tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49883290413839271692024-02-07T06:16:04.291-05:00Samantha's Mommy's BlogJust a little bit of anything and everything.Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10601892402478946331noreply@blogger.comBlogger90125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988329041383927169.post-21387885209951453122009-10-17T14:18:00.006-04:002009-10-18T09:31:11.715-04:00Smoky Potato Cheese SoupWinter seems to have set in here in Central Ohio. Fortunately we haven't seen any snow yet. Cold weather is perfect for soups. We aren't crazy about soup at my house, but this is one that we all enjoy. I usually make this recipe a couple times a year.<br /><br />The <a href="http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Smoky-Potato-Cheese-Soup/Detail.aspx">original recipe</a> came from Allrecipes, but I lightened it up a bit. However, this is by no means lowfat between the smoked sausage and the Velveeta!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Smoky Potato Cheese Soup</span><br /><br />1/2 c chopped onion<br />14-16 oz pkg light smoked sausage, diced<br />2 (14.5 oz) cans chicken broth<br />6 large potatoes, peeled and cubed<br />1 lb Velveeta Light, cubed<br />2 (12 oz) cans fat free evaporated milk<br />black pepper, to taste<br /><br />Spray a large pan with nonstick spray. Cook the onion and sausage over medium heat until the onions soften and the sausage starts to get some color. Add the broth and potatoes. Simmer until the potatoes are soft. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhemc9uHZJ9OFNguuIWcEAFgkx0pyvUwYtu2QN_HHRyxOzyEi8Q4gT6rz72-axi0JPdBBQSv6OqV2c740zl2aQa8Xnj2mZBWe18Z3F39XQnvDIAZ9lQw5t7CmFQXa21KifPcJs6ZObLBI4/s1600-h/DSC02386.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhemc9uHZJ9OFNguuIWcEAFgkx0pyvUwYtu2QN_HHRyxOzyEi8Q4gT6rz72-axi0JPdBBQSv6OqV2c740zl2aQa8Xnj2mZBWe18Z3F39XQnvDIAZ9lQw5t7CmFQXa21KifPcJs6ZObLBI4/s320/DSC02386.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393642775620345922" border="0" /></a><br />Using a potato masher, lightly mash the potatoes, being sure not to completely mash them. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgST_ABITE0aLqNRzxl-Aqh0MW_O_j7CNG5YU_aAB8aNOFu21JRJ-Jg2iFX5ylgG6mg89W8p_d-4yfeCT260Kh4NXPDrA9AJeR14sl3iu0gw50dDABRsJoKmxeK_2oVoKD08Ff9dl8bwFU/s1600-h/DSC02387.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgST_ABITE0aLqNRzxl-Aqh0MW_O_j7CNG5YU_aAB8aNOFu21JRJ-Jg2iFX5ylgG6mg89W8p_d-4yfeCT260Kh4NXPDrA9AJeR14sl3iu0gw50dDABRsJoKmxeK_2oVoKD08Ff9dl8bwFU/s320/DSC02387.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393642781188545218" border="0" /></a><br />Add the Velveeta and stir until melted. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxZV4r6XoeYLQJE2Lq6Pw_YQjnzJyWv4qzCUCsgN4UY7VYrnJgMt5yCjEhQpyQwfR7PLQHhZsPsnw0wtV4QzLQcU1s0bM5etfFKz5HIsxHvWNCLhJjq0sBvc8yAV3pAlHOZ9CvYxLjvLQ/s1600-h/DSC02391.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxZV4r6XoeYLQJE2Lq6Pw_YQjnzJyWv4qzCUCsgN4UY7VYrnJgMt5yCjEhQpyQwfR7PLQHhZsPsnw0wtV4QzLQcU1s0bM5etfFKz5HIsxHvWNCLhJjq0sBvc8yAV3pAlHOZ9CvYxLjvLQ/s320/DSC02391.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393642791411719890" border="0" /></a><br />Stir in the evaporated milk and season to taste with pepper.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFuh3i-ecvRnD4qLLqkOFVaMlxIRH7rfJMo_TvAAdsLtKKY12zP7NaEsqy0Z0w_6KIODe4EnmeTUsSSwKRrO4oj12BdOcplKOLgq90abXicmQK6oBWsBK5I-2G6WxbBGelvyxBLk5xmmw/s1600-h/DSC02392.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFuh3i-ecvRnD4qLLqkOFVaMlxIRH7rfJMo_TvAAdsLtKKY12zP7NaEsqy0Z0w_6KIODe4EnmeTUsSSwKRrO4oj12BdOcplKOLgq90abXicmQK6oBWsBK5I-2G6WxbBGelvyxBLk5xmmw/s320/DSC02392.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393642798863666786" border="0" /></a>Notes:<br />1. If the soup isn't as thick as you'd like, then make a slurry using equal parts cornstarch and water. Stir in about 1 tablespoon at a time to the soup until the desired thickness is reached.<br />2. For best results, leftovers should be reheated on the stove. Microwaving can curdle the soup.<br />3. Serve with some crusty bread and a salad.Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10601892402478946331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988329041383927169.post-91976919211997880992009-09-23T18:20:00.004-04:002009-09-23T18:38:53.770-04:00Canning Jar Epiphany<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">I'm 32 years old and have been homecanning off and on since I graduated college. My mom did not can, so I did not have anyone to teach me how to do things. Everything I have learned has come from reading the Ball Blue Book and assorted canning cookbooks and the glorious internet. I've certainly learned a bunch by trial and error as well.<br /><br />One thing has always bewildered me about canning jars. Modern canning jars have a two-piece system that comes in two sizes depending on the opening size of the jar. The small size is called "regular" and the large size is called "wide-mouth." Why not "small" and "large"?<br /><br />The answer came to me today in an unexpected way.<br /><br />I recently asked my in-laws if they had any spare canning jars hanging around that they wouldn't mind parting with. Today they came over with two boxes of jars that Joe's dad pulled from the attic. There were lots of different jars in there. Three of the jars were the old style with the rubber gasket and glass lids. A number of them were the old zinc one-piece lids. One jar had a wide-mouth opening, but most of the jars were regular opening size. However, a couple jars had tiny bands but no flat lid. Those puzzled me until I found this lid on one of the jars (the band is under the flat lid):</div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihZC9PvlHLm9IDmSCfir7R-VEZzkEnBmwTkzYQfnDfQieC7LT8YjGCYp2114y3cTF9uJTb5hZCRzSPJosSLr4n0nwMzlHIvzYJ_CLNh8X9tUYJ98Gcvqe3LHOks_TalG9dfPb_aWJTfqs/s1600-h/DSC02361.JPG"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihZC9PvlHLm9IDmSCfir7R-VEZzkEnBmwTkzYQfnDfQieC7LT8YjGCYp2114y3cTF9uJTb5hZCRzSPJosSLr4n0nwMzlHIvzYJ_CLNh8X9tUYJ98Gcvqe3LHOks_TalG9dfPb_aWJTfqs/s320/DSC02361.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">At the top it says "for narrow-mouth jars". Du<img src="file:///H:/Pictures/Miscellaneous%20pictures/DSC02359.JPG" alt="" />h! There used to be THREE sizes! Narrow, regular and wide. I can totally understand why they no longer carry the narrow-mouth size anymore. It's hard enough to fit some foods in the regular size opening. I can't imagine trying to use the narrow-mouth for something other than jams and jellies. Then it becomes a pain stocking multiple sizes of lids. I only own regular size jars (until today) for that very reason.<br /><br />As you can see below, the narrow-mouth and regular lids are noticeably different in size:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWK-krJqRgI_0yUDVTOT59o_zJ4RC_qbxyRgOF29euSVfAKTDEhqMs5xg3_ZyZG_hj_qT2VlgAcirGqDp5_5D-_eh0hqbqdeBn4zUSVIdfklOAMKFTpVqdJt4W_XSV-oAFDckSQm09aNs/s1600-h/DSC02359.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWK-krJqRgI_0yUDVTOT59o_zJ4RC_qbxyRgOF29euSVfAKTDEhqMs5xg3_ZyZG_hj_qT2VlgAcirGqDp5_5D-_eh0hqbqdeBn4zUSVIdfklOAMKFTpVqdJt4W_XSV-oAFDckSQm09aNs/s320/DSC02359.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384792248352659570" border="0" /></a><br />There was one other surprise in the box -- a 2-quart canning jar! I've heard about these, but had never seen one. On the left is a Ball quart jar and on the right is a Kerr 2-quart jar. The Ball jar is one that I purchased at the store. I have no idea how old the Kerr jar is. The stores no longer carry that size because it takes too long to safely process foods in a jar that large. Oh, but it will be fun to use it in the fridge.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsUt0MuNzCW8e9cupn7MTxv6J70oNZuYaY_eTPE_fNIp7cMme91sJ0LtnsCisRpYJp-IAcYDQxBZ9umDOJhzgXGkbvkjkiv_mMKkZTaytbtZE2PWqyLKS_difphviPHruG2T_99YFMfgA/s1600-h/DSC02368-1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsUt0MuNzCW8e9cupn7MTxv6J70oNZuYaY_eTPE_fNIp7cMme91sJ0LtnsCisRpYJp-IAcYDQxBZ9umDOJhzgXGkbvkjkiv_mMKkZTaytbtZE2PWqyLKS_difphviPHruG2T_99YFMfgA/s320/DSC02368-1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384794516630799698" border="0" /></a></div></div><div style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" alt="Posted by Picasa" style="border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-origin: padding; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous;" align="middle" border="0" /></a></div>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10601892402478946331noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988329041383927169.post-22105592410002703222009-09-07T10:15:00.003-04:002009-09-07T10:53:23.200-04:00Menu Plan Monday: Labor Day Week<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsRW6H6wnmCVk3xbISnwHy8vXi2BxJpRD7Kmylqh8XahqFCxIvfwUbpCYgDlmFa7UWXEG5kAgVLrNXp4TKbvavaCGgo0HIQlrggf_A7T0qvvizM7kehHaSj6GucE_m5knhLfuMJs8LusI/s1600-h/mpmfall1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 317px; height: 124px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsRW6H6wnmCVk3xbISnwHy8vXi2BxJpRD7Kmylqh8XahqFCxIvfwUbpCYgDlmFa7UWXEG5kAgVLrNXp4TKbvavaCGgo0HIQlrggf_A7T0qvvizM7kehHaSj6GucE_m5knhLfuMJs8LusI/s320/mpmfall1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378738685578138882" border="0" /></a><p>The rain is pouring down this morning. It's bad enough that Directv can't even pick up The Weather Channel, so we have to use the internet to see how bad the weather is. It's kinda humorous.</p><p>No big Labor Day plans for today. Yesterday we hit up the tractor pull at the <a href="http://www.richwoodindependentfair.com/index.html">Richwood Independent Fair</a>. Samantha really enjoyed herself. Her favorite thing were the animals, in particular the rabbits. She also liked the tractors with the black smoke. It was a vast improvement over last year when we left early because the animals and loud tractors scared her. Unfortunately the tractor pull had to be called before all the tractors had a chance to compete due to the sled breaking. It was a bummer because we waited forever while they tried to fix it.</p><p>Monday - hopefully the rain will clear up so we can grill some steak and jalapeno poppers<br /><br />Tuesday - spaghetti and meatballs<br /><br />Wednesday - <a href="http://samanthasmommysblog.blogspot.com/2009/08/pizza-casserole.html">Pizza Casserole</a><br /><br />Thursday - smoked sausage, <a href="http://samanthasmommysblog.blogspot.com/2007/09/adventures-in-kraut-making-day-1.html">sauerkraut</a><br /><br />Friday - lunch at the <a href="http://www.popcornfestival.com/">Popcorn Festival</a>; dinner will be pizza on the grill if the weather agrees or in the oven if it doesn't<br /><br />Saturday - <a href="http://www.ourbestbites.com/2008/06/spicy-honey-chicken.html">spicy honey chicken thighs</a> - these were really good the first time we had them<br /><br />Sunday - <a href="http://freezerfriendz.blogspot.com/2009/02/hi.html">Spaghetti Pie</a><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Do you know what you're eating this week? If you would like some menu plan inspiration, be sure to check out Menu Plan Monday at<a href="http://orgjunkie.com/"> </a><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://orgjunkie.com/" target="_blank">I'm an Organizing Junkie</a> to see what others are having! </span></p>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10601892402478946331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988329041383927169.post-63967048560177194842009-09-02T21:48:00.002-04:002009-09-02T22:12:57.530-04:00Generic vs. Name Brand with CouponI use coupons for nearly everything I buy at the grocery store. I get this weird feeling when I buy something without one. I hate it when the generic is still cheaper even after my store doubles a manufacturer's coupon on the name brand item. I'm saving money with the generic, but I know that I can do better if only my timing were better.<br /><br />I'm in one of those pickles right now. I am down to my last teaspoons of sugar. I don't even have any Splenda to substitute. So I have to suck it up and buy sugar at the going price. I can't wait for the rock bottom price. I am at my store's mercy. One of my stores has Domino 5 lb bags of sugar on sale for $2.50. I have a manufacturer's coupon for 30 cents off one. That means I'll spend $1.90 at this store that doubles. I just don't know. That doesn't sound like a good price. <br /><br />I'm probably going to Aldi and/or Save a Lot this week for some of their sale items, so I'll check out their prices before buying any sugar. I could stop in Walmart to see what they charge, but that's a crapshoot. I've noticed that WM is higher than regular prices at Kroger or Meijer on half the stuff I buy. The problem is knowing exactly which half is cheaper at any given time. I really don't want to go all over town comparing prices. <br /><br />We'll see. I NEED sugar, so I know I will buy it. I just don't know how willing I am to make sure I'm getting a decent price before I hand over the cash. The gasoline just isn't worth it.Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10601892402478946331noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988329041383927169.post-6219852685995468542009-09-01T17:37:00.002-04:002009-09-01T18:19:02.426-04:00August CVS $10 Challenge: Final Week<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">I have had tomatoes on the brain, so forgive me for the tardiness of this post. Sunday, August 30, I did my final shopping trip of my August $10 Challenge. Joe threw me a curveball when he asked for the Blink Contacts eyedrops, so I had to pay full price for those, but everything else was somehow on sale.</div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4uyP3ja7NZ6GsBP8jekDyOyvQ2QQJ8aWi55QeeJSe_4wW0GVfW4R7vWMxbZVqVRBQFsxtSqPGb2TDoHctFokd-cHfKiwkWB4PhNy_ksoUkitVeIW3o_GmfVVTpH273aJ7mMJOz_XYuUY/s1600-h/DSC02326.JPG"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4uyP3ja7NZ6GsBP8jekDyOyvQ2QQJ8aWi55QeeJSe_4wW0GVfW4R7vWMxbZVqVRBQFsxtSqPGb2TDoHctFokd-cHfKiwkWB4PhNy_ksoUkitVeIW3o_GmfVVTpH273aJ7mMJOz_XYuUY/s320/DSC02326.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">Over two transactions, I bought:<br />(2) pkgs of filler paper<br />(1) medium Glade soy candle<br />(1) store brand hand soap<br />(1) Softsoap bodywash<br />(2) folders in Ohio State colors<br />(1) Blink Contacts rewetting drops<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Retail price including tax was $29.49.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">I had an instore savings of $3.60.<br /><br />I saved $2.00 using manufacturer coupons:<br />(1) $1.00 Softsoap bodywash<br />(1) $1.00 Blink Contacts rewetting drops<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">I used $21.63 in CVS coupons:<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">- $1.50 CRT coupon for the bodywash<br />- $1.69 coupon from my email for a free gift (I chose the hand soap)<br />- $1.89 ECB from <a href="http://samanthasmommysblog.blogspot.com/2009/08/august-cvs-10-challenge-week-3.html">8/16</a><br />- $1.98 ECB from <a href="http://samanthasmommysblog.blogspot.com/2009/08/august-cvs-10-challenge-week-4.html">last week</a><br />- $7.58 ECB from <a href="http://samanthasmommysblog.blogspot.com/2009/08/august-cvs-10-challenge-week-4.html">last week</a><br />- $6.99 ECB earned in the first transaction from the candle<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Sunday's OOP was $2.26. I started the day with $2.61, so that left $0.35 in my pocket at the end of the month.<br /></div><br />I walked out the door with $8.00 in ECB's:<br />1X $3.00 from <a href="http://samanthasmommysblog.blogspot.com/2009/08/august-cvs-10-challenge-week-4.html">last week</a><br />1X $2.00 from the bodywash<br /><div style="text-align: left;">1X $1.00 from the folders (raincheck)<br />1X $2.00 from the filler paper (raincheck)<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">For $9.65 OOP, in August I purchased:<br /></div>(2) book covers<br />(2) one-subject notebooks<br />(2) 5" scissors<br />(1) 3-pack glue sticks<br />(1) compass<br />(1) protractor<br />(2) 20-ct pens<br />(2) 10-ct pens<br />(2) rulers<br />(1) sticky note pad<br />(2) recycled plastic pencil boxes<br />(2) 1" vinyl binders<br />(2) mini composition books<br />(2) composition books<br />(2) pkgs of filler paper<br />(2) folders<br />(1) 36-ct aspirin<br />(1) Blink Contacts rewetting drops<br />(1) 10-ct box of store brand tampons<br />(4) Carefree ultra pantiliners<br />(1) set of earhook headphones<br />(2) Reese's peanut butter cups<br />(1) Glade candle holder for the scented oil candles<br />(1) Glade scented oil candles<br />(1) Glade Sense and Spray starter kit<br />(2) small Glade soy candles<br />(1) medium Glade soy candle<br />(1) store brand hand soap<br />(1) Softsoap bodywash<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span>All-in-all I don't think I did too badly for the whole month. There are people who would have picked up each and every freebie and every ECB-earner in order to boost their numbers. I didn't do that. I stuck to items that my family will use or that I can donate. <br /><br />I will be starting a new personal $10 challenge for September. Don't expect any blogging about it though. The blog provided the accountability and proof that it could be done. Besides, there are no coupons in next Sunday's paper, so I put in my vacation stop. No paper means no CVS ad, so I'm taking a holiday from CVS for a couple weeks.<br /></div></div>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10601892402478946331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988329041383927169.post-61543125590914131092009-08-23T20:58:00.004-04:002009-08-23T21:40:58.727-04:00Menu Plan Monday<img src="file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/Amy/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot.jpg" alt="" /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOOR53LSHy4J5mC_JzRqCCkq1iMkCCw1OT0Pn-EK427GsWZCMg8GKO6dh3lc6jBKoWgffGoPyTEXLg5gntW_6pVNt0t4UONVSTlBj-NAbhLejI8vf7xzvjaro2WHM4GtblkAZM-SoutAs/s1600-h/mpm121.jpg"></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOOR53LSHy4J5mC_JzRqCCkq1iMkCCw1OT0Pn-EK427GsWZCMg8GKO6dh3lc6jBKoWgffGoPyTEXLg5gntW_6pVNt0t4UONVSTlBj-NAbhLejI8vf7xzvjaro2WHM4GtblkAZM-SoutAs/s1600-h/mpm121.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 131px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOOR53LSHy4J5mC_JzRqCCkq1iMkCCw1OT0Pn-EK427GsWZCMg8GKO6dh3lc6jBKoWgffGoPyTEXLg5gntW_6pVNt0t4UONVSTlBj-NAbhLejI8vf7xzvjaro2WHM4GtblkAZM-SoutAs/s320/mpm121.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363329364536640562" border="0" /></a>Last week's MPM post was...how should I put it?...absent. I made up my menu and fully intended to type it up for all the world to see. Monday came and went, but no MPM for me. It seemed silly to post it on Tuesday, so I skipped it altogether.<br /><br />Today's weather felt like fall, but the summer crops haven't gotten the message yet. Between my garden and the CSA veggies we get every Thursday, we are overloaded with vegetables. One day I may have them under control and then the next I can't find a spot for another zucchini in the fridge. A family of three can only eat so many veggies a week, so the freezer, dehydrator and canner are my friends this time of year. <br /><br />This week's menu only covers the main dish so that I can feel free to use up whatever veggies are overflowing that day:<br /><br />Monday - <a href="http://freezerfriendz.blogspot.com/2009/02/hi.html">Spaghetti Pie</a><br /><br />Tuesday - <a href="http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Pepperoncini-Beef/Detail.aspx">Pepperoncini Beef</a><br /><br />Wednesday - <a href="http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/recs/80/Cajun_Buffalo_Wings1428.shtml">Cajun Buffalo Wings</a><br /><br />Thursday - <a href="http://www.coupondad.net/Recipes/Layered_Chicken_Enchiladas.html">Turkey Enchilada Casserole</a><br /><br />Friday - pizza night - redeem coupon for a free cheese pizza from Papa Murphy's and top it with frozen homemade meatballs. If only I had some feta...mmm.<br /><br />Saturday - grill night - burgers stuffed with pepperjack cheese and hot dogs wrapped in bacon<br /><br />Sunday - CSA potluck/hog roast - I always enjoy potlucks at the <a href="http://www.sippelfamilyfarm.com/">farm</a>, but Joe isn't crazy about them with all the funky vegetables dishes that the vegans bring. Something tells me that the vegans will be staying home, so that they don't have to witness the mass consumption of animal flesh by all the meat eaters. Ah, pork is so <a href="http://samanthasmommysblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/pork-fat-rules.html">yummy</a>.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Do you know what you're eating this week? If you would like some menu plan inspiration, be sure to check out Menu Plan Monday at<a href="http://orgjunkie.com/"> </a><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://orgjunkie.com/" target="_blank">I'm an Organizing Junkie</a> to see what others are having! </span>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10601892402478946331noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988329041383927169.post-4980210673412659432009-08-23T20:07:00.006-04:002009-08-23T20:57:51.173-04:00August CVS $10 Challenge: Week 4<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">I had a great time shopping at CVS today. I used the $5/$25 coupon that I got for the ReadyFill quiz. I didn't even have to try very hard to make it work. Just got lucky with my coupons.<br /></div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4MBRQNHqeP2uRYBarFSzD8B5wp2qa-L-F2BmFM6vfGtztrsi11FF8VpfdBZ5aPnsAnlR3keGrnqn8nVdDTmXGoPUsuDJ4nnVHefVnBxBM02hDOyM_LY85kKwq1LSpTKQ8AzQeOkg14ow/s1600-h/DSC02313.JPG"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4MBRQNHqeP2uRYBarFSzD8B5wp2qa-L-F2BmFM6vfGtztrsi11FF8VpfdBZ5aPnsAnlR3keGrnqn8nVdDTmXGoPUsuDJ4nnVHefVnBxBM02hDOyM_LY85kKwq1LSpTKQ8AzQeOkg14ow/s320/DSC02313.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><div style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">Over two transactions, I bought:<br />(2) Reese's peanut butter cups<br />(1) Glade candle holder for the scented oil candles<br />(1) Glade scented oil candles<br />(1) Glade Sense and Spray starter kit<br />(2) Glade soy candles<br />(2) composition books<br />(4) Carefree ultra pantiliners<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Retail price including tax was $50.86.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">I had an instore savings of $14.25.<br /><br />I saved $15.08 using manufacturer coupons:<br />(2) $0.55 Reese's (they were on sale at 2/$1, so the coupons were capped at 50 cents each)<br />(1) $1.00 Carefree that I got in the mail from a sample<br />(1) Buy Glade candle holder Get candles Free (they were on sale for $2.50)<br />(2) FREE Glade soy candles (they were $3.29 each)<br />(1) $4.00 Glade Sense and Spray starter kit<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">I used $19.57 in CVS coupons:<br /></div><div></div><div style="text-align: left;">- $5.00 coupon for doing the ReadyFill Survey and purchasing at least $25 in merchandise<br />- $6.99 ECB that I earned <a href="http://samanthasmommysblog.blogspot.com/2009/08/august-cvs-10-challenge-week-3.html">8/16</a><br />- $7.58 ECB earned today from 2 Carefree<br /></div><div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Today's OOP was $1.96. I started the day with $4.57, so that leaves a balance of $2.61 for the rest of August.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">In addition to a $1.89 ECB from <a href="http://samanthasmommysblog.blogspot.com/2009/08/august-cvs-10-challenge-week-3.html">last week</a> that I didn't use today, I walked out the door with $12.56 in new ECB's for next time:<br />1X $1.98 from the composition books<br />1X $3.00 from the Glade Sense and Spray, candle holder and scented oil candles<br />1X $7.58 from 2 Carefree<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">For $7.39 OOP, I have purchased month to date:<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">(2) book covers<br />(2) one-subject notebooks<br />(2) 5" scissors<br />(1) 3-pack glue sticks<br />(1) compass<br />(1) protractor<br />(2) 20-ct pens<br />(2) 10-ct pens<br />(2) rulers<br />(1) sticky note pad<br />(2) recycled plastic pencil boxes<br />(2) 1" vinyl binders<br />(2) mini composition books<br />(2) composition books<br />(1) 36-ct aspirin<br />(1) 10-ct box of store brand tampons<br />(4) Carefree ultra pantiliners<br />(1) set of earhook headphones<br />(2) Reese's peanut butter cups<br />(1) Glade candle holder for the scented oil candles<br />(1) Glade scented oil candles<br />(1) Glade Sense and Spray starter kit<br />(2) Glade soy candles<br /><br />Stay tuned for next week to see the final results of my August CVS $10 Challenge. What will I be able to bring home with just $2.61 cash and $14.45 ECB's?<br /></div><div style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" alt="Posted by Picasa" style="border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" align="middle" border="0" /></a></div></div>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10601892402478946331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988329041383927169.post-51089527154412670992009-08-16T13:58:00.002-04:002009-08-16T15:10:10.313-04:00August CVS $10 Challenge: Week 3<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;"> </div>This week's sale at CVS was better than last week. The freebie school supplies were back. Unfortunately I was unable to use the $5/$25 coupon that I received in my email last week that expired today. I couldn't find enough to meet the $25 purchase requirement yet still stay under my Challenge budget regarding the OOP.<br /><br /><div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif0YCWmCFYJg6XYWY7ZXeAqYV2hksu7o1HceER8xKVaqEVXde5AXsMnqW5QKTicURJs5KQevf-pAM7H7u-HIj-zSgr2LSRiiDaLDtjO2ewn7WePoHD_-PiStik8QxVQxVHeeBaRWHfGDY/s1600-h/DSC02305.JPG"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif0YCWmCFYJg6XYWY7ZXeAqYV2hksu7o1HceER8xKVaqEVXde5AXsMnqW5QKTicURJs5KQevf-pAM7H7u-HIj-zSgr2LSRiiDaLDtjO2ewn7WePoHD_-PiStik8QxVQxVHeeBaRWHfGDY/s320/DSC02305.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><br />I broke up my order into 4 transactions. I bought:<br />(2) 10-ct pens<br />(2) recycled plastic pencil boxes<br />(2) 1" vinyl binders (I redeemed a raincheck to get these free after ECB's)<br />(2) mini composition books<br />(1) 10-ct box of store brand tampons<br />(1) set of earhook headphones<br /><br />Retail price including tax was $35.13.<br /><br />I had an instore savings of $9.08.<br /><br />I used $21.88 in ECB's:<br />- 4X $0.99 ECB from <a href="http://samanthasmommysblog.blogspot.com/2009/08/august-cvs-10-challenge-week-1.html">8/2<br /></a>- 1X $1.98 ECB from <a href="http://samanthasmommysblog.blogspot.com/2009/08/august-cvs-10-challenge-week-1.html">8/2</a><br />- 1X $1.98 ECB earned today<br />- 2X $3.98 ECB earned today<br />- 2X $3.00 ECB earned today from the binder raincheck<br /><br />Today's OOP was $4.17. I started the day with $8.74, so that leaves a balance of $4.57 for the rest of August.<br /><br />I walked out the door with $8.88 in ECB's for next time:<br />1X $6.99<br />1X $1.89<br /><br />My store was out of the free filler paper, so I got a raincheck.<br /><br />For $5.43 OOP, I have purchased month to date:<br />(2) book covers<br />(2) one-subject notebooks<br />(2) 5" scissors<br />(1) 3-pack glue sticks<br />(1) compass<br />(1) protractor<br />(1) 36-ct aspirin<br />(2) 20-ct pens<br />(2) rulers<br />(1) sticky note pad<br />(2) 10-ct pens<br />(2) recycled plastic pencil boxes<br />(2) 1" vinyl binders<br />(2) mini composition books<br />(1) 10-ct box of store brand tampons<br />(1) set of earhook headphones<br /><div style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" alt="Posted by Picasa" style="border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" align="middle" border="0" /></a></div>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10601892402478946331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988329041383927169.post-13213326708339532382009-08-15T19:57:00.004-04:002009-08-15T20:43:34.241-04:00Twin Birthday CakesJoe's nieces Erica and Elizabeth turned 10 this week. Joe's sister decided not to have a birthday party. Instead, she said I could make a cake for them and take it to the family reunion, which was today. I volunteered to make the cake because I haven't had a reason to make one all summer long. I wanted to play around with my cake decorating supplies again.<br /><br />Every person has a birthday and I know that the twins were born August 12, but I didn't know for sure whether Dawn wanted me to make their birthday cake until two days ago. For some reason I put the design on a mental hold until I received the word that it was a go. I feel a little bad because the twins' cake did not have as many hours of thought put into it as their brother Zach's tractor cake. Not much I can do about it now.<br /><br />My starting point in the design was two 8" petal pans that I picked up at a yard sale in May. I've been wanting to use them ever since. Girls and flowers go well together.<br /><br />Dawn said that the flower design was fine and that the girls like pink and purple.<br /><br />I like two-layer cakes better than single-layer ones. Can anybody say filling? However, family reunions lend themselves towards single-layer cakes. That worked well because I was able to make each girl her own cake from one cake mix.<br /><br />The next design consideration was how to put their names on the cakes. I wanted to outline the flower petals in icing on the top of the cake and give it a daisy-ish center. That wouldn't work with writing the name on top. However, I still had some fondant left from my Wilton class back in April (double bag the fondant in freezer bags and it keeps a long, long time at room temperature). I decided to cover a 12" cake circle with fondant and write their names on the fondant instead of the cake itself. As far as the fondant colors used, well, those were colors I had made up already that I knew I had enough to cover the 12" circle AND would match the main colors of pink and purple.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU_SFMWG5vQ1WJUEQsk3Wkq4JSNRe9vJQMcWHos8QCDneOhk0UCBXsZhPZB_g-HdxggP6Kma0pEldEm9I53kBs9kubacQh4Z2pBhpJebWg63Rlp4eiHuTM3WyaY3w5n9Ct2xcwQJPGEZ4/s1600-h/DSC02285.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU_SFMWG5vQ1WJUEQsk3Wkq4JSNRe9vJQMcWHos8QCDneOhk0UCBXsZhPZB_g-HdxggP6Kma0pEldEm9I53kBs9kubacQh4Z2pBhpJebWg63Rlp4eiHuTM3WyaY3w5n9Ct2xcwQJPGEZ4/s320/DSC02285.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370354482821752466" border="0" /></a><br />I tried to make both cakes as identical as I could, but just like the identical twins Erica and Elizabeth, their cakes have their own distinct personalities.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJvGpCXgw04rpSEsnQs4v_b7FDRykQWDpMq-2UssfU_HjKZ6dmQjxO5og4mnJgPIVpQyMBS8WdmkSYQOoKEwgy44DyInQtaCVslRNgpDarnGJoJGJ1jikrKpcR6h4lqov82KOaGl82inE/s1600-h/DSC02291.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJvGpCXgw04rpSEsnQs4v_b7FDRykQWDpMq-2UssfU_HjKZ6dmQjxO5og4mnJgPIVpQyMBS8WdmkSYQOoKEwgy44DyInQtaCVslRNgpDarnGJoJGJ1jikrKpcR6h4lqov82KOaGl82inE/s320/DSC02291.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370354488498176882" border="0" /></a>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10601892402478946331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988329041383927169.post-15700699362421186242009-08-13T15:14:00.003-04:002009-08-13T20:42:37.147-04:00August CVS $10 Challenge: Week 2Sunday I received my CVS weekly circular in my newspaper. After finishing my OAMC cooking, I read my paper. I don't actually "read" the paper. I just clip my coupons and read the store ads. When I got to the CVS ad, there wasn't a single thing that I wanted. N O T H I N G.<br /><br />I could have posted on Sunday that I wasn't going to stop by my local CVS this week, but I waited. Why? Some weeks CVS will send an email on Thursday that has a printable coupon which is good through Sunday. Often they will be "save $5 off your $25 purchase", but sometimes I get "save $3 off your $15 purchase." I was hoping for the $3/$15, so I waited. I guess I thought a miracle would take place and suddenly the ad would have something that I wanted. The great thing about these is that the $15 or $25 or whatever purchase is BEFORE coupons.<br /><br />Today is Thursday. Yes, I received an email from CVS. It had the $5/$25 as I expected it to which is good through Sunday. Please, please, please let there be an awesome sale on Sunday that I can use the $5/$25 on without blowing my $10 challenge.<br /><br />The CVS email did have an added bonus coupon. CVS has this new ReadyFill prescription program. If you go <a href="http://www.cvs.com/CVSApp/images/promotions/landingpages/rx/rx09030_readyfill/index.html?WT.mc_id=FH_080809_CVSHome_Ready%20Fill">here</a> and take the quiz, then they'll give you a coupon for $5 off your in-store purchase of $25. Okay, so it sounds like the same deal as above, but the bonus is that it doesn't expire right away. I took the quiz today and the coupon doesn't expire until August 27. That allows me a couple weeks to plan an awesome shopping trip.<br /><br />CVS will only allow a customer to use one of these purchase based coupons per transaction. I cringe when I hear bloggers use two of them at one time. There are "boyfriend" coupons (some stores have a price scanner/coupon printer) and there are email coupons and there are CRT coupons (cash register tape ones that come out after your receipt). Please only one of these. I would have to buy $25 of stuff twice in order to use both the regular email and the ReadyFill coupons.<br /><br />So to recap:<br /><br />This week's OOP: $0.00.<br /><br />I still have $5.94 in ECB's for next time:<br />- 4X $0.99<br />- 1X $1.98<br /><br />I have spent $1.26 cash out-of-pocket (OOP) this month, which leaves $8.74 left for the rest of August.<br /><br />I have purchased:<br />(2) book covers<br />(2) one-subject notebooks<br />(2) 5" scissors<br />(1) 3-pack glue sticks<br />(1) compass<br />(1) protractor<br />(1) 36-ct aspirin<br />(2) 20-ct pens<br />(2) rulers<br />(1) sticky note padAmyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10601892402478946331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988329041383927169.post-62969188193432488962009-08-13T13:33:00.005-04:002009-08-13T20:42:27.711-04:00Pizza CasseroleBack in college I had a roommate named Danette who had a boyfriend named Robby. Pizza Casserole was a staple in his house. Danette really liked it so she introduced us to it. Just five simple ingredients that didn't put a huge dent on our college student budget. Needless to say, we ate it quite frequently.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Pizza Casserole</span><br /><br />12 oz package egg noodles, cooked<br />2 cans cream of mushroom soup<br />1 lb ground beef, crumbled, browned and drained<br />28 oz jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce<br />2 c shredded mozzarella cheese<br /><br />Preheat oven to 350. In a 9x13x2 baking dish, layer HALF of the noodles, soup, ground beef, spaghetti sauce and cheese. Repeat. Cover with foil and bake for 30-45 minutes until hot and cheese is bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.<br /><br />Note: if you want to spice this up a bit, feel free to add fresh garlic and red pepper flakes or perhaps some Italian seasoning to the meat.<br /><br />OAMC: Prepare this in two deep 8x8 baking pans instead of the 9x13. Freeze. Thaw completely and bake as directed.Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10601892402478946331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988329041383927169.post-7957287655413167422009-08-13T12:53:00.007-04:002009-08-13T20:42:09.534-04:00Microwave Barbecued Round SteakMy parents bought their first microwave from Monkey Wards when my sister was a baby. I have fond memories of watching the time count down and trying to stop it at "0" (zero, not oh) by pressing the button to open the door. Here's a great recipe from back then with some of my own twists:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJlB5gzY5sLySu8rnLMiRfuCaOnYP97zXNwo9JRm1q-kepU8DjokOH2IOaXJnDJkbgd2kz6EuagYcPiXN3UhRx-LKuDOwwKc4712R37LIKRqX_Lie5U9yfOimDYTEhSBRdlVSXNs3Tnf4/s1600-h/DSC02263.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJlB5gzY5sLySu8rnLMiRfuCaOnYP97zXNwo9JRm1q-kepU8DjokOH2IOaXJnDJkbgd2kz6EuagYcPiXN3UhRx-LKuDOwwKc4712R37LIKRqX_Lie5U9yfOimDYTEhSBRdlVSXNs3Tnf4/s320/DSC02263.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369502142003858834" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Barbecued Round Steak</span><br /><br />Yields 8 servings<br /><br />1/2 c minced celery OR 1 t celery seed<br />10.5 oz can tomato soup, undiluted<br />2 T Worcestershire sauce<br />2 t prepared mustard<br />1/2 c minced onion OR 2 T dried onion flakes<br />2 t garlic powder<br />2 T brown sugar<br />2 T lemon juice<br />1 t Tabasco sauce<br />2 lb round steak, cut into bite-sized pieces<br /><br />In a 3-quart microwavable bowl, mix everything except the meat until combined. Stir in the meat. Cover and refrigerate several hours.<br /><br />Microwave, covered, on 50% powder for 20 minutes. Stir and recover. Continue cooking at 50% for another 20 minutes or so until meat is tender, stirring every 5 minutes. If edges start to dry up, stir in a little bit of water.<br /><br />Note: the fresh celery and onion usually provide enough moisture for a 2-lb batch. If you use the dried versions, you'll definitely need the water. Also, if you're feeding a smaller family and cut the recipe in half, then you'll also need some water.<br /><br />OAMC: I am trying this out for the first time, but I don't see why it wouldn't work. Put 2 lb meat in a gallon bag (or 1 lb meat and 1 cup sauce in each of two quart baggies) and pour sauce over and freeze. Thaw in fridge. Pour into bowl and microwave as directed.Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10601892402478946331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988329041383927169.post-50017542146655863172009-08-10T19:28:00.004-04:002009-09-07T10:21:53.027-04:00Menu Plan Monday<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOOR53LSHy4J5mC_JzRqCCkq1iMkCCw1OT0Pn-EK427GsWZCMg8GKO6dh3lc6jBKoWgffGoPyTEXLg5gntW_6pVNt0t4UONVSTlBj-NAbhLejI8vf7xzvjaro2WHM4GtblkAZM-SoutAs/s1600-h/mpm121.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 131px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOOR53LSHy4J5mC_JzRqCCkq1iMkCCw1OT0Pn-EK427GsWZCMg8GKO6dh3lc6jBKoWgffGoPyTEXLg5gntW_6pVNt0t4UONVSTlBj-NAbhLejI8vf7xzvjaro2WHM4GtblkAZM-SoutAs/s320/mpm121.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363329364536640562" border="0" /></a>Last week's menu didn't go exactly as planned. I felt like cooking Friday instead of stopping by Papa Murphy's, so Samantha's free pizza coupon will probably get used next week. Saturday and Sunday were spent doing a lot of OAMC cooking. I'll have to post about that later when I pull the photos off the camera.<br /><br />My favorite meal of the past week was from my OAMC session. Generally I will reserve two dishes and stick them in the fridge rather than freezing them. This time was no different. Last night we had <a href="http://www.deepsouthdish.com/2009/01/ground-beef-casserole-ii.html">Ground Beef Casserole II</a> that I found on <a href="http://onceamonthmom.com/july-menu-grocery-list-instructions-labels-and-podcast/">OAMM's July Menu<span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153); font-style: italic;font-size:10px;" ></span></a>. I thought it was quite tasty. Joe said it reminded him of Hamburger Helper. Eek! I wouldn't touch HH with a 10 foot pole, but this stuff was good. Samantha liked it, but picked out the meat.<br /><br />I think the menu-planning gods are shining down on me. Ordinarily I like to pull a freezer meal out 36 hours in advance and set it in the fridge to thaw. For some reason, I had not yet done that with tomorrow's meal which was supposed to be Turkey Enchilada Casserole. Just now, as I was typing up this post, my neighbor John stopped by with a bag of banana and jalapeno peppers. Hot dog! I know what's for dinner tomorrow -- Chorizo-stuffed banana peppers. If I make it to the grocery store for bacon and cream cheese, then I might also have poppers, but that's up in the air right now.<br /><br />Monday - Mexican Noodle Bake from the book Frozen Assets by <a href="http://frozenassets.wordpress.com/">Deborah Taylor-Hough</a><br /><br />Tuesday - Chorizo-stuffed banana peppers and maybe jalapeno poppers<br /><br />Wednesday - <a href="http://samanthasmommysblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/pork-fat-rules.html">Carolina BBQ</a><br /><br />Thursday - <a href="http://samanthasmommysblog.blogspot.com/2009/08/pizza-casserole.html">Pizza Casserole</a> - a recipe from my college roommate Danette<br /><br />Friday - <a href="http://www.recipezaar.com/Dump-Maple-Mustard-Chicken-308779">Maple Mustard Chicken Thighs</a><br /><br />Saturday - lunch: family reunion potluck; supper: ravioli<br /><br />Sunday - BBQ Round Steak with rice - a microwave recipe that Mom made often when I was little<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Do you know what you're eating this week? If you would like some menu plan inspiration, be sure to check out <a href="http://orgjunkie.com/2009/08/menu-plan-monday-august-10th.html">Menu Plan Monday</a> at<a href="http://orgjunkie.com/"> </a><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://orgjunkie.com/" target="_blank">I'm an Organizing Junkie</a> to see what others are having! </span>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10601892402478946331noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988329041383927169.post-19683034588746063262009-08-04T20:34:00.005-04:002009-08-04T21:37:44.704-04:00Italian Beef SandwichesI have been eating Italian Beef Sandwiches all my life. I think I heard someone say that the recipe entered our family through my dad's Aunt Jane (please correct me if I'm wrong.) While the recipe is essentially the same, I have tweaked it to make it suitable for the crockpot.<br /><br />First, I gather all the ingredients. You'll notice the Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning. Ordinarily I'd use Lawry's Seasoned Salt, but I'm out, so I've been using Tony Chachere's instead lately because it's also a seasoned salt just with different spices.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG1yk_-1DYqTahdTN3Gam9eLWUdR7pPnUun-BqSNRG8CS6mmO5Sgsmi28h8KtUB_g9pUqIRJwUidGmLCLwXr5RwwrDbt0CmhTa14FJ5p73M5sVssw-Nnroe6TSio24j2EG1vkSfcgnBAo/s1600-h/DSC02248.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG1yk_-1DYqTahdTN3Gam9eLWUdR7pPnUun-BqSNRG8CS6mmO5Sgsmi28h8KtUB_g9pUqIRJwUidGmLCLwXr5RwwrDbt0CmhTa14FJ5p73M5sVssw-Nnroe6TSio24j2EG1vkSfcgnBAo/s320/DSC02248.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366274853154020514" border="0" /></a><br />Put the roast in the crockpot and sprinkle on the seasonings. Add 1 cup of water to help cook the roast, but not more since this is a crockpot and the moisture can't escape like in the oven.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhUSSIgBrAvplHoFjSiCJixp8Fb8cLRDLsSft8A8XPr1pIvVj5eKFygzzIfKfBhUFGkUQ0qp6tbpIAhkN96e25ybYePKbRqkJ0VU4ZUfoHisybllPpGq9h_01zux8uGW8ppGPJpPpi-7w/s1600-h/DSC02250.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhUSSIgBrAvplHoFjSiCJixp8Fb8cLRDLsSft8A8XPr1pIvVj5eKFygzzIfKfBhUFGkUQ0qp6tbpIAhkN96e25ybYePKbRqkJ0VU4ZUfoHisybllPpGq9h_01zux8uGW8ppGPJpPpi-7w/s320/DSC02250.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366276739562576706" border="0" /></a><br />Let it cook on low all day. When it's tender, remove the meat and thinly slice or shred.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHHOZl4GKbXcGlGaHgFM3wMC7Zrjl09_mM1IpzWCbAA7s_TnSCWZtsfZ8KtvYPvSKvgyP2RaMQW0kBpjOB5D0VtQg3z8KWyXyatJ_JgkmHvvry6nnadmCuJsFfMW45X_3Hdzgi7pShPSU/s1600-h/DSC02251.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHHOZl4GKbXcGlGaHgFM3wMC7Zrjl09_mM1IpzWCbAA7s_TnSCWZtsfZ8KtvYPvSKvgyP2RaMQW0kBpjOB5D0VtQg3z8KWyXyatJ_JgkmHvvry6nnadmCuJsFfMW45X_3Hdzgi7pShPSU/s320/DSC02251.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366276748200083714" border="0" /></a><br />Put the meat back in the crockpot with the juices. Add only enough water to not quite cover the meat and let it cook some more.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb2g0k6HflqZpD8oCBedCgYnRqavNEGs3QN3WfYQNVnT4mTFWLcK4aPHBt7Q9eSN7daMUp1tUri_XsAJP0QL1hlt-fWbbvs5cwkqwtuHtsLYS8qxQrlYBMshy9sVt6YTHwwttCTb9GvWE/s1600-h/DSC02253.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb2g0k6HflqZpD8oCBedCgYnRqavNEGs3QN3WfYQNVnT4mTFWLcK4aPHBt7Q9eSN7daMUp1tUri_XsAJP0QL1hlt-fWbbvs5cwkqwtuHtsLYS8qxQrlYBMshy9sVt6YTHwwttCTb9GvWE/s320/DSC02253.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366276755469147474" border="0" /></a><br />When you're tired of waiting, serve the meat on some good buns, being sure to add some juice to each sandwich. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi12TImw29650Cjb451osOrrCgXm8aDmIlrdxzP7WZaATT8-QB9jagIkzs8aj97K8NSf3wgAhZGOouw0dLjpsVZ4FfJ1ukZA3DYuGLaRNzDYFPhMXxnIXSXHq5klPZmdRlEsm27iP7acww/s1600-h/DSC02260.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi12TImw29650Cjb451osOrrCgXm8aDmIlrdxzP7WZaATT8-QB9jagIkzs8aj97K8NSf3wgAhZGOouw0dLjpsVZ4FfJ1ukZA3DYuGLaRNzDYFPhMXxnIXSXHq5klPZmdRlEsm27iP7acww/s320/DSC02260.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366276767363075970" border="0" /></a><br />Tonight I tried these <a href="http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/40-Minute-Hamburger-Buns">40-Minute Hamburger Buns</a> that I heard about on <a href="http://lovetopinchpennies.com/2009/08/menu-plan-monday-3/">Love to Pinch Pennies</a>. Casey's were prettier than mine, but that's no surprise considering I screwed them up. I am out of active dry yeast, so I used rapid rise, but mixed the dry ingredients first rather than proofing the yeast in the water like you do with active dry. That shouldn't be a huge deal, but I added more than I needed to. I dumped in 3 packets without thinking and each one has 2.25 teaspoons for a total of 6.75 teaspoons, but the recipe called for 2 tablespoons or 6 teaspoons. Then I forgot the salt. They were good, but definitely needed salt. They were fast because they only require one short rise instead of two rises which made them great for a weeknight. I will hold onto this recipe.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Italian Beef Sandwiches (100% Crockpot method)</span><br /><br />3 lb boneless beef roast such as rump<br />1 t salt<br />1 t black pepper<br />1/2 t seasoned salt<br />1/2 t garlic powder<br />1/2 t onion powder<br />1/2 t rosemary<br />1 t Italian seasoning<br />1 t Worcestershire sauce<br />1 cup water for roasting plus more later<br /><br />Place meat in a crockpot. Add seasonings and 1 cup of water. Cook on LOW all day.<br /><br />Remove meat from crockpot. Slice thinly or shred and return to crockpot with juices. Add a little bit more water, but not quite enough to cover the meat. Continue cooking a couple more hours to let the flavors mingle. <br /><br />Serve meat and juices on a good bun that won't get soggy and fall apart from the juices.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">50% crockpot/50% stove option:<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></span>To speed up dinner, after the meat has cooked in the crockpot until tender, you can simmer the sliced/shredded meat and juices in a covered skillet on the stovetop for 45 minutes. Just don't add any more water than you need to!<br /><br />If you know you'll be exercising the stove option and you don't have the time/energy to measure out a bunch of spices in the morning, then don't worry. Just put the meat in the crockpot and season it with the salt and pepper and add the water. You can add the remaining seasonings to the skillet in the evening.Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10601892402478946331noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988329041383927169.post-54883494748423486412009-08-03T20:19:00.005-04:002009-08-05T08:55:00.823-04:00Menu Plan Monday - Staycation<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOOR53LSHy4J5mC_JzRqCCkq1iMkCCw1OT0Pn-EK427GsWZCMg8GKO6dh3lc6jBKoWgffGoPyTEXLg5gntW_6pVNt0t4UONVSTlBj-NAbhLejI8vf7xzvjaro2WHM4GtblkAZM-SoutAs/s1600-h/mpm121.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 131px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOOR53LSHy4J5mC_JzRqCCkq1iMkCCw1OT0Pn-EK427GsWZCMg8GKO6dh3lc6jBKoWgffGoPyTEXLg5gntW_6pVNt0t4UONVSTlBj-NAbhLejI8vf7xzvjaro2WHM4GtblkAZM-SoutAs/s320/mpm121.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363329364536640562" border="0" /></a>Joe is taking a golf staycation this week. He has a membership to a local golf course, so in the mornings he will be golfing. In the afternoons he will be putting down gravel underneath the deck for weed and erosion prevention. Yesterday he laid down the fabric. Today he went with his dad to get about 3 tons of pea gravel at a local quarry. He spread out some of the gravel, but the rest should be done by tomorrow. I have no idea what he'll do the rest of the week. Must come up with a honey-do list.<br /><br />With the staycation in mind, I planned out this week's menu to be pretty simple.<br /><br />Monday - <a href="http://samanthasmommysblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/pork-fat-rules.html">red BBQ sandwiches</a>, Betty Crocker Creamy Italian pasta salad with some salami, swiss cheese and black olives<br /><br />Tuesday - <a href="http://samanthasmommysblog.blogspot.com/2009/08/italian-beef-sandwiches.html">crockpot Italian beef sandwiches</a>, frozen french fries, Velveeta Shells and Cheese (I know that there are 2 starches, but the box expired last week, so we need to use it soon and fries just "go" with sandwiches.)<br /><br />Wednesday - <a href="http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Southwestern-Turkey-Casserole/Detail.aspx">Southwestern Turkey Casserole</a><br /><br />Thursday - jar o' Ragu, box o' pasta, frozen garlic bread, and salad<br /><br />Friday - redeem another coupon for free Papa Murphy's pizza<br /><br />Saturday - grill night - <a href="http://fulltummies.blogspot.com/2008/11/maple-honey-mustard-pork-chops.html">maple honey pork chops</a><br /><br />Sunday - OAMC Day, so one of those meals<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">If you would like some menu plan inspiration, be sure to check out this week's Menu Plan Monday guest hosted by <a href="http://thehappyhousewife.com/menu-plan-monday-turn-off-the-oven-edition/">The Happy Housewife</a> to see what others are having!</span>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10601892402478946331noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988329041383927169.post-34381937581645361022009-08-02T16:09:00.007-04:002009-08-02T17:17:52.186-04:00August CVS $10 Challenge: Week 1Last month I happened upon a <a href="http://norcal-mom.blogspot.com/2009/07/personal-10-cvs-challenge.html">blog</a> where a woman had challenged herself to spend no more than $10 at CVS for the whole month. She got tons of stuff.<br /><br />I thought it sounded like fun to see what I could get for just ten bucks in the month of August at CVS. There are 5 Sundays in August which means $2 per week, so this could get tricky if I spend too much cash in any one week.<br /><br />I started the month of August with $3.87 in Extra Bucks (ECB's) in my pocket:<br />-- 1X $1.89<br />-- 2X $1.98<br /><br />This week CVS is again running another three-day sale with free school supplies after ECB's. Woo-hoo. Too bad Samantha is only 2 years old. So this morning I went to CVS and bought over the course of 4 transactions:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOOon17qBSJ3ewsNE-nycQllUpcfwS5qWzHkIlPMZg3wt6AQiJ_V5SfrJTdtiUbZqoMqU0mLWmxuy8jva_0Z8EiJFmxbFivNqaKwmHAhq_67Q500PEyy7ku885i89NxAqkYnrZZ0nSwWM/s1600-h/DSC02237.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOOon17qBSJ3ewsNE-nycQllUpcfwS5qWzHkIlPMZg3wt6AQiJ_V5SfrJTdtiUbZqoMqU0mLWmxuy8jva_0Z8EiJFmxbFivNqaKwmHAhq_67Q500PEyy7ku885i89NxAqkYnrZZ0nSwWM/s320/DSC02237.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365464597710185874" border="0" /></a><br />That's:<br />(2) book covers<br />(2) one-subject notebooks<br />(2) 5" scissors<br />(1) 3-pack glue sticks<br />(1) compass<br />(1) protractor<br />(1) 36-ct aspirin<br />(2) 20-ct pens<br />(2) rulers<br />(1) sticky note pad<br /><br />If nothing were on sale, I would have spent $33.47. Ha! I only buy things on sale.<br /><br />I had an instore savings of $11.48.<br /><br />I then used:<br />- 1.89 ECB carried over from last month<br />- 2X 1.98 ECB carried over from last month<br />- 4X 0.99 ECB earned today<br />- 2.94 ECB earned today<br />- 2.99 ECB earned today<br />- 3.00 ECB earned today<br />- 1.99 August Free Gift (mine was the aspirin)<br /><br />I spent $1.26 cash out-of-pocket (OOP) today, which leaves $8.74 left for the rest of August.<br /><br />I walked out the door with $5.94 in ECB's for next time:<br />- 4X $0.99<br />- 1X $1.98<br /><br />My store didn't receive their shipment of folders, so I got a raincheck. Rainchecks are great, but it won't do me any good if my store never gets the item in stock. I will keep looking for the folders as well as the 24-ct pencils and 1" binders that I have rainchecks for. I really want the binders to help organize all my OAMC recipes!Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10601892402478946331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988329041383927169.post-55157033593038212262009-07-27T21:15:00.005-04:002009-07-27T22:17:53.443-04:00Menu Plan Monday<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOOR53LSHy4J5mC_JzRqCCkq1iMkCCw1OT0Pn-EK427GsWZCMg8GKO6dh3lc6jBKoWgffGoPyTEXLg5gntW_6pVNt0t4UONVSTlBj-NAbhLejI8vf7xzvjaro2WHM4GtblkAZM-SoutAs/s1600-h/mpm121.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 131px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOOR53LSHy4J5mC_JzRqCCkq1iMkCCw1OT0Pn-EK427GsWZCMg8GKO6dh3lc6jBKoWgffGoPyTEXLg5gntW_6pVNt0t4UONVSTlBj-NAbhLejI8vf7xzvjaro2WHM4GtblkAZM-SoutAs/s320/mpm121.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363329364536640562" border="0" /></a>Of all the meals we ate last week, the <a href="http://www.reluctantgourmet.com/currych.htm">Curry Chicken</a> was probably my favorite. Very surprising considering that I did not grow up eating those flavors. Joe and Samantha also liked it. She knows that it's called curry, but she even called the currants "curry", so there's still a little confusion there. This was a freezer meal, but just as good as the first time around.<br /><br />I'm at a point where I want to actively cook more meals each week. Part of me doesn't want the summer to slip away with casseroles cooking in a hot oven. Heck, I'd be happy if it were always summer. So more grilling and new ways to use up the fresh CSA veggies while they're in season.<br /><br />Monday - <a href="http://onceamonthmom.com/march-menu-grocery-list-and-instructions/">mexican un-stuffed shells</a>, fritos and ro-tel dip, cucumbers<br /><br />Tuesday - <a href="http://www.writerguy.com/deb/compost/2004/Nws8-2004.html#recipe">escarole, beans and italian sausage over pasta</a> -- not sure how the greens are gonna fly with Joe, but I have a whole head of escarole to use up, so here goes.<br /><br />Wednesday - <a href="http://www.recipezaar.com/Turkey-Chicken-Dressing-Casserole-277368">turkey dressing casserole</a><br /><br />Thursday - beef in a leaf -- now that we have beef again I can make this asian-inspired dish<br /><br />Friday - pizza night, salad -- I froze half the <a href="http://easypizzacrusts.com/Best-Pizza-Crust-Recipe.html">dough</a> last week, so the hard part will be deciding what toppings to use this week!<br /><br />Saturday - <a href="http://www.ourbestbites.com/2008/06/spicy-honey-chicken.html">spicy honey chicken thighs</a> on the grill, starchy side, green veg<br /><br />Sunday - brats on the grill, <a href="http://stolenmomentscooking.com/buffalo-chicken-spaghetti/">buffalo chicken spaghetti</a>, green veg<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Do you know what you're eating this week? If you would like some menu plan inspiration, be sure to check out <a href="http://orgjunkie.com/2009/07/menu-plan-monday-july-27th.html">Menu Plan Monday</a> at<a href="http://orgjunkie.com/"> </a><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://orgjunkie.com/" target="_blank">I'm an Organizing Junkie</a> to see what others are having! </span>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10601892402478946331noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988329041383927169.post-14260885372918125402009-07-27T07:55:00.001-04:002009-07-27T07:56:15.403-04:00Homemade Cake Release<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwP_AxrGvVbUQkzr4_4fELLS4gOaYB-1shIs9I5JZC1Bkvh2rbOunNZ0ZPU8ZDzCmJw158CoDLvZ5efDqV7g174-ECYGyLDDTEDE16VLqLsNqnZCrKm67aDaMHNUb9F2jZnOaJtOMdq4U/s1600-h/DSC02235.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left; clear: both;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwP_AxrGvVbUQkzr4_4fELLS4gOaYB-1shIs9I5JZC1Bkvh2rbOunNZ0ZPU8ZDzCmJw158CoDLvZ5efDqV7g174-ECYGyLDDTEDE16VLqLsNqnZCrKm67aDaMHNUb9F2jZnOaJtOMdq4U/s320/DSC02235.JPG" border="0" /></a>My sister will be attempting to decorate her first cake this week for her oldest daughter's birthday party. (Laura likes stargazer lilies, so I took this picture of mine in bloom for her.) Baking the cake itself isn't hard, but wondering whether it will come out of the pan in one piece can be scary.<br /><br />Typically a cake mix will tell you to grease the pan with shortening and then dust it with flour. Sometimes it's hard to grease the pan evenly if the pan has a lot of nooks and crannies. Another option these days is to buy a can of nonstick spray that already includes the flour. I know that Pam, Crisco and Wilton carry such a spray, but who really wants to have to buy another product that you will only use occasionally?<br /><br />My Wilton Method instructor gave me a recipe to make it easier. The best part is that most bakers are likely to have all the ingredients already in their kitchen. I divided the original recipe by four, so if you make a lot of cakes feel free to quadruple my quantities. It works great as long as you line the bottom of the pan with wax paper and then brush the sides with cake release. I've only had it fail once, but that was a banana bread recipe that I've found to be particularly difficult and I didn't line the pan with wax paper.<br /><br />Homemade Cake Release<br /><br />1 /4 cup + 2 tablespoons Crisco<br />1 tablespoon Oil<br />1 tablespoon Flour<br /><br />Mix until creamy. Brush onto sides and bottom of pan with a basting brush. Store leftovers in refrigerator. It keeps a long time.<div style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" alt="Posted by Picasa" style="border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" align="middle" border="0" /></a></div>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10601892402478946331noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988329041383927169.post-70832272285361972692009-07-20T19:54:00.003-04:002009-07-20T20:08:32.386-04:00Menu Plan MondayWe finally got the beef quarter from the Sippels! I am very excited to be able to eat something besides the chicken and turkey that have been dominating the menus lately, so I slipped in beef a couple times this week.<br /><br />Monday - <a href="http://www.reluctantgourmet.com/currych.htm">chicken curry</a>, rice, <a href="http://samanthasmommysblog.blogspot.com/2009/06/zucchini-pineapple-cake.html">peas</a><br /><br />Tuesday - <a href="http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/06/chicken_spaghet/">turkey spaghetti</a>, green veg<br /><br />Wednesday - cheeseburger skillet, french fries, green veg<br /><br />Thursday - <a href="http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/recipe.aspx?recipeID=16023&Source=SearchResultPage&terms=enchilada">chicken enchiladas</a>, <a href="http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Frijoles-II/Detail.aspx">crockpot refried beans</a>, green veg<br /><br />Friday - pizza night<br /><br />Saturday - <a href="http://www.sippelfamilyfarm.com/">CSA</a> potluck<br /><br />Sunday - grill night - STEAK!!!<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Do you know what you're eating this week? If you would like some menu plan inspiration, be sure to check out Menu Plan Monday at<a href="http://orgjunkie.com/"> </a><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://orgjunkie.com/" target="_blank">I'm an Organizing Junkie</a> to see what others are having!</span>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10601892402478946331noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988329041383927169.post-85806942051771575272009-07-14T19:14:00.005-04:002009-07-14T20:11:36.899-04:00Using up the veggies: Chard TartletsEvery Thursday in the summer, we receive our <a href="http://www.sippelfamilyfarm.com/">CSA share from the Sippels</a>. I get excited about some veggies and dread others. The ones we like are gobbled up in a day or two. The ones we dislike stick around the fridge until they are mushy, moldy or otherwise inedible and get tossed in the compost bin.<br /><br />To keep on top of what's left in the crisper drawers, I have a list on the fridge of all the herbs and veggies. When we use up something, then I cross it off. When we pick up that week's share, I add the names. It's a lot easier than rummaging through the crisper drawers to see what I still have.<br /><br />Before last week's pickup we still had and their status before tonight's dinner:<br />- lettuce -- took to a cookout<br />- garlic scapes (they're the stem and flowerhead that garlic plants get)<br />- swiss chard (a colorful green)<br />- beets<br />- sage leaves -- dehydrated for more sage-y weather<br />- kale<br /><br />Last week in our share we got and their status before tonight's dinner:<br />- more lettuce -- took to a cookout<br />- more beets<br />- cabbage<br />- collard greens<br />- zucchini -- made pickles<br />- yellow squash -- cooked<br />- kohlrabi<br />- tomatoes -- gone<br /><br />Today is Tuesday so that means only tonight and tomorrow before the fridge is inundated with more veggies. I had to take action now.<br /><br />I decided to use up some of the greens. When we were on vacation last month I made <a href="http://www.sippelfamilyfarm.com/cookinggreens.html">Sharna's Chard Tart</a>. The original recipe uses a pie crust, but I didn't have one, so I decided to make a crustless tart instead. Joe isn't crazy about greens, so I baked them in muffin tins for individual portions and froze the rest. I used up the swiss chard and the kale leaves that were still green. Even without a crust, I thought these were really good.<br /><br />While those were baking, I tackled the beets. One of the blogs I read, Once a Month Mom, had a post recently about making <a href="http://onceamonthmom.com/freezable-sides-pickled-beets/">freezer pickled beets</a>. I usually can my beets, but that's a lot of work for only a jar or two of beet pickles. I will try anything once, so there's now a container of pickled beets in my freezer.<br /><br />If my list is correct, I still have left:<br />- garlic scapes (they'll keep, so I'm not worried)<br />- collards<br />- kohlrabi<br />- cabbage<br />- half a hot pepper from my garden<br /><br />Maybe tomorrow will be coleslaw using the kohlrabi and cabbage as well as some carrots and onions from the garden. Or not. Tuna casserole is on the menu. In my experience greens make a better side for tuna casserole, so maybe it'll be the collards. Probably not.<br /><br />Here's my version of the chard tart:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJt51MIo-WiRmZVsVhdnqR7HNAYb_vR7i4H8L88lmAE_1hwAQrMjDGNmZHWN77tohJyWHY2DtOcZ4yXxtR7821m9Q2siSAmj-9ItIcW7Jq3lceEQrj2t1yb9LWotQuIgVhM1ewSxQ4b8U/s1600-h/DSC02222.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJt51MIo-WiRmZVsVhdnqR7HNAYb_vR7i4H8L88lmAE_1hwAQrMjDGNmZHWN77tohJyWHY2DtOcZ4yXxtR7821m9Q2siSAmj-9ItIcW7Jq3lceEQrj2t1yb9LWotQuIgVhM1ewSxQ4b8U/s320/DSC02222.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358471624789240482" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Chard Tartlets</span><br /><br />2 tablespoons olive oil<br />1 onion, finely diced<br />1 bunch swiss chard, coarsely chopped and stalks sliced<br />2 cloves garlic, chopped<br />1/2 tablespoons dried basil<br />1/4 teaspoon salt<br />1/8 teaspoon black pepper<br />1 pinch ground red pepper<br />3 large eggs, slightly beaten<br />1/3 cup plain yogurt<br />1 cup grated parmesan cheese<br /><br /> Preheat oven to 375. Line a muffin tin with (roughly) 10 cupcake papers. Lightly spray the papers with cooking spray.<br /> Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add onion and cook until onions are soft. Add swiss chard stalks and garlic to the skillet and continue cooking until tender. Add the leaves and cook until tender. Season with basil, salt, pepper and red pepper. <br /> In a bowl, combine the eggs, yogurt and cheese. Stir in the chard mixture. Scrape into the prepared cupcake papers, filling 3/4 or more full. These don't rise very much, but they do bubble.<br /> Bake at 375 until filling is golden and firm, 25-35 minutes.Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10601892402478946331noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988329041383927169.post-26755433344564844992009-07-13T18:12:00.015-04:002009-07-13T19:04:43.469-04:00Pork Fat RulesYesterday we cooked a 7.46 pound bone-in pork shoulder.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ_qxBOf0RyH1pUpyPD_M87KbXcy_DlIZ2Dz-8g2hVF6AQHSHcvhJaA_olYufi7rw8R0Kp_k2dWS7gVnr2lDKOrd97hM26KaU8g119sYUMXp8fG_CiiwUexoE8usP24oOYsreTslCo8qQ/s1600-h/DSC02207.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ_qxBOf0RyH1pUpyPD_M87KbXcy_DlIZ2Dz-8g2hVF6AQHSHcvhJaA_olYufi7rw8R0Kp_k2dWS7gVnr2lDKOrd97hM26KaU8g119sYUMXp8fG_CiiwUexoE8usP24oOYsreTslCo8qQ/s320/DSC02207.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358083355059922082" border="0" /></a>Joe liberally coated the meat with a blend of salt, pepper and garlic.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEickCsxTJncyEmcIxFJjHvzqJqbiO8yr4pWBkrns0Xam0bMHiKSwFc9xlXWSB7IIgk32NWQ_nhzI1SHx9BdcSOEiMFFn93EHHzTJk5vAkBTUfgFaMT0ZAMoTxdfSNOeFmOzl2arN6nzwOM/s1600-h/DSC02208.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEickCsxTJncyEmcIxFJjHvzqJqbiO8yr4pWBkrns0Xam0bMHiKSwFc9xlXWSB7IIgk32NWQ_nhzI1SHx9BdcSOEiMFFn93EHHzTJk5vAkBTUfgFaMT0ZAMoTxdfSNOeFmOzl2arN6nzwOM/s320/DSC02208.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358081081016081042" border="0" /></a>Joe put it on the grill with an aluminum pan of cider vinegar and water underneath.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9WyJ3Fb8I5iTE4gS4ESqJ0CGQKtgdvyQQfGiF160jW3muq4nkA6oXubpJZ9UNUmPyL4XwTryr_O8r8byNHXJDOZr8wAIW4DSHEZndDoLEf9OVz5MXtJOPZX9eETxE29UaeFMV6YYgNqw/s1600-h/DSC02209.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9WyJ3Fb8I5iTE4gS4ESqJ0CGQKtgdvyQQfGiF160jW3muq4nkA6oXubpJZ9UNUmPyL4XwTryr_O8r8byNHXJDOZr8wAIW4DSHEZndDoLEf9OVz5MXtJOPZX9eETxE29UaeFMV6YYgNqw/s320/DSC02209.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358073738633073218" border="0" /></a>He put charcoal and applewood chips in the sidebox. He also put some charcoal in the main compartment.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-rDzpa5jrk757Q6SuujYhsGN9LF3VMXdHKVL3BS2aBRP5bxfBxPYlqPGCryg6O2KGuf8pw1Xk86yWVsQcqmaWe5tWRLC9M5yMeDqzzy5Ym3sTZqviB8RGFhjjBfSk6QHdq_PZzHkyLa8/s1600-h/DSC02211.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-rDzpa5jrk757Q6SuujYhsGN9LF3VMXdHKVL3BS2aBRP5bxfBxPYlqPGCryg6O2KGuf8pw1Xk86yWVsQcqmaWe5tWRLC9M5yMeDqzzy5Ym3sTZqviB8RGFhjjBfSk6QHdq_PZzHkyLa8/s320/DSC02211.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358074970429821058" border="0" /></a>After several agonizing hours of smoking, the butt was finally done.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv6xX7E4WPEsMZ2N7G9pm3v1W3Ef-o-7dCEgX2EOFlUhbV3IULVig2BQndlDJCKLiOSfCTp0NZsPDy1_tDCP0YCUiLQv6fpAn6iqD9QI7kWPpBn1KMqWTuH2sD6okvOOEYFOS8nxukHCU/s1600-h/DSC02214.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv6xX7E4WPEsMZ2N7G9pm3v1W3Ef-o-7dCEgX2EOFlUhbV3IULVig2BQndlDJCKLiOSfCTp0NZsPDy1_tDCP0YCUiLQv6fpAn6iqD9QI7kWPpBn1KMqWTuH2sD6okvOOEYFOS8nxukHCU/s320/DSC02214.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358076033883682418" border="0" /></a>In one cast iron skillet, I added the pulled pork, salt, hot pepper flakes, cider vinegar and water.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0h04TIbLam2NE_oMpxbSLz42LgYyDHCAyg2N7648ExXDGP0Yn4uEQn8ovrNCizKw5NRpqldIW9mUBZTccOP8c-_UDxeUP9QE57t72PBEB5iENd1_D_1FS4h46P6CGIVq3G-HAjVBEFhY/s1600-h/DSC02217.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0h04TIbLam2NE_oMpxbSLz42LgYyDHCAyg2N7648ExXDGP0Yn4uEQn8ovrNCizKw5NRpqldIW9mUBZTccOP8c-_UDxeUP9QE57t72PBEB5iENd1_D_1FS4h46P6CGIVq3G-HAjVBEFhY/s320/DSC02217.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358076847139746402" border="0" /></a>After simmering and stirring, the lovely carolina barbecue looked like this:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik5Y185GfTx5ipWPsobC2EbF-F8UKMtjKwbGUuk1ucSqOqsCU1-wLCzE4ArYpTzy5PWfVd9iecgsbqcFht91Q4lQWjj2ed62mfDdcwMqTpbHSO_IQ4JnjmGAMImNcKVsj9qG5AmExKMws/s1600-h/DSC02219.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik5Y185GfTx5ipWPsobC2EbF-F8UKMtjKwbGUuk1ucSqOqsCU1-wLCzE4ArYpTzy5PWfVd9iecgsbqcFht91Q4lQWjj2ed62mfDdcwMqTpbHSO_IQ4JnjmGAMImNcKVsj9qG5AmExKMws/s320/DSC02219.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358077594130211474" border="0" /></a>For some variety, I put pulled pork in another skillet and topped it with bottled barbecue sauce.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3tYdsTQmiG5h3GZ_Li3PjoYuQwMcqeGSg_Nt4VmYiqJWe1BeQy6gYEfsB91265QRUGQhtsMw7Ka__UCUiowN5OZCqAXj5VwAlf10XDTsvYfJ8wLYvvupYN3qDNGdU3c7uxHVlBWBmxXE/s1600-h/DSC02218.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3tYdsTQmiG5h3GZ_Li3PjoYuQwMcqeGSg_Nt4VmYiqJWe1BeQy6gYEfsB91265QRUGQhtsMw7Ka__UCUiowN5OZCqAXj5VwAlf10XDTsvYfJ8wLYvvupYN3qDNGdU3c7uxHVlBWBmxXE/s320/DSC02218.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358078476491031266" border="0" /></a>With some nudging from some cider vinegar, the alternate barbecue eventually looked like this:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMNKoNxew4TFZdB6GE8ACTwVBDKverFZzL_Bi43a3H7RornhYc01zfsyi7q9cfegBmVb_-EcdhgCzcYNPdIpSfkNSKbxK_-TS2g50e7iuztCkx2PzxXF5f4CScrrHMdbzN74tc4JOgE3U/s1600-h/DSC02220.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMNKoNxew4TFZdB6GE8ACTwVBDKverFZzL_Bi43a3H7RornhYc01zfsyi7q9cfegBmVb_-EcdhgCzcYNPdIpSfkNSKbxK_-TS2g50e7iuztCkx2PzxXF5f4CScrrHMdbzN74tc4JOgE3U/s320/DSC02220.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358079804201756978" border="0" /></a>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10601892402478946331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988329041383927169.post-46667730811322241762009-07-13T07:34:00.003-04:002009-07-15T16:03:59.951-04:00Menu Plan MondayYesterday Joe smoked a pork shoulder. Yum. I'll post about that later. This week:<br /><br />Monday - <a href="http://www.recipezaar.com/Turkey-Chicken-Dressing-Casserole-277368">turkey dressing casserole</a><br /><br />Tuesday - <a href="http://onceamonthmom.com/march-menu-grocery-list-and-instructions/">mexican un-stuffed shells</a><br /><br />Wednesday - tuna casserole<br /><br />Thursday - <a href="http://www.coupondad.net/Recipes/Layered_Chicken_Enchiladas.html">turkey enchilada casserole</a><br /><br />Friday - redeem Samantha's Papa Murphy's coupon for a free medium cheese pizza from the library's summer reading program<br /><br />Saturday - Samantha will be spending the night with Joe's parents while we go to <a href="http://www.shamrockvineyard.com/Twilight%20Dinners.html">Shamrock Vineyard's Twilight Dinner</a>. Last year we went and had a good time.<br /><br />Sunday - grill night -- <a href="http://fulltummies.blogspot.com/2008/11/maple-honey-mustard-pork-chops.html">maple honey pork chops</a><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Do you know what you're eating this week? If you would like some menu plan inspiration, be sure to check out Menu Plan Monday at<a href="http://orgjunkie.com/"> </a><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://orgjunkie.com/" target="_blank">I'm an Organizing Junkie</a> to see what others are having! </span>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10601892402478946331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988329041383927169.post-86557211488776741582009-07-05T21:40:00.007-04:002009-07-06T13:49:38.240-04:00Menu Plan MondayLast week I was late posting my menu, so this week I'm going to get it done early.<br /><br />Sunday - <a href="http://www.reluctantgourmet.com/currych.htm">Chicken Curry</a>, rice - I was taking a risk by serving Joe an entree with curry powder, onions and dried fruit, but he liked it and I thought it was delicious.<br /><br />Monday - <a href="http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/06/chicken_spaghet/">Turkey Spaghetti</a>, green veg<br /><br />Tuesday - <a href="http://fulltummies.blogspot.com/2008/11/maple-honey-mustard-pork-chops.html">Maple Honey Mustard Pork Chops</a>, green veg, starchy side<br /><br />Wednesday - <a href="http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/recipe.aspx?recipeID=16023&Source=SearchResultPage&terms=enchilada">Chicken Enchiladas</a>, refried beans, green veg<br /><br />Thursday - burgers stuffed with pepperjack cheese, <a href="http://stolenmomentscooking.com/buffalo-chicken-spaghetti/">Buffalo Chicken Spaghetti</a>, green veg<br /><br />Friday - pizza night, salad<br /><br />Saturday - cookout at Clinger's house - will have to think of something to take<br /><br />Sunday - <a href="http://www.coupondad.net/Recipes/Layered_Chicken_Enchiladas.html"></a>Smoke the Pork Shoulder - carolina barbecue, pasta salad, green veg<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Do you know what you're eating this week? If you would like some menu plan inspiration, be sure to check out <a href="http://orgjunkie.com/2009/07/menu-plan-monday-july-6th.html">Menu Plan Monday</a> at<a href="http://orgjunkie.com/"> </a><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://orgjunkie.com/" target="_blank">I'm an Organizing Junkie</a> to see what others are having! </span>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10601892402478946331noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988329041383927169.post-22931673789569461542009-07-05T20:39:00.004-04:002009-07-13T18:11:50.219-04:00OAMC Big Day<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2w1nuatRgC5G-Gha0Km2zPMvTha5ordry1Rp3IE9ttDlvO96JLzEbWF99zaMpveZYmbyKcrQBCIO58oZ29EEFOqrxsZ9bO47IApzprkKaBQrkREaoFZZYEXKcxrhT5EILWd9Z7PSh_gI/s1600-h/DSC02199.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2w1nuatRgC5G-Gha0Km2zPMvTha5ordry1Rp3IE9ttDlvO96JLzEbWF99zaMpveZYmbyKcrQBCIO58oZ29EEFOqrxsZ9bO47IApzprkKaBQrkREaoFZZYEXKcxrhT5EILWd9Z7PSh_gI/s320/DSC02199.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358070354501931634" border="0" /></a><br />Yesterday morning Joe cooked a 14 lb turkey on the grill for me. Grilling a turkey is great any time of year. On Thanksgiving Day, it frees up precious oven space. In the summer, it doesn't heat up the kitchen. It always tastes great with the hint of smokiness that grilling adds.<br /><br />I especially liked the cost of buying it in November. Super cheap. They were such a bargain that I bought two turkeys even though we were flying out of state for Thanksgiving. I shudder to think what they go for this time of year.<br /><br />Yesterday afternoon while Samantha and Joe were napping, I chopped and measured all the turkey meat. I still had an hour to spare before I needed to get ready to leave for a July 4th party, so I made the decision to assemble a couple easy dishes right away rather than waiting. Both dishes were no-cook, mix and layer casseroles. I made up 2 pans each of <a href="http://www.coupondad.net/Recipes/Layered_Chicken_Enchiladas.html">Turkey Enchilada Casserole</a> and <a href="http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Southwestern-Turkey-Casserole/Detail.aspx">Southwestern Turkey Casserole</a>. I assembled them in less time than it took to chop all the meat off the bird, which saved me 45 minutes today. Another bonus was that the food was frozen this morning and ready to be wrapped, bagged and stacked. That freed up 4 baking dishes and freezer space.<br /><br />This morning I resumed in the kitchen. I had my game plan written up, but with the first two dishes knocked out already, I wasn't sure where to start. I had selected those recipes because they were so fast that they would give me that jump start to my motivation. It's great to be able to say "I've only been working an hour, but already I've completed two recipes." It really helps get the momentum rolling.<br /><br />Eventually I re-tweaked the game plan and got started. I finished cooking by 1 pm with a lunch break included. Today I made:<br />- 3 dishes of <a href="http://www.recipezaar.com/Turkey-Chicken-Dressing-Casserole-277368">Turkey Dressing Casserole</a><br />- 2 dishes of <a href="http://onceamonthmom.com/march-menu-grocery-list-and-instructions/">Mexican Un-Stuffed Shells</a><br />- 2 dishes of <a href="http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/06/chicken_spaghet/">Turkey Spaghetti</a><br />- 2 dishes of <a href="http://www.reluctantgourmet.com/currych.htm">Chicken Curry</a><br />- 3 mini-loaves of <a href="http://coffeeworks.blogs.com/coffee_and_tea/2005/05/cccccc.html">Chocolate Chip Cream Cheese Coffee Cake</a><br />- 12 <a href="http://daddywhatareyoudoing.wordpress.com/2006/10/08/2-dozen-muffins-from-a-single-batch/">Mocha Chip Muffins</a><br />- 12 <a href="http://www.recipezaar.com/Make-Ahead-Turkey-Roll-Ups-239074">Turkey and Muenster Roll-ups</a><br />- 12 Pepperoni and Provolone Roll-ups using same dough recipe as the turkey ones<br /><br />Between yesterday and today, I made 13 supper entrees and a few breakfast and lunch items. That won't last us a month on its own, but I still have frozen meals from my last cooking session as well as extras that I've stashed away here and there. Plus, Joe will be smoking a pork shoulder next weekend. Lots of yummy Carolina Barbecue and other pork dishes to add to the freezer. We'll be set until the end of the month.<br /><br />I was so pooped after cooking that I took a 2-hour nap this afternoon. Maybe it wasn't the cooking. Maybe it was not getting to bed until midnight after an evening of drinking some <a href="http://www.shamrockvineyard.com/Wines.html">Buckeye Red</a> and then waking with the sun to cook the next day.Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10601892402478946331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4988329041383927169.post-16895287246670277622009-06-29T16:08:00.004-04:002009-06-30T07:46:25.313-04:00Menu Plan Monday<span>I wrote this up last night and then forgot to publish it!<br /><br />It</span><span>'s pretty easy to plan out my meals when I do it ahead of time, but pretty difficult if I wait until Sunday or Monday.</span><span> This week's menu I wrote out middle of last week some time when I was thinking about my upcoming OAMC day. My freezer is about half empty right now, but after a day of OAM cooking this weekend and a new quarter of beef next weekend space is going to be tight. My single largest space hog is a frozen turkey from last Thanksgiving's turkey sale. It's on the OAMC menu to make room for more beef.<br /><br />Monday - tuna casserole, salad, fruit<br /><br />Tuesday - <a href="http://onceamonthmom.com/chicken-corn-quesadillas/">chicken and corn quesadillas</a>, green veg<br /><br />Wednesday - <a href="http://www.recipezaar.com/Firecracker-Salmon-OAMC-108401">firecracker chicken</a>, green veg, pasta/rice side from a box<br /><br />Thursday - <a href="http://www.campbellkitchen.com/recipedetail.aspx?recipeSource=search&recipeID=36">taco joes</a>, green veg, pierogies and cheese<br /><br />Friday - grill night - <a href="http://www.kraftfoods.com/kf/recipes/grilled-chicken-caesar-salad-113967.aspx">ranch chicken kabob salad</a>, garlic bread, fruit<br /><br />Saturday - 4th of July cookout - Take the awesome </span><a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/bratwurst-cooked-in-beer-with-smothered-cabbage-recipe2/index.html">FLO'S ROASTED POTATO SALAD</a>. Roasted garlic, bacon...need I say more? (Btw, I've made the brats and cabbage recipe too, but they're only so-so whereas the potato salad was a keeper).<br /><br />Sunday - OAMC Day - Joe will grill the whole turkey for me to use<br /><span><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">Do you know what you're eating this week? If you would like some menu plan inspiration, be sure to check out <a href="http://orgjunkie.com/2009/06/menu-plan-monday-june-29th.html">Menu Plan Monday</a> at<a href="http://orgjunkie.com/"> </a><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://orgjunkie.com/" target="_blank">I'm an Organizing Junkie</a> to see what others are having! </span>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10601892402478946331noreply@blogger.com1