Frugal Mom Jenn

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

10 More Pampers Gifts to Grow Points

Here are 10 more Gifts to Grow points! If you become a Fan of Pampers on Facebook you can "get in" on codes like this, too!

MARFACEBOOK2010 The code expires March 31st.

Not sure what the Gifts to Grow rewards program is? Read my post here.

"Is It Worth It?" Wednesday

I've been doing a fair amount of baking over the past two months. I was in the attic a while back and noticed my breadmaker, which hadn't been used in a few years. I decided to put some life back into it and see if I could use it to save us a little extra money on bread. I tried a recipe or two that was in the Breadman manual, using the bread machine to process the dough and then bake it, but at least 2 inches of the loaf was wasted because of the hole that the paddle attachment left in the bottom of the loaf. Next I tried "Rustic Italian Bread," a recipe off the back of the bread flour. The bread machine processed the dough, and I formed the loaf, let it rise again, and baked it for about 1/2 an hour.
It was excellent (let me know if you want the recipe!) and was great with lasagna that night. After making it a few times I decided to experiment some more and found a recipe for "The Best" Hot Dog/Hamburger Buns, but was it worth it? I decided to find out.
I already had all the ingredients on hand.

Hot Dog/Hamburger Buns
1 1/4 cups skim milk
1/3 cup vegetable or canola oil
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/4 teaspoons rapid rise/bread machine yeast

Place all ingredients in order recommended by your bread machine manufacturer.
Select dough cycle and start machine.
Preheat oven to 100 degrees and turn off.
When dough cycle is complete, remove from machine and proceed.
Roll dough into long log and cut into 12 pieces for hot dog buns, or 9 pieces for large hamburger buns. For hot dog buns, roll out until they look like skinny wieners. For hamburger buns, flatten with your palm until about the thickness of a pancake. They rise beautifully and look as nicely shaped as store-bought ones. Put on parchment-lined baking sheet so sides are almost touching.
Cover with cloth and put in warmed oven for 45 - 60 minutes to rise.
When doubled, remove from oven.
Turn oven to 400 degrees and when you put the buns in the oven, reduce the temperature immediately to 375 degrees. Bake hot dog buns 12 - 15 minutes and hamburger buns 15 - 17 minutes until golden.

I really liked working with the dough. It was silky and smooth and very easy to handle.

And here they are after baking:

I know. They look more like mini french breads! The directions said to roll them like skinny wieners, but next time I would only roll them as long as a regular-sized hot dog. I made bratwurst on the grill and the rolls were delicious! Soft, light and had great taste. Tonight I made spaghetti and used the extra rolls to make garlic bread.
So in a side-by-side comparison I'd say the cost of making them at home is a fraction of the cost of the store-bought we usually buy. I like to buy the buns that my ShopRite grocery store bakes, and a dozen are priced at $2.79. So, really, was the "cost" of the labor involved worth making them at home? I say yes. I have a bit of extra time during kiddie nap-time and can do this on a week-day. I like knowing what is going into them, and I like working with my hands. I find it to be a really enjoyable break in my day and love the way the house smells when they're baking. You might find you only have time to do this on a weekend day, but can use the buns during the following week. I bet the hamburger buns would work great for sandwiches!
Anyone else want to weigh in or have a great recipe to share? I'd love to know if anyone has experience in freezing homemade bread or making dough ahead of time!

$138 in New Hasbro Coupons!

Just in time for Easter (and two upcoming birthdays in our house!) Hasbro has released $138.00 in new printable coupons.

Here's are some that are available:

$4 off Connect 4
$5 off Monopoly
$5 off any Operation Game
$10 off Chuck My Talking Truck
B1G1 FREE My Little Pony – Pony Friends (not to exceed 6.99)
$5 off Sit n Spin
$5 off Step Start Walk n Ride
$5 off Busy Ball Popper

You can also sign up at PlaySaver.com to get notified of special promotions by Hasbro in the future.

(Thanks, Five Dollar Shake!)

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Hot $1/1 Kix Cereal

There's a great coupon on the Kix Cereal website for $1/1 Kix Cereal. You can add Kix to your list of General Mills Cereal on sale at ShopRite this week. Try this new deal scenario:

General Mills Cereal, 4/$8 (must buy 4)
Buy (2) Original or Honey Kix Cereal
Buy (2) Reese's Puffs
- (2) $1/1 Kix printable
- (2) .55/1 Reese's Puff's printables here and/or here
- .55/1 Cellfire
Final price: .81 cents each box