Another Simple (And Healthy) Snack

I was in the grocery store this afternoon, and they had the most beautiful strawberries.  Of course I had to have some.  Yesterday, we got a couple of bags of bananas (our local grocery store takes all the single and really ripe bananas and bags them up, then sells them for $.99 a bag), so I planned on cutting up the strawberries, adding some sugar, letting them sit for a little while, and then adding some banana.

And that is exactly what I did.  It came out delicious!  The best thing was that the kids loved it too, and aside from the little bit of sugar on the strawberries, it was a pretty healthy snack.

Shucking

I am teaching her young...actually, she loves doing it, so who am I to stop her? lol!

On The Grill

Since you guys were such a great help with my cucumber/tomato/cheese dish, let me ask you for your opinion one more time.

How do you cook corn and potatoes on the grill?

As you can see, I just throw the whole potato on there, and cook it until a fork goes through it easily.  I wrap the corn in foil with salt, pepper, and butter.  When it comes off the grill, it is so tender and flavorful.

I have seen people husk it and then just throw it on the grill.  I was wondering if any of you do that, and if so, does the corn get tender?  How long do you cook it?

Enter To Win Ask Ms. Recipe's Cookbook!

 
 I love finding, and trying out, new recipes.  Now, don't let that statement fool you...there are a lot of things I won't eat, so a recipe must contain ingredients I already know I like for me to try it.  This makes finding recipes a little difficult, but it is so much fun to check out cookbooks.  In fact, I have a little collection of cookbooks that mean just as much to me as my regular books do.

Ask Ms. Recipe is giving away a copy of her e-cookbook, Ask Ms. Recipe: Simple Recipes That Make Cents.  Two of her lucky winners will win a copy, and I hope I am one of them.  I can not wait to find out what kind of delicious recipes that are lurking inside if I win.  Check out this post to enter for yourself!

I Took Your Advice

I listened to the majority of my lovely commenters, and added basil and balsamic vinegar to my tomato/cucumber/cheese combo. 

I actually had a basil & garlic seasoning, so that is what I added. 

It made such a delicious difference.

Thanks again for all the suggestions!

A Fresh Side Dish

Tonight for supper, I wanted to make a side dish using tomatoes.  I had these beautiful cherry tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, and cucumbers.  I simply cut all three ingredients into the same sized pieces, and added salt, pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil.

It was good, but I think I was missing something.  Maybe a splash of vinegar?  An herb of some sort? 

Any ideas?

How Often Do You Grocery Shop?

I do a big food shopping once a month, and just buy milk, eggs, and bread as we use them.  As you can see in the picture, right now my pantry is full.  It's overflowing, actually, because I couldn't even fit all the groceries in there.  My fridge and freezer look like this right now, too.

I have become somewhat of a price expert when I grocery shop.  Junior (my husband) and I go to four different stores, and buy their sales.  I never, ever pay full price for meat.  I only buy what is marked down, or if it is a really good sale.  For instance, my favorite meat is London Broil, but I hardly ever buy it, because it is expensive.  This month, a local store had it on sale, so I bought a couple.  Ground beef and chicken are easy to find on sale, so I always have those in my freezer as well.

I learned a long time ago from my mom to always watch the register as things ring up.  It seems like every time I shop, there are mistakes.  It's easier to have them fixed before paying than after, so I watch closely.

I recently started clipping coupons, and they do save some money, but I still find buying the store brand is usually cheaper.  Most things I am not too picky about, and there are even a few things I like better in the store brand. 

Not beans, though.  I am a stickler for Bush's.

Grilled Chicken ~ Kind Of

We were supposed to go to my mom's tonight to put the steps in the pool, and grill out.  I was bringing chicken that I had pounded out thin and rubbed with a mixture of sweet & smoky and applewood seasonings.  I had cucumbers sliced and marinating in Italian dressing and macaroni salad. 

Then a storm hit, complete with thunder and fierce lightening.  We couldn't work on the pool in that, so mom said to come tomorrow.  The chicken had to be cooked today, so I threw it on my indoor grill.

I love this thing!  It's a Wolfgang Puck Reversible Electric Grill/Griddle, and I use it all the time.  My mom gave it to me for Christmas two years ago (I can always count on her for the best gifts!).  The side you see, the grill side, is great for burgers.  I usually cook chicken on the griddle side when it's breaded, but since it was rubbed, I used the grill side.  The chicken came out perfect!  It was moist on the inside, and charred just right on the outside.  I think it's safe to say I will be using this side more often.

Zucchini Bread

1 2/3 cups flour
¾ tsp. salt
½ tsp nutmeg
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp cinnamon
1 ½ cups sugar
½ cup veg. oil (canola)
2 eggs, beaten
1/6 cup water
1 cup grated zucchini
½ tsp. vanilla
½ cup chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine flour, salt, nutmeg, baking soda, cinnamon, and sugar.

In separate bowl, combine oil, eggs, water, zucchini, and vanilla.

Mix wet into dry. Fold in nuts.
Bake in sprayed pan for 1 hour. (I baked the one in the glass pan for 1 hour 20 minutes)

Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

This is one of those recipes that I found on a box of baking mix years ago, and I am sure it's still there.  However, I never wrote it down, so you are going to get my versions.

First, make the basic biscuit recipe, which is 3 cups mix to 1 cup milk.  Plop that down on a flowered surface and roll it out until it is a long, rectangle shape.  Spread butter (or spread) all around, and then sprinkle a mixture of cinnamon and sugar.  I don't know if there is a specific ratio, cause I just kind of wing it. :)  Once it's covered in the cinnamon and sugar mixture, roll it up into a log.  Cut it into disks (whatever thickness you want...although the bigger they are, the longer they have to cook, and this is when the outside burns and the inside is uncooked, so lean towards smaller disks) and place on a baking sheet.  During this transfer process, I usually lose some of the filling, so I use the leftover cinnamon mixture and pour in onto the top of the disk.  Then I pop them into the over, at 450 degrees, for about 10 minutes.

It's not necessary, but I make a glaze with powdered sugar and milk to drizzle over the top,  Again, I don't have a specific recipe, I just put a little milk in a bowl and add the sugar until it is nice and thick.  It melts when I put it on the cinnamon rolls, too, so they are a yummy mess of gooey deliciousness.

That's One Big Zucchini

We were at Junior's cousins house this afternoon, and she gave me these zucchini out of her garden.  I plan on making zucchini bread on Sunday.  I have a recipe that I have used in the past, and the bread comes out delicious. 

I am drooling a little just thinking about it.

Yummy Doesn't Have To Be Homemade

I bought these Nestle break and bake cookies the other day, but only because they were on sale.  These easy to bake cookies are pretty expensive to buy on a regular basis, at least for my budget, but when they are on sale cheap enough, I like to treat the kids.  Okay, and myself.  Chocolate chip cookies are my weakness.  Seriously, I could eat them until I feel sick.

Anyway, the ones I bought the other day had a chocolate center.  That's right, when I broke open a warm cookie, yummy, delicious melted chocolate oozed out.  Talk about good!  The only problem was that they were very, very rich, and I could only eat a couple.

Wait, that might have been a good thing. :)

Honey Chicken

 I was searching online for a different chicken recipe, and found this one for honey chicken on allrecipes.com.  I listed the ingredients for the marinade below:

* 3/4 cup orange juice
* 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
* 1/4 cup olive oil
* 1/2 cup honey
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
* 1 teaspoon curry powder
* 1/2 teaspoon paprika

The recipe says to bake the chicken, but I am going to grill the chicken as kabobs, with some zucchini and squash, or maybe tomatoes.  We'll see.  I am not going to food shop until next week, so for now I am just getting my list together.

Sausage Kabobs ~ Hit Or Miss?

They look good, don't they?  I had fun assembling the kabobs.  The recipe said to marinate for 3 hours, but I didn't.  I only marinated the sausage for about an hour, and I don't think that was long enough.  They had a hint of flavor, and they were so good!  I imagine they would have been better if marinated longer, which I will do next time.

I will not, however, grill another piece of cantaloupe.  I was very excited this morning when I cut the cantaloupe, because it was so sweet and delicious.  I really did think that grilling it would bring out the flavor.

I was wrong.  It gave it almost a bitter taste, and I really was not a fan of the texture of warm cantaloupe.  I don't think it was the marinade, because the pineapple was delicious. 

Overall, the sausage, pineapple, and marinade were yummy.  Next time, I'm leaving off the cantaloupe and marinating longer.

May's Top Droppers

Thank you to this month's top droppers!

comatised ~ Dreaming in digital

Crimsonsparkle.net ~  The view from my window.

my kids are my world ~ (giving myself a little link love :p )  This is a blog about my life as a wife and mother of three kids, who are, obviously, my world.

Space in Pictures ~  Pictures of the latest discoveries in space, space launch shuttle missions, and various Hubble pictures.

the crazy suburban mom ~  dont judge me till you've gone a mile in my mini van

Da Dude's BBQ Thought ~  Da Dude's BBQ Thought & other things. The thoughts and rantings of a Barbecue God Wanna be!

Ask Ms Recipe ~  A food blog like no other where I will answer your recipe questions and include your website with the answers.

People You Need Top Know ~  Behold the Woman! People You Need to Know is dedicated to promoting women in business via print, social media, events, business Expos, radio, etc. Join us in supporting WOMEN in business!

Winesworld The Amateurs Guide ~  WinesWorld is a friendly wine guide for amateurs, by amateurs

Scarborough Seashells ~  The life of a work at home mom: jewelry designing, crafting for fun, cooking, decorating my house and raising three boys