Sunday, May 31, 2009

Obsession

I am so amazed... couponing quickly becomes an obsession when I get down to it! This week Bashas is having Super doubles in which $1.00 coupons are doubled to $2.00. I did a Bashas run and managed to get a cartful... yes a cartful full of groceries for $40! Amazing. More on that later.

However what I really am obsessed about now are these hot, hot, hot coupons from Old Navy Weekly. As of today, Sunday there will be a coupon hunt in which you can snag a $75 off a $100 purchase. I've been up all night since midnight refreshing this page! We will be heading off to church soon, but I know I'll be thinking about that coupon!

If you don't get the $75 off $100, check it out anyway. There some other great coupons to be snagged like a $10 off $50, etc!

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Pork Chop Recipe

I don't remember where I got this recipe from but I always loved making it for our family! The other day, my girlfriend Julie came over and she said she enjoyed it... good thing the Fish Sauce didn't throw her off! I always serve this with a side of white rice and a tossed salad of lettuce, tomato, and cucumber with a side of fish sauce.

Pork Chops with Garlic and Onions (Suon Uop Hanh Toi Nuong)
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 tablespoons fish sauce (nuoc mam)
1 onion
4 Cloves garlic
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 boneless pork chops

Combine salt, sugar, fish sauce, minced onion, chopped garlic and oil.
Pour over chops in a shallow dish.
Let marinate 3 to 4 hours, turning meat occasionally.
Grill or bake in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes to 60 minutes or until cooked.
Slice into bite sizes pieces before serving.

Monday, May 25, 2009

Easy Pasta Carbonara

One of my favorite Rachael Ray recipes is her Pasta Carbonara. I changed up a few things so here is our favorite family version:

Carbonara Ingredients:
· Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
· 1 pound pasta, such as spaghetti or rigatoni
· 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (enough to coat bottom of pan)
· a few slices of bacon chopped
· 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
· 5 to 6 cloves garlic, chopped
· 1/2 cup dry white wine
· 1 large egg yolks
· Parmesan cheese

· Handful of finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish Directions: 1. Put a large saucepot of water on to boil. Add a liberal amount of salt and the pasta. Cook to al dente, about 8 minutes.2. Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil and bacon. Brown bacon for about 2 minutes. Add red pepper flakes and garlic and cook 2 to 3 minutes more. Add wine and stir up all the pan drippings.3. In a separate bowl, beat yolk, then add 1 large ladleful (about 1/2 cup) of the pasta cooking water. This tempers the eggs and keeps them from scrambling when added to the pasta. 4. Drain pasta well and add it directly to the skillet with pancetta and oil. Pour the egg mixture over the pasta. Toss rapidly to coat the pasta without cooking the egg. Remove pan from heat and add a big handful of cheese, lots of pepper, and a little salt. Continue to toss and turn the pasta until it soaks up egg mixture and thickens, 1 to 2 minutes. Garnish with parsley and Parmesan Cheese.

For the boys I serve up the Rigatoni (before adding the egg) with some pasta sauce and sprinkle with the Parmesan Cheese. It's always a hit in our family and unfortunately I ended up eating this twice! :-)

Saturday, May 23, 2009

Rellenos De Papa (Stuffed Mashed Potatoes)

Mom and I made these the other day and they are so awesome! First, you will want to make my picadillo recipe.

Then you will need:
2 pounds potatoes, peeled and quartered
water
salt
egg, slightly beaten
cornstarch (to coat balls and your hands)
vegetable oil (for deep frying)

Place water, potatoes and salt in a pot. Cover and boil at moderate heat for 30 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. Drain and mash. Add egg, salt and cornstarch and mix well. Cool to room temperature. Divide mixture in 12 parts. Cover palm of hand with the cornstarch and spread over hand one part of the mixture. Spoon the center with part of the picadillo filling and bring mixture over to cover filling. Coat lightly with cornstarch and proceed with remaining mixture until 12 balls are ready. Deep fry in fat, heated to 375:F, until golden brown. Remove and drain on absorbent paper.

I serve this with white rice or Puerto Rican yellow rice when I feel up to it. Enjoy!

Friday, May 22, 2009

Ambrosia Fruit Salad

Remember the plain yogurt from the Curry Chicken? Had some leftover and made an awesome Ambrosia Fruit Salad! Here's what I whipped up as today's dessert... YUM! No measurements sorry, just a little this and that....

Some low fat Sour Cream
Some plain Yogurt
Some shredded coconut
1 can fruit cocktail, drained
1 can pineapple chunks, drained
1 can mandarin oranges, drained
Some colored miniature marshmallows

Mix together and serve! Oh my gosh this was good!

Southwest Salsa Pizza

One of my favorite summer recipes is one that comes from Pampered Chef...I totally forgot about this one until I came across it!

Ingredients:
1
package (8 ounces) refrigerated crescent rolls
1
package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1
garlic clove, pressed
1/4
cup snipped fresh cilantro or parsley, divided
3
plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
1/4
cup chopped green bell pepper
2
tablespoons chopped red onion
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
1
ripe avocado, peeled, seeded and sliced
Directions:
1.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Unroll crescent dough and divide into 8 triangles. On Large Round Stone, arrange triangles in a circle with points in the center and wide ends toward the outside. Roll out dough to a 12-inch circle, pressing seams together to seal. Bake 12-15 minutes or until light golden brown. Remove from oven; cool completely.
2.
Place cream cheese, garlic pressed with Garlic Press and 2 tablespoons of the cilantro in bowl; mix well. Spread cream cheese mixture evenly over top of crust.
3.
Seed and dice tomatoes using Chef's Knife. Chop bell pepper and red onion using Food Chopper. Combine tomatoes, bell pepper and onion in Classic Batter Bowl. Stir in remaining cilantro; season to taste with salt and black pepper. Spoon salsa over cream cheese mixture. Peel and slice avocado; arrange over top of pizza.
Yield: 10 servings Nutrients per serving: Calories 200, Total Fat 16 g, Saturated Fat 7 g, Cholesterol 25 mg, Carbohydrate 12 g, Protein 4 g, Sodium 320 mg, Fiber 1 g

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Happy 9th Anniversary!

Amazing. 9 Years TODAY! As I reflect on these nine years of marriage, I think of how true it is that a Marriage takes Work, Patience, and a whole lotta Prayer! I can honestly say that what always kept me on check was that I always knew that my sweetie is the one I want to be with forever. Therefore, why in the world would I want us to be miserable? We do silly things like make fun of each other (in a nice way of course), crack jokes, squeeze each other's butt when no one else is looking... and so much more. Always making sure that it's the little things that count, like making sure to greet him at the door when he walks in (the boys and I run and hug him like he's been gone for weeks every single day he comes home) , he calls me daily for a lunch date to see how my day is going (even though sometimes my day is so hectic it seems like a chore), I always wake up early to prepare his clothes and make him coffee, breakfast and lunch before he leaves for work too (except when I am sick or the babies are sick of course, he always insists I stay in bed and sleep in)! This may all seem cheesy but I know it's what keeps our fire burning.

The mere fact that we have a passion for the same thing. Children. We have an strong desire to help children, to minister to them and to provide them the best education possible. We have lengthy conversations about our ministry, the who, the how, the when, and the why. There are so many hurting children out there. And we have that burning desire to make a difference together...

I love seeing "my man" grow. He is hotter, cuter, and so much wiser now... Toast to our Anniversary and the many, many years to come!

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Menu Planning Monday
My goal is to try to raid my pantry for meals this week. So I am going to give some of these recipes a try with a little revisions since I have to use what I have. Let's give this a try!






Tuesday -


Friday, May 15, 2009

Breakfast for Dinner anyone?

Today was another 104 degree day here in the Valley of the Sun. Unfortunately our AC is not working properly as it did last year. Worse, we haven't been able to find someone who can accurately diagnose the problem! Please pray with me that we will find someone who can fix our AC before the weather gets close to the 115 to 119 range!

So I scratched off the idea of our Mexican fish dinner tonight. It entailed turning on the oven and that makes our house even more warm! So in a frantic, I didn't want to turn to fast food or restaurant (especially since I did already 3 times this week being sick and all *groan*), so we had breakfast for dinner tonight. We had eggs from the Bashas sale last week (.88 cents a dozen!), and made a couple fried eggs for me and my sweetie with toast, a slice of turkey bacon, and french toast with whole wheat bread for the boys. Such a light and easy dinner and no complaints at all! Knowing we have a busy weekend ahead of us, I knew we wouldn't be able to have a great sit down breakfast anyway (bagels on the run), so it was nice to have a sit down breakfast *ahem* dinner tonight!

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Kraft Coupons, Lost Season Finale, and More!

  • The blog world is buzzing about these fantastic Kraft Coupons. I wanted to share an awesome website in which it tells you what to do with these coupons. Check out DealSeekingmom.com that helps with all the smoking deals you can get at Walmart and/or Target with these coupons. I can't wait to head over to Walmart and get these fantastic deals!
  • The season finale of Lost just blew my mind last night. I can't wait to have a Lost Marathon this summer and watch season 1-season 5. I love those "aha" moments when rewatching those episodes. I must have watched each epi more than 5 times each! I hate the torture though of waiting until next February to start Season 6... even worse, the fact that Season 6 is the final season of the show KILLS me!
  • My deep phone conversation with my long-time girlfriend Julie was mind blowing. I am so thankful that my Lord will put such awesome people in my life. Julie, if you are reading this... THANK YOU! You gave me such an amazing outlook on life. Since our convo, I've changed the way I have been viewing things lately and have spent more time praying about my the way I've been acting lately. You are such a blessing and I am eternally grateful to have someone who will always be honest, even brutally honest, with me to put me in check when I need it!

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Mama’s Fake-It Vietnamese Spicy Curry Chicken


I made this last night and it rocked! I made a version for the boys without the chili flakes and a version for me and Daddy with the chili. I measure my success when there are no leftovers whatsoever... everyone ate until the very last bite. It's a total fake-out way to make a quick curry and the fish sauce makes it a little more authentic.
P.S. Our house is NEVER without Fish Sauce!

You will need:
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 teaspoons curry powder (instead of buying a whole spice bottle for this, get this a sprouts in the bulk spice section and pay no more than a dollar for this!)
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 (14 ounce) can coconut milk, or 3/4 cup of heavy cream
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 rotisserie chicken
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
2 cups cooked white rice, I use Minute Rice and get it done in the microwave!


§ Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5-6 minutes.
§ Add garlic and cook for 1 more minute.
§ Sprinkle with the curry powder and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
§ Add the yogurt and coconut milk and fish sauce and simmer gently for 3 minutes. Stir in the salt, pepper. Remove from heat.
§ Slice or shred the chicken, discarding the skin and bones. Divide the rice and chicken among individual bowls, spoon the sauce over the top, and sprinkle with the cilantro.


Total Time: No more than 30 minutes!

Movie Days on Wednesdays!

AMC has Theatres Kids Summer Movie Camp Wednesdays at 10:00 AM from June 17th-August 5thAdmission is $1.00, and a kids size drink, popcorn, and snack is $3.00.

All proceeds go to charity.

I'll be making it a fun Wednesday outing with the boys and I'll be sure to bring towels and shorts so the boys can splash around at the Westgate Center on Wednesdays!

It's going to be fun!

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Happy Mother's Day, I am Mother of the Year!

Totally pampered today! I got a full body Swedish massage over at BluSol in Avondale, and it was a fantastic experience! The boys really outdid themselves and it was awesome!

I learned about this cool video and I made sure to send it to all my sisters and girlfriends... Make sure to send it to your mom! It's so cute!

What it is...
A fake webcaster announces you as "mother of the year" and it's complete with the President saying a few words about you, Angelina Jolie envious of you being awarded, Beyonce... and so much more...

Check it out!

http://news.cnnbcvideo.com/?nid=TLS1BsL30Bwp93agq1DRuTM5ODI3Njk-&referred_by=16800763-Shg3Z8x&p=moveon

Thursday, May 7, 2009

All You Magazine

No solid, experienced, and crazy couponer would not know about the All You Magazine offered at Walmart. The mag is filled with amazing coupons each month and includes great recipes and tips. I LOVE any opportunity to flip through a magazine (a rare moment of course in the Orozco Household) but when I came across this deal, I couldn' resist jumping on it! You can get the All You Magazine for $2 bucks each at Walmart, or snag a year's subscription for only $10 with free shipping through Amazon until 5/31. FYI, the last magazine had a coupon for a free mascara!

Friday, May 1, 2009

RV Road Trip, Happy Birthday Daddy!

What an amazing Road Trip! For Daddy's Bday, we decided we'd rent an RV and take a drive. I was so psyched about this road trip since, 1 we never ever been camping before, and 2 we desperately needed a getaway!


A few highlights:


  1. We stayed our first night in Payson and had a drunk dude (so HILARIOUS!) show us how to hook up the camper. This picture on the right as when we stayed on lot 55 at the Payson Resort. To be honest, this wasn't a great stay. There was absolutely nothing to do there!

  2. The second day, we drove over to Christopher Creek and barbecued. That was a really neat experience, but it turned out we didn't even find the lake we were looking for!

  3. We drove over to Show Low and camped out at Fools Hollow Lake. OMG this place was AMAZING! There was a gorgeous lake, hook ups for the RV and plenty of firewood to make your own campfire. The picture below is right behind where our RV parked. Loads of fishing opportunity and beautiful hikes here. This is a must stay for the first time RVer who considers necessary for "Glamping" (as my friend Katrina called it) instead of Camping. You can also see in the picture below the fire pit where we had a campfire and roasted marshmallows the night before...

All in all, A+ for this vacation. I am so grateful for my sweetie and this birthday was a great of showing what he means to me!
I love you baby, and Happy Birthday!