Utah Case Lot Sales

It's case lot time again. The woman at Prepared LDS Family has updated her comprehensive list of prices going on this season. If you're planning on stocking up on anything, you should definitely check it out.

CSA: Tagge's Farms

I haven't been doing Bountiful Baskets the last few weeks. For the last 3 I've been trying something new. Back in April I bought a "half share" from Tagge's Famous Fruit. I prepaid for 15 weeks of fruits and veggies grown right here in the state. It worked out to $18.33 a week (compared to $16.50 with BB). The items are organically grown though, so if you're in to that, this might be the way to go. Here are the items we've received thus far:

Week #1

Week #2

Week #3


My kids have enjoyed all the cherries (especially the baby who eats the pits!). I've been sauteing all the greens and using them in various pasta and rice dishes, which I've enjoyed.

Using up all the Chicken

Every time I buy a 40 lb box of chicken I trim it, bag it, and throw it in the freezer, scraps are trashed. Last time I did this I later read this on Pinching Your Pennies.com. I determined to not waste those scraps again.

Yesterday I purchased a 40 lb box of boneless, skinless chicken breasts at the Springville Reams ($1.48 lb). I did my usual trim and bag, but this time I saved all my scraps for broth. So fun to use it all up.

Homemade Mixes

Tightwad Mom's Frugal Forum blog has links to the following homemade mixes-

Spice Blends:
Dry Onion Soup Mix
Pumpkin Pie Spice
Taco Seasoning
Ranch Dressing Mix
Chili Seasoning Mix

Convenience Foods:
Home Made Pancake Syrup
Bagel Bite Pizzas
Crockpot Refried Beans
Frozen Fudge Pops
Frozen Smoothie Pops
Sweet and Condensed Milk
Granola Bars

Mixes:
Bisquick
Pancake Mix
Oatmeal Pancake Mix
Corn Muffin Mix
Muffin Mix
Hot Roll Mix
Hot Cocoa Mix
Yellow Cake Mix
Chocolate Cake Mix

Food Co-op in Spanish Fork

For my local friends I thought you might be interested in a local co-op or CSA. Tagge's Famous Fruit will have a weekly drop off in town for 15 weeks starting in July. You pre-pay for your shares. The information is all here.

I really enjoy Bountiful Baskets, but I'm intrigued by this since it is local farmers. The word is that it is comparable in quantity to Bountiful Baskets though the website says that your shares are significantly smaller in July than in August and September.

If anyone is interested give me a call and I'll tell you what I know.

Wheat Bread

Here is the wheat bread recipe to accompany the picture from 3 weeks ago:

Whole Wheat Bread (thanks cousin Jen!)
5 cups hot water
1/4 cup oil
3/4 cup honey
10-11 cups wheat flour
1 T bread enhancer/gluten
1 T salt
2 T yeast

In mixer, mix hot water, oil and honey. Add 2 cups wheat flour and mix until it looks soapy. Add bread enhancer, salt and 2-3 more cups of wheat flour. Mix until it looks like pancake batter. Mix in yeast. At this point, keep adding wheat flour, 1 cup at a time until it cleans the bowl. Knead dough in machine for 5 minutes. Cover and let rise for 15 minutes.

Divide dough into four equal parts. Beat out each part on an oiled surface into a rectangle shape until all the bubbles are out. Roll each into a loaf and put it in a greased bread pan. Let rise in pans for 15-25 minutes. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

My Notes:
First of all this is delicious! I recently acquired a Blendtec blender, so I have been using it to blend wheat into flour. It is magical. Anyway, I'm so happy to have used up my first bag of wheat from my food storage.

I mix the dough in my kitchen aid, and it works just fine, but since it's the smaller sized one I cut the recipe in half. I also use both bread enhancer and vital wheat gluten. I wasn't sure on the recipe what was intended so I just put a Tablespoon of each in. Also, I find that it takes a lot longer than 15-25 minutes for my loaves to rise. I also cover the loaves with a damp towel while they are raising.

Wheat Bread

This Looks Good

I just wanted to mark this recipe, it looks good.Blue Bayou Chicken & Shrimp Gumbo

Look What I Got For Zero Dollars

The other day I got this fancy package in the mail. Inside was a Google Chrome Cr-48 Notebook. In mommy speak it is a way for me to access the web without hiding out in my bedroom to do so. I have enjoyed reading my feeds, checking Facebook, accessing my Google docs and calendar, listening to Pandora, and even watching a little Hulu on this convenient device (has a long battery life too!). The kids have enjoyed it as well. I'm not sure if they are still looking for good homes for these puppies but you can try at this link.

Soup to try

I just wanted to keep track of this blog post. 'Tis the season for soups and some of these look really good.

Safely Gathered In