You are my lifesaver. I am old and handicapped. The shortened, but healthy, meals you make are so easy for me to do, because they do not involve standing a great amount of time. Thank you.
Outstanding ideas. So happy that you tried them first because I probably would not see them or not be impressed with them. Also very impressed that everything is not a taco or burrito or even hot and spicy.i do not do heat and occasionally I like Mexican TX food but not all of the time. Make your Cookbook I use to have a book of recipes that I received from friends. Funny the occasion that I ate it came right back so I go a twofer. The Cookbook is priceless. You do not have to remember so much when you get old. 😅
When I was younger, my mother had a whole cookbook full of “back of the box” recipes, and I can’t remember making a single failure from that book. Love those kinds of recipes for that little something different.
My Grandma had 13 kids and when I was a child I got to spend part of summer with her. She used to say she could stretch a dollar til she had 20..lol. One of my favorite stretch meals of hers was sausage pancakes. She lived on a farm ergo meat, eggs, milk..were all handy. She had a Hugh garden so in summer I got to pick fruits and veggies. She made pancake batter and added cooked sausage, cheese, and berries..then after cooking we added her homemade syrup. What a feast..a little meat, but she could get about 14 pancakes
To make a chocolate cake look fancy, my Mom would take a paper doily, place it on top of the chocolate cake and then sift confectioners sugar on top. After removing the doily there would be a pretty lacey pattern on the cake. 😊
When you took a bite of that cake, you went into another dimension 😂 I could tell instantly that it was the best thing you've ever tasted. So now... I am also making this cake. Today.
Just another great video, besides helping us so much with affordable, easy and delicious meals, you are absolutely adorable, obviously, such a nice, caring person Michael's a lucky guy!! Would be fun to see him sometimes taste- testing some of these great meals you make on a budget, or making one of his favorite meals with you, if that's something he feels comfortable with, the camera is not for everyone, you are a natural at it, such a great job, easy to see you really enjoying doing this, lucky us!!. Thank you!
Yeah. Her eyes glazed over and everything.😂 If traveling to another dimension while eating cake isn't a good endorsement for a recipe, I don't know what is!
It broke my heart too! May the Lord bless her with friends that become family in her local area where they can be a blessing to one another in Jesus Christ name Amen 🙏 ❤
I am tickled to have found your channel a couple days ago, and admit I have kind of binge-watched you since! I’m a retired teacher living alone so I have a retirement, not quite poverty level, but I seriously don’t have an extravagant grocery budget once all my bills come off the top. Really, what you do is JUST what I need, ideas to stretch that grocery budget, but that aren’t yucky, and your recipes look actually good, and by the look on your face, QUITE good!!! Like you said, we who struggle don’t have the budget to experiment and LOSE! I appreciate you!
I happened to have all the ingredients for the Knorr quick lasagna, so I made it according to your adjustments. We just finished it and it have to say it was quite tasty, easy and fast! Give it a try everyone! Thanks for sharing another fun video!❤
Wow! I am binge watching after stumbling onto this site last night. Your gentle spirit makes it so relaxing and fun to watch you in the kitchen. The recipes are simple, delicious and affordable. 10 out of 10!!!❤
I use sugar instead of flour. If flour or baking cocoa are on the side of the cake, that's not tasty IMHO. If you use either granulated sugar or powder sugar it works the same as flour and if it doesn't dissolve into the batter, it's tasty 😋
Good idea for ppl who are worried about that! Personally I would pbly sprinkle the powdered sugar on it like she did, so the white from the flour wouldn't matter too me😊❤
Budget/no fridge tip for anyone who is not opposed to soy: instead of (or in addition to) ground meat, use textured vegetable protein (TVP). It's much cheaper than meat, has a good amount of protein, comes dried (so no fridge/freezer needed), and has a long shelf life. To use, just add boiling water (I add bouillion to flavor it) and then add it in to your recipe like you would ground meat. It works great for pasta, tacos, sausage dishes, etc. I've served it to a lot of people who love meat, and they can't tell the difference, especially with a lasagna or spaghetti bolognese.
@@brittanylavoiephotography1450 just to be sure, tvp is dried and will be much heavier when prepared, in case you werent factoring that into the price vs ground meat
@brittanylavoiephotography1450 Try canned lentils. I use the great value organic canned lentils ($1.69). I mix in a full can to 1lb of ground beef for things like tacos (you truly don't notice it at all), spaghetti sauce, burgers. They don't have much flavor but it stretches meat and takes on the flavor if you leave the fat drippings in there. A 1:1 ratio is what we like best here but play around with it! Even my kids will gladly eat lentil tacos with no meat in there at all. Just make sure you rinse them well before adding in. Shake off excess water
“This cake makes me wish I had friends.” Feels like a great endorsement of cake. 😂 All these recipes look great and I’m excited to try the lasagna and cake later this week.
Rebecca, I think that the broccoli cheddar soup could be used ( before adding the extra milk/water ) as a filling for a pie or pasties. I think it would make a nice vegetarian dinner, served with mashed or new potato and either peas and carrots, or a nice salad. Yummy. Much love and respect from the South East of England. xx
That's a very good idea! I'm not at all vegetarian nor vegan, but I do occasionally enjoy such meals, and I love broccoli-cheddar soup. I think I'm going to make that, and as you mentioned, serve it with potatoes. YUM!
Rebecca, I just had the most fabulous two nights of dinner, and this video was the direct inspiration. I had a half a head of cauliflower, plus a half a bag of fresh broccoli florets, two potatoes, and an onion on hand, all of which needed to be cooked soon or they'd go into the compost. In the fridge, I had a bag of shredded Parmesan a half a block of cheddar, the tail end of some heavy cream, and some butter. The cupboard yielded a box of chicken broth and two country gravy packets. I chopped all the veg, threw them in the pot with some butter, salt, and pepper. Once they were soft, I added the chicken broth, both packets of gravy powder, and cream, and once that got bubbling, all of the cheddar and half of the Parmesan cheese. It was phenomenal! We ate half that entire double batch last night. Tonight, I decided to mix it up a little. We had a big day out and were ravenous, and soup alone wouldn't satisfy. I added the spare can of the Prego Alfredo sauce you used in the Alfredo chicken mini pizza recipe from another video, mixed in some raw macaroni, threw it into a casserole dish and baked it on 350 for half an hour, then topped with the rest of yesterday's Parmesan and baked another 30 minutes. We absolutely destroyed that entire pan of macaroni this evening, just devoured every bite. Your videos have inspired me to cook again, when depression and chronic pain have kept me out of the kitchen that I love so much, far too often as of recently. Thank you for all of the hard work, love, and creativity you put into your videos; you really are doing some amazing work. 💖
@constanceworden487 thank you so much! I still struggle with the pain day to day, but still keep trying my best to nourish my body. It's not easy, but I'm always proud of my efforts, no matter how small - And I wish you the best of luck with your own pain journey; know that you are not alone, and there are folks in your corner who understand 💖💖
Over 65 yrs old and you are teaching this old boy new tricks now that I cook for my house making life easier on my end and new things also love sent yur way!!!!! From Ohio
I definitely recommend keeping those recipe clippings! My mum had a recipe box full of those clipped to index cards with her variations and improvements. She used to keep them from packaging, newspapers, even little coupon-like things they had next to ingredients in the grocery store. I've done the same thing for years, and it's so great to have! All of these recipes look amazing. I think I might have to try that lasagna one first though because I love lasagna and never make it for myself!
I think it would be so fun to find a bound notebook and tape them in there along with notes about how I made it, or a recipe card box too, actually I think I might order one of those, I love trinkets like that
@@DollarTreeDinners if you bought some of those clear plastic baseball sleeve sheets you can add the little clippings along with a note slipped behind the recipe into the divided sections ! They already have holes punched to put in ringed notebooks , very inexpensive and can be bought at any comic book store that sells baseball cards!! Each page holds a dozen pockets I think or more !
@@DollarTreeDinnersI asked my stepsons to decoupage a plain 4" binder as my cookbook cover when they were little. It is still my cooking binder to this day. I take photos of the recipes and print them. I write changes with dates and each family member's score from 1 -10, along with notes on what to try next time. After a few iterations the recipes become Donna's version/recipe.
I used to make a breakfast casserole or what our kids called leftover casserole. Diced potatoes, onions any leftover grilled meat, mushrooms, diced tomatoes or pico de gio, leftover grilled veggies, cheese, eggs. Great with toast, biscuits and tortillas.
You never cease to amaze me with your adventurous spirit and culinary brilliance. You're giving us the most entertaining and yet useful, helpful videos over anyone else on this platform. I commend you for your efforts, and thank you for your articulate yet warm demeanor. You're fast approaching 100k, Congrats!
I used to work for a major food manufacturer and they had an ENTIRE floor full of employees who came up with new products along with recipes to use the products in. At the time, we called them ‘Home Economists’ because that was what they had their college degrees in, I’m not sure if there is a new designation for that job. It was fun, when they wanted opinions they’d automatically ring every department with an automated message that said ‘Taste Test on the Eight Floor’ and you’d hear the elevator start going off with ding ding ding… It was so long ago that we had an actual elevator operator. 🤷🏻♀️
i don’t ever go to dollar trees but i love your videos. your soothing voice, warm personality, etc is enough to make me watch. now i feel like going to dollar tree
I can tell you have a lot of experience as a home cook and you also have a good instinct for it. And your vibe is very approachable too. I really appreciate that!
Finally. Somebody else other than me using a gravy packet into soup! I've been doing this for years. I also add Brown gravy mix in beef stew. Once, I used a mushroom gravy mix in a vegetable soup. Loved it❤
Gurl! You are a budget meal GENIUS! Your content is so awesome and SO NEEDED right now! I just found you about a week ago and I've been binging 😂 Thank you for what you do!
I just love that your meals are the ultimate budget comfort food. Sometimes when you’re broker than broke, it’s a wonderful thing to have a delicious meal. You rock!!
Except much better---there aren't any hysterical, screaming, swearing competitors bashing each other. There's just calm, quiet Rebecca showing us how to make really good meals out of (almost) thin air.
Tell me why I got so emotional you trying the cake and just absolutely loving how amazing you did. You've come so far and I thought the dollar tree meals were my favorite but trying new recipes on the back of food products is definitely my favorite now! You're so inspiring and you help this single mama of 2 make quick and easy meals! I can not wait to try all of these recipes thanks to you ❤
This has been the best video idea!! I think we've all looked at the back of packets and cans and wondered if those recipes were actually any good or not!!! Would love to see more of these!!!❤❤❤
For ppl living in "food deserts " ..meaning not enough food stores.. most have dollar type stores: family dollar, dollar general, dollar tree and the regional market ones. Most have the same type of foods. So this type of channel and way of cooking is so helpful to them.
Great start to a new series, Rebecca!! I love your conversational style... You make your viewers feel like a friend hanging out in your kitchen! ❤ Sacramento, California USA 🇺🇸
Love your channel. You’re such a good soul! Not everyone understands the circumstances people may live in, and if they do they’re judgmental. But you are accepting and helpful. Thank you for your solidarity!
The recipe for porcupine meatballs from the back of a box of beef Rice-a-Roni has been an often requested meal since my kids were small. They are grown and on their own, but I still make that dish for me and my boyfriend, using ground turkey instead. Also the cheesy chicken casserole recipe on the back of the broccoli cheese soup mix from Dollar General is outstanding!
The way you didn't even say anything after you tried the cake, just immediately went in for the second bite made me laugh. I love these longer videos too!
I've use the pioneer biscuit gravy mix as a base for. My homemade broccoli cheese soup. I use dried thyme and rosemary as my seasoning. I also use minced celery and a little shredded carrots.
@@Freaysclaw56 you're not using that many carrots. You're using the carrots, onion and celery as your first layer of flavor. I saute this 3 in butter. Then I add the thyme and rosemary.
I made the cake with homemade leftover cranberry relish and gluten-free flour. So good and definitely a keeper! This morning it had more of a consistency of fudge because we refrigerated it overnight, but that's fine, too. Thanks for the recipe!
Seeing you so happy after trying each item you cooked was nice. It was apparent you truly enjoyed the tasting of each item. I absolutely cannot wait to try all of these myself. Thanks for sharing and for all the hard work you put in to get your videos out to us.
Country gravy mix can also be used to make easy potato soup. Just take a bag of frozen "potatoes o'brien" (the cubed hashbrowns that have onions and peppers) and dump in a large pot with 6 cups of chicken broth. Simmer for 15 minutes. Then mix the gravy packet with a cup of milk and stir into the broth and potatoes. Cook until thickened and you have 6 to 8 servings of soup. Super easy. I usually add a few carrots and half a sweet bell pepper, diced finely, along with the hashbrowns for some extra flavor and nutritional value. But it's fine without them. Top with crumbled bacon or some chives.
I don't know if you know but there's a hack for lining a cake pan with foil... Turn the cake pan upside down and cover it with the aluminum foil. Then carefully remove the foil and put inside the pan. It's so much easier than trying to get the foil inside all the creases in the pan. I hope you give it a try. 👍
I absolutely LOVE your face when you bite into a new recipe that you love! I don't even need to wait for the review; I already know that I need to make it, too. The lasagna and chocolate cake faces you made were epic, hahaha! Another home run video 🥰
❤ I love your channel. Your 'can-do' spirit and your 'being real' are great. Some orher frugality channels don't seem genuine. I can't watch them. One request please do pantry and freezer meals thank you. 😊
Ever since seeing this video 3 months ago, the last minute lasagna has become a favorite in our house. My fiance and I make it often. Thank you for all your videos!
Try adding a very small amount of hot sauce. It will add a little depth of flavor, and you won’t notice any heat. Really. It’s surprisingly good. That might be your missing flavor. Love your channel!
This is such a unique little niche of videos. I admit I read the names of recipes on packages and think it sounds so good, but that's where it ends. You have inspired me to try a recipe. Thank you! Love your channel.
Every single recipe you made today was seriously awesome. I too have clipped recipes from cans, packaging, and other places and use them. The lasagne was an unexpected nice surprise. Can't wait to make all of your recipes, especially that cake! 😋 ❤
My mom was always using recipes from the box or can. You cook like my mom taught me. She became a great cook! Her mom was always a great cook during my life, she didn’t know much when she married, but 7 kids later, she was a rockstar.
Many fine recipes have come from the back of the package! Another great thing about these ingredients is they have a longer shelf-life than fresh items. As I eat smaller portions, I find that refrigerator management is becoming difficult. I would TRY the fudgy cake with whole canned cranberries: the fruit bites would contrast with the chocolate bites.
Hi Rebecca! I love your channel. Dollar General is by far the closet store to me, but it is limited in terms of ingredients. Since those biscuit bombs turned out so well, I'd love to see a dedicated video to meals made with convenience doughs like biscuit and crescent. I know you would come up with the best ideas.
I don't know if it's true everywhere, but when our old DG was replaced by a newly built store (still DG, but now called DG Market), one of the cashiers told me that DG's plan is to replace all their old stores with the markets, but they all have to be built new because of size and safety codes, etc. He didn't say how long it would take, just that the goal is to have all old stores replaced with DG Markets, which offer far more than the old stores do.
Since its a kinda holiday cake with the cranberries, if you dont frost it use a holiday stencil to shake the powered sugar on it. It would look so festive on a Christmas buffet⛄❄️🎄
I'm definitely trying the lasagna!!!!!! I am also going to prep the stuffed bisquit recipe for my husband's breakfast. I'm gonna do some with sausage and some with bacon.
The breakfast pastries look amazing! They could even be made more savory for lunch or easy dinners, like fancy calzones or samosas. You could fill them with almost anything!
Yay obscure meals!! 🎉 You know what’s crazy?? I brought a packet of that country gravy to work today and a package of the buddig beef and bread (we only have a microwave) so I was thinking “I bet Rebecca would approve of my budget lunch/dinner today”! And then you posted!!😂❤
Even though you can’t get it at dollar tree but I love chorizo breakfast tacos. Fry up some potatos then fry up chorizo scramble eggs, mix all together and put it in a soft shell taco with cheese and salsa
I just used the knorr broccoli rice and cheese this past week for Thanksgiving. I added more broccoli to the mix and upped the liquid a bit bc I decided to bake it. It was an experiment but it turned out well. I'm guessing most of the recipes on the back of some packages are from people who experimented and left feedback with the company. Great video! I'll have to try the cake since I didn't use my cranberry sauce this past week.
When I was a kid, we would eat stale bread that was really toasted in the oven, soaked in coffee, then covered in heavy cream and salt and/or sugar. It was my favorite breakfast!
Do you have an Aldi nearby? I'd love to see what you could come up with from there! I love your content. I don't personally shop for food items at the dollar stores, but I think your ideas are applicable to many things and I learn a TON watching you - I am autistic and get overwhelmed with cooking/meal prepping for the week and you have a very direct, concise way of delivering information that is really enjoyable, easy to understand, and apply. Thanks for all you do!
Rebecca, Your face says it all! When you like something your expression is delightful! As for the Broccoli Cheese soup, I definitely start with a bullion cube/chicken base for the broth. Also, I would break up the broccoli and possibly add some instant potato flakes or leftover potato, etc. to enhance the viscosity of the soup, and adding the cheese at the last possible moment is best. A good broccoli cheese soup is a gift! I have used xanthan gum to thicken when I'm "keto", but it's not nearly as good as the potato. I can hardly wait to try the cranberry cake, but I've got to find a keto method, but I definitely have an idea (coconut flour)! Take care and have a blessed day 💖✝
The genuine joy and surprise on your face said it all with every one of these recipes. I can just imagine a holiday morning with those biscuits, a snowy day inside with the soup, and a busy day where take out doesn't sound good for quick lasagna. As to the cake - set me down with a quart of ice cold milk and a few pieces of that and I do believe I'd be a happy girl! Great job on all of these.
This was so fun to watch! I’ve made those stuffed biscuits before but I made sausage gravy and stuffed the biscuits with the sausage gravy and eggs. No cheese. I like the idea of dipping them too! Definitely gonna try the lazy lasagna. I think my family would love that one. Thank you Rebecca! FYI Rebecca is my little sisters name. 😊
Really love this one! I've always wondered about that broccoli soup recipe. Going to try it. The cranberry cake, and the lasagna both looked delicious! Thanks for taking one for the team!
There is a whole cookbook of back of the box recipes. It's nice because many of them aren't listed on the boxes anymore. Great video. Imgoing to try them all! Plus, they don't make a ton since i only cook for two.
I just ran to store to buy all the ingredients to make ALL these recipes! Got home and made that lasagna and let. Me. Tell. You…… AMAZING!! My hubby was blown away! Thank you for sharing these recipes 😊 Update: made all the recipes and they are great with the exception of the cake. It tastes good but not a good texture for me. Fun to make anyway!
Evening ! I make a breakfast casserole you might like ? You put 4 hash brown patties in a greased 8x8 dish . Then a layer of bacon or sausage crumbled . Then a layer of shredded cheese on top . Beat 6 eggs and pour on top of casserole . Cook at 350 till eggs and cheese are cooked . Cut in 4 and enjoy ! Great Video 😇
Love this. I also recommend trying some individual savory cheesecakes for breakfast. Sort of like quiche but also different. There is one online for Santa Fe cheesecake that’s really delicious and I think Dollar Tree would have most of the ingredients ❤
this was fun to watch, dont worry about the mic, life happens! it actually makes you come across as "real" and not scripted! i want to try thhe lasagna now!
Thank you for being so honest about your dishes! It's hard to watch most of these food channels because "everything" they cook is sooooo amazing and you are following their recipes. I just subscribed.
We do stuffed sausage gravy biscuits. Make and mix the packet gravy with the crumbled sausage then divide it in mini muffin tins and freeze once they're frozen stuff them in the biscuits like you did here and bake. They are so good and the best on the go biscuits and gravy lol
What an original idea for a cooking video! I'm impressed & I have yet to make these! I am making all 4 of these recipes, just on different days! I think the cake would be perfect for a Christmas eve or day desert! Totally do cocoa instead of flouring the pan, powdered sugar is perfect for this & then to dress it up even more, use those sprinkles that look like holly! Or plain red & green sprinkles! Maybe a small floral pick of a poinsettia placed on top! Thank you for what you do! You're truely helping so many people on a tight budget!
Bravo Rebecca. I have watched your channel using Dollar Tree items and have admired your resourcefulness and compassion for those on tight budgets. I decided to try the last minute lasagna and was so happy with how it turned out. I did add about 1/2 cup of spinach to the noodles , Florentine style. I am definitely going to try the chocolate cranberry cake. Thanks so much for all you do.
😅 I love you! I found you about 2 weeks ago during this terrible depression situation I was in and pain so I lay on the couch everyday and watched dozens. Still am. Thank you so much I really enjoy your cooking and watching your life!
I’ve got a friend who doesn’t eat eggs for breakfast and loves the Pillsbury recipe for sausage crescent squares. I tried them and thought they were okay, reminded me of biscuits and gravy. I’d likely make them again. One of my kids loved them and she finished off the leftovers.
I could definitely see that, I feel like you could omit the eggs on these and just stuff them with sausage and cheese, but definitely sausage and gravy biscuits vibes
You are my lifesaver. I am old and handicapped. The shortened, but healthy, meals you make are so easy for me to do, because they do not involve standing a great amount of time. Thank you.
that makes me so happy to hear, I hope you got some ideas!
Outstanding ideas. So happy that you tried them first because I probably would not see them or not be impressed with them. Also very impressed that everything is not a taco or burrito or even hot and spicy.i do not do heat and occasionally I like Mexican TX food but not all of the time. Make your Cookbook I use to have a book of recipes that I received from friends. Funny the occasion that I ate it came right back so I go a twofer. The Cookbook is priceless. You do not have to remember so much when you get old. 😅
@@DollarTreeDinners Can you make some Dutch Babies?
When I was younger, my mother had a whole cookbook full of “back of the box” recipes, and I can’t remember making a single failure from that book. Love those kinds of recipes for that little something different.
i am disabled and her ideas and everything she shares helps me so much too!
I love this channel..she helps so many people eat a decent meal on a tight budget..thanks so much for all your hard work Rebecca 💛
Thanks so much!!
Shes amazing.
Agree. Times are so rough this helps
@@cynthiagriffy9206they most definitely are .
I agree.
My Grandma had 13 kids and when I was a child I got to spend part of summer with her. She used to say she could stretch a dollar til she had 20..lol. One of my favorite stretch meals of hers was sausage pancakes. She lived on a farm ergo meat, eggs, milk..were all handy. She had a Hugh garden so in summer I got to pick fruits and veggies. She made pancake batter and added cooked sausage, cheese, and berries..then after cooking we added her homemade syrup. What a feast..a little meat, but she could get about 14 pancakes
To make a chocolate cake look fancy, my Mom would take a paper doily, place it on top of the chocolate cake and then sift confectioners sugar on top. After removing the doily there would be a pretty lacey pattern on the cake. 😊
I bet that was super cute!
My g'ma did this too 😢
My mom did this too…I’m 78 now and mom is in heaven❤
When you took a bite of that cake, you went into another dimension 😂 I could tell instantly that it was the best thing you've ever tasted.
So now... I am also making this cake. Today.
I bet this would be great as a muffin or iced cupcake.
Absolutely waiting to see how you liked the cake 🥰🥰
Just another great video, besides helping us so much with affordable, easy and delicious meals, you are absolutely adorable, obviously, such a nice, caring person Michael's a lucky guy!! Would be fun to see him sometimes taste- testing some of these great meals you make on a budget, or making one of his favorite meals with you, if that's something he feels comfortable with, the camera is not for everyone, you are a natural at it, such a great job, easy to see you really enjoying doing this, lucky us!!. Thank you!
Yeah. Her eyes glazed over and everything.😂 If traveling to another dimension while eating cake isn't a good endorsement for a recipe, I don't know what is!
I am going to make all those ,they look so easy and yummy
You nearly broke my heart when you said you wished you’d had friends or family to take the cake to during the holidays. ❤
It broke my heart too! May the Lord bless her with friends that become family in her local area where they can be a blessing to one another in Jesus Christ name Amen 🙏 ❤
@@valkelly3054 Amen 🙏🏼
Same! Im in the same predicament, no close friends or family. I was like...girl...come on over, lets make that cake and go shopping! :)
I am tickled to have found your channel a couple days ago, and admit I have kind of binge-watched you since! I’m a retired teacher living alone so I have a retirement, not quite poverty level, but I seriously don’t have an extravagant grocery budget once all my bills come off the top. Really, what you do is JUST what I need, ideas to stretch that grocery budget, but that aren’t yucky, and your recipes look actually good, and by the look on your face, QUITE good!!! Like you said, we who struggle don’t have the budget to experiment and LOSE! I appreciate you!
I just found her too and am also binge watching 😊
I happened to have all the ingredients for the Knorr quick lasagna, so I made it according to your adjustments. We just finished it and it have to say it was quite tasty, easy and fast! Give it a try everyone! Thanks for sharing another fun video!❤
so glad you tried it!
I am going to try it, next week, unless I get to store before then as I've been sick.
Wow! I am binge watching after stumbling onto this site last night. Your gentle spirit makes it so relaxing and fun to watch you in the kitchen. The recipes are simple, delicious and affordable. 10 out of 10!!!❤
Love your cooking! Instead of dusting the cake pan with flour, use cocoa. No more white marring the cake.
Super idea!
I use sugar instead of flour. If flour or baking cocoa are on the side of the cake, that's not tasty IMHO. If you use either granulated sugar or powder sugar it works the same as flour and if it doesn't dissolve into the batter, it's tasty 😋
Great idea. Thank you for your comment
Good idea for ppl who are worried about that! Personally I would pbly sprinkle the powdered sugar on it like she did, so the white from the flour wouldn't matter too me😊❤
Budget/no fridge tip for anyone who is not opposed to soy: instead of (or in addition to) ground meat, use textured vegetable protein (TVP). It's much cheaper than meat, has a good amount of protein, comes dried (so no fridge/freezer needed), and has a long shelf life. To use, just add boiling water (I add bouillion to flavor it) and then add it in to your recipe like you would ground meat. It works great for pasta, tacos, sausage dishes, etc. I've served it to a lot of people who love meat, and they can't tell the difference, especially with a lasagna or spaghetti bolognese.
I can not find tvp cheaper than a pound of meat near me in oklahoma. Any suggestions?
@@brittanylavoiephotography1450 just to be sure, tvp is dried and will be much heavier when prepared, in case you werent factoring that into the price vs ground meat
@brittanylavoiephotography1450 Try canned lentils. I use the great value organic canned lentils ($1.69). I mix in a full can to 1lb of ground beef for things like tacos (you truly don't notice it at all), spaghetti sauce, burgers. They don't have much flavor but it stretches meat and takes on the flavor if you leave the fat drippings in there. A 1:1 ratio is what we like best here but play around with it! Even my kids will gladly eat lentil tacos with no meat in there at all. Just make sure you rinse them well before adding in. Shake off excess water
@@brittanylavoiephotography1450 it’s only $4 for a big bag in every Mexican store
If@@brittanylavoiephotography1450 if you live near winco I think they have in bulk there
“This cake makes me wish I had friends.” Feels like a great endorsement of cake. 😂
All these recipes look great and I’m excited to try the lasagna and cake later this week.
Rebecca, I think that the broccoli cheddar soup could be used ( before adding the extra milk/water ) as a filling for a pie or pasties. I think it would make a nice vegetarian dinner, served with mashed or new potato and either peas and carrots, or a nice salad. Yummy.
Much love and respect from the South East of England. xx
Maybe add some diced chicken and get a pre-made pie crust from the fridge section of DG....make a "Chicken and Broccoli" themed pot pie🤔
That's a very good idea! I'm not at all vegetarian nor vegan, but I do occasionally enjoy such meals, and I love broccoli-cheddar soup. I think I'm going to make that, and as you mentioned, serve it with potatoes. YUM!
I made the broccoli cheddar soup for dinner tonight, and my family said I can never make it any other way again! 😋 Thanks for the recipe!!
Rebecca, I just had the most fabulous two nights of dinner, and this video was the direct inspiration. I had a half a head of cauliflower, plus a half a bag of fresh broccoli florets, two potatoes, and an onion on hand, all of which needed to be cooked soon or they'd go into the compost. In the fridge, I had a bag of shredded Parmesan a half a block of cheddar, the tail end of some heavy cream, and some butter. The cupboard yielded a box of chicken broth and two country gravy packets. I chopped all the veg, threw them in the pot with some butter, salt, and pepper. Once they were soft, I added the chicken broth, both packets of gravy powder, and cream, and once that got bubbling, all of the cheddar and half of the Parmesan cheese. It was phenomenal! We ate half that entire double batch last night.
Tonight, I decided to mix it up a little. We had a big day out and were ravenous, and soup alone wouldn't satisfy. I added the spare can of the Prego Alfredo sauce you used in the Alfredo chicken mini pizza recipe from another video, mixed in some raw macaroni, threw it into a casserole dish and baked it on 350 for half an hour, then topped with the rest of yesterday's Parmesan and baked another 30 minutes. We absolutely destroyed that entire pan of macaroni this evening, just devoured every bite.
Your videos have inspired me to cook again, when depression and chronic pain have kept me out of the kitchen that I love so much, far too often as of recently. Thank you for all of the hard work, love, and creativity you put into your videos; you really are doing some amazing work. 💖
That sounds great!
Well done You!! I totally get the fatigue & pain issues.
@constanceworden487 thank you so much! I still struggle with the pain day to day, but still keep trying my best to nourish my body. It's not easy, but I'm always proud of my efforts, no matter how small - And I wish you the best of luck with your own pain journey; know that you are not alone, and there are folks in your corner who understand 💖💖
Over 65 yrs old and you are teaching this old boy new tricks now that I cook for my house making life easier on my end and new things also love sent yur way!!!!! From Ohio
I definitely recommend keeping those recipe clippings! My mum had a recipe box full of those clipped to index cards with her variations and improvements. She used to keep them from packaging, newspapers, even little coupon-like things they had next to ingredients in the grocery store. I've done the same thing for years, and it's so great to have!
All of these recipes look amazing. I think I might have to try that lasagna one first though because I love lasagna and never make it for myself!
I think it would be so fun to find a bound notebook and tape them in there along with notes about how I made it, or a recipe card box too, actually I think I might order one of those, I love trinkets like that
@@DollarTreeDinners if you bought some of those clear plastic baseball sleeve sheets you can add the little clippings along with a note slipped behind the recipe into the divided sections ! They already have holes punched to put in ringed notebooks , very inexpensive and can be bought at any comic book store that sells baseball cards!! Each page holds a dozen pockets I think or more !
@@DollarTreeDinnersI asked my stepsons to decoupage a plain 4" binder as my cookbook cover when they were little. It is still my cooking binder to this day. I take photos of the recipes and print them. I write changes with dates and each family member's score from 1 -10, along with notes on what to try next time. After a few iterations the recipes become Donna's version/recipe.
Me too.. was thinking of adding ricotta to the Last min lasagna
I have several “back of the box/bag” recipes that I keep in a notebook-they’re great little finds for sure!!
I used to make a breakfast casserole or what our kids called leftover casserole. Diced potatoes, onions any leftover grilled meat, mushrooms, diced tomatoes or pico de gio, leftover grilled veggies, cheese, eggs. Great with toast, biscuits and tortillas.
Sounds great! I love a good breakfast casserole and the best part is usually you can prep them the night before and bake in the morning
I do this too but just make it into a "scramble" or "hash"
Ohh, love the idea of using pico de gallo in a casserole! My minister makes his own, and it's the absolute best stuff in the world!
You never cease to amaze me with your adventurous spirit and culinary brilliance. You're giving us the most entertaining and yet useful, helpful videos over anyone else on this platform. I commend you for your efforts, and thank you for your articulate yet warm demeanor. You're fast approaching 100k, Congrats!
I used to work for a major food manufacturer and they had an ENTIRE floor full of employees who came up with new products along with recipes to use the products in. At the time, we called them ‘Home Economists’ because that was what they had their college degrees in, I’m not sure if there is a new designation for that job. It was fun, when they wanted opinions they’d automatically ring every department with an automated message that said ‘Taste Test on the Eight Floor’ and you’d hear the elevator start going off with ding ding ding… It was so long ago that we had an actual elevator operator. 🤷🏻♀️
This sounds like so much fun!
Sounds like they had a building of "guinea pigs". That is quite a job perk!
Yes! They’re only going to put recipes on the package that showcase their recipes positively!
i don’t ever go to dollar trees but i love your videos. your soothing voice, warm personality, etc is enough to make me watch. now i feel like going to dollar tree
You def should!
I can tell you have a lot of experience as a home cook and you also have a good instinct for it. And your vibe is very approachable too. I really appreciate that!
Finally. Somebody else other than me using a gravy packet into soup! I've been doing this for years. I also add Brown gravy mix in beef stew. Once, I used a mushroom gravy mix in a vegetable soup. Loved it❤
Great idea!
Please do more of these!! One of my favorite videos you’ve ever done :)) this should be a series!!
Gurl! You are a budget meal GENIUS! Your content is so awesome and SO NEEDED right now! I just found you about a week ago and I've been binging 😂 Thank you for what you do!
Me too! Found her two weeks ago and it's my new source of entertainment 😊
same here! i found her a week or so ago and i love watching the different recipes. i never knew Dollar Tree had so much to offer for food!
I found her today 12/7/23 and binged all night 😂
Me too! 😂😂
I just love that your meals are the ultimate budget comfort food. Sometimes when you’re broker than broke, it’s a wonderful thing to have a delicious meal. You rock!!
I'm telling you: I love this format. It's like a food channel network show!
Except much better---there aren't any hysterical, screaming, swearing competitors bashing each other. There's just calm, quiet Rebecca showing us how to make really good meals out of (almost) thin air.
Tell me why I got so emotional you trying the cake and just absolutely loving how amazing you did. You've come so far and I thought the dollar tree meals were my favorite but trying new recipes on the back of food products is definitely my favorite now! You're so inspiring and you help this single mama of 2 make quick and easy meals! I can not wait to try all of these recipes thanks to you ❤
This has been the best video idea!! I think we've all looked at the back of packets and cans and wondered if those recipes were actually any good or not!!! Would love to see more of these!!!❤❤❤
For ppl living in "food deserts " ..meaning not enough food stores.. most have dollar type stores: family dollar, dollar general, dollar tree and the regional market ones. Most have the same type of foods. So this type of channel and way of cooking is so helpful to them.
Love this channel with 2 boys and my Hubby I love all these reasonable priced meal ideas. Trust me I feel like my boys and husband eat 24/7.
Love that! I can totally understand, I’m glad I can give you some easy ideas
Great start to a new series, Rebecca!! I love your conversational style... You make your viewers feel like a friend hanging out in your kitchen! ❤
Sacramento, California USA 🇺🇸
Love your channel. You’re such a good soul! Not everyone understands the circumstances people may live in, and if they do they’re judgmental. But you are accepting and helpful. Thank you for your solidarity!
My Mom gave me a cookbook titled Best Recipes From the backs of Boxes, Bottles, Cans and Jars by Ceil Dyer. Great, fun cookbook!
The recipe for porcupine meatballs from the back of a box of beef Rice-a-Roni has been an often requested meal since my kids were small. They are grown and on their own, but I still make that dish for me and my boyfriend, using ground turkey instead. Also the cheesy chicken casserole recipe on the back of the broccoli cheese soup mix from Dollar General is outstanding!
The way you didn't even say anything after you tried the cake, just immediately went in for the second bite made me laugh. I love these longer videos too!
I've use the pioneer biscuit gravy mix as a base for. My homemade broccoli cheese soup. I use dried thyme and rosemary as my seasoning. I also use minced celery and a little shredded carrots.
Do you get a carroty taste in the soup?
@@Freaysclaw56 you're not using that many carrots. You're using the carrots, onion and celery as your first layer of flavor. I saute this 3 in butter. Then I add the thyme and rosemary.
@@sherryarmstrong4683 got it thank!
I made the cake with homemade leftover cranberry relish and gluten-free flour. So good and definitely a keeper! This morning it had more of a consistency of fudge because we refrigerated it overnight, but that's fine, too. Thanks for the recipe!
I have a few recipe books like that I got in a thrift store. It has hand written recipes and cut outs of recipes from newspapers and food products. 😊
I don’t know why but the look on your face with the cake brought tears to my eyes 🍰😊 you just looked so happy!!! Well done on today’s video 👏
Seeing you so happy after trying each item you cooked was nice. It was apparent you truly enjoyed the tasting of each item. I absolutely cannot wait to try all of these myself. Thanks for sharing and for all the hard work you put in to get your videos out to us.
Country gravy mix can also be used to make easy potato soup. Just take a bag of frozen "potatoes o'brien" (the cubed hashbrowns that have onions and peppers) and dump in a large pot with 6 cups of chicken broth. Simmer for 15 minutes. Then mix the gravy packet with a cup of milk and stir into the broth and potatoes. Cook until thickened and you have 6 to 8 servings of soup. Super easy. I usually add a few carrots and half a sweet bell pepper, diced finely, along with the hashbrowns for some extra flavor and nutritional value. But it's fine without them. Top with crumbled bacon or some chives.
I don't know if you know but there's a hack for lining a cake pan with foil... Turn the cake pan upside down and cover it with the aluminum foil. Then carefully remove the foil and put inside the pan. It's so much easier than trying to get the foil inside all the creases in the pan. I hope you give it a try. 👍
I absolutely LOVE your face when you bite into a new recipe that you love! I don't even need to wait for the review; I already know that I need to make it, too. The lasagna and chocolate cake faces you made were epic, hahaha! Another home run video 🥰
@J0EBIDEN_DADDYyeah, with Cornpop!
Growing up sometimes during garden season we would have fresh corn fritters for breakfast, often with a drizzle of honey or real maple syrup
🤤 yum!
Such a great idea for a video series! Now I know what to do with the can of cranberry sauce I forgot to serve on Thanksgiving!
❤ I love your channel. Your 'can-do' spirit and your 'being real' are great. Some orher frugality channels don't seem genuine. I can't watch them. One request please do pantry and freezer meals thank you. 😊
Ever since seeing this video 3 months ago, the last minute lasagna has become a favorite in our house. My fiance and I make it often. Thank you for all your videos!
I love it when food packages have recipes on them. It would be awesome if you decided to make more of these! I really want to try these recipes now 😊
My grandma had a recipe book exactly like you're talking about creating, only recipes from the '50s and '60s. My sister and I covet it. 😆
What is the name of the recipe book? I would LOVE to have a copy!
Try adding a very small amount of hot sauce. It will add a little depth of flavor, and you won’t notice any heat. Really. It’s surprisingly good. That might be your missing flavor. Love your channel!
I am glad that you are branching out to other dollar stores for ideas. I love your show.
This is such a unique little niche of videos. I admit I read the names of recipes on packages and think it sounds so good, but that's where it ends. You have inspired me to try a recipe. Thank you! Love your channel.
Made the lasagna last night for dinner, and we enjoyed it so much that we ate leftovers for lunch! Thanks so much for sharing!
Every single recipe you made today was seriously awesome. I too have clipped recipes from cans, packaging, and other places and use them. The lasagne was an unexpected nice surprise. Can't wait to make all of your recipes, especially that cake! 😋 ❤
My mom was always using recipes from the box or can. You cook like my mom taught me. She became a great cook! Her mom was always a great cook during my life, she didn’t know much when she married, but 7 kids later, she was a rockstar.
Many fine recipes have come from the back of the package! Another great thing about these ingredients is they have a longer shelf-life than fresh items. As I eat smaller portions, I find that refrigerator management is becoming difficult. I would TRY the fudgy cake with whole canned cranberries: the fruit bites would contrast with the chocolate bites.
Hi Rebecca! I love your channel. Dollar General is by far the closet store to me, but it is limited in terms of ingredients. Since those biscuit bombs turned out so well, I'd love to see a dedicated video to meals made with convenience doughs like biscuit and crescent. I know you would come up with the best ideas.
I don't know if it's true everywhere, but when our old DG was replaced by a newly built store (still DG, but now called DG Market), one of the cashiers told me that DG's plan is to replace all their old stores with the markets, but they all have to be built new because of size and safety codes, etc. He didn't say how long it would take, just that the goal is to have all old stores replaced with DG Markets, which offer far more than the old stores do.
Since its a kinda holiday cake with the cranberries, if you dont frost it use a holiday stencil to shake the powered sugar on it. It would look so festive on a Christmas buffet⛄❄️🎄
i LOVE this idea!!
That ground beef grease hack is ingenious!! I love your channel. This video is awesome. Thank you!!
Thanks so much!!
OOh I'm so excited! LOL I NEVER pay attention to the recipes on packaging. Maybe i should start! Great video!
You definitely should! They are easy and quick most of the time
I'm definitely trying the lasagna!!!!!! I am also going to prep the stuffed bisquit recipe for my husband's breakfast. I'm gonna do some with sausage and some with bacon.
If no one has told you today, you are awesome!!! Love all of the recipe ideas. I am definitely trying that lasagna. Great job, Rebecca!!!
The breakfast pastries look amazing! They could even be made more savory for lunch or easy dinners, like fancy calzones or samosas. You could fill them with almost anything!
Yay obscure meals!! 🎉
You know what’s crazy?? I brought a packet of that country gravy to work today and a package of the buddig beef and bread (we only have a microwave) so I was thinking “I bet Rebecca would approve of my budget lunch/dinner today”!
And then you posted!!😂❤
Even though you can’t get it at dollar tree but I love chorizo breakfast tacos. Fry up some potatos then fry up chorizo scramble eggs, mix all together and put it in a soft shell taco with cheese and salsa
I just used the knorr broccoli rice and cheese this past week for Thanksgiving. I added more broccoli to the mix and upped the liquid a bit bc I decided to bake it. It was an experiment but it turned out well. I'm guessing most of the recipes on the back of some packages are from people who experimented and left feedback with the company. Great video! I'll have to try the cake since I didn't use my cranberry sauce this past week.
Everything about this video is joy! I'll definitely need to make these soon!
When I was a kid, we would eat stale bread that was really toasted in the oven, soaked in coffee, then covered in heavy cream and salt and/or sugar. It was my favorite breakfast!
I'd like it with sugar ❤
@@marystrenke3050 that's how I usually liked it when I was younger but the salt version really grew on me as I got older 😋
Do you have an Aldi nearby? I'd love to see what you could come up with from there! I love your content. I don't personally shop for food items at the dollar stores, but I think your ideas are applicable to many things and I learn a TON watching you - I am autistic and get overwhelmed with cooking/meal prepping for the week and you have a very direct, concise way of delivering information that is really enjoyable, easy to understand, and apply. Thanks for all you do!
Rebecca, Your face says it all! When you like something your expression is delightful! As for the Broccoli Cheese soup, I definitely start with a bullion cube/chicken base for the broth. Also, I would break up the broccoli and possibly add some instant potato flakes or leftover potato, etc. to enhance the viscosity of the soup, and adding the cheese at the last possible moment is best. A good broccoli cheese soup is a gift! I have used xanthan gum to thicken when I'm "keto", but it's not nearly as good as the potato. I can hardly wait to try the cranberry cake, but I've got to find a keto method, but I definitely have an idea (coconut flour)! Take care and have a blessed day 💖✝
That cranberry cake was giving me an existential crisis 😂😂 I want to make it again I wish I had somewhere to bring it
@@DollarTreeDinnerswould you feel better about making it into cupcakes and freezing as "meal prep", so you have a treat when you feel like one?
Paper towels for the extra grease brilliant ❤
Love seeing your pup come through the kitchen every know and then in your videos. What is his/her name? 🐶🐾❤️
The genuine joy and surprise on your face said it all with every one of these recipes. I can just imagine a holiday morning with those biscuits, a snowy day inside with the soup, and a busy day where take out doesn't sound good for quick lasagna. As to the cake - set me down with a quart of ice cold milk and a few pieces of that and I do believe I'd be a happy girl! Great job on all of these.
Fun to see you get so excited! You are humble and thoughtful and relatable. Loving your content and can't wait to try!!
So thankful for your channel! I just recently found you and have been binging all of your videos.
This was so fun to watch! I’ve made those stuffed biscuits before but I made sausage gravy and stuffed the biscuits with the sausage gravy and eggs. No cheese. I like the idea of dipping them too! Definitely gonna try the lazy lasagna. I think my family would love that one. Thank you Rebecca! FYI Rebecca is my little sisters name. 😊
I could eat breakfast food 3 times a day! Love the biscuit idea with a little gravy
Really love this one! I've always wondered about that broccoli soup recipe. Going to try it. The cranberry cake, and the lasagna both looked delicious! Thanks for taking one for the team!
If you use a little water on the dough edges, it may help to seal the biscuit closed better.
If you want that Italian sausage flavor to your meat sauce and you’re using ground beef, just add fennel seed.
Also i love making cranberry sauce. I could maybe use one of my small jars to make this !
There is a whole cookbook of back of the box recipes. It's nice because many of them aren't listed on the boxes anymore. Great video. Imgoing to try them all! Plus, they don't make a ton since i only cook for two.
Are you talking about "Recipes From Cans, Bottles and Jars"? I think it's from the 70's or 80's... It's a great little cookbook! 😊
Fun to watch- would enjoy seeing even more "on the back of the package " recipes in the future!
I just ran to store to buy all the ingredients to make ALL these recipes! Got home and made that lasagna and let. Me. Tell. You…… AMAZING!! My hubby was blown away! Thank you for sharing these recipes 😊
Update: made all the recipes and they are great with the exception of the cake. It tastes good but not a good texture for me. Fun to make anyway!
Evening ! I make a breakfast casserole you might like ? You put 4 hash brown patties in a greased 8x8 dish . Then a layer of bacon or sausage crumbled . Then a layer of shredded cheese on top . Beat 6 eggs and pour on top of casserole . Cook at 350 till eggs and cheese are cooked . Cut in 4 and enjoy ! Great Video 😇
Love this. I also recommend trying some individual savory cheesecakes for breakfast. Sort of like quiche but also different. There is one online for Santa Fe cheesecake that’s really delicious and I think Dollar Tree would have most of the ingredients ❤
Chicken riceroni 2 fried eggs wirh toast. Perfect breakfast
Good recipes. For the cake you could mix with a mixer to incorporate the jelly better.
this was fun to watch, dont worry about the mic, life happens! it actually makes you come across as "real" and not scripted! i want to try thhe lasagna now!
Audio worked just fine throughout the whole video 😊
Best cooking channel! She is so real and down to earth
I was so excited to see the results in that chocolate cake! I love that cranberry sauce. I can’t wait to bake it!!
I always add a dash of nutmeg to my broccoli cheddar soup and gives it a good little kick
We need more videos like this! Easy, simply explained & honest opinions! Thank you.
Thank you for being so honest about your dishes! It's hard to watch most of these food channels because "everything" they cook is sooooo amazing and you are following their recipes. I just subscribed.
We do stuffed sausage gravy biscuits. Make and mix the packet gravy with the crumbled sausage then divide it in mini muffin tins and freeze once they're frozen stuff them in the biscuits like you did here and bake. They are so good and the best on the go biscuits and gravy lol
What an original idea for a cooking video! I'm impressed & I have yet to make these! I am making all 4 of these recipes, just on different days! I think the cake would be perfect for a Christmas eve or day desert! Totally do cocoa instead of flouring the pan, powdered sugar is perfect for this & then to dress it up even more, use those sprinkles that look like holly! Or plain red & green sprinkles! Maybe a small floral pick of a poinsettia placed on top! Thank you for what you do! You're truely helping so many people on a tight budget!
Bravo Rebecca. I have watched your channel using Dollar Tree items and have admired your resourcefulness and compassion for those on tight budgets.
I decided to try the last minute lasagna and was so happy with how it turned out. I did add about 1/2 cup of spinach to the noodles , Florentine style.
I am definitely going to try the chocolate cranberry cake.
Thanks so much for all you do.
😅 I love you! I found you about 2 weeks ago during this terrible depression situation I was in and pain so I lay on the couch everyday and watched dozens. Still am. Thank you so much I really enjoy your cooking and watching your life!
I’ve got a friend who doesn’t eat eggs for breakfast and loves the Pillsbury recipe for sausage crescent squares. I tried them and thought they were okay, reminded me of biscuits and gravy. I’d likely make them again. One of my kids loved them and she finished off the leftovers.
I could definitely see that, I feel like you could omit the eggs on these and just stuff them with sausage and cheese, but definitely sausage and gravy biscuits vibes