Category Archives: frugal

Valentine’s Day Pesto Cracker Chips

These tasty little things can pass as a chip or a cracker. Either way try them. These are super fast and easy to put together. These would be perfect for a Valentine’s Day lunchbox or as part of a cheese or charcuterie board to have with wine. You can change up the shape to suit whatever occasion you are celebrating.

Take a package of wonton wrappers and use a cookies cutter to cut out the shapes you want to use.

Place the shapes on a parchment lined baking sheet and brush with pesto and just a very light sprinkle of salt.

Bake in a 350F oven for about 8 minutes, until golden at the edges.

Let cool completely before storing in an airtight container. Lasts for a few days, but ours did not last to make it into a container.

As you can see, we tried a few tree shapes that we could use for Christmas and pumpkins for Halloween.

One note about the pesto, if you are putting in a lunchbox check the pesto for nuts. Both pesto types that I bought contained nuts. Our school is nut free so I couldn’t put them in the lunchbox. I have to find a nut free commercial pesto or make my own.

You could also just brush them with a little olive oil and sprinkle of salt to make a plain cracker-chip. That is how I will use the rest of my wontons for the valentines lunchbox.

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Roasted Almond Pumpkin Seed Butter


We always make homemade peanut butter and it was the easiest thing ever. I really like almond butter, so had to give that a try too. It was just as easy and turned out really good.

 I took a couple of large handfuls (about 1 cup) of raw almonds and one handful (about 1/2cup) of raw pumpkins seeds and roasted them for a few minutes in a 350F oven. Shake them around a bit and watch them carefully or they will burn! To make it easier you can just buy them already roasted. When you take them out you will hear the pumpkins seeds cracking and popping.

Let those cool a bit, just to room temperature. Put all of those into a food processor.  


While blending drizzle in some avocado oil, or any flavour neutral cooking oil. Only 2-3 tbsp. Blend until smooth, drizzling in a little more oil as needed.

Drizzle in a tablespoon or two of honey, to taste and a generous pinch of salt.


Blend until smooth


Place in a jar and keep in fridge

We like it on toast or apple slices

Chive Blossom Vinegar

Chives are the easiest home garden herb to grow and they come back every year without fail. They taste great and also bloom into lovely little purple blossoms. It is these lovely little Lorax style blossoms that we use to make this garlicky flavoured vinegar.


Snip just the blooms from the chives wash and thoroughly dry. I washed and then patted dry with a paper towel, then lay out on a dry paper towel for a few hours until totally dry.  Put cleaned blossoms in a clean dry mason jar.



Cover with vinegar of your choice. I used apple cider vinegar, that was all I had at the time, but I think white wine vinegar or champagne vinegar would be really nice too.

Press blossoms down with a spoon to submerge and make sure they get covered in vinegar.
Place the lid on the jar and store in a dark cupboard for about two weeks.


After two weeks you have this pinkish purple liquid, when you take the lid off it will smell like garlic chives. It does smell really good! Strain vinegar through a cheese cloth into a clean dry bottle or jar.

Use in favourite salad dressings, vinaigrette or any recipe where you would use vinegar.

Now go grow some chives!

Oatmeal Chocolate Square

Do ever need to pull together a snack fast for a playdate or you just really need something sweet but there is nothing to grab?  These squares are a very fast and delicious and hit the spot when you want a cookie or a chocolate bar kind of snack.  These disappeared quickly, mainly because I can’t pass the pan without cutting out a square.

For the base:

3 cups rolled oats

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup wheat germ

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup corn syrup

In a large bowl mix oats, brown sugar and wheat germ. Cut in butter until crumbly.

Stir in corn syrup.

Pour mixture into a microwave safe (glass), greased 8 inch square pan. Spread lightly and microwave on high uncovered for 2 minutes.   Stir.

Press down firmly with a damp fork. Microwave uncovered on high for 2 minutes more until bubbly.

Now for the topping:

3/4 cup chocolate chips

1/4 cup smooth peanut butter

In a microwave safe dish, combine chocolate chips and peanut butter.  Microwave for about 1 minute, but stop part way through and stir, then continue heating. If not melted smooth microwave for 20 seconds at a time until melted smooth. Pour over oat mixture and let cool before cutting.


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Once cooled cut into squares. Good luck with the self control!

Our next project is to give these a makeover so they are healthier and nut free so they are school safe for the lunch box.  We will work on that as soon as my little social butterfly has some free time at home to work on it with me.

Instagram & Falafel Veggie Burgers

First of all, before I forget, we are now on Instagram! I have wanted to do that for a very long time and today I did it! We are @ cookswithevie.

I have so many posts to finish! I hope I can get time to post them soon. 

We made these “burgers”, next time I want to try these on pita with tahini and hummus. I wasn’t prepared this time and just used the buns we had. 

This recipe is so easy. 

1/3 cup large flake oats

1cup chickpeas (I used canned, drained)

1cup lentils (I used canned, drained)

3 garlic cloves, minced 

2 green onions, chopped

1 egg

2tsp chili powder 

1tsp oregano

 1/4tsp salt

1/2 English cucumber, finely diced

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley 

Whirl oats in food processor until ground. Add in chickpeas, garlic, onion, egg, chili powder, oregano and salt. 

Process scraping down sides as needed until smooth. 

Place this mixture in a bowl and stir in lentils, cucumber and parsley. 

Shape into 4 patties.  

Cook patties in a lightly greased pan until golden on each side. 



We served on buns drizzled with tahini. And added whatever each person felt like adding. 

We also served with these baked sweet potato fries with curry lime dip.

 That super simple recipe will follow tomorrow.

Cheese Crackers

These little crackers are great for the lunchbox, but you can also make them into holiday shapes, sticks or twists for holiday entertaining.

I found these on Minced, you can visit that site for the complete recipe.  Please do visit that website for detailed instructions and to see the beautiful pictures.  Her pictures are much nicer and more elegant than mine (I barely know how to use my camera).

Basically you place the following ingredients in a food processor and pulse until the dough forms, keep it going, it will come together.

1/2 lb grated extra sharp cheddar cheese
1 stick (1/2 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into thin slices
1 cup all purpose flour, more for dusting
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Cayenne pepper (optional – to taste)

Preheat oven to 350F. Once you have the dough roll it out and cutout and shape as desired.


Bake for about 10 minutes, just until puffed and slightly golden at edges.

Beet Potato Salad

This is definitely a Newfoundland recipe, or at least that is the only place I have ever had this type of potato salad. If it is made in other places please let me know, I would love to hear about it.  After our thanksgiving we had leftover turkey and potato so we decided to make a cold plate, which is cold leftover meat with a variety of salads. This is a great way to use up leftovers to avoid food waste.

To make this salad I don’t have a recipe, just eyeball and taste based on knowing what it should taste like.

Basically take a small (or large) bowl of leftover potatoes and mash them.  

Take a jar or pickled beets (mine have a slightly sweet pickled flavour) and place beets in food processor, or chop and mash if you don’t have one. You will have this beet pulp.

Add the processed beets to the little potatoes, add a table spoon or two of the beet pickling liquid if too dry. Add a large spoonful of mayonnaise and stir

Taste and add more beet, beet liquid, mayo and salt & pepper to taste 

You will have a lovely pink coloured potato salad.

Homemade Cough Drops

The air has changed this weekend. There is a chill in the air and the light has changed,the sun seems a little lower in the sky and there is less natural light in the house. Not great for picture taking. I have a dry tickle in my throat that I hope is just due to the air getting drier and not of anything else starting. Since it is a holiday we get to stay home, so we decided to give these cough candies a go. 

There are only a few ingredients, and I had all on hand. These are to use when you just need to keep your mouth and throat from being too dry, not in place of medication or a visit to the doctor if you are feeling under the weather. 

The recipe is from Noshing with the Nolans, take a look for detailed instructions. Basically, to a saucepan add 1 cup sugar, 1/2cup sugar, 1tbsp honey (I used unpasteurized buckwheat), 1/2tsp ginger, 1/2tsp cinnamon & 1/4tsp cloves, 1 tbsp lemon juice. Bring to a boil & boil until it reaches hard crack stage, about 20 minutes. That is 302 degrees Fahrenheit, you will want to use a candy thermometer.





Drop in little blobs onto a silpat or parchment, let cool.

Let cool and harden completely, the toss in confectioners sugar so they don’t stick together. 
Shake off excess sugar.  Store in a container until ready to use.

Molasses Oat Bread

There is nothing better on a fall day than warm bread out of the oven with butter melting on it. Do I even have to mention the smell of warm baking bread, there is nothing like it.


You will need:

1&3/4 cups boiling water

3/4 cup oats 

1/4 cup molasses

1&1/2 tsp salt 

3tbsp oil 1tsp sugar 

1/2 cup warm water 

1pkg active dry yeast 

4 cups all purpose flour

In a large mixing bowl pour boiling water over oats. Stir in molasses, salt and oil. Let cool to lukewarm.


Dissolve 1tsp sugar in 1/2 cup warm water and sprinkle in yeast. 

Let stand 10 minutes.  Then stir well. 

Sorry, got carried away and forgot to take doughy pictures.

Add dissolved yeast and 1&1/2 cups flour to the oat mixture. Beat at low speed with electric mixer for about 1/2 minute then at high for 3 mins. Scraping sides of bowl often. Stir in with dough hook or by hand, the remaining 2&1/2 cups flour until thoroughly blended. Cover with greased parchment or cling film then a tea towel. Let rise in a warm place for about an hour.

Then beat about 25 strokes with a wooden spoon,or knead, dough will be sticky.  

Grease a 2qt casserole dish or loaf pan and sprinkle top lightly with oats and press down gently so they stick. 

Cover and let rise another 30 mins. 

Bake in 375F oven for 35-45 mins until done. 


If you are using the bread for sandwiches or to toast it would be easier if you used a loaf pan. We ate most of it warm from the oven with butter.

Madras Chicken Soup

I found this recipe in an old Chatelaine magazine. I put it aside years ago and decided to actually make it. It is fall and that brings soup weather.  It was very tastyand smelled wonderful.


I didn’t have any brown rice so I used basmati. Also, I didn’t have frozen peas, I used a mixture of peas and corn.




This is the point when the smell gets amazing!


This is the point where I forgot to take pictures, but you just add the stuff to the pot, so there wasn’t anything to exciting that you missed.


Season to taste with salt and pepper if needed.