Spiced beverage "starter" (or, how to make the spicey part of spiced apple cider in advance)

I shared this on facebook a couple of weeks ago. But because I know not all of you do facebook, I thought I would share it here, as well, simply because I've enjoyed having this in my fridge this autumn. I think of it as a spiced beverage "starter".

You may be wondering why I don't just simmer drinks like cider with the spices in them. Obviously, there's the instant factor that I appreciate. But more importantly to me, is pre-infusing some water with the spices, then adding the cider or juice for a brief heating, helps retain heat-sensitive nutrients, like vitamin C.

It's all of the yummy spices of autumn, infused in water, strained, then stored in the fridge. I use the infusion to add spice to hot apple cider, or make a spiced tea with Dollar Tree black tea bags, some apple juice and a spoonful of sugar or honey.

I've been using whole cloves, ground cinnamon (sticks would be nice, but cost more for me) and some allspice berries.

I make this infusion, either in a single cup, in the microwave, to enjoy right away or I make an entire pan of it, and keep in the refrigerator, for impromptu mugs of spiced drinks. Making this "starter" is an easy way for me to have an expensive-tasting drink at dollar store prices.

To make infusion, by the mug:
I put 1/4 teaspoon of whole cloves (or 2 pinches ground cloves)
2 or 3 whole allspice berries (or pinch of ground allspice)
and a 1-inch piece of cinnamon stick (I use 1/8 teaspoon of ground cinnamon) 
into about 1/8 to 1/4 cup of water.

I microwave in 25 second intervals, about 3 times, and allowing 2 or 3 minutes in between intervals, for steeping. I remove any whole spices with a spoon, and either add a black tea bag and apple juice and water, for an apple-spice black tea, or, I fill the mug with apple cider and a bit of honey or sugar, for hot spiced cider, and heat all, as needed.

While making this one mug at a time has been nice, I also really appreciate making a pint of the spiced infusion, for several days of spiced beverages, made easy.

For a pint of spiced infusion:
I put 3 cups of water into a stainless saucepan,
along with 1 tablespoon of whole cloves,
1/2 to 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon (or 2 whole sticks of cinnamon), and
1/2 teaspoon of allspice berries.

I allow this to heat, just below a simmer, on the stove for about 1 hour, until reduced by about 1/3 in the saucepan. It makes the house smell fantastic, by the way!

Then I pour it through a strainer, into a glass jar, and keep in the refrigerator. It has been keeping just fine, for over a week, for me. Spiced beverage "starter" just waiting for my cuppa.

To use: pour about 1/8 to 1/4 cup of infusion into a mug or cup, and add black tea, and/or apple cider, along with about a teaspoon of honey or sugar, if desired. Heat in the microwave.

I'm enjoying this for my own personal cups of apple-spiced tea, but it's also been nice to add to a family meal for the crowd, at the last minute. Hope you enjoy!

Cooking Big phase II: easier sides with some variety

Implementing cooking big, up until now has been mostly about preparing a large batch of the main entree. And that is going pretty well.

This week, I'm adding emphasis to preparing side dishes with ease, but still providing some variety. In particular, I'm working on the starchy side dishes, the breads, pasta, potatoes, and whole grains.


Earlier this week, I began planning an herb and garlic-crusted pork loin. I knew that I'd be cutting fresh herbs for this, including rosemary, thyme, oregano and sage.

When I set out to cut the herbs, yesterday morning, I had a thought to cut more than I would need for the pork loin, but enough for some potatoes to go with the roast, for herb and garlic roasted potato wedges. And while I was at it, I might as well cut a whole bunch of the herbs, and then later in the week, I could add some of the herb-garlic medley to the cooking liquid for brown rice, and some to cooked pasta, along with olive oil, and finally, on the last day, I could blend the remaining minced herbs/garlic with butter, and make an herb-garlic bread to use as a side dish that night.

As long as I was cutting all of these herbs, and peeling all of this garlic, I thought, I might as well use the food processor for the mincing. Brilliant! I make-ahead a large batch of mixed herbs, and I don't have to chop anything! (one of my least fave kitchen activities) After roasting the pork loin and some potato wedges, I still have enough fresh herb and garlic blend for another 2 or 3 nights of seasoned side dishes, just waiting in the fridge.

Here's what I used:

• about a quart of loose-packed fresh herbs, still on stems (primarily rosemary and thyme, but also some oregano and a handful of sage leaves)
• 6 cloves of garlic (also from the garden)
• scant 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• a couple of tablespoons of garlic granules, at the end (I didn't get enough of a garlic flavor in my blend)

After pulling all of the herbs off the stems, I processed them with the garlic and seasonings until finely minced. The resulting herb-garlic blend needed more garlic, so I used garlic granules. The yield was about a heaping cup of finely minced seasoning.

This idea of pre-blending herbs for various side dishes will translate well, in winter when all I have to work with is dried and frozen herbs. I can still mix these ahead of time, yet vary the flavor with each batch for some variety. Any of the following could be used: minced onions, garlic, dried or frozen herbs, spices, salt, pepper, dried chile peppers, sugar or honey. Basically, what I'll be making is a fresh and custom version of a seasoning packet, but for literally pennies per week's batch. 

I see great promise for using these on roasts, poultry, mixed in with ground meat for meat loaf, blended with a bit of butter and topping hamburger patties, mixed into bean burgers, cooked in rice and quinoa, tossed with carrots, onion quarters, or potatoes for roasting, or with cooked pasta just before serving, added to homemade soups and stews, mixed into mashed potatoes, or added to egg dishes like frittatas, omelets and scrambled eggs.

Anyways, I had to share, because I found a great way for me to use my fresh herbs a little longer this season, but with less overall work.

The best $2 I spent on supplements

This holds true for medications, as well. A pill, for whatever need, is only helpful if it actually comes out of the bottle, and gets into me.

Remembering to take those needed supps, daily (sometimes, a couple of times daily), and on schedule, has always been a problem for me. My consistency can be quite poor. And when I was feeling rotten this summer, I got even more off-schedule. I tried a variety of "systems". Not one kept me consistently on track with taking what I needed.

Enter the daily pill minder. I bought this 6 weeks ago, and I haven't missed a pill or supplement, since. In fact, it worked so well for me, that I bought a couple more for other members of the household who need prompting to take their vitamin D.

I actually have 2 of these for myself, now. One is for morning supplements. The other is for afternoon ones. Some minerals compete for absorption, with others, so I take those at a different time of day. And some supps require a couple of doses per day. Those, too, can go in the afternoon pill minder.

I am so on top of this, now, with the help of my pill minders.

Hallowe'en is just around the corner!

Just have to have some candy corn around the house for Hallowe'en and Thanksgiving, here. And of course, I need treats to hand out on Hallowe'en.

For the candy corn, I found WinCo has the best prices in our area on candy corn, in their bulk bins, at $1.48 per pound. Compare this to the other budget candy corn venue -- Dollar Tree, at $1 for an 8 oz bag (equals $2 per pound). Dollar Tree is still a pretty good deal, when compared to buying name-brand, bagged candy corn from the grocery store.

Last week, at WinCo, I did buy our candy corn for the season, a little over a pound. We'll use some of it to decorate Jack O Lantern cookies, and some will go on the Thanksgiving table.

As for the trick-or-treats, I have a set budget per treat of 15 cents. We get around 30 trick-or-treaters at our house.

While at WinCo, I deliberated the merits of all kinds of treats, -- juice boxes, bags of chips, fruit snacks and candy. I weighed the pros and cons of many treats. I wanted just the right treat to hand out. I didn't want any kid to feel like I gave out rotten treats. But I also remembered that my own kids would occasionally get something other than candy, and really appreciate the variety. And I didn't want to add to the sugar overload from the huge pile of candy. Nor did I want a bunch of candy left over in my own home. Wow, so much to consider. I spent close to an hour trying to find the one right treat.

I settled on individual bags of pretzels. Pretzels may not be the most impressive treat, but I'm together enough that my ego will stay intact if I don't impress every child in the neighborhood. And the treats that I give out don't need to in some way "fix" the lives of every kid who knocks on my door.

I felt okay about my choice of treat, okay in a good way. Because I don't have to feel super-duper fantastic about every detail of my life. The treat, itself, is just a token. It's the fact that I open the door, and wish the trick-or-treaters a happy evening, and I ooh and ah over their choice of costume, and I make them feel that I have enjoyed this moment of time with them at my doorstep. All of that is what matters to the kids, isn't it? At the very least, I made at least one mom pleased that their child got something other than candy on that night.

And just so you know, WinCo also has a lot of pre-wrapped candy, in the bulk bin section, at awesome prices, if candy is your preferred treat for Hallowe'en.

Cheap & Cheerful Suppers for October

3rd day of turkey and dumplings became turkey stew

Friday
Only 3 of us for dinner tonight. Dinner will be an easy to prepare one.

• hot dogs and buns from the freezer
• leftover baked squash
• apple wedges
• grilled tomatoes
• banana bread

Saturday

My daughters and I are going to a concert on campus, at their university. I'm honored that they want me to come with them (or is it -- that they want me to drive them? Hmmm, I think I'll choose to believe they want me there.) Anyways, it's a Christian rock concert, so it should be loud and fun! Dinner needs to be super-duper easy, as I'll serve dinner for all 5 of us around 4:45.

• beans, rice, tomatoes and beef from the freezer
• tomato wedges
• apple wedges

Sunday

So, us girls kind of stayed up really, really late last night, with no chance for sleeping in this morning. once again, dinner needs to be easy. Fortunately, I still have a couple of meals in the freezer. I took a vote, in the car when we came home from church, and it sounds like everyone wants leftover chili.

• leftover chili from the freezer
• scratch cornbread, using up some lingering corn flour, mixed with corn polenta, in place of corn meal
• cole slaw (planning on making extra, thanks to some suggestions, here)
• baked apples

Monday

• turkey in gravy (from freezer) over brown rice
• grilled tomatoes
• cole slaw
• leftover corn bread

Tuesday

I'd been thawing about a gallon and a half of turkey and stock in the fridge for a couple of days. Today's the day to do something with it. I managed to to gather enough carrots, green beans, summer squash, kale and parsley from the garden to add to some veggies in the kitchen, plus barley to the turkey and stock. I also had some liquid from various vegetables in the fridge I could add. Topped with a biscuit dough, and now it's simmering away. I should have enough turkey and dumplings for 3 nights.

• turkey, vegetables and dumplings
• pumpkin spice cake

Wednesday

• leftover turkey and dumplings
• tomato, cucumber, basil salad
• leftover pumpkin spice cake

Thursday

No more dumplings left on the turkey stew, so I'll have to make some other sort of bread product to have with it. Hopefully, we'll finish up this pot of turkey stew, tonight. It's cold, rainy and the wind is supposed to pick up this evening. A good night for turkey stew.

• last night of turkey stew, I had to extend it a bit with leftover squash, pureed pumpkin, a diced potato, and some almost ripe tomatoes that were half-blighted
• bran muffin squares (muffin squares are what I call muffin batter, baked in an 8X8 square pan, then cut into squares -- slightly easier than muffins)
• chunky apple sauce, using the good half of apples that had Apple Star Crack (an apple virus)

That was our week of meals, again using a lot of leftovers, either from the freezer, or from what I made, one night, then served 3 evenings in a row. I still do a little cooking every day, so it's not like these are complete nights off. But it's an improvement. And on days when I don't have as much to cook, I can do something else in the kitchen, like make relish. (I did get to the dill relish, as well, this week. So we have both sweet and dill relish to get through the year.)

Saryn, if you're reading here, today, you'll notice that I did indeed copy your lead from last week, and made a poultry and dumpling dish!! Told you it sounded delicious! I have lots of turkey in the freezer, so I did the turkey/dumpling combo, instead of chicken and dumplings.

What was on your menu this past week? What's the weather like where you are? It's cold, wet and windy, here. Saturday the wind is supposed to really kick up. I'm thinking I should plan something that can be either heated over a fire, or eaten cold, as a just in case measure.

Have a great weekend! 

Vitamin D, and what I've learned

There's a lot about vitamin D that I was never fully aware. Most of us know that vitamin D is needed for bone health. But more and more research is pointing to the need for vitamin D in prevention and treatment of depression, as well as possibly relief from some of the pain and fatigue in fibromyalgia, both of which are on my mind these days.

Seattle is a hot spot for vitamin D deficiency. It isn't just that we're well-known for our cloud cover, many days of the year. Some summers, the sun doesn't make its appearance until early July, no joke. But, also, we are way up here, in the far northern corner of PNW USA. Hello, down there, can anybody hear me? The sunlight that we do receive in winter isn't strong enough for our skin's production of vitamin D. Vitamin D screening/testing is becoming commonplace, here, as a result.


The best source of vitamin D is prudent sun exposure. That was the original design. Some of us don't live where adequate sun abounds. For others, use of sunblock is a health necessity. And still for others, skin pigmentation prevents adequate production of vitamin D in the body. Finally, (something I don't relish thinking about), but as we age, our bodies become less efficient at using sun exposure for our vitamin D supply.

So, for those of us needing supplementation, this is what I've learned. (And if you don't know whether you need more vitamin D or not, your medical professional can run a blood test, to check your serum vitamin D levels.)


D2 & D3
There are different types/sources of vitamin D for supplementation. I don't know where D1 comes from, if it still exists, or what it is. But commonly in supplement form, you'll see labels on packages or vitamin bottles with D2 and D3.

D2 is vitamin D made from ergosterol, from fungi and protozoa. Vitamin D3 is made from cholecalciferol, which comes from an animal source (from sheep's wool, I believe). From what I've read, vitamin D3 is more like what our bodies form from sun exposure than vitamin D2. There is some evidence that suggests D3 is taken up by the body more easily than D2. That doesn't mean that D2 is completely useless, though.

There's also a D4 and a D5, but I've never seen either listed on any package label, or referred to as needed for health, in a medical article.

Reading labels
When reading food packages or vitamin bottle labels, check for ergocalciferol and/or cholecalciferol. Vitamin D without a subscript can refer to either D2 or D3, or even both. Together, they are known as calciferol.

While most commercial milk (and many brands of yogurt) is fortified with vitamin D, many other dairy products, such as cheese and ice cream, are not fortified with vitamin D.

Supplement forms of vitamin D Vitamin D as a supplement comes in liquid, gel caps (filled with liquid) and tablet (compressed solids, as in a stand alone vitamin D, or a daily multi-vitamin tablet, containing vitamin D). 

There is also some evidence that vitamin D3 may be taken up via transdermal application (which is very helpful for elderly, who may not receive adequate sun exposure or supplements by mouth). This form is available as a patch, and as a cream.

The digestive system absorbs vitamin D as a liquid or gel cap, more easily than a solid/tablet. Some people have reported, anecdotally, that they feel better on the liquid drops than either gel caps or tablet. My own doctor didn't feel there was any efficacy benefit from the drops vs the gel caps, however.

Vitamin D is fat soluble. That means, it needs fat in the digestive system to absorb it's nutrient value. 
Vitamin D in liquid form is also sold in a preparation of a liquid fat, to be taken regardless of whether you've just eaten some fat or not. This is very beneficial for those individuals who for one reason or another have an extremely limited diet, or can't take much by mouth.

I've read the advice to take vitamin D supplements with your heaviest meal meal of the day. 

The human body benefits from adding Vitamin K, when supplementing vitamin D and calcium. Vitamin K is also a fat-soluble vitamin. There are a few forms of vitamin K. K1 and K2 are the natural sources. K1 is what is found in leafy green vegetables. The human body converts K1 to K2, with, but not limited to, the help of gut flora. Deficiency of vitamin K has been found in individuals with malabsorption issues, due to disease of the digestive system or extensive use of broad spectrum antibiotics.

Vitamin K2 is thought to be the main storage form of vitamin K, in animals. Food source-wise, K2 is found in animal livers and bacteria-fermented foods, including hard cheeses.

It is recommended to get both sources of vitamin K in your diet on a daily basis. Although vitamin K is fat-soluble, it doesn't appear to be stored long-term (like vitamin D), in the body. 

Most of us have heard that vitamin K helps in blood coagulation. It also plays a key role in the body when paired with vitamin D. In a nutshell, if I recall correctly, vitamin D helps the body absorbs calcium, and vitamin K2 helps direct that calcium away from soft tissue (like arteries) and into the bones.

What I've observed with D2. 
Alternative milks, like soy milk and almond milk, are mostly supplemented with vitamin D2, not D3. My guess is that alternative milks are not only market-targeted to those with dietary issues regarding lactose, but also to the vegetarian/vegan share of the market. D2 being from a non-animal source fits with that marketing model. Just something to be aware of, as some experts say that D2 is not taken up as easily by the body as D3.

Vitamin D toxicity from excess supplementation is rare and primarily happens in individuals with specific other medical conditions, such as hyperparathyroidism. But it can still happen. So mega-dosing isn't advised. (Just because a little is good doesn't mean that a lot is better.)

***None of this is to be read as medical advice. These are all things I didn't know about vitamin D until recently. Some of this information may be new to you, and I encourage you to do your own research and consult with your doctor/medical care professional about your nutritional needs. You already know this, but I have to say it -- I am not a medical professional, and I've never played one on TV.

Now, this is what I have chosen to do.

• I had vitamin D2 in my cabinet when I began this research. Although it is not as available to the body as D3, it's not useless. I didn't want throw it out, of course. But I also didn't want to rely on it as my only source of vitamin D supplementation. So, to use it up (and not have wasted money on something),  I alternated the D2 with D3, every other day. I don't get any vitamin D from animal milk. Even if I tried drinking more milk, with lactose intolerance, it's been suggested that my body wouldn't be able to absorb all the nutrients, anyways, due to a compromised digestive system when I consume milk.
• I don't eat much fish, either. So, most of my vitamin D needs to come from supplements for most of the year.
• After finishing my D2, I settled on a liquid form of vitamin D3, in drops, to be taken on my tongue. The drops may be taken up by my body better than other forms. But also, I like them because they're very easy to take, with no extra pills to swallow.
• I take my vitamin D, twice each day, immediately after eating a spoonful of natural-style peanut butter. or handful of nuts with my breakfast., and right after lunch. I would take vitamin D with dinner (as that's my heaviest meal of the day), but I get so busy and tired at that hour that I forget.
• I don't count the vitamin D2 that is in the soy milk that I use, daily, towards my RDA for vitamin D.
• I've added a vitamin K2 supplement to my diet, as I don't eat enough sources of K2 on a regular basis. I do eat plenty of leafy greens, but I also have some nutrient absorption issues, and have taken more than my share of broad spectrum antibiotics, unfortunately.

If you think you need extra vitamin D, this is a good discussion to have with your doctor. Many doctors now routinely test for serum vitamin D levels.

(This is a lot of information. Sorry to have gone on so long.) 

The weather turned suddenly, and left me with dying tomato plants (and lots of small green tomatoes that could never ripen)

September and now October has flown past in a flash. What I thought was several more weeks to manage what's left in the garden turned into just a few days. The tomato plants were hit by blight, and I had just days to deal with what was left on the vines.

I went out to the garden on Monday, and I picked all of the small green tomatoes, even the ones that didn't have a chance at ripening indoors. Any tomato larger than a pea was fair game.

After washing all of these tomatoes, I ran a bunch of them through the food processor, along with onions, and baby green peppers from the garden. I used this finely chopped veggie mix to make our sweet pickle relish for the next year.

I used about 4 cups of chopped green tomato, 1  1/2 onions, chopped, and about 1/2 cup of finely chopped green pepper. Adding in some vinegar, sugar, salt and spices, I was able to make 3 pints of sweet relish, for about 50 cents total, including lids for the jars.

This is enough relish for the year for our family, with a small jar leftover for gifting in a basket of home-canned goodies, to a certain someone, special to me.

I have enough green tomatoes leftover to make a small batch of dill relish, too, if I work quickly. Once tomatoes have been caught out by blight, they turn brown and unusable.

And so another summer's garden is coming to a close. A nice respite for me. And by spring, I'll be eager to get my hands in the dirt, once again.

Making this relish reminded me of all of those end of the season recipes, like piccalilli, that I find in old cookbooks. Ones where you add bits of mis-matched this and that to the mix, and end up with something really yummy as a result. Have you ever tried piccalilli, or some similar garden relish? What do you do with those last bits from the garden?

Prepackaged snacks on a budget

It's super important that I eat healthy and that I don't skip meals. That last one is hard for me, as I'm often out over a meal time, and frequently that is unplanned.

Many of the packaged snack bars contain too much sugar for me, personally, in the form of honey, cane sugar, and dried fruit. And even a banana or bag of raisins (what had long been my favorite items to grab going out the door) is no longer the best option for me to snack on, in place of a meal or main snack.

So I need something moderately balanced in energy, fats, proteins and carbs. But not a pricey health food store bar or snack mix. But it has to be as convenient as a packaged energy mix or bar.

You already know that I buy nuts, seeds and dried fruit from bulk bins at Fred Meyer and WinCo. The change that I've made is to pre-package some of those snacks into custom mix blends, just for me to grab when I need a portable, instant snack.

I've been filling snack-size ziploc bags, from Dollar Tree, with measured amounts of roasted almonds, roasted edamame, raisins, dried cranberries, and as an extra, a few jumbo chocolate chips. I set up several open bags on the counter, and measure ingredients into each bag, assembly line fashion. When I'm done, I have enough snack mix bags for the week, for myself.

I calculated the calorie count to be about 200, which is what I need when a meal is delayed. And my costs are about 65 cents per bag.

These packaged-by-me, energy mix bags meet all of my needs. They're nutritionally balanced. They're affordable. And they are quick to grab.

So, I chose dried edamame and almonds for protein, raisins and dried cranberries for some natural sugars and fiber, and the chocolate chips, just for my chocolate fix. What would you choose if you made energy mix for yourself? Do you have any favorite easy and healthy grab-and-go snacks?

More autumn decor, this time with canning jars and acrylic craft paint

You've probably seen this idea. I'e seen it a few different places. And I've seen the canning jars painted on the inside as well as outside. When painted on the inside, the jars retain that glossy, glass look. When painted on the outside, with a matte paint, they look more vintage. Anyways, I thought I'd give this project a try.

I love its rustic look, which seems to be a natural for autumn decor. And it's so easy, and inexpensive. I just used what I had on hand.

level of difficulty -- very easy

• canning jars (2, originally from Goodwill at 20 cents each)
• acrylic craft paint, just the ordinary, goes-on-sale-at Michael's-for-79 cents, kind
• craft paint brush
• fine sand paper (150 grit or finer -- you know this, right? the higher the number, the finer the grit)
• something to prop the jar up with, I used an upturned custard cup
• optional -- matte finish, clear acrylic sealer

I set up a spot on my kitchen counter, off to the side, with a half sheet of newspaper folded over as my work area.

Holding the jar in my left hand, I painted the jar with brush in my right, beginning with down by the bottom, but not covering the underside. I painted the rest of the jar, including threads and top rim. To paint the very top of the jar, I had to set this on the upturned custard cup. Allowed to dry overnight. (10 minutes, hands-on time)

Next day, I painted over the first coat, and set to dry. (5-10 minutes hands-on time)

Third day, I added one more coat of paint. the third coat of paint is optional, depending on the look you want. I wanted the jar to look fully opaque, and color to be very uniform. But I've also seen these done with just 2 coats, and a slightly more rustic look. (5-10 minutes hands-on time)

When the paint was thoroughly dry, I used the fine grit sand paper to sand off some of the paint in areas where paint would receive normal wear with time and use -- any raised surface, including threads and part of top edge, the raised lettering and a couple of wear spots on the shoulder of the jar, as well as near the base on the slight corner of the jar. (10 minutes hands-on time)

Optional final step -- you can spray your finished jar with a matte, clear acrylic spray, especially helpful if you will be using this jar for holding anything wet, like fresh flowers, or the jar will be placed outdoors, where it will be exposed to moisture. I skipped this step, as I didn't think it was necessary, and would cost extra money for the sealer.

This was a totally easy project. Took about 40 minutes, total hands-on time. I was able to set-up a work area in less than a 24-inch section of kitchen counter. And it cost me absolutely nothing, up-front. I made 2 jars, using 2 shades of acrylic paint that I already had. I love creating and crafting. So this filled that need.

I had a bouquet of autumn toned silk flowers for the larger jar. And for the smaller jar, I made a bouquet of twigs and dried leaves.

What do you think? I like the rustic look. And I love the paint colors, otherwise I wouldn't have had them on hand to begin with.

I have a super huge confession to make -- I sometimes buy those small vials of craft paint, simply because I love the color. I tell myself that I'll do this or that project, but I often don't. I just really love the color and so I have to have an excuse to buy the paint. At 79 cents or less a pop, I figure it's a cheap thrill for me. It's like women who have oodles of lipstick tubes in their cosmetic drawer, or a gazillion pair of shoes, 50-million pairs of colorful socks. We buy and collect them simply because we've fallen in love with seeing them, as individual pieces and en masse in a drawer or cupboard. And I do eventually find a project to use my little splurges on. So it's all a win! Before I even had money to buy the paint, I used to collect paint chips from the paint section of Home Depot. Not necessarily colors that I'd paint a room in my house, but just colors that I liked. I just like colors, I guess.

So, how about you? What kind of fall decor projects have you seen, on pinterest, websites, blogs or whereever, that you've wanted to try, yourself? Any super frugal ones, that you already have the materials for?

If you feel in the mood to share your own fall decor, and would like, you can email me photos, and I can do a post later this week or next showing off your autumn decor style. Email to lili.mounce  at  gmail.com   Thanks! I'd love, love, love to see some of the decor in your home! It gives me inspiration.

Cheap & Cheerful Suppers for the first week of October

Friday
Most of the garden beet roots are a good size for salad, right now. And the greens are usable for a leafy green vegetable. I love that about beets.

• Leftover turkey, gravy and mashed potatoes
• Cucumbers marinated in olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and oregano
• Beet salad
• Apple wedges
• Leftover pumpkin cake

Saturday
I was out running errands and winter squash was calling  my name. I was so extremely hungry for butternut squash that I was willing to spend 79 cents per pound, even though I know I could get it in another part of town for about 59 cents per pound.

• More leftover turkey and gravy
• Brown rice
• Butternut squash
• Apple wedges

Sunday
I was pulling apart the turkey, after it simmered all afternoon, while deciding on dinner. Turkey soup of some sort was a natural. I had some canned green beans and tomatoes, plus onions, garlic, pasta, cooked beans and herbs to add to the turkey and stock. In addition to the pot of soup for supper, I froze enough turkey and stock for several more meals. The garlic bread was half of a loaf of French bread, split and spread with some take-out garlic spread from this summer's freebie pizza. And the applesauce was made the night before, with some shriveling apples. Some of the earlier picked apples are now going soft, so I'll be making lots of applesauce over the next couple of weeks.

• Turkey minestrone
• Garlic bread
• Applesauce

Monday
I got another deal on ground beef last week, 10 lbs for $18.80. With some of it, I decided to make a huge pot of chili, to last for a few evenings.

• Big pot chili
• Apple wedges
• Fresh-baked whole wheat bread

Tuesday
I bought unfiltered apple cider at the store today. I was feeling very autumnal and wanting hot, spiced apple cider. I knew my family would love it, too. Here, in Washington state, we're awfully proud of our apples.

• More chili
• Corn tortillas with melted cheese
• Spiced apple cider

Wednesday
I am loving my new cooking style. I have so much more time for other things, and I can pace myself and my energy better for the afternoon. I think I'll make a batch of banana bread.

• More chili
• Banana bread
• Tomato and cucumber salad

Thursday
I have to actually make a full dinner, tonight. It's Thursday morning, and I'm brainstorming what might sound good, be easy, can be done ahead, and is re-heatable by those in the family who come home late. Preferably an egg-based entree. I think I'll do an oven-baked frittata. Those don't require as much watching, and reheat well enough. We're running over with ripe tomatoes this week. I eat them for lunch everyday, and then add a few to dinner some nights, too.

• Tomato and onion frittata
• Butternut squash
• Oven-roasted potatoes with rosemary and garlic
• Applesauce

Thoughts about the week -- I made so much chili that I had to freeze 2 night's worth. I completely overestimated how much we could eat. But that's a good problem.

When I went shopping on Tuesday, I was pulled towards the autumnal foods, like butternut squash, apple cider, pumpkin, and nuts. It all sounded so comforting, the squash, especially. I bought 3 butternut squash on Tuesday, to use in the next couple of weeks. I'm eating the leftover squash in my lunches, daily. My appetite disappeared during the summer. but it seems to be back, and is letting itself be known! 

What was on your menu this past week? Anything particularly autumnal?

Have a wonderful weekend! Those of you in Canada -- Happy Thanksgiving!

Squirrel behavior -- storing my nuts for winter and beyond

10 lbs of whole almonds squirreled away for winter

I find the best deals on raw nuts for use in baking, in fall. Because prices are rock-bottom cheap for me, on our favorite baking nuts this time of year, I stock up and buy as close to a year-supply as I can afford.

Last fall, I bought about 3 pounds of pecans, whole and pieces. Some were intended for fall and winter baking, but some were saved for spring, summer, and now early-fall baking.

Nuts are high in oils, which makes them healthy, but also shortens their shelf life, due to potential rancidity.

Once nuts are exposed to air, the clock begins ticking down. This means that if you buy packages in the baking aisle, then when you open the package, their exposure to air begins. But also, keep in mind, that if you buy your nuts from bulk bins, that they have been exposed to air even sooner than your purchase. (If buying from bulk bins for stocking up purposes, choose a store who has rapid turnover in their stock.)

In general, the "expiration" date for nuts is really a "best-by" date. It's more about quality, and less about actual safety, within reason. Nuts that have been kept long past the best-by date could be rancid (taste bad) or contain potential carcinogenic or inflammatory compounds. But nuts that are one or two months past their sell-by date, if kept in a cool, dark spot, can be "safe" to eat. They may have lost some vitamin content, though.

Just a note -- with any fat-containing food, whether it be nuts or the oils, themselves, the fats can go rancid. Most western consumers are no longer accustomed to doing the sniff test for safety of their foods. We're used to packages having labels to tell us if they're "good" or not. Our dairy products are dated, our canned goods are dated, even soda pop has a date on it. And that's what we've been relying on to tell us if something is still "good". If when you sniff a package of nuts or a bottle of oil and you detect a faint paint-like smell, that's a sign of rancidity and you should throw it out. The nuts won't be pleasant to eat, and could have long-term health consequences, even if they don't give you a tummy ache.


You can prolong the good-to-eat life of your nuts with proper storage.

• keep only the nuts you intend to eat within the next month or two, at room temperature
• keep remaining nuts either in the fridge or in the freezer

Different nuts keep longer or shorter, depending on variety and how you keep them. (Information gathered from eatbydate.com) Starting from the longest shelf-life and working down to the shortest:

• almonds have the longest lifespan of common nuts, lasting to 9-12 months past sell-by date in the pantry, up to a year in the fridge and 2 years in the freezer
• cashews, macadamias and peanuts keep for 6 to 9 months past sell-by date in the pantry, up to a year in the fridge and up to 2 years in the freezer
• Brazil nuts, up to 9 months in the pantry, 1 year in the fridge, but only 1 year in the freezer
• pecans and walnuts, up to 6 months in the pantry past the sell-by date, 1 year in the fridge and 1 to 2 years in the freezer
• hazelnuts keep just 4 to 6 months in the pantry, and just 1 year in either the fridge or the freezer
• pine nuts have one of the shortest lifespans, at just 1 to 2 months in the pantry, and 3 to 4 months in the fridge and 5 to 6 months in the freezer

It's interesting, but some nuts don't seem to gain that much of a benefit by freezing as others. A curiosity.

I also stock up on seeds, for snacking and baking, so I've also added the 4 most common seeds used in cooking/baking.

• sunflower seeds will keep 2 to 4 months past the sell-by date in the pantry and 1 year in the fridge or freezer
• sesame seeds will keep 6 months to 1 year in the pantry and about 1 year in the fridge or freezer
• flax seeds, whole, 6 to 12 months in the pantry and 1 year in the fridge or freezer
• flax seed meal, 1 week after a package has been opened, and kept in the pantry, and 1 to 2 months after opening, in the fridge or freezer
• chia seeds, whole, 2 years in the pantry, 4 years in the fridge or freezer
• chia seed meal, 2 to 4 weeks in the pantry, 1 to 2 years in the fridge or freezer
• chia gel, 2 hours at room temp, 2 to 3 weeks in the fridge or freezer

For the most part, I only do a large stock-up on almonds, pecans and walnuts. I can find great prices on sunflower seeds, year round. And I buy peanuts in cans, when on sale near the fall/winter holidays.

So, I just need to mentally keep track of the information for the almonds, pecans and walnuts. Almonds seem to keep little longer than pecans and walnuts in the pantry (9 months vs 6 months), and all 3 keep for up to 2 years in the freezer. That's easy info to keep track of, for me.

Once a commercially-sealed package of nuts is opened, nuts can deteriorate more rapidly, potentially shortening their good-to-eat life by a couple of months in the pantry. If you have space in your freezer, once you open a package it's just simplest and best to store the remainders in the freezer.

I consider nuts bought from a bulk bin to be an "open package", and I start my countdown based on about 1 month past purchase, as my sell-by date.

To store in the freezer, I use zip lock bags. I double bag the nuts, seal shut and toss in my freezer. Easy peasy. To use, I get out just the amount needed at one time, then reseal and put back in the freezer.

Squirrel behavior in a nutshell (ha ha, couldn't resist).

This past Tuesday, I found whole, raw almonds on sale at Fred Meyer, using my 10% Senior Discount, for $5.39/lb. I bought about 10 lbs at that price. I immediately froze about 8 lbs for future use. I also bought a little over 2 pounds of raw walnut halves, at the same price, and most of those also went into the freezer. Next month, I hope to find pecans at their annual low price.

One man's mashed potato remnants are another's yummy tater skins!

What's that they say about nutrients being just beneath the skin of most vegetables? Anyways, when I peel potatoes, I hate tossing the skins into the compost. Instead, I turn those potato peels into a delicious snack.

I toss the peels in olive oil, garlic powder, onion powder and salt. Then I spread them on an oiled baking sheet. Roast in a 385 degree F oven, for about 20 minutes, stirring and turning them over every 7 - 8 minutes. When the skins look toasty, I top with a bit of grated cheddar and pop back into the oven for 3 minutes.

Umm, yummy. A healthy, frugal snack, made from something that many folks consider garbage.

Double Chocolate Snack Cake With 4 Variations, Including Pumpkin Snack Cake

"Something special to eat. Nothing much to clean up." 

That was the tagline for Betty Crocker's Snackin' Cake mix of the 1970s. No mixing bowls. No fuss. You mixed everything for the cake right in the baking pan, using a fork. What could be easier, right? I remember the chocolate chip cake with great fondness.

The recipe that I'm sharing today is much like those mixes, only this is a scratch version, which means you can alter/tailor this recipe to suit your own needs and tastes and save money in the process!

So here you go! After the recipe, I've included the 4 variations, one of which is the Pumpkin Snack Cake that I made last week. And it should be noted, Pumpkin Snack Cake can easily become Applesauce Snack Cake or Sweet Potato Snack Cake or Winter Squash Snack Cake by substituting one of those cooked and pureed fruits or veggies. 

The other day, I iced the pumpkin snack cake with about 8 ounces of cream cheese frosting. It was delicious, and rich. So I cut the cake into 12 servings. Even so, by making 12 portions instead of 9, each serving only had 244 calories. Not too bad.

And here's the photo of what was left to be cleaned up. The measuring cup, fork, measuring spoon, and a large spoon (for scooping out the pumpkin from the container) and a rubber spatula (to get all the liquids out of the measuring cup).

You'll find this post, and many others like it, just a click away on this page -- a compilation of my recipes, shopping lists, and menu plans that illustrates how I feed my family of 4 adults on $125 to $135 per month.

September 2016 Grocery Spending Journal

Sept. 2. I skipped WinCo last month, so I made my stop by there early in the month. I was all out of raisins and almonds, and almost out of sunflower seeds. These are staple, healthy snack items in our house. So, at WinCo, I bought a 72-count package of corn tortillas ($2.18), 1 quart of soy milk ($1.18), not quite a half-pound of almond butter ($6.99/lb -- can you believe, I've never had almond butter before, so I bought just a small amount as a treat), almost a pound and a half of raisins ($1.79/lb), 1  3/4 lbs of sunflower seeds, raw ($1.39/lb, cheaper to buy raw than roasted. I toast them myself, and save 40 cents per pound), 6 bananas at 48 cents/lb, 1/2 lb of raw almonds ($6.08/lb, raw whole almonds are cheaper, here than chopped or toasted. Again, I can chop and toast them myself and save 30 or 40 cents/lb), 1 whole wheat fig newton for me, as my treat for 30 cents, 1/3 lb of chopped dates, good for sweetening oatmeal ($2.18/lb), 1/2 lb of baking cocoa powder ($3.08/lb), and I saved 6 cents by bringing my own bag. Total spent $16.43.  I checked the price on graham crackers. It's about 2 cents cheaper per lb, to buy graham crackers at WinCo, over Dollar Tree graham crackers. So just know, if you don't have a WinCo, but have Dollar Tree, the 9 oz box of graham crackers from Dollar Tree is almost as cheap per pound, as WinCo.

Sept. 6. Senior Discount day at Fred Meyer. Our Fred Mayer is making Senior discount day really appealing. Last month, they gave me a carnation. Today, they had Starbuck's coffee and cookies, complimentary, plus they gave me both a rose and a carnation. Anyways, nice touch. To the shopping -- I bought 2 18-ct packages of large eggs for 89 cents each (limit 2), that's 59 cents/dozen. Also, bought 15 lbs of whole wheat pasta, various shapes, at 71 cents/lb (it's whole wheat, our preference, and only 4 cents more per pound than Dollar Tree white pasta), 2 large cans of decaf and 1 large can of regular coffee, at $4.49 each, 1 15 oz jar of natural-style peanut butter for $1.12 (I had a coupon, plus sale, plus Senior discount), 8-pack of cheap hot dogs, 81 cents, 8 half-gallons of whole milk and 2 half-gallons of orange juice, for 89 cents each, small jar of blackstrap molasses, $3.41, 1 Yoplait yogurt (freebie), and 5 cans of green beans and 1 can of corn for 45 cents each. Total spent on food, $42.84

(The pasta I had seen was on sale a couple of weeks ago. I looked at the shelf tag and the sale was good for several weeks, so I knew I could come back on Senior discount day and buy several packages at 10% off the sale price. It was a great deal for whole wheat pasta.)

Total spent so far, this month -- $59.27

September 13. WinCo, for raisins (not quite a pound at $1.79/lb), 7 bananas at 48 cents/lb, 1 small can tomato paste, 44 cents, package of hot dog buns, 88 cents, smoked almonds for $4.68, 1 box mac and cheese for 46 cents, 1 can tuna for 62 cents, about 1/3 pound of Hershey's miniatures chocolates at $4.98/lb, 2 frozen burritos, 48 cents, some baby carrots, $3.54, and 2 chicken pot pies, 85 cents. This was the beginning of my daughters time off from work, so we bought a bunch of treat foods. Every so often, we do this. But we try to minimize the damage (both to our waistlines and our wallets). Total spent $17.89

September 21. Albertson's for a half-pound of roasted turkey breast for sandwiches for my daughters and I. spent $2.87.

September 23. Cash & Carry for a few basics. I bought 50 lbs of onions for $8.24 (16 cents per pound), 1 gallon of mayonnaise for $5.39, about 34 bananas for $5.23 (42 cents per pound), and 2 cases of #10 cans of whole tomatoes at $14.22 per case. I spent $47.30.

Total spent for the month so far, $127.33

September 26. Fred Meyer, as we went through the milk much faster than I anticipated this month (I thought I had enough in the freezer). I found 1 gallon of 1% milk on markdown for $1.80, and paid full-price for whole (4%) milk (daughter still needing the whole milk), at $2.69/gallon. I also bought potatoes $2.49/10-lbs for later this week with a turkey, a half-gallon of soy vanilla milk, $2.50, a bag of Swedish Fish candy (Friday Freebie), a package of sugar free gum (Friday Freebie), and 1 Dove dark chocolate bar for myself, 50 cents. (After enduring a blood draw today, I feel I earned that chocolate bar.) Total spent $9.98

Total spent for the month, so far $137.31

September 30 (I thought I was done shopping for the month, but apparently not). Stopped by Cash & Carry for 10 lbs of ground beef (1 week sale, so I didn't want to miss this), $18.88, and 13 bananas at 42 cents/lb. Spent $20.89

Total spent for the month, $158.20

What I bought

Produce

60 bananas (oh my, goodness! Even I can see that is a lot of bananas!!!)
2 half-gallons orange juice
5 cans of green beans
1 can of corn
50 lbs onions
baby carrots
10 lbs potatoes

Dairy

1 qt. soy milk
3 dozen eggs
8 half-gallons whole milk
small Yoplait yogurt (freebie)
1 gallon 1% milk
1 gallon whole milk
1/2 gallon soy milk

Meat

8-pack hot dogs
1/2-lb of roasted turkey breast
tuna fish
frozen beef burritos, 2
frozen pot pies, 2
10 lbs ground beef, 80/20

Pantry

72-ct corn tortillas
.41 lb almond butter
1.41 lb raisins
2.22 lb sunflower seeds
.51 lb raw almonds
1 whole wheat fig bar (my treat)
.43 lb baking cocoa
.38 lb chopped dates
15 lbs whole wheat pasta
2 large cans decaf
1 large can regular coffee
1 jar peanut butter
jar of blackstrap molasses
1 gallon mayo
12  #10 cans of whole tomatoes
small can tomato paste
8 hot dog buns
smoked almonds
boxed macaroni and cheese
mini chocolate bars
1 dark chocolate bar
8 oz bag Swedish Fish candy (Freebie -- will go into someone's birthday gift this fall)
1 package gum (Freebie)


At the end of August, I had a surplus of $351.22 in the grocery budget. Add that to the regular budget amount of $190.00 and I had $541.22 available to spend for September. I spent $158.20, still below my monthly budget of $190. I now have a surplus of $383.02. Add that to my October budget of $190, and I have $573.02 available to spend in October.

About all of those bananas -- somewhere in the middle of the month I discovered that I'd rather have a banana for breakfast than anything else. It's quick, easy, portable and doesn't sit heavy in my stomach. And who knows, maybe whatever is ailing me is craving the nutrients in a banana. Anyways, some days I had 2 bananas, but everyday I had at least 1. So, if you figure I ate 30 of those 60 bananas, all by myself, the rest are easy to go through in a month's time, divided by 4 other family members.

This super large surplus in the budget is in large part due to me not stocking up just yet. in previous years, I have been well-stocked in frozen vegetables, canned tomatoes, vinegar, sugar, molasses, meat and butter, by this point in the year. I expect that the surplus will go quickly, once I begin stocking up. Just to give an example, a 30-lb case of butter will cost me between $60 and $70, alone. A gallon of molasses is just over $13 (and I am almost out of molasses). When and if I do find a great price on beef roasts, I imagine I will spend $30 to $50 for those.

When I'm shopping, I continue to check prices at Cash & Carry and compare to "best" prices in traditional grocery stores. It may surprise you, but canned vegetables are more expensive at Cash & Carry than by waiting for sales at Fred Meyer or other grocery stores. And fall is a great time for canned veggie sales at the supermarket. The canned green beans at Cash & Carry in the #10 size can (about 104 oz) were $4.27 each, which works out to 57 cents per 14 oz (which is about the size of the cans of green beans at a traditional grocery store). In comparison, by waiting for a sale at Fred Meyer or Albertson's, i can usually find canned green beans for 40 to 50 cents each. Anyways, for those of you who don't have an restaurant and institutional supply like Cash & Carry, there's no need to feel you're missing out on every great deal.

If you have a Kroger or Kroger affiliate that you shop, check online to see if they participate in the Friday Freebie offer. On Fridays, I go to the Fred Meyer (a Kroger affiliate) website and download the latest freebie offer onto my store card. It's that simple. Then the next time I'm in the store, I can pick up that item and get it for free. The offer on these items lasts for a couple of weeks, so if I don't get by Fred Meyer one week, I can pick it and the next item up the next time I'm there. Easy peasy, and no, I'm not paid to say any of this. Ha ha! I just think it's a great deal. They don't send me emails. There are no strings attached. Just something free, if I want it.

I've been getting some nice freebies, usually between $1 and $2 in value. I've been saving most of them, to use for holidays, or as part of gifts. I have a nice collection to give to someone in my family at Christmas, and another couple of nice items which will be appreciated at a birthday, very soon. These are all items that fall into the "luxury" category for our budget, such as bags of candy, bottled drinks and individual, heat and eat meals. As luxury items, they make perfect gift-ables for my family.

I hope September was kind to your wallet. Have a great day!

Cheap & Cheerful Suppers for late September

Friday

Leftover pumpkin-bean soup
Whole wheat bread and butter
Fresh apples
Brownies (using this recipe, but baking in 350 F oven for about 22 minutes or until done)

Saturday

More leftover pumpkin-bean soup
Kale and cheddar biscuits (standard scratch drop biscuit recipe, with fine-chopped kale, onion powder and grated cheddar added to dough, then after baking, brushing with garlic butter)
Apple wedges
Brownies

Sunday

Brown rice, topped with
Black beans, ground beef, canned tomatoes, beet greens, onions and seasonings
Brownies

Monday

Leftover black beans, beef, vegetables and rice (last night's dinner combined into a casserole)
Fresh tomatoes on the side

Tuesday

Leftover black bean and rice casserole, topped with cheddar
Fruit salad of apples, pears, bananas, dried cranberries, with a peanut butter and jelly salad dressing

Wednesday

Roasted turkey
Gravy
Mashed potatoes
Canned green beans
Fresh tomatoes

Thursday

Leftover turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes
Puree of carrots, onions and pumpkin
Apple wedges
Tofu spring rolls (my husband brought a few home)
Pumpkin snack cake with cream cheese icing


So this is the first week that I've posted a menu reflecting a whole lotta leftovers. It's working for me, and no one is complaining. I haven't heard anything on my blood work, yet. My head is throbbing today. My neck hurts. Cooking sounds like the last thing I want to do.

The turkey should last through the weekend, and give us some frozen leftovers, as well. I think frozen turkey tastes best if it's sliced and frozen the first day or maybe second after roasting, instead of allowing it to linger in the fridge for a few days before freezing. So, last night, I sliced a good share of it and have it stashed for future meals. It'll make picking apart the turkey over the weekend, an easier chore, too.

The pumpkin snack cake is a really great recipe, and very apropos to the season. The recipe is versatile, and has a few variations. You mix the cake in the baking dish. It has no eggs and no milk. I'll type it up over the weekend and post it for you, as I really think it's a good one for quick and easy meals, with or without icing. (And this being Cheap & Cheerful -- a nice cake certainly cheers me up!)

I have a new favorite tea that I've been sipping. It's ordinary black tea, with a few whole cloves, some orange juice and a bit of honey (not to be confused with Bit o' Honey -- but that might be tasty, too!).

Thank you so much for all of your nice and thoughtful comments the other day. I can't tell you how much I appreciate them. I wasn't at all expecting such an outpouring of kindness. Thank you! And to those of you struggling with your own health issues, I really empathize and wish you well. It just stinks to not feel well!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. I'll be back on Monday!

A frugal-meister's coffee maker

What do you do if your coffee maker totally bites the dust?

This frugal-meister improvises with what's on hand: one carafe, one funnel, paper coffee filters, and a kettle to boil water.

When undertaking any improvisational technique, there are drawbacks, like time, effort and maybe some clumsiness.

But the pluses of improvising, like this, can be very compelling.

• One, there's no outlay of cash to achieve your goal. (In this case, some good coffee.) 
• Two, the tools and accessories used can be put back to their original uses, requiring no extra storage for the instrument they're replacing. (For my kitchen, the counter top has a clean vibe going on.) 
• And three, I can tweak my process and even improve on the resulting outcome. (I'm making better coffee by getting the water to a hotter temperature, and keeping it better, by not sitting on a hot burner, but instead in an insulated flask.)

And this is just how I've been making my coffee, lately.

First obstacle -- getting the filter to tuck neatly into the funnel.

Cone-style coffee filters are more expensive than basket-style. But cone-style is what fits, best, in the funnel. So, I make my own cone-style out of a basket-style, with just a couple of quick folds.

I flatten the coffee filter into a circle. Then fold the filter in half, and then half again, creating a wedge shape.

The folded filter now fits in the funnel, point down. I put both the funnel and filter into the mouth of an insulated carafe (a mason jar or thermos also works).

The cone-shaped filter has 2 "pockets" which can hold grounds. I fill one of these filter-pockets with coffee grounds.

When my kettle of water comes to a boil, I slowly pour it over the coffee grounds that are in the paper filter, and allow to drip through. Voila, one pot of coffee.

I share this because you never know when you could be without your coffee maker, like there's a power outage and your electric coffee maker doesn't work, or, you're camping or picnicking, or, you don't have a working coffee maker (remember those college days with minimal kitchen equipment?). As long as you can boil water, you can make your morning brew.


Now it's your turn to share. How or what have you improvised, using what you have on hand? Doesn't it make you feel awesome when you can cobble together a substitute for a piece of equipment, a tool, or appliance that you've grown accustomed to using?

Changing how I do dinners, to meet "new" demands

When the old way of doing things no longer serves its purpose, then changes have to happen.

I haven't been feeling well, for many months. My energy is just gone most days. I'm still waiting on the results of some tests. For the time being, I need to make changes to some ordinary tasks, like dinner prep.

Growing up, my mom prepared a fresh, new meal, every evening. From a diner's point of view, this is very appealing. You get a new dinner every evening. Meals are freshly cooked, retaining color and flavor. And there's lots of variety in each week. From the cook's perspective, this takes a whole lot of time and energy.

So, I'm taking notes from some of you. I am cooking once, and serving 3, 4 or 5 times, and, in the same week. My Cheap & Cheerful Menus will reflect this. I get out my largest stock pots and cook BIG. And I cook EASY, like rice and beans, EASY, or a vat of soup, EASY. Complicated meals are completely out of the question right now.

If I had freezer space, I could freeze most of the servings, and have more variety on a weekly basis. For now, with my limited freezer space, we're just dealing with a lot of repetition. However, I do vary the side dishes, when possible.

The good news is, this is working. I am able to give myself more time off from physical work, as well as spare some time for appointments and various self-help practices.

I hope to get the results of those tests very soon. And then I can go from there and get on the road to a solid recovery.

Sometimes, food has to be just food.

Have you ever had to change your "old ways" to meet "new" demands? Life is a challenge, isn't it?
What are your favorite Cooking Big meals? Soups and casseroles are always good candidates for Cooking Big. Do you have a favorite soup or casserole recipe, that translates well for large amounts?

Feathering my nest on the cheap -- dinnerware

Is there anything more thrilling to a frugal shopper than a stellar deal on something they've already got on their must-have list?

I think not!

You know my passion for dinnerware. I love plates. I love bowls. I love tea cups and mugs and platters and serving dishes. I love it all! It helps our budget that I've stuck with the same patterns that I chose 35 years ago.

But pieces get chipped, broken and crackled. And my dinner parties get larger and larger. So, from time to time, I need to replace items or acquire additional pieces to expand our entertaining capability.

I could buy individual pieces through a traditional retail store, department and discount stores, shop vintage resale stores, or,

keep my eyes and mind open to bargain opportunities in thrift stores!


To give you a ballpark on the dinnerware savings I typically find in thrift stores:

• a soup/cereal bowl in Johnson Bros. Friendly Village pattern (the one I use fall and winter) retails, full price, for $12.50
• same soup/cereal bowl can be found on Amazon or in Marshall's for $6.99 to $9.99 -- good, yes?
• shopping the vintage resale places in our neighboring vintage district, I can find these bowls for about $5 to $6 each, better,
• or best (short of someone out right giving me what I need), the same soup/cereal bowl in Goodwill for $1.99

I realize that there's a bit of an ICK-factor with some things from thrift stores. But with dishes -- they go into the dishwasher and get sanitized in my own home, to my specifications, before I even use them. Think about it, you eat with forks, bowls, plates, glasses, mugs that have been used by complete strangers, every single time you eat in a restaurant! And you have no control, whatsoever, as to the cleaning and sanitizing of restaurant dinnerware. That's a pretty good argument against any case of cooties I imagine that I'll contract, by buying thrift store dinnerware, don't you think?

Now, you wanna see the dinnerware that I bought in August and September at my local thrift stores? Here it all is:

4 bread and butter plates, 5 soup/cereal bowls, 1 salad plate, 2 fruit saucers, 2 mugs and 1 tea cup. I paid between 99 cents and $1.99 per piece, spending a total of $25.93. All of these pieces, combined, retail for over $200.00, full price. My savings, by buying my dishes at thrift stores this summer, instead of shopping retail stores, was 87.5% off of retail prices! Woo hoo!!!

So, there is a drawback to thrift shopping for dinnerware. I can't just walk into any thrift store and expect to find pieces in my pattern. Many times, I scour the dinnerware section, and come up empty-handed. But I do know that eventually the dinnerware that I'm looking for, will show up. And I buy the pieces that interest me, then.

Just another feather for my warm and cozy nest!

An FYI -- when thrifting, I came across a lot of Christmas items. Now would be a very good time to check your local thrift stores for those Christmas-themed gifts or dinnerware, while everyone else is focusing on Hallowe'en and autumn.

Would you believe a cashmere sweater for 99 cents?

I know. It sounds unbelievable. But believe it. This cashmere sweater, for 99 cents at St. Vincent de Paul, a couple of Sundays ago.

Every time my daughters and I go to SVdP, for their Sunday 99 cent clothing deal, I make a quick pass by the sweater section. I've been scouring the racks all summer, for a cashmere sweater or two.

The only real drawback to cashmere is the cleaning. However, I was doing some reading, and apparently, dry cleaning is not the best way to clean cashmere sweaters. It's just the easiest.

Very gentle hand-washing, in a basin of 85 degree F water, with a bit of baby shampoo, is what several experts recommend. Rinse in clean water, avoiding twisting of the sweater. Press the water out of the sweater (don't wring), and lay flat on a terry towel. Roll the sweater up in the towel, to press additional water out. Then, unroll, and lay the sweater flat, and pull into shape on a horizontal sweater drying rack. Allow to air dry.

I've done this sort of thing with my cashmere sweaters before. I just didn't know it was the best way to clean cashmere. Who knew?! And now I can feel better about some of my cheapskate ways!

Making a Hallowe'en pillow for free

This is another piece of our front porch autumn decor. Super fast, and cost nothing, not a single extra cent.

1 outdoor pillow (which I already have)

plus 1 trick or treat bag (my kids are too old for trick or treating, but we still have the bags. This one came to us for free several years ago.)

The pillow tucked into the TOT bag

The top edges tucked over the top of the pillow, and down inside the back of the TOT bag.  Voila, one Hallowe'en pillow, "made" in 3 minutes, for zero cost. When Hallowe'en is over, the pillow goes back with the other deck pillows, and the TOT bag, goes back in the trunk with other Hallowe'en stuff.

Hey! I'm busy with my daughters this week and next. This is the very end of their summer break, and both are done with summer jobs. So, the 3 of us are hanging out, doing some fun stuff, collecting everything they need for the school year, and enjoying our time together. I'll be back on the 26th of September. Have a great week!