Frugal Recipes

Everyone Benefits

Sunday, June 5th, 2011

Someone I know asked if it was proper to take home the chicken carcass leftover from a meal at a relative’s house. Her husband was appalled.

I can see how it might be embarrassing to ask for the carcass at a friend or co-workers house, but surely not from a relative.

What’d she do with the leftover carcass?

Well, there was plenty of meat left.

She used the meat to make a casserole (that she took to the relative…) and the bones made some mighty fine chicken stock for future use. So I say, sure, it’s proper, at least in this situation. Everyone benefited.

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Too Much in the Freezer? Dehydrate

Sunday, March 6th, 2011

The freezer is full! I need room.

So, what do you do when there’s too much in the freezer?

You dehydrate.

I had a big old honkin’ bag of frozen blueberries in the freezer that I’d only made muffins with, once. They were taking up precious space. So I dug that bag out. Spread them on a couple trays of the dehydrator and turned it on.

blueberries-frozen

blueberries-frozen

Now, I’ve never dehydrated blueberries before, or other fruits straight from the freezer. So let me tell you one important thing you should do, should you decide to do this.

THAW OUT THE BLUEBERRIES FIRST.

Why?

Well. If you don’t… you’ll come back into the kitchen and find blueberry juice running across the counter-top, underneath storage jars, and spice jars, and hotpads, and down the cabinet and onto the floor. In other words, you’ll have a BIG MESS on your hands.

We live and learn don’t we? :)

Once the blueberries were all done, I ended up with about three cups of dehydrated blueberries where I formally had near 5 lbs of frozen. Quite a space saver!

dehydrated blueberries

dehydrated blueberries

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Sharing January COUPONS!

Monday, January 3rd, 2011

Daughter’s New Year resolution is to be more FRUGAL and use coupons at every grocery trip. HOW she grew up watching me using tons of coupons and didn’t learn that herself is beyond me, but since she’s decided to be a coupon user the least I can do is SHARE some good coupons with her.

These are for you daughter, course we don’t mind sharing with the rest of you!!!

* Buy any 1 STAYFREE 14ct-24ct and Get One Free
* $0.75 off HORMEL COMPLEATS microwave meals
* $1.50 off Ziploc brand containers
* $0.55 off one Hillshire Farm Lower Sodium Product
* $1.00 off Ziploc brand bags
* $5.00 off any Weight Watchers Scale by Conair
* $5.00 off on any Leapster Explorer learning Game
* $5.00 off on any Leapster learning game
* $0.55 off any one (1) DANNON DanActive 4 pack
* $0.50 off ANY ONE (1) DANNON Light & Fit 4-Pack
* $0.50 off 3 pkg or 1 BUNDLE PACK of KLEENEX
* $1.00 off 2 JELL-O Gelatin, Pudding or Mousse 6pks
* $1.00 off any Citracal
* $3.00 off any Citracal and Bayer Aspirin Product
* $1.00 off any One A Day and Flintstones™
* $1.50 off any Bayer Aspirin product
* $1.00 off any Flintstones™ Multivitamin Product
* $0.75 off Wheaties or Wheaties Fuel cereal
* $0.75 off Frozen Pillsbury Grands! Biscuits
* $1.00 off Pillsbury Refrigerated Cookie Dough
* $0.40 off Pillsbury Italian Meal Breads
* $1.50 off Wanchai Ferry Frozen Entrée
* $0.50 off Yoplait Kids Yogurt
* $0.50 off Chex Mix Bars
* $0.40 off Pillsbury Sweet Rolls
* $0.30 off Refrigerated Pillsbury Grands! Biscuit
* $0.75 off Yoplait yogurt
* $0.50 off Pillsbury Toaster Strudel Pastries
* $0.50 off Pillsbury Crescent Dinner Rolls
* $0.50 off Fiber One Chewy Bars
* $0.50 off Betty Crocker Fruit Snacks
* $0.50 off Nature Valley Granola Bars
* $0.55 off Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal
* $0.40 Yoplait Yogurt
* $1.00 off Cheerios cereal
* $1.00 off Any ONE (1) LACTAID Supplement Product
* $1.00 off any LACTAID Ice Cream
* $1.00 off ANY 1 Balmex Diaper Rash Product
* $1.00 off Disney Childrens’ Vitamins
* $2.00 off Any 90ct FiberChoice Product
* $2.00 off on any CoricidinHBP Product
* $3.00 off any Afrin 12 Hour Nasal Spray
* $1.00 off any Nature’s Bounty Vitamin
* $3.00 off 2 Huggies Snug & Dry Diapers
* $1.00 off Any ONE Weight Watchers Bakery Items
* $1.00 off any Garnier Fructis Style Product
* $.75 off any ONE package of Rhodes™ Warm-N-Serv
* $1.00 off Garnier Fructis Shampoo or Conditioner

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Happy Thanksgiving

Thursday, November 25th, 2010
Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving

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Composting

Wednesday, May 5th, 2010

Even city folks can compost!

Small garden composters are the way to go!

All the while when I was growing up we kept a cut off milk jug sitting by the kitchen sink. All the vegetable scraps went into that jug. After supper every night, Dad would take the jug out to the garden and dig a hole. He’d bury that scrap every day in a new spot.

Didn’t take long before the soil responded! Dad has the best garden in town these days and he still takes that little jug out every night.

I’ve seen people use the scatter method, just scattering their peels and leavings on top of the garden bed. Some people bury it like Dad does. But if you want to go all out, get a composter unit built for the average backyard. These babies can create dark loamy compost in about a month.

You’ll have rich, dark soil that the earthworms just can’t resist.

earthworms

earthworms

Did you know that some people have a Worm Farm in their house? YES! Start out with a medium sized plastic container filled with a little dirt, and lots of moist, shredded newspaper and a cover (with air holes please). Then add in your worms. Your worms will start eating the newspaper. After the worms have started to multiply, then you can start adding your kitchen waste matter to the bin. The worms will ‘compost’ your potato peelings, your carrot tops, and your other kitchen waste. (Don’t feed your worms meat!)

A property cared for worm bin won’t smell or attract flies. The surface should be damp, not wet. You should allow for air circulation and don’t feed more than the worms can process. Burying the food in the litter will keep down the fly population.

As your worm population grows, you may remove worms to a second bin to ‘eat’ more garbage or you can remove some to your garden.

As long as we’re talking composting, have you ever considered a composting toilet? Don’t laugh! Composting toilets have come a long way. They aren’t just a bucket with a lid or a privy out back. Today’s composting toilets are far advanced. They’re composting systems. They distribute air into the compost, have heating units to help compost at the proper temperature and compost mixing units, all out of sight. Systems can range from a self contained unit to a larger system, perfect for homes with basements. (The main unit – where the composting actually takes place – is placed in a separate room or basement.) A composting toilet is perfect for anyplace that has low perk soil or a homestead that’s too rocky to dig a septic tank, or for replacing a failing septic system. When you consider the cost to build or replace an entire septic system versus the outlay for a composting toilet, you’ll find many a smart homeowner choosing the
composting variety. Composting toilets save water too.

Composting is a smart choice – no matter the method.

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“the” Drawer

Sunday, March 28th, 2010

Remember ‘the’ drawer?

I decided to use it, on it’s side, in the kitchen AND as soon as I get the image out of the camera, I’ll share it with you.

““““““““““““““““““““““““““`

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Drawers into Bookcases?

Monday, March 1st, 2010

I’ve a friend cleaning out a family barn.

I got excited!

I told her to watch for a set of old wooden drawers for me.

She looked bewildered.

I want to mount a couple of deep old worn dresser drawers on the wall in my kitchen and house cookbooks on them!

I just need to find them…

She said she’d keep an eye out for me. I wonder if she’s serious or she thinks I’m insane…

:)

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Glass Tile Backsplash

Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010

Anyone who has been following me for any length of time knows that I had my kitchen cabinets refaced this past year.

What happens when you remodel one thing in a kitchen?

YES!

It makes you want to do more!

In my last house the tile behind the counter in the kitchen was picked by my then husband and his father. I ‘think’ they picked it based on price alone. WHY would they choose a kitchen tile for a lady? I lived with that tile for so long that when I got this place, I revolted and said NO to a tile backsplash.

Because of that I’ve lived with a plain old wall behind my stove, and the sink and.. … …

Lately I’ve been eyeing what different people have done in their kitchens and I’ve decided that on my ‘honey do ‘ list it’s time to add a backsplash to that L O N G list!

I’ve looked around and while there are plenty of choices I’ve found that I’m extremely impressed with the glass tile at Glass Tile Trend. And you know me, they even have a clearance section! GOT to look there.

Overall the prices are great. Vast selection that you can’t find at your local box store. They’ve fast service, and get this, FREE SHIPPING! for orders over $199)

I love free shipping! Especially for heavy items!

Now, if I can just make up my mind, which one to choose?

Wonder if the delivery guy will carry it into the house?

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Chocolate Covered Pringles

Friday, January 15th, 2010

I recently saw the cutest Christmas gift but would work for any time of the year. These would make cute Valentines!

You need a can of Pringles

Some melting chocolate

Some decorative paper

Take out the Pringles and dip them in your melting chocolate. Do one side then the other so that they are completely covered in chocolate. Dry on wax paper or a chocolate dripping tray.

Meanwhile, use the decorative paper to cover the Pringles can. When the chocolate covered chips are dry, repack them in the now decorated can and voila, a great little gift. Homemade and tasty!

The one I saw came from a high-end candy place. You can duplicate this at home easily. I’d like to see some done with chocolate too — yum!

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Empty Soda Bottles

Friday, October 9th, 2009

What do you do with those empty two liter soda bottles?

You can fill them, almost to the top, with water and stick them in the far regions of your freezer. This fills up space. A full freezer works more efficiently!

I used to have the entire base of my chest type freezer filled with water filled soda bottles. This kept the errant bag of peas from escaping into the darkness, kept the freezer working at it’s best AND kept the food up where most anyone in the house could reach it without falling in… J

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