12-4-10

I'm all for making recipes with cheaply bought

ingredients! Here are a few I have found to make
for the Holidays.

.Cheddar Cheese Spritz cookies: Makes about 24 cookies..
You can make these in straight lines
instead of wreaths.

You will need a star disk for this in a cookie press.




You Need:1/2 cup unsalted butter,3tbsp heavy cream,1 cup all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup finely grated sharp Cheddar cheese,1 tbsp finely grated Parmesan cheese,1 tsp Baking pd,1tsp sugar,1/2 tsp salt.You can add some herbs and 1/2tsp lemon zest if you like.




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I started browsing my Pillsbury mini cookbooks,
those kind you find at the checkout at the grocery store.
I have somewhere between 300-400 of them.
I've been getting them from yard sales at a fraction
of the cost.

Anyway I ran across a recipe called
candy clay.
It is made from chocolate candy coating
or chocolate bark.
You can mold it into any shape you desire!
Click on photo to enlarge to see recipe.
Sorry I didn't feel like writing it out
so I cheated and took pictures of it.
I'm thinking about making candy canes
and possibly pressing this into candy molds.
...
I have this mold somewhere and I've
always wanted to do a chocolate toolbox
filled with tools for the maintenance guys
but had a problem using melted chocolate with it and getting
it to come out of the mold
without breaking.
If I find the mold I might give this a try with the
candy clay.

---------------------------------------------------------------

Here's another recipe I found in a
Jello & Cool Whip cookbook.

Easy Rocky Road Fudge

This recipe doesn't require any
chocolate chips so it fits better into my budget!
You could also emit the nuts for an even cheaper version.
Try rice krispies store brand cereal instead for the crunch.
Or Dollar Tree sells a variety of nuts for $1.00.
Store brand pudding is cheaper than Jello!

.
OR here is another cheap version of fudge.

1- 12 oz bag chips, melt 90 seconds in microwave, take out & stir, add 1 can white frosting, (not whipped) stir, microwave another 90 seconds, take out, stir well, pour into a greased pan (8x8 is size I used) chill till set, about 1/2 hour.

Here are some ideas:

.German chocolate (coconut & pecan) frosting and milk chocolate chips.

.Peanut butter chips/chocolate frosting – tastes like a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup.

.Mint chocolate chips/chocolate frosting – tastes like an Andes mint .

.Cherry chips/chocolate frosting – tastes like a chocolate-covered cherry .

.white frosting with white chips and added coconut and slivered almonds..

peanut butter chips with white frosting for peanut butter fudge

.Pina Colada Fudge
1(12-ounce) package (2 cups) white vanilla chips
1 (3.25-ounce) jar macadamia nuts, chopped, toasted
1 (16-ounce) can Creamy Supreme Vanilla Frosting
1/2 cup chopped dried pineapple
1/2 cup coconut, toasted
1 teaspoon rum extract
1 teaspoon coconut extract

Line 8- or 9-inch square pan with foil, extending foil over edges. Place chips in medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high for 1 to 2 minutes or until melted, stirring every 15 seconds until smooth.
Reserve ¼ cup nuts for garnish. Add remaining nuts and all remaining ingredients to melted chip mixture; mix well. Spread in foil-lined pan. Sprinkle with reserved nuts. Refrigerate 1 hour or until firm. Remove fudge from pan by lifting foil. Remove foil; cut into squares.
Makes 36 squares..
-------------------------------------------
.Favorite Cookies and Cream Fudge
1 (12 oz.) pkg. vanilla chips
1 can cookies and cream frosting
10 oreos, cut in quarters
3 oreos, crushed

Line an 8 inch square pan with foil. Melt chips over low heat. Remove from heat. Add frosting. Stir in quartered oreos, and mix until well coated. Quickly spread into pan. Sprinkle with crushed cookies.
Refrigerate 1 hour until firm..

And remember to save those frosting containers!
Cut out wrapping paper and glue to sides
to give it a more festive look.
Put your cut up fudge inside to give as gifts!
.

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You're gonna needs some of these
after doing Christmas shopping!
Got me and mom some :0)

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You have a choice between extra strength,
migraine or pm.

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Crock Pot Potpourri

You usually have these things when
baking so why not throw a few ingredients
in your potpourri pot to make your house smell good!

You have reached your maximum guest watch list limit of 10 items.
Please remove some items from your watch list in My eBay if you want to add more.

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Christmas Simmering potpourri

Simple and great smelling. I like to mix the dry ingredients up in little Ziploc's to have them ready to add to water during the holiday season.

3 cinnamon sticks
3 bay leaves
1/4 cup whole cloves
1 teaspoon ground cloves
2 lemon slices, fresh or 2 tablespoons dried lemon peel
2 tablespoons orange peel or dried orange peel
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 quart water

Mix all ingredients in medium saucepan. Simmer on low heat. Add more water as needed.

-------------------------------------------



------------------------------------------------

Spent most the afternoon putting up
Christmas lights & decorations.
Got done around 4:30pm.

........

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6:30PM

This evening I got a hankerin' for some
cookies. I made up 2 1/2 dozen peanut butter cookies.
I had some leftover chocolate from making
the snowman pretzels so rolled the edges of
the cookies in that. Yum yum!!
.


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More Spritz Cookie recipes & ideas.

Classic Spritz Cookies from Wilton

Ingredients:

• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 1/2 cups butter softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon no-color almond extract

Makes: 7-8 dozen cookies.

instructions

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

In bowl, combine flour and baking powder. In large bowl, beat butter and sugar with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add egg, milk, vanilla and almond extract; mix well. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture; beat until combined. Do not chill. Fill cookie press with dough and with desired disks, press cookies onto ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 10-12 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool 2 minutes on cookie sheet on cooling rack. Remove from sheet; cool completely.

.

1 cup butter, softened (I use margarine)
3 egg yolks
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract


Mix the margarine, sugar, egg yolks and vanilla, add flour and mix by hand.


Spoon into cookie press,then press onto ungreased cookie sheets. Sprinkle with colored sugars.


Bake in preheated 400 degrees F oven for 7-10 minutes. ( keep a careful eye on the temp & time in oven)!.

.

.

Key Lime Spritz Cookies

.

.

Ingredients

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. baking powder

1 egg

1 tsp. finely shredded key lime or lime peel (set aside)

2 tsp. key lime or lime juice

2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Coarse sugar (optional)

Lime Icing (optional)

Green colored sugar (optional)

Directions

1. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add granulated sugar, salt and baking powder. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg and juice until combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Using a wooden spoon, stir in any remaining flour and the lime peel.

2. Place unchilled dough into cookie press fitted with template. Force dough through cookie press, forming desired shapes, 1 inch apart, onto ungreased cookie sheets. If you like, sprinkle cookies with coarse sugar.

3. Bake in a 400 degree F. oven for 6 to 8 minutes or until edges are firm but not brown. Transfer cookies to wire racks and let cool. If you like, drizzle with Lime Icing; let stand 20 minutes or until set. Or, dip tops of cookies in Lime Icing, if you like, and sprinkle with green sugar. Let stand until set.

4. Store undrizzled cookies in tightly covered container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months. Makes about 84 cookies.

Lime Icing
In a small bowl stir together 3/4 cup powdered sugar, 1-1/2 teaspoons lime juice and enough milk (2 to 3 teaspoons) to make drizzling consistency. If desired, tint pale green with food coloring. Makes about 1/3 cup icing.

------------------------------------------------

Chocolate-Mocha Spritz Cookies

Ingredients:

Yield:

90 90

90-120

Servings Size

• Spritz cookies

Spritz cookies

• 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted
• 2 1/4 cups flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons cocoa powder, heaped
• 1 teaspoon instant coffee granules, mixed in
• 1 teaspoon boiling water

Change Measurements: US | Metric

Directions:

Prep Time: 30 mins

Total Time: 37 mins

1. Preheat oven to 400F (200 degrees C).
2. Combine the flour and salt in a small bowl, stir to mix.
3. Beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy, Beat in egg and vanilla.
4. Add the chocolate, beat again, add coffee and cocoa powder.
5. Gradually add the the flour mixture while making.
6. Fit a cookie press with desired plate and fill the press with dough, press the dough 1 inch apart onto a ungreased cookie sheet. If you don't have a press, I'm sure you could use a pasty bag and pipe shapes.
7. Bake batches for 7 mins or until set (you might want to play around with timings as most ovens are unique). Note these cookies harden whilst they cool, I would also recommend using a mixer unless your super strong as it's quite a lot of dough.

--------------------------------------

Jello Spritz Cookies

Makes about 9 dozen

1 box (3 ounce) Jello
1/2 cup (8 tablespoons, 1 stick) butter, softened
2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cup flour

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together butter, shortening, jello, and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time. Beat in vanilla.
3. Add salt and baking powder, mix well. Gradually add flour. Mix well.
4. Using a spritz cookie press, press dough onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a silpat. [Alternatively, you could use a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip (or play around with other tips) to make freehand shapes].
5. Bake for about 8 minutes. Don’t brown the cookies, they should be just firm to touch when done.
6. Cool on a rack. Store in an airtight container. These cookies can also be frozen to be eaten later.

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12-3-10

Tony has requested some chocolate
covered pretzel sticks after seeing some
of the snowman ones I did.
I've made them before as gifts with
sprinkles, crushed cookies, nuts, crushed peppermints,
crushed cereal, etc.

12 ounces chocolate bark or chocolate chips
2 Tablespoons shortening
Melt in a pot over low heat and dip or
spoon over desired food.
You could also cut the pretzel rods in
half and make smaller ones.

Give them as gifts. Put into clear party sized
bags from Dollar Tree with some curling ribbon
or
how about a candy jar full of them to give as a gift.
Just ideas not my own pics.

from taste of home

.
At the moment the pretzel rods are about
$1.67 at Kroger and the baker's chocolate
bark is $2.50 for white or chocolate which
comes in about 8 blocks of chocolate.

The problem I had been having with making them
is finding a way to stand them when drying.
I might search around for some thick styrofoam
and poke holes in the bottom to stand them in
while drying in the fridge.

--------------------------------------------------------------

8:25am

Well me and mom did our good deed this morning.
The bus arrived 5 minutes early causing one of
the neighbor kids to miss the bus.
We asked his grandma if
she would like us to take him to school since
we were already in the car, so we did.

----------------------------------------------------------
..
Meijers just posted their ad for a sneak
peek into next weeks sales.
I wanted to tell ya about them having
a Bachmann Pacific Flyer/ Thoroughbred Train set
for $40.00.
(plus I get another 10% discount because my oldest son works there! So $36.00 for me, yeah!)
This is an HO scale.
Includes: Diesel engine, 2 freight cars and caboose, 47" x 38" oval of snap-fit E-Z Track® with 12 pieces of curved track, 1 piece straight track, and 1 straight plug-in terminal rerailer, power pack and speed controller, plus illustrated instruction manual.

I have a child that LOVES trains.
So while I am not an expert with model railroads,
I do have more knowledge than your average Joe,
I do know they can be quite expensive.

I think we've been to every train show,
museum and train rides there are in central Ohio
to Hocking Hills!

A decent battery operated train set can run about $20 to $30
so this electric powered set is a very good deal!
Bachmann is a dependable name when it comes
to model railroading!
I priced them elsewhere online and saw them
going for $60 to $90.

Once I get the basement finished and set up
as a rec/family room, we plan on setting up
a train table for Christopher.

Actual train pieces and parts for buildings
and scenery can be very expensive.
One year my friend Kendra gave us TONS
of Christmas village buildings and accessories.
While I don't have enough room to display them all
at Christmas time, I saved them all for use on
the train track display we will build.

So if your son is into trains like mine is
start looking for those Christmas villages & accessories
to be marked down after Christmas and give
them another use other than for Christmas.
It can be much cheaper than shopping
at an actual train or hobby store!!

-----------------------------------------------------

11:45am

.
Just got done making
a total of 18 chocolate covered
snowman pretzels.
They still need their fruit roll up scarves.
I think I'm gonna reconsider making 50+
of these for the kids school since
they are time consuming.
These will go in family, friend's & neighbor's
goody bags.

--------------------------------------------

12:00pm

Tide Stain Release Spray

.1st 5,000 Get Free Tide Stain Release Pre-Treat Spray (NOON EASTERN) » Deal Wise Mommy www.dealwisemommy.net

The Tide giveaway start today at noon EST. They will be giving away 5,000 Tide Stain Release Pre-treat Sprays!

Sorry these are gone!
I just barely got mine, whew!
Went to sign up for one for mom
and that quick it said all 5,000 were gone.

---------------------------------------------------

I had gone to Speedway this morning
and got my step-dad a newspaper.
While standing in line I noticed the paper
was $2.00. I thought geesh the newspaper
went up! Then I checked the date and it
was last Sunday's newspaper from 5 days ago!
There was still a stack of them leftover for sale.
Needless to say I switched it for today's paper.
I can't figure out why they still have
the Sunday paper out for people to buy.

--------------------------------------------------

This weekend we'll be putting up outdoor Christmas lights.
We're a little behind with getting that done.
Got all the Christmas lights and yard ornaments out
and ready to go.
Do you think the extension cords were with them all
or can be found? Heck no.
Now I have to go out and buy outdoor extension cords, grrr.
Where can I go to buy a couple cheap ones???

----------------------------------------

5:45pm

Got supper done with
the black & bleu burgers,
sooo good, served with onions,
cheese slice, horseradish, pickles, mayo & ketchup.
and a side of steak fries.

While cooking supper I got my two carts
set up and ready for baking. I am so loving
this idea! It frees up my counters.
It's like a rolling baking pantry on wheels.
I'm gonna use the top & bottom racks
as cooling racks for my cookies,
that's why I didn't put anything on them.
And I told the kids, if it's on the cart
don't touch or eat it!!

...Here's what all is on my carts:
cookie mixes, coconut, caramels, chocolate chips,
candies, sprinkles, spices, extracts, nuts, marshmallows,
baking cups, cereal, bark chocolate,
brown paper lunch bags & ribbon.

----------------------------------------

Why is it when you seem to hit 40
that the things you usually do, now hurt more to do
or if you get a simple injury it is more severe than before.

Today I ran my knee into the door jamb of mom's
truck this morning when getting in.
I'm used to bangs and bumps, getting a bruise
and healing. Not this time. My upper knee cap
hurts allot to the touch. I can't win. Guess with
getting older you have to be more careful with what
you do.
I ain't saying nothing to doc about it Tuesday when I visit him.
He'd be sending me out again for more xrays.
And after this visit I don't want any more visits
for awhile.
Today I had one doctor bill come.
It was for my foot xray. Would have cost $261 but
with insurance I pay $24.00.
I still have another xray I got for my chest
to check for pneumonia, which I still don't
know the results of 2 weeks later.
Then all the other hospital bills I haven't gotten yet. So it's only getting started.
I am hoping that between this week and next to get
my prize money from Downy. That would be nice
right about now.
When younger I would stub my toe so many times
I lost count, step on nails, and pull other foreign objects
from my feet and have no problem from running around barefoot.
Hit 40 and drop an empty bucket on your foot and get a little
cut and risk the chance of having your toe cut off.
Getting old sucks!!

12-2-10

Do you get itchy, dry skin this time of year?
Try an oatmeal bath.
Put anywhere from about a 1/2 to 2 cups of instant oatmeal
into pieces of pantyhose and tie up.
Wet the oatmeal bag and keep squeezing into
your bath water. Use the bag to rub
over your body.
This is so much cheaper than buying those
packets which can run about $6.00 for an 8 pack.
If you don't have pantyhose you can do like I do
and put the oatmeal into a food processor and
grind down into fine particles and just add
it straight to your bath water.
I keep one container of regular oatmeal
and one container of ground up oatmeal that I can
use in the bath or make a paste with and apply
directly to the skin for poison ivy or bee stings.

For those of you who may get W.I.C. and
have too much instant baby cereal,
you can use that also in your bath!



How about making some oatmeal bath
gifts in a jar for someone on your Christmas list.
Here's a recipe for an oatmeal cookie bath or
oatmeal cookies & milk bath.
Not sure how economical it is to make since
it has dry milk powder in it and that can
get expensive. They do sell powdered milk at Aldis.
Oatmeal Cookies & Milk Bath

1 cup cornstarch
2 cups powdered milk
1/2 cup oatmeal (not instant)
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Mix all ingredients in blender or food processor until it is a fine powder. Just add 2 tablespoons of the mixture to your bathwater for a soothing bath.

. ---------------------------------------------------------------

9:20am

Got all my bills and rebates done, whew!
I had $47.00 total in rebates
from Pep Boys!

Cleaned out my purse. What a mess
with papers everywhere.
Found all sorts of coupons in there, lol,
from where I picked them up in stores
or got catalinas.
I had 4 freebie coupons for things
like ibuprofen, poise pads, chocolate &
2 liter Big K pop. Luckily they haven't
expired and I can still use them.

I also found more coupons
for the Krusteaz cookie mixes!
Forgot that the kids had picked up
a bunch of coupons for me during one
of our grocery trips.
$1.49 x's 10 is $14.90
minus $10 in coupons
makes it $4.90 for 10 or .49 cents each!!
Gonna have to go back and get 10 more.
That will be 20 boxes of cookie mixes I'll have, lol.
These are regular $2.29 each x's 10 is $22.90
when not on sale and without coupons!

I feel better that bills & rebates are out
of the way now. One less thing to worry about.
Now I can work on Christmas baking!

Still need to work on Christmas cards.
The other day my insurance company sent
me a sheet of 51 free Christmas address labels!
That was nice of them. I can use those on my cards.
I usually include school photos of the kids
in each card. And this year if I can get my printer
to work, I might make up some seed packets
from the flowers I grew this past Summer.

-----------------------------------------------------

Wasn't quite sure what to have for supper tonight
until I was rummaging around in my pantry for baking
supplies when I ran across a couple cans of chili.

CHILI MAC

1 box elbow macaroni
2 cans Hormel chili
1 jar salsa or 1 large can diced tomatoes
1 pound ground turkey
1 small onion diced

---------------------------------

3:15pm

I made a couple things today.
I got started on making the snowman
pretzel rods.
.Then I made Mint Chocolate Apple Crisps,
the name I gave them.
I cored and slices 3 apples.
Then put the apples in water with a little lemon juice
to keep them from browning.
.Then in a small sauce pan melted
2 Tablespoon shortening,
a box of Andes Mints
and 1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
over low heat.
.While the chocolate was melting
I added a cup of cocoa krispies
and a 1/2 cup nut topping to a bowl and combined together.
.Next I poked the apple slices with skewers
and held over the melted chocolate.
I spooned the chocolate over the apple
slice until completely covered.
..
Then rolled the chocolate covered apple slice
into the cereal & nut mixture.
I then poked the skewer into an empty box
to allow the chocolate to set up somewhat.
Once completed I sat them in the fridge
until the chocolate hardened and I was
able to remove the skewers.
These would look nice on a fruit tray
during the holidays.
I made some with mint chocolate and no topping.
..---------------------------------------------

When making Christmas goodies, remember to make
some for your trash man, mailman or whoever
you deal with on a weekly basis.
I'm thinking about making a goody bag or tin
of baked goods and leaving it in the mailbox
with the flag up for the mailman.
Knowing my luck I'd have a substitute mailman
that day, lol.

--------------------------------------------------------

A quick and easy way to make freezer meals
is to double your recipes when making your
regular supper meals. Not everyone has time
to spend the day making a variety of meals
for the freezer. I know some days I don't.
Like tonight I am making a double pot
of chili mac. Half will be eaten for supper
and lunch tomorrow and the other half
will be packed up for the freezer.
If you do this for a month straight you could
accumulate a month's worth of meals in your freezer
and it really doesn't take any extra time out of your day to do.
.And these meals didn't cost all that much to make.
1 box elbow macaroni .50 cents
1 large can whole tomatoes .49 cents
2 cans Hormel no bean chili .66 cents
1.2 pound pkg ground turkey $1.39

Ya gotta remember I shop the mark down bins,
clearance sections and use coupons to
get things at those prices.

When boiling the macaroni I poured the
extra juice from the tomatoes in the pot as well.

TOTAL COST for 2 meals (about 10 servings)
$3.04
or .30 cents a serving

Think about it,
if you do freezer meals this way
you would only have to
fix supper 6 months out of the year!!
The other 6 months you'll just spend
warming up premade meals.
(ok, minus the holidays, lol)

Large butter bowls are just
the right size to put family meals in!
.----------------------------------------------------------------------

8:55pm

Just returned from Kroger.
Yeah I splurged this week with my grocery spending
but I got some really good deals
to add to my stockpile that should last
quite awhile.
Plus there was a couple weeks not long ago
with being sick and all that I didn't go shopping
so it all equals out in the end.

I absolutely LOVED my cashier tonight!!
She loved to see how much I had saved
and was interested in how much I paid
for certain items after the coupons.
When taking off my coupons she even
went as far as double checking to see
if she took off 10 of certain coupons I had,
which it was a good thing because she missed
a few.
Why can't I have cashiers like this all the time???!!!

TOTAL BEFORE COUPONS & SALES
$112.09

TOTAL SPENT
$36.94

TOTAL SAVED
$75.15
.
My receipt says I saved $71.35
but they don't include the savings
when you buy items that are manager
specials so I also included that in there.
I got 3 items from the mark down bin.
..

-Farfalle Pasta 12 oz box
was $1.39
marked down to .69 cents

-28 oz can crushed tomatoes
was .93 cents
marked down to .49 cents

-28 oz can baked beans
was $1.40
marked down to .69 cents

My other deals.
I had some coupons I took with
me but picked up about 15 more
from blinkies and off boxes in the store.


Big K 2 liter diet cherry cola
reg. .80 cents
I paid: FREE!!

4 two liters diet mountain dew
reg. $1.69 x's 4 is $6.76
I paid .39 cents each
I saved $5.20!!

6 two liters diet sierra mist
reg. $1.69 x's 6 is $10.14
I paid .39 cents each
I saved $7.80!!

4 two liters diet sunkist
reg. $1.63 x's 4 is $6.52
I paid .38 cents each
I saved $5.00!!

10 boxes Orville Reddenbacker Gourmet microwave popcorn
3 packs-
(spicy nacho, caramel corn, kettle corn, movie theater butter,
cheddar cheese, salt & pepper etc)
Reg. $3.29 each x's 10 is $32.90
but 10 and get them for $1.49 each x's 10 is $14.90
$1.00 blinkie machine coupons x's 10
I paid $4.90 for 10 boxes
I SAVED $28.00!!

10 boxes Krusteaz cookie mixes
reg. $2.29 x's 10 is $22.90
buy 10 and get them for $1.49 each x's 10 is $14.90
$1.10 coupons on box x's 10
I paid $4.90 for 10 boxes
I SAVED $18.00!!

I also got other things.
One of which I splurged on, because
every now and then you want a little
something different for supper, so I got
something called Black & Bleu Hamburgers
from the butcher shop.
It has a pepper seasoning along
with some bleu cheese mixed in each patty.
These 4 butcher shop gourmet burgers cost about the
same as 4 McDonalds Double Cheeseburgers.
So in all reality I'm getting the better end of the deal.
And while at the butcher shop the butcher
offered us some steak samples.
What store does that, lol.
Man that was sooo good!
We also sampled cookies, pineapple
and tangerines while there.
There's always samples at the Henderson store!
I drive 5 miles to go to that store and bipass
about 4 other Kroger's to go to that one.

-----------------------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------

Haven't tried this next tip before but figured
I'd post it anyway.
It's for when you have a fever.

If you cut an onion in half then cut 1 thick slice from each cut sides...put the slices on the arches of your feet...put sock on...wrap your feet in a blanket or towel. ..then in about one hour your onion will start to smell like an onion cooking...AND YOUR FEVER WILL BE GONE...

12-1-10

7:30am

Heading to Kroger and the thrift store this morning.
Thrift store-
couple tops & pants for Jonathan, maybe another jacket.

Kroger-
Going to go ahead and get my baking supplies
for things I'll be baking for my goody trays or bags.

Here's what I've decided to make:

for Tony's work
(will package up in the paper lunch bags
a variety of everything for
each individual instead of a tray),

school
(will probably do the pretzel rod snowmen),

family & friends
(a variety of everything)

-Rice Krispies white chocolate peppermint bark.
-Pretzel rod snowman
-Turtle pretzel candy
-Chocolate toffee candy
-Nutella pocket cookies
-Mint chocolate dipped apples
(just for us since it's more perishable & I have
apples that need used up. Might enter in contest)
-Somoa spritz cookies
& probably some basic cookies
like cut out sugar cookies.

This is more or less a list for myself to stay
on track and know what I am doing around here, lol.
If I don't make notes I'll forget something.

---------------------------------------------

When making cut out sugar cookies I have found
this is the best icing recipe ever from Wiltons!!

When tinting icing with food coloring I
use the gel food coloring. The colors
are more vibrant than the liquid food colorings.

Poured Cookie Icing

Cookies look irresistible with a smooth coat of our Poured Cookie Icing. It dries to a shiny, hard finish and is also great for outline and fill-in decorations.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup confectioners' sugar sifted
• 2 teaspoons milk
• 2 teaspoons light corn syrup

instructions

Place sugar and milk in bowl. Stir until mixed thoroughly. Add corn syrup and mix well. For filling in areas, use thinned icing (add small amounts or light corn syrup until desired consistency is reached).

---------------------------------------------------

Spent about $51.00 at Kroger
and got a couple good deals with coupons.
I know I said I haven't been clipping coupons,
but when they are right there in the store
on the shelves or items then I'm gonna use them.

4 two liters Diet Mountain Dew
6 two liters Sierra Mist
.79 cents each when you buy 10
x's 10 is $7.90
minus $4.00 in coupons
made 10 bottles $3.90 or .39 cents each!!
Regular non sales or coupon price was
$1.29 each x's 10 is $12.90
so I saved $9.00!!
Some coupons I found at Speedway
and the others were hanging right
by the Pepsi 2 liters in Kroger!

10 boxes Krusteaz cookie mixes
$1.49 each when you buy 10
x's 10 is $14.90
6 coupons for $1.10 off ($6.60 off)
4 coupons for $1.00 off ($4.00 off)
made 10 boxes $4.30 or .43 cents each
regular non sales or coupon price was
$2.29 each x's 10 is $22.90
so I saved $18.60!!
Coupons were found in a blinkie machine
and on the boxes!

Other deals from Kroger

2 cans of pumpkin
reg. $1.39
marked down: .69 cents each

2 pkgs Won Ton wraps
reg. $2.99
marked down: $1.49 each

1 can Kroger creamed corn
reg. .50 cents
marked down: .29 cents

3 pkgs Cinnamon apple muffin mix
reg. .79 cents
marked down: .39 cents each

1 can Kroger beef gravy
reg. .79 cents
marked down: .39 cents

Plus other ingredients to make cookies
and candies
and ingredients to make a
broccoli cauliflower cheese soup.

TOTAL spent $51.00

That should cover 20 goody bags
for people at Tony's work.
Plus 2 classrooms at the kids school
with about 50 or so total kids.
Plus 10 friends & family.
So I think I did pretty good
to give baking gifts to about 80 people!!

THRIFT STORE

spent $15 and got

-bathroom rug
-mini NASCAR flag
-4 spools of gold ribbon
-Roush racing video tape with
score pad (new)
-The Sights & Sounds of Christmas video tape
-3 long sleeve shirts for kids
-4 pairs of pants for kids

The thrift store seemed wiped out,
meaning less things than usual.
I think it was due to their sale of 50% off
on the last Wednesday of the month
which would of been 1 week ago.
I wanted to find Jonathan another coat
but their selection sucked. So maybe another day.

----------------------------------------

First snowfall 12-1-10
8:15am kids heading to bus stop.

-------------------------------------------------------------


--------------------------------------------------------------------

I almost forgot about this recipe
and might have to make some for Christmas.

These are really good. I have made them before!

.
Makes approximately 15 large cookies

1 cup plain flour
1/2 cup dutch cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 large egg
1/2 tablespoon milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Sift together the flour, cocoa powder and baking soda in a medium bowl.
Beat butte, sugars and peanut butter until well combined. Add egg, milk and vanilla. Beat well. Gently mix in the flour mixture about 1/3 at a time until incorporated. Form the chocolate dough into balls.

Peanut Butter Filling
1/4 cup sifted confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
Combine confectioners' sugar and peanut butter in a mixing bowl and beat until smooth.

Flatten each chocolate ball on the palm of your hand. Top it with a small round spoon of peanut butter. Carefully fold the dough sides over the peanut butter and pinch to seal. Roll into a ball and flatten on prepared cookie sheet.
Bake cookies in preheated 190 degree oven for about 8 minutes, until the surface begins to crack slightly. Allow 2-3 minutes before gently removing them to cool completely on a wire rack..


----------------------------------------------------

1:00pm

Had to share this story before laying down for a nap.
My package of 2 controllers for XBox 360 arrived
today from Ebay. Most people just crumple up
newspapers, use bubble wrap or packing peanuts.
As I unwrapped all the paper from the controllers
I saw that they used the coupon section of the paper,
woo hoo! And in it was another coupon
I have been looking for, for the
$1.00 off pistachio nuts. These are Tony's
favorite that I like to buy as a stocking
stuffers at Christmas time.
I thought it was funny as I just went through
some coupons of mine last night looking
for those pistachio coupons.
Who'd of thought I'd open up the
XBox controllers and find a pistachio
coupon sitting on top crumpled up, lol!
Kroger has them on sale for $3.99
minus $1.00 coupon
makes them $2.99.
I think they are regularly around $6 to $8.

ohhh and lookie I found a freebie coupon
for a free 7 function digital multimeter
at Harbor Freight.
And that coupon for an aluminum
lightweight racing jack will also come in handy.
Tony's been needing one of those.
Ya ever tried to haul around or pick up
a regular floor jack, HEAVY!!
Only I could be more excited about a box
with coupons in it more than 2 XBox controllers, LOL!
.-----------------------------------------------

Check out the Northpole.com
where you can visit Mrs Claus' Cookbook

While there you can also send a letter to Santa!

Send a Letter to Santa

Santa really loves to get letters from boys and girls. They tell him if they have been naughty or nice and what they want for Christmas. I know Santa would like to get a letter from you. All you have to do is click on the inkwell on the desk and I’ll help you write your letter to Santa.

Once you have sent a letter to Santa, come back and check your mailbox by clicking “Santa Letter Pick-Up”. Santa answers every letter that is sent to him, but he has so much mail it usually takes him about two days to write back to you.

-----------------------------------------------------------

these are all from hip2save

Amazon is offering up some great music freebies! Every day through December 25th, you can go here and download a FREE Christmas song!

----------------------------------------------------------------

Nabisco is once again offering up a new cookies and milk coupon for the month of December– Save $1 on Nabisco cookies when you buy 1 package of Nabisco cookies AND one gallon of milk. This coupon can be found on the Nabisco Facebook page here thru 12/31 (or until 50,000 prints have been reached). The coupon must be redeemed by 1/14/2011.

------------------------------------------------------

Anyone looking to give a toothbrush for Christmas,
one of those fancy sonic kinds?
There are some on sale at Target til 12-4.
Sonicare Essence Electric Toothbrush on a price cut for $39.99 (down from $68.99!!)
Use the $10/1 coupon from the 11/21 SS or found here
Plus, stack with the $10/1 Philips Sonicare Toothbrush Handle Item Target store coupon found here
Pay $19.99
And then submit for the $10 rebate found in the 11/21 SS or refer a friend the rebate form here
Final cost ONLY $9.99!! *HOT* Price!

or here's another one found at Walgreens
Oral-B Vitality Power Toothbrush $10 off with in ad coupon
Buy 1 Vitality toothbrush $29.99 (based on online price)
Use the $10/1 in ad coupon
Plus, stack with the $10/1 coupon found in 11/14 RP
Final cost ONLY $9.99!

or I saw Walmart has some for
around $4.88 to $6
for the battery operated ones.
I was thinking about getting the family each one.

------------------------------------------------------------

Are you looking for a way to make use of the Buy one Olay body wash get one Olay hand and body lotion FREE (up to $7 value!) coupon found in the 11/28 PG? Well, you may want to head on over to Dollar General. Thru December 4th, Olay body wash 8.4oz is on sale for just $2. Check out how you can get a body wash AND lotion for just $1 each…

Buy 1 Olay Body Wash 8.4 oz $2
Buy 1 Olay hand and body lotion (up to $7 value)
Use the buy 1 body wash get 1 lotion FREE coupon from the 11/28 PG
Final cost only $1 each!

------------------------------------------------------------

This is what is for supper tonight:
The recipe didn't call for the cauliflower
but I'm adding in some also.
This recipe makes 12 servings
I will probably scale it to half.

I LOVE McDonald's Broccoli & Cheese soup
and that is what inspired me to make my own.

Broccoli & Cauliflower Cheese Soup

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 (16 ounce) package frozen chopped broccoli
• 4 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
• 1 (1 pound) loaf processed cheese food, cubed
• 2 cups milk
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 2/3 cup cornstarch (or you could use flour)
  
• 1 cup water (or you could reserve 1 can chicken broth to use instead)
  

Directions

1. In a stockpot, melt butter over medium heat. Cook onion in butter until softened. Stir in broccoli, and cover with chicken broth. Simmer until broccoli is tender, 10 to 15 minutes.
2. Reduce heat, and stir in cheese cubes until melted. Mix in milk and garlic powder.
3. In a small bowl, stir cornstarch into water until dissolved. Stir into soup; cook, stirring frequently, until thick.

* I put the broccoli & cauliflower in the
food processor before boiling in the pot.
*I doubled the amount of cheese.
*I added half slices of white
cheddar cheese to the top of soup when serving.
*I double or even tripled the amount
of flour & water as I wanted a thicker soup.
You could also use instant mashed
potato flakes as a thickener.
Now remember I halved the recipe above
when taking these notes into consideration.

This is one of those meals that is a comfort
food that makes you warm and fuzzy on
the inside on a cold day like today.

I have kids that probably wouldn't touch
broccoli or cauliflower so by putting it
in the food processor and making it
into tiny pieces they didn't know what
it was. I was happy knowing they got
a couple servings of veggies in them!

--------------------------------------------

.
Keep track of Santa daily to see what he
is up to!
NORAD SANTA TRACKER

-----------------------------------------------------------

from hip2 save

Land O’ Frost just released a high value coupon! Go here (and look on the upper right hand side) to print a buy one get one FREE Land O’ Frost Bistro Favorites coupon! You should be able to print 2 coupons per computer.

Bistro Favorites Varieties:
Applewood Smoked Ham
Applewood Smoked Turkey Breast
Black Forest Ham
Cracked Black Pepper Beef
Honey Glazed Smoked Ham
Roast Beef
Rotisserie Seasoned Turkey Breast

This would be good to get and put in the freezer

til Christmas. Around here our Christmas dinner

consists of mostly finger foods like:

ham & cheese on buns,

potato chips,

veggie, cheese & cracker tray with dip.

***KENDRA***

If you don't need this coupon would

you send me the printed 2 coupons??? Pretty please :0)

Not sure if I can even afford a ham this year,

heck I couldn't afford to stock up on turkeys.

So maybe I could get some ham slices instead.

--------------------------------------------------------

Tomorrow I don't have plans of going anywhere.

Have to stay home and do bills and rebates.

Might start working on Christmas cards also.

Don't that sound like fun, ughhhh!

Maybe I'll get the bills done tonight

and get that out of the way.

My water bill went down $5.00 for the past 3 month.

My car insurance went down $125.75 for this month.

Gas is pretty good at $43 with having the heat on

set at 70-72 degrees.

Electric bill I think was around the same as last month

I want to say around $70 to $75.

But I got notice from the cable company

that starting the beginning of next year it will

go up another $3.00. Now wondering how

to get cheaper cable but I want the DVR with it.

They were saying last night on the news how

many customers each cable company was losing

each year due to people going without cable

and/or using the internet to watch programs

or using Netflix.

Our health insurance will be going up another

$18 a month. We decided to add cancer

and stroke/heart attack to our policy which

is additional costs to be able to be covered.

When you are a smoker (me) and diabetic (hubby)

you want those two things!

We are also doing the 401K also, so more expenses.

But at least we'll be covered.

Better be safe than sorry!!

Another thing I have been thinking about

is asking the doctor to give me something to

help me stop smoking. We're supposed to

discuss it my next visit on Tuesday.

If I can quit smoking I was thinking about taking

that money spent on cigarettes each month and

applying it to our house payment.

And after doing some online mortgage calculators

I figured I could have the house paid off in

another 7 years in 2017!!

You've got to set a goal somehow with trying

to quit smoking and I think this is something to think about.

That would be taking a 30 year loan down to 9 years!!

I originally wanted it paid off before retirement age

because I don't think we could afford a house

payment with our social security.

I won't have much of a retirement due to being

a stay at home mom. I've only worked about

10-11 years total. Many people have to stop

living for the moment and start thinking

about your future and how you're going to

make it then.

-----------------------------------

7:35pm

Decided that since taking down the blinds

in the bay window and using regular curtains

across the front that I could make use of

that window space to display holiday items.

Next year was thinking about doing a town

scene with buildings, cars, trees and what not.

Who knows, if I find time I may change it.

..