Cracker Candy

Layer Cookie sheet with saltine crackers
(Salt side down)

Heat oven to 400

In a sauce pan, melt on medium heat

1 cup Butter
1 cup Sugar

As soon as it starts to bubble,
Boil for 3 minutes
Stirring constantly.
Pour over Saltines and bake
approximately 5 minutes.
Watch carefully, till lightly browned.
Remove from oven and immediately pour

1 Bag Chocolate Chips evenly over
the hot bubbling mixture.

Let chips melt and then spread chocolate
evenly over the crackers.
(Sprinkle with chopped nuts if desired)
Cool in Freezer 2 Hours
Remove from Freezer let stand 5 mins
And cut into squares.
Store in zip lock bags or tin
Can be stored in refrigerator or at
Room temperature.

Life is a bowl of Cherries!

Finally back to Frugal Friday's!
Found this great deal on cherries and a cherry pitter and went for it!


The Pitter made quick work of things which helped as my time was limited. It also helped with a higher yield of good fruit as it would have taken me a long time to wash, cut all those cherries in half and dig out the pit which would have meant losing some to spoilage. Plus I will have the pitter for years to come! I've heard you can use a bobby pin, (although it does squirt the juice a bit) but I like to cut the cherries in half and freeze them in zip lock bags so I can pull a few out at a time in the winter and put in my oatmeal or yogurt or protein smoothie.
Tips

• Choose fresh fruit without blemishes, wash in a good quality produce wash according to directions, but don't soak for more than 2 minutes, de-stem, and you are ready to place the cherries in what my husband calls....."the guillotine" (The cherry pitter)
  
• After pitting the cherries, place the halves on a cookie sheet and partially freeze. This will help them not stick together in one large clump that is difficult to break apart later.
  
• The cherries can then be placed in an airtight bag and placed in the freezer. No sugar or sugar substitute is required.
  
• You can then pull the cherries out in the winter and thaw them to eat, or make jam, or cherry sauce when the weather is cooler.
  

Choosing fresh local fruit in season...

• Helps on the grocery budget as these cherries will triple in price come winter
  
• Allows you to choose the way and time you want to preserve them
• Lets you know exactly what ingredients go into your final product,
  allowing for specific needs of the family.
  

Who can find a virtuous Woman?

Who can find a virtuous woman? This is an odd question in today's world and yet God's advice is timeless. Whether you find yourself wondering if it's you that needs help, or you help in training your daughters you might take a look at what HisBeloved has to say on the 19th day of 31 Days with a Proverbs 31 woman.

Frugal Tip Find

Today's Frugal Friday Tips come from

A Country Mom

Take a peak and see if you can learn a tip or two to help out in these tough times

Day 10 of 31 Days in Proverbs 31

Good day to you all ladies! Today is the 10th day of 31 Days through Proverbs 31 at my daughter in laws Blog....HISBELOVED. As a Grand mother I look at this study through different eyes now and just like God's word it is so deep that we can always come away with a fresh in filling of the Holy Spirit and a deeper understanding of His heart and Word. It is so wonderful to see Hisbeloved write and share the things God has laid on her heart from Proverbs 31 and know that she lives these before her family. It is wonderful to watch her interact with MY grand daughters :) and MY son. My husband and I are so blessed to know that her heart is to bless and serve them. Her husband safely trusts in her as well. She surely is a woman who fears the Lord.

Easy Artisian Bread

Robin at Heart At Home posted a book and video on making Healthy Artisan Bread in 5 minutes! Not only that you can mix up several batches in advance without kneading! That is an incredible revolutionary thought to me. I have seen others demonstrate the after bath in the oven as well to give the bread a nice crust but have not tried it till the other night.
It was a busy week and I got home late, but pulled out a lump of the dough and prepared it was shown and it was the best loaf we have enjoyed hot out of the oven in a long time! So quick and easy and convenient and healthy. I was hoping for a sourdough taste the second time around as they had pointed out, but was surprised by the sourdough taste in the very first batch.
I did adjust the recipe below by adding a bit of olive oil to the recipe listed on the site.

The Master Recipe: Boule (Artisan Free-Form Loaf)

Makes four 1-pound loaves. The recipe is easily doubled or halved.

• 3 cups lukewarm water
• 1-1/2 tablespoons granulated yeast (1-1/2 packets)
• 1-1/2 tablespoons kosher or other coarse salt
• 6-1/2 cups unsifted, unbleached, all-purpose white flour,
  measured with the scoop-and-sweep method
• Cornmeal for pizza peel

Just mix all the ingredients no kneading required!
Take a quick look at Robin's Post for more directions and get ready for some delicious bread!

I can't believe it's actually Chocolate Cake!

Gluten Sufferers Unite! This one is for you! I've never seen beans turn into a luscious chocolate cake before, especially one that is moist and lighter than most gluten free cakes. I found this recipe on Allrecipes.com, but adjusted it a bit.
( I substituted brown sugar for the white sugar, and will be trying Carob chips in place of the chocolate chips soon)

Incredible Gluten Free Chocolate Cake
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 (19 ounce) can garbanzo beans (about 1 1/3 cans)
4 eggs
2 tablespoons Vanilla
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar for dusting
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Spray 9 inch round cake pan with gluten free non stick spray or coat lightly with oil.
Place the chocolate chips into a microwave-safe bowl.
Cook in the microwave for about 2 minutes, stirring every 20 seconds until chocolate is melted and smooth, remember microwaves differ in strength.
Rinse and drain the beans well.
Combine the beans and eggs in the bowl of a food processor.
Process until smooth, or mash beans very well until smooth and then add eggs and mash till smooth again.
Add the sugar and the baking powder and vanilla, and blend till smooth
Pour melted chocolate into bean mixture (you read it right) :)
and blend until smooth, scraping down the corners to make sure chocolate is completely mixed.
Transfer the batter to the prepared cake pan.
Bake for 40 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 to 15 minutes before inverting onto a serving plate.
Sprinkle with powdered sugar when cool
Cut a slice and serve topped with whipped cream and toasted hazelnuts.
Sorry no pics, as the cake disappeared to quickly :) Maybe next time.
As always on this site, the recipe is only Gluten Free if you make sure all your ingredients are Gluten Free.

Baking Bread

Sing with me now...

Oh the weather outside is still frightful but the oven heat is sooo delightful.

And scince we need the heat anyway

I'll bake away, bake away, bake away!

Well ok the Northwest is actually warmer than the rest of the conutry this winter, I'll give you that. Perhaps the rest of you would like a hint in the double use of the energy we spend.... Bake!
Stuck in the house with freezing cold temps and snow that hinders travel, it is always a good idea to have a pantry with all the basics so you can use them to make what you might need for the evening meal.
A simple beginning Bread recipe that the whole family will love is Amish White Bread.
If you are blessed enough to have a Ktchen Aid it is a breeze, but if you don't then you can make it like I have for the past 25 years...by hand. I was just blessed enough to receive one for Christmas as a gift from my sister in laws. However it can easliy be made by hand as well.
You can choose from many good whole wheat or other flour recipes, I just have this one in the computer already.

Amish White Bread
2 cups warm water (warm to the wrist but not hot)
1/4 cup white sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons active dry yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
6 cups bread flour
Directions
Dissolve water in warm water in a large mixing bowl.
Stir in yeast and allow to rise.
Add salt and oil to yeast after the yeast has risen.
(It will look foamy and creamy)

Kneading Direction with Kitchen Aid
Add two cups flour to Kitchen aid bowl
Pour in yeast mixture
Mix gently
Switch to keading attachment
Add rest of flour one cup at a time
Knead for 2 minutes
OR
Kneading Directions by Hand
Add flour one cup at a time mixing after each cup
Place dough on lightly floured surface and knead dough until smooth

Kneading: Put heals of hand into dough firmly pushing, grab dough farthest from you and pull it towards you and fold dough in half, turn dough a quarter turn and begin again. Continue till dough is smooth adding small amounts of flour to surface so dough does not stick. This process will add air to the dough and help it rise, and will take about 5 minutes.

Next
Place oil in bowl and coat
Place dough in oiled bowl and flip to coat both sids of dough
Cover with a damp cloth.
Allow to rise in a warm spot until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
Punch dough down. Knead for a few minutes, and divide in half.
Shape into loaves
Place into two well oiled 9x5 inch loaf pans.
Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in warm place until doubled about 30 mins
Bake 30 mins. at 350 F

Enjoy the warm kitchen and the delicious bread and the fruit of your hands!