Contemplating...

What a gorgeous day!  The sun totally made me want to get out and do something springy today, so I got my van washed.  I wanted to walk but forgot my shoes so I also vacuumed my van.  While vacuuming I found my shoes. {dang}  Since there were also other treasures found, I ran out of suction time and am left with a very dirty driver's side floor.  {double dang}

I stopped at Wesco and double checked on the rewards cards.  I know the points expire but I asked to be sure. {remember the sixteen found in my house?}  The kind lady told me the points are good for ninety days but to check them online to be sure.  Doesn't it figure that the rewards section is down in order to offer better rewards?!  I could just stand at the pump after work today and swipe them, one at a time, to see if I can be that lucky.  Ha!

One last stop today was at GW Boutique.  I dropped off another three bags and a car ramp thingy.  I not only was handed a receipt but the sweet thing helping me asked if I was interested in Younkers coupons.  Heck yeah!    I forgot to keep a few things out to take to the goodwill sale at Younkers.  Bless her little heart.  She even asked how many coupons I wanted.  Look at me...I take in my junk gently used treasures and leave with three twenty percent off coupons.  WOOT!

I found some recipes in my quest for simplicity for the springtime and thought I'd share here since I'm too lazy to write them down and wanted to remember them for later. just that kind of gal. ☺  Some of these I'm really going to try.  Others are listed for someone else to try and then share a bite with me.  In no particular order...

*Crockpot Brownies {adapted from MS Everyday Food}

8 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1 cup sugar

3 large eggs

1 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)

1 cup chocolate chips

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

Coat the inside of your crockpot with cooking spray. Line the bottom with parchment paper and coat the top of the paper with cooking spray. Melt chocolate and butter together in the microwave in a microwave-safe bowl, stirring after 30 second intervals, until chocolate is melted. Add in sugar and mix well. Then add in eggs and mix well. Set aside. In another bowl, mix together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Add in walnuts and chocolate chips and mix well. Pour dry ingredients into wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Pour into crockpot and smooth top. Cover and cook on low for 3 hours. Uncover and cook for 30 minutes. Insert a knife edge around brownies to loosen and place the crock (out of the pot) on a cooling rack to cool for 20-30 minutes. Turn out brownies and re-invert on cooling rack to continue the cooling process.

*Crockpot Barbecue Chicken

1.5 lbs chicken breasts (or about 4 nice-sized ones)

1 18 oz bottle of barbecue sauce (I like to use Sweet Baby Ray's!)

1/2 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup Italian dressing

2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

This one's easy! Place the chicken in your crockpot. In a bowl mix the BBQ sauce, brown sugar, Italian dressing and Worcestershire sauce together. Pour over chicken and set on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4. Once the chicken is fork tender go ahead and shred it up. All done!!

*Oven Fries {to go with the bbq chicken}

2-3 large baking potatoes

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 Tbsp white sugar

1 tsp olive or vegetable oil

Wash, dry and cut your raw potatoes into large pieces, steak fry size. Place cut potatoes into a large resealable plastic bag. Add in your salt, pepper, sugar and veggie oil. Seal closed and shake until all potato pieces are completely coated. Cover a baking sheet with foil and place potatoes onto your lined baking sheet. Bake at 450 degrees for about 30 minutes or until fries are tender and brown...yet amazingly crispy on the outside!

*Peanut Butter Cup Cookies {these warranted a pic}

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup shortening

3/4 cup white sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup peanut butter

1 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

2 1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

2 cups chopped peanut butter cups

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter, shortening, white and brown sugar together. Add in peanut butter, then your eggs one at a time and then the vanilla. In a separate bowl, mix together flour and baking soda. Add the flour mixture to your peanut butter mixture until well incorporated. Then stir in chopped peanut butter cups. Drop by rounded tablespoons onto an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 7-10 minutes or until just browning. Do NOT over bake!! Let cool for 2-3 minutes before removing from your cookie sheet or they may fall apart!

*Meatloaf Muffins {don't tell Andrew I'm planning on these...he's sure he got the flu from K's meatloaf}

1 pound ground beef (or turkey!)

1 6 oz box of stuffing mix

1 cup water

3/4 cup ketchup

3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

In a large bowl, mix together ground beef, water and stuffing mix until well incorporated. Roll meat mixture into balls and press into the cups of a greased muffin tin. Make small indentations into the tops of the muffins and fill with ketchup. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. Take out meatloaf muffins, sprinkle the tops with shredded cheese and return to the oven for an additional 5 minutes. Mmm...plate up those bad boys and enjoy a delicious meal with your fam.

*Chicken Salad for a Crowd {a new spin on a couple of my standbys}

4 cups shredded or cubed cooked chicken

1 cup light mayonnaise

1 cup diced celery

2 diced green onions

1 1/2 cups dried cranberries

1 tsp seasoning salt

1 tsp paprika

ground pepper to taste

Mix together the mayonnaise, paprika, seasoned salt, celery, onions and dried cranberries in a large bowl. Add chicken and mix until well incorporated. Season with black pepper to taste. Chill for at least one hour in your fridge. Serve with a pretty sliced up tomato, or on croissants, potato rolls or, my favorite, Hawaiian bread rolls! Ooh La La!!

*Gluten-Free Granola Bars {for Kirsten for sure}

1 3/4 cup gluten-free quick-cooking oatmeal

1 1/4 cup gluten-free crisp rice cereal

1/2 cup miniature gluten-free semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/3 cup lightly packed light brown sugar

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1/3 cup honey

Mix oatmeal and rice cereal together in a medium-sized bowl and set aside. In a medium saucepan, mix together brown sugar, oil, and honey. Place over medium-high heat and bring to a gentle boil. Cook, stirring for 1 minute. Remove from heat and pour over oatmeal and rice cereal. Stir until well-coated. Pour mixture into an 8x8 pan (I didn't even grease mine and it is lookin' good!) and lightly pat into pan. Sprinkle chips on top and press down into pan. Let cool, cut into bars and pig out!

*Fruit Salsa {my kind of salsa}

1 apple (granny smith are great but really any variety will do!)

2 bananas

2 kiwi

1-2 cups strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, grapes, mandarin oranges (frozen will even do!)

1 tbsp lime juice

2 tbsp sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Peel and dice your apple, bananas and kiwi and place in a medium size bowl. Mix with lime juice. Then add your additional fruit (dicing up the bigger ones into salsa-sized pieces), sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg and mix well. Refrigerate for 15 minutes to let the juices mix. Serve with cinnamon chips and ENJOY!

*Cinnamon Chips {for scooping the fruit salsa}

1 package of flour tortillas

1/2 cup melted butter

1/4 cup cinnamon

3/4 cup sugar

Mix cinnamon and sugar together in a medium sized bowl and set aside. Cut your tortillas in to chip-sized pieces. Melt butter and brush both sides of the tortilla chips and then dip into the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Place on greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 5-10 minutes. Cool and serve with fruit salsa!!

*A little side note from me to you...I sometimes don't have any butter and instead just spray my tortillas with cooking spray and then dip them in the cinnamon-sugar mixture. They come out just as tasty although I will say that the butter adds a little something extra, call it a buttery-cinnamon gooey-ness if you will :)

*Crockpot Glazed Cinnamon Coffee Cake {not sure I will try...I will eat most of it...someone please do!}

Streusel Topping:

1/4 cup biscuit baking mix (like Bisquick)

1/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Batter:

1 1/2 cups biscuit baking mix

3/4 cup white sugar

1/2 cup vanilla or plain yogurt

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 tsp vanilla

Glaze:

1 tbsp milk plus a little more

1/2 cup powdered sugar

Grease a 4-quart crockpot. Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit the bottom of the stoneware and press into place. Spray with cooking spray too. Blend all streusel ingredients in a small bowl and set aside. Then, mix all batter ingredients in a medium bowl until well blended. Spoon 1/2 batter into crockpot. Sprinkle 1/2 streusel mixture on top and then repeat with remaining batter and streusel. Make glaze and set aside. For glaze, whisk milk and powdered sugar until slightly runny in consistency.

Line lid with 2 paper towels and cover tightly. Cook on high for 1 3/4 to 2 hours or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cake rest 10 minutes and then invert onto plate, peel off parchment paper. Then invert again onto serving platter. Once cool, spoon glaze over top. Eat and enjoy with some coffee...decaf if your preggie like me :)

*Chicken Taco Soup {fo sho}

2-4 chicken breast (depending on size, about 1 pound...these can be frozen too!)

1 can no salt added corn, drained

1 can black beans

1 can chili beans or light red kidney beans

2 cans diced tomatoes with green chilies

1 8oz can tomato sauce

1 12oz bottle of beer (or chicken broth)

1 1.25 oz packet taco seasoning

Place all the above ingredients into your crockpot and mix well. Set on low for 7-8 hours or high for 3-4. Pull the chicken out, shred, and place back into crockpot. Devour!!

Oh, and don't forget the shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream and TACO Doritos chips...this makes it over the top AWESOME!


*Pizza Roll {the boys will dig this...the pic looks amazing...and they can do it themselves}

1 pizza dough recipe or store bought pizza dough

pepperoni, sausage etc.

cooked veggies of your choice

1 cup shredded mozzarella

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1 tbsp Italian seasoning

Spread your dough out onto a greased cookie sheet. Once it is nice and flat and stretched out add the meat and veggies of your choice. Then, sprinkle both cheeses on top. Lastly, sprinkle the Italian seasoning on. Take one short end of the pizza and roll tightly. Once it is all rolled up, pinch in the ends so nothing falls out while baking. Bake at 400 degrees for about 15-20 minutes. Serve with a nice green salad and some tomato sauce for dipping and you have an easy meal for the family tonight. Lovely!

I am now super hungry.

You know how you want a gazillion things when you have no money? {or don't you and it's just me?}  Well I have a current list.  Okay, and you know how once you come into some money you hoard it and spend it on nothing?  Okay, that's definitely me.  It's crazy.  I'm crazy. 

Here's my current list...{from memory}

*duct cleaning
*carpets stretched
*carpets cleaned
*kitchen overhaul
*septic pumped {dreamy, huh?}
*Move for PS3 {still a BIG question mark but still made it to my list...we own the PS3}
*games for said Move
*new PS2 controller {our second one broke}
*new shoes for the fam {limited to athletic shoes. otherwise that creates a whole new list for just me}
*final road payment {who pays for their road??  just glad it's our final payment}

{notice there's not too much fun happening here}

*new basketball hoop {just bought one last year but this one will replace the "old" one}
*Kenny Chesney tickets {okay, not technically on the list but I'm happily going to his concert anyway!!}
*Hot Spot
*washer and dryer {put this on hold for now anyway but it's still on the list}
*new patio umbrella {noticed recently that mine did not get put away with the furniture this year}

So now I have money to do a big chunk of this stuff and what do I want to choose first? {or second or third}  Nothing!  Absolutely nothing!!  Since I cannot decide on what to do, I think I'm gonna wait it out awhile.  Oh, except I am doing the first three things soon.  Tax money pays for that stuff easily.  And the concert.  Definitely doing the concert.  We're gonna have a rockin' good time.  It's my mother's day gift to my hubby. ☺  He keeps wondering where the money's comin' from.  Don't worry, dear.  Gotcha covered. ♥

What would you do with my money?  {for me, of course}