Sunday, December 26, 2010
update on the sweet and spicy sweet potatoes
I made the potatoes for Christmas dinner and while they were good.. they were WAY too spicy for me. I'm thinking lower the ginger and the cayenne and they will be awesome!
Another friend passed this recipe on to me. It sounds really good, and I can't wait to try it!
1 apple
blue cheese
cream cheese
pecans
croissant dough
slice an apple into 1/4" rectangle type shapes
mix together 2oz cream cheese, 1 small container of blue cheese, and 2-3 tablespoons of pecans.
put a spoonfull of the cheese mixture and two slivers of apple on a croissant triangle, roll it up.
bake according to the directions on the croissant tube, but keep an eye on them.
1 apple
blue cheese
cream cheese
pecans
croissant dough
slice an apple into 1/4" rectangle type shapes
mix together 2oz cream cheese, 1 small container of blue cheese, and 2-3 tablespoons of pecans.
put a spoonfull of the cheese mixture and two slivers of apple on a croissant triangle, roll it up.
bake according to the directions on the croissant tube, but keep an eye on them.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
sweet and spicy curried sweet potatoes
one of my awesome friends shared this delicious and easy sounding recipe for sweet potatoes. I cannot WAIT to try thios one!
Three large sweet potatoes
...1 Tbsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp ground ginger
1 Tbsp ground coriander
1 tsp dried garlic
1 tsp cumin
2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp turmeric
one half stick of butter
1/4 cup real maple syrup
salt to taste (not too much, but you still want to add a little, or the flavors will be flat)
1/4 cup chopped toasted pecans
Boil the sweet potatoes until almost cooked through. You don't want them to get too soft because you will be cooking them more later. In the meantime, in a medium saucepan, melt the butter and add all the spices and the maple syrup. Reduce heat and let simmer gently until the spices become fragrant, then turn off the heat, and set aside. When the potatoes are done boiling, drain them and cut them into one inch cubes. Add the potatoes to the maple/spice mixture and stir to coat all the pieces. Cover and allow to cook over medium heat for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, allowing the maple and spice flavor to penetrate the potatoes. Remove from heat. Arrange potatoes in a serving dish topped with the chopped toasted pecans.
Three large sweet potatoes
...1 Tbsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp ground ginger
1 Tbsp ground coriander
1 tsp dried garlic
1 tsp cumin
2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp turmeric
one half stick of butter
1/4 cup real maple syrup
salt to taste (not too much, but you still want to add a little, or the flavors will be flat)
1/4 cup chopped toasted pecans
Boil the sweet potatoes until almost cooked through. You don't want them to get too soft because you will be cooking them more later. In the meantime, in a medium saucepan, melt the butter and add all the spices and the maple syrup. Reduce heat and let simmer gently until the spices become fragrant, then turn off the heat, and set aside. When the potatoes are done boiling, drain them and cut them into one inch cubes. Add the potatoes to the maple/spice mixture and stir to coat all the pieces. Cover and allow to cook over medium heat for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, allowing the maple and spice flavor to penetrate the potatoes. Remove from heat. Arrange potatoes in a serving dish topped with the chopped toasted pecans.
Saturday, September 25, 2010
follow up on the spagetti squash recipe
I honestly cannot give this a true judegement... I screwed up on multiple levels and had to "wing it".
However.. my dad gave it a "not bad" rating.. which is almost a compliment coming from him. My fiance gave it a "I just ate a halls and can't smell anything, so I can't say one way or the other" rating.
As for me.. once I remembered to put the garnish of the basil... I thought it was pretty decent.
I will tell you I used sangria instead of red wine. Sangria tastes really good with it when you make it with sangria lol. I'm guessing red wine would taste really good with it too.
overall verdict.. gonna try another day :)
However.. my dad gave it a "not bad" rating.. which is almost a compliment coming from him. My fiance gave it a "I just ate a halls and can't smell anything, so I can't say one way or the other" rating.
As for me.. once I remembered to put the garnish of the basil... I thought it was pretty decent.
I will tell you I used sangria instead of red wine. Sangria tastes really good with it when you make it with sangria lol. I'm guessing red wine would taste really good with it too.
overall verdict.. gonna try another day :)
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Crockpot apple butter
I just got another delicious sounding recipe from my friend Angie! I cannot wait to try this one. I LOVE apple butter, and this sounds so easy that I simply have to try it! thanks again angie!
crockpot apple butter makes 6 to 10pts.
4 quarts finely chopped apples
23/4 cups sugar
2 3/4 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
...1/8 teaspoon salt
pour apples in to slow cooker and combine the other ingredients and drizzle over apples. cook on high for 3 hours stir once an hour, then put on low and cook for 12 hours using a wisk once an hour to get the lumps out.
crockpot apple butter makes 6 to 10pts.
4 quarts finely chopped apples
23/4 cups sugar
2 3/4 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
...1/8 teaspoon salt
pour apples in to slow cooker and combine the other ingredients and drizzle over apples. cook on high for 3 hours stir once an hour, then put on low and cook for 12 hours using a wisk once an hour to get the lumps out.
easy rhubarb jam-frozen or canned
4 cups sugar
5 cups Rhubarb
boil for 15 minutes
add 1 pack strawberry jello
I'm always looking for easy recipes, and this one certainly fills the bill. I think I'm going to add some fresh strawberries to it and make it strawberry rhubarb jam :)
Thanks Angie for sharing this recipe!
5 cups Rhubarb
boil for 15 minutes
add 1 pack strawberry jello
I'm always looking for easy recipes, and this one certainly fills the bill. I think I'm going to add some fresh strawberries to it and make it strawberry rhubarb jam :)
Thanks Angie for sharing this recipe!
spaghetti squash recipe
I have a spaghetti squash sitting on my counter and I had no idea what to do with it. I've NEVER cooked with one before. Afriend gave it to us thinking I knew what to do with it. nope. lol. Luckily for me, my cousin was looking for something 'different' to make for dinner..and a friend of her's posted this recipe.. Which looks soooo goood! I am looking forward to trying it soon. I'll update on how good it is vs how complicated it is, since it looks a lil on the complicated side lol
1 large spaghetti squash, cut in half lengthwise, seeds removed
•6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), divided
•Salt and ground black pepper
•1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese, plus more for topping, if desired
•1/4 pound thickly sl...iced pancetta, chopped
•1-1 1/2 pounds ground sirloin
•1 carrot, peeled and cut into small dice or shredded
•1 medium onion, cut into small dice
•3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
•1/4 cup tomato paste
•1/2 cup red wine
•1/2 cup beef stock
•1/2 cup fresh basil (about a handful), chopped
•1/2 cup fresh parsley (about a handful), chopped
PreparationPre-heat the oven to 400ºF.
Place the spaghetti squash halves, cut-side up, onto a baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of EVOO, salt and pepper. Turn the squash over so they're cut-side down and roast until the flesh is tender, about 45 minutes to an hour. Once cooked, use a fork to loosen the squash strands up. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons EVOO, ground black pepper, and a sprinkle of cheese. Reserve squash in the shells.
While the squash is roasting, place a large skillet over medium-high heat with two turns of the pan of EVOO, about 2 tablespoons. Add the pancetta to the pan and cook until crispy, about 5 minutes. Add the sirloin to the pan and cook until golden brown, 6-7 minutes. Add the carrots, onion and garlic to the pan and cook until the veggies are tender, about 5 minutes.
Season everything with salt and pepper, then add the tomato paste, cooking it until golden brown and aromatic, about 1 minute. Add the red wine and beef stock, scraping the bottom for any bits that may be stuck, and cook the sauce until thickened and slightly reduced, about 5 minutes.
To serve, ladle the meat sauce on top of each squash half and garnish each with fresh basil, parsley and additional Pecorino Romano cheese.
1 large spaghetti squash, cut in half lengthwise, seeds removed
•6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), divided
•Salt and ground black pepper
•1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese, plus more for topping, if desired
•1/4 pound thickly sl...iced pancetta, chopped
•1-1 1/2 pounds ground sirloin
•1 carrot, peeled and cut into small dice or shredded
•1 medium onion, cut into small dice
•3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
•1/4 cup tomato paste
•1/2 cup red wine
•1/2 cup beef stock
•1/2 cup fresh basil (about a handful), chopped
•1/2 cup fresh parsley (about a handful), chopped
PreparationPre-heat the oven to 400ºF.
Place the spaghetti squash halves, cut-side up, onto a baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of EVOO, salt and pepper. Turn the squash over so they're cut-side down and roast until the flesh is tender, about 45 minutes to an hour. Once cooked, use a fork to loosen the squash strands up. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons EVOO, ground black pepper, and a sprinkle of cheese. Reserve squash in the shells.
While the squash is roasting, place a large skillet over medium-high heat with two turns of the pan of EVOO, about 2 tablespoons. Add the pancetta to the pan and cook until crispy, about 5 minutes. Add the sirloin to the pan and cook until golden brown, 6-7 minutes. Add the carrots, onion and garlic to the pan and cook until the veggies are tender, about 5 minutes.
Season everything with salt and pepper, then add the tomato paste, cooking it until golden brown and aromatic, about 1 minute. Add the red wine and beef stock, scraping the bottom for any bits that may be stuck, and cook the sauce until thickened and slightly reduced, about 5 minutes.
To serve, ladle the meat sauce on top of each squash half and garnish each with fresh basil, parsley and additional Pecorino Romano cheese.
Monday, August 9, 2010
homemade instant oatmeal packets
I got this from Money saving mom...THANKS!!
I'm always on the lookout for good tasting, easy, and good for you recipes! THis one certainly qualifies.
Oatmeal Packets Recipe
1 large canister quick oats
1 large canister rolled oats
1/8 cup cinnamon
2 cups flax seed, ground
1 box of snack-sized zip-top baggies
Mix rolled oats, quick oats and cinnamon together in a large bowl. Take 2 cups of mixture and grind it in a blender or food processor until it becomes powder-like.
Set up an assembly line with a small bowl of the ground flax seed, a small bowl of the ground oat mixture and the large bowl of oats. Take a baggie and put in 1/8 cup flax seed, 1/8 cup ground oats and ¾ cup oat mixture. Seal the baggie.
Repeat until you’ve successfully filled all your baggies.
To prepare, add ½ to ¾ cup boiling water and stir. Top with dried fruit, nuts or sweetener of your choice.
I'm always on the lookout for good tasting, easy, and good for you recipes! THis one certainly qualifies.
Oatmeal Packets Recipe
1 large canister quick oats
1 large canister rolled oats
1/8 cup cinnamon
2 cups flax seed, ground
1 box of snack-sized zip-top baggies
Mix rolled oats, quick oats and cinnamon together in a large bowl. Take 2 cups of mixture and grind it in a blender or food processor until it becomes powder-like.
Set up an assembly line with a small bowl of the ground flax seed, a small bowl of the ground oat mixture and the large bowl of oats. Take a baggie and put in 1/8 cup flax seed, 1/8 cup ground oats and ¾ cup oat mixture. Seal the baggie.
Repeat until you’ve successfully filled all your baggies.
To prepare, add ½ to ¾ cup boiling water and stir. Top with dried fruit, nuts or sweetener of your choice.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
super fun and easy cupcakes for kids!
Here is a great recipe for "rainbow" cupcakes that would bring a smile to any kids face for a special occasion. fun and easy to do. The down side.. thats a lot of foodcoloring, and organic food coloring isn't cheap. I guess this one is a pick which is more important, cost or healthy(ier) for you.
http://familyfun.go.com/recipes/taste-a-rainbow-cupcakes-842128/
http://familyfun.go.com/recipes/taste-a-rainbow-cupcakes-842128/
Sunday, July 18, 2010
a question I had ..so you probably did too!
I pulled this out of Jillcataldo.com 's FAQ. I found it extremely helpful, and figured you might as well!
How do I know when an item is at its lowest price in the 12-week cycle?
As shoppers, buying the things we need when the price hits its 12-week low saves us the most money, especially when we use our coupons to bring the price down even more. Typically, a product is at its 12-week low when the sale price is 50% less (or better!) than the non-sale (shelf) price of the item. If a price drops to half of what it usually is, or less, it's a buy! Sites like www.couponmom.com, www.grocerygame.com, www.groceryguide.com and www.mygrocerydeals.com help track the sales for you and let you know when an item is hitting the 12-week low.
Also, after a while, you will just start to "learn" what good prices are for the items you buy frequently. Typically, it takes 12 weeks for you to go through the cycle and start to notice the highs and lows for everything you buy. Remember too that every item is on its own, independent 12 week cycle. If cereal is low this week, pasta could be high, and so on. Each product and product category cycles independently of the others.
How do I know when an item is at its lowest price in the 12-week cycle?
As shoppers, buying the things we need when the price hits its 12-week low saves us the most money, especially when we use our coupons to bring the price down even more. Typically, a product is at its 12-week low when the sale price is 50% less (or better!) than the non-sale (shelf) price of the item. If a price drops to half of what it usually is, or less, it's a buy! Sites like www.couponmom.com, www.grocerygame.com, www.groceryguide.com and www.mygrocerydeals.com help track the sales for you and let you know when an item is hitting the 12-week low.
Also, after a while, you will just start to "learn" what good prices are for the items you buy frequently. Typically, it takes 12 weeks for you to go through the cycle and start to notice the highs and lows for everything you buy. Remember too that every item is on its own, independent 12 week cycle. If cereal is low this week, pasta could be high, and so on. Each product and product category cycles independently of the others.
the coupon queen
Every sunday I eagerly get out of bed and dash out for the sunday paper for two..well, sorta three reasons. One is the coupon inserts of course, I'm going to skip the second reason momentarily so I can go back and talk about it far more in length .. the third reason is because I like to scour the ads, I usually do this online, but it's easier to look them over when they are in my hand.
The second reason, is something I sorta chanced upon finding. A sunday column by a lady name Jill Cataldo. She is known as the coupon queen. I Love her. She has taught me soo much about coupons. (yes some of my friends have taught me a great deal as well, but I think Jill's column and website have been the most eye opening.)
She even offers classes, which I've really thought about attending. Each week I tear through the sunday paper pulling out the coupon inserts, the weekly ads that interest me, (yes, the comics), and Jill's column. If your paper doesn't offer her column look it up on her website, I'm betting you will be glad you did.
My friend Bekah had told me to write to companies and tell them when they have done well, or done bad, and you'd be surprised by what you get from them. She is right. Each time I have wrote to a company to express my disatisfaction with a product-- it went stale before the exp. date, it broke my kid out, etc, I've recieved some very nice coupons. I tried writing to a company to tell them how awesome their soda was and asked if they ever offered coupons... so far they haven't replied. boo!
Jill reinforced this idea though, saying to write to 3 companies daily to tell them how much you love their product and ask for coupons. Many apparently have no problems giving out coupons when they recieve compliments. I definetely prefer handing out compliments more than I do complaining, so I'm going to attempt this. I will still be the first to complain when something isn't right, after all, thats my hard earned money I'm paying for something and I'd like it to be as good as they claim. I don't care how "perishable" bread is...if 2 bags mold within 2 days.. something isn't right.
so.. that being said. I highly reccommend you check out Jill's website! I think you will be glad you did!
http://www.jillcataldo.com/
The second reason, is something I sorta chanced upon finding. A sunday column by a lady name Jill Cataldo. She is known as the coupon queen. I Love her. She has taught me soo much about coupons. (yes some of my friends have taught me a great deal as well, but I think Jill's column and website have been the most eye opening.)
She even offers classes, which I've really thought about attending. Each week I tear through the sunday paper pulling out the coupon inserts, the weekly ads that interest me, (yes, the comics), and Jill's column. If your paper doesn't offer her column look it up on her website, I'm betting you will be glad you did.
My friend Bekah had told me to write to companies and tell them when they have done well, or done bad, and you'd be surprised by what you get from them. She is right. Each time I have wrote to a company to express my disatisfaction with a product-- it went stale before the exp. date, it broke my kid out, etc, I've recieved some very nice coupons. I tried writing to a company to tell them how awesome their soda was and asked if they ever offered coupons... so far they haven't replied. boo!
Jill reinforced this idea though, saying to write to 3 companies daily to tell them how much you love their product and ask for coupons. Many apparently have no problems giving out coupons when they recieve compliments. I definetely prefer handing out compliments more than I do complaining, so I'm going to attempt this. I will still be the first to complain when something isn't right, after all, thats my hard earned money I'm paying for something and I'd like it to be as good as they claim. I don't care how "perishable" bread is...if 2 bags mold within 2 days.. something isn't right.
so.. that being said. I highly reccommend you check out Jill's website! I think you will be glad you did!
http://www.jillcataldo.com/
some recipes that look really good
AS I posted previously.. All You is my newest favorite magazine. They have a TON of coupons, recipes, tips, ideas and even exercises, It's just an all around great magazine, and the coupons alone pay for the subscription! Here is teh recipes from the July issue. some of my favorites that I want to try are nectarine-raspberry hand pies, roasted peaches with cookie crumble and slow cooker baked ziti, and slow cooker pulled pork.
I really don't think you can have too many crock pot recipes, especially in the summer when the last thing you want to do is heat up the house by cooking dinner!
http://www.allyou.com/food/recipes/
Enjoy!!
I really don't think you can have too many crock pot recipes, especially in the summer when the last thing you want to do is heat up the house by cooking dinner!
http://www.allyou.com/food/recipes/
Enjoy!!
stockpiling groceries 101
Many of you have been asking me what teh best way to save on your grocery bill is. Well, All you Magazine (one of my favorite magazines!) has made that answer extrmemly simple for me. here is a great article from their July issue.
http://www.allyou.com/budget-home/money-shopping/save-on-groceries-stockpiling-food-00411000068289/page10.html
You will have to click on each individual step, but it's well worth reading!
"but missy, I don't have the money to spend that much extra right now". Truth is... neither do I... but, what I've been doing is similar. I make my list based off the recipes I plan to use. Then, I search online for every and all coupons I can find to help me get extra savings on these items. I bring my coupons in a seperate envelope that I will mostly likely be using, but I bring ALL my coupons along, in search of those amazing deals. If I find something on sale for dirt cheap and I have coupons, I spend a lil extra of my grocery budget to stockpile, that way, I won't have to buy it the next time at a higher price. It's the best I can do until I can get that big stockpile of my dreams to really reduce my grocery bill.
http://www.allyou.com/budget-home/money-shopping/save-on-groceries-stockpiling-food-00411000068289/page10.html
You will have to click on each individual step, but it's well worth reading!
"but missy, I don't have the money to spend that much extra right now". Truth is... neither do I... but, what I've been doing is similar. I make my list based off the recipes I plan to use. Then, I search online for every and all coupons I can find to help me get extra savings on these items. I bring my coupons in a seperate envelope that I will mostly likely be using, but I bring ALL my coupons along, in search of those amazing deals. If I find something on sale for dirt cheap and I have coupons, I spend a lil extra of my grocery budget to stockpile, that way, I won't have to buy it the next time at a higher price. It's the best I can do until I can get that big stockpile of my dreams to really reduce my grocery bill.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
soul searching for answers
Have you ever been trying to figure out where life is taking you, and if your dreams will ever come true? If so, have you ever had something that isn't a direct answer, but is enough of a "clue" that you just had to pay attention?
I'll be the first to admit. I'm not the most religious person on the face of the planet. I believe in God, and say prayers occassionally, but I typically don't base my day around thinking a supreme being will answer my prayers, hopes, wishes or desires. There have been times my faith has been pushed to teh very brink, and chances are, if it wasn't for the fact that I need to believe that some day I will see my sister, grandparents, and anyone else I have lost, that I love dearly, I very well may have lost that faith altogether. ...but then.. there are times, where something happens, that can only be described as divine intervention, so to speak. Faith is renewed.
This is sorta one of those things.. It's not an undenyable divine intervention for me.. but from whatI can tell, it was (in part) for the people who's story I read. My part of it, could easily be chalked up to "fate', "random chance", or even just plain old "luck".
Enough rambling. I happened to see status on FB from one of my money saving blogs I really like, that said something about no more renting for them, and 100% down for their house. This piqued my interest to say the very least and I went and read the entire story, and am eagerly awaiting the final post.
She talked about living debt free, no school debt, no car debt, no house debt. What an amazing concept. How different would out lives be if we had no debt at all. Unfortunately this is impossible for me since I already have school loans racked up, and we currently have a car payment. But.. what if I could make those debts disapear, and then save for a house of our dreams? It's a big dream.. it's a monster step...but.. ultimately.. I think it just might be doable. How awesome would that be? Admittedly getting there won't be much fun. The budget will have to go through some drastic cuts...which I'm not sure I want to eat mac and cheese only for the next 5 years.
As a result you may soon se some major changes to this blog. It might begin to start looking a bit more like a savings blog, with some other stuff still mixed in. You may start seeing ads for coupon sites, or other reputable companies. Don't worry.. I'm not about to sell my friends and readers out to just "anyone" for the sake of making a buck. Just like when I pass on a deal I have saw on FB, I will continue to be picky when posting deals. When possible, I will still post all the best deals on nonprocessed foods, and things that are more along the back to basics line of thinking.. but.. when you really stop and think about it. Saving money is going back to basics also. Our grandparents scrimped and saved and used everything to it's fullest potential. Some of them even went thought hte great depression, and their thinking was greatly influenced from that. So, even by posting deals, I'm not straying from my "back to basics" mentality, I'm just embracing it in the fullest way possible.
May our journey to saving money, eliminating processed foods, etc, be fruitful and rewarding! Thanks for coming along with me during this time of transitioning
I'll be the first to admit. I'm not the most religious person on the face of the planet. I believe in God, and say prayers occassionally, but I typically don't base my day around thinking a supreme being will answer my prayers, hopes, wishes or desires. There have been times my faith has been pushed to teh very brink, and chances are, if it wasn't for the fact that I need to believe that some day I will see my sister, grandparents, and anyone else I have lost, that I love dearly, I very well may have lost that faith altogether. ...but then.. there are times, where something happens, that can only be described as divine intervention, so to speak. Faith is renewed.
This is sorta one of those things.. It's not an undenyable divine intervention for me.. but from whatI can tell, it was (in part) for the people who's story I read. My part of it, could easily be chalked up to "fate', "random chance", or even just plain old "luck".
Enough rambling. I happened to see status on FB from one of my money saving blogs I really like, that said something about no more renting for them, and 100% down for their house. This piqued my interest to say the very least and I went and read the entire story, and am eagerly awaiting the final post.
She talked about living debt free, no school debt, no car debt, no house debt. What an amazing concept. How different would out lives be if we had no debt at all. Unfortunately this is impossible for me since I already have school loans racked up, and we currently have a car payment. But.. what if I could make those debts disapear, and then save for a house of our dreams? It's a big dream.. it's a monster step...but.. ultimately.. I think it just might be doable. How awesome would that be? Admittedly getting there won't be much fun. The budget will have to go through some drastic cuts...which I'm not sure I want to eat mac and cheese only for the next 5 years.
As a result you may soon se some major changes to this blog. It might begin to start looking a bit more like a savings blog, with some other stuff still mixed in. You may start seeing ads for coupon sites, or other reputable companies. Don't worry.. I'm not about to sell my friends and readers out to just "anyone" for the sake of making a buck. Just like when I pass on a deal I have saw on FB, I will continue to be picky when posting deals. When possible, I will still post all the best deals on nonprocessed foods, and things that are more along the back to basics line of thinking.. but.. when you really stop and think about it. Saving money is going back to basics also. Our grandparents scrimped and saved and used everything to it's fullest potential. Some of them even went thought hte great depression, and their thinking was greatly influenced from that. So, even by posting deals, I'm not straying from my "back to basics" mentality, I'm just embracing it in the fullest way possible.
May our journey to saving money, eliminating processed foods, etc, be fruitful and rewarding! Thanks for coming along with me during this time of transitioning
Learning from our mistakes
I made a few rookie mistakes recently in couponing. From what I'm told, it happens occassionally even to the pros. As long as you look at it as a learning experience, it's not really a mistake, right? Sure it cost me a little bit of extra money...Under $10, so it wasn't anything major, but it still aggrevated me. Plus, The awareness of what happened made me wonder how many other times I made that same mistake and just never realized it. I plan on sharing my mistakes with you, so hopefully you can learn from me, and not have to learn the hard way.
Mistake #1.
My first one, was a case of not being organized enough. I had 2 seperate orders sitting in my shopping cart, and instead of keeping them seperated (which with a 22 month old in the back of the cart, is impossible)I had everything together. The problem was, I didn't keep them seperate in my mind or on paper (which is FAR smarter!) I knew the items I had to keep apart to get the RR's, but my downfall came in that I seperated an order I shouldn't have. I was buying some Mitchum deoderant, which had a coupon in store to reduce the price to 1.99 instead of the almost 4.00 it was normally. then I had 2 catalina coupons for 1.50 off, leaving me with deoderant for a mere 49 cents. I only had one in store coupon, so I needed to leave them in the same transaction, or grab another sales ad for an additional coupon. Unfortunately, I didn't do this. So, one of my deoderants was 49 cents, teh other was much higher. I remedied the problem by returning it the following week. The downside was, I forfeited my coupon in doing so. Lesson learned. I keep all my coupons in an envelope and I have always wrote down what my shopping list is. Now I add to it by putting whether its a same or seperate transaction next to each item. Now I don't get everything messed up in my head :) Problem solved.
Mistake #2
I purchased a huge order of stuff, as I normally do, unlike most of the "scenarios" I see in the other blogs and forums. I never really understood why they did small orders, except when they were buying a bunch of the same item, then it made sense to me, because you can only get one RR per order (item, or groups of item in a RR deal).You can have multiple RR's print out as long as they are for different products. So, This particular day I had an issue with an RR not printing for a suave kids item I had purchased. The only reason I noticed was because I was trying to get two of them, so I had a seperate transaction. I asked the cashier about it, and she couldn't find anythign in the paper. I held back in getting the second one in case I read the sign wrong. It was a good deal and I didn't want to miss it if I read it right. 3.49 for the kids wash, with a 3 dollar RR back! I double checked the sign, sure enough, I read it right. So I asked one of the managers about it. They checked it out, and it was actually a misprinted sales tag, but they were willing to give it to me because it was posted. yay! Score one for me, and I was quite happy they were so nice. (so my mistake wasn't a complete bust that day!) The manager had asked if I had gotten my pepsi RR, and I assumed I did as I had a handful of RR's. He spotted one for 3 dollars and asked for that product so they could get me the correct priced RR. I was feeling pretty good, and headed home. I always check my reciepts when I get home as well as my RR's so I can see how well I did shopping. As I was going through my RR's, I discovered I indeed did not have a pepsi RR. I was ripped off by a $5RR. I called and asked what happened, if it was something I did. The cashier told me to come in and ask for Larry, the night manager, and he'd fix it if he could for me. Well, it was already almost 9 and it was at least a half hour drive. I wasn't going back anymore that night, since they were still out of some of the items I really wanted. I went back in a few days later, and got a different manager than I'd ever even saw before. She was nice, but not nearly as helpful and kind as the others. I asked her about my pepsi RR's, and discovered my flaw was that I used a pepsi RR to help pay for that purchase. Apparently you can't use an RR that you have gotten for an item from teh same company. So.. you can't use an RR for say Proctor & Gamble on any other P &G products.. which means, you can't buy gillete, or pampers, etc using an RR that you got for an Old Spice promo. If you do, you most likely won't get your RR's. oof.. lesson learned. The down side is.. some of those companies own a heck of a lot of other companes.. P&G being one of them! So, it appears there is a reason to teh maddness of the bloggers breaking things down into small scenarios. They are avoiding buying things with RR's for the same company.
It appears couponing isn't as easy as it once appeared, and there is actually some work involved.. but wow is it worth it!
Mistake #1.
My first one, was a case of not being organized enough. I had 2 seperate orders sitting in my shopping cart, and instead of keeping them seperated (which with a 22 month old in the back of the cart, is impossible)I had everything together. The problem was, I didn't keep them seperate in my mind or on paper (which is FAR smarter!) I knew the items I had to keep apart to get the RR's, but my downfall came in that I seperated an order I shouldn't have. I was buying some Mitchum deoderant, which had a coupon in store to reduce the price to 1.99 instead of the almost 4.00 it was normally. then I had 2 catalina coupons for 1.50 off, leaving me with deoderant for a mere 49 cents. I only had one in store coupon, so I needed to leave them in the same transaction, or grab another sales ad for an additional coupon. Unfortunately, I didn't do this. So, one of my deoderants was 49 cents, teh other was much higher. I remedied the problem by returning it the following week. The downside was, I forfeited my coupon in doing so. Lesson learned. I keep all my coupons in an envelope and I have always wrote down what my shopping list is. Now I add to it by putting whether its a same or seperate transaction next to each item. Now I don't get everything messed up in my head :) Problem solved.
Mistake #2
I purchased a huge order of stuff, as I normally do, unlike most of the "scenarios" I see in the other blogs and forums. I never really understood why they did small orders, except when they were buying a bunch of the same item, then it made sense to me, because you can only get one RR per order (item, or groups of item in a RR deal).You can have multiple RR's print out as long as they are for different products. So, This particular day I had an issue with an RR not printing for a suave kids item I had purchased. The only reason I noticed was because I was trying to get two of them, so I had a seperate transaction. I asked the cashier about it, and she couldn't find anythign in the paper. I held back in getting the second one in case I read the sign wrong. It was a good deal and I didn't want to miss it if I read it right. 3.49 for the kids wash, with a 3 dollar RR back! I double checked the sign, sure enough, I read it right. So I asked one of the managers about it. They checked it out, and it was actually a misprinted sales tag, but they were willing to give it to me because it was posted. yay! Score one for me, and I was quite happy they were so nice. (so my mistake wasn't a complete bust that day!) The manager had asked if I had gotten my pepsi RR, and I assumed I did as I had a handful of RR's. He spotted one for 3 dollars and asked for that product so they could get me the correct priced RR. I was feeling pretty good, and headed home. I always check my reciepts when I get home as well as my RR's so I can see how well I did shopping. As I was going through my RR's, I discovered I indeed did not have a pepsi RR. I was ripped off by a $5RR. I called and asked what happened, if it was something I did. The cashier told me to come in and ask for Larry, the night manager, and he'd fix it if he could for me. Well, it was already almost 9 and it was at least a half hour drive. I wasn't going back anymore that night, since they were still out of some of the items I really wanted. I went back in a few days later, and got a different manager than I'd ever even saw before. She was nice, but not nearly as helpful and kind as the others. I asked her about my pepsi RR's, and discovered my flaw was that I used a pepsi RR to help pay for that purchase. Apparently you can't use an RR that you have gotten for an item from teh same company. So.. you can't use an RR for say Proctor & Gamble on any other P &G products.. which means, you can't buy gillete, or pampers, etc using an RR that you got for an Old Spice promo. If you do, you most likely won't get your RR's. oof.. lesson learned. The down side is.. some of those companies own a heck of a lot of other companes.. P&G being one of them! So, it appears there is a reason to teh maddness of the bloggers breaking things down into small scenarios. They are avoiding buying things with RR's for the same company.
It appears couponing isn't as easy as it once appeared, and there is actually some work involved.. but wow is it worth it!
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
swagbucks and other places to check out
It took me a long time to jump on the swagbucks bandwagon. I wanted to make sure it was legit before I signed up. I don't always do this.. but this time I did. My fears were not warented as this is a legit site.
It works very much like google, in that it's a search engine, but in this case, it pays you back. ...not everytime, but sometimes it awards you swagbucks randomly for websearches. You can earn 1 swagbuck a day by taking the daily poll. It's super easy. they sometims offer swag codes also, they are case sensitive so if you find one, make sure you copy it exactly as it is shown.
You can redeem swagbucks for various things, enter contests, etc. My personal favorite is 450 swagbucks get you a 5 dollar gift card from Amazon.com
Please use my personal reference to sign up.Thanks!!
http://www.swagbucks.com/refer/miswakko
Another site you can check out is Inbox Rewards. It's filled with a great deal of spam, but if you sort through it, and only do the legit stuff, it is possible to make money. You won't get rich, but it's free money.. how can you not like that. They pay you between .02 and .05 cents per email that they will pay you, and they offer payment for taking surveys and other various offers. Do the surveys and offers with care. They also offer a 10 cent bounty per every coupon you print/ use off their site.. it's sponsered by coupons.com. So, it's like saving an extra 10 cents every time you use a coupon from them.
I have some others, but I need to get the exact websites to share.
It works very much like google, in that it's a search engine, but in this case, it pays you back. ...not everytime, but sometimes it awards you swagbucks randomly for websearches. You can earn 1 swagbuck a day by taking the daily poll. It's super easy. they sometims offer swag codes also, they are case sensitive so if you find one, make sure you copy it exactly as it is shown.
You can redeem swagbucks for various things, enter contests, etc. My personal favorite is 450 swagbucks get you a 5 dollar gift card from Amazon.com
Please use my personal reference to sign up.Thanks!!
http://www.swagbucks.com/refer/miswakko
Another site you can check out is Inbox Rewards. It's filled with a great deal of spam, but if you sort through it, and only do the legit stuff, it is possible to make money. You won't get rich, but it's free money.. how can you not like that. They pay you between .02 and .05 cents per email that they will pay you, and they offer payment for taking surveys and other various offers. Do the surveys and offers with care. They also offer a 10 cent bounty per every coupon you print/ use off their site.. it's sponsered by coupons.com. So, it's like saving an extra 10 cents every time you use a coupon from them.
I have some others, but I need to get the exact websites to share.
Monday, June 28, 2010
how to "shop" at Walgreens...
Due to popular demand, here is the post on making the most of your shopping at Walgreens.
This works pretty much the same at any of the drug stores (CVS and Rite Aid) as near as I can tell. I've only shopped once at CVS, but did well using hte same strategy. I know very little about Rite aid, but it seems to be the same.
Okay.. I've said it before, but it demands being said again, especially for anyone that hasn't read any of hte previous coupon posts. You need to stockpile coupons!! Subscribe to a sunday paper...you will save enough in coupons that I promise you will cover the cost of your subscription. Some papers demand more than one copy. Usually the first of the month has a proctor and gamble insert.. these are like gold.. and multiple copies should be grabbed. My first P and G insert, I bought a total of 4 papers. I've covered the cost of those 4 (at $2 each, plus my subscription $26 plus $5 in tip for 6 months already! ...actually in my last trip to Walgreens alone!).
I cut out every single coupon, even if I don't think I'll be using it. You never know, and you can always trade it for a coupon you DO want/ need.
It took me several weeks of papers before I started getting really good deals, so don't give up right away. Like I said.. stockpiling is the name of the game! The last 2 weeks have been especially good for me, which would put me at about a month worth of saving coupons before it got really productive.
Ok... so, say you already have the coupons, you were able to scam them out of a relative, you begged the recycling center for their coupon inserts (yes.. people do this), you bought some (yep, you can do this too), a friend gave you a bunch, you won them in a contest (look around.. it happens). or.. maybe you've actually had the coupons, you just didn't know how to use them to the max.. this is where I get to help ya.
Walgreens lets you stack coupons. Meaning you can use one walgreen coupon and one manufacturers coupon (in most coupon blogs, this is known as a Q). This is how you score your BEST deals. Say an item is on sale for 3.00, and walgreens has a coupon in one of their books scattered throughout the store, their coupon book, or their ad for say... $1 off. well, that item is now $2, which isn't all that bad, but if you have a Manufactures coupon as well, for say $1, now that product is only $1...and if they happen to be offering a register rewards, you will either be getting this for the equivelent of free, or making money.
..you are wondering what a register rebate (RR) is, right? It basically functions as a manufactures coupon for your next shopping trip. They expire in a week. Make sure you use them before they expire, or you aren't doing yourself any favors. Let me share a few things about them before I explain exactly how they work. First, They are rung up like a manufacture coupon, so, you have to make sure you have enough items in your order to cover them. 1 "Q" per item in your shopping order. You may need to get some cheap "filler" items to be able to use them. Another thing to note. You cannot use a Proctor and Gamble (P and G) RR on another P and G item. (you will learn they have a HUGE amount of stuff they manufacture).. so fillers tend to be your best friend for P and G RR's. Another thing.. much like coupons, don't expect to walk away with lots of merchandise for pennies right away. A LOT of my savings come from rolled over RR's.
ok.. let me give you an example this week of a RR.
If you have a Walgreen ad at your disposal, peek at it.. see the products that give a price then say -RRs = "like getting it for free".. this is a RR ad. For those of you that don't.. WE'll use the Blistex fruit smoothie chapstick. They are regularly 3.99. This week they are on sale for 2.99 (+ tax). Plus, you get a RR for 3 dollars when you purchase it. So, you can look at it like you are getting it for free..even though you are actually paying for it. ..however.. say you bought something last week that got you a 3.00 RR. You can use that RR from last week to pay for your blixtex, and you now only have to cover the cost of your tax.
You cannot get money back on RR's, or coupons...so if you had a $4 RR from last week, you'd have to find something else to bring your total up to 4 dollars.
I will give you some scenarios you can do to get you started this week to give you max benefits.
If you drink Pepsi products.. an easy one is buy 4 pepsi 12 packs, for 13 dollars (prices do vary, so you may have a different price) then you get a 5 dollar RR, so it is sorta like getting them 4 for $8, or 2 dollars a piece.. not a bad deal.
you can then do a seperate transaction, and buy either the blistex for 2.99 or the airplus mosturizing socks for 3 dollars. and get a 3 pack of dentyne, and use the coupon out of the walgreens July coupon book, located next to the store flyers. you now have 4 dollars worth of stuff. grab 2 cans of Bumble bee tuna, and rip out the coupon from the sales flyer for tuna for 55 cents each. you now have 5.10+ tax worth of product. Use your $5 RR, you will pay 10 cents plus whatever your tax is for all of this. Now, in yet another transaction, you can by whichever on eyou didn't get last time.. the socks or the blistex. Use your RR, and you will only be paying tax. So for under 15 dollars you have: 4 12 packs of soda, 2 cans of bumble bee tuna, a 3 pack of blistex chapstick, 3 packs of dentyne gum and a pair of moisturizing socks.. plus, 3 dollars for your next purchase. See how easy this is?
The first few times I didn't do it like that, I just paid the 40 dollars or whatever my bill came to, and racked up all those RR's for my next order for the following week. So, I basically did the same thing, I just had more out of pocket the first week or so. Some weeks you do really well, some weeks you don't. The scenario I gave you didn't require any coupons from teh newspaper, but you will actually do much better when combining coupons from the paper with coupons from the store.
Hoep this helps!!
This works pretty much the same at any of the drug stores (CVS and Rite Aid) as near as I can tell. I've only shopped once at CVS, but did well using hte same strategy. I know very little about Rite aid, but it seems to be the same.
Okay.. I've said it before, but it demands being said again, especially for anyone that hasn't read any of hte previous coupon posts. You need to stockpile coupons!! Subscribe to a sunday paper...you will save enough in coupons that I promise you will cover the cost of your subscription. Some papers demand more than one copy. Usually the first of the month has a proctor and gamble insert.. these are like gold.. and multiple copies should be grabbed. My first P and G insert, I bought a total of 4 papers. I've covered the cost of those 4 (at $2 each, plus my subscription $26 plus $5 in tip for 6 months already! ...actually in my last trip to Walgreens alone!).
I cut out every single coupon, even if I don't think I'll be using it. You never know, and you can always trade it for a coupon you DO want/ need.
It took me several weeks of papers before I started getting really good deals, so don't give up right away. Like I said.. stockpiling is the name of the game! The last 2 weeks have been especially good for me, which would put me at about a month worth of saving coupons before it got really productive.
Ok... so, say you already have the coupons, you were able to scam them out of a relative, you begged the recycling center for their coupon inserts (yes.. people do this), you bought some (yep, you can do this too), a friend gave you a bunch, you won them in a contest (look around.. it happens). or.. maybe you've actually had the coupons, you just didn't know how to use them to the max.. this is where I get to help ya.
Walgreens lets you stack coupons. Meaning you can use one walgreen coupon and one manufacturers coupon (in most coupon blogs, this is known as a Q). This is how you score your BEST deals. Say an item is on sale for 3.00, and walgreens has a coupon in one of their books scattered throughout the store, their coupon book, or their ad for say... $1 off. well, that item is now $2, which isn't all that bad, but if you have a Manufactures coupon as well, for say $1, now that product is only $1...and if they happen to be offering a register rewards, you will either be getting this for the equivelent of free, or making money.
..you are wondering what a register rebate (RR) is, right? It basically functions as a manufactures coupon for your next shopping trip. They expire in a week. Make sure you use them before they expire, or you aren't doing yourself any favors. Let me share a few things about them before I explain exactly how they work. First, They are rung up like a manufacture coupon, so, you have to make sure you have enough items in your order to cover them. 1 "Q" per item in your shopping order. You may need to get some cheap "filler" items to be able to use them. Another thing to note. You cannot use a Proctor and Gamble (P and G) RR on another P and G item. (you will learn they have a HUGE amount of stuff they manufacture).. so fillers tend to be your best friend for P and G RR's. Another thing.. much like coupons, don't expect to walk away with lots of merchandise for pennies right away. A LOT of my savings come from rolled over RR's.
ok.. let me give you an example this week of a RR.
If you have a Walgreen ad at your disposal, peek at it.. see the products that give a price then say -RRs = "like getting it for free".. this is a RR ad. For those of you that don't.. WE'll use the Blistex fruit smoothie chapstick. They are regularly 3.99. This week they are on sale for 2.99 (+ tax). Plus, you get a RR for 3 dollars when you purchase it. So, you can look at it like you are getting it for free..even though you are actually paying for it. ..however.. say you bought something last week that got you a 3.00 RR. You can use that RR from last week to pay for your blixtex, and you now only have to cover the cost of your tax.
You cannot get money back on RR's, or coupons...so if you had a $4 RR from last week, you'd have to find something else to bring your total up to 4 dollars.
I will give you some scenarios you can do to get you started this week to give you max benefits.
If you drink Pepsi products.. an easy one is buy 4 pepsi 12 packs, for 13 dollars (prices do vary, so you may have a different price) then you get a 5 dollar RR, so it is sorta like getting them 4 for $8, or 2 dollars a piece.. not a bad deal.
you can then do a seperate transaction, and buy either the blistex for 2.99 or the airplus mosturizing socks for 3 dollars. and get a 3 pack of dentyne, and use the coupon out of the walgreens July coupon book, located next to the store flyers. you now have 4 dollars worth of stuff. grab 2 cans of Bumble bee tuna, and rip out the coupon from the sales flyer for tuna for 55 cents each. you now have 5.10+ tax worth of product. Use your $5 RR, you will pay 10 cents plus whatever your tax is for all of this. Now, in yet another transaction, you can by whichever on eyou didn't get last time.. the socks or the blistex. Use your RR, and you will only be paying tax. So for under 15 dollars you have: 4 12 packs of soda, 2 cans of bumble bee tuna, a 3 pack of blistex chapstick, 3 packs of dentyne gum and a pair of moisturizing socks.. plus, 3 dollars for your next purchase. See how easy this is?
The first few times I didn't do it like that, I just paid the 40 dollars or whatever my bill came to, and racked up all those RR's for my next order for the following week. So, I basically did the same thing, I just had more out of pocket the first week or so. Some weeks you do really well, some weeks you don't. The scenario I gave you didn't require any coupons from teh newspaper, but you will actually do much better when combining coupons from the paper with coupons from the store.
Hoep this helps!!
Friday, June 25, 2010
couponing
I've talked about it previously, but I am getting better at it, and understanding it a bit better now. I have discovered I LOVE couponing. It's almost an addiction. How can you not like saving money?! I've saved well over 200 dollars already since I have started couponing the last month.
One thing I have learned.. it takes a while to get to the point where you can REALLY start saving. You need that stock pile of coupons, in order to get the deals everyone is talking about. My pile is finally starting to get to the point where I can see a deal and be fairly sure I will have that coupon they are talking about.
The other thing I have learned.. coupons vary by region and sometimes it gets annoying to discover you don't have the coupon everyone else is talking about. boo.
One last thing.. there are 3 decent to good online coupon sites. Coupons.com, redplum and smart source. play with zipcodes, since they vary by region. some of the ones I use are 77477, 90210, 30303 and 45435. These tend to get me a good variety of coupons. There is a site called inbox.com that seems to be a lot of juky spam, but they do pay you 10 cents for every coupon you redeem...which is based off coupons.com. If you are interested PLEASE let me know and I will give you a referal link to use. :)
A great place to get GOOD coupons is from a companies direct site. Sign up for their newsletters, write to them and give them compliments or concerns when needed/warented.
One thing I have learned.. it takes a while to get to the point where you can REALLY start saving. You need that stock pile of coupons, in order to get the deals everyone is talking about. My pile is finally starting to get to the point where I can see a deal and be fairly sure I will have that coupon they are talking about.
The other thing I have learned.. coupons vary by region and sometimes it gets annoying to discover you don't have the coupon everyone else is talking about. boo.
One last thing.. there are 3 decent to good online coupon sites. Coupons.com, redplum and smart source. play with zipcodes, since they vary by region. some of the ones I use are 77477, 90210, 30303 and 45435. These tend to get me a good variety of coupons. There is a site called inbox.com that seems to be a lot of juky spam, but they do pay you 10 cents for every coupon you redeem...which is based off coupons.com. If you are interested PLEASE let me know and I will give you a referal link to use. :)
A great place to get GOOD coupons is from a companies direct site. Sign up for their newsletters, write to them and give them compliments or concerns when needed/warented.
Friday, June 4, 2010
I love recipes!
As most of you know.. I love finding, or getting new recipes to try. One of my friends sent me this one from allrecipes.com and says it's one of her "all-time favorite" recipes. I LOVE tried and true recipes, they are my favorite kinds.
She likes this recipe using sloppy joe meat instead of taco meat.
I will defintely be trying this as it seems to fall into my no processed food preference :)
enjoy!
1 dish taco bake
Ingredients
Taco Meat Filling:
1 pound ground beef
1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning
Batter:
Mazola Pure® Cooking Spray
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup masa corn flour OR corn meal
2 envelopes Fleischmann's® RapidRise Yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup very warm milk (120 degrees F to 130 degrees F)
3 tablespoons Mazola® Corn Oil
1 egg
Topping:
1 cup chunky salsa
1 cup shredded Mexican-style cheese
1 cup corn chips, partially crushed
Directions
1.Brown ground beef and drain. Add taco seasoning and mix well.
2.Mix batter ingredients together in a pre-sprayed 9-1/2-inch deep dish pie plate.
3.Top batter with taco meat filling. Pour salsa evenly over meat; sprinkle with shredded cheese and corn chips.
4.Bake by placing in a COLD oven; set temperature to 350 degrees F. Bake for 30 minutes or until done.
Footnotes
Recipe Note: If desired, batter may be mixed in a separate bowl. Proceed as directed above. Nutritional Information
Amount Per Serving Calories: 526 | Total Fat: 29.4g | Cholesterol: 105mg
Nutritional Information1-Dish Taco BakeServings Per Recipe: 6
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 526
Total Fat: 29.4gCholesterol: 105mgSodium: 1223mgTotal Carbs: 41.7g Dietary Fiber: 2.2gProtein: 23.6gVIEW DETAILED NUTRITION
About: Nutrition Info
Powered by: ESHA Nutrient Database
She likes this recipe using sloppy joe meat instead of taco meat.
I will defintely be trying this as it seems to fall into my no processed food preference :)
enjoy!
1 dish taco bake
Ingredients
Taco Meat Filling:
1 pound ground beef
1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning
Batter:
Mazola Pure® Cooking Spray
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup masa corn flour OR corn meal
2 envelopes Fleischmann's® RapidRise Yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup very warm milk (120 degrees F to 130 degrees F)
3 tablespoons Mazola® Corn Oil
1 egg
Topping:
1 cup chunky salsa
1 cup shredded Mexican-style cheese
1 cup corn chips, partially crushed
Directions
1.Brown ground beef and drain. Add taco seasoning and mix well.
2.Mix batter ingredients together in a pre-sprayed 9-1/2-inch deep dish pie plate.
3.Top batter with taco meat filling. Pour salsa evenly over meat; sprinkle with shredded cheese and corn chips.
4.Bake by placing in a COLD oven; set temperature to 350 degrees F. Bake for 30 minutes or until done.
Footnotes
Recipe Note: If desired, batter may be mixed in a separate bowl. Proceed as directed above. Nutritional Information
Amount Per Serving Calories: 526 | Total Fat: 29.4g | Cholesterol: 105mg
Nutritional Information1-Dish Taco BakeServings Per Recipe: 6
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 526
Total Fat: 29.4gCholesterol: 105mgSodium: 1223mgTotal Carbs: 41.7g Dietary Fiber: 2.2gProtein: 23.6gVIEW DETAILED NUTRITION
About: Nutrition Info
Powered by: ESHA Nutrient Database
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
substitutions via tipnut
■Cake Flour Recipe: If you’re running short on cake flour and need it now, here’s a tip for making your own: Add two level tablespoons of corn starch to a one cup measuring cup, then fill with bread flour. Sift three times then use as needed.
■Self Rising Flour Recipe: In a one cup measure, place 1 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt, then fill to top with flour. Mix well and store in an airtight container if not used right away.
■Half And Half Cream Substitute: In a one cup measure, place 3 Tablespoons + 1 1/2 teaspoons of melted butter. Top up the cup with whole milk. You can also use an equal measure of evaporated milk as a half and half cream substitute.
■Buttermilk Substitute: You can substitute 1 cup of buttermilk with the following quick recipe–In a one cup measuring cup, add 1 TBS of vinegar or lemon juice, then top up the rest of the measuring cup with milk. Set aside for 5 minutes, stir, then use as buttermilk in the recipe.
■Sour Cream Substitute: 1/3 cup milk + 2 teaspoons lemon juice + 1 cup cottage cheese. Process in a blender until smooth.
■Graham Cracker Crumb Crust Substitute: In a pinch you can use crushed corn flakes in place of graham cracker crumbs. Recipe for crust: 2 cups crushed corn flakes*, 1/3 cup melted butter, 2 TBS sugar. Gradually add the melted butter to the crushed corn flakes and sugar. Mix well and press into pie plate (8″ or 9″). Bake at 350° for 10 minutes. *Use the non-frosted corn flakes.
■Chocolate Squares Substitute: 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa & 1/4 cup melted Crisco (Substitution for 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate squares).
■Soy Sauce Substitute Recipe:: Mix 3 tablespoons molasses, pinch ground ginger, 2 tablespoons Worcester sauce, and a little flour.
■Balsamic Vinegar Substitute:: 1 tablespoon cider vinegar plus 1/2 teaspoon sugar = 1 TBS balsamic vinegar; or 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar plus 1/2 teaspoon sugar = 1 TBS balsamic vinegar; or equal amount of sherry or cider vinegar.
■Molasses Substitute: Honey; Dark Corn Syrup; Maple Syrup
■Lemon Juice Substitute: 2 tablespoons lemon juice = 1 tablespoon vinegar
egg substitutes
*It’s recommended not to replace more than 2 eggs per recipe.
■1 tsp baking powder + 1 1/2 TBS water + 1 1/2 TBS oil
■1 tsp baking powder + 1 TBS water + 1 TBS vinegar
■2 TBS water or milk + 2 TBS flour + 1/2 TBS shortening + 1/2 tsp baking powder
■1 TBS vinegar + 1 tsp baking soda
■2 TBS lemon juice + 1 tsp baking soda
■1 TBS cornstarch + 3 TBS water for each missing egg
■2 TBS arrowroot flour
■2 TBS potato starch
■1 TBS tapioca starch + 1/4 cup warm water (mix well & allow to gel a bit before using)
■1 tsp yeast dissolved in 1/4 cup warm water
■1/2 banana, mashed (medium size) + 1/4 tsp baking powder
■2 TBS applesauce
■3 TBS mayonnaise
1 TBS flax seed (ground)
3 TBS water
■Method #1: Simmer together on top of stove for about 5 minutes until the consistency reaches a thick, egg-white like consistency.
■Method #2: Blend ingredients together in a blender or food processor until the mixture is thick and creamy. Refrigerate
Homemade Egg Substitute
*1/4 cup = 1 large egg
6 egg whites
1/4 cup dry milk powder (non-fat)
1 TBS vegetable oil
■Mix all ingredients together and blend until smooth, refrigerate. Can be frozen.
Replacer For Egg Substitute:
■Some low fat or low cholesterol recipes call for a commercial egg substitute. If you don’t have any on hand or wish to cook with fresh eggs instead, 1 fresh egg = 1/4 cup of egg substitute.
■Self Rising Flour Recipe: In a one cup measure, place 1 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt, then fill to top with flour. Mix well and store in an airtight container if not used right away.
■Half And Half Cream Substitute: In a one cup measure, place 3 Tablespoons + 1 1/2 teaspoons of melted butter. Top up the cup with whole milk. You can also use an equal measure of evaporated milk as a half and half cream substitute.
■Buttermilk Substitute: You can substitute 1 cup of buttermilk with the following quick recipe–In a one cup measuring cup, add 1 TBS of vinegar or lemon juice, then top up the rest of the measuring cup with milk. Set aside for 5 minutes, stir, then use as buttermilk in the recipe.
■Sour Cream Substitute: 1/3 cup milk + 2 teaspoons lemon juice + 1 cup cottage cheese. Process in a blender until smooth.
■Graham Cracker Crumb Crust Substitute: In a pinch you can use crushed corn flakes in place of graham cracker crumbs. Recipe for crust: 2 cups crushed corn flakes*, 1/3 cup melted butter, 2 TBS sugar. Gradually add the melted butter to the crushed corn flakes and sugar. Mix well and press into pie plate (8″ or 9″). Bake at 350° for 10 minutes. *Use the non-frosted corn flakes.
■Chocolate Squares Substitute: 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa & 1/4 cup melted Crisco (Substitution for 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate squares).
■Soy Sauce Substitute Recipe:: Mix 3 tablespoons molasses, pinch ground ginger, 2 tablespoons Worcester sauce, and a little flour.
■Balsamic Vinegar Substitute:: 1 tablespoon cider vinegar plus 1/2 teaspoon sugar = 1 TBS balsamic vinegar; or 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar plus 1/2 teaspoon sugar = 1 TBS balsamic vinegar; or equal amount of sherry or cider vinegar.
■Molasses Substitute: Honey; Dark Corn Syrup; Maple Syrup
■Lemon Juice Substitute: 2 tablespoons lemon juice = 1 tablespoon vinegar
egg substitutes
*It’s recommended not to replace more than 2 eggs per recipe.
■1 tsp baking powder + 1 1/2 TBS water + 1 1/2 TBS oil
■1 tsp baking powder + 1 TBS water + 1 TBS vinegar
■2 TBS water or milk + 2 TBS flour + 1/2 TBS shortening + 1/2 tsp baking powder
■1 TBS vinegar + 1 tsp baking soda
■2 TBS lemon juice + 1 tsp baking soda
■1 TBS cornstarch + 3 TBS water for each missing egg
■2 TBS arrowroot flour
■2 TBS potato starch
■1 TBS tapioca starch + 1/4 cup warm water (mix well & allow to gel a bit before using)
■1 tsp yeast dissolved in 1/4 cup warm water
■1/2 banana, mashed (medium size) + 1/4 tsp baking powder
■2 TBS applesauce
■3 TBS mayonnaise
1 TBS flax seed (ground)
3 TBS water
■Method #1: Simmer together on top of stove for about 5 minutes until the consistency reaches a thick, egg-white like consistency.
■Method #2: Blend ingredients together in a blender or food processor until the mixture is thick and creamy. Refrigerate
Homemade Egg Substitute
*1/4 cup = 1 large egg
6 egg whites
1/4 cup dry milk powder (non-fat)
1 TBS vegetable oil
■Mix all ingredients together and blend until smooth, refrigerate. Can be frozen.
Replacer For Egg Substitute:
■Some low fat or low cholesterol recipes call for a commercial egg substitute. If you don’t have any on hand or wish to cook with fresh eggs instead, 1 fresh egg = 1/4 cup of egg substitute.
recipes!
HEre is a list of misc. recipes I've collected recently. I've tried teh pumpkin bread and it's divine...not healthy for you...but.. still really good! I haven't tried teh rest, but they are all from friends, so hopefully they are good :)
BANANA BREAD
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons soft shortening (I use butter flavored Crisco)
1 egg
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 cup mashed bananas (3-4 bananas)
1 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3 cups flour
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour the bottom of 9x5x3" loaf pan or spray with Pam with flower.
Mix sugar, shortening and egg. Stir in buttermilk and bananas (if you like banana pieces, don't mash the bananas before adding to the batter). Blend in the dry ingredients until all the flour is moistened. Bake 60-70 minutes or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean.
Cool on wire rack for 10 minutes, then take out of pan. Cool completely on rack. Slice when completely cool.
Chicken Tortilla Soup
Serves: 6 - 8
Broth Ingredients
Chicken Tortilla Soup
Olive oil - 1 tbsp
Calabaza squash, diced ½” - 1 cup
Red onion, diced ½” - ½ cup
Chopped garlic - 1 tsp
Sliced jalapeno, no seeds - 2 tsp
Chicken broth, canned - 8 cups
Corn kernels, canned, drained - 1 ½ cups
Tomatoes, ½ “ diced - 1 cup
Jicama, ½” diced - 1 cup
Salt - to taste
Lime Juice, fresh squeezed - ¼ cup
Oregano, chopped - 1 tsp
Chicken breast, fully cooked & chopped - 1 pound
Broth
Heat the oil in a large pot until hot. Add the calabaza, onions, jalapenos and garlic, then sauté until they loose their raw appearance. Add the chicken broth, corn, jicama, and tomatoes, then bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the calabaza is tender. Season to taste with salt, then add the lime juice, oregano and fully cooked sliced chicken breast. Simmer for an additional 5 minutes then cut the heat.
Garnish Ingredients
Cilantro Chopped - 8 tbsp
Avocado, diced ½” - 8 tbsp
Cut the Avocado just before serving to prevent discoloration.
Blue Corn Tortillas 6” -
White Corn Tortillas 6” - 8
Canola or Peanut Oil - 1 cup
Salt - As Needed
Garnish
Cut the tortilla strips into 1/4 inch strips and set aside. Place the oil in a small pan and heat to medium heat. Add small amounts of the strips and fry until crisp. Remove and place on a paper towel lined plate to absorb the excess oil. Lightly season the crisp tortillas with salt. Repeat the process until all the tortillas are fried.
Serve the soup hot, and garnish with diced avocado, chopped cilantro and crisp tortilla strips.
From Relish Online:
4 large eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup butter, melted
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
FROSTING
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups powdered sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large mixing bowl of a an electric mixer, beat the eggs well, add in the sugar and butter and mix well. Add the pumpkin and vanilla and mix. Add the flour and spices and mix well. Spread in a 9 X 13-inch greased pan.
Bake for 25-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool.
To make frosting: In a small bowl, beat cream cheese, butter, vanilla and powdered sugar until just mixed, careful not to over mix. When the brownies are cool, frost. Cut into squares and serve.
Pumpkin Roll
3 eggs
1 C Sugar 1 teas. Ginger
2/3 C plain pumpkin ½ teas. Nutmeg
1 teas. Lemon Juice ½ teas. Salt
¾ C flour chopped nuts
1 teas. Baking powder
2 teas. Cinnamon
Beat eggs on high speed for 5 minutes. Slowly beat in sugar.
Stir in pumpkin & lemon juice. In separate bowl, combine flour,
baking powder, spices, & salt. Fold dry ingredients into pumpkin
mixture. Spread onto greased & floured cookie sheet. Top with
chopped nuts. Bake at 375 ° for 15 minutes. When done, turn out
on towel, roll up & allow to cool. After cooled, unroll & spread
w/cream cheese mixture (recipe following). Roll it up & chill.
Filling: 1 C powder sugar 6 to 8 oz. cream cheese
4 teas. Butter 1 teas. Vanilla
Beat till creamy & of a frosting consistency.
BANANA BREAD
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons soft shortening (I use butter flavored Crisco)
1 egg
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 cup mashed bananas (3-4 bananas)
1 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3 cups flour
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour the bottom of 9x5x3" loaf pan or spray with Pam with flower.
Mix sugar, shortening and egg. Stir in buttermilk and bananas (if you like banana pieces, don't mash the bananas before adding to the batter). Blend in the dry ingredients until all the flour is moistened. Bake 60-70 minutes or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean.
Cool on wire rack for 10 minutes, then take out of pan. Cool completely on rack. Slice when completely cool.
Chicken Tortilla Soup
Serves: 6 - 8
Broth Ingredients
Chicken Tortilla Soup
Olive oil - 1 tbsp
Calabaza squash, diced ½” - 1 cup
Red onion, diced ½” - ½ cup
Chopped garlic - 1 tsp
Sliced jalapeno, no seeds - 2 tsp
Chicken broth, canned - 8 cups
Corn kernels, canned, drained - 1 ½ cups
Tomatoes, ½ “ diced - 1 cup
Jicama, ½” diced - 1 cup
Salt - to taste
Lime Juice, fresh squeezed - ¼ cup
Oregano, chopped - 1 tsp
Chicken breast, fully cooked & chopped - 1 pound
Broth
Heat the oil in a large pot until hot. Add the calabaza, onions, jalapenos and garlic, then sauté until they loose their raw appearance. Add the chicken broth, corn, jicama, and tomatoes, then bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the calabaza is tender. Season to taste with salt, then add the lime juice, oregano and fully cooked sliced chicken breast. Simmer for an additional 5 minutes then cut the heat.
Garnish Ingredients
Cilantro Chopped - 8 tbsp
Avocado, diced ½” - 8 tbsp
Cut the Avocado just before serving to prevent discoloration.
Blue Corn Tortillas 6” -
White Corn Tortillas 6” - 8
Canola or Peanut Oil - 1 cup
Salt - As Needed
Garnish
Cut the tortilla strips into 1/4 inch strips and set aside. Place the oil in a small pan and heat to medium heat. Add small amounts of the strips and fry until crisp. Remove and place on a paper towel lined plate to absorb the excess oil. Lightly season the crisp tortillas with salt. Repeat the process until all the tortillas are fried.
Serve the soup hot, and garnish with diced avocado, chopped cilantro and crisp tortilla strips.
From Relish Online:
4 large eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup butter, melted
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
FROSTING
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups powdered sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large mixing bowl of a an electric mixer, beat the eggs well, add in the sugar and butter and mix well. Add the pumpkin and vanilla and mix. Add the flour and spices and mix well. Spread in a 9 X 13-inch greased pan.
Bake for 25-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool.
To make frosting: In a small bowl, beat cream cheese, butter, vanilla and powdered sugar until just mixed, careful not to over mix. When the brownies are cool, frost. Cut into squares and serve.
Pumpkin Roll
3 eggs
1 C Sugar 1 teas. Ginger
2/3 C plain pumpkin ½ teas. Nutmeg
1 teas. Lemon Juice ½ teas. Salt
¾ C flour chopped nuts
1 teas. Baking powder
2 teas. Cinnamon
Beat eggs on high speed for 5 minutes. Slowly beat in sugar.
Stir in pumpkin & lemon juice. In separate bowl, combine flour,
baking powder, spices, & salt. Fold dry ingredients into pumpkin
mixture. Spread onto greased & floured cookie sheet. Top with
chopped nuts. Bake at 375 ° for 15 minutes. When done, turn out
on towel, roll up & allow to cool. After cooled, unroll & spread
w/cream cheese mixture (recipe following). Roll it up & chill.
Filling: 1 C powder sugar 6 to 8 oz. cream cheese
4 teas. Butter 1 teas. Vanilla
Beat till creamy & of a frosting consistency.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
looking for a deal
I will be the first to admit, I am completely new to the "art" of couponing. I'm learning though! I will just touch on a few basics in this post, and in another one I will get a bit more in depth and post many more places to check out.
One of the things that you may not know if you are just getting into couponing, is many places will let you use a store coupon and a manufacturers coupon together for the same item, and this is apparently where the great savings comes from (combine those with a sale price and/or register rebates and it could even be free!)
So far, the two stores that really stick out as having amazing deals are Target and Walgreens.
There are tons of blogs and other sites out there that do a lot of the "math" for you. I will post some of these in another post. There are also websites that are set up to trade coupons. These are pretty cool, but take a bit of figuring out..at least they did for me, but I have used them successfully, so they can't be tooo hard.
One of the biggest tips I can offer right now... subscribe to the Sunday paper. One of the websites I frequent suggests your local sunday paper as well as the largest paper in the area, because they often get more coupons. Build your collection, and keep it organized. I personally clip all the coupons out, because of the sites I can trade the ones I'm not interested in for ones I do want.
Many times if you go straight to the manufacturers site, they have coupons you can print off their site, that may not normally be in your paper. I have done this with places like 7th generation, pampers, huggies, mrs. T's perogies, colgate, etc. You do have to sign up on their website and "subscribe" so it creates some junk email, but you can always create a seperate email account just for this, that way you don't have to worry about sifting through junk mail to find emails from friends. Some sites offer to mail you things in snail mail instead of online, some offer both. I always take the home mailings, because then I don't have to print the coupons myself, and it makes it easier to trade those coupons if I don't need or want them. Plus it saves my ink and paper.
Staples offers recycling on ink catridges and gives you 3 dollars store credit quarterly. You can turn in 10 a month for money, you can turn in more if you want...but I think it's better to just turn in the 10 in one month and save the otehrs until you have another 10 for another month. You have to sign up for this as well, but it saves you money, as you get 10% back in ink and paper purchases (you need to make sure you have 10 dollars worth for them to give you credit..or make sure you work it so you have enough ink cartridge returns at teh same time).
One of the things that you may not know if you are just getting into couponing, is many places will let you use a store coupon and a manufacturers coupon together for the same item, and this is apparently where the great savings comes from (combine those with a sale price and/or register rebates and it could even be free!)
So far, the two stores that really stick out as having amazing deals are Target and Walgreens.
There are tons of blogs and other sites out there that do a lot of the "math" for you. I will post some of these in another post. There are also websites that are set up to trade coupons. These are pretty cool, but take a bit of figuring out..at least they did for me, but I have used them successfully, so they can't be tooo hard.
One of the biggest tips I can offer right now... subscribe to the Sunday paper. One of the websites I frequent suggests your local sunday paper as well as the largest paper in the area, because they often get more coupons. Build your collection, and keep it organized. I personally clip all the coupons out, because of the sites I can trade the ones I'm not interested in for ones I do want.
Many times if you go straight to the manufacturers site, they have coupons you can print off their site, that may not normally be in your paper. I have done this with places like 7th generation, pampers, huggies, mrs. T's perogies, colgate, etc. You do have to sign up on their website and "subscribe" so it creates some junk email, but you can always create a seperate email account just for this, that way you don't have to worry about sifting through junk mail to find emails from friends. Some sites offer to mail you things in snail mail instead of online, some offer both. I always take the home mailings, because then I don't have to print the coupons myself, and it makes it easier to trade those coupons if I don't need or want them. Plus it saves my ink and paper.
Staples offers recycling on ink catridges and gives you 3 dollars store credit quarterly. You can turn in 10 a month for money, you can turn in more if you want...but I think it's better to just turn in the 10 in one month and save the otehrs until you have another 10 for another month. You have to sign up for this as well, but it saves you money, as you get 10% back in ink and paper purchases (you need to make sure you have 10 dollars worth for them to give you credit..or make sure you work it so you have enough ink cartridge returns at teh same time).
have stuff you don't want anymore? Stuff you want?
Obviously you could donate it, thats always a noble thing to do, but They don't always accept everything you have that you don't want any longer.
Another option, which is one of my favorites, is a yahoo group called FReecycle.org
Look through yahoo groups, or goggle them and find the group in your local area. It's made up of people in your local area, who have things they want to get rid of and things they are looking for. BEst of all, it's all free. The person doing the "begging" has to pick up the item, either from your home, or from a location you choose to meet at.
I have been using Freecycle for the last year and absolutely love it. I have given away some items I no longer need, and have gotten things I need, that others dont. Including a very nice queen sized bed and box spring..completely free!
I have saw people offer moving boxes, packing peanuts, screen doors, computers, and virtually everything in between. You never know what someone has that they are willing to give away, and you never know what some one else wants. It's a great way to reduce, reuse and recycle!
Another option, which is one of my favorites, is a yahoo group called FReecycle.org
Look through yahoo groups, or goggle them and find the group in your local area. It's made up of people in your local area, who have things they want to get rid of and things they are looking for. BEst of all, it's all free. The person doing the "begging" has to pick up the item, either from your home, or from a location you choose to meet at.
I have been using Freecycle for the last year and absolutely love it. I have given away some items I no longer need, and have gotten things I need, that others dont. Including a very nice queen sized bed and box spring..completely free!
I have saw people offer moving boxes, packing peanuts, screen doors, computers, and virtually everything in between. You never know what someone has that they are willing to give away, and you never know what some one else wants. It's a great way to reduce, reuse and recycle!
been thinking
when I started this blog I basically just wanted to have a place to store recipes and patterns for homemade things that I stumbled across. I never really thought about a whole lot beyond that. While I still plan to continue to do exactly that, I realize now that there is more to getting back to the basics than just food from scratch or patterns, or homemade cleaning detergents... It's also about being healthy and even saving money and the environment. I won't bog down my blog with a lot of things that are all over teh news, as much as I find the gulf oil geyser a disaster and absolutely gut wrenching...it's everywhere. You can see reports on that where ever you want. Instead, I will be posting things more like DIY (do it yourself) projects to reuse something you might throw away, or passing along sites that offer an opportunity to recycle or reuse instead of just throwing it away. I will start passing on natural remedies instead of just relying on medicine. I will pass on sites or deals for great money saving opportunities.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
berry cake
this look sooooo good, and looks to be halfway healthy for you! I am looking forward to trying it when the berries are fresh. Thanks for the recipe Vocalpoint!
Berry Good Cake
1 lg egg white
3/4 cup sugar, divided
1/3 cup butter or margarine
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
1 lg egg, separated
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup nonfat milk
2 cups mixed berries, such as raspberries, strawberries, and/or blueberries
1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
Heat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9" × 9" baking pan with cooking spray.
In a large bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat egg white until stiff. Add 1/4 cup of the sugar and beat until smooth.
In another bowl, with the mixer on medium speed, beat butter, vanilla extract, salt, and remaining 1/2 cup sugar until creamy. Add egg yolk and beat to incorporate. Add 1 1/2 cups flour, baking powder, milk, and egg white. Beat until thoroughly combined.
Coat berries with 1 tablespoon flour and gently fold into the batter. Pour into the prepared pan. Bake 40 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Makes 12 servings
Per serving: 176 calories, 3 g protein, 29 g carbohydrate, 6 g fat, 18 mg cholesterol, 1 g fiber, 163 mg sodium
Berry Good Cake
1 lg egg white
3/4 cup sugar, divided
1/3 cup butter or margarine
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
1 lg egg, separated
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup nonfat milk
2 cups mixed berries, such as raspberries, strawberries, and/or blueberries
1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
Heat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9" × 9" baking pan with cooking spray.
In a large bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat egg white until stiff. Add 1/4 cup of the sugar and beat until smooth.
In another bowl, with the mixer on medium speed, beat butter, vanilla extract, salt, and remaining 1/2 cup sugar until creamy. Add egg yolk and beat to incorporate. Add 1 1/2 cups flour, baking powder, milk, and egg white. Beat until thoroughly combined.
Coat berries with 1 tablespoon flour and gently fold into the batter. Pour into the prepared pan. Bake 40 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Makes 12 servings
Per serving: 176 calories, 3 g protein, 29 g carbohydrate, 6 g fat, 18 mg cholesterol, 1 g fiber, 163 mg sodium
cute fleece hats!
I think I'm going to make some of these for the kids!! As always.. pictures will come when the projects done.
Developed in the 1970s as a synthetic alternative to wool, Polarfleece is an excellent winter fabric because it's soft, lightweight, durable, and machine-washable. And although it traps heat just as efficiently as wool, its stretchy fibers don't shrink or absorb water. These Polarfleece hats are relatively easy to construct and make wonderful holiday gifts.
Tools and Materials
Soft tape measure
Polarfleece fabric
Scissors
Pins
Tailor's chalk
Strong matching thread
Thread
Small pom-poms (optional)
Average Head-Size Chart
Newborn (6 Months and Younger)
Circumference: 14 to 17 inches
Crown: 8 to 10 inches
Infant (6 to 12 Months)
Circumference: 16 to 19 inches
Crown: 11 to 12 inches
Child (1 to 3 Years)
Circumference: 18 to 20 inches
Crown: 11 to 12 inches
Child (3 Years and Older)
Circumference: 20 to 22 inches
Crown: 13 to 14 inches
Adult Woman
Circumference: 21 to 23 1/2 inches
Crown: 13 to 15 inches
Adult Man
Circumference: 22 to 24 1/2 inches
Crown: 14 to 16 inches
Solid-Color Hat How-To
1. You'll need one panel of fabric to make this hat. To determine the width of the fabric, measure the circumference of your head (including your ears), or use our size chart, adding a 1/4 inch on each side for seam allowance. The length for an adult hat should be about 13 inches; for a child's hat, about 10 inches. Cut out the panel of fabric.
2. With right sides facing in, sew the long ends, forming a tube. Trim seam allowance closely. If you wish to press open any remaining seam, use your fingers; do not use an iron because the fabric could melt.
3. To make a cuff, fold up bottom edge of fabric about 3 inches, then fold in another 1/4 inch for seam. Sew hem close to the turned edge.
4. Sew along the top of the hat, leaving a 1/4-inch seam allowance. Trim seam. Turn hat right-side out.
5. You can finish off the top of the hat with or without ears. For a hat with ears: Pinch corners into a fold, with the opening of each fold, facing front. Using matching thread, tightly tie off each folded corner about 1 1/2 inches down. Secure with 3 or 4 hand stitches through each ear. For a hat without ears: Join the two corners of the top of the hat together with a single stitch. Using strong thread, bring the needle through the inside of the hat at one corner and through the top of the other corner. Pull thread tight so the corners meet at the center. Tie off the thread inside hat.
Horizontal-Stripe Hat How-To
Follow the instructions for the solid-color hat, but combine horizontal bands of different-colored fleece to equal the correct height of your hat. Use as many bands as you like in any width; allow a 1/4-inch seam allowance on the top and bottom of each band, and 3 inches to the bottom band for the hat's cuff.
Vertical-Stripe Hat How-To
Follow the instructions for the solid-color hat, but in this case you'll need four fabric panels, two of each color. To determine the width of the panels, divide the head circumference by four, and add 1/4 inch on each side for seam allowance, then flatten the hat, right sides together, so that two panels lay directly on top of the other two panels. Match up the center seams.
Crown Hat How-To
1. Follow steps 1 through 4 for the solid-color hat, but keep hat right sides facing in.
2. Lay the hat flat and measure the crown of your head (ear to ear as if for earmuffs) or use our chart. Place one end of a soft tape measure at the bottom left corner of the hat, extend tape measure to the right corner of the hat, the distance equal to your crown measurement (for example, extend tape measure 14 inches if that is the length of your crown measurement). Hold both points of the tape measure in place, and arch the excess in between. Center a pin, 3 inches above the highest point of the arc; this is now your low point.
3. Using tailor's chalk, draw a horizontal line across the low-point mark and then draw a line parallel to it 3 inches higher. Mark the center of this top line. Find the points midway between the left and right sides of the center point, but mark them on the low-point line, then mark the left and right side seams 1 inch below the top line. Connect the dots in a zigzag, crown pattern. Sew along the zigzag line.
4. Trim seam, turn right side out, and shape the three points. If you'd like, attach a small pom-pom to each point.
Pom-Pom How-To
1. For a large pom-pom, cut a strip of fleece 24 inches in length (or 9 to 12 inches for a smaller pom-pom) and as wide as you would like the pom-pom (4 inches is a good width for an adult hat). Fold the strip in half widthwise.
2. Lightly draw a line down the center of the fabric lengthwise. Cut fringes to the left and right of the line, leaving about 1/4 inch uncut in the center. The fringes can be as narrow or as wide as you like. Roll up strip of fabric.
3. Using upholstery thread, bring the needle through the core of the pom-pom, and wrap the thread tightly around the center a few times. Bring needle through the core again, and tie a tight knot. Use the excess thread to sew the pom-pom to the top, or the edges, of the hat.
Resources
Polarfleece can be purchased at Malden Mills; it is also available at sewing and fabric stores.
From Martha Stewart Living Television, February 2000
Developed in the 1970s as a synthetic alternative to wool, Polarfleece is an excellent winter fabric because it's soft, lightweight, durable, and machine-washable. And although it traps heat just as efficiently as wool, its stretchy fibers don't shrink or absorb water. These Polarfleece hats are relatively easy to construct and make wonderful holiday gifts.
Tools and Materials
Soft tape measure
Polarfleece fabric
Scissors
Pins
Tailor's chalk
Strong matching thread
Thread
Small pom-poms (optional)
Average Head-Size Chart
Newborn (6 Months and Younger)
Circumference: 14 to 17 inches
Crown: 8 to 10 inches
Infant (6 to 12 Months)
Circumference: 16 to 19 inches
Crown: 11 to 12 inches
Child (1 to 3 Years)
Circumference: 18 to 20 inches
Crown: 11 to 12 inches
Child (3 Years and Older)
Circumference: 20 to 22 inches
Crown: 13 to 14 inches
Adult Woman
Circumference: 21 to 23 1/2 inches
Crown: 13 to 15 inches
Adult Man
Circumference: 22 to 24 1/2 inches
Crown: 14 to 16 inches
Solid-Color Hat How-To
1. You'll need one panel of fabric to make this hat. To determine the width of the fabric, measure the circumference of your head (including your ears), or use our size chart, adding a 1/4 inch on each side for seam allowance. The length for an adult hat should be about 13 inches; for a child's hat, about 10 inches. Cut out the panel of fabric.
2. With right sides facing in, sew the long ends, forming a tube. Trim seam allowance closely. If you wish to press open any remaining seam, use your fingers; do not use an iron because the fabric could melt.
3. To make a cuff, fold up bottom edge of fabric about 3 inches, then fold in another 1/4 inch for seam. Sew hem close to the turned edge.
4. Sew along the top of the hat, leaving a 1/4-inch seam allowance. Trim seam. Turn hat right-side out.
5. You can finish off the top of the hat with or without ears. For a hat with ears: Pinch corners into a fold, with the opening of each fold, facing front. Using matching thread, tightly tie off each folded corner about 1 1/2 inches down. Secure with 3 or 4 hand stitches through each ear. For a hat without ears: Join the two corners of the top of the hat together with a single stitch. Using strong thread, bring the needle through the inside of the hat at one corner and through the top of the other corner. Pull thread tight so the corners meet at the center. Tie off the thread inside hat.
Horizontal-Stripe Hat How-To
Follow the instructions for the solid-color hat, but combine horizontal bands of different-colored fleece to equal the correct height of your hat. Use as many bands as you like in any width; allow a 1/4-inch seam allowance on the top and bottom of each band, and 3 inches to the bottom band for the hat's cuff.
Vertical-Stripe Hat How-To
Follow the instructions for the solid-color hat, but in this case you'll need four fabric panels, two of each color. To determine the width of the panels, divide the head circumference by four, and add 1/4 inch on each side for seam allowance, then flatten the hat, right sides together, so that two panels lay directly on top of the other two panels. Match up the center seams.
Crown Hat How-To
1. Follow steps 1 through 4 for the solid-color hat, but keep hat right sides facing in.
2. Lay the hat flat and measure the crown of your head (ear to ear as if for earmuffs) or use our chart. Place one end of a soft tape measure at the bottom left corner of the hat, extend tape measure to the right corner of the hat, the distance equal to your crown measurement (for example, extend tape measure 14 inches if that is the length of your crown measurement). Hold both points of the tape measure in place, and arch the excess in between. Center a pin, 3 inches above the highest point of the arc; this is now your low point.
3. Using tailor's chalk, draw a horizontal line across the low-point mark and then draw a line parallel to it 3 inches higher. Mark the center of this top line. Find the points midway between the left and right sides of the center point, but mark them on the low-point line, then mark the left and right side seams 1 inch below the top line. Connect the dots in a zigzag, crown pattern. Sew along the zigzag line.
4. Trim seam, turn right side out, and shape the three points. If you'd like, attach a small pom-pom to each point.
Pom-Pom How-To
1. For a large pom-pom, cut a strip of fleece 24 inches in length (or 9 to 12 inches for a smaller pom-pom) and as wide as you would like the pom-pom (4 inches is a good width for an adult hat). Fold the strip in half widthwise.
2. Lightly draw a line down the center of the fabric lengthwise. Cut fringes to the left and right of the line, leaving about 1/4 inch uncut in the center. The fringes can be as narrow or as wide as you like. Roll up strip of fabric.
3. Using upholstery thread, bring the needle through the core of the pom-pom, and wrap the thread tightly around the center a few times. Bring needle through the core again, and tie a tight knot. Use the excess thread to sew the pom-pom to the top, or the edges, of the hat.
Resources
Polarfleece can be purchased at Malden Mills; it is also available at sewing and fabric stores.
From Martha Stewart Living Television, February 2000
thinking about Fleece!
I have been scouring books and websites looking for hats and mittens for my kids. I just don't like the normal run of the mill hat, so fleece tends to be my choice. :) Here is a page all about fleece!
http://www.sewingfreebies.com/fleecehatpatterns.html
http://www.sewingfreebies.com/fleecehatpatterns.html
baby slings
I've wanted to get a baby sling for my son for quite a while, especially since teh one I was given as a baby shower present was recalled. I was quite happy to find this pattern!
http://www.ida.net/users/stace/sling.html
http://www.ida.net/users/stace/sling.html
free sewing patterns
I am always on the lookout for free sewing and craft patterns that I can use. I think I found teh mother load today!!
this is for a ball for infants. I will definetely be trying this one!
http://sewing.about.com/od/babyshowergiftsewing/ss/babyball.htm
I will post pictures when I make it.
the main list of free patterns can be found here:
http://www.craftfreebies.com/babysewing.html
those are all for infants. I really havent been looking at anything beyond infants and toddlers at the moment.
this is for a ball for infants. I will definetely be trying this one!
http://sewing.about.com/od/babyshowergiftsewing/ss/babyball.htm
I will post pictures when I make it.
the main list of free patterns can be found here:
http://www.craftfreebies.com/babysewing.html
those are all for infants. I really havent been looking at anything beyond infants and toddlers at the moment.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
great article about homemade vs couponing
http://www.southernsavers.com/2010/05/homemade-vs-couponing-household-supplies/
there is the actual article. but I will post the recipes they offer, and their synopsis about what's cheaper/better, just in case the article decides to disapear.
homemade laundry soap (note...these are NOT the one's I use)
Homemade Recipe 1:
Mix 1 cup Ivory soap,
1/2 cup washing soda
1/2 cup borax
Use 1 tbsp for light loads; 2 tbsp for heavy loads = $0.05-0.10/load
Homemade Recipe 2:
1 cup castile liquid soap (Dr. Bronner’s or Mountain Rose Herbs are good choices)
2 cups water
1/3 cup salt
1 cup, baking soda or washing soda
1 cup vinegar
Use 1 tbsp for light loads; 2 tbsp for heavy loads = $0.05-0.10/load
fabric softener
Homemade Recipe:
1 cup baking soda
6 cups distilled white vinegar
8 cups water
10-15 drops orange essential oils (optional) or lemon essential oils (optional)
Use 1 cup per load in final rinse cycle.
(I may have to try this one, just because it has a scent to it with essential oils)
all purpose cleaning wipes
Mix into 1/2 gallon (2 liters) water:
1/2 cup vinegar and
1/4 cup baking soda
Cost for Homemade: $0.12-0.19/half gallon
(definetely gonna give these a try!)
glass cleaner
Homemade Recipe:
1 cup Rubbing Alcohol,
1 cup water
1 tbsp vinegar
Cost for Homemade: ~$0.50/32 oz. of cleaner
paper products
Alternatives:
microfiber cloths ($19.99 for 36 cloths on Amazon)
old cloth diapers (the oldschool kind) - Prefolds fit perfectly on the end of a Swiffer sweeper and work great wet or dry!
old towels, t-shirts, etc.
Cost: FREE to $0.55 each
Additional Considerations: re-purposes fabrics that you might throw away, keeps a lot of paper out of landfills, saves tons of money; can be washed and reused, but if it really gets so dirty that you don’t want to use it again, just chuck it like a paper towel
love the idea ..and have at least one other alternative for swiffer sweepers that I will post eventually
their conclusions
•Homemade laundry products are basically the same price.
•Homemade all purpose cleaner is a savings, especially when you consider the batch size to the size of the store bought bottle.
•If you are comparing prices for the new natural/organic products (even on sale), you are definitely saving a few dollars by making it at home.
•Of course if you can get it for free and not waste too much time or effort doing so, you should probably take advantage of the deal!
•Some of the best savings are on specialty products, for example oven cleaner, mildew/shower cleaners, carpet stain removers, metal cleaner or polish, mineral deposit removers, furniture or floor polish, drain cleaners, and even air fresheners. These items are harder to find at rock bottom prices and are typically expensive. You also have the added bonus of removing potentially harmful chemicals from your house.
addittional websites for recipes
http://www.pioneerthinking.com/homecleaning1.html
http://www.eartheasy.com/live_nontoxic_solutions.htm
http://www.passionatehomemaking.com/2007/12/housecleaning-on-budget.html
http://www.passionatehomemaking.com/2007/12/housecleaning-on-a-budget-part-2.html
http://www.passionatehomemaking.com/2009/06/homemade-all-natural-dishwasher-detergent.html
http://www.vinegartips.com/Scripts/pageViewSec.asp?id=12
http://hiporganicmama.blogspot.com/2009/03/green-spring-cleaning-come-clean-now.html
there is the actual article. but I will post the recipes they offer, and their synopsis about what's cheaper/better, just in case the article decides to disapear.
homemade laundry soap (note...these are NOT the one's I use)
Homemade Recipe 1:
Mix 1 cup Ivory soap,
1/2 cup washing soda
1/2 cup borax
Use 1 tbsp for light loads; 2 tbsp for heavy loads = $0.05-0.10/load
Homemade Recipe 2:
1 cup castile liquid soap (Dr. Bronner’s or Mountain Rose Herbs are good choices)
2 cups water
1/3 cup salt
1 cup, baking soda or washing soda
1 cup vinegar
Use 1 tbsp for light loads; 2 tbsp for heavy loads = $0.05-0.10/load
fabric softener
Homemade Recipe:
1 cup baking soda
6 cups distilled white vinegar
8 cups water
10-15 drops orange essential oils (optional) or lemon essential oils (optional)
Use 1 cup per load in final rinse cycle.
(I may have to try this one, just because it has a scent to it with essential oils)
all purpose cleaning wipes
Mix into 1/2 gallon (2 liters) water:
1/2 cup vinegar and
1/4 cup baking soda
Cost for Homemade: $0.12-0.19/half gallon
(definetely gonna give these a try!)
glass cleaner
Homemade Recipe:
1 cup Rubbing Alcohol,
1 cup water
1 tbsp vinegar
Cost for Homemade: ~$0.50/32 oz. of cleaner
paper products
Alternatives:
microfiber cloths ($19.99 for 36 cloths on Amazon)
old cloth diapers (the oldschool kind) - Prefolds fit perfectly on the end of a Swiffer sweeper and work great wet or dry!
old towels, t-shirts, etc.
Cost: FREE to $0.55 each
Additional Considerations: re-purposes fabrics that you might throw away, keeps a lot of paper out of landfills, saves tons of money; can be washed and reused, but if it really gets so dirty that you don’t want to use it again, just chuck it like a paper towel
love the idea ..and have at least one other alternative for swiffer sweepers that I will post eventually
their conclusions
•Homemade laundry products are basically the same price.
•Homemade all purpose cleaner is a savings, especially when you consider the batch size to the size of the store bought bottle.
•If you are comparing prices for the new natural/organic products (even on sale), you are definitely saving a few dollars by making it at home.
•Of course if you can get it for free and not waste too much time or effort doing so, you should probably take advantage of the deal!
•Some of the best savings are on specialty products, for example oven cleaner, mildew/shower cleaners, carpet stain removers, metal cleaner or polish, mineral deposit removers, furniture or floor polish, drain cleaners, and even air fresheners. These items are harder to find at rock bottom prices and are typically expensive. You also have the added bonus of removing potentially harmful chemicals from your house.
addittional websites for recipes
http://www.pioneerthinking.com/homecleaning1.html
http://www.eartheasy.com/live_nontoxic_solutions.htm
http://www.passionatehomemaking.com/2007/12/housecleaning-on-budget.html
http://www.passionatehomemaking.com/2007/12/housecleaning-on-a-budget-part-2.html
http://www.passionatehomemaking.com/2009/06/homemade-all-natural-dishwasher-detergent.html
http://www.vinegartips.com/Scripts/pageViewSec.asp?id=12
http://hiporganicmama.blogspot.com/2009/03/green-spring-cleaning-come-clean-now.html
Monday, May 24, 2010
homemade fabric softener
I stumbled across this recipe in the Billings Gazette. It's the first time I have bought their paper, and I was pleasantly surprised to find this as well as a great site for couponing. good deal!! I have to admit though.. I'm not sure if we are making fabric softener or a science fair volcano haha. :) I still have a bunch of dryer sheets, so it will be some time before I try the homemade version.. ut you can bet when I do, I will be posting the results :)
recipe Number 1
2 cups of white vinegar
2 cups baking soda
4 cups water
set mixing bowl in sink and combine ingredients slowly. Using a whisk, mix together. It will fizz. Pour in old fabric softener bottle. Use 1/4 cup per load.
recipe 2
6 cups water
3 cups vinegar
2 cups (16 ounces) cheap conditioner (whatever scent you like)
Mix and store in 1 gallon container. It may seperate, shake each time you use it.
These came from "frugalvillage.com) via the billings gazette. I may have to check that website out as well :)
recipe Number 1
2 cups of white vinegar
2 cups baking soda
4 cups water
set mixing bowl in sink and combine ingredients slowly. Using a whisk, mix together. It will fizz. Pour in old fabric softener bottle. Use 1/4 cup per load.
recipe 2
6 cups water
3 cups vinegar
2 cups (16 ounces) cheap conditioner (whatever scent you like)
Mix and store in 1 gallon container. It may seperate, shake each time you use it.
These came from "frugalvillage.com) via the billings gazette. I may have to check that website out as well :)
homemade baby wipes
Got this one from Kashi. They have a great website full of super cool ideas, and products. Check them out if you are a visual person and need to see the pictures. It's located under natural living.
Posted by Kashi Read more eco-friendly, frugal living, healthy living, how-to, living responsibly, and simple living
It’s easy to make your own baby wipes at home—all it takes is time and a few simple ingredients.
GETTING STARTED
You can make your own baby wipes using items you probably already have on hand—baby wash, baby oil, pure clean water and fabric scraps or recycled paper napkins or paper towels.
WHAT YOU’LL NEED
20-25 fabric scraps that have been cut into 6”x6” squares OR 80-85 recycled paper napkins OR 1 roll recycled paper towels (We used a recycled flannel sheet.)
2 ¼ cups water
2 tablespoons natural baby oil, such as Baby Bee Apricot Oil by Burt’s Bees
2 tablespoons natural baby shampoo or baby wash
1-2 drops essential oil, such as lavender or tea tree (optional)
Resealable airtight container, approximately 3” tall by 4” deep by 7” wide
. Step 1
Bring 2 ¼ cups water to a boil, remove from heat, and gently stir in 2 tablespoons baby oil and 2 tablespoons biodegradable baby shampoo or baby wash. Add 1-2 drops essential oil, if desired. Let cool.
. Step 2
If using cloth, cut fabric into 6”x6” squares and fold them in half. Or, if using recycled paper napkins, fold each napkin in half. If using recycled paper towels, tear individual towels from the roll and fold to fit your container. (Paper towels vary in size depending on the manufacturer.)
Tip — If you’re buying new fabric to make diaper wipes, flannel made of 100 percent cotton is a good choice because of its softness. Or, consider recycling worn-out sheets, towels or T-shirts instead. If you plan on washing and re-using cloth wipes, you can prevent fraying by machine stitching the edges of your 4”x8” fabric pieces before using them, or you could sew two pieces together for added durability.
. Step 3
Stack fabric scraps or recycled paper napkins or recycled paper towels in the resealable airtight container.
Tip — If you have previously purchased commercially made baby wipes, you can wash and reuse the container for your homemade eco-friendly wipes.
. Step 4
Slowly pour the cooled mixture of soap, water, and oil over the wipes that have been stacked in the resealable container.
. Step 5
Close the lid of your resealable container and let the liquid mixture soak in overnight. The next morning, your wipes will be uniformly moistened and ready to use.
Suggestion — If you’re using cloth diapers as well as cloth baby wipes, you can soak the used wipes in your diaper pail along with the diapers.
.
Posted by Kashi Read more eco-friendly, frugal living, healthy living, how-to, living responsibly, and simple living
It’s easy to make your own baby wipes at home—all it takes is time and a few simple ingredients.
GETTING STARTED
You can make your own baby wipes using items you probably already have on hand—baby wash, baby oil, pure clean water and fabric scraps or recycled paper napkins or paper towels.
WHAT YOU’LL NEED
20-25 fabric scraps that have been cut into 6”x6” squares OR 80-85 recycled paper napkins OR 1 roll recycled paper towels (We used a recycled flannel sheet.)
2 ¼ cups water
2 tablespoons natural baby oil, such as Baby Bee Apricot Oil by Burt’s Bees
2 tablespoons natural baby shampoo or baby wash
1-2 drops essential oil, such as lavender or tea tree (optional)
Resealable airtight container, approximately 3” tall by 4” deep by 7” wide
. Step 1
Bring 2 ¼ cups water to a boil, remove from heat, and gently stir in 2 tablespoons baby oil and 2 tablespoons biodegradable baby shampoo or baby wash. Add 1-2 drops essential oil, if desired. Let cool.
. Step 2
If using cloth, cut fabric into 6”x6” squares and fold them in half. Or, if using recycled paper napkins, fold each napkin in half. If using recycled paper towels, tear individual towels from the roll and fold to fit your container. (Paper towels vary in size depending on the manufacturer.)
Tip — If you’re buying new fabric to make diaper wipes, flannel made of 100 percent cotton is a good choice because of its softness. Or, consider recycling worn-out sheets, towels or T-shirts instead. If you plan on washing and re-using cloth wipes, you can prevent fraying by machine stitching the edges of your 4”x8” fabric pieces before using them, or you could sew two pieces together for added durability.
. Step 3
Stack fabric scraps or recycled paper napkins or recycled paper towels in the resealable airtight container.
Tip — If you have previously purchased commercially made baby wipes, you can wash and reuse the container for your homemade eco-friendly wipes.
. Step 4
Slowly pour the cooled mixture of soap, water, and oil over the wipes that have been stacked in the resealable container.
. Step 5
Close the lid of your resealable container and let the liquid mixture soak in overnight. The next morning, your wipes will be uniformly moistened and ready to use.
Suggestion — If you’re using cloth diapers as well as cloth baby wipes, you can soak the used wipes in your diaper pail along with the diapers.
.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
homemade herbal honey!!
By Shanna ohmes as seen in "Natural living" on FB.
Herbal honeys have been used by traditional cultures, wise women, grandmothers and mothers for thousands of years. Herbal honeys are culinary, medicinal and delicious. They are made by cutting or chopping fresh herbs and mixing them with honey and setting them out to infuse for several days or weeks.
Honey
Raw honey is favored because it also has its own medicinal qualities. It has been used for thousands of years as food and medicine and even as a preservative. Honey has been used by the Greeks and Egyptians for most ailments and good health. In fact, in Egyptian texts, out of 900 remedies listed honey was one of the ingredients in 500 of the recipes.
Honey is antibacterial and heals infections. It has been used for skin, intestinal and respiratory infections. Honey loves water. It holds moisture in place, so use it for wounds, sore throats, bruises and burns. Honey absorbs water-soluble compounds of the herbs and pulls the volatile oils from the herb into the honey itself so now it becomes even more medicinal as well as a food.
Honey provides energy. It counters depression and promotes healing inside and outside of your body. It strengthens the immune system with the abundant vitamins B, C, D and E.
*Remember, do not feed honey to children under 1 year old because they do not have the stomach acid to digest the botulinus spores found in honey. Older children and adults do not have this problem.
Herbal Honey
We know herbs are used not only for flavoring foods but also their medicinal qualities. When you add an herb to honey you have powerful medicine. You can enjoy herbal honey as a tea, by the spoonful and even spread on toast with the herb. Herbal honey is used to treat colds, flu, prevent and treat infections and inflammation and to soothe a sore throat.
Here is a list of herbs commonly used to make delicious herbal honeys:
Cayenne—use for aches, pains, arthritis, coughs, fibromyalgia and even as a heart tonic.
Chamomile—use for burns, eczema, depression, digestion, insomnia, stress and toothache.
Cinnamon—use for colds, flu, digestion, diabetes, nausea and fungus infections.
Dandelion—use for bladder infections, increase your memory and focus, bronchitis, colds and digestion.
Fennel—use for arthritis, congestion, cough, gout, digestion and menopause.
Garlic—use for bronchitis, respiratory, colds, flu, excellent for sore throat, sinusitis and a heart tonic.
Ginger—use for colds, flu, fibromyalgia, heart tonic, arthritis, nausea, digestion and IBS.
Lavender—use for anxiety, burns, colds, depression, hypertension, insomnia and nausea.
Lemon Balm—use for colds, as a heart tonic, nausea, sore throat and laryngitis.
Peppermint—use for anxiety, bronchitis, chronic fatigue, colds, flu, cough, congestion, and respiratory.
Rose Petal—use for sore throats, infections, heart tonic, wounds, sores, and menopause.
Rosemary—use for arthritis, chronic fatigue, bronchitis, colds, respiratory, gout, and a heart tonic.
Sage—use for increasing your memory and menopause.
Thyme—use for congestion, cough, respiratory and toothache.
How to Make an Herbal Honey
You’ll need:
1 cup or more of raw honey
8 oz. Glass canning jar, wide mouth
Your favorite herb: I’ll use rose petals as an example.
Fill the jar most of the way with rose petals. Slowly pour in the honey. Use the handle end of a wooden spoon or a chopstick and press and stir the honey and petals until all the petals are soaked and the air pockets are released. Add more honey and stir again until the honey comes almost to the top. Cap tightly and label.
This will now set out on your cabinet and infuse for about 6 weeks. Each day turn the jar over so the honey oozes through the petals and keeps them soaked. You can begin using the honey within a few days but it will become more medicinal over time.
Herbal honeys should keep about 2 years, but since they taste so good will probably be used up within a month or so.
How to Enjoy Rose Petal Honey
Put 1 tablespoon of petals and honey in a cup. Pour boiling water over and stir to dissolve. Sip and enjoy.
Herbal honeys have been used by traditional cultures, wise women, grandmothers and mothers for thousands of years. Herbal honeys are culinary, medicinal and delicious. They are made by cutting or chopping fresh herbs and mixing them with honey and setting them out to infuse for several days or weeks.
Honey
Raw honey is favored because it also has its own medicinal qualities. It has been used for thousands of years as food and medicine and even as a preservative. Honey has been used by the Greeks and Egyptians for most ailments and good health. In fact, in Egyptian texts, out of 900 remedies listed honey was one of the ingredients in 500 of the recipes.
Honey is antibacterial and heals infections. It has been used for skin, intestinal and respiratory infections. Honey loves water. It holds moisture in place, so use it for wounds, sore throats, bruises and burns. Honey absorbs water-soluble compounds of the herbs and pulls the volatile oils from the herb into the honey itself so now it becomes even more medicinal as well as a food.
Honey provides energy. It counters depression and promotes healing inside and outside of your body. It strengthens the immune system with the abundant vitamins B, C, D and E.
*Remember, do not feed honey to children under 1 year old because they do not have the stomach acid to digest the botulinus spores found in honey. Older children and adults do not have this problem.
Herbal Honey
We know herbs are used not only for flavoring foods but also their medicinal qualities. When you add an herb to honey you have powerful medicine. You can enjoy herbal honey as a tea, by the spoonful and even spread on toast with the herb. Herbal honey is used to treat colds, flu, prevent and treat infections and inflammation and to soothe a sore throat.
Here is a list of herbs commonly used to make delicious herbal honeys:
Cayenne—use for aches, pains, arthritis, coughs, fibromyalgia and even as a heart tonic.
Chamomile—use for burns, eczema, depression, digestion, insomnia, stress and toothache.
Cinnamon—use for colds, flu, digestion, diabetes, nausea and fungus infections.
Dandelion—use for bladder infections, increase your memory and focus, bronchitis, colds and digestion.
Fennel—use for arthritis, congestion, cough, gout, digestion and menopause.
Garlic—use for bronchitis, respiratory, colds, flu, excellent for sore throat, sinusitis and a heart tonic.
Ginger—use for colds, flu, fibromyalgia, heart tonic, arthritis, nausea, digestion and IBS.
Lavender—use for anxiety, burns, colds, depression, hypertension, insomnia and nausea.
Lemon Balm—use for colds, as a heart tonic, nausea, sore throat and laryngitis.
Peppermint—use for anxiety, bronchitis, chronic fatigue, colds, flu, cough, congestion, and respiratory.
Rose Petal—use for sore throats, infections, heart tonic, wounds, sores, and menopause.
Rosemary—use for arthritis, chronic fatigue, bronchitis, colds, respiratory, gout, and a heart tonic.
Sage—use for increasing your memory and menopause.
Thyme—use for congestion, cough, respiratory and toothache.
How to Make an Herbal Honey
You’ll need:
1 cup or more of raw honey
8 oz. Glass canning jar, wide mouth
Your favorite herb: I’ll use rose petals as an example.
Fill the jar most of the way with rose petals. Slowly pour in the honey. Use the handle end of a wooden spoon or a chopstick and press and stir the honey and petals until all the petals are soaked and the air pockets are released. Add more honey and stir again until the honey comes almost to the top. Cap tightly and label.
This will now set out on your cabinet and infuse for about 6 weeks. Each day turn the jar over so the honey oozes through the petals and keeps them soaked. You can begin using the honey within a few days but it will become more medicinal over time.
Herbal honeys should keep about 2 years, but since they taste so good will probably be used up within a month or so.
How to Enjoy Rose Petal Honey
Put 1 tablespoon of petals and honey in a cup. Pour boiling water over and stir to dissolve. Sip and enjoy.
Monday, May 17, 2010
homemade cheese
In my latest effort to get away from processed foods, I stumbled on a local group that puts organic farmers in touch with local consumers and I couldn't be happier. They are such a great group of people! They have so many ideas, and products. everything from fish emulsion fertilizer to goats milk and everything in between and beyond.
That being said, One of the ladies sells goats milk for 3 dollars a gallon. Cheaper than whole milk in the grocery store!! While I'm not sure I would want to drink it, the thing that intrigues me is cheese. I LOVE cheese, and cannot give it up, so I'm thinking this is a good alternative.
One of the ladies posted a recipe that I will share below. Another suggested the CHeese Queen website which I still need to check out.
this is from a person who made it:
Made Goat Cheese So easy and so good! In a boiler, bring 1/2 gallon of milk to 185 degree F. on medium temp. Remove from heat, add the juice from two lemons and stir while it curdles. Add 1 TBS of Sea salt. Pour mixture into cheese cloth and hang in refrigerator over night. I added a little Italian Seasoning to mine. Awesome on salad!
That being said, One of the ladies sells goats milk for 3 dollars a gallon. Cheaper than whole milk in the grocery store!! While I'm not sure I would want to drink it, the thing that intrigues me is cheese. I LOVE cheese, and cannot give it up, so I'm thinking this is a good alternative.
One of the ladies posted a recipe that I will share below. Another suggested the CHeese Queen website which I still need to check out.
this is from a person who made it:
Made Goat Cheese So easy and so good! In a boiler, bring 1/2 gallon of milk to 185 degree F. on medium temp. Remove from heat, add the juice from two lemons and stir while it curdles. Add 1 TBS of Sea salt. Pour mixture into cheese cloth and hang in refrigerator over night. I added a little Italian Seasoning to mine. Awesome on salad!
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
this and that
I tried the homemade laundry detergent. I used Fels Naptha and just super washing soda, no Borax. It turned out great! My bucket isn't a true 5 gallon bucket, so its a lil more solid than it should be, but thats ok. It's really gentle, and lasts forever, which is quite awesome!!
I've been watching the PBS show a place of their own lately. It's a show for caregivers to children, --in other words, teachers, parents, grandparents, etc. They have soem really great ideas for kids. Everything from advice to help reduce/eliminate temper tantrums to creating a ball maze out of empty cardboard rolls from toilet paper, paper towels and gift wrap. Good stuff... you should check it out if you have kids!
I will soon be working on making the cloth diapers... I admit I am quite nervous about this adventure.. and pray I do alright!
I'm sure I will have more recipes and stuff in the near future. For now, school is beating me up, so this will be a short post.
I've been watching the PBS show a place of their own lately. It's a show for caregivers to children, --in other words, teachers, parents, grandparents, etc. They have soem really great ideas for kids. Everything from advice to help reduce/eliminate temper tantrums to creating a ball maze out of empty cardboard rolls from toilet paper, paper towels and gift wrap. Good stuff... you should check it out if you have kids!
I will soon be working on making the cloth diapers... I admit I am quite nervous about this adventure.. and pray I do alright!
I'm sure I will have more recipes and stuff in the near future. For now, school is beating me up, so this will be a short post.
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