$5 Dinner Mom's Holiday Entertaining Guide

This is awesome! The $5 Dinner Mom is publishing a simple holiday entertaining guide to make the upcoming season as stress-free and fun as possible! In the same fashion as her cookbooks and blog, she addresses the proper budget, items that are necessary and some that aren't, making the most of coupons and grocery store finds, delicious recipes for left-overs, and (my favorite) "the perfect plan to have everything cooked using only one oven!" Included are 30 recipes, from sides to desserts, like this Cranberry and Celery Stuffing -- even for Stove-Toppers like myself, I can handle this recipe!

Cranberry and Celery Stuffing
A burst of sweet-tart and crunch make for a wonderful addition to the traditional stuffing mix.

INGREDIENTS
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 small onion, chopped
1 14 oz. package herb seasoned stuffing mix
2 cups thinly sliced celery
1 cup dried cranberries
3 green onions, thinly sliced

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375. Grease a 2 quart casserole dish, or 9x9 inch glass baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
Bring 2 cups of water and the butter and chopped onion to a boil, then toss in the stuffing mix until moistened.
Remove from the heat and cover. Let sit for 5 minutes.
Stir in the celery slices, dried cranberries and green onions.
Spread the stuffing mixture into the prepared baking dish. Cover with foil.
Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. Then remove the foil and continue baking 10 to 15
minutes, or until top is golden brown.
Serve Herb and Celery Stuffing.
Makes 6 to 8 side dish servings.

The book goes on sale Monday, Oct. 31 at 9AM (Eastern), and you can get it for 50% off at $1.99 with code THANKS (valid until Thanksgiving)! It's available in Kindle, Nook and iPad format.

$5 Dinner Mom's Holiday Entertaining Guide

Holiday entertaining can get me really frazzled, so I'm even more excited with the new release of the $5 Dinner Mom's Holiday Entertaining Guide! Stay tuned for more details, like a coupon code! =)

Wordless Wednesday - It's that time again!

Squeezing More Out of Our 24 Hours?!?

I'm realizing how hard I have to work at having good time management! If I don't have a plan of things to get done, I don't get anything done. And even if I need a break for some ME time, if I don't carefully watch it, I overwhelm myself with that time and don't get anything else done. Some times I get so frustrated with that cycle. I'll post more as I figure out ways to address my problems!

Some friends have issues with specific household tasks, like laundry. A friend suggested doing one load a day, therefore not being overwhelmed. For many, that's an excellent tip. I could easily run a load of cloth diapers in the morning and hang them outside to dry. With two adults and a toddler at home, even with cloth dipes and trainers, I don't have an adversity to laundry. I end up doing 2-3 loads in the evening a few times a week. I don't like running single loads because I don't want to waste the energy used heating up the dryer; so I'll run at least 2 loads. I'm not sure if this is true or not, but I try to use that energy late in the day, just in case it's less of a draw on our power supply and bill!

I can wrap my brain around laundry, but I still have to work on how to address my issues with cleaning the bathroom. You'll have to help me out!

Photo Credit:Image: africa / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I met the $5 Dinner Mom!

Yesterday I got to meet The $5 Dinner Mom, Erin Chase, at my MOPS meeting! She's authored The $5 Dinner Mom Cookbook and The $5 Dinner Mom Breakfast and Lunch Cookbook (and will release a One Dish Dinner Cookbook very soon) and blogs at $5 Dinners.

She's always impressed me with her knack for great meals under $5, but after meeting her, I'm even more blessed by her humble and genuine spirit. She really desires to simply life in order to better attend to our top priorities. For example, her meals are delicious yet gentle on the budget, in order that finances become controllable. She knows firsthand because that's how she began prepping dishes for under $5. Incredible what we can learn from others!

Low Entry Linky & Friday Follow

Happy Friday! Here's a list a few low entry giveaways (less than 100 entries) which end in the next 2 weeks. And link up contests in the blogsphere that have less than 100 entries, ending in the next 2 weeks!

Also check out my giveaway for a $25 GC to KiKi's Fashions!

Growums Gardening Kit 10/14

Fitness 360 DVD 10/17

Lovable Labels Think Pink (10/18)

Fall

Ah, Fall. I know many people were ready for it when October rolled around with cooler temps and changing leaves. But for the first time in many years, I bucked the changing of the seasons! Here in the Mid-West, we had a very wet and dreary September, and I felt like I was cheated out of the last part of summer. Feeling like a misplaced Floridian, I wanted it to be hot! Thankfully, I got contentment calibrated back into my system, and I'm ready to enjoy the beautiful blue, October skies, the varied shades of leaves, the crunchiness of leaves already fallen, the crisp Fall air, and apple cider and pies!

Swagbucks: Earn 100, 500, or 1000!

Just want to let you know of a promotion Swagbucks is running until the end of the year!

Get at least 5 new referrals, earning 50 Swag Bucks after joining (not counting bonuses) and members outside your household, and you'll get a bonus of 500 Swag Bucks! Those translate really well into gift cards for Christmas time! And that's in addition to the 1000 matching search bucks you'll earn from each referral!

To get started, enter code 5For5 to get 100 Swag Bucks to start with! Valid until 10/17!