• Gift Giving: Twice as Nice

    Buying used toys that are in good shape works well for those of us who are on a tight budget.   My girls love books and we rarely buy them new.  Same goes for toys.  If you can find good quality toys and books for an inexpensive price used why not get them as a gift for your kids.

    Recently, Goodwill did a 50% off day on everything in the store and if you got the red tag you received an additional discount.  I picked up a whole stack of books for $0.25 and some clothes (shirts, pants, skirts, dresses) for as low as $0.50.  I was thrilled because the books and clothes will make great Christmas gifts for the kids.  That day the following two purchases were the most fun:

    Princess Baby Doll Bed

    I know a little girl who will LOVE this bed for her babies!  It is in excellent condition and it only cost me $4.

    Lizard CD Holder

    The Lizard CD Holder was a lot of fun.  I have been looking for a place to put their CDs so they can access them without making a mess.  It is going to be hilarious seeing their faces when they unwrap this one.  The best part is I paid $3 for it.

    Both the Princess Baby Doll Bed and the Lizard CD Holder were a hit with several other people at the store that day too.  I was beginning to wonder if I would to make it out of the store with the two items.  I was asked how much they were numerous times, one person took them out of my basket to look at, another person told me that she needs them more then I do, and a guy tried to take them from me while I was paying.  Guess my excitement for finding the treasures made everyone else think they really were special, ha.

    If you are on a tight budget this year, check out some of the local secondhand stores.  You might just find a treasure with a bargain price tag on it that’s the perfect gift for your kids.

  • Thanksgiving Recipe: Hendrich & Kejr Family Dressing

    My Grandma Willa gave me the family recipe for the Hendrich & Kejr Dressing for our first Thanksgiving together as a couple.  You can do several steps the night before to save you some time on Thanksgiving day.  We have enjoyed a lot of wonderful meals and created many memories at Grandpa and Grandma’s.  Thankful for a family that celebrates together.

    • Cook Giblets with a little salt and pepper, 1/2 cup of onions, 1 stalk of celery in enough water to cover, until tender. (It works well if you do this piece the night before Thanksgiving).
    • In a large bowl put 12 cups of crushed dry bread crumbs, 1 tablespoon of poultry seasoning, 1 teaspoon sage, 2 tablespoon of caraway seed, add 1/2 cup melted butter.  Pour over the bread crumbs and stir.  (This can be done the night before as well).  If using seasoned bread cut back on seasoning all but the caraway seed.
    • Add 1 to 2 cups of hot broth and stir together. (You can use giblets for gravy use water or canned broth) stir together all of the above and add 4 eggs beaten lightly with 1/2 cup milk and stir into the above.  If dressing seems dry add more liquid. (You want it to be soft yet hold together slightly).
    • Sprinkle turkey inside and out with caraway seed.  Stuff bird and cook according to directions on the bird.  (You can bake separately as well if you choose).
    • A 10 to 13 pound young bird usually takes 3 1/2 to 4 hours to cook.  For gravy use chicken broth and drippings or Giblet broth and pan drippings.  I go either way.

  • The Exploding Spice Cabinet

    It had become apparent over the last few weeks that our spice cabinet was overflowing with goods.  We try to keep a stocked spice cabinet (buy ones we use when they go on sale) and haven’t had any problems until recently.  When my husband went to get the garlic salt out of the cabinet and a whole mess of stuff came tumbling down I decided it was time for organizing.

    Our regular spices have always been in alphabetical order on the first shelf.  (It really does help when you are trying to find a spice for a special recipe, my husband loves it that way too).   That shelf was in pretty good shape.  The second shelf holds baking items, sprinkles and bigger containers. This shelf was a little crazy and appeared to where most of the items were falling from lately.  The third or top shelf was where we stored the spices we buy in bulk or extra spices when they go on sale.  I pulled everything out and found what was causing all the commotion.

    The problem was that since having kids we have purchased more “sprinkles”!  When I pulled all the sprinkles out of the cupboard it was amazing how much extra room we had for everything else.  We had Princess Sprinkles, Cars Sprinkles, some for Halloween, Fall, Colored Sprinkles, Holiday Sprinkles, Balls, Shapes, and more sprinkles.  We had different 19 containers of just SPRINKLES (and none of them the same so we couldn’t just consolidate)!  The girls love to help me cook and a lot of their cookies or goodies they make have sprinkles on top so while they are necessary it had gotten out of control.

    The Solution was to go through the sprinkles, find out which ones were almost gone and put them in smaller container or set them aside to use soon.  After re-organizing the sprinkles I even had a little empty shelf space left in the cupboard.

    Sprinkles make everything taste better!  Have you ever tried them on pancakes and waffles?  We love our girls and sprinkles!

  • Thanksgiving Recipe: White Cranberry Brined Turkey

    The turkey is a great part of the Thanksgiving dinner.  There are so many different ways to cook a turkey……smoke, bake, or fry.   If you are looking for delicious new way to cook the turkey try this one out.  We have tried several great recipes for the turkey.  I found this several years ago in a Ocean Spray booklet.

    • 128 ounces of White Cranberry Juice
    • 1 gallon of Water
    • 2 cups of Kosher Salt
    • 1 cup of Sugar
    • 2 tablespoons Whole Black Peppercorns
    • 8 cloves Garlic (crushed)
    • 8 Bay Leaves
    • 8 to 12 pound Whole Turkey

    Mix together all ingredients (except turkey) in a 13 to 14 quart stockpot until the salt and sugar are dissolved. Place the turkey in the brine.  Refrigerate turkey in the covered stockpot for 12 to 18 hours.  Discard brine.  Dry turkey with paper towels. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Roast unstuffed turkey for 2 3/4 to 3 hours or until internal temperature of the thigh reaches 180 degrees.

  • Thanksgiving Recipe: Cranberry Sauce

    You don’t have to eat your cranberry sauce from the can this year.  This is an easy and delicious recipe for making homemade cranberry sauce.

    • 1 cup of water
    • 1 cup of sugar
    • 12 oz of fresh or frozen Cranberries (rinsed & drained)

    In a medium saucepan bring the water and sugar to a boil.  Add cranberries and return to a boil.  Once boiling again reduce heat simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Pour sauce into a bowl, cover and cool completely at room temperature.  After it has cooled put it in the refrigerator until it is ready to be served.  You can garish with sliced oranges or herbs.  Makes 2 1/2 cups.

  • TinyPrints: Free Thanksgiving Cards

    TinyPrints is currently offering free Thanksgiving cards with free shipping.  Below are the details:
    • Personalize Thanksgiving cards.  You can add a personal photo and message.  (It can be all the same card or different cards)
    • Order the cards and Use Coupon Code: FREETHX
    • You can either choose to have them send you the cards to mail out and the total cost will be $0.00 or have them shipped directly to your recipients for $0.44 each (the price of the stamp).

    Offer expires on Friday, November 19, 2010.

  • Artscow: Personalized Photo Ornaments for $1.99

    Artscow is offering personalized Christmas ornaments for $1.99 each including free shipping worldwide.  Create your own by adding your favorite photographs of the kids and family.   These are great gifts for grandparents or you can hang on them on your Christmas tree.  Offer good for one sided ornaments only.

    Coupon Code: ORNTS2010

    Expiration Date: 11/25/2010

    Terms and Conditions: No quantity limit.   Offer cannot be used in conjunction with any other promotional offers.  ArtsCow has the right to terminate this promotion at any given time without prior notice.  Offer applies to single sided ornaments only.  In case of dispute, ArtsCow’s decision is final.

  • Starbucks – Buy 1 Holiday Drink, Get 1 Free (11/18 to 11/21)

    Buy 1 Starbucks Holiday Drink, Get 1 Free

    Thursday, November 18th to Sunday, November 21st between 2 PM & 5 PM.

    Share the taste of the season with a friend or someone special.  It’s the perfect reason to spend some time catching up.

    Starbucks Holiday Drinks Include:
    • Caramel Brulee Latte
    • Peppermint Mocha
    • Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha
    • Peppermint Hot Chocolate
    • Gingerbread Latte
    • Eggnog Latte
    • Caramel Brulee Frappuccino blended beverage
    • Peppermint Mocha Frappaccino blended beverage

    The FREE Holiday beverage must be of equal or lesser value.

  • Recipe: Caramel Party Mix (Gluten Free Snack)

    In a conversation recently I realized that we have several acquaintances that have various food allergies.  A couple years ago my friend Ashley made this recipe for a Christmas gift and it was delicious.  With the Holidays and parties quickly approaching this is a great recipe for those who have a Gluten Free diet.  It has only 5 ingredients and easy to make.

    Caramel Party Mix

    • 2 sticks of Butter
    • 2 cups of Brown Sugar
    • 1/2 cup of Kairo Syrup
    • 1 teaspoon of Baking Soda
    • 1 box of Corn (or Rice) Chex Cereal (you can use the off brands too)

    Put the whole box of cereal in a microwavable bowl.  Bring the butter, brown sugar, and kairo syrup to a boil.  Boil for one minute.  Make sure to stir constantly when boiling so it doesn’t burn.  After boiling for 1 minute add the baking soda.  Pour the mixture over the box of Corn (or Rice) cereal.  Microwave everything 1 1/2 minutes, take it out, stir, and microwave again.  Do this step 3 times.  It will evenly distribute the mixture and coat the cereal.  Lay the mix out on wax paper or the counter and let set.

    Optional: You can add pretzels, pecans, almonds, cranberries or whatever you want to the mix. (If you want it to remain gluten free do not add pretzel as pictured above, however, you can add nuts if they do not have any nut allergies)

    My husband loves this plain without any extras in it.  When we have it at a party it goes quickly.  If you are looking to for another delicious Party Mix recipe to give away as a gift or share at a party check out Ashley’s Recipe for Puppy Chow!  It is another one our family favorites!