Mix things up! Yeehaaa… yum yum… it’s Cowboy Cookies. Or, in this case, Cowgirl Cookies. A friend introduced these to me and I love them. Especially the name. Cowboy Cookies. But why stop there. They’re smooth Ball jars made especially for crafts. But which one should I give her? Oh and note to self: Use a ruler when attaching labels next time. Luckily, the first test batch I made, worked. So, here’s the recipe: Cowgirl Cookies 1 1/3 cup all purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup & leveled1 teaspoon baking powder1 teaspoon baking soda1/4 teaspoon salt1 cup cooking oats3/4 cup m&ms3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips1/2 cup brown sugar, packed1/2 cup white sugar1/3 – 1/2 cup chopped pecans Stir all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Add 1 slightly beaten egg1/2 cup butter (melted slightly in the microwave)1 teaspoon vanilla Mix wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Here’s how they came out. Pretty and tasty. Want to make some cute cookie mix gifts, too? Start with a 1 quart smooth Ball jar. See.
Dessert Recipes: Fresh Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp with Apples The best way to save money and enjoy a healthy dessert is to make it yourself. Buying ready made pies, crisps, crumbles, or cobblers may seem like an easy fix at the grocery store, but the ingredients in these desserts could include refined sugars, trans fats, and a host of other unhealthy, unpronounceable, and expensive stuff. Since summer sweet strawberry dessert recipes are in season and can be made affordably, I’ve put together my favorite and healthy Strawberry Crisp with fresh organic rhubarb and apples. Even the topping is good for you since I used my Easy and Healthy Granola Bars Recipe instead of flours, fats, and sugars. Yay! To keep costs down I grow my own rhubarb and buy organic produce when it’s in-season. That’s me picking our rhubarb! This year Carl and I had some fun while being frugal and went to a local organic farm for U-Pick strawberries. At the U-Pick event there were lots of families getting together to have fun with berries. Ingredients: Instructions:1. 1. 3.
little guiding stars Since the new year has started I’ve been trying to think of ways to be more kind to my self. Especially when that nasty gremlins try to creep in and stump me. I remembered this origami star video on You Tube and had to get them involved in my plan. I thought it would be fun to make a whole bunch with kind words and “you are….” phrases inside. I made 60 of them, enough to last me the whole year if I open one a week, plus a few extra just in case. I used 12 x 12 inch scrapbook paper and cut 1/2 x 12″ strips, then followed the video HERE*. *UPDATE! Be Sociable, Share! Sugar Cookie Bowls skip to content FREE SHIPPING on all orders over $50! *Limited to domestic U.S. orders only. Sugar Cookie Bowls View Larger Image Rate 5 starsRate 4 starsRate 3 starsRate 2 starsRate 1 star 3.7 Average of 15 ratings Difficulty: Somewhat Easy Average of 9 reviews 3 Reviews - Post a Review 14 Questions - Post a Question Share: Share on email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on google Share on tumblr More Sharing Services 5.9K Ingredients 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar 1 egg 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract Easy-Add vanilla extract Add to shopping list vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon No Color Almond Extract Easy-Add No Color Almond Extract Add to shopping list No Color Almond Extract Makes 12 bowls. Tools Ice Cream Cookie Bowl Pan Easy-Add Ice Cream Cookie Bowl Pan Add to shopping list Ice Cream Cookie Bowl Pan Instructions: Step 1 Preheat oven to 350°F. Step 2 In medium bowl, combine flour and salt.
DIY Gift: Terrarium Kit November 30th, 2012 It’s widely accepted that terrariums are awesome, which means they also make awesome gifts. It’s hard to wrap a terrarium though, so a DIY kit is the perfect solution. It would be easy to whip up a whole bunch of these kits if you need a lot of inexpensive, creative gifts. To make your kit, first put about an inch of small stones in the bottom of a jar. Print a 3 1/2″ x 5 1/4″ terrarium instruction card on card stock, and cut it out (download printable cards here—for personal use only please). If you’re feeling ambitious you could make a few polymer clay mushrooms to include in your terrarium kit. Tie some twine or ribbon around the jar, and you’re done.
How to Save Heirloom Tomato Seeds I’ve been thinking a lot about biodiversity lately. You know, the diversity of plant and animal life on Earth. This sounds like one of those deep hippie dippy areas, but really the benefits of maintaining a biologically varied ecosystem are no different than investing in a diversified portfolio of stocks and bonds. Simply, a diverse portfolio reduces the risk of a single investment being wiped out by market fluctuations while a diverse ecosystem can survive in the face of unexpected disease epidemics and extreme weather fluctuations. You don’t want your retirement funds to become extinct and you don’t want your food supply to be wiped out either. So what about heirloom tomatoes and seeds? A heirloom tomato (called a heritage tomato in the UK) is an open-pollinated (non-hybrid) cultivated variety of tomato that can be grown from seed. I figure, what’s the point of paying for and supporting parts of the food chain that are not self sustainable? Choosing the Right Heirloom Tomato Seeds 1.
Travel Art Kit: Here We Goooooo “Here we goooooooooo!!!” Said like Peter Pan, of course. Which is quite fitting since we are off to Disneyland! That’s right people. Last night, I couldn’t sleep because I had taken a non-drowsy allergy pill and earlier I drank a Diet Coke. Starting with Kraft Cardstock I used my Cameo and cut quite a few pages with one or two words on each. The only adhesive I packed is my Glossy Accents since it is tiny. I painted my cloth bag with neon pink using a stencil. Everything fits perfect into my bag. Also, here is the Kid’s Art journal kit I put together last year for our Lake Powell trip. Leaving in an hour… gotta go pack! xo, Lizzy Click on the images to check out the supplies:
Vegetarian Crock Pot Recipes: Soup, Stew, and Chili Crock pots (or slow cookers) are amazing tools for cutting grocery costs and feeding a family for less. After getting a new slow cooker last year, I’ve been amazed with the delicious, easy, healthy, and cheap family meals I’ve prepared in zero time with few cooking skills. I wrote a little post singing the praises of my favorite kitchen tool in 6 reasons to use a slow cooker – in case you need convincing. Since cooking slow is a delicious way to prepare vegetarian meals, I’ve gone super veggie by including FOUR vegetarian recipes for your dining pleasure. Recipe: Slow Cooker Mediterranean Stew I love this healthy, cheap, and easy stew that’s ready to serve when I get home from work. Ingredients: Instructions: In a 6-quart slow cooker, combine eggplant, butternut squash, zucchini, green peas, canned tomatoes, onion, carrot, broth, raisins, and garlic. Cover, and cook on LOW for 8 to 10 hours or on HIGH for 4 to 5 hours (or until vegetables are tender). TIP: Don’t want mushy zucchini?
Making Lights: DIY Tin Can Lanterns It’s remarkable what you can make with trash! Here’s an attractive way to recycle tin cans into simple lanterns. This project uses small cans, but if you use larger ones, you might find glass jars that fit inside them to protect the candles from the wind. If you don’t have any wire coat hangers, 1/10 in (2mm) diameter galvanized fencing wire is a good substitute. You will need: - Tin cans - Cloth - Mineral spirits - Sand - Paper and pencil - Sticky tape - Fabric bag filled with sand - Masonry nails - Hammer - Small locking pliers - Wire coat hangers - Small bolt cutters - Ring-bending pliers - Newspaper - Spray paint Remove the label and any blobs of glue from the can. Draw your design on a piece of paper to fit the size of the can or photocopy a template. Place the can on the sandbag. Once your design is complete, punch a pair of holes opposite each other 3/8 in. (1 cm) below the top of the can for fitting the handle. Fill the can with newspaper and spray-paint it evenly.
Recipe: No Bake Butternut Squash Cookies I’m not really a cookie monster. But I do love a healthy, no bake, and cheap cookie recipe. These butternut squash cookies are sweet, yummy, and won’t put the pounds on your hips, I promise. If you’re allergic to gluten, on a raw food diet, vegan, or just want a low fat cookie alternative, then these tasty treats will cut your cookie cravings. Besides, butternut squash is pretty frugal. This recipe requires a food dehydrator, or lots of warm sunlight, to make them less soft and more crisp. Ingredients: This recipe makes about 12 cookies. 4 cups peeled butternut squash, chopped into medium sized chunks1 cup raisins1 orange (juice of)3 tablespoons honey1 teaspoon cinnamon1/2 teaspoon nutmeg1/2 cup pumpkin seeds (optional) Equipment: food processorfood dehydratorwax paper Instructions: In a food processor, blend the chopped butternut squash and transfer to a bowl.In a food processor, blend raisins and juice from 1 orange. Would you could you eat a butternut squash cookie? Kerry K.
Breakfast Hostess Gift | Banana Bread and Honey Butter It is important for us to be as gracious of a guests as you are when you’re the one hosting the party. When you’re invited to someone’s home for dinner or a party, it is always appropriate to bring a hostess gift - the obvious choices being flowers and wine. When I’m hosting a party, while I appreciate these sort of gifts, I’ve already arranged my flowers and have selected wine to serve. So when I’m the one giving the hostess gift, I like to think about what the host would really appreciate- something she can look forward to enjoying after the party is over. Because your host has likely spent a great deal of time and energy preparing for the party, breakfast the next day is probably the last thing from her mind. You’ll need:Banana Bread (recipe here) Butter, softened Honey Sea Salt Ground Coffee BeansMonogrammed Small NapkinBerry Basketparchment paper Kitchen Twine kraft coffee bagPrinted Labels small glass jar with lid Directions: Products used here : Monogrammed Small Napkin
Tiny Tarts: How to make Pie in a Jar I love giving thoughtful homemade gifts to friends and family. I especially love it when the gift is fun to make and frugal to buy. So when I discovered the delicious and super cute world of goodies in a jar, I decided to put a lid on it and bake up a batch of pie in a jar. I’ve written about jarred gifts before in 8 Homemade Gifts in a Jar — so check it out if you’re less into pastry and more into mixes in a jar. Pie in a jar is just that — it’s a small single serving of fruit pie made and baked in a tiny mason jar. Anytartytarts, I’ve even given a few jarred pies to friends in need of a little cheer after a bad day. Not only are pies in a jar fun to make, but they are a flexible food to serve too. So to get you in the mood for some summer sweet and frugal pie, let’s get some mason jars, turn on the oven, and get baking. Oh, and don’t forget to add these pies as gifts using the Budget Series Gift Giving Worksheet — where tracking even small gifts is as easy as pie. Step Six: Get Baked