sun dried tomato and spinach mac n' cheese $9.76 recipe / $1.22 serving

sun dried tomato and spinach mac n' cheese

$9.76 recipe / $1.22 serving

Alright people, I'm really excited about this one. This has to be one of the best tasting dishes that I've made so far. Unfortunately, it was already dark out when I finished cooking and my camera doesn't do well with indoor lighting. So, the picture really doesn't do it justice.

Anyway, I wanted some mac and cheese the other day but I always feel guilty eating it so I decided to justify all the cheese and butter by adding a few veggies. Spinach sauteed in garlic and a few tangy sun dried tomatoes did the trick! I also used a blend of white cheeses (shredded Italian cheese blend) because I felt their flavor would blend better with the spinach and tomatoes than the sharp cheddar that is traditionally used in mac and cheese.

This dish uses a homemade cheese sauce but don't be afraid! Cheese sauces are much easier than they seem. After you make them a few times you can practically do it with your eyes closed... well, okay, maybe not with your eyes closed but I bet you won't even have to measure the ingredients!

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southwest breakfast casserole $3.06 recipe / $0.77 serving

southwest breakfast casserole

$3.06 recipe / $0.77 serving

I don't know why eggs are always banished to "breakfast" because I would certainly eat them anytime of the day. The same is true for this casserole but for the sake of familiarity I will call it a "breakfast casserole". This casserole took a little while to bake but the end product was so rich and spicy and had a wonderfully crunchy cheese crust that it was so worth it. I can't imagine making this for breakfast on a week day but it would definitely fit the bill for a lazy Sunday morning brunch.

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bbq chicken dinner$9.68 recipe / $2.42 serving

bbq chicken dinner

$9.68 recipe / $2.42 serving

This week I wanted to do a simple, classic, American meal. After discovering the insanely low price of chicken leg quarters ($0.74 cents / lb.) I knew I had to work them into my menu. I bought a pack of three HUGE leg quarters, which was almost 4.5 lbs worth of chicken. The pack contained only three leg quarters but because of their tremendous size, I would say that this recipe will easily feed four (that's still more than 1 lb. of meat per person). If you need, you can split the chicken before cooking to make more pieces.

The price listed in the title of this post is not only for the BBQ chicken but also the Chili Roasted Broccoli and Rosemary Roasted Potatoes that I made to go with the chicken. The BBQ Chicken itself only cost $5.03 for the recipe and $1.26 per serving!

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rosemary roasted potatoes$2.52 recipe / $0.50 serving

rosemary roasted potatoes

$2.52 recipe / $0.50 serving

Herb roasted potatoes are a classic recipe that everyone needs to know how to make. Potatoes are delicious and satisfying and roasting them has to be one of the easiest ways to prepare them. I love mashed potatoes but (I'll be honest) I'm a little too lazy to mash them sometimes. I chose rosemary and garlic to roast my potatoes with but you can really make this recipe with any seasoning you like. These potatoes do take a while to cook but if you start them before preparing the rest of your meal, they can cook away while you're busy taking care of everything else.

These potatoes were prepared as part of my BBQ Chicken Dinner.

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chili roasted broccoli$2.13 recipe / $0.53 serving

chili roasted broccoli

$2.13 recipe / $0.53 serving

One day while while half watching the Food Network, I happened to catch Rachael Ray whip up this amazing broccoli recipe. The next day I tried it out and I was in love. This is by far my favorite way to eat broccoli. As a matter of fact, I like it SO much that I have been known to eat the entire batch... in one sitting. I have altered the seasoning amounts to suit my needs but the recipe is so forgiving that you don't really even have to measure. Just sprinkle on the seasoning and taste the magic. You'll never think of broccoli the same way again, I promise.

This broccoli was prepared as part of my BBQ Chicken Dinner.

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pumpkin beer biscuits $3.03 recipe / $0.30 serving

pumpkin beer biscuits

$3.03 recipe / $0.30 serving

I often base what I am going to cook on what I have "left over" in my fridge. I couldn't decide what side dish to make until I remembered that I have left over pepitas from the pumpkin soup and left over pumpkin beer (Wolaver's Organic Pumpkin Ale - YUM) from my pumpkin carving party. So, I whipped up a batch of beer biscuits (pumpkin beer, that is) with roasted pepitas/pumpkin seeds mixed in. They turned out quite delicious and had a nice nutty crunch from the pepitas!

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easy pumpkin soup $4.29 recipe / $1.07 serving

easy pumpkin soup

$4.29 recipe / $1.07 serving

Everyone is familiar with the sweet confections that you can make with pumpkin puree (pie, muffins, sweet breads etc.) but if you haven't tried pumpkin mixed with savory spices then you are missing out. I remember finding this basic pumpkin soup recipe YEARS ago (we're talking late 90's) and I've been meaning to make it again ever since. This time I decided to add a few more spices (now that my pallet has been influenced by southern cuisine) and I added a few crunchy roasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds) for garnish and texture.

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apple walnut steel-cut oats $2.64 recipe / $0.66 serving

apple walnut steel-cut oats

$2.64 recipe / $0.66 serving

Continuing on with my adventures in steel-cut oats, I decided to use up some of the left over apple juice from my Spiced Apple Cocktails. I also learned a couple of lessons since making my first batch of steel-cut oats (pumpkin spice oatmeal). Most importantly, a little bit of salt and a little bit of vanilla extract go a LONG way, flavor-wise. Although I am usually opposed to using anything but water to cook the oats (it increases the calorie content), I wanted to use up my extra apple juice and it really makes the flavor pop.

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savory coconut rice $2.42 recipe / $0.61 serving

savory coconut rice

$2.42 recipe / $0.61 serving

I'm not really sure how I ever lived before coconut rice nor do I think I could ever settle for plain old rice again. My first introduction to coconut rice was a sweet version with mangoes (recipe coming soon!) but when I searched the web for the recipe, I saw far more recipes for savory coconut rice. The ingredients were simple and cheap so I whipped up a batch. To my surprise, the rice was subtly fragrant and creamy making it wonderful "base" to any main dish or a versatile side (mix in anything you'd like for a quick pilaf). So, if you are sick and tired of regular white rice, you've GOT to try this.

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teriyaki chicken kabobs with grilled pineapple $12.00 recipe / $3.00 serving

teriyaki chicken kabobs with grilled pineapple

$12.00 recipe / $3.00 serving

This summer I moved into a new rental house that was full of lots of little goodies left behind by the last tenants. Among the treasures was a small grill on the back patio. Of course the grill was abandoned, full of rust and spider webs (and a random crumpled up walmart bag), but I was determined to put it to use! I absolutely LOVE the flavor of flame grilled food so I couldn't pass this up. After scrubbing and burning off any residual ickyness, it was ready. I also had four frozen chicken breasts in my freezer from a bulk sale buy about a month ago. Soooo, teriyaki chicken kabobs and delicious grilled pineapple it was!

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spiced apple cocktail $27.97 recipe / $1.12 serving

spiced apple cocktail

$27.97 recipe / $1.12 serving

As previously mentioned, I had a wonderful pumpkin carving party last weekend to start October off the right way. Last October I happened upon an apple flavored liquor called Washington Apple Burst Made by DeKuyper and fashioned this cocktail around it. It was a big hit at the last pumpkin carving party so I bought the supplies again this year. The great thing about this cocktail is that it is great hot or cold (It was made cold for my party since it's still well into the 80 degree weather here). For a party of 10-15 people this recipe should allow about two cocktails per person.

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pumpkin spice oatmeal $3.75 recipe / $0.75 serving

pumpkin spice oatmeal

$3.75 recipe / $0.75 serving

In honor of October (my favorite month), I'm kicking it off with a warm, ooey-gooey, pumpkin-spicy recipe: Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal. Over the past month or so I've seen multiple recipes for pumpkin flavored oatmeal so I just had to give it a shot. Oatmeal is one of my favorite breakfast foods although I usually stick to "old-fashioned" or "quick cooking" varieties. This time, I decided to go for the glory and try out the infamous STEEL CUT OATS. I can only say that I am sad that I waited so long. They are gooey, chewy, and kept me full for SIX HOURS (that's unheard of for me). Needless to say, steel-cut oats are my new best friend and you'll be seeing much much more of them on this blog!

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cherry almond danishes $8.48 recipe / $1.06 serving

cherry almond danishes

$8.48 recipe / $1.06 serving

After receiving last month's Bon Appetit magazine, I experimented with puff pastry for the first time. I made some bite sized apple cheddar turnovers for a party I went to. Unfortunately, I never snapped a picture and I was on the fence about their taste so they never made their way into the blog. BUT, the puff pastry was fun and I definitely wanted to work with it again. Puff pastry is quick, relatively inexpensive and you can do so many different things with it. For my next puff pastry experiment, I decided to make Cherry Almond Cream Cheese Danishes.

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