Freezing cheese

GOT A GREAT DEAL ON MOZZERELLA CHEESE!  It ended up costing me $.79 a pound. The catch....It expired in two days. Eating twelve pounds of cheese in two days is not the best option. I chose to freeze  it instead.

Cheese can be frozen and kept for several months. The more firm the cheese, the better suited for freezing. Soft cheeses do not take to freezing as well. Freezing can affect the texture of cheese. Many cheeses are best used in recipes after freezing.


Cheese is best frozen in the original packaging if it is in good shape. The cheese I bought was in large two pound bricks. I broke those down into usable portions.

The bricks of cheese I wrapped tightly with plastic wrap and then in a zip top freezer bag squeezing out as much air as possible.

The majority of the cheese I grated. Once grated I put into a zip top freezer bag, labeled and dated them then into the freezer they went. My four year old was a great helper with filling up the bags.

Thaw in the fridge for a day before use and you are ready to go.
Not to bad for a few minutes worth of work.

This post linked up with carnival of home preserving

also linked atpennywise platter

 also shared at homestead barn hop

Being frugal, a blessing or a curse?

I read a recent post from moneysaving mom about  being frugal is frugality worth it?   It poses alot of questions.

Why be frugal?

For me I am frugal because....
Frugality  is a part of me. I grew up in a frugal family. My Parents decided to give us the gift of traveling the sourrounding states and exploring the many National Parks around us. They had to figure out how to travel with us on the cheap. You can read about some of our adventures here.


Being frugal helps me to stay debt free.  We live in a society that is drowning in debt. We spend more than we have. It is the norm. I have been in debt and I am not going back there.

Being frugal allows me to be a stay at home mom. This is something that is important to me. I want to raise my kids. I can do that by using my frugal ways. I save the family a ton on groceries and home supplies. If I was working I would not be able to devote the time or energy to it.

I grew up with a phrase "Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without." Living in our disposable society we have forgotten the essential skills such as home cooking, mending, gardening, homemaking, preserving, things that once were essential. I am working to revive such skills in my family.


Is being frugal worth the effort?

For me being frugal is worth it for the reasons above. I get a  high over finding deals. I enjoy the process. It does take time and effort, but it is something that I find value and joy in. My husband fnds value in my efforts. He does not have to work as hard to provide for us. Being frugal is a blessing to us.

Can being frugal go to far?

"There she goes again, going broke saving money." There were several people that my father would say this about. You know the type. The one that can't pass up a sale. They buy things when they have no money  getting into debt. Buying things just because they are on sale is a bad habit. There was a point when I could not pass up a sale. The dollar store was a deathtrap. I was buying things that I did not really need because "It was on sale".  DO I REALLY NEED IT?  WOULD I BUY IT IF IT WERE NOT ON SALE? these are questions I have to ask myself on a regular basis.  If I had kept up those bad habits I would have gone broke saving money.


Frugal ways are not just in what we buy, but what we do. There are some frugal practices that are good skills to have like those homemaking skills listed above. Frugal living can be a blessing in life,but when taken to the extreme, some practices can be disguisting and harmful. Sometimes frugal things can take away time from more important things in life. The question to ask is


ARE MY FRUGAL WAYS HURTING OR HELPING MY FAMILY!

Some frugal practices I do not find helpful to my family are....

Upolstering furniture. I have freinds who have done it, and made wonderful new furniture out of old. It takes to much time from my family and sewing frustrates me to no end.

Sewing the family clothes. For me it is a disaster. I can sew simple things and can mend clothing for which I am grateful, but I am much better off to use my bargining skills at yard sales to buy clothing.

Re-using papertowels. Buying two-ply toilet paper and breaking it down to one thin layer. I find both disguisting. That is me and my opinion.

What is your opinion? Are there frugal things you do that blesses your family? What frugal things do you shun or avoid?



this post shared at hearts-4-home thursday

also at http://www.thepurposefulmom.com/2012/06/thrifty-thursday-19.html

and at http://lifeasmom.com/2012/06/12-ways-to-save-on-cars-and-gas-frugal-friday.html

Sweet cornbread

This recipe is sweet and buttery. It is good eaten on it's own. No need for butter or honey.
NOTE: This is not a southern cornbread recipe it is more cake like.



Sweet cornbread

Preheat oven to 375

In a medium size bowl
2 cubes (1 cup)  melted butter  margarine may be substituted
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 cups buttermilk
4 beaten eggs
1 1/4 cups cornmeal
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 3/4 cups all purpose flour

Stir all ingredients together just until moistened
pour into a  greased 9x13 pan
bake for  35 minutes at 375


linked at pennywise platter
shared also with miz helen's full plate thursays

mexican "pizza"

Whenever we cook ground beef we always cook a little extra to make mexican "pizza" for lunch the next day.


These are so quick and easy. They are great for lunch or snacktime.

You will need

flour tortillas
sour cream
salsa (this day we used a green tomato salsa)
ground beef cooked and seasoned
onions
cheese

Heat a large skillet or griddle to a medium high heat
spread the tortilla with a small amount of sour cream and salsa as the "Pizza sauce"
add ground beef and onions
top with cheese
cook until cheese is melted and the tortilla is crispy and brown on the bottom (about 4 minutes)
slice into "pizza wedges"  and serve

We have also topped these with mushrooms, olives, green chile, bell peppers, tomato, or whatever we have on hand. They are a fun treat for a make your own pizza  party.

shared at melt in your mouth monday
shared atmonday mania carnival
also at scratch cooking tuesday
and hearth and soul
and frugal fridays

Unplug!

BECOMING A PRESENT PARENT

When the internet started becoming popular about 15 years ago, I had a converstation with a very wise woman. She was a mother with several children in the home. All her friends were going crazy over the internet. "come on and join us on the internet" they would say. "Look at all the things it can do, isn't it amazing!"  This mother replied; "Can it cook, and clean my home? Can it care for my children? Can it fix thier hurts? Can it tuck them into bed at night? If it can't do those things I don't need it!" Fast forward several years. Her kids are doing well. They are all happy and well adjusted in life. They are all going forward and contributing to society. She knew that there is nothing that can take the place of a present parent.

The computer and the internet has taken a toll on my family. In the past I have really tried to limit what I do and how much time I spend on the computer. The last 2 months as I have started a blog, and helped my dear sweetheart look for a job. It has been hours on the computer daily. My dear son begged me the other day to unplug "Can you please spend time with me and not be on the computer helping Dad?" I have slowed down. My dear husband has started work again. I have gotten the blog up to speed and now we can be in maintainance mode. Our children are small so it is mostly Mom that needs to uplug.

 I am ready to take my life back again! I am ready to be a present parent.

Join me. Become a present parent. Unplug and join in the family be it for an hour, an evening, a full day, or the weekend. 

Go on a media fast. See what can happen to a family unpluged.


shared at momma moments mondays
shared at homestead barn hop
shared at make a move monday
and at loving our children tuesday
also at teach me tuesdays

raising lively and spirited children

If only I had known that I would be raising three very "spirited, lively, and strong willed " children.

Don't get me wrong, they are very lovely children, but they are children who put everything to the test. When we go out people comment "oh you have your hands full" and nearly everyone comments about my youngest  "busy child".

Growing up I envisioned life with kids all nice and neat. I pictured myself going to church well behaved kids in tow.You have seen it (You know the ones I am talking about.)  I knew that I had what it takes. I was sure that I would have the best behaved childen, but what I have looks something  more like this.....

I was a shy and quiet kind of a kid. I was naturally obedient. I just followed along with the family. I did not get into alot of trouble. I was happy to sit and read a book or to entertain myself quietly. To have kids that are such opposites of me, it is a real challenge.


Our oldest is so noisy. He can not go anywhere without making a ton of noise. Some people put squeaky shoes on their kids, my son comes with it built in. Grandpa calls it his "audio locator" You almost always know where he is because you can hear him.  He is all boy. He loves things that go fast. He is curious about things and how they work. There are many toys that are broken because he wants to know about them and how they work.

Our middle child is a bit more quiet. She gets awfully quiet and you knew she is into something. The hard part is hearing the quiet with her noisy brother around. She is extremely emotional and sensitive. She also has a condition where she cries at certain times of day. I warned a babysitter that she would have a meltdown and cry about 7 pm. I told the sitter not to worry that it was normal for this child. Sure enough right on cue, she melted down into a crying puddle. No one knows the cause of this, but it is what we deal with.

Kaytlin earned the nickname whirlwind early on. She is so busy all the time (even in the womb she was busy). It is a full time job to keep up with her. She is curious about everything. She wants to know how everything works. She adds to the broken things about the house. She is not shy about anything and makes freinds everywhere she goes. She is headstrong and wants to do whatever it is she wants. Keeping her in line takes alot of work and is not easy.

My sister was asked by her daugher "Am I going to have any more cousins?" They were going through the family to see who might still be having babies. When it came to my husband and I, my sister said "I think they are done having kids" to which my neice breathed a huge sigh of relief.  My sister asked "what is that all about?" the answer, "Have you met Kaytlin!"

The most difficult part is knowing how to reign them in without stomping out their spirit. Kids need alot of spirit and determination to make it in this world. I want them to keep their spirit and determination alive and well. But how do I survive in the meantime?

I am reminded of a bible verse Proverbs 22:6 "Train up a child in the way he should go:and when he is old, he will not depart from it."   I am also reminded of a quote by Joseph Smith  "We teach them correct principles and they govern themselves"  My parents tried hard to teach us and give us the tools we needed to make it in life. My husband grew up on a ranch and worked hard and has been taught good values in life.

Living in the slow lane allows me to get back to my roots. It allows me to teach the kids life lessons. We recently aquired chickens. Part of the project was to become more self reliant in having our own sustainable food source and teach the kids about real food. The other part was to teach the kids  responsibility of taking care of the animals. We are growing a garden, even if I have a black thumb. We have not had much success, but I am learning along with the children. As a family we are striving to have a better place. Slowing down and getting to the heart of things has been a real blessing in my life. Some of the best lessons have been learned while working together as a family.

How has working together affected your family?
Do you have any tips for raising kids? 
leave a comment or link below



shared at weekend whatever #26

shared at momma moments mondays

shared at raising homemakers homemaking link



super easy cheesy potatoes

THIS IS ONE OF MY HUSBANDS FAVORITES

SUPER EASY CHEESY POTAOTES

Start by boiling red potatoes  that have been cut into bite size pieces ( about 1 inch)  (new potatoes can be halved or quartered) Boil the potatoes until tender, (they can be peirced easily with a fork).

When the potatoes are tender drain the water and place on an greased cookie sheet.

Top the potatoes with

Melted butter
salt
pepper
onion powder
garlic powder
shreded  cheese
parmesan cheese
parsley flakes  or chopped chives


The amount of spices and cheese you use really depend on your taste. We like garlic so we use quite a bit.  I am also partial to the parmesan cheese.

 Once you have topped the potatoes with the spices and cheese, place them into a 400 degree oven for about 15 minutes until hot and bubbly.

Love this recipe because it is easy enough for a weeknight supper, yet nice enough to be served for a Sunday dinner. They are yummy and people think that you took alot of time to make "something special"  (We don't have to tell them how easy it really is)



linked at hearth and soul tuesday
linked at scratch cooking tuesdays at mrs Dulls nourished kitchen
linked at life as mom frugal fridays