AuntJamelle

We buy EVERYTHING from Menards!!!! We call ourselves "Menardians" Super excited for BF! Looking to do mainly online sales this year again!

Thank you SO much! Not quite sure how I missed that!!! Thank you, thank you!

I totally apologize if I am missing this! I'm having a really hard time telling when some stores are starting their sales - for example, Target. Yes, it starts on 11/22 but what time? What time zone? I've looked at the sale ad fine print and no joy. The Kohls ad was super clear on dates and times though. Just trying to figure out what my level of sleep deprivation is going to be! I thought in the past that there was an area here on the forums dedicated to planning online shopping strategies but I'm not seeing that either? Was surprised as I thought with things as they are this year that more emphasis would be on shopping online than ever before. If that info is gathered and available somewhere and someone can point me to it I truly appreciate it!

Is it just me or were certain things a better deal in the early sale? Versus the BF prices? The throws for example for one...

AGREED, Suzy!! NOT impressed by the ad at all. BOGO50% does not trip my trigger, let me tell you! lol I also loved the baking supplies deals!

This is something my MIL has made for ages - all the boys in my husband's family love it - it is really very good- especially if served with Cool Whip or freshly whipped cream! She adds celery to hers - I have NOT included that in recipe below - just not my thing in a recipe like this - but rhubarb is a nice alternative. Or you can just omit and it works out fine! Cranberry Jello Mold 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts 1 bag cranberries, fresh or frozen 1 large box black cherry jello 1 large box orange jello (mandarin flavor) 2 cups peeled, chopped apples 2 cups grapes (purple seedless cut in half) Optional: 1 cup finely diced rhubarb, frozen is fine 1 cup frozen OJ concentrate 1 cup sugar Wash and putt cranberries in food processor or just very finely chop- then put in 3-4 quart pot with orange juice, sugar, both boxes of jello and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil and stir until sugar and jello are dissolved. Take off heat and cool. When cooled add rest of ingredients and put in mold and chill until firm. Cranberry Gorgonzola Tossed Salad This salad is GOOD! It serves a big crowd! 2/3 c. vegetable oil ½ c. seasoned rice vinegar 1 ½ tsp. Dijon mustard 2 cloves garlic, pressed 3 - 5 heads Romaine Lettuce, rinsed, patted dry, torn into pieces (just fill a BIG bowl) 2 Granny Smith apples, diced 2/3 c. coarsely chopped walnuts 1 bag dried cranberries (use less if desired, just eyeball it!) 8 oz. crumbled Gorgonzola cheese 12 oz to 1 lb crumbled bacon ½ med. Sweet onion, thinly sliced Dressing: Combine oil, rice vinegar, mustard and garlic several hours in advance (mason jar good for this!). Refrigerate. Chill remaining ingredients before combining in a large bowl. Pour dressing sparingly over salad; toss gently. Serve immediately. Roasted Butternut Squash with Kale and Almond Pecan Parmesan 2-2.5 pound butternut squash 2 lg. cloves garlic, minced 2-3 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley or 1 T dried 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1/2 tsp fine grain sea salt (Kosher salt works well too - if using table salt reduce to ¼ tsp) 1 cup de-stemmed and roughly chopped Lacinato kale (you can omit this if desired or you can’t find, I've used regular Kale too) Almond Pecan Parmesan 1/4 cup slivered almonds 1/4 cup pecans 1 tbsp Parmesan Cheese (grated from the can) 1/8th tsp fine grain sea salt (Kosher fine, Table Salt I would just use a pinch) 2-3 tsp extra virgin olive oil 1. Preheat oven to 400F and lightly grease a casserole dish with oil. 2. Peel the squash. Thinly slice off the bottom and top and then slice through the middle lengthwise to make two halves. Remove seeds & guts with a grapefruit spoon or ice cream scoop. Chop two halves into 1-inch chunks and place into casserole dish. 3. Add minced garlic, parsley, oil, and salt into casserole dish and stir until well combined with the squash. Do not add the kale yet. 4. Cover casserole dish with a lid (or tin foil with a few holes poked) and bake at 400F for about 45 minutes. 5. Meanwhile, process the parmesan ingredients together until chunky (or just chop by hand and mix in a bowl). Make sure to leave lots of nut pieces for texture. 6. After about 45 mins (or when squash is just fork tender), remove from the oven and reduce heat to 350F. Stir in the chopped kale and stir the parmesan mixture gently into the squash. Bake for another 5-8 minutes, until the nuts are lightly toasted. Watch closely so you don’t burn them. Remove & serve! This. Is. HEAVEN on a plate! #truth

Free shipping on $50 order or more for me - so that worked out well! Got 2 throws and several tops for DS - not a bad start to BF 2019!!!!

Does anyone know if they are still doing rebates on things during the 1 day sale today?

I hide everything upstairs in black trash bags - once wrapped I put back in the trash bags Everything I buy is tracked on a Google Word doc that I can access from anywhere...I keep track by each person what I have gotten, what I plan to get, what is wrapped so far, stocking stuffers (if applicable), etc. It's worked well!

My baking list this year is as follows: Chunky Chocolate Gobs (Big chocolate cookies with chopped up Oreos, Mounds candy bars + choc chips) Browned Butter Mocha Caramel Cookies Sea Salt Butterscotch Pretzel Cookies Lemon Snowballs Gingersnaps (SO good - nothing like store bought!) Peanut Butter Chocolate Swirl Cookies Kieflees (Spelling wrong!!! How DO you spell that word??? - OLD recipe - dough wrapped around sweetened ground pecan filling - SO good) Pecan Sandies Cocoa Kiss Cookies White Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies Drop Style Sugar Cookies Chocolate Cherry Blossom Cookies Butterfinger Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe made with Dark Choc, Dried Cranberries and slivered Almonds I bake and freeze ahead of time - have for years - which is the only way I get this long list done in time!!!

A Christmas Story!!!! ??? "Seeing is believing, but sometimes the most real things in the world are the things we can't see."

I'm getting excited too!!! I think I'll go back and review my shopping lists from Black Friday's past - just to pass the time I'm curious to see what the weather ends up being like here for BF this year - all signs point to an early and colder winter from what I'm reading and hearing people say. We might just have a white BF and a white Christmas (finally!!!) this year!

Sept 1st!!! Even though it is always still hot!!! Will be getting out Halloween this weekend!!!

I started wrapping early this year - knew I'd be focused on our Disney trip in Sept. Have a nice stash upstairs all ready to go. I only have to hide DS's presents - DH never goes up there Going to try and wrap some every weekend between now and Christmas, as possible. Even if only for an 1/2 hour - every little bit helps. I can leave the supplies out upstairs which is helpful.

I am started to get excited!!! Started feeling the urge to check the BF forum a couple days ago - Can't wait for the first ads to come out!!! I've got a decent amount of gifts tucked away and a bunch I've made as well. Plenty left to do, as always!!!

For DH I do packages of jerky, different flavors and brands; blocks of specialty smoked cheeses that you can find in deli area of groc store - don't need refrigeration; canned cheese (lol - I know, I know, but he loves it and we never buy it); Summer Sausage; Little bottles of hot sauce are good too for someone who likes spicy foods. For DS I get lots of little fun things - Grow Capsules from the Target One Spot, Magic Washcloths from the same, this year I got him a set of colored ink pens, Pokemon cards, a small transformer toy, etc. and so on... For women I'll get lip balms/chapsticks, face masks, lotions, manicure sets, small candles, beauty samples I collect all year as I order my makeup from Sephora, etc., cute mini notebooks, makeup remover wipes, room sprays... For tween girls I might get anything on the previous list as well as stud earring sets, fun night lights, glitter tattoos, funky jumbo paperclips, etc.

I can't believe we are less than a week out now!!!! Shopping done Gifts were shipped last Monday - all confirmed to have arrived Christmas Cards mailed Baking - 90% done and given out already - more baking needed to have enough to finish up cookie platters for various folks. I baked and froze many different types of cookies starting in November but didn't make quite enough apparently, lol; Baked a quadruple batch of cinnamon rolls this weekend and delivered the last of them this morning! Wrapping - 80% done - still have lots left to do!!! I am really REALLY grateful for Starbucks! And Airbourne!!!

We've had a NuWave for 5 years now? Something like that - works GREAT! We got while we were in an apartment temporarily due to a house fire and didn't want to constantly set off the super sensitive smoke alarm - it cooks everything and air fries. I've done turkeys, pizzas, most of the things mentioned on this thread - except for steak and pork chops ...now I'm in intrigued! Mexican yumminess wrapped in a tortilla and brushed with oil fries up beautifully - then I transfer to a cake pan, cover with cheese and pop back in just long enough to melt the cheese. I really HATE extra small appliances but this one is good enough that it wins a place on the pantry shelf! We did have an issue with the original dome cracking a couple of years ago - ordered replacement for $25 I think...totally worth it.

Use a tension rod - like for a shower curtain - in between the casings of a window or doorway to support garland at the top and that will take most of the weight so you can then let the rest of the garland fall down the sides of the window/door and if it dangles too loosely - use a few command hooks to anchor it as needed. If putting a heavy garland arrangement on a mantel, I've seen folks cut a rough wooden board that will fit on top of the mantle (I would cut a piece of scrap cloth or felt to fit underneath the board too so you don't scratch the mantle). Then they can use any nails they need to to have the right amount of anchors for their garland/greenery arrangements. This would be for a super deluxe garland type scenario - one spilling down the sides etc. Usually mantles aren't the issue Other than command hooks I can't think of anything other than maybe tacks?

THIS ....LOOKS....AWESOME!!!! Totally trying it! FYI - If you forget the thaw step you can thaw the Rhodes dinner rolls in the microwave - place 6 or 7 on dinner plate and cover lightly with plastic wrap spritzed with cooking spray. cook on defrost for 20 seconds or so - flip them, recover and another 20 seconds. You should be able to use a good pair of kitchen shears to cut them in half at that point. Repeat for remaining rolls in recipe. These instructions came from Rhodes - on a recipe they put out years ago and I've saved and made many times. Also - to catch drips of butter from the springform pan - I use a plastic turkey bag or crockpot liner bag - just sit the pan down in that and then put on a cookie sheet. That is how I keep my cheesecake crusts warm and dry in their water bath too!

Thanksgiving night after we get home from dinner with family I usually get started on the main tree (I put up several) It's a good way to stave off a food coma!

SO many recipes to try now!!! Here are some we make every year: For Fall/Halloween these are the best! Reese's Soft Bake Peanut Butter Cookies - with Reese's Pieces AND chocolate chips/chunks! Yes please! https://www.averiecooks.com/reeses-pieces-soft-peanut-butter-cookies/ The rest of these are ones I make for Christmas eating...ahem...giving... Chunky Chocolate Gobs - Use chopped oreos, Mounds bars and chocolate chips - if you have someone who likes chocolate and coconut, these will be a hit! https://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/chunky-chocolate-gobs-0 Cocoa Kiss Cookies - You shape the dough around a Hershey's Kiss, bake and then roll in powdered sugar http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Cocoa-Kiss-Cookies/ Peanut Butter Chocolate Swirl Cookies - These are always a popular item on the cookie tray! http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2013/02/24/soft-baked-peanut-butter-chocolate-swirl-cookies/ Seven Layer Magic Bar Cookies - Graham cracker crumbs in the dough, need I say more? http://www.averiecooks.com/2013/07/soft-and-chewy-seven-layer-magic-bar-cookies.html

GREAT thread! Saving these recipes! I am a huge cook/baker so this is right up my alley! Sounds like you have a lot going on so I went through my files for some easy things: No Name But Amazing Appetizer: 1 container marinated mozzarella balls + 1 small clam shell grape tomatoes (red ones, purple ones, yellow ones - it’s all good!)...Cut tomatoes in half. Mix entire contents of cheese container, oil and all with the tomatoes. Chill for at least 2 hours. Serve on toasted baguette slices - grab baguette from the bakery. Easiest Bread Dip Ever: 1 container sour cream (16 oz) + 1 packet Lipton’s Vegetable Soup Mix + 1 round loaf of bakery bread...Mix sour cream and soup mix packet, chill at least an hour or two. Hollow out middle of bread loaf, reserving bread pieces. Place chilled sour cream mixture in bread, place bread on large platter, surround with saved bread pieces for dipping. Supply knife for cutting more pieces out of bread for dipping. Quick Stuffed Mushrooms: Small button mushrooms (as many as you're wanting to make) + boxed/frozen Spinach Artichoke Dip + Seasoned bread crumbs -- Pull stems from mushrooms (throw away or finely chop and use to stretch filling) then fill with thawed dip and top with bread crumbs. Broil until crumbs turn golden/filling is hot. Spicy Fruity Cream Cheese Cracker Appetizer: 1 block of cream cheese topped with 1 jar of raspberry fruit spread mixed with one jar of red pepper jelly - serve with crackers - YUM!!! You asked about desserts? Fill store bought pie crusts with the following filling. Very easy and thickens up like magic! Top with the crumble/crisp topping (further down). Stovetop Apple Pie Filling Ingredients 4 medium apples (Granny Smith are best IMHO, but just avoid eating apples like Red Delicious) 3 tablespoons water 2 tablespoons butter 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1/3 cup sugar 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon cornstarch 2 tablespoons water Instructions Peel, core and slice apples. Melt butter and cinnamon over medium heat. Stir in apples, sugar & 3 tablespoons water. Cover and cook stirring occasionally for 4-6 minutes or until very slightly softened. In a small dish combine cornstarch and water. Add to pan while stirring and continue to cook until apples are soft (not mushy) and filling is thickened. Let bubble 1 minute. Cool. Notes Some apples are juicier than others. If you would like your filling thicker, combine 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 1 tablespoon water. Add a little at a time while the mixture is boiling until you reach desired consistency. Crisp/Crumble Topping - Use over pies or over store bought pie filling spread in a pan to make an easy crisp/cobbler. Serve with ice cream if desired. ¾ c. firmly packed brown sugar ½ c. flour ½ c. oats ¾ tsp cinnamon ¾ tsp nutmeg 1/3 c. softened butter Cut the butter into the other ingredients with a pastry blender or two butter knives. Sprinkle over pie filling - bake at 350 until crust is browning and topping is golden and filling piping hot! 30 minutes?

New Christmas movie coming out Nov 22nd! The Man Who Invented Christmas http://www.imdb.com/title/tt6225520/ Preview looks good!!!