Peanut Butter Blossoms

These remind me of my childhood. I hadn't even had them since then! Crazy, I know. I've been on this peanut butter kick lately and decided to give these a go. Actually, I made these Valentines ones...you guessed it...on Valentine's Day yesterday :) They turned out very well and actually would make an awesome base for peanut butter cookies.

The originals use Hershey's kisses, but why not jazz them up a little?

Check out those beautifully 80's counter tops! Love 'em ;)

Peanut Butter Blossoms

Yield: 24 cookies

24 Hershey's kisses

1/2 cup shortening

3/4 cup creamy peanut butter

1/3 cup white sugar

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1 egg

2 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

additional sugar

Remove chocolates from wrappers, set aside. 

Beat shortening and peanut butter until combined well.

Add 1/3 cup sugar and brown sugar, beat until fluffy.

Add eggs, milk, and vanilla. Beat well.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt.

Gradually add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Beat well.

Shape dough into 1" balls.

Roll in sugar until lightly coated and place on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake at 375 degrees for 6 minutes.

Remove cookies sheet from oven and press chocolate 

into the middle of each cookie.

Return to oven and cook an additional 2-4 minutes or until lightly browned with cracked edges. Allow to cool on cooling rack.

ENJOY!

Adapted from Hershey's

Tips:

• May use heart-shaped chocolates in place of Hershey's Kisses like I did.
• Cookies will get a crackled look around the edges as they cook, this is normal.
• Overcooking will result in a crunchier cookie.
• Try using a variety pack or chocolates.
• As you are mixing the dough, it may seem to be too dry. Don't worry! It will come together as you form the dough into balls.
• The peanut butter makes the dough slightly greasing, so the cookies do not stick at all and form balls nicely.
• You may omit the chocolates to have regular peanut butter cookies.
• The original recipes says you'll get 48 cookies out of this amount. Either that's a lie or what I think is an inch and what they think is an inch are two different things!

Note: This is one of our favorite cookie recipes. I originally posted it on my food blog "Ashley's Eats". I no longer run that blog, so I'll be moving several favorites ono this blog! 

How to Clean a Drain without Chemical Cleaners

 *Update: I recently tried this again after somewhere between our sink drain and dishwasher got clogged...and I was home alone to solve the problem. This worked! :) I followed the directions as stated then ran the disposal with the water running until it sounded clear. I followed with my homemade disposal deodorizers.*

Living in an apartment, you quickly learn how terrible the plumbing is. Along with leaks, rust, and lime build up, we get terrible clogged and dirty drains.

Fortunately, we have a disposal on one side of our kitchen sink (and it works!), but the opposite side gets pretty nasty. Along with the kitchen sink, our tub seems to need a lot of work too.

With all of the food and other foreign objects going down our sink, not only does it seem to have a hard time draining, it also gets extremely stinky! Instead of using costly and toxic drain cleaners, you can use a simple and easy home remedy!

What you will need:

vinegar

baking soda

plunger, plate, napkin, etc.

saucepan

boiling water

1. Pour 1/2 cup of baking soda in dry drain.

2. Pour 1/2 cup vinegar down drain. A chemical reaction will occur, causing it to bubble (think elementary school volcano project).

3. Quickly cover with plunger, plate, napkin, or other object to block the foam from coming outside of the drain.
Be careful to not get it on your hands 

or in your eyes (of course).

Note: if you are using a double sided sink, be sure to cover the other drain also.

4. Let sit for 30 minutes or longer.

5. Bring water to boil in saucepan. Remove drain cover and quickly pour hot water down the drain. Again, be careful as it will be very hot.

That's it! 

Very simple, effective, and you use simple things that you probably already have on hand. Note that if you have a very difficult clog, you may need to try this method several time or result to more "drastic measures". This method works best if you have a stinky, sticky, or "gucky" drain.

* Please note: I am not a plumber, nor am I a "plumbing expert". I'm not responsible for any damage that could occur to you or your plumbing. Please use your own mental capacities to use this method safely.

Quick & Easy Weeknight Meals: Classic Pigs-in-a-Blanket

We've all been there. It's just "one of those days". This leads to that and in a blink of an eye it's 6 o' clock or if you are anything like me, it's 9 o' clock... and you're rushing to come up with something quick and easy to make for dinner. 

Here's a bonus, this one is cheap!


A good ole classic. The price range on this meal can set you anywhere from $3-$8 ish, depending on the price of each ingredient and the brand. That $3 can serve 8!

 Serves 1-8

  What you need:

Package of hotdogs (any brand) $.88-$5

Refrigerated crescent rolls (any brand) $1.99-$3

Cheese slices (optional, any brand) minimal amount

1. Prepare slices of cheese:

Cut into long strips.

2. Prepare hotdogs:

Cut a slit into each hotdog...hotdog style ;)

Add cheese slice into slit.

3. Roll out crescent rolls.

4. Roll 1-2 crescent rolls around each prepared hotdog.

5. Place on greased cookie sheet.

6. Cook at 350F for about 20 minutes, 

or until dough is golden brown and hotdog is cooked through. 

Be careful as cheese will be very hot.

ENJOY!

The price of the hotdogs makes a big difference in the total price of the meal. Here, I can find hotdogs for as little as $.88 for a pack of 8! They're decent quality too, but my dear husband's favorite hotdogs are Nathan's brand. They're a little on the spendy side and so I don't prefer to buy them for that reason, but they're super yummy. 

I haven't noticed much of a difference between off-brand or other brand crescent rolls. I like to use two crescent rolls for each hotdog to cover up the hotdog and use up a full package of rolls for 4 hotdogs and use the leftover hotdogs at a later time. 

You can skip on the cheese, but we love cheese! The more cheese you use, the more ooey gooey they become...which is awesome. I buy the bricks of cheese and cut it myself to save on money. Just use your favorites! You can't beat the price of this meal. While it may not be the healthiest meal, you've got a few food groups in there ;)

 

How to Save on Out of Season Fruit

I LOOOOOOVE fruit. I hate vegetables. I also love summer for it's amazing prices on fruit! I get excited when fruit starts to get marked down. Crazy? Maybe a little bit...am I the only one?

Right now, we're in the middle of March. Fruit prices are getting better slowly. The price for some apples and some oranges is down around $.99/pound, but other than that there isn't a great selection. It's still pretty cold here around this time of year.

Here's what you gotta do: look for "manager's specials" or fruit that is on it's "sell by" date. This stuff has been marked down to around 50% off! I often shop at Smith's (Kroger) to look for these types of deals.

Here's one I picked up last night!

When I saw this baby I got so excited. I've had a real craving for fruit for a few days. This is one of those large tubs and probably holds at least 3-5 pounds of fruit (I should have weighed it, so sorry). It was originally marked for $9.99! This one is a mix of kiwi, cantaloupe, honeydew, pineapple, and red seedless grapes. They also had a couple with just cantaloupe. OH BOY! It was yummy! Around here, just grapes alone are going for $2.99 a pound! And of course, melons are nowhere to be seen. I'm guessing this one to be around $1.66-$1/pound, assuming it's 3-5 pounds.

It was so delicious and it didn't taste out of season at all.

ENJOY!

Tips:

• Sell by date is not the same as expiration date.
• Plan on using one of these containers of fruit within a few days before the fruit goes overripe.
• Don't buy it even if it's a great deal if it doesn't look ripe as it likely won't continue to ripe in your fridge and will just be a waste of money.
• This stuff probably isn't the most organic (I'd assume), so if you're looking for local organic than this probably isn't for you. 

 

How to Save on Dryer Sheets

I have to use dryer sheets. There's just that little "oomph" that they add to my clothes. I can even do without scented kind, but I can't stand the static from not using a dryer sheet, plus it seems like they make my clothes softer (or maybe it's all in my head...).

I have heard about wadding up some tinfoil and throwing it in the dryer, but that made the static so much worse! So I dealt with just buying dryer sheets for a long time.

They really aren't that expensive at all, especially when you combine sale prices with coupons, but why not stretch your dollar a bit more?

I came across this idea somewhere and I can no longer find it. If this looks like something you posted on your blog, please let me know in a comment so I can properly cite you.

Your biggest savings: 

1. Buy dryer sheets that you like, that are on sale, and you have a coupon for. This box of 105 was less than $3 at Walmart and I didn't have a coupon for them, I just needed to try a new kind.

2. Open your box and grab a pair of sharp scissors. Cut each dryer sheet into thirds. You can cut at least 5 dryer sheets at a time with good scissors. (Don't worry if the cuts aren't very even or straight, just do your best so they fit back in the box)

3. Stack up your cut sheets back in the box, or place them in a Ziploc or other container that you choose. I figure why throw away a perfectly good box.

4. In each load, throw in one dryer sheet strip in the dryer with your washed laundry. For extra large loads or bedding, I like to use two.

CONGRATS! You just went from 120 dryer sheets to 360 in less than 5 minutes!

Talk about pinchin' pennies!

 I have been using these Bounce Free & Sensitive ones for a while now and I'm pretty happy with them. I've switched to all unscented and dye-free laundry products because I have very sensitive skin. Plus, these are cheap. Bonus!

If you are skeptical that using a third of a dryer sheet works for you, 

try cutting one or two dryer sheets for a test run.

Tip: Don't use dryer sheets with your towels! Not only does it make your towels less absorbent, it's a waste of dryer sheets.

*I am in no way affiliated with any products, stores, etc. mentioned in this post. Nor am I sponsored or reimbursed for my reviews or posts. Everything in this post is my personal opinion and experience.

What do you do to save money on laundry?

DIY Disposal Deodorizers

I don't know about your disposal, but mine gets pretty darn nasty smelling fast! I found this very clever trick somewhere on Pinterest. I never went to the link, but just decided to wing it.

This is also an awesome way to use up overripe lemons!

What you need:

1 lemon
cutting board

ice cube tray

knife

water
tinfoil (optional)

1. Using a sharp knife, carefully slice the lemon into rounds.

Cut each round like a pizza, making tidbits. Do not remove the rind.

Place 3-4 tidbits into each ice cube space. Pour excess juice into cubes slots.

2. Fill tray with water.

3. Cover with tinfoil tightly. (optional)

4. Place in freezer until frozen.

To use:

1. Drop one ice cube into disposal. 

2. Turn on water.

3. Turn on disposal.

4. Turn off disposal once ice is ground.

5. Repeat as necessary. 

6. Enjoy the fresh scent of lemon!

This works amazingly well! I am thoroughly impressed, and I hope you will give these a try and have the same results. Only one lemon is necessary for one ice cube tray. I covered mine with tinfoil as I was afraid of spilling the water in my freezer. Without the tinfoil, I think my ice cubes would have turned out "prettier". I think these would also be awesome to put in lemon water or lemonade! 

Enjoy!

My Inspiration

When I married my husband a year and a half ago, I didn't realize how drastically it would change my life. Not necessarily in a negative way, but I didn't know there were so many things that I would need to learn and constantly work on.

The first six months of our marriage were hard. We had a great relationship, but we were learning to work together as a team. As we are both extremely hardheaded and assertive, this took a lot of work to get used to, but eventually we were able to work out the kinks to get to where we are now.

You see, it was a month before my 20th birthday when I got married. While my husband was 23 and had lived away from home for many years, I hadn't even had the chance to move out of my parent's house. I was going to college full-time at a local university and there was really no need. Also, I was never really given much responsibility at home. My mom took care of most of the housework and while I helped out often, I certainly wasn't in the habit of cleaning, nor did I know how to run a household. Luckily, I had taken a few cooking classes in junior high and high school to know my way around a kitchen.

So, the first six months or so were difficult. I don't know if my husband felt the same way, but I was extremely overwhelmed. I found that I had to quickly pull myself together to keep our relationship moving smoothly.

It took practice.

I had always loved to cook and was excited to have the chance to experiment in my very own kitchen! Luckily, our kitchen was stocked from wedding presents so we didn't have that to worry about any kitchen items. One problem: I had only ever gone grocery shopping by myself maybe a handful of times prior to my marriage. I soon found that I was spending around $400 per month on groceries alone, just for the two of us!  BUT this didn't seem like much of problem, as our income was large enough and we didn't have a budget set up. We were naive, to say the least. So we continued on doing what we were doing until eventually we upgraded from out 525 square feet basement apartment to our two bedroom 875 square feet apartment. The price difference here was enough to send us through a loop. Our rent went up by $100, along with the cost of our electricity bill. But we managed.

Then, after the semester was over, we decided together that it was time to quit my job as a nanny and just focus on school. This cut our income by around $400. At the time, my husband took care of our finances and I never really knew how much money we had. We spent money rather freely considering we didn't even keep track of it, although we always did pay our bills on time. We didn't buy new cars or anything that crazy, but we certainly weren't financially aware.

Quickly I realize how stressed my husband was becoming by our finances. We weren't broke. We weren't in debt (besides my college loans which we have not had to start paying for, yet!). But we were living paycheck to paycheck. We had food, we had clothes, and we had our home, but it was tight.

So finally, after around a year of marriage we decided to sit down together and form a family budget (reluctantly). We found that we made plenty of money to get by while still having enough leftover at the end of the month for a little bit of savings (which we had zero at the time).

WHEW!

This was rough. We now had to start physically thinking where our money was going! Sure, we really wanted to go to nice restaurants all the time, but we had to kick ourselves in the butt to not give in!

While my husband is very good with money... I on the other hand... tend to get a little careless from time to time and I feel like I need to treat myself sometimes. Okay, a lot of times. This was a habit that I had to learn to break, and continue to have a difficult time with. I like to splurge.

After this August, we can use my husband's VA loan from the Army to buy our first home. While we are going to use this loan, there are a lot of expenses that come with home ownership. Saving money in any way we can will get us that much closer to owning our first home together!



And here I am now... laying in bed making this blog as I have contemplated for months how I can collaborate all of my ideas, while being able to share what I have learned with others.

I'm still learning. Maybe we can learn together?

So stay a while and we can see what we can come up with together as we all get through this crazy life, balancing home, school, and relationship responsibilities.
I promise to post something new at least weekly, if not more. Although there maybe be a week here and there that I don't post, due to crazy life, like vacations or...dun dun dun...finals. I wouldn't expect a post around mid April.


Thanks for stopping by! Stick around and leave me a comment and don't forget to vote on the poll at the bottom of the blog home page.