Southern Gifting ... and a Coupon Code!

Through the wonders of modern technology, I have recently "met" a new friend in the on-line world. She has a fabulous and completely fun website that is loaded with amazing monogrammed items for sale. Plus, she makes the most adorable tu-tu's ... seriously, you have to check them out at SouthernGifting.

She has a great coupon code that is good through the end of this month. If you enter "NewBagSale" at checkout, you will receive 10% off your purchase. Also, if you link through to her Facebook site and friend her, she offers a 20% code on your birthday! Now, who doesn't want to treat themselves to something fun, at a discount, on their birthday?! So, go check her out, and have fun cruising around her site. The stuff is seriously adorable!

Use your coupons!

As I was going through one of my supply drawers this week, it reminded me to be thankful I had used all those coupons last summer. And by "last summer" ... I mean 2009. I felt a bit ridiculous at the time, buying bottle after bottle of laundry detergent. But it is a year later, and I still have a storage drawer FULL of those lovely bottles. In the last 12 months ... I have spent exactly $0 on laundry detergent. 

And, for that matter, I have not spent a dime on toothpaste. I still have about 8 tubes in the hall closet, so it will easily be another year before I have to buy any. We have enough shampoo, conditioner, hair gel, soap, lotion and shave gel to last us another year or two. 

It may seem like overkill to buy all those products, spending all that time clipping and sorting coupons and searching for the best deals. But you will thank yourself in the long run. Take an extra 5 minutes today and plan for the future. A year from now, you (and your grocery bill) will be thankful!

Cheese & Tamaters

We tried the yummiest new recipe today! Found it on the back of the bag of frozen shrimp I bought a while back, and it is to die for! It was much more labor-intensive than I anticipated, but that was my own fault ... well, my child contributed to how long it took me to make, but I prefer not to remember those ugly moments this morning. So, here goes ...


1 lb shrimp, peeled & de-veined, finely chopped (use your food processer or food chopper ... don't decide to do it by hand like I did!)
12 Roma tomatoes (found them at Walmart for .38/lb this week!)
1 tbsp oregano (I'm still out, so I substituted tarragon & then added a couple dashes of garlic powder)
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
3 oz feta cheese, finely chopped (we're still dairy-free, so I substituted a little soy parmesan)
3 oz cream cheese (we have none on hand, obviously, so I substituted some red pepper/garlic hummus - WAY yummy!!)
1/2 cup chopped Kalamata olives (don't have them & don't like them, so I just used black olives)


Core the tomatoes & remove all the pulp from inside. Cut a thin slice off the bottom (so they'll stand upright) & place on a non-stick baking sheet. After chopping other ingredients, mix together in a large mixing bowl. Spoon mixture into tomatoes (you may come out with enough for a couple extra tomatoes - I did). Place in 400 degree pre-heated oven for 15-16 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Remove & serve warm.


Seriously, this was beyond yummy. In fact, I'm thinking this may be equally yummy with some of the green tomatoes I'm probably going to be stuck with in my garden this fall. Cheese and tomatoes were created to go together ... I am quite convinced of this. Even with no "real" cheese in this recipe, it made me happy. Total cost was about $4-5. So, for us, it was about $2.50 a serving. For someone who serves this as a side dish, it's probably more like 4 servings. And it's definitely a keeper. I'm still drooling just thinking about it, and I'm not even hungry!!

Veggie Medley Frittata

Okay, as I promised, here is my attempt at a vegetarian meal for my family. Turned out to be a little more work than I anticipated before starting my prep time. But it turned out yummy, so well worth it. Even the kiddo loved it ... veggies and all!


1/2 package Morningstar Farms Veggie Breakfast Bacon Strips
1 cup broccoli florets (which I didn't have, so I substituted zucchini)
3/4 cup sliced mushrooms
2 finely chopped green onions (which none of us care for, so substituted onion powder)
1 cup finely chopped red or green bell pepper
1 tbsp butter or margarine
4 eggs, lightly beaten, or 1 cup refrigerated egg substitute (I used Organic, free-range egg whites from Trader Joe's)
1/4 cup water
1/2 tsp oregano (I was out, so I substituted rosemary)
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (since we haven't re-introduced dairy into our diet yet, we used soy cheese)
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese (same as the Cheddar)
1/2 up chopped tomatoes


Prepare the "bacon" per package directions. Cut into bite size pieces.
In a large skillet, saute broccoli, mushrooms, green onions, and bell peppers in butter until tender. Remove from heat & set aside.
In a mixing bowl, beat together eggs, water, oregano, pepper and garlic powder until foamy.
Stir in "bacon", cheese, tomatoes and broccoli mixture. Pour into a greased shallow 1 1/2 quart baking dish. Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

I actually doubled the recipe, and we have enough leftovers for another meal for all 3 of us. Total cost was about $9-10. If you make it as listed above, cost should be about half of that. Cost per serving is about $1.75, which is decent to my way of thinking. Next time around, I'll probably use something like ground turkey or sausage, something along those lines (although the fake bacon really wasn't bad). Also, if you use the non-soy version of cheese ... probably a little cheaper, since that stuff is not cheap. It was an experiment for this recipe. I will probably just wait until we're both eating dairy again and use the real stuff next time!


This seemed to be a pretty kid-friendly recipe. My kiddo usually spits out bell pepper, and she was practically inhaling them. She is not usually fond of zucchini either, and she ate every bite. Definitely a successful meal when the kids eat all their veggies!

I'm back!

I know. It's been forever! And we still aren't entirely done with the home projects. But things are under control enough that I have a few free moments again ... so yay!


I am currently contemplating all the veggies I will soon have. We have determined that our mystery squash plant is some sort of monstrous killer pumpkin plant. The thing has taken over half our garden and is growing into the yard now. Looks like we're going to have 30+ pumpkins. So, if you live in the Hillsboro area and are looking for pumpkins in about a month ... see me! Our corn, potatoes, green beans and tomatoes have just taken off. Finally starting to harvest some tomatoes, and I'm seeing signs of growth on the bean plants. I'm starting to get excited about all the produce I'm not going to be buying soon. In the meantime, though, we are eating lots of zucchini, since it's in season and fairly cheap.


Trying another new recipe today, and I figured I would pass it along. It's a pretty simple one, which is my favorite kind. And the cost is so minimal that it's almost laughable. Our entire dinner tonight will probably cost about $1.50.  I am borrowing this recipe from Dr. A's Habits of Health. I made a couple minor adjustments to fit what was in my pantry, but otherwise, this is it. Balsamic Glazed Chicken with Rosemary:


Two 6-ounce boneless/skinless chicken breasts (purchased frozen & on sale - about $1.00)
2 tbsp diced onion (which I don't have on hand, so I am substituting 1/4 tsp onion powder)
1 tbsp minced garlic
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup water
1 tsp olive oil
1 sprig fresh rosemary, chopped fine (also don't have, so I substituted a couple dashes of some rosemary garlic seasoning I had in the spice cupboard)
1/4 tsp black pepper


Combine onion, garlic, vinegar, pepper, water, oil and rosemary in a bowl. Add chicken and marinate for 2-3 hours or overnight. Remove chicken from marinade and pat dry. Heat grill or set broiler to high and cook chicken for 4-5 minutes. Turn and cook for 3-4 minutes more or until cooked through. Remove from heat and serve. Makes 2 portions (I threw in a couple extra ounces of chicken, so there's enough for a toddler portion).


I plan to dice the chicken and add it to a salad - lettuce, spinach, mushrooms and tomatoes. Probably not even 50 cents worth of food, but we'll say it is, just because. :-)


Check back tomorrow. I'm planning one of my new vegetarian recipes and will be posting the recipe. I almost wish I'd made it today, because just reading the recipe has had my mouth watering for the last 3 days!