Merry, Merry and Happy, Happy from Kentucky!!

Be back January 3rd!

   Time to turn my full attention to beloved family from out of town that we will be lucky enough to get to see this week. For that reason, taking a little hiatus from the Web until January 3rd, 2011.
   As I am addicted to reading everyone's blogs, I can't wait to see what I'll have missed. But meantime, maybe if I'm not staring at my computer screen I'll enjoy even more the blanket of snow that covered our countryside last night...about two inches of the snow-globe-perfect white stuff and just below freezing temps here in our region of Kentucky.
REPURPOSING: Greeting cards to gift tags
   I'll be saving all the holiday greeting cards to cut off any portions usable for gift tags. Sometimes I get lucky with a holiday card that can be used as a tag for a birthday gift, like this one pictured here above, on a gift for our young niece's birthday. The majority of our card fronts (holiday, birthday, whatever) get saved for the local veterans' association, as they collect and send them somewhere for re-use.

BAKING: Mini Pecan Tarts
   FINALLY made some goodies yesterday morn to send via Hubby to our neighbors up the hill. She gifts us with her homemade peanut brittle each year (YUM!) and then I return her container with something from my kitchen. Last year it was Mexican wedding cookies, but this year I decided to go with little pecan tarts.
   Found online at Cooks.com the exact recipe I use for these little pecan tarts called Tea Time Tassies, which will keep me from having to re-print it here. A good thing since I've got to go get ready for this wondrous day of family, family, family, food and fun.
   Wishing the same for you & a VERY Happy New Year too!!

Make over: CocaCola bottle to dish liquid dispenser

   When all those decorative bottles filled with flavored oils became ubiquitous in the retail shops, I got the idea to use a similar dispenser for dish washing liquid, so I could leave the soap out all the time rather than stashing it under the sink.
   I found the little spout at a kitchen shop and Hubby carved the rubber stopper part down a bit to fit the opening of an old CocaCola bottle we had on hand. The chrome spout originally had a little metal ring around it that corroded--I thought it looked great on the antique bottle, but evidently Hubby thought it just looked corroded, 'cause he tore that part off one day before I could stop him.
   Incidentally, on the windowsill are a couple of arrowheads found by Hubby in his childhood and a chicken wishbone that Hubby recently gleaned. Gonna have to remind him to break that one day with one of the grandkids, so I can stop looking at it!
   Until he saved this one, I had forgotten all about breaking wishbones for luck...do people still do that? Well, anyway, best of luck on all your last minute holiday shopping!!

Make do: Homemade brass cleaner

May be wicked of me, but I decided to put some bells on the grandkids' Christmas packages. (Decided to give them their gifts early, so they won't get lost in the shuffle of the next two days.) Not sure what time to expect them this morn, so I was in a hurry to clean a couple of bells I've had on hand forever. Quick surf of the Net located a recipe, which I downsized to suit the task at hand. Approximated the ingredients and coated the bells with the mixture. Left the coated bells to sit for 10 minutes before rinsing and buffing. Worked fine. The little bells on the right are much improved, as compared with larger, much tarnished bell on the left.
   Anyway, ho, ho, hope your Christmas is polishing up fine too! Jingle bells, JINGLE BELLS!
Homemade Brass Cleaner
Ingredients:
1/2 c flour
1/2 c salt
1/2 c powdered detergent
3/4 c white vinegar
Mix all of the dry ingredients in a bowl. Stir in the liquid ingredients. Mix well.
Transfer the cleaning mixture to a glass jar. Close the jar tightly and label it.
To use the cleaner, shake a small amount onto a cloth and rub it into the surface of the copper, brass, or bronze object. Use a toothbrush for hard-to-reach areas. Rinse with water and rub dry with a clean cloth.
Recipe source: http://chemistry.about.com/cs/howtos/ht/brasscleaner.htm

Mock ziplocks save me money!

   A myriad of products come in mock zip-locks these days. Seems plastic packaging is inevitable, especially for those of us in areas without stores that allow you to "bring your own" packages to fill. Best I can do is re-purpose the plastic packages we do buy (and buy in bulk when possible).
   As of last night, all four of these packages are now filled to the brim with just sliced, freshly smoked pepper-crusted Christmas ham that my uncle gifted to my dad. (yum--can't wait!)
   Did you manage to re-purpose any other types of packaging recently? Always looking for ideas!!

Rise and shine--waffles got me out of my warm bed this morn!

   Made waffles yesterday...as part of my goal to not waste the zest of the oranges we just bought from a high school band's fundraiser. The zest of only one orange makes an enormously tasty addition to a waffle recipe. Froze the leftovers to pop into the toaster oven whenever a hot breakfast is the ticket. Though my recipe is from a Good Housekeeping cookbook from the '80's, just found a recipe for a make-ahead pancake/waffle mix on the Good Housekeeping site, which might make the whole process even quicker. MUCH cheaper and easier and yummier than buying store-bought frozen waffles!
   Hope you had something good for breakfast today?!

Counting blessings: Grandgirls and handprint Santas

Had a simply MAHvelous day... One of our grandgirls spent the day with us. Our daughter, E's stepmom, made the Santa ornament (top) when she was a little schoolgirl. Today, sweet little E made a couple of versions of her own. Merry, MERRY!

Make do: Re-arranging turns old into new

 

   Ever get tired of looking at the same ole, same ole at home? When that happens, the temptation can be to buy something new. Instead, try switching things around to make the old SEEM new.
   The quilt pictured here graced one or the other of our beds for ages. Made by my mother, this quilt is one of my most prized possessions. Which is why I'm tickled pink to enjoy it now in its latest incarnation--as a wall-hanging in our family room.
   Do you like to shake things up in your home decor?

Crash Course In Resilience by Sarah van Gelder — YES! Magazine

Just read: Crash Course In Resilience by Sarah van Gelder — YES! Magazine. This line hooked me in to this great article: " In quiet conversations, many admit that they are learning to grow food and wondering how their children will survive life on a very different planet." Sarah van Gelder
----Please feel free to share a link to similarly intriguing sites-----
(Now watching Calidore's recommended link: Peak Moment on YouTube. Makes me feel so hopeful for our future!)

Making cooking easier means no excuses for take-out

   When I first set up kitchen, they didn't have all the fancy ceramic or wooden salt boxes. In my neck of the woods, they didn't even have kitchen stores like Sur La Table and Williams Sonoma (still don't!). For years, when a recipe called for salt, I poured salt directly from the box, over the sink of course, to catch the inevitable spills. Don't know why it took me so long to think to put salt into a little jar instead.
   Having salt readily accessible is just one of the many little ways to make cooking easier. Quick and easy means no excuses. No need to eat lousy, polystyrene-packaged take-out food on the run when it is just as quick, more delicious and much more comfy to eat at home.
   No need to buy a fancy salt box to make salt readily accessible when an old canning jar has just as much character. And for all those who have never suffered the frustration of trying to pour salt from the original container's little metal spout onto a little measuring spoon, why didn't someone tell me sooner?

This is on my mind...time to prepare for Old Man Winter!

This pic reminds me that it is time--well, past time even--to prepare for whatever THIS winter has in store for us. And despite the fact that these pots made it through the winter pictured here, I have since learned that I really should empty my pots and store them in the garage because extreme cold has been known to break pottery left outside. In this case, being frugal means taking tender care of all possessions, so I won't have to spend money to replace them.

Thanks to SouleMama and down---to---earth for inviting me into their Friday photo sharing. Join me in leaving a link to your moment of show n tell here, on SouleMama or on down---to---earth. TGIF!

Frugal's archenemy: LAZY!

   Sometimes the most frugal things we do are those things we DON"T DO.
   Pictured here are the many cooking utensils that do NOT get put away in our kitchen. And behind the little slow cooker containing our lunch (veggie soup) sit other items that also stay out all the time: a bottle of olive oil, a pepper grinder and three flavored vinegars.
   What may seem an eyesore to some represents the best method I've found to counteract my natural tendency to be lazy. By leaving everything within easy reach (thanks, Julia Child, for the idea!), cooking becomes less time consuming. Caught a segment of Moneywise with Kelvin Boston last night, and "not eating out" ranked high on the list of ways to save money. For that reason alone I can justify a little clutter on the counters.
   Our kitchen cabinets are even spaced to leave room on the counter-tops for the food processor, blender and stand mixer to stay out as well. Cooking is less of a chore when everything lies within easy reach!

Make over: from plate and candlestick to cakestand

   Just came across a great, inexpensive, home-made gift idea--a cute little make-over!
   Having stumbled upon the site Cooking in Mexico, I loved her post: Holiday gift idea: make a cake stand for your foodie friend. (She credits Wandering Chopsticks with the original idea.)
   The many variations presented on the two sites encouraged me that I could find a plate and candlestick combo around my own home. Imagining a pottery candlestick with an ironstone plate... Time to go look around!

Make over: Chip clips from broken hangers

   Ever break one of those plastic skirt/pants hangers that everyone seems to have? My mom, the ultimate frugalista, breaks off and uses any unbroken clips as chip clips. Well, monkey see/monkey do, so now I do too. But as you can see, the clips work for marshmallow bags too.
   Of course, I've had my hot chocolate this morning, which is why I thought to remembered to take this pic. The idea for this post was generated by a post over on Frugal Girl.
   Here in Kentucky, we're bracing for an ice storm to hit sometime this afternoon. In preparation, I filled my car's gas tank last night. Good thing too, since today's paper contained an article about preparing for frigid temperatures that stated, "...when drivers only have a quarter tank of gas or so...that leaves room for moisture [to build up in the tank]." Evidently, putting "fuel dryer additive" into your tank will help prevent the moisture from affecting your gas/car.
   Hubby is stacking more firewood on the porch for easy access. We'll be nice and cozy regardless of the weather. Hope the same for YOU!!

Gotta love this woman!

TreeHugger article: Woman has used the same Christmas tree every year since 1928!

Frozen homemade cookie dough--like money in the bank!

   Just baked a batch of cookies. So good--they're gone in a flash! Looking to restrict your kids from overconsumption of your homemade goodies? Or maybe save YOURSELF from eating to many? Best way to do that is by freezing the cookie dough.
   To freeze, I use a cookie dough scoop to scoop out all the homemade dough onto a baking sheet, with the dough-balls spaced close together but not touching (dough pictured in the pan here is spaced far apart for baking). A few hours in the freezer until the dough is frozen enough to keep from sticking together and then all the dough balls can be tossed into a freezer storage container.
   No need to toss those store-bought, high fructose corn syrup laden, pre-packaged cookies into the grocery cart when freshly baked cookies can be had at home.
   After thawing the dough a minimum of 10 minutes, I made the mistake of baking a whole tray of cookies last night, which meant I ATE too many cookies last night. Sooo much better when I bake myself just a couple of cookies at a time in the toaster oven. Saves me calories AND money!

Stove-top popcorn easy & MUCH cheaper than microwave

   In my effort to bring home less packaging, I stopped buying microwave popcorn awhile back. And besides also saving me money, cooking popcorn on the stove-top vs. microwaving seems to have a health benefit. Just ask Oprah...switching is a good move if you're concerned about inhaling the nearly four dozen chemicals that waft up from each freshly popped bag of microwave popcorn.
   What I didn't know is how little oil is actually needed to make stove-top popcorn: only 1 teaspoon per 1/3 cup of popcorn!! I thank Southern Living magazine for this recipe that is even cheaper and has fewer calories than what I'd been doing. Their recipe's just as easy as listening for the bag in the microwave: Norman's Stove-Top Popcorn. (If in the mood for kettle corn, just add a tablespoon or two of sugar when you add the unpopped kernels.)
   Hate to think of all the money I've wasted on microwave popcorn through the years!

I'm frugal, not cheap

   There are numerous ways that I live "on the cheap," because this is what's best for my wallet and the environment. I drink water in restaurants, take navy showers, reuse aluminum foil, etc., etc. Because I do MANY little things, I have the money to splurge on what matters to me, even if it's $11.64 per pound imported cheese.
   Conscious of the carbon imprint of shipping foreign goods here, I have given up foreign wines, Nutella, avocados from Chile when they're out of season here, Bonne Maman Preserves and any number of other AMAZING products.
   Though I still crave it like mad, knowing Nutella contains palm oil, the production of which is decimating rainforests, makes it easier to give up. Abstaining from avocados in the off season just makes them that much more coveted when I can get them from here in the states. And I now make my own preserves, without high fructose corn syrup, that are pretty durned good (but not as good as Bonne Maman...sigh). Aside from an occasional bottle of liqueur, the Parmigiano Reggiano pictured here is my last holdout.
   I will use every little smidgen of this block of cheese--even the rinds, which will help to flavor soups. And I will doggedly continue to search for high quality US products, preferably made right here in ole Kentucky. Regardless of the price.
   When it comes to food, quality outweighs expense with me. BUT I've found that the expense of quality foodstuffs is sometimes comparable to the cheap stuff, because one little scoop of DELICIOUSNESS is far more satisfying than a whole heaping bowlful of MEH. Know what I mean?

This is on my mind...broken but no need to replace

The right tine on our pitchfork is missing, but it still works fine, especially for turning over and agitating the organic waste in our compost bins. So, I propose an amendment to the old adage, "If it ain't broke..." How about: If it ain't broke enough that you cain't use it, why replace it?

Thanks to SouleMama and down---to---earth for inviting me into their Friday photo sharing. Join me in leaving a link to your moment of show n tell here, on SouleMama or on down---to---earth. TGIF!

Foraging for nuts & wishing I had guts!

   Oh, how lucky am I to have a Hubby who will go out foraging for pecans, hecans and hickory nuts. He even takes the time to crack them and meticulously work to pick out all the little pieces. Then we store them in the freezer. I get the easy, less time consuming part: baking the nuts into brownies, cookies, breads, cakes and pies. And I don't have to go out into the cold for my part.
   David Lebovitz has a recipe on his site today for Chocolate Persimmon Muffins. I can't imagine eating persimmons, but there are some trees around here we could forage from, if I just had the guts to try!

Best pancakes EVER!

   In my mom's copy of Southern Living 2010 Annual Recipes, I found the best pancake recipe I've ever tried. If interested in the recipe, click here: Pam-cakes.
   Pancakes are just another one of those things that are so easy to make from scratch, why buy a mix? Scratch-cooking means spending less money AND less packaging to go into a landfill. See below for a pic of my cooked pancakes ready for the freezer, separated by re-purposed butter wrappers and part of a cereal box liner.