Crispy & Golden Oven Roasted Potatoes

These potatoes are very yummy and quite the crowd pleaser!  Seasoned well and cooked to golden perfection, they provide a great side dish for a bunch of different meals.  Here's how I cook them:

Ingredients:

Potatoes (We love red potatoes!)

Olive Oil

Salt

Pepper

Garlic Powder

Oregano

Preheat the oven to 425 F.  Chop a bunch of potatoes into half inch cubes.  I personally like leaving the skin on them, but you can peel them first if you'd like.  Place the cubed potatoes into a large bowl.  Drizzle with olive oil and add seasonings to taste. Toss ingredients together and spread them out evenly in a single layer on an ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake for 10 minutes.  Turn off the oven and set your broiler to high.  Turn the potatoes over with a spatula and broil for 10 min. Turn the potatoes over once more and broil for 10 more minutes or until all sides are golden and crispy.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before serving.

Enjoy!

Sewing with Scraps

I love making tiny little clothes with leftover scraps of cloth.  Here's a little dress I sewed this week for my husband's little cousin A that I babysit three mornings a week.  In case you can't tell, she's a ham in front of the camera :)

This dress is a simple tube top with a gathered skirt and strap sleeves.  i made the skirt part by sewing together all kinds of little squares I had left over.  You can't really tell because the pattern is so busy!

I followed this tutorial to make the fabric flower yoyo.

A loves her dress and already tried it on three times this morning :)

What do you do with leftover fabric scraps?

Easy Refashion: Maxi Dress to Maxi Skirt

Some of you may have seen that my husband bought me A SEWING MACHINE FOR MY BIRTHDAY!! In case you can't tell, I'm really excited!

Man..now that I have sewing equipment...the possibilities are endless!

There are a few things in my closet that I am planning to repurpose/refashion.  My first garment to attack was this semi ugly maxi dress that I bought 4 years ago at Forever 21 for $10.

It served its purpose for awhile, but it hung really weird and was a tad short. Not too mention it was just way too much green. I decided to scrap it and turn it into a cute maxi skirt instead.

I started off  by chopping off the top.

Then I measured around my waist where I wanted the skirt to sit.  I subtracted 3 or 4 inches from that measurement, giving me the length of my waistband.  The reason I took 3 or 4 inches off is because this fabric is very stretchy and I wanted it to fit snugly around my waist.

I cut the waistband from the top of the material.  Since the material is folded in half, I just measured half the length of the waistband from one of the sides.  I wanted my waistband to be about 3 inches wide when finished, so doubled that to allow for folding it over (you'll see this later.)

I quickly sewed up the open side (short end) of the waistband and then folded it in half lengthwise.

Ta da..WAISTBAND! :)  This is essentially going to function as an elastic.  The actual skirt will be much wider.  I had to stretch the waist band as I sewed it to the skirt.  The result was a gathered skirt.  And here's how you do that:

Cut the remaining part of the dress to the appropriate length.  I simply evened off the top of it that way I could keep the original side seams and hem.  Next, pin the waistband to the top of the skirt, right sides together.  Start by pinning the side seams of the waistband to the side seams of the skirt.  Stretch the waistband and pin in several other spots to keep it roughly in place.  This part is tricky.  You want it to have an even amount of stretch all the way around, or else your skirt will be more gathered in certain places than in others.

Sew the waistband to the skirt.  Start at one of your pins.  Stretch the waistband between pins as you sew so that it fits the skirt.  I used a stretch zig zag stitch for this.  When you are finished sewing the waistband in place, flip it up and admire your work  :)  The entire project only took me like 15 minutes.

My waistband ended up stretching a little more than I had planned on.  In the future if I do this again, I will cut the waistband even smaller to allow for it to stretch out a little.  However, I am please with the results and know I will use this skirt much more often than I wore the ugly dress version.  Can't wait for spring!!!

Try to ignore my bright green socks peeking out :)

Home Improvement Project: The Little Things...

Today I am joining the Home Improvement Linky Party over at A Living Sacrifice to show you a couple of very small things I have accomplished in my home.

You've already read a few different posts on this blog regarding my new grocery shopping goals for this year, my system for grocery shopping, and my two week meal plan.  Continuing on with this theme, I came up with two things that make me smile every time I use them--which is quite often!

First of all, I wanted to have something attractive to write my two week menu plan out on.  I had tried this system before, but didn't really like how it worked.  I prefer just writing out my meal ideas without assigning them to a specific day.  That way I can just pick whichever one sounds good on any given day :).  Here's what I came up with:

Menu by

After printing it, I simply popped it into a plastic page protector and wrote my meals on it with a marker.  Simple and easy to use!

This project led to the inspiration of my second project. I decided to update my grocery staples list and format it to match my new menu sheet.  Here's what it looks like:

Grocery Staples by

This list got popped into a plastic sleeve as well and then I hung both on my refrigerator.  I'm loving the colors and the functionality!

What home improvement projects have you been working on lately? 

What's for Dinner?

Today is shopping day! And with shopping day comes my meal plan for the next two weeks.  Here's a peek at what we might be eating over the next few days:

Ranch Chicken & Rice with Tossed Salad

Crispy Oven Fried Chicken with Mashed Potatoes & Carrots

Chicken & Broccoli Casserole

Stir Fry

Lemon Baked Chicken & Veggies

Braised Paprika Chicken with Mashed Potatoes & Green Beans

Tacos

Cheesy Vegetable Chowder with Rolls

Lipton Soup Chicken with Tossed Salad

Spaghetti with Tossed Salad & Garlic Rolls


Notice a chicken theme going on here? That's because its the healthiest, most versatile,  and least expensive meat we can get!   I try to mix it up and create as many different dishes as I can.  We actually don't get tired of it!

Here are a couple of our new favorites from the list above:

Ranch Chicken & Rice

1 T vegetable oil

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast

1 cup rice

1 can cream of chicken soup

3/4 cup chicken broth or milk

1 packet ranch seasoning

Heat the oil in a nonstick skillet.  Add the chicken and cook for 10 min, until browned on both sides.  Whisk together broth/milk, chicken soup, and 1/2 packet of ranch seasoning.  Add to skillet and heat to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer until chicken is cooked through. Sprinkle with paprika and serve with the ranch style rice.

Ranch style rice: heat 2 1/3 cups of water and the remaining ranch seasoning in 3 quart sauce pan to a boil.  Stir in 1 cup of uncooked rice and cook according to directions.

Braised Paprika Chicken

3 lb bone-in chicken pieces (thighs, drumsticks)

3/4 t coarse salt

1/2 t ground pepper

2 T canola oil

1 t butter

1 large diced onion

pinch of sugar

1 c diced red bell pepper

2 T tomato paste

2 T sweet paprika

1 t crushed red pepper

1 t dried marjoram

1 c chicken broth

1/2 c sour cream

1 T flour

2 T parsley, dill, or chives

Pat chicken pieces dry and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper. Heat oil and butter in a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat.  Add onions and sprinkle with sugar.  Cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are very soft and light brown.  Stir in bell peppers, tomato paste, paprika, and crushed red pepper.  Add the chicken and stir it gently into the onion mixture. Sprinkle with marjoram and add broth. Cover the pot and simmer over medium-low heat until the chicken is very tender, about 50 min.

Just before the chicken is done, whisk sour cream, flour, and the remaining 1/4 t of salt in a small bowl until smooth.  When the chicken is done, remove it to a plate.  Stir the sour cream mixture into the sauce; return to a simmer and cook, stirring, until the sauce coats the spoon.  Reduce heat to low, return the chicken to the sauce and reheat, about 1 min.  Serve garnished with parsley, dill, and/or chives, if desired.

The Finer Points of Grocery Shopping

Not too long ago, I shared some goals with you that I have set out to accomplish during 2013. I'm so excited to report that I have been able to stick to these goals pretty faithfully and have seen some amazing results!

Probably the area in which I've seen the most progress is our grocery budget. If you've kept up with my blog, you know that my goal was to switch over from grocery shopping every week to going every two weeks. Friends, let me just say, this has resulted in some wonderful financial changes! We have been able to save 30%-40% just by carefully planning and going to the store fewer times. I don't know why, but staying away from stores keeps you from spending money (shocker, right?)! You eventually just get into the habit of going without if it's not in your cupboards. 

In order to keep this pattern of savings up, I've really had to work on a system to carefully plan out my grocery shopping trips. 

1. Create a Staples List

I believe I've briefly mentioned this before--but having a staples list has drastically changed my grocery shopping strategy for the good! Honestly, it cuts down on the amount of time I spend making out a grocery list and helps me quickly identify what I am lacking in my cupboards.

To create a staples list, I simply searched for some good pantry lists online and then compiled my own making sure to include all of our "regular" items that I feel I MUST have available. I grouped the items into logical categories to make sure I didn't leave anything out. Once I was sure I had everything on it and I liked how it looked, I printed it off and currently have it hanging on my refrigerator.

When it is time to make out my grocery list, I take the list and read through it while checking my cupboards to make sure I have each item in stock. If I find something is missing or about to run out, I add it to my shopping list. Easy peasy!

Here is a copy of my personal list. Feel free to download it and use it, or let me know if you want me to personalize the title with your name. 

Pantry Items by Kati Gibbons

2. Look for the Best Deals

I have three different stores that I do my grocery shopping. The reason being that they are the stores that I have found the best deals at for the items I normally buy.

Aldi
If you don't have an Aldi in your area, I am so sorry! This store is hands down my favorite. I buy pretty much everything I can here. The prices are wonderful and usually end up being cheaper than using coupons at another store. Aldi has gorgeous produce that is fresh and of good quality. The downside is that they don't carry every single item I usually need. However, I am usually able to buy about 90% of our groceries here. Aldi has been a huge help in maintaining a low grocery budget!

Wegmans
Wegmans typically chooses several items to set at a sale price which is locked in for a period of 6 months or so. This is great because it makes for dependable savings. I find that Wegmans is pretty expensive on most everything, but we use their locked in savings for purchasing our meat. While their prices are pretty much the same as Walmarts, the quality is no comparison whatsoever! Everything is fresh, and my favorite part is that they individually package chicken breasts making it super easy to store them in my freezer! I've also been taking advantage of their frozen veggies which are currently locked in at 99 cents a bag.

Walmart
Let's face it...we have to en up at Walmart at some point! Basically Walmart ends up being our catch all for whatever we couldn't find at Aldi or Wegmans.

By doing some research and finding these stores that can offer me consistently low prices on items I use every week, I've been able to save week after week without going crazy with hopping around from store to store and spending hours pouring over ads. Simple dependablity works wonders for me! 

3. Count the Cost

Once I have a completed grocery shopping list, I figure out how much I'm going to spend. Normally, I can remember approximately how much each item costs at the store that I buy it. If I can't remember, I use the store's website or flyer to joggle my memory. If for some reason I can only find a ball park figure, I shoot high and round up the cost. It's way more fun to be pleasantly surprised when you spend LESS than anticipated rather than finding out you are going OVER what you had planned.

I add up everything up so I know exactly how much money to plan on. I have a budgeted amount that I like to stay around or under. If I find I have gone over that amount after adding everything up, I start pruning my grocery list to get rid of things I think I can do without. There are always little extras I find I can discard until next time. When I'm all done, my grocery list usually looks something like this: 

Shopping List by Kati Gibbons

4. Stick to It

This is the most important part of the plan! Unless I absolutely stay focused on getting what is on my list, I tend to wander around and see things that I talk myself into "needing." This is so dangerous and leads to the biggest budget crasher ever! Don't let yourself fall into that trap. I like to hold my list and cross each item off as I place it in my cart. If I stick to my list and buy only what I've planned for, shopping really goes much faster as well! Saving time and money all in one shebang!

Obviously there are times when you will have to improvise. For example, if you forget to add something crucial to your list.


Planning like this has the potential of leading you down a miserly, worry wart path. Choose not to take that direction either. It is almost as bad as being a money waster. Seriously, no one likes someone who is cheap and never does anything special! I've learned that if I've done my part in planning out my meals and grocery shopping list, we usually have some buffer room to allow for "special" things like ice cream, or breakfast at McDonalds, or a coffee date at Dunkin' Donuts. Don't let your zeal for saving rob you of the joy of doing small spontaneous things with people you love. Trust me, it's a lesson I had to learn :).

Pretzels..YUM!

This weekend I made soft pretzels for the first time.  I was on pinterest, saw a picture of a pretzel, and BAM that's all it took! It sounded SO GOOD!

The recipe I used was meant to mimic Auntie Annie's Pretzels--which we all know are the best thing in the world since apple pie.  They obviously didn't come out exactly like Annie's, but they were so soft and yummy that they were totally worth it!

To make these pretzels, start by warming two cups of milk in the microwave for 2 minutes.  Dump the milk into the bowl of an electric mixer and sprinkle two packets of dry yeast into it.  Let stand for 5 minutes or until the yeast is bubbly.

Add 6 Tbl of brown sugar, 4 Tbs butter (softened), 2 tsp of salt, and 1 cup of flour.  Mix together using the whisk attachment until blended.

Add 3 1/2 more cups of flour.  Switch to the hook attachment and knead until the dough is elastic and pulls away from the edges of the bowl.  You may need to add a little bit of extra flour if the dough seems too sticky.  However, keep in mind that this dough will be stickier than bread dough as it is meant to be very soft.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a towel and set aside until doubled (approximately 1 hour).  During this time, preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Once the dough has doubled, uncover it and punch it down.  Lightly flour the surface of your counter.  Divide the dough into twelve equal parts, placing each piece on the floured surface.  Cover the dough with plastic wrap to keep it from forming a dry crust.

In a separate bowl, whisk together 2 cups of water and 1/3 cup of baking soda.  Take one of your pieces of dough and roll it between your hands until you have a very long and skinny "snake".  This part was fun and reminded me of playing with play dough when I was little :).  The longer and skinnier you make the snake, the thinner and more pretzel-like your pretzel will come out.  I actually made mine a little too thick.  Keep in mind that the dough is going to rise again while its baking.  

Take your snake and fold it in half, then dip it in the baking soda water.  Transfer the snake onto a greased cookie sheet and form it into a pretzel.  The baking soda water is going to make the dough brown and crispy and give it the characteristic pretzel "taste".

Continue until your baking sheet is full.  I was only able to do 4-6 at a time, depending on the size of the cookie sheet.  Pop your the pretzels into the oven for 7-8 minutes.  If your pretzels come out fat like mine, you might need a little extra time for the centers to cook through.  You DO NOT want to overcook them or they will not be soft.

Immediately brush the tops with melted butter and sprinkle with rock salt or cinnamon and sugar.  

Seriously try not to eat them all in one sitting!! FYI: They reheat fabulously if you pop them into the microwave for 20 seconds...almost as good as the first time around.

This recipe would be fun to do with children as they would LOVE rolling out the "snakes"!