Recipe Round-Up

Things have been a little hectic here the last few days, so I haven't been cooking as much. But here's a sampling of some of the recipes that got my attention.

From A Year of CrockPotting:
Pecan-Topped Baked Sweet Potatoes
Sweet And Sour Chicken with Mango Lettuce Wraps

Stephanie the CrockPot Lady also has a list of ways to save money using your crockpot.

From other places:
Maple Scallop Salad
Baked Potato Chowder
Summer Clam Pot
Shrimp and Cucumber Stuffed Avocados
Ten Minute Couscous Soup
Aparagus and White Bean Pesto Tart <--- I so wanted to make these!

And something completely random:
Make your own soap from bacon grease

I'm not sure how much actual cooking I'll be getting done for a while. I'm heading out of town next week and pretty much stocked up on things that won't go back in my pantry, like rice, beans, and ramen. Either way, I'll be getting right back to cooking when I get home, and in the meantime, I'll be scoping out new recipes.

Recipe: Cyclops Eyeballs

Here's a twist on biscuits and eggs from BoxTops4Education.com. Frankly, I think it's cute, though I'm sure some might disagree.

Cyclops Eyeballs using Pillsbury refrigerated biscuit dough.

Don't forget to check out past recipes using refrigerated dough! It's something that you can easily find coupons for (check the coupons.com widget from the sidebar) and stock up when it's on sale.

Egg and Cheese Stuffed Croissants
Easy Mini Pizzas

Frugal Weekend Projects

Set up Google Calendar for yourself and add in the dates that your bills are due along with reminders. It'll make it so much easier to stay on top of things.

Gather up all that loose change you have accumulating in those cubby holes all over the house and find a place that does free coin counting. I went through a box of coins that hadn't been emptied since my college days and came up with $100 in just quarters and dimes alone!

Think ahead for frugal gift-giving ideas. I picked up knitting from knittinghelp.com in my spare time, and now I have a couple of simple scarves for Christmas presents.

Pick a Frugal Home Winterization project to do.

Enjoy the weekend!

Tip: Homemade yogurt with a Crock Pot!

A Year Of CrockPotting has a fabulous idea: why not make your own yogurt? All it takes is milk, fruit for flavoring, a little bit of plain yogurt as a starter, and a crock pot. Check out how Stephanie made her own yogurt at home.

Coupons: $5 off any $20 purchase at Walgreens this weekend

Sometimes timing is everything.

Today when I was checking my feeds with Google Reader, it recommended that I add BeCentsAble. Good thing, because otherwise I would have missed this tip about the Walgreens coupon for this weekend.

Take a look at the coupons.com widget in my sidebar. Scroll through the coupons and you'll find the Walgreens one.

Remember, timing is everything. You only have two days to use that coupon. Last time, I was able to get a real sweet deal.

Free Taco From Taco Bell

There were two bases stolen last night in Game 1 of the World Series, so Taco Bell is making good on their offer to give out free tacos.

Just keep in mind that there are some specifics in getting your free Crunchy Seasoned Beef Taco. You can only get it between 2-6 PM on Tuesday, October 28 at any participating Taco Bell in the U.S. Their press release has all the details.

Recipe: Egg And Cheese Stuffed Croissants

I love those filled croissants that you get at the bakery or coffee shops, but they tend to be pretty pricey. Today, I got a little bored with my lunch options and decided to whip up something similar with ingredients I had on hand.

Egg and Cheese Stuffed Croissants
1 package Pillsbury Refrigerated Crescent Roll Dough
2 eggs
1 slice Muenster cheese, or any shredded cheese that melts easily

Preheat oven according to package directions (usually 375° F). Open package and separate the crescent roll dough. You should get 8 triangle-shaped pieces. In a bowl, beat two eggs and about a tablespoon of water. Add egg mixture to a heated pan and scramble eggs until they are just barely cooked (remember, they will be going in the oven). Divide up the scrambled eggs and spoon onto the fullest part of each dough triangle. Tear cheese slice into small pieces and place on top of scrambled eggs. Shredded cheese is also an option here, though I didn't have any on hand.

Carefully roll up dough around egg and cheese mixture, pinching dough together at ends to keep contents inside. Bake at 375° F for 11-13 minutes or follow package directions. Remove when done and serve while still warm.

The results? 8 flaky buttery croissants-like rolls filled with scrambled eggs and cheese.

Saving energy... by skipping the clothes dryer?

Lately, I've been seeing a lot of green sites advising people to line-dry clothes to save on energy because your average clothes dryer is a major energy waster.

From Tip The Planet:

Air drying your washing instead of putting it in the dryer is a great way to save energy. It uses no electricity or fuel, and requires little if any equipment.

But is this really feasible in the average household? I live outside of Chicago, where today's high temperature was only 54° F. I can't imagine myself hanging clothing outside to dry in winter.

Turns out that I don't need to go to those extremes just yet. Like with any lifestyle change, it's best to start out with baby steps. For me, the first step was to start line-drying cleaning rags instead of tossing them in the dryer. It was easier than I thought. I just folded them in half and hung them up on a towel bar, with one or two extras folded neatly on top of washer because I ran out of room. Even on a cold day without heat, they dried overnight.

I still can't imagine line-drying all my clothes, but I also don't see the point on wasting electricity to dry rags. The next step is seeing if I can rig a clothesline in my bathroom, because I don't see the point of throwing socks and undies in the dryer either.

Just a head's up...

Just as a head's up that Heather from Freebies 4 Mom has an interview on Inside Edition that is going to air tomorrow. Freebies 4 Mom is a good site to follow for leads on freebies and great coupons.

Recipe: Pizza Quesadillas

I love this recipe because it's a way to use up leftovers, like extra tortillas, but with a little bit of a twist.

Pizza Quesadillas
4 tortillas
1 1/4 cups grated mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup pasta or pizza sauce
6 slices vegetarian pepperoni, cut into thin strips (optional)
1 tablespoon olive oil

Place tortillas on a flat surface. Divide 3/4 cup of the cheese between the tortillas, sprinkling it on one half of each. Top cheese with pasta sauce and pepperoni, then divide remaining 1/2 cup cheese between tortillas, sprinkling it on top of the pepperoni. Fold tortillas over, pressing down lightly. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Arrange 2 tortillas in skillet and cook, turning once, until golden brown on both sides. Repeat process with remaining tortillas. Allow quesadillas to cool slightly, then cut each into triangles and serve.

I'm not a fan of pepperoni, so I'll substitute cooked chicken strips instead, or add whatever veggies I have on hand. I like using things like broccoli florets or slices of tomato.

[Adapted from wholefoodsmarket.com]

Start The Week Off Right

With the start of a new week, here's what I'm doing to keep on track:

Make a big pot of soup for dinner on Monday night. It should last me a few days.

Take inventory of my kitchen appliances. I pretty much inherited the kitchen and appliances from my parents, and I really don't know what I have on hand. A few of the recipes I'm looking at call for a blender, food processor, and crock pot.

Pick up a new, silicone pancake/omelet turner. I found a really nice one at Amazon.com, but first I want to check out if Bed, Bath & Beyond has it because I have a coupon.

Try out my sister's portobello mushroom casserole recipe, if I can get her to write it down.

The nice thing is that I took a quick look at my checkbook over the weekend and noticed that since I started cooking more often, I'm spending less on food. The trick is that before I would buy groceries, then go out to eat. Now I'm getting more use out of my grocery budget by planning ahead, and pocketing the extra money that I was dropping on take-out.

Don't forget that Whole Foods coupon for $5 off a purchase of $25 or more is still good until Wednesday! Get a good look at your fridge and your pantry before then and see if you need anything before then.

What I'm Reading This Weekend

Kitchen Essentials, And Items You Can Pass On. Which reminds me, I accidentally melted a cheap plastic pancake turner last week.

Once-A-Month Shopping: Save More by Shopping Less. I'm not sure if I could go for a month without buying groceries, but I get the underlying concept that frequent trips leave you open to impulse buying.

How To Keep Fruits And Veggies Fresh. You don't want to waste your money by buying fresh food and not getting to use it before it goes bad.

Creamy Butternut Squash Casserole. I need to try making something with butternut squash. I'm seeing it everywhere all of a sudden.

Sticking To Your Food Budget

I've been a little short on new recipes this week, because all the ones I've been testing just don't seem to be ready for publication. My other goal was not to go running to the grocery store until I finish everything I bought in my last trip. After a few days of trying to perfect my breakfast burritos and quesadillas, I was getting bored with my meal options. And, oddly enough, I was craving the one thing I hadn't bought last week: fresh fruit.

So yesterday I made a quick trip to Whole Foods with my $5 off coupon and picked up fresh fruit and fresh veggies. It was a gloomy day, and I was drawn to the ones with bright colors, like strawberries, pomegranates, red and green peppers, and zucchini. In a way, it makes sense that I was craving those foods, since they do provide some of the vitamin and nutrients I may have been missing. Plus, after the coupon, I only spent about $24, so it didn't hurt my budget too much. I could have done worse, like ordering take-out when I had resolved not to.

Tip: Where You Can Cut Back To Save Money

Before trying to figure out how to save some extra money, I was stopping at McDonald's for breakfast every morning. Why? It started out when I started thinking of breakfast as a treat for getting out of the house on time. Over time, "rewarding" myself started to add up. $4.30 per day, estimating that I was going there at least 4 days a week, added up to an estimated $69 a month. It probably got worse when I started "rewarding" myself for not sleeping in on my days off.

I finally managed to break the habit by going out and buying a package of Egg Beaters and a pack of tortillas (both on sale) to make my own breakfast burritos. Now that extra money is staying in my bank account, where I can invest it towards something else.

Coupons: $5 off any $25 purchase at Whole Foods

Be sure you grab this printable coupon from Whole Foods. It runs from 10/15-10/22/08, and bring your recycled grocery bags to save an additional 10¢ per bag. You can also grab their "The Whole Deal" guide as you enter and use their coupons as well.

Building An Emergency Fund

When I got my first part-time job as a college student, my dad helped me open my first savings account and encouraged me to deposit my paychecks there instead of spending them. When the balance in that account got high enough, he had me transfer it to a money-market checking account that earned a higher rate of interest with no monthly fees as long as I maintained a minimum balance. He also told me to not use that account as my regular checking account to allow it to keep growing.

That emergency fund was my security blanket all through college. I knew that I had enough money to cover a semester's worth of expenses if anything happened. I've tried to maintain that habit of adding to the account on a regular basis. It's easy to forget sometimes, so I started setting a reminder twice a week with Google Calendar. Every other Monday, right after payday, I get a reminder to check my balance. At that point, I'll transfer money from my regular checking account to the emergency fund. Plus my emergency fund is earning interest in the meantime.

I admit that I wasn't always very good about saving money. At one point, I forgot to keep transfering money from my free checking account over to the one that was actually earning interest. I also work with a group of people who are always going out for lunch and getting coffee from Starbucks. I started treating myself to breakfast at a nice restaurance as a reward for getting out the door earlier in the morning.

By cutting back on my expenses and setting regular reminders, I've been able to save more of my actual paycheck to keep adding to the fund. As the economy stalls, I'm looking at several other options, such as creating a CD ladder, in which I invest in CDs that mature at different interval but earn a better interest rate than my money market account. I'm also thinking of switching my primary checking account to one that earns interest as well, now that I've found ones with no monthly fees with a minimum balance requirement that should not be a problem for me. Either way, having that financial security blanket helps me feel better about surviving the economic downturn. If there's one piece of advice I can give people, it's to cut back on expenses and start saving money.

Watch out for the coupon fairy!

Last night, I had been poking around a few frugality sides before bedtime and found this article from Freebies 4 Mom. I kind of chuckled at the idea of coupon fairies leaving behind coupons for other shoppers.

Well, I'm glad I kept my eyes open. I hadn't bought any soda this week and was just dying for a Diet Coke on my way to my weekend job. I ended up stopping at a Walgreens on my way to work, kicking myself for succumbing to my addiction enough to settle for a 20 oz. bottle that was convenient to take with me but probably cost the same as a 2-liter bottle. And I was especially unhappy to remember that the Costco two blocks away from work had vending machines selling 20 oz. bottles for 75¢, but they wouldn't be open in time for me to stop on the way to work.

Enter the Coupon Fairy. In the refrigerated beverage section were coupons for a free Hershey bar with the purchase of any 20 oz. Coca-Cola product. With the coupon for the free candy, my Diet Coke because a much better deal, and I was a lot happier.

Moral of the story? Keep your eyes peeled for coupons in unexpected places.

Bargains: Free Haircut from Herbal Essences

Do you use Herbal Essences? Check out their offer for a free haircut with the purchase of two Herbal Essences products. Only selected bottles with a green stick qualify, so check out the site so you know what you're getting. Once you have both bottles, visit their website and enter the UPC codes. It will give you a form to fill out and send in along with your receipt and UPC codes. They will send you a voucher and a list of places that will take the voucher.

It sounds like a lot of work, but free is free, and if you're already using their products, why not?

And thanks to Frugal, Freebies and Deals for the head's up!

Are Coupon Users Cheapskates?

The Consumerist reported on a study that other shoppers tend to look unfavorably on coupon users, according to a study.

Researchers proposed that the reason for the coupon-hating is "the modern consumer tends to prize status and luxury over thrift."

I was kind of thrown by this one. Just today, I stocked up at the grocery store and combined coupons with sales to save $23 on my groceries. I was so excited to see that total come down. That is an extra $23 in my bank account that I can use on something else I need. That's money in my pocket. In fact, as I left the store, I noticed that people were leaving the self-checkouts without picking up their store coupons that print up with their receipts, and I wondered how people could just throw money away like that.

I didn't always use coupons. It's something that I started doing recently as my paychecks got smaller and smaller. Obviously, as the economy worsens, more people are going to be in the same boat as me.

If you're worried about what others are thinking of you as you redeem your grocery coupons, do what you can to minimize your check-out time, as waiting in line seems to be everyone's pet peeve. I pull my coupons as I make my shopping list, keep them paper clipped to my list in store, and the ones that don't get used get put away before I get in line. It took longer to bag my groceries today than it did to scan my coupons.

Also, be careful with those printable coupons. You can trust the ones from Smart Source or Coupons.com (which you see in the sidebar on my blog). A lot of times, they're the same coupons that come in the Sunday paper. My local Target takes them without a problem, and one of their cashiers even tells me when there's a good coupon on their website. At my local Jewel, they sometimes call a manager over, so I stopped using the printables there. At my local Whole Foods, I haven't had problems, but then again, I know the cashiers. And I've heard horror stories about Wal-mart refusing coupons, so I avoid it. Your mileage may vary, but as you get better at using coupons, you'll find out for yourself how to best save time while saving money.

Living Frugally

I am so used to automatically getting take-out when I'm not feeling well. A cold calls for hot and sour soup and potstickers. Need comfort? That calls for pizza.

But living frugally and living within my means meant that something had to change. Instead of automatically going for the take-out menu this time, I checked my pantry. I had cans of chicken stock. I had rice. I had canned tomatoes. I had tortillas. I had salsa. Through it all together, and I had soup. I had enough on hand to make tortilla soup, chicken risotto, and quesadillas. By just looking in my fridge and pantry, I saved about $50 that would have gone on take-out cooked by someone trying to make money off of me.

So the next time you pick up that take-out menu, just think for a moment about how much that kung pao chicken is really going to cost.

Recipe: Easy Thai Red Curry

My sister usually insists on take-out from her favorite Thai restaurant every time she comes to visit. This time, I decided to try and recreate her favorite red curry with Thai Kitchen's Red Curry Simmer Sauce. There are recipes out there to make your own sauce with red curry paste, but I opted for the easy route, and it still came in under $4 per serving. I also opted for canned vegetables from Whole Food's 365 Everyday Value line, which were only $0.99 apiece.

This version did turn out to be a lot milder than I expected, so I prefer to add some type of chili pepper or hot sauce to turn the heat up. Also, since my sister is vegetarian, we used tofu. You can definitely substitute any other protein.

Easy Vegetarian Thai Red Curry
1 jar Thai Kitchen Red Curry Simmer Sauce
1 can baby corn, chopped into bite-size pieces
1 can bamboo shoots
1 can water chestnuts
1 chopped green pepper (optional, for color)
2 packages extra-firm tofu, marinated in peanut sauce in advance
hot sauce to taste

Put tofu in a bowl and cover with peanut sauce with an optional dash of hot sauce, then set aside in advance. Saute vegetables with a little bit of oil in a large saucepan, then add sauce and bring to a simmer. Dice tofu blocks into bite-size pieces and add once vegetables are about halfway cooked. Continue to simmer until vegetables are done. Serve with rice.

Recipe: Vegetable Tortilla Soup

This one is super-easy to make and a good way to take advantage of leftover ingredients you might have on hand. Don't feel obligated to follow the recipe exactly, as you can substitute the veggies with what you have available. I started making a vegetarian version of this since my sister doesn't eat meat, but an added bonus is that the vegetable broth seems more savory than chicken broth.

Easy Vegetable Tortilla Soup
4 cups vegetable stock
2-3 cloves of chopped garlic (depending on your tolerance!)
1 small onion, chopped
1 can diced tomatoes, or substitute salsa
1 green pepper
1 red pepper
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped and with seeds removed (depending on your tolerance)
approximately 5-8 tortillas, preferably a bit dried out
1 tbsp olive oil

Brush tortillas with olive oil or spray with cooking spray, then cut into strips and place on baking sheet. Bake in the oven at 200 degrees for 10-15 minutes, then set aside to cool. Heat oil in large saucepan and add garlic, peppers and chilies. Saute for a few minutes, then add diced tomatoes or salsa. Mix together, then add stock. Add tortilla strips to to saucepan, reserving about a third. Bring liquid to a boil, then simmer on medium-high heat until vegetables are fully cooked. Before serving, top with remaining tortilla strips.

I also like to top each serving bowl with warmed tortilla strips and a little bit of shredded cheese that melts easily, similar to how you would serve french onion soup. A lot of recipes also call for fresh avocado on top, which I'll use if I have it. You can also take extra tortilla, cut them into wedges before baking with the strips, and serve as fresh tortilla chips. They're better than anything store-bought!

Go ahead and see what you have in the pantry that you can use up with this soup! I've seen fire-roasted canned tomatoes with chilies, and I sometimes like to throw in fresh salsa that would otherwise go bad. If the salsa is hot enough, then you don't need the jalapeno!

[Adapted from this recipe]

Tip: How I make the most out of my Costco membership

I'm fortunate that there's a Costco only two blocks away from where I work, so making a trip doesn't cost me in mileage. In fact, they're closer than any other local gas station, making it more convenient for frequent fill-ups.

There's a couple tips I've picked up from experience that helps me save the most money at Costco.

• Don't assume everything is a good price when you buy in bulk. Calculate the unit cost and have an idea how it compares when buying at a regular store.
  
• Take advantage of the free! They have tons of free food samples at lunchtime. Because it is nearby, I'll often head there instead of heading for fast food. It saves some cash and you get to try new things. And if I'm still hungry, a hot dog and soda at the Costco food court is cheaper than from the vendor at the mall. That said...
• If you're going for the free samples, don't get suckered into buying something you may not need. If I'm just there for lunch, I won't grab a cart. That way, I have to lug any purchases around. It discourages me from picking up unnecessary stuff.
  
• Don't be afraid of Costco gasoline. A friend who works for BP Amoco's corporate office mentioned that it's Amoco gas that Costco is selling. On most days, I usually see Costco's price is a few cents better than the lowest price in the area.
• Costco only takes American Express (or cash) because they have a deal. Don't expect that they'll let you use a debit card that's co-branded with Visa or Mastercard.
• Don't use the big shopping carts! I go in with a plan and only use the cart as necessary. Otherwise, you can succumb to the temptation of filling the cart like everyone else.
• Don't go out of your way for a trip to Costco. Like I said, it's convenient for me, but if it's a long trip for you, save your gas money and find other ways to save money.
  

Recipe: Pomegranate Soup

Check out this awesome recipe for pomegranate soup! Those who have tested it already say that it tastes wonderful. I'd give it a try tonight, except the only thing I don't have are the pomegranates and green onions.

I am starting to think that I should be keeping onion on hand for any possible soups, along with vegetable broth and rice.

Coupons: Save $12 On Scrubbing Bubbles Products

You've probably seen the ad on TV to visit scrubbingbubblesoffer.com for coupons. Just as an added tip, check out the Walgreens Easy Saver Catalog for October. They're giving a $10 rebate on the Automatic Shower Cleaner Starter Kit and up to $6 in rebates off 4 Scrubbing Bubbles products. I've never tried their Easy Saver rebates, but you can submit them online so I'll give it a try.

Scrubbing Bubbles Automatic Shower Cleaner: $10 rebate plus $5 off coupon == $15 in savings
Scrubbing Bubbles Fresh Brush Starter Kit: $1.50 rebate plus B1G1 Free Coupon
Scrubbing Bubbles Action Scrubber Starting Kit: $1.50 rebate plus $2.75 coupon == $4.25 in savings

Additionally, the site had a B1G1 Free coupon for Scrubbing Bubbles Flushable Bathroom Wipes. Print them out and have fun shopping!

Recipe: Figs in Pancetta Appetizers

Similar to something I've seen served in tapas restaurants. Tyler Florence has a similar recipe at foodnetwork.com using prosciutto. I opted for pancetta because it's similar in flavor, but more moist and less salty, not to mention avoiding bad memories of trying to slice prosciutto when I worked in a supermarket deli. When this appetizer comes out of the oven, you have a nice contrast between the sweet taste of figs and the chewy, salty taste of the pancetta. My other tip with this one is to use a jelly roll pan with sides instead of a baking sheet that doesn't have them. When I pulled this one out of the oven, the excess liquid from the figs was running all over the place, and it was HOT! I'm tempted to try making this in a glass baking dish next time.

Figs in Pancetta Appetizers
10 fresh figs, washed with stems removed 10 slices of pancetta toothpicks to secure fig rolls pepper and honey to taste Pre-heat oven to 400° F. Wrap each fig in a slice of pancetta (as best you can, considering that the slices are round). Use toothpicks to secure the pancetta and fig together. Place fig bundles on pan and bake for 12-15 minutes. Before serving, sprinkle with pepper and honey.

Tips: Making The Most Out Of A Deal

My local Whole Foods store has rotisserie chickens for $5.99 on Thursdays, a dollar less than they sell them at Costco and $2 less than most other grocery stores in the area. Since I'm on my own, a whole chicken for one person seems like a bit of a waste. However, I try to stretch my dollar by using that chicken to last through several meals.

I bought a chicken last Thursday, removed as much meat as possible, and saved the extra to use throughout the week. With one chicken, I had:

→ roast chicken with mashed potatoes on the first night
→ cheesy chicken and macaroni
→ chicken and cheese quesadillas

There were plans to make some homemade chicken noodle soup, but I opted for the quesadillas since I had leftover tortillas.

Here's a tip from my days working in a deli. If we had a lot of extra chickens left over late in the evening, we would mark them down to $2 or $3 and try to sell them to customers already in store. It was a lot better than hauling them all the way to the dumpster.

ETA: Whole Foods specials vary from store to store and region to region, so if you're looking for the $5.99 rotisserie chicken deal, you might want to call first and ask. Thanks to the folks manning http://twitter.com/wholefoods for clarifying that!

Double Coupon Days At KMart

Just an FYI, Kmart is running Double Coupon Days through Sunday. However, there are reports going around that stores have empty shelves and some individual stores are not honoring it despite a mandate from the corporate office. If that's the case, a call to the national customer service number should do the trick, but your mileage may vary.

It's really a shame, though, that individual stores are turning this into a negative experience for so many shoppers.

Thanks to LiveLarge4Less for the tip!

Tips: Combining Coupons and Sales

In an effort to keep my spending under control, I've been combining coupons with sale prices to get the best possible deal and reading my receipts very carefully. And sometimes, when a deal is particularly good, reading the receipt puts a big smile on my face.

For example, last week Walgreens had a coupon for $5 off a purchase of $20 or more. I also needed to pick up some make-up and I had two Maybelline coupons, one for $2 off a foundation and another for $1 off eye make-up. They were in the Sunday paper a few weeks ago but with a good three months before they expired, so I clipped them and waited for the right time.

The right time happened to be last Friday, when Walgreens advertised all Maybelline cosmetics at buy one, get one half off. I picked out my foundation, marked at $9.99, and mascara, marked at $7.99. At regular price, that added up to $17.98. With the sale promotion, it came to $13.98, saving me about $4. But throw in my manufacturer's coupons, and it took $2 off the sale price of the foundation and $1 off the sale price of the mascara. My total for my make-up: $11.98.

Then I just needed to pick up some cough syrup for my sister to bring my total to $20 after the promos and coupons, and use that last $5 coupon for my entire purchase. Sweet!