Cooking With Coupons: Homemade Maple Syrup

At our house we love maple syrup!  And while I stock up when it goes on sale for rock bottom prices at the grocery store, I also like making my own maple syrup for our family for even less $$$.  Mapleine Syrup extract from Mccormick makes truly some of the most delicious maple syrup I have ever tasted!  And guess what!?!  You can use Mccormick spice/extract coupons on this product to cut your costs! Watch for McCormick coupons very soon ;-)  Maple Syrup extract is a great pantry item that you should have readily available in your own cupboards!

If you've never made maple syrup before, it is soooooooo easy!

*Homemade Maple Syrup Recipe :

• 1 cup water
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon Mapleine Imitation Maple Flavor  

 Boil the sugar and water then add the Mapleine following package directions. (Syrup will thicken as it cools)


*Homemade Maple Syrup Recipe: Patty Steadman (Savvy Facebook)

• 1 cup white sugar, 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon Mapleine Imitation Maple Flavor

(Each bottle of Mapleine = 24 pts Syrup)

And if you're looking for something fun this St. Patricks Day, how about dyeing your maple syrup green (the kids think it looks like Palmolive) for breakfast, along with green scrambled eggs and green "ham" (bacon) and green pancakes.  The bacon comes out a weird green color when you cook it with a couple drops of green food coloring , but still fun!  My dad always dyed our pancakes green for St. Patty's Day and it's a fun tradition I continue with my kids each year!

A Savvy Craft: Shamrock Potato Stamps

I love it when I can use hold hold and pantry items already on hand to create fun with my kids.  I like these Shamrock Potato Stamps from Family Fun because it's simple and I already have everything required to make these.  These would make a great note card to attached to a plate of Rainbow Cupcakes for a neighbor gift on St. Patricks Day!


Materials:

• Heart-shaped cookie cutter (2 1/2 inches wide and long)
• Potato, cut in half
• Paring knife

• Green acrylic paint
• Paintbrush

Directions:

1. Press a heart-shaped cookie cutter into the cut face of a potato half.
   
   
2. With the cutter still in place, use a paring knife to cut the potato from around the heart (a parent's job).
   
   
3. Remove the cutter, then dip the heart into green acrylic paint and press it onto the paper. Repeat to make two more leaves, then use a paintbrush to add a swish for the stem.