Italian Open-faced Tuna Sandwiches...

A tasty, quick, easy, and frugal sammy! I normally would bake my own loaves of Italian bread, but, these were on sale and I had coupons which made them almost free! So for my crew, I had two very large, Italian loaves and split them lengthwise, and very very lightly toasted them. Then I took some drained tuna, and mixed it with some Italian Dressing, just until moistened. I then spread it on the bottoms of my split loaves, while they were on a baking pan.

I then put on a layer of romaine leaves.

Sprinkled on an Italian blend of cheeses, mozzarella will do.

I then placed some sliced, stuffed olives, and sliced tomatoes.

Placed it in a 375 oven until the cheeses were nice and melty, being careful not to ruin the lettuce!

Then I cut into serving sized portions and served with a spinach salad, and natural vinegar kettle chips! Yummmmmmy!

Kneading Bread by Machine...

Learning to knead bread by hand is really wonderful- and you learn by "feel" and texture, when the bread is just "right". But what if you're new to a machine? How is it supposed to "look", when you can't feel it?

Well, I snapped a pic of some whole wheat bread dough in my kitchen aid to show you how it kneads up when its "right"! You can see that the bread is in a "U" shape. There is some at the bottom but notice the dough comes up on both sides of the bowl. It will stay, for the most part, in a long shape, curled in a "U", sometimes folding into itself.

If its too sticky, it won't do this. You will need more flour.

If it stays in one big lump and just spins round and round, you've added too much flour and will need to begin to VERY gradually add small amounts of water; like a tablespoon at a time...you'd be surprised how far water can go with dough! ;-)

The same holds somewhat true in a bread machine. It won't, in most machines, make a "U" shape, but it will keep folding over itself. If its too sticky, more flour is needed. If its turning in one lump, almost never touching the side, gradual water is needed.
Happy Baking!

Fish Patties...

If you like Salmon Patties, you'll love these!

The other day, I had thawed out 8 pieces of tilapia and we ended up eating sandwiches on my fresh baked homemade bread :-)

I had been wanting to make these but didn't know how my family would take to their tilapia being cooked like their canned salmon!

Well, they loved it!

I cooked all the fish in a little butter in a pot, stirring until it was all flaky.

I flaked all of it and stored it in the fridge....waiting for the perfect hungry moment!

The next day, I beat 2 eggs into the flaked fish, cut up about 4 green onions into them, poured in about 1/4 cup of buttermilk, about 1/3 cup of cornmeal, and enough flour to be able to pat them into patties.

I fried them in my lipped griddle in a little (grape seed) oil and salted and peppered them as they cooked.

Everyone loved them!

*Served here with green beans and lightly sauteed squash from the garden.

Today's Canning: tomatoes and soup

Today I canned 5 quarts of tomato sauce and 3 quarts of one of my favorite soups! It simply has tomatoes, okra, and corn. Yummy!

Peter Piper Picked a Peck of Pickled Peppers....

And so did I! ....Well, not a peck, but a Walmart bag full! ;-)

Banana peppers and cayenne peppers/chilies...I hung some of the cayenne to dry...well, I had some help. I gave two guys some gloves and a needle and thread and had them string them through their tops! Then I tied them to the wall rack I have for canned goods so they can dry.
Below are some that have been drying several days. As you can see they change colors as they dry this way...going to red eventually and drying to a crisp! Once they are all dry, I will store them in jars or ziplocs and grind them as I need them for chili, etc.

And just when I thought I'd get a break....another bucket of tomatoes is now scattered across my counter...........not that I'm complaining at all! :-)

On the contrary, I'm very grateful! As I canned the peppers today, I became VERY grateful for the jars that I've collected. So far this year I haven't had to buy any, still using my old ones- yaaaah!

Today: pickles

Tomorrow will be banana peppers, which my kids like better than pickles! Do you see those big slices? My kids said they'd make perfect hamburger pickles! ;-)

A funny- my youngest came in and was talking (up a storm) while I was putting the lids on...well....one of the pints went into the canner without a band- the rest is history!

BTW, canning is so easy and fun! And it really didn't take all that long either.

-Yesterday, I spent about 15 minutes washing and slicing them, then placing them in ice and lime. This morning, I rinsed them, packing them back in ice. When I had time, I took about 40 minutes or so and canned them, while changing out laundry and cleaning up the kitchen.

4 quarts and 5 pints of dill pickles!

Busy Summer Days and garden goodies

Our days don't usually start quite so interesting.... pouring rain, thunder, lightening, and the sun shining bright at the same time!
Kids want watermelon for breakfast...and they "sculpt" it, making connecting tunnels in their slices...

Will stop to eat a Southern Style Meal...meatloaf patties, kale greens, green beans, fried okra and green tomatoes, and sliced fresh tomatoes...

A trip to the garden brings much work back.....tomatoes- green ones- red ones- little ones- big ones- a yellow pear shaped ones!... banana peppers, bell peppers, green beans, purple hull cow peas, corn, cukes..... Got 6 quarts of stewed tomatoes and 3 bags of spicey tomato sauce for the freezer....

I wanted to show you those Purple Hull Cowpeas...also called Pink Eyed Peas....ain't they purdy? ;-) They taste like black eyed peas, just only prettier!

Cut corn for the freezer...yummy Golden Bantam!

Thanks to a couple of helpers, breaking beans, we have a whole pot!...

And after my work is through, I settle down with a nice hot cup of white tea...ahhh sitting down is a good thing!

Heads up for Homeschoolers-

Half.com is offering 50% off (and more) on all textbooks.

Half.com is a branch-off of eBay and works in similar fashion to Amazon; there's no bidding, just buying!

Great way to save on back-to-school books and supplies!

Garden Goodies...

Its so so SO fun, exciting, and frugal, to get a fresh meal out of your own garden!

From my best guess, my garden has already paid for all the seeds and plants that I used to start it.

So from here on out, its ''profit''!

Frozen Coffee Shake!

I often will freeze leftover coffee just to make these, especially in the heat of summer :-)

24oz frozen coffee approx (you can use ice trays, small cups, whatever you have on hand)

1/2 to 3/4 cup sugar to taste(I used cane)

enough milk to fill blender (leaving a little space so as not to run it over (several cups)

Pulse in the blender until it chops up the frozen coffee. Once it is chunky, blend until smooth.

menu...

Saturday-
- oatmeal
-baked perch, layered salad, green beans
- creamy chicken and noodle bake, boiled cabbage, mashed squash
Snacks: Cookies from the press, boiled eggs, Chocolate Chip and Blueberry Muffins

Sunday-
-oatmeal
-natural peanut butter and jelly on homemade wheat bread, leftover homemade ice cream
-baked tilapia, green beans, sauteed squash
Snacks: yogurt, muffins, sliced tomatoes, homemade sweet pickles

Monday-
-eggs and toasted whole wheat breakfast bread
- fish cakes (from leftover cooked tilapia), shredded slaw, green beans, green onions
- veggie beef patties, leftover slaw, shoestring sweet potatoes
Snacks: cherry pie, sliced apples, clementines, sour gummy worms

Tuesday:
-eggs and toasted whole wheat breakfast bread
-Italian baked chicken, seasoned brown rice, green beans, sliced tomatoes, green onions
-pinto beans, whole grain cornbread, slaw, cut corn, green onions, sliced cukes
Snacks: homemade sweet pickles, cookies, muffins

Wednesday-
-soaked oatmeal with blueberries
-leftover beans, fried okra and green tomatoes, whole grain cornbread, green onions
-calf liver and onions, leftover beans, mashed squash, tomatoes
Snacks: homemade pudding, butter -n- honey on toasted breakfast bread, sliced apples

Thursday-
-millet
-turkey chili from leftover beans, fresh cayenne peppers, sliced fresh watermelon
-easy chicken stir fry, fried apples
Snacks: peanut butter balls, mocha shakes, sliced apples, air-popped corn

Friday-
-eggs, toast, homemade jelly
-tuna salad, sliced tomatoes, lettuce, cukes on homemade whole wheat pitas
- turkey breast tenderloin sandwiches on homemade buns, salad
Snacks: homemade pudding pops from leftover pudding, apple pie, white carrots and dip

Saturday-
-scrambled eggs and cheese in pita pockets
-homemade pizza using my fave whole wheat crust, green salad
-lamburger soup, whole grain cornmeal muffins, jello
Snacks: frozen coffee shakes, carrots and dip, fried apples

Fiber One is offereing some good coupons on their site!

Fiber One coupons: here!

Heads up on some giveaways, etc

Red Plum has a post up about Free Burgers on Your Birthday.

Connecting Threads is having a cool giveaway. Go here to register to win.

Go here to sign up for free food from Johnsonville.

Link to a new post by Brandy...

Brandy did a great guest post last week called "Five Ways to Get More From Your Garden".

Brandy has taught me a lot about the importance of these principles.

I have now developed a habit of trying to set a little $$ aside, here and there, just to buy little "extras" for my garden. Recently, I had saved up $20. I went to Walmart and was able to buy 13 40lb bags of Organic Humus and Manure. This will be used as I begin to pull up different veggies that have run their course, and I begin to till and prepare the soil for a fall garden. It really does help!

I also love Brandy's tip about growing "up"! Its a great tip for frugality and for space! I put this into practice with my grapevines. They run on the chain link fence. I also heard that organic gardeners suggest this with things like cucumbers (as you see in Brandy's pic) because it helps with pest control. ..If you live in the country, I showed you my silly frugal tip here for a free trellis to run cukes. :-)

Be sure to check out ALL of her tips for getting more out of YOUR garden!!

Chocolate Delight Birthday Cake...

One young-en of mine, looks an awful lot like his pa, but he takes his love of chocolate, back after me! :-)

So, I was not one bit surprised when he asked for a chocolate cake for his b-day.

But how could I dress it up and make it exciting?

More chocolate!

This is a simple yellow cake with chocolate frosting- but over the top, I drizzled melted almond bark, melted semi-sweet chocolate, grated very dark chocolate, and dotted with chocolate chips.

And the picture doesn't do it justice!

But, my little boy was drooling with excitement when he laid his eyes on it- and that's exactly what I was shooting for!

The Special Plate...

Years ago, a friend of mine bought this for my kids. It quickly became a treasure to them as they REALLY felt special when they got to eat from it.

Parts of the writing have been washed away and its not quite as shiny as it used to be, but it still adds a touch of excitement on those special days. This past week it was used on a birthday for a super cool 11 year old. Next week, it will be used for the 18th birthday of a very special little boy- uhmm young man.

.....boy is he making me old!

;-)

Whipped Fruit...

Do your kids think strawberries almost HAVE to have some sugar if they aren't super sweet?

Mine too!

After eating all the "sweet ones", I had to come up with a way to get them to eat the rest of them and this worked like a charm.

Slice a 16oz carton of strawberries with 2 ripe bananas. Gently fold in 1/2 cup of whipped cream. Easy peasy!

Golden Bantam Heirloom Corn...

I'm so proud of this little beauty! Finally, heirloom corn! yah!

We've had several good ears, but I will admit, I have LOTS to learn about growing corn!

Like: Solving pollination problems, pest control, yucky worms, and organic fertilizing!

Growing garlic....

Remember how I told you that you can grow garlic from cloves of the garlic sold in the grocery store? Well, here's the proof!

:-)

Just sink in the dirt, pointed side up, and they will grow!

They are ready to be pulled and dried when they die back like you see in the pic.

(We love the tops cut up and used in place of green onions too.)

Mashed Yellow Squash...

Next to fried, this is my kids favorite way to eat yellow summer squash.

I simply slice into a pot, just cover with water, toss in some sliced onions and minced garlic, and boil just until soft. Drain off most of the water, throw in a half stick of butter. Stir with a wooden spoon, slightly mashing. Salt and pepper to taste.

Leftover corn on the cob....

makes for great creamed corn! Just cut corn and scrape the cob, add a little cream, butter, and sugar- dash of salt and pepper and YUM! My family loves it this way, especially the kids. They think its too much work to eat it from the cob ;-)

Stringing peppers...

Let Freedom Ring!

Happy Belated 4th!

I made this as a surprise for my family. The kids ate it while they told me what the 4th of July is really about. Nothing like a teachable, eatable moment!

Frugal trees......

We love going to the creek - its just a couple of miles down from our house. We've brought in river rock from there before and sticks that we used to build trellises for the garden. But yesterday, we brought in something else!

A maple tree! Yep, that's it..and ds trying to plant it for me. I'm hoping that this will take and one day get big enough to shade the back of our house from the hot summer sun...specially since it beats down real hard on the kitchen! ;-)

We also brought in a tiny mimosa- can't wait to see how that goes.

Just be sure to dig up as much of the roots as you can, and soak the hole very well. We waited until this water soaked in the ground, then put the dirt back in and watered it again. This worked for another maple along the back fence that we transplanted last year. What was once a little twig less than a foot tall is now a small tree. Love frugal trees!

Looking for trees? Know someone with wooded property? Ask can you come take a couple of small trees; they usually don't mind a bit!