Last week, my beautiful family and I took a week long vacation at Disneyworld in Orlando, FL. What's crazy is, we never once pulled out the credit card while we were there, and even came back with money left over. And we had a BLAST!!! Oh my goodness, Disney world is so much fun! You can nay-say it all you want but Disney is the ultimate place to take your kids ( or leave ...
frugality
Garden Fresh Chow Chow
I love love love to can. If I loved cleaning as much as I love canning, my house would sparkle. It would look like all of those pictures on Pinterest where everything is neat and organized with cute little labels. So far, the only thing in the house with cute little labels is all of m canning projects. My new favorite canning project is this chow-chow. It's ...
Homemade Cucumber Relish
Thity-three quarts of green beans, 9 quarts of tomtoes, 7 pints, black eye peas, 8 pints of cucumber relish, 7 pints of kosher dill pickles and 2 gallons of sauerkraut fermenting in my utility room.Our stockpile shelves that have very sparse since we moved are now busting at the seams. I have been on a canning bender. I think I may have a "problem" because I just can't ...
Tuna Tuesday: Chicken Patty Fontina
Tuna Tuesday is back! Even though it's Wednesday and not Tuesday, but it is back! So, for those of you just joining us, Tuna Tuesday is the day to celebrate meat in a can. I am doing my best to turn the humble staple into a tasty meal. Feel free to add your recipe links in the comment thread below! I have a little confession. Chicken in a can is not my favorite. Since the ...
Chicken Stock and Chicken Noodle Soup
Chicken stock is one of those basic kitchen practices that everyone should know. It's probably THE kitchen practice to know. It is liquid gold. It's a thing of beauty. It's full of flavor and it's delicious. It's also dang near free if you make it yourself. With Thanksgiving coming up, you are going to need a lot of chicken stock. I bet the average American spends $10 - $15 ...
Roast Garlic Chicken and FoodontheTable.com and a Giveaway!
I know a lot of busy moms. Most of them have twins or triplets plus maybe a spare kid or two on top of that. They go to soccer practice and school functions, doctor's appointments and book club meetings, and many also hold down full or part-time jobs! They can use all the help they can get! These are exactly the women I thought of when Amanda from FoodontheTable.com contacted ...
Hoppin’ John and how to Shop at the Farmer’s Market
I have been going to the new local Farmer's Market pretty regularly this summer. After doing a lot of reading on the subject of food over the past few months, I decided that working local food into the budget would really be a benefit for our family. Although I had planned on increasing the food budget to allow for the higher prices of local food, I have found that as ...
Foodbuzz 24,24,24: Great Depression Cooking for the Recession Cook
I won't lie. Times are tough for us. We stress and worry over every penny that leaves our door. One illness or bad run of luck could ruin us. I don't think it's an uncommon thing these days. I think that during the current recession that there are a lot of people who have trouble making ends meet every month. But it also seems that whenever times get really tough, we tend to ...
The Money is in the Mixes – Homemade Mixes
When I go shopping, I shop mostly for items that are versatile and can be used in a variety of different recipes for a variety of different dishes ( except for the training pants I still buy, which are only good for one thing). I also try to spend as little as possible while still being reasonably healthy. But like most people in the world I am also busy ( or lazy on occasion) ...
Under Pressure: Canning Part 2
Okay, you have collected all of your items on the canning checklist and you have a bushel of vegetables washed and prepped. Many vegetables require pressure canning in order to be stored safely. These foods are low in acid and have to be processed at higher temperatures in order to kill any harmful bacteria such as botulism. These vegetables include green beans, squash, ...
You Can Can-Can Too!!! Part 1
This post contains affiliate links I'm sure you have all been desperately worried about where I have been ( can you detect the sarcasm?), but I assure you that I am perfectly fine. I have been out of town for a while hanging out with my parents in Tennessee and learning a very valuable life skill; how to can food. We country folk like to call it "puttin' up" and it was ...