Grilled Pizza: Take Two

 

Last year we made our first grilled pizza and really loved it.  It is a great summer alternative to heating up the oven. 

Still, we had a feeling we could improve on our first few attempts.

Enter the cast iron skillet. 

 Drizzle with a little olive oil and press in the pizza dough.

Put the crust without toppings on the grill on medium heat for 3-5 minutes.

Remove and add toppings.

Return to the grill until cheese is melted and crust is golden.

This method is so much easier and the results so much more attractive than our previous attempts.  We made a few thin crust pizzas and then a Chicago deep dish style just by varying the amount of dough and length of crust grilling time.  We didn't have any blackened edges that occur so easily when the dough is placed directly on the grill.

How do you grill your pizza?

101 Frugal Tips #22

#22 Streamline.

Try to make one trip to run errands mapping out a route that takes you past all the stops.

Streamline your kitchen so that all your tools are in places that make sense; dishcloths near the sink, the cutting board with the knives, and so on.

Pay any bills you can online.

Streamlining allows you to use your energy to accomplish more frugal endeavors, generate more income, or get the rest you need.

How do you streamline to save time and money?

101 Frugal Tips #21

#21 Read your bills carefully.

When the first bills of the year arrived hubby and I spent and afternoon pouring over every line.  We do this each January to check for additional fees, rising rates, or erroneous charges.

For the remainder of the year we do a quick scan of each bill as it arrives.

What should you look for? 

• Base cost increases.
• New fees. 
• Actual use of services. 

If the cost of a service has increased make a quick call to verify the amount and request an explanation.

 

It's also worth a phone call if there are new or unexplained fees in your bill. Some services are charging fees for online payments or receiving a paper bill. Ask what you can do to eliminate fees such as these.

 

Ask yourself how you use the service you're paying for. If you have unlimited texting on your phone, but never text, you may want to eliminate the service option. Make sure you optimize each service based on your actual use.

 

We recently noticed a new charge of $9.99 on our phone bill.  When we called our phone company they had billed us for a new service we hadn't requested.  Unchecked that bill would have cost us an extra $120 over the course of the year!

The Unattended Garden

I confess.  I have done nothing to deserve this.

 

Somehow, in the course of the past six, totally bonkers weeks of my life, my garden has flourished.

We have been had rain on a very regular basis, a blessing to all farmers, gardeners, and those who like green lawns.  Rain has been a particular blessing here in central NC, where drought has been endured for nearly three years.

Since nothing on my calendar leads me to believe life will be any less bonkers over the next several weeks, I'll be praying the rain continues to arrive every two to three days.

 Of course weeds like rain, too.

Join us for Gratituesday at Heavenly Homemakers!

Rice Krispie Treats Flag

*This is a repost with an added blog hop from Susie QT Pies to give you some great ideas for the upcoming Memorial Day and 4th of July holidays.

It appears that we'll be nursing colds over the weekend, but we still want to celebrate Memorial Day.  Since the girls are the healthiest among us, an easy no-bake treat was a good solution.

We had a flag Jello mold in the cupboard that we buttered and used to mold Rice Krispie treats, but you could simply use a 9x13 pan as well.  The girls sorted out candy (M&M's and Skittles) to decorate.    As the girls would say "easy, peasy, lemon-squeezy."

If you are looking for some flag history and symbolism to share as you work we found http://www.usflag.org/ to be a great resource.  The History Channel also has information about how Memorial Day became a holiday.

Have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend and God bless our men and women in uniform!

Absenteeism

First, my apologies.  Blogging hasn't been anywhere near the top of my priority list for the past few weeks.  Several of you have called me out my absenteeism, and I've been promising to explain myself :)

In addition to trying to get our church kitchen stocked, the kids' end-of-year testing and activities, spring colds for 3 of us, and an insurance claim for the multiple electronics zapped by a thunderstorm, I've also been trying to set up a new business.

You might recall my fingenail polish rebellion last year.  This spring my friend Jill introduce me to a new product that intrigued me.  I had my doubts. So, I put it to the test. I mean I put it to the TEST!

I loved the product so much I became a consultant!

Jamberry Nail shields are easy to apply with just heat and pressure, require no chemical for application or removal, made in the USA, and last up to two weeks on fingers and six weeks on toes.  Each sheet does up to three applications, and there are over 150 designs available.

In essence I get to walk around looking like I've had an expensive pedicure at a fraction of the cost!  No more time waiting for polish to dry, touching up daily, drips of polish and remover on my floors (I would like to blame my teenagers, but that wouldn't be honest).

My friend Ashley wrote a review, and is hosting a giveaway for She {hearts} It.  Head on over to enter!

*And I will be hosting a giveaway right here soon!

101 Frugal Tips #20

# 20: Buy ahead.
If you've investigated frugal living advice you already know that grocery savings are a big aspect of the lifestyle. Buying groceries you regularly use in bulk at the lowest possible price to stockpile for future needs is the emphasis of many frugal living websites and books.

This same principal can apply to various areas of spending. For example, I know I have to do my taxes every year {yuck}, and I use TaxAct every year. My usual cost is about $19.99, and I often register through a shopping portal to earn a little savings. Late last year I locked in the price of $13.95 during a Cyber Monday special offer. That 30% savings is far greater than I would earn through any shopping portal, and phone support was added as a bonus.

If you have expenses that regularly occur, there can be substantial savings in buying or paying ahead.