Tidbit time:)

I'm in a tidbit mood:)  So here are a couple of randoms:

My aunt and mother have done this for years, and I love it.  It saves a little money, and the color-coordination can be great!

 

 

 Every year after Christmas, I take all the cards we get from our loved ones and rip 'em up:)  No, really!  I rip the fronts off and use them as gift tags for the next Christmas.  These are perhaps not the best displays, but you get the point!  Oh, and just as a bonus, I reused that tissue paper.  It was less than lovely looking, so I folded it over bunches of times, then cut down halfway through the paper, making strips.  Then rough them up a little, and you've got a little something different:)


This is my "current year" filing station (I hide it behind the TV in the living room bc it's easy to access and nobody can see it back there--it's unused space anyway).  That binder has sheet protectors in it that divide my receipts, and a binder clip for my checkbook registers.   My general categories are gas, clothing, food, medical, large purchases (and warranties), tools/home improvements, Christmas, and Misc.  It changes a little each year.  The manila files are for paid bills, pay stubs, and Medical/Dental.

The green pocket folder is for my bills.  It has two pocket-thingies in it.  The front folder there (green) is paid bills...I keep them there until it gets full enough to move them.  That front orange pocket is where I keep the mortgage booklet and any bills that don't need to be paid right away.  On the reverse side of that is where I keep other important papers that aren't bills, like our KOA membership card.  I also have a pocket for anything that I'll need for end-of-year taxes, and a pocket for yearly membership-type stuff.  The last pocket is reserved for keeping papers I have no idea what else to do with:)  I keep the folder open-side up so I can just throw things in when they come in the mail, then deal with them when I pay bills. 

My actual bill schedule is set up in a spreadsheet.  This has earned me the "nerd" title.  But I don't pay anything late and I always know how much is due, when, and anything else I care to know...so HA!  I can't seem to upload the spreadsheet, so I'll have to figure that one out later.

And thank you Jill Botham, for letting me borrow your computer thus allowing me to post pics!!

YOGURT!

As requested, crockpot yogurt: I have done this quite a few times now and love, love, love it!!

I have stopped buying yogurt because this is so easy and economical. Case in point:  A gallon of milk costs about $3.50;  I use half a cup of the previous batch of homemade yogurt as the culture, so other than a little sugar and vanilla, there's very little cost besides.  I use the whey that is drained out in place of buttermilk. That saves me money by not having to buy buttermilk at $1.75 a quart. So, my 8 or more cups of yogurt costs about $4 to make; minus $1.75 the whey saves me it's $3.25. I used to pay about $10 for that much Gogurt or Activia.

We like to add our own fruit or cinnamon-it's delicious plain too, and the kids use it to make smoothies. I like to make healthy popsicles and yocheese (similar to cream cheese but more tart) by continuing to stain until it's the right consistency.

INGREDIENTS & SUPPLIES
8 cups of milk
1/2 cup yogurt with live cultures
Crockpot
Bath towel
Cheesecloth
Strainer

DIRECTIONS

• Pour 8 cups of milk (or 16 cups which is 1 gallon if you're doubling the recipe) into a large crockpot. Set to LOW for 2 1/2 hours.
• Turn crockpot off and let sit with lid on for 3 hours.
• Add 1/2 cup yogurt (or 1 cup for a double recipe), place lid back on, and wrap a bath towel around the crockpot. You're goal is to make a dark, insulated environment for the live cultures to exponentially grow.
• Let crockpot sit covered (with lid and towel), not heating for 8-12 hours. I usually try to start the yogurt process by 3pm in the afternoon so this 8-12 hour step happens overnight.
• In the morning, your milk will look like the top photo above - YOGURT!
• Line a strainer with a cheesecloth and strain yogurt to desired consistency. Without straining your yogurt will be a drinkable consistency - perfect for smoothies. But, if you're wanting to spoon eat it or make it more like "normal" you'll want to strain it for 15-30 minutes. 

 http://www.thatmamagretchen.com/2012/05/crockpot-yogurt.html


The only thing I do different is that I use a blanket instead of a towel...oh, and I use a coffee filter in the bottom of my strainer instead of cheesecloth.  I find that I have to strain it for a few hours to get the consistency I like, and I do it in the fridge.  I'll have to try it on the counter next time before refrigerating to see if that half hour straining really works:)

One Little Rant

First of all, I'd like to mention that no matter who I voted for and whether that candidate wins or loses, I believe a large part of patriotism is being supportive of the President. I do not have to agree with everything accomplished or being worked on for the future, but I do not appreciate seeing others openly bash the man elected for the office. Not only that, but I think the general public has forgotten that the President does not do anything to change the country by himself...there are lots of people that make up Congress and the Senate that help make decisions and changes.

 That said, I do see a growing trend toward enabling people to be supported by their government. Don't make me out to be heartless, just realistic. I find it ridiculous that the government doesn't seem to see that they are simply fanning a flame instead of helping people learn to be better citizens. I give to charities and am extremely careful to not be wasteful, but I am certainly not rewarded for being a good citizen. Morals only seem to be a mere obstacle for lots of folks these days.

 And perhaps our government should remember this little tidbit of wisdom: give a man a fish and he'll eat for a day; teach a man to fish and he'll eat his whole life.

Why not just focus on forward thinking and figuring out how to turn this country into the wonderful place our forefathers had in mind?

Will you forgive me for ranting?

The Snacks make me Snap

I just got finished making my monthly dinners list and now I'm working on all the extras...like homemade pizza bagels and granola bars. I have been struggling for some time to find snacky foods that are easy to make and liked by the whole brood. I know I spend entirely too much money on snacks. Goldfish, gummy snacks, chips...it all adds up SO quickly! I tried homemade "goldfish" crackers, which I loved, but didn't go over well and didn't stay fresh long.

The kids are crazy about their smoothies and I feel great about those, but you can't easily pack a smoothie for lunch. I'll continue to work on that.

This month, I will focus on putting more freezer-to-oven meals together ahead of time, and also some mixes for cornbread and cookies, etc. That should help a lot. I've tried before to make those items and freeze so I just have to thaw, but I really can't deal with the less-than-fresh taste. Maybe I'm packing them wrong.

I recently started making our yogurt in the crockpot (amazingly simple) and as a bonus, when I drain the whey, I use it as a buttermilk substitute in a new-found biscuit recipe:

 http://www.thecountrycook.net/2012/02/butter-dip-biscuits.html

Butter Dip Biscuits

Now, you can certainly cut this recipe in half if you'd like a smaller and thinner biscuit. 

But big and fluffy is how I roll.

Ingredients:

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter (see notes below)

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

4 tsp. granulated sugar

4 tsp. baking powder

2 tsp. kosher salt

1 3/4 cup buttermilk

 Directions:

Preheat oven to 450F degrees.

Spray an 8-inch square baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

In a microwave-safe bowl (or you can use the baking dish that you'll be baking these in), melt stick of butter in the microwave.

 In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.

 Pour in the buttermilk.

 Stir until a loose dough forms.

Batter will be a bit sticky.

 Press biscuit dough into baking dish (right on top of the melted butter).

 It is easiest to spread it out with your hands.

You won't get it perfectly even, but hey, that's okay, these are homemade, remember?
Some of the butter will run over the top of the dough, that's perfectly okay.

 My baby gives these a thumbs up.

He's a biscuit lover too.

Take a sharp knife and cut the biscuit dough into 9 squares before baking.

Bake for about 20-25 minutes, rotating dish once during baking.

If you notice that some of the butter that is coming up to the top is getting brown, 

just take a paper towel and dab around the edges a bit.

Oven times do vary since different ovens have different hot spots, but basically biscuits should be golden brown on top

 and spring back to the touch.

I am going to have to find a much larger pan and double the recipe because we could not stop eating them!!  Personally, I just stick the pan in the oven to melt the butter while I mix up the rest and then the crust is a little crispier because the pan is already hot.  We eat this kind of thing as snacks as well (along with my Sourdough bread that is to die for) and they do great for an after-school snack or breakfast.  But I obviously want to snack on something other than bread.


Got any snack food ideas for me?

Taste of Awesome

We've all had those mishaps that render a favorite piece of clothing unwearable...like a hole in my favorite cashmere sweater.  I thought I was going to have to throw it away.  I put it aside because I just couldn't bring myself to throw it away without a proper mourning period. 

It was during this sad time that I was eyeing a yardsale find-a backpack-that I had "girlyfied" with SPARKLES, and I realized that my sweater may have a chance after all!!  So I dashed to my sewing box, broke out the sequins, and dolled that sweater up.  As soon as I figure this stupid picture-to-computer issue out, you will get a glimpse of my eternal awesomeness...JK...or not;)

And the moral of the story is, (drumroll please) that with a little time and creativity, anything is possible.  Well, maybe not ANYTHING, but most things.

What have you resurrected lately?

Better Laundry Detergent (homemade, of course)

I've been making my own laundry detergent for a few years.  Earlier this year, I just couldn't get over the urge to have great-smelling laundry even though I knew it was clean...so, I hung my head and bought detergent.  Once!  That sticker shock brought me back to reality:)

I went on the prowl for an easy-to-make variety that smelled like heaven.  And I found it!!  This was my third attempt.
 
   http://www.howdoesshe.com/cheaper-and-better-diy-laundry-detergent/



LOVE IT!!!  I bought the Purex crystals at SAMS for the same price as the smaller WM version, and it boosts the scent even more.  I am thrilled with this detergent.  It definitely won't last me a year, but not having to make or buy it but a few times a year is worth it to me...and next time I'll probably use an off-brand of the Oxi-clean.

I hope you'll get up the courage to try this out, because it is amazing.  And really strong--you only need about a tablespoon per load!  That's why it supposedly lasts for a year.

Will you try it, pretty please?

Allergic to Paper Clutter

I may begin to sound like a crazy person for this post, but papers lying around drives me mad!!

Technology makes keeping my sanity much easier...like the camera on my phone. I will often snap a pic of a flyer from the kids' school if it includes info that I may need later. Like the upcoming dance. It's on my phone calendar, but I likely won't have that paper as I'm dropping them off trying to remember how much cash they need...but I will have that picture to reference easily!

I also grab a quick pic of items that I'd like a copy of, like a form I have to send in the mail. Even if I will never print it, being able to reference it or save it on my computer is very helpful. You never know if something won't arrive at its intended destination and you'll need to do it again. I go through those pics sometimes, like at ball practice, and delete the obsolete ones.

And then there are those few papers that can't be digitally captured and tossed, but need to be dealt with "when I get time". Ha! I stick those in a folder I take with me anytime I may have to wait. Like the dr office or when I'm picking up kiddos from afterschool activities. Even if I only have 5 min, I still get things done. I keep a pen, highlighter, extra paper and stamps in that folder so I'm ready for anything. Those are also the small moments I use to make my grocery list for my once-a-month trip.

Do papers drive you crazy too?

Bummed about Soup

With the kids and me being sick this week, not much cooking is being done right now! I feel lucky to have gotten the crock pot cleaned and put up... Some chicken & rice soup would hit the spot about now, and I had some frozen in a mason jar. I got it out of the freezer to discover that the glass had cracked. Apparently not all jars are designed to be able to both can and freeze. This was news to me. I had always figured glass was glass. Now I know better and will freeze in something else. 

These past few weeks of being sick way more than usual confirmed the idea I had been knocking around the old brain that I need to have more meals I can take from the freezer and put directly in to cook. I have been doing great at prepping my meats that are served alongside other foods, but now I'm sure I need to get some casseroles and crockpot meals packaged up and ready to just dump & cook.

What other smart planning have I missed?

Not-so-lovely Lentils

Always on the lookout for cheap nutrition, I picked up a bag of dried lentils on my last monthly grocery trip. I figured if we like black beans and pinto beans and peas and green beans, how could I go wrong with this dried legume? Well, we tried it...not a great familial response. My son was the only one that gave the green light to cook it again in the future.

For those of you, like us, who have never tasted these discs, I would describe them as closely resembling early peas with a peppery flavor. Not bad but nothing to write home about. I will, of course, doctor up small batches to see if I can manage to make them a little more palatable... But in the meantime I'm stuck with about 10 cups of food no one wants to eat. So I decided to do what I do--freeze 'em!

I got out 3 quart-size ziplocs and pressed on with my head held high. The first bag I simply filled with lentils straight from the crockpot. The other two baggies I filled with pureed lentils. I know it sounds disgusting. And it looks completely unappetizing, but I have a little nutritional trick up my sleeve.

For a few years now, I've been secretly adding pureed veggies to my culinary creations. So if I make Shepherd's pie (which already includes carrots, onions, and celery with canned peas) I will just add a 1/2 cup or so of some random pureed veggie that's in the freezer. Besides, I make the gravy with the juice from the canned peas! Talk about packing a punch:) And the fam is none the wiser. They just think it tastes like good ol' Southern comfort food.

So, all that to say that the lentils have not shown their faces in vain...they will live on to see another meal, another day. Can't wait!

What shall I venture into next?

Ode to Ground Beef

It's really going to bug me to not be able to post pics, but here goes...

So many people have been asking about my once-a-month grocery shopping that I thought I'd post a little something that saves me TONS of time. Ground beef: one of the most versatile staples in my house. I usually make about 7 or 8 meals a month that include it, and I am not going to wrestle with a block of frozen raw meat in a pan when I'm already cooking other stuff.

 When I buy GB, it's because it's on sale! I'll buy the largest package they offer. When I get it home I plop the whole shebang in my extra-large skillet, cook it all up, then drain (and sometimes rinse if it is high in fat). Once it's cooled down enough I package it all up in around 1/2 lb baggies. I purposely vary a bit with each bag since they're used for so many different meals.

My best tip to you? Whatever you're freezing, freeze as flat as possible. So, if you puree something, bag it and flatten it to freeze. Once it's frozen you can store in a container. This saves so much space! I have freezer boxes like you store ice in, and all my GB goes in one of those--all nice and lined up:) I have shoe box that my sides go in like beans or rice. Any old container will do.

What shall I do with all that time I saved? ;)

Dinner Double Duty

So, I've been working on my frugal factor by only grocery shopping once a month. So far, I have been able to keep my budget at around $400-450 PER MONTH!! That includes anything bought at Walmart or Sams (like TP), and also going to the bread store(I get 2-3 loaves of honey wheat, 2 HD buns, and some sort of rolls-to freeze) . I hope to blog on those subjects at a later time... Right now I'm just going to talk about tonight's dinner.

I had a long day ahead, so I put beef stew in the crock pot. Last month at Food Lion I had found steak on sale, so I chopped it up for stew meat and froze it. Frozen meat in a crock pot with 5 chopped peeled potatoes, chopped celery, onions and carrots from the freezer as well. I put about 3-4 cups of water, a packet of brown gravy mix and two beef boullion cubes. YUMMY!!

To stretch this meal even farther I make rice to go along with it. Today I cooked four cups of rice. I filled two quart-sized ziploc with rice to freeze. A 5-pound bag of rice was $2.98 and I still have about 8 more cups from that bag to cook up and freeze. So that 5-lb bag should give me enough for 12 meals!

I also cooked up a dozen muffins for tomorrow's breakfast and made some blueberry yogurt smoothie popsicles. Preparation is key:)

Now, what should I cook in the crockpot tomorrow?

The Quick and The Delicious

I blogged previously about freezer meals and thought I'd update. So far, it has been quite successful:) I have really enjoyed simply popping things from freezer to oven. The teriyaki steak strips were my favorite so far...tender from being marinaded while thawing, and juicy mmmmmmm...

I also feel like it affords me more time to think about sides and I can cook healthy instead of just quick. So far, each meal I cook I try adding a little something back into the freezer- I made 8 baked potatoes instead of just four and now I have four ready in the freezer for a hurried night. So nice:)

All in all, that 45 minutes it took to prepare those meats and main dishes for the freezer has saved me oodles of time. I still haven't gotten around to dinner breads but 'Dough Day'is coming.

UPDATE 10/14/12:  The baked potatoes were a bust!  Once thawed, the water leaked out of it-ewwww...  I would not recommend just baking the potatoes and throwing them in the freezer.  Perhaps if you scooped them out and dressed up the pulp before returning it to the skins, then freezing?  I'll try that and get back with you;)

Green thumb? I think not.

Apparently I don't have the attention span necessary to grow a great garden:(

I've always dreamed of having a yard of food-producers set up in a beautiful way. Grape vine with a trellis thingy doubling as a shady spot for a hammock. Fruit trees bordering the woods, and strategically placed berry bushes and vines. And then the traditional veggie garden, using the square foot method to save space. In this dreamland, I would also have a few chickens and the cutest little henhouse.

What I actually have is a patch of dirt with a little clover creeping in and a couple of dead plants that I just never got around to planting. Every year I say I'm going to do better...and then I don't. Perhaps I need a mentor? Someone to help me map out my garden according to plant/harvest times and what we can freeze and so forth.
And
I think I'll invite my sister over to watch me plant-kinda like an appointment-so I'll actually do it. I'll let you know how that works out:)

Easy Freezy

My new thing: freezer meals. I've done a few things for years: cooking beef and freezing in baggies (huge time saver), pureed veggies for adding into unsuspecting food, and I've canned and dried as much as I could before I get sick of it.

Thus far, I have in my freezer:
8 large waffles, 24 pancakes made from 8 cups of Krusteaz mix- best guess $3
9 slices Apple cinnamon french toast- under $2
4 meals worth of pork chops- $13
Chicken breasts(honey bbq, alice springs, teriyaki strips, and 35 nuggets)- 5 meals for $12
3lb ground turkey in place of beef-8 baggies (2 for spaghetti, casserole, tacos, and 1 each for mex dip and pizza hoagies) meat for 5 meals for $6.
Teriyaki beef strips -$5 only 1 meal
chicken drumsticks- under $3 only 1 meal


All my meats were in the freezer in about 40 minutes- just FYI.

My next step will be dinner breads and snacks along with potatoes and other veggies. Super excited!

Cell Phone Daze

Okay, so it's been a while...not having internet has obviously taken a toll on my blogging.  Our home computer crashed quite a few months ago, but there was no obvious reason for fixing it since we mostly use it for time-wasters like games and Netflix.  I do miss Netflix, though.  Now that we have the 360 console, we could use that--I'll have to get right on that:)

Now I'm thinking that all I really need to do is make the switch to a Smartphone.  Problem is, I don't know which one to pick!  I went into Verizon expecting to just tell them how I wanted to use the phone and they would tell me which phone suited me best.  WRONG!!!  All the phones have miniscule differences that make choosing next to impossible.  I'm so frustrated.  And besides that, now a friend tells me that WalMart has a plan that's $40 unlimited everything--more options!  We've been with Verizon for forever so I hate to leave, but I seriously doubt they'll price match. If anybody has a plan from WalMart, give me some feedback please.

Not a Resolution

While I do not make New Year's Resolutions, I would like to better myself as often as I can.  Right now, I resolve to have a better self-image.  I will tell myself as often as possible:

IT'S OKAY TO NOT LOOK LIKE A MODEL!

If you hear me say or see me write something that is contrary to this statement, please chastise me.  As a matter of fact, anytime you hear someone you love (or like a little) say something that hints at a negative self image, please tell her she's crazy and that her beauty is unmatched because...(insert a true statement here).

We're gonna kick this negativity to the curb--watch out world:)