Deer can be cute when you’re on a nature walk, but they can be a nuisance and ravage your garden if you live in the country. Here’s a cheap and easy homemade deer repellant recipe that will keep them away without hurting them!

We live in the country and the deer just have a grand time eating my garden. We don’t have the money to fence it all in right now and I sure won’t pay a huge amount for “organic” deer repellant.

There are many different recipes for this but many are just some form of these basic ingredients. Some have hot pepper in them. I don’t recommend using hot pepper for any kind of animal repellant because it can get in their eyes and not knowing any better can rub them and in some cases this will cause them to go blind.

Here is an easy you can use at home that is safe and most of all cheap!

Tawra

This makes 1 gallon of spray. Beat 1 egg in 1 cup of water and sieve to get out white strings or clumps. Add to a gallon jug, mark your bottle – deer repellent, so no one drinks it.

Add:

• 1 Tablespoon of regular dish soap
• 1 Tablespoon of cooking oil
• 1/2 cup milk

Fill jug partially with water, shake to mix, finish filling gallon jug with water.

Refrigerate, it can get smelly.  Fill your spray bottle and spray your trees, lilacs, and plants. Don’t spray on anything you want to eat. Spray after every heavy rainfall.

After 3-4 times the deer get the hint and quit coming. In early spring spray in the morning so it doesn’t freeze on the plant.

Easy Edible Play Dough Recipe, Easy Bubbles and Homemade Slime are fun kids recipes and crafts that’ll keep your kids entertained for hours!

The kids have been out of school for weeks now. You’re lying in your hammock with a gentle summer breeze softly cooling you and the sweet smell of summer flowers fills the air. Yeah, Right! Reality check! You have probably heard “I’m bored. I have nothing to do” a hundred times today!

Don’t run down the street panicking, wildly flinging your arms and screaming like a mad woman. I say this not because of what the neighbors might think. Most of the other moms would probably be hard on your heels. I just don’t believe in using any more energy than necessary.

Instead, peel Tarzan off the chandelier and catch Superman in the midst of his fifth flight from the top bunk bed, trying carefully not to tear his cape made from your favorite red silk blouse. With your free hand grab child #3 who is painting a great copy of the Mona Lisa on your bedroom wall. March the kids to the kitchen (there may be some resistance but you will prevail) and try these recipes. Who knows? Between these and a small miracle you might just get to swing in the hammock yet. (But then again, probably not!)

Try these easy craft recipes including a homemade play dough recipe, a homemade slime recipe and other stuff your kids will love!- Jill

Homemade Slime Recipe

1/2 cup white glue
6 Tbsp. water
food coloring
1-4 tsp. Borax
1-4 Tbsp. water

Mix the glue, 6 tablespoons water and food coloring until it is dissolved. In a separate bowl, dissolve 1 teaspoon borax into 1 tablespoon water. Add to the glue solution. You will get a very thick clump of slime when the two mix. Pull the clump of slime out of the glue mixture and put it in a separate bowl. Mix another batch of the borax solution and add it to the remaining glue mixture. Repeat until all the glue mixture is used (about 3-4 times).

With clean hands, knead the slime to mix. This will take about 10 minutes and is not very difficult as the slime easily separates between your fingers. If a looser, more slimy texture is desired, knead in a bit more water. The more water you add, the slimier it gets. The slime doesn’t leave a residue and doesn’t get stuck on anything. This is great for Halloween entertaining. Store in an airtight container. This can easily be doubled, tripled or quadrupled.

Edible Play Dough Recipe

1/3 cup margarine
1/3 cup light corn syrup
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract or flavorings
1 lb. powdered sugar
food coloring (optional)

Mix first 4 ingredients together. Add powdered sugar. Knead it. Divide and add food coloring. Keep the homemade play dough refrigerated to keep from spoiling when not in use. You can replace vanilla with flavored extracts to give flavor other than just plain sweetness.

Homemade Bubbles Recipe

1/4 cup liquid dishwashing detergent (Non-ultra Dawn works best)
1/2 cup water
1 Tbsp. sugar

Put the dishwashing detergent in the water. Carefully stir in sugar trying to avoid suds. Take a regular drinking straw and cut into 4 pieces. Then dip into the solution and blow your bubbles. Tie a rope loop up to a foot in diameter on the end of a stick and make a gallon of bubbles. Dip the rope in the bubbles and run with them. This will give you giant bubbles.

Tip: A friend who made bubbles professionally (The Bubble Man) told us on many occasions that Non-Ultra Dawn liquid soap makes the best bubbles. 

For more fun homemade kids recipes like these, check out our Dining On A Dime Cookbook!

This homemade enchilada sauce recipe is quick and easy to make! It’s great when you don’t happen to have any enchilada sauce on hand or you want to save a little money!

Homemade Enchilada Sauce Recipe

1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 Tbsp. chili powder
5 Tbsp. green pepper, chopped (optional)
1 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. salt (more to taste)

Combine all ingredients in saucepan, mixing well. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened. Makes 2 cups.

This recipe is from the Dining On A Dime Cookbook. For more quick and easy recipes your family will love, check it out here!

This homemade ranch dressing recipe is quick and easy to make and is versatile for salads, vegetables and many other foods. It also makes an easy party dip!

Homemade ranch dressing is quick and easy to make and is versatile for salads, vegetables and lots of other foods. It also makes an easy a party dip!

Ranch Dressing Recipe – Ranch Dip Recipe

1 cup mayonnaise (low-fat may be used)
1 cup buttermilk
2 Tbsp. green onions, minced (tops only or chives)
1/4 tsp. onion powder or 1 Tbsp. fresh onions, minced
2 tsp. parsley, minced
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. garlic powder or 1/2 to 1 garlic clove, finely minced
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper

Combine ingredients in a container with a lid and refrigerate before serving. Makes 2 cups. For Ranch Dip, use sour cream or yogurt in place of buttermilk.

Click here to get the Dining On A Dime Cookbook, with tasty recipes and great tips to make your life easier and save you money!

One secret to cooking dinner in 30 minutes is to be organized and plan ahead. These ideas are easier than you think and can save you time, money and stress!

How To Cook Dinner Fast – Quick Dinners In 30 Minutes

Part 1 – Make Cooking Easier Before You Begin To Cook

Ever since the phrase “30 minute meals” came into being I have been confused. My children say I have always been confused, but that is an article in and of itself. : ) Anyway, 30 minutes is considered a quick and easy meal, but I always thought of a 30 minute meal as an average meal, which is why I’m confused.

Recently, I heard something that clears things up for me a little: The average family spends 2 hours preparing for and cleaning up after a meal. I just about had a heart attack. No wonder so many people are writing saying they don’t have time or are too worn out to cook dinner each evening. I would probably never go near the kitchen either if I spent that much time cooking and cleaning up.

Since eating at home can save you a lot of money, I came up with some tips that many fast cooks have used over the years. I hope these will help you get in and out of the kitchen quickly. Like all new things, you need to practice and make new habits, which may take time, but in the long run it will more than pay off.

Don’t worry if you can’t do it all. Just start slowly and go from there. Also don’t feel compelled to use these tips all the time. If you have the time, feel free to make more complicated menus. These tips are for everyday busy schedules.

Before Dinner

• Plan ahead. Most of you already know this but now it is time to put it into practice. If at first you can’t plan an entire week in advance, start by planning the next day’s meal the night or morning before. Meal planning doesn’t have to be complicated. Keep it simple. If you need more tips, check out our Groceries On A Dime ebooks.
• Choose 10 meals. Once you feel comfortable planning a day ahead, sit down and pick out 10 of your family’s favorite menus. Get your family to help here. A study I read showed that most families eat the same 10 meals over and over and are happy with that.

  (If you need some delicious and easy recipes that your family will love, you’ll definitely want to check out our Dining On A Dime Cookbook.)

  If you eat out at least once or twice a week (fast food, going to friends’ homes for dinner, church potlucks, etc.) the 10 meals should cover 2 weeks of meals. Repeat once and you have a whole months of meals taken care of. If you’re concerned that your family will be bored eating the same thing, think of it like this: The same meal will only be served twice a month.

  It doesn’t get any easier than following these easy steps! A whole month of menus is taken care of with just 10 menus. You may have thought you would have to sit and come up with 30 new menus at the end of each month, but you don’t. Don’t make planning menus so hard.

  If you find that you just have a mental block about menu planning or you just want some easy pre-made menus and recipes, you can get our Menus On A Dime e-books where we’ve done all of that for you. It’s much better to use already made menus than to give up and spend a lot more money going out to eat.

• Plan meals that only use a few ingredients and use common ingredients. The more ingredients there are in a recipe, the longer the recipe takes to prepare. Additionally, it takes longer to shop for 15 ingredients than to shop for five. If the ingredients are unusual, you usually have to spend even more time roaming the store looking for them.

• Here are a few recipes to help you plan easy meals.

  • 7 Meals That Take 10 Minutes – Quick And Easy Recipes
  • 10 Chicken Dinner Recipes for $7 or Less
  • 10 Crockpot Recipes Under $5 – Easy Meals Your Family Will Love!

• Do as much prep work ahead of time and not during the busiest part of the day – dinner time.

  • Make sure you have all your ingredients.
  • Clean vegetables.
  • Place meat in the pan so it’s ready to pop in the oven.
  • Make salads.
  • For recipes like biscuits and cornbread, measure the dry ingredients into a bowl and put in the remaining ingredients when you are ready to bake. Better yet, try to bake things like cornbread and muffins early in the day, not when you are trying to make dinner.
  • Make one dish meals in the morning so that they’re ready to pop in the oven right before dinner. Add a salad or bread and you are done.
  • Just putting your meat in the oven early goes a long way towards starting dinner.
• Use your oven or crockpot more and the microwave less. I wrote an article about how using your oven can often be faster and how it can help relieve stress at meal time.
• Start with a clean kitchen, clear counters, empty sink and dishwasher. You might want to check out my article Dirty Dishes Cause Debt to help with this.

Read Part 2 of this article here:

Dinner in 30 Minutes: Easy Ways To Speed Cleanup As You Go.

It’s amazing how much people spend on gourmet ice cream! Homemade gourmet ice cream cones are quick and easy to make and save you money!

Homemade Gourmet Ice Cream Cones

Now I feel really old! I was just treated to an ice cream cone at this place where they mix the ice cream with whatever kind of crushed cookie, candy or sprinkles you want, slap it into a cone and charge $5 for it! Why does this make me feel old? Because I can remember when ice cream cones used to cost 25 cents.

I’m not sure what I was most shocked at – the price of the ice cream or the fact in these “hard economic times” there were so many people in the store not batting an eye over buying “gourmet” ice cream. The conversations in the store made me realize that many of them do this on a regular basis.

I tried to give them the benefit of the doubt, thinking this must be some great tasting gourmet ice cream cone but I was very disappointed. The ice cream didn’t taste nearly as good as the inexpensive kind I buy at my grocery store and the gourmet store used the same candy bars and cookies that I can buy at any store.

Going to places like this is not the way to save money or to get out of debt. Watch your spending and on a hot summer day, instead of climbing in a hot car to go get a cone which will cost you an arm and a leg, try making your own. Here are some tips to make it easy:

• Make your own homemade ice cream cones. You can buy regular cones or waffle cones at most grocery stores. Keep a box of them and some ice cream on hand. Then, just crush your kids’ favorite candy or cookies in a bag or use sprinkles, chocolate chips or other toppings. Place some of the ice cream in a bowl for just a bit until it gets a little soft and stir in your treats. Then scoop it into a cone.
• This is a great way to use those broken cookies or crumbs in the bottom of the bag, which no one ever wants to eat. You can even keep a bag in the freezer, adding to it until you have enough to use.
• Making these homemade gourmet ice cream comes is another great way to use the candy you got on sale after Easter, Halloween or Christmas.
• Another thing I like about ice cream cones is there are no dishes to deal with when you are done.

I hope this gets you thinking about how to cool yourself and your spending for the summer!

What are your favorite gourmet ice cream add-ins? Leave a comment below and let us know!

      -Jill

These homemade gatorade sports drink recipes are quick and easy to make. They’re inexpensive and if you drink a lot of them, you’ll save a lot of money!

Several readers sent in their favorite homemade Gatorade recipes. If you have one you would like to share please post the recipe in the comments! -Tawra

Homemade Gatorade Recipe

2 quarts water
1 teaspoon baking soda
1-2 teaspoons salt (I use Sea Salt)
7 Tablespoons sugar
1 packet Sugar-Free Kool-Aid

Mix, chill and serve.

From: Cheryl G.

I have always found that sports drinks taste better to me and seem to work better for me if I cut them in half with water. This is probably not as frugal as making something from scratch, but it is a savings. From Barb

Hay Time Switchel

2 cups sugar
1 cup molasses
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 gallon water

Heat all of the ingredients in 1 quart water until the ingredients are dissolved. Then add the remaining water. Chill and serve. Makes 1 gallon.

Haymaker’s Switchel

(similar, just slightly different proportions)

3 1/2 quarts water
1 cup molasses
1/2 cup maple syrup or honey
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 – 2 Tbsp. ground ginger

Mix liquids. Add ginger and stir thoroughly. Take to the field in jugs.

Homemade Gatorade

1 pack unsweetened Kool-aid (any flavor)
2 quarts cold water
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup orange juice

Mix together. This equals the electrolyte replacement found in many popular drinks on the market.

Electrolyte Replacement

1 cup water
1 Tablespoon orange juice or 2 tsp. lemon juice
1 Tablespoon sugar – DO NOT use a low calorie sugar substitute
1 pinch salt

Add ingredients to water and shake well. Will keep at least 24 hours without refrigeration, weeks if kept cold. For those who do not like citrus, use 3 oz. of cranberry juice cocktail in 5 oz. of water but do not add sugar.

Hope these suggestions help! I’m guessing this last mixture is similar to the homemade pedialyte for the mission field.

From Christy M.

This Sour Cream Enchiladas Recipe makes yummy enchiladas that are easy to make and super popular with families. It’s easy to add your own variations to satisfy everyone in your family!

Sour Cream Enchiladas Recipe

1 can enchilada sauce
8 oz. sour cream
8 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
12 corn tortillas

Spray a 9×13 pan (or one slightly smaller) with cooking spray. Place a tablespoon of sour cream and cheese in the center of each tortilla. Roll up each one and place in the pan. Pour enchilada sauce over it all and spread remaining sour cream and cheese on top. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes or 250 degrees for 45-60 minutes.

This recipe serves about 4. If you have hearty eaters, you may want to double it.

You can make this in the morning and let it sit until you are ready to cook it. Some people like to include cooked hamburger, onions, chicken or green chiles along with the sour cream and cheese.

This Sour Cream Enchiladas Recipe is from the Dining On A Dime Cookbook.

Click here to get the Dining On A Dime Cookbook, with tasty recipes and great tips to make your life easier and save you money!

Easy Spanish Rice Recipe

Homemade Sopapillas Recipe

If you love the funnel cakes at amusement parks and carnivals, you’ll love this homemade funnel cakes recipe! We love funnel cakes, but they’re so expensive to buy. Using this recipe, you can make them for just pennies and our kids just LOVE them! They’re a fun summer treat and because they’re so quick, easy and inexpensive, you can make them as a treat for the kids when they’ve been out playing all day! (Or you might just want to treat yourself!

Homemade Funnel Cakes Recipe

1 1/4 cup sifted flour
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 egg
3/4 cup milk

Sift together dry ingredients. Mix egg and milk and add to dry ingredients. Stir until smooth. Pour oil into a skillet and heat to 375 degrees. Holding finger over the end of a funnel, pour in 1/4 cup batter. Holding over the hot oil, remove finger and let drizzle over the hot oil. As batter flows, move funnel in a circle to form a spiral cake.* Fry about 2 minutes on each side, turning once until golden brown. Remove from oil and drain. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, glaze or nuts. Makes 6 cakes.

*If you find it too hard using the funnel, try putting the batter in a squeeze bottle (the kind you can get at the Dollar Store to put ketchup and mustard in) then squeeze the batter into the oil making a straight line and make sticks instead of the round “cake” shape.

This recipe is from our cookbook:

Click here to get the Dining On A Dime Cookbook, with tasty recipes and great tips to make your life easier and save you money!

Here’s how to clean a burnt pot or pan. It’s not east to clean a burnt pot, especially if it’s very burned and greasy but this method should help.

How To Clean A Burnt Pot Or Pan?

Mary asks:

“Can you tell me the quickest way to remove years of burned on grease on the bottom of my flat pan.”

“I’ve used Awesome, Scrub Free, and Dawn Dish Detergent (the one used for cleaning oil from the birds during Valdez oil tanker that ran aground in Alaska).”

“With the combination of the three, some has come off with hard elbow grease, but would like to use one product that would make it easier.”

Tawra: I am the queen of burning things. One time I even melted the tea kettle to the burner! No kidding, Mike and mom still tease me about it. I have tried over the years many things to save my pots and pans. Here’s what I do.

I wasn’t clear if you meant the bottom of the inside of a pan or the outside, so I’ll address both.

If you mean to clean the inside of the burnt pan, these two things work the best:

• Place a generous amount of baking soda (about 1/2 cup) in the bottom of your pan. Make sure it covers the bottom of your pan. Fill with water and then simmer for an hour or so. Most of the burned of stuff should come right off. You can do this more than once if needed.
• If the grease doesn’t all come off the burnt pan with the first method then I take a razor blade and scrape off the last of the burned on food. I scrub with an SOS pad and after that the pans are usually good as new!

If the burned on grease is on the outside bottom of the pan, then go straight to the SOS pad and scrub hard. Unfortunately, the only easier way we have found to deal with this is to buy a new pan, which was the first thing Mike recommended when he noticed “quickest” and “easy” in your question ;-).

Tawra

Easy Homemade Buttermilk Recipe 

Our homemade buttermilk recipe is so easy to make that I make it all the time! Homemade buttermilk can be made with fresh milk or milk that has gone sour. It literally takes me two minutes to throw it together, let it sit overnight and then in the morning I have fresh homemade buttermilk for my pancakes.

I use homemade buttermilk for:

• pancakes
• coffee cakes
• homemade breads
• homemade rolls
• homemade baking powder biscuits
• homemade cakes
• soaking chicken before frying
• buttermilk ice cream
• buttermilk dressing
• homemade scones

When I say I use homemade buttermilk for everything, I do. I just love my homemade buttermilk! If you want to try your hand at making homemade buttermilk, give our recipe a try and be ready for all the great goodies to come!

Homemade Buttermilk Recipe

3 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup buttermilk, room temperature

Mix ingredients and let sit out in a warm spot for 24 hours. After that, you have a fresh batch of homemade buttermilk! This works great. Don’t forget to save a half cup at the end so you can make a new batch of homemade buttermilk. It keeps going and going! Makes 1 quart.

You can use any kind of milk including dry milk, but regular milk works better than skim or dry milk. This recipe is a good way to use sour milk without throwing it away.

Homemade Buttermilk Dressing

1 cup of buttermilk
1/2 cup mayonnaise
Seasonings: I love dill, onion and garlic powder and parsley. If I have some chopped chives will throw some of those in too.

Mix and chill for 3 or more hours to let the flavors combine. This is a great dressing for salads but if you want to make it into a dip, then just add more mayonnaise.

This Homemade Buttermilk Recipe is from our Dining on a Dime Cookbook. For more easy recipes like this homemade buttermilk, check out Dining On A Dime here!

This easy snickerdoodles recipe is a tasty treat that everyone loves! You’ll also find instructions to make a jar mix that’s perfect for gift giving!

I don’t know many people who don’t just love snickerdoodles! My kids can eat an entire batch in one sitting… If there are any left by the time they get home from school! This easy snickerdoodles recipe makes a snack that’s great for keeping on hand for an after school snack or giving as a gift to friends. If you want you can make several batches and keep them in a the cupboard and then have fresh snickerdoodles any time! Of course, if you are gift giving, save pretty jars or mason jars to put the mix in. Put a pretty ribbon around the top and you have a quick and easy gift!

Easy Homemade Snickerdoodles Recipe And Jar Mix

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 1/2 cups sugar

In a large bowl, combine the ingredients and mix well. Store the mix in an airtight container. Makes 1 batch.

Attach this note to the jar:

Snickerdoodles

1 cup shortening or butter
2 eggs
1 jar Snickerdoodle

Mix 2 Tbsp. sugar 2 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400°. In a large bowl, cream the butter with a mixer until light. Add the eggs and beat on low speed until the mixture is smooth. Add the Snickerdoodle Mix and continue to beat on low speed until the dough begins to form. Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Shape the dough into quarter sized balls and roll in the cinnamon-sugar blend. Arrange on ungreased baking sheets 2 inches apart and bake for 8-10 minutes or until light brown. Cool on wire racks. Makes 5 dozen cookies.

This snickerdoodles recipe is from the Dining On A Dime Cookbook. For more easy recipes like this, check out Dining On A Dime here!

Do you need good but inexpensive Easter gift ideas for the kids? Here are 27 cheap but cute homemade Easter basket ideas to save you money this Easter.

27 Cheap But Cute Homemade Easter Basket Ideas

A reader asks:

Got any inexpensive ideas for Easter gifts for the kids? Also, do you have any ideas that would focus on the real meaning of Easter and not just bunnies and eggs?

Easter is a great time of the year to celebrate, especially if you have the hope that comes from Jesus Christ and His resurrection. Here are some ideas for Easter gifts. Try some of them and if the creative juices start flowing, make up some of your own! You might also try our Resurrection Eggs, which are a great idea to help your family remember why we celebrate Easter.

Easter Baskets:

You can find inexpensive Easter baskets at garage sales and thrift stores. I never spend more than .25 for one.

If you don’t have Easter baskets, you can also use:

• Plain wicker baskets
• Baskets spray painted an Easter color
• A cute straw hat
• A pail for the sandbox
• A bowl wrapped in tissue paper
• Paper sacks that the kids decorate. Cut out pictures from magazines or use stickers. Glue or stick them on and then paint or color around them.
• Any sort of plastic storage container. These often can be used later for storage.
• For a “family” Easter basket, set a nice plate on the table with Easter grass and goodies arranged on the plate or platter. This is great when you have older kids.

Fillers for Easter Baskets:

• Buy candy after Christmas or Valentine’s Day at half price and keep to fill Easter baskets.
• Make Easter cookies in the shapes of bunnies, eggs, crosses or any other Easter shape that comes to mind and decorate.
• Popcorn Balls or Rice Krispie Treats colored in pastel colors.
• String Froot Loops onto yarn and tie to make a necklace.
• Don’t fill baskets. Instead put jelly beans and candy in plastic eggs so the kids can fill their own baskets. You can also put nickels, dimes, toy soldiers, bugs, stickers, barrettes or hair ribbons in the eggs. Hide them outside or in the house if you live in a climate where it’s usually cold on Easter.
• Make coupons for getting out of chores, staying up late one night, having a friend over for a sleep over or a special dinner that they like.
• Include like new books purchased at garage sales or thrift stores.
• Homemade slime, play dough, sidewalk chalk, bubbles or the ingredients for crystal gardens.
• Wacky crayons? Crayon pieces melted together in a muffin tin to make a “big” crayon.
• Flower seeds that the kids can grow
• Mini-stuffed animals purchased at garage sales or on clearance the year before.
• Paper dolls or coloring books. There are many available on the Internet that you can print yourself.
• For teenagers, put these items in baskets: lotions, soaps, suntan lotions, fingernail polish, movie tickets, tickets for getting out of a chore, ticket for $5 worth of car gas, clothes purchased on clearance and of course lots of candy!

• Leave a trail of jelly beans or candy kisses from their rooms to their Easter baskets.

• Easter Kisses

  Put some Hershey Kisses or chocolate chips in a plastic bag and attach the following poem:

  This cute little bunny has hopped all day
  Been delivering baskets for the holiday.
  His paws are so tired and his little nose itches.
  He left you something special – something to fill all your wishes.
  These cute little hugs and Easter kisses.

• Put 1 Pound Jelly Beans into a bag and attach this poem:

  RED is for the blood He gave.
  GREEN is for the grass He made.
  YELLOW is for the sun so bright.
  ORANGE is for the edge of night.
  BLACK is for the sins we made.
  WHITE is for the grace he gave.
  PURPLE is for His hour of sorrow.
  PINK is for our new tomorrow.
  A bag full of jelly beans colorful and sweet,
  Is a prayer, is a promise, is a special treat.

• Easter Carrot Treats

  Buy disposable plastic decorating bags and fill them with orange jelly beans or cheese balls. Then stick some green Easter grass in the top of the bag (leave some hanging out) and secure the bag with a rubber band and then ribbon so that it resembles a carrot.

In this post, you’ll find great ideas and easy instructions for decorating Easter eggs including the traditional method, natural Easter egg dyes and other creative decorating suggestions.

Decorating Easter Eggs And Natural Easter Egg Dyes

OK, so the kids noticed on the calendar that Easter is approaching and they want to make a huge production of decorating Easter eggs. In the past, the little stickers you bought at the store sufficed, but now they want the real thing. Here are some old standards for egg dying with a few new ideas for you.

One important note: When the kids get really excited about egg dying, don’t feel sorry for them and pour the left over egg dye in their bath water so they can have more fun (no matter how much they beg and plead! Especially if it’s food coloring). Someone might panic and declare a citywide medical quarantine if they see your kids dyed all sorts of strange colors in their Easter finery.

Before decorating Easter eggs, cover the entire table with newspaper. Keep a huge roll of paper towels or rags handy for messes. Have each kid wear one of dad’s old (now disposable) tee shirts.

Making Easter Egg Stands

Cut toilet paper roll cores into one inch cylinders and use for egg stands. Decorate with stickers or paint.

Decorating Easter Eggs

Traditional Method

1) Hard boil eggs.

2) Fill several mugs with boiling water and add 1-2 tsp. vinegar.

3) Place a few drops of desired food coloring in each mug.

4) Place eggs in mugs for several minutes until eggs reach desired shades.

5) Remove with a spoon. Place on paper towel to dry. When dry, polish with a small amount of shortening on a paper towel. Buff until glossy.

You can draw or write on the eggs with a light colored or white crayon before dipping. The drawing will remain white after the egg is dipped.

To clean out mugs, put a little bleach water in the cups and soak for a few minutes.

Natural Easter Egg Dyes

If you would like to try decorating Easter eggs with natural dyes, try the following:

• Yellow— yellow onion skins, turmeric (1/2 tsp. per cup water) celery leaves
• Orange–any yellow dye plus beet juice
• Red–beets, paprika, red onion skins
• Pink–cranberry juice
• Blue–blackberries, grape juice concentrate, red cabbage
• Brown–black tea, white oak, juniper berry, coffee, barberry
• Light purple–blackberries, grapes, violets
• Green–alfalfa, spinach, kale, violet blossom plus 1/4 tsp. baking soda, tansy, nettle, chervil, sorrel, parsley, carrot tops, beet tops or dip yellow egg in blue dye

Hard boil eggs with 1 tsp. vinegar in the water. Place dying ingredients in non-aluminum pans, cover with water and boil 5 minutes to 1 hour until desired color is achieved. Use enough material to make at least 1 cup dye. Crush ingredients as they boil to extract as much dye as possible. Strain the dye. Most dyes should be used hot. Let each egg sit in the dye until it reaches the desired color. Some dyes will take longer than others to make the desired colored on the egg. Remove the egg and let dry.

Glitter Eggs – Place 1 tablespoon each of glue and water in a cup. Stir the mixture and then paint the eggs with it. Sprinkle with glitter. This can also add sparkle to already dyed eggs!

Decoupaged Eggs – Tear small pieces of wrapping paper, napkins, stickers, or clip art. Mix equal amounts of glue and water. Paint egg with glue mixture. Place paper on top and then cover with more glue mixture. Let dry.

Spotted Eggs – Place 1 tsp. of cooking oil in dye. Dip the egg. The oil will cause the dye to make an irregular pattern on the egg.

Waxed Eggs – Dip a portion of the eggs in melted paraffin or candle wax. Then dip them in the dye. Remove from dye. Dry and peel off the wax. The egg will be white on one half and colored on the other half. You can also dip in dye before waxing to get two colors.

Hollow Eggs – Poke a hole in one end of an egg with a very small needle. Poke another slightly larger hole in the other end. Then blow on the small end and the egg will come out the other side. Decorate Easter eggs as desired.

This mechanic’s tough hand cleaner recipe makes a hand cleaner that can help the greasiest mechanic at a fraction of the cost of the store bought cleaner!

Mechanic’s Tough Hand Cleaner Recipe

1/4 cup Fels Naptha*, grated
2 Tbsp. fine sand or pumice
1 cup water
2 cup plastic container (16 oz. cottage cheese container works great)

Place soap and water in a saucepan. Place over low heat; stir until soap is melted. After mixture cools, add mason’s sand or pumice. Store in a cottage cheese container or margarine tub. Dip fingers into soap mixture and lather hands. Rinse well.

*Any grated bar of soap will work but Fels Naptha removes the stains better.

Tip: Buy 1 gallon of bubble bath and use instead of liquid hand soap. It is much cheaper and smells better than regular hand soap.

This recipe is from the Dining On A Dime Cookbook. For more easy recipes like this, check out Dining On A Dime here!

These biscuits are so yummy! If you have ever had Popeye’s you will know what I mean. These are a really close match. Don’t be afraid of these because they are made from scratch. They are really very simple with only 4 ingredients. I have known many inexperienced cooks who had great success with biscuits. Try them. I think you’ll like them!

Poppy’s Homemade Biscuits Recipe

4 cups baking mix (Bisquick)
3/4 cup club soda
8 oz. sour cream
1 stick butter

Melt butter in 9×13 pan. Combine rest of the ingredients. Place dough on lightly floured surface and knead lightly. Pat or roll out to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut with biscuit cutter or glass. Place in the pan and turn over once making sure they are well coated in butter. Bake at 400° until brown. If you want you can drizzle a little extra butter on top if you think it needs more. 

Click here to get the Dining On A Dime Cookbook, with tasty recipes and great tips to make your life easier and save you money!

Yummy Homemade 7 Layer Bar Cookies Recipe 

This yummy 7 Layer Bar Cookies Recipe make a delicious treat your whole family will love! They are great for parties or anytime you need a great dessert!

7 Layer Cookies

1 stick (1/2 cup) margarine
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1-2 cups flake coconut
1 pkg. (6 oz.) chocolate chips
1 pkg. (6 oz.) butterscotch chips
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup nuts, chopped

Melt margarine in a 9×13 pan. Add the rest of the ingredients in layers. Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes. Cut into bars when cool.

(If you need some delicious and easy recipes that your family will love, you’ll definitely want to check out our Dining On A Dime Cookbook.)

Kids love finger painting! Our six year old could finder paint every day and never get tired of it! Here is a quick and easy homemade finger paint recipe to make homemade finger paint with ingredients you already have at home! It’s a great indoor activity for kids!

Easy Finger Paints Recipe

1/4 cup cornstarch
2 cups water

Mix in saucepan and boil until thick. Then pour into a jar and add food coloring until the desired shade is achieved. Store covered in the refrigerator.

This Easy Finger Paint Recipe is from our cookbook:

Click here to get the Dining On A Dime Cookbook, with tasty recipes and great tips to make your life easier and save you money!

Using this easy homemade flour tortillas recipe from our Dining On A Dime Cookbook, it’s simple to make yummy homemade tortillas at home using ingredients you already have in your kitchen!

Homemade Flour Tortillas Recipe

3 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 cup shortening
3/4 cup warm water

Blend all the ingredients except water until the consistency of oatmeal. Add water and blend with fingers. Knead on a floured board 5 minutes. Cover, let rest 1/2 hour. Roll into 8 balls. Let rest 45 minutes. Flatten balls until very thin and cook in hot ungreased skillet until each side is slightly browned. Makes 8 tortillas.

This Homemade Flour Tortillas Recipe is from our cookbook:

Click here to get the Dining On A Dime Cookbook, with tasty recipes and great tips to make your life easier and save you money!

Homemade All Purpose Cleaner Recipe

1 gallon water
 Dawn dishsoap (2 tsp.) OR 1 cup ammonia
1/2 cup vinegar
1/2 cup baking soda

Combine all ingredients. Put in a spray bottle to clean showers, toilets, sinks and counters. Great for most cleaning needs. Use all-purpose cleaner to clean your floors. Just spray on and wipe off as you would counter-tops.

This is not a disinfectant. To make it a disinfectant too I add about 1/4 cup rubbing alcohol  to the bottle.

Click here to get the Dining On A Dime Cookbook, with tasty recipes and great tips to make your life easier and save you money!