Monday, April 25, 2011

Yea! Turnips From My Garden

What am I going to do with them?
Saute them of course!

This is a delicious recipe. It is very easy and a wonderful side dish at dinner.
But who wants to wait until dinner to eat these yummy turnips. Not me, I had this for lunch with some homemade bread. Yum.

The turnips come out so sweet and tender. Try this with other root vegetables like, carrot, rutabaga, and radish.



Turnip Saute
Makes 2-3 servings

4 small turnips, julienne
1/4 cup bell pepper, chopped
½ cup onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 teaspoons fresh parsley, or 1/2 teaspoon dried
2 Tablespoons margarine, or oil

In large nonstick skillet add turnips, onions, peppers, and margarine.
Slowly saute over medium/medium low heat about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. The vegetables should not be browning at this time, only becoming tender. Cooking them slowly like this brings out the sweetness in the turnip and onion.

Add garlic. Saute about another 10 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Vegetables should now brown slightly.
Sprinkle with parsley. Saute 1 more minute.



Note:
The minced garlic is so small that it cooks very quickly. If you add the garlic at the beginning, it may burn.


I usually cook my smaller turnips and save the larger ones for fresh eating.
Turnips can also be shredded and added to a lettuce salad or mixed with cabbage in coleslaw.
Any way you want to serve them. I love turnips!

Learning to Dehydrate

There are many things I want to learn and dehydrating is near the top of the list.

I was able to acquire a lot of sweet Vidalia onions at a really good price.
This morning I chopped some of the onions. Enough to fill all nine trays in the Excalibur dehydrator. I am so thankful to my friend for letting me borrow it.

I am very anxious to see the result. Hopefully they will turn out really dry and crisp and ready to store.

Friday, April 22, 2011

Piano Practice

     This year I am trying to learn all the hymns in the LDS hymnbook. I am learning seven songs each week. There are 341 hymns to learn and at seven each week it will take me an entire year. This is quite a challenge and one that progresses quickly. Each week I move on to the next set of hymns even if I have not mastered they hymns from the previous week. Doing this forces me to keep moving forward instead of getting stuck on a hymn that is too difficult for me at that time.

     What a difference a couple months makes. The first few weeks I could only learn about four of the seven hymns for the week. But these last couple weeks I have learned all seven hymns. Maybe the difference was that I have improved my sight reading or playing skills, but it was probably that the hymns were simpler for those two weeks.

This is my hymn schedule for the year.

Hymns I have learned are bold

Week            Hymns  

Mar 1-7            2     3         5     6     7
Mar 8-14      85   86   87   88   89   90   91
Mar 15-21    169 170 171 172 173 174 175
Mar 22-28    253 254 255 256 257 258 259
Mar 29-31    337 review

Apr 1-7         8     9     10   11   12   13   14
Apr 8-14       92   93   94   95   96   97   98
Apr 9-21      176 177 178 179 180 181 182
Apr 22-28    260 261 262 263 264 265 266
Apr 29-30    review

May 1-7        15   16   17   18   19   20   21
May 8-14      99   100 101 102 103 104 105
May 9-21      183 184 185 186 187 188 189
May 22-28    267 268 269 270 271 272 273
May 29-31    338 review

Jun 1-7        22   23   24   25   26   27   28
Jun 8-14      106 107 108 109 110 111 112
Jun 9-21      190 191 192 193 194 195 196
Jun 22-28    274 275 276 277 278 279 280
Jun 29-30    review

Jul 1-7        29   30   31   32   33   34   35
Jul 8-14      113 114 115 116 117 118 119
Jul 9-21      197 198 199 200 201 202 203
Jul 22-28    281 282 283 284 285 286 287
Jul 29-31    339 review

Aug 1-7        36   37   38   39   40   41   42
Aug 8-14      120 121 122 123 124 125 126
Aug 9-21      204 205 206 207 208 209 210
Aug 22-28    288 289 290 291 292 293 294
Aug 29-31    340 review


Sep 1-7        43   44   45   46   47   48   49
Sep 8-14      127 128 129 130 131 132 133
Sep 9-21      211 212 213 214 215 216 217
Sep 22-28    295 296 297 298 299 300 301
Sep 29-30    review

Oct 1-7        50   51   52   53   54   55   56
Oct 8-14      134 135 136 137 138 139 140
Oct 9-21      218 219 220 221 222 223 224
Oct 22-28    302 303 304 305 306 307 308
Oct 29-31    341 review

Nov 1-7        57   58   59   60   61   62   63
Nov 8-14      141 142 143 144 145 146 147
Nov 9-21      225 226 227 228 229 230 231
Nov 22-28    309 310 311 312 313 314 315
Nov 29-30    review

Dec 1-7        64   65   66   67   68   69   70
Dec 8-14      148 149 150 151 152 153 154
Dec 9-21      232 233 234 235 236 237 238
Dec 22-28    316 317 318 319 320 321 322
Dec 29-31    review

Jan 1-7        71   72   73   74   75   76   77
Jan 8-14      155 156 157 158 159 160 161
Jan 15-21    239 240 241 242 243 244 245
Jan 21-28    323 324 325 326 327 328 329
Jan 29-31    review

Feb 1-7        78   79   80   81   82   83   84
Feb 8-14      162 163 164 165 166 167 168
Feb 15-21    246 247 248 249 250 201 252
Feb 22-28    330 301 302 303 304 305 336

Even if I do not learn all the hymns this year, it is still a very worthwhile goal. No matter how many learn, my skills will improve and my confidence will grow. I do expect as the months pass that I will be able to go back and learn the hymns I am struggling with now.

It's Shopping Day! - I love Rite Aid

What fun it is to shop at Rite Aid. I get almost everything for free. Coupons are the most amazing things. I am able to make money each time I shop! Yippee!

3 9-Lives 4 packs
1 Skittles Egg
2 Gillette Razors
3 Lysol Wipes
2 Swiffer Pad Refills
2 AirWick Sprays

Regular Price - 57.18 + 4.00 tax = 61.18
But do I ever pay regular price? NEVER!

43.62 Sale Price
38.42 Coupons, manufacturer and store
  5.20 Subtotal before tax


Paid with 3.00 off 15.00 survey coupon and 2.00 up+ rewards.
    .20 total merchandise cost
  2.81 tax
  3.01 out of pocket

Earned 11.00 up+ rewards printed on receipt.

 7.99 PROFIT

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

It's Shopping Day! - Rite Aid - 15 items for only 12 cents

I love getting things for free. It is best way I have found to provide for my family and build up a reserve. The cost of everything is going up. I try very hard to reduce the costs to my family for the things we need. I describe myself as ultra-frugal. I am a smart coupon shopper and take advantage of deals when they present themselves.

Yesterday morning's shopping trip at Rite Aid is an example of how I use coupons to get the things I need for free. Okay, almost free. It cost me 12 cents plus tax.

Gillette Body Wash was on sale for 2.99 with 2.00 ups rewards. I bought 2 of these and used 2 buy one get one free coupons. You can attach one manufacturers coupon to each item you purchase.

Right Guard Deodorant was on sale for 40% off. I purchased 4 of these and used 4 buy one Right Guard product and get one Right Guard Body Wash for free coupons. The deodorants were bonus packs with a free body wash attached. 

Complete eye solution was on sale for 7.99 with a 7.99 single check rebate. I purchased one of these using a 1.00 off coupon.

Total products purchased
6 full size body washes 
4 small size body washes 
4 deodorants
1 eye solution

Regular Price: 59.29 + 4.15 tax = 63.44
But whoever pays regular price?

  45.05 sale price
- 24.94 coupons
- 12.00 up rewards used
=  8.11 subtotal before tax
3.15 tax
= 11.26 out of pocket
7.99 single check rebate
=  3.27

This 3.27 includes 3.15 in tax, leaving the cost for all products just .12.
Tax is part of product costs. I have to pay this so it is included in my calculations.

I hope you where able to have a great shopping trip also.