This shortbread makes a wonderful gift, on its own in a pretty box or on a nice plate, or teamed with a special tea or coffee and a nice cup and saucer. It's also gender neutral - anyone can enjoy homemade shortbread.
Grandma's Shortbread - $3.55 Ingredients: 250g butter $2.50 1/2 cup castor sugar 25c 1-1/2 cups plain flour 30c 2/3 cup rice flour 50c Method: Pre-heat oven to 170 degrees Celsius. Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Sift flours together. Using fingertips gradually work flours into butter mixture until combined. Knead on a floured surface until smooth. Roll out to about 2cm thick. Cut into circles or fingers. Put on buttered trays. Sprinkle with castor sugar if wanted. Prick top of biscuits with a fork. Bake until firm and light golden around edges, about 15 - 20 minutes. Cool on cake rack. Store in airtight container.
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This is no ordinary run 'o the mill hamper - this is a Cheapskates Style Cleaning Hamper - the best gift ever for the practical people on your gift list.
It will come in at under $20. Cleaning Hamper - $16.10 You will need: 1 plastic bucket - 80c Laundry soap - $2.00 Washing soda - $4.00 Borax - $4.10 White vinegar $1.20 1 packet microfibre cleaning cloths $4.00 Cleaning Tips Grandma Used Cheapskates Washing Powder Print Tip Sheet. Pack all the items into the bucket, wrap with cellophane and tie in a bow with ribbon. You should find all the items at your local supermarket, but if you have time, you'll do better on prices for the microfibre cloths at $2 shops or even a hardware store. For the laundry soap, generic or store brand is fine. A box of four cakes is around $2.20, and you'll find it in the laundry aisle, usually towards the bottom of the shelves. Washing soda (or sodium carbonate) is from the laundry aisle. The common brand name is Lectric Soda, it's in a white packet with red writing on it. You may need to search for it, but it will be there. Borax is the mystery item on this list. Not all supermarkets keep it on the shelf, both my local Coles and Woolworths do, but you need to search for it. It's in the cleaning aisle, towards the pest control section. At Coles the brand is Bare Essentials, in a white tub with a pink lid. If you can't find it at the supermarket, don't despair. You'll get it at a hardware store, and definitely at Bunnings. For the microfibre cloths, if you have the time to zip into your favourite $2 shop, they'll be much cheaper than at the supermarket. If you're pressed for time, check the prices at the supermarket before you toss them in the trolley. Coles sell a pack of three - dusting, glass and kitchen - for $4, Simply Clean. And they're labelled so you know what their use is. Creative Cheapskater Michelle is on a winner with these unique handmade Christmas gifts.
Approximate $ Savings: $20 per child This Christmas, I plan on creating gingerbread house kits for my primary school age nieces and nephews. Using information from marthastewart.com, I've created a cardboard mock-up of their grandfather's shed. I then used the cardboard pieces to cut gingerbread dough to size. I baked the gingerbread and will now build and decorate the shed. I'll then take a photo of the final product and put that, with the cooked gingerbread slabs, decorating lollies and the ingredients for the icing 'glue' in a box. They can then have full assembling and eating their own gingerbread shed. Choose a simple structure (like a shed), rather than the traditional peaked roof gingerbread house as assembling a gingerbread house takes some skill. I'm even going to put a toy tractor in the box that they can park in the shed. A lovely flavoured vinegar to give, that is easy to make and inexpensive, is strawberry vinegar. This delicately flavoured vinegar couldn't be any simpler to make, costs just a few cents and is truly a gourmet delight. You can use this vinegar in any recipe that calls for white vinegar, lemon or lime juice.
Strawberry Vinegar Ingredients: 600ml white vinegar 6 large, fresh, unblemished ripe strawberries Method: Wash the strawberries. Pour the white vinegar into a clean, sterilized jar. Add the strawberries. Seal and store in a dark, cool cupboard to infuse for six weeks. If your vinegar develops a film over the top, don't worry. This is the vinegar mother, just skim it off. It is a natural part of the fermenting process. After six weeks, strain the vinegar into a small saucepan. Heat to boiling point and boil for five minutes. Strain through a clean cheesecloth into decorative, sterilized jars, seal and store in the fridge. What are you planning to give to others this Christmas? If it is a food gift, use the tips above for gift ideas and also ways to keep it safe to enjoy. |
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