What Do You Do.....

...when it's less than a week until Halloween, you have 53 jars of  FREE peanut butter from Acme and still have 2 bags of Candy Corn(ok, "Autumn Mix")that was cheap from CVS and you are sick of eating it?

You make Candy Corn Fudge!

So I grabbed what looked like a quick and easy recipe from online and gave it a go.


Here's what you need.....

2 Tablespoons Butter + enough Butter to butter your pan
3 Cups Miniature Marshmallows
1 Cup Peanut Butter
1/2 Cup Powdered Sugar
20 ounces Candy Corn(I had to bags totaling 18 ounces)
2 Cups Roasted Peanuts(I didn't add this)

Butter a 9x9 pan.  I only had a 9x13 pan available.

In a skillet over LOW heat, melt butter and marshmallows, until marshmallows melt.
(You can also do this in a Double Boiler.  It would probably turn out better in one.)

Stir it until your hand wants to fall off, or it looks like this....

Add the peanut butter.

Stir until it's mixed in.

Then add the powdered sugar....

Stir until smooth.

Then fold in candy corn and peanuts...

In my case, I overheated the marshmallows so once I added the peanut butter AND sugar, the mixture had tightened up a lot to the firmness of taffy!  Folding in became "using my hands and kneeding in the candy corn".  It's a good thing I wasn't putting peanuts in because they never would have folded in.lolol
And I had LESS candy corn than the recipe called for and it was waaaay too much for the amount of 'batter'.
At this point, once you have 'folded' in your candy corn and peanuts, you are suppose to POUR the mixture into your buttered pan.
'Pouring' became ' placing solid lump of fudge into the buttered pan and pressing it down flat and evenly into pan'. lolol  This was difficult to do, as the fudge was very HOT!  I'd suggest you wear rubber gloves.

Let the fudge cool, then cut and serve.

Here's my finished product....

The family says it's tasty though it doesn't seem very sweet to me...until you bite into some candy corn.lol

Next time I'll do this differently....
1. Turn off the heat once the marshmallows melt.  There should be enough residual heat in the mix to melt the peanut butter in.   My heat setting was low enough but it didn't need the continual heating once the marshmallows got to the melting point.  The heat tightened up the mix too much after that.
2.  Use more peanut butter and marshmallows to the amount of candy corn.  The ratio of mix to candy was off.
3. And make sure the peanut butter is chunky, not creamy.  The chunky thing is just a personal preference. 
4. Work quicker once the marshmallows melt.  Hard to do when following a recipe for the first time AND you have to stop every few minutes to take a photo for your blog. 8-))

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
Sluggy

Rebate Information Page is now UP!....Check it out!

Per popular request, I have started a REBATE PAGE.
To get to it, look on the right hand side of the blog.  Right under my amazing Followers is a clickable Link titled, "REBATE CENTRAL".  Just click on that and it will take you to the List of Currently Available Rebates out in Rebateland.  There isn't alot there now as it's new, but I'll be adding to it as time goes on.  You may want to bookmark that page for easy access in the future.

This REBATE PAGE will list current rebates. If there is a downloadable form or a website for the offer, I'll make the Link clickable.  I'll also list the major points, like what you need to buy, what you get & any deadline or expiration dates.   I'll be concentrating on food and toiletry rebates but may throw in other good offers as I find them.  I am only one woman though, so if you find a current rebate that I haven't posted, I'd appreciate an email(slugmamaATyahooDOTCOM)with the information so I can add it to the Rebate List.  If you also see anything that needs correction on the list, please let me know that too.
I will clean the list up each month and remove any rebate offers that have expired.

In addition, if anyone does send for any rebate on the list and experiences a problem or has a tip on how to make  the submission process go smoother, let me know and I can post a "hint" with the rebate.

Please feel free to spread the word about the Rebate Central Page.  The more Couponers and Hounders we can help, the better! ;-)

Sluggy

Apples for Days....

So what do you do when you go to the farmstand and there's a half bushel of homely apples priced at only $5.00 calling your name?

You buy them!
And that is just what I did.
I brought home a huge sack of Ugly Apples last week.
These are the less than perfect looking apples that nobody wants in their Peck or half Peck Bag of apples.  You know....scarred skins, not quite the perfect color, not quite the perfect shape &/or bruised.  The kid working at the stand said that after you picked over them and got rid of the bad ones,  at least they would be good for one pot of applesauce.
Ha!....little did he know!!

So I set to peeling and coring these babies to make some applesauce.  Making homemade applesauce it so easy too!
First thing is to select your apples and wash them thoroughly. I chose enough apples to fill my crockpot...about 17 apples.

Next you peel(if you want to peel them)and core them.

Since my ugly apples might have been riddled with bad spots, bruises, I chose to peel them first.
After about half I realized that my ugly babies did NOT have any bad spots. They were just "skin challenged" with ugly scarred peels. So I didn't peel the last part of the batch.  It's better if you leave the skins on, as most of the vitamins and "stuff that is good for you" is just under the peel.  Your applesauce will pack a bigger nutritional punch this way.

Then came the coring...

I LOVE my little apple corer. It cost me $1.00 at the discount outlet.  It makes this job go so quickly too!

After coring/peeling, put your apple slices in a bowl in which you've put some water and lemon juice(you can used bottle juice, it doesn't have to be fresh squeezed).  The lemon water helps them not to brown while waiting to go into the crockpot.  Actually, since it really doesn't matter if the slices brown, you don't have to put lemon on them.  It's just a force of habit for me to lemon the apples. lol

Spray your crockpot with a spray oil.  This helps with cleaning up later.
Then drain the lemon water off and put your apples in the crockpot, put on the lid and turn it on.
Don't add water!
That's it.....just walk away!

Now you can cook them down on LOW or HIGH.  Low will take about 5 hours, while High will cook them into sauce in about 2-3 hours.

You'll know when they are done when the house smells heavenly and they look like this....

(The large pieces in the photo are peel, not apple.)

When your apples are finished cooking, turn off the crockpot, stir it up and taste for sweetness.  If it's a bit tart for your taste, you can add some sugar or other sweetner at this point.  Also add cinnamon now if you want some in your batch.

If you didn't peel your apples and don't want the peels in the finished product, just fish them out after your applesauce cools.  Your applesauce at this point will be a bit chunky.
If you want it fine and smooth, get out a food mill.

Pour the sauce in and start milling into a bowl or pan.  If you are going to mill, don't bother fishing out your peels beforehand.  The mill will keep your peels from winding up in your finished product.
And speaking of finished product, here it is....

Ready for eating!
If you make a lot you can water bath can applesauce or put into freezer-safe containers and freeze any excess for later.
It will keep in the refrigerator for about a month.

My 17 medium-sized apples made a 6 Cup container(48 oz.)of applesauce.

I'll get out both Crockpots & do another 2 batches tomorrow of Chunky Applesauce.  That should keep us in applesauce for a couple of months.
The rest of the apples will be made into Apple Pie Filling later this week.

Sluggy

Saturday's Shopping....a little good, a little bad, alot of savings

I ran out Saturday to do errands and got a good bit of shopping done.

First to Rite-Aid.  I hadn't been in to do the rest of the week's FAR items yet.

2 x Cornflakes BOGO =$4.49
1 x Single Pop-Tart Pack=$.79
1 x Eos Lip Balm=$1.99
1 x Chloraseptic Sore Throat Strips=$4.49
1 x Little Allergies Allergen Block=$9.99
SubTotal=$21.75

Coupons Used
1 x $5 off $20 Rite-Aid Q(from watching AdPerks videos)
1 x $5 any Kellogg's purchase at Rite-Aid(from a previous month's SCR deals)
Coupons Total  $10.00

$21.75-$10=$11.75+.12tax=$11.87 OOP

Will receive $16.47 back from SCRebates(Little Allergies/Eos/Chloraspetic), making this trip a $4.60 Moneymaker!

None of the Rite-Aids around here had the FAR Blink Tears last week.  This was an item I had a $3 Q for so it would have given me a $3 overage on this 1 item.
They also ran out of the Sambucol Lozenges before I got a chance to use my $3 Q on that, so I missed out on adding $6 overage onto my SCR total for October. Ugh

Then I stopped at another Rite-Aid to pick up a few more FAR things on BIL's tab.

1 x NeilMed Nasal Mist  =$9.99
1 x Coldcalm Children's=$7.99
1 x Zucol Tablets=$5.99
SubTotal=$23.97

Coupons Used
$5 off $20 Rite-Aid Q(from watching AdPerks videos)
$2/1 NeilMed
$1/1 Coldcalm
Coupon Total=$8.00

$23.97-$8=$15.97 OOP

I will receive $23.97 back in SCRs.
**WRONG**
I will receive $15.98 back in SCRs!  Why?  Because I already bought the Coldcalm/Chestal stuff on a receipt I have to submit for BIL and not for me, because of the other stuff I bought on that receipt.
This is what happens when you are working 2 different Rebate names/addresses and you get mixed up and buy the wrong thing on the wrong receipt.  LOLOL  So I "stupided" myself out of $7.99 in rebates....ok, make that $6.99 in rebates because I got $1 off of the purchase using the coupon.

So in the end, I spent $15.97 OOP and I'll get SCRs of $15.98 back, so I "made" .01¢ on these items.lolololol

That's ok, I'll be able to send for the NeilMed rebate on the nasal mist thing, so I'll make up a buck or two there.

Then I ran to  Walgreen's because I had $14 in expiring RRs.  I did the following....

Transaction #1
2 x Benefiber(for hubby)@$10=$20
2 x Gas-X @$5=$10
2 x Tuna Fish@$.55=$1.10 *substituted the "good" tuna b/c they were out of the cheap stuff*
SubTotal=$31.10

Coupons Used
4 x Wag's Booklet $2/1=$8.00
2 x $2/1 Benefiber=$4.00
2 x $1/1 Gas-X=$2.00
1 x $6 RR=$6.00
1 x $5 RR=$5.00
Coupon Total=$25.00

$31.10-$25.00=$6.10 OOP
Received $10RR (Benefiber/Gas-X)

Transaction #2

1 x Glade Candleholder=$2.50
1 x Glade Refill=$2.50
1 x Theraflu=$4.99
2 x Triaminic=$9.98
1 x Snickers Bar=$.50
SubTotal=$20.47

Coupons Used

1 x $3/2 Glade products=$3.00
1 x $2/1 Theraflu=$2.00
2 x $1.50/1 Triaminic=$3.00
1 x $2/1 Wags Booklet=$2.00
1 x $10RR(Benefiber/Gas-X)=$10.00
Coupon Total=$20.00

$20.47-$20.00=$.47+$.30tax=$.77 OOP
Received $9 in RRs($1Glade/$8Theraflu, Triaminic)

Transaction #3

1 x Airwick I-Motion Mini on sale $3.99
1 x Tuna Fish $.55
1 x Candy $.44
SubTotal=$4.98+$.24=$5.22

Coupons Used
1 x $4/1 Airwick Q=$4.00
1 x $1RR(Glade)=$1.00

$5.22-$5.00=$.22 OOP
I received NO RRs for this transaction.
And I still had a $3RR to roll, so I did this...

 Transaction #4
1 x Gillette Razor=$8.99
1 x Candy $.44
SubTotal=$9.43

Coupons Used
$4/1 Razor=$4.00
$3RR=$3.00
Coupon Total=$7.00

$9.43-$7=$2.43+$.54tax=$2.97 OOP
I received a $6RR(Razor).

Value of items=$85.55
Total spent OOP=$10.06  Ouch!
RRs Used=$25
RRs Received=$25
RRs left=$14
Savings of 88.25%

Then it was off to CVS for a Free After ECBs Glade Candle and some Halloween Candy and using expiring ECBs.

1 x Glade Candle on sale $6.99
2 x Nestle Chocolate Candy Bars Bag $6.99=$13.98
2 x Willy Wonka Candy Bag $5.99=$11.98
SubTotal=$32.95

Coupons Used
1 x $5 off $25 CVS Purchase Q(from the flu shot video)=$5.00
1 x $3/1 Glade Candle=$3.00
2 x $2/1 Nestle Candy=$4.00
2 x $2/1 Wonka Candy=$4.00
$10 in ECBs=$10.00
Coupon Total=$26.00

$32.95-$26=$6.95+$.12tax=$7.07 OOP  put on CVS Gift Card
I received $11.95 in ECBs($5 for buying $20 or more of Halloween candy/$6.99 for the Glade Candle).
Value of items=$35.95

You may have noticed that there is NO CANDLE in the photo above.
That's because the cashier didn't put the candle in my bag!
The bags were so heavy from the huge candy bars that I didn't even notice there was no candle in one of the bags until TODAY, when I went out to the car to retrieve the bags and photo and put the stuff away!
ARGH!!
So I called the store manager a bit ago and if I take my receipt in and ask for him I can go get my candle.  Seems nobody put the candle aside(as far as he knows) or told him there was a candle that a customer didn't  get.  I have a feeling that my cashier took herself home a free candle on me that night!

I finished up my shopping trip at KMart, to pick up the last 2 packs of Kool-Aid Jammers for the Kraft Back-to-School rebate.  I bought a pair of pants on clearance for $1.99 with the $4 I spent on Kool-Aid for a total of $5.99.  I used one of my $5 off OYNO KMart Qs I received for buying the Clorox products earlier in the week.  I spent OOP $.99 on that Transaction.

Then I went back into KMart and bought 6 Canisters of Clorox Wipes...$2.99 ea. x 6=$17.94+.78tax=$18.72.
I used 2 B2G1 Free coupons and the other $5 OYNO KMart Q(from the earlier Clorox purchase that week), for a total of $10.98 in Coupons.
My total OOP was $7.74 for the Clorox which I put on a KMart GiftCard so zero money spent.
Then the 2 $5 OYNO Qs didn't print!  The one that spits out after the register tape did but the Cat machine one didn't. 
Bleh!

Saturday was a mixed bag of the good with the bad in couponing.

Sluggy

New PROGRESSO High Fiber Soup REVIEW & GIVEAWAY

Ok, let's face it.  Most of us could use more fiber in our diets.
My hubby is all about using the fiber supplements.  You know, the kind you spoon into a glass of liquid and stir like a madman and chug it down.
Yumm....not!


I'd much rather get my fiber in something I eat as a regular part of my diet.  Progresso has come out with a new line of "High Fiber" soups.

  MyBlogSpark sent me a can of the Tuscany Chicken Variety of their new soup to try, along with a set of cobalt blue soup mugs and 2 nice shiny flatware soup spoons.  Each item sporting a "Progresso" logo on it....see?

Today is a rainy damp Fall day, the perfect day for a hot soup lunch!  So I gave the soup a try just a little while ago.

There are 4 new Progresso soups that have 28% of the recommended Daily Value of fiber per serving(7 grams) and have no added MSG or artificial flavors. The new flavors are Creamy Tomato Basil, Hearty Vegetable and Noodles, Homestyle Minestrone, and the flavor I received-Tuscany Chicken.

Doesn't that look yummy?

Progresso says in the info I received from My Blog Spark that these new soups are delicious.  Well, I'll be the judge of that!lol
It's easy to see right away with the Tuscany Chicken soup, why this is a high fiber soup.  It's loaded with white northern beans.  As you all know by now, I am NOT a big bean fan, except for Boston baked beans.  I'll eat them but I don't go out of my way to get them.  The flavor of this soup is so nice that the beans didn't put me off at all.  I smushed some of the beans up(as it's the eating a whole bean thing I don't care for) and that made the soup even better.....gave it a creamier texture.

I've been a fan of Progresso soups since my hubby's parents turned me on to them many years ago.  Their Cream of Mushroom is the best!  This Tuscany Chicken Soup could have stood to have a bit more chicken and some more chunks of vegetables in it but all in all, I would probably purchase this particular variety again.  It had good flavor and it wasn't a salt lick like some soups.

If you are wanting to add more fiber to your diet, I'd recommend you give these new Progresso soups a try.

Progresso & MyBlogSpark have provided me with a second prize pack-a set of soup bowls & spoons and a can of soup-to giveaway to one of my lucky readers.  Here's what you have to do to enter to win it!

*Leave your name and an email address along with a comment on this post about how you try to incorporate more fiber into your diet.

You can earn an additional entry in the following ways....

*Become a follower or if you already follow say so in a separate comment.
*Subscribe or if you are already a subscriber say so in a separate comment.
*Add my blog to your blog roll or if you have already have added my blog say so in a separate comment.
*Blog about my giveaway and leave a separate comment with the URL to the post.

This Giveaway will close at midnight, friday Nov. 6th EST.

Good Luck!

Sluggy