Making it Monday: Pancake Mix recipe...

I first saw this recipe on Do It On A Dime, so the credit goes to Kathryn.  So nice to have on hand when I just want to make an easy supper (because we never have pancakes for breakfast).

It was a snap to make a batch as part of Chandler's Christmas present.  And then while I had all the tools and ingredients out, I made another batch to fill my own empty jar.

In a BIG bowl place:

   10 cups all purpose flour

   9.5 ounce package of instant dry milk

   1/2 cup of sugar

   4 Tablespoons of baking powder

   1 Tablespoon of salt

I use a whisk to gently mix all the dry ingredients, making sure to get everything well blended throughout.  

Then I transfer it to a large jar with a lid.

I put the directions for the additions to make it into batter on the outside of the lid, so it's ready at hand when I need it.

Kathryn says use 2 cups mix, 1 cup water, and 1 egg, but that was too thick to pour when I tried it, so I decreased the mix amount I use.  Just try it out and see what works for you.

And I put the recipe to make another batch of mix inside the lid, so I can refill the jar when it's empty.  

We like pancakes and waffles at our house, and I use this mix for both.

Frugal Friday File 2019, week 52...

Successes:
1.  Carey & I were going to a place that has a Little Free Library out front.  Before leaving home, I picked up a paperback that I had finished recently so I would have something to trade, and I found a humor book to bring home with us by Dave Barry that I thought Carey would like.

2.  While I wouldn't say our Christmas was especially frugal, I did find ways to make some frugal and personal items part of the gift giving.  I already shared the Snack Cracker Mix recipe, and I'll share the Pancake Mix recipe in a day or two.  And everything was packaged in containers I had around the house and wrapped with paper and ribbon on hand.

3.  Carey and I agreed that neither of us could think of a thing that we wanted, and definitely didn't need anything, for Christmas.  So we gave each other the best gift of all:  a break from obligation shopping.  (Now, this may not seem like a gift at all to you, but for us...this year...it was!)

4.  Carey hadn't checked the car out for awhile, so he gave it a once over, and was shocked and euphoric at how few miles have been put on it since we returned from our vacation.  Short commute for the win again!  That, and I'm too tired to go anywhere after work, and the weekends are just for catching up with laundry and chores.  :)

5.  Pinterest.  I can find free recipes, ideas, patterns, and tutorials for almost anything I can think of and then some.  I no longer keep binders with top-loading page protectors holding cut-out magazine pages.  I don't buy cookbooks.  I no longer subscribe to magazines and keep piles of them around the house for years (and years and years).  

Saturday:  *burgers
Sunday:  *Popo's
Monday:  roast, potatoes, carrots
Tuesday: Christmas supper at Kasey & Beau's 
Wednesday:  sandwiches
Thursday:  salad
Friday: Spanish Rice

Number of individual servings made and frozen for work lunches this week:  5

(*not-frugal takeout or dinner out)

Thankful, grateful, blessed...

I realized when I read Debbie's blog recently that I have completely forgotten to do a 'thankful, grateful, blessed' post lately.  So as I am sitting at the computer contemplating what I am really blessed by today, it suddenly came to me...literally.

Merry Christmas...

...and wishing...

This is not the least bit reverent, but I received it today in a text from a friend, and I couldn't resist, since I had nothing better to blog.

We have had a quiet day, as we shared last night with the kids and had a wonderful time.  Out of the seven gift cards we gave to the kids and grandkids, only three of them found the gift cards without being coached to keep looking.

Beau got a jar of Snack Crackers with a gift certificate to a specialty meats shop in a Christmas envelope taped to the outside of the jar.  He thought the envelope was just decorating the jar.  :)

Kasey got a box of chocolate covered cherries, with a gift certificate for two 1-hour massage sessions taped to the bottom of the box.  I swear she would have thrown the box away when it was empty if I hadn't just come out and told her.  LOL

Chandler and Bobby both got grocery gift cards to help with their grocery and/or gasoline purchases since they are both in college.  Chandler's card was adhered to a canister of pancake mix with a container of maple syrup.  And Bobby's was adhered to a jar of Cheezy Snack Crackers.  They both totally overlooked their cards also.

The youngest three found theirs easily.  

Diego received a big stocking filled with 52 ounces of Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing.  I tucked a prepaid credit card inside the box, as he is saving for a new laptop.

Caitlyn had been the only one to actually tell me what she wanted (a new phone case) and sent me a link to the exact one.  Now THAT'S the way to get exactly what you want.  :)  The case didn't cost as much as what the others received, so I tucked a prepaid card inside her box as well.

Chloe is our primper, and she had added "Sephora gift card" to her Christmas list.  I wanted to 'personalize' it by adding something, so Kasey suggested she needed a makeup bag.  I tucked the gift card into the bag with sample-sized face wash and masque.

After panicking a week or so ago when I had only nailed down two of their seven gifts, I am pleased with how things turned out.  I managed to keep all gifting fairly equitable, and personalized the cards/certificates by adding them to items that each person really likes.

Oh, and I didn't mention what we gave Jared.  He got a stockpile of sandwiches from a favorite sandwich shop in our hometown.  Since we now live three hours away, they are a rare treat.  I placed a BIG order, and Carey made the trip to pick them up.  They are now all in the freezer, and Jared is as happy as a clam to have them to look forward to over the next couple of months (or weeks depending on how hungry he is).  :)

Making it Monday...

Here's a quick blog post and a quick recipe.  I'm giving mostly gift cards and gift certificates for Christmas, so I want to include them along with a little something else for the kids & grandkids to open.  This year there are no quilts like last Christmas!

But there will be some snacks and goodies, and here is one that is both super easy and super delicious!

Okay, these photos show the ingredients for 2 batches; one made with Cheez-Its and one made with Club Minis crackers (you can use regular saltines, but I couldn't find the small saltines, so I bought the Club Minis).  The recipe that follows is for 1 batch.  

Snack Crackers

In a bowl, whisk together:

   1 1/4 cup vegetable oil

   1 packet of Zesty Italian salad dressing mix

   1 packet of Ranch salad dressing mix

   1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or 1 Tablespoons if you like the heat)

Place 2  12.4 ounce boxes of crackers of your choice into a large airtight container.  Pour the oil/dressing  over the crackers, and turn to mix the oil throughout the crackers.  Turn the container every 30 minutes for 4 hours.

That's it!

I like to use my glass gallon jars, because the two boxes of crackers fit in them easily, and the jars roll easily across the counter top, which makes mixing the oil throughout the crackers a snap.  After mixing periodically for 4 hours, I will pour the finished crackers into a gifting container (because my gallon jars are keepers...yeah...I AM selfish with them!)

Frugal Friday File 2019, week 51...

Successes:
1.  Well, I haven't finished Christmas shopping yet, but almost.  I have some gift cards to pick up, and that should do it.  For the most part, the gifts are consumable and practical.

2.  I received a thoughtful, and most welcome, bonus at work this week.  

3.  Carey paid our annual property taxes today.  Thankfully I had been able to put money aside for them, so no panicky feelings.  Also, though taxes went up quite a bit in our area this year, we had taken care of registering for our homestead exemption when Carey turned 65, thus freezing our property taxes at the amount they were the year before he turned 65.  A very welcome savings.

4.  Congress passed the SECURE Act as part of the budget package.  If the President signs it, saving for retirement will be extended for a lot of people.  I heard about this as I listened to NPR on my five-minute drive to work this morning.  It caught my attention because the majority of my work is helping people who are planning/saving for retirement, and I was able to share the news with others in the office who hadn't heard about it yet.  I love NPR: it keeps me informed, entertained, and is a bargain.  (I am a contributing member.)

5.  You know what else is a bargain?  Blogger!  Yes, we all get frustrated with the hiccups it has, but over the past twelve years, using this free format has allowed me to interact with a lot of people around the country and the world that I would never have crossed paths with any other way.  Thanks, Blogger!

Saturday:  leftovers
Sunday:  barbecue
Monday:  leftovers
Tuesday:  sandwich
Wednesday:  *chicken
Thursday:  *Young's sandwich
Friday: *Italian

Number of individual servings made and frozen for work lunches this week:  

(*not-frugal takeout or dinner out)

Frugal Friday File 2019, week 50...

Successes:
1.  Since we missed Thanksgiving, I still have everything I need to make pies when we gather for Christmas.  I considered making a pie for Sunday family supper, but decided it would be smarter to hold on to the pie makings so I don't have to restock as the crowds get crowdier.  Somehow I have overbought flour lately, and I had yeast that needs using up (best-buy date 2017, but every time I proof it, it is still active), so I decided to make cinnamon rolls.  They weren't my best batch.  Their rise was fine, and they looked perfect, but the flavor was in some way bland.  I wonder if I used 2 teaspoons instead of 2 Tablespoons of cinnamon?  Oh well, they were edible.  And when we got home from Kasey's, walking into a house scented of home-baked bread, Carey said, "At least the house smells good."  LOL

2.  Had planned to make a chicken curry, but there was no chicken in my freezer.  So I just added more vegetables.  Pretty much emptied the crisper drawer: yellow peppers, green peppers, onion, nearly-dehydrated baby carrots, added sweet potato and white potato, and served over rice.  A little starchy, but pretty tasty, and didn't require abandoning my menu plan.

3.  I stocked up on fruit for smoothies, and sandwich makings for lunch, and have eaten both at home every day.

4.  I have purchased only one (1!) Christmas gift.  Okay for my bank balance, but not so much for my family.  Seriously, I need to get it in gear!

5.  Once I do have some gifts to put under the tree, I have plenty of leftover bags, paper, and ribbon to wrap them without purchasing any more.

Saturday:  Vegetable Curry and naan
Sunday:  Sunday family supper at Kasey & Beau's
Monday:  pork chops, squash casserole, green beans
Tuesday:  slow cooker soy/honey Chicken Drumsticks w/ broccoli, rice
Wednesday:  Virginia's Taco Soup
Thursday:  *baked potato
Friday: *chicken

Number of individual servings made and frozen for work lunches this week:  11

(*not-frugal takeout or dinner out)

Frugal Friday File 2019, week 49...

Successes:
1.  I filled up at the inexpensive station in a neighboring town while I was there anyway for a medical appointment.  (Almost two full weeks between fill ups, and I wasn't on empty, so could have gone a few more days.)

2.  Menu planned and grocery order placed.  Having a plan and groceries in the house mean it is way more likely that we won't resort to eating out.  It also means that Carey will have home-cooked individual meals frozen to take for work meals, so he won't have to eat out there either.  (Since I shop and cook with having extra portions for his work meals in mind, I may never learn how to cook in smaller quantities.)

3.  Thoroughly enjoyed my library book, and while I was running an errand that took me by the library, I returned the book early for the next person on the reserve list to enjoy.

4.  Mild weather is helping out with the power bill.

5.  I checked my pay check info, and noticed that it didn't have a deduction for a 401k contribution.  Dug a little deeper and found that somehow my choice for deduction didn't save, so I reentered.  I will continue to check each pay check until I find it is correct.  

Saturday:  
Sunday:  Sunday family supper at Kasey & Beau's
Monday:  
Tuesday:  *chicken
Wednesday:  *Schlotzsky sandwiches
Thursday:  Spanish Rice
Friday: *fish

Number of individual servings made and frozen for work lunches this week:  4

(*not-frugal takeout or dinner out)

What I am reading Wednesday...

I'm a day late and a dollar short, as the colloquialism goes, but excited about the books I have to read this week.

 A Single Thread by Tracy Chevalier

I love Tracy Chevalier, and this is her new one.  I put my name on the reserve list at the library as soon as I heard about it, and my turn came up very quickly.  I couldn't wait to dig in.

It's about Violet, who lost her brother and fiance in WWI.  At a time when so many young men were killed, they left a generation of spinsters to face a lifetime alone with limited options.  Violet is determined not to spend the rest of her life living with her bitter and trying mother.  She takes a chance and manages a transfer from her hometown job to the Winchester office, and on a visit to the cathedral, she becomes interested in the organization of broderers...a group of women who embroider (needlepoint) kneeler and bench cushions for the cathedral.

Oh my goodness!  England.  Handwork.  Women in community.  And romance.  It was as good as I hoped it would be.

The Body: A guide for Occupants by Bill Bryson

And at the same time my reserve turn came up for Bill Bryson's new book.  Which I will be starting tonight.