When life gives you lemonade stands...

With the term "lemonade stand" certain images are immediately evoked: a bright summer day, a hand-lettered sign, a glass pitcher full of yellow lemonade, cute freckle-faced children, and coins dropping into a piggy bank.

This past Sunday I set up a lemonde -- and cupcake -- stand with my 6-year-old daughter Hannah. Our first attempt at participating in this quintessential summer pastime included almost everything in the list above.

We had the summer day, the sign, the lemonade, and the cute kids. The only thing missing was, yep, the cold hard cash.

I'm not sure what I was expecting. But it was decidedly more than three customers total for the entire day -- and one of those was a family member. Was it because we didn't advertise? were on a slow street? chose the wrong day?

In any case, we didn't fill up Hannah's piggy bank as much as we would have liked. However, if you can't have both, what's better -- money or memories? Because we did make plenty of those.

Feeding 6 for 8 - Easy Breezy Brunch Bake

I know, I know, I've already done a breakfast-for-dinner recipe. But this is too good not to post. And I just made it tonight, so it is fresh in my mind (and stomach -- yum).

I got this recipe from Kraftfoods.com originally, but I have since made a few alterations: #1) I took out the mushrooms, because I absolutely detest mushrooms, and #2) I reduced the amount of cheese by about 75%. It used to be called "Easy Cheesy Brunch Bake" but I changed the Cheesy to Breezy, because it's just so darn easy. And no one needs a pan full of 4 cups of cheese.

Menu

• Easy Breezy Brunch Bake
• Fresh strawberries

Recipe

12 eggs

1/3 cup sour cream

1 lb. turkey breakfast sausage

1 green pepper, chopped

1/2 medium onion, chopped

3/4 cup shredded cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Beat eggs with sour cream with wire whisk until well blended. Pour into greased 13x9-inch baking dish. Bake 10 minutes or until egg mixture is softly set. Meanwhile, cook sausage, onions, and green pepper in large skillet until sausage is cooked through, stirring occasionally. Drain.

Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Top with the sausage mixture. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake an additional 30 minutes or until egg mixture is set in center and cheese is melted.

Serve with fresh strawberries or fruit salad.

Shopping List

• 1 dozen eggs - $1.15
• Sour cream - $1.19
• Turkey sausage - $2.49
• Green pepper - $0.99
• Onion - $0.51
• Strawberries - $2.00

Stuff You Should Have Already

• Cheese

Grand Total

• $8.33 (Close enough!)

How to NOT spend a fortune at the movies

Of course everyone knows that matinees (movies showing before 6 p.m.) are generally cheaper than regular shows.

But attending a matinee is not the only way to save money at the theater.

1. The first thing to remember is that, indeed, timing is everything. By all means, attend a matinee. Or better yet, attend a show before noon at any AMC and get an even cheaper ticket. It's their "A.M. Cinema" special.
2. Many theaters also have special discount days. Our local Hollywood Theater has 1/2 price tickets every Tuesday. Some theaters also have Student Days and/or Senior Days.
3. The summer is a great time to catch up on all your kids movies. Regal and AMC both offer free or $1 movies all summer long. Regal shows G & PG movies for free every Tuesday and Wednesday morning at 10 a.m. from June through August. AMC shows G or PG movies on Wednesdays only at 10 a.m. for $1.
4. Another way to save money is to stock up on discount tickets from your local grocery store. Our King Soopers here has them for $6. That wouldn't save you money on a matinee, but it would save you $4-5 on a regular show. Just make sure to take note of any restrictions.
5. Also, I beg you, sign up for rewards cards. AMC's MovieWatcher Rewards card provides you with free concessions or movie tickets for every 10 points earned, and Regal's Crown Club card is set up similarly. These cards may save you hundreds of dollars through the years, depending on how often you go to the movies.
6. And finally, pay attention to when there are deals on concessions, as these usually add up to more than the price of admission. Again, our local Hollywood Theater is currently offering these amazing deals:$1 any size Coke all day, no exceptions, and free kids packs (kid-sized popcorn, soda, and fruit snack combo) on Tuesdays.

Enjoy your show!

Feeding 6 for 8 - Enchiladas

Around here, we call these super cheap, easy, and delicious enchiladas the "Monday Night Special." I don't know how many times I've fallen back on this recipe. It contains only four ingredients! A HUGE thank you to my friend Michelle for passing this recipe along. And now I share it with you:

Menu:

• Enchiladas
• Baby carrots

Recipe:

2 cans chili beans

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 cup of shredded cheese (cheddar or whatever you prefer)

6 whole wheat tortillas

Mix the first three ingredients together in a bowl. Place the filling inside each tortilla, roll it up, then put each tortilla in a 13" x 9" casserole pan. Top with remaining mixture, sprinkle with a little cheese, and top with dried basil or parsley if desired. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Shopping List:

• 2 cans chili beans - $2.00
• 1 can cream of chicken soup - $0.79
• Small bag of shredded cheese - $1.67
• 1 package whole wheat tortillas - $1.69
• 1 small bag baby carrots - $1.69

Stuff You Should Have Already:

• Dried basil or parsley

Grand Total:

• $7.84