How a Full Pantry Saves Money
by Lee Ann Sontheimer Murphy
Stocking up can be simple and inexpensive

Call it obsession or maybe just a legacy from my Depression-
era grandparents, who kept their larders full, but I have a
well stocked, full to brimming over pantry. I have always
shopped ahead and stocked up, but after moving to a larger
home last year with incredible storage space in the basement,
I have fulfilled my dream of having a full pantry.

With today's unstable economy, having a full pantry is
protection against high prices and provisions for tomorrow. My
full pantry allows me to avoid unnecessary trips to the
supermarket, saving time, money and gas.

It is easy to start stocking a pantry. There are just a few
rules that make it simple and even inexpensive.

Rule #1: Buy only what the family will use. Filling a pantry
with items that family members may not like or things that may
never be used defeats the purpose of building a stockpile of
food.

Rule#2: Stock up with sale items. Don't rush out to buy six
cans of spaghetti sauce or four boxes of macaroni and cheese.
Wait for a sale. Most supermarkets put out a weekly sale ad so
watch for favorite products and brands to go on sale. In
addition, some markets offer in-store savings on select items
so be a savvy shopper and search the shelves for bargains.
When the spaghetti sauce is at a low sale price, that is the
time to stock up with several to store on the shelf.

Rule #3: Use coupons. Many Sunday newspapers offer coupon
inserts and other coupons are in many publications. Online
sites like Coupon Cabin, Cool Savings.com, and Coupon Craze
can also provide coupons that match products. Often,
manufacturers put out coupon savings at about the same time as
their products go on sale at the supermarket, providing a
chance for even greater savings. Better yet, find a
supermarket that offers double coupons or even triple coupon
events to increase the savings!

Rule #4: Prepare the space for your pantry. Whether it is an
empty kitchen cabinet, a freestanding shelf, a hutch, or
basement shelves, utilize any open space for food storage. My
basement came equipped with many shelves and bonus kitchen
cabinets, installed by a former owner. Remember that any space
used as a pantry should be cool and dry. Most garages and
outside storage buildings get too hot or cold to serve as safe
storage space for food.

Rule #5: Once you have a pantry established, remember to
rotate. Put the newest items in the back and use the first one
in line. This is easier to do if you organize the food on the
pantry shelves, like item with like item. I keep condiments
like ketchup, mustard, and salad dressings together with each
item in a row of its own.

Rule #6: Don't buy more than you can ever use. Once into the
routine of planning and stocking a pantry, it is easy to get
carried away, but don't buy more than can be used within a
reasonable amount of time. Keep track of use-by dates on
products, plan ahead, and if more than three squeeze bottles
of mustard won't be used by that time, don't buy more.

With these simple tips and money saving ideas, anyone can
stock a pantry, saving money and limiting trips to the market.
A plus is that a well-stocked pantry can save the day during
weeks when money is short or the weather limits shopping. The
key to a well-fed family on a budget is a well-stocked pantry!

Take the Next Step:
- A well-stocked pantry can save you time and money, so begin
today to stock your pantry.

Acres of Apples
by Jill Cooper
Being frugal to the core

I've always dreamed of having an apple tree in my backyard.
You know the old saying, "Be careful what you wish for?" Now
that I actually have my own apple tree, I stand in my yard
watching the apples piling up around me thinking, "Oh no, what
do I do with this mess now?" If I could make gasoline out of
apples, I could retire, but since that is not an option and my
frugal mind will not allow me to waste one apple, I have had
to come up with some yummier "apple disposal" methods. If you
find that you have a few dozen more apples than you know what
to do with, these recipes from LivingOnADime.com will help
settle your frugal dilemma.

Other Uses:

- When you have a partially eaten apple, save the good part
and chop into pieces. Place in a microwave safe dish. Blend
together one teaspoon each of brown sugar, flour, oatmeal and
margarine and a dash of cinnamon. Top the apple with the
topping and microwave until tender.

- Core and slice apples very thin. Dehydrate and use in
granolas, eat alone or soften in warm water to use in recipes.

- Slice and use in pancakes or waffles.

- Freeze. Peel, slice and core and then store in two-cup
portions in freezer bags.

- Use soft apples in cooking.

- Cut into small pieces and add to salads with a fruit based
dressing.

Apple Butter

9 to 10 apples, cored, peeled and chopped
2 cups sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. cloves
1/8 tsp. salt

Place everything into a slow cooker. Stir, cover and cook on
high for 1 hour. Cook on low for 9 to 11 hours or until thick
and dark brown. Stir occasionally. Uncover and cook on low 1
hour longer. Stir with whisk until smooth. Refrigerate or
Freeze. Makes 2 pints.

Apple Pie Filling

9 cups baking apples, peeled, cored and sliced
1 1/2 Tbsp. lemon juice
5 cups water
2 1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. nutmeg

Toss apples with lemon juice and set aside. Combine the rest
of the ingredients in Dutch oven and bring to a boil for 2
minutes, stirring constantly. Add apples and return to boil.
Reduce heat, cover and simmer until apples are tender (6-10
minutes). Cool for 30 minutes. Then ladle into freezer
containers or bake immediately. Makes two 9-inch pies.

Fried Apples

4 large apples, cored and sliced
3 Tbsp. butter or margarine
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Cut apples into 1/4-inch slices. Heat butter in a large
skillet. Put the apples, brown sugar, and cinnamon in the
skillet and cover. Over medium-low heat, cook apple slices 7-
10 minutes or until they begin to soften and the syrup
thickens. Serve coated with excess syrup on top. Serves 4.

Baked Apples

apples, cored
raisins (optional)
1 tsp. margarine
dash of cinnamon
dash of nutmeg
1 Tbsp. honey or brown sugar

(These amounts are per apple.)

For each person use 1 apple. Fill the center of the apple with
all the ingredients. Bake at 350 degrees until tender or put
in a Dutch oven on top of stove and simmer on very low until
tender.

Apple Snack

2 qts. apples, peeled, cored and halved

Coarsely grate apples. Place on a greased cookie sheet. Bake
at 225 degrees until dry. Remove from cookie sheet and break
into pieces. Store in an airtight container.

Apple Crisp

6 apples, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp. cinnamon and/or nutmeg
1/2 cup water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Arrange apples in well-greased
baking dish. Blend all remaining ingredients except water.
Spread evenly over top of apples. Pour water over the topping.
Bake 45 minutes until apples are tender and top is crisp.
Serves 6.
______________________________

Jill Cooper raised two teenagers alone on $500 a month income
after becoming disabled with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. To read
more of Jill's articles and for free tips and recipes, visit
http://www.LivingOnADime.com/.

Convenience vs. Reality vs. the Wallet
by Steven Burns
What is the true cost of convenience?

A couple months ago, my coworker and I were running late for a
meeting in another city. We knew lunch was going to be fast
food because of this. Pulling into the parking lot, my partner
said, "Use the drive through, as it's quicker."

There was a car waiting to pull up to the ordering board and
there was a line of vehicles around the corner to the pick-up
window. We made a small wager and went inside to pick up our
order. When we left, the car we would have pulled in behind
had moved two spots forward. I won the bet and he paid for
lunch.

My coworker was under the false impression a drive through
allowed you to get your food quicker. It means no such thing.
It only means you don't have to get out of your vehicle.

Doing a little research, I found the drive through takes
roughly five minutes per customer. It didn't matter if it was
a fast food restaurant, coffee shop, or bank.

Vehicles burn between one and four gallons per hour, depending
on the number of cylinders the engine has and if it's a
hybrid. Depending on your vehicle type, how long you wait, and
if you keep your engine running, it can add up quickly. With
today's gas prices, it doesn't take long to add another dollar
or more.

Then I tried thinking of a place that sold items that made our
lives more convenient. The grocery store? I found all kinds of
things but will only compare a couple items. The prices are
for where I live.

The first item is a 12-ounce package of salad mix, containing
a mixture of iceberg lettuce, romaine lettuce, carrots, and
radishes with no dressing. A one-pound bag of baby carrots
costs $2.29/pound. There are about one hundred carrots in the
bag, and in the mix, they shredded about three for a cost of
about $.07. Radishes cost $.79 for ten and they used about two
in the mix for a cost of about $.16. Romaine lettuce costs
$1.29/pound or $.08/ounce. I'm estimating that they used six
ounces for a cost of $.48. Iceberg lettuce costs $.99 for a 2
1/2 pound head or about $.02/ounce. Using another six ounces
to fill out the bag costs an additional $.15. Add it all
together and it would cost you, if you made it yourself, $.86.
The pre-made bag costs $3.49, a savings of $2.63/bag.

Several aisles later, I found pudding snacks: four cups for 14
ounces. A box of pudding mix that makes 16 ounces costs $1.05
or $.92 for 14 ounces. A gallon of milk costs $3.75 or $.41
for 14 ounces. The tricky part is having something to put it
in to take to work. Plastic containers cost $3.99 for six.
There isn't any way the convenience price can be beat if these
containers are only used once. I have a set that I've used for
over a year. We'll make the assumption they are replaced
yearly so the price is $.05 for four cups. The total cost is
$1.38 versus $2.09 for the convenience, a savings of $.71.

In the cooler section were gelatin snacks: six cups for 19.5
ounces. Going through the math again, a box of gelatin that
makes 32 ounces costs $1.75 or $1.07 for 19.5 ounces. We'll
use the same assumption for containers as we did in the
previous example: $.08 for six cups. To make it costs $1.15
against $3.49 charged by the store, a savings of $2.34.

There will be no argument from me that there is an energy cost
to cool the pudding or gelatin, but it isn't that much. The
argument comes when your personal time is put into the
equation. My favorite is when a person says, "My time is
worth..." and they mention some large monetary amount. Get
real. None of these items take more than five minutes to make.

I found a lot of items that were pre-made for our convenience.
Very few were cheaper than if you made it yourself. Not to
mention that you are putting what you want into your meal and
making it as healthy as you want.

So, the next time you think about using the drive through or
picking up that pre-made item, consider if it's worth the
extra cost for the convenience. I hope you start making things
yourself after reading this and don't even get me started on
fruit cup prices.

Take the Next Step:
- The next time you think of using the drive through or
picking up some convenience food, consider if it's worth the
extra cost.

Since there was no school Tuesday because of Veteran's Day, Dave thought it would be a good time to take Cameron on a hunting trip.  Of course, Cameron isn't old enough to shoot anything, but he sure enjoyed the time with daddy.  Dave said they didn't even see anything because every time they sat down for 5 minutes, Cameron wanted to walk again, and also because Cameron was so excited that he kept talking.  It's ok, though.  All that matters is that he had a good time.

I made this soup last Saturday.  I got the recipe from Soups from Amish and Mennonite Kitchens by Pennsylvania Dutch Cookbooks--it was worth the 50 cents I paid for it at a yard sale!!  This is the 3rd recipe I have tried out of the book, and this was our favorite so far!  There was 1 serving left when we were done--even Emily ate 2 bowls of it!  My boss had gotten us each a ham a few months ago, and after it was cooked, I saved the bone, so this was an especially frugal meal for us!  I also added a chopped carrot with the other vegetables!

Ham Noodle Soup

1 ham bone

1 tbsp. onion, chopped

1 celery stalk, chopped

1/2 lb. noodles

Salt and pepper

     Cook ham bone, onion and celery in 3 quarts of water until meat is tender.  Remove meat from broth and pick from bone.

     Add noodles to boiling broth and cook until tender.  Return meat to soup.  Salt and pepper to taste.

If you are 30 or older you will think this is
hilarious!!! 

                      When I was a kid, adults used to bore me to tears with
their tedious diatribes about how hard things were when they were growing up;
what with walking  twenty-five miles to school every morning ... uphill BOTH
ways

                      yadda, yadda, yadda

                      And I remember promising myself that when I grew up,
there was no way I was going to lay a bunch of crap like that on kids about how
hard I had it  and how easy they've got it!

                      But now that... I'm over the ripe old age of thirty,
I can't help but look around and notice the youth of today.

                      You've got it so easy! I mean, compared to my
childhood, you live in a Utopia!

                      And I hate to say it but you kids today you  don't
know how good you've got it!

                      I mean, when I was a kid we didn't have The Internet
. If we wanted to know something, we had to go to the **** library and look it
up ourselves, in the card catalog!!

                      There was no email!! We had to actually write  somebody a
letter with a pen!  Then you had to walk all the way across the street and put
it in the mailbox and it would take like a week to get there!

                      There were no MP3's or Napsters! You wanted to steal
music, you had to hitchhike to the **** record store and  shoplift it yourself!

                      Or you had to wait around all day to tape it off the
radio and  the DJ' d usually talk over the beginning and @#*% it all up!
                      We didn't have fancy crap like Call Waiting! If you
were on the phone and somebody else called they got a busy signal,  that's
it!

                      And we didn't have fancy Caller ID Boxes either! 
When the phone rang, you had no idea who it was!  It could be your school, your
mom, your boss, your bookie, your  drug dealer, a collections agent, you just
didn't know!!!  You had to pick it up and take your chances, mister!

                      We didn't have any fancy Sony Playstation video games
with  high-resolution 3-D graphics!  
                      We had the Atari 2600!  With games like 'Space
Invaders' and 'asteroids'. Your guy was  a  little square!   You
actually had to use your imagination!!  And there were no multiple levels or
scree ns, it was just one  screen   forever!
                      And you could never win.   The game just kept getting
harder and harder and faster and faster until you died!
                      Just like LIFE!

                      When you went to the movie theater there no such thing as
stadium seating!
                      All the seats were the same height!  If a tall guy or
some old broad with a hat sat in front of you and you couldn't see, you were
just screwed!
                       

                Sure, we had cable television, but back then that was only like
15 channels and there was no on screen menu and no remote control!  You had to
use a little book called a TV Guide to find out what was on!  You were screwed
when it came to channel surfing!   You had to get off your ass and walk over to
the TV to change the channel and there was no Cartoon Network either! You could
only  get cartoons on Saturday Morning. Do you hear what I'm saying!?!  We
had to wait ALL WEEK for cartoons, you spoiled little  rat-butts!

                And we didn't have microwaves, if we wanted to heat
something up we had to use the stove or go build a fringing fire.   imagine
that!
                
                If we wanted popcorn, we had to use that stupid Jiffy Pop thing
and shake it over the stove forever like an idiot.

                That's exactly what I'm talking about!  You kids today
have got it too easy.  You're spoiled.
                You guys wouldn't have lasted five minutes back in 1980!

                Regards,
                The over 30 Crowd

OUR SON was constantly wandering in and out of the house, leaving the front or back door wide open. "Once and for all, will you please close that!" my exasperated wife pleaded one day. "Were you born in a barn?" "No, I was born in a hospital," he replied, smirking. "With automatic doors."

Using Credit/Debit cards at the pump

 

Read this note very carefully. I did not know about the clear button, but I will be pushing the clear button before I swipe my gas or debit card and after just to be safe.

 

People are getting really desperate due to the constantly rising gas prices.

A friend just told me about something that happened to one of his coworkers.

 

She used her credit/debit card t o purchase gas at the pump (like most of  us do). She received her receipt like normal. 

 

However, when she checked her statement, there were two $50 charges added in addition to her purchase. Upon investigation, she found out that because she did not press the 'clear' button on the pump, the employee inside the store was able to use her card to purchase his/her own gas!

Autumn Family Fun
by Linda Shapero
Fall activities that the whole family will enjoy

Are you looking for some autumn activities for the whole
family that won't cost a mint? Are you racking your brain
trying to come up with ideas suitable for your three year-old,
as well as your 12 year-old?

Autumn is a great time of year to get outside, take in the
crisp fresh air, admire the beautiful foliage, and appreciate
the mild weather while it's still with us. What better time to
make a family date and do the following fall-like activities:

1. Visit an apple orchard and pick your own apples. You can
make a day out of this by not only picking apples but packing
a basket and finding the perfect spot for a family picnic.
First, plan to also visit the orchard's country store (if they
have one) to pick up some apple cider or other fall treats to
add to the picnic basket. Don't forget to store apples in a
cool, dark place when you get home. Later on, you can have fun
making caramel apples and apple pies.

2. Likewise, make a trip to the pumpkin patch and then bake
your own pumpkin pies. This is great fun for the kiddies, and
they'll enjoy baking and eating the pumpkin seeds, too. It's
the perfect time to begin teaching little ones about cooking
and measurements, as well.

3. Invite friends and family over to have a raking or yard
cleanup party. Ask everyone to bring his or her favorite
seasonal dish and have a potluck while you're at it. (Of
course, you'll want to coordinate this aspect of the party, as
you don't want to end up with four dishes of homemade
applesauce.) This is not only a great way to clean up and
winterize your yard but have a fun get-together at the same
time.

4. Take a nature walk in the woods and point out interesting
trees, plants, and wildlife. If you're not up on the names of
trees and plants, you can check a book out of the library that
will serve as a guide. Encourage everyone to pick up leaves to
press later on. They can make collages or all kinds of
pictures and crafts from them. (One year for an autumn-themed
birthday party, we used pressed leaves under a clear table
covering for an impressive look.)

5. If the kids are a bit older, consider taking a longer hike.
Make sure everyone has the proper clothing and footwear, as
well as food, snacks and drinks. It's a great way to commune
with nature and get out in the open. It's great exercise, too!

6. Get together with friends for a once-a-month (or more)
autumn potluck. Make a heaping batch of beef stew, chili, or
your favorite big batch meal, and call several family friends
to join you with side dishes. Next month, let someone else do
the same, and keep it up. Just think, if you do it more often,
say once every two weeks, that cuts down on cooking for
everyone!

7. Research museums in your area. Plan a day trip to one that
you've never been to before. This is an especially helpful
hint for those rainy weekends that creep up during the autumn
months, and it's educational. It can also lead to new
interests and new field trips.

8. If you live anywhere near a farm, arrange a hayride for
your family and friends. Later, bring them back to the house
for hot cider, popcorn, pumpkin pie, and any other fall
goodies you can dream up.

9. Find a local festival or fair. These are always fun for
everyone with all the sights, food and activities to partake
of and they are almost always on a weekend for your
convenience.

10. Check out school and church bazaars as early as October
and November to find very affordable holiday gift items.
You'll be surprised at some of the terrific sales you'll get
at these holiday markets. The children will be so pleased when
they can find items that will fit in their budget, plus it
makes for a fun day for everyone.

Autumn goes so quickly, so be sure to make the most of it by
getting out and participating in some of the above activities.

Take the Next Step:
- Autumn is a wonderful time of year, but it passes quickly.
Start making some plans now, so you'll be ready when the
leaves start to change and the temperature starts to drop.
There are many wonderful things to do. Maybe you'll want to
try one of the above activities or ask around and see what's
available in your neck of the woods.

CF Versus LED
by Rich Finzer
The light at the end of the tunnel isn't fluorescent

As we seek new and innovative ways to cut our energy costs,
many folks are turning to compact fluorescent lights (CF) as
an alternative to traditional incandescent bulbs. And, to a
point, this is a good idea. A CF uses about 1/4 the
electricity required to power an equivalent tungsten filament
bulb and they last about five times longer. That's great, but
there are several problems associated with CFs, namely that
they contain mercury, are extremely fragile, perform poorly in
cold locations, and are nearly impossible to recycle. A
smarter choice is the LED.

LEDs (light emitting diodes) are really not "bulbs" at all.
Rather they are semiconductors that glow when electricity
passes through them. Best of all, LEDs consume roughly 1/4 the
electricity needed to fire up a CF. And unlike a CF, an LED
doesn't require a warm-up period before reaching full
illumination. When you switch one on, it produces 100% of its
rated output from the get go. Additionally, LEDs are resistant
to breakage, generate no heat, contain no mercury, and have a
lifespan as high as 60,000 hours. That's about five to six
times the lifespan of a typical CF! Newer LED styles are even
available with standard (Edison) bases, which will fit
conventional light sockets. Unfortunately, most retailers
presently stock very few LEDs. But, if you Google(tm) on "LED
lights" you'll generate dozens of hits from sites selling them
over the web.

All CF bulbs generate some heat, which impacts your air
conditioning costs. During the hot summer months, you'll spend
additional money cooling down your home that you've warmed up
with the heat from your CF bulbs. Some might argue that the
heat signature of a CF is significantly lower than
incandescent lights and they'd be correct. However, LEDs
generate no heat whatsoever, and it's pretty hard to generate
less heat than no heat.

Additionally, unlike most CFs, LED lights are available in a
rainbow of colors ranging from pure cool white to pink and
even purple. Newer designs can even mimic the yellow-white
light generated by an incandescent bulb.

If you drop a CF bulb, most likely it will shatter on impact,
scattering shards of mercury coated glass all over the place.
Cleaning up this mess can be problematic. Safety experts warn
that you should not even attempt sweeping up the pieces, as
this may expose you to the mercury. Instead, they recommend
picking up the bits with sticky tape. Sounds like fun, doesn't
it? Conversely, if you drop an LED most likely it won't break,
but even if it does, the fragments are benign.

Recycling LEDs is easier, too. They can be accepted at
virtually every landfill. On the other hand, CF bulbs can only
be recycled at a handful of locations across the entire
country. The shipping costs to get them there will easily
exceed the cost of the CF. And, because LEDs last five to six
times longer than CFs, using them instead will reduce your
landfill waste by up to 80%.

If there is a downside to LEDs, it is that their light is
directional. But, for any ceiling fixture or installed under
cabinets to illuminate the counter below, they can't be beat.
Finally, there is some evidence that the ultraviolet free
light of an LED doesn't attract night flying insects making
them a great choice for the post light in your front yard.

LEDs cost more initially than CFs, but they last longer and
can be installed where CF bulbs are either inappropriate or
will be inconvenient to replace (like in a recessed fixture in
a room with a vaulted ceiling). With a lifespan of 60,000
hours, an LED may never wear out during your lifetime.
Remember that 60,000 hours equates to leaving the LED on
continuously for nearly 7 years. Nobody is going to do that in
his/her home. But that's not why an LED outshines the
competition.

Face it, because of escalating fuel costs and pending
environmental regulations, the cost of electricity will
continue to rise for at least the foreseeable future. LEDs use
roughly 1/4 the power needed to light up a CF. That's where
the real savings lie. Once LED production ramps up, the
economies of scale will drive their prices down much as it did
with CFs. As an example, I purchased my first CF bulbs in 1991
at a cost of $14 each. These days that same CF bulb sells for
just $3 to $4.

The LED is the wave of the future. They're environmentally
benign, stingy in power consumption, durable, and safe,
meaning that the light at the end of the tunnel is not
fluorescent.

Pumpkin Pecan Oatmeal

2 cups quick cooking oats
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1 (8-ounce) container vanilla low-fat or nonfat yogurt
3 cups water
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons coarsely chopped toasted pecans

In medium saucepan, bring water, pie spice and salt to a boil; stir in
oats. Return to a boil; reduce heat to medium. Cook 1 minute or until
most of liquid is absorbed, stirring occasionally. Stir in pumpkin and
brown sugar; cook 1 minute. Let stand until desired consistency. Spoon
oatmeal into four cereal bowls. Top with yogurt and pecans.

Banana Coffee Cake with Chocolate Chip Streusel

Source: Bon Appetit - January 2003

Use bananas with some black spots on the skin, a sign that they are
really ripe.

12 servings

1 1/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips (about 8 ounce)
2/3 cup packed golden brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 large egg
1 1/3 cups mashed very ripe bananas (about 3 large)
3 tablespoons buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour an 8-inch square
baking pan.

Stir chocolate chips, brown sugar, walnuts and cinnamon in small bowl
until well blended; set streusel aside.

Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt into medium bowl.

Using electric mixer, beat sugar, room temperature butter and egg in
large bowl until fluffy. Beat in mashed bananas and buttermilk. Add
dry ingredients and blend well.

Spread half of batter (about 2 cups) in prepared baking pan. Sprinkle
with half of streusel. Repeat with remaining batter and streusel.
Bake coffee cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean,
about 45 minutes. Cool coffee cake in pan on rack.

Apple Pecan Pound Cake

2 cups Sugar
1 1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. Vanilla
3 cups Granny Smith apples; peeled and finely diced
1 cup pecans, chopped

Mix sugar and oil, add eggs and beat well. Combine flour, soda and
salt. Add flour mixture to beaten egg mixture. Stir in vanilla, apples
and pecans. Mix well. Spoon batter into a greased tube or Bundt pan.

Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour and 20 minutes. Allow cake to cool
before removing from pan. Dust with confectioners' sugar or drizzle a
glaze of confectioners' sugar and milk over the top of the cake.

RASPBERRY SNOW BARS

3/4 cup shortening
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp almond extract
2 eggs, separated
1 1/2 cup sifted all-purpose flour
1 cup red raspberry preserves
1/2 cup flaked coconut
1/2 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 350*F. Cream shortening, salt and 1/4 cup sugar until
fluffy. Blend in almond extract and egg yolks. Mix in flour. Pat
dough
into bottom of ungreased 13x9x2-inch baking dish. Bake 15 minutes.
Spread hot crust with preserves; sprinkle top with coconut. Beat egg
whites until foamy; gradually beat in 1/2 cup sugar until stiff peaks
form. Spread over coconut. Bake in 350*F oven for 25 minutes. Cool
completely on rack. Cut into 2 dozen bars.