Happy New Year!

Our holidays were great, and now, after a little siesta, I'm back to blogging. Thank you to all who have tuned in during 2008. I look forward to spending 2009 together!

I hope to unviel some new and interesting ideas as well as some new features! Stay tuned!

I do plan on keeping track of what we are spending vs. saving using our coupons and playing the drugstore games. Not only will this keep me accountable for my own spending, but I hope it is a blessing to you as you embark on your own frugal adventure. Because, to be perfectly honest, it can all be a little overwhelming when you first get started.

You wouldn't believe how many times I've gone into CVS and spent more out of pocket than planned or lost money because of impatience. Coupons are meant to be used, right? Right? =)

Last but not least, here's a recipe for holiday rum cake. My recipe was inspired by Pioneer Woman's recipe here, but I rarely have cake mix on hand. After some tweeking of my own here's the recipe I came up with. I can't wait to get one of these guys to mix up the fruit ice cream. Maybe I should get a mixer first...

Coconut Rum Cake

The Cake

1 stick butter, softened

1 1/2 c sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

2 c flour

1 tsp salt

3/4 c milk

1/2 c coconut (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly spray a bundt pan or two loaf pans. Combine butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla until ight and fluffy. Sift together dry ingredients. Add 1/3 of the dry ingredients. Mix well. Follow with 1/4 c milk. Mix well. Continue alternating between dry ingredients and milk, ending with the milk. Stir in coconut if using. Pour into pan(s). Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until a knife in the center comes out clean. Cool on rack 10 minutes in the pan. Remove from pan to finish cooling.

While your cake cools, go ahead and through together your glaze.

1/4 c water

1 stick butter

1 c sugar

3/4 c coconut rum

Combine water, butter, and sugar in a saucepan. Heat to dissolve sugar and butter. Bring to a boil. Boil on high 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in rum. You can return the pan to the stove if you'd like to cook off a bit of the rum. Resist the urge to taste too much glaze. It is yummy, but a bad idea.

Your cake should be cool to the touch by now. Go ahead and turn it upside down (what would be the bottom in the pan) on your cooling rack. Begin gently poking holes in the cake with a fork. Gently. These are going to be the channels for the rum to soak into the cake. Generously poke both the bottoms and sides of the cake. Spoon about half of the glaze into your pan or pans. If your using two pans, about 1/4 of the stuff in the bottom of each pan. Return the cake to the baking pan. Repeat the poking on the remaining side of the cake. Drizzle the remaining glaze over the cake. Step away from the cake. Resist the urge to just dive in. The cake tastes best once all the glaze has had a chance to soak in. Go make ice cream to keep yourself occupied.

And keep an eye on the kiddos. This cake is obviously not kid friendly.

Fruit Ice Cream

1 1/2 c cold evaporated milk

1/2 c sugar

2 large ripe bananas

1 8 oz can crushed pineapple, drained

1 tsp vanilla

Mash bananas with a fork. Combine all ingredients and place into an ice cream freezer, following your machine's directions. May add 1/2 c toasted coconut if desired. Toast on a single layer in the microwave. Use high heat in 30 second intervals until coconut is lightly browned and dry. Stir in between intervals. Crumble between fingers once done.