Fallen Souffle

So I have become a bit of a coupon fanatic the past couple of weeks.  I have always clipped coupons and bought on sale but I have been really paying attention to sales and using lots of coupons, you should have seen me at Walgreens today!  So I have started sharing some of my deals with some people at work and I thought I might as well post them here too so everyone can take advantage of the deals!

I should note that sales change by region so you if aren’t in Raleigh or in the South you may not be able to get the sale deals.  I will also say that should always pick up a Sunday paper as you can easily pay for the paper with the use of one or two coupons.  I have found though that buying a paper as opposed to subscribing to the paper leads to different sale ads.  Evan usually buys me a paper form a nearby bakery and I never get the Kroger, CVS, Michael’s, or A.C. Moore ads.  All of these ads can be found online but I like having paper in hand.  That being said, this morning I went to CVS first thing this morning, picked up their ad and perused it while I was in the store.  I also bought a paper here.

I will also say that it is important to get a loyalty card from each store that has one (Kroger, Harris Teeter, Lowes, Food Lion, CVS.  You usually have to go to each store to get one, but at CVS you can sign up online.  Signing up online will also register your email, which means you could be sent valuable money off coupons.  Also, sign up at Harris Teeter for the e-VIC program, you will be sent an email every Wednesday with their specials as well as the e-VIC “coupon” of the week, which is available only if you sign up for the email.

Ok, so those are a few tips to start you off.

Walgreens was fun today, I usually don’t get tolo excited about Walgreens because you have to mail off their monthly deals for rebates, but I can usually get most of the done the first week.  They have an Easy Saver catalog of deals for the month, it will be in the front of the store with the weekly ads.  This month they have Softsoap body wash, toothbrushes and dental floss all free after rebate.  Even better is that there were coupons in todays paper for the body wash and dental floss which would basically mean you are making money off of them.  Also of interest, the Fiber One bars are 2 for $4, there was a 50 cent coupon last week which can be used in conjunction.  I actually bought 20 coupons for these bars off of eBay.  I don’t usually buy coupons b/c I think thats stupid but Evan loves these things and there is no generic brand  and they rarely go on sale.  However, I have already saved alot of money with all of these coupons, I used 4 coupons today on the 4 boxes of bars I bought, so I got 4 boxes for $6 which is cheaper than BJ’s.

Then tonight I went to Target before book club.  They had some of their vitamins on sale,  so I got some more fish oil capsules for Evan and I.  There were 120 capsules for $3.99 which is a great price in and of itself, but then I looked and they were packaged buy one get one free.  So I got two bottles for $3.99 when I have seen them as high as $15 a bottle.  If that wasn’t enough, there was a coupon for a new Nair type hair remover called Carefree.  There was a $4 off coupon in the paper and right next to it was a rebate for $3 off.  At Target they were on sale for $7, which means after I send in my rebate the whole thing will only cost me .37 cents (the price of the stamp).

So I had a pretty good week so far.  I will try and post the better deals I see this week.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Yesterday I lost something that has been near and dear to me since my first semester in college…my Faithful Honda.  Bought in December of 1999 we have had many adventures together; a trip to Jacksonville FL with 4 guys, a whirlwind college football weekend to Clemson and Tennessee, visits to the best friend in DC and ofcourse countless trips to Va Beach.  She was a good car, if not a little finicky in the end.  However she now belongs to a wonderful lady who is a foster Mom…I just hope she does well for her as she did for me.

On a side note, the lady that bought the car was just as sweet as could be.  In driving over to get the title notarized, she was talking with  and asked if we had kids.  He replied we didn’t, just our dogs for now.  The lady responded saying she used to think that people that didn’t have kids were selfish, but she didn’t believe that now.  She urged him to enjoy our time together and not rush things.  I just wanted to hug her after he told me that.  So many people ask us when we are having kids, I have never felt so pressured to do something!  Luckily, and actually ironically, we feel no pressure from either set of our parents, they also urge us to enjoy each other now and do it when we are ready. Spoken by truly wise people

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

We have been blessed with beautiful weather this week in NC, it is so nice to be able to sit outside and relax and not sweat to death! The humidity will be here before we know it! So I wanted to make a refreshing drink and I was dreaming of the Ina drink with tea and apple juice but we didn’t have any apple juice and somehow Juicy Juice just wasn’t doing it for me. So I went along those lines and used Crystal Light as the sweetener, which I thought was a pretty good idea. It was really refreshing, low in calories and easy to make. Evan said it needed a cool name, I couldn’t think of one so…

Berry Lemon Cooler

-8 Berry Zinger Tea bags (you can use other “zingers’ but I love this one right now)
-1 container of powdered Crystal Light lemonade (not the one that makes a ton of lemonade, I’m talking about the individual ones that make like 2 quarts)
- 8 cups water

Boil about 2 cups of water and pour over tea bags in a measuring cup, let steep 5 minutes or so. Meanwhile in a pitcher combine the powdered lemonade and 6 cups of water. Remove the tea bags and let tea cool, I usually add ice cubes to speed up the process. When cooled, add the tea to the lemonade, stir and enjoy over ice!

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

I now have 20 things completed on my 101 list!

I think that’s pretty darn good considering it’s only been 6 months!

I completed another thing on the list night by going to the ballet! I met up with some other girls (there was no way I was going to drag Evan to this!) We saw Swan Lake performed by the Carolina Ballet and it was really wonderful. It took me back to my dance recital days.

Before the ballet we met at a restaurant downtown near the theatre, Caffe Luna. I have heard only good things about this place so I was really excited to try it! The atmosphere was nice, it’s a small restaurant with high ceilings. The waitress was good and the menu pretty straight forward. The wine list is nice, but only 4 kinds are available by the glass. I started with a glass of merlot and the gorgonzola salad, which I liked considering I’m not a huge gorgonzola fan (thought I would give it another try). I ordered the farfalle pasta with salmon and pink sauce, I LOVE pink/vodka sauce and order it everywhere! The pasta was good but nothing I couldn’t get at Lubrano’s. The portions were nice, which is hard to find in the more trendy restaurants. Some of the other girls got dessert but I finished with a cappuccino which I needed a straw to get to the coffee part without getting an inch of foam on me.

One nice things is that the downtown trolley picks up across the street from the restaurant to take us to the theatre, no need to pay for parking!

Overall, it was a nice dinner, nothing that left me wanting more but a good quality place that I would visit again next time I go to a show.

Oh! I almost forgot, I completed another thing on my list…I took a dance class. But not any dance class, a pole dancing class! Yeah my Mom is going to think I’m a hussey! In all seriousness, this new studio Aradia Fitness has been written up in every publication around here so I had to try it! The ladies are super nice, the studio is awesome and the work out even better! I was definitely sore the next 2 days! I would totally recommend stepping out of your comfort zone and trying this! They have a teaser class which kinda gives you a taste of what is offered in their classes. I will be signing up for the next level when they get their new schedule out!

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

I saw this recipe on Guy’s Big Bite a couple of Sunday ago and knew i had to make it. I typically make a nice Sunday dinner which usually requires an immense amount of prep or a long cooking time. I figure if I am going to do it, might as well do it on a Sunday.

This recipe is fantastic! Though it does have a few steps it is so worth it! You could probably still prepare this during the week, just break up the steps a bit more. Rub the chicken the night before, the morning of add the marinade and prepare the glaze ahead of time (don’t cook it just prepare it) then when you get home either grill it or bake it and heat up the glaze. I did not have the dark rum that Guy used, since I made it on Sunday and the liquor stores are closed in NC so I used some plain rum for the marinate and a bit of pineapple rum for the glaze. I served this with sliced fresh pineapple and a spinach and strawberry salad a la RR (dressing is strawberry jam mixed with balsamic vinegar, olive oil and S&P- on a side note it is incredibly difficult to find a RR recipe on FoodNetwork.com, she has like a million episodes!). This chicken would also be great with some coconut rice!

Guy’s Mojito Chicken
1 (2 1/2 to 3-pound) chicken
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
Marinade, recipe follows
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Mojito Glaze, recipe follows

Remove backbone of chicken with poultry shears; flatten chicken out by pressing firmly on skin part of chicken so it will sit evenly in a pan.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

Combine all the dry spices and rub chicken with spice mixture, especially under the skin. Put into a resealable plastic bag and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

In a large mixing bowl combine all the ingredients for the marinade, then add chicken to marinade and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Remove chicken from marinade and shake off excess marinade. In a large saute pan over medium to high heat, add 4 tablespoons of extra- virgin olive oil. When oil is hot, place chicken skin side down and sear.

When skin is golden brown flip chicken and add 1/2 cup of marinade into pan; place pan in oven and cook the chicken for 25 minutes or until chicken has internal temperature of 165 degrees F. on an instant-read thermometer.

Remove the chicken from oven and brush with Mojito Glaze. Place chicken under broiler for 5 minutes. Remove from broiler, cut and serve immediately with more glaze on the side.

Marinade:
1 cup orange juice
2 limes, juiced
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon sliced garlic
1/4 cup dark rum

Combine all ingredients in mixing bowl.

Mojito Glaze:
1/2 cup dark rum
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon brown sugar
3 tablespoons cold water
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup chopped mint leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

In medium sauce pot, place rum, chicken broth and brown sugar. Reduce by 1/3 over high heat. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together water and cornstarch. When rum mixture is reduced, add cornstarch mixture slowly to simmering liquid and whisk for 3 minutes, until 50 percent thicker. Keep in mind that you might not need all of it. When glaze is at desired thickness, add mint leaves and transfer to small bowl. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

It’s been a crazy week since we got back from Utah, we had a great trip with no broken bones and lots of great food and then we came back to pollen. Lots and lots of pollen. I was sick all last week, and finally had to go to the doctor on Friday. I am feeling much better now, which is good since we had a busy weekend! We had Easter dinner at Evan’s parents house with his brother, sister, neice, nephews, dogs etc. I made a lemon cake and a challah (see below).

However what we were most excited about was the fact that Lent was over which meant Evan could have a biscuit and I could eat potatoes again. Evan bought me a large fry which I doused in ketchup and some fry sauce we got in Utah. “The Easter Bunny” left some Bacon Cheddar Biscuits on Evan’s nightstand on Easter morning. The biscuits were kinda like the Red Lobster biscuits, but so much better with the addition of some cooked bacon. They took no time to make and did not involve rolling out, which is always nice! We will have to make them again one night for dinner

Bacon Cheddar Biscuits
2 cups biscuit baking mix
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
2/3 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
4 slices bacon, chopped, fried and drained
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon garlic powder
pinch salt

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C). Grease a cookie sheet, or line with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, combine baking mix, Cheddar cheese, and garlic powder. Stir in milk. Fold in fried bacon. Drop batter by heaping tablespoonfuls onto prepared cookie sheet,makes about 8 biscuits.

3. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes. In a small bowl, mix melted butter, 1 teaspoon garlic powder and pinch of salt. Bake for 5 more minutes, or until lightly browned on the bottom.

This is the Easter Egg Challah I made for Easter dinner, a recipe I got from Nic at Baking Bites. It was a HUGE hit and I will definitely make this again, sans eggs

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!