Giveaway at Mommies With Cents

One of my favorite blogs, Mommies With Cents is having a fantastic giveaway for a Crane Humidifier! Visit their blog and follow the instructions to register to win. While you are there, be sure to check out the deals and freebies they have posted!




Thanks to Holly and Mindy for this giveaway!

Indian Food

I managed to stick to my menu and make Chicken Bombay tonight. It has a really mild, slightly sweet flavor and will be making it's way into my "to make again" file. I also made the spiced couscous, but it was still a little bland to me. I did not have currants, so I subbed in dried cranberries and apples. I also conjured up a potato side dish that I absolutely adore. I peeled and cubed 3 medium potatoes and tossed them in a skillet with some olive oil. I let them fry until they started getting brown and added some turmeric. I stirred that up then added some chicken broth and let it go until all the liquid was absorbed. Added about 2 - 3 teaspoons of garam masala and 1/2 - 1 teaspoon of curry powder. I continued adding a splash of chicken broth as it would cook down, then added a little chili powder and a pat of butter at the end. I served it with a dollop of sour cream (it was spicy!). The color was gorgeous!

Tomorrow I get to try my hand at making a ham. In my favor, it is precooked, but still, this is the first ham that isn't pre-sliced and in a plastic container that I have made!

I went to Wal-Mart today because I was going a bit stir-crazy from staying home all the time. I happened to catch an employee marking down bedside Touch Lamps to $4.50. They were originally $18. I picked one up because Michael and I had been discussing getting one for my side of the bed, as I had been waking him up when I was finished reading at night to turn off the light. *giggle*

Now I am off to organize my coupons in a binder. I am hoping this will keep me from forgetting half of them when I go shopping!

Back In The Saddle

After a chaotic break from the blog, I am back at last. I've spent the past few weeks drowning in a sea of information in my search for all things frugal, ways to be more "green", and trying to learn how to follow a... **GASP**... budget. I have come across a ton of blogs that fit into at least one of these categories, which I will add to my blog list on the side.
I have also been trying to learn the art of couponing (is that a word?) and reminding myself to actually use the meals in the freezer that I prepared during my OAMC stint at the end of January.
In the midst of all of this, I am struggling to become more organized; both in the physical sense, and in my mind. I have a bad habit of starting 15,000 things at a time and seldom finishing any of them, and it frustrates the hell out of me. But hey, the first step is admitting that there is a problem, right?

Anyway, on the menu for this week is:

Monday: Cheese Tortellini and salad

Tuesday: Chicken Bombay, SpicedCouscous, and possibly some sort of bread

Wednesday: Ham, carrots, green beans, mashed potatoes, Grandma's Lemon Meringue Pie

Thursday: Navy Beans (made with leftover ham), cornbread

Friday: no cooking - my grandmother's birthday; I am making her a Hummingbird Cake

Saturday: Crockpot Chicken in Creamy Chive Sauce, rice, steamed broccoli

Sunday: burritos


I have to say I am really proud of myself for the steps toward frugality that I've been taking lately, however small they might be. My favorite jeans developed a hole in them, and instead of tossing them in the trash, I stitched up the hole and am wearing them for awhile longer. I don't really spend much on clothing anyway, but why buy more when I can make do with these? Once this pair gets beyond repair, I am thinking of using them for a few projects. I can use the seat/front area to make a bag to hang on the top bunk of Kobey's bed for him to put his books in. And there are tons of uses for the legs, so I am confident that the jeans will live on long after they can no longer be worn.

I have several projects planned for the upcoming weeks. I definitely need to clean out my closet, go through and declutter the kitchen, rearrange the pantry, and reorganize my scrapbooking supplies. So much to do! The biggest problem is finding a starting place. Ugh.

But anyway, I'll be trying to keep up my blog (again), and hopefully I will remember to take photos of all these recipes I am trying!

A Slow Weekend

I slacked on my cooking a little this weekend. The plan was to have steak and twice-baked potatoes for supper Saturday, but a late lunch had us all feeling less than hungry. I had mixed up some marinade for my steaks earlier Saturday, so they got to spend the night soaking it up. Sunday afternoon I cooked them on the stove (I had planned on grilling outside, but the weather was icky) and they were REALLY good!
I got this marinade recipe from Allrecipes.com, and I will definitely be using it again!

Marinade for Steak I
(I used this amount for 3 smallish round steaks)
1/4c + 2 tsp vegetable oil
2 T + 1 1/4 tsp soy sauce
1 T and 1 3/4 t red wine vinegar
1 T + 1/2 t fresh lemon juice
2 3/4 t Worcestershire sauce
1 t freshly ground black pepper
1 3/4 t Dijon mustard
1/3 onion, sliced (I left this out)
5/8 clove garlic, minced (I used 2 t)

In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients. Mix well, and use to marinate your favorite meat. (I put mine in a zip-top storage bag with the meat and let it marinate for about 20 hours-- it did not overpower the meat at all)

I would even be tempted to alter this a bit and make a steak sauce out of it. It is THAT good!

Blueberry French Toast

I had quite a bit of the blueberry topping left from yesterday's mini cheesecakes, so I promised my son French Toast for breakfast today. I used some leftover French bread that I sliced about 3/4 inch thick and soaked in a mixture of egg, milk, sugar, salt, vanilla and cinnamon. Then I just put the blueberry pie filling over the top. Yummy!

General Not Tso Spicy Chicken

My DH put together a basket for my Christmas gift that was loaded with everything from flavored coffees to bruschetta to flavored olive oils. Included was a bottle of Archer Farms General Tso Stir Fry Sauce. I decided to give it a try last night. It wasn't nearly as spicy as what we get at our local Chinese buffet, but tasty nonetheless. I will definitely be getting it again!

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 c soy sauce
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp ground ginger

Cut the chicken breasts into 1-inch pieces. Place in a bowl with soy sauce, lemon juice and ginger; stir well and cover with plastic wrap. Put in refrigerator to marinate. (I put mine in for a couple of hours)

1/2 c cornstarch
1 - 2 Tbsp Chinese Five-Spice powder
1 tsp ground ginger
2 eggs

Combine cornstarch and spices in a bowl and set aside. Beat the eggs well, then add to the chicken. Add cornstarch mixture and mix well, being sure all the chicken is coated. Heat 1 - 2 inches of oil in a skillet to 350 degrees. Fry the chicken in the oil, 7 or 8 pieces at a time until golden and crispy on each side. Drain on paper towels.
When all the chicken is cooked, either dispose of the used oil or get a clean pan out and add the chicken. Pour 1/2 bottle of General Tso's Stir Fry Sauce over the chicken and stir to coat completely. Cook over med-low heat until heated through.

I served this with rice and steamed broccoli and it was quite tasty!!

Mini Blueberry Cheesecakes

Several months ago, I saw Paula Deen make a Lime Blueberry Tiramisu on her show and decided that I MUST make one. As ladyfingers seem to be an endangered species in this part of the world, I ended up with a can of blueberry pie filling that I had no idea what to do with. Today, Paula gave me another chance to give in to my blueberry cravings...Blueberry Cream Cheese Tarts.



I did tweak the recipe just a bit, as I was out of 'Nilla Wafers and the amount of sugar she used seemed excessive. So here is the orginal recipe, and the recipe I used is as follows:

For the crust:
6 whole graham crackers
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon melted butter

For the filling:
2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 eggs

Topping:
1 (21-ounce) can blueberry filling

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place a paper cupcake liner in each cup of a muffin pan. Lightly spray liners with a nonstick cooking spray. (they tend to stick to the paper sometimes) Crush the graham crackers in a food processor or zip-top bag, then add sugar and melted butter; mix well. Put approximately 1 tablespoon of crust mixture in each muffin cup, press down firmly. Bake for 5 - 8 minutes.



Meanwhile,beat cream cheese with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add sugar, lemon juice and vanilla, beating well. Switch to low speed and add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing well after each addition.



Spoon cream cheese mixture over wafers. Bake for 20 minutes. Allow tarts to cool completely, then top with blueberry pie filling.



ENJOY!!