Frugal Cooking Tips

20 Tips for Making Chocolate Candy
We all know how good chocolate tastes. There are many types of chocolate candy and whether store bought or homemade, many know the joys it can bring to even the dullest of days. For those who enjoy making their own chocolate candy or for those who are doing so for the first time, here are 20 tips you’ll want to keep in mind.

3 Tips for Frugal Meals
Grocery prices are still on the rise and it doesn’t look like they will be going back down any time soon. At the same time most of us still have the same amount of money coming in each month, and even worse, we’re spending more money on other essentials like gas. In other words, we have to make do with less each month. One of the fastest and easiest places to cut back in is the food budget. Here are three tips you can start using right now to cook more frugal meals and spend less at the store.

5 Tips For Cooking Gourmet On A Budget
Defining gourmet on your own terms is the first step toward formulating a gourmet budget. What it usually means is combining your sense of creativity with some exotic ingredients that create entirely new and exciting dishes for you and your family. Here’s some tips on how to make those gourmet creations fit your personal budget.

Be an Italian Gourmet on a Budget
Italian cuisine is a popular favorite, but simple spaghetti and meatballs can leave your dinner guests less than impressed. Fortunately, a few fresh ideas can have you creating Italian gourmet meals that satisfy your cravings while keeping your budget under control.

Black Beans are Healthy and Delicious
When your family budget is stretched just about as far as it will go, you need some real tools to stretch it even further. One of the means we can use to squeeze a few more pennies out of your paycheck is to cut back at the grocery store. This is where our friend the black bean comes in.

Brown Bag Lunch Ideas
Bring a Brown Bag Lunch and you'll save money. A little work, planning lunches can add up to BIG savings... These Brown bag lunch ideas will help.

Budget Friendly Meal
Eating healthy on a budget may take a little planning, but it certainly isn't impossible. Here's a meal idea that is good for you and your budget.

Building Your Arsenal of Canning Supplies
Before you start canning, you will need to make sure you have all of the proper materials so you do not have to stop in the middle of what you are doing to run to the store and get more. The stop and start method will hinder your canning and make things much less accurate. Here is a list of materials to make sure you have before you begin your canning regiment.

Canned Foods VS Fresh Foods
We all look for fresh produce when it’s available. The farmers market, the grocery store or even the local farmers are places we tend to visit when fresh produce is in season. Did you know that canned foods are dense in nutrients than fresh foods? Well it’s true. Lets take a look to see just why.

Canning Recipes are a Must
There are no actual canning recipes in this article. This article is meant to show the importance of canning recipes in keeping your food safe to consume. Unfortunately canned foods spoil easily if not prepared correctly. It’s important to have a good recipe, follow it to the letter and a guide to help you safely store your precious foods for the winter.

Canning Tips for the Perfect Canned Foods
Canning today, is as easy as it ever has been. It’s nothing like the old days when it took a whole week to can one section of vegetables from your garden. Today, a whole garden can be completed in a day or two. While industrial canning can take place in a matter of minutes, there are still some standard precautionary measures to take while canning at home. Here are some things to remember when canning this year.

Cheap Party Food
Parties can be cheap and fun. You just know how to plan your party food and entertainment frugally. Keep reading for tips to help your party food be cheap and delicious!

Chicken & Mushroom Dinner Idea
Eating well doesn't require a lot of money or gobs of time. A cheap meal idea only means, we shopped smart. Here's a filling chicken and mushroom pasta recipe that's sure to please not only your whole family, but your purse strings too!

Cold Pasta Salad - Cheap & Easy Meal in Minutes
Pasta salad has to be one of the easiest and cheapest recipes to make. Seriously, all you need are noodles, some dressing and veggies and you're set.

Cooking for the Up Coming Week
How many times have you come home from work just too tired to cook a full meal? How many times have you come home from work to find this going on or that going on and before you know it it’s late and no one has had anything to eat? More times than you’d probably like to admit, especially if you have a family. How do you handle that? Fast food, take out or delivery. That’s not unusual either. The problem there is that you’re spending lots of money and not really eating a satisfying and healthy meal. Is there a solution to this problem? Yes, if you’re willing to spend just one day in the kitchen. Saturdays are a great day to spend cooking for the week. If you start early it won’t be an all day affair and who knows you might even convince other members of the family to help. What a way to spend a day together.

Create Your Own Chocolate from Scratch
You don’t have to be Willy Wonka to create your own chocolate masterpiece. There are two ways you can make your own chocolate. There’s a very long process that only the best chocolate makers use. This would not be the one you would want to try – trust me on this one. Unless you’re privy to a chocolate factory, the second way to make chocolate is quicker, easier and more fun to create. This method, like the more tedious one above, requires raw cocoa beans, which you can find at just about any grocer or can be ordered via the Internet. The difference is that it doesn’t cost a fortune to create. It takes about ten dollars to create eight ounces of delicious chocolate that you can enjoy right at home.

Dinner Leftovers
Many people like leftovers while others do not. Many people will eat them the following day, but quickly grow tired of the same thing over and over. If someone in your family is like this here are some ways to fix that problem. We'll begin with an example.

Drying Fruit
Dried fruits are a healthy alternative to candy. Reach for a piece of dried pineapple or apple slices instead of that chocolate. The sweetness of the fruit is concentrated when it is dried. With every bite there is a burst of sweetness.

Drying Herbs
Herbs such as rosemary, thyme, basil and oregano have been used in many a kitchen for many years. They help our food to taste better, give a great scent not only to the food but the entire kitchen and can give our cooked foods some color. Buying herbs in a local grocery store can become expensive but growing your own herbs can not only save you money but can give fresh herbs that will be a great addition to any food item. Can you imagine what your food would taste like without seasoning? Pretty bland huh? That’s why spices are such an important part of any kitchen. Purchasing those herbs can be rather expensive but growing and drying your own isn’t as difficult as one might think. Start with a nice sunny area in your yard. Pick the types of herbs that you use most often. Also be sure the soil is rich and in good shape.

Drying Herbs
Herbs are a great addition to almost any food dish. Fresh herbs can be expensive when you buy them at the store. By growing your own herbs this will save you money and add flavor to your meals. Growing your own herbs can be fun, especially if you have children that can help.

Easy Meatloaf Mixes
One meatloaf mix recipe can simplify your meals for the entire week.

Eclectic Gourmet on 10 Dollars a Day
An eclectic gourmet is one who isn’t afraid to try new things, opening their minds and taste buds to the possibilities of foods from different cultures. In the process, these adventurous cooks often discover new cooking methods and ingredients that create exciting new dishes for their families and friends.

Food Staples to Save You Money
Wikipedia defines staple food as “a foodstuff that forms the basic constituent of a diet. It is a standard commodity rather than a specialty item.” These are the basics we work with to make the meals that feed our families. These basic staples not only help stretch our foods, but also our money. In today’s world stretching that dollar has become a must.

Frugal Lunch Ideas
Having lunch is what gets us through that long afternoon. The cost of school lunches these days is outrageous and for some parents it is hard to keep up. Many lunch menus provided by the schools are not as nutritious as they could be. Here are some frugal lunch ideas for your family.

Frugal School Lunch Ideas
Hot lunch at school can become quite expensive. Figure on average, hot lunch costs $2.10 per day if you include milk with the meal. If you have three children, $6.30 a day, multiplied by five days, that's $31.50 a week… just for lunch! Is it convenient for parents? You betcha. Can it be expensive? You betcha!

Getting More Out Chicken
Chicken is some what popular at evening mealtime in American households. Everybody has a favorite way of preparing chicken. With a whole cooked chicken there are many things that you can do with the portion left after that initial dinner. Below are some ways to make that roasted chicken delicious for the whole family.

Gourmet Cooking Out Of Your Own Pantry
You probably haven’t realized it, but you’ve probably got some ingredients in your own pantry that can help create gourmet cooking options for your next meal. These low-cost staples are the primary components of winning meals you can make at home, even on a shoestring budget.

Grocery Saving Tips
Have you noticed lately the money you have set aside for groceries just isn’t buying as much as it did a couple of months ago? Everything is going up. Many food items have tripled in price since the first of the year and things don’t seem to be getting any better. Not only has the cost of food risen but everything else we have to spend our money on is sky rocketing. Trying to finds ways to pinch pennies to keep your family afloat is becoming harder and harder by the day.

Grocery Tips
The cost of living is reaching an all time high. This includes gas prices rising to groceries at an all time high. We are challenged on a daily basis to make our money stretch farther. Everybody has to eat, there is no getting around that fact. We will definitely have to find ways to spend less on groceries that we need to feed our families. Here are some great saving tips to try the next time you are grocery shopping.

Hamburger and Green Bean Casserole
This frugal and quick recipe is perfect for when the food budget is slim and you need some good comfort food.

Help in the Kitchen for the Busy Mom
Being a Mom is a job all on it’s own. Adding the cleaning, cooking, outside job and well, just about anything else your family might need, can take every minute of every day. Finding ways to help you at home is important for many reasons. It relieves some stress, can give you an extra 15 minutes to yourself and can keep you healthy and happy.

Herb Butters
Turn your average stick of butter into a gourmet treat simply by adding herbs.

Home Delivery of Organic Foods
With the demand of organic foods on the rise people are finding it easier to have the foods they love delivered right to their home. This can be a welcomed idea for many people. With such fast paced lives there never seems to be enough time to do the things we want to do let along the things we have to do and finding organic food can sometimes take more time due to the fact that it’s not easily found in the local grocery stores.

Homemade Versus Delivery
How many times a week do we order out for lunch or dinner? The amount of money that we spend by ordering out can be outrageous. What we spend for one meal delivered could easily be two or more meals at home. Instead of calling for delivery pizza next time get the family together and make one at home.

How Canning Came to Be
Imagine what it was like 300 years ago traveling across the country with food supplies. The horse drawn carriage, no refrigeration or cooling capacity, the bugs all around trying to figure out what is in the bag; it was a disaster in the making. Actually, this is exactly how it was up until the 18th century, when canning was invented.

How to Grow your own Herbs
Not only do home-grown herbs taste better, they can save you money.

How to Keep More Money in Your Wallet When you Leave the Grocery Store
Are you looking for a great way to save money on your groceries? A Menu Planning Service can help. These innovative services help you plan, save on grocery costs and manage your dinner meals simply and easily.

Inexpensive Breakfast
In the morning breakfast is the first meal we eat. After sleeping all night our bodies need a little pick me up to get going. This doesn't mean drinking coffee. These breakfast ideas below don't require a drive-thru window.

Jazz Up Simple Dishes Affordably With One Ingredient
Variety, as they say, is the spice of life, and this article explains how easy it is to create tasty new meals by choosing a few versatile ingredients. Jazz up these simple dishes by thinking outside the box with fresh food ideas you might not have thought about before.

Make it Homemade Pizza Tonight
It’s six pm and you know the family is starving. You see their favorite fast food restaurant and decide to pull in, grab dinner through the drive-thru and head for home. Does this sound familiar? How many times a week does this scenario occur at your house? It’s fast, it’s easy but do you know just how expensive it can be? What about making pizza it at home? The whole family can join in and make it a family night to remember.

Meal Planning – A Great Way to Save Time and Money
You may have heard of family meal planning or perhaps have been wondering what the fuss is all about. Well, to put it simply family meal planning means planning your family’s meal to help you save time and money. But beyond saving time and money there are some other great reasons for family meal planning. By planning your meals and doing your shopping ahead of time, it’s easier to make sure your family eats healthy and balanced meals. It’s too easy to reach for the phone and order a pizza when everyone’s just gotten home from soccer practice and your fridge is empty.

Money Saving Kitchen Products
Does it ever cross your mind how our ancestors always seemed to keep food on the table even in hard times? We desperately long to know their secret when we are dropping hundreds of dollars at the grocery store every week. As a matter of fact, it isn't a secret at all. This required good planning and preparation on their part. Our dollars will stretch farther once we realize this and begin practicing as they preached.

Money Saving Lunch Ideas
Lunch is something many of us must eat away from home. Many adults work, children are in school and it seems to be the perfect time of day to run those errands or go shopping. Unfortunately we spend a lot of our lunch time in a fast food restaurant or in a cafeteria. Not only is this expensive, but in many cases it’s not very healthy.

Muffin Recipes
Muffins are easy to make and easy to freeze. Make them in advance and keep them on hand for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Need Nutritious Snacks for Kids?
Snack foods can easily become a large portion of your grocery bill. Plus, they are loaded with sodium and preservatives. Instead make your own and keep some of your hard-earned money!

Nothing to Eat? Think Again.
This article is hilarious -- and so very helpful. I'm almost afraid to admit the things I ate in college when the food money ran out and all I had were some odds and ends. Enjoy!

Once-A-Month Cooking
Most people are all about spending less time in the kitchen. One way to accomplish this task is to use freezer cooking recipes, better known as once a month cooking. What is Once a Month Cooking and how can it help your family?

Preserving Meats by Canning
When you think of canning what comes to mind? Green beans, tomatoes, tomato juice as well as jams and preserves are a few of the things that pop into our heads. But did you know that meats can be canned also? It’s a great way to preserve that fresh meat to use in soups, casseroles and stews.

Properly Canning Fresh Fruits and Vegetables
Having a summer garden gives us benefits that are second to none. Making the most of that garden fare makes it all just a little bit better. There’s nothing like pulling out a jar of canned green beans to serve at your Christmas dinner. Homemade jams are the best when it comes to serving up the perfect Sunday breakfast. Something about knowing you put your time and effort into making something your friends and family can enjoy, just brings a sense of accomplishment, and the compliments don’t hurt either.

Quick Ways to Save on Groceries
There are two ways to save money on your groceries, buy less or pay less. But it doesn’t end there because there are lots of different ways to do these two things.

Saving Your Fare for the Winter
Toiling over a garden can be a lot of hard work. Tilling the ground, adding the fertilizer, making the neat little rows of seeds and breaking your back to pick your fair are a lot of work. At harvest time you find yourself with the right tools to harvest your hard work but what about saving it for winter. If the squirrels can stockpile their nuts then why can’t you stash your hard work for some great winter meals?

Southwest Inspired Gourmet On A Budget
Searching for a Southwest inspired gourmet meal to spice up your cooking at home? This area of the country has a rich history that has contributed to some delicious meals, and we’ve identified some primary ingredients that offer delicious possibilities for your next dinner party or special occasion.

The Process of Canning
Canning may be started back in the 1800’s but it has evolved over the years into a work of art. For those who can you fully understand what this means. For those who don’t maybe it’s time to take a look at what canning is all about.

Thrifty Cooking
Frugal cooking ideas submitted by thrifty moms like you.

Time and Money Saving Breakfast Ideas
Remember when you were small your Mother saying “Eat your breakfast it’s the most important meal of the day.” That statement has been proven to be very true. Unfortunately in our fast paced world there is a tendency to neglect that important meal. With the rise of cost for many types of breakfast foods we also find ourselves sliding past the breakfast items at the grocery store. This doesn’t have to be a way of life for your family.

To Can or Not To Can is the Question
While it seems like everything can be canned and put away, there are some food items that are less safe than others to can. Many foods are great for canning, either partially cooked or raw. To safely store your foods you need to know a little about the foods that are good canning foods. Food between 2.0 and 6.9 pH levels are usually ok to can at home. Anything over 6.9, like black olives, becomes difficult to can because they have to be specially cured before the storage process begins.

Use Those Dinner Leftovers Later
You worked really hard to place a good healthy meal on the table. Now the feasting is over and you have to clean up. You do the dishes and place those leftovers in containers in the refrigerator. You don’t want to think about what to fix tomorrow night; it’s too soon for that. Why not think about tomorrow night or even the night after that now and make the next few dinners a cinch?

Uses for Chicken
Chicken is one of our favorite meats. It can be cheaper than other meats and goes with just about any side dish you can think of. Roasting a whole chicken can sometimes be more than your family can eat in one sitting. What do you do with the leftovers? That’s easy; stretch it out into other meals that your family will enjoy.

Weekend Cooking
Weekdays can be frustrating when it comes to making dinner. Who has time to cook a meal when they get home late? Even then, who feels like cooking dinner after a hard day's work? What do you do in order to avoid frozen dinners or even worse, fast food? Prepare all of your meals for the upcoming week on your weekends off.

What is Freezer Cooking?
Cooking in a Freezer? No. Throwing Food into a Freezer for Quick Easy meals in minutes. Read and learn...

Why Is Chocolate So Expensive
The actual process of creating chocolate is pretty easy (not to mention fun). So, have you ever wondered why it is so expensive or why cocoa beans, the main ingredient in chocolate cost so much? The reasoning is a good one and honestly, it’s ok because most chocolate is worth the price. Wouldn’t you agree?