We're baa-aack!

After a nearly three year absence, we're resurrecting the family blog.

By "we" I mean my son Luke and me. He just finished 2nd grade yesterday and is excited to try blogging (and I'm excited that he'll be keeping up his writing skills over the summer). Win-win.

Our family has set a goal for the summer of becoming more physically active and less screen dependent. So our plan for this blog is to highlight our outdoor summer adventures. And, although it seems counterintuitive to start blogging when we're supposed to be cutting back on screens, I think the pros outweigh the cons here. I hope anyway...

Tomorrow Luke will post about our "First Day of Summer Vacation" 1.5 hour hike up & down the bluffs of the Mississippi River. Stay tuned...

Butter-Scotchies

I made a most-delicious cookie this afternoon. They are called Butter-Scotchies, and they turned out pretty darn yummy. And I should know since I've eaten half a dozen already!

This recipe came from a cozy mystery series I enjoy reading about a woman in a small Minnesota town who owns a cookie shop and just happens to solve murders on the side. The series is by Joanne Fluke and I think this recipe may be from the first book in the series, Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder. For those of you who do not know what the "cozy mystery" genre is, here is a link to a site with good info: http://www.cozy-mystery.com/ I looooooove reading cozy mysteries! :-)

Anyway, here is the recipe:

Butter-Scotchies

1 c. butter (2 sticks), melted

1 c. brown sugar

1 c. white (granulated) sugar

2 eggs, beaten (just beat them in a glass with a fork)

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 c. flour (don't sift - pack it down in the cup)

2 c. butterscotch chips (an 11. oz. package will do just fine) (Tina's note - I used half butterscotch and half white/vanilla chips)

1 1/2 c. rolled oats (uncooked oatmeal)

Melt the butter in a large microwave-safe bowl. (About 90 sec. on HIGH.) Add the sugars and let it cool a bit. Then add the beaten eggs, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and vanilla extract.

Mix in the flour and the butterscotch chips. Add the rolled oats and mix in thoroughly. Let the dough rest, uncovered, for 10 minutes to allow the butter to solidify.

Either drop the dough by rounded teaspoon onto a greased cookie sheet, 12 to a sheet, or roll the dough into balls with your hands. (Tina says: I used the medium Pampered Chef scoop to make them all a consistent size, then I rolled them for a nice round look.)

Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes. Cool on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes and then remove them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Yield: Appx. 8-9 dozen, depending on cookie size. (Tina's note: Using the medium PC scoop, I got 4 dozen! But I like that size.)

Enjoy!

Another week of CSA

Picked up our fifth box (I think) yesterday at the Farmer's Market and got a bunch of good stuff.

Did I ever say which CSA we do? It's Whitewater Gardens. I picked them because a) my friend Linda is a member and highly recommended it, and b) they let you substitute/swap out things in your box if you don't like/want it.

I took advantage of the swapping this week because one of the items was kale, and well... I have never eaten kale and I just don't have the energy to figure out what to do with it right now. Maybe next week... (Any suggestions?)

I made a slam-dunk meal tonight with three items (garlic, sugar snap peas, and carrots) from this week's box:

Orange Beef Stir-Fry Recipe | Taste of Home Recipes

It was delicious and my two youngins, who hardly ever eat vegetables, gobbled it up!! Luke ate THREE servings! What more can a mother desire than seeing her children chomping on pea pods and carrots? Awesome!!!

I do want to make a couple suggestions regarding this recipe:

1) I didn't use a frozen vegetable blend, obviously. I used fresh sugar snap peas/pods, carrots, and sliced mushrooms. I stir-fried the peas and carrots first, and then I added the mushrooms toward the end.

2) Next time I am going to double the sauce. I thickened up very nicely, but we prefer more sauce to drizzle over our rice.

Next up: We received red-skinned baby potatoes this week. Can't wait to eat those!

Trying new recipes

Well, getting a box of fresh produce every week has certainly inspired me to try some new recipes. And, it has made my 5 year old interested in tasting all these new foods. So far, he hasn't liked many of them, but at least he is tasting them!

Thought I would share what we have received in the past three weeks of our subscription and what I made with it all. Don't expect greatness here; I'm a newbie!

Week 1:

-Head of Romaine lettuce: Made a tossed salad, nothing special there

-Cucumbers: Some went into the Fennel Cucumber Salsa (see below), some went into a pasta salad (see below)

-Fennel: Fennel Cucumber Salsa

-Spinach: Ranch Spinach Pasta Salad - found the recipe on the back of a box of Suddenly Salad

-Green Garlic: Chopped it and made spaghetti sauce and garlic bread

-Leek: Still in my frig, thinking it's probably not good any more :-(

Week 2:

-Bag of garlic scapes: Did not know what to do with these - they are WEIRD looking, have you seen 'em?? So this bunch went bad, but I redeemed myself the next week!

-Cucumbers: Waited too long to use them and they went bad - ugh!!!

-Big old heirloom tomato: The 2 yr old and I just ate it - he ate it in chunks and I put a couple slices on a fried egg sandwich

-Pint of strawberries: Made spinach salad with strawberries, red onion, mandarin oranges, almonds, and poppyseed dressing

Week 3:

-Another bag of garlic scapes: I made something GREAT! Garlic Scape and Almond Pesto! Yum-o!

-Cucumbers: Cilantro Cucumber Slices using some Homemade Gourmet spices I have

-Another big tomato: BLTs!

-Head of butter-leaf lettuce: BLTs (see above), salad

-Bag of sugar snap peas: Nothing yet... what should I do??

-Carrots: Still needing to use them - I have some great veggie dip in the frig, so maybe we'll just eat 'em raw

-Kohlrabi: This was new for us. I peeled and sliced it and we ate it raw. Seemed like a cross between a radish and a potato. Wasn't our favorite thing to eat. If we get another one, I'll do something more with it.

In three days we get our next box. I've had a few glitches in letting some of the food go to waste, but overall I am pleased. What will I make next??

CSA - here we go!!!

Well, we decided to join a local CSA this summer. This decision was not made hastily given that 1) a half share costs $350 (for 20 weeks) and 2) I was (still am) anxious about actually using what we get every week (kale? what the heck do you do with that??). Having addressed those concerns, we "plowed" ahead (get it??).

Some of you may be wondering what a CSA is. CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. By buying a share or half-share you get super-fresh, organic fruits & vegetables every week and you build a nice relationship with a local farmer. In other words, you know where your food is coming from. That's not the best explanation, so go here for more complete info:

http://www.localharvest.org/csa/

Our first half-share box contained: head of Romaine lettuce, 2 cukes, fennel complete with its fluffy fronds, bag of spinach, bunch of green garlic, and a leek.

My first order of business was figuring out what to do with that fennel. I found a terrific recipe online for Fennel Cucumber Salsa. Follow the link for the recipe. It was yummy *and* used two of my veggies at once! I discarded all the fronds from the fennel plant, but my friend Linda says those are edible, too. She chops them up and adds them to egg salad and such. Maybe next time... I'm just impressed that I figured out a way to use the fennel, period.

I am excited about this CSA experience. I'll post more as the summer progresses!

A recent Toys R Us game DEAL!!

A couple weeks ago I ventured to Toys R Us (about 35 minutes away in the next state) because I heard about a great sale they were having on Hasbro games (which I verified on their website before going there!). Plus, I happened to have a stack of Hasbro coupons I printed from the Hasbro website.

Just tonight I filled out my rebate form and I am astounded at what a great deal I ended up getting. I just have to share...

Here's what I bought:

Twister (reg. ToysRUs price: $16.99; sale price: $8.99)

Guess Who Extra (reg. ToysRUs price: $24.99; sale price: $14.99)

Sorry! Sliders (reg. ToysRUs price: $19.99; sale price: $14.99)

Connect Four (reg. ToysRUs price: $15.99; sale price: $8.99)

Hungry Hungry Hippos (reg. ToysRUs price: $19.99; sale price: $12.99)

Gator Golf (reg. ToysRUs price: $19.99; sale price: $12.99)

Okay, so the regular price for all six games would have been $117.94. I got all six on sale for $73.94.

BUT WAIT. Here comes the fun part - the coupons and extras!

Extras:

-For buying the Hungry Hippos and Gator Golf games, I got to select two Elephun & Friends stuffed animals valued at $9.99 each for FREE.

-For buying two (or maybe it was three) select Hasbro games, I received a $5 gift card to use on my next purchase.

Coupons:

-I happened to have five Hasbro coupons for the particular games I purchased. Those coupons added up to $22 off.

-I also had a $5 off ToyRUs coupon that came in the mail.

Rebates:

I just filled out my rebate form and I will be getting a $3 rebate for each game I purchased = $18 cash back.

So, to break it all down:

$137.92 in regularly-priced games and stuffed animals for an out-of-pocket expense of $23.94 + sales tax.

Whoo-hoo! I am stocked up for birthdays now!

Target deals

I feel like I went a little crazy at Target, but I think I came out alright - even after the cashier messed up one of my coupons and shorted me $1.24. Oh, well. I hate to complain, especially when I am handing them a *stack* of coupons.

I am slowly learning that it is best to shop in small batches, so it is easier to keep track of the coupons. This is the second time in a row now that a coupon didn't register and I didn't catch it until I got home and then it is a little too late. However, making more frequent trips to Target may not be the best way to save money...

Anyway, here are my recent Target deals (a couple from last week, the rest from this morning):

Last week:

Finish Quantumatic dishwasher detergent:

Regular $9.49, on sale for $5.99, minus $3 coupon from here = $2.99 (May not seem that cheap, but I really like this stuff. Unfortunately, today the sale is off.)

AirWick Freshmatic iMotion:

On sale for $5.99, minus $5 coupon from the 3/7 SS, minus $1 Target coupon (online here) = FREE

This morning:

Scrubbing Bubbles:

-Bought 2 Scrubbing Bubbles Extend A Clean Power Sprayers $7.99 each
-Bought 2 Scrubbing Bubble Power Sprayer Refills (All FREE with coupons below)

-Bought 1 Scrubbing Bubbles Bathroom Cleaner $2.49 each

-Used 2 $5/1 coupons from the 4/11 SS
-Used 1 $0.75 coup off bathroom cleaner from 3/21 SS

-Used 2 Free Scrubbing Bubbles Extend-a-clean refill, when you buy starter coupon from here

-Get back a $5 Target gift card ( NOTE: the only way you’ll get back a $5 Target gift card is if you use the regional coupon from the 4/11 SS –valid for a FREE $5 Target gift card with the purchase of 3 Scrubbing Bubbles products.)
…AND then for the $5 SC Johnson rebate. -Final cost FREE, plus $2.28 money maker (I think) for all 5 products!

Head & Shoulders Shampoo (gotta have this, we're brand-specific on this):

-Bought 2 at $5.39, one had a free shampoo shrink-wrapped to it.

-Used a B1G1F coupon from a mailer I got at some point

-Used a $1 off Target coupon from a mailer

-FInal price $4.39 for 3 bottles.

Vaseline skin lotion:

-$2.99 price

-Minus $1 Target coupon from here

-Minus $1.25 coup from 4/11 RP

-FInal price $0.74

Olay Quench lotion:

-$7.79 price

-Minus $1 coup from 3/7 PG

-Submit rebate for purchase price

-FINAL PRICE: $1 money maker

GE Energy Smart light bulb - $2.99
Use the $1/1 coupon from here
Plus, use the $2/1 Target coupon from here
Final cost FREE

Clean & Clear Travel size Morning Burst Cleanser $0.97
Use the $1/1 coupon from the 3/28SS (does NOT exclude travel size)
Final cost FREE!

Arm & Hammer Advance White Toothpaste $0.97

Use the 3/21 SmartSource coupon insert– save $2.50 off any 2 Arm & Hammer oral care products (NO size exclusions)!

Final cost FREE plus possible $0.56 overage.

Kandoo Wipes $1.65

Use the $1/1 coupon from the 4/4 PG
Pay $0.65!*
*Submit for the FREE Scholastic book offer here
Final Cost $0.65 for Kandoo Wipes AND a FREE Scholastic book