Frugal Friday & A Great Giveaway

Good morning all my Frugal Friday friends. It's that time of week again. Time to share some more frugal tips with you. I am enjoying this so much and learning more and more myself each day. Today I am posting more frugal recipes that I cook myself. These recipes are nutritious as well as being frugal. I love trying new recipes myself and thought everyone else would love to do the same. What makes these frugal are that they are made from many ingredients you will probably find in your pantry or on a regular shopping list. I hate recipes that I have to search for the ingredients and always calls for something I may buy once and never use again. So I am targeting things you already have in your pantry or freezer.

We'll start with your main dish. For us this is usually always a meat. I know meat is expensive but around here we can't do without it. To save yourself money here, most grocery stores have a reduced meat section. At least I know all the ones in our area do and hopefully yours does as well. Our little home town store places the reduced meat out daily. I try to go by every morning or every couple of days and stock up. Last week I went three times and purchased three large family packages of tenderized round steak, four sirloin steaks, a family pack of boneless butterfly pork chops and a beef roast. I paid for all of this around $25.00 for all of it. That's not to bad in my book.

This recipe comes from the top of my head, nothing is wrote down for me to go by so you may have to make some adjustments for yourself. Remember I cook for a family of five, when I cook.

Steak and Mushroom Gravy




1 or 2 large round steaks
flour
salt
black pepper
beef bouillon cubes
2 cups water
oil (to cover bottom of skillet)
2 small cans of mushrooms, drained

I usually purchase my round steak already tenderized, if you don't buy yours this way then I do suggest tenderizing it yourself.

Wash and pat your steak dry with paper towels. Cut into smaller serving pieces. Usually for two steaks I cut about 6-8 pieces of meat. Next combine in a med. size bowl your flour, salt and black pepper to taste. Get out your iron skillet (I always use an iron skillet but you can use whatever you like) and pour enough oil in the bottom to coat and fry your meat. Maybe about 1/2 inch on the bottom of your skillet. I just judge this myself. While your grease is getting hot dredge your steak pieces in the flour and seasonings. Sometimes I may also add a little seasonall as well. when your pan and grease are ready lay your meat in and brown on one side. Turn when browned to brown the opposite side. After browning both sides turn your burner down to finish cooking your meat through and through. While your meat is finishing cooking take out two beef bouillon cubes and unwrap and set aside. Also get 2 cups of water. Take your meat out of pan once cooked and set aside. Now time to make your gravy. After you have removed the meat from the skillet you naturally will be left with the oil (at least some). Add enough of the leftover flour to make a paste. Continue moving this around in the skillet till it becomes the color of dark coffee. Add in the two bouillon cubes and slowly add your two cups of water. Continue stirring on high heat till it thickens, add your two cans of mushrooms. Now turn the burner down to a simmer. After the bouillon cubes have dissolved then place your meat back into the gravy and continue simmering for about 15-20. If the gravy becomes to thick add a little more water. When it has simmered as long as you like it is now finished.

This is really a great way to cook round steak so that it becomes more tender and served with the mushroom gravy it is very hearty.

Once Baked Potatoes

I take the easy way out and microwave them the first go round. Wash and dry about 5 potatoes (depending on how many you are cooking for) and place on a microwavable plate. Take fork and punch about three places on each side of each potato. Place in the microwave about 20-30 minutes. Turn halfway through cooking. They are done when you can stick your fork all the way through.

While your potatoes are in the microwave cook a small amount of broccoli. Shred some cheese or use sliced cheese. Whichever you prefer.

Once your potatoes are done remove from microwave and let cool a little. When your broccoli is finished cooking drain off all water and set aside. Now take a towel and hold on to each potato and slick lengthwise down the middle. While holding your towel take each half potato and scoop out the inside of the potato leaving a small amount around the edges of your potato. put all the scooped out insides into a bowl and make mashed potatoes with it. I'm not explaining that if I don't need to. I figure everyone knows how to make mashed taters. If you don't back away from the kitchen now................

After you have mashed the taters then add your cooked broccoli, some bacon bits and salt and pepper. Mix well and use your spoon and place the mashed into the half potato shells and lay side by side on a baking sheet. Place sliced or shredded cheese onto the top of each one and place all back into an oven set for 350 degrees about 20 minutes or till cheese melts and gets a little brown around the edges.

Now add some fresh vegetables or a dinner salad and you have a great meal for your family. I also suggest cooking a few cans of biscuits to go along with the meal. yes, I said canned biscuits, you know the whop on the counter kind. The leftover biscuits can be used for dessert as well. Recipe to follow for this.

Chocolate Gravy & Biscuits



The gravy can also be cooked in the microwave while the other dinner fixins are cooking as well. Now if you are from the south chocolate gravy is breakfast, snacks and desserts. It is practically considered a staple food. If you've never heard of it, well huney chile you have been missin out.

You will need:

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
3 Tbls. cocoa

Stir this together in a large bowl. Add 3 egg yolks beaten, 3 cups milk. Stirring your milk in gradually so as not to clump. Be sure to beat the egg yolks as well. Add your flour mixture to the liquid mixture and stir well removing any lumps with a whisk.

Place the bowl in the microwave and cook about 15 minutes. If it's not thick enough by then cook an additional 5 minutes more. Take out and stir, if still not thick enough continue cooking five minutes at a time till thick as a gravy. Once thick and removed from microwave add 1 teaspoon of butter and 1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla. That's it your done now. Serve hot over the leftover biscuits for a one of a kind treat. Your kids will love you.

Now I never said they would be good your heart or waistline, only frugal and taste good. Enjoy this meal and let me know how you like it if you decide to cook any of them.

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Ozark Scents Giveaway Winner Announced:

Congratulations to Victoria and Sachidewy for winning a wonderful smelling candle of your choice from Ozark Scents. contact me with your mailing information and they will get your win off to you in the mail.

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Another Big Giveaway this week. Sponsored by: The Ole Bag Lady



This is one of the neatest Etsy stores I think I have run across. Tami specializes in making reusable, fabric gift totes and tags in all sizes. She has wonderful designs to choose from and many Easter designs as well. They are easy to use and no need for paper, tape or scissors, just drop your gift into the tote bags and fill in the gift tag provided and your ready for your next baby shower, bridal shower or any gift giving of your choice. The tote alone would also make a wonderful gift. Since they are reusable they are excellent for the environment. Once they have not only received your lovely gift but they then also have a tote bag to use themselves or to pass onto a friend with another gift inside. Bags store easy and take up very little room folded in drawer or box where ever you may store them. All bags are made in a Smoke and pet free environment.

As you can see they have many designs to choose from. This is only a sample of their designs. The Easter designs could also be used as a unique Easter basket as well. Your child or grandchildren would love this pretty colorful Easter basket filled with all the Easter goodies you fill a normal basket with. Then once Easter is over you still have the tote to keep using. Would also make an excellent over night bag for a night to grandma's house.

The Ole Bag Lady (Tami) has generously offered to let one winner choose a bag of their choice for themselves. It doesn't matter what size you choose or design. Tami has so generously decided to let the winner make the choice themselves.

The rules to enter are simple. Not as complicated as last week. For each thing you do it's counted as one entry. You must comment for each one separately as well.

Go over The Ole Bag Lady Etsy store and choose your favorite design and size and come back here and in a comment tell me your favorite. You have to do this for any of your entries to count. See I even give you the link so that's not so hard.

For more entries and chances to win you can do of the following or one, it's up to you.

1. Subscribe to Tami's rss feed located at the bottom right of her store page. Leave a comment letting me know you have done this.
2. Add Tami as one of your favorite Etsy stores. Also located on the lower right side of her store page.
3. Follow my blog. If you already follow then just leave a comment.
4. Follow me on Twitter here.
5. Twitter about this giveaway and let me know you have done so with a link and ID.
6. post my Frugal Friday button on your blogs sidebar with a link back to my blog. You will only find my button on the Frugal Friday posts.

For 5 extra entries post the button and do a blog post on your blog about the giveaway as well as Frugal Friday. Be sure and leave a comment that you have done this with a link to your blog. This blog post must be made to a legitimate blog and not a phony one. This has happened and I do check and if it happens it will be removed from the comments. I hate to do that but it's not fair to those that do follow the rules. Not to mention unfair to me and my blog.

Contest giveaway ends on Thursday night at 12 midnight (CST) the 2nd of April.


Till next week my Frugal Friends,