Everybody who likes tex/mex food likes this recipe. Easy to do and a great dish to feed a crowd. I did not season the meat because the beans, tomatoes and cheese have lots of spicy flavor. Serve this dish with toppings like sour cream,  avocado,  olives etc..

Mexican Lasagna
prep time 30 min
cooking time 30 minutes

Ingredients
18 4 ” corn tortillas
1 15 oz can pinto beans in chili sauce
2  10 oz cans diced tomatoes with chilies
1 lb ground turkey, beef or cubed roasted chicken
salt/ pepper to taste
4 cups mexican blend shredded cheese
olive oil

Heat olive oil in a saute pan and quick fry each tortilla in the hot oil. Set aside. Cook ground turkey and set aside. Empty can of chili beans into pan and mash with a potato masher. Stir to blend. Take off heat. Arrange 6 tortillas in a 9 x 13 baking dish. Spread half of bean mixture over tortillas. Add half of meat on top of beans. Add one can of diced tomatoes with chilies. Add one third of cheese. Arrange 6 tortillas on top and repeat the process. Top off with the last six tortillas and add last third of cheese. Place in a 350 degree oven for 30-40 minutes until hot and bubbly. Remove from oven let sit for a few minutes cut and serve. You can add many items to each layer or serve them on the side. Items can include sour cream, salsa, olives etc..

Mashed Potatoes with Carrots
prep time 10 min
cooking time 35 minutes

Ingredients
6-8 whole potatoes
1/4-1/2 bag baby peeled carrots (if you don’t want carrots simply skip them)
2 tsp salt
white pepper to taste
1/2 stick butter
milk or half and half

Wash the outside of the potatoes to remove all dirt. Cut potatoes into cubes and place in large sauce pan. Add carrots, enough water to cover and salt. Bring to a boil, turn down heat to a simmer, cover for 35 minutes or until potatoes and carrots are tender. Drain potatoes and with a potato masher break down the potatoes. Add pepper, butter and liquid . Mash until desired texture. be careful not to over work the potatoes. Serve with gravy or butter.

This is my favorite stuffing (dressing) for a turkey. I have made it for years and get many compliments. When I use orange juice as the liquid I also add a little orange juice to the gravy. It really adds a nice flavor.

Stuffing for Turkey
prep time 30 min
cooking time 30 minutes

Ingredients
1 loaf day old bread
1 onion diced
3 stalks celery diced
Dried sage to taste
salt/ pepper to taste
2 tbsp Olive oil
1/2 stick butter
3-4 whole fresh mushrooms sliced (optional)
1/4 cup dried cranberries (optional)
1 cup liquid (see below)

Slice bread into bite sized cubes. Put on baking sheet in low oven (200 degrees) to dry out. In large sauce pan heat olive oil and melt butter. Saute onion and celery until soft. Add mushrooms and seasoning. Saute for 4-5 minutes add bread cubes and stir. Moisture needs to be added to the dressing and I have used apple juice orange juice or chicken broth. Add 1 cup of liquid to dressing and mix until well blended. Add more liquid if needed. Put in oiled baking dish and bake at 325 degrees for 35 minutes. Serve

With Thanksgiving this week our menu was kept simple and easy. I find a package of wild salmon for under $5 and it covers a number of meals. We have it twice this week on the menu. Once hot and the other meal as a salad. You can broil the salmon for both meals and just serve it on a bed of lettuce for the salad or cook the salmon  on Sunday for both meals and just flake it into the salad on Tuesday. There are a number of hot dishes one can create with leftovers. We will be posting one here this week.

SUNDAY
Brunch fried eggs and bacon, toast w/ jam, orange juice
Dinner Broiled salmon, boiled potatoes with dill, frozen vegetable, fresh or canned fruit

MONDAY
Breakfast Cereal hot or cold, orange juice
Lunch PB&J sandwich, carrot sticks
Dinner  Minestrone soup, fresh  or canned fruit

TUESDAY
Breakfast Cereal hot or cold, orange juice
Lunch Minestrone soup, fresh or canned fruit
Dinner Salmon salad

WEDNESDAY
Breakfast cereal hot or cold, orange juice
Lunch egg salad sandwich, fruit
Dinner baked pasta, salad greens, fresh or canned fruit

THURSDAY
Brunch Quiche, sweet rolls, juice, fresh fruit
Dinner   see our Thanksgiving Dinner for 10

FRIDAY
Breakfast cereal hot or cold, orange juice
Lunch turkey sandwich, fresh or canned fruit
Dinner chili

SATURDAY
Brunch Breakfast hash, orange juice
Dinner left over hot dish, fresh or canned fruit

SHOPPING LIST

frozen salmon fillets, hamburger or ground turkey, cans of whole tomatoes, shredded mozzarella cheese, can of white beans, chili beans, celery, cabbage, carrot sticks, bacon, eggs, cereal (hot or cold), head of lettuce, pasta, bread, orange juice, milk, fresh fruit

The way we were able to make the pie for a great price in our  Under $25 Thanksgiving Dinner for 10 was to substitute canned pumpkin for frozen squash. We found this to be a good decision. We simply liked the flavor better. The notes of the spices worked well with the squash. We also found that the squash was sweeter and that the amount of sugar could be reduced. This is one of our favorite pies.

Better Than Pumpkin Squash Pie
prep time 15 min
cooking time 55 minutes

Ingredients
1 12oz pkg frozen winter squash
3/4 cup sugar (you can cut this back to 1/2 cup)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
2 eggs
1 can evaporated milk
1  9″ unbaked pie shell deep dish

Put frozen squash in large microwave safe mixing bowl and microwave on high for 3-4 min until soft. Stir and add sugar, salt, spices. Beat in eggs and milk. Pour into unbaked pie shell. Place in a  425 degree oven for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 40-45 minutes, or until knife inserted in the middle of the pie comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack. Serve after it has cooled off or refrigerate.

This is one of the easiest soups to make on a blustery day. Makes a great meal or first course. Freezes well.

Split Pea Soup
prep time 15 min
cooking time 120 minutes

Ingredients
1 ham bone (we used a left over ham with a bone)
1  16 oz. pkg split peas
1 onion diced
3 stalks celery diced
2 carrots diced
salt/ pepper to taste

Put ham bone in a soup pot and cover with water. Add onions, celery, carrots and dried split peas. (I did not add seasoning because the ham has lots of seasoning in it. I seasoned to taste at the end). Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 90 minuets to 2 hours. Remove ham bone and cool to remove meat from the bone. You can serve the soup as it is or blend for a smoother soup. Stir in meat and serve.

This week we are making a pastry dough to practice for our pies for Thanksgiving.  So we made a quiche for Sunday brunch. See our special posting for Thanksgiving Dinner for 10 for under $25. The sweet potato soup is very good and is easy to make. It can also be served as a first course for Thanksgiving dinner. Thank you for your interest on this blog and we love to get your comments!

SUNDAY
Brunch Bacon Quiche, toast w/ jam, orange juice
Dinner Roast Chicken with lemon, frozen vegetable, mashed potatoes/gravy, fresh or canned fruit

MONDAY
Breakfast Cereal hot or cold, orange juice
Lunch chicken sandwich, carrot sticks
Dinner  Sweet potato soup, fresh  or canned fruit

TUESDAY
Breakfast Cereal hot or cold, orange juice
Lunch bacon quiche, fresh or canned fruit
Dinner Mexican lasagna, salad greens

WEDNESDAY
Breakfast cereal hot or cold, orange juice
Lunch Sweet potato soup, fruit
Dinner chicken and pasta, salad greens, fresh or canned fruit

THURSDAY
Breakfast Breakfast sandwich, orange juice
Lunch  chicken sandwich, carrots
Dinner   BLT Salad, fresh or canned fruit

FRIDAY
Breakfast cereal hot or cold, orange juice
Lunch mexican lasagna, fresh or canned fruit
Dinner chicken wraps  (make a big bowl of popcorn and watch a movie)

SATURDAY
Brunch Breakfast hash, orange juice
Dinner tacos , fresh or canned fruit

SHOPPING LIST

whole chicken, hamburger or ground turkey, can of diced tomatoes w/chilies, corn tortilla, shredded mexican cheese, can of refried beans, carrot sticks, bacon, eggs, cereal (hot or cold), frozen vegetable, head of lettuce, tomatoes, pasta, bread, orange juice, milk, fresh fruit

This year the American Farm Bureau Federation reported that the average meal with turkey and all the trimmings for 10 will cost $49.20 on average. We at twentyfivebucksaweek.com took that as a challenge to see if we can feed that same group of 10 for $25. We think we succeeded.  We know that the biggest cost is the turkey itself. The turkey in many grocery chains is a lost leader to get you in the door. Many times you can find a great deal on a turkey for less than a dollar a pound. Our shopping at a number of chains and national chains found many good deals to produce the following meal for $25.

Turkey 12 lb found them from 48 cents to 99 cents a pound
stuffing (dressing) made from day old bread 89 cents
sweet potatoes 99 cents
green bean casserole beans and soup at 59 cents french onions 99 cents
cranberry sauce whole cranberry sauce 99 cents
mashed potatoes/gravy 10 lbs at $1.69
dinner rolls 12 made from frozen dough baked at home 99 cents
pumpkin pie home made $2.00 each

We already have the roast turkey recipe posted on this site. We will this week make all of the recipes for you and share some shopping secrets for the rest of the meal. Have a happy thanksgiving!

This week I found a great buy on a sirloin pork roast that I was able to cut in half. Freeze one half, stuffing and roast the other half. By doing this you can lower your weekly food costs. The frozen tilapia was on special as a single serving portion. The vegetable soup is made with a can of whole tomatoes, a head of cabbage, onions and potatoes that you should have in the pantry. Add any frozen vegetables that you have on hand to enhance the flavor. If you find a good buy on a beef bone add that in as well. This menu is a guide on how to maintain a slim budget and look for specials as you are shopping. It might not be tilapia on special but you will find some nice piece of fish on sale.

SUNDAY
Brunch Breakfast hash, toast w/ jam, orange juice
Dinner Stuffed Pork Sirloin Roast, frozen vegetable, salad, fresh fruit

MONDAY
Breakfast Cereal, orange juice
Lunch ham sandwich, carrot sticks
Dinner  Vegetable soup, fresh fruit

TUESDAY
Breakfast cereal, orange juice
Lunch pork sandwich, fresh fruit
Dinner Roast Chicken and garlic, mashed potatoes, salad greens

WEDNESDAY
Breakfast cereal, orange juice
Lunch vegetable soup, carrots
Dinner Hot Pork Sandwich, salad greens, fresh fruit

THURSDAY
Breakfast Breakfast sandwich, orange juice
Lunch  chicken sandwich, carrots
Dinner   hamburger, carrot sticks, chips, fresh fruit

FRIDAY
Breakfast cereal, orange juice
Lunch vegetable soup, fresh fruit
Dinner chicken and broccoli stir fry w/ rice  (make a big bowl of popcorn and watch a movie)

SATURDAY
Brunch Breakfast sandwich, orange juice
Dinner  Broiled Tilapia, frozen vegetable, salad, fresh fruit

SHOPPING LIST

sirloin pork roast, hamburger, whole chicken, can of whole tomatoes, small head of cabbage, carrot sticks, rice, eggs, cereal, frozen vegetable, head of lettuce, bread, orange juice, fresh fruit

This soup is easy to make and has a refined elegance to it. Great as a first course at a dinner party or serve with a crusty bread and salad for a complete meal. Freezes well. Thank you Bonnie for another delicious recipe.

Roasted Cauliflower Soup
prep time 15 min
cooking time 90 minutes

Ingredients
1 Head of cauliflower in small florets 
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp butter
2  cups diced potatoes
2 quarts vegetable broth or water
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 8 oz tub cream cheese with chive and onion

Toss cauliflower florets in olive oil and roast in shallow pan in oven at 445 degrees for 45 minutes. In large saucepan saute onion in two tablespoons butter then add diced potatoes. Add roasted florets and stir in vegetable stock or water . Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 45 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in cheese. When cheese melts  put in blender until smooth. Serve with croutons.