Tastefully Tueday...

Super Bowl Sunday is coming fast and so I thought I would post a couple great recipe ideas that are quick and easy and will ensure you don't miss a minute of the game.  First is a great 7 layer dip from McCormick, next are Slider Style Mini Burgers from All Recipes.

Seven Layer Fiesta Dip

1 can (16 ounces) refried beans
1 container (16 ounces) sour cream
1 package McCormick® Taco Seasoning Mix or McCormick® Taco Seasoning Mix Mild
1 package (8 ounces) shredded Cheddar cheese (2 cups)
1 cup prepared guacamole
1 cup chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup sliced green onions
1/2 cup sliced black olives
Tortilla chips

1. Spread refried beans in shallow serving dish.
2. Mix sour cream and Seasoning Mix in small bowl until well blended. Spread over refried beans.
3. Top with layers of cheese, guacamole, tomatoes, onions and olives. Serve with tortilla chips.

Makes 8 cups or 64 (2-tablespoon) servings.  Prep Time: 15 minutes

Slider-Style Mini Burgers

2 pounds ground beef

1 (1.25 ounce) envelope onion soup mix

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

24 dinner rolls, split

1/2 cup sliced pickles (optional)

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray.  

Mix together the ground beef and onion soup mix in a large skillet; cook and stir over medium-high heat until the beef is crumbly, evenly browned, and no longer pink. Drain and discard any excess grease. Remove from heat. Stir the mayonnaise and Cheddar cheese into the ground beef mixture.

Lay the bottoms of the dinner rolls on the prepared baking sheet. Spread the cheese and beef mixture on the bottom half of each roll. Replace the tops. Cover with another sheet of aluminum foil sprayed with cooking spray.               

Bake in the preheated oven until the burgers are heated through and cheese melts, about 30 minutes. Serve with sliced pickles.               

Prep time 10 minutes, cook time 40 minutes.  Makes 24 mini burgers.

Coupons:
Save $1.00 off 2 Hood Sour Cream
Save $1.00 off 8 McCormick seasonings (Meijer)
Save $1.00 off 2 Kraft Cheese Item (Target)
Save $1.50 off any Wholly Guacamole
Save $1.50 off any 2 Early California or Pearls Black Ripe Olives (coupon link is at bottom of the page)
Save $2.00 on any Ruffles Family Sized Potato Chips, Tostitos Tortilla Chips or Tostitos Salsa (Giant Eagle)
Save $2.00 off any Star Ranch Angus beef product
Save $1.00 off any 4 Lipton Soup Secret and Recipe Secret Dry Soup Mix (Meijer)
Save $1.00 off two select varieties of Mayonnaise at Target
Save $0.50 off two Pillsbury Refrigerated Pizza Crust, Breadsticks, Loaves or Dinner Rolls
Save $0.35 off any Gedney Pickle Product

Today's no cook option is from Onsale.com, get a $10.00 Domino's pizza card for only $5.99.  This offer expires 1/31/12 11:59 PM PST so you need to be quick to get your deal.

Hope you are all having a great week so far.

C.Q.

Sunday's media madness...

I think 90% of us all start the year with the goal to eat better and soon give it up in favor of eating quick or tasty.  A few years back I discovered a great book called Eat This Not That by  David Zinczenko, the Editor-in-Chief for Men's Health magazine and the Editorial Director of Women's Health magazine.  For me the book was love at first glance, its an easy way to make more educated choices between things that we may never consider differences between, which in the long run can help you loose lots of weight and feel better.  It was nice to see my choices were not eat a celery stick or eat a cheeseburger, things are compared more apples to apples.  Here is a great example:  You think you are going healthy ordering a healthy turkey burger and you would assume you would get a healthier option from a sit down restaurant vs a drive through, but you would be wrong, an avocado Turkey burger from Ruby Tuesday has 886 calories and is loaded with 54 grams of fat and 2,712 milligrams of sodium, the Guacamole Turkey burger from Carl Jr.'s has only 490 calories, 21 grams of fat (6 of them saturated fat) and 1,120 milligrams of fat.   Just the tip of the iceberg proving that not all pizza, burgers, salads, ice cream and Mac & Cheese are created equal, if you are armed with the facts you can shed pounds with very little work.  I was able to find the updated version of the book; Eat This, Not That! 2012: The No-Diet Weight Loss Solution in paperback for the lowest price of $12.99 with no shipping at The Book Depository.  If you have a Kindle or the Kindle app you can download the electronic version of the book from Amazon for $8.99, I think this is a great option because then you have the information right at your fingertips when you need it most.

I hope you are all having a nice relaxing Sunday.

C.Q.

Silly Saturday...

Hope you are having a great weekend!

C.Q.

Friday's Freebie...

Today's freebie is all about your heart health.  A while back my Dr. noticed my Triglycerides were a little high and recommended fish oil for the Omega 3s, well a few different types of fish oil later, all either very large capsules or really awful tasting gels, I found MegaRed and gave it a try.  It is smaller but packs a larger punch than the regular fish oils, and its working great.  To get your own free sample just go to the Schiff MegaRed facebook page and become a fan, then fill in the request form for your sample.

Hope you are all looking forward to a great weekend!

C.Q.

Thursday's picture perfect deal...

The picture...

This was taken last summer on my trip to St. Paul, Minnesota.  We don't get many English Sparrows where we live and this little guy was happy to have his picture taken.  We were at Como Park and it was quite a dreary day so he was all poofed up trying to stay warm and dry.

The deal...

L'Occitane is having a sale on their new super sizes.  You can get some of you classic favorites in larger sizes and save some cash; like some of my favorites, Almond Shower Oil which is great for dry skin is marked down from $48.00 to $36.00 for a 16.9 ounce bottle, or the Rose Bath and Shower gel that really lifts my mood in the winter is marked down from $40.00 to $30.00 for a 16.9 ounce bottle.   L'Occitane also usually includes free samples with your order which is always fun and right now they have free shipping on all orders over $40.00.  If you create an account with them and sign up to recieve their emails you will also be entered to win a trip to Providence, if you are already a subscriber, just go to their site and sign in, then click on the Providence tab to find the entry form.

Hope you are all having a great Thursday.

C.Q.

Wednesday's learn and earn...

~WORD OF THE DAY~

 swivet  \SWIV-ut\  ~  noun

DEFINITION: a state of extreme agitation

EXAMPLES: She was in a swivet for days before the meeting, but when the actual day arrived she found she was surprisingly calm.

"The world's in a swivet over airport security. The deployment of full-body scanning technology in about 15 percent of United States airports has people even more anxious and cranky than usual as we head into the holiday season." -- From an article in The Houston Chronicle, November 24, 2010

DID YOU KNOW? People have been in a swivet over one thing or another since the 1890s. That, at least, is when the word first appeared in print in a collection of "Peculiar Words and Usages" of Kentucky published by the American Dialect Society. In the ensuing years, "swivet" popped up in other pockets of the South as well. Chances are it had already been around for some time before it was recorded in writing, and by the time it was, nobody could say where or how it had originated. What we do know is that its use gradually spread, so that by the 1950s it was regularly appearing in national magazines like Time and The New Yorker. Thus, it entered the mainstream of American English.

~THE REBATE~

Tired achy feet?  Try the Dr. Scholl's Custom Fit Orthotic inserts and get a $10 rebate.  Just go to the Dr. Scholl's site and click on the link towards the bottom of the page to get your rebate form, then fill it in and mail it in together with your original store receipt dated between 1/1/2012 and 6/30/2012 with the purchase and price circled, and the UPC from the package.  All rebate requests need to be submitted by July 31, 2012.

Have a great Wednesday!

C.Q

Tastefully Tueday...

Over Christmas we took a vacation to Colonial Williamsburg.  We stopped our first night at the Kings Arms Tavern where I got to try Peanut Soup for the first time, it was an instant new favorite.  The taste is not what you would think, it is a very savory soup and easy to make.  It is especially good with poultry so I can't wait to make it with Cornish game hens.  This is the official historic recipe for the dish from the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, they have other great historic recipes if you are looking for something that has truly passed the test of time.

Cream of Peanut Soup

¼ cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 celery ribs, finely chopped
3 tablespoons flour
8 cups Chicken Stock (or low-salt canned chicken stock)
2 cups smooth peanut butter
1 ¾ cups light cream or half-and-half
Finely chopped salted peanuts, for garnish

In a large saucepan or soup pot over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onion and celery and cook, stirring often, until softened, three-five minutes.

Stir in flour and cook two minutes longer.

Pour in the chicken stock, increase the heat to high, and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring often, until slightly reduced and thickened, about 15 minutes. Pour into a sieve set over a large bowl and strain, pushing hard on the solids to extract as much flavor as possible. Return the liquid to the sauce pan or pot.

Whisk the peanut butter and the cream into the liquid. Warm over low heat, whisking often, for about five minutes. Do not boil.

Serve warm, garnished with the chopped peanuts.

$1.00 off any two cartons of Swanson Stock or Broth
$1.50 off two Planters Peanut Butter of any size or variety
$0.50 off Stonyfield Organic Half and Half (need to sign up at their site)

Today's no cook idea is from Denny's, get 20% off your ENTIRE check, this is a great way to get the office together for lunch!  The coupon expires January 28th so you need to hurry for this great deal.  Just print the coupon and bring it in with you, as always please remember to tip your server based on the full amount of the bill, not the discounted amount.

Hope you are having a great week so far.

C.Q.

Sunday's media madness...

I love finding new TV shows on DVD, but the price has to be right.  Lately I have been seeing commercials for a show called Justified that I think looks really good and I wanted to give season one a try.  I checked out all my online sources and found it for only $19.00 at Amazon, plus if you are a prime member you will get it shipped in 2 days for free.  If you are already a fan of the show and know its something you would like to own yourself, season two is also available for $19.00 from Amazon.

Here is a synopsis of the show from Amazon:  "Justified is the story of Deputy U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant), a true-blue hero and something of a throwback, given to wearing a Stetson and cowboy boots, carrying his sidearm in a hip holster – a weapon he only draws when he has to, and when he does, he shoots to kill, because, as he sees it, that’s the purpose of a gun. The character of Deputy U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens was created by America’s pre-eminent crime novelist Elmore Leonard (Get Shorty, Out of Sight) and is played by Timothy Olyphant (Deadwood, Live Free or Die Hard). The Chief Deputy of the Lexington USMS office is Art Mullen, played by Nick Searcy (Cast Away, From the Earth to the Moon). Working alongside Raylan are fellow deputies Tim Gutterson – played by Jacob Pitts (The Pacific) – and Rachel Brooks – played by Erica Tazel (Life, The Office). Raylan, Art and the other deputies do what all U.S. Marshals do – chase down fugitives, protect witnesses, transport prisoners."

Have  you seen the show?  I would be interested in hearing what you thought of it.

I hope you are all having a great weekend.

C.Q.

Silly Saturday...

I hope everyone is having a fantastic weekend!

C.Q.

Friday's Freebie...

Well its finally cold and blustery here so I guess its officially Winter.  A great season for checking out a great book with a cup of tea.  Today I am listing 5 freebies so you can get the perfect cup of tea with that good read.  The first two are FaceBook give aways from two well known favorites, Lipton who is offering a sample of their Green Tea with Super Fruits and Celestial Seasoning who is offering samples of their wellness teas.  The other three are all online the first one from Juman Tea, just fill in your name and address and they will have a sample out to you right away.  The next one is from Natural Persimmon, they are offering a sample of their unique Persimmon tea just for filling out the request form.  Finally, you can sample tea from Enjoying Tea, they are offering you a choice of one of their 12 varieties, just make your selection and fill in your customer information.

Have a wonderful Friday.

C.Q.

Thursday's picture perfect deal...

The picture...

This is one of the five waterfalls in Goosberry Falls State Park, not too far from me.  I loved the idea of summer being frozen in time.  There is still a little water running over the falls, but most of it is in suspended animation.

The deal...

Today's deal comes from GlassesUSA.com. For me shopping for glasses is a lot like shopping for jeans, not something I look forward to, until I found this site. They make it super easy to find what you are looking for at a really great price. The very first page helps you narrow your search down to the shape, style and material you want, then you can see how your selection will look when you wear them. Yup, that’s what I said, you can "try them on" using the virtual mirror! I have never seen this at another site and its so easy, just select your gender and upload a photo of yourself or use your webcam, how cool is that?

Found the perfect pair of eyeglasses for you? Then its time to pick the perfect lens to go with your frames, the choices are vast, something you don't usually see when you order online, thin and ultra thin, anti-scratch, Anti-Reflective, UV coating, you can even get Transitions® VI on most lenses. If you need help anytime along the way there is an online help button right on the site, or you can call GlassesUSA.com and they will help you with your purchase.


I also love the 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. If for some reason, you're not satisfied with your glasses you may return them to us for a refund or a new pair of glasses. Full refund in case your glasses were made incorrectly, were defective, or with the wrong prescription. They offer an easy exchange, full store credit, or 50% refund, if you don't like your glasses or for any other reason.  What a great way to get your eyeglasses prescription filled with so much less hassel!

Still not sure if you want to try buying glasses online?  Here is a little added bonus, use coupon code New2012 at check out for 20% off your order and free shipping, plus, my readers can take 10% off any order of prescription glasses, just use coupon code: Blog10.

*This is a paid review; however, the thoughts, words and feelings about the site are my own.

Hope you are all enjoying your week.

C.Q.