Have you ever decided to make tacos for dinner as a fall-back only to realize you don't have a taco seasoning packet in your pantry as you thought you did? That has happened to me more than once. Or maybe you remember all the obvious ingredients at the store and forget that unique spice that makes tacos taste like tacos.  I'm so glad a friend told me about a seasoning recipe in a mutual cookbook that keeps me stocked and ready for Mexican cuisine on a moment's notice. The page is dogeared and well-used. 

I have been planning on enchiladas for about three days now and having to put it off. Luckily I checked my spices today and realized I'm low. So maybe now I'll have all the ingredients to make them tomorrow. Just how life goes sometimes! 
So, if you need to add Mexican seasoning to your pantry and don't want to spend another dollar at the store for what you already own in your cabinet, mix up this combo in less than 5 minutes.  You'll be ready for tacos any night of the week. 

Add to ground beef as you would a packaged taco seasoning. Brown meat. Rinse/drain and return to pan. Add 2/3 cup of water and 2-3 Tbsp. seasoning to taste. Simmer until most water has evaporated. 

Wheat Thins... made from scratch! Does that get your attention?? It did mine a few weeks ago when I came across this most intriguing recipe. I am currently on a journey to reduce my weekly spending on bread items by learning to make as many at home as is easily possible. My toddler is not the only one in this household who LOVES crackers and Wheat Thins are our favorite! So, what did I do yesterday when I needed some for our snack, realized we were out and didn't want to run to the store?  I pulled out this saved recipe and gave it a try! 

... Now, do I always have time for just whipping up a batch of crackers in time for us to eat them for snack time? NO! But I had time for a little experimenting at that moment and took advantage of it. Gracelynn helped me flour the dough, her hands, the table, my rolling pin, and anything else she could pat, pat, pat with her messy floury hands! What a game! And I found a new favorite recipe which will be even more perfect with a little tweaking. One batch filled a quart zip lock bag, and I'm guessing it wouldn't be hard to double. Seems to me this would be an easy batch recipe to bake when I have time storing some in the pantry for serving and the rest in the fridge or freezer for later.  

I'll update this post in the future if I adjust the recipe, but for now, some of you might like to try it out yourselves. Here's the link to the recipe on Tammy's Recipes which is an excellent blog full of great recipes for wholesome cooking. I'm in the process of trying quite a few of her recipes as I'm able. So, while you're there, take a look around.

Your responses from my recent post on making yogurt at home were thought-provoking and encouraging. I hope some of you have considered trying it for yourself or maybe thought twice about the idea.  It is really so easy and healthy! But not everyone desires or is able to purchase a machine, and some of you have asked me if there are other ways to make it at home. Of course! There is always more than one way to skin a cat or do something for yourself, that is. So I did a little research with the help of my friends Lauren L. and Wendy D. who are experimenting in their own kitchens. 
We've come across several informative links to share with those of you interested in learning more about yogurt making without a machine. Most use a crock pot, but even methods vary among those. So read up and find a method that works for you. 

There's nothing like a fresh bowl of yogurt!  Our family loves it and I've been making it long enough to recommend it to others.  We eat a heaping portion of yogurt weekly which began taking up a heaping portion of my grocery budget each week.  In 2011, we began intentionally making frugal decisions and looking for ways to cut our budget to meet some financial goals we had set for ourselves.  I began to rethink my grocery spending habits and came across a blog called the Grocery Shrink. Angela proposed growing your pantry and shrinking your grocery bill. So we tried many of her good options, even some that people may view as extreme, and are still trying new ones. As she says, "You can do anything for a short period of time." As I gave myself the challenge of buying groceries for about $50 a week, spending $10 on yogurt seemed too high!