Ratatouille

Some beautiful Japanese eggplants from Grom and Grandma's garden.

I can blog about it now...

A few weeks ago I was expecting my quilting friends. My goal was to entertain from my pantry. I put together a nice spread... BBQ meatballs, stuffed eggs and hummus with veggies. Dessert was a team effort. Surferman and Grom baked the cake and I put it together. It was a lucious lemon icebox cake. I'm sure it was delicious. It was beautiful. I had found some little lemon tissue paper decorations. I was proud.

How does the saying go? Pride goes before a fall...

As I was putting the cake back in the fridge, it slipped right off the cake stand. SPLAT!

Fortunately there were some Girl Scout Cookies in the pantry. And Surferman cleaned it up for me. Surferman rocks!

Every last glob

Christmas 2007 - The Debriefing

Merry Christmas! Here's the good, the bad and the ugly of our Christmas 2007. Also my plans to improve next year. No particular order.


GOOD! - Gingerbread House kit from Costco. Inexpensive. Everything is included. Box lid forms the base for the house so it's easy to assemble. Grom, Surferman and I had a great time decorating it. Grom and Surferman had fun snatching candy off the house thinking Mom didn't know what was going on. And the candy doesn't tempt me (much).

Next year - no changes.

BAD! - No Christmas Card. I blame my computer switch around Thanksgiving, but truth be told I don't think I've ever had a Christmas card go out on time. One year I sent 3 years worth of letters at once. I manage to get the letters done, but not sent.

Next year - Order Christmas card by October 15th. Mail at Thanksgiving.


GREAT! - Grom and I made and decorated sugar cookies.
The Best Rolled Sugar Cookies and Sugar Cookie Icing were foolproof and delicious. These were the best sugar cookies I've ever made. Mixing the dough was fun. Rolling was challenging as Grom wanted to help more than I wanted him to. I rolled and baked the dough on parchment paper. The parchment paper made it easier and faster. When the cookies came out of the oven I slid the paper off the cookie sheet and onto the counter to cool. We made stars, hearts, Jesus stars, Christmas trees and BIG hearts. Icing and decorating the cookies was a lot of fun and went better than I expected. After my frustration with rolling the cookies, I decided I needed more control over the decorating if I was going to keep my hair. We did the cookies by type and kept the decorations simple. All of the Christmas trees were green with multicolored dot sprinkles. All of the stars were white with multicolored sugar sprinkles. Etc. The big hearts we glazed white and after they were dried I used a food marker to write "Happy Birthday Jesus" on them.

Next year - Roll and cut one sheet of cookies with Grom right before naptime (I realize I'm dreaming that a 4 1/2 year old will still be napping, but a girl can dream right?). Do the rest of the cookies while he's occupied.


BAD! - Advent Calendar from Trader Joe's. The calendar wasn't bad. I was just out of my mind when we started it. I had the brilliant idea to start the calendar with the highest number and move down (as a sort of countdown). But if you forget (and how Grom forgot to get me to give him chocolate is beyond me), you have to try to figure out how many doors you have to open to catch up and it's all backwards. If you're confused reading this, I'm sure you'll understand the confusion. The best part of being forgetful with the advent calendar is that we had a couple of days where Grom was able to share candy around the house. The joy we experienced with him sharing made it all good.

Next year - I plan to do a Jesse Tree and use that to countdown the days until Jesus' Birthday. My friend Stacey is going to organize an ornament exchange, so we should have beautiful, wonderful ornaments to display. I'm going to look for a little tree when I shop Target tomorrow morning.

OK! - We went to Christmas Eve service at my parent's church. It was a very nice service, but it wasn't our church and I missed my "family".

Next year - I hope to be able to attend service at our church.

GREAT! - For family Christmas gifts, Surferman and I agreed on 3 gifts each. One to wear. One to consume. One for fun. We budgeted and did very well at using only money we had set aside. Surferman turned all the change in his mug into a Starbucks card for me. Lattes are on me for quite a while.

Next year - No changes except to shop more throughout the year.

GOOD! - Our family tradition for stockings is that we each buy 2 items for everyones stocking. Grom and Gigi buy one item. Our stocking are great fun. We had some last minute racing around.

Next year - Collect stocking stuffers throughout the year. When I'm out somewhere and see something that would be great for brother-in-law I'm going to buy it.


BAD! - We never made it out to look at Christmas lights.

Next year - Set a date early and make a night of it.

GREAT! - I made some more cloth gift bags. I bought the fabric on sale last year. I didn't wrap a single present in paper! All reusable.

Next year - I have quite a stash. I think I can get away without making anymore next year.

BAD! - No caroling. No visiting neighbors.

Next year - Make cookies earlier and take them to our neighbors with invitations to Christmas Eve Service. Not sure what to do about the caroling, but maybe friends with kids would like to go early one evening. Caroling with church was a little late for us.


GREAT! - Grom and I rang a bell for the Salvation Army with a friend and her boy (Grom's buddy). We did it right after Thanksgiving. It helped jump start my Christmas spirit and also set us out helping others rather than focusing on yourself. Plus, after whenever we saw someone ringing bells and collecting money for the Salvation Army afterward, Grom and I had a memory to share and another opportunity to talk about helping others. I don't think I've given so much change ever to the Salvation Army. In our community, the Salvation Army is the first stop for people in need.

Next year - I want to encourage my friends with kids to take some time and ring a bell. I'm also going to encourage the volunteer who schedules ringers to consider one hour shifts for moms and kids.


GREAT! - I didn't know how Santa was going to play out in our house. I knew I didn't want Grom thinking Santa was a real person who was going to bring him presents, but I also didn't want to kill Santa either. We let him be a fun thing that is a part of celebrating Christmas, the birth of Jesus. Grom had a couple of funny conversations with Mimi (my paternal grandmother). She asked him if he had made his Christmas list for Santa yet and he asked why - like why would Santa bring him anything. And then today, she asked him if Santa had been here and he said, "No, but he's coming to town".

Grom and I have had some great conversations about Jesus during this season. His questions make me think, make me appreciate all that Jesus did for me, make me appreciate my God who would humble himself and come to the world as a helpless baby just for me (and you too!).

Next year - I want to read more stories with Grom about Christmas and look into some of the ways Christians celebrate Christmas in other parts of the world.

I'm sure there could be more...

Organized Garage Sale Shopping

Most every Saturday you can find me out at garage sales. I have realized that another way that I am blessed is that I get to live in California where we don't have "Garage Sale Season" like so many parts of the U.S.

My Dad, my Mom, my Sister and Grom and I head out. I drive. Dad navigates. We have a great time and there is usually a stop at a Starbucks or similar. We have great fun, find some things to sell on ebay, find lots of stuff for Grom and my mom talks to everyone and tells them way more than they need or want to know.

Today, we were without my parents (they are travelling), but we still hit the sales. I scored 3 pairs of shoes for Grom - Vans, Tevas and Airwalks all in great shape for $1/pair. Anyway... on to the GeMoOrgNo part of this post...
We organize our outings. Every Saturday morning we scour the newspaper and Craig's List - get the addresses and plug them into our Thomas Guide Software. It's great for marking all the sales and makes it much easier to not missing any of the good stuff.


GeMoOrgNo was started by Lara the Lazy Organizer. I'm joining her every day this month with photos of organized things.

More Participants
Multi-Tasking Mommy
With an Angel on my Shoulder
Just About Perfect
Tyler's Triumph

What's for Dinner - Week of June 25th

Organizing Junkie hosts Menu Plan Monday. Click over there for more menu ideas. Here is what's cooking at my house this week. Our "healthy" eating continues... We are also at the end of the month and the food budget is basically spent. I'll be looking to my pantry to get me through.

Breakfast - Strawberry (Fruit) Smoothies
Snacks - Hardboiled eggs and raw veggies
Lunch -leftovers from dinner the night before
Dessert - Strawberry (Fruit) Smoothies


Monday - Chicken and Veggie Soup - Spinach Salad

Tuesday - Ground Beef Zucchini Pasta-less Spaghetti - Salad

Wednesday - Crockpot Sticky Chicken - Green Beans

Thursday - Chicken, Rice and Bean Chili- Watermelon

Friday - Steak and a Movie Night - Steak, Salad, Veggies

Saturday - Shredded Chicken Tacos in lettuce leave "shells" - Fruit

Sunday - Dinner with my folks.

I've been winging it while I'm cooking. I don't have recipes to share as I'm just putting things together. I want to start writing down what I'm doing and posting them, so that I'll have a source of ideas down the road.

HAVE A YUMMY WEEK!

Done #94 - Sunset Picnic on the beach

I forgot to put the chicken in the crockpot today. I didn't realize it until 3 p.m. It was way to late to do anything. It was time to punt.

I wanted to go to Farmer's Market for BBQ, but that didn't fit our budget. And then I remembered...

Surferman bravely gave blood recently and received a coupon for a free pizza. It was a perfect reward for meeting his fear of needles head on. We ordered the pizza. I threw together a yummy spinach salad. And we were off to Grom's favorite pirate park. (Every park is Grom's favorite - this one has a pirate ships to climb on and seals to ride.)

We enjoyed our pizza and salad on the longest day of summer. It's a beautiful day.

Works For Me Wednesday - Frugal Fast Face Washing

A couple of weeks ago I posted about Fast Face Washing. It wasn't an world changing idea. But it has kept me me on task to cross another item off my list of 101 Things to Do.

Tonight will be my 25th day in a row of washing my face. I am blemish free!

The wipes however bother my frugal nature. I don't like the disposable nature of the product either but I'll have to work on that.

Here's my tip for the week... Cut them in half. Half a wipe cleans my face just as well. I cut the wipe in half - stuff half back in the package and use the other half.

Frugally works for me!

Get more Works for Me Wednesday ideas at Rocks In My Dryer.

What's for Dinner - Week of April 29th

It's a short week for us. Surferman's sister is getting married and her doctorate this weekend in Denver. It'll be Grom's first airplane trip. I'm going to try to keep it simple and also work on cleaning out the fridge.

Monday - Chicken Enchilladas (making extra for the freezer)
Tuesday - Leftover BBQ Chicken
Wednesday - 4WD Club Meeting = Dinner Out!
Thursday - Quiche in a Bag (from the freezer)
Friday to Monday - In Denver.

Frugal Fridays - Make Your Own Mixes

One of the best frugal tips is to cook meals at home. Eating out can be a real budget buster. When cooking at home, cooking from scratch, avoiding processed packaged foods is an additional way to pinch those pennies.

My Frugal Friday post this week is about making your own mixes. A well stocked spice cupboard can supply the ingredients needed for most of these seasoning mixes.

Taco Season Mix - Use this versatile blend for all kinds of tacos, in refried beans, for soup and any recipe that calls for a packet of Taco Seasoning.

Onion Soup Mix - Great for meatloaf, beef stew, you name it.

If I don't have a recipe I just Google - "make your own whatever mix" and a few choices usually pop up. It's Frugal.

Onion Soup Mix

Another better to make it myself recipe.

Onion Soup Mix
Ingredients
1 T Better than Bouillon
3 T dried minced onion
1 t onion powder

Directions
Add these ingredients to any recipe that calls for Onion Soup Mix.

Taco Season Mix

I love watching Good Eats. Alton Brown is the best - entertaining and educational. The last time I watched he said, "Why buy something you can make?". Here's a recipe for one of those things.

Taco Season Mix

Ingredients
1 T dried minced onion
1 t garlic salt
1 t chili powder
1/2 t corn starch (optional - depends on use)
1/2 t crushed red pepper (omit if you want milder heat)
1/4 t dried oregano leaves
1/2 t ground cumin

Directions
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl until well mixed. Use in place of Taco Season Packets.

For Taco Filling:
Add 1 recipe of Taco Season Mix to 1 1/2 pounds cooked, drained ground beef, turkey, tvp (or combination of) along with 1/2 cup water. Simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Works For Me Wednesday - Steak and a Movie Night

I don't know when it started, but we've been doing it for years. Friday night is "Steak and a Movie Night". To celebrate the end of an always long week, we have an easy dinner. Easy to prepare and easy to clean up.

Grom gets to go to bed early. Surferman grills the steak. Top Sirloin is our favorite. I nuke some potatoes and the salad always comes out of a bag. We pull out the trays, pop a movie into the DVD player and kick back and relax.

There are occasional variations. Fish and a Movie Night. Take Out and a Movie Night. But it's really nice to know the plan. The hardest part... who gets to choose the movie.

What's For Dinner - Week of April 23rd

I anticipate a "normal" week around here.

Monday - Corned Beef, Cabbage, Potatoes, Carrots

Tuesday - Turkey and Barley Soup, Biscuits, Salad

Wednesday - Chicken Tacos, Refried Beans, Mexican Rice

Thursday - Farmer's Market - Eat out

Friday - Steak and a Movie Night - Steak, Baked Potatoes, Salad

Saturday - Michelle's Baby Shower - I'm co-hosting and it's at our house. Please pray for beautiful weather. I need to buy a carrot cake. I'm trying to keep it simple. Cheese and Crackers, Veggies and Dip, Shrimp and Cocktail Sauce, Popcorn, Fruit Platter, Coffee, Punch

I know I'm going to be done for the day when it's time to make dinner. We'll have leftover Turkey Barley Soup.

Sunday - Dinner with my folks

Frugal Fridays - Freezing Cheese

Cheese, warm and gooey. Most everything is better with cheese.

Here's how I do cheese frugally.

I buy the huge bags of shredded cheese from Costco or Smart and Final. I package the cheese in portions. Most recipes call for 2 cups so to save a little more and to cut calories, I pack about 1 1/2 per zipper bag.

The portioned bags go into a larger zipper bag. After I use the cheese, I put the empty zipper bag back into the freezer to be used again.

Watch for one of our favorite cheese recipes - Macaroni and Cheese. I'll post it soon.

What's for Dinner - Week of April 16th

We have company in town through Wednesday and I'm still trying to keep spending within my budget and use up the pantry.

Here's the plan for the week...

Monday - Spaghetti and Italian Sausages, Garlic Bread, Salad

Tuesday - Shredded Chicken BBQ Sandwiches, Cole Slaw, Baked Beans

Wednesday - Irish Music Night! Dinner Out.

Thursday - Farmer's Market - BBQ Out.

Friday - Steak and a Movie Night - Steak, Baked Potatoes, Salad

Saturday - Pizza Pancakes, Salad

Sunday - Our traditional "Family Dinner" is off as my folks are out of town. I might invite a couple of families from church over. Dinner will depend on who is coming.

What's for Dinner - Week of April 9th

Planning meals last week helped. We had a house full of company until last Wednesday so all bets are off with the grocery budget. To compensate I am going to try to plan my meals this week strictly from the freezer and pantry.

Monday - Crustless Quiche in a Bag with Ham and Veggies, Salad, Ciabatta Bread
~I'll make a couple extra quiches for the freezer

Tuesday - Bean Soup with Ham Bone (leftover from Easter)

Wednesday - Fuss Free Ravioli and Cheese Bake - Garlic Bread - Salad
~thanks Organizing Junkie for this new family favorite!

Thursday - OUT - Farmer's Market for BBQ - yum!

Friday - Steak and a Movie Night - Steak, Baked Potatoes, Salad

Saturday - Freezer Chicken Soup

Sunday - Sunday Dinner with the Folks

What's for dinner - Week of April 2nd

Food and meals around here were a disaster last week. I had no plan. I ran to the grocery store for most every meal. It was absurd and definitely not frugal. While it may appear that I've been stalking Organizing Junkie lately... she encourages in a couple of areas where I need encouragement right now.

April is another pantry challenge for me through Frugal Families. I'm trying to keep grocery spending to $250 this month. I have a well stocked pantry and freezer.

Here's what is in store for this week.

Monday - Ground Beef or Turkey Tacos - Refried Beans - Mexican Rice

Tuesday - Lazy Mom Lasagna - Green Salad - Sourdough Bread and Butter

Wednesday - No Cooking! Passover Celebration at church.

Thursday - Maple Salmon - Rice - Zucchini

Friday - Steak and a Movie Night - Steak, Baked Potato and Salad

Saturday - Surferman's Pizza - Salad

Sunday - Honey Baked Ham - Aunt Theo's Potatoes - Artichokes - Asparagus - Spinach Salad - Applesauce - Angel Food Cake with Strawberries and Whip Cream.

I have PANTRY POWER!

As part of a challenge at Frugal Families (pay - although you can "visit" for a while for free), I'm trying to save money on groceries this month and use up my expansive pantry. It's time to clean it out and start over. There's some iffy food in there. My goal is to limit grocery spending to $200 this month. I feed 5 adults and Grom most days.

It's early in the month yet, so it hasn't been a huge challenge. I hope to post what I do to use up my stockpile and keep my spending down here.

Tonight for dinner:
Lasagna - used up chese that looked disgusting but was still good for melting and some cooked hamburger patties left from Labor Day.

Spending today: $9
Toilet paper - can't go without that
"Day Old" Cookies - into the freezer for a specific occasion NOT snacking

Save money by reusing zipper bags.

Zipper storage bags are super convienent (did I spell that right? It's one of those words I can never spell close enough for spell check to fix) but they can get spendy.

Many a frugal folk washes and reuses these bags. I can't stand the mess of plastic bags strewn around the kitchen drying. I don't dry my handwash dishes with a towel so why would I use on to dry a baggie? And there is no possible way to get into all of those corners.

I do something a little different. I wash them, but I don't dry them.

Instead I give them a good shake, fold them in quarters and tuck them into the freezer. Any water on the bag freezes. When I need a zipper bag, I pull one out of the freezer, shake off any ice crystals and load it up with whatever leftovers I'm storing.

I use new baggies for dry items like crackers and bread. But when they are emptied they get the freezer treatment.

By the way... I don't reuse baggies that have had raw meats or greasy foods in them. Some bags just can't be cleaned well enough to be reused.

This also works for those "quick cover" shower caps for bowls.