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.

Fridays freebie

Who loves pancakes?  I know I do and what's better than free pancakes at Perkins?  Tomorrow Perkins is running their Full Tummy Full Heart promotion to offer a free short stack of cakes to customers hoping they will donate to their Give Kids the World program which fulfills wishes of kids with life threatening illnesses.  So if you want a Full Tummy and a Full Heart stop in for your free stack on Saturday, September 15, 2012

I hope you all have had a great week!

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...

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.

Friday's Freebie...

Even the healthy eaters out there crave fries sometimes.  Today you can satisfy your craving at Burger King with a free small fry.  No other purchase is required, limited to one per person while supplies last.  Check out their Facebook page to find a BK near you, while you are there click their "like" button to have a chance at winning a $5.00 gift card.

I hope you are all having a great Friday!

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.

Friday's freebie

This holiday season while you are out doing you shopping be sure to take a little time for yourself.  With these goodies you can get a free milkshake with nothing else to purchase, or if you are feeling like grabbing bite to eat you can get a free large fry with any purchase at Rally's or Checker's.  Just print the coupon you want and bring it in with you, these offers expires on 12/31.

Hope you are all enjoying your Friday.

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.

Friday's Freebie...

Its Veterans day and time to reflect and remember the service men and women of our country.  Their gift of freedom is something we take for granted everyday, but is one of the most precious things we have.  I would like to personally say thank you for all that you have done, to those that have served, those that are serving and those that will serve.  Today's freebie is with our Veterans in mind as well as some great deals.  If you have more to add please leave them in the comments so others can find them.  Thanks!

FREE FOOD

Abuelo's Mexican Food -- Offers vary by region.

Applebees -- All veterans and active-duty military eat free from a limited menu on Veterans Day.

Buca di Beppo Italian Restaurants -- Special offers for vets on Veterans Day.

Chili's -- Veterans and service members can dine for free from a special six-item menu on Veterans Day.

Golden Corral -- Military Appreciation Monday includes a free dinner, Nov. 14, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. for military retirees, veterans, and current service members.

Famous Dave's -- Offers for free or discounted meals on Veterans Day vary by location.

Hooters -- All veterans and service members get 10 free wings with the purchase of a drink.

Krispy Kreme -- A free donut is available for all service members, retirees and veterans.

McCormick & Schmick's Seafood Restaurants -- This Sunday, participating McCormick & Schmick's Seafood Restaurants are offering a complimentary entree to vets from a special menu on a space-available basis. Online reservations are highly recommended.

Outback Steakhouse -- Nov. 7-15, Outback will offer veterans and military a free Bloomin' Onion and beverage

Olive Garden -- Free entree for veterans and active duty military, Friday November 11.

Subway -- Free regular 6 inch sub on Veterans Day for members of the U.S. Armed Forces.  Check the web site for participating locations.

Texas Roadhouse -- Free meals available to veterans from opening until 4 p.m. on Veterans Day.

T.G.I. Friday's -- Veterans and service members can buy one meal and get another free, Nov. 11-13.

Tim Hortons -- all U.S. locations are offering a free Star Spangled Vanilla Dip donut to all veterans on Veterans Day. Show up in uniform or show military identification.

UNO Chicago Grill -- Nov. 7-15, UNO is offering a 19.43 percent discount on food and non-alcoholic beverage beverages to vets and military. The chain explains that 1943 was the year UNO invented the deep dish pizza.

Vito's Pizza and Subs -- Giving away free New York Style fold-over subs to the first 50 veterans, active military or their spouses at each of its 18 Northwest Ohio locations.

RETAIL DEALS

Amazon.com -- A free downloadable MP3 album includes 12 songs performed by military bands and ensembles from now through Veterans Day.

Big Lots – 10 percent off your entire purchase, Friday.

Build-a-Bear Workshop -- Members of the armed services, including the Coast Guard and ROTC, receive a 20 percent discount Nov. 11-15 on any one transaction at the workshop.

Cabela's Outdoor Store -- Employee discounts are being offered to all veterans, active-duty military and reserve-component troops, along with law-enforcement, fire and emergency-management personnel Nov.11-12. Discounts vary from 5 percent to 50 percent, depending on item.

The Dollar General -- Veterans, service members and their immediate families can receive a 10-percent discount with a Veterans Day coupon.

Fashion Bug -- Offering 20 percent off all plus-size and misses clothing purchases with a copy of military ID or spouse's military ID.

 

Foot Locker -- Veterans, Service members (Active, Guard, and Reserve), and their immediate families with a Foot Locker Veterans Advantage Card receive a 20 percent discount every day of the year. This offer is good both online and at any store location, including Foot Locker, Lady Foot Locker, Kids Foot Locker, Footaction and Champs Sports — even on sale items.

Home Depot -- Offers a 10 percent discount to all veterans on Veterans Day. Home Depot offers a 10 percent discount year-round to active duty military and retirees.

Lowe's -- All veterans receive the 10 percent discount for purchases of up to $5,000. A 10 percent discount is available year-round to active-duty military and retirees.

Sam's Club -- Nov. 9-11, Sam's Club will give away collapsible Hugo Canes on Veterans Day to military veterans who need them.

Seven-Eleven -- On Nov. 11 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., veterans can get a free small Slurpee.

Sports Clips Haircuts -- Offering free haircuts to active-military and veterans on Nov. 11.

For more great sales please check out the Veterans Day Sales and Deals site, they have a TON of stuff listed!

I hope everyone has had a great week!

C.Q.

Tastefully Tueday...

Well yesterday I went to link up with the Meet Me on Monday blog hop that Java does over at Never Growing Old and I somehow ended up using a google link that took me to a post from may of last year, so I dutifully went through and answered all the questions, got pictures to go with them and went to link up, imagine my surprise when I realized I had to start all over.  One of the things I had answered was "What is your favorite kind of muffin?" I had answered cream cheese kind, but since I have a pumpkin I need to use up I found a great recipe for Pumpkin Cream Cheese muffins over at Annie's Eats.  Since they sounded so wonderful I thought I would share them today.  Be sure to check out Annie's Eats blog for other mouthwatering ideas!

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

For the filling:
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 cup confectioners’ sugar

For the muffins:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tsp. ground cloves
1 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
4 large eggs
2 cups sugar
2 cups pumpkin puree
1¼ cups vegetable oil

For the topping:
½ cup sugar
5 tbsp. flour
1½ tsp. ground cinnamon
4 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Directions:
To prepare the filling, combine the cream cheese and confectioners’ sugar in a medium bowl and mix well until blended and smooth. Transfer the mixture to a piece of plastic wrap and shape into a log about 1½-inches in diameter. Smooth the plastic wrap tightly around the log, and reinforce with a piece of foil. Transfer to the freezer and chill until at least slightly firm, at least 2 hours.

To make the muffins, preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Line muffin pans with paper liners. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, pumpkin pie spice, salt and baking soda; whisk to blend. In the bowl of an electric mixer combine the eggs, sugar, pumpkin puree and oil. Mix on medium-low speed until blended. With the mixer on low speed, add in the dry ingredients, mixing just until incorporated.

To make the topping, combine the sugar, flour and cinnamon in a small bowl; whisk to blend. Add in the butter pieces and cut into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender or two forks until the mixture is coarse and crumbly. Transfer to the refrigerator until ready to use.

To assemble the muffins, fill each muffin well with a small amount of batter, just enough to cover the bottom of the liner (1-2 tablespoons). Slice the log of cream cheese filling into 24 equal pieces. Place a slice of the cream cheese mixture into each muffin well. Divide the remaining batter among the muffin cups, placing on top of the cream cheese to cover completely. Sprinkle a small amount of the topping mixture over each of the muffin wells.

Bake for 20-25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely before serving. (It may be hard to resist immediate consumption, but the cream cheese filling gets very hot!) ~ makes 24 muffins.

Coupons:
Save $0.50 off  2 Philadelphia Cream Cheeses at Target
Save $0.50 off Arrowhead Mills Organic flour
Save $1.00 off any two glass bottles of Simply Organic spices
Save $0.50 off any one mini bottle of Simply Organic Spice
Save $1.00 off Davidson's Pasteurized Eggs
Save $0.45 on Dixie Crystals Sugar

Today's no cook option is from Hardees, get a free Cheddar Biscuit with the purchase of a breakfast combo, or cash off a number of other great menu items like the Steakhouse Thick burger or the Chicken Fillet.  Just pick the coupon(s) that work for you and print them out and bring them into the store with you.

Have a great Tuesday everyone!

C.Q.

Tastefully Tueday...

Happy Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead.  Contrary to how it sounds, the Day of the Dead is a family affair and is meant to remember ancestors, whose spirits come to visit the earth once a year.  Although there are many different ways to celebrate from Mexico to Brazil one thing is constant along all the celebrations; favorite foods are made for the deceased family members so that they can enjoy the company of the living for the day.  With that in mind I have chosen a favorite dish of both my parents as well as mine.

Lawry's Roasted Prime Ribs of Beef with Whipped Cream Horseradish

Roasted Prime Ribs:

1 (4-rib) standing rib roast
Lawry's Seasoned Salt
1 bag (5 lb.) rock salt

Sprinkle fatty cap of roast with Seasoned Salt. In a heavy roasting pan, spread rock salt evenly over bottom.; place wire roasting rack on top of salt. Place the roast on rack, fatty side up. Make sure no salt actually touches the beef. Insert meat thermometer in thickest part of meat, making sure it does not touch bone. Roast in preheated 350-degree oven until thermometer registers 130-degrees F. for rare, 140 F. for medium, or approximately 20 to 25 minutes per pound. Remove from oven and let stand 20 minutes before carving. Using a sharp knife, slice meat across the grain for serving. Discard rock salt.

Whipped Cream Horseradish:

1 cup whipping cream
¼ teaspoon Lawry's Seasoned Salt
2 tablespoons prepared horseradish, well drained, or 4 tablespoons finely grated fresh horseradish root
Dash Tabasco sauce

Whip cream until stiff peaks form. Fold in Lawry's Seasoned Salt, horseradish and Tabasco until well mixed.

Today's no cook option comes from Planet Hollywood, just print the coupon and bring it in with you to get $10.00 off your $20.00 or more purchase. Offer expires 12/31/11 and is not good for the purchase of gift cards.

I hope you all had a fun Halloween and are having a great week so far.

C.Q.

Tastefully Tuesday...

Photo from Taste of Home

Halloween is almost here and its time for fun themed food items, but what to make?  I have seen a lot of ideas for eyeball items, spiders and creepy cupcakes, but this recipe from Taste of Home was a new one to me an looks fun. 



Boneyard Cookies
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup cold butter, cubed
2 eggs
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 to 3 tablespoons seedless raspberry jam
16 to 18 ounces white baking chocolate, chopped

In a small bowl, combine confectioners' sugar and cornstarch. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in extract. Combine flour and salt; gradually add to sugar mixture and mix well.

Shape dough into a ball; flatten into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap; refrigerate for 30 minutes or until easy to handle.

On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/8-in. thickness. Cut with a floured 3-1/2-in. bone-shaped cookie cutter. (The best place to find this may be a pet store) Place 1 in. apart on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 8-10 minutes or until edges begin to brown. Remove to wire racks to cool.

On the bottoms of half the cookies, spread 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon jam down the center; top with remaining cookies.

In a microwave, melt white chocolate at 70% power for 1 minute; stir. Microwave at additional 10- to 20-second intervals, stirring until smooth.

Dip each cookie in chocolate, allowing excess to drip off. Place on waxed paper; let stand until set. Yield: 34 sandwich cookies.

$0.35 off one Argo or Kingsford's corn starch
$1.00 off one package of Davidson's Pasteurized Eggs
$0.50 off one Simply Organic extract
 

Today's no cook option is from Taco Bell.  Right now when you purchase a $20.00 gift card you get a free Chicken Flatbread Sandwich combo.  This is a nice perk and you can save the gift card to use later for yourself, as a holiday gift or give to your college kid for an meal different than Ramon Noodles.
 
Have a great Tuesday!
 
C.Q.