Taking a Chance

My poor little iPod has been dead for several months.  The battery just kept getting weaker and weaker.  It finally got to a point that it wouldn't charge and would only run if it was plugged in.  Finally, it wouldn't even run that way.

Apple charges (last time I checked) $68 plus shipping to replace the battery.  I found a replacement on line and then I found one at Fry's for just at $20.  It sat for a while and I finally decided to take a chance.  After all, what did I really have to lose?

There was a great tutorial on You Tube so I started it up and got my tools together.  I didn't have a hard plastic scalpel like was recommended in the video so I substituted a flexible food spatula.  About 20 minutes later, I had done it.  Straight forward, no fuss, no muss.  There are a few small scratches on the bottom piece but that's a small price to pay.

Now, I can enjoy my tunes wherever.  I'm particularly enjoying it at work as a way to mask out the unwanted chatter and giggling. 

iPod, I've missed you.....

Menu Monday

Saturday - Chili Cheese Fries (a sinful treat)
Sunday - Spaghetti with Sausage, Salad, Bread
Monday - Ham Fried Rice and Egg Rolls
Tuesday -  Beanie Weenies over rice
Wednesday - Salad
Thursday - Italian Chicken and Potatoes
Friday - Homemade Pizza

Sunday Happenings

Hi!  It's Sunday and with nothing planned, we winged it today.  First, the berries I dehydrated FINALLY got finished.  The cranberries took just over 24 hours but surrprisingly, it was the blueberries that gave me the most problem.  Almost 36 hours!   I got a pint each of cranberries and blueberries dried and put up. 

I used some of my fresh fruit for a fruit salad Sunday evening:  two peaches, half a dozen strawberries, part of a pear, one kiwi, and a couple of dried blueberries.  Yummy!  I have two more packages of strawberries to work with tomorrow - for the freezer probably.

We did a little de-cluttering today.  We have an old rear projection tv that we got moved to the front porch.  It will go on Craigslist later this week.  An old set of mattresses is going to the curb in a day or so OR it will go to the dump next weekend.

I filled up our gas cans today - with gas at 3.16 a gallon and a hurricane brewing in the gulf, it was time.  The generator was cranked today just as a precaution. 

I used some dehydrated shredded hashbrowns for breakfast today.  They worked great.  I used a store brand frozen hash brown.  One bag makes two generous, two person servings.  I'm picking up two bags at the store tomorrow.  They were easy to dry, store and rehydrate.  I added some dehydrated peppers but they did not rehydrate sufficiently.  Next time, they go in the bowl first so they get more moisture. 

Tomorrow's game plan is to: 1) stop by the grocery store on the way home, 2) prep the strawberries, 3) spend 30 minutes on the dress I'm making - I was able to make some alterations today to make the bodice fit a little better, tomorrow I'll cut out the skirt and assemble it) and 30 minutes on getting the room organized (trash, put toys away, vacuum, etc.), and if necessry 4) move the mattresses to the curb.

Dinner tomorrow night is ham fried rice with egg rolls.  The ham was already in the fridge, broccoli and carrots in the fridge.  Egg Rolls will be new.  This week's menu is built around things we already have - just a few extras here and there.

Super Saturday

Cherries .....

With the blueberries and cranberries (and a few cherry halves) dehydrating all night, my first priority this morning was getting my cherries canned.  I measured about 8-9 cups (roughly) so I prepared four pint jars and started the cherries.  The Ball Blue Book indicated that I should use 3/4 cup per quart of cherries but since my cherries weren't particularly sweet, I went just a little heavier, added about 1/4 water and used a hot pack method as described in the book. Once they were packed, I ended up with three pints and one half-pint.  

Deals, deals, deals....

This afternoon, DH and I ventured out to our local Walmart.  I wanted to get another case of pint jars since I intend to store my dehydrated goods in jars.  I had picked out a bottle of walmart brand childrens Tylenol ($3.88) to replace the expired one I had.  When I turned the corner, I found a clearance shelf with some no-name Tylenol on clearance for .88 each.  I picked up four along with a package of chewables for .50.  The expiration date is 2014! 


Along with the four Delsyms I picked up at Target about a week ago, I have a good start on my medicine cabinet stock up.  I love a good deal!

I picked up most of my groceries at Walmart but a quick trip to Publix is in order for tomorrow.  I want to get some cherries (on sale this week at Publix) and a few other things that they have on sale. 

This week's menu will be built around what we already have.  Lots of tomatoes, strawberries, chicken, etc.

Friday Night Fun

As usual, I made a quick stop by Aldi's this afternoon after work.  They had some great deals on produce:  Strawberries for only .99 per package (4), blueberries at 1.49 (1), fresh corn at .19 per ear (4), and one bag of kiwi for .49.  I also picked up some staples for the pantry:  four four-pound bags of sugar, three cases of bottled water, two packages of paper napkins, two bottles of lemon juice, and two packages o crackers.  After deducting a $5 coupon from DD, my OOP was just at $28.

Right now, I have the blueberries and a package of cranberries (from the freezer) in the dehydrator.  There is also a single tomato chopped into medium to large pieces (the tomato was from Wednesday's trip to the farm market and already had a bad spot so it needed to be addressed).  Rumor is that the blueberries will take 12 hours and the cranberries can take up to 24 hours. 

I also pitted my three pounds of cherries in preparation to can tomorrow.  I'd like to get these into pint sized jars with a medium syrup.  I think I can get four pints.  My goal is to build a pantry of dehydrated goods and a small larder of canned goods.  What I learned from last year is that I don't need an abundance of any one thing but rather smaller sizes (there are only two of us most times). 

I'd like to run back by the farm market to get a few more zucchini.  The ones I dehydrated as small chunks did well and would be excellent in a vegetable soup.  ...and maybe a few more bargain items.

I've started a build up of my pantry/stockpile in anticipation of a deeper recession and/or some possible unemployment.  (My experience is that you never know when this will happen and if you're not prepared, it will be more difficult to deal with.)  This week, I'm focusing on sugar, toilet paper, and sale/clearance items.

Also, I've been using some homemade laundry detergent and I am very happy with it.  My trip to Walmart this weekend will likely include the ingredients to make another batch.  Maybe I can talk my DDIL into making it (for us to share), if I purchase the ingredients.

Stocking up, being thrifty, all in a day's work

Today was my second day with the 3yo.  We started the day off with a trip to BJs (wholesale club).  I picked up just two items that we needed:  paper cups and bacon bits.  Crazy huh?

After that, we stopped by a local open air market and I picked up a few items.  I got two regular local tomatoes (at 1.59/#)  and a pack of 'seconds' for only .69 (for 2 tomatoes).  I love the little packets they sell of slightly blemished items.  For example, the .69 package of tomatoes had a dirty tomato and a tomato with a small dark spot.  I can cut that dark spot out and make a delicious salad. 

I also got a package of three zucchini for only .99.  I chopped up two into small cubes and shredded the third.  All went into the dehydrator.  I also found half a small head of purple cabbage there for about 50 cents.  I couldn't find a small amount of this at Publix the other day.  Peaches were going price so I only got two to enjoy fresh.

After a quick lunch at home, we went to Walmart where I picked up two kiwi and a package of fresh pasta along with a case of 1/2 pint canning jars.  This should be the perfect size for dehydrated vegetables.  One cup should be about equal to two cups after they're re hydrated.  I can either use the whole thing or half at a time.

Finally, DH and I went out to eat tonight.  (Just slightly above fast food prices.)  While we were out, we stopped in Trader Joe's.  We picked up our favorites:  cartons of roasted red pepper tomato soup and potato pancakes.  I noticed that they had cherries on special.  I thought it said it was a 2 pound package for $6.99.  Still a better price than $4.99 per pound at the grocery store.  After I got home, I noticed it was a three pound package - even better.   Had I noticed, I probably would have gotten 2 package.  That's like $2.30 per pound! 

I'd like to can those cherries into pints to enjoy later in the year.  Maybe I can get at least one pint canned.

Christmas in July (almost)

The holidays will be here before we know it and I better get myself in gear if I hope to have some handmade gifts for Christmas.  My goal, beginning next week is to spend an hour each week day evening working on some project.  While I hope that most of these will be devoted to gifts, some of this time might be put towards other projects such as food storage, home projects or organization.

It's an adventure....

I was home today and keeping the 3yo.  We started the day with a summer matinee - 10am, complete with popcorn and drink.  I was surprised that the theater was not noisier than it was given that 75% or more of the attendees were under 10.  Three trips to the bathroom (well, actually four if you count the 2yo) and we were outta there.

We stopped for lunch and I then attempted a quiet hour.  Just forget that entirely.  For a kid who could sit for an hour and a half watching a movie, he couldn't keep himself on the sofa for an hour. 

After our quiet time (Ha!), we picked up a few things at the grocery store and I returned home to put some meat to marinade and started making a beef pot pie for dinner.  I also started dehydrating a bag of beans and a bag of carrots.  (I did pull out about a half cup of each for dinner.)

The little one was very helpful in getting me things and helping to get the clean clothes in and out of the dryer.

Finally, after dinner tonight, I did a little sewing on a sun dress for one of the twins.  We'll do a size check Thursday night and if it's a fit, I'll finish this up before the weekend is over.

All in all, I got a good bit done.  Tomorrow, we will head over to BJs and I hope to get some fresh carrots shredded and in the dehydrator. While I'm doing that, I plan on mixing up a batch of carrot raisin salad for Thursday's dinner.

Until tomorrow.....

New Week, new menu

Here we are in a new week.  First, I have a plan for dinners this week.

Sunday - Pot Roast, Mashed Potatoes
Monday - Baja Chipolte Chicken
Tuesday - Individual Beef Pot Pies
Wednesday - Salad
Thursday -  TBD
Friday - Homemade Pizza

I'm still finalizing that Thursday meal.  I'm looking for something a little different this week that is acceptable to four adults and three kids who'd rather have a taco every night!  :)

What's up?

I was so excited that my dehydrator was due to be delivered yesterday.  When the opportunity came to leave work early, I quickly took it and was home about 2 hours early.  Unfortunately, the box had not been delivered when I arrived.  Just after 5:30, Fedex dropped off the box.  At first, I was astonished at the size of the box and when I opened it up, I realized that it may be too large to even fit on top of the dryer.  (Get that, a drier on the dryer!)

For the time being, I've cleared an area and it's sitting on the kitchen cabinet.  I think its final spot will likely be in the spare bedroom downstairs.  When I'm actively drying, it can sit on the counter and then move elsewhere for off times. 

The first items I tried were three zucchinis and a large cucumber.  I tired to slice these in the food processor but I found that a knife was just as quick and I had more control.  They both dried very quickly, probably within about 4 hours.  I added some banana slices before bedtime and set the timer to shut off about 2am. 

Today, I added a can of pineapple chunks (we're still looking for an alternative to packaged over sugared dried pineapple), several apples sliced in rings, and a lemon and a lime.  I also elected to dry the apple peelings.  Not really sure what I'm going to do with this yet.  I saw that you can make your own tea with it. 

At the grocery store today, I picked up an inexpensive bag of frozen shredded hashbrowns and a bag of frozen cut green beans.  I'm going to run a test on the hashed browns.  I'll dehydrate this week and try cooking them next weekend - adding some dried onions and peppers for seasoning.

I still need to get some additional canning jars.  Bring on the cheap fruits and veggies.

When things go wrong.....

I hurried home from work today, my plan in full swing.  I started the dishwasher.  Put the ground beef for Thursday on to cook and placed a plastic pouch of chicken in the sink to thaw.  (It was the only thing I believed would thaw in tie to make dinner.)

Everything was going well.  The ground beef cooked nicely while the dishwasher hummed away.  5:30, time to marinate the chicken.  I had planned to marinate the two breasts in some teriyaki marinade, grill and serve along with a Knorr side dish of teriyaki noodles.  I cut open the pouch and discovered a foul smell (pun intended)!

What to do?  Fortunately, DH was willing to run out for a quick dinner.  I stuck the cooked ground beef in the fridge, cleaned up the chicken mess and changed my shoes.

After dinner, we stopped at Target.  Look what I found:

Half priced Delsym.  Still not sure why it was marked down.  It doesn't expire until 2014.  Same size, regular price for the Grape flavor is $11 and change.  These were $5.68.  Shame on me - I cleared the shelf.  This is the ONLY cough medicine that we use in our house.

I also picked up two rolls of the Reynolds Wrap non-stick priced at about half it's normal price.

Ca-ching!  Keep your eyes peeled.

Menu Plan - We're winging it!

Here's the run down for the week:

Sunday - Beef Stew with carrots and potatoes
Monday - Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup
Tuesday - Homemade Subs
Wednesday - TBD  (Maybe grilled Chicken?)
Thursday - Taco Night!  (Back by popular demand.  The 3yo has asked for five soft tacos!)
Friday - Homemade Pizza

I am trying to be patient while I wait on my new dehydrator.  Hope the peppers in my fridge can hold out!  Expect a big batch of jerky soon.  I also want to try out Zucchini chips.  Note to self:  Need to pick up some quart canning jars from Walmart for dehydrating storage.

Also want to try dehydrating some tomato chunks.  (I crumbled some of the tomato slices I had dehydrated last week, re-hydrated them and added to the boxed tomato soup.  It added just the right amount of texture and pure tomato taste.)

Play a little, work a little

Saturday was all about play.  We ventured up to a Scottish Festival and Highland Games.  We met up with some new friends and enjoyed our little fun car.  To make the day even better, we had ourselves a good little nap after our travels and ended the day with a movie at home.  (Really, our favorite kind of movie.)

Sunday, on the other hand, required some chores.  We had initially planned on cleaning up the back yard:  getting some trash picked up, pruning, mowing, and generally tidying up the area.  When we woke to rain showers, we had to alter the plan.  I had two buyers scheduled to come by to check out some furniture posted on craigslist.  The first buyer decided to take it and I found myself with some cash in my pocket (ca-ching).

While we waited on the to come by and subsequently make a second trip, we used the time to do some cleaning and organizing down there.  Of special note was a laundry basket full of stuff that was waiting on me to dispose of.  The garage/basement looks much better with the furniture gone and some organization done.

I was also able to do a mini organization in my laundry room and hung a cordless drill/screwdriver on the wall.  DH is very happy about this since it had become an issue every time the toddlers were here.  (If I can, I want to un-install my can opener and toss it.  It won't even open a can on a single pass anymore.)

Car towels have also been washed.

I put a half a loaf of bread into the dehydrator and made some bread crumbs before I cleaned it to return it.

DH was also busy giving the bathroom a thorough cleaning and I topped it off with steaming the floor.  I do like a clean bathroom.  

 

Last batch in the Dehydrator

I took the plunge yesterday and ordered an Excalibur dehydrator.  I had the hardest time deciding which unit to get.  (They're not cheap!)  Ultimately, I decided that I needed the adjustable temperature.  The 26 hour timer would be helpful in situations where I needed to have the products dry just a little longer and not necessarily all day or all night. 

The price difference between the top of the line 9 tray and 5 tray units was just about $50.  I remembered apple season last year and having more apples than I could can.  I decided to take the plunge and fork out the difference for the 9 tray.  Unlike some of the other brands, the Excalibur is not expandable.  It does have the rear fan which supposedly eliminates the need to rotate your trays. 

I should have it in about a week or so.  In the meantime, I have my borrowed unit running with one tray of sliced tomatoes, one tray of mixed bell peppers, one full tray of oregano from my garden and a fourth tray with some basil.  I'll get it all washed up tomorrow and return it. 

I am looking forward to dehydrating some frozen vegetables when the unit arrives and DH wants me to do some jerky. 

Sweet Thing

I left work a little early today and stopped by Aldi on the way home.  They had blueberries advertised for just over a dollar and I was hoping to find some more cheap strawberries.  Unfortunately, I found neither.  I did pick up some cheese peanut butter crackers - a favorite for work snacks and a four pound bag of sugar (at .55 per pound, this is the cheapest sugar I can buy right now).  In addition, I got a pack of string cheese and a fresh pineapple.

I had dried some additional apples and strawberries last night.  DH didn't care for the strawberries but he expressed that he liked dried pineapple so I thought I would give it a try.  I peeled the pineapple and sliced as thin as I could.  I found that kitchen shears worked well to get those remaining eyes out and I could cut the core out easily with the shears after slicing.

The pineapple has been drying since 4pm and some is just beginning to dry but it is far from the crunchy state.  I do not think that this is the texture DH is looking for.  The must do something different to that dehydrated pineapple you find in the stores.  Next up, I'm going to attempt to dry some pineapple using the canned stuff.

I've just about convinced myself to purchase an Excalibur dehydrator.  I've tested the temperature of the one I'm borrowing and found that it can get as high as 150 degrees.  Frozen vegetables and fresh fruits should be dried at 125 max.  If anyone has feedback on these units, please let me know.

Menu for the week....

Sunday - BBQ pork chops, homemade mac and cheese
Monday - Manwich and Fries** 
Tuesday - undecided
Wednesday - undecided
Thursday - out with DS
Friday - Homemade Pizza

Dry, again....

I noticed this evening that my abundant purchase of tomatoes was beginning to go a little south.  I purchased these little packets of tomatoes on the vine from Aldi's on Friday and some are already a little softer than I would like for sandwiches and salads.

Rather than let them spoil, I sliced up about 4-5 (they're small) and filled up two trays on the dehydrator.  Since it was running, I also sliced two green peppers and filled a third tray.  I found a sad red pepper in the fridge whose skin was all wrinkled up.  I spent about 10-15 charring it over the stove.  After a steam in a paper bag, I peeled the roasted pepper, chopped coarsely and place it in the fourth dehydrator rack. 

My plan for this batch of dried tomatoes is to eventually (when I have enough for a small batch) grind into tomato powder.  I had planned on dehydrating the second package of strawberries but they will have to wait until tomorrow or they may just go in the freezer.

On another subject, I've been using some homemade laundry detergent my DDIL made and so far, I'm pleased with the results.  I am sensitive to perfumes and dyes in most laundry detergent and generally use a "free and clear" product.  While I can get these at a relatively low price, I'm thinking that the homemade version may be even cheaper. 

She's (DDIL) also made some homemade dishwasher detergent that I am anxious to try.  The brand I usually use does routinely have coupons but it is still expensive.  The cheaper brands don't seem to work as well in my machine.

It's been a bit dry here....

After stopping by Aldi's Friday afternoon, I cranked the dehydrator back up this weekend.  Saturday evening I chopped up five peppers (one red, one yellow, one orange and two green) and allowed the dehydrator to work it's magic.   By breakfast this morning, I had a pint of dehydrated peppers.  The peppers were $1.19 for three.

Sunday, I used my egg slicer to slice up a quart of strawberries.  (After they were washed and hulled, of course.)  I sprinkled just a tad of powdered sugar over one side.  I also used my new apple slicer, peeler and corer to slice up three apples (also from Aldi's).  I did dip the apple slices in an ice water lemon juice mix for just a minute or so.  I ran these at the same time and eventually moved four full trays into two.  I got a cup sized container of strawberries and a pint of sliced apples. 

I have another quart of strawberries and I may dry those as well since I've noticed that Aldi's will have strawberries for .99 next week as well.  They required no special prep and dried relatively quickly.  The finished product is very tasty.  I can see that these would be particularly useful as cereal add-ins, snacking, and re hydrated and chopped for baking.

The apples are relatively quick to prepare and they were very tasty.  I sprinkled just a tad of cinnamon to offset any potential discoloration but surprisingly, there was very little discoloration. 

I purchased two red pears at Publix today and may try to dehydrate one of these to see how it compares with the apples.

I am considering purchasing a more industrial dehydrator - like an Excalibur, or a unit that can accommodate more trays.  If I'm going to spend the time (I like to be here most of the time while the unit is running), energy and money to run the thing, I want to get the most bang for my buck.

A plan for June

I have a freezer full of food.  A little of it needs to be purged, most needs to be eaten.  For the month of June, I'm instituting a freezer/pantry challenge.

I am going to try to use at least one item from the freezer every day.  Items to go into the freezer will be limited to meats purchased on sale and very good deals.  I am also limiting my weekly grocery purchases to deals, sales and absolute necessities.

For example, Publix has boneless pork loin on sale this week for $1.99 per pound.  That's at least half the price of the prepared pork chops.  We enjoy barbecued chops (shake and bake) and these freeze well and thaw fast.  I think I will purchase two:  cook one for Sunday dinner and freeze the second one cut as chops.

I stopped at Aldi's this afternoon.  I found sugar cheaper than I've seen i a while - .55 per pound.  The best price otherwise has been at least .60 per pound.  These were in four pound packages and I picked up three today.  I also got a salt and pepper shaker for the stockpile.  In addition, I picked up two packages of tortillas and three boxes of taco shells - all for .99 each.  (Those little kids REALLY like tacos!) For fresh vegetables, I got two packs of colored peppers, one pack of green peppers (I plan to slice and dehydrate most of these), two packages of strawberries (one package to slice and dehydrate), and three bags of tomatoes on the vine (at .59 per  package, we'll eat what we can and slice and dehydrate the rest).  I also picked up a three pound bag of apples - got to check out that apple slicer.  My total OOP was $31.

During June, I'm also testing out homemade versions of laundry detergent and dishwasher detergent.