Thursday's picture perfect deal...

The picture...

This time of year I start to think about getting away from the winter blahs.  I took this picture a few years ago of FMNH PR 2081, most folks just know her as Sue, the T Rex at the Field Museum in Chicago.  Sue was 28 years old when she died, making her the oldest T Rex to date.  I love visiting Sue when I feel like I am getting old, she is a great reminder of what determination looks like.  Her bones have reviled that she lived though an injury to her right shoulder, a torn tendon in her right arm and three broken ribs.  These injuries appear to have happened at the same and during her life to be injured even slightly usually meant certain death. She also survived infection in her right leg and either infection or infestation of parasites in her skull.  She had arthritis in her tail and a case of gout as well as extra bone built up and stress fractures due to her massive weight.  Most people don't see her as an inspiration, but I sure do.

The deal...

Red Lobster has been running their 30 shrimp for $11.99, but this Friday that gets even better!  Just print the coupon and bring it in for their one day only anniversary deal of 45 shrimp for $11.95.  The price is a little higher in Hawaii and Time Square, but still a great deal.

Hope you are all having a wonderful week!

C.Q.

Thursday's picture perfect deal...

The picture...

I took this in our yard at the start of the month, summer is going by so fast and I missed a lot of it so I have been taking every opportunity to take pictures.  I loved the close up of this dandelion and by changing it to black and white it really brought out the intricacy of the seed heads.  Fall is right around the corner.


The deal...

Did you know that Kellogg's has a family rewards program?  Just purchase the products you love then look for the reward codes.  Enter the codes on line and redeem them for fun stuff like magazines, toys or movie cash.  While you are there be sure to check the promotions and coupons tab for free codes and some great coupons.

Have a great day!

C.Q.

Friday's Freebie...

I know "technically" this isn't free but its such an amazing deal I had to pass it along.  Yankee Candle currently has a coupon for a free large jar candle with the purchase of another large jar candle, this coupon is only good through March 11th.  If you don't live near a Yankee Candle you can check their products on their web site then call the customer service number at 1-877-803-6890 to place an order, mention coupon code FJ52.  The buy one get one free offer is only good on the large Housewarmer jars.

Have a great Friday!

C.Q.

Friday's Freebie...

This Sunday, 3/3/12, you can get a free quart of Clark+Kensington paint at Ace Hardware, just print out the coupon and bring it in with you.  You will want to get there early, each store has about 40 quarts of paint to give out and when they're gone they're gone.  Depending on the shade of paint a quart will cover between 100 and 200 square feet, this would make it a great way to paint some trim in a room, do an accent wall or get busy with some fun wood craft projects.

Have a great day!

C.Q.

Tastefully Tuesday...

Happy Fat Tuesday!!  Did you know that this was the day medieval Christians used up their eggs, butter, and milk because they were forbidden during their Lenten abstinence.  Traditionally they used them all to make pancakes and pastries, thus was born the tradition of pancakes on Fat Tuesday.  In Britain "Pancake Day, or Shrove Tuesday to use its correct title, is the traditional feast day before the start of Lent on Ash Wednesday. Lent - the 40 days leading up to Easter - was traditionally a time of fasting and on Shrove Tuesday Christians went to confession and were "shriven" (absolved from their sins). Pancake Day became a great way to use the foods that were given up for Lent – milk, butter, and eggs. The humble pancake has featured in recipe books as far back as 1439." Quote from About.com 

With that in mind I though I would find a couple of great Pancake ideas for today.  The first one is from Paula Dean's show, the second is from the Food Networks Magazine.

Chocolate Chip Pancakes with Cinnamon Cream

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

2 large eggs, separated

3 tablespoons butter, melted plus 4 tablespoons, divided

1/2 cup miniature semi-sweet chocolate morsels

Cinnamon Cream, recipe follows

Maple syrup, for serving

Cinnamon Cream:

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1/4 cup confectioners' sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat griddle to 350 degrees F.  In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.

In a small bowl, combine milk, egg yolks, and 3 tablespoons melted butter; add to flour mixture, whisking until smooth.

In a small bowl, beat egg whites at medium-high speed with an electric mixer until stiff. Gently fold into batter. Gently fold in chocolate morsels.

Melt 2 tablespoons butter on hot griddle. Ladle about 1/4-cup batter for each pancake onto hot griddle. Cook pancakes for 2 to 3 minutes, or until tops are covered with bubbles and edges look cooked. Turn and cook the other side. Repeat procedure with remaining 2 tablespoons butter and remaining batter.

For the Cinnamon Cream:

In a medium bowl, beat cream at medium-high speed with an electric mixer until thickened. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar and cinnamon, beating until stuff peaks form. Cover and chill.

Serve pancakes with Cinnamon Cream and maple syrup.

Prep time 15 minutes, cook time 20 minutes, yields 10 servings.

Almost-Famous Cheesecake Pancakes

1 1/2 cups strawberries, hulled and sliced

2 tablespoons seedless strawberry jam

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/4 cups buttermilk

1 large egg

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

Pinch of salt

2 cups chopped frozen cheesecake

Cooking spray

Butter, confectioners' sugar or whipped cream, for topping (optional)

Mix the strawberries, jam and 2 tablespoons warm water in a bowl; set aside. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.

Pulse the flour, buttermilk, egg, vegetable oil, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a blender until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the cheesecake pieces, keeping them whole.

Coat a large nonstick skillet or griddle with cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Working in batches, pour about 1/4 cup batter into the skillet for each pancake. Cook until bubbly on top, about 4 minutes, then flip and cook until the other side is golden brown, about 2 more minutes. Transfer the finished pancakes to a baking sheet and keep warm in the oven. Serve the pancakes topped with the strawberry sauce; top with butter, confectioners' sugar or whipped cream, if desired.

Prep time 15 minutes, cook time 15 minutes, yields 8 cakes.

Coupons:
$0.50 off Imperial Sugar^® Extra Fine Granulated Pure Cane Sugar Bags
$0.35 off Diamond Crystal Salt Sense
$0.55 off Horizon Organic Milk Plus
$0.75 off Davidson's Safest Choice All Natural Eggs
$0.50 off Land O Lakes Spreadable Butter
$0.50 off two Nestle Toll House Morsels
$1.00 off Spice Islands Spices or Extracts
$0.55 off any Welch's Jam, Jelly or Spread
$0.50 off  LouAna® Vegetable Oil
$1.00 off 2  Arm & Hammer Baking Soda Products

Today's no cook options are from Restaurant.com, for today only when you check out use coupon code BEADS to get a $25.00 certificate as low as $3.00!!  I love this one because you are less limited on your choice of where to go eat.

Have a great Fat Tuesday everyone.

C.Q.

Tastefully Tueday...

Nothing says Valentines Day quite like chocolates so why not save some cash and make them yourself this year?  I found this great recipe at All Recipes and its super easy to make these little gems.

Luscious Chocolate Truffles

3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

1 tablespoon vanilla extract **

In large saucepan, melt chocolate chips with sweetened condensed milk. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Transfer the mixture into a medium bowl. Cover and chill 2 to 3 hours or until firm.      

Shape mixture into 1 inch balls; roll in desired covering and/or decorate them. Refrigerate in a tightly covered dish.

**For more variety divide the chocolate mix into four even parts and add 1 Tbsp of different flavoring (in place of the Vanilla) to each batch.  Chill each batch separately, they will cool faster that way too.

Makes about 70 candies, prep time is only 10 minutes, but the total time needed is about 3 hours.

Coupons:

$0.50 off one bag of NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Morsels

$0.50 off any Simply Organic Extract or Flavor

Today's no cook options are from a couple of places.  First, Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream is offering a free scoop if Stephen Colbert's AmeriCone Ice Cream today only between 5:00 and 8:00 at participating locations.  The other coupon is from Boston Market; they are offering a free dessert when you buy an individual meal with a drink.  This offer is good for today only and you need to print the coupon to bring in with you and give to your server when you order.

A big thank you to everyone for stopping by yesterday for my first ever blog hop, I hope you will all come back next week and meet another great blogger.  Have a great Valentines day.

C.Q.

Tastefully Tueday...

Our weather turned cold again so today is a great day for baking.  With Valentines around the corner I thought I would post something fun for the day  I found this treat at Food Network, you can find all sorts of wonderful things there!


Black Forest Cupcakes

1 (18.25-ounce) box devil's food cake mix

1 1/3 cups black cherry soda

1/2 cup vegetable oil

3 eggs

1 container vanilla frosting

2 teaspoons cherry extract

1 to 2 drops pink food coloring

24 whole maraschino cherries with stems

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 (12-cup) muffin tins with paper liners.  In a large bowl combine cake mix, soda, vegetable oil and eggs. Using a hand mixer combine all ingredients, batter will still be somewhat lumpy. Pour batter into muffin cups. Bake 19 to 22 minutes, turning the pans halfway through baking. Remove to a rack and allow to cool completely.  In a large bowl combine frosting, extract and pink food coloring. When cupcakes are cool ice with pink cherry frosting and top each with maraschino cherry    

Variation: Orange Cream Cupcakes

Prepare using a yellow cake mix and Orange soda. Substitute twisted orange slices for the cherries.

Prep time is 10 minutes, cook time 22 minutes, total time is 32 minutes.   The recipe makes 24 cupcakes.

Coupons:
$1.00 off any 3 7UP, A and W, Sunkist, Vernors, Squirt, RC Cola, Diet Rite, Canada Dry Ginger Ale, Hawaiian Punch, Dr. Pepper, or Big Red at Meijer.
$1.00 off one dozen Davidson's Safest Choice Eggs

Today's no cook option is from Bruegger’s Bagels.  Stop by on their Facebook page and like them to get a printable coupon for 3 free bagels.  Just bring it in with you on February 9th.  Remember that most Bruegger's are not open very late so be sure to stop in early.

I hope you are all having a great Tuesday!

C.Q.

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.

Tastefully Tueday...

For Christmas one of my friends gave me a set of individula ramkins for baking in all with their own little lids which I haven't seen before so that sent me looking for a great gourmet Macaroni and Cheese recipe to make in them.  And what is more Gourmet than Lobster so here is the recipe I chose from TheNibble.com for today's post, it calls to make it in a large baking dish but I am going to try it in my new little cooking pots.

Cheesy Pasta and Lobster Bake Mac & Cheese Anne Jones was the 2005 Grand Prize Winner, taking national honors by combining two of America’s favorite foods: lobster and mac and cheese. The recipe serves 6. Ingredients 4 tablespoons, plus 2 tablespoons, plus 1½ tablespoons, butter 4 tablespoons flour 2 cups half and half 1¾ teaspoons salt ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper 1¼ cups Sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded 1¼ cups Monterey Jack cheese, shredded 1½ cups Parmigiano-Reggiano, shredded ½ cup gruyère cheese, shredded 1 teaspoon minced garlic 1 pound packaged dry gnocchi-shaped pasta Non-stick cooking spray 1 pound lobster meat, picked over and chopped 2 teaspoons chopped green onions, green tops only 1/3 cup seasoned bread crumbs ½ teaspoon each paprika, dried basil and dried thyme Preparation: Preheat oven to 350°F. In a medium saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons of butter over low heat. Add flour and stir to combine. Cook, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes. Increase the heat to medium and, with a wire whisk, gradually add the half and half. Cook 3-5 minutes, or until thickened, stirring often. Remove from the heat, and add ½ cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, ½ cup gruyère, garlic, 3⁄4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Stir until cheese is melted and well combined. Cover and let stand. Fill a large pan with water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Add 1 teaspoon salt. Add pasta, return to a boil, reduce the heat to a low boil and cook for about 8-10 minutes, or until just undercooked. Drain water from pasta and return to the pan. Add the béchamel sauce and 2 tablespoons butter; stir until well combined. Set aside. In a large bowl combine the Tillamook Sharp Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses, and 1 cup of the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Spray a 3-quart baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Place one half of the pasta in the baking dish. Top with half of the mixed cheeses. Top with the other half of the pasta, followed by the remaining mixed cheeses. Bake in a pre-heated oven for 35-40 minutes, or until the visibly bubbling and hot. While pasta is baking, combine 1½ tablespoons butter and lobster meat in a medium saucepan, over medium-low heat for 3 minutes, or until lobster is heated through. Remove from heat; add bread crumbs, green onions, paprika, basil and thyme, and 1 ounce of Parmigiano-Reggiano. Toss lightly to combine. Remove the baking dish from the oven and spoon the lobster mixture over the top of the pasta. Spread evenly. Turn the oven to “Broil” and return the baking dish to the oven. Broil 10-12 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Today's no cook idea is from Cici's, from today until the 8th they are offering a free kids buffet with the purchase of one adult buffet.  Just print out the coupon and bring it in with you.  Note the coupon is good for kids 10 and under and there is only one per customer, I do think that you could use two if you have two adults go though. Have a great Tuesday! C.Q.

Tastefully Tueday...

Got your baking done for the season?  Well if you are done congratulations!  If not here is the worlds easiest cookie recipe, every time I make these they are gone within two days.  I grew up with my mom making these and they were always the first to go then too, funny how some things never change.

Cornflake Crisps

5 Cups Cornflakes
12 ounces chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter

Put the chocolate chips and peanut butter in a glass bowl and microwave for 30 seconds. Remove the bowl and mix (the chips will look like they haven't melted because they will hold their form until stirred)  if you need to melt them a little more do it in 10 - 15 second bursts or you may over cook and break the chocolate making a gritty mess.  When they are done just mix in the cornflakes and coat them well.  Spoon the mixture out on wax paper or cookie sheets and let them cool.  If you live in a cold area you can always set them outside for a few minutes, that will do the trick.  If you want to present them as gifts you can spoon them out into little muffin cups.

Coupons:

$0.50 off Nestle Toll House Morsels
$1.00 off 3 Kellogg's Rice or Cocoa Krispies, Corn Flakes, or Crispix Cereal at Target

Today's no cook idea is from Restaurant.com, through 12/7 they are offering $25 gift certificates for as low as $2! Just enter the coupon code GIFT at check-out! These are great gifts for secret Santa's, stocking stuffer or a little something for yourself, also a great way to try a new place without spending a lot of cash.

Hope you are all having a great Tuesday!

C.Q.

Tastefully Tueday...

Yesterday I noticed that I had a bunch of bananas that had turned brown almost overnight so I wanted to do something with them.  My Niece's boyfriend had just made us banana muffins so I went looking for something a little different at Cooks.com and found a great cream cheese banana bread recipe.  It is like a quick bread to make but turns out like a yeast type bread in the end, its really good! 

CREAM CHEESE BANANA BREAD

 1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese

1 c. sugar
1/4 c. butter
1 c. mashed bananas
2 eggs
2 1/4 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 c. chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine cream cheese, sugar and butter mixing well. Blend in bananas and eggs. Add remaining ingredients; mix well until moistened. Pour in greased and floured 9x5 loaf pan. Bake 1 hour 10 minutes or until wooden pick comes out clean.

Coupons:
$0.50 off 2 Philadelphia Cream Cheeses at Target
$0.50 off Imperial Granulated Sugar
$0.75 off  Land O Lakes Eggs
$0.25 off Gold Medal Flour
$0.30 off Argo Baking Powder
$0.50 off 2 Arm & Hammer Baking Soda

Today's no cook idea is from Orange Julius, I know its not really a meal but with holiday shopping whats more refreshing then a frothy orange beverage?  Truth be told I love these things.  When you sign up for their Quench Club you will get a buy one get one free coupon.

I hope you are all having a great Tuesday.

C.Q.

Tastefully Tueday...

Last year I shared my pumpkin pie recipe for our family's traditional Thanksgiving, this year I thought I would share a very old recipe that my mom made since I was a little girl.  It came in a 1950s salad cook book that I still have, and let me tell you there are some very strange things in there, but this one is a gem.  Everyone seems love it, it was dads favorite, now my hubby and Niece ask for it each year. 

Rosy Fruit-cocktail salad ~

2 3oz packages of cream cheese
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup heavy cream - whipped
3.5 oz fruit cocktail well drained
1/4 cup maraschino cherries quartered
2 1/2 cups mini marshmallows
1/4 cup maraschino cherry juice for color and flavor

Soften the cream cheese and blend with mayonnaise. Fold in the remaining ingredients.

Pour the salad mixture into a shallow round container or onto a baking sheet with a lip and freeze until firm, at least 6 hours. To serve let it stand for a few minutes, then remove from container, if you need to you can set the bottom of the container in warm water to loosen it up. If you use a baking sheet cut into triangles and use a spatula to lift out of the pan.

Coupons:
Save $0.50 off 2 Philadelphia Cream Cheeses at Target
Save $1.00 off any two Hood Cream Products

Today's no cook option comes from Boston Market, print off the $3.00 coupon and bring it in with you.  When you order $15.00 worth of food they will give you the $3.00 off until November 29th.  The fine print: "Good at participating Boston Market® restaurants only. Present coupon when ordering. Not valid with any other coupon or special or reduced price offer including the $7.99 1/2 Chicken Meal or $4.99 and $5.99 1/4 Dark Meal offers. Not redeemable for cash or gift card purchase. Not applicable for heat and serve banquets, catering orders, or grocery items. Applicable taxes paid by bearer."

Hope everyone is having a nice week so far.

C.Q.