Its Monday Already!

Projects always take longer than you expect in the planning stages and the flooring project is no exception. I spent the weekend with my stove and refrigerator in the middle of the kitchen. Thankfully, they're back in place and all that's left to be done is the tiles around 2 edges of the kitchen and outside my son's bedroom door. Of course these are all the tricky cuts but at least the end is in sight. Jim and I are both pleased with the results so far. We have no regrets about not spending the extra money on laminate flooring.

Since my stove was out of commission for the weekend, I did some creative cooking on the two burner buffet range that I usually only use when canning. Its hard to justify take out for 6. After only a few meals, we'd spend the money we saved on flooring on food! The cooking discovery of the weekend was the Cast Iron Skillet Biscuits I made to go with one of my one pot creations.

The original recipe was from a book called Cast Iron Cooking and it called for cooking the biscuits in an inch of oil. Here's my version which uses the natural non-stick properties of my cast iron skillet.

Combine:
2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp salt
1 heaping tsp of baking soda

Mix these together and cut in:
1/3 cup canola oil

Make a little well in the middle and pour in:
1 cup of soymilk whisked together with 2 tsp vinegar

Stir until dough comes together and then knead for about 15 strokes or until everything is combined and elastic. Heat cast iron skillet over medium low heat. Cut the dough into 30 equal sized pieces and roll them in your hand before flattening them slightly and adding them to the heated skillet. Let them cook 2-3 minutes on each side (watch carefully, you may need to adjust the heat to avoid burning.) Serve these hot plain or with a thin spread of margarine.

I discovered a frugal find this weekend at our local Walgreens. They have all Celestial Seasonings Teas on sale 2 for $2.99. Their selection isn't great but they do have a delicious holiday tea called Candy Cane Lane. I'm not a big fan of green tea even though I know it has wonderful antioxidant properties. In fact, I think it tastes yucky. Candy Cane Lane is the most delightful way to enjoy green tea that I've ever come across.