Chocolate frosting brownies!

1 tub chocolate frosting(around 18oz)

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tsp instant coffee(optional)

2 eggs

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

Turn on your oven to 350 degrees. Grease and 8x8 or 9x9 inch pan.

Mix together the frosting, oil, sugar, coffee and vanilla. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt and gradually stir into the chocolate mixture until well blended. Spread the batter evenly into the pan.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the brownie pulls away from the pan. Let cool on a wire rack before cutting into squares.

Yum, yum yummy! They come out soft and gooey in the middle. I'm so glad that I can use the frosting to make brownies, and I'm thinking that using a vanilla frosting might result in a yummy "blondie-type" creation. Stay tuned!

Cooking day part IV

Mmmm...bagels. From scratch! I can't believe how easy these were to make, especially with the bread maker to mix it for me first. They aren't the best "lookers" but they taste phenomenal! I had to try one of the plain ones after they slightly cooled. It was so delicious! I used this recipe for both, omitting the raisins, cinnamon and white sugar when making the plain ones.

I also got the eggs boiled, and I'll start the home fries in about an hour. I need to rest!

Cooking days part III

Good morning all!

I'm running on an hour of sleep, but I'm going to get as much done as I can today. Yup, I'm a trooper! On the list for the day:

boiled eggs
home fries
bagels
italian bread(might change it to regular white or french)
mini cheesecakes
and maybe chocolate cupcakes


and look at this beautiful brownie! Made from chocolate frosting in the tub. Yup, that's right! Check back in here later today for my updates and the recipe for these yummy, chocolate delights. See you all later!

Cooking days part II

Finally done! I made a very special recipe for brownies that uses chocolate frosting from the tub! I kinda made it up, so I'll have to post it tomorrow once I can get a good picture of the brownies all cut up. I am through for the night! The bagel dough will be made in the morning, along with the cheesecake filling. Off to watch a movie with the Hubby and wait for Old Navy Weekly to re-boot. See you in the morning!

Cooking days part I

Boy, I was rocking and rolling that kitchen! Above was my last step before my first break: the cheese sauce for the beefy enchilada bake. Yum!

Here's a picture of everything I've done so far:
Baked Oatmeal
Penne and turkey in vodka sauce
beefy enchilada bake
5 servings of chocolate pudding
(and an extra serving of the penne for DH's lunch on tuesday)

Yesterday, I cooled and froze our extra mac and cheese pizza, so that's already crossed off my list. 5 things done already!

not pictured is the portuguese bread that is baking in the bread machine right now. Sonny will use that at my parent's house for PB&J sandwiches during the week.

I'll bake the oatmeal and enchilada bake later when I have a few more things done that need baking. No need to turn on the oven for 2 things.

Can't wait to see what else I can get started!

Cooking Days in real time!

Well, I woke up pretty late today because of my extremely effective pain medication, so I've only been at it for about 2 hours right now. Keep up with me all day today and tomorrow for real time updates(and pictures!) of everything I'm getting done.

Let's see how much of this list I can whittle down today!

See you in a bit...

Money Saving Challenge- Day 29

I for the life of me can't remember what I did yesterday to save money, so i'll just talk about today.

1. Stopped at the gas station to fill up my truck. Since I saw that the price had increased by .06 a gallon since tuesday, I knew I should get some now before they increase it this evening or tomorrow morning. I waited until I was done doing my errands in a circle, so I could see which stations had the best price. Luckily, the one closest to our house was cheapest, so it was our last stop.

2. Called my Dentist EARLY this morning to have him fill a prescription for my infection and pain. Thanks to Hubby's insurance through work, my antibiotic and vicodin were only 1.24...all together.

3. Since I couldn't sleep last night because I was in itchy mode(damn hives...), I got up around 1am and ran to Walgreens. They had lots of Toilet paper on clearance and I wanted to clear out my gift card. I got 8 4pks of angel soft for .04! I also scoped out the glucose meters for next week's deal and they have them fully stocked behind the pharmacy. I will be at my 24 hour Walgreens at 12:01am to earn my free money!

4. Tonight, we had mac and cheese pizza for dinner. Yum! Instead of making an extra large pizza like I usually do, I split the dough and made 2 medium pizzas, one on a cookie sheet and one in my cast iron skillet. The one made in the cast iron skillet will be cooled, wrapped and frozen for Hubby and Sonny to have pizza night next friday. All Hubby will have to do is place the frozen pizza in the skillet, turn on the burner, and warm the pizza right on the stove. One reason why I love cast iron skillets....constant, even, heat.....even on the stove top!

5. I posted my cooking list for this weekend. This should be more than enough for Hubby and Sonny while I'm gone, and hopefully enough for our sunday and monday night dinners. I'll be beyond tired so I figure I'll go all out now, so I can ease back into home life the week after next.

6. I had a few formula checks that I put up for auction on hot coupon world. The winning bid wa 2.00, so more money in my pocket!

7. I started putting together Sonny's food bag that we'll take to my parent's house on Sunday. He has a box of shelf-table milk, toddler cookies, and peanut butter. On Sunday, I'll make the baked oatmeal, hard boiled eggs and portuguese bread. There is also some homemade applesauce left in the fridge. All of this will be used for Sonny's breakfast, lunch, and snack time next week.

8. I made my reservation for my hotel room down at my base. I made sure to do it under my priority club membership, so I can use the points for a free room when we go to Ohio later in the year.

9. Tonight, the dishwasher will be turned on during off-peak hours.

10. I finally joined swagbucks today. I don't know why it took me so long, but hopefully I can start earning some points and get those amazon gift cards. Can anyone teach me the ways of the swaggy bucks? :o)

11. Entertainment for me tonight will be writng posts for next week :o). I gotta get a few done, so you all will have something new to read while I'm doing my 15 hour days.

Cooking Day!

Whoo Hoo! Cooking day! This is going to be exhausting! Here's the skinny: I have to go away on a military mission starting next Tuesday for 6 days. The boys will be left to their own devices and they'll have no Mama here to make breakfast, dinner and snacks. Also, Mama will be stuck with finding her own lunch while on her mission, so she'll need some food too. Sonny will be spending the day with his grandmother while Hubby is working, so I also need breakfast and lunch made for him to eat over there. And Hubby will have to pack his own lunches, so lots of food is needed to cover his lunches and their dinners. AND I always take some goodies to my military buddies to start our work week. Hence, my ridiculous cooking list. Let the craziness begin:

2 loaves bread- 1 Portuguese and 1 Italian
chocolate frosting brownies(creating something new here..hope it works!)
mini cheesecakes with raspberry sauce or chocolate sauce
baked oatmeal
chocolate chip cookies
beefy enchilada bake
spaghetti and meat sauce
bagels- cinnamon raisin and plain
large batch of home fries
pudding
make a dozen hard boiled eggs
braised carrots and dill
turkey and penne over vodka sauce
bake and freeze mac and cheese pizza

Here's the game plan for all of this mess:

Anything that I can make ahead of time and doesn't have to be baked right away, I will prep on Saturday. This includes all of the bread dough, beefy enchilada bake, pudding, chocolate chip cookie dough, home fries and boiling the bagels and pasta for the pasta dishes. The last 3 are made so easily, since I get the water boiling and then turn it off for perfect pasta/eggs. I can even get up early Saturday morning and take care of that, if I want. Knowing me, I won't and I'll leave it to be done late Saturday night, since I'm a night owl. I'll wait until off-peak times to take care of those 3.

On Sunday, whatever needs to be baked will be put out in the afternoon to warm up/proof/etc. Since our off peak hours don't start until 9pm, I want to get as close to that time as I can before I actually turn on the oven. Since the bread dough will be pretty cold from the fridge, it will take a few hours for it to proof and get ready for baking. I can have the baked oatmeal, cookies and cheesecake bake before the breads.

Eat from the fridge. I have a london broil marinating in the fridge for Saturday night's dinner, but I'm going to make it tonight right after I bake our pizza. That way, I'll already have dinner ready and we won't have to eat from my cooking day list. The point of doing this is to make sure my boys are set for the 6 days I'll be gone, not to create the "ultimate buffet" just for this weekend.

Whatever pizza we don't finish tonight, will be frozen for pizza night next Friday. Even though Sonny boy's world is going to be turned upside down next week, I still want him and hubby to sit at the table and have dinner. I also want both of them to still have pizza night. This will ensure that will happen.

If all else fails, I still have Monday. I don't leave until Tuesday morning, so if there is something that I don't get to this weekend, I can finish it up on Monday. By then, I'll want to pull my hair out, but at least I'll know that once I finish, I won't have to worry while I'm down there.

Now, here's the question: Why am I doing this to myself? Why not just let them eat pizza and fast food all week? Because, that is in no way frugal. I hate letting Hubby do it when I'm gone for 2 days, but I would "have kittens" if I found out that my Husband and son ate out for 6 days straight. I have the resources to make these items, while saving us a great amount of money at the same time.

I did have the opportunity to budget money for them to use for food while I was gone, but I opted out of that idea. Being frugal ain't easy, but it's worthwhile in the end.

So, what do you think? Can I finish it all by Sunday?

Shop Rite 5/31- 6/6

I'm back and hive-free! I didn't post the SR deals last week because, well, they were horrible, but this week is looking up. Thanks to those on HCW who helped to add to the list.

The deals:

Eggland's best eggs, 1 dozen- 1.77(limit 4)
use .75/1 coupon from 5/3SS(east coasters may have to trade for the .75 coupons)- .27!

oscar mayer beef franks- 1.99
use 1.00/2 printable coupon- 1.49 each

santa cruz organic lemonade- 1.39
use the .75/1 coupon from go-organic booklet(DND)-.64 without the doubles, FREE if they do it anyway

B&G relish- .89
use .35/1 coupon from 3/22SS doubled- .19(coupon says for pickle, olive or peppers so YMMV)

chinet casuals plates(15 ct)- 1.24
use 1.00/1 coupon from 5/3SS- .24

hefty trash bags- 1.24
use 1.00/1 coupon from 5/17RP- .24

sun light liquid dish detergent- .99
use .25/1 coupon from 2/22SS doubled- .49

breyers yogurt(excluding yo crunch)- 20 for 10.00
use .50/4 coupon from 4/5SS doubled- .25 each when you buy 4

perdue prepared chicken nuggets- 2.39
use 1.00/1 coupon from 5/3RP- 1.39

Goodlife dry cat or dog food- 4.79 for dog food, 4.99 for cat food
Use 3.00/1 coupon from 3/8RP or printable here - 1.79 or 1.99

Purina cat chow- 4.99
use 3.50/1 printable coupon- 1.49

Jack Daniels BBQ sauce- 2 for 3.00
use .55/1 coupon from 5/17SS doubled- .40!

Hefty One Zip bags- 1.67
use .55/1 coupon from 3/29RP doubled- .57

2000 flushes bowl cleaner- 1.49
use .55/1 coupon from 4/5SS doubled- .39


Other deals:

perdue chicken leg quarters- .59/lb(rock bottom!)
snow crab legs- 3.99/lb(rock bottom and great Father's day treat!)
chuck steak- 1.99/lb(good price but not rock bottom)
louis kemp imitation crab- 1.74

turkey hill ice cream- 1.99
powerade drinks- .79
Colonna Parmesan- 2 for 4.00
chicken of the sea solid white or chunk light tuna- .79

peaches- .99/lb(great price but we'll see it lower in a few weeks)
baby carrots(16 oz bag)- .84
limes- 12 for 1.99
iceberg lettuce(limit 2)- .79
milk of the week: fat free- 2.29 a gallon

Check back before your trip to the stores! I'll continue to update the list as more deals are found.

Toothaches, Migraines, and Hives....

That's what I endured today. So, that's why there were no new posts. I'm typing this from my phone, in bed. I'll hopefully get something up tomorrow.

Money Saving Challenge- Day 27

1. Got my unilever rebate for my free turkey. Another 14.11 to add to the bank!

2. Also got the payment for the textbook I sold. Another 30 dollars!

3. Got my shop rite circular and am actually excited about a few deals. I will get my grocery list together by friday so I can be ready with coupons by sunday.

4. I re-organized my food stockpile and posted the new amounts on my stockpile list(located at the lower right of this page). Now I know what I'll have to look for this summer in terms of stockpiling, and what I can let dwindle, so we don't have to move unnecessary objects in September.

5. Dinner tonight was crockpot applesauce turkey breast with buttered rice and leftover candied carrots from yesterday. I took the onions from in the crockpot and mixed them with the carrots to make it a hardier side dish. Hubby and Sonny licked their plates and hubby immediately called "dibs" on the leftovers for his lunch tomorrow. Ha!

6. Started my cooking day list. Sunday, I'll be cooking up a storm to get us ready for next week. Bagels, and breads, and enchiladas, Oh My!

7. Dishwasher was started after off-peak hours.

8. Hubby and I started letting Sonny take showers instead of baths once the weather turned. This should help cut down on water, and get him to bed on time.

9. Decided to make a schedule of when I should blog and put together my posts. I think it will make a bit more efficient in getting my favorite parts of the blog out for you all to read.

Freezer meatloaf....

Like many other people, I hate to turn on the oven in the summer. I hope for lots and lots of sales on salad fixins during those 3 hot months, and I also hope to be invited to many cook outs, so I don't have to fret over standing in front of a hot stove. Barbecueing for us is out of the question, since it's "against the rules" for us to have a grill in our complex. We broke that rule last year, but our upstairs neighbors weren't too happy to have smoke filling up their patio above us. We'll try to be good this year.

Since I don't feel like using the stove as much, I prep as much as I can to make meal time easy for me and cool enough that my family won't be too hot to even want to eat the meal once it's completed. In comes the freezer meatloaf. I love this trick!

Take 1 pound of ground meat and add in your basic meatloaf ingredients. Ours always has an italian flavor to it, so it includes garlic powder, tomato paste and whatever veggie purees I have saved. Line a small loaf pan with plastic wrap(check to make sure the loaf pan can fit in your slow cooker), and place the meatloaf mixture into the pan. Fold over the excess plastic wrap to cover the top of the loaf. Place the loaf pan in your freezer, and freezer for about 2 hours, or until the top is hard. Pull the meatloaf out of the pan and wrap with foil. Place in a freezer bag and mark as meatloaf with the date.

Now you have a meatloaf ready to be plopped into the slow cooker on a hot day!

The best part is that you can change the flavors and use these loafs for things other than meatloaf.

Like Greek gyros? Use greek seasonings, like marjoram, corriander, garlic and a bit of mint in your meat mixture. Keep an eye out all summer for discounted pita bread. Once you're ready for gyros, slice the frozen loaf into meat slices(you should only need to use half a loaf per meal), brown up on a hot skillet, and serve on the pita! Wanna make it even more authentic? Make some tzatziki sauce to go with it. Yum!

How to make in the slow cooker: Place 2 slices of bread on the bottom of your slow cooker. Put your freezer meatloaf on top of the bread and baste with your favorite meatloaf topping(we use ketchup usually, but tomato sauce would be yummy, or you can just top with sliced onions...yum!). Turn your slow cooker on low and cook for 9 hours. After 9 hours, place a chopstick or a piece of foil in between the lid and the slow cooker insert. Let cook for another hour. This will help you get that crunchy top on the loaf. Or, if you don't have 10 hours, place it on high for 6, and then place the chopstick or foil for half an hour.

Quotable Wednesday

"Homemaking is the highest, most noble profession to which a woman might aspire."

-Flora Benson

Add in the hardest and least appreciated, and you got it, sister!

Money Saving Challenge- Day 26

Yet another slow day. We're going to keep this week as low-key as possible since our world will be turned upside down next week.

1. It was a bit chilly today, so Sonny and I had oatmeal and cinnamon toast for breakfast. I looked in my stockpile and saw that, not counting the box that's open, we only have 2 boxes left of oatmeal packets! That's great! I'm going to put them in the back and save them for the fall. If we have to deal with anymore chilly days this spring, we'll use a tub of quick oats.

2. In the mail today: a 10.00 TGI Fridays gift card! I ordered it from Mypoints 2 weeks ago and was surprised to see it so early. Also included was a 15.00 FTD rewards card! I'll use this to send flowers to Hubby's grandmother on her birthday, since we never know what to get her every year.

3. I read yet another one of my free magazines! They had been piling up, so this weekend when I knew we would be "vegging out" I decided to get a few under my belt. Today, I had an hour of free time, so I read another.

4. Lunch today was leftover pasta salad from the barbecue. I gave Sonny the leftover salmon croquette from dinner last night, since I thought we were going to be eating late today.

5. Hubby came home early from work, so I had to jump into cooking mode pretty much when he got here. We had the leftover beef brisket, chopped fine, and made into a homemade gravy with some of the caramelized onions I still have in the fridge(they last forever!). I made mashed potatoes and candied carrot ribbons to go with it. Great meal for a chilly day!

6. I called the catalina company to let them know that I didn't get a 5.00 catalina I was supposed to get at Path Mark. They sent out the coupon in today's mail.

7. I turned the leftover beef and onion gravy into a quick french onion soup for Hubby's lunch tomorrow. I added some chicken stock, pepper and more caramelized onions. It turned it into enough soup for 2 lunches.

8. The dishwasher was turned on promptly at the start of off peak times, because I still have a sink full of dishes. I'll put away the ones that are washing right now, and put in the ones that are in the sink. If it's enough for a full load, then I'll turn it on,. If not, it will have to wait until tomorrow.

One beautiful potato

I could eat about 20 of these.....thanks to Serious Eats for posting this wonderfully delicious picture!

Also, for all of you who try to stay away from potatoes because of the "starch factor," check out this article from healthyeats. com. Did you know potatoes are a complex carbohydrate and contain more potassium than bananas?

Money Saving Challenge- Holiday weeked edition

Ok, let's see if I can recap for the past 3 days. Should be interesting:

1. Saturday, I went out to get a few last minute items for the cook out at Mom's the next day. I got more free BBQ sauce, .29 relish, .99 pack of OM beef dogs, and 2 free bags of lays chips. I also used up my 15.00 of catalinas and got more ground beef at 1.99/lb and 2 nice lean london broils at 1.29/lb. Total after coupons and catalinas was 2.11.

2. I was planning on making a big breakfast sunday morning, so saturday night I made Portuguese sweet bread in the bread maker. I usually don't like the way bread comes out when it's completely made in the machine, but this bread was heavenly! I used it for cinnamon toast the next morning.

3. Saturday night, hubby and I watched one of our favorite movies in our DVD collection while enjoying libations :o). I didn't feel like cooking, so we had leftovers.

4. Also on saturday, I made 2 pasta salads with items completely from my stockpile. I'll post pictures and ingredients later in the week.

5. I got through 3 of my free magazines saturday afternoon.

6. TV and lights were kept off all day saturday until the evening.

7. Sonny did more drawing on our leftover newspaper.

8. After Hubby went to bed saturday, I decided to cut up more coupons and file them.

9. The breadmaker and dishwasher weren't turned on until off peak hours.

10. Sunday, I treated the family to a big breakfast. We had cinnamon toast, blueberry waffles, scrambled eggs, grits, and turkey bacon. All from my stockpile :o)

11. Sunday was the cook out and I was able to bring over to my mom's: 2 bags of chex mix, 1 bag of doritos, 1 bag of lay's chips, 2 bottles of BBQ sauce, 1 bottle of hot sauce, 2 12-packs of soda, 2 packs of chinet plates, and 1 box of trash bags. I also bought over the 2 pasta salads. We had a great time and ate way too much.

12. Sunday night, I couldn't get to sleep, so I did a quick trip to my 24 hour CVS up the street. .05 OOP and 21.99 back in ECBs. I posted about it below.

13. Today, we weren't too frugal. It was pretty much a veg-out day....I slept in, Hubby cruised the internet and Sonny watched a few of his favorite shows and played with his trucks.

14. Sonny and I did run out to CVS today. I had ECBs on my second card that expired yesterday! I went in to see my favorite manager and she let me do a deal today with the expired 10.00 ECB. I got a free gallon of milk and got back 9.97 in ECBs. Not bad for expired money lol!

15. Hubby gave kitty a bath today! I am horrible at doing it, so I beg him to do it. He's also going to give Sonny a haircut today. I'll brush kitty and clip his nails tonight. By doing these things ourselves, we save about 75 dollars every time.

16. Tonight, I'm going to take the salmon burger we got from mom's last night, use the leftover grits from yesterday morning, an egg and some spices and make salmon croquettes. We'll have some of the pasta salad along with it.

17. Looks like I might have sold one of my textbooks from last semester. That's another 30 dollars for the house!

18. The dishwasher won't be turned on until off-peak hours.

Meal Plan Monday!

Well, it's been quite a weekend! We have leftovers from my parent's barbecue yesterday, and still a few leftovers of our own. The beef brisket that's left will be used up on Tuesday, and the applesauce that's left will be used on Wednesday.This weekend will be quite a baking weekend, so I'll have to dedicate a whole other post on that later in the week. I'm so glad that I can take this Monday off but let's see what I can think up for the rest of the week:

Monday: BBQ leftovers!
Tuesday: Chopped beef and caramelized onions over mashed potatoes, with carrot ribbons
Wednesday: slow cooker applesauce chicken but with turkey breast instead! Broccoli on the side
Thursday: Spanish style garlic tomato shrimp over yellow rice
Friday: Pizza pizza!
Saturday: Teriyaki pineapple beef with green peppers and white rice
Sunday: Cooking all day for Military week starting next Tuesday! We'll have leftovers from this week

dessert of the week: we still have lemon cake left!
bread of the week: Portuguese sweet bread
Lunch of the week: Pasta salad from the barbecue. I made too much :o)

Insomnia trip to CVS...HOT DEAL ALERT!

Ok, before I show you my trip to CVS tonight/this morning, I want to post this hot deal! CVS has a deal this week where you buy 2 neutrogena suncare products, you get 10.00 ECBs back. Now, if you buy 2 of the 1.0oz sunscreens pictured below for 1.99 each, you still get the 10.00 ECBs! That's a money maker of 6.02!!


The upc of the ones I got is 070501 48792. Now, my store only had 2 left, so you will have to search for these. Try looking in the seasonal aisle first where they have the sunscreens on display. If it's not there, try the aisle with all the acne/suncare items. They look like trial sizes, so keep your eyes open!

Now, for my trip tonight. I couldn't sleep, so I got my coupons together and decided to go to my 24 hour CVS. I'm so glad I did!
1 revlon nail polish- 3.99(2 day sale)
1 playtex gentle glide- 3.99(2 day sale)
1 kids band-aid 20 ct- 2.99(2 day sale)
1 clearasil face wash- 3.99(2 day sale)
1 glade soy candle- on sale 4.99
2 small tubs folgers- BOGO at 4.89(2 day sale)
2 packs oreos- BOGO at 4.59(2 day sale)
2 1.0oz tubes neutrogena suncare- 1.99 each
1 pack CVS pocket tissues- .50(filler)

coupons used:
1.00/1 revlon
1.00/1 clearasil
1.00/2 folgers
1.00/1 playtex
1.00/1 band-aids
4.00/1 glade soy candle
5.00 off 30.00 CVS coupon
20.00 in ECBs

Total: .05!! But I didn't have a nickel, so the cashier paid for me lol! So, 0.00 OOP! And I got back 21.99 in ECBs! Most of these ECBs are expiring on the 27th, so I'm so glad I got to roll them. Hubby loves oreos, so I try to work out deals to get them when I can. He also asked for me to look out for deals on folgers for the guys at his job, since sometimes his boss treats him to lunch.

Money Saving Challenge- Day 22

Didn't do too much today....

1. I read two more of my free magazines today. I pulled the great frugal information so I can post it later in the month.

2. It was so warm today that lunch for sonny and I was peanut butter and crackers, with apple chips and cubed watermelon. It hit the spot!

3. Dinner was pizza, but I decided to make it taco pizza. We have lots of cheddar cheese, extra beef brisket and tomato sauce that I turned into a mexican sauce.

4. I went to a consignment shop that just opened up around the corner to see what they were offering people who wanted to bring items in. Now that I know what they offer, I can start looking around the house for items to sell.

5. I washed my "unmentionables" in the bathroom sink and hung them to dry on the shower curtain rod. I wash them with my baby shampoo stockpile.

6. All lights were left off until dark, and I waited until it started to cool down before putting the pizza in the oven. We ate later, but the warmer it gets, the later we tend to want to eat anyway.

Quick lemonade....a Memorial Day Tradition!

When I start to make this lemonade mixture I know that summer is finally here. It just seems to taste better in the summer, and we don't have a family cook out without it. Why? Because it's so cheap to make! Are you having a Memorial Day cook out or going to one and want to help out with a great beverage? Try this:

1 cup bottled lemon juice
1 cup of sugar
6 cups of cold water
1 lemon(optional)

This recipe is all about ratios. The 1-1-6 ratio is for half a gallon of lemonade, so you can double everything for a gallon pitcher. Place the sugar in a pitcher and add the lemon juice. Mix together until the sugar isn't stuck to the bottom. Gradually add the 6 cups of cold water, stirring the mixture as you add it. Slice the lemon and add to the top for garnish(optional).

This has been a frugal drink for us for the past 2 years, and we love it to this day. Usually, a bottle of lemon juice goes for about 1.00 here, and each bottle yields enough juice for you to make 3 gallons of lemonade. 33 cents a gallon is fine by me! Plus, it's not too sugary, not too sour, and is perfect for cook outs, since you can easily make it an adult drink by adding vodka or rum to your cup and filling it with the lemonade.

If you're going to a shin-dig, place the sugar in the pitcher, carry the bottle of lemon juice with you and do the mixture at the party. Since the ratio is so easy to remember, you can make it anywhere.

Money Saving Challenge- Day 21

Today was my pampering day so we didn't leave the house, but we did a few things to save money:

1. I used olive oil as a conditioner for my hair and also for my monthly skin treatment. I talked about that in this post. It only takes a little to take care of both, and is a frugal way to keep my dry hair and skin moisturized in the summer.

2. Sonny and I enjoyed most of the day with no television or lights. He drew and read his books most of the day, while mama read a few magazines.

3. Sonny did all of his drawing and coloring on newspaper today. We do this every week, since I accumulate a paper every sunday. I also let him eat his lunch over the newspaper on these days, so if there is a mess, I can just pick up the paper and lay more out.

4. Tonight's dinner was leftovers. It was just too nice to make anything today.

5. I managed to put together a few envelopes of coupons for a few online buddies that needed specific ones.

6. Today's mail included another free issue of woman's day. I had just finished the prior issue right before I checked the mail, so that was cool :o)

Stockpile Double Agent series- jarred spaghetti sauce

It's time for another installment of stockpile double agents! If you missed any of the previous ones, take a peek at the rest of series here. Let's get down to bid-ness!

There are so many different things you can do with jarred spaghetti sauce. I was surprised to find this out when I read my march issue of food network magazine and they had an insert with 50 different ways to use spaghetti sauce. Here are a few of my favorite ones:

1. Spanish rice- Cook 1 cup rice according to the package directions, substituting 1 cup of the water for sauce; stir in capers. Add spanish olives and chopped scallions.

2. Zesty chip dip- Combine equal parts sour cream and pasta sauce in a bowl; stir in grated parmesan cheese, ground pepper and oregano.

3. Cocktail sauce- Mix pasta sauce with horseradish and hot sauce to taste; serve with shrimp.

4. Minestrone soup- Boil 1 jar pasta sauce and 5 cups water. Stir in cooked small pasta, chopped mixed vegetables, canned beans and grated parmesan cheese; cool until vegetables are tender.

5. Olive tapenade- Combine 1 cup pasta sauce with 1/2 cup chopped kalamata olives, 1/2 cup chopped roasted peppers, a big spoonful of capers and some parsley; serve with crackers.

6. African stew- Saute chopped onion, garlic and ginger with curry powder; add 1 jar pasta sauce 2 cups water, 1 can white beans and a diced sweet potato; simmer until tender. Stir in 1/4 cup peanut butter.

7. Cream of tomato soup- saute chopped fresh herbs in butter; add 1 jar pasta sauce, 2 cups water, 1/2 cup heavy cream and a pinch of nutmeg; simmer for 5 minutes.

8. Buffalo wings- lightly coat chicken wings with equal parts pasta sauce and hot sauce; roast at 425 degrees for 40 minutes.

9. Tomato croutons- Toss 2 cups cubed stale bread with 1/2 cup pasta sauce, 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese and 2 tablespoons olive oil; bake at 400 degrees until golden, 10 minutes.

10. BBQ brisket- Brown 4 pounds brisket in oil with chopped onions, garlic and red pepper flakes. Add 1 jar pasta sauce, a jar of water, 1/4 cup cider vinegear and 1/4 cup brown sugar; cover and simmer 3 hours.

11. Eggs in Purgatory- Simmer 1 cup pasta sauce in a small skillet. Crack 2 eggs, cover and cook until the whites set; top with pepper and grated parmesan cheese.

12. Tuna marinara- Simmer pasta sauce with halved olives, capers, and a drained can of Italian tuna; toss with pasta.

13. Baked beans- Simmer 1 cup pasta sauce with 1/4 cup honey mustard, 1/4 cup brown sugar, and 1 large can white beans until bubbly.

14. Pizza potato- Make a deep slit in baked potatoes, then stuff with some pasta sauce, chopped pepperoni and shredded mozzarella; bake at 400 degrees until the cheese melts.

15. Instant salsa- Mix 1 cup pasta sauce with 2 tablespoons lime juice, 1/2 cup corn kernels, chopped cilantro, diced red onion and a dash of hot sauce.

16. Vodka penne- Simmer 1/2 cup heavy cream and 3 cups pasta sauce in a skillet for 3 to 5 minutes; remove from heat and stir in 2 to 3 tablespoons vodka. Tossed with cooked penne.

17. Italian Grilled cheese- Spread pasta sauce between 2 slices of crusty bread and top with mozzarella or provolone cheese; cook in a buttered skillet.

18. Chilaquiles- Cook 4 cups tortilla chips in pasta sauce until slightly softened; stir in chopped cilantro and top with grated cheddar cheese and sour cream.

19. Poor man's parmigiana- Alternate slices of garlic bread and mozzarella in a baking dish; top with pasta sauce and bake at 375 degrees until golden and bubbly, 20 minutes.

20. Sloppy Joes- Brown bulk italian sausage, chopped onions and bell peppers; stir in pasta sauce and heat; spoon onto rolls.

Thanks to Food Network Magazine for all of these great ideas!

Money Saving Challenge- Day 20

Boy was it a busy day! I didn't get online until after 10pm tonight!

1. I went shopping today. I went to stop and shop to see if the short ribs were marked down, but someone snagged them. BUT, I did find a family pack of large lamb chops on managers special. After the sale and discount, I got them for 2.48 a pound! That's a ridiculously good price for lamb around here. I also grabbed 2 packs of hebrew national hot dogs. They were BOGO this week, so after the 2 1.00/1 coupons I used, they were 1.64 each. We only like kosher dogs here, so this was a good deal for us.

2. I also went to Shop Rite and got a lot of items that we needed in the house: bread flour, sugar, juice, etc. I also got a whole watermelon for 3.99, ground beef at 1.69 a pound, 2 bags doritos for .50 each after coupon, and free mustard and BBQ sauce. My favorite deal was the 5 12-packs of pepsi products I got for free! They were on sale 5 for 10.00 and I had 5 2.00 coupons off pepsi products. Score! I also got a 2.00 catalina back for buying 4 bottles of kraft BBQ sauce. I will use that to get another package of ground beef on saturday. I used a 5.00 off 50.00 order coupon as well. My total was 31.41 with a savings of 48.44. Pretty awesome for items I needed.

3. I browned up the ground beef I got today and separated it into 4 freezer bags. I now have 4 bases for quick meals for the summer. I also cut up the watermelon I got so I won't have to worry about it later.

4. While we were out, I stopped at Walgreens and did the megasaver baby wipe deal: Buy 1 at 2.99 get one free. I also grabbed a package of ramen and used my last 3.00 RR. Total was .28 which I paid for with my walgreens card.

5. I got our electric bill today and it was 60 dollars less than last month!

6. Because I was so busy today, the computer stayed off until after 10pm....off peak time! I also realized that I left my phone charger at the hotel this past weekend, so I'll have to charge my phone through my computer. So, one less thing to plug into the wall sockets.

7. Finally talked to my Mom about Memorial day, and it looks like I'll be able to contribute through most of my stockpile items. She was also excited that I was bringing the soda, after I told her about my trip today. Free food on Sunday! Whoo Hoo!

8. Dishwasher was turned on during off peak hours.

9. Turned my inserts from last Sunday into super inserts and filed them away. I'll clip some older coupons tomorrow.

Apple Chips!

Boy do I love making these! The best part is that there really isn't a recipe for them. Whenever I make an apple dessert, I save the peels by putting them in a tupperware container and placing them in the fridge. Once I have enough to fill a cookie sheet, I put them in the oven after I bake something. Usually I have enough peels that I don't have to wait for another time. Here's what I do:

While your dessert is baking, place apple peels on a greased cookie sheet(if you have it, use a silpat or parchment paper) and sprinkle with sugar. I use about 1/8th to 1/4th of a cup. You don't need too much. I also sprinkle a pinch or two of cinnamon on the peels. Toss liberally.

Once you dessert is done, place the peels in the oven and turn it off. It doesn't matter what temperature you had it on, the peels will be fine.

Keep the peels in the oven overnight and they will get dry and crunchy. This method is similar to making meringue cookies.

Place them in an airtight container and they will last indefinitely. OK, they'll only last a few days, since everyone will want to eat them. This is a staple for our road trips and much better than eating greasy potato chips.

Quotable Wednesday

"Never limit yourself because of others’ limited imagination; never limit others because of your own limited imagination."

- Mae Jemison

Money Saving Challenge- Day 19

1. Finally got out to some of my grocery stores today. I had a great trip at A&P. After sales and coupons, I got 62.76 worth of groceries for 12.78, AND I got back 15.00 in catalinas, so the whole trip was a money maker!

2. I went to my second grocery store, Stop and Shop, and the one item I went to cherry pick was not the price they had advertised. Instead of making the whole trip a bust, I scoped the aisles for items that I know we need to see what prices were there. They have the pace salsa available there, and I saw 3 packets of short ribs that have a sell by date of the 21st. I plan on going back tomorrow to see if they marked the meat down, and to get a free bottle of salsa. The short ribs were 1.99 a pound, which actually isn't a bad price for short ribs, but I would love to pay lower :o).

3. Our apartment has been very very cold lately(which makes sense why I'm still sick), I decided to close the doors to our bedroom and the bathroom to see if one of those rooms are the culprit for the whole apartment being so cold. I also opened the blinds in all the rooms but kept the windows closed. After this experiment, I found out that our bedroom stays very cold, no matter what. That's great for weather in August, but not now when highs are in the 60s and 70s. It would be silly to go get a heater now, but until I am better, I can't sleep in a cold room. Looks like I will be sleeping in the living room for the next few days.

4. I put together my coupons for tomorrow's trip to Shop Rite. This is where I'm going to get the bulk of my groceries this week, since we are out of a lot of things. Their prices are cheaper than the other grocery stores in the area.

5. I waited until after 9pm to turn on the dishwasher, bake my artisan bread and the lemon yogurt cake. Hubby needs bread for his tuna sandwich tomorrow, and since I am a night owl and just discovered what my off-peak times are, I can bake the bread, cool and slice it, and finish filling Hubby's lunch bag before I hit the sack.

6. I got a 2.99 check from aquafresh in the mail today.

7. After American Idol, I decided to read my parents magazine while my goodies were in the oven.

The apple extravanganza: a requiem

If you missed the beginning of my apple journey, click here to catch up...

Dearly beloved....we are gathered here to pay tribute to the 2 pecks of apples that once resided in this New Jersey home. They were delicious, they were bountiful and they were exhausting to use up. But, I did it! They're all gone! It only took me about 5 weeks, but we did get through them, and in record time. Last time I got that many, it took us about 2 months to get through them, but they were in season and very big. I told you all that I would give you a break down of what I used the apples for, what new recipes I tried, which ones worked, which ones didn't and what I learned from the whole experience. Let's start with the recipes:

French Apple Tart: This was a bit more complex than I thought it was going to be, but still was a good recipe. I mean, it's an Ina Garten recipe, so how could it not be? I didn't use puff pastry, but I used some pie dough that I made. I did go out and get apple jelly to use in the recipe, but since it was cheap, I didn't mind getting it. Plus, I ended up adding some of the jelly in my crockpot applesauce to increase the apple taste. Because this is so thin and can be kept at room tempurature in tupperware, this would be great for a dinner party dessert. I'll make it again, probably in the fall.

Apple dapple cake- This was yum yum yummy! It seemed like a bit much to do for a cake, but it was worth it. It didn't use up a lot of apples but was great with ice cream. It's a recipe I would make if we only had a few apples in the house and I had a craving for a cake, but not a plain vanilla, chocolate or even pound cake.

Apple pie- I have to admit, I made this 3 times within the 5 weeks! We just can't get enough of it. I did learn a few things while making it: the lattice top is key. I tried to make it with just a regular pie crust topping it, and the syrup didn't reach the apples as well at it did with the lattice top. Also, when making the syrup, if you let it simmer too long, it will separate.

Apple Orchard snack cake- I personally thought this was too sweet, but Hubby and Sonny loved it. I let them finish this one off, and since it wasn't very big, it was gone within a few days.

Apple granola bread- I hadn't made this is a few years, so actually remembering the "recipe" and making it bought back memories of Hubby and my newlywed year. It was even better than I remembered. I think it was because I used homemade applesauce this time.

Crockpot Applesauce- I'm surprised at how many times I made this! I thought I would do it once and that would be it. We all liked it so much that I just had to do it twice. Plus, when I got close to the end and the apples weren't as fresh as they were 5 weeks ago, it made sense to turn them into applesauce. We used it to mix in with our quick oats stockpile and as a snack for Hubby's lunch.

Apple Chips- I made this every time I baked anything in the oven. When I made the applesauce, I just put the leftover apple skins in a tupperware and placed them in the fridge until I was making the next batch of apple chips. This idea I originally got from Lisa over at Living Easy, but had to adjust a bit since the way she does it wasn't working with our oven. Plus, I wanted them to be extra crunchy....like biting into a potato chip. The recipe will be automatically posted tomorrow after Quotable Wednesday.

What I hope to try next time:

Because of the constant change in weather, I wasn't able to use the oven as much at I thought I would. I was hoping to get to make Pioneer Woman's apple dumplings, but that may be a dessert that we'll do with our fall batch of apples.
I'm also interested in trying to make apple jelly. I found a recipe for it that is super easy and can be made with the apple peels and cores. They actually encourage you to only use those since the pectin is located in the seeds and the core. Awesome!

What I learned:

2 pecks is a lot of apples, but not as much as I thought. With the goodies that I did make, an with Hubby and Sonny wanting apples as snacks on the weekends, they really didn't last as long as I thought they would. You think I should try 3 pecks next time? :o)

Money Saving Challenge- Day 18

Working in the rain this past weekend caused me to get sick....again. So, today wasn't very productive. Hubby actually took the day off after hearing how bad my voicewas when I got home yesterday and how much I was coughing through the night. Here are a few things I did though:

1. I waited until after nine to turn on the dishwasher and make my dough for my easy artisan bread.

2. Since I didn't get up on time today(and missed my early morning dentist appointment), I had to make the Penne ala Betsy tonight instead of the crockpot beef brisket. It was really easy! Everyone cleaned their plates and it's definitely going into rotation since it doesn't take up too much time on the stove.

3. I recieved coupons from Ronzoni today! The coupons are for 4 free ronzoni smart taste products. We love the smart taste pastas, so this is awesome for us.

4. I pulled my coupons for my trips to A&P and Stop and Shop tomorrow. I also realized that this is going to be a big grocery week since we are running out of everything. Since I haven't spent that much so far this month, I'm not too worried about it.

5. Texted my Aunt today and she told me that they are in dire need of toiletries at my Grandfather's house. Went through our stockpile and realized that we didn't have that much to hand over. I put aside a year's worth of everything and give away the rest, but that "rest" wasn't much! I'll have to start getting aggressive with the sales again. On a good note, our pantry stockpile is actually growing quite a bit this month, even with my low OOPs. Awesome!

Hope everyone else had a great saving day today. See you all tomorrow!

Meal Plan Monday!

I have a craving for Chinese this week, so we're going to have 2 meals with an Asian influence. Also, since we aren't sure how the holiday weekend is going to go, I'm leaving saturday and sunday open, meal-wise. I can always put something quick together if our plans fall through.

Monday: Slow cooker Beef Brisket with mashed potatoes, caramelized onions and carrots
Tuesday: Penne ala Betsy(using greek yogurt thinned out instead of the heavy cream)
Wednesday: beef and broccoli egg rolls
Thursday: vegetable lo mein(like my asian spaghetti and meatballs recipe, but no meatballs :o)
Friday: Pizza night!
Saturday and Sunday are "free days" since we are invited out to different cook outs. If that falls through, we'll have a grilled cheese and pasta salad night :o)

Bread of the week: Easy artisan
Dessert of the week: lemon yogurt cake