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.

Holiday Favorites: Honey Glazed Carrots

These are one of the simplest things I throw together and probably one of the quickest to disappear! You can either bake these in the oven or cook in the microwave depending on what works best for you. You can also slice full size carrots if you prefer. Just be sure to peel them first.

Honey Glazed Carrots

2 lbs baby carrots

4 T butter - sliced

1/4 c honey

Preheat oven to 350. Pour carrots into a glass baking dish. Drizzle carrots with honey. Top with butter. Bake for 20 minutes or until carrots are tender. Stir occasionally to combine butter and honey as they melt.

Holiday Favorites: "The" Ham Glaze

I used to do Thanksgiving at our house. A couple of years ago, my mom gave me a ham to save me the money of buying an expensive turkey to feed everyone. I had never made a ham before, and the idea of pouring coke over it just didn't set with me.

I opted for the crockpot instead of the oven. For one, I had no idea how long it would need to be in the oven, and it's pretty hard to mess something up in the crockpot. I came up with this orange glaze to put over the top.

That year's ham was a huge success, and I've made it each year since. Cooking it in the crockpot works best for me (if you have one large enough) because I can get it going the night before, and my oven is freed up for other things. The glaze would be fine for an oven ham as well. Check your label for oven cooking times.

"The" Ham Glaze

(for about a 10-15 lb ham)

1/2 c concentrated orange juice

1/2 c brown sugar

1/4 tsp ground clove

Stud your ham with cloves. Combine juice, sugar, and ground clove. Pour into crock pot. Cook on low 12-15 hours. Your ham will be moist, tender, and oh so yummy!

Holiday Favorites: Cranberry Sauce

This cranberry sauce is really quick and simple to make. With cranberries in season, it's inexpensive as well. It makes a great addition to any sort of pork. It also cans well if you want to save some for another time or give some as a gift. I run mine through the food processor for a smoother texture.

Did I mention it's way better than that canned stuff?

Cranberry Sauce

12 oz bag fresh cranberries

1 small can mandarin oranges

1 large apple, peeled, cored and diced

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

3/4 c brown sugar

1 tsp fresh orange zest (optional)

If you want to grind your sauce, go ahead and do that first. It'll save you a little mess and some work cutting. Pour all ingredients into a large sauce pan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Simmer covered for 20 minutes. May serve warm or cold. Adjust sweetness if needed.

Holiday Favorites: Pumpkin Bread

We love this pumpkin bread. My friend's mother in law saves the tin cans from holiday dinners and bakes the bread in them. She then sends the breads home with guests. At our house, I usually make muffins. They cook up a little quicker, and they're great to snack on while we wait for the last of the meal to finish. I'll also serve this bread topped with a bit of whipped cream. yummmy!

Pumpkin Bread

1 can (2 c) pumpkin

4 eggs

1 c oil

2/3 c milk

3 c sugar

1 c nuts (optional)

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla

3 1/2 c flour

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350. Combine all liquid ingredients in one bowl. Combine all dry ingredients in another. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the liquid. Stir until smooth and all are combined. Add nuts if using. Pour into two greased loaf pans or use lined muffins tins. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until bread springs back when lightly pressed in the center. Cool for 10 minutes in pan before removing to rack to finish cooling. Makes 2 loaves or 2 dozen muffins.

Holiday Favorites: Mmmmacaroni and cheese

This is a recipe I modified from Kraft Food and Family magazine. Again the recipe is super quick to put together since it uses shells and cheese, but with the added ingredients produce a wonderful product that tastes more like homemade.

Mmmmacaroni and Cheese

1 box shells and cheese, any variety

8 oz sour cream

1/2 c shredded cheddar cheese

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/4 c crushed crackers or bread crumbs (I use crushed French's fried onions)

Preheat oven to 325. Cook the pasta to al dente. Drain well. In large bowl combine cheese sauce packet, sour cream, cayenne pepper, and shredded cheese. Spoon into sprayed casserole pan. Top with cracker crumbs. Bake until cheese melts and crumbs are lightly browned, about 20 min.

For those of you who have extra time and prefer not to use the boxed stuff:

1 1/4 c macaroni

2 TBSP butter

2 TBSP flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp dry mustard

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 c milk

8 oz sour cream

1 c shredded cheddar cheese

1/4 c crushed crackers or bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 375. Cook macaroni to al dente. Drain. Melt butter in saucepan. Remove from heat. Stir in flour and spices. Wisk in milk. Return to heat and cook to boil. Stir in sour cream and cheese until just melted. Pour into sprayed casserole dish. Top with your crumb of choice. Bake 30 min or until crumbs are golden.

Holiday Favorites: Ham-N-Cheese Ball

This works out as a great appetizer. It is quick to assemble, and can be made ahead of time and refrigerated until needed. I like to serve it with whole grain crackers.

Ham-N-Cheese Ball

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1 bunch green onion, washed, trimmed, and chopped

1/2 c ham

1/4 tsp paprika

Toss all ingredients into a blender or food processor. Mix until well combined. You may roll in crushed pecans if preferred.

Holiday Favorite Foods

As Christmas draws nearer, I thought it would be fun to share some of our family's favorite holiday recipes. These are things I make year after year. Sometimes I cook at our house. Other times I'm requested to bring certain things to other gatherings.

I'll be sharing them with you here over the next week and a half or so. The majority of them are quick, simple, and inexpensive to make. All are crowd pleasers in our circles.

Here's my most requested dish to whet your appetite for the rest to follow. Everyone's favorite Sweet Potato Casserole.