Sunday, November 30, 2008

Our Thanksgiving...

We celebrated our non traditional Thanksgiving Saturday before Thanksgiving, because Kenneth and I are both working Thanksgiving day. This year I decided I didn't want to fix the traditional foods; turkey, dressing, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, five-cup salad, pink salad. I wanted finger food, appetizers. We did bake a sliced ham, but everything else was something different. Where was my camera...I got no pictures, sorry.


  • Frito corn salad

2 C whole kernel corn

1/2 C finely chopped onion

1/2 C finely chopped bell pepper

2 C grated cheddar cheese

1 large tomato, chopped (optional)

1/3 C mayonnaise

Mix all ingredients together and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (it was actually better the next day)

Have Frito's on the side to top just before serving.


  • Fruit salad (Sam, this is the new and improved "Pink" Salad)

1 can fruit cocktail, drained

1 large can cherry pie filling

1 can pineapple chunks, drained

1 C small marshmallows

1 C shredded coconut

1 8 oz. carton Cool-whip

1 handful grapes, sliced

1 can mandarin oranges, drained

1 can Eagle Brand milk

1 C pecans, chopped

2 bananas, sliced in half, then in half again (quartered)

Mix all the fruit in a bowl, add Eagle Brand, marshmallows, coconut and chopped pecans, mix again. Fold in cool-whip, refrigerate. Add bananas right before serving. You can change this up by adding to or leaving out anything you want.

  • crab won tons

1 envelope crab meat

8 oz cream cheese

green onions, sliced

Mix together and put small amount in won-ton wrapper, seal and deep fry.


  • sausage roll ups

1 pound Hot Jimmy Dean sausage, browned

8 oz. cream cheese

Mix together sausage and cheese place in crescent roll squares, seal edges and bake.


  • celery with pimento cheese

  • cream cheese jalapeno poppers

mix cheese and jalapenos together in bowl, place small amount in crescent roll squares and bake.


  • roasted asparagus

  • BBQ little smokies, made in crock pot.

  • Hawaiian sweet rolls

  • glazed ham

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Eat your vegetables...

I found this website from someone elses blog but if you have a picky eater too...check out The Sneaky Chef. She will have your food processor working overtime!

Sunday, November 23, 2008

Black Friday...

For those of you who just can't wait for the day after Thanksgiving to begin or finish shopping here is a website that lists what's going to be available. Also remember... you don't have to go to the store...last year I was able to get the same deals at the stores online websites and have everything delivered to my front door. No need to get involved in all that pushing and shoving! Check it out... http://blackfriday.gottadeal.com/

Saturday, November 15, 2008

Free Cookbooks...

Go to the following link to get your free cookbooks.

http://www.sun-maid.com/en/recipes.html

Do it now before it is to late.

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Today is That day...

If you've had a colonoscopy, this will be even funnier, and if you haven't, your time is coming.This is from newshound Dave Barry's colonoscopy journal:

I called my friend Andy Sable, a gastroenterologist, to make anappointment for a colonoscopy. A few days later, in his office, Andyshowed me a color diagram of the colon, a lengthy organ that appears to go all over the place, at one point passing briefly through Minneapolis. Then Andy explained the colonoscopy procedure to me in a thorough,reassuring and patient manner. I nodded thoughtfully, but I didn't really hear anything he said, because my brain was shrieking, quote, 'HE'S GOING TO STICK A TUBE 17,000 FEET UP YOUR BEHIND!'I left Andy's office with some written instructions, and a prescriptionfor a product called 'MoviPrep,' which comes in a box large enough tohold a microwave oven. I will discuss MoviPrep in detail later; for now suffice it to say that we must never allow it to fall into the hands of America 's enemies.I spent the next several days productively sitting around being nervous.Then, on the day before my colonoscopy, I began my preparation. Inaccordance with my instructions, I didn't eat any solid food that day;all I had was chicken broth, which is basically water, only with lessflavor. Then, in the evening, I took the MoviPrep. You mix two packetsof powder together in a one-liter plastic jug, then you fill it withlukewarm water. (For those unfamiliar with the metric system, a liter isabout 32 gallons.) Then you have to drink the whole jug. This takesabout an hour, because MoviPrep tastes - and here I am being kind -like a mixture of goat spit and urinal cleanser, with just a hint oflemon.The instructions for MoviPrep, clearly written by somebody with a greatsense of humor, state that after you drink it, 'a loose, watery bowelmovement may result.' This is kind of like saying that after you jumpoff your roof, you may experience contact with the ground.MoviPrep is a nuclear laxative. I don't want to be too graphic, here,but: Have you ever seen a space-shuttle launch? This is pretty much the MoviPrep experience, with you as the shuttle. There are times when you wish the commode had a seat belt. You spend several hours pretty much confined to the bathroom, spurting violently. You eliminate everything. And then, when you figure you must be totally empty, you have to drink another liter of MoviPrep, at which point, as far as I can tell, your bowels travel into the future and start eliminating food that you have not even eaten yet.After an action-packed evening, I finally got to sleep. The next morningmy wife drove me to the clinic. I was very nervous. Not only was Iworried about the procedure, but I had been experiencing occasionalreturn bouts of MoviPrep spurtage. I was thinking, 'What if I spurt onAndy?' How do you apologize to a friend for something like that? Flowers would not be enough.At the clinic I had to sign many forms acknowledging that I understoodand totally agreed with whatever the heck the forms said. Then they ledme to a room full of other colonoscopy people, where I went inside alittle curtained space and took off my clothes and put on one of thosehospital garments designed by sadist perverts, the kind that, when youput it on, makes you feel even more naked than when you are actuallynaked.Then a nurse named Eddie put a little needle in a vein in my left hand.Ordinarily I would have fainted, but Eddie was very good, and I wasalready lying down. Eddie also told me that some people put vodka intheir MoviPrep. At first I was ticked off that I hadn't thought of thisis, but then I pondered what would happen if you got yourself too tipsyto make it to the bathroom, so you were staggering around in full FireHose Mode. You would have no choice but to burn your house.When everything was ready, Eddie wheeled me into the procedure room, where Andy was waiting with a nurse and an anesthesiologist. I did not see the 17,000-foot tube, but I knew Andy had it hidden around there somewhere.I was seriously nervous at this point. Andy had me roll over on my leftside, and the anesthesiologist began hooking something up to the needle in my hand. There was music playing in the room, and I realized that the song was 'Dancing Queen' by ABBA. I remarked to Andy that, of all the songs that could be playing during this particular procedure, 'Dancing Queen' had to be the least appropriate.'You want me to turn it up?' said Andy, from somewhere behind me. 'Haha,' I said. And then it was time, the moment I had been dreading formore than a decade. If you are squeamish, prepare yourself, because I am going to tell you, in explicit detail, exactly what it was like.I have no idea. Really. I slept through it. One moment, ABBA was yelling 'Dancing Queen, feel the beat of the tambourine,' and th e next moment, I was back in the other room, waking up in a very mellow mood. Andy was looking down at me and asking me how I felt. I felt excellent. I felt even more excellent when Andy told me that It was all over, and that my colon had passed with flying colors. I have never been prouder of an internal organ.

  • ABOUT THE WRITER: Dave Barry is a Pulitzer Prize-winning humorcolumnist for the Miami Herald. On the subject of Colonoscopies...Colonoscopies are no joke, but these comments during the exam were quite humorous.....

A physician claimed that the following are actual comments made by his patients (predominately male) while he was performing their colonoscopies:

  • 1. 'Take it easy, Doc. You're boldly going where no man has gone before!
  • 2. 'Find Amelia Earhart yet?'
  • 3. 'Can you hear me NOW?'
  • 4. 'Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?'
  • 5. 'You know, in Arkansas , we're now legally married.'
  • 6. 'Any sign of the trapped miners, Chief?'
  • 7. 'You put your left hand in, you take your left hand out...'
  • 8. 'Hey! Now I know how a Muppet feels!'
  • 9. 'If your hand doesn't fit, you must quit!
  • 10. 'Hey Doc, let me know if you find my dignity.'
  • 11. 'You used to be an executive at Enron, didn't you?'
  • And the best one of all.
  • 13. 'Could you write a note for my wife saying that my head is not upthere?'

More ways to save...


In our continued quest to help save on the electric bill Amanda and Charles got me some plastic window insulation which we'll place over the dining room and living room windows. This house only has single pane windows and they let in a lot of cold air. I already have mini blinds and curtains over them but this will give me a third layer of insulation.



I started getting the newspaper about 4 months ago and piling them up in a box after I finished reading them, so I finally called our local Wast Management to see if the had someplace to bring them in for recycling. They were so nice and even offered to supply me with a GREEN bin to put them in. We aren't even customers of theirs or even eligible for there services but they were very eager to assist us with our recycling needs; paper, plastic, cans and cardboard. Kenneth already took in one load Saturday and placed it in the dumpsters.

Since Kenneth takes his supper to work everyday and he likes a little dessert instead of buying the pudding and jello cups from the store I started making up my own in the kitchen. 4 cups from the store are 1/2 cup each (2 cups) for over $1.00. Jello is $.38 a box and I bought 1 cup reusable containers to put it in, you can also add fruit for about $.75 and you end up with 3 cups at just a little over a dollar. I also do pudding cups at $.50 per box plus the 2 cups milk at $.20 per cup is about the same price , but mine doesn't have all the preservatives in it the stores does and I can make up more flavors. Something else I learned...i'm always learning something...its really easy to make "cook and serve" pudding in the microwave and much easier than standing over the stove. You just cook it for one minute at a time and stir after after each minute for up to 5 - 6 minutes.



heres a chocolate/vanilla pudding and orange jello

Monday, November 10, 2008

Room Makeover...

Over two years ago (I'm such a procrastinator) Kenneth finally agreed to allow me to paint over the paneling in the house. This is all the further I got on the dining room wall (that's because that's all the further I could reach without standing on a ladder). So now I have decided to post these unfinished projects for all the world to see in order to embarrass myself into completing them.


dining room wall (before)

with the Kilz on...


dining room finished

Room make over with a Sharpie Pen. This is really cool. Go here to see the 360* view of the room. I'm doing good if I can get the paint on the whole wall.

Sunday, November 9, 2008

Frugal shopping...

Whenever I go to make a purchase, especially a large item, I always try to do research online and compare prices before making a finale decision. Needless to say this just about drives my dear husband totally bonkers. He would be satisfied walking in and buying the first thing he sees. I just can't do that, because I would always wonder if I could have gotten a better deal.

About 6 years ago when I purchased my very first brand new refrigerator I researched all the models online and checked them for "energy star" (electric usage) and then went to LOWE'S to actually do an on sight inspection, with of course all my wants in mind.

The employee in the appliance area was trying to be very helpful in showing me all the different models and answering any questions I had. I wanted ice/water in the door and clear shelves and drawers and clear holders in the door. He followed me around the four different rows several times but he finally gave up and him and Kenneth just decided to wait it out, as I passed by a couple of times I heard him ask Amanda "What's she looking for now?", while I looked over all the different models until I was able to get it down to one. But the thing is I had already determined where I was going to find the best price and only had to actually visit one store.

I always try to consider these thing when making a purchase:

  • Can I afford this?
  • Does this purchase have other related costs involved?
  • Am I informed on this item?
  • Have I comparison shopped?
  • Do I need this?
  • Do I have room for this?
  • Is there a lower-cost alternative?
  • Will this purchase help me toward my goals?
  • If I waited to purchase this item, would it be less expensive?
  • Do I have the cash to buy this or is it going to have to be charged?
  • How long would it take me to save up or pay it off the credit card?

You never want to buy anything and then get home and end up feeling guilty because you didn't have the money for it or worse yet find out it has overdrawn you at the bank. Nothing is a good deal if you have to start tacking on overdraft charges!

Friday, November 7, 2008

Dorito Casserole...

this recipe was requested by Sam... Amanda was supposed to post it but she's busy so she asked me to... so here goes. Version 1 -
  • bag Nacho Cheese Doritoes
  • 14 oz. can Rotel
  • 1 lb. Velveeta cheese (cubed)
  • 1 lb chicken , shredded,(canned, cooked chicken breast) your choice
Mix: chicken, rotel and velveeta in a bowel. Pour into a 13 X 9 pan cover with the Doritoe chips. Bake 350* for 20 - 30 min. You just need to heat through, watch to make sure the chips don't burn too much.

Version 2 -
  • bag Habanero or Buffalo Ranch Doritoes
  • 14 oz. can diced tomatoes
  • 1 lb. chicken
  • 1 lb. Velveeta (cubed)
Mix same as the above. This version puts the spicy flavor in the chips instead of in the tomatoes. UPDATE: Amanda called and said you need to drain the tomatoes, but if the mixture seems a little thick you can add some milk to thin it out. Also she said she crunches up a few chips and puts them in the bottom of the baking dish before adding the chicken mixture.





Homemade Velveeta

1 1/2 cups very hot water

1/2 envelope unflavored gelatin 1 1/2 teaspoons

1/2 cup milk plus 1 Tbs instant milk powder

1 1/2 lbs grated cheddar cheese

2. line a 9×5″ loaf pan with plastic.

3. In a blender, put 1/2 cup of the water, 3 tablespoons of the milk, 1/2teaspoon of the gelatin.

4. Whip until gelatin is dissolved.

5. Quickly add 1/2 lb. of the cheddar to the hot mixture.

6. Whip until blended.

7. Pour into the prepared loaf pan.

8. Repeat this twice, until all ingredients are used.

9. Cover the pan with more plastic wrap and chill overnight.

10. Remove from frig next day, unmold and slice.

Keep refrigerated and wrapped.



Also I just found this website today "Eat Better America" where they teach Healthified...simple ways to eat healthy. Recipes, using coupons...check it out.
  • This week I saved $12.00 on the grocery bill using coupons
  • I got an 18 count box of Always pads ($4.97 value) FREE, using a coupon which I received in the mail with samples of some of there new products.
  • received a sample of Folgers Dark Silk coffee in the mail FREE.
  • Have printed out $6.75 worth of coupons so far...

I have cats...

Check out this site about reduce, reuse and recycle... Get Wise About Waste. The mailbox is made out of an old cat litter bucket. How cool is that! Check out the other ideas at "Frugal Living".

Thursday, November 6, 2008

The Aunt and the Grasshopper...

TRADITIONAL VERSION:

The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter.

The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away.
Come winter, the ant is warm and well fed. The grasshopper has no food or shelter, so he dies out in the cold.

MORAL OF THE STORY: Be responsible for yourself!

MODERN VERSION:

The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter.

The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away.
Come winter, the shivering grasshopper calls a press conference and demands to know why the ant should be warm and well fed while others are cold and starving. CBS, NBC, PBS, CNN, and ABC show up to provide pictures of the shivering grasshopper next to a video of the ant in his comfortable home with a table filled with food.

America is stunned by the sharp contrast. How can this be, that in country of such wealth, this poor grasshopper is allowed to suffer so?

Kermit the Frog appears on Oprah with the grasshopper, and everybody cries when they sing, ‘It’s Not Easy Being Green.’ Jesse Jackson stages a demonstration in front of the ant’s house where the news stations film the group singing, ‘We shall overcome.’ Jesse then has the group kneel down to pray to God for the grasshopper’s sake.

Nancy Peloski, John Kerry & Harry Reid exclaim in an interview with Larry King that the ant has gotten rich off the back of the grasshopper, and both call for an immediate tax hike on the ant to make him pay his fair share.

Finally, the EEOC drafts the Economic Equity and Anti-Grasshopper Act retroactive to the beginning of the summer! The ant is fined for failing to hire a proportionate number of green bugs and, having nothing left to pay his retroactive taxes, his home is confiscated by the government.

Hillary gets her old law firm to represent the grasshopper in a defamation suit against the ant, and t he case is tried before a panel of federal judges that Bill Clinton appointed from a list of single-parent welfare recipients.

The ant loses the case.

The story ends as we see the grasshopper finishing up the last bits of the ant’s food while the government house he is in, which just happens to be the ant’s old house, crumbles around him because he doesn’t maintain it.

The ant has disappeared in the snow.

The grasshopper is found dead in a drug related incident and the house, now abandoned, is taken over by a gang of crack spiders who terrorize the once peaceful neighborhood.

MORAL OF THE STORY: Be careful

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Hay ride...

We attended a hay ride Saturday put on by friends for their friends, family and church family. Hot dogs, candy, cookies... a scary story and a chainsaw! A good time was had by all. Thank you for including us.

there was candy corn...


OOOOOO...



what was that???



did you see that???


is that the swamp monsters...

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Which is better...

have you ever gone to buy an item and wondered..."Which brand is better?" No! am I thee only one who has to research every item to see if I'm getting the best deal? Well if your like me you can now go to "Consumer Reports" online to help with your research. Saves you time and gas from driving from store to store to see whos got the best deal. Check it out.

Monday, November 3, 2008

VOTE...

No matter you affiliation remember to Vote tomorrow...
  • McCain 54%
  • Obama 44%
  • Other 2%

No, I'm not a psychic...This is the final results of the "Family Circle" 2008 Presidential Cookie Bake-off. The winning recipe was Cindy McCain's recipe for Oatmeal-Butterscotch Cookies. (If history repeats itself, the winner will move into the White House.) If it could only be this easy.


Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It’s already tomorrow in Australia.”Charles Schulz, creator of the Peanuts comic strip.

Saturday, November 1, 2008

I LOVE Oatmeal...

Especially with the cooler weather that has come our way a steaming bowl of oatmeal, cup of hot coffee and warm toast with your favorite topping...Yum Yum. Hungry Girl has a few new ways to fix your morning fix of oatmeal, here are just two...for all her ideas check out her blog.

Choco Monkey Oatmeal:

Ingredients:

  • 1/3 cup regular oats (not instant)
  • 1 25-calorie packet diet hot cocoa mix
  • /2 medium-sized banana; mashed
  • 1/8 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1 no-calorie sweetener packet (like Splenda)
  • dash salt

Directions: Pour cocoa mix into a glass with cinnamon, sweetener and salt. Add 1/4 cup of hot water, and stir thoroughly. Once cocoa mix has dissolved, add 1/4 cup of cold water and stir. Place mixture in the fridge to chill. (Make sure it is cold, or oatmeal may bubble over when cooking!) When ready, combine with mashed banana and oats in a medium-sized microwave-safe bowl, and mix well. Microwave dish for 2 1/2 - 3 minutes (depending on how thick you like your oatmeal). Give it a stir, and then allow oatmeal to cool and thicken. Enjoy!MAKES 1 SERVING

PER SERVING (entire recipe): 185 calories, 2g fat, 137mg sodium, 37g carbs, 5g fiber, 11g sugars, 6.5g protein -- POINTS® value 3*



Berries & Cream Oatmeal Pudding!
Ingredients:

Directions: In a medium-sized microwave-safe bowl, combine the Coffee-mate powder with 2 oz. of warm water and stir until dissolved. Next add Almond Breeze and pudding mix, and stir until mixture is well blended. Add all other ingredients to the bowl and stir. Microwave for 3 minutes, and then allow to cool and thicken. Dig in! MAKES 1 SERVING HG Heads Up! (This one has a tendency to turn weird colors depending on the berries you use. And it's also good made with other frozen fruits, like peaches or tropical blends!)


PER SERVING (entire recipe): 188 calories, 3.25g fat, 506mg sodium, 35g carbs, 5g fiber, 6g sugars, 5g protein -- POINTS® value 3*

.

Fall Back...

Don't Forget...


Tomorrow @ 2:00 a.m.

aren't you glad you don't have this job?