Frugal In Florida

Did you know that my birthday falls on ... Cinco de Mayo? Hmmm ... that may be what my margarita infatuation comes from? Possibly ... However, growing up all those years in small town Indiana, I had no idea that I shared my big day with a nationally recognized MAJOR party holiday ... imagine that! So now, when someone inquires as to when my birthday is, I just reply "Cinco de Mayo" ... I am amazed at how many people have that SAME EXACT birthday :) *And just for the record, I am NOT one of those who celebrate my birthday all month long ... just that long weekend. But honestly, it's not even the birthday celebration, but everything else that seems to happen at that time: Kentucky Derby, Cinco de Mayo, Air Show ... oh, and yeah, my birthday!* Anyways. I've got girlfriends who hope and pray that we have a party so they can celebrate...with ME of course ;-) ... but a few years ago, I kept it low key and we grilled out at home with the kids ... and I...

It's almost May! Which means a few things special in MY LIFE: My birthday! Not so exciting as it's the 5 3 one! Cinco De Mayo - same day as my birthday! Fort Lauderdale Air Show - same weekend as my birthday! Kentucky Derby! Yup, same weekend as the above 3 things! Uhm ... I am going to need a long vacation after this first weekend in May! We are having a 'few' people over for all  the festivities and you probably already know that I LOVE margaritas ... uh huh ... but not the heartburn at 2am after a few of the ones using the pre-made margarita mix ... Hubby already has the system worked out where he just pulls out the bottle of Prilosec and sets it next to my glass. Pretty pathetic, don't you think? ;-) I had shared this recipe a while ago and decided to make these again since I am having a few friends over ... I mean, heck, I have frozen strawberries, a ton of them,  because I always FREEZE them once they sit for a few days to keep them from going to...

We've kind of left the Instant Pot alone for a few weeks and I just felt like I needed to bring it out again ... so what the heck, let's make a super simple meal, shall we? Just a little inside scoop: Hubby has used the thing MORE than me ... he's become the designated cook lately and well, he doesn't always follow the directions and we've had a few flops ... Back to an EASY meal that only uses a few ingredients.  All you need is the following: 2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breast 1 tsp salt 1 1/2 tsp cumin black pepper generous dash of oregano 1 jar chunky salsa (about 2 cups worth) Ready?? Mix the salt, cumin pepper and oregano in a small bowl and season the chicken on both sides. Toss them bad boys in the pot and dump the salsa over the chicken. Secure the lid, making sure your vent is CLOSED and press the poultry button, adding another 5 minutes so you have a total of 20 minutes cook time.    Rule #1 - always make sure the...

Hey hey, Cinco de Mayo is coming up and it's time to pull out all your Mexican festivity recipes!  And you know me, I like to keep things simple and this recipe more than fits the bill! It's considered a "condiment" but I can stand at the kitchen counter and eat this stuff by the spoonful! Salsa Fresca aka Pico de Gallo Now. It's really easy for me to chop chop chop as I've got that handy dandy Vidalia Chop Wizard ! What? You don't have one?? What are you waiting for? Go get one pronto!  This saves sooooo much time chopping AND everything is a nice uniform dice. Go, go go! Go get one right now! $14.99 at Bed Bath and Beyond if you use your little handy 20% off coupon.  Or else you can click that link above for Amazon and if you have Prime, you'll get it in 2 days. Have I stressed how *important* this is (and yes, I am a frugal gal and I highly recommend this little gadget!* (ahem, I didn't realize they've gotten as expensive as that on ...

I love margaritas. Yes, I know, I also love the Peach Vodka things ... but a classic margarita is really hard to beat!  And when one of my girlfriends showed up with a bottle of Patron, I knew we had to make these. I mean, it's not like I was WAITING for a bottle of Patron to show up on the doorstep ... I've got a pretty good selection of tequila already ... Lets make one thing clear, right off the top. Use good quality tequila! Skip right on past the bottle of Jose ... and take my advice and skip past the ones that aren't clear ... the darker the tequila, the more "woodier" it will taste and just not meant for a margarita ... I have eight bottles of tequila right now ... and only a few limes which means I should have hit up Costco to buy the big bag worth for a couple of dollars (instead of 3 for $1) ... *the limes I do have came from Aldis and were like 99 cents a bag, which has about 6 in there or so. Not the very best but they were adequate. She...