The Real Housewife of...

what reality TV game show would you most like to be a contestant on?

I'm a reality tv fanatic. Everything from Survivor to Top Chef to Jersey Couture to Flipping Out. And while I LOVE watching these shows I would never want to be on Survivor (hello, they sleep with bugs), The Amazing Race (heights & I don't mix) or Top Chef (some of those dishes sound less than edible) but...

I would LOVE to be part of The Real Housewives series. Either on one of their shows, particularly NJ, Atlanta or even NY, or starring in my own series - The Real Housewives of B-Tot.* As the house wife of T-Ville* you could follow me around as I work, shop, make dinner, blog, read or resolve disputes over a missing biscuit. (True story.)

I'm sure it would be "Must See TV"...or maybe not but it would still be fun to try it! Provided that they cleaned my house before each taping of course.

Now it's your turn:
what reality TV game show would you most like to be a contestant on?

*Some of the location names have been altered for the safety of the cast.

More Cheesy Goodness

I know I just posted a recipe for Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes but I just can't resist sharing this recipe too.*

Recently I stumbled across a site by the name of Southern Plate and then proceeded to spend hours reading through the recipes & family antedotes. Warning: If you are trying to lose weight do NOT go to this blog. It is full of comfort food. Down home, simple, delicious, comfort food like the Cheesy Chicken & Corn Casserole I made last night.

Oh my.

Everything you need should already be in your kitchen because again these are simple recipes. Not like that crazy stuff that Top Chef contestants** come up with, but real food that real people (like me) can make and enjoy.



You'll need:

1 box/packet of saffron rice (or Zatarain's as SP uses)
1 1/2 - 2 cups cooked chicken, diced/shredded
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can corn, drained
2 cups cheddar cheese
2 Tbsp butter (see note)

Cook rice according to directions. Reserving 1/2 cup of cheese, mix everything else together including the cooked rice. (That means only 1 1/2 cups goes in now for the directionally challenged.)



After it's well mixed, put the remaining cheese on top. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes or until everything is nice and bubbly.



Note:
-SP's original recipe called for a WHOLE stick of butter. I thought uh, no, and used 1/2 stick. Even that could be cut back without affecting the recipe I think. Next time I may even omit the butter all together.

-You'll notice that I just mixed everything up in my casserole dish. I mean why dirty a bowl for nothing right?

-As displayed by the previous statement I am lazy so I typically cook & freeze chopped chicken and ground hamburger. That way I only make one mess but I have cooked meat ready for me whenever I need it. Obviously if you don't do that you will have the extra step of cooking and chopping your chicken.



It may not be the prettiest dish to hit our plates but this casserole was delicious. I see lots of Cheesy Chicken & Corn Casseroles in my future!


*I swear we eat food that is not covered with cheese. Sometimes.

**I love watching Top Chef but know that I will never, ever make one darn thing they do on there.

***I'm not a brand name whore as that picture implies. I buy whatever is cheapest.

Scalloped Potatoes (aka Cheesy Layers of Goodness)

All summer I had been avoiding adding any unnecessary heat to the kitchen by using my crock pot, microwave, toaster oven, pressure cooker and of course the grill. The summer's unbearable heat was finally replaced with cooler temperatures when it rained last week. That meant I could pull out the dutch ovens and turn on the stove again.

Can you say happy?

Even though I've gotten quite creative with the toaster oven (meatloaf, muffins & chicken tenders respectively) I was dying for a real meal with something that had been baked low and slow to get the flavors just right. After a quick scan of the fridge & google I found the perfect side dish solution.

Scalloped Potatoes using PHILADELPHIA Chive & Onion Cream Cheese Spread.

To die for.

I omitted the bacon* and cut the recipe in half because hello it was only 4 of us eating dinner and we did not need 18 servings. Anyway, I put it all together and stuck it in oven. I *wish* I had taken a picture. The cheese was ooey, gooey right on top and the onions had literally melted into the potato layers while the Philly cream cheese gave it an oomph of flavor.

It was YUMMY good. So good in fact it's going to be the first thing I make next time the temps decide to dip back down.

*No bacon just because I was too lazy to fry any but I'm certain it would have been even more delicious with a little salty pork. Salty pork makes everything better right?

Brownies & Bows {A giveaway for you!}

On Monday my 'awesome news' were these brownies:


I should have linked the recipe then. Duh. After looking at that picture is there any doubt you would want to make your own.

I didn't think so.

Good news is that it all starts with a Betty Crocker brownie mix & the even BETTER news is that you can win a Betty Crocker Prize pack from me by entering HERE.

As requested here is the recipe link - Cream Cheese Swirl Brownies

Nom. Nom. Nom.

The BOWS portion of this post is brought to you by Brandy @ Made Just 4 You!

During one of Made Just 4 You's FB 'Deal of the Day' offers I snatched up 4 medium sized bows - 2 for Lil J, my granddaughter and 2 for Miss Blue Eyes, my niece. Little did I know but Lil J's mother (aka my stepdaughter) also spied this special and ordered two herself.

Thankfully MJ4Y has LOTS of ribbon choices so there weren't any duplicates in our orders.

I picked out these four:


And let me tell you, this picture does not do them justice. They are so cute! I actually considered keeping one for myself.

Here's how to enter:

1. Go to Made Just 4 You & leave me a comment telling me which ribbon you would choose.

2. Become a fan of Made Just 4 You on Facebook. Brandy posts new products, daily deals and contests there all the time! {leave me a comment}

3. If you follow me then I deem you worthy of another entry. {leave me a comment}

The giveaway is open to US & Canadian residents and will end at Noon EST on Monday March 29. A winner will be chosen using random.org and have 48 hours to respond.

Congrats Katie!

*The bows & shipping are being provided by Made Just 4 You. All opinions are mine & I actually paid for the bows I received so don't be hating on me. Thank you Brandy!**

**Brandy as in Brandy R. I am not Brandy R. In fact we don't even live in the same state just in case you were confused. I do however think her name is cool as hell.

Hot buttered rolls anyone?

A bunch of you were surprised to learn about my couponing blog Craving Savings. I guess I'm a closeted couponer...sorta. I mean I do have that public blog & all, but I rarely talk about it over here.

So it seems to reason that you might not know that I'm pretty domesticated too. Granted S does the laundry but I do most of the cooking at our house. Otherwise we would eat a lot of Luck's pinto beans**. Trust me it's better that I do the cooking.

And I enjoy it. Minus the clean up part.

But baking is my real passion. Creating something out of flour & water and watching it become something amazing is a complete rush for me.

These are just two of the character cakes I've made over the years. My family still talks about the year I made a race car track for my two oldest nephews complete with jello cars. And about the Sponge Bob cake I free handed.





Cookies, pies, sweet breads and cakes...all good stuff, but nothing compares to fresh yeast bread. I really love making a fresh loaf of bread. This No-Fail French Bread has been in my rotation for the last few weeks.

Then I stumbled across this recipe for Bread Machine Buttery Rolls.

They say a picture is worth a million words...get a load of this:



Pass the butter please NOW.

**My husband is partial to Luck's pinto beans. And by partial I mean these are the ONLY kind of canned pinto beans that he will eat. Whenever it's his turn to make dinner I can guarantee Luck's will be part of the menu. It's a small price to pay for a husband that does the laundry. That ALWAYS does the laundry. Jealous much?

Keurig Giveaway

I'm giving away a Keurig Platinum Single Serve Brewing System at Craving Savings starting today!

Head over to Craving Savings to enter!

Merry SITSmas!

The Secret is in the Sauce is hosting their 2nd annual SITSmas today and giving away more prizes than you can shake a stick at.

Every HOUR.

Since I'm obviously in the holiday spirit**, I want to also share some linky ♥ with my fellow SITStas...

There's Always Room for One More
Lulaville
Land of Bean
Keep in Touch with Mommakin
It Really Is All About Me
Welcome to the Nut House
Angie's Spot
Buried with Children
Manic Mariah
The Buzz
Rant Rave Roll

These are just a few of the SITsas that I love. Be sure to check out my blogroll for more!

Merry SITSmas to all and to all GOOD LUCK!

**If you have read any of my posts from the last two weeks you would know that I was very much NOT in the holiday spirit. Although I still say medication is a necessity to go shopping in this mess, I'm trying to banish my bah humbug attitude starting today. We'll see how that goes...stay tuned!

Sour Cream Pound Cake

I worked on a few more things yesterday evening. Here's what I've made so far:

Eggnog Bread
Preacher Cookies
Cream Cheese Spritz Cookies
Sour Cream Pound Cake
Peanut Butter Balls
Snowball Cookies
Sausage Balls
Reindeer Noses

I still need to make:

Mexican Pinwheels (not a cookie)
Potato Chip cookies (I'm still looking for a good recipe so they are on the back burner for now.)
Fudge
Peanut Butter Balls (My first batch won't be enough to last through Christmas)

Featured today is my Sour Cream Pound Cake recipe. I don't remember where I got this recipe but I've been making it for the last 11 years.

Here's what you need:



1 cup butter, softened
3 cups sugar
6 eggs
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream
3 cups all purpose flour

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cream butter and sugar together. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each one.



Mix baking soda and vanilla with sour cream; add alternately with flour and mix well.



Pour into a greased & floured 10" tube pan. (I used 4 mini loaf pans plus one regular loaf pan.)



Bake @ 325 for 1 hour 20 minutes. Cool in pan for 15 minutes. Dust with confectioners sugar if desired.



If you are interested in any of the other recipes that I don't have a link for just let me know!

Sorry for the late post but I had a small scare last night. I woke up around 5 because my heart felt like it was literally beating out of my chest...it was very quick and erratic. I got up, moved around and thought it would go away. It didn't subside until after 7:30 this morning so I thought it was best to go to the doctor this morning. She said my EKG looks good and if it happens again she will monitor it with one of those 24 hours devices.

For those wondering, I didn't go to the emergency room because I didn't have any other issues. No pain, no shortness of breath or nausea. Just the erratic heartbeat. So I'm okay now and I just hope it was a fluke. I am prone to weird ailments so hopefully I can add this to that list.

Twas the night before SITSmas!

'Twas the night before SITSmas, when all through the house

Not a creature was stirring, not even MY mouse;

The stockings were slung on the floor without care,

In anticipation that Tuesday soon would be here;

The boys were nestled all snug in their beds,

While visions of VT basketball danced in their heads;

And me in my nightgown with my laptop and nightcap,

Had just settled down to buy more gifts online at Gap,

When online there arose such a clatter,

I jumped to SITS to see what was the matter.

Away to the site I flew like a flash,

Typed in the address and read about the cash.

Target cash that is. If you haven't heard The Secret is in the Sauce is hosting SITSmas today and giving away more prizes than you can shake a stick at. Every HOUR.

The Grand Prize is a $200 Target gift card AND you get to be featured blogger on Friday.

Since I'm obviously in the holiday spirit, I want to also share some linky ♥ with my fellow SITStas...

Angie's Spot
Fleur de Aleta
Just a Little Something From Me
Lulaville
Manic Mariah
My Life as a CFers Wife
Oikology 101
Sunshine and Lemonade
The Life of Me Plus Three
The Scattered Mind of a Tattooed Minivan Mom
Theres Always Room for One More
Veggie Mom
Welcome to the Nut House

Merry SITSmas to all and to all GOOD LUCK!

It's taking over

Twilight has taken over my town, the high school, the internet, the television, the radio, twitter and my life. I am anxiously awaiting Friday's premiere...and there are millions like me.

I bought my tickets yesterday - Friday @ 8PM I will be staring at Twilight on the big screen. ~swoon~


They were talking on the radio this morning about the sold out midnight shows - more than 500 showings are already SOLD OUT! Fandango reports that 86% of the tickets they are selling are just for Twilight. That's H-U-G-E!

Unfortunately I will have to wait an additional 8 hours to see it, but there was no way in hell S was going to see this movie at midnight. It's okay. He doesn't get it.


There are dozens of websites dedicated to nothing but Twilight...these are a few of the more interesting ones:

Custom Scents Online - selling scents of Twilight (Spoiler Alert! If you haven't read all 4 published books - DO NOT go here!)
Patrice Wright's Etsy shop - Twilight inspired bookmarks
Chasing the Frog - One of a billion sites selling Twilight shirts
Twilight Teez - Sells shirts, hoodies and replica of Bella's bracelet.
Designs by Laurie - Twilight shoes

If you are looking for Twilight enhanced jewelry go no further than Etsy since searching for "Twilight" brings up 162 pages. They even have something called Glimmer mist. Guess it's for when you want to add a little sparkle to your favorite guy.


I told you about two Twilight giveaways here but if you want the real scoop on this movie go visit Julie. That lucky lady got to go to a special screening for the Cast & Crew and let's just say I'm green with envy.

Am I the only one that still gets chills watching the movie trailer?

You know you love it

When I talk random!

Before I get too far I need to give a WARNING because I'm PMSing and I tend to be a teensy, weensy bit bitchy during that time.

We have been out every night this week when I just want to be at home snuggled up on the couch watching hours of DVR. Monday & Tuesday I had band booster meetings, Wednesday I went to the high school's talent show and then of course last night was darts. (We won!)

Tonight I will be back at the school getting ready for our annual Craft Show. It's one of our big fundraisers...we sold out of spaces over 2 weeks ago and since it's free admission there is always a ton of people shopping. So tonight we will set up tables and then be back in the morning by 7:15. Have I told you how much I hate getting up early?

It's okay though because I can see a light at the end of the tunnel. This is the last band "thing" until the Christmas parade and then I will get a break until at least January.

That's the good news. The bad news is that I relented and told S that he could be VP next year if he wanted. I know, I know. I've said for months that I was just going to relax and enjoy SS's last year. And I still plan on doing that.

So S if you are reading this (and I know you are!) if you take the job, it's YOUR job, not mine. I've done my duty, paid my dues and I need want to take a back seat. I want you to take a back seat...sit with me at the games and enjoy the fruits of our labor. K? Love you, hugs and kisses!

Speaking of S I think he won the lottery when I wasn't looking. He just bought me a FLIP and then on Tuesday he got me this from Harley Davidson:



He said it was to thank me for everything I do. Awwwwwwwwwwww!

Now onto the bitching segment of this post.

I cannot stand school buses.

There I said it. I get stuck behind this bus every other day and it stops on every FREAKIN' block to pick up kids. High school kids. With all this talk about obese kids, can they not walk ONE block? Instead it stops at each block, sometimes right in front of their house for one. kid. at. a. time.

It drives me nuts and I admit that I curse the bus the entire way down the street.

Speaking of things that drive me crazy - do NOT answer your cell phone during a performance at the talent show. I assume you came to watch the people on the stage but then I think not when you LOUDLY answer your phone while someone is singing. That is why you deserved to be snapped at and I don't feel a bit bad about turning around and saying something to you. IT WAS RUDE. Simply rude that you had the phone on RING to begin with and then to ANSWER it? Over the top.

That wasn't too bad huh?!

Bless you if you are still hanging with me. As a reward I will remind you to go enter Kat's In The Pink weekend giveaway today. And while you are there make sure you jot down this Chicken and Dumplings recipe that was posted especially for ME.

Then pop over to Mommy Gossip - GNO to see the some great holiday recipe posts, most better than mine but that didn't stop them from featuring me again!

Most of all have a great weekend! And leave me some comment love. Lots of comment love. I need it! I am after all a comment whore.

Mama's Givin' It Away

...not this stepmama,but Kat from Mama's Losin' It is giving away a HOOVER vacuum.

This HOOVER vacuum



Ain't it pretty. And shiny. Just like Kat.

So I'm getting extra chances to win it by posting this blog. You can too by visiting her and posting a comment.

She really loves compliments.

Like being called pretty.

And shiny.

New to Me Recipe - Onion Strings & Yogurt Marmalade Cake

As Ree would say, "lawsy mercy" her recipes are good. I just finished devouring eating onion straws made with this recipe. They were soooo good I didn't even get a picture of them before they were all gone. S really, really like them. Now if I could only find a good zesty sauce recipe to go with them.

Friday night I made her Yogurt Marmalade Cake. The cake was super moist and the topping was just right without being too sweet. I think the cake would be good with any topping so I may try it with some strawberrys or just powdered sugar. I DID get a picture of the cake - (Try to ignore the clump of yogurt that didn't melt. In true Pioneer Woman fashion, I'm keeping it real.)



Now click on over and try at least one of her recipes. They are too good to ignore.

Menu Plan 7/28-8/3

Monday: Roast Beef hoagies, carrots (with buffalo Pop'rs that I won last month. Veggie Mom is hosting another giveaway that ends TODAY so head over and comment for your own set of Pop'rs!) and watermelon

Tuesday: Breakfast for dinner: Sausage gravy, eggs & biscuits

Wednesday: "S" sandwiches*

Thursday: Taco Salads (or some sort of taco casserole;I've got to do a little research!), Skillet corn

Friday: Hot dogs, baked beans & potato salad

Saturday: Lemony Chicken Breasts with Rice*

Sunday: TBD

********************************************************
*"S" sandwiches were made to duplicate my hubbies favorite sandwich from a local restaurant. I take thin chicken breasts and grill them, then top the chicken with cheese (usually provolone or Swiss, but this week it will be monterey jack) and pepperoni. This goes on a toasted bagel and is served with a side of ranch. He loves them, which is why he choose the name and we haven't had them for a while.
********************************************************

*Lemony Chicken Breasts with Rice (from All You magazine)

4 Tbsp butter
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
4 boneless chicken breasts
salt and pepper
4 cups canned low-sodium chicken broth (I will use homemade)
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 cups long-grain rice (I will use brown)
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley

Melt 2 Tbsp butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook until softened, stirring occasionally, 4-5 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute longer. Scrape into slow cooker.
Sprinkle chicken with salt. Melt remaining 2 Tbsp butter in skillet over medium-high heat until foaming. Add chicken breasts and cook until browned, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a slow cooker.
Add 1 cup broth and lemon juice to skillet and bring to a boil, scraping browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add to the slow cooker, along with remaining broth, rice and 1 tsp salt. Stir, cover and cook on low until chicken is cooked through and rice is tender, 2-3 hours. Remove chicken and stir parsley into rice and season with salt and pepper. Divide rice onto plates and top with a chicken breast.

I will probably just make 3 chicken breasts since they are HUGE and there are only three of us. I may even cut the chicken into pieces before serving depending on how large the pieces are.
*****************************************************
So there is my week - I'm just trying to use up a few things I have laying around. Next week should be very interesting since S and SS will be at band camp and I will be all alone. I see lots of cereal in my future! LOL!

If you are like me and need inspiration visit Organizing Junkie for more menu plans!

Free Cheerios!!

I had to pass this along...



Sign up for the Cheerios Challenge and receive a free box of Cheerios, six $1 coupons and heart health tips over six weeks.

Sign up HERE!

Gratituesday

Last night I made the best peach oatmeal muffins and banana muffins and I realized that without all the wonderful blogs I read I wouldn't even know a peach oatmeal muffin recipe existed. So today, I'm thankful for all the great blogs I read!

First I want to thank all the ladies at Happy to be @ Home for inspiring me to try so many new dishes. I've tried pita bread, honey cookies, skillet corn and now the muffins...they were all simple to make and delicious! And if I'm talking about cooking then I'm can't forget The Pioneer Woman. Not only is she hilarious but that woman can cook! I've tried her recipe for bacon wrapped jalapenos (now they are my signature appetizer and I don't even like jalapenos!), chicken thighs with linguine and homemade ranch dressing.

In between all this cooking I've been playing the drugstore game with the help of The Centsible Sawyer, Money Saving Mom and Freebies 4 Mom. Those ladies keep me informed of all the bargains, freebies and deals to feed my shopping addiction without breaking the bank.

Whenever I need a laugh I can count on John Deere Mom, One Crazy Chick (although she sounds perfectly normal to me!), Insane Mama and many others to provide me with comical relief. Plus, they make my life look semi-normal...boring but almost normal. I love that they put it all out there and invite us into their lives, sharing the good, the bad and the disturbing-yet-funny things that happen.

So today I want to say thanks for everyone that takes the time to blog, no matter what the subject. If you want to give thanks this Gratituesday or just check another fabulous blog, visit Heavenly Homemakers and tell Laura I said hi!

Kroger P&G Deal

Kroger is running a sale this week where you receive $3 off instantly when you buy 3 P&G specially marked items. Although Pampers wipes weren't in the ad, I found out about this deal through either The Centsible Sawyer or Money Saving Mom. (I'm not sure which, but they both have great information so go visit!)

You can buy three smaller packages of Pamper wipes for $2.61/each, use 3 .50 coupons (my Kroger's doubles to $1.00 off) and then get $3 off at the register. I got 3 packages for .61 each!



These will go to my SD too!

New to Me Recipes - Pitas

I read, live, love recipes and among the ones that intrigued me I found pita bread on Kate's blog, A Simple Walk. She has this Pita Bread recipe linked there that sounded pretty easy and they looked even better than the store bought kind so I added it to my weekly menu, planning to have pita sandwiches and pita pizzas later in the week.

Since it rained Monday night I went ahead and made two batches. They were extremely simple to put together and quick to rise. I thought the baking process was a little long for me (about 7 minutes for every 4) but I didn't want to risk using a pan on the bottom shelf or going too quickly since it was my first try. Plus I made a double batch because I already had everything pulled out and that way I only have to destroy clean my kitchen once.

Rolled out before baking:


Some were puffed more than others:




I made my pitas with 2 cups all purpose flour and one cup whole wheat....next time I might try 2 cups whole wheat instead. A few of them got a little more crispy than I hoped, but I will use those as the crust in my pita pizzas. Now I just got to find out how they freeze since I made so many!

Conquer the Clutter Challenge

I was inspired by the ladies over at
Happy To Be @ Home to clean and de-clutter my garage this holiday weekend.

BEFORE

Corner of my garage:



Dirty windows:






AFTER

Clean windows:



No we don't own a vending machine anywhere!







It may still look like a lot of stuff to some, but trust me when I say it's 100% better than it was. The table in the corner holds my pots, potting soil, vases and gloves. And the huge instrument sousaphone in front of it is what SS will be playing this year in the marching band.

Next will be my bathroom cabinets.

Join the End 08 Great campaign!

Menu Plan - 7/7-7/13/08

Obviously I have been a blogging slacker the last few days. We spent some quality time with our friends this weekend and it was great! They left this morning so we are back to the normal 3 and I'm adjusting to menu accordingly.

Also, it's supposed to be a gorgeous week around these parts so I will be taking advantage, working outside and the in the garage some more...this means the menu will be easy and simple to allow me maximum out-of-the-house time.

Monday: Breakfast for dinner - Eggs, Ham, leftover biscuits

Tuesday: Kielbasa & Perogies (frozen) grilled with onions, served with sour cream, salad

Wednesday: Marinated chicken breasts (frozen), brown rice, vegetable (not sure what's left in the freezer)

Thursday: Pita Pockets w/ turkey and cheese, carrot & celery sticks

Friday: Pita pizzas (using the leftover pitas & I think I will use the grill instead of cutting on the oven)

Saturday: TBD - not sure of our plans so it might end up being take out, if not then definitely grilling something

Sunday: Taco Chicken (using the crockpot), spanish rice

As you can see I am not cutting on the oven too much this week. I may even make a few other baked goodies when I cook the pitas just so I can justify cutting it on at all.

For other menu plans visit Organizing Junkie!