A lesson in staying organized and saving money!

Every Friday morning, I would see her perched on one of the bar stools; analyzing over every coupon and scribbling things down on paper. This is how I left her as I kissed her cheek and ran out the door the catch the morning bus. This was my first introduction to the fine art of making a "perfect" grocery list...and I have my mom to thank for it! Honestly, yes...I am thanking her! Thanks to her, I learned the magic behind all of those tasty meals she filled our home with.

I don't think kids, teenagers, or maybe even some husbands (certainly not mine) understand all the work it takes to bringing meal into the home, food doesn't just magically pop into the house you know.  But there is more to it than hopping in the car and taking a drive down to the grocery store and strolling through the aisles of carefully stocked foods and throwing whatever looks pleasing to your eye into the cart. You have to decide how much money you have to work with. What you can splurge on and what needs to be put back. How many meals do you plan on making through the week and not only dinners, but lunches, breakfasts, and snacks; plus toiletries.

Sounds like a lot of work? It is...and that's not all of it either. Every Saturday or Sunday I get a Sunday paper and I go through all the ad's. I shop at Fred Meyers for mostly everything. I get Chicken Breasts and a few others things at Cosco and I get a few more items at Target. I go through the Fred Meyer ad and start clipping any coupons that I think I will use. The I go through all the manufacture coupons...and then finally the Target ad and such. As soon as I get back from the grocery store...I immediately start working on the grocery list for the following week. If there was something we needed but didn't have the money for that time around. Or something we thought of for the next time, etc.   The point is...I'm never done with my grocery list making. I have to keep tabs on everything I have, everything I'm out of, and everything I'm almost out of. Plus come up with meals that will feed my family and something that my kids will eat as well.

This is where my mom comes in. I remember the day she taught me how to make a list. I just sat and watched as she explained to me what she was doing. I don't remember how old I was, but I remember I was home from school because of a holiday...not because I was sick. If I was sick...I would be in bed not sitting next to her, lol! She explained that it's difficult to come up with a variation of meals every single week that we all won't get tired of. And how she won't buy to much beef or pork because Daddy didn't like to much of it ( we were mostly a chicken and fish kind of family :) ) How she would go through all the cupboards and see what she had and what she could make out of what was there to save on money. Speaking of money, she spoke up the importance of coupons...and how basically, it's free money and that you would be a fool not to take advantage of Free Money ( those are not her exact words ).  She also (mentally) went through all her recipes and decided what the menu would be based on that and if there were any special requests. She showed me how coupons worked and what she looked for in the Freddy's ad. And then we went grocery shopping. Instead of being at school listening to teachers drown on about something that I would probably never use in my lifetime...I was in the thick of a lesson in home making and how to buy food for your family. I walked with my mom down every single aisle and listened to her as she talked about what was a good sale and how she chose her items...like milk, produce, and meats and to look at the expiration dates of perishables. I kept on learning right up to the check out stand. She told me to not be to gabby with the clerks because sometimes they make mistakes and items may not ring up for the right price and it's your job to pay attention and make sure things are getting checked out correctly.

I learned a lot from her that day. But it wasn't until I was married that I was able to put all that information to use. And I have to say...the first year of marriage...it didn't go to well. I've mentioned I was pregnant and working two job. Josh also was working and going to school full time, plus my pregnancy  was constantly making me sick.  Budgets, and list makings were not my #1 priority that first year. But as that second year went on, I learned more and more and now 6 1/2 years into my marriage...I would like to say that I have grocery list making and shopping down to a T. In fact...it is a fine art of mine now :) One that my husband and I don't always enjoy doing, but we do it together and I would say  9/10 times we end up having a fun time together...it helps when you flirt with each other in the empty aisles too.

For the past few days, I've been working on this weeks grocery list and dinner menu. Tomorrow is pay day we'll be heading to the store. I've got my list ready,( in fact it's a big list this week and there are some items on it we probably won't buy, but it's best to be thorough and I have my coupons clipped...23 coupons to be exact...not including the cat food coupon I have yet to grab out of my coupon organizer...I want to look at the sales first for that one.  I will give you a sneak peek at this weeks grocery list and load of coupons I have in possession.

Here is the low-down on how to understand to my list. I like to put the items I need to buy in order of where they are in the store (something else my mom taught me). I then go through all my coupons, starting with the coupons that expire the earliest and I jot down in the margin of the paper how much the coupon is worth. This method saves time, tells me the information I need, and saves me from confusion in the store.

Thanks to my Mommy, I am a super saving shopper. When Grace is old enough, I plan on teaching her all this same information with her.  And then I'll do it again with Eden...and if I have more girls I'll do it with them and when they're Wives or Mommies, they'll pass on the golden information and it will all of started with my mom. How cool is that? Happy Shopping!

Kitchen Item of the week : The Cutting Board

Maybe I'm aiming too high, but I thought it would be fun if every week, I write one blog about a kitchen gadget, or utensil, or item that I use. There are so many helpful little thingamagiggers out there that I think deserve a spotlight!

This week I thought I would start with something we all have...or something, we all Should have. The Cutting board. There are many different kinds, they range from different kinds of woods, brands, heights, colors, etc. The one I am currently using was a wedding gift and I believe it came with a set of knives as well as a smaller cutting board that I use for mostly cutting fruit or veggies or making sandwiches on. I never really used this board much until about 3-4 years ago when I started watching Rachael Ray. I noticed she had one right next to her stove on her 30 minutes meals shows and it was like a light bulb went off in my head, duh...there is a good idea! I had always used the ones that came with my apartment, but always hated how flimsy they were. But when Josh and I moved to the house in Canby, there was no designated built in cutting board system. So I put my cutting board to use on the left side of my stove and it's been there ever since...well it's next to a different stove now, since we moved but that's another story for another time.

I like to keep my cutting board out mostly out of necessity, but also because I think it looks nice. I think it does something to your psyche. It awakens my senses and I really get into the mood to cook when I am standing in front of my cutting board. I love how I my knife just slices into the different ingredients and all these flavors and colors and textures are coming together right before my eyes.

I do think though, that before to long, I am going to have to invest in a new cutting board. The handles of mine are constantly coming loose and I am tired of always having to tighten them with a screwdriver. And it is starting to split in sections. It hasn't actually split the wood yet, but I think it will happen sooner than later. And though I will miss my cutting board, I look forward to creating a bond with a new one and they are a dime a dozen. You can find them anywhere, from cooking stores, to Ross, and websites. But the one I have my eye on is at Ikea. It's not a lot of money, I believe it was under $30.00. But the look of it was so nice. It's higher up and a beautiful nice squarish rectangular shape. The board looked so smooth and inviting and it took all the restraint I had to not beg Josh for it right then and there.

Someday, it will be mine! Until then, I will continue to forge my bond with my current cutting board. After all,  it has proven to be very loyal to me all these years :)

The Ultimate Ham and Cheese Sandwich

I've always loved sandwiches! My mom makes tasty sandwiches and Josh has become quite amazing in the sandwich department as well. The following recipe I cannot take credit for, I didn't make it and I didn't invent it. However, I did find it, so I will take credit there. I first came across it when I was pregnant with Eden I believe...or shortly after I had her. I can't quite remember. A lot of tv happens in the first few weeks after giving birth LOL!  Anyways, I saw Rachael Ray cook this sandwich on her show and I thought it looked amazing so I showed it to Josh and he agreed that is was something we must try!

For those that want to try and make this recipe, and I highly suggest watching the video first...I love cooking how to's anyways. Josh and I don't make this often enough I think. I help him get all the stuff together and he makes it.  Which is nice of course, because we are together :) This was actually an impromptu meal for the week. The deli ham was on sale at Freddy's for $1.99lb and I thought, wouldn't that make a great lunch for Saturday or Sunday. Saturday and Sunday quickly passed by and we hadn't had it and I was starting to crave the yumminess of it and I didn't exactly have a meal planned for tonight (Monday). It was between Tuna Casserole or this. To me, this sounded better, thankfully he agreed.

Unfortunately, the whole relaxing part of dinner was on the rushed side tonight, because Josh was going to meet his friend at the gym so they could work out so the moment he got home, I got everything out for him and ready to go while he changed and got comfortable and then we set to work. Josh got started making the Rue---(melted butter and flour mixed together) and started working on the creamy sauce. And once he added the Dijon Mustard, the most intoxicating smell entered the kitchen. I could of just ate the sauce it smelled soooo good. In my opinion, the secret ingredient to this recipe is the Nutmeg and Dijon Mustard. They are just amazing flavors. It was really funny because once the smell of the dijon was introduced, Eden came running into the living room and started yelling at us while we were cooking dinner. I think the aromas were making her so hungry. But once the sandwiches hit the griddle all of our stomachs were growling. Grace set the table for us while Eden was impatiently yelling at us from her high chair lol, she is such a squirt. I had about enough time to get most of the dishes cleaned and in the dishwasher by the time the sandwiches were done, which was actually really good timing :) We quickly cut the sandwiches into halves...Eden and Grace split one and Josh and I had one whole one. I will say this, they are very rich and very filling. I don't really think sides are neccesary on this dish unless you want to fix a light side salad or maybe some fresh fruit on the side.  So if you try this, it's amazing and I hope you enjoy it!!!

The Ultimate Ham and Cheese Sandwich

Source: Rachael Ray Show

• 3 tablespoons butter, divided
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• A few grates fresh nutmeg

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 8 slices white bread
• 12 to 16 slices deli ham
• 8 slices Swiss or Gruyere cheese
• 2 eggs

Place a medium-size pot over medium heat and melt 2 tablespoons butter. Sprinkle the flour over the melted butter and cook for about 1 minute. Slowly whisk the milk and mustard into the butter-flour mixture. Season it with some fresh nutmeg, salt and freshly ground black pepper, and cook for about until it thickens up.

Place four slices of bread on the counter. Spread some of the sauce onto each slice of bread, then lay down some ham, a couple slices of cheese, another smear of sauce and top each sandwich with the remaining bread slices.

Place a large skillet over medium-high heat and melt the remaining tablespoon of butter. In a high-sided dish, whisk up the eggs. Dip the sandwiches in the egg and transfer them to the hot pan. Cook until golden brown, 3-4 minutes per side.

This recipe is linked to:
Taste and Tell's Saturdays with Rachael Ray

A brand new beginning :)

This isn't anything new. A lot of people make blogs to document their cooking. But with my passion for writing/blogging, I have a huge passion for cooking as well. So it only made sense to combine the two into one.

When I first got married...I was not the Betty Crocker type at all. For one, I was pregnant and working two jobs. Cooking for me was simple and easy and not at all healthy. Most of the food we ate came out of the frozen foods section of the store. But, after 8 1/2 months of living in a tiny apartment and moving to a bigger one and learning how to actually cook, I began to slowly enjoy it. Believe it or not...I never actually understood what a crockpot was or did. I had one, thanks to our wedding registry, but I never used it until my mom came over one day and showed me how to use my new best friend. Nevertheless, cooking was a rocky start for me. But I have truly come to enjoy the time where I can get busy in the kitchen cook up something delicious and wonderful for my family to eat.

The heart of our home, lies in our kitchen. I can be busy cooking away when Josh comes home, the kids run up to him and greet him, he'll greet me with a sweet kiss and then he'll change his clothes. Eden sometimes, may try and follow him back to the bedroom, ;) When he is done back there, Josh will always come and join me in the kitchen. He'll help me finish with what I'm doing. Grace will set the table, and Eden will peer through the little peek a boo windows in the baby gate while our home fills with smiles, amazing aromas, and sweet chatter. This is of course...just what usually happens when I'm the one in the kitchen. When Josh is in the kitchen there is a whole other side. And then when Josh and I cook together, I swear, magic happens and I always fall in love with him all over again. For whatever reason, the kitchen makes us completely goofy for each other and we can't help but constantly flirt and I would be lying if I said I didn't enjoy it completely.  :)

As for the title of the blog, those who know me, know my other blog is entitled 4 Catz at home...Josh and I have a love for cats and I don't know, it's always been a goofy name for us. So er go, Catz in the kitchen...plural....because Josh will sometimes be in there with me...and maybe I can even convince him to blog about his amazing Tacos at some point.

So please be on the look out for tasty pictures, warm enticing meals, and fun stories. I will also be including little tid bits about grocery shopping, coupons, tradition meals from my own family etc. Just some things to look forward too :)