Cuban-Style Grilled Salmon

This recipe is a must try if you like salmon!  It's from the summer issue of Food Network Magazine.

2 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil
The juice of 1 lemon
2 large garlic cloves, minced
2 large shallots, minced
1 t ground cumin
1 t cayenne pepper
Kosher salt
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro
4 6oz center cut salmon filets

Preheat grill to medium high.  In a large bowl whisk all the ingredients (besides salmon).  Then marinate salmon in mixture for 15 mins at room temp.

Brush the grill with vegetable oil.  Grill salmon for 3-4 mins on each side.

For the full recipe complete with the side salad click HERE.  We also made the salad, but my husband wasn't fond of the hearts of palm.

Grilled Chicken Pasta Salad

I found some great pasta salad ideas in the new Food Network magazine and made this one tonight.  This is definately going to be made again in my house!


1 box cooked and cooled penne pasta
1 container of cherry tomatoes
1 English cucumber cut in bite-size pieces
1/2 container of feta cheese
1 grilled chicken breast cut in bite-size pieces
1/2 red onion diced


Creamy Parmesan Dressing:

1/4 cup mayo
1/4 cup sour cream
1 T lemon juice
1-2 garlic cloves minced
3/4 cup grated parmesan
salt/pepper

Whisk ingredients together, then combine with the rest of ingredients.

Kansas City Style Pork Ribs

 

Ingredients

• 2 slabs pork spare ribs, 3 pounds each
• Kansas City Barbeque Sauce, recipe follows

Dry Rub:

• 2 cups brown sugar
• 1/2 cup dry mustard
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Remove the thin white membrane off of the bone-side of the ribs. Mix together the brown sugar, dry mustard, cayenne, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Massage the rub into the ribs and let sit for 1 hour or up to overnight.

If cooking on the grill, place the ribs meat-side down next to medium-hot coals that are about 225 degrees F. The indirect heat will cook them slower, making them tender. Allow to cook for 1 hour. Turn ribs every half hour and baste with the Kansas City Barbeque Sauce. Cook until the ribs are tender, about 3 to 4 hours.
If cooking indoors, place in a roasting pan with a rack. Slather the ribs with the Kansas City Barbeque Sauce and tent a piece of aluminum foil over them. In a preheated 350 degrees F. oven, place the ribs, basting with the sauce every 30 minutes and removing the foil for the last 30 minutes and cooking until fork tender, about 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

Kansas City Barbeque Sauce:

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 (about 2/3 cup)small onion, finely diced
• 3 cups water
• 1 cup (2 (6-ounce) cans) tomato paste
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2/3 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

In a small sauce pot on medium-high heat, heat the oil and add the onion, cooking until translucent.

Add the remaining ingredients in a large bowl and mix together. Add to sauce pan and let simmer for 30 to 45 minutes. Use to baste the pork spare ribs.
Yield: 3 cups

Recipe Courtesy of Food Network.

I had to share this with you!

HILARIOUS!!

Three Cheese Spaghetti Pie

This recipe is amazing!  It's definately a grown-up family favorite of ours.  The original recipe did not call for pepperoni, but it definately improves it even more!  I don't have a pic at this time, but next time I make it I will definately update this post.

 

Ingredients

• 3/4 pound spaghetti
• 9 tablespoons olive oil
• 5 garlic cloves coarsely chopped
• 1 small onion, thinly sliced
• 16 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 16 kalamata olives, pitted and halved
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
• 6 fresh basil leaves, chopped
• 4 ounces fontina, grated
• 8 ounces feta, crumbled
• 8 ounces Parmesan, shredded
• 1 Pepperoni stick, cut into bite-size pieces
• Fresh basil leaves, for garnish
• Special Equipment: 10-inch cast iron skillet or nonstick ovenproof skillet

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Generously add salt and 3 tablespoons of oil and add the spaghetti. Bring back to a boil and cook for 11 to 13 minutes until the spaghetti is just tender. Drain into a colander and rinse under cold water. Return the spaghetti to the pot and set aside.
Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat for 1 minute. Add the garlic and onion and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the tomatoes, kalamatas, 1 teaspoon of salt and a few grinds of pepper and cook for an additional 5 minutes until the tomatoes begin to break down.* Remove the mixture from the heat and set aside.
Whisk the eggs and cream together in a large mixing bowl. Add the remaining teaspoon of salt, a few grinds of pepper, the red pepper flakes, basil, fontina, feta, 4 ounces of the Parmesan and the tomato mixture. Mix in the spaghetti and pepperoni.
Heat the remaining olive oil in the 10-inch skillet over high heat. Add the spaghetti mixture, reduce the heat to medium and cook for 5 minutes. Transfer the skillet to the preheated oven for 30 minutes until the center of the pie is set and the top is golden.
Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Run a spatula around the edges and underneath the pie to loosen. Place a large plate over the skillet and invert the pie onto the plate. Place another plate onto the pie and invert again. Let the pie set for an additional 10 minutes.
Slice the pie into 6 to 8 pieces and garnish with the remaining Parmesan and basil leaves before serving.

Recipe courtesy of Food Network.

Our Pigs Will Be Very Happy!

My special order came in today....I got a total of 94 boxes of Ronzoni Quick Cook pasta.

And 156 bags of Wacky Mac pasta.  The Ronzoni Quick Cook pasta is for our five little pigs, and the Wacky Mac pasta will be for our pasta salads for the next two years!  Haha, this is actually kindof funny, I have never bought this much before at one time, let alone do a special order!  I had my neice there to help me out, Thanks Molly!

So....Total Retail Cost: $450
Total cost after coupons/sales: $42!
 
I calculated $42/156 (Wacky Mac)  equals out to .28 a bag!  And wait, I have more coupons coming in the mail tomorrow.  Let's see if I have the energy to go get more pasta!

More Free Pasta....Guess who it will be feeding???

I used the overage from the "quick cook" pasta and a $2/$25 coupon

 to get a free gallon of milk as well!

We got our pigs today!

Last year we raised pigs for the first year ever, and we loved it!  Not only was the meat amazing, but they decreased our waste by eating all of our scraps (except meat products).  And, this is perfect timing with this pasta sale at Shaw's.  Last year I scored 46 boxes of whole grain pasta for free and we fed it to the pigs, this year I'm hoping to do a whole lot more!  Nothing like feeding your pigs for free!

Just to give you an idea about how small they are...that is my two year old son in the background.

Have a great weekend and Mother's Day!

My son played his first baseball game of the season today, and even though they lost 7-5, he played great!  The coach has been working him up as a catcher, and in my opinion....he was the best catcher I saw today!  Any ways, enjoy all the things you have planned this weekend.  I will be most likely in the garden!  And no, that is not my garden, but I will post pics later this season.

Margaritas!

Here's a perfect match to all of your Cinco de Mayo plans!

 

Ingredients

• Ice cubes
• 3 ounces tequila
• 2 ounces freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1 ounce Simple Syrup, recipe follows
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon orange liqueur
• 1 tablespoon Lime-salt-sugar, recipe follows

Directions

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add tequila, lime juice, and Simple Syrup. Cover and shake until mixed and chilled, about 30 seconds. (In general, the drink is ready by the time the shaker mists up.) Place Lime-salt-sugar on a plate. Press the rim of a chilled rocks or wine glass into the mixture to rim the edge. Strain margarita into the glass.
Copyright (c) 2007 Television Food Network, G.P., All Rights Reserved.

Simple Syrup:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup water

Put the sugar and water in a small saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. (Alternatively, heat in the microwave.) Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.
Yield: about 1 1/2 cups

Lime-salt-sugar:

• Zest of one lime
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons sugar

Blend together lime, salt and sugar in a small blender or mini food chopper.

Recipe courtesy of Food Network

Jerk Pork Nachos

Directions

Rub 1 pound pork tenderloin with 1/4 cup jerk seasoning; grill, then chop. Top tortilla chips with the pork, 1 cup diced pineapple and 3 cups shredded pepper jack. Bake, then top with sliced fresh jalapenos, cilantro and lime juice.

We have yet to try these nachos, but they look absolutely amazing!  Let me know if you do try them, what you think!!

Recipe courtesty of Food Network

Our day in pictures~Easter 2011

The Easter Bunny hid the baskets in the kid's new rooms!

Nothing like candy for breakfast.

What's Easter without crabcakes and Lobster Chowder?

"Look-it"

Look closely...the kids missed some Easter Eggs!

Hot New $2/1 Wisk Laundry Detergent Coupon

Print this Wisk Coupon on Coupons.com now before it's gone!  Coupon states good on 45oz. or larger.

FREE Motor Oil

Here's a rebate for FREE 5 quart bottle of G-Oil 5W-30 Bio-Based Full Synthetic green motor oil (a $26 value)!!   Those of you who are lucky enough to have a handy-man for a husband (like I do) this means a FREE oil change!!

Mail Call

Look what I got in the mail today!

Two FREE product coupons for signing up online.  I think the Uncle Ben's rice was a Facebook offer and the Glade may be from Right at Home.

Check for $9.98 for purchasing HP printer paper from Staples

New Target Coupon Booklet with lots of valuable coupons to stack!

Disney Monopoly on $6.99 at Toys R Us!!!

If you still have the Playsaver coupons from a couple weeks ago's Sunday Paper you can get the Disney Monopoly for only $6.99!!!  The game is on sale for $9.99 (reg $16.98)  and there is a $3/1 monopoly game in that coupon insert!!!  This is going to definately get played this April vacation week with all the rain in the forcast.

Now on Facebook!!

This blog is now on Facebook!!  Follow me on Facebook to get the latest updates on great deals and recipes!!!

The Children's Place~ FREE Shipping through April 25

The Children's Place is offering FREE shipping through April 25 with NO Minumum purchase!  Plus you can also use this promo code  A6D2011 to get an additional 15% off your purchase!

Dove Coupon

There is a new high value $3/2 Dove products coupon on Coupons.com.  It does say redeem only at Walgreen's, and the expiration date is 4/30/11.

Happy Easter!

Dragon's Breath Chili

We made this chili for one of the dishes at my son's 8th birthday family party.  Let me tell you....it was a huge hit!  There are so many ingredients in this chili the prep time is a joke.  Ok....10 minutes to dice all those chilis/peppers, measure out all those spices, oh and also roast the anaheim and poblano chilis.  It probably takes more like 30 minutes, but it was sooooo worth it!  Best chili I've had.

Black Bean Corn and Pineapple Salsa

I had a craving to make some sort of salsa with black beans and found this Guy Fieri recipe.  You've got to try it!  Perfect for summer BBQ's and get togethers!  The teacher's will be enjoying this at their Teacher Appreciation Luncheon in May!

Scrubbing Bubbles $1.50/1 Coupon!

High Value Cleaning Product Coupon!!  $1.50/1 Scrubbing Bubbles Product (must be $2.99 or more).
Click here to get yours!

Starkist Tuna $.50/1 printable!

Head on over to the Starkist Facebook Page and "like" them to access a $.50/1 printable.  Last week I got 6 pouches for free using this coupon at Shaw's!

(Thanks Hip2Save!)

Free Paper and Batteries at Staples! ***UPDATE***

Staples keeps giving away all their printer paper recently!!  Here's another "easy rebate" that is good through Saturday HP paper Coupon.

Also they are giving 100% back in Staples rewards for a 20 pack of Duracell batteries purchase!  This is valid 4/22- 4/30.  Limit 2/week.  Don't forget you can use manufacturer's coupons on these too!!  Last time they had this deal the batteries were on sale for $9.99 I think, and there was a $1.50/1 duracell coupon in the last P&G insert out!  ***UPDATE***  I went to Staples today the cashier was not sure if it started today or on Sunday, but she told me if it doesn't show up on my Staples rewards account then I bring them back and get it applied next week.  They are marked at $9.99, minus $1.50 coupon equals $8.49 oop, and I will get $9.99 Staples rewards to use on things like....printer ink!

CVS 4/24- 4/30

Check out Frugal on the Cheap for this upcoming weeks CVS deals.

Good deal on Diapers and Paper Towels!!

In case any wanted to see what I bought today...

First I went to Shaw's and used up the rest of my high value $.85/1 Viva paper towels which doubled to $1.70.  The cashier was nice enough to let me do three transactions so I could use them all up today and not have to go back before Sunday.  I wished they had been on sale, but .29/roll isn't a bad price.


After Shaw's I headed to Rite Aid to do a much more complicated purchase. 

This was split into two identical transactions and looked something like this....

(2) Huggies diapers $17.98
(1) Pediacare Cough and Cold medicine $4.99
(4) Cadbury eggs $2

-$3/15 survey coupon
- $3 Huggies
-$3 Huggies
-$1 Pediacare
-$1 mars candy
-$1 mars candy

Total $12.97  Paid with $10 up reward, and recieved 2 $1 up rewards from Huggies and $3 up reward from Pediacare.  There is also a $1 SCR I will submit for.  Now repeat the same transaction again...

Grand total for both transactions.....  FREE

And check the bottoms of your reciepts, I got two more $3/15 purchase survey coupons!!  I feel like one is printing with everyone of my transactions!

JELL-O Temptations coupon $1/1

This coupon is available on the JELL-O Facebook page.

(Thanks Hip2Save)

New Coupons!

Coupons.com has released a couple of hot coupons you want to print before they are gone!



and...

Hot New $2/2 Reach Toothbrush Coupon!!

Coupons.com has released another hot coupon!  Reach toothbrushes will go on sale at Rite Aid or Walgreens for $1 which equals FREE toothbrushes!!

(Thanks to Hip2Save!)

Folger's Coffee $1/1 coupon!!!

Coupons.com has just released a great coupon for Folger's coffee.  When you use this look for the smallest size package to save the most money!!!

Shaw's 4/22-4/28

Thanks to Frugal On The Cheap, here are the deals to be had at Shaw's starting on Friday.  I think I may sit this week out.

New $1/1 Reach Floss coupon!

Coupons.com has just released a hot coupon which equals FREE FLOSS at many stores!!!

That's why!!!

I told one of my co-workers about the free deals at CVS this week including the easter grass.  Her reaction:  "Ugh, I hate easter grass".  I didn't think much about it, but I remember thinking to myself "why does she HATE easter grass???

That's why!

I've spent thirty minutes picking this stuff up.  Now when anyone says "easter grass" I am going to have the same STRONG reaction as my co-worker did!!!!!