White Chocolate Biggies

White Chocolate Biggies

For Christmas 2019 my Mom gave me a cookbook, specifically 'the chocolate cookbook' and that is where this recipe comes from. These are excellent cookies, hands down! Highly recommended.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 27 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings dozen

Ingredients
  

  • 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 2/3 cup cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 cups butter, softened, (1 1/2 blocks / 3 sticks)
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 package white chocolate chips, (312-340 g / 11-12 oz)
  • 3/4 cup pecans, chopped
  • 1/2 cup golden raisins, or sun-dried raisins
  • milk, as needed, just a tablespoon or two

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your oven to 180 C / 350 F, line baking sheets with parchment paper or lightly greased foil.
  • In a mixing bowl, add the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt, whisk together.
  • In another mixing bowl, add the butter, sugar, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer until well mixed.
  • Add the flour mixture and use a sturdy spoon to mix together until well mixed. The dough will be very stiff, if too stiff, mix in 1 tablespoon of milk at a time, but keep the dough stiff.
  • Stir in the chips, pecans, and raisins.
  • Drop by very heaping tablespoons, 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Flatten dough slightly.
  • Bake for 12-14 minutes or until firm in the center. Cool on the sheets for 5 minutes then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
  • Serve and enjoy.

Notes

Low cost.
Adapted from a recipe listed in 'the chocolate cookbook', page 42.
15 Bean Slow Cooker Chili

 

15 Bean Slow Cooker Chili

Holly - Spend with Pennies
This is excellent chili! Easy and flavorful. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 5 hours
Total Time 5 hours 15 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1 bag 15 Bean Soup, with Ham flavor packet, Shortcut
  • 500 grams ground beef, or ground pork, (1 lb)
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 1 green bell pepper, diced
  • 1 can diced tomatoes, (14.5 oz / 411 g)
  • 1 can green chilies, drained, (4 oz / 113 g)
  • 1 can tomato paste, (6 oz / 170 g)
  • 2 quarts beef broth, (8 cups)
  • 1 packet chili seasoning mix, Shortcut
  • salt and pepper, to taste, as desired

Instructions
 

  • Heat a non stick pan and brown the ground beef, drain, and add the beef to your slow cooker.
  • Rinse the beans and add those to your slow cooker.
  • Add the diced onion and bell pepper, bean seasoning packet, and 1/2 of the chili seasoning packet.
  • Add the broth and stir to mix. Set on High setting and let cook for 5 hours.
  • At the 5 hour mark, check if the beans are tender, if not, cook for another hour.
  • If the beans are tender, add the can of diced tomatoes, green chilies, tomato paste, and the rest of the chili seasoning packet.
  • Stir, taste, and season with salt and pepper as desired, cook for another 30 minutes.
  • Serve and enjoy with your favorite chili toppings.

Notes

Low cost per serving.
Shortcuts: Chili Seasoning Mix, 11 Bean Soup Mix.
Inspired by Spend With Pennies and the link to this recipe is here.
United States.
Meatball Dinner

Meatball Dinner

Lee
This is a basic dinner to put together, easy for a weekday meal for a family or quickly prepared by senior citizens. I based this guide on Kroger brand meatballs, which I think are excellent in taste and value. Stated here will be a good meal for 3 people with leftovers that you can add to to make another meal. The meatballs are based on 4 oz per serving, or four 1 oz meatballs per serving. Use a store brand, or homemade, for the items and that is a money saver as well. The nice thing about this meal is that all the items are prepared at the same time. Links to the shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings servings

Ingredients
  

  • 225 grams dry egg noodles, (8 oz)
  • 2 packets beef gravy mix, Shortcut
  • 12 frozen meatballs, 1 oz each, Shortcut
  • vegetable of choice, frozen or canned, for a side dish

Instructions
 

  • Heat a pot of salted water to a boil, add the egg noodles and cook until tender, drain.
  • While the noodles are cooking, go ahead and prepare the gravy as listed on the package, and heat up the canned or frozen vegetables, I used the stove top for this or you can use your microwave, up to you. Count out the meatballs, add some extras, and heat those per the package instructions as well.
  • Serve, ladle gravy over the meatballs and egg noodles, and enjoy.

Notes

Low cost per serving.
Shortcuts: Beef Gravy Mix, Frozen Meatballs.
Variants: 1. Use mashed potatoes in place of egg noodles. 2. Use your own cooked and frozen meatballs for this.
“Canned” BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches

"Canned" BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Common method to use canned pork.
This is a low budget recipe specifically for using commodity canned pork. No measurements, except for the canned pork, given, as this is a make as much as you want recipe.
5 from 2 votes
Prep Time 2 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 12 minutes
Course Lunch, Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 0

Ingredients
  

  • 1 can pork, or more cans, (1½ lb / 24 oz / 680 g each can)
  • BBQ sauce, your choice
  • hamburger buns, or bread of your choice
  • dill pickle slices, optional, as desired
  • cheese, optional, as desired

Instructions
 

  • Open and drain a can of pork. Place pork in a saucepan and scrape off and discard any fat. Break up pork with sturdy spoon and place on medium heat. I used 2 cans of pork as I was feeding a get together of 5 people.
  • Once the pork is heated through, add BBQ sauce as you desire and stir that in. Stir often until pork is heated through.
  • Serve on hamburger buns or bread of your choice, with optional cheese and or pickles. Enjoy.

Notes

Low cost per serving.
Italian Chicken

Italian Chicken

This is a stir fry and sounds tasty. On my to make and taste list. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Lunch, Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1/2 cup Italian dressing, Shortcut
  • 1/4 cup light soy sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 500 grams chicken breasts, boneless, skinless, cubed, (1 lb)
  • 500 grams frozen stir fry vegetables, thawed, drained, (1 lb)

Instructions
 

  • In a large non stick pan, heat the dressing, soy sauce, and garlic powder, when hot, add the chicken and stir fry, and stir fry until the chicken is just cooked through.
  • Stir in the vegetables, stir fry until the vegetables are bright, crisp, and heated through.
  • Serve over cooked rice or egg noodles, enjoy.

Notes

Low cost per serving.
Shortcut: Italian Dressing.
Variant: 1. Use 3 cups of chopped fresh bell peppers and snow peas in place of frozen vegetables, and stir fry until tender yet crisp.
Recipe was cut from a magazine several years ago.
Catalina Chicken

Catalina Chicken

This is a stir fry and sounds tasty. On my to make and taste list. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Lunch, Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings servings

Ingredients
  

  • 3/4 cup catalina dressing, Shortcut
  • 1/4 cup light soy sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 500 grams chicken breasts, boneless, skinless, cubed, (1 lb)
  • 500 grams frozen stir fry vegetables, thawed, drained, (1 lb)

Instructions
 

  • In a large non stick pan, heat the dressing, soy sauce, and garlic powder, when hot, add the chicken and stir fry, and stir fry until the chicken is just cooked through.
  • Stir in the vegetables, stir fry until the vegetables are bright, crisp, and heated through.
  • Serve over cooked rice or egg noodles, enjoy.

Notes

Low cost per serving.
Shortcut: Catalina Dressing.
Variant: 1. Use 3 cups of chopped fresh bell peppers and snow peas in place of frozen, and stir fry until tender yet crisp.
Recipe was cut from a magazine several years ago.
Creamy Chicken Broccoli Skillet

Creamy Chicken Broccoli Skillet

This sounds like a great skillet dish, on my to make and taste list.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Lunch, Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1/2 cup mayo
  • 500 grams chicken breasts, boneless, skinless, cubed, (1 lb)
  • 1 bag frozen chopped broccoli, thawed, drained, (10-12 oz / 283-340 g bag)
  • 2 cups Cheddar cheese, shredded, (8 oz / 250 g)

Instructions
 

  • Heat the mayo in a large non stick pan, add the chicken and cook, stirring often, until just cooked through.
  • Add the drained broccoli and toss with the chicken or stir fry until the broccoli is bright green.
  • Stir in the cheese, and stir until melted.
  • Serve over cooked rice or egg noodles, enjoy.

Notes

Low cost per serving.
Variant: 1. Use 2 cups fresh chopped broccoli in place of frozen.
Recipe was cut from a magazine several years ago.
Super Supper

Super Supper

This is a casserole from years ago, my Mom gave me this recipe she clipped from a newspaper probably 30 years ago. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1 kilo lean ground beef, (2 lbs)
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup, Shortcut
  • 2/3 cup water
  • 1 bag tater tots, (32 oz / 2 lb / 907 g)

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your oven to 180 C (350 F). Grease with butter a 9x13 baking dish.
  • Break up the ground beef and place in the bottom of the baking dish in an even layer. Sprinkle the onion over the beef.
  • In a mixing bowl, mix together the soup and water, then pour over the beef and onion.
  • Add the tater tots to the top.
  • Bake for 45-60 minutes. As the tots start to brown push them down with a fork into the sauce.
  • When the beef is cooked through and the tots browned, serve and enjoy.

Notes

Low cost per serving.
Shortcut: Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup.
Clipped from a newspaper about 30 years ago. 
Fruit Cocktail Cake II

Fruit Cocktail Cake II

This sounds really good, on my to make and taste list. This will use a bundt pan for baking.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings servings

Ingredients
  

For the Cake

  • 2 eggs
  • 1/3 cup evaporated milk
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 can fruit cocktail, undrained, (15 oz / 425 g)

For the Glaze

  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/3 cup evaporated milk
  • 1/3 cup butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup walnuts, or pecans, chopped, optional
  • candy sprinkles, optional, as desired

Instructions
 

For the Cake

  • Preheat your oven to 180 C (350 F), grease a bundt pan with butter or spray with cooking spray.
  • Add all Cake ingredients to a large mixing bowl and mix together.
  • Pour into the prepared bundt pan. Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  • Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Make the Glaze.
  • Turn the cake out onto a plate.

For the Glaze

  • In a small saucepan, add the Glaze ingredients and put on medium heat. Stir as the glaze heats until almost a boil, and the sugar is dissolved, remove from heat.
  • Pour the glaze over the warm cake after it has been turned out onto a plate.
  • Cut into slices, serve warm or cold, enjoy.

Notes

Low cost per serving.
Recipe provided by my Mom, Joann Thayer.
United States.
Chicken & Stuffing Casserole

Chicken & Stuffing Casserole

Sounds like a good casserole, on my to make and taste list. There is several shortcuts to make for additional savings. Links to the shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1 box Stove Top stuffing, chicken flavor, Shortcut
  • 500-1000 grams chicken breasts, cut into small pieces, (1-2 lbs)
  • 1 can condensed cream of chicken soup, Shortcut
  • 1/3 cup sour cream, Shortcut
  • 1 bag frozen mixed vegetables, thawed, (1 lb / 500 g)
  • 4-5 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
  • salt and pepper, as desired

Instructions
 

  • Prepare the stuffing as directed on the box.
  • Preheat your oven to 200 C (400 F), grease a 9x13 baking pan with butter or spray with cooking spray.
  • In a large bowl, add the chicken, soup, sour cream, vegetables, garlic, and salt and pepper as desired. Stir together.
  • Pour the chicken mixture into the prepared baking pan and spread out to an even layer.
  • Spread the stuffing over the chicken in an even layer.
  • Bake for 30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
  • Serve and enjoy.

Notes

Low cost per serving. Make the shortcuts for savings.
Shortcuts: Stove Top Stuffing, Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup, Sour Cream.
I received this recipe from my Mom, Joann Thayer.
United States.