GREAT IDEA!!! HOMEMADE COFFEE CREAMER

Collin @ Hip2Save.com

Hi all!  I wanted to share this great idea that I came across today on one of my favorite websites, Hip2Save.com  Collin shares great tips and savings ideas for everything from coupons to online deals and everything in between.   This video shows how to make homemade creamer and takes only two ingredients, yes, you read that right, two.  Even I can't mess that up!   (The Hallelujah Chorus should be playing right now).  The best thing is that you can make your very own specialized creamers once you have the base.  I can think of seasonal creamers (like Autumn spice made with pumpkin pie spice and caramel topping or maybe Peppermint at Christmas).  The possibilities are endless!  Hope you guys love this idea as much as I did!     Let me hear from you if you decide to try this.  I would love to know what your favorite combinations are!

A very special thank you to Collin at Hip2Save.com for allowing me to share her brilliant idea and "how to" video!

Do NOT try this at home! BLUNDER ALERT!

Well, I knew it was too good to be true.  I haven't had any blunders for quite a while and I went and opened my big mouth and said the same to my husband the other day.  Sure enough, I made a doozy!  I was craving a cheeseburger and therefore decided to try and modify a quiche recipe that I have made DOZENS of time into a cheeseburger quiche.  I was so excited when I took it out of the oven because it looked and smelled amazing.  Suffice it to say, you can't judge a book by its cover or in this case the taste by the look.  After letting it cool for a little bit, I took a nice big bite.  Let me just say.....eeeewwwww.....GROSS!!!!  My beautiful quiche experiment ended up down the garbage disposal.  Not sure what went wrong except for the fact that I will absolutely, under no circumstances, be saying that I haven't had any blunders recently.  Obviously, that's a sure-fire way for me to have one.  Oh well, hope you all get to enjoy the laugh with me :)

State Fair Funnel Cakes (at home) Oh yeah!

State Fair Funnel Cakes - YUM!!!!

Do you ever get cravings for a certain food?  And you eat and eat and eat and still aren't satisfied because you didn't get what you were craving.  Yeah, me too!  So, guess what I was craving today?  Funnel cakes.  You know the kind that you get at the fairgrounds, I believe it's deep fried sin on a plate.    There's not much better than a great funnel cake unless maybe it's a really great candied apple.  That may be in my near future.  I was really skeptical about making these because, well, sometimes my creations don't come out as planned.  I have to say that when that happens it is REALLY frustrating, but my Momma didn't raise a quitter (a procastrinator, maybe, but not a quitter).   So, I decided to try my hand at funnel cakes and I am proud to say that they were AMAZING!!!  Crispy on the outside and light and chewy on the inside and they were pretty easy to make.  I made them in my little Cuisinart Deep Fryer (that I lucked up on at a Garage Sale a few weeks ago) and they turned out just as good as any State Fair Funnel Cake I've ever had.  Now, all I need is a turn on the Ferris Wheel and I've got it made.  Hope you like this recipe and if you try it, let me know what you think.

State Fair Funnel Cakes
3/4 cup whole milk
1 egg
1 cup All Purpose Flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons sugar

*Powdered (Confectioners) Sugar to sprinkle on top

Note:  If you have a deep fryer, I recommend using this, if not you can still make these in a deep skillet but use a thermometer to heat the oil to the right temperature.  If you don't, they won't cook properly.  If the oil is too low, they'll be soggy and if it's too high, they will burn.  I also used a squeeze bottle with the tip cut down to make a larger whole.  

Directions:   Preheat oil to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.  While oil is heating mix together ingredients and pour into a squeeze bottle. When oil is heated, drizzle batter into hot oil.  Cook until lightly browned on one side (approximately 90 seconds) and flip over to let other side cook to light brown.  Remove and place on paper towel, sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve warm.

Save Money - Make your own mixes!

Who doesn't like to save money out there?  As for me, I'm all about saving money.  Whether you are frugal because you have to be, or just because you want to be, or if you just want to be able to know what's in your food without all the added chemicals and fillers, then this post is for you!  I recently attended a class that focused on making your own convenience foods which is not only economical but it's kind of fun.  The class was provided through the University of Florida's local IFAS extension office.
Their website is http://washington.ifas.ufl.edu and they provide all kinds of educational classes (i.e. canning classes, food preparation, etc.).  I am posting three of my favorites from the class.  The brownie mix is a must have for our house.  I don't know if any of you have children like mine, but inevitably, I get the notice that she needs a dessert for something at school the next day.  This notice is usually given at night AFTER I have already cleaned up the dishes from supper and sat down to relax.  Needless to say, I DO NOT want to get up and go to the store to get the stuff to make cookies or brownies.  With this mix, I can make plenty to have on hand and it costs about .30 cents per batch compared to $1.25-1.50 per box (depending on where you live).  The ranch dressing is a HUGE moneysaver.  The little packets of dry ranch dressing mix that you buy at the store are around $1.13 per individual packet.  Making them yourself, costs .09 cents per pack.  HELLO, that's a HUGE SAVINGS!  I don't know about you, but I would much rather have that money than give it to the grocery store.  So, I hope you love these as much as I do!!!  

Mrs. Lanham presenting the Make-A-Mix Class

Judy Corbus - IFAS Extension Agent talking with one of the class attendees