Mini Corn Dog Muffins

My kids love corn dogs, especially the mini ones, but making them at home is a pain and not all that easy... also not terribly healthy (ok, these aren't either, but they're healthiER).  This recipe is easy, you have a little more control over what's in them and kids LOVE them.  They're also cheap enough to make it into my budget recipe list at a whopping 73 cents per serving!  These make a fun appetizer or party snack for kids too.

1 package of turkey hot dogs, cut in quarters (you only need 6) - $2.99
2 packages jiffy corn bread mix - $1.00
2 eggs - $0.30
2/3 cup 1% milk -  $0.10

Preheat oven to 400ºF.  Spray two 12 cup mini muffin tins with cooking spray.

Mix corn bread mix according to package directions.  Place 1 hot dog piece in each muffin cup and fill with about 1 Tbs of muffin mix. 

Bake for 12-13 minutes.  Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes before serving.  Serve with favorite dips (ketchup, honey mustard, cheese sauce, etc).  Makes 6 servings of 4 muffins each.  I usually serve these with some baked beans or cowboy beans.

Total cost: $4.39 alone  or a little over $6 with the baked beans

Dawn's Crockpot Mexican Chili

As a single parent I understand all too well how difficult it can be to stay within your grocery budget and still manage to feed your family a decent meal each night.  Over the years I've found little tips and tricks that not only save me money, but also time.  From now on, along with my normal posts, I'm going to start featuring some money/time saving recipes, and I've asked a few of my friends to share their ideas with me as well.

This week's recipe comes from my good friend Dawn, she and I go back a long way... but I'm not telling how long :)  Dawn is a busy mother of 3 who works along side her husband in their tattoo business.  She shared this super easy crockpot recipe with me that I got to try tonight... it's good stuff and my kids loved it.

1 package of stew beef  (got a large package on sale at Sam's for around $10 and split it in 2, so $5 for this portion of the recipe, it was about 1.25 lbs)
1 large can of beans (I used 2 smaller cans, 1 chili beans, 1 red beans - total cost $1.90)
1 can stewed tomatoes (didn't have those, so I used rotel chili fixins - on sale $0.88)
1 jar salsa, any kind ( about $2)

Lightly coat the meat in flour and brown in butter or oil in a skillet.  Place in crockpot and add remaining ingredients. Cook on low around 4-5 hours (I ended up letting mine cook about 8 hours because I was at work, so I just added the beans for the last 30 minutes). Season to taste with salt and pepper at the end, depending on the salsa you use you may or may not need additional seasoning.  Serve with your favorite chili toppings.

Total work time: about 10 minutes
Total cost: $9.78 for about 5 servings or around $1.96 per serving.  Can't beat that!!

Thanks so much for the recipe Dawn!