Entertaining During The Holiday

When planning a meal for a crowd for a special event such as New Years, Valentines day or family events it's important to plan smart when thinking of appetizers. Keeping it simple, can be both elegant and save you money, as well. Over this Christmas season,  I served two items that are both inexpensive to put together, save time and can be prepped ahead.
     The first was Prosciutto Crostini, this dish only requires one loaf of french bread cut into thin slices approximately ¼ to ⅓ of an inch wide. Lay flat on a cookie tray.

Four slices of prosciutto which you will roll and slice in thin strips.

A ¼ lb of sliced provolone or mozzarella.  These you will also stack and cut into strips about ½” wide.

You will need a frying pan with 1 stick of butter and ¼ c of olive oil. Add to this 1 Tbs of chopped garlic. Saute the garlic and add either 1 tsp of Italian seasoning or ½ tsp of pesto for Approx 5 mins. Then take the butter and oil mixture and ladle onto each piece of french bread.

Cook in over for about 7 mins, to toast. Remove from oven.

Use either salsa or diced tomato’s and spread a small amount on each toasted piece of french bread. Then add a few pieces of prosciutto and the provolone.

Sprinkle a little Italian seasoning over top and put in the oven at 325 for 7 mins to melt cheese and heat. Take them out and you're ready to serve.

Your pricing on this for a nice size tray which will feed up to 10 to 15 people will only run approximately $7.00 max. I have also made these with just the fresh tomato from our garden and mozzarella with a little fresh basil on top. This brings your price to make down even further an is slightly more healthy. 

   Another option we tried was bacon wrapped dates. 
I cut the pound of bacon in half and pre cooked it, so it was still soft. You're only going to cook it about half way.
 Then took a bag of pitted dates and wrap each with a piece of  bacon. I put them on skewers so I would be able to throw them on the grill for about 5 mins on high. The  needed cook time is pretty fast and you can plate them quickly as well without tying up your oven.
     My guests were pleasantly surprised by how good they tasted. There were none left, and they went very fast. I buy my dates in a large bag, but which cost about $5.00, you will have many left over. The bacon was around $3.00, and this works great for a group of 10 to 15.
     Entertaining can be expensive so cutting your costs where you can and still putting out a nice meal and appetizers can help. There are also many other ideas out there that have been around for a long time. Pigs in a blanket which will run around $6.00 steamed dumplings you can make yourself or buy the frozen are also in that range. Another one of the great options are dips. If you stick to a simple one you can keep your costing around $5.00 total for the dip and the bread or crackers, to go with it.
     People don't always think about  punches or mixed Sangria’s. Its a great way to include wine with your meal without having to buy a lot to keep everyone happy. Fresh iced tea is just pennies per a glass and many people are delighted to get something other than soda.
     With New Years,  just a few days away you can still be smart and not over spend. In these tough economic times,  most of us are watching what we spend and where we choose to spend our hard earned money. Keep it in your pocket where it will do the most for you.

Saving At Christmas A Hard Choice to Follow

     Being so close to Christmas, we all are scrambling to take care of purchasing gifts for family and friends. One area you can save some money is by giving cookies or something else you have made yourself. I will often give teachers or co workers Jelly, bread, applesauce or my husbands special cranberry sauce that we have canned. Most people appreciate it because they don't have the time to do it themselves.
     Many of us really do feel the financial pinch during this time of the year, & that is understandable. We want to give to our kids, & families and let them enjoy Christmas. One thing we have learned is to set a cap when buying for our kids. One it keeps it fair when you have more then one kid and two you don’t go crazy and over spend.
     Another trick is to take a break and  wrap what you have already. Make a list of whom you still need to buy for, so you're not buying multi gifts. Christmas for many has become more about the gifts than the spirit of Christmas, for me that's kind of sad, but I know its pretty normal today. I can remember as a child my aunt would give us each a small box of chocolates. It only had about four chocolate in it, but it was special because it wasn’t something we got year round. I’ve tried to continue the tradition in our family with my own kids and grandkids. The older ones look for it, and the younger ones know they're getting something they don't always get. I know its something little but its a great idea for school gifts that are rather inexpensive yet still a nice way to say thank you.
     No one want to be the scrooge and take the fun out of Christmas, but this year when you're out running around make a plan and try to stick to it. If you see something that isn’t on your list, really think about it before you impulsively buy it. As parents,  we need to set a good example for our kids especially when it comes to spending.

     Far to many of us have at one time or another "and I do include myself in this" gone overboard at Christmas. Your kids ultimately want your time. Sure they want gifts from Santa but remember if you set that bar to high on how much you need to spend your not doing your kids any favors. Most toys, games and items they don't need wind up gathering dust in the closet.
      No,  here’s the hard tip for me to follow, but I am going to give it my best this year. Don't over cook. I know no one want the embarrassment of not having enough food at Christmas when family and friend get together but plan out your menu and stay with it. I will upload some of our favorite recipes for those leftovers that I’ve found.
     I know once the dust has cleared my kids just really want my time, so plan some easy things to do  while your kids are on break.. Go to the library get a couple of movies and have a movie marathon at home. Your kids will love the time you're spending with them, and it will mean more than you think. Make a project out of making cookies and include them. Or play card.
     Oh and one final thought include others. Christmas is about the giving, and inclusion we can extend to others who may be having a hard time this year. You have made someone’s day and remembered the Christmas spirit that is in all of us.

How to Prep When Your Not A Prepper.... Smart Choices

     For many who choose to prep,  there isn’t a cut and dried reason.  For some,  there are definitive reasons they choose to prep. Whether its because you believe that the Zombie Apocalypse is coming, the government is going to collapse, solar flares, floods, cyber attacks, or even if you believe that the economy will break  due to the financial inequality that exists within this country.
     The bottom line is for whatever reason you do believe that we are headed towards trouble or you wouldn’t prep in the first place. So where does that leave the average person who may not prep and doesn’t feel like life as we know it is going to end. Pretty much somewhere in between those who believe that everything is OK and preppers. In some ways,  I think that is where a lot of people fall. You're not out and out convinced that the poop will hit the fan, but you're not foolish enough to buy into the other extreme either.

     So what can you do? Well for starters as stated in a prior post set up a grab and go bag it won't hurt, and no one will ridicule you for putting your families and your safety first.  Another thing you may want to think about is this, how you are shopping? Are you buying for the week or could you get by in an emergency with what's in your closets? Taking a few extra precautions won't turn you into a bona fide prepper. Truthfully it will put you in a position of being more self reliant, items like canned chicken, spam, and canned ham are good staples to have in your closet. You may never need them, but they have a long shelf life and it doesn’t take much to prepare them. Lipton rice and pastas when they're on sale buy a bunch and stick in the back of your cupboard.

     These are just a few packaged items that are easy to use in an emergency. I have a box of powdered milk, and dried eggs  I keep in my pantry. Truthfully it has come in handy when I am cooking and realize I'm out of milk or eggs.  If you cook, I am sure you know what its like when you realize you need an ingredient, and you don't have it. There are ways to get around obstacles that come up in life, and this is about learning how to navigate around them.
     Is it a good Idea to keep a couple of cases of bottled water on hand? Sure just ask the residents of Newark who couldn't drink their tap water because of an unexpected accident they had no water for several days to two weeks.
     It isn't my job to push anyone to embrace prepping. That is a personal decision that a person or family needs to make on their own. What I am advocating is being smarter in how we do things. Sure keep those two 5 gallon gas cans filled in your shed or garage. Look what happened during Sandy, if you didn't have the fuel you were all too often driving 25 to 50 miles away just to get it. Each of us as individuals needs to start using  our common sense again, when it comes to taking care of ourselves. If you look back even to the 30’s or 40’s many of the farms and ranches in this country, were pretty much self sufficient, some still are today. That isn’t about  prepping its about taking care of the NEEDS of the whole.  We are rushing into an electronic world becoming dependent on fast food, and faster service and frankly it is hurting us. Many of the essential things our parents taught us are being lost, and  the result is we as a culture are becoming ignorant of how to take care of ourselves.

     The tip for the week is this: Next time you go shopping pickup one or two of the extra’s that are on sale. I am mentioning that you can stick in the back of your pantry and forget about until you need them. As long as you know they are there you're one step closer to being self sufficient. Then the next time you go food shopping pick up another item that you can put in the closet and forget about until you need it.

Wants and Needs How to Save and Put Money in the Bank

It isn't always easy to save money when prices are always going up and our dollar is not stretching as far as it used  to. Lets face it when a sale at the grocery store used to mean you could get four boxes of pasta for a dollar or three cans of tuna for a dollar it was much easier to save money. As hard as it may be it is still possible, there are many different tricks you can use to save money for that rainy day.

The first thing we need to realize is the difference between want and need. Do you want it or do you really need it? We use this method in our house with purchase that are not obviously essential. Taking the five or ten minutes to discuss a purchase before making it can work out to savings in the long run. It takes real honesty with yourself to do this.

A great way, is to put your change in a jar each day. (Dont touch it or spend it.) Once the jar is full take it to the bank and add it to your savings account. You will be surprised by just how much you can wind up with at the end of the year if you do this. Our jar adds up to anywhere from $35.00 to 50.00 a month, thats $420.00 to $600.00.  

Another more traditional option is to take $20.00 each week and just put it in the bank. Pretend it isn’t there. In one year you’ll have $1,040.00 in the bank plus interest.

If you usually buy pizza once a week, make it instead. You can buy the dough for around a dollar and a jar of sauce and some shredded cheese puts you at around $5.00 to make a large Pizza. If you want to add toppings or make your own dough that’s a great way to save. It can also be a lot of fun if you have kids to include them in the process and let them put what they want on the pie. My kids all love doing this it becomes a great family activity.  We invested in a soda stream a couple of years ago and its does save money especially on pizza night when all anyone wants to drink is soda.

It all comes down to you and what you are willing to do to save money. There are many things we take for granted that we really don't need. Like buying prepackaged meals, you might think you're saving, but you're only really saving time and freshness. If you can stick it in a crockpot before you run out the door you can make your life more convenient.

the goal here is to learn to be smarter about our money and how we spend it. I am always looking for items on sale either at the end of season or after Christmas. Another option is to check online for school supplies or college books. If you can store something, that is a better buy in bulk then buy it, or if you don’t have the space see if a friend or two would be interested in splitting it. We all need to get away from this (I am an island) mentality and realize that your friends or your neighbor may be in the same boat. 

If you're looking for organic there are many farms on the internet that sell beef, pork or even chicken that is organic and not shot full of antibiotics. Pool your money and divvy it all up. You will find that in the long run you are saving money vs. what you would pay in the grocery store. Your friends or family may thank you for including them in the idea.

If you have any great idea’s for how you save money please feel free to share them or email them to me.

Saving money isn’t just about watching the thermostat or turning off the lights. Its about the bigger picture. Remember its starts with baby steps.