Key Lime Pie

Key Lime Pie
Southern Living (not sure which book - the recipe was given to me from a friend)
Yield: 1 (9 inch) pie

Ingredients
1 1/4 cups graham crackers crumbs
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup butter or margarine, melted
2 (14 oz) cans sweetened condensed milk
1 cup fresh key lime juice
2 egg whites
1/4 tsp cream of tarter
2 Tbsp sugar
Garnish: lime slices

Directions
-Combine first 3 ingredients. Press crumb mixture into a 9-inch pie plate.
-Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes; cool
-Stir together condensed milk and lime juice until blended. Pour into crust.
-Beat eggs whites and cream of tartar at high speed with an electric mixer just until foamy. Add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until soft peaks form and sugar dissolves (2 to 4 minutes).
-Spread meringue over filling.
-Bake at 325 for 25 to 28 minutes. Chill 8 hours. Garnish, if desired.

Sweet Jalapeno Ribs

I thought I would try it this weekend because country style pork ribs are on sale at Kroger for $1.49/lb, and I had free A1 from when it was on sale for $2 and had a $2 coupon. You can get the jelly for $1.99 at Kroger (not on sale). It was my first time to make ribs, and they were pretty good! This really isn't that spicy at all. I also made a (very unhealthy) key lime pie for tonight when the rest of Brett's family gets in. I'll post it with the recipe tomorrow after I cut into it! :o)

Sweet Jalapeno Ribs
Southern Living's Easy Weeknight Favorites
4 servings

Ingredients
2 (16 oz) can pinto beans, drained
3 lbs country-style pork ribs, trimmed
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 medium onion, chopped
1 (10.5 oz) jar red jalapeno jelly
1 (5 oz) bottle steak sauce (I used A1)
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely chopped (optional)

Directions
-Place beans in an electric slow cooker. Set aside.
-Cut ribs apart; sprinkle with garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Place ribs on a rack in a broiler pan. Broil 5 1/2 inches from heat (with electric oven door partially opened) 18 to 20 minutes or until well browned, turning once. Add ribs to slow cooker, and sprinkle with onion.
-Combine jelly, steak sauce, and, if desired, chopped pepper in a sauce-pan; cook over low heat until jelly melts. Pour over ribs; stir gently.
-Cover and cook on HIGH 5 to 6 hours or on LOW 9 to 10 hours. Remove ribs; skim fat from sauce. Cook sauce with beans, uncovered, on HIGH 30 more minutes or until slightly thickened. Add ribs just before serving to reheat.

Delicious Baked Fudge

Like, whoa. This stuff is awesome and super easy. Sandy and Brett have had me make this two nights in a row for dessert. Oh, and if you don't have ramekins and you want some, go to Ross. I got super cute ones that match our dinnerware - 4 for $5. :o)

Baked Fudge
Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman
4 servings

2 eggs
1 cup sugar
2 heaping tablespoons cocoa
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

-Preheat oven to 300 to 325 degrees.
-Beat eggs until light in color. Beat in sugar until just combined.
-Add cocoa, flour, melted butter, and vanilla extract. Mix gently until well combined.
-Pour batter into four large ramekins or one 8-inch square baking dish.
-Set ramekins or pan into a larger pan halfway full of water.
-Bake 40 to 50 minutes, or until upper crust is crispy and the rest of the batter is firm but not set. Toothpick should come out not clean, but mixture should not be overly runny. If you pull it out of the oven and have second thoughts, stick it back in for ten minutes. (It will be more like pudding if you pull it out too early.)
-Serve with sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Farfalle with Zucchini and Tomatoes

Ok, so I make a lot of Ree's recipes, but they are delicious!

Farfalle with Zucchini and Tomatoes
Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients
2-4 Zucchini, diced
1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, diced
2 pints cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in half (can use 1, I just really like these)
Olive Oil
2/3 cup chicken broth or white wine
Box of farfalle pasta
1/2 to 3/4 cup Heavy Cream
Parmesan Cheese
1 Tbsp Arrowroot (or flour or corn starch)
Salt and pepper to taste (I use a lot of salt)
Fresh herbs - lemon thyme, basil, chives, or whatever you want (you can also use dried herbs, I've done both)

Directions
Cook the pasta according to the package directions. While the pasta is cooking, heat a couple of tablespoons olive oil over medium high to high heat. Throw in half of the zucchini. Don’t stir right off the bat; you want the zucchini to brown. Sprinkle the zucchini with salt. Stir it around ’til it gets good and brown, then remove to a plate. NOTE: Do NOT overcook the zucchini. You’ll want it to still have a little bite to it when you throw it into the sauce later. Repeat with the other half of the zucchini, and remove it to the plate. Now, in the same pan, drizzle in some more olive oil. Turn the heat to medium low or medium and throw in the onions and garlic and toss ‘em around a bit. Now throw the halved grape tomatoes on top and toss ‘em around a bit. Pour in 1/3 cup white wine or chicken broth.

Pour the remaining 1/3 cup of wine/broth into a small bowl. Mix in the arrowroot. (If you don't have arrowroot or don't want to buy it you can use corn starch or flour or just cook the pasta down a little). Pour the mixture in, and stir gently to combine. Now, immediately add in 1/2 to 3/4 cup cream. Add in the zucchini. Stir it gently to combine, turning off the heat at this point. You really don’t want to cook the sauce after adding the arrowroot. Add salt and pepper to taste.

After the pasta has been drained, put it in a serving bowl, and throw in the herbs. Now pour the contents of the pan over the top, and toss it together. Throw in some parmesan cheese, and it’s ready to eat!

B1G1 Jamba Juice coupon

If you take this coupon to a Jamba Juice by August 9th, you will get a free smoothie when you purchase another smoothie! I love Jamba Juice and will definitely be using this coupon this week! Thanks, Money Saving Mom. :o)

Internet Printable Coupon Database

I'd never heard of The Krazy Coupon Lady until five minutes ago, but wow. She spent so much time finding hundreds of printable internet coupons. Go here to see her list before you go to the grocery store and spend a lot of money. They are all in alphabetical order and everything!

Free Listerene PocketPaks at Kroger

Listerine PocketPaks are on sale for $1 at Kroger this week. There are $0.50 off coupons in SS 6/14, RP 4/26, and SS 3/15 that will double and make them free. You can only double 3 of the same coupons per transaction.

B1G1 entree at Abuelo's

If you join Abuelo's e-Club, you'll receive a coupon for a free entree when you purchase another entree and two beverages. I heard this place is really good but expensive, so this would be a good time to try it out! Thanks, Money Saving Mom!

Free & Cheap Bathrooom Products at Kroger

Crest Toothpaste, $1
-$0.50 off Crest Toothpaste, PG 6/7 (doubles - makes it free)
-$0.75 off Crest Toothpaste, PG 7/5 (makes it $0.25)
-$0.75 off P&G eCoupon (use together for a money maker)
Thanks, Happy Couponing!

Oral B Indicator Toothbrush, $1
-$1 off Oral B Single Toothbrush, PG 7/5 (makes it free)
Thanks, Happy Couponing!

Close Out Deals
Dial Soap 3 bar, $1.49
-$0.35 off Dial Multibar pack, SS 5/17 (triples - makes them $0.44 each)
Thanks, Southern Savers!

Men's Lever 2000 with Vaseline soap 2 bar, $1.64
-$0.50 off any Lever 2000 two bar soap, RP 7/12 (doubles - makes them $0.64 each)

Ivory bar packs are on sale for $1, and many other bar packs are marked down, but there aren't any coupons for these.

Spicy Orange Garlic Shrimp

We love this stuff. If you like shrimp, you should definitely try this recipe!

Spicy Orange Garlic Shrimp
Pastor Ryan on The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients
2 dozen 26-30 ct/lb deveined shrimp
3/4 cup orange juice
2-4 cloves garlic
3 Tbsp regular salted butter
1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper
1 tsp Old Bay seasoning

Directions
Thaw and peel the shrimp. Run the frozen shrimp under cold water for a few minutes, then peel away the outer shell. Dry the peeled shrimp by draining them on a paper towel or two.

**Ree doesn't say to do this, but I would look at the underside of the shrimp. I don't know what that is, but I always cut it out. Vein, digestive tract, whatever... No, thanks! Yes, I have realized that seafood restaurants probably don't take the time to get rid of this, but I'm going to forget that I knew that. Oh, and ... I realize I might be grossing some of you out, but when you cut that other vein thingy out, you will see in the tail some kind of light brown glob connected to a short veiny thing. I don't know what that is, and I'm not sure I want to know, but I take that out too. Sandy and Nana, I think I may have just lost any chance I had at getting you to try shrimp. :o)

Thinly slice your garlic cloves. Add the garlic to the orange juice. Measure out and add all of the spices to the orange juice as well.

In a large skillet over high heat melt 2 Tbsp butter. Once butter has melted add your shrimp. Cook for about 30-60 seconds and begin flipping them over starting with the ones you placed in the pan first so they don't get overdone. Cook for another 30-60 seconds. Remove the cooked shrimp from the pan, leaving the heat on high.

Once the butter and drippings begin to smoke ever so slightly, add the spicy orange garlic mixture to the pan and give it a good stir. Add the last Tbsp of butter to the sauce, and after a few minutes of cooking and occasional stirring, your sauce should be slightly thicker.

Return the shrimp to the pan and give them a nice toss to coat them in the new sauce. After a few seconds, they're ready to eat!

Free Tea at McAlister's on July 23rd

Tomorrow (Thursday, July 23rd) at McAlister's is Free Tea Day! Stop by and get your free tea! See here for details. Thanks, Money Saving Mom!

Chicken Enchiladas Verdes

This is by far my favorite enchilada recipe. It tastes like restaurant food! Warning - pretty spicy!

Chicken Enchiladas Verdes
Simply Recipes
4 to 6 servings

Ingredients**
4 chicken thighs, bone-in, skins removed (about 1 3/4 lbs)
1 1/2 lbs tomatillos, papery husks removed, rinsed
2 serrano chile peppers or jalapenos, cut in half and membrane/seeds removed
3 cloves garlic
1 cup white or yellow onion, chopped
1/4 of a whole white or yellow onion
Salt, to taste
1 bunch cilantro, rinsed and chopped, stems included
Canola oil
12 corn tortillas
3 Tbsp sour cream
1/2 cup crumbled Mexican cheese

Directions
Put chicken thighs in a medium sized saucepan and just cover with water. Add one clove of garlic that has been cut in half, 1/4 of an onion, and 1 teaspoon of salt to the water. Bring to a boil, reduce to a low simmer, and cook, covered, for 20 minutes, until the chicken is just cooked through. Remove chicken thighs to a separate bowl and let cool enough to touch.

While the chicken is cooking, put the tomatillos and serrano peppers in a separate sauce pan and cover them with water. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer. Simmer until the tomatillos are cooked, and have changed color, but are not mushy, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Use a slotted spoon to transfer tomatillos and serranos to a blender. Add 1/2 cup of the tomatillo cooking liquid to the blender, as well as 2 cloves of garlic, a third a cup of your chopped onion, and about 1/4 cup of chopped cilantro (packed). (Remaining chopped onion and cilantro will be used for garnish.) Add one teaspoon of salt. Purée until completely blended, 15 to 30 seconds. Taste for heat. If not spicy enough add another chile pepper (doesn't have to be cooked). Note that sour cream will eventually be added to the sauce which will cool down a lot of the spiciness. Add more salt to taste if necessary. Pour sauce into a skillet, bring to a simmer and let simmer for 5 minutes. Then remove from heat.

Remove the cooked chicken meat from the bones. Shred the meat with a fork or knife. Put the chicken in a bowl and add 1/3 to a 1/2 cup of the tomatillo sauce to the chicken. Taste the chicken; if it needs salt, add a little.

Heat a tablespoon of oil in a frying pan on medium high heat. Add a tortilla to the pan and use a metal spatula to flip it to the other side. Place another tortilla on top of this one (to soak up the excess oil) and flip again. When the tortillas are heated through, remove them to a plate lined with paper towel. Add a little more oil to the pan, and add another couple tortillas. Continue to heat through and soften all of the tortillas. Note that if you are using just made homemade tortillas you can skip this step because the tortillas are already hot, softened, and ready to eat.

Warm the oven to 200°F. Dip a tortilla in the salsa verde tomatillo sauce and place it on an oven-proof serving dish. Scoop a spoonful of chicken into the center of the tortilla and roll up the tortilla. Place on the serving dish and repeat with all of the tortillas. Put into the warm oven to keep the enchiladas warm while you finish the sauce.

Heat the salsa verde sauce again until simmering, then remove from heat. Stir in the sour cream until well blended. Remove the warming enchiladas from the oven and pour salsa verde sauce over all of them. Top with chopped onion, cheese, and cilantro.

Serve immediately. Serve with extra garnishes of onion, cheese, and cilantro on the side.

Easy Monday Night Stir Fry

Easy Monday Night Stir Fry
Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman
4 - 6 servings

Ingredients
3 Tbsp Peanut Oil, divided
3 chicken breasts (or other meat), cut into cubes
1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
Sesame oil (optional)
1 medium onion, cut into large chunks
2 cloves garlic, minced
Fresh ginger, minced (3 parts ginger to 1 part garlic, may be strong for some)
1 red bell pepper, cut into large chunks
10 white mushrooms, sliced
1 small jar baby corn, cut into pieces (or half 14.5oz can cut baby corn)
3 Tbsp sugar
1/2 cup of chicken broth, divided
1 tsp rice vinegar
2 heaping tsp Arrowroot (you can use corn starch or flour mixture if you want)
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (or fresh basil if you don't like cilantro)
2 cups uncooked rice, cooked

Directions
After cutting meat into chunks, drizzle with soy sauce and sesame oil (optional). Prepare all vegetables and have them ready. Mix 1/2 cup soy sauce with sugar. Stir together and set aside. Mix 1/4 cup chicken broth with arrowroot (or cornstarch or flour - I had to add more than 2 tsp arrowroot, so be prepared to add more in the end). Stir together and set aside. Measure an additional 1/4 cup chicken broth. Set aside.

To begin stir fry, heat skillet or wok over high heat. When it's hot, drizzle in 2 Tbsp peanut oil. Add meat to skillet and fry quickly, stirring around for 2 to 3 minutes. When brown and just cooked through, remove to a separate bowl. Add additional 1 Tbsp peanut oil to same skillet. Throw in onion and cook for 1 minute. Add red bell pepper and cook for 30 seconds. Add garlic and ginger and stir. Add mushrooms and stir. Cook for 45 seconds. Add baby corn and stir.

Pour in 1/4 cup chicken broth and soy sauce/sugar mixture. Drizzle in 1 tsp rice vinegar and 1/2 tsp sesame oil (optional). Dump in cooked chicken. Stir together. Pour in chicken broth/arrowroot mixture. Stir together until sauce is thicker (you may need to add more arrowroot/corn starch/flour), then turn off heat. At the very end, seconds before serving, stir in 1/2 cup (I used about 1/4 cup) roughly chopped cilantro. Serve over cooked rice.

Variations:
*Can use any of the following vegetables: broccoli, snow peas, zucchini, any color bell pepper, any mushroom, water chestnuts, green onions
*Add 1/2 cup cashew halves

Free Entree at Panda Express

Buy a 2 entree plate and get a single serving entree item of your choice for free when you present this coupon. Thanks, Money Saving Mom!

Free Pastry at Starbucks on 7/21

If you bring this coupon to Starbucks next Tuesday (7/21) before 10:30am, you will get a free pastry with the purchase of any beverage. Thanks, Tara!

BOGO Movie Ticket

When you buy a movie ticket on Fandango using your Visa card, you will get another movie ticket for free! Only one free ticket per Visa card per month. Offer valid until September 30th, 2009. Thanks, Coupon Cravings!

Kroger Mega Sale 7/16

I got $74.42 worth of groceries for $8.80. That's 88.2% in savings! (I also used a $1 catalina from buying a Digiorno pizza last week. So with the amounts below, it would have been $9.80.)

This week at Kroger, if you buy 10 of any of the selected items in this week's ad you get $5 taken off. The prices below are after the $5 off. (I just took $0.50 off each item) I bought 30 items, so I got $15 off, $0.50 off each item. There are a lot of other deals this week. Go here, here, here, here, or here to find more.

Below is what I did. Kroger triples coupons up to $0.39 and doubles coupons up to $0.50.

FiberOne Yogurt 4 pk $1.99
-$1 off Fiber One Yogurt SS 7/12 or printable
-$1 off Fiber One Cellfire e coupon
=FREE

Daisy Sour Cream 16 oz $1.49 ea
-$0.50/1 off Daisy Sour Cream RP 5/31
=$0.49

Smart Balance Spread or Butter Blend 12-16 oz $1.49 ea
-$1 off Smart Balance Butter Blend printable (print 2 per computer)
=$0.49 each

Philadelphia Cream Cheese 8 oz $0.99

Kraft Salad Dressing $1.19 ea
-$1 off Kraft Dressing SS 6/21
=$0.19 each

Chex Mix Snacks 7-8.75 oz $1.49 ea
-$0.50/1 off Chex Mix here or here
-$0.50/1 off Chex Mix ShortCuts eCoupon
=FREE to +$0.49 each

Temptations Cat Treats .99 ea
-$0.50 off Temptations Treats RP 6/07
=FREE

Rolaids 30ct $1.09 ea
-$1 off Rolaids RP 6/07
= $0.09 each

Speed Stick Deodorant 2.3-3.25 oz Deodorant, 3 bar Soap $1 ea
-$1 off printable
=FREE

Bounty Single Roll $1 ea
-$0.25 off Bounty RP 6/07
-$0.25 off P&G e saver
=1 FREE and the rest $0.25 each

Quaker Quakes $0.49 ea

Kleenex Facial Tissue $0.99 ea
-$0.50 off on 3 printable or SS 7/12
=$1.97/3 or $0.66 each

$1.49 Playtex Handsaver Gloves
-$1 off in SS 5/3 or 6/28
=$0.49 each

Tostitos $1.99

Starbucks Ice cream, pint, $3.39
-Free starbucks ice cream on Facebook
=FREE

Softsoap $1
-$1 off printable or $0.40 printable
=FREE to $0.20 each

I passed!

It's official. I passed the PTCB exam! No more studying! You have no idea how glad I am that this is over. Ok, some of you do. But anyway, it's over! It wasn't nearly as bad as I had heard. Then again, I read a textbook like 3-4 times. Ok, so I tend to over-study, but no more! By the way, if you live in College Station, you should definitely get your prescriptions filled at [insert future job location]. I'm hoping either Kroger or Target, but we'll see. I'm going to apply everywhere and hopefully be a workin' woman come the end of August!

All this studying ended right in time for Kroger's mega sale! Tomorrow I'm going to go here, here, here, and here to make up my coupon plan, go to Kroger, and then actually have time to post what I did! Oh, couponing, how I have missed you. And cooking. I've missed enjoying cooking and planning out meals. I don't know how I used to not have a problem with going to the grocery store every day. It's not fun. Anyway, I'm about to fall asleep at the computer. I didn't realize how exhausted I was until I was driving home. Goodnight!

$1.50 off Blue Bell Ice Cream

Go here to get a $1.50 off your next Blue Bell ice cream purchase! I've never seen one for $1.50 before. Thanks, Common Sense with Money! Make sure y'all print 2. :o)

Super Target 7/6

Thanks to Money Saving Mom, I got all of these products for $1.73! Go here to see all of the other deals she found.

2 Kashi Cereals, $2.66 each
Use 2 $1.50/1 printable coupons here, here, or here
Use 1 $0.50/1 Target printable coupon
Use 1 B1G1 Target printable coupon
Free plus possible overage after coupons

Kashi Waffles, $1.99
Use $0.25/1 Target printable coupon
Use $1.50/1 Kashi waffle coupon here or here
$0.24 for Kashi waffles

Kashi Soft Baked Cereal Bars (6 count), $2.50
Buy 2 and use $1/2 Target printable coupon
Stack with 2 $1.50/1 Kashi Cereal Bars or 2 $1.50/1 Kashi Cereal or TLC Bars (IE or FF)
$0.50 each after coupons

Eggo Bakeshop products, $1.50
Use $1/1 coupons here, here, here and here (or here)
$0.50 each after coupon

Degree for Women Fine Fragrances Deodorant and Body Mist, $3.29
Buy 1 Degree Fine Fragrance deodorant
Buy 1 Degree Fine Fragrance body mist
Use 1 $1.25/1 Degree coupon from the 5/17 RedPlum insert
Use B1G1 coupon from the 6/28 RedPlum insert
Plus, use 2 $2/1 Target printable coupons here
Free plus possible overage after coupons

Hormel Pepperoni, $2.99 (I had to get a bigger item, so I wouldn't ring up negative at the cash register. I needed pepperonis anyway!)
Use $0.55/1 Hormel Pepperoni coupon
$2.44 after coupon

CVS 7/5

What deals I did:

Buy 3 Post Trail Mix Crunch cereals (on sale 3 for $10), Get a $5 ECB (Limit 1)
Used 3 $2/1 Post Trail Mix Crunch coupons
Got 3 boxes of cereal free plus $1 overage after coupons and ECBs

Buy 1 Caliber or CVS Transparent or Invisible Tape at $1.49, Get $1.49 ECBs (Limit 3)
Got 3 free after ECBs

Buy 1 Caliber or CVS Pencils (20-pack) or Double Blade Pencil Sharpener at $0.99, Get $0.99 ECBs (Limit 3)
Got 3 free after ECBs

Buy 1 CVS Pantiliners (22-count) at $0.89, Get $0.89 ECBs (Limit 1)
Free after ECBs

Buy $10 Worth of select Febreze products, Get $5 ECBs (Limit 5)
Got 2 Noticeables Starter Kit, $6.50
Used 2 Febreze Noticeables Start Kits $4/1 coupons from the 7/5 P&G insert
2 free after coupons and ECBs

Buy $10 Worth of select Febreze products, Get $5 ECBs (Limit 5)
Air Effects, $3 and Fabric Refresher, $5
Got 2 Air Effects and 1 Fabric Refresher
Used $.50 off Febreze Air Effects coupon from Home Made Simple booklet
Used free Air Effects wyb Fabric Refresher coupon from 7/5 P&G
$2.50 after coupons and ECBs
*I just realized that I messed up - since I did all of the Febreze in one transaction, I didn't need to buy two air effects. One would have been enough to make $20 and get $10 ecb back - and would have been a $0.50 moneymaker. Oops!

Buy 2 Dawn Dish Soaps at $1 each, Get $1 ECBs (Limit 1)
Used 2 $0.25/1 coupons from the 6/7 or 7/5 P&G inserts
$0.25 each after coupons and ECBs

I through away my receipt, so this won't include tax:
Before coupons: $44.33
After coupons: $26.33
I paid with $21.99 ECBs, and $4.34 on a CVS giftcard.
Got back: $24.43 in ECBs. So, all of this for $1.90 on a giftcard I got for free! :o)

Chicken Almond Stir Fry

Chicken Almond Stir Fry
Southern Living's Easy Weeknight Favorites
4 servings

Ingredients
2 tablespoons vegetable or sesame oil
4 skinned and boned chicken breast halves, cut into thin strips (I use 2 large breasts)
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

Directions
-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 (or until you feel the chicken is cooked through). 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.