August 7, 2009
Free Kids Cookbook Download
August 6, 2009
Recipe List
Breakfast
Breakfast Burritos
Crock Pot Morning Casserole
Muffins, Scones--see Baked Goods, below
Cinnamon Oatmeal Pancakes
One Dish Cinnamon Coffeecake (mix and bake in one dish)
Baked French Toast (a.k.a Bread Pudding)
Entrees
Student's Ragout (layers of sliced beef, potaotes, onion, carrot)
Pasta Rustica (pasta with onion, parmesan, and crumbled bacon)
Balsamic Glazed Pork (rosemary and balsamic sauce)
Pesto Pasta with Breaded Baked Chicken (breaded chicken cutlet over pesto sauce/pasta)
Chicken Spiedies (zesty marinated chicken pieces served on a hoagie roll)
Crunchy Garlic Chicken (comfort food classic--flavorful but easy, and not fried)
Chipotle-Style Chicken Fajita Burritos (homemade version of the restaurant burritos)
Penne and Sausage Casserole (super quick and easy for weeknights)
Brined Turkey (creates a flavorful, moist turkey)
Pork Ideas and Recipes (budget friendly ideas)
Crab Bisque (for a special treat or at home date-night)
The Best Dinner Rolls (flaky and flavorful, but very easy)
Chocolate Chip Scones (great for brunch or parties)
Snow Ice Cream (snow day tradition!)
Fruit Jellies (homemade jello) (no artificial colors)
Pugliese Bread (artisan style chewy, crusty Italian bread)
Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting (easy Fall treat)
Applesauce Muffins (moist and low fat)
Apple Streusel Muffins (lowfat)
Black Bottom Muffins (chocolate and cream cheese--gotta love that!)
Pepperoni Pizza Muffins (great with soup or for snacks)
Fudge Filled Peanut Butter Muffins (almost like dessert)
Oatmeal Muffins (these stick with you)
Peanut Butter Pie (creamy, fluffy, no bake pie)
Dessert Dumplings (passed down for generations--sweet dumplings with caramel sauce)
Cornflake Peanut Butter Bars (no bake recipe, these are always a favorite)
Beer Bread Mix (like the expensive mixes, but CHEAP)
English Muffins (fluffy and easy to make)
Painted Cut-Out Sugar Cookies (vibrant paint with an edible egg paint)
Strawberry Cream Cake (yellow sponge cake filled with a custard cream and sliced berries)
Bread Pudding (like a french toast dessert)
Caramel Sauce (for ice cream, grilled fruit, cakes, bread pudding)
Baked Potato Wedges (crispy outside, fluffy insides)
Potato Gatto (baked mashed potato casserole with cheese and prosciutto)
Black Bean and Rice Salad (colorful and flavorful side dish)
Quinoa, Corn and Black Bean Salad (tomatoes, corn, black beans and grain w/ a lemon dressing)
Condiments, Dressings, Oils
Roasted Garlic (use for spreads, dips, on pizza, in recipes)
Teriyaki Marinade (sweet and tangy with just a hint of spice; great on all grilled meats)
Appetizers
Pepperoni Rolls (warm and cheesy with pepperoni rolled up inside)
Related Posts
Homeschoolers Can Now Earn Book-It Awards
The Pizza Hut Book-It Program has been a long running program that rewards children for reading by awarding them a certificate for a free personal pan pizza after meeting their reading goal.
Until now, however, the awards were only available to students in grades K-6 in accredited schools. They have changed the program to now include homeschoolers.
If you are homeschooling and interested in signing your children up, hurry! The deadline was apparently June 12, but they are still accepting applications on a first-come basis while supplies last.
Click here to get more information and to enroll.
Helpful Hints of the Week
Typing the ¢ Sign:
Did you ever notice that there is no ¢ sign on the standard keyboard?
Try this: hold down the "alt" key while you type 0 1 6 2 on the numeric keypad (don't use the numbers in the row above the letters). This should make the ¢ sign appear. Pretty neat, huh?
Reusing Vanilla Beans:
Do you ever use vanilla beans when you cook or bake? And after you scrape out the beans you throw out the bean pod? I read a great tip in the August Issue of Cook's Country: Toss the used vanilla bean into your coffee filter with your coffee grounds. When you brew your coffee, the vanilla bean will infuse a slight vanilla taste. Yum!
*note--if you haven't tried using vanilla bean before, give it a try. The flavor is subtle and different than vanilla extract. Vanilla bean is especially good in homemade ice cream, dessert sauces, puddings, custards and dumplings, but you can also use it for delicious cream pies, cakes, and almost any dessert that would normally use vanilla exract. Just split the pod lengthwise with a sharp knife (they are pliable) and use the knife to scrape out all the TINY seeds inside --they look black and sticky. Toss the scraped seeds into whatever you are making and whisk.
August 4, 2009
Just for Fun
These are actual writings from various hospital charts:
1. The patient refused an autopsy.
2. The patient has no previous history of suicides.
3. Patient has left white blood cells at another hospital.
4. She has no rigors or shaking chills, but her husband states she was very hot in bed last night.
5. Patient has chest pain if she lies on her left side for over a year.
6. On the second day, the knee was better, and on the third day it disappeared.
7. The patient is tearful and crying constantly. She also appears to be depressed.
8. The patient has been depressed since she began seeing me in 1993.
9. Discharge status: Alive but without permission.
10. Healthy appearing decrepit 69-year old male, mentally alert but forgetful.
11. Patient had waffles for breakfast and anorexia for lunch.
12. She is numb from her toes down.
13. While in ER, she was examined, x-rated, and sent home.
14. The skin was moist and dry.
15. Occasional, constant infrequent headaches.
16. Patient was alert and unresponsive.
17. Rectal examination revealed a normal size thyroid.
18. I saw your patient today, who is still under our car for physical therapy.
19. Skin: somewhat pale but present.
20. Patient has two teenage children, but no other abnormalities.
Save on Your Utilities
Saving money doesn't just have to be relegated to coupons and groceries. You can save money in almost every area you spend.
For utility savings, try these tips:
1. Cable, Internet, and Phone. Bundle. Yes--everyone is advertising it--bundle your services and save. While this is not always the cheapest method, companies are more likely to offer discounts for loyal customers. If you have been loyal to a company for awhile, try negotiating with them to get a better deal. Ask for a lower monthly rate for your cable package.
When another cable company was installing in my area, they were offering great incentives to switch. I LIKE my cable company, though--we've had great service with them. I called to say I hated to switch, would they price match? Just by asking nicely, we got a $25 monthly discount off our bill for 18 months, with absolutely no commitment on our part. We're now paying about $80 per month plus taxes for phone (including unlimited long distance and voice mail), high speed internet (so I can blog! :) and digital basic cable with a DVR. Sometimes it pays to ask--all they can say is "n0" and you have lost nothing but a minute of your time.
2. Home Phone: If your home phone is separate from your cable package (or you don't have cable), ask your provider about ALL phone packages. Some are not listed. There is usually an inexpensive option that allows you to make 3o calls per month and receive unlimited calls. If you are at work during the day or primarily use your cell phone for daytime calling, this might save you a few dollars monthly. If you are a low income family, ask your phone company about "Lifeline" service--it is usually only around $12-15 per month for unlimited local calling, and some of the taxes are waived. Are you tech-saavy? If so, read about Google Voice and the Gizmo Project (free voip) here .
3. Cell Phone: This is usually the most difficult to negotiate, but it is still possible. If you have been a loyal customer, ask for some bonus minutes. If you are renewing your contract, ask for bonus minutes, a free car charger... Again, the worst they can say is "no". I was able to snag 1000 anytime minutes which just sits on my account for 2 years in case I ever go over my monthly allowance. It's nice to not worry about overage!
4. Water. Although it is unlikely for your water bill to be lowered if you ask, there are some things you can do. Some cities offer low income discounts to residents--check with your municipality. Click here for 49 ways to lower water costs (therefore lowering your water bill!).
5. Electric/Gas. Like water, it is unlikely to get discounts on these bills, but it is possible to lower the bills through conservation. Here are 13 ways to lower your electric bill. More tips here.
6. Everything else! Don't forget you can also stretch your budget to help pay for those nasty utility bills by saving in other areas: use coupons and plan ahead when you grocery shop; save money on gift-giving by using Swagbucks and MyPoints to earn gift cards; use restaurant.com certificates to stretch your dining dollar; do surveys to earn cash in your spare time.
Do you have any tips to share? If you do, leave a comment below.
Giveaway Update
Emmaus Road Publishing was out of stock of "Courageous Women" by Stacy Mitch when they originally sent the 3 books to giveaway.
I received "Courageous Women" yesterday, so now there are FOUR books for one of you to win, including the COMPLETE SET of Bible studies by Stacy Mitch and "The Unchanging Heart of the Priesthood" by Fr. Acklin.
This prize is valued at well over $40!
August 3, 2009
Priests Being Killed in Vietnam
Our parish priest requested prayers for this situation yesterday at Mass. I hadn't heard about this until then :
Great Coupon Resource
Sunday Coupon Preview has all the coupons and values listed for each Sunday ad insert--days BEFORE the Sunday paper comes.
This will be so helpful--now we'll know ahead of time which weeks to go buy an extra paper (because of any great coupons), and can plan our shopping trips for the following week before Sunday afternoon.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)