I know this following week is going to be crazy busy and I don't really know how many nights if at all any, I'll be cooking. So I would rather not make a meal plan at all since it's just basically the same thing it was last week. I've still got family in town from Africa, some are leaving today, others at the end of the week and then over the weekend were supposed to go to the beach for the 4th of July if the weather is nice. I do however, have some fun pics that I'll post in another blog of the yummy food we've been eating since family has been here. We were lucky enough to have my husbands uncle go fishing and he caught some Fresh Chinook Salmon and so we grilled that up one night and it was AMAZING!!!
Anyhoo, everyone have a wonderful week with lot's of good food.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Sweet & Tart Strawberry Muffins
You must all think I'm in a berry spastic mood. (haha, get it, BERRY? Okay, moving on) I did a post yesterday on How to Hull Strawberries, and now I'm doing another post on Strawberries. Is it extreme that there are two posts in a row on this subject, I think not!
I came across this Strawberry Muffins recipe the other day at Like a Warm Cup of Coffee and I had to try them. The recipe looked simple and delicious. My two favorite combinations! I don't know about you, but I will always opt to make homemade muffins verses boxed muffins any day of the week. It's worth the extra effort.
So Josh and I went grocery shopping last night and when we got to the produce section I saw Strawberries on sale...Again! Josh fought me on buying them, but I reminded him of how he broke his promise to me yesterday about not eating Red Robin without me. Okay...side story here- Josh was teaching a class at one of the training classes for the bank. Since I knew he was going to be right over by the mall I asked him to not eat at Red Robin without me because I had been craving a Whiskey River BBQ Chicken Wrap ( I can't find a decent recipe for it anywhere). So he promised he would not eat there ( in front of his entire family, mind you) and I made him a sandwich to take to work. So sure enough, when we were taking our walk last night, I asked him what he did for lunch ( since he didn't take his sandwich) and he wouldn't answer me. Of course he went to Red Robin and he told me the instructor of the class paid for it, ( big deal, though it was nice) okay so fine. But when I asked him what he ate...well...he ate what I was craving. So as payback for breaking his promise to me, I bought another huge 2lb container of strawberries. They were on sale so he can't complain to much. He brought this on himself as I see it, LOL!
Back to the recipe, so now that I had this huge container of Strawberries in the house...I knew I had to do something with them right away or Josh might just get in my face, and then I would have to get in his and though it would probably lead to making out (not a bad thing) after we bicker for a few moments I would just rather bite the bullet and not bicker at all. Plus, I think I've mentioned...maybe...Josh's family from Africa flew in yesterday and we are hardly going to be home at all. Sooo I decided to make muffins this morning.
I could of pinched myself though, I got started on the muffins way later than I meant too. I still had to wash, hull, and slice them. That takes time, and my littlest Eden, was not to happy about this. Her breakfast was late and she was letting me have it big time. So after all the prep work was done, I got to work on mixing all the dry ingredients.
The skin of the lemon carries so much extra flavor. I love scraping off the skin of fruit. It does so much for a meal!
So after getting all the dry mixed together and warding off little Eden from the kitchen I got started on the next steps which was the wet mix.
Theses little babies are amazing! They taste sweet and tart but the flavors are not overpowering. I know I said the recipe makes 12, but I ate one and each kid had one, so were down to 9 now :( Oh well, I have plenty of strawberries, I can always make more :)
If you want the recipe the link is at the top. Just click the Like a Warm Cup of Coffee and it will take you there.
I came across this Strawberry Muffins recipe the other day at Like a Warm Cup of Coffee and I had to try them. The recipe looked simple and delicious. My two favorite combinations! I don't know about you, but I will always opt to make homemade muffins verses boxed muffins any day of the week. It's worth the extra effort.
So Josh and I went grocery shopping last night and when we got to the produce section I saw Strawberries on sale...Again! Josh fought me on buying them, but I reminded him of how he broke his promise to me yesterday about not eating Red Robin without me. Okay...side story here- Josh was teaching a class at one of the training classes for the bank. Since I knew he was going to be right over by the mall I asked him to not eat at Red Robin without me because I had been craving a Whiskey River BBQ Chicken Wrap ( I can't find a decent recipe for it anywhere). So he promised he would not eat there ( in front of his entire family, mind you) and I made him a sandwich to take to work. So sure enough, when we were taking our walk last night, I asked him what he did for lunch ( since he didn't take his sandwich) and he wouldn't answer me. Of course he went to Red Robin and he told me the instructor of the class paid for it, ( big deal, though it was nice) okay so fine. But when I asked him what he ate...well...he ate what I was craving. So as payback for breaking his promise to me, I bought another huge 2lb container of strawberries. They were on sale so he can't complain to much. He brought this on himself as I see it, LOL!
Back to the recipe, so now that I had this huge container of Strawberries in the house...I knew I had to do something with them right away or Josh might just get in my face, and then I would have to get in his and though it would probably lead to making out (not a bad thing) after we bicker for a few moments I would just rather bite the bullet and not bicker at all. Plus, I think I've mentioned...maybe...Josh's family from Africa flew in yesterday and we are hardly going to be home at all. Sooo I decided to make muffins this morning.
I could of pinched myself though, I got started on the muffins way later than I meant too. I still had to wash, hull, and slice them. That takes time, and my littlest Eden, was not to happy about this. Her breakfast was late and she was letting me have it big time. So after all the prep work was done, I got to work on mixing all the dry ingredients.
Yes, that is a lemon in the picture. Lemons for whatever reason really compliment Strawberries and I think the acidity of the fruit helps it not brown as fast. At least that's my theory.
The skin of the lemon carries so much extra flavor. I love scraping off the skin of fruit. It does so much for a meal!
So after getting all the dry mixed together and warding off little Eden from the kitchen I got started on the next steps which was the wet mix.
Very simple ingredients. Vanilla, egg, and milk.
After combining the wet to the dry...getting it just mixed enough ( don't go overboard with the mixing) I folded in the chopped strawberries.
The Strawberries do so much for normal batter. Add a splash of color and you have a vibrant delicious meal. I might mention that once you add the strawberries and begin folding them in, the flavors begin to really mix together. The Strawberries and lemon primarily. This recipe comfortably makes 12 muffins. I would say Pre-heat the oven right about when your going to start working on the wet mix. That was a perfect amount of time for me.
Bake the muffins at 400 for 15-18min. I baked mine for 17 minutes. At 15 minutes, the edges were just beginning to brown, but the tops didn't look quite done yet.
Theses little babies are amazing! They taste sweet and tart but the flavors are not overpowering. I know I said the recipe makes 12, but I ate one and each kid had one, so were down to 9 now :( Oh well, I have plenty of strawberries, I can always make more :)
If you want the recipe the link is at the top. Just click the Like a Warm Cup of Coffee and it will take you there.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
"How To" Hull a Strawberry
I have a love affair with strawberries! I just cannot get enough of them. I would eat them in something delicious everyday of my life...if I could. But maybe I can???
Strawberry Season has not been going very well here in Oregon. Normally, there is a Strawberry abundance and the prices are cheap. This year, we have been rained out. My husband who manages a bank in "Farm Country" (Known as Woodburn or Little Mexico) comes into a lot of contact with the local farmers there. Most of the crops have been ruined from all the rain and there is very little to be salvaged. So when I see a deal on Strawberries, I'm going to grab them.
Lately, the produce has not been overly great where I normally shop, (it's understandable with the weather) so we've been shopping for our fruits and veggies in our own town's local grocery store. This store is filled with all local ingredients and it's the community that keeps this business thriving. It's really an awesome store, their Meat, Bakery, Seafood, and produce sections are out of this world! So when I saw local strawberries on sale for $2.99 for 2lbs...I thought I was going to die. Normally, I would pay $2.50 for 1lb at my store so I was thrilled about this. I do plan on going berry picking soon...but the weather and my schedules have been working together very well.
Since it was Father's Day weekend, I didn't have time to devote myself to the "time-consuming" art of hulling Strawberries. So Monday, as soon as the kids were down for their nap...I got busy hulling. Which is actually I'm able to blog right now too, their napping again :)
I love the color of Strawberries. The richness of the color varies on the size and shape of each berry making it completely unique even though they are all the same thing. Once I was done gazing at my crimson beauties, I got to work rinsing them really good. While the water was draining off, I set up my prep area...right in front of my garden window ( I like to have a view of something while I work) and quickly got down to business.
What I needed was:
1) a Straw
2) cutting board
3) knife
4) garbage bin ( or I just used the container the strawberries came in)
This is the way I hull my Strawberries...I've found a method or assembly line version that works for me so this is what I did. I took one strawberry and trimmed the green leafy top off and discarded it. Then, I took my Straw and at the top, I poked my straw through the strawberry till it pushed through at the end with it the center of the strawberry in the straw.
Gosh, they are soooo beautiful!!
Once they were completely frozen, I transferred them to my awaiting and pre-labeled ziploc bag and put them in the freezer. Couldn't be more simple!
They say, you can keep a bag of Fresh Frozen berries in your fridge for up to a year. I don't know who "They" are...I'm assuming they are the foodie people that know a lot of about freezer burn and bacteria. But that's okay, because I will go through this bag probably fairly quickly by making smoothies, and muffins, and pies with these sweet little bites!
What are your favorite ways to cook a Strawberry?
Strawberry Season has not been going very well here in Oregon. Normally, there is a Strawberry abundance and the prices are cheap. This year, we have been rained out. My husband who manages a bank in "Farm Country" (Known as Woodburn or Little Mexico) comes into a lot of contact with the local farmers there. Most of the crops have been ruined from all the rain and there is very little to be salvaged. So when I see a deal on Strawberries, I'm going to grab them.
Lately, the produce has not been overly great where I normally shop, (it's understandable with the weather) so we've been shopping for our fruits and veggies in our own town's local grocery store. This store is filled with all local ingredients and it's the community that keeps this business thriving. It's really an awesome store, their Meat, Bakery, Seafood, and produce sections are out of this world! So when I saw local strawberries on sale for $2.99 for 2lbs...I thought I was going to die. Normally, I would pay $2.50 for 1lb at my store so I was thrilled about this. I do plan on going berry picking soon...but the weather and my schedules have been working together very well.
Since it was Father's Day weekend, I didn't have time to devote myself to the "time-consuming" art of hulling Strawberries. So Monday, as soon as the kids were down for their nap...I got busy hulling. Which is actually I'm able to blog right now too, their napping again :)
I love the color of Strawberries. The richness of the color varies on the size and shape of each berry making it completely unique even though they are all the same thing. Once I was done gazing at my crimson beauties, I got to work rinsing them really good. While the water was draining off, I set up my prep area...right in front of my garden window ( I like to have a view of something while I work) and quickly got down to business.
What I needed was:
1) a Straw
2) cutting board
3) knife
4) garbage bin ( or I just used the container the strawberries came in)
This is the way I hull my Strawberries...I've found a method or assembly line version that works for me so this is what I did. I took one strawberry and trimmed the green leafy top off and discarded it. Then, I took my Straw and at the top, I poked my straw through the strawberry till it pushed through at the end with it the center of the strawberry in the straw.
The I sliced the Strawberry in half and set aside and went to work on the next one. This...could take awhile, depending on how many Strawberries your have. It took me somewhere in the 35-45minute time frame...but I was also taking my sweet time.
After all the strawberries were hulled and sliced, or quartered. I placed them all back into my strainer and rinsed them off again.
My goal for this batch of Strawberries was to simply freeze them. I know I want an abundance of fresh berries in my Freezer by the time Fall comes so aside from the one strawberry I did eat...they were all going to be frozen for future use.
I got out my cookie sheet ( one with high edges really works best for freezing berries) and I covered it with plastic wrap. The berries just don't stick to the plastic wrap as they do the metal. Then I laid out all the strawberries on the sheet and put it in the freezer for 2-3 hours.
Gosh, they are soooo beautiful!!
Once they were completely frozen, I transferred them to my awaiting and pre-labeled ziploc bag and put them in the freezer. Couldn't be more simple!
They say, you can keep a bag of Fresh Frozen berries in your fridge for up to a year. I don't know who "They" are...I'm assuming they are the foodie people that know a lot of about freezer burn and bacteria. But that's okay, because I will go through this bag probably fairly quickly by making smoothies, and muffins, and pies with these sweet little bites!
What are your favorite ways to cook a Strawberry?
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Weekly Menu 6/22-6/28
I am really hoping I do get to the grocery store today...however, I am not at all sure how realistic it is. My husband's grandparents and Aunt and Uncle are flying into SeaTac tomorrow from Africa. Yes, Africa...they are missionaries in Malawi and Liberia and we only get to see them once a year or in the case of Josh's aunt and uncle, every few years. So even though I know I need to have a dinner menu planned out...( I hate to assume I won't be cooking) I don't expect I will be cooking much at home from Thursday on to much. When family is in town...Josh and I make the effort to get as much time with them as possible. This next week and a half will probably result in a lot of gas...were driving 40miles round trip and very late nights for the kids and Josh. But in the end...it's worth all the gas and the coma-like days to be able to make memories with family. So here is what I have thus far...
Monday
Steak marinated in a baja chipoltle sauce, corn on the cob,
Cheddar potato bake, and crescent rolls( Josh wanted those)
Tuesday
Grilled Chicken Drumsticks marinated in a honey mustard sauce (it's so good)
leftover potato bake, and green beans
Wednesday
Ground Turkey Quesadillas filled with veggies and cheeses
Thursday
(here's where it get's tricky)
Teriyaki Chicken Kabobs, rice, and a veggie ( not sure)
Friday
Breakfast Burritos
Saturday
I don't really think I'll be cooking at all today. Josh and I will be spending the day with my in-laws at the home school conference in Portland
Sunday
Generally, on Sundays we have Pizza...but I imagine it will be Pizza with the Family
Monday
Haha...not a clue, perhaps one of the previous
Like I said, a bit of uncertainty with the meal planning this week. But I think us menu planning woman can handle life's curve balls right? I know it's a good exercise in relinquishing my control on every area of my life, haha! Because of family being in town...I'm not sure how much time I will have to blog some of the meals and what not. I do plan on doing a Kitchen Item of the week and of course my Food Network Star recap, and I have a new "How To"...but aside from that...there probably won't be much...unless I can get Josh to do another Guest Blog. Last Friday, he made some amazing Burgers and the pictures (he took) look amazing! I'll do my best to get that post up for you all!
Have a great week everyone!!
Friday, June 18, 2010
Peanut Butter & Fudge Swirl Pies
I don't know many people who aren't peanut butter and chocolate fans and my hubby is no exception. He adores the combination of silky smooth peanut butter with bitter-sweet chocolate. So when I came across this recipe last year in the form of a pie...I knew he would love it. Sure enough, he did and I ended up making at least 7-8 of these pies last year.
Along with the 2 Peanut Butter & Fudge Swirl Pies I made today, I am also making a Raspberry Cheesecake tomorrow too. I know, I'm very busy in the baking department. But seriously...you haven't met the men in our church...they eat a lot of PIE!
The pies aren't terribly time-consuming, but I thought I would wait till the kids were taking their nap before I decided to make a mess of my kitchen. I'm one of those multi-taskers and generally I have a couple projects going on at once. It just so happened that in between baking, I also decided to clean out the utensil drawer because as I was grabbing the beaters for my mixer...I saw a huge pile of Taco Bell sauce packets in there ( I did not put them in That drawer) and I couldn't handle them being in the wrong spot. (can we say OCD?) So in between cleaning the drawer I got started on the first few steps of the pie. If your not sure what all that is there in the bowl, I can straighten that out for you. It's Sugar, Peanut Butter, and Cream Cheese. For whatever reason, Cream Cheese makes everything taste delicious. Anyone else notice that?
I love watching ingredients come together and make something delicious, don't you? I always really enjoy the final taste. Sampling along the way is nice because it allows you to see if your on the right track with flavor or texture. But that final taste....it's always somewhat unexpected. It's like your brain sends signals down to your taste buds while your in the middle of cooking of what it may taste like...but the end result is more amazing than anything you can imagine...that is if you've done a good job of the baking/cooking...otherwise...it could be disappointing. But who cares right? Live and Learn and move on.
So in case you haven't noticed...no, I did not make the pie crust. I suppose I could of, but I like to take help from the store occasionally. Actually, I was supposed to use an Oreo Crust...but for whatever reason...I couldn't find them at the store. Which really boggles me, because I've always bought them there before. Is there an Oreo Crust shortage going on that I'm not aware of? Well, a plain old chocolate crust will have to do the trick.
My favorite part of making this pie is creating the Swirls. I love Swirls. No two pies ever look alike...at least in my experience. For me, I always end up doing one that looks a little bit more artsy and the other one is more heavy on chocolate. I can't say that's a bad thing...to have more chocolate. I don't think you'll ever hear a woman complain about that, lol! I know I never would. At certain times of the month...I welcome chocolate into my diet.
Aah, my delicious little masterpieces are finished and looking at these pictures makes me want to help myself to slice. I know I'm probably not going to get a slice of this pie...so I'm hoping my darling hubby with share a bite or two with me. I did after all make him 2 pies and a Cheesecake ;)
Father's Day is right around the corner and at our church we like to celebrate the Father's by bringing pies and serving the men a slice or two, or more, haha after Church. Many woman in our church our known for their homemade pies. I myself, I'm not much of a pie person. But it's one of my husband's favorite desserts and so I like to do my best and treat him to one of the few pies...I at this point can make successfully. It's not that I'm bad at pies with a typical crust...I've honestly never made your typical pie, ( I would like to, and I plan to) the one time I did attempt it (with a pre-made crust) I burned it horribly...and I think since then, I've been on the scared side. But I am really good at making what I like to call "fake out desserts." In my opinion a fake out dessert is something that tastes and/or looks like you've spent all day making it...but really maybe only 30-45min.
Along with the 2 Peanut Butter & Fudge Swirl Pies I made today, I am also making a Raspberry Cheesecake tomorrow too. I know, I'm very busy in the baking department. But seriously...you haven't met the men in our church...they eat a lot of PIE!
The pies aren't terribly time-consuming, but I thought I would wait till the kids were taking their nap before I decided to make a mess of my kitchen. I'm one of those multi-taskers and generally I have a couple projects going on at once. It just so happened that in between baking, I also decided to clean out the utensil drawer because as I was grabbing the beaters for my mixer...I saw a huge pile of Taco Bell sauce packets in there ( I did not put them in That drawer) and I couldn't handle them being in the wrong spot. (can we say OCD?) So in between cleaning the drawer I got started on the first few steps of the pie. If your not sure what all that is there in the bowl, I can straighten that out for you. It's Sugar, Peanut Butter, and Cream Cheese. For whatever reason, Cream Cheese makes everything taste delicious. Anyone else notice that?
I love watching ingredients come together and make something delicious, don't you? I always really enjoy the final taste. Sampling along the way is nice because it allows you to see if your on the right track with flavor or texture. But that final taste....it's always somewhat unexpected. It's like your brain sends signals down to your taste buds while your in the middle of cooking of what it may taste like...but the end result is more amazing than anything you can imagine...that is if you've done a good job of the baking/cooking...otherwise...it could be disappointing. But who cares right? Live and Learn and move on.
So in case you haven't noticed...no, I did not make the pie crust. I suppose I could of, but I like to take help from the store occasionally. Actually, I was supposed to use an Oreo Crust...but for whatever reason...I couldn't find them at the store. Which really boggles me, because I've always bought them there before. Is there an Oreo Crust shortage going on that I'm not aware of? Well, a plain old chocolate crust will have to do the trick.
My favorite part of making this pie is creating the Swirls. I love Swirls. No two pies ever look alike...at least in my experience. For me, I always end up doing one that looks a little bit more artsy and the other one is more heavy on chocolate. I can't say that's a bad thing...to have more chocolate. I don't think you'll ever hear a woman complain about that, lol! I know I never would. At certain times of the month...I welcome chocolate into my diet.
Can you see the difference in the two pies???
Aah, my delicious little masterpieces are finished and looking at these pictures makes me want to help myself to slice. I know I'm probably not going to get a slice of this pie...so I'm hoping my darling hubby with share a bite or two with me. I did after all make him 2 pies and a Cheesecake ;)
Prep. 15min. plus refrigerating
Makes 8 servings and one pie ( I doubled the recipe)
Ingredients:
1 pkg (8oz) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup Sugar
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
2 cups, thawed cool whip whipped topping
1 Oreo pie crust (6oz)
1/4 cup hot fudge ice cream topping
Directions:
Beat Cream Cheese, sugar, and peanut butter in a large bowl with mixer until blended. Gently stir in cool whip until blended ( and looks like satin)
Spoon into crust; melt fudge in microwave for about 25 secs. Drizzle with fudge topping. Swirl gently with knife.
Refrigerate 4 hours or until firm. Refrigerate leftovers.
If you want to add a little something extra, sprinkle with chopped planters cocktail peanuts.
Mom's Crazy Cooking 
This Recipe is linked to:
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Weekly Menu 6/14-6/21
Sometimes it just amazes me how quickly one week goes by. I feel as though I was just writing this same post. Well, in a sense...I guess I am. The forecast for "this" week started off promising...what I mean is...when I looked at the forecast Saturday for this week, I thought, "perfect...we can grill all week long." Mmm, not so much. So far, the weather has been an awfully bright shade of grey that doesn't get above 65 degrees :( So, now I'm having to almost rearrange my menu for the weather. I hate that!
Monday
Pancakes
( I wasn't feeling great and pancakes sounded yummy)
Tuesday
Train wreck
Wednesday
Grilled Chicken fajita pasta
with Avocado slices
Thursday
Cheeseburgers, fries, and fresh fruit
Friday
Teriyaki Chicken Kabobs, rice,
and green beans
Saturday
Marinated Steak with Corn on the cob,
and maybe cheddar potato bake
Sunday (Father's Day)
I'm not sure...I know we'll be with Josh's family
so we will probably grill something.
Being as that this week is Father's Day Week, that means I am also going to be baking up a storm. Every year for Father's Day, our church woman make or buy pies to serve to the Father's (everyone, but the dad's get first dibs) after the service. Being Josh's wife, means I get to cater to his pleasure. Josh is a Coffee, chocolate & peanut butter, and cheesecake kind of guy. So this year, I will be making two pies and one cheesecake. Yeah...3 desserts...kind of insane right? Well I was going to add two more to the mix...but do my own dad being gone (again) this year for Father's Day...I won't be making a pie for him. I might make it for him later on though. So...what pies will I be making???
2 Peanut Butter & Fudge Swirls Pies
&
1 Raspberry Cheesecake
My goal is to make ahead the Peanut Butter Pies on Friday so then Saturday, I can work on the Raspberry Cheesecake which takes a bit more time. Wish my luck guys :)
Monday, June 14, 2010
Albertson's Savings 6/14/10
Every Monday, I look forward to getting into my inbox. Whether it's my email or my blogspot account, I am always eagerly anticipating what goodies I can find this week. It's just happens that Albertson's is the place to shop. Hurry up and go there to find some great bargains for oober cheap. Their sale ends tomorrow. It is after all double coupon week! Our actual grocery shopping day will be tomorrow but these were to good to pass up! We'll just finish up everything else tomorrow evening :)
I got the email from Frugal Living NW on Sunday, but...as I do most Sunday's...I'm rarely on the computer. So I got excited to dissect the email this morning. Check out all the different double coupon scenario's here and find what works for you. I had every intention of driving down to Albertson's tonight after Josh got home, but I ended up feeling a little under the weather, so my darling hubby...made the trip for me, quite happily actually.
I sent him with a list of a few things with coupons to help. My listed consisted of this:
Bagel Bites. On sale for $1.99. Use the $1.00 coupon from Sunday Paper and double coupon from Albertson's making it Free. Actually, they paid us $0.01! ( We do not ever buy these kind of items, but since it was free, I thought it might make a nice late night snack for the hubs)
Ronzoni Pasta. On sale for $1.69. Use the $1.00 coupon (from a previous Sunday Paper) and double coupon making it only $.19! ( Josh was awesome and picked up Whole Wheat- go Hubby)
Rhodes Warm and Serve Rolls---( I haven't had time or the budget yet to buy a whole thing of yeast to make my own rolls) On sale for $2.50. Use the $1.00 coupon from Sunday Paper along with double coupon and it was only $.50!!!
I also had Josh pick up Pam for Grilling. It was on sale for $2.50. We used a $1.00 off coupon ( no more doubling...only allowed 3 per transaction) but still not bad. Only paid $1.50...much cheaper than if I were to buy it off the shelf.
Berries were on sale for 2 for $3.00. I had Josh pick up one container of Raspberries and one container of blueberries.
Our Grand Total for all items purchased....$6.67!!!! We saved a total of $15.56!!!! Wow, huh!!!
Bottom Line, savings are everywhere. The key is to use the resources given to you. For me, this ended up being Frugal Living NW. If you haven't checked out Angela's website, you really should. She and her team of writers are extremely helpful in helping stretch a buck!!
I got the email from Frugal Living NW on Sunday, but...as I do most Sunday's...I'm rarely on the computer. So I got excited to dissect the email this morning. Check out all the different double coupon scenario's here and find what works for you. I had every intention of driving down to Albertson's tonight after Josh got home, but I ended up feeling a little under the weather, so my darling hubby...made the trip for me, quite happily actually.
I sent him with a list of a few things with coupons to help. My listed consisted of this:
Bagel Bites. On sale for $1.99. Use the $1.00 coupon from Sunday Paper and double coupon from Albertson's making it Free. Actually, they paid us $0.01! ( We do not ever buy these kind of items, but since it was free, I thought it might make a nice late night snack for the hubs)
Ronzoni Pasta. On sale for $1.69. Use the $1.00 coupon (from a previous Sunday Paper) and double coupon making it only $.19! ( Josh was awesome and picked up Whole Wheat- go Hubby)
Rhodes Warm and Serve Rolls---( I haven't had time or the budget yet to buy a whole thing of yeast to make my own rolls) On sale for $2.50. Use the $1.00 coupon from Sunday Paper along with double coupon and it was only $.50!!!
I also had Josh pick up Pam for Grilling. It was on sale for $2.50. We used a $1.00 off coupon ( no more doubling...only allowed 3 per transaction) but still not bad. Only paid $1.50...much cheaper than if I were to buy it off the shelf.
Berries were on sale for 2 for $3.00. I had Josh pick up one container of Raspberries and one container of blueberries.
Our Grand Total for all items purchased....$6.67!!!! We saved a total of $15.56!!!! Wow, huh!!!
Bottom Line, savings are everywhere. The key is to use the resources given to you. For me, this ended up being Frugal Living NW. If you haven't checked out Angela's website, you really should. She and her team of writers are extremely helpful in helping stretch a buck!!
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Fire-Roasted *Ahem* Caribbean Jerk Chicken! - Guest Blogger
Good evening, it is I once again, your humble guest blogger. Since I never write anything in my own blog, it seems the least I can do is stop by here once in a while and offer my two cents on a recipe or three (just couldn't use "two" again there when I'd already used it six words earlier in the sentence - wouldn't be proper, you see!). Ah, what I did not say there is that this is Chels's husband, Josh. To the best of my knowledge I am her only guest blogger, so perhaps that does not require explanation. At least, as far as I know. I am the only one, right, Chels? Right? Chels?
Moving on. I find that my inspiration to cook commonly comes from one of three sources. The first? My own hunger, of course! I am of the male persuasion, after all. We are known primarily for our seminal ability to think using only our stomachs - really quite a feat, if you think about it. Secondly, a beautiful day that is ripe for grilling. And last but most certainly not least, in addition to being the entire purpose of this paragraph, is finding a single ingredient that begs to have an entrée built around it. My chicken tacos, for example, were born of the discovery that Costco sold authentic white corn tortillas in bags of 100! I thought to myself, these are too good to pass up! What can be done with them? Being the out-of-the-box thinker that I am, the best I could come up with was apparently tacos (hey, creativity comes and goes, what can I tell you?), but you get my drift (hopefully, otherwise this entire paragraph was nothing more than an exercise in vain futility).
On this particular evening, Chels and I discovered that the meal we had planned actually took considerably longer than we thought (a combination of thawing and marinating), and would have provided us with a suitable dinner no earlier than 9 PM. It was 4:30 at the time, and, yeah, that just wasn't going to cut it. Upon rummaging through the cupboards, I came across a bottle of Caribbean Jerk marinade I had picked up on a whim at the grocery store a few weeks back. I thought to myself, here's something we haven't done before...how can we make an entrée out of this? With the help of the Internet (amazing - if you haven't tried it, you should *groan*), a recipe was soon located, and I was on my way to the market, as my father would say.
Chels won't believe me when I say this, but I love shopping for vegetables and produce. She won't believe me because when I shop for vegetables and produce with her, I enter that particular section of the store with fear and trembling. My darling wife would drop half our grocery budget there if she were allowed to, and, I'm sorry, as much as I love the stuff, a man's got to have some meat in his diet. Just teasing, Chels - I admire your passion for berries and all things nutritious. The produce aisle is wonderful on any number of levels, but primarily because a lot of the food to be found there is cheap, good for you, smells good, and colorful. See what I'm saying? Can you say this about the frozen section? The deli? The bakery? I think not.
My iPhone provided the list (shameless Apple promotion - I just can't help myself), and I picked out my fruits and veggies. I needed some help finding the cilantro, but once I had that down, I picked out a beautiful, fresh mango, three yams, and a wonderfully cheerful-looking red bell pepper. Seriously, if bell peppers didn't taste so good, we would all use them for interior decoration.
Moving on. I find that my inspiration to cook commonly comes from one of three sources. The first? My own hunger, of course! I am of the male persuasion, after all. We are known primarily for our seminal ability to think using only our stomachs - really quite a feat, if you think about it. Secondly, a beautiful day that is ripe for grilling. And last but most certainly not least, in addition to being the entire purpose of this paragraph, is finding a single ingredient that begs to have an entrée built around it. My chicken tacos, for example, were born of the discovery that Costco sold authentic white corn tortillas in bags of 100! I thought to myself, these are too good to pass up! What can be done with them? Being the out-of-the-box thinker that I am, the best I could come up with was apparently tacos (hey, creativity comes and goes, what can I tell you?), but you get my drift (hopefully, otherwise this entire paragraph was nothing more than an exercise in vain futility).
On this particular evening, Chels and I discovered that the meal we had planned actually took considerably longer than we thought (a combination of thawing and marinating), and would have provided us with a suitable dinner no earlier than 9 PM. It was 4:30 at the time, and, yeah, that just wasn't going to cut it. Upon rummaging through the cupboards, I came across a bottle of Caribbean Jerk marinade I had picked up on a whim at the grocery store a few weeks back. I thought to myself, here's something we haven't done before...how can we make an entrée out of this? With the help of the Internet (amazing - if you haven't tried it, you should *groan*), a recipe was soon located, and I was on my way to the market, as my father would say.
Chels won't believe me when I say this, but I love shopping for vegetables and produce. She won't believe me because when I shop for vegetables and produce with her, I enter that particular section of the store with fear and trembling. My darling wife would drop half our grocery budget there if she were allowed to, and, I'm sorry, as much as I love the stuff, a man's got to have some meat in his diet. Just teasing, Chels - I admire your passion for berries and all things nutritious. The produce aisle is wonderful on any number of levels, but primarily because a lot of the food to be found there is cheap, good for you, smells good, and colorful. See what I'm saying? Can you say this about the frozen section? The deli? The bakery? I think not.
My iPhone provided the list (shameless Apple promotion - I just can't help myself), and I picked out my fruits and veggies. I needed some help finding the cilantro, but once I had that down, I picked out a beautiful, fresh mango, three yams, and a wonderfully cheerful-looking red bell pepper. Seriously, if bell peppers didn't taste so good, we would all use them for interior decoration.
At this point, the recipe called for chopping up all of my delicious looking veggies (+mango), so that is what I did. Guys can get into this part of cooking. Big knife, defenseless little vegetable. Anyway, once my cilantro, bell pepper, and mango were chopped and measured into their appropriate amounts, I mixed them together in a bowl with some of the left-over Caribbean Jerk marinade and a can of black beans. This comprised the salsa, which was soon to be poured over the chicken. Speaking of the chicken, which I haven't spoken of yet, before I left for the grocery store, I took four chicken thighs (I would recommend chicken breasts for this recipe, but thighs are what I had thawed out) and put them in the obligatory Ziploc bag with the marinade - it's a Lawry's 30-minute marinade, so dinner comes on your stomach's schedule. Hmm, is there a jingle there somewhere? Maybe...maybe not.
And, at long last, the afore-mentioned black bean salsa...
Now, the black bean salsa came out about perfectly, I should say. Smelled good, looked good, and wonderfully colorful. The chicken, however...
So, the chicken. Well, I am quite adept at grilling the Costco-sized chicken breasts we normally use. They're big, thick, and juicy, and I have lots of experience with them, as you are probably aware from Chels's blogging. Thighs, however, I have zero experience with. Ahem, had zero experience with. After marinating for the appropriate length of time, with the grill properly oiled and preheated to medium high, I placed my spicy-smelling chickens on the grill grate and let them do their thing for a few.
I returned a few minutes later, turned the chicken, and once again shut the lid and left to attend to other preparations. Chicken breasts are totally down with this sort of treatment. Thighs, as it turns out, are a considerably more needy variety. I returned for the second time to discover my chicken aflame. Not mildly aflame. Like, hellfire and brimstone aflame. Never have I used the word "aflame" three times in a paragraph before. Make that four. Anyway, as I was saying, the chick was aflame. Fi... No, that's just not necessary. Just as I was frantically putting out my burning chickens, Chels called out from inside, "How's the chicken coming?" So nonchalant. A time of crisis was at hand! How could she sound so calm?! Oh, right... she didn't know. I responded, quite coolly, I might add, "Great - fire-roasted, in fact." Right. I did that on purpose.
Ah, well, it was pretty well salvaged. Definitely edible. Daily dose of carcinogens, anyone? Again, I highly recommend chicken breasts for this recipe. Now you know why.
Once Operation: Chicken-Out was complete (I know, I'm insanely clever - no, I really don't know how it happens), I brought my overly blackened poultry indoors. We topped it with the black bean salsa, and Chels fixed yams and corn on the cob to go with it - quite a combo.
Bottom line? I highly recommend it (with chicken breast). A little spicy, but with a great variety of colors and flavors, not to mention very few calories, it's a great way to go if you're looking for an unusual flavor and wanting to be outside with the grill at the same time. So, hey, if you have an ingredient that looks like fun, don't hesitate to build a meal around it. Or, in keeping with our Caribbean theme, as they say in Jamaica (this is so random I can hardly believe I'm typing it - but I love it!), "Di fus wata hog pass him wash himself." Yeah. Has something to do with jumping on the first opportunity that comes along. Come on - you know it's awesome and you will try to use it in everyday conversation tomorrow. Good luck!
CARIBBEAN JERK CHICKEN WITH BLACK BEAN SALSA | |||||||
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Friday, June 11, 2010
Sun meets grilling = accessories
I am so so excited! Lot's of fun things are coming about. One piece of good news is the weather is supposed to be BEAUTIFUL this weekend and SUNNY!!! This is huge for us Oregonians...and though I know as an allergy sufferer, I might be miserable at certain points...it is worth it for the weather we are promised to get. Good Weather means prime time for grilling. That's the other thing I am really excited about.
We have been grilling a lot despite this awful weather, but it will be nice to grill...when the weather is actually sunny and warm. I'm already in the process of working out next week's menu and one of the meals I have on the list is kabobs. That's all I'm going to say as far as the actual meal goes. But you know what you need for any kabobish meal? (I don't actually know if kabobish is a word. I'm assuming not since it has the little wavy red line under it, but who cares :)) You need Skewers.
When picking out Skewers, you need to know which ones are out there and what you prefer to buy. You can buy a whole pack of Bamboo Skewers for $3.99 a pack at the Thriftway across the street from us. But after doing a little reading on "wooden" skewers...I felt they were to much work for me. Wooden Skewers need to soak for at least 30 minutes in water before placing on the grill or they will burn and die!
But thanks to good ol' Google, I was able to find some beautiful metal skewers at Crate and Barrel for super oober cheap! I love me a good deal. So Thursday night, after running over to Washington Square Mall, ( for some errands) we decided to head over to Bridgeport and pick some up. I hope you looked at the Link because how can you go wrong with that price. We ended up buying only 4 for the moment. But I do plan on getting at least 2 more...and I cannot wait!!!!
We have been grilling a lot despite this awful weather, but it will be nice to grill...when the weather is actually sunny and warm. I'm already in the process of working out next week's menu and one of the meals I have on the list is kabobs. That's all I'm going to say as far as the actual meal goes. But you know what you need for any kabobish meal? (I don't actually know if kabobish is a word. I'm assuming not since it has the little wavy red line under it, but who cares :)) You need Skewers.
When picking out Skewers, you need to know which ones are out there and what you prefer to buy. You can buy a whole pack of Bamboo Skewers for $3.99 a pack at the Thriftway across the street from us. But after doing a little reading on "wooden" skewers...I felt they were to much work for me. Wooden Skewers need to soak for at least 30 minutes in water before placing on the grill or they will burn and die!
But thanks to good ol' Google, I was able to find some beautiful metal skewers at Crate and Barrel for super oober cheap! I love me a good deal. So Thursday night, after running over to Washington Square Mall, ( for some errands) we decided to head over to Bridgeport and pick some up. I hope you looked at the Link because how can you go wrong with that price. We ended up buying only 4 for the moment. But I do plan on getting at least 2 more...and I cannot wait!!!!
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Celebrate the little victories in savings
Sshh, Eden is sleeping...which is giving me a chance to blog, YAY!
Last night, (Tuesday) we went grocery shopping. Generally we go once a week with a budget of $75.00 a week. We don't always include our diapers into that budget because it varies on how often we have to buy them.
When Josh and I first got married, we would grocery shop every two weeks; and we did that up until last year I would say. I am so glad it's weekly...it makes shopping for things a lot easier, things don't get forgotten and the produce is always fresh.
But, normally there will always be a week within the month (almost always the last week before our first pay check of the month) where things are "REALLY" tight. Last night, was that shopping trip. On top of the groceries we had to buy, we also had to buy diapers, cat food, cat liter, and a genie refill...plus hair gel for Gracie. (we want to try something different with her hair) All of that, had to fit into our budget. Yikes...that's a tall order.
First we went to Target. I almost always like to go there first because most of the time their prices are a bit cheaper and if I already know what something will come out to at Fred Meyers, then I like to check there first. So...my list of things at to buy at Target Consisted of:
Last night, (Tuesday) we went grocery shopping. Generally we go once a week with a budget of $75.00 a week. We don't always include our diapers into that budget because it varies on how often we have to buy them.
When Josh and I first got married, we would grocery shop every two weeks; and we did that up until last year I would say. I am so glad it's weekly...it makes shopping for things a lot easier, things don't get forgotten and the produce is always fresh.
But, normally there will always be a week within the month (almost always the last week before our first pay check of the month) where things are "REALLY" tight. Last night, was that shopping trip. On top of the groceries we had to buy, we also had to buy diapers, cat food, cat liter, and a genie refill...plus hair gel for Gracie. (we want to try something different with her hair) All of that, had to fit into our budget. Yikes...that's a tall order.
First we went to Target. I almost always like to go there first because most of the time their prices are a bit cheaper and if I already know what something will come out to at Fred Meyers, then I like to check there first. So...my list of things at to buy at Target Consisted of:
Diapers
Genie refill (for the diapers)
Cat Food
Cat Liter
Feminine product
hair gel (last minute item)
I will only buy Pampers diapers. Call me a snob if you like, but Huggies, gives my girls a rash, and I will not go generic brand. Pampers is just awesome and there is always a coupon. :) You all know how I love coupons. We ended up buying all of this:
Diapers
Genie Refill
Cat food
Cat liter
hair gel
Mayo
I had a coupon for all of those items except the hair gel and genie refill. The mayo was free because I had a try out this product coupon. So our grand total for that shopping trip was $37.43 but we paid $29.75 for a total savings of $7.68 Whoohooo!!!
Now onto Fred Meyers. I'm not going to go into my whole long list of things, but I will say that Josh and I worked very well together and we compromised on some stuff and put some stuff back with the promise of buying it next week. Our grand Total at Fred Meyers came out too $69.46 but we paid $56.27 for a total savings (with just coupons, not including sale items) $13.19!!! Whoop Whoop
Okay, enough celebrating. Back to reality now. I said our weekly budget for groceries is $75.00. We ended up actually spending $86.02 which puts us over budget by $11.02 :(
Though the savings for us were huge and should be accomplished, we were still over budget. Now I can reason and say, well this trip had things we don't normally buy except for maybe once a month or once every 2-3 months...such as Fem. Hygiene, cat food & liter, etc. And Honestly, if I were to subtract the total spent on those items, we would of been under budget. But I'm still disappointed. I'm proud that Josh and I work so well together as a team and can get the job done...but, I still would prefer to be right at budget or under. Hopefully, Next Month will be better. A lot of it depends on what coupons are out there and what were needing at the time.
But at the end of the day, I celebrated the victory that I, saved us $20.87 in coupons all together. Now that is something to smile about!
Monday, June 7, 2010
Weekly Menu 06/07/10 - 06/13/10
It's that time again; My weekly meal plan!! I did pretty good last week. We had maybe one or two meals outside of the home, whether it was family or Josh went to get something because we were both tired. But at any rate, those unused meals from last week have carried into this week.
Monday
Grilled Chicken Bruschetta, Baked Potatoes,
and Seasoned Peas
Tuesday
Pasta Stuffed Shells, Corn, and
Garlic Bread
Wednesday
Black Bean Chili
Thursday
Roasted Sock-eye Salmon with a White Wine Sauce,
Garlic Potatoes, and Green Beans
Friday
Teriyaki Chicken Thighs, Rice,
and Salad
Saturday
Train Wreck
Sunday
Dinner out...I think
I'm excited about this week's meal plan because I'm making Salmon (which I love) and I'm making some new meals. Thank you to my parents for handing off the Salmon to me. They gave me enough to make two meals!! I've blogged about the Black Bean Chili before. That was a recipe from a friend (it's in the Mexican Food Folder on the blog), and Train Wreck is a Rief Family favorite and quick and easy go to meal. I'll be using ground turkey instead of Ground Beef, since it's better for you. Tonight's dinner was a success! We had the Grilled Chicken Bruschetta and it was lovely as always. Josh and I got some great pics and Josh or I will be possibly blogging that dinner tomorrow sometime. So please look forward to that.
I hope everyone has a wonderful food filled week and I look forward to hearing what you all are making/reading any blogs you write on the subject :)
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Roasted Red Pepper + Asiago Cheese + Feta Cheese + Chicken Sausage + Tomato/Basil/Oregano = ?
Pizza is a meal that makes everyone happy in my home. If I tell Eden were having Pizza, she runs around the house chanting "Pizza Pizza" over and over and over again. Generally, Grace will join in on the yelling as well. You just can't go wrong with Pizza...everyone loves it.
Even though everyone loves pizza...the same old Cheese or Hawaiian can get really boring really fast. I recently received the newest issue of the Rachael Ray magazine and the whole issue is about grilling. I love her magazine because of all the tips and stories and great recipes that I can find. But occasionally, the magazine will have a coupon or two...and lucky me, this issue had not only a coupon for the Al Fresco Chicken Sausage, but recipes for them too! It gets better though...it just so happened that at the same time I received the magazine and coupon, Fred Meyers had the Al Fresco Chicken Sausage on sale and with a coupon too. The Chicken Sausage only ended up costing me $2.99! A screamin' deal, since normally they are pretty spendy.
The recipe itself, though, is an easy one...I didn't follow it exactly. But Josh and I plan on doing the whole put-a-pizza-on-a-grill thing next time. I already had a Pillsbury Pizza dough canister in the house. I know, I know, don't roll your eyes at me. I had a coupon and I'm a busy mom and so I opted for the easy way out. Though I would love to make my own pizza dough...Josh and I have said it's something we want to do together...maybe on a weekend or something and when I actually have some yeast in the house. And I am not a big fan of Pizza sauce in a jar...it tends to be thick...and I like the flavor of Ragu for my pizza sauce, so I went with that as well. But if you make your own sauce, that is probably even a better way to go.
I think any kind of sausage tastes better grilled than it does any other way...so my wonderful hubby did just that...in the pouring June rain on our patio deck. Isn't he wonderful? Getting wet all for the sake of a delicious dinner!
The Sausage was grilled to perfection. And I have to admit, though we were cooking dinner together, I was actually on the phone with my mom...and talking to my mom as I watched Josh slice up the meat and sneak a bite into his hungry mouth. The next thing I know he is raving about his bite of sausage and sticking one in my face to eat. So I did...and it was amazing! Unlike any piece of sausage I have tried before. Probably has something to do with it being flavored with roasted red pepper & Asiago Cheese...not to mention it being chicken.
Soon enough, the chicken was covering the light amount of sauce I added to my pre-made pizza dough and we were ready to begin sprinkling it with Feta Cheese, (with basil and tomato) some Italian Cheese, and Oregano. It was smelling very good in my kitchen by this time and we could hardly wait for it to be done. Good thing it only needed to cook for 11 minutes.
Our Roasted Red Pepper & Asiago Cheese Chicken Sausage Mediterranean pizza cooked up perfectly and smelled soooo good. I will say that we all really enjoyed this meal and look forward to the weather getting nicer so we can try our hand at grilling pizza. But for now, the minor adjustments I made were great and the food did not suffer for it one bit. Grace helped herself to 4 slices, Josh had like 5 slices, I had 3 and Eden ate two...and yes there is still some left. Dinner tonight was a hit! So if your craving something new and exciting in the pizza department, give this one a try...it's just too yummy to pass up!
Even though everyone loves pizza...the same old Cheese or Hawaiian can get really boring really fast. I recently received the newest issue of the Rachael Ray magazine and the whole issue is about grilling. I love her magazine because of all the tips and stories and great recipes that I can find. But occasionally, the magazine will have a coupon or two...and lucky me, this issue had not only a coupon for the Al Fresco Chicken Sausage, but recipes for them too! It gets better though...it just so happened that at the same time I received the magazine and coupon, Fred Meyers had the Al Fresco Chicken Sausage on sale and with a coupon too. The Chicken Sausage only ended up costing me $2.99! A screamin' deal, since normally they are pretty spendy.
The recipe itself, though, is an easy one...I didn't follow it exactly. But Josh and I plan on doing the whole put-a-pizza-on-a-grill thing next time. I already had a Pillsbury Pizza dough canister in the house. I know, I know, don't roll your eyes at me. I had a coupon and I'm a busy mom and so I opted for the easy way out. Though I would love to make my own pizza dough...Josh and I have said it's something we want to do together...maybe on a weekend or something and when I actually have some yeast in the house. And I am not a big fan of Pizza sauce in a jar...it tends to be thick...and I like the flavor of Ragu for my pizza sauce, so I went with that as well. But if you make your own sauce, that is probably even a better way to go.
The Sausage was grilled to perfection. And I have to admit, though we were cooking dinner together, I was actually on the phone with my mom...and talking to my mom as I watched Josh slice up the meat and sneak a bite into his hungry mouth. The next thing I know he is raving about his bite of sausage and sticking one in my face to eat. So I did...and it was amazing! Unlike any piece of sausage I have tried before. Probably has something to do with it being flavored with roasted red pepper & Asiago Cheese...not to mention it being chicken.
Soon enough, the chicken was covering the light amount of sauce I added to my pre-made pizza dough and we were ready to begin sprinkling it with Feta Cheese, (with basil and tomato) some Italian Cheese, and Oregano. It was smelling very good in my kitchen by this time and we could hardly wait for it to be done. Good thing it only needed to cook for 11 minutes.
Our Roasted Red Pepper & Asiago Cheese Chicken Sausage Mediterranean pizza cooked up perfectly and smelled soooo good. I will say that we all really enjoyed this meal and look forward to the weather getting nicer so we can try our hand at grilling pizza. But for now, the minor adjustments I made were great and the food did not suffer for it one bit. Grace helped herself to 4 slices, Josh had like 5 slices, I had 3 and Eden ate two...and yes there is still some left. Dinner tonight was a hit! So if your craving something new and exciting in the pizza department, give this one a try...it's just too yummy to pass up!
Roasted Red Pepper & Asiago Cheese
Chicken Sausage
Mediterranean Pizza
1 12oz pkg Al Fresco Chicken Sausage ( any flavor is good)
1 14"-16" Boboli Pizza Crust ( or whatever you prefer)
2 tbsp garlic-flavored olive oil (only if your going to grill the pizza)
2/3 cup pizza sauce
1 cup shredded Italian Cheese Blend
1/3 cup Feta Cheese with basil and tomato
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
( Cook the pizza however you prefer too, but here are the grilling instructions)
Preheat grill on medium setting. Place Chicken Sausages on an oiled grill and cook about 7-9 minutes, turning as needed. Cool slightly and cut sausage into slices and set aside. Brush both sides of pizza crust with with garlic olive oil. Gently place on crust, top side down on grill rack. Grill for 2-3 minutes until crust is warm, then turn over. Quickly spread pizza sauce on top, cooked side of crust, arrange sliced sausages on top, and sprinkle withe cheeses and oregano. Grill over direct medium heat, covered with grill lid or tent with foil, 8-10 minutes, or until topping are warm and cheese has melted. Cut into wedges and serve.
I promise, the gym made me forget about dinner!
I'm really kind of disappointed with myself.
Tuesday, I blogged that my hubby would be guest blogging his Baked Penne Pasta. It's super delicious and easy...well it looks easy since he's the one that makes it. Well last night, we had the kids down (okay, they aren't really kids in my eyes...but it's easier than saying we had the young adults down ) and I had been texting Jewelissa back and forth throughout the day since we were going to finish the Lord of the Ring trilogy and she offered for them to come down a bit early so I could squeeze in my workout at the gym. (Yay)
Josh knew he was going to be blogging this meal...it had been discussed, but while I was gone at the gym, I forgot to leave the camera out for him and then with company over...it got overlooked. An easy thing to do when your laughing in the kitchen...which is what I walked into as I got home from the gym. By that time, the pasta was nearly cooked and the sausage and sauce was already made. It just needed the assistance of the oven. But...I can't claim this as all of Josh's fault. I did forget to leave the camera out and he could of tried and remembered. But still, walking in the door, sweaty, gross, and tired...it slipped my mind too and I did not remember till the food was coming out of the oven.
So, I'm disappointed with myself for not remembering. For not making a point of remembering to remind Josh as I was talking to him on my cell phone while I walked to the gym. And I'm disappointed you all are missing out on his amazing writing skillz :)
You did however, get a story from me and you were able to enjoy my misery too ;) I'm just kidding about that last part...! Stop laughing at my pitiful self, haha. Okay, I'm laughing too :) LOL! See?!
I suppose the meal will have to wait for another time...unless Josh decides to wing it anyways and post it with one picture...of course I will be there, at his side, telling him to not even bother. Haha!
Tuesday, I blogged that my hubby would be guest blogging his Baked Penne Pasta. It's super delicious and easy...well it looks easy since he's the one that makes it. Well last night, we had the kids down (okay, they aren't really kids in my eyes...but it's easier than saying we had the young adults down ) and I had been texting Jewelissa back and forth throughout the day since we were going to finish the Lord of the Ring trilogy and she offered for them to come down a bit early so I could squeeze in my workout at the gym. (Yay)
Josh knew he was going to be blogging this meal...it had been discussed, but while I was gone at the gym, I forgot to leave the camera out for him and then with company over...it got overlooked. An easy thing to do when your laughing in the kitchen...which is what I walked into as I got home from the gym. By that time, the pasta was nearly cooked and the sausage and sauce was already made. It just needed the assistance of the oven. But...I can't claim this as all of Josh's fault. I did forget to leave the camera out and he could of tried and remembered. But still, walking in the door, sweaty, gross, and tired...it slipped my mind too and I did not remember till the food was coming out of the oven.
So, I'm disappointed with myself for not remembering. For not making a point of remembering to remind Josh as I was talking to him on my cell phone while I walked to the gym. And I'm disappointed you all are missing out on his amazing writing skillz :)
You did however, get a story from me and you were able to enjoy my misery too ;) I'm just kidding about that last part...! Stop laughing at my pitiful self, haha. Okay, I'm laughing too :) LOL! See?!
I suppose the meal will have to wait for another time...unless Josh decides to wing it anyways and post it with one picture...of course I will be there, at his side, telling him to not even bother. Haha!
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Weekly Menu
I put a little bit more thought into this weeks menu. Last week, was an off week for me. I think we all have them from time to time. But This week I think is a good mix of different foods for us all to enjoy.
Monday
Grilled Cheddar Wursts with fresh Cantaloupe
Tuesday
Mom's Cheese Enchiladas with beans and spanish rice
Wednesday
Roasted pepper & Asiago Chicken Sausage
Mediterranean Pizza
Thursday
Teriyaki Chicken Thighs with rice and green beans
Friday
Baked Penne Pasta with Moroccan Olive Bread
( Guest Blogger; Josh)
Saturday
Nancy's Black Bean Chili
Sunday
Grilled Chicken Bruschetta or Chicken Tacos
As far as desserts go this week...I thought I would take a week off from baking sweets. We have some Ice Cream in the freezer...that I know Josh will have to be the one to eat because I'm not a big fan of the selections...which is a good thing for me, maybe not so much for Josh, LOL.
This is the order of the Menu I hope to go by....but we'll see. Things can always change :)
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