Spelling

We have been using Spellingcity.com for quite awhile now and my kids love it. I use the Spelling Power book for our lists. I just did the spelling power placement tests to figure out where in the book to start each child and then we just enter the lists onto the Spelling city site. You just set up your own account and keep track of the kids lists.

All the games they play then use their spelling words from their list. And it works for all ages.

It's been a fun way to do spelling and a motivator for my slow poker to hurry up and finish his work so he can go play spelling on the computer.

Tuca's Whole Wheat Rolls

Well this is absolutely our favorite roll recipe. My sweet friend Tuca would make these rolls for our family each time we had a baby. So I always teased her we would have more babies just to get her rolls. Finally I told her I just needed the recipe because it was hard having all these babies.

Put the following ingredients in your bread machine pan (2 lb. size machine) in this order:

1/2 cup honey
dash of salt
1 stick of butter (melted)
1 cup whole milk, warm (80 F / 27 C) (about 40 seconds in the microwave)
1/2 cup cold water
2 eggs (beaten)
3 cups unbleached flour
2 3/4 cups fresh ground, whole wheat flour
1 Tbsp. dry bread yeast

Do not mix the ingredients, just put them in your bread machine pan. Place pan in machine and set it for the "dough cycle". You should check the machine after about 5 minutes to scrape down the side with a spatula to make sure it's all combining.

When the dough cycle is done, dump dough onto a floured surface, and cut the dough into 3 equal sections. If you want to make them into crescent rolls, shape the first half into a ball and roll it into a circle (12"approx., like a mid-size pizza dough), and cut into 12 pieces. Roll them into shape, starting with the wide end, and tuck the pointed end under. Repeat the process with the remaining dough. Place these on a greased cookie sheet, let them rise until doubled in size, and bake them in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for about 12 minutes. Check and turn cookie sheet around. Bake for another 2-3 minutes, or until lightly brown on top.

Note: For smaller size rolls, or to make pigs in a blanket, divide the dough into 5-6 pieces, instead of 3.
For smaller bread machines (1 1/2 lb. size or smaller), make half the recipe.


Resist the urge to add any extra flour. I always look in the bread machine and think it's way too wet. But after the kneading process is going for awhile it comes together.


Cut the dough like a pizza, into 12 pieces.
Rolls each of these up.

Make sure your end is underneath or otherwise when it cooks, they will stick up.

Let them rise on a cookie sheet. I think air bake is best.

This recipe makes 3 dozen rolls. Enjoy them!!

Breakfast Casserole

I can't say this is what would qualify in my mind as money saving. But it is fast and tasty.

Breakfast Casserole

2 cans crescent rolls

1 lb. bacon (cooked and crumbled) I just use the bag of Hormel bacon from Sam's, easier

that way, but cooked sausage would be great too.

2 cups monteray jack cheese

5-6 large eggs

3/4 cup milk

3 Tbls. chopped green onions

1/4- 1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1/2 tsp. oregano

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Separate crescent rolls into 4 large rectangles and press into and halfway up sides of a buttered jelly roll pan. Seal all edges.

Sprinkle bacon on top of crescent rolls.

Then sprinkle cheese on.

Combine rest of ingredients and pour on top of cheese.

Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Honey Bun Cake

This is one of my favorite recipes. Of course my money saving mind likes it because it makes a whole 13 x 9 pan of cake and because it costs less than 3 bucks for all that. It tastes like Honey bun doughnuts. Love to use this one for pot lucks.

Honey Bun Cake Link

1 box yellow cake mix
2/3 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 container (8 oz) sour cream (1 cup)
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup chopped pecans
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Grease and lightly flour 13x9-inch pan, or spray with baking spray with flour.

2.In large bowl, beat dry cake mix, oil, eggs and sour cream with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, then on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Spread half of the batter in pan. Stir together brown sugar, pecans and cinnamon; sprinkle over batter in pan. Carefully spread remaining batter evenly over pecan mixture.

3.Bake 44 to 48 minutes or until deep golden brown. Stir powdered sugar, milk and vanilla until thin enough to spread. Prick surface of warm cake several times with fork. Spread powdered sugar mixture over cake. Cool completely, about 1 hour. Store covered.

Here is a link to Chocolate Honey Bun Cake, which looks pretty yummy also.
Enjoy!

Creamy Rice Pudding

Creamy Rice Pudding

1-1/2 c. prepared rice (we like Jasmine rice)
2 c. milk, divided
1/3 c. sugar
1/4 t. salt
1 egg, beaten
2/3 c. raisins (optional)
1 T. butter or margarine
1/2 t. vanilla extract
Optional: 1/8 t. nutmeg or cinnamon

Stir together rice, 1/1/2 cups milk, sugar and salt in a heavy saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 15 to 20 minutes until thick and creamy. Blend together remaining milk and egg and stir into rice mixture. Stir in raisins, if desired. Continue to cook an additional 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in butter and vanilla and spoon into serving dishes. Sprinkle with nutmag or cinnamon, if desired. Makes 4 servings. (When we make this we make a double batch. We make this for breakfast. It's really cheap and easy to make. Enjoy!!!)

~CGNarnia

Recycling and saving money at the same time!

What do you do with all those Walmart, Target, etc, white plastic sacks? Well we just use them for bathroom trash can liners. This is my kind of recycling.

I don't have to remember to take any bags to the store to put my groceries in to help the environment, and I didn't have to buy any at a dollar a piece. And I don't have to buy bathroom sacks. Free bathroom trash can liners... Savings, savings. Love it!!

Renting Movies

Movies are always fun. Sometimes our family goes to the Dollar theatre, but we hardly ever buy brand new movies. We rent them. We rent them at the RedBox's or at 7-eleven. RedBox is $1 rental and so is 7-eleven. It's a great way to save money and still watch new movies. RedBox is a great way to see if they have the movie available. You can look online and reserve them at the location you chose. They have more and more RedBox locations all the time. One other thing we do is rent movies from the library. It doesn't cost anything, unless you don't get it back to the library in time (one week).

~Cynthia

This way we can make our own popcorn, have Lemonade or Soda and it's WAY cheaper!

Free Haircuts

This is one of the big money savers in our home. I just give my husband and boys their haircuts. This saves us 50 dollars or more each time, and it's at least every 3-4 weeks. I just buy a set of clippers at Wal*mart for 10-20 dollars and they last about a year or more before they start to get dull, and give them all haircuts on the back porch. Even during the winter, we just try and catch a warmer day to do them. They even have little instructional videos with some of the clipper sets, and I have seen instructional videos at the library if you are looking to start.

We girls go to supercuts training studio and get free haircuts. (They are on the north side of the city but easy to find.) Here's their phone number to call and get information on free cutting times and how to get to their location 840-1086 . I always go really early in the morning, at least 20 minutes before they start their haircuts, that way I don't have to wait in line.

Chicken or Turkey Pot Pie

Chicken Pot Pie, or Turkey Pot Pie

4 Tbs. butter
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 cups chicken broth or turkey
1/2 cup milk
2 cups chicken , cooked and cubed (or turkey)
3 large potatoes diced and boiled for about 10 minutes
1 bag frozen mixed vegetables

Preheat oven to 400. Melt butter in a large skillet over low heat and stir in flour, and seasonings. Cook until smooth and bubbly. Remove from heat. Stir in milk and broth. Heat to boiling , stirring constantly for one minute. Stir in chicken and veggies. Pour into a 13 x 9 inch pan. And top with crust recipe below: Then bake 375 for 40- 45 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

Crust
2 cups Bisquick (might need a little more to get the right consistency)
1 cup milk
2 eggs beaten
Mix together and spoon all over the top.

We found this to be a great cheap recipe. I add a few more potatoes to stretch it a little. And I used cooked chicken I bought on sale and the broth from that. I also like a little more seasonings. But it's a big casserole dish for pretty cheap.

A Grissom trip to Braums

Well this is an unexpected one I didn't think I would blog about, and I really wish I had brought my camera to show you a great picture. But we went to Braums this evening after Cynthia's drama play and of course what is the cheapest way to eat ice cream with a large family, Buy a 3 pint tub and ask for lots of spoons. The kids just decided on one kind they would all like and sat at the same table eating it right out of the container. Way cheaper than buying individual ice creams and they thought it was so fun.