Black Eyed Peas

This is a cooking method, not a final recipe

Black Eyed Peas

• 3 cans of black eyed peas
• 1 ham steak, diced
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 stalk of celery, diced
• 2 tbsp minced garlic
• 1 green bell pepper - optional
• (1) 32 oz carton of chicken stock (can use lower sodium chicken stock if desired)
• 5 or 6 cups of water

Instructions:

Drain and rinse black eyed peas in a colander.  Dice ham steak, onion and celery.  Add rinsed black eyed peas, ham, onion, celery and garlic to a stock pot.  Add chicken stock and 5 or 6 cups of water. 

Bring to boil. 

Reduce to simmer. 

Cook until the stock is thick.  This may take a couple of hours.  I’ll be checking mine often.

Serve with corn bread.

Count-Down to tomorrow/Day 1 (TPE)

Thank you to those that have already read my blog!  I appreciate you all, and hope to continue to provide you with good content!

You might be interested to know that someone asked today, "do you really think you can do this?" 
And, the truth is - yes - I really do think I can.  I'm not sure exactly what is going to happen as I go, but I do know that I have a plan, and I have faith that somehow...some way...this will turn out exactly how it is supposed to turn out.  And...maybe most importantly...this is probably the first time ever that I have stepped out on faith with little-to-no-expectation of the final result...which is kind of a big deal for a control freak like me!

Now...on with business...

I did some shopping today.  Here is my receipt:



This is my last shopping trip for pantry items before Day 1!  I needed some ingredients for our black eyed peas tomorrow - namely, the black eyed peas - so, I popped by the grocery store and grabbed what I needed for that recipe (bep, ham steaks, corn bread).  I also got a few other pantry items to include the kids' "fruit bars" (NutriGrain/Cereal Bars), additional cans of diced tomatoes and some plain marinara sauce.

So, here we are going in to Day 1

Freezer:

See the green containers?  That's the Southwest Chili

Refrigerator:

Looks like we need milk....which is the perfect time to reiterate...I will be buying dairy items (namely milk and yogurt) and produce items since the kids need these things...seriously...they will eat the mess out of carrots and apples!

Here is the pantry (top):

And the bottom:

Don't even try me about the Diet Coke...you will pry that out of my cold, dead hands.

Well, this is where I stand.  Tomorrow is the first day of this crazy ride.  I hope everything goes as well as it can!

And, in case you's like to make some black eyed peas, here is the cooking method I'll be using:  Black Eyed Peas, cooking method

Happy New Year, y'all.  I'll be seeing you!

Extreme Couponing….WHAT. THE. HECK!

So, everyone is familiar with the Extreme Couponing show, and we all know that every single extreme couponer has their very own stock-pile that serves to function as an in-home 7-11…I mean...an in-home “store”.   These people take stock-piling so seriously that their children have to sleep with about a hundred 24 roll packages of toilet paper neatly stacked under their bed.  And, sometimes the family cat even makes out like a bandit with its very own stock-pile of 30 years’ worth of food!

Well, now, it seems we’ve reached a new level with this stuff….I was just watching an episode of Extreme Couponing…don’t judge…there was nothing else on…or…I may have just been too lazy to turn the channel…

Anyhoo…I was just watching an episode featuring this nut-job…I mean totally conscientious not-at-all-OCD lady….who…wait for it…..

…..takes picture of her favorite extreme couponing trips….and then

…..she scrapbooks that junk!!!

…….and THEN….she sits and leisurely browses said scrapbook in order to reminisce the shopping trips with her children.

Oh…but wait…there’s more…

This lady ALSO has 300 plastic dog collars….AND NO DOG! All because she “needed” to use the coupons.

Whhhaaaaaaaatttttt?!?!  O! M! G!

I’m all for saving as you can.  And, if coupons help you save, then great.  Personally, I have no luck in the extreme couponing arena.  I’ve tried to be a semi-extreme couponer, and that only lasted for so long.  I found it to be a bit taxing to just keep track of everything – in-store sales, double coupons, stacking deals, mail-in rebates, on-line coupons, the Sunday paper, and the sheer volume of coupon clipping it took just to save some money.

Don’t get me wrong, I did appreciate the money I saved per shopping trip to the grocery store, but in the grand scheme of my life, serious couponing stressed me the heck out!   Especially since it took me hours to research the deals and to make my "shopping plan".  Then I had to run from store-to-store executing that plan.  I have two kids - my time is pretty limited these days.  So is my patience.

Oh, and in case you were wondering how we ended up with so much stuff in our pantry that we never used….I’m blaming coupons!

That’s right…it was all coupons (not at all me *wink*).  I can’t tell you how many times I bought something (that we really didn't need) because I had a coupon for it.  Did you see the three bags of unused food that we donated to the food pantry? 

Here’s the picture again in case you need a reminder:

 

I’m guessing that about half of that food was “coupon food”.   Never used….*shaking head*

Oh well, I guess the lesson in all of this must be that coupons are evil reincarnate, and should be used with extreme caution and care if you're going to use them at all. 

Unless you really want to store 750 bottles of BBQ sauce under your bed….sleep tight….hahahahaha!

Week 1, Menus

This week includes New Year's Eve, and what NYE would be complete without some black eyed peas (not the "I Gotta Feeling" kind)? If you're in the South, this is a must-do (as are any type of greens, but I can't get anyone to eat them, so we'll be skipping them this year).

So, for NYE, we'll be having a big pot of black eyed peas which will also probably provide a couple of lunches for Big J (that's my husband) and I.

• Monday: Black Eyed Peas
• Tuesday:  Free night, ate out
• Wednesday:  Turkey Bacon Ranch Wraps
• Thursday: Breakfast Hash
• Friday: Stuffed Peppers

Southwest Chili

This Southwest Chili is very versatile in many ways.  First, you can adjust the ingredients according to diet preferences.  Or, you can adjust the seasonings to your specific taste.  I listed alternative ingredients that you may use that will accommodate your needs.  Next, you can make a big batch and enjoy immediately, or you can freeze for later.  I normally do both:  keep one in the fridge for dinners and lunches, put one in the freezer for later.

Before you start - this is a "big batch" (that's what I call it) recipe.  You will need to use a large stock pot as this will be making several servings (appx 10 cups of cooked product).  This is also a long cooking recipe.  You will need to put aside approximately 4 hours. 

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground beef (or ground turkey)
• 1 32 oz. carton of beef stock (can substitute a low sodium beef stock here)
• 2 14.5 oz. cans of diced tomatoes (can substitute low sodium diced tomatoes here)
• 1 14.5 can of corn
• 1 15 oz can of black beans
• 1 package of Chili seasoning
• 1/2 tbsp of Southwest Chipotle seasoning (I used Mrs. Dash)
• You can adjust more or less of this seasoning to your liking.  I felt that 1/2 tbsp gave me good flavoring and didn't over-power the dish
• 4 cups of water
• 1 tbsp of olive oil
• garlic powder, to your taste
• pepper, to your taste

Instructions:
Drizzle 1 tbsp olive oil in the bottom of a large stock pot.  Add the ground beef, and brown meat over medium high heat.  Season the meat as it cooks with garlic powder and pepper.   Drain excess liquid as needed. 

Rinse corn and black beans in a colander.  Add rinsed corn and beans to the ground beef.  Continue to add both cans of diced tomatoes, Chili seasoning, Southwest Chipotle seasoning, and beef stock to the pot. 

Once all ingredients are added to the pot, add 4 cups of water. 

Bring to boil, and reduce to simmer.

Simmer for 2 - 4 hours.  Reduce chili to your desired consistency.  I normally reduce so I have a thicker consistency, so I will cook for about 3/4 hours.

Serve with tortilla chips, cheddar cheese and sour cream.

Enjoy!

The Pantry Experiment (TPE)

I cleaned out our pantry and refrigerator the other day, which, I suppose is pretty mundane and a must-do for most folks at least once a year.  It probably bears little-to-no conversation, except I realized, in simply cleaning out...we have a lot of "stuff".  And...we have a lot of "stuff" that has gone un-used.

Here is the stuff we donated to our local food pantry:

 

Yes, that's three full brown bags full of pantry items that we never touched!  Here is an aeriel view so that you can see that these bags are, indeed, very full:

This does not account for the items we threw in the trash because they were very, very expired.  I would estimate about 10 - 15 canned food items will be hitching a ride with the garbage truck tomorrow morning.

So, I got to thinking (while still cleaning), "I wonder if I could feed my family dinner for an entire month on what we have ALREADY in our pantry?" 

I'm betting, I can do just that....and, lucky you....you're invited to my party.

Here is my pantry now:
(top)

(bottom...with everything pulled forward)

 

 

Here is my fridge:

 



 

 

And, my freezer:

 

 



 

And, for the sake of honesty, I will tell you that I have about 4 pounds of russet potatoes left from Christmas dinner and a bag of white onions that are not pictured.  I've also purchased several cans of assorted beans, tortillas, plain yogurt and our meat for the month (chicken, ground beef, ground turkey).  I intend to use all over the next month.

I've already started on this project by making two 4 cup containers of Southwest chili to freeze and use later.  I made the chili by using all-ready available food items in our pantry and fridge.  Here is the recipe:  Southwest Chili.

So, officially, here's the plan...

• I am going to try and get one month's worth of week night (Monday thru Friday) family dinners ONLY using the items I have on-hand as of January 1.  I'm pretty sure that I can do it with a little creativity....and maybe a couple of laps around Pinterest when I need some inspiration (or is it Pinspiration?).
• I will provide weekly menus and recipes (as many as I can).  I already provided one recipe!  YAY!
• In doing this, I'm also hoping this will help us save on our montly grocery bill.  I'll track my spending.
• I'll provide pictures of my pantry and fridge as I go.
• I do reserve the right to buy our produce and dairy items once a week...it's for the kids...I'm not sure the fully need to be subjected to their mother's crazy scheme anyway!

I'm looking forward to the journey!

This is me...

Hi!  I'm Suzan, and I'm pretty excited that I decided to start this blog.  I love writing, and personally, I think I'm pretty good at it...after all, I do have a degree in English Writing.  I should be able to convey my thoughts in a fairly organized and entertaining format! 

I am a child of the 80s. Back in the day, I wore Coke shirts, had charm necklaces, scrunchies, neon socks, and I listened to Michael Jackson. I used hair spray by the truck load to get awesome Mall hair, and I l-o-v-e a good 80s hair band.  Don't even get me started extolling the virtues of 80s Boy Bands - we'll be here all day!  For all of these things, I am not ashamed!

I love my friends. I keep friends for a long time – just ask my BFF who I’ve known since Elementary School. I married a crazy Cuban in 2005– some days I’m still astounded by much that has happened in our lives. I’m also pretty impressed that we’ve managed to make it through it all! 

We have two children: J is 5 yrs old, AM is 2 yrs old.   They are each a beautiful example of all things good and right in this world…and, they are both giant messes…but in a totally cute PreSchool way. And, before I was a stay-at-home mom/one woman taxi service, I worked in Corporate America for 7 years….they were the best of times…they were the worst of times….

Currently, I do write the occasional piece for a local, free kids newsletter.  I try to contribute about once a month, and my articles are step-by-step guide on seasonal crafts.  I love to make a good wreath y'all, and feel that it is highly important to share that knowledge because you know you need a good door wreath too!

And, last (but certainly not least), I am a Southern Girl.  I was born in Pensacola, FL,  then I spent my college years in Tallahassee, FL.  After college, I moved to Atlanta, and I love it here!

 

So...that's me....I hope you know that I will always try to share my thoughts as honestly as possible, and I'm so excited to be on this journey!