Hello world!

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Welcome to WordPress.com. After you read this, you should delete and write your own post, with a new title above. Or hit Add New on the left (of the admin dashboard) to start a fresh post.

Here are some suggestions for your first post.

  1. You can find new ideas for what to blog about by reading the Daily Post.
  2. Add PressThis to your browser. It creates a new blog post for you about any interesting  page you read on the web.
  3. Make some changes to this page, and then hit preview on the right. You can always preview any post or edit it before you share it to the world.
 
 

Donning the Apron – Veggie Chili

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Now that I am on my way to becoming a real adult (marriage apparently does that to you), I am attempting to work on my culinary skills. An on average ten hour work day combined with two hours of commuting doesn’t leave me with a great deal of time to learn the ways of Emeril, Ina and Paula. However, I think it is fair to challenge myself to try three new recipes a week. During the winter months, I crave any type of soup or chili, so I found this veggie chili recipe on myrecipes.com from Southern Living. The hubby is a true carnivore, so I’ll have to try this with some lean ground turkey next time, but for my first chili ever, this turned out quite appetizing! The most time consuming part was the veggie chopping, but that is what husbands are for, right? 
Check out the recipe below and take my advice, if you don’t have a crockpot yet, get one! They are a busy cook’s best friend!

YIELD: Makes 15 servings (serving size: 1 1/2 cups) | COOKTIME:8 Hours, 18 Minutes | PREPTIME:25 Minutes | COURSE: Main Dishes, Soups/Stews
Ingredients
2 large carrots, diced (1 cup)
2 celery ribs, diced (1/2 cup)
1 medium-size sweet onion, diced
Vegetable cooking spray
2 (8-oz.) packages sliced fresh mushrooms
1 large zucchini, chopped (1 1/2 cups)
1 yellow squash, chopped (1 cup)
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon seasoned pepper
1 (8-oz.) can tomato sauce
3 cups tomato juice
2 (14 1/2-oz.) cans diced tomatoes, undrained
4 (15-oz.) cans pinto, black, great Northern, orkidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup frozen whole kernel corn

YIELD: Makes 15 servings (serving size: 1 1/2 cups) | COOKTIME:8 Hours, 18 Minutes | PREPTIME:25 Minutes | COURSE: Main Dishes, Soups/Stews
Ingredients
2 large carrots, diced (1 cup)
2 celery ribs, diced (1/2 cup)
1 medium-size sweet onion, diced
Vegetable cooking spray
2 (8-oz.) packages sliced fresh mushrooms
1 large zucchini, chopped (1 1/2 cups)
1 yellow squash, chopped (1 cup)
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon seasoned pepper
1 (8-oz.) can tomato sauce
3 cups tomato juice
2 (14 1/2-oz.) cans diced tomatoes, undrained
4 (15-oz.) cans pinto, black, great Northern, orkidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup frozen whole kernel corn
Preparation
  1. Sauté first 3ingredients in a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray overmedium-high heat 10 minutes or until onions are translucent. Add mushrooms,zucchini, and squash; sauté 3 more minutes. Add chili powder and next 2ingredients, and sauté 5 more minutes.
  2. Stir together tomatosauce and tomato juice in a 6-qt. slow cooker until smooth. Stir in dicedtomatoes, next 2 ingredients, and carrot mixture. Cover and cook on LOW 8hours.

Note: Cool leftovers, and freeze in plasticfreezer containers or zip-top plastic freezer bags for up to 2 months.

 
 

Creative Gifting

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Along with holiday cheer comes what feels like Santa’s choke-hold on my bank account. Don’t get me wrong, I love nothing more than to find the PERFECT gift for someone I love. However, my finances are still recovering from a wedding a few months ago and with the economy the way it is, money just isn’t what it used to be! This gift-giving season, I’ve had to be a bit more creative than in past years. I don’t want to be selfish, so here are some creative cost-cutting ideas:

  • Those of you who shop months in advance; it’s great if you know exactly what you want to give someone and that the price won’t fluctuate (for instance, any apple product). But, the sales get better the closer you get to Christmas. This year, Christmas falls on a Saturday, giving many retail stores a full week to lure you in with promises of 30%, 40% and yes, I’ve even seen 50% off all purchases. 
  • Do you have a credit card with a points rewards benefit? It isn’t cheap if you use them to buy a FANTASTIC gift! For instance, someone on my Christmas list had a very expensive item that nobody in the family could swing because they’d already done their shopping. Lo and behold, it was on American Express’s shopping site for a discounted point value. Wouldn’t your loved one rather get the gift of their dreams, even if it isn’t purchased with your cold, hard cash?
  • Nordstrom Rack and Marshalls are LIVESAVERS. I got a good portion of my shopping done here and for a fraction of the price. Michael Kors wallet at half price? Yes, please! Kenneth Cole winter jacket for under $100? WINNING. Again, nobody has to know what you paid for it – all that matters is that you can afford to give it to them!
  • Do you have any stray gift cards from returns or purchases earlier in the year that you aren’t using? Now’s the time to break ’em out and put them to use. It is still your money – you just aren’t spending it on yourself! Sharing is caring, folks! 
Now, I don’t want what I’ve said here to be misconstrued. Don’t be cheap! Just be thoughtful and use EVERYTHING you have at your disposal for those who you care about! Happy Shopping!