Go, go, and going some more....

So, I got all our meals taken care of on Saturday for this coming week.  I did lots of freezer meals and meal prep so hopefully things will go well in the food department.  Mark and I are trying not to eat out for a couple of months so we can do some other things financially and since food is my responsibility around here I am well, trying.  Cooking every meal from scratch is hard when you are in the car most of the day, but the more you do it the easier it becomes.  It is just figuring out what works best for you. 

My other main responsibility around here is mothering and school.  Which right now involves my van -a lot.  This week alone is Scouts, three co-op classes, a school meeting, piano lessons, youth choir, youth small groups, and a big grocery trip on Friday.  And then you have the actual teaching and child-follow through and its 4:30 before you know it and everyone is saying, "I'm hungry, what's for supper?"

I wanted to share this recipe for you because it is so easy and sooooo good.  They are pretty also-would be sweet for Valentine's Day or a girl's baby shower.

Cherry Fluff Cups 

(totally made up this name bc I don't know the real name or where I got the recipe from.  I made a double batch Saturday for us to have throughout this week)

1 can cherry pie filling
1 can condensed milk
1 container whipped topping

Mix it all together and it turns a pretty pink color.  Freeze in cupcake liners or a regular baking pan until frozen.  That's it!  So yummy!

Abbie and I also said that you could probably do blueberry pie filling if it was a shower for a boy.  And I'm thinking that peach would be delicious also.

Off to Algebra!  What are you doing today?

Planning Up A Storm....

Today I will be pursuing these sites, along with cookbooks galore, to work on getting back into my freezer and crockpot cooking. 

I am on a mission because this is one thing I can do to maintain the grocery budget and provide healthy filling meals for the Vortexes that I call The Three Eating Machines around here.

Here's some blogs I'll be checking out today. 

FreezerFriendz

The Freezer Chicks

Twin City Supper Swappers

Southern Living Freezer Cooking

What A Crock!

A Busy Mom's Slow Cooker Adventures

What are you going to be doing today?  Oh, and I'll also be looking for the present  I bought myself for Christmas- a new Leslie Sansone walking dvd-so I can get back to being a Walking Wendy.  I purchased it, bought it home, put it up to wrap later, and I cannot remember where I put it.  Please tell me I am not the only one who does things like this??????

Things I've Learned About Freezer Cooking...

 **** I am reposting this today in an effort to spur myself on towards love and good deeds and getting back into the freezer cooking habit :)

I am so not the expert in anything domestic.  Believe me, I can make three leaps forward in the kitchen (like the freezer cooking thing) and all the other things take two steps backwards.  But, I am loving the freezer cooking idea, have been able to implement it into our family's lives for several months now, and am finally seeing the results time-wise and financially.  So, if you are thinking about doing it here are some suggestions from the trenches.  I am learning something new every time I do a session.

*Make sure the kitchen is cleaned and the dishwasher is empty BEFORE you begin.  Take the trash out (or get one of your little domestic servants to do it).  Don't think, "I will just clean as I go."  You won't.  You will be too busy juggling recipes and the stove.  Empty the dishwasher and the sink and then get to work.  As you finish with something you can just put it into the dishwasher.  It is such a nice feeling to shut the door and turn it on and be able to leave the kitchen knowing all that food is cooked AND the kitchen is clean.

*Let the food cool before you put it in the freezer.

*Let the food cool before you pour it in the bag.  At least a little bit.  Fingers burn when you are filling the bags and removing the air from the bag.it  I know.

*You can use a straw to pull the air out of your freezer bag.  I have done the straw thing before, but my hands work just as well.  You just have to go slow.

*Write everything on the front of the bag or the top of the casserole.  I know I'm not going to look that recipe back up again to find the directions and I would hate to ruin something I worked so hard for.

*Let your crockpot do the work-beans, crockpot meals, meats.  Seriously, I am in DEEP LIKE with my crockpot.

*Write the portion size on the bag-such as 1 or 2 cup -diced onions.  I have found if I don't label I tend to stand and stare and try to figure out what it is and then I just put it back into the freezer.  Until the next time I stand and stare.

*Keep a running list of what is in your deep freeze.  I have so many different plans and schemes in my head all the time and I tend to forget what exactly I put in there and what exactly I thought about putting in there.

*The absolute easiest way to freezer cook is to double whatever you are already cooking.  I did this last night with Chicken Pot Pie.  We had one for supper and one for the freezer. 

Start small-I learned this from Money Saving Mom and from experience.  It all adds up very quickly.  You do not have to do 30 meals in one day.  I'm not against that, but right now I don't have the time or the resources to do it.

Do you have any hints I need to know about?  Please share!

Today I am linking up at

Freezer Friday....

I have been out of the freezer loop for various reasons, but I have been waiting for the day when I could get back to it.  The freezer was looking mighty empty.  This morning I spent some time filling it up just  a little bit.

 First, I got out my Crockin Girls cookbook to make up two batches of Zesty BBQ Chicken.  They were not sideways like that on my counter by the way. 

 As The Pioneer Woman would say, The Cast Of Characters.  Aldi had their BBQ sauce for 79 cents yesterday so I bought four.  I also made up some Italian dressing in the mason jar.  So yum.

 The zesty sauce all mixed together.  Oh look, there is Abbie in the background doing her schoolwork.

 I made two of these and one went directly into the crockpot for tonight's supper.

 Then I began on the Spaghetti Sauce. I had two pounds of ground beef and the sauce pictured above.  The goal was to see how far I could stretch it with all these yummy veggies.  I ended up using three carrots, three bell peppers, and one container of mushrooms.  And two onions.

 I used my new skillet which hello baby, I love.  You can cook about 10 pounds of meat in there at one time.  I am trying to think of a good name for her-I'm thinking Audrey-a true beauty.  I hope the other appliances don't get jealous and quit working for me.

 This is my old workhorse Angie.  She worked for my grandmother and this baby can get the job done. 

 I had two pounds of beef I wanted to use for taco meat, but first I had to make up some seasoning.  Super easy to do. 

 The veggies and sauce simmering.  It smelled really good in my kitchen today.

The grand tally-three meals of spaghetti sauce, two meals of tacos (we had one for lunch), and two Zesty Chicken meals.  I also made the Taco Seasoning which will last us for about three months and there is enough Italian dressing to make Italian potatoes sometime this weekend.

Freezer Friday...

 I got a little more done this week than last. 

2 bags sloppy joes

2 bags cooked beef with chopped onions

2 sweet potato casseroles

I made all of these when I was making the first ones for meals.  I love only having a messy kitchen once and getting several meals or sides out of it.

I had planned on doubling my chicken pot pie recipe on Tuesday night. But when I got it all mixed I realized there was just enough for one pie.  I make it without a recipe so it is hard to gauge how much is enough and how much is too much.  

This is the best sloppy joe recipe.  So easy and I love just strolling by the sloppy joe sauce cans at the store and knowing I don't have to buy them.

Yummy Delicious Sloppy Joes:
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp mustard
3/4 cup ketchup
3 tsp brown sugar
salt and pepper to taste

(This makes enough for 1 lb ground beef).

It is so simple to mix up and then put on your cooked beef.

We are having mac and cheese for lunch and I hope to make up a couple of extra for the freezer.  

Freezer Friday Report...

I got nothing.

Nothing but our meals were prepared this week. 

And its a wonder they were prepared.  I am happy to say that we did not eat out, get take out, and all the meals were cooked from scratch. I did make some granola bars and today I made a peanut butter cake with frosting that should be ready to come out of the oven in just a minute. And all that on top of a somewhat rough week for me. Nothing bad, I just had to give myself some grace on some things and prioritize things around here.

At the beginning of the week I made up a 2 quarts of instant milk and used it all week for cooking and baking.  Today I made 2 more quarts. My kids drink a lot of milk and using the instant for things other than drinking helps out.

That's all.  How did things go in your kitchen this week?

Freezer Friday....Chicken Report....

Today was chicken day here at Old Clark Acres.  Chicken-as in cooked yummy delicous chicken.

I made two bags of Brown Sugar Chicken (this is from the Crockin Girls Cookbook) and I want to be fair to them so I'm not going to put the recipe.  You might can find it on their site though.

I had plans to make two chicken pot pies, one for tonight and one for the freezer, but I realized I only had enough chicken for one pot pie. It was leftover from something else.  And the pie crust recipe that was supposed to make six crusts only made two really big ones.  So one pot pie it was.

I also made a double batch of Cream of Chicken Soup dry mix, taco seasoning, and this new-to-me Ranch Dressing mix.  

I am excited to see how it tastes on our salad tomorrow night.

I am still processing that it is the first of March.  It is almost strawberry time!  And then planting the garden time, and then oh me, it all starts to run together in a haze of gardening, canning, and freezing.  I am greatly disliking these cold temps and I can't believe I am saying this, but am looking forward to the warmer weather.  Ya'll remind me of that in July.

Anyone do any stocking up this week?

Yummy Cobbler and Freezer Friday....

You know what I am learning over and over again?  Fourteen and thirteen year old boys eat.  A lot.  And growing eleven year old girls can give them a run for their money. 

A soft taco for lunch just isn't going to cut it like it used to.

So, I have been thinking of ways to fill these tummies without going broke.

Enter The Cobbler.

I call it The Cobbler because you can make it with any fruit you have.  Well, almost any fruit.  I dont' think Banana Cobbler would be very good.

I take frozen fruit from this summer-peaches, blueberries, and blackberries and I just thaw and throw into a baking dish.  Add the juice and all because that is what makes it super yummy when it cooks.  You can sprinkle a little sugar on top of the fruit if you want. 

Then mix up these three ingredients in a separate bowl:
1 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1 cup milk (I make up instant milk and use it for this-can't tell the difference)

Mix well and then pour over the fruit.  Bake until done-I think it takes about 30 minutes.  I just watch it until it looks brown on top, but remember-you don't want it to get too dry or all the yummy juice will evaporate.

When I make it for my bunch I double everything and put it in a 9 x 13 dish. 

Not much freezer cooking has happened this week.  I did make Mac and Cheese Casserole for lunch yesterday and made two for the freezer while I was at it.  I think that was it.

I have been saving our veggie leftovers this week and tomorrow I am making veggie-roast beef soup.  I have half a shredded cooked roast I froze awhile back and I'll pull it all out tonight along with the tomatoes and tomorrow we will have soup and cornbread for supper.  :)

January Freezer Cooking....

The freezer was pretty depleted after December.  I was so very thankful I had done lots of meal building and freezer cooking in October and November because I so needed it after our crazy December. 

After Christmas I started working on a new plan using some old favorites and new recipes from some new cookbooks I received for my birthday and Christmas.  It took awhile, but the list is made and all the groceries have been purchased. 

Now I just need to start cooking.  I am going to brown some ground beef for the start of some meals, but mostly I am doubling recipes when I cook for supper that night.  This is the easiest way (for me anyway) to start restocking the freezer. 

Today starts "Back To The Real World" with taking down the decorations and getting things ready for school to start back next week.  I need to wrap up our first semester for recording purposes and then re-evaluate and re-vamp some things for the next.  Then of course there are the normal day to day things like laundry, goats, and bills. 

I've been making a list of house projects I want to work on in January and I'll be starting a little giveaway tomorrow so you can help me get the ball rolling.  And the vacuum cleaner vacuuming.  And the duster dusting.  And all that other stuff too. :)

The Difference Between Girls and Boys...

For my birthday Abbie made a newspaper all about me!  It was so cute and the headlines screamed,

Local Mom Has Birthday!

She wrote cute articles about me and then she interviewed the boys so they could share their favorite things about me.  

Abbie's was long and sweet and heartfelt and she said all the things that make Momma's hearts go pitter-patter.  The boy's response was a little different.

I'll just write what they said verbatim.

Tyler-That she is a good cook.

Matt-A good cook.

James-My fav thing about mom is how pretty she is when she cooks. (At least we got a complete sentence out of him)

Well, its good to know you are good for something.

Well Duh????

Do ya'll remember when everyone was going around rolling their eyes and saying, "Well Duh???"

I hated it then and I hate it now, but a just a little while ago I had a true "Duh" moment.

I have always bought bread crumbs from the store.  I mean, they are cheap and already seasoned, and I like the round containers they come in.  Don't laugh-the shape and size of the container can sway my purchasing big time.

Anyway, I knew that people made their own bread crumbs, but for some reason I did not think I could.  I had this vision of having a big ole wet mushed up bread mess when I was done.

This morning I was up at 4: stinkin 30 because James has a fever and woke me up so I could share in his suffering and after I got him settled back on the couch and asleep I was pursuing blog-land.  And I came across this post and went "Duh?"

I can do that.

It just so happens that I had two halfway empty loaves of wheat bread that the boys had brought home from a Scout trip.  I would have normally just feed it to the chickens, because as much as I want to I just cannot eat whole wheat sandwich bread.  Freshly baked whole wheat bread-yes mam, pass the butter, but sandwich bread, no thank you.

I spent approximately 10 minutes this afternoon making bread crumbs and now I have five 2-cup bags in my freezer.  It was so easy and there was no mess at all.

I found that three pieces of bread equals approximately 2 cups of crumbs.  I packaged mine in sandwich bags (2 cups each) and then put them all into a freezer bag.  I didn't know if I would be able to just scoop out the amount would need so I played it safe on this first round.  I can just take out one baggie, let it defrost, and won't have to defrost the whole bag.

So, have you been smart and been making bread crumbs all along?  If you want to try it is easy-peasy or I wouldn't be able to do it!

Today I am linking up at Farm Girl Friday.

Freezer Friday....

 Yesterday I was able to work on some freezer meals and I was able to get get a lot done in a very short amount of time. I made Creamy Corn Casserole using this recipe and it was sooo good!

The total time from start to finish, including the pictures and going outside to see James' very important "lab" he was making was 43 minutes.  We had one casserole for supper last night and I was able to freeze five for a later time.  Everyone liked the casserole except for James who had to have a little lesson on how NOT to let people know you don't like the food item.  Running to the garbage can and spitting and gagging repeatedly is NOT the correct way to show your displeasure.  But you know what, that's what home training is for-so that hopefully won't do that at someone else's home and mortify you beyond measure.

ALDI had their butter on sale for $1.89 a pound so I stocked up for this recipe and some for the freezer.  They also had cream cheese for 99 cents a block so I got several of those.  I like ALDI in that it has helped me stay in my grocery budget and since shopping there I have learned to cook so much more from scratch. 

We grow our own corn, but I like to save it to eat as well, straight yummy delicious corn, so I bought cans of it.  I thought about using my cornbread mix in place of the Jiffy corn mixes and I might do that next time, but they boxes were 49 cents at ALDI so I stocked up.  I checked and they were 79 cents at the Dollar Store and 59 cents at Walmart.  Oh my goodness, I am becoming a grocery geek.  I'll stop now.

Oh yum....

Well, it has turned cooler here in the good ole South.  And that means its Chili and Sante Fe Soup time!  Unfortunately, my tummy has been giving me fits lately so I went looking for a soup that might be a little milder.  And ya'll, I found a winner.

If you like just plain old yummy goodness you need to go try this Chicken and Wild Rice Soup.

I made it the first time last week with the intentions of eating it for supper and then freezing enough for another meal.  The recipe says it freezes well so I was all over it. 

We didn't have enough left over to freeze.


I made another batch yesterday for our lunch, but this time I did not even add the chicken.  And it was just as good.  Its just pure creamy goodness.  One of my children was eating it for a snack yesterday. 

Note:  I made mine on the stove although the recipe says it can be done in the crockpot.  I was a little concerned about adding half and half to the crockpot and it curdling. 

Homemade Cream of Chicken Mix....

I am excited to share today's post because who doesn't love a cute mix in a cute jar with a cute label?  I am starting to be like Laura from Heavenly Homemakers who has a jar obsession.

A long time ago I made Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup.  It was very delicious, but it was a lot of work and I had a hard time remembering to take it out of the freezer in time for it to thaw out for when I needed it.  It probably did save money by making it from scratch, but if I didn't use it, well, you see.

Eventually it all did get used, but I never made another batch.

And then I came across this post and I made the above batch in less than five minutes.  And it goes in a cute little jar with a cute little label!  I only made one batch because I want to use this and get a feel for how it is going to work in my recipes.  If  it turns out well, I will make several batches and put into a much larger jar.  I also want to track down how to make cream of mushroom and celery.  Does anyone know?

Thanks Saving 4 Six! 

Today I am linking up at Homestead Revival's Barn Hop and Growing Home.

Freezer Friday...

Okra-does it ever stop?

No!  Thank goodness, because I just learned how to cook it correctly this week.  My mother-in-law came down and taught me and I feel like I have learned something very important.  Here in Alabama okra is abundant and grows very well.  And it  bears for a long long time. 

So I have been cutting and freezing okra this week.  I cut it and then freeze it on a cookie sheet and then package it.

I wanted to take this summer and really begin to learn about food prep and food storage-especially my freezer and ways to make it work for our family.  I am still learning by reading other's blogs, but also just by thinking through what I have and how to make the most of it. 

For example-my goal is that no food goes to waste around here.  I am tired of cleaning out the fridge and having to throw food away.  That is just wasting Mark's hard-earned money and my work.  I have so far to go in this, but this week I really noticed a difference in my thinking.

I had one piece of small steak that was left over from Labor Day.  I had okra, leftover green beans, and just enough peas to not be able to do a whole side dish with.  So, I cut the steak into very very small pieces and divided it into three gallon-size freezer bags.  I then divided the peas, green beans, and okra into the bags to make veggie soup mix.  I wrote on the bag to add tomatoes, corn, and pasta and there you have three meals for my family made out of leftovers. 

Another example, I had some leftover rice.  Not really enough to use for another meal, but too much to add to the chicken scrap bucket.  So, today I am making a chicken-rice soup in the crockpot with two left-over chicken breasts and carrots and celery.  I have used carrots and celery this summer more than I ever have because I found you can get them at ALDI for 69 cents a bunch.

At ALDI yesterday they had chicken fried rice packets for 99 cents a piece.  I bought three and am going to add some leftover pork I had instead of the chicken.  I could not buy the rice, the carrots, and the english peas for 99 cents so I just bought the packets.

So, I want to encourage you to just think.  I have wasted so much food before.  It makes me cringe.  If anyone else was wasting that much money at work they would get fired.  I don't think there is any danger of getting fired around here, but I want to do better.

What creative things do you do in the kitchen to not waste food or all your hard work?

Today I am linking up at Laura's.

One way to feed an army on very little, (but delicious yummy food)...

I come from a long line of women who make vegetable soup.

Oh, okay, maybe not a long line.  I know my grandmother made soup and my mom made soup and now I make soup.

There is something very comforting about the making of vegetable soup to me.  It reminds me of my grandmother and the rows of canned veggie soup she had on her kitchen shelves. She used to have built-in shelves in her kitchen that were full of canned goods.  Full, as in sagging in the middle of the shelves full.  As a child I sure didn't appreciate all the hard work that went into those jars, but I do now.

My mom could always make delicious soup too.  She is the one who taught me how to take what I have and stretch it into something good.

It's been pretty yucky (Mark's least favorite word in the whole world, but its how its been) around here lately. So, Sunday I felt like some comforting veggie-beef soup was in order.  And, oh yum.  And it fed a lot of people with lots of leftovers.

This is what I do, but what is so great about things like this is that you can make it up with whatever you have.

I take a quart of diced tomatoes and add a can of rotel. We like ours with a little kick.

Then I add leftover veggies.  Sunday I had peas and carrots and lima beans.  I also threw in about 1/2 cup of chopped onions.

I then add some noodles -this time I had macaroni noodles. The noodles really "bulk up" the soup and stretches it even more.

I had about 1/2 lb taco-seasoned beef and I threw that in. Then I added a little more taco seasoning. I cooked it for about an hour on low.  My mom used to shred her leftover roast and add it to the soup if she didn't have beef.

Veggie Soup-The perfect comfort food and a frugal meal at that!  So, what do you make for comfort food at your house?

Today I am linking up at Raising Homemakers.

Tuesday Thoughts (and none of them are deep)...

~I dreamed last night that everytime I turned around in my kitchen there was a box of Roma tomatoes.  They just kept appearing and appearing.  I will need to freeze tomatoes today and make more muscadine jelly.  I only got four pints yesterday because I ran out of lids.  I stocked up last night after taking the boys to Scouts so today will be jelly day.  And tomato day. And the lima beans need picking.  Well, those are good problems to have...

~I am determined to get back to walking today.  Determined I tell you. Ya'll, it is hot and humid here in The Deep South and it rains almost every afternoon so my walking has been hit and miss.  Mostly miss.  I got a new Leslie Sasome walking DVD from the library so I now have no excuse. Except that after I tend to children and can and do laundry and tend to the children some more and cook the meals I really really don't want to walk for exercise. I want to take a nap and dream about something other than tomatoes. I will do it though.  If anything so Jill won't get that disappointed look on her face when I give her another excuse.

~Today is my baby brother's birthday.  Happy Birthday Del!  It was discovered by me last week that my brother is an excellent writer and editor and would he mind coming and teaching my children writing and proofing for the next five or six years?  I cannot pay him in cash money, but I can make a mean lemon pie which I hear he is partial to.

~Sunday morning I got my first little glimmer of excitement about starting K5 with James. Yea!  It is starting. Now I just need to pull out all the supplies and little curriculums and buy the colors and glue and little scissors and then I will be ready to roll. I just hope he is.

Are you thinking any good thoughts today?

Freezer Friday....

This week was a little out of the ordinary for me in that I was out of the house two days from 7 to 6.  I was able to keep my friends little toddler while she is at summer camp with the girls.

So, a lot did not get done in the house this week, but I amazed as I look around that things are not too crazy.  Yesterday I got caught up on the laundry and was able to freeze eight quarts of tomatoes that were gifted to me. I need to go pick our tomatoes, but it is really really wet out there.  And its nice and cool inside and its hot and humid outside.  And I might be a little on the "oh well" side of things this morning.

I was able to put some meal preps in the freezer as I just doubled some meals and used my crockpot for some other things.

This week:
2 bags of cooked spanish rice
4 bags of black beans (I cooked them in the crockpot)
3 bags of taco seasoned beef
2 bags of sloppy joe beef
and
2 bags of plain cooked beef.

If I get up the gumption I will make a bunch of breakfast burritos this afternoon. Hmmmm....

Little Tiny Packets of Cute Bread Mixes....

Several years ago my parents got me this really great breadmaker for Christmas. I don't utilize it nearly as much as I should. And the main reason-pure laziness.

I don't like to get all the ingredients out each time and get flour everywhere and then realize I am out of instant milk or something like that. So the other day I decided to go ahead and mix up all the dry ingredients in quart bags. Now all I have to do is add the wet ingredients and pour it all into the bread maker.  I think I can handle that since the wet ingredients consist of warm water and butter pats.

I saw this done on a blog a long time ago and finally got it done myself. I only had enough ingredients for three packets, but I got more today so I hope to make some more.

I have no excuses now.

I

As an aside my mom got me this awesome Taste Of Home Canning book.  Oh me, its eye candy for the home-preserver. My mom knows me so well and it was like Christmas!  Yep, I'm nutty about stuff like this.

Now I have a whole bunch of recipes to try, but not a whole bunch of time.:)

Today I am linking up at Raising Homemakers.

Summer Rain....

Here in Alabama we are having our typical summer weather-hot humid days and afternoon showers. This is exactly what happened Friday night at my dad's company's Annual Baseball Dinner and Game. But we had a good time anyway. The adults got to chit-chat and the kids played and entertained us while we waited for the rain delay to be over.

The girls had fun catching water run-off from the canopy.  Ya'll-this entertained them for a long time. Which proves my point that toys are pointless.  Just send them out into the rain.

Cold rain cools off hot little boys and makes them feel good!

Daddies show us how it is done.

I do not like this picture at all.  They are too big.

James and Catherine also  had fun with the run-off.

James provided us with a robot dance show.  It was hilarious and he was totally serious about it.

After the robot dance he did some break dancing for us also.

  Poor Aunt Jill was having a 

fit about the wet table and the fact he could slip off. She's such a good aunt.  I just laughed and took pictures.

The rest of the weekend was full up with a trip to my Aunt Renee's and Uncle Marty's house for a family swim day and Renee out-did herself with all the yummy food.  They have a lovely home and backyard and it was so nice to just sit and talk while the children swam.

On the way home we stopped and got peaches so I'll be working on those today.  Abbie chopped figs yesterday so I guess today will be fig preserves day too.  And tomatoes.  And oh me, better get busy.