FREE FRUGAL RECIPES

Be sure to check out all my free recipe pages by clicking on my Free Recipes Index at the end of this page. Even the more expensive recipes and the romantic recipes may give you ideas on how to be more creative with your frugal recipes.

A frugal third choice for breakfast would be cereal and milk, choosing a whole grain cereal and whole milk, if that is all you will be eating. Examples might include, Crispix, Product 19, Total, Wheaties, Grape-Nuts, Sunbelt Bakery Banana Nut Granola and Raisins, Dates, and Walnuts Granola. Parmalat UHT whole milk is shelf-stable for six months and needs no refrigeration until it is opened. Hershey's UHT whole milk is shelf-stable for a year and needs no refrigeration until opened. Both come in Tetra packs in quarts and taste good when chilled. Hershey's has a screw-on cap which makes it much easier to open. I recommend whole grain cereals and whole milk to keep stocked for emergency situations as well. You won't starve if you have cereals and milk.

The most frugal lunch anyone can eat is Ramen Noodles of which I have an entire website just about them. Ramen Noodles alone are not healthy to eat for long periods of time, but you can add healthy ingredients to them to make many frugal meals that can sustain you until times are better financially.

Microwaved Popcorn with a soft drink and a Hershey's chocolate bar would probably come in somewhere on a list of frugal meals. Most people eat it occasionally to fill themselves up, without having to actually cook a meal. It goes great for a movie night at home with a comedy movie to view. Popcorn is a whole grain. If you don't use butter, oil, and salt, it doesn't have many calories, air-popped. Nordic Ware makes a good microwave popcorn popper that you can also use as the bowl to hold the popcorn to eat it. Presto Power Pop also makes a good popcorn popper, but it requires purchasing power pop concentrator refills. Orville Redenbacher Popcorn Kernels is the best brand to use that I have found. It comes in large capped bottles that you should be able to find in your grocery store.

Beans and rice probably come in first place for a frugal dinner choice, although there are many frugal recipes you could use besides them.

Snacks are also needed for most people.

I like to use Dole diced fruit cups as desserts that come in a lot of various fruits that are shelf-stable. Tropical Fruit and Pineapple both serve a dual purpose by not only satisfying your taste for sweets but also helping your proteins to digest better. Dole makes 4 oz. cups of Diced Mangoes, and Melon Medleys that contain chunks of pineapple, watermelon, and cantaloupe, that make good desserts, as well as diced apples, diced pears, and diced peaches. Try using a fruit cup and mixing a yogurt cup into it as a dressing to make a fruit salad when you are tired of eating vegetable salads or green salads. Dole also makes individual servings of delicious Apple Crisp that are shelf-stable.

The most frugal meals are ones created with beans, rice, eggs, vegetables, soups, pasta, or cheese. Your food pantry and refrigerator should always contain some of each so you will always have the supplies needed. You can always stretch recipes by adding frozen or canned mixed vegetables and soups, salsa, picante sauce, broths, or tomato sauce. Dry oatmeal or breadcrumbs can be used to stretch meat when it is ground-up and formed into patties or meatballs. You can use a food processor to grind-up your meat so you KNOW what is in it without having to worry about what pink slime really is or what ingredients were used or how long it had already been made before you purchased it in a store.

I read an article that stated ground-up meats and poultry contain a lot of bacteria in them in most grocery stores. That is certainly a good reason to grind-up your own meats freshly in your food processor in your own kitchen to be used as needed.

Dried Oatmeal, Dried Barley, or Dried Rice can be ground-up into flours using a food processor, as can be dried shredded coconut turned into coconut flour and sliced almonds into almond flour. www.Store.HoneyvilleGrain.com and www.Nuts.com sells flours online. You can save those end slices of a loaf of bread to turn into breadcrumbs in just a few seconds in a food processor. Use lesser amounts of meats so that meat is in your recipes for a flavor to enhance the other ingredients. Nuts and cooked beans can be substituted for meats in recipes.

Here is my website with my Faux Meat Recipes Index where you can click on one recipe at a time. These recipes were inspired with God giving them to me to freely help the nations of the world to be able to feed their families who can no longer afford meat. I hope they will bless you and your family. Once you learn the basics, I hope you will be able to create more recipes that your family can use. Unless you tell people they are not eating meat, they probably will not realize it, because these recipes taste just like real meat. Always pray over your meals for God to bless them and the people who eat the food. You will find that your meals are more satisfying and give the body and mind more nutrition when you remember to pray, giving God thanks for all your blessings He sends to you each day. Prayer is the one thing that can change any situation, even when there is seemingly no hope left. God, Jesus Christ, and The Holy Spirit are always right there with you, and will never fail you. Psalm 118:8 says, "Put your trust in God, not in man." It is the center verse in The Holy Bible. God will always supply your needs if you put your trust completely in Him, accept Jesus Christ as your Savior, and let The Holy Spirit guide you every day in everything that you do. Let The Holy Trinity dwell within your central core, your mind and your heart. The more truly grateful you are to God, the quicker He can send more blessings your way.

People all over the world are searching online daily for more Frugal Recipes they can use freely. I hope these will inspire you to create even more frugal recipes, since it seems like grocery prices are rising every month. Your grocery budget can be greatly reduced by using my Faux Meats Recipes. Many frugal recipes were used by our parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents. If you know of some that might help others, why not create your own website for others to use freely, too? Angelfire.com makes it easy to create your own free websites, even if you don't know HTML codes.

WHATEVER-YOU-GOT PATTIES
This is a recipe God gave me that you can take whatever you have on hand, and use it to make patties with, then fry them on both sides in a butter sprayed skillet until done. You could use any canned or cooked vegetables, cooked meats, poultry, or seafood, or seasonings that you have on hand to make a variety for this recipe. Canned beans could be mashed with a fork and used as well. If you keep Black Walnut Oil in your food pantry, add 1/2 teaspoon of it to this recipe to give more flavor to any vegetables used. Nuts.com sells Black Walnut Oil. A good sprinkling of Bragg Organic 24 Seasonings could also be used as an All Purpose Seasoning. SwansonVitamins.com sells Bragg 24 Seasonings.

Take 1 can mixed vegetables and any cooked meat, chicken, or seafood you have on hand, put into a bowl and mashed with a fork or use a food processor to puree it, and add 1 beaten egg, 1 Tbsp. melted margarine or butter, and 1 cup self-rising flour or self-rising cornmeal, mixed together to combine ingredients. If you want to use garlic powder or onion powder to season, add 1/2 teaspoon of each, and then mix ingredients well. If the mixture needs any liquid, just add water a Tablespoonful at a time, mixing well before adding anymore water. Form patties the size you want, and fry them on both sides in a skillet in some vegetable oil over medium heat. Season with salt and black pepper to suit your taste. Serve warm. They could also be put into buns for sandwiches.

All beans are protein foods. There are many varieties of beans for you to choose from. You don't need meat when serving cooked beans for a meal. Try serving cooked beans with cornbread, a raw sweet Vidalia onion, and a big glass of sweet iced tea.

PINTO BEANS, CORNBREAD, and SWEET VIDALIA ONIONS
Use two pounds of dried pinto beans to make eight servings. Go through the entire bag, looking through all the beans to remove any that are bad or any rocks that are in them. Use a colander to wash the beans under warm tap water several times to remove any grit or dirt that is on the dried beans. Place them in a large pot, and fill it 3/4 full of hot water. Add 2 Tbsp. white Crisco Shortening to the pot of beans, rubbing some extra shortening all around the top of the inside of the pot so it won't boil over. Turn the heat on medium, cover the pot with a lid, and cook the beans for three hours over medium heat. There is no need to presoak them if you wash them at least five times under warm running water. Stir them occasionally, and add any water whenever necessary. Always make sure the water level is just above the beans. When they are done, add salt to suit your taste, and serve them in a large bowl with a ladle in it, with slices of cornbread and sweet onion wedges. If you salt beans at the beginning of cooking, it causes them to implode. Refrigerate any leftovers, just don't be surprised if there are none. Yes, they are that good. Large packs of dried pinto beans can be purchased online at Nuts.com or Walmart.com.

Luck's Fat-Free Pinto Beans are canned beans made by Arizona Foods and sold in most grocery stores. They are the only brand I have ever found that taste just as good as homemade pinto beans cooked from scratch. They have a nice thick soup. All you need do is open the can and heat them through.

You want your bean soup to be as naturally thick as it can be while it's cooking. As pinto beans get more fully cooked, the soup starts to turn a darker brown color and gets thicker without having to add anything else to it. Here's my tip to make your bean soup thicker: once the beans are fully cooked, add a couple Tablespoons of freeze-dried refried beans to them, stirring well. They will rehydrate in 5 minutes and thicken the bean soup as they do. They are also perfect to use when you want to make bean/cheese burritos or just make pinto beans for a single serving when you want them without having to wait for them to cook, or to make a quick bean dip to serve spread on Tostadas, (corn tortillas fried quickly on both sides in vegetable oil, then drained on white paper towels.)

Be Prepared.com also sells Freeze-Dried Refried Pinto Beans as well as many other emergency preparedness foods and supplies in #10 and My Choice sizes for everyday use.

If you find that beans create too much flatulence, add 1 or 2 cloves of garlic to the pot at the beginning of cooking, or take Beano before eating them, or eat a bowl of pineapple chunks along with them as a side dish. Makes 8 servings in bowls.

To make two eight-inch skillets of cornbread, in a mixing bowl, place 2 cups self-rising buttermilk white cornmeal, 1 large egg, 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil, and 1 cup Half and Half milk, mixing well. Pour the batter, divided equally, into two butter sprayed skillets. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the skillets in the center of the oven. Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown. Use an oven mitt, and turn cornbread out of the skillets onto a plate. Slice each skillet of cornbread into 4 pieces. Serve one slice per person.

Purchasing two non-stick eight-inch skillets that are heavy weight are a good investment for your kitchen. Not only do they make a great skillet of cornbread, but they are perfect to cook scrambled or fried eggs. Of course, if there are more than two people in your family, you would need a larger skillet.

Wash, peel and slice a raw sweet onion into 4 wedges. G and R Farms Vidalia Sweet Onions are many Southerner's preferred choice in an onion and are sold in many grocery stores, but any sweet onion will work fine if you can't find them. You will need two whole sweet onions to make a total of 8 wedges. Place them in a bowl to serve with your cooked pinto beans and cornbread slices for a very comforting and filling Southern meal that almost all true Southerners eat at least once a week. If you need more food, prepare some brown rice, and serve it in individual bowls with the pinto beans over it. Sliced tomatoes and Magic Potatoes also go well with pinto beans.

Vidalia Onions can be ordered online but they are only available in May and June of each year, unless you can find a seller who uses controlled atmosphere to store them so customers can buy them nine months out of the year. Get your name on their list as soon as possible so you will be assured of an order, as they sell out really fast. I will put a link to Vidalia Onion Organization sellers on the bottom of this page for your convenience if you are interested in buying them online and having them shipped to your home. To be able to eat a raw Vidalia sweet onion year round eating just one per week, you would need 52 onions or 25 pounds medium-sized. Praying that God will cause them to last you for a year will make them last longer. Store them in a pair of new or clean pantyhose nailed up with at least three large nails in the thickest top back area, leaving the front area open, in a dark, dry place with 15 onions placed down one of the legs, then tied with a bread bag tie just above each onion, so that none of the onions are touching each other. Do 30 total onions tied like that in both legs of the hosiery. When you need an onion, undo the top tie and remove an onion, leaving the other onions hanging safely and securely until you need another one, or just cut one off with scissors as you need it.

You can also clean out your vegetable drawer in your refrigerator, and place white paper towels in the drawer first. Wrap each one of your onions in a paper towel. You can keep about two dozen onions in there for a long time. Cover the second layer with another couple white paper towels to absorb any moisture.

If any onions get damp, they will sprout, mildew, and rot quickly.

MICROWAVE CORNBREAD
This is a fantastic way to have cornbread during the hotter months so your home does not get over-heated from the oven being turned on 400 degrees Farenheit. It still has the same texture as oven-baked cornbread. I admit it's not quite as good as my oven-baked cornbread, but it's certainly sufficient to use during the hotter months when I want my air conditioned home to stay as cool as possible. It's easy to make one serving at a time using a 4 oz. ramekin that you butter spray before adding the cornbread batter to it. Butter spray any microwaveable dish you use to cook it in the microwave on high, or it will stick to the dish.

The crust does NOT get browned on the bottom or the top when you microwave cornbread, but it still tastes the same as oven-baked cornbread does. Depending upon how many servings you make, it will cook on high in the microwave in 3 to 5 minutes. I prefer to make mine in a single serving 4 oz. glass ramekin that I butter spray, then pour half-full of cornbread batter. Do NOT pour any larger dish you use over one-inch full of cornbread batter. I put it in the microwave on high for 3 minutes. The first time I made it this way, I filled a small 4 oz. butter sprayed ramekin full of batter, and it did rise above the ramekin about two inches, like a soufflé does, without overflowing, but did not deflate once it was done cooking. It made a beautiful presentation to view, and still cooked perfectly in 3 minutes on high. I also have cooked 8 servings at one time in my round green microwave browning pan that I purchased from Amazon.com. It took 5 minutes to cook that many servings, each the size of a large pie wedge. You can see when it's done because it looks like a muffin or cake layer might look when done except that it is not browned. I used my own recipe for cornbread, which is 1 cup Martha White self-rising buttermilk white cornmeal, 1/2 cup Half and Half milk, 2 Tablespoons of Wesson Vegetable Oil, and 1 large egg beaten, mixed well together to make a batter. That will make 4 individual 4 oz. ramekins that are butter sprayed and microwaved on high for 3 minutes, or you can put the batter into a larger butter sprayed microwaveable pan and cook it 5 minutes on high. If you already have a cornbread recipe that you enjoy, use it to try it out to see if it makes good microwave cornbread. Remember that if you are not using self-rising cornmeal that you will need to add baking powder and/or baking soda for it to rise when cooking. Microwave Cornbread goes well with soups, stews, chili with beans, or any kind of cooked beans.

MICROWAVE BARLEY GRITS
You can buy Barley Grits and Barley Flakes online at NUTS.COM in one pound resealable bags. Barley Grits are healthier to eat than corn grits, plus you can make Polenta with them. Barley Flakes cook quicker than regular barley does. To make one serving, put 4 rounded teaspoonsful of Barley Grits in a quart-sized bowl. Cover them generously with water or beef broth. Stir in sea salt, black pepper, and butter to suit your taste. In your microwave, place bowl on top of paper towels, so if the barley grits boil over you won't have a mess to clean up. Microwave on high for 5 minutes, pausing and stirring halfway through cooking time. The bowl will be very hot so be careful when taking it out of the microwave. Stir well again, then eat with toast, and a glass of orange juice to stay satisfied for hours.

MICROWAVE BANANA NUT MUFFINS
Mix 1 package Betty Crocker Banana Nut Muffin Mix with 1/2 cup water. Butter spray 6 ramekins the size of a regular muffin, or use a silicone muffin pan that you butter spray, or use a Nordic Ware Microwave Scrambled Eggs Cooker that you butter spray the top and bottom parts. Kitchen Collection.com or Walmart.com or Amazon.com sells them. Divide the batter evenly between six muffin cups. Place a large paper towel in your microwave to catch any spills. Place the ramekins on the paper towels and cook for 2 to 4 minutes on high depending upon the wattage of your microwave oven, or until set in the center. Just watch through the window of the microwave to make a note at what time the tops look firm without the centers being wet. If the center is not done, it needs another 30 seconds of cooking time. Keep cooking them in 30 seconds intervals until the center is fully set. While still warm, top with Smucker's Sugar-Free Caramel Sauce, and enjoy one with a mug of Folger's Decaf Instant Coffee that you add Half and Half milk to suit your taste once the coffee is made. I microwave one mug of water for 2 minutes with one teaspoon of the coffee granules stirred into the water. When that's heated, then I add the milk to it. This is a great way to fix quick treats as snacks, desserts, or for breakfast.

MICROWAVE FRITATTA
I use a one serving size Nordic Ware Microwave Scrambled Egg Pan sold at KitchenCollection.com. I butter spray both sections of the pan. I beat one whole large egg with 1 Tbsp. Half and Half milk mixed into it. I pour it into the gray section of the pan. Add 1 Tbsp. each diced frozen green peas, frozen corn niblets, diced pimentos, and cooked diced carrots. You could also use canned mixed vegetables drained. Mix well. Close the lid. Place in the microwave in the center of it. Cook on high for 2 minutes. Remove and enjoy. Add a warmed butter croissant from your grocery store, and a 4 oz. diced tropical fruit cup with a glass of cold Orange Juice for a special frugal meal you can enjoy any time of day.

MAGIC POTATOES
Wash and peel 8 large potatoes, cutting out any bad spots. Cut them into bite-sized chunks. Place in a large pot. Barely cover them with water. Add 1/2 stick margarine, salt, and black pepper to suit your taste. Cook for 15 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally. When tender, turn off the heat. Add 2 cups Half and Half milk. No additional cooking is necessary. Serve warm in bowls, with a slice of cornbread for a meal. Makes 8 servings. Refrigerate any leftovers. This is a very nourishing meal that my Mother always made for me when I didn't feel well. It always made me feel better, which is why we call it Magic Potatoes.

TATER TOTS CASSEROLE
Cook one pound of any ground up meat and one diced sweet onion in a skillet, until done, draining off all excess fat. Place the cooked mixture in a 13x9-inch baking dish. Pour one large bag of Tater Tots over the meat. Mix one can Cream of Chicken Soup with 1 can milk and pour over this. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, and serve. Shredded cheese can be added over the top, if desired, during the last five minutes of baking time.

SALMON OR TUNA CHOWDER
Empty one can of Cream of Potato Soup into a microwavable quart bowl with a cover to add to it when microwaving this recipe. Add 1 individual pouch of either salmon or tuna and mix together. Add just enough Half and Half to it to thin it to the consistency of a chowder. Add sea salt and black pepper to suit your taste. Mix well. Place the lid on the dish. Microwave on high for 4 minutes. Serve with oyster crackers.

BOILED SWEET ONIONS
Use a covered pan to cook them in using medium heat. Peel and wash one whole onion for each person eating. Add it cut into 4 equal sized wedges to the pan. Cover with beef broth or water. Using beef broth will give your cooked onions a lot more flavor than water will. Add margarine, salt, and black pepper to suit your taste. Boil until tender. Serve drained, but keep the liquid stored in a covered container in your freezer to make French Onion Soup or Vegetable Soup.

BROWN RICE PILAF
Cook rice according to package directions. Use 1 cup quick-cooking brown rice to 2 cups boiling water into which has been stirred 1/2 teaspoon of Turmeric powder. The Turmeric powder will turn the brown rice into a beautiful lemon yellow color when cooked. Once the rice is cooked, and still very hot, add 1/2 cup frozen and thawed green peas, 4 oz. drained diced cooked carrots, 4 oz. jar drained diced pimentos, and 1/2 cup finely diced sweet onion into it, stirring well to distribute veggies evenly in the Pilaf, then keeping the lid on the pan to heat the vegetables through. Serve warm.

Barley, Couscous, or Quinoa can be used instead of brown rice for variety with this Pilaf recipe.

EASY GAZPACHO
Use a picante sauce and mix with V-8 Vegetable Juice. Keep chilled until served. Serve in bowls with croutons on top.

REFRIGERATOR LOGS
This recipe has been around for almost a century now. You only use two ingredients. No cooking at all is needed. You can use any type thin cookies, wafers, or sweet crackers and whipped heavy cream that can be flavored with any flavoring you like or used plain. (I have used crumbled-up pecan sandies and canned whipped cream to make an even quicker instant dessert served in individual clear glass trifle dishes. I recommend crumbling thicker cookies up in a Hefty quart freezer bag. Squirt some whipped cream into your glass dish first, then add a layer of crumbled cookies, more whipped cream, and more crumbled cookies, until the dish is full. Top with more whipped cream, then let it chill in the refrigerator until time to serve. Just before serving, add more whipped cream on top and one whole stemmed maraschino pitted cherry. I prefer my recipe over the original one because I can eat it once it's made, without having to wait at least 4 hours.) The original log version recipe used 1 package of Nabisco Thin Chocolate Wafers and 3 cups whipped heavy cream. You spread each wafer generously with whipped cream until you have an entire log created, one attached to the other laying on their sides as you make them in logs until the entire dish is full. Frost the top and sides of your log with more whipped cream when the log is assembled fully. Wrap with foil and refrigerate overnight, or at least 4 hours. Something magical happens when these two ingredients combine during the chilling process, and you end up with a delicious dessert. You can make individual desserts by using 6 of the wafers spread with whipped cream and put into a dessert dish, and covering your dishes with foil, and refrigerating them overnight or at least four hours. Graham crackers, gingersnaps, chocolate wafers, vanilla wafers, lemon coolers, lime coolers, sugar cookies, chocolate chip cookies, oatmeal cookies, pecan sandies, all would work for this recipe. You can use Cool Whip, but the original recipe says to use 3 cups heavy cream and whip it with a mixer until stiff peaks form, and use an entire package of Nabisco thin chocolate wafers. You can make your log as long or as small as you want it to be, or you can make several rows in a 13x9-inch dish, or make many layers of logs when you use deeper dishes. Once you get the log made, and have it placed in your serving dish, use the remainder of your whipped cream to frost the sides and top of the log, then cover the whole thing with foil, and chill it overnight in your refrigerator. Next day, slice it on the diagonal bias when serving. Once you make this, you will probably be able to think of all kinds of varieties you want to try out. You will see why this recipe has been so popular for so many years.

This is an excellent way to make a graham cracker TORTE, by using a sleeve of whole grahams and spreading whipped cream over each one, stacking them upwards, then frosting the top and sides. You should receive many compliments on it. When slicing the TORTE, after it has been wrapped in foil and chilled overnight, just slice straight down in thin slices. Cool Whip makes strawberry and chocolate flavors as well as original, so be sure to try them, or just add whatever flavored extracts you want to make to Original Cool Whip or whipped heavy cream.

Be sure to try chocolate graham crackers with mint flavored whipped cream. Decorate the top with chopped Andes Mints, or put them in between the layers. It makes a FESTIVE HOLIDAY MINT TORTE.

REFRIGERATOR FRUITCAKE
No cooking needed. It stores well in your refrigerator for weeks at a time. You can make it in a 5x9-inch loaf pan or in a butter sprayed silicone pan for individual sticks, like I use in my Almond Nougat candy recipe on my Easy Candy Creams website. Let your Refrigerator Fruitcake chill in your refrigerator overnight to set up properly, then you can slice and serve it as desired.

14 oz. can Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk
1 cup mini marshmallows
1 cup candied red and green cherry slices
1 cup candied pineapple dices
2 cups any chopped nuts
1 cup golden raisins
1 cup chopped dates
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup orange juice
16 oz. package graham crackers or vanilla wafers, crushed fine

Use a food processor to make crumbs of the graham crackers or vanilla wafers. Use a large bowl to combine all ingredients, mixing well with a strong spoon. Pour the batter into a 5x9-inch loaf pan that has been lined with plastic wrap on the bottom and overhanging all sides and the top of the cake, so you can easily remove the it from the pan, once it has set up in your refrigerator overnight. Slice it and serve.

LEMON OR LIME PIES
1 ready-made graham cracker pie crust
2 beaten egg yolks
14 oz. can Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup lemon juice or lime juice
Cool Whip for topping
In a bowl, blend the Eagle Brand milk and egg yolks. Add the lemon or lime juice. Heat the mixture in a double boiler over medium heat, stirring constantly using a wooden spoon until thickened. Pour the cooked thickened mixture into your pie crust. Refrigerate the pie for at least one full hour before adding the Cool Whip to the entire top of the pie and serving.

Make LEMON OR LIME CHIFFON PIES by folding in the Cool Whip to the cooled filling until blended well, then pouring it into your pie crust and chilling it in the refrigerator for at least one hour before serving. Garnish each slice with a thin slice of twisted lemon or lime on top.

BUTTERFINGER PIE
1 ready-made graham cracker pie crust
12 oz. Cool Whip
1 regular sized Butterfinger candy bar, crushed
1 pack instant butterscotch pudding mix
Mix the Cool Whip and pudding mix until smooth. Fold in the crushed candy bar. Pour into the pie crust and refrigerate until served.

PEANUT BUTTER CUP PIE
1 ready-made graham cracker pie crust
12 oz. Cool Whip
4 regular sized Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, crushed
1 pack instant French Vanilla pudding mix
Mix the Cool Whip and pudding mix until smooth. Fold in the crushed candy. Pour into the pie crust and refrigerate until served.

EGG CUSTARD
Beat 6 whole eggs, 1 cup sugar, 1 tsp. cinnamon, 1 stick margarine, and 1 cup milk together. Add 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract. Pour into a deep dish pie shell. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour.

COCONUT CUSTARD
Beat 6 whole eggs, 1 cup sugar, 1 can flaked coconut, 1 stick butter, and 1 cup cold milk together. Add 1 Tbsp. coconut extract. Pour into a 9-inch pie crust. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour.

COCONUT CREAM PIE
Mix 1 pack of instant coconut cream pudding mix with 2 cups cold milk until smooth and creamy. Add 1/2 cup flaked coconut, mixing well. Pour into a baked pie crust. Top with Cool Whip. Sprinkle 1/2 cup more flaked coconut evenly over the topping. Let chill until served.

BANANA SPLIT PIE
Use a ready-made graham cracker pie crust. Put in it everything you would put into a Banana Split (sliced bananas, drained crushed pineapple, sliced strawberries, chopped nuts with maple syrup, cherries,) in layers separated by Bavarian Cream pie filling in between each layer. Then top it all with Cool Whip and drizzle over some Chocolate Syrup and Caramel Sauce. Keep stored in the refrigerator until you serve it. Nuts.com sells Bavarian Cream pie filling ready-made in two pound packs.

PEACH COBBLER
Pour 1 large can (28 oz.) of sliced peaches with juice, in a 2-quart casserole dish. In another bowl, mix 1 cup each, flour, milk, sugar, and 1 stick softened margarine. Add 1 tsp. each, cinnamon and ginger, mixing well. Pour over the peaches. Gently stir together. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Serve warm.

Any canned fruit could be used to create this Cobbler recipe.

QUICK CRONUTS
A cronut is a hybrid between a butter croissant and a doughnut, fried in hot vegetable oil, crispy on the exterior but with many layers of tenderness inside. People stand in line for hours just to get one for breakfast in larger cities in the USA. This is my version. Hope you enjoy it.

Purchase a can of Pillsbury Butter Croissant Dough. Use all the dough pieces in one large rectangle, pinching the edges together. Cut out circles or triangles of the dough with a doughnut cutter, sharp knife, or round biscuit cutter. To cut out the center area to make a hole in round shapes, use a soft drink bottle cap. If you want extra thick Cronuts, just double the dough layers, then cut out the Cronuts. Fry all the dough in hot vegetable oil (375 degrees) until browned evenly all over, about 1 minute per side. They will puff up due to the multi-layers of butter in the croissant dough. Remove with a slotted spoon. Drain them on white paper towels. Make a glaze by mixing 1 cup powdered sugar, 2 Tbsp. milk, and 1 tsp. vanilla. Dip each cronut into the glaze to evenly coat each one. You could also sprinkle them with powdered sugar, or roll them in cinnamon-sugar. Eat them warm with a glass of cold milk, or a cup of hot tea or coffee.

CHICKEN AND RICE CASSEROLE
In a 13x9 casserole dish that is butter sprayed, place 2 cups instant brown rice, mixing into the rice any seasonings or spices you want. Lay 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts over the rice. Pour 1 quart chicken broth over the top. Cover with foil securely. Bake for 45 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Serve with Baby Broccoli Florets in Butter Sauce.

CORNMEAL BISCUITS
1 cup cornmeal
3 cups all purpose flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 stick margarine, melted
2 cups buttermilk
Mix the cornmeal and flour with the baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix in the melted butter. Add the buttermilk and mix until everything is combined well. Use a muffin pan that has been butter sprayed. Fill each cup about 2/3 full of the mixture. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, or until each biscuit is golden brown. Once they are done, butter spray the tops of each biscuit. Makes 12 cornmeal biscuits.

DROP BISCUITS
The easiest way to make homemade biscuits is to mix 2 cups Bisquick Mix with 1 cup Heavy Cream in a bowl, just until combined well. Use a Tablespoon and drop the batter onto a parchment lined baking sheet, keeping them spaced about two inches apart. Bake them at 400 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown. When done, butter spray the tops of all the biscuits, and serve them warm with your meals. Slice in half through the center and add a pat of butter or margarine to the center of each hot biscuit, if desired. In a frugal pinch, you can eat buttered biscuits with jelly, jam, preserves, or syrup for breakfast. If you have muffin tops pans, they are great to use for making drop biscuits, by butter spraying them before you add the dropped biscuit batter, and spraying the tops of them once they are baked. I have even made them in muffin pans and they turn out great.

Here's a tip on homemade biscuits. If your flour or baking mix is not giving you the lightest biscuits you want, add 1 tsp. baking powder (aluminum-free) per each cup of flour or baking mix that you are using, and mix it into the flour or baking mix before you add your heavy cream. Because heavy cream is whole milk and butter mixed about 3/4 cup whole milk and 1/4 cup butter, it makes delicious, light biscuits. If your biscuits turn out too heavy, they will not taste as good. You don't want to overmix it either, just to get all the flour mixed with the cream. You should always use half the amount of heavy cream as Bisquick Mix or self-rising flour, i.e., for 4 cups Bisquick Mix or self-rising flour you should use 2 cups Heavy Cream.

HOMEMADE SYRUP
Syrup can be easily made by mixing 2 cups sugar or Splenda placed in a saucepan with 1 cup water or fruit nectar, and boiled for five minutes over medium-low heat. You can then add 1 tsp. any extract you want to make it whatever flavor you desire. Pour it into a small pitcher and serve warm. Mother used to make Butter Syrup by simply boiling water with sugar and butter in it for five minutes, in a ratio of 2 parts sugar to 1 part water, and 1 Tbsp. butter. It was delicious! A quick maple syrup can be made that same way, just add 1 tsp. maple syrup extract to the water, sugar, and butter mixture. Without the butter, this makes a great way to make coffee syrups instead of paying for those bottles of ready made Vanilla Syrup, you just add 1 tsp. vanilla to the sugar and water. Even keeping a bottle of plain sugar and water mixed and kept in the refrigerator can be used to sweeten your beverages as you make them. If you have any leftovers, place them in a capped bottle in your refrigerator.

EGG BREAD or EGG CAKE
This is one of the quickest and easiest recipes you will ever find for making either one loaf of Egg Bread or Egg Cake in approximately 20 minutes, using an electric stove oven. It is very moist and crumbly. I do not recommend it for sandwiches, unless they are open-faced sandwiches on a plate with gravy or sauce over them.

If you add any dried fruits, dried vegetables, or nuts, be sure to coat them with flour before you add them to the batter so they won't sink to the bottom while baking.

Mix 2 cups Bisquick Mix, 2 tsp. baking powder, 3 eggs, 1 tsp. liquid lecithin, 1/2 cup instant mashed potato flakes, and 1 cup evaporated milk until combined. Pour batter into a butter sprayed 9X5 loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes. I get 8 one-inch slices from this Egg Bread. It makes a great bread to use in Soaky Bread instead of homemade biscuits. It looks like yellow poundcake slices but has no flavoring or sweetener in it.

If you want one sweet loaf of Egg Cake, just add 1 cup sugar or Splenda, 1 tsp. ground cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice or apple pie spice (spices are optional,) and 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract (or any flavoring you choose) to the batter.

I slice and wrap each slice in clear Glad Plastic wrap, then put them into a labeled Hefty Freezer bag in my freezer. To reheat, microwave one slice for 30 seconds on each side. This is a good way to make an individual serving of either loaf to serve with a meal with gravy or sauce, or cake that you can top with sliced fruits and whipped topping or with caramel sauce and chopped nuts.

CREAM GRAVY
Make a roux by mixing 2 Tbsp. flour with 2 Tbsp. margarine in a skillet. Cook this for 1 minute over medium heat. Use a whisk or a fork and add 2 cups milk. Keep whisking it while cooking it until the gravy has thickened. Add salt and white pepper to suit your taste. Pour it into a gravy boat or bowl and serve warm.

When in a financial bind, this can be eaten for breakfast or any meal with homemade biscuits sliced in the center and the gravy poured over them on a plate. It can also be used as a base for making any kind of Cream of Soup, then adding whatever flavor you want to it. Those small packets of beef or chicken flavor enhancers work perfectly for this when you want Cream of Chicken or Cream of Beef gravy or you can use chicken or beef broth instead of milk to make regular chicken or beef gravy.

SOAKY BREAD
This is a Great Depression Era meal that my Mother and Dad ate. It tasted good enough to be passed along for future generations to enjoy.

Per person eating, use one cup of coffee, with cream and sugar and some vanilla extract added to it to suit your taste. Add one baked homemade biscuit or a slice of Egg Bread to the cup, and let the coffee soak into the bread. Eat it with a spoon.

Add cinnamon-sugar to suit your taste, to the coffee for a different flavor or try experimenting with different extracts.

CROCKPOT INFORMATION
Crockpots will let you cook cheaper cuts of meat, making them turn out very tender. Adding a Tablespoon of Apple Cider Vinegar or lemon juice will tenderize meats when cooked as well. It is wise to add at least 5 or 6 drops of rosemary oil to any meat or poultry before you cook it nowadays to kill any bacteria or germs already in it.

Adding a teaspoon of lemon juice to canned vegetables will make them taste fresher.

Add 1/2 tsp. Black Walnut Oil to make canned, frozen, or fresh vegetables have an enhanced flavor.

Here's a tip that could save your life if you ever suspect you have food poisoning or botulism: take 3 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar, and if you are still in pain, in 15 minutes take another 3 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar. If still in pain, go to the Emergency Room of the nearest hospital to have your stomach pumped. Any time you are going to eat foods in a crowd of people, it is wise to take 3 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar before you go to eat as it can halt food poisoning inside you before it harms you. If you need to dilute the vinegar in water, that's okay to do.

CROCKPOT ROAST BEEF
One of the best meals I have ever eaten was when I put about a three pound eye of round beef roast in my crockpot with a quart of chicken stock and 4 beef flavor enhancers packets, plus 11 drops of Rosemary essential oil, and several Vidalia onions I had washed, peeled, and cut into wedges. I let it cook all night, giving it a good stirring occasionally. The aroma filled my home so nicely. I prepared instant buttery mashed potatoes and canned whole green beans to go with my roast beef, gravy, and onions, and I served butter croissants and iced tea. The only reason I used chicken stock was because I was out of beef stock. Those four beef flavor enhancers really enhanced the flavor of the roast. I read online where adding rosemary oil is essential nowadays to kill any bacteria or germs in beef. Any essential oils used should be food grade. I do hope you will try this recipe soon.

CROCKPOT IRISH-AMERICAN BEEF STEW
Wash, peel, and cut-up in chunks as many potatoes, carrots, parsnips, celery, and sweet onions as you have people to feed or for how many servings you want. Place them in the bottom of the crockpot. Use 1 pound of stew beef that is cut into small cubes, batter them in flour, then fry them until browned on all sides in a butter sprayed skillet. Place them OVER the vegetables in the crockpot. If you place the meat in first, the vegetables might not get tender. Deglaze the skillet with a little water and a Tablespoon of any vinegar to get all the residue left in the skillet, then pour it over the stew beef. Add 1 tsp. each garlic and onion powders, 1 tsp. celery seeds, 1 tsp. instant coffee dissolved in 1 Tbsp. hot water, 1 can tomato sauce, and 1 quart beef broth. Everything should be covered with the broth. If you don't have enough broth, use water, but don't overfill your crockpot to more than 2/3 full. Broth, without using any water, gives the stew a much better flavor, once the beef stew is cooked. Cover the crockpot with the lid. Cook on low overnight, or for four to six hours on high. Serve with 4 buttered bread slices per adult or 2 for children for a hearty meal. Add 4 oz. Dole diced tropical fruit cups for dessert, which will also help to digest the protein.

The addition of instant coffee will make the sauce taste much richer in flavor. By using 1 each of all the root vegetables you choose to use, you can make as many or few servings as you so choose using just one pound of beef tips. People living alone can use just 1/2 pound of stew beef to make a crockpot full of beef stew, then when done and cooled, placed in individual servings in a quart-sized Hefty freezer bag to reheat in the bags in the microwave whenever you want it. Many grocery stores carry stew beef for sale, but some of the chunks are way too large, so they need to be cut into smaller pieces which makes them beef tips. Beef tips cost a lot more than stew beef. This recipe can be adapted to feed any number of people, or one person for a single meal or a lot of meals that you can freeze in quart or gallon Hefty Freezer bags to reheat and have as desired.

CROCKPOT CHICKEN STEW
Cook washed chicken thighs in water until done. Debone the chicken thighs. Save the chicken broth to use in the Chicken Stew. Place the homemade chicken broth and the deboned cooked chicken in your crockpot. Make a slurry of 2 Tbsp. flour mixed with 2 Tbsp. cold water until smooth. Add it to the crockpot, stirring to mix well to thicken your stew as it cooks. Add any seasonings you like, such as 1 tsp. each garlic and onion powders, 1 tsp. celery seeds, or 1/2 tsp. ground sage, and salt and pepper to suit your taste. Break about a dime-sized circumference of spaghetti noodles into three equal sized pieces to make noodles or you can use the wider egg noodles if you prefer them, and add to the stew. Add washed, peeled and cut-up chunks of potatoes, carrots, and onions, or any other root vegetables (parsnips, rutabagas, turnips, beets, radishes) you prefer. Cover and cook until vegetables are tender, 4 hours on high or overnight on low. You want it to be thick but still have plenty of sauce in it. Serve with homemade biscuits for a meal. Add a dessert of 4 oz. diced peaches cup for each person eating.

PEANUT BUTTER STEW
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 quart chicken broth
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. minced gingerroot
2 cups roasted sweet potato chunks
1 can drained corn niblets
1 small can tomato sauce
1 can Great Northern Beans
salt and black pepper to suit tastes
Mix all ingredients in a pot, heating through. Serve in bowls over cooked brown rice.

CHILI WITH BEANS
In a pot, place two cans of chili beans with liquids. In a skillet, brown one-half pound of lean ground beef with 1 diced sweet onion until done. Add the cooked ground beef and onions to the chili beans. Add 1 small can tomato sauce, 1 tsp. instant coffee, 1 can diced Rotel tomatoes with green chilies, 1 Tbsp. chili powder, and 1/2 tsp. ground cumin, and salt and black pepper to suit your taste, mixing well. If you want your chili extra hot, just add cayenne pepper to it to suit your taste preferences. Start with 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper stirred into it, taste it, and add more in 1/2 tsp. increments until it is as hot as you want it. Cook over medium heat for ten minutes, then serve in bowls with tiny oyster crackers, a cheese sandwich, a watermelon drink, and a 4 oz. cup of pineapple for dessert.

Use your CHILI WITH BEANS topped with a package of cooked scalloped potatoes served over it for CHILI SCALLOPED POTATOES.

Use leftover CHILI WITH BEANS to make CHILI CHEESE QUESADILLAS by spreading chili over flour tortillas, then sprinkling on shredded Velveeta Cheese. Top with a second flour tortilla. Microwave for two minutes. Cut into 4 slices, and enjoy!

QUICK CHILI BEANS FOR ONE
Open a can of Kroger Chili Beans into a bowl. Add some diced sweet onion. Heat for one minute in the microwave. Enjoy with some crackers.

FRIED ICE CREAM
For each person eating, take one scoop vanilla ice cream and roll it in crushed Product 19 cereal so the entire scoop of ice cream is coated with the cereal. If you have another cereal you enjoy more, use it crushed up in a plastic zippered bag. Any flavor ice cream can be used for variety. Keep frozen until time to serve and drizzle caramel sauce over it in a dessert dish.

QUICK FLAN
Use a vanilla pudding cup and add caramel sauce to the top.

BEEF STROGANOFF
Slice a sirloin steak into thin bite-sized pieces. Slice one sweet onion. Slice mushrooms. Saute the steak, onions, and mushrooms in a butter sprayed skillet until done. Cook a package of wide egg noodles in water for 11 minutes in boiling water, then drain off the water. Heat one jar of beef gravy with one brick of Neuchatel Cream Cheese added, stirring until smooth and creamy, then mix it into the cooked steak, onions, and mushrooms. Add 1/2 teaspoon of ground cardamom, stirring well. Serve over the cooked egg noodles.

SWISS STEAK AND TOMATO GRAVY
Cut up individual pieces of round steak. Batter each of them in flour. Fry them in a skillet with 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil until browned on both sides over medium heat. Peel and wash 1 sweet onion, then cut it into half slices, and add to the skillet. Add 2 cans tomato sauce with enough water or beef broth added to cover all the steak and onions. Cook with a lid on the skillet until the meat is tender, stirring occasionally. Serve with either cooked brown rice or couscous, mashed potatoes, or mac and cheese and homemade biscuits for a meal. Add a 4 oz. cup of diced tropical fruit as a dessert for each person.

This could also be made in a crockpot.

SUMMERTIME PASTA SALAD
Cook a box of bowtie pasta or any pasta you prefer in boiling water for 10 minutes. During the last 2 minutes of cooking time, add 1 cup frozen green peas. Drain off the water. Add one drained and rinsed can of chickpeas, 1 drained can corn niblets, 8 oz. diced cooked carrots, and 1 large jar drained diced pimentos. Place everything in a large bowl with 1/2 cup mayonnaise or plain yogurt, 1 tsp. dry Ranch Dressing mix, 1/2 tsp. True Lemon powder, and salt and black pepper to suit your taste. Or you can use Ranch Dressing, salt, and black pepper to suit your taste. Mix everything so that it is all coated with the dressing. Keep it stored in a covered container in your refrigerator to eat chilled on a hot summer day. Makes 8 servings.

CUCUMBER AND ONION SALAD
Cut up a washed cucumber and sweet onion into thin slices in a bowl. Marinate them for at least 24 hours in the refrigerator in 1 cup white vinegar mixed with 4 Tbsp. Sugar or Splenda. Drain off the liquid, and add 1/2 cup Miracle Whip, stirring to coat the marinated onions and cucumbers evenly. Serve chilled.

SPAM TURKEY NOODLES
Mix a can of Spam Turkey that is cut up into bite-sized pieces, 1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup, and as many cooked wide egg noodles as you need in servings. Season to suit taste. Heat through, then serve.

HAWAIIAN PANCAKES
Purchase some ready-made pancakes that you just reheat in a microwave according to package directions. When heated, add some Coco Real Cream of Coconut Syrup and chopped macadamia nuts over each pancake with some crushed pineapple in between every pancake. Enjoy with a glass of cold milk!

ENCHILADAS
Sauce:
Pour three small 10 oz. cans of tomato sauce into a wide dish. Add 1/2 tsp. each of cumin, salt, and black pepper, 1 tsp. each of garlic powder and onion powder, and 1-1/2 tsp. chili powder. Mix well. Pour some of the sauce into the bottom of a 13x9-inch butter sprayed baking dish to cover it.

In the remaining sauce, doing one at a time, dip twelve corn tortillas in the sauce to soften them slightly on just one side. In the saucy side, add 2 Tbsp. of cooked turkey, chicken, or beef. Add 2 Tbsp. each of diced sweet onions and shredded cheese. Roll each enchilada up, placing each one in the baking dish with the seam side down, until you have done twelve of them, which should fill up a 13x9-inch baking dish. Pour any remaining sauce, shredded cheese, and onions over the top. Bake at 350 degrees in the oven for 30 minutes. Serve with Luck's Pinto Beans, Spanish Rice, and Watermelon Drink with a Yoplait Whip for dessert for each person. Serves 12.

CHICKEN TACOS
Grill chicken thighs until done. Pull the cooked meat off the bones. Sprinkle some taco seasoning over the pulled chicken to suit your taste. Use flour tortillas to put the pulled chicken in to make soft taco shells. Add diced sweet onions and chopped fresh cilantro sprinkled over it. Top it with 2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice mixed into 1/2 cup plain yogurt for a sauce to go over it, and enjoy your meal. Serve with 4 oz. diced peaches cup for everyone as a dessert.

CHICKEN TACO SALAD
Tortilla Bowls
Bag of Salad Mix
1 can corn niblets, drained
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 jar drained diced pimentos
1 peeled diced avocado
1 cup chunky salsa
Cooked Chicken Breasts, sliced and sprinkled with 1 tsp. Taco Seasoning
2 Tbsp. Lime Juice mixed with 1/2 cup plain yogurt
Fill your tortilla bowls with the ingredients. Add the dressing, and top with sliced cooked chicken breast.

SUCCOTASH
1 can green lima beans, drained
1 can corn niblets, drained
1 large jar diced pimentos, drained
1/2 teaspoon Black Walnut Oil
2 Tbsp. margarine
salt and black pepper to suit taste

In a saucepan, heat everything together, gently stirring to combine, until heated through. Serve sprinkled with Bragg's 24 Seasonings over the top of each serving or mixed into the dish while heating it. You can buy a bottle of Bragg's 24 Seasonings online at SwansonVitamins.com and Black Walnut Oil at Nuts.com as they go well with almost any vegetables you can cook to give more flavor to your recipes.

PEAR SALAD
Use a can of drained pear halves. Wash some lettuce leaves. Pat them dry with white paper towels. Place one or two pear halves onto one lettuce leaf on a salad plate for each person. In the center cavity of the pear, spoon in some mayonnaise. Sprinkle shredded Velveeta cheese over the top of each pear half. On top of the mayonnaise in the center of each pear half, place a whole maraschino cherry. Serve chilled.

TOMATOES OVER BROWN RICE
Pour 1 can diced tomatoes with juices into a pan. Tear about six slices of bread into bite-sized pieces, and add to the tomatoes. Add 1 Tbsp. margarine, 1 tsp. sugar to cut the bitterness of the tomatoes, and salt and black pepper to suit your taste. Heat through, and serve over cooked brown rice.

HAMBURGER STEAK
You can make any ground meat go further by adding dry oatmeal or breadcrumbs to it. Use 1 lb. lean hamburger mixed with 1 cup dry oatmeal, 2 Tbsp. A-1 Sauce, 1 diced sweet onion, 1 beaten egg, and just enough milk to moisten all ingredients so you can form patties with it. Add salt and black pepper to suit your taste. Mix well. Form patties. Cook them in a skillet over medium heat on both sides until done. Slice some sweet onions, and fry them in the same skillet until tender. Serve hamburger steaks with cooked onions over them, with a box of cooked mac and cheese, a can of baked beans, or fried potatoes. Serve ketchup or A-1 Sauce on the side as condiments. I have recipes to make A-1 Sauce and Ketchup on my Miscellaneous Recipes website.

SIMPLE CASSEROLE
You can make a large variety of inexpensive casseroles by using any cooked rice, macaroni, or potatoes, then adding 1/2 pound of any cooked ground-up meat, a can of diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, picante, or salsa, a can of mixed vegetables, and any one can of beans you like. Add any seasonings you like to suit your taste. Top the mixture with any shredded cheese you like, then bake it at 350 degrees until the cheese has melted, and the casserole is heated through, usually 20 to 30 minutes. Or it can be made in a pan or skillet on top of the stove even quicker.

POOR MAN'S CASSEROLE
This is another Depression Era recipe that people still eat and enjoy today.
In a skillet, put 4 Tbsp. vegetable oil, 4 peeled and diced potatoes, and 1 peeled and diced sweet onion. Let them brown, stirring occasionally over medium heat. Add a little bit of water occasionally to help soften the potatoes, and to keep the potatoes and onions from sticking to the skillet. When done, add 4 beef hot dogs cut into coins, and simmer on low for 5 minutes. Add 3 Tbsp. tomato sauce, stirring well. Season to suit your taste. Turn off the heat, let sit covered for another 10 minutes, then serve.

SHIPWRECKED CASSEROLE
1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 cup diced sweet onions
2 each 16 oz. can diced tomatoes
8 oz. can of tomato sauce
4 peeled potatoes, sliced thin
1/2 cup instant brown rice
15 oz. can light kidney beans
1 Tablespoon chili powder
Mix together ground beef and onion in a skillet and cook until done, stirring occasionally. Drain excess fat. Stir in all remaining ingredients. Cover skillet with a lid and cook on low heat until potatoes are tender. Serves 4.

COUSCOUS
For couscous to taste good, they should be cooked in either 1 can of chicken or beef broth instead of water, which is heated in a saucepan until boiling, then remove from the heat. Add 1 cup couscous stirred into the hot broth. Place a lid on the pan, and let it sit for 5 minutes. Remove lid and fluff with a fork. Add margarine, salt, and pepper to suit your taste.

To make any couscous or rice have a beautiful lemon yellow color when it's done, simply add 1/2 teaspoon of Turmeric to the cooking liquid, stirring well, before you add the couscous or rice. This could be used with any white vegetables to give them color.

BARLEY
Did you know that Grape-Nuts Cereal is a barley wheat cereal that you can eat for breakfast with milk, either hot or cold? Microwave it in a bowl with milk poured in it for one minute for a hot cereal, or just pour milk on it to eat it cold. It will give you another whole grain choice to eat in addition to cereals like Total, Wheaties, Crispix, Product 19, Chex, or Sunbelt Bakery Granola. You can use Morning Moos Milk Alternative powder to mix with hot water in a blender, then chill it overnight to use the next day. Walmart.com sells it online. It is the only powdered milk I have ever found that tastes like real milk, provided you mix it according to the package directions. I use my blender to mix it with hot water so it's not lumpy, then I pour it into a clean half gallon container and chill it overnight before using it. Whole Grain Cereals and milk have been a long-term staple for college students over the years because it's quick to fix and eat and contains vitamins.

Cooked Barley makes a delicious savory side dish for meals or breakfast cereal. In a grocery store buy Quaker Quick Barley since it only requires 15 minutes cooking time. Regular barley takes almost an hour to cook. You can store what you cook, but don't eat, in quart-sized Hefty Freezer Bags to reheat later in your microwave. I recommend buying Barley Grits and Barley Flakes from Nuts.com online and cooking either of them in the microwave in five minutes or less.

In a saucepan, place the package of quick cooking barley. Use 1 quart of either beef or chicken broth to cook it in. When it's done, add margarine, salt, and pepper to suit your taste, and serve it in a bowl. No wonder it's called a Super Food!

MACARONI AND TOMATOES
Cook a box of elbow macaroni in boiling water until done. Drain off water. Add 1 can diced tomatoes, 2 Tbsp. butter, and salt and black pepper to suit your taste. Top with grated Parmesan-Romano Cheese. Serve.

HAMBURGER PATTY MELTS
Use one pound of any ground-up meat. Add 1 egg, 1 diced onion, 1 tsp. garlic powder, and 1/2 tsp. each salt and black pepper. Mix well. Form 8 equal sized patties. Fry them in a skillet until done. Top each cooked patty with a slice of cheese. Toast 8 slices of bread. Lay one cooked patty on each slice of toasted bread on each plate. Serve ketchup, mustard, and pickle slices as condiments.

CORNMEAL BATTERED FRIED POTATOES
Fry 8 washed and peeled potatoes cut-up into chunks, then battered in self-rising cornmeal, and fried in a skillet on medium-high heat in Wesson Vegetable Oil until done on both sides. Keep stirring them so they don't burn but are golden brown all over. Salt and pepper the fried potatoes when done. Makes 8 servings. Refrigerate any leftovers.

SALMON PATTIES
Mix 1 pouch boneless, skinless salmon with 1 egg, 1 cup cornmeal, 1 Tbsp. Old Bay Seasoning, and 1 tsp. True Lemon powder. Form patties with this mixture. Fry them on both sides until done in a skillet with vegetable oil in it. Drain on white paper towels and season with salt and pepper to suit taste. Makes 8 large patties. Serve hot with ketchup. Serve cooked mac and cheese and coleslaw as side dishes.

PINTO BEAN PATTIES
Use any leftover cooked pinto beans that you have, draining off any liquid. Put them in a bowl. Mash them with a fork, or you can use a food processor to make the mixture. If you have two cups cooked beans, add 1 cup self-rising cornmeal and 1 large beaten egg, mixing well. Form patties from this mixture. Fry them on both sides in a skillet using vegetable oil. Drain them on white paper towels. Serve them hot. I can make a meal off these with nothing else added, but a beverage. Even cold leftovers taste good.

Self-rising flour can be used instead of cornmeal.

A can of Luck's Fat-Free Pinto Beans works well for this recipe.

Any spices or seasonings you prefer could be used to flavor them.

For variety, use any cooked or canned beans or lentils you enjoy eating, and form meatballs instead of patties, and fry them. Serve them with Hunt's Traditional Spaghetti Sauce for an Italian meal, or with Pace Picante, Salsa, or Cheeze-Whiz mixed with diced pimentos and diced green chilies for a Mexican meal, or make black beans patties or meatballs and serve them with plain yogurt mixed with lime juice to suit your taste.

POTATO PATTIES
Use any leftover mashed potatoes for this recipe. Add 1 cup self-rising flour, 2 cups mashed potatoes, 1 egg, 1 diced sweet onion, and salt and pepper to suit your taste, mixing well. Form patties from this mixture. Fry them on both sides in a skillet using vegetable oil. Serve them hot with ketchup. If you don't have any leftover mashed potatoes, just make some instant mashed potatoes and use them. Serve with a 4 oz. cup of diced tropical fruit.

RICE AND MIXED VEGETABLES PATTIES
Any seasonings you like can be added to this recipe to suit your taste. Mix cooked brown rice with 1 can drained mixed vegetables and 1 whole beaten egg. Form patties and fry the patties on both sides in a butter sprayed skillet. Place one cooked patty in a hamburger bun with a slice of cheese added to it. Serve with cornmeal battered fried potatoes for a meal.

POTATO FANS
Wash large Irish potatoes, one for each person eating. Place two wooden chopsticks or wooden spoons with long handles on a cutting board with one potato placed between them. Slice each potato into 1/4 inch slices without cutting through the entire potato to make your Potato Fan. Place each Potato Fan on a piece of foil, and spread out the fanned slices. Create breadcrumbs from slices of bread placed in a food processor for about 15 seconds. Add salt, black pepper, and grated Parmesan-Romano cheese to suit your tastes, with melted margarine to create a topping for the Potato Fans. Sprinkle the buttery breadcrumbs mixture onto the sliced areas generously. Wrap each one up tightly in the foil. Place on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour. Remove the foil. Serve warm.

Whole Sweet Onions can be turned into SWEET ONION FANS doing them this same way.

Sweet Potatoes can be turned into SWEET POTATO FANS using cinnamon-sugar and butter sprinkled between the slices, then baked.

MUG MAC AND CHEESE
In a quart-sized bowl or large 16 oz. mug, put as much elbow macaroni or shells or penne as you want to eat, then cover it with water. Do NOT fill it more than halfway full, as it can make a mess if it boils over in your microwave. Place it in your microwave on high for 4-1/2 to 6 minutes, depending upon the amount being cooked and the wattage of your microwave. 4-1/2 minutes would be the time needed to microwave it, if you were using the same amount as is in an individual Kraft Easy Mac and Cheese packet. Remove when the pasta is cooked to your desired tenderness, but do not drain off any water. Stir in 1/4 cup Half and Half milk and 2 to 4 Tablespoons Cheese Powder until it is smooth and creamy. Add sea salt and black pepper to suit your taste. When you keep stirring it, it will thicken gradually. Enjoy!

CHILI MAC AND CHEESE
Use 1 box mac and cheese cooked according to package directions. Drain off water. Add 1 can of chili, with or without beans. Mix well. Top with diced sweet onions and shredded Velveeta cheese. Serve hot as a meal. Add diced peaches for a dessert.

MACARONI AND CHEESE, SALSA, and MIXED VEGGIES
Prepare a box of mac and cheese according to directions on the box. When done, add a cup of salsa, and a can of mixed vegetables, mixing everything, then heating through. Add any seasonings to suit your taste. Serve.

Any cooked meat you like can be added to it.

MACARONI AND CHEESE AND BROCCOLI
Prepare a box of mac and cheese according to directions on the box. When done, add a cooked package of frozen chopped broccoli to it, mixing together. Add salt and pepper to suit your taste. Serve.

CHEESEY RICE AND BROCCOLI
Cook some instant brown rice. Add shredded cheese to it. Add 1 package cooked frozen chopped broccoli to it, mixing everything together. Add salt and pepper to suit your taste.

FRIED CHEESEY POLENTA
Make some instant cheese grits, 1 pack per person, mixed into hot water according to directions on the box. Pour cooked grits into a butter sprayed baking pan with a lip on the edges. Let them get cold in the refrigerator. They will congeal when they are cold. For your meal, slice the congealed cheese grits into patties and dip each one in flour, then fry them all in a butter sprayed skillet until browned on both sides. Serve hot.

You can also serve Polenta in bowls as a side dish when it's first cooked and hot, as another substitute for mashed potatoes, rice, or mac and cheese.

FRIED BEEF BOLOGNA
Fry slices of beef bologna in a butter sprayed skillet over medium heat until browned on both sides. You can slice each one into two pieces so it doesn't curl as much while frying it. Serve hot with mustard, pickle relish, sliced sweet onions, and slices of bread. Add fried potatoes for a meal.

HOMINY
Hominy is soft, soaked, fully cooked white corn kernels the size of corn nuts.
Open a can of drained hominy into a saucepan. Add 2 Tbsp. butter and heat through. Add sea salt and pepper to suit your taste. Serve as a side dish.

TWO EGG OMELET
For each person eating, scramble two whole eggs in a bowl with 4 Tbsp. Half and Half milk. Add any fresh chopped vegetables you have in your refrigerator. If you don't have any, open a can of mixed vegetables and drain off the water, and use them. Pour mixture into a butter sprayed heated skillet. Let it cook over medium-low heat until the eggs are set. Add 1/2 cup shredded cheese over the top, and broil it in the oven for 2 minutes, watching it carefully so it doesn't burn. You just want the cheese to melt and brown. Use oven mitts and slide the omelet out of the hot skillet, folded in half onto a plate. Serve with toasted bread slices, and juice of your choice, with 4 oz. applesauce or a fruit cup mixed with a yogurt cup added for dessert.

Omelets can also be prepared by placing the beaten eggs and milk into a plastic Hefty quart freezer bag, and adding any diced vegetables or shredded cheese to the eggs. Zip the bag closed, and carefully place into a pot of boiling water for about 15 minutes. When it's done, you can carefully open the hot bag and roll the cylindrical shaped omelet out onto a plate to eat with toast and applesauce or a fruit cup with yogurt.

EGG PANCAKE BREAKFAST
For one person, crack one whole large egg in a small bowl, and beat it with a fork. In an eight inch skillet place 1 tsp. coconut oil over medium heat on the stovetop. When the oil has melted, pour the beaten egg into the skillet, making sure the entire bottom of the skillet is covered with the egg so you have a circular shape. It will cook fast, watch it carefully. When one side is done, flip it over with a spatula and cook the other side. Turn off the heat. Slide the cooked egg onto a breakfast plate, and roll it up like a crepe. Serve with a diced tropical fruit cup with a yogurt cup over the top of the diced fruits, and a Sunbelt Bakery Fudge Dipped Coconut granola bar, Folger's Decaf Instant Coffee with Half and Half stirred in a mugful of hot water, and a glass of Welch's Passionfruit Juice for a quick, delicious meal.

CORNED BEEF HASH AND SCRAMBLED EGGS
Open a can of Corned Beef Hash and empty it in a butter sprayed skillet. Press it down into a thin layer. Sprinkle on some garlic and onion powders to suit your taste or use any seasonings you prefer mixed into the corned beef hash, as it is a very bland product. Try using Bragg's 24 Seasonings sprinkled in it. You can also make patties out of it. Fry on both sides until browned. Scramble eggs in another butter sprayed skillet. Serve with toasted bread slices and applesauce for a meal. Cornmeal battered fried potatoes and onions also goes well with this meal.

Fried eggs can be served on top of the corned beef hash for variety.

BOILED CABBAGE
Buy a head of green cabbage. Peel off the outer leaves. Wash the head of cabbage, then cut it into four large wedges. Place in a large pot. Add 1/2 stick butter and cover the cabbage with water. Cover with a lid, and boil it for about 30 minutes over medium heat until tender. Add salt and black pepper to suit your taste. Serve in bowls with cornbread slices for a meal. Cabbage cooking will produce stinky odors which can be minimalized by adding 2 Tbsp. lemon juice to the cooking water before you cook the cabbage. If you have any leftovers, store them in a covered bowl in the refrigerator.

RUTABAGAS
A rutabaga from the produce section of a grocery store is very hard to peel and cut up into bite-sized chunks. However, a company called Allen's Sunshine brand makes them already peeled, diced, and cooked in 15 ounce cans. To prepare, just open a can and drain off the water. Pour contents into a pan. Add butter, salt, and black pepper to suit your tastes and heat through over medium heat. Serve with sliced cornbread for a meal. Add a sweet onion wedge to go along with this meal. One 15 oz. can will make one or two servings, depending upon your appetite. These taste just as good as any without nearly any work involved for the person who eats them. Rutabagas resemble diced cooked carrots in color, and can have a slightly bitter taste if enough salt is not added to them. I highly recommend Redmond RealSalt, which has a slightly pink color and all of the trace minerals are still in it. You can buy it online at the Redmond Trading Company from Redmond, Utah. It is the only USA pink salt available. Most people who begin using it will never purchase regular table salt again. Yes, it tastes that good!

ENERGY MEALS
Hard-boil one egg for each person. Add 10 almonds, half an avocado, and a glass of orange juice for a meal. You will be surprised how much energy it gives you, so don't eat it for dinner, but it's good for breakfast or lunch.

To have more energy, make a green smoothie that contains Broccoli Florets, Green Tea Extract, and Spirulina in it, and drink one each day in the morning for breakfast. On the sixth day, you will begin to feel more energetic from then on as long as you drink one daily.

Freeze any fruits you like in chunks and use them to make smoothies, drinks, or instant homemade ice cream. Use Hefty quart freezer bags and freeze just enough in each one for a serving. I froze watermelon and cantaloupe chunks and used the watermelon chunks liquefied in a blender on high to make a Watermelon drink, and I used the cantaloupe chunks liquefied in a blender on high with 10 drops liquid stevia and some Half and Half milk to make an instant Cantaloupe Ice Cream. You can do the same thing with frozen sliced strawberries, some liquid stevia or honey, and Half and Half Milk to make instant Strawberry Ice Cream. Or use frozen peach slices to make instant Peach Ice Cream with stevia and Half and Half milk in a blender. Remember it only takes 5 drops of liquid stevia per 8 ounce serving of anything. SwansonVitamins.com sells liquid Sweet Leaf Stevia in many flavors and plain, and Vitacost.com sells their own generic brand of liquid Stevia.

Here's a good drink to make to give you some energy: Mix 2 Tbsp. Torani Watermelon Syrup in a glass of chilled water to which you have added 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of Redmond Pink Sea Salt, stirred until the salt has dissolved and ice cubes added to the drink. To me it is a nice substitution for a sliced ice cold watermelon with Pink Sea Salt sprinkled on it.

It's good to boil several eggs at a time by placing them into a pot of water covering all the eggs. Add a Tablespoon of lemon juice and a splash of apple cider vinegar. Bring the water to a full boil over medium heat. Turn off the heat. Cover the saucepan with a lid. Let the eggs set in the water for 20 minutes only. Drain off all the water. Dry off each cooked egg with a white paper towel. Store them in a Hefty bag with another dry white paper towel folded inside it to absorb any moisture in the refrigerator to use as desired. To peel a hard-boiled egg, begin at the wider end of the egg by cracking it gently on a hard surface. There is an air pocket inside that will make peeling the egg easier from the wider end. The lemon juice added to the water will kill any germs on the eggshell, and the vinegar added will make the egg peel easier so the white doesn't tear up. This makes a perfectly hard-boiled egg without any green encircling the egg yolks.

Slice each peeled hard-boiled egg in half lengthwise, if you want STUFFED EGGS. Put the yolks into a bowl, and mash them with a fork. Add pickle relish, mustard, mayonnaise, salt, and pepper to suit your taste. Spoon the mixture into the hard-boiled eggwhites. You can garnish each stuffed egg with an olive on top, or sprinkle tops of each half with paprika or dill. Keep refrigerated until served.

EGG SALAD can be made in the same way, just mash everything up with a fork, and use it as a sandwich filling, or a lunch with crackers.

TOSSED SALAD TIP:
The tip to put a dry white paper towel folded inside a Hefty bag will also work to make your washed and prepared salad vegetables last longer. By storing your fresh vegetables individually in Hefty bags in your refrigerator already prepped to make a salad, you can select whatever veggies you want to make a quick salad to go with your meals or to add to scrambled eggs or whatever you intend them for. Use a salad spinner to get rid of all excess water before you place them in the plastic bags, each with a folded white paper towel. It is that excess moisture that causes fresh vegetables to ruin quicker. You might think you are getting it all off, but a salad spinner will show you just how much water was left on the lettuce or greens. Buy a good one and it will last you for years. Before you zip them completely shut, squeeze out any excess air, as air will cause them to spoil quicker.

TUNA SALAD
12 oz. Starkist Albacore tuna, drained
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. True Lemon Powder
1 tsp. yellow mustard
1 Tbsp. dill pickle relish
2 Tbsp. mayonnaise
4 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and diced
1 peeled diced apple
sea salt and black pepper to suit taste
Keep your unopened can of tuna in the refrigerator to chill overnight before making this recipe. Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Serve on lettuce leaves with saltine crackers. Keep any leftovers covered in the refrigerator. For variety, use a pouch of boneless, skinless salmon instead of canned tuna.

TIP: To make canned vegetables taste like fresh ones, add 1 Tablespoon lemon juice to them.

CHICKEN SALAD
6 oz. chilled pouch Kroger cooked Chicken Breast Chunks, drained
15 oz. can drained Fruit Cocktail
1/2 cup sliced almonds or chopped walnuts
2 Tbsp. mayonnaise
1 Tbsp. sweet pickle relish
1 Tbsp. yellow mustard
4 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and diced
Keep your pouch of Kroger Chicken Breast Chunks in the refrigerator to chill overnight before making this recipe. Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Serve in bowls with saltine crackers. Keep any leftovers covered in the refrigerator.

To make CHICKEN POTATO SALAD, just add one can Del Monte drained diced potatoes, 1 diced sweet onion, and 1 jar drained diced pimentos to this recipe.

Anytime you taste a recipe you are making, and it seems to need something else, try adding a sprinkling of Bragg's 24 Seasonings to give it more flavor.

CHICKEN PARMESAN
Buy a package of Schwan's Oven-Baked Chicken Breasts. For each one served, make spaghetti by boiling spaghetti in water for eleven minutes, then draining it. Microwave one cooked chicken breast wrapped in a white paper towel on high on both sides for one minute each. Lay the chicken breast on top of your serving of spaghetti. Top with heated marinara sauce, then sprinkle on Parmesan-Romano grated cheese, then top with shredded mozzarellla cheese, and serve.

BEEF MANHATTEN
Heat one 12 oz. can of Kroger Roast Beef and Gravy in a pan over medium heat. Make some instant mashed buttery potatoes according to package directions. On a plate, place two slices of bread, one diagonally sliced with a piece of it at each end of the whole slice. Top the bread with the heated roast beef and gravy. Add the cooked mashed potatoes to the side, and enjoy your meal. Serve a diced fruit cup of peaches as dessert. Makes one large serving or two smaller ones.

CHICKPEAS NUGGETS WITH CUCUMBER DIP
Use one pound of dried uncooked chickpeas. Look through them, and discard any bad chickpeas or rocks. Wash them to remove any dirt on them. Soak them overnight in a bowl of water. Next day, drain off all the water, and spread them on a white paper towel lined platter. Let them air dry at room temperature for a few hours until they are completely dry. Then pulverize them into a powder in your food processor. Canned chickpeas will not work in this recipe as they fall apart when cooked. Chickpeas flour from www.Nuts.com will work for this recipe.

Process 2 slices bread until they become breadcrumbs using a food processor.

Mix the pulverized uncooked chickpeas and the breadcrumbs with 2 drops peppermint oil, 1 diced sweet onion, 1 cube Knorr's cilantro, 1 Tbsp. garlic powder, 1 beaten egg, 1/2 tsp. each sea salt and black pepper, 2 tsp. cumin, and the juice squeezed from 2 whole lemons. Form small balls of this mixture. Fry them in hot vegetable oil until done, keeping them moving around by stirring them so the entire nuggets are covered in the hot oil to be uniformly browned, not burned. Drain them when done, on white paper towels to absorb any excess oil. Serve them hot, placing 4 cooked nuggets in warmed pita bread that is sliced in half to make two pockets with Cucumber Dip over them. Makes 16 small round nuggets. Serve them with Cuban Black Beans.

Cucumber Dip - Wash and peel one large cucumber, removing the seeds. Place it in a blender with 1 cup plain yogurt. Add some dill, garlic powder, sea salt, and black pepper to suit your taste.

CUBAN BLACK BEANS
Open 1 can black beans, drain and rinse them. Place them in a saucepan, and add 2 Tbsp. orange juice concentrate, 4 Tbsp. lime juice, and 1/4 tsp. each garlic and onion powders, mixing well. Heat through, and serve with Chickpeas Nuggets and Cucumber Dip for a meal.

BLACK BEANS SALAD
2 cups cooked brown rice
2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can drained corn niblets
1 jar drained diced pimentos
1 small can drained diced green chilies
1 peeled diced avocado
1 small diced red onion
1/2 cup chunky salsa
3 Tbsp. lime juice
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 tsp. black walnut oil
salt and black pepper to suit taste
Mix all ingredients, and enjoy!

SCALLOPED POTATOES AND MIXED VEGETABLES
Prepare a box of Scalloped Potatoes, which have an Alfredo cheese flavor, according to directions on the box but add more margarine and milk to make it creamier to suit your taste. Also add to cook in it, 2 cups frozen mixed vegetables, 1 small jar drained diced pimentos, 1 tsp. garlic powder, 1 tsp. onion powder, 1 tsp. black walnut oil. Makes 4 delicious, very colorful servings. You can add a pouch of cooked chicken breast chunks, a can of water-packed tuna, a pouch of boneless skinless salmon, or a can of cubed Spam turkey for 5 different frugal variations of this one recipe. You can tone down the fishiness if you use the tuna or salmon by adding 2 Tbsp. lemon juice, if desired. You can use a drained can of mixed vegetables, but don't add them at the beginning, wait until the Scalloped Potatoes are almost done then add to heat them through.

POTATOES AU GRATIN WITH SALMON AND GREEN PEAS
Prepare a box of Potatoes au Gratin which have a cheddar cheese flavor, according to the box directions, adding 1 teaspoon each of garlic powder and onion powder. When done, add a pouch of boneless skinless salmon and 2 cups frozen green peas, let heat through and serve.
You could use Spam Turkey cubes, a can of water-packed tuna, or a pouch of cooked chicken breast chunks for more variations with this recipe, or you could use a drained can of mixed vegetables if you prefer them over peas.

FRUIT SALSA
2 peeled diced kiwi
2 Dole diced mangoes cups, drained
2 Dole diced pineapple tidbits
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
1/2 cup diced red onion
1 tsp. seeded diced jalapeno pepper
1 cube Knorr Cilantro, crushed
1 tsp. minced garlic
2 Tbsp. lime juice
salt and black pepper to suit taste
Mix all ingredients and serve chilled as a topping for cooked chicken breasts or sautéed fish filets.

CURRIED CHICKPEAS
1 cube Knorr Cilantro, crushed
1/2 diced sweet onion
1 Tbsp. curry powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. minced gingerroot
1 can chickpeas, drained
1 small can tomato sauce
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
salt and pepper to suit your taste
Mix all ingredients and heat through. Serve over cooked brown rice.

BAKED IRISH POTATOES OR SWEET POTATOES
Bake as many as you will need to serve for a meal, then split them down the center. Add anything you like as a topping. Personally, I just want butter, salt, and black pepper on a baked Irish potato or just butter on a baked sweet potato. Here are some suggestions: cooked mixed vegetables with a cream sauce; leftover cooked taco meat with accompanying sides; canned chili; shredded cheese; cubes of Turkey Spam; shredded cheese with cooked crumbled turkey bacon; cooked broccoli florets and some melted shredded cheese; salsa; picante sauce; guacamole; caramelized onions; or crushed pineapple on a baked sweet potato with or without cinnamon-sugar added, or just cinnamon-sugar and butter.

HOMEMADE GATORADE
Mix into one gallon pitcher of filtered water, 1 cup pure orange juice, 1 tsp. Sea Salt, 1 cup sugar, and 1 pack lemon-lime Kool-Aid, stirring well to mix the ingredients. Keep it in the refrigerator to drink as needed to replace the electrolytes in your body when you are dehydrated from too much sun, overheating, perspiring too much, having diarrhea, or vomiting. Headaches can be relieved by drinking 16 oz.

NON-ALCOHOLIC SPARKLING GRAPE JUICE
Welch's Grape Juice Concentrate comes in shelf-stable cans you can store in your food pantry, or you can just use Welch's Grape Juice. When one of my Torani Syrup bottles are emptied, I wash them and keep them for this recipe. Using a funnel, pour the entire can of Welch's Grape Juice Concentrate into the empty, clean bottle. Slowly fill the remaining space in the bottle with carbonated water, made with a Soda Stream Fountain Jet Carbonator and filtered chilled water, over the sink because it will foam out the top and make a mess to clean up. If you don't have a Soda Stream Fountain Jet, you can use chilled Club Soda or just use filtered water which still tastes good. You can also just store the concentrate in the bottle, and anytime you want to have sparkling grape juice just make the freshly carbonated water or Club Soda to add to it in a glass. Cap the bottle. Keep it stored in the refrigerator, and serve chilled. It goes great with Italian meals!

WATERMELON DRINK
Buy and keep in your food pantry bottles of Torani Watermelon Syrup which comes in regular or sugar-free choices. You can buy them online and have them shipped to your home. Mix it with chilled water according to your taste preferences, or use 2 Tbsp. per glass of chilled water. It goes great with any Mexican foods or all beans. Torani Syrups are great to use for beverages, hot and cold, or as toppings for ice cream, and come in a large variety of flavors. Be sure to check them out if you like to make your own soft drinks at home.

SODA STREAM SOFT DRINKS
A Soda Stream Fountain Jet can make your homemade carbonated soft drinks so much better tasting and easier on your back instead of having to lug heavy cases of drinks home from a store. They have a large variety of syrups to choose from in both regular and diet drink flavors. The diet flavors contain Splenda. Regular flavors contain sugar. No aspartame is used in Soda Stream flavors. Larger grocery stores are carrying them now. You can buy them at QVC.com or at the SodaStream.com website or at Walmart.com. You also have a choice of a larger carbonator cartridge on the Soda Stream website, and can return your empty cartridges to them for exchange via UPS. You use your own chilled water and their carbonator cartridge to carbonate the water in their bottles that you screw-in above the long white stick on the front of the Fountain Jet. Push the top wide button area three or four times to carbonate the chilled water, or until it makes a loud noise, letting you know the water is carbonated. Unscrew the bottle, and slowly add whatever amount you want of their syrup. If you do it too fast, it can spew over the top and make a mess. You can adjust the syrup amount to suit your own taste. You make them as you drink them, so there are no drinks sitting around that go flat. One of the 60ml carbonator cartridges lasted me for six and a half months, but as to how long they will last you, it depends upon how many are in your family, how fast you drink soft drinks, and how strong you like your soft drinks. Keep a large container of chilled filtered water in your refrigerator to use. I find my Soda Stream Fountain Jet to be very economical and enjoyable to have to make my own soft drinks at home, however the bottles of syrup do not make as many servings as they say they will. I get about 19 or 20 servings from a bottle of Soda Stream syrup instead of 25 as it states on the bottle, using slightly less than what it says to use. You will need to experiment at first, to get the amount of syrup you enjoy suited to your own taste preferences. The syrups do not need to be refrigerated, and each bottle has its shelf life printed on the bottle. No electricity or batteries are required for operating it. The carbonator cartridge goes in the back of the Fountain Jet, and is covered by a piece of plastic so you don't see it. Once your carbonator cartridge is emptied, you can return it to the Walmart Customer Service area, and exchange it for another full cartridge for half the price of the cost without one. Walmart and Kroger now carry Soda Stream syrups. The assembly is quick and easy to do for anyone and needs no tools but your hands. The Cola flavors taste like a cross between Pepsi and Coca-Cola. Dr. Pete tastes like Dr. Pepper. I would like to see Pepsi, Coca-Cola, Dr. Pepper, and Canada Dry Ginger Ale companies make their syrups available to use since Soda Stream is giving all soft drink companies competition. Kool-Aid, Country Time, and Crystal Light has already joined them with their flavors. You need to read the labels to make sure nothing is in them you don't want to purchase.

You might also want to check out all the new water flavor enhancers that most grocery stores are now carrying in small containers you can fit easily into your purse or pocket to carry with you to save on beverages when you dine out, or to mix into a bottle of chilled water. Most all of them require mixing one squirt into a glassful or bottle of chilled water. The amount you mix really is up to your own taste preferences. If you squirt enough into a glass of chilled water, it will taste like that flavor, and it usually doesn't require more than two full squirts of the bottle. If you like non-carbonated drinks, be sure to try them as they come in a large variety of flavors and brands. You probably will not get the amount they say you will out of the small containers, unless you mix a lot less of it into your water. I have found that the iced tea flavors, tastes pretty much like a glass of real tea using one to two full squirts. What does a full squirt consist of? For me, it's opening the lid, then pressing the bottle, front and back, with my thumb and index finger, for about three seconds, then releasing it into my glassful of chilled water, then mixing what is in the chilled water with a spoon. I ususally add ice cubes to make it as cold as possible. Always make sure you reclose the cap on the bottle tightly, so it doesn't leak in your purse or pocket.

QUICK BREAKFAST SWEETS
In the mood for something sweet for breakfast with some coffee? Make yourself two slices of toasted cinnamon raisin bread. Place on a plate, and pour Coco Real Cream of Coconut Syrup over both slices. You can use Coco Real Syrup to make Pina Colada beverages by adding pineapple juice, or as a syrup over toast, waffles, or pancakes. It's delicious! Mix it to suit your taste or with 2 six ounce cans of chilled Dole Pineapple Juice to make a non-alcoholic Pina Colada.

QUICK AND EASY BREAD PUDDING
For each person eating, use 1 slice cinnamon raisin bread cut into small bite-sized cubes and placed in a small dessert dish. Pour some heated sweetened condensed milk over the cubes so it can soak into all of them. Serve only a small dish of this because it is a very rich dessert.

BROWN BREAD PUDDING
Purchase a can of Brown Bread with Raisins. Open the can on both ends, and push it out of the can. Cut the loaf into bite-sized chunks. Soak the chunks in warmed cherry syrup until the bread has soaked it all in it. Serve in small dishes.

Try serving toasted slices of canned Brown Bread spread with softened Neuchatel Cream Cheese topped with Lemon Curd or Lime Curd or Coconut Curd. Walmart.com and Amazon.com sells Brown Bread by the case.

FRUGAL DOUGHNUTS
Use a can of cheap buttermilk biscuit dough, and a pot of hot vegetable oil to fry them in. Use a plastic soft drink bottle cap to cut out the doughnut holes from the center of each biscuit. The top of a SodaStream Soft Drink syrup works well also. Fry all of them a few at a time, without overcrowding the pot. They cook fast. Keep moving them around so the entire doughnut gets golden brown and puffs up on both sides. Remove them carefully with a spyder or a slotted spoon, and drain them on white paper towels. Roll each cooked doughnut and each hole in a dish of cinnamon sugar, or create a glaze by mixing in a bowl: 1/2 stick melted margarine, 2 cups powdered sugar, 1 tsp. vanilla, and 4 Tbsp. milk, then dipping the cooked doughnuts and holes in the glaze on both sides. Serve with hot coffee, hot cocoa, hot tea, or cold milk.

CINNAMON PUFFS
Use flour tortillas cut into short strips, and fry them in hot vegetable oil. They will cook very fast so watch them carefully. Drain them on white paper towels. Toss each strip in cinnamon sugar. Keep them stored in a gallon plastic bag to enjoy as you desire. Make cinnamon sugar by using 1 cup sugar and 1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon, mixed thoroughly. Without cinnamon sugar added, you can eat these as Fried Chinese Noodles that go great with soups, chili, or salads. Egg Roll Wrappers and Wonton Wrappers can also be cut into strips and fried and used instead of crackers or croutons.

FRIED CORN CHIPS
Place vegetable oil in a large skillet, and heat it to 360 degrees. Cut corn tortillas into strips. Fry them in the hot oil. They fry very fast, so do not leave them. Stir them constantly to keep them moving around in the hot oil. When slightly browned on both sides, remove them to a platter, lined with white paper towels to absorb any excess oil. Sprinkle on sea salt to suit your tastes. Keep them stored in a large plastic zippered bag to enjoy as you desire.

You can make POTATO CHIPS the same way using a Mandolin Slicer which will make very thin potato slices. Dry the potato slices with white paper towels before you put them in the hot oil, then drain them on more white paper towels when fried. Salt them as desired. Your favorite seasonings and spices can be added to all of these while they are hot, if desired.

QUICK STICKY BUNS
Use a can of cheap biscuit dough. Slice each biscuit into 4 equal pieces. Dip each piece into melted margarine, then into a dish of cinnamon sugar. Place them in a small butter sprayed tube pan, or you can use a regular butter sprayed cake pan with a heat proof glass placed in the center of it and place all the pieces around it in a circle with nothing in the center area. Top with any remaining cinnamon sugar sprinkled all over the top of them, and all of the leftover melted margarine. Some chopped nuts can be sprinkled on as an extra touch. Bake at 400 degrees for 18 minutes. Dump them out onto a round platter, and enjoy with a cup of coffee or glass of cold milk. Best when served warm.

SNACK CRACKERS
Use either peanut butter or Nutella and spread between two vanilla wafers or two graham crackers. Or use saltine crackers spread with peanut butter or a slice of cheese. Keep them labeled and stored in a plastic bag to enjoy anytime a snack is needed with a glass of cold milk, or a cup of hot tea or coffee, or a SodaStream Fountain Jet homemade soft drink.

FAUX ICE CREAM SANDWICHES
Use two large whole graham crackers to make one ice cream sandwich. Spread any flavor Cool Whip between them, and freeze them until firm on a plate and serve them. To keep frozen for later use, wrap each one in clear plastic Glad wrap, and place in Hefty freezer gallon bags in your freezer.

FRUIT POPS
Pour fruit juice or sweetened Kool-Aid into 3 oz. paper bathroom cups, and freeze them. Before they freeze solid, insert popsicle sticks in the center of each one or use sturdy plastic spoons placed into them, and continue freezing until firm. Once they are solid, peel off the paper cups and eat your frozen treats.

Many Dollar Stores carry washable and reusable plastic sets made for this purpose at very reasonable prices, so paper bathroom cups, popsicle sticks, or spoons are unnecessary.

SPINACH DIP
Use 2 bricks of Neuchatel Cream Cheese that is softened to room temperature. Microwave 10 ounces of chopped spinach for 5 minutes, then squeeze out any water in it. Use just enough milk to be able to mix the Cream Cheese to make it smooth. Stir in as much garlic powder and onion powder as you enjoy, and add just a pinch of ground nutmeg. Add the cooked squeeze-dried spinach. Mix well. Serve with saltine crackers.

This recipe could also serve as Creamed Spinach by adding Half and Half milk to make it creamier.

Any recipe where sour cream is used, can be substituted with Neuchatel Cream Cheese or plain yogurt.

CREAMED PEAS OVER TOAST
In a skillet over medium heat, make a roux by putting 2 Tbsp. butter or margarine and 2 Tbsp. flour, stirring them together for one minute. Pour 2 cups milk into it whisking it while cooking until it thickens. Add 1 cup frozen green peas, stirring well. Pour over toasted bread slices on a plate and serve. A chopped hard-boiled egg can be added over it for garnish.
This basic roux for any cream of recipe can be used for many vegetables, such as Creamed Corn Over Toast, Creamed Tuna and Peas Over Toast, Creamed Salmon Over Toast, Creamed Asparagus, Creamed Chipped Dried Beef Over Toast, Cream of Chicken Soup, Cream of Beef Soup, Cream of Mushroom Soup, or Cream of Celery Soup. Once you make the roux, just add whatever else you want to it, plus any seasonings and spices you want. Sliced cantaloupe is a good side to any cream of recipe.

TURKEY SAUSAGE GRAVY OVER TOAST OR BISCUITS
Purchase a package of Jimmy Dean's Cooked Turkey Sausage Crumbles at your local grocery store. Make a roux from 2 Tbsp. butter, 2 Tbsp. flour, and 2 cups milk in a skillet, stirring until thickened over medium heat. Add as much of the Turkey Sausage Crumbles you want to add to the gravy. Add any salt and black pepper to suit your taste. Stir well to heat through. Either used toasted bread slices or homemade biscuits sliced in half on a plate, and spoon the sausage gravy over it. Serve sliced cantaloupe with it for a meal.

CINNAMON CRACKERS
Lay saltines crackers on a plate. Butter spray all of them. Sprinkle on cinnamon-sugar. Flip the crackers over, and repeat on the other side. Microwave them for 30 seconds. Keep them labeled and stored in a plastic bag to eat as desired.

VOLCANO FIRE CRACKERS
Lay saltine crackers on a plate. Butter spray all of them. Sprinkle on as much cayenne pepper as you can handle the heat. If you want them even hotter, flip them over, and repeat on the other side. Microwave them for 30 seconds. Keep them labeled and stored in a plastic bag to eat as desired.

CHEESE CRACKERS
Lay saltine crackers on a plate. Butter spray all of them. Sprinkle on powdered cheese. Flip them over, and repeat. Microwave for 30 seconds. Keep them labeled and stored in a plastic bag to eat as desired.

RANCH CRACKERS
Lay saltine crackers on a plate. Butter spray all of them. Sprinkle on some dry Ranch dressing seasoning. Flip them over, and repeat. Microwave for 30 seconds. Keep them labeled and stored in a plastic bag to eat as desired.

POPCORN
Buy a microwave popcorn popper or an air popcorn popper and some Orville Reddenbacher's Gourmet Popcorn kernels that come in a large capped bottle, and pop some to eat as a snack, using the directions on the bottle or the directions that come with the popper. Popcorn is a whole grain. Just be careful not to get choked on the husks. If you can find organic hulless popcorn kernels, buy them. You can store popcorn kernels in the freezer in a Hefty bag. Freezing them is supposed to make more of the kernels pop.

You can also make up your own microwave popcorn bags by using 1/3 cup popcorn kernels placed into lunch-sized brown paper bags, and close the tops securely with tape. Microwave on high for 2 to 3 minutes. You know it's done when you can count to five without hearing any popping noises. Popcorn will burn easily once it's done, so listen carefully. Open the bag carefully, as it is very hot inside. Pour it into a bowl. Sprinkle on any toppings you enjoy. You can even make a meal of it with a soft drink and a Hershey's candy bar or Almond Nougat.

SATISFYING SNACKS
Whenever you keep searching for something, but you don't know what you want, try this snack. Keep a jar of Pace Picante or Salsa on hand with a bag of bite-sized round Tostitos to enjoy.

Eat string cheese or one stick of cheese with 2 Tbsp. mixed nuts for a snack.

Serve chickpea hummus dip with sliced fresh vegetable sticks.

Eat a cup of diced fruit with a cup of yogurt.

Always keep a glass of water nearby when you eat anything.

CHICKPEA HUMMUS DIP
Open one can chickpeas. Drain off liquid, but save 1 Tbsp. of it to use in this recipe. In a food processor place the chickpeas and 1 Tbsp. of the liquid. Add 1 tsp. each garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, salt, white pepper, and 1 Tbsp. each vegetable oil and True Lemon powder or lemon juice. Mix until smooth. Put in a bowl and keep refrigerated to use as desired with fresh vegetables that are sliced into sticks.

TOSTADAS
Open one can of refried beans and heat them in a saucepan. Place in a bowl. Add chopped avocado to a bowl. Add diced sweet onions to a bowl. Pour one jar of Pace Picante or Salsa in a bowl. In another bowl, place one cup plain yogurt. In another bowl, place 1 cup shredded cheese. On a plate put as many Tostada shells as you will need to feed for a meal. Tostadas are whole fried corn tortillas. Let everyone assemble whatever they like on their tostadas, starting with refried beans spread onto the tostada shell. Serve with a Watermelon Drink that you make from liquifying cubes of seedless watermelon in a blender with water. Serve it chilled in glasses. Add 4 oz. diced apples cup for each person for dessert.

TAQUITOS
Use corn tortillas to wrap up the filling you make. Open one 12 ounce can of Kroger Roast Beef and Gravy into a saucepan. Pour some Honey BBQ Sauce over it. Turn heat on low. Use a fork to pull the roast beef apart into the sauce, so that it is done and thickened. Add 4 Tbsp. Freeze-dried Refried Pinto Beans, stirring into the meat mixture. Turn off the heat. Cover the pot, and let it sit for 5 minutes. Use this filling to spread over each corn tortilla in a thin layer. Roll up each tortilla after you have spread on the filling. Lay each one on a microwavable platter, until you have used up all the filling. Microwave the platter for 2 minutes. Serve with Yucatan Guacamole Dip, and a watermelon drink.

POLLO CHILAQUILES
Tostitos tortilla corn chips
1 cooked shredded chicken breast
1/2 cup salsa or picante sauce
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 Egg, fried or scrambled
Shredded Cheese
Sliced Avocado
Diced Red Onion
Yucatan Guacamole
Place the cooked shredded chicken breast in a butter sprayed skillet, then mix it with the salsa or picante sauce and the cayenne pepper, and heat through while stirring. In a separate butter sprayed skillet, fry or scramble the egg until done.

For a fried egg, place the tortilla chips in a bowl or on a plate, then add the salsa and chicken. Sprinkle on the cheese, and top with the fried egg. Garnish with avocado slices, diced red onion, and Yucatan Guacamole.

For a scrambled egg, place the tortilla chips in a bowl or on a plate. Then put the cooked scrambled egg over the chips. Top with the salsa and chicken, then add avocado slices and diced red onions. Sprinkle on the cheese. Top with Yucatan Guacamole. Makes one serving. Repeat the recipe if you need more servings.

HUEVOS RANCHEROS
Scramble 2 beaten eggs with 2 Tablespoons of Half and Half milk, and cook in a butter sprayed skillet until done. Season eggs with garlic and onion powders to suit your taste. Warm a flour tortilla in the microwave for 10 seconds. Lay the warmed tortilla on a plate. Spread evenly on the tortilla a layer of mashed cooked black beans. Top with the scrambled eggs. Add salsa over the eggs. Add slices of avocadoes. Sprinkle on Monterey Jack shredded cheese as a garnish. Makes one serving. Repeat the recipe if you need more servings.

TORTILLA PIE
In a butter sprayed skillet, brown one pound of ground beef with one diced sweet onion and 1 teaspoon minced garlic until done. Drain off any fat. Add 1 pack of Taco Seasoning and 3/4 cup of water, stirring well. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add 4 cups Salsa, stirring well. Remove from heat. Use a nine-inch glass pie plate that is butter sprayed. Place 1/2 cup of your meat sauce spread evenly in the bottom of the pie plate. Add one 8-inch flour or corn tortilla, top with another 1/2 cup meat sauce spread evenly, and 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese. Repeat these layers until the pie plate is full, ending with a tortilla on top. Sprinkle shredded mozzarella cheese over the top. Bake uncovered in the oven for 20 minutes at 350 degrees preheated. Let it sit for 10 minutes after baking before you slice and serve it, along with a tossed green salad for a meal.

INDIVIDUAL VEGETARIAN PIES
Use individual ramekins and use wonton wrappers as your noodles. Make a sauce of 1 brick of softened Neuchatel Cream Cheese, garlic powder and onion powder to suit your own tastes, and cooked squeeze-dried spinach and cooked diced carrots mixed together. Layer some in the bottom of the ramekin, top with a wonton wrapper, adding some shredded mozzarella cheese, then continue repeating until your ramekin is full. End with a wonton wrapper and top with some shredded mozzarella cheese. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Serve with a green salad.

MILKSHAKE
In a blender place 1 cup almond milk, 1 frozen banana, 2 Tbsp. either Chocolate or Strawberry Syrup, 3 Tbsp. Malted Milk Powder, and 1/2 cup any frozen fruit you like. Blend on high for 1 minute. Pour into a glass with a straw, and enjoy.

You can make Almond Milk by putting 1/2 cup skinless almonds into a blender with 2 cups water, and liquifying it. Use a fine sieved strainer, and strain out the almond milk. Store in the refrigerator. You can use the pulverized almonds left in breads or cookies.

QUICK HOMEMADE ICE CREAM
In a blender, place 1 small package (10 oz.) frozen sliced strawberries and 1 chilled small can (6 oz.) Carnation milk. Place the lid onto the blender, and turn it on high until the mixture is thick and creamy. Enjoy your ice cream! If it needs any sweetener use honey, agave nectar, or liquid stevia to suit your taste, but adding more than 5 drops stevia per 8 ounce serving could make it taste bitter.

Any frozen sliced fruits can be used in this recipe for a variety, and you can use other milks you might prefer.

HOMEMADE VANILLA ICE CREAM
Use one large package Instant French Vanilla Pudding mix and 1 quart cold whole milk mixed with a mixer until creamy and smooth. Pour into your quart-sized electric ice cream maker that has been pre-frozen for at least 24 hours, switch on, and let it turn for 30 minutes to have a soft-serve homemade vanilla ice cream. If you want a firmer ice cream you can scoop out, place the soft serve ice cream in a quart-sized covered plastic container, and freeze it in your freezer for 24 hours or more.

If you want to make another flavor, just add whatever extract to it you want before churning it.

FRUIT SPRITZER
Use 1 part any juice you enjoy, mixed with 2 parts chilled carbonated water to make one serving. Try using cubes of seedless watermelon liquified in a blender, then add carbonated water to it to make a delicious beverage to go with any Mexican foods you enjoy. Grape juice can be done the same way to make a sparkling beverage to go with Italian foods you enjoy. If you already have a Soda Stream Fountain Jet, it's very easy to make carbonated water, or you can buy Club Soda to use from the grocery store.

CHICKEN ALA KING
Make a roux of 2 Tbsp. margarine mixed with 2 Tbsp. flour in a skillet over medium heat. Cook for one minute, then add in 2 cups milk whisking vigorously to avoid it lumping up. Keep whisking it while it cooks, until it thickens up like you want it. Add 1 can drained mixed vegetables, and one cooked chicken breast cut into small bite-sized pieces. Serve over toasted bread slices or biscuits. Top with shredded cheese.

EASY POT PIES
Use 1 cup ramekins for this recipe. Mix 1 large can drained mixed vegetables with 1 can of undiluted Cream of Chicken Soup and heat through. Butter each ramekin. Fill ramekins 2/3 full with the vegetables mixture. Top each one with an unbaked Grands Flaky Butter Biscuit. Bake in the oven at 400 degrees until the biscuit is golden brown. Serve hot. Makes 4 pot pies. Add a Yoplait Strawberry Yogurt cup for dessert.

HOT DOGS
Cook a pack of Nathan's Beef Weiners until done. Add to hotdog buns. Top each with mustard, ketchup, diced sweet onions, and pickle relish, or a can of heated chili without beans and shredded cheese, or a heated can of sauerkraut and mustard squeezed on the wieners, or some coleslaw, or some finely diced sweet onions mixed with honey mustard. Serve with Lay's Potato Chips, canned baked beans, and a soft drink.

MAC AND CHEESE WITH BEEF WEINERS
Make a box of mac and cheese according to directions on box. Add a half pack of cooked Beef Weiners that you slice into coins. Serve with a can of baked beans to which 1/2 cup drained Dole diced apples have been added for a meal.

FRIED MAC AND CHEESE
Make one box of mac and cheese according to directions on the package, just drain off any excess liquid for this recipe. In a butter sprayed skillet, place the drained prepared mac and cheese. Crack two whole eggs in a small bowl mixing well. Add 4 Tbsp. milk to the eggs, and mix again. Pour the eggs into the mac and cheese, and fry the whole thing until browned on one side, then flip it and brown the other side. Serve as a meal. Add a 4 oz. cup of diced fruit for each person as the dessert.

SCRAMBLED EGGS BURRITOS
Scramble some eggs mixed with milk in a butter sprayed skillet until done, adding salt and black pepper to suit your taste. Add to the center of flour tortillas with some salsa and sliced avocado. Shredded cheese could also be added. Roll up like a burrito, and enjoy them for any meal.

Try scrambled eggs mixed with some cooked mixed vegetables added to a warm flour tortilla with any seasonings you like.

GAZPACHO
This is a soup you can make that needs no cooking.

Open one can of petite diced tomatoes in a large bowl. Add 1 peeled, deseeded, and diced cucumber, 1 diced sweet onion, 1 diced yellow and orange bell pepper, 1 jar drained diced pimentos, 12 oz. V-8 juice, 1 teaspoon minced garlic, 1 peeled, deseeded, diced avocado, and 2 Tbsp. lime juice. Mix well. Can be served at room temperature or chilled in the refrigerator.

TOASTED CHEESE SANDWICH and TOMATO SOUP
For one sandwich and one mug of soup, toast two slices of bread. While hot, add one slice of cheese, then press the sandwich with the palm of your hand to flatten it, which will melt the cheese. For the soup, open one small can of tomato sauce in a saucepan. Fill the can with either water or milk, and heat it through, mixed with the tomato sauce. Season to suit your taste. Pour the soup in a mug and enjoy with your sandwich.

CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP
For those days when you are not feeling well or are just too tired to cook, open a can of Chicken Noodle Soup, and heat it in a saucepan. Serve in a bowl with Saltine Crackers. Eat a 4 oz. cup of applesauce for your dessert. Drink a glass of chilled Ginger Ale.

When you feel better, cook some egg noodles in chicken broth with some garlic and onion powders added to suit your taste. Serve in bowls with saltine crackers. If you want more chicken in it, add 1 pouch Kroger cooked Chicken Breast Chunks to the soup, and heat through.

MIXED VEGETABLES SOUP
In a large pot, place 1 quart chicken broth, 1 can mixed vegetables, 1 Tbsp. onion powder, 1 Tbsp. garlic powder, and heat through. Serve in bowls with cornbread or saltine crackers.

CHICKEN RICE SOUP
Cook 2 cups instant brown rice according to package directions. When done, add it to one quart of chicken broth, 1 Tbsp. garlic powder, 1 Tbsp. onion powder, black pepper to suit your taste, and 1 pouch of Kroger cooked Chicken Breast Chunks, and heat it through. Serve in a mug or bowl with a spoon.

SWEET ONION AND MUSTARD MAYO SANDWICH
Peel a sweet onion where the size of one slice will fit onto your sandwich bread. Spread mustard and mayonnaise onto your bread slices. Add one 1/4-inch slice of raw sweet onion as the filling per sandwich. Enjoy your sandwich!

MASHED BAKED BEANS SANDWICH
Leftover baked beans can be mashed with a fork and used as a sandwich filling between bread slices, served hot or cold.

PIMENTO CHEESE SANDWICH SPREAD
Mix 1 drained large jar diced pimentos and 1 package shredded cheese of your choice with 1/2 cup real mayonnaise, salt, and black pepper to suit your taste. Keep it stored in the refrigerator in a covered container to use as a filling for sandwiches.

TOMATO SANDWICH
Slice a large tomato into 1/4 inch slices. Use whole wheat bread and spread two slices with mayonnaise. Place tomato slices on the bread. Salt and pepper the tomato slices. Add the other slice of whole wheat bread, and enjoy your sandwich.

EGG AND AVOCADO SANDWICH
Fry one whole egg until done on both sides in a butter sprayed skillet using medium heat. Peel and remove seed from one avocado. In a bowl, mash the avocado with a fork. Spread the mixture on a slice of toasted wheat bread. Place the fried egg over the avocado. Top with the remaining slice of toast, and enjoy.

PECANS, PINEAPPLE, AND CREAM CHEESE SPREAD
Drain one small can crushed pineapple. Use 1/2 cup chopped pecans. Soften one brick of Neuchatel Cream Cheese. Combine all three ingredients in a bowl, mixing well with a spoon. Use as a filling to make sandwiches. Keep any leftovers stored in a covered container in your refrigerator.

SLICED PINEAPPLE SANDWICH
Open one can of sliced pineapple. Drink the juice with your sandwich. Use the sliced pineapple to make a sandwich to which you add mayonnaise to the bread.

PEANUT BUTTER AND JELLY SANDWICH
Spread peanut butter on one slice of bread, and any jelly you like on another slice of bread. Press the two slices of bread together. Enjoy with a glass of cold milk. Grape or Strawberry Jellies are preferred favorites to use, but any jelly will do.

HONEY AND ALMOND BUTTER SANDWICH
Spread raw honey on one slice of bread. Spread almond butter on another slice of bread. Press the two slices of bread together. Enjoy with a glass of cold milk.

NUTELLA SANDWICHES
Spread Nutella, which comes in a jar like peanut butter and is a smooth mixture of chocolate and hazelnuts, onto one slice of bread or toast. Top with mini marshmallows or Marshmallow Creme. Add another slice of bread or toast. Enjoy with a glass of cold milk.

Try spreading Nutella on a slice of bread or toast and spreading Fig Jam on another slice of bread or toast, then putting them together to make a sandwich.

BANANA SANDWICH
Spread mayonnaise or peanut butter on two slices of bread. Peel and slice one banana in half, then slice each half into three equal lengths. Place the three pieces of bananas onto one slice of bread. Top with another slice of bread and enjoy your sandwich with a glass of cold milk. One whole banana will make two banana sandwiches. Potato Chips go well with a banana sandwich to make a lunch meal.

AVOCADO TOAST
In a bowl, place one peeled and deseeded avocado. Mash the avocado with a fork. Toast 4 slices of bread. Spread the avocado onto the bread. Enjoy!

Use this as a sandwich filling with a slice of cheese over it.

TURKEY BLT
Cook some slices of turkey bacon in your microwave on high at 2 minutes per slice. Drain any grease off the cooked turkey bacon with white paper towels. Slice a large tomato into 1/4-inch slices. Have some washed lettuce leaves that are dried with white paper towels. Toast two slices of bread per sandwich. Spread the toasted bread with mayonnaise. Add 3 or 4 slices cooked turkey bacon, 1 large slice of tomato, and 1 lettuce leaf to your toast. Top with another slice of toast to make a sandwich. A slice of cheese can be added, if desired.

BEAN/CHEESE BURRITOS
Mash some cooked pinto beans with a fork. Add salsa or enchilada sauce mixed into it to suit your taste. Use large flour tortillas and spread a couple tablespoonsful of the refried beans mixture over the center of each tortilla. Top with shredded cheese. Roll it up. Make two of them per person. Heat each one in the microwave for 1-1/2 minutes. Serve with a chilled watermelon drink made from cubed watermelon placed in a blender with some water and liquified.

ENCHIRRITOS
In a skillet over medium heat, cook one pound of lean ground beef with 1 diced sweet onion and 1 clove minced garlic until done. Add 1/4 cup flour mixed into 1/2 cup cold water until flour is dissolved, 1 Tbsp. chili powder, 1/2 tsp. sea salt, and 1 Tbsp. taco seasoning. Add 1 can refried beans. Spread this mixture on corn tortillas, then roll them up, placing them in a baking dish, seam side down. Top with one can of enchilada sauce, shredded cheese, and sliced black olives. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Serve with sliced avocado, Spanish Rice, and a Watermelon drink.

STEAK FAJITAS
Sprinkle fajita seasoning on a sirloin steak on both sides, and grill it until done. Slice it into thin strips. In a skillet with 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil, cook one bell pepper of each color, green, red, yellow, and orange with one large sliced onion until tender. Season with salt and black pepper to suit your taste. Make a sauce of 1/2 cup plain yogurt and 2 Tbsp. lime juice mixed together until smooth. Use flour tortillas to hold the cooked steak, peppers, and onions. Add sauce to the fajitas. Serve.

QUESO ENCHILADAS
You will need to make at least two per person eating. Use a jar of Cheeze Whiz mixed with a small can of drained, diced green chilies to spread over a package of corn tortillas. Roll them up, and place them seam side down in a casserole dish. When all are made, top with one can heated Enchilada Sauce. Sprinkle shredded cheese over the tops. Bake at 350 degrees until cheese has melted and sauce is bubbling, about 20 minutes. For Spanish Rice, cook some instant brown rice. Add a small can of tomato sauce, a small jar of drained diced pimentos, and a can of diced green chilies, drained, mixing to combine. Add any seasonings to suit your taste. Open a can of fat-free Luck's Pinto Beans to go with the meal, just heating them through on the stovetop in a saucepan. Serve with a chilled Watermelon Drink made from cubed watermelon placed in a blender with some water and liquified.

CHEESE QUESADILLAS
Place a large flour tortilla on a plate. Top it with shredded cheese or Cheeze Whiz. Place another same size tortilla over it. Microwave for 2 minutes. Cut in slices, and enjoy.

You can use any vegetable and meat leftovers from another dinner meal as a filling for quesadillas.

CHEESE PIZZA
Use one large flour or corn tortilla. Place on a plate. Top with marinara sauce and shredded mozzarella cheese. Microwave it for 2 minutes until the cheese has melted. Serve with a sliced avocado, and a hard-boiled egg. Makes a great lunch for one person. You can customize your pizza with toppings you like.

QUICK PIZZA DOUGH
Mix 2-1/2 cups of all purpose flour with 2-1/2 teaspoons of baking powder, 1 tsp. salt, 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil, and 1 cup water to form a stiff dough using a food processor for 3 minutes. Press the dough in a large pizza pan. Add any toppings you want (pizza sauce, mozzarella shredded cheese, sliced onions, sliced black olives, sliced bell peppers) then bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes. Cut in slices and enjoy. Serve with a salad and a soft drink. Add a Yoplait Strawberry Cheesecake yogurt cup for dessert.

BREAKFAST PIZZA
Use one prepared pizza crust that is baked. While the crust is hot, top it with cooked creamed gravy, cooked scrambled eggs, cooked crumbled turkey bacon, and shredded cheese. Slice and serve.

STEAK AND CHEESE PIZZA
Use one prepared pizza crust that is baked. Cook one lean steak until done, then slice it in very thin slices. Heat a jar of Alfredo Sauce in a saucepan. Saute some sliced sweet onions in a skillet with 2 Tbsp. margarine until done. If you like colorful sliced bell peppers, add them to the onions, and sauté them as well. While the pizza crust is still hot, add the Alfredo Sauce, sliced steak, sautéed onions and bell peppers, and top it with shredded mozzarella cheese. If everything is hot when you assemble it, the cheese will melt. If not, then broil it for 2 minutes in the oven to melt it, or microwave it for one minute placed on a plate. Slice and serve.

CHINESE NIGHT DINNER
Buy Chung Vegetable Egg Rolls. One pack has 4 egg rolls with sauce. Heat them in your microwave oven, wrapped in paper towels, for two minutes for two egg rolls. Serve two per person, along with the sauce included, or set out a jar of peach or apricot jam to use as the sauce.

Cook some Rice-A-Roni Fried Rice according to package directions. Serve as a side dish.

Make a quick Egg Drop Soup with 1 can chicken broth heated to a boil in a saucepan. Stir in 1/2 tsp. sesame oil, 1 tsp. soy sauce, 1/2 tsp. garlic powder, and 1/2 tsp. onion powder. Crack one egg in a small bowl, beating it with a fork. Stir the beaten egg into the hot boiling broth quickly with a fork. Let it cook one minute, then pour into bowls and enjoy.

Make some Bigelow Coconut Water Green Tea by mixing one stick of it into a chilled bottle of water. Cap it. Shake well, and enjoy. Or serve hot green tea in cups.

Serve 4 Fortune Cookies per person as dessert.

COCONUT LIME SOUP
In a saucepan, put 1 can low-fat chicken broth, 1 cup almond milk, 1 tsp. coconut extract, 1 tsp. True Lime powder, 1/2 tsp. each garlic and onion powders, mixing well, heating over medium heat. Serve in two bowls with a bag of round bite-sized Tostitos used instead of crackers. Makes 24 oz. soup.

For more protein, add 1 can drained and rinsed black beans.

FAUX MEAT PATTIES
Use half a loaf of sliced bread, turning it into breadcrumbs in your food processor. Mix in 1 whole beaten egg, 1 tsp. onion powder, 1 tsp. garlic powder. Form mixture into 5 patties. Place them in a skillet that has 1 can beef broth in it that is boiling. Cook the patties in the boiling broth with a lid on the skillet for 10 minutes. Remove lid. Turn the patties over carefully, and cook another 10 minutes with the lid on the skillet. Remove the cooked patties to a plate. Add to the hot broth, a slurry of 1 Tbsp. flour mixed with 2 Tbsp. water until it is dissolved. Stir constantly until the gravy has thickened. Use as a sauce over the patties. Serve with cooked rice or mashed potatoes for a meal.

If you use a can of chicken broth instead of beef broth your patties will taste like chicken. Whatever flavor broth you use is what your patties will taste like when cooked. For anyone in a financial pinch, this recipe can be used as a meat substitute to get you through hard times.

CORNBREAD SAGE DRESSING
I love to eat dressing with turkey, but living alone, I don't want to make a large amount to use. To make good cornbread sage dressing, your cornbread should be at least 3 or 4 days old, as freshly made cornbread will not work to make dressing. I use a couple slices of cooked cornbread that is crumbled up in a quart sized Hefty freezer bag. I mix in 1 Tbsp. powdered sage, 1 tsp. onion powder, 1 tsp. celery seeds, and add enough chicken broth to moisten everything. Once everything is mixed well, I put it in a butter sprayed ramekin, and microwave it for 3 minutes. It results in a soft dressing that I enjoy very much when I cook a turkey breast cutlet in a skillet until done, then make some gravy to go with it. Serve with roasted sweet potato chunks and pineapple chunks, cranberry sauce, California Blend Vegetables, and iced tea. If you want bread, add Kroger deli purchased butter croissants.

STEAK PIE
Chop 1 raw boneless sirloin steak in your food processor. Brown the meat with 1 diced sweet onion, 2 Tbsp. A-1 Sauce, 1 tsp. garlic powder, 1 cup cleaned sliced mushrooms and any seasonings you want to add to suit your taste in a butter sprayed skillet until done. Mix in one can undiluted Campbell's Golden Mushroom Soup. Pour mixture in the bottom of a butter sprayed casserole dish.

Top with 1 large can drained Mixed Vegetables.

Use 1 package of Instant Buttery Mashed Potatoes prepared according to package directions. Spread them over the Mixed Vegetables.

Sprinkle 1 cup any shredded cheese you like over the top.

Bake the casserole in the oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes to heat through and melt the cheese. Serve with rolls or biscuits for a meal, and add 4 oz. diced tropical fruit as a dessert for each person.

APPLE CRISP
3/4 cup quick oatmeal
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup self-rising flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 Tbsp. chopped walnuts
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 stick melted margarine
1 can apple pie filling
In a pie plate, place the pie filling. Mix the remaining ingredients and sprinkle evenly over the pie filling. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Change the pie filling to other canned pie fillings for variety.

SEAFOOD STOVETOP CASSEROLE
In a pot of water, cook one box elbow macaroni for about 9 minutes. During the last couple minutes, add 1 package frozen green peas. Drain off all water. Add 1 can Cream of Mushroom soup, 2 Tbsp. lemon juice, 2 Tbsp. margarine, and 1 small pouch or can of any cooked seafood you enjoy, mixing together. Add salt and pepper to suit your taste. Serve hot over toasted sliced bread. Sprinkle on grated Parmesan-Romano cheese as a garnish. Refrigerate any leftovers.

STUFFED CABBAGE ROLLS
Make individual meat loaves out of 1 pound any ground meat, 1 diced onion, 1/2 tsp. garlic powder, 1 egg, 1 cup quick oatmeal. Divide them equally in twelve sections, and put them into a butter sprayed muffin pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove them from the muffin pan, and roll each one up in one large steamed cabbage leaf with the vein in them removed. Lay each cabbage roll in a butter sprayed casserole dish, seam side down, until it has all 12 of them in it. Pour 1 large can diced tomatoes over the top of all of the cabbage rolls. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

STUFFED BELL PEPPERS
Use the same recipe as in Stuffed Cabbage Rolls above, except add 1 cup cooked brown rice to the mixture instead of oatmeal. Stuff 12 bell peppers in 4 different colors, that have the top part cut off, and have had the seeds and membranes removed. Once stuffed, set them in a large casserole dish. Pour a large can of diced tomatoes over them. Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil. Bake them for 30 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

STUFFED COLD VEGETABLES AND SEAFOOD
Use cucumbers, avocadoes, zucchini, yellow squash, tomatoes, or any color bell peppers that are cut lengthwise in half and the insides, removing any seeds or membranes and discarding them, hollowed out with a spoon into a bowl to use as part of the stuffing mix. Any vegetable that can be eaten raw can be used for this recipe. You can also use any spices and seasonings, if you prefer them. Cook any whole grain, brown rice, couscous, or small pasta, and use 1 cup of it cooked and added to the bowl, with 1 can drained tuna or boneless, skinless salmon, 1 grated carrot, 1 finely diced celery stalk, 1/3 cup plain yogurt, 1 Tbsp. lemon or lime juice, 1/2 tsp. Old Bay Seasoning, 1/2 tsp. Black Walnut Oil, and 1/2 tsp. each salt and black pepper. Mix well. Fill each vegetable half with this mixture. Garnish with Bragg's 24 Seasonings, paprika, parsley, or dillweed. Serve chilled.

MEATLOAF
Mix 1 lb. any ground meat with 2 cups dry oatmeal, 1 beaten egg, 1/2 cup evaporated milk, 1 diced sweet onion, 2 Tbsp. A-1 Sauce, 1 tsp. garlic powder, and pour it into a butter sprayed 9x5-inch loaf pan. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for one hour. During the last 15 minutes of baking time, make a mixture of 1/2 cup light brown sugar, 1 Tbsp. yellow mustard, 2 Tbsp. ketchup, and 2 Tbsp. A-1 Sauce, and spread it over the top of the meatloaf. Serve with instant mashed potatoes or mac and cheese, and canned whole green beans or canned mixed vegetables for a meal.

CREAM OF CHICKEN DUMPLINGS
Place 1 can Cream of Chicken soup in a saucepan. Pour in the empty can 10 oz. milk and mix it into the soup. Add 1/4 stick margarine. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Use one can cheap biscuit dough, pinching off each biscuit into twelve small pieces, and adding them all to the soup. Don't stir yet. Cover pan with the lid, and let them simmer for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, you can stir them, and let them simmer for another 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to suit your taste. If you want more chicken in it, add 1 pouch Kroger cooked Chicken Breast Chunks and heat through. Serve with green peas and diced carrots for a meal. Add a 4 oz. tropical fruit cup for dessert.

CHICKEN DIVAN
For two servings, use one 12 oz. pouch cooked Kroger Chicken Breast Chunks. Cook 12 ounces of broccoli florets. Heat one can undiluted Cream of Chicken soup with 1/2 tsp. each garlic and onion powders mixed in a saucepan. You can also use my recipe for Cream Gravy and add 1/2 tsp. each garlic and onion powders to it. If you want your sauce to taste cheesy, just add some shredded cheese to it or use Ragu Alfredo Sauce. Layer in two bowls: cooked brown rice, the cooked chicken, cooked broccoli florets, and cover with the heated undiluted Cream of Chicken Soup or Ragu Alfredo Sauce. Serve with biscuits or toast and 4 oz. cup of diced apples or pineapple for dessert.

To make TURKEY DIVAN, use a can of SPAM Turkey cut into bite-sized cubes, instead of cooked chicken. SEAFOOD DIVAN can be made by using a 12 oz. pouch of boneless, skinless cooked Salmon or 12 oz. can of Albacore Tuna and adding 1/2 tsp. True Lemon Powder to your sauce of choice.

WELSH RAREBIT
Mix in a saucepan, cut up cubes of Velveeta Cheese with enough milk to make a thick sauce on medium-low heat, stirring constantly so it doesn't stick to the until cheese has melted completely. Pour over slices of toasted bread on a plate. Add a peeled and chopped hard-boiled egg over it, and sprinkle on cooked crumbled turkey bacon for a meal. Serve with a 4 oz. diced tropical fruit or mixed cherry fruit cup.

A quicker version of this would be to toast slices of bread. Tear the toast into bite-sized pieces, then put it on a plate, and top it with warmed Cheez-Wiz Sauce that has been mixed with diced green chilies, diced drained pimentos, and sliced black olives. No specific amounts are needed, just make it to suit your taste.

BREAKFAST SKILLET
In a skillet with some vegetable oil in it, fry some washed, peeled, and diced potatoes that have been breaded with some cornmeal. In another skillet, place 2 Tbsp. margarine, then scramble two whole eggs with 4 Tbsp. milk that has been whisked into them until done. Mix the two together. Sprinkle on some cooked crumbled turkey bacon or cooked crumbled Jimmy Dean turkey sausage, then top it all with some shredded cheese. Serve with toasted slices of bread.

SPAGHETTI WITH FAUX MEATBALLS
Use two end slices of a loaf of bread and process them for a few seconds in your food processor to make breadcrumbs. To them, add 1 beaten egg, 1 tsp. Italian Seasoning, 1 tsp. Parmesan-Romano grated cheese, and mix well. Form small balls from this mixture, (about the size of a dime,) and cook them in hot beef broth for 10 minutes, covered with a lid on the pot. When they are done, they will taste just like real meatballs, and you can use them in any way you would normally when you serve meatballs. The meatballs will double in size while cooking in the boiling beef broth. Makes 15 meatballs. If you need more, just double or triple the recipe.

Cook whatever amount of spaghetti you need to serve, in boiling water for 9 minutes, then drain off the water, and add 2 Tbsp. margarine to coat it well.

Heat one large can of Hunt's Spaghetti sauce of your choice in flavors. Mix the faux meatballs in it, and serve over the cooked spaghetti. Or you can make your own Marinara Sauce with canned tomato sauce and adding Italian Seasonings, garlic powder, and onion powder to suit your taste.

Serve with a tossed salad made from chopped lettuce and diced tomatoes, then mix in mayonnaise, salt, and black pepper to suit your taste. Add some toasted garlic bread, and Welch's Grape Juice or sweetened Grape Kool-Aid as a beverage, with diced tropical fruit cups for dessert for a very filling, yet frugal, meal that can be served to any number of dinner guests, as well as yourself if you live alone, or have a family to feed. Unless you choose to tell them, people would probably not even know they are not eating real meatballs.

FIESTA SKILLET CASSEROLE
In a skillet, mix together 1 can Luck's pinto beans, 2 cups cooked brown rice, 1 can drained corn niblets, 1 can Rotel diced tomatoes, and 1 small can tomato sauce. Heat through. Season with salt and pepper to suit your taste. Serve with cornbread.

POTLUCK CASSEROLE
From the following categories, you can create your own customized casseroles, using one selection or less from each category, but a combination of at least three. Cook whatever needs to be prepared according to the package directions, then mix whatever you selected together, and place in a buttered casserole dish. Top with shredded cheese, and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, until everything is heated through, and the cheese has melted. You could also prepare them in a skillet on the stovetop in less time. Everything you need is considered a household staple so it shouldn't be any problem if you keep a good stock of supplies in your food pantry. Serve with sliced toasted or plain bread, biscuits, rolls, cornbread, crepes, corn tortillas, flour tortillas, pita bread, saltine crackers, oyster crackers, or Club crackers.

1. Canned Beans or Lentils - Pinto, Black, Baked, Green, Navy, Great Northern, Cannellini, Chickpeas, Crowder Peas, Limas, Green Peas, Butter Peas, Speckled Butter Beans, Large Butter Beans, Chili Beans, Light Kidney Beans

2. Potatoes, Rice, Spaghetti Noodles, canned spaghetti in sauce, Egg Noodles, Ramen Noodles, Elbow Macaroni, Shells Macaroni, Pasta of any type, Gnocchi, Instant Mashed Buttery Potatoes, canned diced potatoes, boxes of Mac and Cheese, Couscous, boxes of Scalloped or Au Gratin Potatoes, Fried Rice, Spanish Rice, Mexican Rice

3. Cream of any canned soups, other canned soups you enjoy, Tomato Sauce, Spaghetti Sauce, Alfredo Sauce, Pesto, or jars of ready-made gravy, canned diced tomatoes, jars of diced pimentos, peanut butter, Nutella

4. Cans, jars, or pouches of cooked beef tamales, corned beef hash, chili, meat, poultry, seafood, Spam turkey, mushrooms, nuts, eggs

5. Fresh Vegetables, Canned Vegetables, Frozen Vegetables, Dried Vegetables, Jars of Vegetables, or Freeze-Dried Vegetables

6. Fresh Fruits, Applesauce Cups, Fruit Cocktail, Canned Fruits, Fruit Cups, Canned Tropical Fruits, Jars of Fruits, Frozen Fruits, Dried Fruits, or Freeze-Dried Fruits

7. Any Spices or Seasonings that you like to use, plus, salt and black pepper

8. Dried Cheese Powder, Dried Tomato Powder, Packages of any Shredded Cheeses, Velveeta blocks of cheese, Sliced Cheeses, Special Cheeses you enjoy, or Parmesan-Romano grated cheese