Best Ever Buffalo Chicken Bites

These were so amazing!!!!

This is before they were rolled in the homemade Buffalo sauce (Recipe below)....

Ingredients needed for the chicken:

1lb of chicken breast, cut into small bite size pieces
2 cups of flour (approx)
2 eggs
Vegetable oil (enough to fill the bottom of the pan, and about 1 inch deep)
salt & pepper (if you want added flavor)

Put the flour & salt/pepper in a bowl. Mix the eggs in a seperate bowl. Dip the chicken in the egg wash mixture and then into the flour mixture covering each piece well. For extra crispy chicken, repeat the process of the egg wash and then flour again. Drop the chicken pieces into the heated oil and fry on each side for approx 7 minutes (or until browned).

Once the chicken is fully cooked, remove from the pan, place on plate with paper towel to drain the excess oil. Then roll in the buffalo sauce. Tastes delicious served with bleu cheese dressing or dip.

Picture shown is after they have been rolled in the sauce. ( A few pieces were missing because I have a 2 year old that eats some plain, without the sauce).

Buffalo Sauce recipe:

8 tablespoons Louisiana hot sauce (Frank's is the brand used in Buffalo)

8 tablespoons unsalted butter or margarine

1 1/2 tablespoons white vinegar

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

salt to taste

Heat the sauce in the microwave or simmer on low heat on the stove.

Sweet Garlic Chicken & Onion Potatoes

This chicken is sweet and savory!! Simply delicious!

Sweet Garlic Chicken

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

4 garlic cloves , minced

4 tablespoons brown sugar

3 teaspoons olive oil

1 Preheat oven to 350°F and lightly grease a casserole dish.

2 In small pan, sauté garlic with the oil until tender.

3 Remove from heat and stir in brown sugar.

4 Place chicken breasts in a prepared baking dish and cover with the garlic and brown sugar mixture.

5 Add salt and pepper to taste.

6 Bake uncovered for 15-30 minutes.

 

Onion Potatoes

About 4 large potatoes
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 packet of Lipton Onion Soup Mix
Salt & pepper to taste

• 1 Preheat oven to 350°F and lightly grease a pan or casserole dish
• 2 Cut up potatoes into small bite size pieces (either with skin on or without - whatever you prefer)
• 3 Place in pan and drizzle with the olive oil
• 4 Sprinkle the onion soup mix, salt & pepper
• 5 Toss the potatoes to even coat them
• 6 Bake COVERED for about 40 minutes (for moist potatoes) or uncovered for crispier potatoes
• 7 Stir at least once during baking time

My First Couponing Trip to Publix Today!! :)

$80.31 worth of stuff for $32.61

My first "couponing" trip today at Publix!!!! $80.31 worth of stuff for $32.61. I got 4 hamburger/chicken helpers, 6 rotel, 3 rotel sauce, 2 gerber gallons of water, 4 kraft dressings, 4 ragu sauces, 2 pace picante sauce, 2 french's mustard, 2 A1's, 2 kraft homestyle mac n cheese, 2 dove deodorants.....

I'm feeling really good about my savings today. I'm really motivated to save even more next time!!!!

New Couponing Adventure

I have recently taken a class for couponing. I have to say that it is truly amazing to find out how much money you can save when someone teaches you all the tricks and how-to's.

I am going on my first "couponing" adventure tomorrow with my husband. We are going to our local Publix to take advantage of the sales and our hard work. I have to say, it does take some time to clip coupons, sort and organize them, but after the savings at the store..... ITS WORTH IT!!!

Thanks to the ladies at 2 Chicks and a Qpon: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/2-Chicks-and-a-Qpon/123593831061218 , I am now officially a money saving momma in ways that I never imagined!!! I have always been very frugal and creative, as far as finding ways to save money on the things that I want to buy for myself and my family, but never could figure out how to save on groceries and everyday necessities. They taught us how to get things for pennies, free and even get paid to take some things. It sounds crazy right??.... "How is it possible for a store to pay you for stuff?" Its actually much easier than I thought. The trick is in the sale, and the coupon combinations. The best sales are Buy 1 - Get 1 Free, and then use a manufacturer's coupon for EACH item (always buy multiple newspapers for the coupons, in even numbers only).. Some stores (like Publix for example, Winn Dixie has them sometimes too) have their own store coupons and you can use them with the manufacturer's coupons. So here is a scenario of how you could get something for free:

Pizza Rolls ($3.99) are on Sale Buy 1 - Get 1 Free
Publix has a coupon for $1 off each
Manufacturer has a coupon for $1 off each

Use 2 Publix coupons for $1 off
Use 2 Manufacturer coupons for $1 off  = FREE

Since Publix allows you to use their coupons and manufacturers together, you can get them absolutely free!!! Even though the one item is "FREE", you can still use coupons towards it, which actually lowers the price of the item that you are paying for.

Always buy multiple newspapers... I am buying at least 4 at a time. Other people with buy 8, 10, 20... Just depends on how serious they are. Always pick up multiples of the store flyers with coupons also. I'm sure that there are lots of other stores that have their own coupons... Target is another one and if they are within a 5 miles radius of Publix, then Publix will honor their coupons. Check in your local area for the stores that have the BOGO deals and store coupons. That is where you will get the most savings.

Check out this site: http://blog.mycouponexpert.com/ ... They update constantly with all the newest deals going on. Follow their facebook page and you will be updated hourly.. They answer questions quickly and are willing to help you with any money saving scenario.

I'm so excited that I have started this new money saving adventure. I look forward to posting about all of my great finds!!!

Field & Stream Hunting Birthday Cake

I made this cake for my son's 11th birthday party yesterday. I haven't decorated a cake in like 10 years and I think it shows... LOL .. But anyway the kids really liked it and it was soo yummy!!!

It was red velvet cake with white icing (per my son's request)... I just used boxed red velvet cake mix to keep it simple. I made both cakes, let them cool completely and then put them in the freezer overnight. You can ice them much easier when they are frozen because the cake doesn't break apart so easily. I bought the really cute Field & Stream cake kit from the deli at Walmart. All the boys at the party thought it was so cool and it really fit my son's personality, since he hunts every weekend during hunting season.

DIY Thoughtful Grandparent Gift

I made this really cute gift for my grandparents with items that I already had laying around. I'm sure I'm not the only one that has a stock pile of unused picture frames stashed away. I can't help but to buy them every time I find a great deal deal on at the store or a yard sale. I printed the saying up on Word and printed it out at home. This would also be really cute on same paper with a design, but I didn't have any at the time. So in order to jazz it up a bit, I used a plastic disposable tablecloth that I had gotten at Walmart in the party section. I just cut a piece out and placed the say on top of it with double sided tape. (It looks off center in the picture because I had to take it at an angle to avoid the glare from my flash)

There you go.... A totally thoughtful gift that didn't cost me a thing and really made my grandparents smile when I visited them a few weeks ago!!!

Crock Pot Cream Cheese Ranch Chicken Recipe

I found this recipe courtesy of the following website...... http://www.food.com/recipe/crock-pot-cream-cheese-ranch-chicken-147494

This is simply delicious!!!! It was so rich and creamy!!! In my opinion, the sauce is truly amazing. I think it would taste absulutely declicious as a dip for bread, with a few changes of course.

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 2 tablespoons butter , melted
• 1 (10 3/4 ounce) can cream of chicken soup
• 8 ounces cream cheese , cubed
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1 (1 ounce) package hidden valley ranch dressing mix
• 1/4 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 dash paprika
• 1/8 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon dried parsley flakes

Directions:

1. Wash and dry chicken breasts and place them evenly in crock pot. Sprinkle with paprika.
2. Sprinkle pkg. of Hidden Valley Ranch salad dressing mix over chicken.
3. Drizzle chicken breasts with 1 tablespoons melted butter.
4. Cover and cook on Low for 4 hours.
5. Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter in a medium saucepan along with minced garlic and saute slightly.
6. Add cream of chicken soup, the 8 oz. of cream cheese cubes, 1/2 cup chicken broth, dried Oregano and dried Parsley flakes. Stir on medium heat until smooth.
7. Add mixture to crock pot, cover again and continue to cook on low for 1 1/2 hours to 2 hours.
8. Serve over buttered egg noddles.

Now for my suggestions about the sauce as a dip. I believe if you cut the chicken broth down to about 1/4 cup, add some parmesan and shrimp and/or crab meat, scallops, etc... I think it would make an amazing dip for toasted Italian bread slices.

Ultimate Chicken Quesadillas

These are the most delicious chicken quesadillas. I like them with a mixture of goodness inside, besides the usual chicken and cheese mixture....

Let me start off by saying that I don't use exact measurements on most of my recipes. I just eye most things and add the amount that I feel is the right combination. (not always, but in this case I did, so some of my measurements are approximate)

Here are the ingredients that I used..

Chicken Quesadillas:

Approx 1lb of chicken breast
6 flour tortillas
Approx 2 cups of shredded cheese
3/4 chopped onion
1 small can of mushrooms
6 pieces of crispy bacon - or premade bacon  pieces (if you need to save time)
Mexican seasoning ** Recipe Below
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter

Mexican Seasoning:  This recipe makes 1oz, so you can store the rest and use for another dish

1 tablespoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

First start off by browning the chicken in the olive oil until cooked all the way through. While the chicken is cooking, melt the butter in a pan and saute the onions and mushrooms until the onions are tender. When the chicken is ready, chop it or shred it (whatever you prefer) and sprinkle a tsp or so of the mexican seasoning on it and mix. Basically, just season to your taste preferece . I used a griddle to cook the quesadillas because I could fit at least 4 on there at a time. I layed the tortillas on the griddle to prepare them (so there would be no mess trying to transport them onto the griddle for cooking). Layer half of the quesadillas with the chicken, onion & mushroom mixture, bacon pieces & cheese... Fold the empty side over top of the layers... Brown on each side, until the cheese is melted and inside is nice and hot.

I serve mine with a side of Taco Bell's Creamy Jalapeno Sauce that they serve on their quesadillas. Here is a picture of it (sorry its blurry for some reason). It cost $0.75 for this size bowl and its such a great addition!!!!! You can cook the quesadillas with the sauce inside or just dip into it. We prefer to just use it as a dip.

Happy 2012!!!

Happy New Year!!!! I hope everyone had a blessed holiday with family and friends. We visited my family in West Palm Beach for several days. It sure was nice to get away and spend some time with family. How was your holiday spent???

DIY Picture Frame Pin Cushion - Before & After

Before - Just a simple, not so cute picture frame

After - really cute picture frame pin cushion 

I created this as a cute DIY gift for my grandmother, to replace the "tomato" pin cushion that she has always used. I used spray paint that I already had on hand to paint the picture frame. Then I wrapped pillow stuffing inside cute fabric. I used a hot glue gun to help secure everything..... That's it!!! Cute & simple.