Homemade Hershey's Chocolate Syrup

When it's 11pm, you HAVE to have chocolate milk, and there's no syrup in the house...you have to do something. Desperate times result in delicious measures!

Adapted from the recipe in The Tightwad Gazette II.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 cup water
2 cups sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cornstarch dissolved in 1 teaspoon water

Combine the cocoa powder and the water; stir over low heat until the cocoa dissolves.

Add the sugar and stir until it dissolves. Boil gently for 3 minutes, then add the salt and vanilla. Finally, stir in cornstarch mixture to thicken. Break your husband's heart when he finds out you aren't making brownies. Promise to make brownies tomorrow for dessert.

Pour into a clean jar, and store in the fridge. Chocolate craving satisfied!

Use Up Leftovers with Loaded Fried Rice

Fried rice is a family favorite and it's so easy to make! We call this "Loaded" Fried Rice because it's loaded full of meats and veggies. It's a frugal way to clean out the fridge without anyone knowing they're eating leftovers.

It cooks up best when you use day old (not freshly made) rice. I make a big batch of rice and freeze it in zip bags. Just heat and go!

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked white or brown rice
1/2 pound uncooked bacon
2 eggs (optional)
Soy sauce to taste
Up to 4 cups veggies and meats. Go crazy! Here are some things we put in our rice:

• leftover carnitas
• that last piece of chicken that nobody can finish
• cooked shrimp
• zucchini
• carrots
• celery
• bok choi
• mushrooms
• onions

Cut your bacon into chunks and put it into a wok or big frypan on medium heat. Let it cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and crispy. Scoop the bacon out and keep the drippings in the pan. (This is critical! It's where all the nummy flavor comes from.)

Dice your veggies and stir-fry them in the bacon drippings until they're almost done. Carrots and celery will take longer; zucchini and mushrooms only need a minute or two. Chop up the meat and add it in (bacon too).

Plop the rice in the wok and stir everything together gently. Splash in a bit of soy sauce and take a taste. It's pretty salty, so don't overdo!

Once everything is warm, it's time to add the eggs. Mix them in a separate bowl like you're making scrambled eggs. Move the rice and veggies to the sides of the wok, so the hottest part in the center is open. Pour the eggs in and cook, stirring, until almost set. Then mix them into the rice until well incorporated.

You're done! Garnish with chopped chives or parsley for a bit of color.

How do you use up leftovers? Share your secrets in the comments!

Why Didn't I Think of That? Wednesday

Each Wednesday I'll share a tip to make your week go more smoothly or just make you say "aha!" 

Cold winter days mean lots of baking--cookies, roasts, breads, baked potatoes. Mmmm, now I'm hungry. Don't open the oven door to peek at your creations! Each time you open, it lets 20% or more of the heat out. Stick to the timer and the oven window instead.

Well, That's Disheartening

Read it and weep. That's just about what I did when we got this report in the mail. We used 14% more electricity than our neighbors? Inconceivable!

Then I took a minute to think about it. Here in California, we need to run the pool pump all year to keep the creeping crud from taking over the pool. I'm cutting its time down to the bare minimum starting right now.

And I married Mr. Media, who has an Xbox 360 and a Playstation. (I do enjoy streaming stuff from Netflix, though. Anybody want to watch an episode of Cosmos?) These guys are going on a power strip so they don't suck power while they're off.

Thankfully, SMUD has this cool home energy calculator. I'm going to run lots and lots of numbers to figure out how to be more efficient. We should be one of the efficient houses, for cryin' out loud!

Stay tuned and I'll let you know how we did. We'll get a new report in a month or two.

Tough Love for Your Closet

It’s time to be ruthless. This morning, I tried on three pairs of pants before I got a pair that fit right and wasn’t too tight or too short. One of the problems with thrift-store shopping is you can’t usually try things on. Considering I get Ann Taylor and Banana Republic pants for $6 a pair, it’s worth the risk. Justifying the savings can snowball into other purchases, though, and that’s where trouble comes in.

“These pants are a little too short, but I can buy some cute flats and then they’ll work.”
“I don’t usually wear lemon yellow cardigans, but it’s from Lands End. I’ll just get a nice tee to wear underneath.”
“This jacket has a teensy hole, but I bet I can fix it up.”

Or the worst one...
“I should try wearing new colors. Black or gray slacks every day is boring.” This led to buying a pair of brown pants and a matching top. Then I needed brown shoes and a brown skirt. Then there was only one brown top, so I “had” to get some more.

How often do I wear them? They’ve been in the ironing basket since last winter.

Here’s the plan. In true FlyLady style, it’s time for a “27 Item Boogie.” I set a timer for 15 minutes and pulled all the stuff I’m not wearing straight into a bag for donation to Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services (SFBFS).

Even though crisp blouses are nice, I never get around to ironing them (and am too cheap thrifty to take them to the cleaners)--in the bag they go. Sweater sets look just as professional and are easier to take care of.

Slacks that are too short? In the bag. I spent too much time getting teased for high waters in grade school to risk it now.

Sweaters that never did fit right? You get the idea. If my clothing makes me mad (because it itches, binds, or pulls) before I even leave the house, why should I suffer in it all day long?

*ding* The timer goes off and the job’s not done, but that’s ok. Spending too much time on this task leads to burnout and frustration! The bags go straight into the car (no deliberation, no hesitation) for dropoff the next time I’m near SFBFS.

Have you tackled your Closet Monster? How did it go? Share your closet tough love tips with us in the comments.

Why Didn't I Think of That? Wednesday

Each Wednesday I'll share a tip to make your week go more smoothly or just make you say "aha!" 

Last Sunday, I made a batch of bagels to last us through a week of breakfasts. The aftermath of letting the 5 year old spread his own jelly led me to this great tip.

Tired of crumbs and butter debris in the jelly? When you get home from the store, transfer it into a clean, labeled squeeze container. A repurposed salad dressing bottle is perfect for this. Kids can squeeze and spread easily, and there's no more mystery material in the jelly jar.

Quick Quips

Inspired by my awesome cousin, I bring you Quick Quips from the BrownThumb house.

Jackjack, regarding his after-school snack: "Mama, I want a buffet of everything in the house to eat except the things I don't like."

Me, being thrifty: "Honey, do you think we could get rid of cable?"

BrownThumbPapa: "And we could give all our stuff to the Hare Krishnas and live under a bridge, but why the hell would you do that?"

Jackjack, upon opening another HotWheels toy at Christmas: "I've been waiting years for this!"

Me: "Jackjack, we're going to talk about that [bad behavior]. You don't normally act like that. What happened?"

Jackjack: "There was a big blue square pushing inside my brain that made me be bad."

Me: "..."