Sunday, May 31, 2009

Cheddar Bay Biscuits


I found this on Mrs. H's website). Here is a recipe that she got from Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2. They taste just like Red Lobster's!

Cheddar Bay Biscuits
1 dozen

2 ½ cups baking mix
¾ cup cold whole milk
4 tablespoons cold butter
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
1 heaping cup grated cheddar cheese

To brush on top
2 tablespoons butter, melted
¼ teaspoon dried parsley flakes
½ teaspoon garlic powder (You can skip this if you don't want them too garlic-y.)
pinch salt

Combine biscuit mix with cold butter in a medium bowl using a pastry cutter or a large fork. You don't want to mix too thoroughly. There should be small chunks of butter in there that are about the size of peas. Add cheddar cheese, milk, and ¼ teaspoon garlic. Mix by hand until combined (very messy), but don't over mix. Drop approximately ¼-cup portions of the dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 400° for 15 to 17 minutes or until the tops of the biscuits begin to turn light brown. When you take the biscuits out of the oven, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Stir in ½ teaspoon garlic powder and the dried parsley flakes. Use a brush to spread this garlic butter over the tops of all the biscuits. Enjoy!

Free 10 oz Root Beer Float at Sonic

Go to your local Sonic this Wednesday night anytime between 8pm and 12am and get a free 10oz root beer float! I'm so going! See here for details.

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

What I learned today at Sprouts



When I was looking at pineapples this afternoon at Sprouts (I've never heard of them before we came to Dallas. It's so cheap!), the man who was organizing/putting up fruits and veggies started talking to me. I always thought that you chose a pineapple by it's color, smell, and how easily the leaves come out. This is true, but he told me that when you get your pineapple (I wanted one ready in a few days, so I got a green one) take it home and put it upside down on your kitchen counter. Apparently all of the sugar is at the bottom of a pineapple, and to get it all sweet, you need to put it upside down while you're waiting to eat it.

I also bought cluster tomatoes. He said that when you buy them, make sure you get a cluster that has a green stem because that indicates that there is still water in it, feeding the tomatoes. Also, don't ever put tomatoes in the refrigerator. Apparently it makes them lose their flavor. I never eat tomatoes, so this is all news to me.

How to pick grapefruit - firm, not soft.

You may have known all of this, but I'm new at all this, so it's pretty interesting!

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

What I'm making this week for dinner this week

Tuesday - Chicken Fried Rice
2 cups rice (Kokuho rice is what HB Japanese Steak House uses. They sell it at Kroger in College Station and Houston, but not Dallas, so we will use Jasmine Rice)
1 small sweet onion, chopped
2 chicken breasts, cut into small bite size pieces
3 eggs, scrambled
Soy Sauce, as much as desired
Sesame Seeds
Garlic Powder (because they use garlic butter)
Salt and Pepper, to taste
1/4 cup Butter/margarine (I'm just guesstimating there)

So, I made this recipe up from watching HB Japanese Steak house a million times.

The first thing I do is make the rice in the morning or at least a few hours before dinnertime, put it in a container, and leave it sitting at room temperature. I make rice in a rice maker. Put however much water your rice maker (or bag of rice) tells you to put with 2 cups of rice. IMPORTANT: Let the rice sit in the water for 20-30 minutes. Ever had a problem with your rice cooker boiling over? This should help. Cook the rice.

In a skillet cook the onion, pour into a bowl, eggs, pour into the same bowl, and chicken. When you think the chicken is almost done put in some soy sauce and let it cook for about a minute. Pour the chicken into the bowl with eggs and onions.

They have a super hot cooking area, so I would get all of the ingredients ready and turn on your burner to medium high. I use a wok.

Lightly grease the wok, and add the rice and butter. Mix around for a while (it should be sizzling). Add the eggs, onions, and chicken. Add garlic powder, salt, pepper, soy sauce, and sesame seeds. The amount you add of the ladder is up to you. Enjoy! (It took me forever to perfect, so don't give up on your first try if you don't like it.)


Wednesday - Silver Turtles
1 lb. ground beef
Worchester Sauce
Tony Cachere’s seasoning
Carrots, chopped
1 sweet onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
Potatoes, cut into thin pieces (about 1/2 cm thick)
Mushrooms, I usually cut each mushroom into 4 pieces
Zucchini Squash, chopped

This is so extremely easy. I marinade the ground beef in worchester sauce and tony cachere's for a few hours. Then I get two pieces of aluminum foil, about a foot and 1/2 long. I put them on top of one another, fold them in half, then an inch from the seam fold both sides back. (This allows the foil to expand when the veggies steam. I am horrible at explaining this over the internet.) Put the veggies on the bottom. Sprinkle with wochester sauce and tony's. Put a beef patty on top and roll up the three sides to close. This makes 2-4 bags. Put in the oven for 1 hr at 350 degrees.



Thursday - Chicken-Almond Stir-Fry
2 tablespoons vegetable or sesame oil
4 skinned and boned chicken breast halves, cut into thin strips (we used 2)
1 (2.25 oz) package sliced almonds
1 (12-16 oz) Frozen Steamfresh broccoli, carrots, water chestnuts, and snap peas
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon brown sugar
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ cup soy sauce
1/3 cup pineapple juice
Hot cooked rice


Pour oil around top of a preheated wok, coating sides, or in a large nonstick skillet.
Heat briefly at medium high.
Add chicken and almonds; stir-fry for 2 – 4 minutes. Add frozen vegetables; cover and cook 4 minutes, stirring once
Combine cornstarch and next four ingredients; add to wok.
Cook, stirring constantly, 2 – 3 minutes or until mixture thickens.
Serve over rice.

Friday - Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings
4 skinless, boneless partially frozen chicken breast halves
2 tablespoons butter
2 (10.75 oz) cans condensed cream of chicken soup
1 onion, finely diced
1 package refrigerated Grands homestyle biscuits (Roll this out flat, pour pepper on them, and cut them into small pieces)
1 can low sodium chicken broth
If you want, you can add a package of frozen veggies in the last 30 min (This is the way Brett likes it. It reminds me more of a chicken pot pie when I add veggies.)

Place the chicken, butter, cream of chicken soup, and onion in a slow cooker, and pour chicken broth to cover.

Cover, and cook for 4 ½ hours on High

After 4 ½ hours, rip up the chicken (should fall apart at this point) and place the cut biscuit dough in the slow cooker. Use a fork or spoon to push the dough under the liquid, so they will cook. Cook for 1 ½ hours on High. Cook longer if dough isn’t cooked through.

Money maker at CVS

Apparently, if you buy 2 Neutrogena Ultra Sheer SPF 55 (1-oz.), $1.99, you will receive $10 ECBs. (see here)

Also, there are Hefty One Zip bags (8 ct) for $1 in the dollar section that you can get for free with
$1/1 Hefty One-Zip, exp. 7-31-09 (RP 5/17/09).

The CVS I went to didn't have either, but maybe you will have luck!

CVS 4/24

Clearasil Stay Clear Facewash 6.5 oz, $3.99, get $3.99 ecb
-$1 Clearasil, any SS 4/19/09

Colgate Total Advanced Clean, 4 oz, $2.99, get $2.00 ecb
-$1 Colgate Total Advanced Toothpaste SS 5/10/09

Revlon Nail color $3.99, get $3.00 ecb
-$1 Revlon Color Cosmetic, any SS 4/26/09

Playtex sport tampons 16 ct, $3.99, get $3.00 ecb
-$1 coupon here

Bandaid bandages, $2.99, get $2.00 ecb
-$1 Band-Aid (excludes trial sizes) RP 4/26/09

2 Speed stick pro deodorant, $3.99 each, get $3.99 ecb

2 SOBE drinks, Buy One Get One (BOGO)
-BOGO coupon here

2 Schick Disposable Razors, $0.99 each (Trial size)
-$2 Schick Disposable Razor, SS 5/10/09

Q-tips, $2.99 (Brett wanted some.)

Subtotal before coupons: $32.49
Total after coupons: $23.90

I used $24.00 in ecb, and received: $22.00 in ecb on my receipt. $2 for everything!

Monday, May 11, 2009

$50 in printable Kraft coupons

Register at Kraft
Click here to login, choose, and print your coupons!

Sunday, May 10, 2009

$4 off 2 Dinner Entrees at Olive Garden

Click here to print your $4 off coupon. I got this from Money Saving Madness.

Saturday, May 9, 2009

Business/Gift Card holder



I just made this gift card holder out of scraps from my quilt. It was really easy! I learned how to do it from this website:

http://schlosserdesigns.blogspot.com/2009/02/tutorial-tuesday-business-card-holder.html

I made $12 at CVS today!



My CVS starts their Sunday ad on Saturdays, so that's when I do most of my shopping. That way I can get the next week's deals and also the current week's if I missed anything.

All of the items above except the toothpaste are on sale during the week of 5/10.

Below is my receipt.
I was very lucky. When I entered CVS, I scanned my card and got a $4 off of $20 purchase! That means free money! :o) I bought:

Colgate Max White Toothpaste (last week's deal), $2.99
Bayer Contour Meter, $14.99
Bayer Contour Meter, $14.99
Schick Quattro Razor for Women, $8.99
Bayer Quick Release Crystals (4-ct.), $2.00

Subtotal: $43.96

I used:
-$4 off of $20 purchase from CVS coupon dispenser in the front of the store
-$30/1 Bayer Breeze2 or Contour Meter (SS 3/22/09) - coupon marked down so $14.99 taken off
-$30/1 Bayer Breeze2 or Contour Meter (SS 3/22/09) - coupon marked down so $14.99 taken off
-$4 Schick Quattro For Women Razor (SS 4/26/09)
-$1 Colgate Max White or Max Fresh Toothpaste (SS 4/26/09)

= $43.96 - $38.98 (in coupons) = $4.98

I only had a $10 ecb and $6 ecb, so I bought Glory, the cashier, a Reese's Peanut butter cup, $0.89

= $4.98+$0.89 = $5.87

I used my $6.00 ecb (marked down to 5.87, so I "lost" $0.13, but that's not a big deal... because....)

I got back:
$10 ecb for the 2 Bayer Contour Meters
$4 ecb for Schick Quattro Razor
$2 ecb for Bayer Aspirin
$2 ecb for Colgate Max White Toothpaste

That's $18 I got BACK... so I paid $6 ecb, got back $18 ecb.... I made $12!

Friday, May 8, 2009

What I got at CVS (Week of 5/3)

1 Colgate Max White Toothpaste and 2 Men's Adidas Deodorant

How I got them for free:

Colgate Max Fresh or Max White Toothpaste (4.6-6oz) is on sale for $2.99
When you buy one of the above toothpastes, you get $2.00 ecbs (extra care bucks) on your receipt that you can use on your next transaction.
I bought one and used one $1/1 Colgate Max Fresh or Max White Toothpaste coupons from the 4/26/09 Smart Source (ss) insert.

In a condensed version:
Colgate Max White Toothpaste, $2.99
-$1/1 coupon from Smart Source 4/26/09
= $2 out of pocket
Will recieve $2 ecb on receipt

Condensed version of the Adidas deal:
Adidas Action 3 Deodorant, $3.99
-$1/1 Adidas Deodorant from Red Plum 4/5/09
=$3 out of pocket
Will recieve $3 ecb on receipt

After a while you won't have to pay out of pocket. You will be spending extra care bucks and receiving extra care bucks.

Free TCBY for Moms on Sunday

TCBY is giving away a free cup or cone for Mom this Mother's Day (Sunday). Go here for more details.

Free Sample from Huggies

Huggies is giving away a free sample of their new pure and natural diapers. The only available sizes are newborn to 2. Click here to get your free sample!

Welcome to my new blog!

Hi! I've never had a blog of my own before but have been following others' for a while now. I thought I would start my own and share how I save money using coupons and what crafts I'm up to.

To be a dedicated couponer, you need to start buying your local Sunday newspaper and label the date on it. I buy one paper a week and both my mom and mother-in-law save them for me. I would recommend buying 2-3 a week if that is possible. The reason why I would buy more than one is because many times there are deals in which you need to buy two items and use two coupons to get both for free. I might be completely confusing you, but I will try to explain every deal I do on here. Hopefully I will make sense then. There are often coupons online as well. I will attach those sites as I use them.

If you are a Kroger shopper, you can get a head start by going to:

www.shortcuts.com and www.cellfire.com

Both websites allow you to attach coupons to your Kroger card. These deductions come straight off when the cashier scans those items. Anyway, I guess that's it for now. Hopefully I can help you save a little bit of money here and there!

Jennifer