it seems like time is flying too fast. we have went from christmas to valentines day in no time. since we are still in winter, i am always in the mood for comfort foods, soups and stews, in particular. i love the way it feels to be comforted when it’s so cold outside. this edition is a combination of my definition of comfort foods. i have a few dishes to include a stew, a pasta dish and some chili. did we save enough for a dessert this time? you’ll have to wait and see. 🙂

wanna help me out? submit your recipes!

here we go!

slow cooker bean, kale and sausage stew – my soul mate has reappeared in this recipe. my slow cooker over extended itself and made me this yummy stew that consists of navy beans, onions, garlic, tomatoes, some spices and sausage. it is so flavorful and hard to believe it cooked itself. make extra and freeze.

smoky cornbread chili with sweet cornbread crust – why serve chili and cornbread separately when you can combine them together? i used to make chili and serve it with my cheddar scallion corncake recipe as my topper or just make a pan of my homemade buttermilk cornbread. but then a bright light popped up in my head one day and i decided to put a cornbread layer over the chili. the cornbread sopped up some of the chili juice and made it even more flavorful than before! a must try.

pizza stuffed taquitos – i used to be an avid costco shopper and we would always sample taquitos while shopping. once i figured out how to make my own, my hubby suggested the brilliant idea to stuff them with pizza! crunchy on the outside, ooeey, gooey creamy pizza filling inside. should i say more?

i am including my smoky rice with the pizza stuffed taquitos, since it is what we ate as a side dish with ours. this rice is very addicting. it cooked with bacon, smoky paprika, onions and fresh garlic. some of the best rice you will ever eat.

chicken balsamic skillet – hands down, one of the hubby’s favorite dinners. it is something about that sweet vinegar in the sauce that does something special to your tastebuds. please try this one…very soon!

creamy parmesan pasta – simplicity. it seems that the simpler things in life are the ones that blow you away! my vegetarian dish this week takes 5 minutes to make. garlic, butter, noodles and parmesan cheese make one of the tastiest, easiest pasta dishes ever. a perfect mid-week meal.

the GRAND total? $22.64!!!! woo hoo! do i smell dessert?

we did so good, i am throwing in a WHOLE batch of chocolate chip nana butter cookies. i’m talking THIRTY COOKIES, folks! these ridiculously soft, melt in your mouth cookies have to be one of the best cookies i have ever had. not tootin’ my own horn or anything. eh hem. 🙂

now, the grand total is $27.38! wow. still under. i am so happy! we did great this month ya’ll! here is our receipt, by the way…

*serving size 4 people

okay, let me know how you liked these meals along with your own unique touches. please don’t forget to send in your great tasting meals! see you next month!

-tijuana