Monday Q&A | FAQ, Skin Care, and Dud Recipes
Every Monday, I answer a few of the questions that my readers send me. If you have a question you'd like me to answer in a future Q&A post, just leave me a comment here or email me (thefrugalgirl [at] gmail [dot] com) and put Q&A in the subject line. I look forward to hearing from you!
First, I wanted to tell you that The Frugal Girl now proudly sports an FAQ page. I'm pretty sure I'll edit/add stuff (horror of horrors, it has no photos), but you know, things don't have to perfect to bless people, so I just published it and figured it'd be better than nothing!
A Q&A for a future Monday post, please - what do you do about skin care/toiletries/makeup? I see the basics in the grocery pictures, but what (if anything) do you do for your own skin, as it looks gorgeous?
-Molly
Aww, thanks. But you should know that I get zits, and my skin has this very annoying habit of being oily in spots and dry and peeling in others, and you probably just haven't seen that because no one takes close-ups of me (heck, hardly anyone takes pictures of me in the first place!).
If you still want to know what I do for my skin, though, I'll answer the question. 😉
I don't do a lot (which is why you see only the basics in my grocery photos!).
I put some lotion on spots that are dry (this happens more in the wintertime), I wash my face at night with plain old gentle bar soap (very cheap) and a washcloth (cheap and reusable, esp. because I got these ones on a ridiculous clearance sale), and I try not to wash it in the mornings when I take a shower.
And I do wear some makeup pretty much every day. I've been happy with the makeup they sell at Aldi (I've tried the foundation, powder, and eyeliner thus far), and I also am a pretty big fan of Cover Girl products because they're not super expensive, and they work just fine for me.
If you don't have an Aldi or you don't like Cover Girl, you might consider taking advantage of some of the deals that drugstores offer. With rebates and coupons and such, I've gotten free make-up at Rite-Aid, CVS, and Walgreens before.
I was wondering how you deal with baking or cooking projects that don't turn out well- i.e. your family doesn't like them or they're only OK and no one looks forward to the leftovers. I see you have some tried and true recipes/meals, but you must experiment and try new things too, so what do you do if something doesn't work out? Like, I made a new carrot cake recipe that wasn't very good, so we ate some and then the rest just languished in the fridge until I threw it out. It wasn't worth freezing, since we didn't really like it when it was fresh! I feel like it's a waste to throw that type of food out, but really, we're just going to leave it in the fridge until it goes bad. So what do you do either to avoid this situation in the first place or to use up the leftovers?
-Kate
I think situations like these are unavoidable unless you're happy making the same old tried and true recipes all the time.
I try to change things up by trying new recipes on a somewhat regular basis, and though I do often find winners, I've found my share of dud recipes too.
And sometimes, when I come across a recipe fail, it does result in food waste. I know recently I posted a picture of some leftover chicken that I'd thrown out....it had languished in the fridge because the new recipe I'd tried was just not that great.
Depending on the type of recipe, you might be able to salvage some of the meal. For instance, if you'd cooked chicken the night before, you might be able to add it to your lunch salad. This type of thing only works well if the original meal was relatively plain. I mean, there's not a lot you can do with a casserole that turned out to be yucky!
In the case you mentioned, I wouldn't feel too guilty about throwing the cake out. It's not like carrot cake is a super healthy food, so there's not a lot of point in eating it unless it's really good!
I would recommend being careful about where you get your new recipes. Some published recipes aren't tested very well, and as a result are not very reliable. This is one of the reasons I love Cook's Illustrated so much. I've tried a LOT of their recipes, and only rarely have they not turned out well.
Also, when you're trying a new recipe, you may want to err on the small batch side. For instance, if a new recipe makes a 9x13 pan, it might be wise to cut the recipe in half and make an 8x8 pan the first time.
(edit: I was just talking this morning with Nancy from Expendible Edibles, and she told me that she and her website partner have a section devoted to ideas for saving what they call Ill-Fated Creations, which is exactly what we're talking about here. Go check it out!)
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Readers, what say you? How do you save on skin care? And do you have any brilliant ideas about avoiding new recipe food waste?
Today's 365 post: On Saturday, I had a realization.
If you try new recipes, you will have duds. I'm not sure sticking with tried-and-true is a sure-fire solution either - sometimes you get distracted at a crucial moment, or the necessary tomato just didn't taste good enough to support the recipe, or you realize too late that it's too humid out to make good taffy (ahem). Me, I accept this as part of the price of trying new recipes.
I find I got fewer dud recipes as I became a better, more critical cook and recipe reader.
I don't make a lot of a new recipe unless I have reason to do otherwise - even if it comes out just as it should I may not like the taste.
I am more careful with recipes that call for expensive ingredients or ones I don't usually stock - if I don't like the recipe then I haven't wasted a lobster or have 1.75lbs of something hanging around my kitchen for years.
Be very wary of recipes off the internet. Even the venerable allrecipes is an unmoderated forum - anyone can post anything. When I get a recipe from the internet I read reviews as well. OTOH if it's from a good magazine (CI of course, Real Simple, Runner's World; Cooking Light has more duds but their goal is harder) then I'm more trusting.
If it's a dish that's good but not to my taste (frex, turns out I don't like kale), I'll try to find it a good home (My friends have heard "It's not to my taste but I think it fits yours" more than once) or freeze it for a potluck or dinner party (It has to be presentable, of course). It's easier to find a good home for sweets but I'm more likely to toss sweets - why eat something that's neither tasty nor good for you?
If it's just no good I look for an alternate use. Many leaden baked goods make fine crumbs or bread pudding or soup thickener.
If all else fails, I toss.
I love Rimmel make-up, which is a little spendier than Cover Girl, but still available in drugstores/grocery stores and not even the most expensive thing there.
That reminds me, I loved, loved, loved your tortilla soup. But the hibachi chicken yielded rubbery chicken--yuck! I wonder what I did wrong.
I don't wear makeup except for special occasions, so can't help much there!
As for yucky leftovers, I will frequently send sweets in with the hubby to work unless they're totally inedible. Anything tomato or meaty can be dumped into chili or spaghetti sauce (I've gotten rid of non-spectacular tomato sauce this way!).
Sometimes I just doctor the recipe after the fact. My first attempt at homemade baked beans was pretty bland, so when I reheated them another night, I added some more spices and flavorings. I've done that with casserole-type dishes as well - added more onion, spices, frozen veggies, whatever, to try to make it more palatable for us, or at least edible enough for me to tolerate as lunch leftovers.
As for the carrot cake, I agree with Kristin - not worth eating something relatively unhealthy unless it's tasty, so don't worry about tossing it!
I also like WilliamB's suggestion to be wary of recipes that require ingredients that are expensive or things you don't use in any other recipe. I will frequently substitute something I do have on hand, like a combination of onions and garlic instead of shallots, since shallots are a lot more expensive where I live, and I don't use them in anything on a regular basis.
As you get more experience as a cook, it's easier to imagine what a recipe will taste like and whether it fits into your family's palate. You'll still have duds, but they won't happen as often!
I love the photo, because it looks like there is a party coming. My table looked the same on saturday too. We had the family to celebrate 4 birthday's. My oldest elisa was on 8 march (10 years old ! oh my god), my second alexandre 15 february (8 years old), my dad's birthday and my mother in law birthday (9 march). I took the example of your gecko cake for my boy who wanted one like josua, and i made a bunny cake for elisa, also i tried a recipe on a french site (marmiton.org)of cherry cake, but it wasn't so nice, to look at ; fortunately the taste was good, and their is almost none left. Next time i'll try your cherry coffeecake receip promise, and i also made pizzas. When i read about your celebration, i was thinking that it was fun to know, that on the other side of the earth their was a family celebrating almost at the same time and eating fresh homemade with love stuff. Congratulations to you and your family.paula
Another frugal facewash is using apple cider vinegar. I wet a washcloth and spray 3-5 squirts of the vinegar into the cloth then wipe my face to remove makeup. It works great and no need for soap. But do NOT use around the eye area.
I like to buy foundation from Walgreen's and the Dollar Store. I currently have one from the Dollar store and it works great! I only use that and lotion on dry days. I use an Aveeno soap bar for oily days. That's pretty cheap too considering I have it for months, lol. About new recipe's. I always search on the web (live cooking) on things and if I see the ingredients and how the end result should be, it usually turns out pretty good! When I go in cookbooks some are duds, I don't know why that is. I do end up throwing it out. Now if I lived with my parents, I would have thrown the duds to the chickens or cat or dog, he he! My other really good idea about recipe's are ask your friends or family for the recipe that you enjoy but don't know how to make yet. Usually they would be honored to share! I love Frugal Ladies recipe on her cinnamon rolls, they turned out just like in the photo!
I use witch hazel and vitamin E oil. Oil is probably too heavy (for everyday use) for most of the readers here, but those of us who are melonin blessed, it's ok.
I don't wear make-up unless I have court or something similar, and then it's all mineral. Not very thrifty, but it is all natural and keeps a while in the freezer (in a makeup bag).
I'm no help on the skin care, as I tend to spend more and then stretch it as long as possible.
But for the food experimentation I think a lot of it comes from learning tastes and flavors. For instance if I made a soup and there is something just not good about it, I'll often start adding different herbs and spices, maybe a bit of cream, and suddenly my husband is raving about it. But it's because I've learned to just be bold. After all, if you didn't like it to begin with, what do you have to lose? For the carrot cake (not knowing what you didn't like) I might have chosen to change the icing to a cinnamon nutmeg one that could mask any flavor of (or give more flavor to) the cake. If the cake was simply too spiced, then I would try cutting it into pieces, making it into a trifle, with raisins and loads of whipped cream to help cut the taste down a bit.
Thank you for answering my question, Kristin! And there's lots of good ideas here between your answer and the comments, so thanks doublely.
Looking for the best recipe makes sense; I used this carrot cake recipe from Alton Brown: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/carrot-cake-recipe/index.html
who I would think is a good source. But if you read the reviews, they say it comes out too dense, plain, and more like a bread. Which is exactly why I didn't like it! So I will pick my recipes more wisely in the future.
So, anyone have a good carrot cake recipe? 🙂
For some reason I was a bit wary of trying the Aldi makeup, but I just might have to now. Thanks!
why is mine the only comment awaiting moderation?
Yours wasn't the only one. 🙂 I was gone this morning and then my blog host has been up and down, so I haven't been able to get to the moderation panel.
I think you left some different info when you wrote your comments today, so my blog's commenting system didn't recognize you. You're all approved now, though. 🙂
Me too, Molly. I keep looking at it and wondering as our Aldi here in Portugal also sells make up. Who knows if it's the same brand or origin, mind you?!
I may give it a try now 🙂
Is yours the Lacura brand? That's what we've got here.
Thanks, Kristen, for the shout out. In fact, on ExpendableEdibles.com we put a button on our home page that says "REQUEST A RECIPE". So Kate, in your case with the carrot cake catastrophe -- all you have to do is give us a basic idea of the recipe, tell us as best you can why it tasted funny and we'll do some experimenting in our own test kitchen. Then, presto change-o, Marlene our resident Food Expert will send you her best suggestion(s) of how to transform your "ill-fated creation" into something marvelous ... so marvelous they may not even realize it was yesterday's carrot cake!
You can always email us your requests, too, to nancy@ExpendableEdibles.com or marlene@ExpendableEdibles.com.
I love to cook, but I cook for 4 daughters 10 to 17 and a finicky husband! Pleasing everyone at the same time is difficult. I've learned to read recipes carefully (I usually won't even consider one with less than a 4 star rating) including all the reviews. I often adjust ingredients and spices based on the reviews, my family's tastes, and my mood. Sometimes I'll read several different recipes and take bits from each to come up with a "mommy creation". We have very few failures at our house! (if its a rare failure that's deemed inedible by all, the dogs get a treat. They always like my cooking!)
As far as makeup, with 4 daughters, I always check the makeup section in my dollar store. I've been lucky on a number of occasions to find name brand makeup such as Almay and loreal for $1. I've also tried some lesser known brands I found there. My daughters and I were happy with everything. They're also good for nail polish, tweezers, etc. I recently tried their acne medicine; they had both salicylic acid and the benzoil peroxide types for $1. Not bad!
I use witch hazel as an astringent. It's cheap, natural, and works great. I have combo skin (like your's Kristen), but I have discovered that Noxema works great for a cleanser (on days i need to exfoliate my skin, I just mix a 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda into the Noxema before I wash my face). I also mix my foundation into my facial lotion before applying it, that way I only use about half the amount I use without lotion, it goes on smoother (I am somewhat foundation challenged 🙂 ) and I can stretch the bottle of foundation out longer.
As for new recipes, I have made my share of "craperole" and "garbage soup" (that's what my kid's call less than favorable recipes). Usually, I put leftovers in the freezer for a rainy day, or try to doctor it up the next night (sometimes I just cut my losses and eat it for lunch myself for the rest of the week). I have become a lover of Cook's Illustrated, too. There recipes usually ask for ingredients I always have on hand (a good sign my family will eat it), and I have not had a failure, yet.
This is REALLY off topic, but I wanted to mention that Kohls is selling CuddleDuds thermo's for 60-80% off, and my Kohls has a whole slew of them. I bought a black and a white long sleeve v-neck thermo and I'm going to put them away for next winter. If any of you have a Kohls near you check it out! It's in the lingerie section.
I have dry combination skin and I use olive oil to remove makeup. Nothing else works as well for eye makeup. Other oils work too, of course. I just prefer the smell of olive oil to the others that I have around. I rub it gently in all over and then follow with a little bit of honey (which is a natural moisturizer and antiseptic) mixed with water, then rinse well with warm water, pat dry. I use generic Cetaphil as a daily moisturizer but we use it for everything too, including my kids' eczema. I also like the Aldi makeup.
About skin care: I expect that healthy living (good food, enough sleep, outdoor and exercise time) are also factors in having good skin.
And FREE!
the great thing about homemade foods is usually even the duds taste better than commercially prepared foods. If I made a carrot cake I didn't like, I'd probably make a vanilla sauce to smother it with!
Plain sweetened condensed milk also works wonder for covering food duds. 🙂
I made a pork roast last night that was just plain gross. I think it was the quality of the pork loin that I had bought from Aldi. The meat turned to mush and was gross. Did I mention it was gross? There was no saving it so out it went plus the other half in the freezer. Sometimes, like WilliamB said, it is the quality of the ingredients and there isn't much you can do.
I could not believe her after baby photo. I looked like I got hit by a tornado and I was all bloated. She looked like she just walked out of a salon. I am gonna try those cosmetics. If people like the more expensive ones they should get the free bag deals that come with free samples and ect at Macy's.
Food waste plan:
1. Get a dog! Our dog eats the experiments gone wrong--she doesn't care or make rude remarks and faces.
2. Teach your children not to be rude if they don't like what's offered. My 18 year old is still learning that one (but the 10 year old has it down!). Don't complain--eat what you want on the plate, and put the rest in the dog's bowl. And quit making faces! (18 year old did NOT like the beef pie I made this week, the dog loved it).
3. We save bits of leftover vegies for weekend omlettes, but sometimes the compost bin gets those if they are beets or a larger volume than our omlettes can handle(our dog doesn't do vegies and beets don't make good omelettes!).
;o)
A lot of my food waste goes to my chickens. They're happy to get whatever we fling out to them. Plus, we get eggs. Bonus over the dog, but I do always have a moral quandry when I have leftover chicken. Is it wrong to feed the chickens chicken?? They think it is delicious!
I love my new mineral makeup and I use an organic skincare set that is fabulous! Have you ever tried probiotics? They are supposed to help with skin and the one we take and love is Vidazorb. It's a chewable and it helped our son's eczema so much! Good Stuff! Cute blog 🙂