Easy Rocky Road Candy is a quick, fun gift from the kitchen that can be made in a flash! Perfect to make with your kids and as a gift for teachers and friends! I'm always astonished to find myself at the beginning of October thinking about the impending holiday season. It always sneaks up on me. You would think that after nearly 40 years on this Earth I wouldn't be ...
gifts
Peanut Butter Marbled Fudge
This time of year is rough on me. I struggle with it emotionally and physically. I'm talking of course about being surrounded by sweets 24/7. I'm struggling to physically get my butt into my pants and I'm struggling emotionally trying to convince myself to not eat all of the delicious sweets that I have surrounded myself with. I'm okay with it for now. January will be here ...
A little piece of Americana – Blackberry Cobbler
Our nation's Independence Day is coming up this weekend and Americans around the country will be headed to backyard barbeque's, pool parties, and fireworks displays. It's a time for all of us to remember the past and the present and to look forward to the future of our nation. It's a time for us to swell with pride at the great things this country has to offer. Because even ...
Pasta GIVEAWAY and Lemon Shrimp in a Spinach-Basil Pesto !!!
I am finally back from a long and wonderful vacation. While I was gone the springtime breezes turned into summer's sweltering heat. Heat like this means dinner will be much lighter fare for us. A light and flavorful pesto pasta dish fits the bill nicely. Lucky for me, Amalia from Garofalo Pasta sent me a free sample of their amazing pasta for me to try out. Now, one of the ...
No Knead Artisan Bread
Back during the 2008 recession, I slashed our grocery budget down to bare bones. At the time I was running on about a $70 per week budget that fed four of us (granted the kids at that time didn't eat much) and diapers. That meant I had to get real comfortable making my own bread. For a good period of time, I became somewhat obsessed with breadmaking and this no-knead artisan ...
How to Make Homemade Strawberry Jam
I have a lot of childhood memories related to strawberry jam. My parents owned a business that involved suppling lots of factories with nuts and bolts and stuff. For Christmas, my mother and I would give all the workers a basket full of cookies, candies and strawberry preserves. They had lots of customers and during the summer, we made LOTS of preserves. 20-30 cases I think. We ...
The Money is in the Mixes – Part II
I have been astonished by the amount of interest in the "Money in the Mixes" post. There have been lots and lots of you out there who have found those mixes very helpful in your daily dinner dash. Thank you! So, I thought I would follow up with 3 more mixes that I find handy to have around. I don't have the prices for this batch since I already had everything I needed on ...
Homemade Valentine Candies
Valentine's Day is just around the corner. Every gas station and drug store is full of plastic roses and boxes of cheap candy.Children every where are filling out Hello Kitty Valentine Cards to give to everyone in their home room class. Some love sick little boy is buying his girlfriend of 3 whole months a cheesy gold plated bracelet that says "Be Mine" on it. Husbands ...
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) ...
Last Minute Gift – Chunky Chocolate Cookie Mix
Here it is...crunch time. The day after tomorrow is Christmas and the excitement in the air is nearly palpable. The tree is trimmed, the turkey is thawed, the gifts are... CRAP! GIFTS! I forgot to get a gift for my neighbor/cousin/UPS guy/hairdresser/random person at my door! I need something quick, something that doesn't require a trip to a store. Food! I am NOT baking ...
Bad Excuses and Butter Bars
It's been a long time. Too long. I could give you all kinds of excuses. I could tell you that I lost my part-time gig and had to pick up the slack ( and a couple extra side jobs) to make our ends meet; I could tell you that my kids had their first big birthday party for their 3rd birthday last month at the house,; I could mention that it's nearly Christmas and we all know what ...