Spices Over Yanda Blog (Previously Allyson's Attempt at Domestication)

Maybe everyone reading this already does these types of frugal things, but as the title of this blog suggests, I'm still attempting domestication. Recently, we've had some unexpected financial needs, so I am trying to be even more frugal than before. Hence this post! :) Crockpot Rotisserie Chicken We're trying to use what we have in the freezer because it needs to be defrosted. I found a whole chicken wayy in the back that I didn't remember I had. Let's just say it was pretty old. However, it was sealed in it's original packaging and looked perfectly fine. And it was! I defrosted it overnight in the fridge and then cleaned it out and soaked it overnight in water and kosher salt. The next morning, I placed 4 potatoes in each corner of my crockpot with a little water in the bottom. I seasoned my chicken with lemon/herb seasoning, garlic and pepper and then placed it BREAST down on top of the potatoes. I do the breast down so that all the yummy juices flo...

I'm playing catch up - I've been cookin' just not bloggin' - sorry to my MANY readers!!! LOL! Soooo...the pictures aren't the best, but this was a very yummy soup! I also made it in the crockpot on another night - on low all day and it was just as good if not better. Of course I had to make some artisan bread to go with! If you make this, leave a post and let me know how it turned out and/or if you made any adjustments what were they. Thanks! 1 lb. ground beef 2 italian sausage links - cut out of casing 1 onion - chopped 3 garlic cloves - minced 2 tsp. italian herb seasoning 1 apple sliced in big chunks, basically in 8 pieces 1 carrot - chopped 1 extra large potato -chopped 1 celery stalk - chopped 1 can stock 1 8 oz can tomato sauce 1 8 oz can water Brown hamburger and sausage. Add all ingredients together and simmer for 30 minutes or cook in crockpot on low all day.

I was soo excited today because the weather was the PERFECT day for baking! I'm a baker. I absolutely love to bake. Cooking is fun, but baking is wayy better. So, living in Texas, it's really too hot in the summer to bake. Today it was a raining 70 degree day! Yay! So, I took the opportunity that was given to me and I baked a couple cookie recipes, my favorite french bread recipe and a new whole wheat bread recipe. Here are my reviews! :) Snickerdoodle Cookies These turned out soo yummy and were just delicious! I followed the recipe exactly, and they turend out pefect! Chewy Oatmeal Cookies These also were really yummy. I did measure my flour and I used 2 1/4 cups. I also made the first ones mounded like she shows in her pictures, but they looked funny to me, so I smooshed the rest down just a bit and they looked more like cookies to me. The taste was the same, yummy! :) I might add a bit more cinnamon the next time I make them. I will make them again for sure! ...

I've come across a few recipes that I want to try and I thought I would put them together in one place. I'll review them as I make them and let you know. If you try any of them let me know how they are! :) Rosemary Chicken with Peas and Potatoes Fast and Easy Whole Wheat Bread - always on the lookout for a good whole wheat bread recipe Creamy Broccoli Casserole The Best, Big, Fat, Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie Savory Lime Chicken with Beans and Rice Blueberry Dump Cake Honey Crunch Cookies Snickerdoodles Slow-cooked Baked Potato Soup Broccoli Cheddar Soup Chicken Noodle Souperole Easy Potato Casserole Chewy Oatmeal Cookies Chicken Stew (from this site ) 3 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast meat - cut into bite-size pieces 1/2 teaspoon olive oil 3 cloves garlic, crushed 1/2 cup water 1 can condensed cream of celery soup 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon Italian-style seasoning 1 apple - peeled, cored and cut into eighths 3 small red potatoes,...

I'm late doing this, I'm sure my MANY readers have been on the edge of their seats waiting for it! hahahhaahah! I'll include the last couple nights as well. Saturday - grilled ribeye with rice and peas Sunday - crockpot chuck roast with mashed red potatoes, carrots and artisan bread Monday - grilled t-bones with rice and corn on the cob Tuesday - easy lasagna with breadsticks Wednesday - leftovers or sandwiches on the run! Thursday - whole chicken in crockpot with potatoes and veggies Lots of yummy grilled meat! My husband brought home some steaks he got on special and is fixing them this weekend since he only had to work 2 days of overtime instead of 4! Woohooo score! He really does grill some awesome steaks!

I goofed a couple times this week because I didn't get my meat out of the freezer and prepped to cook. The first night my wonderful husband brought us home some pizza, but the second night I needed to fix my own problem. I started looking around my fridge and such at what I had. I decided to make a crockpot soup inspired by the two pieces of leftover grilled chicken I had in the fridge. It turned out really good, so I wanted to share my new recipe! :D Hope you enjoy it too! Grilled Chicken Vegetable Soup 3 cans chicken broth 1 can rotel diced tomatoes with chilies 1 cup dried northern beans 2 celery stalks - chopped 2 carrots - chopped (or about a cup of chopped mini carrots) 6 small red potatoes (chopped) 2 cups (1 lb) leftover grilled chicken (or whatever you have) 1-2 cups water any seasonings you want - I used: salt/pepper/cumin/oregano Set on low all day, or high for 4-6 hours! Yummy!

I'm trying something new this week in my attempt to be a better "on-the-go" mom. I am moving our dinner time most nights to 7:00 pm. No one seemed very hungry or willing to eat in a hurry at 5:00 pm and I wasn't coming up with very many good ideas for food on the go. We tried this Saturday night and it worked nicely, so we'll see how the rest of the week goes. This also makes it nice, because the girls are always hungry when they get home from school around 4:00 pm and I never wanted to give them much when we would eat dinner an hour later. Now, they can have a decent snack at 4 and then be fine and ready to eat at 7 pm. Friday - we had dinner out - a friend gave us a family coupon to Sweet Tomatoes for $19.99. It was a great deal and very yummy. We made a family outing of it and went to costco. Saturday - Sloppy Joes - basically I made the sloppy joe meat ahead of time, stuck it in the crockpot and it was waiting for us when we came home after the soccer g...