On Vacation

Hello to all my faithful Recipes for Moms readers! My family and I will be enjoying sunny Southern California for the next two weeks. In order to truly give myself some time off, I will also be taking a vacation from blogging also. So never fear when you don't see any new recipes or new coupons posts for a few weeks. I will return the middle of July to keep you filled with recipes and coupons. Hope you're having a great summer!

Pork-n-Rice Skillet

Serves: 4

1/2 c. onion, chopped
1 can (14.5 oz.) beef broth
1 1/3 c. instant rice, uncooked
1 tsp. yellow mustard
1 can (16 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained
1/4 c. ketchup
1 tsp. dried parsley
1/2 c. green pepper, chopped
1 1/2 c. roast pork, cooked

Spray a large skillet with oil or non-stick cooking spray. Saute onion for 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in beef broth, rice and mustard. Bring mixture to a boil. Add tomatoes, ketchup, parsley and green pepper; mix well. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add pork; mix well. Continue simmering for 5 minutes or until mixture is heated through, stirring often.

Click here to see if there are any coupons available to go with this recipe!

Tips: This was a nice dish with a unique flavor due to the ketchup/mustard mix. However, I must warn you - if you do not like mustard this might not be the dinner for you. Mustard is one food I absolutely loathe however I will try new dishes like this just to be adventurous. I didn't taste the mustard in the dish as much as I could smell it when it was cooking (which I don't like either). Since the rest of my family found no problem with this dinner, I figure that most other people won't either. Let me know what you think. For the cooked pork, leftovers are great in this dish or find a lone pork chop and cook it up before you start.

Recipe from Grandma's Comfort Food Made Healthy

New Coupons - June 24

Here are the new food coupons this week:
(these will also be included in the full list in the coupons post)

Coupons.com
Boost Nutritional Drink, Multipack - $3.00 off
Burger King Bagged snacks - $1.00 off 2
Chung's for 2 Entrée - 75¢ off
Desitin Diaper Rash product - $1.00 off
Dole All Natural Salad Kit (Kroger only) - $1.00 off
Goodnights Underpants - $2.00 off
Gordon's, Any fish items - $1.00 off 2
Hain Celestial, Any products totaling $10 or more - $3.00 off
Huggies Baby wipes, 320 ct. or larger - $2.00 off
Huggies Snug & Dry, 60 ct. or larger - $3.00 off
Lorraine cheese - 55¢ off
Mariani Dried fruit - $1.75 off 2
Oscar Meyer Hot Dogs - $1.00 off 2
Reser's 3 lb. or larger Deli Salad - $1.00 off
T.G.I. Friday's Bagged snacks - $1.00 off 2
Tropicana Trop 50, 59 oz. - $1.00 off
Welsh's Reduced Sugar Jelly or Spread - 75¢ off

Cool Savings (click on "Printable Coupons")
Act II Popcorn - 40¢ off
Act II Popcorn - $1.00 off 2
Archway Cookies - $1.00 off 2
Carvel Ice Cream Cake - $2.00 off
Cinnabon Cinnamon Bread loaf - $1.00 off
Holland House Cooking Wine or Wine Vinegar - 75¢ off
Lance Sandwich Crackers Homepack - 55¢ off

Red Plum
Odom's Tennessee Pride sausage plus ground beef or two sausage - $1.00 off
Pure Protein Bars - $1.00 off 2

Cellfire - can be saved from 6/15 - 6/28
Betty Crocker Supreme Brownie mix box - 75¢ off 2
Betty Crocker Specified fruit snacks - 50¢ off 2
Bisquick Baking Mix, 40 oz. or larger - 50¢ off
Cheerios Honey Nut cereal - 55¢ off
Chex Mix 4.5 oz. bag or 100 Calorie Snack - 50¢ off
Fiber One Chewy Bars - 50¢ off
Hamburger Helper, Chicken Helper or Tuna Helper - 75¢ off 3
Kellogg's Froot Loops, Frosted Flakes, Apple Jacks, Corn Pops or Frosted Mini Wheats - $1.00 off 2
Lucky Charms cereal - 55¢ off
Morton Season-All seasoned salt - 55¢ off
Nature Valley Granola Nut Clusters - $1.00 off
Nature Valley Granola Bars - 50¢ off
Starbucks VIA Ready Brew - $1.00 off
Trix cereal - 55¢ off
Wheaties Fuel cereal - $1.00 off
Yoplait Yogurt cups - 40¢ off 6
Yoplait Fiber One Multipack - $1.00 off
*Don't miss out on the $100 Grocery Gift Card giveaway sponsored by Cellfire.
If you are not familiar with Cellfire, please read my Cellfire post to help get yourself acquainted with this free, clipless coupon service.

Ocean Spray Blueberry Juice Drink - $1.00 off
Blue Diamond Almond Breeze almond milk - $1.00 off
Gold'n Plump All Natural Chicken - $1.00 off
Birdseye Steamfresh Seafood Meals - $1.50 off
Yoplait yogurt cups - 50¢ off 4
Buitoni Premium Frozen Meal - $1.50 off
Buitoni product - $1.00 off
The Skinny Cow product - $1.00 off
The Skinny Cow cup - 50¢ off

Free eCookbook – 29 Tasty, Easy Breakfast Recipes, featuring 45 pages of delicious recipes.

Free Samples
I didn't see any new food samples available right now. Anyone else see any?

Happy Saving!

Meat Pies

Makes: 2 pies, Serves: 4-6

2 boxes (15 oz.) refrigerated pie crusts
5 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced
1/2 tsp. salt
2 lbs. ground beef
1 medium onion, diced
1 1/4 tsp. seasoned salt
1 1/2 tsp. poultry seasoning

Remove pie crusts from refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature. Meanwhile, boil potatoes with a pinch of salt for 20-25 minutes or until tender. In a large skillet, brown the beef and onion over medium heat; drain. Drain potatoes and mash with a potato masher. Stir potatoes, seasoned salt and poultry seasoning into meat mixture. Set aside to cool. Line two pie plates with one pie crust each and fill evenly with meat mixture. Cover with top crusts and trim and seal edges. Cut slits in the top to vent.

To cook immediately, bake at 400 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown. Cover edges of crust with foil to keep from burning. To freeze, wrap the pis in plastic wrap then heavy-duty foil. Label and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator for 24 hours before cooking then following baking directions above.

Click here to see if there are any coupons available to go with this recipe!

Tips: It was great to make one meal for dinner and know I was making another night's dinner at the same time. If you are going to cook one pie right away you do not need to let the meat for that pie cool. The meat only needs to cool so that your freezer doesn't have to work so hard. I think the next time I make this I might add a can of cut green beans into the mix. It would add an extra vegetable as well as some extra moisture. The pie that I froze baked up just as well as the one I made fresh.

Recipe adapted from Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms

Beef & Rice Casserole

Serves: 4

3/4 lb. ground beef
1/2 c. onion, chopped
1 c. white rice
3 c. water
1 tsp. olive oil
1 can (15 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 tsp. garlic powder
Salt and pepper
1 c. shredded Mozzarella cheese

In a skillet, brown the ground beef with onion. Drain the excess fat. Set aside. In a 8-inch square baking dish, combine rice, water, oil, tomatoes, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Stir in cooked beef and onions and cover with foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Remove from oven, uncover and fluff with fork. Top with shredded cheese and return to oven. Bake for another 10 minutes or until cheese has melted. (See tips for high altitude)

Check here to see if there are any coupons available to go with this recipe!

Tips: This was a simple, tasty casserole that was good for the whole family. I found that my casserole needed about 10 extra minutes with the foil off before I put the cheese on and back in the oven. I think this was probably just a high altitude thing since rice takes longer to cook up here.

Recipe from The $5 Dinner Mom Cookbook

New Cellfire Cinderella Coupon Thursday

Cellfire has announced that another Cinderella coupons will be released at 12:00pm (noon) Pacific time on Thursday, June 17th. The last coupon they made available was worth $1.00 towards any purchase and could be loaded onto any Kroger-affiliated store card. There were some significant glitches with the last coupon but Cellfire has promised that these mistakes have been corrected.

Thursday's coupon will be worth more than $1.00 (we don't know the exact amount yet) but will only be available on a first-come, first-served basis. Expect them to go quickly! The coupon will not visible before noon and you must be logged in to see it. You will need to use this special Cinderella link to find the coupon. Once it is live, go to the Browse Offers tab so make sure you have your Kroger card registered before this time.

If you are not familiar with Cellfire's clipless coupon program, please read my post about Cellfire. Also don't forget to enter the $100 Grocery Gift Card giveaway (winner's choice of store) sponsored by Cellfire.

Garlic-Rosemary Pork Chops

Serves: 4

4 pork chops, 3/4 to 1-inch thick
Salt and pepper
1 T. oil
4 large garlic cloves, sliced thin
1 c. chicken broth
1/2 tsp. dried rosemary
1 tsp. red wine vinegar
2 T. butter

Pat chops dry with paper towel and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high. Cook chops until well browned and meat registered 145 degrees, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer to platter and tent with foil. Add garlic to empty skillet and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add broth and scrape up any browned bits with wooden spoon. Simmer about 5 minutes or until reduced by half. Add any accumulated pork juices back to pan and stir in rosemary, vinegar and butter. Pour sauce over chops.

Click here to see if there are any coupons to go with this recipe!

Tips: Wow! These pork chops were awesome. The sauce really is easy to make and has so much flavor. I was amazed what a great taste the pork chops had with just salt and pepper on them and a little bit of sauce. We served these with brown rice and green beans and it made a wonderful meal. I also shared this recipe at Simply Sweet Home's Friday Favorites & Harrigan Howdy's Recipe Share Party.

Recipe adapted from Cook's Country Magazine

New Coupons - June 15

Here are the new coupons this week:
(these are also included in the full list in the coupons post)

Coupons.com
Ball Park Jumbo - 75¢ off
Dibs Ice Cream 140 bites - $1.00 off
Eight O'Clock Coffee - $1.00 off
Green Giant Frozen Bagged Veggies, 19-24 oz. only - 50¢ off
Lean Cuisine Frozen Meals specified varieties - $1.00 off 2
Libby's Fruit - $1.00 off 2
Minute Rice, Any product - 50¢ off
Pepperidge Farm Goldfish crackers - 35¢ off
Rotel canned tomatoes - $1.00 off 3
Sargento Deli Style Sliced Cheese - 55¢ off
Snapple Tea - Buy One, Get One Free
Starbucks Ice Cream pint - $1.00 off 2

Cool Savings (click on "Printable Coupons")
Ken's Salad Dressing - $1.00 off 2
Marie's Yogurt Dressing - $1.00 off
Red Rose Tea - 50¢ off

Red Plum
Aunt Jemima Mix or Syrup - $1.00 off 2
Ball Canning Discovery Kit - $2.00 off
Best Life Buttery Spread or Spray - $1.00 off
David's Seeds Original or Jumbo - $1.00 off 2
Kellogg's Eggo Waffles (Target only) - $1.00 off
Newman's Own Specified products - 50¢ off
Rhodes Warm-n-Serve Rolls - $1.00 off
Sara Lee Pre-Sliced meat - $1.00 off
Voskos Yogurt - $1.00 off 2

Cellfire - can be saved from 6/15 - 6/28
Betty Crocker Supreme Brownie mix box - 75¢ off 2
Betty Crocker Specified fruit snacks - 50¢ off 2
Bisquick Baking Mix, 40 oz. or larger - 50¢ off
Cheerios Honey Nut cereal - 55¢ off
Chex Mix 4.5 oz. bag or 100 Calorie Snack - 50¢ off
Fiber One Chewy Bars - 50¢ off
Hamburger Helper, Chicken Helper or Tuna Helper - 75¢ off 3
Kellogg's Froot Loops, Frosted Flakes, Apple Jacks, Corn Pops or Frosted Mini Wheats - $1.00 off 2
Lucky Charms cereal - 55¢ off
Morton Season-All seasoned salt - 55¢ off
Nature Valley Granola Nut Clusters - $1.00 off
Nature Valley Granola Bars - 50¢ off
Starbucks VIA Ready Brew - $1.00 off
Trix cereal - 55¢ off
Wheaties Fuel cereal - $1.00 off
Yoplait Yogurt cups - 40¢ off 6
Yoplait Fiber One Multipack - $1.00 off
*Don't miss out on the $100 Grocery Gift Card giveaway sponsored by Cellfire.
If you are not familiar with Cellfire, please read my Cellfire post to help get yourself acquainted with this free, clipless coupon service.

Annie Chun's Asian Meal Starter - $1.00 off
Special K Low-Fat Granola - $1.00 off
Del Monte Fruit Naturals - $1.00 off 5
Classico Pasta Sauce - $1.00 off
Ghiradelli Intense Dark bars - $1.00 off 2

Free Samples
Propel Powder w/Calcium (Facebook)

Happy Saving!

Applesauce Spice Bars

Makes: 2 dozen bars

Bars
1 c. flour
2/3 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/4 c. butter
1 c. applesauce
1 egg

Browned Butter Frosting
3 T. butter
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 - 1 1/2 T. milk

In a large bowl, combine all bar ingredients; mix thoroughly. Spread in a greased 13 x 9 baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes. When cool, frost with Browned Butter Frosting. Cut into bars.

To make frosting, heat butter in a saucepan over medium heat until it turns a delicate brown; remove from heat. Blend in remaining ingredients; beat until frosting is smooth and a spreading consistency.

Click here to see if there are any coupons available to go with this recipe!

Tips: These spice bars had a great flavor if you enjoy the spices in pumpkin pie spice (I love them!). These did not bake up much but still had the consistency of cake. This might be due to the high altitude where I am so yours might be different. The frosting begins to harden quickly so be prepared to spread fast. I also shared this recipe at Somewhat Simple's Strut Your Stuff Thursday.

Recipe from Christmas Cookies Cookbook

Pork Potato Casserole

Serves: 4-6

4-6 pork chops
4-5 potatoes, peeled & cut in 1/2-inch slices
1 can cheddar cheese soup
1/2 soup can milk

Place two layers of potatoes on the bottom of a greased casserole dish. Place pork chops on top. Combine soup and milk. Pour over pork chops. Bake, covered, at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Uncover, increase temperature to 375 degrees and bake for an additional 30 minutes.

Click here to see if there are any coupons available to go with this recipe!

Tips: Cheesy potatoes with pork chops - simple, comfort meal in my book. This is perfect with a can of green beans or a fresh green salad.

Recipe from The Four Ingredient Cookbook

Sour Cream Pancakes

Makes: 12 4-inch pancakes *See tips

1 c. sour cream
7 T. flour
1 T. sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla
Butter
Pancake syrup

In a medium bowl, combine sour cream, flour, sugar, baking soda and salt; stir gently until mostly mixed. Whisk eggs in separate bowl; add vanilla and stir. Pour egg mixture into sour cream mixture. Stir together gently. Batter doesn't have to be totally combined. Heat a griddle or iron skillet over medium-low heat. Melt a small amount of butter on griddle and pour the batter 1/4 cup at a time. Cook for 1-2 minutes, then flip and cook for an additional 45 seconds to 1 minute or until golden brown. Top with butter and syrup.

Click here to see if there are any coupons available to go with this recipe!

Tips: These were delicious pancakes with a little more substance than traditional flapjacks and are nice and moist. I doubled this recipe for our family of 4 (two of those mouths being under 5-years old). So keep that in mind when making breakfast. Be sure to have the griddle or skillet nice and hot otherwise your first batch of pancakes will be impossible to flip. Start with only 1/4 cup of batter at a time until you see how they will spread.

Recipe from The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl

$100 Grocery Card Giveaway from Cellfire

Even though my mother used coupons when I was a kid and passed her frugality on to me, my younger brother somehow missed the coupons memo. As a bachelor in his late 20's he hates coupons. I say they're free money! I don't know that he took my advice but I did tell him about Cellfire awhile back because not only are Cellfire clipless coupons great for those of us frugal minded moms but also great for traditional coupon-hating 20-somethings.

If you're not familiar with Cellfire, read my previous Cellfire post for all the details. Basically they are coupons that you load to your grocery store loyalty card which automatically come off at checkout. The easiest thing to do is to load any that you think you might possibly use and then they'll be there even if you forget about them. Here are the items that have coupons available this month:

Morton’s Season Salt
Fruit Loops
Apple Jacks
Frosted Flakes
Corn Pops
Hamburger Helper
Nature Valley Granola Nut Clusters
Betty Crocker Supreme Brownie Mix
Fiber One Chewy Bars
Bisquick
Betty Crocker Fruit Snacks
Trix
Lucky Charms
Chex Mix
Yoplait Fiber One Multipacks
Yoplait Cups
Yoplait Delight Multipacks
Nature Valley Granola Bars
Wheaties Fuel cereal

The Morton's Season Salt would probably be one of my first choices. We just discovered Grilled Potato "Chips" and seasoned salt is a key ingredient. It's just such a versatile item to keep in your spice rack.

Well, Cellfire has some new things they're introducing this month. One was the Cellfire Cinderella coupon which was available for a short time at the beginning of the month. Once loaded it gave you an automatic $1.00 off your next grocery trip. They have promised to make more Cinderella coupons available in differing amounts, just watch for the announcements. Along with a large selection of coupons Recipes for Moms readers have the opportunity to enter to win a $100 gift card to the grocery store of their choice provided by Cellfire.

Required Entry:

- Look over the above list of available Cellfire coupons and let me know which one you would be most likely to use. (This has to be done for any additional entries to be valid.)

Additional Entries:

- Go to Cellfire and load as many coupons as you would like onto your grocery card. Leave a comment with how many you loaded. (1 entry regardless of how many are loaded)

- Read the Stand-By Meal Planning post. Leave a comment there then come back here and leave a comment telling me you did so. (Clear as mud, right?)

- Read the Best Recipes with Brownie Mix post. Leave a comment or link up there then come back here and leave a comment telling me you did so.

- Find a recipe from Recipes for Moms you plan to try with your family and leave a comment telling me which recipe.

- Grab my button and add it to your site. Please let me know where I can find it. (If you already have it, that counts too.)

- Blog, post info, tweet or otherwise publicize this giveaway and link back to this post. Again, let me know where I can find it. (1 entry allowed for each form of publicity)

- "Like" Recipes for Moms on Facebook. (If you already do, that counts.)

- Subscribe to Recipes for Moms by E-mail. Please make sure you activate your subscription by clicking the activate link in the initial e-mail. If you already subscribe, just leave a comment saying so.

Please be sure to leave a separate comment for each entry and your e-mail address if it is not available on your profile. This giveaway is open to US residents only. The winner will be chosen using Random.org and the contest will end on Friday, June 25th at midnight (Mountain Time). After I contact the winner, they will have 48 hours to get back to me or another winner will be chosen. Good luck! I reserve the right to delete entries that do not adhere to the entry rules.

*Disclosure: This giveaway is sponsored by Cellfire who will provide the $100 grocery gift card. I have the opportunity to receive $25 grocery gift card based off the number of Cellfire coupons loaded through my posts. All opinions are my own.

Best Recipes with Brownie Mix

I love boxed brownie mixes. They are great to keep on hand for a quick, easy family dessert. One of my all-time favorite ways to enjoy brownies has to be a warm brownie with french vanilla ice cream on top and hot fudge. Yum! So today we are going to highlight a Betty Crocker Supreme Brownie Mix which you can find a clipless coupon for at Cellfire.

We just tried Butterscotch Swirl Brownies from the Betty Crocker Cookies & Bars Magazine. Awesome! I see so many different possibilities for these brownies. At Christmas you could use the red and green chips mix them up individually and swirl them into the top. It would be so festive! Okay, now for the recipe:

Butterscotch Swirl Brownies
Makes: 18 brownies

1/2 c. butterscotch chips
1 small package (3 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1/4 c. sugar
3 eggs, divided
1 box (1 lb. 5.2 oz.) Betty Crocker Supreme Chocolate Chunk brownie mix
3 T. water
1/2 c. oil

In small microwavable bowl, microwave chips uncovered on high for 30 seconds, stir until chips are melted. Stir in cream cheese, sugar and 1 egg until smooth; set aside. In a medium bowl, stir brownie mix, water, oil and 2 eggs about 50 strokes or until well blended. Spread 2/3 of the batter in a greased (bottom only) 13 x 9 pan. Spread butterscotch mixture over batter in pan. Drop remaining batter by tablespoonfuls over butterscotch mixture; swirl lightly with spatula for marbled design. Bake 30-35 minutes or until edges begin to pull away from sides of pan. Cool completely.

I want to hear your favorite recipes using a boxed brownie mix. You have two options for sharing. If you have a blog with a recipe that uses a box of brownies, then you can link up below (please link directly to your brownie mix post). If you do not have a blog, then let us know your recipe in the comments section. Anyone who participates will be given an extra entry into the $100 grocery gift card giveaway. Please make sure your link or comment gives us your entire recipe so that other can enjoy the yumminess! And don't forget to go to Cellfire and load the coupon for the Betty Crocker Supreme brownie mix. (If you are not familiar with the Cellfire program, read my previous Cellfire post.)

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* This post is in conjunction with Cellfire's sponsorship of the $100 grocery card giveaway at Recipes for Moms. All opinions are my own.

I also shared this post at We Are THAT Family's Works-For-Me Wednesday & 11th Heaven's Homemaker Monday.

Grilled Potato "Chips"

Serves: 4-5

4-5 medium potatoes, peeled
Canola oil
Seasoned salt
Pepper

Place whole potatoes in a pot of boiling water. Cook until just tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from pot and slice lengthwise into 1/4-inch slices. Spread out potatoes slices on plate or baking sheet. Brush with oil and season with pepper and seasoned salt. Turn potatoes and oil, salt & pepper the opposite side. Grill on barbecue over medium heat until golden brown on each side. Serve warm.

Click here to see if there are any coupons available to go with this recipe!

Tips: This was a great way to make a potato side dish to go with our steak that required a lot less clean-up than baked potatoes. Since you prep them before dinner, you can have the pot and cutting board cleaned up before dinner is ready. Plus if your husband happens to be the one that does the grilling, there's less work for mom. Yeah! The potatoes will not be fully cooked when you slice them but they were perfectly soft when finished on the barbecue. I also shared this recipe at Crazy Daisy's Tuesday Tastes, Our Homeschool Home's On the Grill & Trendy Treehouse's Creative Share.

Recipe adapted from Parade Magazine (May 23, 2010)

Stand-by Meal Planning

Weekly meal planning is very important to me both for organization and saving money. I take the time each week to pick out recipes, plan our meals and buy whatever extra ingredients I don't already have in the pantry. However as every busy mom knows, even the best laid plans sometimes fall through. So you're having one of those days - kids forgot their lunches, late for soccer practice, five different errands to run and you get home and realize that the meal you put in the crock pot that morning is completely uncooked because you forgot to plug it in. Ahh!! What's for dinner?!

This is where stand-by meal planning comes in. Stand-by meals are the quick, easy meals your family enjoys that you can go to when time is short or you are tired. Usually these are not meals that you schedule into your weekly meal plan but you make an effort to keep the ingredients on hand for whenever they are needed. They are just there to give you another option to eating out on a crazy night.

For our family these meals include: 1. Pasta with jar sauce, 2. Baked potatoes with canned chili on top, 3. Bean burritos, 4. Hamburger Helper. Now I know that these meals fall into the "quite processed" category but compared to greasy fast food I think they're at least a few steps up. Plus there are ways to make all of these meals a little healthier (i.e. whole wheat pasta, vegetarian chili, fat-free refried beans or ground turkey).

I bring all of this up to help you along on those busy nights and to remind you about the great coupons Cellfire has available right now for you to load onto your grocery store card. They have a Hamburger Helper coupon available for 75¢ off 3 boxes, which includes Chicken Helper and Tuna Helper also. So what are your family's stand-by meals? Anyone who leaves a comment will be given an extra entry into my $100 grocery gift card giveaway sponsored by Cellfire. (If you are not familiar with the Cellfire program, read my previous Cellfire post.)

* This post is in conjunction with Cellfire's sponsorship of an upcoming $100 grocery card giveaway at Recipes for Moms. All opinions are my own.

I also shared this post at 11th Heaven's Homemaker Monday & We Are THAT Family's Works-For-Me Wednesday.

Honey Pork Chops

Serves: 4

2 T. brown sugar
3 T. honey
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
4 pork chops
Hot, cooked rice

In a small bowl, whisk together brown sugar, honey, salt and pepper. Place the pork chops in a large skillet and brush the honey glaze both sides of each chop. Cook over medium-high heat for 5-6 minutes on each side or until chops are no longer pink in the middle. Serve with rice.

Click here to see if there are any coupons available to go with this recipe!

Tips: Not much needs to be said about a simple yet yummy pork chops dish. As always, $5 Dinner Mom has created a wonderfully easy and frugal meal that all families can enjoy.

Recipe from The $5 Dinner Mom Cookbook

Home Depot Garden Club

I consider gardening part of my food-blogging efforts because so many awesome fruits and vegetables can be grown right in your own backyard. We've moved since last summer so I have less room to work with this year and am having to plant less vegetables and do more in pots. Although I'm a bit sad to have to downsize I am glad that we will still be able to have fresh tomatoes, spinach, lettuce, zucchini and cilantro a bit later in the summer.

If you are a backyard gardener, whether you favor vegetables, fruits or flowers The Home Depot Garden Club is something you should be a part of. When you join the Garden Club, you will get money-saving offers and time-saving tips. You have the opportunity to ask the experts questions, get savings delivered right to your inbox and find the latest timely tips and regional advice. I also get a mailer about once a quarter in my mailbox with several coupons and tips included.

Here is an interesting tip included in the latest one I received: To clean your barbecue grill, cover the rack with aluminum foil while it's cool, then close the lid and heat up the grill. After about 15 minutes, turn off the grill, bunch up the foil and run the racks with it to remove residue. Sign up now for free and see what deals and tips you can find for your summer gardening and grilling!

Guacamole

Makes: 2 cups

2 ripe avocados
1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. seasoned salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. dry minced onion
Garnish with chopped onion or cilantro, if desired

Cut avocados in half, remove pit and scoop out fruit. In a bowl, mash avocados with a fork until mostly smooth. Stir in additional ingredients. Serve with tortilla chips or spread on burgers or sandwiches.

Click here to see if there are any coupons available to go with this recipe!

Tips: Oddly enough, even though I grew up in Southern California (where they grow tons of avocados) I never really liked them until I was an adult and took a trip to Mexico City. Some of the food there was so spicy that guacamole was the only thing that cooled it down. Now I love it! I know that in some areas of the country avocados are super expensive so this might be a recipe you have to save for a special occasion. But if you love avocados give our recipe a try and tell me what you think. Do you have a secret ingredient in your guacamole that you're willing to share with the rest of us? I also shared this recipe at Simply Sugar & Gluten-Free's Slightly Indulgent Tuesday & Life as MOM's Ultimate Recipe Swap.

Recipe from my husband. (Thanks hon!)

Cranberry Chip Cookies

Makes: 2-3 dozen

1 3/4 c. flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
4 T. butter, at room temperature
1 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
3/4 c. unsweetened applesauce
1 c. quick or old-fashioned oats
1 c. chocolate chips
2/3 c. dried cranberries

Stir together flour, baking soda, salt and pumpkin pie spice; set aside. In a medium bowl or stand mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth. Add the sugar and vanilla and beat for 3-4 minutes. Beat in the eggs; mix well then beat in applesauce. Stir in flour mixture until moistened, then stir in oats, chocolate chips and cranberries. Batter will be stiff. Place by tablespoonfuls on greased cookie sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake at 375 degrees for 14-16 minutes or until cookies are golden brown. Do not overbake; cookies will remain soft. Transfer to cooling racks. Store in airtight container.

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Tips: These were nice, soft chewy cookies that my whole family enjoyed. Since I bake at high altitude your cookies may have a slightly different look or texture if you bake closer to sea level. My cookies were soft and had almost a cake-like texture. I also shared this recipe at Balancing Beauty & Bedlam's Tasty Tuesday & Somewhat Simple's Strut-Your-Stuff Thursday.

Recipe adapted from Baking in America: Traditional and Contemporary Favorites from the Past 200 Years