Something to look forward to

A little wishing and hoping doesn't hurt now and again, right?

I'm getting my plans together to use my pasta maker for the first time today and so I'm looking up simple ravioli fillings online and came across this recipe that I'm pretty sure I need to make before I die. However, it doesn't make any sense to cook with Lobster in Michigan, therefore I am documenting here so I can refer to it the next time we visit my parents in New England.

If we make it this summer, local fresh lobster is quite cheap when it's in season so it doesn't need to be a splurge. Plus, my mom and I could make it together and who doesn't love cooking with their own mom?

Yes, please.

On accepting assistance

When I left the world of full time employment, it put the burden on my husband to support us- something he has been working towards and desiring but has not been in a position to do up to now. He is finishing his degree and while he's been working part time, it's basically a minimum wage job.

We knew the time was soon approaching when my salary would be deleted from our budget so he was already pursuing higher paying full time positions when I unexpectedly had to leave my job two months early. Things have worked out for us, and he's starting next week at a new, better job.

But even with that in place, we're going to be squeaking by. As such, we qualify for a few different types of assistance from our community. There are resources out there that help. It is a very new perspective for me to be on the applying/receiving end since I studied Child Development and have been a nurse in the outpatient setting for most of my career. I'm used to referring people to and offering these kinds of things. Not needing them.

But there is so much available!

My grocery list was basically cut in half this week because we got our food assistance up and running. What a huge relief. As it turns out, I've been anemic for a few weeks and getting the right fruits, veggies, and meats is becoming a big concern. My numbers aren't going up with my typical diet so I'm going to have to be more deliberate in what we eat this week. And the help we're getting financially is going to make that possible without being an added burden.

There is a reason these things are out there. Don't struggle. Don't get bogged down. Talk to someone at the health department or even your insurance agency and see what they can offer you.

I'll admit this has been easier for me to swallow since I have a huge baby belly leading out in all of the conversations I have. It is my "excuse" so to speak, when my pride needs it.

The dietitian I met with today put it this way- this is a system you've been paying into your whole life. It's just your turn to be on the receiving end for a little while.

And that's our plan. When he's done with school, my husband's career will pay for our needs. It's just for now, for the baby, when we need it most. And I'll tell you, since the moment it all went through my mind has been at ease, my attitude improved, my stress level decreased, my sleep is deeper and overall I feel more like myself.

Help is a good thing.

Saying things Out Loud

Since the experience I had with finding Salmon on special, and I feel like a few other items fell into that same wish list to on sale magic pattern, this week during my meal planning I REALLY wanted to make my Mom's italian vat-o-goodness which is just every kind of meat you can think of in a deep pan with red sauce, served over any kind of pasta noodle (but we usually use a thicker shape like penne or rotini).

I have pork and chicken in the freezer so the next best thing that would take it up a notch would be Italian sausage. I know our local meat market makes their own so that would be an option- meaning I could buy just ONE and have plenty while not having to over buy. But I wasn't going to leave it at that. I yelled to my husband, "I'm saying this out loud as an act of faith. I wish I could find a deal this week on Italian sausage."

As I combed through the weekly ads I found one, and then two, and then three different stores with Italian sausage- each better than the next- all on sale, in packages of 19 oz each. THREE people. And that doesn't even count whatever the price is at the meat market. I strongly believe that planning and preparing is a principle of faith and that it becomes a source of action for good in our lives. The good that God wants to give us if we just ask Him!

Great Leftover recipes

After reading my post on the chicken and rice soup, my mom strongly suggested the use of frittatas for using up left overs, particularly colored peppers, pasta, any kind of meat, and CHEESE. You can bury pretty much anything in one of these suckers.

My favorite recipe comes from the Better Homes and Garden Cookbook and has a Mediterranean flavor. I used sour cream and milk instead of heavy cream and it came out perfect. This is a GREAT way to use up old bread or the crumbs in the bag of croutons.

I had bacon, goat cheese, and peppers to use up as well as the previously mentioned Basil. I just love the flavor in this. Feel free to sprinkle dry italian spices on top with the croutons. Italian bread crumbs would also do the trick. I omitted the olives because my other half won't eat them. As a result, he loved this, and even ASKED for it the second day when I offered him two choices.

The other magic recipe for recycling ingredients is Shepherd's Pie. We had corn and green beans in the fridge in separate containers and left over mashed potatoes. Not much, so I actually made another quick batch of instant to supplement. Grabbed the ground beef from the freezer (but turkey would be awesome too, and I think the original recipe calls for lamb, hence the name) and sprinkled it with steak seasoning and Al sauce as it browned. Combine in the baking dish, top with a little butter and heat through until potatoes are slightly brown on top. To make it look fancy, I dusted the top with parsley flakes. Easy, tasty, warm, and cozy. I did put this together in a small baking dish so it would be a decent thickness and not go too far. You don't want to end up re-purposing your leftovers again!

As you can see, I served it with apple slices and caramel sauce (which has been in the fridge for a long time and needed some attention). It was a filling, delicious meal!

Speaking of the Garden...

We have the farmer's almanac on hand to help us with timing and placement, but this is a good time to be brainstorming about garden planting for spring.

I have opted not to do my own starter seeds since the timing falls directly at the end of my pregnancy and first month postpartum. There are quite a few members of my church who do their own and often will offer up the excess. Otherwise we'll get them from the home improvement store where my husband is going to be working (employee discount, baby!).

So in an effort to not bite off more than we can chew (hardy har har har), we're going VERY SMALL this year. Our top choices that we can't live without and that's it. Just to get our feet wet, hands dirty, thumbs green, etc.

Cucumber
Tomato (not cherry)
Green Pepper
Carrots

And the herb garden:
Basil
Cilantro
Dill
Rosemary
Oregano
Chives (which were already growing this fall when we moved in so they may be free!)

Culinary adventures and Fresh herbs

So about that miracle Salmon...

The only splurge on this recipe was the puff pastry- which my friend graciously provided. Combining our resources was genius and a whole lot of fun. While the baking took place, her daughter instructed us in an art project. I had a blast and am very happy with how mine turned out. The salmon was a success. I'd make it again since now I have the steps down and it would really go quickly. Just needed to roll the dough out a little thinner so it cooks all the way through.

And now, a word about fresh herbs. This year I will be planting a small garden for the first time, and the plan is to never have to buy herbs again. But up until this point, that not being a possibility has always been a frustration for me because you end up paying a fortune for the 1/8th portion you need and they go bad before you can use the rest. 

I did, however, have a capricious experience this week when I accidentally made three meals that also call for fresh herbs. The aforementioned steak for Valentine's Day got a liberal dose of dill and basil along with a little butter for its searing stage. Then I made a frittata to use up left over colored peppers, onion, goat cheese, and breakfast meat. Fresh basil in that sucker makes it. Also magical about that recipe that I didn't calculate is that it calls for crushed croutons on top- and we just happened to have a bag with only crumbs left in the bottom. 

Finally, today I was watching "The Taste" and they did a Thai and Asian theme for one of the rounds that made me really want Red Curry Coconut chicken (another pantry only recipe I try to keep on hand) so I was almost not even surprised when I remembered the last step is to add fresh basil. 

Of course I bought it for the salmon recipe, but it just made me realize how helpful a digital library reference for herbs would be when planning meals. I did this by accident, but it's all gone! 

Now for the dill. Again, a generous portion was used in the salmon and also the steak. I made this cauliflower soup up one time back in the day for a fall soup party and it was a hit. It's another way to use up chopped veggies, and I always seem to have left overs of the selection featured in this recipe. The dill was almost an after thought during the original process, but now I'd say it's the star. Here's the original recipe. I'm tweaking it today due to a variation of spices and ingredients on hand. Likely it will be just sour cream and milk.  Also, I do have a food processor now, so it all gets creamed together at the end. I saved half out before adding the milk so I can freeze it as left overs. 

Head of cauliflower
celery stalks (2?)
a few carrots (baby or large)
1 onion
2 med potatoes
cook up veggies, smash the carrots and cauliflower (so you'll need to have them separate)
Put vegetable bullion, 1 T flour, salt, pepper and 1-2 T butter in the big pot (crockpot)I put the onion in there too. Warm till thick. Add veggies and 1 c milk/half and half, or more if you want it creamier.

Before we ate it I added sour cream, thyme and sage. And more salt. OH AND FRESH DILL. That was the kicker. I put kind of a lot in, with the potatoes and celery when they cooked.

If I had a large capacity food processor, it would have been all creamed.
Serve with cheddar cheese atop.



Another resource I've used in the past is the website Supercook, which lets you search for a recipe by ingredients you have on hand. I'm sure there are others out there, as well as apps for smart devices by now. 

Holiday Fun

Eric is sensitive about not making a fuss over commercialized holidays and February 14th is the most offensive in his book. So I try to tell myself not to expect anything. That if I want it to be special, I'm going to have to do it myself.

So I was especially grateful when he came home from work with these beauties, and even enjoyed more how proud he was of the deal he found (and stuck it to the man) on them, telling me, "You just gotta know where to look."

I found a great deal on steak earlier last week and had planned on different sides but I helped out at a wedding earlier in the day and was sent home with a lot of left overs so I used the mashed potatoes, salad and bread right up and it worked out great.

The deal I got on strawberries and cream was for this meal. I decided to put the little box of strawberry jello in the pantry to good use and this was the result.

After dinner, I was offered a surprise conversion of the spare room to a snuggle filled den. I got to choose the movie and he even found, filled, and placed my water bottle for me. He doesn't care much for Valentine's Day, but he sure likes me! We watched my all time favorite movie, Emma. He laughed more than once and didn't fall asleep. Dinner for two for under two bucks, and a free movie. Winning!

I love the blankets draped over the messy areas. :) 

The next day, being Sunday, I had planned brunch for after church to use up the rest of the strawberries before they go bad. To me, it was just a continuation of the love theme. Guys, these waffles are amazing, and a total ALL PANTRY ingredients option. It uses a lot of butter (two sticks) but I always keep some in the freezer from buying it on sale. Otherwise all you need is flour, sugar, baking powder, milk, eggs and vanilla. It's fancy because of how it all comes together- very silky. And my personal favorite step, the egg whites are whipped separately. Makes them so light and fluffy. 

And the sausage- Johnsonville Maple Syrup flavor- are to die for. Again, we usually have some in the freezer. I've learned that breakfast meat on hand is the key to quick easy meals in a pinch. And this one in particular is one of my favorite meals ever. If I do say so myself. E opted for no fruit, which is fine. He took care of preparing the protein for us. It was so nice to work in the kitchen together and NOT be in each other's way! 

My secret ingredient is the fruit sauce. I use the last of whatever I have on hand and boil it down in a simple syrup (equal parts water and sugar), usually add a little acid (either lemon or lime juice) and then freeze it in small portions. When we have pancakes or waffles, I pull one container out of the freezer and heat it through. It's best warm, so there's no worry about defrosting it quickly. So easy, and so good. 

So the strawberries were featured last week on Sunday with friends making sundaes, the salad and dessert from Valentine's Day Saturday, lunch Sunday, and in lunches this week for E to take to work, with vanilla yogurt. There are a handful left over and they are going straight into the freezer for smoothies. Viola!

Using up onions

I've never been that huge a fan of French Onion Soup, but the thought occurred to me that I might like it better if I made it myself. When I was faced with a mega deal on 3 lbs of onion (realizing that I'd save money even if I didn't use them all, at the price they were offered) I found my opportunity.

The onions are nearing the end of their one hour sautee right now so we'll see how it goes. I used this incredibly simple recipe, which has step by step instructions WITH pictures. It is a very low ingredient count meal, especially if you have beef stock on hand.

I halved the recipe since there are only two of us, and I didn't really have THAT much onion left. She explains later that it will amount to 6 cups of chopped onion so I chopped three up and it was just about half of that.

Hope it turns out good.

FYI, the half recipe was perfect for one box of pre-made beef stock (4 cups). You'd need two for the whole recipe.  

The miracle of the salmon

Something you might not know about me is that I'm obsessed with the culinary arts. Mind you, I've never been trained in anything other than 7th grade home ec (which doesn't even exist anymore) but lately I've been expanding my knowledge base, and with it my interest, via the food network and other such programs highlighting the skills of trained professionals and those aspiring to be like them. I even have a cousin who is a personal chef and works for the Boston Globe in the food section, so I contacted her and got some fun tips on online cooking courses, now that I have more free time.

So the other night I was watching children make salmon en croute for Chef Gordon Ramsay and decided I'd like to try it. But when I looked up the recipe online, I found so many ingredients that aren't on my budget list or in my cupboard that my heart sank and I had resolved to let it go- it was a want not a need and I have plenty of other meals to make that I can do without buying a ton of one time use ingredients.

Tonight I went to our ladies' night activity at church and one of my best friends and the originator of most of the good ideas I ever have which end up posted here shared with me that Aldi has WILD CAUGHT salmon in their freezer selection right now for less than 4 bucks. And when I told her how I had written it down as an act of faith that maybe when I was out and about I'd find a good deal because sometimes faith is like that...I shared with her my desire to make this meal and she totally agreed, offering that she actually has coarse mustard and is going to a specialty store this week that sells cheap puff pastry. And then we had the brilliant idea to make it together! Seeing as how we're pretty sure no one else in our families will want to eat it, we can pool our resources and enjoy it together.

Just a little tender mercy from a loving God who saw I wanted to try something special and created a way out of no way. I was willing to "do without" but it looks like it will work out after all.

Here's the recipe if you want to give it a go. Good luck!

A Meal for 3

I got a call from the compassionate service coordinator at church yesterday asking if I could help provide a meal to a family of 3. I had actually seen the sign-up sheet go around the room on Sunday and let it go by because I'm trying so hard to pinch every penny in our food budget, I just couldn't see it working out. Even our left overs are accounted for in my meal plans.

So when I was caught there on the phone between wanting to help (and the pride of not wanting to say, I'm sorry, we can't afford it right now) and the work I've been slaving over to stretch everything so thin...I stopped and thought for a minute. I knew we had two big bags of potatoes and onions that we'll struggle to finish before they go bad. And that I got a whole package of pork for free last week.

So I'm making a big pork roast with very little meat in it and that's what I'll take over tomorrow and what my husband and I will have for dinner tonight. It caused me to shift some things around on my meal plan - potatoes were originally for the steak dinner on Valentine's Day, so I moved something else in there-  but it worked out. And I suspect we'll even have left overs.

So not only is the Lord providing for our needs, but He's seen fit to allow for ways to help others, even when we may be barely scraping by ourselves.

Poor man's pork roast:

3 small cuts of pork

1 c water

1 (or what remains of) left over package of herbs de provence seasoning

5 red potatoes

4 carrots

1/2 medium onion

salt and pepper to taste

I put the water in first, followed by most of the seasonings, then layered the pork, followed by all of the chopped veggies dumped on top and finished it off with the last of the seasonings on top. 

Cook on low all day in slow cooker, stirring once or twice to even out veggies.

Since my cooker is tall and skinny, I opted to add a little more water to try to coat it evenly, but in most cases, pork creates a lot of juice. Since I'm not taking this over until tomorrow, I have time to adjust the drippings. I could even drain them into a frying pan and thicken to make a gravy if it ends up too watery. 

Now my only problem to solve is finding a disposable container to take it over in. I think I have one small gladware square container left, but it might not be big enough. We got rid of all of our plastic containers in the move and switched to glass. This is where it's kicking my bum a little. But I did save some cottage cheese containers so that will work as a back up. Problem solved!

Post edit: Here is a picture less than two hours later after a stir. See how much the liquid increased?

When being poor gets hard

I've been able to keep my spirits up because I have so longed for this phase of life that I'm overwhelmingly happy to be home and done with work and that pretty much makes up for anything negative in my life right now, but there is a solemn truth that going without things takes its toll.

It is in our nature to want more, and to want what others have, but also to improve ourselves and see our investments in time and money yield something meaningful. Something we've been looking forward to. Something that excites us. Something at all...

I was sitting along side my husband at a hockey game. The local "minor league" team (not sure what the hockey equivalent would be called) was playing on the same night as the church youth group activity, so all the boys went. My husband is one of the leaders. They asked us to chaperone and provide rides in exchange for free tickets. It was an OK game- lots of action, but the score was very one sided and got a little depressing for the home team towards the end. I enjoyed the whole of it and was grateful for something fun to do, a night out, and for free. But about halfway through the third period I started getting weepy. You see, we had pulled into the parking garage to find a few gentlement manning the gate, collecting payment. When the attendant asked for 5 dollars and we were unable to produce it, Eric asked if we should back out. The gentleman waved us through and said, "Don't worry about it." It was so nice of him, and of course made all the difference in the world to us. But for some reason it kind of broke my heart. I mean, we can't even afford to park at a FREE hockey game? What has become of us! I was reflecting on how we wouldn't even be able to have done something like that without the boy scouts paying for it. And my little soul cried a little.

So it's hard some times. And wanting something you can't have is the pits.

But it's worth it to make wise choices. And things work out.

You should read my last post.

buying and selling

After going through the "new" budget and finding quite a large deficit, I made a quick brainstorm list of some things we might try to ease the large gap a little.

I know we have some returns to make and a few rebates that are still being processed so there's a little help coming. My main focus last week was saving the money we have, but this week I was looking into increasing the actual bottom line a little.

I've had a pile of clothes to be sold to a consignment store in the area, set aside for over 6 months. I had intended to do so before we moved so there would be less to take over to the new house. Eric added a few items since, and it's been sitting in the living room for way too long.

Additionally, there were a few items that we got as handmedowns from my friend for the new baby that are either the wrong size and season, or just not my style that were ALSO sitting in a box in the living room.

Yesterday was the day. We took them over (the stores are right next to each other) and I got $17.40 for just a handful of items. I'll keep the rest in the garage because
1) some are fall/winter that they aren't interested in stocking right now
2) the toys she said they just have a lot of currently but when the inventory runs low they would be interested
3) We can have a garage sale later in the year with more baby stuff she's done with, more of Eric's clothes and some things in the garage we aren't going to use in this house (a microwave stand and a chair, and possibly some other things).

So I'm limiting what I donate, which was always my go-to de-clutter method, and trying to exhaust any possible selling options first. I had a roommate in VA who sold her clothes and stuff online when she moved across the country. I thought it was a little presumptuous on her part initially, but really, why not try, right? I know she made quite a bit at the yard sale we had and she didn't stop there. So don't give up, and don't give it away quite yet.

This is an opportunity cost we can currently afford due to the extra storage space we have in the garage. Last year this wouldn't have been possible because we had nowhere to put it all.

And the best part of this story is that we walked into the paint store to get our pricing and make sure the color we want is actually still available, and were sold 4 paint rollers for less than the price of ONE at the usual price, and the total came to EXACTLY the amount I had gotten for my clothes at the women's consignment shop. To the penny. Crazy.

We have a 15$ off coupon, they are doing 30% off the kind of paint we want right now, and we have allotted some of our tax return for this project so whether I believe it or not, we might actually get this house painted this year! Again, it's all about waiting it out until the timing is optimal.

In the kitchen- pumpkin cereal muffins

I was in the mood to make pumpkin pie- snowy, dreary day- but we didn't have any condensed milk in the pantry. Normally I would have just run to the store for the missing ingredient. However, I've used pumpkin in cookies and muffins and breads, so I knew I could find an alternative.

I found this recipe for banana oatmeal muffins* and tried it two weeks ago. We liked it a lot, but I haven't bought bananas since. The other day Eric finished off a bag of cereal but there was a lot of broken up pieces left in the bottom and I knew I'd be able to find a use for them so I put them in my baking cupboard. I modified the banana recipe, used the cereal instead of oatmeal and pumpkin instead of banana, and added pumpkin pie spice.

I think they turned out great. And what a healthy breakfast option! Cereal, honey, yogurt, walnuts, pumpkin and eggs.

Look how much I got out of the bottom of the bag! Almost 2 cups. 

Cooling on the rack. I used the whole can of pumpkin and it made 17 muffins in all. 

*I also don't have any flax seed around so I substitute 2 T of whole wheat flour. My measurements are a little different than hers and I just use vanilla yogurt instead of plain (since we have that on hand) and omit the additional vanilla.

In the kitchen- stir fry

My "chopped" technique of using what I have on hand came into full force today. I had purchased some yellow and red pepper on special to go with the carrot, celery, broccoli, onion and shrimp I had left over from last week. (Actually, the shrimp was frozen from long before that).

What I didn't have was any teryaki sauce, and I know Eric usually uses that as his base in stir fry. So I winged it.

I sauteed the veggies in sesame oil, set them aside and then cooked the shrimp two ways- defrosted and cooked through in boiling water and then seared and seasoned in a pan with my new invention-
Soy sauce, Dijon mustard, black pepper, garlic powder, curry powder and ginger. After the shrimp was coated, I added the veggies back in and dressed it all in the sauce. Then, after determining that it was good but not strong enough, I recreated it in a serving dish and emptied the pan into that bowl when I was ready to serve, mixing to coat. It turned out great! Served over jasmine rice from the pantry, just a light meal before we go to a Hockey game with the church youth group tonight.

Family History

A couple of different versions, but all family history...

1) We went to the temple the day before I lost my job. Since then, I have spent some more time on family search and ancestry trying to get names ready since I'm all out of female endowments! We have a large stack for baptisms, which our ward is doing March 13, and a good pile of sealings to do. Just need to get down there together again. I was able to spend some time researching my Dad's uncle Philip's middle name since we just have the first initial. So far I haven't had any luck finding it, but it was so cool when I asked my Dad about it and he said, "Get on there and see what you can find" and I could! Why not me? I have time!

2) Updating our personal history. I started two blog posts a long time ago. The first was about our Temple Sealing and a little explanation since how we did it was a little confusing even for members of the Church. The second has pictures and videos from when we told our families about the baby coming. But both remain unfinished...until now. I have time to work on the technical issues of uploading the videos that wouldn't work before and caused me to give up and I have time to upload pictures and write a clear explanation and edit it until it's right.

What a great thing for a snowy Monday morning!

A little design inspiration

I was messing around with my app playing with ideas for a baby announcement and then I came across this idea when I was looking for free templates online. It's not free, but it is quite inexpensive in terms of printing.

http://lilyjanestationery.typepad.com/justlovely/2011/01/diy-glassine-birth-announcements.html

The supplies needed are cheap in bulk- available on Amazon for less than 9.00 per 100. Then you'd just have to print the photos which we have done many times through Shutterfly deals without ever paying them a cent.

Now, the thing is I was originally looking for a digital version to post on facebook and instagram, and this wouldn't actually work for that. Whereas you can take a digital image and print 4 on one piece of card stock and throw those in the mail. Then you only have to pay for the paper, envelopes and stamps.

Here is an example of what I was able to find on Shutterfly, and an example of how I could make it myself and have it printed on photo paper- size would be adjustable, just the image would be square.

The proportions are quite different now that I'm looking at them side by side, but that's easy to fix. 

To get the look, I used a picture that is similar to the one in the example above. Stacey is already excited to practice her newborn photography on our baby, so that part will be professional and free. They were over here tonight talking about blankets that we have that are perfect and the natural light in the living room. So, I'm thinking we'll go with the digital and print them at walgreens for like 10 cents each for the ones we want to mail, and then post the file online for everyone else. 

Post Edit: I think I would change "proud" to either "tickled" or "adoring" or something like that.  

Wall Art

A while back I saw this cute wall hanging at Hobby Lobby and thought to myself, "That would be just right, for a girl. Just enough to make that spot in her room special, but not over the top."

I've been adamant about the baby not having her "own room" since she is not going to be exclusively sleeping in there, her clothes and diapers will live in the laundry room and it is first and foremost her Dad's study. But I'm ok with mounting a couple of shelves I've had for 4 years still in their packaging and putting up one or two sweet things on the wall. That's it, though. Just her little corner.

This is what I saw:

The green color is the same as the walls in her room and the salmon is a lovely contrast color. I like the little gold accent background and it was a nice size. A few weeks ago when I was back there looking for a mirror I tried to find it again but it's gone. Not on the website either. :(

And then...I thought I might see what I could do about making it myself. Here's the rough draft:

I'm still working on tweeking the pink color and I just noticed the little dot between the two olive branches, so I'll go back and fix that. What's crazy is I could have this printed on canvas and it would be nearly identical, but it would be cheaper (basically free) to just try printing it at home and put it in a frame if it turns out halfway decent. 

Homemade Bread

I love to make bread, so I actually have three kinds of flour on hand, a large jar of yeast, and all the important fixings for this to be cost effective over purchasing loaves of wheat bread from the store. I recognize that to start out, it would be an investment for some. I also recognize that it would be even more cost effective if I had wheat bins that I ground into flour, but again, this is the very first stage of this process.

This is how I am choosing to "do without" buying bread.

I've made this recipe twice now and I've loved it both times. It gets eaten up and doesn't go bad. I got it from my friend Andrea Wells and it is written from her perspective. It has a few steps and takes several hours, but I've been able to get chores done and even run errands as it is in progress so it fits into the day instead of taking up the whole of it.  I use one cup of whole wheat flour and 3-4 white. Last time I used bread flour and it took almost 1.5 cups more than when I used All-Purpose. Something to consider.

Here's the recipe:

2 cups warm water

1/2 cup milk

Just less than 1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 Tbsp Yeast

*Mix water, milk and sugar.  Sprinkle yeast over surface and let sit until dissolved (~5 min)

1 Tbsp Oil (I use vegetable oil, but canola oil or olive oil probably work fine too)

1 Tbsp Salt

*Mix in oil and salt

5-6 Cups of All Purpose Flour (this recipe works with wheat flour as well, though I think you need a little less flour if you use wheat flour)

*Stir in 3 cups of flour. Knead in remaining flour (leave out last cup and knead in until your dough is only slightly sticky). Knead for a few minutes.

*Cover and let it rise for 1 hour (until about double). 

*Knead the air out of the dough, cover and let sit for 45 minutes.

*Knead the air out again and shape into loaves (makes 2 loaves)

*Place in greased bread pans and rub a small amount of oil on the top of each loaf.

*Let rise for 30 minutes. After those 30 minutes, heat oven to 365 degrees.

*Once oven is hot, bake loaves in center of oven for 30-33 minutes, or until tops of loaves are browned.

Enjoy!

Saving on Groceries

*** I chose the "wear it out" label for this post because I was wearing out all the available options and resources to come to these conclusions. And me. It wore me out, too!***

Coupons have long been a source guilt and anxiety for me, so to cope I just avoided them and shopped at stores that had low prices. Now that I have more time, I've taken serious consideration and done quite a bit of research on where to buy at the best price. It was a very fulfilling project for me this week.

First, I scanned the available circulars (weekly ads), many of which are available online and in one case, even before the prices went into effect. I compared the basics- what I know we shop for on a regular basis- to see who really has the best price.

If I had known I was going to be able to gather so much information, I would have set it up on a larger sheet with better spacing, but here's a look at my note taking.

After determining the across the board winner, I looked at specific offers, deals, and coupons and made a shopping list. This is where it gets complicated and time consuming. I had two versions of the list. First, I categorized the items by department to see if I had a well rounded pantry by the end of it. I made a quick outline of things we have on hand and then finalized the list with a few "wish list" items that I would have wanted even if they weren't on special. After determining exactly what I wanted to make for the coming week, I made the second version of the list which was by store. The final product was two scrap paper pages long, 2 to 3 columns each, and paper clipped together with  the coupons I'd need to use. I did this all yesterday. Today I hit the stores one by one. And here's the result!

As you can see, not only did I get everything at the best possible price in town (which was confirmed as I walked through stores and scanned the prices of items I had marked as better priced elsewhere) but I also walked away with three FREE items. Two were buy one get one free, and the other was a deal if you buy the strawberries at the sale price you get a free bottle of whipped cream. 

The total price of everything on the table in front of you was $47.50. What is important to note is that it includes staple food items for everyday consumption like milk, oranges, yogurt, and grapes, as well as recipe specific items that were featured on my meal plan like the colored peppers, red potatoes, and pork. But I ALSO was able to find special items like a pound of steak and the strawberries and cream which will be part of our Valentine's day dinner- all on sale, all cheaper than I would have paid just to grab something that looked good without planning ahead. Additionally, a couple of things fall under the "stock your shelves" category. Shredded cheese was on sale at Kroger so I got 4 to put in the freezer. The bag of onions was 3 lbs for .69 for at Aldi! That's cheaper than ONE ONION at most grocery stores. At that price, even if we don't get through all of them, it's still a significant savings. 

A word about buying produce in bulk, especially for smaller families. Of course it seems to work out cheaper, but if you end up throwing half of it away before it can be eaten, you're not saving anything. I have found that the trick is prepping the produce, cut and even portioned in bags for easy access. We have one orange left in what was a 4 lb bag I thought we'd never finish. The key was slicing them up and putting them in the fridge. We've had them as dessert, in lunches taken to work, as snacks and tonight, I had an entire orange with my dinner. Another idea I have about fruit is that it freezes well so with the two containers of strawberries I got today, one will go to immediate use this week in desserts and breakfast, but the other will get cooked into a sauce that I'll use for waffles and freeze the rest. They can be sliced and frozen for smoothies. But again, the key is doing this ahead of time, not after it's too late and they are mushy! It takes time and effort but that's what I"m spending my time on right now instead of being at work, so it's worth it! 

The result has been an uncluttered refrigerator. The top shelf is where we put left overs, and usually the bottom two are stuffed to over flowing with food we want to eat, but just aren't organized about. This week there are a few containers with a little bit of food, and actually one of those is the soup prep for tomorrow and another is the rice that will go in it. In other words, I have plans for everything you are looking at in the fridge. There was plenty of room for the new stuff and it is visible enough to not be forgotten. I'm very much looking forward to what we'll be having next week, both cooking and eating it! 

 I conclude this post by saying this is by no means an exhaustive list of options for saving money on food. It is only what I've gotten through in the very first week. I'll be exploring other opportunities as I work through them. For example, we have a couple of smart phone apps that allow you to download additional digital coupons, one that you earn points towards gift cards for going in certain stores and scanning items, and a couple of bizarre things I've read about taking pictures of your receipts and sending them in for reimbursement of certain items. As I said, there is much more to discover.

In the kitchen

We have taken a hit financially now that I'm not working, but one of my super powers has always been cooking from a limited pantry. I used to refer to it as my "Iron Chef" super power, but having spent more time in the hulu catalog of free Food Channel shows, I now realize it's more along the lines of Chopped.

Anyway. this week I tried shopping at Aldi for the first time. It went great so I have another meal plan and grocery list made up for next week based on their weekly ad (more on that in another post).

We had two Cornish game hens in the freezer so I pulled them out to defrost and then had the best time dressing the little guys. They were so fun to handle. I stuffed them with celery greens and the last of an old onion that I dressed with lemon juice, salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning and then shoved pieces of butter up in there. The same rub/butter on top and then into the oven until the hubs got home from work, basting frequently which was another first for me. SO FUN!

I served it with mashed potatoes (from the cupboard), stuffing (.89$ at Aldi) and corn for the man (in the freezer) since he loves it. We ate our fill, but there was quite a bit left over. If I were to do it again, one hen would be plenty for both of us.

The next day I got to work tearing it apart and got two more meals' worth of meat out of the carcasses. I made creamy chicken casserole that has stuffing on top- which was perfect for the amount we had left over- and a chicken soup base that I'll add a little extra broth and rice to on Sunday when we're ready to eat it. I felt so happy and proud of myself as I did it and both of the additional meals have turned out great.

Another fun kitchen victory for me has been coming up with alternative desserts. Eric has wisely chosen to cut back on his sugar intake (the man has a serious sweet tooth inherited from his mother who will literally eat only a chocolate bar for lunch) and I'm trying to not only encourage, but enable him by providing something sweet at the end of the meal that isn't full of refined sugar. We've had orange slices, canned fruit, and pictured on the left, baked pears. We got the weird dark skinned Asian pears and I wasn't really sure how to know when they are ripe so I thought it would be safest to cook them. I sprinkled them with cinnamon, a few drizzles of honey, and handful of crushed walnuts and used coconut butter for the fat to cook them in. They turned out awesome! While I was coming up with ingredients I really wanted to use the nuts but we only had large pieces and I don't have a suitable crushing apparatus...or so I thought. Instead of adding a mortal and pestle to my birthday wish list, I grabbed a small pyrex storage dish and a small jar from the cupboard that I had already re-purposed as a travel size peanut butter container and there you have it- the outcome was beyond satisfactory and the good news is, I have a whole collection of these jars because they came from a box of sample jams that Nana gave us for Christmas from the Amish Market.

Baby {blanket} work in progress

Today I finished a long standing work in progress. Baby blankets don't take me very long to make- usually about 4-5 hours all told. So this was actually deliberately strung out over the past 3 years or so (I actually have no clue when I started it). I hesitated because I didn't have a deadline. I just wanted to start working on a blanket for MY kid. I had made one for all four of my co-workers' babies from when I was teaching middle school. Betsy, Rafa, Stefanie and Kari all had hand made crocheted unique original creations, and since they've all gone on to have #2, I figured it was time I got going on one for me!

I chose to keep it all white, since my tradition was to start with a white center and then after the gender was revealed, I'd add an appropriate color around the edges. But since I didn't know what I would have first, I'd just do the whole thing white and it could be for the day they get blessed at church.

I had to switch to another yarn because I ran out/lost track of what I was using at first. I know I restarted it at least twice due to contrasting textures. Once I finally go moving on an acceptable yarn #2, I worked on making it more interesting by adding a pattern. About this point is where I was actually pregnant and had an end date goal in mind. So I worked on it here and there and about a week ago got moving in earnest. I knew I wanted the edges scalloped so when I ran out of yarn about 5 stitches from the end, I didn't panic. There would be an entire new row around the outside that would cover up the very slight difference between the second and third types of yarn. I thought about using my spare change to run to the store to get more, and then I remembered I had that other yarn in my stash that I had originally tried to use as #2. I grabbed that and finished it off this morning.

Viola!

My idea was to create just a little difference in texture by interrupting the double stitch with a few lines of triple. I like how it contrasted, and next time I would do them closer together and more of them. The way this one is, however, gives it the ever symbolic number 3- "my three white dresses" in the case of a little girl, or even the Holy Trinity. Plus, she'll be the third member of our little family!

There is still quite a bit of the white #3 left so if I wanted to start another white center for one of the 3 other girls' babies I've been going through this pregnancy with, I could. Since I finished so quickly and still have two months to get through, I just might!

Post Edit: Shortly after publishing this post we got word that my husband's cousin is expecting. They will be attending our baby shower in a couple of weeks so it would be inappropriate to not get a gift for them as well. Of course, my heart sank thinking, "How on earth are we going to be able to afford something nice for their baby?" when I remembered...I can MAKE them something priceless, and I have a whole stash of baby yarn. It'll be FREE! I don't know if she'll appreciate it or not, but really who can argue with a hand made gift?

A backwards DIY

When we moved into this house, the vanity mirror above the bathroom sink had been ripped out, leaving a large, irregular hole in the wall. We spent months and a couple hundred dollars worth of pre-fab storage/mirror combos (that were all ultimately returned) and still had no solution, not to mention a place to blow dry my hair or apply make-up. We knew we had to go with one that has built in storage because the bathroom is so small. We just couldn't do without the extra cupboard space, so we had to be picky in what we chose.

Eric finally decided the best route would be to focus on the storage cupboard since it was the only thing we'd found that was big enough to cover the hole. We'd just worry about the mirror later. He got to work adding some wood studs in the open space (free from the high school wood shop scrap pile) and drilled that sucker securely on the wall.


We combed the county for a long skinny mirror to mount to the bottom shelf, since it sits directly at eye level (at least for the two of us!). We started at craft and home improvement stores. They sell round ones, oblong ones, square ones, even scalloped edged ones- but not long skinny rectangular ones. The square ones would have worked if we got three and lined them up next to each other but who wants two seams on their face when they're trying to shave or put on make up? Plus they were like 15 bucks each. We found one about half the size of what we needed at Pier One that was bedazzled on the edges for like $35. Uh, no thanks. So we gave up looking for a while.   I was at hobby lobby the other day and while looking for watercolor paper came across a display of wall mounted candle holders. Several of them were long skinny rectangles and they all had mirrors as the backdrop. I flipped one over to see if I would be able to pull it apart. Sure enough, it just had little tabs on it like a picture frame. And it was the perfect size, for only $20!



I took it home and with a little help from my needle nose pliers, pried the prongs back, carefully navigated the sharp edges as I removed the mirror piece, peeled off the two tiny globs of glue that held it to the backing and gave it a good windexing. I originally planned to mount it to the back of the open cupboard shelf using command strip adhesives, but there's an advantage to having it detached so it leans back slightly- gives a larger viewing area and is adjustable for individual users based on height. Flush with the back of the wall, most people would have to bend down a little to see the top half of their face.

So here's what that hole in the wall looks like now. A few days later I finally installed the ring towel holder he purchased way back along with the matching sink hardware and now I am happy to say we have a completed bathroom!



There is a lot more to the bathroom saga, but the end of it is: we got the storage solution we needed, a mirror, a new non-rotten floor, a working toilet, and a fully functioning set of pipes and drains by our 5th month of residence. It just took a little patience to wait until the right thing came along.