MORE GLORIOUS BEAN RECIPES – PERFECT FOR THOSE CHILLY DAYS! Looking for ways to stretch the family food budget? Beans are not only inexpensive, but healthy – and so many varieties to choose from! Here are some more ideas for easy bean dishes.  These are basic recipes...

BEANS! Healthy, nutritious, inexpensive and EASY to make! The recipes below are BASE RECIPES to get you started. Use them “AS IS” OR “TAILOR THEM” to your personal liking. Add more or less beans or broth – swap out some of the veggies – add leftover meat or...

What could be more special than making your own gourmet coffees and hot chocolate/cocoa at home, especially during the winter months? It’s easier than you think! You’re home anyway, so why not go free-style and experiment with some “hot treats” to help you pillage...

Is it a myth? An old-wives tale? OR could there be some reality into the passed down story that black-eyed peas are a “must” to eat on New Year’s Day to bring you good luck and prosperity in the upcoming year? Either way, it’s a “win win” situation. Even if they...

With Thanksgiving practically here and Christmas nipping at its heels, now is a good time to think about how to use up your holiday leftovers. Turn them into something totally different with the easy ideas below. Free-style them your way – YOU DECIDE if you want to...

Let’s talk about the chill of fall and the bite of winter. Let’s talk about “comfort food!” And what could be more comforting on a chilly day than a bowl of soup and a grilled cheese sandwich! Those old-school commercials had it right – showing moms everywhere that...

Soups can be fast, easy AND economical! Soup is a great way to stretch your food budget. And let’s face it, with chillier weather ahead, who doesn’t like a cup or bowl of hot, comforting soup? These are basic “free-style” soup recipes. Tailor them to your own...

Free-style cooking is basically cooking with simple basic recipes and altering them to fit your personal taste. Once you learn how to Free-Style cook, you won’t even bother measuring ingredients, you’ll just know instinctively, and from repetition, how to alter basic...