Thanksgiving Prep: Talking Turkey

Grocery stores, farmer's markets, co-ops and butcher shops across America are stocked with the season's favorite poultry product.

When it comes to selecting a turkey, it is hard to wade through all of the gobbledygook and choose the best bird for your brood.

With the terms natural, organic, heritage, pastured and free-range it can be confusing to figure out which option suits your needs, your family and your wallet.

A free-range turkey is exactly what the name implies. It means the turkey is allowed to roam around free, for at least part of the time, in a pasture without being confined to a cage or living space.

This type of farming allows the turkey to receive natural sunlight and exercise which might otherwise be prevented at other types of farms, such as factory farms.

One thing to keep in mind when purchasing a free-range bird, is to make sure the label reads all natural and organic. Not all free-range turkeys are fed a natural diet, and this is something you will want to have if you decided to invest in this type of turkey.

According to Epicurious.com, a Bell and Evans free-range turkey costs $2.99/lb.

Heritage turkeys are about as traditional as you can get. Heritage turkeys are breed naturally, are pretty resilient when it comes to disease and most closely resemble those turkeys eaten at the first Thanksgiving. These types of turkeys live long and pretty happy lives and feast on mostly grasses.

This type of bird often contains more dark meat than white meat, and breed at a slower rate than those turkeys raised by industry farms.

This type of turkey is a poultry pal to their farmers and often help with pest control.

According to the Washington Post, a heritage turkey can run in the neighborhood of about $7/lb.

The word "natural" can mean a good deal of things. Unfortunately, some things labled natural (like 7-up) doesn't necessarily mean it is the healthiest option.

When it comes to turkey, it is important to read the label and make sure that no artificial flavorings or preservatives have been added. Typically, the USDA will closely monitor this and make sure the only things that are added are salt, water and other natural flavorings.

After doing some research and cost comparison, I think this is the route we are going to go for our Thanksgiving turkey. We will also be looking for a turkey that does not contain hormones, because this is something that is very important to my family.

Fresh Murray's Natural Turkeys can cost between $2.99 to $4.99/lb. However, I did see natural Butterball turkeys for sale at our local Wal-Mart for about $1.08/lb.

When it comes to eating healthy, organic is one of the buzz words that is heard ad nauseum. What organic means is that a food has not been produced with any type of chemical pesticides, fertilizers or additives. Food is certified organic by the USDA, who heavily regulates what is considered organic and what is not.

When it comes to turkeys, it means the turkey has been feed organic feed all of its life and has never been treated with anti-biotics.

If buying an organic turkey is important to you, make sure that it is certified organic. There are some farmers that do practice organic methods of turkey cultivation, but are not certified or regulated by the USDA.

Sometimes the organic distinction can come hand-in-hand with the natural or free-range birds. This is almost like a "turkey power up."

A Fresh Eberly Organic Free-Range turkey costs about $3.99/lb.

 A pastured turkey means the bird is allowed to roam free, and hunt and peck for its diet of bugs and grasses. It is this diet of bugs and grasses that offers this type of bird a unique flavor. This principle is similar to the difference that is tasted between cage free eggs and factory raised eggs. 

Because the turkey is allowed to roam more, it gets more exercise and offers a more developed taste to their meat (or so I have been told). 

According to texasgrassfeedbeef.com (that apparently also sells grass fed turkeys) sells their birds for $8.59/lb.

Holy wishbones! In my opinion, this is way too much for me to pay for a turkey. While, I am glad to see the birds are ethically treated, are raised very natural and I am sure are very tasty, I just cannot justify spending this much money on a turkey. But, if you are able to afford this, more power to you and let me know what time to be over your house for dinner! 

I am sure there are various other kinds of turkeys available, but these are the ones that are most popular, and you are more likely to encounter at your market. 

But, just like with every other item that is on your table this Thanksgiving, it doesn't matter what you eat, it is who you spend the holiday with that is most important. If you make everything with love, you can't go wrong.

Tales From the Tube: The Readables

When I get ready in the morning for work I sit at my desk in our office and watch Youtube videos while I do my hair and makeup. It seems like this is really the only time I am able to catch up on some of my favorite YouTubers. 

Since You Tube is so popular and has a wide variety of videos including anything from funny cats to "Dawson's Creek" clips (I have watched my fair share), I thought I would share a few of my favorite channels. 

First up is "The Readables."

 Priscilla, who is The Readables, does monthly books hauls that center around a theme, reviews books and will sometimes do tag videos that involve (what else) books. 

I really enjoy her videos because most of her suggestions revolve around young adult literature, and  often feature dystopian novels which are a current favorite of mine. 

Her reviews offer enough about the book and the characters, but doesn't reveal spoiler information. 

Next month I will share another favorite YouTuber. In the meantime, let me know who you like to watch/are subscribed to. 

Here is the video from her November book haul:

Thanksgiving prep: The planning process

It is hard to believe that Thanksgiving is just a few weeks away. Where has the time gone?

For the past three years, the husband and I have hosted our families at Thanksgiving. My parents come for dinner and his parents join us for dessert.

Usually I get pretty overwhelmed when it comes to planning for Thanksgiving. But, this year I wanted to make it more relaxing and I decided to be a little more organized than just writing a schedule on a half sheet of paper and then flipping out when I couldn't find my shopping list.

The first step for my organization project was to purchase the necessary supplies which included a binder, divider tabs and binder sleeves.

We really don't have any tried and true recipes that we stick to each year. Since, our newly instated clean eating diet, we decided to hit the internet, Food Network and Martha Stewart magazines.

 Here is our menu for this year:

 After going through all of our recipes I placed them in the sleeves in the binder. And decided what days to prepare the food. I indicated that by adding a post-it note on the bottom of the page and wrote either Wednesday or Thursday and what time to make the food.

After looking through all of the recipes, I made a list of the ingredients that I needed, how much and what days to buy them. I also highlighted the least perishable items and picked them up this past weekend.

So far this plan has worked pretty well. We still need to make another trip to the store on Saturday. We are also shopping around for turkey prices. It seems this year the price is still a little higher than it was last year.




I hope to post an entry on decorating the table for Thanksgiving. So look for that in future blog entry.

October Favorites

October is my absolute favorite month out of the whole year. It is the month I started dated my husband, it is our wedding anniversary, we take our annual vacation, plus it is the time when the leaves change and we get to start wearing our favorite sweaters and scarfs.

When, I sat down to think about my favorite things in the month of October it was a little difficult because I really enjoyed this month.

A sampling of a few of my favorite items

Favorite Book: "The Tao of Pooh" by Benjamin Hoff

This book takes Taoist principles and explains them through the characters and situations in the various Winnie the Pooh books. I really liked the book because it explained a lot of principles, such taking time to relax, and related them to modern life. It goes to show that Winne the Pooh was not just a "silly old bear."

Favorite Beauty Product: Say Yest to Carrots lip gloss

I picked up this on markdown at Target. The color is a nice pinkish-peach color that is natural looking. With a slight mint scent, the gloss wasn't too sticky and had a nice shine/

Favorite Beverage: Pumpkin Spice K-Cup

Nothing says fall to me like pumpkin flavored coffee. The pumpkin spice K-cups aren't overly spicy or too sweet. While I do enjoy the Starbucks variety it is sometimes too sweet and too oily for my taste.

Favorite Shower Item: April in Paris Shower Gel from Bath and Body Works

I am a fan of floral and spicy shower scents. I am not a big fan of vanilla or food type smells in the shower. This particular body wash has a pretty floral scent that is not too overpowering. What I really like about it is because it lingers on the skin long after I am done in the shower.

Favorite Seasonal Product: Leaves candle from Bath and Body Works

I am sure you are seeing a trend here. In my opinion, nothing can beat the candles at Bath and Body Works. Since we have cats, unfortunately we can't light the candles, but we can put them on a candle warmer and still have the scent. This particular candle smells very autumnal and has a slight spicy scent. 

Favorite Household Product: Doctor Watkins All Purpose cleaner

This product is great on counter tops, is non-toxic and has a terrific lemon smell that makes the whole kitchen or rooms smell so clean. Plus I don't worry to much if little cat feet step in it while it is still drying.

Favorite TV Show: American Horror Story (first season)

We recently began watching the second season of American Horror Story on FX and we were curious about the first season. We decided to rent the DVDs from our local video store, and I have to say I was really impressed. I think the problem with a lot of movies/shows that are "horror" are too bloody and either have vampires or zombies. Whatever happened to a good old fashioned ghost story? I think this particular season does a great job with the ghost story genera. The actors are really good, and you genuinely care about what happens to the characters. While the series is adult in nature, if you are looking for a good TV show with drama, a little humor and mystery I suggest the first season of American Horror Story.

Well, there you have it! Those are my favorites for the month of October. Next month, I will share my favorites for November. 

What were some of your favorite things this month?

 

I'm back

After a long hiatus I am pleased to announce The Daring Domesticate is back!

I am sorry I have been very neglectful with my posting, but I promise I will update more in the future.

This week, I will unveil a new feature that showcases my favorites for the past month. So look back later to see my favorite book, beverage, TV show, beauty product and more for the month of October.

If you aren't already a fan of The Daring Domesticate, don't forget to check out the fan page on Facebook. If you are a fan, thank you so much for sticking around during my quiet period.

Hope you and yours are having a wonderful Sunday, and that you are enjoying the extra hour we gained today!

A Photo an Hour

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. Life got in the way (I am sure you know that is).

While reading a new favorite blog of mine called The Dainty Squid, I saw that she did a really cool feature called "A Photo an Hour". I decided to take a photo of my dad during a 12 hour time span. In order to make the blog a little more streamlined, I have created a photo gallery blog. You can find the link here. Let me know what you think!

As I am sitting her typing this, my amazing husband is in the kitchen shoving celery and onions into our Ninja chopper. (Have I said we are addicted to infomercials?)

I am super thankful that I have an amazing husband who not only loves to cook Thanksgiving dinner, but looks forward to it each year and we be upset if we didn't host.

But, besides his culinary prowess, I am so Thankful to have such a supportive and loving husband who not only deals with my less than chipper days but is there to support me everyday. Equally important he is there to have fun with and help me not take myself or life too seriously.

I am also Thankful to have wonderful parents and in-laws who have supported me through every aspect of my life. It is really important to have people who not only help you achieve your dreams but are there to help you find a new one if things don't work out the way you had hoped.

I am thankful for our two cats. Even though Anna likes to scratch at the carpet and Finny loves to cough up hairballs on our clothes (like he did this morning) I don't think our little family would be complete without them.

Even though we are off of work today and I am enjoying the time away from the desk, I am still thankful that we both have jobs. In this unstable economy, it is so hard to find employment, especially jobs that you enjoy. And I think we are so blessed to have found great jobs.

I could go on and on for all that I am thankful for the table needs to be set.

I hope you and your family and friends have a wonderful Thanksgiving full of laughter, good food and many blessings.

Dear Heavenly Father,Thank You for this special day, a day to remember Your goodness to us.Thank You for a roof over our heads, and more than enough food to eat. Thank You for the family You have given to us, for family and friends.

Weekend Recap 11/11-11/13

Had a wonderful weekend! (I consider Friday as part of my weekend.)

Friday:

- Worked on two great stories for the paper at work
- After I finished the day, I stopped by the Service League Thrift Store in downtown. After doing a story about this place I had to go back. Picked up about five pairs of earrings and a necklace for $5.50. You can't beat that price
- Got a haircut to match my new auburn hair color! Decided to go with a short bob style
- Had dinner with my in-laws
- Continued to play LA Noir. Really enjoy the game because it is more like a choose your own adventure movie rather than an action game

Saturday:
- Made Pumpkin Spice Pancakes for breakfast
- Visited our friends in the City
- Went to Handmade Arcade and picked up a couple pairs of earrings, headband and a poster for our bathroom
- Ate at a great restaurant called Spice Island Tea House and had Singapore Rice Noodles and Jasmine Iced Tea
- Because we are old people, we came home and went straight to bed. I was asleep at 10 p.m. on a Saturday night. I know, sign me up for AARP

Sunday:
- Had brunch with my parents
- Went to Target to pick up a few things and looked at all of the fun Christmas decorations
- Didn't have to do any laundry this Sunday
- Kevin made Walt Disney World's Cheddar Cheese Soup. It was so yummy
- Worked a little bit more on crocheting our Afghan.


Things that I am looking forward to this week:
- I don't have any meetings to cover the week so my evenings will be pretty open.
- Can't wait for my shipment of ELF (Eyes Lips Face) to arrive sometime during the week
- Going shopping to fill our Christmas Shoe boxes for Samaritan's Purse
- I really want to go to Bingo on Thursday.
- Going to put my new goal into action of shutting off the computer and my phone at 8 p.m. I hope this will help me sleep better at night and help my mind shut off.

How was your weekend?

What makes you happy?

October bliss list

Some days when you have a long day at work or the weather is crappy outside, it always helps to "think of a few of my favorite things." Here are a few things that are putting a smile on my face this October.

- Halloween (one of my favorite holidays)

- Brightly colored yarn for new crochet projects

- Bright fuchsia nail polish

- Our electric fireplace in the living room

- Bringing out our heavy comforter for the first time for the season

- Apple cider and homemade apple sauce

- A sleeping kitten on my lap

- Thrift shopping

- Looking at old family photos

-Crock pot dinners

Sweet as a Georgia Peach

As the summer is winding down, so is our garden and the selection of wonderful cheap produce in the grocery store. But, have no fear; canning is here!!

Canning is an art that is almost all but lost, but thanks to hipsters and hippies it is starting to make a come back!

So last night, I decided to put on my most ironic t-shirt and over sized glasses and give canning peaches a try.

It is actually pretty simple, but a little time consuming.

The secret ingredient to any type of canning is to have a very large pot. I am talking huge lobster pot. (You know what I mean, the type that is either black or blue with white specks all over it.) Fill the pot almost completely with water and bring to a simmer.

Once you are simmering, very gently drop your peaches down into the water. Let them get all nice and toasty and when you can easily peel the skin off with either your fingers or a fork, then plunge them into an ice bath.

When they are cool to the touch start peeling. I found it was easy to use a fork to start the peel and then you can just pull it off. Once peeled, cut them in half with a knife.

After you are finished halving the peaches, start making your simple syrup. If you have never made a simple syrup it is actually, well, pretty simple. We decided to make a lighter calorie version where we combined 1 cup of sugar with 3 cups of water. (If you want a more sugary syrup then do a 1-to-1 ratio). You stir until the sugar is dissolved, bring to a boil and then turn down the heat.

Before you add your syrup you need to put the peach halves into jars. Then, cover to the fill line with the syrup. Make sure to wipe all of the syrup and peach stuff off of the rim, put the lid on and tighten the collar.

Next step is to plunk the jars into the boiling water. For where we live in Pennsylvania, we set them in the water for 35 minutes. When your time is done, bring them out of the water and let them cool. If you press on the lid and it doesn't making the popping sound, then you are good. If it does make the popping sound, don't worry. You can still eat the peaches, you just have to use them soon and refrigerate.

As you can see the process is pretty easy, but it does require some time.

I hope you give this forgotten art a shot. In the end it will help you save money and will give you a sweet reminder of warm summer days in the dead of winter.

Happy Wordless Wednesday!!

Edition 01: Sunday Supperclub

Let's pretend that I haven't been a horrible blogger and haven't posted since the ice age. (The reason for not posting is because I had just started two part-time jobs and was continuing to write for our local paper.)

But, in the form of a peace offering, I want to introduce a new feature here on The Daring Domesticate called "Sunday Supperclub."

I want to try to focus on yummy homemade meals that take a little extra time and TLC to prepare.

So, in this first edition, I want to share with you one of my favorite comfort food meals: tomato soup and grilled cheese. But, because it is Sunday Supperclub, we have to make things a little more fancy than just slapping some American Cheese on some Wonderbread and opening up a can of Campbell's tomato soup.

As some of you know, I am a complete Disney nut! My husband and I have been going to Disney for five years now and are addicted. One of my favorite things to do is to try and bring a little Disney pixie dust home. A simple way to do this, has to been to recreate delicious Disney dinners at home.

This recipe is for Tomato Bisque from Sunshine Seasons restaurant at The Land pavilion located in Epcot. I found the recipe from All Ears , a great resource for anything Disney!

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon butter
1 large onion diced
1 clove garlic, crushed
3 cans of diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon dried basil or 1 tablespoon fresh basil
1/4 cup chicken broth
8 cups of water
cornstarch
pepper to taste
salt to taste
1/4 cup heavy cream

Method:

1. In a large soup pot, Melt butter.
2. Saute onion, tomatoes, garlic, sugar and basil and blend until smooth. (A stick blender works really well for this. Just watch out for splatters!)
3. Add chicken broth and water.
4. If needed, make a corn starch and water slurry to thicken soup. (We had to do this step.)
5. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
6. Add heavy cream.

What is tomato soup with out it's partner in crime; grilled cheese?

Grown-up Grilled Cheese

1 loaf of a nice and crusty artisan style bread (we used simple neo-Tuscan boule)

4 slices of provolone cheese

1 smallish wedges of brie cheese

Some EVOO to brush on the bread to toast it

1. Heat up your pan/skillet/panini press and spray with cooking spray.

2. Grab your bread and cut into slices.

3. Spread on EVOO both sides of each slice of bread.

4. Law down two pieces of provolone cheese on two pieces of bread.

5. Cut off two hunks of brie for each sandwich. (Yes, a hunk is a form of scientific measurement.)

6. Put the last piece of bread on top, and toss the baby into the pan or press. (We used the press which made this whole process really easy. If, you are using a pan don't forget to flip your bread over.)

7. Keep cooking until the cheese starts to ooze out of the sides of the sandwich.

8. Enjoy!

It doesn't matter if you are a "dunker", or a "separatist" with your tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwich, it will still be a wonder supper for any Sunday!

As soon as the ball drops in New York City, every one's New Year's resolutions start to kick in. A lot of people resolve to quit smoking, be nicer to people or to even stop swearing. But, the number one promise for the new year, is to lose weight. (This is how places like Jenny Craig and Weight Watchers stay in business.)

Personally, I have learned from past experience to not even attempt making a resolution. I never stick to them and it almost sets me up for failure. So I continue to try and eat better without setting a goal for myself.

If you have read my blog in the past, you know that I am trying to follow Weight Watchers (WW). One particular website that has been my beacon of hope against the tyrants of chocolate cake and peanut butter straight from the jar is Hungry Girl. Her recipes are simple, and more importantly delicious.

Apparently, I am not the only one who feels this way because Cooking Television (a sister station of the Food Network) has decided to give her a show.

She had her first episode last Saturday at 4 p.m. and was all about pizza. Pizza while being one of the favorite foods of dieters everywhere, is often loaded with tons of fat, calories and carbs.

One recipe I really loved involved flour tortillas.

Ingredients:

1 large flour tortilla (around 100 calories)
Pizza Sauce ( I really love the kind that comes in the squeeze bottle)
String Cheese
Turkey Peperoni (It tastes like the real thing and at only 70 calories for 17 slices it is a calorie bargain)
Any spices you like (I use fresh ground pepper, oregano and garlic powder.)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Put tortilla on a cookie sheet and place in oven for three minutes, flip, bake for another three minutes.
3. Pull the cookie sheet out and top the tortilla with your pizza sauce and other goodies.
4. Pop back into the oven for five minutes.
5. Slice and enjoy.

Like I said you can put whatever you want on top and have a delicious yummy pizza for around 200 calories. Add a side salad and you have a delicious lunch full of pizzeria flavor but not full of the fat.



This recipe is courtesy of Hungry Girl. Go to hungrygirl.com for more yummy recipes.

Wordless Wednesday

Must Be Santa

I have a secret.

I still believe in Santa Claus. Not, necessarily as the man in the big red suit with the bowl full of jelly, but I believe that there are plenty of Santa Claus out there.

Think back to one of the Christmases that you had when you were a child. How excited you were, how the days leading up to Christmas were full of anticipation and how your heart carried so much Christmas spirit it might just burst.


As I am typing this I am watching a DVD of when I was two-years-old on Christmas. I was so excited to open my presents, and I was constantly flinging my arms around my parents to give them a warm hug because I was full of the Christmas spirit.

But, as we get older, we somehow lose this spirit. Not, to sound like Linus, but we become obsessed with the over commercialization of Christmas that we forget the real meaning.

In my almost 28 years on this beautiful planet of ours, I have learned that the "Christmas Spirit" that everyone talks about is actually love.

We buy presents for people because we love them, we send out Christmas cards to let people know they are loved and God sent His son because he loves us.

Santa Claus was brought to life from this love.

This is why I still believe in Santa Claus. His spirit is all around us.

This year, I have seen him in the form of many different people.

I saw Santa in the form of a man by the name of Dan Martin, who year after year organizes our local Toys for Tots drive. If it wasn't for him and all of his "elves" then 1,500 children in our area wouldn't have toys on Christmas.

I saw Santa in Stephanie Tomasic, the director of Overly's Country Christmas, a beautiful light display and Christmas village that collects money to donate to local charities. My family and I, along with about 4,000 other people, visited the light display last night.

Santa can also be seen in the simplest of gestures, like a woman who let me go in front of her in Target, through the person who works extra hours to buy their children presents on Christmas or a stranger who gives you a smile and wishes you a Merry Christmas.

So, Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. You better believe I will be setting out cookies and milk on Christmas Eve.

Little Things Mean a Lot

There is a book titled "The 5 Love Languages" by Gary Chapman. Inside the book, the author discusses how everyone has their own "love language." It is through this love language that they often show love or feel love. For example, for some people it is through touch, so they show their love through hugging and when they are hugged the feel the love. For others it might be through words.

For me, I think my love language is "acts of kindness." I often show my love to people by doing nice things for them or helping them out and I feel the most loved when someone does something nice for me.

I just realized this last evening.

We had just returned home from a really fun and beautiful bridal shower for one our very good friends and I was pretty tired and feeling a little hungry. After making a trip to Target on the way home, I thought grilled cheese and a little tomato soup might be the best meal to be had on the chilly and snowy evening. Knowing how tired I was, my wonderful husband said he would make the soup and sandwich for me so I could change my clothes and relax on the couch. I didn't have to beg, I didn't have to barter, he just did this because he loved me and he knew how much it would mean to me.

This isn't the first example of him doing things for me. He often gets me something to drink when we watch a movie, he does the laundry and sometimes he will make dinner and insist that I just watch TV because I make him dinner all week. (Believe me ladies, I know I am one lucky woman.)

With the holiday season, and all of the craziness that seems to creep in with the impending day of December 25 coming as fast as a bullet train, take sometime to do something nice for someone that you love. It doesn't need to be a grand gesture of you writing out I love you with Christmas Lights in the snow or even trying to pull a George Bailey and lasso the moon, but maybe just clean around the house a little, or take a little extra time in the kitchen to create something special. Just keep in mind, that little things mean a lot!

Get Rid of Dinner Time Stress

Imagine if you will: It is 4 p.m., time to start making dinner. As you look through your cabinets, refrigerator and freezer, you really don't know what to make or you don't have enough stuff to make a complete dinner. Out of frustration you either order out food or you go out to eat at a restaurant.

If you have a weekly food budget, you might have blown it with this unexpected purchase. I am so guilty of this because I can find tons of coupons for side dish items and pasta, but sometimes I forget the most important part of the meal: the protein.

I was really excited when I came across a Website called E-Mealz. The site, founded by Jane DeLaney, helps take the guess work out of what's for dinner.

The site provides meal ideas for dinner for five days each week with an accompanying shopping list.

When a person registers with the site, they have to choose from different meal plans. There is a huge selection including family meal plans for Wal-Mart, Alidi, Kroger and even specialty meal plans like vegetarian, low carb and Weight Watcher points.

Kev and I decided to sign up for the two person Points menu for Wal-Mart (since I am still trying to do Weight Watchers.) Each week, we will get a list of five dinner recipes. Each dinner will have an entree as well as sides. The recipes will also come with a shopping list that includes how much each item will cost since we picked the Wal-Mart plan.

You can go here to see a sample of the menu.

Since we just signed up for it last night, I haven't had a chance to try it out and I probably won't until next week. But, I am super excited to give it a whirl!!! I will let you know how it goes!

I am not being compensated by E-Mealz in anyway. I found the Website and I thought it was interesting and I wanted to share my find with other people. This is only my opinion.

It Should be Called Black and Blue Friday

After the last popcorn ball and chocolate bar have been passed out to Trick-or-Treaters, it is now time to look forward to the next holiday:

BLACK FRIDAY!!!

I know many of you were thinking I was going to say Thanksgiving, but I think the turkey and cranberry sauce can be put on hold here while we look ahead to saving money and the big holiday rush that will soon be upon us.

There are many people, myself included, who agree with the blanket toting Linus that Christmas has become to commercial. If you need proof of this, I am sure that many of you saw the battle between Halloween decorations and Christmas decorations that were taking place in your local big box stores. As a society, we show our love by decorating our homes and finding the perfect gift. It is hard not to get wrapped up in everything. Just last year, I was reduced to a weeping mass because we could not put half of our Christmas decorations on our Christmas tree because our new cat was into climbing the tree and I didn't want them broken.

My theory is, you know you are going to have to buy gifts, you know you are going to have to decorate, so why not make the most of it by saving your pennies and having some fun!

A really great Website that gives a preview of Black Friday ads is Black-Friday.net Right now, the site has copies of the Toys R' Us toy catalogue, Target Toy Book and even information about Wal-Mart's pre-holiday sales. If you visit the site and decide this is something you are interested in, then you can sign up for email alerts where they will tell you when they post something new.

Another key to saving money on Christmas shopping is to have a plan. It is easy to get a little out of control when you are just aimlessly buy gifts just because you like them. My husband and I come up with a budget on how much we want to spend on everyone including ourselves. We then, take out cash and place the appropriate amount into envelopes labeled for each of our "giftees." This really helps control the money situation. Once the money is gone, then we are done shopping for that person. No ifs, ands or buts. This way we are not in debt over our heads after the holiday season.

My last tip, is to start shopping now. I already bought one of the hubby's gifts on Amazon because it was a good deal. Plus, you can't beat painless shopping on the Internet when you just have to click a button and it comes delivered to your door.

Keep in mind, because of our not so awesome economy, stores are competing against each other to try and snag your dollars. So make them work a little for your money, and try to find the best deals possible. Believe me, they are out there.

So if you are going to be like me and the rest of the crazies out there in the cold a 3 a.m. hoping to snag a great Black Friday deal, remember; eat a good breakfast, come with a plan and try not to trample anyone!

Happy Shopping!!

Hello, Stranger!

I am sure a lot of you thought that I had just disappeared off the face of the planet!

But, I am here to say that I am back from outer space. Well, not really. However, I am back from an amazing western Caribbean cruise aboard the Disney Magic. I plan on doing a trip report in a later blog, but I am still trying to settle into my routine again.

To hold you over until I get back into the hard and heavy blogging, here is a quick, easy and cheap recipe for you try!

Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken Quarters

This recipe is super easy to make and easy on the budget.

Chicken Quarters (How many quarters you put in depends on your family. We used about 4 lbs. of quarters and we plan on using the leftovers to make BBQ chicken sandwiches for dinner tomorrow.)

1 bottle of your favorite BBQ Sauce

Crock Pot

Place chicken quarters (fresh not frozen unless they are thawed first) into the crock pot.

Dump the whole bottle of BBQ sauce over the tenders.

Cook on high for four to six hours or on low eight to ten hours. (I prefer the low setting because it really makes the meat nice and tender. But, the shorter amount of time will make the dinner yummy as well.)

That is it! Throw some sides together like french or sweet potato fries, a veg and you are done!

The approximate cost of the entire meal including sweet potato fries and a can of veggies is about $6. The price will vary depending on how much meat you purchase and use.

BBQ Pork Ribs

It is still rainy up here in the the Northeast. Nothing is better than busting out the crock pot on a day like this.

My mom has a cookbook full of easy crock pot recipes. After buying some boneless pork loin ribs, I wasn't sure what to do with them, until she gave me this super easy recipe!

Crock pot BBQ Pork Ribs

3 to 4 lbs. of pork ribs (I only had a little over 1 pound and it worked fine.)

1 Onion

2 cups of BBQ Sauce (I used one bottle of Sweet Baby Rays, it wasn't a full two cups, but it worked fine.)

2 TBSP of lemon juice

Put all in a crock pot and cook on low for 8 hours.

Ta-da! You are done!

The only bad part about this recipe is that it isn't very Weight Watchers friendly (for half the portion it is 16 points. YIKES!) But, I had the points left over so I was alright.

I also made some Zatarain's dirty rice and some broccoli. It was about 19 points for the whole thing.

The meal was pretty cheap. The pork was about $4, the rice was $1 the broccoli was $1 and the BBQ sauce was free. So all in all $6 for the both of us, it wasn't a bad deal.

Happy Cooking!