Lou here, Ace’s “Helpful Hardware Man” and today I’m sharing some great budget-friendly tips on adding curb appeal to your home this summer.

The first step to having a home that looks great from the street is a healthy lawn. It is easier and cheaper than you might think. First you’ll want to clear away any leftover debris, including leaves, branches and your kids’ favorite summer toys. If your lawn is loaded with weeds, spray it with Ortho Weed and Feed – just attach to your garden hose and spray away. It costs about $10.00 and will kill the broadleaf weeds and also feed the healthy grass.

In about two weeks you can reseed the bare spots. First, scratch the soil a bit with a rake and sprinkle the seed over the area. Cover with peat moss and then water lightly. The peat moss will keep the seed moist and will prevent birds from eating it. Water just a bit every other day to help the seed take and try to keep the kids and animals off of these areas while the seeds germinate. After two weeks, the grass should be filled in and your lawn will look terrific!

Another budget-friendly secret to a great lawn is to run a rake across it to thin out any dead grass and promote healthy growth. This will keep your lawn looking thick and neat, and the only cost is a little bit of your time and some elbow grease.

Now that the grass is looking better, how about adding some perennial flowers along the walkway leading up to your home?  While perennials cost a little more, they will come back each year, giving you more bang for your buck. Look for plants that bloom at different heights like Moon Beams, Hostas and even rose bushes. Make sure you give them room to grow to create a beautiful, full border leading up to your door. Most plants will come with a recommended spacing to allow for full growth. I always take two inches off the recommended spacing because I like the thick, bursting look of healthy plants. Each year you can add a few more plants to change up the look and keep the front of your home fresh.

What low cost ways have you used to boost your home’s curb appeal?

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

Roasted Chicken
1 whole chicken (approx. 3-5 pounds)
Salt and pepper (or any seasoning of your choice)
Wash chicken inside and out (remove anything inside).  Sprinkle with seasoning.  Place three balls of aluminum foil in the bottom of your slow cooker (this will be a rack for your chicken).  Place the chicken in, breast side down, and cook on low for six to eight hours. (This recipe is from Amy at www.momadvice.com)

Italian Beef
1 chuck or round roast (5-6 pounds)
1 package of Good Season’s Zesty Italian Mix
1 package of onion soup mix
Fresh garlic (we like a lot but you can use as much or as little as you like)
1 large can of beef broth
2 bay leaves
Pinch of salt
1 ½ tablespoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
1 green pepper sliced

Mix all ingredients together in crock pot.  Cover and cook on low setting for 18 hours or on high for 7-9 hours. 

Macaroni and Cheese
8 oz. dry elbow macaroni (cooked)
3-4 cups shredded sharp cheddar, divided
12 oz. can of evaporated milk
1 ½ cups milk
2 eggs
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp. black pepper
Chopped onion to taste

Combine all ingredients except 1 cup cheese in greased slow cooker.  Sprinkle reserve cup of cheese over top
Cover and cook on low 3-4 hours.  Do not remove lid or stir until the mixture has finished cooking.

These recipes are just a few to get you started.  There are endless resources for slow cooker recipes on the internet.  An interesting blog you might want to visit is Crockpot 365.  Stephanie has committed to cooking in her crock pot everyday for year.  You should go check it out because she has made some awesome meals in her slow cooker.

Tami is a former teacher. She is now a stay-at-home mom and has four children. She enjoys writing about their everyday life and the adventures that motherhood brings. You can find her at Muddlin’ Thru Motherhood.

Each hour today, we are blogging for charity.  Please consider making a donation to The Children’s Hunger Fund. 

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

You’ll need:

8 oz cream cheese (at room temperature or softened)
2-4 tablespoons Catalina dressing

Simply mix the cream cheese and the Catalina dressing until the dressing is completely mixed into the cream cheese.  The amount of dressing you use will depend upon how tangy you like the cheese spread. 

I’ve served this at two parties and it was well received.  Thanks to my friend Darlene for the recipe.

Enjoy!

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

Grandma Esther’s Spritz Cookies

1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 teaspoon almond or vanilla extract

1. Heat oven to 375 F degrees.
2. Combine butter and sugar, then add remaining ingredients. Mix thoroughly.
3. Load into cookie press. Place dough 1/2 inch apart on cookie sheet.
4. Bake 12 minutes or until edges are brown.
5. Decorate as desired.

Enjoy!

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

You’ll need:

• Box of cake mix – You’ll also need the ingredients to make the cake, which are probably eggs, oil, and water.  Or if you’re feeling up to it, you can make a cake from scratch.
• 14 oz can of sweet condensed milk
• container of Cool Whip or whipped topping
• coconut (optional)

Make the cake according to the directions on the box and cook it in a 9×13 cake pan.  Allow the cake to cool for a bit, leave the cake in the pan, and pour the can of condensed milk over the cake.  Allow the milk to spread over the cake and drain down in the sides.  Let it sit for a few minutes and then spread all of the Cool Whip over the cake.  Top with coconut, if desired.  Refrigerate cake.  It is probably best to let this cake sit for a while before eating so that the milk can soak up inside the cake. Let me know how it turns out.

Have you made a cake like this one before?

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

Ingredients:

• chicken (I used 4 boneless breasts)
• 1 can diced tomatoes (I used the ones with green chilies)
• green salsa (such as the kind made by Herdez)
• minced garlic
• sliced onions
• sliced bell peppers
• salt and pepper (I used Goya Adobo seasoning, which is one of our faves!)
• 14 oz can of kernel corn, drained
• 15 oz can of black beans, drained and chopped or mashed

In a crock pot, put in your chicken, tomatoes, about 3/4-1 cup of green salsa, about 1 cup of sliced onions, some sliced bell peppers (if you wish), about 3 cloves minced garlic (I used the bottled minced) and salt and pepper (or Goya Adobo seasoning). Cook the chicken for about 3-4 hours, until tender.

Take the chicken out of the crock pot and set it on a plate or cutting board to let it cool some. Drain the juice out of the vegetables, reserving some of the liquid. Put the vegetables back into the crock pot. Add the can of drained corn and drained black beans. Cut up or shred the chicken and put it back into the crock pot. Add a little more of the green salsa (about 1/4 cup) and some of the liquid from the vegetables that you drained (about 1 cup). Stir all this together and allow it to cook for another 15-20 minutes.

Use the chicken in tacos, burritos, or quesadillas. Yummy!

We had enough of this chicken to feed our family of four and then some to freeze for another meal. I also served this recipe with Spanish rice. We topped our tacos with cheese and sour cream and a bit of fresh, homemade salsa (pico-de-gallo). Sorry, I wish I had a picture to share.

Enjoy!

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

1 16 oz can refried beans
1 tablespoon taco seasoning mix
1 cup sour cream
1 cup salsa*
1 cup shredded lettuce
1 cup Mexican style shredded cheese
1/2 cup chopped green onions
2 tablespoons sliced pitted olives

Mix beans and taco seasoning mix. Spread onto bottom of a 9-inch pie plate.

Layer remaining ingredients over bean mixture; cover. Refrigerate several hours or until chilled.

Serve with tortilla chips.

*I think that fresh salsa (pico-de-gallo) would work best.

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

You will need:

• boneless chicken
• refried beans
• salsa
• taco seasoning
• Azteca taco shells (usually found in the refrigerated stuff, near the eggs)
• lettuce
• tomatoes
• sour cream
• shredded cheese

Set out your Azteca taco shells so that they can begin to soften.  Wash and cut up your lettuce and tomatoes; set aside.  Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. 

Form your taco shells using the forms that are included in the Azteca kit.  Bake these on 350 until they’re browned.  This should take about 8-10 minutes.

Cut your chicken into bite size pieces.  Throw it in a skillet with some salsa and about 1 tablespoon of taco seasoning.  Cook until it’s done throughout.  Yep, it really is that simple.  If you want, you can sprinkle in some garlic and cumin.  If the chicken starts to dry out while it’s cooking or waiting to be eaten, just add a tablespoon of water and stir.

Cook your refried beans in a saucepan.  I just buy the ones in a can.  I have found that they’re really, really thick though, so I usually add a  little salsa and water to them to make them thinner.

Once your shells, chicken, and beans are done, you just layer your salad.  Here’s how I usually layer mine:  shell, beans, chicken, lettuce, tomato, sour cream, cheese, and salsa. 

If you’d like, you can also include some cooked Mexican rice or olives in your salad.

This is a very easy dinner and it won’t take you long at all to prepare it.  If you’d like to prepare a little in advance, you can already have your vegetables and chicken cut up.

I found the Azteca shells at Wal-Mart.  Some stores do not carry them.  They are a great tasting shell, as they are light and flaky.

Let me know how it turns out.  Enjoy!

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

You Need:

• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) margarine or butter
• 1/2 cup low-fat milk
• 1/3 cup baking cocoa
• 3 cups Quaker Oats** (quick or old-fashioned, uncooked)

Directions:

1.  In a large saucepan combine sugar, margarine, milk, and cocoa.  Bring to boil over medium heat, stirring frequently.  Continue boiling for 3 minutes, stirring frequently.

2.  Remove from heat.  Stir in oats.  Drop by tablespoonfuls onto waxed paper.  Let stand until firm.  Store tightly covered.

Makes about 3 dozen. 

**If using old-fashioned oats, cool mixture in saucepan 5 minutes.

Did you know that these are also known as Preacher cookies?  I guess because they are fast to make, in case the preacher stops by for a visit.

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

For this project you will need a bag (or two) of pretzel rods and a bag of chocolate wafers.  You can find the chocolate at your local craft store.  We used our Michael’s coupons to get these for a deal.    You’ll also need a pyrex measuring cup, knife or other stirring device, and waxed paper.

Pour some of the chocolate wafers into a Pyrex dish.  Then nuke them in the microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring each time.  I usually have to nuke them for about 1.25 – 1.5 minutes.

As I said before, I stir the chocolate every 30 seconds.  After 1.25-1.5 minutes, they should be about the right temperature.  If you find that the chocolate is too hot, then add a few more wafers to the mix and stir.  (Sorry, I don’t use a candy thermometer.)

After the chocolate is melted, just dip the pretzel rods into the chocolate.  You’ll probably have to tilt your measuring cup to the side. 

Here’s a rod that’s been dipped.  Make sure the chocolate isn’t dripping off the pretzel.

After you dip them in the chocolate, place them on waxed paper.  It make a take a few hours for them to set, so you might want to put the waxed paper on a cookie sheet so that you can move them out of your way.

To add a little color, you can use sprinkles if you’d like.

We had a little chocolate leftover, so we dipped some Oreos. 

Here they are on the table.  Quite a yummy treat! 

Post from: Thrifty Mommy