Gift ideas and recipes

I was talking with a friend of mine, who also has a handful of kids and an extended family that includes lots of cousins. We found ourselves trying to strategize on how we could have a nice holiday celebration for our broods without spending a ton of money. The goal was to make sure the kids still had fun and received gifts that were useful and meaningful.

One suggestion was to make decorative pillowcases. My friend told me that her son had received a frog-decorated one as a gift a while back and he loves it so much that it is all he wants on his pillow. The pillowcase has to be washed during the day so that it can be replaced on his pillow that night. What kid wouldn’t want his own fun pillowcase, she asked me?

To make pillowcases, think differently – in this case, the quirkier the better. For fabric, choose cartoon or holiday-themed flannel or heavy cotton. You can get patterns and instructions for making pillowcases on the Internet. My friend is going to have a “pillowcase party” with her mother, and they plan on mass producing all they will need for the holiday.

For those who don’t sew, a variation on a theme here is to buy pillowcases and decorate them using fabric paint. Young girls might like princess-themed cases, boys something superhero related. You could paint pieces of candy all over the case to ensure sweet dreams. For grandparents, you could have each of the grandchildren leave a fabric-painted handprint on the case with the year.

Being thrifty this holiday season is definitely something that can be done, it’s just going to mean you will need to do some creative out-of-the-box thinking and planning.

More egg recipes

This is a recipe Merrimack resident Gina Rosati’s mom found about 40 years ago, and she said it’s a family favorite. It’s called Zucchini Souffle, but it’s not really a souffle, it’s more of a frittata.

ZUCCHINI SOUFFLE

3 cups grated zucchini

1⁄2 cup diced onion

1⁄2 grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

1⁄2 cup canola or olive oil

4 eggs

1 cup Bisquick

1⁄2 teaspoon pepper

1⁄2 teaspoon oregano

1⁄2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon parsley

Mix all together, and bake in a greased 9- by 13-inch pan in a 350-degree oven for 25 minutes, or until golden brown.

Slice into squares, and serve warm or cold.

Karen Velez, of Hillsdale, N.Y., serves this thrifty recipe of Egg and What’s Lying Around Casserole for a crowd with a salad, and she writes it’s always a hit and great at holiday brunches. She’s been serving it for years.

“I take several eggs (12-15) and mix them up with milk, salt and pepper, and place in a glass Pyrex that has been sprayed with the nonstick spray.

“After that, it’s whatever is around. I always put in some meat – bacon, sausage or ham – and plenty of veggies. Last week, the crew had sausage, mushroom and spinach.

“After the goodies have been added, take a couple of pieces of white bread, tear apart, adding the pieces to the mixture (sounds odd, but makes it super fluffy).

“Top with whatever shredded cheese is handy (last week some mozzarella and some cheddar).

“Bake uncovered in the oven for about 45 minutes.”

Send your money-saving tips and ideas to Wendy Thomas at wendy@simple thrift.com. She also writes at www.simplethrift.wordpress.com.