8x8 Tuna Noodle Casserole -Retro, Budget Friendly

On today's episode of Frugal Living, pinch that penny til it squeals...

It's been about 100 years since I've made a Tuna Noodle Casserole. I thought I'd share it because, it's honestly not a very expensive meal to make, and feels like comfort food on these cold winter days. This recipe for an 8x8 baker will easily feed up to four people. Wiggle room? I used one can of tuna, add more if desired. Want to add carrots or another veggie? Change it up and toss them into the water while boiling the noodles. No noodles? Sub any pasta. Don't care for celery soup? Use Cream of Chicken or Mushroom. Bread crumb topping kinda boring? Change it to crushed potato chips, crushed pork rinds, French fried onions, croutons or panko. Yep, lots of options folks...

Only want two servings: 

Use a pouch of tuna, cut recipe in half, and use a loaf pan.

Walmart the day I shopped:

Can of tuna - 88¢

Can of celery soup - 69¢

Frozen peas - 99¢, use half or more

16 oz dry noodles - $1.45, use less than half

8X8 Tuna Noodle Casserole

5oz can tuna fish in water, drained

approx 5-6 oz wide noodles, cooked and drained

approx half bag of frozen peas (can add more), thawed

10 oz can Cream of Celery Soup

1 Tblsp milk

1/4 tsp seasoned salt, your favorite

1/4 tsp onion powder

Few hearty grinds black pepper

Bread crumbs for top

1. Boil water, cook noodles for 7 minutes, drain. (I like to add the frozen peas to the colander, then pour the boiling noodles into the colander).
2. Mix everything except breadcrumbs. 
3. Pour into 8x8 baking dish (or foil pan, even better:@)
4. Top with breadcrumbs.
5. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until heated through.

Eat well and Have a Happy Day:@)

Sweet Thai Chili Sauce Cream Cheese Dip

You may have heard me say this before folks... Sometimes the best ideas are the simplest ideas. I saw this Sweet Thai Chili Sauce Cream Cheese Dip on the Kraft site and since I had the two ingredients on-hand... Gave it a try:@) This is very tasty for such a simple idea. It's intended to be served with crackers, but I also think it would work with anything from potato chips, tortilla chips, bagel chips, pita chips, to celery and pepper sticks. And part of the beauty is, you can set out as much, or as little, as you'd like. I might even try using a whipped cream cheese next time for extra easy schmearing.

Sweet Thai Chili Sauce Cream Cheese Dip

8 oz cream cheese, softened well

1 C Sweet Thai Chili Sauce

~Place cream cheese in serving dish (one shaped kind of like a bowl would be best) and top with Chili Sauce. Serve with crackers and dippers at room temperature.

Eat Well and Have a Happy Day:@)

S'mores Dip

We all love the ooey gooey s'mores we make over the campfire, but don't always have a fire available:@) This super simple S'mores Dip starts with melted chocolate chips, then I toasted the marshmallows under the broiler. Use your favorite chips, milk chocolate would be traditional, I had semi-sweet in the house. Is it a special occasion or holiday? Maybe add some birthday or seasonal sprinkles once out of the oven. And of course the dip gets served with graham crackers. We can always add pretzels, vanilla wafers, animal crackers, apple slices or celery if desired. The best part, make as much or as little as you'd like (this is my 5" mini pie dish). Good stuff folks...

One Note: This is a treat that has to be watched carefully though... There's always a chance the marshmallows puff up and expand, we don't want them hitting the broiler element. Tailgating? I'd make them in a foil pan at home, then just reheat on the grill until the chocolate re-melts.

S'mores Dip

Chocolate chips

Mini marshmallows

Sprinkles-optional

Graham crackers or other dippers

1. Place chips in baking dish. 11-ish oz bag will fit in anywhere from a 9" pie plate to a 1 1/2 quart baking dish.
2. Melt chips in microwave or oven, stir until smooth. I used the microwave at 20 second increments.
3. Cover chocolate with marshmallows.
4. Place under 400 degree pre-heated broiler. Watch carefully, remove from oven when marshmallows are toasted and brown.
5. Serve with dippers.

Enjoy a snack and

Have a Happy Day:@)

Simple Sloppy Chili -Three Ingredients with Options...

Once again I'm using Dollar Tree for inspiration, and it led to this Sloppy Chili... They had cans of Sloppy Joe Sauce, as well as pinto beans. So I cooked up some ground beef, drained the beans, tossed in the sauce and wa-la, lunch was served:@) I purposely kept this super simple, but there are tons of options... G-Mom-B would never serve Sloppy Joes without adding onion and green pepper while the beef cooked. One can of sauce is more than enough for one pound of beef and one 15 oz can of beans. Or if you want to cut back on the meat, maybe 1/2 lb beef and 28 oz beans. Feeding a crowd (or hungry teenage boys...) stretch it to 1 lb meat and 28 oz beans. Have an extra hotdog or two from the grill out? Yep, slice and toss it in too. How about all vegetarian, use all beans. And as soon as the gardens start producing... Maybe add in some diced zucchini as well. Lots-of-options...

Cooking for One Tip: Since I live alone I like to keep Walmart's Sam's Club Black Angus Burgers in the freezer. I use them as ground beef for anything, it's easy to cook and crumble a burger, but we can't turn a frozen pound of ground beef into burgers:@)

Simple Sloppy Chili

Up to 1 lb ground beef

Up to 28 oz canned pinto beans, drained & rinsed

14.5-15 oz can Sloppy Joe Sauce

~Cook beef, drain fat, add beans and sauce, heat through.

Eat well and Have a Happy Day:@)

Quick Pickled Radishes -Mexican Food Condiment

I had some radishes in the fridge and Turkey & Black Bean Enchiladas were on the menu for Sunday dinner, so... I whipped up some super fast, Quick Pickled Radishes so we could add them as a topper. Good stuff folks:@) Normally I'd use white vinegar, but I was out so it was red for this batch. This is such a nice cool, crunchy, addition to any Mexican food, tacos, burritos, you name it... 

Easily cut in half for 1-2 people:@)

Quick Pickled Radishes

8-10 large radishes, julienned

1/2 C white vinegar

1/2 C water

1 1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 Tblsp sugar

A few hearty shakes of oregano

~Mix everything well, cover and place in refrigerator for at least 15 minutes, longer is better.

Eat well and Have a Happy Day:@)

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Weekend Potluck

Weight Watchers 2 Ingredient Pizza Dough, BBQ Pork & Rice Krispy Treats-Small Batch Cooking

G-Mom-B always said, even if you live alone, you still have to cook for yourself. Yep, I do like to eat:@) So for today's ReView I thought I'd share a few easy ideas for serving one or two people. I was intrigued by this Two Ingredient Weight Watchers Pizza Dough and just had to give it a try-it's pretty darn good folks! Just unflavored Non Fat Greek Yogurt and self-rising flour... No self-rising flour? No worries, I've added a homemade version of that too. Boy I ♥ Pizza...

We don't have to make a huge pork shoulder to enjoy a nice BBQ Shredded Pork Sandwich... I simply tossed some country ribs into my 2 quart Crock Pot, sprinkled with equal parts garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, smoked paprika and two times as much seasoned salt. Add a few grinds of black pepper, add the lid, and cook on high for about 4 hours. Shred, slather with BBQ sauce, and enjoy:@) Even easier using a liner, just sayin'...

And for a snack...

An easy Half Batch of Rice Krispy Treats.

Eat well and

Have a Happy Weekend:@)

Old Fashioned Ham Salad -Dip or Sandwich Spread -Retro Recipe

Still have a little leftover ham in the freezer to use up? This Old Fashioned Ham Salad is the kind of thing my G-Mom-B would make. She had a hand cranked meat grinder and wasn't afraid to use it:@) Today we would use a food processor or knife. Grandmom would definitely use this as a sandwich spread, in my world it's more of a dip... The only thing I left out was the hard boiled egg. In my view, that would only be added if she was low on meat, or needed to stretch it to feed more people. Also, I seriously doubt Grandmom ever had Dijon mustard... She'd just use yellow. This is a very tasty recipe that will most likely appeal to anyone that doesn't mind "crunchy things" in their salads. Recipe easily scaled down.

And of course, this is ~your~ salad...

Want to add onion? Great.

Want to add dill weed? Great.

Anything goes...

Don't hesitate to give it a try folks, 

I called this lunch one fine Saturday afternoon:@)

Old Fashioned Ham Salad-from Retro Recipes

1 lb fully cooked ham, chunky grind or small dice

1 rib celery, rough chopped

2 hard boiled eggs, peeled and chopped

1 Tblsp sweet pickles, chopped

1 Tblsp sweet pickle relish, or to taste

3/4 C mayonnaise

2 tsp Dijon mustard

1/2 tsp black pepper

Bread, crackers, bagel chips, and/or celery and bell peppers for dipping

~~Mix everything through black pepper, serve as desired.

Let's repurpose those leftovers and

Have a Happy Day:@)

Candy Cane and M&M Cookies -aka Leftover Christmas Candy Cookies

Sometimes towards the end of the holidays I end up with leftover candy. Maybe not enough to make a whole batch of cookies or take to the office, but I still want to do something with it... These Candy Cane and M&M Cookies make a small batch of about 6 full size cookies, and are pretty darn tasty! I was determined to make a successful batch of candy cane cookies after Frosty's Really Bad Day bloggy blooper a couple years ago here:@) These cookies would be perfect with a nice cup of hot chocolate, tea or coffee.

Barbie says, let's use up the last of the goodies before the diets start in the new year😉

Candy Cane and M&M Cookies-6 Cookie Recipe

2 Tblsp butter, softened

2 Tblsp brown sugar

1/4 tsp vanilla

1 egg yolk

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 C A/P flour

2 candy canes crushed

1/4 C M&M's

1. Cream butter and brown sugar.
2. Add vanilla and egg yolk, mix well.
3. Add baking soda and flour, mix until incorporated.
4. Hand stir in the candy canes and M&M's.
5. Drop by tablespoon (I used a cookie scoop) onto parchment lined baking sheets.
6. Bake at 375 degrees 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown.
7. Remove from oven, allow to sit on sheet for a couple minutes, remove to rack to cool completely.

Enjoy a cookie and have a happy day:@)

Creamy Chicken Curry Stew or Soup

I found a recipe for soup that sounded good, but knew I'd want a more substantial meal. So I added some potatoes and peas and served this Creamy Chicken Curry Stew for dinner. Good stuff folks:@) The curry powder takes an old fashioned homestyle chicken dish and really adds that little touch of hmmm, that's different... Recipe can easily be cut in half, canned tomatoes do freeze well if needed. But as we're entering into cooler weather I'd make a big ole pot and enjoy the leftovers. This will be on our Sunday dinner menu soon!

Want it to be more like a soup?

Add a little more bouillon and liquid.

Alternate suggestions:

Use coconut milk or,

serve over, or add, some cooked rice.

Creamy Chicken Curry Stew

2 Tblsp butter

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, bite size pieces

1 large onion, diced

2-3 large carrots, peeled, sliced

3 stalks celery, sliced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 russet potato, peeled and small dice

14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained

1 C water

1 tsp chicken bouillon granules or 1 cube

1 tsp curry powder

1 tsp oregano

1 C frozen peas

1/2 C milk or half and half

2 Tblsp cornstarch

S&P to taste

parsley or chives for garnish if desired

1. Sprinkle chicken with S&P.
2. In large pot, brown chicken in butter over medium heat. Cook until no longer pink, remove from pot.
3. Add onion, carrots, celery and cook until onion is translucent. Add more butter if needed.
4. Add garlic and cook for a minute stirring constantly.
5. Add potato, tomatoes, water, bouillon, curry, and oregano. Bring to boil, reduce to simmer.
6. Cook until potatoes and carrots are tender, approximately 30-45 minutes or so.
7. Add peas and return chicken and any juices to pot.
8. Stir cornstarch into milk, add to pot. Cook until gravy thickens. Use more water or milk to thin if necessary.
9. Add S&P to taste.

Eat well and have a happy day:@)

Pepperoni & Cheese with Olives & Italian Dressing-Appetizer

As time goes on, more and more I find myself appreciating ~easy~ ideas, whether for a football game, a family gathering, or the holidays. I love things that come together quickly, while still providing a big burst of flavor. And this Pepperoni and Cheese with Olives and Italian Salad Dressing does just that. It's also easy to make a party size batch, or a snack for one or two people. Simply cut what you need and toss with salad dressing... Done:@) A final touch could be garnishing with chives or parsley, totally optional, I happen to still have chives in the garden. 

Now, I will say,

this is not a low sodium snack...

Just a yummy one:@)

Pepperoni and Cheese with Olives and Italian Dressing

As much as you'd like:

Pepperoni, bite size cubed

Cheese of choice, bite size cubed-I used cheddar

Olives of choice

Pepperoncini if desired, press the brine out first

Italian Dressing, your favorite-I used inexpensive Kraft

1. Add first four items to bowl, add enough dressing to coat well, stir.
2. Garnish with fresh herb of choice if desired.
3. Serve with fun food picks.

🏈Enjoy a snack and have a happy day:@)

Single Serving Microwave Old Fashioned Oats

I saw a box of flavored instant oatmeal marked down to 56¢ and decided to pick it up. It's been about 100 years since I've had that and, um, I think it's best left for the kids... But I will say I loved the convenience of popping it into the microwave, so... These Microwave Old Fashioned Oats are just as quick, and easily flavored exactly as you'd like. I'm a big fan of cinnamon and raisin myself:@) Or any fruit would be good, here I had a peach from my neighbor's tree. Oh, and a little brown sugar never hurts either! 

I personally find that 1/4 C oats is a nice size breakfast for me.

9/3/23 Update: They expand and may overflow in microwave. I've begun making them in a pint mason jar and watching as I make it. Turn off microwave if they begin to rise, stir and then start it again.

Single Serving Microwave Old Fashioned Oats

1/2 C old fashioned oats

3/4 C water

• Add to bowl, stir. Cover with plastic wrap or plate. Microwave on high for 1 minute, stir. Cover and microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute longer. Let sit for a few seconds, stir and serve. *Note: All microwaves are different, you'll have to try it to find what times work best for you.

Eat well and have a happy day:@)

Grill Pan Chicken Ratatouille

This Grill Pan Chicken Ratatouille is another one of my quick, meals don't need to be complicated, suggestions folks:@) And the best part, it uses all of our summer veggies. The zucchini, eggplant, peppers, tomato, and basil are out of my garden! I'd say from prep to plate this takes about 30-40 minutes. Italian dressing adds a lot of flavor, and this will be a substantial meal. And if you have it, a drizzle of good balsamic vinegar right before serving will take it right over the top! If you'd like to add a starch, I think rice would be perfect. Don't hesitate to fire up the grill for this easy meal folks, I don't think you'll be disappointed.

I planted Little Fingers Eggplant this year, the write-up:  

68 days from transplant. This is the best open pollinated oriental eggplant available. Little Fingers eggplant seeds produce long and thin eggplants with glossy dark purple skin. You will see heavy yields of nearly straight fruits that are 4 - 5” long by 1 - 2” wide, set in clusters of 3 - 6. The creamy white interior offers a smooth taste and few seeds. Tender, thin skins do not require peeling or salting before cooking. Grill whole.

It is a hearty little plant:@)

Grill Pan Chicken Ratatouille

As much as you'd like:

Boneless chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces

Onion, large chunked

Bell peppers, chunked

Zucchini, chunked

Little Fingers Eggplant, 1/2" sliced

Italian Dressing

Tomatoes, large chunk

Fresh Basil, chiffonade

Good balsamic vinegar-optional

1. Heat grill to high, add grill pan while heating.
2. Add chicken, onion, peppers, zucchini and eggplant to large bowl or (even better) zip top bag.
3. Drizzle with enough Italian dressing to cover everything.
4. Toss into grill pan, reduce heat to medium/high.
5. Let sit for a couple minutes, stir. Cook for approximately 10-15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. During the last 5 minutes or so, toss tomatoes into the grill pan too.
6. Add to platter, drizzle with more salad dressing, sprinkle with basil, and drizzle with balsamic vinegar if desired.

Eat well and have a happy day:@)

Sweet Potato and Strawberry Salad with Balsamic Vinegar & Basil

Well now, doesn't this sound fancy:@) But truthfully, it couldn't be easier. This Cold Sweet Potato and Strawberry Salad with Balsamic Vinegar and Basil was simply plated, drizzled, and sprinkled. It's a pretty side dish and a very nice way to enjoy sweet potatoes in the summer. The key is to use the sweetest strawberries and best balsamic you have. The sweet potatoes can be sliced any way you'd like, arranging round slices on a platter would be pretty. I don't suggest mixing everything in a bowl, cooked sweet potatoes may have a tendency to break up. This was a great side dish folks, don't hesitate to try it if you're looking for something a little different.

There really aren't any measurements to this, make as much, or as little, as you need.

Sweet Potato and Strawberry Salad with Balsamic Vinegar and Basil

Sweet potatoe(s), peeled, cooked fork tender, and chilled. Sliced as desired

Fresh strawberries, as many as you'd like, sliced as desired

Pinch of salt

Balsamic vinegar

A few leaves of fresh basil, chiffonade

1. On a plate or platter, arrange sweet potatoes and strawberries.
2. Sprinkle with salt and drizzle with balsamic vinegar.
3. Sprinkle basil over top and serve.

Eat well and have a happy day:@)

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Craftastic Monday

Skillet Fresh Sweet Corn with Jalapeno & Cream Cheese

The corn on the cob looked great at the store so home it came... I wanted to try something a little different, and this Skillet Sweet Corn with Jalapeno & Cream Cheese was very tasty:@) It comes together in less than 15 minutes, and the corn stays nice and crunchy. Not the most glamourous side dish, but it would be great with anything from grilled meat to fried chicken. 

Options...

Want a more complete meal? Add cooked chicken.

Grilling out? Use the side burner.

Cooking for one? Estimate half.

Skillet Fresh Sweet Corn with Jalapeno & Cream Cheese

For every 2 ears of fresh corn, shucked and cut from the cob:

Drizzle of olive oil

1/4 small onion, sliced

1 jalapeno, deseeded and sliced-small or large, you know your crowd:@)

approximately 1/8 tsp cumin, or to taste

few hearty grinds black pepper

pinch of salt

1 oz cream cheese

2 Tblsp milk or half and half

1. Add a little olive oil to skillet, heat to medium.
2. Add onion, cook for a minute or two.
3. Add Jalapeno, cumin, and S&P, cook for a couple minutes.
4. Add corn, cook for a couple minutes.
5. Reduce heat, push veggies to outside edge of skillet, add cream cheese. Press down to help begin to melt.
6. Add milk, stirring to incorporate into cream cheese.
7. Stir and serve immediately.

Eat well and have a happy day:@)

Buffalo Chicken Popper Tortilla Bowls -Appetizer

I love the tortilla chips that are shaped as little bowls. They make fun individual snacks, and um.. Ensure no double dipping:@) They come in national brand names, and even Walmart's Great Value offers these chips for about $2 a bag. I whipped up a super simple snack, Buffalo Chicken Popper Tortilla Bowls. Pepper Jack cheese, shredded cooked chicken and your favorite buffalo sauce. I used the oven for these, they can be heated up on the grill too, we're only aiming to melt the cheese.

Sometimes I just drop a cheese cube in each one,

add some chicken,

and shake Frank's on top.

If making for others or a party,

I'd mix the chicken and hot sauce before filling the bowls.

The beauty of this is,

you can make as many,

or as few, as you'd like:@)

Ummm, melty cheese...

The easiest way to fill the bowls

would be to mix shredded cheese and chicken

with the hot sauce first.

Buffalo Chicken Popper Tortilla Bowls

• For each tortilla:

1. Add cube of pepper jack cheese.
2. Mix shredded chicken with your favorite hot sauce.
3. Stuff the bowls with chicken.
4. Alternately: Mix shredded cheese and shredded chicken with hot sauce and fill bowls.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for about 10  minutes, or until cheese has melted. -Or- Place on disposable foil pan, place on heated grill over indirect heat for about 10 minutes.
6. Add extra shake of hot sauce out of the oven.
7. Garnish with chives if desired.
8. Serve with pickled jalapenos.

Eat well and have a happy day:@)

Garlic & Herb Seasoning Dip for Vegetables

I mentioned previously that Dollar Tree has some new seasonings in the spices section this spring, I grabbed a bottle and mixed up this two ingredient Garlic & Herb Dip for Vegetables. Just the seasoning and sour cream, that's the base of it. But it is a salt free mix, so you will need to add salt to taste. We found this to be an inexpensive dip that was nice and tasty:@) I also like that you can make as little, or as much, as desired, while being able to keep the remaining mix fresh in the jar. 

The seasoning I used:

Garlic & Herb Seasoning Dip

1/2 C sour cream

2 tsp seasoning

1/4 tsp salt

~Mix well, cover and store in refrigerator at least 1-2 hours, serve with vegetables.

Eat well and have a happy day:@)

Skillet Buffalo Cauliflower Dip -$1 Frozen Cauliflower

This Skillet Buffalo Cauliflower Dip comes together in minutes and can be as spicy hot or mild as you'd like... You know your crowd:@) It's tangy from the hot sauce, creamy from cheese, and the cauliflower adds a little bite. It can be a last minute appy too if you have frozen cauliflower on hand, simply thaw in microwave. Economical? Frozen cauli is still $1 at Walmart (as of this writing). This is tasty enough for your next football party folks, and would be a nice meat free option. I used a non-stick skillet and that made clean-up a breeze. 

For some reason the pics look kinda mac and cheese gold...

It's more of a Frank's orange color in person:@)

Recipe easily cut in half, 

chop and measure 1 C of cauliflower for half.

Skillet Buffalo Cauliflower Dip

12 oz frozen cauliflower, thawed and squeezed or patted dry, small chopped

4 oz cream cheese

4 oz shredded cheddar cheese-can cut back to half if desired

about 1 Tblsp butter

3 Tblsp Frank's Hot Sauce-more or less to taste

Top with minced parsley, chives or scallions if desired

1. Add cauliflower, cheeses and butter to skillet. Slowly melt cheese over low heat.
2. Add as much hot sauce as desired.
3. Heat until hot and bubbling.
4. Pour into shallow bowl or baking dish, top with desired garnish.
5. Serve with tortilla chips or cut vegetables for dipping.

Snack well and have a happy day:@)

Healthier Oatmeal and Banana Waffles -A One Ripe Banana Recipe

I'll be the first to admit that I love kitchen toys, and have owned... Most of them. But one thing I've always looked at but passed on was a mini-waffle maker. You know the ones, they make one individual waffle at a time. Well, the holiday designs were $5 the day after Christmas at Walmart, so I grabbed the snowman figuring it would be good all winter, and then I can use the side with squares for the rest of the year. The first thing I made were these Oatmeal and Banana Waffles. I liked that I could use up one ripe banana, I'm always looking for more ways to use oatmeal, and that the batter didn't call for any additional sugar. For my pictures I dusted them with powdered sugar, but would definitely serve them with a sweeter syrup. Now, I'm not a waffle expert folks, but I will say upfront, these will not be crispy. Kinda more like ~really cute~ pancakes... I'm ok with that:@)

The recipe below will make approximately 3 of these 5" size waffles.

It's easily increased.

I can already see that the amount of batter per waffle is more of a "feel"

rather than a measurement.

I'll address that in a later post,

after I've played with the waffle iron a little more.

I'm impressed with the non-stick coating on the iron, it worked well:@)

Oatmeal and Banana Waffles-from somewhere down the rabbit hole of Pinterest...

1/2 C oatmeal-I used old fashioned oats

1 banana

1 egg

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp vanilla

1. Add all to blender, mix until smooth.
2. Pour onto preheated waffle iron.
3. Cook until baked through, per your waffle iron instructions.
4. Serve with syrup, powdered sugar, fresh fruit, whipped cream, etc...

Eat well and have a happy day:@)

Fresh Green Bean Salad -Three Ingredient & Instant Pot Green Beans

The idea behind some of these -use it up- posts, is simply to help us look at garden vegetables, or leftovers, and pantry ingredients ~maybe~ in a new way. This super simple three ingredient Fresh Green Bean Salad is a good example of that. I had enough beans from the garden for a side nibble for Sunday dinner, but not quite enough to serve as a side dish. So I gave them a quick steam in the pressure cooker, sliced up some onion, and dressed them in Italian salad dressing. Everyone thought they turned out pretty darn good:@) 

At the beginning of grilling season each year,

I buy a nice big bottle of inexpensive Italian salad dressing.

It's great to have on hand,

I use it for everything from a quick grilling marinade,

to an easy dressing for pasta salad.

Actually, I've even started an Italian Dressing Pinterest Board...

Yep, it comes in that handy folks:@)

Fresh Green Bean Salad

• Green beans, washed, end(s) trimmed, cut into bite size pieces. Cook until al dente, run under cold water, drain well. (Pressure Cooker: 1 C water, add beans to steamer basket, set timer to 1 minute, automatic release, immediately run under cold water. 2 minutes if you prefer softer beans.)
• Onion, sliced, as much as you'd like. Sweet onion would be nice...
• Italian Salad Dressing, enough to generously coat the vegetables.
• Mix everything, store in refrigerator until ready to serve, best eaten the same day.

Let's use what the garden gifts us and have a happy day:@)

Wrapped Smoked Sausage, Kielbasa or Hotdog Bites Appetizer -Diabetic Friendly Option

These Wrapped Smoked Sausage Bites are a great football or party munchie, and good way to use up a couple extra tortillas. Actually, you could use any hotdog, cooked sausage or kielbasa you have on-hand. Simply coat tortillas in mustard (I used spicy but think yellow would be prettier after baking), roll around sausage, cut into bite size pieces, and bake. The only thing you have to plan for is making sure you have some wooden toothpicks to hold each piece together. What I love about this idea is, it's ~a tad~ lighter than it's crescent roll or puff pastry cousins. Don't hesitate to give it a try folks, it might just become one of your signature party dishes:@)

Adapted from Everyday Diabetic recipes, they used turkey hotdogs and no dipping sauce,

you can click here to see their dietary information.

Wrapped Smoked Sausage Bites

Any amount of fully cooked smoked sausage you'd like

Flour tortillas- three 8" will be more than enough for a 12-16 oz package of sausage

Mustard-I recommend yellow mustard

1. Cover one side of tortilla in a light coating of mustard. 
2. Wrap tortilla snuggly around sausage (mustard side touching meat).
3. Secure with toothpicks, add toothpick to estimated center of each piece. Cut into bitesize pieces.
4. Cover baking sheet in parchment for easy clean-up if desired. Put pieces on baking sheet, toothpick up.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, or until heated through.
6. Optional: Serve with bowls of mustard, ketchup, ranch, honey mustard sauce, BBQ sauce, hot sauce, etc, on the side for dipping.

Enjoy a snack and have a happy day:@)

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