Yummy Creamsicle Cake

Hi there friends!

I hope your weekend is off to a great start!  Our summer weekends are quickly coming to an end.  I don’t know about you,but I have a love-hate relationship with summer coming to an end.  I love it because I live in the dessert and our summer highs get pretty darn hot  Our temps range between 105 and 112 degrees typically, so by the end of summer, we are more than ready for cooler weather.  On the other hand, I hate it because I’m a just a big kid and love summer. 🙂

Along with the end of summer, we see the end of the season for “summer foods”.  Foods like watermelon, all kinds of berries, corn on the cob and so on… Yes, these days we can get most foods year-round, but it’s not quite the same as when they’re in season.

For me, there are other foods that represent summer as well.  Two of my favorites that make me think of summer as a child are “freeze pops” (aka otter pops) and Creamsicles.  Yep, these can be purchased anytime of year too, but it’s just not the same.  There’s nothing quite like having a Creamsicle or freeze pop on a hot evening after dinner. 🙂  But this cake may come pretty close!

I wanted to make a special dessert for Hubby’s night off the other night, so I thought I would make a cake since I haven’t made one in a few weeks.  I was in an “experimenting” mood and I didn’t want to make the traditional chocolate or yellow cake, so I took a look at the different extracts I have in my cabinet.  When I came across the orange extract, I remembered some cake mix cookies I made a few weeks back and figured I could make something similar (only better) with a cake.

So I decided I would make an orange-flavored cake with vanilla buttercream frosting and it might taste like a Creamsicle in cake form.  Well according to the critics (my family) :), I  hit the nail on the head.

The cake starts from a cake mix, but ends up tasting like a bakery cake especially with the homemade buttercream frosting.  Did I mention how easy this cake is to make?  Try and see for yourself…

Cake Ingredients:

• 1 box white cake mix
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup flour
• 1 1/3 cup water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons orange extract
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• orange food coloring (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees and spray cake pan, 9×13 or 2 (8 or 9 inch) rounds, with butter-flavored cooking spray.
2. Mix all ingredients in stand mixer for 2-3 minutes until well combined.
3. Add food coloring in small increments until the batter resembles the same color as a Creamsicle.  
4. Pour batter in pan and place in oven.  Baking time depends on the size of pan used.  I used a 9×13 pan and it took 45 minutes in my oven.
5. Let cool for 10-15 minutes on a cooling rack and then place in the freezer until ready to frost. The colder the cake, the easier it is to frost.

Frosting Ingredients:

• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, softened
• 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1-2 tablespoons milk

Directions:

• In a stand mixer, mix powdered sugar, butter and vanilla extract until smooth.  Add milk one tablespoon at a time until spreading consistency is reached.  
• Frost cake and store in refrigerator. 

Tip: To get the pretty swirly marks in your frosting, use the back of a spoon and lightly move across frosting in a swirling motion.

Enjoy ❤

Frugal Friday…DIY Cake Plate

TGIF!  We’ve made it to the end of another week and almost to the end of another month.  September is just a few days away…woohoo!  I’m so ready for fall!  How about you?

Even though I’ll bake when it’s 113 degrees outside, fall is my ultimate favorite time of year to bake.  Cooler days, fall holidays and the “season of pumpkin” all add to my inspiration to bake.  My boys are already anxious for Pumpkin Bread. 🙂

No, this post isn’t a recipe for fall baking (I’m sure you knew that from the title), but it does have something to do with baking.  If you were to take precious time out of your busy day to bake something for your friends and family, wouldn’t you like to have something special to serve it on?  Sure you would, but nice cake plates can be pricey…

When Hubby and I tied the knot earlier this year, we had a very small reception at home a few weeks after the ceremony.  Even though we only had a very worn “shoestring budget”, there were some special things that I really wanted to have for the reception.  Cake plates were some of those things.  I made our wedding cakes myself and wanted to have something special to put them on for serving.  I looked at some of the prices for cake plates and they were nowhere near my budget for just one…and I needed three for the three different cakes I was making.

What’s a bride to do when the budget doesn’t allow for something she really wants?  A resourceful one finds a way to DIH (do-it-herself). 🙂  So, off to Pinterest I went.  DIY cake plates were all over the place!  I came up with an idea for my plates, went shopping and then got to work.  In less than thirty minutes, I had all three of my cake plates done, which means it would take less than ten minutes for one.

How much did they cost?  My total was $22.00 for the supplies for all three plates.  That’s less than the cost for just one of the other cake plates I had seen online.  I could have made them for even less if I had gotten the supplies at the dollar store.  They just didn’t have the supplies I wanted for the occasion.  Believe me, the next time I make one, I will be checking there first!

How hard is this to do?  Not hard at all!  You don’t have to have a crafty bone in your body.  I am somewhat crafty and I could have almost done this project with my eyes closed.  It just involves lining up, gluing and holding in place.  Easy, right?

The most time consuming part of this project is picking out your supplies.  You can make your cake plate exactly to your taste, creativity and occasion.  Our reception was very simply done with burlap, jars and candles; therefore, I went very simple with my cake plates.  You could make yours as simple or as fancy as  you like.  This would be a great way to find something to do with leftover or mismatched dishes or yard sale finds, so it could end up costing very little or perhaps nothing at all. 🙂

Onto the project!  Here’s how you make it…

Supplies:

• Plate
• Bowl, cup or glass for base
• Superglue

Assembly:

• Wash and dry plate and base.  Cover work area with newspaper.
• Line plate and base up to figure exactly how you want to glue it.
• Squeeze a line of glue around the top outer edge of the base and carefully place the plate on top.
• Hold plate firmly in place for time recommended according to your superglue directions.  
• Let cure overnight and you’re ready to serve!

Just think of all the different options there are for a project like this!  The possibilities are endless.  It can be used for pies, cookies and cupcakes as well.

I hope you have a great weekend and happy crafting! ❤

Throwback To 1971

Well, it’s Thursday again and we’re throwin’ it back to 1971 this week.  Last week, we went back to 1956, so we haven’t traveled as far back this week.  But for those of you that don’t care for “doing math” in your head, 1971 was 44 years ago.

How did I do that math so quick?  Well, I’ve always been a math whiz, but to be honest, it was easy.  I was born in 1971, so I can’t help but know the answer.  Now that I’ve completely dated myself (even though I don’t feel my age), let’s get on with 1971!

The “food scrapbook” I’m sharing today is from 1971.  I’ve definitely used this book over the years to help find ways to stay within a tight food budget.  I’ll share my favorite recipe from the book along with pictures after I give you some “1971 info”…

• New home- $25,250.00
• Monthly rent- $150.00
• Yearly income- $10,600.00
• Gallon of gas- $0.40
• Movie ticket- $1.50
• Side-by-side refrigerator- $704.95
• Malibu Barbie- $1.94

Wow!  The only way to get a movie for $1.50 now is to “Red Box” it!  Here’s some of what happened in 1971…

• The voting age was lowered to 18 years of age with the ratification of the 26th Amendment to the United States Constitution.
• Walt Disney World in Florida opened.
• Cigarette advertising on television ended.
• The New York Times began publishing sections of the Pentagon Papers.
• Popular television programs were The Odd Couple, The Mary Tyler Moore Show and The Partridge Family.
• Popular films were Love Story, The Aristocats, and The French Connection.

Now, for my favorite recipe from the book.  It’s called Turkey Vegetable Bake.  I’ve used this recipe for many years for my leftover Thanksgiving turkey.  It’s yummy!  The mix of cheese and breadcrumbs on the top is sooo gooood!

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons margarine or butter
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 cup turkey or chicken broth
• 2 cups leftover turkey (chicken works as well)
• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen mixed vegetables, cooked
• 3/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs

Directions: (as printed in the book)

• Melt margarine; blend in flour.  Add broth; cook and stir till thickened and bubbly.  Remove from heat; stir in turkey, vegetables and 1/2 cup of the cheese.  Turn into a 1-quart casserole.  Combine crumbs and remaining cheese; sprinkle over casserole.  Bake at 350 degrees till heated through, 30-35 minutes.  Makes 4 or 5 servings.

This recipe, while being very frugal, is definitely great comfort food.  It’s very simple to double the recipe and the leftovers are great!

Some pictures from the book…

Look at those beautifully roasted chickens!

Every chapter and section focuses on saving money on your food budget.

An entire chapter with budget saving menus including desserts.

There are “economy tips” all throughout the book.

Look at those yummy baked beans…I’ll have to share my recipe soon!

I love that lunchbox!

This section helps you plan your meals and shopping for them.

I just love going through these old cookbooks!  But time for us to get back to 2015…when we just go to the internet or Pinterest for a recipe or tips.  I hope you enjoyed your time travel to 1971! ❤

Hmmm…Hummus

Hello there friends!  I just got done scrolling through, reading and enjoying everyone’s posts.  Thank you all for sharing such great posts.  I look forward to seeing your beautiful pictures and learning new information everyday!  You all are an inspiration to this blogging novice. 🙂

Today I’m sharing a recipe for hummus.  I decided to try hummus a few years ago after hearing that it was a pretty healthy dip for crackers, veggies and such.  The type I tried was a store-purchased hummus.  I liked it, although I thought it was quite bland.  I’m a girl that loves food very spicy and full of flavor, so while I liked it, I didn’t get “hooked”.

…Until one day when I found a recipe for homemade hummus while looking through one of my cookbooks.  Smack!  It hit me right, square in  my forehead…I could make the plain hummus as listed in the book and then add my own spin on it.  By my own spin, I mean spice and flavor. 🙂  It was worth a try, for sure.

I know it sounds quite elementary…I usually do try making something myself if I like what I’ve tried, so what was stopping me from trying this sooner?  Well, two things…my lack of knowledge of what hummus was actually made from and lack of time to dig deeper into it (I was working full-time back then).

When I found out that it’s basically just pureed garbanzo beans (aka chickpeas), I knew it would be easy…and healthy.  This would be awesome; I would be able to achieve the holy trinity of food…easy, healthy and yummy!

With all the unhealthy-yummy foods all over the place now, I’m always on the lookout for healthy-yummy.  And garbanzo beans, just like other legumes are great for our health!  Some of their benefits are:

• low in saturated fat and very low in cholesterol
• high in manganese, folate and fiber
• help decrease heart disease risk
• help regulate blood sugar levels
• protect against diseases including cancer

Those are some pretty great benefits, right?  Studies are showing that when garbanzo beans are eaten, other unhealthy snacking diminishes as well.  That’s always a good thing!

I started with the base recipe in the book, added ingredients and changed it to my taste .  You can start with the beans and oil and go from there according to your taste or use what I used.  The ingredients with no amounts listed are just added to taste.  Feel free to get creative and make it your own. 🙂  

Ingredients:

• 2 (15 ounce) cans garbanzo beans (I completely drain one of the cans and save about 1/2 of the water from the second can)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• juice from 1/2 of a lime
• 2 jalapenos, chopped
• 1/2 pint grape tomatoes, chopped
• 4 green onions, sliced
• garlic powder
• red pepper flake
• salt
• pepper

Directions:

• Combine all ingredients and blend lightly with hand blender, regular blender or Ninja*.
• Refrigerate and serve with crackers, pita or bagel chips, veggies or anything you desire. 🙂

*I didn’t use a hand or regular blender, use caution as to not over-blend.  I used my Ninja (a wedding gift from my wonderful Hubby).  If you are using a Ninja, it only takes a couple quick pulses.  

Makes about 3 1/2 cups.

Enjoy! ❤

Mom’s Scalloped Potatoes

  Hi there friends!  It’s Transformation Tuesday…and I’m here to tell you how I transform plain, raw potatoes into some um-hmm comfort food.I have always loved potatoes.  All kinds of potatoes…baked, mashed, hash-browns, breakfast potatoes, roasted, french fries, wedges but I must admit that the style that defines “comfort potatoes” for me is scalloped potatoes.

It’s one of the foods that “takes me home”.  My mom’s scalloped potatoes are the absolute best, although she usually only made them at Christmas alongside the ham.  As for me (the rebel that I am), I make them any time I get a hankering for them or when my youngest daughter requests them. 🙂

While the preparation is quite easy, this side dish is best saved for a weekend or weekday when you have some extra time.  You have to wash, peel and slice the potatoes which isn’t difficult, but takes a little time and then the baking time is at least an hour.  But, it is SO worth it!!

I’ve seen the boxed variety in the store.  I even tried them once.  I was very disappointed.  I guess if you’ve never had them homemade, they may be okay.  I can tell you that once you’ve made them, you’ll never go back.

My measurements aren’t very exact, but you really can’t mess this up.  Trust me.  Just be sure to let them bake long enough.  You want the yummy browned top.

You can make as much or as little as you wish.  Hint, hint…they taste amazing as leftovers!

Ingredients:

• 6 medium-sized russet potatoes (peeled, washed and sliced)
• 4 tablespoons butter, cut into chunks
• milk (Mom always used whole milk, but I have found that non-fat works just as well)
• salt
• pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Place potatoes in baking dish (I prefer a tall, glass, 3 quart dish).
3. Add enough milk to reach the top of the potatoes.
4. Place chunks of butter on top and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
5. Bake for an hour.  Remove from the oven to see if they’re done.  You want a browned top, tender potatoes and thickened milk.   If they’re not done, bake for another 20-30 minutes.

• Make sure to stir that brown yummy-ness into the potatoes…they’re bits of wonderful flavor.
• If it seems as if you started with too much milk and the potatoes aren’t thickening the way you would like, don’t fret.  Just add a spoonful or two of flour, stir and bake a little longer.

Enjoy! ❤

Carolina Red Chicken

Hi everyone!  Hope your week is off to a great start!  This is our last full week of August.  Can you believe it?  We’re almost to September.  Yay! 🙂

I’m sharing a recipe today that my entire family (including my picky boys) loves.  Carolina Red Chicken.  What is Carolina Red Chicken, you may be asking yourself right now.  Well, it begins with one word…deliciousness.

Seriously, though, it’s chicken and a sauce called Carolina Red Sauce. So pretty simple, Carolina Red Chicken.  I serve it shredded in a roll or tortilla, just like a pulled pork sandwich only with a different sauce blend and chicken in place of the pork.

I love this recipe for many reasons.  It’s delicious, easy to prepare, everyone loves it and it’s easy on the food budget.

I always use boneless, skinless breast for my chicken dishes and the key to keeping it in budget is to buy when it’s on sale.  My local supermarket puts the boneless, skinless breast fresh from the counter on sale for $1.68 a pound every so often.  They limit to 10 pounds, which works great for me.

Five pounds of chicken fits perfectly in my large Crockpot, so I make 5 pounds right away and freeze the other 5 pounds to use for something else.  Five pounds makes about four quarts of cooked chicken and sauce.  For my family of five, this means four dinners and some leftovers.  Of course, you could make less, especially for the first time to be sure your family likes the flavor.

Another money saver…combine this with the “day old bread trick” I posted about last week and you have a very inexpensive, yet yummy dinner.  It works well with all different kinds of bread (I like to toast my rolls with garlic and cheese).  You can dress up your sandwich as much as you like…lettuce, spinach, tomato, pickles, onions, cheese and so on.  Make it your own. 🙂

Ingredients:

• 3 cups apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup ketchup
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 5 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast

Directions:

1. Whisk all ingredients  (except chicken) together in a large bowl.
2. Place chicken and 2 cups (about half) of the sauce in large Crockpot. Simmer 6-8 hours on low.
3. About an hour or so before serving, remove chicken from the Crockpot and shred.
4. Put shredded chicken back into Crockpot, add remaining sauce and simmer for the last hour or so.

• Freeze prepared Carolina Red Chicken and thaw when ready to use.
• You can refrigerate any unused sauce indefinitely.

Enjoy! ❤

A Sundae for Your Sunday

 Happy Sunday!  I don’t know about you, but I think the weekends are a great time for a yummy dessert.  Who doesn’t love to have dessert? 🙂

This dessert is so easy and the waffles can pull double-duty.  They would be great for breakfast as well.  You could make the waffles for breakfast and use the leftovers for dessert or vice versa.

The great thing about waffles, and pancakes for that matter, is that you can make extra and freeze what you don’t use for another day.  It works great for busy weekdays…you just pop them in the toaster or microwave an you’re ready to eat.

Back to dessert!  I love waffle cones/bowls, but they can be pretty pricey to buy ready-made at the supermarket, so I thought maybe I could make them at home.

I started researching recipes online and quickly realized that there’s a waffle cone maker gadget available for home use. Yes, I guess I’ve been under a rock.  I had no idea these existed, but then I don’t really keep up with all the specialty small appliances. I don’t have the room for them in my small kitchen and my frugal brain can’t see spending money on things like that as well.

 I do have a Belgian waffle maker that a friend gave Hubby a few years ago and I do use it quite frequently.  I figured it wouldn’t really work for making waffle bowls, but what the heck?  I may as well give it a try. Well…I was right. It didn’t work. Oh well. Nothing wrong with trying. Most things usually work, so I’m bound to have something that doesn’t work sometimes.

So, I brushed myself off from my “failure” 🙂 and still really wanting a sundae with the “waffle taste”, I decided I would just make some yummy waffles and have them ala mode, sundae-style.  I started with a packaged waffle mix and dressed it up.  Now I’m back on top!  They were delicious just plain and even better sundae-style.

Just one problem…my boys have worked out a plan on how this can work for breakfast (ice cream included).  Not gonna work, but it was fun listening to their explanation, lol. 🙂

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups waffle mix
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup water
• 3 tablespoons melted butter
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 egg

Directions:

• Mix all ingredients by hand and cook in waffle maker according to waffle maker directions.

Then…this is the fun part…add your favorite sundae toppings.  I used vanilla bean ice cream, Hershey’s chocolate syrup (is there any other kind?), sliced almonds and a cherry on top.  You could use anything!

Enjoy! ❤

Spicy Turkey-Pinto Soup

Hi there friends!  I hope all of you are having a great day!

I’m back with another update on my “July Turkey”.  I think this is the third update and I still have some more in the freezer.  Woohoo!  My $7.00 turkey has definitely been a budget saver!

This time, I used some of the dark meat in a soup.  I prefer the white meat, so I typically use the dark meat for soups and casseroles, where it’s not as noticeable.  It worked wonderfully because it was absolutely delicious in this simple soup.

Earlier this week, I needed a dinner that I could put together quickly and it would be ready when we were.  In other words, I needed a Crockpot dinner. 🙂 I don’t know about you, but I love using my Crockpot because it’s an easy, ready-when-you-are and yummy way to make dinner.  And it makes the house smell wonderful…who doesn’t love the smell of dinner cooking when they come through the door at the end of a long day?

This soup is very simple and has few ingredients…

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of cooked turkey (chicken would work as well)
• 6 cups of chicken broth
• 1 (24 ounce) can or 3 cups spaghetti sauce (I used the roasted onion and garlic flavor)
• 1 quart pinto beans
• 1 package taco seasoning or homemade equivalent to one package

Directions:

• Easy peasy!!  Just combine ingredients in Crockpot and cook on low for 4-6 hours.  That’s it!

I served the soup with some chopped cilantro on top and toasted corn tortillas on the side.  You could use green onions, cheese, jalapenos and tomatoes as well.  

Enjoy! ❤

Frugal Friday – Food Budget Saver #2

Hey there friends!  I’m back with another way to save some “bread” on your grocery bill.  I hope you have thought about trying my last saving tip about cooking dry beans instead of using canned beans.  Remember, fall is coming and the cooler weather is a great time for cooking beans. 🍁🍂🍁

This post’s tip is easier, less time consuming and involves shopping!  Okay, okay, don’t get too awful excited…I’m suggesting you go to your favorite or closest supermarket and head to the back corners of the store.  And there you will meet a man named Guido who will give you a phone number that you will take to the corner store and use the payphone to call.  No, no, nothing that creepy! 😱

I’m suggesting you go to the back corners of the supermarket because that is usually where they place the “day old” bread racks.  That’s where it is in my local store, although it may be located somewhere else in your store.   If you don’t see one anywhere, just ask one of the employees in the bakery department if they have one.

If they have one, you may have hit pay-dirt!  At my local supermarket, their own bakery baked goods are quite pricey at regular price, but when they get moved to the “day old” rack, they’re usually marked down by about two-thirds (66%).  Now that’s the kind of savings that I’m looking for!  I’m always picking up rolls and specialty breads for 99 cents.

How do we eat all that bread and rolls before it goes bad?  We don’t.  That’s the wonderful thing about breads…the freeze wonderfully!  Just bring it home from the store and put it in the freezer and you’re done!  When you are ready to use it, just pull it out of the freezer and let thaw for about an hour and you’re ready to go!

Pretty easy, right?  Check your store the next time you’re shopping and give it a try!

A couple tips:

• Check a couple hours after the store has opened.  This gives the bakery employees time to go through their stock and move it to the day old rack.
• The day after holidays are usually great!  My store usually has carts full of product.
• Always check the product first for any problems, but I have never gotten anything that was not still fresh.  It has always been before the sell by date as well.
• Let what you find give you inspiration for meals and be creative.  Hint…the little dinner rolls make great “slider” buns for mini burgers, BBQ and pulled pork.

Happy saving! ❤️

Throwback to 1956

Good Housekeeping Cook Book from 1956

It’s Thursday and we’re throwin’ it back to 1956!  That’s when the cookbook above was printed.  I have lots of old cookbooks and I love looking at and using them. They’re like a food scrapbook from the past because they give us an idea of daily life and pop culture of the time.

Before you see some more pictures from the book, here are some cost of living facts and interesting happenings from 1956…

• New home- $11,700
• Monthly rent- $88.00
• Yearly income- $4,450
• Gallon of gas- $0.22
• New car- $2,050
• Loaf of bread- $0.18
• Gallon of milk- $0.97
• Postage stamp- $0.03

Can you imagine those prices!  Here’s some of what happened in 1956…

• Alabama bus segregation laws were declared illegal by the US Supreme Court.
• Dwight D. Eisenhower defeated Adlai Stevenson for the Presidency.
• The first hard disc was invented by IBM.
• Tefal started producing the first non-stick pans.
• The oral vaccine for Polio was developed.
• Elvis Presley hit the charts with “Heartbreak Hotel”.
• The “Ten Commandments” premiered in theaters.
• David Copperfield, Martina Navratilova, and Bo Derek were born.
• The first 30 minute soap opera, “As the World Turns” premiered on CBS.

Now, onto some pictures from the book…