:: Frugalistic ::

You know what they say about beef ..

2010-08-05T01:22:00.000-05:00

Yes, even after all these years and several spokespersons, Robert Mitchum said it best. He was absolutely right and while I was growing up, beef was served at just about every meal my Mama ever put in front of me. It was our prefered protein and it seems to be the same in my own household.

We bought up a few eye of round roasts the other night while they were on sale.

I thought to myself how fabulous that would taste using the rotisserie in my new toaster oven.

I went about gathering up some spices to make a rub for the roast.

I don't measure out anything usually .. I go by sight.

There's lots of garlic powder because that's how I roll.

What you see here is still not enough for me .. I could use more, seriously!

I mix it up a bit with my fingers to incorporate everything.

Roll that bad boy in them spices and coat it as evenly as possible.

Look at that work of art .. man, that's gonna be tasty!

Get it skewered and put it in place.

For a beef roast like this, you need to cook it for 30-35 minutes per pound.

Are you kidding me? How can you not get excited by something so glorious?

I let it rest for about 5-10 minutes so it won't lose any of its juices.

I feel it's key to keeping meat moist and delicious.

There you have it .. cooked to perfection and ready to be eaten for dinner tonight or save it in the refrigerator or freezer for the makings of dinner for another night like we did.

For example, this BBQ beef sandwich ..
.. a little bit of BBQ sauce mixed with some thinly sliced roast and ouila ..

Heaven!!!

Please excuse Deidra's absense from the blogging world ..

2010-08-04T17:48:00.004-05:00

As some of you may have noticed, I've been out of commission from my blog since May. Everything was going just fine .. silly Dutch guy was finally working again, we were stretching our money out nicely then, all of a sudden BOOM, I got sick. Not just sick, I became diabetic. Mind you, I'm such a foodie and now, I'm a foodie with DIABETES. Ugh! Are you kidding me, Lord? A ginormous food lover and I get stricken with the diabetes. How ironic is that? Although I shake my fist at the bizarro turn of events, I'm ever so grateful for the wake up call. Perhaps I was a bit 'gluttonous'? Perhaps, I was an over achieving eater? Who knows? All I know is this here frugal girl is now having to hand over LOADS of money for better foods, medications and a meter to check my blood sugar 4 times a day. Thank God for insurance!

So, what happens now?

First thing, I have to tighten the belt a bit further now to accommodate .. especially since silly Dutch guy is yet again out of work and relying solely on my income. Good news though, I got a raise! Thank you, Wal*Mart! What would I do without you?

Secondly, I get to create healthier meals! I get to watch my carbs! I get to be more active and make a conscience effort to be healthy. Ever since May, I have lost a total of 28 lbs., that's HUGE for me! This great news isn't without it's bad news .. for my silly Dutch guy, it's hard to see his fat little wife dropping the chub. He loves the chub .. he worships the chub .. but, the chub is killing me and he wants the wifey around for a few more years. It seems that everyone has to sacrifice something in this family!

So, as to where I stand, I will make a conscious effort to blog more now that I'm getting my diabetes under control and actually feel like doing things once again. Silly Dutch guy was very generous with my wedding anniversary present last month (thank you, Behbe <3 ) and gifted me accordingly ..

This gorgeous stand mixer

This amazing convection toaster oven/rotisserie

This sleek microwave

This compact refrigerator was purchased a few months back when we got our state income tax refund.

With all these new toys to play with, now all I have to do is get a new kitchen to match them and I'm all set!!!

Oh honeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeey, are you free?

Cold brewed iced coffee .. a prayer answered!

2010-05-12T20:52:00.002-05:00

Like millions of folks, I get my friend groove going on Facebook. As a member, about 90% of my status updates will involve what I've made or am making for breakfast, lunch or dinner .. sometimes dessert. I like to ask what everyone else is making from time to time. I never really gave it a second though until just recently when a fellow high school alumni left a comment on my page asking why my posts always seemed to center around food.

I had to confess .. *sigh* .. it's because I'm a foodie. I might be poor as a church mouse but, I'm a foodie through and through. I love reading recipes, I love reading cookbooks and I absolutely love food magazines. Ever since I was a little girl, I've been fascinated by how ingredients come together. I remember helping my Mama make pie and when she had left over pie crust, I rolled it out, cut it into strips and sprinkled them with cinnamon sugar. I baked them with Mama's help and I thought they were the best thing ever. So flaky, so crisp, so sweet .. and I always burned my mouth because I never could wait until they cooled off. It seems patience hasn't always been my friend.

We don't own a coffee maker and I have been CRAVING coffee for a while now. Starbucks is ridiculously overpriced and even though McDonalds has the McCafe going on, I'm still not convinced it's worth paying $2+ for an iced coffee. My pennies have to be pinched for the better good despite my wants! Boo hoo for me! I heard about something called 'cold brew' in which you soak coffee grounds overnight and strain it using the 'concentrate' to make your coffee. I found this fascinating! I can get my coffee fix AND not have to deal with another appliance on my already crowded kitchen counter.

One day while browsing the glutton's paradise Foodgawker, I typed in the search engine 'cold brewed iced coffee'. The search led me to a few different recipes and after clicking onto them all, the last one I clicked on led me to a duo named Clay and Zach. These two gorgeous guys started The Bitten Word solely on the fact that although they loved food magazines (fellas after my own foodie heart), they hadn't been the best at putting them to use (much like myself). They post their results after their cooking adventures to show how they turned out. They made an iced coffee using a recipe from nytimes.com and I figured it looked easy enough so, I had a go at it.

I bought a flavored coffee at Walmart for $1 ..

Don't that sound tasty?

Poured it into a container for its overnight stay.

The recipe calls for 1 1/2 c. water per 1/3 c. ground coffee.

Your coffee grounds should be completely covered.

Place a lid on your container and let it rest at room temperature

overnight or 12 hours. Make sure you have something guarding

its safety .. my Delft cow creamer was up to the task at hand.

Strain your concentrate through a fine mesh sieve or some
cheesecloth making sure not to let any grounds escape.
I strain it into a container with a lid so I can mix everything
together and pour into my glass.

I usually put a coffee filter in my sieve so I don't have a lot of

grounds to mess with. Even after it's drained, I'll wrap my

ball of coffee grounds in two more filters and squeeze out the

excess liquid that's hiding. I want every bit of coffee I can get.

After adding an equal amount of water, some powdered milk

and sweeten to taste, I shake it up until everything is combined and

pour my concoction over ice into a not so fancy plastic cup.

Looks good, doesn't it? Looks strangely familiar, doesn't it?

And, it tastes absolutely delicious .. for less $$!!!

Cold-Brewed Iced Coffee

Originally posted on NYTimes.com

1/3 cup ground coffee (medium-coarse grind is best)

Milk (optional).

1. In a jar, stir together coffee and 1 1/2 cups water.

Cover and let rest at room temperature overnight or 12 hours.

2. Strain twice through a coffee filter, a fine-mesh sieve or a sieve

lined with cheesecloth. In a tall glass filled with ice,

mix equal parts coffee concentrate and water, or to taste.

If desired, add milk.

Yield: Two drinks.

NOTE: To make hot coffee, dilute concentrate one-to-one

with water and heat in the microwave.

Rockstar ice cream float & birthday wishes

2010-04-20T21:13:00.002-05:00

Ok, does everyone know what the Rockstar energy drinks are? It is the most tastiest energy drink I've ever had the pleasure to consume. They sure have come in handy after a sleepless night or an especially rough day at work and I need some energy to go somewhere unexpected. Well, one day, I got a crazy idea to try it in an ice cream float.

Here's the story:

Last summer, my friend Laura posted on Facebook that her and her daughter were hosting a Float party at their house. Guests were encouraged to bring their own favorite drink to make a unique float besides the basic root beer and cola flavors. Silly Dutch guy and I were debating on using a Rockstar and what better place to try it than at a float party?

We got there with Rockstars in tow, got our cup with vanilla ice cream in it and tried it ..

it .. was .. amazing ..

Pure and simple genius ..

You can take any vanilla ice cream, a glass and an energy drink

of your choice .. we just love the taste of the plain o'l Rockstar

above anything else. There's a variety to choose from so, pick your fave.

Look at that head of creamy vanilla foam ..

I mean seriously .. how beautiful is that?

I made mine in a Grolsch beer glass but, you could use

anything I'm sure .. I just think it's neat looking at all

that glorious color of the drink and the ice cream.

We buy the 4 pack when they're on sale and try to stock up on them. And because it was so close to my birthday (April 21), I decided to treat myself .. I felt like I deserved something special .. and since I can't afford to treat myself to this thing of beauty:

My dream mixer in willow blue!

Isn't she purty?

The least I could do is treat myself to an ice cream float .. happy birthday to me!

*sigh*

And in the blink of an eye ..

All gone .. bye bye ..

Do something special for yourself today .. birthday or no birthday ..

Unexpected expenses and Chicken Noodle soup!

2010-04-08T12:43:00.004-05:00

It never fails, huh? Just when you think it couldn't get any worse financially, it happens ..
The inevitable ..
It strikes when you least expect it ..

Unexpected expenses!

*sigh*

We had four within weeks of each other and what can you do .. you can either laugh or cry and I decided to choose the first! Usually, things like this bother me but, I chose to see beyond the dark of the issues at hand. In the course of a month, these things happened:

I came down with the stomach flu .. missed 3 days of work, doctor bill and medication.
Got rid of the broken down refrigerator with limited freezer space and invested in a new stand up freezer from Sears.
Doggies! Blacks had an ear infection, Spots had a skin infection and both needed medications, rabies shots and deworming.
The car stopped running and found we needed a new fuel pump.

When someone came up with the adage, 'When it rains, it pours', they weren't joking! So, things have been spread pretty thin around here but, we've managed somehow. Thankfully, we were pretty lucky a generous coworker of mine had her hubby check out the car and tow it to the mechanics for us. I dug around for hidden money (gift cards are a blessing when they have a $1 or two left on them), cashed in a rebate check for $6.27 and broke out our spare change just until the silly Dutch guy gets paid. Thankfully, we had a stocked pantry and a few items in the freezer to nurse off of until we get a full paycheck again (and even when that happens, it's back to the mechanic for a few more things needing fixed on the car). And for Easter (things like this only seem to happen to us during the holidays), we were blessed with a huge tasty ham from a very generous and selfless friend of ours to which I was truly grateful!

Once I started feeling better during the stomach flu phase, I felt like some homemade Chicken Noodle soup. Now mind you, I save the carcasses from a rotisserie chicken I buy from the Wal*Mart deli when they have them marked down 2 for $5. I bag them up and put them in the freezer. On occasion, I'll bag up a whole chicken instead of picking all the meat off it just for the heck of it! So ..

In a soup pot full of water, add one whole chicken plus a carcass
and begin boiling.

I put them in frozen because I don't think it makes a

difference whether they're thawed or not.

The marinade in the rotisserie chicken makes all the

difference in my broth being rich and flavorful.
Keep adding water to your pot if the water level starts
getting too low.

After boiling for what seems like an eternity, or in most cases,

3 to 4 hours, remove the chickens and begin straining

the broth. I use a colander lined with coffee filters

over a big bowl to catch all the tiny bits of bone

and junk that collects while boiling.

The strained broth goes back into the soup pot along

with 4-5 boneless and skinless chicken breasts and

continue to cook until breasts are cooked through.
Remove breasts and cut up or tear into strips when
cooled and add back into your broth.

Once your rotisserie chicken has cooled down enough

to handle, strip the meat off of it and add to your broth.

Whatever meat you don't eat, save it for another use.

We only eat the breast meat on most occasions so,

I'll take the remaining meat and freeze it. Once I get enough

gathered up, I add cooked macaroni or rice,

peas and cooked carrots and give my dogs a special

dinner to break the monotony of their canned dinner.

Take 4 stalks of celery, 4 carrots and a large onion,

cleaned and chopped up.

Add them to your soup pot.

Don't get rid of the celery leaves, they are delicious

and add much needed nutrition to your soup du jour.

Keep cooking for another hour or until veggies are tender.

The silly Dutch guy bought these one time by mistake

and had been sitting in the freezer for a while.

I thought they'd be rather tasty in my soup.

You could use any noodle, homemade or dry.

I like to add about 3T. dried parsley during this time

and cook until your noodles are done.

Look at that bowl of rich and tasty goodness!

There's something to be said about home cooking

even when cheating with an already cooked chicken!

What to do with all the left over celery when you don't own a refrigerator?

Chop up the remaining stalks, spread them out on a baking sheet

and freeze. Once they're frozen, put them in a ziplock freezer

bag, remove as much air as humanly possible and return to

the freezer for future uses. Foods like celery, green pepper,

onion, etc. that are just going to eventually be cooked can be

frozen and added to your recipe since they soften up during

cooking anyway.

And I can't end my post without acknowledging one of the

newest additions to the Manintveld family.

This little guy, along with his bigger brother, were adopted

from Aldi a couple months ago for $9.99 each.

They have made our little family pretty happy lately!

And on that note, I hope you find much happiness despite the sad and the bad and the mad ..

Dwelling on the negative only wastes your time .. find something to fix that in a positive way!

Sandwich Thins goody giveaway!

2010-03-04T22:42:00.002-06:00

I was given the fabulous opportunity to host a 'Sandwich Thins Sandwich Revolution House Party' recently thanks in part to House Party. I was really excited to be a part of something revolutionary, something exciting .. and then, the roof fell in. Apparently, these are NOT available in my area.

Are you kidding me? Is this some kind of sick joke?

Nope, it wasn't a joke .. I was so disappointed but alas, I wasn't the only one suffering this dilemna .. there were many other hosts having trouble finding 'Sandwich Thins' products as well. There are many retailers in my area not carrying this product and to be quite frank, it's their loss.

Due to circumstances beyond my control, House Party was kind enough to overnight 4 packages of these rolls specifically to hold up their end of the bargain and for me to supply my party with rolls. I found it rather silly to host a party with a product not readily available anywhere in my area, especially since part of the goody bag I was to hand out included $1 off coupons.

I was given the option to host or not to host .. I initially decided not to host.

So, here I was, 4 packs of rolls, I gave one a shot .. it was the best tasting sandwich roll I've tasted yet! Why aren't these available here? Now I'm hooked!

I couldn't stand it .. I ended up taking the rest of my rolls, some deli meats and cheeses and the goody bags up to a relatives house to share the wealth. Not a complaint was made with the exception of not being able to buy the rolls around here!

So, here's the deal .. I've got goody bags left over .. 5 in all! They are ALL up for grabs! It includes:

Reusable grocery bag
2 Grocery list pads
5 blank recipe cards
Set of 3 recipe cards
Nutrition facts and healthy living tips

And the best part is, if your area happens to carry Oroweat/Arnold 'Sandwich Thins', I'll be including a coupon with your goody bag!

Make a comment below to be included in the drawing letting me know what your favorite sandwich ingredient is! Drawings will be done at Random and ends at noon CST on March 7th, winners will be notified by email so, leave a valid email address in your comment. And please don't forget to write in your comment if 'Sandwich Thins' are available where you live so I can give you a $ off coupon!!

One lucky winner will be getting a 'Sandwich Thins' cutting board along with your goody bag .. it could be YOU! Good luck to all and start telling me your favorite sandwich ingredient today!

Contest is now over!

We have our winners in the order of responding

to this offer, via my blog and my facebook page:

Laura B.

Janet P.

ahorne

Rhonda W.

Fel T.

There were only 5 entries for this contest so, I picked one winner at Random for the 'Sandwich Thins' cutting board!

The winner is:

Rhonda W.

Congratulations everybody!

Our local 'dented can' store and why I should go there more often ..

2010-03-02T21:10:00.005-06:00

We happen to live in the town of Aurora, Missouri (pop. 7,478).

We happen to be among the cities 'poor' elite.

We happen to FINALLY understand the meaning of pinching a penny 'til it screams.

Ever since the silly Dutch guy became unemployed in early 2008, we gradually resorted back into the 'poor phase' we had to live with while in Holland many moons ago. Needless to say, what I thought I learned across the pond certainly didn't prepare me for having to go above and beyond what I was used to during this recession. Even though I thought I was pretty good at pinching pennies, one of the things I began to realize was how much food and money I was wasting, which is foolish whether rich, middle class or poor:

Buying items only to end up throwing them away due to spoilage.
Stocking up on certain items thinking I'd find a use for them and then, after 3-4 years, never using them at all and need to throw it away (those cans of coconut milk and the jar of tequila soaked green olives in the jar certainly need to be pitched but, I hold onto them like gold).
Bulk up on items since they were on sale or priced cheaply and let them sit on the shelves until the opportunity comes to raid the pantry for items to donate to the postal carriers during 'Stamp Out Hunger'. I wasn't using it so, why not give it to someone who could REALLY use it
Eating out 5 times a week because I was too tired to cook.
Not brown bagging lunches for work and using the vending machines for snacks and drinks during breaks.

I'm not the most diligent in frugality by any means but, I'm certainly trying to learn along the way. It's only a matter of time before I'll feel I've accomplished my ideal of frugality and get back on the 'back to basics' bandwagon.

I was curious about my fellow poor brethren among us here in Aurora so, I began to look things up online. One of the many things I learned while researching the poor in Aurora is that compared to the Missouri state average, it shows the median household income in Aurora to be below state average. The breakdown of poor married-couple families by work experience is as shown:

)

Both didn't work (51%)
One full-time, other didn't work (16%)
Both worked part-time (14%)
One part-time, other didn't work (14%)
One full-time, other part-time (5%)
Both worked full-time (0%)

Wouldn't you know we'd be second on that list. And even though silly Dutch guy was working at a video store, his hours are now null and void. Zip. Nada. Unfortunately, his employers have filed for bankruptcy at this time. So, while he's looking around for yet another job, we're back to square one: I'm, yet again, the only bread winner in the family.

*sigh*

There's a lesson to be learned in all this and now, I'm open to learning something good in this situation instead of getting myself in a depressed funk. I only like my funk to be musical, not emotional!

So now, after all that .. here is my subject:

B & P Discount Grocery!

B & P is a 'dented can' store which is located on the corner of

W. Olive St. and S. Washington Ave. in beautiful downtown Aurora.

The silly Dutch guy got his first job working here when he arrived in America 4 years ago. He loved his job but, hours were few and far between so, he sought out greener pastures. There are days when I wish he was still working here because we got a sweet employee discount. I love this store because sometimes you can find things you normally wouldn't find in our small town.. In fact, I once found a box of Droste cocoa, Douwe Egberts coffee and a package of speculaas and thought I was in Dutch heaven!

I have a few friends who frequent here and even let me know their finds just in case I want to go and see if there are any left for me to pick up. I have to refrain lots of times for this is the one place I will go overboard on my 'interesting' finds. I have to be a good girl, and that's certainly hard for me!

So, on our most recent excursion, we found lots of goodies (it figures) and I found the one thing I've been craving to make at home for some time now .. cupcakes!

Just look at them price labels!

confetti cake mix - .79

can of reduced sugar frosting - .89

baking cups (in tres chic Halloween style) - 50 ct. for .29

This mix made 24 cupcakes for about $1.83 + tax.

Now, I could have made them from scratch but,

for this price, I felt like I deserved to be lazy just this once!

During their Christmas clearance sale, I purchased a
Christmas cupcake baking set at Wal*Mart which offered
3 6ct. aluminum cupcake containers with baking cups included.
Since I have my lovely halloween ones to use,

I'll still have plenty of Christmas cupcake baking cups
around for years to come ..

'cause that's just how often I make cupcakes at
Maninteld Manor. I'm determined to get them used up though,
you just watch!

I bought these nonpareils at B & P probably
about 5 years ago, still in the package,
still with the safety film intact.

They were .79 when they were purchased ..
and I hardly used any of them during the making
of these fun and fabulous cupcakes.

Oh my gooooodnesssss!
Who cares if the paper cups are halloweenish?

They just get pulled off and thrown away around here,

I'm not impressing anyone important!

Well, perhaps this little fella ..

.. and this sweet faced boy over here ..

So, thank you B & P, for giving me 24 cupcakes of pleasure for under $2 .. you certainly made my day! I really should be frequenting you more often during these trying times ..

The silly Dutch guy cooks?!?!?

2010-02-17T22:04:00.003-06:00

Now don't be too shocked, the man actually does some things in the kitchen! 9 times out of 10, I'm the cook in the family. He's quite content on me making the majority of our meals but, every once in a while, he gets a wild hair .. and comes up with something great.

You see, Richard and his uncle Leo would have these movie marathons at home many moons ago during the VHS era. Since they would usually get the munchies late at night, they used to gather up all sorts of edible items from the fridge and cupboards and throw them together to see if they could actually produce something edible. In the Netherlands, this is usually referred to as kneuter koken, in which, kneuteren can easily be translated into nothing else but 'messing stuff up'.

So, one night after I came home from a long, hard day at work, I found Richard busy making this dish. My jaw dropped immediately and I asked him what he was doing and he told me, 'It's none of your business' so, I had to wait it out. Needless to say, I was a bit skeptic about the dish once he produced it. He sat me on the couch (we don't own a dining table and chairs anymore), brought me this big full pan of food and told me we were going to eat out of it. He got comfortable on the other end of the couch and with the pan between us, we dug in.

I couldn't believe it .. it actually worked out! It was so tasty, I didn't want it to end! Needless to say, this dish has cropped up many times in the last few months and will continue to do so ..

Here's all your ingredients ..

Spray your pan good ..

We just happen to love instant mashed potatoes but,

you can make your own from scratch.

I make ours with powdered milk and

we can't tell a difference in taste ..

See? Looks milky, right?

If using instant, just follow the instructions on the box

to make at least 2 cups mashed potatoes.

This is what silly Dutch guy loves to use,

we find it on sale and stock up ..

Pour contents into your greased baking dish ..

Dice up your onion either fine or chunky,

whichever you prefer ..

Put on top of chili ..

Dice up your tomato ..

Put on top of onion ..

Smooth out your mashed potatoes to make a layer ..

Sprinkle with shredded colby jack ..

Don't forget the bread crumbs ..

it'll make it nice and crunchy on top ..

And after it's baked, gaze at the wonder you have made ..

It's messy but, DELICIOUS! Dig right in ..

You'd think we didn't feed him with that pitiful look on his face ..

Yeah, we can't resist ..

we wait until it's cooled down enough and then ....

'Yay, we get samples!'

One of the best dishwashers in this house ..

and don't worry, we 'rewash' them!

Kneuter Chili

1 19 oz.can of chili

1 small onion, diced

1 roma tomato, diced

2 c. instant mashed potatoes

2 c. colby jack cheese, shredded

1 handful bread crumbs

In a greased 8 x 8 baking dish, layer in the order of ingredients listed above. Put into a 400F oven and cook for 25-30 minutes until cheese is melted and a crust has appeared on top.

And, as his Uncle Leo would say, 'We sure can't cook but, we surely can throw a lot of stuff together and make it tasty.'

Mashed Potatoes

- Valentine's Day 2010 -

2010-02-16T19:39:00.004-06:00

Hey everybody, I hope you had a wonderful Valentine's Day .. what did you and your loved one do for the big day? Go out for dinner? Take in a movie? Or, did you keep it pretty frugal .. a picnic in the park? Rent videos and stay inside all nice and toasty? Whatever you did, how fabulous for you!

So, you know you wanna ask! What did moi and the silly Dutch guy do for V-day? We both had to work .. ALL DAY! Sure, someone has to be around to decorate cakes and rent out videos to all you Valentine's Day celebrators .. and that just happened to be us! You should have come in and said hi .. *wink*

It's all good, it gave me ALL DAY to think of something special to make for my sweetheart for dinner ..

I racked my brain for something different, something sandwichy for the Dutch guy .. something that wouldn't take forever to fix ..

Folks, :drumroll: I give to you, the ..

Savory Mushroom and Swiss Marinated Beef sandwich!

Warning: We did not harm any condiments during the eating of this sandwich but,
you could add anything you want to if need be!

I know, I know .. it's a thing of beauty, isn't it?

Look at all that cheesy goodness!

Wait for it .. waaaaaait for iiiiiit ..

BOOM! That's what I'm talkin' about!

Look at all that meltiness!

Oh man, I can't contain my excitement!

I even amazed myself, people!

The silly Dutch guy can't contain all that excitement either!

Dig right in, behbe .. Happy Valentine's Day and I love you!

Savory Mushroom and Swiss Marinated Beef sandwich

1 lb. top round roast, thinly sliced

2-3 T. soy sauce

1 T. dried parsley

1/2 t. garlic powder

salt and pepper to taste

2 T. olive oil

8 oz. white mushrooms, sliced

2 T. butter

1 large loaf of ciabatta bread
4 slices baby swiss

In a large ziplock baggie or bowl, add first 5 ingredients. Mix well and let set for 10-15 minutes.
Add olive oil to a pan over medium heat. Put contents of beef mixture into pan and fry until meat is no longer pink.
Add mushrooms and butter, stirring to combine ingredients. Turn heat down to low and cover, cooking for 30 minutes.
Slice ciabatta loaf longways and toast in a 400F. oven for 5-7 minutes.
Take meat mixture and pile onto bottom half of ciabatta. Take your swiss slices and lay across top of mixture.
Put back into the oven and broil until cheese is melted.
Top with other half of ciabatta and slice down the middle or into fourths.

Feeds 2 hungry, hard working Valentine's or 4 not so hungry, everyday folks.

Enjoy!

Savory Mushroom and Swiss Marinated Beef Sandwich

Aldi, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways ..

2010-02-10T20:46:00.002-06:00

I must admit, ever since we had to tighten our belts around the ol' Manintveld homestead, we decided not to waste our gas on any spur of the moment car trips. Sad but, true! Now here's the thing, we live in such a tiny town here in Missouri, sometimes we have to make our way to the big city every now and then. The big city I'm talking about is about 30+ miles away. Usually, we have to travel to the city of Springfield for certain reasons .. doctor visits for my Mama and ourselves, shopping excursions, dining out, visit my brother, etc. We'll map out our trip to ensure we get more done with less running from one end of town to the other. Then, there are days when we're really getting low in our pantry and need to restock it and where do we go for that? You guessed it ..

My Happy Place!!

I bet you're thinking, "Why go ALL the way to Springfield when you have a perfectly good Walmart Supercenter in your tiny little town .. and, you're employed with Walmart, why not stay true to the one handing out a paycheck to you every two weeks?" I do stay true to Walmart where certain items are concerned. There's a plethora of items we purchase from my fabulous store! But one thing's for sure, I can stretch the rest of that money out better at Aldi! Sure, it takes gas to get to Aldi .. no doubt. But, here's my theory .. I stock up! I don't go on a whim, I go when our cupboards are getting bare. And even though the silly Dutch guy is finally working again, he only gets about 6 hours a week. It helps us get through the rest of the week before I get paid again but, it's still not enough and we still have to be frugal! Not to mention that my insurance at work changed and they're taking out even more per pay period so, I'm bringing home much less than before. These reasons makes my decision to go to Aldi even stronger .. and their products are fabulous!

I first heard of Aldi when we were living in the Netherlands but, we had a closer and much better grocery store called Lidl .. it was the first place we went to when our money came in the first of the month, it was within walking distance and we had to pass a petting zoo along the way so, it was just so pleasant making that trip to get groceries. Even when we moved to the next town over, we still made the trip by bus for our necessities while our other 'closer' grocery store (a block away) was for little things like meat and such.

Sweet, sweet memories of Lidl .. *sigh* How I love thee!

Lidl and Aldi are practically the same, hence, me loving to go to Aldi! Even during Christmas this past 2009, we made quite a few foodie gift purchases .. various chocolates, coffee items, cookies .. they have it all!

We've been hitting the pantry pretty hard during the past month or so and we ARE starting to get low on toilet paper and paper towels .. the silly Dutch guy ought to start getting the car geared up for another run! Anyone want to car pool?

Thanx, House Party!

2010-02-09T22:51:00.002-06:00

I received a confirmation email to my inbox today from House Party notifying me that I was chosen amongst many others to host a 'Sandwich Revolution House Party' using Oroweat Sandwich Thins!

Yippee! How exciting, I just joined and it's gonna be my first House Party ever!!

Since I was confirmed as a host, I'll be receiving a free party package to share with my guests shortly before the party. They've also set up a party page of my own for things like a guest list, a message board, a place to upload a video and photos of the event, I can even change the date and time of the party to suit me better.

I just need to iron out some minor details and come up with a plan in which to throw this shindig!

I can't wait to get together with some really great people and make some yummy sandwiches!!!

Free Krispy Kreme donuts - I couldn't resist, people!

2010-01-27T00:58:00.003-06:00

Ok folks, here's the deal .. it was an offer I just simply couldn't refuse, you understand? I mean, c'mon .. the silly Dutch guy and I were in Springfield doing some shopping at Aldi to replenish our pantry and there it was. I'd already heard about the promo on the Pinching Your Pennies website. We'd already passed it on the way to shop, we were just going to pass it on the way back to the interstate. It was destiny .. I was not going to be satisfied until we went. I told Dutch guy to pull into the parking lot quick before I changed my mind! I'm so glad we did!!

Aw, the box even had hearts on it for Valentine's day and everything!

Wanna see what we got?

We got two of each:

Heart shaped, glazed blueberry cake, glazed sour cream cake, chocolate iced custard filled, glazed lemon filled and original glazed.

So luscious .. mmmmm!

The Dutch guy wanted these badly!

Krispy Kreme surely makes a gorgeous doughnut, don't they?

Aw, Dutch guy can't contain his excitement ..

He's lost his flippin' mind!

Here's the free Valentine's Day cards you receive when you purchase a dozen doughnuts,

aren't they just way too cute?

Each card has a free doughnut coupon on the reverse side.

Say what? $2 off a 2nd dozen doughnuts?

Naw, we were fine with just the 1 dozen ..

I'm thinking about giving this to my friend Laura .. she goes to Springfield more often than we do!

She'd better hurry, it expires February 1st.

Oh, and not to mention the really cool hat we took with us upon our exit!

C'mere, Dutch doughnut guy .. rowr!!

Be sure to make your way before Valentine's Day to take advantage of this wonderful deal! You already get a free sample doughnut upon arriving, whip out one of your free doughnut Valentine's Day card, buy yourself a cup of Joe, sit down and enjoy a cheap breakfast! Surely they give refills, don't you think?

Check here to see if your stores are participating!

FREE EBOOK to check out!

2010-01-24T21:22:00.002-06:00

I was checking out this really cool website called Yes, I am Cheap and in one of her posts, she mentioned a website she really liked called The Simple Dollar. He started his website due to his own financial situation and he begins his story with this:

"A wise man once said “The man who makes no mistakes does not usually make anything.” It took me a long time to summon the courage to admit that it was my own mistakes that led me to financial armageddon. It required me to admit that not only had I been making mistakes since my earliest days, but also to admit that many of the ideas I had learned in my life and built through my own experiences were completely wrong.
In order to understand these mistakes, I am initiating a ten part series of posts, a part to be posted each weekday for the next two weeks, in which I outline those various mistakes and what they did to pave the road to financial armageddon. More importantly, I hope to learn (and perhaps you will learn, too) how these mistakes can be corrected, not only for myself, but for others around me, such as my children. Hopefully, my mistakes laid bare will bring some insight into your own financial mistakes and perhaps lead you to your own epiphanies."

I've made plenty of financial mistakes along the way and all were of my own doing. It became a big problem when my Ovarian cancer diagnosis came about and upon losing my job, I couldn't pay my bills. I wish I had been better at being more accountable of my finances and perhaps one day, I'll either succeed or at least be on top of it. Until then, I'm going to try to learn as much as possible now that my eyes are opening more and more.

Everything You Ever Really Needed to Know About Personal Finance on the Back of Five Business Cards is something everyone should read if needing, wanting and is ready to take those first steps. It all boils down to these few simple steps:

1. Spend Less Than You Earn
2. Earn More
3. Live Frugal
4. Manage Money
5. Control your Own Destiny

What I'm most impressed with is it's just pure and basic common sense, of which I'm a big fan of. Even if you're in a good financial state, it still doesn't hurt to see what other steps you could take to having an even better financial state. It's a free ebook and who couldn't use something free nowadays? You can download it for yourself, I did! And, I'm sure you won't regret it!

It just goes to show that not everybody has job security!

2010-01-15T17:57:00.003-06:00

It just so happens that there's a lot of hoopla going on lately about Conan O'Brien and his open letter to "People of Earth". It amazes even me that your 'not so average, everyday Joe' can be affected by a recession, much less losing your job.

In the article 'Conan O'Brien hits a nerve with America's job insecurity' on Wallet Pop, this quote got my attention and fast!

"O'Brien is giving a voice to the unemployed during the worst recession in 25 years. In an economy when people will work overtime without pay so they can hold on to their jobs, it's refreshing to see an employee -- albeit a millionaire -- speak his mind about his bosses and not fear for his job. Or if there is any fear, at least O'Brien should have enough in the bank to make his next job search a lot easier."

O'Brien is a lucky man. He can stand his ground to his employers and really have nothing to lose. It's not like he won't find another job for he is quite talented and there's no way he won't let his expertise go unused. The man wrote not only for 'Saturday Night Live but, for 'the Simpson's' as well! Even if his bosses decide to cut their strings and take their losses, he's going to come out smelling like a rose ..

But, not everyone is that lucky. Some of us everyday Joe's have to make a living doing whatever you have to do to survive. Some of us everyday Joe's have gone unemployed for months and even years before finding something to put food on the table, pay the bills, keep a roof over your head .. blah blah blah. This is why it's so important for us to become frugal in one way, shape or form. You never know when it'll happen to you .. YOU might be the next one to lose your job.

Just be forewarned, people .. you can do it, every little bit helps .. no telling how long this recession will go on and even when it does ease up, wouldn't it feel good to have known you made it through and comfortably so? Lessons to learn to share with the next generation when we may have another recession to endure 25 years from now.

I'm just sayin' .. ;-)

Chicken Nachos are a thing to behold!

2010-01-14T23:27:00.006-06:00

The Silly Dutch Guy's statement of warning!

We absolutely loooooove making Chicken Nachos and every once in a while, we get a wild hair. We want to do it up right and yet, make it an easy cleanup meal. This has got to be one of the easiest dinner ideas we have and I'm gonna share it with you right now but, you must promise not to divulge any information .. you hear me? This little secret is just between you and me .. it is stealthy and culvert in its mission for taste bud satisfation.. I give you, the Chicken Nachos of your dreams!

Here goes:

Grill some chicken breasts, we just happened to have sprinkled them generously with 'Tastefully Simple' Fiesta Party dip mix. Once they're done, cut into strips and then cut into bite size pieces.

Layer your serving dish with tortilla chips, the chicken and whatever cheese you like (we use a Colby/Jack blend). Keep layering until desired height (here, we did 3 high). Bake in a 375 F oven for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Turn your oven to 'Broil' and heat it for about 4-5 minutes until brown and bubbly.

There you have it .. Cheapy Cheesy Chicken Chachos .. ehm, whatever!

Top with your favorite salsa.

Add a touch of sour cream and diced onion, we thought red onion would be tasty but, we normally use yellow.

That's one seriously hungry face .. eat up, Behbums! Lekker!

Spots is giving his best fainting from hunger look as Leia knows that patience will prevail in the end ..

Blacks is trying to use the 'Jedi mind trick' to get Daddy to give him a bite! Better luck next time, Junior!

Give it a try one of these nights when you're feeling like something easy and satisfying .. enjoy!

Chicken Breast

This post was linked to:

My Mama's famous Mayonnaise cake

2010-01-13T20:29:00.002-06:00

My Mama has done her fair share of cooking. She can't really say she enjoyed cooking, she kind of had to cook. She got married pretty young at 17, had a husband and 3 children who needed sustenance and a budget that wasn't always hefty. She really had to be creative and she took a lot of what she learned from her Mom and big sister Ava Lee (who was married at 13 herself). Cheap pieces of meat cooked for longer periods of time, beans and cornbread were a staple, cornbread and milk was a nice treat but, her one shining glory was her Mayonnaise cake.

I'm not sure where she got this recipe but, she's had it for ages. My brother, Monte, always had to have a Mayonnaise cake .. when he was in the Army, when he was out of the Army, whenever she could have one made for him, he wanted it. He was a Mayonnaise cake junkie and that's no lie. Any time he had a new lady in his life, he'd make them call her up just to get the recipe from her so THEY can make it for him.

When she married my Daddy and I was growing up, she made it quite a bit. I wouldn't touch her Mayonnaise cake .. for years. I wasn't a big fan of Mayo, never had been. Although, I did come to appreciate Dutch Mayonnaise while living in Holland but, only the kind made with olive oil. It was tasty with frietes (french fries). When I FINALLY got up the nerve to sample it, I couldn't believe how wonderful it was. So moist with just the right amount of spice. She would sprinkle powdered sugar on it but, I could do without it .. it's fine all on its own.

Here it is, everyone .. give it a chance, it's fabulous!

Mayonnaise cake

In a separate bowl, combine:

1 c. chopped nuts
1 c. raisins
1 scant c. warm water
1/2 t. soda

In another bowl, combine:

1 c. sugar
1 c. mayonaise
1 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. cloves
1/4 t. salt
1 t. baking powder
1 t. vanilla
2 c. sifted flour

Preheat your oven to 350F.

1.) Add to top ingredients in mixing bowl.
2.) Stir like hell with large spoon.
3.) Turn into greased 8 x 8 pan.
4.) Bake until a toothpick comes back clean when inserted.

Now mind you, this is her own words .. I had no influence on it whatsoever .. ;-)

9 Money-Saving Kitchen Staples

2010-01-13T16:14:00.006-06:00

I'm sharing this tidbit of information from Live Solid 's Facebook Fan page:

BUDGET KITCHEN BASICS

Need it: Pancake Mix
Make it: Stir together 1 3/4 cups flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 tablespoon baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. In another bowl, whisk 2 eggs and 3 tablespoons vegetable oil into 1 1/2 cups milk. Add liquid to dry mixture and whisk. Don't overmix; batter should be lumpy. Makes 10 to 12 pancakes.

Need it: Chocolate Syrup
Make it: In a saucepan over medium heat, stir together 1 cup water, 1/3 cup light corn syrup, 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract. Stir constantly until just boiling. Cool and store in the fridge for up to 2 months.

Need it: Bacon Bits
Make it: Finely chop leftover cooked bacon and place in a zip-top bag, pressing out all the air when you seal it. Form into a flat, thin layer and freeze; simply break off a few pieces and crumble them when you need bacon bits. Freeze for up to 3 months.

Need it: Pre-Chopped Garlic
Make it: Chop a handful of peeled garlic cloves in a food processor; place in a sealable container and cover with olive oil. Store chilled airtight up to 2 weeks. Once the garlic is gone, use oil to flavor pasta or salad dressing.

Need it: Fresh Buttermilk
Make it: For 1 cup buttermilk to use in baking, mix 1 tablespoon white vinegar or lemon juice with 1 cup milk; let sit 5 minutes and use. Combining 3/4 cup plain yogurt and 1/4 cup milk works, too.

Need it: Packaged Croutons
Make it: Cut any type of bread into cubes and coat them lightly in oil, then sprinkle with salt or garlic salt. (Add even more flavor by tossing in oil-and-vinegar salad dressing or dry herbs.) Toast on a baking sheet in the oven, stirring occasionally, at 350 degrees F. until just golden.

Need it: Jarred Spaghetti Sauce
Make it: Saute half a chopped onion, 1 minced garlic clove, and 1/4 cup olive oil in a medium saucepan until onion is soft. Add a 28-ounce can diced or chopped tomatoes, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1 tablespoon dry oregano and simmer for 20 minutes. Season with ground black pepper.

Need it: Taco Seasoning Packet
Make it: Stir together 4 teaspoons chili powder, 1 tablespoon onion powder, 2 teaspoons garlic powder, 1 tablespoon ground cumin, 2 teaspoons paprika, 2 teaspoons dry oregano, 1 teaspoon sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Use 2 tablespoons to season 1 pound ground beef, chicken, or turkey.

Need it: Packaged Bread Crumbs
Make it: Dry slices or cubes of any type of bread about 15 minutes in the oven at 300 degrees F. Crush in a food processor or with the bottom of a pan. For seasoned bread crumbs, add dry herbs like oregano or thyme (a little garlic powder tastes great, too). To make flaky panko-like crumbs, mince fresh bread by pulsing it in a food processor, then dry the crumbs at 250 degrees F.

Originally published in Ladies' Home Journal, November 2009.

My favorite frugal tip EVER!

2010-01-13T11:22:00.003-06:00

I've read alot of websites offering tips from others that I've taken as my own in my everyday life. They're out there, just waiting to be put to use in our own households. Most are from using their common sense and I have yet to read about my most favorite frugal tip! I might not have come across it yet, I don't read each and every money saving website for I'm sure they are in the 10's of thousands. In this day and age, I wouldn't be surprised.

So, what's my utmost favorite tip?

Buying the fullest bottle.

If you can see where the liquid is, you can look at all the other bottles and compare the height of the liquid inside. I do this with everything: vinegar, dishwashing detergent, soft drinks, syrups. If you can see in it, I do it! I don't care if it's only a couple of ounces, your price is based on weight anyway so .. why not get a few more ounces for your money? It only takes a few seconds to glance at the other bottles while you've got your head in there ready to grab your item. It's a guilty pleasure but, a pleasure all the same in my mind.

I'm now into the habit of weighing already bagged produce to find the heaviest one. Sometimes one bag of onions weighs a little bit less than another so, I want the heaviest to get my $$'s worth.

It's the little things, you know ..

My top 10 reasons for starting this type of blog, and other annoyances!

2010-01-12T21:13:00.001-06:00

#10: I would like to share what frugal things we do in our household to help others.
#9: I would like to learn what frugal things others do to help my household even more.
#8: Our goal for 2010 is to be even more frugal than we already have to be.
#7: I want to know what my fellow Ozarkians do to save money.
#6: I need some excitement in my life!
#5: It's nice to reach out to others and do something incredible to help.
#4: That despite all the technology these days, the simple things are still cherished and handed down.
#3: Simplicity is a goal for just about everyone, including myself.
#2: I'm running out of ideas so, just go to the end!!!
Drumroll please ..........................................................................
#1: Because I can!

Yay, now that we got that out of the way, here's the deal. I'm not some newfangled guru who wants to be the end all to be all .. I'm a simple girl, with simple goals. I just want to be able to share amongst blog friends and beyond what frugal things can be done to simplify life or just to pocket that extra chump change to go toward paying off a credit card or saving for our future.

I want to post others ideas or have others post their ideas to my posts ..

I'm not asking for much, just don't be shy and absolutely spill your guts ..

No need to be stingy .. give me all you got .. I can take it .. all the way to the bank if need be!

This here is 'Frugalistic' and there's no stopping us!

Thank you for your time and let's see what we can achieve!