It was a dark and stormy night.... and mama wanted cookies!

Have you ever had a craving so strong that you just can't get it out of your head? That you would do things that you wouldn't normally do in a state of sanity, just to fulfill said cravings? No? You're obviously not a woman. Needless to say, I had such a craving. Actually I've had this craving for about a week now, but for some reason haven't had the ingredients necessary to complete it - until today. I went to the grocery store and picked up the missing ingredients, came home, and my husband took the car to work. And then I realized that I forgot flour. FLOUR! Pretty much the main ingredient. Alas, I no longer had a car. My brother in law's car was here, but it's a two door car that didn't have car seat bases - and besides, it was 7pm and I had put the girls down for an early bedtime, since they seemed fussy, and on top of it all it was storming. The cookies would have to wait.

7:15 - it's no big deal, I can just make them tomorrow..

7:30 - afterall, it would really be far too much hassle to go out NOW

7:45 - The girls are still chatting away with themselves, so I took a peek into their room and find them jumping on their cribs (yes, they really do this) - proudly declaring that I was silly to think they were tired. Didn't I know that they weren't the least bit sleepy, and more than likely would never be sleepy again as long as they lived?

7:46 - I was packing the girls into their car seats to make the trek to the store. In the storm. With the two door car.

This part was easily a 10 minute ordeal. I ran to the car to open the doors and move up the seats, then ran back to the house to collect baby #1, and ran BACK to the car to strap her in (which, by the way, I am convinced that in order to strap car seats into the back of a 2 door car, you need to be a contortionist). Lather, rinse, repeat.

We then made a 5 minute car ride to Wegmans, I loaded the girls into a shopping cart, grabbed the flour, and checked out. Back into the car, another 10 minutes to strap the car seats in, 5 minutes home, unloading the car, setting everything back in order, and putting the girls to bed.

And then I began making my cookies. Now this was a recipe I had attempted to half and bake a few weeks ago, and it turned out horribly. So this time I used the whole recipe. Let me tell you a little about this recipe - it requires an entire package of butter and 6 cups of flour. This batter almost broke my poor little 5 qt mixer - it worked it's little motor off, but it got the job done.

They are currently in the oven, and I just have to say, for all the hassle this has been - these had better be the best cookies. EVER.

The best meatballs ever. Seriously.

I love comfort food, and to me, there is nothing more comforting than pasta and meatballs. It's just such a homey food that nearly everyone enjoys. So I am always on the search for the perfect meatball. I don't like them hard, like a hamburger, I prefer them to be moist and tender and melt in your mouth - and today, I think I found my perfect meatball! And good things are meant to be shared, so here we go :)

Cheesy Italian Crock-pot Meatballs

- 1 1/2 lbs of a beef, pork, and veal mix (it comes pre-mixed at my grocery store in the meat section)
- 1 cup of steel cut oats
- 1/2 cup of milk
- 1 egg
- 2/3 cup Ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
- A handful of basil leaves minced (or 1 tablespoon dried)
- 3 sprigs of thyme minced (or 2 teaspoons dried)
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons dried rosemary
- 2 Tablespoons mustard
- A few dashes of Worcestershire sauce
- Black pepper to taste
- Kosher salt to taste (I suggest around 1 tbspn, give or take)

Pre-heat the oven to 375

In a small bowl pour milk over the steel cut oats - they should be entirely saturated, add more milk if necessary - and let it sit and soak while you complete the next steps.

In a larger bowl mix the meat with all other ingredients

After the oats are saturated, mix in with the meat mixture - incorporate very well.

Rub a baking sheet with a tiny bit of oil, form your meatballs, and bake for about 15 minutes

Meanwhile, add the sauce of your choosing (homemade, store bought, whatever. The meatballs are going to flavor the sauce) into your crock pot. I use'd Mid's sauce, and needed 3 jars or 3 quarts.

Remove meatballs from the oven and transfer from the sheet to the crock pot with a slotted spatula and mix the sauce so that all of the meatballs are completely submerged/covered with the sauce. Cover and let cook on high for 5 hours or on low for longer.

Serve over pasta with garlic bread! Mmm enjoy!

Frugal in Forty: Update!

I have not abandoned my mission or forgotten about it - but things have been a little hectic and busy the past week or so, and I haven't had the time I need to blog about it. Don't give up on me though! I'm hoping to do some catching up soon!

Frugal in Forty: Day 12 - Meatless Mondays: Making Meals Multiply

Meat is without a doubt the biggest expense in our food budget. I spend easily more than half our weekly alotment on it. This is because meat is, by and large, the most important part of my meals. Growing up my mother always made a 3 section meal - meat, a starch/carb, and a vegetable. Obviously there were meals like spaghetti that excluded this, but as a general rule of thumb, you could count on there being meat at every dinner. This is something I have carried with me throughout my entire adult life - a dinner doesn't feel like a meal if it doesn't involve some kind of meat. However, I've decided to try and change that, one step at a time.

Enter, Meatless Mondays. I am going to attempt to make one meal a week sans meat. I chose Monday because I like the alliteration we usually indulge over the weekend, be it grill outs or family dinners or restaurant gatherings - so Mondays are a good time to give ourselves a break.

Tonight I made chili, and I used hamburger - which is what spurred this idea - I could have very easily omitted the hamburger from this dish. If I would have removed the cost of the meat, I would have had about 6 quarts of chili, packed with a ton of different types of beans (the secret to stretching meals like this!) and veggies for around $7.00. That is, in my opinion, a good deal any way you slice it! Not only does that break down to 3.50 a person, but this meal can easily stretch into three meals and a lunch of leftovers. Throw the chili on a baked potato, over some rice, mixed in with some salad, eat it with tortilla chips as a lunch or snack, the possibilities are endless.

The benefits here are not only financial, as we know that an excess of meat is not good for health either.

I will be spending time over the next few days brainstorming meals to replace on Monday's that are meat free. This won't make a huge dent in our bill, but I know that we must start with a single step before we run - after all, slow and steady wins the race - I hope to eventually cut our meat costs in half.

Do you have any meatless meals that you find you are able to make cheaply?

A letter of intent

When was the last time you wrote a letter by hand? Not on a computer, or a blackberry, or an iPhone - but on paper, with ink? This is becoming a thing of the past. Not that that is necessarily a bad thing, it cannot be disputed that computers allow for much more efficient work - added bonuses like spell check and backspace make our lives lazier easier.

But it makes me sad to think that handwritten letters have fallen completely to the wayside. There's something so personal and endearing about hand writing a note. It takes intention and thought and extra effort.

This was something I realized today when I went to go write my Compassion Children a note online -- you no longer need to hand write notes, you can send emails and they will be delivered. I stopped short of "send" and decided that, instead, I wanted them to know that they are worth the thought, they are worth the extra effort.

There are other people in my life who I would live to convey that to as well. So I have decided to sit down and write today - to everyone that is on my mind. I understand that maybe not everyone will appreciate the sincerity in a hand written letter like I do, but maybe they will. Just maybe.

Frugal in Forty: Day 5 - A Time To Rest

As I've stated before, this journey is not only about becoming a better steward of our home and finances, but to bring peace and stability, a place of harmonious constancy to our lives. I believe that in order to achieve that, you must set aside time for rest. The home should be a place of solace and rejuvenation for your family. I believe it's important to set aside time free of schedule and business to just enjoy each other, and weekends usually are the perfect times to allow that to happen.

Remember, in a world of go-go-go, to stop, and breathe, and simplify!

Elegant Baby $75 shopping spree giveaway!

Who doesn't love free stuff? I know I do! And today I'm really excited about a giveaway going on over at Baby Loving Mama.

Right now she's sponsoring a give away from Elegant Baby for a $75 dollar shopping spree! As a mom, there's nothing I love more than buying things for my Twincesses, and this store knows how to call to my heart!

Elegant Baby offers everything from sweet baby bloomers...

Pink and White Ruffled Baby Bloomers


To adorable piggy banks...

Piggy Bank Green and Pink


To the cutest hooded towels you've ever seen!

The Olivia Owl Bath Towel

And everything in between :)

So head on over to the give away at Baby Loving Mama's Blog and enter for your chance to win!