Do you like Cake?

Sister, are you ever in the right place today!!

My girlfriend Amanda swung by my place today with these Margarita Cupcakes, and they are SO delicious! They are just another great example of how easy it is to get creative with flavors and ingredients in baking! By using frozen margarita mix, the cake is SO moist and with fresh lemons and limes, you create a sweet cupcake with a tangy zip! I love ‘em! I’m pretty sure they are going to be a staple of every Cinco de Mayo from now on! (Don’t forget to go here for Cinco de Mayo cocktails!!)

Amanda’s Margarita Cupcakes

Cake:
•1 white cake mix
•3 egg whites
•1 10 oz can of frozen Bacardi margarita mix
•1 Tbsp grated lime peel
•1 Tbsp lime juice

Icing:
•1 8 oz pkg cream cheese
•1 stick of butter
•1 Tbsp lemon peel grated
•1-2 Tbsp lime juice
•2-3 drops green food coloring
•5+ cups powdered sugar (you’ll need less if you omit the alcohol)
•1 shot tequila (optional)
Part of what makes this recipe so great is how easy it is to put together!

To Prepare the Cake:
Preheat oven to 350°

Combine all the ingredients for the cake into a medium mixing bowl and pour into a lined cupcake pan.

Bake for 20 minutes and cool completely before frosting.

Making the Frosting:
Use a hand mixer to beat together softened cream cheese and butter.

Add the lemon peel, lime juice, food coloring, vanilla and tequila, if you’re using it.

Beat in powdered sugar 1 cup at a time.

Ice! As you can see, Amanda’s are beautiful and professional. She used a piping bag, and made ‘em all fancy, which you can easily do. YOU KNOW if I’d made them, they would have looked way more wonkey

If you’d prefer to make a sheet cake instead of cupcakes, Amanda says to pour the batter into a greased 9×13 pan and change the bake-time to 30 minutes.

I think I might make it my mission to find a way to incorporate strawberries into this recipe… yum!!

It’s true. In the past, when I’ve needed to tighten my belt, one of the first thing I’ve always thrown by the wayside was “products for myself”. I skimp on quality, swapping my higher end products for generics, or skipping them all together. This comes from my Mrs. K, who is exactly the same. We both sacrifice what we see as “unnecessary comforts”. The problem is, even when we are no longer in need of pinching pennies, we continue to neglect ourselves. We wind up having convinced ourselves that we can live without this stuff all together, which is true, but it’s not actually “for the best”…

I’m 30 years old, and I guess that’s about the time when you start really OVER-examining your face for wrinkles and scanning the back of your hands for the beginning of an age spot… I’m not sure why we all get so hard on ourselves, but we do. My skin, like my mothers, is very dry. Neither of us ever use lotion. Somewhere along the line, we convinced ourselves we didn’t need it, I guess. Honestly, I can’t STAND to have lotion on me… it feels sticky and then I feel like dust is sticking to me, and I feel nasty… ugh! I know, I’m weird, but… point is, I’ve neglected my skin for a long time, KNOWING that I shouldn’t. So has Mrs. K. I don’t think either of us look as awesome as we could.

Earlier in the season, I had some lavender outside that I forgot to water for a couple of days. It wilted. Of course, it was still alive, it was just weak and kinda wrinkly and limp… just minutes after watering it, the plants started perking up and filling back out. It took something that normal and “everyday” for me to realize how bad it must be for my skin to go unprotected all the time. (I mean… Raisins!! HELLOOO, TESS!! HAHA!) I’m outside a lot, and I use sunscreen, but I never re-hydrate my skin (besides drinking water).

Back to Walgreens… My parents were coming for a visit, and whenever I have guests, I like to pick out a few things to leave for them as gifts on the dresser in the spare bedroom. I decided to pick up a few of the “Yes To…” products for my mother to try out while she was here. I ran off to Walgreens, and spent $60 on an eye-brightening roller-ball, soothing eye gel and a night time mask. I realize that’s not much compared to what some folks spend, but for me it seemed like a lot. Anyway, Mrs. K LOVED the stuff!! As soon as she saw it waiting for her on the dresser, she washed her face and applied the products. It was only a few moments before she was raving about the cooling sensation, and saying that she felt like her skin was tightening a bit. She was in love instantly.

While checking out all the different products they had available, I found out that a portion of the proceeds from the sale of every “Yes To…” product goes to their “Yes to Seed Fund”. The money funds programs and grants which involve youth in healthier lifestyles. (check out all of their programs and challenges here) You know how I LOVE those companies that give back!!

Well of COURSE, now *I* HAD to try it… but the price was still putting me off. I was running into Walgreens for something, and took my usual route down the “lotions and scrubs” aisle. POW! All of the “Yes To…” products were “buy one, get one 50% off”. YEEEEE HAAAAWW!!!

Even though the sale was Mon-Sat, and I was there on Tuesday, the shelves were nearly empty. CLEARLY I wasn’t the only person waiting for a sale on the stuff!! I took that as another good sign, and grabbed as many different items as I could. It was all I could do to WAIT until the evening when I could shower and clean my face to start slathering the stuff all over myself! I LOOOOVE PRODUCTS!!! LOL!

I didn’t think to snap any pictures of my face and hands. I should have. The stuff I bought has all been AWESOME. Mrs. K was right, as soon as you put the eye stuff on, you can feel it refreshing and cooling. I noticed that my skin seemed brighter the very first morning I had slept in the night cream. After 5 days of semi-regular use of the body lotion, my skin was clearly already healing from years of neglect. The dark circles under my eyes are going away (Mrs. K reports that hers are gone!). NOTHING is greasy, and everything has a fresh, clean, gentle fragrance that is not overpowering at all, but actually very pleasant! This is good, quality stuff, ladies!!! AND- I TOTALLY HAVE A SECRET to share with you about how to get it without needing to wait for a sale!!! (read on!)

The “Yes To…” Company has 4 different product lines, and each line contains various lotions, serums, creams, shampoos, body butters, lip moisturizers etc, all designed specifically for certain types of skin:

Blueberry- Age Refresh
Cucumber- Soothing
Tomato- Clear Skin (acne prone/sensitive skin)
Carrot- Nourishing

There are so many different products, there was no way I could grab them all, but I TRIED! I got my hands on:

•Brightening Eye Roller(Blueberry)
•Soothing Eye Gel (Cucumber)
•Daily Moisture Body Lotion (Carrot)
•Repairing Night Cream (Carrot)
•Hypoallergenic Facial Towelettes (Cucumber)
•Cooling Body Butter (Cucumber)
•Nourishing Carrot Shampoo

Brightening Eye Roller
99% Natural • paraben free • free of Petroleum and SLS

This is the only “Yes to Blueberry” product I have tried so far. It’s a roller-ball applicator that you gently roll around your eyes. (I have read a few reviews where folks complain about the ball not rolling- you have to start it with your fingers when you first pull it out of the box. After it’s first use, it’s always ready to go)

I enjoyed the feeling this product gave my eyes. I can’t really describe it… it was almost a slight firming feeling. The box mentions wanting to wink, and that’s EXACTLY what you want to do! You must be gentle with the roller ball. If you already have dark circles or puffy skin, you really need to use this product very gently on that sensitive skin. In fact, I would suggest that if you do have issues around your eyes, that you use some of the other products FIRST, and then take on the roller ball. This is the first product I tried, and the one I liked the least, but I still I liked it! I have put it away for a bit, so that I could get the skin under my eyes a bit more healthy and firm again before using. That’s just my personal preference, based on what feels best for my own skin! I can’t wait to get back to using it again! It really felt cool!

Soothing Eye Gel
99% natural • paraben free • free of petroleum and SLS • Hypoallergenic •

This stuff is AMAZING. I have no idea what kind of horrible abuse I put the skin around my eyes through, but when I put this gel on, I feel INSTANT RELIEF. I find myself using very, very small “dots” of it about three time per day, a little goes a really long way. It has decreased the puffyness below my eyes, and the darkness is going away. I try my best to be as gentle as possible when dabbing this product into my skin, and it really seems to work! My eyes are brightened and refreshed! LOVE IT! I should also probably mention that there was only ONE BOTTLE of this left on the shelves during the sale, so you know it’s a popular product! Even though I’m writing so little, this is one of my FAVORITE products. There is so much in the container, that I think I can use it for a few months without running out, even at 3 applications per day! It feels SO GOOD, no reason to hold back!

Daily Moisture Body Lotion
97% natural • paraben free • free of petroleum and SLS

Ok. In real life, there are too many lotions available. LOL! From the age of 9 on, we all get gift packs full of them. Around 13 or 14, we spend all our allowance on them at Bath and Body Works… EVERY woman has a brand they prefer after trying a million different kinds, so every time you visit a girlfriends house, you should be able to try a few that you’ve never even heard of before!

Of the millions available, I’ve never LOVED a single one. The closest to anything I could say I ever liked is Burt’s Bees Milk and Honey, which I have always used on my tattoos with great success.

This product blows everything I’ve every tried out of the water. I’ll never buy another lotion again! It’s NOT greasy. I’ve never tried a lotion that claimed to be “non greasy” that actually lived up to it. THIS ONE DOES!! It’s BEAUTIFUL! Besides that, the sent is very gentle, and it actually does smell of carrots! It’s not distracting or overpowering at all. It absorbs into your skin quickly and leaves you feeling soft instead of “lubed up”. Hah hah The soft feeling lasts all day.

I noticed that they had this product with added SPF 30… DEFINITELY picking some of THAT up next time for my days in the garden!!!

Repairing Night Cream
98% natural • paraben free • free of petroleum and SLS • Hypoallergenic •

WOW. People say that, but I REALLY mean it! I now use this EVERY NIGHT without fail. That being said, I’ve hardly even put a dent in the cream! I just put a little on my fingertips and dab all over my face before gently rubbing it in. It took me three days just to go through the little smudge that was left on the lid during packaging!

This is a powerful product, and again, just like the Carrot Lotion, it’s NOT greasy! You can tell that this is “thicker” than the lotion, and it does not sink in so quickly, but it’s still extremely pleasant to have on your face. After a few moments, I don’t even notice it anymore. When I wake up in the morning, every morning, the skin on my face looks bright and awake before I even hit the shower and put makeup on! HUGE fan of this stuff!! They also make a cucumber night cream, I’ll bet it’s perfect for the summer months, when the sun kisses our faces all day!

Facial Towelettes
98% natural • paraben free • free of petroleum and SLS • Hypoallergenic •

Oh man. Ok. After using these ONCE, I went back to Walgreens and stocked up during the sale!! These are amazing, you’ve GOT to try them! From the fact that they are cooling and soothing, to the perfect packaging, this product totally scores an A+.

First of all, the towelettes are not only large, but PLUSH. Using them in a normal way on the face will NEVER result in tearing, and they are super soft. Instead of each towelette being folded into the next so they pull up (like tissues), they are folded individually, which is AWESOME because that means the ones remaining in the package never start to dry up. GIANT leap forward in packaging techniques! LOL!

You’ll find that the towelettes are big enough to only need one. They efficiently remove makeup while soothing and cooling your skin at the same time. I find that these towlettes clean my face as well as cleansers that typically just leave my skin feeling dried out and tight. I have had excellent eye makeup remover from Clinique before, but it worked so well because it was full of chemicals. This product blows all of those expensive, harsh methods completely out of the water. After it cleans your face, it leaves it moisturized and fresh.

They are absolutely luxurious. Like flying in first class and getting warm towels… if you only decide to try ONE of the “Yes To…” products, consider making it this one!

(Quick tip! Every once in a while, they wrap these up in two-packs- which is a steal! I managed to get the two-packs during the BOGO50% sale… keep your eyes open for those deals!)

Body Butter
98% natural • paraben free • free of petroleum and SLS

No way I every would have tried anything called “body butter” in the past. Like I mentioned before, I just can’t STAND feeling sticky or greasy or slimy, and the term “body butter” has always kinda given me a strange image in my head. I never would have imagined using it until I figured out how much I liked the lotions in this line!

After a shower, towel off and use the body butter while your skin is still warm. It just MELTS into your skin. I chose the cucumber body butter because it also has almond in it, and OH MAN, it smells GREAT! Again, fresh and gentle scent that doesn’t overwhelm. The formula is not greasy, and makes you feel clean instead of “buttered”. I haven’t been using this product every day (out of thrifty-ness), but it’s REALLY spectacular, I’m certain I’m a “body butter” convert. It makes my skin feel so good, I ALMOST feel guilty!

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Oh yeah!! I promised you a tip on getting these products at sale prices every day! Alright, everyone knows what a big fan of Amazon I am, so it may not come as a surprise that this is an Amazon tip! If you are an Amazon.com Prime member, check out the Subscribe and Save feature. It’s SO COOL. You can set up products which you use frequently to be shipped straight to your door on your own schedule! The shipping is FREE, and the products can be delivered as often as every month! Best part? Setting up products on Subscribe and Save entitles you to 15% off on everything in the order, every day!!! Stop spending cash on gas, and spend less on products and groceries! Save time! Subscribe and Save!!

Click this link to go directly to the “Yes To…” products that are eligible for Subscribe and Save!!!

Order through any of our Amazon.com links and we’ll send 100% of the commission that we earn straight to this quarter’s charity!! Remember, the “Yes To…” company ALSO makes a donation to charity each time they sell a product. Shopping has never been so GOOD for your Karma before!!!

Woah. Peanut Butter Cake. I understand the convo went something like this:

Rick: Thank you SO much for your help on this project! Hey! My wife is a pretty decent cook, let me have her make you something to show our appreciation! What would you like?
Other Dude: Cake!
Rick: What kind of cake?
Other Dude: Oh. uhhhh… what flavors can she make?
Rick: (with pride and confidence) She can make ANYTHING!
Other Dude: I like peanut butter.
Rick: Me too.
Other Dude: I’ve never seen a peanut butter cake.
Rick: Me either, but Tess can do it!

NICE!

Most of the time, when peanut butter is incorporated into a cake, it’s in the frosting. The cake is usually chocolate. I think that’s partially because peanut butter can be difficult to bake with. Most of the time, it makes things (like cookies) too dry. It’s easy to over-compensate and make your goodies too greasy. Baking with peanut butter is a challenge I don’t often undertake. I guess most people don’t, so I agreed to work on a recipie.

Since I don’t have a lot of successful experience with peanut butter in cake batter, I wouldn’t want to mess it up and send something crappy. So the first thing I decided to do was to make cupcakes instead of “a cake”. I wouldn’t be able to test a cake and then send it to the recipient with a big slice cut out of it, so this was the easiest solution I could think of.

Next, I thought a lot about the dry vs greasy issue. Most recipes call for at least ¼ cup of butter with the peanut butter, and that’s alotta grease! I cut the butter and kicked up the taste by using a peanut butter with a lot of flavor in it. I usually buy my store brand’s peanut butter. Occasionally, I buy some kind of specialty nut butter as a treat for myself. Today, while I was shopping, I found this Honey Roasted peanut butter by Peter Pan. (Is Peter Pan EVERYONE’s childhood fave?!) I could only find it in creamy, but they make a regular version and a natural version, which was the jar that I chose for this project.

I already had an awesome frosting recipe in mind, but then I started to think about ways to avoid dry, crumbly peanut butter cupcakes. I decided to fill them with my favorite local Raspberry Champagne preserves. Then I realized that the jam would make the cake soggy- something else I wanted to avoid. So, I figured… if I mix the preserves with some fluff… that ought to work just perfectly (and it did!).

Peanut Butter Cupcakes
• 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/2 TBS butter
• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1-2 tsp vanilla

Filling
• 1 ½ cup raspberry preserves
• 1-3 TBS fluff

Peanut Butter Frosting
• 1/4 cup butter crisco
• 2/3 cup peanut butter
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup milk

To make the Cupcakes
Preheat your oven to 325°

Cream the peanut butter, butter and brown sugar together with a hand mixer. Add the eggs, one at a time.

Combine the dry ingredients and then add the mixture to the batter alternately with the milk. Add vanilla last.

Spoon into baking cups about ¾ way full.

Bake for 20-25 minutes. They are done when a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. As they cool, you can poke holes in each cupcake to make a little more space for your filling. Allow to cool completely before continuing.

Making the Preserve Filling
Combine whatever preserves you choose with some fluff in a plastic zippy bag. Snip a small hole in one tip of the bag, and use it to pipe the filling into each cupcake.

Preparing the Frosting
This couldn’t be easier. In a medium mixing bowl, beat all ingredients together, adding the powdered sugar one cup at a time alternately with milk.

Frost liberally.

I’m going to teach you how to make your very own Irish Cream Liqueur. This is seriously awesome. You might be able to tell that Bonnie and I are Irish. In all truth, Bonnie is more Irish than I am, but heck, even those of us who are 100% Chinese, Egyptian or Brazilian are a little bit Irish on St. Patrick’s Day, right?! It’s a great day. Brotherhood and drink. Seriously great day.

My whole life… well, my adult life anyway, I’ve been happy drinking beer. I’m not really one for hard liquor (It’d be so much classier if I were!). On St. Patrick’s day, I’ve been known to let my beer drinking skills be shown in their full glory. Over the last few years though, the focus for me has gone away from drinking and more to cooking. The beautiful thing is, you can combine the flavors of your favorite alcoholic beverages in your desserts around holidays. If you’re interested in trying out Guinness and Irish Cream cake, click here! It’s a nice way to treat yourself without going overboard. But keeping bottles of alcohol around the house only to use them occasionally is expensive, and if you’ve got teens around, it may not be your favorite idea. So, here’s a way to make your own Irish Cream whenever you want it. You’ll never pay premium prices for a brand name like Bailey’s around the holidays again!

Homemade Irish Cream

•Half of a 750ml bottle of Irish Whiskey
•1 cup heavy cream
•4 eggs
•2 TBS chocolate syrup (I prefer dark chocolate syrup)
•2 tsp instant espresso
•1 tsp vanilla extract
•½ tsp almond extract

Now, how easy is this:

Put all ingredients EXCEPT the whiskey into your blender, and process until it is completely combined.

Add the whiskey and mix well again. It’s a good idea to pour the mix through a strainer or cheese cloth, to be sure there are no pieces of eggshell or instant espresso lingering.

This will keep for around a month in the refrigerator, but I’m pretty sure it won’t stick around that long!

I think the biggest complaint I hear about vegetarian meal is that people are afraid they will be “unfulfilling”. I promise, vegetarians eat till they’re full, I’ve seen it! Sometimes, what meat-eaters miss most about vegetarian meals is the dense texture of meat. Those who are uninitiated in the habits of vegetarians sometimes think that everything they eat is steamed and mushy. Maybe it used to be like that for vegetarians in the “meat and potato” age, but not today!

Vegetarian/organic restaurants are popping up everywhere these days, and the reason for their success is the variety of flavors and textures in the dishes. Now, I can’t claim to be any kind of world-class vegetarian chef, I don’t know a lot of wonderful meatless recipes, but I’m working on sprinkling them into our routine as I see ones I want to try. One of Rick’s favorites is Eggplant Parmesan. This isn’t a recipe that’s “hot off the stove” of some cutting edge cooking channel chef, it’s not new. BUT, it’s a great way to start your family off with a vegetarian meal they will certainly all find familiar and enjoy. Besides that, it’s easy, and the prep time is really only a few minutes.

Eggplant Parmesan
•(pasta to serve your crowd)
•1 eggplant
•1 egg
•tomato sauce
•breadcrumbs
•flour
•garlic powder
•onion powder
•salt
•pepper
•cheese (I frequently use provolone, mozzarella and/or parmesan)
•onion (optional)
•bell pepper (optional)

Prepare your pasta.

Wash the eggplant, and slice it into about 1 inch thick slices, laid out in a single layer in your baking dish.

Now right here at the beginning is where you can elevate your eggplant parmesan from all the rest, and it’s so simple! These awesome sisters, Emily and Sarah, that I hung with when I lived in San Marcos, Texas taught me this trick- salt the eggplant.

Let the eggplant sit under the sprinkle of salt for about 10 minutes. You will notice that the eggplant will weep a clear liquid that turns brownish. It’s actually kind of bitter-tasting, so using salt to extract it will make the flavor of your eggplant sweeter.

(if you want to add sautéed onions and bell pepper to this recipe to make the texture more interesting, use this time to chop and cook them)

Pour the liquid out of the roasting pan and rinse each slice of eggplant. Be sure to pat them dry.

Set up your breading station. Lay out your egg (scrambled) flour and breadcrumbs. I like to use both flour and breadcrumbs on this recipe. It’s more breading than you really need, but again, it helps add another layer of texture to the dish. Add whatever spices and herbs you want to the breadcrumbs, I like garlic and onion powder, sometimes some oregano…

Bread your eggplant slices in the following order: egg, flour, egg, breading

Lightly fry the breading until golden brown. I just use a little olive oil in a frying pan.

Pour a layer of sauce on the bottom of the roasting pan. Add your pasta, some more sauce, and lay each slice of eggplant out in one layer, if possible.

Tuck them in a 350° oven for about 30 minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven, and add whatever cheese you like.

Put the pan under the broiler and allow the cheese to melt and brown.

Serve with more sauce.

Well… Apparently… Yes.

For all of the neurotic junk I’ve shared with you so far, this part- the end of the grocery trip- is the part that drives shopping partners of all ages nuts! The check-out aisle is the “make it or break it” stage of the grocery trip, as far as I’m concerned. A mistake here could cost me money or hours of cleaning and who know what other tortures…

So much happens at this stage. First, you must unload your groceries onto the belt. Then someone’s checking out your items, and a third person, usually a kid who has never been grocery shopping themselves, is bagging. It’s hard to watch the register screen for the correct prices and load the belt while keeping an eye on that kid down there, who’s just thrown your potatoes on top of your hamburger buns…

Set yourself up for success at the check-out by planning ahead just a little. I seriously do know how crazy this sounds, but I’m already thinking about my check-out routine as I load my cart. Being able to think a step or two ahead will not only make for a faster trip, it can help keep your food fresh and seriously lower the level of frustration you have to absorb during the day.

As I walk around the store, I place items in my cart carefully. I usually use the child-seat portion to stack fresh fruits and vegetables. If I buy bread, I put it right on top of the fruits. The grocery carts at my favorite store also have a shallow rack at the very front of the cart, and I use this for raw meats. In my opinion, raw meat is one of the biggest reasons to organize your food both in the cart and on the belt. You don’t want to risk contamination, so when possible, I keep the meat as separate from everything else.

If I am working a “stock-up” trip, as I walk down the middle aisles, I try to keep boxes and cans stacked neatly, and make sure that like-products are together. I keep all my coupons on the top, tucked under a piece of chocolate or whatever

As I load cold items from around the edge of the store into my cart, things like cheese, sour cream, milk, etc… keep them together as well. You want the cold items to help each other stay cold. Stack frozen items on your dairy, etc. Try to do the frozen section last.

Organizing you stash in your cart before you hit the line really helps. Doing things to help the checker makes everything faster. For instance, I like to be sure that if I buy two or more of anything, I stack them together on the belt. Many experienced checkers will count how many packets there are (or whatever you’re buying) and just scan one barcode a bunch of times while they send the rest of the batch down the chute to be bagged. If you keep like items together on the belt, they also tend to stay together as they slide into the bagging area. If the bagger can see a bunch of like-products all together, he’s likely to bag them together, which makes unpacking easier!

I start loading the belt as soon as I see the chance. I love to be able to get a lot of my carts contents organized on the belt before the checker starts to ring up my order. Then, when it’s my turn, I can pay attention to the prices go across the screen as she scans.

I load items onto the belt in the following order:

raw meats
frozen foods
cold foods (dairy, cold cuts, cheeses)
fruits
boxed items
canned items
packets
bread/eggs
I keep the super heavy/bulky stuff, like sodas, bottles of vinegar and large packages of towels on the bottom of my cart.

As the checker and I great each other, I always make sure to smile and ask how they’re doing. A smile can change someone’s day! I ask the checker and the bagger to be sure that my RAW meat is packed in a plastic bag before it’s put into my reusable bags. This is really, really important because you REALLY don’t want to spend the rest of your day trying to get meat juice out of the carpet in the trunk of your car… when the plastic packaging of meat gets punctured, you have what can only be described as “meat splooge”. I know, it’s not pleasant, and it’s a real bitch to clean up… so… AVOID MEAT SPLOOGE! Ask for plastic for raw meat ONLY!

Next, go ahead and remind the checker of the larger items on the bottom of your cart. Sometimes they’ll come around with a scanner, sometimes they make you hoist items onto their counter to scan… if you’re lucky, they’ll let YOU use the scanning gun- totally fun!

During this next portion of the checkout, watch the computer screen for pricing errors, and keep an eye on the bagger. Be sure he puts all the cold items, which should have come down the chute at the same time, in your “cold bags” (having an insulated bag or two is a great idea!). While the cashier is ringing produce, be sure they do not leave their hand on the fruit while they weigh it. This happens and I’m sure that every time it has, it’s been completely accidental, so a polite reminder that their hand may be costing you a few pennies is appropriate. Now’s the time to fumble in your purse for your wallet. I don’t carry a purse when I grocery shop, just my ID and my debt card in my pocket. This helps checkout as well, because having a purse hanging off your shoulder slows you down, and putting it in the cart can be an invitation for someone to walk off with it while you’re not paying attention. Please, PLEASE be prepared to checkout when it’s your turn! Nothing is worse than watching the checker and bagger finish and THEN have the customer in front of you start filling out a check… respect your fellow shoppers, and they’ll respect the shoppers behind them!

When given the opportunity, I bag my own groceries. I enjoy it, I really do. I don’t mind if the bags are heavy, as long as they are packed well! Even paper bags can handle a lot, if you pack them with sturdy items on the outside. I always make sure to chat to the kid doing the bagging so that he pays attention to what I’m doing. You know, I don’t TELL him how to do his job, I just leave him with an impression of efficiency, and hope he chooses to pay attention!

Be sure to clear up any questions you have about the total and give the checker all of your coupons before you pay!!

Your bread and eggs should be on the top of your bags. Be sure you see them there before you walk out the door. When the cashier hands you your receipt, they often mention how much you saved by purchasing store generic brands… that always makes me feel good… it makes me feel like I’ve outsmarted the store!

Lastly, the way you pack your bags in the trunk of your car is important. Hard to admit that I even think about this kinds junk, but I do! As you drive forward, items in your trunk will slide backwards. When you stop, they are less likely to slide, and more likely to tip. I like to use the heavy items to prop up “tippy” bags, and I make sure that heavy stuff is closer to the very back of my car, so that as I drive forward, the cans of soda (or whatever) don’t crush stuff. Then I make sure that I place bags in so that the most delicate, crushable stuff is at the top or tucked along the side, and won’t be crushed against the back of the car by all the rest of the items!

When I get home (finally), I find that it only takes a few moments to unpack my frozen and cold items, and then if I need to attend to something else, I can be sure that I haven’t missed anything that might thaw in my other bags. That way, I can run off and do something else before finishing all of the unpacking!

So… how neurotic was that?!

Read the previous articles in this series here:
Grocery Shopping: Strategy, Aisle by Aisle
Grocery Shopping: The Philosophy Behind Your Choice of Markets

When it comes down to figuring out what specifically your household needs each trip- that’s a whole different ballgame. The factors are endless! How many mouths do you feed, what are they allergic to, how much time do you have to cook, is there enough flour in the pantry for your dinner plans tonight…? See? ENDLESS! When Carina asked me the original question about grocery shopping, she touched on this subject:

“How to grocery shop. I hate grocery shopping because I either buy not enough for the week or I over buy in some things”

That, my dear Carina, is the kinda thing I can only give you tips on! Truth is, I don’t think anyone in the world can manage to make every single trip to the grocery store perfectly successful. We’ve all forgotten something before, and we are all going to do it again… grocery shopping is one of those chores like laundry and dishes… it’s constant. Even if you “do it all today”, you’ll have to do it all again next week! GAH! Don’t get overwhelmed. I guess my real message here, is that you shouldn’t be hard on yourself if you don’t buy enough or forget something… you’re ALWAYS going to have to take another trip to the grocery store. It will never end. So don’t feel badly about missing something!! Just keep your pantry well stocked so that if you DO forget something at the store, you can alter your plan for tonight’s dinner and not need to go back TODAY. (Keeping your pantry full, and writing down an item as soon as you use the last of it- those are the best tips I can give you!)

Another good habit to get into that will help you manage your trips is making a list. Honestly, I don’t do it. BUT- I only shop for two people, and I visit the store every two days, so if I forget something, I just deal for a day and grab it next time. If you have a large family, list-making is crucial to a successful and stress-free shopping trip! There are a couple of different ways to manage your lists. You can write items on your list the second you use the last drop OR you can write items on your list when you have ¼ of the container left. Do what works for you. If you keep a stocked pantry, you won’t need to make sure you grab some “before you run out”.

The other thing you should do is pay attention to the stuff that you wind up throwing away because it’s gone bad. Not buying enough food is one thing, and it’s easy to remedy by hitting up the store again! Buying too much food is always a losing situation. You waste money, storage space… you may even accidentally let food go bad in your fridge, which makes an unhealthy place for other stuff stored in the same drawer. I mean, this stuff happens to EVERYONE, so it’s good to take note when it does. If you’re buying 2 gallons of milk, but throwing half a gallon away each week, start buying 1 gallon container and one quart. You may need to adjust the amount of what you purchase, but you may also have to come to grips with a nasty realization like “I buy all these fresh fruits, and no one ever eats them!” If you find that your family isn’t eating enough of the foods you really want them to eat, it may be time to start looking for some new recipes! Mix up your meal routine, grind up the veggies so small they can’t see ‘em… whatever it takes! If you identify this problem, there are lots of ways to fix it. Take all of these things into account when you are making your list for your next trip!

Produce
The produce section is, of course, where you find all of your fresh fruits and vegetables. Most grocery stores sell some of their produce already prepared for cooking. This section also often contains pre-made smoothies and salad-ina-bag as well as fresh herbs and surprisingly, won ton skins. I know. It’s weird to me too.

A good produce section should be well lit, and smell either like the fresh greenery or like nothing at all. If you notice any musty or mildewy smells, you’re in the wrong place. Also, if you see fruit flys- bail.

Visit this link for my article on how to choose ripe fruits.

I do not often buy the pre-chopped fruits and vegetables. Even though Rick and I do a lot of juicing, I save a lot of money by chopping my own produce at home. That being said, I DO like pre-packaged salad…

Many of us use salad-ina-bag products. We love baby spinach in this house, and almost every trip to the store, I walk out with a bag of it. Be sure to keep your eyes open for grocery store brands, this isn’t a section that we typically associate with “generics”, but many stores have veggies packaged for them, and I find that the difference between the brand name salad and the store brand salad is often $1 or more! When pulling your bag off the shelf, be sure to take one from all the way in the back. The freshest produce is placed at the back, so the older stuff sells first. Makes perfect sense! Beat the system Before you toss it in your cart, look for wilted leaves or too much condensation or liquid. If you see either of those things, dive back in for another bag.

Organic vs Non-Organic is the conversation you’ll be having with yourself all the way through this section. I figure, buying stuff out of the produce department is an accomplishment in the first place, if you don’t buy organic, I certainly won’t come down on ya! It’s more expensive, and the actual health benefits are still being discussed. If you do prefer organic products, here’s an article on what is required for a food to be called “organic” and how to read labeling for those products. The “organic vs non-organic” debate can get a little confusing, so having a little knowledge in advance can help your grocery store confidence!

Bakery
Oh man. I’ll be honest with you. I try my very best to stay outta this place. LOL! Ughhh… it’s like… every day of my life renews my struggle NOT to eat donuts for breakfast… and then every morning that I walk into the grocery store, that amazing smell smacks me in the face. I have two choices: succumb to the sticky, sweet deliciousness, or RUN! So I run… you know… slowly. LOL

Personally, I’ve found that I can make pretty much anything in the bakery, and you probably can too! My cakes may not look as fancy, but they taste even better than the bulk-made baked goods in those cases. You can save money (and impress your friends, family and co-workers!) by making your own baked goods. However, if you are in a rush, it’s good to know that the bakery is right around the corner!

When in this section, if you want to save a little money, ask the bakers if they put out day-old bread. Higher end stores take day-old products off the floor immediately (and probably waste them), but many stores are starting to offer their day-old selections at reduced prices.

Deli This is the department where you can get bulk meats and cheeses sliced to order. Great place! Lots of items are available here that are not typically pre-sliced and packaged for the cases. For instance, one of my favorite treats from the deli is salsa marinated turkey breast. Oh man, it’s so good. When I have them slice any of my favorite meats or cheeses, I always try not to order more than I think I’ll eat in a day or two. I’d rather go back and buy fresh stuff than have things losing its flavor sitting in my refrigerator.

The deli is cool because if you ask politely, they’ll let you try a slice of something you’ve never had before. It’s a great way to diversify your menus without having to buy an entire package of something you’ve never tried before. Nearly every time I am at the store, I ask them if they have a little piece of cheese I can try.

Seafood
I have actually written an article on selecting the freshest seafood before. In the interest of time and space, check it out here if you’re interested!

Meat
The meat department and I have a love/hate relationship. I LOVE to look at all those delicious cuts of meat and imagine the delightful meals I could make that evening! I HATE meat juice. Thankfully, grocery stores are picking up on this and many now have hand-wipe stations. PHEW!

Get to know the butcher at your grocery store. He’s a good guy, I’m almost 100% sure of it. It seems I’ve never met a butcher who wasn’t ready for an enthusiastic and cheerful conversation on how to cook his finest cut of meat. If you have questions about cuts or cooking methods, just ask! These are the pros. They should be keeping their department clean, it shouldn’t smell nor should there be meat juice in the bottom of the cases. That’s one of the best ways to know if you can trust your butcher.

I’m sure you’ve noticed the price of meat going up recently. If you want to save some cash, you can buy meat in bulk. If you REALLY want to save some cash, take the extra step of buying your own meat grinder and learning to grind your own meat. If you already have a stand mixer, you can even find meat grinders that attach to those. Seriously. The more hands-on treatment meat receives, the higher the price, so the more you do yourself, the better. While I was growing up, Mrs. K. ground all her own meat, and made the best burgers on the block!!

If you have a deep freezer, and hopefully a product like a FoodSaver, buying meat in bulk can mean huge savings. Read my article on freezing meat. When shopping in the meat department, the unit price you’re working with is “per pound”. I’ve seen this cause confusion for the uninitiated, when peoples eyes get dreamy as they look over a huge slab of brisket under a sign that says $3.12/lb. That’s probably not $3.12 for the whole piece, most likely, that’s the “per pound” (unit) price. You should find the exact weight and price marked on each individual package, even if they are in a bin with a big price at the top.

When selecting meats, look for bright color and not a lot of liquid in the foam tray. Chicken and pork should be pink, beef should be red. If the color seems dull, or the liquid in the package seems thicker than water, do not purchase that meat! Just like in the pre-bagged salad section, the freshest meat is at the back of the case. Not only that, but the back of the case is colder than the front, which means the meat back there is less likely to be spoiling. Go on and reach to the back for the best package!

Dairy
The dairy section of the grocery store is usually fairly large in comparison to the others. It will include products like milk, sour cream, yogurt, kefir, cream cheese, ice cream, butter… and bizarrely… eggs. I don’t think I’ve ever been to a grocery store that didn’t keep the eggs in the dairy section. Whatever, right?

Much like the sections discussed previously, the dairy section does have a manager, and his job is to keep all the products rotated so that nothing goes bad on the shelves. There’s not a whole lot of technique to share with regard to selecting a carton of milk or a package of butter, but the rule about the freshest products being at the back in the coldest part of the refrigerator is true here too. I always reach to the back for my yogurt, kefir and sour cream!

A quick tip about eggs: when I was younger, they didn’t have these clear plastic egg cartons, and all the eggs came in cardboard. My mom would always open the carton, and appear to count the eggs by tapping each one, which seemed strange to me because it would be easy to tell if one was missing. Finally one day, I asked her what she was doing, and she told me that when she touched the eggs, if any of them stuck to the carton, she’d know the egg had been damaged and the white was making the egg stick to the package. OH! Mrs. K is so smart! From that day forward, it was my job to check the eggs. Great job for the older kiddies.

The Rest of the Store
For the sake of time, and due to the fact that y’all have plenty of common sense, I’m not going to go over the middle portion of the grocery store, though I will list the aisles as they are typically laid out in most groceries. If your trip will be a large one, and you plan to do some stocking up, you might choose to start shopping in middle of the store. It can feel counter-intuitive, but you don’t want all your fresh/cold foods going bad while you wander the aisles. Remember that these middle sections are where the unit price is listed right on the price tags. Take advantage! Most stores stock their generic brand right next to the brand-name brand, to attract shoppers (remember, generics don’t advertise, but that means they must rely on you to look beyond the name brand to find the savings they offer). The middle part of the store is full of all the typical “grocery games”, like the classic “This box is bigger than the rest, but has less product inside”, etc. Understanding unit price will keep you from buying more packaging than food.

The following is a list of the rest of the aisles in the grocery store:

The Middle Section
•Bread/peanut butter
•Cereal/breakfast
•Baking needs/spice
•Canned veg&soups/canned fruits/vinegar/salad dressing
•Pasta/premade meals
•Rice/beans (international foods)
•Crackers/cookies
•Chips/Soda

The Freezer Section
•Biscuits/butter/juice
•Breakfast/chicken/breads
•Pizza/micro snacks (burritos, cheeseburgers)
•TV Dinners/veg/fruit/dessert
•Ice Cream

Household Goods Section
•Wrapping/baggies
•Plates/cups/plastic flatware and trash bags
•Toilet paper/paper towels
•Dish care
•Laundry care

Personal Care Section
•Cosmetics/hair care
•Hand soaps
•Shaving needs/toothcare
•Feminine products/sexuality
•Meal supplements
•Pharmacy products

Many grocery stores these days also include a special department for “Natural foods”. It’s like a mini-grocery store, with everything in it that the rest of the store has, but the products on these shelves are natural, organic, chemical-free, etc. This section is also becoming the place where alternate forms of standard foods and cleaning products are kept, for instance, this is where you’d find gluten-free breads, organic cereals, natural soaps and vegetarian selections.

Because this section is an after-thought in most already-established stores, it can be found just about anywhere. Some stores are constantly making more space for these products, to keep their shoppers from defecting to Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s. The grocery chain that I prefer in my area has expanded their natural foods selection, tremendously, and now have dedicated employees, specially trained on the products they stock. I appreciate them going the extra mile, and many stores are doing the same. Now, I love Whole Foods, but find the prices there absolutely overwhelming. These days, my regular-old neighborhood grocery store is stocking LOTS of the same products those stores sell, at lower prices. Don’t completely abandon your neighborhood grocery for these specialty grocery stores. The folks who stock local grocery shelves are wising up to the organic food movement, and are adjusting to sell products people are starting to seek out. I do still visit Whole Foods on VERY rare occasion, but because of the thoughtful expansion of my local store, I skip their high prices as often as humanly possible!

***Next article, Grocery Shopping: Checking Out***

“How to grocery shop. I hate grocery shopping because I either buy not enough for the week or I over buy in some things” – Carina S

That’s actually an awesome question, for LOTS of reasons. I mean, so many, I hardly even know where to start! Many dread the grocery store, and I know why! Each store has different deals, coupons and super-savers. It’s almost too much to bare! I see frustrated women with items in their carts costing them double the same item in my cart costs. Men in suits wandering around wide-eyed and frightened. Many times, I help guys in the grocery store that get lost looking for ingredients in the aisles. They’ll be on their cell phones: “Honey… pick up the phone please… I’m at the store and I can’t find the garlic powder… And what shape carrots do we need..?” Not being a great grocery shopper is nothing to be ashamed of, but it’s something that’s really easy to fix if you weren’t born with a map of the grocery store in your head… In fact, I’d venture to say that I am a more conscientious grocery shopper than most because Mrs. K was pretty neurotic about trips to the grocery store when I was a kid.

Now, when I say that she was neurotic, it’s true. But her method boils down to efficiency. My mother taught me the finer points of grocery shopping. Now that I’ve grown, I can see it all so clearly, but I can also see why people who shop with either of us find that the word “neurotic” explains us best. I have adopted nearly every tip and trick she’s taught me, but you should be warned!! We take grocery shopping very seriously!! But at the same time, because we follow the same course each trip, we can make much of the experience automatic. Having “Grocery Store Confidence” is a wonderful thing! It helps you walk the aisles calmly, so you remember everything, and catch every deal. Secondly, it helps you get in and out with fewer snags. If you walk through the store with a smile, you’ll positively effect everyone who’s nerves are driving them nuts. You’ll help calm frustrated shoppers, and brighten the cashiers day. Knowing what you’re doing helps everyone.

I’m not sure if Carina realized the “can of worms” she’d be opening when she asked *ME* for tips on grocery shopping! HA! Honestly, I have SO many ideas to share with you about this subject, this will be a series of articles. I hope the way I plan to break it up will make it easier to search for the info later if you need it.

“A SERIES”, you say, “…about a trip to the grocery store”?

Yes. Grocery shopping occupies a huge section of my brain, why not share it all with you?

My goal is not to tell you “how you should grocery shop”, but to tell you “what I find most efficient” and why. My methods sound nit-picky. They are! But my strategy totally works for me, and like I said, it’s become automatic. You should take these tips and flex them to fit your needs. Grocery shopping doesn’t have to be intimidating. I actually LOVE going. But that’s because I’ve found a way to avoid many of the little, obnoxious things about going to the store.

Pomona, Roman goddess of fruitful abundance

One of the first things to think about when you plan a shopping trip, is whether this will be a “daily shopping” trip, or a bulk/stock trip. Most folks with families tend to lean toward bulk/stock trips most of the time. They reduce the number of trips to the store, which is priceless to those with little kids or those who are short on time, however, that does tend to leave the house with less fresh items. Single folks, people who live in the city or those who are really watching the freshness of the food they eat tend to do daily shopping trips, and cook what they buy immediately.

Good news! There is no need to pick a side! The key to a happy kitchen is a full pantry. If your pantry isn’t full, it’s probably time for a stock-up trip. These are the trips when you may walk the middle aisles and actually fill the cart with products like flour, sugar, salt, vinegar, canned goods, oils, extracts, etc. Stocking a pantry properly has got to be a subject we save for another day, but it’s got to be done in every home. When you have a well stocked pantry, you can be flexible with your recipes. If you are out of something and have a way to substitute or change your plan, you can still make a delicious meal with no worries! It’s really all about having options at your fingertips.

I prefer to shop daily when possible. It’s nearly impossible to make a bad meal if you use fresh ingredients and simple techniques! … it may not always turn out the way you plan, but it probably won’t be bad… heh heh I have lived in cities that made daily shopping much easier to do, like London and Chicago, where I walked more often and so it was easy to pop into a shop on the way home for some fresh fish. I prefer to be able to shop at “the meat market” and “the cheese shop” and “the bakery” or a Farmers Market when I can. I like to support small businesses first. When daily shopping at a larger grocery store, I like to pick one to stick with, so I can get to know the folks behind the counter so I can get the best deals on the freshest products. It’s nice when the guy who handles the fruit department can tell you that he’s getting a big shipment of the season’s best in tomorrow! You can make sure to take advantage! Check out everything in your area at least once. You don’t have to BUY at every store, but at least walk in, and know what your options are. Here in Houston, some chains sell more variety of certain Mexican foods at lower prices, so I know that if I want to prepare a few meals with those sorts of ingredients, I should hit up those places on a daily trip. It’s good to know what everyone sells and what their average prices are.

When you are looking for the grocery store that you want to use most often, it’s important to factor in their average prices using unit price on a list of regular items. Cost of food differs region by region, so there is no way for me to tell you what you should expect to pay for an item when you walk into your local store. What you can do, is shop the stores in your area for the items on this list, then compare their unit price to see who offers these staples at the lowest price:

1 gallon milk
1 dozen eggs
1 lb butter
1 lb flour
5 lbs potatoes

Choose your Grocery Store well
Why it’s important to choose your grocery store using common sense factors, not emotional ones.

The grocery game is big money. Chains have lots of different ways to lure you into shopping with them. Everything from the music to the colors on the walls is planned in order to entice you. The fancier your grocery store looks, the more likely you are to be paying higher prices there than other stores can offer you. That’s because they spend more money on everything, even the little stuff like their shelving units, and the tiles on the floor in the entry way and freezer section… When any retail store allows their overhead costs go up, their prices will go up as well. Don’t confuse “fancy” with “cleanliness”, it’s not the same. Never sacrifice cleanliness. Don’t feel badly about shopping at a less fancy chain if they treat their meat, fish and produce well. Grocery shopping is a chore, not a holiday. It can be a fun chore, but you don’t need luxury. Cleanliness, freshness, price and selection are the most important factors.

Most grocery stores have a similar layout with the produce, meat, dairy and bakery around the outside edges, and the snacks, pre-made meals and pantry items filling the middle. (now you understand what I mean when I say that daily trips are around the outside edge, and stock-up trips are through the center). I think that a smart woman knows her grocery store. No one likes finding themselves stopping the flow of traffic in the aisles because we can’t find an item on the shelf and no one likes having to backtrack to grab something we missed. Knowing your store not only means that your trips will be more successful, but that you may even be able to help others when they are lost!

Another important factor in choosing a grocery store is whether or not they offer a generic brand of most of your favorite items. I’ve written before about the difference between brand name products and generics. I’m a huge proponent of buying as many generics as possible, because they tend to be very similar, often even made in the same factories as the brand name that costs more. The most major difference is that brand name products must spend money to advertise. Generics don’t spend money on advertising, they rely on the foot traffic the store produces to sell their product, and they pass the savings on to you. You can check the real price difference between items by figuring their unit price.

Unit Price
One of the most important lessons in life!

Whenever you are shopping for a product, PLEASE don’t just buy the brand!! Take a look at the prices. Actually, the most important number is not the big one that you see in bold… you’re looking for the “unit price”. Unit price is how much the product costs per pound or ounce (or other weight/volume measure). This is crucial information for the thrifty shopper! That number is your key to savings!! To find the unit price, you can do some quick math on your cell phone calculator (or just look on the tags on the shelf, that’s usually faster).

cost ∕ amount of product = unit price

Let’s do an example, thinking about cereal boxes. The boxes are almost all the same size and generally contain the same amount of product- but not always, so DO check! Let’s say we have two boxes of cereal, each with 11.5 oz of product inside. One costs $3.50 and one costs $3.75. The cheaper box is the one for $3.50. That’s because both of the boxes contain the same amount of product. Right? Easy. Just take one more step and save more cash!

Let’s look at another two boxes of cereal. One box for $3.55 with 9.5 oz of product, and the other costs $3.75 but has 12 oz.

First Box of Cereal
$3.50 / 9.5 oz = .373 (37 cents per ounce)
Second Box of Cereal
$3.75 / 12 oz = .3125 (31 cents per ounce)

You may be spending a few more cents to make this purchase, but you are getting more food for your money. A better deal is EASY to find if you know how to use unit prices!!

Timing is Everything
Never underestimate the ease of a well-timed trip!

If you know your grocery store well and want to avoid lots of hassles, try to make your shopping trips early in the morning. The grocery store is awake way before you are, baking fresh breads and donuts, slicing and packaging meats and loading the shelves with fresh fruits and vegetables. You’ll be able to get fresh products and speak to the managers of these departments if you can make it in early. If you don’t see something that you are looking for, politely ask! The folks behind the counter will be happy to help!

I also find that there are very, very few shoppers early in the morning. I prefer that, because then if I want to stand and chat with the butcher or spend a few minutes standing in the aisle comparing prices, I’m not slowing down other people’s shopping experience.

Around the holidays (or before big events like the World Series or the Super Bowl), I plan further in advance. I DO NOT like to go to the store for last minute stuff around the holidays. In fact, most of the time, I WON’T go. This past season, my grocery store was so packed for the entire week prior to Christmas, I couldn’t even find a parking space when I went to pick up Chinese from the place in the same strip. I couldn’t believe it! That whole week, every time I passed the store, there were cars parked in the grass and on the curb… it must have been absolute MADNESS in there! I plan my holiday meals in advance, and stock up on items I frequently run out of when I’m cooking like crazy- butter, flour, sugar, brown sugar, canned pumpkin, graham crackers, cream cheese, chocolate chips etc… If it’s the night before Christmas, and I’m out of an ingredient, I either find a substitute or make something else! It’s good to be flexible, keeps me from being frustrated instead!

My favorite time to go grocery shopping is when it’s raining. NO ONE wants to go shopping when it’s raining out… but to me, it’s only a little water! If it’s raining on a weekday morning, sometimes, I go to the grocery store even if I don’t really NEED to, just because I know it will be empty

***Next article, Grocery Shopping: Strategy, Aisle by Aisle***

No matter what your spiritual path is, we think it’s a beautiful thing that most folks take a little time off at the end of the year to show thanks to their fellow man. We think it’s so amazing that there are so many different ways to celebrate compassion and love!! How fortunate we are!

In this time of giving, it is important to think about those in need. These last couple of years have been difficult ones, and there are more children now than ever that will go without some kind of gift this season. That is REALLY a bummer. Every year, I like to do whatever I can to touch just a couple of less fortunate children with compassion and love. Last year, we donated “Password Journals” to Operation Homefront, and put smiles on a few kids faces. Awesome! This year, we will be donating a cool product from Leap Frog, the “My Own Leaptop”, and we are asking your help!

We want to do another giveaway for our fans in conjunction with this particular charitable donation. We would like more people to know about the quarterly contributions we are able to make with the help of our readers. As you know, we still give 100% of the click-through money we get from Amazon.com to non-profit organizations. To date, Not Stepford Wives readers have clicked their way to over $200 in donations to various charities. The more readers we have, the larger our donations will be! Please help us get more “clickers”! We are asking you to “like” any post from Not Stepford Wives on Facebook. Yep, that’s it. It helps us draw attention to our mission by getting our messages to the top of the Facebook feeds. By liking ANY new post on our Facebook page now thru December 15th, you will automatically be entered in this years drawing for the “My Own Leaptops!” (**please note, you must be a fan of NSW’s on Facebook to win!) TWO winners will be selected at random on Thursday, December 15th. I will contact them directly to get their address and choice of “boy or girl” toys. Then, we will donate the other two toys to local needy kids!!

We’d also like to remind you that we are currently collecting click-through money for Toys for Tots. We have collected just over $27 for them so far. Please click any of our Amazon.com links before you shop to help us contribute more!

Happy Holidays
with Peace and Love,
Tess and Bonn

For information on previous charitable gifts, visit this page.

If you’d like to find out more about our mission of charity, please visit this page.

You can find more information about Toys for Tots on their website, please visit them here here.

The information on Toys for Tots track record for using donation funds can be found at Charity Navigator.

Honestly, I do prefer homemade pudding. It’s easy to make, and always seems to impress, but let’s be honest. Sometimes you need to make something REALLY fast, and don’t have time to let pudding cool and set. This recipe is cool because as long as you use a really good ice cream as a base, this pie is sure to come out AMAZING, no matter what flavor you decide to make it. In this particular case, I make it chocolate, but you can use any flavor of pudding that you like. My favorite ice cream brand is Blue Bell. It’s made locally to me in a little town called Brenham, and is easily found in southern states. If you come across it where you live and have never tried it, I hope you’ll grab a tub! Their Homemade Vanilla is an absolute Texas Classic. We’d consider it slightly insulting to have anything else, especially on a holiday table! Even a Texas Sheet Cake is incomplete without it! Anyway… if you want the best pudding pie, use the finest ice cream available in your area.

Crust:
•1 pkg (1 cup) graham crackers, crushed
•¼ cup butter
•3 tbs sugar
•dash cinnamon (optional)

Pudding Filling:
•1 pint (2 cups) vanilla ice cream
•1 ¼ – 1 ½ cups milk
•2 pkgs chocolate pudding (or any flavor you like!)

Take your ice cream out in advance, or use a micro to soften it.

Pour all of the crust ingredients into a pie dish. Use your hands to combine all the ingredients well. Press the crust firmly into dish using your fingers. Place the crust in the fridge while you prepare the filling.

Put all filling ingredients into a medium bowl and blend until creamy with a hand mixer. This will thicken FAST, so use more milk if needed, but allow the texture to be firm. Pour into pie crust. If you wind up making your pudding slightly too thick and it’s ugly like mine, just cover it with whipped cream or Cool Whip before you show it to anyone. You are ready to serve now if you must, but you can also store the pie in the refrigerator for a few days if needed.

You know that phrase “Easy as pie”… I guess this is where it came from!! The idea here is so awesome. The ice cream keeps the pie cold and creamy, which is why you can serve it right away. There are lots of ways to flex this recipe, for instance, since I made a chocolate pie today, I actually used chocolate milk! I could have used oreos to make the crust (didn’t have any, dang!). If you were making a coconut pie, you could use coconut milk! So fun and easy! Let your imagination go wild!