Linda's Busy Cooks Blog

As food prices keep rising, we have to be more and more careful about food. Did you know that the biggest budget buster is waste? Use your freezer to make sure that you preserve as much food as possible. And from that freezer, I'm pulling some pesto to make these delicious burgers. Served with an easy sweet potato salad and some floats, this is an inexpensive meal to remember.

_{Photo © 2008 Linda Larsen, licensed to About.com, Inc.}

Now this is a menu for entertaining! This five ingredient steak recipe has wonderful flavors. Really try to find the fresh herbs; they make such a difference. If you can't, use 1 teaspoon each dried oregano and thyme. Grill some asparagus to go along with the juicy steak, and a great melon salad and some grilled cheese bread round out the menu.

• Summer Steaks
• Grilled Asparagus
• Grilled Cheese Bread
• Melon Salad

_{Photo © 2008 Linda Larsen, licensed to About.com, Inc.}

Oh yum, I love anything with shrimp. This easy salad blends it with rice and some crisp vegetables in a dill and mustard dressing for fabulous taste. Serve it with some grilled breadsticks and an incredible chilly pie. In fact, have the pie for a snack later on - you deserve it! After all, you just served your family an incredible meal.

• Shrimp and Rice Salad
• Grilled Herb Breadsticks
• Rocky Road Ice Cream Pie

_{Photo © 2008 Linda Larsen, licensed to About.com, Inc.}

Tortellini is a tiny stuffed pasta that is delicious and hearty. It can be used in so many ways: in a salad, a casserole, or a soup. You can usually find it with different fillings; my favorite is cheese because it works well with so many other ingredients. These are some of my favorite recipes using this convenience food, including Lentil Rice and Tortellini Salad.

_{Photo © 2008 Linda Larsen, licensed to About.com, Inc.}

My inexpensive meal series continues with this totally no-cook meal. Canned beans and frozen vegetables are a great choice for summer meals because all you have to do is open cans or thaw food, mix, and enjoy. This salad has a lot of flavor. I'd add some fresh chopped basil and perhaps some cherry tomatoes that are starting to ripen in my garden. And the Fudgesicle pie for dessert - sublime! Enjoy.

Sandwich Spreads should be part of your regular meal rotation in the summer. They're easy to make, inexpensive, made ahead of time, use the best of summer produce, and are the perfect thing to point your kids toward when they complain how hungry they are! Whew. Serve them with tortillas for wraps, mini sandwich buns for tiny sandwiches, or whole wheat bread for big appetites. Chicken Salad Sandwich Spread, pictured, is my current fav.

_{Photo © 2008 Linda Larsen, licensed to About.com, Inc.}

My Got $10? Make a Meal! series continues with one of the easiest and most delicious summer recipes ever: Caesar Chicken Salad. I love the combination of hot grilled chicken with cold crisp lettuce, a rich dressing, and crunchy croutons. It's paired with a super easy cold soup and some of the best brownies.

_{Photo © 2008 Linda Larsen, licensed to About.com, Inc.}

Sometimes it's just too hot to grill outside. Right now it's 85 degrees, which doesn't sound too bad, until you add in the 72 degree dew point, which translates to 70 percent humidity! It's like a steam bath out there, which means that the meal I was going to cook on my new outdoor grill is being prepared in the air conditioning, on my George Foreman dual contact grill. That prompted this list of the best indoor grill recipes, including Southwest Pork Tenderloin. Stay cool!

_{Photo © 2008 Linda Larsen, licensed to About.com, Inc.}

Don't let summer pass by without making steak on the grill. I know all food is really expensive now, but you can buy an inexpensive round steak and marinate it and it will be delicious. Pair it with the best potato salad in the world, a fresh corn salad that tastes just like summer, and an easy ice cream dessert. Yum.

• Marinated Steak
• My Mother's Potato Salad
• Fresh Corn Salad
• Fudgesicle Pie

_{Photo © 2008 Linda Larsen, licensed to About.com, Inc.}

One of the best parts of the Fourth of July is the desserts. Make my gorgeous and delicious Brownie Flag, or try the luscious Red, White, and Blue Trifle. Then there's always cool ice cream treats, and my favorite version of strawberry shortcake. Yum.

• Brownie Flag
• Red White and Blue Trifle
• Easy Strawberry 'Shortcake'
• Peanut Chocolate Parfait Bars
• Ice Cream Sandwiches

_{Photo © 2008 Linda Larsen, licensed to About.com, Inc.}