One of our New Year's resolutions is to be more frugal (oh, yours too?). For those whose kids aren't allergic, peanut butter fits right into that plan. Dollar Savvy magazine has a slew of tips for using peanut butter to vary your cooking -- and you can hold the jelly. Here they are:

"For a yummy glaze on ham steaks, combine 3 tablespoons orange marmalade, 2 tablespoons peanut butter, and 1 tablespoon water. Broil the ham steaks and when they are nearly done, add the glaze to one side and broil until the glaze is lightly browned, about 1 minute.

"To make an Asian-style dipping sauce for beef, shrimp, or chicken, whisk together 3 tablespoons peanut butter, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon apple-cider vinegar, 1 tablespoon peanut oil or vegetable oil, 1 teaspoon sugar, and 1 teaspoon sesame oil. Blend until smooth.

"For a simple, fun appetizer, spread peanut butter into the grooves of celery sticks. Then for sweetness, place a few raisins on top and drizzle with honey.

"To breathe new life into chocolate chip cookies, replace half of the butter with peanut butter in your favorite recipe.

"To make a novel wrap out of grilled shrimp, combine peanut butter, olive oil, fresh lemon juice, and parsley until smooth. Grill some shrimp and serve in a tortilla wrap with shredded lettuce, chopped tomato, chopped onions, chopped cucumbers, and the peanut sauce.

"To give creamy potato soups or vegetable soups an Afro-Caribbean flavor, stir in a few tablespoons of peanut butter.

"For a mid-afternoon snack, spread 1 slice of raisin bread with 3 tablespoons peanut butter, then top with 2 tablespoons raisins and 1 tablespoon honey. Add a dash of ground cinnamon if you like. Top with another slice of raisin bread. Cook the sandwich in a buttered griddle until browned on both sides.

"For banana muffins with a twist, replace half of the butter or shortening in the recipe with peanut butter. Top the muffin batter with a sprinkling of shredded coconut before baking.

Photo by Baltimore Sun photographer Algerina Perna