Tag: food

Lazy Thanksgiving

On By thefunkyfrugalistaIn Home lifeLeave a comment

Since either Donny or myself have always had to work the day after Thanksgiving we’ve never really traveled on this holiday. None of us really like traditional Thanksgiving food so for many years we’ve just always gone to Cracker Barrel. This year we decided to do something different.

I waited in the car while Donny picked up our order. Best decision ever. The food was exactly what we ordered. Everyone got what they wanted and it was so good. We watched football and napped. I had picked up a pumpkin pie so there was zero cooking on my part, which was greatly appreciated by me.

Jackson hit me up to go to the mall for some sales he had seen at Entertainmart. So we will be fighting the crowds in the morning. Are there still even Black Friday crowds? I can remember when it used to be a big deal to pick up the Thanksgiving day newspaper so you could scour the ads and make a game plan on which stores to hit first. Now it seems as though Black Friday starts the first of November. I guess we’ll see.

We did do a little bit of Black Friday shopping earlier in the week. Well, I wouldn’t really call it that because it was just some Halloween things at 80% off. The kids and I had to run to Michaels to get new portfolios for them because the ones I got them at the beginning of school weren’t holding up with their easels in them. You can always spot art students because they lug these giant things around.

Jackson and I are always looking for the Spooky Town houses. We found these to add to our collection.

Hannah also picked up a few things Halloweeny for her room. She likes all things spooky.

Unlike most people I’ve seen online I have not put our Christmas tree up yet. I did however get all of the boxes out of the shed but so far that’s it. I just cannot do it before Thanksgiving. It just seems so wrong to me. I’m hoping to get it up by Saturday or Sunday. We are all also worried about our kitten because she climbs everything and I don’t know how we are going to keep her off the tree.

And just because I thought our house looked cool in the dark when we drove up.

I hope everyone had a really good Thanksgiving.

Day #88 – Best Enchiladas + Best Stain Remover

On By thefunkyfrugalistaIn 100 DaysLeave a comment

Yesterday was the first day of Fall so, of course, we donned our jackets and went to the orchard to pick apples and have hot cider. After that we lit a fire and had streaming hot chili. That would be my dream, but we live in Texas and it was in the 90″s so we are still in shorts sweating our butts off. Hopefully before it officially becomes Winter we will have a few days of Autumn.

Anyway, I did not make a meal plan for this week. It was getting time to start dinner and all I had were chicken breasts defrosted. I went into my cabinet pantry and found a large can of green enchilada sauce. Mexican food it is. I got out my Instant Pot and started some pinto beans that I’d make into refried beans. I cooked them for about 90 minutes and then put the two chickens breasts on for about 30 minutes. I seasoned them with my powered broth and my badia seasoning. Then I added garlic and onion powder, paprika and cumin. After those cooked I shredded the chicken and added some of the broth to make it juicy. I got my pan out and added oil and put the tortillas in for about 5 seconds each. Added some of the green sauce to the bottom and rolled the chicken up in the tortillas. I poured the rest of the green sauce on top and added shredded colby jack cheese. Popped it into the preheated 350 degree oven while I made the rice.

I don’t like chicken enchiladas. I think it’s because I don’t trust restaurants to take out all of the fat. Same reason I don’t ever do chopped beef sandwiches at a BBQ place. These were probably some of the best enchiladas I’ve ever had. The green sauce was just what they sell at Aldi.

The two chickens breasts make 12 enchiladas. I don’t know why but I always seem to make enough beans to feed our whole street. We don’t do the canned refried beans because to us they taste metallic and these are so easy to make. The rice is just my go to mexican rice that I always make.

They were so good I had to have some for breakfast.

For being a spur of the moment, what the heck am I going to make for dinner meal it’s now one of our favorites.

Donny found that the employee that quit had an accident in one of the chairs in the clearance area. Donny had been off all week so he wasn’t sure how long that stain had been there. We went to Walmart and got this stain remover.

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It’s in the automotive section.

He didn’t know if it was going to work, but he sent me this picture.

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Holy stain remover Batman! Neither one of us could believe how well it worked. So If anyone needs this miracle product you know where to get it.

Day #55 – Kitchen: Ambient Lighting, Helpful Hints, New Curtains

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Yesterday I thrifted the new lamp for the kitchen. I also went back that same day and picked up this owl light. It used to be a wax melt warmer in it’s heyday, but since the bowl part didn’t make it to the thrift store, it’s now just a cute little owl light.

It’s made a huge difference in our night time kitchen.

Since I had moved the elephant lamp to the top of the cabinets, I put the little lamp I got yesterday in its place.

I was getting tired of the battenburg lace curtains on the dining nook’s window. You can see a part of them above. I remember that I had seen some lace ones at the thrift store while I was shopping yesterday. I grabbed Jackson and we went to see if they were still there. They were, but I knew I’d have to cut them off to get the right length. I cannot cut a straight line to save my life. Low and behold, right next to them was a lace tablecloth. I knew I could make this work better. I just folded it in half and draped it over the jute rope I had been using for the curtain rod. Curtain rope?

So much better because more light gets in. I would have never put anything curtain-wise if we hadn’t put the chicken coop right in front of the window. I’m using “we” loosely here.

I do think the creamier color is just better suited more than the stark white.

Since we have such little space I needed to ways to help with some of the issues I was having. I hated the recycling just sitting on the table until someone decided to take it out to the bin.

I just put a washtub on a plant stand and now we just carry the whole tub to the bin.

I use a new kitchen linen everyday. It would either pile up by the sink or pile up on the washer until I did the next load. It would drive me crazy.

Just nail a basket to the wall and problem solved.

I’m pretty sure I have the Chicken Fried Rice recipe in one of the other blogs. I made it again tonight because It is just that good. Gavin, Hannah’s boyfriend, had dinner with us. I doubled the recipe and we have leftovers to eat on tomorrow. I’m already thinking about it.

Now I’m going to go finish cleaning the kitchen and then finish reading my book. It’s so good and I now I want to read all her other books.

Day #53 – Putter Around Sunday

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Yesterday the heat wiped me out! I was going to take today off, but there were some things that needed to get done. I had notice that the shelf I made out of the sign was pulling apart at one of the edges. A little e6000 and a heavy cookbook will hopefully take care of that. It has to cure for at least 24 hours though.

Donny makes fun of me because I have one laundry basket that is fine and normal and one that has cracks that pinch you if they’re not taped up. I like having two if I have a lot of laundry because it makes it go faster on all the transfers. Who cares if it has tape on it, they stay in the laundry room when I’m not using them. We had this conversation because I was taping the broken one up again this morning. It still works fine.

I have started writing all my recipes that I use often in my recipe binder. I’ve just been using an old scout notebook of Hannah’s.

I made a really good recipe tonight called Mission Trip Breakfast Casserole.

I did not use 2 pounds of cheese. That is a lot of cheese. I used two 4 oz blocks of sharp cheddar. I would also probably add 1 1/2 – 2 rolls of sausage. I only used 1 and I think it was a little sparse on the meat. Here’s what it looked like all stirred up.

After baking.

I think it was a hit because we only have 4 people in our family and I only had one small bowl of it and this is what is left.

I also left out the tomatoes. Jackson is not a fan of them.

In other cat news, Milo only will drink out of a glass whiskey tumbler. Since he has a large head, when it gets about 2 inches low he knocks it over. I tried to keep up with filling it up but it always ended up spilled. I found a bowl that he’ll drink out of and not knock over.

Baby Ruth is probably not going to let Hannah use her backpack because it’s her favorite place to nap.

Monkey found the plant water even though her water gets changed every morning.

Cats are so silly.

I also have a Wrigley update. They still haven’t given him shade, but I went out to play with him and he’s so clean. He hadn’t had a bath in 5 years and he’s like a different dog. He’s so energetic. It’s amazing what being clean and unmatted will do for a dog.

Day #48 – Grocery Haul (Aldi Editon)

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Last night I made a grocery list of everything I will need for my recipes for the next 10 days. I will always shop at Aldi first because they have the best prices for most items. When I checked out my total was $216 which is much higher than normal, but recalculating I actually have enough for 12 dinners, plus breakfasts and lunches. I also went way earlier than I normally do (10 am) and there was hardly anyone in the store. I’m always nosy about what people buy so I thought I’d share what my family uses.

I use the sausage patties for Jackson’s Bobs (breakfast on a bun). Both kids like making the chicken fries in the air fryer so that’s an easy lunch for them. I normally don’t buy tater tots or hash browns, but I need them for 2 recipes.

I only needed 1 large pack of chicken and a smaller one, but the smaller one was way more expensive per pound so I’ll have 2 more meals and that’s okay by me. Some people don’t like buying the rolls of ground beef, but the 80/20 from Aldi is actually really good. I’ll be using a large portion of it tonight for teriyaki meat loaf.

The kids love the hamburger pitas so I always get 2 boxes when they have them. The Angus burger patties make making burgers so much quicker and they are really good. Jackson saw a recipe for cream cheese honey burgers so we’ll give them a try.

We go through a lot of cheese. Hannah is the ham eater and she loves making wraps for a quick lunch.

We already had peppers, avocados, brussel sprouts, apples, strawberries and blueberries so I just needed a few fruits and vegetables.

I’m not a huge fan of the canned cream soup, but two of my recipes called for it so I picked some up. We are not eating the cat food, I’m not that frugal, but the kitten is still having wet food in the mornings.

I normally don’t buy bread, but I’m making more uncrustables for Jackson. We don’t go through that many corn tortillas. The chickens like them for their snack. Speaking of chickens, yes, I had to buy eggs. the chickens can’t keep up with our demand.

Of course I had to get a watermelon. I’m going to be so sad when they are out of season.

So that’s the Aldi haul. I think it was a pretty good deal for what I got. It also gives me peace of mind to know I have everything ready to go for dinners. Except, I forgot hamburger buns so I’ll probably just bake some. They taste way better anyway.

One thing I can’t get at Aldi is my laundry soap. Luckily Drug Emporium is right around the corner. Jackson and I ran up there and they also had my favorite popcorn on sale.

I am definitely shopped out now.

Day #46 – Sweet and Sour Pork Chops With Crispy Rice

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Today is Donny’s short day at work so Jackson and I decided to hit Walmart to grab some things that I only buy at Walmart. Unfortunately we didn’t realize it was tax free weekend and the last Sunday before school starts. It was a mad house!!! So basically I just recovered from that experience the rest of the day. I was excited to make the Sweet and Sour Pork chops I’ve had on my meal list for the last 2 weeks. Here’s the recipe.

Here’s the changes I made. I only had 8 thin sliced pork chops. I used sweet chili sauce, no brown sugar, half rice vinegar and half apple cider. I also 1 1/2 the recipe. I actually could have doubled the sauce. I did not simmer for as long as they said to. It was probably only about 30 minutes. They turned out so good!

I made crispy rice to go with it. I just made 1 1/2 cups of rice. (I don’t know how much that actually comes out to, but it’s 1 1/2 cups rice to 3 cups water). I let it cool and then put the rice in a big bowl and added 1 T of sesame oil, a lot of chili crisp because we love it. soy sauce (just use as much as you like). Stirred it all up and spread it out on a baking sheet. Pop it into a preheated 425 oven on the top rung for 15 minutes. After about 8 minutes give it a good shuffle and continue cooking. If it’s not as crispy as you like keep cooking in 5 minute intervals. This will definitely be one of my regular sides.

So so so so good! I also sauteed some broccoli in sesame and olive oil with a little soy sauce.

This will go into my meal rotation because everyone liked it. There’s something to be said for those 1980’s recipes, even if you have to tweak them a little bit.

These are two of the items I used. I got both at Walmart. I’ve seen the exact same chili crisp at the Asian Market, but it’s about 3 dollars more there. I eat the crisp on just about everything;

Day #45 – Best Chicken Fried Rice + Lil Helpers

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A few nights ago I made the best chicken fried rice. I made a huge batch. Hannah and I have eaten on it until now it’s gone. It’s so easy. Here’s how I made it.

In the morning make 1 1/2 cups rice. Put it in the fridge to really cool off.

When you’re ready to make dinner, cook 2 chicken breasts. I did mine in the instant pot. Then shred the chicken.

I just got a bag of mixed vegetables and cooked those and set them aside.

In a very large skillet or wok, heat some oil with a splash of sesame oil. Add a chopped onion and cook until transparent. Add the mixed veggies and cook for a little bit. Scoot all that over to the side and add 2 scrambled eggs. When those are cooked mix it all together.

Add the chicken and the rice and cook until the rice is a little browned. Add soy sauce. What makes it so good also is to add yum yum sauce once you’ve plated it. I’m going to make it again this week it was that good.

I manage to get all of the laundry done. I do not like putting mine and Donny’s laundry away when the drawers aren’t neat so I decided to go ahead and redo our drawers. I got some help with that.

Unfortunately they weren’t that big of a help, but it feels so much better to have everything where it needs to be. I still use the Marie Kondo folding system.

While I was doing laundry I almost had a heart attack because the neighbors dog came running up. I put him back in their backyard and tonight he got out again. He looks just like a coyote. I can’t tell you how many times I thought that’s what he was. He’s so sweet though and doesn’t even bother the cats at all.

I wish I could have gotten a better picture, but he’s still a puppy and hyper.

Day #37 – Teamwork

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Always on Donny’s days off we have one day that’s just kinda spent around the house and one that is out of the house getting everything done that’s on our lists. I slept so poorly last night because the baby cat and the two daddies were basically having a rave in the other part of the house. At 3 am they finally settled down and slept. I ended up sleeping until 8:30 and was slow to move when I did get up. Donny had gotten the kids up because they had to finish some paperwork at the college. I ended up staying home to get dressed and get some things done around here.

When they got back I was ready and as it turns out we had to run up to the high school to get a transcript for Jackson. Next we needed paper towels so we headed to Home Depot. It was sort of a date day and we were just meandering around the store. One thing we were happy to see is all of the non computerized washer and dryers.

We have been contemplating getting a freezer so we headed over to look at those. The problem is that space is an issue. I’m just not sure where we would put one, but we did find this cool upright that can be a fridge or a freezer.

We also like the very small chest one also.

We’re not quite ready to pull the trigger yet because neither of us have any idea where it will fit. We headed to the paint area to see if there was any oops paint. The guy at the counter said I just missed a purple one and that was the last oops they had. Darn it, I love purple.

I DO know our next purchase and that’s going to be a light weight weed eater. The man helping us had to unlock the case because people just walk out with them and the employees can’t do anything about it or they’ll get fired. What a world.

Next stop was Dollar Tree because I had seen this cloches that I think will really work well for the pumpkin spouts when they go in the ground this weekend.

I also picked up the last bottle of the hair mist. It’s a duplicate of the one I got the other day. I scanned it through the Yuka app and it came back with a good rating. It smells SO good and really lasts.

That was the last of the errands so now it was chickens time. I froze some rinds from the watermelon I cut last night and they loved them. Donny was gathering the eggs while I changed out their water. We thought they weren’t laying much until Donny found a nest in the grass by the shed when we were hauling stuff out for the trash pickup. I think we have a snake under the shed because there were fang marks and some shells where he found them.

Tonight for dinner I made the hamburger cornbread casserole and it was so good and super easy. Here’s the recipe:

I always change the recipe if there’s something in it that I know one of us really doesn’t like. Instead of tomatoes I just added a can of tomato sauce. I also added more milk to the cornbread batter because it was way too think. I baked it for 20 minutes and the cornbread wasn’t done, but it was browned so I just covered it with foil and baked it for an additional 12 minutes.

We finally got our rainstorm. I noticed it was getting so dark. Our solar lights came on at 6:30 then the thunder started.

We needed the rain so badly.

But it made a nice little pond where I am working on the pavers. Hopefully it will dry out quickly.

At least our rain barrel will be filled again.

Day #33 – So Much Easier + Comfort Food

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The other day when Donny and I were cleaning out the shed I found this attachment that I was pretty sure went to the lawn mower. I had no idea what it was and Donny was ready to throw it away. I looked a little closer and realized it said what it was right on the side.

I knew we had the ability to mulch our grass, but I had no idea how to do it. Now I do. I didn’t know when I was going to be able to mow again due to my back and not being able to lift the grass bag, but this was a game changer. You can still kind of see the mow lines, but not nearly as bad as if I’d used the chute.

I got the mowing done just before a little storm blew through. It was a welcome respite from the very hot and humid weather. I actually love a good rain shower. The house darkens and it feels so cozy.

Tonight I decided to make Green Chili Enchiladas. I loved when my mother used to make this when I was younger. Anytime she had to bring a dish to an engagement this is what she would bring. To be perfectly honest, it was the only meal she really cooked since my dad did all of the cooking. There are a few things I would change in the recipe though.

This is what I used.

I would use Rotel instead of the diced tomatoes. I would also add chili powder and cumin to the meat while I was browning it. I used Colby jack for the cheese.

It actually turned out just like I remembered it. There’s enough left over to freeze and to also have for a few of Donny’s lunches.

For a side I just cooked some black beans in the instant pot. So easy! just add your dry beans, water, the caldo chicken power and badia seasoning. Really just add whatever seasonings you like. I cook on manual for 85 minutes with a natural release.

The leftovers are great on breakfast tacos or actually by themselves with some purple onion and cheese.

I snapped this picture this evening because we have been getting the prettiest sunsets lately.

Now I’m going to go check on Donny. When he was getting the eggs from the coop he got attacked by yellowjackets and they stung him 6 times. Even one right on the nose. We’re just going to load him up on antihistamines. Hopefully he wont’ swell up too bad.

Day #32 – Meal Planning

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Lately I have been in such a cooking slump. In fact yesterday I just told everyone to figure out what they wanted on their own because I wasn’t making dinner. Yeah, it had gotten that bad. I just felt like we aimlessly went to the grocery, not really planning what I was going to cook. Today I decided that that was enough. Donny had an appointment at the DMV, so while he was gone I leafed through some cookbooks for inspiration. The two that I pulled recipes from were these.

The Altar Society is from 1980 and the vp-49 is one that we did when I was in the Officer’s Wives Club in 1987. I made a list of the 10 meals I wanted to make.

It helped that I cleaned out the fridge and freezer before making my list of what we needed to buy. I already had some chicken breasts for the fried rice and a pork tenderloin for the stromboli. We headed to Aldi to do some damage.

I was actually shocked that our total came out to right at $100. I think it helps that we don’t buy soda or many processed foods. Here’s what we bought.

This actually includes all of Donny’s lunches that he takes to work. I already had staples such as dried beans, rice and frozen vegetables. I’m sure we will have to buy more milk because we got through it like crazy. But just think about it. For, a little over since I had some meat already, $100 I can make over 10 family meals. That’s what we spend on ONE meal eating out for the 4 of us. It really does pay to eat at home.

Tonight I had already thawed out some pork that I was planning on cooking last night before I had my meltdown. I did feel bad so I made a Sunday dinner. I know it’s not Sunday, but it is for us because of Donny’s days off.

Pork cooked in the instant pot.

Potato wedges in the air fryer. So easy and good, Peel and wedge you potatoes. mix up oil, garlic power, onion powder, kosher salt and hot sauce. Coat the potatoes and cook at 375 for 20 minutes.

Cabbage because we had half a head left in the veg bin and I didn’t want it to go bad. I don’t know why the pic looks so overexposed.

Yeast rolls. These are a labor of love because they are time intensive with the double rise, but oh so worth it. I don’t eat bread so Hannah is always my guinea pig with anything gluten. She loved them and she worked at Texas Roadhouse which is the recipe I used.

I will say I feel better about cooking now that I have a plan. I’ll let ya know how each recipe turns out especially with my pickier eater son.