Frugal In Florida

Quick, when you think of 101 ... what do you think of?? Dalmatians. That would have been ole France. He was the worlds BEST dog ... anyways...that's not what the post is about :) 101 Airborne. Yeah. That's what it's about. Well, sort of. See, when we were doing the Wii, Princess was sitting there patiently (not so) waiting as she wanted to play tennis ... I was putting all my Wii Active stuff away NEATLY in the cabinet ... and I was playing with the stupid rubber red thingy. I had it around the bottom of my feet and was doing curls and said, "Oh, this sucks. It's so wimpy!" And she said "Uh huh. Do it 101 times and tell me what you think then." That's when she told me about the drill Sergeant that came in midway through boot camp for her ... he was from the 101 Airborne division and EVERYTHING they do was 101 reps. Sure enough, 101 reps of ANYTHING is tedious! That wimpy red strappy thing? It could have been 50 lb dumbbells by the...

Oh boy ... we are in the homestretch to the end of the year. If you are not normally a list maker, now would be the time to change THAT attitude :) If you've been following along, I've been linking up to Ammie over at Domestically Obsessed and posting my Monday morning list of things to do for the upcoming week. And much to my horror, I realize that I occasionally spell AMMIE's name wrong (I'm so sorry!). Anyways ... busy week, month coming up here. 18th and 20th birthdays of the two animals (OMG!). Hubby flies out Saturday morning and returns the following Friday Tuesday. Garage Sale on Saturday. Kids birthday gathering on Saturday night. Which means I have girlfriends over on Saturday night (uh uh, no way am I supporting all these animals by myself ... I need other adult reinforcments!). So with that in mind...here we go: 1. Anything that looks REMOTELY out of place, slap a price tag on it for garage sale [evil laugh] PURGE baby! 2. Once and for all, clear ou...

Thanksgiving is over ... and we are now into the homestretch for the end of the year. Does that make me happy? Sort of. Kind of. Yeah, maybe. It gives me the chance to wipe the slate clean of all those new year resolutions I made LAST year that fell on the wayside. Seriously, I'd just as soon give them all up! So, I've got 2 days left of the SRS program ... and I think, I'm going to continue working on the freezer and pantry clean out. In other words, eating from the freezers and pantry as much as possible.  Looking for ideas? Hop on over to Organizing Junkie and check out the 300+ menus that are posted around the web! Trust me, it's not as bad as it sounds. Three freezers? Two of them have been inventoried and documented . And you never know, by the time this post shows up on Monday, #3 may have been ambushed too! Of course, I've added about 16 lbs of chicken breast and 3 lbs of shrimp to the freezers since then AND I'm sure, a little more turkey will b...

We are so over turkey, well, at least I am! So something different was made for dinner (and I stuffed one turkey breast that was dissected into the freezer!) Chicken Piccata ... this has to be the favorite thing I make for Princess. She's been asking for it for what seems forever and she sat at the counter and waited patiently, hopefully picking up the way to make it along the way.... we serve this with buttered egg noodles and crescent rolls. 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast, trimmed and sliced in half (horizontally) 1/2 cup flour, seasoned with salt and pepper (and whatever other seasoning you might wish!) Olive oil and butter for pan frying 1 cup white wine 1 cup chicken broth (a little more than one cup) 1/2 cup lemon juice (honestly, I use the stuff in a bottle, shoot me) 1/4 cup capers, rinsed and drained fresh or dried parsley for garnishing TIP: I add the 3 liquids to a large mixing cup/bowl for ease. Dip chicken in flour and coat both sides. Have oil a...

I post about Hot Browns on my Menu Plan Mondays pretty frequently. And I always get side tracked by something else or just don’t feel like the hassle of doing it. Tonight, the day after Thanksgiving, no kids in the house, and hubby pretty much out on his back with back problems, I made it, using 2 big hunks of turkey breast that we had fried yesterday. Oh lordy, why have I waited so long? Yeah, I know, I’ve said (any may have even put it in writing a time or two!) that a Hot Brown is just a glorified hot open face turkey sandwich. But after making it tonight and eating it, I must say, it deserves to be called so much more! This is definitely staying in my to go to recipe list … the sauce, even though it took a little time, was pretty much done in the time it took for the bacon to cook so not so bad if you are good at multitasking (and toasting the bread and remembering that oops, the turkey should be sitting out to take the chill out) … go ahead, have at it and let me know what you t...

I realize that I am out of the following items: Ketchup. I have a small bottle, half empty if even half left. NONE in the pantry. Realize that Hubby must have used the LAST big bottle during his bbq episode ... Onions. You know, the all around produce staple? I think I have ONE left in the fridge. I do have some in the freezers (thanks to the inventory list!!) Brownie mix. Yeah, I know, its a box but still. Sour cream. Oh Oh. This never happens. I couldn't make the cheesecake because I didn't have any more sour cream. Used the last of it in the three corn casserole. Cat litter. Ok. You know what? I'm ready to boycott that whole area. Damn it anyways. It's not MY cat that uses the stinkin litterbox. He hangs outside all day long and then comes in, hooks a left down the hallway and another left into the laundry room to do his business then comes marching right back to the sliding glass door to go outside again. WTH?? Dish soap. Uh huh. I'm pretty darn low ...

We make a lot of food for Thanksgiving. Seriously. 2 10.5 lb turkeys 3 5 lb turkey breasts 10 lbs of mashed taters 2 tins of stuffing 1 dozen eggs, deviled tin of three corn casserole and then the rest of the snacky things. ALL of this was transported to our friends who live up the road about 8 blocks. Unloaded. Reheated. Reloaded at the end of the night. Ok, not ALL of it, but a lot :) Well, all 5 turkeys came home with us because they also fried 4 ... we love our turkeys! So. I forgot to take the eggs. In all the hassle excitement of loading the truck, someone forgot to open the fridge and grab the eggs last. Oh well. Could have come back home and picked them up but we had so much food already. Kathy had a ham, stuffing, 1 roasted turkey and one fried turkey, sweet taters, cranberry sauce (and this jar of stuff from IKEA!), cheese ball and crackers, green bean casserole and ohhhh so much more. So we have A LOT of food to eat. And I figured I may as ...

I drove to Aldis on Wednesday after work since I got out at 1pm ... and there were a few things I needed to get, primarily for the Three Corn Casserole I wanted to try ... plus a few things on my list. I did deviate from the list (bad bad bad) but I'm SO glad I did ... because I got some GREAT deals ... 10 lb potatoes were 99 cents!!! For the whole bag. Dang. I wish I had grabbed another bag. I've still got alot of the 20lb jumbo size taters from Costco (that cost me $8) but these are excellent size, normal :) And not green. I also peeked at the meat prices again. I wasn't overly impressed the last time I was there when I checked it out but this time, they had the boneless skinless chicken breast for a not so spectacular price (same as before) BUT there were little stickers on them that said $2 off ... so I grabbed 8 pkgs that were priced around $5 each (about 2 lbs or so each package) and figured I got them for about $1.50 per lb. Woohoo. Also, they had 12 ounce b...

I've been on a mission for like ever to try and find a recipe for a corn casserole I had several years ago ... I'd have asked for the recipe but it was one of those catered lunches (the architect upstairs has it once a month, same caterer because they are GOOD) ... and I think this might be the one. I've got everything sitting on the counter waiting to go to make this ... original recipe came from Our Family Eats which she had adapted from Cooking Light, I'm doubling it and a few changes ... I added in the prices of what I paid because honestly, I think this is going to be a dirt cheap side dish all things considering (thanks to our NEW Aldis!) 2 cups sour cream (mixing no fat and light) (free on sale and with coupons) 2 large eggs  (picked up for 69 cents/dozen at Aldis) 6 tbs butter room temp (did I really see that a pound of butter was $4.xx?? I paid $2.50/lb at Publix) 2 cans whole corn (39 cents each at Aldis) 2 cans creamed corn (39 cents each at Aldis) ...

Happy Thanksgiving! May your turkeys be moist! May your stuffing be flavorful! May your gravy be smooth (sorry, I have to use a jar!) And your company be enjoyable! Today, when you sit for your feast, please do look at all those who chose to join you today and give thanks for having them in your life. Also, please remember those who are NOT at your table, but are overseas serving to protect our country in the name of freedom.

As you already know, I use I Heart Publix to set up my Publix shopping trip. Michelle does an excellent job of listing all the corresponding coupons to the current sale with Publix. And it's all free (and I think easier to deal with than that other site, The Grocery Game).  If you have a Publix and you haven't checked out the site, you MUST. Every Monday afternoon she has a sneak preview of the sale ad AND matching coupons ... it's pretty cool that you can set up your list a few days in advance (as opposed to 4 days into the sale period!) Ok. Anyways, now that I've sold you on Michelle's site ... she also has a few guest bloggers come along and post recipes, etc. One of the newer features is Big Taste Small Budget which of course, is RIGHT up my alley! Our Family Eats  ... I can't decide which recipe to do first, the Shrimp Po Boys (seriously thinking of taking this with me up North to feed the extended family for day after Christmas) or the Rocky Road Brown...

At last! I did it! It helps that I had the 3 turkey breast removed. Made a lot more room and easier to pull shelf by shelf out & put back. Only threw away one thing, that would be the last bag of red sauce I had made back in July ... Hubby didn't like the sausage I used (I used ground pork, that could be it!) So here it is, Freezer #2 (or the Guest Freezer as we call it): Flat Iron steaks (individual 100 calories, 3 per pkg) x 2 Beef tenderloin for stirfry, 1 ziploc Hamburer 80/20 x 1 filet mignon (from a WHOLE filet that was purchased) 2 ziplocs left (with about 6 per pkg) bottom round steaks x 3 brats x 1 (4 in bag) sandwich steaks x 1 chicken tenders (breaded) 5 lb bag chicken thighs b/s x 2 flame roasted chix x 2 pork chops x 1 cheddar cheese x 1 mozz cheese x 5 parm cheese x 3 swiss cheese (shredded) x 1 fresh mozz slice x 1 (large ziploc for pizza) fresh mozz shredd x 1 (large ziploc) provolone slices x 1 sauted onions x 1 (ziploc) clam strips x ...

I found a new site yesterday that I just fell in love with ... and unfortunately, I was at work and got a wee bit side tracked... Pennies on a Platter Totally dedicated to Food. Yahoo! Excellent recipes. A few are trying to be a little more healthful. I think the thing that did me in was the homemade tater tots . Yeah. HOMEMADE. I could definitely earn Mom of the Year with that recipe. Not that I NEED to earn Mom of the Year (cuz we all know that I AM Mom of the Year!) ... but the question now comes up ... do I wait til January 1st to make these to drag out the award? Or should I finish off the year with this on New Years Eve? Whichever I decide, I must remember to do the Napoleon Dynamite line! Anyways ... back to the real purpose of this post! I have no idea WHO runs this site. I did gather a baby under one year and a hubby were in the picture (oh how sweet!) ... but really, it doesn't matter as I'm about to glean as much as I can from that site ... I'm ...

In many years as an adult, I (we) never did participate in Black Friday. We had friends (and Thanksgiving guest) who would wake up at 3am, slug down a cup of coffee and dash out the door by 3:15am to get the VERY best deal they could. I just could never see the reasoning behind it all. I mean, seriously, this is when people are at their worse, behavior wise. Tired. Greedy. Determined. Uhhhh....yeah. Last year, we DID do Target at 4am. We got up. Slugged down a cup of coffee. Got there an hour before the store opened. Oh. We being me, Hubby and Sonny Boy ... needed him for his muscle. :) There was a line around the building (mall). OMG. What have we signed up for?? We went for 2 TVs. We left with 2 TVs. No thanks to ME :).  Hubby had scoped out the situation on the Wednesday before to see WHERE the TV's were ... not knowing that the special deals would not be ON THE SHELF (doh!). So him & Sonny Boy head straight to the back of the store where the appliances...

I admit it, I'm very very bad with staying in touch with old friends. It's not like when they are out of sight, out of mind, but, I have a pretty full, busy, all time consuming life. Hmmm. That DOES sound like an excuse. I have a few close friends. I have a lot of acquaintances. I have a few OLD friends, which yes, at this point in my life, OLD both in age and time :) Saturday night, as Hubby and I were sitting out on the patio enjoying the view and weather, we were listening to Sirius radio, something like Classic Rewind or whatnot, and REO Speedwagon came on ... "Take It On The Run". Oh my, the memories came flooding to my mind. I could remember it clear as day. Sitting in the Diary Queen parking lot. With my very best friend, Jules. Jules, who was at the other end of my umbilical cord. We were so very very close. Total opposites as far as our upbringing and such. But the very best friends forever. In her old silver firebird (her first car that we man...

Really, maybe we should request it be re-named to Make It Happy Monday? :) If you've been following along, I've been linking up to Aimee over at Domestically Obsessed and posting my Monday morning list of things to do for the upcoming week. Yeah, some of the things get checked off after lingering for a few weeks. Other times, they just carry over. Stuff Happens. Such as is Life! Anyways. I'm getting My Home On, at least I hope to! 1. Remove the 3 breast from the freezer to thaw. AT LAST! 2. Touch base with Cathy to finish up sides. 3. Remind bosses of Christmas leave. 4. Discuss options with kids for birthdays (18 and 20!!) 5. Call primary dr and see if she can get script for mammogram to me. 6. IF #5 is successful, schedule mammo at Holy Cross. 7. Check out cheater reader glasses. If not the issue, call eye dr. 8. Set up last 3 bills of month for auto pay. 9. Balance check book and smile. 10. Remove balance of check book to property taxes and weep. 11....

It's Monday! Happy Monday to all the Monday Menu Planners of the Web!  That would be over 300 of you! At last, Thanksgiving has arrived! That means that FINALLY I will have room from the removal of the 3 turkey breast that are taking up residence in the one freezer ... still working on clearing all 3 out and, well, it's coming along ... as for the SRS (Severley Restricted Spending) month, that's coming along too ... and this menu may show that ... with the exception of ice cream, and a few other odds and ends, we've done pretty darn well staying within the necessary purchases ... Sunday - pepperoni sandwiches and chocolate chip ice cream shakes (Hubbys request for birthday) Monday - pasta with red sauce Tuesday - clear out fridge ... leftovers and/or soup of sorts ... make room for Tom and friends Wednesday - sandwiches and chips Thursday - what else, gobble gobble, gobble. Turkey. Stuffing. Mashed Taters. Green Beans. Corn of some sort. Dinner Rolls. Pie. Cran...

I've been trying very very hard to eat from the freezers to clean them out some ... this past week, this is what I've removed: package of pepperoni package of hoagie rolls 3 packages of cheese 2 boxes of Berber chicken (Kiev) bag of pork chops hot dog buns hot dogs *edited to add (since I forgot!): 3 packages of hamburger 2 1/2 packages of slider buns 1 frozen pizza (I believe this is the LAST one?) Not so bad. And THIS week will herald the removal of THREE turkey breast AND a few bags of mashed taters. Can I tell you how much I'm looking forward to THAT?? :) Evil, I know. And yes, there will be some bags of turkey to put back in the freezer, but at least it won't be big hunks of frozen solid stuff :) Oh, we DID add in 2 containers of ice cream, but those will be gone fairly quickly ...

If you've been following my Make It Happen Monday lists, you'd know that I've had the gyno and mammo stuff on there from day one, always at the end, almost like an afterthought, you know, to kind of round out the list of things to do. I printed out a list of doctors for the girly stuff ... uggg, how I just dread doing this. I don't know why. But I had 3 separate, unknown to each other people, refer this one doctor. Miracles of all Miracles! She's on my plan! Woohoo! December 16 at 9am. Be early. Lots of paperwork. "When was your last pap?" "uhhh....a while ago. Quite a while ago" ... Then as I'm taking the plunge, may as well make the next appt. Call Holy Cross Women's Center ... (was the old NorthRidge Hospital) and end up going on line to request a call back. Why is it so difficult to schedule a mammogram appointment anyways? Finally, after 3 hours, I get a phone call. Said that she would transfer me to the scheduling dept an...

If you get the paper today in South Florida, be sure to grab the Publix ad ... there is a $5 off $50 purchase right smack in the middle. Cut that baby out and head to the store with it tomorrow! This will work excellent for ME as I've got a $20 gift card to use, and with my coupons, I should be able to get away with about $20 out of my pocket or so for groceries this week ... So far, I've got this on my list: celery x 2 carrots x 2 romaine lettuce iceburg lettuce publix ice tea x 4 (on sale) NOT butter x 2 sweet taters (39 cents lb) about 4 lbs worth (really want to try this recipe ) frozen spinach IF it's on sale for a good deal sour cream possibly a small 11 lb turkey at 59 cents per lb for Hubby to do is feast at work (need to call him and see) That does NOT look like $50 worth of food. If not, I will toss in a the wine thats on sale this week (I would prefer to buy KJ but for the price of THAT, I can buy 2 bottles of the other stuff which is almost as go...

I laugh now when I think back on all the Thanksgiving meals as a kid. I was so picky and would NOT eat any of that stuff, with the exception of the dinner rolls and corn and some desserts (get the pies away from me, ick!). Now look at me. Almost everything, except the stuffing and green bean casserole, and the pumpkin pie, and the pecan pie ... and oh, I suppose there are a few things still that I bypass. Sonny Boy is just like me when I was that age. It's infuriating and now I realize what my mother went through. Ha. History DOES repeat itself. Anyways ... as an adult, I've learned to go with the flow of things much more smoothly! We fry our turkeys. Yes, more than one. Generally 3 or 4 and then our friends do theirs.  We rotate our dinner location between our home and our best friends who live about 10 blocks up the street. This year will be at John & Kathy's. They've put a lot of work into redoing their home and I can't wait to cook in the new kit...

Thanks to Ammie over at Domstically Obsessed , I've started to Get My Home On and post my Make It Happen Monday list here. Does it necessarily help me? Yeah, but I have to fight the urge to re-create it on line as you know how things change every day...so if you are up to it, come on over to Ammie's home and link up! As usual, a few items are carried over (seems to be the story of my life!) and with Hubby being gone 3 nights I've decided to be ruthless and P. U.  R. G. E. some of my problem areas. Better now than when he's around :) ... 1. Set reminder of library book due dates 2. Post and link menu plan monday 3. Hubby birthday card 4. shop on Crescent party stuff (coupons and gift card). Clean and set all for Thursdays get together 5. Scrub kitchen sink (main kitchen) 6. Reset Netflix selections (what is this CRAP they've been sending??) 7. Compile WW points on common foods consumed in this house 8. Guest hall closet - purge 9. Guest room closet - pur...

It's Monday (again!?) and that means time to link up over at Organizing Junkie Menu Plan Monday! Go check it out and link up ... tons of other ideas there too!  Hubby is traveling this week to Detroit ... Sonny Boy has school 4 days this week .... Princess has 4 classes this week AND starts her new job at Tijuana Flats (go get em' girly!)... And Me? Well, I have work this week. At the moment, as I type this in advance, I think it shouldn't be too busy but who am I kidding? I say that and then get slammed ... And I'm entering week three of the SRS program ... with very little cash left to tide me over after my Aldi's trip ... I really have NO need to go to the grocery store ... So with all those factors above, dinner time shall be simple and not at all difficult: Sunday - Pasta with my red sauce that I got up at the crack of dawn to make (not really) with a green salad and garlic rolls to hopefully celebrate finally getting the rope lights (LED) up a...

I went. I saw. I bought. I left. Ick. 1.  The place was mobbed when I go there. 2. Entrances and exits and parking aisles were blocked. 3. Some crews were there cutting down trees, cutting asphalt, etc. that just wasn't cool. I had barricades all around my truck when I came out. Kind of ticked me off that they couldn't wait til the store was closed, or blocked off the whole thing before I parked. 4. Customers were rude. Just didn't get the whole concept of paying a quarter for the cart (hey, you will get it back if you aren't so lazy to leave it wandering around the parking lot!) and the fact that they had to either PAY for bags OR bring their own. 5.  Even worse was when they found out it was CASH or debit only ... no credit folks! 6.  Not in the best of areas. Probably one of the worse areas to be (in my opinion). BUT I have to say, they've totally upgraded the plaza area where its at ... just thought there would be more security/police presence ... ...

I'm very impressed with myself this morning ... it's not even 9:30 and I already have this going on: Noodles Panini Red Sauce look alike! Here's how I make it (modified from the original recipe): About 2 tbs olive oil 1 large onion, chopped 6 cloves of garlic, chopped 1 1/2 lbs (or so) Italian sausage (I used 4 to 5 links, and slice through the casing, peel it off and break it up) 1 tsp oregano (dried) 1 tsp marjoram 1 large bay leaf (or 2 smaller ones) 6 oz tomato paste 3/4 cup water About 90 ounces crushed tomatoes (3 large cans) ... I just buy one of them Costco sized tomato sauce cans, I think its' 105 ounces? because hubby doesn't do chunky cooked tomatoes) salt & pepper to taste 1/3 cup loose packed fresh basil, julienned (you know, sliced thin!) Heat olive oil in LARGE pot. Add onions & garlic, saute for a minute or so to sweat. Then add sausage and cook til no longer pink, breaking up as you go. Add the remaining ingredients exce...

Hubby is going to Mens Warehouse to look at some new suits ... ummm, really? Yeah. They have a deal right now where you buy one get the 2nd one for $100.00.  Expensive, still, but he's a big guy and I just don't see him being able to find anything second hand. Being a director status, you have to have decent stuff...being a guy must really stink at times! On the other hand, I have 6 suits that no longer fit him and he's quite certain there is not enough fabric to have them altered so they do fit. Trying to decide if I want to list them on Craigs List and for how much? (mental note, need to also do the tires and wheels from truck soon, along with the huge mirrors, and a few other things...) So, anyways. Back to the subject line. Aldi's. They opened up on Thursday and I really really wanted to go after work ... that was, before it got so freakin late in the day before I got out ... and I don't want to be going west (young man) at 4:30, 5pm at night. Traffic is b...

The Animals have all left the house (ok, probably not for long though with MY luck). Hubby is not home yet. I'm sipping a Coors Light straight out of the can. I'm on the Internet. I just ordered two pizzas from Poppa Johns Papa Johns (see what happens when you don't proof!?). Used the promo code of all799 Paying $20.91 for both. Am using the crisp $20 bill the boss man gave me today as he left at noon for his weekend trip (see, do a good job, above and beyond and you will be rewarded!) Will eat all the evidence before any one gets home. Destroy cardboard boxes. Stash the little dipping sauces for future uses. I'm PMS'ing ... I can't help it.

It hasn't been so very bad, into week 2. However, the gas pump wouldn't stop at 30, so I ended up putting $35.01 into the Tahoe ... that gave me a little over a half tank on Monday. I stopped at the grocery store (Publix) on Wednesday to get the Hood Smart Milk, beef broth and a few other SELECT items on my list with coupons in hand. Was aiming for $20. Uhhh. No Smart Milk. No Beef Broth. $60 later, with the majority of it being produce stuff (very disappointed here in the quality and PRICE of the produce) along with 4 cans of french cut green beans, 2 cans of black beans, 2 cans of pizza sauce, carnation instant breakfast, bread, hoagie rolls, and a few other oddball things ... was more than I wanted, and had to BEG for rain checks. Thursday got out of work early. WANTED to go to Aldi's but said NO since I just spent $40 more than I wanted at the grocery store the previous night. So instead, I went to Faith Farm, my newest favorite thrift store to look for a new pair...

This came from my local paper,  Sun Sentinel  as a way to make something yummy using our hurricane supplies, kind of funny as it’s pretty tasty and I make it about once a month! I generally make it for lunches or quesadillas. 1 can black beans, drained & rinsed 1 can corn, no salt if possible, drained 4 scallions, thinly sliced, about ½ cup 1 red/yellow or orange pepper, diced 1 can of chicken, drained (or ¾ lb / 3 cups cooked chicken), cut into bite size pieces Juice of 2 limes (3 tbs) ¼ cup olive oil 1 tbs ground cumin Salt and pepper to taste Diced tomatoes (optional, but highly recommended) Baked tortilla chips, optional Avocado, optional (diced) In large bowl, mix all except chips and avocados. Chill 30 minutes or one day ahead. Mix to redistribute dressing and top with chips and avocado if using. This is really good to use as a filling on quesadillas, just omit the chips and avocado, use a little cheese on the tortilla shell and grill ...

Ok, I admit it, I WE partake in cocktails, beverages and such. I know some of you who visit the site do not, and hey, I'm perfectly fine with that. However, for those of you who DO participate, read on ... all others who have no interest in my latest discovery, move on to the next post, I promise it will be interesting. I generally drink beer. Which is NOT a ladylike thing normally. I mean seriously, unless you are in some music video, there really isn't anything appealing about swigging from a can or bottle :) My 2nd choice used to be vodka. Lemon Drops to be exact. You know, Absolut Citron, chilled, with a lemon sprinkled with sugar. Don't even think of putting the sugar and/or lemon in the shotglass!  Of course, as I got older, and drank one too many (and swallowed a shot the wrong way, ICK!) I no longer get all giddy at the thought of doing a lemon drop. My 3rd choice is tequila. Not straight up as in a shot, at all ... but a margarita. Must be a silver (clear)...

The Reindeer's have arrived at the Galleria Mall ... which means, next up is SANTA! The BEST Santa in town, in my opinion ... he sits in the courtyard area (now it's a Food Court) with a Christmas tree that is like 3 stories tall ... I can still see Princess the first time she saw him, she was just in awe ... (Yes, it's the real Santa, as in you tell him what you'd like him to bring you) ... and then she inquired how Rudolph and all the other reindeer were doing :)

I always forget how easy these are to make and how happy everyone is with them. They are gooey and make a great patio meal. It IS the holiday season fast approaching and I really think everyone should take a night and just wind down and do something THIS simple for dinner ... 1 pkg of hot dogs. Any type will do 1 can of no bean chili 1 bag of cheddar cheese, shredded 1 pkg of hot dog buns Now that you have the difficult list of ingredients down, lets cook. Steam hot dogs til cooked. I use my bamboo steamer, but you can use a steamer rack, or if you prefer, fry them up in a skillet with a bit of water. Please, do not EVER boil your dogs. They just don't like it and well, my kids get really wiggy about it, can't say I blame them! Heat the chili on low heat. Place buns in large baking dish. Open each one up a bit and put the dog in … push down as you will need room on top. Top each dog with some chili (as little or as much as you’d like) and then liberally spread ea...

Thanks to Ammie over at Domstically Obsessed , I've started to Get My Home On and post my to do list here. Does it necessarily help me? Yeah, but I have to fight the urge to re-create it on line as you know how things change every day....notice laundry and ironing are NOT on this week? Thats because in my fit yesterday morning, I ironed ... good therapy! So here I am, once again, attempting to get my home on! 1. Menu Plan, pull recipes and coordinate 2. Halloween stuff in BOX and then attic 3. Inventory guest kitchen freezer and type up results 4. Inventory garage freezer and type up results 5. Publix list, very detailed, no more than $20.00 (veggies, salad stuff, breads, milk) 6. Hubby birthday card 7. Thanksgiving ideas (here or at John and Kathys?) use all three turkey breast or buy whole turkey (NO!) 8. Look into new phones for Kids birthdays (plan wise, how much for phones?) 9. eye exam for me (ummm, things are a little more blurry than usual, eye fatigue? Perhaps ...

Here it is, another Monday. Gee, have you noticed how they just keep showing up?? That means Menu Plan Monday over at Organizing Junkie, and Make It Happen Monday over at Domestically Obsessed . I highly recommend you visit both sites and link up if you are so inclined ... they are both great with a great deal of useful information to be read! As I am still doing the SRS program (that means Severely Restricted Spending), before I post this weeks proposed menu, I was lucky enough to start the freezer inventory . I got the main one done on Saturday and started the guest kitchen one on Sunday. Of course, Sunday, I was in a bad mood and after one shelf, was just overwhelmed and said forget it til the next day ... but you can link over here to see what's in the main kitchen freezer (alot!) Monday - Fried chicken and mashed taters and gravy (chicken and taters from freezer, gravy from pantry) Tuesday - Chicken apple sausage and macaroni and cheese , originally was going to do ta...

Yesterday was not such a great day. Sure, I went with Princess to the campus to see Romeo and Juliet, but overall, not a good day. I was mad at hubby and held a grudge most of the day. Gave him the silence treatment. Yes, I know, very mature indeed. It all started with me commenting on something that was on television at 8am ... I was a little ticked off that the tv was on already and he was glued to it.  Apparently, I interrupted something he was watching/listening to, and I was shushed. Up go the hairs on my body! That was it. Simple as that. I was shushed. Of course, there's more to it than that. a. The tv is more important that what I have to say. b. You would rather watch tv then have a conversation with me. c. What I say means nothing as you don't want to listen to me speak. and so on. In the end, Hubby won. He was able to watch tv all day without me interrupting him. Of course, in between the tv watching marathon, he vacuumed the bedroom, made a...

Its downright chilly here this morning. 54 degrees at 8am ... I've got windows open (not all the way!) and the house is cool so I figured now was the time to tackle this project! The funny thing … as I’m pulling stuff out (one shelf at a time) I see instant dinners in the making so I started to write things down, like for instance, the top shelf has the breaded chicken and 2 bags of mashed taters, so I grouped those together and wrote down on the side of my list, mashed taters & fried chicken, and then roast beef au jus sandwiches (RB lunchmeat & half loaf of Italian bread) and Hot browns (cooked turkey breast (good lord, I’m not sure when I froze these, but they are large chunks off a roasted turkey) and so on… so this WAS good to do that will definately help with the SRS this month! I did throw a few things out, a couple bags of bananas that were brown, a bag with 3 lonely freezer burned strawberries. Apparently the kids have been tapping into the freezer for foo...

So far, this SRS stuff hasn't been too bad ...except Hubby took my SUV today to have a tire looked at (it's wobbly) and they all determined that it was perfectly round and needed to be replaced (as it's not a radial tire, it's not like a belt is slipping but the same concept) ... so we can't buy just one tire BECAUSE we have to be special people and have special order tires on all vehicles. So now Hubby is driving to SOUTH Miami (um, sorry, but it's like another country) and he's buying a set of 4 new to me tires that came off a 2010 SUV. Guy did the same thing we did and upgraded his tires, only he's smart in selling the other ones for $500. Hopefully, Hubby can sell mine, with custom rims for about $400 and then I only spend $100 for new tires. Yeah, they won't look as nice, but at least I won't have a wobbly steering wheel when I go over 30 miles per hour. So ... again, other than that, its not been a big deal. Here's some of my f...

So far so good with the SRS ... I know, it's only Friday, the 5th day into it but I feel good (cue the music please!) ... I may stop at Publix on my way home. But really, for what? Other than the Smart Milk on sale at buy one get one free and I have 4 $1 off coupons which would make a total gallon be about $1.50 ... and I always just buy the chocolate for Sonny Boy ... oh, and then Solo products are b1g1f and I have 75 cent coupons off....WAIT ... stop the though process! See how easy it is to go into the "but it's on sale and I have a coupon" mode? Ick. So really, I don't need anything from the store at the moment. My menu plan has been stuck with pretty close, with the exception of Thursday evening ... Sonny Boy and I went to a college open house (FREE and I got away with FREE parking at the Convention Center!) and got home at almost 8pm. Everyone, fend for yourself! So we have a cold front coming in ... down in the 50's high in the upper 60's f...

Here in South Florida, we are entering our gardening season. This is what we look forward to, cooler nights, low'er' humidity and gardens! I've never had an excellent turnout from my garden. I know a few people who have. I think part of the issue for me is I get all gung-ho in the beginning and then life interrupts and well, gardening becomes an afterthought. For all those out there who garden on a consistent basis, you know how that does NOT work :) Anyhow. Lowes and Home Depot are charging around $5 a plant now days. WTH? That's quite a bit of cash to lay out, don't you agree? So here are some of the things I do for the things that I CAN grow without much effort (as a side note, the Jalapeno "tree" that just won't die? My friend, how is a self proclaimed horticulturist, keeps asking me what type of fertilizer I'm using to make it produce so much. Huh. Fertilizer? Are you kidding me John??) 1. Jalapeno plant. This thing was just a pathetic...

Aldi's ... ALDI'S!Everyone sing praises! The one straight down the road from me, corner of Oakland Park and 441 is opening on Thursday the 11th. Psyched Baby! Boy am I ever. About 7 miles. Google Map says 15 minutes but I know it takes 15 minutes (about) to get to I95 from here and that's only the half way point. So figure 20 to 25 minutes. More than anything, I can't wait to see the prices ... whenever we go to Indiana, Illinois or Kentucky, we try to take a bag with nothing or little in it with us to fill on our way back. The last time in Kentucky we were over the 50 pound limit so I ended up stuffing summer sausage rolls in my purse. Pretty funny going through the security checkpoint. Anyways. There is a Walmart across the MAIN intersection (when I say MAIN, I mean MAIN, like 5 or 6 lanes in all 4 directions) and the last time I shopped at the store there, I wasn't all that impressed with product selection, quality or pricing. AND now, I can buy the produ...

The first thing alot of you have said is "No spend November? That would be real hard" ... but not really. I know, its the holidays. Thanksgiving. Christmas. Etc. I've got hubbys birthday. Thanksgiving. Father in Laws birthday, best friends birthday. Then we go into December and I have Sonny Boy's 18th, Princess 20th, my dad, my neighbor, Christmas Boat Parade Party (!!), trip to Indiana, Christmas. Oh my GOSH!! But, here's the thing. I can do this. That's why I revised it to be Severely Restricted Spending. Or, to keep the spelling errors in check, SRS. :) No, THAT is not for the gearheads around here, ahem. 1. Thanksgiving. I've got 2 turkey breast in the freezer. I also have 20 lbs of taters (at the moment), 6 pkgs of premashed taters in fridge, and 6 pkgs of taters in the freezers. I know, the premade stuff isn't quite golden, but it WOULD do if needed.  I've also got untold amounts of gravy in the pantry (never have mastered the from scra...

I voted this morning on my way to work. It's just best if I do it early in the day so it's done and out of the way! The church parking lot is full, and I'm thinking, oh no. The volunteers were out there waving their signs and offering up the brochures. No thanks, I've already done my homework ... Thankfully, a driver's license is sufficient if you are registered voter as I had left mine home, I never carry it or my social security card. So they swipe it, give me a receipt and send me to the next table. There I pick up my ballot (3 sheets, front and back, good lord!) along with the PRIVACY folder (this is a huge joke, in my opinion). A side note: all the attendants who check you in when you arrive? They've been doing this since I've been voting at this location, over 20 years. They said that this is probably their last year ... no way! There, another attendant leads me to a chair in the middle of this big long table with about 20 chairs on each side. Ther...

Don't forget to get out and VOTE today! Yes, your VOTE does count! Yes, I do care who you VOTE for but will not tell you WHO to VOTE for, just go VOTE!

Again, it's Tuesday, and I'm just getting the Menu Plan up and posted over at Menu Plan Monday , Organizing Junkie! Crumb, I tell ya, it's more than I can handle some days! So here we are, first week of November, new month, new budget, AND ... a "No Spend" month, but seriously, thinking of it as Severely Restricted Spending Month :).... Sunday - Chicken breast and noodles (chicken cooked in oven with cream of onion soup & seasonings, noodles were left over from the Animals on Friday night) Monday - Taco Bar and Black Bean Soup (taco meat from the freezer, soup stuff from pantry AND the fixins from pantry and fridge) Tuesday - Chicken Cesar Salad with noodles (chicken is the remainder of  Ropa Vieja thats in the freezer) noodles are the REST of the Animals feast from Friday, salad greens were all prepped on Monday for the week worth of salads Wednesday - pressed smoked turkey sandwiches (remember, I'm a little heavy on lunchmeat and cheese at the ...

I've made this soup from Lynns Kitchen Adventures a few times, but always felt there was something missing for our taste. Don't get me wrong, it was yummy, but missing that extra wow factor. So last night, I switched from Chicken Broth to Beef Broth, added all the bacon that was left in the fridge and tripled the spice level. Whooppee!! That did it! 1/2 lb bacon, cut into small pieces 1/2 cup finely chopped onions 3 cloves of garlic, minced 4 cans of black beans, rinsed and drained 32 oz carton of beef broth 1/2 tbs cumin 1/2 tbs chili powder dash of A1 Bold & Spicy sauce Cook bacon til just crispy. Toss in the onions & garlic and saute til soft.  Add all the beans, broth, and the cumin and chili powder. Add the dash/glop of A1 (this is optional but I think it's what really gave it the kick!) and bring to boil. Reduce heat, allow to simmer about 20 minutes. Take an immersion blender, or masher OR just remove half of the beans to a food processor/blende...