Cooking and Cleaning Day

I have less than one week to get my house in order and get some bulk cooking done.

See, there's this guy that will be coming home and I want to spend all my free time gazing into his eyes. OK that will never happen since we have 3 kids and never have any free time, but one can dream.

I am SO stinkin' excited about seeing my husband. I think I am finally getting used to being a truckers wife too. This past time he went out has just flown by, which is GREAT!

I actually got some time off last week. My oldest was out of school Thursday and Friday, so on Wednesday we loaded up and headed to my dads house. We won't be able to make it to my dads for Thanksgiving so this worked out perfect for us to be able to spend some time with him. All the girls love it there. He has a great big yard where they can run around and get out all the built up energy. By Saturday, they just wanted to lay around and watch cartoons.

Mission accomplished.

But now my house is a mess and I am running low on groceries. I try to only shop once a month now since I absolutely HATE it. We do make mini-runs for milk and eggs but that's it. It's been over 4 weeks since I have set foot into a grocery store and it feels great!

I have about 2 weeks worth of meat left in my deep freezer. I plan on putting most of that in the slow cooker in the coming days for easy but delicious dinners. I recently purchased a slow cooker e-cookbook and it is FILLED will great sounding recipes.

I love to cook, but have come to the conclusion that I am just not that great at coming up with new recipes. I will gladly pay for someone to do the thinking for me.

This week I plan on making some granola, pigs in a blanket, homemade hot pockets, homemade pasta sauce, home made buttermilk bread and also some date muffins.

I have been on the lookout for a waffle maker and a large electric skillet. There are tons of them out there but I have yet to find one that I like AND that is reasonably priced. My kids are always asking for pancakes and waffles for breakfast but I really, REALLY don't like having to make the mess and take the time everyday. I make double and sometimes triple batches of pancakes so I can freeze the rest. Triple batches of pancakes in a frying pan takes a long time. LONG time.

So my list grows and grows for convenience items. I should go to the Salvation Army store. It's where I've bought both of my bread machines, numerous baking pans and my electric mixer.

OK... going to cook and clean. Care to help?

Are you a canner?

I have only canned once in my life and it was this past spring. I made strawberry jam. It was/is delicious.

Like, the best jam ever. Never mind that it has about 6 cups of sugar and lots and lots of strawberries.

I am pretty sure the reason is was so good was because I made it.
Me.
In my tiny kitchen. 

OK, yes it was the delicious strawberries and sugar that made it good but who cares. Not me. I won't be buying the stuff at the store again.

Homemade jam is so much better. Aaaaand I know what is it in.

Have you ever noticed how hard store brand jams and jellies are to spread? I guess I never noticed until I made my own. They spread without ripping the fresh bread to shreds.

I bought a bunch of green beans at the store over the summer while they were cheap and I had ever intention of canning them.

I ended up throwing them away.

All 10,000 lbs of them.

Actually only about 8 lbs but still... that was like 6 bucks worth of beans that I could had made into food for my family.

The reason I didn't can them was because I don't have a canner. I wanted to purchase one but then realized I would need an expensive one since we have a glass top stove. I can't use those cheap ones on glass top stove.

Who knew? Apparently not me.

I could have improvised with a large stock pot like I did for making the jam, but my pots just weren't tall enough to fit jars and still have them covered with enough water to ensure proper sealing.

Fast-forward to today and low and behold I found a place in our city that will help you can food!

Here is a little exerpt from their website.

... the Canning Center provides an institutional kitchen environment.  All equipment necessary for canning is provided onsite.  Users provide their own ingredients. 

... The client list includes Duval County residents, boaters, various churches, people on restricted diets, non-profit organizations within the city, the 4-H School Enrichment Program and other governmental agencies.

It's not free, but if a large group of people got together to make food for their families to share, it would totally be worth it. Like a co-op type thing.

The canning center provides ALL the equipment to can. All you have to do is bring the ingredients and jars. How easy is that??!!

They also occasionally have workshops that teach people how to can soups.

Depending on whether or not I break down and buy an expensive canner, I may just give this place a try. Our kitchen is small tiny and it was a little cramped while I was canning the jam.

It would be a nice change to actually cook in an industrial sized kitchen!

I may never want to go back to my little tiny kitchen. (when I say tiny, I mean it. I have less than 3 ft of counter-top space.)

Signed,

Hopelessly needs a bigger kitchen and flat bottomed canner

On the lookout

So even though I don't post our weekly grocery budget anymore, I am still pinching pennies. I really am. Probably even more now that Chris has gone back on the road.

• When he is home, we spend more money.
• We make more trips to the grocery store.
• We eat more expensive food.
• I cook more, and by more I mean quantity.
• That boy can eat y'all!

I am always on the lookout for good, frugal recipes. And by good, I mean AWESOME.

It's no secret I am addicted to pizza. It's really a love hate relationship. I love it, but I hate to pay for it.

I have been making my own pizza for as long as I can remember and I have YET to find a crust recipe that I am head over heals in love with. (think Papa John's or Mellow Mushroom crust)

That crispy outside, chewy inside and perfectly un-soggy-when-it's-loaded-with-sauce-and-toppings dough is what I am after.

Where is this elusive pizza dough recipe. Believe me when I tell you this. I have tried no less than 20 dough recipes. They are pretty much all the same and pretty much all disappoint. They are either too think and bready or too thin and crackery.

Bready and crackery. Now those are some words to make you sound REALLY smart. Geez.

Anyway...

I need a recipe. I really GOOD recipe for pizza dough. I just can't bring my penny pinching self to order pizza. I *almost* did it last night. It was gonna cost nearly $25.00!!

I'm sorry but $25.00 for pizza? Really? I can feed 30 people for less than $25.00. Heck I made an entire Thanksgiving spread last year for less than that.

I think I'll take my cry for help hunt to Twitter. I'm sure I'll get some good answers there!

Yesterday

1. Dishes - Done!

2. Clothes - Not done

3. Floors - Done! (but already needs to be re-swept)

4. Dinner - Put a roast in the crock pot so I didn't have to "cook"

5. Bathe - Done! And I have a story to go with this

6. Bake - Done! I made an apple crisp and it was delish

7. Put on a happy face - Done!

I feel quite accomplished now that I look at my list. I did almost everything on it and didn't even realize until I just now typed it.

I can feel myself getting sick. Bleh. Sore throat that feels like it's on fire. I am usually the last one to get sick though. I tell ya those public school germs are BRUTAL!

Goals for today

1. Dishes. They have taken over my kitchen.

2. Clothes. They have taken over my room.

3. Floors. I don't like stepping on crap all day while I walk from one room to another.

4. Dinner. Someone has to feed these hooligans.

5. Bathe. Yeah. That one speaks for itself. P.U.

6. Bake. I have been craving an apple pie like you wouldn't believe!

7. Put on a happy face and not complain. It's a bad habit that I have had for years and I am trying to quit. :)

Be happy.

My addiction...

... is pizza. I am certifiably addicted to it. I crave it. I mean like pregnant crave it every. single. day.

I crave it for breakfast. Chorizo and scrambled egg pizza sounds wonderful to me! With hot sauce.. oh my.

For lunch... mini pizzas on English muffins. YUM!

Dinner... any kind of pizza that has sauce cheese and topping. Which is pretty much any kind.

I have it bad.

Good thing my kids love it.

Good thing my husband is gone for 6 weeks.

He is NOT addicted to pizza. The big weirdo.

Is it weird that I crave pizza like this? I am curious as to what, if anything, does everyone else crave.

Menu Plan Monday

Week 2 of summer break! It's been really busy around here. I've been getting all of Caitlin's paperwork filled out and turned in for her schooling for next year. We have decided to go back to homeschooling her this coming year. I wanted to try the public schools here again and not to my surprise, they are still pretty much the same. They teach to pass tests, not to learn. They spend half of the school day trying to get their class in order and discipline the out of control children. My child wants to learn and she can't in that sort of environment, so it's back to homeschooling we go!

Monday - Barley Breakfast Hash, oranges and biscuits

Tuesday - Cubed steak with onions and tomatoes over rice, broccoli

Wednesday - Enchilada chicken, rice and salad

Thursday - Tuna noodle casserole, bread

Friday - Homemade pizza

Saturday - Pigs in a blanket, chips

Sunday - Sandwiches or leftovers

Menu Plan Monday

Summer is here and I couldn't be happier! I tend to let things slide in the summer and that includes dinner time. We usually eat later during the summer since the days are so much longer. This year however, I am determined NOT to eat dinner past 7:00 pm. I like to have my free time in the evenings and that means the kids still need to go to bed at a decent hour.

8:30 during school and no later than 9:30 during the summer, although it's usually a LOT sooner than that. I like to keep things as normal as possible. I'm not one of those parents that lets their kids stay up super late on the weekends and summer vacation. I would go crazy! With Chris being gone so much, the only break I get is when they are sleeping so I LOVE night time. Don't get me wrong, I love my kids!!! But I do enjoy a little alone time too. It's only natural.

For this reason I will be starting back up with my menu planning. It's such a big help to me.

Monday - Beans (slow cooker) and rice with rolls or cornbread

Tuesday - Pot roast, baked potatoes, green beans, leftover rolls

Wednesday - Creamed chicken (double batch) over rice, broccoli

Thursday - Homemade hamburger helper, green beans or salad

Friday - Chicken shepherds pie, sauteed spinach, bread

Saturday - Homemade pizza

Sunday - Pigs in a blanket, sandwiches or leftovers

So there ya have it. Nothing special but hopefully will keep us on schedule this week. Looking for more ideas? Check out orgjunkie.com for LOTS of other menu ideas.

Enchilada chicken

Now this is not to be confused with chicken enchiladas. Which, by the way, I happen to LOVE. My kids, not so much.

I know. They are weirdos.

So I made this instead. I saw a recipe in my latest Woman’s Day for a slow cooker chicken dish that used enchilada sauce, chili powder and orange marmalade along with a slew of other ingredients.

I do not like orange marmalade.

I know. I’m a weirdo.

So I thought… why not just make the chicken with out the marmalade and make into a Mexican type thing instead of sweet. WOW. It was delish.

Here’s what I did. Oh but how ‘bout a picture first??

There… that’s better.

Enchilada Chicken

2 –3 pounds of skinless chicken (I used legs and thighs. Boneless skinless breast would work too)

1 can of enchilada sauce (I used mild cause I’m a wimp when it comes to spicy food)

1 Tablespoon onion powder

1 Tablespoon garlic powder

Cilantro

Salt and pepper to taste

I used a big baking dish for all this chicken. SPRAY your dish with non-stick. Trust me OK. :)

Place your chicken in the pan and pour the sauce all over the chicken, use about 1/2 a can of water to get all the sauce out. Then sprinkle the remaining ingredients over the chicken. Turn to coat well. Cover and bake. (I baked at 425 because my chicken was still a little frozen and I was in a hurry. Just use whatever temp you use to bake chicken. To each his own) Remove foil and continue cooking until the outside is nice and crispy and brown.

Next I make this I’m going to go skinless and maybe add a can of tomatoes and top it with cheese. Delish!

My pickiest eater proclaimed she did not want to eat this. But when I put it in front of her, she gobbled it right up! She finished the chicken before anything else.

Totally and utterly random

Do you ever just run out of stuff to say? I have sat here looking at this cursor blinking for over an hour.

Thinking of what to say...

I don't know what direction to take with this blog. A lot has changed over the year.

I do still pinch pennies, but it's in a totally different way.

I rarely clip coupons anymore.

I shop once, maybe twice a month, if at all.

I have such a good stockpile of food here, I only need to purchase milk, eggs and cheese.

and you know what... I love it!

With Chris being gone 5 to 6 weeks at a time, I don't get any alone time without the kids. I know that sounds like I am trying to pawn my kids off on someone, but taking kids to the grocery store is NOT my idea of fun.

2 buggies + 3 kids = no fun for mom. ( At least for me)

I am now going against everything I once did. My rules were no shopping on the weekends, don't buy it if I don't have a coupon, only buy if on sale, etc.

I ONLY shop on the weekends now. It's just easier to have Caitlin helping me and since she is in public school now, she isn't free during the week.

I don't even buy Sunday papers anymore. I used to buy at least 5. Too time consuming now for me.

I do still try to buy only if on sale, but I now buy what my kids will eat and if it's not on sale, oh well. Some thing else will get cut from the list.

I need to get back into the habit of menu planning. That really helped me out when I was doing it, especially on the weeks that Chris leaves. My brain turns to mush for about a week after he leaves. Just trying to get back into the swing of things wears me out. I mope around for a few days feeling sorry for myself and crying up a storm. But then I usually snap out of it and realize I have been feeding my children pure junk and I had better get my tail in gear and get with it!

My get with it day was yesterday and today.

Yesterday : Cleaned my kitchen. It was a mess. My hands are now a mess from all the dish washing! Also get meat from the freezer for this week.

Today : Caitlin was sick so she stayed home from school and helped me clean up a little and we started her science fair project. I made crock pot red beans and rice, 2 loaves of buttermilk bread, browned 6 lbs of ground beef, made a pot of tea, went to the bank, CVS to buy milk, swept, cleaned all the dishes from today and am now relaxing.

My neighbors were out walking their dog this afternoon and stopped to chat for a minute. They noticed our garden on the back porch. We live in a condo so there isn't room for an outside garden so we had to improvise.

We have big pots for our veggies this year and I couldn't be more excited!

We planted straight neck squash, cherry tomatoes, green peppers, heirloom tomatoes (in our topsy turvy), yellow tomatoes, basil, cilantro, culantro, and rosemary. I still have to plant the parsley. They couldn't believe we had all that growing on the back porch!

Back porch = screen lanai to y'all city folk. :)

I mentioned that a few weeks ago I bought a flat of strawberries from the farm stand and made strawberry jam. I offered them a jar and they were more than happy to take it. Y'all it's so good! So sweet and yummy! I also gave them a loaf of the buttermilk bread.

Gosh well, this post rambled on about nothing....

Sorry for being so random. My mind is just getting out of the mushy stage 'ya know!

So if you made it to the end.... here is a picture of the little ones pretending to be birds. The magnolia leaves are of course the wings. :)

Easy Breakfast Casserole

I have been on the lookout for a super easy breakfast casserole FOREVER. I have looked everywhere and couldn't find one that fit my family's tastes just right. This recipe is a collection of a couple different ones, just changed up a bit to suit our tastes.

This one is a winner!

Before we get to the recipe, let me just apologize for the pictures.

1. I am a terrible photographer.
2. I have a terrible camera. (these were taken before I got the new one)
   
3. I am a terrible photographer.
4. I have terrible lighting.
5. I am a terrible photographer.

Easy Breakfast Casserole

1 lb bulk sausage, cooked, crumbled and drained (I use Publix brand since it doesn't have MSG)

6 or 7 eggs - depending on your love of eggs. I use 7.

5 or 6 Frozen hash brown patties - depending on the size of your pan and patties

1 cup of shredded cheese (shred your own, it's MUCH cheaper)

1/3 block of cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup each of cream and milk

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 and spray a 9 x 13 with nonstick spray. Really lay it on, eggs stick! Or you could use crisco and just grease it like you would a loaf pan.

Lay the hash brown patties down first in a single layer and then cover with about 3/4 cup of cheese. Then layer on the cooked and drained sausage.

 Whisk your cream cheese until smooth. I usually add the cream at this point. It helps the cream cheese get smooth. Add your eggs, milk and seasonings and whisk until blended. Just season the eggs like you would if you were making scrambled eggs.

Pour the egg mixture over the patties, cheese and sausage and top with remaining cheese.

Bake for about 40 minutes or until set.

Let stand for a few minutes before cutting into... or if you are like me, dig right in!

Enjoy!

Remember how I said this was inspired by some other recipes?? Here they are.

I got the concept of this casserole from here. Let me just tell you... this is an AWESOME website.

Oh.

My.

Word. Talk about yummy Southern food.

The egg mixture was inspired by these. They are so good! We make them with sausage and ham as well. With and without the biscuits too!

Menu Plan Monday

Since I am getting back into the swing of things, I have my menus all made up and ready to go! What a relief. Whew.

Monday - Lima beans and ham over rice, cucumber tomato salad, 40 minute rolls

Tuesday - Saucy broccoli chicken bake, carrots, leftover rolls

Wednesday - Homemade Hamburger Helper, green beans, mandarin oranges

Thursday - Farmhouse chicken, broccoli, fruit salad

Friday - Out for dinner?? Not sure. Have company coming.

Saturday - Spaghetti with meat sauce and french bread

Sunday - Leftover buffet or sloppy joes and tater tots

For more great menus, hop on over to Menu Plan Monday on Orgjunkie. com

Update: I had to change up tonight's menu. I forgot I have over 1/2 a spiral ham I need to use up before it goes bad. I cut all the meat off the bone and will throw that bone in with the Limas. Gonna put the rest of the ham into freezer bags for another meal down the road.

On a roll!

Since Chris has been gone I have been on a serious organizing kick. I have become more organized in the last few days than I have in a year!

Sunday I made a list of dinners I would make for the entire month he was gone. Went to the store and bought most everything. Went to 2 more stores and now I am done.

I have cooked and prepared and portioned and froze nearly EVERYTHING to get me through the month.

And you know, it really hasn't taken that much longer.

I had dinner ready at 5:30 on Wednesday, 6:00 on Tuesday. That's EARLY for us. I like it too!

The babies are not so grouchy and are willing to try new things. That makes everyone happier.

The girls are getting into the swing of things. Remember, Caitlin just went back to public school 3 weeks ago so we are kinda still trying to get into the groove. Homeschooling for nearly 3 years made me VERY lazy when it comes to getting up early. Chris was always the early riser.

Speaking of Chris, I miss him dearly. I have talked to him a lot so that helps.

2 years ago he lost his wedding band while cleaning out our gutter during a hurricane (don't ask) and he never replaced it. I wanted to get him one for Christmas, but decided not to. Getting things for the kids was WAY more important.

He bought one tonight and sent me a picture message of his hand and his new band. Sweet. I love it.

Can't wait to see it in person.

He asked me how the coupon organizing was going. Ha! I had to tell him I haven't even started on that yet. One thing at a time.

I'm getting there... I am on a roll!

Kitchen Tip: Canning Funnel

I don't can. Not yet anyways. I have the book and I have the tools, but I haven't learned to can.

I was cooking up a big ol' batch of ground beef today, to put away in the freezer, and had an idea! Since I was cooking 6 lbs and I had to put all that beef into ziploc baggies, I needed an easy way to do it.

Something that I can put into the bag and then just funnel the beef in there.

My canning funnel! That would be perfect!

(sorry for the blurry picture, my camera is not fancy)

And I am here to tell you... it was just perfect! I didn't drop not one morsel of beefy goodness.

Try it next time! I bet you will love it!

Getting back into the swing of things

I have been a total slacker in terms of menu planning and organizing my coupons. It all started when Chris quit his job and started attending CDL school. After he finished school, he was home. Every. Single. Day.

Morning, noon and night. And I loved it. Loved every second of it.

BUT... I got lazy. VERY lazy. There were 2 of us here to handle things. I didn't have to worry about stuff as much since he was here.

So I have decided I am gonna make a plan. A good plan. A plan *I* can stick to.

I am also determined to get this blog going again. I should will have free time in the evenings to get it going again.

When we decided Chris would go on the road driving a truck, we also decided that Caitlin, our oldest would go back to public school. I know... I cringed too. We have been homeschooling her for over 2 years and WOW.. what a difference it made. I'm going to toot my own horn, but she blended right in to the class and is not lost at all! She is exactly where she needs to be. I couldn't be happier. She has a great teacher and has already made lots of new friends. She loves it!

I need to get breakfast items made up and put in the freezer so it's easier in the morning for her to have a hot breakfast. I also want my dinners planned so I'm not scrambling in the afternoons trying to figure out what's for dinner.

Y'all should see my stack of coupons! I have about 10 weeks worth of coupons that have not even been sorted!! Oh did I mention we buy at at least 4 papers. So that's 10 weeks worth of coupons times 4 papers. I really have my work cut out for me.

Good thing I have the time now.

Penny Pinching Tip: Save on Spices

So before my blog got lost in cyberspace (read: I deleted it accidentally) I had a post about saving money while buying spices.

I know everyone buys spices and flavorings in those little bottles with the red lids, or the massive bottle from the warehouse clubs, but I have an even better idea!

Look down the ethnic food aisles in your grocery stores!

Go ahead... I'll wait...

Back?

OK, good. Did you see them? You know... the el cheapo spices? Aren't they GREAT?

I will never buy "red lid" bay leaves again!

Check this out. These little babies are about 4 bucks at my store... and for 0.12 ounces. Ouch!

2 aisles over in the ethnic food isle sat this little gem.

Aaaaaand for the whopping price of 69 cents for a .25 ounce baggie! Talk about a great deal!

We use a LOT of bay leaves in our cooking. I love the flavor and until I can get fresh leaves, I will buy the cheaper brand.

I also picked up some sesame seeds while I was there.

These are about 4 bucks at my store as well. This is the 1 ounce container.

Hanging right beside the bay leaves were these.

This bag is a 1.5 ounce bag for... get this.... 59 cents!

Now don't get me wrong, I will still buy the big name spices. But I will ALWAYS use a coupon and try to get to the store that doubles. I have gotten plenty of FREE spices by doing this... and you can too!

One of my biggest pet peeves

One of my biggest?

Recipes.

Recipes for homemade food that contains pre-packaged ingredients! UGH.

I know back in the day it saved my mother a boatload of time in the kitchen. She worked full time and most nights, I was in there cooking up a storm for our family. It just made sense to but stuff already packaged. Seasonings and canned soups and rice mixes were a staple in our pantry.

Now… I’m gonna go in a different direction for a minute… stay with me.

I had headaches as a child. BAD headaches. I had testing done but no one ever figured out why I was having these headaches. I’ve worn glasses since I was 5 so that wasn’t the problem.

It wasn’t until about 2 years ago I figured out the problem.

MSG. Plain and simple.

It was the MSG in all the prepackaged foods! Heck I can remember my mother using Accent to season our food at one time! People…. that is PURE MSG!

About 2 years ago my husband suggested that the reason behind my headaches might be the MSG in our foods. We quit all MSG then and there….

…except for the one last pot of chicken and packaged yellow rice mix I made.

Oh man… I thought I was dying after that meal. I completely forgot about the MSG in yellow rice mix and made a big pot… I mean a HUGE pot of the stuff. I’m talking 2 packages here. Talk about MSG overload. I laid in bed that night feeling my chest tighten and my head pounding like it never had before. It took me almost 2 hours to fall asleep. I didn’t want to go to sleep because I had a feeling I wouldn’t wake up. (Of course I’m not dramatic or anything ya know.)

After that day, I donated all the food we had in the house that contained MSG. I wasn’t about to throw it out. Not everyone is as sensitive to it as me.

Did you know that most potato chip flavors have MSG?? And flavored crackers? And taco seasoning? And canned soup?

Don’t even get me started on soups. I ate soup a LOT as a kid. Chunky soups to be exact. WOW… talk about MSG overload.

Cooking meat for a long time in a slow cooker will also cause the meat to produce natural MSG.

Anyone want to buy a slow cooker??

So back to my original rant pet peeve…. I don’t like recipes with prepacked ingredients.

If you are gonna go to the trouble of making a meal from scratch, why mess it up with foods that are prepackaged? I can’t tell you the number of times that I have seen a recipe that looks so yummy only to find out it calls for 5 or 6 prepackaged ingredients. Boo!

I know, I know… I could just substitute a homemade item for the prepackaged one… I know this. I am just too lazy to figure it all out.

And nope… no more headaches. Yay.

My dear little Sophie...

… she’s a weird one alright.

• She loves bread, but not wrapped around her hot dog, aka pigs in a blanket.
• She loves pork chops, but not BBQ pork.
• She loves hamburger gravy, but not hamburgers.
• She loves chicken, but not fried chicken.
• She loves my homemade tortillas, but not when I turn them into quesadilla.
• She loves cheese grits, but not plain grits.
• She loves egg salad, but not scrambled eggs.

I mean… really… what in the world is wrong with her??

Last night… she wouldn’t touch her BBQ sandwich or her corn, but she did eat a whole bun.

She might be weird… but just look at that face!

Menu Plan Monday

Here’s what’s for dinner at our house this week! Want more ideas?? Check out Orgjunkie.com.

This week the Menu Plan Monday is being hosted by The Happy Housewife.

I totally forgot to post this earlier. I have been so busy finishing up Caitlin’s school schedule that I completely forgot about it.

Monday – BBQ pork sandwiches on 40 minute buns and corn on the cob (we bought 45 ears July 4th at Target. They were on sale…. 15 ears for $1.05!!)

Tuesday – Creamed chicken over rice, green beans and rolls

Wednesday – Tacos with homemade tortillas, beans and rice

Thursday – Chicken sheppard pie and rolls

Friday – Pizza braid and salad

Saturday – Pinto beans with rice and cornbread

Sunday – Chicken fried rice

This was the first time I have ever made homemade hamburger buns. Let me just tell ya, I will NEVER buy store brand again! They were so yummy and literally take no time at all.

I was so proud of myself, I took a picture of them. Feast your eyes on these!!





They tasted just as good as they look!

A little bread, some news, and free museums

Yesterday was a busy day! I made 2 batches of bread. Not sure what happened to the first batch, but the bread dried out really quickly. Not that it wasn’t good, just a little dry. Butter to the rescue!

The 2nd batch I made was for yummy pigs in a blanket. We just love them. I made 32 total, kept about 12 in the fridge and froze the others. They don’t stay long in our house so putting them in the freezer really isn’t necessary, just a habit really. Caitlin wanted them for breakfast so I made up some scrambled eggs and we ate pigs in a blanket with them. Perfect breakfast. :)

I made *the* best bread the other day. It’s a honey, oatmeal wheat bread. And it’s delicious! If I can remember later, I’ll post the recipe and a picture.

We got some good news yesterday! Chris was able to go speak with a lady he used to work on a project with. He was asking her about the different projects going on and if any of them were hiring. She told him, anywhere he wants to go, she can send him! Such good news!!

Chris has the weekend off and since this is the first weekend of the month, it’s free for us to get into our local science museum. I have been wanting to go here for years but just never got around to it. It looks like tons of fun and can’t wait to take the girls. They will have a BLAST!

Off to shape my bread and think of what in the world I can fix for dinner. You would think that ground beef would be easy, but I need something NEW!