HAPPY NATIONAL CUPCAKE DAY

Welcome folks to the wacky Wednesday edition of The Frugal Mom! So how are you doing this morning? I'm good... thanks for asking! Sorry I am a bit tardy this morning. For once, I got to sleep in so I took full advantage of it LMAO! Not to mention I had actually been up at 4:30am and went back to sleep LOL! I want to wish everyone a HAPPY NATIONAL CUPCAKE DAY and I will be celebrating by making the French Vanilla Rainbow Clown Cakes you see here! And probably a few more fun flavors! LOL! I have so many exciting things to share with you, so hurry and go refresh that cup of coffee and have a seat. Hold on for a wild ride! LOL!

Ok folks, first off, I found out about a crafting contest hosted by JoAnn's and am OH SO EXCITED to bring you! Especially since it's for charity!!! It's JoAnn's Craft For a Cause contest and not only couldl you win a $1500 gift card for JoAnn's, but your favorite charity could win big too... up to $50,000!! I will definitely be entering and I think you should too! Check it out here on the JoAnn's site for the rules and regulations!

"Use your creativity, skills & passion to help your favorite worthwhile cause and enter to win prizes yourself!

Contest Dates:

· Crafting contest begins August 15, 2010 and ends October 30, 2010

· Charity voting ends December 4, 2010

Crafters — Enter to Win $1,500 Gift Card

· Using materials purchased from Jo-Ann make and donate useful crafted items to your favorite charitable organization. Experience the satisfaction of giving!

· Submit photo of each donation - crafted items will be judged for prizes!

· The makers of the top five* crafted items will each win a $1,500 Jo-Ann gift card.

*Judged on creativity, quality & functionality for the charitable organization receiving item. Open to legal U.S. residents age 14 or older. Void in Maryland & Vermont.

Jo-Ann Donates a Total of $90,000 to Three Causes

· The three charitable organizations receiving the most donated items become Craft for a Cause finalists.

· Then you can join other crafters and go online to vote for your favorite among these three."



OMG, OMG, OMG! Then I saw an article on Yahoo that I want to tell you all about! No, its not a frugal tip... well it could be though! Its about a young lady named Marisa Lynch who was in a rough spot in her life and watched the movie Julie & Julia (excellent movie BTW! Saw it in the theater with my mommy YAY!) and was inspired to do something similar with her life. She chose clothing to blog about and make a 365 challenge out of! BUT here is the twist. All the outfits cost no more than $1 a day and she recycled by finding things at thrift stores! OMG isn't that great! Read the whole write up about her on the article called Turn ugly dresses into nice ones for $1 on Yahoo. Or better yet, hop on over to her actual Blog and check out some of her creative creations! Her blog is called New Dress A Day and its really awesome to read through. Some of the things she's found I particularly didn't care for, but some are pretty darn cute! Unfortunately I am nowhere near seeing all the posts as I just found this yesterday LOL!



Ok, now I have to show you this... remember all those stockings I told you I was going to make? Well I finally finished the last one and it ended up being motorcycles instead of Classic cars. I showed the recipient (my DB if you haven't guessed already LOL) and he loves it! So... I had to show you! It was the last of the 4 that I had listed to make, so that mini project is complete! YAY! By Monday, I'm going to have LOTS of surprises for you! Monday starts school! YAY!!!



Now my mom & dad came over yesterday to help me with some things around the house. Dad changed out all my light bulbs, fixed my fan, put up these awesome shelves in my master bath, etc. Mom helped me declutter and organize some problem spots that made me just want to scream! Don't I have like the best parents in the world? After they left, I sat and organized the 2 gigantic boxes of things that were to fill the shelves... keeping my mom's voice in my head saying "one piece at a time". Needless to say, the boxes are gone, lots of things were thrown out, and here is what is left! Very neat and tidy if I do say so myself!



And then there is my cat... my Rebel... my special little baby! I rescued him years ago when I lived in some apartments across town. Kids in the parking lot were beating him, hanging him in a tree, and trying to light him on fire. (Believe me, those kids didn't like it when I took them by the collar of their shirt to their parents and threatened them with legal action but I didn't care!) I nursed him back to health and then the DH fell on him, squishing him... I swore he was gonna die BUT I nursed him back AGAIN! He has some problems now... some due to those kids and some due to Frank LOL, but all in all he is pretty healthy. And FAT! LOL! Anyway, I thought this was the cutest thing and I had to take a picture! I guess since I am always calling him my baby, he was gonna get in the baby's walker and ACT like a baby LMAO! Regardless, I think its too cute and I wanted to share!

Now its time to get crafty! I used to get my DS14 these wooden puzzles to teach him alphabets and such. They were special wooden puzzles aimed at special needs kids and he used to have bunches of them. When I ran across this craft on another blogspot site, I was like "Wow I would have loved to have those back then!" LOL. But I want to bring it to you today because I know that those wooden puzzles have become very popular with kids of all ages and types. Thanks to the fellow blogger/crafter Maria for a great project! So here ya go... your



Craft Idea of the Day: The Puzzle Bag

Materials:

puzzle
fabric
a zipper
scissors
a sewing machine with thread
optional ribbon for a handle.



Well here we are again... time for the most tasty part of your visit! Our BODACIOUS BANANA recipes today are gonna be sweet... cause we are cooking some classics! These are recipes our mothers and grandmothers may have made for us when we were younger. Or maybe they symbolize the South for you... ya never know as it means all kinds of things to different people. Bananas were first found in the region of Malaysia. With the help of curious visitors, bananas found their way to India, Buddhist Pali writings dating back to the 6th century B.C. support this fact. It was Alexander the Great who brought the banana back with him to the western world. Bananas were grown in the southern region of China but only became popular with the masses around the 20th century. Americans first tasted the banana almost three hundred and fifty years later. At that time, they were wrapped in tin foil and sold for 10 cents each at the celebration held in Pennsylvania in 1876, to celebrate the hundredth anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Instructions on how to eat the banana also appeared in the Domestic Cyclopaedia of Practical Information.

Banana Nutrition Facts

A banana contains Vitamin C, potassium and dietary fiber.

Bananas do not contain sodium, fat or cholesterol.

The Vitamin C, which is found in bananas, helps the body to defend and heal against infections. This vitamin also proves valuable in the synthesis of the connective tissue, absorption of iron and the formation of blood.

Not only are bananas rich in vitamin C, they also contain potassium. Potassium is a mineral that helps in the building of muscles and protein synthesis. This is done as potassium stimulates nerve impulses for muscle contraction.

A diet rich in potassium is said to reduce the risk of hypertension and stroke. As bananas are free from sodium and very rich in potassium, they can be included in the diet to reduce the risk of high blood pressure.

Bananas contain three natural sugars, sucrose, fructose and glucose along with fiber. A banana thus gives an instant and substantial boost of energy.

A banana contains Vitamin B6, which helps in the synthesis of antibodies in the immune system apart from red blood formation, protein metabolism and functioning of the central nervous system.

No other fruit contain more digestible carbohydrates than bananas. This is advantageous because, the body burns off calories from carbohydrate more easily and quickly than calories from fat or protein.

Interesting Facts About Bananas

The word banana is derived from the Arab word "banan," which means finger.

Bananas are harvested green because they keep ripening even after they are picked.

Unlike most other fruits that grow on trees, bananas grow on plants.

An average American is said to consume more than 28 pounds of bananas every year.

Brisbane holds the world record for the longest banana split, which measured 7.3 kilometers.

3 medium bananas would weigh about a pound.

Despite that fact that bananas love a tropical climate, they are grown in Iceland too, by heating the soil with geysers.

So now that you have had your banana education for today, let's dig in to a few old time banana classics! Eat & Enjoy!



Old Fashion Banana Bread

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 medium, ripe DOLE® Bananas, mashed (about 1 cup)
1/4 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped almonds

Directions

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in medium bowl; set aside.

Beat butter and sugar in large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs. Beat in bananas, sour cream and vanilla until blended. Add in flour mixture; beat until just blended. Stir in nuts.

Pour into 9 x 5-inch baking pan sprayed with vegetable cooking spray.

Bake at 350°F., 55 to 65 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes.



Old Fashioned Southern Banana Pudding

Ingredients:

3/4 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup self-rising flour
2 cups milk, low fat or whole
2 eggs, separated
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
vanilla wafer cookies
3 bananas, ripe but firm
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

Preparation:

Combine 3/4 cup granulated sugar, the salt, and the self-rising flour in a bowl.
Slowly stir in milk. Put mixture in top of double boiler over simmering water and cook until mixture begins to thicken. Beat egg yolks then briskly stir a small amount of the hot mixture (about 1/2 cup) into them. Add egg yolk mixture back into the hot mixture in top of double boiler and stir in butter and vanilla. Cook until mixture thickens again.

Place a layer of vanilla wafers in an 11x7-inch baking dish (or other shape 2-quart shallow baking dish). Add half of the sliced bananas. Pour half of pudding mixture over banana layer.

Repeat layers, ending with remaining pudding. In a mixing bowl beat egg whites until foamy; gradually beat in 1/4 cup granulated sugar and cream of tartar.

Beat until stiff peaks form. Spread meringue over pudding. Bake at 350° until browned completely. Remove from oven. Serve hot or cold.

Serves 6 to 8.



OLD FASHIONED BANANA CREAM PIE

1 pie crust (9 inch), baked
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 2/3 cups water
14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
3 egg yolks, beaten
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 medium bananas
lemon juice
whipped cream

In heavy saucepan, dissolve cornstarch in water; stir in sweetened condensed milk and egg yolks. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly.

Remove from heat; add butter and vanilla. Cool slightly. Slice 2 bananas; dip in lemon juice and drain. Arrange on bottom of prepared crust. Pour filling over bananas; cover. Chill 4 hours or until set.

Spread top with whipped cream. Slice remaining banana; dip in lemon juice, drain and garnish top of pie. Refrigerate leftovers.

Serving Size: 6



OLD FASHIONED BANANA NUT MUFFINS

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 1/4 cup mashed bananas
3/4 cup white sugar
1/3 cup applesauce
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray muffin tins with non-stick cooking spray.

In large bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, soda, and salt.

In a medium bowl, beat egg whites slightly. Stir in bananas, sugar, oil, and lemon peel. Add to flour mixture, stirring just until combined. Stir in walnuts. Fill muffin pan cups 2/3 full.

Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until tops are lightly browned. Remove muffins from pan.

Well that's all for me folks! I better get off here and go work on some more decluttering and cleaning and crafting and such. I Also plan on making lots of more cupcakes to celebrate this day of days! YUM! SO have an awesome day, make some delish cupcakes, and I will see you tomorrow! HUGS!