LOVING me some Purex Insiders and GIVEAWAY!

I became a purex insider quite some time ago!  They are the BEST!  I get free stuff from them all of the time!  I want to share the wealth!  I have 2 coupons for FREE laundry detergent!  With the economy in the shape it is, FREE is just my price!!  These coupons are for Purex's new detergent which I can honestly say works great!  I usually make my own laundry detergent, but when they sent me a coupon to try it for free, who could resist?  If you would like my recipe for detergent, I did a guest post here for Shopping Detox.  She's pretty funny!  Anyway....here's what you have to do to enter....

1) REQUIRED entry: Become a followers of my blog.  After you do so, leave a comment saying that you did!  If you already follow, just leave a comment telling me that!  Once you are following me, when I announce the winner, you will receive the post via email and be able to let me know that you acknowledge your win!  Then I can email you for your addy to snailmail the coupons!

2) For another entry, leave a comment telling me the top 3 things that you look for when purchasing detergent.

3) For a third entry, there is a contest going on through Purex Insiders. There is a $1,000 grand prize and fifty 2nd place winners will each receive $40 in gift cards.  As I mentioned I love this company and they are very honorable so I have no hesitation give you the link to click on to enter!  http://insiders.purex.com/soft-scrub?id=14227t Follow the link and enter to win for your third entry!  Leave a comment below telling me you have done so!

In all, you have THREE chances to win!  Since my blog is still in its infant stages, you have a VERY good chance!  lol You should be sure to leave a separate comment for each of the three entries.  I will randomly choose the winner using random.com at 10pm EST on Sunday, August 26, 2012.  Oh, and I just decided...if I have at least 50 entries, I will throw in a second prize of another coupon for free detergent!  Once I see some progress made with my readership, I will do LOTS more giveaways!  Tell you friends to enter!  I mean REALLY...what do you or them have to lose?!  :)  

Unusual and Frugal Uses for Peanut Butter

I have to start by saying...I LOVE peanut butter!  I can eat it by the spoonful straight outta the jar...Oh, and "fluffer-nutter sammies...HEAVEN!  ;)  Listverse.com has some rather "different" uses for peanut butter.  I would have to make sure I didn't eat it all before using it.  Have you ever tried any of their tips??  Check it out...

www.graphicshunt.com

• To lubricate things....GET YOUR MIND OUTTA THE GUTTER!  Hmphf!  They recommend using it on lawn mower blades that begin to get rusty.  I will say, even when I don't have WD-40 on hand, I promise I have PB!
• Giving your puppers meds.  We do this and it is awesome!  We started all of our guys young taking their meds w/ PB.  Now, it's a treat for them to get things like Benedryl!
• In place of butter in recipes.  It gives a yummy, background flavor!  Yummm!
• Bait for Mousetraps...it's a wives' tale that mice like cheese.  They will come for PB instead.  I have to say, I have a problem sharing my PB with the rats!
• To remove sticky tags from surfaces...like that price tag right on the front of the mirror you buy at the store of yard sale!  Ugh!  Just smear a little PB on the spot with a rag and rub off!
• To make your house smell good after cooking fish...yeah, seriously!  Put a couple of tablespoons in a frying pan and fry it down for a couple of minutes.  Of course, I would worry about playing hell trying to clean the pan!!
• To polish leather furniture.  You know, I LOVE PB, but I don't know that I want my couch smelling like it simple b/c my dogs would eat my furniture!  They say to mix a tiny bit of perfume oil in it to combat this...sounds like work to me...but anyway, wax on, wax off!
• As THE main ingredient for cookies...I know, when I first read this, i was like DUH!  But what they are referring to is a recipe using PB with NO flour...sounds good to me. Check it out!  I would add a splash of vanilla extract to this recipe...as a matter of fact, I may make these tonight for my niece in the hospital.  :)
• To remove gum from your hair or the carpet...this is great for moms!
• In place of shaving cream.  Pls make sure it is CREAMY and not crunchy..ouch!  They say the oils in PB actually soften the skin as well.  Try it and let me know.  lol

http://burnsidewriterscollective.blogspot.com

Have you ever used PB as something other than an edible?  Let me know!  

Homemade RAINBOW BREAD!

I love colors!  I guess my faves would have to be every shade of green and pink, but I love all colors.  That bleeds over into my cooking as well.  White is boring...nothing a little gel food coloring can't handle!  Check out my yummy bread....awesome and pretty!  Let me know if you'd like the EASY recipe I use!  If I can bake it, anyone can!  While I do admit I am a good cook, a baker I am not!!

Pretty!

The inside....my ghetto stove!  It was in here when we bought the house so I am using it until it dies!  Then I will have what I want!

Waiting & Homemade...ADD anyone?? lol

I hate waiting!  Patience are NOT one of my strong points!  I wish my hubby would have had his surgery a month ago and we were doing the learning the new life thing already!  But...if it would have been last month, then I would have wished for the month before!  Surgery is Monday, MIL is coming in Sunday, all if right with the world.  I just KNOW what life has in store for him!  For the past 6 months, he has not been a very happy guy.  So, Monday will be the first day in changing that forever!  :)

Now that I have that done!  I'm thinking that when hubby is home from the hospital, I'm going to start the eating from the pantry thing again. While his on the couch hanging and watching movies with his mom next week, I'm going to inventory.  I may get up nerve to post my inventory.  Heck, not a lot of people read my blog so why should I care!?  lol

One more thing I gotta post is a pic of my first batch of homemade pasta.  Now if someone would have told me a month ago that I would be making homemade pasta, I would have laughed my tail off at them!  Well, thanks to a fellow blogger, J, who wrote a cookbook and is selling the online version, I have lots of easy, homemade, (even vegan) stuff!  The plate below is my dinner from that night.  Hubby LOVED it!  My niece was so inspired she made some herself!  :)  Let me know if you want the recipe.

Big Ole' Bowl of Pasta w/ Cheese Sauce!

My HM pasta, fresh, sauteed corn, and filet migeon!  Yum!

NEW, CHEAP, AWESOME Recipe...OMGoodness!!

So, I have an E-cookbook on my computer that I have created over the last 8 years or so.  I haven't cooked everything in it yet but it all looks fantastic!  I was cleaning up the folders in the cookbook last night because I'm OCD (it happens) and I came across a recipe that is relatively new to me - within the past 6 months. 

Monkey Bread Minis  If I could find a way to put a spotlight on those 3 words in this post I sure would!  Talk about GOOD and SINFUL!  Wow!  After my hubby ate his first one, he asked where I got them from.  I told him I made them and he was impressed!  Now, I'm a decent cook anyway and Rich LOVES my cooking so that wasn't meant to be a dig at me!  lol  Anyway, I MUST share this recipe with you guys...let me know what you think!  I have included the price breakdown below the recipe.  You're gonna be amazed like I was!!

Remember, He IS ALIVE!  The tomb is empty!!

Praising my Savior,

Joy

Monkey Bread Minis

INGREDIENTS: 

½ cup butter or margarine, melted

½ cup packed brown sugar

¼ cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 cans (7.5 oz each) Pillsbury® refrigerated biscuits

*I added about 1/4 c of chopped pecans*

DIRECTIONS:

• Grease or spray 12 regular-size muffin cups. Mix butter and brown sugar; spoon 1 tablespoon mixture into each muffin cup.  *I added a sprinkle of pecans on top of this - honestly only about 1/2 of a pecan.
• Mix granulated sugar and cinnamon in 1-gallon bag. Separate dough into 20 biscuits; cut each in 6 pieces. Shake pieces in bag to coat. Place 10 pieces in each muffin cup.
• Bake at 350°F for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 1 minute; turn upside down (I didn't do this). Serve warm.**I used my tiny scraper and got every little speck of yummy out of each muffin well.

COST BREAKDOWN

½ cup butter or margarine, melted - .58  Aldi

½ cup packed brown sugar - .19  Aldi

¼ cup granulated sugar - .15  Aldi

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon - .40  Pamper Chef=the good stuff

2 cans (7.5 oz each) refrigerated biscuits - .60  Aldi

¼ c pecans – free  I had some given to me so I shelled them all and froze them

1.26 TOTAL for ENTIRE recipe

Makes 12
.11 each

Monkey Bread Minis....YUM!!

Starbuck's Cake Pops

Starbucks has a new line of petite yummies....and they are YUMMY!  Rosemary and I had to sample the Birthday Cake Pop....wow!  They are $1.50 each or 2 for $2.50.  Online you can order a small pot w/ 6 in it for $30+ !  OUCH!  That started the wheels in my brain turning...we're all in trouble now!

I decided to make my own!  Let's see my cost breakdown...
Cake Mix - .60 coupon and sale
reduced sugar vanilla frosting - I only used half, so .33 clearance @ Big Lots
lollipop sticks $1.50 for the pack
3 eggs - .22
1/4 c oil - .05
vanilla almond bark - used 1/2 package - $1.50
chocolate melting chips - used 1/3 package - sale after a holiday - .42

Made 30 cake pops. 


Entire recipe costs 4.68
That makes each cake pop .16!!  Awesome!!

**side note - we also used sprinkles but i get all sprinkles on clearance for almost nothing so I'm thinking MAYBE .05 for sprinkles in all!

Let me know if you need the recipe!  They were yum!  Kinda like an truffles inside! 

I'm going to pop away now!

Joy

Bargain Recipe: Ham & Pasta Skillet...YUMMY & EASY

I sit here and type with a full belly and ponder about how slack I've been when it comes to updates about the Pantry Challenge.  I will hopefully be able to sit down and update tomorrow since it IS the beginning of week 3.  I do apologize!  That thing called work keeps getting in the way!  In the mean time, I have to share a new recipe with you.  That is one part of this challenge that I am DEFINITELY enjoying:  Trying new things.  I love trying new things but hubby is not quite so adventurous.  He has been the past couple days because he wants to eat!  :) 

In my stockpile in the freezer I had 3 packs of sandwich sliced ham.  I had gotten it marked down because the sell by date was 2 days away from the date I bought it.  I paid .49 for a 12oz pack of lean ham...name brand at that!  The negative is I should have opened the packages and put 2 pieces on wax paper to separate for sammies.  Since I was so close to the sell by date, I don't dare leave the package in my fridge after defrosting for more than a day.  Rich has already been food poisoned by a ham sammie his sister made for him...years ago, but he won't let her live it down!  Anyway, I needed a recipe that I could chop up the whole pack in.  So, I turned to my friend google.  Those of you who know me well know that I can never make a recipe exactly as directed...that's boring!  So, I'm going to give you my version of the recipe because it was good!  I'm not a huge meat eater and could totally enjoy it without the ham...in fact, my dogs ate the ham out of my serving.  Hubby loved it! Oh, by the way, I was in the kitchen from start to finish for 20 minutes (not counting clean-up...hubby does that).

Ham & Pasta Skillet
all measurements are approximate - I don't usually measure - except for the liquids
 
10oz chopped, cooked ham
1 med onion, chopped (I used red)
3/4 c frozen, green peas
8 oz of cooked pasta (I used penne, org called for egg)
1.5 c fat free half n' half (the original recipe called for light cream)
4 slices (thin) swiss cheese (org. called for .5c cheddar)
3oz cream cheese, cubed
1-2 Tbsp butter
1 tsp dried parsley
fresh cracked black pepper to taste (recipe called for salt but I didn't use any and it was perfect)

In a large skillet on med/high, saute onion in butter until the onion is soft.  Add chopped ham and stir.  Add peas, half n' half, cheeses, parsley, and pepper.  Reduce heat to low/medium and simmer until the sauce has started to thicken (this only took about 5 min).  Stir occasionally so it won't scorch.  Add warm pasta and stir....DONE!!  :)  Whoohoo!  ONE dish...love it! 

I had 3 hamburger buns that needed to be used so I put a tiny bit of butter, garlic powder, and italian seasoning on it and stuck it under the broiler.  I took it out when it was almost done and added a little cheese and placed it back in the oven, turned off.  Because the rack is so close to the burner when you're broiling, be sure NOT to catch your mitten on fire when getting the baking sheet out...NOT that I did this or anything.  ;)  And now for the finished product w/ my crappy cell phone...

Don't be jealous of the fine china plates!!  Give this a try and let me know what you think.  It was a winner here!!

Dreading 5:20 am,

Joy