Work it Girl

OKAY IT'S PARTY DAY, BLOG STYLE! I am linking up to This Blessed Life, Work your Wallet Wednesday The point of this party is to show off your super bargains. Because we all know there are bargains that you get super excited about and want to tell everyone the money you "did not" spend! Last week I went to CVS and did my CVS scamming for the week and got all this for 3.48 OOP and got back 3 ECB back!!! Not pictured are 2 COW TAILS, 1 BAG OF JELLY BEANS, and 1 REESE'S PEANUT BUTTER EGG.

And my next bargain: The flea market opened this past weekend and I totally scored this slow cooker cookbook for $2.00!

Good and Simple

Hey! I have not posted anything in a week! The week got away from me and here we are and it's Monday. On the bright side of it being Monday I only have a three day work week, so I don't mind at all(this week). The recipe I have today is an old-fashioned one, it is easy to make and just a simple food. My friend at This Blessed Life gave me a Taste of Home Recipe book for Christmas and that is where I got this from. I made it for my in-laws a couple weeks ago and it was hit. Whenever I make anything I always cross my fingers because my father in law is very picky when it comes to his food. But he loved it, so to me that is a success! I hope you enjoy this old-fashioned recipe and maybe it will take you back to a simpler time.

------side note make sure you check back Wednesday because I will be taking part in a blog party over at This Blessed Life. I will be showing off my SUPER deals with other women in blog world. I invite you to attend on WEDNESDAY MARCH 31st over at THIS BLESSED LIFE

Hot Buttermilk Cake

Ingredients
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2-1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/4 cups 2% milk
10 tablespoons butter, cubed

Directions
In a large bowl, beat eggs on high speed for 5 minutes or until thick and lemon-colored.

Gradually add sugar, beating until mixture is light and fluffy.

Beat in vanilla.

Combine flour and baking powder; gradually add to batter; beat at low speed until smooth.
In a small saucepan, heat milk and butter just until butter is melted.

Gradually add to batter; beat just until combined.
Pour into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan.

Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

WE TOPPED IT WITH POWERED SUGAR AFTER IT COOLED AND IT WAS FAB!!!

I have linked this recipe up to the following

5 Dollar Dinner Challenge

Balancing Beauty and Bedlam

Blessed with Grace

$12.00 Bread Machine

So a few weeks ago I went to Volunteers of America, a thrift store in my neck of the woods. The last Wednesday of the month, everything in the store is 50% off. So if you have one in your area, that is a great day to stop by and shop till you drop. Well, I have been looking for a bread machine for awhile now so that I can stop buying store bought bread and make my own. That day I walked in there and there it was, I heard the angels singing and heaven's light shining down on it!! It was beautiful, a bread machine for $12.12!!!!!!! It was the best day ever. So since then I have been making bread and cinnamon rolls every other day(this has been really good for the hips and thighs, LOL). So in an effort to know what is going into my food I have been experimenting with breads first. I have tried a few and I finally got one that is airy and not dense. I got this recipe from 8 Muddy Boots, who got it from Chickens in the Road. The husband totally approved of this one and he said "it's a keeper babe" :) 8 Muddy Boots used her oven for the bread but I just threw everything in my machine and it was totally fine. So to stop rambling, here is the recipe. Enjoy your fresh, healthy sandwich!!

Grandmother Bread
One-loaf

1 1/2 cups warm water
1 teaspoon yeast
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
3 1/2 cups flour (used White-Whole Wheat)

In a large bowl, combine water, yeast, sugar & salt. Let stand 5 minutes. Stir in first 4-5 cups of flour and stir with a heavy spoon. Stir in remaining cups, until dough becomes too tough to stir easily. Add more flour and begin kneading. (Flour is approx!) Add flour until dough is smooth and elastic. Let dough rise in a greased, covered bowl until doubled (in a warm place!). About an hour. Uncover bowl, sprinkle with more flour & knead again, before dividing in half. With floured hands, shape dough into loaves and place in 2 greased loaf pans. Cover & let rise again in warm place! About an hour.
Bake for 25 minutes in a pre-heated 350 degree oven.
If you have a bread machine put everything in according to manufacturer's directions. I used RAPID CYCLE and MEDIUM COLOR!

THIS HAS BEEN LINKED UP TO THESE AWESOME PARTIES!

Balancing Beauty and Badlam

Blessed with Grace

$5 Dollar Dinner Challenge

Roll your pants up

So yesterday I was having some very weird dreams. I kept dreaming about blogger's and how I was going out with different blogger's I have been following. I must have been awake about ten times last night, up and down, up and down. I do think this was all due to the fact that as I was walking down the stairs with my son, we both wiped out. I slipped on the bottom of my sweatpants and we totally went flying. Needless to say we were both crying but I think he was crying because he was scared. But all night kept checking on him to make sure the poor thing was breathing. I have fallen before and slipped but to wipe out with him...ahhh I felt terrible. Anyone else ever totally bite the dust with your kid in your arms? Because I had a stressful night sleep I feel that we should indulge in some comfort food. This is a great brownie recipe and always have rave reviews whenever it is served. Enjoy and roll your pants up!


Ingredients
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 eggs
3/4 cup cocoa
1 cup all-purpose flour(I use whole wheat)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped nuts (optional, I usually had peanut butter chips-AWESOME)


Directions
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease 13x9x2 inch baking pan.
Melt butter in microwave.
Stir in sugar and vanilla.
Beat in eggs, one at a time.
Add cocoa, flour, baking powder and salt; beat until well blended.
Stir in nuts, if desired or anything else that goes with choc, heck everything goes with choc!!!)
Pour batter into pan.
Bake 30-35 minutes(I do 25 mins)

SECRET Chicken

This is a great dish to do on days you can't figure out what to eat or when you have no time. Someone at work many years ago suggested this and said it was the best chicken she has ever had. I didn't believe her, I mean really THE BEST CHICKEN, that's a tall order. But I did give it a try and to my surprise it was the BEST and EASIEST chicken ever!!! But as you all know my husband is a picky eater, so I had to sneak this one in. I made it and kept dumping on the bread crumbs so he wouldn't see the mayo mixture. So we sat down to dinner and I held my breath while he took his first bite......Wait for it........"wow, this is good Babe!" YES! SUCCESS! I did tell him after he ate it that there was something in there he did not like but he didn't seem to mind. But we refer to this dish as the "secret chicken". So unless he reads this post I'm good to keep cooking it and calling it secret chicken. Babe, if you are reading this I love you and hope you still ask for "secret chicken". Have a great day everyone and enjoy.

1/2 cup of mayonnaise
1/4 cup of grated Parmesan (adjust to your own preferences)
4 tablespoons "Italian" bread crumbs-I just keep pouring until the mayo mixture is covered
4 skinless chicken breasts

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Mix mayonnaise and Parmesan.
Spread mixture over chicken breasts, then sprinkle on bread crumbs.
Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Banana Crumb Muffins

Happy Monday Everyone!
The start of a new week means the start of new adventures. Speaking of adventures.....My son Jake loves bananas! Before he was born we used to have bananas go bad because they sat on the counter, day after day. But now Jake takes care of that before that ever happens. Because I had them go bad I had to think of creative ways to use them before that would happen. So, in addition to the standard banana bread I found this recipe on All Recipes(love that site)! They are awesome warm with some butter.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour(I use King Arthur wheat)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 bananas, mashed
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter
Directions
Preheat oven to 375. Lightly grease 10 muffin cups, or line with muffin papers.
In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg and melted butter. Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.
In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and cinnamon. Cut in 1 tablespoon butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle topping over muffins.
Bake in preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes. I always go with the lower number b/c my oven gets HOT!

Garlic-Butter Chicken

HAPPY FRIDAY! We made it through another week of work! Congrats!
In my house my husband is what they call a"picky eater". BUT to give him credit he has come a really, really long way. You can ask anyone that knows us. When were first married I had no idea what to cook for him so we ended up eating a lot of hamburger helper, mac 'n cheese, and pop-tarts. That and this stuff was super cheap. Feel like throwing up? Yeah me too at the thought of it. :) At first he would not eat sauce, onions, wheat of any variety, mushrooms, tomatoes, the list goes on and on. But because my husband is awesome, he came around and tried new things for me. So now we have sauce on spaghetti, I can make onions as long as they are super small and cooked. He now eats brown rice and wheat bread. Aw, what 6 years does! So with all that being said we try new stuff on a regular basis now and this is a favorite. Enjoy it and have a great weekend.

Garlic Butter Chicken

Ingredients
1/4 tsp black pepper (or to taste)
1 tsp dried parsley, crushed
1/2 c Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp seasoning salt
2 tbsp butter
1 1/4 c grated cheddar cheese
1 c dry breadcrumbs
7-8 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1-2 tbsp fresh minced garlic
1/2 c butter, plus
1/4 tsp dried oregano
Directions
In a skillet melt 1/2 c plus 2 tbsp butter over low heat/flame; add in garlic & cook for about 3 mins stirring constantly (do not burn garlic!) set aside to cool just slightly. I use garlic powder and put in the microwave with the butter. Works just as good
Flatten the chicken slightly using a meat mallet or the bottom of a mug (you use what you've got, right mom?)
In a shallow bowl mix together dry breadcrumbs with Parmesan cheese, oregano, grated cheddar cheese, parsley, seasoned salt & black pepper to taste
Coat/dip each breast firstly into butter/garlic mixture (do not throw away any leftover butter mixture!)
Press into the bread crumb mixture to coat completely
Arrange the breasts onto a small lightly greased cookie/baking sheet or a 13 x 9-inch baking dish
Drizzle the chicken with remaining butter/garlic mixture
Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 mins or until the chicken is cooked
Depending on the thickness of the chicken it may take longer
This goes great with brown or white rice

Impossibly Easy Cheeseburger Pie

This is a husband favorite, which makes this a staple in our house. It is super easy to put together when you are short on time. The hardest part about this dish is browning the meat. If and when you do freezing cooking days, brown a few pounds of meat and you will be ready to make this dish in a pinch. For this awesome dish you will need:

1 pound ground beef
1 large onion chopped(I never use this b/c my husband is not a huge fan)
1/2 tsp salt(don't use this either)
1 cup shredded cheese(use extra of this, yum)
1/2 cup Bisquick mix
1 cup milk
2 eggs

Directions:
Heat oven to 450
Grease a pie plate with cooking spray
Brown your meat then add salt(if you want salt)
Put meat on bottom of pie plate
Top with cheese
In small bowl add the Bisquick, eggs, and milk. Whisk until blended
Pour over the meat and cheese
Bake about 25 mins (if you are using more cheese it will take longer to bake) as standard baking goes use a knife and when it comes out clean, it's done.
Serve with french fries and ketchup!
Enjoy!

Parmesan Crusted Talapia

Like I mentioned in the previous post we are trying to eat more healthy. In doing so I would like to add more fish to our diets but my husband does not like anything that swims in the water. BUT his cousin suggested I try Tilapia because it has little to no smell and not a strong fish taste. So I thought what is the worst that will happen, if he doesn't like it we don't make it again. Well to my surprise and his, he loved it. On a side note this was the first meal we had in our house after we had bought it, almost two years ago! Time really does fly. Anyways the following recipe comes from the back of a Aldi's bag and it is awesome!

Parmesan Crusted Tilapia
4 tilapia fillets
4 tbsp butter, melted
1/2 cup bread crumbs (can add wheat germ to this)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp paprika
1 tbsp water2eggs, beaten

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Rinse and dry tilapia filets
Beat eggs and mix with water in a small bowl
Mix bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, paprika, and butter in another bowl
Dip tilapia into the egg wash and then into the bread crumb mixture
Place in a greased glass dish and bake for 12-15 minutes
Fish is done when it flakes

If you have other ways to prepare Tilapia please share your ideas with me! Thanks and have a great day.

Home-made condensed soup

I don't know about you but I am definitely trying to get into eating more healthy and natural. It's not always easy because the bad stuff just tastes so good. Here is a recipe I found to make your own condensed soup.

1 Can Condensed Soup
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup skim milk
1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)
1/4 cup chopped celery, sliced cooked mushrooms, or
cooked chicken (optional)
1. Melt margarine. Stir in flour.
2. Add milk gradually.
3. Stir over low heat until thick
4. Add one or more of the optional ingredients, if desired

Enjoy and let me know how you used this in your home!

German Noodle

I am super excited right now because I ordered a Spatzle maker from Amazon.com. I am of German decent so when I find a German recipe I get excited. Many years ago a woman I knew made spatzle and I have been hooked ever since. This recipe is super simple! There are many recipes you can google but this is the one I use because I have tired a few and my husband likes this one best.

3 cups flour (I use white whole-wheat flour)

2 eggs

pinch of salt

1 cup water

4 tablespoons melted butter(for dough)

2 tablespoons melter butter(for after the noodles are done)

Mix flour, eggs, and salt. Slowly add water, mix. Add melted butter. If you don't have a spatzle maker you can rip off small pieces of dough and put it into boiling water or push the dough thru a metal collander with large holes. The spatzle will float to the top when they are done cooking. Drain. Add butter to coat. Serve as a side dish.

You can also serve with breadcrumbs or cinnamon and sugar on top(husband really likes this). Can also be used in place of noodles in stew or soups.

Enjoy....it's one of our family favorites!

This has been linked to
http://grocerycartchallenge.blogspot.com/
http://lifeasmom.com

First Time

Hi! My name is Lindsay. This is my first time doing a blog and I thought I would give it a try and see what happens. My friend over at http://www.thisblessedlife.net/ a blog and has totally inspired me to write about daily life and super deals! In the meantime thanks for visiting and hope to see you soon!