Bacon Cheeseburger Pasta

I have had this recipe sitting around for a while and finally decided to try it. I had a few odds and ends of pasta in the cabinet, so it was a great way to use that up! Super quick, too!

Bacon Cheeseburger Pasta

8 ounces uncooked tube, spiral or whatever pasta you have sitting in the pantry
1 pound ground beef
6 strips of bacon, diced
1 can condensed tomato soup
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup barbecue sauce
Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile in a skillet cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain and set aside. In the same skillet, cook bacon until crisp; remove with slotted spoon to paper towels. Discard drippings. Drain pasta; add to skillet. Add soup, beef, and bacon; heat through. Mix in barbecue sauce. Sprinkle with cheese; cover and cook until the cheese is melted. 4-6 servings

Cream Cheese Italian Chicken

This is one of my favorite once a month recipes! It is so creamy and full of flavor and the chicken is so juicy, it just melts in your mouth! You can make a double batch in the crock pot, and then freeze 1/2 of it for a later date.


Cream Cheese Italian Chicken

1/2 cup butter
1 envelope Italian dressing mix
2 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
1 (10.75 oz) can cream of chicken soup
8 oz cream cheese

Turn slow cooker on high. Place butter in bottom of slow cooker.

When the butter has melted, add the Italian dressing mix. Stir into butter until well mixed.

Cut chicken breasts into 1 inch strips. Place in slow cooker and stir to coat with butter and dressing mix. Cover and cook on high for 2 hours.

Remove chicken from slow cooker. Add cream of chicken soup and cream cheese. Stir to melt and mix well until smooth and creamy. (I use a wisk to get it nice and smooth). Place chicken back in slow cooker and stir to coat chicken with sauce. Serve over hot buttered rice or noodles. YUM!

If you want to freeze some or all of this, remove from slow cooker and let cool. Place in freezer bag. Label and freeze flat. When you are ready to have it, thaw completely in the refrigerator (could take 1-2 days). Reheat on the stove or in the microwave, stirring frequently.

Party Potatoes

This is another family favorite that makes an appearance at virtually every family function. It is a great pairing with just about any meat dish...and guess what? It freezes wonderfully!!


Party Potatoes

1 bag frozen cubed hash browns
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 cups sour cream
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
1 Tbsp dried onion or 1/2 onion, chopped
1 stick butter
1 cup corn flakes, crushed

Mix hash browns, cream of chicken soup, sour cream, onion and cheese together.

If you are going to freeze, place in freezer bag or container and freeze. Make sure to thaw these in the refrigerator before baking.

To serve, bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Mix melted butter and cornflakes together. Sprinkle on top and bake for an additional 15 minutes.

Sausage and Cheese Balls

This recipe has been around in my family for longer than I can remember. It is always part of our Christmas brunch. It is super easy, and freezes beautifully. The best part- you don't have to thaw them to bake! Bon Appetit!

Sausage and Cheese Balls
1 lb sausage
4 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
2 cup Bisquick

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl until cheese and Bisquick are worked into sausage well.

Roll "dough" into 1-1 1/2 inch balls and place on foil lined cookie sheet (with sides), coated with cooking spray. They should be close together, but not touching.

Bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

To freeze, roll dough into balls and freeze before baking. Store in a freezer bag or container until needed. When ready, place frozen sausage balls on foil lined cookie sheet (with sides) sprayed with cooking spray and bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes.

I am so excited!

I admit, I have turned into a complete foodie. I never thought it would happen. I didn't like to cook, but as they say, necessity is the mother of invention!

A couple of years ago, at the beginning of the downturn of the economy, I (like many Americans) found myself without a job. All of the sudden, we were a one income family in a economy that was losing ground very quickly.

I had to find a way to cut corners in our budget, and fast!

I started looking at what we spent each month and was amazed at the amount of money that went to food each month! As I said, I didn't like to cook, so we ate out A LOT!

My first step was to stop that. I figured even if I didn't like to cook, I could make a box of hamburger helper, open a can of vegetables, and have a piece of fruit every night for an entire week and still not spend what we typically did when we went out. (Do you KNOW how many varieties of hamburger helper there are?!)

Inevitably, my family was crying for something different, so I started to look for some other ideas. That is when I discovered coupons....what an "a-ha" moment!

Since I had no job, I had some time on my hands, and took it as my personal mission to see how much money I could save with this whole coupon thing. My first impression of coupons was that they were only available on name brands that were ridiculously overpriced. I was a believer that generic brands were the way to go. Boy was I wrong!

I started to find some coupons online and started getting the Sunday paper. I started seeing that people were actually getting groceries for free--legitimately! I wanted that! After all, what's cheaper than free?!

I learned the strategies, and was so excited (as was my son) when we got our first big deal (4 boxes of instant Cream of Wheat for $.08!)

Well, the economy got worse, and pretty much everyone was affected in one way or another by tough times. As I was looking at the stockpile I had built, I thought...why not have a cooking party to use some of these things and get some meals in the freezer?

Thus, the Once a Month Cooking Club was born. I invited my mom, grandma and sister to my house one weekend. We spent the weekend making enough meals to put in the freezer to cover weeknight dinners for a month, along with some breakfast, dessert and side items.

This has become one of the best things we have ever done. Since then, we have set a date every 4-6 weeks, when they come and spend the weekend at my house and we get to laugh, visit and take care of dinner for the next month!

Through many trials, we have found some things don't freeze so well (raw potatoes-yuck!), some tricks that make things even yummier (when making pasta dishes, cook the pasta just short of al dente cooking time) and easier (gallon size plastic bags of food can be frozen flat and can be stacked to more efficiently use the space in your freezer). We have a variety of tastes in our family (everything from your typical meat and potatoes men, to seafood allergies, to hot and spicy lovers), but for the most part we have not had many complaints (ok...except the pizza meatloaf...lol), and we have discovered all kinds of things that are really yummy! I never thought I would see my dad eat Chinese, but Sweet and Sour Chicken Bowls are a regular item on our menu!

When I started this journey, my goal was to cut my family's monthly food costs by 50%. I have more than accomplished this and in the process, I have been able to help my extended family do the same. The greatest part is that I always know when I am going to get to see them again!

We have a lifetime of recipes to share, so I decided to start this blog. I hope you enjoy these recipes as much as we do!