Gifts from Your


Christmas Kitchen



Christmas cooking often tends toward candy, cookies and other sugary treats. Like many of you, that is so NOT what I need, but also like many of you, if someone gives me, say, some peanut butter cookies, the kind with the chocolate kiss in the middle, I WILL eat every single one of them!

So I've been thinking about what a tough economy we're in and how much more practical gifts from our kitchens may be appreciated. Every year we are gifted with a batch of homemade granola, and I really look forward to it.


A few years ago the layered mixes-in-a-jar were popular. Why not put together all the dry ingredients for a multi-bean soup, layering a varieties of beans, some dried tomatoes, dried onion, garlic, parsley and other seasonings. Check the international aisle in your grocery for the best selection of dried beans, lentils, peas, etc. And don't forget to attach cooking directions.



You can easily make fancy rice mixes too, varying the seasonings and other add-ons. Maybe a lemon-dill-pepper rice, or a curry rice with dried apple bits. Use your imagination, check your own cookbooks or those at your local library and look for recipes on the internet.

Homemade mixes for hot chocolate or Russian tea are always welcome, and the following three recipes (from The Frugal Family Kitchen Book) for the pricey international-type coffees are inexpensive to make and definitely delicious.




On any of these, if you just mix the ingredients and don't process in a blender or food processor, the ingredients will separate.

Cinnamon "Vienna" Coffee Mix

1/2 c instant coffee
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2/3 c powdered creamer (you can use powdered milk, but it's not as good)

Mix all together in a blender or food processor until powdery. Use 2 heaping tsp per cup.

Orange Coffee Mix

1/2 c instant coffee
3/4 c sugar
1/2 - 1 tsp dried orange peel
1 c powdered creamer (or powdered milk)

Mix all together in a blender or food processor until powdery. Use 2 heaping tsp per cup.

Mocha Coffee Mix

1/2 c instant coffee
1/2 c sugar
2 TBSP cocoa (powder, not mix)
1 c powdered creamer (or powdered milk)

Mix all together in a blender or food processor until powdery. Use 2 heaping tsp per cup.


The chocolate mug cake recipe I gave here a few posts ago also gifts well. Put all dry ingredients together in a small plastic baggie, put in a coffee mug, tie directions to handle and voila!

To get you thinking in yet another direction, consider this recipe from w-a-y back. Copper Coins, sometimes called Copper Pennies in really old cookbooks, look nice, are cheap, quick, and easy to put together, and made a great snack, or side dish with just about any meal.

Copper Pennies

2 lbs carrots, peeled, sliced thin, and cooked until just tender-crisp
1 medium green pepper, diced
3 medium onions, sliced and separated into rings
1 can tomato soup
3/4 c sugar
3/4 c vinegar
1/2 c salad oil
1 tsp prepared mustard
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Combine soup, sugar, vinegar, oil, mustard and Wrcestershire in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Layer carrots, pepper pieces and onion slices in a bottle or canning jar, cover with boiling marinade, cool and refrigerate for 12 hours before sampling. Keeps well in the refrigerator for a long time. I've experimented with hot pepper in this as well as horseradish and even put in some artichoke hearts one time...all good.


In a few days I'll post some more recipes for gifts you can make in your kitchen...yes, a few goodies AND some kitchen cosmetics!

Easy does it

You don't have to kill yourself or spend a ton of cash decorating for the holidays. There's plenty of 'wow' where festive and frugal meet – now here's how.

For complete article from the Portand Press Herald by Ray Routhier, Staff Writer

Featured in Today's Charlotte Woman

Grocery Change by Monigue Brown McKenzie

Keeping your food bill under control during the holidays

• Your shopping list, store brands, budget-friendly entertaining and more
• Pages 52-53

Stocking Stuffers -

Thoughtful and Thrifty!



Do you do stockings at your house for Christmas? For many of us, this is the best part of Christmas, but as any stocking stuffer Santa knows, the cost of all those little gifts can really add up.

First, make lists and buy a few things each week. The following list should give you some good ideas to start with, AND we hope you'll share your suggestions too!

The size of stocking stuffers. For this list, I considered a stocking present to be no more than the size of my fist, or anything that can reasonably be packed down to that size, such a t-shirt. I've included items such as rolled-up activity books too. Well over half the items on this list can be bought for under $2.00

Where I shopped. Because I go nuts when I see a list and then can't find the suggested items anywhere, fully 95% of the items on this list are available at Wal-Mart, a good Dollar Store, plus many are available through http://www.amazon.com/ where free holiday shipping may be offered. Dollar Stores vary greatly (some are now $1.50 Stores!), but I've found Dollar Tree to be consistently well-stocked, clean, and every item truly is $1.00. And many now accept credit cards.

I did no on-line or mail-order shopping (except to check item availability at Amazon) , although one catalog source I would unhesitatingly recommend to you is Dover Publishing http://www.doverpublications.com/ They offer hundreds of very inexpensive gift possibilities... kids' activity (sticker, stencil, coloring) books, blank and design books, and a huge array of kids' and adult classics, all well under $5. Your local bookstore may carry some of their products too.

There are no sports- or hobby-specific ideas because I know that if you have a golfer or a woodworker, a quilter or gourmet cook to buy for, you've already got plenty of ideas!

All-time favorites include fruit and nuts, playing cards, lip balm, and slinkies. Please don't forget that stockings are not just for kids...I know a very dignified older man who allowed his three granddaughters to paint his toenails bright coral this summer. He will be getting a bottle of purple glitter polish in his stocking!

These are in no order so you won't skip a section!

book marks - a reader can never have too many
sports whistle
bandannas (dog and cat paw prints available)
window scraper/small snow brush
batteries
shoe polish/cloth/brush
dice (plain and fancy)
magnetic letters
rain poncho
loofah sponge
handcuffs
safety pins/button assortment
eyeglass repair kit
shoelaces (practical or wild)
pens, pencils, mechanical pencils
markers, crayons
note pads
corn-on-the-cob picks

Money is great as a stocking present. For example, carefully split a whole walnut, remove inside, insert quarter and glue back together. Or, put some real dollar coins in one of those little bags of foil-wrapped chocolate coins. I also buy the sheets of uncut dollar bills to use as wrapping paper.

refrigerator magnets (a favorite: I used to run with the wolves, now I nap with the cats)
fingernail clippers, emery boards, polish
hair fasteners and decorations, hairbands, glitter spray
Christmas ornament
sewing kit (a must for office wardrobe repairs)
silly putty, silly string
travel/sample sizes of cosmetics, health and beauty aids
seed packets (spring will come again!)
sunprint paper
puzzle, dot-to-dot, crossword, sudoku, coloring books
bubble bath
pencil sharpener
lottery tickets

Gift certificates for only $5 may seem silly, but I treasure my Dunkin Donuts and McDonalds's ones in "emergencies." Cards from local drugstores or grocery stores may be appreciated by a college student. Bus and subway cards can come in handy too.

art supplies, paints, stencils, foam shapes, glitter glue
keychains (with lights, safety whistles or compass)
wind-up toys
small hand tools
breath mints, gum
hair brushes, combs
energy bars
worry dolls
spinner tops, especially the popping kind
tissues
tweezers
card game such as Uno, Skip-bo
cribbage board
bouncy balls

Homemade gift certificates for everything from homemade bread, to sidewalk shoveling, from dogwalks to back rubs, from the mundane to the salacious are quick and easy to make. Great for last-minute.

yarn and knitting needles
Hot Wheels cars
kitchen tools, gadgets, special foods
candles, of all kinds, sizes, shapes
hats, gloves, ear muffs
metallic pipe cleaners
nylons, tights, leggings
scissors, sewing, fancy-edged or special purpose ones
ruler, compass, protractor
jewelry cleaner

marbles (I get gorgeous ones at a local art museum)
bike horn, bike bell, streamers
self-laminating pockets
magnetic picture frames (great for the refrigerator)
florescent stars

Pass-It-On presents can be sentimental or silly, but they're often very special. I've passed on my antique thimbles to my quilting daughters and some jewelry pieces to both my daughters and son. My husband gave up his very favorite, never-fail fishing lure for my stocking one year, and I've also passed on baby silver to expectant parents... so many thoughful possibilities!

extension cord
colored flame sticks or crystals (for the fireplace,firepit, or bonfire)
flashlight
padlock
handwarmers
mini-dustpan and brush
birdseed, 'seed blocks, bells
bulbs, for winter-forcing or spring planting
nite-light (not just for kids, think safety)
first-aid kit
fire starters
picture hangers and wire
duct tape in classic black, clear, or colors!
timer

Fruits, nuts, candy are the staples of stocking stuffing. An orange in the toe, a candy cane hanging off the top. But there's so much more. The year my kids first read the entire Narnia series of books, I made Turkish Delight and put a small tin in each of their stockings. Recipe at
http://frugalfamilykitchen.com/recipes/turkish_delight.html

magnifying glass
hand sanitizer
bath poufs
soaps, creams, health and beauty products
mini- photo album
snippet (how did we ever open potato chip bags without one?)
battery operated toothbrush, floss, toothpicks
bath pillow
confetti
sparklers (legal ones! Morning Glories are awesome!)

Beyond stockings... You could make up themed boxes or baskets using any combination of these possibilities and still keep that gift very reasonably priced. This is going to be a lean holiday season in many households, but frugal can be fun! Start now!

Dollar Store shoppping

Good Buys at the Dollar Store

Never been in a Dollar Store? You may be in for a surprise! If you think that these stores carry just cheap, throw-away junk, think again! Good buys on quality products make these stores a must-shop, especially during the coming holiday season.

Not all Dollar Stores are the same to put it gently. First off, some of these places have now become $1.50 Stores while others have always had offerings well over a dollar. Some specialize in just one type of merchandise such as cards, paper products and party decorations.

My favorite among the dollar stores in our area is Dollar Tree. Their stores are clean, well lighted, neatly arranged, and everything truly is just a dollar. Whether it's name-brand laundry detergent, glassware, sweatpants, toys and games, or health-and-beauty-aids, your one dollar buys a lot, AND kids love coming here!

These are great places to shop for stocking stuffers, but think beyond that to the number of small presents you end up buying each year... remembrance gifts, reciprocal presents, stuff for the kids to take to classroom parties. For $5 you can put together a box of pens, pencils, markers, stencils and all sorts of papers. Or you can bundle some lip balm, hand cream, hand sanitizer and cold-killing spray in a winter comfort kit.

There are wonderfully heavy glass, traditional tulip-shaped sundae dishes to wrap with a big jar of sundae topping and a can of nuts. And cards are 2/$1.00 so you could pick an assortment of cards and still have enough money to put stamps on each envelope, a boon to those who don't get out much in the winter. The possibilities are unlimited... and seriously thrifty!

It used to be that dollar stores were cash only, but even that is changing. Many now accept a credit card; after all, study after study has shown that we spend more when using a credit card!
And it's so true... I went to Dollar Tree last week, $6 in hand, to get Super Glue, laundry detergent, cards and something else, I forget what. Then I saw the sign that they now accept VISA. I picked up some yarn, Pear's and Yardley soaps and a couple of other things. Yup! $17 plus tax!

Check out a couple of these stores in your area and see if they aren't both fun and frugal. Quite a deal!

Mary

The Ultimate 5-Minute Quick-Fix

for Serious Chocolaholics

Plus, Freezing Salsa


Every once in a while I come across a recipe that sounds strange, delicious but decidedly strange. Such a recipe, called The 5-Minute Chocolate Mug Cake, crossed my desk last week, sent by a long-time-but-never-met-friend. It's a recipe that just begged to be tried, and I'm telling you... this mug cake is a great idea! Definitely kid-doing easy, and perfect for drop-in company, or for dieters who absolutely MUST have some chocolate cake, but don't want a whole cake in the house tempting them.

You mix the ingredients, put in a coffee mug and microwave for 3 minutes. It's a cake, but the bottom is sorta soft and fudgy, almost like a molten cake. It firms up as the cake cools. Eat out of the mug or tip out on a plate. This would serve two if you felt generous, and most definitely wants some whipped cream or ice cream on top.

The 5-Minute Chocolate Mug Cake

4 TBSP flour
4 TBSP sugar
2 TBSP cocoa
1 egg
3 TBSP milk
3 TBSP oil
3 TBSP chocolate chips (don't skimp)
1/2 tsp vanilla
a coffee mug - your standard mug is 12 oz.

Put all dry ingredients in the mug and mix well, add egg and mix thoroughly. Pour in the milk and oil, once again mixing well, stir in chip and vanilla. Microwave in its mug for 3 minutes (a 1,000 watt microwave). Cake may rise over the top of the mug, but don't worry.

I'm going to make this tomorrow night for four of us, but I'll put all the ingredients (x4 of course)in a bowl, mix and pour into the mugs to cook. Thanks for sending this on to me, Gemma.

Freezing salsa...

This is the time of our harvest when I often have many ripe tomatoes, but not really enough to break out the canner and quart jars. So, I make a lot of salsa, and I freeze it. The first year we tried this as an experiment, we were happily surprised at the excellent results, and since then this is the only way I do salsa.

For my salsa, I just cut up tomatoes, green peppers, and onion in whatever proportion I have or that looks good. I add garlic and snipped parsley, a little vinegar and some oil, salt and pepper to taste. Mix well, and then I freeze in pint plastic containers. Since my husband doesn't like cilantro and I do, I clearly label those containers that I've added it to, AND also those batches I've made with hot peppers.

My favorite way to use this salsa, completely thawed or not, is to just put in a small fry pan, bring to somewhere near bubbling, layer good white fish on top and just simmer until the fish flakes.

And now, back to the Patriot's game!

Mary

Locavores, Rejoice!

A Bounty of Fresh, Local Produce Available NOW

Blueberries, peaches and cukes, oh my! Local gardens, farmstands and farmer's markets are bursting with fresh produce from apples to zucchini, so take advantage. Home Depot recently reported a surge in freezer sales this past quarter so folks are certainly thinking ahead to the coming winter. But don't overlook fresh treats too. The following recipes are adapted from my Frugal Family Kitchen Book.

Fresh Taste Blueberry-Peach Pie

An unbaked pie with a glace topping, this combines two of our best Maine fruits for just-picked flavor.

4 c blueberries
1 or 2 peaches
3/4 c sugar
1/4 c water
2 TBSP cornstarch
1 TBSP butter
1 TBSP lemon juice
1 8" or 9" pie shell, baked and cooled

Over medium heat, cook 2 c berries with the sugar, water and cornstarch until clear and thick, stirring frequently. Remove from heat, add butter and lemon juice, stir and cool. Pit and chop peach(es) - the huge peach I used was smooth-skinned so I didn't peel - and add to the remaining 2 c berries, pour into pie shell and evenly spread the glace mixture over the top.
Can be served at room temp or chilled.

Pasta Primavera

A perfect way to dress up bits and pieces of any veggies in your garden, the sauce - which goes together very quickly - also makes an excellent veggie dip.

Sauce

2 TBSP basil
2 TBSP parsley
2 TBSP butter
1 8 oz cream cheese
2/3 c boiling water
1/2 grated parmesan cheese
2 TBSP olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/2 c scallions or chives finely cut

Cream togehter the basil, parsley and butter, blend in the cream cheese, parmesan, oil, garlic and scallions or chives. Stir in the boiling water and blend well. To be honest, I usually just throw it all together in a bowl and stir until smooth.

If you're adding broccoli, cauliflower, carrot pieces, summer or zucchini squash, lightly steam and drain well before adding. Things such as tomato chunks, cucumber slices, peppers, even radish slices can go right into the sauce.

Cook up whatever you want for pasta, arrange on a platter, top with the veggie- and herb-rich sauce, a sprinkle of cheese to top and enjoy!

A Simple Summer Supper

Inexpensive, quick to put together, colorful to serve, nutritious to eat, this puttanesca has it all. When my daughter first gave me this recipe it actually looked...well, kinda' boring. In its orginal form, it's delicious, with the extras I added, downright delectable.

A puttanesca is an olive-oil-based pasta sauce. The very name has a colorful history (look it up!), and there are many, many variations on the basics. Some recipes call for anchovies, others suggest adding a variety of veggies. Let me give you the original simple recipe, then my additions, and THEN, you add what you'd like.

Simple puttanesca

1 c chopped or finely cut parsley
1 c sliced scallions ( I often use chives or green onion tops)
1/2 c olive oil
2 TBSP drained capers (in brine)
2 TBSP caper brine

Mix and add to a big bowl of freshly cooked spaghetti or other pasta. I added chopped fresh tomatoes, black olives, and garlic. Another time I'm going to try it with some grated asiago cheese or maybe even shrimp. Serve with a nice red wine, chunks of French bread... ahhh, good stuff.

This is served at room temp, keeps well in the refrigerator and makes a wonderful lunch.

Raspberries, Blueberries and Green Beans...

This has turned out to be a dreadful year for raspberries, with unending fog alternating with ceaseless humidity all accompanied by intermittent rain! What started out as a bumper crop of raspberries has pretty much mildewed on the canes. Luckily we had gotten quite a few picked and frozen before the damp and drizzly weather settled in.

That same weather can also devastate the green beans, but so far we've been lucky and the harvest continues heavy on those. I've frozen some whole, some cut, some french-cut, and I suppose I'll once again try dilly beans. They've only come out well for me one year, but I must say, those were delicious.

And then there are the blueberries, ripening as I write. Aside from the crows we share with, the berries are doing well. As we have five or six kinds, they ripen over a nice long stretch which this picker appreciates. I may make some blueberry pancake syrup for Christmas presents, but mostly I just freeze them.

So much else seems slow this year, especially the gazillion varieties of asters I grow. Some of the other flowers are flowering later than the past few years too. I just hope we don't get any early frost as I so love working with the flowers and hate to see the season end. I've been harvesting, cleaning and hanging to dry a wide array of everlastings including lots of celosia, statice and strawflowers of every color. I love seeing them hanging in neat little bundles from the nails and cup holders Bert put up all along the beam in the garage.

All and all, life is good in the garden. And how does YOUR garden grow?

Some Indispensable Garden Tools

Well, the plantings all done, the harvest has just begun with a few crops such as peas and green beans coming in, but wait! the weeds are thriving too. What to do, what to do?

I have to tell you right off that I truly love to weed, I'm an old-fashioned hands-and-knees weeder, and in spite of the mulching we do, there 's still plenty to deal with in our various gardens. Our main garden is something like 80 x 100' and there are another half dozen plots ranging from two that are 20 x 20' to some in the 10 x 10' range. And then there are the flower beds of which there are way too many!

Our two main garden weeds, probably yours too, are lamb's ear and purslane. Both are nutritionally rich, but I'd never in 1,000 years eat enough salad to use all that grows in even one corner of the garden. The purslane also does offer some mulching value as it grows way out from its roots and low to the ground preserving some mositure. It's actually a pretty efficient plant, one of many that we perhaps don't value as much as we should.

But, I just want them out of my garden! There are so many fancy garden tools available, but I've found that just three things are all I really need to manage all we grow. My trusty trowel of course, then my set of two circlehoes , and finally, my rubber knee pads.

I'm sure you have a trowel that's a favorite as I do. Mine is sturdy, stainless steel with a rubber handle, fairly broad and comfortable for my hand which is important. I'd never heard of circlehoes until a friend gave me one, whereupon it quickly became my absolute favorite go-to tool. I bought a second one, the larger size offered by Index Innovations, Inc (http://www.circlehoe.com/). They have (at least) four sizes and the mini I have cost $6.99 at a local garden center two years ago. This is the most useful size for just about all I do around and between plants, while the larger one I use on the walkways. I can't talk about my circlehoe without sounding like an ad, but please check out the website as this tool is so much more versatile and kind to your hand and wrist than any of the old "scratchers" I've used in the past.

And finally, there are my kneepads. It's easier on my back to actually kneel down and weed, and yet I don't want to wreck the knees of long pants, or get grub totally ingrained in my knees, OR, inadvertently kneel down on a sharp rock which really, really hurts! The knee pads of a rubbery material have straps that go behind the knees and clasp with velcro. At first, the straps can be stiff and somewhat annoying, but as the pads get broken in, the straps become softer and truly unnoticeable.

And now, having written this, I have GOT to head down to the garden... the weeds calleth!

Mary