Frugal Friday: Cheap Italian Sausage

My husband loves Italian sausage on his pizza! Its just so expensive. Well, here is a way to save a couple of dollars. Use a 1 lb roll of Mild Sausage. Crumble it up and add 1 1/2 t. fennel, 1/4 t. garlic powder, some Italian seasoning and a sprinkling of dill weed. I would mix this up in my Bosch mixer using the kneading hook or you can use your hands to mix in the seasonings. Fry like you normally would and drain off the grease. This makes a wonderful addition to pizza or spaghetti. My local grocery has had the 1 lb rolls on sale recently for a dollar each, and I stocked up on them and have enough to last quite a while.

Check out our blog here, and check out more Frugal Friday tips at Biblical Womanhood!

Previous Frugal Friday Tips:
Yes, We have No Bananas

Hat tip to my coworker Mike!

Frugal Fridays: Yes, we have no bananas!

We love bananas so much here at our house that we buy bunches of them every week. I buy them green, they get to a very tasty yellow, and then the skins start getting bigger and bigger brown spots. Instead of wasting fruit, I like to take those very ripe bananas, peel and place in a ziploc bag. They reside in the freezer, ready for banana bread, banana oat pancakes, banana pound cake, or my current favorite---Banana Berry Smoothies!




Combine in blender:
2 frozen bananas, peeled and chunked
1 carton of yogurt, (we like strawberry)
A cup or so Triple Berry Blend frozen fruit (from Aldi--its blackberries, raspberries, & blueberries)
A cup or so frozen strawberries
1 t. vanilla
Pinch of stevia or 1/4 c. sugar
Milk (I use whole milk)

Blend all together, adding enough milk to make it a drinkable consistancy and enjoy! I For a special treat, they look very pretty with a swirl of whipped cream on top and an little paper umbrella!

Makes a blenderful!

Check out more Frugal Friday tips at Biblical Womanhood! Thanks, Crystal!

Spinach Dip

This is a favorite to take to parties and to work for a potluck. I like to serve with a variety of crackers or tortilla chips or crudites. The recipe is right off the back of the Knorr's Vegetable Mix box and I haven't figured out a way to improve it.

1 10 oz. pkg. of frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 16 oz container sour cream
1 c. mayonnaise
1 pkg. Knorr Vegetable recipe mix
1 8 oz can water chestnuts, drained and chopped (optional)
3 green onions, chopped

Combine all ingredients and chill at least 2 hours.

Spicy Mulled Cider

Since we are getting into a fall-ish type of mood around here---yep, I'm seeing those leaves starting to turn color, I got out my last half gallon of last year's fresh apple cider that I had stashed in the freezer and made this yummy hot drink for dinner. Even my 1 year old loved it in his sippy cup, although I cooled his off quite a bit more than I did mine. ;-) You should have seen the look on his face after his first sip---and he went back for more....

Combine in saucepan.
2 qts. apple cider
3 inch stick cinnamon, crumbled
1/2 t. whole allspice
1/2 t. whole clove
1/8 t. salt
1/3 c. brown sugar

Heat and let simmer for 10 - 20 minutes. Strain and serve hot.

Kathryn's Dinner Menu for September

Here is my tentative menu for the month. It is posted on my bulletin board and is very handy to refer to. It definitely beats having to think up something for dinner, but if I want to try something else, or something comes up, it's not set in hard concrete. I try to rotate meals out and not have similar dishes several night in a row. I usually do a lot of the cooking one weekend a month and have freezer entrees ready for my husband to pop in the oven at 5 o'clock. Add a salad or cooked veggies, some type of bread or biscuits, and sometimes a dessert and we are all set.

We normally have yogurt, cereal, and fruit for breakfast except on weekends, then I might do pancakes or a coffee cake. Lunches are planned-overs or sandwiches.

1--fast food
2--sloppy joes over cornbread, sliced fresh peaches
3--Sunday--eat out
4--Hot Dog Roast!
5--BBQ meatballs and pasta
6--frozen pizza (care group tonight)
7--Poor Mans Steak, Mashed Potatoes
8--Pot Roast and Veggies
9--Hot Ham and Cheese Subs
10--Sunday--Eat out
11--Baked Ziti
12--Basil Pork Chops, Two Tomato Pasta
13--subs (care group tonight)
14--Sausage and Potato Bake
15--Lasagna
16--Potato and Ham Quiche
17--Sunday lunch w/ caregroup--(outreach to Furman and North Greenville students) Spaghetti and trimmings
18--Meatloaf
19--BBQ Ham 'n Peaches
20--Pizza Joes
21--Quesadillas
22--Provolone Burgers
23--Loaded Garlic Bread and Fruit Smoothies
24--Sunday--Eat out
25--Pulled Pork BBQ
26--Beef Gyros
27--(care group tonight) Mac n Cheese with Hot Dog Rings
28--Fire Roasted Ziti with Sausage
29--Philly Steak Subs
30--Steaks, Pommes Anna

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