Thrifty Housewife

For a couple of years now, I've been a real advocate for thrift store shopping. Being unemployed and then becoming a student sort of encourages saving money!

I like to show off my finds every now and then to encourage others to give thrift shopping a try.


NineWest purse, $3.69 from a Goodwill store, very clean, appears to have never been used.

Harley Davidson leather boots, would retail for over $100.00, looked like they were worn once. I got them for $6.60 at a Goodwill store.

Ann Taylor evening bag with rhinestone button closure, like new, $1.69 at Goodwill.

Liz Claiborne handbag - I got this one over a year ago at Park Avenue Thrift store for about $6.00

High Sierra backpack was purchased at Goodwill for $3.93. The main zipper was broken, but Eddie figured out how to fix that for me. Ironically, this $4 backpack carries over $400 worth of my schoolbooks now!

Chain and pearl necklace was a belt that I converted to a necklace. I got it for about $2.00 at Value Village Thrift.

Seriously, go try it! If one of your New Year's resolution is related to saving money.....

The Best Christmas Present

Eddie brought this little guy home two weeks ago. We adopted him from a local shelter.

This is Sheldon! At this time he is 3 months old, weighs 2 1/2 pounds. He is full of energy and adjusted to his new home within hours.

Sheldon brought so much holiday joy! I hope he's here for 17 or 18 years like my other cats were.

Mango Chutney Cheese Spread

I took this to a holiday party recently. It's an interesting mix of flavors, but so good. Try it out at your New Year's Eve gathering.



MANGO CHUTNEY CHEESE SPREAD

16 ounces cream cheese (from a tub, reduced fat)
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup bacon pieces, cooked until crispy
1/4 cup sliced green onions
2 tablespoons sour cream
9 ounce jar mango chutney (Major Grey’s)

Stir together the first 5 ingredients. Spread mixture in a shallow dish or make a shape on a serving plate. Spread a thin layer of chutney on top. Serve with crackers. (I like Wheat Thins with this.)

Red Velvet Truffles

This is a really simple recipe. Easy, but a little time consuming. Delicious!

RED VELVET TRUFFLES

1 box red velvet cake mix (Duncan Hines)

ingredients needed according to cake mix

1 "regular size" container whipped cream cheese frosting

white/vanilla candy coating (I use the kind that comes in a big 16 ounce rectangle, need about 1 1/2 packages)

Bake the cake according to directions on package. Let the cake cool completely. Crumble the entire cake.

Mix in the cream cheese frosting (I used a mixer, but it could be done by hand). Refrigerate for a couple hours. Scoop out into balls (I made mine about 3/4 inch round with a very small cookie scoop). Freeze balls for a couple of hours or overnight (I like to divide up the work over a couple of days, so I freeze them overnight).

Melt candy coating according to package directions. Dip balls and place on wax paper to harden.

Keep refrigerated.

Yield: a whole lot, about 100!!

Christmas Decor

Being busy with school kept me from putting up the Christmas decorations as early as I usually do. I decided to keep it simple so taking them down before school starts again will be easy.


My little tree... fewer ornaments than usual.


The fireplace, nothing but lights and pinecones on the garland.



These are plain white, velvety stockings that I bought last year (or the year before?). I added the satin fabric to match my color scheme. It can easily be changed out when the color scheme changes in the future.

Pretty reindeer...

Holiday Goodies

It doesn't look like I'm going to find very much time for making goodies this year. (I'll make a few) These are my favorites that I usually make over and over.

Follow the link to the original post.


Chocolate Covered Cherries


Espresso Crunch Cups

Eggnog Truffles

White Chocolate Macadamia Fudge

I'll let you know if I come up with some new ones for this year.

Southwest Stuffed Peppers

This recipe came from The Kitchen Life of a Navy Wife.

I just made two stuffed peppers and baked the rest in a casserole dish to have another night.


SOUTHWEST STUFFED PEPPERS

4-6 green bell peppers
1 pound ground beef
1 (14 ounce) can Ro-tel, undrained
1 1/2 cups water
1 (5.4 ounce) package Knorr Fiesta Sides Mexican Rice (rice & orzo blend)
2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend

Cut tops off of bell peppers; remove seeds. Cut bottom of bell pepper so that it will sit up straight. Put bell peppers in a large bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Heat in microwave for 2 or 3 minutes.

In a large skillet, brown the ground beef until no longer pink; drain well. Return meat to skillet. Add the Ro-tel tomatoes, water and rice mix. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 6 to 8 minutes until liquid is absorbed.

Spoon meat/rice mixture into bell peppers. Top each with a small portion of cheese. Place in a greased or sprayed baking dish. Cover and bake for 25 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with additional cheese and bake for 5 to 10 minutes until the cheese is melted.