Thrifty Maven

I’m not Southern by birth and it shows. My students make fun of the way I saw dog, daughter, and August. I I HATE grits and LOVE oatmeal. I am Never fixin’ to go any where and I’d never heard of Hoppin’ John until I was 30. So forgive me if I get [...]

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Are you looking for something different to serve at your New Years Eve party? This is easy to make and tastes very good.
Cucumber Pecan Roll
1 (8-ounce) package low fat cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon grated onion
2 teaspoons grated cucumber
Pecans, finely chopped
Fresh parsley leaves
1. Peel and chop cucumber.
2. Combine cream cheese, onion and cucumber and [...]

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Photo courtesy of Brian Molyneaux
When I received my bottle of California Olive Ranch I also received a copy of this great recipe. Be sure to check out their site for more recipes.
Roasted Butternut Squash Salad
Ingredients
• 1 butternut squash
• ¼ cup California Olive Ranch extra virgin olive oil
• Salt & [...]

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Are you still looking for a way to serve up some of that left over turkey? This is a very easy and inexpensive recipe
Ingredients
6 tbsp. butter
1/3 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp dried marjoram
1/8 tsp black pepper
1 cup milk
10 oz. hot water
1 tsp. chicken bullion
3 cups cubed turkey
16 oz. partially cooked mixed vegetables
biscuits
Directions
1. Melt [...]

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Make this once, and you may never have another piece of leftover turkey hanging around in your refrigerator. Serve with French Bread and you will have everyone begging you to make mroe.
Ingredients
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups chopped onions
1 cup chopped bell peppers
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon [...]

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‘Tis the day after Thanksgiving and all through the house everyone’s asking what you are going to do with all that turkey. If you are very thrifty you will want to use all the meat you possible can and not let any go to waste. Soup is the perfect solution.
Mr. Thrifty [...]

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Have you noticed how popular cupcakes have become recently? Guess I was ahead of the curve because I’ve always loved cupcakes. It’s amazing to me that some cupcake bakeries sell one cup cake for $4 or more! This is a dessert that kids will not only love but they can help you [...]

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A perennial favorite at the thrifty house. Sweet potatoes are an excellent source of vitamin A (in the form of beta-carotene), a very good source of vitamin C and manganese, and a good source of copper, dietary fiber, vitamin B6, potassium and iron.
Filling:
•3 cooked sweet potatoes
•1 cup sugar
•2 eggs
•1/2 teaspoon salt
•4 Tablespoons [...]

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Mr. Thrifty and I just ate a really great Thankgiving lunch at school earlier this week but I’m still craving turkey. This is another great recipe from the Stove Top Stuffing website that you might want to try this year when you are trying to decide what to do with all those leftovers. [...]

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Since you already know you will be dealing with leftovers from your holiday meal, why not bookmark this recipe? You can find this recipe and many others at the Stove Top Stuffing website.
Open Face Turkey Stack
Prep Time: 5 min
Total Time: 10 min
Makes: 4 servings
Ingredients
1 cup water
2 tbsp margarine or butter
2 [...]

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To get you in the mood to win some Stove Top Stuffing I thought I’d share a recipe I got off a box of Stove Top Stuffing. It’s a Thrifty family favorite.
Ingredients:
- 1 pkg. Stove Top Stuffing Mix (Chicken flavor)
- 1-1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 can [...]

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When the weather turns cold, the mother in me always says it’s soup weather. This recipe is easy and tasty. Why not try it the next time the cold winds blow your way.
Ingredients
6 slices of Bacon
1 tablespoon Butter
1 Med. Onion
1 Clove of Garlic
1 tablespoon Flour
1 teaspoon Salt
1 can of Pumpkin Puree
1/8 [...]

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Want to really impress your kids? Tell thm about the origin of the term Jack-O’-Lantern. My boys find me to be a font of useless information but let’s face it Halloween is a great time for telling stories.
An old Irish folk tale tells of Stingy Jack, a lazy yet shrewd farmer [...]

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When we stopped by Starbucks the other day for our FREE cup of Starbucks coffee I noticed that Pumpkin flavored drinks are back on the menu. This is the time of year Mr. Thrifty goes on his pumpkin pie diet” which includes pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, and even pumpkin smoothies. Why not try [...]

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This cake that depicts the garden of good and evil is a perennial favorite. Let the kids help. My boys always loved decorating this cake.
Ingredients:
3 ½ cups milk
2 packages (4-serving size) chocolate-flavor instant pudding and pie filling
One 12-oz tub whipped topping, thawed
One 16-oz. pkg. chocolate sandwich cookies, crushed
Candy corn and [...]

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Handy Halloween Punch
Ingredients
One package each of unsweetened grape and orange Kool-Aid
2 cups of sugar
3 Quarts of cold water
Chilled 2 ltr bottle of ginger ale
Directions
Mix together thoroughly
Here’s what makes this punch handy. I saw this at a friend’s Halloween party and it was a HUGE hit.
Fill a disposable plastic glove, the kind without powder inside, with [...]

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Mr. Thrifty and I took a break from packing this weekend and made some Pumpkin Bread. It was soooo yummy. If you are looking for a tasty recipe for Pumpkin Bread that’s easy to make try this one.
Ingredients:
1 cup oil
1 tsp. cinnamon
4 eggs, well beaten
2 tsp. baking soda
2/3 cup water
3 1/2 cups flour
1 [...]

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This morning I looked at my pumpkin which is sitting on the porch. I was still trying to decide just how I wanted the pumpkin to be decorated and then I realized, the sooner Mr. Thrifty carves that thing, the sooner I will have to get to using up the innards to make something [...]

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What should you do with all the pumpkin innards after you’ve carved your pumpkin? I happen to love these seasonal pancakes and I hope you will too.
Pumpkin Pancakes
Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1/2 cup cooked or canned pumpkin
2 Tbsp. brown sugar, packed
1 large egg
1 Tbsp. baking powder
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 1/4 tsp. pumpkin pie [...]

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Ingredients:
1 1/2 Tablespoon butter Popsicle sticks or chop sticks
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
8 apples (I love Granny Smith apples because of the contrast between the tart and sweet)
6 Tablespoons water
Directions:
1. Dust a piece of waxed paper with powdered sugar to set the apples on when done dipping to keep them from sticking.
2. In [...]

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