TERRIFIC TOMATOES

Good Monday morning to everyone! How are you doing today? I'm sort of melancholy this morning. Perhaps its just because I am not feeling too well. Or perhaps its because the kitten, Mittens, is not feeling well either. I'm not sure really. So I am really hoping that writing and hanging out with you guys will help me get in a better mood at least. Just have to wait for the physical to pass then.

I want to apologize for the error in pictures posted with the recipe yesterday. I guess I wasn't paying attention and uploaded the wrong picture. It has been deleted. I wasn't feeling real good and guess I was not paying close enough attention. I'll make sure it doesn't happen again.

When I was logging on to Yahoo, I saw yet another article that caught my eye... actually the words "healthy" and "budget" caught my eye (the latter having more appeal LOL). I think its great info broken down to the pennies (almost literally) and felt it was my duty, as the Frugal Mom, to bring it to you.

10 Best Foods For Your Buck
By AllYou.com

Plan your menus around healthy, nutrient-packed staples that won’t give you sticker shock at the checkout.

Make the most of your grocery budget by stocking up on these versatile natural foods that are good for your health and wallet.



Peanut butter
Why it's a 10 best:This popular pantry item offers protein and heart-healthy unsaturated fats.
Use it it: Snacks, sandwiches, sauces, and baking goods.
Cost: About 20¢ for 2 tablespoons



Eggs
Why they're a 10 best: Eggs are a good source of lean protein, and also contain vitamin B12, riboflavin and phosphorus.
Use them in: Omelets, frittatas and salads
Cost: About 13¢ per large egg



Oats
Why they're a 20 best: This grain helps lower LDL (bad) cholesterol.
Use them in: Baked goods, breakfast and to stretch ground-meat dishes
Cost: About 17¢ per ½ cup for quick-cooking oats



Apples
Why they're a 10 best: This fruit is a good source of vitamin C and is full of both soluble and insoluble fiber.
Use them in: Salads and baked goods; as a snack
Cost: About 60¢ each, depending on variety and season



Spinach
Why it's a 10 best: This leafy green is loaded with vitamins (A, C, K and folic acid) and manganese.
Use it in: Salads, pasta dishes, casseroles, soups and stews
Cost: About $1 for 5 ounces of fresh spinach



Beans
Why they're a 10 best: This tasty staple provides lean protein that’s full of fiber, calcium, folic acid and iron and other minerals.
Use them in: Salad and stews
Cost: About 35¢ per ½-cup serving (canned)



Frozen vegetables
Why they're a 10 best: They provide fiber and an array of nutrients, depending on which veggies you buy.
Use them in: Sides and casseroles
Cost: About 40¢ per serving



Sweet potatoes
Why they're a 10 best: These spuds are very filling (because they contain fiber) and a source of vitamins A and B6.
Use them in: Main and side dishes
Cost: About $1 each



Brown rice
Why it's a 10 best: Brown rice is a whole grain and a source of vitamin B6, magnesium, copper, zinc and manganese.
Use it in: Soups, salads and side dishes
Cost: About 37¢ per ½ cup (cooked)



Canned tuna fish
Why it’s a 10 Best: This fish is a healthful lean protein and contains omega-3 fatty acids.
Use it in: Sandwiches, casseroles and salads
Cost: About 75c per 3 ounces

Ok, so do you see it? Are you watching? LOL! The Christmas Countdown is closing in on that magical number! So who's doing the challenge with me? Have you made your lists? Talk to me my peeps! LOL... Well the DD's party challenge is just about over. And the Fabric Challenge is about half over and the kitchen is almost done. And starting the Christmas Challenge will probably help complete the FC too! So double duty-ing is a good thing LOL! Now on this Christmas Challenge, I plan to make as much of each gift AND presentation as possible. I plan on making personalized gift bags for the gifts (when necessary), etc. All edible gifts will obviously be done at the "last minute" but if the supplies for those gifts are shelf stable, then they will at least be bought ahead of time to ensure we have them. This challenge takes a bit of planning but I think it will be turning out super spiffy. My gift giving will cover a large range of people... from babies to seniors, women and men, manly to feminine, and everything in between! I am lucky that I have the kinds of people who are very different yet all like homemade gifts. They really appreciate them and that makes it all the more fun! So take your time and really think about the person you are gifting to. What do they like, what could be useful to them, etc. Then take those ideas and make some magic! Now my grandma and mom were/are the crocheters of the family and when you crochet or knit, you have various size needles for different jobs right? Well if you have a crocheter or knitter in your family, here is something you could make to help them keep all their needles in one place and not lost! So hop on over to this great crafter's site for step-by-step photos and instructions on how to make this great gift idea!



Craft Idea of the Day: Crochet Hook Rollup Case

(And no mom, that's not what you are getting LOL! Nice try though! LMAO) Isn't that the cutest thing? And the artist made it with pigs, which a friend of mine would love too LOL! You could pair that with maybe a skein of yarn you got on sale or with a coupon, and maybe a couple of crochet project patterns. Put that in a cute gift bag and there you have a frugal gift tailored to the recipients personal likes/hobbies! Better yet... MAKE the bag too! LOL! You see, a little imagination and you can make some awesome gifts and some even better memories!

Well, its a new week and that means a new theme! Now Susan suggested a week with specific ingredients, maybe focus on something coming out of my garden. I think she is on to something LOL. Now I had mentioned times back I could do "ingredient specific" theme weeks... BUT... I already share my garden with you through stories and pictures... why not through eating it too!? Now I am growing quite a few different things, so choosing is the hardest part, I think LOL! But after careful consideration, and sitting in my garden LOL, I have decided that this week will be TERRIFIC TOMATO WEEK! Now I could bring you recipes for tomato sauce and be done with it, but do you really think that's the only thing I will be doing with the (hopefully) huge tomato harvest?? NOPE! I am gonna bring you recipes utilizing all kinds of tomatoes seeing as I grow everything from Husky Cherry to Big Boy, Roma and Celebrity, and (trying) to start some Brandywine seeds again from my dear friend Jean. So my friends, get ready for some TERRIFIC TOMATO facts and foods! Let's start with some tasty stuffed tomatoes, shall we?



Crab Stuffed Cherry Tomatoes

Ingredients:

1 pint cherry tomatoes
1 (6 ounce) can crabmeat - drained, flaked and cartilage removed
1/2 cup diced green pepper
2 green onions, diced
2 tablespoons Italian-seasoned bread crumbs
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon cider or white wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
1/4 teaspoon dill weed
1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Cut a thin slice off tops of tomatoes and carefully scoop out insides; invert on paper towels to drain. In a small bowl, combine remaining ingredients; mix well. Stuff tomatoes; place in an ungreased 13-in. x 9-in x 2-in. baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 8-10 minutes or until heated through. Serve warm.



Creamy Shrimp Stuffed Cherry Tomatoes

Ingredients:

2 pints cherry tomatoes
1/2 pound cooked shrimp - peeled and deveined
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons prepared horseradish
1 teaspoon lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning

Directions:

Cut the top off each cherry tomato, and scoop out the pulp. Place the tomatoes upside down on paper towels to drain.

In a food processor, mix the shrimp, cream cheese, mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese, horseradish, Old Bay seasoning, and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Blend until smooth.

With a pastry bag, pipe the shrimp mixture into the cherry tomatoes. Garnish with parsley, and refrigerate until serving.



Sausage Stuffed Tomatoes

2 large ripe tomatoes
1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chile peppers, partially drained
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
2/3 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/4 pound smoked sausage, cut into 1 inch pieces (You can also use ground breakfast sausage that has been browned and drained)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

Cut the tops off of the tomatoes and use a knife to cut around the inside, separating the flesh from the skin. Scoop out the flesh. Place the tomatoes in a small baking dish. In a small bowl combine the canned tomatoes with the bread crumbs, 1/3 cup of cheese and the sausage; mix well. Spoon the mixture into the tomato skins and top with the remaining 1/3 cup of cheese.
Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes.

(***NOTE*** For larger tomatoes used as sides or entrees, you can also add cooked rice to the filling. To make this a vegetarian dish, substitute the sausage with corn.)

Ok everyone, that's all she wrote for today. Its been a blast but now I must get down to business and start my day. I hope you had fun and will be visiting again tomorrow for some more fun and adventures in the world of frugality! Until tomorrow... HUGS!

CONQUERING CLUTTER

Hi everybody! How are you doing today? I am trying to get pumped up to get up and get motivated. We are going to be getting the big chunks of holiday stuff out of my storage unit today and moved over to my mom & dad’s garage attic. This is gonna be a big feat as I have many years of collecting stuff to move! Let’s put it this way… I rent a 10x10ft. storage unit and it is piled to the door and about 8.5-9ft. high…. Only having one little path on each side to maneuver around! A sad packrat isn’t it? So today my holiday stuff is being moved out to my parents so that I will be one step closer to conquering that goal of eliminating that bill! Wish us luck… cause we’ll need it!

Ok, the last few nights I have had a dream every night where I start with a tiny table selling plants and learning everything I can, even getting a botanist degree, and the venture turning into something similar to Mr. Maas nursery and home. I could definitely handle that! So yesterday Madison and I talked about the seed2plant sales. She thought it was a good idea and wanted to help. (I’m sure when the other kids find out about it there will be lots more hands helping LOL!) So we have a few pictures to share with you from our day yesterday…



Here is the DD on “Wasp Duty” LOL! She was a little spooked when we first went out there to plant because there were so many wasps. I had told them about my little run-in with them and she was afraid they would try to pollinate HER head LOL!



Did I not tell you that this strawberry has been taunting me? Its like practically over night this thing went from a pale pink to a fire engine red! All plump and juicy yumminess just calling my name… its not cool! Ya can’t eat just ONE strawberry… its like pringles! Ok LOL so anyway, my garden is turning into an overnight miracle! Definitely one for an impatient gardener! I don’t know what I did but I am saying thanks every morning!



DD again… planting our tons and tons of seeds. She keeps asking if I want her to take a picture of me, but I’, like “No thanks, you’re much cuter on camera than me” LOL!



Here is the table of seeds we ended up with last night. We now have over 100 seeds sowed. And we will be doing more when I get more containers. I almost have another egg tray emptied which is at LEAST 30 more seeds! We started Poblano, Green Bell Pepper, Jalapeno, Cantaloupe, Watermelon, Okra, 2 different kinds of tomatoes, and some peas. Gotta go through my stash of seeds and see what else I have to try to start. Hopefully I can have a nice variety of seedling plants to sell in about a month or so. That should be enough time for them to germinate, grow, purchase the pots and transplant them all. I can print out cute labels on my computer, so that won’t be a problem. Just getting those dang little pots right now is the big issue…

So that was our day of planting fun. Most of the plants are established now and doing their own thing. All I am doing is making sure they have water and mother nature is helping with the rest! But its so exciting going out there each day and seeing the, sometimes dramatic, changes with each plant. I have one broccoli plant with looks like a poofy yellow loofa of flowers LOL! I have a Roma tomato almost as big as an egg, and so many other small, but noticable things are going on too! It’s a wonderful feeling!

OK, so now that I’m done swooning over the garden LOL, lets get a little crafty. I found this cute addition to your décor on my Thrifty Fun pages and I thought you would enjoy it!



Craft Idea of the Day: Bunny Jar Vase

Create this cute bunny vase for your Easter table from a pint jar, felt, and few other supplies.

Approximate Time: About 30 minutes.

Supplies:

pint jar
white felt
pink felt
wiggly eyes
black marker
3 chenille stems
pink pom pom or pink cotton ball
white cotton ball
scrap piece of cardboard or poster board
pencil
scissors
hot glue gun and glue sticks

Instructions:

Draw a bunny head, including the neck onto a piece of thin cardboard or poster board; cut out the design. Using this as a template, trace around the head onto a piece of white felt; cut out. Glue felt head to cardboard template and set aside.

For arms, draw a football shape onto cardboard that measures approximately 4 1/2 inches wide by 11 inches long; cut out. Using this as a template, trace around arms onto a piece of white felt; cut out. Glue felt arms around jar; they will overlap slightly in front.

Draw an inner ear onto piece of cardboard; cut out. Using this as a template, trace around inner ear onto pink felt twice; cut out both pieces and glue to inside of bunny's ears.

Glue on wiggly eyes, chenille stem whiskers, and pom pom nose. Use black marker to draw on the paws and to draw on a mouth. Glue the neck of the bunny inside the jar to hold in place. Glue white cotton ball at the bottom center on back of the jar for the tail. Fill the jar with fresh or artificial flowers.

By Rachel's Mom from Wilkesboro, NC

I think I will make one of these and maybe put some fresh carnations or tulips or something “Spring-y” in to cheer up my living room! Ok, now on to my personal favorite part of the day… yep FOOD! OMG its no wonder I need to rent the local circus tent for a formal gown… cause I love food LOL! I love to grow it, I love to cook with it, and I especially love to EAT IT! Now here is an absolute easy one pot wonder… but I will say it has a slight “hot dog-ish” taste, so maybe try with an Italian or Andouille sausage or even chicken meat… either way, its yummy and oh so filling!



Baked Penne with Smoked Sausage

Ingredients

1 (16 ounce) package Hillshire Farm® Smoked Sausage
1 (10.75 ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
2 1/2 cups milk
8 ounces uncooked penne pasta
1 1/2 cups French-fried onions, divided
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
1 cup frozen peas

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Cut sausage into 1/4-inch slices.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat for 3 minutes. Add sausage; cook and stir for 3 to 4 minutes or until lightly browned.

Combine soup and milk in a 13x9-inch baking dish. Stir in uncooked pasta, sausage, 1/2 cup French-fried onions, 1/2 cup cheese and peas. Cover baking dish tightly with foil.

Bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil and top with remaining 1 cup French-fried onions and 1/2 cup cheese. Bake for 3 minutes or until cheese is melted. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Ok kids, I have to go wake up the household and get them up and moving for the day so we can get the storage knocked out and hopefully conquer the clutter today! Ya’ll have fun and be good and I will see you back here tomorrow! HUGS!

HELPING HANDS

Good evening darlings! How are you doing this frosty night? I am so sorry on my tardiness but I had a bunch of things I HAD to attend to today because we are expecting a hard freeze tonight and for the next 3 nights. I had to get some clothes washed, essential groceries bought, bills paid, and go help my mom (make sure her propane tanks were filled, etc. Then I had to help a little kitty who was wandering around stuck in a ravioli can! I ended up bringing it home and I'm gonna call him Ravioli LMAO! Needless to say, its been a busy day. Plus this cold is killing my joints and so I am in all my braces and STILL in pain. So please bear with me.

So tell me... did you miss me? LOL! I missed you guys. I actually was thinking about ya'll all day saying "oh they are gonna worry, oh I can blog about this or that, oh I gotta get this done". I was listening to the Houston news and how their new mayor, Ms. Parker, has been trying to open warming shelters and get all the city's homeless inside so they don't freeze to death. And I have heard other good deed stories all day. It warmed my heart and I was proud of humanity! I think they have a great mayor and will have alot of good times ahead of them!

So as much of the pipes are wrapped as I can get to, there is plenty of AntiFreeze worked through our vehicles, there is a makeshift shelter for all the critters that come around outside, food is bought in case we get "iced in" and LOL my kids are even making more blankets from the fleece we went and bought at JoAnn's this afternoon! They crack me up... I told you they had blanket fetishes!! So I think we are good to go the next few days. Just waiting to hear if they are having school tomorrow... in a way I want them to go (for my sanity) but I don't want them too if it ices up cause I don't want to have to drive in that! Anyways, so all the preparations are made... so what's for dinner? Well, when we got home, I made a big pot of jambalaya, a couple of large roasts (which heating the oven also heats the house up LOL) smothered with gravy, and a big pot of chicken noodle soup with some grilled cheese sandwiches! So there is no real dinner recipe to share for tonight. However I found one I am gonna try that seemed pretty by the picture. I'll share that one with you and we can learn about it together ok? Cool...



Pumpkin Bowl with Vegetables and Sausage

Ingredients

1 whole (10 pound) Cinderella pumpkin
1 (16 ounce) package kielbasa sausage, sliced into 1/2 inch pieces
3 carrots, peeled and sliced
2 celery ribs, chopped
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
3 cloves garlic - minced, or amount to taste
2 cups parsnips, peeled and cubed (optional)
2 cups rutabagas, peeled and cubed (optional)
2 cups cabbage, coarsely chopped (optional)
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 head broccoli, cut into florets
2 zucchini, cut into chunks
1 1/2 cups canned or frozen corn
2 (13.75 ounce) cans chicken broth
2 cups cooked white or brown rice (optional)
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
1/2 (1.25 ounce) envelope dry onion soup mix
1/2 (1 ounce) packet dried Italian seasoning
salt and ground black pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with foil.
Cut around the top of the pumpkin to make a lid. Use a large metal spoon to scoop out the inside membrane and seeds.

Place the pumpkin on the prepared baking sheet, and place in the preheated oven. Cook for 1 hour, then lower heat to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).

Meanwhile, place the sausage in a deep pot over medium-high heat. Cook until evenly browned, turning frequently, 10 to 12 minutes. Stir in the carrots, celery, onion, and garlic; cook and stir until translucent and tender, about 5 minutes. If desired, stir in the parsnips, rutabaga, and/or the cabbage; cook until the vegetables are almost ender, about 5 minutes. Add the red and green peppers, broccoli, zucchini, and corn. Pour in the chicken broth, add the rice, and cook 5 minutes more. Stir in the parsley, red pepper flakes, onion soup mix, and Italian seasoning. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Keeping the pumpkin on the baking sheet, spoon the vegetable-sausage mixture into the pumpkin, and replace the lid. Loosely cover the pumpkin with aluminum foil.

Cook the pumpkin in the preheated oven until the flesh is tender, about 4 hours. Scoop some of the pumpkin flesh away from the sides to combine with the vegetable mixture. To serve, place the pumpkin on a serving platter, and remove the lid to ladle out the contents.

Well kids, I'm really tired and hurting, so I think I am gonna go take my meds and lay down. As long as we don't have a power outage due to the freeze, etc. then I should be back here in the morning and back on schedule. I love you all and thanks again for your concern about me. Talk to you tomorrow! HUGS!

EARLY MORNING...

OMG Hi there! I am so glad this blog is back up and viewable! Last night I tried to check it out and it had been disabled. I was freaking out! OK, so how are you this morning? I am up real early obviously... can't sleep. My mind is running too fast... things I have to do, things I need to get from the store, gotta take hubby to the airport this morning, etc. When I get like this I have trouble sleeping. Oh well, it will catch up with me sooner or later LOL... one day, right Jean? LMBO! (Inside joke peeps...)

Ok, so the plan is simple... Once I take Frank to the airport at about 9 or so, I'm gonna go to the BIG discount store on the way home and knock out my small shopping list. Think everyone knows what store I mean... not sure if I can say it or if that's why I was temporarily lost last night?!? Hmmm... either way, we'll say the "W" store like my son used to when he was younger. I found out they carry my divided containers I use to make homemade TV dinners, so I have to go buy them out LOL... I LOVE those and haven't been able to find them locally in about 7 YEARS!

Gonna GOOD DEAL ALERT you (at least the people in my area) that in the mail I got a flyer from JC Penny yesterday. Its a 3 day shopping pass and the top one is $10 off a $10 or more purchase! YAY can you say free gifts? I posted on freecycle that I was looking for them and I already have 5 more so far! $60 in free gifts?! I think I can handle that!! So if you are in my area and you don't want them, let me know! LOL... I'll take all I can get! Ziploc coupons too! Shoot, think I'll place an order with my favorite processing center to get my multiples... you can get rebate forms, etc. And fast... I get my stuff pretty quick. I'll find out if I can link you, then if so I'll come back and post it.

OK, crafts... hmmm... crafts... what do we share today... hmmm LOL! I'm gonna do something fairly simple this morning. Hair Scrunchies!

Craft Idea of the Day: Hair Scrunchies
You know those little fabric rubber band things that women and girls tie their hair up with? Yea those things. They make a great stocking stuffer and they are EASY as pie to make! All you need is a little bit of fabric and some elastic and thread. That's it! Depending on how much fabric you have, the possibilities are endless on how many designs you can have! (I'll come back with a pic later on today) What you do is cut a piece of fabric about 5 inches wide by 20 inches long. fold it in half with the right sides together (so it is inside out people lol) and sew along the open side. Flip the tube you just made right side out. Then take a 3/8 in wide piece of elastic about 5 inches or so (depending on how tight you want the scrunchy) and feed it through the tube to where one end is hanging out both sides... gathering the fabric in the middle. With a threaded needle, sew the two ends of elastic together and secure closed. Make sure to "test tug" it to make sure it will not come apart! Then fold each end of the tube inside itself to hide rough edges and sew the 2 ends together. There ya go... you just made a hair scrunchy! Congrads! I know you can get roughly 12 from 1 yard of material, so ya see, you don't need too much!

So today seems like its gonna be fairly busy, so I need to plan something easy for dinner... I think Italian Sausage Soup sounds in order! Its like a 30 minute or so meal! Yea with maybe some corn muffins for a side... yea I think that is good. Here's some before-the-sun-comes-up morning goodness lol!



Italian Sausage Soup

Ingredients

1 pound Italian sausage
2 clove garlic, minced
4 (14 ounce) cans beef broth
2 (14.5 ounce) can Italian-style stewed tomatoes
1 cup sliced carrots
1 (14.5 ounce) can great Northern beans, undrained
2 small zucchini, cubed
2 cups frozen spinach - packed, rinsed and torn
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
½ cup uncooked orzo
1 potato, peeled and cubed
1 med. Onion, choppped

Directions

1. In a stockpot or Dutch oven, brown sausage with garlic. Stir in broth, tomatoes and carrots, and season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 15 minutes.

2. Stir in beans with liquid, orzo, and zucchini. Cover, and simmer another 15 minutes, or until zucchini is tender.

3. Remove from heat, and add spinach. Replace lid allowing the heat from the soup to cook the spinach leaves. Soup is ready to serve after 5 minutes.

Well that's all for today folks. Fixing to go wake my chillins for school, get dressed (Yes I'm still in my PJ's LOL), deliver them, come back and take Frank to the airport, go to the store, etc. Tomorrow and Friday I'm gonna be home alone all day (YAY! LOL) so I plan on doing some major cooking and cleaning so I will have lots to share with you tomorrow and Friday! YAY! Maybe some "bonus" recipes and crafts! Aren't we gonna have fun! LOL... ya know what they say... when the cat's away... the mom still stays home and works! LMBO (yea I know that's not really the phrase but I was amuzing myself so hush LOL!). OK boys and girls... See ya tomorrow... HUGS!