Two Frugal Chicks

We’ve got some sickos in the house, so I made a big pot of chicken and rice soup and these biscuits to go with it. I’ve never had these at Red Lobster, but my daughter has.  She said they taste just like at the restaurant. They are really good and super easy.

2 1/2 C. Bisquick baking mix
3/4 C. cold milk
4 T. cold butter
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1 heaping cup of shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  In a medium bowl, combine Bisquick with the cold butter using a pastry cutter or fork until the butter is in small pieces the size of peas.  Add the cheddar cheese, milk, and 1/4 tsp. garlic powder.  Mix by hand till combined, but don’t overmix.  Drop by 1/4 cup portions (use an ice cream scoop) onto an ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake 15-17 minutes.

Brush on top of the hot biscuits:
2 T. butter, melted
1/4 tsp. dried parsley flakes
1/2 tsp. garlic powder

Makes one dozen biscuits..

1 can mexican style stewed tomatoes
1/2 bunch of cilantro
small hunk of onion

Throw it all in a food processor till chopped and blended. Put in a strainer over a bowl to drain off excess liquid. Quick, easy, cheap and delicious. I have used the strained juice in my mexican style rice or you can freeze it. It’s easy to go overboard on the onion so start small. You can tweak the recipe for your family by adding lime, jalapenos, green chilies, etc. I have used this recipe many many times and love the fresh taste of it.  .

Recipe call for heavy cream and you don’t have any? Make your own.

3/4 C milk
1/3 C melted and cooled butter

Use in place of 1 C heavy cream.

 Coffee Creamer
14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 C skim milk
Flavoring of choice
For vanilla use 2 tsp vanilla extract
For chocolate almond, use 1 T cocoa and 1 tsp almond extract
Strudel – use 1 T cinnamon, 1 tsp vanilla, 1 tsp almond extract
Chocolate Raspberry use 2 tsp cocoa powder, 2 T raspberry syrup

Measure all ingredients in to a 32 oz container with a cover, seal container and shake. Stores up to two weeks.
Image courtesy of aboutcoffeeonline.com.

Ever find yourself wanting to try a recipe and you’re out of sweetened condensed milk, here’s a substitute and it’s a lot cheaper than buying it.

1/3 C boiling water
4 T butter
3/4 C sugar
1/2 tsp pure vanilla
1 C powdered milk

Using a mixer, blend water, butter sugar and vanilla. Add powdered milk and blend until thick. Store in fridge for up to one week..

.

My step daughter Marie loves these.

1/2 C orange juice
1/2 C Water
1/2 C ice
1/2 C sugar
1 tsp powdered milk
1/2 tsp vanilla

Combine all ingredients in a blender and set on high for 1 minute. For a banana julius add 1 medium banana.
Source: Top Secret Recipes.

This recipe is a great way to use canned beans and tomatoes when they go on sale…..

2 lbs. hamburger
2 C. chopped onions
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1T. Chili powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. cayenne
1/2 C. beef stock
1 – 28oz. can tomatoes
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cans chili beans

Brown the hamburger and drain off fat.  Throw all the ingredients into a crock pot and stir.
Cook on low 8-10 hours or on high 5 hrs.

Serve with best cornbread ever…………..

I got this recipe from my neighbor. We loved them. Sweet and salty bread and butter pickles, yummmmy
6 C sliced cucumbers
1 lb onions sliced thin
1/4 C Salt
2 C Sugar
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp cloves
1T mustard seed
2 C vinegar
Mix cucumbers and onions with salt and let sweat 3 hours. Rinse and drain. Pack the vegs in to jars. Mix sugar, turmeric, cloves, mustard seeds and vinegar in saucepan. Bring to boil. Pour into jars over vegetables. Seal.
You can sterilize the jars in the dishwasher. If you want your pickles sweet only, then skip the salt. You can leave out the turmeric if you don’t have any, it just turns the pickles yellow, but it’s not crucial. If you are going to eat them up soon, no need to hot bath. The vinegar keeps it good for a long long time in the fridge..

Crockpot Apple Butter 

I’ve made this in my crock pot before and was really happy with the results

5 1/2 lbs apples peeled, cored and chopped – I think I used Winesap at the time
2-4 C sugar – more or less depending on the variety/sweetness of the apples you choose
2 tsp cinnamon – I’m pretty sure I used 2 Tablespoons because my family loves cinnamon, but adjust accordingly
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cloves – again, adjust to your likes

Place the apples in a crockpot. In a medium bowl, mix the sugar, cloves, and salt. Pour mixture over the apples and stir well. Cover and cook on High 1 hour. Reduce heat to Low and cook stirring occasionally, until the mix is thick and dark brown. Uncover and continue cooking on Low 1 hour. Stir with a whisk to increase smoothness.

Spoon into clean containers, cover and refrigerate. It can also be canned or frozen..