Showing posts with label holidays. Show all posts
Showing posts with label holidays. Show all posts
How to Dye and Decorate Easter Eggs for Free with Household Objects
Dyeing and decorating eggs is my favorite part of Easter -- but I never buy Easter egg dyeing kits at the store. That's because you can dye, decorate, and display Easter eggs for free using items you probably already have around your home. Whether you’re using them to make an elegant easter basket decoration or to hide for your annual Easter egg hunt, make your eggs stand out without spending a cent! Check out these "egg-celent" ways (sorry, couldn't resist) to make beautiful eggs with the help of household objects.
Continue reading How to Dye and Decorate Easter Eggs for Free with Household Objects at our new site.
10 Creative (and Free) Valentine's Day Gifts!
Valentine’s Day is the perfect occasion to say “I love you” to the special people in your life. Rather than buying flowers, chocolate, or teddy bears clutching stuffed hearts, why not add a unique touch to this year’s valentines? Visit our website for ten clever and free Valentine's Day gifts!
Recipe of the Week: Raspberry Holiday Punch
If you're having a New Year's Eve get-together and want to include non-alcoholic drink options, Bigelow Tea has a surprising wealth of resources for both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks that incorporate tea. Who knew? Here's their recipe for a festive, fruity, punch that would also be a great refreshment for a baby shower, wedding shower, or other daytime affair.
Ingredients:
2 cups cranberry juice or cran-raspberry juice
juice of 1/2 lime
2 cups ginger ale or lemon lime soda
raspberry or lime sherbert
4 tea bags of raspberry herbal tea
How to Make It:
1. Bring 1 quart plus 1/4 cup of water to a boil. Add to 4 tea bags in a tea pot or a Pyrex measuring cup. Let steep for at least five minutes. Remove tea bags and chill the tea in the refrigerator.
2. Combine all the ingredients in a punch bowl, adding the sherbert right before the guests arrive. Enjoy!
Do you have a drink recipe to share? Let us know!
Ingredients:
2 cups cranberry juice or cran-raspberry juice
juice of 1/2 lime
2 cups ginger ale or lemon lime soda
raspberry or lime sherbert
4 tea bags of raspberry herbal tea
How to Make It:
1. Bring 1 quart plus 1/4 cup of water to a boil. Add to 4 tea bags in a tea pot or a Pyrex measuring cup. Let steep for at least five minutes. Remove tea bags and chill the tea in the refrigerator.
2. Combine all the ingredients in a punch bowl, adding the sherbert right before the guests arrive. Enjoy!
Do you have a drink recipe to share? Let us know!
Recipe of the Week: Rib Roast with Two Sauces
You've agreed to host the entire family for the holidays, but you don't want to prepare the same old ham or turkey dish you made last year. Luckily, Kraft saves the day with this fantastic rib roast recipe.
Ingredients:
1 beef rib eye roast (5 pounds), 2 or 3 ribs
2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns, cracked
4 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, divided
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup horseradish
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon butter
1 sweet onion, very thinly sliced
1 package (8 ounces) sliced fresh mushrooms
1 tablespoon flour
1 cup fat-free reduced-sodium beef broth
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
How to Make It:
1. Place meat, fat-side up, in roasting pan. Press peppercorns and 2 teaspoons thyme onto surface of meat. Bake 2 to 2-1/4 hours or until 135°F. (To check for doneness, insert probe of instant-read thermometer 2 to 2-1/2 inches into thickest part of meat.) Meanwhile, mix sour cream, horseradish and sugar in serving bowl. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
2. Remove meat from oven. Cover meat with foil; let stand 15 to 20 minutes or until medium-rare doneness (145°F).
3. Meanwhile, melt butter in large skillet on medium heat. Add onions; cook and stir 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Add mushrooms; cook and stir 6 minutes or until tender. Sprinkle with flour; cook and stir 1 minutes. Stir in broth; simmer 5 minutes or until thickened, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in mustard and remaining thyme.
4. Slice meat. Serve with sauces.
Serves 15.
Do you have a recipe to share? Let us know!
Ingredients:
1 beef rib eye roast (5 pounds), 2 or 3 ribs
2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns, cracked
4 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, divided
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup horseradish
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon butter
1 sweet onion, very thinly sliced
1 package (8 ounces) sliced fresh mushrooms
1 tablespoon flour
1 cup fat-free reduced-sodium beef broth
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
How to Make It:
1. Place meat, fat-side up, in roasting pan. Press peppercorns and 2 teaspoons thyme onto surface of meat. Bake 2 to 2-1/4 hours or until 135°F. (To check for doneness, insert probe of instant-read thermometer 2 to 2-1/2 inches into thickest part of meat.) Meanwhile, mix sour cream, horseradish and sugar in serving bowl. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
2. Remove meat from oven. Cover meat with foil; let stand 15 to 20 minutes or until medium-rare doneness (145°F).
3. Meanwhile, melt butter in large skillet on medium heat. Add onions; cook and stir 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Add mushrooms; cook and stir 6 minutes or until tender. Sprinkle with flour; cook and stir 1 minutes. Stir in broth; simmer 5 minutes or until thickened, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in mustard and remaining thyme.
4. Slice meat. Serve with sauces.
Serves 15.
Do you have a recipe to share? Let us know!
Inexpensive Last-Minute Gift Ideas
Sometimes it seems that no matter how far in advance you start your holiday shopping, there’s always a couple people on your list you still haven’t bought gifts for just a day or two before the holidays. Or maybe you’re the type of person who has waited till the last minute to buy gifts for everyone on your list. No judgment here? Visit our new website for our five favorite last-minute gift ideas.
Recipe of the Week: Homemade Eggnog
'Tis the season for eggnog, but you don't have to buy the pre-made kind to enjoy this holiday treat. Heidi of Frantically Simple shows us how to make it at home.
Ingredients:
6 eggs (farm fresh if you can get them)
3 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
6 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
How to Make It:
1. Place eggs, milk, cream and sugar in blender. Blend on high until slightly thickened and frothy.
2. Add vanilla and nutmeg; blend well.
3. Chill until serving.
Note from Heidi:
"Consuming raw eggs does carry a risk of salmonella. Eggs fresh from a reputable farm may decrease this risk. (They also may be richer and tastier.)"
Do you have a holiday recipe to share? Let us know!
Ingredients:
6 eggs (farm fresh if you can get them)
3 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
6 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
How to Make It:
1. Place eggs, milk, cream and sugar in blender. Blend on high until slightly thickened and frothy.
2. Add vanilla and nutmeg; blend well.
3. Chill until serving.
Note from Heidi:
"Consuming raw eggs does carry a risk of salmonella. Eggs fresh from a reputable farm may decrease this risk. (They also may be richer and tastier.)"
Do you have a holiday recipe to share? Let us know!
Holiday Decorating on a Budget
Whether it’s sprucing up last year’s decorations or making new decorations from items you already have lying around the house, your home can be both festive and frugal this holiday. Visit our website for our five favorite holiday decorating ideas.
Tip of the Day: Festive Fall Decoration
We love this festive-for-fall decoration: Cut a slice off the side of an apple so it lays flat on a saucer or candle holder. Then cut a hole out of the top and you have an instant votive or tea light holder! Coat the hole with some lemon juice to keep if from turning brown.
Tip of the Day: Christmas in July
When pruning your trees this summer, make sure to save some branches for holiday decorations. Once December rolls around, spray paint them red, white, silver, or gold, then place them in planters of flowers that are dead for the winter. Add lights or ornaments for extra flair.
Tip of the Day: Natural Easter Egg Dyes
It’s easy to make natural Easter egg dyes. Just add colorful ingredients to the water while you boil your eggs. Use grass for green, onionskins for yellow and deep orange, and beets for pink. If you plan to eat the eggs, be sure to use plants that haven’t been fertilized or treated with pesticides or other chemicals.
Tip of the Week: Free Coloring Pages
Check out www.free-coloring-pages.com and you'll never have to buy a coloring book again! They feature printable coloring and activity pages for kids including holiday themes, popular cartoon characters, and more.
Tip of the Week: New Year's Eve Trick
If your champagne has lost its fizz, place a raisin in the glass. The last bits of carbon dioxide that remain will cling to the raisin, then be released again as bubbles. You can also try throwing a few raisins into the bottle before you make the final pour.
Don't Pay for Wrapping Paper! Frugal Holiday Wrapping Ideas
Gift-giving is already expensive, so why add the cost of wrapping presents when you can use materials from around the house for free? These options not only save you money, they make the gift more personal and creative. Visit our new website for our favorite ideas for wrapping gifts this holiday season.
Black Friday: Get the Best Deals without Overspending
Black Friday is almost here! For businesses, it's time to go from the red to the black, and for consumers, it's time to save! But it's hard not to get caught up in the commotion and end up spending more than you meant to. We've compiled tips for staying frugal on Black Friday, as well as some of our favorite can't-miss deals. Visit our new website for tips on how to get the best Black Friday deals!
Thanksgiving Cooking Tips
Everybody loves Thanksgiving, and everybody's favorite part of the holiday is FOOD! We have great pointers for Thanksgiving favorites, including mashed potatoes, stuffing, and, of course, turkey. Visit our new website for these Thanksgiving cooking tips!
Fourth of July Tips
Fourth of July is right around the corner! Whether you're holding a backyard barbecue or are just kicking back with the kids, we have some simple tips for saving money and making this fun summer holiday a little easier. Visit our new website for our favorite Fourth of July tips!
Tips for the Holidays: Games, Decorations, Free MP3s, and more!
There's nothing like the mix of joy and stress that comes with the holiday season! To make it a little easier, here are some tips for saving money during the most wonderful time of the year!
When wrapping presents, use pages from the past year's calendar to wrap smaller gifts--two taped together are great for books or DVD sets. You can also have your kids draw on some taped-together printer paper and use that. After everyone's done opening their presents, don't forget to save bigger sheets of paper, bows, and pretty cards (to use for next year's gift tags). We keep our stash in one of those giant popcorn tins with a Christmas design from years ago!
If your front lawn still seems empty, check out KMart's sale on lights and decorations (both indoor and outdoor). Just make sure you get LED lights, which will only cost you 12 cents per strand this month in electricity, as opposed to the $10 traditional lights would cost to light.
Supplement your holiday soundtrack with these free, legal holiday MP3s from Amazon: A nice orchestral version of Joy To The World, Lady Gaga's Christmas Tree
(for your teenagers), a fun Deck The Halls
by Los Straightjackets, Silent Night
by Sixpence None the Richer, and a beautiful Tori Amos song, "Snow Angel"
.
If opening presents is going to take drastically less time than usual this year, fill the gap by starting some new Christmas traditions. Make a popcorn string for the tree, cut out sugar cookies with differently colored sugars for decoration, or try this game to make gift-opening take longer (it's a favorite at our gatherings): Find as many holiday present rejects as you have people playing--all those candles with scents you can't stand, weird gifts from office gift exchanges, or your silliest finds from the dollar bin at Target. Wrap each one and have each guest pick a gift. Go around the room clockwise, starting with the youngest person. Before opening their gift, guests can decide to trade with someone else (even if that person's gift has been unwrapped). After one round of gift opening, have one more round of trades, with players deciding if they want to keep their current gift or switch with someone else. You'll be surprised which gifts people actually like, and get a laugh at the expense of the person left with the worst one.
What are your holiday plans or money-saving tips? Tell us in the comments or link to your blog post below!
When wrapping presents, use pages from the past year's calendar to wrap smaller gifts--two taped together are great for books or DVD sets. You can also have your kids draw on some taped-together printer paper and use that. After everyone's done opening their presents, don't forget to save bigger sheets of paper, bows, and pretty cards (to use for next year's gift tags). We keep our stash in one of those giant popcorn tins with a Christmas design from years ago!
If your front lawn still seems empty, check out KMart's sale on lights and decorations (both indoor and outdoor). Just make sure you get LED lights, which will only cost you 12 cents per strand this month in electricity, as opposed to the $10 traditional lights would cost to light.
Supplement your holiday soundtrack with these free, legal holiday MP3s from Amazon: A nice orchestral version of Joy To The World, Lady Gaga's Christmas Tree
If opening presents is going to take drastically less time than usual this year, fill the gap by starting some new Christmas traditions. Make a popcorn string for the tree, cut out sugar cookies with differently colored sugars for decoration, or try this game to make gift-opening take longer (it's a favorite at our gatherings): Find as many holiday present rejects as you have people playing--all those candles with scents you can't stand, weird gifts from office gift exchanges, or your silliest finds from the dollar bin at Target. Wrap each one and have each guest pick a gift. Go around the room clockwise, starting with the youngest person. Before opening their gift, guests can decide to trade with someone else (even if that person's gift has been unwrapped). After one round of gift opening, have one more round of trades, with players deciding if they want to keep their current gift or switch with someone else. You'll be surprised which gifts people actually like, and get a laugh at the expense of the person left with the worst one.
What are your holiday plans or money-saving tips? Tell us in the comments or link to your blog post below!
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