Posted on 02/09/2009 12:36:11 AM PST by nw_arizona_granny
Yahoo ran an interesting article this morning indicating a rise in the number of survivalist communities cropping up around the country. I have been wondering myself how much of the recent energy crisis is causing people to do things like stockpile food and water, grow their own vegetables, etc. Could it be that there are many people out there stockpiling and their increased buying has caused food prices to increase? It’s an interesting theory, but I believe increased food prices have more to do with rising fuel prices as cost-to-market costs have increased and grocers are simply passing those increases along to the consumer. A recent stroll through the camping section of Wal-Mart did give me pause - what kinds of things are prudent to have on hand in the event of a worldwide shortage of food and/or fuel? Survivalist in Training
I’ve been interested in survival stories since I was a kid, which is funny considering I grew up in a city. Maybe that’s why the idea of living off the land appealed to me. My grandfather and I frequently took camping trips along the Blue Ridge Parkway and around the Smoky Mountains. Looking back, some of the best times we had were when we stayed at campgrounds without electricity hookups, because it forced us to use what we had to get by. My grandfather was well-prepared with a camp stove and lanterns (which ran off propane), and when the sun went to bed we usually did along with it. We played cards for entertainment, and in the absence of televisions, games, etc. we shared many great conversations. Survivalist in the Neighborhood
http://www.cookieclubrecipes.com/updates/2009/apr-592303.htm
Chocolate Ladies
I’ve been making these pretty, luscious-flavored cookies every Christmas since 1986. Try them and you’ll see why!
Cookie…
Ingredients:
1 c. butter, softened
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 T. grated orange peel
2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/4 c. blanched almonds, chopped very fine, divided
Directions:
Cream butter and cream cheese. Beat in sugar, vanilla and orange peel until light and fluffy. Mix in flour, salt and 1 c. almonds. Shape into 1-inch balls. Place on ungreased cookie sheet; flatten with glass dipped in additional sugar. Bake at 325 degrees for 13 to 15 minutes (cookies do not brown). Remove from cookie sheets and let cool a bit before frosting.
Chocolate Glaze…
Ingredients:
4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
1/4 c. butter
Directions:
Combine chocolate and butter in a small saucepan. Stir over low heat until melted (or you can melt in the microwave). Spoon about 1/2 tsp. glaze in center of each cookie and spread slightly with the back of the spoon. Sprinkle with remaining almonds. Makes 6 dozen. Good keepers!
Submitted by: Linda S. Ploeg
Butter Pecan Cookie
Ingredients:
1/2 c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/3 c. sugar plus additional for coating
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/8 tsp. salt
1 c. flour
3/4 c. chopped pecans
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter for about 1 minute. Add 1/3 c. sugar and cream until light; about 1 minute more. Beat in vanilla, salt and flour. Fold in pecans. Roll into small balls and roll in sugar. Gently flatten with a glass. Bake 15 to 18 minutes or until golden brown.
Submitted by: Aralee
Pumpkin Streusel Cheesecake Bars
Cookie Base…
Ingredients:
1 pouch (1 pound 1.5 ounce) oatmeal cookie mix
1/2 c. crushed gingersnap cookies
1/2 c. finely chopped pecans
1/2 c. cold butter or margarine
Directions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees. In large bowl, stir together cookie mix, crushed cookies and pecans. Cut in butter using a pasty blender or fork until mixture is crumbly. Reserve 1 c. mixture for topping. Press remaining mixture in bottom of ungreased 9x13-inch pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Cool 10 minutes.
Filling…
Ingredients:
3 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
1 c. sugar
1 large can of pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
3 T. all-purpose flour
2 T. pumpkin pie spice
3 T. whipping cream
4 eggs
Directions:
In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Add remaining filling ingredients and beat until well blended. Pour over warm cookie base and sprinkle with reserved topping. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until center is set. Cool for 30 minutes. Refrigerate about 2 hours or until chilled.
Toppings…
Ingredients:
1/3 c. chocolate topping
1/3 c. caramel topping
Directions:
Before serving, drizzle with chocolate and caramel toppings. For bars, cut into 6 rows by 4 rows. Store covered in refrigerator.
Tips:
For high altitude (3500-6500ft.) bake for 40 to 45 minutes. A food processor can be used for even easier preparation. Place cookie base ingredients in processor bowl; pulse until crumbly. Reserve 1 cup for topping. Press remaining cookie base mixture in pan. Place filling ingredients in processor bowl; pulse until well blended. Continue recipe as directed. To drizzle the toppings easily, place each topping in a small food storage plastic bag, snip off a small corner of each bag and squeeze to drizzle toppings over bars.
Submitted by: Sharon
Power House Cookies
Ingredients:
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/3 c. butter
1 c. packed dark brown sugar
1 c. granulated sugar
1/2 c. cooking oil
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 c. regular rolled oats
1 c. coconut
1 c. raisins
1 c. semi-sweet chocolate pieces
1/2 c. chopped walnuts
Directions:
In a bowl, stir together flour, baking soda and salt; set aside. In a very large mixing bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer for 30 seconds. Beat in sugars, oil, eggs and vanilla. Add flour mixture; beat until well combined. Stir in rolled oats, coconut, raisins, chocolate pieces and walnuts. Drop by rounded teaspoons 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake in a 325-degree oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheet and then transfer to wire racks to cool.
Submitted by: CC
Cow Pie Cookies
They taste better than the title sounds! My mom’s friend in southern Idaho gave her this recipe years ago and now I make it with my kids about twice a year. It makes a ton of cookies so twice a year is about all I can handle.
Ingredients:
12 eggs
4 c. sugar
2 pounds brown sugar
1 pound butter, softened (not margarine)
3 pounds peanut butter
8 tsp. baking soda
1 T. vanilla
18 c. oatmeal
1 pound plain M&M’s®
12 ounces chocolate chips
Directions:
Mix all ingredients in order given. To make cow pie size cookies, use an ice cream scoop to drop cookie dough onto cookie sheets. Otherwise a 1/2-inch size ball makes a nice size cookie. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 to 14 minutes if large sized, otherwise 10 to 12 minutes. Watch carefully as these will burn easily. Makes 20 dozen cookies. You can freeze baked cookies or freeze small 1/2-inch size balls of uncooked cookie dough on cookie sheet. Once frozen store in freezer bag or Tupperware® until ready to bake.
Submitted by: Alena O. from Alaska
Kiffles
This wonderful cookie recipe is from my mom and it is very old. They just melt in your mouth. Enjoy.
Ingredients:
1 pound salted butter
1 pound cream cheese
1 T. salt
4 c. flour
Apricot, walnut, almond or cherry filling
Confectioners’ sugar
Directions:
Combine the butter, cream cheese, salt and flour; mix well. Chill overnight in the refrigerator or keep in freezer for 3 to 4 months. Roll out the dough using confectioner’s sugar and cut into 3-inch squares. Choose your filling and place a small amount on each square. Roll like a small jelly roll and place 2 inches apart on cookie sheet (these cookies will puff up). Bake at 350 or 375 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes or until brown. Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar while still warm.
Submitted by: Rose Mary
No Bake Coconut Joys
Ingredients:
1/2 c. butter, melted
2 c. confectioners’ sugar
3 c. flaked coconut
1 T. milk
2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, melted
Directions:
Combine melted butter, sugar, coconut and milk; mix well. Shape mixture into 1-inch balls. Make a dent in the center. Place on a baking sheet lined with waxed paper. Fill center with melted chocolate; chill until firm. Store in refrigerator. Makes 36 cookies.
Submitted by: CC
Ghoraibi (Butter cookies from Lebanon)
My mother provided me with this recipe which came from my grandmother. I hope someone might consider trying it. Ghoraibi are butter cookies from Lebanon. My grandmother used to bake these for our family when we were kids. These cookies are easy to make and are perfect with tea or coffee. They are completely white, and are sometimes served at weddings because the color represents purity.
Ingredients:
2 c. butter, softened
1 c. confectioners’ sugar
1 c. granulated sugar
1 tsp. clear almond extract
4 c. all-purpose flour
2 c. blanched almond halves
Directions:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Beat softened butter in a mixing bowl for 5 minutes, or until fluffy. Cream in sugars; add almond extract. Slowly add in flour. If you do not have a heavy-duty stand mixer, you may want to mix in half of the flour with the mixer, then the remaining with a spoon. You don’t want to burn out the motor on the hand mixer! Chill in the refrigerator for up to one hour. Roll out chilled cookie dough on a floured surface. Roll into a rope that is 1 1/2 to 2-inches thick. Cut diagonally into diamond shapes. (My grandmother used to shape them into the letter “S”, but that requires a little more work, and patience!) Place on non-greased cookie sheets. Top the center of each cookie with an almond. Bake for 12 minutes. Remove and cool on cooling rack.
Submitted by: Cynthia Alam
Theresa’s Chocolate Chip Cookies
I used to make these twice a month when I was growing up. I grew up in a family of seven so twice a month was just about right. Then I was in a severe car accident and one of my therapies was to learn how to bake. Since I had made these so often growing up, I had the recipe memorized. I was able to buy the ingredients for them with my therapist and then mix them up and bake them. Everybody loved them. I hope those of you who try this recipe like them as much as my family does. Enjoy and HAPPY BAKING!
Ingredients:
2 c. shortening
1 c. sugar
3 c. brown sugar
4 eggs
4 1/2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. vanilla
12 ounce package chocolate chips
Directions:
Cream shortening, sugars and eggs together. Add flour, baking soda, salt and vanilla. Stir in chocolate chips. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes. When I make these, I double the recipe and alternate the flour and the eggs after I have creamed the sugars and shortening.
Submitted by: Theresa Kinniburgh of Montana
Merry Christmas Cherry Bars
Here is one of my family’s favorite Christmas bar cookies.
Ingredients:
1 c. butter
1 c. sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp. almond extract
2 c. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 c. chopped maraschino cherries
1/2 c. chopped M&M’s® plain candies
1 c. confectioners’ sugar
5 tsp. warm water
Directions:
Beat together the butter and sugar; blend in egg and almond extract. Add flour and salt. Stir in 1/2 c. of the maraschino cherries. Spread dough into ungreased sheet cake pan. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 c. cherries and M&M’s®, pressing lightly into dough. Bake at 300 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool completely. For drizzle, combine confectioners’ sugar and warm water until smooth. Drizzle over top of cooled bars. Cut into desired pieces. These freeze very well.
Submitted by: Linda Millikan
Sand Tart
Here is my version of a Sand Tart. My boss’s family makes these every year for Christmas and I asked her to share the recipe with me so I could make them for her. I modified it just a bit!
Cookies…
Ingredients:
1 c. (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
1 1/4 c. sugar (Blend the sugar in a food processor to get extra fine sugar)
1 egg, beaten
2 1/4 c. cake flour
Directions:
Cream butter until fluffy. Add sugar by tablespoonfuls; mixing well. Cream until fluffy. Beat egg and add in two portions. Add flour in fourths mixing well after each addition. Chill dough overnight. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface to 1/4-inch thickness and cut into shapes. Place on ungreased cookie sheet.
Topping…
Ingredients:
Egg white, slightly beaten
1/4 c. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon (or to taste)
Pecan halves or pieces, optional
Directions:
Very lightly brush egg white over cut cookie dough. Combine sugar and cinnamon and lightly sprinkle over egg white. Top with pecan half if desired. Bake at 350 degrees for 9 minutes. Do not over bake; cookies will be light colored. This recipe makes about 4 dozen cookies and can be doubled.
Note:
(The boss said she likes her cookies almost burnt, but I just can’t do it that way!) Store in a sealed container. Dough or cookies may be frozen. Don’t roll the scraps more than once or the dough can get tough. These cookies are very light and very tasty; they don’t stay around very long. They have become one of my favorites and are very easy to make. The food processor sugar happened by accident when my sugar was lumpy. I blended it in the food processor and liked the results; no sugar crystals in the butter mixture. The cake flour was also because I had left-over cake flour and wanted to use it up. If using all-purpose flour only use 2 c. of flour and sift once. This cookie could also be decorated with colored sugars or jimmies rather than cinnamon sugar. Those rubber band guides for rolling pins are great for getting even cookies. They can be found online or in most kitchen gadget stores.
Submitted by: Karen Page
Snickers Fudge
This is one of my favorite fudge recipes! I saw the member’s request and had to go dig the recipe out for you! We have to keep those hubbies happy-that way we actually get some peace and quite! Here it is… enjoy!
Bottom layer…
Ingredients:
1 c. (6 ounces) milk chocolate chips
1/4 c. butterscotch chips
1/4 c. creamy peanut butter
Directions:
Combine all three ingredients in a small saucepan; stir over low heat until melted and smooth. Spread onto the bottom of a lightly greased 9x13-inch pan. Refrigerate until set.
Filling…
Ingredients:
1/4 c. butter
1 c. sugar
1/4 c. evaporated milk
1 1/2 c. marshmallow cream
1/4 c. peanut butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 c. chopped salted peanuts
Directions:
Melt butter in a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Add sugar and milk. Bring to a boil; boil and stir for 5 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in the marshmallow cream, peanut butter and vanilla. Add peanuts. Spread over first layer. Refrigerate until set.
Caramel layer…
Ingredients:
14 ounce package caramels
1/4 c. whipping cream
Directions:
Combine caramels and cream in a saucepan; stir over low heat until melted and smooth. Spread over the filling. Refrigerate until set.
Icing…
Ingredients:
1 c. (6 ounces) milk chocolate chips
1/4 c. butterscotch chips
1/4 c. creamy peanut butter
Directions:
In another saucepan, combine chips and peanut butter; stir over low heat until melted and smooth. Pour over the caramel layer. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Cut into 1-inch squares. Store in the refrigerator. Yield 8 dozen.
Submitted by: Kelly
http://www.cookieclubrecipes.com/updates/2009/may-795039.htm
Kolacky Cookies (pronounced cole-la-chee)
I had the luxury of living next door to my grandmother when I was growing up so most of my cooking came out of her kitchen. However, most of my grandma’s recipes where made from her memories not a cookbook, so her recipes had things like a dash, a handful, or the best one “You’ll know when it is right”. This was one of the cookies she would bake only at Christmas time. It took me almost 5 years to come out right with the cookie dough. The filling only took about 1 year because it was my favorite cookie. This cookie is a savory cookie, sometimes a nice change from all the sweets during the holidays. Now days with a food processor it is much easier than what my grandma had to go through. Thank goodness for technology.
Cookie dough…
Ingredients:
8 ounces cream cheese
1/4 pound margarine
1 1/2 c. flour
Directions:
Mix cream cheese and margarine. Add flour and combine. Refrigerate for at least one day.
Filling…
Ingredients:
4 c. walnuts finely chopped (use a food processor)
3 T. sugar
Zest from a lemon
1/2 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. vanilla
Directions:
Finely chop nuts first then add remaining ingredients into the food processor and process.
Roll dough to 1/8-inch thick. Cut dough into small rectangles using a pizza cutter. Put a small dollop of filling on center of the dough and take two of the opposite edges and fold over the filling (make sure you seal well). Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes or until browned.
Submitted by: Fluff Cuts Grooming
Streusel Caramel Bars
Ingredients:
2 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 c. firmly packed light brown sugar
1 egg, beaten
3/4 c. cold butter or margarine, divided
3/4 c. chopped nuts
24 caramels, unwrapped
1 14-ounce can Eagle Brand® sweetened condensed milk
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In large bowl, combine flour, sugar and egg. Cut in 1/2 c. butter until crumbly; stir in nuts. Reserve 2 c. crumb mixture and press remaining firmly on bottom of greased 9x13-inch baking pan. Bake 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a heavy saucepan over low heat, melt caramels with sweetened condensed milk and remaining 1/4 c. butter. Pour over prepared crust. Top with reserved crumb mixture. Bake 20 minutes or until bubbly. Cool and cut into bars. Store loosely covered at room temperature.
Submitted by: CC
Figgie Cookies
Ingredients:
1/2 c. dried figs, finely chopped
1 c. unsalted butter or margarine, plus extra for greasing
1/3 c. honey
4 T. raw brown sugar
2 eggs, beaten
Pinch of salt
1 tsp. allspice
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 T. dried dates, finely chopped
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
2 c. oatmeal
3/4 c. walnut, finely chopped
Dried fig pieces to top cookies (optional)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease two cookie sheets. Finely chop the figs. Mix butter, honey, brown sugar and figs together. Beat the eggs into the mixture and mix thoroughly. In a separate bowl, combine salt, allspice, baking soda, vanilla extract and dates. Gradually stir them into the creamed mixture. Sift the flour into the mixture and stir well. Finally, mix in the oatmeal and walnuts. Drop 20 rounded tablespoons full of the mixture onto the prepared cookie sheets, spaced well apart to allow for spreading. Decorate with figs if using. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 to15 minutes or until the cookies are a golden brown. Remove cookies from the oven and transfer to cooling racks and let cool before serving. Makes 20 cookies.
Submitted by: Dee Stebbins
Banana Spice Cookies
Ingredients:
1/2 c. shortening
1/2 c. butter (softened, no substitutes)
2 c. brown sugar, packed
4 eggs
2 c. mashed banana
4 c. flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cloves
4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 c. chopped nuts
Directions:
Mix shortening, butter, sugar, eggs and banana. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cover and chill at least 1 hour. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls about 2 inches apart on lightly greased cookie sheet. Dough will be sticky. Bake 8 to 10 minutes. Cool and frost with your choice of frosting below.
Lemon-Butter Frosting…
Ingredients:
1 c. softened butter
6 c. confectioners’ sugar
4 T. lemon juice
1 tsp. grated lemon peel
Directions:
Blend together the butter and sugar. Beat in lemon juice and lemon peel until smooth.
Browned Butter Icing…
Ingredients:
1 c. butter
4 T. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
6 c. confectioners’ sugar
Directions:
Brown butter in saucepan until delicate brown. Add milk and vanilla. Blend in confectioners’ sugar until smooth.
Submitted by: Debbie Layman of Pocatello, Idaho
Source: Betty Crocker Cookbook 1979
Raisin Filled Cookies
Cookies…
Ingredients:
2 c. sugar
1 c. brown sugar
1 pound butter
4 eggs
3 T. milk
7 c. flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
Directions:
Mix all ingredients together (dough will be sticky). Make into 2 logs and freeze. Slice dough to 1/8-inch thickness and lay on cookie sheet. Add 1 tsp. filling (directions below) on top and lay another slice of dough on top. Do not flatten or pinch together. Bake at 375 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes.
Filling…
Ingredients:
2 c. raisins
1 c. water
4 T. lemon juice
3 T. flour
1/2 c. sugar
Directions:
Boil raisins, water and lemon juice. Add flour and sugar and mix together. Cool. Place in food processor for a couple of chops, just to chop up the raisins. Do not puree.
Submitted by: Debbie Layman of Pocatello, Idaho
Chocolate-on-Chocolate Walnut Cookies
Ingredients:
2 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. butter
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
1 c. dairy sour cream
1 c. coarsely chopped black walnuts
1 recipe chocolate cream cheese frosting (see recipe below)
Directions:
In a bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt; set aside. In a large mixer bowl, cream sugar and butter on low speed of electric mixer. Add eggs and vanilla; beat on medium speed until fluffy. Beat in cooled, melted chocolate and sour cream. Add flour mixture; beat on low speed until well-mixed. With a spoon, stir in black walnuts. Cover and chill for 1 hour.
From a teaspoon, drop dough 2 inches apart onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake in a 375-degree oven for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove cookies to wire rack to cool. Frost with chocolate cream cheese frosting if desired. Store frosted cookies in your refrigerator. Makes about 60 cookies.
Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting…
Ingredients:
3 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 T. butter or margarine, softened
1 1/2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
2 T. milk or light cream
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 c. sifted confectioners’ sugar
Directions:
In a mixer bowl, beat together until light and fluffy the cream cheese, butter or margarine, unsweetened chocolate, milk or light cream and vanilla. Gradually add the confectioners’ sugar, beating until smooth. Add a little more milk or confectioners’ sugar if necessary for spreading consistency.
Submitted by: CC
Pecan Topped Shortbread Fingers
This recipe was in one of those cookbooks that you find at the check out at the supermarket. It had white chocolate and almonds in the original recipe and although that was good, I love chocolate and I think these are even better.
Ingredients:
1 c. butter, softened
3/4 c. packed brown sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 c. all-purpose flour
6 squares baking chocolate
1 1/4 c. chopped pecans
Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and brown sugar; beat in vanilla. Gradually add the flour. Shape 1/2 cupfuls of dough into 1/2-inch logs. Cut logs into 2-inch pieces. Place dough 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 325 degrees for 15 to 17 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool.
In a microwave safe bowl, melt chocolate. Stir until smooth. Dip one end of each cookie into chocolate and then into chopped pecans. Place on waxed paper to harden. Yield 4 dozen cookies.
Submitted by: gps8x
Aunt Sally’s Cookies
Cookies…
Ingredients:
1 c. white sugar
1 c. shortening
2 eggs
1/2 c. molasses
2 tsp. cream of tartar
4 tsp. baking soda (yup, 4 tsp.)
1 tsp. salt
5 c. flour
1 c. milk or buttermilk
Directions:
Combine ingredients and chill dough for one hour. Roll out dough and cut with an empty spam can (or into rectangles). Bake at 350 degrees just until done…don’t over bake. Cool and ice with Aunt Sally icing.
Aunt Sally’s Icing…
Ingredients:
1 1/2 c. white sugar
1/2 c. water
1 tsp. vinegar
A little paraffin (or one package Knox® gelatin)
2 stiffly beaten egg whites
12 marshmallows
Directions:
Boil sugar, water and vinegar until medium ball stage. Add paraffin. Pour hot syrup over beaten egg whites. Add marshmallow and beat until smooth.
Submitted by: Charla Sackmann
7 Layer Bars
Ingredients:
1 stick butter or margarine
1/2 c. graham cracker crumbs
6 ounce package chocolate chips
6 ounce package butterscotch chips
1 c. coconut
1 c. chopped walnuts
1 can sweetened condensed milk
Directions:
Melt butter in bottom of 9x13-inch pan. Sprinkle on graham cracker crumbs. Top in layers the chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, coconut and nuts. Pour the can of sweetened condensed milk over the top. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes.
Submitted by: Charla Sackmann
Steven’s War-Time Bikkies (a.k.a. ANZAC Biscuits)
These biscuits/cookies are an Australian tradition. My son Steven was learning about ANZAC’s when he was in primary school year 2 and has since then always called them war-time biscuits. ANZAC day is a National Holiday in Australia celebrated every year on April 26th. ANZAC biscuits were made by mothers, sisters, wives and girlfriends. They were sent to the troops fighting in Europe during WW1.
Ingredients:
1 c. plain flour
1 c. rolled oats
3/4 c. flaked coconut
1 c. sugar
6 T. butter
1 T. golden syrup
2 T. water
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
Directions:
Sift flour into a bowl; add rolled oats, coconut and sugar. Mix well. Combine butter, golden syrup and water in saucepan. Heat gently until butter melts. Remove from heat and add baking soda. Allow to foam and pour immediately into dry ingredients. Mix well. Spoon heaped teaspoons of mixture onto greased oven trays; allow room for spreading. Bake in a slow oven (140 to 150 degrees Celsius/275 to 300 degrees Fahrenheit) for 20 minutes. Allow to cool slightly and remove to wire racks to cool completely. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.
Submitted by: dankows
Chocolate Chunk Cookies
This recipe was given to me by my best friend. They are melt-in-your-mouth-yummy a few minutes out of the oven.
Ingredients:
1 c. butter
1 c. sugar
1 c. brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
2 1/2 c. oats
12 ounces chocolate chips
4 Hershey® bars, broken up
1 c. pecans, optional
Directions:
Cream together butter, sugar and brown sugar. Then add eggs and vanilla. Mix in flour, baking powder and oats. Stir in chocolate chips, Hershey® bars and pecans if you are using them. Place large mound of dough onto cookie sheet for each cookie. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes depending on how large you made each cookie. They are best when you undercook them slightly.
Submitted by: Liz Ogden
Double Tree Hotel Chocolate Chip Cookies
When I go to Chicago, I stay at the Double Tree Hotel. The interesting thing about the hotel is that when you check in they give you a warm sack with two Double Tree cookies in them. I now ask for a few bags at check in. Since I stay there often, the bellhop knows I like them and gives me extra cookies to take home. I found the recipe for them and now I can enjoy them at home anytime.
Ingredients:
1/2 c. rolled oats
2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 c. butter, softened
3/4 c. brown sugar, packed
3/4 c. granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. lemon juice
2 eggs
3 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 c. chopped walnuts
Directions:
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, sugar, vanilla and lemon juice in another medium bowl with an electric mixer. Add the eggs and mix until smooth. Stir the dry mixture into the wet mixture and blend well. Add the chocolate chips and nuts to the dough and mix by hand until ingredients are well blended. For the best results, chill the dough overnight in the refrigerator before baking the cookies. Spoon rounded 1/4 c. portions onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Place the scoops about 2 inches apart. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 16 to 18 minutes or until cookies are light brown and soft in the middle. When cool, store in a sealed container to keep soft.
Submitted by: Greg Peck of Freeport, Illinois
http://www.cakeclubrecipes.com/
White Chocolate Pound Cake
Submitted by James and Margie K. , Cake Club Members
Recipe Courtesy of www.CakeClubRecipes.com
Ingredients:
6 ounces white chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 package white cake mix
1/2 c. butter, melted
1 c. milk
3 eggs
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Additional white chocolate for drizzle
Directions:
Melt white chocolate in a small saucepan over low heat. Set aside to cool slightly. Mix cake mix, butter, milk, eggs and vanilla together; stir in the cooled white chocolate. Mix for 1 minute at low speed; then mix 2 to 3 minutes at high speed. The batter should look well blended. Pour into greased tube pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes or until lightly browned and done when tested. Drizzle melted white chocolate on top.
* * *
Puddin ‘N Tater Pound Cake
Submitted by Shirley M. , Cake Club Member
Recipe Courtesy of www.CakeClubRecipes.com
Cake...
Ingredients:
2 c. flour
2 c. sugar
1 c. instant potato flakes
4 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1 package instant chocolate pudding
1 c. butter
3/4 c. milk
3/4 c. water
4 eggs
Directions:
Mix all ingredients together in a large mixing bowl; mix well. Pour into a prepared tube cake pan and bake in a 350-degree oven for 60 to 65 minutes. Cool and spread glaze over top and sprinkle with chopped nuts.
Glaze…
Ingredients:
1 1/2 c. confectioners’ sugar
2 T. cream cheese or butter
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 to 3 T. milk
3 to 5 T. chopped nuts
Directions:
Combine confectioners’ sugar, cream cheese, vanilla and milk; mix until spreading consistency. Drizzle on top of cake and sprinkle with chopped nuts.
* * *
Quick and Easy Cake
Submitted by Jackie G. of Palmerston, North New Zealand , Cake Club Member
Recipe Courtesy of www.CakeClubRecipes.com
This is one of my favorite cakes as it is easy and quick to make.
Ingredients:
2 eggs
1 c. sugar
1 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 T. butter
4 T. milk
1 tsp. lemon or vanilla essence
Directions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Beat eggs and sugar well. Add flour and baking powder and beat well again. Boil butter with the milk; add vanilla or lemon essence. Combine ingredients together and put into a greased cake tin. Batter must go into the oven straight away. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
* * *
Triple Chocolate Cake
Submitted by Grace Anderson , Cake Club Member
Recipe Courtesy of www.CakeClubRecipes.com
Ingredients:
1 small package chocolate instant pudding
1 chocolate cake mix
1 large bag chocolate chips
Directions:
Mix pudding according to directions and set aside. Mix cake mix according to box directions. Mix the pudding into the cake mix. Pour into a 9x13-inch sprayed pan. Sprinkle chocolate chips on top and bake according to box directions. It will take 5 to 15 minutes longer than it states on the cake box. Cake is done when a tooth pick comes out clean. Let cool before cutting. This cake is best when eaten cool.
*****
Chocolate Zucchini Cake
Submitted by Lillian Madigan, Cake Club Member
Recipe Courtesy of www.CakeClubRecipes.com
Ingredients:
1 c. brown sugar
2-1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. white sugar
1/2 tsp. allspice
1/2 c. butter
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 c. oil
1/2 tsp. salt
3 eggs
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla
4 T. cocoa
1/2 c. buttermilk or sour milk
3 zucchini (about 2 c.), grated
1/2-1 c. chocolate bits
Directions:
Cream sugars and butter and oil in a large bowl. Add eggs, vanilla, and buttermilk. Stir well to mix. Measure flour, spices, baking soda, and cocoa in a sifter. Then sift into rest of the ingredients. Grate zucchini into the batter and stir until blended. Pour into a greased and floured 9x13-inch pan. Sprinkle chips on top and bake in a 325-degree oven for 45 minutes.
Cream Cheese, Pineapple, Pudding Dessert
Featured Comment by Opal...
I have only made this one time and it was a hit at our church thanksgiving dinner.
In a 2qt. casserole line the bottom with cream cheese, be generous. Make a layer of pineapple chunks, small marshmallows, blobs of cream cheese. Cover with vanilla pudding. Make another layer of all. Add more marshmallows on top. Bake at 350 degrees just until marshmallows are light brown.
Can be served warm or chilled.
Church Suppers - Spaghetti, Baked Spaghetti
Featured Comment by Christine...
Good afternoon!
This weekend our church had its yearly mission emphasis weekend. Every other year, the choir from Grundy Mountain Mission in Grundy, Va comes to sing for our morning service. They arrive on Saturday evening, so they need housing. This year there were 44 who needed meals and a place to stay. We signed up to keep two girls (all the boys were taken). Our 11 year old son wasn’t too thrilled to begin with, but we ended up having a great time!
Not only did we need to feed and house the girls, but on Sunday evening there was a pitch-in at church. This required additional cooking! On Saturday, before the girls came, I put together my spaghetti sauce and put it in my crock pot and put it in the refrigerator. It’s a very simple sauce that my sister told me about.
1 pound of sausage, browned
2 large cans of tomato sauce
1 small can of tomato paste
2 tsp. Italian seasoning (or to taste)
1 tsp. garlic powder (or to taste)
4 T. sugar (or to taste)
2 tsp. salt (or to taste)
On Sunday morning, I put the sauce on before church. When we got home, I fixed the spaghetti. I fixed enough for lunch and for the pitch-in. After the meal, I put the left-over sauce and spaghetti together, added cheese and baked. There was plenty for lunch and for the pitch-in, and I didn’t have to spend a lot of money!!
Chicken and Stuffing Casserole
Featured Comment by Laurie...
How nice to see you! It’s great to have a face to go with the name of someone who feels like a friend. The dirty dishes poem is a favorite of mine too. My mother kept it taped on the knife rack in the kitchen when I was growing up. Hand washing dishes every other night gave me a lot of time to memorize it. ;) Dinner tonight was chicken and stuffing casserole. Quick and easy to make with leftover chicken (or turkey) and low in carbs too. Also, stuffing mixes are on sale this month. Here’s the recipe if anyone is interested. I love the blog idea.
Chicken and Stuffing Casserole
1 can cream of mushroom soup (10 3/4oz)
3/4 cup milk
2 cups cooked, diced chicken
10 oz. bag french style green beans, thawed
1 sm. can mushrooms, diced
chives, to taste
black pepper, to taste
1 pkg. herb stuffing (6 oz.)
1 1/2 cups water
Mix soup and milk until smooth. Stir in chicken, beans, mushrooms, chives, and pepper. Spread in 9x13 baking dish. Set oven to 375’. Toss stuffing mix with water and let set for about 5 minutes. Spread stuffing over chicken mixture. Bake for 30 minutes.
I usually double the recipe, it reheats great in the microwave.
Beef Stroganoff - TGIF!!! What’s for Dinner?!
Whew! The November newsletter is done, my new book is DONE, and now we’re just going to have some fun! It’s Friday and I don’t know about you, but I LOVE FRIDAYS!!! I still have quite a bit of work to do here in the office today, and tomorrow, but today is the last day of the school week for our kids and the last day of the work week for my husband. This means the next two days are ours, and we can plan something good to cook!
A few weeks ago I made a beef stroganoff dish that my oldest daughter took to work for lunch on Saturday, and one of her supervisors wanted some too! I had purchased two steaks and placed one in the freezer so I’m going to find out if she is working this Saturday and make it again for them and this time I’ll pack two lunches instead of one. If she is, and I do this, then that will also be our dinner! If she’s not working with my daughter this Saturday I’ll hold off on that. Yum, it sure was good!
I’ve made beef stroganoff for many years but the particular recipe I used this time was one that I adapted from Rachael Ray’s holiday recipe that she did on her daytime TV show in October. (view recipe here)
Here are the ingredients and what I changed...
1 lb egg noodles
Salt and pepper
4 T. butter, divided
2 T. olive oil
3 sprigs dill (I used dried, and it was still great)
20 chives (same as for the dill, for both I just sprinkled a lot—it’s for the pasta)
1 lb sirloin steak
1/2 c. flour
1/2 small onion (I used about 1/4 c. sweet onion, diced small because my kids hate onions)
4-5 garlic cloves (the recipe calls for grating the onion and the garlic but I minced mine instead, my kids can handle that fine)
2 tsp. smoked paprika (I haven’t made the investment in this yet, and used our regular paprika—which was still delicious)
1-2 cups beef stock (invest in a jar of beef bouillon cubes, they really come in handy and go a long way, a lot cheaper than buying beef stock premade—I learned that one from my mom many years ago! :o)
1/2 c. sour cream (one of our kids can’t eat sour cream, or I should say “won’t,” so I prepared the dish and made a plate for him, then added the sour cream for the rest of the family)
1 4-ounce jar pimentos (now this my kids definitely will not eat, they always say “EWE! What are those red things!” and then they make a mess by picking them all out) so, I cut up a green bell pepper instead and they loved it!)
If you decide to make this I hope you enjoy it as much as we did... and I hope you’ll try my version! :o) If there’s not a way to print this out you can email it to yourself by using the email link below. And please use the link above to print out Rachel’s recipe, she’s got a nice picture of the dish as well so I’d like you to see that. This is a creamy and hearty dish that’s great for the colder months!
Now, what are y’all going to cook tonight? It’s time to start thinking about that! I have tomorrow planned, hopefully, now we need to think of something for tonight! (SIGH)
And I love the comment made yesterday about grilled cheese sandwiches, that is always a quick easy and frugal meal that most people love! I do have one child who won’t eat American Cheese though, and no, it’s NOT the same child who won’t eat sour cream! lol
Posted by Michelle
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Home » Frugal Living » Food and Drink
Dump Cake and Other Sweet, Easy Treats
19 comments
Posted August 22, 2007 - 13:42 by Linsey Knerl
Filed Under: Food and Drink
Photo: cake
Yellow cake mix goes on sale all the time where I live. For under $10, you can usually score 15 or more boxes! This is great if you’re making cakes, but what if you just don’t have an occasion for frosting a celebration dessert?
Growing up we ate “dump cake” quite often. Ignoring the name for a moment, dump cake is delicious. The best part is that it takes no baking skill or more than 7 minutes to make. And most people have everything they need to make one hiding in their pantry. The main ingredient: Yellow cake mix. Here’s a classic recipe that will aim to please:
INGREDIENTS
* 1 (29 ounce) can sliced peaches, drained, juice reserved
* 1 (6 ounce) package peach flavored gelatin mix
* 1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
* 1/2 cup butter
* 1/2 cup water
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Place peaches in bottom of 9x13 cake pan. Sprinkle dry peach gelatin over peaches. Sprinkle dry cake mix over gelatin. Cut up butter and distribute over cake mix. Pour 1 cup of reserved peach juice and 1/2 cup of water over the top.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 60 minutes, or until the top is browned.
Can’t get much more basic than that, can it? For some variety, try a different canned fruit and pudding combo (apples, pears, mandarin orange, cherries or even pumpkin!) You can top it off with whipped topping or ice cream. No one will ever know you didn’t even have to mix it!
There are also some very delicious and easy cookie recipes that use yellow cake mix as the main ingredient. Because you don’t have to mess with sifting flour or melting butter, this is totally the way to go. Check out my favorite cookies made from yellow cake mix:
INGREDIENTS
* ½ cup sugar
* 2 cups quick-cooking oats (or instant oatmeal, same thing)
* 1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
* 1 cup vegetable oil
* 3 eggs
* 1 tsp vanilla
* 1 cup yummy stir-ins of your choice (pecans, walnuts, chocolate chips, raisins, etc.)
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Stir together all ingredients. Spoon 1 teaspoon drops of dough onto baking sheet (ungreased).
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 13 minutes, or until golden brown and not gooey in the middles.
Bake a friend some cookies. Take some to your grandma (after all, how many cookies has she made for YOU in your lifetime.) Eat a few yourself. Share the cheap cookie love!
Here in the South, we do a variation that makes a simple cobbler. Just dump a bunch of fresh or canned)fruit in an 8 x 8 greased pan, dump 1/2 box of yellow cake mix on top, cut a half stick of butter on top of that and bake for 30-40 minutes.
Our daughter made one for her northern college friends and they were, quite frankly, amazed!
pumpkin dump cake
Submitted by Linsey
My family loves this super easy “black forest” cake
1 box chocolate (or fudge or devil’s food) cake mix
1 can cherry pie filling (I use a low-sugar type)
3 eggs
Mix the whole works together. Place in a 2.5 litre/ 3 qt microwavelable dish.
Put a saucer upside down in the microwave and the dish with the cake batter in it on top of the saucer (the idea is to raise the bottom of the baking dish a bit). Cook at 70% power for 15 minutes. The cake is done when it’s pulled away from hte sides and the centre is no longer sticky (it may look quite wet, though).
You could frost this, but my family loves to eat it warm with ice cream.
Upside Down Peach Cake
Submitted by Deb
Very similar version, except you do mix up the yellow cake mix according to the directions on the box:
2 large cans of sliced peaches including the juice - pour into a 9x13 pan
Sprinkle approx 1/2 of a box of instant Tapioca pudding over the top
Sprinkle with a bit of cinnamon over the top
Pour the yellow cake mix batter all over the top of the peach mixture
Bake in a 350 oven for at least one hour, or until the center of the cake feels mostly firm to the touch.
This is truly one of the yummiest, easiest cakes I’ve ever made, and it’s very popular at our office get togethers too!
http://www.cooks.com/rec/search/0,1-0,pumpkin_dump_cake,FF.html
They all seem to use canned pumpkin, but just like when making pies, you can substitute the fresh pumpkin assuming it isn’t too watery.
Chocolate cherry dump cake
Submitted by Linsey Knerl on June 1, 2009 - 15:05.
Just prepare as above, using the following:
2 cans of cherry pie filling (21 ounces each)
1 box of chocolate cake mix
2 sticks of butter, sliced into 12 pieces each
Really good with cool whip on top!
Linsey
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Home » Life Hacks
Feeling Stuck? 100 Ways to Change your Life
48 comments
Posted February 9, 2008 - 17:25 by Nora Dunn
Filed Under: Life Hacks, Lifestyle
jump
Photo: Joshua Davis
You’ve got 20 minutes to change your life in 100 ways. Go.
This is the premise of an exercise I tried once, when I was feeling stuck in life. I wasn’t sure what was amiss, but the routine I had fallen into was not satisfying the inner voice in me that insisted there was something else out there for me.
After trying (forcefully) to understand what was going on, reading self-help books, filling out aptitude tests, and working with business and life coaches, I was given a suggestion that became a catalyst for some pretty big personal changes.
Here is how you can change your life in 20 minutes, step by step:
1. Clear all distractions. Turn off the phone, the tv, the computer. Lock your door, and go to a quiet place.
2. Sit down comfortably at a desk or table, with a blank piece of paper and a pen in front of you.
3. Set a timer for 20 minutes.
4. Go. Write down 100 things you want to do. Or careers you want to have. Or people you would like to meet. The sky is the limit.
5. Don’t be realistic. Dream big. Write down the craziest things you can think of, as well as the things that you don’t even think bear mentioning because they are so simple. Write it all down.
6. Work quickly. 20 minutes isn’t very long, and you have 100 items to get through, if you can. Don’t think about whether or not to write down an idea - just write. Write everything that comes to mind, even if it doesn’t make sense. Just keep on writing, and don’t stop until that timer goes off.
Something happens after about 10 or 15 minutes if you employ the exercise to its full potential. You stop caring about what specifically the ideas are, and you start to release an inner creativity that may have been locked away for a while. In an effort to get through 100 things in 20 minutes, you start to write outlandish things down that you aren’t even really sure you want, but that are ideas that came to you nonetheless.
Ding! The timer goes off. No matter where you are in the process, or how many items you have written down, stop. (Okay, if you are really on a roll and have a few more to write down because the juices are flowing, keep going. I won’t tell).
Leave the list alone for a day. Try not to look at it, and certainly don’t revise it in any way. The following day, sit down and look at your list. How many of the items on it are feasible? Can you see your way to accomplishing any of it? Did anything come out of the list that you hadn’t actually really thought of until you wrote it down in a hurried attempt to get to 100 items in the time limit? Any surprises in there?
The point of this exercise is not to create a giant and outlandish “to-do” list that never gets ticked off. Instead, it is simply to open up your mind to the idea that anything is possible, and to give you ideas that will help you to become unstuck in life.
Personally after feeling stuck and making out my list, I identified a few ways to make positive changes in my life at the time; I joined Toastmasters because an item I wrote down was to become a public speaker. I also eventually started a blog to satisfy an inner wordsmith in me that has blossomed into a career. And ultimately, the list helped lead me to the decision to sell off everything I owned to live out my dreams of travel and adventure now.
And it all started with 20 minutes and 100 ways to change my life.
[This does work, I have used it for years, for the impossible to solve bits of life, it is amazing what we really think, if we get past the first layer.
granny]
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Home » Frugal Living
Pesky Pests: Easy Homemade Mosquito and Insect Traps and Repellent
5 comments
Posted July 13, 2009 - 04:00 by Nora Dunn
Filed Under: Frugal Living, General Tips
spider
Photo: Nora Dunn
‘Tis the season! You want to enjoy the long warm days and evenings by spending time outside (in the backyard, for example). The only problem is, as soon as you get comfortable out there, the pests set in shortly thereafter to make your time outside as unbearable as can be. Try these simple, safe, inexpensive homemade snares for all things creepy and crawly.
General Insect Trap Techniques
STICKY PASTE ON PAPER
* Find some old paper bags, plastic bags, or even just pieces of cardboard. (Don’t be afraid to find creative ways to reuse things you would otherwise throw away).
* Make a paste of sugar, corn syrup, and water by heating it together. When the mixture cools, spread the paste on the paper bags (or equivalent) and place strategically around the house. They are ideal if hung.
How it works: The insects will be attracted to the sweet smell, but will get stuck in it as soon as they land on the bag.
STICKY LIQUID IN BOTTLE
* Start with a large clear plastic bottle or milk jug.
* Attach some string around the mouth of the bottle so it can be hung later.
* Make a thick sticky liquid with sugar and vinegar.
* Pour this sticky mixture into the bottom of the bottle.
* Chop up some appropriate bait into small enough pieces to put it inside the bottle. Fruit is usually a good bet.
* Poke some additional holes in the jug to give bugs greater access to the bait inside.
* Hang the trap in a “high-traffic” area for bugs.
How it works: They will be attracted by the fruit and fly inside, only to get stuck in the vinegar and sugar mixture.
Mosquitoes
BOTTLE TRAP METHOD
* Start with an empty plastic bottle that is in your recycling box. It can be as small as a 500ml bottle, or as large as a two-liter soda bottle. Discard the cap.
* Cut the top third of the bottle off. It is important to make your cut in the area below the top of the main shaft of the bottle (where it is widest). You should now have a bottle top in the shape of a funnel, and the cylindrical body of the bottle.
* Invert the bottle top (funnel) into the bottle. It should be a snug fit (given the equal diameter of the funnel top and bottle shaft), but if necessary, secure it with tape.
* Wrap the bottle with black paper to create a warm dark place for your mosquitoes to go.
* Inside the bottom of the bottle (either before you secure the inverted funnel, or poured into the bottle through the spout), place the following:
o 1 tablespoon of yeast (for a 2-litre bottle, reduce proportionately for smaller bottles)
o water to fill the 1/3 of the bottle
o 1/3 cup sugar
* Place the bottle a short distance away from where you are.
* This mixture is good for up to a couple of weeks. Change as necessary.
How it works: The mosquitoes will be attracted to the CO2 generated by the yeast and will fly into the bottle. The sugar and water mixture will make them sticky, and they will be too disoriented to escape.
Yellow Jackets / Hornets / Wasps
BOTTLE TRAP
* Use the same technique as above to construct a bottle trap with the top inverted to make a funnel into the bottle. There is no need to cover the bottle with black paper.
* Fill the bottom with a sweet liquid. Yellow jackets aren’t picky; you can use juice, soda, or just sugar water. (If you wish to repel honey bees, then add a small amount of dish soap and vinegar to the bottom of the bottle before adding your sweet liquid).
How it works: Yellow jackets, hornets, and wasps will flock to this bottle (in a big way), will go inside (via the funnel), and will get stuck in the liquid or will become too disoriented to escape.
This simple technique works alarmingly well; if you are in a “high-traffic” area, you could end up emptying an entire bottle full of these pests by the end of a few days.
Flies
BOTTLE TRAP
* Follow the instructions above to make your own plastic bottle trap.
* Add a ¼ cup of vinegar and a ¼ cup of sugar to the bottle.
* Finish filling the bottle to just below the funnel bottom (which was formerly the bottle top) with water.
Fruit Flies
Using the same bottle trap technique, apparently all fruit flies need is vinegar to get in and get stuck.
Alternate method to the Bottle Trap:
If you don’t have a plastic bottle handy, you can use a glass jar and poke holes in the lid large enough for your pest of choice to get in.
Ants
* Combine flour and borox, and apply to ant-heavy areas.
* Alternately (or additionally), growing herbs like spearmint, tansy, and southernwood can repel ants.
Cockroaches
Mix flour, borox, and cocoa powder and strategically bait problem areas.
Aphid Control – and Garden Pesticides
Make a spray with water and rhubarb. This is actually poisonous to many garden insects, and when sprayed on your garden will act as a natural pesticide.
Mice and Rats
If you have a rodent problem and aren’t keen on using poison because you have animals that could accidentally ingest the poisoned mouse or rat (which could in turn kill your pet), then the following may be a remedy for you:
* Mix together flour and cement mix, and bait problem areas.
* Be sure to leave a water source nearby too.
How it works: The rodents will be attracted to the flour and will eat it (along with the cement mix too). When the rodents drink water, the cement mix will actually start to turn into cement…thus killing the critter.
While this may seem cruel (it is no more or less humane than poison), if you are the sort of person who would use poison if it weren’t for the danger to domestic animals, then this may be a solution. If a dog or cat eats a rodent poisoned with cement, they will not be poisoned themselves. However, if they directly eat the flour and cement mixture (which they shouldn’t be attracted to, but you never know), there could be problems. Prudent caution is advised.
Insect Repellent
If you would rather simply repel insects in a natural and inexpensive manner, apply some vanilla extract or vanilla essence to your pulse points. Not only will you be bug-free, but you’ll smell good too!
I know there are more insect traps and repellents out there. Feel free to share your best homemade secrets for staying pest-free in the comments!
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Tasty Treats to Make With Mulberries
5 comments
Posted June 16, 2009 - 11:19 by Linsey Knerl
Filed Under: Frugal Living, Food and Drink
Photo: Linsey B Knerl
It’s one of my favorite times of year. The volunteer mulberry trees in my yard have begun popping with mulberries, and the kids have come inside from a morning out in the yard with purple mouths and sticky hands. I’ve never been a huge fan of cooking with the berries – we usually just grab some off the tree, wash, and eat. This year, however, I’m determined to supplement my groceries with the tiny dark berries. Here are my favorite ways to put them to good use.
What’s a mulberry? These tiny, purple/black berries look like tiny raspberries, but aren’t as tart or sweet. They are actually at bit on the bland side, as berries go, and they fall easily from the tree when ripe. (The berries set on a white color, then darken through varying stages of pink, red, and finally purple/black when ready to eat.)
How do you harvest them? There are as many ways to pick the berry as there are to eat them. I use a combination of letting the kids go out every morning when it is cool and climb up into the tree to hand pick them. They eat half of everything they harvest, but it is a fun activity for them to do in June, and it gets some of the picking done with no effort on my part. When my husband and I have found that most of the berries are ripe, we put down a large blanket under the tree and shake the branches, letting the ready ones fall to the blanket below. (Obviously, you will want to use an old sheet or blanket, as it will get rather stained in the process!) Then we shake all the berries to the edge of the blanket, dump them into a bucket, and bring them in for rinsing. (I use a salad spinner to rinse and gently extract the water from them. They are very delicate!)
What are they good for? Like most berries, they can be used for baking, jellies, and desserts. My favorite way is to eat them by themselves, and they should be used within 2 days of picking for the best flavor. I’ve also found a few very good recipes for ever the beginning berry hunter to explore:
Mulberry Muffins (via Marilyn Maggio at AllAboutStuff.com)
¼ cup shortening 5 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup sugar 1 teaspoon salt
2 beaten eggs 2/3 cup milk
2 cups flour ½ cup mulberries
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cream shortening and sugar together. Add eggs and mix well. Sift 1 ½ cups flour, baking powder, and salt together. Add this mixture to egg and sugar mixture alternately with milk. Sprinkle mulberries with remaining flour and stir lightly. Bake in grease muffin pans for 25 to 30 minutes.
Mulberry Preserves (via Just Berry Recipes)
20 fl Juice from damaged mulberries
2 1/2 lb Sugar (5 cups)
2 lb Mulberries
Using damaged mulberries, reduce them to juice in the usual way. Put the juice into a preserving pan with the sugar. Bring to the boil, stirring, and then skim. When moving vigorously, tip in the mulberries. (They should be ripe but not soft enough to mash.) Take the pan from the stove and leave until the fruit is warmed through (taste one). Then put back on the heat and boil gently for about 15 minutes. Pour carefully - so as not to break the fruit - into a large bowl. If, however, you are using a stainless steel preserving pan, you can leave the mulberries in it.
Next day, bring to the boil and simmer steadily for 15 minutes, or until setting point is reached. The point of this careful method is to keep the fruit as intact as possible. You can avoid breaking the fruit ‘by gentle stirring, and by simmering the fruit very slowly. Put into jars to store.
Other fabulous ideas include:
Mulberry Pie
Mulberry Cobbler
Mulberry Ice Cream
Mulberry Wine
(Note: It is not completely agreed upon whether you have to remove the stems in every recipe you make. Some baked items, like pies, can contain stems. They will soften and absorb the flavor of the dish, and no one will likely notice them. Other dishes, like the ice cream, will require you to remove the stems and caps… a very time-consuming practice.)
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[Hidden urls in every paragraph....]
13 Awesome Money Saving Sites We Love at Wise Bread
8 comments
Posted June 7, 2009 - 21:25 by Greg Go
Filed Under: Frugal Living, Shopping, Lifestyle
unique
Photo: Unique Among the Crowd / iStockphoto
When we found the 190 best money saving resources on the web, there were a few sites that made us say “wow!” and stood out from the crowd for one reason or another. Some had really awesome features, some eliminated lots of pain and hassle, and others were just so unique we had to mention them. Here are 13 of the best of the best money saving sites on the web.
There are 3 reasons we really like Retail Me Not:
1. Huge database of online coupon codes and printable in-store coupons.
2. It’s like a virtual coupon organizer that’s always there when you’re shopping.
3. Users vote on the reliability of coupons, so the coupon usually works the first time we try it.
Retail Me Not makes it super easy to browse or search for coupons:
* Firefox Add-on that tells you when the online store you are at has available coupons. Let’s say you’re on Amazon.com. This add-on will tell you how many coupons are available for Amazon, and provide a link to get those coupons. Handy! Now you don’t need to go somewhere else to check for coupons before checking out.
* Toolbar for IE and Firefox that gives you the full experience of being at RetailMeNot.com no matter where you are on the web. Always have access to coupon search, coupon submission, the latest new coupons, and even chat with other Retail Me Not community members.
* Printable coupon search engine that allows you locate and print out manufacturers’ coupons and local offers. For example, I can type in “pizza” and my zip code and immediately get a bunch of printable in-store coupons for Domino’s, Papa Murphay’s, Chuck E. Cheese, etc.
Awesome Feature: Every coupon has a reliability score based on user votes.
Anyone can answer the question “did this coupon work for you?” with a simple click on the “yes” or “no” option (no registration required). By not requiring registration, Retial Me Not gets the most user input possible on the reliability of the coupons, which makes the reliability scores even more, well, reliable. No more wasting time trying dozens of different codes that don’t work!
Sure, Fat Wallet’s got a huge forum community helping us weed out the bad deals and find the really hidden gems. Yeah, there’s a big coupons database too. Those are both awesome parts of Fat Wallet, but what gets us really excited is... cashback shopping!
Get 1-50% cashback on purchases you make through Fat Wallet at hundreds of partner stores. Okay, there’s only a handful of stores with 20% or more cashback, but there are plenty of huge stores that offer very nice 3-12% cashback on purchases made through Fat Wallet.
Our favorite cashback stores include Bloomingdale’s (4% cashback), Restaurant.com (20%), PETCO (8%), GoDaddy (12%), Shutterfly (7%), Home Depot (6%), Orbitz (3.5%), eBay (1%), and Dell (3%).
Fastest way to see if your credit cards or cell phone plans are the best deals you can get.
Forget about manually comparing dozens of confusing plans. Let BillShrink do the work for you and save money within 5 minutes. BillShrink will analyze your needs based on your current usage, and recommend plans that will save you money.
BillShrink can quickly analyze your usage pattern using your last statement. For example, if you’ve logged into your cell phone’s website before, you can just enter your phone number and password, and BillShrink will retrieve your information. You can also fill out a short form to describe your usage pattern and current plan parameters.
eCoupons has a no nonsense website that looks very similar to hundreds of other online coupon resources. But if you look closer, you’ll find three hidden gems of the bargain hunting world.
First, there’s the grocery coupon “swap meet”. You mail in unwanted, unused and unexpired printed Manufacturer Coupons, and your account gets credited. You can then use those credits to “shop” for grocery coupons that you can actually use. You’ll get those coupons mailed to you. Click here to view available coupons. Nifty.
Second, eCoupons has listings of coupons for individual colleges and universities. Students can bookmark the page and quickly find coupons that are available for stores on campus. How convenient!
Third, eCoupons offer cashbacks for tons of great stores like 1-800-Contacts, Buy.com, Newegg, and REI.
Weird name but incredibly cool concept. Zilok is basically “Craigslist for rentals”. You can rent your stuff out or rent someone else’s stuff for a day.
For owners, get more out of your purchases. Or maybe even get them for “free”. How much of your stuff is just sitting around? Renting out that power tool or patio heater or kayak just a few times could pay for the item!
For renters, you can save money by renting, instead of buying. How many things do you buy and only use a couple of times? Stuff like canoes, laptops, cameras, cars, books, baby strollers, and everything in between is available for rent from someone near you.
If not for the money, you can also do it for the environment. Fewer new purchases means a healthier planet. Daily Candy put it really nicely. They said Zilok helps in “connecting you with other people in the community to support a green lifestyle with peer-to-peer renting.” We love the idea (and the phrase) “peer-to-peer renting”.
Brad’s Deals is unique because there’s one passionate bargain hunter behind it all — Brad Wilson. You could call him the uber bargain hunter. He has been publishing online coupons and deals daily since 2001, when he started the site to show friends where and how he saves money via deals. He even provides scanned Black Friday mailer ads from popular stores so you don’t have to fish them out of your mailbox. Now that’s commitment!
Brad’s commitment to saving people money has been featured on Oprah, The Today Show, ABC News, MSNBC, The Wall Street Journal, CNN Money, and USA Today.
Best thing about the site? From the email alerts to the daily deals posts, everything about site oozes personality. It’s like a trusted friend giving you some advice about deals. You feel like you can trust Brad. Despite the site’s popularity (and what must be a very busy Brad), even the contact email address for the site goes directly to the uber bargin hunter himself!
Sweepstakes Advantage is really the only choice for sweepers looking for a site that is both comprehensive and trustworthy.
Giveaways are organized by prize being given away, frequency (daily/weekly), rules (24-hr entry, snail mail), and location restrictions. There is also a nifty checkbox next to each listed sweepstakes so you can easily keep track of which ones you’ve entered.
The reason this site is a go-to resource for sweepers is the very active community of over 150,000 members (wow!) who help make sure the sweepstakes listed are legit, so you don’t have to constantly wonder if you’re entering a scam.
(Wise Bread’s resident sweeps expert, Linsey Knerl, recommends Sweepstakes Advantage for serious sweepers. Check out Linsey’s ultimate guide to sweeping — Sweeping 101: What the Real Winners Know — to learn other best practices of winners.)
One of the easiest way to save money is to setup an automatic transfer from your checking to your savings account at regular intervals (for example, when paychecks are deposited). That way, you’re paying yourself before you have a chance to spend all that money in your checking account. You can do that and more with SmartyPig.
You set a goal and choose the amount you want to contribute each month to reach that goal. SmartyPig automatically pulls that amount from your checking account each month. Just like a savings account at your local bank, SmartyPig pays an interest on the money deposited and all deposits are insured by the FDIC. You can get cash from the account with a debit card or electronic transfer.
But unlike your local bank — and this is the really neat part — SmartyPig allows other people to help your savings grow. You can make your goals public to friends and family, so they can contribute to your savings if they want to.
What a cool way to save money for college, a 3-month backpacking trip, or other big purchases like a car or house.
Deals Catcher is one of the largest deals websites around. The deals are published by a full-time staff, which ensures that they’re of the highest quality. Deal Catcher also has a very large and active forum community of over 50,000 people. You can ask questions about deals and the hundreds of people on at any given time will be quick to respond.
Make sure you bookmark their Sunday Saver site, which complies weekly sales circulars and Sunday paper ads. Use this instead of buying the Sunday paper to save yourself a few bucks (and a few trees).
My favorite feature is Deal Catcher’s price comparison engine. It is a great way to immediately verify whether you are looking at a deal or a dud.
Current Codes is a no nonsense coupons and discount code database. There’s no complex navigation, image-heavy decoration, or any of the other non-essential things that clutter up websites. Current Codes is an accurate and comprehensive database of coupons. Period.
There’s a full-time staff whose only jobs are:
1. scour the web for all available coupons and discount codes, and
2. verify their accuracy.
And when we say it’s “no nonsense”, we mean it. If you like your websites clean, simple and to the point, Current Codes is the place for you.
Online since 1999, TechBargains has been saving me money on computer components and other electronics since the last decade. Where other deals sites look at everything, TechBargains is focused on only tech deals.
If you like gadgets, TVs, video games, computer gear, cameras, and all things tech, TechBargains is a geek shopper’s nirvana. On the other hand, if you like shiny new gadgets at great prices a little too much, then maybe you should stay away. You’ve been warned.
Do you love entering giveaways on blogs? Then Prizey was built just for you.
They list giveaways from bloggers, and also post details like the deadline to enter and what kind of hoops you have to jump through. (90% of giveaways only require posting a comment.) Subscribe to the feed to get the latest giveaways in the blogosphere.
It is insanely easy to win blog giveaways. While national contests announced on TV and radio have thousands of contestants, blog giveaways often have less than a hundred. The chances of winning are fantastic and Prizey makes it even easier.
Prices and Coupons bridges the gap between price comparison and coupon codes. Let’s say you want to buy a camera. Going to a price comparison engine (like Google Shopping) that will tell you the prices from different stores is a good first step. But wouldn’t it be cool if the price comparison engine also told you if there are coupons available?
That where Prices and Coupons comes in. Unlike typical price comparison engines, Prices and Coupons’ search engine takes into account applicable coupons and discount codes. So now when you compare prices, you know you’re getting the best possible deal without having to look for coupons for each of the stores manually. Saves so much time.
Do you ever make watermelon rind pickles? I just love these, and it’s a nice way to use up something that you might just throw away. There are a couple of different ways to make them, but the ones I love are with the “red hots” candy. (Again, I apologize if this has already been posted).
A nice recipe and pictorial here (but without the red hots): http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/1488/
and here’s someone’s request for a recipe and the response:
I need a recipe for Canned Watermelon Rind with red hots (candy). I ate these as a child at Christmas but no one can find my grandmother’s recipe.
Deborah from Bartlett, TN
Answers:
RE: Canned Watermelon Rind
Hi Deborah!! I found this recipe while surfing (I’ve never made them myself). http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1636,146171-243195,00.html
WATERMELON RIND PICKLES
1 watermelon (14 c.)
1 gal. water
1/4 c. slaked lime
3 c. white vinegar
7 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. oil of cloves
1/2 tsp. oil of cinnamon
1/2 c. red cinnamon candies
4 drops red food coloring
Stainless steel or enamel cookware
Select a melon that has a thick rind. Remove outer green skin and pink flesh. Use only the greenish- white parts of the rind. Cut enough rind into 1 inch cubes (my note: the ones I have had are in thick strips) to make 14 cups. Combine water and lime. Add rind and soak overnight in refrigerator. Drain cubes and rinse in cold water. Bring to a boil and cook 30 minutes. Drain.
Combine vinegar, sugar, oil of cloves, cinnamon, food color and candies. Pour over cubes. Boil slowly until cubes look clear, about 1 hour or longer, being sure cubes are covered with syrup through out cooking. Add hot water if syrup cooks down. Pack pickles in hot jars. Cover with syrup. Seal. Makes 7 pints. Use stainless steel containers or enamel to cook in and soak in.
(09/22/2006)
By Luvyabye
RE: Canned Watermelon Rind
Candied Watermelon Rinds
Serves/Makes:5 or more 1/2 pints
Ingredients
6 cups (1425 ml) water
9 cups (2125 ml) cubed watermelon rind - about 1”
4 cups (950 ml) sugar
1 cup (225 ml) white vinegar
cinnamon sticks
whole cloves
Preparation
First day:
Heat water to boiling in large kettle.
Add rind; simmer till tender(about 10 minutes).
Drain rind thoroughly,and put into crock (or glass bowl).
Combine remaining ingredients in kettle.
Heat to boiling; stir till sugar is melted.
Pour hot syrup over rind.
Cool.
Cover.
Let stand overnight.
DAY 2:
Drain rind; reserving syrup.
Heat syrup to boiling.
Pour over rind.
Cool.
Cover.
Let stand overnight.
DAY 3:
Repeat day 2
Final day:
Prepare jars and water bath.
Heat rind and syrup to boiling but do not boil.
At this point Grandma always added red or green food coloring.
Fill jars and process.
Cool and store.
Comments: I’m sure that this is not what you are looking for. But if you have rind and the time these are great pickles. It has become a tradition with my grand kids,as it was for me when I was a child to “help” Granny make these pickles for the holidays!
(09/24/2006)
By LRP
MedWatch logo MedWatch - The FDA Safety Information and Adverse Event Reporting Program
Nature & Health Co., announced a voluntary nationwide recall of the company’s supplement products sold under the following names: LibieXtreme, Y-4ever, Libimax X Liquid, Powermania Liquid and Capsule, Herbal Disiac. Lab analysis by FDA of these products found they contain either tadalafil, an active ingredient of an FDA-approved drug for erectile dysfunction (ED), its analog aminotadalafil, or the analog of sildenafil, an active ingredient of another FDA-approved ED drug, making these products unapproved drugs. The undeclared ingredients may interact with nitrates found in some prescription drugs such as nitroglycerin and may lower blood pressure to dangerous levels. Customers who have these products in their possession should stop using it immediately and contact their physician if they have experienced any problems that may be related to taking these products.
Read the 2009 MedWatch safety summary, including a link to the company’s Press Release, at:
You are encouraged to report all serious adverse events and product quality problems to FDA MedWatch at www.fda.gov/medwatch/report.htm
The only thing I use cream of tartar for is making meringue mushroom cookies. But the info on leavening agents was helpful; thanks!
>>>Do you ever make watermelon rind pickles?<<<
Yum, I have made some about 10 or 12 years ago, but haven’t since. This year, I planted more watermelons than I usually do, and looks like there will probably be 50 or so 25 - 30 # mellons. So, I was looking for recipes for watermelon rind pickles. (I could eat maybe a dozen myself, but will need something to do with all that rind.)
Thank you for posting those - the Red Hots sound great - I will have to make a case or two for grand kids and daughter.(All are Red Hots fans.)
Then I am going to have to figure out what to do with about 500 35-40# pumpkins..... Yep, I got carried away there... My hybrid poplars are in 300’ rows about 10’ apart, and I just planted the in between area till I ran out of seed... (yes, I always over-order seeds) At least the chickens will finally get their fill, and I should have all the pies and pumpkin seeds I can eat, along with pumpkin bread, puree of pumpkin, etc. I plan to try storing a couple hundred in a straw bale enclosed above ground root cellar with lots of loose straw on top. No way could I put that many in my regular root cellar. So, everyone - I am looking for lots of pumpkin recipes!
http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm172433.htm
Kesso Foods, Inc. voluntarily recalls8 oz. and 16 oz. Kesso Foods Low fat All Natural Plain 2% Greek Thick Yogurt Because of The Possible Presence of Salmonella in An Ingredient Obtained from Plainview Milk Products Cooperative
Contact:
Vea Kessissoglou
718-777-5303
646-436-6366
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - July 10, 2009 - Kesso Foods, Inc. of East Elmhurst, NY is voluntarily recalling 8 oz. and 16 oz. Kesso Foods Lowfat All Natural Plain 2% Greek Thick Yogurt. The affected product has a “SELL BY” date up to and including August 10, 2009. The yogurt is being recalled because it contains nonfat dried milk manufactured by the Plainview Milk Products Cooperative of Plainview, MN. The nonfat dried milk has been subject to an FDA recall due to potential Salmonella contamination. There have been no complaints or reports of illness reported to Kesso Foods, Inc. up to date. The voluntary recall of our product is a precaution to ensure our client safety.
Salmonella is an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and other with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections (i.e., infected aneurysms), endocarditis and arthritis. For more information on Salmonella, please visit the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions’s website at http://www.cdc.gov.
The affected product is packaged in 8oz. and 16oz. white plastic container. It is only distributed to retailers in New York State. The 8oz. container bears UPC number 669541537767 and the 16 oz. containers bears UPC number 669541537774.
Consumers who have purchased products covered by this recall should return them to the store of purchase for a full refund. Consumers with questions or concerns about the recall may call Kesso Foods, Inc at 646-436-6366, Monday-Friday, 11am-5pm, Eastern Time.
MedWatch logo MedWatch - The FDA Safety Information and Adverse Event Reporting Program
FDA is evaluating interim safety findings from an ongoing study of Xolair (omalizumab) titled Evaluating the Clinical Effectiveness and Long-Term Safety in Patients with Moderate to Severe Asthma (EXCELS) that suggests a disproportionate increase in ischemic heart disease, arrhythmias, cardiomyopathy and cardiac failure, pulmonary hypertension, cerebrovascular disorders, and embolic, thrombotic and thrombophlebitic events in patients treated with Xolair compared to the control group of patients not given the drug. Xolair is approved for use by adults and adolescents (12 years of age and above) with moderate to severe persistent asthma who test positive for reactivity to a perennial airborne allergen, and whose symptoms are inadequately controlled with inhaled corticosteroids.
FDA is not recommending any changes to the prescribing information for Xolair and is not advising patients to stop taking Xolair at this time. Until the evaluation of the EXCELS study is completed, healthcare providers and patients should be aware of the risks and benefits described in the prescribing information, as well as the new information from the ongoing EXCELS study that may suggest a risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular adverse events.
Read the MedWatch safety summary, including a link to the Early Communication about an Ongoing Safety Review, at:
You are encouraged to report all serious adverse events and product quality problems to FDA MedWatch at www.fda.gov/medwatch/report.htm
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