Crostini ~ The Martha Stewart Way

I saw this easy Martha Stewart recipe some months ago, and it turns out very well. It is yummy spread with soft cheese like goat's cheese or cream cheese, dipped in dip, or even spread with peanut butter. All you do is thinly slice a long, thin loaf from the bakery, lightly brush each cut side with olive oil, then bake on a baking sheet (I use my pierced pizza pans) at 350* until crisp and golden. Turn part way through if you want. They come out very crunchy; use them instead of crackers.

Little $ At Kroger

I keep finding my best deals at Kroger, but I consider Publix my favorite store. Hmmm, I wonder why?I had a great shopping trip today. Firstly, I dropped off a prescription to be transfered from Walmart. I had a coupon for a free $30 gift card on a transfered rx, issued by Rite Aid. Kroger accepts competitor's coupons (at least pharmacy coupons; I don't know about other coupons). I also had a $5 off $60 coupon from the Entertainment Book. It wasn't too difficult to come up with $60 in groceries.

Here's my list:
seedless watermelon, sale $5.99
4 lb peaches, sale 89 cents lb, total $3.73
2 pkgs Land O Frost sliced meats, sale $2.99, 50 coup on each, doubled, net $1.99 ea
pork chops, sale $1.99 lb, total $8.26
3 lb bag turkey burgers, $6.99
Ball Park franks, BOGO, coupon $1/2, net $1.29 ea
Hormel bacon, BOGO, $2.74
Honeysuckle turkey chub, clearance $2.42
froz scallops, sale $3.99
fresh shrimp, clearance $1.85
6 pkg Kroger shredded cheese, sale $1.50 ea
3 cans fruit, sale $1 ea, coupon 1 free if purchase 2, net $2
5 lb flour, $1.97
hot dog buns, sale $1
2 loaves wheat bread, clearance 79 cents ea
Sara Lee bread, coupon for free loaf
sweet Italian bread twin pack, clearance 49 cents
After taking off the coupons above, the $5/$60, and the $30 gift card, my total for all these groceries was $24.82.

Little $ At CVS

Similar to my Kroger shopping trip, I had a great day at CVS too. Firstly, I dropped off another prescription to be transfered from Walmart, and I got another $30 gift card by using another Rite Aid coupon. Like Kroger, CVS accepts competitor's rx (only) coupons. Then I rolled my expiring $10 ecb's into $13.27 ecb's by purchasing:
Infant Advil, $5.79, earn $5.79 ecb's
Kotex, $1.49, earn $1.49 ecb's
Zipfizz, $5.99, earn $5.99 ecb's (David can use this at competitions)
I threw in a CVS body wash as filler, $2.99

I used these coupons:
$1 off Advil
$1 off Kotex
$2 off a CVS skin care item (body wash)
$2/$10 purchase
I "spent" my $10 ecb
OOP: 40 cents
Earned $13.27 ecb's

AND I got a $30 gift card for transferring the prescription!

At another store I used an expiring coupon for 20 free prints. Since the photos go toward the $2/$10 coupon, and I had another expiring ecb, I looked around to see what else I could use. Thus:
20 prints, $5
Calms Forte, $6.19, earn $2 ecb's
Reach toothbrush, clearance $1.25
CVS twin-pk beauty bar, sale $1.99

I used these coupons:
20 free prints ($5)
$1 off Calms Forte
$1 off Reach
$2 off a CVS skin care item (soaps)
$2/$10 purchase
Spent $1 ecb
OOP $2.70 (put on gift card)
Earned $2 ecb's

Birthday For Three

I made an ice cream cake to celebrate three birthdays last night. Each birthday kid had a go at blowing out the candles, same candles, one after the other. The candles were little stubs after #3.

For the cake, I pressed a half gallon of soft vanilla ice cream into the bottom of a 9x13 pan, then returned it to the freezer. Later, I popped the ice cream out of the pan, then I baked a chocolate cake in the same pan. A few hours before serving the cake, I stacked the cake on the ice cream and then I frosted the whole thing with sweetened whipped cream (16 0z). I stored it in the freezer until cake time.

We all liked it, but next time I would use a full gallon of ice cream because the ice cream layer was too thin in proportion to the cake layer. Also, I didn't let it sit out long enough before I tried to put the candles in. I had to drill holes using those little plastic flower candle holders that sometimes come with birthday candles.

Making Stuff

Last week I found several pieces of fabric on Hancock's 60% off table. Here is one piece I made into a skirt:It's a small pink/yellow daisy print on a black ground from McCall's 5390. It's hard to see the design features on my skirt; the pattern picture shows better. There is a series of pleats across the front and back, which I had to redesign to fit me better. I turned 8 narrow pleats into 4 deeper pleats, and I nipped in the waist quite a bit. It's still too big in the waist, but I fix that by pulling it down lower on my hips.

I also cut into another piece of fabric I bought at 60% off. I began to make a sundress, using a pattern I made last summer. After it was all cut out, I realized I had cut the front pieces using the dress pattern, but the back pieces were cut from the tunic pattern! That was a huge oops. And Hancock had already sold out on the fabric, so there was no buying more to correct my mistake.

Donating to Charity

Heather and I cleaned out our stashes of CVS/Walgreen's free stuff. No one needs three years' worth of toiletries!We plan to donate all this to a women's shelter. The ladies' mercy ministry at church will probably be putting together bags for the shelter residents. The bags will include shampoo, soap or body wash, washcloth, deodorant, toothpaste, and toothbrush. All this will fit inside a gallon-size zipper bag. Then each kit will be put inside a cute fabric tote bag we plan to make.I made a prototype tote bag but I don't have it here at the moment.

CVS Today

I did two transactions at CVS today. At the beginning of the week, after reading the ad, I didn't think I would find much at all. But I had some expiring ecb's and I DID find some deals after all.

First store:
2 tubes Colgate, $2.99 ea, $1 coupon on ea, $2 CVS coup (spit out of the price scanner), earned $2 ecb's on ea
2 tubes Crest, $2.49 ea, $1/2 coup, earned $1.50 ecb's on ea
CVS shave gel, $1.99, $2 CVS skin care coup
Spent $6 in expiring ecb's, and 19 cents on my cash card
Earned $7 ecb's

Second store:
2 Sure deodorant, BOGO $2.99, $1 coup on ea
2 Pert shampoo, BOGO $3.69, $2 coup on ea
CVS foaming hand soap, $1.99, $2 CVS skin care coup
Avery binder, $4.69
10-pk Papermate pens, 34 cents

All these products except the foaming hand soap are for the Pert/Sure rebate (Buy $5 in Pert and or Sure, and $5 in school supplies, receive a $5 rebate)

After the coupons and $4.50 ecb's, my OOP was $1.70. This is higher than my usual, but I purchased a binder that I really need. And I will be getting a $5 rebate.