Open hearth, open home, open heart

It's True!

2012-02-02T08:07:00.000-08:00

My first week on my grocery budget I went shopping at Super Walmart. You know, the place where the slogan is, "Save Money, Live Better". That first week I spent $59.61, $8.45 under budget. I decided that I should "shop" around, but after going $23.61 over budget at Harris Teeter, I decided I should give Super Walmart another try. So this past Friday, coupons and grocery list in hand. I fought my way through the Super Walmart parking lot to attempt another weekly grocery run. Turns out that this time I spent a total of $59.34, $5.66 under budget. I'm sensing a pattern here! As much as I loathe shopping at Walmart it really seems as though it is less expensive. Looks like they are saving us money. However, I don't feel they allow me to live better. I live pretty well on my own thankyouverymuch! For that $59.34 this is what I got for the weeks meals:

Chicken, Chicken
Chicken Pot Pie Pockets
Grown Up Bacon Mac n' Cheese
Chicken Salad

Chicken, Chicken

I found this recipe on Pinterest. If you are not signed up, do so. I warn you though, it is addicting! There is a bevy of great recipes to be had. This recipe was OK, I doubt I'll make it again. Edible, but nothing to crave.

Find the recipe here.

Chicken Pot Pie Pockets

Find the recipe here.

These were good, but I don't have a picture of them because they were by no means pretty. I thought using my popover pan would be helpful, but the cups were just too deep (or the biscuits were not big enough). So I would suggest using the regular muffin tin.

Grown Up Bacon Mac n' Cheese

Find the recipe here.

This was really good! Very cheesy and the bread crumbs added a yummy crunch. I tweeked 2 things, 1. I added Italian Panko breadcrumbs (extra crunchy) and 2. I used in the jar bacon bits. (I just didn't feel like dirtying up another pan)

Gone to the Dogs

2012-01-27T08:29:00.000-08:00

Last night I decided to make my pooches some dog bones. I have made them in the past, but not since we moved. They are easy to make and usually require few ingredents. Below is the recipe for Oatmeal Peanut Butter bones. (They can easily be made in a double batch, which I did, since I have 3 hungry puppies)

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Dog Bones

2 cups Whole Wheat Flour
1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
1 cup Smooth Peanut Butter
1 cup Milk
1/2 cup oatmeal (not instant)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and lightly grease your baking pan.
In a medium bowl, mix the flour, baking powder and oatmeal. Once mixed, add the peanut butter and milk. Stir until dough forms.
Put your dough onto a lightly floured surface, knead and then roll out until 1/4″ thick. Use a bone-shaped cookie cutter or a cookie cutter and cut the dough into the desired size and shape.
Bake on lightly greased baking pan and cook for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.
Cool completly. Be sure to store in an airtight jar or resealable freezer bag.

Doggie Approved!

Weekly Menu - January 21-27

2012-01-25T07:59:00.000-08:00

As I stated in my resolution post, we are now grocery shopping on a weekly scheduled basis with a $65.00 budget. My shopping day is Friday (because that's payday). This is the menu for the week:

Shepard's Pie
Tacos
Egg Salad
Homemade sandwich bread
Sinckerdoodle cookies
Sweet Tea

Shepard's Pie

You can find the recipe here.

This was absolutely delish!

Tacos

Really, who doesn't enjoy tacos?? My version is pretty quick and easy and does not include a little seasoning packet.

1 lb ground beef, 85%-90% lean
Salt & pepper to taste
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large jar of salsa (feel free to use any flavor or temp)
2 cloves of garlic
2 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
finely minced jalapeno, if you like it spicy

Saute onions in olive oil, add meat, season with salt and pepper, brown. Drain meat. Add salsa and rest of ingredients. Put on simmer, stir occasionally, taste for any flavoring additions. Feel free to simmer this for a while, it will allow the flavors to meld together.

Enjoy with taco shells, tortilla shells, lettuce, tomato, avocado, cheese, and sour cream, yum!

Sandwich Bread

Find the recipe here.

Sickerdoodle Cookies

These really are some of the best sickerdoodles that I have had. They are flavorful and chewy.. mmm!

Find the recipe here.

Sweet Tea

If you have an iced tea maker this really is the best way to make iced tea quickly. I have also found that Luzianne Tea works best. It really does have a great flavor. I would recommend using the "family size" tea bag to make the iced tea and after it brews and is hot add your sweetener. This is mostly to your taste. Remember, you can always add more, but you can't take away.

"So a man walks into a bar..."

2012-01-25T07:41:00.000-08:00

Well not exactly... After John and I moved into our new house we noticed that there was an odd void in the pantry area. Originally, this space was deemed as the entry from the garage to the house. They decided to scrap those plans and move the entry from the garage to the back of the house. (A much better placement in my opinion) This reconfiguration however created an empty space. If you have ever seen a real estate show you will hear how they feel that a usable space adds more value than an empty one. Plus, if I have the empty space I might as well make it useful. So we decided to construct a bar area. We found our matching countertop and a close best to our existing kitchen cabinets. Unfortunately, the cabinets we have are custom order and honestly we weren't going to shell out $700 for one base cabinet.

We placed an order for our countertop about 2 weeks ago at Home Depot and it came in on Saturday. We ran up to Home Dept to pick it up and to pick out a new ceiling light fixture as well. Builder lighting is SO ugly and gives off a firefly amount of light. After our trip Home Depot we ran back home, dropped off the countertop and got back in the car and headed to Lowe's to buy the base cabinet. We found the closest match to our existing cabinets and headed back home to install everything.

All in all it wasn't too hard. We switched the configuration around a few times to see which way we liked it best and then screwed everything in. I will have to say that John did take off some finishing molding in order for the cabinet to fit more flush to the wall. I would say the install took about 2 hours, not too long and viola! We have a bar.

If you're thinking about doing something like this I say, do it! It's really not that hard.  It just takes a little money and time. Plus, just think how much money you saved by doing it yourself. Although, I'm not saying all projects should be tackled DIY style. i.e. our next project - fence installation.

Before:

After:

A 2012 Resolution (Let's hope it lasts!)

2012-01-20T10:17:00.000-08:00

Resolutions.. many made, few kept. However, this year (yes, I know I am about 18 days late) it's time for a budget. You may ask "What? You don't have a budget?" Well no. John and I never really had to have a budget. When you are a DINK (Double Income No Kids) there is not always a need for one. Want some ice cream on a whim? Sure! No problem. Off to the local store for a $7.00 pint of premium ice cream. Need a Saturday morning coffee but the coffee maker just won't do? Easy peazy! Take a ride down to the Sbux grab 2 coffee's and that'll be another $7.00. By the end of the month those $7.00 trips really add up. Not to mention the trips to Target, which usually ends up costing $80.00 a pop! So at the end of the month we were left scratching our heads wondering where all our money went.

Since we are adults I thought we should get with the program and learn how to budget and reign in our spending urges. Starting back in November 2011 I started to calculate all of our expenses and figured out what we have coming in and going out. Mind you, I had done this in the past about a million times, but it never stuck. I was determined to make it a sticking point in 2012. At the beginning of January I made us a budget separated out by a weekly and bi-weekly budget. One thing that we had never done in the past was grocery shop on a specific day or within a specific budget. Every week we now have a grocery budget of $65.00 or $260.00 per month. Again, we are only a family of 2 so this is possible for us however it may not be a reality for larger families.

I thought that this venue would be a good place to keep me in check and share my weekly budget friendly recipes.

After work, last Friday, January 13th, I decided to hit up the local Super Walmart for the weekly groceries. I bought enough food for 3 meals to eat over the week and something for lunch.

Here was the menu for this week:

Chicken Chili
Chicken Noodle Soup
Ground Turkey, Pasta Bake
Cheddar Bay Biscuits
Egg Salad

There is a little time and energy that is needed to make a $65.00/week grocery budget work. What I mean by that is there is some preparation that goes into the meal planning.

I did not buy any sandwich bread while at Walmart. I did however make my own sandwich bread. Find the recipe here for King Arthur white sandwich bread. I don't know how much this cost to make but it's probably a few cents. It's delicious, homemade, and no preservatives.

I purchased a roaster chicken for my chili and soup but needed to prepare it before turning into a dinner.

Flavorful Shredded Chicken

Items needed - Crockpot

1 roaster chicken, washed, salted and peppered
3-4 carrots washed and quartered
1 medium onion, quartered
3-4 celery stalks washed and quartered
1 quart of chicken stock

In your crockpot place veggies on the bottom. Place chicken on the veggies, salt and pepper the bird. Add the chicken stock. Cook on high 3-4 hours.
After the bird is done remove it from the liquid and remove meat from the bone and hand shred. Take the cooking liquid and strain out the veggies. Keep the cooking liquid and use for the chicken noodle soup.

Chicken Chili
Items needed - Dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot

Take 1/2 of your shredded chicken, put aside
2 table. olive oil
1 medium onion
1 tsp. garlic
1 can petite diced tomatoes
1 large can of tomato sauce
4 dashes of Tabasco sauce
1 table. chili powder
1 table. onion powder
1 table. garlic powder
1 tsp. cumin
1 can pinto beans (Drain and rinse)
1 can dark kidney beans (Drain and rinse)
If desired, sour cream, shredded cheese

Over medium heat add diced onion and saute in 2 table. olive oil. Add garlic and chicken, cook for 2 minutes. Add the rest of ingredients and reduce heat to simmer. Season chili to taste. Remember you can add but you can't take away!
Simmer for 20-30 minutes. The longer it simmers the more the flavors will meld. Enjoy with a dollop of sour cream and cheese!

Chicken Noodle Soup

Items needed - Large pot

Leftover chicken
Leftover broth
1 medium onion
1/2 lb of carrots, chopped
2-3 stalks celery, chopped
2 tsp. dried thyme
salt and pepper to taste (taste broth before adding salt as it can be salty)
Egg noodles, small pasta, or wild rice
2 table. olive oil

Add olive oil to pot and saute carrots, celery, and onions with a pinch of salt. (If using rice add it to the sauteed veggies) Add broth. (if using rice cook until al dente). Add chicken and rest of the ingredients. Simmer until warmed through. If using noodles or pasta add just before serving until they are soft, but not over done.

Ground Turkey Pasta Bake

Items needed - 9x9 glass casserole dish

1 box of macaroni
1 lb ground turkey
2 eggs
1 pint Ricotta cheese
1 jar Spaghetti sauce
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
2 cups mozzarella cheese
salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 tsp. dried Italian seasoning
2 table. olive oil

In a separate bowl mix the ricotta, Parmesan cheese, pinch of salt, and 1/4 tsp. of pepper. Brown ground turkey in olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste, add Italian seasoning. Drain.

In a large bowl add cooked pasta, browned turkey, tomato sauce and combine.

Spread half of the macaroni mixture over the bottom of the baking dish. Top with 1 cup of mozzarella and 1/2 of the ricotta mixture. Add the other 1/2 of the macaroni mixture on top, add remaining ricotta mixture and remaining mozzarella (Mozzarella should be on top). Cover with foil. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes, remove foil and bake for additional 10 minutes. Enjoy!

Cheddar Bay Biscuits

I borrowed this recipe from here The Girl Who Ate Everything

I made mine kind of large. I didn't have patience last night. If you want them a bit smaller make them as the recipe states. They are still tasty at any size!

The grass is greener on the other side!

2011-04-19T17:10:00.000-07:00

This afternoon as I was sitting at work I looked outside and realzied how dreary and gray it is in Connecticut right now. Today's forecast was overcast, with showers, in the 50s, nothing to write home about. But as I turned to my work computer I noticed that my weather indicator on my toolbar read "81 degrees and sunny" and thought "wow, I can't wait until I can have that kind of weather all the time".

The scenery in North Carolina was so much nicer as well. No barren trees, brown grass, and spring flowers just starting to pop up. Spring was in full swing down there. All the trees were budding and green, the flowers were in full bloom, and the grass was a beautiful lush green. The kind of green grass that you want to run your toes through or lounge around in on a warm sunny day. I'm looking forward to my greener grass!

The start of new beginnings is near... I can feel it!

2011-04-18T16:16:00.000-07:00

What I mean by that is I can just feel that someone will buy our house very soon. Meaning for me, I will be living in a new home in North Carolina with my husband as it was meant to be. My optomistic outlook will soon be bringing me to North Carolina to my husband, but will be bringing me farther from my family and friends. So in order to keep everyone "in the loop" I have decided to start this blog which I will update with any interesting news and events.

I am also hoping that through this blog I will break everyone of their misconceptions as to what North Carolina is like, i.e. hillbillies, ya'll's, rednecks, and Nascar (ok ya'll and Nascar do exist down there), but you have to become part of some cultural changes.

Another item that I would like this blog to accomplish is to share recipes. Personally, I have a ton of cookbooks. I have made a few recipes from each here and there, but have not tried most of them. With my new large kitchen I am looking forward to trying each (or at least most) and sharing the pictures, results, and recipe with everyone.

I hope everyone enjoys this blog about the hearth, home, and heart!

Open hearth, open home, open heart

It's True!

Gone to the Dogs

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and lightly grease your baking pan.

In a medium bowl, mix the flour, baking powder and oatmeal. Once mixed, add the peanut butter and milk. Stir until dough forms.

Put your dough onto a lightly floured surface, knead and then roll out until 1/4″ thick. Use a bone-shaped cookie cutter or a cookie cutter and cut the dough into the desired size and shape.