Bruno's Weekly Ad 6/29

First off, if you have your Marcall coupon for a free product it expires June 30th. These products can be found in the smaller sizes at Bruno's. Once again Bruno's offers great deals on meat and produce. The other sales are often not as good of deals since coupons are typically not available for items they choose to put on sale.

BOGO Items - prices listed are before sale

Heinz Tomato Ketchup 3.29

Johnsonville Sausage and Ball Park Franks 5.99 (5/1 RP - expires 6/30; 6/19 RP)

Tyson Fully Cooked Bacon

McCormick Grill Mates Seasoning 2.69

Meat Specials

Split Chicken Breasts 97 cents/ lb.

Tilapia Fillet 3.49 each

EZ Foil All-Purpose Utility Pan 1.99

Produce Specials

Red Raspberries, Blackberries, Blueberries, Strawberries 2/$4

Green and Red Bell Pepper 4/$5 (off season these are about 2 - 2.50 each)

Cabbage 49 cents/ lb.

Other Specials

Kraft Cheese 2/$4

Grill Mates Marinades 10/$10

Kool-Aid Burts 10/$10

Gerber First Foods 10/$10 (various coupons by mail, email, FB)

Thanks Eastern Shore Mom for coupon database.

Have a great day!!!

Hope everyone has a great day. The Bruno's ad will be updated later this evening!

Summer's Best Strawberry Jam

I am typically a blueberry jam maker, although jam is not something I particularly like to eat. My in-laws have a small orchard of blueberries so we pick, pick, pick when they are ripe and freeze, freeze, freeze. Frozen berries are great for about a year although they never last that long in our house. I decided I would try strawberry jam after seeing the Ball recipe in a magazine. I will note where I altered the recipe. I did not alter the sugar amount, but may in future batches since it seemed REALLY sweet to me.

Summer's Best Strawberry Jam - a small batch recipe

1 1/3 cups crushed strawberries (I used the entire package of strawberries which was a little more than required. Silly me also did not realize I did not own a potato masher. I know, silly. So I cute the berries up and smooshed in the pot as it cooked.)

1 1/2 tablesspoons Ball RealFruit Classic Pectin (I am sure any pectin would work, but this was a Ball recipe)

1 2/3 cups granulated sugar (I would test this out several times. This may be too sweet for you.)

2 (8 oz) half pint preserving jars. (I used 4 oz. jars. If I would have thought it out I would have cleaned and prepared 5 jars. There really was enough for a small fifth.)

* PREPARE boiling water canner. Hear jars and lids in simmering water until ready to use. Do not boil. Set bands aside.

* PLACE strawberries in a 6- or 8-quart saucepan. Gradually stir in pectin. Over high heat, bring mixture to a full rolling boil that can not be stirred down, stirring constantly.

* ADD all of the sugar, stirring to dissolve. Return mixture to a full rolling boil. Boil hard one minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim foam if necessary.

* LADLE hot jam into hot jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Apply band until fit is fingertip-tight.

* PROCESS in a boiling-water canner (Mine is just a pot with a towel inside to protect the class jars.) for 10 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Remove jars and cool. Check lids for seal after 24 hours. Lids should not flex up and down when center is pressed.

I could not find this on the included website, but more recipes can be found. www.EasyToCan.com.

Sunday Coupon Preview 6/19

Well, The Sunday Coupon Preview of available at http://www.sundaycouponpreview.com/. (click link to take you to the site.) I am most excited about the K Cup coupon. We have a Keurig and love it. I have never seen a coupon and even emailed the company asking so I am thrilled. Check out the preview and remember, this is just a preview. Sometimes the coupons do vary by market.

Cake Pops - Yummo

Well, Cake Pops seem to be the rage. If I drive by Starbuck's my four-year-old always asks for a pink one. Well, I was inspired this week by a post on Couponing to Disney to try this out. I have taken the recipe from Veronica's Cornucopia. Try it out this week while mix is on sale. There are also some great coupons out that you can use to make the mix and frosting a super deal!

Cake Pops
http://reciperhapsody.wordpress.com

What you will need:
1 (14.25 oz) box cake mix, any flavor
1 (16 oz) tub frosting, any flavor (you will not need all of it)
or 1/3-3/4 cup homemade frosting
1 (24 oz) package of almond bark/candy coating (white or chocolate)
Sprinkles
Lollipop sticks
3″x4″ cello bags*
Curling ribbon

Directions:

Bake the cake mix according to package directions. Once it’s cool, crumble the cake into a large bowl. I prefer to process mine in the food processor to fine crumbs. Place in a large bowl and stir in about 1/3 cup of frosting. Mix with your hands until thoroughly combined and thick like a truffle center. Mix in additional frosting if necessary. You only need enough to get the crumbs to stick together when you roll them into balls. Do not add so much that the mixture becomes soft and mushy!

Roll mixture into 1″ balls and place on a cookie sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour or overnight. I usually do this step the day before and then dip them the following day. Do not freeze them before dipping or the chocolate coating may crack.

Melt chocolate in the microwave per directions on package. Dip the tip of your lollipop stick in a little of the melted candy coating and insert into the flat end of the cake balls. (Bakerella says to insert a little less than halfway, but I go more than halfway b/c I imagine they stay put a little better when dipping.)

Carefully insert the cake ball into the candy coating by holding the lollipop stick and rotating until covered. Once covered, remove and softly tap and rotate the stick on the edge of the bowl until the excess chocolate falls off. Don’t tap too hard or the cake ball will fall off, too. Immediately cover with sprinkles before the chocolate has a chance to set, then insert in a styrofoam block to harden. Continue with remaining cake balls.

Once finished with all the cake pops, begin packaging them in the same order they were dipped. This part is easiest if you have a helper. Place a cello bag over the top, bring it down and while someone holds it, tie some curling ribbon below the base of the ball. Curl the ribbon and continue with the remaining pops. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for two days, or in the refrigerator for up to a week. If you want to freeze them, I'd recommend moving them to the refrigerator the day before serving so they can thaw at a slower rate and you don't risk as much condensation. They will get quite wet if you move them directly from the freezer to the counter top, and if you have sprinkles, the color will run. Serve cold (not frozen)or at room temperature.

Makes 40-50 pops

*I found this size of cello bags near the cake decorating and wedding supplies at Walmart. They were Wilton brand, called "treat bags."

*Go to the link to see some great pictures!

EXPO WASHABLE MARKERS HOUSE PARTY

Introducing Expo Washable Markers.

This is from the Expo website. Expo Washable Dry Erase markers come in 6 bold colors, are easily erasable from the board and easily washable from skin and most washable fabrics, carpets and car upholstery.

• The dry erase ink is low odor and non-toxic, so it is perfect for school and home.
• Bold variety of colors keeps messages clear and legible even from a distance.

I had the opportunity to house a wonderful House Party courtesy of Expo Dry Erase Markers. This was my second House Party to host and was such fun. Like any washable marker, the quicker you wash off the better. The markers came is colors my daughter really enjoyed. As a teacher I loved the large easel board that was sent. My daughter loved the doubled sided learning boards. One side was a blank white canvas for any of your drawings or writing. The reverse contained lines to aid is writing. I really is a great board. The markers came is fun, bright colors. I have to say they were not very bold so I personally feel like it would be hard to see on a board in a classroom, but are perfect for home. They are low odor and to me had no odor at all.

While the children had fun and played outside I briefly discussed the product with the moms. We had a variety of ages so the games suggested would not have worked. But oh my..........last night I heard form several of the moms and when they got home their children had so much fun playing with the board all night!

The Expo board is great not just for having your children practice writing for school, but really is a great thing to have at home for children to draw. Just think of all of the trees that could be saved. Think about purchasing these products with the coupon available on the Expo facebook page. The link is provided here.

Each party goer received: a double sided learning board, fine tip markers, bullet tip markers, board care eraser.

Bruno's Weekly Spotlight 6/8 - 6/14/11

Bruno's Matchup

A few hints. Just last week a friend was saying she really did not coupon because it was never the healthy food. That is not true if you think about it. Luckily we have Bruno's who often puts produce on sale as well as meats. Freeze what you can as well while it is on sale.

Bruno's will double coupons up to 50 cents. Other coupons are face value.

Bruno's allows the purchase of only one item if BOGO.

Special 4 Day Sale ----- Wednesday thru Saturday only

Split Chicken Breasts $0.88 lb

Lean Cuisine Entrees BOGO (save up to $1.50 on 2) $1/4 SS 5-1-11

Best Yet Eggs $0.88

California Sweet Cherries $2.88 lb (save up to $3.11 lb)

BOGO Items

Kellogg's 14 oz. Frosted Flakes, 12.2 oz. Froot Loops, 12 oz. Rice Krispies, 16.5 Cocoa Krispies (save up to $4.45 on 2) $1/2 Printable; $1/3 RP 5-15-11, Kellogg's Great Day Booklet

Mayfield Select Ice Cream (save up to $5.99 on 2)

Williams Country Sausage and Sausage Patties (save up to $3.99 on 2)

Rubbermaid Take Alongs (save up to $3.79 on 2) $1/1 Select Rubbermaid Printable

Meat Sale

Boneless New York Strip $3.99 each

Pork Loin Chop $2.29 lb.

Pork Spare Ribs $1.79 lb.

Produce

Farm Fresh, Locally Grown Okra $1.99 lb.

Locally Grown Bell Peppers 4/$5 (when on sale it is a great idea to go ahead and dice them and freeze)

Locally Grown Super Select Cucumbers $0.89 each

Locally Grown Green Cabbage $0.59 lb.

Locally Grown Green beans, zucchini, yellow squash 4lbs./$5

Bruno's 10 for $10

Best Yet Texas Style Biscuits

Blue Bonnet Margarine Quarters

Athenos Greek Strained Yogurt

Libby's Vegetables

Del Monte Sloppy Joe Sauce

Starkist Chunk Light Tuna (if the pouch is included, pic not in ad, several printables are available. On Friday's only the Starkist Facebook gives coupons)

Gerber 2nd Foods various mailed coupons, FB page sometimes offers Q's

Other Deals

Banquet Meal Entrees 4/$5 Conagra Booklet $1/4; Printable $0.50/2 with this code 63829897

McKenzie's Creamed Corn 4/$5

Little Debbie Snack Cakes 4/$5 (Cloud Cakes FB Printable , but I can not seem to find it)

Always check the Eastern Shore Mom coupon database for updates to coupons. Thanks ESM for all of your hard work!

Intro to Freezer Meals - Day 2

Day 2

It is important to prepare your food correctly when you are going to freeze it. Here are just a few tips and hints. Feel free to ad more!

- When it comes to bags, save up and buy the good ones. Quality matters.

- Make sure your food has cooled before you put in the freezer.

- There are several ways to store (baggies, casseroles, etc) This season I am going to try a new baggie method. If making a casserole line the dish well with foil. Compile the casserole and freeze for about 30 minutes until firm. You can then take out the casserole, leaving it in foil, and place it in a good quality freezer bag.

- Take out as much air as possible and seal well to avoid freezer burn.

- Soups freeze well in baggies. Once a soup has cooled place a baggie in a bowl so it does not tip over. Fill the baggie and take out as much air as possible. I try to double bag if I can.

- Always label with a date and what is in the package.

- I have found that when freezing chicken it seems to taste better if shredded or whole pieces. Recipes that call for chunks I still shred. In my opinion it tastes just not right if chunks have been frozen.

- Try to consume meals within 3 months.

Tomorrow I will be making a HUGE batch of Chicken Tortilla Soup for dinner. Always have baggies and foul around in case you have extras. Things like soup freeze very well when not cream based. This recipe can be found in the Junior League of Mobile's cookbook, Bay Tables. I will post the recipe tomorrow.

Have a great first of the week and see you later in the week with the Bruno's matchup.

Intro to Freezer Meals - Day 1

Today we will give the basics of freezer foods. Being the summer this is the time I stock my fridge. I usually make freezer meals before school starts in the fall and during Christmas break. During this series, I will give you basic tips on how to freeze.

Day 1

Clean out your freezer.

I don't know about you, but this is huge. I have so much in my freezer that just wastes space. The first thing to do is clean it out and make room for all the yummy things you want to make. I suggest doing this the night before trash pick up. Believe me.

Get basic items when they go on sale.

Certain things are often in freezer meals. When they go on super sale make sure to stock up.

* good freezer bags

* aluminum foil

* throw away bakers (only if on super sale)

* chicken and beef stock

* rotel

* cream of chicken and cream of mushroom soups

* pasta

Tomorrow - The best way to prep food for storage.

Bruno's Weekly Ad 6/1 - 6/7/11

Welcome to the first Bruno's matchup. I will focus on BOGO (Buy One Get One) items and super deals if I know they are more at other stores. Hope this helps! Special thanks to the Eastern Shore Mom coupon database. I know I am starting slowly, but keep up with it. I suggest buying meats and produce at Bruno's since they do go on sale often. I will actually be shopping at two store a week.

BOGO Meats

Chicken Breasts

Whole Fryers

Pork Tenderloin

10 piece fried chicken

Frozen Tilapia (Buy 1 Get 2)

BOGO Produce

Blueberries, Red Raspberries, Blackberries, Driscoll's Strawberries (great to buy this when bogo and freeze) (save up to 3.99 on 2)

Dole Packaged Salads (save 3.39 on 2) $1 5/15 SS

Ocean Spray Juice (save 4.35 on 2) $0.55 5/15 RP; mailer coupon for those who have it

BOGO Frozen / Dairy

Mayfield Ice Cream ( save 4.35)

BOGO Groceries

Cheez-It Crackers (up to 4.15)

Maxwell House Coffee (up to 5.99) $1/2 All You May 2011; Kraft Booklet if available

Other Deals

Dannon Greek Yogurt 10/$10

Ragu' Pasta Sauce 2/$4 0.50, 0.60, $1.50 off 3 5/22 RP if your store doubles up t0 50 cents like mine, each jar will be $1!!!!!

Beech Nut Stage 2 Baby Food 2/$1 coupons available through email newsletter here

Bruno's double coupons up to 50 cents. You DO NOT have to buy 2 items to get the deal.

I know this isn't much this week, but I promise more will be included.