Yummy Cauliflower "Alfredo" Sauce

Ahh.. a new year. How many of you have a new years resolution? Fun fact: The number one resolution people have for 2015 is to exercise/lose weight. So if you happen to be among the hundreds of people who are on the road to a healthier lifestyle then this recipe is for YOU!

I don't know where to begin. This sauce is creamy... it's delicious... it's.... CAULIFLOWER? You read it right people - cauliflower. It's a whole new way to pack this not-so-thrilling veggie into meals your WHOLE family will love! Even better - it's so versatile and can be used for tons of yummy recipes. Even better than that - it's only 49 calories per serving!! I was so excited to try out this sauce and let me tell you, it did not disappoint! I admit that I had my doubts before making it. I thought it would have a strong cauliflower taste and that it would have a weird texture to it. WRONG. It even tasted pretty good with some quick Chicken Lazone.

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Cauliflower Sauce

serving size 1/2 cup, 49 calories

ingredients

5-6 cups cauliflower florets

8 large garlic cloves, minced

2 Tablespoons butter

6 cups veggie broth/water

1 teaspoon salt (more to taste)

1/2 teaspoon pepper (more to taste)

1/2 cup milk (more to taste)

optional: parmesan cheese

directions

1. Start boiling water or broth in a large pot. Cook cauliflower until tender (8-10 minutes). Do not drain.

2. Saute minced garlic in butter over low heat. Cook until soft, but not brown or burnt. Remove and Set aside.

3. Using a slotted spoon, put the cauliflower into a blender. Add 1 cup of the cooking liquid, garlic, salt, pepper, and milk. Add parmesan as well if you are using that. Puree for several minutes until the sauce is smooth. Serve hot!

Chicken Lazone

I've got two words that are gonna change your life.

Chicken Lazone.

It's probably some of the best chicken in the entire world! I'm serious. Not much gets a 10/10 on Mr. T's scale, but this did! I believe his words were, "I want you to make a whole cookbook of just this chicken!" And, "I don't care if you make this every night." Maybe that will convince you to make this tonight, or maybe it will be when I tell you this: It is one of the easiest and most flavorful things you'll ever make. Promise!

Once you try this chicken it's sure to become a staple in your kitchen. It's so easy to throw together and I bet you'll have most (if not all) the ingredients already!

First things first, cut your chicken breasts into strips. Next, combine garlic powder, chili powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, and salt. Coat your chicken in it (I use the plastic bag shaking method) Then, melt a little butter in a pan and cook chicken until done. Remove chicken and pour heavy cream and butter into the pan. Simmer for about 5 minutes and that's that! 

This dish is awesome and pairs really well with pasta. We also love the sauce on fried okra :)

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Chicken Lazone

Ingredients

Seasoning

1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder

1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder

2 teaspoons garlic 

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

Sauce

1/4 cup butter, divided

2 cups heavy cream

Directions

Combine all the seasoning ingredients and coat the chicken in it. Melt half of the butter in a skillet and cook chicken until done. Remove chicken. In the same pan, melt the other half of the butter and add the heavy cream. Let simmer for 5 minutes and serve over chicken, pasta, potatoes....

Chicken Stew

Hello all! It's been ages since my last post, but I have great news! During that time I've tried many things and hope to be sharing them with you!

Let me start by saying this: there is nothing better than a warm soup or stew during the winter.

Nothing.

I don't know about the rest of you but I just love feeling the warm going all the way down to my stomach! But enough about that, who's ready to get cooking? *raises hand*

Today I bring you a southern family staple.. Chicken stew! At least it is a staple in my family... Mr. T had never heard of it. (He never had chocolate gravy on biscuits either "shaking my head") But honestly, make this dish ASAP. You are guaranteed to love it or I will take your leftovers. Heh :)

So here is your grocery list.

2 large chicken breasts
4 bouillon cubes
6 medium potatoes
1 large onion
4 cups (32 oz) tomatoes - diced or crushed
2 cups (16 oz) whole kernel corn
sugar
salt & pepper


Start off by boiling your chicken breast in some water with 2 bouillon cubes. The bouillon cubes really help make the broth delicious! If you are using whole chicken, you could probably omit this item. While your chicken is doin' it's thang, grab your potatoes and start working on them. Peel them and cut into about 1 inch cubes. Then, peel and dice your onion as well.

When the chicken is finished, set it aside to cool. Make sure your pot is about 2/3 full of your broth. (add some water if you need to) Throw in your potatoes, onion, and 2 bouillon cubes. Cook them until they are fork tender. Scoop out about 1 cup of potatoes and mash them up. Return them to the pot for a bit of thickener.

Add your tomatoes, corn, salt, pepper, and sugar. Let the stew simmer for about 45 minutes (stirring occasionally.) Don't be scared if you think it looks too soupy.. it will evaporate!

Now you are ready to eat some wonderful stew! Perfect with some saltine crackers (my preference) or a slice of bread :)

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Chicken Stew

Ingredients

2 large chicken breasts
7 cups water

4 bouillon cubes

6 medium potatoes, peeled and diced

1 large onion, peeled and diced

4 cups (32 oz) tomatoes - diced or crushed

2 cups (16 oz) whole kernel corn

3 Tablespoons sugar

5 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons pepper

Directions
1. Cook chicken breast until done in the water with 2 bouillon cubes. Peel and dice potatoes and onions.
2. Remove chicken from pot and skim off fat from water.
3. Make sure the pot is about 2/3 full of water and add the other bouillon cubes. Cook potatoes and onions in water until fork tender. Shred chicken.
4. Scoop out 1 cup of potatoes, mash, and return to pot. Add tomatoes, corn, sugar, salt, and pepper. Let simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Banana Bread

 
          I have been itching to get really brave and make some of my own bread. For me I have to ease into that big adventure and make something small first. So here we have some old bananas that are clinching to a very small amount of yellow left. And then here is Mr. T saying, "You know what we can use those for?" and, "You know what old bananas are good for right??" It somehow dawns on me:

Ahhhh, banana bread

I suppose that would be a good (small) step into the bread world. Instead of googling this one, I looked through my trusty cookbooks.

           Okay I might have got a little.... involved with that one. So many recipes!! Anyway, lots and lots of tiny post-its later I manned up and headed for the kitchen. I found a banana bred recipe in one of out old church cookbooks. Those are the best!! And to show how on top of this I was, I even took loads of pictures this time :)

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter and room temp

1 cup sugar

2 eggs, beat one at a time

2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 Tbsp buttermilk

2 tsp. vanilla

3 ripe, mashed bananas

Directions

1. Mash the three bananas with a fork and set aside 

2. Cream butter and sugar; add eggs one at a time.

3. Add rest of ingredients, including bananas; mix well.

4. May add 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts if desired.

5. Bake at 350 for 1 hour and 10 minutes. Check after 1 hour with a toothpick; if it comes out clean take it out of oven.

Easy Taco Soup

There are some days that after the laundry, the cleaning, and - for some of you - the kid chasing that you just want to throw something in a bowl for dinner and be done with it. Well ladies do I have a treat for you!! Taco soup for dinner! Let me tell you, after searching the internet for recipes of taco soup I learned some things I didn't know. One: almost all of them have meat in it. Two: no two are the same. Man I tell you. I just kind of made up my own mix of some things and it turned out wonderful!! It was easy, spicy, and if I wanted to add some chicken to it I could.

I'm raiding our cabinets thinking, "What kind of beans do we have?" and, "What tastes like Mexican food?"
Well here is what I came up with:

ingredients
1 can black beans
1 can pinto beans
1 can diced tomatoes with green chiles
1 can whole kernel corn
1 can red enchilada sauce

And really, I just poured them all together and heated it up. It was yummy!! Surprisingly spicy too (but not too bad!) I put some cheese on top and ate it with Fritos! Would have added some sour cream if we had some. Somethings are just too easy!

Fried Squash

              Not too long ago I had a couple of days to go visit my mom. During that time my sweet sweet mawmaw cooked dinner for the family. You know what that means don't you? Oh yes, I got some handy grandmother tips for cooking. And everyone knows that they cook the best!! The main thing I got her to teach me how to make is fried squash. Mmmmmmmmmmmm! For those of you who have not been fortunate to live in the south and tasted this delightful dish straight from the garden. You're missing out! It isn't that hard... so go ahead, try it!

             First you need some squash. I used about 5 of the small/medium size but you will know what is enough to feed your family. (The small squash are the best tasting!) You also need one onion. Any type should work, but I used yellow. Then you need some all purpose flour and corn meal. Take some oil and start heating up a large skillet. Cut the squash and the onion up into slices.
As you may know, grandmothers tend to ditch the books and cook from experience. This means that they don't always have a measuring system. The flour and the corn meal are for coating the squash. Take about 1 cup of flour to 1/2 cup of corn meal, mix it up, and coat the squash in it. Put the squash and onion in the skillet. Let it cook for a little bit (<10 minutes) flipping once. Reduce to medium heat, cover, and let it cook until the squash looks like a delicious hot mess. like this:

Now doesn't that just make your mouth water?

10 Things to Make Instead of Buy

As Mr. T and I stumble through my new life as a housewife and his summer of getting paid once a month, we have to get even thriftier than we were before. After doing some extensive research I have found that homemade cleaners are cheaper and healthier for you! Here is a list of 10 things you should start making instead of buying. Go on, try it out! You know your inner thrifter is begging you to.


1. All-purpose cleaner
This solution is great for everything! And luckily it doubles as a way to get your kitchen smelling fresh!            

1/4 cup white vinegar

1 liter (4 cups) of hot water

 2 Tablespoons baking soda

1/2 a lemon   

Mix the first three ingredients together. Squeeze in the lemon juice and mix well. After the solution cools, you can transfer the cleaner into a spray bottle and you are ready to use!

2. Tub and Tile Cleaner
This is another great cleaner!

Mix together the following: 3/4 cup baking soda, 1/4 cup lemon juice, 3 Tablespoons salt, 3 Tablespoons dishwashing liquid, 1/2 cup vinegar, 10 drops essential oil (optional) Pour into a spray bottle or a container with a lid! (To use; spray and rinse with water)

3. Stain Remover

For those pesky dirt and grass stains..

Mix 1 part blue Dawn dishwashing liquid to 2 parts Hydrogen peroxide and pour directly on the stain. (Also just using hydrogen peroxide works pretty well)

4. Dusting Spray

Although I love using lemon pledge, this is a great homemade alternative! The vinegar cuts through grease and disinfects and the olive oil shines and protects wood. 

Mix 1 cup water, 1/4 cup vinegar, 2 tsp olive oil, and 10-15 drops of essential oil (lemon is my fave!) in a spray bottle. Be sure to shake the bottle before each use and buff with a dry cloth (or old tshirt)

5. Drain Cleaner

This could not be easier. I mean seriously!! 

Pour 1 cup of baking soda down the drain. Follow it by pouring 1/2 cup vinegar down the drain. Immediately cover the drain (using a plate for example.) Let the mix sit for about 30 minutes - do not use the drain during this time. After your 30 minutes are up let hot water run down the drain for 2-3 minutes. May repeat if necessary. 

6. Laundry Detergent
Can I say wow? Before I got married if you had told me I could make my own laundry detergent for dirt cheap I would have laughed at you. But seriously! This one I leave to the pro though, read her wonderful post about it here!

7. Window Cleaner
For every day cleaner here is a simple solution:

Equal parts vinegar and water

Mix together and put in a spray bottle. Then, as always, wipe the window with a dry cloth! :)

8. Febreeze
I try to not use febreeze a lot, because I feel like I should clean instead of try to mask the odor. But there are times that the garbage can smells gross, my grandmothers quilt smells like feet, or I have guests coming in ten minutes. When those times happen this is what I use:

1/2 cups of water, 1 Tablespoon of baking soda (or vinegar), and 1-2 Tablespoons of fabric softener. Shake together in a spray bottle and voila!

9. Swiffer Wet Jet Solution
The fact that Swiffer tries to convince you that you must buy new refills of everything they offer makes me somewhat irate. That being said, I do love my Swiffer Wet Jet! Use it allll the time! Now, how to save money....

Mix 4 cups of hot water, 1 cup of lemon juice, and 3 cups of vinegar in a pitcher. Stir in 1/4 cup liquid dish soap. Make sure it's good and mixed then pour it into your old swiffer container. Now, those lids look like they can't be taken off but they are just being deceptive. Here is an instructable on how you open the darn thing.

10. Swiffer Pads
This is one - I must admit - that is still on my to-do list. (for shame!) I'm simply waiting to use all the pads I have. However, if you have just a smidge of knowledge in the sewing department these handmade Swiffer pads from the Crafty Little Bee are a great project!

10 (basically free) things to do with your spouse

 

One cool thing about marriage is that you are always changing and learning something new about your partner. I mean, almost always. We can't be the only ones that get in a rut sometimes and revert to sitting on the couch watching tv each night. Right? Riiight?? Well, assuming that you are one of the happy couples that also does this, I've gathered a few (10 to be exact) things that you and your spouse could do together that is a bit more fun than the same 'ole same 'ole.

1. Make a fort. This is my favorite thing to do! We have fun pretending like kids while we eat popcorn and watch movies from our fort that takes over almost the entire living room! Grab a couple chairs (and an ironing board in our case) Tons of blankets and pillows and go to work!

2. Play a game! Mr. T's favorite card game is Uno and my favorite board game is Clue. You can always try a game neither of you have played before! Ask your friends or family to borrow something they have and try it out! It's also an option in these warm months to go outside! There are plenty of games to play outside! Frisbee, Croquet, Cornhole, Washers, water balloon fights etc. Here are a couple of websites that will help you figure some out: two player card and tile games, easy backyard games, and I'll upload how to play washers for you later.

3. Put together a puzzle.

4. Do chores together. It may sound silly but it gives you great quality time together! Besides, something as boring as folding laundry or washing dishes is a lot better when you have a partner. :)

5. Take a bike ride! This is great if you live in the country - you can see so much scenery! If you aren't able to bike where you live or you don't have one take a walk instead.

6. Cook something together. Really! you might be amazed at your hubby's culinary talent! Don't know what to cook? You can always try Pinterest, Food.com, or Epicurious.com to find some new ideas.

7. Learn an instrument together. Maybe even start a band! Him learn guitar, you learn piano. Or banjo. Or the hurdy gurdy. (that's a real thing). With the power of Youtube at your fingertips nothing can stop you!

8. PILLOW FIGHT! Now this suggestion is fun and might also lead to ... other types of fun. But when is it not exciting to hit someone in the head with a pillow?

9. Learn something/Teach something. Say he plays video games a lot. Get him to teach you how to play too! Mr. T and I play games on the Xbox quite frequently. I'm a whole lot better now than I was when we first got married. You could teach him a thing or too as well!

10. Take a free online class together. It's a lot easier to learn spanish when you have someone to talk to! A few sites to explore is Coursera (currently they have a music of the beatles class - cool!) and Openculture.


There is a plethora of opportunities awaiting you and your love muffin to try.. so get out there!

Pancakes - from scratch!

Mr. T just doesn't get excited about things like I do. I'm over here like "Yay! Random drive around town!" or "Yay! You want to play Toy Story 3 with me!" and more commonly, "YAY! FOOD!"
I try awfully hard to excite him like that but it just isn't in his nature. There was the one time I bought him the star wars xbox 360 and thought he was going to cry.
I hold on to that moment.
I also try to achieve that glimmer of excitement from his pretty green eyes almost daily. So aside from peanut butter, one of his favorite things to eat are pancakes. Boy gets up at 4 every day so the only breakfast in bed he is able to get is on Saturday. (Not that I wouldn't love being that wife that wakes up every morning with her husband and have his breakfast on the table... but we haven't reached that point yet.)

So Saturday I woke up before him - later than 4am mind you - and decided to surprise him!

The budding Betty Crocker in me decided that from scratch would be the best way to go with this venture. Let's make a note that I had to get creative. We had no eggs and we are basically poor right now so I had to substitute. Did you know two tablespoons water, one teaspoon vegetable oil and two teaspoons baking powder could be used in the place of one egg? Imagine that!

As you can see, I made ours into different sizes. We each had 3 and they were in cute little layers. I had some batter left over that I stuck in the fridge for later.


Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 egg, beaten lightly (or the substitute)
1 ½ cups milk
2 tbsp butter, melted

Directions
Grease a nonstick pan with cooking spray or vegetable oil. Start heating the pan on medium (for about ten minutes) In a large bowl, mix the first three ingredients. In a separate bowl, mix the egg and milk until combined. Add it to the flour mix and stir until smooth. Finally, add butter. *note that if you want fancy pancakes add your blueberries, chocolate chips, etc. here.* Pour the batter to make whatever size pancakes you want. Cook until bubbles start to form on top, then flip and cook a couple more minutes.

Good Work!

The not so scary soufflé

Guys. Guys guys guyssssssss.

I'm just saying that this is the most fancy sounding dessert that I've ever made! And the secret? It's so easy! If any of you watch Doctor Who (if you don't, you should try it out) But he has a companion named Clara aka "Soufflé Girl". Being the culinary train wreck that I am I thought to myself, "what the heck is that?"

So I googled it.

The definition is this: A light, fluffy baked dish made with egg yolks and beaten egg whites combined with various other ingredients and served as a main dish or sweetened as a dessert. So I started looking for recipes and found this magnificent 4 ingredient chocolate soufflé. It is worth the whole five minutes it took to prep it. So serious. 

just look at this deliciousness

Ingredients:
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 stick unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
3 eggs

Directions:
1. Start melting the butter in a pot over medium low heat. When the butter is about halfway melted stir in those chocolate chips baby! When that's almost all liquid, remove from heat.
2. If you are good at multitasking, mix eggs and sugar in a bowl while the chocolate is melting. (all the eggs.. this one doesn't involve separating them)
3. After you have removed the chocolate from heat, stir in the egg/sugar mix until  it thickens up a little more.
4. Pour the mix into your ramekin bowls until they are about 3/4 of the way full. 
5.Bake the bowls at 350F for 20 minutes. When times up wiggle the bowls with tongs. If it still jiggles like jello keep it in there for five more minutes. 

That's all there is to it! I impressed my family with it for sure. Would go great with some ice cream or powdered sugar!!

EASY Chicken and Dumplings

photo credit: dailydishrecipes

Alright guys, I have a confession.

I like shortcuts.

So when I found this recipe for chicken and dumplings with canned biscuits? Ohhh yeah buddy! The result was absolutely AWESOME. Mr. T and I devoured it while watching the first X-Men movie (again!). Made for a perfect night :)

I have been very hesitant about making chicken and dumplings because let's be serious no one does it better than Cracker Barrel! But I manned up and tried it and you know what? SO CAN YOU!

Let's get started shall we? Here is what you need:

3-4 boneless chicken breasts
2 cans butter biscuits
1 can cream of chicken soup
3 bouillon cubes
1 tsp garlic salt (optional)
2 Tbsp butter

Start by boiling you chicken breasts (20 min) At that point, start preparing your dumplings by rolling out biscuits on a floured surface. Make them flat and make sure they all have a coating of flour. Tear them into quarter size pieces. When the chicken is done, set aside to cool. Keep the water in the pot the chicken was cooked in. Make sure you have about 3/4 water in the pot. (I had to use a big pot - the kind with the two handles on the sides) bring to a boil and add the cream of chicken, 2 Tbsp butter, 3 bouillon cubes, and 1 tsp of garlic salt. Stir well. Over med-high heat, begin to add the dumplings to the boiling water. Turn the heat down to medium and stir occasionally (they turn out better the less you stir.) Tear the chicken into small pieces and add it back into the pot. Cook for 30 to 45 minutes or until the dumplings are soft.

They were totally scrumptious! Let me know of your experience :) Do you do something different?

Oreo Balls

My final post for tonight is a recipe that anyone in their right mind should enjoy. :D

OREO BALLS!

Ingredients:
1 box Oreos, finely crushed
1 (8oz) package cream cheese
1 package vanilla almond bark
Directions:
Mix Oreos and cream cheese together and roll into small balls. Sit in fridge overnight or in the freezer for a few hours. Dip in melted almond bark.

Seriously, it's that easy. I used a toothpick and a spoon to assist in the dipping. I am warning you though, people will fight over these. They are also really good not even dipped in the white chocolate. No fat and no calories too, of course. ;)

Pineapple Casserole

photo credit to those fancy people at food network

The next recipe for tonight's installment is for those brave enough to take my word on something. (Or those who aren't afraid of strange combinations.)

Pineapple Casserole

Ingredients:
2 cans pineapple chunks
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese
6 Tbsp self rising flour
1 cup sugar
1 cup crushed Ritz crackers
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Drain pineapple and save the juice. Mix the pineapple, cheese, flour, and sugar together. Butter a 9 x 13 baking dish and pour mixture into it. In a separate bowl, mix 6 Tbsp juice with the crushed Ritz crackers. Scoop that onto the top of the mixture. Bake for 25- 30 minutes or until the top starts getting "golden brown".

This recipe sounds really weird but I promise it's good! Family approved! But I will NOTE: it is best served hot! It doesn't taste that great when it is cold, so if you must travel far to your holiday festivities I wouldn't recommend this. 

Buffalo Chicken Ranch Dip

'Tis the season to be cooking!

I will be posting quite a few recipes tonight that I have been field testing so far during the holidays. Maybe you will find one to make instead of the normal break and bake Christmas cookies ;)
My first recipe is for the families who like to spice things up!

Buffalo Chicken Ranch Dip

Ingredients:

1 (8oz) package of cream cheese

2 cups of shredded cooked chicken (or 2 cans for the lazy ones like me)

1 (12 oz) bottle of Frank's Red Hot 

1/2 bottle of ranch

1/2 cup of cheddar cheese (or any other cheese.. I would like to try colby jack)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F and soften cream cheese. 

Mix all ingredients together in a 9 x 13 baking dish.

Bake for 20 minutes or until it is all heated through.

I'm telling you.. awesomeeeeeee. I actually used a large bottle of Frank's the first time I cooked it, but I just couldn't handle it. My husband on the other hand really liked it that hot. It is great served with chips or veggies!

Snack food: Pizza Biscuits

 
Let me set the scene for you. It's midnight. I have a house full of three teenage boys and a husband. They are playing Marvel Ultimate Alliance. Soon, I hear the words, "I'm hungry." What's a girl to do? I don't want them eating all of my snacks! So I reach back into the recesses of my mind to the first thing I think I learned how to cook - Pizza Biscuits. These things are perfect for any occasion, especially when feeding teenage boys apparently. They are quick, simple, and taste good hot, cold, or leftover. It just works! 

There are just four items that you will need:
Regular Sized Biscuits (the amount is up to you)
Ragu Pizza Sauce
Cheese... any and all kinds
Pepperoni

Basically, you flatten out the biscuits and top them with the other three items. I put my pepperoni on top, as you can see in the middle. Then, cook them as directed on the biscuits. (mine were a little burnt...)

These things go pretty fast.. I only had three left by the time I could take a picture!

Easy Dessert: Pineapple Upside-down Cake

I don't know about you, but I love pineapples. I have been craving a pineapple upside-down cake for weeks! I finally called my mom and asked her the secrets to her recipe. My mom has to be the BEST cake maker in the world. She always let me lick the bowl too (: Me on the other hand... I could never make cakes or even cupcakes without them being batter in the middle! But this time - I conquered it!!! 

Her secret? Cooking it in a iron skillet! Wow. I never knew what to cook in that thing. She didn't really have a recipe, it is kinda just one of those things that gets passed down. Anyway, Here is the *somewhat* recipe:

Ingredients
1 stick butter
brown sugar
1 can sliced pineapples
Yellow cake mix

Directions 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt the stick of butter and pour it in the skillet. Now here is the improvised part. Pour out a lot of brown sugar into the skillet and mix it with the butter. You have to have enough brown sugar to make a good coating onto the outside of the cake. Then you mix the cake batter up as directed on the box. When you get the batter ready, pour it into the skillet so it is about halfway full. I had a bit of batter leftover (with which I made a second, little cake) Bake at 350 for about 20-25 minutes. Make sure to test it with a toothpick. If it comes out clean, you're good!

Here is the finished product. It was surprisingly easy to flip onto that plate, too. Delicious!

How to save money on groceries

If you are like me, you like saving money. However, when it comes to grocery shopping it isn't that easy at first. So I've come up with a few tips that has helped me so far (and believe me, I've came pretty far in 9 months!) Here we go..

1. Find a grocery store that saves you money! That seems simple, right? Walmart. But no! That might not be the best place for you personally. It all depends on what you want and what stores are available to you. For us ALDI* is my favorite store to shop at. I'll rack up on a buggy full and have never spent over $90!  Some people might not like Aldi though. The setbacks are that there are rarely any name brands except for coca-cola, and they don't bag up your groceries. The benefits is that it is cheap and they have cantalopes and pineapples for a dollar! Another good store is Winn-Dixie but around here they are hard to come by. They have a ton of BOGO and 10 for $10. If you like seafood, that is the place to buy it. There are other stores out there, so just take a receipt and a calculator and find out which one does you better.


*ALDI Tips: Take a quarter for your buggy- you get it back, and take grocery bags or boxes unless you want to buy them there.


 2. Meal plan! It makes grocery shopping so much better. You get finished quickly, spend less money, and you will have everything you need that week. It may seem hard at first, but it is pretty easy. It's hard for me to meal plan more than one week at a time because of our work schedules, but here is a planner I like to use that has the monthly option. Planning your meals also cuts down on how many times you go to the store which also saves money on gas. :)

3. Don't be scared of generic brands! I admit that sometimes generic foods don't taste the same, but it can be very beneficial to your pocketbook if you like it. Especially things like frozen vegetables and shredded cheese. That being said...

4. Skip the conveniently chopped and prepared food. This is especially true when it comes to the fruit section. I hate cutting pineapple, but it is worth it to not pay for the cut and packaged kind. Also skip the lunchables! They are more expensive than making them yourself.

5. Look at the unit price of an item. I always use this when it comes to buying bottled water. Sometimes you may pass up an item because it has a high sticker price, but when it comes to the price per unit it could be a better deal!

EASY DESSERT! Bean Pot Apple Cobbler

This is my bean pot – Berry – I love it!

Okay, this is quite possibly the easiest dessert to ever make. Ever. Also, it is delicious! Add a little ice cream on top.. YUM. It is a great go to dessert when you have family get togethers, church functions, and just because you want something sweet. An added plus.. it's only FIVE INGREDIENTS! I've looked for this recipe all over the internet and could not find it! Maybe it is one of those little family jewels :) 

I will take a minute though, to tell you that bean pots are stinking awesome. They are kind of like crockpots for the oven. I tell you, there is a baked bean recipe that will blow your mind! Celebrating home actually has a lot of great stuff. (GREAT for wedding gifts - my opinion from personal experience :)) Their scent warmers... great. I know people do Scentsy and stuff but I'm a firm Celebrating Home fan! Check out their website.

Anyway, this dessert is so yummy. Let's get to it! 

What you need 

1 stick butter

1 cup flour

1 cup sugar

1 cup milk

1 can pie filling (I used apple, but you can use whatever)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°. Melt butter and pour into the bottom of bean pot. In a separate bowl, mix flour, sugar, and milk. Pour into bean pot –DO NOT MIX– Scoop pie filling on top of the other stuff. Again, DO NOT MIX. I’m not sure what would happen, but I was strictly warned when I got this recipe. Put in oven and bake for 50 min – 1 hour. 

That's all you do! Pretty simple huh?

Panama city beach!

I might be a bit partial, but south Alabama and Florida certainly have the best beaches in the world! This is panama city, Florida right here. It's a place everyone should go to if they can! Rent scooters from the king of scooters! Go to marina cantina and get shrimp and crab nachos! Explore!

Corn Dip

I love fixing this dip! It is so easy to make. It's also became a few people's favorite! Dips are my favorite thing to fix and I think Tyler's friends enjoy it too :)

INGREDIENTS
2 packs of cream cheese (16 oz)
1can sweet corn, drained
1 can of Rotel

DIRECTIONS
Melt the cream cheese. Mix in the ingredients. That's it! Good served hot or cold :)