Five Frugal Things -- Dry Cake
1) We enjoyed a bonus birthday dinner at the house last night and I tried the internet recommended substitutions to my box cake. Butter instead of oil, three eggs instead of two and milk instead of water.
I do not recommend.
If anything the cake was worse, which I think was from substituting the canola oil with butter. The cake was definitely on the dry side and that's on no one's wish list!
However, it gave me a chance to bust out my curb picked cake stand, which is an enjoyable addition to any day. It's just so darned cute!
2) Dinner was "Burrito Buffet," which centered on home cooked rice and pinto beans, with a variety of add ons, including:
- Seared red pepper slices.
- Waffle iron tater tots for that crispy addition.
- Shredded cheese.
- Lettuce.
- Saved tortilla chip shrapnel.
- Sour cream, Taco Bell sauce packets.
- Guacamole.
- Pickled red onion.
Everything was already on hand so I didn't have to do any additional grocery shopping. My family ate hundreds of these burrito buffets when the kids were growing up and let me tell you it's a powerful tool for a frugal life. Infinitely adjustable and cheapaf!
3) I drove over to the auto supply store and bought a replacement lightbulb for my kid's headlight. My internet research suggests that the lightbulb replacement would cost $150-$300 were they to have it done professionally -- which makes the $19.99 I paid much more enjoyable. The directions for almost any task are on YouTube, so it's not like you need automotive experience to do your own simple car repairs.
For those whose last math class is decades in the past, it's better to pay twenty dollars instead of three hundred.
4) I still haven't sold the lucite table table that I thrifted last month, so I decided to try and spruce it up a bit. It has a number of scratches, (mostly superficial) and I remembered that my step father had some plastic polishing products in his basement. He has them for his motorcycle windshield, but I figured they'd work for my table.
He brought the products by and it'll be fun to see if I can use them to get my table looking better. You know I love me a project!
5) We gave our kid tickets to an upcoming expensive concert instead of any things. Experiences over stuff, bay-bee!
Now your turn, what frugal things have you been up to?
The birthday cake may not have turned out that great but it sure looks fancy in that found cake stand. Looks like a cake you would see in a restaurant. Very nice!
I find that cakes sitting on a cake stand, even with a lid, dry out fast. Might that be part of the problem? Not sure how long the cake was in the cake stand before you served it.
1. A friend wanted an outdoor rocking chair for her hubby for Father’s Day. I found a free one on line and nearby. I picked it up for her yesterday and dropped it off.
2. When I dropped the ticket off my friend gave me fresh corn husks for my guinea pigs and snacks she got at a food pantry that her family won’t eat but mine will.
3. Got a free slurpee at 7/Eleven with my 30 day free trial of their Gold Club
4. Needed a few upholstery tacks to repair a free needle point seated chair I curb picked. Found a container for 25 cents at our local ReStore. Once fixed I’ll post the chair for sale as it’s not my jam but someone put so much work into that needlepoint seat I didn’t want it just chucked into our incinerator.
5. One of our friends won a seat on our county democratic committee in the election this past Tuesday. Since we helped with his campaign we were invited to his celebration party this Sunday at a local park
I'm discombobulated today as my dear mother-in-law passed away this morning and my daughter was stuck on a trip from hell that got her stuck overnight in Chicago. Add on needing to be at daughter's apartment to let in the fridge delivery people and move all contents of her fridge to temporary accommodation while the fridge has its 24 hr settle-in.
So I un-frugally forgot to stop at the bakery while I was nearby and had to go out again this afternoon as dh doesn't have enough bread for tomorrow.
I did plant cucumber, dry bean, and chard seeds, as well as 3 loofah starts.
I un-frugally bought dh a chocolate cream pie in honor of his mother. She loved people through food.
I'm sorry about your mother in law. Condolences to you and your family.
I'm so sorry for the loss of your mother-in-law. A special pie for DH in her honor is a good tribute.
I'm so sorry about your MIL.
So sorry for your loss. It is in times like this that you can fudge the frugal rules and just get by! Be gentle with yourself, you've got too much on your plate.
Kara, I join the others in sending my sympathy on the death of your mother-in-law. You've had a lot to deal with for awhile now.
Thank you all. I have had a lot for a while. It really feels like it's been a lot since our premie granddaughter was born 2 years ago. But this month has been awful, I've been sick, I've made 2 trips to help with grandkids, our daughter was in hospital with sepsis and MIL was put on hospice and has been unconscious for the last 2 weeks. I want to crawl under a rock and not come out for a long time. I need a break and I'm not sure how to get as big a break as I need.
@Kara, you HAVE been through a series of unfortunate events, and as you have been sharing I've been thinking "the hits keep on coming!!!"
I am so sorry for you and your husband regarding your Mother in Law. Even when we know it is coming, and hospice is a pretty strong message, it doesn't seem to change the shock and sorrow that hits. Be kind to yourselves at this time chock full of memories.
As for your poor daughter, and the ongoing 'stuff' - BOY HOWDY, Kara, you are a good mother! The fridge job (never fun!!) and worrying about her during her trip
PLUS all the worries about your kids, grandkids, husband, MIL and (as if you have time) yourself - it is a lot. That rock looks very attractive right now, huh?
Hang in there. You have a team here cheering you on, and there will be a pause in all of these demanding events, soon!
Supposedly you can use carbonated water in cake mix instead of liquid! I'm not sure about the egg swap. I'm vegan so I try a lot of different baking dairy alternatives.
$150-$300? Our regular garage changes a headlight for the cost of the part, if one is out when we get our oil changed. they would charge a fee if we brought it in between oil changes (in that case we usually just change it ourself) but nowhere near that. and we live in the expensive sf bay area
I had some errands to run today -- a trip to the post office, library and bank. They are all near the train route, so I decided to do it that way. Unfortunately, it was colder than I thought, and all my aches and pains decided to make themselves known all at once, so it wasn't the most pleasant of mornings. But the errands are done, and no money spent.
My unemployed son finally got a job offer. It is not anything at all like he had hoped for in terms of money, hours, or workplace, but at least it is something. When I talked with him yesterday, he was going to talk it over with his wife before making a decision, and I haven't heard any more.
I made mushroom pizza on naan for lunch today, and froze all the leftover ingredients so I can do it again sometime.
Not much else going on.
I'm so thankful for the job for your son.
My Grandma was a professional cake decorator. She would bake off all the layers, let them cool, brush them with simple syrup infused with vanilla, mint, orange, lemon, rum..you name it. 1cup water + 1 cup sugar in a pan over medium heat, stirring to melt sugar then 1 min longer take off heat, cool then add 1 teaspoon of extract. Brush the syrup on, let it set for a half-hour, then apply crumb frost (light layer of frosting).
I made a cinnamon simple syrup using 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon. Brushed it over my White chocolate Texas sheet cake served with rhubarb strawberry sauce. It was a hit.
Took advantage of the very warm day to wash and wax the pick up. Washed the windows on the West side of the house since I was scrubbing the patio before setting out the outdoor tables, chairs and rockers. Put away the winter wood supply, left the cedar chest full of fire pit wood. The chest I picked up for $2, had a split top, fixed it with glue and clamps. I keep it looking pretty with beeswax.
Washed the dog bed covers and laid them on the field gate to dry. I tried to wash the new to us small dog bed that I bought for $1, but the big cat, Ollie, commandeered it.
1. I planted grass seed and sprinkled straw mulch on top that my mom had sitting around.
2. I listed several more items on Ebay.
3. I did laundry and hung it on racks to dry.
4. I glued the leg back on a terracotta frog that I've repaired many times.
1. My pal and I cleaned out the garage. I took a carload of donations to the thrift stores. Since Goodwill is having a book giveaway (giving free books to kids each Friday), I took my books there. They only give one 20% off discount coupon per carload, so I went to 3 Goodwills, giving each GW donation station atttendent one box of books and keeping the others. Three coupons instead of one, but I don't think it is unethical since I had some huge boxes full of dozens of books and miscellaneous for them. One GW worker also clued me in that they are going to stop accepting their old style coupons on June 1. That is a pity because the older ones gave you 20% off everything you bought and their newer ones give you 20% off the highest priced item -- ie, only one item discounted. Meanwhile, I also took items to the Salv. Army and another local charity thrift store.
2. In the process of cleaning out the garage, I found a porcelain bowl I hadn't seen before. (I guess it is a garage sale leftover; I hosted a past garage that sale was a 3 family sale and maybe this was from one of the other participants. Not sure. Either that or I might have thrifted it for my antique mall booth years ago.) Anyway, I took it inside and found the lid to a ceramic jewelry box that had broken. The lid was OK, the bottom part had shattered. Lo and behold, the two pieces fit perfectly together and look like they were made for one another. The lid had a ceramic rose on it, and the color of the rose matches the pink color found in my bedspread and curtains! So it is now in a place of honor in my bedroom, front and center on the mirrored vanity. The ceramic jewelry box set was made for my grandmother; my great aunt had made it in her ceramics workshop, and it is the only thing of hers that I have. So I can once again use my treasured item! I'm very happy about this!
3. My pal helped me install lots and lots of patio lights on the covered back porch. Actually they are clear Xmas tree lights I got from Goodwill using my discount coupons. Nothing cost more than $1, if that. The lights go around the perimeter of the ceiling and go across the ceiling twice and look fantastic! I'd had them up before, draped over some screws, but they were falling down. My pal has one of those big staple guns that he used instead of nails or screws. He just stapled it so that the staples held the wires in place (no, he didn't pierce the coating on the wires, it just went around the light string) and the lights are up there a lot better now. It's rainy and dark right now and the twinkly lights really brighten up the porch.
4. My pal also fixed the front porch mailbox where I believe someone, possibly the former roommate from hell, had tried to jimmy it open when I changed the lock. (Word to the wise: always, always, always change all the locks at your place when someone moves out or loses a key.) Now the mailbox closes and locks securely and no one can try to fish out any envelopes.
5. This isn't frugal at all, but a lot of fun: I ordered one of those T-shirts the Late Show with Stephen Colbert was offering to commemorate their offing. (Shame on you, Skydance. I am going to follow Jimmy Kimmel's advice and boycott CBS after tonight.) The shirt has the program's logo on it only it says "The Last Show with Stephen Colbert" and the proceeds of the sale of the shirts go toward the World's Kitchen, where they feed disaster victims in Haiti, Gaza, Ukraine, etc. Yes, I paid too much but proceeds benefitted a good charity and also is a great form of protest. Last night, Colbert announced they had raised nearly $2.5 million for this worthy cause via the sale proceeds. My shirt came today, just in time to wear while watching Colbert's very last show. Meanwhile, it's my day off from work but I needed to go to the store to get my schedule. Our manager is a Maga idiot stupid enough to think Trump is a good Christian man and that Fox news is accurate...gag me with a spoon! So I wore my new shirt along with a big button that says "We Dissent!" in there and there was not a darn thing he could do about it. LOL! (I'm forbidden from wearing political shirts or buttons when I'm on duty.) LOL!!!
I'm impressed that it rose. We had some farther out of date cornbread mix to which we should have added some baking powder. A layer of pudding in the middle would have helped.
I wonder whether the cake hack you found online was meant for a bigger cake mix. The standard cake mix size has been shrinkflating, so a lot of those recipes no longer work.
I’m still out in the sticks. I’ve planted a garden, and things look promising. There will be free-ish veggies and herbs soon. I’ve cobbled together an enclosure out of various posts and wires found around the property. The deer are staying out!
I went for a walk and found 30 redeemable cans!
The burrito bar sounds good, though I’m not so sure about the tots.
Ice cream and fruit put any cake failure right! A favorite childhood dessert was plain cake with milk and sweetened berries..yummy.
Maybe pieces of the cake, minus the icing, and assorted fresh fruits to make a trifle?
1. put some books and a projector on hold at the library. I am hoping to DIY a birthday banner for my 2 year olds party. I have everything but the projector , we will see how it goes!
2. Was gifted a new echinacea plant in our BN group which I’m very excited about, as the over priced one I bought last year did not make it.
3. My last bins trip was pretty fruitless , although I did find some new books for my toddler , Smartwool socks and a handful of other useful things for a whopping 14 dollars spent.
4. There is a really nice library a few minutes from TJs . It’s far to drive only for that library (we have others much closer) but decided to check it out while we were nearby. My toddler enjoyed playing and reading some books, he also enjoyed a free snack from the kids area. This library also had free diapers & period supplies in the bathroom, a “hot meal” cart with Mac and cheese, cup o noodles, etc and a free seed library. We didn’t need any of the latter, but we enjoyed a bag of goldfish and filled up our water bottles before heading home. Perfect rainy day activity.
5. I have been getting lucky scoring marked down ribeye steaks at our king Soopers (Kroger). We freeze them for later. We have been very into steak salads lately, so we can feed both my husband and myself, toddler, and have extra for the fur child.
Emily,
If I'm remembering correctly you were researching ways to redo your kitchen cabinets without painting them. I saw this article and thought of you.
https://www.hunker.com/2165088/stain-update-honey-oak-cabinets-no-paint
My momma would stir in a box of instant pudding into a cake mix, use milk instead of water, and maybe an extra egg. Her cakes were always delicious.
Actually I can’t think of anything she made that wasn’t delicious.
She do something with fried potatoes (taters, if you will) - somehow they had a hint of sweetness. She swore she didn’t do anything different than I did except she stored her potatoes in the fridge. I always wondered if that could be its.
She did
I couldn’t stand the thought that since I said “taters” strangers would think that I would actually say “She do”
I know what you mean! I hate those typos that look like grammatical errors!!
Potatoes convert some starch to sugar when chilled and will taste a tiny bit sweet. I also keep potatoes in the fridge as our house lacks a cool, dark spot to store them, and we don't eat enough to go through a large bag before it spoils.
1) Invited some friends to a work event. Was able to give an out-of-town friend some shorts that no longer fit and she brought me a dress to swap. We typically wait until we see each other but sometimes mail items, so postage saved.
2) The work event included a full dinner.
3) Carpooled with coworkers to event, so no gas used.
4) Wore a thrifted shirt, hand-me-down pants, and a new pair of shoes I got at a discount store to replace my decade-old pair that were falling apart. Not a good look for dress shoes.
5) I've been following along with YouTube yoga videos to get some exercise in without leaving the house. My yoga mat is over 15 years old and has teeth marks from three different pets--but it still works!
My aunt bakes the most amazing cakes. I asked for her recipe. 'I ONLY use whichever brand of cake mix is on sale' lol. She follows the directions on the box, but adds a 'large spoonful of mayo (whichever brand was on sale)'. She bakes for the middle of the time range, tests for doneness, and calls it good. Her cakes are always moist. I use her 'recipe' now for yellow cakes and they're always good. Chocolate cake is always from scratch, my kids would mutiny if I changed that. haha
Make cake pops! That's what bakeries do. Crumble cake,mix some frosting in, add a little milk if needed and form into balls and put a stick in. Deconstructed cake!
Katy, I am not a gourmet baker but have read that modern American butter has less of a fat ratio than old style or European butter. That may be why the cake came out dry.
The recipe books in The Cake Mix Doctor series are good for ideas on how to enhance box mixes.
All these great suggestions for rescuing the cake are making my mouth water. To any leftover pieces, I would add a huge dollop of whipped cream and some berries.
Hey, you can add whipped cream and berries to any baking disaster for a rescue, IMHO!
Whipped cream and berries make cardboard delicious.
$150-300 sounds more like the cost to replace the entire light housing, not the bulb.
By the way, I love how much people think I have whipping cream and berries on hand. That would be the life!
Trader Joe’s has shelf stable whipping cream in little boxes. I keep it in my fridge to make it even more shelf stable and sometimes remember to use it when the kids really want to go out for fancy waffles.