Target: Free or Cheap Armor All Products

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

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

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

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

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

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

***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

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.