Little House in the Big Woods

We have been having a great time with our friends. They have been visiting with us for about three days and each day has been wonderful. We have played games, rode bikes, cook together, shopping, celebrated a birthday and have gone to the beach. Here are some pictures.

Here is a picture of everyone getting ready to hit the pinata. It is Dora the Explorer. The birthday girl (5 years old) pick it out. The younger ones like Dora but older ones don’t. Everyone enjoy hitting the pinata.

Jason and Timmy watching the girls hit the pinata.

Crissy blowing out her candle.

Alyssa caught a frog and of course, we let it go again.

She takes the greatest picture!!

For more Wordless Wednesaday click here.

We been having so much fun with our guest. I almost forgot to put up my tackle for the week. My tackle has been trying to found more homemade recipes. This week I made instant oatmeal. It costs so little to make and became an instant favorite with the family. A couple of weeks ago, I found a recipe for instant oatmeal. I wrote it down and put it away for awhile. I feel bad because I can’t give the person credit for the recipe I found because I forgot which website I found it at. It is a basic recipe and it is all over the internet. Here is the recipe.

Instant Fruity Oatmeal
Dry mix
6 cups quick-cooking oatmeal
1 cup dried fruit (any kind you like, I used a mixed fruit blend)
1 cup powdered non-dairy creamer
1 cup brown sugar
4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Mixed to combine. Store in airtight container.

For breakfast
1/2 cup instant oatmeal
1/2 cup water or milk

Mix the two ingredients together. Microwave for 45 seconds.

For more Tackle it Tuesday click here.

Here is my new toy in action. I got a great deal on chicken this week. I followed the instructions that come with the foodsaver and this is how I did it.

Step one: Place chicken in foodsaver gallon size bags.

Step Two: Freeze chicken for one to two hours to ensure that chicken juices stay in the chicken.

Step Three: After the two hours are up, vacuum and seal the chicken.

Step Four: Label and return the chicken to the freezer for future use.

Step Five: Clean drip tray in foodsaver. (By the way, mine was completely empty, but I washed it anyway).

This was a special trip to the grocery store. I didn’t make budget this week because we are having very special guests visit us. I figured an other family means double the budget. I believe I did really well this week. The total for grocery so far is $188.11.

Bananas 7.03 lbs @ $. 69 per lb = 4.85
Cucumbers 3 @ $.89 each = 2.67
Russet Potatoes 5lb bag = 3.99
Blueberries 2 pints @ $2.88 per pint = 5.76
Vidalia Onions 2lb bag = .99
Whole seedless watermelon = 5.99
Strawberries 2 (16oz) @ $2.99 each = 5.98
Chicken Tights and Legs 19.26 lbs @ $1.00 = 19.26
80/20 Ground Beef 3.02 lbs @ $1.99 = 6.01
Nestle Chocolate chip morsel 24 oz = 5.29
Quaker Quick Oats = 4.39
Vanilla Extract = 10.99
Sugar  5lbs = 2.79
Vanilla non-dairy creamer = 2.69
Hellsmann’s Reduced Fat Mayo = 3.99
Ronz simply taste pasta = 2.00
Bittersweet chocolate chips = 2.69
Corn cereal = 2.00
Fleischmann’s yeast = 2.69
Pam Butter Spray = 2.99
Lay’s Salt n’ vinegar chips = 2.50
Lay’s BBQ Wavy = 2.50
Cento Crushed tomatoes = 1.25
Ore-Ida Extra Crispy French Fries = 5.99
Banquet Chicken Nuggets = 5.99
Land o’ Lakes light butter 2 @ $3.79 each = 7.58
Hood Heavy Cream = 3.29
Egg 2 dozen @ $2.19 each = 4.38
Sharp cheese = 4.49
Daisy light sour cream 2 @ $2.39 each = 4.78
Whole milk = 3.79
Skim Milk = 3.79
Always maxi pads = 6.99
Degree = 4.29
Fruitis Sleek Shampoo =3.29
Secret = 3.50
York candy = .50
3 muskateer candy = .40
Sub rolls = 2.99
Italian bread 2 (buy one get one free) @ 3.29 each = 3.29
Breyer’s Ice Cream 4 (Buy one get one free) @ $5.49 each = 10.98
Old-Fashioned Peanut Butter = 2.99
Tax = .55

Grand Total $1.88.11

I learned a few things.

1. When you let your teenagers pick out their own deodorant and shampoo, they don’t check prices.
2. Stocking up on chicken was a good idea.
3. Stocking up on ice cream another good idea.
4. $188.11 for two families for a week is not bad. Which comes out to 94.06 per family or 8.55 per person for the week. I probably will have to go back for milk. I plan on making iced tea and lemonade to drink. Thanks you the suggestions and advice.
5. Any more advice or suggestions on how to save more money at the grocery I would be happy to take.

Appetizer

When was the last time you had your hair cut/trimmed?

Can’t remember, it has been a while

Soup

Name one thing you miss about being a child.

I wish having endless energy.

Salad

Pick one: butter, margarine, olive oil.

Olive oil, of course. Good for you and taste good.

Main Course

If you could learn another language, which one would you pick, and why?

Spanish, because it is a popular language.

Dessert

Finish this sentence: In 5 years I expect to be…

in California living with my family. We have been trying to move since November.

For more Friday’s Feast click here.

Our tackle for today is to make yogurt cheese. I use flavor yogurt for desserts and for fruit dip. Here is how to make it.

Step One: Gather everything you need to make yogurt cheese.

You will a bowl, stainer, cheesecloth 2 layers, and yogurt.

Step Two: Place strainer in a bowl. Then top strainer with cheesecloth. Top with the yogurt.

Step Three: Wrap extra cheesecloth on top of yogurt.

Step Four: Place a small saucer on top of cheesecloth.

Step Five: Add some weight. I use cans.

Step Six: Refrigerate for a few hours or until all the liquid has been remove.

Step Seven: Remove from refrigerator and remove cheese from cloth.

Cheese
Whey

Finished Product:

Extra tip: I was told that you can save the whey and use it like buttermilk, like in pancakes, breads, and dressings. I hadn’t try it yet but I will be using next time, we have pancakes.

The another day my husband and I were out on a date, when we decided to go to Marshalls and see what they have.  I don’t usually go to Marshall but dear husband wanted to see if he could find a picture or painting to hang over his desk. While he was looking at the art, I walked over to the cooking section. To my surprise, I saw that they had cooking videos. They had one of our family’s favorite chef, Alton Brown.  My daughter, Ashleigh, really enjoys his show. I found it to be entertaining as well as educational. So, I decided to check for the price and discovered it was only $3.00. What a bargain! I picked up all they had. Eight videos in all. So, I paid $25.20 for eight videos including tax. Food Network sells them for a lot more ($29.95).

Here is our Menu for the week:

Monday
Breakfast: Blueberry Pancakes
Lunch: Snack Wraps
Dinner: Beef and Potato Casserole

Tuesday
Breakfast: Instant Oatmeal
Lunch: Hot Dogs and Mac & Cheese
Dinner: Baja Chicken Chalupa

Wednesday
Breakfast: Raisin Bread French Toast
Lunch: Fried Rice
Dinner: Chicken and Dumpling

Thursday
Breakfast: Waffles
Lunch: Tuna Melts
Dinner: Shepherd’s Pie

Friday
Breakfast: Egg Casserole
Lunch: Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup
Dinner: Steak-ums Sandwiches

Saturday
Breakfast: Crepes
Lunch:  Leftovers
Dinner: Taco Bake

Sunday
Breakfast: Cereal
Lunch: Hamburgers
Dinner: Cobb Salad

For more Menu Planning click here.