AuntJamelle's comments

How to Make Oat Flour

17 Apr 2009 10:40 AM

I actually tried this the other day for a recipe that called for a 1/2 cup of oat flour. The one thing that I noticed was that the oats did not seem to process easily. I have a heavy duty Kitchen Aid Food Processor that is almost brand new - so I don't think the blades were dull or anything.

Maybe it just takes a long time to get to the powder stage?

I let it run for a couple of minutes and just stirred it in the recipe as it was, without all of it being powder - it didn't matter to me for that recipe.

I wasn't using old fashioned oats you have to cook - they were the instant kind. This might also make a difference?

How to Take Advantage of After Easter Bargains

17 Apr 2009 10:35 AM

Another thought on the baskets -- if you are comfortable with using a can of spray paint you could always paint a bunch of them a different color in order to use them as gift baskets for birthdays and/or Christmas...

How to Take Advantage of After Easter Bargains

17 Apr 2009 10:31 AM

If you can, stock up on clearenced Easter Grass!!!

Not only can you save it for next Easter - and thus have it on hand for a fraction of the cost - but if you buy it in colors like white or blue you can use it as filler for Christmas baskets come holiday time.

Even pink Easter grass would look cute in a white gift basket done in a pink and white snowflake theme - I'm seeing alot of non-traditional color use at Christmas time lately so I guess the sky is the limit.

If you do a gift basket of any kind for a birthday, any color of Easter grass would also come in handy as basket filler.

In any case, I stock up on Easter grass when I can get it at $0.25 or $0.50 a bag! I always end up using it one way or another.

Freezer Cooking Tips

17 Apr 2009 08:04 AM

Some tips:

1.) For some things, instead of flash freezing, I use this trick - Fill a ziplock bag about half full of the items (like shredded, cooked chicken or cooked sausage chunks, etc.) -- Seal the bag almost all the way, leaving a small gap for air to escape --Roll the bag over on itself to squeeze out as much air as possible - Seal the bag completely -- Using your hands squeeze and move the contents inside the bag to lay out in a flat layer instead of one big clump -- Lay ziplock on cookie sheet and freeze until hardened.

This allows you to easily break off the desired amount and put the rest of the bag's contents right back in the freezer.

I pull out shredded cooked chicken all week long - just enough for each meal - and it works great!

2.) When filling a ziplock with raw meat (like ground beef, ground sausage, etc.) use the same sealing and flattening trick as listed is Tip #1 but after the bag is sealed you can use your finger to "draw" seperations into the meat - once again allowing you to break off just what you need for a meal, instead of forcing you to use/thaw the whole bag.

3.) If actually making a meal to be frozen (lasagna, casserole, etc.) line your baking dish with heavy duty aluminum foil, leaving plenty overlapping on both sides. Line again going the other direction (so each of the 4 sides of the dish have foil hanging over) -- Spray with PAM or grease -- Fill with dish -- Cover and freeze -- After food is frozen, lift out of dish - insert in ziplock bag and freeze until time to use.

You may want to write what dish you used on the ziplock - if you think you might have trouble figuring out which one to pop the frozen "block" back into when it is time to bake.

That way you avoid having to buy special freezer dishes or having your dishes tied up in the freezer all the time.

Frugal Easter Fun

08 Apr 2009 11:07 AM

I buy Easter grass AFTER Easter every year. I can usually find bags for about $0.25 each - and I'll try to get not only green but white or blue as well. The green gets put away for next Easter and the other colors are used for "winter" themed holiday gift baskets.

Big Lots is a decent source of cheaper Easter candy.

I've always skipped the cellophane around the basket - it doesn't seem to make a difference.

Saving Money on Sugar

08 Apr 2009 11:03 AM

I've heard that one show on the Food Channel revealed that Domino sugar (bright yellow bag) is the same exact stuff in the bags of sugar sold at Aldi. They just put in a different bag and sell it for a different price...

After Hours Food Bargains

08 Apr 2009 11:01 AM

Meijer has decreased their "after hours" discount on rotisserie chickens to 40% off instead of 50%, but it still a decent deal.

Especially if you make and then freeze chicken stock by using the carcass.

I've also noticed people doing the fresh meat markdowns at night - you just have to use or freeze the meat within a day or two - which is very worth the cost savings to me!

My Frugal Turkey Meals

08 Apr 2009 10:58 AM

I like to do Turkey Enchilada Lasanga. Basically layering soft tortilla shells with chunks of turkey, the sauce and cheese. It freezes great. I make the sauce using Cream of Chicken Soup, green chiles and sour cream. Very yummy!

I've also made my own taquitos using cooked turkey - or chicken would work too - by throwing it and desired veggies (corn, black beans, etc.) in a food processor.

Roll it up in a tortilla, cut in half, secure both pieces with toothpicks and either freeze or go ahead and bake.

I spray them with cooking spray before baking, then flip part way through and spray again. It crisps up the shell nicely!

Training the Frugal Palate

08 Apr 2009 10:50 AM

This article is SOOO true! I have been OFF fast food for so long now that it just doesn't taste good to me anymore. Not really.

Personally I would much rather have something homemade than from a store/fast food place.

I got off the processed food/fast food bandwagon for reasons of trying to lose weight - but there are many other benefits too!

Lately fast food prices have jumped - making it just not worth it to me anymore.

Hmmm...it's overpriced, really bad for my waistline and doesn't taste so great (typically).

It will still be an occasional thing for us, I am sure, but our pallet's are definitely retrained now!

Things in Your Pantry that Cost You Money

08 Apr 2009 10:40 AM

I keep my bags of flour, cornmeal, sugar, etc. in the freezer if they are not currently emptied into my airtight cannisters. That is something I've done for years and I have never had any "bug" trouble. Thank goodness!