First offer of the year . . .

. . . for our very humble travel trailer. We typically get two or three offers a year to sell our trailer to someone who stops by the door or pauses in the street while we're outside. Today it was a young man with Elvis hair in a big pick up truck. Thanks, but no. What would dh live in during his next hunting trip? (gwp, you are still invited)

Diet "hot chocolate"

I'm a hot chocolate drinker. Hot chocolate has lots of calories. I'm still 18 pounds away from my goal weight, so I don't drink real hot chocolate on a regular basis anymore. Instead THIS is what I drink!

Yes, that's all there is. I use 1 teaspoon of cocoa powder and 1 teaspoon of powdered creamer and that's it. No sugar, no milk. Only 20 calories, which is considered a "free food" according to NutriSystem and I can have 3 of those free foods a day. It's surprising how good my new hot chocolate tastes to me these days!

I'm not very happy

Thanks to my washing my cell phone with my clothes on Monday, I am the owner of a new phone. Notice I didn't say "proud owner of a new phone"? My old phone was plain Jane basic and small. Small was important because I don't carry a purse and I liked putting it in my pocket or other places on my body. However, cheap was also important, so I bought the phone for my plan at Target that was the cheapest.

Take a look at the size difference. Can you see why I'm unhappy?

Someone please tell me how happy I'm going to be with a QWERTY phone though, okay?

FHE treats from food storage

This recipe came across my email this morning and it looked like the perfect dessert to have after Family Home Evening.

Food Storage Chocolate Molten Cake

1 cup all-purpose flour (1/2 C. whole wheat flour + 1/2 C. All-purpouse flour)
3/4 cup sugar
6 tablespoons baking cocoa, divided
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup 2% milk (3 T. dry non-instant powder milk or 1/3 C. instant powder milk + 1/2 C. water)
2 tablespoons canola oil (2 T. bean puree)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup packed brown sugar
1-3/4 cups hot water
Whipped cream or ice cream, optional

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, 2 tablespoons cocoa, baking powder and salt. Stir in the milk, oil and vanilla until smooth.

Spread in an ungreased 9-in. square baking pan. Combine brown sugar and remaining cocoa; sprinkle over batter. Pour hot water over all; do not stir.

Bake at 350° for 35-40 minutes. Serve warm. Top with whipped cream or ice cream if desired.

Crystal’s Tip: If you’re using a glass pan, decrease your cooking temperature to 325. Why? Glass bakes hotter than metal and you won’t get that burnt chocolate taste.

It was a little too sweet, but was delicious!

The recipe is from Everyday Food Storage.

Trash to treasure [Hmm . . . this was supposed to post yesterday . . . not sure what happened]

Yesterday was Bountiful Baskets day and as usual I volunteered to help with the distribution. If there is produce that is not good enough for distribution to the members, it is put into the "chicken food" box and I take it home for the feathered girls. Usually it is stray lettuce leaves and maybe a couple of items with some decay on them. Chickens don't eat decay, so I always cut off that part before I give it to them.

However, this time in addition to the lettuce and a couple of strawberries, there were about 7 big tomatoes that needed just a small part cut off. The chickens would have enjoyed them, but I knew my family would enjoy them more in the form of salsa. I cleaned the tomatoes up and diced them, along with some other tomatoes we had on hand, diced up a small onion that was also in the box, and added a measured amount of Ball salsa seasoning along with the requisite vinegar for acidity.

I got 8.5 pints (4 liters for the Aussies, Canuks, and Koreans). I processed 7 pints so the salsa is shelf-stable, and refridgerated the other 1.5 jars because my canner only holds 7 jars and I didn't want to run a second canner load for just the 2 jars.

All 9 jars of salsa cost me only about $2 total, which was the cost of the vinegar and the salsa mix. Oh, and a bit for the electricity for cooking/canning.

Meal Plan Sunday

Monday: Three Cheese Spaghetti Bake

Tuesday: 15 Bean Enchiladas

Wednesday:

Thursday: Sopa de Fideo con Pollo

Friday: Pizza

A little kitchen trick I use

On Bountiful Baskets Saturday it's common to come home with one or two heads of leaf lettuce that need to be washed. Sometimes I do it leaf by leaf, but other days I'm too lazy efficient with my time to do it that way, so I wash the whole thing at once. Then I have to dry the head so it doesn't leave a puddle of water in the salad bowl.

I take a rubber band and loop it behind several leaves at the base, then loop both ends of the rubber band over the handle of the cabinet over my sink. That way it can drip right into my sink. It helps to tap it now and then to shake drops loose as well.

New old style

Elizabeth told me she wanted a side pony tail this morning. I hear they're in fashion--just like they were when I was a 4th grader in 1970!

And on a completely different note--if you are lucky like I am and have a tree groaning with grapefruit, take a look at this recipe. I didn't freeze the yogurt, although I'll try that next time. I added about a cup of ice cubes to freeze things up a little more than just the strawberries could, and threw in a packet of Splenda. Delicious!

A morning in Mexico

Dh and I went to northern Mexico this morning for his dental appointment. Getting specialty work done there is about 1/4 to 1/3 the cost for the same thing in our American city. I forgot my camera, didn't bring my iTouch, and can't get pictures off my phone, so all I can offer today is the parking lot ticket. We always park on the US side, then walk across. Conveniently, the dozens and dozens of pharmacies, dentists, and optometrists in Nogales are within an easy walk of the border crossing station.

On the way home we laughed as we watched a tumbleweed roll across the highway. Tell me if this sounds "southwest" to you: we were driving north from Mexico through an Indian reservation in the Sonoran desert, having just crossed a dry river gulch and a hillside of saguaro cacti when the aforementioned tumbleweed crossed our way. Yeah, we live in the southwest.

A trip to the [hundred] dollar store

January's challenge was to spend as little money as possible. Honestly, the first week of the month I bought some gift items for the coming year, then the rest of the month I bought only groceries while eating out of our freezers and pantry as much as we could. It was a pretty good month and I have a little more room in my freezer and cupboards.

Today, being the first of February, I went SHOPPING! I had run out of a few things I usually buy at Costco, so I restocked today.

First some bananas to hold us over until Bountiful Baskets on Saturday.

Eggs, because certain feathered girls seem to be taking a vacation.

Then a 5 lb bag of mozzarella (Friday night pizza) and a 5 lb bag of cheddar (quesadillas, tacos, grilled cheese sandwiches, chili topping, you name it).

I added 3 lbs of deli-style ham, 10 lbs of boneless, skinless, frozen chicken breasts, a skirt, two large bottle of maple-flavored syrup and LOOK! Look how compactly $101 of Costco purchases can be packed for an easy trip home in the trunk!

Sigh.