Where did I go?

Ooops. It's been a while since I've posted. I have lots to write about and will be back soon. Here's what I've been doing the past few months:

 A lot of this...

...and this...

...a little of this...

...some of this...

... and plenty of this.

Creamy Potato Soup

I've been on a soup kick lately. I'm sure it has something to do with the cast iron, enameled Dutch oven...

I've posted my recipe for a creamy potato soup. Like the chicken soup, you can add more or less of what sounds good to you.

Ingredients:
several strips of bacon (2-5)
onion, chopped
garlic, chopped
carrots, chopped
celery, chopped
potatoes, chopped (or tiny ones)
chicken broth
salt and pepper
thyme

milk and/or half-n-half
corn starch or flour
corn (optional)
green beans, peas, etc (optional)

sour cream
shredded cheese


Directions:
Heat the Dutch oven or a large pot. Add the strips of bacon and cook until crispy. Remove from pot, drain on a paper towel, and crumble.


Add onion and garlic to the drippings. Add carrots, celery, potatoes, salt and pepper and thyme.


Add enough broth to cover the veggies. You can use a mixture of water and broth if you want. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cover until potatoes are done. Add the optional veggies.



Add milk and/or half-n-half. If you like a thicker soup, add a little corn starch or flour. To do that, ladle some broth into a bowl. Whisk in the corn starch or flour and stir back into the pot.

Serve with shredded cheese, sour cream and bacon crumbles.


Hope you enjoy!

Homemade Chicken Soup

Chicken soup is SUPER easy to make and WAY better than anything you'll find in a can. I came up with this recipe while I was in grad school. I wanted a meal that was full of veggies, hearty and quick. 

As you'll see there aren't many exact measurements. You can add more or less of whatever tastes good to you.

Ingredients:
1 onion, chopped
2 or 3 cloves of garlic (crushed or minced)
carrots, chopped

celery, chopped
salt
pepper
thyme
2-4 chicken breasts
32 oz. or more chicken broth (or a mixture of broth and water)
potatoes or noodles
peas
green beans
lima beans
corn


Directions:
Heat a small amount of oil in a large pot. Simmer onion, garlic, celery, and carrots for a few minutes. Sprinkle salt, pepper and thyme over veggies. Add broth. Add whole chicken breasts. Remove the chicken when cooked and shred. If using potatoes, add those with the chicken. Add any of the other veggies once the chicken has been returned to the pot. If using noodles, add those and cook until tender. Milk and butter can be added near the end to make a creamier base.

 

Punch Recipes

If you're planning a holiday party this season, you should plan to serve punch. The ingredients are generally inexpensive and guests usually sip at it (meaning they don't drink as much as they would if you served sodas). Look for a great punch bowl at yard sales or the flea market. I got mine for $4 and it came with a dozen matching cups.

There are tons of recipes for punch. A few tips:
1. Add the (chilled) ginger ale or other soda just before serving.
2. Pour into the bowl by pouring punch into the ladle as it goes into the bowl. This will keep it from splashing all over you outfit.
3. To keep the punch cold without watering it down, make an ice ring by freezing some of the punch in a bundt pan. Place the ring in the bowl just before serving.
4. Most recipes can easily be doubled, tripled, etc. You can basically use the recipe as a proportion.


Here are some of my favorite recipes:


Basic Red Punch
bottle fruit punch
1/2 bottle ginger ale
 Cranberry-Orange Punch
bottle cranberry juice (cranberry cocktail is fine)
most of a bottle of Triple Sec 
bottle ginger ale

White Punch
bottle white grape juice
can  
1/2 bottle ginger ale

Ice Tea Punch
iced tea (sweet, of course!)
lemon juice
orange juice
ginger ale
mint sprigs (optional) 

Food Philosophy

While I like all things domestic, I LOVE food. I'll post more about my love of food later but for now I need some help from my wonderful readers.

What's your food philosophy?
What do you like most about food?
If you live around Raleigh, what's your favorite thing about food in the Triangle?
What keeps you eating amazing food?

Thanks a bunch!

PS: Please comment here on the blog and not on Facebook. =)

couponing and bulk shopping

So obviously people have been trying to save money more than usual lately. While VIC cards, coupons and ECB (from CVS) have been around a while, I feel like people are paying extra attention to the great deals they can get.

These days, almost every store has some sort of loyalty card or program. My wallet is overflowing with them.  All the deals at the different stores can be more than a little overwhelming. 

There are plenty of sites that can keep you up to speed on coupons or which drug store has the best deal on toothpaste that week. Here are a couple I've heard good things about: couponmom.com and southernsavers.com 

I've also joined Costco. Buying in bulk is supposed to save money, right?


However, I've realized a few things in my money saving experiences:

I don't always use the things that have coupons. I don't eat Apple Jacks or use single use face wash cloths. So many coupons have no value to me. I make so much of my own food or try to eat healthier than some stuff that comes in boxes.


It involves stocking up and maybe spending a little more money one month. For instance, I have at least a six month supply of toilet paper. It has helped cut down on trips to Target and thus, random purchases. Stocking up on dog and cat food is also good since they eat the same thing every day. But as a single person, it's difficult to stock up too much on refrigerated items. 


I already look for the best deal. I try to use generic when possible or whatever is on special that day. My mom long ago taught me to figure out which item was the best deal per ounce. (Ok, she doesn't like math so I think she taught me so that she didn't have to do it.)


I buy so little of some things throughout the year that it almost doesn't matter if I save 50 cents on it. For instance, I only buy shampoo or toothpaste a few times a year. I'm the only one using it so it lasts a good while. 


I see the value in saving money. And certainly a little adds up throughout the year. But as a single person, it seems to be a little more difficult. I think that a couple would have more success with coupons and bulk buying. And a family would certainly be able to make a big impact on their savings.


A few things I do to save money that doesn't neccessarily involve coupons or deals:


Make my own frozen meals. I freeze leftovers in smaller freezer bags. This makes them meal size and easy to grab out of the freezer when I'm in a hurry or too lazy to cook.


Make my own cleaners. Vinegar and baking soda are quite cheap. I also use old rags for cleaning so I don't often buy paper towels (and also cuts down on these impulse purchases at Target.)



What do you do to save money? Have you been able to successfully navigate the couponing sites?

confession

I HATE unloading the dishwasher. I have no idea why. It only takes about 10 minutes to put everything away. As kids, my brother and I would trade unloading the dishwasher for doing the other's entire week of chores. That's how much we didn't like doing it. 


So there you go. While I'm an aspiring domestic diva, I do have my flaws. ;)