Corn Tortilla Chips

Above, Tortilla Chips, Guacamole Dip, and Bean and Corn Salsa. I fixed taco salad to go with this. I will post the other two recipes tomorrow.

I made tortilla chips tonight and we loved them! They were so good, crisp and most of all salty. This was all the chips that was left out of what I fixed. I copied this recipe from a book that I bought at the Dollar General Store right before Christmas last year. It was called 1001 Recipes Short, Easy, Inexpensive. This is the best cookbook! I only paid $5.00 for it.



We rate this one a 5 out of 5.

12 corn tortillas (6 in. diameter), day-old*
Vegetable Oil
1/2 to 1 tsp. salt

*If tortillas are fresh, let stand, uncovered, in a single layer on a wire rack for 1 to 2 hours to dry slightly.

Stack 6 tortillas. Cuttng through stack, cut tortillas into 6 or 8 equal wedges. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
Preheat deep fryer to 375. Fry tortilla wedges in a single layer 1 minute or until crisp, turning occasionally. Remove and drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with salt immediately. Repeat until all chips have been fried. (I kept the ones that had already been fried in a glass bowl in my oven at 200 degrees to keep them warm and crispy while the other ones were cooking.)

Grocery Shopping

My grocery trip this week was a bit more expensive. Although I said I was going to only shop for 1 wk. at a time now, well, there was some good meat sales that I could not pass up so I bought extra for my menu next week. I spent a total of $211.00 and saved $29.99 by using store cards and coupons. So my total was actually $181.01. My best deals was getting my favorite deodrant for only .25 and getting 3 Dawn dishwashing detergents for free! Can't beat that! I also bought a Febreeze refill (which was on sale) and got the warmer for free.
I bought extra items that I had coupons for that just happened to be on sale this week. I now have enough paper towels to do me literally for 6 months and dog food, deodrant, Dawn, and toothpaste! Of course, Rite Aid was already out of the Downy and the Advil that was on sale by the time I got there.

Grocery Update

So sorry to have just left ya hangin, but I have just been super busy! I got caught up on some housework that needed done this past weekend and then had some friends over for lunch after church Sunday. Bridget had saw my post earlier in the week of my menu and I think she was worried she was gonna have to eat Pigs-n-a-Blanket! She didn't have to although her husband didn't think the idea was bad at all! It is so nice to be able to fellowship with others who love the Lord!

Anyway, I had to go back to the store this weekend as I thought I would. I can't help it, I just do not like going every two wks. Just tears my thoughts all up!! I spent $50.00 making my total for two wks. somewhere around $164.00 which is about $82.00 a wk. I needed milk and bread and then I forgot to get enough stuff for Eugenes lunch for two weeks so had to get that and a few more things that I did not get enough of to do me two weeks for. I think I am gonna go ahead and make up my two week menu. I liked that part so if I see anything on special that I know I will need for the next week then I can go ahead and get it.

I noticed Kroger has a 10/$10 sale this week. This is a list of what I see so far that I will be getting (everything is not necessarily 10/$10): sour cream, mini carrots, eggs, whole chickens, Pork loin, sugar free ice cream (yum!!), Manwich, Ravioli, Nature's Own Bread, Bounty Paper Towel (gotta check my price book first on this though), bacon and Cheerios. I have coupons for some of these things so it will be even cheaper. Go me!!

The area I live in is in a flash flood advisory for tomorrow and Friday. Hope everyone is very careful and stays safe.

God bless!

Grocery List

I went to 4 stores. 3 in my hometown and 1 not. The only deal on found on meat this week was at Save-A-Lot on chicken breasts. It was .99 lb. so I bought 2 packages although I just needed one.

At Save-A-Lot

Milk/1 gal. $2.89
Frozen garlic bread $1.99 (Two meals)
Whole chicken (.99 lb.) $4.63
2 Supreme Pizzas $4.58
Chicken breast (2 pkgs.) $6.76
Idaho potatoes (10 lb.) $3.99
Onion Soup Mix .79
White Lily Flour (5 lb.) 1.99
Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese $2.69
Buttermilk Biscuits (5) $2.50
Cream of Mushroom soup .59
Yellow Mustard .69
Yellow Onions (3 lb.) $2.29
1 head lettuce $1.39
Canned greens (2) $1.38
Tomato Juice $1.39
Egg Substitute (4) $5.96
Sugar Free Grape Jelly $1.69
Dog Biscuits $1.29
Country ham slices $9.98 (Breakfast every day for 2 wks.)
Canned diced tomatoes .65
Vegetable shortening $3.49
Celery $1.29
5 lb. Granny Smith Apples $3.00 (OMG!! I just now realized I bought the wrong kind!!)
Fishers Weiners $1.49
Cabbage $1.66
TOTAL $71.04

My husband bought his lunch snacks at the Dollar Store for a total of $6.12 for 6 items. (I won't bore you with these items as if you are not already. lol)

At IGA I bought:
Chicken wings $5.92 (2 meals)
Hamburger $6.48 (at $2.41 this sure wasn't even close to a sell!!)

TOTAL $12.40

At Wal-Mart I bought:
Peanut butter $2.48
Ham lunchmeat $3.98 (Husbands lunch)
Fiber One Bars $2.42 (But I had a .50 coupon)
Rolls $1.98
Dog Treats $3.33
Mountain Dew $4.38 (for my husband, I drink water)
Hogie Buns (husband's lunch) $2.48
Loaf of bread $1.18
Margarine .88
Vitamins (me!) $5.00 (but I had a $1.00 coupon)
Roast beef lunchmeat (husband's lunch) $3.98

TOTAL $31.35

So my total spent for two weeks of groceris was $114.79! I thought I done pretty darn good. Now I will have to go back on Friday to buy a few more things such as milk and bread that I do not have room to buy and freeze up but I think it is still pretty good.

As far as the coupons go, I saved $1.50 by using coupons. Not a lot but better in my bank account than the grocery stores!

What do you think?

2 Week Menu

Fixing a two week menu was harder than I thought it was going to be, but maybe not like you are thinking. I had no trouble at all coming up with the menu ideas. The problem was I kept changing my mind!! As I was going through my recipes I kept changing and changing, erasing and erasing. They just all looked so good!I finally decided I was going to have to stop changing and settle for what I had on paper! lol

Here goes, in not any particular order. This is just what I have on the menu to fix for the next 2 weeks.

1. Speghetti and meatballs, salad, garlic toast.
2. Potato Soup, cornbread.
3. Pigs-n-a-blanket, mashed potatoes, green beans.
4. Hamburger goulash, mashed potatoes, corn, cornbread.
5. Open face turkey sandwiches, potatoes,cole slaw, corn.
6. Pizza, salad, chicken wings with homemade ranch dressing.
7. Fried chicken and chicken livers, green beans, cole slaw, mashed potatoes,
homemade biscuits and macc-n-cheese.
8. Onion Chopped Steak with Easy gravy, mashed potatoes, asparagus,cornbread,
homemade Italian Parker House rolls.
9. Salmon patties, fried potatoes, greens, cornbread.
10. Grilled chicken breasts, baked potatoes, salad, rolls.
11. Hamburgers, homemade french fries.
12. Pork chops and gravy, potatoes, beans or corn, rolls, and macc-n-cheese.
13. Vegetable soup, cornbread.

I will be posting tomorrow my grocery store items and how I did on the cost.

Snowed In, Again

I have spent my day at home instead of work. I was not able or willing I should say to slide off my mountain to go to work. I haven't felt good anyway so I guess it was a blessing I could stay home and lay around.

I got a few rooms cleaned. Took me forever though. I would rest a while and work a while. I sure hope I feel much better tomorrow.

I have been in the process for many months trying to gather all my recipes together and finally accomplished that today while I was home. Now, just getting them typed in on my computer. I am such a paper pack rat!! You just have no idea. So, as a way to help cut down on my a lot of the paper I have stashed everywhere, I am going to type my recipes up on my computer but, the most important thing is to make sure I back them up! Been there, done that.

I am also crocheting an afghan for Matt (dds boyfriend) using camaflouge yarn. I made my son an afghan so now it is Matt's turn. I will post pictures when I feel better.

I must go. I have an appointment with the tax lady tomorrow and need to finish up the information I need to take with me. I really dread this so, so bad!! All I can say is, "Lord help us!" lol

Snowy Tuesday

Yes you heard me right. Another snow on the ground. I so long for the days when I wake up and the sun is rising. It just does my body good. lol

Due to the rising gas prices I feel I need to start doing a two week menu and go every two weeks to grocery shop instead of every week like I do now. I tried the every other week thing once before and didn't like it because it seemed all the good sales was on the week I didn't go to the grocery store but I have no choice now so I am going to give it another try. Of course this includes only going to Wal Mart every other week also (which is about 30 miles from my home). Boo! Hoo! I have to keep telling myself this will save me money!! Ya know, it's sad when going to Wal Mart every weekend is the highlight of ones life. lol

I tried to spend only $80.00 on groceries and household goods last week but couldn't do it. I spent around $98.00. I am trying to find a good number for my budget that I can live with comfortably. My husband is a meat, potatoes and corn bread man. Messing with his food is NOT where I want to go! lol

I will share my menu once I have it down on paper and how I do at the grocery stores this week.

Have a blessed day!