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Menu Plan....

 Welcome to Menu Plan Monday!

 My Frugal tip for this week: Make your own Instant Oatmeal! We made 2 batches of Smores!

SATURDAY:

-soaked oat groats
-Breakfast Tacos, pineapple
-Shrimp-I'm-Afraid-So, pb-choc balls
snacks: sliced apples,leftover muffins

SUNDAY:

- millet
-grilled chicken thighs, turnips and greens, potato wedges, cookies
-roast, potatoes, carrots, leftover turnips, Crusty White Bread, Spiced Cranberry Syrup
snacks: Gummy Worms, sliced apples

MONDAY:

-Smores Oatmeal
-Fish Patties(with a mix of leftover fish from freezer), lima beans, corn relish
- Meatloaf, chickpeas (freezer), creamed asparagus, mock Tootsie Rolls
snacks: boiled eggs and mustard, canned pineapple

TUESDAY:

- Peach Smoothies, Toasted Breakfast Bread
-Frugal Stir Fry, brown rice, Blueberry Cottage Pudding
-White Beans, turnips w/greans, potatoes, cornbread, green onions, leftover Cottage Pudding
snacks: buttered popcorn, sliced apples

WEDNESDAY:

-Smores Oatmeal
-White Beans, cracklin' cornbread, Lemon Cranberry Muffins
-Fried Chicken Strips, white beans, Swiss chard from the garden, canned mandarin oranges
snacks: muffins, toast w/ jelly

THURSDAY:

-Toasted Breakfast Bread, fried eggs
-Spaghetti, Crusty White Bread, Berry Compote
-Turkey Patties, BBQ Potato Wedges, garden greens, Mudballs
snacks:crackers and cheese, sliced apples

FRIDAY:

-Smores Oatmeal
-Clam Chowder, crackers, Giant Peanut Butter Spelt Cookies
-Beef Stroganoff, field snap peas, leftover greens, cookies
snacks:boiled eggs and mustard, sliced apples

Hot Spiced Cranberry Syrup...

Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in small saucepan.
Add 2 cups of cranberries. (I used frozen.)
Add one cinnamon stick (approx. 2 1/2 inches),
1/8 t allspice,
and 1/2t cloves. (I used whole but ground would be better.)

Simmer for 25 minutes. Add 2 cups white sugar. Simmer 2 to 5 minutes, making sure sugar dissolves well.

Serve hot over bread, cake, plain ice cream, etc.
Chill overnight and it makes a nice jelly!

Served over Crusty White Bread here.

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Breakfast Tacos...

My Dh loved these, but I caught some of my kiddies scraping out the eggs and sneaking the syrup! ;-)

What a kid won't do for sugar!

But they did like them- they just wanted their cakes and syrup too!

The wraps are fluffy pancakes.

The filling is sauteed onions and peppers with diced turkey ham, scrambled up with eggs.

Top with a little cheese (I used mozzarella here) and a sprinkling of parsley and you've got a great breakfast or lunch treat!

Served here with a side of pineapples. My kids said, "Hey we have all the food groups in this meal!"

*Tip: Its a good idea to make up your pancakes first and stack them. I warmed my oven just a bit and tucked them in there while I cooked the rest and the eggs. It is important for the pancakes to get a little steamy so they don't break when you fold them!!!

Happy eating!

Crusty White Bread....

I  love crusty white bread, especially with soup!

My kids will eat it off and on all day long, until its gone. They love the crunchy and chewy texture.

The outside is almost like a cracker!

Here's the simple recipe:

1 1/2 cups warm water

2 t yeast

1 1/2 t salt

2t honey

4 cups plain or unbleached flour

Pour water into mixing bowl and sprinkle the yeast over it. Collect and add remaining ingredients and stir well with a fork.

The dough should remain a little sticky and moist. Coat bowl in 1 to 2 T olive oil and allow to rise for approx. 90 minutes. Preheat oven during the last 20 minutes of rising time, to 500.

Lightly butter a light colored baking sheet.

 (If all your pans are dark, lay foil or another pan in the oven on the lower rack and keep a check on the bottom of bread while baking.) 

 Knead the dough briefly. Shape into two12 inch logs, then lightly roll the logs in a sprinkling of flour. Place on baking sheet, allow to rest a couple for 5 to 10 minutes.  Score down the center and place in preheated oven. (No second rise needed.)  Bake for 20 minutes (at 500), then lower heat to 400 and bake for approx. 20 more minutes.

As you can see below, they are not meant to win a beauty contest but its a delightful bread!

Homemade Tootsie Rolls.....

You won't convince anyone that this is a real Tootsie Roll BUT it is a nice homemade alternative with basic pantry items and once they cool completely, they do make a nice go of it!

2 T butter
3 T cocoa powder
1/4 cup light corn syrup*
1/2 t vanilla
1/3 cup sifted milk powder (*sifting will give you a smoother texture, so do sift the milk too)
1 1/4 cup sifted powdered sugar

In small saucepan, melt butter on low temp. Blend in cocoa, corn syrup, and vanilla. Heat just until bubbly.
Add sifted milk powder and 1 cup of sifted powdered sugar, stir well.

Sprinkle waxed paper with powdered sugar. Gently knead until you have a workable dough. Roll out into 4 ropes and cut into pieces with pastry cutter or knife. Wrap and twist in strips of waxed paper and allow to set up.

My kids loved these!

Be sure to check out LifeAsMom  for more Frugal Fridays!

*I think brown rice syrup would work for these but I don't have any ;-) If you try it- let me know!
This post is linked to:
Sumo's Sweet Stuff
Between Naps on the Porch

More Frugal and Non-toxic Cleaners for Your Home..

Pay attention to her tip about lemons and olive oil!

Frugal, Non-toxic Cleaners for Your Home...

Menu Plan Monday:

 Welcome to Menu Plan Monday and Marvelous Menus!

My frugal tip this week: make up a batch of biscuits over the weekend, flash freeze, tuck in a freezer bag for breakfast throughout the week.

SATURDAY:

-oatmeal
-chicken strips (Laura-style), green beans, seasoned brown rice, fried apples
-fried eggs and ham with cheese on toast, Cinnamon-sugar Muffins
snacks-homemade ciabatta style bread, leftover muffins

SUNDAY:

-Scottish Oats w/ cultured butter and brown sugar, fried eggs
- Sliced, pan-fried pork loin, lima beans, steamed broccoli, leftover muffins
- Chicken and homemade dumplin's, cracklin' cornbread, leftover lima beans, corn
snacks- lemonade and buttered popcorn,cake and milk

MONDAY:

- lard and butter biscuits (from the freezer), yogurt and berry smoothies
- Turkey patties, romaine salad, squash from the garden, frozen juice pops
- Shredded Chicken Sandwiches on homemade Buttermilk Buns, grapes, sour gummy worms
snacks- Butterscotch Pudding, sliced apples

TUESDAY:

- Biscuits and sausage
- Beef, Barley, and Lentil Stew, homemade white crusty bread, Dandelion Jelly
- Pan-fried tilapia, romaine from the garden, purple hull peas, toasted leftover bread, Violet Jelly
snacks- No-bake Oatmeal Cookies, Blackberry smoothies

WEDNESDAY:

- (soaked)7 grain cereal mix
- Hamburger Soup, fried cornbread, fried apples from the freezer
-White Beans, turnips with greens(garden), fried corn (freezer), cracklin' cornbread, leftover apples
snacks- grapes, chewy granola bars w/ dried cranberries

THURSDAY:

- Berry Smoothies,  Muffins
-Baked Beans (from leftover white beans), BBQ chicken thighs, romaine salad, Carob Candy
- Beef-n-liver meatballs and spaghetti, Twisted Garlic Bread Sticks, frozen smoothie pops
snacks-Peaches-n-Cream Smoothies, leftover carob candy

 FRIDAY:

-Biscuits and eggs
-chicken, baked beans, fried cabbage, 1/2 Wheat Amish Bread, jelly
- Meatloaf, potato wedges, turnips and greens,
snacks- Lemon-Cranberry Muffins, Pastillas de leche

Chili 'Pizza"....

This is a leftover(s) favorite! Chips, then leftover black bean chili, diced potatoes (leftover from a roast), 2 kinds of cheeses (from near empty bags), and chives. Baked at 350 until hot and bubbly. This can almost be served in slices.

Sneakin' More Greens...

Leftover turnip greens were chopped small and 'hidden' in our Corn Chowder. No one noticed!

Soup is a great place to hide these darker and stronger tasting greens.

Butterscotch Pudding....

2 T melted butter

4 T plain flour

3/4 cup brown sugar

dash salt

1/4 t vanilla

1/2 cup cream

2 1/2 cups milk

2 eggs

Melt butter and whisk in the flour. It will be quite thick and pasty.
Scoop into saucepan with dash salt, vanilla, and brown sugar.
Whisk in the cream and milk until smooth. Then beat in the eggs.
After mixture is well-blended, heat, whisking constantly to boil on
medium heat. Boil one minute. Pour into serving bowl, cover with
plastic and chill at least 2 hours.

Pastillas de Leche....

*Welcome to Frugal Fridays, hosted by Life As Mom.*
Pastillas de leche means 'milk pellet' or 'pellet of milk'.

It is a Filipino candy that's super easy to make and you can store them in a  candy dish at room temp for several days or refrigerate even longer.

The ingredients are basic pantry items;

1 can of sweetened condensed milk

2 cups of powdered milk (sift for a smoother texture)

and half a cup of sugar or powdered sugar

(I used powdered sugar, but most use regular white sugar.)

You simply blend the milk powder and condensed milk by hand, allow to sit for about five minutes.

Sprinkle the sugar on a piece of wax paper.

Knead slightly and roll out into a rope, cut into 'pellets' or pinch off and shape into balls or pellets.

Coat them with sugar.

Allow pieces to sit for a couple of minutes until they stiffen up.

Then wrap each piece in a small strip of waxed paper, twisting the ends.

There are several varieties of this, including one with fresh milk like this.

You can also flavor them with cocoa, vanilla, etc.

They aren't too sweet and have a great chewy texture.

These are a nice alternative to store-bought candy!

Medicine from the Yard....

This is going in my tea cup!

There are other pretties in this little jungle.

Like these Balloon Flowers. See why they call them that? :-)

The Tiger Lilies are blooming out early.

But this is what I came after...I shall steep you my pretty!

Greens of many colors....

We had one big pot of these yummies for supper last night. 

The neat part is...part of my seeds were gifts..the other, only a $1!

We will have these multiple times- for pennies!

(Frugal) Kitchen Tip: Sauces and Gravies!

 Welcome to Kitchen Tip Tuesdays hosted by Tammy's Recipes!

Poor Man's Steak w/ Mushroom Gravy

Learning to make gravies and sauces is a great way to help keep your kitchen frugal!

Use your liquid drippings from meat dishes-and make a gravy!

Paprika Gravy made from gelatin broth and onions

 A nice and easy rule for gravy is; 2, 2, 1. 
2 T fat
2 T flour
1 cup liquid- milk, broth, etc
and seasonings

Liver and Onions with Biscuits and Gravy

When you cook a roast, use several cups of the liquid for a nice gravy for the roast, or over a side of mashed potatoes. When you cook bacon or sausage, use the fat as your base for gravy. When you fry hamburger patties, use some of the grease as a base for a mushroom gravy. If you make a meatloaf, pour off a little of the fat and make an onion gravy. Fried chicken drippings make a great starter for gravy for the mashed potatoes!

Leftover Roast w/ drippings gravy, added peas, over fried cornbread, topped with mashed potatoes- yum!

An easy recipe is usually on all cornstarch packages. (Arrowroot can be used too.) Flour can be used as well.

Tarragon Turkey Loaf w/ Kicked Up Mushroom Gravy

 Gravies and sauces can dress up a meal, make use of leftover drippings, juices, and broths that still have nutritional value.

Free Coffee Grounds for Your Garden...and compost talk

Books-a-Million often keeps a wicker basket in the floor in front of their coffee stand with free leftover grounds. My blueberry bushes are sooooo thankful for them!

You can also compost and/or work them into your garden.

We have a large trash can where all produce scraps, grounds, tea bags, and some paper goes.

(This was our solution to rats and 2 beagles named Hal and Missy.)

(No, don't bother getting up you two- I was just introducing you - but just stay there in the shade if you like.)

When its time to turn over an area in the garden, we spread the contents of the can.

For 2 to 3 days, it smells but then it breaks down very rapidly and makes for a happier garden!

We just did that with the above corn patch. 

The kids had planted it for me ...and done a not-so-good job :-)

Some rows only had 3 stalks come up, so we turned it over and worked in a whole can full of 

compost and scraps. Within 3 days the smell was gone and the dirt looked quite a bit richer. And now corn is growing much better in it! Along with sunflowers....

Menu-

 WELCOME TO MENU PLAN MONDAY AND MARVELOUS MENUS!

 My frugal tip for the week: Make your own breads and baked goods! 

This week, we'll have flatbreads, muffins, rye bread, white bread,whole wheat breakfast bread, and a couple of baked treats.

SATURDAY:

- biscuits and gravy
- leftover Hamburger Soup, toasted rye bread
- frugal steaks, buttered boiled potatoes, field peas, and beets from the garden, mango-peach pops
snacks- Coconut Chocolate Chip Wheat Muffins, sliced apples

SUNDAY:

- oatmeal
-Taco Casserole, chili beans, romaine salad from the garden
- Grilled beef, leftover potatoes, turnip greens from the garden, homemade brownies
snacks- fried bananas, boiled eggs and mustard, homemade pickles

MONDAY:

-fried eggs and toasted breakfast bread
- A Fun and Forkless Meal, leftover brownies
-Beef Stew from the crocky, romaine salad from the garden, white bread, jelly
snacks- bread and butter, carrots and dip, grapes

TUESDAY:

- eggs and toast w/jelly
- Black Bean chili (from leftovers), berry smoothies
- BBQ chicken thighs, turnip greens from the garden, fried zucchini, peanut butter pudding
snacks- Lemon-cranberry Whole Wheat Muffins, grapes, sliced apples

WEDNESDAY:

-Breakfast Cookies and fried eggs
-leftover black bean chili, frozen smoothie pops
- Roast, potatoes, carrots, and carrot tops from the garden, green beans from the garden, grapes
snacks- frozen smoothie pops, Apricot Molasses Bars (I think I have just enough on my tree to make these.)

THURSDAY:

-Whole Wheat Johnny Cakes
-Frittata, Cinnamon Raisin Muffins, romaine salad from the garden, home canned juice pops
-Beef-n-Cabbage Bake, yellow squash from the garden, sliced tomatoes, Choc-Chip Pumpkin bread
snacks-blue chips and salsa, leftover muffins, grapes

FRIDAY:

- Sausage and Biscuits
- Main Dish Mac and Cheese, turnips and greens, yellow squash from the garden
-  Sloppy Joe Rolls, romaine from the garden, kidney beans from the freezer
snacks- Iced Graham Bites, Veggie Dip with carrots and celery sticks