The bookstore is a fabulous tool

I recently took a trip to a local Barnes and Noble, and the first place I went to was the magazine section. I prefer magazines over cookbooks because they aren't as bulky as a majority of the cookbooks are.

I found some awesome magazines that I wanted to share with you today. I wanted to focus on Halloween goodies that I could give my friends' lil goblins tonight. There is one slight downfall to these kinds of magazines, that being that they are really only good for that specific holiday. However, they can also be used year after year. Come check out these magazines!

I also want to note that if you have a nook, it is way cheaper to buy your magazines to install on your nook. i personally don't have a nook, but if I could afford one, I would definitely buy one so I could download all of the recipes books at a lower price. Please consider this as an alternative.

taste of Home magazine

Kraft food Halloween ideas here

Martha Stewart Living

Food Network magazine

Here is a wonderful link for all of you people that have the advanced technology with the nook or e-reader. You can download some awesome cookbooks at the below link.

E-cookbooks here



I love to use recipes that have a holiday theme because to me, that makes it more special. I love to make a variety of cookies, cakes, pies, and edible decor. Plus it is a fun and safe activity that you can do with children.

Have a safe and Happy Halloween!

Always read your receipts

I was grocery shopping one day, and I always look at my receipt to make sure that there are no errors regarding my items on it. One day, I came across that besides the receipt, the grocery store printer also printed me off some recipes as well. This is especially helpful because these recipes are based on the items I had bought in that transaction. That makes it really convenient for me since I already have the items that are needed for it.

Here is a recipe that is delicious as well as based on one of my favorite recipes at a restaurant that I frequently visit. Red Lobster has the best cheddar bay biscuits that I have ever tasted. So with this recipe, now I can make it at home at a way cheaper price, and I don't have to spend $40 on other items just to get the biscuits.

I got this recipe on a receipt from Jewel Osco. I'm not sure who created this recipe, but all I can tell you is it's from this grocery store. The only thing that I would do different since the biscuits from Red Lobster taste garlicky, so I would add a teaspoon or so of garlic powder or even a few finely smashed cloves of garlic, but I will leave that up to you.

Cheddar Cheese Biscuits

Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour, plus more for kneading
1 1/2 cups (6 oz) cheddar cheese
1/2 cup dry nestle carnation instant nonfat dry milk
1/4 cup chopped chives (optional)
2 tbs granulated sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup butter
1 cup plus 1 tbs water

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease baking sheet.

2. Combine flour, cheese, dry milk, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender OR 2 knives to make course crumbs. Stir in water just until moistened.

3. Knead dough 10 times on lightly floured surface. Pat into a 8 X 6 inch rectangle. Cut into 12 biscuits. Place biscuits about 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheet.

4. Bake for 12 to 16 minutes or until light golden brown. Serve warm.

This is a delicious recipe that can be made multiple times from these ingredients. This recipe can also go with just about anything, ranging from chicken to meatloaf to a simple soup or salad. This is the only place to get this particular recipe since it was given to me randomly from a grocery store.

Wanna keep your clothes clean while you make this? Go to my store to purchase a few of my products to help stay clean while you cook.

Buy an apron here


Please keep checking back with my blogs, and thank you for visiting my blog.

Hot out of the oven

I was going to make my regular spaghetti recipe tonight, but I was suggested to try baked spaghetti instead. There are a few extra steps, but they are totally worth it! My mother-in-law suggested it, and I would have never thought to do it like this.

This recipe should feed 4-6 people.

Ingredients:
2 cloves garlic
1/4 of an onion
1 jar of spaghetti sauce
1 box of spaghetti noodles
1 lb of ground beef
1 container of Parmesan cheese
1 package of mozzarella cheese (optional)
1 tbs olive oil
pinch of salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Dice the garlic and the onions. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Put water in a large pot. Bring to a boil. Add pasta and cook 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Get a large skillet, and put it on high heat. Add the onions, garlic, salt, pepper,and olive oil. Saute until the garlic turns a very light brown, and the onions are translucent, a few minutes or so should be fine.

4. Add the ground beef to the garlic mixture. Cook until fully brown, and drain the grease. Add the jar of spaghetti sauce and cook to a simmer.

4. For the pasta, when it is fully cooked, drain in a colander. DO NOT RINSE!!

5. Using a glass baking pan, add the spaghetti, then top with the sauce mixture.

6. Add the desired amount of shredded Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses to the spaghetti and sauce mixture. Do not mix! It is up to you how cheesy you would like it. The more you add, the cheesier it will be.

7. Bake for 5-10 minutes until the cheese is melted. Handle carefully as it may be hot, and enjoy.

This recipe is like lasagna except it's not as complex. The spaghetti is easier to make than lasagna is.

Breakfast from the tropics

I tried this recipe for a snack a few times, and it is amazing. This treat doesn't need a lot of ingredients, and it is very cheap to make. It has a pina colada appeal to it. It reminds me of laying on a sunny hot beach with a pina colada drink in hand. The smell of the coconut alone is like suntan oil.

This is a yogurt treat that I love to make for company, and it is a wonderful snack to eat when watching your figure. This recipe is rum-free, and all you need to top it off with is an umbrella!

Ingredients:

1/3 cup(s) reduced-fat vanilla yogurt
1/4 cup canned pineapple
1/4 cup canned mandarin oranges
1 tablespoon(s) toasted coconut or as much as you want

Directions

1. I like to use a tall clear parfait glass because it makes it look more presentable. Start with the pineapple, next the yogurt, then the mandarin oranges, then yogurt again, rotating into multiple layers of each. Then top your creation with toasted coconut.

Tips & Techniques

To toast coconut: Place coconut in a small dry skillet and cook, stirring often, until golden, about 5 minutes or spread in a shallow baking dish and bake at 350°F until light golden and fragrant, 5 to 10 minutes. I recommend the dry skillet method because it is faster and easier.

Please check out my other blogs as well as my website. I want to also note that you can get the parfait glasses at places like walmart and pier one imports. You can get them in plastic, so you don't have to worry about breaking them, or in glass for extra elegance.

Here is the original website where I got the website. This recipe doesn't layer them like I do.
yogurt parfait website here

This recipe also goes great with a cup of coffee. You can get a very appealing coffee mug at my store, among other products.
Buy a coffee cup here

homemade glory

One night, my husband and I were bored with nothing to do. We were craving something sweet. I looked in the fridge, and found a tube of honey flavored biscuit dough. So I decided to deep-fry the biscuit dough. As they were cooking, they started to expand, and turn a light golden brown. I rolled them in cinnamon-sugar, and viola! These are homemade doughnut holes, and they are delicious!

It's actually really simple to do, and it doesn't require a lot of ingredients. This is a wonderful breakfast or snack that would be good if you want something sweet or just a pick-me-up.

Ingredients:
biscuit dough
1 tbs cinnamon
1/4 cup sugar
oil for frying

Directions:

1. Combine the cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl. Set aside.

2. Heat your deep fryer up to about 374 degrees. If you do not have a deep fryer, then just heat a pan of vegetable oil. Make sure it's pretty hot.

3. Slowly add the balls of dough. Please be careful because hot grease can splatter.

4. Fry the balls of dough until they are a golden brown. Depending on the roundness of them, you may have to flip them during cooking so they cook evenly.

5. Remove the fried dough carefully onto a plate covered with paper towels.

6. Roll the dough balls in the cinnamon-sugar mixture.

You now have a snack that is just as good as a bakery.

Since you are dealing with hot oil, I suggest buying a durable oven mitt and an oil skimmer as well. Here are a few valuable products that I would recommend.

buy a durable oven mitt here

buy an oil skimmer here
An oil skimmer will help pick up your doughnuts, or at least turn them, and it also helps save the oil by reducing the debris in the oil, thus making it reusable. This helps save money and time.

These delicious doughnuts would compliment a cup of coffee or a glass of milk or orange juice. Enjoy!

Recipes on the go

Have you ever been on the go, and you wanted something to drink but you don't want coffee or a soda? How about a delicious smoothie? One of my favorite recipes is when they are portable. I love to make smoothies because all you have to do is throw everything in a blender, press a button, and you are good to go! Plus you can take it on the go for a quick and easy breakfast. I usually forget to grab something for breakfast, so being able to "drink" my breakfast is just wonderful. I also want to dually note that even though nutritional value is not part of my website, I still want to note that this is a very healthy breakfast or snack that is loaded with vitamins.

Here are a few suggestions as to what you can do to make a delicious smoothie.

You will need:
fresh or frozen fruit (I recommend fresh)
1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
ice
1/4 cup milk
A blender

I love making smoothies, especially ones with strawberries and bananas. I try to avoid blackberries and raspberries because they contain a lot of seeds. However, it is your choice. You can make lots of different combinations of smoothies, whether it is strawberry-banana, strawberry-blueberry, mango-banana, among others.

Directions

1. First, you will need your choice of fruit. I will give strawberries and bananas as an example. Wash the strawberries, and cut the tops off. Cut the bananas up as well.

2. Next, put the fruit inside the blender. Add ice. Blend.

3. Add yogurt and milk. Blend well.

You now have a quick and delicious breakfast or snack on the go.

Come check out this book for more tips on making smoothies.

Restaurant inspired buffalo wings

There have been a few people that have actually come up to me, and have asked me why I haven't posted my restaurant-inspired buffalo wing recipe on my blog, or at least on my website. I haven't forgotten, and people that know me know that I always keep my promises. So here you go. I am not going to take all of the credit for it though. I found a really good recipe for it, but I've made it so many times that I have slightly changed it to my liking. All I can tell is that they are amazing. Way better than any restaurant I have been to.

The really funny part is I am now known as the hot wing Goddess by a few friends. I appreciate the comment greatly because I feel valued for my cooking. Thanks again to my friends who have given me this title.

Anyway here are the changes I have made to my recipe. I make about five pounds to start with because they do go fast for a group of people. I would also like to note that if you buy them frozen then they are pretty well broken down into applicable size. If you buy them for example in a huge package from a butcher like Kroger, then you will have to cut the wings in half because they are really big, are harder to eat, and take slightly longer to cook. However, you can always keep them in their huge size if people like to eat them that way.

Please note that this is a recipe for 20 chicken wings, which feeds about ten people. The original recipe can be found below. This recipe also works best with a deep fryer.

Restaurant-style buffalo wings

Ingredients

4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon paprika
3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (chili powder will work too)
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
3/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp ground white pepper
1/2 tsp meat tenderizer
20 chicken wings
oil for deep frying

For sauce:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup hot sauce or Frank's wing sauce (it's a thicker consistency)
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder


Marinating:
1/2 tsp meat tenderizer
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp ground white pepper
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper or chili powder
1/4 tsp paprika

Directions

1. Combine marinating ingredients in a large bowl, and add chicken. Make sure the chicken is evenly covered. Marinate in the fridge for at least an hour.

2. In a small bowl mix together the flour, paprika, cayenne pepper, both kinds of pepper, meat tenderizer, garlic powder, onion powder and salt. You should be able to smell the seasonings in the mixture. Pour into a large zip-lock bag.

3. Place chicken wings ( I usually put five at a time) into the bag, and shake it until the chicken is evenly coated.

4. Heat oil in a deep fryer to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). The oil should be just enough to cover wings entirely, an inch or so deep. Fry coated wings (I usually do five or so at a time) in hot oil for 10 minutes, or until parts of wings begin to turn brown. Test a few with a meat thermometer for internal temperature. When done, place on a plate with some paper towels to soak up the excess grease.

5. Combine the butter, hot sauce, pepper and garlic powder in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir together and heat until butter is melted and mixture is well blended. Remove from heat and reserve for serving.

6. Place wings in serving bowl, add hot sauce mixture and stir together. Serve with a side of celery and bleu cheese/and or ranch dressing.

I also want to note that in my previous article about hot wings, I had mentioned that if you would like hot wings, add a tablespoon of white vinegar, and taste test to see if the hotness is to your liking. You can always add more.
Original recipe provided here
Buffalo wings here

Gardens are a great money saver.

My mother was recently discussing with me about recipes that I can try that help save me money. She suggested for people that currently have a garden, to actually think about and use what they are growing.

My grandmother grows cucumbers, tomatoes, green peppers, among other vegetables. One of the biggest differences in taste is when it comes to broccoli, it tastes slightly spicier when it is fresh from a garden. Not like a hot taste, just a fresher appeal. You can only get that in a garden.

My uncle currently grows cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, onions, and other things as well. Whenever he makes his hot pasta salad, he uses stuff from his garden. This can save a lot of time and money. You can find his hot pepper recipe under my website,
hot pasta salad here

Another thought when I think about gardening is what about fresh herbs? They are generally easy to grow, and they don't take up a lot of space. You can grow a variety of herbs such as mint leaf (such as catnip and spearmint), basil, dill, among other herbs. This is a cheap alternative to going to the store to buy fresh herbs, which can be expensive. I must note that each herb varies in where they grow best, whether it is inside or outside, sunlight or no sunlight. I am not an expert, but I was bringing up the whole idea of growing your own vegetables and herbs as a money saver.

For more information regarding herb-growing, please visit here
helpful gardening here

Here is a list of pros and cons as to why you should have a garden:

Pros:
*You can grow any vegetables that you want, as much as you want
*Over time, it turns out to be cheaper
*It has a fresher appeal
*Turns extra space in your yard into usable space
*can save time by not having to run to the store to pick up produce
*Is a fun activity

Cons:
*It is expensive to start
*Maintenance can be a challenge
*You must have the space to do it
*can be time-consuming at first

See what you can grow. Do your research and start saving money!