Frugal In Florida

It's time for ANOTHER REPOST! Margaritas. Can we talk about Margaritas, just for one second? They are soooooo universal ... you name it, you can make a margarita out of it!  I've got the  Classic , the  Frozen Strawberry , the  Fresh Fruit , the  Kickin Grapefruit , the  Blood Orange  and of course, THE MANGO MARGARITA ... Here's the post from a few years ago ... I so wanted to get this post up BEFORE Cinco de Mayo but with the phone hitting the wall, seriously, I couldn't figure out a way to bypass the damn Google  2 step verification process (how on earth did I ever agree to THAT!!!???) to log in to the main computer and upload the pics ... Oh well. I'm still sharing because it's just worth it. The original recipe comes from  The Pioneer Woman  and I happened to catch her on Food TV last weekend. Raise your hand IF you like to watch that show? Me? Not so much, no offense Ree. It's just not the same as reading the webs...

Hey, it's a repost, but with the holidays upon us and I have a Boat Parade Party coming up, time to bring out all the favorites...* I had that girls night recently ... and had a momentary panic attack that I maybe didn't have enough food to feed the masses sufficiently. Really, who am I trying to kid? I had tons of food! However, in my panic mode, I jumped on  Pinterest  ... of course!  I found this cool meatball recipe (and had everything on hand, thankfully because I was NOT going to the store!) and tossed these together ... The boyfriend (of Princess) loved the sauce ... as did 10 of the 12 girlfriends ... me, not a whole lot, just because it's not the way my meatballs usually taste ... but I would certainly make these again as they were a HIT! (The 2 who did not like that much said they would rather have the spicy meatballs instead). For the record, this picture was taken as everyone was scooping them up! Original recipe comes from  Oh Bite It  ...

FYI ... THIS IS VERY ADDICTIVE AND YOU WILL WISH YOU HAD MADE A DOUBLE BATCH! It's been a looooong time since I made this as we were making it every weekend and both Hubby and I decided that it was a little too indulgent to make "just because it's Saturday!" BUT now the Boat Parade Party is coming up and well, what better time than that to make this again! Yippee!! Cheese? Yup, in the freezer! Onions, of course, and SWEET VIDALIA ones at that! Cream cheese? Yup, down to 2 now in the fridge. Mayo ... yes, sadly, store bought.  Parmesan cheese? Wasn't 100% certain but I have some!  This is one of those dishes that people will be crowding around, giving a little jab of the elbow at times to try and get a scoop of the yumminess ... We've had friends who just pull up a barstool at the counter and just basically hover over the dish, inhaling it without a care in the world ...  Trust me, the one guy is Mr. Health Conscious and does not ju st eat stuff ...

Last Friday I was DETERMINED to try and get back in to the swing of things and I REFUSED to be sick anymore!! So here's what I choose for my Friday night poison: Espresso Martini(s) Figured one, maybe 2 and it turned in to 4 because each batch filled up the martini glass 2 times ... 1 part (shot) espresso vodka (double espresso Van Gough) 1 part (shot) Kahlua 2 parts (shots) iced coffee (strong brewed) Add ice to shaker and add all ingredients. Shake and then strain in to a martini glass and serve.  Really easy to make. I made the coffee in the Keurig using the middle size to brew. Tossed the glass  of coffee in the freezer to chill for awhile before making (probably an hour or so?).  I already had the rest of the ingredients on hand from the proposed Christmas Party that didn't happen (mom passed away) ... so it stayed within my self imposed "Frugal Guidelines" (post coming soon!) ... These were really yummy. And I need to do it ...

A while ago,  I picked up all this stuff at Whole Foods thinking me and Hubby could have a nice stroll to the beach on a date night and share some good wine with some equally good cheese and crackers. Never happened, so I ended up sharing with friends and it was just as good! This was not recent, but withing the past 4 months or so. A nice assortment of fairly expensive cheeses (ok, it's not $3.99 cheddar, ok?) ... Add in some crackers or flat thingys And then slice up some heirloom tomatoes And you have a feast to share with friends... Linking up with Ultimate Recipe Swap

It's the MOST Wonderful Time of the Year .... and that means ... BOAT PARADE PARTY ... which also means ... yummy food that's only made at this time of the year .... woohoo!! My favorite, that is MY recipe that Hubby loves and tells everyone about the Spinach Dip. Um hmmm. I've been known to lay in bed the following morning with a small bowl heated up for breakfast (the things we do for hangovers). It's fairly easy, but not a dump and go recipe for once ... but so worth the extra dishes and work for the end result. 1 jar marinated artichokes, drained 1 pkg frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained 1/2 tsp minced garlic 1/3 cup Romano cheese 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese 1 cup mozzarella 1/3 cup half and half (or milk, cream) 1/2 cup sour cream Blend artichokes, Romano and Parmesan cheese in food processor til minced (but not quite pasty). Squeeze spinach with hands to get the as much liquid as possible out.  Add spinach to large bowl and break up as it wi...

Hubby is traveling Monday, Tuesday and gets back late on Wednesday. Sonny Boy's 19th birthday is Monday. Not that it 'matters' so to speak as he's in Orlando and I'm not. Just telling you. Princess is 21 on Thursday. Where did the 21 years go?? I am meeting her and a girlfriend of mine for the yummy prickly pear margaritas at Canyons . It's time for her to be introduced to the chicks top pick. So it's really a limited 'cooking' week for me! I had taken shrimp out on Sunday morning anticipating making Bangin Shrimp but we ended up trying out a new wing place after picking up the Christmas tree (we need to get wings for the Boat Parade Party this weekend ... our old place is closed). Since it was late (like 4'ish) we just skipped dinner so to speak. I will have to hit Costco this week one night after work. Need to get foods for the party, and I also want to get milk, cream, 1/2 and 1/2, lettuce, and a few other things (lunchmeat, carnation,...

That's the only way I can describe the freezers and pantry at the moment. I've been really reducing my grocery shopping (the amount of stuff I buy, not necessarily money out) ... so we are pretty much dried up on the snacks and such. I mean, shoot, the one shelf is normally stuffed with chips, breads, and other junk snacky types of foods. But since Sonny Boy hasn't been around, and all the boys with him (and girls) and Princes is working odd hours, we've pretty much cleaned out that shelf and just not bought any more ... which is ok because we ARE trying to eat healthier. So when I got the text message from our friends that they had 10 'plump' b/s chicken thighs, and would we like to grill them up at our house and hang out for a bit, I had a slight anxiety attack. What to serve for snacks? What to serve as a side. I mean, this is like an hour notice after a BUSY day. We said YES (of course) and hurried up to finish our projects in process (Hubby hanging...

Here's another guaranteed to be on list of appetizers for the boat parade. Hubby has been making this for YEARS and we rarely have leftovers the next day, which is good as they get pretty spicy. 5 lb bag of frozen meatballs (we usually get the Kirkland italian ones from Costco but I think I have some Hormel ones in the freezer that I will use if so.) 3 to 4 cans of mexican style rotel tomatoes (lime juice and cilantro are added, plus I think it's milder) Puree the tomatoes in blender/food processor to remove most of the chunky stuff. This is totally optional, BUT required in my house since Hubby hates cooked chunky tomatoes. Dump meatballs in large crockpot and pour tomatoes over the top. Cover and heat on low 8 hours or so til warm through. Serve and enjoy! NOTE: I promise to try and make every effort to post a picture once I have these made!

Its a once in a blue moon type of thing for me to say that I made a casserole. But today, I did. But it's not for us to eat at the house. It's for Hubby to take with him to the office tomorrow. He has a new employee who JUST moved here from the other coast, and he thinks the guy is flat broke and living in his car til his wife comes and a few paychecks roll in. That makes me sad. Very very sad. But there is hope in that Hubby must be coming around and be a little more sensitive =D which is a joke, yet not really. Anyways. When we made dinner Saturday night, he insisted that we double the meat for the grill and made an extra side dish. To take to work "as leftovers" and to tell the gang that it's too much food for us at home. Hmmm. That's pretty nice honey. This morning, we were talking about the status of chicken in the freezers and if I wanted to make some more stuff. Hmmm...How about a casserole type thingy? He just looked at me, well, because,...

I ran into my neighbor at the grocery store a few weekends ago. I haven't seen or talked to her in several weeks and had been meaning to call her and hassle her about the fact that surely, at the age of 70, she wasn't going back to work since I've noticed her car gone every morning by 7:30am. (She lives next door to me and my one kitchen window looks over her carport.) I should have known something was up as soon as we made eye contact. First off, her dog passed. Which is sad. Thor was such a good dog, old, but still. Good Dog. I thought that was the bad news. Poor Joan. Her eyes were just wide and empty. Remember, this is my neighbor who just had her kidney removed in June. 70 years old. We garden side by side over the fence. Every year for the past 11 years. She's now undergoing radiation 5 days a week and chemo once a week. For lung cancer. This, after she quit smoking AND drinking 10 years ago for throat cancer. Which she did radiation and surgery then...

You may remember that there is a new place in town called Rocco's Tacos that me and the 'girls' have claimed as our place. (Psst...the website is LOUD so turn down or mute speakers before linking through). Even some men tell me that they were hanging out at my "stomping grounds". They also say that they paid the price. See, Rocco's is unique in a few ways. One: Rocco is really a person, and he's young'er' than most would think. Two: Rocco is a self proclaimed "glorified bus boy" and loves his job. Three: Rocco always always, ALWAYS has a bottle of Patron on ice, will turn on the pee wee herman song, grab his 70's platform white shoes, jump on the bar and start free pouring tequila in your mouth, drink, pitcher, where ever you want. OMG. The consequences are not for the faint of heart. Of course, you could just wait for a table and sit and eat a nice dinner, but heck, it's ROCCOS TACOS! Alas, since I've sort of, kind of we...

This post is about ME. All me. Me Me Me. Well, and my friends. And my family. Ok, let's start with the ME: 1. I am a creature of habit, very much so. 2. I am a tightwad, yet I can certainly be a spendthrift too. This definitely needs to be looked into further, just not at this very moment. 3. I like to cook, but sometimes, just don't have the energy, ambition, drive, motivation, etc. 4. I love my family (most of the time). 5. I enjoy staying home and having everyone over to MY house :) So, what does this all have to do with a Frugal Friday post? Well, I've learned a  few things from those 5 points ... I am a tightwad WHEN I continue to stick with my method of thinking myself as such ... doing things consistently becomes a "habit", and cooking for myself, family and friends in the comfort of my home is definitely a Frugal Friday tip (not to mention, skipping that huge bar tab is a bonus!) I've started back up with the hosting Happy Hour Fridays...

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...

My girlfriend celebrated her 49th birthday in February ... we had a girls night for her and took her to a place in Boca called Rocco Taco's.  Unfortunately, it was the same weekend as Valentine's Day so the place was mobbed, we stayed out too late, and drank too much.  Oh. We ate too, but not as much (or early) as we should have ... The most memorable thing about the place (besides the WHITE PLATFORM shoes that Rocco puts on for the Tequila song??) ... the mermaids.  Look at them. They are just plain freaky.   The margaritas were good. We ordered by the pitcher. Lots of ice but nice and cold and went down pretty easily. Key thing was that it was way cheaper this way than individual drinks.  The food was good. Not expensive at all as what you would expect. The guacamole is made tableside and really neat to watch (not to mention delicious ... wish I hadn't had so much to drink before that time, I really wanted to measure!)   I would...

This evening, I want to have 2 other couples over for dinner. The one may or may not bring their 2 kids (one is sonny boy age, the girl is in elementary school). Regardless, I am making brats and sauerkraut in the oven with a cool southwestern layered salad. I'm baking sugar cookies that will be frosted once cool. This is kind of a big deal for me, in a way. See, these 2 couples do not drink. One is health orientated and just don't. The other couple has a spouse who has been in & out of rehab for alcohol. I suggested that we have these 2 couples over for a 'non drinking' dinner to hubby. Not quite sure how he feels about that but he hasn't said a whole lot about it. He is the one that was just telling me the other day that we need to make new friends & reconnect with old ones. There have been a few things that have happened in the not so far past that may or may not have contributed to our lack of staying in touch with old friends. Of course, everyone...

I had to stop at Goodwill on the way home from work last Wednesday night to drop off the stuff in the back of truck. Since I had to go inside, figured I’d look around as the place was CLEAN and very very neat & orderly! Surprise! Picked up a pair of white nautical pants and a coral color Liz Claiborne tank. They were $6 each. Wow. I thought that was expensive. Even the non name brand stuff was $4 or $5 each. So in addition to really cleaning the place up, they have raised their prices. They no longer do ½ off certain color tags either. Gal at register said new management, a lot of negative policies. Hmmm. Wonder what she meant by that? Think I may stick with Out of the Closet that goes to $1 on certain colors each month. Freebies from girlfriend! Last wednesday night my girlfriend came over for a while as we haven’t seen each other in a while. It was nice to see her! Cathy also brought over a big black garbage bag full of clothes! Woohoo! Wish I had known she was coming as I...

Sunday night, we went with another couple to a restaurant on the beach called Cafe Del Mar. I didn't really want to go as I kept saying that it's Memorial Day Weekend and who in the hell goes out to some fancy restaurant on the beach to eat?? Well, we went. They warned us that we were not going for the food but the entertainment. Oh my god! Alex Fox. Google him, actually google the images. This man plays a wicked guitar! Usually, his 2 sons are with him playing but not that night. He had a drummer with him that has only played for 1 week and they were terrific together! We sat there from 8:30 to 11:30pm. The crowds were lined up on the sidewalk listening & watching the performance. They were selling cd's like crazy (from the looks of it!). The seating was packed which was why people were lined up on the sidewalk. It was breezy and no rain and the humidity was down, thankfully, so very comfortable (outdoor seating). Amazing. EXPENSIVE! $266 for the 4 of us. W...

Time flies when you are having fun :) Went to the casino with g/f yesterday ... went in with $195, walked out with $125. Should have left hours before as I would have been much further ahead. For being a frugal minded person, I am shocked that I can play slots :( The neighborhood kitty showed up again over the weekend. Thank god, I can now stop worrying about it! :) Of course, last night, he chased another cat off the patio, down the road & haven't seen either one since. The other one is a male that's not fixed who started coming around Saturday night. The kids made the mistake of feeding him & now he strolls in the house if the slider is open :( Work is plugging along. Not any busier but not any slower either, so that's good. I certainly hope the economy picks up pretty soon though, all the news about recessions, subprime woes, etc. are not GOOD in my office. Being real estate lawyers is not exactly where you want to be right now, unless you specialize in f...

I really do have the menu planned to the end of January but of course, a few open days and is always up for modification & changes! Sunday – salsbury steaks & egg noodles (plenty leftover for lunches) Monday – leftovers (basically, fend for yourself!) Tuesday – Chicken noodle stir fry – uses ramen noodles, frozen veggies, teriyaki sauce and peanuts or cashews Wednesday - perogies & fried cabbage (perogies were a great deal @ BJS) Thursday – tacos Friday – homemade mac & cheese with smoked sausage Saturday - chicken (not sure how or what type, most likely thighs as dh loves & we haven’t had in a while). Most likely will have friends over for dinner