Happy Thanksgiving

From Aliisa:

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving Everyone!!

Dishwashing Detergent

From Aliisa:

Awhile back I posted that the homemade dishwashing detergent I made didnt work. It leaves my glasses looking cloudy, so I stopped using it. Now, I hate to waste anything so I have kept it all this time wondering what I was going to use it for. I realized last week that maybe I could use it with the store bought detergent and extend my uses with it. So, last week I bought whatever was on sale and read the label. It said to fill both dishes in the dishwasher with the detergent. Now I have read that you only need 1T - 2 T per load so I measured it out. 1 T of the store bought and 1 T of my very inexpensive homemade detergent and my dishes have come out clean each time I have used it. I am very happy with the results and in the long run, it does save me money.....not as much as it would if I could make it homemade but it saves me money non the less.

So, I encourage you to give it a try. Just mix 1 cup borax with 1 cup baking soda and use 1 T per load added with 1 T of whatever brand you normally use.

hmmmm...I wonder if I could use 1/2 T of each and still have clean dishes.....I think that is an experiment for another day!!

Back on the Exercise wagon

From Aliisa:

I know I havent posted in a week but I really havent felt like it. I have spent the week really concentrating on me, something I dont do all that often. It started on Sunday when I found that I couldnt wear my black slacks, they were just a tad bit too tight....which started my day off just perfect. After complaining about it, I wore something else. This led to my evaluation on Monday. Im not thin, havent been in quite awhile, however this week Im feeling even bigger than I have in awhile.....so....I dared to step on the scales. I gained 6 pounds....bad but not nearly as bad as I thought based on how I felt in my clothes...and thus it began.

I have slowly dragged myself back on the exercise wagon that I fell off of before summer. Its so easy to fall off and stay off but man is it hard to drag yourself back on it....I think it moves too fast *lol*.

I managed to workout 4 days this week, I skipped yesterday because I went grocery shopping in the morning which led to putting groceries away and cleaning out the fridge and then cleaning the kitchen again and by the time I was done...my day was close to over and it was almost time for Emily to come home from school.

The progess is slow but Im bound and determined to at the very least, not gain anything over the holidays!!

And to prove how dedicated I am to my exercise and eating right...we are making homemade pizzas for dinner tonight *lol* I think I shall stay away from the dreaded scales for awhile!!!

Links for Frugal Christmas presents under $10

From Sundy:

Here are three links that have many frugal Christmas ideas for under $10.

63 ideas at Better Budgeting

100 ideas at Associated Content

Bunches and bunches at No Brain

Happy hunting! :)

Frugal Christmas present idea

From Sundy:

One idea that I've used many times in the last 20 years is extremely frugal (at least for me). I cut out words, phrases, and pictures from various magazines that describe the person for whom I'm making the gift. Then I decoupage them on the inside of a wooden box (the smallest ones at Walmart cost 97 cents). Then I will either paint the outside in the person's favorite color or leave it unfinished with a layer of decoupage over the outside. I suppose one could also put the person's name on the outside.

Voila! The receiver can open the box anytime to see all the love and care and thought inside. Mostly I've made this gift for guys (the majority of men that I know love boxes to put stuff in), but it would work for girls, too.

The decoupage medium is sold at Walmart. I believe it was about $5 the last time I bought some, and I have enough still in the bottle for several more boxes. I've heard you can also use white glue, but I've never tried it.

I cut up an old clean dish sponge to apply the medium, and although I have bought boxes before, I've also used old ring and watch boxes, as well as an old child's jewelry box before.

It is one of the most frugal gifts I've given. My husband still has the one that I made for him while we were dating.

Altogether Tamale Pie

From Aliisa:

Well its recipe swap time again at the Grocery Cart Challenge. If you havent checked it out, head over there. Gayle has lots of useful information as well as lots of recipes to look at.

Today, Im sharing my Altogether Tamale Pie Recipe

Ingredients:
3/4 c. yellow corn meal
1 1/2 c. milk
1 egg
1 c. chopped onion
2 garlic cloves or garlic powder
3/4 lb. ground meat (I used turkey)
2 c. canned tomatoes, crushed ( I used diced because that's what I keep on hand)
1 pkg. chili seasoning mix or 1 tsp oregano, 1 tsp cumin, 1/4 tsp cayenne
1 1/2 c. whole kernel corn or 1 can of corn
6 oz grated cheddar cheese

Directions:
Mix the first 3 ingredients and set aside. Cook onion, meat, tomatoes, garlic and chili seasoning together. Add corn and mix. Pour in corn meal mixture and pour into a casserole dish. Bake at 350 for 1 hour 15 minutes or until a toothpick is clean from the center. Sprinkle cheese on top and return to oven until melted.

How I survive without a grocery list

From Sundy:

In a perfect month, this is how I shop for groceries. (Of course, I rarely get the perfect month, so I generally try to do as much of this as I can manage.)

I think one of the reasons that I don’t plan meals, per se, is that I know that in any given two week period (my pay period), I’m going to make some sort of Italian/pasta meal, some sort of chili, some sort of Mexican meal, chicken dishes, ground meat dishes, etc. etc.

So, what I like to do is buy all of the basics that I need for those two weeks. They’re generally the same ingredients, and I’ve been using this method long enough that I really don’t think much about it anymore. I just walk down the grocery aisles and get pretty much the same things each shopping trip. That way when I have additional items that I need to add because I’m making something “off the beaten path,” there aren’t that many extra things to remember.

The following are the basic ingredients that I use for most of my meals. How I put them together to create various meals is mostly just a matter of different cooking methods and/or different spices, with the occasional added ingredients that may not be on my basic “Stock Up” list.

This method works for me. Your mileage may vary. (Since I’m not traveling down the grocery aisles as I write this, I may have missed an item or two…but I think I’ve pretty much got them all listed.) When I have a new recipe that I want to try, again I find that I generally have most of what I need on hand already. Anything extra is added to my white board on my fridge, and by the time I get ready to go to the store, I have it firmly in my head what I need to get.


Weekly or bi-weekly (whether I need them or not)
Chickens (2-4)
Ground turkey
Kielbasas
Other meats (depends on sales prices)
Diced and/or stewed tomatoes (seasoned and unseasoned)
Beans (ranch, kidney, black, refried, etc)
Chopped green chilies and/or tomato/chili mixtures
Pastas (I try to vary the types from month to month, but I always have angel hair)
Rice (brown and/or white)
Tuna
Canned and frozen vegetables (esp. broccoli, since we eat a lot of it)
Fresh onions, potatoes, and carrots (my “basic trio” of veggies)
Lettuce (This is only if the prices are low…I find it interesting that lettuce is the only vegetable that is only sold fresh.)
Fresh, canned, and frozen fruits (I try to vary this according to what’s on sale, but as a general rule, I like to have my “basic trio” of apples, oranges, and bananas on hand.)
Hot dogs
Cheese (cheddar, mozzarella)
Refrigerator biscuits (I get the cheapest ones, because I don’t really use them as biscuits, but as quick and easy dumplings, casserole toppers, etc.)
Lunch meats
Milk
Yogurt
Eggs
Cream cheese
Sour cream
Bread
Tortillas (flour and corn)

Monthly or bi-monthly
Olive Oil/Vinegar
Sugar
Garlic (I buy a large jar of pre-minced garlic for $3, which works out cheaper for me than buying individual cloves.)
Cereal/Oatmeal (I buy the largest bags/boxes of whatever has the lowest unit price.)
Peanut butter
Butter
Jelly

As needed (some of these will become weekly or bi-weekly as I up my breadmaking)
Flour
Yeast
Baking Soda/Powder
Parmesan cheese
Spices and herbs
Molasses
Nuts/seeds
Teabags (I generally buy pekoe types for making iced tea and at least one herbal)

Non-grocery items are on an as-needed basis….well, we buy toilet paper at least every two weeks!

NOTE: There are times when I’ve had to seriously trim all of this back (for example, when hubby has a week or two of downtime from his construction work). I do have a $30 grocery list that I fall back on during those times, but because I have a good stock from previous shopping trips, this is rarely a big problem for us.

SECOND NOTE: Most of these are very basic ingredients; however, some are convenience items that I can -- and sometimes do -- make from scratch instead, particularly when we're having to use the $30 list.

LAST NOTE (I promise!): My hubby is slowly coming around to realize that chips, cookies, candy, and soda are NOT basic food groups...but he does bring those home from time to time.

My week so far

From Aliisa:

I have been so busy most of the week that I havent really taken the time to post; however I did keep up with reading the other blogs.

Monday, I really just worked around the house trying to get it all cleaned up for company on Tuesday night.

Tuesday, my daughter was out of school so after finishing up the house, I took her to lunch and then we went to paint ceramics. We had a great time and it was pretty inexpensive. They run a discount if you come in during the week in the middle of the day. So we bought $17 worth of ornaments, painted them and then only spent $10 after the discount....yea!! Then we came home and made cookies. Tuesday night my ladies group came over for a demonstration on how to make laundry soap. They were all shocked at how easy it was. I had told them many times that it was super simple but until they watched me make it, they didnt really grasp just how easy it is. We had a great time!!

I must admit, yesterday I took the day off. I didnt post, I didnt clean for the most part...I just spent the day crochetting all of my ornaments that I give out as gifts. This year I am making wreaths. I spent the majority of the year saving milk rings so that I could use those instead of buying the expensive rings. I must say that they have turned out great!! Im going to be adding some decorations to each ornament so when I get done, I will post a picture.

Today, I have decided to do some baking. Im trying to test out some recipes for Christmas baking. Plus I will be making not only a couple of loaves of peasant bread but Im thinking of trying my hand at a couple of loaves of french bread. I will let you know how it works out. If it looks good and tastes good, I will be adding some french bread to my Christmas gift bags.

So....Im off to dirty up my kitchen and make my house smell heavenly!!!!

Peanut Butter Cup Cookie Bars

From Sundy:

Here's a super-easy cookie recipe that I doctored up a bit. The basic recipe is 1 box cake mix, 1/2 cup oil, and 2 eggs. Then you add whatever you like into the mix before baking.

1 box of cake mix
1/2 c. oil
2 eggs
1/3 to 1/2 cup of peanut butter
1 c. chocolate chips

Stir all ingredients together in a large bowl. Spread the mixture in a cookie sheet pan and bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Let cool and slice into bars or squares. I usually cut the whole panful into small cookie-sized squares and then pop them all in a zip-top bag. Refrigerate for maximum peanut-butter-cup-ness!

Easy Cheeseburger Pie

From Sundy:

Here's a last-minute throw-together I made last night. I'm sure there are versions of this recipe all over the Internet, but here's my version. It took me less than 15 minutes to put the whole thing together, and about 8 minutes to cook.


(***I added extra garlic because we're all sick, and garlic is a natural antibiotic.)

1 med onion
1-2 T minced garlic***
olive oil
1 lb. ground turkey
Cheese (8-16 oz, depending on taste)
1 can refrigerator biscuits

1. Sweat out 1 chopped medium onion and 1-2 tablespoons of garlic in some olive oil, then brown 1 lb. of ground turkey in the same pan. Some of the onion will carmelize as all the ingredients cook, giving it a sweetish flavor. Add salt, pepper, etc. to taste. Strain if necessary.

2. Pour your meat mixture into a 9x9 casserole dish and top with cheese. I used Velveeta because that's what I had on hand, but you could use any kind of cheese you like.

3. Open and separate refrigerator biscuits. Mash each biscuit until it's a little flatter, then top your casserole with the biscuits. Bake according to biscuit directions.

4. I added some ketchup and a little bit of pickle relish to my portion, which made it taste even more like a "5 & dime" cheeseburger.

My son and husband really seemed to enjoy this dish, so it's been put on my mental "repeat recipe" list. :) (Oh...I forgot to say that I also added leftover canned corn to the meat mixture to use it up. No one even noticed!)

Buying groceries

From Sundy:

I have a little trick that I use in the grocery store (along with all of the wonderful advice that I've read in myriads of articles, blogs, etc.). There is the sage advice to never shop when you're hungry. Then there's the very sound suggestion that you shop with cash only and stick to your list (my list is in my head, but I can usually handle that). There's also the less-repeated piece of wisdom that says you should shop during off-peak hours so that you won't make hasty decisions just so you can get out of a crowded store.

My own personal trick? As I drop each item into my cart, I round up to the nearest dollar in my head and keep a running total as I shop. (Of course, this means that I need to shop alone, so I am not distracted.)

My trip might go something like this. Drop in a 10 pound bag of potatoes at $2.50. That's 3. Add three loaves of bread...4, 5, 6. Five cans of beans...7, 8. Chuck in a reduced turkey breast that isn't on my list, but is a GREAT bargain...9, 10, 11.

And on I go, until I get to the checkout. This way, I am very rarely surprised by the total amount due. It's what works for me.

Poor, poor gullible me! :)

From Sundy:

One of my hubby's favorite pastime is to tell me something outrageous just to see if I'll believe it. Actually, now that I think about it, most of my past boyfriends had the same hobby. One told me that a crazy, axe-wielding man had caused the scar on his shin...years later, I found out that I had bought a tall tale-- hook, line and sinker. Another told me that he had been an internationally renowned cliff diver in Mexico. His parents were QUITE surprised when I told them that, since they hadn't known...and he had a really good laugh at my expense. Oh joy.

Ya know, some of these I could put down to just me being young and very, very trusting and naive at the time. But now I'm older. And I still buy the occasional "guy lie." (Note: I hope I'm being clear that these are cases of teasing jokesters...not the same as when someone lies to try to hide or get away with something. Those destroy trust...these are more like pranks, if you see what I'm saying.)

Here's a years' old memory...hubby had taken me to a club, where he proceeded to buy me shots of something really yummy called "Goldschlager." I had three or four of them, in addition to a beer.

Now, it should be noted that I am a "two-beer girl." I cannot drink more than two beers without getting much too loopy for my own good. And I rarely do mixed drinks anymore. But those tiny glasses of cinnamon-flavored, gold-flaked tastiness were irresistible...at least, until I told my husband at 10 pm that it was time to pour me into the car and take me home, 'cause the room was spinning!

On the 5 mile journey back to the house, I asked him to please pull over so I could be sick.

"I can't, honey, there's a cop behind us. Just breathe in and out...relax...it's just a couple more minutes until you're in bed. You can do this."

So I followed his instructions, slowly breathing in through my nose and out through my mouth. I closed my eyes...oops! That's not good. I opened them and kept my eyes on the car taillights in front of us. Finally, we were home.

"Feeling better?" he asks, and when I nod, he says, "That's good, 'cause there never was a cop behind us."

$5 Dinners

From Aliisa:

I have been spending quite abit of time checking out the $5 dinners blog and it has me really thinking. Im wondering just how much I spend per meal. Now, she calculates everything and to be honest, I dont think I could calculate things like spices or oils. Some of those I buy in such bulk and have had them for so long that I couldnt tell you what I paid for them. But, I do know the prices of the main ingredients. So Im thinking about keeping a record of what I make and how much each meal is.

I must admit, Im am very interested to see just how much I am spending per dinner. Im going to have to really work on figuring out some prices such as the 20lb bag of rice I bought at the Asian Food Store for $20, or the 10lb bag of potatoes I just bought for $2.50. Lots to think about.

I challenge some of you to look at your meals and figure out what you are spending. Lets see if we can add some $5 dinners to our menus!!

Alicia's Angla Enchiladas

From Sundy:

My oldest son's gorgeous, smart girlfriend made these for us Sunday night, and she was so enthused about her recipe and also our site, that I feel like I just must post her recipe. They were SOOOOO good and very quick.

2-4 chicken breasts, boiled and shredded
2 (12-15 oz?) cans of red enchilada sauce
16 oz shredded cheddar cheese
8-12 tortillas (large is best, but the regular size ones are fine, too)

1. Preheat broiler to 400 degrees.
2. Mix one can sauce with shredded chicken.
3. Fill each tortilla with chicken mixture and some cheese. Roll them and line them up in a casserole pan.
4. Pour the other can of sauce over the whole mess, then top with the rest of your cheese.
5. Broil until the cheese is melted. Serve with rice and beans.

Super-yummy!

Halloween on the southern end

From Sundy:
OMG, so much fun. One son came home (from college) dressed as an "emo," the other son stayed with his new girlfriend, and the youngest son (15) wanted to be the Joker. It was a last minute decision, so it wasn't the easiest thing in the world to find a can of green hair spray...white, red, blue, black...finally after I checked the fourth store, there was one can of green hair spray. I must say, he looked really fabulous. I thought I had a good picture of him, but it was too dark.

A bazillion children came to our house. My husband had rigged up some spooky music and added a blacklight to our decor...really cool! We ran out of candy twenty minutes after the children-storm began, and my hubby had to run to the store for more. I could not disappoint all of those sweet little faces! In past years, a few bags of candy has been more than enough, but since the big H was on a Friday, I guess everyone went all out! LOL We finally had to put a sign on our door that we'd run out twice, and to please NOT TRICK US! :)

Then our oldest came down with his girlfriend and the two grandsons (15 mos and 3 years old). We didn't get to see them until the next day, even though the plan was to have them at Grandma Sundy's and Grandpa Todd's for pumpkin carving, etc. Oh well...best laid plans, and all that jazz. Good thing I had bought little mini pumpkins instead.

Oh! I have to share this...hubby and I agreed to babysit Sunday evening, and hubby insisted that he would be able to put the baby to sleep. So he laid down with him, and pretty soon I heard Baby crying in that "I'm-very-upset-with-you-now-let-me-GO" tone. By the time I got in there, he was laying on his back next to my husband, choking on his own saliva. I had just started saying, "Turn him over so he won't puke," when too late! he puked all over my husband, the blanket, his very favorite stuffed dog, and of course himself!

My husband jumps up, thrusts the baby at me (oh, thank you, honey), and runs to the bathroom to have his own little "session." He can't stand the smell...makes him urk.

I was sitting in a very awkward position, holding a very odorous and messy (and by now screaming) baby, trying to get to a standing position without getting too much of the yuck on me. I'm calling out to my husband, "I'll get it cleaned up, if you'll just come here and hold him for a minute." I'm thinking that if he'll just soothe the baby, I can get the mess cleaned up in no time.

Hubby surprised me to no end when he declared that HE would clean up the mess, if I would get Baby settled down to sleep. (YAY! YAY!) So I got Baby (and me) all cleaned up and changed into fresh jammies, and in no time, I was cuddling him on the couch and he passed out.

To me, there is very little so peaceful and calming as holding a baby as he falls asleep...when they do that little sigh and snuggle in deeper into your arms...ah....all is right in the world....

Halloween

From Aliisa:

We had a very busy weekend which started on friday morning with Emily's class party. Then we went to lunch with her to have pizza and cake with yucky orange icing...makes me wonder what they are feeding our kids!

Friday afternoon we carved our pumpkin because we forgot to do it on Thursday. Usually we do it earlier but this year we wanted to save our pumpkin for cooking. So here is Emily with her carved pumpkin.

After that, we rushed around to get here ready for trick or treating...I even had time to do her makeup....mind you...Im not very good *lol*

Yes I know...looks funny but it was really cute...I promise *lol*

After trick or treating we went to a fall party and roasted hotdogs and had smores and ended the night with a hay ride. It was a very full night!!

Saturday we spent the day cooking up the pumpkin and putting in the sink. It went well but then the plastic pipes that came with the sink split and now, we have to go buy new ones...so unfortunately our sink is still not finished. But its all good....because it will be.

Saturday night we spent with friends...we had what we fondly call junk food night. It was alot of fun. We played the Wii and ate way too much food.

Sunday we visited a new church. We are now church hunting since Jarred is no longer working on Sunday mornings. We liked it but are still going to visit some others.

Monday I spent the day trying to gain some ground on the mess from the weekend. I made progress but didnt get it all done. So today I have to work on that some more.

And finally...this morning. Jarred and I got up really early so that we could go vote before it got busy. He was down there at 6am when the polls opened and I went around 6:15 when he got back. Its nice to be done with that.

So now I am off to work on the house....fun fun *lol*