Coupon Crafty

God is Able

2011-07-30T14:29:00.005-05:00

One of my favorite worship bands, Hillsong Live, released another CD this past Tuesday - God is Able, and I have been listening to it non-stop since I downloaded it. I am so thankful for their ministry! Below are some of my favorite songs from the CD.

Chicken Enchiladas

2011-07-30T14:04:00.006-05:00

Okay, so we like our Mexican/Tex Mex food. I wanted to find a recipe for enchilada sauce that was not tomato based - as that is not what they use in restaurants. What do you know - they had one in my new favorite cookbook collection! I think we are set on enchilada recipes now. The search is over!

Chicken Enchiladas

Canyon Ranch Cooks

Makes four, 2 enchilada servings

Ingredients

For the enchilada sauce:

3 Tbsp all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp chili powder

1/2 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp ground oregano

Pinch dried thyme

Pinch black pepper

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

3 1/2 cups vegetable (or reduced sodium chicken broth)

1 Tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped

1 tsp honey

1 tsp fresh lime juice

1 tsp salt (optional - I think this makes it too salty)

For the enchiladas:

1/2 cup onion, minced

12 oz cooked chicken breast, diced

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp chili powder

1 cup vegetable (or reduced sodium chicken broth)

8 corn tortillas

4 oz low-fat cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions

1. In a large saute pan, combine flour with dry herbs and spices and cook over medium heat until golden brown. Add remaining ingredients for sauce and whisk to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent scorching.

2. Lightly coat a medium saute pan with canola oil and saute onion, chicken, oregano and chili powder until chicken is lightly browned. Add 1 cup stock and simmer until liquid has evaporated.

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

4. Soak a tortilla briefly in warm water, lay on a flat work surface and spoon 3 Tbsp chicken filling inside one edge. Roll tightly and place into an 8"x8" baking pan. Repeat. Ladle sauce on top and sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Bake for 14 minutes or until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbly.

Each 2 enchilada serving contains:

- 430 calories

- 55 g carbs

- 9 g fat

- 76 mg cholesterol

- 35 g protein

- 482 mg sodium (or less if remove salt)

- 6 g fiber

Chicken Pot Pies

2011-06-18T11:07:00.006-05:00

I try not to cook with butter... but I do, I use about 1-2 Tbsp. This recipe uses 7 (!). I'll work on cutting the fat our later. For those of you whole don't mind it every once in a while, this is an easier version of chicken pot pie. It makes six, 8-oz ramekin pies instead of one 9" pie.

Chicken Pot Pies

Canyon Ranch Nourish

Ingredients

For the crust
1 1/3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp evaporated cane juice (or sugar)
4 Tbsp (1/2 stick) chilled unsalted butter, diced
4 to 6 Tbsp ice water

Filling
3 Tbsp unsalted butter
Four 4-oz boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, diced
2 cups yellow onions, diced
1 cup carrots, diced
1 cup celery, diced
1 Tbsp garlic, minced
1/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
4 1/4 cup chicken stock
1/4 tsp dried crushed thyme
2 tsp chopped fresh sage (or 2/3 tsp dried sage)
3 Tbsp cornstarch
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley (or 2 tsp dried parsley)
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

2. For the crust, place the flour in a medium bowl. Add the salt and cane juice (sugar) and mix well. Cut the butter into the flour, using a pastry cutter, until the butter is the size of small peas. Add the water, 1 Tbsp at a time, mixing gently after each addition. The dough will begin to form a ball when enough water has been added. Gather the dough with dry hands and form into a ball. Let rest for 5 minutes.

3. Divide the dough into 6 pieces. On a lightly floured surface, roll out each piece into a circle large enough to fit the top of an 8-oz ramekin.

4. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Brown the chicken on all sides. Add onions, carrots, celery, and garlic. Saute until the onions are translucent. Sprinkle the flour over the chicken and vegetables and cook for 5 to 7 minutes.

5. Whisk 4 cups of the chicken stock, the thyme, and sage into the chicken mixture. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes.

6. Combine the cornstarch and the remaining 1/4 cup of the chicken stock in a small bowl. Mix well. Slowly whisk the paste into the chicken and vegetable mixture and cook over medium heath until thickened. Stir continuously to avoid burning.

7. Add the salt, pepper, Worcestershire, parsley, and lemon juice and remove from the heat.

8. Place 1 cup chicken mixture in each of six individual 8-oz ramekins and top each with a dough circle. Place the ramekins on a baking sheet. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the crusts are golden brown.

Each serving contains

- 400 calories

- 40 g carbs

- 15 g fat

- 86 mg cholesterol

- 24 g protein

- 734 mg sodium

- 3 g fiber

Crispy Roasted Garbanzo Beans

2011-06-18T10:54:00.005-05:00

I recently purchased two cookbooks off Amazon: Canyon Ranch Cooks and Canyon Ranch Nourish. I love them. They have hundreds of delicious, nutritious dishes. Usually when I buy a cookbook, I only really like two or three of the recipes, but I am just about liking every one I make from these books.

I made this snack when my mom and grandma were up in College Station last weekend. I'm excited to make these and other spice variations in the future! These are surprisingly spicy, so if you don't do spicy, I'd omit the cayenne pepper.

Crispy Roasted Garbanzo Beans

Canyon Ranch Nourish: indulgently healthy cuisine

Makes six 3/4 cup servings

Ingredients

1 Tbsp evoo

1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan

2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 Tbsp onion powder

1/4 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp cayenne

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Two, 15-oz cans garbanzo beans (chickpeas)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly spray a baking sheet with canola oil spray.

2. Combine the olive oil, parmesan, garlic powder, salt, onion powder, basil, oregano, cayenne, and pepper in a large bowl.

3. Rinse and drain the garbanzo beans well and pat dry. Add the beans to parmesan mixture and toss together until well coated.

4. Spread the beans evenly on a baking sheet and roast for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes, or until golden brown and crunchy. (I baked them for 1 hour; however, a lot of recipes on the internet say 30 minutes is enough. I guess if you don't want them super crispy, shorten the cooking time.)

Each serving contains

170 calories

20 g carbohydrate

7 g fat

8 mg cholesterol

10 g protein

313 mg sodium

3 g fiber

Cheeseburger Macaroni

2011-04-10T17:54:00.007-05:00

This is like homemade hamburger helper, but it tastes way better... and it is just as good for leftovers!

Cheeseburger Macaroni

Kevin and Amanda

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 lb lean hamburger meat
1 pkg taco seasoning
1 can Rotel tomatoes and green chilies
2 cups beef broth (or water)
1 cup elbow macaroni

Cheese sauce:

2 Tablespoons butter
2 tbsp flour
3/4 cup milk
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Directions

Brown and drain hamburger meat. Stir in taco seasoning, Rotel, beef broth, and macaroni. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat and cover pan. Simmer 12-14 mins until macaroni is tender.

Meanwhile, make the cheese sauce…Melt the butter in a saucepan. Whisk in the flour and cook, whisking for 5 minutes until fragrant and light brown in color. Whisk in the milk and bring to a boil. Whisk until smooth and thickened. Remove from heat and stir in the shredded cheddar cheese until melted. Add the salt and pepper to the cheese sauce. Pour the cheese sauce over the hamburger mixture. Stir gently to combine.

Chicken & Veggie Nuggets

2011-03-26T20:01:00.003-05:00

I don't know anything about the website I got this recipe from, but I'm assuming there are veggies in these nuggets to hide them from their children. It is genius. They would have fooled me! (Other than the fact that you can kind of see orange and green through the panko bread crumbs.) These chicken nuggets are so good, simple, and cheap (if the ground chicken is on sale). The ground chicken was $4.99/lb at Kroger last week. I'm not sure if that is normal, but it sounds really high to me.

Chicken & Veggie Nuggets

Cheeky Kitchen

Ingredients

1 (12 to 14-oz) package California veggies, thawed

1 egg

1/2 lb ground chicken

1 tsp onion salt (or other seasoning)

2 cups panko bread crumbs

salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

Put the veggies and egg in a blender or food processor. Blend until pureed. Pour puree into a large bowl. Add the ground chicken and onion salt. Mix together with a fork until well mixed. On a large cutting board, spread a thin layer of the panko bread crumbs, and salt and pepper them lightly. Spread the chicken mixture on top of the crumb mixture until it's about 1/2" thick. Lightly salt and pepper the chicken mixture, and sprinkle the last cup of panko on top. Use a cookie cutter to cut the chicken into shapes.**

Transfer to a greased cookie sheet. Bake in an oven preheated to 400 degrees for 14-16 minutes, or just until the chicken is cooked through. Serve with ranch dressing or barbecue sauce.

**It got kind of messy doing this on a cutting board. Panko kept falling off the counter (and kind of grossed me out since it touched the raw meat). I think it would be easier to do it either in a 9 x 13" pan (using a circle or a not-so-detailed cookie cutter), or to form small balls in your hand and roll them in the panko. Then flatten them to 1/2" with your hand or a spatula. This is the method I am going to try next time.

Spicy Jambalaya

2011-03-26T19:46:00.005-05:00

I found this delicious recipe on a friend of mine's website - Fitness Food and Faith. (Awesome blog by the way.) I think I am making three of her recipes this week, and I have a feeling they will all be great! :o) This meal takes about an hour and a half to prepare, but is very hands-off. My favorite kind after a long week of work!

Spicy Jambalaya

Sam Walton

Ingredients

12 oz andouille sausage

1 Tbsp oil

1 1/2 Tbsp flour

1 large onion, diced

1 Tbsp fresh parsley, minced

1 stalk celery, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

3/4 cup long grain brown rice

1 1/2 cup water

1, 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Directions

Heat oil in a dutch oven over medium high heat. Brown sausage and then remove and set aside. Add flour to the oil and make a dark roux by cooking the flour over medium high heat until golden in color, stirring continuously. Add the chopped onions, celery and parsley to the roux and toss well to coat. Cook for about six minutes or until the onions are soft. Add the garlic and cook for thirty seconds more. Add the browned sausage, water, tomatoes, rice, salt, pepper and cayenne. Stir well and bring up to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for one hour. Before serving fluff with a fork.

French Onion Soup

2011-03-26T19:22:00.004-05:00

Yummy french onion soup without butter. Yes. I've made this a few times now, and we really like it. It is time consuming, so I only make it on Saturdays. (I think it takes about an hour and a half.) If you have the time, I recommend it!

French Onion Soup

Adapted from Simply Recipes

Ingredients

5 large yellow onions, peeled and thinly sliced

olive oil

1 tsp sugar

3 cloves garlic, minced

4 cups beef broth

4 cups chicken broth

1 beef bouillon (I use 1 tsp Better than Bouillon beef base)

1/2 cup dry white wine (I use chardonnay)

1 bay leaf

1/4 tsp ground thyme

Worcestershire sauce

salt and pepper

French baguette (slice and toast before placed on soup)

Gruyere/Swiss cheese (I'm cheap and buy the presliced Kroger swiss)

Directions

In a large saucepan, saute the onions in olive oil on medium high heat until well browned, but not burned, about 30 to 40 minutes (or longer). Add the sugar about 10 minutes into the process to help with the carmelization.

Add garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add stock, wine, a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce, bay leaf, and thyme. Cover partially and simmer for 30 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Discard bay leaf.

We use ramekins, but if you have oven proof soup bowls, it would probably be easier (and you won't have to keep going back for more). Ladle the soup into the bowls. Cover with toast and a slice of cheese (or a ripped up part of one if using a ramekin). Put into the oven/toaster oven and broil until cheese bubbles and is slightly browned. Serve immediately.

Texas Caviar

2011-03-02T20:40:00.004-06:00

I got this recipe from my mother-in-law. It is always a big hit at get-togethers or pot lucks. I made it last night for a going-away pot luck today at work... and it's all gone. And it's healthy! (minus the bag of chips you will eat while scarfing it down...)

Texas Caviar

Ingredients

1, 16 oz jar of medium Pace picante sauce
2, 16 oz cans black eyes peas, drained and rinsed**
1, 16 oz can white hominy, drained and rinsed
1 cup diced green bell pepper
1 cup diced white onion
1, 16 oz can diced tomatoes or 1 cup diced fresh tomato
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup diced seeded jalapenos (about 2)
1 cup chopped green onion (green and white parts)
1 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp salt
1 Tbsp coarsely chopped black pepper
2 Tbsp ground cumin

Directions
Mix and refrigerate overnight.

**The picture above is how I made it last night - with 1 can of corn and 1 can of black beans to replace the 2 cans of black eyed peas... I tweaked the recipe only because one of my coworkers asked me to try it this way this time. It is great either way!

Turkey Tetrazzini

2011-02-26T20:05:00.007-06:00

Every year after Thanksgiving my mom made us turkey tetrazzini with the leftover turkey. I am definitely going to keep that tradition. It's so good and leftover turkey and gravy gets old really fast. You pretty much make your own cream of mushroom (or in my case, mushroom/celery/onion) with this recipe, but it is very easy to make. I think it took about an hour from start to finish.

Turkey Tetrazzini

Adapted from Simply Recipes

Ingredients

12 oz package of pasta

12 oz sliced mushrooms (4 to 5 cups)**

4 Tbsp (1/4 cup) butter

1/4 cup flour

1 3/4 cups 1% milk

2 cups chicken broth

1/3 cup dry white wine or dry sherry

3 cups chopped cooked turkey

1 cup peas (optional)

1 cup grated parmesan (not the fake, powdery stuff)

2 Tbsp lemon juice

Salt and pepper

Ground nutmeg (optional)

1/3 cup bread crumbs (or panko)

**I didn't have 12 oz mushrooms, so I did about 1 1/2 cup mushrooms, 1 1/2 cup chopped celery, and 1 1/2 cup chopped onions, and it turned out great!

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Boil water for the pasta.

2. Cook the mushrooms (or mushroom mixture) in olive oil over medium heat, stirring until all of the liquid the mushrooms give off has evaporated, 5-10 minutes. Set aside.

3. In a large, heavy saucepan, melt 1/4 cup of butter (Note: light butter does not work). Stir in the flour, and cook the mixture over low heat, stirring, for three minutes.

4. Cook pasta according to package instructions minus a couple minutes, so it still has a "bite". (You will be baking it for 30+ minutes later.) While the pasta is cooking, continue on with the recipe.

5. Into the saucepan with the butter and flour, slowly whisk in the milk, broth, and wine. Bring to a simmer and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, for about 5 to 8 minutes.

6. When the pasta is ready, drain it. In a large bowl, combine the pasta, the sauce, the mushrooms, the turkey, and the peas (optional). Stir in 2/3 cup parmesan cheese and lemon juice. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add a pinch of ground nutmeg if using, again to taste. Transfer the mixture to a greased 3 quart casserole dish.

7. In a small bowl, combine well the remaining 1/3 cup parmesan and bread crumbs. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the tetrazzini.

8. Bake the tetrazzini in the middle rack of the oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until it is bubbling and the top is golden.

Chili-Lime Fish Fry with Tex-Mex Peperonata

2011-02-26T19:44:00.004-06:00

We are big tilapia fans over here. I have four or five recipes I switch between, and I usually make one a week. I got this recipe from a cookbook my mother-in-law bought me for Christmas. There are so many recipes in here I want to try. I'm making another two this week: Spinach and Artichoke Mac n' Cheese and Pork Tenderloin Medallions with Marsala Sauce and Pasta (which if I continue to make this, I will shorten to Pork Tenderloin Marsala). Some of her recipe names are crazy long. Anyway, here is another one of our favorites. (This may not be something you want to make now since bell peppers are really expensive right now.)

Chili-Lime Fish Fry with Tex-Mex Peperonata

Rachael Ray's Look + Cook

Ingredients

Peperonata

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 red onion, thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, finely minced

2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and thinly sliced

1 red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced

1 green bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced

salt and pepper

2 Tbsp tomato paste

1 cup beer or chicken stock

A handful of fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

Chili-Lime Fish Fry

4 Tilapia fillets (I sometimes use basa if I have it)

salt and pepper

1/2 cup all purpose flour

2 eggs

1/2 cup bread crumbs

2 limes

2 Tbsp chili powder

2 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp onion powder

2 tsp dried thyme

1/4 cup oil

Directions

To prepare the peperonata, heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions, garlic, jalapeño, bell peppers, and salt and pepper. Saute until the peppers are crisp-tender, 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, cook for 2 minutes, then add the beer or stock and stir for a minute or two more. Top with cilantro and set aside.

Season the fish with salt and pepper. Arrange 3 shallow dishes; place the flour in one, beat the eggs in the second, and scatter the bread crumbs in the third. Season the bread crumbs with 1 Tbsp grated lime zest, the chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, and thyme. Coat the fish in the flour, eggs, and seasoned bread crumbs.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat. If the pan is not large enough to fry 4 fillets, heat the oven to 275 degrees and place a cooling rack on a rimmed baking sheet. As you fry the fish, transfer it to the rack in the hot oven to keep warm. Cook the fish for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, or until deeply golden and crispy. Season with a little extra salt and top the fish with lime juice. Serve with peperonata.

Pecan Crusted Tilapia with Honey Glaze

2011-02-26T19:28:00.004-06:00

This is some yummy tilapia. I think Jaden Hair has been on TV quite a bit these days, but I'm not sure where since we don't have cable. Her and PDub are getting so famous, it's ridiculous. I found this recipe from her website. I've made a few of her other recipes, and they are all winners. I love how her Asian food is fast and easy to make while still tasting like you got it from an Asian restaurant. I always serve this tilapia with these noodles.

Pecan Crusted Tilapia with Honey Glaze

Jaden Hair

Ingredients

4 tilapia fillets, cut in half lengthwise (basa works well also)

3 Tbsp honey

1 cup Panko breadcrumbs

1/2 cup crushed pecans (done easiest in a food processor)

salt

pepper

2 eggs, beaten

3 Tbsp olive oil (for frying)

Honey glaze: 3 Tbsp honey mixed with 2 Tbsp hot water

Directions

Wash tilapia and pat dry. Using a brush, brush both sides of the fillet with honey. Generously salt and pepper both sides of the fillet.

Combine the Panko and crushed pecans. Lay out your ingredients in this order: Tilapia, egg mixture, panko/pecan mixture. Dip the fish in the egg, coat with panko/pecan on both sides, set aside. Repeat with all fillets.

Heat a large fry pan over medium heat. Add olive oil. When the oil is hot, turn the heat down to low (I do medium low). Add the fillets to the pan, makingsure the fillets don't touch each other. You may have to do this in separate batches. Fry on low for 2 minutes or until the underside is golden brown. Turn. Fry another 2 minutes or until the fish is cooked through. Pour the honey glaze over the fish. Note: If you don't fry on lower heat, the panko/pecan coating will burn before the fish is cooked through.

**I have always cooked the fish in a pan, but I think I might try cooking them in the oven next time. I'm assuming it will taste just as good.

Chicken Spaghetti

2011-02-13T18:47:00.006-06:00

Yay for quick, yummy, weeknight casserole dishes. This is one of the first recipes Ree put on her website, but I never made it until recently. Of course, it's really good. This is also another good meal for leftovers.

Chicken Spaghetti
Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients
2 cups chicken, cooked and shredded
3 cups dry spaghetti, broken into two inch pieces
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
3 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese, divided
1/4 cup finely diced green bell pepper
1/4 cup finely diced onion
4 oz jar diced pimentos, drained
2 cups chicken broth
1 tsp seasoned salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (or less, if heat-sensitive)
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions
Boil the spaghetti for several minutes, until very al dente (or, until it still has a nice "bite" to it.) You do NOT want to overcook the spaghetti, as you’ll be baking the dish again later. Combine cooked spaghetti with remaining ingredients except additional 1 cup sharp cheddar.

Place mixture in greased casserole pan and top with remaining sharp cheddar. Cover and freeze up to six months, cover and refrigerate up to two days, or bake immediately: 350 degrees for 45 minutes until bubbly. (If the cheese on top starts to get too cooked, cover with foil).

Broccoli and Cheese Stuffed Chicken

2011-02-13T18:36:00.002-06:00

Delicious. Here is the link to Gina's Broccoli and Cheese Stuffed Chicken. Her pictures are helpful for this recipe. I've made it many many times, and it is so good. They taste just as good for leftovers which is a big plus. I usually serve these with quinoa with sundried tomatoes.

It can be really frustrating cutting the chicken into cutlets. There must be some trick out there that I haven't come across yet because I'm not so great at it. Sometimes mine turn out okay, but most of the time they are horribly uneven and come out funky-looking. Luckily, as long as you use many toothpicks, it doesn't matter if the chicken fully covers the cheese/broccoli. It will taste the same!

Bread Machine Cinnamon Rolls

2011-02-13T18:19:00.012-06:00

After many attempts at making homemade cinnamon rolls, I have found a winner. Ree's (The Pioneer Woman's) were good, but the recipe makes around 50 cinnamon rolls, and there is no way I will ever need that many. Also, she uses 4+ sticks of butter, and even though that makes a whole lot of rolls, I don't think I can ever use that much butter in one recipe again. It kills me.

Money Saving Mom's cinnamon roll recipe will now be my go-to cinnamon roll recipe. It is so simple since you use a bread machine. All you have to do afterward is roll out the dough, spread/sprinkle on the filling, roll it up, cut it up, and bake it! Enjoy. :o)

Bread Machine Cinnamon Rolls

Adapted from Money Saving Mom

Ingredients

Dough:
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons warm milk
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 egg, lightly beaten, plus 2 egg whites
1/2 cup sugar
4 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons bread machine yeast

Filling:
4 tablespoons butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon

Icing:
2 tablespoons milk
1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
4 tablespoons butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

Put the dough ingredients in the bread machine in the order listed and run on the dough cycle. After the dough cycle is finished, roll the dough into a large rectangle and spread it with 4 Tablespoons softened butter and 1 cup brown sugar mixed with 1 Tablespoon cinnamon.

Roll up and cut into 15-25 rolls (depending on how big you want them) and place in two to three greased round cake pans. Bake at 325 degrees for 20 minutes or until browned. Spread the icing on as soon as they come out of the oven.

You can also cover the unbaked rolls with plastic wrap, stick them in the refrigerator overnight, and then bake in the morning.

How to Open a Pomegranate

2010-11-14T15:27:00.003-06:00

Pomegranates have been on sale for $1 for a couple weeks now at Kroger. I love them, but they take FOREVER to open. They also stain everything (including the quilt I made last year). I found this video on youtube, and we were eating pomegranate seeds within 5 minutes! I thought I did a pretty good job not squirting juice everywhere until I went over to Brett with a bowl of seeds. He smiled really big and told me to look in the mirror... I had maroon dots ALL over my face (including my eye lids and glasses)! I didn't even think to take a picture until after I wiped them all off. Yay for kitchen tips!

Hasselback Potatoes

2010-10-23T09:58:00.006-05:00

I found these interesting potatoes on foodgawker. (This picture with recipe is from How To: Simplify.) We really liked them. All of the recipes for them are pretty much the same and very easy. My favorite addition is to make very thin slices of garlic and press them in every two to three slits. Next time you are planning on making potatoes and don't want to add extra calories with cheese/sour cream, you should try hasselback potatoes!

Brown Sugar and Balsamic Glazed Pork Loin

2010-10-10T19:26:00.003-05:00

I've been looking for a good pork loin recipe since it's something different than chicken and you can get it pretty cheap at the grocery store every once in a while. I made it tonight for dinner, and it was really nice for a change to be able to relax and not be in the kitchen than long. The sauce is sweet, but Brett approves, so it must go well with the pork! If you don't have ground sage, I wouldn't go buy it just for this. (At least I don't think it would make that much difference.) The sauce is what makes the pork.

Brown Sugar and Balsamic Glazed Pork Loin
Let's Dish

Ingredients
1 (2 lb) boneless pork loin
1 tsp ground sage
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 cup water

Glaze
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup water
2 Tbsp soy sauce

Directions
Combine sage, salt, pepper and garlic. Rub over roast. Place in slow cooker with 1/2 cup water. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. About 1 hour before roast is done, combine ingredients for glaze in small sauce pan. Heat and stir until mixture thickens. Brush roast with glaze 2 or 3 times during the last hour of cooking. Serve with remaining glaze on the side or drizzle glaze over the shredded pork.

Potstickers

2010-10-02T17:29:00.008-05:00

Yum. I was scared this was going to take all night, but it only took a little less than 2 hours from start to finish. (Ok, two hours is kind of a long time, but it's a hobby for me, so it's fun!) I adapted a recipe from Jaden Hair (Steamy Kitchen), and I still can't figure out how she doesn't end up with a ton of filling left over after making a package of dumplings... I'm going to say you need to half the recipe for one frozen dumpling pack. That, or you can use the full filling recipe and two dumpling packs, freezing a lot for later.

**Note: We don't usually eat really fatty foods, so unfortunately, these potstickers did not agree with my stomach. If I make them again, I am going to try ground turkey instead. (Not only is pork fatty, you don't drain the grease off since it cooks in the dumpling skin.) I had fun making them, though. :o)

Pan Fried Pork Potstickers

Ingredients
2 packages of frozen dumpling skins, defrosted overnight in refrigerator or 40 minutes room temp (do not microwave or set in water)

Filling
3 stalks green onions, cut into 2 inch sections
1/2 cup canned bamboo shoots
5 shiitake mushrooms, stems removed
1 lb ground pork (or ground turkey)
3 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp kosher salt (or 1 tsp regular salt)
2 Tbsp cornstarch
2 tsp freshly grated ginger
For the slurry: 1 Tbsp cornstarch mixed with 1/4 cup water
2 Tbsp cooking oil

Dipping Sauce
1 tsp garlic chili sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp rice wine vinegar

Directions
In a food processor, add the green onions, bamboo shoots, and shiitake mushrooms. Pulse several times until all of the ingredients are finely chopped. (You may need to use a spoon to wipe unchopped ingredients off the sides and back into the middle to ensure even cutting) In a large bowl, combine this mixture with the ground pork, soy sauce, sesame oil, salt, cornstarch, and ginger. Mix well.

Spoon 2 teaspoons of the filling onto dumpling skin. Brush a bit of the cornstarch slurry all around the edge of the dumpling skin. Fold over and press to secure edges. Make sure edges are sealed tightly. Shape the dumpling so that it has a flat bottom. Cover loosely with plastic wrap so that it doesn’t dry out. Go here to see a picture demonstration on how to do this.

When you are ready to cook, heat a large nonstick pan with 1 tablespoon of cooking oil over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot but not smoking, add half of the dumplings, flat side down, not touching, to the pan. Let fry for 1-2 minutes until the bottoms are light golden brown. Pour 1/4 cup of water into the pan and immediately cover with a tight fitting lid. Turn heat to medium and let the dumplings steam for 3 minutes. Open lid and let the remaining liquid cook off about 1-2 minutes. Cut into a dumpling to make sure that the filling is cooked through. Remove to plate, wipe the pan clean with paper towels (or wash) and repeat with remaining dumplings. Serve with dipping sauce.

French Baguettes

2010-09-26T19:26:00.005-05:00

Thank goodness the doctor told me I could eat gluten again. It was incredibly difficult. (After about 3 days your body feels like it's entering starvation mode.) You can only eat so much fruit and nuts... He thinks I have IBS. I don't know if I completely agree, but I do know that I have had gluten for a few days now and feel fine. I am almost positive one of my issues is lactose intolerance. I'm just going to back off for a while and slowly try to add it back into my diet in a couple months.

I found this recipe on Tasty Kitchen. I will use them tomorrow to make homemade croutons in our caesar salads. I don't think I'll ever buy baguettes again! They even taste better than the ones fresh from the store. They do take a few hours to make, but they are very hands off. Enjoy!

French Baguettes
Tasty Kitchen member ThoroughlyModernHousewife

Ingredients
1 cup warm water
2 ½ cups bread flour
1 Tablespoon white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 ½ teaspoon active dry yeast
1 whole egg yolk
1 Tablespoon water

Directions
1. Place 1 cup water, bread flour, sugar, salt and yeast into bread machine pan in the order recommended by manufacturer. Select Dough Cycle, and press start.

2. When the cycle has completed, place dough in a greased bowl, turning to coat all sides. Cover, and let rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes, or until doubled in bulk. Dough is ready if indentation remains when touched.

3. Punch down dough. On a lightly floured surface, roll into a 16×12 inch rectangle. Cut dough in half, creating two 8×12 inch rectangles. Roll up each half of dough tightly, beginning at 12 inch side, pounding out any air bubbles as you go. Roll gently back and forth to taper end (into a baguette shape). Place 3 inches apart on a greased cookie sheet. Make deep diagonal slashes across loaves every 2 inches, or make one lengthwise slash on each loaf. Cover, and let rise in a warm place for 30 to 40 minutes, or until doubled in bulk.

4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Mix egg yolk with 1 tablespoon water; brush over tops of loaves.

5. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown.

Week 1 Gluten/Dairy Free

2010-09-18T19:53:00.012-05:00

I thought I was getting better last week since I was able to drink a glass of milk with 2 lactase pills. I still had a stomach ache and other symptoms when I ate other food containing gluten, but I thought I might have been getting over this lactose intolerance and maybe picking up gluten intolerance.

Right when I thought I was getting better, I made some bad decisions and made it worse. It was Ted's birthday this week, and Lori brought a huge box of Shipley's glazed donuts to work. I hadn't eaten anything close to a donut in a while, and I just had to have one... and then another... and then another. I don't know if it was the dairy or gluten, but bad idea. Then, I don't know why I thought I could handle this, but we had Pillsbury cinnamon rolls for breakfast. I felt extremely nauseous within 15 minutes of eating them. It was bad enough for me to give in and try a week free of dairy and gluten.

I think everything I am making this week is both dairy and gluten free, but it is extremely hard for me to be 100% gluten free. (Many of those strange ingredients that you see on the food label are masked gluten, and I don't have any of those memorized - except modified food starch.)

I am planning on making smoothies (without oats, and maybe add 2 tsp ground flaxseed) for breakfast. I also bought gluten/dairy free waffles and Chex cereal (dairy/gluten free).

For lunch, I will eat leftovers from the dinners I cook. I also bought some Amy's freezer meals (dairy/gluten free) with a giftcard that my mom gave me. If we don't have enough leftovers, I will take those instead of eating a peanut butter and honey sandwich.

This week for dinner:

Saturday: Orange Chicken with brown rice

Sunday: Stir fry with fresh vegetables over rice. (I'm making up my own recipe. Once I am done tweaking, I'll post it.)

Monday: Tortilla soup (Most broth is not gluten free, but I know that Swanson's 99% fat free is.)

Tuesday: Exotic Chicken Salad Sandwiches (For some reason, I forgot that bread was out of the picture. I'll either eat it alone or buy some gluten/dairy free bread.) - If you are avoiding gluten, the regular Kraft mayo is gluten free. All of the other kinds (light, olive oil, flavored) contain gluten.

Wednesday: Tilapia and wehani rice salad

Thursday: Chicken tikka masala and Indian basmati rice (If you are going dairy free, use soy yogurt instead of regular.)

Friday: Pork chops and mashed potatoes (using dairy/gluten free butter) - and silly me just realized to make pork chops, you use flour. I guess I will either use cornstarch or nothing - just season them.

Hopefully I will see an improvement over the next week!

Orange Chicken

2010-09-18T19:31:00.010-05:00

Another yummy gluten and dairy free meal. If you are trying to avoid gluten, do not use Kikkoman soy sauce. It is made from wheat. La Choy brand is made from soy. You can also use gluten free tamari. I have adapted the following recipe from this website. Brett likes a lot of sauce to mix in with the rice, so I only use 2 chicken breasts. If you don't want it really saucy, use three or four chicken breasts.

Orange Chicken

Ingredients
1 cup water
2 Tbsp fresh orange juice
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup rice vinegar
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp orange zest, grated
¼ to ½ tsp red pepper flakes, optional
½ cup packed brown sugar
1 to 2 Tbsp Peanut oil (or other oil for cooking chicken)
2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite size cubes
Sesame oil, optional
½ tsp ginger root, minced
1 tsp garlic, minced
2 Tbsp green onion, chopped
5 Tbsp cornstarch, divided (more, if needed)
¼ cup cold water

Directions
Mix together the first 8 ingredients (through the brown sugar) and set aside. This is the sauce.

Put 3 Tbsp cornstarch into a gallon sized ziplock bag and drop the chicken cubes in. Shake until fully coated. (Add more if not enough to coat chicken.) In a large nonstick skillet, heat the peanut oil and saute the chicken until browned. (Make sure it is cooked through - may take a while. Chicken should not get tough.) Remove the chicken to a plate and tent with foil to keep warm.

Wipe pan clean with paper towel and add sesame oil with onions, ginger, and garlic. Fry about 1 minute, until fragrant. Add sauce mixture. Blend well over medium heat for a few minutes. Combine 2 tablespoons of cornstarch with 1/4 cup of cold water and mix thoroughly. Slowly stir cornstarch mixture into sauce. Once the sauce has thickened, add the chicken back to the skillet, toss to coat with sauce. Serve with rice.

BBQ Chicken Pizza

2010-09-12T17:39:00.007-05:00

I was bad and made homemade pizza. There are a lot of yummy pizza crust recipes out there, but I usually make some sort of variation from Ree's recipe because I am too indecisive to choose another one. (Plus, a lot of recipes have too much yeast = beer taste, which I think is gross.)

Basic Pizza Crust (makes two crusts)

Ingredients
1 tsp instant or active dry yeast
1 1/2 cup warm water
4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp kosher salt
1/3 cup olive oil

Directions
See here for the non cheater, knead it yourself method (at the bottom of the post).

What I do: Put all of the ingredients in a bread maker in this order: water, olive oil, flour, salt, yeast. Press start! (Mine takes an hour and a half to make dough). You can use regular salt if you don't have kosher salt (I forgot and used regular tonight). You can also use different flours. I've done 4 cups all purpose, 2 cups all purpose + 2 cups whole wheat, and 4 cups bread flour. If you want a thicker crust, bread flour is the way to go (what I made tonight).

**This makes two pizza crusts. I usually make one BBQ chicken pizza and one pepperoni.

BBQ Chicken Pizza

Ingredients (for one pizza)
1/2 of the dough from the above recipe
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast
barbecue sauce
ranch dressing (optional)
olive oil
salt
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (or 8 oz of the real stuff, sliced thin)
1/3 red onion, cut in half and sliced very thin
chopped cilantro, to taste

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Salt chicken breast on both sides, then place in an ovenproof dish. Pour BBQ sauce over the breast and turn them over to coat. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until chicken is done. Remove from oven and cut into a fine dice. Set aside.

Increase oven temperature to 500 degrees.

Roll/stretch out one pizza crust. Lay it on a sheet pan drizzled with olive oil. Drizzle a little olive oil on the crust, then sprinkle on a little salt.

Spoon a couple of tablespoons of extra BBQ sauce on the crust and spread it evenly. (You can use ranch dressing if you don't want it too barbecue-y.) Top sauce with the mozzarella. Sprinkle on the diced chicken and thinly sliced red onion.

Sprinkle again with a little salt, then bake for 15 to 17 minutes, or until crust is golden brown and toppings are bubbly.

Remove from the oven and sprinkle on plenty of chopped cilantro. Cut and serve immediately.

**Note: If your crust is rock hard after 15 minutes, don't worry. It will soften as it cools. It happens to me every time I make pizza/calzone rolls.

Quinoa with Sundried Tomatoes

2010-09-11T15:15:00.004-05:00

Speaking of trying new things, ever heard of quinoa (pronouced keen-wah or kee-NOH-uh)? It's actually pretty good. Quinoa is a whole grain that is high in protein. You can buy it in the bulk section at HEB. I think 1 cup is a little over $1. (You can also buy it in the rice isle at HEB for about the same unit price.) Here's a yummy recipe Catherine pointed me to in the Eat-Clean diet cookbook.

Ingredients
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
8 sundried tomatoes, not packed in oil
2 minced shallots
1 clove garlic, minced
2 cups low sodium, low-fat chicken or vegetable stock
1 cup dry quinoa grains
Pinch cayenne pepper
2 Tbsp fresh chopped cilantro
1 tsp sea salt
Fresh ground black pepper

Directions
1. Place quinoa in a fine mesh sieve. Rinse well under lukewarm running water for about 1 minute. Set aside. (You must remember to rinse quinoa grains well before cooking to remove the bitter saponin covering. Rinse until the water runs clear.)

2. Heat oil in large sauce pan. Add tomatoes, shallots, and garlic. Saute for 3 to 5 minutes or until shallots are softened. Add stock or water and bring to a boil. Stir in quinoa grains and cayenne pepper. Return to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Let stand for 5 minutes. Fluff with fork to separate grains. Stir in seasonings.

My New Favorite Smoothie

2010-09-11T14:57:00.004-05:00

A few weekends ago we went to Dallas for Jayme and Zach's wedding (beautiful!), and we spent the weekend with Catherine and Garrett Johnston. We love them and miss them. Catherine shared this book with me, and my mom bought it for me last week. I am trying to eat a lot healthier, and a lot of her recipes look tasty. Cutting out dairy hasn't been fun, but it has pushed me towards learning how to make a lot of new things in the kitchen. I think Garrett's mom got this smoothie idea from the Eat-Clean cookbook. It's super easy and quick.

Ingredients
1 fresh banana
handful of frozen blueberries and/or strawberries
1/3 cup dry oatmeal
1/2 cup yogurt (I use almond milk)
splash of juice (still great without this - we don't buy juice often)
1 scoop vanilla protein (I use this, but you can get vanilla soy protein a lot cheaper in the bulk section at HEB if you don't want to spend a lot of money)

Directions
Puree all ingredients. (I use a magic bullet.)

**Sam's sells 4 lbs frozen blueberries for $7.50.

Spaghetti Sauce

2010-08-15T20:20:00.005-05:00

My friend Vicky gave me a recipe for spaghetti sauce. It is really easy and yummy. The following mix makes enough for 4 batches of spaghetti sauce.

1/4 cup Italian seasoning
1 Tbsp celery salt
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp pepper
1 Tbsp onion powder
1 tsp sugar

Pulse in blender/food processor for 5-10 seconds. Store in an air tight container for up to 6 months. Add 2 Tbsp of the above mixture to a 28 oz of tomato sauce and 6 oz tomato paste. Simmer for 10 minutes.

Weekly Menu Board

2010-08-15T19:12:00.002-05:00

Every Saturday morning I come with a meal plan for the week. I used to write them on a dry erase board that I used for college, but last night I made the one above (I can't seem to get a clear picture with my camera, sorry). I have to write down all of the meals for the week or I won't remember what I bought food for... It was really easy and cost me about $8. All you need is a frame (I got this 8" x 10" at Ross for $6.99), a sheet of scrapbook paper, a sheet of vellum, and a paper cutter (or scissors if you can cut straight - maybe draw a line with a ruler then cut). Make a word document in your favorite font (I used Pea c-squared) that has each day written like above. You can then write on the outside of the frame with a dry erase marker. So easy and much more attractive than a plain ole' dry erase board.

Kroger Deals

2010-07-31T19:21:00.004-05:00

No recipes for a while. I have something strange going on with me, keeping me from dairy. Lactose intolerance? Gastroenteritis? I'm not sure. Hopefully I'll find out sometime this week.

Here are my favorite deals this week at Kroger:

Almond Breeze (the vanilla flavor is delicious!), $2.50
-$0.55 Kroger ecoupon
-$1.00 5/23 SS
=$0.95

Honey Nut Cheerios - 25 oz (what Brett eats every morning), $2.74
-$0.55 Kroger ecoupon
-$1/2 printable from coupons.com or smartsource.com
=$1.69 for the first one and $2.19 for the second one

Nature Valley Granola Nut Clusters, $1.29
-$1 shortcuts ecoupon or cellfire ecoupon
-$1 printable from ecentives.com, coupons.com, and smartsource.com
=+$0.71 for the first one and $0.29 for the second one, etc.

Best Life Buttery Spread, $1 (Lactose free!)
-$1 6/13 RP or 7/11 RP
=free

Speed Stick (men's or women's), $0.88
-$0.50 7/25 SS
=+$0.12

Cauliflower, $1 each

**P&G Mega Deals**

Charmin Ultra Soft/Strong 16 ct, $5.99
-$3 Kroger ecoupon
-$0.25 6/6 or 8/1 P&G
=$2.24 ($0.14 a roll - crazy cheap!)

Downy Softener or Fabric Sheets, $3.99
-$2 Kroger ecoupon
-$1 6/6 or 8/1 P&G
=$0.99

Tide - 100 oz, $9.99
-$2 Kroger ecoupon
-$0.35 6/6 P&G or $1 7/4 or 8/1 P&G
=$6.99 (very good deal for Tide)

Gillette Body Wash, $1.99
-$2 7/4 P&G
=free

Other great deals at:

Southern Savers
Couponing 101
The Big Red Pot

Kroger Trip 7-17

2010-07-17T15:26:00.013-05:00

I know it is hard to see everything in that picture. Those are all of the groceries that I got this afternoon ($117 worth of stuff for $48). Kroger is having a mega event sale. I didn't get that many mega event items, but I definitely took advantage of the sale. Here are some of the deals I did:

Pork loin $1.97/lb

Butterfinger, $0.50
-FREE coupon from Facebook
=free

Kraft olive oil mayo, $2.89
-FREE cream cheese coupon I got in the mail
=free

Smart Balance Milk, $2.99
-$2 6/13 RP or 7/11 RP
-$2 Kroger.com ecoupon
=$1 moneymaker

Sudafed PE, $2.09 (closeout)
-$1.50 4/11 RP
=$0.59

Rolaids, $2
-$4/2 6/6RP
=two free

Cottonelle 12-pk, $4.99
-$1 July All You magazine or $0.50/1 in 7/11 SS
=$3.99/pack = $0.33/roll

Mega event items:

Quaker rice cakes, $0.99
-$1 Kroger print out coupon from a few weeks ago
=free

Tums Ultra, $3
-$2 Kroger print out coupon from a few weeks ago
=free

Kraft cheese, $1.88
-$1/2 Kroger coupons in the mail
=$1.38 each
**If you wait to buy these on Monday, you will get catalinas (buy any 5 and receive $5 catalina) - I'm sure you can buy four and get a catalina, but I don't know of what value.

Hunts tomatoes, $0.45

Dan-o-nino yogurt, $2.29
-$1.50 6/6 SS or 7/18 SS
=$0.79 each
(When you buy 2 you get a $1 catalina)

Ore-ida hashbrowns, $2.29
-$1 Kroger.com ecoupon
=$1.29

Q-tips (375 ct), $1.50
-$0.30 5/23 RP
=$0.60 after triple coupon

Philidelphia cream cheese, $0.99
-FREE cream cheese coupon I got in the mail
=free

Scotch Brite scrubber, $1
-$1 6/6SS
=free
(This rang up as a mega item but didn't have a mega item tag.)

Here are lists of other deals (many great deals with printable coupons, but our printer needs more ink, and I keep forgetting to buy it):

Southern Savers
Couponing 101
Mommy Snacks
The Big Red Pot

You may think, how on earth do those ingredients make all of our breakfasts/lunches/dinners? I stockpile, so I don't have to spend a lot each week. I spend more than other couponers because I make all of our meals (no freezer/pre-made food) and use a lot of produce. Also, cooking is my hobby, so I don't mind spending a little more at the grocery store to buy items without coupons. I actually don't use coupons at Kroger that much anymore unless there are big sales like today (many of the products I buy don't have coupons - but I only buy them if they are on sale). On weeks where I spend less, I stock up on meats - sirloin steak, ground beef/turkey, salmon, tilapia, and chicken breasts. Last week I stocked up on sirloin, chicken breasts, and a lot of cereal (special K and honey nut cheerios) - and my wonderful grandma gave me two boxes of cereal. :o) Today I got 5lbs of pork loin which I will trim up, cut in half, and freeze for sometime in the future.

$25 Kroger giftcard with transferred Rx

2010-07-10T17:36:00.003-05:00

Make sure to check out this week's Kroger ad. There is a coupon for a $25 giftcard when you transfer any prescription from another pharmacy. (Coupon valid through 7/20/10. Not valid on Rx included in $4/$10 generic program.) I'm so excited because I have a prescription I need to fill this week! I love free groceries. :o)

7/10 CVS Trip

2010-07-10T16:55:00.009-05:00

I "paid" $1 for everything pictured above. (I really only lost $1 CVS ECBs.)

Here are the deals I did:

Buy Complete Multi Purpose Contact Solution (12 oz) at $7.99, get $7.99 ECB (Limit 1)
-$2/1 coupon in the 5/16 RP insert
=$5.99, get $7.99 ECBs = $2 overage

Buy 2 John Freida Products (3 - 12oz) at $5 each, get $5 ECB (Limit 1)
-two $3/1 coupons in the 6/6 SS insert (Root Awakening Products)
=$4, get $5 ECB = $1 overage

Monthly Deal: Buy 2 CVS Pantiliners (22 ct) at $0.50 each, get $1 ECB (Limit 3)
=$1, get $1 ECB = free

Tide deal stated in an earlier post (7/4 to 7/10 weekly ad deal).
=$4

There are two other free deals that I didn't do. They are a Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday deal, and I already have a lot from last summer.

Buy Paper Mate Pens (10 ct) at $0.99, get $0.99 ECB (Limit 1) = free

Buy 5" Calibur Scissors at $0.99, get $0.99 ECB (Limit 1) = free

Here is a full list of deals and coupon match-ups for this week's ad (Southern Savers).

Here is this week's ad.

Butter Chicken

2010-07-07T20:30:00.005-05:00

I have finally found a good butter chicken recipe! I'm not sure how authentic it is, but it tastes like Indian food to me, and we really like it. It goes really well with the basmati rice recipe I have.

Butter Chicken
Adapted from Tasty Kitchen member lillieknits

Ingredients
4 pieces boneless skinless chicken breasts
5 cloves garlic, minced
½ tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
½ tsp cayenne pepper
¼ tsp ground coriander
¼tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp ground cardamom (I don't have ground cardamom, so I used one pod)
1 whole lime, juiced
1 whole onion, diced
4 Tbsp butter (I used 2 Tbsp)
1 can (14.5 oz can) tomato sauce
1 can (14.5 oz can) petite diced tomatoes
1 pint cream (I used 2 cups 1% milk mixed with 2 Tbsp cornstarch)
1 bunch chopped cilantro, to taste
Basmati Rice (I made this rice)

Directions
Combine first 9 ingredients and marinate overnight.

Saute the onion in the butter until soft. Add marinated chicken and cook about 3 minutes on each side. Add the tomato sauce and diced tomatoes. Bring to a boil and then cover and adjust the heat to low. Let simmer for 20 minutes. Take the breasts out and cut them into bite-size pieces. Add the cream/milk mixture and cilantro. Add chicken breasts back into the sauce. Serve with basmati rice. (If you are using the milk + cornstarch mixture, let the sauce thicken up for a few minutes before you put the chicken back in.)

**When I made this I only used two chicken breasts. I'm not sure how much of a difference the chicken will be in the above marinade. It is a small volume so you may want to double it...?

$4 Tide at CVS

2010-07-06T20:57:00.009-05:00

Tide Laundry Detergent $5.97 Earn 1 ECB (Limit 1)
-$1/1 Tide Detergent 7/4 P&G
=$3.97 after coupon and ECBs

Here are the links to this week's deals:
Southern Savers
The Thrifty Mama

Here is a link to this week's ad.

General Tso's Chicken

2010-07-06T19:37:00.007-05:00

I think I have found out how Chinese restaurants get chicken to have a breaded texture but still really moist. Cornstarch. It sounds weird... and looks a little strange when cooking, but it really works! I've made this a couple times, so I know it wasn't just luck the first time that the chicken ended up tender. I also made a few changes from the original recipe I found. It originally had more sugar, ketchup, and ginger.

General Tso's Chicken
Adapted from Tracey's Culinary Adventures

Ingredients

1/4 cup brown sugar

3 tablespoons hoisin sauce

3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

2 tablespoons ketchup

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1/2 cup water

3-4 tablespoons cornstarch

2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon sesame oil

6-8 spring green onions, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh ginger, finely chopped or grated

hot pepper flakes (optional)

Directions

Mix together the first 6 ingredients (through the water) and set aside. This is the sauce.

Put the cornstarch into a ziplock back and drop the chicken cubes in. Shake until fully coated. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and saute the chicken until browned. Remove the chicken to a plate and tent with foil to keep warm.

Wipe pan clean with paper towel and add sesame oil with onions and chopped ginger. Fry about 1 minute, until fragrant. Add sauce mixture. Bring to a boil and simmer about 2 minutes, until the sauce thickens a bit. Add the chicken back to the skillet, toss to coat with sauce and continue cooking until the chicken is cooked through. Add red pepper flakes, to taste, if desired. Serve with rice.

Cajun Chicken Pasta

2010-07-04T18:33:00.024-05:00

I used to order cajun chicken pasta every time I went to Chili's. We don't each out much anymore, but I try to resist getting it when we do go there. Pasta already has a lot of calories, so adding heavy cream just isn't an option at our house. I would want to make it every week. This original recipe (link below) had heavy cream, but we still like it with 1% milk/cornstarch. The pioneer woman has a good recipe for cajun chicken pasta as well, with of course, heavy cream. I think less than 10% of her recipes have no butter/heavy cream. :o( You can still substitute the cream with 1% milk/cornstarch. The main difference between her recipe and this one is that there is also chicken broth and white wine in hers. Here is the recipe for what is pictured above. My version of Ree's is below as well.

Cajun Chicken Pasta
Adapted from About.com

Ingredients

12 oz rotini, cooked according to package

2 Tbsp butter (or olive oil)

2 skinnless, boneless chicken breast halves, sliced 1/2" thick

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 small onion, diced

1 Tbsp cajun seasoning, or to taste

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
salt, to taste

1 cup milk (we used 1%)

1 green bell pepper, julienned

1 red bell pepper, julienned

1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced

1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated

1 Tbsp cornstarch

Directions

Cook rotini (or similar pasta) according to package directions. Drain; set aside. Melt butter (or olive oil) in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken; cook, stirring frequently, until browned, about 6 to 8 minutes. (We like to cook the chicken on the George Forman, seasoned with lemon pepper and Tony's.) Add garlic and onions. Cook for a few minutes. Add cajun/creole seasoning, cayenne pepper, salt, bell peppers, and mushrooms. Stir to combine. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Uncover; Stir 1 Tbsp cornstarch into 1 cup milk. Once the cornstarch is dissolved, stir in the milk mixture and let simmer another 2 minutes. Take off heat and stir in parmesan cheese. Stir in cooked pasta. You may need to let sit for a few minutes to let the pasta absorb the sauce and thicken.

*Note from Ree's recipe: Be aware of whether or not your Cajun spice contains salt. If it does not, you’ll need to lightly salt both the chicken and the veggies. If it does contain salt, be careful not to overdo it; stop a little short, then just add more cayenne to make sure you get enough spice without oversalting.

**Sandy Hern took this picture on her awesome camera. You can see more of her photos on her son in law's website.

If you like to cook with wine, here is the Pioneer Woman's recipe. We like it better than the above recipe. (I buy the four little white wine bottles at Kroger when they are on sale. I'm not big on wine, but chardonnay is good with this pasta.)

Cajun Chicken Pasta

Adapted from The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into cubes

1 Tbsp cajun seasoning, more to taste

16 oz pasta

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 Tbsp butter (can be left out)

1/2 large red onion, sliced

1 green bell pepper, seeded and sliced

1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups low sodium chicken broth

1/2 cup white wine

1 cup 1% milk

2 Tbsp cornstarch
Parmesan, to taste

cayenne pepper, to taste (optional)

salt, to taste (optional)

black pepper, to taste (optional)

fresh parsley, to taste (optional)

Directions

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain when pasta is still al dente.

Sprinkle 1 1/2 teaspoons Cajun spice over chicken pieces (I like to cook the breasts whole and chop it up when after it's cooked). Toss around to coat. Heat 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a heavy skillet over high heat. Add half the chicken in a single layer; do not stir. Allow chicken to brown on one side, about 1 minute. Flip to the other side and cook an additional minute. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a clean plate. Repeat with remaining chicken. Remove chicken, leaving pan on high heat.

Add remaining olive oil and butter. When heated, add peppers, onions, and garlic. Sprinkle on remaining Cajun spice, and add salt if needed. Cook over very high heat for 1 minute, stirring gently and trying to get the vegetables as dark/black as possible. Remove all vegetables from the pan.

With the pan over high heat, pour in the wine and chicken broth. Cook on high for 3 to 5 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pan to deglaze. Reduce heat to medium-low and pour in the milk/cornstarch mixture, stirring/whisking constantly. Cook sauce over medium-low heat for a few minutes, until sauce starts to thicken the mixture. Taste and add freshly ground black pepper, cayenne pepper, and/or salt to taste. Sauce should be spicy!

Finally, add chicken and vegetables to sauce, making sure to include all the juices that have drained onto the plate. Stir and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until mixture is bubbly and hot. Add drained pasta and toss to combine. Top with parmesan and chopped fresh parsley, if desired.

Pecan Cream Cheese Pound Cake

2010-07-04T18:33:00.010-05:00

Brett's mom, Sandy, has made this a few times when we came home. It is one of my favorite deserts that she makes. Well, she has a lot of really good desserts. Hopefully, over time, I will learn how to make all of them! The almond extract/flavoring gives it a little of a pistachio flavor. Yum!

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup butter or margarine (room temperature)

8 oz cream cheese (room temperature)

3 cups granulated sugar

6 eggs (room temperature)

1 tsp vanilla flavor

1 tsp almond flavor

3 cups cake flour, divided (2 3/4 cups + 1/4 cup)

1 cup finely chopped pecans

Directions

Preheat oven to 325. Grease and flour a 10' bunt pan. In a large bowl, beat sugar, butter, and cream cheese until fluffy (5 minutes). Add eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla and almond flavor. Stir reserved 1/4 cup flour into pecans. Add remaining flour to batter a little at a time, beating at a low speed with mixer. Fold in pecans. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 1 1/2 hours. Cool and enjoy! Sift powdered sugar over the top if desired.

Creamy Jalapeno Dip

2010-06-29T18:51:00.012-05:00

I made my own sauce! Well, I looked at like 3 different recipes and made my own version. I might still make adjustments, but here is what I did. I got the idea from Chuy's green sauce, but all of the copycat recipes I found were basically just jalapenos, a ranch packet, and a container of sour cream/mayo (not healthy at all). I knew if I made a sauce... we would eat it all... so I had to make some adjustments. I have only had their sauce a couple times, so I don't remember what it tastes like, but it does taste like a green sauce served at a tex-mex restaurant.

Ingredients
2 tomatillos - husks removed, washed, and halved
2 Tbsp cilantro
1 garlic clove, chopped
6 Tbsp light sour cream
1 ripe Hass avocado - halved, pitted, and peeled
5 pickled jalapenos (this is spicy, so you might want to start with a few and add)
1 1/2 Tbsp Hidden Valley Ranch mix

Directions
Put the tomatillos, cilantro, garlic clove, and sour cream into a food processor (I used my 3 cup mini processor). Puree until smooth. Add the avocado, jalapenos, and ranch mix, and pulse until creamy. Enjoy!

**Next time I might try 1/4 cup green chilies instead of the tomatillos. The copycat recipes on recipezaar use them.

Red Beans and Rice

2010-06-27T19:31:00.008-05:00

A coworker of mine, Ted, gave me this recipe. I love red beans and rice, and I really love slow cooker meals while I'm working. This is really easy, and it makes for good leftovers.

Red Beans and Rice
Serves 10-12

Ingredients
1 lb dry red kidney beans
3 cups water
1 large onion, chopped
1 can petite diced tomatoes (I use Rotel)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1 tsp chili powder
1 lb sausage, cut into 1/2" cubes (we like fully cooked jalopeno sausage, i.e.: Kountry boys or Slovacek's)
2 tsp kosher salt (reduce if salt sensitive)
cornstarch, if needed

Directions
Put beans into a large bowl and add enough cold water to cover the beans by about 1”. Cover and leave to soak overnight. The next morning, drain and rinse the beans, pull out any bean skins that came off, and put the beans into the crock pot. Add all the other ingredients into the crock pot and cook all day on LOW or about 4-5 hours on HIGH. (If you happen to be home while you are cooking this, I'd wait to put the sausage in until the last couple hours or so if cooking on LOW. The sausage is still good if cooked all day, but it is better if you can put it in later on in the cooking process.)

After done cooking, if you think that it is not thick enough, add 1 Tbsp of cornstarch (flour would work also, if you don’t have cornstarch) about 30 minutes before I want to serve it. You have to ladle some of the liquid into a cup and let it cool down then add the cornstarch to the cooled liquid and stir until the cornstarch is mixed in. Finally, pour the cornstarch mixture into the crock pot while stirring it into the beans. Turn the crock pot to HIGH after you add the cornstarch in. (By the time I get home, I want to eat... so if I do add cornstarch, I mix it in 1/2 cup cold water and add it to the crock pot. It takes a while for the liquid to cool down.)

Serve over cooked rice.

**Note: If you like spicy food, I wouldn't recommend adding any more chili powder or red crushed pepper than stated above until it is done. When cooked all day long, it gets pretty spicy. I was really surprised at how hot it gets.

6/27 CVS Run

2010-06-27T12:54:00.010-05:00

I got all of the above for $3.30.

Here are the deals I did:

Stayfree Products, Buy one get one free
-Buy one get one free Stayfree product (up to $4.49) RP 6/27
=two free after coupon

**These are only free if you get two products that cost less than $4.49. I didn't see that, and I just picked up the ones that I always buy. They are $6.69. Therefore, I paid $2.20 for two or $1.10 for each one.

Spend $10 on above Household Helpers (2/$5) get $5 ECBs (Limit 1)
See here and here for all of the different coupons you can use.

I bought four scrubbing bubbles products at $2.50 each. I was going to use the $0.55 in the SS 6/13 insert, but on the bottles themself, there was a $2/2 any scrubbing bubbles coupon.

So I had $10 worth of products
-two $2/2 coupons (so minus $4)
=$6, got $5 ecbs back = $1 for all four or $0.25 each

M&M Candies, Buy one get one free, $0.89 each
-B1G1 M&M’s Pretzel (up to $0.79) RP 6/27
=two for $0.10 after coupon or $0.05 each

Here are links to the full list of CVS deals and match-ups:
Southern Savers
The Thrify Mama
Common Sense with Money

Here is a copy of this week's ad.

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

2010-06-26T11:19:00.003-05:00

Every once in a while, HEB has pork loin on sale for $1/lb. They are huge though... like ten pounds. I bought one a while back, cut it into 2 lb portions, and froze them. I have tried two pulled pork recipes, and to my surprise, the 3 ingredient recipe was better. Below is the recipe from allrecipes.com. I'm sure you can use a different soda if you want, but I tried it with root beer, and it was really good. I also made the pulled pork sandwich recipe on Simply Recipes. In this recipe, you make homemade bbq sauce. The sauce smelled really good when I made it in the morning, but it ended up being really tangy (because of the 3/4 cup vinegar). I'm sure I could do some tweaking, but I won't be doing that while I'm still working full time. I'm content with this three ingredient recipe. (The original recipe calls for 2 lbs pork tenderloin, but I would never use a pork tenderloin in a crock pot meal. Pork butt, shoulder, or loin will fall apart just as nice in the crockpot and are much cheaper.)

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
Serves 8

Ingredients
2 lb pork loin, butt, or shoulder (trim fat)
1 can root beer
1 (18 oz) bottle of your favorite bbq sauce
8 hamburger buns, split and lightly toasted

Directions
Place the pork in a slow cooker; pour the root beer over the meat. Cover and cook on low until well cooked and the pork shreds easily, 6 to 7 hours. (I just leave it on low all day.) Drain well. Stir in barbecue sauce. Serve over hamburger buns.

$1 Superfruit Smoothies at Jamba Juice

2010-06-15T18:16:00.004-05:00

Tomorrow, Wednesday, June 16th, 16-oz superfruit smoothies are only $1 at Jamba Juice. See here for more information. Thanks, Money Saving Mom!

Exotic Chicken Salad

2010-06-13T16:27:00.011-05:00

This is not your ordinary chicken salad, but it's really good. We like it as a side or on toast (for chicken salad sandwiches). I half the following recipe since there is just two of us. Five cups of chicken is about one rotisserie chicken at Sam's ($4.97), so I just chop it up, use half of it, and freeze the other half for next time or to make enchiladas. Brett isn't a fan of fruit and meat, so he likes it better without grapes. I like the grapes though, so try it both ways! Also, I don't think the butter is necessary. You can toast almonds in a toaster oven vs. in butter on the stove.

Ingredients
1 3-1/4 oz package slivered almonds
2 Tbsp butter
salt, to taste
2 cups mayonnaise (1 1/3 cups if you omit grapes from recipe)
1 tsp curry powder
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp lemon juice
5 cups diced chicken
2 cups diced celery
2 to 3, 6-oz cans sliced water chestnuts, chopped
2 lbs red seedless grapes, each halved pole-to-pole

Directions
In a small skillet, cook slivered almonds in butter until lightly brown. Drain on paper towel and sprinkle with salt. Mix mayonnaise with curry powder, soy sauce, and lemon juice. Combine almonds, chicken, celery, water chestnuts, and grapes. Pour mayonnaise mixture over all and combine well. Chill and serve.

Soy Sauce at Walmart

2010-06-13T12:06:00.009-05:00

I only go to Walmart a few times a year for grocery items. I usually always shop at Kroger. I find that Kroger is a lot cheaper if you shop the sales and use coupons (and I really don't use that many coupons since I am so into cooking everything homemade/from scratch right now). There are some items at Walmart that are cheaper than Kroger even after sales. One of them is this:

This picture is for a gallon bottle of Kikkoman soy sauce, but the one they have is 1.2L. It is $4.77 which is a really good deal. Unfortunately, they do not have the reduced sodium kind available in that size. The 1.2L reduced sodium soy sauce is about $8 at the BCS Asian Market across the street. I just go ahead and get the 15 oz size at Walmart for $2.58 (low sodium is more expensive). Just thought I'd share that bit of random info with you!

CVS Deals

2010-06-13T11:42:00.008-05:00

Buy 1 Schick Hydro Razor, $8.97, get $4 ECBs (Limit 1)
-$4 coupon in today's (6/13) RP
=$4.97 out of pocket, get $4 ECBS = $0.97

**I was in a hurry this morning, and I didn't realize that I was going to have to pay a dollar for this razor. I don't normally get razors where I will have to pay anything, but I know someone who wants this razor, so I got it anyway. It really doesn't matter though because I made four dollars in the below deal!

Buy 1 Gillette or Old Spice Body Wash for $4, get $4 ECBs (Limit 1)
Buy two Gillette or Old Spice Body Washes
=$8 before coupons
Use either:
-B1G1 Gillette Body Wash, exp. 7-31-10 (P&G 06/06/10)
-FREE Old Spice Deodorant wyb Body Wash or Deodorant (P&G 6/6/10)
=$4, get $4 ECBs = free

**This turned out to be a Limit 2 deal, so I paid $4 and got $8 ECBs! I love it when this happens! (I bought two old spice body washes, not gillette, if that makes any difference..? I'm sure it will be all over the blog world in a few hours.)

Before I went to CVS this morning I had $10 ECBs. I bought two old spice body washes, a shick hydro razor, and 3 dove peanut butter bars to get it to $10. I then got $12 ecbs. Therefore, I got "paid" $2 to buy all this! Gotta love CVS!

Go here and here to see all of the other CVS deals.

Kroger Summer of Savings

2010-06-12T15:49:00.005-05:00

This summer, Kroger has a spin the wheel game that you can play once a day to win free products! I didn't win anything yesterday, but today I won any Tazo Tea up to $3.99. A coupon was loaded onto my card and will take off the amount at the register. So fun! I'm totally going to play this a lot this summer.

**I went to Kroger today and got my free Starbucks Tazo Tea 20 ct bags. The $3.99 came off at the end of the transaction.

Free Starbucks VIA Ready Brew Sample

2010-06-06T18:27:00.002-05:00

Go here to request your free sample of Starbucks' VIA ready brew. I love getting all of these fun, free surprises in my mail box. Yesterday I got a free neti pot and a free movie ticket through fandango!

Lemon Fusilli

2010-06-06T17:03:00.005-05:00

My friend Catherine made this for us at one of our home church girl nights. So, so good. It calls for heavy cream, but I've made it both with half and half and fat free half and half, and it tastes the same. I was going to try it with milk (and maybe flour, if needed) tonight, but since fat free half and half was on sale and I had a coupon, I'm going to postpone that substitution, but I'll let you know if it works out.

**Nature's Sweet Cherub tomatoes are on sale at Kroger this week for $2.50. There is also a coupon in the 5/16 SS for $0.55 off one. $1.95 is a really great deal for those little tomatoes. (They are normally $3.99.) This is why I'm making this pasta this week; otherwise, it can be kind of pricey. Enjoy!

Lemon Fusilli
Ina Garten

Ingredients
1 tablespoon good olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic (2 cloves)
2 cups heavy cream (can use half & half or fat free half & half)
3 lemons
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 bunch broccoli
1 pound dried fusilli pasta (or any other twirly pasta that will trap in sauce)
1/2 pound baby arugula (I don't use this - it's good without it)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved

Directions
Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the garlic, and cook for 60 seconds. Add the cream, the zest from 2 lemons, the juice of 2 lemons, 2 teaspoons of salt, and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until it starts to thicken.

Meanwhile, cut the broccoli in florets and discard the stem. Cook the florets in a pot of boiling salted water for 3 to 5 minutes, until tender but still firm. Drain the broccoli and run under cold water to stop the cooking. Set aside.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add 1 tablespoon of salt and the pasta, and cook according to the directions on the package, stirring occasionally. Drain the pasta in a colander and place it back into the pot. Immediately add the cream mixture and cook it over medium-low heat for 3 minutes, until most of the sauce has been absorbed in the pasta. Pour the hot pasta into a large bowl, add the arugula (optional), Parmesan, tomatoes, and cooked broccoli. Cut the last lemon in half lengthwise, slice it 1/4-inch thick crosswise, and add it to the pasta. Toss well, season to taste, and serve hot.

Walgreens Grocery Deals

2010-06-06T16:57:00.004-05:00

I made a trip to Walgreens before heading over to Kroger this afternoon. This week they have Mazola extra virgin olive oil on sale for $3.99 (that's $0.23 an oz - good deal). Too bad there isn't a coupon, or this deal would be a steal. It's still way cheaper than any olive oil at Kroger. (This same size/brand olive oil is $5.79 right now at Kroger.)

I haven't seen Swanson's chicken broth on sale at either CVS or Walgreens in a while. I've never had Butterball, but I'm sure it's way better than Kroger brand. This is cheaper as well. I don't think I've ever seen chicken broth cheaper than $0.50 each.

Free Rolaids/Mylanta at CVS

2010-06-06T13:32:00.002-05:00

In today's red plum insert you should have received a $4 off of any 2 Dramamine, Lactaid, Imodium, Pepcid, Rolaids, Mylanta or Tucks. You can use that coupon at CVS this week to get two free Rolaids or Mylanta chewables.

Buy any two of the products listed above, receive $4 ecbs (Limit 1)
Buy two Rolaids or Mylanta for $3.99 (I got two 36 ct Rolaids softchews)
-$4/2 coupon from 6/6 RP
=$4 out of pocket, get back $4 ecbs = free

Southwestern Stuffed Bell Peppers

2010-05-31T19:40:00.005-05:00

I found this recipe a few weeks ago on foodgawker. That website is kind of addicting, and it's really hard scroll through it for a while without getting hungry. (It's a food website in which you browse through pictures to find recipes. mmm) We like the regular Italian version of stuffed bell peppers, but this healthy alternative is really good for a change.

Southwestern Stuffed Bell Peppers
Homemade by Holman
Serves 4

Ingredients
1/2 pound ground beef or turkey
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 cup black beans
1 cup corn
1/2 cup red onion, diced
1 can diced tomatoes with chiles (Ro-tel)
1/2 cup brown rice, uncooked
4 bell peppers
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1/4 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
1 lime

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small saucepan, cook rice with water as directed on package. (Note: Brown rice takes about 40 minutes to cook. If you are short on time, you can use white rice or Uncle Ben's quick brown rice.) Meanwhile, brown turkey in a large skillet over medium high heat, crumbling as it cooks. Add 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, and 1/4 tsp chili powder. After about 5 minutes, add Ro-tel, and reduce heat to medium low. Add onions, black beans, and corn, and simmer until rice is cooked.

Meanwhile, prepare peppers by cutting in half through the top, remove stem, seeds and ribs. (This will make 8 bell pepper halves.) Rinse and set in a large baking dish. When liquid has cooked off rice, add 1/2 tsp cumin and 1/4 tsp chili powder and fluff with a fork. Stir into turkey mixture. Squeeze juice of half of lime over the mixture and add half the cilantro. Spoon filling into pepper halves. Add a couple tablespoons of water to pan, cover the pan with foil and bake for about 20-25 minutes. Uncover, peppers should be softened. Sprinkle on cheese and return to oven for about another 5 minutes until cheese is melted. Top with remaining cilantro and sour cream, if desired.

Target: Free or Cheap Armor All Products

2010-05-31T18:41:00.004-05:00

Today I was thinking that I needed to go and buy some Armor All interior protectant. (**You can't use the $3/2 coupon on the smaller protectant, but you can use the $2 facebook coupon. $0.39 is still really cheap!) I have always used my dad's, so I wasn't sure how much it was going to cost. I just saw on MyFrugalAdventures that you can get it for free at Target!

Here are the prices of the Armor All products at Target:

Armor All Original Interior Protectant $2.39
Armor All Glass Cleaner $2.69
Armor All Car Wash Concentrate $3.49
Armor All Wipes $4.24
Armor All Upholstery Cleaner $4.24
Armor All Wheel Protectant $6.00

Use the $3/2 Armor All Target coupon along with the $2/1 Armor All manufacturer’s coupon to get free or almost-free Armor All products at Target.

No Coupon Inserts this Sunday

2010-05-26T19:53:00.005-05:00

Since it is Memorial Day weekend, there will be no coupon inserts. (Every week I check Sunday Coupon Preview so I know what to expect in the paper.) College Station sometimes gets the short end of the stick when it comes to coupons. A couple weekends this semester I didn't get a Smart Source insert or P&G insert. Not cool. I think I might just buy a paper on my way to or from church this summer rather than order them. That way I can look at through the paper before I purchase it to make sure everything is in there. Although I love coupons, I sometimes enjoy these weekends. Enjoy your Monday off!

Indian Basmati Rice

2010-05-25T18:39:00.005-05:00

About a year ago, if you would have asked me what I knew about rice, I would probably just look at you, confused, and say, there are different kinds of rice...? Isn't all rice the same? No. I've come to realize it is not at all the same. I just learned a couple weeks ago that it takes 40 minutes to cook brown rice. Seriously? That takes for-e-ver. I still have not cooked with arborio rice (to make risotto), but I do know a little more now. In my pantry I have brown, basmati, cous cous (does that count?), jasmine (long grain), and medium grain (japanese) rice.

I have been trying to perfect the fried rice that they make at the Hibachi Japanese restaurants. I bought the rice they use, Kokuho (medium grain), and use all of the same ingredients... but it's not the same. I talked to the manager of HB in Houston, and he said even they can't cook it the same at home because they don't have those 500 degree cooking surfaces. Bummer. I then asked my Asian friends, and they went crazy on me when I told them I used medium and not long grain, jasmine rice. That is when I learned that Chinese people cook with long grain (jasmine) rice, and Japanese people cook with medium grain rice. The only difference to me really is that medium grain is stickier, but apparently there is much more of a difference than that. When you search on the web, every recipe I've seen uses jasmine rice, so don't waste your time and go buy medium grain rice. Jasmine is just fine.

Anyway... My friend, Bhavini, got me excited about cooking Indian food. Her recipes are delicious, but she lives in Dallas and goes to med school, so recently I've had to find recipes on my own. Some were good, but many were flops. I found this recipe of Basmati Rice, and it is pretty close to the kind they serve at Indian restaurants. Yes, you do need to buy basmati rice. It is completely different than any other grain. It is longer, but nothing like the long grain rice we buy at the grocery store. Basmati rice is really expensive at Kroger/HEB. I got mine at an Indian store in Houston. I think I got like 10 lbs for $15, but I got the good stuff. Also, if you ever do intend on making Asian or Indian food, you will save a lot of money going to an Asian or Indian store. I bought all of my Indian spices in a store in Dallas, spent about $10, and I don't think I will ever run out.

The only thing that might be missing is minced cilantro. I haven't tried it with cilantro yet, though. I'll let you know!

Indian Style Basmati Rice
Adapted from Allrecipes.com
Serves 6

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups basmati rice
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 (2 inch) piece cinnamon stick, broken in half
2 pods green cardamom
4 whole cloves
1 1/2 tsp cumin seed
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
2 1/2 cups water
1 small onion, thinly sliced

Directions
1. Place rice into a bowl with enough water to cover. Set aside to soak for 20 minutes. (Do not over soak or the rice will turn into mush when boiled.)

2. Heat the oil in a large pot or saucepan over medium heat. Add the cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, cloves, and cumin seed. Cook and stir for about a minute, then add the onion to the pot. Saute the onion until a rich golden brown, about 10 minutes. Drain the water from the rice, and stir into the pot. Cook and stir the rice for a few minutes, until lightly toasted. Add salt and water to the pot, and bring to a boil. Cover, and reduce heat to low. Simmer for about 15 minutes, or until all of the water has been absorbed. Let stand for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork before serving.

Steamy Kitchen

2010-05-25T13:28:00.009-05:00

I made both of these recipes a couple weeks ago. Her recipes give you a lot of confidence making authentic asian food in the kitchen. I've made four of her recipes, and all of them are very easy and taste like take-out food. Plus, ingredients at asian markets are crazy cheap. I'm not sure how much I'll be making this in the future since it's not so healthy, but it sure was good. (These pictures are from Jaden's website.)

Garlic Scallion Noodles

Pecan Crusted Tilapia with Honey Glaze

Make $4 buying Gillette body wash at CVS

2010-05-25T12:16:00.004-05:00

Gillette Body Wash, $4, Earn $4 in ECBs wyb 1 (Limit 2)
Buy 2 at $4 each
-Use one B1G1 Gillette Body Wash PG 5/02
=$4, get back $8 ECB ($4 profit!)

See other CVS deals here and here.

Linguine with Shrimp Scampi

2010-04-23T19:40:00.007-05:00

One of my favorite pastas is Red Lobster's Shrimp Linguine Alfredo. So, so unhealthy for you, but so, so yummy. I found this recipe on FoodNetwork.com, and hey, it doesn't have heavy cream! :o) Here is a "healthier" alternative that tastes almost the same to me. I wish I knew how to count calories...

Linguine with Shrimp Scampi
Ina Garten
Serves 3

Ingredients
vegetable oil
1 tablespoon kosher salt plus 1 1/2 teaspoons
12 oz linguine
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 1/2 tablespoons good olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic (4 cloves)
1 pound large shrimp (about 16 shrimp), peeled and deveined
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves (I used dried parsley. 1/2 tsp?)
1/2 lemon, zest grated
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
1/4 lemon, thinly sliced in half-rounds
1/8 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes

Directions
Drizzle some oil in a large pot of boiling salted water, add 1 tablespoon of salt and the linguine, and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, or according to the directions on the package.

Meanwhile, in another large (12-inch), heavy-bottomed pan, melt the butter and olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the garlic. Saute for 1 minute. Be careful, the garlic burns easily! Add the shrimp, 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt, and the pepper and saute until the shrimp have just turned pink, about 5 minutes, stirring often. Remove from the heat, add the parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, lemon slices, and red pepper flakes. Toss to combine.

When the pasta is done, drain the cooked linguine and then put it back in the pot. Immediately add the shrimp and sauce, toss well, and serve.

Super Easy Fish Tacos

2010-03-31T19:21:00.007-05:00

***Added: June, 6, 2010: Since this post, I got brave and made tilapia on the stove since I found some recipes on the internet. It's actually pretty tasty if you season it right. I did this because I found out that the below tilapia isn't that healthy for you since it's breaded. It is quick and yummy, but plain old frozen tilapia fillets are really healthy for you.. and I'm trying to cut out things that we can make substitutions for. I haven't made fish tacos yet without the parmesan encrusted fillets though. I guess I'll find out soon.***

I have tried many times to cook salmon and tilapia, but I have never been very successful. It can get pretty pricey as well. All of the recipes that I have tried were not worth it. I am spoiled from Fish Daddy's. (One day I will figure out the bourbon glazed salmon recipe!)

One of my friends told me about these Parmesan Encrusted Tilapia Fillets at Sam's. I think they are about $10 for 9 fillets. That is three nights of fish tacos for us. They are really good. Like so good that I don't think I am going to try to make my own tilapia for a long time.

This is probably one of my fastest weeknight meals. I bake 3 of them in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes. While I am waiting for them to bake, I make a sauce. I have tried this one a few times, but beware, it is very spicy. Whenever I don't have a can of chipotle chiles in our pantry, I just make one out of mayonnaise, sour cream, chipotle tabasco, cumin, old bay seasoning, and chili powder. You can add whatever spices you like, just taste as you add. You really can't go wrong. I also cut up cabbage and tomatoes while I wait. So easy. Dinner ready in 25 minutes. And you don't have to be in the kitchen but for about 5 minutes. Awesome. Go buy some Parmesan Encrusted Tilapia Fillets at Sam's! You'll be glad you did. :o)

Chicken Enchiladas with Red Chile Sauce

2010-03-29T19:42:00.005-05:00

If you know how I am with cooking, I don't usually go the easy way out. I have been looking for a good enchilada recipe, but I have refused to use a can of enchilada sauce. I have finally found an easy, delicious chicken enchilada recipe in which you make homemade enchilada sauce!

Chicken Enchiladas with Red Chile Sauce
Adapted from Tide and Thyme

Ingredients
1 medium onion, chopped fine
2 jalapenos, seeded and chopped fine
1 tsp vegetable oil
3 medium cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1 Tbsp sugar
2 cans (8 ounces each) tomato sauce (or one 15 oz can)
1 cup water
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2 large breasts)
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded (I used a mix of cheddar and monterrey jack)
1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro
12 (6-inch) soft corn tortillas
Vegetable cooking spray
Salt
Ground black pepper

Directions
1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 425 degrees. Combine the onion, jalapenos, oil, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large saucepan. Cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, until the onions have softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the garlic, chili powder, cumin, and sugar, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the tomato sauce and water, bring to a simmer, and cook until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.

2. Nestle the chicken into the sauce. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the chicken is no longer pink in the center, and the thickest part registers 160 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, 12 to 20 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate; set aside to cool. Strain the sauce through a medium-mesh strainer into a medium bowl, pressing on the onions to extract as much liquid as possible. (I would press, and then stir, scraping the strainer, over and over, until the liquid all went through.) Place onion mixture in a large bowl and set aside. Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste.

3. Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred into bite-sized pieces. Add to the bowl along with the onion mixture. Add in 1/4 cup enchilada sauce, 1 cup cheese, and the cilantro. Toss to combine. (The original recipe has no fresh jalapenos, but 3 Tbsp pickled jalapenos, chopped. She adds them to this step. I thought that would be a lot hotter, so I skipped that step and added fresh jalapenos in with the onions in the beginning.)

4. Stack the tortillas on a microwave-safe plate, cover with plastic wrap, and microwave on high until warm and pliable, 40 to 60 seconds. Spread the warm tortillas out over a clean work surface. Place 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture evenly down the center of each tortilla. Tightly roll each tortilla around the filling and lay them seam-side down in a 13 by 9-inch baking dish.

5. Lightly spray the tops of the enchiladas with vegetable oil spray. Place in the oven, uncovered, for about 7 minutes until the tortillas are starting to slightly brown on the top. (If you don't like a bit of crunch in your enchiladas, just skip this step completely.) - I don't recommend skipping this step.

6. Reduce oven temperature to 400. Remove enchiladas from oven and pour remaining sauce over to coat them thoroughly. Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup cheddar down the center of the enchiladas. Cover the baking dish with foil and bake until the enchiladas are heated through, 20 to 25 minutes.

7. Remove the foil and continue to bake until the cheese browns, about 5 minutes longer. Remove from oven and let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Sausage and Cheese Kolaches

2010-03-22T11:53:00.009-05:00

My sweet friend Vicky gave me this recipe. It is a tried and true recipe from her mother-in-law. They are 300 calories each, and one is pretty filling in the morning. The first time I tried to make these, I didn't use a thermometer. If you have never made homemade dough before, I would recommend using a baking thermometer. If you don't want to buy one, make sure the milk/water is warm (not lukewarm), but not scorching hot. I burned and killed the yeast the first time I made these, and the dough never rose. The second time I made them, they turned out great!

Ingredients
2 envelopes yeast (or 4 1/2 tsp yeast)
1/4 cup water
1 Tbsp sugar
2 cups milk
1/2 cup plus 1 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp salt
2 egg yolks, slightly beaten
6-7 cups sifted flour
softened butter, as needed
20 sausage links (we like the already cooked Eckridge breakfast sausage)
10 slices of cheddar cheese

Directions
1. In a small bowl dissolve yeast in warm water (110 degrees). Sprinkle sugar (1 tbsp.) over water mixture and let stand ten minutes to proof yeast.
2. Warm milk to 110 degrees, stir in butter and 1/2 cup sugar. Let butter melt into milk mixture.
3. Pour milk and yeast mixtures into large bowl. Add salt and egg yolks.
4. Slowly add 6-7 cups of flour. Knead dough on a lightly floured board (10-15 min). Use extra flour if dough is too wet.
5. Place in bowl, cover and let rise until double (1-2 hours). Punch down dough.
6. Divide into 2 parts. Form each part into a ball and roll out like a pie crust only larger in diameter–about 1/8 – 1/4″ thick.
7. Divide each circle into 9-10 wedges.
8. Place a half slice of cheese on the wide end of the wedge. Then place a sausage on the cheese. Wind up wedge beginning at the wide end. Seal well, making sure that ends of rolled kolaches don’t have open spots where cheese can run out.
9. Place kolaches on cookie sheets and let rise, covered, about 1 hour.
10. Bake at 350-375 degrees 10-20 minutes.
11. Brush with softened butter and cool on a rack.

Store in a single layer in refrigerator as stacking the kolaches, especially if they’re still a little warm. You can put them into big freezer bags to keep longer. They only take about 45 seconds to heat up in my microwave. So quick and so yummy!

The Best Cereal Ever

2010-03-20T12:52:00.007-05:00

About a year ago, I was introduced to Mom's Best cereal. Delicious. And healthy. Well, healthier than all those other cereals. It is regular priced at $2.29 at Kroger, but about 2 weeks out of each month it is $1.99. There is usually a $0.75 coupon which you can print twice per computer on the website. That makes it $1.25 a box for delicious cereal. That's pretty exciting for me because I'm not a huge cereal person. Below are my favorites. (They only have four kinds at the Kroger in Bryan - Toasted Wheatfuls, Oats and Honey Blend, Mallow Oats, and Honey Nut Toasty O's, but they have a much bigger selection in bigger cities.)

This one is the best. Hands down. So much better than Golden Grahams. They had this in Dallas (Richardson) when we lived there last summer.

This one is my favorite of the ones available at Kroger.

If you are a fan of Lucky Charms, this one tastes just like it.. yum. I want to try the raisin bran one, and honey-ful wheat, but they don't have those here. I have tried the toasted cinnamon squares, but I like cinnamon toast crunch better than that one. They also sell oats. Go print a coupon and try some! (It's in the organic section, with the Kashi cereals.)

Sour Cream Enchilada Casserole

2010-03-12T18:28:00.004-06:00

My mom has made this recipe for years, and my brother and I love it. It's my brother's favorite recipe.

Sour Cream Enchilada Casserole
Southern Living, 1982 Annual Recipes
Serves 8

Ingredients
1 cup water
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp picante sauce, divided
12 corn or flour tortillas
2 lbs ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 to 1-1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
2 tsp ground cumin
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
3/4 cup ripe olives, sliced (optional)
1/2 cup butter or margarine (my mom uses 1/4 cup smart balance)
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1-1/2 cups milk
1 (16-oz) carton commercial sour cream (can use low fat)
2 cups (8-oz) shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions
Combine water and 2 Tbsp picante sauce in a large shallow dish. Place tortillas in picante sauce mixture; let stand 5 minutes. Drain.

Cook ground beef (or ground turkey) and onion in a heavy skillet until brown; drain off drippings. Stir in salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, olives (optional), and 1/4 cup picante sauce; simmer meat mixture 5 minutes.

Melt butter in a heavy saucepan over low heat; add flour, stirring until smooth. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Gradually stir in milk; cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat, and add sour cream; stir until well blended.

Place half of tortillas in a 9x13x2 inch baking dish. Pour half of sour cream sauce over tortillas; spoon half of meat mixture evenly over sauce. Sprinkle half of cheese mixture over meat mixture. Repeat layers with remaining ingredients. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes.

Carnitas

2010-03-08T17:09:00.013-06:00

So so so good. I still don't understand how these ingredients make such delicious, flavorful pork. I thought I had cilantro in our fridge, but it had gone bad. So, for those cilantro haters, you can still enjoy this recipe! I had it again for lunch, and it does great for leftovers too. Pork butt was on sale for $0.88/lb at Kroger this week, so that's what I used. I spend about an hour cutting all of the fat out though. I bet it would work just fine with a pork loin. Whenever it goes on sale for $1/lb, you know what I'll be making!

Carnitas
Tasty Kitchen member The Noshery

Ingredients
3 lbs boneless pork shoulder, cut into cubes
3/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
1/2 whole lime, juiced
7 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp kosher salt
1 Tbsp cumin
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped (optional)
1/4 cup chicken or beef stock
2 Tbsp olive oil

Directions
In a slow cooker, combine all ingredients (except olive oil) and stir. (I browned the meat before I added it to the slow cooker, but this is not a necessary step.) Arrange the pork so it sits as a single layer at the bottom of the pot. Set slow cooker to High for 4 hours or Low for 8 hours.

Once the pork is done, it should be tender enough that you can shred it with a spoon. Heat a pan with the olive oil. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pork from the pot to the pan in batches. Fry the pork until brown and crispy, breaking it up as you fry it. Do not crowd the pan with pork for best results. (You do not have to do this step. It still tasted delicious before this step, but I did it anyway.)

Serve on tortillas garnished with chopped onions, avocado, fresh cilantro and lime wedge. (I served them with guacamole, sour cream, Chipotle cilantro-lime rice, and cheese.)

Banana Bread

2010-02-24T12:27:00.008-06:00

Money Saving Mom has baking days a couple times a month, and she makes this every time. I didn't substitute any of the oil with apple sauce, but I'm going to try it next time for a little healthier version.

Banana Bread
Money Saving Mom

Ingredients
2 cups flour (all-purpose, whole-wheat, or a mixture of both)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil (or 1/4 cup applesauce and 1/4 cup oil)
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten
3-4 bananas, mashed
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3 Tablespoons milk

Directions
Stir together dry ingredients. Beat together remaining ingredients. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and blend until just combined. Pour into greased loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until toothpick inserted into the bread comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack.

**I made the banana bread again this week with half wheat/half white flour and half oil/half applesauce, and it is still good. It is heavier/denser, but still yummy for breakfast.

Crispy Southwest Chicken Wraps

2010-02-21T18:59:00.009-06:00

I wasn't sure what I was getting myself into with these. They remind me of the quesadillas at Freebirds. (This is how they make them, except they fold the tortilla in half rather than into a burrito.) mmm. These turned out a lot better than I thought they were going to. Brett asked me if they reheat well if we could triple the recipe and make it a staple. Apparently, he thought they were pretty good. :o)

Crispy Southwest Chicken Wraps
Tasty Kitchen member Melanie

Ingredients
1 cup cooked rice, warm or at room temperature
½ Tablespoon (1 ½ tsp) chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin powder
½ teaspoons garlic salt
1 cup cooked, shredded chicken
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 whole green onion, thinly sliced (white and green parts)
½ cup diced red or green bell pepper
¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 whole lime, juiced
6 whole burrito-sized flour tortillas
2 cups shredded cheese (combination Of monterey jack And sharp cheddar)
½ cup sour cream (optional)

Directions
Mix rice together with chili powder, cumin and garlic salt. Add remaining ingredients except for tortillas, cheese, and sour cream. Sprinkle cheese over tortillas, leaving 1/2-inch border around edges. Drop a little bit of sour cream in a line down the center of each tortilla, then arrange chicken and rice mixture down the center of each tortilla. Sprinkle some more cheese on top of the chicken and rice mixture (to ensure the tortilla gets cooked shut).

Fold the two sides of the stuffed tortillas over, leaving edges open. Spray the top (folded) side with cooking spray (I sprayed them with olive oil with my handy dandy sprayer from Bed Bath and Beyond). Heat a large nonstick skillet (or griddle) over medium heat for 1 minute. Arrange 2 wraps, seam-side down, in pan and cook until golden brown and crisp (2 to 3 minutes). While that side is cooking spray the opposite side. Flip the burrito over and cook the other side for 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate and repeat with remaining wraps. Serve.

New Orleans Style Shrimp Creole

2010-02-10T19:43:00.005-06:00

I have been in a cajun mood recently, but all of the authentic recipes that I was finding had clam sauce or shrimp shell stock... not too appealing. I ran into this recipe on Tasty Kitchen this weekend. Granted, I don't know what authentic shrimp creole tastes like, but this is really good and really easy.

New Orleans Style Shrimp Creole
Adapted by Tasty Kitchen member Frank

Ingredients
1 lb medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp olive oil
3 Tbsp flour
1 cup yellow onion, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
1 cup green bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped (I used five)
8 oz can tomato sauce
14 oz can chicken broth
1 tsp lemon juice
2 whole bay leaves
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp white pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (I used 1/4 tsp - warning - spicy!)
salt, to taste
2 cups boiled rice (I used two success boil-in-bags)

Directions
In a black cast iron pot, melt butter. (I don't have a black cast iron pot, so I used a 12" frying pan with lid.) Add the oil. Over medium heat, saute the onion, celery, green bell pepper, and garlic for about 5 minutes. Add the flour and blend well. Add the tomato sauce, chicken broth, lemon juice, bay leaves, black pepper, white pepper, cayenne pepper, and salt. Bring to a low boil then reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Add shrimp, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes longer. Remove the pot from the heat and allow to stand at room temperature for about 10 minutes before serving. Serve over cooked rice.

Pasta with Classic Pesto

2010-01-29T20:50:00.007-06:00

This is a great meal for a busy night. You can make the pesto in the time it takes to cook the pasta. It may be cheaper to buy bottled pesto, but this is so much better!

Classic Pesto
The New Best Recipe

Ingredients
1/4 cup pine nuts
3 medium garlic cloves, unpeeled
2 cups packed fresh basil leaves
2 Tbsp fresh parsley leaves (optional)
7 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
salt
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, more to taste
1/2 cup reserved pasta cooking water
1 lb pasta (long & thin or fusilli)

Directions
1. Toast the nuts in a small, heavy skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until just golden and fragrant, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer the nuts to a plate.

2. Add the garlic to the empty skillet. Toast, shaking the pan occasionally, until fragrant and the color of the cloves deepens slightly, about 7 minutes. Let the garlic cool, then peel and chop.

3. Place the nuts, garlic, herb(s), oil, and 1/2 tsp salt in a food processor. Process until smooth, stopping as necessary to scrape down the sides of the workbowl. Transfer the mixture to a small bowl, stir in the Parmesan, and adjust the salt to taste. (The surface of the pesto can be covered with a sheet of plastic wrap or a thin film of oil and refrigerated for up to 3 days.)

4. Bring 4 quarts water to a rolling boil in a large pot. Add salt and pasta to the boiling water and stir to separate the noodles. Cook until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta cooking water, drain the pasta, and return it to the pot.

5. Stir 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta cooking water into pesto. Toss the hot pasta with the thinned pesto, adding the remaining pasta cooking water as needed. Serve immediately or let cool to room temperature.

Cheap Swanson's Chicken Broth at CVS

2010-01-22T20:01:00.003-06:00

Swanson's Chicken Broth is on sale for $0.50 each this upcoming week at CVS. There is a limit of 10 instead of 4 (at Walgreens). They won't have that many, but you can get a rain check that doesn't expire. You can also take the ad to Target or Walmart, and pick up some for the same price.

Go here to see the ad.

Taco Chili

2010-01-04T18:39:00.006-06:00

A wonderful coworker of mine, Monique, gave me this recipe along with all of the ingredients in a basket. So easy and so good. It's a keeper!

Taco Chili
Paula Deen
Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients
1 cup dried kidney beans
1/2 cup dried pinto beans
1 (1 1/4-oz) package taco seasoning mix
1 (1-oz) package buttermilk salad dressing mix
3 Tbsp dried minced onion
1 tsp chili powder (or more, to taste)
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1 (16-oz) can tomato sauce
1 (11 3/4-oz) can diced tomatoes and green chilies
4 cups water
1 lb ground beef, cooked and drained

Directions
Place beans in a large bowl, cover with water and soak 6 to 8 hours, or overnight. Drain and add to a Dutch oven. Add seasoning packet, water, diced tomatoes and green chilies, tomato sauce, and ground beef.

Heat to boiling, cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 2 hours, or until beans are tender. Serve with corn or tortilla chips.

King Ranch Chicken

2010-01-02T19:39:00.009-06:00

We had this for dinner this weekend at Brett's parents' house. I've heard about this casserole many times, but I've never had it before. I was really excited to see the first 3 ingredients because I bulk up on them when they are on sale. Every two or three weeks, Walgreen's has Swanson's chicken broth on sale for 2/$1 (it's usually $1.29 a can at the grocery store!) and Campbell's condensed cream soups on sale for $0.79 each. You can usually find a $1 off of two Campbell's coupon on the internet, leaving the soups at $0.29 each. If you don't have a Walgreens near you, Walmart and Target both do price matching. All you have to do is take the Walgreens ad to either store and get the same deal there. Enjoy!

King Ranch Chicken
Sandy Hern
Serves 8 to 10

Ingredients
1 (10 3/4-oz) can cream of chicken soup
1 (10 3/4-oz) can cream of mushroom soup
1 can Swanson's chicken broth (or 2 cups chicken broth)
1 (10-oz) can crushed tomatoes and green chilies
1 package of 12 to 20 (6 inch) corn tortillas, torn into small pieces
1 large (3-pound) chicken, stewed, skinned, boned, and cut into bite-size pieces, or 2 to 3 cups cooked chicken pieces
1 large onion, chopped
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 to 1 pound cheddar cheese, grated
1-1/2 tsp chili powder
Garlic salt to taste

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine condensed soups, broth, chili powder, garlic salt and tomatoes; set aside. Oil a 9x13 inch pan. Layer half of the tortillas, half the chicken, half the onion, half the bell pepper, and half the cheese in the pan. Pour half the soup mixture over layers. Repeat layers of tortillas, chicken, onion, and bell pepper; pour remaining soup mixture over top with remaining cheese. Bake 45 minutes to 1 hour. Let sit 15 minutes before serving.

*Sandy seasons her chicken breasts with Tony Chachere's and lemon pepper, and then she cooks them on a George Foreman grill.

**If desired, dip tortillas in hot stock to soften, or cut tortillas in pieces. Casserole can be frozen. Reheat at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.

Mexican Rice

2009-12-20T18:54:00.007-06:00

Mexican Rice
Ree Drummond

Ingredients
2 Tablespoons canola oil
½ whole large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups long grain rice
1 (10 oz) can mild rotel
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
2 cups low sodium chicken broth (I use a whole can of Swanson's)
1 teaspoon cumin (more To taste)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions
Heat oil in a large skillet. Add onions, then cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Reduce heat to low and add rice and garlic. Stir constantly, making sure the rice doesn’t burn. Cook over low heat for 3 minutes. Add Ro-tel and tomatoes. Stir to combine and let cook for 2 minutes. Finally, add broth, cumin, and salt, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low (I leave it at 2.5), cover, and simmer for 15 additional minutes or until rice is done. Add more liquid as needed; rice shouldn’t be sticky. If the rice is still a little crunchy, turn off the heat and let it sit with the lid on for at least 5 more minutes.

Just before serving, sprinkle lots of freshly chopped cilantro over the top. Serve immediately.

White Chicken Enchilada Casserole

2009-12-20T18:38:00.010-06:00

And another delicious meal by Ree. I make this, along with her Mexican rice, once every two to three weeks along with mexican rice. It is also one of the best leftover meals ever.

My casserole version of White Chicken Enchiladas
Ree Drummond

Ingredients
2-½ cups cooked, shredded chicken (dark meat tastes much better than breasts in this recipe)
2 cups chicken broth
3 Tablespoons Canola Oil
8-12 whole corn tortillas
1 whole large onion, Diced
3 whole 4 Oz cans whole green chilies, diced
1 whole jalapeno, seeded and finely diced
1 teaspoon paprika
½ cup heavy cream (can use milk or fat free half and half, but I'm not convinced this ingredient is necessary)
2 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons flour
1 cup sour cream (I use fat free/low fat or the new smart balance kind)
2-½ cups monterey jack cheese, Grated
Salt and pepper, to taste
Cayenne pepper, to taste
Picante Sauce (optional)
Cilantro, chopped (optional)

Directions
If you are going to use dark meat (which I recommend, but it takes longer - definitely a weekend meal), they sell a 10 lb bag of chicken thighs and legs for about $5 at Kroger. Put all of the chicken legs/thighs in a big pot and fill it with water. Bring to a boil, and simmer for 30 minutes. Shred for two forks when cooked. Portion the extra chicken in quart freezer bags, and freeze until next time.

Microwave the tortillas to warm and soften them. Break them up into 1" squares.

Heat 1 tablespoon canola oil in separate skillet over medium heat. Add onions and jalapenos and saute for 1 minute, just to start the cooking process. Add chicken, half of the green chilies, and 1/2 teaspoon paprika. Stir together. Add 1/2 cup chicken broth and stir. Add cream (or half and half/milk) and stir, allowing mixture to bubble and get hot. Turn off heat and set aside.

In a separate large skillet, melt butter and sprinkle in flour. (Light butter does not work. I've tried :o(.. ) Whisk together and cook over medium heat for one minute. Pour in 1 1/2 cups chicken broth. Whisk together and cook for another minute or two. Stir in the other half of the chilies. Reduce heat, then stir in sour cream. Add 1 1/2 cups grated cheese and stir to melt. Add 1/2 teaspoon paprika. Check seasoning and add salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste.

Ree makes these into enchiladas, but I am lazy, so I make it into a casserole. Use a greased 9 x 13 inch pan. Go here to see a visual.

Pour cheese mixture all over the top, then bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Sprinkle generously with chopped cilantro, if desired.

Beef with Broccoli

2009-11-15T15:39:00.005-06:00

***This wasn't so good for leftovers... I think the oyster sauce becomes overpowering. It was really good the night of though. I'll let you know if I ever find a better beef and broccoli recipe.

I have been going to the BCS Asian grocery store a lot recently. There are so many sauces I've never heard of before. So exciting! I love making stir fries (sp?), but I have noticed that they don't taste like real asian food. I want to change that; therefore, I have to branch out to new ingredients. Ok, so the ingredients in this doesn't sound too appealing, but they are! I don't like sushi or fishy fish, so don't worry, Oyster sauce doesn't taste anything like that. I've always wanted to try something on Jaden's website, but some of the ingredients made me nervous. Ree put up one of her recipes, so I knew I had to try it. Amazing.

Beef and Broccoli
Jaden from Steamy Kitchen
Serves 4

Ingredients
1 lb top sirloin or flank steak, thinly sliced into 1/8-in (3-mm)-thick strips
1-1/2 lbs broccoli, cut into bite-size florets
1 tablespoon high-heat cooking oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic

BEEF MARINADE
1 1/2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon cooking oil
Freshly ground black pepper to season the beef

STIR-FRY SAUCE
3 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 teaspoons Chinese rice wine (or dry sherry)
2 teaspoons Chinese black vinegar (or balsamic vinegar)

Directions
In a bowl, combine the ingredients for the Beef Marinade. Add the beef and let mari- nate for 10 minutes at room temperature.

In a small bowl, mix together the ingre- dients for the Stir-fry Sauce.

In a wok or large sauté pan, add 1 inch (2.5 cm) of water and bring to a boil. Add the broccoli and cover to steam for 3 minutes. The broccoli should be bright green, crisp tender and you should be able to pierce the stem with a fork. Drain.

Discard the water in the pan and dry the pan well. Set the pan over high heat and when hot, add the high-heat cooking oil and swirl to coat. Add the garlic and fry for 15 to 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add the steak strips, keeping them in one layer and fry 30 seconds. Flip the strips and fry the other side.

Pour in the Stir-fry Sauce and stir to combine. Simmer until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 30 seconds. Add the cooked broccoli back into the pan and toss to coat well.

Green Chili with Pork

2009-11-15T15:28:00.004-06:00

I've been so busy, I never update my blog anymore! So sad, I know. I still can't find my camera charger, but to be perfectly honest, I haven't looked that hard. It's dark by the time I get home these days, so the pictures wouldn't be so pretty anyway.

I made Ree's Spicy Shredded Pork a week or two ago (which is delicious, of course) and used the rest in the following recipe I found on Tasty Kitchen. I had never made roasted poblano peppers, but I love cooking with new things. I'm actually making it again tonight (halving the recipe) with left over pork I made in the crockpot from Thursday.

Green Chili with Pork
candykettle on Tasty Kitchen

Ingredients
1/4 cups Olive Oil
2 whole Yellow Onions
8 whole Garlic Cloves, Peeled And Minced
8 whole Jalapeno Peppers, Stemmed And Minced
3 whole Carrots, Peeled And Sliced Crosswise Into 1/2" Pieces
1-1/2 Tablespoon Oregano
3 pounds Boneless Pork Loin, Cut Into 1/2" Cubes
5 cups Chicken Stock, Homemade Or Canned
28 ounces, weight Canned Plum Tomatoes, Crushed And Well Drained
1 whole Potato, About 8 Oz, Peeled And Grated
12 whole Poblano Peppers, Roasted And Peeled - instructions here
Salt To Taste
Cumin To Taste (if you like cumin)

Directions
(Roast poblano peppers by turning them on an open flame of a gas burner or grill until charred. Wrap the chilies in a paper bag. When cool, peel charred skin from the peppers. Stem and seed the peppers, and slice or chop.)

In a 5-quart heavy stock pot, warm the oil. Add the onions, garlic, jalapenos and carrots and cook, stirring once or twice, for 10 minutes. Stir in oregano and the pork cubes and cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat has lost all pink color, about 20 minutes.

Stir in the chicken stock, salt, cumin, tomatoes, and the grated potato. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, partially cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 1/2 hours.

Cut the poblanos into 1/2″ strips. (I would dice them up, it is a little strange having long strips of poblano peppers in a soup.) Add them to the chili and cook, stirring often, for another 30 to 45 minutes, or until the pork is tender and the chili has thickened to your liking.

Serve topped with sour cream. Warm crusty garlic bread goes well with this soup, too.

French Onion Beef

2009-11-15T15:18:00.005-06:00

Brett's sister gave me this recipe from one of her favorite slow cooker cookbooks. It's really good! If you're not too into stuffing, I'd use half a stuffing package - then you can half the butter and have a healthier meal all around. This recipe works great during a busy week.

French Onion Beef
Goose Berry Patch Slow Cooker Recipes
Serves 4-6

Ingredients
1-1/4 lbs. boneless beef round steak, cut into 6 pieces
8 oz package sliced mushrooms
1 cup onion, sliced and separated into rings
10-3/4 oz can French onion soup
6-1/4 oz package herb-flavored stuffing mix (I used cornbread flavored)
1/4 cup butter, melted
8 oz package shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions
Layer half of beef, mushrooms, and onion in a slow cooker; repeat layers. Pour soup over top; cover and cook on low setting for 8 to 10 hours. Shortly before serving, toss stuffing mix with its seasoning packet (there was no seasoning packet in mine since I used cornbread stuffing), melted butter and 1/2 cup liquid from slow cooker. Spread stuffing mixture on top of beef. Increase to high setting; cover and cook for 10 minutes, or until stuffing is fluffy. Sprinkle with cheese; cover and heat until cheese is melted.

Chinese Coleslaw

2009-10-31T21:00:00.009-05:00

This is one of Brett's aunt's recipes, and it's also one of my favorite side dishes.

Chinese Coleslaw
Judy Ray

Ingredients
1/2 cup sugar (use 1/4 cup if too sweet)
1/2 cup oil
6 Tbsp red wine vinegar (can use rice wine vinegar)
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp pepper
1 package Ramen Noodles (discard seasoning)
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1 package coleslaw
1 bunch green onions, chopped

Directions
Crunch Ramen noodles in bag. Toast with almonds until light brown at 350 degrees for approximately 10-15 minutes. (I put them in the toaster oven and hit toast.) Mix coleslaw with green onions. Mix first five ingredients separately. (I put them in a small container and shake.) Mix coleslaw, almonds, and ramen. When ready to serve, pour desired amount of dressing over just before.

Tasty Chicken Pasta

2009-10-10T18:20:00.006-05:00

My camera is dead, and I can't find its charger (it doesn't use batteries). I found this yummy recipe on Tasty Kitchen. :o)

The Best Chicken Pasta Ever
LadyInRed

Ingredients
2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (more if you like lots of chicken)
Garlic salt, to sprinkle
Olive oil
1 cup sliced mushrooms (canned/drained Or Fresh)
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
1 cup Spinach (fresh or frozen), chopped
1/4 cup fresh parsley, minced, OR 1/2 Tbsp dried
1/4 cup basil, chopped, OR 1/2 Tbsp dried
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 cup parmesan, grated
1/2 lb pasta

Directions
Cook spaghetti until barely al-dente according to package directions. Remove from heat, but leave in water to keep warm. (I didn't leave mine in water because I was scared they would get too soggy.)

Sprinkle chicken with garlic salt and grill or pan-fry in a little olive oil. After it’s done, slice into thin strips or 1″ chunks and set aside (keep warm).

If you grilled, drizzle a skillet with olive oil and heat or, if you pan-fried, reheat the pan as-is. Add in mushrooms and garlic, saute until tender. Stir in the remaining ingredients (except pasta) and simmer until cooked through. Add chicken.

Drain pasta, put in serving bowl, and drizzle with olive oil. Toss in the chicken and sprinkle with cheese. Enjoy!

Pam’s Simple, Scrumptious Caesar Salad

2009-09-21T18:52:00.007-05:00

Brett's favorite salad in the whole world is a caesar salad. I never had the guts to make a homemade caesar salad because of the anchovies, but now there is a new alternative. Pam Anderson shared her recipe on the Pioneer Woman with no anchovies! Yum. It was good - especially the homemade croutons.

Pam’s Simple, Scrumptious Caesar Salad
Pam Anderson on the Pioneer Woman
Serves 4-6

Ingredients

Garlic Croutons
3 - 4 cloves garlic
A generous 1/4 cup pure olive oil
2 packed cups 3/4″ bread cubes, cut from a good-quality baguette or Italian loaf
Large pinch of salt

Salad
3 romaine hearts (outer leaves discarded), torn up in pieces
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 1/2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire
5 tablespoon pure olive oil (I use 1/4 cup extra light evoo)
1/4 teaspoon salt
Ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for sprinkling.
1 - 2 cooked chicken breast, chopped

Directions

Heat a 10-inch skillet over low heat. With motor running, drop garlic cloves through feeder tube of a food processor fitted with the steel blade to mince. (A blender works as well.) Scrape down sides of bowl and add olive oil through feeder tube as well. Continue to process so that garlic releases its flavor into the oil, about 30 seconds. Strain garlic from oil through a fine-mesh strainer; reserve half of the garlic for dressing.

Increase skillet heat to medium. Place bread cubes in medium bowl. Drizzle garlic oil evenly over bread, along with big pinch of salt; toss to coat. Add bread cubes to hot skillet and toast, turning the cubes and shaking the pan often, until crisp and golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Return croutons to bowl and set aside to cool while preparing salad.

Place lettuce leaves in a large bowl. Whisk lemon juice, mayonnaise, half the reserved garlic, and Worcestershire in a small bowl. Drizzle lettuce with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste, and toss lightly and carefully. (Clean hands work well.) Drizzle lemon mixture over lettuce; toss again. Sprinkle Parmesan over greens; toss again. Sprinkle croutons over the salad; toss and serve, sprinkling each portion with a little more Parmesan cheese.

Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps

2009-09-18T10:02:00.014-05:00

I have always wanted to make these, and I'm glad I chose this recipe! It's Todd Wilbur's version of P.F. Chang's Chicken Lettuce Wraps. So good! When I was making the special sauce, I had my doubts, serious doubts, but it was delicious! :o)

Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Adapted from Top Secret Recipes by Todd Wilbur
Serves 2-3

Ingredients
3 Tbsp oil
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup water chestnuts (about half of a 5 oz can)
2 mushrooms
3 Tbsp chopped onions
1 tsp minced garlic
4-5 leaves iceberg lettuce

Special Sauce
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
2 Tbsp ketchup
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/8 tsp sesame or peanut oil
1 Tbsp hot mustard
2 tsp garlic and red chile paste
2 tsp cornstarch dissolved in 1/4 cup water

Stir Fry Sauce
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp hoison sauce
1/2 tsp rice vinegar

Directions
Bring oil to medium high heat in a wok or large frying pan. Saute chicken breasts for 5 minutes per side or until done. Remove chicken from the pan and cool. As chicken cools, mince water chestnuts and mushrooms to about the size of small peas. (Also mince garlic and chop onions.) When chicken is cool, mince it.

Turn the heat back onto medium and prepare the stir fry sauce by mixing the soy sauce, hoison sauce, brown sugar, and rice vinegar together in the wok/frying pan. Add chicken, garlic, onions, water chestnuts and mushrooms to the pan. Saute the mixture for a couple minutes.

Get another frying pan and add the sugar, water, soy sauce, rice vinegar, ketchup, lemon juice, sesame or peanut oil, hot mustard, and garlic chili sauce to make the special sauce mixture to pour over the wraps. I thought this is too water-y, so I added 2 tsp cornstarch dissolved in some water. Stir on medium heat until thickened.

Serve chicken mixture in lettuce "cups" and top with "special sauce."

*****

We had Brett's brother, Chris, over for dinner. This only made enough for 6 lettuce wraps, and the boys were still hungry. (I'm not really sure why I didn't double the recipe.) Brett said he was going to make a salad with the rest of the lettuce. This is what he brought back to the table for us to eat.

:o) He made one for each of us, and he demanded that we take a picture and write about it in my blog.

Ingredients
1/2 peeled head of iceberg lettuce
3 squeezes of Kraft Ranch dressing (he told me to say Hidden Valley, but he used Kraft)
3 small handfuls of shredded cheddar cheese

Directions
Cut the lettuce into thirds. Put one squeeze of ranch dressing on each lettuce chunk. Drop one small handful on each lettuce chunk. Eat with hands.

Tomato Soup

2009-09-15T19:05:00.004-05:00

Tomato Soup
Serves 4

Ingredients
4 cups canned whole tomatoes
4 cups tomato juice
4 tsp Better than Bouillon chicken base
12-14 fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup butter (I usually use 1/4 cup)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Combine tomatoes, tomato juice, and chicken stock paste in a large saucepan. Simmer over medium-low heat for 30 minutes. (I cover mine so that I don't get tomato juice all over the stove/floor.) Cool slightly, then using a wand mixer, process with basil until smooth. Return to saucepan and add butter, stirring over low heat until melted and fully incorporated. Add salt and pepper. Keep warm until ready to serve.

**You can add 1 Tbsp sugar to the tomato soup, juice, and chicken stock to calm down the tangy-ness of the tomatoes.

Target 9/15

2009-09-15T17:48:00.004-05:00

I got all of this at a regular old Target. We don't have a Super Target here in College Station. :o( It's okay though. I can still do most of Target's deals here. I got all this for $6.31.

Deal: Buy 5 Kashi Cereals for $2.88 each, get a $5 Target Giftcard
I bought 5 for $2.50 each (price-matched at Walgreens - just bring in the ad)
-five $1.50 coupons from here, here, here (IE), here (FF), here ($1), or $2 vocalpoint coupon (I just got mine in the mail after I went to Target).
=$5 or free after the giftcard!

2 Kellogg's Poptarts, $1.46 each
-$1/2 coupon in 8/2 Kellogg's insert (inside the SS insert)
-two $0.75 target coupons
=$0.21 each

2 Market Pantry Cheese, 8oz, $1.79 each
-$1/2 Target coupon
=$1.29 each

2 Kraft Cheese, 6oz, $1.52 each
-$1/2 coupon in 8/9 RP (expires today)
=$1.02 each

Tide Stain release, 20 oz, $3.79
-$1.50 coupon I got in the mail
-$1.50 8/23 RP (Target coupon)
=$0.79

Chipotle Mexican Grill Barbacoa and Cilantro-Lime Rice

2009-09-09T10:53:00.007-05:00

One of my favorite fast food restaurants is Chipotle. I always get their barbacoa. I found a copy-cat recipe of their barbacoa and cilantro-lime rice, and I made it last night. It is pretty close! I used a slow cooker instead of cooking it on the stove. Here is what I did.

Chipotle Barbacoa
Recipezaar
Serves 8

Ingredients
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons lime juice
3 chipotle peppers, canned (the cans usually say "in abodo sauce")
4 garlic cloves
4 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 lbs chuck roast
3/4 cup chicken broth
3 bay leaves

Directions
Make adobo sauce by combining vinegar, lime juice, peppers, garlic, cumin, oregano, black pepper, salt and clove in a blender or food processor and puree on high speed until smooth.

Trim the fat from the meat, and then slice the roast into 6 smaller pieces. Sear all sides of the chunks of meat in 2 tablespoons of oil until browned. Put meat in the crockpot. Add the adobo sauce on top of the meat, pour in the chicken broth, and add the bay leaves. Cover the crock pot and cook on low for 6-8 hours. At the three hour mark, take the lid off and shred the beef with two forks. Cover and cook for the last hour.

Chipotle Cilantro-Lime Rice
Recipezaar
Makes 6 cups of rice

Ingredients
3 cups water
2 cups converted rice
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/3 cup fresh cilantro, minced
2 tablespoons lime juice

Directions
Make the cilantro-lime rice by combining water, rice, butter and salt in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce heat to low, cover saucepan, and simmer for 20 minutes. When the rice is done stir in the cilantro and lime juice. Keep rice covered until you're ready to assemble the burritos.

Walgreens 9/6

2009-09-06T10:58:00.002-05:00

Walgreens "paid me" $2 to buy this.

Buy 2 Glade Collection (2 oz.) candles at $2 each, Get $1 Register Rewards
-use two free candle coupons from the 8/9 SmartSource insert
=FREE after coupons, plus get $1 Register Reward

Buy $15 worth of Starbucks Ice cream, Get $5 Register Rewards
Buy 5 pints of Starbucks Ice Cream at $3 each
-use 4 $2/1 coupons from the 6/21 SmartSource insert and one FREE Startbucks Ice Cream coupon from Facebook
=$4 after coupons, plus get $5 Register Rewards, therefore FREE plus $1 overage!

CVS 9/5

2009-09-05T15:48:00.003-05:00

I got paid $1.50 to buy all this. :o) This is for the 9/6 - 9/12 CVS ad.

Schick Slim Triple ST3 Disposable Razors 8 ct $6.99, Earn $4 in ECBs (Limit 1)
-$3 coupon from 8/16 SS insert
=FREE after coupon and ECBs

Scope Outlast 750ml or Crest with Scope Outlast Toothpaste 5.8oz $3.49, Earn $2.50 in ECBs (Limit 2)
-$0.50 coupon from 8/30 P&G insert (for toothpaste not mouthwash)
=$0.49 each after coupon and ECBs (toothpaste)
OR =$0.99 each after coupons and ECBs (mouthwash)

Schick Quattro for Women Razor B1G1 FREE, $9.99
-two $4 coupons from 8/23 SS
=$1 each after two coupons

Poise 10 ct, $2.49
-FREE Poise CRT (I got it from the machine when I got to CVS)
=FREE

**I got a $5 off of $30 purchase in my email to use this weekend only. Check your email! (That's how this was a money maker. I would have paid $3.50 for all of this without the $5 off coupon.)

Moroccan Chickpea Chili

2009-09-05T15:40:00.004-05:00

Moroccan Chickpea Chili
Cooking Light: The Essential Dinner Tonight Cookbook
Serves 4

Ingredients
2 tsp olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1 tsp minced garlic (fresh or bottled)
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground red pepper
1 1/2 cup water
2 Tbsp no-salt-added tomato paste
2 (15.5 oz) cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
1 (14.5 oz) can no-salt-added diced tomatoes, undrained
2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

Directions
Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, celery, carrot, and garlic; saute 5 minutes. Stir in cumin and next 7 ingredients; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add 1 1/2 cups water, tomato paste, chickpeas, and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes. Stir in cilantro and juice.

Calories: 215 (23% from fat)
Fat: 5.5g (sat 0.4g, mono 2.9g, poly 1.9g)
Protein: 7.7g
Carbs: 36.3g
Fiber: 9.8g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Iron 3.4mg
Sodium 534mg
Calcium 102mg

Chicken Tikka Masala

2009-09-03T20:00:00.008-05:00

Another successful Indian recipe! I altered the original recipe to make it healthier, less saltier, and not so spicy. My nose didn't even run with the amount of heat below. :o) To make it spicier you can double the cayenne pepper and/or garam masala.

Chicken Tikka Masala
Allrecipes.com
Serves 4

Ingredients
Marinade:
1 cup yogurt (plain or vanilla)
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbsp minced fresh ginger
1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
1 tsp garam masala
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
4 long skewers

Sauce:
1Tbsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped (optional)
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
2 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
2 cups fat free evaporated milk, half and half, or cream
1 tomato, chopped, or 1 can diced tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions
In a large bowl, combine marinade ingredients: yogurt, lemon juice, cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, black pepper, ginger, garam masala, and salt. Stir in chicken, cover, and refrigerate for a few hours, or overnight.

Preheat a grill for high heat. Lightly oil the grill grate. Thread chicken onto skewers, and discard marinade. Grill until juices run clear, about 5 minutes on each side. If you have a meat thermometer, it should be at least 150 degrees F.

Melt olive oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic and jalapeno for 1 minute. Season with cumin, paprika, garam masala, and salt. Stir in tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and evaporated milk. Simmer on low heat until sauce thickens, about 20 minutes. Add grilled chicken, and simmer for 10 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter, and garnish with fresh cilantro. Serve with basmati rice or naan.

Italian Toss

2009-09-03T15:11:00.008-05:00

This is one of Brett's and my mom's favorites. It is like a rigatoni version of lasagna with a hint of sweetness.

Ingredients
1 16-oz box rigatoni noodles
1/2 stick of butter or margarine
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 lb grated mozzarella cheese
1 cup parmesan cheese
2 lbs ground beef (or 1 lb ground beef and 1 lb hot sausage)
1 large jar of Prego (or your favorite sauce)
2 eggs, beaten

Directions
Cook and drain the noodles. Meanwhile, brown ground beef and let cool. Melt the butter or margarine and add the brown sugar. Coat the noodles with the butter mixture. Sprinkle the cheese on top and mix. Add beaten eggs to ground beef. Combine the noodle mixture with the hamburger mixture. Mix in half of the jar of Prego. Put in a greased 9 x 13 inch pan. Pour the rest of the Prego over the top. Bake at 375 degrees for 30-45 minutes.

**This sauce is really good.

The Pioneer Woman finished her cookbook!!

2009-09-03T13:47:00.005-05:00

Ah! This is so exciting. Her book is available for pre-order on Amazon and Barnes & Noble at a reduced price. It comes out October 27th! She's also doing a book tour and coming to TEXAS. Too bad she's not coming to Houston, but she is coming to Austin and Dallas. I might just have to go to Austin on December 3rd. I'm like one of her biggest fans. If you haven't tried her recipes or gone to her website, you need to, like right now.

Here's her "book trip" schedule.

My first whole chicken!

2009-08-29T16:42:00.004-05:00

I have been wanting to do this for a while. I got the idea from allrecipes.com. The name makes me laugh - Beer Butt Chicken.

I got the chicken out of the plastic wrap, grabbed all the guts out (it's really not that gross), and ran it under a little water. I bought the cheapest can of beer they had at Shell ($1), poured out half of it, and plopped the chicken on the beer can. I then melted about 1/4 stick of butter and mixed in salt, pepper, and garlic powder. I then basted the chicken with the melted, seasoned butter, and put it in the oven at 350 degrees for about an hour and 1/2. I took it out when the temperature deep in the thigh was 180 degrees F. It's that easy! They said to use 2 sticks of butter, one on the chicken and one in the beer can, but I didn't want to use that much butter. I'm sure the chicken would have a lot more flavor if you rub the seasonings into the meat, under the skin, but I couldn't figure out how to do that.

Carving is another story. Videos on the internet make it look SO easy. It wasn't. I ended up with two pretty breasts and the rest very unpretty and all shredded up. I've decided I'm going to make chicken tortilla soup with the shredded up chicken, and fried rice with the breasts.

I really did all of this so I could make homemade chicken stock. I found many recipes. I'm going to follow this recipe sometime in the next week when I make the stock from the chicken bones. Fun!

Chana Masala

2009-08-29T16:19:00.019-05:00

Chana Masala aka Chickpea Curry

Bhavini Patel

6 servings

Ingredients

1, 29 oz can of chickpeas (or two 15 oz cans), rinsed and drained

1 small onion, pureed

4 roma tomatoes, pureed

2 medium red (new) potatoes

cumin seeds

cinnamon stick, broken in half

whole cloves

mustard seeds

2 tsp fresh ginger, minced

2 tsp fresh garlic, minced (can use 4 tsp ginger garlic paste instead of fresh ginger and garlic)

2 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp garam masala (1/2 tsp if heat sensitive)

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp red chili powder

salt, to taste

cilantro, chopped

juice of one lime

Directions

Boil the potatoes, skins on, until cooked through. You can also microwave them. (Make sure a fork can easily be poked into the potato.) Set aside to cool. When cool, peel off the skin and cut up the potato. I used a potato ricer, but Bhavini just holds the potato in one hand and a knife in the other and kind of shaves pieces off. Pour some oil in a pan on medium heat. Use a wok if you have one. When hot, add a pinch of cumin seeds, mustard seeds, cinnamon pieces, and about 8-10 cloves. Let them sizzle for about a minute. Add the ginger and garlic. Let it sit sizzle for a minute or two. Add pureed onion, and let it sit for a minute. Add cumin powder, coriander powder, garam masala, turmeric powder, red chili powder, and salt to taste. Let sit for 2 to 3 minutes, covered. Add pureed tomatoes. Let sit for five minutes, covered. Add chickpeas and potatoes. Garnish with cilantro and lime juice. Serve with rice or naan.

*This picture is thicker (less saucier) than how it should be. I used 2 big cans of chickpeas in the above picture, but I now use one can (29 oz).

Lasagna

2009-08-20T09:17:00.008-05:00

Sorry no picture this time! My camera is packed up and ready to move to College Station. :o)

Lasagna
Sandy Hern
She also makes a really good veggie lasagna!

Ingredients
1 lb ground beef (2 lb if you like really meaty lasagna)
2 Tbsp oil
1 small minced onion
1 1/2 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp black pepper
3 tsp oregano
4 Tbsp parsley flakes
1 tsp sugar
1 can diced tomatoes
3 cans tomato sauce

16 oz. lasagna noodles
Big bag of mozzarella cheese (I think it's 32 oz...?)
Regular size bag of Parmesan cheese

Directions
Brown beef in a large pot (at least 2 1/2 quart pot using 1 lb beef). Strain beef, wipe down pot with a paper towel, heat oil, and saute onions. Add strained beef, garlic salt, black pepper, oregano, parsley flakes, sugar, diced tomatoes, and tomato sauce. Simmer for 30 minutes. If it is splattering everywhere, cover the pot with a lid.

Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water (add 2 tsp vegetable oil to water so noodles won't stick). Cook until tender, but slightly firm.

In a 9 x 13 inch baking dish, layer: meat sauce, lasagna noodles, mozzarella, and 2 Tbsp parmesan. (You will use all of the mozzarella, but not all of the parmesan.) End with sauce. (I always put cheese on top of the last sauce layer.) Also, somehow I always end up with a few lasagna noodles left over. I think my pan (glass pyrex) isn't as deep as most lasagna pans.

Bake 45 minutes to an hour at 350 degrees. Remove from the oven, and let sit for 15-30 minutes to set. Bon Appetit!

Kroger Run 8/15

2009-08-15T16:39:00.002-05:00

Finally, I have awoken from a much needed nap. Last night I went to Kroger from 11:30pm-1:30am. (It took forever because I wasn't organized at all.) If you didn't know, Kroger did a sale today where they doubled coupons up to $1. That's a big deal in the coupon world. Sadly, the Krogers in this area didn't have everything I was looking for, but I still did pretty good. I got all of the following for $11.56:

Food
Grande Tortilla chips
Knorr beef bouillon cubes
Activia yogurt
Caprisun
Mahatma Rice, 1 lb
Smart Balance Mayo
2 Ragu
French's mustard
I can't believe it's not butter spray
Smart balance oil
2 buitoni angel hair pasta
Velveeta
2 healthy balance juices
Luzianne tea, 24 bag ct
2 Success jasmine rice
Cinnabon bars
2 Starbucks coffee drinks
gallon of milk

Toiletries
2 oxy face products
floss
covergirl eyeliner
skintamite shaving cream

Cleaning
Lysol toilet cleaner
2 glade air fresheners
2 air wick air fresheners
2 scotch green scrubber thingys

Random
Energizer 4 AA pk
Rubbermaid cup

Speedy Chicken Stir Fry

2009-08-10T18:18:00.003-05:00

Speedy Chicken Stir Fry
Kraft Foods

Ingredients
8 oz. angel hair pasta (capellini), uncooked
2 cups small broccoli florets
1 lb. bonless skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips
1/2 cup Kraft Asian Toasted Sesame Dressing
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1/3 cup chopped Planters dry roasted peanuts (optional)
8 oz can of sliced water chestnuts, drained (optional)

Direction
Cook pasta as directed on the package, adding broccoli to the boiling water for the last 3 minutes of the pasta cooking time.

Meanwhile, spray a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray; heat on medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 6 to 8 minutes or until cooked through, stirring occasionally. Stir in dressing, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, crushed red pepper, and water chestnuts (optional); cook 1 minute, stirring occasionally.

Drain pasta mixture; place in large bowl. Add chicken mixture; mix lightly. Sprinkle with peanuts (optional).

Back to School Giveaway: $50 Hanes Giftcard

2009-08-10T16:04:00.004-05:00

One of my favorite blogs, Common Sense with Money, is hosting a giveaway for a $50 Hanes gift card. Go here to enter. This giveaway ends 8/16 at 9PM CST. Good luck!

Target Trip 8/10

2009-08-10T15:31:00.002-05:00

I got all of the above for $7.96! I got a $5 off of $25 Target coupon in the home mailer for the opening of the new Wylie store, so I had to take advantage of that.

What I did:

Snickers and Twix, $0.52 each
-two coupons for FREE Mars Candy
=both FREE

2 Air Wick Freshmatic Ultra starter kits, $5.99 each
-two $6 off Air Wick Freshmatic Ultra i-Motion Starter Kit (SS 8/9)
=both FREE

Stacy's Pita Chips, $2.50 each
-$1 printable coupon
=$1.50 each
I've been waiting to get these half price all summer! Now I can try the Pioneer Woman's Stacy's pita chips recipes! :o)

Kellogg's Poptarts, $1.52
-$0.75 Target printable coupon
-$0.55 Kellogg's Poptarts printable coupon
=$0.22

Broccoli, $0.99

Hunts Diced Tomatoes, $0.79
-$0.25 Target home mailer Hunts coupon
=$0.54

Ronzoni Smart Taste Pasta, $1.22 each
-$1/2 printable coupon
=$0.72 each

Kashi Cereal, $2.74
-$1 Target home mailer Kashi coupon
-$1.50 printable coupon (IE link and FF link)
=$0.24

Lipton Tea, $2.50
-$0.50 coupon (RP 6/28)
=$2.00

Pepperidge Farm Milano cookies, $1
-$1 printable coupon
=FREE

Target Hydrogen Peroxide, $0.62

Bananas, $0.49/lb, got 1.46 lbs (accident)
-$0.49 Target printable coupon
=$0.23

2 apples, $0.99/lb, got $0.95 lbs
-$1 Target printable coupon
=FREE

Free Air Wick Freshmatic Ultra at Target

2009-08-10T10:44:00.005-05:00

Air Wick Freshmatic Ultra is on sale for $5.99 this week at Target (originally $11.99). There is a $6 off coupon in this past weekend's (August 9th) Smart Source insert, making them free!

**So, I am completely confused. I'm not sure if I got the right product with the coupon even though they gave it to me for free. There is the Air Wick Freshmatic Ultra and the Air Wick i-Motion scented oil warmer. The coupon says Air Wick Freshmatic Ultra i-Motion Starter Kit. Because of the i-Motion, I would think it was the Air Wick i-Motion scented oil warmer, but because of the Freshmatic Ultra, I would think it was the other one. There was another coupon for the Air Wick Scented Oil i-Motion Starter Kit, leading me to believe I got the right item, but the coupon beeped and the cashier's screen said "item not purchased." I'm officially confused.

Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings

2009-08-09T16:54:00.005-05:00

Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings
All Recipes

Ingredients
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 (8 ct package - we like a lot!)
--Roll these out flat, sprinkle pepper on them, and cut into inch pieces
1 can chicken broth
Pepper
Frozen vegetables (optional)

Directions
1. Place the chicken, butter, cream of chicken soup, and onion in a slow cooker, and pour chicken broth to cover. If you are sensitive to salt, use low sodium chicken broth or water instead of regular chicken broth.

2. Cover, and cook for 4 ½ hours on High.

3. After the 4 ½ hours, take two forks and break apart the chicken. It should fall apart very easily.

4. Place the cut biscuit dough in the slow cooker. Make sure to push them under the liquid with a fork so they will cook through. Cook for 1 ½ hours on High. Cook longer if dough isn’t cooked through. (If you want to add frozen vegetables, throw them in in the last 30 minutes. Brett likes me to add them because it reminds him of chicken pot pie.)

8/9 Trip to Walgreens

2009-08-09T08:45:00.003-05:00

I bought:

Dallas Morning News - $3
Listerine 500 mL - $3
Reach toothbrush value pack - $3
Reach Ultraclean Floss 30 yd - $3
Campbell's Cream of Chicken Soup - $0.79 (w/ in-ad coupon)
Campbell's Cream of Chicken Soup - $0.79 (w/ in-ad coupon)
Campbell's Cream of Chicken Soup - $0.79 (w/ in-ad coupon)
Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup - $0.79 (w/ in-ad coupon)
Colgate Total Enamel Toothpaste - $2.99

Subtotal before coupons: $18.15

I used:

$5/3 on the listerine, reach toothbrush, and reach floss
$1/2 on Campbell's soups
$1/2 on Campbell's soups
$0.75 on colgate total toothpaste
$3.50 Register Reward from last week

Subtotal after coupons: $6.90 (paid on giftcard that I got for free for transferring a Rx)

I got back:

$6 register reward for listerine and reach products
$3 register reward for colgate total

My 8/8 Trip to CVS

2009-08-08T13:20:00.004-05:00

I wanted to use the $5 off of $25 coupon, so I could get really cheap Nexxus products. This is how I got all of the above for $2.06. (This is for the 8/9 - 8/15 sale week. The CVS in Plano starts their weekly sales on Saturday.)

Deal:
Get $10 ECB wyb $20 of Nexxus Products (Limit 1)
-Bought 2 stylers: mousse for $10.99 and heat protectant spray for $11.99
=$22.98
(These were cheapest products I found that I would use. My original plan was to get a shampoo and conditioner for super cheap, but shampoos were $11.99 and the corresponding conditioners were $13.99, so I passed on the shampoo/conditioner and got stylers.)

Deal:
Candy on sale for $0.50 each
-Bought 2 candies (snickers and twix)
=$1

Deal:
Sharpie Highligters for $0.99

Subtotal: $24.97 before tax ($27.03 with tax)
-$5 off of $25
-$3 off Nexxus Hair Care products SS 7/12
-$3 off Nexxus Hair Care products SS 7/12
-$1/2 candy coupon from the 7/26 RP insert
-$1 off Sharpie Highlighters printable

New subtotal: $11.98 before tax (CVS does not take into account tax when you pay with ECBs)
-$7.99 ECB
-$3.00 ECB

I then owed $0.99 ($1.07 with tax - since I am not paying this with extra bucks the tax matters here), and I paid it on a giftcard that I had gotten for free for transferring a Rx. I got $10 ECB on my receipt. Therefore, I lost $0.99 ECB and paid $1.07 on a giftcard = $2.06 total!

The best of Walgreens deals: 8/9 - 8/15

2009-08-08T12:58:00.006-05:00

Register Rewards Deals

Get $2.99 RR when you buy one Colgate Total Enamel Strength Toothpaste for $2.99
-$1/1 coupon from 7/26 SS insert
=FREE plus $1 in overage after coupon and register rewards

Get $5 RR when you buy one Jergens Naturals Lotion 16.8oz for $5.99
=$0.99 each after register rewards

Get $4 RR wyb 2 Neosporin/BandAid Products
Neosporin - $3.99
-.50/1 Neosporin, SS 8/02, 6/28, RP 5/17
-$1 off Neosporin, SS 8/02, 6/28/ RP 5/17 or printable (IE) or printable (FF)
-$2 off Neosporin, Walgreen’s Activity Book coupon (store coupon)
Band Aid - $2.99
-.50/1 Band-Aid Adhesive Bandages, RP 5/17, SS 6/28, 8/02
-$1 off Band-Aid Adhesive Bandages, SS 6/28, 8/02

*****
Either:
Buy 2 Band Aids at $2.99 each
-two $1 off Band Aids coupons (see above)
=$3.98
Get Back: $4 RR, makes it FREE

or
Buy: 2 Neosporin at $3.99 each
-$2 off Neosporin store coupon (comes off twice)
-two $1 off Neosporin
=$1.98
Get Back: $4 RR, you make $2.02 profit
***** (thanks, Southern Savers!)

Get $6 RR when you buy three Reach floss or Toothbrush or Listerine 500 ml at 3/$9
-$5/3 coupon from 8/2 SS insert
=$2 money maker after coupons

Get $2 RR when you buy one Glade Sense and Spray for $6.99
-$4 coupon from July All You Magazine (makes it $0.99 each after coupon and register rewards)
-$3 off Glade Plug-ins Scented Oil Lasting Impressions Holder, SS 8/02 (makes it $1.99 each after coupon and register rewards)

Non-Register Rewards Deals

Healthy Choice Cafe Steamers - 2/$5
-$2/1 or $2.50/1 printable coupons available last week
=FREE or $0.50 each after coupons

Campbells Soups - $0.79 with in ad coupon
-$1/2 printable coupon
=$0.29 each after coupons

All Detergent - $4.49
-$1/1 printable coupon
=$3.49 each after coupon

Lysol Toilet Bowl cleaners - 2/$3
-$1/2 coupon from 7/12 inserts or $0.50/1 printable coupon
=$1 each after coupon

Stayfree Maxi pads 16-24ct - $1.99
-B1G1 coupon from 6/28 SS insert
=$1.99 for two packs after coupon

Ecotrin - $1.99
-$2.25 printable coupon
-$2/1 from 5/17 SS insert
=FREE after coupon

Mentos Gum - .99¢ ea with in ad coupon
-$1/1 SS 6/21
=FREE after coupons

Back to School Deals

Bic Round Grip Pens - 2/$1
-$1/2 printable coupon
-$1/2 RP 8/09
=FREE after coupon

Sharpie Highlighters - .99¢ ea
-$1 off Sharpie Highlighters printable
=FREE after coupon

Penway Filler Papers $0.49 after in ad coupon

Penway one subject notebook $0.49 after in ad coupon

Mini Memo or Composition Book $0.19 after in ad coupon

Highlighters or Scented Gel Pen $0.19 after in ad coupon

Two pocket folder $0.19 after in ad coupon

The best of CVS deals: 8/9 - 8/15

2009-08-08T12:41:00.005-05:00

**Fill out this survey and get a $5 off of $25 coupon to use this weekend**

3 Day Sale: Sunday - Tuesday

Get $9.99 ECB wyb Revlon Colorstay Mineral Mousse for $9.99
Free After ECB (Limit 1)
-$1 off Revlon Color Cosmetic Product SS 7/19
=$1 money maker after coupons and ECBs

Weekly ECB Deals

Get $5 ECB wyb Contour Meter for $14.99 (Limit 1)
-$30 off Bayer Breeze2 or Contour Meter RP 2/01, 3/22
=$5 money maker after coupons and ECBs

Get $3 ECB wyb Bic Soleil Razor or Cartridges for $6.99 (Limit 1)
-$2/1 printable coupon
=$1.99 after coupons and ECBs

Get $2 ECB wyb $10 in CoverGirl (Limit 1)
-$2.50/2 CoverGirl products PG 8/02
-$1 off CoverGirl product PG 8/02
=price varies

Get $4 ECB wyb Huggies Diapers or Pull-Ups for 2/$18 (Limit 1)
-$1.50/1 or $2/1 coupons from the 7/19 SS insert or $2/1 printable coupon
=$5-$5.50 a pack after coupons and ECBs

Get $2 ECB wyb Neutrogena Moisture Shine Lipstick for $6.99 (Limit 1)
-$3/1 from the July August All You Magazine
=$1.99 after coupons and ECBs

Get $5 ECB wyb $15 CVS Brand or Caliber School Supplies (Limit 1)

Get $2 ECB wyb Coppertone Nutrashield for $8.99 (Limit 1)
-$5 off Coppertone Nutrashield printable (makes it $1.99 after coupons and ECBs)
-$1 off Coppertone Nutrashiled Product printable (makes it $5.99 after coupons and ECBs)

Get $10 ECB wyb $20 of Nexxus Products (Limit 1)
-$3 off Nexxus Hair Care products SS 7/12
=price varies

Non-ECB Deals

Sharpie Highligters .99¢ ea
-$1 off Sharpie Highlighters printable (makes it FREE)

Colgate Total Toothpaste B1G1 starting at $2.79
-$1 off Colgate Total Toothpaste SS 7/12, 7/26
-.75/1 Colgate Total Toothpaste SS 7/12, 7/26
-$1 off Colgate Total printable
=buy 2, use 2 $1 off coupons makes it .40¢ ea

Spend $15 on Candy Earn $5 ECBs (Limit 5)
-Free Chocolate Friday Coupons
-$1/2 coupons from the 7/26 RP insert
=price varies