Salisbury Steak

1 1/2 Lbs Ground Beef

1/4 C. Buttery Crackers - crushed

1 Egg beaten

1 Onion chopped

10 3/4 oz can of Cream of Mushroom Soup

1 T Prepared Mustard ( I like the fancy ones for this recipe.)

1 T Horseradish Sauce **

1 t. Worcestershire Sauce

1/2 C. Water

2 T dried Parsley

Combine first 4 Ingredients; set aside

Mix together soup, mustard, Horseradish Sauce and Worcestershire Sauce in a med mixing bowl. The add 1/4 C soup mixture to the meat mixture. Form into patties. Brown on both sides of the patties in skillet over med-high heat and drain. Stir water, parsley, and remaining soup pour over patties and cook 20 min. or until heated through.

My kids liked this recipe. One thing I did that may make you laugh...

When I first made this recipe I did not have on hand and Horseradish sauce. Being the frugal spender that I am. When I go to a fast food restaurant I keep any left over packets of sauce. So In this case I used 4 packets of Arby's Horsey sauce. Instead of that the recipe called for. It turned out very yummy. Which in turn made it so when I went to the store the next time I was willing to by the real stuff! It also saved me from running out to get it. If they did not like it I might have had a product in my house that we may have never used.

Thursday Tip

COUPON Cutting

OK so again we all want to save our money so what is one of the things that comes to our minds.... coupon cutting. Now I am not for OR against it. I can see pros and cons to trying to save money with this method.

Pros
* You get to buy things that you might not otherwise buy
* You save money on products you already buy
* You get to try new items for low to no cost at all.
* Its a great way to stock up on pantry/ food storage items

Cons
* You buy things you might not otherwise need or would have bought. (If you are spending more money on things you really don't need are you really saving?)
* It takes time. -- Sometimes LOTS of time.
* If you are shopping based on a meal plan the items on sale may/ may not be on the sale. Therefore trying to lead you astray when sticking to a strict budget.
* A budget may be out the door unless strictly followed - A bit of dedication is needed

Just remember when shopping and using coupons it is not how much you save but how much did you spend? Don't get me wrong this is true with sales too (unless adding to your food storage). You won't save anything by buying something that you could do without (just because it is on sale.) I find when I purchase like this I sometimes waste my money when not used fast enough.

There are many marketing companies paid BIG money to make sure they get the most out of you when you make a trip to the store. USE CAUTION!

Thursday Tip

Beverage of Choice?

Maybe it is me and maybe you feel like this too but sometimes you just don't have it in the budget. Now the inner self at times may try to tempt you to eat out telling you, "it's OK it's off the dollar menu." But can there be a better way? Better for your wallet as well as your waistline? I think so.

Today's tip for saving is to DRINK WATER! So simple I know, but it could save you a bundle. There you are sitting at dinner and the kids want some milk, Kool-aid, soda, or juice to go with dinner. If you can not give it up that is understandable but allow for only ONE then they can have water. I never drank much water as a kid and had to learn to like it. Drinking water could save a ton and you would not have to go out and get it.

Recipe Club

These are just a few of the girls that come to recipe club. I started the recipe group almost 5 years ago. What started out as a few friends that wanted to get together and share recipes ended up with over 20+ gals coming. So we moved locations to the church where we are able to fit all the girls as well as have a place for the kids to run without destroying too much!

Left to Right: Brook B, Shelly T, Lisa W, Judy B, Karen S and Me Christi.

One of the reasons I like recipe club is that I can try new recipes out and see if my kids like them before wasting my energy and money on food they will not each. Plus the chatting time is not too bad too!

This months theme was Family Recipes. I shared this frozen Dessert that my mom made all the time. I was happy to see it was a hit as well as 2nds were taken!

**Don't let the name fool you this is a tasty frozen or nearly frozen treat!**

Mom's Pink Salad

1 - 12 oz. Package of Thick and creamy whipping cream

1 - 8 oz package of cream cheese (I used the 1/3 less fat kind and could NOT tell a difference!)

1 Can Crushed Pineapple (drained)

1 Carton of Strawberries

2 Bananas cubed

Mini Marshmallows

1 Carton Raspberry Yogurt

1 package of Raspberry or Strawberry Jello ** See note**

Soften cream cheese add a little sugar. Then add the cut up Strawberries and bananas and Marshmallows to liking. Mix in the Yogurt and fold in the whip cream.

** If needed to make the dessert look more "pink" add a little of the Jello to give flavor and color.

Place in freezer safe bowl and freeze for 3-6 hours pending the freezer. We like it where it is just frozen and yet still a little soft. This dish has great memories as it was taken often to family events I hope that you like it as much as we do!

Make Pretty with strawberry placements or mint to garnish.

Thursday Tip

Cutting Spending

I will try to post a tip of the week each week.

Right now everyone is watching their pennies. The down turn of the economy effects nearly everyone. Would you like to save money on your food? Come on who doesn't?

Try cutting a little spending out of your monthly food allotment. Yes, we all need food but when you are shopping; are you tempted by the Doritos, soda, or other indulging purchase? Start by cutting $25.00 out of your budget. If shopping with your kids make a game out of seeing out little money you can spend for the biggest bang. Show your kids that you can still have really good food and you are not going without by cutting the budget down.

Then take the $25.00 and put it towards a bill such as a credit card.
You have saved on shopping $25.00 X 12 Months = $300.00. The $300.00 taken to pay down a credit card debt with an interest of 12-21% = BIG savings!

Give it a try you might be surprised by the outcome. As well as happy by trickle of savings that occur.

Yummy Cheeseburger Cups

Cheeseburger Cups

My kids LOVED this recipe!

12 oz tube of refrigerated biscuits

1 Lb Ground Beef with onions to taste

1/2 C. Shredded Colby Cheese

Catsup and Mustard to taste

Brown the ground beef and onions to taste. I also usually add a little salt and pepper.

Once you have the meat cook add the Catsup and mustard to the meat mixture.

Spray a muffin tin with a non-stick cooking spray.

Then roll out the biscuits to be a little bigger than the muffin tin that you will place them in.

Place biscuits into tin with a spoonful of the meat.

Top with a little cheese and seal shut.

Bake at 425° for 10-12 min.

I served this dish with a side salad. My kids were so excited to be able to help make the dinner as well as they say it was a 5 star rating!

This would also be good to do shredded pork with chilies and cheese or Pizza cups with your favorite yummys in it!

Enjoy!

Welcome!

Welcome to my new blog! I am so happy to be trying new recipes and sharing with you. I will be posting only the recipes that my family like and ones that I will make again. I want real food 4 real families.
Don't get me wrong I love fancy food but it is not always practical with my schedule, time and money!
I love seeing photos of what I am going to eat. I don't know about you but I like seeing what it should look like. It also helps me to know if my family will like it. Therefore there will always be photos! Yea!
Oh and by the way I love food storage so I will be also posting a monthly food storage tip. We can all stand to be a little more prepared for the unexpected!

Please feel welcome to leave me nice comments.