Handmade Gift Bookmarkers, sweet and inexpensive.

I have a huge button bin that I've been collecting for years. When I found this post I had a serious "AHA!" moment. I made up a handful for some older ladies I know who love to read that I will tuck into their gift bags.

By the way, the blog I found it on is worth at least a half hour of exploring...budget your time accordingly! Visit them HERE.

Not the best picture on my Android but you get the idea. Very fast and very simple to make and look very luxurious. My 4 year old wants a trip to the button store to make his own after Christmas.

I will try to throw up some blogs with this year's Christmas bag contents. Not having much money never means you can't show your loved ones you care, it just means you have to be more creative! Sounds trite but true. Who doesn't like handmade thoughtful gifts?

I have had several Christmas seasons where I had to use food stamp money to buy cookie making ingredients to make gift bags. Do I let it get me down? Hell no. When they toss that department store gift basket back under the tree and sit noshing on my (best cookie ever!) peanut butter chocolate chip cookies I feel proud and content.


Happy Holidays!

Slow cooked Baked Beans

I find that one of the corner stones of my diet is beans. Seriously. I know you dont believe me because no one eats beans anymore in this fast paced eat out of a can or bag world right?

They are nutritionally a powerhouse. Beans are incredibly filling and inexpensive. While they are not a 5 minute meal they are also incredibly easy to make.  Dust off that crock-pot and come make some with me.

Slow Cooked Boston Baked Beans

1 pound ( about 2 cups) small dry white beans like navy beans
1/3 cup molasses
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup mustard
1 medium onion, chopped
a pinch of cloves
3 cups hot water


First you have to soak the beans. The night before I put them in a pan and cover with hot water from the faucet before I go to bed. There are other ways you can do it but really to me that's the easiest way to do it. Pick out any floaters and run a spoon through to look for little pebbles too.

The next morning drain the beans. Put half of them in the crock-pot. Place the chopped onion on top of beans. Cover with remaining beans.

In a separate bowl mix together the hot water, molasses, brown sugar, mustard and cloves. Pour over the beans in your crock-pot.

Cook for about 8 hours on low.  Check occasionally and make sure beans are covered with liquid. If not, add a bit to cover.  When they are tender enough to eat they are done. They may seem a bit soupy at first but will thicken a bit on standing.

The next day they are even better. This recipe will serve 6 as a main dish. I make these once a week and put in canning jars in my refrigerator so I can pull some out for a fast dinner. My teenager loves these on toast, I have them over rice frequently. They are a natural combo with Irish soda bread too.


Now a word about cooking times. There can be huge variances in cooking times depending on how old your beans are. If they have been in your cabinet for a year they may take a couple hours longer. I buy beans every week so they are relatively fresh. 

Pizza Night

Pizza night is a mainstay in our house. I make dough and I can customize everyone's pizza to their needs. No cheese on one, no sauce on another, all veggies on one is a snap this way. The kids make their own pizzas and we all eat together.


Gluten free came along and threw a wrench in the works though. How do you make a pizza crust without flour?  Thank God for the internet and Jeanne at 'The Art of Gluten Free Baking'.  She has a great recipe for pizza crust that actually tastes like pizza. I throw the ingredients in the food processor for 20ish seconds and use the parchment for that pizza.I have tried a few premade mixes but darn it they are so expensive. I make up Jeanne's baking mix and make pancakes regularly too from it.

You can find an easy crust recipe here that does have gluten but is dairy free. I will share a secret to make this go very fast. I have been making the dough in the food processor. Put all the ingredients in and process for about 20 to 30 seconds until it's a smooth dough. That's it. Let it rest and use as you would dough you spent 10 minutes kneading. The first time you may have to experiment with time and a drop or two of water to get a smooth dough but after that its easy peasy. If it still looks crumbly add water a teaspoon at a time until the dough comes together, pulsing a few seconds after each admission. I can crank out four crusts in no time this way.

My regular dough recipe makes some wonderful bread sticks as well.  Divide each recipe into 8 pieces and roll out thin with your fingers into pretzel rod shapes. Lay flat on cookie sheet. Sprinkle lightly with garlic salt. Let rise for 20 minutes. Bake at 425 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes.
 If you aren't dairy free you can smear butter on them and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese for some very similar to the pizza stores. We have them with pizza sauce. Yum!

Dinner Time Insanity

So seriously I am considering a dinner time strike. For REAL this time.  Dinner time as become more of a challenge than I can deal with some days. Ever try to make one meal that encompasses gluten free, dairy free, vegetarian yet will still manage to please children and the occasional guest? Throw in 2 Autistic kids and whewwww.

My budget is screaming, not to mention the sheer amount of time it takes to make 3 or 4 separate meals every night. All the rules I grew up with about meal time have gone out the window. Feel my pain?

Now that I got that off my chest, I hope in the future to share with you how I manage to get everyone fed. Maybe someone will not feel so overwhelmed and under appreciated. OK that probably won't happen but at least we can commiserate together.

OK I am off to throw some salads and pizza at the heathens. See ya later.