The Hydrated Horse

Cook'n Recipe Software

2012-01-26T08:48:00.000-08:00

A lot of you have asked me about the recipe software I use to print, e-mail, post, and organize my recipes. It's called Cook'n (made by the Betty Crocker people). They just sent me the latest version and it's even better than before. Now you can grab recipes straight from the web and it will input the info. for you; it even analyzes nutritional data.

When they sent me the new one they also said I could give one software package away on my blog, so you might be able to get it for free if you enter. Just click right here for the details (all you have to do is like them on facebook and then let us know in a comment). I'm crossing my fingers that one of my friends will win it!

It's by far the best recipe software I've ever seen. So fast and easy!

Correction!

2011-10-14T16:38:00.001-07:00

Sorry ladies, on the scrapbook covers I said it was 1/4 to 1/3 inches of ribbon, but I meant YARDS of ribbon! Thanks!

Super Saturday's Tomorrow!

2011-10-14T06:45:00.000-07:00

Just a reminder that Super Saturday will be tomorrow from 9:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M. Please bring a salad to share with everyone for our soup and salad lunch. It'll be yummy! We're also still in search of fabric donations for the quilt squares (at least 1/2 yard pieces). We'll also need more people who are willing to work on the quilt squares at the activity.

Here's a supply list for all the projects you need to provide your own supplies on:

SEASONAL STACKERS: 4 sheets of 12x12" construction paper (one for each season)

ANTIQUE TEMPLE PICTURE: 8x10 picture frame or 11x17 picture frame with an 8x10 mat opening

PILLOWCASE: 1 yard fabric, 3/8 yard fabric for band, thread, 1 1/2 yds. ric-rac or other fun trim
If you want to turn the pillowcase into a jumper, also bring: 3 yds. 3/4" wide ribbon, 1 package single fold bias tape, measurement from shoulder to length

FABRIC SCRAPBOOK COVER: 1 binder, 22"x28" heavyweight posterboard (color doesn't matter), 1 yard fabric, 1 yard lace, 1/4-1/3 inch ribbon (2 or 3 colors that coordinate with the fabric), batting

GOLD LEAF PICTURE OF CHRIST: 5x7 picture frame or 8x10 picture frame with a 5x7 mat opening

I'm also really excited about our classes. We'll be announcing them as they begin at the activity, but I just wanted to remind you to stop in for them:

Tying Beautiful Bows with Ruth
Dating Your Spouse with Stacey
Love Notes and Lunch Notes with Brooke
Boxed Christmas Truffles with Heidi

Please let me know if you have questions!!! I can't wait for tomorrow!

Helen's Making Tamales!!

2011-10-10T09:48:00.000-07:00

I know a lot of you are dying to get your hands on Helen's Mexican food, and here's your chance. She's making pork tamales this week, and she's selling them for $11.00/dozen. You have to let her know how many you want by this Friday morning so she can make sure she has enough for everyone. Zip her an e-mail to meee1957@gmail.com with questions or if you want to order some. You can also call her at (832) 322-6598 if that works better for you.

In 2 weeks she'll be making a batch of chicken tamales, and then will continue having a batch come out about every two weeks, typically on Saturdays. Feliz comiendo!

Pennies by the Inch

2011-10-06T20:22:00.000-07:00

Parents of Primary Kids:
Don't forget the deadline for Pennies by the Inch is this Sunday October 9th!

Just measure your child's height and give a penny for every inch. We will be collecting the pennies Sunday in Primary. The proceeds go to Primary Children's Hospital.

If you have misplaced your envelopes, just stick the pennies in a baggie with the child's name on it and how many pennies there are.

Happy Weekend!

Handel's Messiah Rehearsals Starting Soon

2011-10-02T15:25:00.001-07:00

Handel's Messiah is full of beautiful music a scripture. Tooele community presents Handel's Messiah every year, the Sunday before Christmas. Rehearsals begin Sunday, October 9th at 7pm at the LDS church located on Utah avenue, close to the railroad tracks. There are parts for singers, and instrumentalists, including strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion. Music can be obtained at Stowe's music in town and sometimes even for free online.

Super Saturday!

2011-09-29T22:09:00.000-07:00

Super Saturday is coming up on October 15th!!! It'll run from 9:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M. and will include crafts, free workshops, and a yummy lunch. The orders are due this weekend (by the 2nd of Oct.) so get them into Karen right away. We don't absolutely have to have all the money now, but we have to have your order so we can get the supplies!!

Here are the projects you can choose from this year:

PIECING A QUILT SQUARE

COST: FREE!

Linda Speck will show us a cool technique for easy piecing of quilt squares using paper. We're asking sisters to donate fabric scraps they have. If we can enough we want to combine the squares together to make a cool scrappy quilt to donate to the hospital.

SEASONAL STACKERS

COST $8.00

These stackers are reversible, so you just flip them over when the new season comes along. The blocks, paint, sandpaper, adhesive, and vinyl lettering are all included in the kit; please bring your own scrapbook paper-one 12x12 sheet for each season.

HALLOWEEN SUBWAY ART

COST 6.00

Subway art is really fun to do because each person's will turn out a little different. It's painted using a vinyl stencil, so you can choose your own colors and style. All your supplies will be provided.

HAIR FLOWERS

COST $2.00/small $3.00/large

These are really quick and easy. Just make sure to let us know what colors you'd like when you order.

ANTIQUE TEMPLE PICTURE

COST $5.00

You'll need to supply your own 8x10 frame or 11x17 frame with an 8x10 mat. Available temples: SLC, Bountiful, Jordan River, Logan, Manti, Timp, Provo, St. George. Please specify temple(s) when you order.

PILLOWCASE/PILLOWCASE JUMPER

FREE! *B.Y.O. supplies

We'll be learning to sew pillowcases. This is a great class if you are really a beginner in sewing and want to learn. Stay a bit longer in the class if you want to turn that pillowcase into a pillowcase jumper. There's no cost, but you'll be receiving a supply list for all the supplies you need to bring.

CANDY CORN TRIO
COST $3.00

All the supplies you need will be provided in the kit. Just a cute little somethin' to spruce up your shelf this October.

CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN
COST 8.00

All the supplies are provided for this Christmas Countdown Advent Calendar. The vinyl lettering adheres to metal sheeting on a wood sign. The little magnet moves along as you count down the days until Christmas.

LAUNDRY SIGN
COST $5.00

You can choose your color scheme for this one. The wood, paint, sandpaper, and vinyl lettering are all included in the kit. If you want to ribbon hanger I can add that on as well if you specify.

FABRIC SCRAPBOOK COVER
FREE!! *BYO Supplies

Come learn how to make a fabric scrapbook cover. You'll receive a supply list for this project.

COOKIES FOR SANTA PLATE
COST $5.00

All the supplies will be provided for this plate. It is NOT dishwasher safe unless you purchase and apply your own plate sealer (you can order it online).

GOLD LEAF PICTURE OF CHRIST
COST $5.00

Bring your own frame (either 5x7 or 8x10 with a 5x7 opening). You'll be applying the gold leaf and then framing the picture.

CHALKBOARD MESSAGE BOARD
COST $5.00

All the supplies will be provided in your kit. You can have the title say whatever you want at the top. "Menu" "Notes" "Messages" "To Do List" "Shopping List" -- whatever floats your boat!

CANDY CANE OR HALLOWEEN BOX
FREE!!

Limit one per sister for these. They use the plastic mesh and yarn to create little stitched decor. The Halloween one is a little box, and the candy cane would make a sweet little ornament for your tree.

DECEMBER BOOK
COST $6.00

This one really isn't a craft at all. We came across this holiday book when we were searching for one to make. This one is all made for you, so it's just a matter of taking it home really! It's got a Christmas story, song, and scripture for you to read with your family each day in December. We just thought you might want one like we did!

We'll also be offering four free wandering workshops at Super Saturday this year.

9:00 A.M. Tying Beautiful Bows With Ruth -- She's amazing and her bows are pretty awesome too. You can wander in and just stay for a few minutes and you'll wander out really impressed with yourself and your new mad skills at bow-tying.

10:00 A.M. Dating Your Spouse With Stacey -- Stacey is giving us tips and tricks on how to keep your marriage in the dating zone even if it's been a decade or more! Making it fun every day will certainly make eternity a bit happier. She'll have simple, creative ideas on how to help your spouse know you care and keep the fun in your marriage.

11:00 A.M. Love Notes and Lunch Notes With Brooke -- Brooke is the notemaster! She has a real knack for finding really simple ways to help the people around you know how much you care. Your co-workers, kids, neighbors, boss, spouse, parents - she'll give ideas about how cute notes can make all the difference.

1:00 P.M. Boxed Christmas Truffles With Heidi -- If you've ever eaten Heidi's goodies you know you'll be attending this class. If you haven't, take my word for it, you DO NOT want to miss this. She's the queen of the kitchen and will not only show us how to make her amazing truffles, but also how to make a cute little box to package them in.

If you didn't get an order form, that's okay! Just give Karen a call or send an e-mail (kloutz at gmail dot com) by the 2nd of October so we can get the craft kits ready to go! Call or e-mail with questions too!

More info. about the lunch, etc. to come as Super Saturday gets closer!!!! See you all there!

Yummy Oriental Salad

2011-07-18T14:49:00.001-07:00

Oriental Salad

Remember that amazing Oriental Salad Yvonne made for our Murder Mystery Dinner? Here is the recipe, as promised!

1 pound bag precut coleslaw
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
8 bunches green onions, chopped
2 packages dry ramen noodles, crushed up

Dressing:
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3/4 cup salad or cooking oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
sesame oil to taste

Mix dressing well and pour over mixed salad ingredients JUST before serving. Yum! Thanks Yvonne!

Who Done It?

2011-06-13T20:09:00.000-07:00

Time for our Murder Mystery in Zion Dinner! That's right, there's been a murder in Zion and your job is to sleuth out the killer! Clues will come with the courses of a delicious dinner. Come hungry and ready to be the first to solve the mystery.

This evening is really all about good food and good fun. I truly hope you all carve out time in your schedules to come because so many people have put a lot into this one, and I think it's going to be really awesome. It's like a giant, live game of Clue. Bring your scriptures - they may just help you discover who the real killer is!

We'll be meeting at 6:30 Tuesday evening (June 14th) in the cultural hall.

There will be an on-time drawing with 4 winners, and a nursery will be provided as well. We'll also have our wear-and-share table, so bring along your donatable items. Sisters are welcome to swap and take what they'd like, and at the end of the evening I will donate the rest to charity.

Rice-A-Roni Salad

2011-06-08T12:04:00.000-07:00

Much thanks to Lesa, who has been sending in her favorite recipes to post. Can't wait to try some of this week's new recipes! If you have some favorites to share, just e-mail me at kloutz at gmail dot com.

Mayonnaise and Worcestershire sauce create a nippy dressing for this rice and chicken salad. Water chestnuts, almonds and celery add a bit of crunch. If you’re careful about the amount of dressing you stir in, this salad can be chilled and un-molded onto a plate.

Ingredients:

1 (10.75) package chicken flavored rice mix (rice a roni)

1 bunch of green onions (chopped)

1 (8 ounce) can water chestnuts (drained and chopped)

1 cup chopped celery

½ cup slivered almonds (toasted)

1 cup chopped cooked chicken breast meat

½ cup mayonnaise

1 dash Worchestershire sauce

Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Prepare rice mix as directed on package and chill.

2. To the cooked rice, add the green onions, water chestnuts, celery, almonds and chicken, mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well, chill and serve.

Carrot Cake

2011-06-07T11:53:00.000-07:00

This isn't just any carrot cake. This is carrot SHEET cake, for those times when you need to make a crowd happy....and they'll be very happy indeed with a taste of this:

2 cups of flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 cup vegetable oil

1 can crushed pineapple (20 oz.) do not drain

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

3 cups grated carrots

2 tsp vanilla

2 tsp cinnamon

Blend oil, sugar, eggs, carrots, pineapple and vanilla together in a bowl. Stir in all dry ingredients including cinnamon. Mix well.

Pour into a greased and floured 16 x 12 sheet cake pan. (do not use a 9x13 pan.)

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes. Check with toothpick to make sure it is done.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 bag powdered sugar

1 16 oz package of softened cream cheese

2 tsp vanilla

1 cube butter

Mix in several tablespoons of milk as needed for good consistency.

Mix with electric mixer for several minutes until smooth and creamy, spread over cooled cake.

NOTE: This makes a ton of frosting!!! ½ recipe would be plenty unless you like it thick!

Baked Spaghetti

2011-06-06T11:49:00.000-07:00

This recipe was originally from Taste of Home, my very favorite Cookbooks in the ENTIRE world. I don't think I've ever made something from Taste of Home that we didn't like. Try this baked spaghetti...

photo courtesy of Taste of Home...cuz my food photography just wouldn't be THAT pretty!

1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped green pepper
1 tablespoon butter
1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (4 ounces) mushroom stems and pieces, drained
1 can (2-1/4 ounces) sliced ripe olives, drained
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 pound ground beef, browned and drained, optional
12 ounces spaghetti, cooked and drained
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

In a large skillet, saute onion and green pepper in butter until tender. Add the
tomatoes, mushrooms, olives, oregano. Add ground beef if desired. Simmer,
uncovered, for 10 minutes. Place half of the spaghetti in a greased 13-in. x
9-in. x 2-in. baking dish. Top with half of the vegetable mixture. Sprinkle with
1 cup of cheddar cheese. Repeat layers. Mix the soup and water until smooth; pour
over casserole. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for

Double Tree Hotel Chocolate Chip Cookies

2011-06-05T11:57:00.000-07:00

My husband travels...a lot. He's like a constant stream of hotel reviews. I get all the details of all the places he stays...they had an amazing free breakfast . . . their gym is terrible . . . it's so close to the beach you can walk to it! But one hotel constant: the WONDER of Double Tree Cookies.

Mmmmmm!!!

He loves to stay at the Double Tree just for their amazing, fresh-baked cookies. I chuckled a bit when Lesa sent me this recipe. Can't decide whether or not to let him in on the secret that I have the famous cookie recipe. He may or may not get access to it (after all, we're trying to slim down for summer), but you get it today...

Double Tree Hotel

Chocolate Chip Cookies

½ cup rolled oats

2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour ( I use 2-3/4 cups and turned out really good)

1-1/2 tsp baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

¾ cup brown sugar, packed

¾ cup granulated sugar

1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla

½ teaspoon lemon juice

2 eggs

3 cups semi-sweet, chocolate chips

1-1/2 cups chopped walnuts

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grind oats in a food processor or blender until fine. Combine the ground oats with the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a medium bowl.

Cream together the butter, sugars, vanilla and the lemon juice in another medium bowl with an electric mixer. Add eggs and mix until smooth. Stir the dry mixture the wet mixture and blend well. Add the chocolate chips and nuts to the dough and mix by hand until ingredients are well-incorporated.

Spoon rounded ¼-cup portion onto and ungreased cookie sheet. Place the scoops about 2 inches apart. You don’t need to press the dough flat. Bake for 16 to 18 minutes or until cookies are light brown and soft in the middle. Store in a sealed container with cool to keep soft.

For best results, chill the dough overnight in the refrigerator before baking the cookies.

Makes 20 cookies.

Baked Beans for your Next Barbecue

2011-06-04T11:46:00.000-07:00

Baked Beans

1 lb. bacon

1 onion (chopped)

½ cup green pepper (chopped)

4 cans pork and beans (do not drain)

1 cup brown sugar

4 Tlsp. Worcestershire sauce

2 cups catsup

Fry bacon crisp and cut into pieces. Drain bacon grease and save just enough to brown onions and peppers until brown. Add beans, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce and catsup. Bake 400° for 1 hour.

Casey's Granola

2011-06-03T11:44:00.000-07:00

Here's a granola recipe from Casey...looks like a perfect summer snack!

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups rice krispies
2 cups oats
chocolate chips
almonds
craisins

First, melt the butter. Whisk in sugar, honey, flour, and vanilla. In a separate bowl, mix together the rice krispies, oats, chocolate chips, almonds, and craisins. Now stir the butter mixture into the oat mixture. Spray non-stick spray into a 9x13 pan and spread the mixture evenly. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Happiness is Homemade Workshops

2011-05-08T08:18:00.000-07:00

Our Happiness is Homemade Relief Society Workshops will be held this Tuesday, May 10th at 6:30 P.M. in the relief society room. Workshops will include homemade soap, homegrown sprouts, home cooking {menu planning}, and home organization.

Really though, is homemade everything a requirement for a happy home? Of course not, Silly. I promise that you can have a happy home even on a night with tv dinners as long as you remember what really IS important. In the end, it's our relationships that matter.

Too often we fall into the potholes of life and get discouraged. We tell ourselves that we'd only be happy if...

...if he'd just put his shoes away.
...if she'd help out once in awhile.
...if she'd only notice how much work I do around here.
...if I could have a little time to myself.
...if I could trade in one or two of these kids for more obedient ones. {wink, wink}
...if I wasn't so busy all the time.
...if people didn't constantly expect so much of me.
...if dinner would fix itself tonight.
...if laundry ceased to exist.
...if I could just afford gas and groceries.

We're wasting our time though. Being happy doesn't mean everything is perfect. It means we've decided to look beyond the imperfections. If we're unhappy over such little things all the time, we're simply choosing to be unhappy. There are true unhappinesses, usually caused by sin (whether our own or another's). But most of our day-to-day unhappiness is not that. Instead of dwelling on such things, decide instead to dwell on what is right in your corner of the world. Go hug someone and focus on that. Try a new food and focus on that. Sketch something and focus on that. Pick a flower and focus on that. Read some verses of scripture and focus on that. Laugh at the silly things your kid does and focus on that. The bottom line is - stop focusing on the frowns and just smile for a bit. Because happiness is homemade. No one can gift it to you. No one can force it on you. No one can provide it for you except YOU. 100% homemade - your decision.

I truly believe in the fake it til you make it principle. Over time, the small things we do add up to who we are. And the best part is, once you've chosen happiness, others will follow. Your family, your friends - they'll get to see your choice and want that for themselves too. It's catching. So make some homemade happiness and go contaminate people already.

Happy Mother's Day!

2011-05-08T02:53:00.000-07:00

A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie. ~Tenneva Jordan

Being a full-time mother is one of the highest salaried jobs in my field, since the payment is pure love. ~Mildred B. Vermont

A suburban mother's role is to deliver children obstetrically once, and by car forever after. ~Peter De Vries

The phrase "working mother" is redundant. ~Jane Sellman

The moment a child is born, the mother is also born. She never existed before. The woman existed, but the mother, never. A mother is something absolutely new. ~Rajneesh

I remember my mother's prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life. ~Abraham Lincoln

Some mothers are kissing mothers and some are scolding mothers, but it is love just the same, and most mothers kiss and scold together. ~Pearl S. Buck

If you have a mom, there is nowhere you are likely to go where a prayer has not already been. ~Robert Brault

Sweater, n.: garment worn by child when its mother is feeling chilly. ~Ambrose Bierce

Happy Mother's Day!

Relief Society Spring Conference

2011-05-06T05:50:00.000-07:00

Don't forget to attend the Stake RS Spring Conference tomorrow! It will be Saturday, May 7th at the Stake Center. Dinner will be from 6:00-6:30 P.M. and then mini classes will follow. Please wear Sunday dress as part of the evening will be held in the chapel.

Shakepeare's "Merchant of Venice"

2011-04-12T14:43:00.000-07:00

A communtiy event: The Merchant of Venice by: William Shakespeare Will be performed on April 16th and 18th at The Eagle's Nest at the Army Depot located at Tooele City's south end. (enter on right off of SR 36, turn left BEFORE guard booth, take 1st left, 3rd bldg. on left with glass dining area) Time: 7:00 pm Cost: $5 per person or $15 per family (pay at the door) Plan now to see: True love, true friendship, heated vengeance, life threatening drama, and justice vs. mercy in "The Merchant of Venice". Our own Meagan M. is in it!

Don't Forget Relief Society Tonight!

2011-04-12T13:10:00.000-07:00

See you all this evening at the church at 7:00 for His Hands, our Easter Relief Society Evening. We will be privileged to hear Sister Wright speak to us, and then we'll be putting together Family Home Evening kits. See you there!

Dry Pack Machine

2011-04-11T19:51:00.000-07:00

Sorry, but I was WAY off on the priceof the # 10 cans - inflation, go figure! They cost .75/can. I will be picking the machine up this Weds. April 13th, so I will need to know how many cans you would like and have the money by the end of Relief Society meeting Tuesday night. We can keep the machine for 1 week, until Weds. April 20th, but I will actually be camping Tues. - Thurs of that week. Therefore, if we want to keep it until the due date, I will need a volunteer to return it to Magna before 4 pm that day. As for using it, just call and let me know when works for you. I will be home all day on Thurs. & Fri. and after 2 p.m. on Sat. If you want to take it to your home, just be sure to have someone strong come help you get it. It is REALLY heavy!

Storing Seeds

2011-03-12T21:41:00.000-08:00

Sister Sagers let me know the following about the idea to "dry pack" the seed pkts:

I believe you can not seal up your seeds in a #10 can with oxygen pkts. I believe I checked it out about 3 years ago with Mountain Valley Seed Company in SLC. It had something to do with the oxygen packets taking out the nitrogen in the seeds. I believe they suggested to double wrap the seeds in zip-lock freezer bags and freeze them in your freezer. I believe they would last 5-10 years by doing it this way. The phone number for Mountain Valley Seed Company is 801-486-0480 and the website is http://www.mvseeds.com/. They are very good at giving advise and answering questions. They are a local seed company that deals with Utah type seeds, for the desert type climate.

2011-03-10T21:11:00.001-08:00

Cal Ranch has thier "Alexander" seed packets on sale for 10/$1. This sale will last thru Monday March 14th. Cheryl Beyerle had the idea to get some #10 cans and oxygen pkts from the dry pack and bring the canner here as well and stuff the cans with the seed packets and seal them up for future use. With the oxygen pkt they would last for many years to come.

Let me know if you are interested!

Val

Relief Society Birthday Bash Tonight!

2011-03-08T07:47:00.000-08:00

It's party time!! I'm looking forward to seeing you all at the birthday bash tonight! It's at the church at 6:30. Come hungry because there will be dinner and cupcakes.

Just a reminder--If your last name is A-M please bring a bread item to go with the pizza. If its N-Z please bring a salad.

Can't wait for the party! See you there!!

Tooele High School 5K

2011-02-28T06:35:00.000-08:00

The Tooele High Track Team is sponsoring a 5K as a fundraiser. Come out to support them by participating in a 5K run/walk.
When: Saturday, March 12, 2011 at 9:00 A.M.
Where: Elton Park
Cost: $15.00 per entrant. This includes a free t-shirt for each person.

This is a very easy 3.1 mile run. It will start at the gun club and go downhill to Elton Park. It's all downhill. Sign up the day of the race at the park and you can take the shuttle to the top of the hill.

Come out to support the track team (and our own Ben and Tim!)

2011-02-19T23:01:00.000-08:00

COUPONS! COUPONS! COUPONS!

For anyone who wanted to attend the coupon class but could not, never fear! I am ready and able to teach you the ropes whenever you are ready. And for those that were there, we forgot this one important item of info:

One important tip for gathering your coupons: The Salt Lake Tribune is having a sale. You can get the Sunday paper (either the Tribune or Deseret News) for only $1/week. Even better, you can get Fri, Sat & Sun. papers for the same price!! AND you get the electronic version of the Mon - Thurs. papers included in that price.

Just call 1-800-662-9076 and ask for the "52 weeks for $53" sale rate. The only catch is that you have to pay for the entire year up front. Still, you simply cannot beat that price! With the coupons you will get in the Sunday paper, you could easily save enough to pay for the year's subscription in a couple of months.

HAPPY COUPON-ING!!

2011-02-08T18:13:00.001-08:00

we are here

Will You Be My (Valentine) Visiting Teacher?

2011-02-08T11:51:00.000-08:00

Don't forget to come out to our relief society meeting tonight! We're making gifts for the sisters we visit teach. We'll have chocolate suckers, LOVE blocks, and handmade cards. See you all at 7:00 P.M. tonight!

Food Co-Ops

2011-02-07T21:44:00.000-08:00

There are currently TWO food co-op options of which I know:

1. Bountiful Baskets
www.bountifulbaskets.org

This one costs $15 and you get a really good amount of fresh produce - half veggies and half fruit. For example: The basket I picked up on Saturday (Feb. 5) had a pack of celery, a bundle of spinach, a bag of red potatoes, 2 heads of coliflour, a bunch of broccoli, 2 red peppers, a bag of pears, a carton of strawberries, a cantelope, 4 tomatoes, a bunch of bananas and about 6 green apples.
Just go to the site and follow the instructions for signing up! And as I said in the Newsletter, if this is more than you would need, lets get organized and families can go in on an order together.

2. Co-Op Harvester
https://foodco-op.net

This one I don't have personal experience with, but Darlene and Casey do. They say it is GREAT! This one costs $ 24 and you get meat as well as produce. There are also variations on what you can order. Click on the site and check it out. To see exactly what you will be ordering, click on "Co-Op Basics" and go down to the "Most Recent Order Sheet" link.

Breakfast Pizza

2011-02-02T22:40:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite breakfasts as a kid was breakfast pizza. We could never get enough (who doesn't love pizza?), and it's a favorite I learned from my Mom as a child and still cook for my family all the time.

You start by making regular bread dough. I put the ingredients into my bread machine at night and use the timer feature so the dough is ready right when I get up in the morning. Roll the dough out into a pizza sized circle and put it on your sprayed pizza pan (you can also use a rectangular pizza in a big cookie sheet with a lip or a 9x13 pan for thicker crust). Now you just add your toppings!

Hash browns (I peel, chop, and fry potatoes, but a bag of frozen hash browns works too--no need to cook them ahead.)
Scrambled egg mixture (Don't cook them, just scramble 6-8 eggs and pour them over the hash browns.)

Meat (cooked breakfast sausage, cooked bacon, ham--any or all are tasty)

Shredded cheese
Extras--my kids are happiest when we stick to the basics, but we love sneaking in goodies like mushrooms, peppers, or anything else you would toss in an omelet... it will taste good. Trust me.

Now just bake it at 325 degrees until the egg is done. The less eggs you use, the faster it will cook. It's typically between 30 and 50 minutes. It's very forgiving baking time. I put a knife in the middle and know it's done when it comes out clean.

Makes a super yummy breakfast!

This recipe is linked up at Burnt Toast Thursday on The Executive Mom...go join in the recipe swap!

Barbecue Bacon Roll-Ups

2011-01-19T20:32:00.000-08:00

Here's an easy kids-friendly recipe for a busy weeknight. You'll need:

crescent rolls
ground beef, cooked and drained
barbecue sauce
sweet relish
bacon bits
your favorite kind of cheese (I love monterey jack or swiss with these)

Just add a few shakes of barbecue sauce, a spoonful of sweet relish, and some bacon bits to the cooked ground beef and give it a stir. Unroll the crescent triangles and then fill them with the ground beef mixture. Layer a thin slice of cheese on top and roll them up, pinching them a bit so they seal. Put them on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes until they are browned on the outside.

We eat these with a baked potato and a green salad and it makes for a quick and really yummy dinner! They're also yummy with shredded beef, shredded pork, or shredded chicken in place of the ground beef.

Go visit Burnt Toast Thursday at The Executive Mom for more really easy recipes you can make...even if you burn the toast.

January RS Meeting

2011-01-02T21:38:00.000-08:00

I'm really excited about our first 2011 Relief Society Meeting! Our focus is A Spiritual Beginning, and what could be a better way to begin a new year?
We'll be enjoying healthy hors d'oeuvres while hearing 3 speakers give us ideas on how to make our personal and family scripture study and journaling more meaningful.

It will be held on Tuesday, January 18th at 7:00 P.M. The dress is casual and a nursery will be provided.

I think the word OVERWHELMING is a major understatement in most of our lives. Instead of feeling a sense of order and control, often we feel pulled this way and that, unable to keep up with all life seems to demand of us. Feeling crazed and exhausted, we may ask: How will I ever have time to do everything that's expected of me?

This year in our relief society we will be spending some time focusing on a recent women's conference talk by Julie Beck. She explained, "Years ago I began using a system that works for me, and maybe it will work for you. There was a time when I needed to prioritize, and in one of those sacred meetings between me and the Lord, He gave me three categories that I have worked from, and they have been a guide in my life. The categories are the essential things, the necessary things, and the nice-to-do things. I started writing those things down. I asked, “What has to go in the category of essential?” What things must be taken care of, and if I don’t take care of them, the blessings of eternal life won’t be mine nor will they be my family’s.

I wrote at the top of the essential list revelation. I have to be able to know the mind and will of God. Therefore, I have to do the things in my life that put me in a position to hear His voice. Reading the scriptures then became an essential for me because the scriptures contain the mind and will of God, and by reading and studying from them, I can hear His voice and receive His guidance in all aspects of my life. I came up with a simple rule that was easy for me to keep: Every day I will spend some time in the scriptures. The accumulative power and learning of that commitment has changed my life and helped me learn daily the mind and will of God."

It's my sincere prayer that both you and I will leave A Spiritual Beginning with a renewed sense of how to recommit ourselves to some of the truly essential things as 2011 begins. Can't wait to see you all there!

Water Purification Guidelines

2010-12-16T19:39:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Val S. for this great information!

If your water supply has become polluted, it should be purified before use. Depending on the nature of the contamination, water may be purified by boiling, disinfection, or filtration.

Boiling Bringing water to a rolling boil for 3 to 5 minutes will kill most
water-borne microorganisms. However, boiling of water may concentrate toxic chemical or heavy metal contamination.

Disinfection Household bleach, if used properly, may be used to kill microorganisms. The use of bleach does not address toxic chemical or heavy metal contamination. See below.
Water Pretreatment
Water from a chlorinated municipal water supply does not need further treatment when stored in clean, food-grade containers.
Non-chlorinated water (wells) should be treated with bleach. Add 1/8 of a
teaspoon (8 drops) of liquid household chlorine bleach (5 to 6% sodium hypochlorite) for every gallon (4 liters) of water. Only household bleach without thickeners, scents, or additives should be used.

Filtration
Water filters can be effective in purifying water contaminated with microorganisms, toxic chemicals, and heavy metals. The effectiveness of these products depends on design, condition, and proper use. Water filters produced by Seychelle have been used successfully by Church missionaries for many years.

Water Containers
Use only food-grade containers. Smaller containers made of PETE plastic or heavier plastic buckets or drums work well.
Clean, sanitize, and thoroughly rinse all containers prior to use. A sanitizing solution can be prepared by adding 1 teaspoon (5 ml) of liquid
household chlorine bleach (5 to 6% sodium hypochlorite) to one quart (1 liter) of water. Only household bleach without thickeners, scents, or additives should be used.
Do not use plastic milk jugs, because they do not seal well and tend to become brittle over time.
Do not use containers previously used to store non-food products.

Water Storage
Containers should be emptied and refilled regularly, per LDS Church guidelines.
Store water only where potential leakage would not damage your home or apartment.
Protect stored water from light and heat. Some containers may also require protection from freezing. The taste of stored water can be improved by pouring it back and forth between two containers before use.

1 Year Food Storage for $$$ dollars/Week - List # 2

2010-11-17T09:56:00.000-08:00

See also "Obtain a 3 Month Supply in 12 Weeks" & "Food Storage List For A Year" on the site: www.theideadoor.com . Search for the "Food Storage" article and once you bring it up, click on "Prev" at the top of the article. I wasn't able to get it to come up by searching the "3 Month" title.

This list is somewhat different than the list posted a while back. Take your pick and I hope it helps.

Week 1: 6lbs. salt
Week 2: 5 cans cr. of chicken soup
Week 3: 20 lbs. of sugar
Week 4: 8 cans tomato soup
Week 5: 50 lbs. wheat
Week 6: 6 lbs. macaroni
Week 7: 20 lbs. sugar
Week 8: 8 cans tuna
Week 9: 6lbs. yeast
Week 10: 50 lbs. wheat
Week 11: 8 cans tomato soup
Week 12: 20 lbs. sugar
Week 13: 10 lbs. powdered milk
Week 14: 7 boxes macaroni and cheese
Week 15: 50 lbs. wheat
Week 16: 5 cans cr. chicken soup
Weel 17: 1 bottle 500 mulit-vitamins
Week 18: 10 lbs powdered milk
Weel 19: 5 cans cr. mushroom soup
Week 20: 50 lbs. wheat
Week 21: 8 cans tomato soup
Week 22: 20 lbs. sugar
Week 23: 8 cans tuna
Week 24: 6 lbs. shortening
Week 25: 50 lbs wheat
Week 26: 5 lbs. honey
Week 27: 10 lbs. powdered milk
Week 28: 20 lbs sugar
Week 29: 5 lbs. peanut butter
Week 30: 50 lbs. wheat
Week 31: 7 boxes mac & cheese
Week 32: 10 lbs. powdered milk
Week 33: 1 bottle 500 aspirin
Week 34: 5 cans cr. chicken soup
Week 35: 50 lbs. wheat
Week 36: 7 boxes mac & cheese
Week 37: 6 lbs. salt
Week 38: 20 lbs. sugar
Week 39: 8 cans tomato soup
Week 40: 50 lbs. wheat
Week 41: 5 cans cr. chicken soup
Week 42: 20 lbs. sugar
Week 43: 1 bottle 500 multi-vitamins
Week 44: 8 cans tuna
Week 45: 50 lbs wheat
Week 46: 6 lbs. macaroni
Week 47: 20 lbs. sugar
Week 48: 5 cans cr. mushroom soup
Week 49: 5 lbs. honey
Week 50: 20 lbs. sugar
Week 51: 8 cans tomato soup
Week 52: 5 lbs. wheat

You will end up with:

500 lbs. wheat
180 lbs. sugar
40 lbs. salt
10 lbs. honey
5 lbs. peanut butter
45 cans tomato soup
15 cans cr. mushroom soup
15 cans cr. chicken soup
24 cans tuna
21 boxes of mac & cheese
500 aspirin
1000 multi-vitamins
6 lbs. yeast
6 lbs. shortening
12 lbs. macaroni

This should be enough to sustain 2 people for a year.

Anyone Interested?

2010-03-03T10:22:00.000-08:00

Hi all, I thought I'd share an opportunity with anyone who's interested. A friend of mine recently had a Relief Society activity that intrigued me. Her ward had a professional come and show them how to make the most of couponing. I had no idea that there were professional coupon-ers, but hey. I guess you do learn something every day. Anyway, the lady offers these little classes for free and I'd like to invite her out. There is no minimum number of people that has to attend, she will even do private home visits! SO- I'd like to see what kind of interest there is in the ward before I give this lady a call.

If you'd like to become a Grand Master of Couponing, email me at kokopelli615@gmail.com and let me know generally what day of the week/time of day is best for you. I was thinking like mid-day or late morning some Saturday in April.

Oh- and my friend who went to her little class? She saved $27 on $60 worth of groceries her first shopping trip out.

Food for thought!

Earthquake Safety in a Nutshell

2010-02-24T12:05:00.000-08:00

1. Secure Your Home

Water heater strapped to wall
Flexible pipes on furnace and water heater
Shelves and other heavy objects secured to the wall
Nothing dangerous hanging above beds

2. Create a Disaster Preparedness Plan

Identify safe places n your home and have practice drills
Have shoes, flashlight, and whistle by each bed
Know how to turn off gas, water, and electricity
Be prepared to shelter in place
Have a meeting place outside your home and contact info. in case you're separated

3. Prepare 72 Hour Kits

4. After Earthquake -- Check for Injuries and Damage

Educate yourself on first aid methods for bleeding and CPR
Check for hazardous conditions such as fire, gas leaks, damaged electrical wiring, downed utility lines, spills, and damaged masonry.

Free Hair Bows

2010-02-17T07:10:00.000-08:00

We're hosting a giveaway for free ADORABOWS hair bows on my Executive Mom blog. If you want to enter to win some all it requires is you leaving a comment there about which bows you would like. Go check it out. Just click here.

Bare Bones 72 Hour Kit

2010-02-05T11:39:00.000-08:00

If nothing else, at least gather these few items for a 72 hour kit...

water
first aid supplies
food (beef jerky, granola bars, candy, etc.)
a change of clothes

So much more than food storage...

2010-02-02T15:09:00.000-08:00

"How do we become SELF RELIANT??

We become self-reliant through obtaining sufficient knowledge, education, and literacy; by managing money and resources wisely, being spiritually strong, preparing for emergencies and eventualitiesl and by having physical health and social and emotional well-being."

-Julie B. Beck

Spicing Up Your Food Storage

2010-01-23T09:01:00.000-08:00

So many people just store the basics when it comes to food storage, but the basics by themselves are just BLAND! Potatoes, rice, pasta, beans, wheat--all those longer term storage basics are foods that by themselves don't have much flavor. If you really want them to become usable for your family, add some spices to your home storage.

Last night I made "pantry pasta." That just means that rather than running to the store or going out, I opened up my pantry and threw together what I had on hand into a pasta dish. I created my own dish, and it was delish!

I started with basics--rigatoni pasta. Then I used chicken (I store this in my freezer and also store canned chicken), fajita seasoning, canned black beans, canned corn, canned tomatoes, lime juice (from concentrate), and cilantro (frozen from my garden this past summer). The canned foods are not fabulous on their own, but with the fajita seasoning, lime juice, and cilantro they really pick up those great flavors. The pasta was terrific, you'd never know it was just another pantry pasta.

The rigatoni on its own will never make a dinner. Even with the cans of food it would really lack flavor. I always keep lots of basic spices on hand, as well as plenty of seasoning packets like taco, fajita, ranch, italian, etc. Gravy packets are great too. Even if you run out of meat you can have some great meaty flavors to go along with your basics with some cheap gravy packets.

It's the cheapest way to make your basics usable...and tasty!

Merry Christmas!!

2009-12-25T01:46:00.000-08:00

I just want to wish a Merry Christmas to everyone! May we all count our blessings and remember that our greatest blessing will always be a small babe born so many years ago in a stable. Our Savior brought peace, unmatched love, and salvation to this world. My prayer is that I will always be close to Him and let His light reflect in my life and bless the lives of others. Merry Christmas!

Love and best wishes,
Karen

Christmas Nativity Clue # 24

2009-12-24T01:45:00.000-08:00

Here's your nativity clue for today. Read the scripture and see if your kids can guess the gift from the Savior.

Isaiah 55:4

"Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people."

The answer: Witness

Christmas Nativity Clue #23

2009-12-23T01:43:00.000-08:00

Here's your nativity clue for today. Read the scripture and see if your kids can guess the gift from the Savior.

3 Nephi 24:10

"Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, and i will open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing that there shall not be room enough to receive it."

The answer: Tithing

Christmas Nativity Clue # 22

2009-12-22T13:42:00.000-08:00

Here's your nativity clue for today. Read the scripture and see if your kids can guess the gift from the Savior.

D&C 109:8

"A house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God."

The answer: The Temple

Christmas Nativity Clue #21

2009-12-21T13:41:00.000-08:00

Here's your nativity clue for today. Read the scripture and see if your kids can guess the gift from the Savior.

Isaiah 12:2

"Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid, for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song."

The answer: Strength

Christmas Nativity Clue #20

2009-12-20T13:39:00.000-08:00

Here's your nativity clue for today. Read the scripture and see if your kids can guess the gift from the Savior.

Psalm 23

"The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me."

The answer: Shepherd

Christmas Nativity Clue #19

2009-12-19T13:37:00.000-08:00

Here's your nativity clue for today. Read the scripture and see if your kids can guess the gift from the Savior.

D&C 43:34

"Hearken ye to these words. Behold, I am Jesus Christ, the Savior of the World, treasure these things up in your hearts."

The answer: Savior of the world

Christmas Nativity Clue #18

2009-12-18T13:36:00.000-08:00

Here's your nativity clue for today. Read the scripture and see if your kids can guess the gift from the Savior.

Titus 2:14

"Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity."

The answer: Redeemer

Christmas Nativity Clue #17

2009-12-17T13:32:00.000-08:00

Here's your nativity clue for today. Read the scripture and see if your kids can guess the gift from the Savior.

D&C 1:38

"My word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by moine own voice or by the voice of my servant, it is the same."

The answer: The Prophet

Christmas Nativity Clue #16

2009-12-16T13:30:00.000-08:00

Here's your nativity clue for today. Read the scripture and see if your kids can guess the gift from the Savior.

3 Nephi 27:6

"And whoso taketh upon him my name and endureth to the end, the same shall be saved at the last day."

The answer: My Name

Christmas Nativity Clue #15

2009-12-16T01:44:00.000-08:00

Here's your nativity clue for today. Read the scripture and see if your kids can guess the gift from the Savior.

D&C 45:3

"Listen to him who is the advocate with the Father, who is pleasding your cause before him."

The answer: Mediator

Christmas Nativity Clue #14

2009-12-14T01:41:00.000-08:00

Here's your nativity clue for today. Read the scripture and see if your kids can guess the gift from the Savior.

Ephesians 5:1

"Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; And walk in love, as Christ elso hath loved us."

The answer: Love

Christmas Nativity Clue #13

2009-12-13T01:39:00.000-08:00

Here's your nativity clue for today. Read the scripture and see if your kids can guess the gift from the Savior.

John 8:12

"I am the light of the world, he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness."

The answer: Light

Christmas Nativity Clue #12

2009-12-12T01:37:00.000-08:00

Here's your nativity clue for today. Read the scripture and see if your kids can guess the gift from the Savior.

Genesis 2:7

"And the Lord God formed man of the ut of the ground, and breathed hinto his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul."

The answer: Life

Christmas Nativity Clue #11

2009-12-11T01:35:00.000-08:00

Here's your nativity clue for today. Read the scripture and see if your kids can guess the gift from the Savior.

1 Nephi 10:12

"The Holy Ghost, which is the gift of God unto all those who diligently seek him."

The answer: The Holy Ghost

Christmas Nativity Clue #10

2009-12-10T01:37:00.000-08:00

Here's your nativity clue for today. Read the scripture and see if your kids can guess the gift from the Savior.

Luke 2:11

"For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord."

The answer: He is born!

Christmas Nativity Clue #9

2009-12-09T01:33:00.000-08:00

Here's your nativity clue for today. Read the scripture and see if your kids can guess the gift from the Savior.

3 Nephi 17:7

"Have ye any that are sick among you? Bring them hither and I will heal them."

The answer: Health

Christmas Natvity Clue #8

2009-12-08T01:32:00.000-08:00

Here's your nativity clue for today. Read the scripture and see if your kids can guess the gift from the Savior.

Romans 1:16

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ; fir it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth."

The answer: The Gospel

Christmas Nativity Clue #7

2009-12-07T01:30:00.000-08:00

Here's your nativity clue for today. Read the scripture and see if your kids can guess the gift from the Savior.

John 13:15

"For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you."

The answer: Example

Christmas Nativity Clue #6

2009-12-06T05:28:00.000-08:00

Here's your nativity clue for today. Read the scripture and see if your kids can guess the gift from the Savior.

Doctrine and Covenants 14:7

"If you keep my commandments you shall have eternal life, which gift is the greatest of all the gifts of God."

The answer: Eternal Life

Christmas Nativity Clue #16

2009-12-06T01:45:00.000-08:00

Christmas Nativity Clue #5

2009-12-05T05:26:00.000-08:00

Here's your nativity clue for today. Read the scripture and see if your kids can guess the gift from the Savior.

Isaiah 45:12

"I have made the earth, and created man upon it; I even my hands, have stretched out the heavens."

The answer: Creation

Christmas Nativity Clue #4

2009-12-04T05:22:00.000-08:00

Here's your nativity clue for today. Read the scripture and see if your kids can guess the gift from the Savior.

Doctrine and Covenants 76:41

"He came into the world to be crucified for the world, and to bear the sins of the world."

The answer: He died for us.

Christmas Nativity Clue #3

2009-12-03T05:00:00.000-08:00

Here's your nativity clue for today. Read the scripture and see if your kids can guess the gift from the Savior.

Isaiah 49:13

"Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountain: For the Lord hath comforted his people."

The answer: Comfort

Christmas Nativity Clue #2

2009-12-02T08:40:00.000-08:00

Here's your nativity clue for today. Read the scripture and see if your kids can guess the gift from the Savior.

3 Nephi 27:8

"And how be it my church save it be called in my name?"

The answer: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Christmas Nativity Clue #1

2009-12-01T10:15:00.000-08:00

Each day of December as we count down to Christmas I give my kids a clue from the scriptures that focuses on the gifts the Savior gives to all of us. We read the scripture and then figure out what the gift to us is. I have paper ornaments with pictures to go with each one, and so each night we get to add another ornament to our tree with a picture of Christ's gifts on it. Then we sing Christmas songs and read Christmas stories together. Throughout December I'll post the clues for each day.

Here's clue #1: John 3:5
"Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God."

The answer: Baptism

Flashlights By The Fuse Box

2009-11-17T18:24:00.000-08:00

Click here for a link to a quick article I wrote about storing a flashlight by your fuse box. . . a great, handy tip for your family!

Beyond Basics

2009-11-09T07:00:00.000-08:00

A few years ago my brother and his sweet wife decided to start a large and heartfelt venture...they finally decided to gather their food storage. For several months they spent each family home evening planning, inventorying, and purchasing items for their storage. They involved their young children and taught them lessons about following the prophet as they went along. It was a wonderful venture! They all learned a lot, faith was built, and it became a memorable family project.

A couple of years after that I went to visit them for a long stay. During that time my sister-in-law and I cooked all the meals together. She had generally cooked from packages and wanted to learn to do a few things from scratch, so we cooked and baked together and I taught her quite a few new recipes from scratch. Everything we were baking had a terrible taste! It took a bit of time (and some terrible tasting meals!), but we figured out that her flour had gone rancid. They had gathered their storage, but never used it. It was wasted and all had to be thrown out.

I think this is one of the biggest problems of food storage. We gather what we're supposed to, especially the basics, but then we don't use them. We don't bake, we don't cook from scratch, we simply don't have the time! As important as gathering your food storage is learning how to use it! I've found that doing this not only helps me use and rotate my food storage, but it also prepares me for when there is a crisis and I need to use it. Beyond that, it tends to be a healthier option instead of only consuming the fats and preservatives from pre-packaged foods.

My family LOVES homemade noodles, and they are so easy. Try this--

Beat 4-6 eggs well. Now add 2 tsp. of salt and then add flour. Just add a little at a time as you knead it all together. Keep adding until the dough is workable and not sticky. Roll the dough out thin on to a well-floured surface, then cut the noodles into whatever shape you want.

Our favorite is homemade chicken and noodle soup. Just cut them into rectangles and put them into chicken broth to cook for about 20 minutes. I add vegetables, spices (lots of salt, pepper, and thyme are yummy), and leave the chicken in that I cooked in the water to get the broth. The noodles can also be used for a delicious lasagne. Just cut them bigger and use them to build your lasagne, then bake.

Making noodles is easy (and tastier too!), but most of us never learn to do it. Try to devote at least one night a week to cooking from scratch and you'll likely soon be doing more and more of it. I don't have much time either, but you'll discover it's a lot faster, easier, and definitely more economical than you think!

Handmade Soap Giveaway

2009-10-24T07:00:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to let everyone know I'm doing a free giveaway on my other blog for some handmade goat's milk soap. Just click on this link and you can win it! It ends Friday, November 6th.

Freezing and Canning Fruits

2009-10-21T07:05:00.000-07:00

Fruits change in price so much seasonally, you'd have to be crazy not to take advantage of those low summer prices. We not only grow fruit in the summer, but we also buy more fruit too. I can't resist a bargain! I preserve fruits in a variety of ways.My first priority is usually canning since fruit keeps really well when canned and my family can enjoy it all year. It doesn't require a pressure cooker and you don't have to be terribly careful about times, temperatures, and acidity like you do when you can vegetables. It's so easy that this is my preferred method of preserving fruits. This year I made 6 kinds of jam (rasperry rhubarb, strawberry rhubarb, raspberry, strawberry, huckleberry, and peach). I also canned peaches, pears, plums, pear sauce, and lots of applesauce. Every year I also can some apple pie filling and several fruit syrups (for pancakes, waffles, or as an ice cream topping). I have some terrific canning recipes that I couldn't do without-- economical jam and the apple pie filling were recipes from my mom that I LOVE for their taste, cost, and ease! Some years I've also done apple butter, canned cherries, and jellies. You can also can fruit juices. My sister has a grapevine and always cans enough juice to last her family of 8 for the whole year. You have to have a juicer to do this (unfortunately I don't!).
What we don't eat fresh or can, I freeze. Frozen fruits will stay good for up to a year. I always freeze fruits in the dry pack style. This just means that I don't add sugar. I wash, drain, and pat the fruits dry, then put them on a tray in my freezer. Once they're frozen I pack them into labeled ziploc bags and stack them flat in my freezer. Sliced peaches and any berry work really well this way. I also do this when I don't have the time or energy to get all the canning done at the same time. This year I'm pregnant and I could hardly keep up with my garden and canning. The kitchen was too hot and the smells really got to me. I froze a lot of my fruits and then pulled them out to can and make jam little by little on days I felt up to it. This is my upstairs freezer shelf today--it currently has frozen berries on the left, several fruit purees on the right, and 3 small containers of peach freezer jam on my fruit shelf. My downstairs chest freezer has lots more.Some people prefer to sprinkle their fruit with sugar before freezing it. Of course it tastes yummy, but I think fruit tastes yummy on it's own without adding extra sugar, fat, and calories!

Freezing fruit purees is also an essential part of my storage. If fruit is overripe this is the best method. Just put overripe fruit in your blender. Make sure to discard pits first! It's up to you if you like the skin on or off. I peel peaches, but not really thin-skinned pears for example. Some fruits (like rhubarb) may need a touch of water to get them smooth, but most will just blend right up perfectly. After that you can either freeze them in ice cube trays and then put them into ziploc bags, or the puree can go straight into small ziplocs. I like to know how much I have. I usually freeze either 1 cup of puree in a small ziploc, label it, and freeze it flat. Then when I want to make strawberry rhubarb crisp I can easily pull out a bag of strawberry and a bag of rhubarb, and add them to my recipe without re-measuring. Fruit purees are perfect for adding to recipes, using as baby food, or adding into sneaky mom recipes. Pureed plums and cherries are terrific for adding into brownies or chocolate cakes and can take the place of oil. (Applesauce can take the place of oil in most baked goods too.)
Lastly, I also toss grapes and bananas into the freezer just as they are. We eat the grapes frozen (LOVE them!) as snacks. I put whole bananas (in their peels) into the freezer if they're overripe and no one is going to eat them. Then when I want to make banana bread I pull out a couple, allow an hour or 2 for thawing, and then use them to make banana bread, banana pancakes, or banana muffins. You can also add it to a smoothie or into your oatmeal, especially if you make your own instant oatmeal.

All of the amazing deals on fruit for the summer are about to disappear for another year...go and grab up all those good deals now!

How To Freeze Common Garden Vegies

2009-10-14T19:56:00.000-07:00

Your garden is coming to an end, and if you're like me, you still have lots of extra vegies around. DON'T LET EVERYTHING GO TO WASTE! MAKE YOUR GARDEN LAST!!! Luckily, most vegies freeze extremely well. Here are a few things you should know before you toss those vegies straight in the freezer.

It's best to freeze them when they are fresh rather than when they're about to expire. Always wash them really well. Most vegies should be blanched before frozen. Blanching is simple. Basically, you submerge them in boiling water for about a minute or so, and then quickly remove them to a pot of ice water. Then set them out on a cloth to let them dry. I usually pat them dry with paper towels. Blanching stops the enzymes that cause vegetables to lose their color and flavor, so they'll stay nice and fresh tasting (and looking) much longer.

Once they're blanched and dry, go ahead and chop them in whatever way you'll be using them. For example, I chop up my bell peppers 2 ways-- in long strips because we love them in fajitas, and in little diced bits to throw in with scrambled eggs, taco meat, soups, or enchiladas. I pack them in small ziploc bags, write the contents and date on the outside, and then freeze them FLAT (they take up very little space and stack well if you make sure the bags are all nice and flat before they're frozen solid!). Green beans, peas, broccoli, cauliflower, and corn are all done the same way. They are all stacked up in nice little baggies, just begging me to pull them out and cook with them all winter!

These were some peppers I picked from my garden this year. This was just one day of picking, so you can see why we can't possibly eat up our whole garden. We always have plenty to eat, and plenty more to store...

I do something a little different for the vegies that will become breads. For those, I put them in my food processor and grind them up, measure the amount I will use for my recipes, and package them according to that amount. For example, after I have sliced and frozen the zuchinni we will eat plain or as a vegetable sidedish, the rest of my zuchinni gets grated up in the food processor. My zuchinni bread recipe calls for 2 cups grated zuchinni. so I measure out 2 cups in a small ziploc, label it, and freeze it flat. When I want to make zuchinni bread it's all measured out and ready to be defrosted in the microwave and tossed in. I use the same technique for my carrot cake recipe, all my quick breads that use vegies, and all my muffin recipes. You are unlikely to defrost a gallon size bag of grated carrots to pull out just what you need to make carrot raisin muffins, but when it's all premeasured and staring out at you from your freezer, you almost feel inspired to make some for your family!

The last way I freeze vegies is in puree form. Whether you're using it as baby food or being a sneaky mom like me, vegie purees are always handy to have. I simply puree the vegetables, and then freeze them in ice cube trays. Once frozen, I transfer them to labeled ziploc bags. (For more information about making your own baby food click on the words "baby food" above. For more information about being a sneaky mom and pureeing vegetables click on the words "sneaky mom" above, and then click right here to learn even more!)

So PUHLEEZE don't let your garden go to waste. Don't even let the other half of the vegetables you bought at the store go to waste (you know those ones that are sitting in your vegetable crisper NOT getting eaten because you're NOT in the mood for them). Take a few minutes and freeze them. It'll save you money and give your food storage supply a fresh boost!

By the way, under average conditions, if you wash and store them properly, most vegetable have a freezer life of a year. The quality and freshness steadily goes down over time though. I generally figure we'll eat all ours up within 6 months anyway, so that's about as long as I ever plan to store them.

Come back and visit soon to read about how I freeze my garden herbs and how I freeze my garden fruits! Yep, indeed I might be in love with my freezer!

Visiting Teaching...the Heart and Soul

2009-10-05T14:33:00.000-07:00

GREAT JOB ON OVER 80 PERCENT ON VISITING TEACHING LAST MONTH SISTERS! I'm certain that many hearts were touched and lives made better because we were there for each other.

Visiting teaching is so much more than just sharing a thought and skedaddling out the door. It's how we connect with each other. It's at the root of our motto--Charity Never Faileth. We will not fail to be there for each other if we are visiting our sisters with charity, with the pure love of Christ. We will not fail to know about each other's struggles, joys, triumphs, and even silly moments if we are visiting and listening to each other. We will not fail to show up when we are most needed if we are listening to the spirit and recognizing needs with open hearts.

I used to think I had to be a visiting teacher with a "perfect record" to be a good visiting teacher, but most of us are not visiting teachers with perfect records. Instead, I try to be a visiting teacher with a heart that is in it. I'm not excusing myself from visits, but I'm also not giving up just because I miss a month.

When I was in college I recieved sudden and shocking news that my youngest brother had died of cancer that no one had known he even had. I immediately went home and spent a month with my family, buried my 14 year-old brother, and took some time to try to find peace within myself over what had happened. When I returned to BYU my struggles only increased. I had missed many lectures and exams, couldn't possibly catch up on my workload, and felt increasing stress and dread with every passing day. Then one afternoon my visiting teachers came by--2 sisters in my college ward whom I didn't know or even recognize. They brought me a bottle of lotion by The Healing Garden called "Relax Therapy." It came with a tiny condolensce note. I know they couldn't have been comfortable coming that day. I know they didn't know what to say. They expressed sorrow for my loss and sorrow that they hadn't been better visiting teachers. I'm sure they will never know how much that tiny visit meant to me. It just happened to come at a time when I needed it most. I needed to know I was being thought of. Every time I felt overwhelmed I took a moment to put on some lotion, try to relax a bit, and say a prayer for strength. It made all the difference in the world to me when my world felt like it was crumbling.

They didn't have to have a perfect record to be exactly what I needed right then. They were visiting teachers who made a difference in just a few minutes time. I pray that somehow I will be a visiting teacher with a perfect heart even if not always a perfect record. If schedules are busy and nothing is working out, I can AT LEAST find time to spend on my knees praying for my sisters. If you didn't go last month, or maybe even the month before, don't let that stop you from making a difference now. After all, we need each other!

Co-op cooking

2009-06-28T08:58:00.000-07:00

I would like to start a Co-op cooking group. When preparing soups, stews, casseroles or other dishes that reheat well, make two batches. Serve one batch tonight, and trade the other for tomorrow nights supper. I have a family of 4, so an other family of 4 would be ideal to co-op with. If more than one family wants to get involved we can discuss how we will devide up.

Another Blog

2009-05-29T08:09:00.000-07:00

I will continue to post on The Hydrated Horse from time to time, but I'm also beginning another blog: The Executive Mom (http://theexecutivemom.blogspot.com/). It's a project I've begun with my sister, Michelle, and will have some similar topics to the Hydrated Horse. We will discuss parenting, household tips, recipes, holiday ideas, kids projects; in short, anything a mom may find interesting. We will be posting just about daily, so my Hydrated Horse posts will likely be fewer and farther between. Go check it out if you're interested!

Odds and Ends in My Freezer

2009-05-27T20:11:00.000-07:00

I try really hard to keep our grocery and household expenses low. I budget what our family needs and am pretty good about sticking to that budget. One of my favorite tricks is shopping the sales and using coupons whenever I can. That's where my freezer comes in. Twice recently my friend, Val, has called me in search of ingredients she was in need of. Both times I said, "I'm pretty sure I have some in my freezer." Both times she seemed a little surprised that the particular items were in my FREEZER. The first one was onions. You should know that we don't eat onions at our house because my husband is not a fan. I buy them if we're having company come basically. We never use a whole onion at a time, so I chop up the rest and put it in a ziploc in the freezer. Voila! I have my year's supply of onions! (Getting a year's supply of an ingredient you never use is SO easy!) The other thing she needed was cheese. Again, I shop the sales and freeze cheese. I like it best grated before I freeze it, but slices works too. Big chunks are harder because the defrosting gets tricky and the texture does have a slight change. Anyway, the point is--if something is going to go bad in your fridge, freeze it. I do it with leftovers we aren't currently in the mood for all the time. Any of my fruits and vegies get pureed and frozen before they go bad. When my bananas brown, I throw the whole banana in the freezer. When I'm ready to make some banana bread they are all ready and waiting for me. Slices of zucchini, fresh herb leaves, cookies, chocolate, dough, shredded potatoes, sauces and gravies, the possibilities are endless. Just make sure everything is labeled so you don't lose track of what you have and how long it's been there. We don't waste food...we freeze it!

Salmon With Polenta

2009-05-25T07:57:00.000-07:00

I tried a new recipe last week that we really liked...hope you will too.2 celery ribs, chopped
1 medium onion chopped
2 tbsp. olive oil, divided
1 can diced tomatoes (don't drain)
1 can tomato sauce
1/4 cup minced parsley
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. pepper
3 cups water
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup flour
6 salmon fillets

1. Saute the celery and onion in 1 tbsp. oil until tender. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, parsley, Italian seasoning, thyme, basil, and pepper. Cover and simmer about 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. In a saucepan, bring water and salt to a boil. Reduce heat to a gentle boil; slowly whisk in cornmeal. Cook and stir with wooden spoon 15 to 20 minutes or until polenta is thickened and pulls away from the sides of the pan.
3. Place flour in a shallow bowl; coat salmon on both sides. In a skillet, brown the salmon in the remaining oil. Transfer salmon to tomato mixture; cook, uncovered, 3 to 5 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Serve salmon and sauce on top of polenta.

Truth be told, I'm known never to follow a recipe exactly. Most of my recipes get modified depending on the ingredients I have in my kitchen. My husband won't eat onions, so we never have those on hand. I didn't have any celery either. I don't have fresh herbs on hand yet (still waiting for my herb garden to grow up this year), so I used a can of italian seasoned chopped tomatoes instead. I just added that can to a little can of tomato sauce I had. That became my sauce. It's probably even better made the right way, but our simplified version was really delicious anyway. This was the first time I'd ever made polenta. It was really easy, though next time I would make about half as much. We really liked it with the salmon, but not as much on its own. Proportion-wise, half as much polenta (just a smear on our plates under the salmon) would have been perfect. My whole family licked their plates clean and want me to make it again soon.

The original recipe costs about $2.63 per serving (cheaper made my cheater way) and has 495 calories...not bad for dinner. We just ate with some steamed veggies sprinkled with a little lemon juice. 3 cheers for healthy, easy dinners!

Meal Stretchers!

2009-05-05T11:07:00.000-07:00

Making dinner stretch is the same as making your dollars stretch! When you're feeding a big family it's all the more important to make the food go further. Instead of using pricier meats and fresh produce to fill everyone's tummies, try these 5 meal stretchers instead...
1. Pasta-- Use pasta as your main dish and just add a little bit of diced chicken or shrimp into it.
2. Beans-- Use beans to replace part of the ground meat you would typically feed your crowd. This works especially well in tacos, chili, and soups. For years I made taco soup with meat, until I decided to try just adding taco seasoning to beans...no one could tell it was missing.
3. Rice-- Rice is great as a main dish with a little meat and seasoning in it, or as a side to help fill up your family. It's a great filler in wraps or burritos. I love cooking rice in chicken broth and then tossing broccoli and a little cubed chicken into it.
4. Canned veggies-- On their own I'm not a huge fan, but stir them into soups or stews for great flavor.
5. Canned salmon-- Fresh fish is one of those luxuries we don't get very often! A little canned salmon is a cheap source of protein though. Top a salad, make a fish burger, add it to chowder, or stir into noodles.

Storing Bleach

2009-04-22T09:21:00.001-07:00

This is information about storing bleach directly from the Clorox company. I never really considered its shelf life before since it isn't an edible storage item.

How long does diluted bleach last?
Thank you for asking about the shelf life of Ultra regular CLOROX liquid bleach.
When bleach and water are mixed together to create a cleaning or disinfecting solution, the solution is only good for 24 hours. The temperature of the water does not affect the cleaning or disinfecting abilities of the solution. After the 24 hours, the solution begins to lose needed disinfecting properties. Therefore, it is recommended that for disinfecting purposes, the solution is made fresh daily.
Our bottles do not have an expiration date, however, they do have a production date. Once you understand how to read the production date, you can decipher the shelf life of the bottle. Please look below for a chart explaining our production codes.

CODE PLANT YEAR DATE
MD21002 MD2 1= 2001 002nd day of year
A90288 A9 0= 2000 288th day of year

We recommend storing our bleach at room temperatures. It can be stored for about 6 months at temperatures between 50 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. After this time, bleach will be begin to degrade at a rate of 20% each year until totally degraded to salt and water. Storing at temperatures much higher than 70 degrees Fahrenheit could cause the bleach to lose its effectiveness and degrade more rapidly. However, if you require 6% sodium hypochlorite, you should change your supply every 3 months.

Your Garden This Week

2009-04-20T20:42:00.000-07:00

Plant Outside From Seed:

Spinach
Peas
Onions (from sets)

Transplant Outside:

Broccoli
Cabbage
Parsley

Start From Seed Inside:

Tomatoes
Lettuce

Beautiful weather has arrived...finally! You can start moving some of those seedlings outside...hooray! Enjoy some lovely afternoons in your garden this week!

Grandpa's Peanut Brittle

2009-04-19T16:30:00.001-07:00

My grandpa passed away yesterday after 87 wonderful years on this earth. Peanut Brittle was his favorite. I thought I'd share with you my favorite peanut brittle recipe in his honor. I love this recipe because it works every time...plus, you make it in the microwave. How easy is that?

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 cup dry roasted peanuts
1/8 tsp. salt
1 tsp. butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. baking soda

1. In a 1 1/2 quart microwave-safe bowl, stir together the sugar, syrup, peanuts, and salt, mixing well. Microwave on high for 5 minutes.
2. Carefully swirl the butter and vanilla into the mixture (do not stir). Microwave another 30 seconds.
3. Add baking soda and gently stir the mixture until it's light and foamy. Pour it on to a lightly buttered cookie sheet. (Tip--For thinner brittle, warm the cookie sheet in the oven first.) Let the brittle cool for 30 minutes to 1 hour, then break it into pieces.

The only thing you have to watch is that the first mixture doesn't burn when you microwave it. It's an old recipe and microwaves used to be much weaker than they are these days. The recipe used to read 6 minutes...I adjusted it to 5 for my microwave. Just be aware of the smell...if it's getting too hot you can smell it start to burn if you have a super high-powered microwave!

Hope you enjoy this old family favorite. And I hope there's peanut brittle in heaven. I love you Grandpa!

Good Deal at the UPS Store

2009-04-16T15:25:00.000-07:00

Our local UPS Store/Copy Center is having a fantastic sale on pre-paid copy cards--I think it's 3 cents for b/w copies and 19 cents for color copies. It's lasting through April, and these are the lowest prices they've EVER had. I do a lot of digital scrapbooking, and their color copies are very good quality for that. Go pick a card before the end of April--they never expire!

Your Garden This Week

2009-04-13T20:34:00.000-07:00

This week you should--
Prepare Garden Beds:
Add in new compost/amend soil
Set out grids
Set up trellis

Plant Outside From Seed:
Peas
Onions (from sets)

Start From Seed Inside:
Tomatoes
Bell Peppers
Eggplant
Lettuce

We tilled our garden and prepared the beds today. That means I finally got to plant my peas today. I also cleaned out my strawberry bed and planted some new trees and bushes in the yard. I spent a couple of days cleaning out beds and mixing mulch and manure into them to feed the soil. My husband and I planted a new side lawn too. Did I mention I LOVE spring?

Sesame Chicken Bites

2009-04-10T06:26:00.001-07:00

1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup sesame seeds
2 tsp. minced fresh parsley
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp. onion powder
1 teaspoon ground mustard
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch cubes
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1. In a large resealable bag, combine bread crumbs, sesame seeds, and parsley; set aside. 2. In a small bowl. combine mayo, onion powder, mustard, and pepper. Coat chicken in mayo mixture, then add to crumb mixture a few pieces at a time, and shake to coat. 3. In a large skillet, saute chicken in oil in batches.

I just tried this new recipe and my whole family really liked it. It actually felt a little bit like hors d'oeuvres because of the little bite sized pieces. Next time I make this I'm going to put them on skewer sticks along with roasted vegetables and have dinner on a stick. Maybe I'll even cook them on the barbecue.

I served these with a honey mustard sauce (3/4 cup mayo, 4 1/2 tsp. honey, 1 1/2 tsp. dijon mustard) and it was muy deliciosa!

Grass Heads

2009-04-08T10:59:00.000-07:00

How to make a grass head--
Put grass seed in the toe of a knee high nylon stocking. Put a shovel full of potting soil in on top of the grass seed, and tie a knot to hold the seed and soil in a little ball. Now soak the ball in a bowl of water overnight. The next day, fill a jar with water and put the ball on top of the jar, with the end of the nylon hanging down into the water. This will draw water up and keep your grass head moist. Now glue whatever kind of face on you would like. In about a week to 10 days you will have beautiful green grass hair (all of these pictures were taken on about the 10th day after planting). Anytime the water in the jar gets low you can pull the head out to pour a little more water into the jar. It won't ever need water from the top. You can trim it as much or as little as you like, depending upon your preferred hairstyle. These were the characters my kids made...they named them Jumba and Shelby (note Shelby's cute earrings poked into the sides of her face). Shelby didn't get quite enough grass seed in her noggin...she needs Women's Rogaine.

Fertilizer Guide

2009-04-07T21:53:00.000-07:00

I mowed my lawn today for the first time of the year, which of course, got me thinking about the other things I should be doing for my lawn.

I came across this really simple lawn fertilizer guide and thought I'd share...

Make sure you don't use any nitrogen fertilizers on your lawn until after it has greened, or it actually encourages weed growth. Leaving grass clippings on your lawn reduces additional nitrogen needs by as much as 30%... I hate bagging up all those clippings and thankfully, I shouldn't bag them at all! Too much fertilizer is far worse than not enough, so feed carefully. Use a spreader and follow the directions and feeding schedule so you won't burn your lawn. I generally fertilize 2-3 times per year, depending on how my lawn is doing. If you are only going to do it once, the most essential time is in the fall. I don't like missing my spring fertilizer either though. It helps green things up and fight against all those nasty weeds and bugs that creep in.

Your Garden This Week

2009-04-06T20:07:00.001-07:00

What beautiful weather we had today! I had a couple of afternoon hours today to work in my flower beds. I'm getting them all cleaned out and weeded for spring. I've been removing the leaves and grass clippings I put on in the fall to insulate my plants, trimming back last year's perennials, and pulling those sneaky weeds that are already creeping in. I also received some of the trees I ordered from the Arbor Day Foundation, so those are going in the ground tomorrow. It feels so good to get back in my gardens!

This week you should--

Plant Outside From Seed:
Peas
Onions (from sets)

Start From Seed Inside:
Eggplant
Bell Peppers
Lettuce
Hot Peppers

Don't be afraid to plant the peas and onions outside even with the snow we're having. They are cold-weather hardy just like tulips or daffodils. Last year I got my peas in too late and they really didn't do well in the heat. They need to get a chilly start! So far my broccoli is sprouting well on the counter. I'll be starting my peppers and lettuce on the counter tomorrow too. It's so fun to watch my baby plants grow! Remember to check the seedlings often and keep them nice and moist and in a sunny spot!

General Conference Packets for Kids

2009-04-03T20:33:00.000-07:00

Remember, general conference time is a good time to remember all those "every 6 month tasks" we all need to keep up with. Change out the food in your 72 hour kits, change the batteries in your smoke detectors, double check your car kits and first aid kits, and flip your canned milk over. For a complete list of what I do each 6 months, click here.

At our house we've created traditions to go along with conference. Right now my kids are sleeping in a little tent we set up in our family room. Every conference we talk about King Benjamin preaching to his people from atop his tower. The people pitched their tents toward the temple and listened to the prophet's words for them. Each conference we do the same--we pitch our tent towards the temple to listen to the prophet all weekend(facing the tv where the pictures of temple square and the prophet are!). I also make a brunch for in between the two sessions of conference. Each session the kids work on little activity booklets. Here are a couple of links if you don't have them:

General Conference Packet #1

General Conference Packet #2

We also have little treats at various intervals--homemade cinnamon rolls, zucchini bread, or little candies. A few well-timed treats and activities really lengthen short attention spans! At our house, conference is a time to be together and to celebrate that we have a living prophet on the earth.

Savings in Threes and Requested Recipes

2009-04-03T15:12:00.000-07:00

I love boneless skinless chicken breasts, but if you're trying to save grocery dollars it's cheaper to buy whole chickens. I used one whole chicken for the 3 meals I made for my cooking in threes weekend. The chicken cost $3.00 ($1.00 per meal). I added up all my costs for all of my ingredients and divided by three since I made 3 meals. In the end, each meal was less than $4.50 for our family of five...less than a buck a person. The bonus was that every single one of the meals gave us leftovers that fed us for lunches as well. In reality, it ended up costing me less than $2.25 per meal for the whole fam. The only catch is that a couple of my ingredients were from my garden last year (the carrots and potatoes), so if you don't have any of those, you would have to add that cost in.
The meat is usually the big cost of the meal. If you can find a way to cut back on that cost, the savings really add up. I don't like getting to dinnertime and having to deal with a whole chicken, so I try to make that part of my weekend cooking with threes routine. If you're getting three meals out of it and have chopping to do while the chicken is cooking, it just makes the extra work feel more worth it.
Here are the recipes I used:

Homemade Chicken and Noodles

1. Boil a whole chicken. When it's thoroughly cooked and the meat is falling off the bones, remove the chicken to a cutting board.
2. Keep the broth you cooked the chicken in, and add 2 chicken bullion cubes to it. Remove the chicken from the bones and add some of it back into the broth (Remember, you're making 3 meals, so use about 1/3 of the chicken--the exact amount isn't important). Keep it boiling away on the stove while you work on the noodles.
3. Now, in a separate bowl, beat 4-6 eggs. Add 2 tsp. salt and flour to desired consistency. (There isn't a measurement for this--it turns out different every time. You just want to keep adding flour until you can handle it without the dough sticking to your hands. Too much dough isn't a problem, but too little will end in a sticky mess.) Now, roll out the dough thin on a floured surface (kind of like sugar cookies). Cut the dough into noodles. My family likes big, thick ones.
4. Add noodles to the boiling chicken and broth. Add lots of salt and pepper for good flavor. I also like to add other spices-- 1/2 tsp. of thyme and a 1/2 tsp. of basil is a good combination. Cook for about 20 minutes. The extra flour from the noodles will thicken the broth. This turns into a thick chicken and noodle combo more than a soup. It freezes well in a ziploc container or bag and can be reheated in a crock pot or on the stove top.

Chicken Divan

1. Line the bottom of a glass 9x13 casserole dish with cooked broccoli while the chicken is cooking.
2. Prepare the sauce by combining 2 cans cream of chicken soup, 1 cup mayo, 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, and 2 tsp. lemon juice.
3. Cut cooked chicken into strips and place them over the top of the broccoli. Spoon sauce over the top. Sprinkle 1/2 cup more shredded cheddar over the top, followed by bread crumbs.
4. If you're making this in threes and putting it in the freezer, cover it with foil and freeze. If you're eating it right away, bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Serve over rice.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

1. While the chicken is cooking, boil water in another pot for your potatoes. Cut up about a pound of red potatoes in 1 inch chunks and boil them until they are soft. While the potatoes and chicken are cooking, combine 1 can cream of chicken soup, 8 ounces diced ham (deli slices are fine), 1 cup shredded swiss cheese, 1/2 cup milk, 1 tsp. garlic powder, and salt and pepper.
2. Put cooked potatoes in a 9x13 casserole dish. Add chicken and all remaining ingredients to potatoes, and toss to mix well.
3. If you're freezing this, cover it with foil before placing in the freezer. If you're eating it tonight, then bake at 350 degrees, uncovered, 40 minutes or until warm through.

*A few notes--I vary these dishes quite a bit. I often throw vegetables into the chicken and noodles as it's cooking. Sometimes instead of noodles I make biscuit dough and turn it into chicken and dumplings. This weekend I made chicken and noodles WITH dumplings because I was in the mood for noodles and my husband was in the mood for dumplings. Sometimes I put broccoli into the Cordon Bleu Casserole too. All of these recipes can handle a lot of vegetable puree if you want to add nutrients--cauliflower, carrots, or pumpkin all work well in any of these--just add them into the sauces. You could even add green vegetable purees into the chicken and noodles. A final note--if this recipe format irritates you and you want me to post the recipes individually with the ingredients list at the top and instructions below (without the "Threes" instructions)--comment below! I have them in my recipe book and can easily copy and paste them over. I wanted you to see how I easily make 3 at a time, hence the weird formatting. Lastly, do you want more ideas and recipes for cooking with threes?

Cooking in 3's

2009-04-02T19:37:00.000-07:00

When I know I'm going to have a busy week coming up, I like to cook in 3's on the weekend. This is when I find 3 meals that have similar ingredients (at least the same type of meat anyway) and make all 3 meals simultaneously. This past weekend I made Homemade Chicken and Noodles, Chicken Divan, and Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole. It takes me about the same amount of time to cook all 3 as it does one meal. I do all the chopping and prep work while the chicken is cooking. Here is my set-up:You can see the pots on the stove that are boiling potatoes in one and chicken in the other. I also have my casserole dishes out on the counter side by side so I can easily compile the casseroles. On the far side I have my cutting board there to do all my chopping on. Everything is within an arm's reach. Here are the dishes when they're done. The chicken and noodles is made in the pot with the chicken broth I cooked the chicken in. The other two are the casseroles on the counter.

I wrap them up and put two in the freezer, and we have the other one for dinner. During the week I have ready-made meals that can just be popped into the freezer. Tomorrow I'll post about how cooking in 3's saves me money. If anyone is interested in any or all of these 3 recipes, post a comment below and I'll also put the recipes up. Happy cooking!

What to plant this week...

2009-03-31T20:47:00.000-07:00

...in your garden.
Plant Outside From Seed:

Peas
Onions (from sets)

Start From Seed Inside:

Hot Peppers
Onions
Parsley
Cauliflower

How I Started My Food Storage

2009-03-27T12:54:00.000-07:00

Food storage can seem overwhelming...impossible really. Yeah, people say, "It's really cheaper! It's so easy!" And they're right...after your basic food storage is already in place. It's really hard to start out though. For most of us it takes years to really build up any sort of good supply. There are countless tips and plans about how to go about doing it, but today I'm going to tell you how I started. Here's my story...
My husband and I were both in college. He worked at a car wash. We had one little baby who I spent my days with. Bob had chosen to become a pilot, but the plane rentals and instructor fees took every penny we had. We were as broke as you could be...and then some. My weekly grocery/household budget was $40.00 per week (included all our food, diapers, tp...everything.) Going out to eat wasn't even an option. We lived in a tiny 2 bedroom apartment in this 4-plex which we got pretty cheap rent for because we were the apartment managers. I decided that despite these hurdles, our new little family should be doing all that we could to follow the commandment to build up our food storage. A year's supply seemed unreachable. That wasn't even my goal because it was too far from possible at the time. Instead, I simply committed to add something to our storage every week. I scrimped and cut coupons to make our $40.00 stretch. I added a box of baking soda here and a can of soup there. On a good week I could add a small box of powdered milk or some honey. Some weeks I just didn't have extra, but I had made a commitment to myself and to the Lord that I would add something every week. I sewed some scrap fabric into a bag and started collecting the plastic bags the groceries came in...on those weeks when I couldn't do anything more, I tucked my grocery sacks into the sewed pouch and said a little prayer that the Lord would recognize my efforts and bless us. If all I could add was a plastic bag, well, then it was a plastic bag that we didn't have before. Much more important than the bag was the committment. I never let a week go by that I didn't think about my goal.
My plan was simple: I added something each week. It didn't matter what. I just added SOMETHING. After college Bob got a job that took us across the country. I gave most of that food storage that we had worked so hard to collect away because it was just too expensive to move. But that food storage changed me and taught me lessons I will hold on to for the rest of my life. I learned a great deal about the blessings and happiness that come from obedience. I learned that nothing is impossible with the Lord. I also learned that happiness comes far more from our hearts than our possessions. We never had a lot, but we lived within our means...in the end, we had a lot of what counts... PEACE and JOY.

Barbecue Chicken Pizza and Storing Basil

2009-03-26T07:33:00.001-07:00

I just thought I'd share one of our favorite dinners with you. I can't really say I'm giving you the recipe because I don't really have a "recipe." I'll just tell you how I make it. First, make a batch of your favorite biscuit dough. I have a couple different biscuit recipes I use and they all work equally well. (Just a note--I made this once on regular pizza crust and we liked it, but not nearly as much as we liked it with the soft biscuit crust!) Spread the dough out on a pizza pan. Use barbecue sauce as your sauce. I like Hickory flavored with it. Next, fry some small, bite-sized bits of chicken in a little olive oil. Toss some chopped, fresh basil in with the cooking chicken (I don't know how much...I just keep adding bits until I like the flavor, probably 8-12 leaves...the amounts on fresh herbs are very forgiving.) Put your chicken and favorite pizza cheeses on top. You can add other pizza toppings you like too (olives and peppers are really good on this). Then bake it until the crust is done, probably about 15 minutes at 400 degrees.
The basil is the key ingredient. It gives this pizza amazing flavor. I grew some last year (the only herb I grew last year) and wasn't quite sure what to do with it as I'd never cooked with fresh herbs before. I started experimenting and discovered the flavors of fresh herbs blend much more easily than dried herbs. This pizza was one of my favorite ways to use basil...so yummy. One last bit-- I like to make my garden last all year by preserving the foods I grow. Basil is EASY--you just pull the leaves off the plant, stack them up, and put them in the ziploc bag in the freezer. It will stay fresh and keep wonderful flavor for at least a year this way. I'll be using up the last of last year's basil about the time my new basil plant is ready to harvest this summer. It's also a pretty plant that you could easily grow among flowers in a flowerbed or in a pot. It's an annual, so you have to replant it from seed each year.

Bread Crumbs and a Dirty Microwave

2009-03-24T16:26:00.001-07:00

If there are two things I hate it's bread crumbs by the toaster and splatters in the microwave. The whole kitchen can be otherwise clean, but if those things are dirty, it just irritates me. They only take a couple of minutes to remedy though.

To clean out your toaster so it isn't constantly dropping crumbs, take a plastic knife and gently scrape the crumbs from the bottom of the toaster inside the small grate. Then reach into the top and bottom openings of the appliance to tap or scrape the internal wires to loosen baked on debris. Look inside to find trapped deposits from burned toast or built up caches of crumbs. Tap these lightly until they crumble out. Then latch the bottom of the toaster to close it. I do all of this over my sink so I can just wash the crumbs down. Next, firmly wipe the outside of the toaster to remove crumbs, smudges, and fingerprints. If it has a stainless steel finish, daub a clean cloth with a small amount of rubbing alcohol. Shine the toaster's surface to remove all traces of grime or wear. (Do not use alcohol inside the toaster.) To clean your microwave, put a cup or 2 of water in a big pyrex measuring cup. Put a capful of lemon juice in the water too (because then it won't just look clean, it will smell clean too!). Put the water in the microwave and turn it on for about 3-4 minutes. When it's done, take it out and simply wipe down the microwave. All the splatters and messes will wipe right out because the evaporated water loosens everything. There you have it...the end of my two terribly annoying kitchen messes...get to work!

Tips on Starting Seeds Inside

2009-03-23T20:56:00.001-07:00

Stacey asked a good question-- Just how do you start seeds inside?

It partly depends upon what you grow, but I'm going to just give a few general tips to get you started. PLANTING--I like planting in the bigger peat pots (not the egg carton size, but the actual pots). They give more room for the roots to grow than the tiny ones do. I also like that I can easily get them into the ground since you can plant the whole pot in the ground when it's time to move them outdoors. First, get the peat pots wet so they won't whisk water away from your soil. Then I put potting soil (sometimes mixed with a little perlite if it doesn't have any already in it) in the pot and level it. I like to place all my pots on a big cookie sheet lined with paper towels. Read each seed packet to determine the right planting depth in the pot. You'll also want to make sure you keep track of what you've got in what pots, even if it's just putting the seed packet down in front of each row of pots. When it's time to move everything into the garden you'll need to know what's what.

CARING FOR YOUR LIL' SEEDLINGS--I have a perfect kitchen countertop that I put my baby seeds on. It get wonderful sunlight through my sliding glass door, and just happens to be one of those extra catch-all countertops instead of one I normally use for cooking. You need to either have a bright, sunny place like that, or put a lamp over your seeds. Florescent bulbs work the best if you don't have nice sunlight, but I've just used my desk lamp when I felt like mine needed more sun and warmth than they were getting. As for watering, I just keep an eye on them and give them a drink before they dry out. If you keep them TOO wet the seeds will rot. You want them moist, but not dripping. I spray them with a water bottle. I also turn the tray around if I notice that the stems are starting to bend (they always try to go towards the light).

IT'S TIME TO MOVE OUTSIDE-- I move my seedlings out a little at a time. I'll be telling you when it's okay for each plant to venture out. About a week before I'm going to put them into the ground I move the pots outside. Make sure you're past any chance of frost before you do this (or else bring them inside at night!). The plants need some time to adjust to the temperature change before they go straight from the warm kitchen counter to the cold ground. When you're ready to actually put them in the garden, make sure they are well watered. Then break down the peat pot just a little without disturbing the plant. Go ahead and plant the whole pot along with the baby plant in the garden. This is just like planting little vegetable plants you'd buy from the nursery, except you saved yourself a lot of money and got to enjoy watching your little baby seeds sprout and grow. Sometimes the new seedlings look like they wither a little for the first few days you put them in the ground...don't worry. Just keep taking care of them with water and some fertilizer. They're just adjusting to their new environment and working on getting those roots in a new place...they'll bounce back.

Hope this helps! Keep reading...Shortly I'll be showing you some simple mini-greenhouses for your countertop seedlings, along with my first attempt at growing an avocado plant from a pit! No guarantees that will work, but it should be a fun experiment!

This week in your garden..

2009-03-22T16:29:00.000-07:00

Plant Outside From Seed:

Peas

Start From Seed Inside:

Onions
Broccoli
Cabbage
Parsley
Cauliflower

Delicious Breakfast Cookies

2009-03-22T06:45:00.000-07:00

Brenda came by the other day with these breakfast cookies and the recipe...so, so yummy!
Nonstick cooking spray
1 large banana, mashed (1/2 cup)
1/2 cup chunky peanut butter
1/2 cup honey
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup nonfat dry milk powder
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup dried cranberries or raisins (or any dried fruit--Brenda used mixed berries that were so tasty!)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat 2 cookie sheets with spray; set aside. In a large bowl, stir together banana, peanut butter, honey, and vanilla. In a small bowl, combine oats, flour, mlk powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Stir the oat mixture into the banana mixture until combined. Stir in dried cranberries.
Using a 1/4 cup measure, drop mounds of dough 3 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. With a spatula dipped in water, flatten and spread each mound until about 1/2 inch thick.
Bake, one sheet at a time, for 14-16 minutes or until browned. Cool on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container or resealable pastic bag for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 2 months; thaw before serving.

These were seriously so tasty...you've got to try them. Who wouldn't love a healthy cookie?

Taco Soup

2009-03-16T22:31:00.000-07:00

This is a taco soup recipe from Brenda. She asked me to post it because her family not only loves it, but you can make it completely from storable items (a perfect meal for your 14 day meal plans!)1 lb. ground beef
1 small chopped onion
1 envelope taco seasoning
24 oz. tomato juice
1 can kidney beans
1 can tomatoes, chopped
1 to 2 tsp. chili powder
Corn chips
Cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Brown the meat and add the onion; drain. Stir in the seasoning mix. Add tomato juice, beans, tomatoes, and chili powder, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Simmer 30 minutes. Place a handful of chips in each soup bowl, add soup, and top with cheese.

Brenda and I both use dry beans for our taco soups instead of a can of beans. The only difference is that you have to plan ahead a little more so you can allow them to soak (I do it overnight) and then cook. I make taco soup in the crock pot and let the beans cook in there for the day. I also use stewed tomatoes or tomato sauce in place of tomato juice. I toss corn in mine too, and top it with sour cream. Any kinds of beans (or even a mixture) will work just fine. It is also great vegetarian style if you're trying to use less meat...same flavor even without the ground beef. Taco soup is a perfect soup for creativity...I've made it lots of ways depending on what ingredients I have at the time, and it has always turned out yummy.

Your Garden This Week

2009-03-16T12:43:00.000-07:00

This week you can start any of these from seed inside:
Broccoli
Cabbage
Parsley
Cauliflower
Onions can also be started now, but I started mine outside (much later) last year and they did really well without any indoor starting.

This is also a good time to start ordering any plants, trees, and seeds you'll need from seed catalogs. The companies often have great specials, like the buy $25.00 worth of items and get $25.00 worth free at Gurney's right now. I also shop Henry Fields and Michigan Bulb company a lot. I've had great success with everything I've ordered, and all 3 of these companies have happily replaced anything that died on me for free. I really recommend requesting their catalogs instead of just shopping online because they come with a lot of extra specials and coupons.

Lastly, I can't post about gardening this week without telling you about my most recent purchase--a whole bunch of trees. As you look up and down my street you see house after house of lovely trees. Then you look at my yard--almost completely treeless. So sad. This week we took out our last adult tree. Every tree on the property was dead and rotten from years of absolute neglect. Now it's time to start fresh.

I joined the Arbor Day Foundation ( http://www.arborday.org ) and bought my trees from them. They come a little smaller than the average trees you order, but are a great value. I bought several 4 ft. fruit trees for less than $10.00 each. Just for joining ($10.00 membership fee) they send you 10 free, little baby trees, or you can have them plant 10 free trees in your honor in our nation's forests. They sell their other trees at great prices too. I spent about 40 dollars and got over 20 trees. I'm planning to plant some on our property, and then take my kids to the woods to plant the others...little teaching moments go a long way. When I was about nine I went on a field trip where we all got to go plant some trees to help reforest an area, an experience I'll never forget.

So go and plant a tree today.

The Front of Your File Cabinet

2009-03-15T06:49:00.000-07:00

There are hundreds of ways you can organize your papers (or you can throw them in the pile or box and not organize them at all.) If you're going to want to find things later (or even if you just want to be able to walk through your home office without tripping), your home needs a file cabinet with a filing system. I have 3 separate file cabinets because I have 3 very distinct facets of my life--my home school file which resides in our school room, my church files (for all my primary, young women, RS, and family home evening lessons, stories, and handouts), and our household filing cabinet which is built in to my computer desk. The household filing system can get overwhelmed by bills, receipts, bank statements, insurance policies, and countless other loose papers. So how do you organize them all?

Someday I'll tell you about more of my files, but I want to start out with what's in the front of my filing cabinet. The very first file in your drawer should be IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS. This file contains all the things you would need if you could just grab one file and get out quickly--birth certificates, marriage certificates, important insurance policies, passports, extra medical insurance cards, and maybe even a list of important phone numbers and addresses--anything you think you would need in an emergency. I don't have a fireproof safe, but if I did I would put my IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS file in there.

The next section of my file cabinet is an important, and too often underutilized one. There are 12 files--each one labeled by month--January through December. One of the difficulties with our filing systems is that they fill up and fill up and never get emptied out. We get overwhelmed by papers and aren't quite sure what we should keep and when we should throw things away. The things you put in your month files are things that you should keep no longer than one year. This includes utility bill statements, receipts, any paid bills or statements of any kind, and anything else you hold on to, but don't need to keep forever. This isn't a place for bank statements or tax returns--those should be kept longer. The beauty of the monthly files is that you can easily see when it's time to throw things out. When it's April, I quickly pull out the April file and glance through it before throwing it all away. You don't need to hold on to your phone bill statement for longer than a year--once it's cleared and properly recorded that you paid, you're fine. You also have this information on your bank statements, which you're holding on to for 3 years normally. The monthly files eliminate the need to dig through every file when it's time to clean things out. They allow you to keep separate all those items with a quick turnover in your file cabinet.
Maybe someday I'll tell you about the BACK of my file cabinet too...wink, wink!

What to do in your garden this week...

2009-03-10T21:14:00.000-07:00

Ignore the snow outside. It's still gardening time. This week if you're planning to grow any of these you can start the from seed inside:

Cauliflower
Broccoli
Cabbage
Parsley