Frugal Homemaker

Easy Cheesy Mac Supper

2011-09-30T07:13:00.000-04:00

Usually I plan a weekly menu to take the guess work out of my daily preparations. However, I had a crazy busy week, so my menu planning didn't happen.... I had to wing it! I was craving a cheeseburger, but I really didn't want to bother taking the time to make up patties, so I opted to try a "Hamburger Helper" type of skillet meal.

I browned my meat with some chopped onion; drained it, then added some American process cheese, ketchup and mustard. Stirred and cooked until the cheese was melted, then added in some cooked pasta... turned out pretty good and the kids loved it!

I didn't really measure anything, so the measurements below are approximate..
If you want to try it, totally experiment with your quantities!

1 lb ground beef
1-1 1/2 C cubed American processed cheese
1/2 C ketchup
1/8 C mustard
1/4 C chopped onion
1 C dried pasta, cooked then drained

Ok, my pic makes this look like dog food, LOL- but it was good. Like a super cheesy cheeseburger sans the bun. I wish I'd had some bacon to cook and crumble into this...mmm..bacon cheeseburger!

Sweet treat- Peanut butter Chocolate bars

2011-09-18T19:49:00.000-04:00

I love peanut butter.

I love chocolate.

Combine the two and I am one happy camper!

Here's a super simple recipe that is soooo not healthy for you- but is soooo good! Reminds me of Reese's peanut butter cups.. OK, not as fantastic as those, but probably not as bad for you as those candies....but a nice substitute and certainly cheaper! Next time you get a craving for pb and chocolate, try this out!

PB & Chocolate bars

2 1/2 C graham cracker crumbs
1 C creamy peanut butter
1 C butter, melted
2 C pwd sugar
2 C semisweet choc chips

Combine the crumbs, sugar, peanut butter and butter in a bowl. Mix well and then press into a 9x13 pan.

Melt the chocolate; pour and spread over the peanut butter mix. Chill for about 5-10 mins, then cut into squares.
Let the chocolate set before serving (about an hour, depending on the temp of your kitchen). If it's not crazy hot in your kitchen, you can leave it out, covered. Otherwise, you may want to refrigerate (but then the chocolate gets really hard :( ).

I cut it into 32 bars.

Home maintenance, remember your drain traps!

2011-09-05T19:46:00.000-04:00

Most people likely do not think of drain traps in regular home maintenance.. but I do. In my old house, I would remove the drain traps twice a year (spring and fall) to be sure they were clear of build-up. Nobody wants to deal with a clogged drain, and by inspecting them regularly I have been fortunate to avoid said problem. We've lived in our "new" home only for 3 months, and we've encountered many hidden issues that have needed to be addressed, as well as some not hidden ones (ie no HVAC, but we've taken care of that now!) So cleaning the drains hasn't crossed my mind.. until today!

My youngest informs me the bathroom sink is full and not draining, which made me realize not everyone is as diligent on trap cleaning as I am.. Side note: hair, gunk and whatever nasty build up is gross to pull out of plumbing regardless, but knowing you're pulling out some strangers nasties...yuck! Anyway..

Cleaning traps is really quite easy, especially if you have pvc pipes. You just put a shallow bucket under the trap, then unscrew the connectors and pull the trap out. Drain it, and clean it out.

Now for the pipe running from the sink to the trap, I use a metal clothes hanger I untwisted. (favorite tool there.. works good for drains and unclogging the vacuum hose) I remove the sink stopper and shoved the hanger to scrape and push any gunk straight down into the bucket. Then put it all back together.

Today, I removed what looked like a matted drowned rat! Ok, not a real rat, but a huge clump of soppy tangled hair... Sorry I have no pics for what I pulled out, but 1) at the time I wasn't thinking "hey, I can post on this" and 2) would you REALLY want to see the gross balled up clump of unknown origins?? (if so, ewhh!!)

In short, remembering to remove and clean your drain traps periodically can really save you aggravation on having a clogged sink, and then having to deal with the issue when it may not be so convenient!

Homemade yogurt using your slow cooker

2011-09-02T12:29:00.000-04:00

You can make yogurt so many ways it's incredible.. the main points are heating your milk to 180-200 degrees, cooling your milk to about 110 degrees, adding your tempered yogurt and keeping it warm enough for a few hours to do it's job. I like the crock pot (slow cooker) method because it's predictable timing, and my resulting yogurt had the same consistency, smell and taste as the store bought Dannon plain yogurt! Oh, about that store bought yogurt.. separate it into 1/2 cups and freeze so you have fresh starter many more times. Just take what you need out of the freezer and thaw it in refrigerator before you need to add. You can use your homemade plain yogurt as your starter, but you can only do that a few times before it's kinda worn out and you need fresh.

What you need:

1) 2 quarts milk- pasteurized (ie store bought). Doesn't matter if it's whole, low fat or skim.. your preference. You can use powdered milk too.. (3 C dry milk powder and 2 quarts water)

making yogurt using powdered milk

2) 2+2/3 C Additional nonfat dry milk powder (the extra milk protein helps make the yogurt firmer)

3) 1/2 C store bought yogurt- unflavored, cultured. Make sure the product states it contains live (active) yogurt culture. It should state CONTAINS.. not made with.. I use Dannon All Natural plain yogurt. You need your starter yogurt to contain the live bacteria!

4) sugar or honey (optional, (I use about 1/4 C sugar))

You need a 4-5 qt crock pot. ( or slow cooker ) :).. and a towel!

Of course make sure all your utensils and crock are CLEAN CLEAN CLEAN!
Okay.. Pour your milk ,milk powder and sugar/honey into the crock pot and stir. Cover, plug in your crock and cook on low for about 2 1/2 hours. What you're doing is warming that milk up enough (between 180*-200*) to kill off any bad bacteria that may be in there plus any antibiotics (if your store bought milk has been treated with it) Why?? Well, your yogurt culture IS a bacteria- L. bulgaricus and S. thermophilus are the main ones, plus some yogurts contain L. acidophilus and /or B. bifidum. All those are the good bacteria we want in our tummies! LOL, ok.. enough science.

After 2 1/2 hours, turn off your crock and unplug it (just so ya know it is in fact off.. I have made that mistake before!) Don't peek under the lid.. leave it alone, untouched for 3 hours..

After 3 hours, if you have a candy thermometer, check the temp of your milk. It should be pretty close to 110*-115*.. the ideal temp for your yogurt cultures to "live free and multiply"! If your milk is warmer than 120*, well, it will kill your cultures. Lower than 100* is too low to wake them up and get them kicking. If you don't have a candy thermometer and it's warm in your kitchen, give it about 15 more minutes and you should be good to go (but no guarantees!)

Okay, remove 1 C of your milk into a bowl and add your 1/2 C yogurt. Mix it well. You are tempering it. Add that all back into your crock and stir.. (If you want to add a little pure vanilla extract at this point you can.. I use 1 T, but really it's to taste)

Put the lid back on and wrap in a large, thick bath towel. You want it to be nice and warm and cozy! Again, you leave it alone. For 8 hours.

After 8 hours, unwrap your present! SCOOP! (DON'T STIR) the yogurt into clean containers and refrigerate. Chill before serving.

all nice and thick!

scooped into containers

You don't wanna stir your yogurt because it breaks up the little bonds those cultures have formed. That's why even your store bought yogurt will get runny. You see the whey (the liquidity stuff) on the top, you stir it back in... now your yogurt's not as firm :( So, that's why you don't stir..

Now, you can filter your yogurt with a cheesecloth or coffee filter to separate the yogurt from the whey to produce a firmer (Greek) yogurt. Do that overnight and then you will get yogurt cheese! (kinda like a soft cream cheese).

To flavor your yogurt you can do whatever you want. I've been using freezer jams and berry sauces I made, but you can use any preserves, jams, fruit sauces, fresh chopped fruits of your choice, just honey or cinnamon. Heck, you can use it in place of sour cream so why not mix in some taco meat and cheese! LOL!

About the recipes I share-

2011-08-29T19:37:00.000-04:00

I wanted to throw a quick explanation on how I write up my recipes.. looking back through them, I began to wonder if everyone abbreviates measurements the same way I do. To hopefully end any confusion, here's what the abbreviations stand for:

C = cup
T = tablespoon
tsp = teaspoon
pwd= powder
bak pwd = baking powder
pwd sugar = powdered sugar
qt = quart
pt = pint
oz = ounce
lb = pound

dry milk = instant non-fat dry milk powder
A side note- I try to post recipes that are cost effective, healthy(ok, not always..lol) and tasty... Most of my recipes could stand more seasonings and extras to give them the wow factor...but my goal is frugal, not gourmet! Almost always, I don't follow my recipes exactly as written.. sometimes I add more of this, less of that, or add in something, use substitutions and use ball park measurements. Just depends on what I've got in stock.

That's what I love about cooking.. easy to experiment to match your personal tastes!

make your own Taco Seasoning

2011-08-26T12:42:00.001-04:00

If you find you're out of those packets of taco seasoning and are wanting to make a recipe calling for it, make your own! It costs less, plus, if you keep a well stocked spice rack, you'll always have the ingredients on hand to whip up a batch.

I've got 2 recipes for taco seasoning: one mild and the other a bit spicier. Whereas I like the spicier, I'm out voted in our household... not that the spicier one is that terribly spicy, but my guys have more sensitive palates... so mild seasoning is what I make most often. (I haven't bought the packets since using these recipes!)

Mild Taco Seasoning

2 T chili pwd

5 tsp paprika

4 1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 T onion pwd

2 tsp salt (table or seasoned)

2 1/2 tsp garlic pwd

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp dried oregano

Spicy Taco Seasoning
2 T chili pwd
1 tsp paprika
1 T ground cumin
1/2 tsp onion pwd
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic pwd
1/4 tsp cayenne pwd
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp pepper

Mix all spices together and keep in an airtight container. 2 tablespoons = 1 packet envelope of store bought.

pic courtesy of dreamstime

Basic Bean Soup

2011-08-24T11:02:00.000-04:00

Here's my version of a bean soup I whipped up one night. I used only what I had on hand, so it's pretty basic. Adding more seasonings and maybe celery (didn't have any) would really put this over the top, but for a budget conscience meal, this fit the bill nicely. You can use canned beans if that's what you have, maybe 3 cans worth? Rinsed and drained. And if you have chicken stock to use in place of some of the water and bouillon- try that! (I ran out of stock, and haven't gotten around to making more)

Basic Bean Soup

2C dried beans (I used 1C red, 1C navy) soaked, drained and rinsed*
8C water
1 onion, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
1 tsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp pepper
3 chicken bouillon cubes (or 3 tsp granules... or even try beef bouillon!)
1/4 tsp pepper
6 slices bacon (I used turkey bacon, cause it's usually cheaper, and it's what I had!)

Cook the beans in 8 C of water for about an hour or so... until they are almost as tender as you like. Cook bacon in a skillet. Remove bacon, drain and chop. In the same skillet, saute carrots, onion and garlic in the bacon drippings until tender (I added a T of olive oil, because my turkey bacon left no drippings).

Add bouillon, bacon, veggies and pepper to your pot of beans and simmer @ least 30 mins to combine all the flavors.

As prepared above, I thought this made a pretty darn good soup. However, certain people in my household are either not fond of soup, or of beans..... so I continued on to appease different tastes. I had a package of hot dogs handy, so I cut those up, browned a bit in the same skillet I used to cooked the bacon and veggies, then tossed that into the soup.

Then I thought- what's hot dogs without ketchup? So I put about 1/4 C of that in... although I didn't notice a change in taste..
I finished off with some shredded cheddar after ladling out the soup, and served with a side of corn bread.

I rather preferred the soup sans the hot dogs and cheese, however the kids were thrilled with the additions and gobbled up their servings! This made plenty for the 5 of us, plus enough leftover for a second meal! I tossed that in a container and put in the freezer, for a quick meal later down the road..

*if you've never prepared dried beans before, you take them and put them in a pot with 6-8 cups of water (pick thru your beans first, and toss any that look bad) put a lid on it and let it sit overnight. The next day, drain and rinse, then cook.
Or you can do the quick soak method, which you put your beans in the water, heat until boiling, cover and take off the heat. Leave it covered for 1- 1 1/2 hours. Then, drain, rinse and cook.

DIY Dog pillow- my Saturday project

2011-08-22T12:08:00.000-04:00

Sally warming up to her new pillow!

If you have a dog, some spare time, old pillows and a worn sheet (or any fabric, really)... you can make your dog his/her very own pillow!

You could just go buy one of course..... but they are pricey! This way, not only are you re-using items you already have around the house, you're not spending $$ giving your furry friend a comfy place to relax!

Since I have a large dog, I used three old pillows.

If you have a medium/large dog, two pillows should be big enough, and if you have a lil doggie, well, you can get away with an old pillow and pillow case- and your done!

What I did was slightly overlap each pillow, then hand sewed them together.. my kitty Twilight just had to help! So I'm blaming the bad sew job on her. Actually, I'm just really bad at sewing, so please don't look too close at the pics!

That's the beauty of this project- it doesn't have to be perfect!

Once I had all the pillows connected, then I laid my fabric down. In my case, I used an old torn flannel fitted sheet. I cut away all the elastic, then did a rough (eye-balled) measurement to be sure I had enough fabric to wrap around the pillows.

With the fabric wrong side out, I pinned a few spots to get an idea of the width I needed. I made sure the fabric overlapped where it meets in the middle. It's kind of like making a large pillow sham. Then I whipped out and dusted off the old sewing machine and sewed the edges of the overlap and the sides. Then I turned it right side out, and stuffed the pillows into it.

OK, not as fancy as what you can buy, but your dog won't mind.... Oh, and the leftover bits of fabric? Cut them down for rags, or in strips to use in tying stuff, or as a stuffing in another project maybe?

Mmm.. chocolate chip cheese ball!

2011-08-19T15:07:00.001-04:00

Here's a yummy and easy recipe good for party entertaining or just as a snack for the family! It's reminiscent of chocolate chip cookie dough.. without the worry of salmonella!

Ingredients
1 pkg (8oz) cream cheese, softened
1/2 C butter, softened (sorry, no subs.. you need butter!)
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 C powdered sugar (confectioners')
2 T brown sugar
3/4 C mini semisweet chocolate chips
1/2-3/4 C finely chopped pecans (or any other nut you may prefer)

In a bowl, beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla until well blended.

Add sugar and beat until combined.

(See the little hands in the pictures? One of my good kitchen helpers.. my 6 year old. He loves working in the kitchen and this is a great recipe for kids to make..)

Stir in the chocolate chips.

Cover and refrigerate for about 2 hours.

After 2 hours, plop your cream cheese mixture onto a large piece of plastic wrap and shape it into a ball. Then refrigerate again for at least an hour.

After an hour, or just before you want to serve it; coat your cheese ball with the chopped pecans. This ball won't be super firm, but holds the shape pretty well. You can serve it with graham crackers.... or just eat it with a spoon! HaHa..

Hmm.. wonder how this recipe would turn out using homemade yogurt cheese instead of cream cheese?? May have to try that and see.. would be a little healthier, and certainly cheaper to make...

Reusing water from the dehumidifier..

2011-08-17T11:58:00.000-04:00

We have a dehumidifier that we purchased after moving into our "new" house... It's been a good investment with this hot, humid summer we're having. However, I hate dumping the collected water down the drain; seems so wasteful! Now, I know this water is considered grey water, so you shouldn't use it for drinking/cooking etc.. but I've found some ideas to recycle this water. Here's what I've been doing so far:

1. watering plants and grass
2. using as mop water
3. washing windows
4. using to hand wash cleaning rags (though I rinse with tap)
5. using to wash chalk off the driveway
6. pouring into toilet tank after flushing (cannot remember every time tho!)
7. using to wash the vehicles

I need to get a rain barrel or something along those lines to store the water in, because in this weather I'm still collecting way more grey water than I can re-use...

Do you have any other suggestions for using dehumidifier water?

What you do for monkey love!!

2011-08-15T12:12:00.001-04:00

My daughter LOVES her stuffed animals. I personally am not big on stuffed animals, having to clean them and keep dust mites at bay, etc.etc. She has quite the collection.... and can account for each one.

Her current favorite is this little monkey. But after swinging the poor little guy by his tail... well, you can see..

Armed with my needle and thread, I set out to perform "surgery" on Monkey. Monkey's tail is now reattached, my daughter was so happy I got a huge hug, got to hear "you're the best!", and I only jabbed my thumb twice! Well worth the monkey love I got from my little girl!

Monkey seem happier with his tail back too!

Sometimes it really is the simplest of things of you do that reap the biggest rewards! Hope you got your version of monkey love today! LOL

Iced Coffee!!

2011-08-11T20:50:00.000-04:00

I've said it before and I'll say it again... I LOVE COFFEE!! I'll even brew a pot when it's 90 degrees out, that's how much I love my coffee. Even still, on those hot days particularly when I'm hanging outside I do prefer a cooler beverage. Sometimes I grab a glass of homemade sweet tea or lemonade, but when I'm craving that coffee flavor? Why, iced coffee of course! Now this recipe satisfies my coffee craving, it is a drink easily suited to taste by adding more or less instant coffee.. What?? Instant coffee.. that's cheating- that's not REAL coffee! LOL- I know it. I hate the taste of instant hot coffee, but when I want a creamy, cold coffee drink, this fits the bill for me. Why not just take leftover cold brewed coffee and add ice to that?.. you may ask. Well, I'm a coffee snob I guess.. for some strange reason I can't stand cold coffee that was meant to be hot.. I don't like coffee ice cream either... strange...

Back to the recipe.. I'll post it two ways.. one way using canned sweetened condensed milk and one way using the homemade sweetened condensed milk. But in this version I combine the recipe for that along with the ingredients for the iced coffee.

mm..iced coffee!!

Recipe #1
1/2 C instant coffee granules
1/2 C boiling water
1 can (14oz) sweetened condensed milk
2 C cold water
1 quart (4 cups) chocolate milk

Pour chocolate milk into 2 quart pitcher. Dissolve the coffee in the boiling water; slowly stir in the condensed milk. Pour into the pitcher with the chocolate milk. Add the 2 cups of cold water; stir and mix well. Refrigerate.

Recipe #2
1/2 C instant coffee granules
1 C boiling water
1 C sugar
1 T butter, melted
1 C instant dry milk powder
2 C cold water
1 qt chocolate milk

Dissolve the coffee and the sugar in the boiling water. Blend in the butter. Whisk the dry milk in; blend it well! Pour the chocolate milk, cold water and coffee mixture into 2 qt pitcher; mix and refrigerate! Best after refrigerated at least an hour, to let flavors blend.

Great... thanks.. but store bought chocolate milk is expensive! Any substitutions? Absolutely! You can make your own chocolate milk. You can make the quart of milk using the dry milk powder too.. use 1 1/3 C dry milk and 4 C water. But you may want to let this sit overnight and mix well.. Sometimes it tastes grainy? if not mixed well enough.

Don't have any chocolate syrup to make up your own chocolate milk for this recipe? Click here!
(I usually make my iced coffee making my own choc milk, using homemade choc syrup and recipe #2)
Do you have a favorite iced coffee recipe? If so, please share!

Homemade Chocolate syrup recipe

2011-08-09T19:33:00.001-04:00

My kids love chocolate milk... I just love chocolate! But when you're counting pennies, buying those bottled syrups at the store become a luxury item. So I make my own. It's way cheaper, doesn't have high fructose corn syrup in it, and tastes good. You can use this syrup just like the store bought- in drinks (iced coffee is my fave!), recipes, as an ice cream topping... any way you can think! This recipe makes about 2 cups of syrup, but is easily halved if you just want a little! I store mine in an old peanut butter glass jar, covered in the fridge, but if you have a bottle of the store bought- maybe reuse it? I give the syrup a quick stir before using to be certain no chocolate has settled to the bottom. Not really sure how long this will keep as I can't keep it from running out before 2 weeks!

Homemade chocolate syrup
1 1/2 C water
1 1/2 C sugar
1 C cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla extract

Combine all ingredients except the vanilla in a small saucepan. Stir frequently as you heat to a boil; remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Cool slightly. Pour into a glass jar or other container. If using a glass jar, cool completely before putting in the refrigerator!!

I haven't tried this recipe using any artificial sweetener yet.. but I may try (store brand version) Splenda sometime.. if you try this recipe using sweetener or even as written, let me know how you liked it!

Mourning the loss of my cat..

2011-08-08T19:32:00.003-04:00

R.I.P. Buzz

Today was a difficult day for my family.... we had to euthanize a beloved family member, our cat Buzz. OK, we didn't HAVE to euthanize him, but he was fading so fast and seemed to be in pain- I felt it better to help him go peacefully verses gasping for every breath. Please bear with me as I use writing as my form of grief therapy:

Background. Buzz became a member of our family on my birthday, a little over 7 years ago. My hubby was deployed and I took our children (2 at that time) to the local Pet Co because they always seemed to have animals there from the humane society. It wasn't my intent to adopt a kitty, we usually went there just to pet the puppies (and kitties if they let us), then be on our way (Cheap way to entertain kids under 3!). Most of the kittens on these visits would run and hide under their cages. Those who didn't would quickly realize their mistake.(2 kids, under 3.. enough said.)

There were no puppies on this particular visit, so we attempted the kittens again. As before, most ran and hide. However, an adorable ball of black, long, fussy fur ran up to us! My daughter scooped him up by his belly, the poor cat dangling upside down at the mercy of a toddler!! She dropped him (gently) down and I thought surely now this kitty will run as others before him. He didn't. He went right back up to her, rubbed his face to her little legs and started purring. I watched in horror and awe as the kids pet him heavily, fearing they would hurt him... but they didn't and he loved the attention. I knew right then that this cat would be the perfect addition to our family. So we adopted him.

We brought the new kitten home a few days later (he had to be neutered, a requirement from the humane society). I pondered what to name this new addition, and both children only in the beginning of their language development were of little help to me. I thought and thought of a good name, easy for the kids to say and was drawing blanks.... until I looked at my son's shirt he wore that day. A Toy Story t-shirt with Buzz Lightyear on it. I thought.... hmm.. Buzz. Kid's liked the name, they could both say it. Done deal. Welcome home Buzz.

Buzz helped me emotionally through so much, as many pets do for the people in their lives. He always seemed to know when I needed him to jump on my lap, or rub against my leg. He would look at me and give an almost knowing "meow", if I seemed upset- as if to say "it's ok".
When he was young, we even taught him fetch! He would chase the kids around, and let them chase him in return... He would watch over them as they napped. He wasn't just the perfect cat for us, he became our perfect dog, too! He would always come to me when I would call his name and snap my fingers... and every night whenever hubby wasn't home, he would curl up and sleep beside me.

But a couple of weeks ago, Buzz began napping more. Otherwise, he seemed just fine. It's been terribly hot this year, and as we all were kinda lazier due to the weather, concern didn't cross my mind. Then last Wednesday, I noticed him breathing harder, with his mouth open. We ended up at a vet emergency clinic, where we discovered Buzz was in heart failure. Cardiomyopathy to be more precise. He was given oxygen treatment and his lungs were drained of the fluid that was making his breathing so difficult. We went home with some heart meds and water pills. Thursday and Friday Buzz seemed to be recovering, which made me so relieved. I was not ready to let him go! I felt so grateful he didn't die Wednesday night, and I truly hoped and thought he had a good chance at recovery, even tho his long term outlook was bleak (best case scenario, maybe 6 months to a year to live).

Buzz lasted only a few more days.. By Sunday night, blood clots had paralyzed his hind legs, he had no desire to eat or drink, nor had he "went potty" that whole day. I knew the end was near. He wouldn't/couldn't purr and he couldn't move. I hand fed him some yogurt and scrambled egg (I was trying everything to get something in him). He ate very little, seemed to take too much energy for him.

This morning, Buzz wasn't in his spot. For a moment I thought "oh good, he's better and able to walk again". Unfortunately no. During the night he dragged himself of to a corner in the family room, I believe to die. I walked over to him, he raised his head and said "meow", then laid his head down.. it took all of his remaining strength to say that meow to me... his last "it's ok". He felt so cold, and barely a response to anything I tried.. He began that dreaded rapid breathing and I knew.... today was his last day. I took him to the vet so she could give him that fatal shot, to spare him of the pain from the difficulty breathing and the pain the blood clots where giving him. Had I not took him, he still would of died, but at least I got to spare him some agony...

I can't help but keep thinking of that final meow this morning though. Even on his death bed, my beloved Buzz was concerned about me being upset, rather than at his own impending death. The way he looked up at me..... the tone of his meow..the fact that he used up his last ounce of energy to give me that final goodbye....

I could write a book on how wonderful Buzz was, and how much I loved him.. I know this post is way off topic from the subject of my blog, but I had to share this.

Do you have a family pet? If you do, do me a favor (and yourself).... give him/her a big hug and kiss and an "I love you".. Do it for every one in your house, not just your pet... because you never know when will be the last time, until it is.

Homemade liquid hand soap..the results!! (and revised recipe)

2011-08-06T20:23:00.000-04:00

I had attempted to make my own liquid hand soap recently (you can read about it here), and wanted to post an update on how that turned out for me. After letting the mixture sit overnight, it seemed to have turned into a gelatinous glob.....

kinda runny liquid soap

As you can see pictured on the left, I could barely squeeze the soap out! So I decided to add 4 more cups of water. I shook that up and let it sit for the day. Today I checked my soap, and it's not globby any more! However, after putting the soap into my hand pumps and trying it out, now I think it's a bit too runny! Maybe I jumped the gun a little bit... and should have added the water cup by cup! Next time I'll try 7 cups of water total! So my revised recipe for liquid hand soap will be :

1 C grated Ivory bar soap
1 T olive oil
1 1/2 tsp honey
7 C water

My slightly runny, almost like loose snot(sorry..just what it reminds me of!) liquid soap smells good (just like Ivory soap..imagine that! LOL), and does a fine job of cleaning hands! I will definitely do this again! Maybe I'll try a different recipe, tho. Yay for cheap homemade liquid hand soap!!! (My finished product using the 8 cups of water yielded 2 quarts of soap)

How about you? Do you have a recipe for liquid hand soap?

How being frugal makes you "green" while saving you some Green($$)!!

2011-08-05T19:24:00.000-04:00

I'm not really that Eco-friendly a person. Not that I don't want to be, but the reality for me is if I can get a purchase for something I know I can use for free, like cleaning supplies, soaps, etc... I'm hard pressed not to go ahead and get it and use it. Shame on me, I know :(.

But being frugal certainly can help you be more "green". Think about it:

1. If you're making your own cleaning supplies using natural products like vinegar, baking soda, lemon juice, tea tree oil, etc. Not only do you save a ton of $$, You are saving the environment of toxic chemical run off in the water supply (not to mention your home environment).

2. When you're frugal, you re-use/recycle/re-purpose many items around your house to fit your needs. $$ saver, plus not filling up the landfill.

3. You make more from scratch, and buy more items in bulk.. besides the $$ saved, you're cutting down on packaging waste and feeding your family less preservative/chemical laden foods.

4. As a frugal person, you already tend to waste not! Using every little bit of something up, and not just tossing it out helps our world!

Did you realize just how earth friendly you are just by being frugal??? I'm sure there's many more connections between frugality and green living... do you have a frugal tip that's green to share?

Trying homemade liquid hand soap

2011-08-04T10:33:00.003-04:00

We go through a lot of hand soap in my house. (My kids are good hand washers to a fault!) Usually, I get liquid hand soap for free or dirt cheap using coupons and sales, but sometimes we run out before that good sale with coupons cycles back around and I'm too ~~cheap~~ frugal to pay full price. Bar soap is inexpensive, but I really dislike using bar soap for hand washing.. it tends to get stuck to the sink counter, leaving a gooey, slimy mess to clean. Today I decided to bite the bullet and attempt making some liquid hand soap at home.

There are countless recipes out there for making it, I wasn't sure which one to try! So I combined a few to come up with a concoction using what I already had on hand.

Here's what I used:
1 C grated Ivory bar soap
1 T olive oil
1 1/2 tsp honey
4 C water

Additional items needed:
cheese grater
spoon/spatula for stirring
pot
funnel
container(s) to put finished soap in

My bar of Ivory soap was 4.5 oz. Grated down, it made about 2 C worth of flakes. I put 1 C in a Ziploc bag for future use.

I placed the remaining cup of flakes into the pot with 2 cups of the water. Heated it up until the flakes dissolved; stirring often.
Once the soap was melted, I added the olive oil and honey.

I turned my burner off and mixed in the remaining 2 cups of water. I let this sit until it cooled to close to room temp (took 30 mins, but I'm sure that varies).
Then, using a funnel I poured the soap mixture into an old plastic container. This made about a quart of liquid soap.

Now, I have read that a lot of times once the soap sets, it tends to gel and clump up. I know that's what my homemade laundry detergent does- it's icky to look at, but cleans my clothes well enough. But for hand soap... wouldn't want that! I could just imagine........

"May I use your bathroom, Rae?"
"Oh sure, first door on the left"
(...minutes later...)
"Uh, I think you're soap dispenser is broke, I couldn't get anything to come out.."
"Oh, it's not broke.. you just need to shake it for a minute, unscrew the pump lid, ooze a clump onto your hands and voila!"
(...brow furrowed in a what in the world?? kind of face..)
"Um...OK... your weird!"
Hahaha... ok, funnier in my head than how it typed.

Well, liquid soap is made, I'll leave it alone overnight and see how it turns out in the morning... Stay tuned!!
P.S. See how my soap turned out here (I revised the recipe a bit)

Cleaning the inside of your coffeemaker

2011-08-02T21:11:00.002-04:00

My beloved coffeemaker gets a lot of use in my household. 2 pots a day is the standard for me, even during the summer. Winter time sometimes means 3 pots! Now, my hubby does drink coffee too- probably a pots worth for him. Even if you only make a pot a day, or a week... you still need to care for your coffeemaker. Deposits from your water can build up inside your coffeemaker, giving your wake up juice a slightly bitter or off taste to it. Most manufacturers recommend cleaning your coffeemaker every 3 months, however with my household's usage I prefer to clean mine once a month. I own a Bunn now, in which the manufacturer also recommends de-liming occasionally. (De-liming means taking a special metal tool and shoving it in the spray head tube) That's something I do every 3 months. But today, I just did a basic cleaning.

For basic cleaning all you need is vinegar, measuring cup and water. Vinegar does a fantastic job at loosening and removing minerals that have accumulated inside your coffeemaker.

My Bunn has a water reservoir that always has hot water inside. When I pour a decanter of cold water in, the water that brews out is the hot water inside the reservoir. If your coffeemaker doesn't have a reservoir like that, it'll be much easier and faster to clean!

To clean a coffeemaker without a hot water reservoir:
1. Pour 4 C of vinegar into coffeemaker
2. Let that sit for 1-2 hours
3. Turn your coffeemaker on to brew
4. empty the vinegar out of the decanter
5. Brew 4-5 pots (or more if needed) of plain water to remove any excess vinegar
Clean your decanter (pot), coffee filter funnel and sprayhead with soap and water

clearing out the vinegar

To clean a coffeemaker with a hot water reservoir: (Bunn styles)
1. Pour 4 C vinegar into coffeemaker; close lid to brew. Empty decanter.
2. Let sit plugged in for 2 hours
3. Unplug coffeemaker, remove the coffee filter funnel and sprayhead, clean with soap and water
4. Cool the coffeemaker by pouring a full pot of cold water into it. When water has stopped flowing into decanter, empty decanter and repeat the process again. Set decanter aside.
5. Turn coffeemaker upside down over the sink to drain all the water out of the reservoir.
6. Pour a pot of fresh water into the coffeemaker; close the lid and wait 3 minutes. Repeat with a second pot of water. Water will flow out of the funnel now. When it stops, empty the decanter and pour one more full pot of water into the coffeemaker.
7. Replace the sprayhead and funnel. Pour more pots of fresh water into the coffeemaker until the water is clear of the vinegar (2-3 times is enough for me)
8. Plug coffeemaker back in and wait at least 15 minutes before using. (water needs to heat back up)

These two methods are how I've always cleaned my coffeemakers but if you have your use and care manual handy, go by that! Also, if you want to be water wise and not wasteful- DON'T just pour your used vinegar water down the drain! I empty my decanter into a bucket, then use that water (plus maybe a little more vinegar or a dash a dish soap) to mop my floors.

How do you clean your coffeemaker and how often???? Do you recycle your coffee cleaner water?

P.S. If you own a Bunn, here's a link to their site showing the de-liming and basic cleaning instructions (better written than mine... sorry!)
http://www.bunnathome.com/maintenance/velocity-brew/velocity-brew-cleaning-maintenance

Coffee and a recipe for Homemade Vanilla Coffee Creamer

2011-08-02T19:02:00.004-04:00

OH HOW I LOVE COFFEE!
Anyone who knows me knows that coffee pumps through my veins! It's a huge addiction of mine.. seems I can never refuse a cup! Even in the heat of the summer, I'll catch myself mindlessly setting up the coffee maker to brew a fresh pot almost every evening. I tend to like my coffee the same way I like my life; fairly simple with a little extra something! One way I do that is I always put a dash or two of fresh cinnamon in with my coffee grounds.. I don't know, it gives my cup of Joe just a little hint of extra yumminess! I also LOVE vanilla flavored coffee creamer.. seems the perfect combination with my cinnamon coffee. However, the price of flavored creamers of any kind is outrageous, not to mention have you looked at the ingredients list? I have... kinda scary to me. So here's a recipe to make your own vanilla creamer..

1 Can sweetened condensed milk (or 1 recipe worth, found here)
1 1/2 C milk (If you wanna use powdered milk, use 1/2 C powdered milk and 1 1/2 C water)
1 T vanilla extract

Just mix this all together and keep in the fridge. Good for a week or two..unless you make it using fresh milk, then go by the expiration date on your carton of milk. If you use store bought canned milk and regular milk you may only save a few pennies. I prefer to make this with the powdered milk and the recipe for sweet con. milk so it's way cheaper than store bought creamer. This makes a little over 3 cups, and only costs me about $0.91 to make! (using the powdered milk & homemade sweet con. milk) That breaks down to $.035/oz.. the store brand creamer I was buying costs $2.38/32oz.. that's $.074/oz

Do you have a favorite coffee creamer recipe? How do you like your coffee? Comment below!

P.S. In case for some strange reason I would never understand- (hahaha) You don't care for coffee, or want to know another use for this recipe - pour into your blender with ice cubes and voila! Kinda like a lighter version of a vanilla milk shake! Not as creamy and rich, but still very tasty.. great in a pinch on hot summer days!

Versatile homemade chocolate mix recipe

2011-07-31T23:17:00.005-04:00

I love versatile recipes.. ya know, those recipes that can be used in many different ways? I'm always on the look out for base recipes that can be altered slightly for different applications. Now this chocolate mix recipe is good for either serving warm as a fudge topping, cooled to use as a pudding, or frozen for a delicious Popsicle treat! One recipe, at least 3 possibilities!!! OOOh I love that!!

Chocolate mix
4 C instant dry milk powder
1 1/2 C sugar
1/2 C unsweetened baking cocoa
1 C flour
1/2 C cold butter

Combine the milk powder, sugar, flour and cocoa in a large bowl. Cut in the butter using a pastry blender or fork until crumbly. You really want to incorporate the butter in. You can freeze this mix in an airtight container for up to 6 months, or refrigerate it for 3 months.

Additional ingredients to prepare:
2 1/2 C water
1 tsp vanilla

To make a batch, in a small saucepan whisk 2 C of the mix and water. Bring to a boil, simmer until it thickens, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.

Cool slightly and either:

1. Serve warm over ice cream, waffles or whatever else you like a thick chocolate sauce on ( as written, this makes at least 4 C .. you may want to half it for sauce!)

2. Pour into serving dishes or a bowl, refrigerate until chilled for pudding (cover with plastic so you don't form a skin on the top.. unless you like pudding skin :) )

3. Pour into Popsicle molds or fill little cups; cover with plastic or aluminum foil and insert a Popsicle stick.. freeze for several hours and you have fudge pops! ( My kids favorite summer treat)

A little hint when you pouring into Popsicle molds: I use a funnel- makes it a little less messy! You can portion this out any way that suits your needs.When I make a batch I can get 6 Popsicles and 3 single serve puddings.. perfect for after school snacks for my guys.

Homemade sweetened condensed milk recipe

2011-07-30T21:14:00.001-04:00

Have a recipe calling for a can of sweetened condensed milk to make but then realize you don't have a can hiding in your pantry? Well, if you have powdered milk on hand, I have a solution for you! This recipe makes the equivalent of a 14oz can, and for me costs about $0.47 to make vs the store brand that's around $1.38 a can! It really does taste the same, at least it does to me..I make this recipe once a week for my homemade vanilla coffee creamer.

Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 C instant dry milk powder ( I use store brand)
1 C sugar
1 Tablespoon butter
1/2 C hot water

Melt the butter and heat the water in the microwave (or on the stove if you prefer). While that's heating, mix the milk powder and sugar in a bowl. Add the melted butter and hot water and whisk very well. You can throw it all into a blender to mix too, but I like mixing stuff by hand.... good arm exercise! Ha ha...

The only time I will buy the canned variety is if I can get it cheaper than it costs to make. That doesn't happen very often, but around the holiday season you may find some good coupons (and if you have a store that doubles coupons, you may get some cans very cheap or free!)

Powdered Milk

2011-07-29T20:06:00.011-04:00

Yeah, yeah.. powdered milk.. not the MOST appealing to drink, I know.. but it's not THAT terrible in a pinch! (I gotta make sure it's nice and cold, adding a tsp of vanilla helps it taste better too!) Powdered milk for me is usually less expensive than its liquid counterpart.. though not by a huge margin. In my area I can get a 4 lb box of powdered milk for $11.98. The non sale price of a gallon of milk at the moment is $2.98. Now a 4 lb box has approx. 80 servings which equals to about $0.149 /serving. A gallon has 16 servings and is about $0.186/serving. I realize that's only a savings of $0.037/serving... not even 4 cents!! But, every penny adds up.. it's a savings of $2.96/80 servings.. and if you figure a whole years worth of milk usage at a gallon a week... that's $30.78 saved!(We use more than a gallon of week in this house though!) If you don't like drinking powdered milk or just prefer the "real" thing... use powdered milk for your recipes.. that's what I do. I use the powdered milk for making flavored drinks (like iced coffee), in place of milk in recipes and to make some of my "convenience staples"- as I like to call them. Homemade sweetened condensed milk and homemade vanilla coffee creamer are two recipes I make often with it.

Do you already use powdered milk? What recipes do you use it in? Please share!

Keeping cool with no pool

2011-07-29T20:03:00.000-04:00

It's hot in the summer time! When we moved, we left our beloved pool.. our oasis to keeping cool while playing outside.. oh how I can't wait to get a pool at our new home.. but that's not happening this year! And those water toys at the stores are a bit pricey for my taste.. So what's a mom to do? Well, for some cheap alternatives I've put water into buckets, given the kids some plastic cups and let them splash each other while running around. Of course we can use the sprinkler too.. water the grass and let the kids cool down at the same time. When we had a play set (at the old house) with a slide, we'd hook up the hose at the top and lay some landscaping plastic at the bottom (tucked under the slide) for a homemade slip n slide! Since we don't have a slide either at the new house, hubby had the great idea to use our little hill! He attached the landscaping plastic (that was given to us a long time ago.. apparently we don't use it for landscaping..hehehe) to the ground using plastic stakes that came with a tent we bought years ago. He was nice enough to stand there with the hose and let the kids go sliding down the hill! They had a blast! However you really wanna make sure the plastic is wet so the kiddos can actually slide down!

What ways do you keep cool outside with no pool?

When it's too HOT to COOK!!

2011-07-28T19:30:00.001-04:00

yeah.. too hot!!

Wow the summer we've been having this year! I've just moved into a "new" house a couple of months ago, and unfortunately it doesn't have central air conditioning.. it doesn't have any HVAC system actually :( But we are planning on installing a furnace and duct work and yeah.. hopefully an a/c unit this fall. Doesn't help now though!! Today, like many days here lately, it's been just too darn hot for me to want to cook! Even standing outside minding the grill has become unbearable for me. But, we gotta eat! We've done cold sandwiches with raw veggies on such nights, my kids love to build their own sandwiches and especially using tortillas to make roll-ups. Tonight we opted for simple. The kids were gone most of the day spending time with their grandma and swimming in the lake at her house, so when they came home they were wore out and hungry! So we decided on salad tonight and a glass of homemade sweet tea... I love salads.

You can toss whatever you have in a bowl and call it good! Pasta salads, meat salads, bean salads... woo-hoo! Tonight I threw some romaine and iceberg lettuce, tomato, carrot, onion, broccoli, pine nuts and cheese in a bowl and am calling it supper! (with grapes on the side.. I like to toss my grapes right in, but SOME of the shorter people in my house prefer them on the side) How do you like your salads? Do you have any favorite go to meal on those too-hot-to-cook nights you'd like to share?

My Homemade sweet iced tea

2011-07-28T19:23:00.002-04:00

Tea is a great, inexpensive beverage, and better for you than soda. Hot tea when the weather's cold is a soothing warm comfort, but when the weather's hot... time to switch to cold tea! I make tea a gallon at a time, and we go through it! I don't bother buying those bigger tea bags labelled for iced tea.. not sure why but they tend to cost more than the little individual bags (I buy store brand).. so I just use those. I have two methods for making my sweet iced tea. One is using my coffee maker to brew the tea.

I put 16 individual tea bags in the pot, (making sure to have the tags hanging out for easier removal) and wait until the water is done brewing. I let it steep for 10-15 minutes, then I remove the bags and put 1 3/4 C sugar in the pot, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Then I pour the tea mixture into a gallon pitcher along with enough cold water to equal the gallon. The other method is using the microwave. I put 4 cups of water into a microwave safe cup (I use my glass measuring cup) and heat it until boiling (usually about 5 mins. in my microwave). Once the water is heated I take the cup out of the microwave, dissolve my sugar into it and then put in my tea bags. I let that steep about the same amount of time as the coffee maker method (or sometimes an hour... cause I forget what I'm doing- lol) Then I do the same as above, pour into a gallon pitcher with enough water to reach a gallon.. Sometimes I put the bags into the pitcher as well and let it steep over night,sometimes I put the sugar in the pitcher and then add the hot tea, and sometimes I'll use a sugar substitute like Splenda instead of sugar, just depends on my mood. How do you like to make your sweet tea?