Delicious Holiday Brunches

Hi Everyone!

I hope you're having a good week so far! Today's newsletter includes delicious breakfast recipes that can be used for that extra special breakfast or for a holiday get-together with friends and family!

I want to remind you about a wonderful resource that is 40% off for our readers until Monday. The Cooking Up Some Dough e-book gives a step by step explanation of how to sell your baked goods to earn extra money over the holidays. (The order page shows the full price, but if you enter the coupon code LOAD at checkout, you will get the 40% off.) We've also included our "Gifts In A Jar" e-book free as a special bonus, so check it out today.

Have a great weekend!

-Tawra
www.LivingOnADime.com

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If you would like to reprint any of the articles, tips or recipes from our newsletters for your newsletter (print or on-line), website or blog you may as long as you credit and link back to www.LivingOnADime.com .

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Today we will share some more delicious breakfast recipes with you. Now that the holidays are here, some of us will have every evening booked with a special get-together. If you are planning a get-together or party of your own, try having a brunch instead. It is a good way to use some of today's delicious breakfast recipes, and is a great way to use the ones you are too busy to use on an ordinary weekday.

Today's Tips:

• The holidays are the time of year when many of us try new and different recipes. One rule of thumb is to always read the entire recipe before you start. As a seasoned cook, I don't know how many times I was sure I knew how a recipe should be made, so I didn't read it all the way through and got into big trouble because of it. READ YOUR RECIPE ALL THE WAY THROUGH.
  


• Waffles and pancakes aren't just for breakfast. They make great dishes for supper on cold or snowy evenings. You can add so many different things to them. For example, add some puree pumpkin or sweet potato, apples, fried and crumbled sausage, nuts, berries or peanut butter.
  


• Have fun with different kinds of syrups and butters too. Here are some examples:
  
  
  1. Orange-Honey Butter - Add 1/4 - 1/2 cup of honey and 2 tsp. of orange zest to a stick of softened butter.
     
  
  
  2. Vanilla Butter - Stir in 1-2 tsp. of vanilla and 1 Tbsp. of powdered sugar to softened butter.
     
  
  
  3. Berry Butter - Mix a few berries with 2-3 Tbsp. of powdered sugar into butter.
     
  
  
  4. Cinnamon Butter - Add 2-3 Tbsp. sugar, 1-2 tsp. cinnamon and a small dash of vanilla to 2 sticks of softened butter. Double this and add to a one pound tub of butter or margarine like I Can't Believe It's Not Butter. Use on bagels, pancakes, bread or even on baked sweet potatoes topped with some extra brown sugar.
     

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Subscriber Special
Cooking Up Some Dough e-book
40% Off!

Do you need a little extra cash for the holidays?

Whether you are a seasoned cook or someone who can't boil water, Cooking Up Some Dough gives you the information you need to make extra money in less than 2 weeks, using what you already have in the kitchen!

Get it for 40% off this week, when you use coupon code LOAD at checkout and get our "Gifts In A Jar" e-book as a special bonus! Learn More here!

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Today's Recipes:

Some of these recipes will be richer and have more unusual ingredients than what we normally share but, since they are for the holidays, I wanted to give you something special for this special time of year.

This recipe can be used for a fun and different tradition for Christmas morning. Can you imagine what the house would smell like? Gingerbread-- Oh Yum! You might also try using them for dessert. Make them ahead of time and then warm in the oven or toaster. Top with ice cream or whipped cream.

Gingerbread Waffles

2 cups flour
3/4 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. ginger
2 eggs, separated
1 cup molasses
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup vegetable oil

Sift dry ingredients together. Beat egg whites to form soft peaks. Beat egg yolks and add other liquid ingredients. Add liquid ingredients to the dry, stirring quickly until flour mixture is moistened. Fold in egg whites. Bake slightly slower and 1-2 minutes longer than plain waffles. Serve with whipped cream. Makes 5 servings.

This recipe was given to me by my sister in law and it is simply to die for! I can hardly eat my regular waffles anymore because these are so good. Check out the ingredients and see why.

Dutch Honey

1 cup sugar
1 cup whipping cream (not whipped and no substitutes)
1 cup white Karo syrup

Mix everything in a 2 quart saucepan and cook over low heat until it is a light caramel color. It takes about 20-30 minutes. Watch it when you first start to cook it because it boils over easily but once it gets started you can leave it, just stirring occasionally. It is great on pancakes and French toast, too!

Peachy English Muffins

2 English muffins, split in half
2 Tbsp. cream cheese, softened
1 (15 oz.) can peaches or pears, drained. (Cut thick slices lengthwise to 1/2 inch thickness.)
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. allspice (optional)
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
2 Tbsp. brown sugar, packed
2 tsp. margarine, softened
1/4 cup quick cook oats

Spread muffins with cream cheese and place on baking sheet lined with foil. Place peaches in bowl and sprinkle with 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg and stir. Arrange in single layers on muffins. Mix the brown sugar, remaining cinnamon, margarine and oats until crumbly. Sprinkle over peaches. Bake at 350° for about 25 minutes. Serve hot. Makes 4 servings.

You don't always have to serve the normal coffee cakes or rolls. Try something different but just as good to go with your scramble eggs and bacon like a fruit crumble. Here are two fruit crumble recipes. The first one is an easy version from my mother in law and the second is still easy, but more of the traditional crumble.

Blueberry - Raspberry Crumble

1 (21 oz.) can blueberry pie filling*
1 (21 oz.) can raspberry pie filling*
1 white cake mix
1/2 cup nuts, chopped
1/2 cup (stick) margarine, melted

In a greased 9x13 baking dish, combine pie fillings. Mix the rest of the ingredients until crumbly and sprinkle over pie fillings. Bake at 375° for 25-30 minutes until bubbly and golden brown. Serve warm.

* You can use any pie fillings you want, like peach or apple. I even saw a recipe once where they used a (16 oz.) bag of dark cherries and a (16 oz.) can of crushed pineapple. Another recipe had blueberry pie filling and a can of crushed pineapple, with coconut sprinkled on everything.

Traditional Fruit Crisp

2-3 Tbsp. lemon juice
3 apples, peeled and sliced or chopped in small pieces*
3 pears, peeled and sliced or chopped in small pieces*
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
3 Tbsp. flour
1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp. brown sugar, packed
1 cup berries*
1 1/2 cup oats
Pinch of salt
1/3 cup melted butter

Toss apples and pears in lemon juice to keep from getting brown. Add cinnamon, flour and sugar to fruit. Pour into a 9x13 greased baking dish. Sprinkle with berries. In a separate bowl, mix the rest of the ingredients until crumbly. Then sprinkle over fruit. Bake at 375° for 45 minutes until fruit is tender. Check at about 30 minutes.

*Before I add the topping, I microwave my fruit on high for about 5 minutes to get it partially cooked. This cuts down on the baking time.

*If you prefer, you can use all apples, all pears or no berries.

*Use your favorite fruit or whatever fruit is in season.

*If you don't mind peels, you can leave them on.

Homemade Christmas Cookies And Cash - November 3, 2009

Hi Everyone!

Do you want to have some extra cash for Christmas this year? We found a great e-book called Cooking Up Some Dough that gives a step by step explanation of how to sell your baked goods to earn extra money over the holidays. It's on sale for 40% off just for our reader's this week only (Use coupon code LOAD), and we've included as a special bonus our "Gifts In A Jar" e-book, so check it out today.

Next week, we will be having our huge Dining On A Dime Christmas Sale! This is one of our biggest sales of the year and is a great opportunity to get a great deal on our Dining On A Dime Cookbook. They make great gifts, so be sure to have your list ready!

Today is my oldest son's birthday. He turns 12 today and we had a wonderful surprise party for him on Sunday. It was a huge hit. If you want some party ideas for your kids you can see what we do for our parties here.

Be sure and visit our blog. Yesterday, we wrapped up our series about how to self publish your book. If you missed it you can find it here. You can check out mom's Gingerbread Men on the blog, too. They are tremendously popular with our family and we thought you might like the idea!

Have a great week!

-Tawra
www.LivingOnADime.com

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If you would like to reprint any of the articles, tips or recipes from our newsletters for your newsletter (print or on-line), website or blog you may as long as you credit and link back to www.LivingOnADime.com .

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Homemade Christmas Cookies

Start Now

You can get a head start on your holiday baking by planning now! Here are some good things to do to start:

• List what cookies you want to bake for the holidays.
  


• Divide the list into cookies you will give away, cookies for parties, cookies for school activities, and so on. Also, list the ones you will be serving for your own family closer to Christmas.
  


• Make the list of ingredients you will need and then go buy them so you will have them on hand. Stock your pantry.
  

Get as much as you can done ahead of time (now).

• Most cookie dough can be refrigerated or frozen so mix as many batches as you can. Some great doughs for this are basic chocolate chip or sugar cookie dough. You can take these two and add almost anything to them: chips, dried fruit, candy etc.
  


• Freeze the dough in small batches. If you only want to bake one or two cookie sheets at a time you don't have to thaw the whole batch. I do this all year around. I keep small rolls of dough in my freezer. When I hear the grandkids are on their way, I pull out the dough and have a hot pan of cookies when they get here. It makes the house smell good for them, too.
  


• If you will be using colored sugar or coconut, mix it up now. To make either one, place the sugar or coconut into jars with a couple of drops of food coloring and shake. Store it in the jars until you're ready to use it.
  


• If you love shortbread and like to give it as gifts, make it now and store in an airtight container. Shortbread cookies are one of those cookies that are better if they are aged for at least a couple of weeks.
  

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Subscriber Special
Cooking Up Some Dough e-book
40% Off!

Do you need a little extra cash for the holidays?

Whether you are a seasoned cook or someone who can't boil water, Cooking Up Some Dough gives you the information you need to make extra money in less than 2 weeks, using what you already have in the kitchen!

Get it for 40% off this week, when you use coupon code LOAD at checkout and get our "Gifts In A Jar" e-book as a special bonus! Learn More here!

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Baking

• Be sure to use what the recipe calls for, whether it is butter, shortening or margarine and never use margarine that is whipped, soft spread or reduced fat. Your cookies will spread everywhere if you do.
  


• Pre-heat your oven
  


• It is best to bake only one sheet of cookies at a time but if you must do more, leave a couple of inches around the sheets for air circulation.
  


• Let the baking sheet cool between batches because placing dough on a hot sheet can make the cookies spread too much.
  


• If your recipe calls for oatmeal or nuts, toast them before using them.
  


• Fill a container that has large holes (like a sugar shaker) with flour to sprinkle your board before rolling out cookies.
  


• Make sure when you roll out cookies to cut that they are all the same thickness. Also, make sure that each individual cookie doesn't have thin or thick spots, either, or they will not bake evenly. You can buy rubber bands to put on your rolling pin to get an exact thickness, but they are expensive.
  
  I have always used 2 strips of cardboard (the thickness that I need) covered in foil and just lay them on each side of the dough with each edge of the rolling pin laying on a strip.
  


• If you don't have cookie cutters or you don't have enough time to use them, just roll out your cookies and cut in squares or diamond shapes with a pastry cutter or pizza cutter. Sprinkle with colored sugar and bake.
  


• Use a wire cheese cutter to slice chilled refrigerator cookie dough.
  


• If you are making huge batches of cookies and do a lot of baking, you might try using old oven racks to cool them on. Just place something under each corner to make sure it is raised up slightly off of the table.
  

Storing and Shipping

• Cookies keep very well for a very long time without freezing. Most cookies don't have ingredients the health department calls "toxic" (their words not mine) and are very safe to keep for long periods.
  


• Always completely cool cookies before storing and never store crisp cookies and soft cookies together. Store soft cookies in an air tight container and crisp cookies in a container with a loose lid.
  


• I find that tins work best for storing cookies because sometimes the cookies pick up the flavor of plastic ware if it was previously used to store something like spaghetti with garlic. This is especially true if the cookies have a lot of butter.
  


• If you have cookies that have ingredients like cream cheese, they will need to be stored in the fridge, but the recipe will usually tell you if you need to do this.
  


• You can freeze cookies up to 3 months.
  


• When shipping cookies, be sure to give them plenty of time to get to the destination and always mark "perishable" on the package.
  


• Soft moist cookies, cookie bars and drop cookies ship the best.
  


• Metal tins are the best shipping container for cookies but, if you don't have one, a sturdy cardboard box will work. Line the box with plastic wrap or foil and place the cookies in it. Crumble up wax paper to place on the top, sides or anywhere else you need cushioning. I then slip the whole thing into 1 or 2 plastic bags.
  
  I wrap that box in bubble wrap and place inside another box. You could also use newspaper, peanuts or even popcorn for cushioning at this point.
  

Misc. Tips

• Cookie ingredients can be very expensive, especially for Christmas cookies. If you need to save money, choose your family's favorites that have the least expensive ingredients.
  
  For example, my family loves sugar cookies about the same as chocolate chip cookies. The sugar cookies cost much less because they don't have things like chocolate chips and nuts in them, so I would bake the sugar cookies.
  


• Another way to save on ingredients is to use less of things like nuts and baking chips. You really can get by with putting half a bag of chips instead of a whole one into chocolate chip cookies. The same goes for nuts. If that same recipe calls for 1 cup of nuts, use just 1/2 cup.
  


• When giving cookies as gifts, make them look more attractive by putting them in cellophane bags and tying with a ribbon.
  


• Instead of just slapping cookies on a platter for your Christmas dinner or party, add a couple of votives or one large candle in the center of the platter for a more festive look.
  


• Save those dried out cookies or that handful of leftover cookies. Freeze them and use them in place of any recipe or dessert that calls for a graham cracker crust.
  

Delicious Sugar Cookies...

We have tried countless sugar cookie recipes over the years but I have always returned to this favorite of mine. I remember so well the day I got this recipe. I was room mother for Tawra for the first time. Another mom brought these to the party and the teacher and I politely took one, thinking it would be like all sugar cookies -- unless they have a lot of frosting, they are a little dry and hard to gag down.

I took a bite and inhaled the rest of the cookie. I even ate a second one. They were so good! I have used this recipe for 30 plus years, even selling them to a restaurant for a while, and they are always a big hit.

You can roll them in balls, press down and sprinkle with sugar or you can roll the dough out and cut them with a cookie cutter. If you roll them, be sure to chill the dough well for at least a couple of hours or, even better, overnight.

Here are a couple of quick tips for working with cookie cutters:

• Chilled and stiff doughs work best.
  


• The thinner the cookie, the more detail will show up from the cutter. If the cookies are too thick, everything tends to melt or blend together. Different doughs and cutters act differently, so bake 1-2 practice cookies.
  


• Use a cookie cutter that doesn't have too much detail and keep in mind that small cookies are easier to handle.
  


• Dip the cookie cutter in flour every two to three cookies.
  


• Use a spatula to lift the cookies to the pan after you cut them.
  

Nan's Sugar Cookies

These are the best sugar cookies you will ever eat!

2 cups sugar
1 cup shortening
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup buttermilk
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
6 cups flour

Cream together the sugar, shortening, eggs and vanilla. Add buttermilk. Stir well and add the dry ingredients. Mix until smooth. Roll into balls and drop about 3 inches apart on a greased cookie sheet. Lay a clean dish towel flat on the counter. Place a clean glass upright in the center of the towel. Gather the towel at the top of the glass and twist so that the towel is drawn tight against the bottom and the sides of the glass. Dip bottom of towel-covered glass into flour and press cookies flat. Place a drop or two of water on the top of each cookie and spread around. Then sprinkle sugar on top. Bake at 350° for 5-10 minutes. Makes 4 dozen.

Roasted Chicken, Easy Pumpkin Bars, Calico Stuffed Squash

Dear Readers,

I hope you're having a great week so far!

Don't forget that the Dollar Stretcher Tips e-Book Collection is 37% off for our readers this week. This e-book collection is packed with do it yourself tips like Free Heat, Whiter Clothes Without Bleach, Saving Gas, Extending Produce Storage and more! Read more about it here.

Today on the blog, we're continuing the 4 part series about how we self-publish e-books and print books. Check it out here.

Have a wonderful weekend!

-Tawra
www.LivingOnADime.com

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If you would like to reprint any of the articles, tips or recipes from our newsletters for your newsletter (print or on-line), website or blog you may as long as you credit and link back to www.LivingOnADime.com .

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Today's Tips:

• Don't forget to hit the candy sales after Halloween.
  


• Check out non-candy items, too. One year, the store had a bag of 24 bags of lunch chips for a dollar. This was an even better deal then packaging my own chips.
  


• If you make candy for the holidays and use the melting chocolate wafers to dip it in, buy the orange wafers on clearance and add red food coloring (paste or gel) to use for Christmas.
  


• Don't forget to think about New Year's parties. Black and silver is used a lot for them, so pick up some black plates, napkins etc.
  

Today's Menu:

Roasted Chicken*
Mashed potatoes
Calico Stuffed Squash*
Speedy Breadsticks*
Easy Pumpkin Bars*

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Today's Recipes:

*Roast Chicken

1 chicken
1-2 cloves garlic
1 tsp. thyme (to taste)
1 tsp. rosemary (to taste)
1 tsp. oregano (to taste)
olive oil
salt and pepper

Rub the inside of the chicken with garlic cloves. Put thyme, rosemary and oregano inside the bird. Rub the outside of the bird with olive oil and salt and pepper. Bake at 450° to 500° for 15 minutes. Then turn the oven down to 400° and roast for 35-45 minutes (for a 2 1/2 pound bird) or 1 hour (for a 3-5 pound bird) or until the temperature of the thigh reaches 180°. Allow to rest 10 minutes before serving. Serves 6-8.

*Calico Stuffed Squash

3 small acorn squash
6 Tbsp. margarine or butter
6 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 (10 oz.) pkgs. frozen mixed veggies in butter sauce*
1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/3 cup walnut halves

Cut squash in halves, scoop out pulp (the stringy gooey stuff around the seeds) and seeds. Place in a shallow baking pan, cut side down. Fill baking pan with 1/2-1 inch of water. Bake at 350° for 1 hour. Carefully turn over, dot each squash with 1 Tbsp. margarine and sprinkle with 1 Tbsp. brown sugar. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake 20 minutes more. While the squash are baking, cook veggies according to package directions. Add 1/3 cup brown sugar and walnuts. Fill centers of squash and serve. Makes 6 servings.

*Note: to make this recipe easier, you can use some canned mixed veggies with melted butter. You only really need to warm the veggies rather than worrying about cooking them when you do this.

*Speedy Breadsticks

1 (8 oz.) can of refrigerator biscuits
1 egg white, slightly beaten
Coarse salt

Heat oven to 400°. Grease a cookie sheet. Separate dough into 10 biscuits and cut each one in half. Roll into a pencil shape about 4-6 inches long. Place on cookie sheet, brush with egg and sprinkle with salt. Bake 12-15 minutes until golden.

*Easy Pumpkin Bars

1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup oil
1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin
3 eggs
1 yellow cake mix
3 tsp. pumpkin pie spice*
1 can vanilla frosting
3 oz cream cheese, softened
Nuts, optional

Heat oven to 350°. Grease and flour a 15x10 jelly roll pan. Combine sugar, oil, pumpkin, and eggs on high for 1 minute. Add cake mix and spice. Mix 2 minutes on high speed. Fold in nuts, pour into pan and bake for 25-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes clean.

Combine frosting and cream cheese until smooth. Frost cooled bars. Store in fridge.

*Here's the pumpkin pie spice recipe from our Dining on a Dime cookbook. You'll need to triple it if you want to use it in the above recipe. You can also make a large batch and store so that it's ready for all those holiday recipes you want to try!

Pumpkin Pie Spice

1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/8 tsp. ginger
1/8 tsp. cloves

Mix well. Makes 1 teaspoon.

Halloween Alternatives

Dear Readers,

Do you want to live better for less? Our friends over at Dollar Stretcher have offered our readers their Dollar Stretcher Tips e-Book Collection for only $12.50 this week! If you like the Tightwad Gazette, you'll love these e-books, jam packed with frugal tips including savings for the home, grocery savings, cars, health and beauty and more! This 8 e-book collection includes hundreds of the Dollar Stretcher's best frugal tips to help you save money. Read more about it here.

Do you have a great idea for a book or e-book but you aren't sure what it's going to take to sell it? I have started a 4 part series on the blog today explaining how we self-publish e-books and print books, so run over and check it out here.

If you're expecting lots of candy this year, check out our article on what to do with Leftover Halloween Candy.

Have a great week!

-Tawra
www.LivingOnADime.com

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If you would like to reprint any of the articles, tips or recipes from our newsletters for your newsletter (print or on-line), website or blog you may as long as you credit and link back to www.LivingOnADime.com .

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Halloween Alternatives
by Tawra Kellam

Here are some alternatives to trick or treating for those of you who don't feel comfortable taking your kids to strangers' houses at Halloween. This is also great for young kids or if your kids are sick but still want to dress up and collect candy. As usual, these are just ideas to fuel your imagination. Be creative and have fun!

Have the Great Pumpkin visit. After dinner put the kids in the tub. While they are bathing, hide candy all over the house or yard. Then you can leave a trail of leaves around leading to the candies. Light some candles and turn off the lights. After the bath, let them put on their costumes and hunt for the candy.

Try letting the kids trick or treat door to door in each room of your house. Let them put on their costumes and you and your husband or grandparents can hide behind the door and give out the candy. This works much easier with at least 2 adults giving out the candy so that one can give out candy while the next is going to the next room.

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Halloween Hunt:

Using the same idea as an Easter Egg Hunt, hide little bags of candy corn, or other fun candy around the back yard. Set the kids loose and let them find the candy. Be sure to keep back some of the candy in case someone does poorly. That way you can give them a few more and keep it fun for everyone!

For another fun twist on this idea, hide mini pumpkins instead of candy. Let the kids find and decorate them with craft paint. Let small children attach construction paper cut-outs with glue sticks.

Guess How Many:

Fill a jar with candy corn or candy pumpkins and have guests guess how many are in the jar. (Don't forget to count as you put them in the jar!) Place the jar near the door and hand each guest a 3x5 card to put their name, their guess and their favorite Halloween candy. Halfway through the party read them all off and announce the winner.

Halloween Memory Game:

Place a few theme items such as a candy corn, apple, mini pumpkin etc. on a tray. Show the tray to the guests for a few seconds, then have them write down (or call out) as many items as they remember.

How Many Words:

Hand each person a sheet of paper printed out with a Halloween word or phrase such as Haunted House, Trick or Treat, or Scarecrow. Do these on the computer so you can include some small Halloween Graphics. Ask each person to make as many words as they can out of the letters in the phrase or word you've given them!

Fun Halloween Recipes!

Good Morning!

Don't forget to check out the 50% off special on our Menus On A Dime e-book series this week. These e-books are full of recipes and meal plans to make meal planning easier! Having your menus planned can save thousands of dollars each year in money not spent eating out. Go get it here!

I hope you're having a great week so far! Today is our 15th anniversary, so we're going to quit early today to celebrate! My, where does the time go? It seems like just yesterday!

(You can read about our "frugal wedding" here.)

Have a wonderful weekend!

-Tawra
www.LivingOnADime.com

Permissions:

If you would like to reprint any of the articles, tips or recipes from our newsletters for your newsletter (print or on-line), website or blog you may as long as you credit and link back to www.LivingOnADime.com .

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Today's Tips:

• I love to buy caramels after Halloween when they are on sale. They are great to use for things like the Caramel Apple recipe below or to melt with a little water and use for caramel topping like on ice cream or spice cake.
  


• Don't forget to stock up on candy for your candy wreath or to use as stocking stuffers. Get enough for all those school parties. A bag of candy or two wrapped as a gift for a child or even for an adult works great, too.
  


• Find some cute containers at a thrift shop or garage sale and fill them with candy for for Christmas or hostess gifts. Even colorful candy in a clear cellophane bag with a bow makes a nice little gift out of candy you bought on sale after Halloween. I might not buy something wrapped in orange and black wrappers, but there are many candies that have "normal" wrappers.
  
  

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Today's Recipes:

Here are some fun recipes for a Halloween dinner or for your Halloween parties.

This first recipe is an inexpensive, easy, no worry recipe, especially if you are feeding a crowd. Halloween night is always hectic for us with people coming and going at different times. This recipe can be kept warm in the crock pot, ready to eat whenever needed. Big and little "kids" alike like this!

Pot of Beans 'N Wieners
(or Pot of Beans 'N Cannibal Toes)

1 lb. wieners, cut into fourths
3 (16 oz.) cans pork and beans with juice
3 tsp. mustard
2-3 Tbsp. bacon grease
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup onion, chopped or 1 1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/4 cup barbeque sauce, optional

Place everything in a slow cooker, cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours.
Don't have a crock pot? Place in an oven proof pan or dish and bake at 200° uncovered for 2-3 hours or until thickened.

When making baked beans, if I want to bake them quickly, I leave them uncovered and bake about an hour at 350° or until thickened. Cooking it on the stove top on medium for about 30 minutes is the fastest method, but I think the flavors blend better when it is baked.

Chunky Caramel Apples
(no dip caramel apples)

26 caramels
2 Tbsp. water
4 medium apples, cubed
Nuts, chopped

Combine caramels and water in a sauce pan and melt, stirring constantly. Place apples in 4 individual bowls and pour caramel over each serving. Sprinkle with nuts.

Chilling Jack O' Lantern Brew

1 (14 oz.) can Sweetened Condensed milk (do not use evaporated)
1 (46 oz.) can pineapple juice
1 (2 liter) bottle of orange soda
Orange sherbet, optional

Chill everything. Mix in order in a punch bowl. Pour punch in cup then add a scoop of sherbet if you want.

Witch's Fingers - Sweet

Take your favorite sugar cookie dough (store bought or homemade) or any kind of "light colored" cookie dough that can be rolled. Roll it into fat finger shapes, pressing on each side of the center to make a knuckle.

You can also take a knife and score a few lines for wrinkles on the knuckle areas. Just look at your own fingers to get an idea.

Add almonds* (pointy end up) for finger nails. Bake according to the directions for your recipe until light brown on edges.

*You can mix some food coloring with a little water and paint the nails red or green before you press them into the fingers.

To serve, stand upright in a mug or glass.

Witch's Fingers - Savory

5 Tbsp. butter, softened
1 cup packed cheddar cheese, shredded
3/4 cup flour
2 Tbsp. cornmeal
1 large egg
Kosher salt
30 almonds

Blend butter, cheese, flour and cornmeal together in bowl or food processor until looks like sand. Add egg and mix. Pat into 1/2 thick circle and wrap in plastic wrap. Put in the freezer for 15 minutes or in the fridge for 3 days.

Place dough between 2 - 14 inch (about) pieces of wax paper and roll into an 8x10 inch rectangle. Be careful not to wrinkle the paper. Place in the freezer again for 15 minutes. Preheat oven to 350°.

Cut into thirty 1/2 inch by 5 inch strips. Lay on greased cookie sheet. Bend top of strip under slightly to look like the tip of a finger. Shape knuckles and add wrinkles. Add an almond* for the finger nail. Bake until lightly brown, about 15 minutes.

*You can mix some food coloring with a little water and paint the nails red or green before you press them into the fingers.

Note: For a very quick version, you could form fingers out of breadstick dough and just add the almonds. You can use canned biscuits for this, too.

Frighteningly Frugal Fun! - Inexpensive Halloween Ideas

Dear Readers,

With all the school concerts, games and activities this time of year, we decided to offer a special on our Menus On A Dime series this week. Having your menus planned can save thousands of dollars each year in money not spent eating out. It's really simple and takes just a few minutes a week to do. Grab the special here!

Don't forget to check here for more ideas for Halloween On A Dime and here for the Secrets of the Organized.

We've had several people ask if Dining on a Dime will be on sale for Christmas. The answer is a big YES! If you want to bless your friends and family with the gift that so many of you have enjoyed, this will be the best time to get them, so plan now who it will be. The sale will be during the 1st or 2nd week of Novemeber this year.

Also, if you would like to pass along any of our recipes, articles or tips to your readers you may do so. We just ask that you link back to www.LivingOnADime.com .

Have a great week!

-Tawra
www.LivingOnADime.com

Permissions:

If you would like to reprint any of the articles, tips or recipes from our newsletters for your newsletter (print or on-line), website or blog you may as long as you credit and link back to www.LivingOnADime.com .

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Frighteningly Frugal Fun!
By Tawra Kellam

The average American family spends over $100 per year on Halloween goodies. As your kids drag you through aisles full of ghosts and goblins, the scariest thing about Halloween is threatening to leave bite marks in your pocketbook. No wonder so many moms flee screaming from the store... It can be much less expensive and a lot more fun to devise your own chilling creations. Here are a few fun recipes and tips that you can use to stave off the greenback gremlins and exercise your creative muscle. It won't hurt a bit!

Face Paint

1 tsp. corn starch
1/2 tsp. water
1/2 tsp. cold cream
food coloring

Mix all ingredients together in an old muffin pan and you are ready to paint. This amount makes one color.

Fake Wound

1 Tbsp. Vaseline
tissue
cocoa powder
2-3 drops red food coloring

Place Vaseline in a bowl. Add food coloring. Blend with a toothpick. Stir in a pinch of cocoa to make a darker blood color. Separate tissue. Using 1 layer, tear a 2x3 inch piece and place at wound site. Cover with petroleum jelly and mold into the shape of a wound. The center should be lower than the sides. Fill the center with the red petroleum jelly mixture. Sprinkle center with some cocoa. Sprinkle a little around the edges of the wound to make darker.

Wormy Apples

6 apples
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter or margarine
1/2 tsp. each ground cinnamon and nutmeg
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
6 gummy worms
1 cup whipping cream (optional)

Core apples from blossom ends, leaving stem ends intact. Mix raisins and walnuts and stuff into cavities of cored apples. Set apples, stems up in a 9x13 pan. In a saucepan, mix brown sugar, water, butter, cinnamon, and nutmeg; stir over high heat until mixture boils. Pour hot syrup around apples. Bake, uncovered, at 350°, basting occasionally with syrup, until apples are tender when pierced and skin begins to crack, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove apples from oven; cool in pan at least 10 minutes.

Set each apple in a small bowl and spoon syrup around fruit. In the top of each apple, cut a hole large enough for one of the candy worms and tuck one end into each apple, leaving most of the worm dangling. Offer cream to pour over apples. Makes 6 servings.

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Subscriber Special
Menus On A Dime e-book series
Half Price!
(through October 26th)

Dramatically reduce your grocery bill making delicious meals that your family will love! You'll get:

• 121 Menus & 121 Recipes to make meal planning easier


• Pre planned menus so you can cook once and eat three to five different meals!


• Easy meals you can make in 20 minutes or less
  

Learn More here!

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Halloween Tips:

Fake Blood- Mix 2/3 cup white corn syrup, 1 tsp. red food coloring, 2-3 drops blue food coloring to darken and 1 squirt dish soap (helps blood to run well).

Abrasions -Dab brown, red and black eye shadow on area. Apply blood over area with cotton balls. Use comb to gently scratch area in one direction. Apply cocoa or dirt over wound with cotton balls.

Black Eye - Apply red and blue eye shadow to depressions around eyes.

Bruises - Rub red and blue shadow over bony area to simulate recent bruises. Use blue and yellow eye shadow to create older bruises.

Look Old - Cover face with baby powder. Draw dark lines on your skin for wrinkles. Smooth edges to blend. Cover again with baby powder. Add baby powder to your hair to create gray hair.

Deviled Eyeballs - Make deviled eggs. Add a green olive with pimento in the center for an "eyeball".

Radioactive Juice - Mix equal parts Mountain Dew and blue Kool-Aid

Toxic Juice - Add some green food coloring to lemonade for a spooky color!

Brains - Scramble eggs with some green, yellow and blue food coloring

Bloody Eyeballs - Boil cherry tomatoes 30 seconds. Allow to cool; then peel skin.

Goblin Hand - Freeze green Kool-Aid in a rubber or latex glove, float in punch.

Use the tape from old cassettes or black yarn to make spider webs.

Use cotton balls stretched out for small spider webs.

Glass Jack-o-Lantern - Outline a pumpkin face on a spaghetti or pickle jar with black paint. The paint around the outside of it with orange paint. Place a candle inside for a jack-o-lantern.

Edible Slime - Pour lime gelatin into a glass bowl. After it is partially set, add gummy worms. Chill until lightly set. Then serve slopped all over the plate.

Bloody Popcorn - Add red food color to melted butter and pour over popcorn.

Freeze gummy worms in ice cubes and add them to drinks. Cut gummy worms in half if needed.

Have a Pumpkin Hunt

Hide mini pumpkins like you would Easter Eggs. Let the kids find and decorate them. For small children use glue sticks with construction paper cut-outs for decorations.

Halloween Guess It Game

In this game, you challenge the participants to reach into mystery boxes filled with creepy things and try to guess what each item is. The person with the most correct answers wins the game. An example is if you want them to guess "grapes", you might try to confuse them by saying, "I think it's eyeballs..."

Cut a hole in the top of a shoe box or laundry box for each item to be used. Cover the box with black spray paint. Decorate each box with pumpkins or spiders for a more festive flavor. Place the following items inside, one per box. Be sure to place enough of each item so the guests can adequately "feel" the guts.

• Eyeballs - grapes or peeled cherry tomatoes
  


• Intestines - Cooked Spaghetti
  


• Skin - oil a piece of plastic bag
  


• Brains - scrambled eggs
  


• Hair - an old clown wig
  


• Bones - thoroughly washed chicken bones placed in some sand
  


• Vomit - chunky salsa
  


• Fingers - hot dogs cut into finger sized pieces
  


• Teeth - corn nuts, pine nuts or popcorn
  

Deluxe Stuffed Peppers, Apple Nut Dumplings

Hello Everyone!

Don't forget to check out the Freezer Cooking e-book collection that's available to our subscribers for 75% off this week! This Freezer Cooking Collection from Hillbillyhousewife.com makes freezer cooking simple, with lots of pointers and recipes to help you get started. It includes 4 freezer cooking e-books and 5 bonus items, but it's only good until Monday, so check it out now!

Have you ever wondered how to Roast Pumpkin Seeds? Learn how to do it here. This is one of my favorite treats and I am so glad that we have 4 pumpkins to carve this year! By the way, we got our pumpkins at Aldi, where they were $2.79 each for huge pumpkins. What a deal!!

Don't forget to check out the blog where Susanne is guest posting this week on Freezer Meals. Since we have the flu this week, I'm so glad she's stopped in to give some of her good advice!

Also, if you haven't heard the big news about Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, be sure to check out this post.

Have a great weekend!

-Tawra
www.LivingOnADime.com

Permissions:

If you would like to reprint any of the articles, tips or recipes from our newsletters for your newsletter (print or on-line), website or blog you may as long as you credit and link back to www.LivingOnADime.com .

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Today's Tips:

• To help organize your recipes, make a list of what I call "seasonal" recipes in a small notebook or a separate card that you keep at the front of your recipe box. For example, I write "Apples" at the top of an index card and then list my apple recipes and where to find them (Dining on a Dime pg 285) on the card. Then, on a separate card, I write "Strawberries" and list my strawberry recipes, and so on. That way when apples come into season and I can get a good deal on them, I know exactly where my apple recipes are to use them.
  


• You can make your own tortilla chips and it is often cheaper than buying them. Just buy a package of corn tortillas and cut them into quarters. Heat a small amount of oil (about 1/2 an inch) in a frying pan. Fry the tortilla quarters in the pan. Fry on one side until golden and then flip and fry on the other side. These fry quickly so be on your toes. When they're done, place on a paper towel to drain. Serve with honey, salsa or dip.
  


• Have you ever wondered how to use all those cereal crumbs at the bottom of the bag? The recipe below is a great way to use them. You can also finely crush them and roll pieces of chicken in them to make chicken nuggets or, after you dip your French toast in your egg mixture, dip it in the cereal crumbs before cooking.
  

Today's Menu:

Deluxe Stuffed Peppers*
Rice
Tortilla chips and salsa
Choco Coco Crunchers*
Bonus Recipe*

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Subscriber Special
Freezer Cooking Collection - 75% off!
(expires October 19th.)

Serve healthy, inexpensive and home-made meals for your family every night of the week!

Freezer Cooking Made Simple is a step-by-step guide to making your very own freezer meals at a fraction of the cost frozen meals from the grocery store.

The Freezer Cooking Collection also includes Freezer Casseroles, Freezer Soups and Stews, Freezer Chicken Recipes, Freezer Ground Beef and Ground Turkey and 5 bonus items!

It's only 75% off until Monday, so check it out today!

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Today's Recipes:

This recipe is great for a meatless dinner. It's also a good way to use those couple of cups of cooked rice you had left over from the night before. You can serve it with an extra helping of rice on the side if you like.

*Deluxe Stuffed Peppers

4 large green bell peppers, halved and seeded

Filling:

2 cups cooked rice
4 oz. (1 cup) cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup sour cream
1 (16 oz.) can Green Giant Mexican Beans, undrained
1 (11 oz.) can Mexican whole kernel corn (you can use regular corn seasoned with a little chili powder)

Heat oven to 350°. Mix filling ingredients and place 1/2 cup of the filling mixture into each pepper half. Then place peppers into an ungreased 9x13 glass baking dish or pan. Cover with foil and bake for 50-60 minutes or until tender. Garnish with salsa and serve with chips and more salsa and rice.

*Choco Coco Crunchers

1 pkg. German chocolate cake mix
1 cup margarine or butter, softened
2 eggs
1 cup coconut
1 cup walnuts, chopped
1 cup corn flakes or flake cereal, crushed
1 cup oatmeal
1 (6 oz.) pkg. chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350°. Combine cake mix, butter and eggs well. Add remaining ingredients. Drop dough by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Flatten with a glass dipped in sugar. Bake 8-12 minutes. Makes 4-5 dozen.

*Bonus Recipe

A person can't have too many desserts, so here is an extra one this week. It takes a little extra time because it has a lot of basic ingredients, but it's really very easy. This dessert is great when you want to make something special on those cool fall or winter days. It will make your house smell good and give your family warm fuzzy feelings!

Don't let the word dumpling strike terror in your heart. They really aren't difficult to make, especially with this recipe where you use canned biscuits.

Apple Nut Dumplings

Fruit Mixture

1 Tbsp. butter or margarine
2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
1 1/4 cup water
1/4 cup vinegar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup water
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
2 tsp. vanilla
6 cups (6 medium) apples, peeled and sliced

Dumplings

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 (17.3 oz.) can Grands buttermilk biscuits

In a large pan or Dutch oven, melt butter and add sugar, water, vinegar and cinnamon. Mix well. Bring to boil, reduce heat, and simmer. In a small bowl mix 1/4 cup water and cornstarch. Stir into hot mixture, stirring constantly until smooth and thick. Add vanilla and apples. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Simmer while making dumplings.

For Dumplings - Combine nuts, sugar and cinnamon. Separate biscuits, cutting each in half crosswise. Cut a deep pocket in each piece of dough and spoon 2 tsp. of nut mix into it. Seal edges well. Save remaining nut mix.

Bring fruit mixture back to a boil. Drop in all the biscuit halves and sprinkle with remaining nut mix. Cover and cook on medium heat 20-25 minutes until dumplings are no longer doughy. Remove cover and cook 10 more minutes.

Remove from heat and let sit 5-10 minutes. Serve with whipped topping or ice cream if you want.