Thursday 17 September 2009

Barbecue Chicken Quesadillas

This recipe is from "Relaxed Cooking with Curtis Stone" and it seriously is the yummiest easiest recipe. I did have pictures of this HOWEVER my laptop had crashed and my hard drive was replace....equalling no pictures. Hope you enjoy these!


Four 10-inch flour tortillas

2 cups coarsely shredded roasted chicken

2 cups grated monterey jack cheese

1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro

1 jalapeno, finely chopped

salt

1/4 cup barbeque sauce


Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.

Arrange tortillas on a work surface. Divide chicken, cheese, cilantro, and jalapeno among the tortillas, scattering the ingredients over half of each tortilla. Sprinkle with salt (i didn't actually do this when I made them) and drizzle a tbsp of bbq sauce over each. Fold the uncovered half of each tortilla over the filling to form a half-moon shape.

Heat a large flad griddle pan over medium heat. Place 2 quesadillas on the griddle. Cook for about 3 minutes on each side. Transfer to a baking sheet and keep warm in oven. Cute quessadillas into wedges and serve.

Now I didn't use the BBQ sauce recipe in his cookbook because I was short on time and ingredients but these turned out great with the store bought sauce I used. These are a great movie snack or dinner.
Sonja

Wednesday 16 September 2009

Thrifty Thursday


Hello everyone. I hope that you are having a nice Thursday. Only one more day until the weekend. I cant wait!! Well here are todays deals! If you know of any other deals which I havent listed yet please let me know! Or comment about them so that others know about them and can take advantage of them!

USA Deals:

  1. Here is a $10 off your purchase from Sears. There is no minimum purchase necessary so you could get $10 worth of stuff for FREE. That is fantastic.
  2. I love H&M. This week I found a Buy one get one 50% off coupon. Here is a link to the printer version of the coupon! Unfortunately for me this is only valid in the USA.
  3. Snapfish are giving new customers 50 Free prints when you sign up. Plus if you use code FREELABOR at checkout you will also get free delivery of the prints.
  4. Here is another coupon for you! $5.00 off any size of Enfamil Premium Powder. Wht a great deal!
  5. Im not sure of people know or not about Amazon Daily Deals. The deals change every day but there are some amazing deals there! Make sure to have a look!
  6. Free is always good isnt it? Well if you think so too then sign up for Betty Crockers News Letters and she will send you a FREE box of potatoes. Here have a look at the website!
  7. If you are a costco shopper like me then you will be happy to know that the new Costco Coupon books starts on the 17th of this month (September).
  8. Do you order Dominos Pizza Much? Well whether you do or dont next time you do order from there if you order on line You can have Free Cinnastix if you Type in CINNASTIX at checkout and you get them FREE!
  9. Meritline have on offer a CD Car Cassette Adapter for only $1.99. What a great deal if you want to connect something to your tape player in your car!
  10. Get a FREE Jack Daniels Burger from TGIFridays when you become a Fan on Facebook. Click Register and follow the instructions!
  11. Picture People Portrait Studios offers a Free Portrait Package with this printable coupon. The package includes: 1 8x10 2 5x7 and 8 wallets. Bargain!
  12. Brunswick Bowling are offering bowling for 6 people for 2 hours and a free pitcher of coke for only $30.00 This includes shoe rental and can be used during the cosmic bowling. Just print off this voucher and take it to the nearest Brunswick bowling alley near you!
UK Deals

  1. Tesco have a 6 pack of Lucozade for only £1.77. That is fantastic since it is nearly £1.00 per bottle some places.
  2. The Toy Shop have on offer Moon Sand - Sandcastle for only £10.00 which is half price. Seems a really good deal if you ask me!
  3. Asda is having their Disney DVD Sale. Monsters Inc for example is only £5.93 plus you will get Free Delivery. What a bargain!
  4. Tins of Chocolates are on offer everywhere. I said to a friend today you can tell it is getting close to Christmas when the chocolates go on offer. The cheapest I have found is at Co-Operative they have Roses, Celebrations and Heroes BOGOF at £8.00. Which makes them only £4.00 each.
  5. Amazon have on offer The Lost Symbol for only £4.99. Amazon still offer Free Delivery in the UK on orders over £5.00. This is a bargain for a hard back book! Especially one this new!
  6. Asda's Baby Event is on now until the 27th of September. There are loads of deals to be had! Have a look at the link or in store today.
  7. Amazon also have loads of Disney DVD's for very cheap. Including Sleeping beauty for less than £8.00 with Free Delivery.
  8. The GAP are offering 30% off vouchers for filling in their questionnaire. Definitely worth it!
  9. Odeon Cinemas are offering 25% off tickets with this voucher. Just print and take it in with you or book online. This voucher is good on all films until the 25th of September.
  10. Ryanair are offering £1.00 flights again until Midnight tonight. Flights are to be taken from September - March. Plenty of flights still available! Have a look at the site!
  11. Boots have 3 for 2 on most of their toys online at the moment. I am not sure if this deal is in store too. If you know please let me know!
  12. Sainsbury's has the Hannah Montanna Microphone for only £2.00. I saw this on sale in Asda yesterday for £5.00 so the £2.00 is so much better!
  13. If you get the Metro Paper (Which is FREE) then make sure to pick it up tomorrow. They are printing a Free Cup of Coffee from Mc Donalds in it tomorrow! Cant beat Free!
  14. Argos have on offer the Silver Cross Ranger Junior Pram
    half price at only £16.99. Remember to reserve and collect to save money on shipping costs. They also have the Babies to Love Travel Cot with Accessories for only £4.99
  15. Argos also have on offer the Disney Cars Walkie Talkies for only £5.99. Again Reserve and collect to save time and money!


Sunday 13 September 2009

Purse party favor candy bar holder!

This is the cutest simplest party favor, and cheap too!!!!
Supplies you need are Glue ( white, hot glue, ect), card stock one color or pattern unless you don't use ribbon as the strip then you would want a contrasting color, brads, ribbon for handle, nugget candy bar, and anything else you want to use to spruce it up, ie stamps ink, flowers,
First thing first one 12X12 paper will make about 12-15 depending on how accurate you cute the strips, you want them to be 5 inches long by 1 1/2 inches wide, you will fold it at 1 1/2 inches down from top 2 1/2 inches from top , and 4 inches from top ,( if you use paper for the strip in the middle it will be 5 1/2 long by 1/4 inch wide) like this:
next you take your purse and round the edges you can use a pair of scissors, or a scrap book cutter, this is done at the end that is the shortest with the fold,
Now you have this:
Then you take your ribbon or paper strip and glue it in place, folding on the folds as you work


Now you have this:
This is the side view when you fold it,

Now you want to take a pin or poker, seam ripper works great, to poke a hole through all the layers, this is the front of the purse, the ribbon or paper and the middle, this is for the brad, if you are using paper you can easily push the brad through without making a pre made hole , but i like the ribbon variety



Then you add the brad, this is when you would add a flower petal , or heart ect you have cut out or from scrap booking section at craft stores, the flowers already have holes in them

Now you want to either poke the seam ripper in for the 2 holes for the ribbon straps or use a SMALL hole punch, I used a reg one so you could see where about to place the hole. These do not need to be to big just big enough to place your ribbon through, ( curly ribbon is cheap most of us have it and it works great )

this is what i did for the handles a piece of ribbon about 5 inches long this is real hard to tie, so you may want yours longer, I honestly just eye ball it , and like them to vary a little,
then you put the ribbon through one hole tie it, then the other, easy easy cut off the extra and you are done!!!!!!

This way may be easier for us with bigger hands:) tie the handles then fold them insert brad and you will be done, wanted you to see both ways,

Finished project, now if you are gifting these at bridal shower, baby showers, wedding, or birthdays ect you may want to place a little piece of double sided tape to the candy bar to keep it in place, this is a perfect activity as well on those rainy days:) if you have questions just ask hope this is clear enough for everyone

Paper Bag Pumpkins


I found these on Kaboose.com I thought they are so cute and a really fantastic idea for Halloween treat bags. A friend and I are planning a Halloween party for about 32 of us and our friends children. I thought these would be adorable for the treat bags.Here is the how to:

What you'll need:

* 1 brown paper lunch bag
* Acrylic paint: orange and leaf green
* Paintbrush
* ¼ sheet brown construction paper
* 6- 12” pieces of green raffia
* Scissors

How to make it:

1. Paint the outside of the lunch bag with orange paint.
2. Paint the inside, top portion of the bag with leaf green paint. (See photo.)
3. Paint a second coat of orange paint on the bag, only this time, paint the top outside portion with the leaf green-colored paint.
4. When paint is completely dry, fringe the green section of the bag with your scissors, strips should be approximately ½” – 1” wide.
5. Fill bag with crumpled newspaper (if using as a decoration) or candy and treats.
6. Gather top of bag with your hand and tie a piece of raffia around it, just below the green section.
7. Continue tying pieces of green raffia around the neck of the bag until all of it has been used.
8. Cut a 1.5” wide strip of brown construction paper and roll up into a tube. Insert the tube of paper into the center of the green portion of the bag as the stem. If these bags are used as decoration, you can glue the stem in place.

Homemade Tortillas




I love to make homemade tortillas. Recently a few people have been asking me how to make them. I thought I would post a recipe here. Tortillas taste so much better when you make them yourself. I use tortillas to compliment a meal or sometimes I make them for dessert. Just depends on our mood.

Ingredients:
3 cups unbleached flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
4-6 Tbsp. vegetable lard
about 1 1/4 cups warm water

Directions:

Mix dry ingredients first in a large bowl.

Add the lard use a fork or a pastry cutter to cut it in.

Next add warm water a little at a time until your dough is soft and not sticky.

Now you will pull off pieces of dough to form about 12 small dough balls. Let them
rest for at least 10 minutes, longer if you like.

This is a good time to heat up your frying pan. You will want to set it at medium to high heat. If it is too hot the tortillas will cook too fast.

Now you can roll out the dough with your rolling pin. Dust each ball with a little flour just before you roll them out. Roll them out fairly thin.

Lay your tortilla on the hot frying pan. It takes just a few seconds to cook. Flip to the other side. When they are done it should have lots of nice brown speckles. Place them in a towel to keep them warm before serving.

Wednesday 9 September 2009

Halloween Wreath


I have been trying to get a few Halloween Crafts sorted out in time for the 1st of October. Yesterday I made this Halloween Wreath out of some spare material I had and a wire coat hanger. What do you think? I was so simple and so much fun! I just cut the material into strips and tied them onto the hanger. Thats it! So Fun and SO SIMPLE!

Tuesday 8 September 2009

Free Fun for Kids

My friend told me about this site. At Lowes on Saturdays they have clinics where kids can come and build things *for free* and take home with you. It seems to be nationwide. It looks like Septembers items are a drum or a fire truck. It only takes an hour, but looks fun, especially if you want your husband to take them somewhere for an hour or so so you can breathe, and maybe take a shower! Check it out:

https://www.lowesbuildandgrow.com/default.asp

Wednesday 2 September 2009

Thrifty Thursday


Hello everyone and welcome to this weeks edition of Thrifty Thursdays. I have been busy in the last two days trying to find some really fantastic deals. If you know of any amazing or even not so amazing but just really good deals please let me know or even just leave a comment so that others can know of the deal too. Being in the UK I find it easy to find loads of good UK deals. But I am not too sure about all the US ones. I want to know more though and I want to know where to find more great US deals for when I eventually move back. Anyway here are This Thursdays Thrifty Finds!

USA Deals!

  1. What is it they say about Diamonds...? Oh yeah they are a girls best friend!! Here is a great deal on some diamond earrings. Amazon have14K White Gold Stud 1/2 Carat twt Diamond Earrings (K,I3) for only $74.92. I think that is a great deal for 1/2 Carat DIAMOND Earrings!
  2. Kohl's is having a swimwear clearance. They have loads of swim suits as low as $3 or $4. Plus save an extra 10% if you use code NEW137 at check out. They only charge .99 cents per item to be shipped.
  3. Target have on offer 4-Pack Duracell Precharged Rechargeable Batteries (AA & AAA)- $6.45. That is so good for rechargable batteries!
  4. Meritline has LED Keychain Flashlight for $1.99 - $1.09 coupon code MLC248608083155N = $0.90 with free shipping. These are keychains and would be fantastic for any womans key ring. you really cant go wrong at only .90 cents!
  5. Taco Bell and KISS FM have teamed together to give away FREE Frutista Freeze. Click here for details!!
  6. Amazon have on offer Women's Health (1-year) for only $5.00. That is only 50 cents an issue. Anyone who doesnt think that is an amazing deal is CRAZY!
  7. I know the kids are already back at school but can you really have too manyMead Composition Book, 100 sheets, Wide Ruled, 1 Notebook, Black Marble (09910)? Amazon have them on offer for only 99cents! Bargain!
  8. JoAnn's are offering 40% off any one item when you use code EED255. Good luck deciding which one item you want to use it on :) Oh and by the way JoAnn's Labor Day Sale started yesterday!!
  9. Kodak Gallery is giving away 75 FREE 4x6 prints when you register as a new member of the Kodak Easyshare Gallery service.
  10. Old Navy have a Clearance on with up to 75% off many items. Have a look!!
  11. Would you like 10% off a Lowes? Fill in this quick questionnaire and they will email you a 10% off coupon. Simple as that!
  12. Ummm How come I didnt know this? Olan Mills have a Birthday club they offer Free portrait package on your child's birthday (up to 3yr) - 1 8x10, 1 5x7, 4 wallets plus 20% discount on additional portraits. That is Fantastic!
  13. Sears have on offer the Basic Essentials 22 piece kitchen set for only $9.99. you can select to pick this up in store to save on the shipping or it is $7.50 for shipping. That is a Bargain!
UK Deals!

  1. Have you seen the items on offer in Asda for packed lunches? Frubes £1.00 Dairylea Dunkers £1.00, Cheese Strings 75p. Honest get to Asda and stock up on the lunch box offers to be had now!
  2. As its a new month Aldi now have then new 6 Fruit and Veg specials. This months deals include: White Grapes 79p, Necterines 69p, Spring Onions 29p, Iceburg Lettuce 39p, large Vine Tomatoes 69p and Courgettes 59p.
  3. Morrisons have Kinder Chocolate Mini Treats for only 69p. Bargain!
  4. Lidl have Kingsmill Everyday 50/50 loaf of bread for only 75p.
  5. Ryanair are having a 2 day 2 cents air sell. It started yesterday so you only have today left to book but they have loads of seats for only 2p each way! Book a winter Blues holiday now!
  6. Argos are offering Cut and Finish in a Hair Group Salon for only £5.00 down from £30.00. I dont know about you but I dont remember the last time I had a hair cute and finish for only £5.00.
  7. Play.com have on offer a Limit U-Dock Speaker System For MP3 Players And Flash Drives for only £9.99 down from £79.99. Plus they are offering free delivery on this docking station. What a great gift for Christmas!
  8. Amazon have the perfect gift for any Female nurse they have a Disney Eeyore Fob Watch for only £7.19. Plus you will receive Free delivery on this item as well.
  9. Here is a great idea for Christmas. In fact I might send this link to my MIL as a gift idea for my daughter. Thetoyshop.com have on offer the Li l Luvables Fluffy Factory for only £12.49. What a great gift idea!! This would be fantastic for hours of fun!
  10. Another item my daughter goes insane over everytime it is on the TV is the Baby Alive Learns to Potty. If anyone elses child wants this doll you will know it is £59.99 in the shops. Thetoyshop.com have it for only £29.99. That is a bargain!
  11. Amazon have on offer a Microsoft Wireless Optical Mouse 2000 - Sterling Grey for only £8.99 down from £25. You will also get free delivery on this item.
  12. Somerfields have 400g boxes of roses for only £1.89. Can you say Mmmmmm!!
  13. Play.com have on offer the Toshiba Camileo H10 High Definition Widescreen Camcorder for only £99.99. They also offer free delivery on this item as well. What a great bargain!
  14. Travelodge Room sale starts today. They have hundreds of rooms for only £12.00. What a great deal have a look at their website!
I hope that you enjoy and are able to take advantage of todays Thrifty finds! If you know of anything thrifty please comment so we can all take advantage!