Please enjoy this creepy video.
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I am your typical housewife living in high maintenance suburbia. I have a handsome husband, 2 kids and a flock of pet chickens. I try and feed my family with $100 a month. With the help of coupons, gardening and bartering I am able to squeeze the most out of our grocery budget and still manage to have a little fun along the way.
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By Mavis Butterfield on · 3 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. These affiliate links help support this site. For more information, please see my disclosure policy. Thank you for supporting One Hundred Dollars a Month.
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By Mavis Butterfield on · Leave a Comment
I don’t know when my love affair with potatoes began, but I am deeply in love with them. Potatoes are not only simple, but a must have on your St. Patrick’s Day Dinner Menu. I made these potatoes last night for dinner and they turned out delicious. Give them a try, you’ll be glad you did.
This is a Williams-Sonoma recipe {I’m their #1 fan. In a Misery/Kathy Bates sort of way}.
Ingredients:
3 lb. small red-skinned potatoes
8 thick-cut bacon slices
1 Tbs. unsalted butter
1/4 tsp. salt, plus more, to taste
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper, plus more, to taste
1/3 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
Directions:
Put the potatoes in a large saucepan and add water to cover and a generous pinch of salt. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat slightly, cover partially and cook, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are just tender, about 12 minutes. Drain. Spread the potatoes out in a single layer on a shallow baking pan and let cool to room temperature.
In a large, heavy fry pan, arrange the bacon slices without overlapping. Cook over medium-high heat, turning several times, until almost crisp, about 8 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain and cool. Discard all but 1 Tbs. of the bacon drippings from the pan and set the pan aside. When the bacon is cool, chop it fairly fine.
Place the fry pan over medium-high heat and add the butter to the drippings. When it has melted, add the potatoes and cook, stirring and rolling the potatoes in the pan, until they begin to crisp and brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the bacon, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook until the bacon is hot and the potatoes are very crisp, 2 to 3 minutes. Season with the 1/4 tsp. salt and the 1/2 tsp. pepper and toss well. Add the parsley and toss again. Taste and adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper. Serve hot. Serves 8 to 10.
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By Mavis Butterfield on · 11 Comments
I don’t think 2 sets of grow lights are going to cut it. I am having to resist the urge to buy another set. I can’t take the Seattle rain any longer. I want to start gardening now! Do you hear me Mother Nature? Now. Now. Now.
At least the tomatoes are coming along nicely under the grow lights. But I have one concern. I have noticed a few of the leaves have yellow patches on them. Why is this? Am I keeping the grow lights to close to the plants, or do I need to give them a little boost of miracle grow? Is there a grow light hotline I can call? If someone knows the answer please let me know. But don’t tell me to go buy some hippie product like fish emulsion or blah blah root. I am a hard-core compost and Miracle Grow girl. No weirdo remedies here. Unless of course we are talking about slugs. Then I will salt the bejezzus out of them to insure a good crop.
Is it weird to want to kiss a cabbage plant? Oh my word they are cute! I think they love me. The HH’s stinky Brussels Sprouts are coming along nicely as well. What’s up with the Irish and their love for all things cabbage anyway?
Ahh sweet peppers. I know I’ll need a few of these for a batch of zucchini relish, but I’ve already resigned to the fact The Girl Who Thinks She’s A Bird & Monkey Boy are going to eat all of the sweet peppers. Back in the old days when I would buy bags of sweet peppers from Costco, they would be consumed in less than 24 hours. Sweet peppers are like candy to my kids. I bet if the kids had to choose they would pick sweet peppers over M&Ms any day of the week.
I have high hopes for my basil plants this year. Very. High. Hopes. I would like to be able to grow enough basil so I can stash away tubs and tubs of pesto to enjoy next winter to use in pasta dishes and panini sandwiches. I’m not exactly sure how much I will need to grow but I’m thinking 2 more trays {72 starts in a tray} should do the trick. I plan on starting more here in just a few weeks once I’m able to move the tomatoes and peppers out to the greenhouse.
Cilantro is another herb I’m not sure of how much I will need to grow. I’m primarily growing it so I have plenty on hand when it comes time to can salsa. This lovely seed is taking its own sweet time.
The Coleus seeds were so tiny I was afraid they wouldn’t even sprout. Obviously I was wrong. The seeds took off like gangbusters.
The Old Fashioned Vining Petunia starts are looking great as well. It looks like I have tomorrows garden project all lines up. Thinning seedlings.
Peace Out Girl Scouts…
I’m off to go play in the dirt! mud!
Talking Dirt: The Dirt Diva’s Down-to-Earth Guide to Organic Gardening
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By Mavis Butterfield on · 4 Comments
Although I spent money like a mad woman last week, I still think I did pretty well. I was able to score free candy for the Easter Bunny, purchase a case of apples, score a ton of free yogurt and load up on my family’s favorite garlic bread and bread sticks.
Stocking up when the prices are low can be fun, but I need to start watching my pennies.
I need to keep two very important things on my radar.
#1 Canning Season {I’ll need sugar, goofy spices, and some odd ball ingredients}
#2 Summer fruit deals.
Stocking up on summer’s bounty is key for us. I would much stock up on fresh local fruit when it’s in season and freeze it, rather than be forced to buy crappy fruit at high prices during the winter.
We finished our last bag of frozen peaches the other day, and we’ve been out of blueberries for a while now. With only 3 bags of frozen blackberries and 10 quarts of raspberries left we are running seriously low on fruit.
Bottom line: We. Will. Need. Fruit. Lots and Lots of fruit!
Maybe later this week I will sit down and try to figure out just how much fruit we will need to purchase this summer, but for now, here is a show & tell of what I bought this week at the stores:
Albertsons $22.15
24 Boxes of Texas Toast/ Bread Sticks $12
24 4- Packs Activia Yogurt FREE
12 Boxes Who Nu Cookies {could taste so bad} FREE
2 Gallons of Milk $4.78
2 Boxes of Oreo’s $1.98
1 2lb Container of Ricotta Cheese $2.39
2 Salad Kits $1.00
Not bad… I did have to plug the freezer back in though to accommodate all the free yogurt and bread sticks. Ha Ha Ha.
38 lbs Fuji Apples $23.26 {The best apples on the planet!}
8 Boxes Rice Krispies $8
2 Orange Juice $5.58
4 Bags M&M’s FREE
Cabbage $.42
Guinness $3.29 {for Beef Stew & Brownies}
Parsley $.59
Total Spent This Week $63.29
Total Spent This Year $293.68
Total Spent This Year on Garden Seeds/Supplies $304.63
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