Rolled Sugar Cookies

It happened. Last night everyone had a serious attack! It was the attack of the sweet tooth! Thankfully our 17 year old son who loves to EAT kicked into gear. Although he loves to eat, I'm very thankful that he also loves to COOK! I mean, if you're going to have a habit of eating everything in site, it's nice to have a corresponding habits that work well together...right? That's what I'm thinking!

Here is the recipe he used and let me tell you, it makes a LOT of cookies....which 5 boys can go through a LOT of cookies!

7 cups all purpose flour
1 cup milk
4 eggs (beaten)
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups coconut oil (you can also use butter, softened)
5 teaspoons baking powder

Mix the flour, baking powder and salt together. Cut in the coconut oil (or butter) until it's well mixed. Add the sugar, eggs and milk and mix well. Cover with plastic or a lid and put in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. This will make the dough easier to work.

When the dough is ready, take out a handful at a time and work it. Roll it out on whatever surface your using (we just use the counter).....you'll want the dough thin. Cut with cookie cutters and place on an oiled cookie sheet then sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-14 minutes until they start to brown around the edges. Allow them to cool a bit before you remove them from the sheet. We also let them cool on a cooling rack for awhile before we put them in the cookie jar.

We made cookies that were about the size of vanilla wafers and we really liked that size because they are just right for little hands. We also think that they can be substituted for vanilla wafers in recipes that call for them.

These are simple cookies that are not too sweet but just sweet enough to satisfy our cravings and since they are homemade, I have no worries about letting our children have a few throughout the day. As always, cooking from scratch is always cheaper, tastier and better for you....even if it's cookies!

Tipster Tuesday - The Stinky Garbage Disposal

Do you have a stinky garbage disposal? Don't worry, it happens to the best. Here are some solutions to combat the problem.

Mix half and half water with vinegar and put into ice cube trays and freeze. When frozen, drop them in the disposal and run them through. It will deodorize the disposer as well as sharpen the blades.

Another trick is to take a half lemon and run it through followed by 1 cup of vinegar....flush with cold water for about 3-4 minutes.

Have a great day!
Mavis D.

Menu Plan Monday

Although these are set up on a certain day, we have tendency to move them around to suit our tastes for that day so we might not have the baked chicken on Tuesday but hold it until Thursday, etc.

Monday - meatloaf, homemade macaroni & cheese, greenbeans, cantaloupe

Tuesday - baked chicken, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob

Wednesday - sloppy joe sandwiches on homemade buns with oven roasted potatoes

Thursday - beef fajitas served with sour cream, refried beans and rice

Friday - homemade pepperoni & veggie pizza (we have "pizza night EVERY Friday!)

Menu Plan Monday

We're trying to keep our menu simple this week since school started. Some days we have a dessert but most days we don't. Everything is made from scratch, except the Lipton pasta sides and I had that left over from a LONG time ago when I actually bought that kind stuff. :)

Monday - grilled chicken breast, Lipton pasta sides (chicken), green beans and cantaloupe.

Tuesday - Tuna Salad with crusty bread

Wednesday - roast with potatoes and carrots (cooked in the crock-pot)

Thursday - Mexican Chicken Casserole, corn and sliced cucumers

Friday - homemade pepperoni & veggie pizza with a salad

Years ago, we were able to get some wonderful wild plums and I made tons of plum jelly. Well, we haven't been as fortunate with those and my boys simply love the stuff.

I tried buying the "plum jelly" from the store but they said it didn't taste the same and of course, all store-bought jelly I can find uses high-fructose corn syrup as it's main sweetener.

The other day I was at our local Walmart and noticed they had red plums on sale for $1.25 per pound. A great buy but our family doesn't eat plums quick enough so I bought some for jelly.

I started with 4 pounds of plums. Cut them up and remove the seed...leave the skins on. You'll need to cut them about the size of potatoes when you are making them for mashed potatoes. When you're all done, put them in a large pan with about 1 1/2 cups of water and bring them to a boil stirring occasionally. Simmer them for a bit and I like to squish the larger pieces up against the sides to make a mushy mixture. After they've cooked a bit, pour them fruit into a jelly bag. This is a straining bag that removes the pulp from the juice. Work it with a spoon to get all that good juice out.

Now, with juice ready, you're ready to make jelly. You'll need to follow the directions for your particular brand of pectin but these instructions are all about the same.

Put 5 1/2 cups of plum juice into a large pot....I like a tall one like a stock pot and if it has pour spouts on the sides it will make your job easier. Measure 6 1/2 cups of sugar into a bowl and have it sitting near by. Stir your pectin into the juice and mix well. Bring the juice to a rolling boil that doesn't stir down. While the juice is boiling, pour in the sugar quickly while stirring the juice. Bring the jelly back to a rolling boil. When it gets to the rolling boil stage, time exactly 1 minute with a kitchen timer.

When the timer runs out, remove from heat and stir it down until little or no foam is left on top. Pour into prepared canning jars, cover with sterilized lids and rings. And process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

When I made this batch the other day, our 17 year old came home from grandma's house and discovered that I had made some. He was really excited and couldn't wait for it to cool before trying some!

Thinking Outside the Box

Over the last few months of my coupon adventures, I have accumulated quite a nice little stockpile of items. Some of those items are things I use all the time and some are things I thought I would try….especially since they were very cheap and many times free.

So what do you do with all those things? Well….there is the usual things. Often times I will donate them to needy families or organizations that could use my extra items. Sometimes I am given a tax receipt so I can write those donations off of my taxes….other times I get the good feelings that come from helping others.

Other items, I have learned to use in different ways. For example, did you know that shampoo works great as body wash? It does! It’s basically the same thing so why not try it. I can get shampoo a lot cheaper than body wash.

How about using hair conditioner as shaving cream? Just smooth it on your legs and shave. The feeling it leaves behind is wonderful and luxurious….even nicer than the real shaving cream!

I use dishwashing liquid as laundry soap….just use a couple of tablespoons per load. You can also use the “grease cutting” type on stains. Shampoo also works well to cut greasy stains on clothing.

We use dishwashing liquid in pump bottles for hand soap as well. Just mix 2 or 3 parts water to 1 part soap and shake it up good….the amount of water depends on the consistency you like. You can also put about the same portions in the foaming pumps after you’ve emptied them.

Ok…here’s the last one and probably the funniest one. I had a stockpile of panty-liners. I had gotten them free so I was thinking of ways to use some of them. Did you know they make great bandages for large wounds? Just use them in place of gauze bandages and use tape to hold in place. They can be trimmed to fit any size you need and that way they won’t look so obvious. There should be a few in every first-aid kit in your home or car!

So, I hope you look at your stockpile in a whole new light and start thinking outside the box as to what uses you may find for the items on hand.

Have a great day!

Mavis D.

Million Dollar Chocolate Cake

This is a "Million Dollar" Chocolate cake because it's incredibly RICH! You'll need a full glass of milk when having a slice! We recently made this cake for my sons birthday and although it has chocolate icing to go with it, we think it would work well with a nice Coconut Pecan frosting as well.

2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cups baking cocoa
1 1/2 t baking powder
1 1/2 t baking soda
1 t salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup olive oil
1 cup hot water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare one 9x13 baking pan or two 9-inch round pans. A bunt pan can also be used.

Place all ingredients into mixing bowl except the water. Mix well for about 2 minutes, medium speed works great. Mix in hot water....don't worry if it looks thin, it's supposed to be that way. Pour into prepared pans and bake for 35-40 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove and allow to cool completely.

Million Dollar Chocolate Icing

3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup real butter, melted
2/3 cup baking cocoa
1/3 cup milk
1 t vanilla extract

After melting the butter, stir in the cocoa. Add the powdered sugar and milk by alternating between the two until it's all mixed in well. Stir in vanilla. This makes about 2 cups of icing. If you'd like to make it a little runny to pour over a bunt cake just add a little more milk but not much.

You can make this a mix by putting all the dry ingredients in a jar or bag and having it ready. Then just add the liquids when your ready.

Now, get out a tall glass of ice cold milk and enjoy!