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The Best $9.99 Ever Spent

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If you are missing the swim and tennis club you were forced to sacrifice in the name of budget-cutting, we are here to cheer you up! The best investment we have made in years cost only $9.99 and has provided our entire family hours upon hours of fun. Remember the Wham-O Slip ‘n Slide you used to play on with your siblings, friends and neighbors? In this day and age of innovation and technology, it has remained exactly the same! Except, you don’t need to blow-up the “self-filling Water Bumper,” AND they throw in inflatable “Boogies”! How can you beat this!

There are, of course, more expensive models-$19.99 for a Slip ‘n Slide Wave Rider Double or $29.99 for the Slip ‘n Slide Splash Factory if you feel like splurging on some cool extra features. But, in all honesty, you don’t really need these! Our kids are out there laughing and screaming as if they were at Great America. And we are smiling thinking about their summer days past spent slipping and sliding when we were kids. Slip ‘n Slides can be found at Target or Toys ‘R Us.

Please share with us your memories of slipping and sliding or some other low-tech gadget that has provided hours of entertainment.

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Categories: Entertainment

Paella

photo-paella

6 tablespoons olive oil
2 lbs. boneless chicken breast, in 1 inch pieces
¼ lb. chorizo or Italian sausage, in 1 inch pieces
½ lb. medium shrimp, shelled, deveined
1 pepper (green or red), coarsely chopped
2 carrots and/or zucchini, chopped (optional)
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tomatoes, skinned and chopped or ½ 14 oz. can diced tomatoes
3 teaspoons paprika
¼ teaspoon saffron
2 cups uncooked short grain rice
5 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 bay leaf, crumbled
3 ½ cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon lemon juice
½ cup dry white wine
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup petite peas

In 10-14 inch paella pan or large heavy oven-proof skillet heat oil. Saute sausage over medium heat 5 minutes. Add chicken. Cook additional 5 minutes, stirring, until chicken is golden. Remove chicken and sausage to warm bowl. Add shrimp to pan. Saute 3 minutes or until shrimp is barely pink. Remove to warm bowl.

Add peppers, onion, garlic and any other vegetables to pan. Saute 2-3 minutes. Stir in tomatoes. Cook 10 minutes over low heat. Add paprika, saffron, and rice. Stir to coat rice well with oil. Add parsley and bay leaf.

Bring chicken broth to a boil. Add to rice mixture. Stir. Add lemon juice, wine, salt and pepper. Stir in peas. Bring to boil over medium heat. Cook uncovered 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add chicken, sausage, and shrimp. Bake uncovered in preheated 325 degree oven 15 minutes. More broth may be added if mixture seems too dry. Remove from oven and cover lightly. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Garnish with lemon wedges and parsley. Serves 6.

If you’re making this for a party, try our White Sangria recipe, as well.

White Sangria

2 medium oranges, sliced and seeded
1 large lemon, sliced and seeded
1 large lime, sliced and seeded
1 cup Grand Marnier
½ cup sugar
2 bottles dry white wine, chilled (not expensive)
1 quart club soda

One day before party: cover fruit in the Grand Marnier in a Tupperware container and refrigerate overnight.

On the day of the party, pour fruit and alcohol mixture into a large pitcher. Mix in sugar. Add cold wine and soda.

Makes 12 servings.

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High-Protein Pasta Pesto

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Does a plain pasta dish lack the protein your family needs and leave you hungry? Try this recipe using Barilla “Plus” high protein pasta. If you don’t want to make your own pesto, Whole Foods has a great ready-made version.

1 box Barilla “Plus” fettuccine or spaghetti
2 cups fresh basil leaves (don’t buy them in the small plastic containers – too pricey!)
½ cup + 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed with the side of a knife
¼ tsp. salt
¼ cup pine nuts
½ cup grated romano cheese

Boil the pasta according to the “al dente” directions on the box. Strain and transfer to large bowl. Sprinkle with the 1 tbsp. olive oil if the pesto isn’t ready right away so the noodles don’t stick to each other.

Place the basil, olive oil, garlic, salt, pine nuts and ½ of the romano cheese in a food processor. Pulse until smooth. Toss with pasta and the remaining cheese until well coated. Enjoy!

Good sides or starters: Serve this with fresh carrots and hummus dip on the side.

Photo courtesy of Riversidegrocery.ca.

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Max your mpg on your road trip…

photo-mountainroadtripDrivesmarterchallenge.com has some great tips to get the best mileage you can from your car on your summer road trip. Inflate your tires to the proper pressure. Turn down the A/C to as high a temp as you can stand it. Don’t speed (or don’t speed excessively). Use your cruise control as often as you can.

Photo courtesy of shastacascade.com.

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Categories: Wish Jar Tip

Kids Making Money

Ms. Nickel featurette

Our Wish Jar Tip last week encouraged the kids to become young entrepreneurs by hosting a lemonade stand. That activity is good for younger kids, but what can older children do to bring in money? Teens and tweens spend money like it’s going out of style on ipod downloads, movie tickets (now at $11.00 in some theatres, yikes!), CDs, “Juicy” whatever and Wii games. Shouldn’t they bring in a little cash now and then to help with their extras?

We have a few ideas for the kids: some are old, some are new. Share this article with your child and see if anything sounds interesting to them.

  1. photo-petsitPet sitting – This is a great job for an older child who has grown up with pets. Younger children can make money by pet sitting hamsters, fish and hermit crabs for neighbors.

  2. Car washes – You don’t need to be a cheer-leading squad or baseball team to host a car wash. If you donate a portion of the proceeds to a popular charity, you should be able to find a gas station that will host your wash.

  3. Ebay – If your kids are computer savvy, they can learn to sell things on eBay in a flash. Pokemon cards, DVDs and collectibles like beanie babies or Webkins are good sellers.

  4. Host an Art or Sports Day Camp for the 4-8 years old of the neighborhood.

  5. Mow lawns.

  6. Do the watering for someone who is on vacation.

  7. Babysitting – The old standby now gets $8-12 per hour in some cities.

Happy earnings!
Founders, Darcy Ratner and Julie Arnheim

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Categories: Ms. Nickel

Must Haves for Family Meal Prep

If you want to save a little money, it’s common knowledge that home cooking is a good place to start. But what do you really need to have in your kitchen if you are new to cooking? You can get by with very little, actually, and some of the best tools are simple, classic and inexpensive. Here is Ms. Nickel’s list of necessities for getting your kitchen ready to cook. One you’re well stocked, don’t forget to check out this site’s tasty recipes for cooks of all skill level.




  1. A basic cookbook – My two standbys are How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman and the old classic red-and-white checked Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook. Between the two of them are a ton of basic recipes.

  2. Measuring cups – You can do almost anything with a 2-cup Pyrex (glass) measuring cup and a set of metal nesting measuring cups. They both pop right in to the dishwasher and the Pyrex is great for heating foods in the microwave.

  3. Wooden mixing spoons – These are great for mixing, sautéing, serving and they are biodegradable (but will last forever if you hand wash and dry them).

  4. A 12-inch frying (sauté) pan with a glass lid – The sky’s the limit on how much you can spend on one of these but if you buy a good stainless steel one, it will last for years. The glass lid is a necessity so that you can watch your meal without letting out the heat or steam. You can also cook rice in this if you only have one pan.

  5. Two large metal mixing bowls – You can get these everywhere and they clean up easily and least forever.

  6. A Chef’s knife, a bread knife and a paring knife – With these three tools, meal prep will be a snap. Your local kitchen store can help you choose good ones that are in your budget.

  7. Cutting Boards – A large plastic one for meat and a large wooden one for breads and vegetables. The wooden one will last forever. Get the largest plastic one that can fit in your dishwasher.

  8. A 13 x 9 Pyrex baking dish – You’ll use this for everything – baking meats, pasta, cakes, potatoes, and my favorite, apple crisp!

You can get almost all of these items at Target or Walmart. Bon appétit and good luck with your kitchen adventures!

Founders, Julie Arnheim and Darcy Ratner

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Categories: Ms. Nickel

Lemonade Stand

The Wish Jar

Do your kids need money for Pokemon cards or Webkins? Have them earn it themselves with an old-fashioned lemonade stand. Newman

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Categories: Wish Jar Tip

Barbequed Baby-back Ribs

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4 pounds baby back ribs (3-4 ribs per serving)
salt
pepper
paprika

Sauce:
¾ cup ketchup
¼ cup brown sugar or honey
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon chili powder

Season ribs with salt, pepper, and paprika. Place ribs bone side down in shallow roasting pan. Cover tightly with aluminum foil. Bake in a preheated 325 degree oven for 1 ½ hours. May be done early in the day or a day ahead and refrigerated.

Combine sauce ingredients. Mix well. Place cooked ribs, bone- side down on the grill over medium heat. Cook 20 minutes or until heated through. Baste occasionally with sauce. Do not turn ribs.

Ribs may also be broiled in the oven. Sauce is also good for barbecued chicken.

This side-dish recipe is a good way to get kids to eat cauliflower.

Cauliflower Fritters

1 cup sifted flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
½ cup milk
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup cooked cauliflower, mashed with a masher until mixable
Vegetable oil, 1-inch deep in a skillet

Preheat oil over medium heat. Sift flour with baking powder and salt. Blend in egg, milk, butter, and cauliflower. Drop by spoonfuls into hot oil. Cook 3-5 minutes on each side until golden brown.

This photo is courtesy of alleghenybbq.com thru bing images.

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Home Composting: Next Steps

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Last time we looked at the simplest form of home composting: using a plain old bucket to collect your kitchen scraps. You may need to graduate to more sophisticated means, especially if you have more kitchen and garden materials than you know what to do with. If so, there are several commercial compost bins available.

Stacking bins, sometimes called “Biostack”, are made out of recycled plastic, have a capacity of 12 cubic feet and are easily assembled. The Biostack stands approximately 28” x 28” x 34” high, and is weather, rot and rodent resistant. This style can sometimes be found at Costco for under $100. Many cities or counties offer these bins for free or at a reduced rate for residents.

Read the rest of this entry »

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Categories: Gardening

Save when you eat out!

The Wish JarWhen busy families have no alternative but to dine out, here are some tips to contain your restaurant bill.

1) Have a drink before or after you eat out. This can easily save $20 on your bill.

2) Order appetizers as entrees. This can save $3-6 dollars per person and you

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Categories: Wish Jar Tip

Potluck Parties

Ms. Nickel featurette

Is your tight budget putting a crimp in your entertaining? Don’t sit at home alone and bored. Make a list of a few friends who might enjoy some frugal fun and invite them to one of our Potluck Parties. Here are a few of our ideas for parties that will get some friends together while keeping the expenses in check. If you know how to use evite.com, it will make inviting and tracking guests a snap.

  1. ABC Potluck – To throw this party, ask each invited guest to bring a dish that starts with the same letter of their last name. If this party is done on evite.com, have people RSVP with what they’re bringing and the host can balance out the meal with what’s missing.

  2. Bring Your Own Meat Barbecue – The host provides appetizers, salad and a side dish and each invitee brings their barbecue meat of choice (or veggie burgers) and a bottle of wine or other drink. Paper plates (recyclable or compost able) are certainly appropriate for this party.

  3. Neighborhood Progressives – This party stays in one neighborhood and the attendees move around on foot from house to house. If you have four families participating, the first will do appetizers and drinks, the second will do a salad, the third will do the entrée and the last will do dessert. If you only have three families participating, the first family can do an appetizer and salad. This is a good opportunity to get to know your neighbors!

Have fun!
Founders, Julie Arnheim and Darcy Ratner

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Categories: Ms. Nickel
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