thanksgiving Decorations
Since Thanksgiving in the US is just a few days away, I thought I’d share some of my favorite frugal Thanksgiving decorating tips. Anything from pumpkins to fall flowers can be used to make a prett …

Grocery List
I make a grocery list with the following heading: Meats, Produce, Dairy, Can Goods, Frozen, & Misc: No Eat. In doing this I can get in and out of the grocery store without back tracking through t …

Frugal Vegetable Soup Mix
I keep leftover vegetables in a gallon bag in the freezer. When the bag is full, it’s simple to add hamburger or other meat and make a great soup or stew since the vegetables are already seasone …

Do you have a tip to share? Fill out the submit a frugal tip form and I’ll be glad to add it to the site and share your tip in an upcoming edition of the newsletter.

Recipes

Here are some of the most recent recipes that have been added to the HBHW site. Enjoy!

Pork & Kraut with Dumpling’s
3-4pd. pork roast, add 1 medium sliced onion,1qt.jar of homemade sauerkraut (or 2cans of sauerkraut),caraway seed, pepper&salt,1/2 stick butter or margarine,add water to the roast alittle less tha …

A Different Green Bean Casserole
1 lb frozen french cut green beans 1 can cream of celery soup or 10 oz of the homemade equivelant. 1 cup slivered toasted almonds Mix green beans with 1/2 cup almonds and the cream of celery soup and …

Sweet and Sour Chicken and Rice
Suggested ingredients and amounts (all are adjustable to your taste) 3-4 cups cooked rice 1 cup broccoli florets or peas 2-3 scrambled eggs 1-2 cooked and cubed chicken breasts (optional) 1 bottle swe …

Cranberry Chutney
4 small oranges 2 cups sugar (or sugar substitute) 4 cups fresh cranberries 1 cup chopped unpeeled apple 1/2 cup seedless raisins 1/2 cup chopped walnuts 1 Tablespoon vinegar 1/2 teaspoon ground ginge …

Delicious Beans and Potatoes
Make mashed potatoes. While they are cooking take cooked pinto beans, drained, cooked kidney beans, drained, or a mix, or leftover bean soup or leftover beans that kidney or pinto beans are in them, …

Do you have a recipe you would like to share? Click here to send it to me and I’ll be happy to add it to the website.

I’m Looking For:

This section is going to be all about you. If you are looking for a particular recipe or a tip on how to do something, submit it here and I will post it in an upcoming newsletter. I’ll give you my input and other readers of the newsletter will have the opportunity to share their recipes and tips as well. So take a moment to post your questions and of course if you have a tip or idea for any question posted in this section feel free to leave a comment under the appropriate post.

I’m Looking For Requests

Scratch Jiffy Cornbread Recipe
looking for a from scratch recipe for cornbread that tastes like the Jiffy brand. I’ve tried adding sugar to some recipes, but they still don’t taste similar. My son prefers this to sout …

In search of gluten-free lemon bars
Lemon bars are an economical sweet and have always been my favourite but now I must cook gluten-free meals (no wheat or wheat byproducts, read flour, etc., etc., - everything, especially prepared food …

Closet Damp Absorber
Hi Just wondering in any readers have any ideas on how to make your own closet damp absorber, you know the sort that collects the humid water in linen closets etc. Gayle This post was submitted by gay …

Egg Nog Recipes
I am looking for a variety of egg nog recipes out there. If you have a great traditional recipe, or one with a different twist or flavor to it, I’d love to hear about it. This post was submitted …

Homemade Johnson’s No More Bedhead spray
I have boys with thick hair that needs quick taming in the morning. Plain water isn’t controlling it. I sometimes use No More Bedhead or No More Tangles, but it’s too costly anymore. I won …

Cooking Turkey
Last year there was a post on how to use your oven as a slow cooker and cook a turkey overnight. My turkey turned out fantastic!! But, I lost my directions. Please help! This post was submitted by …

Chicken and Dumplings Recipe - Homemade
looking for homemade chicken and dumplings made the old- fashioned way.thank you. From Susanne - Here’s my chicken and dumplings recipe. My biggest trick is to start the day before by cooking th …

Sweet Potatoe Cassarole
I am looking for a sweat potatoe cassarole that has the marshmellowes on top and has a thick like syrup and fruit cocktail in it. my aunt used to make it but she passed away and no one remembered to b …

Pie Shell Cake
I’m looking for a recipe for a cake that was baked in a pie shell. It may have had chocolate syrup on the bottom. It was great and my kids loved it. Now I would like to make it for the grandk …

Removing Rocks in Beans
Does anyone have a method for removing all the pebbles from pinto & other dried beans? This post was submitted by Nancy.

I’m Looking For Responses
Below you will find some of the recent responses to the “I’m Looking For” Requests. You may also want to go directly to this section and browse through all the recent submissions and replies. To do so, click on “I’m Looking for” here, and start looking through them.

Comment on Homemade Johnson’s No More Bedhead spray by Ellen
If you just want to tame it and not remove tangles, try a little salt water in a spray bottle.

Comment on Reconstituting Powdered Milk by Debie
I don’t know much about powdered milk. Does it not cost more to use than purchasing regular milk? If it is cheaper, how do you get your family to switch over?

Comment on Apron Evangelism by Debie
Just wanted to say thanks for reminding me why I wear my apron!! Actually my daughter thought I wasn’t feeling well the other day when I didn’t put it on in the morning. Amazing how one gets in a ha …

Comment on Low Cal recipes by Nancy R.
If you search Diabetic recipes, and weight watchers recipes they are all low calorie. I did weight watchers for 2 years now, 1 year in meetings and 1 year on my own and am 10 lbs from my goal weight. …

Comment on Crockpot Cranberry Pork by ridgerunner
Comment for Joni… your recipe is so darn good!!! Fried Potato’s and onion’s on the side and hope to eat it all for yourself. I love to cook with pork, for that matter. The aroma this time of year is …

Comment on Indian Pudding Recipe by DE
Nadine - notice this site is titled “hillbillyhousewife”…probably not a place to spread enlightenment.

Comment on Closet Damp Absorber by brande
baking soda

Comment on Quick Sugar Cookies by Angela
These cookies are so good and easy to make. I did use real unsalted butter instead of margarine and increased the milk by 1/2 to 1 tsp. They turned out perfect. I will make these again, (as the fir …

Comment on Haitian Spaghetti Sauce by Nick
Try this recipe. It’s worked for me. http://i-jat.blogspot.com/2008/10/haitian-spaghetti.html

Comment on Chicken and Dumplings Recipe - Homemade by kitty wilson
I have always made mine by boiling the fryer with onion, celery and poltery seasoning as well as salt and pepper. I also completely cover the chicken and save some of the broth to freeze to use for …

Inspirational Story

FARMER FLEMING AND A NOBELMAN

Author Unknown

His name was Fleming, and he was a poor Scottish farmer. One day, while trying to eke out a living for his family, he heard a cry for help coming from a nearby bog. He dropped his tools and ran to the bog.

There, mired to his waist in black muck, was a terrified boy, screaming and struggling to free himself. Farmer Fleming saved the lad from what could have been a slow and terrifying death. The next day, a fancy carriage pulled up to the Scotsman’s sparse surroundings. An elegantly dressed nobleman stepped out and introduced himself as the father of the boy Farmer Fleming had saved.

“I want to repay you,” said the nobleman. “You saved my son’s life.”

“No, I can’t accept payment for what I did,” the Scottish farmer replied, waving off the offer.

At that moment, the farmer’s own son came to the door of the family hovel. “Is that your son?” the nobleman asked.

“Yes,” the farmer replied proudly.

“I’ll make you a deal. Let me take him and give him a good education. If the lad is anything like his father, he’ll grow to a man you can be proud of.”

And that he did. In time, Farmer Fleming’s son graduated from St. Mary’s Hospital Medical School in London, and went on to become known throughout the world as the noted Sir Alexander Fleming, the discoverer of Penicillin. Years afterward, the nobleman’s son was stricken with pneumonia. What saved him? Penicillin. The name of the nobleman? Lord Randolph Churchill. His son’s name? Sir Winston Churchill.

Final Thought

That’s it for this edition of the Hillbilly Housewife Newsletter. I hope you’ve had as much fun reading it as I had creating it for you. I also hope that you have found the information helpful and useful. And by all means feel free to forward the newsletter to family and friends or even better, encourage them to subscribe to it.

Do you have a question, a tip, a recipe or a story you’d like to share with us? Email it to me and I’ll include it in a future issue. Can’t wait to see what you have to say.

Warm Wishes,

Susanne - The Hillbilly Housewife

Pumpkins, pumpkins everywhere …

This time of the year  you can find these bright orange fruits (yes, technical

ly pumpkin is a fruit, not a vegetable) everywhere. They make beautiful decorations, but they are also quite tasty. Why not cook a few of them this year? Here’s how to roast a pumpkin.

To Roast Or Not To Roast!

Peter Piper Picked a Profoundly Plump Pumpkin — Now What does he do with it?

From LivingOnADime.com

Every fall I get many questions about what to do with pumpkins. Many people find curious fascination in imagining what it would be like to grow these versatile little gems, as if growing something that produces a large fruit is somehow more respectable than growing, say, a Serrano pepper. Many people eventually venture into pumpkin experimentation. Some succeed and many fail.

Much like a dog that chases a car, many people never give thought to what they would do if they actually succeeded in successfully raising a patch of these fall favorites. Whether you have found yourself with more pumpkins than you know what to do with or you are one of the people who had to buy pumpkins and duct tape them to the vine, these tips for roasting and using pumpkins are sure to help you make the most out of them (no matter how you acquired them)!

How To Roast A Pumpkin

You can only do this with a freshly carved pumpkin! Do not use on a pumpkin that has been carved and sitting out for several days.

To bake a fresh 6 to 7 pound pumpkin, halve the pumpkin crosswise and scoop out the seeds and strings. Place halves, hollow side down, in a large baking pan covered with aluminum foil and add a little water. Bake, uncovered, at 375° for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until fork-tender. Remove. When cool, scrape pulp from shells and puree, a little at time, in food processor or blender. Mix with a little salt.

To freeze pumpkin puree. Put 1-2 cups in freezer bags along with spices and use in pies.

To use pumpkin puree for recipes: Line a strainer with a double layer of cheesecloth or a flour sack dish towel and let the pumpkin sit to drain out the extra moisture BEFORE cooking with it. Pumpkin is very moist, so in order for your recipe to come out correctly, you MUST strain it.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Boil seeds in water for 5 minutes. Drain well. Sprinkle with salt or seasoned salt. Place a thin layer on a cookie sheet. Bake at 250°. Stir after 30 minutes. Bake 1/2-1 hour more or until crunchy.
*Squash seeds may also be used.

Pumpkin Smoothies

• 1/2 cup pumpkin
• 3/4 cup milk or vanilla yogurt
• 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp. nutmeg
• 2 tsp. brown sugar
• 4 ice cubes
• whipped cream (optional)
• sprinkles (optional)

Place all ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth. Pour into 2-3 glasses. Serve with a small amount of whipped cream on top. You may also add orange sprinkles if you like. Serves 2-3.

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Makes 4 servings

• 4 ounces (2 1/2 cups) uncooked extra-wide egg noodles
• 2 cups frozen cut green beans
• 3 slices bacon, cut into small pieces
• 4 (4-ounce) boneless pork loin chops
• 1/4 cup chopped onions
• 1 cup apple cider or juice
• 1 teaspoon honey mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch

1. Cook noodles to desired doneness as directed on package, adding green beans during last 4 minutes of cooking time. Drain; cover to keep warm.

2. Meanwhile, in large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until brown and crisp. With slotted spoon, remove bacon from skillet; drain on paper towels. Drain and discard all drippings from skillet.

3. Place pork chops in skillet near center. Sprinkle onion around pork chops. Cook 3 to 5 minutes or until pork chops are golden brown, turning once. In small bowl, combine cider, mustard, salt, thyme and pepper; mix well. Pour over chops. Reduce heat to low; cover and cook 10 to 15 minutes or until pork is no longer pink in center.

4. Arrange noodles and green beans on serving platter. Place pork chops on top of noodle mixture; cover to keep warm.

5. In small bowl, combine water and cornstarch; blend until smooth. Add to juices in skillet; mix well. Cook and stir over medium-low heat until bubbly and thickened; boil 1 minute. (If desired, gravy can be strained.)

6. To serve, pour gravy over pork chops and noodles. Sprinkle with bacon.

Ham and Cheese Crescent Squares

2 cans crescent rolls sheets (Pillsbury makes them)
Honey
1 cup chopped cooked ham
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
—————————————————————
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place one crescent roll sheet on greased baking sheet. Drizzle with honey. Sprinkle ham and cheese on top. Place second sheet on top and seal edges. Bake for 11 to 13 minutes or until golden brown. Cut into squares. Serve with a green salad for nice simple supper.
You can also cut these into little triangles for appetizers or finger foods.

This post was submitted by Denise.

On a recent trip to the Thumb region of Michigan, I stopped by and bought a 40 lb sack of soy grits from the Thumb Oilseed Company in Ubly, MI, for only 40 cents a pound! I’ve been experimenting with how to use it, but surprisingly, the easiest way is to mix it with equal parts of oatmeal, add a dash of salt, cinnamon, and Splenda, and cook in the microwave 2-3 minutes, stirring halfway through the cooking time. It makes a great-tasting, high protein breakfast.

This post was submitted by Rosemary Johnson.

I am in need of recipes using powdered milk to make potato and creamy tomato/ or any simple tomato soup recipes.Any submitted or sent to me would be greatly appreciated as we have an abundance of potatoes this year and our neighbors gave us several bags of powdered milk I want to learn to use..thank you for your time…

This post was submitted by tammy scott.

This is a recipe from my Great Grandmother Neuhard for Barbecued Frankfurts.

18 hot dogs,cut lengthwise
3 tbsp butter
1 c. chopped onion
4 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp ground mustard (the dry spice)
1 tsp celery salt
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 c. ketchup
2 1/2 tsp vinegar
3/4 c. water
Brown the onions in butter for 5 minutes. Mix the sugar, mustard, celery salt, paprika, pepper, ketchup, vinegar & water and bring to a boil. Add the onions. Lay the lengthwise cut hotdogs in a baking dish. Pour the liquid over and bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees.

This post was submitted by Heather Dormer.

I’m looking for a recipe for carrots cooked with onions and pickled jalepenos. The carrots are usually sliced or baby carrots are used. It tastes like there is vinegar in the cooking liquid, they’re very tart. I tasted this dish in New Mexico but never asked for a recipe before moving and now can’t find anything like them where I live.

This post was submitted by Lady Lisette.

I have a ceramic tile shower and it gets mildewy easily. I have resorted to using the daily shower cleaner. Is there something more natural that I could use to spray on it daily to keep the mildew at bay?Any comments would be most gratefully welcome. Thank you!

This post was submitted by Donna Phillips.

Hi:) I sent you the garbage bag costume idea and I remembered another one! this is for smaller children

You need:
1 cardboard box that is big enough for the child to fit in, small butter dishes, and spray paint

Cut a hole out of the top for their head, and the sides for their arms, as well as leg holes at the bottom.

Glue small butter dishes like the dimples of a lego)

Wait for glue to dry, then spray paint the entire thing either red, blue, yellow, or whatever color you’d like.

There you have it….a walking life sized lego

This post was submitted by Carise.

I’m looking for and old and simple bread pudding recipe. A small Mom and Pop cafe had one of the best but it was a family recipe that was keep close to the heart. Any suggestions out there? Thanks, Cathy

This post was submitted by Cathy Armstrong.

Biggest time saver and better than I have eaten in some restaurants.

1 box of 20-30 Boxed Chicken Taquitos
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
1 can (soup size)Green Enchilada Sauce (mild)
8 oz Sour Cream

Take a large baking dish, spray with Pam and put down a single layer of frozen taquitos. Mix the soup, sauce and sour cream together until well blended. Pour over the taquitos. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Sprinkle grated cheese over the top and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Take out of the oven and let sit for 10 minutes - Wonderful to eat and easy to cook and almost no clean up!

This post was submitted by Loretta Tomlin.

I ate a Ryan’s recently and they had some cheesecake things that were kinda like a donut hole. I talked to the manager and he said he got them out of a bag and deep fried them. Any suggestions for making these?

This post was submitted by Jacque.

I would love to have some idea how the “Wild West Shrimp” is made at Longhorn’s Restaurant. I’ve searched online but no luck. Thanks

This post was submitted by Linda Hyre.

When I was little my step dad use to make a fudge like desert of left over mashed potatos from dinner.He would add mashed potatos,sugar,and peanut butter…I’m not sure what else.I’m not sure how much of anything he added either…sorry! Any help would be much appreciated!

This post was submitted by shelly.

October 7th 2009

Editorial

I can’t believe this, but I completely forgot to mention that I am posting across various other blogs this month. I meant to mention it in last week’s newsletter and then it slipped my mind. Thankfully it’s still early in the month and you’ll have plenty of time to follow along. Start by reading why I’m going on the road so to speak with my blogging.

I spent last week at Christine’s blog on Menu Planning Central sharing some meal planning information (scroll down to get to my articles).

Why am I doing this? There are several reasons. First and foremost, it’s a lot of fun. I get to hang out with a few of my best blogging friends and of course meet some new people (both bloggers and readers) along the way.

Secondly it helps me reach more people and help them live more frugally and make homemade meals from scratch. I don’t have to tell you that this is a topic I feel passionately about and that I love to write about it.

My third reason has to do with my grandmother. She is a breast cancer survivor and each October during breast cancer awareness month I try to do something to help. This year I decided to go on this blog tour and donate 20% of all my profits from ebook and HBHW membership sales to the the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.

I’d love to be able to write them a large check and to do that I’m not only spreading the word about the HillbillyHousewife.com website through this blog tour, I’ve also sat down and worked hard on three new ebooks that will be available in the next few days. One is a Meal Planning Guide I’ve been working on for quite some time, the other ones are a crockpot cooking guide and a pressure cooking guide. Look for an email announcement about those later this week.

That’s it for this week. I hope you’ll follow me along on my blog tour this month and leave plenty of comments. My stop this week is at Showmomthemoney.com. Two of my articles on that site are this week’s featured articles in this newsletter.

That’s it for this week. As always, I welcome your comments and suggestions. Feel free to email me at susanne@hillbillyhousewife.com

Warm Regards,

Susanne - The Hillbilly Housewife

P.S. Remember to do regular monthly breast exams and contact your physician right away if you feel a lump. Early detection and treatment are your best bet for surviving breast cancer.

Inspirational Quote

“It is easier to be wise for others than for ourselves.” - Francois De La Rochefoucauld

Ready to make a Halloween costume with your child? Homemade Halloween Costumes - no sewing required.

Reader Question

recently got a bushel of sweet potatoes, I shared them with friends but I have quite a few left over and I need to know if I can store them in the freezer. Do they freeze well?

Pat

Hi Pat,

yes, you can freeze sweet potatoes. Here’s how to do it. Wash and boil your sweet potatoes until they are fairly soft. Allow them to cool until they are comfortable to handle. Peel them and either slice them or cut them into chunks. If you’d like you can dip the sweet potato slices into a mixture of water and lemon juice to keep them from browning. If you are making mashed sweet potatoes to freeze (for making pies later for example), add a little dash of lemon juice to the mashed potatoes to keep them from browning as well.

Allow the sweet potatoes to cool completely, then transfer them into freezer bags. Be sure to leave some room to allow the frozen product to expand (I leave about 1/3 of the bag empty). Freeze.

Susanne

News From The HBHW Club

This is a new section of the newsletter. Each week I’m going to share some tidbits of what’s going on at the HBHW Club with you. I hope you enjoy these extra tips, recipes and ideas and of course would love to have you join the club.

As a HBHW newsletter subscriber, you can join for only $10 per month here: http://www.hillbillyhousewifeclub.com/special.html

And to make it even easier, I’ll let you try it out for just a dollar for the first 7 days.

Here’s one of the recipes that were submitted this past week.

Split Pea and Cabbage Soup
* 1 cup yellow split peas (soaked covered with water for at least 8 hours before cooking)
* 3 cups fresh cold water (for cooking in)
* 2 large Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed and diced (you may peel them if you like)
* 2 cups of water
* 1 tablespoon margarine or butter
* 3 slices of bacon, cut into small pieces
* 1 large yellow onion, diced
* 4 cups chicken stock or broth
* 1/2 medium size head cabbage, shredded (or about 1/2 pound)
* 1/4 tsp black pepper (more or less to taste)
* 1 (16 oz) pkg of good quality  sauerkraut (do not drain)
* (optional: throw in some cooked chicken, sausage, ham, or other meat if desired)

Soak the split peas covered in cold water overnight or at least 8 hours, then drain and put in pot with the 3 cups of fresh water and bring to a boil, then simmer for about 20 minutes or until nice and soft.

Meanwhile, in a big soup pot, put the 2 cups water, potatoes, and margarine, bring to a boil, then cook at a low boil until the potatoes are tender but not mushy.

While that’s cooking, fry up the bacon with the onion until the bacon has gotten somewhat crispy and most of the fat has been cooked off.

Remove the cooked potatoes from the soup pot using a slotted spoon and set aside, saving the potato water in the soup pot.  To the soup pot with the potato water, add the chicken stock, cabbage, and the black pepper.  Bring back up to a boil, then down to a simmer and cook for just 5 to 10 minutes.

When the cabbage is tender, add the potatoes back to the soup pot, pour in the cooked split peas, water and all, and add the bacon and onion all into the soup pot.

To this mixture in the soup pot, add the sauerkraut and any leftover meat or chicken you might want to add.  Mix all together and bring soup up to a low boil, turning down again to a simmer and let it simmer together for about 5 minutes or until the soup is nice and hot.

This is a nice hearty and somewhat tangy soup.  Very warming!

And here are some of the other recipes that have been added in the past few days.

• Savory 3 Meat Meat Loaf
• 3 Layer Zucchini Oven Bake
• Super Easy Pork Chops And Rice
• Home Style French-Fried Onion Rings
• Baking Sheet Chocolate Cake Bars

All in all, we have over 200 new recipes in the member area already.

What else has been going on at the HBHW Club? We’ve been talking about becoming a stay at home mom and some of the challenges we all face with that transition, cooking smarter (and saving time and money in the process), household notebooks and more. I’m sure you have a lot to contribute to the conversation. Ready to join us? Try The HBHW Club for only $1. We’d love to have you! http://www.hillbillyhousewifeclub.com/special.html

Featured Article

This week I have not one, but two articles for you. Both of them are about the holidays and are part of my blog tour. Both of them are published on ShowMomTheMoney.com. Here they are:

• Easy Holiday Baking and Cooking - Use Your Freezer
• Frugal Holiday Gift Ideas From The Kitchen

Frugal Tips

Frugal Thanksgiving Decorations
Since Thanksgiving in the US is just a few days away, I thought I’d share some of my favorite frugal Thanksgiving decorating tips. Anything from pumpkins to fall flowers can be used to make a prett …

Grocery List
I make a grocery list with the following heading: Meats, Produce, Dairy, Can Goods, Frozen, & Misc: No Eat. In doing this I can get in and out of the grocery store without back tracking through t …

Frugal Vegetable Soup Mix
I keep leftover vegetables in a gallon bag in the freezer. When the bag is full, it’s simple to add hamburger or other meat and make a great soup or stew since the vegetables are already seasone …

Do you have a tip to share? Fill out the submit a frugal tip form and I’ll be glad to add it to the site and share your tip in an upcoming edition of the newsletter.

Recipes

Here are some of the most recent recipes that have been added to the HBHW site. Enjoy!

Pork & Kraut with Dumpling’s
3-4pd. pork roast, add 1 medium sliced onion,1qt.jar of homemade sauerkraut (or 2cans of sauerkraut),caraway seed, pepper&salt,1/2 stick butter or margarine,add water to the roast alittle less tha …

A Different Green Bean Casserole
1 lb frozen french cut green beans 1 can cream of celery soup or 10 oz of the homemade equivelant. 1 cup slivered toasted almonds Mix green beans with 1/2 cup almonds and the cream of celery soup and …

Sweet and Sour Chicken and Rice
Suggested ingredients and amounts (all are adjustable to your taste) 3-4 cups cooked rice 1 cup broccoli florets or peas 2-3 scrambled eggs 1-2 cooked and cubed chicken breasts (optional) 1 bottle swe …

Cranberry Chutney
4 small oranges 2 cups sugar (or sugar substitute) 4 cups fresh cranberries 1 cup chopped unpeeled apple 1/2 cup seedless raisins 1/2 cup chopped walnuts 1 Tablespoon vinegar 1/2 teaspoon ground ginge …

Delicious Beans and Potatoes
Make mashed potatoes. While they are cooking take cooked pinto beans, drained, cooked kidney beans, drained, or a mix, or leftover bean soup or leftover beans that kidney or pinto beans are in them, …

Do you have a recipe you would like to share? Click here to send it to me and I’ll be happy to add it to the website.

I’m Looking For:

This section is going to be all about you. If you are looking for a particular recipe or a tip on how to do something, submit it here and I will post it in an upcoming newsletter. I’ll give you my input and other readers of the newsletter will have the opportunity to share their recipes and tips as well. So take a moment to post your questions and of course if you have a tip or idea for any question posted in this section feel free to leave a comment under the appropriate post.

I’m Looking For Requests

Scratch Jiffy Cornbread Recipe
looking for a from scratch recipe for cornbread that tastes like the Jiffy brand. I’ve tried adding sugar to some recipes, but they still don’t taste similar. My son prefers this to sout …

In search of gluten-free lemon bars
Lemon bars are an economical sweet and have always been my favourite but now I must cook gluten-free meals (no wheat or wheat byproducts, read flour, etc., etc., - everything, especially prepared food …

Closet Damp Absorber
Hi Just wondering in any readers have any ideas on how to make your own closet damp absorber, you know the sort that collects the humid water in linen closets etc. Gayle This post was submitted by gay …

Egg Nog Recipes
I am looking for a variety of egg nog recipes out there. If you have a great traditional recipe, or one with a different twist or flavor to it, I’d love to hear about it. This post was submitted …

Homemade Johnson’s No More Bedhead spray
I have boys with thick hair that needs quick taming in the morning. Plain water isn’t controlling it. I sometimes use No More Bedhead or No More Tangles, but it’s too costly anymore. I won …

Cooking Turkey
Last year there was a post on how to use your oven as a slow cooker and cook a turkey overnight. My turkey turned out fantastic!! But, I lost my directions. Please help! This post was submitted by …

Chicken and Dumplings Recipe - Homemade
looking for homemade chicken and dumplings made the old- fashioned way.thank you. From Susanne - Here’s my chicken and dumplings recipe. My biggest trick is to start the day before by cooking th …

Sweet Potatoe Cassarole
I am looking for a sweat potatoe cassarole that has the marshmellowes on top and has a thick like syrup and fruit cocktail in it. my aunt used to make it but she passed away and no one remembered to b …

Pie Shell Cake
I’m looking for a recipe for a cake that was baked in a pie shell. It may have had chocolate syrup on the bottom. It was great and my kids loved it. Now I would like to make it for the grandk …

Removing Rocks in Beans
Does anyone have a method for removing all the pebbles from pinto & other dried beans? This post was submitted by Nancy.

I’m Looking For Responses
Below you will find some of the recent responses to the “I’m Looking For” Requests. You may also want to go directly to this section and browse through all the recent submissions and replies. To do so, click on “I’m Looking for” here, and start looking through them.

Comment on Homemade Johnson’s No More Bedhead spray by Ellen
If you just want to tame it and not remove tangles, try a little salt water in a spray bottle.

Comment on Reconstituting Powdered Milk by Debie
I don’t know much about powdered milk. Does it not cost more to use than purchasing regular milk? If it is cheaper, how do you get your family to switch over?

Comment on Apron Evangelism by Debie
Just wanted to say thanks for reminding me why I wear my apron!! Actually my daughter thought I wasn’t feeling well the other day when I didn’t put it on in the morning. Amazing how one gets in a ha …

Comment on Low Cal recipes by Nancy R.
If you search Diabetic recipes, and weight watchers recipes they are all low calorie. I did weight watchers for 2 years now, 1 year in meetings and 1 year on my own and am 10 lbs from my goal weight. …

Comment on Crockpot Cranberry Pork by ridgerunner
Comment for Joni… your recipe is so darn good!!! Fried Potato’s and onion’s on the side and hope to eat it all for yourself. I love to cook with pork, for that matter. The aroma this time of year is …

Comment on Indian Pudding Recipe by DE
Nadine - notice this site is titled “hillbillyhousewife”…probably not a place to spread enlightenment.

Comment on Closet Damp Absorber by brande
baking soda

Comment on Quick Sugar Cookies by Angela
These cookies are so good and easy to make. I did use real unsalted butter instead of margarine and increased the milk by 1/2 to 1 tsp. They turned out perfect. I will make these again, (as the fir …

Comment on Haitian Spaghetti Sauce by Nick
Try this recipe. It’s worked for me. http://i-jat.blogspot.com/2008/10/haitian-spaghetti.html

Comment on Chicken and Dumplings Recipe - Homemade by kitty wilson
I have always made mine by boiling the fryer with onion, celery and poltery seasoning as well as salt and pepper. I also completely cover the chicken and save some of the broth to freeze to use for …

Inspirational Story

THE STORY OF THE BUTTERFLY
Author Unknown

A man found a cocoon of a butterfly.
One day a small opening appeared.
He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours
as it struggled to squeeze its body through the tiny hole.
Then it stopped, as if it couldn’t go further.

ButterflySo the man decided to help the butterfly.
He took a pair of scissors and
snipped off the remaining bits of cocoon.
The butterfly emerged easily but
it had a swollen body and shriveled wings.

The man continued to watch it,
expecting that any minute the wings would enlarge
and expand enough to support the body,
Neither happened!
In fact the butterfly spent the rest of its life
crawling around.
It was never able to fly.

What the man in his kindness
and haste did not understand:
The restricting cocoon and the struggle
required by the butterfly to get through the opening
was a way of forcing the fluid from the body
into the wings so that it would be ready
for flight once that was achieved.

Sometimes struggles are exactly
what we need in our lives.
Going through life with no obstacles would cripple us.
We will not be as strong as we could have been
and we would never fly.

Final Thought

That’s it for this edition of the Hillbilly Housewife Newsletter. I hope you’ve had as much fun reading it as I had creating it for you. I also hope that you have found the information helpful and useful. And by all means feel free to forward the newsletter to family and friends or even better, encourage them to subscribe to it.

Do you have a question, a tip, a recipe or a story you’d like to share with us? Email it to me and I’ll include it in a future issue. Can’t wait to see what you have to say.

Warm Wishes,

Susanne - The Hillbilly Housewife

This gives us our “chocolate fix” without breaking the bank.

1 stick of butter or marg.
1 cup milk
1 cup s.r. flour
1 cup sugar

1 cup hot water
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In 8 x 8 inch pan or casserole dish place marg., put pan in oven for marg. to melt while mixing next ingredients.

Mix together milk, sugar, and s.r. flour in a bowl until most of the lumps are gone. This will form the crust of the cobbler.

Mix in separate bowl the hot water, cocoa and sugar until smooth. This forms the filling of the cobbler.

After the marg. is melted in the baking dish, pour the crust mixture evenly around the pan into the butter. DO NOT STIR. Then pour the filling mixture over the crust. Again, DO NOT STIR. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-35 minutes until crust that has risen to top is well browned.

This post was submitted by Melody.

I buy juice concentrate in the metal cans. It says to dilute add 3 cans of water, I use 4 cans instead. I do it for two reasons, it helps stretch the juice and it’s better for my sons teeth.

This post was submitted by M. Taylor.

1 10count pkg of beef and bean burritos
1 sm can of enchilada/red sauce
1 pkg of shredded cheese
preheat oven set at 350-400 degrees
arrange the burritos to fit into a 13×9 pan then pour entire can of sauce on top
bake for 15min then take it out and put the cheese on top then put it back in and bake it for another 15min/until cheese is thoroughly melted.
(optional)Top each one with sour cream.
This is great! It’s cheap and takes an 1/2 hour to make.

This post was submitted by Laura K. Saltzman.

Does anybody have a recipe for Currant Kuchen? Thanks.

This post was submitted by Carol Lario.

1 cup lentils
2 1/2 cups water
2 beef bouillion cubes
1 bay leaf

cook above until tender and then add:

1/4 cup apple or pineapple juice
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 clove garlic crushed
sauteed onions if desired

heat to bubbly, serve over brown or white rice

This post was submitted by Karoline.

How do you dry apples

This post was submitted by Patricia Peppard.