"C" is for Peanut Butter and Jelly!

Ready for a new spin on an old favorite? How about a new spin on TWO old favorites?

Moms often serve foods that are tried and true. Things like cookies, peanut butter & jelly sandwiches, milk...that stuff ring a bell with you? Well, I have found a recipe that combines the PB & J of our childhoods with cookies that you normally see served through winter holidays, the thumbprint cookies. You know, the ones that are small and round and have a dollop of chocolate in the center.

I give you Cookie Monster's Peanut Butter & Jelly Thumbprints, brought to you by the letter R and the number 4. I mean, I found it in a Sesame Street cookbook called "C is For Cooking."

Ingredients...

1/2 Cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1/2 Cup smooth natural peanut butter
1 1/4 Cups sugar
1 egg
2 tbsp. low-fat milk
1/4 tsp. salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 Cup seedless raspberry jam

1. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat together the butter and peanut butter at medium-high speed until smooth and creamy.

2. With the mixer on low speed, beat in the egg, milk, and salt. Gradually beat in the flour.

3. Wrap the cookie dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate until completely chilled, at least 4 hours or up to 2 days.

4. To bake the cookies: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease the cookie sheets.

5. Use a teaspoon to scoop the chilled dough into 1-inch balls. Place the balls 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. Flatten the balls slightly, using your thumb to make a "thumbprint" in the middle of each one. Fill each thumbprint with 1/4 - 1/2 tsp. of the jam.

6. Bake the cookies until the edges are slightly browned, 12-15 minutes. Transfer the baking sheets to racks for 2 minutes. Transfer the cookies from the sheets to the racks to cool completely.

Special Note: I didn't have natural peanut butter, so I used Jif. I also didn't have low-fat milk, so used cream. I also didn't have raspberry seedless jam, but I did have some Welch's grape jelly. Substituting is something I'm fairly good at! And guess what? The cookies turned out marvelous!

The cookbook is something my 4 year old picked out himself while shopping at one of my favorite discount stores. BUT, if you'd like to buy your own copy (I would highly suggest this book because there are recipes in there from guest chefs that have been on Sesame Street, like Martha Stewart and...my favorite...EMERIL LAGASSE!) you can get a copy at Amazon. 

How to start couponing as a beginner...

So, I haven't posted in here in several months. My apologies :)

I have found a few ways to save a little cash and I wanted to share this new information with a few of you who may not already know that it exists!

First, have you watched TLC"s "Extreme Couponing?" If you haven't, you really should because you can learn things on there that can save you a million bucks. Okay, so  maybe not a million at once, but over time money piles up. I'm definitely a couponer by nature, but extreme? Well, that's what I aspire to be...

I found a website today called "The Krazy Coupon Lady" where you can find all sorts of cool stuff. Not only can you learn to become an extreme couponer, too, but you can find links to freebies, giveaways, other places to find coupons, and so much more there. 

When you get there, click "Freebies" at the top of the page and scroll down to see what you can find. A lot of offers are through mail, and others through email (where a printer is really handy, and I don't have one...yet...). You can send off for more coupons via snail mail, though, if you're like me and don't have a printer. 

Under "Freebies", if you look to the right side of your screen, there are advertisements and links for other cool sites like Free Flys. Free Flys was very helpful to me. I found all sorts of freebies and offers for things that won't cost me a nickel, including some fabric softener samples (and samples are awesome, even if they're just one use apiece), shampoo samples, drink samples, coffee samples and more coupons! 

If you don't have a facebook account, I would suggest that you get one. Reason being, some of the offers required you to sign up for your free samples through liking a page on facebook. That's harmless, right? Right. So, do what Free Flys says and like the page and do what the page says to get your free sample already. 

As an added bonus, The Krazy Coupon Lady site has directions in steps for beginners to get their coupon collections organized, how to organize your shopping trips, easy ways to save a buck, and gives you the skinny on which stores have what deals when. 

Personally, as I am a novice (apparently), I have my own coupon organization system. I organize in three categories and several different subcategories under each category.

Here's how it works:

1.) Buy a small photo album, or "brag book" that has sleeves that open for pictures to just slide in there.
2.) Buy some labels so that you can label each slot.
3.) Gather all your coupons.
4.) Organize them into the following categories: Edible, Health and Beauty, Cleaning supplies.
5.) Edible coupons should go into the following subcategories: drinks, snacks, meats and specials, boxed dinners, sandwich fixins, cereals and breakfasts, noodles, cans and sauces, frozen.
6.) Health and Beauty should go into the following subcategories: makeup, shampoos and conditioners, deodarants, oral hygiene, soaps and body washes, styling products, feminine products, razors and shaving, and whatever else you want in there :)
7.) For Cleaning and Household supplies, I do it like this: paper products, all purpose cleaners, laundry detergents and fabric softeners, bleach products, bathroom cleaners, kitchen cleaners, trash bags, and etc...
8.) Once you're all organized into stacks, organize your photo album into three categories, then label your categories and subcategories with the sticker labels. Then, put your coupons in there.

Make sure you purge your coupons about once a week to get the expired ones out of there. Then start organizing your shopping by coupons. Don't buy things you don't need just because you have a coupon though. That doesn't save a thing...

Well, hopefully I'll have more couponing links to share with you guys soon. Until then, ta ta and happy clipping :)

On winter days, it's very hard to say where the inspiration to make dinner comes from. If you're like me, you just don't want to cook when it's so cold outside, but you sure can eat! The solution here? Easy fixins....

The best thing about winter days is that a hot meal is more than just appreciated, it's a have-to thing. One of my winter meal suggestions is meatloaf because it's hot, easy, and goes with everything.

I'll share my recipe with you, but if you use it, you have to tell me if you liked it!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb. ground beef
2 eggs
3/4 cups smashed all to pieces cornflakes
salt and pepper
ketchup
3/4 cups diced onions
garlic powder
a dash of oregano
a few splashes of worchestershire sauce (yeah, I spelled that wrong on purpose)
dash of thyme
soul seasoning, just a bit
dash of brown sugar (like 2 tbsp.)

Directions:

1. In a bowl, crack two eggs, and add everything except the meat, brown sugar, and ketchup. Beat the ever loving snot out of it, cause if you don't you may as well call for take out lol.

2. Add the meat. With your HANDS (cause a mixer or a spoon just doesn't do the job), gob everything together and mix well. Okay, now go wash your hands. Squirt like 1/4 Cup Ketchup in there and use your hands to mash it all to pieces again. Form your big ball of meat and things into a loaf shape and place on your baking dish.

3. Bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes on 350 degrees.

4. In the meantime, mix about 1/2 Cup ketchup and 1/4 cup brown sugar together in a small bowl. When you take your meatloaf out of the oven, slather it all on top like you're icing a cake. Bake for about ten to fifteen more minutes. Then, you're done and you just gotta take care of the gigantor mess you left in your kitchen. Oh, and wash your hands again...

Special side note: The best thing you could ever serve with meatloaf is mashed potatoes, but here's a great idea...add sour cream instead of milk to make your mashed potatoes with. Once mixed, then you could add chives, or some garlic and onion powder. Add green beans as another side, and you've got a meal that your kids might actually EAT. That means quiet time at the table, which means Mom can relax for ten minutes at the least!

My Own Chicken and Dumplings

When I was a kid, a member of my extended family used to make awesome pots of chicken and dumplings. No one in history has ever made chicken and dumplings as good as hers as far as I’m concerned! However, a few years ago, I began to want them so bad I could almost literally salivate from yearning. So, I googled every single recipe I could find, but much to my dismay, none of them were like hers. Not even close.

So, I tried to remember how she made them, though it was years since I’d watched her cook. Fortunately, I had picked up enough of her technique to guess my way through the plethora of recipes I’d found until I got it so close to her recipe that I don’t think it would have turned out that good if she’d taught me herself.

Stories like these are how all the great recipes are born! Without further ado, here is the recipe that I forged from memory and google!

Ingredients:

3-4 lbs of chicken (with a bone in there somewhere is the best way to go).
Salt and pepper to taste
Water (duh)
Self Rising flour, about 4 cups plus
1 cup or a dash more buttermilk
¼ cup of vegetable oil
3-4 tbsp. butter
1-2 cans of evaporated milk (depending on how much broth you have).


Directions:

Put your (bone in) chicken in a pot and cover with water. Add just a few dashes of salt for extra umph. Cover and boil on medium-high heat until your chicken is done and your broth is a nice color.


Remove chicken from water and set aside to cool for a few minutes.



Add evaporated milk to the water and a bit of pepper. Replace the lid to the pot and wait for it to boil slowly.

While you’re waiting on it to boil for a minute, get out your handy dandy mixing bowl and mix the following: flour (2 cups), butter, veggie oil, and buttermilk. Mix well. This is your dough for the southern style dumplings. Yummy!




Okay, so by now you have a good boil going on in your pot, right? Right…Now, you add some flour…do ¼ cup at a time until it’s mixed in just right. You want to mix well after each addition and don’t add more than a few cups. Stand there and mix well until you get a good thickness going on, as thick as you want it.

Now, the fun stuff! With your pot going on medium high heat, you want to go ahead and get your dumplings in there and let them cook too! With a fork, scoop out little dumpling sized bits of dough and dump them in the pot. When it’s all in there, then you can shred up your chicken and add it too if you want. Or you can shred half and leave half to eat on the side. Or just eat it all on the side. Really, it’s completely up to you, but I like mine in the mix with the dumplings and the soup!

Let it cook just a bit together before serving. Stir well. Should only take about ten or fifteen minutes for all the flavors to co-exist well together.



You can serve all this with cole slaw and green beans, rolls, mashed potatoes and just whatever your little heart desires. I don’t like a lot of side dishes with mine, just the chicken and dumplings. Enjoy! Happy cooking!

Glazed Carrots

Okay so no long story as to why I love glazed carrots. I just do, okay, and they're so perfect for fall, take very little time to prepare, and are a great dish for Thanksgiving, in case any of you are having trouble with your Thanksgiving menus. So, here's the recipe.

Ingredients:

1-2 lbs. of baby carrots or larger carrots cut into smaller pieces
3 tbs. butter
1/4 cup or less brown sugar
1/4 cup water

Directions:

In a large pan melt butter and brown sugar slightly together. Add carrots, then water. Bring heat up to medium-high, and allow carrots to cook until tender. Enjoy!


***See...I told you it was easy! :)

Egg Omlets, perfect for fall breakfasts!

Well, now that school schedules and routines have been established and reestablished this year, I thought I'd move right along to fall things. I don't know how the rest of you feel about it, but nothing warms me up more on a fall morning like a beautifully planned egg omelet and a cup of hot coffee.

When I say beautifully planned, I mean that I make them big enough to feed a horse, cause I never eat one alone. My kids love them too!

Without further ado, here's my recipe:

Ingredients:

6 eggs (with or without yolks, is up to you)
1/8 cup evaporated milk
salt and pepper to taste
butter (around 3 tbsp.)

***Optional Ingredients***

(These are the things that you can variate in your egg dishes)

shredded cheddar cheese
mushrooms
shredded or cubed ham and/or turkey
ground sausage, cooked already
bacon, cooked and crumbled
green peppers
onions
red bell peppers
banana peppers
jalepenos

Bon Apetit! Enjoy :)

Back to School Mess...

Yup, it's that time of the year again. The kids will all be going back to school, and the mommies will be wiping tears from those going for the first time. Or, wiping their own...whichever, possibly both.

My schedule is nuts when school starts. I get the kids ready, get them to the bus, then come home and do the house cleaning thing, the paying bills thing, and sometimes, when I'm lucky, the author thing.

This year, I'm pretty excited. Tristan will start his first year of head start. He's three, so he won't be gone as long as the other kids will be, but he'll be going, and he'll be happy once he gets used to it. He neeeeeeeeds to be around others his age!

My problem is that I'll be alone all day long. What's a mom supposed to do? I'm so used to having Tristan on my heels all through the day. When I mop he's two steps behind me, washcloth in hand, trying to help. When I vacuum, he's riding the shop vac (yeah, it's super cute). When I talk on the phone, he's in my lap begging to talk too. So, now it's just good ol' Mom...

Anyhow, here are some good ideas for after school snacks that are pretty light on your budget.

*Apples, oranges, any fruits.
*Cereal bars. You can make homemade ones too.
*Yogurt, pudding, nuts.
*Fresh baked cookies. Look for cookie dough sales or make your own. Heck, buy ready made ones if you're pressed for time.
*Crescent rolls. Fill them with ham and cream cheese. Boy, those are good!
*Mini pizzas. Buy dough, cut into balls, pat out into mini sizes, cover in sauce and a tsp. of mozarella and a slice of pepperoni. Ball it up and make it into a filled ball. Put them into the oven and bake on 450 degrees until done. Yum :)
*Fried Pies...I'll find a recipe to post later, probably this fall when pies start to become popular again lol.

Welp, hope that helped you out some. I gotta get back to organizing school clothes and getting backpacks ready!

Dark & Delicious,
Rhiannon Mills