Homemade Pizza and Spaghetti Sauce

I wanted to share this recipe with you because it has come in handy for me and is much cheaper than buying pizza sauce and spaghetti sauce in the jar. And it's quite tasty!

15 ounce can tomato sauce
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
4 teaspoons tomato paste (I usually add more of this if I'm making the sauce for pizza to thicken it a bit)

Mix together in a bowl and use as needed. It can be frozen too!

Enjoy and God bless ~ Thrifty Gal

And after a long respite....

... I'm back! :) Our last 10 days have been filled with sickness and some stressful situations but things are going better now (Thanks be to God!) and I feel like "reconnecting" with the bloggy world again! I have taken some time to rethink my priorities in life and wanted to post them to my blog to have a written record in the hope of keeping me on track.

My list of Daily Responsibilities (in chronological order):
1. God (including daily devotions and service)
2. Family (includes daily care and uplifting of immediate family, stuff like laundry, cooking & dishes, and weekly correspondence with family members near and far
3. Friends ~ AT LEAST weekly correspondence with close friends by email, telephone, hand-written notes
4. Financial Tracking (including paying bills, budgeting, etc.)
5. Job (Ebay business) ~ currently being replaced by Christmas responsibilities
6. House Work (other than above mentioned daily duties)
7. Blogging

I'm bummed that blogging comes last on the list but I just really feel like the 1st 6 steps need to be completed before the 7th. So I may not be posting every day but will try to post a least a couple times a week :)

I am inspired and encouraged by this paragraph from Lucy Swindoll's Daily Devotions, "There is always enough time to do the will of God. The great thing is to make our planning subject to God's perfect plan, laying our agendas at His feet and asking Him to help us choose wisely. All of us have duties. How gratefully and calmly we carry them out will indicate how we have obeyed Him."

Enjoy your day and God bless ~ Thrifty Gal

Under the Weather

I'm a little under the weather today so I guess I'll take the day off. Hopefully I'll be back tomorrow....enjoy your Sunday and God bless ~ Thrifty Gal

We have a Winner!

The winner of the Rachael Ray cookbook is....Lydia! She was the 10th person to comment and my assistant ~ who is sick :( ~ drew the number 10! Congratulations Lydia and Happy Cooking! :)

Tortilla Beef Bake

I just realized that I haven't posted a recipe for over a week! Well, I think it's time to pass on a recipe I found in a Taste of Home magazine (don't cha just love that magazine!) ~ it's called Tortilla Beef Bake. It's so easy (and I'm all about ease)...so here it is!

1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 can (10 3/4 oz.) Cream of Celery Soup
2 1/2 cups crushed tortilla chips, divided
1 jar (16 oz.) salsa
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1. In a skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain; stir in soup.
2. Sprinkle 1 1/2 cups crushed tortilla chips in a greased, shallow 2 1/2 quart baking dish (love the Pyrex white oval dish for this)
3. Top chips with beef mixture, salsa and cheese.
4. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until bubbly.
5. Sprinkle remaining chips on top and bake 3 minutes longer or until chips are lightly toasted. Makes 6 servings.

Be sure to have a dollop of sour cream on hand for extra yumminess!
Enjoy and God bless ~ Thrifty Gal

Michael W. Smith's "It's a Wonderful Christmas"

During the midst of our Christmas decorating bonanza last Saturday (see post below), we had the pleasure of listening to the new Michael W. Smith Christmas cd entitled "It's a Wonderful Christmas". And my opinion of it? It's a wonderful cd :)

My first impression came during the opening chords of the first song, Christmas Angels. It sounded like an old fashioned music box, which I have loved since I was a child when I played one every night before I went to sleep. You can hear a children's choir in this first song and in many of the songs throughout the cd, which is just precious. The title song is next, followed by The Promise, and then A Song for the King ~ all of which glorify our mighty Lord so beautifully. My favorite song is next ~ his duet with American Idol's Mandisa, easily one of my favorite contestants ever on that show. Her magnificent, powerful voice just booms out of this song and she and Smith sound great together. The songs A Highland Carol, Sing Noel, Sing Hallelujah and Son of God follow. Then comes the only cover song on the cd ~ the beautiful Christmas classic "What Child is This?" in which Smith puts a fresh sound to. The cd wraps up with "Audrey's Gift", ~ special to me because I have a great-niece named Audrey ~ and "All Year Long".

This cd, which is full of original songs penned by Smith, showcases his skills as a composer. And as I was listening to it, I thought how AWESOME it would be to hear in concert! Smith is apparently touring right now to promote this cd but, unfortunately, no where near Iowa :)

Since I knew Smith to be a Christian music artist, I expected this cd to be filled with religious, sacred Christmas music and I was not disappointed. It would be a great gift for any true Christmas music lover! :)

Enjoy the sounds of the season and God bless ~ Thrifty Gal

Thought for the Day

I have to learn that the aim in life is God's, not mine. God is using me from His great personal standpoint, and all He asks of me is that I trust Him, and never say -- Lord, this gives me such heart-ache.... He simply asks me to have implicit faith in Himself and in His goodness.
Oswald Chambers

Cookbook Giveaway!

It's the HOLIDAY season and I'm feeling generous....so...I'm going to give away a NEW Rachael Ray Cookbook! It's the 'Rachael Ray 2, 4, 6, 8 Great Meals for Couples or Crowds Cookbook' and consists of GREAT recipes for 30-minute meals. Just leave me a comment on this post ~ I'll accept comments until 11:59 p.m. Friday, Nov. 30. I'll match your comments to numbers (chronological order) and have my able assistant (my DD) draw at 10 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 1). I'll post the winner's name on my blog but will also email the winner so be sure to leave your email address IF you don't have a link to your blog. This giveaway is open to all my U.S. readers ~ I will mail out on Monday, Dec. 3, via USPS Media Mail. This would make a GREAT Christmas gift.

Good luck and God bless ~ Thrifty Gal

Walgreen's Thrifty Deals

Last night, I studied the Walgreens ad. I've read so many of my thrifty sisters' posts about the great deals they get when using the Walgreens ad, their rebates, and coupons combined, that I thought I'd give it a try. My biggest 'get' of the day was the Dove Skin Vitalizer on sale for $9.99 with an additional $3.50 coupon ~ so it cost me $6.49! I would have never purchased this product at full price but for that amount...it's going in my stocking from Santa! :) I also purchased 2 bottles of Dove Pro-Age body lotion ($7.99 each - ouch!) but it was Buy 1, Get 1 50% off plus I had a coupon for $1.00 off. In addition, the ad flyer said that if you "buy any 2 Dove Pro-Age products, you will get 'Register Rewards' at the check-out ~ Buy 2, get $2". Ideally, this should have come out as a coupon at the register. Unfortunately, the Walgreen's I went to wasn't "programmed" to print this coupon out, so I had to get (after about a 15 minute wait) a mail-in 'rebate' type thingy. I'm just hoping the company will honor it because it's a copied form. Wish me luck with that one! I was also able to pick up two bags of Hershey brand Christmas candy at a dollar apiece which is a great price! And they had Andes mints for 99 cents a box ~ another deal! And last but not least I purchased jane Be Pure Mineral Makeup Powder for $5.99 ~ and with the mail-in rebate... FREE! Overall, I was happy with my purchases but I don't know how often I'll be driving the 36 miles (one way) to do this. Today I had lots of other errands and shopping to do so it was worth the drive. Does anyone else have experience with Walgreens' deals and their rebate program? Let me know if you do...thanks in advance and God bless ~ Thrifty Gal

Back from a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving Holiday

I just wanted to check in and say HI! We're back from a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving holiday...we went to my sister's house (about 2 hours from our home) and stayed for 2 nights. We had a lot of fun....and A LOT OF FOOD! Wednesday night we went out to a great family-owned pizza restaurant in their city (I love to frequent FAMILY owned businesses, don't you?) and ate and ate and ate. Then on Thursday, I spent the morning and 1/2 of the afternoon making Christmas bows for my sister's holiday decorations (I've been fortunate enough to take a floral design course and learned how to make "professional"-looking bows) and then we sat down to an OUTSTANDING, traditional Thanksgiving meal ~ turkey, ham, mashed potatoes & gravy, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, corn, rolls, pumpkin pie and turkey-shaped sugar cookies! OH! The Lord is good! Then my husband, our two kids and my adult nephew and I did the most OUTRAGEOUS thing....we went to the Jordan Creek Town Center (a shopping mall in West Des Moines, Iowa) at 12:01 a.m.! It was CRAZY! Supposedly there were 30,000 bargain shoppers there!!! It was unbelieveable ~ the lines to check-out wound clear around the stores. We did get to my DD's favorite store ~ Limited Too ~ and she managed to pick out a few things for her Christmas presents. Then we high-tailed it out of there at 2 a.m. After a long morning of sleep :) , we took off for my father-in-law's home. We visited with him for several hours, then went out to eat for supper (a Chinese All-You-Can-Eat buffet ~ just what we needed!) and then headed home. We slept in yesterday morning and then put up the Christmas decorations! It is always such a fun day around here ~ we crank the Christmas music (including the new Michael W. Smith cd, which I will blog about in the next day or two) and make it a whole day of decorating. I'm getting ready for Boomama's Christmas Tour of Homes, you know! :) Today we're back to our routine of Sunday School, Church, working on various projects around the house and then, tonight, we'll be watching our 1st Christmas movie of the season! I feel so blessed and grateful for it all ~ including my two helpers below. Enjoy your Sunday evening and God bless ~ Thrifty Gal

Scripture for Today, Tomorrow and Always

Psalm 100
(from the New King James Version)

A Song of Praise for the Lord's Faithfulness to His People
A Psalm of Thanksgiving

Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!
Serve the Lord with gladness;
Come before His presence with singing.
Know that the Lord, He is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves,
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
For the Lord is good;
His mercy is everlasting,
And His truth endures to all generations.

God bless and Happy Thanksgiving! Thrifty Gal

Thrifty Christmas Presents

I found these great Christmas presents recently at Dollar General and I thought I'd share them with you. I got this classic Memory Game ($7) for our 3-year-old great-nephew...do you know how hard it is to find gifts for little ones under 5 that are NOT made in China? Anyway, the Memory Game is MADE IN THE USA! :) The other two items in the picture are from the Olde South Candle Company... they are fragrance diffusers, which I think is an awesome gift for a teenage girl. So many of them (my DD included) like their rooms to smell good but many parents (like myself) do not want them burning candles. So I thought these were a great alternative and were only $6 each! They come in three different fragrances: Tahitian Vanilla, Pomegranate Pear and Citrus. I'm giving one to our 14-year-old niece and the other one was given as a birthday gift to a 14-year-old friend of the family.

Now I'm gearing up for Black Friday in the hopes of getting more names crossed off my list ~ good luck to all of you who are doing the same! Enjoy and God bless ~ Thrifty Gal

Homemade Scalloped Potatoes & Ham

One of my favorite thrifty cookbooks is the classic "Fix-It and Forget-It Cookbook: Feasting with your Slow Cooker" by Dawn J. Ranck and Phyllis Pellman Good. I've had this cookbook for 6 years and I probably use it at least once a week, if not more. Tonight's crockpot selection is one of my DD's favorites ~ Scalloped Potatoes & Ham ~ and she thought I should share it with you!

6 cups raw potatoes, cut into small cubes

1 medium onion, minced

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 pound cooked ham, cubed

4 Tablespoons butter

4 Tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups milk

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1. Layer potatoes, onion, salt, and ham into slow cooker.

2. Melt butter in saucepan. Stir in flour and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook until bubbly. Gradually add milk. Cook until smooth and thickened. Add cheese and stir until melted. Pour over potato-ham mixture, stirring lightly.

3. Cover. Cook on Low 6-7 hours, or High 3-4 hours.

Enjoy and God bless ~ Thrifty Gal

Pre-Thanksgiving Thoughts (It's never too early to be grateful)

Thanksgiving is the holiday of peace, the celebration of work and the simple life…a true folk-festival that speaks the poetry of the turn of the seasons, the beauty of seedtime and harvest, the ripe product of the year ~ and the deep, deep connection of all these things with God.

~ Ray Stannard Baker (David Grayson)

Thrifty Decorating

One of my favorite thrifty, leisure-type activities is to check out decorating books from our local library. I love to just flip through them until something catches my eye...then I try to figure out how I can cheaply copy the idea! :)

I just checked out a great book entitled "For the Love of Old ~ Living with Chipped, Frayed, Tarnished, Faded, Tattered, Worn & Weathered Things that bring Comfort, Character, and Joy to the Places We Call Home" by Mary Randolph Carter. It is a large, coffee-table type book with big, beautiful photos. Although the author's love for all things old goes above and beyond what I would use to decorate, I did find a few of her ideas interesting enough to try to replicate. Something I saw that I really liked was an antique maple syrup tin that was shaped like a log cabin. I just loved this tin and was so surprised and excited THE NEXT DAY to find one of my own! (for $1, no less). While it is newer than the one in the book, it actually matched up better with the colors in my retro kitchen where it now happily resides! :)

I also loved her chapter on decorating with old books, entitled "Tattered Tales". My husband (an English teacher) and myself (a journalism major) love to read and to use old books throughout the house. In fact, we have several large, leather-bound 'record' books under our lamps on our two end tables. We scrounged the books from the dumpsters at our local Masonic Temple when they disbanded the chapter and sold the property. They are beautiful old books (from the 1920's) and add a very warm and distinguished look under our clearanced Kmart lamps! :)

My decorating style, in general, is to use what I have inherited from grandparents & parents, thrift store finds I've picked up in my many searches, and sentimental items given to me by friends and family. My husband and I have never gone into a furniture store and bought a whole roomful of new furniture. And I really have no desire to! My home is filled with things I love including our antique dresser from my husband's grandmother, our antique trunk (turned coffee table) from my grandparents and our antique Singer sewing machine from my husband's relatives. They all just seem to make our home so cozy, warm and inviting. At least I hope so anyway... :) God bless ~ Thrifty Gal

Chicken Caesar Wraps

I almost forgot to post my incredibly delicious, gourmet, hard-to-make recipe for Chicken Caesar Wraps! Ok, really they're very easy to make and definitely NOT gourmet but they are delicious! :) I always plan on making these a couple of days after we've had either grilled chicken breasts or chicken in the crock pot. Here's what you need to make 4-5 wraps:
At least 3 cooked boneless, skinless chicken breasts (sliced or cubed in bite-size pieces)
1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Romaine lettuce
Caesar salad dressing
Wheat tortillas
Throw ingredients together in wrap anyway you like, roll-up and eat! Enjoy and God bless ~ Thrifty Gal

Can you hear me singing Alleluia from here?

I'm on cloud 9 and singing praises to God today! Why, you ask? Because I won a Kodak EasyShare Picture Printer from Shannon's AWESOME blog, Bloggy Giveaways!!!! I've never won anything so big (and expensive!) in my life! I have about 400 digital photos saved on my computer's hard drive and had no idea how I was going to get them printed. I still have dial-up and it takes WAY too long to download to anyone else's website to get them printed. This is an answered prayer! Praise be to God and thanks to Kodak and Shannon! :) God bless ~ Thrifty Gal

HELP!

Per my "not so thrifty" post a few days ago, I have been busy planning menus, making shopping lists and TRYING to set up a Price Book. Has anyone else done this? It's proving to be much more time-consuming than I thought it would be. If anyone has any advice for me, I'd be more than happy to accept your help... :)

Homemade Taco Seasoning

I don't usually post two cooking-type posts in a row but I'm mixing up ingredients for homemade taco seasoning this afternoon and thought it might be a good, thrifty recipe to pass along. I printed this from someone's blog...and I'm so sorry but it was so long ago that I don't remember whose it was! Please forgive me for the lack of acknowledgement ~ I do want to thank whoever posted this because it has been a lifesaver for me! I was always planning tacos on a night when I had forgotten to buy taco seasoning. Then I looked this up and decided to make up pouches ahead of time and just store it in my cupboard. That way I don't have to mix up the ingredients every time we're having tacos! :)
2 Tablespoons flour
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon dried minced onion
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon ground oregano
Combine seasoning mixture and keep tightly sealed in storage bags until needed. Then, mix with 1 pound browned, drained ground beef and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Enjoy and God bless ~ Thrifty Gal

Crock Pot Greek Chicken

I have the most delicious aroma coming from my kitchen right now...it's Crock Pot Greek Chicken! It's what's for dinner tonight and I wanted to share the recipe with you.
4-6 potatoes, peeled & quartered
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 large onions, quartered (I actually only used one, which is enough for us)
1 whole bulb garlic, minced (I used minced garlic from the jar in the frig)
3 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1. Place potatoes in bottom of crock pot. Add chicken, onions and garlic. Sprinkle with seasonings. Top with oil.
2. Cover. Cook on High 5-6 hours, or on Low 9-10 hours.
I plan to use the leftover chicken in Chicken Caeser Wraps later this week. I'll post that 'recipe' then. Enjoy! and God bless ~ Thrifty Gal

Scripture for the Day

This is the Day which the Lord has made;

Let us Rejoice and be Glad in it.

Psalm 118:24

My first meme

Alexia from The Mommy Rambles has tagged me for my first meme. So, here I go!

I give you money and send you into the grocery store to pick up 5 items. You can only pick one thing from the following departments.. what is it?1. Produce: banana 2. Bakery: cinnamon raisin bagel 3. Meat: boneless, skinless chicken breast 4. Frozen: ice cream 5. Dry goods: wheat crackers

Let's say we're heading out for a weekend getaway.
You're only allowed to bring 3 articles of clothing with you. So, what's in your bag?1. bra 2. mid-length, comfy dress 3. underwear

If I was to listen in on one of your conversations throughout the day, what 5 phrases or words would I be most likely to hear?1. "Holy Buckets" 2. "You're my sweetie pea" (to my DD) 3. "Hi Bugsy" (to my DS) 4. "So, anyway..." 5. "I love you" (to my DH, DS & DD)

So, what 3 things do you find yourself doing every single day, and if you didn't get to do, you'd probably be in a pretty irritable/bad mood?1. Eat 2. Take a shower 3. Pray

What are 3 things that you have in your room that have been with you for the longest amount of time?1. Our "Bluebird of Happiness", given to us for a wedding present 18 years ago 2. My "February Girl" porcelain statue, which I received as a child 3. My grandmother's wedding ring, reset with my birthstone, given to me at my high school graduation

If you were only allowed to listen to 5 of your CDs for the rest of your life, never adding anything else, which 5 could you listen to & be content with?1. Boz Scaggs "Silk Degrees" 2.Various Artists "Hymns of Gold" 3. Josh Turner "Long Black Train" 4. Various Artists "Super Hits of the 70's" 5. Josh Groban ~ a mix I compiled myself

You're driving down the road, and suddenly you're hit with this sense of road rage. What 3 factors probably contributed to it?1. I know you readers are going to groan when you read this but I just don't get road rage...now my husband, that's another story :)

You just scored a whole afternoon to yourself. We're talking a 3 hour block with nobody around. What 5 activities might we find you doing?1. Reading blogs on-line 2. Reading a book or magazine 3. Watching a movie 4. Watching a tv show 5. Calling friends

We're going to the zoo. But, it looks like it could start storming, so it'll have to be a quick visit. What 3 exhibits do we have to get to?1. The gift shop ~ that's it because my family and I don't really care for zoos... :)

You just scored tickets to the taping of any show of your choice. You can pick between 5, so what are you deciding between?1. The Oprah Winfrey Show 2. The View 3. American Idol 4. The Young & the Restless 5. The Rachel Ray Show

You're hungry for ice cream. I'll give you a triple dipper ice cream cone. What 3 flavors can I pile on for ya?1. Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough 2. Chocolate Chip 3. Cookies and Creme

Somebody stole your purse/wallet…in order to get it back, you have to name 5 things you know are inside to claim it. So, what's in there?1. My black leather checkbook cover that says "Tastefully Simple" 2. My cloisonne pill box 3. Pictures of my DD & DS 4. Hand Sanitizer 5. My tape measure

You are at a job fair, and asked what areas you are interested in pursuing a career in. Let's pretend you have every talent and ability to be whatever you wanted, so what 4 careers would be fun for you?1. Interior Designer 2. Sports Information Director 3. Fashion Designer 4. Photographer

If you could go back and talk to the old you, when you were in high school and inform yourself of 4 things that you should or should not do what would it be?1. Don't worry about what you want to be when you grow up 2. Don't think you always have to have a boyfriend 3. Realize the things that happen in high school will not really affect the rest of your life 4. Have more fun!

I'm tagging:1. Mrs. Elliott 2. BooMama 3. Meredith ~ Have fun and God bless ~ Thrifty Gal

Cheap, easy and tasty! Ramen Noodle Salad

I would have to say that of all of my recipes, this is the one that I get asked for the most. It is so easy and it can be thrown together in a matter of minutes! I often take it to church when I'm called to provide a salad for a funeral because I usually always have the ingredients on hand. So, without further ado, here it is:
1 package cole slaw mix
1 cup slivered almonds (may omit, which I do)
1 cup shelled sunflower seeds
2 packages beef ramen noodles (just the noodles for the first part)
1 cup oil
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup vinegar
2 packs of the beef ramen noodle flavoring (that comes with the noodles)
Mix the first four ingredients together in a large bowl. Set aside. Mix the remaining four ingredients together ~ to make the dressing ~ in a smaller bowl. Pour dressing over cole slaw, seeds & noodles right before serving. YUM!
Just a hint ~ this salad, unfortunately, does not taste nearly as good the next day. Enjoy and God bless ~ Thrifty Gal

Beauty Bargains II

In an effort to spend less on groceries and tolietries (see previous post), I bought the Sunday paper this weekend so I could cut out the coupons. And the paper has already paid for itself! Today, I went to Kmart in town (it's the only discount store we have) and saved $8.10 on my total! I had a Cover Girl coupon that was "Buy any Cover Girl Foundation, get ANY powder, bronzer, or blusher for FREE". Well, Kmart had their Cover Girl Foundations at 40% off so I bought the cheapest one ($2.99 ~ a kind I like to use) and got a full size powder ($5.99 value) for FREE! Then I bought the Aussie brand Shampoo & Conditioner (on sale for $2.99 each with an extra 25% more in each bottle) and I got a free Aussie hair styling product(also $2.99)! My final deal was a 24-oz bottle of Dove Body Wash, on sale for $5.29, with an additional $1.00 off coupon and a trial size of Dove Energy Glow (which I've always wanted to try but never wanted to spend the money)!

...obviously it takes very little to impress me...as I re-read this post and realized how excited I was with my savings!!! God bless ~ Thrifty Gal

A "Not-So-Thrifty" Gal After All...

I'm very embarrassed and I'm thinking of changing the name of this blog. Why, you ask? Because apparently, on paper, I'm not a thrifty gal :)

It had been a long time since I last wrote down all expenses for a period of time. On Oct. 19, I began again just to see where all of our money was going. In these last 19 days, I have spent $461.49 on groceries and tolietries!!!! If you divide that number by the number of days (19), it equals $24.29 A DAY! If you times that by the number of days in a month (30 for November), I will have spent $728.70 in one month! OH! MY! WORD!

I've got a lot of work to do so I'd better get done with this post and get to work planning. Does anyone out there have any suggestions? I'd be happy to hear them ~ I'm going to need all the help I can get. I'll let you know how things are going in the next couple of days...God bless ~ Thrifty (ahem) Gal

Thought for the Day

Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.

~ Author Unknown

Taco Dip

First things first...this is NOT a low-fat meal and we generally only enjoy it once or twice a year. But, when we do, it is Oh-So Good! :) It serves 6-8 and should be made in a crock pot. You will need:

1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1 green pepper, cut into small pieces
1 medium onion, cut into small pieces
1 large bottle of taco sauce
1 tomato, cut into small pieces
1 jar green olives, cut into small pieces
1 package shredded cheddar cheese

Brown ground beef, green pepper and onion in a skillet. Drain. Put into crock pot and add taco sauce, tomato and green olives. Stir and cook on low for 2-3 hours. Sprinkle cheddar cheese over top and cook for an additional 15-20 minutes ~ it's best if you don't stir the cheese in. Then it's all melty on the top ~ YUM! Spoon into bowl or on plate and eat with tortilla chips. Enjoy and God bless ~ Thrifty Gal

Good (thrifty) vs Evil (definitely NOT thrifty!)...

This is what I wanted to do today after Sunday School & Church:

1) Road trip with my family to a larger town about an hour from here

2) Eat lunch at Panera

3) Go to the mall and buy my DD a new pair of shoes (doesn't really need), buy my DS a book from the bookstore (want, not need), buy my DH a new winter parka (definitely doesn't need ~ already has twice as many clothes as me but that's for another post at another time) and buy myself a new pair of pants to wear to church (I DO only have 1 pair of black pants and I wear them every Sunday)

4) Come home after hours of spending, spending and more spending = EVIL

This is what we did:

1) Came home and made sandwiches for lunch

2) Did the dishes and 3 loads of laundry

3) Watched the Colts get beat by the Patriots :(

4) Made Taco Dip (I'll post the recipe tomorrow) in the crock pot for supper

4) Started wrapping Christmas presents with my DD :) We used plain brown wrapping paper that I got at Kmart for 21 cents a roll on clearance. We then stamped the paper using rubber stamps and ink that I've had for years and they still work fine ~ then we wrapped pretty ribbon around them that I have purchased throughout the year at thrift stores and on clearance = GOOD

It was a GREAT Sunday and I feel blessed...

And the winner is....

Comment #272 ~ April from Question the Culture! Here is my able assistant DD doing the drawing (we did it the old fashioned way because we thought it would be more fun) :) I assigned each comment a number and then put the 357 numbers in a basket and drew the winner! Congratulations to April and thanks to everyone for checking out my blog and my ebay store, Treasure Trove Clothes! God bless ~ Thrifty Gal

Homemade Chocolate Chip Muffins

Can you tell what kind of goodies my family likes? Yes...anything homemade WITH CHOCOLATE CHIPS! Here is my recipe for 12 Homemade Chocolate Chip Muffins (thanks to the Creative Chocolate of Vermont website):

1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup oil
1 egg beaten
1/2 cup chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line or grease cupcake pan. Combine all ingredients and pour into cupcake pan. Bake for 17-20 minutes.
That's it! Easy, huh :) Enjoy and God bless ~ Thrifty Gal

Thought for the day

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow ~ Melody Beattie

Homemade Lasagna

I realize most of you already have a 'favorite' lasagna recipe but I thought I'd post mine since we just had it last night and it's easy and was delicious as always. The recipe is actually my sister's, who is an awesome cook! I will be featuring several of her recipes (including Ramen Noodle Salad, Ham Balls and Wassil ~ a hot Christmas drink) in the future as they have all become favorites of mine. For now, here is the homemade lasagna recipe:

1 lb. ground beef
1 jar (1 lb., 10 oz) of spaghetti sauce (Prego, Ragu, whatever is on sale) :)
8 lasagna noodles
12 oz. cottage cheese
12 oz. mozzerella cheese
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1 beaten egg
1) Brown ground beef in skillet; drain; add spaghetti sauce and simmer (with lid on to prevent splatters)
2) Cook noodles in boiling, salted water for 8-9 minutes; drain and rinse in cool water
3) Mix cottage cheese, mozzerella cheese, parmesan cheese and egg in a medium sized bowl.
In 13" x 9" pan (I use a Pampered Chef Stone Baker and I don't have to grease), layer noodles, then beef mixture, then cheese mixture, then repeat.
4) Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

I usually serve it with greens and breadsticks. Enjoy and God bless ~ Thrifty Gal

Free Reads for a Good Cause

We are fortunate enough to get away a couple of times a year and stay in a hotel. We generally stay at Country Inn & Suites because we have found them to be clean and quiet and they have a great FREE hot breakfast (remember, I'm thrifty)! :) They also have a great program called "Read It and Return" Lending Library. You can borrow any of the books (usually paperback) that they have on display in their front lobby, take it home, leisurely read it and return it upon your next visit ~ to any Country Inn & Suites in the U.S. With each book returned, a donation is made by the hotel chain to a literacy organization.

I was able to pick up several new titles this summer on our vacation to the South. I just started reading Sue Grafton's "R is for Ricochet". Others I've borrowed and read include "The Perfect Day" by Richard Paul Evans, "Murder on the Orient Express" by Agatha Christie and "Good Hope Road" by Lisa Wingate. As mentioned on the Country Inn & Suites website, other books currently available include: Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson; Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte; Stuart Little by E.B. White; Cinderella Man by Marc Cerasini; Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson; The Ant Bully - Movie Novel by Judy Katschke; Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie; Riding the Bus with My Sister by Rachel Simon; Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl; The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd; Big Fish by Daniel Wallace; Super Fudge by Judy Blume; Charlotte's Web by E.B. White; The 100 Simple Secrets of Happy People by David Niven; The Sugar House by Laura Lippman; and The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket. As you can see, there are some classics and kids' books available in addition to recent releases. I love the idea of getting a book to 'borrow' and then having a non-profit organization benefit from it! (And no, I did not get paid by Country Inn & Suites to post this blog....not even a free nights' stay! :)

It's here! The Fall, Y'all Bloggy Giveaway!

I'm participating in the Fall, Y'all Bloggy Giveaway being hosted by Shannon here and I'm so excited! I think it's going to be HUGE and there will be lots of great products up for the taking! I haven't mentioned this yet, but I own an Ebay store, Treasure Trove Clothes, and because I want to support the 'landlord' of my business, I've decided to giveaway a $25 Ebay Gift Certificate ~ PERFECT for buying Christmas presents! It does not have to be used on my auctions or at my store but you CAN, if you like :) All you'll have to do is leave a comment on this post (just one comment per person please ~ no duplicates). I will leave the contest open until 9 p.m. Central Time, November 2, and then I will randomly draw a winner from the comments I receive. I will post the name of the winner on my blog at 10 a.m. Central Time on November 3. I will also notify the winner via email AND deliver the gift certificate via email so you can use it immediately! The contest is open to bloggers and non-bloggers alike from all over the world! HAVE FUN!

Answered Prayers and Thankfulness

I've been praying this past week for my nephew, his wife and their two daughters (2 and 1). They live in Ramona, California, and were driven out of their homes last Sunday by the 'Witch Fire', which spread throughout Southern California. They had spent 6 days living in my nephew's office on base at Coronado (he's a Navy Seal). They got to return to their home Saturday night and PRAISE BE! Our prayers were answered and their home (and animals) were SPARED! They are making due with bottled water and will have to wait until city water gets restored (could be up to a week or two). Prayers will continue, however, for many of their friends who lost everything and will be rebuilding. Makes me very thankful for all my blessings ~ a warm and comfortable home, clean air to breathe, homemade popcorn and t.v. watching with my loving family :) I'll be back tomorrow with information about the Fall, Y'all Bloggy Giveaway! God bless ~ Thrifty Gal

A 'Not So Thrifty' Day

I took my DD out of town today to get her fitted for toe shoes for her ballet class (she's been dancing for 7 years!) and the total cost for shoes, pads, covers, elastic and ribbons.... $85!!! But she's worth it :)

Yummy Pumpkin Cake!

I have to admit, I did not develop a taste for pumpkin pie, pumpkin bars or anything pumpkin flavored for that matter, until I was (ahem) older. But now that I do enjoy a pumpkin thing or two around this time of year, I've been looking for easy, made-from-scratch recipes to satisfy my sweet tooth. I found this great Pumpkin Cake recipe at one of my usual blog stops, Unfolding Grace, and decided to bake it yesterday afternoon for my husband's football potluck (he's an assistant varsity coach at our high school here in town). You can find the recipe here. It turned out terrific and was quite tasty! Thanks Mrs. Elliott :)

God bless ~ Thrifty Gal

Beauty Bargains

I have tried every skin care regime there is and, in fact, have sold both Mary Kay and BeautiControl. And while I loved the products made by these companies, I just couldn't justify the amount of money I was spending. So I began my quest for less expensive products with a rich feel and all I had to do was hit the Dollar General store down the street.

The items pictured are my two favorite ~ the moisturizer costs $2 a bottle and the cleanser costs $3 a bottle. I use the cleanser twice a day and the moisturizer just in the a.m., under my make-up. It says on the bottles to compare to Oil of Olay products and I did... and they are just as good and make my skin feel wonderful. God bless ~ Thrifty Gal

Homemade Honey Wheat Bread

My wonderful, gentle dad was unusual in that he liked to cook ~ which he realized in the Navy during World War II. He was a cook on a minesweeper and once told the story of having to peel over 100 pounds of potatoes in one day! Following the end of the war and the return home, he gave up cooking large quantities and became a back-seat chef to my mother, who cooked most of the evening meals. But for some reason, every Christmas, he received the most recent "convenience" appliance or Ronco gizmo ~ most of which ended up at the local Goodwill. But one such gift, a bread maker, was given to me upon his passing and I've been using it ever since to make this delicious homemade honey wheat bread:

1 2/3 cups water

2 teaspoons butter or margarine, softened

1/4 cup honey

2 teaspoons salt

2 1/4 cup whole wheat flour

2 cups bread flour

2/3 cup toasted, silvered almonds (I do not include these because we don't care for them and the recipe turns out just fine without them)

2 teaspoons active dry yeast

Here are the assembly directions for my bread maker. Please check your bread maker manual for proper order of ingredients:

1) Measure and add liquid ingredients to the bread pan.

2) Measure and add dry ingredients (except yeast) to the bread pan.

3) Use your finger to form a well (hole) in the flour where you will pour the yeast. Yeast must never come into contact with a liquid when you are adding ingredients. Measure the yeast and carefully pour it into the well.

4) Snap the baking pan into the breadmaker and close the lid.

5) Select appropriate buttons on your bread maker for "whole wheat bread" setting.

This makes a 2 pound loaf. It is outstanding toasted for breakfast ~ we eat it every morning! ENJOY and God bless ~ Thrifty Gal

A Treasure Chest of Values

I'm lucky enough to live in a small town that has an AWESOME thrift store which we locals call 'Treasure Chest' (well, that it's actual name ~ I just thought it sounded cool saying 'we locals') :) The store is staffed by elderly volunteers and the donations are readied for sale by residents of Comp Systems ~ a non-profit organization which provides housing and employment for the mentally and physically challenged. There are two outlet locations ~ one in my town and another in a town about 20 miles away. I try to frequent the local store at least twice a week ~ they are always putting 'new' merchandise out so every day there is something to see that I haven't seen before. Every month, there is a calendar published of the special sales for every day of that month. The most popular clothes shopping days are the $1.00 Bag Sale days. They count 10 items as a 'bag' so you can pick up 10 items of clothes for 10 cents a piece! That goes for everything ~ including jeans which are sometimes new with tags! Today was 50% off Linen & Draperies Day and while I wasn't able to find any vintage fabrics that I couldn't do without, I did manage to pick up some great deals!

(sorry, I'm going to have to get better at this picture-taking thing!)

Anyway, my finds are a grapevine tree ($2), an Oneida Buffet Caddy ($2 ~ looks new!), two golden decorative pears (25 cents a piece), 1 package of orange cocktail napkins (25 cents), 1 package of silvery gift wrap (50 cents) and one beautiful antique letter opener (25 cents). I have been looking for an antique letter opener for a long time and couldn't believe my luck today! This is nice and heavy and the inscription on it reads "Floraine ~ Sheffield, England" and I do love on any thing British! I plan to decorate the grapevine tree with white Christmas lights to use out on my back steps this holiday season. I will use the buffet caddy to hold my serving pieces when I serve Christmas dinner to my father-in-law and sister-in-law & family. The gift wrap is in a new unopened package ~ just like I like it :) I only use thrift store-purchased gift wrap and I'm able to find so much of it that I never have to buy any at retail price. I will use the pears in my cornucopia display for Thanksgiving and finally, the cocktail napkins will be saved for a future Halloween get-together. All this for $5.50 ~ Yippee!

I'll be back tomorrow with my bread machine recipe for our favorite Honey-Wheat Bread. God bless ~ Thrifty Gal

Homemade Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

When I decided to quit my full-time job and be a stay-at-home wife and mother, I decided I was going to have to start cooking from scratch in order to save money on our grocery bills. My husband, a school teacher, is a creature of habit ~ he has eaten the same lunch for over 16 years: a ham or turkey sandwich, a small container of strawberry applesauce, a flavored water and a pre-made chocolate chip granola bar. The price of pre-made granola bars has risen sharply since he first started teaching so I knew this was one item that I wanted to learn to make from scratch. I finally found a recipe out of a magazine, I tweaked it a little bit to suit his tastes...and I've been making these ever since. They are delicious! Here's the recipe:


2 cups old fashioned oats, uncooked (you can use quick oats but they are better with the old fashioned variety)

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup chocolate chips

3/4 cup packed brown sugar (light or dark, doesn't matter)

1/2 cup toasted wheat germ

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup pure maple syrup (too expensive for me!) OR maple-flavored syrup (much cheaper)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract (real or imitation)

1 large egg

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit. Grease 13 x 9" metal baking pan. Line pan with foil; grease foil.

2. In large bowl, with spoon, mix oats, flour, chocolate chips, sugar, wheat germ, cinnamon, salt, oil, syrup, vanilla, and egg until blended. With wet hand, pat oat mixture into prepared pan.



3. Bake 25 mintues or until edges turn pale golden. Cool completely in pan on wire rack.

4. When cool, invert pan and remove foil. Cut length-wise into the size of strips you would like and then cut crosswise in half. Then wrap each bar in plastic wrap.





These are good for at least a week if properly wrapped. I plan on giving these away for Christmas and will wrap in red or green plastic wrap. ENJOY and God bless :) Thrifty Gal

And so it begins...

Well, I've finally decided to leap into the bloggy world after reading so many wonderful blogs written by my 'thrifty sisters'. I will attempt to pass along some of my deal-finding expertise, my experience in cooking from scratch and the many ways I try to stretch the 'almighty' dollar. I hope to begin with a YUM-inspiring post tomorrow about my husband's favorite homemade granola bars...but I have to go bake them now so he can take them in his lunch :)
God bless ~ Thrifty Gal