I can wear a size 14 pants now!!!

It is so wonderful to be down to that! I started at a 20. They are right, the great feeling of loosing weight makes you not want to eat junk just so you can keep it that way! I haven’t lost any more yet. I’m going to wait and try again after Christmas but I am maintaing. I just had to share the news!
Tawra
www.LivingOnADime.com

The toaster oven saga:

Toaster oven #1 GE - Bought at Walmart, bad design seared the hide of my fingers. 7 week later I still have a small scar. Returned

Toaster Oven #2 Euro Pro - Bought at Target, broken. Returned

Toaster Oven #3 Black and Decker- Bought at Target, got it home and discovered it didn’t have a slide out crumb tray. It’s bad enough to clean stuff like that without having to haul it to the sink to wipe it down every time because the tray won’t slide out. Didn’t use it, put it right back into the box and returned.

Toaster Oven #4 Black and Decker - At this point I’m becoming the joke of the family. hehehe (How many toaster ovens does it take for Tawra to make toast?

I got it home and set it up. It toasted nice on top but put a 2 inch black charred mark on the bottom across the toast from the heating element being to close.

At this point I want to throw the toaster oven off the deck! Mike and I looked at it, re-read the instructions several times and then finally called the company and they said to take it back. I had decided to just give up and by a regular toaster.

I was telling my grandmother the story on the phone. She said “do you have the rack in right?” I said “yes”. She told me to try toasting again and see if it works. Before I did she said “try turning the rack around”. Sure enough that looked like it would work! I was so excited! I put the bread in and told her to wait on the line while I checked to see if it toasted.

Guess, what! The silly thing wouldn’t turn on! No light, no heating element, nothing!
I said “you aren’t going to believe this. Now the thing isn’t turning on.”
I was pulling the rack out trying to put it back in, closing the door several times all the time just shaking my head telling Grandma “I can’t believe that a toaster oven would be this hard to operate. Everyone said they love theirs”.

Just then my grandma said “do you have it plugged in?” HA!!!! Can you believe it! I DIDN’T HAVE IT PLUGGED IN! LOL I don’t think we’ve laughed that hard in a long time. Especially since I was just telling her at the beginning of the conversation how we were thinking of doing a TV show based on the books. LOL I guess I won’t be doing the cooking segments. hehehe

I just had to tell everyone. It was soooo funny! The good news is that now I HAVE TOAST!!! It’s really great toast too! Yeah!!!!! Thanks for all the suggestions. Black and Decker was by far the leader in the suggestions.

I have had toaster oven success.
Tawra
www.LivingOnADime.com

—————————————————————–
Dining On A Dime: 1,000 Money Saving Recipes and Tips. (formerly Not
Just Beans) Dining On A Dime will help you shop smarter, by cooking
simpler meals and by making your own basic cleaning products and
beauty aids.
http://www.livingonadime.com/ordering.htm

Save money and ORDER BY DEC. 2 TO ENSURE DELIVERY BY CHRISTMAS VIA MEDIA MAIL! ———————————————————————

Gift Ideas to Keep You From Becoming a Basket Case!
By Tawra Kellam and Jill Cooper
www.LivingOnADime.com

Need Gift Ideas for Christmas but don’t want to spend a lot? Here are some tips from
Tawra Kellam, author of Dining On A Dime.

Buy items in sets and divide them among the baskets. Buy a four pack of nail polish for
four ladies baskets or buy packs of whistles or other party favors for the kids. Take
individual popcorn, coffee or cocoa packets out of their boxes. They will fill the baskets
better.

Shop garage sales and thrift stores for baskets and other containers. Dollar stores have lots of great inexpensive gift ideas. Browse!

Use cellophane bags to package your mixes. They are inexpensive when purchased at
party stores or florists.

A gift can be as simple as tea bags in a tea cup tied with a pretty ribbon. A large soup mug
and saucer with soup mix or a small glass bowl with some potpourri might also make a
simple but nice gift.

Try making these specialty gift baskets:

Football Fan- (teenage boys, brothers, fathers and brothers-in-law!) Fill a large bowl
purchased at the dollar store with candy bars, bags of microwave popcorn, sodas, chips,
dips, a favorite football flag or hat, and a calendar of game days.

Fisherman- In a tackle box or fish bowl put hooks, bait, line, hot chocolate or sodas, trail
mix, gloves, fishing magazines and a fish pillow.

Dog- In a dog bowl, place a ball, old sock with a knot tied in it, dog bones, rawhides, a
leash, a name tag and a brush. You might include a picture of a mailman with “the enemy”
written on it.

Cat- In a cat litter box, place a catnip toy, cat food, a poop scoop, a leash, a name tag and
a little rubber mouse.

Car- In a large bucket, place fuzzy dice, air freshener, wax, car wash, chamois (“Shammy”),
tire cleaner, a car trash can, a key ring, ice melter for cars and an ice scraper.

Baby Basket- Spray paint a basket white and line it with a baby blanket or use a diaper
bag. Fill with bibs, baby oil, baby lotion, baby powder, diaper ointment, a teething ring,
burp cloths, wipes and a rattle.

Relaxing Basket- Line a basket with a hand towel. Add a lavender candle, bath oil or
bubble bath, bath salts, a favorite magazine or book, a poof and scented soap, and a do
not disturb sign (Make one out of a piece of cardboard.).

Coffee Lover - In a basket, include flavored coffee packets, cinnamon sticks dipped in
chocolate, wrapped in cellophane and tied with a ribbon, cookie mix or cookies, flavored
powdered creamer and a coffee cup.
Baker’s Delight - Line a large mixing bowl with a dish towel. Add cookie mixes, hot
chocolate mixes, brownie mix, muffin mix, a package of walnuts, measuring cups and pot
holders.

Ice Cream Lover- Place tissue paper on the bottom of a basket. Add sundae dishes, an ice
cream scoop, nuts, hot fudge sauce, butterscotch sauce, chocolate syrup, Maraschino
cherries and a gift certificate for 2 ½ gallons of ice cream.

Soup Basket- In a basket, stock pot or bean crock, add large soup mugs, 7 bean soup,
cornbread mix, cookie mix and oyster crackers wrapped in cellophane bags and tied with a
ribbon.

Nail Polish Basket- In a pretty bucket or basket, add a variety of nail polish, emery boards,
nail clippers, polish remover, cotton balls, hand cream, cuticle cream and a nail buffer.

Family Night- In a large bowl, add a puzzle or game, popcorn, candy bars, soda, hot
chocolate mix and mugs.

Fruit Basket- Line a basket with tissue paper. Add apples, oranges, hot chocolate mix,
various teas and dried fruits (like figs or raisins). Sprinkle nuts on top of everything.

Cookie Delight-In a basket lined with tissue paper, add two cookie mixes in cellophane
bags or jars tied with ribbons, Russian Tea (also in a cellophane bag or small jar tied with
ribbon), cookie cutters, a teacup and two pot holders.

Chocolate Lover- In a basket, add Hot Chocolate Mix, Brownie Mix , Chocolate Peanut
Butter Cookie Mix, Party Mints, Mexican Hot Chocolate Mix and a small package of
marshmallows.

Hot Chocolate Mix
8 cups dry milk
4 3/4 cups powdered sugar
1 3/4 cups cocoa
1 1/2 cup non-dairy creamer
1 sm. pkg. instant chocolate pudding mix

Sift the ingredients into a large bowl. Place the mix into an airtight containers.

Attach this to the jar:

Hot Chocolate
5 Tbsp. (1/3 cup) Hot Chocolate Mix
1 cup hot water (not boiling)
marshmallows or whipped cream

Place the Hot Chocolate Mix into a mug. Add boiling water. Stir until Hot Chocolate mix is
dissolved. Garnish as desired with marshmallows or whipped cream. Serves 1.

Apple Cinnamon Muffin Mix
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 cup raisins and/or nuts

In a bowl, mix together first 5 ingredients. Place in an air tight container. Package raisins
and nuts separately.

Topping
3 Tbsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg

Mix topping ingredients in a bowl. Package in a small cellophane bag.

Attach this to the jar:

Apple Cinnamon Muffin Mix
To prepare, preheat oven to 350.
Mix together:
Apple Cinnamon Muffin Mix
raisins and/or nuts
1 cup apple juice
2 Tbsp. oil
1/2 cup applesauce
margarine, melted

Stir just until combined. Spoon into lightly greased muffin tins and bake for 20-25
minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. While still warm, dip in
melted margarine and then topping. Makes 12-15 muffins.

Walnut Butter Cookies
1 cup butter
6 Tbsp. sugar
2 cups flour
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup nuts
powdered sugar
Cream butter and sugar together. Add flour, vanilla and nuts. Roll into walnut sized balls onto a greased cookie sheet and lightly flatten. Bake at 400° for 10 minutes. Remove from oven, place on waxed paper and sprinkle with or roll in powdered sugar.

Hello, my name is Tawra and I LOVE fruitcake and I’m not ashamed to admit it!

I’m not sure why people don’t like it. What’s not to like about 2 lbs. of pecans and 3 lbs of candied fruit? I like the kind without booze since I don’t like the taste. I have made my own for a few Christmases(sp) trying to find the “perfect” recipe. this year I decided to go ahead and make one again. Usually they turn out great. I set the oven on 350 instead of 250 and it got REALLY done. I might be able to salvage it, I’m not sure.

My Christmas preparations and life in general aren’t going very smoothly. I have been trying to find some ornaments for my Holiday tree which is going to be gingerbread men for Christmas. I couldn’t find any so I decided to make some. I made up the dough and baked them. They were sitting on the counter waiting to be painted and I ruined them with my fruitcake glaze!

I was drenching the fruitcake with glaze trying to put some moisture back in it so I didn’t have to dump $10 worth of ingredients in the trash. I wasn’t paying attention and the glaze ran down the counter and soaked my ornaments. Of course, then they went in the trash.

Then I was talking to mom and she said “why don’t you just use some of my gingerbreadmen?” She makes gingerbreadmen for Christmas and sells them so she can buy presents. She has already had orders for 120 dz. so far and it’s not even Dec! One year she made 500 DOZEN! They are the best tasting things you’ve ever had. They aren’t a normal recipe so people just love them because they don’t have molasses. (sorry I can’t give out the reicpe. If this book thing doesn’t work we will try the gingerbreadman business:-) Anyway, I decided to go ahead and do that and use hers and just hot glue a ribbon on the back.
While I am waiting to get them, I went ahead and hot glued ribbons on some hard candies that I was going to use as ornaments.

Well, they ended up looking dumb. I put them on there anyway until I can find something else. I also put some mini candy canes on there too. Today I think the real stuff isn’t going to work. My 2 yr old kept eating candy yesterday. I thought he was just finding some that fell on the floor or his brother and sister were giving it to him. Come to find out he was EATING MY ORNAMENTS!!! Augh!

My dog did that the first year I tried it and was pooping red ribbons everywhere! LOL, it’s funny now but it sure wasn’t then! At least David had the sense to pull off the ribbon and hot glue first before he ate them!

I’m not sure how I’m going to salvage my gingerbread tree. This will be interesting. I am going to see how I can make some ornaments out of craft clay maybe.

Our other decorating isn’t going so smooth. We sort of decorated the house but with the kids help it kind of looks like it just jumped out of the box and splatted everywhere! LOL I have to go through now and try and get the decorations put together so they look better.
They really were trying hard to help but you know how it is if you have kids.

Honestly I’m not feeling much up to it. I went off my anti-depressants, they were giving me horrid migrains and so now I don’t feel like doing anything at all. Augh, I wish I would just get over this. It’s horrible wanting to do stuff but not “feeling” like doing it. I have been fighting depression for years. I’m not sure if it’s stress, being sick or my body is just out of kilter. They keep putting me on different meds but none work Oh well. I will get the house put back together eventually and all will be right with the world again. LOL

Tawra
www.LivingOnADime.com

We went out to eat for Thanksgiving to a buffet. When we went up to pay we noticed a sign that said ” buy a $25 gift card and get a free pie” We asked if we purchased a gift card and used it today if we could get the pie and they said sure! So we spent $36 for the 6 of us for Thanksgiving dinner and got a pie for free. I must admit that at the time we were taking it home we didn’t want to even look at it but it sure was good that night for dessert, again, and the next day!

A fast food place here in town has buy a gift card and get a free Christmas plate. We eat out to McD’s on Sunday after church so we had thought about going to this other place instead. The plates are really cute and I would have loved to use them for our Christmas Eve meal but we would need 10 plates for our family that’s all here and I don’t feel like investing in $100 worth of gift certificates right now. It is a good idea though to remember. You could get one and put homemade candies, breads and cookies for a nice gift.

Don’t be embarrassed to take them up on these offers as you see them. There’s usually no reason not buy a gift card and turn around and use it right away.
This is a great time of year to get little freebies like that! Keep your eyes open for these special deals!

Tawra

www.LivingOnADime.com

The day after any major holiday is a great time to stock the freezer for milk, meats and bread. On days when they are closed, such as Christmas and Thanksgiving, stores have more stock to turn over, so go in the morning and see what they’ve marked down! I’ve seen milk for $1 gallon that didn’t expire for 4 days but they had new stuff coming in and needed to get it moved out.

Happy Thanksgiving!! Tawra

www.LivingOnADime.com

Mom has always made the cutest candy wreath.
She bends a coat hanger into a circle. Then she takes wrapped candies such as peppermints, tootsie rolls, gum etc., ties a string on them and ties them to the circle. She fills it full, hangs a bow and a pair of sissors on it and then hangs it on the front door. When anyone comes in they can grab a piece of candy. It’s fun to watch it go down as Christmas gets closer.

Tawra
www.LivingOnADime.com

Check out our discount bin! Save over 55% on Not Just Beans today!
http://www.livingonadime.com/ordering.htm

——————————————–

Here are a few recipes in case you aren’t prepared for Thanksgiving yet. They are basics
but if you are cooking challenged like I was then they will certainly come in handy.

BTW, in case everyone is wondering, we are going out to eat. We had thought about
having a traditional Thanksgiving at home this year but it’s fun going out to a buffet where
everyone can eat what they want and you don’t have a huge mess to clean up. We don’t eat
out that often so for us it’s a treat. We’ve done this for the last several years. It’s really
relaxing. We do make a couple of pies to have dessert later while we are playing games.

All of these are in Not Just Beans and Dining On A Dime.
http://www.livingonadime.com/ordering.htm

Tawra
P.S. I’m also proofreading challenged. If you find a problem in them let me know. I’m not
sure everything converted correctly with the new computer.:-)

Mashed Potatoes

5 large potatoes, peeled and cubed 2 Tbsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. butter 1 tsp. salt
½ cup milk*

In a large saucepan place potatoes and enough water to cover the potatoes. Bring to a
boil; reduce heat. Cover and simmer until potatoes are tender (about 10 minutes). Drain.
Transfer potatoes to a mixing bowl and mash. Add butter, milk, sugar and salt. Beat until
smooth. Serves 5-6.
*Save water after cooking potatoes and just add ¼ cup dry milk.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Add 15 cloves garlic, peeled and halved, to the potatoes when boiling.

Sweet Potato Casserole

3 cups sweet potatoes, mashed
1 cup sugar
½ cup butter or margarine,
melted
1 Tbsp. vanilla
2 eggs

Topping
1 cup brown sugar, packed
½ cup flour
1 cup pecans
? cup butter, melted

Mix all the ingredients and put in buttered 9×9 casserole dish. Sprinkle on
topping. Bake uncovered at 350? for 20 minutes. This is a great dish for
holiday dinners and potlucks as it can be made up the day before and then
baked the next day. Serves 8-9.

Pie Crust

3 cups flour 1 egg, cold
½ tsp. salt 1 Tbsp. vinegar, cold
2 Tbsp. sugar 5 Tbsp. water cold
1 ¼ cups shortening, cold
sugar

Mix flour, salt and sugar in a bowl. Cut in shortening with a pastry blender or 2 knives.
Add egg, vinegar and 3 tablespoons water. Mix lightly. If dough is too dry, add more
water. Mix with hands. Don’t overmix. Mix just until the dough sticks together. Divide into
thirds. Roll out to make 3 pies crusts. When using the crust for the top of the pie sprinkle
sugar on top. Crust can be frozen in balls and then defrosted and rolled out when ready to
use. Makes 3 crusts.

Pumpkin Pie

1 pie crust 1 tsp. cinnamon
2 eggs ½ tsp. ground ginger
1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin ¼ tsp. ground cloves
¾ cup sugar 1 (12 oz.) can evaporated milk
½ tsp. salt

Bake pie crust at 350 for 1-2 minutes until crust starts to puff with small bubbles. Watch
carefully. Blend all ingredients together in a bowl. Pour into pie crust and bake at 425 for
15 minutes. Then turn the oven down to 350 for 45 minutes. When a knife is inserted into
the center of the pie and comes out clean it is done. Makes one pie.

Pecan Pie

1 stick butter ½ tsp. lemon juice
1 cup light corn syrup 1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup sugar dash of salt
3 large eggs 1 ¼ cups pecans, chopped

Brown butter in a pan until golden brown. Do not burn. Cool. Add other ingredients in
order given in a separate bowl. Mix well. Blend in cooled butter well. Pour into pie crust.
Bake 10 minutes at 425 and then 40 minutes at 325.
Makes one pie.

Here’s mom’s fudge recipe that was requested below. Enjoy! Tawra
www.LivingOnADime.com

4 1/ 2 cups sugar
1 - 12 oz. can evaporated milk
1 Tbsp. butter

Boil for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
Remove from heat and add:

2 1/2 large (6 oz.) Hershey’s Candy Bars (plain, dark or almond)
12 oz. bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips
7 oz. jar of marshmallow cream
1 tsp. vanilla
Optional stir ins:
nuts
peanut butter
or mix and match any kind of chocolate you would like. Dark chocolate, white chocolate chips stirred in,M&M’s stirred in etc.

Here are a couple of options for setting your fudge.

For think fudge pour into two well greased 9×13 pans.
For thin fudge pour into two well greased 9×13 pans plus one 8×8 pan.
You can line your pans with plastic wrap instead of greasing and then just lift out of the pan to cut.
Cut with a pizza cutter, just after it is hardened but not to hard or it will be hard to cut.

You could also just skip the pans and lay a piece of plastic wrap on the counter, pour on the fudge and then “mold” however you would like. You could make small logs to cut off bite size pieces or a large log for “gift giving” sized bars. No pans to dirty this way.

Be sure to wrap well in plastic wrap and store in the fridge so it doesn’t dry out.