Frugal Meal Tip

After the family graduation party, I had a gazillion hot dog buns left over. I didn't want them to go to waste, so I looked for creative ideas for using them up.

 One of the things I did was to make the buns into garlic bread. It was easy to do and tasted just fine. I made up some garlic butter and spread it on the bun halves. On one of the pans of buns, I added some Italian seasoning as well. Then popped them into a hot oven to crisp up. Yum!

Here's a photo of the frugal meal I put together with the garlic buns. I cooked up the small portions of pasta that I had, added spaghetti sauce, then topped it with cheese. Underneath it all was a reheated leftover hamburger patty from the BBQ.

Tasty and frugal...what more could you ask for!

Tried and True

Monday night, Big Daddy fixed one of my favorite dinners: Pulled Pork, Fried Potatoes & Onions, and Cole Slaw. Yum! I ate my Cole Slaw on the side, but sometimes we put it on the sandwich with the pork. Sounds weird, but it's good!

Starter

Does anyone else have a Sourdough Starter going in their kitchen?  We use so much of it, that I had to start a second one.  Amazing, right?

I have to say that I'm finally caught up with a few extra starters in my refrigerator and freezer now.  It's not any fun when you need it for some baking and it's all gone except for the starter on the cabinet.  Waiting 10 days to be able to use it is a really long wait when you're one of my guys dying for some homemade bread.  Or so I've been told.  lol

Cupcakes

This past Wednesday was Cupcake Day in my household.  I had to bake a LOT of cupcakes for Band Movie Night at school on Thursday.

 Most of them were Strawberry.  yum.  With different sprinkles on top.

And some of them were Valentine Funfetti.

I ended up with 72 cupcakes by the time I was done.  

I have to confess that not all of them made it to school though.  My family, myself included, had to sample some of them first....to make sure they were tasty enough.  lol

Pet Peeve

I'm about to rant a rave for a short period of time, so...pardon me, please.

These are the first three potatoes that I peeled and sliced in half.  I was sooooo mad.  I bought the 10# bag of them on sale for $4.99.  That's expensive!  I cannot believe the price of potatoes lately and then this is what we get for the money????????????????  Geez!

Thank you for letting me vent.  :)

Chili for a Crowd

This weekend is the annual Pecan Festival here in town AND Big C is bringing company home with him from college, so...I need to feed extra people PLUS get the most for my money PLUS have something ready for all the quick in and outs of kids on the run.  With all that in mind, I have a big pot of chili simmering on the stove.

 Looks good, doesn't it?

I also have the makings for chili dogs and frito pie.  Yum.

I thought I would show this photo...so you could see that it really is a big pot.  lol

Today...

Today, July 4th, I did the following...

Worked at the pool....

 started a friendship bracelet for myself....
(here's the link for how to do these http://www.michaelannmade.com/2011/07/woven-friendship-bracelet-tutorial.html )

 rescued the chocolate chip cookies that Small T forgot about in the oven....(she was in the shower)...

 finished the 12th and final quilt square that I am cross-stitching...

 watched Medium J and Little Ty do fireworks...this is a 5 minute smoke bomb and it really lasts for 5 minutes...

 made S'mores....

and worked on a puzzle with Little Ty and Big C.

It's been a good day!

Last night...

was quite a night.

My "kids" were all out at a Red, White and Blue party so Big Daddy, Little T, Medium J and I spent the evening watching TV and messing around.

 Here's Little T....during one of his hysterical laughing episodes.

 I saw this several times through the night.

 He just couldn't get over what I was making.

He kept getting up and coming over to look.

And when I asked for "input" from the guys...well, that really set him off.

 I have a couple of orders for a guy version of the boobie koozies I had been making.

So...I set out to come up with a pattern for them.

The ones I was making last night were the African American version (which is what was ordered).

In between all that...I had a craving for peanut butter cookies.  So...I tried out a recipe I found on Pinterest that only has 4 ingredients.  They were ok...but not my favorite recipe.  I'm a peanut butter idiot and like it just so in my cookies.  But...I would use this recipe again since they are so quick to make.

Well, that was my Saturday night in a nutshell.  I managed to get to bed at 4 am so this morning is a rather rude awakening for me.  :(

10 Tasty and Healthy Foods That Don't Break the Bank

10 Tasty and Healthy Foods That Don't Break the Bank:
http://www.allyou.com/food/supercheap-meals/cheap-healthy-foods-00411000067834/page13.html

Peanut Butter  This popular pantry item offers protein and heart-healthy unsaturated fats.
Eggs  Eggs are a good source of lean protein, and also contain vitamin B12, riboflavin and phosphorus.
Oats  This grain helps lower LDL (bad) cholesterol.
Apples  This fruit is a good source of vitamin C and is full of both soluble and insoluble fiber.
Spinach  This leafy green is loaded with vitamins (A, C, K and folic acid) and manganese.
Beans  This tasty staple provides lean protein that’s full of fiber, calcium, folic acid and iron and other minerals.
Frozen Vegetables  They provide fiber and an array of nutrients, depending on which veggies you buy.
Sweet Potatoes  These spuds are very filling (because they contain fiber) and a source of vitamins A and B6.
Brown Rice  Brown rice is a whole grain and a source of vitamin B6, magnesium, copper, zinc and manganese.
Canned Tuna Fish  This fish is a healthful lean protein and contains omega-3 fatty acids.

Recipe - Skillet Jam

You know, jellies and jams are quite expensive and seldom on sale in my local grocery store.  I came across a recipe that makes about 2 cups of jam and that's just the right amount for my household as we don't eat a lot of it, but like to have some in the refrigerator just in case we want it.  I'm going to drop by the grocery store this afternoon and check on prices for the ingredients and also check the jelly and jam prices to see which is more economical.  However, fresh jam would be a definite "treat" to have around and you could change up the flavor pretty fast without needing to wait until the whole jar of store bought jam is gone.

Skillet Jam
1 pint blueberries, mashed; OR 2 1/4 cups of raspberries; OR 1 lb. ripe peaches, peeled and mashed
2 Tbsp. powdered fruit pectin
1 c. sugar
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice

1.  In a large skillet, heat fruit and pectin over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is hot and bubbly.  Stir in sugar and lemon juice; heat to boiling.  Boil 1 minute, stirring; remove from heat.

2.  Carefully pour hot jam into clean half-pint jars (about 3) with tight-fitting lids.  Cover and refrigerate until jam is set and cold, about 4 hours.

Makes about 2 cups.

Edited to add:
I did some research at the local grocery store.
Jars of jam are selling for:
Peach 18 oz. $2.89
Strawberry 32 oz. $4.19
Apricot 18 oz. $3.89
Blackberry 12 oz. $3.39
Raspberry 12 oz. $3.69

If I were to make the above recipe, prices are as follows:
Frozen Peaches or Strawberries 16 oz. $3.09
Powdered Pectin $2.69 (I would get 4 uses out of this box) so price per use would be 68 cents
Sugar 4lb. bag normal price is $3.29 (I would get 8 or 9 uses out of this bag) so price per use would be 42 cents for each use based on 8 uses
Lemon Juice 4 oz. for $1.19 (I would get 12 uses) so price per use would be 10 cents
This makes the cost per batch $4.29.  
2 cups in a batch is approx. 16 oz so depending on what flavor (for Blackberry it would work out to be $4.52 for 16 oz. if bought from the store) I would save approx. 23 cents by making my own jam.  If I could purchase the necessary items on sale (such as sugar) I could reap more savings.  Since I always buy my sugar on sale (this week it's $1.89 per 4 lb. bag) I could see that making my own would pay off unless there was a big sale on jams and jellies and I was able to stock up then.

Apple Cinnamon Cake

I've been baking again. 

It's my turn to bring dessert out at the farm tomorrow.

So...I tried out a new recipe.

Apple Cinnamon Cake.

Off Pinterest.

It's one box of Angel Food Cake mix, 1 can of Apple Pie Filling and some Cinnamon.

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

I'm hoping it turns out to be ok.  Since I've never made it before.  I'd hate for it to be a flop.

Confession

O.K., I admit it.

I have a huge addiction to generic cheese curls.

In fact, I ate them for breakfast this morning.

*Hanging my head in shame.*

Vegetable Soup

Friday afternoon, I made Vegetable Soup.  A very large pot of it.  I find it hard to make a small amount.  I guess I'm so used to having a large family that making huge quantities of food is the norm for me.

For this pot of soup, I did something different.  Something that I've never done before.  I didn't use a roast for the meat.  I used hamburger.  Over the years, I've heard that some people do this and I've always wanted to give it a try.  So I did.  I must say...it turned out great!  I would definitely do it again!

About my vegetable soup, it has the following ingredients in it:  Hamburger, Potatoes, Carrots, Onions, Tomato Juice, Canned Corn, Green Beans and Peas.  I also like to add Cabbage, but I didn't have any.

Here's my method of making this:

1.  Brown the hamburger, drain and set aside.

2.  Peel and dice the potatoes, carrots and onion.  In a large pan, cover with water and tomato juice and cook until tender.

3.  Add the hamburger to the pan along with the drained cans of corn, green beans and peas.  Add more tomato juice as needed.  Cook until heated through.

Tator Tots and Ripples

Today......

 Small T fixed dinner.  Tator Tot Casserole.

I worked on the Neat Ripple.  It's coming along quickly.

The Weekend....

This weekend has been about food and crochet.

 Making grilled cheese with french bread.  Yum!

 Hot chocolate with marshmallows in my favorite mug.  Double yum!

 Finishing the scrap granny baby blanket.

42 squares total.  4 rows of edging.

Red Heart Super Saver yarn in the colors:  Amethyst, Pale Plum, Aruba Sea, Bright Yellow, Pretty 'N Pink, Spring Green, Cherry Red, Pumpkin, Petal Pink, Light Coral, White, Delft Blue, Pale Yellow, Turqua, Shocking Pink, Perfect Pink, Soft Navy, Light Blue, and Soft White.

The edging is done in Delft Blue, Spring Green and Pumpkin.

I used an I crochet hook.

 Crescent Cinnamon Rolls.  Triple yum!

http://www.thehungryhousewife.com/2012/03/crescent-cinnamon-rolls.html

I found this on Pinterest and I've made them twice now.  My family loves them!

The Neat Ripple.

http://attic24.typepad.com/weblog/neat-ripple-pattern.html

I started it today while watching the movie, "Joyful Noise", with the family.

I'm using Caron's Simply Soft yarn out of my stash of partial skeins and a few full skeins along with my favorite size I crochet hook.

What I've Been Up To....A Misc. Adventure....

I've had a lot going on since my last post.  With two kids in high school, we're always busy in the evenings but it's been even more hectic than normal with 3 ball games each week.  I like it that my kids are involved in sports and school activities, but we've had absolutely no downtime at all.  Not even on the weekends.  I did manage to find a bit of time to try a new recipe this past Sunday.  It's for Taco Soup.  You can see what it looks like in the photo below.  I tweaked it a bit and I'm sharing the recipe.

 Taco Soup (recipe adapted from the Taco Soup IV recipe found at allrecipes.com)

note: this makes a huge pot of soup...and I mean HUGE

3 lbs of ground beef (this is basically a family pack of it)
1 large onion, chopped
2 (29 oz) cans of tomato sauce
2 sauce cans of water
1 (15.5 oz) can of kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15.5 oz) can of whole kernel corn, drained
2 (1.25 oz) pkgs of taco seasoning mix

In a large pot, brown ground beef and onion; drain grease.
Add tomato sauce, water, beans, corn and taco seasoning.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes or so.
Serve with corn chips, shredded cheese, and any other condiments such as sour cream and black olives.
Yum!

 I've finally finished the baby blanket I was working on.  I also have the pattern wrote up.

 Here's a closer view of the stitch pattern.  

 Another view of the blanket stretched out on my couch.  Here's the free pattern.  Hope you enjoy it!

V-Stitch Baby Blanket (free pattern)

size is approx. 30 inches by 36 inches.

Bernat Baby Coordinates yarn (it takes approx. 1 and 1/2 skeins for the blanket)

G crochet hook

ch 123.  (blanket is worked in clusters of 11 stitches plus 2 for turning)

Row 1- work v-stitch (2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc) in 8th ch from hook, sk 4 chs, *work v-stitch in next ch, sk 4 chs, repeat from * across until you have 5 chs left.  sk 4 chs, dc in last ch.

Row 2- ch 3, turn.  work v-stitch in each ch 2 sp across, dc in 2nd ch of beg ch 2 (turning ch).

Row 3- repeat row 2 for pattern, working last dc in beg ch 2 of previous row.  On the last row, do not fasten off yarn at end, you'll go straight into working the edging.

*I worked 48 rows total for my blanket.

For the edging,

Row 1-ch 2, work 4 dc in corner sp.  Then, working down the side of the blanket, put 1 dc in the 2nd ch of the ch 2's, and 2 dc in each ch space, down to the next corner.  Work 7 dc in corner sp.  Then working along bottom of blanket, work 1 dc in each ch 2 space of the v-stitch, and work 4 dc in each ch sp, across to the next corner.  Work 7 dc in the corner sp.  Then working up the side, put 1 dc in the 2nd ch of each ch 2 and 2 dc in each ch sp up to the next corner.  Work 7 dc in the corner sp.  Working across the top of the blanket, work 1 dc in each dc and in each ch 2 sp across.  At the final corner, work 2 more dc  and join to the 2nd ch of the beg ch 2.

Row 2- ch 2, work 1 dc in each dc around.  In the corners, where you worked the 7 dc, work 3 dc in the 4th dc of the 7 dc group.  Join with a sl st to the 2nd ch of the beg ch 2.  Fasten off, weave in ends.

 I made a sweater and cap to go with the blanket.  I used the same yarn - Bernat Baby Coordinates.

For the sweater, I used this pattern http://susan.kraus.net/pages/pattern4.html.

For the cap, I used this pattern http://mkcarroll.com/blog/2007/12/25/basic-crochet-beanie-baby.html.

 This is a weird photo, isn't it?  LOL  Small T is a contestant in the local Pecan Festival Queen contest this weekend.  She has to do a talent, and she's going to do a dance, but there's a unique twist on it.  She's doing it in the dark, with glow sticks attached to her clothing and face mask.  She has rehearsal tomorrow evening and I just did a quick fix of her clothes (with the glow sticks and reinforced packing tape).  After tomorrow, I will have to sew the other glow sticks on the clothes.  So, this photo is her sweat pants and sweat shirt with the taped on glow sticks.  Now, the photo makes sense.

 I also played around with another pattern.  The pattern can be found here http://jellywares.blogspot.com/2010/11/jelly-xmas-star-tutorial.html.  I think I like the purple one the best, but Small T likes the gray one.

Then yesterday, I started working on the Camo baby/toddler blanket that has been ordered.  I'm using my pattern called the No Holes Sc Square.  The woman that ordered this blanket wants something that her grandbaby can't get his fingers stuck in.  Normally, this pattern would end with a 6 inch square.  However, the squares needed to be bigger for this, so I added 5 rows to make it a 10 inch square.  If anyone needs to know the stitch counts for these last 5 rows, please leave me a message.

So, that's my update on a few of the more interesting things that have happened in the last 2 weeks.  I've got to go get dressed (I just had a shower) and head to the school.  I'm subbing in P.E. this afternoon.  :)  Have a good day everyone!

Weekly Highlights

Gosh, what a week it's been!

 I've managed to sneak in some crochet time though.  But not much.  I've started working on the squares for the True Blood Water Lily blanket again.  I did have 20 of them complete, and as of last night, my current count is 33 finished squares.  I'm thrilled.  Truly.  I'm hoping that I will only need 48 squares, but the pattern calls for 63, so we'll see.  Once I get 48 of them, I will place them all out on the floor and see how big it is.  Then I'll go from there.

 We got a new umbrella at the pool.  To cover the lifeguard stand from the direct sunlight.  It's fabulous!  Much bigger than the previous one.  Big C is posing with it, so you can get the full effect.

 Small T and Hannah, the Asst. Mgr. at the pool, made Eggless Cookie Dough one night after work.  They really needed to eat some cookie dough.  Both were either stressed or suffering from PMS.  The recipe can be found here http://baskersfunfoods.blogspot.com/2009/05/cookie-dough-for-preggies.html.  I tried it and honestly, it's great!  In fact, I had several spoons of it.

 As I've mentioned previously, Small T has obtained her driver's permit.  With that, comes several other lessons, such as learning to pump gas.  She seems eager to learn, so that's a good thing.  In fact, she was like "do you think I could pump the gas" with a big grin on her face.  :)  LOL  One day, she will hate it....like when it's pouring down rain or extremely cold and snowy.  But while she's thrilled with doing it, I'm letting her have some fun while learning at the same time.

 My first set of company this week was Baby E and her mom.  I didn't realize that we just don't have any toys around the house for a 1 year old.  We will definitely have to rectify that situation soon.  Big C did go downstairs and search through his stuff and found Trusty, his faithful beanie toy and companion from when he was little.  Trusty is about 15 years old, if I figured right.  He's currently sitting on the side table in the living room, waiting for Baby E to come back for another visit.

 We received notification that one of Small T's photos was chosen to go to the State Fair.  Big C and I lobbied hard for Small T to choose this photo as one of her three that she was entering.  And look what happened, it was chosen to be her best AND to be shown in Sedalia over the next few coming weeks.  I hope it does well there too!

 My third set of company this week arrived simply because their camper broke down between their home and my home.  They are on their way to Sturgis, SD for the big bike rally.  Big Daddy fixed the camper the next morning and off they went.  But things didn't go well, as they only made it 165 miles and then their Harley pick-up truck broke down (it was pulling the camper).  But, I'm told, that they finally made it to SD even though they were a day late.  This is one of my sister's, her husband, and two of their kids, plus Small T with her face covered up by a hand.  This was their "silly" photo.

 This photo says so many things....

First... Big C is a real man....he offered to carry our shopping bags.  What a guy!  Second...I think he was getting tired of shopping and if he carried the bags, we might hurry up some.  Third...we spent too much time in Journey's as we have more than one bag from there.  LOL

And my last photo says it all...it's been quite a week.  Big C did survive the back-to-school shopping even though he's letting Small T take this crazy photo!

Movie Night Popcorn

I really need to try this recipe sometime soon.  It looks scrumptious!

*photo from pincookie.com*

Marshmallow Caramel Popcorn
http://www.pincookie.com/movie-night-treat-marshmallow-caramel-popcorn/

1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. butter
9-10 marshmallows
12 c. popcorn.
Microwave brown sugar and butter for 2 minutes.
 Add marshmallows.
Microwave until melted, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes.
 Pour over popcorn.

Mexican Pizza

Tuesday, while I was waiting for Big Daddy to be released from the hospital, he and I were talking about our plans for dinner that night (ie: what to make). We had also just talked about Taco Bell. Big Daddy said, "why don't we try to make those Mexican Pizza's that Taco Bell sells at home?". I thought that was a good idea too.

So, I stopped at Wal-Mart on the way out of town and bought hamburger, refried beans, another jar of salsa, some taco seasoning, and a bag of flour tortillas. I already had shredded cheese, tomatoes, onions and lettuce at home.

These are the basic ingredients. I also added lettuce, tomato, and chopped onion.

The first thing I did was to brown the hamburger and then drain it. Then I added the taco seasoning and let it simmer.

Then I started to crisp up the flour tortillas by frying them up in a pan of canola oil.

Here is what the tortillas were looking like after being "crisped".

I also heated up the refried beans, chopped the onion and tomato, and shredded some lettuce.

This is what "my" Mexican Pizza looked like. I let everyone make their own, so they all looked different.

For mine, I took the first tortilla and spread it with refried beans. Then I added some taco meat, salsa and shredded cheese. I put another tortilla on top of that then added some more shredded cheese. I microwaved it for about 1 min. 30 sec. and added my toppings...salsa and chopped onion and tomato.

It tasted really, really good and I'm very glad my husband suggested that we try making these at home!