Holiday Desserts (Aldi & Albertsons)

Dear friends,

Lots of sweets on Monday 

for a home school co-op Christmas program

and my fourth daughter's 20th birthday!

Christmas cookies made from Aldi ingredients:
sugar cookie mix
vanilla frosting
red and green frosting tubes
canister of a variety of sprinkles
(My 11 year old daughter made these!)

This canister of holiday sprinkles 
will last us all season!
It has one of those neat rotating lids
where you can choose which kind you want.

Candy cane pie about $6 from Aldi -
a decent sized pie
with a chocolate cookie crust,
a layer of chocolate french silk
a white layer with crushed candy canes
and whipped cream with crushed candies on top
Yummy!

A Hanukkah cake about $5 from Albertsons
for my oldest daughter and my grandson
who celebrate the Jewish holidays.
"Hanukkah!"

Yes, we love saving money and eating well with groceries from Aldi!

Virginia Knowles
www.ComeWearyMoms.blogspot.com

Pomegranates!

 

Have you tried pomegranates yet?  They are red round fruits filled with yummy pulpy seeds.  Years ago, I found some in the local produce store run by a family from the Middle East.  Since then, we have probably bought them about once or twice a year.  We also frequently buy juice blends with pomegranate in it.  I love the flavor that it adds.  

We saw fresh pomegranates in Aldi the other day for about 69 cents and my son picked out the one in the bowl above. 

Observing the shape, I see that it is a curvy pentagon.  When I cut it open, that geometric shape is confirmed.  I can clearly see five sections that remind me of a star, an asterisk or a snowflake.

The inside of the rind has little curvy indentations which nestle the seeds.  There are also thin membranes which keep them in place.  What a package!

I extracted the seeds by hand and removed all of the membrane pieces from the bowl.

Just how do you eat one?  Check out this web site (which has lots of other “how to” tips on gazoodles of weird and not-so-weird topics!)  How to Eat a Pomegranate at eHow   (For the record, you can swallow the seeds.  A little extra fiber for your diet!)

You can find recipes using pomegranates here at Simply Recipes.  Also check out the nutritional data.  Pomegranates have antioxidant properties, and are a great source of  potassium and Vitamin C.  (These web links are great sites for other foods, too.)

Then read the Greek myth of Persephone and the pomegranate, which attempts to explain why we have seasons, especially spring!   Peresphone at History for Kids 

Pomegranates are mentioned numerous times in the Bible, usually in reference to their decorative motif use on the temple columns and on the robe hems of the high priest.  Click here for the verses:  Pomegranates in the Bible.  Jews eat pomegranates during Rosh Hashanah.  Many Torah scrolls are stored with silver pomegranates (rimmonim) over the two upper scroll handles.   Pomegranates are also used to decorate the Sukkah hut during the Feast of Tabernacles, the Jewish festival of thanksgiving for the fall fruit harvest.  A pomegranate is said to symbolize righteousness, fertility and everlasting life, and often appears in religious paintings. 

"Madonna of the Pomegranate"
Botticelli

I hope you've enjoyed a little background information about pomegranates!

This post will be linked at...

• P52 Photo Project 
• Raising Homemakers on Wednesday
• Whole-Hearted Home on Wednesday
• Ann Kroeker's Food on Fridays

The top photo in this post is for this week's Autumn Harvest theme at:

 P52 Photo Project 
A weekly photo post
See all of my entries here:
P52 Photo Posts

Whole-Hearted Home

Ann Kroeker's Food on Fridays

Pumpkin Apple Crisp {Budget Version with Aldi Ingredients}

Dear friends,

Last week, on www.virginiaknowles.blogspot.com, I posted a recipe from my sister-in-law Dana for  Super Easy Pumpkin Apple Crisp.

I noticed that two of the ingredients, pumpkin butter and cookie butter, were not standard pantry items, and that the cookie butter (Trader Joes' Speculoos) cost about $10 plus shipping for one jar. So...  Being the budget minded mother of 10 that I am, I decided to come up with a knock-off recipe using less expensive ingredients from our neighborhood Aldi store.  

Since I have arthritis, one of my teenage sons cut all of the apples with our apple corer/slicer.  I peeled them, and since I made a double batch, this kept me quite busy!  Everything else went really fast.

Apples:

• 8 apples 
• 1-1/2 cups white sugar

Peel the apples and cut into six segments each. Toss the apples with the sugar in a large bowl. 

Cookie Butter / Pumpkin Butter Mixture:

• 16 oz can pumpkin purée (not pumpkin pie filling)
• 14 graham crackers, finely crushed
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 Tbs. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. all spice
• 1 tsp. nutmeg
• 1 tsp. ginger
• 8 oz evaporated milk or vegetable oil (We tried it both ways.  They both worked fine, but the evaporated milk has less fat.)

Mix these in a sauce pan and heat until well-mixed.  Then pour into the apple mixture and stir until the apples are well coated.  Grease a 9"x13" baking dish and spoon the mixture in.

Crunchy Topping:

• 1/2 cup pecans crushed
• 7 oz.  granola

Mix the pecans and granola, and spread on top of the wet mixture.  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until apples are fork tender.  Serve with whipped topping.

While you're here, I wanted to show you the pumpkin I bought at Aldi!  It's a big one (maybe 16" tall?), and since they received the shipment after Halloween, they marked them down to 25 cents -- for the whole pumpkin! 

Maybe in a few days, I'll carve it and use it for baking, but for now, it's adorning my front hallway.

Pigs in Blankets & Cinnamon Balls {Aldi Ingredients}

Dear friends,

My 11 year old daughter and I decided to make a special breakfast for my husband recently since has was going out of town for a few days visiting family and friends.

Our menu: pigs in blankets, cinnamon balls, omelet, waffles (from a box), and fresh fruit salad.  I bought most of the ingredients at Aldi.

For the pigs in blankets, we took a bag of 40 cocktail sausages and three cans of jumbo flaky biscuits.  We split each uncooked biscuit into two layers (that's why we used the flaky ones), and wrapped a piece around each cocktail sausage, pinching one edge to seal.  These baked on cookie sheets in the oven at 375 until brown and not doughy.  (Not just for breakfast!  I think pigs in blankets are even more commonly used as party appetizers.  You can also throw cocktail sausages in a crock pot with Hawaiian sauce!)

Cinnamon Balls

I had four or five biscuits 
left over after I used up the bag of sausage.  Rather than bake them plain, I decided to make cinnamon balls.  I've never tried it, and  didn't have or even need a recipe.  I simply melted  a half stick of butter in the microwave in a glass pie pan.  Then I added a tablespoon of ground cinnamon and a quarter cup of brown sugar and mixed it in.  Then I divided each biscuit into four pieces and rolled them into balls.  I coated them with the mixture in the pie pan, then baked at 375 until cooked through.   Then I tossed them around in the pan to coat with the excess sauce. Yum!  I should make these with a whole container of biscuits next time, because they went fast!  I think these may be similar to monkey bread, but I'm not sure.

Daddy's plate had two pigs in one blanket

What do you do for special breakfasts?

Virginia Knowles
www.ComeWearyMoms.blogspot.com

P.S. I shop frequently at Aldi.  You can read more posts about Aldi products here: Groceries from Aldi.

Autumn: A Pretty Home and Yummy Food on a Budget

Dear friends,

Are you ready for autumn?  I'm not quite there yet, since it's still so warm here in Orlando, but I'm working on it. My husband is going to retrieve our autumn decoration bin from storage this weekend, but in the meantime, I'm making do with what I have available already, as well as some new items.  You can see what I've done for autumn in years past here: Easy Autumn Decorating on a Dime.

Today's post is a lot about autumn decorating, and a little bit about food and hospitality.

I wanted a few extras new fall pretties for my home but I don't have a lot in the budget right now.  Fortunately, as I walked into Olde Time Pottery this morning, I stopped at a table outside and subscribed to the local newspaper for a low rate, and they gave me a free $10 OTP gift card as a bonus.  So while I had been planning to just browse, I actually got to buy a few things!

I bought this wall basket to hang on my front door
last spring, as you can see in my post 

Not-So-Extreme Makeover: The Front of Our House.

Today I bought these silk flowers for $3.49

at Olde Time Pottery, and tucked them 

into the basket with a folded over doily.

(In addition to the ribbon and hook, the basket is anchored

to the door with a strong magnet.)

Other recent additions:
The two pilgrims are from Dollar General ($1 each) and the
two small wood signs are from Olde Time Pottery ($1.50 each).
The silk flowers and flower pot were gifts.

A closer look at the pilgrim maiden

The ceramic pumpkins, which hold tealight candles,
were on clearance at Olde Time Pottery for $2.60 each.
On Halloween, we'll put them outside on our garden wall,
and light up the insides for jolly jack-o-lanterns!

The basket is full of homemade potpourri.
My husband gave me white roses
for my birthday last month.
After the blooms finally wilted,
I dried the petals on a rack. (See below.)
Since white roses don't have much aroma,
I added orange scented oil and a
little bit of food coloring to perk them up.

White rose petals on a drying rack.

Two days ago, I happened to walk into the Goodwill thrift store and while my kids were trying on clothes, I sat down on this lovely chair nearby.  It felt comfy, is in terrific condition with sturdy fabric, matches the burgundy and creamy yellow colors in my living room, and was only $40.  Since we needed extra seating in our living room anyway, I bought it on the spot and hauled it home in my big old van. It seems like there is someone always in it doing homework or hanging out.  I wish this picture did it justice.  It's really pretty.

I guess that's about all my budget can handle right now, so I'll be glad to get my big bin of stuff out and around the house.  

I've also got a handful of big fat acorns that I brought from  Maryland.  I haven't figured out how to display them on my bedside table yet, but I'll think of something.

A happy memento of my trip...

And now to the food...

The Aldi store is stocking lots of yummy pumpkin flavored products this time of year.  I decided to try out the pumpkin spice cookie mix, which is about $1.50 per bag.  My 11 year old daughter made up two packages and baked them on pizza pans (one package per pan) for mega cookies.  She cut them in to big wedges and served them warm with whipped topping.  We'll definitely be buying more of these this season!  They are like pumpkin pie that you can eat with your hand.

Delicious pumpkin spice cookie with whipped cream!

I bought these plastic plates, some in burgundy
and some in dark green, at Dollar General.
They were four for $1 and I bought 20. Our large family used them now for snacks and lunches,
and they'll be great for serving desserts to a crowd
at Thanksgiving and Christmas.

My dear friend and fellow blogger Tonya Travelstead invited me over for breakfast this morning.  She made premium oatmeal cooked with apple chunks and drizzled with honey.  She also served hot chocolate and apple wedges.  Delicious, healthy, and so perfect for an autumn breakfast!

Tonya loves hospitality and sets a gorgeous table.

Oatmeal made with steel cut oats
- I love the hearty texture!
Tonya wrote this on her blog:
Healthy Eating: Steel Cut Oats
She says they are usually about $4 per container,
but they Aldi carries them seasonally for about $2.
I'll be looking for them!

Of course what I like most about breakfast with Tonya... is Tonya!  I think I've known her for almost 30 years and she's a real sweetheart!  We used to walk together a few times a week and I think I need to start joining her again. (See Meeting Halfway.) Another thing I like about Tonya is that she is a wealth of information about saving money, making a cozy  home, showing hospitality, and loving God and family well. You will love her blog Mrs. T's Thoughts from a Titus 2 Mom.blogspot.com.  She and I both shop at Aldi and write about it.  Her blog series is at Tonya's Aldi Product Reviews and mine is at Groceries from Aldi.

Like food?  I've got a whole bunch of recipes on my blogs.  These are perfect for autumn and the holidays:

• Pumpkin Streusel Muffins
• Peach Pumpkin Muffins
• Bread Pudding

• Carrot Cake with Maple Cream Cheese Icing, Plus Redstone Cornbread with Maple Butter
• Baked Oatmeal for a Crowd

• Fresh Cranberries! and Serving Cranberry Sauce

• Hot Chocolate for a Crowd

• Holiday Wassail

• Roasted Herbed Vegetables

• Shrimp Bisque {and} Salt Crusted Roast Beef with Mushrooms

• Panko Crusted Stuffed Chicken and Cheddar Bay Biscuits

In case you missed them, I also have some posts on my main blog from my trip to Maryland last weekend with my oldest daughter and two grandsons.  Real autumn colors on the trees!  Take a peek...

To Grandmother's House (And a Petting Zoo) We Go

Apple Picking, Fritters, and Goofy Gourds at Larriland Farm

Beauty and Diversity on an Autumn Sunday in Maryland

I'm so glad I took this trip because not only did I get to see my family in Maryland, and help my daughter travel with her little guys, but I also had special time bonding with my grandsons.  The two year old sweetie actually told me, "Grandma, I love you!" for the first time, and my daughter just texted to tell me that he had called me his "honey" -- probably during his bedtime prayers!  Awww!  He melts my heart!

I guess that's all for now! A happy autumn to you and yours!  If you have written about autumn on your blog, leave your link in a comment so the rest of us can enjoy it!

This post will be linked to:

Food on Fridays

Simple Design's 
Share Your Thrift Haul

Whole-Hearted Home

Raising Homemakers 

Domestically Divine Tuesday 

Use It Up, Wear It Out, Make It Do, Or Do Without

Dear friends,

Many years ago, I wrote a section in my book The Real Life Home School Mom about saving money.  Here is a tiny excerpt:

Whatever your expenses are, you can put your stewardship, diligence, wisdom, and creativity to work! Grandma always said, “Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without!”

• Avoid eating out or using expensive convenience foods very often.
• When running errands, bring food and drinks with you in an insulated bag.
• Cancel subscriptions which encourage a materialistic lifestyle.
• Make your own gifts, greeting cards, decorations, and entertainment.
• Cut your children's hair and learn how to repair clothing and household items.
• To save on labor costs, ask friends to help with big projects or barter your skills.
• Use garage sales and consignment stores to buy and sell.
• Organize your home to avoid replacing lost items.
• Borrow seldom used items.
• Shop around! If you take your time, you can usually find the best deal.
• Alert friends to your upcoming purchases so they can keep an eye out.
• Choose items which are versatile enough for many purposes and seasons.

(Read free on-line: The Real Life Home School Mom - Digital Version or order a hard copy: The Real Life Home School Mom - Print Version)

I'm thinking of a few ways I've been able to do this recently around the house.

Lamp, straightened

Lamp, crooked

Today I bought a vintage lamp at a neighbor's yard sale for only $5.  The only problem is that it seemed to sit crooked on my desk (see right) due to a defect in the glass part of the base.  Fortunately, I was able to level it by propping up two of the feet with packets made from a matching color of scrapbooking paper. Can you tell the difference? I had been looking for a pretty desk lamp at Goodwill, and I'm glad I found this one even closer to home.

Brown paper squares

Folded up to make levelers

I use a rolling ice chest as my book cart to tote my English class materials to our home school co-op on Mondays. Unfortunately, the padded nylon cover ripped and was falling off.  I also had a shirt that was stained near the neckline, so I cut the shirt just below the arms and slipped the tube of fabric over the book cart as a new cover.  I tucked the top edge over a piece of elastic cord tied around the cart. The bottom of the shirt was already hemmed.  Then I made a front sign by printing my name on yellow card stock, attaching a post card, slipping it into a plastic page protector, and attaching it to the fabric with safety pins.  It's still not all that pretty, but better than it was!  It's a way to use something for a different purpose than its original design, as well as repair something that can still be used.

Tucking fabric into elastic

What Do You Stand For?
Some of the character qualities:
 empathy, honesty, purpose,
wisdom, courage, cooperation...
I bought this card at the
U.S. Holocaust Museum.
It communicates what
I want to teach.

So I don't have to bring my whole purse with me on Mondays, I bought a small velvet satchel at Goodwill for $2.99 -- just big enough for the essentials. I can drop it right into my book cart or take it out when I need to leave the room for lunch.  I've been using it a lot lately on errands, too.

Against the Tide by Miroslav Volf
and Embracing the Love of God
by James Bryan Smith

I love to read, but I don't have the space or money to be buying new books all the time.  I brought in a whole bunch of books we weren't using anymore and traded them for store credit at Brightlight, my favorite used bookstore.  Then I bought two books and a movie -- with no cash needed -- and I still have credit left over.  Double win!  We also bought a lot of used curriculum on-line this year, such as at eBay, Amazon, and www.HomeSchoolClassifieds.com.  This was definitely a case of shopping around for the best deals.

Add to the Beauty
by Sara Groves

My beloved iPod Touch fell on the floor at the pet store a couple of weeks ago and the screen shattered.  It would have cost almost $100 to replace.  Fortunately, I remembered that the person who gave it to me had bought an extended warranty with accident coverage.  I took it in to Best Buy and they gave me a brand new (and improved) iPod.  I also had a problem with my laptop recently, but it's under warranty too, so I was able to get the help I needed to completely reset it with another trip to the Geek Squad folks at Best Buy.  Now, as I'm typing this blog post, I'm also reloading all of my music onto my laptop and iPod from my CD collection, much of it bought at Brightlight.  Two of my daughters also gave me iTunes gift cards for my birthday -- an excellent choice since digital music and apps don't take space on my shelves and I can choose what I want!  I save more by only buying individual songs if I don't want a whole album.  Among other things, my husband gave me a CD called All That I Am by Annie Herring, who was one of my favorite artists in the 1980's. (Do you remember the Second Chapter of Acts band?  That was Annie and her brother and sister!)  I'm listening to it right now!  

Another of my daughters, after reading my blog post in which I mentioned a quote I had seen about books, hired my friend Taraleigh Davis of Inspired. Simply. Etsy (see also on FB at Inspired. Simply) to design this print with it.   My photo doesn't do it justice at all.  I'm sure you could order the same one from her if you like it, or tell her what you want on yours.  She does custom orders!

This daughter also gave me a beautiful bouquet of flowers in a mason jar.  She used these jars as lemonade and tea glasses at her country style wedding reception last year.  Very stylish!

Baklava

Boneless beef ribs

My husband grilled a delicious (belated) birthday dinner for me tonight. He found boneless beef ribs half price at Aldi today, and I bought a tray of baklava half price there the other day.  Yummy food!  Both of our married daughters, a son-in-law, and two grandsons came over so we had a very nice time. 

As a little bonus to this blog post, a song from the CD I just got:

Grace,
Virginia Knowles
www.ComeWearyMoms.blogspot.com

This post will be linked on: 

Simple Design's Share Your Thrift Haul series.

Food on Fridays

 

Raising Homemakers 

 

Domestically Divine Tuesday