Three $5 off $25 CVS purchase coupons!!

Thanks to Common Sense with Money who writes:

Great news CVS shoppers! Remember the $5/$25 CVS coupon I shared with you last week? You took a quiz and had access to this coupon. Unfortunately the coupon was one time use only due to it’s unique bar code. Well, there are actually three $5 off $25 CVS purchase coupons you can have access to now. There are three different links available to take this quizz and each of these links prints a different CVS coupon with a different and unique barcode.

$5/$25 #1
$5/$25 #2 (this is the link I shared with you previously)
$5/$25 #3

If you had already printed the coupon from the link I had already shared, try the other two links for two new coupons. You should be able to use each of these coupons once per card.

Dead Deal: Cheap Jack's Pizza

They're reporting over at couponerswanted.com about a great deal on Jack's pizza:

In the Jewel insert for Sunday, the Jack's pizza (15-18.9 oz) is on special for 1.99 from Sunday to Wednesday (limit 5).

There still should be a 1.50 CAT when you buy 4 Jack's (it ends on 10/4 at other stores and someone confirmed it's printing here)

Also there is the .40/1 from the 8/23 SS exp 10/31/09.

1.99x4=7.96-1.50-1.60 (4x.40/1)=$4.86 for 4 pizzas.

Thanks Couponcutee95!

The final product

**Update: It's nearly nine months later and I'd like to note I've eaten ONE jar of this apple sauce! I can gaurantee you I won't be investing this time in this project this year.**

The final product of nearly 8 hours of canning. That's it. 8 quarts of apple sauce.

This was my first time canning so I managed to do a few things wrong. First, I didn't pick enough apples. As I was adding them to the pot of lemon-water after peeling, I had an inkling there was too much water in the pot. As they cooked down, and I pureed them with a stick blender, I turned them into apple juice. I had to run out and pick another twenty apples before it rained, then core, peel and slice them.

Note to self: when they tell you soaking cut apples in lemon juice will stop them from browning they LIE!

I started cooking apples around 3pm and was still cooking them at 6pm. I kept adding and adding apples, and sugar and cinnamon and allspice. In hindsight I won't use the 12 qt aluminum stock pot for this anymore since the bottom is thin and the apple sauce nearly burned even on medium low heat. It's better served as the hot water bath for the jars.

Speaking of jars...By 8pm I was ready to can. I'd washed all the jars and lids and rings in the dishwasher and put the lids in a pot on the stove to keep hot. I also needed to keep the jars warm, which left me in a pickle. The canner itself is a massive 22 quart pot that holds 7 jars at once for processing. You are supposed to keep the empty jars hot in another pot, dump out the hot water, ladle in the applesauce, seal and put them in the canner. I could only fit two jars in my remaining "big" pot, which meant I was constantly rotating a new jar into the pot to heat it. It wasn't terrible, but it made for a slower process time.

I wasn't able to find a jar lifter to remove the jars from the hot water bath so I used my silicon oven mitt, which after 6 years has finally shown its usefulness. It's water proof and good up to 600 degrees. It doesn't have the best grip, however, so I had to be careful not to drop the jar onto the tile floor. I also had to maneuver the jar to dump out the hot water by only grabbing the ring around the top, the only place my glove wouldn't slip.

Filling the jars was a breeze with a ladle. Then you are supposed to put on the flat lid and ring, tighten and set into the canning pot to boil. I realized about 4 jars into it that I'd put TWO lids on the jars instead of just one, so I had to remove the jars, take off the extra lid, and then reseal them.

I had all 7 jars in the canner by 8:30pm and they processed for 20 minutes in boiling water. Then you remove them and set them on a dish towel to cool. If you hear little pops, that's a good sign! All the jars vacuum sealed themselves. The last jar took the longest to do since I had to add lots of water to cover it in the pot and this took forever to boil. I think I finished it around 10pm.

And that's it. Nearly an entire day of picking, peeling, cooking, canning and boiling applesauce. There are still a gazillion apples on the trees but I am taking a break to make an apple pie now instead.

In the throws of canning apple sauce...

I finally got out to pick about 12 pounds of apples. As I'd mentioned earlier, my attempts of grow spotless apples was a disaster. I'm pleased to say that despite their outward (God-awful) appearance, the apples taste just fine. In fact, higher up on the tree, the apples are nearly blemish free, so maybe there's hope for next year.

We've peeled, cored and sliced them all (thank you Pampered Chef Apple-Peeler-Corer-Slicer circa 1993!) and now they are cooking down in a big pot on the stove. I don't have a food mill so I'm going to puree them with a stick blender. I added sugar, more sugar, and cinammon and allspice. I think based on my stock pot I've got at least 10 quarts (there must be a hundred quarts worth on the trees).

I ran out to True Value hardware to get the jars and the big pot with the rack in it. For $48 I'd better be canning for the rest of my life....

I'll try to post photos of the final product (it isn't that exciting to photograph people peeling apples).

Slow.....at Jewel

I've been quiet because the deals lately don't inspire me. I did grab the Pepperdige Farms cookies and Goldfish crackers for pennies a bag, but other than that, oh and soup, I've not been bothered.

Unlike a lot of Jewel-junkies, I don't live "close" to the store. My Jewel is a planned trip, not a run by convenience, here in suburbia. I can get to a horse quicker than a Jewel (seriously!).

In other exciting news, I found a recipe for canning apple sauce that I am going to try out this weekend + post pics. That way those in the know about canning (not me) can point out where and how I am giving my family botulism from poorly preserved fruit (no, just kidding--however please do post if you see something sorely amiss. I'm praying the folks at Ball Canning, makers of the canning jars where I got the receipe, know a thing or two about canning).

Can I just make This for Dinner? Rasberry Ganache Truffles

From Fresh Market (where I feel the need to dress up a bit to shop for groceries!!)

Note to Fresh Market: a photo would have been nice!!

Servings: Makes 20 - 25 truffles

Ingredients:
Chocolate Ganache
1 pound semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup Chambord

Optional Coatings
graham cracker squares, crushed
dark chocolate, finely chopped

Dipping Sauce
2 tablespoons raspberry jam
1 tablespoon Chambord
1 box of pectin
3 oranges, juiced and zested

Preparation:
Place chocolate chips in a medium bowl; set aside. In a saucepan over medium-high heat, bring heavy cream to a boil. Pour cream over chocolate chips and let rest for 5 minutes. Stir until smooth, then add ¼ cup Chambord. Refrigerate at least 4 hours.

Using a small ice cream scooper or melon baller dipped in warm water, scoop out chocolate ganache and place on a cookie sheet. Roll each scoop between your hands into a neat ball and then roll through the coating of your choice. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Optional Dipping SauceBring jam, 1 tablespoon Chambord, pectin, orange juice and zest to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer 5 to 6 minutes. Drizzle over truffles or serve as a dipping sauce on the side.

Great Giveaway

Get a load of this cool cheese board and knife set being given away over at What's For Dinner.

I entered and you should, too!