Things To Do With Empty Wine Bottles

I like a glass of red wine with my dinner so I end up with empty wine bottles.  For some reason  I simply can not bare to toss them all into the recycle bin (I use to lament over my idiosyncratic ways but now I just roll with them) anyways... since I couldn't have bottles with out jobs hanging out all over the house I had to appoint them jobs.

Refill with home made Baileys Irish cream (makes for a tasty Christmas Gift):

1 cup heavy cream
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 2/3 cups Irish whiskey
1 teaspoon instant coffee granules
2 tablespoons chocolate syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract

Directions:
1.    In a blender, combine heavy cream, sweetened condensed milk, Irish whiskey, instant coffee, chocolate syrup, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Blend on high for 20 to 30 seconds. Store in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator. Shake well before serving.


Fill with Flavored Vinegar:
Uga Flavored Vinegars


 

Ziploc Bag Dryer

Lamp : 

Instructions for Lamp

Stretching Your Coffee ~ Grow Chicory

Like just about everything else, coffee prices are going through the roof so of course, me being both poor & frugal I started looking into ways to make  my coffee stretch as far as possible.  Some brands of coffee already have chicory blended in and you can find chicory in the stores right next to the coffee -but- the price is every bit as high, if not higher than coffee itself ......so.... I did a little research into growing chicory and here's what I found:

How to Grow Chicory to Make Coffee

  Brew coffee from homegrown chicory. 

Chicory (Chicorium intybus) is a natural, caffeine-free alternative to coffee. When coffee supplies were limited during World War II, most U.S. "coffee" was made from chicory. The plant grows well throughout the United States and can often be seen as a wildflower growing along the roadsides, so it requires only minimal care. The leaves are also edible and can be used in salads. 

Difficulty: Moderately Easy 

Instructions 

things you'll need:

• Chicory seed 
• Coffee grinder 

1. Sow the chicory seed in the ground in mid-spring. The seed should be no more than 1/2 inch deep. Rows should be 18 inches apart. Chicory will grow in full sun or light shade. The optimum soil temperature for germination is 65-75° F. Growth should be visible within 7 to 21 days. 
2.  Water as needed until plants are growing well. Once established, they require little care. 
3.  Thin seedlings to leave one plant every 10 inches along the row. The leaves of the plants you pulled out can be used in salads. 
4.  Dig the roots at the end of the growing season. They should be about 6 inches in diameter and 10 inches long. 
5.  Wash the roots thoroughly to remove garden soil. 

Dice the roots and bake them until dried, then grind them up for coffee. Chicory can be used alone for a hot drink, or mixed 40-to-60 with coffee.

~Sounds pretty easy yo me so I think I'm going to give it a shot this year.

Sooooo That's How It's Done: How To Make Home Made Pita Bread ~ Video

No more getting robbed at the grocery store!! All I have to do is save an empty pita bread bag and under the cover of darkness sneak the home made pita bread in it. Now if I could just find a way to fake out my son with Vegan Cheese...but my son's, siblings, friends just think I'm a crazy eccentric...*deep sigh*

Of course, I'm going to let my Bread Machine do all of the hard work (kneading & Rising) for me!

How to make Roti, Chapati (Flat Indian Bread) ~ Video

This looks easy, I wonder if these would make good personal sized pizza crusts. I donno, it looks kind of limp to be a pizza crust -unless- I try making it a bit thicker. My son is a pizza addict & it just about drives me insane when he wants me to buy pita bread for him to make a small personal sized pizza. The price of pita bread!!! How do they justify that ??

Egg shells in Your Garden

 I've been saving my egg shells on the kitchen window seal.  My son looked at me the other day with his: "My mother is totally nuts" look in his eyes and asked: " Mum, eggshells, really?  Your saving egg shells now?  Really?"  I would have tried to explain my reasons to him  but.... because in his mind, I'm just his crazy mother and no amount of explaining will help....poor kid.

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Egg shells in Your Garden

Crushed egg shells add valuable nutrients to soil. Calcium is essential for cell growth in all plants. Calcium is especially important for fast growing plants because they quickly deplete the surrounding soil of calcium. Egg shells should be washed before you place them in a compose or into your garden.

Make sure you crush the egg shells before you add them to your garden. Egg shells that are not crushed will break down very slowly.

Ways you can use crushed egg shells in your garden:

• Instead of throwing eggs shells away, put them in the bottom of plant pots instead of stones. Egg shells are much lighter than stones and they are a great source of of nutrition.
• Place egg shells in a circle on top of the ground surface around tender plant stems such as peppers, tomatoes, broccoli, cabbage to deter slugs and cutworms.
• Place egg shells in the soil near tomatoes. Calcium is very useful to tomatoes because the extra calcium will help prevent blossom end rot.

Can egg shells be used along with coffee grounds?

Yes. Egg shells provide calcium to your garden while coffee grounds provide a high content of nitrogen to your garden. Calcium and nitrogen supplements (egg shells and coffee grounds) will help keep your garden soil and plants healthy. 

From: http://www.mamashealth.com/garden/eggshells.asp

Living Without Money ~ Thought Provoking

A very interesting website, I can't say that I agree with all of it but I do find much of it enlightening and helps me to puts some things in perspective.  The years of corporate brainwashing though endless commercials has us honestly believing that we 'need' so much more that we actually do.  Just my thought on the subject.  http://sites.google.com/site/livingwithoutmoney/

In proportion as he Simplifies his Life, the Laws of the Universe will appear less complex, and Solitude will not be solitude, nor Poverty poverty, nor Weakness weakness. 
  --Henry David Thoreau

  

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Three Free Printable Garden Journals

GardenJournal homesteadharvest.pdf

free-garden-journal.pdf

garden_journal 2.pdf

garden grid layout.pdf

Video: Another Meat Free Dish ~ Eggplant Chickpea Curry with Coconut Infused Rice

An easy meat free recipe that's healthy, filling and Frugal (*Frugal*  my very favorite word). I love this dish with the Naan bread.  It's pretty darn close to the recipe I've been using for years so I thought I'd share with you.   Once you've bought your spices (I buy bulk, it's cheaper) this is a very inexpensive dish. If you buy your rice (brown is nutritious) in balk it a real meal stretcher.  I've on occasion tossed  spinach (fresh or frozen) in this dish when there's no eggplant available. There are more options when my veggie garden is producing. Personally I like my sauce thinner to soak into my rice and to dip my Naan bread into so I add more water to get that good 'dipping' consistency. As far as I'm concerned, no recipe is etched in stone... Tweak away my friend, tweak away!





Let me know what you think.

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Make Naan Bread ~ Frugal & Delicious: Video

I use to live in Scotland. In the UK they have Indian Curry Shops on every corner like we have Pizza Shops. I fell in love with Vegetable Curry. Currys always come with Naan Bread. All I can say is: 'Yummy'.

I bet Naan would make a pretty good pizza crust. I will give it a try in a couple of days.




Let me know what you think.

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Rice: The Great Food Stretcher

Basic White Rice
2 cups water
1 cup rice
1tspn salt (optional)

Bring water & salt to boil, add rice and cover with lid. Turn heat down to low. Simmer for 15 min. Remove from heat & fluff rice with a fork.

NOTE:  I just found these recipes so have not tried them yet. I have made similar out of my own imagination, I just didn't have recipes below.  These look VERY close.

Easy Mexican Rice:
1/4 cup + 2 TBspn oil
2 cups uncooked rice
2 tspn garlic salt
1 tspn cumin
1/2 cup chopped onions
1 cup tomato sauce ( I prefer diced tomatos)
4 cups chicken broth ( I am vegetarian so I would use veggie broth)

Heat oil over med. heat, add rice. Cook until puffed & golden. Sprinkle with garlic & cumin. Stir in onions, cook until tender. Stir in tomato sauce & broth. Brink to boil, reduce to low. Simmer 20-25 minutes.

Cafe Rio Rice:
1/2 bunch cilantro ( I've used dried when fresh is not available)
1 can green chilies 4 oz.
1/2 onion - chopped
4 cups of water
4 tspn chicken bullion
4 tspn garlic -minces
1/4 tspn salt ( I omit)
1 tbspn butter (or oil)
2 cups rice

Blent cilantro, green chilis & onion in food processor, Bring water to boil & add all ingredient. Simmer covered 30 minutes.

Mock Chipotle Rice:
2 cups rice
3 cups boiling water
1 bay leaf
1/3 cups cilantro -chopped
1/3 tspn salt ( I personally would use less)
2 1/2 tspn lemon or lime  juice
1/4 cup oil

Rince rice. Cook rice in boiling water with bay leaf for 20 min. Take off the heat. Remove bay leaf, add oil & fluff. Wait 5-7 minutes. Put rice in mixing bowl. Add Cilantro and mix. Add juice and salt. Mix & Serve.

Links To Frugal Kid Friendly Activities

The links below are from a great blog I found: Creative Jewish Mom. She has a gazillion thrifty ideas for adults as well.

Make Your Own Puff Paint

Make Your Own Watercolors

Recycled Bottle Cap and Plastic Lid Frogs

Create A World With Modeling Clay

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Homemade onion soup mix

Homemade onion soup mix:

• 1 tablespoon minced onion flakes (more -or- less/to taste) 
• 1 tablespoons beef broth powder (Low Sodium if you are on a sodium restricted diet)
• 1 teaspoon onion powder

I use onion soup mix to mix in with ground meat to make hamburgers for my boys ( I wish they were vegetarians but their not....however, I Live In 'Hope')


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Baking Soda & Hydrogen Peroxide - A Beautiful Couple

Yes, I am this frugal.

I've been brushing my teeth with baking soda & peroxide for years now.  I started doing so in the 70's on the advise of my dentist because at that time I had gum disease (Pyorrhea). His advice worked!   Now,  Thirty Five years later and without any further treatment for Periodontal disease I still have healthy gums.

I have on occasion tried using store bought tooth paste from time to time, like on occasions when I would babysite over night for my sister.  It gags me, I can't stand the sweetness or the pasty texture.

I also love, love, love the price, the fact that it's 'earth friendly' and it's only two ingredients ( I like knowing exactly what's in the products that I use and put into my mouth) both made in the USA.

Baking Soda makes a wonderful deodorant.  It's the only thing that I will use.  I wet the tips of my fingers, grab a pinch of baking soda and spread on my arm pits.  I never, ever  have underarm odor.
The ingredients used to make Deodorants are toxic.  There are safe  natural deodorants on the market but they are very expensive.  Store bought Tooth Paste & Deodorant is an expense I can well do without considering my monthly income is a meager $471.00.

Anyone else use Baking Soda & Peroxide for this purpose and if so, how is it working for you?

My $2.99 Cookie Crock

I needed a cookie jar but of course, me being me I wasn't going to pay one!  Then I found this:

A Crock from someone's broken & discarded crockpot for $2.99 at my very favorite shop; 'The Po-Man's Sak's Fifth Avenue' ( Community Thrift Store).  Love at first sight!!!

The next day I Christened with homemade Oatmeal Rasin Cookies.

I just so happened to have a pyrex lid that fit

Isn't it Beautiful?  Once someone's cast away and now someones Cookie Crock.  I feel like it's Fairy Godmother.

If I happen to run into a blue, yellow or any brighter color crock I will use it for a cookie crock and this one will be used as a smaller Dutch Oven.  Crocks make wonderful Dutch Ovens.

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30 Uses For Cereal Box Linings

Rather than to double post please follow the link blow to my other blog:

30 uses for cereal box linings

Thrift Store Treasure: Three Royal China Jeannette Pie Plates

Friday, on my way home from doing errands ( my son & nephew's Banking, a little grocery shopping, Pharmacy for me)  I stopped at our Community Thrift Shop and found exactly one of the items I needed.  This was an exciting find. a At $2.99 a piece I thought that they were just a wee bit pricy for a thrift shop  -but-  even so they were still priced  considerably less that if I were to buy them new.  I knew I was getting a huge bargin but little did I know how much of a bargin!!  I did a little research online discovering that Royal China Jeannette  are Collectables.  Should I sell them or keep them? Decisions, Decisions......

priced at $45.00

Priced at $35.00

Priced at $35.00

An Easy Frugal Cake Batter from Scratch

This cake is very moist and very good. It's so much better than a boxed cake mix plus a whole lot cheaper.  Also, I like knowing what's in my food.  Ever read the ingredients on a box of cake mix? 

I found this recipe on one of the 'Frugal Living' web rings I belong to.  So far I've only used this recipe for this Pineapple Upside Down Cake.  I used my square baking dish because I don't have any cake pans.  Can you guess what I've trolling the Thrift & Goodwill stores for lately?

Its called a:  Dinette Cake.
You can vary your flavors by varying your flavorings.

1 and 1/2 cup of flour

1 cup of sugar

2 tsp of baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/3 cup of oil

2/3 cup of milk

1 tsp of flavoring

1 egg.

Heat oven to 350

Then mix your dry ingredients together add oil milk and flavoring and mix finally add egg at the end and mix then bake for 30-35 minutes.

You can use this batter to make Pineapple upside down cake:

3T butter

1/4 cup of brown sugar

pineapple slices

melt butter in bottom of the pan

sprinkle the brown sugar evenly over the melted butter

arrange the pineapple slices

then cover with the cake batter 

bake for  approx. 40 minutes

A Cup of Ginger Tea ~ A Miracle Worker

I'm not quit sure what's wrong with me.  My doctor believes that I have an autoimmune disease.  He's referred me to a Rheumatologist who has agreed to see me in early May.  The bouts of  nausea that I experience may or may not have anything to do with this particular issue...who know's...
Anyway....

When I lived in Scotland I discovered a Fizzy Juice ( The Scottish call pop/soda 'Fizzy Juice')  called Ginger Beer.   One day I was  so, so  nauseated and I remembered reading on the web about how great Ginger is for nausea so I bought a bottle of Ginger Beer.  It had that strong, sharp bite that is common to ginger. It worked! In less than 40 minutes the nausea was gone! Prior to that nothing has ever worked for me. I always kept several bottles of Ginger Beer in the house.

When I moved back to the States I tried several different Ginger teas  that did not taste like I had ginger in it at all.   I tried STASH:  Expensive, I can taste the ginger and it  works like a charm every time so I paid the price: $4.69 for a box of  20 (I think) bags.

But now for some reason my store stopped carrying this product.  Soooo, I thought to myself: 'Why not make your own Ginger Tea from fresh Ginger Root'?

Ginger Tea


Ingredients
:
2 T. grated ginger root

2 c. water

Directions:
Boil the water in a small saucepan and stir in the ginger root.
Drink straight or add lemon and/or your favorite sweetener to taste. Ginger tea with honey is a soothing drink when you have a cold or the flu.

Peel & chop the ginger root

Toss the small bits of peeled ginger root into your veggie chopper

I put my ground up ginger root with the juice into a tea ball

put the tea ball into my kettle, let it come to a boil the turn the gas off and let it steep for 10 minutes

I wrapped the he remainder of the ground ginger root in aluminum foil, enough for 2 cups  and put the packets into a zip lock freezer bag and freeze until your're ready for another cup.

Homemade Bead Crumbs

I had four homemade Italian sandwich rolls that were about 5 days old that I wanted to make bread crumbs with.

I broke them up and tossed them in my blender (a few at a time) ran the blender  on the highest setting until I got the textur that I wanted ( if you have a food processor you could throw them in all at once).

I put the still moist bred crumbs in my largest Cast Iron Skillet and put it in the oven ast 350 degrees

I stirred the bread crumbs every 10-15 minutes for about an hour or  until the bread crumbs look dry & toasted.  I then turned off the oven and allow the skillet cool down enough to handle 

Put them in a labeled/dated container or ziploc freezer bag.

you can season them if you like. I like mine plain.

Why pay for bread crumbs when you can make your own with stale bread

Cheap is good !

Homemade Bread/Rolls

I love, love, love homemade bread but I hate, hate, hate, to knead the dough (it hurts my hands & wrists).
One day last year I was out with my sister-in-law (window shopping) and we happened to mosey on  into Macy's and I seen this bread machine.  It was marked down to $34.99 from $69.99 so I thought to myself: "Hummmmm, Mother's day is just around the corner, I think I will buy this for me for my Mother's Day gift from my youngest son ( I manage his money for him). So that's what I did. When I got home with it I asked him:  "Would like to see what you  bought me for Mother's Days"?
He said: "How much was it"?
I said: "$34.99"
He said: "Good price".
  He wasn't much interested in what it actually was.

Anyways.....
I love that bread machine. It mixes, kneads & rises the dough for me.  I not only make bread with it I make pizza crust, sandwich rolls, garlic rolls, hoagie rolls and whatever else I can think of ...all for a small fraction of what it cost to to buy from the grocery store,  plus I know exactly what ingredients are in my bread.
Whole wheat bread at  $2.89 a loaf from grocery store versus homemade at approx .75 cents,  my machine has paid for itself many, many time over.

I use the #8 (Dough) setting. Takes1 hour 4 minuted

These are white sandwich rolls. 4 cups white flour, 1 tspn dry active yeast, 2 tspn salt, 2 tspn sugar,  3 TBspn Virgin olive oil, 1 1/3 cup warm water. ** they are in the oven baking at 350 deg right now, as soon as they finish I will post a picture.

Fresh from the oven, the whole house smells delicious!!!

Whole wheat rolls with flaxseeds, sunflower seeds and Five Grains