Scrimpalicious Anniversary Giveaway - CLOSED

Hey friends! I just checked my calendar and I'm shocked and amazed to realize that it is almost the two-year anniversary of the beginning of Scrimpalicious.

The first logo was nowhere NEAR
as cute as this

This has been a wonderful two years and I've loved writing my blog and sharing my thoughts, projects, recipes, and ideas with all of you.

So, to thank you for sticking with me through it all, I've decided to have a giveaway. There will be one winner, who can choose one of the following fabulous prizes. Each one of these has been chosen to celebrate one of my favorite blog entries from the last two years.

• On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen - Menu Planning Monday
• Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Vol. 1 - Julia I Ain't
• Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking, and Curing - Bacon, by Mr. Scrimp
• A scarf, t-shirt, or cardigan from Maggie's Organics - Why Organic?
• Roma Traditional Style Pasta Machine - Recipe: Homemade Pasta

So, what do you need to do to enter?

Facebook: How to Get Likes, Blogs, and Site Pages Back on Your Feed

With the recent Facebook redesign, I've noticed something. Scrimpalicious facebook posts that were being seen several hundred times are now being seen only 10-15 times on average. Basically, because of the new facebook algorithms, if you don't comment on the Scrimpalicious facebook page, you're never going to see when new posts come up.

If you ask me, it sounds like someone broke it.

For some of you, who follow Scrimpalicious in a reader or via email, this won't be a problem. For the rest of you, there are two things you can do.

1. Comment! Visit the Scrimpalicious facebook page and do some interactions with it. Leave comments. Answer questions. Ask questions. Share photos of your food or craft projects. Whatever it is, the more you do it, the more likely you are to be notified when new posts come up.

2. Make a list. This is what I did to make sure that I can still follow my favorite facebook pages and blogs. On the left-hand sidebar of your facebook page, you should see a section called "Lists." If you click on this, it will take you to the List page, and you will see that facebook has given you the option to create a list by clicking the "+ Create a list" button. If you click this button, you can create a new list (I called mine "Blogs and Sites") and manually add the blogs whose facebook posts you like to follow. Some of the ones I added were Cheeseslave, Real Food Whole Health, and Food Renegade, but there are more. They will not always show up on my facebook feed because of this, but the Lists sidebar will now alert me with a little (#) if there are new posts by those people.

And as always, if you're not yet a fan of Scrimpalicious on facebook, I'd like to ask you now to consider going to the page or clicking the "Like" button on the right hand side of the blog. You will be able to access syndicated blog posts, extra links and content, questions and discussion. Plus, you'll make me feel good and increase the likelihood that Scrimpalicious will be able to offer more giveaways and guests posts in the future.

Showdown: Store-bought vs. Homemade Broth or Stock

Time for another Homemade vs Store-bought showdown! This time we're going to look at broth and stock.

I spent time gathering data on both broth and stock. You'll notice I'm using these terms interchangeably, but they are not exactly the same thing. Broth is made by boiling meat and vegetables in water without bones. Stock is made by boiling meat, bones, and vegetables. I always make stock rather than broth. It has a higher nutritional content and better flavor.

I found some things out that really surprised me. For instance, did you know that it costs 2/3 more to buy broth than it does to make it at home? Yep. I have specific numbers under the cut.

And now, the showdown.

Menu Planning Monday: Week of September 26

Another week is here! We're having lots of beautiful fall weather and it's making me want soup and casserole and other warm, cozy foods. You may see that reflected in my menus this week. :)

To download a high-res, printable version
of this menu planner, go here

I have been spending a lot of time on Pinterest lately, looking at gloriously delicious fall recipes and beautiful pictures of leaves and frost, and thinking about sweaters and slippers and swishing through leaves.

Have I mentioned how Autumn is my favorite season? I feel like I have, but I thought I'd remind you all. Do you love it as much as I do?

Five Dollar Decor: Wreaths

Fall, for some reason, always feels to me like the beginning of wreath season. Perhaps because when I was growing up, hanging a wreath was part of the late-fall preparation for Advent and Christmas. Perhaps because trick-or-treating meant seeing a lot of doors and a lot of wreaths. Whatever the reason, I think about wreaths most when the days start to get shorter and the weather starts to get colder.

Coffee filter wreath by Craftberry Bush

It's hard for me sometimes to find wreaths that I like. Too much clutter or kitsch and I'm instantly turned off. But a lot of people are out there finding ways to make beautiful wreaths with not a lot of clutter for not a lot of money.

A New Arrival + DIY Book Boxes

Last week, Mother in Law Scrimp took me to a new antique shop that opened up by her house. It's amazing. Everything in the store is purchased cheaply at estate sales and re-sold just as cheaply. I just had to take advantage of it.

Are you ready to see what we bought? Are you? 

Ok. :)

Excuse the grit on the floor underneath it. I didn't sweep up after Mr. Scrimp and his brother carried it inside. 

It's a lovely art deco-style buffet, with beautiful old hardware. There are some dings and nicks here and there but really it's in excellent condition. 

I think the thing I am most in love with is the beautiful, simple woodwork:

Home Remedies: DIY Cough Syrup recipe

Well, it's that time of year again. The students are back at school and the teachers are coming home with colds and giving them to their wives.

"But Mrs. Scrimp," you may say, "you told me that you take elderberry extract religiously and almost never get sick!"

Oh yes. You're right. I said that. It's even true. Except, I hadn't started taking it yet because I'm a dummy and don't always follow my own good advice. Do as I say, blog readers, not as I do, or you too may end up like me--sick and sad.

But, if you are sick, there are lots of things you can do to make yourself feel better! Consider buying some Yogi Cold Season tea, or Gypsy Cold Care from Traditional Medicinals. Or, you can make cough syrup at home.  And I can tell you how.