We had a sleep over outside in our yard the other night. We decided to cook outside and make it like a real camping trip. It was an interesting experience. My husband had put an old wood stove out on the lawn and taken the doors off. The first night we had hot dogs cooked on a stick. This of course worked out fine.
The next morning I decided to make waffles, coffee, bacon, and scrambled eggs on it. This didn't work very well. The waffle iron was one of those old cast iron ones from the early 1900's. I couldn't get it hot enough on this set up and it stuck. The coffee turned out great. The waffles ended up being cooked in the cast iron frying pan like you would cook pancakes. The only think is that the stove wasn't level so it made them a very interesting shape. Then the scrambled eggs turned out great. We ended up calling the waffle, pancake things, flip flaps. They looked terrible.
The thing is though that everything tasted way better then when you cook inside. There is just something about cooking on a fire. I think we will do it more often.
Monday, June 4, 2012
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Making Homemade Bagels
Wow! Making homemade bagels can be a big job! You have to start them with potato water. So it is a good idea to think ahead and when you make potatoes, save your water for bagels. I usually make mashed potatoes for supper the night before I am going to be making bagels. I just save my water in a covered kettle in the fridge until I am ready. Then I heat the potato water till warm on the stove. This is one of my favorite things to make even though they take so long. There is nothing like them. They are so fresh and yummy. The other thing that makes them a big job is that they have to be boiled 3 minutes on each side and then baked. If you are still interested in making them after getting this information, I have included my favorite recipe. These are the best topped with cream cheese and a homemade raspberry freezer jam.
Some benefits of making your own bagels is that they are a lot cheaper then buying them. You can freeze them and use when ready. If you raise chickens, this is a great way to use up extra eggs.
BAGEL RECIPE
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups potato water
2 packages of yeast
1 Tbs. of sugar
1 Tbs. salt
3 Tbs. canola oil
3 eggs
6 cups of flour
Heat water to just warm on your wrist. Pour into your largest mixing bowl. Add the yeast, sugar, salt, oil and eggs. Beat with a wire whisk until all mixed. Add the flour 3 cups at a time. Then, turn out onto a lightly floured surface and kneed until smooth and elastic like. Wash out the mixing bowl and dry it. Grease the bowl and put the dough in it, cover with a cloth, and set in a warm place to rise. Once the dough rises once, push it down and get ready to form it. Start by forming the dough into 2 long log rolls. Then cut each of these into 12 pieces. These little pieces will each be 1 bagel. Roll each one in your hands like a play dough snake. Then, join the ends to make a ring. Pinch together and just dab with water where you pinched it to hold it together. After you have formed all the bagels, let them set and rise for about 20 minutes.
While they are rising. Get your largest kettle, add 1/4 cup sugar and a gallon of water. Cover and bring to a boil. Once it is boiling, Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Add bagels to the water about 4 to a time and boil 3 minutes on each side. Then put on a greased cookie sheet and bake. These will bake until they are lightly brown on bottom and the top. Keep in mind they are mostly cooked from boiling. They are just going into the oven to brown.
http://www.zazzle.com/mainewildsensations
Some benefits of making your own bagels is that they are a lot cheaper then buying them. You can freeze them and use when ready. If you raise chickens, this is a great way to use up extra eggs.
BAGEL RECIPE
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups potato water
2 packages of yeast
1 Tbs. of sugar
1 Tbs. salt
3 Tbs. canola oil
3 eggs
6 cups of flour
Heat water to just warm on your wrist. Pour into your largest mixing bowl. Add the yeast, sugar, salt, oil and eggs. Beat with a wire whisk until all mixed. Add the flour 3 cups at a time. Then, turn out onto a lightly floured surface and kneed until smooth and elastic like. Wash out the mixing bowl and dry it. Grease the bowl and put the dough in it, cover with a cloth, and set in a warm place to rise. Once the dough rises once, push it down and get ready to form it. Start by forming the dough into 2 long log rolls. Then cut each of these into 12 pieces. These little pieces will each be 1 bagel. Roll each one in your hands like a play dough snake. Then, join the ends to make a ring. Pinch together and just dab with water where you pinched it to hold it together. After you have formed all the bagels, let them set and rise for about 20 minutes.
While they are rising. Get your largest kettle, add 1/4 cup sugar and a gallon of water. Cover and bring to a boil. Once it is boiling, Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Add bagels to the water about 4 to a time and boil 3 minutes on each side. Then put on a greased cookie sheet and bake. These will bake until they are lightly brown on bottom and the top. Keep in mind they are mostly cooked from boiling. They are just going into the oven to brown.
http://www.zazzle.com/mainewildsensations
Friday, May 11, 2012
SUPER MOON
Did anyone see that Super Moon we had last week? It was really something. My husband went down to the Old Mill Pond where he could get a good look at it. He ended up taking a bunch of really interesting pictures of it.
This is the biggest and brightest full moon of the year. This moon is closer to earth then the average moon. This moon is closer to earth then the average moon.
Check out these photos.
http://www.zazzle.com/mainewildsensations/super+moon+gifts
This is the biggest and brightest full moon of the year. This moon is closer to earth then the average moon. This moon is closer to earth then the average moon.
Check out these photos.
http://www.zazzle.com/mainewildsensations/super+moon+gifts
Collecting Old Jars and Bottles Part 3
I was very surprised the other day, when we found an old foundation. I started to look around and thought that I had found the old personal dump. I was digging around and found a few nice ones. Then, my husband found another personal dump on the old property, this one was huge. He filled 2 big clothes baskets to the top! It was a great find. I can't wait to go back and dig deeper. We got all of these ones just on the very top, after brushing away some old cans. We found really old brown glass ones, old soda bottles, and everything else you can imagine. This has been so fun for me.
If you are out in the woods, keep your eyes open, you never know what you might find!
If you are out in the woods, keep your eyes open, you never know what you might find!
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Collecting Old Jars and Bottles Part 2
Today, I found the honey hole of old glass. In just about 30 minutes I came home with 10 old bottles and jars. These ranged in age from 1933-1955. I found brown glass, and clear glass. They all look so interesting. I also found an old glass insulator for an eclectic line. It is so neat! The color is emerald green. I wasn't sure what it was, I had to have my husband tell me.
If you are interested in collecting old glass, then get out in the woods and see what you can find. Where I found the stuff today, was a place where someone must have had an old camp in the woods and this was a hole where they had buried all of their trash. I dug up a lot of old tin cans before I got to the good stuff.
The fun part about finding this stuff is, there is always a history lesson behind it, and it is a treasure hunt. Lets face it, no matter how old we are, we love treasure hunts.
Although I think old glass is about the best thing there is. And, I would love to receive some as a gift, not all mothers feel this way! Don't forget to get your mother something she would enjoy this Mother's day.
http://www.zazzle.com/mainewildsensations/mom+gifts
If you are interested in collecting old glass, then get out in the woods and see what you can find. Where I found the stuff today, was a place where someone must have had an old camp in the woods and this was a hole where they had buried all of their trash. I dug up a lot of old tin cans before I got to the good stuff.
The fun part about finding this stuff is, there is always a history lesson behind it, and it is a treasure hunt. Lets face it, no matter how old we are, we love treasure hunts.
Although I think old glass is about the best thing there is. And, I would love to receive some as a gift, not all mothers feel this way! Don't forget to get your mother something she would enjoy this Mother's day.
http://www.zazzle.com/mainewildsensations/mom+gifts
Thursday, April 26, 2012
ARE YOU TIRED OF THE SAME OLD MOTHER'S DAY GIFTS?
Maybe you are trying to figure out what you are going to buy your mother???? Maybe you have been to the store and everything looks blah or to much like what other family members will be buying. I love to find new unique things when purchasing a gift.
The trouble with buying flowers is that they never last. How about a wildflower mug??? That would be different! You could pair it up with some nice organic tea or coffee. You could even fill it up with some individually wrapped candy!
Check these out!
http://www.zazzle.com/mainewildsensations/mom+gifts
The trouble with buying flowers is that they never last. How about a wildflower mug??? That would be different! You could pair it up with some nice organic tea or coffee. You could even fill it up with some individually wrapped candy!
Check these out!
http://www.zazzle.com/mainewildsensations/mom+gifts
Collecting Old Bottles And Jars
One of my newest projects, is collecting old bottles! I love this! I never know where I am going to find them.
I found some a few weeks ago in an opening along the edge of an old logging road. They were canning jars dating around 1970. One was a star jar and the other was a 2 Quart Jar.
Then, while driving out an old dirt road I found an old 1/2 gallon jar with etched flowers all along the top. It looked like maybe an old juice jar. I have no idea what the age of this one was. It was just laying on a stump along the edge of the woods.
Old foundations are another great place to look for bottles and jars. I found an old juice jar and Pepsi bottle in an old foundation last week. Then I went out back and found where the people used to bury their trash. That is always a great find on an old property. Because, they never had dumps, they had their own dump on their land. Anyhow, I found an old glass octagon jar I have no idea how old. I am guessing it was a pill jar. An old whiskey bottle around the same age. A ginger ale bottle 1 quart around 1970. A soda bottle that is Christmas green and rough textured about 1940.
My husband has found some other bottles while doing ground work on our land. He found an old peroxide bottle that took a cork, an old 1940 Christmas green jar, and a tiny cork bottle that is really old.
My husband also found for me while hunting last fall some old bottles from the 1800's or maybe earlier. Check out the picture of those on this T-shirt!
http://www.zazzle.com/mainewildsensations/cross+gifts
I found some a few weeks ago in an opening along the edge of an old logging road. They were canning jars dating around 1970. One was a star jar and the other was a 2 Quart Jar.
Then, while driving out an old dirt road I found an old 1/2 gallon jar with etched flowers all along the top. It looked like maybe an old juice jar. I have no idea what the age of this one was. It was just laying on a stump along the edge of the woods.
Old foundations are another great place to look for bottles and jars. I found an old juice jar and Pepsi bottle in an old foundation last week. Then I went out back and found where the people used to bury their trash. That is always a great find on an old property. Because, they never had dumps, they had their own dump on their land. Anyhow, I found an old glass octagon jar I have no idea how old. I am guessing it was a pill jar. An old whiskey bottle around the same age. A ginger ale bottle 1 quart around 1970. A soda bottle that is Christmas green and rough textured about 1940.
My husband has found some other bottles while doing ground work on our land. He found an old peroxide bottle that took a cork, an old 1940 Christmas green jar, and a tiny cork bottle that is really old.
My husband also found for me while hunting last fall some old bottles from the 1800's or maybe earlier. Check out the picture of those on this T-shirt!
http://www.zazzle.com/mainewildsensations/cross+gifts
Cheap Mother's Day Gift Ideas
Well, Mother's Day is just around the corner. It's time to get thinking about gift ideas. I know that Mother's Day can be costly especially if you have several mothers and grandmothers to buy for. Try to remember that it isn't what you spend that matters. I always try to make sure the gift is going to match their personality and be something useful to them, instead of worrying about how much I am spending.
GIFT IDEAS
1. A garden gift basket I have done these buy picking up a flower pot, adding some packages of flower seeds, some garden gloves, and gardening tools. Then I cover the whole pot in clear gift basket wrap and add a homemade name tag with curly ribbon. These always look so beautiful. If you go to the dollar store, you can do the whole thing for around $5.00 for a nice one.
2. You can pick up a couple of flats of flowers at your local greenhouse and some pots at the dollar store, along with potting soil. Then transplant the flowers into the pots.
3. Make some homemade truffles and give those. Find a recipe for them on an online recipe site. You can put these in just a sandwich bag ( not a ziplock) and add the gift tag and ribbon at the top.
4. Make a candy arrangement in a coffee cup. This is very simple! First, buy a coffee cup from the dollar store. Second, add some M&M's in the cup. Third, cut out some flower petals from construction paper or even regular paper that you have colored. . Fourth, Poke a toothpick ( one of those sturdy ones, the cheap ones won't work) through the center of the construction paper flower, add a hershey kiss buy poking the toothpick into it but not all the way through. Then, wrap a pipe cleaner around the other end of the toothpick several times. Next, wrap the pipe cleaner around a craft stick, to make a stem, and stick into the cup full of M&M's. You can add some store bought truffles buy just poking the toothpick directly into them and then repeating the pipe cleaner, craft stick stem. Keep making and adding until the cup is full. It doesn't take a lot, you should be able to do about 3 cups with a few bags of candy. Make sure you have enough M&M's though. It takes alot to hold everything in the cup.
5. Walmart has medium sized boxes of Russel Stover Chocolates for 3.00. The flavors I saw were, cherry cordial, coconut clusters, and carmels. I am sure the variety varies for each store. But this is a pretty cheap gift that looks like something.
6. Send them an invitation for a meal at your house. Then, make the meal really special bringing out the best dishes, tablecloth, and serving something very nice.
7. Make a homemade card telling them exactly how you feel about them. The store bought cards are nice, but a personal touch is always better.
8. Give them a coupon for a job you will do for them, that they need help with or hate doing. Put it in a card.
This is a site that has some really beautiful unique cards.
http://www.zazzle.com/mainewildsensations/mother+day+greeting+cards
GIFT IDEAS
1. A garden gift basket I have done these buy picking up a flower pot, adding some packages of flower seeds, some garden gloves, and gardening tools. Then I cover the whole pot in clear gift basket wrap and add a homemade name tag with curly ribbon. These always look so beautiful. If you go to the dollar store, you can do the whole thing for around $5.00 for a nice one.
2. You can pick up a couple of flats of flowers at your local greenhouse and some pots at the dollar store, along with potting soil. Then transplant the flowers into the pots.
3. Make some homemade truffles and give those. Find a recipe for them on an online recipe site. You can put these in just a sandwich bag ( not a ziplock) and add the gift tag and ribbon at the top.
4. Make a candy arrangement in a coffee cup. This is very simple! First, buy a coffee cup from the dollar store. Second, add some M&M's in the cup. Third, cut out some flower petals from construction paper or even regular paper that you have colored. . Fourth, Poke a toothpick ( one of those sturdy ones, the cheap ones won't work) through the center of the construction paper flower, add a hershey kiss buy poking the toothpick into it but not all the way through. Then, wrap a pipe cleaner around the other end of the toothpick several times. Next, wrap the pipe cleaner around a craft stick, to make a stem, and stick into the cup full of M&M's. You can add some store bought truffles buy just poking the toothpick directly into them and then repeating the pipe cleaner, craft stick stem. Keep making and adding until the cup is full. It doesn't take a lot, you should be able to do about 3 cups with a few bags of candy. Make sure you have enough M&M's though. It takes alot to hold everything in the cup.
5. Walmart has medium sized boxes of Russel Stover Chocolates for 3.00. The flavors I saw were, cherry cordial, coconut clusters, and carmels. I am sure the variety varies for each store. But this is a pretty cheap gift that looks like something.
6. Send them an invitation for a meal at your house. Then, make the meal really special bringing out the best dishes, tablecloth, and serving something very nice.
7. Make a homemade card telling them exactly how you feel about them. The store bought cards are nice, but a personal touch is always better.
8. Give them a coupon for a job you will do for them, that they need help with or hate doing. Put it in a card.
This is a site that has some really beautiful unique cards.
http://www.zazzle.com/mainewildsensations/mother+day+greeting+cards
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Ya I'm an apron wearing mom!
One of the things that people like to tease me about, is the fact that I am almost always wearing an apron. I love to cook, but am very messy while cooking. I don't like to ruin my clothes, so my solution is to always wear an apron.
I love to sew aprons. They are very easy to make, and I love picking unique fabric to sew them. I like to make mine reversible. I do one side seasonal, and then the other side something that is great for anytime of year. I use ribbon or lace for the ties. All I do is cut both prints of fabric to the size I want, you can use an old apron as a pattern. Then, put both pieces facing each other with prints together. I sew almost all the way around 1/4 inch in. I leave about a 4 inch opening at the bottom that doesn't get sewed. Then I flip the apron around, so the prints are on the outside and tuck in the opening. Now, I sew all the way around again 1/4 inch in. Add the straps and the project is done. Of course not everyone wants to sew their own apron.
Luckily, there are places that sell really unique aprons. Check out this link!!
http://www.zazzle.com/mainewildsensations/aprons
I love to sew aprons. They are very easy to make, and I love picking unique fabric to sew them. I like to make mine reversible. I do one side seasonal, and then the other side something that is great for anytime of year. I use ribbon or lace for the ties. All I do is cut both prints of fabric to the size I want, you can use an old apron as a pattern. Then, put both pieces facing each other with prints together. I sew almost all the way around 1/4 inch in. I leave about a 4 inch opening at the bottom that doesn't get sewed. Then I flip the apron around, so the prints are on the outside and tuck in the opening. Now, I sew all the way around again 1/4 inch in. Add the straps and the project is done. Of course not everyone wants to sew their own apron.
Luckily, there are places that sell really unique aprons. Check out this link!!
http://www.zazzle.com/mainewildsensations/aprons
Monday, April 16, 2012
SAVING MONEY IN A BAD ECONOMY PART 2
If we take a look at our spending, and keep track of it for a month, it can be shocking. What are you spending money on that is not necessary? Maybe its expensive clothing, jewelry, cosmetics etc. Only you know what it is. I challenge you to stop it right away.
Try shopping only, for clearance items at regular stores when looking for clothing. Or, you can shop second hand clothing stores. How about eBay, you can go to the store and decide exactly what you want and then keep checking eBay for it. I got a 50.00 pair of sneakers for 20.00 including shipping. But, I had to be very patient and diligent with watching for what I wanted daily. There is always yard sales, I don't personally do these because I live way away from everything. So, it is not very profitable for me to drive 15 miles to get to a yard sale, that may or may not have what I am looking for.
As far as jewelry goes, a couple of nice pieces go along ways. You don't need to have a whole jewelry box full. Choose a couple of classic pieces that go with everything. Buy good quality so they will last you for years. Avoid those flashy trendy pieces that only match one outfit. If you want some things like that then get into making your own jewelry.
Cosmetics, I suggest that you buy these at Rite Aid. If you buy the wrong color they will take it back. So you are not spending money on things that you don't like. Once again, just get the basics and make them last for the year. You don't needs a bunch of different colors of cosmetics. Just get one of each thing that looks nice on you and use it sparingly.
Never, buy furniture in a furniture store on the spur of the moment. Make a list of what you need and watch for the right price! You can be watching sales, price matching, discount stores, second hand stores, advertisements in the newspaper from people who are selling their old stuff.
Basically, whatever your unnecessary spending areas are, you can find creative ways to meet those needs without spending the regular price.
Make it a game to see how much you can save and have fun!
Try shopping only, for clearance items at regular stores when looking for clothing. Or, you can shop second hand clothing stores. How about eBay, you can go to the store and decide exactly what you want and then keep checking eBay for it. I got a 50.00 pair of sneakers for 20.00 including shipping. But, I had to be very patient and diligent with watching for what I wanted daily. There is always yard sales, I don't personally do these because I live way away from everything. So, it is not very profitable for me to drive 15 miles to get to a yard sale, that may or may not have what I am looking for.
As far as jewelry goes, a couple of nice pieces go along ways. You don't need to have a whole jewelry box full. Choose a couple of classic pieces that go with everything. Buy good quality so they will last you for years. Avoid those flashy trendy pieces that only match one outfit. If you want some things like that then get into making your own jewelry.
Cosmetics, I suggest that you buy these at Rite Aid. If you buy the wrong color they will take it back. So you are not spending money on things that you don't like. Once again, just get the basics and make them last for the year. You don't needs a bunch of different colors of cosmetics. Just get one of each thing that looks nice on you and use it sparingly.
Never, buy furniture in a furniture store on the spur of the moment. Make a list of what you need and watch for the right price! You can be watching sales, price matching, discount stores, second hand stores, advertisements in the newspaper from people who are selling their old stuff.
Basically, whatever your unnecessary spending areas are, you can find creative ways to meet those needs without spending the regular price.
Make it a game to see how much you can save and have fun!
Friday, April 6, 2012
A Cheap Easter Dinner!
Maybe you are really wanting a nice Easter Dinner, but the cost of a great big ham and things is way out of budget. Don't fear! You can whip up something cheap and still have a great meal.
If you are cooking for just a small bunch of people, then why make a big ham? I have seen ham steaks on sale at different places this week for about 2.50 each. A couple of these will go a long ways. You can either layer them on top of each other and bake as usual, or brown in a frying pan. If you bake it, you can still make gravy with your drippings. Just bring them to a boil and add about 2 Tbs. of corn starch mixed with some water. Boil and stir with a wire whisk until thickened.
Pick up a bag of potatoes and mash them. I have seen potatoes for 1.30 a bag this week. Now, pick one frozen veggie that everyone likes cost 2.50.
For bread, buy the store brand Pillsbury style biscuits. These are around 75 cents
Make a jello salad. Use 2 packages of store brand jello and one can of store brand fruit cocktail. Mix the jello according to directions and put in the fridge. When it starts to set up, put in the can of drained fruit cocktail. Stir together and let set till firm.
For dessert make a cake or a pie. If you have never made pie crust, then buy the ready made crust and add either pudding to it, or some frozen fruit following a recipe. It isn't hard. You should be able to make this dinner for around 20.00.
Enjoy your holiday and remember you don't have to be rich to have a nice day.
If you are cooking for just a small bunch of people, then why make a big ham? I have seen ham steaks on sale at different places this week for about 2.50 each. A couple of these will go a long ways. You can either layer them on top of each other and bake as usual, or brown in a frying pan. If you bake it, you can still make gravy with your drippings. Just bring them to a boil and add about 2 Tbs. of corn starch mixed with some water. Boil and stir with a wire whisk until thickened.
Pick up a bag of potatoes and mash them. I have seen potatoes for 1.30 a bag this week. Now, pick one frozen veggie that everyone likes cost 2.50.
For bread, buy the store brand Pillsbury style biscuits. These are around 75 cents
Make a jello salad. Use 2 packages of store brand jello and one can of store brand fruit cocktail. Mix the jello according to directions and put in the fridge. When it starts to set up, put in the can of drained fruit cocktail. Stir together and let set till firm.
For dessert make a cake or a pie. If you have never made pie crust, then buy the ready made crust and add either pudding to it, or some frozen fruit following a recipe. It isn't hard. You should be able to make this dinner for around 20.00.
Enjoy your holiday and remember you don't have to be rich to have a nice day.
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Saving Money in a Bad Economy! PART 1 Groceries
Every week the pay check comes, but the money doesn't go very far. The price of things is going up all the time! How does anyone stay on budget when it costs so much just to get the basics? I am a stay at home mom who home schools. I have to cut corners everywhere in order to continue to stay home with my son.
The first thing is food. Never waste any left over food. If you think it is more then you will be able to eat before it spoils, then put it in the freezer. Maybe you just have a little bit of something left over, for example a small amount of spaghetti sauce. I would put this in a Tupperware in the freezer and then just keep adding to that Tupperware until it is full. Then I would use it for pizza sauce or chop suey. I keep a piece of paper on my fridge where I can write down what I have in there for leftovers. This way I can keep track of what needs to be used, and it keeps me from having to clean out the fridge because of spoiled food. I check that list each day, and decide what I can cook using leftovers. Forget about using a recipe when you are cooking like this. Or if you are using a recipe, don't be afraid to improvise to meet your need. Just put together whatever goes together alright and is thrifty. I will be blogging soon on ways to use leftovers along with some of my own recipes.
When you are grocery shopping, watch for meat that needs to be sold that day. Bring it home and put it right in the freezer. You will save a lot of money this way. Just make sure to leave the meat frozen until you are ready to use it and then thaw it out in the microwave. Always buy the store brand. It is usually cheaper then using coupons. Most always the store brand is very good. Shop mostly for sale items or unadvertised store specials. You can get creative and make great meals using ingredients that are on sale and save huge amounts. Check the reduced fresh produce also. It is good to pick up some of your produce this way if you are able to eat it in a few days. Why pay full price and then have to wait for it to ripen, when you want it now.
Keep your cupboards well stocked. If you shop by the day, you are going to spend a lot more. Shop once a week at the most and make yourself use just what you have on hand. Don't make special trips to the store for items you forgot. It wastes gas, and you can always improvise with something you have. A well stocked cupboard keeps you from eating out. You can usually find something you are in the mood for right at home.
Don't spend a lot of money on premade things, or prepackaged mixes. These always cost more, and because they are packed with preservatives and things, you eat more food without feeling satisfied. You can make the same things from scratch without too much effort. I do try to keep, what I call an emergency meal on hand. This is something premade that can go into the microwave in case of a crazy day. This is good to have to avoid take out.
Always buy your staples in bulk when on sale. For example I buy my flour in a 25 lb. bag for $8.00 when it is on sale. A 5 lb. bag off sale is at least $2.50. That is a big savings. Buy your eggs in a big case of 2 1/2 dozen. Think of the things you use a lot of and buy it in bigger packages.
Why spend a lot of money on Ziploc bags, plastic wrap, trash bags etc.? You can put small amounts of leftovers in Tupperware style containers. You can cover bowls with plates. Cook in baking pans that come with storage lids. Save old bread bags as sandwich bags. Use those plastic bags from the grocery store for trash bags.
Stay tuned for part 2
The first thing is food. Never waste any left over food. If you think it is more then you will be able to eat before it spoils, then put it in the freezer. Maybe you just have a little bit of something left over, for example a small amount of spaghetti sauce. I would put this in a Tupperware in the freezer and then just keep adding to that Tupperware until it is full. Then I would use it for pizza sauce or chop suey. I keep a piece of paper on my fridge where I can write down what I have in there for leftovers. This way I can keep track of what needs to be used, and it keeps me from having to clean out the fridge because of spoiled food. I check that list each day, and decide what I can cook using leftovers. Forget about using a recipe when you are cooking like this. Or if you are using a recipe, don't be afraid to improvise to meet your need. Just put together whatever goes together alright and is thrifty. I will be blogging soon on ways to use leftovers along with some of my own recipes.
When you are grocery shopping, watch for meat that needs to be sold that day. Bring it home and put it right in the freezer. You will save a lot of money this way. Just make sure to leave the meat frozen until you are ready to use it and then thaw it out in the microwave. Always buy the store brand. It is usually cheaper then using coupons. Most always the store brand is very good. Shop mostly for sale items or unadvertised store specials. You can get creative and make great meals using ingredients that are on sale and save huge amounts. Check the reduced fresh produce also. It is good to pick up some of your produce this way if you are able to eat it in a few days. Why pay full price and then have to wait for it to ripen, when you want it now.
Keep your cupboards well stocked. If you shop by the day, you are going to spend a lot more. Shop once a week at the most and make yourself use just what you have on hand. Don't make special trips to the store for items you forgot. It wastes gas, and you can always improvise with something you have. A well stocked cupboard keeps you from eating out. You can usually find something you are in the mood for right at home.
Don't spend a lot of money on premade things, or prepackaged mixes. These always cost more, and because they are packed with preservatives and things, you eat more food without feeling satisfied. You can make the same things from scratch without too much effort. I do try to keep, what I call an emergency meal on hand. This is something premade that can go into the microwave in case of a crazy day. This is good to have to avoid take out.
Always buy your staples in bulk when on sale. For example I buy my flour in a 25 lb. bag for $8.00 when it is on sale. A 5 lb. bag off sale is at least $2.50. That is a big savings. Buy your eggs in a big case of 2 1/2 dozen. Think of the things you use a lot of and buy it in bigger packages.
Why spend a lot of money on Ziploc bags, plastic wrap, trash bags etc.? You can put small amounts of leftovers in Tupperware style containers. You can cover bowls with plates. Cook in baking pans that come with storage lids. Save old bread bags as sandwich bags. Use those plastic bags from the grocery store for trash bags.
Stay tuned for part 2
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Cheap Window Solution while house in under construction
As you can see from the photo, my house is under construction. Regardless of the fact that I do not have any walls in my bedroom right now, I need to have some sort of shade or something up. The problem is that I don't want to hang a shade and curtain up when I am going to have to take it down to put up walls. I also don't want to put up anything nice until the room is finished. If I put up something nice right now it would just get ruined.
So I went to a discount store and bought a towel. I decided that the towel, if done right could double as a curtain and a shade for right now!
This would also be great for anyone on a tight budget.
SUPPLIES
1 towel big enough for the window
1 spool of wide ribbon
2 tacks
scissors
All I did was cut 2 pieces of ribbon to the length of my towel. Then I folded the ribbon in half. I placed each piece of the ribbon about 1/4 of the way in on the ends of the towel. Then, I tacked the towel up to my window frame. One tack on each of the ribbons, and one in the center of the towel. Then I tied a bow in the bottom of each of the ribbons.
When night comes I let the towel hang down. When it's daytime, I just roll the towel up and put it through each ribbon.
It is kind of cute!
Friday, March 30, 2012
ON THE RANGE WESTERN OMELET
This morning, I woke up and felt like having something different for breakfast. Now, there are several reasons why this could be a problem. First, I make a big breakfast every morning, so pretty much anything I can think of I've already had recently. Second, I am trying to eat completely out of my cupboards this week without buying a lot of groceries. I found some roast beef sandwich meat, and I always have onion on hand. This turned out great and was enough for 3people !
Ingredients
1 Tbs. butter
5 eggs
1/8 cup milk
1/2 onion chopped
1/4 green pepper chopped
1/4 lb. roast beef sandwich meat
3 slices deluxe American cheese
salt and pepper
Heat up a griddle on the stove at a medium low heat. Melt the butter and spread over the griddle. Crack the eggs, add the milk, onion and green pepper. Whisk and pour onto griddle, spreading it out into a large square with the spatula. Next, salt and pepper. Cook until you can start to smell the onions and pepper and the egg is not runny. Add the cheese and roast beef along one side. Flip the other side over on top of the side with the cheese and roast beef. Turn the heat to low and let cook until cheese is melted. Serve with buttered English muffins.
Ingredients
1 Tbs. butter
5 eggs
1/8 cup milk
1/2 onion chopped
1/4 green pepper chopped
1/4 lb. roast beef sandwich meat
3 slices deluxe American cheese
salt and pepper
Heat up a griddle on the stove at a medium low heat. Melt the butter and spread over the griddle. Crack the eggs, add the milk, onion and green pepper. Whisk and pour onto griddle, spreading it out into a large square with the spatula. Next, salt and pepper. Cook until you can start to smell the onions and pepper and the egg is not runny. Add the cheese and roast beef along one side. Flip the other side over on top of the side with the cheese and roast beef. Turn the heat to low and let cook until cheese is melted. Serve with buttered English muffins.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
50 MILES FROM A FAST FOOD RESTAURANT, AND A MASSIVE CRAVING!
Here's the thing, I live so far in the boonies, that a simple thing like a fast food burger becomes impossible. So the only thing to do is to rummage the cupboards and improvise big time. This is what I came up with. The rodeo burger!
Ingredients
2 lbs. hamburger 90 % lean
1 onion sliced in rings
salt and pepper
buns
lettuce
Angus barbecue sauce
deluxe American cheese
I made the hamburger into patties and put them on my George Foreman Grill. Then I salt and peppered and laid the onion on top. See photo above. Then closed the cover and cooked it half done. Next, I turned the onion over on each patty so that it would brown on both sides. Then, I closed the cover and let it finish cooking. When the burgers were cooked, I laid a piece of cheese on them, put them on a bun, added lettuce and the barbecue sauce. This was delicious and took care of the craving. Where there is a will, there is a way I always say!!!
What's Cooking Today? Breakfast Calzone!
There is nothing like a nice breakfast in the morning to start the day right. Try this one. I came up with this as an idea to use up some leftover pizza dough.
Ingredients
pizza dough
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 onion chopped
4 strips bacon cooked and broken into pieces
1 cup cheddar cheese
8 eggs
1/4 cup milk
salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a heavy skillet, cook bacon, break into pieces, and set aside. Drain bacon grease off. Add the onion to the pan and saute while preparing the egg. In a cereal bowl, add eggs and milk and whisk. Put the egg in the skillet on top of the onions that are cooking , salt and pepper and cook while scrambling. While the eggs are cooking, add the olive oil to a cookie sheet and grease the pan. Now, press in the pizza dough. When the eggs and onions are done, put them right in the center of the pan going the long way. Make sure to leave plenty of dough on the ends and sides without anything on it. Next, add the cheddar cheese on top the the eggs. Then, put the bacon on top of the cheese. Finally, it's time to fold the dough. First, fold the long sides in so that they overlap each other. Second, fold in both ends so that all of the filling is covered, making sure to press the dough so that there isn't any gaps. Third, take a sharp knife and make about 5 small angle cuts along the top of the dough. It is time to bake it. Put it in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes. Cut and serve. I served it with fresh diced pears. My family rated it 4 stars. ENJOY!!
Ingredients
pizza dough
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 onion chopped
4 strips bacon cooked and broken into pieces
1 cup cheddar cheese
8 eggs
1/4 cup milk
salt and pepper
Monday, March 26, 2012
Breakfast Pizza Kids Style
Ingredients
Pizza Dough
5 eggs
1 cup tater tots
1/2 tsp. oregano
salt and pepper
4 strips of bacon fried and broken up
2 cups mozzarella cheese
1 Tbs. olive oil
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a cookie sheet with olive oil and press in dough. Then whisk the eggs and add the oregano. Spread the raw egg over the dough. Shake on some salt and pepper generously on the pepper. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Place the tater tots on the top spread out. Then add the bacon. Bake until golden brown on top.
My family loved this breakfast pizza that I came up with. My son that complains about everything that we eat, just absolutely loved it. I recommend this to anyone with a fussy eating child.
Pizza Dough
5 eggs
1 cup tater tots
1/2 tsp. oregano
salt and pepper
4 strips of bacon fried and broken up
2 cups mozzarella cheese
1 Tbs. olive oil
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a cookie sheet with olive oil and press in dough. Then whisk the eggs and add the oregano. Spread the raw egg over the dough. Shake on some salt and pepper generously on the pepper. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Place the tater tots on the top spread out. Then add the bacon. Bake until golden brown on top.
My family loved this breakfast pizza that I came up with. My son that complains about everything that we eat, just absolutely loved it. I recommend this to anyone with a fussy eating child.
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