Have you ever wondered...?

...how Ke$sha got a recording contract? Her lyrics are awful and the auto tone is apparent.

...why people slow down once they see a police officer or state trooper on the interstate? If you can see them it's too late dumb-dumb.

...if Elvis/Tupac/Michael Jackson are really dead? They sure make good tunes in their afterlife.

...what Tony Parker was thinking when he cheated on Eva Longoria? Dude, she's hot.

...if they will just ban fat people from McDonald's? It's all downhill after the Happy Meal toy law.

...why anyone would get a tattoo on their face? Two words: Mike Tyson.

...how The Event has not been cancelled yet? That show blows.

...when Lindsay Lohan's dad will shut the eff up? No worries he'll hold a press conference to let you know.

...what you're having for Thanksgiving dinner? Oh wait, that's just me...I want to know your plans. :)

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.

Table Topics Tuesday: Your last meal

if you had to eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?

In a word - pasta. Any shape, any flavor, any kind. With marinara, meat sauce, fresh tomatoes and basil, Alfredo sauce, garlic and butter.



YUM!

I'm a carb lover so my pasta meal would include fresh-out-of-the-oven Italian bread with a crisp crust and fluffy center, drowning in butter.

To round out my carb laden meal I would have a nice garden salad with ranch or balsamic dressing. That way I won't feel so guilty about indulging.



Especially when dessert is served - chocolate molten lava cake.

Mmmmmmmm...my mouth is watering!

Now it's your turn: if you had to eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?

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?

Cherry-o!

This weekend I channeled my inner Martha Stewart & worked it in the kitchen. Not only did I make strawberry freezer jam (YUM!!) but I made an awesome fresh cherry cobbler for dessert last night.

I'm posting the recipe today...far, far away from Trim the Fat Thursday cause I don't want to sabotage anyone.

Except for myself apparently.

I found this recipe on Allrecipes.com and modified it a little based on some of the reviews. The original recipe can be found HERE.

Here's what you'll need:


1/2 cup butter
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup milk (I used skim & it worked fine.)

3 cups pitted cherries (I used Bing since they were on sale last week; that's why I decreased the amount of sugar.)
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp lemon juice (Guesstimate since I just squirted directly in the bowl.)

Tip: Wear gloves & old clothes to pit your cherries. Cherry juice WILL stain your hands & it's quite messy.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Place the butter into a 9x13 pan and insert in oven to melt. Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder & milk. In a separate bowl mix the cherries, sugar, flour & cinnamon. Remove the pan from oven and add the batter. DO NOT STIR. Then add the cherries evenly over the batter. Again DO NOT STIR.

It will look a little like this.


Bake for 50 minutes or until golden brown.

I realize that nothing about this picture says "golden brown" but the crowd was anxious for dessert so I didn't take any pictures before serving.



I'm one of those weird people that like crisp edges so I loved the corners where the butter almost fried the dough, however I would have liked a little more "cobbler" to go with the cherries.

Next time I might divide the recipe into two smaller pans, increasing both the cherries and the batter a little. And I would also cut my cherries in half. They didn't cook as much as I would have liked because they were so big. That's what she said.

Cherry cobbler & True Blood = The perfect way to end my Sunday

Let's Talk Turkey

I roasted my very first turkey 2 years ago. I researched the perfect instructions for hours on end until I found Alton Brown.

Man. I love me some Alton Brown. That kid is like the MacGyver of the food world. He can do anything.

Anyway, I followed his instructions to the letter both years and ended up with the most succulent turkey I'd ever tasted. It was browned just right, moist inside and an overall easy process for a newbie like me.

But I've fudged this year.

I bought my turkey from Kroger over 3 weeks ago when they were on sale not realizing what I was getting. Yes, it's a turkey but can you tell what's wrong?



It's buttered. That means I will not be putting it into a brine. I couldn't possibly stick a buttered turkey in a container of brine right?

I feel abandoned and lost. I pray that my buttered turkey turns out equally as good because if it doesn't I will be in serious trouble.

With the impending holidays on our heels, this is the first of many posts regarding food that you will see from me.

I heart food. I heart eating food. I heart making (most) foods. So of course I heart talking about food. And forgive me but isn't that what the holidays are all about?

If you ♥ holiday food like I do, join me and my fellow twitters from Mommy Gossip - GNO while we talk....what else - FOOD! RSVP here and then follow the others to join in on the fun!

Apple Cider Cake

I cannot remember where I got this recipe, but for the last 4 years (or so) it has become mine. It is my sis's favorite cake and I'm obligated to make it at least once during the holiday season.

Which is okay with me cause it's G-O-O-D. And easy since it starts with a cake mix.

Let's start with the ingredients. As you can see I'm not brand specific.



Cake:
18.25 oz plain yellow cake mix
3.5 oz vanilla instant pudding (dry)
4 large eggs
1 cup apple cider
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves



Glaze:
1 cup confectioners sugar
2 tbsp apple cider
1/2 tsp lemon zest

Cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease & flour bundt pan. Place cake mix, pudding, eggs, apple cider, oil, cinnamon & cloves in mixing bowl. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds. Scrape bowl and beat on medium for 2 minutes. Pour batter into the prepared bundt pan.



Bake 42-48 minutes (or until done). Let cool in the pan for 20 minutes.



While the cake is cooling, go outside and grill yourself a steak or two for dinner. Then go back in and make the glaze while the meat is resting.



Glaze: Heat confectioners sugar, cider and lemon zest in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring until mixture is smooth.



Take cake out of pan and immediately pour glaze over the cake. Be sure that the cake and glaze is still warm so that it soaks down into the cake.

In other words don't take your sweet time taking pictures for your blog otherwise it the glaze will harden on top. Still good, but not great.



......
..........
.............
...................
.......................
............................
.................................
...........................................
.....................................................

What are you still here for? Go make this cake already!

Applelicious

This weekend was absolutely beautiful in my neck of the woods. And it's supposed to be in the 80's today and tomorrow...so while it doesn't feel like fall, I started on my seasonal cooking Saturday.

Applesauce & Applebutter - Crockpot style

First thing I did was core and quarter a peck of Rambo apples. No, not this Rambo...



...THIS Rambo


After I quarted them I peeled each piece and plunked them in the crockpot. I know it sounds weird to quarter and then peel but I read this tip somewhere else and it really did seem easier to me.


So after I had a crockpot full of apples (I was using my 6 quart Nesco) I added a cup of water and about 1/4 cup of lemon juice. Then I sprinkled a generous amount of cinnamon over the top. I didn't use sugar at this point because I was still debating on what to use my apples for.



I let them cook on low overnight. The next morning I discovered the apples were cooked through but there was a significant amount of "juice" in the bottom. Next time I will omit the water and just toss the apples with the lemon juice.

I scooped my apples out and poured all the liquid from the crockpot.



Next I took about 3 cups of apples and put them back into the crockpot in order to make applebutter. Since it was a pretty small batch I just added vanilla, brown sugar, white sugar, ground cloves and more cinnamon to taste. No exact measurements needed. I left that mixture in the crockpot for another 3 hours.

The remaining apples were smooshed (yes thats the techinical term) into applesauce and I choose not to add any sweetner because I will be using it for baking. If I were eating it plain, then I would have definitely added some sugar.

I put a cup of the applesauce into freezer bags and pushed the air out while flattening the bag. In all I had 4 cups of applesauce to put into my freezer and 3 cups of applebutter that I divided into two containers.





Why did I lay them flat?



As you can see my freezer stays a bit on the full side. And the chest freezer downstairs is just as full as this one so it helps to save space.

Remember the "juice"? I used it to make pancakes and topped mine with a few of the apples.

Punkin' Cake - My version

Here is the original recipe. I've changed it to make a *bit* healthier and moist.

Be aware this is how I do it. You are more than welcome to read the original recipe and follow her steps. I just cut a few corners to save time and dishes. :-]

Pumpkin Cake

1 can (15 oz) Pumpkin
2 c sugar
1 c applesauce (instead of oil)
4 eggs
1 c all purpose flour
1 c whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground cinnamon (I usually add heaping teaspoons cause I like cinnamon)
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1 c semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional)



Preheat oven to 350; grease 13x9 pan. Mix pumpkin, sugar and applesauce. Add one egg at a time and beat well after each egg. Gradually add both cups of flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Beat well and be sure to scrape the sides of your bowl halfway through. Fold in the chocolate chips and pour batter into pan. Bake 35-40 minutes. (Mine took closer 45 minutes.)



Cream Cheese Frosting

4 oz cream cheese, softened
5 tbsp butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
1 3/4 c confectioners sugar
3 to 4 tsp milk (I've never needed more than 1 tsp)



Beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla until smooth. Gradually add sugar, mixing well. Add milk to mixture until frosting is the desired consistency. Frost cooled cake.

I've made three in as many weeks and each one has been a little different. The first time was with no chocolate chips. Second one had chocolate chips on top of the frosting as suggested in the original recipe. The last one I put chocolate chips in the batter. It was to die for. I think that chopped walnuts would make a good addition too so I will try that next time.

And there will be a next time. Maybe then I can get a picture of it before we start eating. Or not.

Whats your favorite fall food?

Menu Plan 8/11-8/17

Monday: "S" sandwiches*, PW's onion strings recipe, leftover cake

Tuesday: Baked spaghetti, french bread

Wednesday: Breakfast for dinner: Eggs, home fries, turkey bacon (or sausage, undecided), toast

Thursday: Macaroni & Cheese with Ham, green beans, croissants

Friday: Grilled chicken breasts, rice, beans

Saturday: TBD

Sunday: Roasted pork loin (anyone have a good recipe?) w/ potatoes & carrots

*"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 provolone cheese and pepperoni. This goes on a toasted bagel and is served with a side of ranch.

I did really well last week, only having cereal for dinner one night. I really missed having a menu plan, especially once S & SS were home. We had Pizza Hut Friday night and then had AMAZING steaks on the grill Saturday. Last night I made a ton of baked spaghetti so we are having the leftovers one night this week.

I've been trying to use things that we have on hand to reduce waste and so far it's been working, but I'd like a little more variety. If you are like me and need inspiration visit Organizing Junkie for more menu plans!

CVS, Walmart, Krogers

Rather than write a separate post about each of these I will just summarize my extraordinary savings this week in one place. Starting with...

CVS

Transaction #1 (through 10 - LOL!)


I got all of this for free using $2 off CVS skincare q's plus I made 5 ECB's since I "spent" more than $15 in CVS Baby products. It took several transactions to make this happen, but I did it while I was already out running errands for work, so it didn't cost me anything in gas (I use a company vehicle) and they were all simple and short visits.

Transaction #2


2- Maxwell Coffee - 4.99/BOGOF
2- ALL detergent - 6.49/BOGOF
3- CVS Spices - .88/each
1- True North nuts - 2.50
2- Trident - 1.49/BOGOF
1- CVS Baby Powder (pictured under transaction #1)

Used:
1- 4/20 coupon
1- 2/10 CVS product coupon
1- 2 off CVS Skincare
1- .75 off Trident
2- 1.00 off ALL small & mighty
1- 1.00 off True North nuts
1- .75 off Maxwell House

Total = $7.91 (Used 7 ECB's + .91 OOP) Earned 1 ECB (from Trident)

Walmart











I'm not going to list everything out but my total went from $113 (w/ tax) to $38 (w/ tax). The cashier was extremely impressed and a manager had to approve my transaction before I could check out because I used so many coupons.

Some of the best bargains were the Huggies Clean Team wipes. They are $1.64 so with a $3/2 q they were only .14 each! 4 boxes of South Beach drink packets for free and the Scrubbing Bubbles Starter kit for $2.17 AND I sent in the mail in rebate so I will make $2.75 on this! I also got a few free sample size items like Head & Shoulders, single use Well Patches, Schick disposable razors and Aquafresh toothpaste. There were a few items I didn't have q's for so I was pretty happy with everything I got and the savings were unbelievable!

Kroger

Unfortunately, I didn't take a picture of what I got at Kroger today but I saved a ton because of their Mega Sale Event and lots of coupons! Overall savings with Kroger plus card, coupons and $16 in Catalina's from the Planters peanuts was over $88! I only spent $41 for over $129 worth of groceries! Here are the highlights:

Franks hot sauce = free! (mega sale item + .50 q doubled)
Betty Crocker mini's = .50 (mega sale item + .50 q doubled)
Betty Crocker frosting = 1.00 (mega sale item)
Sargento cheese = 1.00 (mega sale item + 1.00 q)
Edwards pie = .75 (mega sale item + .75 q)
Mini carrots = 1.00
Watermelon = .99 (used $3 off coupon wyb Ball Parks)
Ball Park Franks = 2/$3 (mega sale item + $1.00 q)
Bread = .50 (markdown)
Hoagie Rolls = 1.00 (markdown)

Plus, I got some killer coupons in the mail yesterday that were sent to the employees (my SS works there). I didn't use them today but I will...free 20 oz coke, free flowers, free yogurt, $2 off any shampoo, $2 off any toothpaste, etc. You can see how valuable they will be since they are store coupons AND not brand specific.

Thanks to Money Saving Mom, The Centsible Sawyer and Amy's Life for posting the information about these sales and how to make the most of them!

Menu Plan 7/21-7/27

Monday: Taco Salads, refried beans

Tuesday: Chicken tenders & frozen fries (Quick meal because we have a booster meeting)

Wednesday: Cavatelli (Still deciding on the sauce but it will probably be tomato), tomatoes & mozzarella w/ balsamic dressing and basil

Thursday: Hot Wings , celery sticks, salad (repeat from last week because they were so darn good)

Friday: Chicken pot pie, mashed potatoes

Saturday: London Broil, potatoes, carrots

Sunday: TBD

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

Menu Plan 7/14-7/20

Monday: Pita Sandwiches, leftover pasta salad & banana pudding

Tuesday: Miracle Chicken, zuchini, roasted potatoes

Wednesday: Hot Wings (requested by S), celery sticks, salad

Thursday: Hamburger Helper

Friday: Chicken salad (made with leftover chicken from Tuesday)

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

Sunday: Roasted Pork Loin

I'm flexible with my menu plan and sometimes move things around as our schedule dictates, but actually thinking about what I have on hand has been invaluable to me. I never come home and wonder about what we're having and if I need a few things from the grocery store, I don't wander around...I know exactly what I need.

And I use more leftovers so I have a lot less food that becomes trash. Now I would like to add variety to my menu so I will check out other menu plans for ideas!

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

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!

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!

Menu Plan 6/30-7/6

Last week's menu changed quite a bit, especially since there were several "TBD" days. Monday was the only day we followed the menu; Tuesday I made Linguine with Chicken Thighs (although I used angel hair pasta), Wednesday was pizza and swimming, Thursday was Ham Casserole, my friend made Spaghetti bake on Friday and we grilled out Saturday. Yesterday our friends took us to Outback as a thank you for staying. It wasn't necessary but it was REEEEAAAALLLLLYYY good and super sweet of them to do.

This is what we have for this week so far:

Monday: BBQ chicken, broccoli & cheese, pasta salad

Tuesday: Pork Ribs, sides TBD

Wednesday: TBD ~Stevie may be working out of town and if so the girls are eating out~

Thursday: Smothered pork chops, mashed potatoes

Friday: Hamburgers & Hot dogs, potato salad, baked beans ~typical 4th of July~

Saturday: TBD - It's our friends 40th birthday so he will get to choose

Sunday: Possibly leftovers...my friends are leaving :<

For other menu plans visitHeavenly Homemakers. She is filling in for Organizing Junkie this week.