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It has been awhile since I lasted posted, my only excuse is:  The Holidays wore me out!

I also have been trying out some new recipes I found both online and in some of my mothers old cookbooks.

This one we are having tonight.   I love the simplicity of a sub.   I will serve it with a tossed salad for a complete meal.

Ingredients

* 1  egg, lightly beaten
* 1/3  cup fine dry bread crumbs
* 2/3  cup finely chopped onion (2 small)
* 1/2  teaspoon salt
* 1/2  teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
* 1/4  teaspoon ground black pepper
* 1-1/2  pounds lean ground beef
* 1  15-ounce can tomato sauce
* 1/2  cup chopped green sweet pepper (1 small)
* 2  tablespoons packed brown sugar
* 1  tablespoon yellow mustard
* 1  teaspoon chili powder
* 1/4  teaspoon garlic salt
* 1/4  teaspoon ground black pepper
* 1/8  teaspoon bottled hot pepper sauce
* 8  hoagie buns, split and toasted
* 2  cups shredded mozzarela cheese (8 ounces)

Directions

1. In a large bowl, stir together egg, bread crumbs, 1/3 cup onion, the salt, oregano, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Add ground beef; mix well. Shape meat mixture into 32 balls. Arrange meatballs in a single layer in an ungreased 15×10x1-inch baking pan. Bake, uncovered, in a 350 degree F oven for 25 minutes. Drain off fat.

2. For the sauce, in a 3-1/2- or 4-quart slow cooker, stir together tomato sauce, the remaining 1/3 cup onion, the sweet pepper, brown sugar, mustard, chili powder, garlic salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, and the hot pepper sauce. Add cooked meatballs, stirring gently to coat with sauce.

3. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 3 to 4 hours or on high-heat setting for 1-1/2 to 2 hours.

4. Place four meatballs on the bottom of each bun. Top with some of the sauce and a slice of cheese. Add bun tops. Makes 8 servings.

Better Homes And Garden Magazine

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Or any time really.   The last minute gift shopping and wrapping is over in this house.  It is time to get down to some serious celebrating of the season!

Our cookies are done, stuffed cabbage done, kielbasa bought, Pierogis are made.  What else?  Not much…except maybe appetizers.  After all when my family gathers for the holidays we “graze” as my daughter likes to tell it.

Here are some grazing appetizers for you to try.

Roll ‘Em Ups. Spread a thin layer of your favorite cream cheese spread on large flour tortillas (you can use plain, herb, sun-dried tomato, or spinach-flavored). Top with thin layers of turkey or roast beef, thinly sliced tomato, and baby spinach leaves. Roll the tortilla up very tightly, similar to a jelly roll. Chill rolls for about 30 minutes, then cut rolls into slices, creating small finger sandwiches.  These are also good after Christmas for snacks, use whatever cheeses you like and thinly sliced ham or turkey.   Great way to use some leftovers.

Where’s the Shrimp? Who doesn’t love shrimp? For a super-easy appetizer, thaw cooked frozen shrimp (or steam, saute, or boil your own raw shrimp). Place bowls of dipping sauces on a platter (such as tartar or cocktail sauce or aioli), then surround the bowls with the cooked shrimp.

Dip This. Every party needs a dip, but here’s an option that’s a little bit more gourmet. Purchase garlic- or basil-flavored oil or make your own variations by stirring herbs, garlic, or grated Parmesan cheese into olive oil. Pour the oil into small dipping dishes and serve with chunks of focaccia or baguette slices for dipping.

Twisted Salsa. Here’s a fun salsa variation that’s almost a meal in itself. Combine drained canned black beans, thawed frozen corn, chopped roma tomatoes, sliced green onions, chopped cilantro, chopped green pepper, and chopped avocado. Toss the mixture with some lime juice, salt, and pepper. If you like, you can also add chopped garlic, sliced black olives, chopped jalapeno peppers, or anything else! Serve with tortilla chips, or just give guests a spoon to dig in!

All of these recipes are from Better Homes and Gardens, one of my favorite magazines.

Happy “Grazing” and have a safe holiday season!

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Christmas traditions are part of every family experience. Whether it is spending time shopping, going to parties, staying home with family and friends these traditions are important.

They are important because they give continuity to family. Something you can look forward to year after year. Something your parents did, your grandparents and if you are very lucky your great-grandparents.

In my family it is the traditional cookie baking Sunday. It started when the children were small and the only treat I could afford to give them during the holidays were homemade cookies. The kids and I spent one Sunday making cookies together. We then gave them as gifts to teachers, friends, the local shelter, and the nursing home down the street. The children would make the wrapping out of whatever paper was available even newspaper. Presents came from the heart, not the department store, and because the children helped in making the recipients appreciated the presents all the more.

Since the children have become adults and moved out of the home you would think this little tradition would have been forgotten. The truth is it hasn’t. My daughter who is the oldest and one of my twin sons spend the second Sunday in December in our kitchen making cookies to hand out to friends. They still take cookies to the local shelter for other children to enjoy.

It is a time of much laughter and memories. The recipes have broadened to include some new favorites. One of the newer cookies for them to make is a recipe handed down to me from my grandmother. It is a simple sugar cookie with a twist. The recipe is at the bottom of this article.

This is a tradition that I have passed down to my children and hopefully if any of them have children they will pass down to my grandchildren. Gifts do not have to be store bought, do not have to have a dollar sign attached; they should come from the heart.

During the holiday season take a moment to reflect what you have rather than what you can’t afford and start a new tradition. Maybe it is taking baked goods to a shelter, to a nursing home, give of yourself in little ways and involve your children. Teach them the tradition of giving.

Soft Sugar Cookies (Gram’s Cookies)
½ cup of shortening
1 cup of sugar
1 egg
½ cup milk (best if sour)
pinch of salt
½ tsp of baking soda
2 ¼ c flour
2 tsp of baking powder
1 tsp vanilla
banana 1-2
chocolate chips- whatever feels right to you
Maraschino cherries cut in half.
A little cherry juice

Mix all with a spoon, not an electric mixer. Combine shortening with the sugar. Add egg,, blend in milk and vanilla and a small amount of cherry juice. Sift in flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix all together very good with large spoon.
Last add 2 mashed bananas and chocolate chips. Drop by spoonfuls on a lightly greased cookie sheet ( I use parchment paper) and sprinkle with sugar and top each with a maraschino cherry. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes

(I want to say that I was luckY that Gram lived with us while growing up, a plate of these cookies was always made for us when we got home from school. She never had a written recipe. Her cup of anything was measured with a coffee cup, her teaspoons with a regular table teaspoon. For that reason these measurement might be a little off. She gave us the recipe towards the end of her life. When the texture looks the right consistency, then you have added enough flour. Have fun and enjoy)

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It never fails, we budget for our groceries, but the bill always ends up being more. We underestimate, run out of things faster than expected and overall, everything is becoming just too darned expensive! To make things a little bit easier, here are 9 simple ways you can start saving money on your groceries.

1. Go with a List: Yes, I know…it’s a pretty obvious suggestion, but it’s amazing how effective it can be. You can purchase only what you need and avoid all the other yummy distractions of the grocery store.

2. Meal Planning: Planning your meals in advance makes it easier to get your list together and ensure you buy only exactly what you need. You can get help with your meal planning at Dine Without Whine AND they actually put your grocery list together for you too.

3. Eat Before You Go: Another classic tip. If you’re hungry, you’ll want to buy (and instantly eat) everything! Have a meal or good snack before you go to avoid impulse purchases.

4. Stock Up on Staple Items When They’re On Sale: If you see ketchup or your family’s favorite sauce on sale, stock up. Or if it’s a certain type of soup or frozen vegetable your family eats all the time, buy a bunch of it. As long as it doesn’t spoil and you have space to store it, you will save money in the long run. The nice thing about this is if you continue to stock up on a variety of items, you’ll have a nice pantry full of food at any given time.

5. Cook from Scratch More Often: Yeah, yeah…it sounds easier said than done, but it doesn’t have to be too complicated. It’s no secret that pre-packaged items and convenience foods come at a premium price. They save you time in preparation, but they eat up your budget and let’s face it, time IS money. Plus, if you’re using Tip #2 and planning your meals, cooking from scratch more often is a whole lot easier.

6. Comparison Shop Before You Leave Home: No, I’m definitely not suggesting you go from store-to-store looking for the best deal. That takes too much time. Check the flyers that come to your door and see who is offering the best deals on what you actually need. If you don’t have any flyers at your door, visit the store website as they generally post flyers online.

7. Use Coupons Sparingly: Sure, coupons offer a great deal, but most coupons you’ll find are for items you don’t really need or use. Resist the urge to think, “Wow, that’s a good deal” and search for coupons based on items you need to purchase instead.

8. Keep the Little Ones At Home: If you have young children that want everything that they see, it’s easy to get into the trap of buying items you don’t need, treats that aren’t healthy and become victim to other grocery store distractions. Keep the kids at home with Daddy (it’s a good bonding opportunity) or a relative. You can even swap grocery store shopping times with your neighbor. Not only will you save money, but you’ll save your sanity too!

9. Make Quick Stops for Fresh Ingredients: This may not be easy if you’re on a tight schedule, but if you can work it in, it can save you a bundle. One of the biggest culprits in grocery budgets gone bad is spoiled food. If your fruits, veggies and other perishable items are always going bad, consider shopping for them more frequently, but in smaller quantities and restrain yourself from buying items you don’t need. If you have any teenaged kids, this would be a great chore for them too.

There you go – 9 ways to save on groceries. But in order to make these tips work, you really need to have a plan in place. You need to know what your family needs and what you’ll be eating. To make your meal planning a whole lot easier, sign up for you 1 ¢ no-risk trial at Dine Without Whine. You and your grocery budget will be glad you did.

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Grocery shopping is a chore most of us dread. It can be especially frustrating once you get home and realize you forgot to get an item or you neglected to give the clerk your coupon for that great buy one get one for free deal. You organize every other aspect of your life, so focus that organizational discipline towards your grocery shopping efforts as well.

Start by planning your shopping trips. In order to make a list of what you’ll need for meals that week, you’ll also need to get into the habit of planning your meals out each week. Choose a day of the week to do your shopping and stick to it. If you do your grocery shopping on Wednesdays when the ads break, be sure your menu planning is completed on Tuesday. Once you’ve completed your menu, you can construct your shopping list.

It’s also important to take a current inventory of your pantry and cupboards, and add any staples that are running low. It’s easy to forget that you used the last can of mushroom soup in that new recipe you tried, so make sure you have a couple of other cans on hand when you make it again.

Keep a shopping list posted to your bulletin board or refrigerator, and be sure each family member knows where it is located. That way they can easily add an item to the list that is almost gone or request a favorite item on the next trip.

There are printable grocery shopping lists on the internet, but you might want to consider devising one of your own and saving it on your computer so it can easily be printed each week. Leave room on your list to flag yourself about which items are listed for sale and which ones you have coupons for. Make sure your coupons are organized and in order and that you have a copy of the current ad in case there are any discrepancies once you get there. Come armed with calculator in hand to avoid suffering from sticker shock at the checkout register.

You can save hundreds each year on your groceries just by meal planning! For a step by step guide, check out Meal Planning for Busy Moms!

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