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I found the yummiest recipe for homemade flour tortillas from The Hillbilly Housewife - http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/homemadeconveniencefoods.htm. The recipe calls for: Flour Tortillas 4 cups flour 1/3 cup shortening (crisco) 1 1/2 tsp salt 1 1/2 tsp baking powder (optional) 1 1/4 cup water Mix all ingredients into a dough and knead about a dozen times. Let sit for 10 minutes. Form into 12-14 balls and roll into tortillas. Heat a nonstick skillet or griddle - no grease - on med high heat. Place tortilla on griddle and let cook on one side, then flip to the other. You'll see bubbles rising when it's time to flip. They rise some as they cook, so roll them a little thinner than you think you'd like them. As soon as they come off the griddle, put them in a ziploc bag and close up - to keep them soft and pliable. These are much thicker than the store bought tortillas and don't roll up well. They will fold over nicely, but more like a soft flatbread.
We absolutely LOVE these tortillas - and have found them to be so versatile. I pack these with us now on outings - picnics -and camping trips because the bread doesn't squish! These are thick enough to make a great peanut butter and jelly "pizza" - or sandwich if you fold in half. For breakfast or dessert, I make a Banana Soapilla: Lightly spread tortilla with butter or margarine (or spray butter). Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon (like cinnamon toast) Line with thinly sliced bananas Place in broiler for a few minutes until sugar and bananas are bubbly Microwave a TBL of honey for 5-6 seconds, and drizzle over it Cut into slices and serve GRILLED MINI PIZZAS The tortillas make a great base for mini pizzas. Spread your favorite sauce, toppings and cheese on them, place on non-stick foil and place in a covered grill (gas) - or your oven at 350 degrees. Bake for approx. 5-8 minutes, until bubbly and done. We make them traditional, with pizza sauce, cheese and pepperoni, and we also make a great grilled chicken pizza. Grill and shred chicken with your favorite seasoning - we like Lemon Pepper Spread tortilla with your favorite sauce - we like White BBQ sauce Top with your favorite garden veggies - we like tomatoes, squash and zucchini, thinly sliced Top with cheese and bake. TACO PIZZA Spread the tortilla with cooked taco meat, refried beans and your favorite cheese. Bake in oven or grill at 350 for 5-8 minutes. Top with shredded lettuce, tomatoes and sour cream. As an alternative, instead of baking, fold these over for a classic thick, soft taco. SMORES PIZZA Spread tortilla with crunchy peanut butter Sprinkle with mini chocolate chips and mini marshmallows (or slice 2 large marshmallows and top like pepperonis) Bake for 5-8 minutes at 350 in oven or gas grill As an alternative, microwave this and roll up The possibilities are endless!! After you make them once or twice, you get the hang of it and they are actually quite easy and fast to make. I don't think I'll ever buy store bought ones again! SmiLeS! |
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My son has been fascinated with insects lately. I was reluctant to pay full price for a store bought Ant Farm, and couldn't find one at the Dollar Store. I was prompted to make my own after someone in our Homeschool group posted she made one. We made a few changes to our design after she reported that hers was a bit flimsy and ended with angry Fire Ants in her van. Not a pretty sight! Here is our "New and Improved DIY Ant Farm". You'll need: Empty , clear 2 liter bottle (Coke) with lid 20 oz. water or soda bottle, filled with water (with lid) Honey (optional) Dirt and Ants (preferably large ants - not sugar ants) Pin or needle Clear packing tape Hot Glue or other strong glue To Start: After rinsing 2 liter bottle, and removing label, cut off the top portion, about an inch or two below the curve. With a small pin or needle, poke small (Smaller than your ants!) airholes into the top portion of bottle. Hot Glue a water or coke filled 20 oz. lidded bottle into bottom of 2 liter bottle.This ensures the ants make tunnels around the outside of the bottle, so you can see them. Other designs call for an empty frozen juice container. I think the water bottle adds a little more stability, but a juice container will work as well. Just make sure it's closed, so the ants don't go inside.
Next, spread a litte honey (with a chopstick or Q-Tip) on the side of the bottle. This will feed your ants.
Next, scoop up some dirt and ants from a mound. Be sure to get ants larger than the holes you punched, or you'll have an ant infestation! When you find the ant bed, you'll need to dig down a little to scoup out worker ants. If you can find the larger queen ant, grab her along with some workers. Under logs and rocks are good places to look for ant mounds. Pour them into your bottle. We have an over-abundance of Fire Ants in my garden, so that was my choice. Note: Unless you are able to scoop up a queen ant, your colony will eventually die off and need to be replaced. I believe that is the same case even if you order ants for a commercial ant farm.
Now, secure the lid. Push the cut off lid slightly inside the bottle. Get as close a fit as you can. Since there will still be small gaps, secure the edge by wrapping clear packaging tape around it. Be sure the gaps are as small as possible, so your ants don't try to escape and get stuck to the tape.
Now you have a secure ant farm that can be transported. Occasionally drop a few breadcrumbs or morsels of food down the spout for them. If the soil gets too dry, drop a little water down the spout for the ants to drink. Ants do not like light - so either cover the bottle with a paper bag, or dark construction paper to block out light, and ensure the ants tunnel against the side of the bottle.
Our ants started to work right away, and within minutes we could already see the beginnings of what will become tunnels.
Although I'm quite unhappy with the large Fire Ant mounds that have taken over my garden, ants are actually quite interesting creatures. Proverbs 6:6 - "Go to the ant, you sluggard - consider its ways and be wise." To read interesting facts on ants, visit this site: http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761556353/Ant.html
Good luck and have fun! |
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It's been a month since I last posted about my "Quest for Frugal Living", but I've done fairly well since my last post. I still face my biggest challenge with those "in between" store runs for bread and milk. I always seem to find a dozen more items that I forgot I needed. I've heard that it really helps if you can make a list and stick to it. Easier said than done sometimes! Today I made my run to CVS after browsing the weekly ads and coupons. By the way, if you're going to shop at CVS (or pharmacies) for their really good specials, hit them early in the week, because they tend to run out of their advertised products fairly quickly. At CVS I purchased 4 - 12 packs of Coca-Cola, 12 pack of Bounty Paper Towels, 12 pack CVS toilet paper (thought I'd try it), 2 CVS brand packages of 5ct. Claritin (allergies run amuck), 24 ct. case CVS bottled water, 2 packages toddler sleep shorts (diapers - they were clearance 50% off - even though they were pink girls - I convinced my boy that no one would see them under his pajamas!), large canister Honey Wheat pretzels, and box of feminine pads. My total for everything was $60.12, plus I got almost $13.00 back in CVS extracare bucks. I took $6.00 of bucks with me, but didn't get to use them. (Note to self...extracare bucks EXPIRE - within a month?!) Then I headed to Kroger's where I spent $34.88, but saved $32.68!! I purchased 27 items, including many of the 10 for $10 items, and several packages of B1G1 Free Ballpark HotDogs, which included a FREE package of Sara Lee Hot Dog Buns. I have been making a conscious effort to cut down on my costs during the week at the grocery store. ALDIs has been selling their milk for $1.99 a gallon. Most other places are $3.99 and up - for the cheapest store brand. If you have an ALDIs, and don't shop there - I highly recommend it! You'll really save money - especially on produce. It's all off-brand foods, but I've never had anything bad from there yet! I also visited SavALot this past week. I found quite a few things - especially in the frozen foods and vegetables - that I really saved on. I watched a lady in front of me stack 12 cases of frozen hamburger patties in her buggy that were on sale for $4.99. I'm not sure if they were really good, or if she was doing a cook-out! A few other ways I saved money this past month. I went to Sam's Club and purchased a large pork loin that was on sale. I spent around $17 on it - but came home and cut it into a smaller loin for my family of 4, plus 14 chops. I would've had the butcher there chop it for me, but he was already off duty. You can do the same by purchasing a large slab of beef, and having it chopped down into steaks. You may spend $80 or more on it, but saves you a good bit of money in the end. Even though I absolutely love a good steak , hamburger patties fit our budget more these days. I'll write more later on tips I use to save money- in the meantime, I'm still on my "Quest for Frugal Living". |
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Okay - I really started the "frugal" coupon shopping with my trip today. I gathered the weekly ads from the Sunday paper, and cut coupons. I visited CVS, Walgreens, Publix and Krogers online to view the specials. For my needs this week, I settled on CVS and Publix. I took advantage of the online shopping list at both websites! I also planned my menu for the week based on what I could get on sale, and a lot of BIG1 Frees at Publix. I had a lot of toiletries and paper items on my list for this week, which always runs the bill up. Without sharing everything I got, I spent $94.32 at CVS pharmacy, with a $61.28 savings. This included BIG1 (Buy One Get One) Free CVS brand diapers, laundry detergent, & toothpaste. I used coupons for several of the items that were already on sale, and I got a total of $6.00 Extra Care bucks back - so a total savings of $67.28. I then shopped at Publix, and made off with some great deals. I got a 12 pack of Scott tissue for $4.99, and many items at 1/2 price (since they discount if you only buy one of the BIG1 Free specials). I spent a total there of $117.11, with a savings of $56.47. So - I spent a total tonight of $211.43, with a savings of $123.75! Many of the items were paper and toiletries (extras) that will carry us for almost 2 months. I'm happy with that! BSChicken Breasts were on sale for $2.49 a pound, and I purchased a family pack. My boys are young, and never eat that much, and my husband and I never eat a full, huge breast. We prefer the thinner breasts (cutlets), so I plan on cutting the breasts in half and freezing them to stretch them further. I love GLAD PRESS and SEAL for all my freezing! I'll wrap in that, and stick in freezer bags. Really keeps the freezer burn away, and from sticking to each other! Pull out what you need! Two months ago I tried "30 Day Cooking". I really enjoyed aspects of that, but we still made so many trips to the store for milk and bread, I'm not sure how much money I saved doing that because I was constantly picking up extras. I'll write more on this subject later. My goal is to cut down on the number of trips to the store. Milk is our biggest need - my boys still drink outrageous amounts of it! I'll keep posted how we do for the month! |
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I normally pride myself on being not only a savvy shopper, but a very thrifty shopper. Before we had children, my husband and I both worked, and made a comfortable living. We knew from the start that we would sacrifice a significant amount of our income to stay home with our children, but knowing that - and living that -are two different things, and has not always been the easiest adjustment. Even when we could afford more frivolous luxuries, I always found great satisfaction in scooping out the best bargains, and almost never paying retail for anything. Of course, a good bargain is only a good bargain if it is in within your means. Five years later, with two children, our income one-third what is used to be, our bills up by 40%, several major setbacks, and cost of living rising, I am on a quest for serious frugal living. Now, we wouldn't have made it this far if some pretty thrifty shopping hadn't been involved. I've been clipping coupons and cutting corners, but it just hasn't been enough. I'll be the first to admit, you will find many more frugal people than me. I look on them in wonder and amazement. But I'm spoiled! I LIKE some of my guilty pleasures - whether it's my stocked fridge of canned diet sodas, quick runs through McDonalds, or an occasional splurge on those not-so-needed name brand sandals (on sale - of course!!). The time has come to work a little harder at saving money. Because that's what frugality really boils down to. It's putting in the time, effort and planning to make a conscious decision to save money on the things you use and buy. For us, it means making a few more sacrifices so we can meet both needs and wants. Join me here on my Quest for Frugal Living as I share things I've learned: Tips and Techniques to save money, Coupons, freebies and giveaways. I hope to make this a reference for myself - to keep me motivated, and ofcourse to share with others! Enjoy! |
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Join me as I embark on a journey to homeschool my 2 wonderful children. Although my boys just turned 5 and 3, God laid it on my heart over 10 years ago to homeschool. I don't think that knowing that for all these years has made me any less nervous or feel any more capable of homeschooling. Quite the contrary, actually. Prior to the beginning of preschool, this year, I began to get especially nervous. Am I organized enough? Am I disciplined enough? Am I patient enough? Am I doing the right thing? These, and a dozen more nerve-wracking questions would float through my head on any given day. The Lord strengthens and guides you when you need it. Last year, as the deadline to preschool enrollment was drawing near, I was feeling very unsure of myself. A book I had purchased months earlier, and forgotten about, almost fell off the shelf one day and caught my eye, so I read it. It was "Home Sweet Home-School: A Survivor's Guide to Giving Your Kids a Quality Education" by Sue Maakestad. Home Sweet Home-School: A Survivor's Guide to Giving Your Kids a Quality Education
This book was absolutely wonderful, and a Godsend! God bless Sue for writing this book, and sharing her experience of over 24 years experience in homeschooling 8 children. You won't find advice on which curriculum or methods to use in this book. Sue offers encouraging and witty Christian advice for why God will enable you to do this! I urge you to follow the link above and read the customer reviews of her book. She offers many wonderful tidbits and scriptures that will make this a book to refer back to again and again. So, feeling renewed with a sense of purpose, I set out to find local homeschoolers. It all started with a "Homeschool Day" sign I saw at a local Inflatable / Bounce House store for kids. Not being overly outgoing, my nervousness was quickly put to rest as I found homeschool Moms (parents) are eager to share their knowledge, and welcome anyone new with questions. If you are new to homeschooling, or even considering it, I encourage you to meet with other homeschoolers in your area. It has been so encouraging to meet other familes, ask questions, and make friends. It's been wonderful to get different perspectives on the many types of Homeschool Materials / curriculum available. In my very humble and limited experience, I have already found that you don't have to be "perfect" to homeschool. When you need support or encouragement, you will find it. You will have moments of weakness. You will have moments of triumph. Take things one day at a time...one week at a time...one year at a time. No matter how inadequate I may feel for the task set before me, I can be rest assured that "For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. " Philippians 4:13 (NLT) Summer is quickly approaching, and afterwards a new school year begins. Join me as our Journey Begins. |
