Labour Day

                                                                                                                   
                                                         Week 34 (Save $34)

Labour Day is a statutory national holiday celebrated throughout Canada on the first Monday in September.  United States celebrates it's Labor Day on the same day. 

While some Labour Day parades and picnics are organized by unions, most Canadians simply regard Labour Day as the Monday of the last long weekend of summer.

Families with school-age children take it as the last chance to travel before the end of summer. Some teenagers and young adults view it as the last weekend for parties before returning to school, which traditionally begin their new year the day after.

I will not bore you with the history of the Labour movement but I will wish you a Happy and Safe long weekend! Enjoy!

Summer/ Fall Savings

                                                                                                       Week  33 (Save $33)

As we slowly wind down and hanging on to that last piece of summer, the Fall season will soon be amongst us.  Fall is the best time of year, the air is so fresh, the changing color of the leaves, fall harvest festivals and fairs, and don't forget all the GREAT fall seasonal deals you should take advantage of:

Summer clothes: This is a great time to stock up on bathing suits, summer shoes, that summer outfit you were not willing to dish out at the start of the season for next year.  Stores are discounting and trying to make room for the fall gear.  Hit the advertised sidewalk sales and head straight to the clearance rack for some fashionable deals.

 

Outdoor furniture and grills: Need a new b.b.q. grill or patio set for the back yard? Now is a great time to purchase that big ticket for nothing.  Most stores will just be trying to get rid of it to make room for Halloween and Christmas.  And let us not forget the snows blowers, shovels and salt.

Lawn Mowers: The grass has slowly stopped growing as fast but the sales for the lawn movers will just be starting.  Pickup a lawn mower or other yard tool even cheaper as the temperature drops! Which means more green in your pocket.
 

Plants and Scrubs: Your local garden centre's are discounting their  summer flowers and plants as the summer season winds down.  Stock up on perennials, planters, soils, etc.  With the extra greenery and a little planning now.   Next years garden will pay off with beautiful blooms and have your neighbors green with envy. 

 

Travel Tickets: Fall is also a great time to plan your winter or holiday get away with amazing savings.  There are great airfare and vacation deals,  so take advantage of the huge savings!

Christmas presents:   For those who do celebrate Christmas,  I know most of us dread the word "Christmas".  Christmas always seems to sneak up on us.  Fall is a great time to pick up a wonderful deals at fall festivals, art shows, craft fairs,  and even yard sales.  Shop early and with a little planning, you will be able to knock everyone on your Santa list before you know it.  

Seasonal fruits and veggies: Autumn is a great time to head to the apple orchards and spend the day with the family picking and eating everything about apples.  Whether it be pies, apple butter, jelly's or jam.  Who does not love the many varieties of apples available at this time of the year.  Don't forget to pick up pumpkins and squashes while in season. 
 

Wine:  Autumn is also harvest time for the grapes which means you will be able to get cheaper wine during the fall since there will be more bottles of wine on the market.  Stock up on the wine for future gatherings or for cooking.


Do share with us your Fall saving ideas


 

 

2 Simple Ingredients = 2 Recipes

                                                                                                     Week 32 (Save $32)

 

Plum/Roma Tomato's and Rosemary 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tomato's are the most popular garden vegetable grown in North America. With hundreds of varieties, the vine plant grows fairly easily and produces a bumper crop. 

 

This year, the plum tomatoes yield has been overwhelming and the summer is not yet over!  The plum tomatoes have this meaty fleshier pulp which makes them perfect for salads and sandwiches.  The plum tomatoes are commonly used and preferred for making home made sauces because they are less juicer. 

  

 

Here are 2 recipe passed down from a dear Italian friend. The sauce cooks down perfectly and with only 2 simple ingredients from the garden or supermarket. The oven roasted tomatoes are just Amazing!

 

 

Sauce

60 ripe plum tomatoes  (approximately, 12 pounds)

8 springs of fresh rosemary, tied together tightly

Remove the skins off the tomatoes by blanching them in pot of water.  Remove the skins and cut the tomatoes into big chunks with the seeds (make sure you cut out the stems).

 

Place the cut up tomatoes in a large pot with the rosemary and bring to boil on medium high heat.  Drizzle with olive oil.  Simmer the sauce for 2 to 3 hours with no pot lid, to desired consistency. 

 

Remove the rosemary and add a pinch of salt to bring out the flavors. 

 

Store the sauce in the refrigerator for 5 days or freeze up to 6 months in the freezer.

 

Oven Roasted Tomato's                                     

Roasting is the simplest way to make okay tomatoes AMAZING!!  Longer oven time just intensifying and brings out the flavors of the sweetness and enriches any topper for whether it be pasta, pizza, sandwiches, crostini's or salads.

 

 

15 plum tomatoes, cut in half , stems removed                       

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil                         

3 cloves of garlic chopped
a few springs of rosemary                     

Salt and pepper

Preheat your oven to 350°F. 

                       

Toss the tomatoes with garlic into a large bowl, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Toss well and lay the tomatoes, cut side up, in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper in the middle rack of the oven. 

 

Roast until they've caramelized a bit and shrunken, for about 60 to 90 minutes. Stir briefly after 30 minutes . 

 

The tomatoes can keep in the refrigerator for 5 days or freeze up to 6 months in the freezer.

 

 

Enjoy!

No posts on Civic Holiday

                                                                                                  Week 31 (Save $31)

When any long weekend comes along, we just take it and enjoy that extra day off.  Do we really know what the Civic Holiday is at all ??

The Civic Holiday is celebrated on the first Monday of August and it's a public holiday in some provinces and territories. It is known by many names in different provinces and municipalities. It's called Regatta Day in Newfoundland, Saskatchewan Day in SK, British Columbia Day in BC, Natal Day in Nova Scotia and PEI, Simcoe Day in Toronto, New Brunswick Day in New Brunswick, Colonel By Day in Ottawa, Heritage Day in Alberta and Joseph Brant Day in Burlington, ON. It is called Benjamin Vaughan day in the City of Vaughan, Ontario.

The Civic Holiday is commonly referred to as the August long weekend. It is probably the busiest day on highways as tens of thousands of families go camping, to cottages, etc this weekend.
Each municipality that opts to declare the holiday can give it a unique name. It's called the "civic" holiday because it's the holiday that cities have authority to declare.

I'm outta here!  Have a great Civic weekend and week!

The best things in life are free

                                                                                                      Week 30 (Save $30)
                                                                                                      Week 31 (Save $31)

 

 

 

Magic Custard Cake

                                                                                                    Week 29 (Save $29)

A super easy custard cake made with 6 simple ingredients! I was concerned with the liquidity batter but it bakes up to a wonderful custard texture.  


I love anything in a custard form but a Cake !

Ingredients:

4 eggs (whites separated from yolks), room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted

3/4 cup all purpose flour
2 cups milk lukewarm
 

Optional: powdered sugar for dusting cake
 

 

Instructions:
 
Preheat oven to 325 F degrees. Grease or Line 8 inch x 8 inch baking dish with parchment.

Separate eggs and add the egg whites to a mixer and beat egg whites stiff. Place egg whites in a bowl and set aside.

Beat the egg yolks & sugar until light. Add butter and vanilla.  Beat for two minutes. 

Add the flour and mix it in until fully incorporated.

Slowly start adding the milk and beat until everything is well mixed together.

Add the egg whites, a third at a time and gently fold them in using a spatula, repeat until all egg whites are folded in.  

Pour batter into baking dish and bake for approx. 60 minutes or until the top is lightly golden. 

Cool and dust heavily with powdered sugar.



Tested twice and it was delicious!

Enjoy !!

Mosquitoes

                                                                                             Week 28 ( Save $28 )

 

I know we are officially into the summer when those annoying pesky mosquito are biting me alive ! Apparently, only the female mosquitoes are the culprit biters.  They can smell their dinner up to 50 meters away and they only target certain people.  I always seem to be on their dinner menu as their daily special. I guess they just love the sweet taste of my blood !

I wear scent free products,  I wear light color clothing, I eat a lot of garlic (the garlic seem to keep my friends at bay), and bananas. I still get chewed alive ! 

My other alternative if I want to be outdoors is to stop breathing.  That way I will no longer let out any more carbon dioxide to attract the attention from those blood suckers...I don't think that is going to be happening very soon !

There are effective insect repellents sprays, such as DEET, which is very harsh chemical spray on to keep mosquitoes away.  Some people splash themselves with Avon's Skin So Soft while others swear carrying a bounce sheet in their back pocket does the trick. I will give the bounce sheet a try since it's a simple alternative and I will see how effective that is.

 

Here are a few natural kitchen remedies that may help with the itchiness after the bite. Just remember, some remedies work for one person and may not be affective to others :

• Apple cider or white vinegar can reduce the swelling and stop the itching due to the acidity content in the vinegar.  Dab the area with a cotton ball.

• Baking soda mixed with water can be used as a paste.  Apply the paste to the affected area

• Crush Tums is another alternative if you do not have baking soda on hand

• Use cool tea bags to soothe the affected area as a compress

• Cut a lemon or lime into pieces and rub the affected area.  The citrus acid will get rid of the itch.

• Rubbing with the inside of a banana peel can relieve the itch in minutes due to the oils in the peel.

• Try dabbing honey, it can soothe the affected area.

• Onions and raw potatoes can alleviate the itch.

• The inside of an cracked egg shell, use the flexible member and cover the bite.  As the membrane dries, it will draw out some of the toxins.

• Toothpaste, mouth wash, deodorant, may relieve the itch.

• Vicks vapour Rub contains menthol and camphor oils and both of the ingredients may help stop the itching.

If you know of any other natural remedies, do share it with us so we all can have a bite free summer!