The Barber Bunch

Bean Soup with Sausage

2012-02-14T08:37:00.000-05:00

Bean Soup with Sausage

Created by Carolyn Barber

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can chicken broth

1 cup water

1 envelope Lipton Onion Recipe Soup and Dip Mix

1 tbsp chili powder

4 cans black beans

1 dinner sausage cut into slices

Mix all ingredients.

Heat to boiling.

Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes

· I used a mix of black beans and great northern beans

· I used turkey sausage to make it a little healthier

Peanut Butter Honey 'N Oatmeal Cookies

2011-11-20T01:28:00.001-05:00

Peanut Butter Honey 'N Oatmeal Cookies

INGREDIENTS

2cups quick-cooking oats

2cups all-purpose flour

1tsp. baking powder

1tsp. baking soda

1/4tsp. salt

1cup Shedd's Spread Country Crock® Spread

1cup Skippy® Natural Creamy Peanut Butter Spread with Honey

1cup granulated sugar

1cup firmly packed brown sugar

2eggs

1/2cup golden or regular raisins (optional)

1/2cup chopped pecans

This is the recipe as written.

I used creamy peanut butter and added one tablespoon of honey and omitted the pecans and raisins. I used one cup whole wheat flour and 1 cup white flour

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350°. Combine oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in small bowl; set aside.

Beat Shedd's Spread Country Crock® Spread with Skippy® Natural Creamy Peanut Butter Spread with Honey in large bowl with wire whisk until smooth. Beat in sugars, then eggs until blended. Beat in flour mixture just until blended, then stir in raisins and pecans. Chill 30 minutes.

Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls, 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets.
Bake 13 minutes or until golden.

Remove cookies to wire rack and cool completely.

Taking a Break

2011-08-04T03:20:00.003-04:00

I found a message from My Points introducing me to SparkPeople.
I didn't know I was going to start a diet today but I did.

The tools, logs, reports and more on SparkPeople are great!
I think they are just the ticket to get me motivated to lose some weight.

I used to think I did not have time to exercise. Then I really thought about my online habits. I used to get up and check email and facebook, makeand read blog posts and generally surf around the internet for a while. It is amazing how much time we waste on line isn't it?

I think I am going to change things up a bit. I am going to get up and exercise right away.
I have plenty of time to check emails and other stuff in between calls while I am at work.

SO ........ I am taking a break from blogging and blog reading.

Melons

2011-07-27T21:40:00.000-04:00

We have melons at the McGatha Garden Co Op!!

We have not had very much luck growing melons thus far.

We had trouble with bugs and disease in years past.

So this is our first melon harvest and we are super excited!!

McGatha Garden Update- Day 87

2011-07-26T21:50:00.000-04:00

Day 87

The BIG Tomate plant fell in a bad storm

I think this plant has more tomatoes on it than it did last week!

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

2011-07-22T07:43:00.001-04:00

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Recipe by OurBestBites.com

2 C flour
2 t cinnamon
1/2 t salt
1 1/2 t baking soda
6 T unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 C canola oil
1 C sugar
1/4 C brown sugar
3 eggs
2 t vanilla
1/2 C sour cream
3 C grated zucchini
3/4 C mini chocolate chips

Topping:
2 T brown sugar
2 T white sugar
1/2 t cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour 2 loaf pans and set aside.
Mix topping ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

Place flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.

With a stand or hand mixer beat oil, white sugar, brown sugar, and eggs until combined and slightly fluffy, 1-2 minutes.

Add vanilla and sour cream and mix until combined.

Gently stir in the grated zucchini.

Take a spoonful of the flour mixture and stir in with the chocolate chips (that will help keep them evenly distributed.) If you only have regular chocolate chips, or a chocolate bar, just give it a chop so it's the size of mini chocolate chips. Stir remaining flour mixture into batter and mix just until combined. Add chocolate chips and stir to combine.

Divide the batter between the two pans. and sprinkle topping over each.

Bake in your preheated 350 degree oven for 50-60 minutes. I set my timer for 45 minutes and then keep an eye on it for the remainder. Ya never know how different ovens handle things.

When it's done a toothpick or skewer should come out without goopy batter on it and the top will be gorgeous and cracked with sugar.

Let it cool on a rack for 5-10 minutes and then remove from pans. You definitely have to eat a slice warm. And slathered with butter.

What I am Reading

2011-07-20T08:00:00.000-04:00

Safe & Ready Life

2011-07-20T07:18:00.002-04:00

We visited the Safe and Ready Life Store in Milford, OH yesterday. We got some great emergency preparedness stuff and even more ideas for things we want to add to our supplies.

This Store has what you need to be prepared for most anything. They are an excellent source for emergency and disaster supply merchandise.

You can shop online or in store. The friendly, knowledgeable staff can help with product selection. They are even having a class this weekend on Cooking without power!

We highly recommend Safe and Ready Life.

Just click one of the links and check them out!

Linked to Homestead Revival Preparedness Challenge

McGatha Garden Update- Day 80

2011-07-18T12:51:00.000-04:00

Look at all the tomatoes on this ONE plant!!

Click here to see more pics of the McGatha Garden

Backyard Garden- Mid July

2011-07-18T11:07:00.001-04:00

The grapes are planted and growing!

Bed 1 and Bed 2

Both survived the straight line wind storm we had last week

It just pushed the peppers over a little.

We stacked them up to help support them.

Just in time for some storms tonight!

The tomatoes are growing tall!!

The blackberries are turning!

Cucumbers on the trellis

Linked to Homestead Revival's Barn Hop

What I am Reading

2011-07-13T00:39:00.002-04:00

Free Salad

2011-07-13T00:38:00.000-04:00

Fresh Express® salads washed in Fresh Rinse™ are ready to eat...not ready to wash.

We're giving away coupons so you can try them for FREE:
vocalpoint.com/FreshSavings

Fresh Express® has developed a breakthrough, eco-friendly produce wash called Fresh Rinse™ that is 7x more effective in cleaning salads than traditional chlorine wash,1 but is still gentle on lettuce.

A List of Edible Perennials

2011-07-12T04:04:00.008-04:00

Perennial Foods

Want to enjoy home-grown food year after year without having to start your garden from scratch each spring? Then, it's time to discover the perennial food garden.

All of the following herbs, vegetables, fruits and legumes can be planted once and enjoyed for many seasons to come:

Perennial Herbs
Basil (African Blue, East Indian)
Chives
Fennel
Garlic
Ginger
Horseradish
Lavender
Lemon Balm
Mint
Onions (Potato onions, Shallots, Japanese bunching onions, Welsh onions)
Oregano
Parsley
Rosemary
Sage
Thyme

Perennial Vegetables
Artichoke (Jerusalem, also known as sunchokes)
Asparagus
Broccoli (Nine Star, Purple Cape)
Radicchio
Rhubarb
Spinach (Ceylon, Sissoo, New Zeland)
Sweet Potato
Water Cress
Yams

Perennial Fruits
Apples
Apricots
Avocado
Blackberries
Cherries
Currants
Fig
Goji Berries
Huckleberries
Grapes
Kiwi
Lemons
Limes
Nectarines
Oranges
Peaches
Pears
Persimmon
Plums
Raspberries
Strawberries (Ever-bearing varieties can be maintained as perennials in colder climates)

Perennial Legumes
Beans (Winged bean, Scarlet Runner)

Note: While all plants listed are perennials, they may not grow perennially in all locations. Check for compatability with your region before making a purchase.

From About.com

Lanscaping with Edibles

2011-07-11T08:03:00.000-04:00

Planning to do some landscape work on your yard? Think about going with edible plants.

An edible landscape will:

•Reduce your grocery bill

•Allow you to enjoy foods at peak freshness

•Make it easy to eat more fruits and vegetables

•Help you to weather financial hardships

Here are some great edibles to work into your landscape design:

Ground Covers
Vining cranberries
Creeping thyme
Alpine strawberries
Lowbush blueberries

Trees
Apple
Apricot
Avocado
Chestnut
Cherry
Crabapple
English Walnut
Fig
Filbert (also known as hazelnut)
Gingko
Lemon
Lime
Mulberry
Nectarine
Olive
Orange
Pawpaw
Peach
Pear
Pecan
Persimmon
Pine
Plum
Quince

Flowers
Calendula
Chives
Daylilies
Hibiscus
Lavender
Nasturtium
Pansy
Roses (the hips)
Sunflowers (the seeds)
Violas

Ornamental Shrubs/Plants
Eggplant
Huckleberries
Lettuce
Lignonberries
Okra
Passion fruit
Peanuts
Peppers
Prickly Pear cactus

Privacy Plantings
Bush apricots
Bush cherries
Chokecherries
Elderberries
Goji berries
Gooseberries
Highbush blueberries
Honeyberries
Jostaberries
Mulberries
Pomegranates
Raspberries
Roses (the hips)
Saskatoons

Vining Plants
Grapes
Kiwi
Squash
Peas

So research what would grow well in your area and..........Grow your Own!

From About.com

How to Eat When You're Really Broke

2011-07-09T04:25:00.001-04:00

How to eat when you're really broke

Forget fast food, processed foods and eating out frequently. Even if you’re on a tight budget, you can still serve healthful, tasty meals.

The average American family of four spends $727 a month on food -- but you can spend substantially less and still be healthy.

Nutritious meals for two adults and two kids can be prepared for just over $500 a month, said Robert Post, the deputy director for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion. A single person can get by with a monthly food budget of about $225 a month.

You do not have to sacrifice the healthy choices on a low budget
If you're newly broke, or trying to save money for other purposes like paying down debt, your grocery list is a great place to look for savings. Although food is the third-largest expenditure for most households, after housing and transportation, it's also one of the most flexible and can easily be trimmed on the fly. Here are some general principles to keep in mind:

Eat mostly at home.
U.S. households on average spend 41% of their food budgets outside their homes, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Consumer Expenditure Survey (the proportion is 44% for singles). While you may think you're saving money dining off the dollar menu, you could be courting health problems, since the cheapest fast food items are often the ones loaded with fat and sugar. The foods that should be filling half your plate -- fruits and vegetables -- may be hard to find or overly processed when you buy them from fast-food outlets, so ultimately you'll save money and eat better preparing food at home.

Skip the processing.
Steer away from foods with lots of additives, chemicals and packaging; they're often not as good for you, and they can drive up the cost of your groceries. Instead, opt for foods that are as close to their natural state as possible. That may mean you have to spend a little more time preparing your meals, but I've included helpful tips below on how to make that more convenient.

Demote meat.
Beef, chicken, pork and fish often take a starring role in American meals, whereas in less-wealthy countries they're often supporting players or make only cameo appearances: Think bowls of rice or grain topped with lots of veggies and a few bits of meat or seafood. Or you can skip meat entirely for much cheaper protein sources, such as eggs or beans (a half cup of beans has as much protein as 3 ounces of steak).

Nuts, legumes, seeds and dairy products, including milk, cheese and yogurt, are other good sources of protein. Water-packed canned tuna and salmon, which you frequently can find on sale, can help you get the 8 to 12 ounces of seafood the USDA says you should have every week. The new "Healthy Plate" guidelines, which the USDA recently introduced to replace the old food pyramid, reflect these changes by replacing the old "meat and beans" category with "protein foods."

Promote veggies.
The typical household should spend about 40% of its food budget on fruits and vegetables, Post said. Buying in-season produce on sale is one way to save while filling your plate. Also consider frozen or canned vegetables and fruit. Frozen produce is typically processed soon after harvest, which preserves more nutrients, but be careful with canned foods, because they can have too much salt and sugar. Opt for low-sodium versions and fruit packed in juice, not syrup, Post recommended. If you have a farmers' market nearby, consider shopping there, especially toward the end of the day when you may be able to negotiate deals on produce farmers would otherwise have to haul home. Or grow you own!

Go for the grains.
Wheat, rice, oats, cornmeal, barley and cereal grains are filling and fairly inexpensive, especially if you buy in bulk. Opt for whole grains, which offer more nutrients and fiber. Oatmeal makes a nutritious, satisfying breakfast for just pennies a serving, while brown rice can be served at any meal (it's pretty good heated up with milk and honey).

Watch the waste.
Studies estimate that Americans waste up to 40% of our food supply. If that's the case in your household, you could save hundreds of dollars a year just by patrolling your refrigerator, freezer and pantry each day so you can use stuff before it rots.

Drop your bad habits.
Alcohol, tobacco, soda and sugary treats may be pleasurable, but they don't fill nutritional needs. That's not to say you can never indulge, but when money's tight, you need to rein in your guilty pleasures.

If you need help finding recipes or more suggestions:

• Use the USDA's "recipe finder" or search for "budget recipe" sites.

• Your local library has budget cookbooks and other information on saving money.

• Check out frugal-living websites; a good one to try is the Dollar Stretcher.

If your problem is a lack of time to prepare budget meals -- which leads to the temptation to spend more eating out -- here are ways to make sure you still can eat well on a budget:

Get a slow cooker.
You can pick up a basic Crock Pot for as little as $16 online or find one for even less at a garage sale. Slow cookers allow you to assemble a meal in the morning so you can have a hot, ready-to-eat dinner when you get home.

Cook once, eat twice.
Make double the number of servings you need and freeze the excess to reheat later. Some foods don't freeze well, such as potatoes and crisp vegetables, but most -- including soups and stews -- do just fine. Use freezer-weight storage bags or containers, and mark them with the date so you can use them within three months.

Learn to love lentils.
Like beans, these legumes are loaded with protein and iron but are typically much faster to prepare, with cooking times under 30 minutes for most varieties. Couscous and quinoa are two grains that are fast to prepare as well -- five minutes for couscous, 15 minutes for quinoa, compared with 30 to 40 minutes for brown rice.

Have some go-to recipes.
Egg dishes, pasta and many casseroles tend to be easy to throw together in a hurry. Keep some veggies, such as a carrot and celery sticks, in a glass of water in the fridge for snacking while you pull together the meal.

From MSN Money

*Linking to Homestead Revival Preparedness Challenge

14 Grocery Staples Getting Costlier

2011-07-08T17:51:00.000-04:00

14 Grocery Staples Getting Costlier

High prices at the gas pump have been grabbing headlines, but it's rising costs at the supermarket that are really starting to take a bite out of household budgets. The component of the consumer price index that tracks grocery prices, known as the food at home index, jumped 0.5% in May from where it stood in April, calculated on a seasonally adjusted basis. Meanwhile, the gasoline-index component of the CPI fell 2.0% in May, the first decline since June 2010.

Food prices have been creeping up all year. According to the latest American Farm Bureau Federation Marketbasket Survey, 14 of the 16 supermarket staples it tracks have increased in price between the first and second quarters of 2011. Boneless chicken breasts (down 7%) and shredded cheese (down 1.5%) are the only two grocery items that cost less than they did three months ago.

Here are the 14 common grocery-list items from the Marketbasket Survey that have climbed in price since the first quarter, as well as the federal agriculture department's latest projections for food-cost increases in 2011. As a bonus, we've thrown in a few tips on how to save on these grocery items.

Russet potatoes
• Current average price: $3.07 for a 5-pound bag

• Price change (from Q1): up 43 cents

• Percent change: 16.3%

• Projected change for 2011: 4.5%-5.5%

Savings tip: Make the most of a bargain 20-pound sack of spuds. Mashed, fried, baked or roasted, potatoes are filling and can stretch a meal budget. Store in a dark, cool place to keep fresh longer.

Sirloin tip roast
• Current average price: $4.48 per pound

• Price change (from Q1): up 52 cents

• Percent change: 13.1%

• Projected change for 2011: 7%-8%

Savings tip: Minimize your mealtime costs and make your cardiologist happy by going meatless twice a week. A family of four can save $624 annually.

Bacon
• Current average price: $4.18 per pound

• Price change (from Q1): up 32 cents

• Percent change: 8.3%

• Projected change for 2011: 6.5%-7.5%

Savings tip: Get a better deal by buying your bacon in bulk from a warehouse club. Put your extra slabs of pork in re-sealable plastic bags, and stash them in the freezer. Bacon defrosts rapidly.

Apples
• Current average price: $1.56 per pound

• Price change (from Q1): up 11 cents

• Percent change: 7.6%

• Projected change for 2011: 3%-4%

Savings tip: Buy apples by the bagful rather than individually to reap a lower unit cost. Stow your Granny Smiths and Red Delicious in the refrigerator to keep them crisp and juicy.

Sliced deli ham
• Current average price: $5.26 per pound

• Price change (from Q1): Up 35 cents

• Percent change: 7.1%

• Projected change for 2011: 6.5%-7.5%

Savings tip: Ask your local butcher for the lunchmeat ends that may otherwise go to waste. They're cheaper than a pound of deli meat and just as tasty in your brown-bag lunch.

Ground chuck
• Current average price: $3.29 per pound

• Price change (from Q1): up 19 cents

• Percent change: 6.1%

• Projected change for 2011: 7%-8%

Savings tip: Instead of buying ground beef, purchase a chuck roast on sale and grind it yourself. It'll taste the same -- or perhaps better, considering the money you'll save -- and allay your mystery-meat fears.

Whole milk
• Current average price: $3.62 per gallon

• Price change (from Q1): up 16 cents

• Percent change: 4.6%

• Projected change for 2011: 5%-6%

Savings tip: Reserve your regular milk for your morning bowl of cereal. For recipes that call for milk, use the less expensive powdered version instead. Just add water. You won't taste the difference.

Vegetable oil
• Current average price: $3.01 for a 32-ounce bottle

• Price change (from Q1): up 13 cents

• Percent change: 4.5%

• Projected change for 2011: 6%-7%

Savings tip: If you normally use expensive extra virgin olive oil for cooking, opt for a lower grade instead. Scan your supermarket shelves for bottles labeled simply "olive oil."

Toasted oat cereal
• Current average price: $3.17 for a 9-ounce box

• Price change (from Q1): up 12 cents

• Percent change: 3.9%

• Projected change for 2011: 3.5%-4.5%

Savings tip: Try your grocer's store-label equivalent or buy a generic version of your favorite morning munchies. If you can't live without name brands, look for coupons in the Sunday newspaper.

Eggs
• Current average price: $1.65 per dozen

• Price change (from Q1): up 3 cents

• Percent change: 1.9%

• Projected change for 2011: 4.5%-5.5%

Savings tip: Visit your farmers' market near closing time for a better deal on fresh, locally produced eggs. At day's end, vendors are more likely to slip something extra into your bag.

Orange juice
• Current average price: $3.18 for a half-gallon

• Price change (from Q1): up 4 cents

• Percent change: 1.3%

• Projected change for 2011: 3%-4%

Savings tip: Head to the frozen foods aisle for cheaper-per-ounce and just-as-refreshing orange juice concentrate. Add water, stir and enjoy the very same vitamin C rush.

Bread
• Current average price: $1.86 for a 20-ounce loaf

• Price change (from Q1): up 2 cents

• Percent change: 1.1%

• Projected change for 2011: 3.5%-4.5%

Savings tip: Pounce whenever your grocery store or bakery has a two-for-one sale. Eat one loaf immediately -- French toast for breakfast, sandwich for lunch and grilled cheese for dinner -- and freeze the other for later.

Bagged salad
• Current average price: $2.67 per pound

• Price change (from Q1): up 1 cent

• Percent change: 0.4%

• Projected change for 2011: 3%-4%

Savings tip: Go online to find discounts for popular brands of bagged salad. Check Facebook and Twitter pages for printable coupons, and subscribe to email alerts for special deals. Or grow you own!!

Flour
• Current average price: $2.52 for a 5-pound bag

• Price change (from Q1): up 1 cent

• Percent change: 0.4%

• Projected change for 2011: 3.5%-4.5%

Savings tip: Unless you're an avid baker, you probably don't use much flour. If that's the case, buy only what you need when you need it from a bulk bin. Don't let your money sit idle in the pantry.

From MSN Money

About Me

2011-07-08T01:23:00.003-04:00

All of your online content and profiles can be accessible from your unique about.me splash page. Take a minute to create your personal splash page and be on your way to building a single online identity.

Be it for personal use, or to create a professional on-line profile about.me will allow you to take all your scattered online profiles (like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn) and put them in one easy place.

Join today and get free business cards!!

See my about.me profile at
http://about.me/carolynbarber

Blueberry Betty

2011-07-06T18:10:00.002-04:00

What is a Betty?

A Betty consist of a fruit, most commonly apples, baked between layers of buttered crumbs. Betties are an English pudding dessert closely related to the French apple charlotte. Betty was a popular baked pudding made during colonial times in America.

Desserts like this are called by various names such as cobbler, tart, pie, torte, pandowdy, grunt, slump, buckles, crisp, croustade, bird's nest pudding or crow's nest pudding. They are all simple variations of cobblers, and they are all based on seasonal fruits and berries, in other words, whatever fresh ingredients are readily at hand. They are all homemade and simple to make and rely more on taste than fancy pastry preparation.

Early settlers of America were very good at improvising. When they first arrived, they bought their favorite recipes with them, such as English steamed puddings). Not finding their favorite ingredients, they used whatever was available. That's how all these traditional American dishes came about with such unusual names. Early colonist were so fond of these juicy dishes that they often served them as the main course, for breakfast, or even as a first course. It was not until the late 19th century that they became primarily desserts.

Blueberry Brown Betty
2 pints blueberries, washed
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
4 cups french bread ( I used day old homemade honey white bread)
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Coat 8 inch baking dish with cooking spray.

In large bowl, combine blueberries, sugar and cornstarch. Toss to coat.

Add bread and melted butter. Mix well then spoon into prepared baking dish.

Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until bubbly and the bread is golden. Serve warm

It's not very pretty but oh boy......it is GOOD!!

*Try the recipe with other kinds of fruit too!

*Linking to Homestead Revival Barn Hop

McGatha Garden CO OP: Day 64- July 2 2011

2011-07-02T21:49:00.001-04:00

Matt went up to the big family garden today to do some work.

To see more pics, click the link:
McGatha Garden CO OP: Day 64- July 2 2011:

Backyard Garden- End of June

2011-06-30T13:58:00.002-04:00

Blackberry Bush

Cherry Bush

Cucumbers

Bed 1 and 2 - June 30 2011

Bed 1 and 2 on June 6 2011

I can't believe how much everything has grown!

Hot Peppers

Chocolate Cherry Tomatoes

Big Oak Tree behind the House

A feathered Friend who came to visit when I filled the bird feeder

~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_

Linking to Homestead Revival Preparedness Challenge

and

Dollar General $5.00 off Coupon

2011-06-29T22:31:00.000-04:00

Remember the Razor Deal I told you about at Dollar General this week?

I found this coupon for $5.00 off at Dollar General good for July 2, 2011 only.

If you combine the sale, coupons and the $5.00 off, that would be 12 Razors for $7.00

Raspberry Jam

2011-06-28T23:52:00.000-04:00

Kroger had Red Raspberries on sale 10 for $10.00

I took advantage of the sale and made some Raspberry Jam today.

I got 10 jelly jars and 2 pints of Jam from this batch of jam

Look at the pretty labels I made!

Deal at Dollar General

2011-06-26T16:08:00.000-04:00

Deal Alert:

Dollar General has 3 pack Schick Xtreme 3 Disposable Razors on sale for $4.50.

$1.00 off Coupons have been in past inserts. I also had a BOGO Coupon.

I got a total of 12 Razors for $12.00

Walgreen's Shopping Trip

2011-06-26T16:03:00.000-04:00

$70 worth.of stuff for $40 at Walgreens

Then my bank gave me $2.00 back in their PreReward program!!

I wish.........

2011-06-25T14:42:00.000-04:00

I got a flyer for Farm Apparel in the mail the other day.

I assume I got it because I subscribe to Hobby Farm Homes.

I love the logo.

I want to find some one to make a sign like it for our little backyard "farm"