WELCOME TO THE LOONEY BIN

Crochet Hoodie Scarf

2012-01-08T12:18:00.004-07:00

I had a few people suggest a scarf w/ a hat attached so here is a hoodie & scarf

It went together very quickly only issue is a pointy part in the back after whip stitching it together

Crochet Hoodie Cowl

2012-01-02T16:52:00.003-07:00

Crocheted this Burgundy Hoodie Cowl to keep from having both a hat and a neck warmer this is for an requested order.

This pattern I came up with myself and it seem pretty good not great but with a few adjustment round/rows it should work out well :O)

Crochet Neckwarmer

2011-12-27T19:57:00.004-07:00

Started with a chain of 34 but next time I think I will do less as it seems too BIG (to wide) so maybe around 28.. I wanted to create a scarf for my dad that he didn't have to worry about loosing it just slide right over your head and down your neck...plus less inches to get in the way or could in a zipper of a coat.

As you can see it can nicely fit up around your ear/nose to keep you warm on cold nights.

Or you can easily dress up an outfit or hid a few Love Marks...

Xmas Gift

2011-12-26T21:37:00.004-07:00

My mom got a KIA Soul months ago and my dad after seeing her type of car commercial on TV decided she need a Sock Monkey to RIDE around in here car just like the one on TV so she got a cute one for Xmas :O) LOL.. WE VOTED MY DAD IS LOOSING HIS MIND!!!

Crochet Winter Set

2011-12-21T14:19:00.003-07:00

The set was made with some fine baby yarn in a nice pale pink I used 2 strands to get a nice thick strand & a size M then L hook when needed and use up lots of baby yarns laying around that I picked up at thrift stores...I plan to give it to my set to my co-worker for her daughter for Xmas...I took everyone advice on length of the scarf and went with 5.5 feet...

Crochet Fingerless Gloves

2011-12-18T13:44:00.005-07:00

I was asked by a co-worker if I knew how to make fingerless gloves however I had tried to make a pair over a year ago and ended up with them big SO Big that 3 peoples hand still had room in them so I tried again last night the blue pair is made with 1 ball of blue cotton Peaches and Cream Brand

Here is my hand modeling them boy is it hard to photo them on your own hands!!!!!

So I want to see how much different I needed to edit the pattern if I used RHSS yarn which at Walmart is only $2.28 a ball I figure I can yield over 2 pairs per Skein.....

So what do you think?????

Update: I made these using some baby yarn I used 2 strands to create these :O0 baby Soft

Skillet Safety 101

2011-12-12T21:07:00.005-07:00

A quick scrappy yarn crochet project that will come in handy if you have those HOT IRON SKILLETS. They whip up in less then 15 mins.

Crochet Purse for DD

2011-12-08T09:57:00.007-07:00

After Frog it again I removed a few extra rows on the base piece found the center (of the wrong side) Should have been the RIGHT SIDE ie the INSIDE NOT the outside..

Using the Purple YARN when you find the inside center skipping 3-5 stitch spaces from the sides to keep it from being to close to the sides as those fold up/be stitched in later as you go around with the GRAY YARN. With the purple yarn single crochet down the center then continue creating enough rows I used a Half double crochet going up to create the center pocket divider up as far you want the pocket to be.

As I worked with the gray yarn I grabbed the purple pocket and single crocheted the purple/gray together attaching it together creating a pocket as you work the purse

As you can see now have a bag with an inside pocket as this solid purple ( note next time I would use double tread strand here as well as this flexes too much) I have crocheted using the MC Gray and add CC Purple to mix it up.

2nd shot of the inside pocket

Currently I have completed the crochet part of bag only thing left to finish crocheting the strap and add the plastic buckles to keep the bag closed :O)

More Slouchy Hats

2011-11-24T09:13:00.003-07:00

I find this mulitcolor purple hat to be still to big..

I love this hat I need to have someone take a picture of me wearing so you can really see how it fits on a person head it is so pretty :O) love this new pattern better then the pattern I was using for the mulitcolor one..pattern is a keeper

So what do you guys think?

Crochet Slouchy Hat

2011-11-16T09:50:00.001-07:00

I want to see if I could make a slouchy hat well after switching hooks 3 times and ripping it out 3 times I got it done. I plan to try a different pattern just to give it a try but this worked well however I changed the last few rows to SC with a decrease since I couldn't figure out how to do a double crochet decrease...:O) I would add extra rows at the bottom as well maybe as many at 5 rows as it seems not to slouch as well like it needs more space on ones head to do that I may just add them in today :O) what you guys think of this hat? Is the hat too big/slouchy? Need more slouchy? or more row near the end forehead area to make it wider/longer?Any comments would be GREAT!!! Thanks for viewing...

Crochet Hats

2011-11-16T09:46:00.003-07:00

Adult Hats made it a little bit longer so it would row well for winter

Just whipped this up love the colors made adult & child size

The green one was nice and soft yet very stretchy adult size

This was just a straight whipped up beanie style hat to fit just over the ears

Men's Hat was a joke for the guys at work as last year they were told they had to wear orange reflector vests so I thought a nice orange hat would be good too :O) as you can see it's long but rolls up well.

Baby's Hat

Hat for my 5 year old niece

Baby's Hat

These are a few hats styles I have made the adult colors I made one for a 5 year old as well just didn't repeat the pictures :O) I have made about 20 hats all together.

Applesauce Bread Pudding

2011-10-12T17:46:00.004-07:00

Oct Menu

2011-10-06T08:26:00.004-07:00

Set the budget to under $300 this month and keep planning and working hard to use the stuff in the freezer and not shop for extras just because it's called menu planning dd is still having issues with not wanting to eat all of the sudden so trying to get a dinner idea out of her is VERY hard...Plus her ODC is up and running right now as you can see with the Tacos

Monday 3-Leftover Chinese food
Tuesday 4- Turkey Burgers and Potatoes
Wednesday 5-Taco and Leftover Chinese Rice
Thursday 6-Leftover Tacos again
Friday 7-
Saturday 8-
Sunday 9-
Monday 10-
Tuesday 11-
Wednesday 12-
Thursday 13-
Friday 14- Happy B-day too me
Saturday 15-
Sunday 16-

Sept Spending

2011-09-27T13:29:00.003-07:00

I started off Sept with a fully packaged freezer and pretty stocked pantry however I overspend last month $422 way too much for 2 people now mind you that alot of the things in my spending is not just food it's anything spent at any store be it toilet paper or Ziploc baggies.
This month so far I have been trying really hard to stay under my $300 budget I set at the first of the month currently 4 days too go and I am currently at $271.00.
Update spend only $296.93 I did it now to shoot for lower this month :O)

Freezing Crockpot Steel Cut Oatmeal

2011-09-13T12:58:00.007-07:00

1 cup of steel cut oatmeal
3-4 cups of water in crockpot on low 4-5 hrs.

Yield 5 (1/2 cup portions)

I am able to purchase steel cut oatmeal in bulk at Sprouts usually when on sale for 50 cents a pound regular price $1.00 a pound...Cheaper then any where else...most places are $5.99 for 24 oz...

I prefer to cook it on my day off when I am around the house or early evening and then freeze it into 1/2 cup portions that quickly reheat in the microwave anywhere I have even taken it to work in my to go mug :O0 Yummy breakfast... These containers are 5 for $1.00 (8 oz or 1 cup)

Crochet Snood Hair Net Part 3

2011-09-10T09:13:00.007-07:00

Well I took a different pattern and made that style it worked up alot better with only 2 row changes using a smaller crochet hook :O) to get it tighter around the face I think the next one I crochet I will use a smaller hook for the whole snood so what you guys think of the snood??

IT'S ALL ABOUT THE RED!!!!!

Crochet Snood Hair Net Part 2

2011-09-07T15:26:00.003-07:00

Update while following the pattern LOL!! I found it to be too big!!! I took 2 pictures showing just how TOO big it is...I will be ripping out I am thinking 5-10 rows and they feeding the elastic back in to it :O) wishing me lots of luck...Getting closer to being done...

Crochet Snood Hair Net

2011-09-06T16:23:00.004-07:00

A snooding we will go and go still going and going around and round....This project is working up quickly however gets boring :O) but then again will look pretty when I am done I hope..I must make this very large for long hair :O)so I will be working on it for a few more rounds maybe 10 or so?But I wanted to share how it is going.. The color I used is stretchy blue/purple....

I forgot to turn the flash off but this is what it looks like so far pretty good for a newbie..

Crocheted Market Bag

2011-09-05T17:13:00.009-07:00

Update 2 more bags I just finished over the weekend..:O) going to be great gifts to give away.....

Top Bag is all cotton yarn

This bag is acrylic yarn plum for the top/bottom and gray for the middle :O) Very pretty

Crocheted Market Bag

2011-08-29T19:30:00.008-07:00

I quickly whipped up the market bag to use up some yarn as well as keep my hand busy while sitting at work. I picked of the free pattern from this cute little website
This bag however looks very small yet will hold ALOT see below I stuffed it with groceries from around the house..

Crochet Baby Hat

2011-08-03T19:29:00.006-07:00

I have been getting alot of requests for baby hats .So here are a few I made..Using my nieces doll that I bought her lol

Crochet Stash Bag

2011-07-20T23:12:00.005-07:00

This is my stash bag that I created based off a pattern I found on the net the changes I made where small I made it larger and created longer handles as I usually find handles on most things are not right length for me..This bag took a LONG time for me..2 weeks...working here and there....

Crockpot Yogurt

2011-07-20T14:05:00.010-07:00

MAKE SURE YOU SET A TIMER...THEN UNPLUG FOR 3 HOURS SET TIMER AGAIN THIS ALLOWS THE THE MILK TO COOL TO AROUND 110*F BEFORE YOU ADD IN YOUR YOGURT CULTURE..

REMOVE 2 CUPS OF THE WARM MILK AND MIX TOGETHER WITH THE YOGURT CULTURE TO TEMPER THE MIX AS TO NO KILL THE ACTIVE CULTURES BEFORE ADDING IT TO THE WHOLE CROCKPOT OF WARM MILK.

I USED MY WHISK TO MIX IT WELL HOWEVER I SHOULD HAVE JUST STIRRED IT AS IT CREATED LOTS OF AIR AND BUBBLES...

LOVE THIS YOGURT I WILL BE MAKING A LOT MORE IN THE FUTURE.. COST FOR ME WAS JUST THE CULTURE $1.00 SINCE I ALREADY HAD THE POWDERED MILK IN THE CABINET. NEXT TIME I WILL TRY WITH FRESH MILK AS WELL SO FOR $1.79 FOR A GALLON I CAN GET 4 QTS OF YOGURT FOR MY SMOOTHIES...

Baking Mats

2011-07-11T22:45:00.004-07:00

I have been purchasing parchment paper for $5.00 a roll and usually using about maybe one cookie sheet worth maybe a week....and foil $1.00 for a roll using about 1/2 a roll a week maybe....WHY?????? When for $10 each I could purchase baking mats that are reusable and washable...:O) So I saved my $$ and bought them... I will also be using the pre-sized foil since I have a toaster oven that I use daily and use those for quick clean up..

Update: Been testing out LOVE it best thing I have bought in a long time...I will be getting these for my mom along with 2 new cookie sheets( trust me her's are REALLY bad/dark old)

July Spending Part 2

2011-07-11T17:12:00.000-07:00

July 11 Update..Total Spent $93.93 savings $48.77 :O)

Safeway Spent $26.39 saved $39.68 purchasing clearance items/in store sales/coupons on products in store..(didn't bring any coupons with us)

1 Bailey's coffee creamer $2.99 1/2 off clearance sticker paid $1.49
2 mountain High yogurt $2.68 each 1/2 off clearance sticker paid $2.68 total for 64 oz of yogurt!!
5 package of Ground Turkey =Sales $3.99 each plus 1/2 off clearance sticker plus $1.00 off each package coupon $9.95
4 package of eggrolls $1.99= total price was $7.96 other stores charge $2.99 each
4 package of strawberries 96 cents each paid $3.84

Costco spent $9.96 and $36.16

2 huge bottle of Pandra Express Orange sauce for DD $4.98 each
2 Bakers Splat Mat's for me $19.99 these are for huge baking sheets
1 ALL metal ice cream scoop $2.39 ( the plastic & metal one I had bent in half...)
1 large can of tomato paste $3.59 will freeze in ziplock for use later in recipes
1 large jar of Minced garlic $3.99
1 large container of taco Seasoning $3.89 this will last over a year :O)

Fry's spent $21.42 saved $7.10 plus vip card $1.99

1 jar mustard $1.00
3 containers of whole grain rice milk on clearance .89 cents each was $1.79 each saved $2.70
1 container of yogurt $1.79
1 soy creamer 99 cents clearance was $3.89 saved $2.90
1 soy half and half $1.49 was $2.99 saved $1.50
1 jar pickles $1.49
1 apple juice $1.65
2 cases of soda $10.00

July Spending Part 1

2011-07-11T17:10:00.001-07:00

Budget/Shopping for July $34.17-$7.00-$20..

5 lbs of Shredded cheese to repackaged into 2-1 gallon bags (froze 1)$13
2 containers of sour cream $$3.00
1 package of tortilla $2.59
2 packages of wonton wraps $5.00
2 bunches of green onions .58 cents
5 seedless watermelon-1 laundry tub-$10 (for work potluck)
2 containers of ice cream $3.99 get one free with purchase
1 container of milk clearance 84 cents
1 container of glycerin $2.50
2 containers of strawberries $2.00
2 sodas-$10
2 loaves french bread $ 3.00
1 bag of Reeses for dd $2.00
1 Frozen Yogurt $ 2.50
1 bag of ice $1.50

Homemade Potato Wontons

2011-07-05T22:22:00.013-07:00

I had lots of potatoes sitting around the house and recently I had some potato pierogies from a box that usually cost about $3.00 a box for say 10 of them..I thought I can make them cheaper, get more and mix and match fillings for quick summer time meals plus right now use up 10 pounds of potatoes..

Break down of the cost of several meals... $5.00

Time to prep food & bake under 1 hour
Potatoes in the pantry FREE
Butter from the frig FREE
Sour Cream from frig FREE
Shredded chicken from freezer FREE
Shredded Cheese from frig FREE
Wonton Wrappers $5.00

DD wanted shredded chicken and cheese as she is not a mashed potato person...

Crocheted Beach Style Bag

2011-07-01T09:02:00.006-07:00

These are 2 crocheted beach size bags I made for someone I like the idea of the draw string since it will allow you to HOLD whatever you place in the bag even if it's larger then then bag with out falling out of the bag...plus the bag expanse to fit the size of your items...

Deals

2011-06-25T20:18:00.002-07:00

In the weekly ads in the mail came a coupon for a free bottle of coke at Target as they were advertising that the local store was now selling more foods/produce/meats like a neighborhood market..:O)
So I got the free bottle of coke while shopping for a few other things I was told about a few more deals from an employee :O) Score.. they got their containers of mushroom shipment but it was the wrong size too big so they needed to sale/move them asap 46 cents a for 16 oz grabbed 2 :O) then I was also able to grab for 46 cents as well coleslaw mix :O0 perfect for wraps for me...

While I was at Safeway today as well I grabbed another 1/2 gallon of Lactose milk for dd $4.79 regular price 50% off $2.39 found a $1.00 off coupon got it for $1.39 :O) score into the freezer into mason jar it went...

Clearance Deals and What Knot

2011-06-20T13:16:00.003-07:00

Stopped by my local Safeway to grab some milk I saw on sale in the weekly flyer $1.59 per gallon since I was out.. While bopping around the isle in the cold area I came across a few deals...

2 half gallons of Lactose Free Milk for dd $1.79 each 50 % off I quickly grabbed 2.

Went to Walmart and grabbed a case of quart size mason jars for the milk to be froze in the freezer for use later...$8.60..plus they are reusable so super score LOVE MASON JARS

1 half gallon of 2 % milk for me for 88 cents

2- 32 oz bags of Asian Stir Fry veggies $8.49 each but was 50 % off
8 containers of individual yogurt $69 cents each 50 % off tossed this in the freezer for making shakes later :O)

Other Store deals

44 oz of Arm and Hammer Laundry Soap was $5.99 Buy on get 2nd free plus I had $1.00 off coupon so got 2 for $4.99

Wheathin Crackers $1.88 but they had a coupon for free Ritz snack crackers on them so I bought 3 boxes and got 3 boxes for free crackers :O)

Once A Month Meals Day 3

2011-06-13T19:58:00.006-07:00

Ground Turkey was the meat challenge as well as trying to locate the meat on sale....
Well I got super lucky....I was able to pick up 16 lbs of ground turkey plastic tubes for 92 cents each..:O) Yippie......Off to cooking I went...

11 Baked Ziti in mini bread loaf pans (2 servings)

12 Taco Wontons wraps

7 mini bread loaf package of Meatloaf (2 servings)

Enchilada sauce to freeze for quick meal prep

Drawstring Produce Bag

2011-06-10T08:58:00.009-07:00

I have been using re-usable grocery bags for months LOVE THEM...The reasons way...

No Breaking issues- got tired of having to double or triple bag items
Easier to bag and carry
Less plastic bags taking up my house-I do get some for the kitty litter :O)
Less bags needed I have 6 bags and that is usually all I need :O)

But on a recent trip to the produce to department I grabbed a few plastic-thin bags to get produce and things keep falling out of the bag so yet again I had to double and triple and I remembered seeing crocheted produce bags online.. I figured I could find a pattern and give it a whirl and this is what I got.........

Update: 5-14-2011

After crocheting the first orange bag I decide to create one more with a bowl/hat like style bottom due to I wanted to prevent produce like grapes from falling threw the large bottom holes so by doing the bowl effect and the holes on the top it allows for both :O) very happy with this pattern I created... I will also hold 4 balls of 2.5 oz crochet yarn as well lol.. I didn't have any fruits or veggies to put in it for a picture....

Once A Month Meals Day 2

2011-06-08T09:45:00.007-07:00

I have 2 crock pots cooking 4 huge packages of chicken breast to make the following meals...

24 Chicken Cheese Enchiladas
9 (16oz ) containers Chicken Lentil Chili
7 (16 oz ) containers of Chicken Pot Pie
2 more meals of just chicken breasts

Spending June 11

2011-06-08T09:24:00.007-07:00

Fry's-Spent $31.94 Saved=$14.15
Fry's-Spent $15.91 Saved= $1.07
Fry's- Spent $33.22 Saved= $1.19
Fry's- Spent $5.45 Saved= $1.60

Trader Joe's Spent $17.91
Smart and Final Spent $12.76
Smart and Final Spent $7.87
Walmart Spent $9.89
Bakery Outlet Spent $4.56
Sprouts Spent $ 24.18
Lee Lee Oriental Market Spent $5.77
Dollar Store Spent $ 24.00

Total Spent $193.46

Update 5-14-11

Walmart Spent $17.88 & $20.89
Trader Joe's Spent 20.23 &12.65
Smart and Final Spent $4.08
Ranch Market Spent $2.37
Basha's Spent $4.44
Fresh and Easy Spent $10.35

Total for this week----$92.89

Update June 20th,11

Safeway Spent $3.97 and $31.11 but got $8.97 back in refund
Walmart Spent $8.60
Safeway Spent $15.90
Sprouts Spent $16.84

Total for this week $ 41.34

Totals $327.69

Once A Month Meals

2011-06-06T18:29:00.005-07:00

Well my story starts with a small disaster my full size freezer accidentally was unplugged....Lost my bulk meals/meat supply/ extra freezer items....I figure around $300 or so plus time and lots of energy... What did I do to fix this mess.. Broke out my Dinner meal planner I created 2 weeks ago that listed all the meals we like I got close to 30 I was very surprised....since I usually can't figure out what I what for dinner...

Step 1 Figure out which meals could be made cheap and freeze well plus use what I have in the pantry as well.....

Step 2 First Cooking Session as small due to I did the shopping and the cooking all in day one...( that is was pushing it but had to be done)

6 bread loaf size Lasagna
6 1 cup portion Chicken Sloppy Joe's
30 Southwestern egg rolls
11 baggies of shredded chicken for wraps
2 meals of chicken breasts
3 quarts of Chicken Noodle Soup

1 quart baggie of shredded carrots &1 quart baggie of celery
for another batch of soup later next month....

I went shopping for the above items and still have more planned to make tomorrow just my brain is tired and so am I.....

Homemade Liquid Hand Soap

2011-05-31T20:15:00.004-07:00

I am sure you have empty liquid soap container laying around the house but no extra liquid soap to fill them up. I have read on the net about making homemade liquid soap my first thoughts were as follow...Why make it? Will it work the same? How hard is it to make it? Is it worth it?

I read that you use about 1 cup of soap shaving and about 3 cups of water so I filled the bottles with water ( I had 2 empty) twice then poured that into stainless steal.

I had a very small soap sliver of Glycerin left and shredded it with a small hand grater that I had.

I boiled the water then dropped the grater soap slivers into the hot boiling water for 1 min then turned it off to allow to cool.

Allowed to cool to room temp you will notice the difference in both color as well as it is thicker like pudding..

I was able to slowly pour it into the 2 bottles it was VERY THICK and Goopy yet to use it I just added a little more water into the bottle and pushed and it worked Perfectly and the cost was just Time...I will need to check the recipe in the AM and see if I needed to add more water to the bottles.

Update 6-1-11 The Goopy stuff got to be VERY VERY Thick to thick to get out of bottle via the pump so I have emptied it into another container and ALOT more water seems to be alot better...

Crochet Water Bottle Holder

2011-05-30T12:37:00.003-07:00

Just whipping up a few water bottle carriers as the summer weather is picking up here in Phoenix...Takes less then 1 hour while watching TV

Meal Ideas

2011-05-28T09:51:00.002-07:00

Like most of you the question you ask yourself when you open the frig or the pantry door what do you want? What sounds good to you? Well in my house I have been having more of an issue with I couldn't come up with what sounded good plus a list of meal ideas...to grab my attention when I want to plan dinner... So here is a list I created for me to grab my attention...

I divided it up according to these following categories.

Turkey

Sloppy Joe
Burgers
Tacos
Burritos
Chili
Taco Salad
Spaghetti
Lasagna
Meatloaf
Sheppard's pie
Stroganoff

Chicken

Shredded Chicken
Burritos
Chicken Wraps
BBQ Chicken
Honey Chicken
Skillet Enchiladas
Chicken Pot pie
Panko Chicken
Chicken Broccoli Casserole
Chicken Wontons
Fajitas
Crockpot Fried Rice
Stir Fry
Kona Pizza

Soup

Chicken Noodle
Tomato
Cheddar Broccoli
Slow Cooker Taco Soup

Misc

Quesadilla
Pizza
Baked Potato
Fish Tacos
Tuna Casserole
Rice Bowls
Pretzels

Crescent Dough Pizza

2011-05-25T19:23:00.003-07:00

Pillsbury Seamless Dough Sheets for only 99 cents on sale... If I had a coupon it would have been less.....Great Deal
I quickly used parchment to line a large cookie sheet then rolled/stretched out the dough

Weeks ago I precooked shredded chicken in the crockpot for just grab and make a meal...This shredded chicken worked great for this pizza
A friend a work had purchased this jar to eat with chips but he didn't like it so I used it in the recipe as well....

Leftover steamed Broccoli was hiding in my refrig..I had a few days ago cooked up some mixed veggies

Shredded cheese from the frig ...So I quickly layered all the ingredients onto the dough rolled it up nicely then topped it with garlic & oregano and Butter.....

I was able to cut this up and eat 1/2 for dinner and the other 1/2 for lunch the next day for the cost break down listed below...

Precooked shredded chicken-Cost zero already in the house
Spinach Dip- Cost Zero got it from a co-worker
Veggies- Cost Zero already in the house ready to use
Shredded Cheese- Cost Zero already in the house ready to use
Dough Sheet- Cost 99 Cents

Quick Chili

2011-05-23T21:57:00.003-07:00

I quickly needed a meal whipped together in under 30 mins to drop into my lunch box for work...I grabbed a can of Rotel Tomatoes however I prefer non-chunky puree so I poured the can into the food processor and gave it a quick spin....

I had some black beans in a container leftover from another meal so I grabbed them from the frig...

Leftover sauce to using in place of some of the tomatoes usually used in a chili recipe.

Cumin-Chili Powder-Cracked Peppercorns

I poured all the ingredients into a pot and simmered it for 30 mins then into a lunch container it went quick meal ready to go.

In a Jar

2011-05-11T17:35:00.002-07:00

In my pantry I have lots of Jello and lots of Pudding I decided to give my little mini mason jars a new project to handle... Pudding in a Cup since purchasing these are around $1.00 for 4. The cost to me to have these on hand was very little this time around it was around 45 cents for 5 desserts how did I figure this out you may be asking...Well I had recently got some 1% milk on clearance the other day for .89 Cents made one batch of pudding using a large box which called for 3 cups of milk I figured I could make another batch using the other 45 cents :O) and still have enough for a cup of milk with dinner :O)

Freezer Meals

2011-05-02T11:42:00.004-07:00

Recently I have seen an increase desire to have meals made ahead stored in the freezer ready to go. For when that new baby gets here or when someone has surgery and yes even when parents are getting a little older and need a few meals tucked in their freeze so you can rest better knowing they ate…

I have repeatedly typed over and over that same tips and recipes today after yet again doing this I decided we needed a blog where everyone on can share tips and recipes and I can update or link them into the blog to save time for EVERYONE….Plus this will allow everyone one place to locate them as well.

I am not making this perfect since life isn’t and I know I am not but along the way I am trying to help someone else who has the same questions I had just a few years ago find some answers and recipes…

Tips:

Use your slow cooker that can be your best friend in the kitchen..

Create a list of all the meal your family or u like...

Then next to the list above figure out how many times your family or you would eat said meal a week/month. This number will help you create a cooking plan..

Lets say your planning to do a 2 month menu/meal plan= 8 weeks you and your family plans to eat say 1 meatloaf one a week they you will need to make 8 meatloaves for those 2 months.

I prefer 8 x 8 pan size for meal for a few reason I will share since I have a family of 3 adults one being male who thinks he needs 2 pieces of main dish per meal I use 8 x 8 this allows for a total of 4 pieces with no leftovers to not get eaten.

Ziplock baggies work well for most meals as it allows/takes up less space then containers..

Label, Label, Label everything. (Recipe Name and Heating instructions if desired and anything else you need to know... Some people have placed this on index cards to assist with not writing on so they can reuse the bags for the next meal making session.)

Mexican Rice

Refried Beans

Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Soup

Clearance Veggie Mushrooms

2011-04-26T22:52:00.002-07:00

16 oz container of mushroom I was able to grab 3 packages ( ok I could have got more but these are just for me dd doesn't like mushrooms this way) I grabbed them diced very small and sauteed them all up in less then 30 minutes while waiting for dinner to cook in the toaster oven.

Clearance Veggies

2011-04-26T22:42:00.003-07:00

Why purchase clearance veggie you may be asking...Well recently on a trip to the store to get some bell pepper and onions the price were are follows.

1 colored bell pepper $1.49 or more= if I purchase 2 it would be $2.98
1 onion .59 cents a pound= 2 onions may yield to be say a pound

That is crazy for 2 peppers and some onions....So this is $2.66 for 16 oz of fresh veggies.

So I was able to stir fry 2 packages of veggie in less then 20 mins for use in lots of recipe later this week this pictures is of just one of the packages of veggies made...

Crochet Sponges

2011-04-26T22:32:00.004-07:00

These sponges go together very quickly and work well when using the only things I have noticed is that the colored ones are cotton and get very thick when wet.. The green one was made with acrylic and it not as thick/bulky to use when wet..

Wonton Wraps

2011-04-20T18:13:00.003-07:00

Wonton Wraps are great for many things you can fill them with Meats or Just Veggie and then bake then at 400*F until golden then cool and freeze later for quick meals.. $1.99 a pack of 20 wraps for me I can get 6 meals out of them with 2 leftover :O) as I will eat no more then 3 per meal..

I love them for grab and go easiness but more because I can use anything in them ie.. LEFTOVER Meal Items which I can turn into a great snack for lunches.

This is not a great picture of what I had in the Frig but I will give you a list... plus a few cabinet spices and some shredded cheese wrapped into 6 meals :O)

Ground Chicken-precooked
Sauteed Peppers and Mushrooms
Green Onions
Black Beans
Cumin
Chili Powder
Garlic Powder

Reusable Cup

2011-04-17T13:44:00.002-07:00

Most people would be why buy a re-useable cup? For me it was and encouraged me to stop purchasing drinks out since this cups is bigger then 12 oz and smaller then 52 oz which for me gets to be a little to big some days.
My mom picked up 3 cups around 12 oz of get this $15.00 at Costco I was able to pick this up at the thrift store for $.99 cents...I have been using it like crazy at work.. Best $1.00 I have spent..

Deals

2011-04-17T11:02:00.007-07:00

Recently I have been grabbing clearance deals again at my local Fry's I have spend about $30.00 but the savings are great...

Trip 1

5 Spaghetti sauce 14 oz cans for $.59 a can=$2.95
3 cans of peas $.39 each= $1.17
1 can of Mandarin oranges= $.69

Trip 2

1 Stuffed Pretzel $.68
2 Spinach & Cheese pastry $.68
2 Chicken Pot Pie's-$.99
2 Blocks of Cheese $1.79

Trip 3
I picked this up a few weeks ago and just got around to posting.. But The reasons we grabbed it was as follows-
1) I love Veggies
2) DD likes Chicken..
Most people would be well you only saved $2.70 yep.. that $2.70 was reused some where else where we were able to grab something I may have been short or would not have picked up...
I was able to create 2 meals for us for only $3.29 but if you break that down $1.29 per meal can't get much cheaper..

WW Bar

2011-04-13T17:11:00.002-07:00

Got this recipe from mom...

1/2 cup honey
2 large eggs or 2 egg whites
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup old fashioned rolled oatmeal
1/2 cup instant nonfat dry milk
1/2 c each of the following items shelled pumpkin seeds, unsweetened shredded coconut, ground flax seed, dried apricots chopped, and dried cherries chopped
1/4 cup whole wheat flour

350*F Line and 9 in sq pan with foil..

In bowl, beat eggs, honey, and salt with fork
Put everything else in blender and pulse until finely chopped
Add the honey mixture to the blender mix and pulse until moistened
Transfer to pan and press evenly.
Bake until center is set and edges are browned approx 20 mins
Let cool slightly on rack for 10 mins
Holding foil remove from pan to cutting board. Cut into bars let cool then peel off foil..

Points WW is 3 per bar.

Freezing Smoothies

2011-04-10T12:48:00.005-07:00

Recently I have been eating smoothie for breakfast as well as snacks better then junk.. while surfing the internet I came across this link trying to find out if anyone has pre-made smoothies and froze them since I make 1-2 a day I could do 6 at one time and blend up and put into my pint size mason jars to freeze and grab and go for work or place in the frig the night before to drink in the am since I don't sleep 8 + hours this would work great..

The results are in I made a smoothie for work Friday and took it out of the freeze dropping in my lunch bag w/ ice pack around 2 pm and popped it into the frig at work about 3 pm and last night about midnight it was a perfect (thick smoothie) I ate it with a spoon like ice cream as the summer months are quickly approaching this will work perfect & thaw faster when I pull it out of the frig..I also noticed it was icy which I prefer as I love it colder the better..
I made one today late in the am so it will not be frozen before I leave for work today yet I will have it already to go while I was making my lunch and pre-prepping veggie for the next few days.. :O) Time saver.

April 10-22 Menu

2011-04-10T12:45:00.007-07:00

Sun-Veggie Quesadillas
Mon-Meatloaf and Baked Potatoes
Tue-Leftovers
Wed-Fix it yourself
Thur-Homemade Pizza
Fri-Leftovers
Sat-Spinach Spaghetti
Sun-Wonton Wraps
Mon- Panko Chicken breast w/ Spaghetti Sauce noodles & Garlic bread
Tue-Fix it yourself
Wed- Shredded Chicken Enchiladas
Thur-leftovers
Fri-Subway Sandwich

Busy With Life

2011-04-10T12:29:00.003-07:00

As of late nothing sounds good to eat, nothing sound good to make. I have been in a mood for a many weeks at it is putting stress on a few things $$ and me for lack of eating right what ever RIGHT is...So I have set a plan yes me I am going to try to follow I did really well last week with my menu for most of the week when I hit yesterday Saturday and my car had a few issues I got off track and had to purchase dinner last night $5.00 for a subway sandwich which I could have made at home.But as I didn't have time it was out of the question..

Last weeks menu was

Sunday- Spinach and Veggie Quesadillas
Monday-Chicken Stir Fry Wraps
Tuesday- Turkey Noodle Soup
Wednesday-Spaghetti w/ garlic bread
Thursday-Leftovers
Friday-Stir Fry leftover for lunch
Saturday- Subway

So lets get this weeks plan under way...
Monday will be a wing it day since I have lots of things to do outside the house this day with errands..will plan dinner for Tuesday with DD help....

Tuesday-Dr Appointment then I will do a food inventory with my dd help and create a menu around that for 2 weeks I have already been planning in my head around things I already have on hand which is A LOT to use up.I need to clean my big freezer..So most of the things planning to use will come from there and my full-busting pantry cabinets.

Wednesday-This day while dd is at school I will be shopping early in the AM for this will allow me to get in and out and get any prep cooking done early in the morning..As well as get ready to go back to work on Thursday...

All looks great on paper let see if I can do this...Wishing me luck...

April Already

2011-04-01T09:02:00.002-07:00

It's hard to believe it is already April 1st where did those 3 months go? It just seemed like yesterday I was saying WOW it's January 1st...

5 minute Ice Cream

2011-03-16T14:03:00.004-07:00

3 Simple Ingredients

10 oz Strawberries
2/3 cups Heavy Whipping Cream
1/2 cup Sugar

Following the instructions to just drop the berried into the food processor however that didn't work out so will it just keep spinning them so fast that it would move the blade on top of the berries causing the processor to stop. So I pulled them out and let them sit in a bowl on the counter.

The berries wouldn't break so easily in the food processor while frozen so I let them sit for 10 minutes to soften up some then I decided to assist the breaking up part by chopping them up some then back into the food processor to be Spun around..

Don't these berries like nice now that that broke up better I then added about less then 1/2 cup of sugar I don't prefer super sweet ice cream...Then I spun it some more!!!

I only have imitation vanilla but I have really been wanting to make some of my own...I added 2 tsp. of this as well.

Doesn't this ice cream look all nice and pretty yet nice a Super Soft

To get harder ice cream style I placed it in this container and into the oven...

Price Break down: $5.58

Berries- were in the freezer but cost $1.99 for a 16 oz bag
Sugar- had on hand but a bag cost $1.99
Heavy Whipping Cream- Didn't have on hand Cost $1.50

Verdict: Love it have been using it for 2 weeks in my AM smoothie recipes...Also have tried making it with just berries and vanilla yogurt good as well..:O) KEEPER

Crochet Crockpot Lid Cover

2011-03-14T20:32:00.006-07:00

Tired of burning your fingers on that Crockpot lid? Or trying to use a potholder which is usually WAY too BIG.....and your almost drop your like at least once every time you use it...Not anymore......

Update: Pattern Instructions

I use the magic circle method to start this works easier for me and a G or H hook depending on the type of yarn

Chain 2 Half double crochet 6 times into the circle (7 including the chain 2) Pull the circle closed then slip stitch into the first loop of the chain 2

Chain 2 then half double crochet 2 times in every half double crochet around.

Then slip stitch into the first loop of the chain 2

Chain 2 half double crochet around in every half double crochet around.Then slip stitch into the first loop of the chain 2

Repeat the above row until deep enough to over your lid piece (mine only take 5 rows total...)

Then chain 2 and then 2 half double crochet in to each half double crochet around. Then slip stitch into the first loop of the chain 2

Repeat the above one more time if you want it more ruffly use 3 half double crochet around in each half double crochet..

Finish off and tuck in all your tails...

** Hope this makes sense since this is my first pattern written..**

Mango Smoothie

2011-03-09T14:32:00.004-07:00

I still have over half of that nice huge Yogurt container left now what the yeck to make.. I had purchased a mango to make a smoothie with it :O) and I am VERY glad I did..It was great loved the taste.... The previous smoothie/shake tasted very SOUR!! this was just plain nice and drinkable. ....I found the recipe here...

Verdict: This is a recipe I would keep on hand to use when i want a quick drink on the way to work.. I really need to start drinking things other that Dr. Pepper which I am very addicted too. the only change I would make would be to use frozen mango pieces as this would make the drink colder which is the way I prefer drinks....

Dairy Free Mini Cheese Cakes

2011-03-09T14:31:00.009-07:00

I went in search of a recipe for dd who is Lactose intolerant and desires cheesecake plus back in November we purchased 2 container of Tofutti cream cheese as you can see I still have one leftover so located this recipe

So into a bowl when the 8 oz package of Tofutti cream cheese and the powdered sugar I add the lemonade in place of the lemon juice and rid since I didn't have that on hand. Beat it well...

Into foil lined muffin cups the mixtures went and into the refrigerator to set up..

Verdict: Currently waiting for it to set 3 hours later...update later

Strawberry Shake

2011-03-09T14:31:00.008-07:00

Original Recipe HERE
1 cup of plain yogurt
1/4 cup of strawberry preserves
1 banana-can't eat them so no banana
4 ice cubes- I used 2 hand fulls
Garnish Stuff-Omitted
Milk-to thin out

Mixed the ingredients up in blender and poured in to glass...

Verdict: VERY SOUR!!!!.Must be the yogurt.. Added some sugar and lots of more ice next time with use fresh berries as well plus vanilla extract..

Cream Cheese Veggie Pasta

2011-03-02T21:26:00.008-07:00

It started off with a clearance container of Chicken Fajita for Regular price $6.35 clearance was $3.80 still kind of high for some diced chicken which looked to be about 2 chicken breasts. However I came across a $1.50 off a package of chicken laying in the meat dept :O) Score got the package for $2.30...

I also come across this new product as well... This was on sale for 2 for $5.00 however they also had a coupon for $1.50 off score again!!! So then I was was like now what? Maybe a stir fry type mix with pasta? So I also grabbed some pasta as well as veggie mix to add in..

I got started with getting water to boil in the stove and frying up the chicken strips pieces to make a nice crunchy texture on the outside.

In the frig I also has mushrooms and mini bell pepper that I needed to use up so I diced them up to fry as well..

After the chicken was done I got to work with those peppers in the frying pan as to not waste the food..

I also grabbed the mixed frozen veggie I picked up as well to add into the pasta as well. I placed them into a bowl and nuke to soften then I fried them up some as well..

The cooked chicken & veggie were place into containers to create 4 different meals I prefer to only have to cook once and reheat :O) since I am only cooking for one.. Plus why cooked chicken twice when I can cook it all at once it saves time.

Into the frying pan went the following ingredients
1/2 Veggies
1/2 cup of chicken
Angel Hair pasta
1/2 of the tub of Cream Cheese Sauce

It was very thick!!!! so I added some milk to thin it out...It still needed something??

So I added 2 tbsp of sour cream and 1/4 cup of shredded cheese and red pepper flakes
Verdict: Nothing special in taste it is not something I would make again...:O) Waste of all those veggie & ingredients...The new cream cheese sauce lacks flavor as well as pour ability to use in recipes. I would make everything with out the cream cheese/sour cream and cheese...

Crochet Diagonal Baby Bib and Square Bib

2011-03-02T21:14:00.005-07:00

New baby projects....I found this Pattern to learn how to do this diagonal type of pattern it was pretty easy :O0 I thought/assumed it be really hard the hard part was just reading and understanding for me I am more of a visual person...

The Square bib Pattern however I changed it since I was not big on the Lacey button look so I took 2 patterns and merged them....Here is the second Pattern

I think I did very well :O)

Focaccia Bread

2011-02-21T20:18:00.003-07:00

Focaccia Bread to me =

Scary idea
I can't it's to hard
I will mess it up
Oh no not yeast again
I got this recipe from here it worked great and was easy

It started with 1 packet of quick rise yeast . a shake of salt and 1 tbsp. of sugar

Place the above ingredients in a large bowl with 3 1/4 cup of flour give a quick whisk to mix the ingredients together.

Get 1 2/3 cup of very warm water ready to drop/pour into the flour mixture make sure the water not to HOT or it will kill the yeast.

Grease a pan 9 x 13 as well as turn the oven on to 375 *F

Pour the warm water into the flour mixture

Grab some oil could use extra virgin or veggie in this mix above

Spread batter into the pan (I used a spatula sprayed with oil to avoid it sticking)

I used a lint free type of towel to avoid (lint on my bread YUCK!!) allow bread to rise to double to size it took 30 mins

Drizzle top with 2 tsp. of oil spread over the whole loaf of bread

I used the bottom of a large handled spoon

Grab whatever spices you wish- I used Italian spices as well as garlic powder (next time I would use minced garlic and saute in oil as well as add the spices to the bread dough mix)

Cook until golden brown it took 30 mins :O) on 375*F

Verdict- Perfect except it lacked flavor from the spices see above note to fix issue next time plus since there is only 2 people I would only do a half of a batch

Menu Feb 20-

2011-02-19T18:13:00.004-07:00

Feb 20- Chicken/Peppers/Mushroom/Onion/Quesadilla
Feb 21- Chicken Noodle Soup w/ Focaccia bread
Feb 22-
Feb 23-
Feb 24-
Feb 25-
Feb 26-
Feb 27-
Feb 28-

Pets

2011-02-16T14:32:00.004-07:00

Yeah I know not food related but you know pets are part of my family. So I want to share with you what I have been working on as of late...Doggy sweaters for my mom's Maltese poodle who gets cold really easy however the average dog sweater runs about $10-20 for a good quality on from most any store...
My mom really wanted me to learn to crochet them YEAH ME??
What was she thinking? I can't do that they are to hard!!
I can barely read a pattern.... Where do I start?
I started with a pattern for a cat sweater that I located online that I thought I understood.

I made the sweater want to see it?

Doesn't look great for the first time trying but it fit the dog sorta.
Here where the issues to start..

To small in length no big deal just make longer simple to fix
Belly Band wrong spot to close to rear - No big deal just move forward right?

So I corrected those ( as my first pattern was really for a cat for a friend) and just used it to try on my mom's dog I decided to create the dog a sweater all her own here it was below..

EMMA'S DOGGIE SWEATER

Changes #2 Well the sweater fit but was still a little too big so I made those changes & the sweater keep rolling up Emma's back ( ROYAL PAIN)...

Changes # 3 I changed the underbelly to be solid to keep it from rolling up plus Emma loves to scratch her belly raw when she has allergy issues after seeing the groomer.

Perfect I have made about 8 of these for my mom....
5 for a guy at work as he has 2 adult dogs and 3 puppies
1 for another guy at work for his female dog
4 over the weekend for a lady my mom knows..
** note to self boy dogs need less under belly bands lol** lesson learned

So give pet sweaters a try trust me for the price of a ball of yarn and a little time it takes me about 4 hours.. I do it watching TV at night..

For my mom's dog I use peaches and cream brand cotton usually $1.25 on sale or $1.99 when regular price for her sweater I need 2 balls ( just over one ball ) so I have leftover yarn (which I will use the leftovers for a scraps to create a scrap sweater)

For other the other dog sweater I have used yarn I had on hand usually picked up from thrift store deals over the last year which ran me about $2.99 for 3 balls of yarn..Regular price for this type of yarn (Red Heart Brand) in a regular store is $2.23 at Walmart per roll.These rolls yield me 2 sweaters per roll with leftover yarn for ( scrap crafts)

** I have a fave yarn now that I pick up from Micheal's...LOVE IT... called Impeccable (Loops and Threads brand) Soft Soft easy to work with no issue snagging or getting knotted...Regular price is $3.99 for a roll which will yield me 2 sweaters. (My have leftover just started using this yesterday) ( scrap crafts)

Verdict: For the time to find a pattern print for free and the price of a ball of yarn lets say you got the $3.99 ball it will yield you 2 sweaters for under $5.00 just using some of your time to create it :O) plus it is hand made :O) even better....

Spring Cleaning???

2011-02-16T10:59:00.003-07:00

I think it should just be for my house called cleaning...plus aka I am a hoarder... Yep....I said it.. I have been working on cleaning my house simple task one room at a time...
We started (when I say we my mom and me) it is hard for me to even start much less get anything done..so with her help-pushing and throwing crap away I am almost done in my bedroom and the bathroom it is

Crazy Prices

2011-02-15T17:50:00.004-07:00

Not a great picture but the best I got....:O) Anyway the point of this picture is grocery prices are crazy. Today I stopped at Trader Joe's to get ground turkey usually at most places Jenni-o brand is around $3.49-$4.99 well I was going to get Trader Joe's Butcher Brand of Turkey it was priced $4.99-$8.99 however KOSHER Ground Turkey was cheaper.....yes you heard me right usually Kosher products are a lot higher but today I got this really nice price....under $3.49...

Day 2 No Kitchen Sink

2011-02-15T16:55:00.002-07:00

It all started with a leaking drippy noisy faucet that has been doing this for almost a year...My dad come over to help fix this issue on Sunday they day when all the stores close early and anything that can go wrong does...

D-Dad turned the water off outside(u see I have a very old mobile home 1972 so we have no turn off valves inside )
D- Dad took faucet apart to pull out the washer assuming this was the issue just needed new ones so off to the store for those.
Got those washers in turned the water back out everything then was leaking around the faucet even underneath it under the sink. Coming down from the top turned water back off.
D- Dad went back to the store to get turn off values to put in the house to keep from running in and out of the house while working on this issue….
Wrong those turn offs didn’t turn off the water in the mobile home under the sink the water was still leaking out…
D-Dad went back to the store to get value turn off/cap it off for right now….
Put those in finally still leaking some (very little) then D-Dad went home for the night as he was not feeling well….
Monday morning D-Dad was to come back and fix the sink Dad was sick- with a very bad something so he was home in bed….
No kitchen sinks what the heck to do?

Step 1 Off to the dollar store I went to get 2 wash basin to uses in the sink

Step 2 Got back home and filled those 2 basins in the bath tub and carried them to kitchen sink trying not to accidentally spill them or drop them…..I did neither... but figured out a better way AFTER I did this…Get a water pitcher (Kool-aid Jug) and fill with hot water and carry with no issues at all.

Verdict: I am thankful from running water in the home…I can’t ok don’t want to imagine pumping water out of a water spigot or even caring water in pails from a creek & heating over an open flame….

Ghetto Veggie Rice Bowl

2011-02-12T19:20:00.009-07:00

This is basically just leftover ingredient I created a rice bowl for my lunch at work...

I had leftover onions so some went into my veggie bowl and the rest into a mason jar as they are glass and the onion smell won't stink up my frig...

Left over pepper why toss them out? Just drop into this dish as well

Leftover Mashed beans and Mexican Rice went into this dish as well

My all time fave ingredient next to onions is cheese I used what I already had pulled out of the refrigerator to make the burritos so this went in as well.
Verdict: Can go wrong with basic leftovers

Mexican Rice Veggie & Cheese Burritos

2011-02-12T19:16:00.007-07:00

Free tortilla from my mom worked perfect for this recipe...

I used waxed paper as it's my preference for burritos wrapping/making..

I love to make up Mexican Rice Recipe or white rice ahead of time to use in recipes. This allows for them to come together quicker. I used in this recipe.

I had these in the freezer I was going to just nuke to heat but then decided sauteed would be better nice and caramelized.

I picked these red onions already pre-diced this morning for $2.00 for 2 containers and that was perfect for this recipe and all I had to do was cooking them until nice and caramelized...

Any kind of cheese is good in these I had some hot pepper cheese but sometime my mom stops over and grabs thing for her and my dad that I keep in the freeze and would hate for my dad to get a hot pepper cheese..(sensitive tummy)

I love beans however I prefer lentils but I had these to use up and that is what I did I mashed them up with some salsa

As stated in the picture ingredients in the center then roll up & wrap in wax paper this allow 4 you to write easily on the wax paper in-case your burritos have different ingredients... it is easy to see in those Freezer Ziploc bags.

Spinach Black Bean Quesadilla

2011-02-12T16:43:00.008-07:00

It started off with a basic recipe here on Thursday morning before work....however I played just grab the leftover ingredients from the refrigerator (as not to waste thing and went with that) as most of you know I am just that way........

I used what type I had on hand from my mom giving me 2 packages of this brand...:O) FREE!!!

The answer is not every picture is perfect as is life and cooking so I like to add a little character to my blogging...I mashed up the leftover chili beans from the lasagna meal the other night..

I yet again a sauteed up some more spinach had I thought this through lol it would already have been done in the frig for this recipe way do 2 batches when you can do it all at once and keep it in the frig until ready to use.

I love my electric skillet for making quesadillas it is quick and easy...I do one with Beans/Spinach/Mushrooms/Green onions and one with cheese..Then I put together and squish with a plate on top :O)
Beans/Spinach/Mushrooms/Green onions

Verdict: I couldn't get enough of this I made 2 and cut into wedges that I took to work to eat later in the afternoon it was perfect can't want to make them again....

Spinach Black Bean Lasagna

2011-02-08T22:48:00.002-07:00

Canned Chili Beans
Leftover Lasagna Noodles
Cream Cheese

Fresh Baby Spinach perfect for this Recipe

I filled the pan and see how much it shrinks down when steams/cooks in a little butter..

I just grabbed a bread pan to layer since it was just for me I would be able to get 2 pieces to eat and 2 to freeze.

Quick Ready the Beans

Do the Layer thing many times

Used the Homemade Veggie Sauce I made earlier that day

Verdict: needed to add more sauce the beans and noodle sucked up the extra broth from the sauce.

Venison Wonton Wraps

2011-02-08T22:47:00.004-07:00

Leftover Venison Roast From My Mom's House
Wonton Wraps
My Mystery Pantry Items Cocktail Onions

Mozzarella Cheese and Box of Mushrooms

Bag of Diced Pepper since right now 1 pepper is colored pepper is $.79 to over a $1.30 each so this was better for me in the long term

Those Cocktail onions were soaked in a vinegar so I want to try to rinse/soak it off to reduce the strong taste..

Butter and some olive oil I sauteed these nice onions :O) YUMMY & squished them up some as well.

Easiest way to do this is get all the ingredients in an assembly line and just roll roll roll

REMEMBER THESE WRAPS IS SMALL NOT LIKE A TORTILLA SO LESS IS BETTER OR IT WILL BREAK..

Damp towel over the wraps so they don't dry out.

This batch I didn't spray with butter and you can see the tops dried some but still very tasty I had to try one...I froze them and gave mom 4 to try...

Crockpot Spaghetti Sauce

2011-02-08T21:33:00.002-07:00

Recipe Here I decided to make a double batch of this new recipe to use and freeze for several different recipes...yes I am sure I added extra this or that of certain things but that is just perfect...

1 box mushrooms
1/2 bag of shredded carrots
2 cups of mixed peppers
2 cans of Diced tomatoes w/ garlic
1 can of tomato paste
2 tbsp of garlic

Brown sugar/Italian Spices/ Kosher Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper

The mushrooms needed to be nicely diced for this recipe

Layering the ingredients (Tossing them in I don't layer anything)

Mixed up the ingredients and added the spices next and stirred them up

And I forgot the minced onions from the cabinet :O) better late then none at all

Verdict: YUMMY KEEPER only change will be to add 2 more huge tbsp of garlic

Broccoli Hot Dish

2011-02-07T22:09:00.005-07:00

Homemade broth I made last week I decided to use in place of the chicken broth due to I didn't want to open a container of chicken broth when I had 4 containers of vegetable broth

Except it was frozen so I quickly ran it under cold water then was able to pop it out of the plastic container & into a large measure cup

The broccoli I had needed to be diced up in to better eatable pieces as well and prepping the leftover broccoli for another meal later in the week saves time.

I have never used crimini mushrooms but I thought I would give them a try in the recipe..and a little butter...

Mystery ingredient I decided to add extra to the recipe since I love onions and well the jar needs to be used up..Cleaning the Pantry

Months ago I got this chicken on clearance and I froze it for quick use later just perfect for this recipe I didn't use 1/2 but I diced it up well.

3 tbsp of flour and some panko bread crumbs

Sauteed the Mushrooms and onions in butter

Added the flour to the butter mixture to make a Roux

A few nights ago I had made Mac & Cheese using a jar of Ragu Cheese Sauce well I have over half of a jar of sauce left so I add 3 big huge spoonfuls of cheese.

Layer the casserole (I just wing it by mixing it all together ) and topped it with panko and some spices :O)

Verdict: Don't it look pretty and yummy?? Well it was very yummy....Keeper for me..The cocktail onions would have been better sauteed in butter and fried nice...

Menu Feb 7-19

2011-02-07T14:40:00.012-07:00

I sat down and created a menu for about 2 + weeks I have been SLACKING in doing and following this to save $$ as well as having meals and not playing the guessing what I am going to take to work or eat for dinner. I have been slacking for months and I have been paying dearly by not eating &/or grabbing stuff out of the house to eat which cost me more then making it myself from home...HELLO Stupid...I can make burritos with Mexican Rice (free have all ingredients) plus shredded cheese (have this as well) and tortillas (this would cost me under $2.00) & I would get this 10 nice homemade burritos with sour cream and salsa (ALSO FREE have in the house) for under $2.00 yet the other day I bought a Rice and Cheese burritos for I am ashamed $3.50 what the hell was I thinking?? I wasn't... So this week I will be making and freezing different types of burritos....guess what my mom bought me tortilla yesterday I just heard about it from her so for FREE!!! I can make 10 burritos can't beat that....

So last night while I was at work I found recipes I wanted to try plus paired that with items I had on hand and created a shopping list of things I need to get like fresh veggies and Dairy products. The following it the recipes and Menu plan....

Right now these are not in order or correctly posted will update later today...

Crockpot Spaghetti Sauce- (New Recipe)

No Meat Added--keep on hand in the freezer portion controlled for single servings (cleaning pantry using up stuff in this will added extra veggie etc)
Using for pizza sauce as well

No Knead Focaccia Bread- (New Recipe)

I will be using this for 2 meals Pizza & Bread

Broccoli Hot Dish

Adding extra things to this recipe to basically clean out things...Dinner & Freezing for lunches

Zucchini, Carrot and Black Bean Quesadillas- (New Recipe)

I have 2 zucchini in the frig that I wanted to find a new recipe to use them in...as well as as leftover carrots/black beans in the freezer and leftover tortillas as well.
1 box of cream cheese to use up

Spinach Black Bean Lasagna- (New Recipe)

Leftover spinach/Leftover Black Beans/ Spaghetti Sauce From above/ anything else I can add :O) oh cream cheese since I have 4 boxes that need a new home in a recipe

All About Wonton Wraps

Venison Wonton Wraps- (Making it up)
Leftover venison roast that my mom made paired with pantry/frig items

No Fry Crab Rangoo (New Recipe)
1 box cream cheese/green onions/ a can of crab meat

Trader Joe Shopping

2011-02-07T14:40:00.007-07:00

A few items I purchased last week and added to this weeks picture due to they will be used in recipes this week :O)

2 bags of ORZO pasta .99 cents each love this pasta from Trader Joe's
1 bag of Rice Blend it was under $2.00
1 spicy mustard LOVE THIS item from here..$1.50 or less
1 package of turkey burgers-4 meals for $3.30 great deal..

3 bags of frozen diced multicolored bell peppers $1. 69 ** I went to 3 different places checking on pepper prices as most of my recipes this 2 weeks called for diced peppers I have know that green peppers are cheapest usually around 50 cent each & red and yellow usually being around 79 cents to over $1.25 each I decided $1.69 and in the freezer (ready to use as much or as little as needed..(Note to self this summer when prices are low freeze some for recipes later in the year)

1 bag of butter lettuce love this stuff $1.99 but I have found that this brand stays fresh for a week where other types/brand this winter have been yucky the next day :O)

1 head of broccoli - I can diced it up myself (I know how) for $1.69 very nice looking

1 bag of molasses cookies very pricey but I budgeted a special treat $3.99

2 cans of Whipped Cream in a can -Love Trader Joe's brand and $2.69 but will last me all month so it was cheap...

Dollar Store Deals

2011-02-07T14:39:00.002-07:00

I started off my day trying to figure out what place was the cheapest for the items I needed for my recipe/menu plan.
First Issue- I was not sure if the dollar store would have all the items I needed since I couldn't remember what day new produce & dairy arrives. Guess what it was today so that helped me with a few things I needed...

5 containers of crimini mushrooms for a $1.00 per container to use in various recipes that I have planned this week...

3 boxes of Land o Lake half and half $1.00 each ...:O) good until March I use 1 a week now in my steel cut oats I eat for breakfast...

1 bag of brown rice I wanted to try eating this (I don't like how dry it gets)

1 can of apple pie filling - Homemade Apple Pockets ( I have crusts in freezer)

2 different cans of olives- never tried either brand but I haven't had olives in awhile so

2 container of chicken broth for emergency use

Not in picture-forgot to place in the photo 2 huge bags of pre-shredded carrots :O)

Menu Feb 2011

2011-02-05T08:02:00.001-07:00

Feb 1- Meatloaf & Mashed Potatoes
Feb 2-Grandma's House Pizza and Wings
Feb 3-Lentil Chicken w/ White Rice
Feb 4-
Feb 5-
Feb 6-
Feb 7-

Homemade Vegetable Broth

2011-02-02T12:20:00.006-07:00

I started off reading a lot of recipes about using scraps (leftover veggies for meals gone by ) by creating a Scrap Bag in the freezer and collecting enough to fill a gallon ziploc from every day leftovers a spoon or carrots or some leftover onions.
Well that would be great however I wanted broth now :O0 Yes instant gratification that is how most people are .So basically set out to figure what I had on hand water/herbs/veggies so I set out to give it a try with what I had on hand in the house.

Step 1 Located my large crockpot- A must for this so I don't have to baby sit it as this afternoon I have a few errands to run and boiling broth on the stove would be a pain. So I poured water into my crockpot I am not sure on the measurement I winged it.

Step 2 I love to have celery on hand when I need it I dice it up and freeze it but then I am left with all these great still use full tops and ends I have ran them before in the food processor to use in recipes that call for celery but this time I used them in this broth...and 2 bags (4 cups) of diced celery went into the freezer for use later :O)

Step 3 This time with the tops and end I gave them a rough chop and dropped them in the the crock-pot along with......

Step 4
I needed to dice up my green onions so I would have them ready to use over the weekend for meals I don't have the time to diced them daily when I wish to use them so I pre-diced and fill up a mason jar with them when needed...Major Time saver so I had leftover tops and bottoms of these as well pieces that were a little wilted so I trimmed the roots of and diced those up as well into the crock-pot they went.

Step 5
As I was raiding my re-frig I noticed this bag of carrots that need to be used up asap & so I rinsed and diced them as well into the broth water they went :O)

Step 6
Other ingredients I added

Minced garlic from a jar that need to be used and 3 tbsp. of parsley dried

Started this around 1 pm....and ending it at 7 pm...Note to self lol start earlier in the am so it can start cooling down around 6pm and be ready to freeze at 9 pm :O)

Verdict: Needed some salt but will add that when using as well as more onions next time but yielded me 8 cups of broth :O)

Crockpot Meatloaf

2011-01-31T22:50:00.003-07:00

I have been hearing that meatloaf in the crockpot works fine well I started of not believing it and saying yeah RIGHT.....

Started off with these ingredients:

Ground Turkey
2 eggs
Milk
Stuffing Mix
Lipton Onion Soup Mix
Garlic

Well 6 hours later in my quick 2 qt crock pot it was done on low :O) YUMMY I will be making meatloaf in the Crock-pot from now on..

Easy Granola Bars

2011-01-26T12:49:00.002-07:00

The second recipe of the day to us up ingredients I have in the house I tried was Easy Granola Bars from Recipe from Here!!!

3 cups of oats
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup of coconut
1 cup sliced almonds
1 cup of chocolate chips
1/2 cup of dried cranberries
1/2 cup of sunflower seeds

Just cut them shortly ago and waiting for them to cool to remove from pan and wrap :O) will update how they went over at work tomorrow

Melt In Your Mouth Shortbread

2011-01-26T12:43:00.003-07:00

I started of the day baking a few things for work tomorrow the first recipe I did was these shortbread cookies that call for only 4 ingredients...RECIPE HERE

1 cup of butter, softened
1/2 cup of powdered sugar
1/4 cup of corn starch
1.5 cups of flour

I had all these ingredients on hand so I whipped up a batch..The were very dry (shortbready) I guess the term would be I think I need a cup of milk with these they are not very sweet and don't really have a buttery flavor. Next time I will try making these smaller is size for bite size pieces and use vanilla to add some flavor.. Dipped in choc may help as well :O)

Spending

2011-01-24T18:24:00.003-07:00

Got this product as well on clearance it use by date is Feb 1, 2011 hello that is over a week a way plus I saved $3.00 for a quick meals for my dd lunches

Coupons

2011-01-24T17:55:00.003-07:00

I hear this all the time Why use coupons? They don't save money! It's a waste of time!

Well Why I was wasting my time at the store I saw Pie Crust on Sale for 99 cents a box. So I grabbed 2 boxes to store in the freezer for use later in the month when I make another Chicken Pot Pie or a Southwestern Pot Pie
Then I saw a better deal !!!! Pie crust on clearance for .49 cents a box then I used the cute little pink coupon for a $1.00 off of on 2 boxes..FREE!!!

Spring Cleaning?

2011-01-24T15:10:00.002-07:00

Cleaning the blog up some so bare with me with all the changes while I make up my mind :O)

Homemade Meal-Tip 1

2011-01-23T14:13:00.003-07:00

1 package of turkey burgers $3.99- yields 4 meals
1 small bag of potatoes $1.00- yields 4 meals
____________________________________
Total $4.99 plus tax Yields 4 meals So why making dinner at home COMMON SENSE!!!!!!!!!

Let's talk about the buns for the Burgers they are optional items for me. The only cost is what you see above. Dress the burger with household ingredients already on hand Shredded Cheese/ Peperoncini & BBQ Sauce.

Potato Talk-Dressed these up as well from the house using half and half (need to use up)then topped it with some leftover spicy green chili salsa that (need to be used)and shredded cheese YUMMY!!!

So still all for under $6.00 Cheaper then McDonald's dollar menu....for 4 burgers and 4 small fries...I also had soda in the house to that was free too :O)

Don't get me wrong I go out for lunch once in awhile but it is always under $6.00.

Wendy's-Spicy Chicken Go Wrap/FRY/Soda-$5.50
Barros Pizza-2 slices and Soda with ranch for $4.50
Little Caesars-Bread-sticks and sauce for $2.50

Chicken & Lentils

2011-01-23T13:19:00.004-07:00

Yet again I went in search of a recipe that can be quickly made as well as having the ingredients usually around the house so I can just whip it up at anytime and this is what I came up with GET RECIPE HERE

Ingredient List Used

Dry Basil- $.89 purchased this product due to not having any ( extra to use)
Rosemary-$.89 purchased this product due to not having any ( extra to use)
1 cup Chicken Broth-Leftover from chicken in the crock pot
1 8 oz can of tomato Sauce
Crushed Garlic
Dehydrated Onions-only have these or green onions on hand
2 Chicken Breast
Minced Carrots

Dice the chicken breasts up to fry some in oil on the stove as I prefer bite size pieces however next time I will diced them smaller as they were still to BIG when trying to eat them.

I used 2 pans one to fry the chicken and the smaller pan to heat up the garlic and onions

Why make chicken broth you may ask well for me it's a no brainer I just saved myself around $1.00 for a can. I also know what is in the broth as well be it veggies or spices that I may add...

Pretty Picture of a meal that was nice however it was very bland even with all the spices and stuff so this is what I added to the recipe when completed & what I plan to add next time as regular ingredients so get a nice flavor.

Trader Joe's Everyday Seasoning-Sea Salt/Mustard Seed/Black Peppercorn/Coriander/Onion/Garlic/Paprika/Red Chili Peppers Flakes

Cumin

Verdict- Keeper with the extra ingredients SO MUCH BETTER !!!!!

Spending Jan 2011 part 4

2011-01-23T12:01:00.005-07:00

Let's get the pay week started with an spending update...
This will help me I hope from spending too much this pay period by tracking it I can see where I go wrong
(beside spending it lol)

Friday- Walmart $7.30 got cash back of $40 used card

Sat-Lunch for my dd $6.60 used card
Sat-Fresh & Easy spent $4.50 used CASH
Sun- Bath & Meds- to stock up a deal $ 15.00 used CASH

Craft Spending

Spent $10.00 on yarn for 8 balls

Receiving Payments

Received $10.00 for one sweater

Crochet Bath Puff

2011-01-18T23:36:00.002-07:00

I decided I wanted to try my hand and Bath Puffs I found this pattern HERE and gave it a try it took me a few hours since I did this while watching a movie with my dd this evening.. Sorry My picture is not great (beige puff) from some scrap yarn I had laying around the house I can already see me making more of these for Family and Friends so SIMPLE...

As I get more done I will update this post with a few new pictures :O)

Update Pet Sweater

2011-01-18T20:15:00.003-07:00

Since I don't personally have a dog I had to use a Very Large Mason Jar that my sweater fit on I created for my mom's Dog pictured below in another post this sweater.
Here is the Dog Measurements

Neck- 10 in
Chest-13.5 in
Middle for belly Band- 14.0 in
Length from Neck to just 1 in above tail-12.5 in long

I plan to create one that has a longer belly belt to assist in keeping the underbelly warm on the dog as well this will be Ok for little GIRL dogs but with a boy you will end up with a WET Sweater...

Thanks for Viewing my Little Pet Sweaters...

Crochet Doggie Sweater

2011-01-15T19:07:00.003-07:00

I originally crocheted this for a cat however it fits my mom's doggie Emma just fine so now I have to make Emma a sweater using the cat pattern as the doggie one is too big for her...I will be ripping out dog one and re-crocheting it yet again I have ripped it out 5 times now..trying to get it created just right... for her... (Emma has a little pink dress on under the sweater due to that was already on her when we tried this on over it and Emma right now is itching like crazy we think she has allergies so she must wear clothes to avoid scratching/ripping up her cutie little tummy.)

Menu Jan 16-31

2011-01-15T18:22:00.008-07:00

Sun 16-Leftover herb potatoes w/ cheese sauce
Mon 17-Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
Tue 18-Leftover Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
Wed 19-Chicken & Lentils over rice
Thu 20-Leftover Chicken & Lentils over rice
Fri 21-Leftover Chicken & Lentils over rice
Sat 22-Macaroni & Cheese w/ Rosemary Bread
Sun 23-Turkey Burger w/ Mashed Potatoes
Mon 24-Leftovers
Tue 25-Toss together Pot Pie
Wed 26-Leftovers
Thu 27-Mashed Potatoes
Fri 28-
Sat 29-
Sun 30
Mon 31-

Crochet Cat Sweater

2011-01-12T19:52:00.004-07:00

I have been working on pet sweaters for my mom's dog when I told my fiance he asked for one for a cat. Pet Sweater for a cat? OK off to locate a pattern first since all my patterns were for Dogs..

Cat Sweater Pattern

For me this is the best I could do for trying to figure out the pattern & I will be making more for dogs trying this on my cat was a job all in it's self and SHE was not happy at all

Homemade Tortillas

2011-01-12T17:28:00.004-07:00

I want to make homemade tortillas in various flavors for a cheaper price most flavors of tortillas around here run over $3 for 12.

Spinach
Cheesy Jalapeno
Garlic
Any other kinds I can think up

So I did a lot of research online viewing various places and various recipes I used 2 recipes to create mine these are the links to the recipes used as well as tips and tricks Spinach tortillas and Tortilla I..

After reading so many recipes & reviews I decided to purchased a tortilla press for a great deal at a local thrift store.

These are the instructions and as well as tips that came with my press

The recipes I reviewed on the net used a few different ingredients in the (Fat area) I chose veggie oil due to 2 reasons I don't eat pork so bacon fat or Lard was not an option plus I never have butter on hand & I prefer to use items that are always in the house.

Veggie Oil
Lard
Bacon Grease
Butter

Grabbed a large mixing bowl dropped in

2 cups of all-purpose
A few shakes of salt
1 tsp. of baking powder
1 tsp. of veggie oil

Some of the recipes use either water or very hot milk. I decided on the warm milk however DD is lactose intolerant so I also needed to use Lactaid milk in place of regular milk.

Into the bowl w/ the flour mixture went the nice warm milk at this point it reminded me of Pancake batter

This is what the mixture looks like when your trying to get it to hold a shape and mix together

Turned it out on to Knead it for about 1-5 mins until it came together I then let it sit at rest for 10 mins

I had wax paper in the house because me and plastic wrap don't work together so well I think we get together to wrestle.

Golf ball size dough balls is what is suggested

So the goal is to flatten the ball & get a round shape right? How about a little bigger these look like Dollar Pancakes right?

I grabbed my rolling pin yes that nice wooden pin that has been in my house for years that never gets used it was my Nanny's.

While I rolled the dough out I also got my electric skillet turn on to 250-350 *F with no oil in the pan just dry skillet.

This is how they look while cooking. Yes I know tiny I was shooting for 8 in size like burritos but these are more like taco size which is fine for my first time. Being honest I wanted bigger :O)

These are my pretty little tortillas :O) I used them to make layered shredded chicken enchiladas

Spending Jan 2011 part 4

2011-01-12T09:44:00.003-07:00

Total 1-8-11 $81.83 from below

Update: 1-12-11

Fresh and Easy $18.20
Fry's $16.11
Quick Trip 4 gas $28.91
Quick Trip 4 cash & soda-$21.30
Orowheat Store $3.56
_____________________
Total 1-12-11 $69.88

Pre-cooked Chicken

2011-01-11T20:15:00.003-07:00

How to use this product?

Chicken Mushroom Pizza
Honey Mustard Chicken Wraps
Shredded Chicken Enchiladas
Mini Shredded Chicken Sandwich

Pizza on a Budget

2011-01-11T19:54:00.004-07:00

Deals at Fresh & Easy yielded me a 2 cheese pizza on clearance for $2.19 each I was able to purchase 2 (I could have bought the other 4 and froze them for use later but had no extra freezer space) ** Need to use up more freezer (frozen food)

Fry's clearance deals ( this is one of my FAVE deals) pre-cooked shredded chicken I picked up 3 containers for a total of $5.37 Now to purchase a whole chicken in the meat department uncooked for $5.00 Since I didn't need more fresh homemade broth ( from a rotisserie chicken)

Hit your pantry grab a few extra ingredients garlic powder/Mushrooms/ Italian seasonings and the shredded chicken.

My dd has issues eating Dairy products (She is lactose intolerant however she can eat small amounts of cheese ( less then 1/4 cup per meal)
First-I removed a lot of shredded cheese & transferred it to my pizza why waste it :O) then added all the extra ingredients..

On my pizza I use green onions as well since I had a full mason jar

Spending Jan 2011 part 3

2011-01-08T06:57:00.005-07:00

I have to find my receipts and give an update here for the week of what I have spent... I may just post weekly my spending still trying to get this going for the new year..& help me really see how much I OVER spend....

Previous $24 from below...
Walgreens $14.44-$4.44 of misc and $10.00 cash back for small purchases out.

Walmart $4.63- Ice cream

Dollar General $8.76- car cell phone charger

Walmart-$21.00-mini SD card for new cell phone

GoodWill- $9.00 misc with dd
_________________________________
Total 1-8-11 $81.83 no more until Thur when I get gas for car.

Spending Jan 2011 part 2

2011-01-08T06:32:00.004-07:00

Well my mom purchased me a new phone so I needed a new cell phone car charger which was not a planned expense however I shopped around before a just grabbed one off the shelf.. But I did I price comparison and think I got a good deal what you think?

Tmobile Store $24.99
Walmart-$14.95
Dollar Stores- None (sometimes I find things here for $1.00 )
Quick Trip Gas Stations-$11.99
Dollar General Store- $8.00

I grabbed one from Dollar General for $8.00 since my Big Lots was not open until 9 and I was out shopping around 7 am (since I had to work) sometimes Big Lots will have chargers for around $5.00 however I was off to work and since I was not sure if my phone (charge was enough since this was a new phone not sure how long it would be charged hour wise)

What I learned about my new cell phone OH Wait I forgot to tell you what kind I got :O) Samsung Gravity 3 - Marine Blue one of those cute (not so new any more style phone that was so in about 8m-1 year ago )keyboard phones for TEXTING. Love that part makes it so much easier for me at work. Since I text a lot while I am at work since I may not be (desire everyone to hear what I have to say) I can text my family & friends while people around me know NOTHING.... NOSY people... Here is a picture of it :O) ain't it cute as a button..

Southwest Chicken Pie

2011-01-03T21:03:00.007-07:00

Well it started off rocky lol as you can see below I found that baking it for 5 mins in my 2 qt circle dish didn’t work so well I rolled out another one and placed that one in my deep dish pie plate that I purchase at a local thrift store for only $2.00 by doing this and watching it start to shrink again I quickly pulled it out and add the other ingredients quickly

Southwestern Chicken Pot Pie Recipe

As usual I used ingredients I had on hand plus using more or less as I prefer as well

2 pie crusts

1 cup of black beans w/ onions

1 cup of Pace Cheese Sauce-leftover from previous meal

1 cup of frozen corn

1 cup of frozen green salsa

1 cup of sour cream

1 cup of diced rotisserie chicken-leftover from previous meal

Cumin

Garlic

Verdict=Love it will be a keeper recipe since you can mix and match using what ever crap you have leftover in your frig before wasting it by dumping in the trash so this meal created Zero Waste….

Crockpot Chicken Broth

2011-01-03T20:48:00.003-07:00

Slow Cooker Chicken Broth Recipe

Why make homemade broth don’t have time?

I started this at 2pm a little late in the day (I got side track with other things) and it finished about 7pm I cooked it on high for 3 hours and 2 hour on low.

What it is very quick and you really don’t have a lot to do except drop all the ingredients in a Crock-pot and turn it on the strain into containers after it cools

I had a rotisserie chicken that I some meat left on it that I couldn't easily pick off plus I really am only a chicken breast type of person but no waste it not good so this broth idea was perfect

This is what I had on hand to make this recipe

Rotisserie chicken (carcass)

Frozen diced Celery

Dehydrated onions

Fresh ground black pepper

Water

This yielded me 6 cups of nice broth