This weekend I’ve decided to join Money Saving Mom and Life As Mom’s freezer cooking challenge.  I’ve got lots of ingredients in my freezer and pantry.   I just need to translate those into some meals that will come together easily in the next weeks. Here’s my plan: 3 Hamburger Enchilada casseroles (Thursday) 3 dozen banana-almond muffins (Thursday) 3...
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On any given day, I’ll have 3 or 4 ‘gotta try this’ recipes open in my internet browser.  And often when I do get around to trying something, I won’t have all the ingredients called for in the recipe. Do I let that stop me?  Hardly ever.  Some of my most interesting recipes...
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This time of year in the grocery store I’m often tempted by eggnog, but it’s so darned expensive! Here’s an easy way to make your own. Prep time: 10 minutes, plus time for chilling Makes: 1/2 gallon 1 3-ounce package instant French vanilla pudding mix 1/2 gallon milk (2% or whole is best) 1/2...
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Peppermint Bark Here’s a recipe so ridiculously easy that it’s barely a recipe.  But, boy, is it yummy!  I love the way the vanilla bark mellows out the mints, and the mints add a breezy freshness to the vanilla bark. Preparation time: 10 minutes 2 cups mints 2  20-ounce packages of vanilla bark Melt the vanilla bark in a...
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This easy granola can be mixed up and tossed into the oven in less than ten minutes and is a great holiday gift for teachers and coaches. Total prep time: 30 minutes Makes: 16 cups of cereal In a very large bowl combine: 12 c. oats 1 T. cinnamon 4 c. “goodies”– nuts, raisins, sunflower seeds, coconut, and dried fruit...
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For lunch today I adapted this recipe from Smitten Kitchen giving mushrooms the ‘caviar’ treatment.   True confession– I’ve never had a crumb of caviar in my life.  But this recipe is exactly what I love to do in the kitchen– jazz up something simple to make it taste like much more than a few simple...
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You can also: See a video of my kids trying out Tom’s Toothpaste, and get a chance to win a $100 VISA gift card Win a copy of FAMILY FEASTS ————– Yesterday after spending most of the day running errands and visiting a friend, the kids and I got together for a short but productive goodie party.  In...
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I’ve declared this week to be Baking Week at the Owlhaven, so today my 19 year old daughter and I kicked off the week with a classic. Erika’s Chocolate-Butterscotch Chip Cookies Makes 5-6 dozen 5 cups flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1-1/2 cups white sugar 1-1/2 cups brown sugar 4 sticks butter 2 teaspoons vanilla 1/2 cup water 2...
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Good news– although my sewing machine is truly broken, my serger is humming along nicely. Yeah!! I’m hoping to take pictures and share about it soon–it is fun and affordable. But this evening is family movie night and my daughter and her husband are coming for dinner. So for now I’ll...
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The other day I was planning on burgers for lunch, but I was out of hamburger buns and wanted to save a trip to the store.   I decided to give homemade buns a try.  The following recipe is loosely based on one from Recipezaar. These buns rose nice and fluffy, and gave our regular...
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