Frugal In Florida

Whoa, where did the short month of February go to?? Geesh, if I was to look at the status of my goals this morning, I could spiral into a great depression ... ick. After cleaning out two shelves of the pantry over the weekend, and pulling a few things from the freezer (chops, pork loin, chicken), I see that I still have tons of food to go through, even after a 7 week or so Pantry Challenge. Then again, when I did go to to store last week, I was surprised at the prices ... they've really gone up since the first of the year! Disappointing and here's hopes that the crisis in the Middle East clears up quickly ($3.59 for a gallon of regular gas!?) ... we've got a lot of gas guzzling items so it would be most apprecited to lower the price soon .... Anyways, Monday means Menu Planning ... I've started to put together a rough MONTH menu, but knowing that Hubby is traveling but not sure WHEN makes it a little more difficult! But here's what we have for the week: Monday...

Living in South Florida has certainly exposed me to more foods than living in the small town in the Midwest.  One of the things that surprisingly enough I love, is the pork sandwich, cuban style, or, Cubanos. These have things that I normally do NOT care for in eating, such as mustard and pickles (bleck) but I can, and do eat them in a Cubano without a second thought. That says a lot, trust me! This is a great way to use up leftover pork ... but in my case, I almost always make sure I have extras so I can make Cubanos ... and using the paninni press from Aldi's made it even better! Loaf of cuban bread (or french-I used this , italian, whatever hearty stuff you have) cooked pork. sliced thin cooked ham, sliced thin pickles, sliced thin (I used hot & spicy dills) mustard swiss cheese (or any other cheese you have on hand) butter Cut bread in half and then open up long ways. Lay flat and butter the outside pieces.  For easier loading up, I layer (on a pl...

I have a few favorite sites that I try to visit a few times a week ... and one of them is the Frugal Girl .  One of my favorite features is her Wednesday Baking posts. This girl can BAKE. So, the other night, as we were making pork chops and rice with brocolli and cheese, I was wishing for some bread to grill up too ... but alas, all I had was the pepperidge farm stuff and that just wasn't going to cut it, you know? So, at 6pm at night (we don't eat til late on Saturdays), I pulled out my breadmachine and added: 1 cup of warm water 3 cups of flour 1 tbs sugar 1 tsp salt 1 pkg of yeast Turned it on dough cycle and walked away. Came back, rolled it out: Let it rise for about 40 minutes and then baked at 400 degrees for 20 minutes Believe it or not, we had french bread by 9pm on the grill toasting. Yes, I did bake the bread in the oven. It was so dang easy (even a Cave Man can do it) that I made another loaf again on Sunday for the Cubanos, by memory and s...

Or in this case, 30 minutes. What started as a hunt for mayo (seriously) turned in to an utterly disgusted attitude and a cleanout and organinzing of two shelves in the pantry. Yes. It needed to be done. NOW. Before... Salad dressings, 14 bottles BBQ sauc bottles (um, sad considering Hubby MAKES it) Steak sauce (A1) 9 bottles Worchestershire sauce (large bottles) 2 Dales seasoning, low sodium 2 Sesame marinade 2 Chili sauce 2 grey poupon chinese mustard thai peanut sauce baby dills 2 dill chips cherries jams x 4 canned pumpkin 3 bacon bit (costco size bag) various nuts2 nutella magic shell chocolate tea bags 12 boxes (and a ziploc) crystal lite 10 plus ziploc countrytime lemonade crystalite pure fitness 2 coffee 5 plus container filters syrup x 4 pancake mix x 4 plus container nesquik mocha vanilla protein powder x 2 (plus large bag in other kitchen!) chocolate protein powder x 2 Here's how it looks now: AND no mayo or ketchup! And in the...

As I confessed over here on the dishwashing issues (that I'd rather wash dishes by hand) ... sort of led me to another post ... the magic towels. Microfiber. Picked them up at Target, 6 pack for $5 on clearance. They were in the automotive section, so I'm guessing they are for car exteriors ... but seriously, can someone tell me what the difference really is in these things (I have another 3 pack that each is for a specific use) ... I love love love my little green towels!

We all know the general rule, whites with whites, darks with darks, etc. But every once in a while, a stray item will sneak in, typically in my house, a black sock with the white towels. But this time, well, I think we may have really done it. Look. Huh. I stepped away to put some of the kitchen towels away and came back to this. Figured he found a great hiding spot from Kitty Kitty. Unfortunately, I believe he slept there for most of the day and I ended up booting him out that night and redoing the rest of those WHITES. *This is Gman, the old kitty that we are "fostering" for oh, 7 months now??*

I admit it, I'd much rather wash dishes by HAND (gasp) then use my dishwasher. For years, I didn't have a dishwasher and just could not wait for the day ... then when we renovated the house 11 years ago, I got one. Hmmm. It's not all that and more after all ... It's a GE Profile brand. From day one I've had gripes with it. Didn't dry totally, even on heated dry and hot rinse. Didn't seem to really clean dishes. There was always water standing in the bottom of the tub, which just didn't seem "right". So I've called the service people several times all those years ago. And they just told me that is the way it is. Ok. Not quite like that. :) But, they suggested that I turn up my hot water heater. Hmmm. I thought 120 was the recommended temperature. They suggested that I wipe and rinse my dishes before loading. Hmmm....that would be pretty much the same as HAND WASHING, wouldn't it? They suggested that I dry the tub out ...

First off, the items purchased were pretty cheap and in dire need (remember the tomatoe sauce issue for the shepards pie?) ... and being that it's Italian Days at Publix, hey, I'm all in (I think this was the last time I bought these same items I'm out of!) Trip 1, spent $22.21, saved $66.52. Trip 2, spent $18.34, saved $48.49. The sweet peppers at $5.99 put me way over the top but I "wanted" them ... I'm done shopping for the week I beleive. I do need to get some squishy white bread for Sonny Boy but I think I can hold out til the weekend, thankfully.

4 thick slices italian bread, cut into cubes (or whatever you have on hand) 1/4 cup olive oil salt & fresh ground pepper 1 tbs dijon mustard 1 tbs fresh lemon juice 2 tbs white wine vinegar 2 lbs tomatoes, cut into chunks 1 bunch green onions, sliced 2 tbs chopped fresh dill (use dried if that's all you have) 3/4 cup grated cheese (gruyere or whatever else you have on hand) 1 tbs all purpose flour Preheat oven to 400. Toss bread with 2 tbs olive oil on baking sheet and season with salt and pepper. Bake til golden, 8 minutes or so. Let cool slightly. Whisk mustard, lemon juice and vinegar in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper. Slowly whisk in 2 tbs oil. Add tomatoes, green onions, dill and more salt and pepper. Add bread cubes and toss to coat. Set aside while making the crisps. Toss cheese with flour and pepper to taste in bowl. Arrange the mixture in 4 mounds on baking tray and flatten slightly (I line the tray with parchment paper). Bake til golden bro...

This would/should be Week 8 of the Pantry Challenge. Not that I've given up on the cleaning out of the pantry and freezers, but well, I'm just plain tired. Yes, I've shopped this week. Spent a whole $51 at Publix and then I did Costco . Got some steals and deals too, including whack a can breadsticks, tomato sauce, frozen chicken tenderloin, frozen spinach and such. So regardless, here's what I plan to be eating this week: Monday - Grilled chicken cesar salad Tuesday - Tacos or quesidillas, not sure which way I want to go yet Wednesday - Spinach with Steak salad Thursday - Chicken Parm with pasta on the side and whack a can italian bread Friday - Garlic Chicken Pizza with whack a can garlic breadsticks Saturday - Chicken stuffed with spinach Sunday - burgers and/or dogs Linking up with Organizing Junkie Menu Plan Monday ... check out what 100's of others are eating too ...

Yes, I did another run to Costco. Was going to go yesterday (Sunday) but decided to go after my dentist appt this morning. Very list specific .... 10 lb onions $4.79 large bag of crumbled bacon bits $9.99 10 lb bag of carrots $6.99 6 lb of ground sirloin patties $16.99 (whoa, these have gotten expensive!) 2 pks of honey roasted turkey $7.98 and $7.79 each 4 pk celery hearts $3.59 10 lb red delicious apples $8.99 3 lbs bananas $1.47 3 half & half  $1.69 each 2 gallons skim milk $2.29 each 2 gallons 2% milk, $2.39 each 40 ct orville popcorn $9.89 artesian lettuce heads (8 total I think?) $3.99 3 dozen xlarge eggs $3.99 large container organic spinach $4.49 36 ct water bottles $3.49 2 propel 24 pks $7.99 each (after coupon) I had 2 $50 american expresss gift cards and one with a balance of $27. Yes, I used them all up. Well, I have $3 or so left on the one. NOTE: They didn't have any romaine lettuce (WTH?), the sweet peppers were $5, the lunchmeat had differe...

and I'm off Monday in honor of President's Day. So here's what I plan to do in the next day :) 1. Dentist appt at 8am. I just know I'm going to hear that I have a cavity that needs to be filled. May go ahead and make THAT appointment too. 2. 8:30am is the dentist cleaning. Woohoo 3. Bug man arrives at home while I'm gone! Hubby will have to wait it out OR wait, I can wake one of the lazy kids :) 4. Costco. Yeah. I'm going to Costco. $100 AE gift card is ALL I'm taking. No debit. No cash (well, yes I'll take some cash) I have a very specific list. 5. Wash the SUV. With the help of Sonny Boy since that was the agreement for him to use it Friday night. 6. Laundry, iron and put away. 7. Make salad for next couple of days. DONE 8. Grill chicken for salad lunches. DONE 9. Clean out fridge (main) 10. Clean out fridge (guest) 11. Organize garage freezer. I see pockets of space which makes me very very happy 12. Dust and vacuum master bedroom. 13. D...

My neighbor was so sweet and got me an annual subscription with the Food Network Magazine. Sometimes I love all the recipes and other times, nothing appeals to me. Odd. Anyways, here's one that I actually tore the page out and I just came across it when I was cleaning out a stack of papers on my desk. There will be more recipes coming up from this same stack (I hate stacks but I fall for it every single time). 2 medium russet taters (I'm going to use these mini purple ones I got) 3 tbs olive oil plus more for brushing (honestly? I'll use canola for the cooking stuff and olive for the flavor stuff) 1/2 cup sour cream 2 tbs buttermilk 1/4 cup chopped chives juice of 1/2 lemon kosher salt & fresh ground pepper 3/4 lb sirloin steak 1 large red onion, sliced into thick rings (try to keep each slice intact) 6 oz baby spinach or rough chopped regular spinach (bite size pieces) 2-3 tbs steak sauce (A1 with tabasco is what we have) Preheat oven to 400. Stab tater...

And we continue... Day 43, Sunday. Um, breakfast for Hubby and I was shepards pie ... lunch was snacky stuff (and lime cheesecake). Dinner was grilled cheese sandwiches on the Pannini press and tomato soup (canned). Easy. No fuss. No mess. Day 44, Monday. Hubby is GONE to NY. Lucky dog. That leaves me to feed Sonny Boy mostly as Princess will be getting home late everynight. So breakfast for me was container 1 of 5 of the creamy oatmeal from the other morning. Sonny Boy had pancakes and yogurt with some frozen raspberries folded in. Lunch was the same old thing for SB. I had a salad and a small square of shepards pie (I'm really tired of it now). Dinner was spaghetti which made SB very very happy. The noodles were bought Friday BEFORE Hubby and I discussed Saturday dinner ideas. Day 45, Tuesday. Breakfast for all of us (well, 3 of us) was scrambled eggs and toast. Lunches were the same for the kids and I had a salad with some precooked chicken from freezer. BLT's for dinn...

or even 5 or 15 minutes and tackle a small project. For me, this morning, at 6:45am, it was this drawer. Ummm, yeah. It's a mess. And always rather frustrating when I'm trying to find a quick tail holder, or when I pull out the straightner. 10 minutes later, and this included 2 trips OUT of the room to get the little cups for organizing and wet wipe to wipe out the bottom of drawer AND take pictures ... I threw alot of stuff out. Mostly hair bands that were stretched out, too small, not stretchy enough, etc. The lotions went to the appropriate spot in bathroom (under sink), the nail polish and feet stuff went to the next drawer (threw away 8 bottles of polish). I used the wet wipe to wipe out the drawer when it was empty to get all the hair. Amazing what 10 minutes can do, huh? Go ahead, tackle a small project. Be ruthless! The two little containers? Those are just those little clear plastic Chinet cups that I got for free last summer. No one around here l...

Linking up with Organizing Junkie yet again to try and get a menu plan together during my 7th week of the Pantry Challenge.  Funny, Hubby was telling me the other night that we were running out of a LOT of stuff around here (ummmm, first it was tomato sauce, which we made with 2 cans of diced tomatoes and a can of tomato paste in the food processor and then he thought black pepper. No Dude, we'd never run out of that!) Pantry IS starting to show signs of progress. I suppose the freezers are too, I just need to get in them and organize but still waiting for more room to appear first! Hubby's out two nights this week so here's what me and the animal(s) will have: Monday - I know it's valentine's day and all so I've improvised with the addition of the raspberry smoothie for desert ... otherwise, it's pasta, plain pasta which should make the Kids as happy as a clam since I've been without regular spaghetti for 2 weeks. Tuesday - BLT's ... I may ...

Oh wow, This would be DAY 40! IF I had stuck with 100%. I've done well, I think, by most standards. A few things here and there. Kids are grumbling that there is no "good" food in the house. Not quite sure what their opinion of GOOD would be, but I think there's plenty of yummy stuff going around. Day 40, Thursday. Breakfast for Sonny Boy, bagel and carnation ... surprised he ate as much as he did but he MUST go to school today. Princess would be fending for herself. I had an omelet, Hubby had the usual. Lunch for Sonny Boy, Nutella and PB sandwich, fruity things, veggie straws and a nutrigrain bar. As he's still sick, I'll be impressed if he eats ... tossed a Propel too. Hubby had a salad, and I loaded it up with cheese and turkey to give him some protein. I had the same with not so much meat and cheese. Dinner was the beef that I had tossed in the crockpot before I went to work, with a cup of water, seasoning and a can of fire roasted tomatoes. Wasn't ...

Wow, started this on February 1, 2011. That is amazing ... already half way into the 2nd month! It was hard the week Hubby was traveling so we (me and the kids) normally eat real simple, grilled cheese, pasta, etc. (umm, yes, popcorn). Ok, here's what's been removed: frozen pizza handful of raspberries handful of blueberries OJ concentrate 3 pk of steaks (these are tiny, 100 calories each) almost finished the one bag of  precooked chicken 3 lbs of ground beef 2 large roast uncounted amount of cheese (just lots and lots) brocolli more HC fudge bars (almost done with first box finally) And here's what's been added: 4 more frozen pizzas (I think I only have 2 left now) 2 roast (already taken out and eaten) 3 whole chickens (that have been quartered, which I removed the thighs and froze the legs and breast individually) I'm very proud of myself as I didn't buy anything that required the freezers when I went to Costco !

Hubby and I go way back to my old high school days. Ummm, that's been quite a long time. For Valentine's Day, we've done everything. Limos. Roses. Dinners. Movies. Special Trips. And so on. But seriously, I think my favorites are right here at home. It's so much less expensive, and honestly, I find it more enjoyable, especially on these holiday weekends. Arg, the crowds! I love my home for the most part. I've got a beautiful view off the back patio. We've got an awesome sound system FINALLY (still working on the various settings of volume with Hubby). AND this weekend (which is when we celebrate the Day) I will be childless, which is a dream come true. Yes. No Kids to interrupt. Nothing for me to worry about. Well, providing that Sonny Boy gets to where he's driving to ok today (Orlando). And Princess gets to work and doesn't have any incidents. So, what are we going to do you ask? Ummmm....we will make a dinner together, preferably EARLY on in t...

Hubby loves his chicken thighs. Most of the time prefers the boneless/skinless ones. I used to be able to buy them real cheap at Costco for about $1.29 but nowdays the price is almost as much as chicken breast so I haven't been buying the boneless ones.  As Winn Dixie has thighs and legs on sale this week for BOGO at $1.79/lb, figured I'd stop and buy a few packages and suggest Teriyaki Chicken Thighs and Sesame Noodles for our Valentine Date Night. (I'm realizing I need to learn how to debone a thigh). I've posted this recipe a few times but now have a little tip. When baking in the oven like this, put the meat on a cooling rack (I have an OLD one that fits perfect in my large baking sheet) ... YES, they do make racks designed for this but seriously, I priced one at $19.99. Ummm, no thanks, I'll make do with what I have! Here's what you need: 1/4 cup soy sauce (I use my favorite SOYA SAUCE) 3 tbs brown sugar 4 tbs sherry 4 tbs rice wine vinegar 1 tsp ...

Uh huh, still plugging away and really need to crack down ... there is still NO room in the freezers ... Day 37, MONDAY. The Monday after superbowl, which is probably a good thing for me ... breakfast for Sonny Boy was a bagel, scrambled eggs and yes, bacon (from Costco ), Princess chose not to eat, so I had her breakfast sandwich and Hubby had Special K (with Berries!) ... lunch for the kids was the same old stuff as it's been for the past 36 days during the week, I had some of the leftover salad with dressing as did Hubby ... I'm hoping the black beans gave us some good protein because I realized as I was eating it that Hubby would have had NO protein so to speak. My snack before leaving the office was a protein bar & muscle milk light to give me a boost of energy for the workout. Dinner was chicken that was cooked on Friday and the remainder of the double baked taters and a green salad with some honey mustard dressing. Day 38, Tuesday - Breakfast was the same exce...

Dear Family: This household, of late, has been a depressing state. Yes, we are ALL tired. None of us have enough time in the day to do ALL the things we want. I know it's not FAIR, but LIFE is NOT fair. I never said it was, did I? Without pointing fingers at anyone, but YOU do know who I'm talking to: Please forgo slamming any and all doors. This means bedrooms, bathrooms, front door, sliding doors, refrigerator doors and cabinet doors. Trust me, we all get that you are unhappy. Please stop mumbling under your breath. You and I both know that I'm hard of hearing so when I hear an even worse mumble than normal, the hairs on my arm stand up and make me defensive. If you have a bone to pick with someone else in this house, please take it up directly with them and leave ME out of it. Somehow I'm not quite sure when, everyone came to the conclusion that I am the complaint department. Sorry. That department never existed and you really should make a mental note ...

Seems everywhere I look lately there is a sesame noodle recipe out there! So what the heck, here's mine. Hubby loves this stuff and was actually asking me the other day why I haven't made it lately. Ummm, the last time was a BBQ holiday, probably Labor Day? Whoa....time to make it soon. It's a really easy and fast recipe to throw together and everything can be done while the noodles cook. I've modified the heck out of it to use what I had on hand the first time I made it, and well, it was good so I stayed with it! 1 lb thin pasta (angel hair, thin, or just plain ole spaghetti will work) 1/2 cup soy sauce (I use my JCS Soya Sauce, it's nice and thick, not thin and runny) 2 tbs sesame oil 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar 2 tbs sugar 2 tbs chopped cilantro (optional, my Hubby hates cilantro) 1 tbs ginger root, can use powdered stuff (or the tube refrigerated stuff, which is what I use) 1 tsp hot chili oil ( I never have this on hand so I use crushed red pepper flak...

We eat lots and lots of salads around here. Daily pretty much. Sonny Boy prefers straight Romaine as he says anything else resembles the stuff that you feed rabbits. Princess prefers Romaine as she doesn't like the purple stuff (still not sure if she means cabbage, radichio or red leaf lettuce?) So generally, it's nothing fancy. Just romaine lettuce, slices of sweet peppers, carrots, mushrooms, a handful of almonds, walnuts, or pecans. Pretty much a little of this and a little of that. If I've got spinach, or spring mix, thats added to for a little variety. Diced tomatoes are nice. Try adding some corn or black beans for a real nice change! And then the dressing. I started to make dressing from scratch, gleaning recipes from here and there and just about everywhere on blogsphere. And now I'm hooked. I have a very difficult time stomaching bottled stuff. Hubby still uses the store bought stuff, but not me. Uh uh. So here is how I do it to make my life much easier a...

Yes, I AM STILL DOING THE PANTRY CHALLENGE. But geesh, maybe I should change the rules a little? Like, stay out of the stores. Send kids to get milk and bread. Make do with what I have ( cheese anyone ?) and so on. I've not done any stocking up with the exception of coffee, and maybe cheese. Oh maybe a few other things, but seriously, well, ok, there were a few things that I picked up at Costco but still ... I stand by that I'm NOT shopping as I normally would. So let's see what we can do this week after last weeks miserable failure ... popcorn for dinner is probably not the most nutritional option, but I figure it's better than a bag of doritos! So this time, I'm going to plan a little more accordingly for the late nights home from the gym ... and luckily, most of the stuff is pretty much made and ready to go (NO, it's NOT leftovers) Monday  - Chicken thighs with double baked taters (microwave reheat) Tuesday - Chicken stir fry of sorts, I have a bag of...

It's not that I don't have any food in the house, I'm just lacking the desire to create anything! Day 34 (Thursday), breakfast for Sonny Boy was a bagel with cream cheese and banana. Princess (?) was asleep. I had a banana, cheese stick and yogurt with some frozen raspberries and blueberries mixed in. Lunch for me was salad with more steak (had to make more Evil Jungle Salad dressing and I will be posting that shortly!), and a clementine for my snack. Sonny Boy got out early, so hoping that he makes something. Princess would be at school so hopefully she made something too! Dinner plans are so out of whack its not even funny! I mean seriously, I was just looking at the menu plan and the ONLY thing we've done of the 4 days is CANNED SOUP! Ack. Then I got sidetracked browsing the internet and ended up making double baked taters (which made the animals very happy and me too!) Day 35 (Friday, it's Friday!). Breakfast for Princess (crabby patty) was a egg and bacon b...

Yes, I am still on the pantry challenge and YES I did go to Costco. Ummm, spent a little more than I wanted (as always) but nothing like the last time!  I also got gas, $70 worth that filled up the tank. I had my list in hand and did not deviate too far from it. Actually put back a few things that didn't come across as a great deal or that I didn't think I had to have at that very moment. I'm thinking (hoping) that this should be sufficient for the month in any major shopping, took care of the kids for the snacks and such for school, protein stuff for the workouts, veggies, and then some basic health and beauty items (do you see any fluff stuff in here??) 3 dozen large eggs, $3.99 Pita chips $5.69 Veggie Straws $4.99 sea salt $3.79 half & half x2 $1.59 each nutringrain bars $10.99 electrosol $9.99 less $3.25 bag of lemons $6.99 bag of limes $6.99 24 pk propel $9.99 less $2 2 gallons 2% milk $2.39 each gallon skim milk $2.29 5 lbs tomatoes $6.99 pantene ...

This original recipe comes from my 2001 Southern Living Annual Cookbook. I've made it with and without the dressing, and actually prefer it with a light ranch or blue cheese dressing: 16 oz or so of romaine lettuce, shredded 5 tomatoes, seeded and chopped 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained 1 can of corn, rinse and drained 1 small purple onion, chopped 8 oz package mexican blend cheese, finely grated (I just use whatever I have on hand!) 2 cups crushed tortilla chips Layer ingredients as listed above. Just before serving, top with dressing and toss gently. The dessing is as follows (I've only made it once or twice as Hubby hates cilantro) 1/3 cup fresh cilantro 1/2 cup lime juice 1/2 cup oil 1/2 cup sour cream 1 tsp sugar 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp pepper Process all in food processor, blender OR use your immersion blender til smooth, stopping to scrape sides as needed. Linking up with Jen over at Beauty and Bedlam Tasty Tuesday ! Check it out!

IF you have a Target with a refrigerator/dairy section, you need to go shop! They currently have Kraft cheese (shredded and block) on sale for $2 each. Go to the target site and print off the coupon for $1.25 off 2.  AND if you were lucky to see the $1 off any Kraft cheese in the Albertons sale paper, you have an even better deal! Anyways, I bought 6 bags of cheddar cheese, use 3 $1.25 off and 2 $1 off for a total of $5.75 off a $12 purchase. That gave me cheese for about $1.25 a package. Best deal I've seen in quite a while. Yes, I AM on a Pantry Challenge ... I didn't say I wouldn't buy any SUPER deals on stuff that we use all the time ... just for the record, I believe I WAS out of cheddar!

Food blogs, that is ... I was over here and there and then landed at Ezra Poundcake.  Ummm, like night and day, wouldn't you say? Of course, it's like 6:30 or so, and I'm beat, my body aches (damn gym) and feeling lazy. But alas, I'm also feeling a twinge of guilt for the feeding of the animals this week since Hubby's been gone. So, at 6:45, I scrub 4 large potatoes. Placed them on a baking dish, drizzled and then rubbed with olive oil, and gave a sprinkling of salt to them. Placed in the oven on 425 degrees for one hour. Remembered after about 30 minutes to do the milk, sour cream and butter so it wouldn't be COLD. Cheese is NOT an issue. Waited for the other 30 minutes to poke the taters and see how they were doing. As I waited, got a whiff of slightly burnt stuff, which then prompted me to dig around in the brain as to when the last time was I cleaned the oven. Hmmm...must have been a while as I don't recall. But the time is definitely here, I c...

Oh boy, we are into February and I'm determined!! Monday, Day 31 - Breakfast for Sonny Boy, Princess and Hubby was the yoplait smoothies I had picked up a few weeks ago along with bagel (SB), sandwich (Princess) and protein bar (Hubby since he was on way out the door). Lunch for the kids was the same old stuff with a clementine tossed in. I had my Evil Jungle salad (which really, just the dressing to top off a regular salad and steak!). I got waylaid at work and the kids ended up having themselves ANOTHER frozen pizza before they ran to the gym (WTH? Only skinny teens can do this) ... I had a bag of popcorn and a can of coke. Pretty pathetic but it was late and I was beat. Tuesday - Day 32. Breakfast for the Boy was pancakes and scrambled eggs. Princess more than likely made herself a breakfast sandwich. I had yogurt and a clementine. Lunch for Sonny Boy was the same thing as the past 31 days :) Princess fended for herself and I had a large salad with the rest of the evil jungl...

I do buy the Rondele and other cheese spreads, but only when on a great sale. I still have some from the last time there was a great sale, but this is just one of those recipes that hangs inside the pantry door for a quick fix when entertaining (I can highly recommend using pretzel sticks to dip with!) Garlic and Cheese Herb Spread 1 12 oz whipped cream cheese (yes, by all means, if you can, use less fat, fat free, etc!) 1 1/2 tsp minced garlic 3/4 tsp italian seasoning 1/4 tsp plus 1/8 tsp salt 1/8 tsp onion powder Gently stir all ingredients together. Store in fridge for at least a couple of hours before serving. Stir before serving, with your favorite crackers. Note: I've used an 8 oz block of cream cheese that I beat with handheld mixer and a few tsp of milk. Not as spreadable when cold though, so you may need to let it sit out for a bit before serving. Fresh garlic is best, but can use garlic powder. If using garlic salt, which I do NOT recommend, eliminate the ...

Sunday is the big day ... the day that you wait for all year, and in my case, just to see the commercials! Since the Bears or the Colts aren't in this year, we won't be hosting a party or anything (that I'm aware of, it could change on a moments notice around here), I will just be making simple stuff. But in years past, we've made lots and lots of stuff, either to take elsewhere or HERE. So in linking up with Life as Mom for her Ultimate Recipe Swap , I give you ..... Buffalo Chicken Dip ... crockpot style! Um, it's pathetic when you see someone scrapping the sides and bottom to finish it up, but that is a sign that it's a winner! This is also going to be excellent as I have EVERYTHING in the Pantry and will, it is still Pantry Challeng'ing' around here! Package of cream cheese, softened (8 oz) ... I try to use light, less fat or fat free :) 1/4 cup ranch dressing 1/4 cup blue cheese dressing (or just use 1/2 cup of either or dressing) 1/2 cu...