Summer and grilling go together like peanut butter and jelly. Like peas and carrots. Like Ernie and Bert. . . well, you get the idea! So I’ve been doing a lot of grilling this summer–and lately I’ve been doing it on the new Char-Broil Performance TRU-Infrared grill that Walmart and the folks at Char-Broil sent… Keep Reading
The Smurfs 2
Do you remember the Smurfs? I do! It was the early 80’s, and although I was “far to old” at 10 to admit to liking a kids show like the Smurfs, my baby sister Vick was totally in love with them. This was back in the day when cartoons were only available on Saturday morning… Keep Reading
How to make a Twinkie Ice Cream Cake
Twinkies are an American icon, aren’t they? Even though I’m not much of a snack cake eater myself, I felt a little twinge of regret last November when I heard that Hostess was going out of business. Followed by a little giggle at the folks who were stockpiling Twinkies! So it was nice to hear… Keep Reading
Simple Summer Flip Flop Wreath
Here’s a sweet summer wreath you can whip up in no time! Isn’t it cute? I wanted to do something fun when Walmart asked me to do a summertime craft–and I couldn’t think of a good project. So I asked for ideas over on the Frugal Upstate Facebook Page. Anita suggested doing a flip… Keep Reading
How to Grill Pineapple
I’m getting quite a bit of grilling done this summer–and doing some fun things. Like for this grilling challenge from Walmart, where I decided to finally try grilling pineapple! This really is more of a technique. I would actually be embarrassed to call it a recipe–there is nothing to it. Dead simple, seriously! My Walmart… Keep Reading
Summer Party for Two
Here at the Frugal Village Homestead we love throwing parties. Our .52 acre lot is the scene of multiple barbeques in the spring, summer and fall (yay tailgating!) and as the weather grows cooler we throw big family style gatherings for Halloween and the Holidays (like my annual “low stress” cookie swap party). So when… Keep Reading
Pickled Peach Recipe
This month’s fruit of the Month for the Walmart Mom fruit challenge was simply “stone fruit”. (In the past we’ve done strawberries–I made Tipsy Strawberry Preserves, and Blueberries/Cherries–I made Cherry Lime Syrup) For those of you not familiar with the phrase, stone fruit refers to fruits with a large, single pit (or “stone”) in the… Keep Reading
Back to School Lunchbox
Do you pack lunches for your kids during the school year? Any regular readers and Facebook followers know that I not only pack a lunch for the kiddos most days but I also publish the “Lunchbox Report” on the Frugal Upstate Facebook page–a quick photo and listing of what I’m sending the kids off to… Keep Reading
Summertime Grilling: Vegetable Kabobs
It’s grilling season! There is just something about the warmer weather that makes you want to cook over a fire in the great outdoors. Of course part of the appeal is keeping all that extra heat out of the house, but there is no denying that the flavor is awesome as well! So instead of… Keep Reading
4th of July Casserole Carrier
How do you celebrate Independence day? The first thing that comes to mind when we talk about the 4th of July is usually parades and fireworks–but I’m willing to bet that those are closely followed by barbeques and potlucks! So when Walmart Challenged me to do a 4th of July craft I took the opportunity… Keep Reading
