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Simple Times

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Vol. 9, No. 4 -- October 2007

http://thesimplemom.wordpress.com/

debi

Copyright 2007 Deborah Taylor-Hough

ISSN: 1527-1269

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Celebrating 9+ years of saving your time, money and sanity!

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IN THIS ISSUE:

-- " Dear Readers "

-- Simple Living Quote

-- Pumpkin Recycling

-- Alternative Halloween Celebration Ideas

-- Letters to the Editor / Reader Tips

-- Assorted Information (archives, etc.)

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< < < O.U.R S.P.O.N.S.O.R > > >

 

Free Color Business Cards!

Select a design, add personal text, place an order in 5 minutes.

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Dear Readers,

 

For the next couple of weeks, I'm going to be adding a small

pile of used books to my eBay store. I'm in the midst of trying

to do some serious decluttering around my house. Wish me

luck! :-)

 

A number of the books will be about financial and simple living

topics that might be of interest to readers of this e-newsletter.

Plus, there should be some children's books, educational

materials, and classic literature, as well.

 

So far, I've listed several books in the Core Knowledge Series

(What Your Kindergartner [1st, 2nd, 3rd grader] Needs to Know).

I also have an unused (and unopened) copy of Quicken Personal

Finance 2007 Home and Business software. I've also listed the book,

Margin, by Dr. Richard Swensen. And due to popular demand from

several friends, I'm going to list a couple of photographs that I've

taken and had made into 8 " x10 " prints and matted in 11 " x14 " mattes.

 

Feel free to stop by and see if there's anything that interests you

or your family.

 

http://stores.ebay.com/Simple-Pleasures-Books-and-Gifts

 

Simply Yours,

 

Debi

(Deborah Taylor-Hough)

Editor, Simple Times Email Newsletter

--Author of the popular 'Frozen Assets' series; 'A Simple Choice: A

practical guide for saving your time, money & sanity'; and 'Frugal

Living for Dummies®

--Editor, Simple Times and Bright-Kids email newsletters

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Visit my new site!

http://thesimplemom.wordpress.com/

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== Tupperware Online Catalog ==

 

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SIMPLE LIVING QUOTE

 

 

" Too many people spend money they haven't earned, to buy

things they don't want, to impress people they don't like. "

 

--Will Rogers

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As always, a special " Thank you! " goes out to Gary Foreman

and the friendly folks at the Dollar Stretcher for making this

mailing list possible!

 

== http://www.stretcher.com/ ==

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PUMPKIN RECYCLING

Copyright Tawra Kellam

Used with permission. All rights reserved.

http://www.LivingOnADime.com/

 

 

Peter Piper picked a profoundly plump pumpkin -- but now what

does he do with it?

 

Every fall I get many questions about what to do with pumpkins.

Many people find curious fascination in imagining what it would

be like to grow these versatile little gems, as if growing something

that produces a large fruit is somehow more respectable than

growing, say, a serrano pepper.

 

Many people eventually venture into pumpkin experimentation.

Some succeed and many fail. Much like a dog that chases a

car, many people never give thought to what they would do if

they actually succeeded in successfully raising a patch of these

fall favorites.

 

Whether you have found yourself with more pumpkins than you

know what to do with or you are one of the people who had to

buy pumpkins and duct tape them to the vine, these tips for

roasting and using pumpkins are sure to help you make the

most out of them (no matter how you acquired them)!

 

 

How to Roast a Pumpkin

 

You can only do this with a freshly carved pumpkin! Don't use

on a pumpkin that has been carved and sitting out for several

days.

 

To bake a fresh 6 to 7 pound pumpkin, halve the pumpkin

crosswise and scoop out the seeds and strings. Place halves,

hollow side down, in a large baking pan covered with aluminum

foil and add a little water. Bake, uncovered, at 375 for 1 1/2 to 2

hours or until fork-tender. Remove. When cool, scrape pulp from

shells and puree, a little at time, in food processor or blender.

Mix with a little salt.

 

To freeze pumpkin puree. Put 1-2 cups in freezer bags along with

spices and use in pies.

 

To use pumpkin puree for recipes: Line a strainer with a double

layer of cheesecloth or a flour sack dish towel and let the pumpkin

sit to drain out the extra moisture BEFORE cooking with it.

 

Pumpkin is very moist, so in order for your recipe to come out

correctly, you MUST strain it.

 

 

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

 

Boil seeds in water for 5 minutes. Drain well. Sprinkle with salt or

seasoned salt. Place a thin layer on a cookie sheet. Bake at 250.

Stir after 30 minutes. Bake 1/2 - 1 hour more or until crunchy.

*Squash seeds may also be used.

 

 

Pumpkin Smoothies

 

1/2 cup pumpkin

3/4 cup milk or vanilla yogurt

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/8 tsp. nutmeg

2 tsp. brown sugar

4 ice cubes

whipped cream (optional)

sprinkles (optional)

 

Place all ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth. Pour into

2-3 glasses. Serve with a small amount of whipped cream on top.

You may also add orange sprinkles if you like. Serves 2-3.

 

 

Pumpkin Pancakes

 

2 cups flour

2 Tbsp. brown sugar, packed

1 Tbsp. baking powder

1 1/4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp. salt

1/2 cup nuts, chopped (optional)

1/2 cup pumpkin

1 large egg

2 Tbsp. vegetable oil

1 cups milk

 

Combine ingredients. Stir just until moistened; batter may be

lumpy. Heat griddle or skillet over medium heat; brush lightly

with vegetable oil. Pour 1/4 cup batter onto hot griddle; cook

until bubbles begin to burst. Turn and continue cooking 1 to 2

minutes. Serve with Pumpkin Maple Sauce and nuts.

 

 

Pumpkin Maple Sauce

 

1 cup maple syrup

1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice

1 1/4 cups pumpkin

 

Mix together until well blended.

 

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

--In five years, Tawra Kellam and her husband paid off $20,000

personal debt on an average income of $22,000 per year. Tawra

is the author of the frugal cookbook Dining On A Dime. Dining

On A Dime has over 1200 recipes and tips to help you eat better

and spend less. For more free tips and recipes visit her web site

at http://www.LivingOnADime.com

 

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Tools, toys, kitchenware, stoves, books, personal care, camping,

eco-friendly goods, farming, canning, gardening, appliances,

sewing, furniture, cleaning, clothing, games, puzzles, oil lamps,

lanterns, candles, solar power equipment, water filters, and more!

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ALTERNATIVE HALLOWEEN CELEBRATION IDEAS

Reprinted with permission from http://www.SimpleLiving.org

All rights reserved.

 

 

Community Pumpkin Patch

 

For Halloween, we have a community Pumpkin Patch. Our local

social service agency has a volunteer-operated community garden.

Garden plots for individual use are free, but all takers must help

plant and harvest one crop in the community garden to provide fresh

produce for the food pantry. These community gardens are located

on city land used as a leaf dump, and we have found that pumpkins

grow well in uncultivated leaf mounds.

 

Just before Halloween our harvested pumpkins, supplemented by

others we purchase, are placed in the Pumpkin Patch where

customers trade cans of food for pumpkins -- two food items for

a small pumpkin, four for a medium pumpkin, etc. These canned

goods are given to the local food pantry.

 

We make money for the food pantry by selling homemade pumpkin

baked goods and apple cider. Two local residents set up their apple

press and make fresh cider, stimulating sales by giving out free

samples.

 

In addition, volunteer artists paint a cute or scary face on pumpkins

for 25 cents. For entertainment the zoo brings animals to pet, and

the recreation center provides clowns for face painting.

 

The Pumpkin Patch has become quite a tradition in our community.

It raises several hundred dollars for our food pantry and contributes

many canned goods. This project requires little work and lasts one

Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

 

--Mary and Bill Merrill, Columbus, Ohio

 

 

All Hallow's Eve

 

We celebrate All Hallow's Eve with a hot dog roast and bonfire.

Everyone is encouraged to dress as a saint, but no Draculas are

turned away. We play games such as " Pin the Crown on the Saint, "

and sing " I Sing a Song of the Saints of God " (Episcopal hymnal).

We end with the service for All Hallow's Eve around the bonfire.

 

--Ed, Andrea, Nathanael and Rebekah Wills, Memphis, Tennessee

 

 

Fall Festival

 

We hosted a family party encouraging everyone (not just children!)

to come dressed as Bible characters or saints. As folks gathered,

we sang fun, campfire-type songs. Then we all told who we were

and were given the prize of a bookmark.

 

Afterward, the adults played table games (and they must have really

enjoyed it, staying as late as they did!) while the kids had their choice

of face painting, guessing the number of pieces of candy in a jar,

bobbing for apples, bean bag toss, ping-pong, ball toss, or drawing

faces on balloons. We had trouble getting people to leave, so perhaps

we'll have another celebration next year!

 

--Susan Landis, Cheshire, Connecticut

 

 

Family Halloween Celebration

 

Dress the whole family in costume and visit a pediatric ward. Get

permission for your visit in advance, making sure your planned gifts

to the children there are appropriate. Balloons, coloring books, or

comics may make better gifts than candy or gum. Or, if the hospital

has no objections, bake cookies together and take them. Visit a

few rooms briefly. The joy you bring to the patients and their parents

is a real gift.

 

--Joel E. Shirk, Cheshire, Connecticut

 

 

Ideas reprinted with permission from http://www.SimpleLiving.org

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== Chinaberry ==

Quality Books and Gifts for Families

http://snurl.com/cberry

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Feel free to forward this newsletter to your family and friends. :-)

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR / READER TIPS

Send your simple living ideas and tips to:

DSimple

 

 

Re: Keep up the great newsletter

I really love the newsletter -- I need the reminders to keep things

simple having just condensed three houses into one. My Mother-

in-Law passed away in 2004 and had a 2000 SF home FILLED

with junk and memorabilia that my husband is having a tough time

parting with, understandably so. I'm pitching daily ... still. Keep

up the great newsletter ... people like me need it!!

--Susan

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SIMPLE TIMES RECOMMENDED BOOKS

Book list for frugality and simple living

Go to: http://thesimplemom.wordpress.com/recommended-reading/

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SIMPLE TIMES ARCHIVES

Two years' worth of back issues are available by clicking

the " Read Messages " button at:

http://hub.thedollarstretcher.com/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?visit=simple-times

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Feel free to forward this newsletter to your family and friends. :-)

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EDITOR'S BOOKS AND AUDIO RESOURCES:

Books and resources by Deborah Taylor-Hough

Editor, Simple Times Email Newsletter

http://thesimplemom.wordpress.com/about/my-books/

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DEBI'S ON-LINE RESOURCES:

Personal Blog: http://dsimple.wordpress.com/

Frugality/Simplicity: http://thesimplemom.wordpress.com

Cooking Ahead: frozen-assets/

Bright-Kids: http://brightkids.wordpress.com

Tupperware®: http://snurl.com/DebiTupperware

Kids' Books: http://snurl.com/books4kids

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