Cheap & Cheerful Suppers for the week of Christmas

Friday

• fully-loaded baked potato soup
• bread
• orange juice-cranberry sauce smoothies
• pumpkin pie

Saturday (Christmas Eve)

• spaghetti and meatballs in marinara sauce
• canned green beans
• leftover pumpkin pie

Midnight snack

• hot cocoa, sitting by the tree, after the late Christmas Eve church service

Sunday (Christmas Day)

I served 2 meals on Christmas Day, brunch and dinner. I've included the menus for both of those meals.

Brunch

• turkey bacon (on clearance for $1.39/12 oz package earlier in the week)
• canned pineapple chunks
• the almond-filled pastry that I made, in this link
• saved pineapple juice from canned pineapple, blended with orange juice, as mentioned in this link
• copious amounts of coffee

Dinner

The inspiration for our casual, snacky Christmas dinner was a frozen package of marked down Lil' Smokies, the tangerines that I bought for putting in stockings and a gift card to Jack-in-the-box. We split 1 order of chicken strips, 1 order of egg rolls and 2 orders of onion rings. With everything else we had, it was enough.

I required everyone to participate in putting this dinner together, as I did for our Thanksgiving dinner. My 2 daughters made the pie, I made the dip and washed/peeled the carrots and celery, my husband cut the celery and carrots into sticks, and my son and his girlfriend simmered the cocktail sausages in the bbq sauce while I ran out to get the Jack-in-the-Box. No one person carried the entire burden of a holiday meal on the holiday.

• Lil Smokies cocktail sausage in bbq sauce
• tangerines
• carrots and celery sticks, with Ranch dip
• Jack-in-the-Box snacks -- chicken strips, onion rings, egg rolls
• pecan-chocolate chip pie
• hot tea and milk

Monday

• homemade cheese and olive pizza, using the leftover marinara sauce from Saturday's spaghetti and meatballs combined with leftover bbq sauce from Sunday's cocktail sausages, as the pizza sauce
• cole slaw
• last of the pecan-chocolate chip pie

Tuesday

• baked acorn squash
• baked potatoes, topped with cheese, Ranch dip, butter and Lemon-Rosemary finishing salt
• applesauce
• Christmas cookies

Wednesday

We were invited to friends for a Christmas tree candle lighting (real candles on their tree). There were lovely appetizers and desserts, enough to completely fill us. So no need to make any dinner tonight.

I don't know if you remember one of my shopping trips at Kohl's over the summer, with a $10 off coupon. I brought this box of candles, tied up with a red ribbon, as a hostess gift. I paid 38 cents at Kohl's, after coupon. (Oh and by the way, my 32 cent "holiday" entry mat, in the background, has been making merry at our front door, all season!)

Thursday

I still have 3 more get-togethers with family/friends, in the next couple of weeks. This afternoon, I was baking 2 pumpkin cake rolls, and assembling and wrapping the last couple of gifts. Whew! Dinner was fast and easy. 

• corn tortilla, black bean, salsa, olive and cheese thing (no other word than "thing")
• leftover baked squash
• Christmas cookies

I hope your week was jolly. Just a few more days and then it's back to routine, which will be welcome. Have a wonderful weekend.

Happy New Year!

December 2016 Grocery Spending Journal

I'm posting the end of the month grocery spending journal, now, as I'll be posting our weekly Cheap & Cheerful Menus, tomorrow, and then it's on to New Year's! So, closing out December's budget today, and anything I spend between now and January 1st will fall into January's budget.


Dec. 2 Cash & Carry for all-purpose flour, 50-lbs on sale for $9.99. I had planned on buying 2 bags (100 lbs), but they only had 1 bag left, and that bag had a tear. They offered me $3 off that bag. They taped it up. It didn't look like much had leaked out, no more than 1 lb. So, I bought probably 49 lbs of all-purpose flour for $6.99, or about 14 cents/lb.

Dec. 3 Dollar Tree, I buy 1 box of graham crackers, 1 box of Wheat Thin type crackers, and 1 box of Ritz type crackers -- spent $3

Dec. 9 WinCo -- I buy 8 packages of semi-sweet chocolate chips, at $1.68 each, 1 bag of coconut for $1.38, 2 bags of marshmallows for 98 cents each, and cocoa powder, for $2.06. I received 12 cents in bag credit.Total spent -- $17.72

Dec 10 Fred Meyer, Senior discount day. I bought half-gallon of almond vanilla milk for $1.99. I received a 16 oz jar of roasted peanuts, free, a bottle of Kraft BBQ sauce, free, and a small bag of Werthers caramel candies, free. I spent $1.99

Dec. 13 Fred Meyer, another Senior Discount day. I bought 4 15-oz jars of natural peanut butter, at $1.35 each, 1.27 lbs of salted, roasted almonds, at $4.49/lb, less a $2 off coupon, 3 packages of hot dogs for 80 cents each, 4 packages of flour tortillas for 89 cents each, 2 8-oz bricks of cream cheese, for 89 cents each, less a 45 cent coupon, 4 red-tape bananas at 49 cents/lb, 1 head of cabbage for 49 cents/lb, 6 half-gallons of whole milk and 4 half-gallons of orange juice, at 89 cents each. I spent $27.37

Dec. 14 Target, picking up stocking stuffers. I also buy the 70 oz bottle of Market Pantry Medium Salsa, for $4.99

Dec. 14 WinCo for some items for a veggie platter. I bought broccoli crowns ($1.10), baby carrots (98 cents), celery (98 cents), grape tomatoes ($1.48), Ranch dressing mix (58 cents) 16 oz mini-marshmallows (98 cents), 28 oz bag of tortilla chips ($2.98). Total spent $9.08.

Total spent for December, so far -- $71.14

Dec. 19 QFC for shank hams, unsliced, at $1.29/lb, limit 2. I also find turkey bacon on markdown for $1.39/12 oz package. I bought 7 packages. Total spent $39.64

Dec. 20 Fred Meyer for another bonus Senior Shopping discount. I bought a half-gallon almond milk for $1.79 (coupon plus discount), 2 lbs of BarS Meat franks, marked down to 79 cents/lb (went into the freezer right away), 5 lb box of mandarins for $5.99 (this will be the only box of mandarins I buy this year, likely, as they are so much more expensive than navel oranges), 1 bundle of celery at 69 cents/lb (83 cents for a the bundle), box of white cake mix (Friday Freebie), 2-liter of 7UP soda (Friday Freebie), package of Tim Tam cookies (Friday Freebie).  Total spent today -- $10.19

Total spent for December, so far -- $120.97

Dec. 25 I bought a $15 gift card to Jack-in-the-Box, at Fred Meyer, for the bonus fuel points. We used this gc on Christmas Day, along with $3.95, for a total of  $18.95

Dec. 26 at Fred Meyer for discounted items. I bought candy for Valentine's Day and next Christmas, but the cost of these will come out of our holiday budget. I also bought a 16 oz container of marked down candied glace cherries (the kind used in baking and fruitcake), for $1.79

Total spent for December 2016, $141.71

What I bought:

Produce

4 bananas
1 head of cabbage
4 half-gallons of orange juice
70 oz jug of tomato salsa
3/4 lb broccoli crowns
1 lb baby carrots
2 bundles of celery
3/4 lb of grape tomatoes
5 lbs of mandarin oranges (tangerines)

Dairy

2 half-gallons of almond milk
2 packages of cream cheese
6 half-gallons of whole milk

Meat

4.25 lbs of mixed meat hot dogs
23 lbs of bone-in ham
5.25 lbs of turkey bacon

Pantry

1 box of graham crackers
1 box of Wheat Thins type crackers
1 box of Ritz-type crackers
8 packages of semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 bag of coconut
2 bag of mini marshmallows
2/3 lb cocoa powder
16 oz jar of peanuts (freebie)
Kraft BBQ sauce (freebie)
bag of Werthers candies (freebie)
4  15-oz jars of natural peanut butter
1.27 lbs of smoked almonds
4 lbs of flour tortillas
Ranch dressing/dip mix
28-oz bag of tortilla chips
1 box of Pillsbury cake mix (freebie)
1 package of Tim Tam cookies (freebie)
2-liter of 7UP soda (freebie)
49 lbs of all-purpose flour
16 oz glace cherries

Other

Some fast food for Christmas snacky dinner -- chicken strips, onion rings, egg rolls


Not nearly as extensive a list of foods this month, compared to November. Our pantry, fridge and freezer are simply too full, right now.

My budget coming into December was $190 plus a carry-forward surplus of $11.84, for a total amount available to spend of $201.84. I spent $141.71. I now have $60.13 in surplus to roll over to January.

Our fridge, freezer and pantry continue to look full. We received a Honey-Baked ham, still frozen, as a Christmas gift. As we'd already planned our Christmas dinner, I put the ham in our freezer. We now have 4 hams. I'll use one on New Year's Day, that will leave 3 half hams for this next year. I also have 1 whole turkey and some turkey leftovers, still in the freezer, plus some turkey bacon, ground beef and hot dogs. We're set for meat, unless I find a great price. We seem to be well-stocked in baking ingredients and canned goods. I'll need vegetable oil and yeast, soon, but nothing els, really on the "need" list.

Later, next month, I'll do some planning for special meals this spring (birthdays, Valentine's Day and Easter), to make sure I set aside some of the meat and goodies for those specific meals.

I hope your budget fared well this month.

Refrigerator triage during the busy holiday week

Over the holidays, it's easy to overlook some of the highly perishable foods in the refrigerator. There are so many goodies, coming and going, that some ordinary foods, that would normally get gobbled up, are pushed to the back, to spoil before use.

Before that happens (or before it happens too greatly), I begin some refrigerator triage.

First, I use anything made with meat, or that has touched meat, in the cooking.

This past week, that meant some marinara sauce which had meatballs cooked in it, and some bbq sauce which had cocktail sausages cooked in it. I combined those two sauce remnants, to use a sauce on a homemade pizza.

Next, I use any soon-to-expire dairy products.

This meant milk, whipping cream and sour cream in our house, this past week. I pushed the milk on anyone who would drink some. In the process, we started a new tradition in our home. After the late church service on Christmas Eve, we all joined in the living room for some hot cocoa. It was a very pleasant late night, together. I believe that this will continue forward, as a tradition in our family. And I used the last of the sour cream in a dip on Christmas night. I already mentioned whipping up the last pint of heavy cream, to freeze in mounds for future desserts.

After the meat and dairy, I inventory, and make plans to use, all of the fresh produce.

I found 2 acorn squash, 1 butternut, 1 spaghetti squash and 1 small pumpkin, all needing to be used. I cooked the 2 acorn squash, first, as they looked to be on their last legs. The other 3 squash will be cooked within the next 10-14 days.

I also have about 15 pounds of aging potatoes to use in a hurry. It looks like the next few meals will be heavy on the squash and potatoes.

I also had 3/4 of a lemon and a handful of fresh rosemary that was gifted to us earlier in the month. I peeled the lemon, and sliced and quartered the rest of the lemon. The lemon zest will be combined with the rosemary to make some of the Lemon-Rosemary Finishing Salt in this link. The quartered slices went into the freezer, for sage-honey-lemon tea that I drink when I have a cold.

In addition, I have a glassful of fresh parsley in the refrigerator. Just before the very cold weather set in, in early December, I cut all of the remaining parsley in the garden. I put it in a glass of water and kept it in the fridge. Several weeks later, it still looks okay. I will use as much as I can in the next day or two.

And, I found about a dozen very wrinkly apples, in the garage fridge. I had wanted to make a pie with some of them. Sometimes, though, there's just no time for what we want, and we have to go with what is easy. So, I made a quart of applesauce, instead.

That leaves us with fresh carrots, celery, onions, cabbage, oranges, tangerines and not-quite-aging potatoes in the refrigerator to use over the coming month.

That's about it on the highly perishable items left in our fridge. I had about 1 cup of rice pudding that went too long in the fridge and had to be thrown out. But otherwise, it looks like a very low-waste holiday period.

Clearance shopping right after Christmas

I'm not a huge Christmas clearance shopper. But I do have a short list of items that I buy after Christmas.

Clearance Christmas/holiday items that I could use in the very near future

• a specific holiday-themed gift that I was wanting to gift to a friend, in just a few days -- saved 75% by waiting until the 26th to make that purchase (Bath & Body Works's Christmas clearance sale)
• eggnog (we still drink eggnog through New Years)
• whipping cream
• potted plant, for a hostess gift for New Years

Clearance Christmas items that are useful year round or later in the year

• candles -- tapers and votives (I mostly look for white candles, but green votives also look nice, outdoors in summer)
• candy wrapped in red, gold or silver foil for Valentine's Day, birthdays or anniversaries (I picked up some nice truffles, wrapped in red, for this year's Valentine's Day.)
• candied fruitcake whole cherries, for baking (Valentine's and President's Day). In the past, I've used fruitcake mix, 2 years after purchase, stored in the refrigerator -- a long shelf-life.
• candied fruitcake multi-colored mix -- I like this mix combined with raisins, in a bread that I make at Easter
• gift wrap in solid colors or simple, non-specific-to-Christmas prints, like stripes, and ribbons/bows

Clearance Christmas items that I bought to save for next Christmas

• candy for the stockings (my house is kept on the cool side, year round. I double bag the candy, and keep in a storage trunk, in a seldom-accessed closet. The candy (mostly chocolates, but also candy canes) looks and tastes fine, the next year.
• gift wrap and gift bags for next year
• an ornament to give as a gift next year

Leftover holiday foods that you can freeze

This happens to all of us, right? Too much whipping cream, a great deal on cream cheese, extra cranberry sauce, eggnog on markdown. All of these foods can be frozen.

• whipping cream (the kind in a carton, not in a spray can). Whip with confectioner's sugar and vanilla, as you would for a dessert topping. Spoon dollops onto a saran wrap-lined baking sheet, or the inside of a metal lid to a cookie tin. Place in freezer for several hours or overnight. Peel frozen dollops off of the saran wrap and place in a large, ziploc freezer bag, and keep in the freezer until needed. Use one by one, as desired, thawing directly on top of pies, or inside cream puffs, for about 15 minutes before serving.
• cream cheese freeze in the package. To use, thaw overnight in the fridge and use in spreads or making cheesecake. A small amount of liquid may seep out of thawed cream cheese. Just pour this off, or stir it back in. If using thawed cream cheese as a spread, I put it in a small bowl and beat it with a spoon, until soft and creamy again.
• cranberry sauce freeze in an ice cube tray. Use in smoothies, in a glaze for meat, or as an accompaniment for roasts and poultry. My favorite way to use leftover, frozen cranberry sauce is blended with orange juice.
• whole cranberries any leftover, whole cranberries can be frozen in a ziploc bag. Later in winter or spring, pour out what you need, rough chop them, still frozen, in your food processor and use in cranberry bread.
• eggnog freeze as you would milk, by pouring a little out of the carton, to allow for expansion, and freeze. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. The texture change is much like that of frozen and thawed milk. I don't drink eggnog, but my kids all agree, frozen, then thawed eggnog, is much better than no eggnog. 
• gravy mostly I freeze sliced meat in leftover gravy. But every once in a while I have way more gravy than we have meat. I freeze leftover gravy in 1 cup amounts. When thawed, watery liquid separates from a gelatinous lump. Once heated in the microwave, the gravy can be stirred back together.
• turkey carcass or ham bone if I don't have time to turn these into stock, right away, I wrap and freeze them to make good soup stock another day. I still have my turkey leg bones in the freezer, wrapped in plastic wrap, until I have some time to make a big pot of soup. I try not to let these sit in the freezer longer than a couple of months, for best flavor.
• baked goods, including Christmas cookies, breads, dinner rolls, and slices of pumpkin or apple pie. All freeze well.
• cut fresh herbs if you bought any herbs to use in preparing the holiday meals, you can mince and freeze whatever is left over. Freezing is my favorite way to keep fresh herbs like cilantro, which goes slimy, quickly, after cutting/purchasing. And having some herbs, minced and ready to add to sauces and soups makes future meal prep all that much simpler. I just put the minced herbs in a ziploc bag, freeze, then use within about 4 months. The amount that I need at any one time, easily breaks off of the frozen hunk.
• part of a lemon or lime if I don't need the whole citrus in a recipe, I slice and quarter the remaining lemon or lime, put in a ziploc bag, and use later, in water or tea.
• sparkling apple cider it will lose its fizz, but sparkling cider can be frozen, to thaw for a beverage another day, either on it's own, or mixed with other fruit juices, or part of the liquid when making gelatin desserts, or in a glaze for pork roasts, or in homemade teriyaki sauce/marinades.
• cinnamon sticks and whole cloves from spiced, hot beverages whole spices, rescued from pots of hot beverages can be frozen and reused, later in the season. Having been used once, they won't have quite as much flavor as they initially did, but are still useful in lightly infusing beverages, or adding fragrance to the air by simmering in a pot of water on the stove or in a mini crockpot.
• raw egg yolks or whites when I've only used a yolk or a white, and don't anticipate needing to use the other part of the egg within 2-3 days, I put the leftovers into a container for the freezer. Egg whites can be frozen, as is. Allow to come to room temp before using. Frozen egg whites don't whip as fluffy as fresh whites, but can still be used in whites-only recipes or added to omelets/scrambled eggs/quiches. Egg yolks need a pinch of salt to stabilize the texture before freezing, 1/8 teaspoon per 4 yolks, beaten into the yolk, then freeze.
• hard-boiled egg yolks hard-boiled egg whites do not freeze well, but the yolks, do. This is a great method for freezing leftover fresh yolks. Slip the leftover, raw yolks into a non-stick pan with about 2 inches of water at the bottom. bring to a boil. Turn off the heat, cover and allow to stand for 12 minutes. Remove from water with a slotted spoon, and freeze in a ziploc, to use, crumbled as a garnish or in egg salad, later.

Cheap & Cheerful Suppers for the week before Christmas

Friday
One daughter was with friends all day, the other was with me, Christmas shopping. We covered a lot of territory in one day, and I managed to finish all my shopping. However, we came home much later than I had anticipated, and needed to throw together a speedy dinner.

• leftover pizza for one person
• hot dogs, with cheddar and salsa in a flour tortilla, for the rest
• canned green beans
• canned pineapple chunks

Saturday

I worked at a fundraiser luncheon for the day. The lovely ladies, there, always bless me with food to take home. Once home, I made a soup from leftovers in the fridge, and served the rest of our blessings from the luncheon to go with it. 

• bean and veggie soup
• assorted sandwiches
• tossed salad
• fruit salad
• chocolate cake

Sunday

We're decorating the Christmas tree this afternoon into evening. Our family still all gathers together to put ornaments on the tree and have a simple, snack-y supper.

• grape tomato and colby-jack kabobs
• veggie tray and dip
• crackers and cream cheese/herb spread
• smoked almonds
• nuts bars and brownie cookies
• orange segments
• tortilla chips and salsa
• cola

Monday

• turkey and vegetable soup from the freezer
• baguette slices spread with a mix of leftover salmon spread, leftover Ranch dip and some cream cheese
• Swedish rice pudding

Tuesday

• homestyle macaroni and cheese
• cole slaw
• carrot sticks
• fruit salad of banana, canned pineapple, tangerine and orange

Wednesday

• turkey in gravy from the freezer
• baked potatoes, topped with sour cream (for most of family, mine just plain)
• canned peas and green beans
• orange wedges

Thursday

• French dip sandwiches (using roast beast given to us last weekend, and kept in freezer), on
• homemade buns, with
• homemade onion soup as the au jus
• oven fries
• sauteed cabbage

Such a busy week! Are you about done in, too? I've relied heavily on home-prepared foods from my freezer, and simple sides like cole slaw, carrot sticks, canned vegetables and orange wedges. 

What was on your menu this past week? Did you have to take more shortcuts, in meal prep, than usual?

Wishing you a peaceful and joyous Christmas.

A decorative, filled bread/pastry, that resembles baby Jesus in swaddling cloth, for Christmas (Crèche Bread)

This method of forming a loaf that looks like a braid (but isn't) is easy enough for most beginners, yet looks quite impressive.

I know this as Crèche Bread, which is French, but from my Scandinavian heritage (go figure). So, one of those things that has been changed and passed down for several generations. I'm not sure where it was altered with the French translation. But Crèche refers to the nativity scene, with Jesus wrapped in swaddling cloth, in a manger. The dough folds over in layers, as if "wrapped" in cloth.


This method works well with yeasted, refrigerator roll doughs. The refrigeration helps relax the dough so that it can be rolled out thin. If you use a standard yeast bread dough, leave it slightly soft (not too much flour), and refrigerate the dough before rolling out.

This folding technique is for a filled bread, but it doesn't have to be, it could be "empty" and just be pretty. The filling can be sweet, such as chopped nuts, raisins, cinnamon and sugar, or sweetened cream cheese topped with jam or lemon curd. Or it can be savory, such as cream cheese, shredded hard cheese, sausage crumbles and/or herbs. The loaf in this photo is for our Christmas morning bread, filled with a sweetened, almond paste.


Have filling ready and waiting.

With chilled dough (just before final rise), on a floured surface, roll out into a large rectangle, about 1/4-inch thick.

Transfer dough to a large, buttered baking sheet. Some dough might hang over the sides at this point. The sides will be folded over the center, and the ends will be tucked under, after filling.

Use a knife to mark dough, by scoring, into thirds, the length of the rectangle. Don't cut all the way through, just score. These are markings, only. Make the center third slightly wider than the side thirds, as the side strips will stretch while folding.

With a small, sharp knife, cut diagonal strips in the dough, on outer thirds, 1 to 2-inches apart, all the way down the length of the rectangle. Don't cut into the center third.

Place your filling down the center third, and spread to within 1/2-inch of side slits and top and bottom edges.

Beginning at the top, fold the strips inward, covering the filling, alternating and overlapping, from side to side.

Flatten and seal the ends, then tuck each end under.

Neaten up the sides and strips, gently.

Allow to rise till double. Optionally, just before baking, you can brush with a beaten egg and sprinkle with sugar, coarse salt, and/or chopped or sliced nuts. Bake (375 F degrees, until golden brown, for most doughs).

I baked this loaf the other day, wrapped it in foil, put in the freezer, and will warm it on Christmas morning.

Making homemade bread look "fancy" -- braiding dough

A braided loaf of bread looks really impressive. But it takes less time to execute, than shaped rolls, and only requires rudimentary braiding skill (can you braid hair? then you can braid dough). Because it is easier and faster than shaping rolls, I like to use a loaf of braided bread when I am tasked with bringing rolls to an event or dinner.

I have 2 methods of braiding bread dough. One method uses a refrigerated roll dough. And the other, this double-braid method, uses any yeasted bread dough. You can even buy frozen bread dough for this method of braiding. In any case, it makes the finished bread "fancy" enough for gifting, or for serving at holiday meals.

This is the loaf I made a week ago, using a fruit and nut, yeast bread dough. But you can use plain bread dough, whole wheat, rye or French bread dough for this sort of braid.

With bread dough that is ready for it's final rise, divide into thirds. Use 2/3 of the dough for the bottom braid, and 1/3 of the dough for the top braid. Set the 1/3 portion aside and begin working with the 2/3 portion.

Using your hands, roll the larger portion of dough into a long log (about 15 inches), and flatten slightly.

With a knife, cut the flat log into long thirds. Gently roll these strands, on a floured surface, to round out the cut edges.

Pinch the 3 ends together, gently, and begin braiding, as you would hair.

If your braid is loose at the "beginning" end, flip it upside down, undo that first pinching, and re-braid that end, only. Doing this, should tighten up your final result, into one uniform braid. Place this bottom braid on your buttered, baking sheet.

Now, work your 1/3 portion of dough, the same way as the 2/3 portion: rolling into a log (but this time, make your log about 18 inches long); flatten and cut into 3 strands; braid; check for looseness; pinch together any breaks. My braid, above, had two problems. It was too loose at the "beginning" end, and it had a break. I flipped it over and re-braided/tightened the "beginning" end, and I pinched the break back together.

Place the second braid on top of the first braid, allowing the ends of the top braid to fall over both ends of the bottom braid.

Use the palm of your hand to gently smash down the ends of the top braid, onto the baking sheet.

Tuck these flattened ends under the bottom braid. Doing this is what gives the finished loaf a neatly-braided look, after baking.

Allow to rise until nearly doubled in bulk, and bake.

My other method for braiding dough isn't really a braid, at all. I especially love this other method for a Christmas morning bread. I baked a filled loaf, yesterday afternoon. I'll write up a post for that one, for tomorrow morning. 

I used a standard, refrigerator yeast roll dough, and filled with an almond filling. At other times, I have used nut/cinnamon/sugar filling, fruit/nut fillings, and cream cheese/herbs (for a savory filled bread).

This bread-braiding method comes from my Scandinavian heritage. I've always called it Crèche Bread, as it resembles the baby Jesus, wrapped in swaddling cloth, in the manger. However, when I went to verify that that is indeed what it is called, I couldn't find it anywhere, online. In any case, check back tomorrow, if you'd like to see a simple, but impressive method for filling and "braiding" bread dough.

Have a great day!

The snacky foods for our Christmas tree decorating gathering . . .

. . . all from what we had on hand.

It's a family tradition for us all to spend one evening together in December to put up our Christmas tree and other holiday decor in the house, and have a snacky sort of dinner, together. I don't make special purchases at the store, but instead I use whatever I find in our pantry, fridge and freezer. Even though I don't buy a lot of snack foods, routinely, it's always surprising how much of a meal I can throw together with what I have already.

This year, we had tomato and cheese cube kabobs (leftovers given to us after working at a fundraiser), smoked salmon spread (salmon from the freezer, a gift over a year ago), candy canes (bought last year at Dollar Tree), tortilla chips and salsa, smoked almonds, some cheese and onion pastries (son's girlfriend brought those), dried cranberries, veggies and dip, nut bar cookies and brownie cookies (leftovers given to us after working at the fundraiser), and orange segments. We had cola, which I was a "Friday freebie" a while ago at Fred Meyer, and hidden in the pantry until now.

The dinner was affordable, fun, festive and very easy on the cook! My kind of holiday cooking.

Hand-drawn gift tags, by my daughter

You can buy a package of gift tags at the store, or . . .

and

My daughter drew these for two gifts, that she was giving to a couple of young girls who helped their mother, at the fundraiser luncheon, where we worked on Saturday.

I thought these were beautiful in their simplicity, and wanted to share, in case you needed gift tags this week, but wanted something more decorative than a plain piece of paper, without rushing out to the store. The snowflake, line and color design is simple enough to follow, or improvise your own snowflake. Black ink pen, colored pencils or pens, and heavy-weight paper, like card stock or drawing/watercolor paper.

Have a great day! Be back tomorrow.

Cheap & Cheerful Suppers for the beginning of Winter Break

burritos -- when life is busy, these have been quick to make for supper

Friday
Today is the first day of Winter Break for both daughters. I had an appointment in the morning, and one daughter and I ran errands in the afternoon, so an easy dinner it shall be. Even though I make biscuits from scratch, I've memorized the recipe. Plus, I made these as drop biscuits (no rolling out dough), and used oil instead of butter or shortening (no cutting in the fat, just mixing). As a result of all of this, they are quick to throw together and get in the oven. Making plain biscuits as Cheddar Bay, is simply a matter of adding shredded cheddar to the dough, then after baking, spooning some melted butter, mixed with garlic powder and Old Bay Seasoning, over each baked biscuit. They're quite good, and make a nice accompaniment to many soups and salads, as well as seafood.

• pumpkin soup from the freezer
• Cheddar Bay Biscuits, using this homemade bay seasoning
• cole slaw (cabbage on sale for 49 cents/lb)

Saturday

• a one-pot meal with cooked whole wheat pasta, seasoned tomato sauce, green beans, olives and mushrooms, topped with mozzarella
• leftover Cheddar Bay Biscuits

Sunday

• turkey slices in gravy from the freezer, cranberry sauce
• microwaved baked potatoes, topped with sour cream and butter
• mashed canned yams, seasoned with mace, nutmeg and cinnamon, topped with mini-marshmallows and baked
• cole slaw
• olives

Monday

• burritos filled with refried beans, ground beef, and cheese
• orange wedges
• carrot sticks
• peppermint bark

Tuesday

• meatloaf
• brown rice
• canned green beans
• leftover yams
• peppermint bark

Wednesday

• bean, cheese, salsa and rice burritos
• veggie platter with dip
• peppermint bark

Thursday

• pizza
• veggie platter

Trying to get everything done for the week has been a challenge. Even though this is now winter break for my daughters, there is so much to be done, every single day, and I'm still running them around town, with meetings and appointments. Add in Christmas shopping and 2 visits to the post office (one to get flat-rate mailers, the other to actually ship the stuff), and I am nearing the end of my energy. Next week should be better, as most appointments and meetings are suspended.

How was your week? What were some of your favorite meals this week? I hope you are able to get everything done that needs doing. Have a wonderful weekend!

The Party Vegetable Tray

This is one of those things that was commercialized, about 15-20 years ago, but that party-givers have been putting together for decades, if not longer.

We probably all remember our mothers putting together a vegetable or relish tray. It was unheard of, in my childhood, to buy a pre-made veggie platter, nicely arranged in a sectioned, plastic tray. They just weren't sold in supermarkets. And now, many hostesses rely on these pre-assembled party trays.

If you simply don't cook, I can see buying some items for a party. But, really, assembling raw veggies takes zero cooking skill. So, I just don't "get" buying these.

Our Cash & Carry has 64 oz. vegetable trays on sale, this week, for $8.95 each. And that is a pretty decent price for that size, pre-assembled vegetable tray. 4 pounds of fresh vegetables, for almost $9, or over $2 per pound for carrots, celery, cauliflower, broccoli and grape tomatoes (the actual cost is $2.23/lb). The most expensive item there is the section of grape tomatoes. However, at the same Cash & Carry, grape tomatoes sell for $4.17 for 2.5 pounds, or $1.66/lb. So, you're paying someone a lot of money to lay vegetables onto a plastic tray.

I wanted to see how cheaply I could put together a similar tray. Off to WinCo I headed. I bought 1 bundle of celery for 98 cents (it weighed almost 2 lbs), 1 pound of baby carrots for 98 cents, 1 12-ounce container of grape tomatoes for $1.48 ($1.97/lb), and 3/4 pound of broccoli crowns, for $1.10 (at $1.48/lb). I also bought Ranch dressing mix from the bulk bins for 58 cents (.10 lb at $5.81/lb). I used about 2/3 of the dressing mix, or about 38 cents worth. from my kitchen I used milk, vinegar and mayonnaise to make the dip, at about 25 cents. And I used a nice dish from my own kitchen to serve my veggie platter.

My cost was about $5.17, for 4 & 1/2 lbs of vegetables and 8 ounces of dip -- an 80 oz tray, instead of Cash & Carry's 64 oz tray. For a price comparison, 64 ounces of my homemade platter cost $4.14, less than half the cost of Cash & Carry's vegetable tray.

Time-wise, it took me about 10 minutes to rinse the veggies, cut the celery and broccoli and mix the dip, and zero cooking skills.

I know you probably already put together your own veggie platters. I just wanted to show you how worthwhile this is, to do yourself.

A super quick holiday treat: Peppermint Bark

Monday morning and midday found me out running errands for several hours. Upon returning home, I wanted to put together a little something sweet that tasted "Christmas". I didn't have time for baking cookies. But I did have time, and all of the ingredients, for peppermint bark.

• semi-sweet chocolate chips (1 cup)
• shortening (Crisco), (1 teaspoon)
• peppermint melting wafers, by Wilton, 1 cup (bought on clearance after Christmas two years ago) 
• 3 mini candy canes (bought at Dollar Tree last year and didn't use)

My cost was around $2 for a 3/4 pound batch. That's about $2.67 per pound. And it took me 10-15 minutes to make.

Not that I would buy the WS stuff, but in comparison, Williams-Sonoma sells their Peppermint Bark for $28.95/1-lb. 

I guess I could figure I just saved myself about $20! And if I calculated this savings as an hourly wage, I just "earned" $80 to $120 per hour.

Quick and easy, hearty soup: Fully Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Fully Loaded Baked Potato Soup

I love this soup for it's ease, and the speed to get it from the fridge and onto the table. Plus, it's cheap, cheap, cheap, with the main ingredient being leftover baked potatoes.

When I'm baking potatoes, whether in the microwave or conventional oven, I bake several extras. They make great starters for quick meals, for one person, or for many of us.

When it's just me at home for lunch, I can split a leftover baked potato in half, top with cheese and heat till the cheese is melted. Super quick and easy lunch for one.

For family dinners, leftover baked potatoes can be warmed, as is, or sliced and pan-fried till crispy and golden, to use as a side dish to something like turkey in gravy from the freezer.

the most important ingredient, the leftover baked potatoes

I have another use for leftover baked potatoes, that's a huge hit with my family -- Fully Loaded Baked Potato Soup.

Imagine your favorite baked potato with all of the traditional toppings, like sour cream, chives, cheddar cheese and ham or bacon bits. Now put all of that into a pot, with some stock, and you have a hearty soup which can stand alone as small supper or lunch, or be paired with a salad for a satisfying meal.

Throwing together a pot of Fully Loaded Baked Potato soup takes about 20 minutes, from stepping into the kitchen to filling bowls. The bulk of this time is spent chopping onions, celery, herbs and stirring together. It only requires bringing up to a boil, to heat through, as all of the ingredients after cooking the onions and celery, are already cooked.

The "recipe" is more a guide of suggestions. Use what you have, and don't sweat what you don't. So long as you have potatoes (leftover baked), you've got something to work with for this soup. Here's what I put in this last batch:

• 1 medium yellow onion, coarsely chopped
• oil for sautéeing the onion, about 2 tablespoons
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup of celery greens and center stalks, minced (optional, but good)
• 4 medium leftover baked potatoes, skins left on (this is enough to make about 6 servings of soup)
• stock (chicken, ham or vegetable), about 2-3 cups (I used the saved liquid from a few cans of vegetables)
• 1/2 cup to 1 cup of sour cream, plain yogurt, or plain Greek yogurt (I used a mix of sour cream and Greek yogurt)
• 1 cup of cooked ham dices or 1/2 cup of cooked bacon bits (I used leftover turkey slices in gravy, in this batch, diced small, 1 cup)
• 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
• salt and black pepper
• water, to thin (about 3 to 4 cups, you can substitute 1 cup of milk, for 1 cup of the water, if desired)
• parsley, chives or green onions for garnish (can also use dried herbs, or cracked black pepper for garnish)

In a large stockpot sauté  the onion and celery in oil, until soft. 

Chop the baked potatoes into 1-inch cubes, skins left on. Add to the vegetables. Pour in the 2 to 3 cups of stock or reserved canned vegetable liquid. Bring to a boil.

Puree the potato, onion and liquid mixture, with an immersion blender (alternatively, you can run this through a blender or food processor). The texture of this soup is most interesting if you leave a few chunks of potatoes in the puree.

Stir in a large dollop of sour cream or plain yogurt, the ham or bacon, and cheese. Add water to thin to a creamy, thick soup consistency. Salt and pepper to taste. Heat through. And serve, garnished with herbs, more cheddar and/or bacon bits.

A pot of this soup is enough for 6 hearty servings for my family, and costs about $1.50. 

It makes use of things that might have been tossed out, like celery tops and the liquid from canned green beans. By having the baked potatoes leftover from another meal, there's no time spent waiting for potatoes to cook till soft in the soup.

** I leave the skins on the potatoes, for added nutrients, and to make this easier. The skins do leave some brown flecks throughout the soup. So, if your family would prefer not to see those flecks of potato skin, you could also scoop the insides out of the potato skins for this soup.

Bargains on greeting cards

If you aren't already inundated with free cards from charities soliciting donations, and you just need a couple of Christmas cards, check your thrift stores, first, before going to the dollar store.

I was at St. Vincent de Paul yesterday afternoon, and found Christmas cards, with envelopes, at 10 cents each. I only need a couple, so this was the least expensive way for me to buy just what I needed. I had planned on going to Dollar Tree to pick up cards. I saved $1.20 (over buying the 50-cent cards at Dollar Tree), on 3 cards.

Cheap & Cheerful Suppers for a busy December week

Friday
Yes, one more night of bean burritos. What can I say. I was in the car almost the entire day.

• bean, rice, olive and cheese burritos
• canned corn
• canned pineapple chunks

Saturday

My husband is in Vegas for the weekend, so it's me and my kids for dinner, for the next 3 nights. I am thinking of pancakes for dinner, tonight, using some of that delicious real maple syrup.

• pancakes
• mushroom frittata
• fruit cup of pineapple chunks and orange segments

Sunday

My daughters and son are performing/working in the musical performance at our church, tonight. I believe they will get dinner, in between shows, which leaves me on my own for dinner. I'll scrounge around in the freeze for something.

• skillet dinner saute of 1 frozen cooked hamburger square, some sliced mushrooms, cooked together in the pan, the meat chopped with the spatula as it heated through. Then I added thyme, garlic powder, salt, leftover cooked rice and canned peas, and cooked a couple of minutes until hot. Good, except the thyme. It didn't go well with the flavor of the peas. But it was very easy, and it only dirtied one skillet and one spatula.

Monday

• turkey in gravy from the freezer
• mashed potatoes (made lots for leftovers)
• canned green beans
• baked squash
• canned cranberry sauce

Tuesday

• thick and hearty vegetarian soup made from lots of leftovers, including liquid from canned veggies, beans, carrots, celery, onions and mashed potatoes
• corn tortillas toasted with cheese
• oranges

Wednesday

• mushroom frittata
• baked squash
• green beans
• leftover mashed potatoes with sour cream added
• olives
• Austrian Almond Braid bread

Thursday

• hot dog taquitos, in corn tortillas with cheese
• carrot sticks, celery sticks
• leftover mashed potatoes, mixed with sour cream and leftover canned peas
• watermelon pickles

It's that very busy month of the year, with Christmas performances, holiday parties, final exams, decorating the house for Christmas and New Years, shopping, baking and lots of merry-making. Cooking has meant relying on easy meals. There wasn't one single elaborate meal, this past week. That's okay. It's nice to have a change and shift my focus to other things. And I'm happy to say that even with a busy week, I was able to throw together meals, quickly, using what I had on hand.

I'm still making efforts at cooking big. When I went to make mashed potatoes, earlier this week, I didn't just make enough for one meal, but I made enough for several. After that first night, the potatoes seized up a bit. To make them soft and creamy again, I stirred in sour cream, before heating and serving. I also found the ready-made mashed potatoes to be great for making a pot of vegetable soup, extra hearty.

How about you? What was on your menu this past week? Wishing you a wonderful weekend!

Packaging soup mixes for gifts

I think (but I'm not sure) that this is the last of the gifts that I'll post about this season.

There are a handful of people to whom I am gifting soup mixes, for Christmas.

If you recall, I knitted a set of kitchen wash cloths, and I bought a set of tea towels from Williams-Sonoma to go with the dish cloths, to go to my step-mom. Going with a kitchen/cooking theme, I've made 3 different soup mixes for her, to add to the box of gifts. My soup mixes fall under the category of semi-homemade, as I began with mixes from the bulk bins at WinCo.

Before I began, I checked out various soup mixes for sale at a local holiday store. I noticed that many of these had additional items, suggested to add to the mix. In addition, I was able to gather ideas for potential soup "flavors".

For the first soup mix, I used WinCo's vegetable soup blend, and dried tortellini, from the bulk bins. With these items, I added some seasonings, and a packet of Parmesan, to come up with a Vegetable Tortellini Soup Mix. The suggested add-in for this soup is a can of tomato sauce.

WinCo also sells a bean and tortilla soup mix. To the bean and tortilla soup mix, I added more seasonings, and included a baggie of tortilla chips for garnish. The suggested add-ins for this soup are some diced, cook chicken and a chopped tomato. My name for this soup mix is Mexi Chicken, Tortilla and Bean Soup.

The third soup mix began with WinCo's Beanland soup blend. Again, I added some seasonings, plus some dried onion, and suggested cooking with diced carrot and celery.

I tested out each of these "recipes" a couple of times. I did find that WinCo's suggested cook time was off on all of the bulk bin ingredients, so testing was very important.

As I tested, I kept notes on what I added and the timing. I was able to type of my notes, to include as a recipe for the soup preparation.

the soup mix in ziploc bag, a white lunch bag, the printout of instructions

For the packaging, I was working with supplies I had at home. I didn't want to spend more money on packaging supplies, plus I wanted to use up some of the supplies that I have, already.

What I came up with -- ziploc freezer bags, quart, and snack-size bags, white paper lunch sacks, free online images from the internet, to print out in black and white at home, and red/white twine.

I put the soup mix into ziploc freezer bags, separating any ingredients, into smaller baggies, that needed to be added at different times in the preparation of the soup. Along with the ingredients, I slipped in an extra copy of the soup instructions, into the quart-size ziploc bag.

the packaging part

For the outer bag, I found a lovely vintage vegetable image. I cut and pasted this into a Word document, and just below it, I typed the soup-making instructions. This is my label. I printed this label, cut it out, and used a glue stick to attach it to the front of a white paper lunch sack.

I tucked the soup mix into the sack, folded the top of the sack down, then rolled the rest of the sack with label, around, to make a tidy little bundle. I tied the whole thing up with a length of red and white twine.

I like the way these look. A bit homey and vintage. Brown paper bags would also suit this look. This packaging idea could be used for a variety of food-gifts, such as homemade fudge, cookies, mini loaves of quick bread or muffin mixes. It's very inexpensive to make, using a basic home printer for a label, some online images, a small paper sack and a bit of string or twine.

**An update on the birdseed ornaments -- I had one break on me yesterday when I went to pick it up/see if it was all dried. I was squishing it sideways, and it broke.This was the last of the ornaments that I made, it wasn't as thick, and I wasn't able to really pack it well, as I didn't have enough mixture. Plus, I was kind of squishing it absent-mindedly, checking for dryness. (They had been kind of spongey when not dried out.)

The others were fine for wrapping in cellophane and bubble wrap. Just an FYI about really packing the birdseed together.

Also, I read up on using a dehydrator to dry them. This could be really beneficial in damp climates, and especially if you plan on making these well in advance, and wrapping for favors or gifts. Birdseed ornaments seem to be a popular wedding favor, and many brides make these a couple of weeks in advance. Getting them very dry prevents molding. With my next batch, I will try a dehydrator. the suggestion I read was to allow to air dry overnight, then transfer to a dehydrator for 6 hours. then allow to air dry some more for a couple of days, before wrapping. And perhaps, on your gift tag, a little note "handle with care", so recipients don't press or try to squish them.

Making birdseed ornaments (an inexpensive gift for bird lovers)

I had mentioned making some birdseed ornaments last week. There are a few different recipes for these ornaments. I tried two. Both worked well. But I have to say, they took several days to dry, not the 8 hours or overnight that any of the online recipes said. Maybe it's a Seattle thing, with dampness and all. But as I am hoping to use a couple of these as gifts, time for drying is important.

Anyway, the first recipe I tried was for gelatin, water and birdseed, only. I liked this recipe quite a lot, for its ability to hold everything together, and it didn't seize up quickly, so I could take my time making the shapes. The downside was that it seemed to take longer to dry out, than the other recipe I tried. I tweaked the recipe a bit, and have made my suggestions for making these more easily.

Here's the recipe.

ingredients:

4 teaspoons unflavored gelatin (2 small packets)
2/3 cup boiling water
2 cups birdseed
string, twine, ribbon

you will also need:

large and small spoons for mixing and filling
parchment or waxed paper-lined baking sheet
non-stick cooking spray
large bowl
pot of boiling water on the stove, for a make-shift double boiler
skewer 

something to shape them:

**best** a shallow measuring scoop -- I liked the way the 1/2-cup, shallow measuring scoop worked, it was easier to un-mold and held together far better than cookie cutters
**I don't have these, but I've read they work well** silicone molds, 1/2-cup
**my last choice** -- cookie cutters, bigger and simpler in shape is better

(note about molds -- for best results, opt for a 1/2-cup, blocky shape, like a shallow measuring scoop or silicone muffin mold. Not quite as "pretty" as shapes like stars, leaves, etc, but the end result will be a birdseed ornament that holds together, well, even for shipping. Save ornaments like the fancy shapes for your own yard, or when gifting in person. The narrow bends in a fancier shape are difficult to pack the birdseed in tightly. My stars and maple leaves were more "crumbly" than the circle.)

1) Pour boiling water into bowl. Sprinkle with gelatin. Stir, stir, stir. If there are clumps of gelatin in the water, place the bowl over the pot of boiling water, and stir until dissolved completely (takes no more than 5 minutes). Remove from stove.

2) Stir in the birdseed, and stir until the gelatin covers all of the birdseed.

If you have soupy liquid at the bottom of the bowl, place it in the fridge for 5 minutes, so the gelatin will begin to set and coat the birdseed, thickly. Stir the birdseed again. If no soupy stuff remains at the bottom of the bowl, your mix is ready to use. (If the gelatin firmed up at the bottom of the bowl, while in the fridge, simply place it on the double-boiler again for a minute and stir.)


3) Spray cooking spray on the inside of the cutters or containers. Mound the birdseed in the mold. Pack the birdseed mixture, very compactly into the containers/cutters, using the palm of your hand for large areas, and the underside of a small spoon for tight corners. (You can also spray a sheet of waxed paper with cooking spray and use that to help press the birdseed into the molds.) Fill small areas of the mold, using a teaspoon, as needed. Then, pack tightly, again. Packing tightly is key for getting these ornaments to hold together.

If using a silicone mold or scoop for your mold --
After about 2 minutes, gently tap the birdseed ornament out of the measuring scoop.

4) Use the skewer to carefully poke a hole in the center of your ornament, all the way through.

If you choose to use cookie cutters,
you'll want to poke the hole in the center, before you un-mold. 

If using cookie cutters --
Before unloading, you'll want to poke your holes, first, while birdseed is still inside the cutter. Use a skewer to poke a hole in each ornament in the center. Then leave the ornaments inside the cutters, for a several hours to firm up. The detail will come out better, if not un-molded right away.

5) Begin the drying process on the sheet of waxed paper or parchment, for the first 24 hours. After 24 hours, carefully move the ornaments to a cake-cooling rack (for air circulation all around). Turn them over, once per day. These will require 5 to 7 days to dry enough to wrap in cellophane or pack in a box.

6) Around day 5, use a yarn needle to thread some twine or thin ribbon through the small hole you initially created. Tie the twine/ribbon together at the top, to form a hanging loop. I added a small bow to the twine, just above the top of the ornament. You could also use a sprig of greenery where I placed the bow.

If shipping these, once completely dried, wrap individually in a sheet of plastic wrap, then overwrap in bubble wrap, and then place in a small box. You will want them to slide about, as little as possible, in transit.

I saved the star-shaped ornaments for our yard, but am gifting the circular ones, as they feel more durable for shipping.


Tips:

• small-seeded mixtures hold together better, and are easier to pack tightly, than large-seeded mixtures of birdseed
• a sprayed, shallow, plastic measuring scoop worked better for releasing the birdseed than the shaped cookie cutters
• the simpler the shape, the better. Points on the star crumbled a bit when removing from the mold. But the circle held together with much less crumbling. 
• some crumbling is to be expected. Don't assume they are ruined if a few grains of birdseed fall off as you move or turn the ornaments. 
• the ornaments that I made with cookie cutters had to remain inside the mold for a day, in order to release them neatly. This meant I couldn't make multiple stars, the way I could make multiple circles.
• allow to dry for 5-7 days, before wrapping for gifting. After 1 day, I carefully moved my ornaments to a cake rack, for better air circulation. These need to be very dry before wrapping, to prevent mold.
• I used a yarn needle (the kind used for weaving the ends of yarn into a knitting project or for sewing knitted pieces together) to thread the twine through the dried ornament. A yarn needle would also allow you to thread ribbon, easily, through the small hole of the ornament.
• leftover bits of birdseed mixture can be placed in tray-style bird feeders, or in scooped out orange or grapefruit shells, and set out for birds to nibble.

Here's the impressive part:

These retail for about $20 in specialty catalogs for anywhere from 3 to 6 ornaments. This recipe uses about 1 pound of birdseed, at a cost of 50 cents to $1 per pound, plus about 30 to 75 cents of gelatin (depending on how you buy gelatin), and it makes 4 half-cup ornaments. So, no more than $2 for a set of 4 ornaments.

I had all of the ingredients at home for mine, but I estimate that my cost was around $1 for the set of 4. Not a bad savings!