Choosing Voluntary Simplicity

I *know* I've heard of this site before...I must not have been ready for it, though, because it didn't "click" for me until just now. : )

I was searching for information on salt...I started wondering what those "anti-caking agents" are that they put in table salt...and Choosing Voluntary Simplicity was one of the sites that came up with information about salt.

I started exploring the site, and WOW! knew I had to share it here.

They even have a recipe for Homemade Ketchup which looks really easy and TASTY! (Homemade ketchup is one thing I've always wanted to try.)

She also makes this GREAT point about Being Sensible About Frugality ..."What sensible frugality does mean is getting the most value for the money spent. By practicing sensible frugality and saving money on necessary purchases… and perhaps eliminating unnecessary purchases… we actually end up with more money and more options of how to spend (or save) that money.
One of the first things most people discover when they try to live a frugal lifestyle is that extreme frugality is almost impossible to live with long term. It’s a lot like dieting. You can cut back on what you eat in a sensible way that you can live with happily for the rest of your life, or you can go on an unhealthy starvation diet that will make you miserable and is impossible to maintain. Some people try to save money by cutting so much out of their life that they end up feeling very deprived… the reason, I think, why some people get so burned out… they try too hard and deny themselves too much… almost guaranteeing that they will end up feeling impoverished and very dissatisfied with their new lifestyle." (end quote)

Chocolate Cake and Chocolate Frosting Recipe

This is the recipe for the chocolate cake I made yesterday (of which I forgot to take pictures). It was really good...the frosting is SUPER sweet, so if you don't like super sweet you might try a store-bought icing.

My DH and I decided it's a keeper, though, for *just-in-case* I ever needed to make a cake and didn't have a box mix on hand. Really, the cake part was much better than a box mix...very moist.

One last word about the recipe. The one I copied it from said to bake 15 minutes. I have no idea why it says that, but obviously 15 minutes won't be enough. Just bake it as long as you normally would a cake, and test it with a knife or poke it and see if it springs back.

Chocolate Cake (From Scratch!)

2 sticks margarine
1 c. water

4T. cocoa
2 c. plain flour
1/2 t. salt
2 c. sugar
1 t. baking soda

2 eggs, well-beaten
1/2 c. buttermilk

Boil margarine and water, remove from heat and add to dry ingredients, mix well and add eggs and buttermilk. Pour into prepared (greased and floured) pan and bake at 325* until done.

Chocolate Frosting

1 stick margarine
6 T. milk

4 T. cocoa
1 box powdered sugar
1 t. vanilla

Boil margarine and milk, add to dry ingredients, mix well, and add vanilla, spread on cake as soon as cake has finished cooking.