Good Reads: Indian Instant Pot Cookbook

Indian Instant Pot® Cookbook: Traditional Indian Dishes Made Easy and Fast by Urvashi Pitre
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Not only is this book a great primer on using your electric pressure cooker, but the author has simplified many popular Indian recipes, so that the average person can reproduce them at home. She has pared down the number of spices used, so you don't have to buy twenty special spices and most are available at my local grocery store.

Attractive photos and easy to follow directions make this book a pleasure to read.

Cut Down That Cable Bill or Frugal Television

My husband and I sat down in December to discuss our cable bill.  It kept getting larger and larger, while the cable company kept reducing the number of stations we received.  We realized that our family was rarely turning on the television and were, instead, watching PBS, Netflix and Amazon Prime on our devices.

So, time to cut the cable and up our internet speed, which are both from the same provider.  This cut our bill in half, but left us without television.  My husband went searching and we decided to buy a flat antenna that you tape to your window and connect to the television.  We ended up paying $35 for a Weingard antenna.

First we used a website https://www.fcc.gov/media/engineering/dtvmaps or https://www.antennaweb.org/Address to see how many channels we would receive and which direction the antenna would need to be facing.

The antenna was super easy to install and we now get 65 channels.  Our house sits on top of a bluff and we receive more channels than most people.  Our reception is good and we are very happy with our "free" cable.

God Bless,
Pam

The Frugal Kitchen: Kimchi Fried Rice

Life is getting back to normal.  All medical emergencies are over and the Christmas decorations are back in the attic.  Here is an easy quick meal that can be prepped ahead and takes just minutes to toss in the wok.  All of the ingredients were purchased at my local Publix.


INGREDIENTS:

4 cups of precooked rice
1 cup kimchi
1 cup shredded carrot
any other vegetable that you enjoy, just keep the pieces small
1 Tbsp. finely chopped ginger
1 Tbsp. finely chopped garlic
1 Tbsp. oil
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. sesame oil
2 Tbsp. mirin, rice wine
3 eggs, beaten
1 egg per person, fried

Mix the soy sauce, sesame oil and mirin and set aside.  In a hot wok add the oil, then the garlic and ginger.  After a minute add the vegetables and toss until they are partially cooked.  Add the kimchi, mix, then drizzle half the soy sauce mixture over the top.  Add beaten egg and mix until the egg is almost done.  Add the rice, mix well, add the rest of the soy sauce mixture, and mix again.  Serve in a bowl with a fried egg on top.

Use a traditional Korean spoon to eat.

This whole process takes less than fifteen minutes and the result is delicious.  If your family isn't familiar with kimchi this is a nice way to introduce it to them.

God bless,
Pam

Frugal Christmas Gifts #3 and Life Happens

So, I had quite a few pre Christmas posts planned, but life was derailed this past Thursday.  My dear husband had a heart attack and has been hospitalized.  But good news, today I brought him home!  We will be celebrating Christmas with just the three of us quietly at home.  We've cancelled our plans, so he can rest.  I feel so blessed.

The Ulta ad today shows that many of their Holiday gift packs are 50% off.  From skincare to cosmetics this is a great time to pick up something extra for a friend (or yourself).  The same is true from the hardware store (mine has cute seaside themed ornaments), to the drug store (CVS had Yankee Candle decorations marked down).

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you all.

God bless,
Pam

Frugal Christmas Gifts #2

Sometimes it's fun and a bit more memorable to put a few of your favorite things together for a gift.  How about a cute little (or not so little) Totoro mug, silicone lid (keeps your drink hot) and some honey ginger crystals.

Sooo cute!

God bless,
Pam

Frugal Christmas Gifts

Three Christmas gift ideas in one post!

I love to buy gifts from Etsy.   It's nice to support a small business and everything I've purchased has been unique, handmade and creative.  I recently purchased the garnet and silver ring from Stamey Creek Creations which is located in North Carolina by the John C. Campbell Folk School.  The young woman that owns the store has attended classes at the school all of her life and has recently started working in sterling silver.

On my nails in the photo (yes, I'm a Mennonite that wears nail polish) is Zoya nail polish, which is free of the five bad chemicals often found in nail polish.  Zoya has been having the Twelve Days of Christmas with a new sale every day.

Yankee Candles has some very nice Christmas scents.  I usually order from the Yankee Candle online store, which has personalized candles and their large candles are two for $36 right now.  They also have some cute Christmas themed decorations.  I like to keep a couple of the small jar candles on hand for last minute gifts.

I also picked up some food bags at the dollar store for my homemade granola.  It makes a nice hostess gift and is a quick Christmas morning breakfast when served over yogurt.

Have fun!

God bless,
Pam

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope all of you have a peaceful and love filled Thanksgiving.

Let's recap a few of my favorite Thanksgiving recipes:

Cranberry sauce - https://thefrugalmennonite.blogspot.com/search?q=cranberry

Sweet potato casserole - https://thefrugalmennonite.blogspot.com/2016/11/thanksgiving-recipes-sweet-potato.html


Some people love mashed potatoes, but I prefer fried.  Here is my recipe for easy fried potatoes:

INGREDIENTS

1 bag fingerling or small Yukon gold potatoes
salt to taste
pepper to taste
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. butter
1 cup water

Wash the potatoes and cut into halves or quarters.  Put oil and butter into pan and heat on medium until hot.  Pour in water, bring to a boil, then cover and lower to simmer.  Simmer for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.

Then remove the lid and raise the heat back to medium.  Add salt and pepper. The water will evaporate and the potatoes will begin to fry. When the potatoes are nicely browned on the bottom turn them with a spatula.  When crispy and brown on several sides they are done.

 I almost forgot.  Here's my recipe for cornbread stuffing:  https://thefrugalmennonite.blogspot.com/search?q=cornbread+stuffing

Enjoy your day!

God bless,
Pam