HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!

Well, fine... a little early... LOL

and that's not the greatest picture but it does it's job.

It's what you get when you add food coloring to white cake and bake it... and color the frosting and then chill separately and combine.

How fun was that?

I call the above plating: firework

and it's on the menu...

well....

This is most of what I had to start with on hand... the left over pizza was good for two meals... the blueberries lasted for 3... the left over fajita stuff for 2... well... one... one good in theory but not in execution.

I only spent $17 on groceries this week because of having things on hand as you can see.

I have come to the conclusion that I need to up the goal to $30 a week because I will not always have leftovers and staples on hand to work with. I had a few separate budgets this week as well so I don't feel that I really did a good job with it.

So... will shelve the project in favor of just making sure to keep my fast food eating under control, which does allow me to actually focus on having a focused grocery list. I haven't filled up my fridge with frivolous purchases this week, which has been refreshing.

This week: company coming on Friday ... and need to make a cheesecake for work. So will resume my goal then of trying to post more this month for sure. I may make July a challenge month of trying to blog every day - or not, because I do have a vacation in there and not all of it will have a good internet connection. hmm... we'll see.

Grocery update....

Okay... off and running today...

Spent $3.55 at grocery outlet on juice, feta cheese and some fizzy water. Not too bad of a start...

Did not stop and get the other things yet because well... I still have them and maybe I don't need to buy everything all in one shopping stop.

The ads change tomorrow... (will post fridge pictures soon...) but here's the run down... today... I ate- out of my fridge... well, and counter:

1 strawberry lemonade cupcake - YUMMY!!!!

1 container strawberry/banana yogurt with about a cup of blueberries
2 slices left over pizza
1 single serve hummus with pretzels from my desk at work.

2 cheese quesadilas

1 fantastically yummy peanut butter cup cupcake.

no pictures of the cupcakes... they were way too yummy to stop and take a picture. Will try to have more resolve later and do so... in the mean time... www.pinkabellacupcakes.com is the website *swoon*

tried: peanut butter cup, strawberry lemonade, root beer float and salted caramel.

lovely, lovely...

right now - the salted caramel is better from cupcake royale, but only because the frosting is more of a caramel ganache type thick and gooey frosting. this one is a lightly caramel butter cream - still yummy but not what I'm looking for.

all and all - on the menu!

coming soon...

New Bloggy fun!!!!

On my other blog, I'm launching a challenge to myself to track my fast food eating ... coffee eating ... etc... starting June 1. I predicted that I would/could potentially log in 50 times that this is the case for my eating.

I can cook. really.

I just don't do it that often.

1. I despise most leftovers.

2. I hate cooking for just me.

therefore, I really don't like to cook for just me. It would be totally different if there was someone else to cook for. I really can count on one hand just what I cook that I don't mind eating for leftovers - and it's really less than 5.

So... what typically happens is I will get inspired to make something... buy a whole bunch of special ingredients and then between the shopping and home, decide that fast food is better because... oh, I forgot something. I'll make it tomorrow.

tomorrow comes... stop and purchase the 1 crucial ingredient and decide again, not in to cooking.

by the time I cook... the original idea is totally skipped and the ingredients are turned into something else and then either I barely eat a serving... or... I never make anything at all and end up wasting money because I throw it away.

I really... really... need someone else to cook for.

So here's the bloggy fun.

I am going to try and make it through each week by only spending $20 on groceries. There is a separate fast food and coffee budget. Most of my grocery money is spent on lunch and breakfast stuff anyway, but I'm going to try and do a couple dinners a week too.

For instance, at the end of this week, I have tickets to the Seattle Storm game.. Saturday will be a fast food day for sure. Sunday may as well, as I have Mariner tickets. Today, is a holiday so where I have splurged on a fast food lunch, and cupcakes from a new find at the mall (pinkabella - $3 each but so far, I LOOOOVE the 2 I've eaten...) Plus - it's not June yet... the fast food thing starts on Wednesday.

But the grocery thing starts today. Well, technically tomorrow because I have not needed to shop today. So tomorrow, I will take pictures of what I have on hand to work with and then go out to limit myself to $20 of groceries. That does include the staples - milk... etc. So that grocery budget could fluctuate a bit depending on what I'm out of. Just had company so a little low on milk, but we didn't eat the bread so I have a whole loaf to work with.

I'm starting to get a bit excited by the prospect. LOL

See you soon... with some creative stuff on the menu! (I hope...)

I lied...

I didn't mean to...

But I really didn't feel like discussing at length how to make the cupcake thingy's. So... www.bakerella.com visit her site! She is the one I grabbed the idea from. She's got tons of ideas and a book! But... I prefer to make them cupcakes all the time.

So, now on two what is on my menu!

My version of Chile Colorado!

In the crockpot:

1 large can red enchilada sauce

1 14 oz can pumpkin

1 can french onion soup

1 package taco or chili seasoning

Stir well.

Add:

2 pounds beef stew meat seasoned with salt, pepper and a dash or two... four... of worchestshire sauce.

Cook in crockpot for 6 to 8 hours, until meat is fork tender.

At the 6 to 8 hour mark, mix a little cornstarch with water and stir in - I like mine a little thicker.

You can eat it in tortillas or over noodles... or as pictured above - over rice, covered with shredded cheese and served with a side of tortilla chips and salsa with sour cream

YUMMMMM!

totally, completely on the menu (and on the menu as leftovers too!)

Just a little visual...

More later next time as I explain more about making these sweet little cupcakes....

2011

Happy New Year!!!

I'd meant to post this closer to Christmas but time got in a huge rush and sped on by me. The picture you see above is a picture of the only Christmas Cookies that I managed to make and the recipe is one of simple nature. They have been very popular and I think I will definitely be making them more frequently.

Peppermint Cookie Cups

1 pkg sugar cookie mix
1 stick butter
1 egg
1/2 bottle peppermint extract
Dark Chocolate Hershey Kisses
Red wilton candy melts
crushed candy canes

Mix the sugar cookies with the butter, egg and extract. Put into mini muffin tins and bake according to directions on cookie mix package.

Pull tin out of oven and insert kiss upside down into the cookie. Cool slightly in tins before removing cookie and repeating process as needed. Cool on rack until kiss turns mostly solid again.

Drizzle with melted candy melts and sprinkle with the candy.

Freezes well and stores well... and

totally on the menu!