I just wanted to let everyone know that we are working on re-designing the website and blog. It will be a few more weeks before it’s done but until then we are going to not be posting as much on the blog.
We are going to have to manually move the thousands of posts on both so we don’t want to add more work by putting on a bunch of posts now.

As for us we are doing ok.  I’ve been really sick the last few months with my fibromyalgia. I’m not sure why but it’s decided to act up pretty bad. Until this week I’ve pretty much been a blob on the couch. I started a  new med called Sevalla  3 weeks ago. It’s just for FM.

At first the side effects were as bad as the FM pain even though it did take care of most of the pain. I lowered the dose down and it seems to be helping. I actually vacumed and carpet cleaned the bedrooms and hope to get the living room done tomorrow! I’ve been a cleaning and organizing machine the last two days I’ve felt good!

It’s amazing! I had totally forgotten what it was like to actually feel good! It’s an amazing feeling!

Jack still isn’t sleeping though the night. He will get up and drink one or two rice bottles.  He is eating solids and has cereal before bed. We even tried Benadryl to help with his allergies to see if that would work but nope, he still gets up!

Other than that he is doing great. He’s 7 months and 23 pounds so he’s huge! Yes, I do have a hard time holding him and can only hold him for a few minutes at a time.

That’s it about us for now. We will let everyone know when the new site it up and running! Tawra

We will still be here and be posting but just not the usual amount I have even done a few of things for next week so hang in there with us. We just might have a couple of hiccups once in awhile. We are really excited about the new updates and are hoping it will be sooo much easier for everyone to move around on the new site.

Jill

I happen to think of a couple of things today that might help you not only for Thanksgiving but any on the other holidays too.

First if you haven’t already done it clean out your fridge today. It really should be done before you go buy everything for your dinner but if you didn’t, do it now. There is nothing more frustrating then to have a houseful of company and you are trying to stuff leftovers into an already full fridge so clean it now and if you can leave a certain shelf for the things you are going to store before and after Thanksgiving dinner.

Next I don’t think there is anything more dismal looking then a picked over turkey carcass. I am usually so tired from making the meal, being hostess and cleaning up that having to face the turkey carcass can almost put me over the edge.

What I finally learned to do is not to do anything with it on Thanksgiving day. Then the day after we pick on it all day long making sandwiches etc. I then pick the last of the big chunks off . I usually cook my turkey all wrapped in foil or in a disposable pan so I just wrap the foil around it or gently shape the pan around it. Stick it all in a couple of plastic bags, pop it in the freezer and forget it for a couple of weeks or until Jan. when I bring it out and toss the carcass in a large pot for soup. That is when it gets it’s final picking over.

Cooking Boo Boos:

If you didn’t cook your turkey with our recipe it may come out too dry. Don’t panic. Just slice it. Lay it on a platter and pour gravy over it then serve.

If your stuffing is too dry; once again add some turkey broth to it or gravy.

If a side dish burns and sticks to the bottom; just careful pour it out of the pot being sure not to scrape the bottom of the pan or any of the food stuck to it. You can maybe save quite a bit this way.

If your dinner rolls burn; carefully slice off the bottoms. If they all have the bottoms gone people will think that is just the way they are suppose to be.

The crust on your pumpkin pie doesn’t turn out; scrape out the filling and place it in a nice serving dish, cover with lots of whipped topping, sprinkled with a little cinnamon and call it Pumpkin custard.

If any of you have tips on how to fix Thanksgiving cooking boo boos for our beginning cooks and eve some of us old timers feel free to post. You may be the one to save someone’s Thanksgiving. : )

Jill

The Different Methods Of Freezer Cooking

Susanne, The Hillbilly Housewife here with some more freezer cooking tips. I would like to thank Tawra and Jill for allowing me to be a part of the Living on a Dime blog this week and not only share a thing or two about freezer cooking but also spread the word about Breast Cancer Awareness. Please take some time today to do a manual breast exam (only if you’re a woman of course) and help spread the word during Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Yesterday we talked about how freezer cooking saves time and money , today we’ll dive into the various different ways you can start to freezer cook. My first exposure to this was the Once-A-Month (OAM) method where you cook all dinners for a month over the course of a day or two. It just didn’t work for me and I ended up giving up on freezer cooking completely. Before my daughter was born, I made a few casseroles and soups ahead of time and froze them to have during those busy first few weeks with a newborn.

I was nine months pregnant and constantly tired at the time, so I simply made double and triple batches of things I was already cooking or I would cook a similar dish along with the one I was making for dinner. It worked so well for me and my family that I continue to freezer cook to this day. Over the years developed several different methods of freezer cooking that fit our lifestyle.
Here are some of the most common ways to freezer cook.

Once A Week Or Once A Month Cooking
The main part of your dinner for the week (or even the month) are freezer meals. Your goal with this method is to cook all of them at once. Usually one day is reserved for shopping and one or two days are spent cooking all those meals. If you want to give this a try, I recommend you start with a week or less. It takes a lot of planning and preparation and the cooking day can be quite exhausting. Be sure you don’t have much of anything else going on during the day you are cooking, cooling and freezing all these meals.

Double or Triple Batches
A lot of freezer recipes can easily be doubled or tripled (or even more). Meatloaf for example freezes really well. The next time you make it double your recipe and freeze one for later use before you bake it. When you’re ready to use it just thaw it in the fridge and then bake as usual. This method also works really well for any type of casserole, soup or stew that freezes well.

Cook Along A Meal
When you know you’re going to be spending some time stirring pots, why not make another meal that uses some of the same ingredients. For example, if you’re cooking a beef stew, cook a pot of chili with stew meat at the same time. Allow the chili to cool while you enjoy your beef stew for dinner and then pack it up and freeze it when you’re done.

Cook Once Eat Twice
With this method you cook extra of one dish and then use the leftovers to make a freezer meal for later. A good example of this is meat sauce. If you are making spaghetti one night, make a double batch of meat sauce and put together a lasagna for the freezer after dinner.
Give these various methods of freezer cooking a try and see which one works best for you and your family.

Susanne Myers – The Hillbilly Housewife
http://www.HillbillyHousewife.com

P.S. As a special thank you for reading this blog and Tawra and Jill’s newsletter, we put together a deal on my popular Freezer Cooking ebook and the recipe collections I’ve developed for it. Until midnight on October 19th 2009 you can get my entire freezer cooking system for 75% OFF (yes, you read that right)
Here’s where you can grab your entire freezer cooking system for a fraction of what you’d usually pay for it:

Hi Tawra,

I just wanted to add a less expensive, and just as delicious option to your “Hot Doggie Rollups” recipe.  Use buttered bread instead of the canned biscuits or crescent rolls.  Butter a slice of bread on one side, place a hot dog (I like to precook mine first) diagonally across the UNBUTTERED side, bring the two corners up over the hot dog and secure with a toothpick.  Bake at 375 degrees for 10-15 minutes.  My mother-in-law made these for her children years ago, but she called them “Weiny Winks”!

Thanks for a Great Newsletter,
Kathy C

If you want to sign up for our newsletter you can do it here! Tawra

From: Carol
This recipe was originally made with moose
shoulder, and produced tender slices of meat and
flavourful sauce to serve over rice, potatoes or
noodles. Like many recipes, it was the result of
hungry kids and a nearly-empty pantry.

GAME BAKE

2-3 pounds meat, cut into serving portions (can
use game, or tough pieces of beef or pork - even
a cut up stewing hen is good)

1 can (10 1/2 oz) tomato soup

1 cup salsa - heat level is up to you.

Combine soup and salsa, pour over meat in an oven-
proof casserole. Cover and bake at 325 for 2-3
hours until tender. To save energy, this can
also be cooked in a crock pot for 8 - 10 hours on
low. Serve with rice, noodles or mashed potatoes.
Low cost, lots of flavour.

Be well,

Carol

Was wondering what’s the cheapest meal, to take to people. (Needed to take 2 9×13 pans of food, to feed big family). Comes up a lot in our church (babies, funerals, sick, etc). Thanks dd

I thought I would see what our readers had for ideas. Please comment on your best frugal meals to help others. Tawra

I just love your newsletters!  I’ve made some adjustments in my life as result of some of your ideas–thanks!

Here’s another suggestion about brownies…I take them out of the pan and freeze them before I frost them………they’re much easier to frost when they’re frozen.  Then I put back into freezer to freeze the frosting.

When all is completely frozen, I cut them apart into serving sizes…pack some up and put in freezer for later date and leave rest out.   They only take a minute to thaw out so it’s a quick snack or dessert at the last minute.

I buy the brownie mixes when they’re on sale and make a couple of pans at one time………I grow spinach in my garden (or I use what i buy in the store) I steam it to make sure it’s cooked and then puree it in the blender to add to the brownie mix instead of the water that the mix calls for.  I also use applesauce (or pear sauce) instead of the oil……..there is no difference in taste with the spinach or applesauce…it actually makes the brownies moist.

Thanks again for your newsletters.

jean

From: Peggy
I just saw the newsletter with the smoothie
recipe.  Just thought I would add this:

1. Sometimes I add granola to the blender with my
smoothies- the dairy and grain make a complete
protein.
2. Other times I add tofu- the kids have no idea
it is in there and it adds a healthy protein.
3. I have a hard time getting my kids to eat
vegetables- so I often add a little cucumber or
zucchini to the smoothie.  Not enough to change
the flavor though or they figure it out!

Our recipe for Smoothies is in Dining On A Dime. Tawra

From: Shelley
I loved your recipe for the roast with cranberry
sauce. It was awesome. The next day I heated the
leftover roast and gravy added about a tablespoon
of soy sauce and 1/2 a bag of broccoli florets. I
served that over ramen noodles and it made a
wonderful broccoli beef type dish. A lot cheaper
than take out!

Easy Cornbread

2 boxes Jiffy Mix

2-4 tsp. grated onion

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 can creamed corn

1 cup grated cheese

Mix and pour into a 9×13 pan and bake at 350 until done.  (I’m guessing 20-30 minutes. Tawra)

Thanks Gail!!