Here is an Easy Homemade Pumpkin Pie for you to make at home to share with your family and friends!

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Part 1 0f 5

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Part 2 of 5
Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups Graham Crackers ( about 12 crackers in
  blender)
• 4 tablespoons sweet butter (melted)
• 1/4-1/2 cup Water
• Need 9″ Spring Form Pan

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Part 3 of 5

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Part 4 of 5

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Part 5 of 5

Ingredients

• 16 ounce Pumpkin Pie Filling
• 1/2 cup Sugar
• 1/2 cup Brown Sugar
• 3/4 cup Carnation Milk
• 1/2 cup Milk
• 3 Eggs (beaten)
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• sprinkle Grated Nutmeg
• Reversion below
• Preheat Oven to 375 degrees for 15 minutess then lower to 325 degrees for 30 -40 minutes.

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Homemade Orange Marmalade Jelly

by Marlene Owens

Summer is over and what a very hot season it was. Now that autumn is here let
us get started to cooking some easy budget foods like homemade jellys, cookies,
cakes, pies, breads and rolls that our family will enjoy and save money too.

I was checking some of my old recipes. and I decided to make Homemade Orange
Marmalade. This recipes goes great with many foods like toast, biscuits, ham,
chicken, and etc. According to my family, they liked it very much. So try it!

To prepare this delicious dish, you will need to buy five or six oranges, ( I found the
seedless ones.) some sugar, water and Orange Jello. I used two pint size canning jars
to put them in. Clean the jars first with soap and water and then put them in a pot
with water over heat and sterilize the jars.

Wash the Oranges with a little soap and rinse well. Cut the oranges into quarters
and peel and slice them thinly. Try not to put the white pith in (tastes bitter) and
set aside. Then grate the rind of three oranges and place them with the oranges.

In a saucepan add the oranges and juice, zest, one cup of sugar or more to your
taste and about two cups of water. Let this cook for thirty minutes stirring often.

In another pot, place two cups of water and the Orange Jello on low heat. Taste it
and add more sugar if needed stirring until dissolved, then add to the orange
mixture and stir well. Let cool and place in jars. Then put in refridgerator.

Taste and enjoy the Homemade Orange Marmalade Jelly on buttered toast the next day!

Industry watchers say TLC’s popular reality show, Extreme Couponing — which depicts coupon-obsessed men and women spending 30 to 40 hours a week cutting coupons to net pounds and pounds of groceries for pennies on the dollar (exhausted yet?) — may be causing more harm than good in the real world.

On the retail front, some big retailers — wary of couponing copycats — are pushing back on former coupon allowances for ordinary shoppers:

• At Rite Aid, shoppers can no longer combine buy-one-get-one-free coupons or promotions — a strategy that, in the past, allowed customers to get two free items. The chain is also limiting the number of coupons a shopper can use per item to four, as long as there is enough stock. Before, the store accepted “multiple identical coupons for multiple qualifying items.”

• Target now forbids “stacking,” the act of combining manufacturer and store buy-one-get-one-free coupons, in order to receive both items for free.

Meanwhile, viewers are trying to take on the TV show’s tricks to no avail — and becoming depressed by their inability to replicate the savings achieved by the pros on the show. “Is Extreme Couponing Hurting Self Esteem?” asks Leah Ingram on her blog Suddenly Frugal. Phil Lempert, food industry expert and editor of Supermarketguru.com, told her that “shoppers no longer feel good about saving $10, or 10-to-20 percent. They’re becoming depressed that they are not able to buy $1,000 or more groceries for 25 cents.”

And, believe it or not, some of the coupon-obsessed across the country have reportedly turned to newspaper theft to take advantage of as many coupon circulars as possible. Some subscribers complain that their papers are missing coupon inserts, while some regional newspaper companies report papers have been stolen from coin-operated racks. Now, that’s extreme.

Coupon Dos & Don’ts

Still, as wary as I am of coupon mania, I’m willing to concede that there are some smart ways to use coupons — as long as you’re buying something you actually want or need. Many stores still have lenient policies. Here’s some advice for tactfully getting the most out of coupons and some coupon etiquette Do’s and Dont’s.

Do Know Your Limits. Save time, energy and embarrassment at the register by playing with the rules established by retailers and manufacturers. Visit their Web sites to learn if there have been any updates or changes to their coupon policies.

Do Ask Friends and Neighbors to Leave Aside Papers. Some people actually subscribe to newspapers for the articles, not the coupons. It’s perfectly acceptable to ask these friends and family members — politely — to set aside the coupons for you to pick up at a later time.

Don’t Barter for New Papers. According to a report in North County Times, local publishers say customers are asking to return papers for new ones with fresh coupon circulars. I’m all for trading up, but, really?

Do Start a Small Coupon Swap. Rather than stealing your neighbor’s Sunday paper to benefit from the extra coupon circular, create a support system through a small, local coupon exchange. Members can meet once a week in person for 30 minutes to exchange coupons for things they actually would buy anyway. (One person’s buy-one-get-one-free instant oatmeal is another person’s 50-cents-off cold cereal.) Online exchanges also exist at savingsadvice.com and thriftyfun.com.

Don’t Copy Coupons. Many stores mention in their coupon policies that “coupons are void if copied, scanned, transferred, purchased, sold …” etc. Again, stick with the official policy. You’ll still manage to save a good chunk of change — and by skipping a long debate at the checkout, you’ll also avoid unnecessary delays both for you and the shoppers waiting behind you.

Do Ask Manufacturers to Send Coupons Directly. If you can’t find manufacturers’ coupons readily on their Web sites, email or call them to request coupons be sent directly to your inbox. That’s what many successful couponers claim to do. It sometimes earns them freebies, as well.

This article is part of a series related to being Financially F

Marlene,

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Healthy but yummy popsicles

Homemade Popsicles are definitely a welcome treat on these 90 degrees days here in Atlanta.. Not only are they healthy but delicious. You can be so creative with yours. I bought these Popsicle holder at one of the Dollar Stores. I am sorry I only bought one set. I must go and get more. I made these Popsicles with some of my Homemade Cranberry Raspberry Sauce, sweeten sliced Strawberries and Cranberry Black Cherry Juice. The grandchildren loved them.

An Organized Kitchen is a Joy – *Susie*Need to organize your kitchen? Well, you can get organized in just 10 minutes and make kitchen organization a breeze with these simple tips and ideas.

For more intensive, kitchen organization projects, do read Kitchen Storage Organization Made Easy and Quick and Easy Kitchen Cleaning Tips and Ideas.

” Say Cheeeese, ” for Cheesecake!

Cheesecake Recipe

by Marlene Owens

Homemade Cheesecake has never been easier to make at home with this recipe. This recipe calls for a nine inch Spring-foam pan, a flat pan to put it on, an oven, a blender to crust the crackers and an electric mixer. How easy can that be?!

I like to make my crust first. You will need to crush the crackers fine and put into the spring-foam pan, add the melted butter; mix well, then add the water to the mixture and mix well.

Spread the graham crackers on the bottom and press gently, pushing the excess to the sides. After the bottom has been pressed go around the sides and press it half way up the pan.  Place it in the refrigerator until ready to use.

In a bowl add the Cream Cheese and a little of the egg followed by a little sugar and mix with the mixer.

Continue in this mannerism until all the eggs and sugar have been added.  At this point taste the mixture and see if it is sweet enough for you.   I like mine sweet.   Then add the Vanilla Extract and mix again.

In a heated oven of 325 degrees F add the Creamed Cheese mixture to the Spring-foam pan and place on a  pan.

Now this is the secret to my cake coming out delicious.    Set the timer for one hour.   Open the oven door and gently test the cake with your finger for the completeness of the dessert   (it should feel dry and soft).

Turn the oven off , crack the oven door to release the heat.  Leave the cake in the oven.

When you are able to go and retrieve the cake with your bare hands  (meaning it is not hot) remove the cake.  It should take about 1-2 hours to cool off.

Remove the cake, wrap the top of the cake pan with plastic wrap. Then wrap the entire pan with aluminum foil and put in fridge.

The next day your Cheese Cake is ready!   Remove the foil and plastic wrap.  Take a dull knife and gently go around the cake, then release the spring and remove it.

Wrap your cake up again and put it back in the fridge until you are ready to eat it.

Put fresh Strawberries sweeten with sugar on top of the Cheese Cake.

Cheese Cake Ingredients

3 -  8  -Ounces   – Cream Cheese (soften)
3 -  Medium   – Eggs  (beaten)
2 -  Cups     _       Confectionery  Sugar  (Powdered Sugar)
1 -  Tables   -       Vanilla Extract

By Shaun Chavis

Ever grab a snack but then feel hungry again 20 minutes later? Next time, reach
for a banana. It’s loaded with Resistant Starch (RS), a healthy carb that fills
you up and helps to boost your metabolism. Slightly underripe medium-sized
bananas have 12.5 grams of RS—more than most other foods. Ripe bananas give you
4.7 grams of RS, still enough to keep hunger pangs away. Check out these tasty
ways to work in this wonder food.

Banana “Ice Cream”
Peel, slice, and freeze 1 small banana. Place frozen banana pieces in a blender
with 3 tablespoons 1% low-fat milk; blend until thick. Top with 1 tablespoon
chopped walnuts.

Banana Salsa
Make a quick salsa with 2 diced peeled bananas, 2 tablespoons minced red onion,
1 tablespoon minced cilantro, 1 teaspoon minced serrano or jalepeno pepper,
juice of 1 lime, and brown sugar and salt to taste. Use it to top fish or pork
tacos, jerk chicken, or jerk pork.

Broiled Bananas
Slice 1 peeled banana in half lengthwise. Put banana pieces, cut sides up, on a
rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle the banana pieces with 1 teaspoon brown sugar, and
broil on high until the sugar bubbles and the bananas brown (about 2–3 minutes).
After broiling, sprinkle with cinnamon—or drizzle with 1 teaspoon rum for an
extra-special treat.

Coffee and Banana Smoothie
Place 1 sliced peeled banana, 1 cup 1% low-fat milk, 1/2 cup cold black coffee,
2 teaspoons sugar, and 1/2 cup ice in a blender. Blend until smooth—and enjoy.

Tropical Fruit Salad
Make a fruit salad with 1 sliced peeled banana, 1 sliced peeled kiwi, and 1/2
diced peeled ripe mango. Squirt juice of 1/4 lime over the salad, and serve.

This coming weekend February 6, 2011 will be Super Bowl # 45.

by Marlene Owens

When I was off on the weekends I would sometimes cook all my meats for the
entire week, thereby saving me;

(1)precious time and

(2)energy in the kitchen.

Cooking my meats in advance would cut down on my time spent in the kitchen.
Then all I would have to do to prepare the meat, would be just to reheat it,
make a gravy or sauce and I was finished.

For the rest of the meal, I would add;
(1)a vegetable,
(2)some rice,
(3)potatoes, or
(4)pasta and finish it off with a salad or soup.

My friends used to say to me, “Do you cook every-day?” and my answer would be,
“Not really!” but I do feed my family home-cooked meals every-day.

Cooking your meats in advance is really not that difficult once you are
organized and have your little system in place.

By cooking the meat ahead of time, I can put the dinner together in an hour and
not be rushed or tired.

I was fortunate as a child not to have any serious illness and I attributed that
mainly to me eating home-cooked foods on a daily basis.

So of course, when I had my family I wanted only the best for them too.

My children who are now adults, suffered only colds, as children and no serious
illness. Today they remain healthy and strong.

I am a firm believer in good nutrition for the body and soul. As the old saying
states, “you are what you eat.” So take care of yourself and your family by
eating wholesome home-cooked foods every day.

Another thing that I did to save me time and energy in the kitchen, was to write
my menu out for the following week. I had a small bulletin board in the kitchen
and I would display my weekly supper menu there.

This weekly menu also assisted me with my grocery shopping.

After I wrote down what I planned on eating that week. I would go with my little
notepad and check to see what I had on hand in the cabinets and the refrigerator
in my kitchen and then write down what I needed to purchase from the store.

I also added a pad to the board to assist me for what I ran out and needed to
purchased from the store.

Example; when I used the last eggs, butter, oil or etc. I would write it down.

This weekly menu helped me in so many ways. For one thing, it saved me from
coming home everyday and deciding what will I cook? It can be very frustrating
after a hard day at work and try to decide what to feed your family.

I went through what you are going through now and I understand your pain and my
weekly menu solved the problem.

This menu also helped save me:

(1)Time spent in the kitchen; I had the daily menu and my meat cooked.

(2)It saved me energy; I didn’t have to rack my brain for what to cook tonight.

(3)And it saved me money; because I would check to see what I had on hand and not
be buying duplicates of what I already had.

If you are a working Mom, Dad, Grandparent or a Domestic Engineer use my advanced
menu planning to help, “How To Organize A Kitchen Easy.”

by Marlene Owens