What's Been Going on Around Here Lately

Well there was some of this......

Then some of this......

(Note the recipient of the gift above)

Then there was this, packages sent to friends/family far and wide......this is about half of what I mailed.  You do NOT want to see my postage bill......lolz

And then we attempted to go to the special Ollie's(invitation only) sale last Sunday night.

We arrived at Ollie's at 1 minute to 6pm and there was a line that wrapped around the building.
WTF?!?

Not wanting to fight that sort of a crowd and not really going there for anything specific, we just turned the car around and left.

I have been to these yearly sales at Ollie's in years past but NEVER saw a crowd like the one on Sunday night!
Is it because the economy is improving and people have more to spend for the Holidays?
Or is it because the economy is still struggling and people need to find real deals and make their meager gift dollars stretch further?


We ended up checking out a new place called GABE'S that opened up here in the old Price Chopper grocery store building.

They seem to have a lot of merchandise that is returns from other businesses at very low prices.  But you really have to hunt through everything to find the gems.
I saw these shoes I REALLY wanted but they didn't have them in my size......

Hubs found some dress shoes for work though at a good price, which he needed.

They had some wooden signs to hang in/on your house too.

"I'm a Proud Coal Miner".
Now THERE'S a niche demographic! lolz

We got the tree up.
I'm not talking about this tree......

But this tree.......

This is our old tree.  We didn't set up the huge tree, wanting to simplify all the work this year.
It's pre-lit and we put on garland and the star.
College Boy put on 5 or so ornaments this week so we are just calling it done now.  ;-)

This week, in between dr. appointments and grocery/Rite-Aid shopping I've been gathering toiletries to take to our oldest son.
And I've been cooking since Wednesday.

First I had to soak our salt-cured ham.......a Virginia delicacy........

 

This is a 3 day process.  Today I'll finish it up in the oven.

There was peanut butter cookie baking for College Boy, then the "Christmas Crack" needed making.....

You know you can quit eating this anytime.......NOT! hahahaha

Then it was onward and upward to pie making......

It's not Christmas here without pecan pie.

But before that, there was nut soaking in whiskey.
This is but the first step in making a surprise for someone.........

Friday morning College Boy helped me hauled all that laundry detergent and shampoo up to the Food Bank and then I went to Rite-Aid to give my friends there some "Crack" and cookies.

But I forgot to take the food so I did a transaction instead.
I needed some Hershey kisses for my baking and Hey!  Rite-Aid sent me a coupon Friday morning for cheap Xmas candy(and I did the Playtex tampon +Ups Deals).

I won't bother detailing this one.
Let's just say I used a lot of coupons and spent down my +Up Rewards by $10(after $4 in new +Ups earned for the tampons)and put the .54¢ OOP on my free R-A gift card.

 

 

 

I went home after that and worked on the surprise food item and then took the plate of baked goodies up to R-A afterwards.

Friday evening was simmering the ham and later this morning I'll be baking it off.

What have you been doing to prepare for the Holidays?


Sluggy

 

Where's Sluggy Been? & A NomNom Recipe

I know, I know.....I've sort of been M.I.A. lately.

It all began a few weeks ago, when my hard drive fried.
Ever since then, I've been off kilter and off my game.

My Simplifying Christmas series posts?
My Christmas baking recipe posts?
Even my usual Grocery shops, Meal planning and Budget posts.......just haven't been happening.
Ugh.

Yep, just Ugh.
I am feeling so articulate lately, can't you tell? ;-)

December is always packed with goings-ons here.
We've got the high school band & chorus programs....and some years the school play if one of the teens is involved in that too, having to fetch #1 son from college, selling on eBay(since the Holidays is the busy time there for what I have!), blogging(or trying to), running to Rite-Aid for goodies and Daughter's birthday.
This year she turned 18!  I now technically have 2 adult children.
1 more to go. ;-)

Add in the brew-ha-ha surrounding the Holidays and December is anything but quiet and low-key.
Now is it any wonder why I am trying to simplify my Christmas?lol

Though I haven't been finding much time, with all that, for blogging, I have been keeping up with the baking this Christmas.   Instead of big massive one day BakeFest, I've been just wedging in a small session of cookie or pie making here and there since Sunday.
Here's what I've gotten accomplished to this point....

3 batches of Oatmeal cookies-1 without raisins.

1 batch of Coconut Macaroons in a festive lime green color.

1 batch of Coconut Macaroons regular color.  I added a dried cherry to each one after baking.  Didn't work out too well since they keep falling off.lol

1 batch of Double Chocolate Cookie Bars.  I added butterscotch chips to this recipe.

I also baked 2 Pecan Pies.  Christmas isn't Christmas in our house without this Southern favorite!

I've also got 1.5 dozen Chocolate Chocolate Chunk & Peanut Butter Cookies in the oven as I type.
Later today the pumpkin puree making and then the Pumpkin Pie baking commences....

If your gang loves chocolate and nuts, you need to try these Double Chocolate Cookie Bars.  They are easy-peasy.  Sort of a cross between Oreos, a fresh baked cookie and fudge.
I cut this recipe out of one of those Women's magazines ages ago.  I have no clue which one but it was over 20 years ago.

Double Chocolate Cookie Bars

Ingredients--
*2 cups finely crushed creme-filled chocolate sandwich cookies(Oreos or Hydrox or any brand of similar), 24 cookies or 2/3 of a package
*1/4 Cup butter(or margarine), melted
*1 (12 oz)package semi-sweet chocolate chips
*1 (14 oz)can Eagle Condensed Milk(not evaporated milk!)
*1 Teaspoon vanilla extract
*1 Cup chopped nuts(I used walnuts but you can use whatever you like)

Preheat over to 350F.
Combine crumbs and butter, press firmly on bottom of 13x9in. baking pan.

In medium saucepan over medium heat, melt 1 cup of the choco. chips with the sweetened condensed milk and vanilla.

Pour evenly over prepared crust.

Top with nuts and remaining chocolate chips.

(I also added butterscotch chips and didn't use the whole bag of the semi-sweet chips. You could also use vanilla chips, cinnamon chips or whatever your family prefers.)

Bake 20 minutes or until set.
Cool.
Chill if desired.  Cut into bars.  Store tightly covered at room temperature.(if they last that long!lol)
The recipe says it makes 24-36 'bars'.  Since it's just a 13x9 pan, the 'bars' are more like 1.5" squares. 8-)

So what has everybody else been baking up in the kitchen?

Sluggy

Sluggy's In The Kitchen Baking Some Love + A Giveaway!

Clear the Decks!
Batten Down the Hatches!
Alert the Media.....er, I mean Alert the FIRE DEPARTMENT!!
Sluggy is in the Kitchen BAKING!


I suddenly got all fired up and am ready to take on a full throttled Cookie making session. 
Knowing me, I'll run out of energy at about the 3rd batch of cookies(despite the CHEEZ-ITS in the picture)and have to take a few days to get them all done....but I will!
What got me charged up?

Well it could have been that I got a little help from Betty Crocker, GladWare® and Safeway Grocery Store.
MyBlogSpark arranged for me to receive a Betty Crocker Cookie Mix, some GladWare containers and a Gift Card to Safeway to purchase whatever else I need to bake some cookie goodness.
And the booty arrived on Saturday, just in time to get me motivated to bake for the Holidays.



We've had a tradition at our house of baking cookies together on Christmas Eve.
But this year I am going to start a new tradition for our family and do a Cookie Exchange with our neighbors.  It's a great way to get to know your neighbors or maybe to rekindle friendships. And these GladWare containers are just the thing for toting the sweets to your neighbors.

 For great holiday recipe ideas, how-to videos, and tips for hosting your very own cookie exchange, visit BakeSweetMemories.com. While you’re there, be sure to play the new Sweet Memories game that gives you the chance to instantly win free Betty Crocker products! 
I played the game and won a free bag of cookie mix coupon. 8-)

I've got my trusty family favorite cookie recipes but I'll be checking out the Bake Sweet Memories Website as well for a couple of new cookie varieties to add to my repertoire.


MyBlogSpark,Safeway,Betty Crocker and Glad have also supplied me with a duplicate prize package to giveaway to one of my lucky readers!

WIN IT!

The winner will receive  a package of Betty Crocker Cookie Mix, a package of GladWare containers(nice big sized ones!)& a $25 Gift Card to any of the Safeway chain of Grocery Stores!!
The list of stores includes Safeway, Vons, Dominick's, Randall's, Tom Thumb and Genuardi's.


There are 3 ways to enter to win this giveaway.

1.  Mandatory before doing any other entries.....Leave a comment on this post telling me your most favorite type of cookie.
2.  Follow my blog(via the button on the right sidebar-Google Friend Connect) and leave a comment.  If you already follow just leave a comment saying that you do already.
3.  Blog about this giveway and leave a comment.  Be sure and leave a link to the post in your comment.   In addition, if someone enters the giveaway and says they saw it on your blog, you both get 3 extra entries!

Since it's so close to Christmas and many people are busy, plus there is no way whoever wins will receive their prize package in time to use it for the Holidays, I'll leave this Contest open until DECEMBER 30th at 11:59pm.  That will give everyone plenty of time to enter.


(This is where I disclose that the coupon, prize pack, information and additional prize pack to give away were all given to me from Safeway, Betty Crocker, and Glad through MyBlogSpark, so that we are cool with the FCC and all those media lawyer and regulator types.)



Sluggy