Thrifty Thursday Tip for Bread Crumbs

Cooking tip:

Save all the heels of the bread and any bread that is getting dried out.  Put all the bread in the freezer until you are ready for to make bread crumbs.  Toast the bread in the oven until it is really dried out.  Break them up in pieces and put it in the food processor.  Blend until small pieces.  Hint:  If your food processor makes a mess like mine, put a piece of plastic wrap on before you close the lid.  If you want to make seasoned breadcrumbs, add parsley, basil, oregano, and garlic powder to taste while blending. 

I keep the container of the bread crumbs in the freezer and take them out when I need some.  They are so much better then store bought bread crumbs and way cheaper.  I read some where that per pound, bread crumbs cost more then meat!!  Silly right?  Now you get them for free!!! Wouldn't you rather save all this money on breadcrumbs and add extra money into the grocery budget.

Also, keep a container for any other crumbs like the bottom of crackers, chips or pretzels.  They make great breadcrumbs for chicken.  I have used stale cereal, chips, crackers, and other items smashed up.  The great thing is that if you don't finish something or didn't like something, you can still get use out of it without throwing it away.  I keep a plastic bag to add small bits of crumbs too and then once a month I mix the crumbs together or with homemade breadcrumbs to make yummy chicken fingers.

Target Shopping Trip 5/9 and HT on 5/6

I was already out so I decided to check out Target but I was totally unprepared.  I ended up finding two cookie packets one sale for $0.50 so I used the printed coupon and got them for free.  I walked all the way around the store and I found that they had Red Baron Pizza for $3.34 and I had a $1 Target coupon so they were $2.34 each.  Then I grabbed a green apple chapstick that had a coupon on it so it ended up being $0.49 after coupon.

My total was $5.23 and I went to the customer service and returned the baby food that I got last week and got a $4.61 credit so my total OOP was $0.62.  I call that a great deal :)

I went to Harris Teeter on Sunday with my sister in law.  I was getting a loaf of bread for sandwiches for the week and soda for my sick husband.  I didn't take a picture since I went home and the soda was immediately opened and the bread went away but it wouldn't have made a great picture anyway.  The total OOP was $2.43.

My week total is $3.05 which brings my monthly total to $35.67 OOP :)  I don't have a ton of big plans for rest of the week but I just saw that whole chickens are on sale at Harris Teeter so I might have a trip to get some deals at HT :)  Here is hoping that I am saving the budget money for a really great super doubles!!!  Hope that you are having a great month so far too!!

Steak Sandwich with hash browns

So we had a fridge full of leftover food on Monday so I changed the food plan around a little and make something with the steak on Monday night for dinner.  My first thought was steak fajitas but then I remembered a conversation with my husband just a few nights before about favorite foods that he misses because we don't eat out anymore.  He really likes Philly Cheese steaks and I have not figured out how to make them yet.  So here was my chance to make a really yummy steak sandwich with great steak that was already seasoned and grilled.  I googled it to see if there were any ideas online but didn't find any really great ideas.  I started by buttering the two homemade hot dog rolls and browning them in the pan.  I love a crispy roll!!!  Then I cut up the leftover salt potatoes and steak.  I put some butter in the pan and started browning the potatoes.  I seasoned after with salt and pepper.  Then I put a little more butter in the pan and started browning the meat.  I had a 5 cheese blend that I was going to use.  I moved all the steak to one side of the pan and put the cheese on top to melt.  It did great so that I didn't have to put it under the broiler to get it nice and gooey!!!  It was the best sandwich that I have made!!!  It really hit the spot and I used up lots of leftovers in the process.  We might even plan for this next time because it was so great!! 

I hope that you try a steak sandwich for yourself and see what you think!!!  Not really a Philly Cheese steak but still hit the spot!  We thought it was great!!!  What do you think?

A Purse of Your Own Book Review

A Purse of Your Own: An Easy Guide to Financial Security by Deborah Owens looked interesting when I got it out of the library.  It got put to the bottom of the pile a few times.  OOPS!  I finally got it to the top of the pile because it is due at the library soon.

It is a guide to investing without being too technical so that you lose interest.  It is a great book for young women just starting out so that they can start the saving early (or those just starting out in the saving world).  It is great for someone looking to invest and where to start. 

I don't know that I am more comfortable with investing in the stock market (before or ) after reading this book but it certainly helps with learning how to feel more comfortable.  I understand all of the ideas behind investing in the stock market but the risk makes me very uneasy.  Even though I would like to make a lot of money, I don't have a strong stomach for the ups and downs of the market.

The book also discusses bonds.  They seem to be more stable and less risky to invest in.  I think that I might be able to start with an investment like that.  It also reminded me that I have some saving bonds that I got in high school.  There was information in the book about checking the amount of the investment online.  I am going to have to dig mine out and see what the value is now :)

There was a section on mutual funds which I think is the easiest way to invest with multiple options.  I don't know if this makes me a lazy person or just a cautious one.  Investing with one company where you can move money from one fund to another makes it much easier to understand.  It also makes it more like a 401K that most people invest in already through work so easier to work with for a beginning investor.

I am still trying to read more books and get more comfortable with the different investment ideas so here is hoping that I get more adventurous.  I recommend that everyone out there take a more active role in their future by finding investment options that suit their goals (and stomach). 

The end of the book has a few more tips that are quick and easy to read.  They suggest tracking spending in categories to see where your money goes every month.  They suggest getting your annual credit report at http://www.annualcreditreport.com/ to see the information on it.  They also suggest doing a credit freeze through www.consumersunion.org/securityfreeze.htm if you feel your identity has been stolen and only the current companies you are working with can access your information.  Something else that I never thought of was that you shouldn't carry checks in your purse because it is the easiest way to get all your money stolen.

I hope that you check this out at your local library or bookstore.  Please let me know what you think!!

Menu Plan Monday 5/7

Monday- Steak Fajitas
Tuesday- Enchilada Smash
Wednesday- BBQ Spiedies with rice
Thursday- Philly Cheesesteak Pasta
Friday- Lasagna
Saturday- Hot Dogs and Brats/Whole Chicken
Sunday- Chicken Pizza/Crispy Taco Rice

Updated to include using the leftovers in the fridge.  Planning for a busy week so planning for easy food (including trying to make the Enchilada Casserole ahead of time)!!!  Hope that you have a great week and enjoy some yummy dinners :)

Weekly Goals 5/6

After looking at the posts that I do during the week, I am moving my weekly goals to Sunday.  I have always done my meal planning starting with Monday but the calendar doesn't really start there so I am starting my weekly goals but leaving my menu planning for Monday :)  This week looks to be a busy one so we will see how things work out!!!

Last week:

Family Goals

• Go to new park with my son- It was a nice park in a great neighborhood.  We even met two moms that weren't with our group.  My son had a blast and he LOVES new parks
• Go to playground meetup- We had a great time meeting new moms and friends as part of a new meetup group.  It was lots of fun and we were at the park for ages!
• Playdate with son's friend- We had lots of fun playing
• Go to library storytime- We had a great time at storytime and the library picking out new books
• Take my cousin to the airport- Done
• Enjoy weekend pot luck with friends- We had a great time and lots of clean up to take care of the next day...mostly because we didn't get a good night sleep so it took us awhile to get our act together on Sunday

Personal Goals

• Read A Purse of Your Own: An Easy Guide to Financial Security by Deborah Owens and Brenda Lane Richardson and try to finish half- Finished half by Thursday and read a little more but still have more to read and finish this week.
• Eye Doctor Appointment- Yuck, I hate having my eyes messed with!!  But the doctor was very nice and it is over for another two years.
• Cut Sunday inserts and clean out coupon basket- Done.  That was a lot of paper to cut with 20 copies of the newspaper but if I broke them out, it went better but I might have some scissor injuries on my fingers.. hopefully healing soon.

Home Management Goals

• Clean dishes, counters and floors at least 6 days of the week- Done
• Wash dishes one night so that kitchen is clean the next morning- Done on Thursday night!  I got all the dishes washed while waiting for TV!
• Get house ready for pot luck BBQ at the house on Saturday- We cleaned up on Saturday before everyone got there... hard to clean up ahead of time with little man but it worked out well.
• Make treats for pot luck BBQ- Done

Blog Goals

• Update running book list with books that I am reading for May- Done
• Download pictures of book covers on May and June reading lists and do draft posts with links- Done
• Schedule at least 5 posts before the date of publication- Done
• Work on AdSense and figure out how to use it- Done, blocked some ads that I thought were bad and I think that I got the politic, cosmetic surgery, drugs, gambling and other things blocks.
• Update my About Me page that my husband put on the page- Done
• Post Menu Plan Monday and Weekly Goals- Done
• Post before and after of coupon basket project- Done!  That was exhausting but I got it done!

This week:

Family Goals

• Go to new indoor park with my son
• Go to Children's Museum
• Go to library storytime
• Pick my cousin up from the airport

Personal Goals

• Read rest of A Purse of Your Own: An Easy Guide to Financial Security by Deborah Owens and Brenda Lane Richardson and start on next book
• Dentist Appointment
• Cut Sunday inserts

Home Management Goals

• Clean dishes, counters and floors at least 6 days of the week.
• Roof repair occurring

Blog Goals

• Schedule at least 5 posts before the date of publication
• Post Menu Plan Monday and Weekly Goals

Hot Dog Roll Recipe

One of my goals of the month was to make homemade hot dog buns and the occasion came up faster then I thought.  We are having a cook out this weekend with some people from my husband and my old job.  I decided who better to try these out on... and if they don't work out, I will run to the store and get some rolls.  I looked at a bunch of different recipes and decided to go with the one from "Make the bread, Buy the Butter" by Jennifer Reese.

I had all the ingredients and it seems like I could make it pretty easily while my son was at preschool. 

First thing this morning, I set to making the peanut butter cookie dough and the dry ingredients for corn bread (I like my corn bread hot and fresh so I am making it on Saturday afternoon).  When I got home from dropping my son off, I made brownies, peanut butter cookies, and a pan of macaroni and cheese.  After the easy stuff was under my belt, I decided to tackle the hot dog buns.  I put all the ingredients into the bowl.

Then I used the dough hook on my kitchen aid mixer which might be the first time that I have used it since I always use the bread machine.  I opted for following the recipe this time and looking for a bread machine version or doing this one in the bread machine next time.  I mixed it all up and it was a little sticky.  I added some vital gluten because I used regular flour instead of bread flour like I normally would (because the recipe called for it and I am out of bread flour) plus I was a little worried about how sticky it was.  I greased the bowl and covered with a towel to let rise.

The great news is that it rose and then it looked similar to the above after an hour.  Then I let it rise until I had time to shape the rolls around dinner time.  It rose a lot but still looked good.

I was pretty excited at this point and I was ready to form rolls.  This is the nerve wracking part because it takes a lot to make the rolls pretty but I figure that if they are yummy, it will make up for them not being really pretty.  Crossing my fingers :)

Please try to make some homemade hot rolls this summer for one of your cook outs or else you are more then welcome to come here when I try again soon!  Happy grilling!!!!

Only one turned out looking like a hot dog roll but they all turned out looking yummy so here is hoping that they taste as good as they look!!  If I had any more flour, I would make another batch :)  I am going to make these again soon!!!

Hot Dog Buns

1 c milk

2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted (?)

1 large egg

2 ¾ c flour

½ c whole wheat flour

¼ c sugar

1 tsp kosher salt

1 tbsp instant yeast

Vegetable oil for greasing

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the milk, butter, egg, flours, sugar, salt and yeast and knead with the dough hook until you have a smooth dough.
2. Scoop up the dough, grease the bowl, and return the dough to the bowl.  Cover with a clean, damp dish towel and let the dough rise.  It will be puffed and ready in about 1 hour, but you can leave it longer
3. Gently deflate the dough and divide into 10 pieces.  Shape each lump of dough into a petite bun sized long.  Make them as neat as you can, because every flaw in the design will be exaggerated in the finished product.
4. Place on a greased or parchment line cookie sheet, 1 ½ inches apart.  Drape with the same damp towel.  Let rise for 30 minutes.  They will grow huge so don’t let them go longer than 30 minutes.
5. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
6. Bake buns for 12 to 15 minutes, until golden.  Cool or eat immediately.  Store in plastic bag at room temperature for up to 5 days.  Freeze for longer storage.