What to do with cooled, leftover coffee

Now, this does not happen that much around here, but.... what do you do when you have cooled leftover coffee? Well you could heat it up and drink it, but what about something else?

I could give you a million baking ideas, but how about a smoothie? Good frugal way of getting something like a Frapuccino (or however you spell it).

There are two things you can do with the coffee itself. If you do not plan on using it right away you can freeze it into ice cubes. After the coffee is frozen, pop the cubes into a gallon sized freezer bag and keep in the freezer. Use the cubes instead of the ice I mention in the recipe below.

Or you can use the coffee right away like I did today.

You can adjust the amounts as you need.....

About 2 cups of regular coffee
1 tray of ice cubes (if you already have the coffee frozen into trays, skip this "ingredient")
about 1/2 cup of sugar(more or less according to your taste)
Milk (a cup or so?)
2-4 tablespoons of cocoa powder

Put everything into a blender & process.

visit www.generationcedar.com for "thrifty Thursday".

Thrifty Thursday: Free Dish Scrubbers

Dish/Pot scrubbers need need to be replaced often (they are breeding grounds for bacteria). But who wants to pay for new ones every week?

I have a tip to make them for free!

When you buy fruit (oranges usually always come in these bags) or potatoes, keep the mesh bag they come in and tie it in a knot. It makes a great scrubber for your dirty dishes. I shop twice a month and buy fruits and vegetables, so I usually have a new pot scrubber each week!


Click here for a link for printable coupons.

Nacho Potato Soup

This is VERY easy and extremely good! This one is a big hit with my family.

Nacho Potato Soup
1 (5 1/4 oz) box au gratin potatoes
1 (11 oz) can whole kernal corn, drained
1 (10 oz) can diced tomatoes and green chiles, undrained (I buy the tomatoes & chiles separate because the Walmart chiles are milder than the Rotel brand)
2 cups water
2 cups milk
2 cups Velveeta cheese (1/2 the large box) cut into cubes

In a soup pot combine the contents of the potato pkg, corn, tomatoes, chiles, & water. Boil, cover, and then simmer for 15 minutes (until potatoes are tender). Add cubed cheese & milk. Cook and stir occasionally until the cheese is melted. You can sprinkle with chili powder or hot sauce if you like :-)

Makes 6-8 servings!

*I found this in a Taste of Home Magazine several years ago*

Spreadable Olive oil butter

To make spreadable olive oil butter,
Soften butter, and mix one half cup of olive oil per 1 stick of real butter. I used my Kitchen-Aid mixer and mixed for about 3-5 minutes to get a smooth, even consistency. It has a great whipped texture after it is refrigerated!

In the mood for smoothies!!!

I finally gave in and bought myself a new blender this week (my old one leaked!). I have been whining lately to everyone that will listen that I am in the mood for smoothies!


Smoothies are a great way to get your 5-9 servings of fruits and vegetables!

Here are a couple of smoothie recipes... invented by me ;-)

You can pretty much make them however you want. If you want the slushie consistency, you must use either frozen fruit or ice cubes. (Frozen fruit works best).

Berry Banana

About a cup of Yogurt (plain or flavored)
1 banana (I freeze mine and peel when ready)
handful of frozen mixed berries
ice cubes (if needed)
add milk if needed
Squirt of honey or sugar to taste
Juice (optional)

*This morning I used frozen strawberries, banana, & orange juice

Mixed Vegetable smoothie

cup or so of Plain yogurt
Cup of cooked mixed vegetables (I used the frozen california blend)
sprinkle with salt, garlic or onion powder, chili powder

Mine was still warm... If you are on the go, you can place in a thermos for lunch or snack!




Process until smooth and enjoy!

Thrifty Idea: Easy Home-made Yogurt Recipe

When I heard of people making home-made yogurt for the first time, I thought... eek... that seems kind of risky! But after hearing of several people making it at home, I decided to give it a try. I am so glad I did. It is very easy! You just need to give yourself 5 1/2 hours for mixing and setting and then 8 hours for it to completely finish setting. Read the recipe below to see what I mean, and then plan accordingly :-)

Here is the recipe:

SLOW-COOKER YOGURT

8 cups (half-gallon) of milk (The recipe recommends using whole milk until you get the hang of yogurt making, but 2 percent worked fine for us. Just don't use ultra-pasteurized "long-life'' milk.)

1/2 cup store-bought natural, live/active-culture plain yogurt as a starter.

1 packet plain gelatin (optional, I don't use this, but it will give your yogurt more of a store-bought consistency if you are picky about that)

Plug in slow cooker and turn to low. Add the milk. Cover and cook on low for 2 1/2 hours.

Unplug cooker. Leave the cover on, and let it sit for 3 hours.

Scoop out 2 cups of the warm milk and put it in a bowl. Whisk in yogurt and gelatin. Then dump the bowl contents back into the crock-pot. Stir.

Put the lid back on the cooker. Keep it unplugged, and wrap a heavy bath towel all the way around it.

Go to bed, or let it sit for 8 hours.

Chill in a plastic container in the refrigerator. Your fresh yogurt will be good for seven to 10 days. Save 1/2 cup as a starter to make a new batch.

For more thrifty ideas, visit Generation Cedar

What To Do If You Run Out of....

I am starting a list of what to do if you run out of things. I have done this so many times (run out of something) and didn't want to go to the store just for that one thing. I will add things as I think of them and if any readers want to add, just comment and I will add it to the post (of course at my discretion*smile*). I am going to try to just keep it as a running list in random order:


1. Coffee filters: Well this takes a "little" planning.
You either have to already have a plastic, re-usable filter. Or one coffee filter left. Once I ran out of coffee filters and I had one left. O.k. I know it sounds funny, but IT WORKS! I had one left, so I rinsed it out and laid it on top of a cup. The next morning it was dry! And I used it again. I think I rinsed and re-used it for at least 3 or 4 days. I guess I COULD HAVE gone to the store and bought another pack for a dollar, but I had too much fun experimenting.

2. Conditioner: Thanks to Shannon who posted about it on her blog. I occasionally use about 2 or 3 tablespoons of vinegar mixed with about a cup of water and pour on my head instead of conditioner. KEEP YOUR EYES CLOSED!!! Makes for nice shiny hair. Then I go back to regular conditioner after about a week.

3. coffee: Run to the store and BUY SOME MORE immediately!!!! sorry... can't think of anything else LOL (I guess you could drink hot tea?)

4. Dishwasher soap or laundry detergent: Dishwashing liquid. Just a squirt! Or for dishwasher soap, you can use just about a TBSP of bleach. *revised: This isn't the best idea.... I have used very tiny amounts with sucess - rare thing!
But if one isn't careful, there will be millions of bubbles and a huge mess!. Your best bet? Handwash your dishes!

5. Fabric softener: vinegar (I use this instead of all the time)
6. toothpaste: baking soda!
7. Floor cleaner: mix a cup of vinegar with a squirt of dishwashing liquid and fill mop bucket with hot water
8. I buy those foaming hand soap containers and then when they run out, I fill about 1/4 full of dish-soap. It works as a great replacement for regular hand soap!