About me

I stole this from A Southern Charm's lovely lady, Nichole. Thought it was cute and a quick way to tell you a little about me.

Age: 25

 Bedsize: Full (so ready to get a King!)
Chores that you hate: Dishes, sweet mother of Mercy, I will pay you to do them!
Dogs: Um, really do you have to ask?! Two greyhounds, Roby and Kura.
Essential start to your day: Brushing my teeth, and breakfast!
Favorite color: I love them all, especially purple.
Gold or Silver: Silver.
Height: 5 feet 5 and 3/4 inches
Instruments you play: keyboard (on a computer).
Job title: Professional Student (hopefully a PT soon!).
Kids: If I could have it my way, now. But in reality 2 years.
Live: Loud
Mother’s Name:Susan
Nicknames: Butt-one
Overnight hospital stays: Never.
Pet peeves: Odd numbers. Seriously. And walking in to a class that has already started and
walking right in front of the teacher who is lecturing.
Quote from a movie or tv show: too many to name. Or "The candyman can" from Willy Wonka
Right or Lefty: Right.
Siblings: Younger brother, older brother in laws.
Time you wake up: Weekdays, 5:45am.. Weekends, usually around 10am.
Underwear: Yes, can't leave home without it.
Vegetable you hate: Asparagus! Ex
What makes you run late: Staying in bed....and puppies being bad.
X-Rays You’ve Had: teeth? Does that count?
Yummy food you make: All the food I make is yummy!
Zoo Animal: Everything but snakes. I love the aquarium!

Phyllo doug-n't know what to do with the rest...

So, in my last post, I used Phyllo dough. There is usually a lot left over. So what to do with it? You could wrap it back up and put it back in the freezer but why? Here are a few easy recipes that I liked.....

Crab Rangoons:

It's an asian restaurant menu staple. Here is a (kind of) lightened up recipe for it.

4oz of imitation crab meat (I used a little more because thats just how much was in the package)
8 oz of cream cheeze (you can use low or no fat varieties)
1 medium onion, chopped (I omitted, may have made it better, but meh I didn't have it)

Mix ingredients in food processer until fairly smooth (you want some texture). Then lay down a sheet of Phyllo and spray with Canola oil (or melted butter). Add a spoonful of the mixture and fold to make a little triangle. See here for a tutorial.

Then put on a baking sheet. Bake for 15 min at 350 F.

**WARNING**CAUTION**DANGER WILL ROBINSON**

The filling is hot when it first comes out the oven. WATCH OUT! LET IT COOL! The top 40 layers of skin in your mouth and on your tongue will thank you.

Here is a picture I stole from where I got the recipe:

Next up: my wierd concoction.

Crispy Cinnamon Sugar Triangles.

So I still have more left over dough and I am craving dessert. Simple. Cinnamon and Sugar.

Lay one sheet down, spray, add cinnamon sugar in a light layer, add another layer, spray, cinnamon sugar. Now make that into a triangle. Spray the outside. Make as many as possible. Bake until you can't stand it (my way of saying until golden brown), then let cool and break out the drop cloth. It will be crummy (ha!) but delicious. Here is a picture:

me hungry

I find that I revert to a cavewoman when I am hungry. Not that I want to, and I never notice it in the moment, but I get very grouchy when hungry. So I am going to share a few of the recipes that I remembered to take pictures of before I devoured them :)

First, chicken pot pie. Or my version of it.

So my quest started one day when I was at the grocery and I saw Phyllo dough. And I said "I'm getting this." No plan for what I was to do with it, how to use it, or otherwise. Then the pinteresting commenced. I found recipes for mostly desserts (except for when I was looking for a dessert). And I came across a "healthy" chicken pot pie with phyllo dough. Well once I began reading the recipe, it called for a chicken boullion cube (HEALTHY?! ITS LOADED WITH SALT!). So, I kicked that recipe out the door. Then I found my mom's recipe that called for pie crusts. But that called for all kinds of fork work with the crusts and I am NOT coordinated (ask the unfortunate people that do Zumba classes around me). So, I made mom's recipe, but just put phyllo on top. Healthier and quicker. Now that I have rambled for a bajillion lines here's the brass tax:

2 tbls of butter
2 tbls of flour
1tsp of poultry seasoning (I used Tony's turned out just fine)
1/4t of black pepper
1/2 c chicken stock
3 oz can of evaporated milk (I only had a big one, it ends up being half way between 1/4c and 1/2c)
2 c chicken (cooked and cubed, I used rotisserie chicken, see below for more on these)
10oz bag of mixed veggies
1 boiled egg, sliced (don't know WHERE this came from, but I omitted it, kinda sounded weird)
6 phyllo sheets

Melt the butter, then add the flour, stirring constantly.

This makes a roux for those of you who aren't from the South. There is a fine line with making a roux. It can go from a pretty brown to burnt skunk mess in 0.1 sec, so you have to stir it constantly and have it on med low heat. I like to keep it kinda low because I frequently lose track of what I am supposed to be doing and go off into LaLa land and burn it. But once you master it, you are going to use it a lot.

Then take off the heat and add in the seasoning and pepper. Once mixed, add the stock and milk. The original recipe said stir until mixed and creamy, but that really didn't start happening for me, so I put it back over the heat once it was pretty much mixed, and it continued to thicken and incorporate together.

Then add the chicken and mixed veggies (and egg if you want, blech). And warm through (especially if the veggies were of the frozen variety).

Pour into a greased 8x8 baking dish. If it's Pyrex, you can keep it on the burner on low to keep the mixture warm (I heart Pyrex). And add your phyllo sheets (see below for more on Phyllo handling)

Then stick that tasty meal in the oven and cook at 375 degrees F for about 15-20 minutes, enough for the dough on top to get delicious looking (golden brown). I just know that when I can't stand it any more and it looks super tasty that's when its ready.

This was my final product:

Want to eat your computer hunh!

Rotisserie chicken. I love these. So easy, you don't have to cook it, you don't have to worry about making it moist, its all done for you. When I get one, I usually let it cool then pick the meat off. And this time, I was able to make 2 meals out of one chicken. I made the pot pie, and then some noodle-roni (rice-a-roni but noodles instead) and added the chicken. Another of my favorites is Zatarans cheesy jambalaya. All that takes is a box, some chicken, and some sausage (I usually keep sliced sausage in the freezer, take it straight from the freezer and throw it in the pan). Super easy 30-minute meal. You can even start the mix, and brown the sausage while its going.

Now on to Phyllo. I was intimidated, but once you get the hang of it, omg is it easy. So you thaw the dough overnight in the fridge, then when ready to use it, take it out and roll it onto a cutting board. Cover with saran wrap with a damp paper towel on top of the wrap. Uncover and use one sheet at a time.

When you have the first sheet placed, the rule is any dough that is touching needs a layer of some kind of oil on it. I like Pam or canola oil spray, but I know a lot of people use melted butter instead. So brush/spray every piece of phyllo that touches another piece, and then another spray/brush on the top layer.


Next up, oatmeal muffins. I didn't LOVE them, but they were pretty tasty and healthy too. So, here goes.

3 ripe, mashed, bananas

1c vanilla almond milk (I would assume any other kind of milk would work, but that's what the recipe called for and that's what I used.)

2 eggs

1 tbls baking powder

3c oats (not instant)

1 tsp vanilla

3 tbls mini chocolate chips

Let me start by saying I didn't have that much chocolate chips, so I put what I had and added some nuts. Still delish.

Preheat to 375 F.

Mix everything together but the chocolate chips.

Let it sit while you put the muffin papers in the muffin pan. Also, spray the muffin papers with oil so that the muffins come off cleaner (and you don't lose any delicious goodness).

Then add chocolate chips and mix.

Divide the batter between 15 muffin cups (weird, I know). They should be almost completely filled.

Bake 20-30 minutes until edges begin to turn brown (or in my case, when you can't stand it any longer and have to take them out to eat one). Should be firm when poked with a finger (your choice of finger).

They are even better when warmed in the microwave for like 15 seconds or so.

Here is a picture for your salivary glands:

Man I want one now....but they are all gone.

Just a parting picture of one of my babies.....

Isn't he so adorable! He likes to sleep on his back with his feet up (preferably in my face)



A little of this a little of that

So, I have started back at school, hence the lack of posts. However, I did want to rub in some of the awesome things that have happened.....

One, we finally signed the contract...WE ARE BUILDING A HOUSE! I thought that closing on the house was the hard part....NO! But we are going to be moving! I couldn't be happier because this 3rd floor living sucks. My knees get mad at me everytime I bring more than my purse up the stairs. The dogs don't seem to get it, but oh well!

Then, I went to CVS and SCORED! I got 6 Speed Stick deodorants for 2$! Buy 1 get 1 free coupons rang up for $3.99 off (times 2) and they didn't seem to care that the sale price was only $1.99 and $0.99.....ha! your problem not mine! The women's were on sale for $1.99 (I got 4), and $0.99 for the men's (I got 2). I am pretty freaking proud.

I also, made some stuff....I scoured pinterest and decided to make a diaper carrying changing pad for my friend's baby shower. I only took a picture of the pattern for the fabric because I made it super quick, stabbing the crap out of myself on the way. But check out that website, super easy, and super cute.

Then, I made home made window/glass cleaner:

1c water
1/4c White Vinegar
3-4 Drops of Dawn Dish soap (I don't know who's dish soap comes out in drops, but oh well).

That's all I can think of.

Coming Soon: fancy-fied burp cloths and tulle skirt for Mia :)

winn-dixie trip

So, today after class I went to Winn Dixie. I managed to get out without spending more than 100$ and I am up to 90 cents off per gallon for the month (filling up tonight!). I got 2 good deals and I thought I would share.

1. Purina One Beyond Dog Food- so, if you have a small dog that doesn't eat much (definitely not my case), you can get this pretty good food for really cheap. Or, in my case, I want to donate to the local no-kill shelter, but donating money isn't an option. So I keep an eye out for deals.

Enough rambling here is the deal. Price: $7.99, Winn-Dixie store coupon (available in the front of the store by the weekly circular) for $2 off, that paired with a $5 off coupon from the SmartSource insert from 1/15. That means I paid $0.99 for a bag of food that I can donate. They are also usually pretty cheap at Walmart, and you will end up spending a dollar or two if you use the coupon.

2. Snacks!!!!! I love snacks, ask anyone, I ALWAYS have snacks. So there was a $2 off 3 participating brands of Nabisco snacks in the SmartSource from 1/8. This included 100 Calorie packs of Snackwells and Nabisco cookies (like chips ahoy, oreo, etc.) and a few other brands (they were pictured on the coupon). So, I picked up 2 boxes of Chips Ahoy 100 Calorie packs, 2 boxes of 100 calorie Snackwells (yogurt covered pretzels and the mint chocolate shortbread ones), and two boxes of graham crackers (the stayfresh packs, I know it creates extra wrappers in the landfills, but I would never eat a whole thing of crackers before they go stale). It would normally be 3.29 for each of the 100 calorie boxes and they were on sale 2 for $4. The graham crackers were B1G1 free (normally $3.99 each). So after coupons and sales, I paid $1.33/box.....score? I think so!

I did a little bit of a "I saved money" happy dance when I figured that last one out! So long for now!

MY ADVENTURES IN COUPONING

So, I started couponing maybe 6 months ago. And man, I had no idea what I was in for! Now that I have had time to learn the ins and outs, I would love to share my tricks and tips. So how to start.....

First you need coupons. I get one or two papers a weekend (but make sure that there are inserts in them, sometimes there are no inserts going out at all, and sometimes people steal them out of the paper). I also get my mom and mother in law to save me theirs (even though my mom takes out what coupons she wants, but never uses :p). In return for their inserts, I put them on my "coupon list," if I find something they use on sale, I just get it for them (with a coupon of course!).

So I have around 3-4 copies of each insert.

Now comes the binder. Oh lord the binder.....some people use the baseball card protector pages, and I tried that. But that means you cut out each coupon, file it where it needs to go, and then throw out all your hard work in like a month or so. Poop on that!

Which leads me to MY organization. I keep them organized by insert. I have a page protector for each insert. If you want, you can put all your copies in there, or you can rip the insert into individual pages and organize each of the pages together so you have all 3-4 of each coupon together (my preferred method because it makes it easier when I need more than one coupon).

Then I go to sundaycouponpreview.com (or you can sign up for them to be sent via e-mail each week). They have it organized with how much the coupon is worth, what its for, and.......wait for it.....the expiration date (yes that excites me)!

So I print the preview (put it in Word and shrink it down and such) and slide it in with the insert. I go through each of them and highlight which coupons I actually have. This means that I can see what I have in that sleeve and if its expired. Also, some of the coupon matching websites tell you to use coupons that you may not have gotten so its nice to know in advance before you go on a wild goose chase for a coupon that doesn't exist.

Now, this one doesn't have the exp dates, but oh well.....you get the idea. It makes for quick picking!

Now to the ads, I have not gotten the exact hang of how to quickly look at an ad and determine what deals I have coupons for...unless it says in the ad "free with coupon". So, I cheat. I LOOOOOOVE The Krazy Coupon Lady. They have individual tabs for each store (CVS, Walgreens, WalMart, etc etc). She has the weekly ad all listed with what coupons to use for which deals. She also has a quick look list of things that are great deals and she has a little icon next to the best deals which makes running through her list even easier.

Now to the list. I go through each section on the website, making a list of the things I want to snatch up and what coupons I need. I used to have an envelope for each store, but my mother in law gave me this little thing for photos (it holds about 15 pictures, but is perfect for coupons and lists). So, I make my list, collect my coupons, and wha bam. I am ready to go.

You should also be aware of the coupon policies at each store because some won't allow multiple stacks (deals plus mfg coupons plus reward bucks etc). Or have limits on how many of the deals you can get.

I also have a list that I found somewhere, but I will post the website when I can find it. It that has a list of items and what you can usually get them for, and the super stock up price. I added a column for the lowest price that I have gotten them for just so I can keep tabs on what the normal prices I pay are.

Also, don't be afraid to have a stock pile. It is nice not to have to go out and grab a 5$ bottle of shampoo, I can grab it out of my stockpile knowing I only paid like 1$ (or less) for it a while back and that I have selections.

 I know magnificent right?!

Some other tips:

CVS's magic coupon machine prints out coupons randomly and they can be stacked with your mfg coupons to make even better deals. So scan your card every time you walk in, and keep scanning it until it says "no more offers, check back tomorrow"

If you see an online coupon for an item that usually has a travel size (if there is no disclaimer on the coupon saying it cant be used for travel sizes) and print that bad boy!

Leftover coupons, I also have a index card box from school days, I have a colored card for each month, then I have a card that has a specific expiration date, for each date, I list the coupons that are behind that card, so I can flip through the cards to see if there are any coupons that I can use.

There are lots of websites out there, don't limit yourself to one! If you find a site you love, BOOKMARK IT! For some reason my mom likes http://www.couponmom.com/ I can't quite get the hang of it, but try it out!

So, good luck on your couponing, more tips to be posted when I can think of them!

Funfetti Rice Krispies

Sweet mother of invention.....who ever created these should be crowned and sent right on through to sainthood!

I won't bore you with chit chat, here is the recipe:

3 tbls of butter (I used Country Crock with Calcium and Vitamin D....that makes them healthy right?)
1- 10oz bag of mini-marshmallows (mine was 10.5oz so I was FORCED to eat some to make it less)
1/4 c of dry yellow cake mix
6c rice krispies
1-1.75 oz container of sprinkles (I bought the big container and eyeballed it)

Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat. Add marshmallows. Once those start to melt begin to add the cake mix in a spoonful at a time. Once everything has melted, add it to the cereal. Once most of the cereal is coated with the marshmallow mixture, add in about half of the sprinkles. Once everything is mixed together put it in a baking dish and allow it to set (yeah....right), and top with the rest of the sprinkles.

Addition and Alterations:
The girl that originally tested the recipe added in 1/3 c of cake mix....I added a little more maybe a heaping 1/3 c. It is delish regardless of how much you add in.

What to do with the rest of the cake mix? There are some random recipes out there....easiest one, cake mix with enough water to make it cake-battery-like, microwave for a few seconds (enough to take the sheen off the top of the cake).

All I can say is put on your boots and hold on its going to be a tasty ride!