DailyDollar approves of this  dinner entree for your budget!  Yield: 4 Servings, Cost per Serving: $2.01

Ingredients
2 cups cubed rhubarb (from 2 large stalks)
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon orange zest
2 tablespoons currants
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 pinch cloves
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 (3/4 -inch-thick) boneless pork chops

How to Prepare:
Place a large skillet over medium heat, combine 2 cups cubed rhubarb (from 2 large stalks), 1/4 cup cider vinegar, 1/4 tsp. orange zest, 2 Tbsp. currants, 1/4 cup packed brown sugar, 1 tsp. minced fresh ginger, 1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper, 1/4 tsp. salt and a pinch of cloves. Stir in 1/2 cup water and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring frequently, until rhubarb breaks down and liquid is almost completely absorbed, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and let cool to room temperature.
1. Wipe out skillet and add 1 Tbsp. olive oil over medium-high heat, be careful not to heat the olive oil too much. Season 4 (3/4 -inch-thick) boneless pork chops with salt and pepper. Cook chops, turning once, until well-browned on both sides and cooked through (an instant-read thermometer inserted in thickest part of chop should read 155°F). This takes about 10 minutes. Serve with chutney on top and accompany with rice for a nice summertime dinner.

Tostadas

Tostadas

Tasty tostadas with or without beef is an easy answer to “What’s For Dinner?”

Yield: 6 Servings; Cost per Serving: $.75 for the meatless version, $1.25 if you like the beef tostadas.

Save your dailydollars and a lot of time by turning your kitchen into a restaurant!In this super fast recipe, tortillas are filled with refried beans and salsa, topped with cheddar cheese, and baked until the cheese melts. Sprinkle some fresh cilantro on top and serve with sour cream and fresh lettuce. Choosing the beefy version still doesn’t beef up the bill too much!

Ingredients:

6 (6-inch) flour or corn tortillas

3/4 cup fat-free refried beans
3/4 cup jarred red salsa
1 cup shredded Cheddar (about 2 1/2 oz.)
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 cup shredded Romaine lettuce
2 tablespoons sour cream

Optional:
3/4 lb. ground beef, browned and drained

How to Prepare:
Preheat oven to 400°F. Mist every other cup of a 12-cup muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray. Soften tortilla stack in microwave for 15 seconds and gently press a tortilla into each sprayed cup, flattening out edges. Divide beans among tostadas, top with salsa and sprinkle with cheese. You can also add cooked and crumbled ground beef to the tostada mixture if you prefer to have beef in your tostadas. Bake until warmed through and the tortilla shells are toasted, approximately 7 minutes. Be sure to watch them to prevent the tortilla shells from getting too toasty. Place each tostada on a plate and sprinkle with cilantro. Top with some lettuce and a small dollop of sour cream. Serve with extra salsa, if desired. Ole!

Jalapeno Pepper Poppers

Jalapeno Pepper Poppers

Only $.80 per serving

It’s just enough heat!

Ingredients
24 small jalapeño chilis
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
1 cup grated Cheddar (4 oz.)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 large eggs, beaten
1 cup plain bread crumbs
Salt and pepper

How to Prepare
Wearing rubber gloves, cut jalapeños in half lengthwise with a paring knife and remove seeds. Leave stems intact.
In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, Cheddar and cilantro, and mix well. Fill half of jalapeños generously with cheese mixture; top each stuffed chili half with an empty chili half.
Place oil in skillet and warm it over medium high heat until it reaches 375°F. You should have at least 2 inches of oil in the skillet to prevent sticking.
Arrange 3 bowls on a counter. Place flour in one, eggs in another and bread crumbs in third. One at a time, dip chilis in flour and drop into the eggs carefully. Do not allow the 2 halves to separate. Using the other hand to remove the chilis, let the excess drip off and drop chilis carefully into the bread crumb mixture. Roll each chili in bread crumbs with your dry hand to coat them completely. Remove chilis with your dry hand. (Chilis can be made several hours ahead up to this point. Cover and refrigerate.)
Fry a few peppers at a time in hot oil until they turn golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Let the oil return to 375°F before beginning next batch so that the poppers are crispy. Serve warm.

Grand Old Flag Cake

Grand Old Flag Cake

Looks just like the one my Mother used to bake every Independence Day!  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Chocolate cake:
Cooking spray
1 3/4 cups flour
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks (6 oz.) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cream-cheese frosting:
2 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, softened
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
2 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 pint blueberries
1 1/2 pints raspberries

How to Prepare:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line length of 13-by-9-inch cake pan with parchment paper, leaving a 4-inch overhang. Lay another sheet across width of pan and up sides (without overhang). Spray paper evenly with cooking spray.
Make cake: Whisk together flour, granulated sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat in butter on low speed until mixture is crumbly. Add buttermilk, eggs and vanilla. Increase speed to medium and beat, scraping down inside of bowl, until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to baking pan.
Bake cake until a cake tester inserted in center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack for 10 minutes. Holding overhanging pieces of paper, pull cake from pan and let cool completely on rack. Invert platter on cake and flip over to invert cake. Carefully peel off paper and discard.
Make frosting: Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and butter on medium speed until light. Gradually beat in confectioners’ sugar until fluffy. Beat in lemon juice. Refrigerate frosting for about 10 minutes if it’s too soft to spread.
Frost sides and top of cake. Arrange blueberries in a rectangle in upper left-hand corner of cake. Arrange raspberries in 7 rows for stripes. Refrigerate cake until serving. (Cake may be made up to 3 hours ahead.)

How to save money on cost of ingredients:
Check out Walgreen’s special on EGGS: 1 dozen brown eggs for $.99; 16 oz. Soft Philadelphia Cream Cheese is $5.00 for 4 tubs at Publix; Sugar is $2.28 at Save-A-Lot; Publix has ½ pint of blueberries and rasberries for $1.99.

Buttermilk Chicken Tenders

BUTTERMILK CHICKEN TENDERS

Marinate chicken tenders in a mixture of buttermilk and hot sauce, coat in breadcrumbs, then cover and refrigerate in the morning before you leave for work. Brown in a skillet and keep warm in an oven for an easy weeknight dinner and a great money saving alternative to a fast food dinner. Click To Continue

Lasagna

LASAGNA Lasagna is one of my favorite dishes to make and eat. This dish is a little more time consuming then most of our other recipes but it is well worth it. You will need to use our Delicious Italian Sauce recipe to construct this dish and include lean ground beef with the other meats. Click To Continue