When Life Gives You Lemons....

Do you follow Pioneer Woman? If you don't you should. Her stories make me laugh out loud, and her recipes are to die for....okay, maybe not. But, they are definitely worth a serious illness.

A few months ago she posted a recipe for a drool-worthy pound cake that the Southern Girl in me just could not ignore. So, I decided to try it out...for the first time...when we had over 30 guests coming to our home...'cause I'm a little crazy like that.

It baked beautifully, and the scent was divine. Then, I tried to turn it out of the pan and got this:



My first course of action was to take a spoon and dig the warm cake out of the bottom of the pan. What?!? I had to see if it was worth saving! It was irrefutably the best pound cake that I'd ever made. So, I had to come up with a way to camouflage it's appearance.

I looked at recipes that included drizzling sauces and syrups on top. I tried slicing it and arranging it on a plate. We all know that didn't help at all. Then, I decided to fall back on a Southern Classic ~ The Trifle.

If you do a search for Trifle recipes, you will find a myriad of way to assemble one. The basics ingredients are
1) Some sort of cakey substance
2) Some sort of creamy substance
3) Some sort of fruity or chunky chocolate substance

Now, hear me please, run screaming from the ones that include fruit cocktail, 'kay?

I decided to make up my own and here is what I came up with, it disappeared at my party.



Berry Trifle
1 Pound Cake, cubed
4 Cups Fresh Berries, sliced if appropriate
4oz Cream Cheese, softened
1 Lg Vanilla Pudding
Sugar

Combine berries in bowl and sprinkle liberally with sugar. Let this sit on the kitchen counter, covered, for a couple of hours, stirring occasionally. Prepare pudding as box directs and then add cream cheese, whisking to combine.

In a large bowl or trifle dish (preferably a clear one), place half of the cubed pound cake. Add half of the sugared berries. Add all of the pudding mixture. Then finish with the rest of the pound cake followed by the rest of the berries. Cover and refrigerate for a couple of hours.

This is best eaten the same day that it is prepared, but leftover will keep for another day or so. I've since made it with a store bought lemon cake, which was also good, but not nearly as yummy as PW's Pound Cake.

Enjoy!

Who Says A SAHM Can't Get Vacation Pay? UPDATED WITH PHOTOS

I have often said that couponing is my job. I give the same degree of attention and organization to couponing that I would give to a job out in the "real world". Earning approximately $600 a month for my family definitely makes it worth the effort!

I just returned from an extended absence that included a mission trip, family vacation, and staying in my parent's home while they were out of the country (to be near my grandparents in case they had a need.) I was gone for 4 weeks. The weeks of couponing and deal-seeking that I had done prior to leaving continued to pay off while I was gone! This is what came in the mail while I was away....


And here is the list of what is included: (All of this was totally free!)

~Rebate Checks:
Totalling $25 (and an email confirming another $25 is on the way.)

~Gift Cards:
$15 Coldwater Creek
$10 DSW

~Magazines:
Thriving Family
American Baby
Family Circle
Good Housekeeping
Vogue

~Full-Sized Products:
Davinci Tortellini
Scrubbing Bubble Toilet Cleaning Gel
Glad Scented Oil Candle
Pledge Furniture Wipes
Ziploc Smart Snap Bowls
Ziploc Big Bags (3 Gallon, 10 Gallon, 20 Gallon)
Ziploc Quart Storage Bags (25ct)
Ziploc Gallon Freezer Bags (15ct)
Arm & Hammer Baking Soda Shaker

~Samples:
Ritz Crackerfuls
All Detergent
Parent's Choice Formula
Eucerin Lotion
2 Yogi Teas
Dove Daily Moisture
Stayfree Pad
2 Glidden Paint Testers
Caress Body Wash
Olay Body Wash
Propel Drink Mix
Zantac
2 Kraft Sandwich Shop Mayo
2 Starbucks Via
Philosophy Perfume
3 Crystal Lite Drink Mix
3 Pampers Cruisers

~Free Product Coupons:
Beech-Nut Baby Cereal
2 Jars Beech-Nut Baby Food

~Coupons:
2 $30 Home Made Simple Coupon Books
28 Assorted High-Value Product Coupons (Will use @ 75% of these.)
3 High-Value Store Coupons
Coupons to 3 of our Favorite Resaurants

I won't take the time to calculate the value of all of this, but it is over $200, I am sure....while I was away from home!

Stockpiling Perishable Foods

As I travel further on my couponing/stockpiling adventure, I am learning new tricks along the way. It really bugs me that there are certain items that cannot be stockpiled because they will spoil. This means that I can choose to either do without these items or pay full price for them. EEEK!

I have discovered that quite a few perishable items can be frozen successfully, without negatively affecting their quality or taste.

For example, liquid coffee creamer was once a true luxury item for me. I would not pay $2.69 for a bottle of creamer when I had a gallon of milk that I could make do with. After discovering that there is a sale cycle every 8-12 weeks on Coffee Mate and International Delight, I decided to try freezing it. Now I pay between .25 and .90 for creamer once a quarter and stockpile 15-20 bottles a time in my freezer. It freezes beautifully!

Here is a list of items that I freeze regularly:
~Coffee Creamer
~Lunch Meat
~Squeeze Yogurt (Like Gogurt)
~Cheese (I recommend grating it first, if you thaw a block and grate, it tends to be very crumbly.)
~Bread (Just thaw the loaf on the counter, open.)
~Nuts (Walnuts, Pecans, Almonds. They stay fresh longer)
~Extra Flour (Sure to be bug-free.)
~Butter (Not sure about margarine.)

If you have any other ideas...let me know!

An Update to Our Adoption Blog

More of my blogging focus over the next few months will be at our adoption blog, Journey to China. So much is happening, and I know I won't be able to be faithful to both. Recording our adoption journey is so very important because one day it will be a piece to the puzzle of Grace's life journey. It is her history, and I want to record it well.

So, join me next door. I promise to say hello from this venue from time to time as well :)

A Few of My Favorite Things ~ Companies that Do Not Leave Adoptive Families Out of the Fun!

This week while I was perusing the blogs, I came across a reminder for all of the fun stuff you get when you are pregnant. You know, cans of formula and coupons sent to your door by companies who hope that they can entice you to use their brand for that huge investment. Or, samples of the latest and greatest diapers along with high-value coupons. And, the pinnacle, the diaper bag full of goodies from the hospital.

I don't know, maybe I'm a little weird...but you KNOW how much I LOVE a freebie! Why pay for it when someone out there is willing to give it to you for free...right?

Well, it got me to thinking (like that grammar, don't ya?), "I won't be going to the hospital for our newest bundle of joy...I'll be taking and umpteen hour plane ride. I wonder if these companies have offers for adoptive families as well?" So, I started hitting websites for all of the diaper, formula, and baby food companies that I could think of. I sent emails all over the place posing my question.

On Wednesday I spoke with a nice lady from Nestle/Gerber (who have merged, I guess?) She asked me a few questions about Grace, and then informed me that she had no distribution system in place for the same package given at the hospital. But, she would like to send a different gift to me. Sure! I told her that I would love that.

Yesterday (2 days later!), my nice UPS guy delivered the gift. Inside I found a much nicer diaper bag than I received at the hospital with either of my boys. (This is probably the one I will take to China.) There were also some promotional materials, AND a coupon for a FREE can of formula...of my choice. This includes Soy, which we expect to be using with Grace. WOW! I am very impressed by Gerber's response to my query. And, you can bet that I will remember that when I am shopping for Grace's needs in the future.

If you know anyone who is adopting a young child, be sure to let them know what is available for them!

You know my mantra...There is stuff all around us that is "free for the asking".