Colie's Kitchen

Jan 11, 2011

Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Icing

I found this recipe on the Mixing bowl. Sherri has an amazing recipe here that is so simple. It took me less than 10 minutes to put it together and stick it in the over. You could do so much with it. I bet you could even add some shaved carrots to this cake and no one would be the wiser. Quick, easy and delicious.

Ingredients:

4 Eggs

1 2/3 C. Sugar

1 C. Cooking Oil

1 (15 oz) can Pumpkin (pure pumpkin)

2 C. Flour

2 tsp. Baking Powder

1 tbsp. Cinnamon

1 tsp. Salt

1 tsp. Baking Soda

Icing Ingredients, and directions:
Beat Together

1 (3 oz) pkg. Cream Cheese softened
1/2 C. butter or margarine softened
1 Tsp. Vanilla
2 C. Powdered Sugar

Directions:

Stir all ingredients together. Pour into an ungreased 11x15 inch pan. Bake 25 min. at 350 degrees or for thicker bars bake in a 13x9 pan for 45 min. Let cool and frost with Cream Cheese Icing

Quick Cheese Biscuits

This is a super quick recipe. I needed bread for dinner and decided to give this recipe a try. It's a good recipe, but despite the title it does not have a cheesy flavor. It's very simple and light. I added a little butter to the top of these biscuits to give them more flavor.

Ingredients:

1 cup flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup low-fat cheese, grated
2 tablespoons butter
2/3 cup milk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450°F.
Combine flour, baking powder and salt.
Stir in cheddar.
Cut in butter using pastry blender or 2 knives until coarse crumbs form.
Using fork, stir milk into flour mixture until soft dough forms.
Do not overwork or over-mix dough.
Use a cookie scoop or a tablespoon to drop biscuit on cookie sheets, 1in apart on ungreased baking sheet.
Bake 10-15 minutes. (Watch them close)

7 Ways to Save More Money in 2011

I came across this article on Yahoo.com yesterday, and found the tips to be pretty handy. I wanted to pass them on, because I think just about anyone would find them useful. Who couldn’t stand to save a little extra money?

January is a period of self review, filled with promises and new financial goals. But the post-holiday cocktail of disorganization and unrealistic expectations can sabotage self-improvement plans, including efforts to save money.

Fortunately, January has been tagged Get Organized Month by the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO). It makes sense. Lack of organization costs time and money, according to a recent NAPO survey of consumer behavior. Cutting through clutter is important to my money-saving goals for 2011.

Coupon System

Too often, my newspaper pile becomes a graveyard for coupons. Potential savings die an early death because of clutter. For instance, I have squandered store coupons sporting savings of $1 to $10 due to missed deadlines or misplaced coupons. For 2011, I've begun to store coupons in a side pocket of my purse, which is always with me. Wallets and glove-compartments in cars are also a great place to store coupons.

Green Savings

The trendy push to live a greener life can be overwhelming, especially with the wide assortment of eco-friendly products, services and strategies on the market. Organization, however, can simplify green living goals. My strategy involves a disciplined room-by-room plan to reduce my family's carbon footprint. For the first three months of 2011, I plan to focus on the kitchen, with green steps that will save the environment and my cash. For example, during the January discount sales on linens, I plan to purchase additional dish clothes and towels for the kitchen, which will save money in the long-run, because I will spend far less on short-lived paper products. Every three months, I'll target a different area of my home.

Register Alert

In the checkout line, it's easy to meditate or daydream. But being alert can pay off. On a regular basis, I have spotted errors in cash register receipts, including incorrect prices for sale items. Sometimes, the errors are my fault. For instance, I recently took advantage of a buy-one-get-one (BOGO) free promotion for toys. Unfortunately, one of the games I had selected did not qualify for the BOGO discount. I spotted the error, when I studied the receipt and noticed the double charge for the toys. And now with every purchase, I scan the sales receipt before leaving the store.

Unplug Chargers

Even when not used, cell phone chargers, coffee makers, micro-wave ovens and other appliances drain energy when plugged into wall sockets. Conserving cash and energy is my January goal, and I've been teaching my kids to unplug idle appliances. But this step requires organization and constant awareness. When we are running late, we leave the house in a whirlwind of anxiety and fail to take energy-saving steps. An earlier wake-up call will preserve energy and create less stress.

Time-Sensitive

Late fees and other financial penalties are the byproduct of disorganization. To avoid missed deadlines, I plan to raise my financial IQ with my smartphone and laptop. Both devices provide digital calendars that can be programmed with bill reminders and deadline alerts. There are also a variety of online services that offer e-mail notices about approaching deadlines. Online bill-paying programs also add organization and efficiency.

Chores

With better organization some household chores and personal tasks can become money-saving, do-it-yourself projects. For example, if you have the talent and the right tools, you can save money with DIY haircuts, manicures, pedicures and other personal grooming chores. Car-washing, lawn mowing and house-painting duties can also represent frugal home projects. But calculate the cost of your time, and honestly evaluate your skills. Home projects can become money pits if you have to hire a professional to fix DIY errors

Workshops

During January, NAPO chapters in different regions of the country are hosting public events, including "Organize to Economize in the New Year" workshops, "Shred-and-Organize" gatherings and "Ask-the-Organizer" panels. To find a local event, go to www.napo.net.

Click Here To Read the Original Article

Spicy Black-Eyed Peas

I love Black Eye Pea, and this recipe a Paula Deen Recipe is excellent! It's full of flavor unlike a lot of Black Eyed Pea Recipes. You can't go wrong with this one!! It's kicked up!

Ingredients

4 slices bacon
1 medium onion, chopped
1 (16-ounce) package dried black-eyed peas, washed
1 (12-ounce) can diced tomatoes and green chiles
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 cups water

Directions

In a large saucepan, cook the bacon until crisp. Remove the bacon, crumble, and set aside to use as a topping for the peas.
Saute the onion in the bacon drippings until tender. Add the peas, diced tomatoes and green chiles, salt, chili powder, pepper and water.
Cover and cook over medium heat for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the peas are tender.
Add additional water, if necessary.
Serve garnished with crumbled bacon.

Pan Fried Cabbage

If you don’t like cabbage this is a great way to eat it. Not only is it super easy, practically fail proof the flavor is really great. Simple, and excellent what more do you need? I am not much of a cabbage person, but my husband is so I am always looking for ways to make it eatable for me. This recipe is one of my favorites!

Ingredients:

8 oz of bagged cabbage (coleslaw is what I use then you get carrots too)
4 ounces of bacon
Salt (if desired)
1 onion

Directions:

Thinly slice 4 ounces of bacon. It's easy to slice when it's partially frozen, and on a medium high heat begin to pan fry the bacon.
When the bacon is cooked through, but not crispy add thinly sliced onion once the onion is cooked add 8 ounces of bagged cabbage. Mix all together
Cooked until cabbage becomes limp.
Add salt as needed

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When my little buddy Gizmo was left on my doorstep by his brothers and sisters he was about 6 weeks old and in bad shape. I am assuming they realized he needed help and that he could not longer keep up with them because he was being blinded by his eye infection. When I walked out in the morning he was by the door but ran away. He moved so quickly I didn’t realize he was in distress. A few hours later when I got home with my husband he was back. Kevin caught him and brought him in the house. He was extremely malnourished, both of his eyes had an infection, and he was covered in fleas and mites. We got him cleaned up and fed. I got his eye infection cleared up within 3 days with some drops I already had and the vet gave him drops for his mites. He has now been a permanent resident of our home now for almost 5 month. Gizmo is happy, healthy, and a member of our family. He loves helping me work on my laptop. He literally works on it. It’s next to impossible to get much done while Gizmo is helping, but it sure is nice to see him happy!

Feed a Family of 4 on $10 a Day

I found this article on Yahoo and thought it was pretty interesting. It’s amazing what you can do when you get short on money and creative with food. I think you can actually do better than $10 a day!

Enjoy!! Click here for the original article!

When I was growing up, my mother would serve something she called "economy dinner." Pasta, sauce, maybe a quarter-pound of hamburger meat mixed in and a little cheese sprinkled on top, baked together in the oven. We didn't understand the name, but we loved the dish.

I was thinking I need to find my own "economy dinner," as I had yet another supermarket freak-out while watching my grocery receipt print out and curl down two feet behind the register. At home with the receipt in front of me, I decided to crunch some numbers to see if I could feed my family of four for less than $100 a week.

Would it be possible to do 84 meals for less than $100? With room to spare, it turns out. According to my calculations, we could do it on $72.38. We'd be crying of boredom after Day 2. But we wouldn't be hungry.

If we ate cereal and milk for breakfast, a PB&J and an apple for lunch, and protein-enriched pasta with store-brand marinara and a couple of carrots sticks and broccoli or green beans for dinner, we could get by on $10.34 per day.

I won't bore you with the math, but this meal plan cuts out all the extras. No snacks, no OJ, no organic milk at $5.99 per gallon, no Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top of that pasta, no frozen yogurt at night in front of DWTS. The husband brown bags it to the office. I'll admit I included my coffee, at $2.15 per week, because I consider it essential, along with milk for the kids at every meal.

This exercise has been an eye-opener for me. Now that I know our family's bargain-basement dinner costs $3.40, I see the foods I thought were cheap (like a large pizza for $10) are pricey in comparison. And the foods I knew were expensive, such as a $10 steak, fish that's $14 per pound, or deli meat at $8.99 per pound, now seem top dollar.

Some of the splurges, like the organic milk, I'd opt to add back in. But that package of Pepperidge Farm Nantuckets does more to the bottom line (both bottom lines, really) than I've cared, up until now, to realize.

To get out of our pasta rut, I consulted with Leslie Bonci, a dietician at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, about other nutrient-rich foods that pack a lot of bang for the buck. Here's what she suggested:
Eggs:

99 cents per dozen, can be breakfast, lunch, dinner or hard-boiled for snacks.
Canned beans, like kidneys or chick peas: 79 cents for a 16-ounce can.
A five-pound roasting chicken ($5) could yield two dinners. For the first meal, roast with potatoes and carrots and eat half of the chicken. For the second meal, make a stir-fry with the leftover chicken and a bag of frozen mixed veggies ($1.29 for a 16-ounce bag) and serve over brown rice (99 cents for a 16-ounce bag).
Oatmeal costs $3.69 for a 42-ounce canister and has 30 servings. That could replace at least $7 worth of boxed cereal, and the oatmeal is more filling.Bananas, at 49 cents a pound, cost less than most fruits, especially those "select" peaches and nectarines at $1.99 per pound.
Bananas are definitely cheaper and healthier than the sugary granola bars I send in my daughter's lunch.
Texturized Veggie Protein, a lean meat substitute that's a lot like ground beef and can be added to pasta sauce or tacos, is $2.69 for 10 ounces.

Crisyp Onion Straws

On occasion we take unhealthy to a whole new level and make our own onion straws. They are so yummy and so fantastic that it’s really had to pass them up.

They are simple and delicious, and I don’t make them often enough, but they are worth the time and effort you have to put into them.

Ingredients:

2 large onions
1 cup flour
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. paprika
½ tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
Oil for frying

Directions:

Begin heating oil in a frying pan on medium high heat (adjust as needed). By the time your prep work is done your oil should be hot enough to fry (test your oil to make sure before frying)
In a zip plastic bag add flour, garlic powder, paprika, salt, pepper, zip up and shake all together
Slice onion as thin as possible. I use a boning knife to get the onions super thin.
Add sliced onions to the zip bag close and shake.
Add onion a handful at a time to the oil (do not over crowd your frying pan) and fry until they are golden brown.
Drain on a paper towel
Repeat until onions are all cooked.

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Pan Fried Turnips and Potatoes

My husband is from Minnesota and told me he had never tried turnips. I am very much a southern girl and grew up with turnips. I always had them in stew and that’s pretty much it. I decided to take a turnip and turn it into something I thought he would like. I know him well enough to know he wasn’t going to like turnips, and I was right. I made this recipe because it’s a combination of both turnips and potatoes I wanted to break him in easy. It turned out great, but it was very evident when you had a turnip in your mouth because they have a much stronger flavor than potatoes. If you like turnips I have no doubt you will like this recipe.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
1 1/2 lbs turnips, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
5 tablespoons butter
1 medium sweet onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Directions:

Cook cubed potatoes and turnips in boiling salted water until fork tender; drain well.
In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the chopped onion and garlic and saute for about 3 - 4 minutes.
To the skillet, add the cooked drained potato and turnip cubes.
Add the salt and pepper.
Continue to cook and stir until potatoes and turnips are lightly browned (or browned to your liking), adjusting heat as necessary.
When done, sprinkle with the parsley and serve.

Ham and Potato Hash

This recipe is not visually appealing, but it definitely takes comfort food to a whole new level! I started off using this recipe, but then I wanted to add my own twist to it. I made it the first time following the recipe to the letter, and it was wonderful. The second time I decided to add my own spin on it, and it was wonderful!

Ingredients:

3 cups potatoes, peeled, boiled and cut into cubes
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
1/2 of a medium onion diced
2 cups condensed milk (like Carnation)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup Pepper Jack Cheese shredded
2 cups cook ham diced
1/8 teaspoon paprika

Directions:

Peel, and dice potatoes and boil until they are tender, drain and place in a baking dish
While the potatoes are boiling cut ham into cubes and place in a frying pan along with the onion. Begin to pan fry until the onion is tender, but not brown. Add to the baking dish
Gently combine the potatoes, ham and onions in the pan.
Melt butter in a saucepan over a medium heat. Gradually add flour mixing constantly with a whisk, gradually add milk then add cheese and paprika.
Heat until warm, melted and smooth. (Use a whisk and stir constantly)
Pour white/cheese sauce over potatoes and meat and mix all together.
Bake in preheated 350°F oven for 35-45 minutes (watch, until golden brown on top).