Sunday, September 23, 2012

Crockpot Beef Stew

What you need~
1 pound stew meat
6 potatoes peeled and cubed
6 carrots peeled and chunk cut
2 stalks of celery diced
1/4 onion diced
1 large clove of garlic minced
1 quart of Beef Broth or Stock or water ...doesn't matter honestly!
2 packets of beef stew mix
2 cups of flour with 1T. salt added

TOTAL COST~ roughly 10 bucks for a large crock pot full of beef stew!



First take the meat cut the chunks smaller into bite size...they will be super tender that way. Then place the pieces all at once in flour....in a large skillet add in 2T. margarine or butter and 2T. oil and make it hot.... we want to sear the meat... then take meat and coat in with your fingers and strain off excess flour ...we want  dry flour dredged meat. Then place meat in skillet and in a single layer and brown up ...but not totally cook...so around 5 minutes tops in pan. Place in crock pot.

Then saute up the garlic and onion on medium low until the onion turn translucent or clear like color... add into the meat.
Mix together the beef stew packet and broth in the pan...don't rinse pan a all... we want all the flavors from meat, and onions. Mix up for a minute or so then dump into the meat sitting in crock pot.

Peel, cut and dice up the veggies and place in the crock pot. Keep pieces small if cooking a short time. But never make them to big it would take more than a bite.
Place the lid on crock pot...and cook high 3 hours or low 6-8 hours.
This is the beautiful dish once its cooked and tender :) Enjoy with some biscuits, cornbread or homemade dinner rolls. :) The meat is sooo tender it melts in my mouth and the veggies are soft but not mushy!

Saturday, September 22, 2012

Made Over Enchiladas...Chicken Style

What you need ~
2- 15 ounce cans of Enchilada sauce
3 cups of shredded cheese
2T. taco seasoning
1 pound of shredded chicken breasts
20 corn tortillas
1/2 cup of salsa

TOTAL COST~ shredding my own cheese, cooking and shredding my own chicken, saves me on cost and can easily be made for around 10 bucks a pan!

Well enchiladas and anything Mexican in this house is a favorite. So since we love enchiladas, just not the grease and calories I made over our favorite dish so my hubby didn't feel deprived when he is hardcore dieting. So here is my ooey gooey chicken enchiladas!


Mix together about a pound of cooked and shredded chicken breasts, add in a half of a cup of enchilada sauce, 2T. taco bell taco seasoning, 1/2 cup of medium salsa and 1 cup shredded Tillamook cheese.
Now to avoid frying tortillas to make pliable...I take a clean towel and make it wet...then wring it out and place corn tortillas in it and wrap like a package. Microwave for 2.5 minutes and they will be soft enough to roll up without breaking.

Then take the rest of the 15 ounce can of enchilada sauce you used to add in the chicken and pour on the bottom of the baking dish you plan to use.


Add about a tablespoon of filling in each tortilla and roll up... keep doing that until pan is full.

Then after all of your enchiladas are rolled up pour another 15 ounce can of enchilada sauce over them and the rest of your shredded cheese and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes it will look like this all yummy...but wait!!! Let it rest for 5 minutes so they come out of the pan easier... then top with sour cream and enjoy!

2.50 Dollar Breakfast Lunch or Dinner.. Perfect Potatoe Hash Topped with a Perfect Poached Egg


This is a quick breakfast, lunch or dinner. I made a simple hash of potatoes cubed and fried with onions and green peppers, then added in some leftover crisped up turkey bacon and topped with a perfect poached egg!. So yummy and super cheap meal. You can also use sausage, deli ham, corned beef and or whatever you have leftover. You creation, your meal made simple and delicious!

Quick way to poach an egg.. take a big pan fill 1/2 with water..bring to boil and take it down to low so it stops boiling but stays hot... then add in 2T of vinegar and slowly add in one egg at time... then cook on low until it is done to desired...medium well about 4-5 minutes...drain on paper towels and place over your hash...

BREAKDOWN OF COST~ 6 potatoes scrubbed and cubed up .75 cents
6 pieces of turkey bacon ~ .75 cents
4 eggs~ 50 cents
1/8 cup diced onions and 1/4 of a peppers diced ~ .50 cents... little of these babies go along way

Total Cost fr a Family of 4~ 2.50 !!! serve with fruit and toast if desired

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Online Dating 101


I know many of my readers don't know I help people all over the world with their online dating profiles, and helping people find and land dates with the possibly of finding the love of their life. I am always amazed how shy people are online. Silly people! Honesty and being natural is so key to online dating; just as it is in real world dating. Free sites like OKcupid.com makes it easy and simple and FREE of course to find people all over the world. I once helped this really nice guy in India find a date online, talk about impossible but possible since that is still a taboo way of dating in their culture. If anyone would like me to help them please contact me at ewingold17@gmail.com . I would be honored to help you!

Five things to keep in mind when online dating.....

1. HONESTY
2. RELAX
3. BE RELATEABLE
4. DONT DO PICK UP LINES
5. JUST HAVE FUN

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Preschool at Home


If your a stay at home mother you know how hard it is to keep your child attentive while listening....so why try at home preschool? I decided to cut costs and teach my 4 year old the basics to get into and thrive in kindergarten next year. Online has a plethora of resources to help you help your child become successful little learners. I love the site education.com. It is fantastic site and everything I need to get my little one ready for school. They have worksheets you can print for FREE and use, along with other resources and workbooks you can buy for a very low price. There are also other sites online like PBS.com that have made it their mission to youngsters be ready for school. . I cannot stress to you how important it is for you to try to get your kids ready for kindergarten. Its easier for the school process when you and your child are prepared for the upcoming year. You can spend money to send your kids to preschool, but that can cost in the upwards of hundreds even thousands, depending on where you enroll. Plus the joy your child feels when they have accomplished something is a wonderful shared memory that cannot be bought. It just takes an hour of your time 3-4 days a week. Requires a pencil and paper and some patience and dedication; all very inexpensive things. Give it a try, what are you out? I think you will be pleasantly surprised how fast your little learner picks up everything :)