My parents have apricot trees, just teeming with the small furry fruits!  Does anyone have a good recipe using them?  I would particularly like a tried-and-true chutney or jam recipe.  Thanks!

One of my favorite shows to watch is "The Martha Stewart Show".  Say what you will about Martha, but there is some very good segments, guests, crafts, recipes, etc on there!  Anyway, since it comes on at 3:15 a.m. here, I have the DVR set to record.  They have mostly been repeats lately, but I have been catching up on two-weeks worth of new "summer session" shows.

It was interesting to see Martha being taught to make Amish Friendship Bread the other day.  First off, she pronounced it "AIM-ish", and got very flustered because she didn't quite get the concept of the whole 10-day concept of adding, smooshing, dividing, baking, etc.  I don't think I have seen her like that before, as she is usually quite poised and knows what she is doing.

The funniest part, though, was when she said "If there are any AIM-ish people out there watching the show, please contact us to tell us if we are doing this right."  LOL  Kevin really needs to go on the show and give her a lesson or two about the Amish.

Hi all!

 I have been trying to take advantage of the library more often.  I surf blogs trying to find suggestions of good reading... our library tends to NOT have much of anything, so I have to check out a lot of options to get to one that they do carry.  Lately, I have been reading the two David Sedaris books that they actually have, and I find the short essays quite enjoyable.

Anyone have a good book recommendation?  I am open to just about anything.

I just had a good chuckle at a newslink my aunt just sent me.  Apparently, in my grandpa's small hometown, the KC news station did a segment on driving golf carts to save on gas money.  Obviously, my gpa was one of the main people highlighted in the story.

It is kind of interesting (and funny, to me anyway).  And where else will you hear a person say the word "oncest" on television?  I love being a MObilly

 http://www.myfoxkc.com:80/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=6938197&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=3.2.1

I suppose one of my favorite days of the week is today, Tuesday.  Sounds strange because it is the day the grocery ads/Free Press/Shopper come out in our area.  Sales start on Wednesday, so I like to get them and look them over.  Hy-Vee often has "Specials" for Thur-Sat, and often a 20 cent/gal gas discount if you spend $40 in the store.

 Is anyone else stocking up on food when it is on sale.  My MIL is so worried about food prices, it is about all she talks about.  I will share a few things with you that I have been doing, and maybe other people can also share some tips!

-A while back, eggs were 99 cents/dozen for XL eggs.  I bought about 6 dozen.  I broke them, 6 at a time, into my big Pyrex measuring cup, beat them up, and poured them into Ziplock bags.  Then I lay them flat on cookie sheets and froze them.  When frozen, I stacked the flat, frozen bags in piles in my freezer.  For our family, 6 eggs (and a little milk/water, and cheese) is perfect for making scrambled eggs for after-church breakfast.  I just take the bag out of the freezer before church, and let it thaw on the counter until we get home, or the night before in the frig.

-We hit the bread discount store when we are in Quincy, and buy about 6 loaves of our favorite bread because it is half there what it is at the store.  We freeze that, also!  It doesn't take long at all for a loaf to thaw, and the bread doesn't taste any different. (But...frozen pieces of bread are good when making a sandwich to be packed until lunch.  Keeps it cold!).  That way, we have fresh bread whenever we need it, and we pay a lot less.  Plus, I have one of those Rubbermaid things you put your bread in, and we keep it in the frig.  to prevent mold.

-I found a deal on gallons of milk a while back for 99 cents!  But the expir date was soon, so I only bought two.  I wanted to try freezing the milk.  It worked fine!  Just a note:  make sure you use about 1/4 of the milk before you freeze it, or else the jug will crack when the milk expands in the freezer.  Dethaw in the frig, and make sure to shake it up to get it all mixed back together.

-Check with local farmers about buying beef.  You can usually buy anywhere from 1/4 to the whole thing.  Last year, we did that (we shared 1/2 a beef between us, my MIL, and my SIL) and it was nice to always have meat in the freezer.  HOWEVER, you still have to check prices.  This year, I found it to be a better deal to buy bulk steak and hamburger from local merchants than to buy the beef (after paying for the processing, etc).  And that way, you don't end up with stuff you don't use a lot of, like liver and soup bones.

-The last thing I can think of is to really look at the economy size food area of your store.  I know WalMart has one.  If you use a lot of ketchup, bbq sauce, peanut butter, etc. you can save some money by buying the 4 lb bottle.  Also, it is economical and environmentally friendly to buy the large cans of pork and beans, etc for family reunions, parties, etc.

-Use coupons and keep an open-mind about store brands

 I hope other people have some hints/tips they would be willing to share.  I am a weirdo in the way that I enjoy grocery shopping, and you can often see me in the aisle, calculating cents per oz.  LOL