Merry Christmas... see you in the new year!

Wishing everyone a most blessed and joyous holiday!

Crockpot uses, NOT for food

So there are many things that you can do with a Slow Cooker, which have nothing to do with cooking, such as:
Make Soap
Dye Yarn
Make Candles
William Sonoma Style Air Freshener
Keep Heating Pads Warm
Make Play-Doh
Chemical-Free Paint Removal Technique
and
Use as a Foot Bath






Today, I will tell you how awesome using your Slow Cooker for a foot soak can be on this chilly Winter day. It is the kind of day when you really don't want to leave the house, nor should you due to the quality of the roads.


First, I got the slow cooker (and my heated blanket) heating up to warm in front of the TV, because it was going to be that kind of day. I prepped the water with the following concoction:


Honey and Lemon Foot Bath
1/2 cup honey
1 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
1 lemon, sliced
Add Marbles for massage effect










After prepping it up, I slip in to the bath room, use my heel file and give both feet (dry at the time) a good scrub with that thing. Then I give then a bit of a massage with this stuff:
DIY Brown Sugar Foot Scrub
1 Tablespoon Brown Sugar
1 Tablespoon Baking Soda
1 Tablespoon Olive oil
After scrubbing out the kinks, I rinse my feet, pat them dry, slip on my slippers, and (remembering a towel for when I am done with foot soak) I pad my way to the sofa and begin the great relaxmentafication.


You are welcome internet for this wonderful idea.


Please note, I never put any sort of ingredient or chemical in my slow cooker that I wouldn't use in cooking. I will wait until I get a secondary crock pot to try to make candles, dye yarn, etc. A foot scrub though, is food safe and only needs a thorough cleaning to be ready for cooking again.

Snickers Salad

So I tried something new this year:


Snickers Salad
Ingredients:
1 quart of Home Made Whipped Cream (Cool Whip is fine, too)
20 fun size Snickers, unwrapped and quartered (you can use any size, just make them small pieces)
2 granny smith apples, diced small
1 container of apple Caramel, softened
Method:
Fold the whipped cream, Snickers, and apples together. Place in serving bowl. Drizzle with Caramel and have is out for personal garnish as well.

Not pretty, but super yummy.

There are lots of different recipes of this floating around. some with butterscotch pudding or cheesecake pudding. I thought that the lightly sweetened Whipped Cream balanced the sweetness of the Caramel and candy well. It was also a great use of the left over Halloween Candy we had from the month prior. I highly suggest this concoction if you happen to have the ingredients at home.

Hot Chocolates To Try This Year

Here are 2 interesting hot chocolate recipes I will be trying this winter:

 

Guinness, Whiskey, and Baileys Hot Chocolate

Ingredients

1 (12-ounce) bottle Guinness

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

pinch kosher salt

3 cups whole milk

4 ounces milk chocolate chips

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips

4 ounces Bailey's

4 ounces Irish whiskey

In a medium saucepan, cook Guinness over medium-high heat until reduced to 1/2 cup, about 10 minutes. Set aside.

In medium saucepan, stir cocoa with sugar and salt. Stir in milk, milk chocolate, and bittersweet chocolate. Heat over medium heat until, stirring constantly, until chocolate is melted and mixture is hot. Gently whisk to completely homogenize mixture.

Add Bailey's followed by reduced Guinness and whiskey. Using a hand blender, milk frother, or whisk, whisk until frothy, pour into individual serving cups, and serve immediately.

 

Red Wine Hot Chocolate

Ingredients

6 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

1⁄3 cup fruity red wine, such as Pinot Noir, Shiraz or Beaujolais

1 cup milk

1 pinch kosher salt

Sugar, for serving

Instructions

Bring chocolate and wine to a simmer in a 1-qt. saucepan over low heat; cook, whisking, until melted, about 3 minutes. Add 2⁄3 cup water, milk, and salt; bring to a boil, and cook, while whisking 3 minutes more. Pour into 2 mugs and serve with sugar on the side, if you like.

Knowing Husband he will not be interested in the Red Wine Hot Chocolate, but I feel like I should make a very small batch at least to try it out. The Guinness one he will be all over I think. we shall see.


Cook it up, y'all!

Maman's Burnt Sugar Pound Cake

Yesterday marked 71 years since my mother was born. While she has been gone now for 16 years of my 31 years of life, her spirit still holds strong and true in the memories of those who loved her. I had the great joy of eating dinner with two dear friends of hers, and mine, on Tuesday of this week and reminisced about her vivacious and generous personality. I have also been going through boxes of her belongings that were kept for my brothers and me. I have been on an emotional rollercoaster due to the things contained in said boxes. My older brother's wife asked about Mom's Pound Cake recipe, I went searching in the recipe boxes and books that I had inherited. There was only one pounds cake recipe that I found so I assume that it must be the one Bro Bro like so much.

Here is how you make it:

It turned out pretty dang good. There was too much cake there to do much with so I ended up throwing out about a 5th of the cake 2 weeks later, but it was super good. I will make it for a party, not for regular everyday dessert.

A drink for the Chilly Season: Hot Buttered Rum

Husband and I were thinking, gee it is rather chilly, we should make something warm and yummy to drink. Thus I decided that this recipe should be tried:

Hot Buttered Rum

Ingredients

1 tsp. brown sugar

4 oz. hot milk (use hot water for a lighter texture)

2 oz. dark rum (l prefer Myers's for its richness)

1 Tbs. butter (not margarine)

Ground nutmeg

Directions

Prepare your drinking mug by warming it up. Make sure you're using a heat-resistant mug. Pour piping hot water into it and cover with a small plate. Once warmed, empty the hot water and add brown sugar and hot milk (or fresh, hot water if you prefer). Stir until the sugar dissolves and then add rum. Gently float the butter atop the drink and sprinkle some nutmeg over that.

This was absolute decadence. I will never need another one of these again in my life (that is a lie), but oh man, it was exactly what was needed for the first below 45° evening of the year.



Not Pictured: Nutmeg



Finally, pictures of the rest of our home...

This is long over due. Here are the pictures of our home!

BASEMENT: MEDIA ROOM/OTHERSIDE

Our Basement is a far cry from what we want it to be ultimately, but we are both very happy with how it is shaping up thus far. We have our incredibly comfortable futon ready for sitting and enjoying and even more ready for a friend or family member to come and stay on it! Next to it is the relatively comfortable child's futon (Thanks Pseudo Mommy!) ready for a miniature human (or someone my size) to come and stay. On the opposite side, we have the Plumery Recliner which has followed us for many years and is perfect for napping.


*Is this working? I am trying to convince you to come play and stay with us. We will  be having our  first guests soon!*

We need a larger TV or a projector screen for our TV we have decided, but again that will be a few years. Then we have our comic books and Rock band piles. Then our board games and puzzles. Then our awesome DVD collection. Not a lot going on down here, but I tell you what, it is definitely going to be super awesome when we put in a bar and possibly, maybe a second bathroom.






As for the "other side", we have some super awesome shelves for much storage and such wow. Auntie gave us the two narrow ones and we brought the wider one while the work table came with the house. Then we have our super awesome cedar closet for our out of season clothes. Most of the boxes are currently things that will end in the spare bedroom the time comes for children's décor. Lots of organization still to do on this side. I do have all the cosplays hanging up for the first time ever which is refreshing.

DINING ROOM

Of course, now that I have taken the picture below, I have been informed that we can inherit one of two different dining room sets that belong to awesome family members.

Currently, our gaming table is upstairs as our dining table which is totally great, but I am looking forward to it ending up in the basement, near the games and puzzles. We have a kitchen cart as our makeshift bar for now, as hopefully we will have one built sometime in the next 3 years. For the most part, this space is working very well.

More than anything the space being used as our pantry has come together wonderfully! Check out the before, during, and after pictures to understand the full effect of the space.

Before

Before

During

After

In Use!

OFFICE

The office has taken a long while to put together. I just finished working on the many, many boxes that needed to be gone through, but there is still more to do in this space. One thing that is encouraging me to get work done in here is the craft area. My craft table is set up (the one in front of the window) and once I get this area cleaned and organized, I can then get it messy again by using said craft table.

Behind the wall I am pointing at is a closet, so just imagine all the space we have!

LIVING ROOM

Currently, the formal sitting room/living room is mostly empty except for all the  which it will be, for quite a while. We will add some accent chairs and a loveseat and then a TV above fireplace as money and time allows, but for now, this is our poor room.

Sorry for the darkness of the picture. We need about 7 more lamps in this room, I feel...  

SPARE ROOM

This has been the box room for most of our time living here and still is so I am not posting a picture of this room until we have it finished and have some furniture in it.

BEDROOM

This is the best room in the house, but also the one that is bound to change the most soon as we have been offered several furniture pieces from Auntie. Because of this, I will wait to post before and after pictures with the new pieces whenever we get them.


I hope y'all (especially you Californians) enjoyed getting a peek into our new home.

Thai Peanut Sauce Chicken

So sometimes you just get a flavor that you crave and you can't stop craving it until you have some. That is what happened to me with this guy:

Thai Peanut Noodles

Ingredients

1 lb. whole wheat linguine or soba

1 recipe thai peanut sauce

½ oz. sesame seeds (optional)

½ bunch green onions, sliced

Instructions

Cook the pasta according to the directions on the box (boil for 10 minutes or until al dente). Meanwhile, slice the green onions.

Drain the pasta in a colander and then toss with Thai Peanut Sauce, sesame seeds and green onions while still warm. Eat and enjoy!

Thai Peanut Sauce

Ingredients

¾ cup natural style peanut butter

¼ cup coconut milk (optional)

juice from ½ a lime

1 inch fresh ginger, peeled, grated (optional)

1 clove garlic, minced $0.06

1 tsp sriracha sauce (rooster hot sauce)

1 Tbsp soy sauce

½ tsp sesame oil (optional)

1 Tbsp brown sugar

¼ bunch cilantro

¼ – ½ cup water

Instructions

Make sure your natural style peanut butter is thoroughly mixed before measuring (you don’t want to get all oil or all solids). In a blender or food processor combine all of the ingredients except the sriracha sauce. Begin with only ¼ cup of water and add more until you get the consistency you want (I used ½ cup total). Add the sriracha sauce a little at a time (blending between) until it is to your desired heat (I used about ½ tsp).

Enjoy the peanut sauce on salads, pasta or as a dipping sauce!

Black sesame seeds are so yummy.

This dish was super delish and incredibly easy as well. You should try to make this. I threw in some shredded chicken as it was already cooked and ready to be eaten, but it was not needed at all. One word of warning though, do eat it quickly. The next leftovers aren't better than the fresh as the sauce looses it spark.

Until next time...cook it up.

BFMH: Apple Pecan French Toast

Again, I am a dummy. I completely forgot to take a picture. So here is the wonderful recipe without a picture of the yummy.


Apple Pecan French Toast

10 cups cubed (3/4-inch) French or challah bread

8 eggs

2 cups (1 pint) half-and-half

1/2 cup milk

1/3 cup packed light brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Apple-Pecan Filling

8 tablespoons butter, softened

3 apples, peeled and coarsely chopped (3/4-inch pieces)

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 cup coarsely chopped pecans

Topping

Powdered Sugar, Maple syrup or salted caramel topping, if desired

Directions

1 Heat oven to 300°F. On large cookie sheet, spread bread cubes. Bake 20 to 30 minutes or until dry.

2 Line sides of 4- to 5-quart slow cooker with foil that has been folded into thirds; spray with cooking spray.

3 In large bowl, beat remaining French Toast ingredients. Fold in bread cubes to coat. Let stand 15 minutes, folding occasionally.

4 In 8-inch skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter. Add apples; cook about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, in small bowl, stir together remaining 6 tablespoons butter and remaining Apple-Pecan Filling ingredients until crumbly.

5 Spoon half of bread mixture (about 4 cups) into slow cooker. Top with half of the apples. Sprinkle with half of the brown sugar mixture. Repeat layers.

6 Cover; cook 2 1/2 to 3 hours on Low heat setting or until temperature reaches 160°F and center is set.

7 Remove foil before serving by loosening edges with table knife. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with syrup.

Halloween Costume 2015

So for those of you who are interested, here is my "Evil Little Mermaid"/Siren Costume
Here is the skirt before adding the tulle fin:

Here it is after the tulle fin was added!

Here are the ears in production:

Here they are painted and bejeweled:

Here is my make up close:

I paired it with my black corset and the awesome pearls I got from my best friend ALICIA. 

And here is the spectacular picture from the party photo booth:

Oven Roasted Autumnal Medley

For my California peeps, you might not know this, but it is Fall for most of the country right now. Beautiful colors in the trees, a nip in the air, and, the best part, autumn produce. So what way to enjoy the season than will a perfect compilation of said produce.

Oven Roasted Autumn Medley

Ingredients
1 medium red onion
1½ lbs (2 small or one large) sweet potato
2 medium apples
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried sage
1 tsp dried rosemary
½ tsp salt
freshly cracked pepper (10-15 cranks of a mill)
2 links (2/3 lb.) turkey sausage
handful fresh parsley (optional/garnish)
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the apples and onion into one-inch chunks. Peel the sweet potato and cut it into one-inch chunks as well.
Place the chopped apples, onions, and sweet potatoes in a large 9x13 inch casserole dish. Add the olive oil, basil, sage, rosemary, salt, and some freshly cracked pepper. Toss until everything is well coated in oil and herbs.
Nestle the sausage down into the casserole dish. Transfer the casserole dish to the preheated oven and bake for 45 minutes. Stir once and flip the sausage at the 25 minute mark.
After removing the dish from the oven, slice the sausage into thin medallions and add it back to the dish. Sprinkle with chopped, fresh parsley if desired.

 

This is lovely and is even better as leftovers. A rather simple one pot meal with all the Autumn love you can fit into it.

Until next time, cook it up.

BFMH: Not quite to the recipe: Banana Chocolate Chip Bread

This is one of those Pinterest Recipes that I have been wanting to try for ages, but kept putting off for some reason. It was incredibly easy and has proven to be a rather solid substitution for the full recipe. 

Cake Mix Banana Bread

Ingredients

1 box Betty Crocker™ cake mix

1/3 cup oil

3 eggs

1 ½ cups mashed bananas (3-4 bananas)

I added 4 oz of chocolate chips that I had leftover

Directions

1 Heat oven to 350°F. Generously spray 2 (8x4-inch) loaf pans with cooking spray; lightly flour pans.

2 Select your favorite banana bread recipe variation from those below.

3 In large bowl, beat all ingredients above plus ingredients from selected variation below until well mixed. Divide batter evenly between pans.

4 Bake 45 to 55 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of loaves comes out clean and inside of cracks do not look wet. Cool 15 minutes in pans on cooling racks. Remove loaves from pans to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 2 hours, to prevent crumbling when slicing. For easier slicing, store loaves tightly covered 24 hours. Cut with serrated knife, using a light sawing motion.



Look at that loaf, loafing about...

So I failed this loaf slightly. For some reason, last night, the formatting on my phone screen didn't show that I needed to add 3 eggs. I swear that I checked 2 different times because I was thinking, "GEE, this really should have some eggs in it...".  Whelp, I didn't triple check and so I didn't add any eggs. The good news is that it still taste really good! It has turned out to be a very delicate bread and very soft on the inside, but the flavor and texture are good. So we frozen the 2 loafs. Hopefully the cutting process of the frozen bread won't prove to be too difficult.

Creamy Tomato & Spinach Pasta

I hit up a really lovely Pasta thanks to Budget Bytes....again. She loves her Carbs and knows how to use them well.


This is called Creamy Tomato and Spinach Pasta and, boy, is it divine.

Creamy Tomato & Spinach Pasta

Ingredients
1 Tbsp olive oil $0.16 ($.10)
1 small onion $0.25 ($.29)
2 cloves garlic $0.16 ($.05)
1 (15 oz.) can diced tomatoes $0.59 ($.79)
½ tsp dried oregano $0.03
½ tsp dried basil $0.03
pinch red pepper flakes (optional) $0.02
freshly cracked pepper to taste $0.05
½ tsp salt $0.03
2 Tbsp tomato paste $0.11 ($.10)
2 oz. cream cheese $0.48 (Free from work left overs)
¼ cup grated Parmesan $0.42
½ lb. penne pasta $0.89 ($1.00)
1 pound fresh spinach $1.50 ($1.75)
Instructions
Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender (7-10) minutes. Drain the pasta in a colander.
While waiting for the pasta to cook, dice the onion and mince the garlic. Cook both in a large skillet with the olive oil over medium-low heat until softened and transparent (about 5 minutes).
Add the diced tomatoes (with juices), oregano, basil, red pepper flakes, salt, and some freshly cracked pepper to the skillet with the onions and garlic. Stir to combine. Add the tomato paste and a ½ cup of water to the skillet and stir until the tomato paste is dissolved into the sauce.
Turn the heat down to low. Cut the cream cheese into a few pieces and then add them to the skillet with the tomato sauce. Use a whisk to stir the sauce until the cream cheese has fully melted in and the sauce is creamy. Add half of the Parmesan to the skillet and whisk until it is melted in. Add the remainder of the parmesan and whisk until melted in again.
Add the fresh spinach and gently stir it into the sauce until it has wilted (3-5 minutes). Add the pasta and stir until it is well coated in the creamy tomato sauce. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper as needed. Serve warm.


Total for my version of the dish: $4.66 and by my math there are 10 “Ram size” servings in the dish so that makes a serving $.47.
Pigeon had 2 servings and I had 1 so we ate a very yummy meal for only $1.41 and we have enough for 3-6 upcoming meals (depends on who eats it)!

Gotta love the Parm!

Until next time....Cook It Up!

BFMH: Another Breakfast Club Recipe: Crocpot Mexican Breakfast Casserole

So another week for me to do Breakfast Club. I looked in my fridge and my pantry and I figured out that I could pretty easily make some sort of Egg Casserole with a Mexican flare. Thus I came up with this concoction.

Slow Cooker Mexican Egg Casserole

Ingredients
2-3 (cooked) Potato and hashed
½ Red Onion
1 Bell Pepper
1 cup Salsa
2 cups Jack Cheese
½ pound cooked Bacon
3 eggs and 1 ½ cup milk
2 tablespoons (garnish) Cilantro
Method
Night Before: Layer potato, onion, pepper, salsa, cheese, and Bacon
Wake up 2 hours before you have to leave for work
Pour Egg and milk mixture over the veggie and bacon.
Turn on slow cooker to high for 2-3 hours.




I totally failed to take a picture of this, but it was a HUGE hit with the office. Almost all of it was gone and many people came by to tell me it was super yummy. Mission Accomplished.

Crockpot Chicken and Chicken Stock!

SO I did that thing where I made something SUPER delish and then completely forget to take a photo of it because I was excited about it... This time it was a Whole Chicken in a Crockpot!


I can't believe how easy this one was. I highly suggest trying this recipe out as it definitely makes for a nice presentation for having guests over for dinner. The excellent part is that the chicken is so moist and tender that it literally falls off the bone.


Which was good as I then promptly took said meat off of said bones and made me some Chicken Stock in a Crockpot from the remains of my Whole Chicken in a Crockpot.



Bones in cheese cloth makes pulling the bones out later really easy!

I try my darndest to not buy salty, oily chicken stock from the store and this little ditty has officially made my life easier. Give it a try some time!



Polish Potatoes, Slaw, and Smoked Sausage

We had 8 people at table the other evening in honor of one great lady we know as. She past away 3 years ago on Oct 21, 2012 at the age of 96. In honor of her, I decided that since I was hosting family dinner this week, that it should a bit of a Polish flare. I decided, also, that it needed to primarily be a make ahead meal, so that I could play hostess to the best of my ability.






For the cost of $17.20, I fed 8 adults and still have about 2 helpings left. So that would be $1.72/serving.






Sausage = $7.50 for 3 packages


Head of Cabbage = $2.42
Onion = $.58
Apple = $1.60 for 2
Apple Cider Vinegar = $.05
Chicken Stock = Homemade $1.00
Potatoes = $.88
Garlic Cloves = $.20 for 5
Bacon = Quarter pound $1
Half and Half = $.30
Monterey Jack = $1.67

I put the thinly sliced the Cabbage, 1 Onion, and 2 Apples and put them with 3 tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar and 1 cup of Chicken Stock into the Crockpot for 8 hours on low. It was an excellent side dish.

The day before the dinner event, potatoes I lightly boiled, till just tender, and then chopped roughly. I put in a casserole dish and added 5 minced garlic cloves and crumbled bacon on top of the taters. I pours about 1/2-2/3 of a cup of half and half over that and then topped with cheese. The moment I got home, I put them in the oven at 350 until the cheese was lightly golden.

The turkey sausage was fully cooked already, I just sliced and grilled on the George Foreman we got from Cousin Marion as a wedding gift. Easy peasy.

Second Birthday of My Blog: Chicken and Dumplings time!

Wow... That was really fast! I am really impressed with how quickly this blog turned 2 years old.
It has gone through a lot of changes over the years, just like me. I want to thank all of you who read occasionally, regularly, and the ones who email and text me to ask why I have posted lately....


This year I decided that the second anniversary I should try to make a classic I have never made before: Chicken and Dumplings! To add to this historic event, I will let you know in advance, that this was a success and a failure both. Read on for the grim details.


Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings
Total Cost: $5.87 ($4.93 is what my meal came out to be, price per serving is $.49)
Ingredients
Soup ($3.57)
2 cloves garlic $0.16 ($.10)
1 medium yellow onion $0.57 ($.29)
3 ribs celery $0.80 ($.40)
½ lb (3-4) carrots $0.55 ($.50)
1 large (3/4 lb.) chicken breast $1.49* ($2) *I also threw in a cheese cloth with a bunch of chicken bones as I had made a whole chicken to get the chicken breast for the soup*
1 whole bay leaf $0.15 ($.08)
1 tsp dried basil $0.10 ($.05)
1 tsp dried thyme $0.10 ($.05)
freshly cracked pepper $0.05
4 cups water $0.00
1 tsp salt (plus more to taste) $0.05
Dumplings ($1.36)
1½ cups all-purpose flour $0.21 ($.15) <I use Whole Wheat Flour, DON'T DO THAT>
1½ tsp baking powder $0.15 ($.08)
½ tsp salt $0.02
½ Tbsp dried parsley $0.15 ($.10)
6 Tbsp cold butter $0.90 ($.50)
¾ tsp sugar $0.01
⅔ cup milk $0.41  ($.50)
Instructions
Mince the garlic, dice the onion, and slice the carrots and celery into small pieces. Add the garlic, onion, carrot, celery, bay leaf, basil, thyme, chicken breast (my chicken was already cooked so I didn't add the chicken, just the bones in the cheese cloth), water, and some freshly cracked pepper to a slow cooker. Stir to combine and then cook on high for four hours or low for eight hours.
After cooking for four hours on high or eight hours on low, remove the chicken from the broth and place it on a cutting board (if you cooked on low heat, turn it to high now). Use two forks to shred the chicken. Return the chicken to the pot and stir in 1 tsp of salt to the soup. Keep the slow cooker covered as much as possible during this process to retain heat and maintain the temperature.
Allow the soup to continue to cook on high while you mix the dumpling batter. In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, salt, parsley, and sugar. Mix well. Add butter in small chunks and cut it in or work it in with your hands until the mixture resembles damp sand. Add the milk and stir until a very soft paste-like mixture forms.
Remove the lid from the slow cooker and drop the dumpling batter into the soup by the heaping spoonful. Return the lid to the slow cooker and allow the dumplings to steam for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes they should have fluffed and expanded from the heat. Although they may look moist on the outside, they will be light and fluffy on the inside. Serve hot.

Besides the dumpling, it was very nice!

Looks like a strange meatball...not a dumpling. That should have been my first clue!

There something in the water....

The dumplings turned into a strange gloop that was a major fail. The soup on the other hand, was spectacular! Pigeon and I decided that the soup wasn't hot enough to cook the dumplings properly (it had been on low all day verse high for a shorter amount of time). Add a less than bubbling soup and the incorrect flour (here I was thinking I was making the right and healthy choice...), the dumplings were the strangest consistency and while not inedible, not attractive to look at.


I have decided I need to try this dish again, but stove top next time.

Week 1 of my Budget Challege

Week 1

So this whole "breaking down cost of a serving, cost of a bit of this or that, is all very new to me. A few things I was able to do that with, and a few things I was not able to. The Italicized in Green things are things that I am guestimating on. Also, I didn't stick to my meal plan for the week, which I had number for because it ended up being a crazy week of meals with family members and then camping. So here is my Rough Draft of what the following few weeks will look like.

Day 1, Monday:

Ram $2.25
Breakfast: Coffee = $.30
with Milk = $.10
Bagel with Cream Cheese *Breakfast Club*
Lunch: Tuna Noodle Casserole 4 oz = $.70
Fried Chicken - 2 oz = $.80
Snack: Cheddar Cheese - 2 oz = $.35
Dinner: Rich and Charlie's Lasagna *Auntie*

Pigeon $1.97 +$9
Breakfast: Coffee = $.30
Egg = $.18
Potato Casserole= $.60
Juice 8 oz = $.89
Lunch: *Brought* Which Wich About $9
Dinner: Rich and Charlie's Cannelloni *Auntie*
Day total: $4.22 thanks to the kindness of Auntie

Day 2, Tuesday:

Ram: $1.90
Breakfast: Breakfast: Coffee = $.30
with Milk = $.10
Lunch: Tuna Noodle Casserole 4 oz = $.70
Fried Chicken - 2 oz = $.80
Dinner: Roast Beef with Tater and Green Beans *Mom and Dad's*

Pigeon $3.07
Breakfast: Yogurt 3 oz = $.48
Honey with comb = $.15
Juice 8 oz = $.89
Coffee = $.30
Lunch: Chicken Curry Casserole = $1.25
Dinner: Roast Beef with Tater and Green Beans *Mom and Dad's*
Day total: $4.97 thanks to the kindness of Mom and Dad

Day 3, Wednesday:

Ram $2.73
Breakfast: 1/2 a Waffle = $.13
Coffee = $.30
with Milk = $.10
Lunch: Tuna Noodle Casserole 4 oz = $.70
Fried Chicken - 2 oz = $.80
Dinner: Lasagna Roll up (1 serving) = $.70

Pigeon $4.16
Breakfast: Juice 8 oz = $.89
Coffee = $.30
Oatmeal = $.17
Honey with comb = $.15
Lunch: Chicken Curry Casserole = $1.25
Dinner: Lasagna Roll up (2 servings) = $1.40
Day total: $6.89


Here is how I figured out the Lasagna Roll Up Serving Cost:

Yeah, I know I misspelled stuff....I was in a rush. Layoff.

Day 4, Thursday:

Ram $3.70
Breakfast: Half a breakfast Sandwich *CoWorker*
Coffee with Half and Half *Work*
Lunch: Rich and Charlie's Lasagna *Auntie*
Fried Chicken - 4 oz = $1.60
Dinner: Sautéed Chicken = $1.50
Autumn Veggies = $.60

Pigeon $4.79
Breakfast: Granola = *Mom*
Yogurt 4 oz = $.64
Honey with comb = $.15
Peanut Butter = $.10
1/2 Apple = $.40
Coffee = $.30
Lunch: Rich and Charlie's Lasagna *Auntie*
Dinner: Sautéed Chicken = $2.00
Autumn Veggies = $1.20
Day total: $8.49 thanks to the kindness of Mom, Auntie, and my CoWorker

Day 5, Friday:

Ram $3.93
Breakfast: Yogurt 3 oz = $.48
Honey with comb = $.15
Coffee = $.30
with Milk = $.10
Lunch: Fried Chicken - 4 oz = $1.60
Autumn Veggies = $.60
Dinner: Lasagna Roll Up = $.70

Pigeon $2.49 + $15
Breakfast: Yogurt 4 oz = $.64
Honey with comb = $.15
Coffee = $.30
Lunch: *Maggie O'Brien's* about $15
Dinner: Lasagna Roll up (2 servings) = $1.40
Day total: $6.42

Day 6, Saturday: Camping

Ram $15



Pigeon $15


Day total: $15

Day 7, Sunday: Camping

Ram $15
Pigeon $15
Day total: $15

Week Total (but not perfect math): $30.99

With Ram = $14.51 and at Pigeon = $16.48.


This was a rough week to start and try this as I wasn't in control of all the food buying this week. Let's see how next week goes.

BFMH: Bacon Cheddar Scones

So I am behind on my BFMH. I know this. But times are busy and Husband is working more and more weekends and I just can't seem to get motivated. I finally decided to give this bad boy a whirl and I am so happy I did.


Bacon Cheddar Cheese Scones
Ingredients
4 slices bacon, chopped
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 stick unsalted butter, cut into pieces
6 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, grated (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions (I didn’t have any. They are still yummy, but they could have been amazing with this)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup heavy cream, plus 2 tablespoons
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
In a medium skillet, cook the bacon, stirring, until crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain well on paper towels. Into a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Cut in the butter, cheese, green onions, and pepper with a pastry blender or fork, and work just until it starts to form lumps and come together. Add the bacon. Add 1 cup of the cream and work just until it becomes a sticky dough, being careful not to overwork.
Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and pat until it comes together. Form into 2 large circles, about 7 inches in diameter and 3/4 inch thick and cut each into 8 wedges with a sharp knife. Transfer to baking sheet with a spatula, leaving 1/2-inch space between each wedge. Paint the tops of the wedges lightly with the remaining 2 tablespoons of cream and bake until golden brown, 22 to 23 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly on the baking sheet. Serve warm.

These are pretty good, though a little dry, but there were so many for just the 2 of us. I gave 8 to my in loves and 4 to our close friends, Scotty and Mel. I should halve the recipe next time.

Pastalaya - an almost Creole tradition

So this is a little late as I made this dish for the whole in law family who came over for dinner last week. With all the other interesting stuff going on, I didn't get a chance to share it with y'all until now.

Now just think, Jambalaya is a wonderful dish, so why not make it even more wonderful by making it inexpensively and with pasta? A one pot of wonderful, no doubt. Here is the recipe:

Pastalaya

Ingredients
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
½ lb. smoked sausage (preferably Andouille)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 celery stalks, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 15oz. can diced tomatoes (I used fresh cuz I had them.

½ tsp oregano

½ tsp smoked paprika
¼ tsp thyme
½ tsp curry powder
½ tsp parsley flakes
¼ tsp Red Pepper Flakes
2 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce

20 turns of freshly cracked pepper

2 cups chicken broth
1 cup water
1 lb. penne pasta
2 Tbsp half & half or cream

Instructions

Slice the smoked sausage into thin rounds, then cut any larger pieces in half. Add the sausage and vegetable oil to a large pot and cook over medium heat until the sausage is well browned (about 5 minutes).
Mince two cloves of garlic and add them to the pot. Sauté for one to two minutes, or until the garlic is soft and fragrant. Add the Celery and Bell Pepper and sauté until heated through (3-5 minutes). Finally, add the can of diced tomatoes (with juices), oregano, smoked paprika, thyme, curry powder, parsley flakes, red pepper flakes, Worcestershire Sauce, freshly cracked pepper (about 20 cranks of a pepper mill), chicken broth, 1 cup of water, and pasta to the pot. Stir until everything is evenly combined.
Place a lid on the pot and turn the heat up to medium-high. Let the pot come to a boil. As soon as it reaches a boil, remove the lid briefly to stir, then replace the lid, turn the heat down to low, and let the pot simmer for 12-15 minutes, or until the pasta is tender. Stir the pot once every few minutes as it simmers to prevent the pasta from sticking. Replace the lid as quickly as possible after stirring to avoid heat loss.
Once the pasta is tender, most of the liquid in the pot should be absorbed. If it's still a bit soupy, let the pot simmer for one to two minutes without the lid to allow some moisture to evaporate.
Turn off the heat and stir in the half & half or cream. Serve hot with a pinch of fresh parsley and green onions on top of each bowl.

I didn't add any onion cuz Little Brother.

I made it in my lovely Le Creuset Dutch Oven (THANKS JANET) and that was the only cooking dish that was dirtied. How great is that?!

Until next time...cook it up! 

Beef and Butternut Squash Stew thanks to Giada De Laurentiis (who did NOT create Toasted Ravs)

So the first day of Fall has come and gone. I was busy moving into my new home so I failed to get this post up until now. I LOVE Autumn! I love the weather, the colors, but, most of all, the FOOD. Seasonal produce like numerous types of Squashes, Apples, Cranberries, Persimmons, and Pumpkin mixed with late summer crops just make me so happy and my taste buds are a light! Hearty foods like Stews, Soups, Casseroles, and Pies make for a less than awesome waistline for me, but a super happy tummy.

Thus, for the first day of Fall, I made a Stew that I knew Pigeon (Husband) would love and that I would enjoy making and smelling all through the house.

Beef and Butternut Squash Stew

Ingredients

3 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, peeled and chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme (didn't have, didn't add)

2 pounds stew beef, cut into 2-inch cubes (the store was out of stew beef so I used Bottom Round)

1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 cup Marsala wine (I used port)

1 pound butternut squash, trimmed and cut into 2-inch cubes

1/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes

3 to 4 cups beef broth

2 tablespoons fresh chopped flat-leaf parsley (didn't have, didn't add)

Crusty bread, for serving

In a large soup pot heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, rosemary, and thyme and saute until the onions are tender, about 2 minutes. Toss the beef cubes in salt and pepper and flour. Turn up the heat to med-high and add the beef to the pot. Cook until the beef is browned and golden around the edges, about 5 minutes. Add the Marsala wine. Using a wooden spoon, gently stir up all the brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Add the butternut squash and sun-dried tomatoes and stir to combine. Add enough beef broth to just cover the beef and squash. Bring the stew to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 1 hour. Season the stew with additional salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley. Serve with crusty bread alongside.

hmmm...beef and butternut squash...

Instagramed a bit of yum.

Seriously, this was amazeballs. I am thinking that this is the new favorite dish for the first day of Fall. I am all for that. The sundried tomatoes added a spectacular sweetness that complimented the butternut squash marvelously, without taking over. I think 3 cloves of garlic instead of 2, but I love me some garlic. I will probably try this bad boy again in the future, but in the Crockpot. I will let you know how that goes.




Until next time...Cook it up!

BFMH: Breakfast Club: Hashbrown Casserole

So I finally had a chance to get to bring in food for the Breakfast Club at work and I decided on this one:






Crockpot Hashbrown Casserole


Ingredients
1 - 26-32 ounce bag frozen hash browns
1 - 8 oz container sour cream
1 - 10.5 oz can cream of chicken soup
¼ - cup onion, chopped fine
1½ - cups shredded cheddar cheese
½ - cup butter, melted
salt and pepper, to taste (about ¼ teaspoon each)
Instructions
In a large bowl add the hash browns thawed or frozen, sour cream, soup, onion, shredded cheese and melted butter.
Mix to combine.
Spoon hash brown mixture in a 4 quart slow cooker that has been sprayed with non stick spray (I had put in a liner and sprayed the liner too).
Sprinkle salt and pepper on top cover, and cook on low for 4-5 hours or until done.
The casserole should be crispy on the sides and bubbly throughout.
Serve and enjoy!




and here is how it turned out:

Not low calorie, but it was a crowd pleaser. Any don't worry, Husband got some and he liked it as well.


Until next time....Cook it up

Evil Little Mermaid Costume

Okay so I don't know if y'all know the REAL story of The Little Mermaid, but you should look at it to understand how epic my costume will really be.

Here is a brief summary of the story:

The Little Mermaid dwells in an underwater kingdom with her father (the sea king or mer-king), her dowager grandmother, and her five older sisters, each of whom had been born one year apart. When a mermaid turns 15, she is permitted to swim to the surface for the first time to glimpse the world above, and when the sisters become old enough, each of them visits the upper world one at a time every year. As each returns, the Little Mermaid listens longingly to their various descriptions of the world inhabited by human beings.

When the Little Mermaid's turn comes, she rises up to the surface, watches a birthday celebration being held on a ship in honor of a handsome prince, and falls in love with him from a safe distance. A violent storm hits, and the Little Mermaid saves the prince from drowning. She delivers him unconscious to the shore near a temple. Here, she waits until a young girl from the temple and her companions find him. To her dismay, the prince never sees the Little Mermaid or even realizes that it was she who had originally saved his life.

The Little Mermaid becomes melancholy and asks her grandmother if humans can live forever and if they can breathe under water. The grandmother explains that humans have a much shorter lifespan than merfolks' 300 years, but that when mermaids die, they turn to sea foam and cease to exist, while humans have an eternal soul that lives on in heaven. The Little Mermaid, longing for the prince and an eternal soul, eventually visits the Sea Witch in a dangerous section of the ocean. The witch willingly helps her by selling her a potion that gives her legs in exchange for her tongue (as the Little Mermaid has the most enchanting and beautiful voice in the world). The Sea Witch warns that once she becomes a human, she will never be able to return to the sea. Consuming the potion will make her feel as if a sword is being passed through her body, yet when she recovers, she will have two human legs and will be able to dance like no human has ever danced before. However, she will constantly feel as if she is walking on sharp knives and as though her toes are bleeding. In addition, she will obtain a soul only if she wins the love of the prince and marries him, for then a part of his soul will flow into her. Otherwise, at dawn on the first day after he marries another woman, the Little Mermaid will die brokenhearted and disintegrate into sea foam upon the waves.

The Little Mermaid agrees to this arrangement, and the Sea Witch cuts off her tongue. The Little Mermaid swims to the surface near the palace of the prince and drinks the potion. She is found by the prince, who is mesmerized by her beauty and grace, even though she is considered by everyone in the kingdom as dumb and mute. Most of all, he likes to see her dance, and she dances for him despite suffering excruciating pain with every step. Soon, the Little Mermaid becomes the prince's favorite companion and accompanies him on many of his outings. When the prince's parents order their son to marry the neighboring princess in an arranged marriage, the prince tells the Little Mermaid he will not because he does not love the princess. He goes on to say he can only love the young woman from the temple, who he believes rescued him. It turns out that the princess from the neighboring kingdom is the temple girl, sent there only temporarily to be educated. The prince loves her, and the royal wedding is announced at once.

The prince and princess celebrate on a wedding ship, and the Little Mermaid's heart breaks. She thinks of all that she has sacrificed and of all the pain she has endured. She despairs, thinking of the death that awaits her, but before dawn, her sisters rise out of the water and bring her a dagger that the Sea Witch has given them in exchange for their long, beautiful hair. If the Little Mermaid slays the prince with the dagger and lets his blood drip on her feet, she will become a mermaid once more, all her suffering will end, and she will live out her full life in the ocean with her family.

However, the Little Mermaid cannot bring herself to kill the sleeping prince lying with his new bride, and she throws the dagger and herself off the ship into the water just as dawn breaks. Her body dissolves into foam, but instead of ceasing to exist, she feels the warm sun and discovers that she has turned into a luminous and ethereal earthbound spirit, a daughter of the air. As the Little Mermaid ascends into the atmosphere, she is greeted by other daughters who tell her she has become like them because she strove with all her heart to obtain an immortal soul. Because of her selflessness, she will be given the chance to earn her own soul by doing good deeds to mankind for 300 years and will one day rise up into the Kingdom of God.

So my version of the Little Mermaid is the Little Mermaid did in fact use the knife and kill the Prince. She is more warrior mermaid verse flippy dippy singing all the songs with long red hair mermaid.

The makeup is intimidating to me already...

As you can see, I will have a mermaid tail skirt. I didn't get the typical mermaid scale fabric, instead I got something I bit more reptilian which I feel gives it a nice edge. Then I will use my old black satin corset and use the fish netting at one might use a leather strap or belt. The pauldron will be crafted from craft form and then shells will be added to it to act as my armor. I will be constructing some mermaid fin ear cuffs to add to my other worldliness as well as making gauntlets that have a webbing effect between my fingers. Lastly, I will hopefully have enough time to create a red coral knife.

After this is started, I will need to get to work on Pigeon's costume, the stabbed and drowned prince.

Until next time, craft it up!

Goals for October

Occasionally, I like to set up goals for myself to attempt to better myself and


Goals for October:


1) Train for a 5k or 10k in order to beat PR.
2) Sign up for a 5k or 10k.
3) Reach goal weight of 129 (5 pounds down) from current weight.
4) Work out 4 times a week at the office gym.

5) Make a kick ass siren (evil little mermaid) costume for Halloween.
6) Go through at least 1 box a night of childhood keepsakes that were brought up from Cape G.
7) Get our house to a place that we are ready to receive guests and have parties.

and the big one:


8) Attempt to keep a food budget of $75 a week for the 2 of us....


This is the one I will be blogging about. I will keep my receipts and show you how I did and everything! Just like how Budget Bytes does it. She did a similar challenge for herself where she only spent $4.50 a day (that's $33.75 per week and $135 for the whole month on food). Having never done a challenge of this nature, I bet ya $10 to a donut that I am gonna fail, but I am excited to try it out. The first thing to leave the budget, of course, is alcohol. That is the quickest way to waste money at the grocery store ever.

So a budget of $75 per week is $10.72 per day and $300 for the entire month. Considering my budget in Cali was $350-$400, including alcohol, I think that there MIGHT be a chance that I will succeed!


Addendum: I was challenged by my coworker to keep it to $55-$60 range so, secretly, I will be shooting to come in under $60, but I am less confident that I will be able to do that. We shall see!

New House Update!

Slowly, but surely we are getting settled into our new home! Here is a tour of the first 3 rooms that we are done unpacking for the most part:

KITCHEN

As most of you could guess, I moved into the Kitchen first. I feel like the whole house is in disarray if the kitchen isn't in a working order. I guess you can see where my priorities lie. Once you don't have to order pizza, or Chinese and eat it out of a box, I feel like things just go WAY more smoothly.

There is TONS of space in this mystical kitchen of cabinets. Like I have a couple extra cabinets that I will use in place of a pantry. While I do have a HUGE closet which is going to be used at a dried goods pantry, there isn't really a place immediately obvious to be used as a pantry. So I just decided that a certain portion of my kitchen cabinets would act as just that (hence the 2 nearly empty cabinets in the pictures below).

Here are some pictures of how everything has "shaken out" as I call it.

Washing Machine! Huzaah!

This corner is the glasses, Tupperware, Dutch Oven (THANKS JANET), and the Kitchenaid Stand Mixer and Food Processor will live here as well as there is an outlet and plenty of counter space for them.

Mickey may not stay here, but he is dreaming of what the house will be like when I am done unpacking!

This is the best picture of it, but do you like my Soap pedestal? Cuz I love it. It is the cut glass cake stand that belonged to my Grandma Jones. I really like the look of it holding the hand soap, dish towel and soap. I am my mother's daughter with all the tchotchkes on the window sill above the sink.

The lower cabinet shelves spin!!

Look at the sexiness of the lower cabinet....Lazy Susan Shelves for my pans and baking equipment.
Above is a 3 shelf (huge!) corner cabinet. I just need a Lazy Susan in here for easy access to the different Tea types on the first level. Someone in Cali, please send more Winter Dream Tea for Pigeon (Husband). We don't have enough to last the late Autumn/Winter. Though we do have a great selection of hot cocoas right now. This counter corner will house the espresso machine (Thank you Chaglas!), the coffee maker, and grinder. Coffee Corner! You will also notice my Grandmother's Two Tier Dessert tray. I decided that I didn't want it to be hidden away in storage, so for now, it is housing a bowl holding my garlic and my butter crock. More things will end up living on there I bet, but for now, that is all I got.







Pretty, new GAS RANGE stove.

So much space still available here if I organize this area better. The stove, oven, and microwave are just the prettiest with the annoying to clean stainless steel, but they work very well and they came with the house so I am happy with it.

Pull out drawers?!?! AWESOME!

All the foods shall live in here! Well, not all of it, but a lot. There are 8 shelves of space for food stuffs and spices! Below I have my casserole dishes and baking pans on one side. Then there are the pull out drawer shelves...they are so good looking. the bottom shelf currently houses my Food Saver (THANKS AUNT EILEEN), which is one of the greatest inventions ever, and the toaster (which we finally found in the dryer....). The top shelf has the blender, the immersion blender, and the waffle iron. So easy to get to and, Yes, I do use all these things. I know Minimalist kitchen-ers would roll their eyes at all my tools, but I do in fact use them.


So that is my kitchen for all intends and purposes for now. I will be pickup a marble top kitchen separator from Poppa and Care Bear's house this weekend to finish off the space. Then on Tuesday of next week, my 2 interior designer friends from work on coming buy to give me some ideas and suggestions! I can't even express my excitement about this!!


Until next time...cook it up and organize on!