Friday, February 26, 2010
car shopping
ah yes, we have been traversing the car lots and have been accosted by our fair share of car sales men. But, this is all part of looking for a new car. After jumping into several quick decisions we have regretted, (moving to raleigh, me working at the credit union, the apartment we chose to live in, etc.) Jake and I have decided to take things slow and be wiser about the choices we make. This means lots of research, talking, and praying about things. The research for the car started by making several choices. First, we narrowed down the field by agreeing what we wanted to pay each month for a car payment and what type of car we wanted. We have decided we can't afford more than 250.00 a month for a car payment and we want a hatch-back or suv/crossover type vehicle. Jake loves the murano(wayy out of our price range) and I like the Hyundai Sante Fe(also out of our price range) So we have started to compromise and have looked at Hyundai Elantra touring, Jeep Patriot, Nissan Versa, and Kia Rio5. So far we have only test driven the Elantra Touring and a jeep compass(terrible blind spots in the compass). We have taken a break due to the fact that we are so tired of car salesmen, but we will hit the car lots again next week to test drive the other vehicles we are thinking about!! Hopefully we can make a good choice so that when we both have jobs lined up we can go get another car and stop driving around the 1990 bucket of bolts! :)
Friday, February 5, 2010
chicken n dumplins
A cold rainy day calls for southern comfort food. Today it called for chicken n' dumplins. :)
Here is our favorite recipe, unfortunately it is one of those recipes where I eye the ingredients and don't really know all the exact measurements(a classic southern cook). However, I have done my best to write down the recipe here!
2 tablespoons Crisco
3 tablespoons green onions chopped
3-4 tablespoons white all purpose flour
Low sodium-no msg chicken broth (2 cans or 1 box)
1/2 Cup milk
Pepper to taste
dash poultry seasoning
1 garlic clove minced
1 can pilsbury butter flavored biscuits (NOT the flaky ones!!)
3-4 cups coarsely chopped chicken(the rotisserie chickens from the grocery store are the best, they are already cooked, tender and taste great! )
Melt crisco on medium heat in large pot
add onions and garlic and saute until soft,but not browned
sprinkle flour on bottom of pot and stir with wisk until bubbly and very light brown
Slowly add chicken broth while whisking constantly so your broth does not get lumpy
Add chicken broth, milk, pepper, and poultry seasoning until you have a good creamy broth you like the taste of.
The broth will thicken as it cooks, so keep an eye on it and add broth or a splash of milk as needed to keep your broth the consistency you like
Stir in the chicken and let the broth come up to a simmer and let it thicken a bit
Cut biscuits into bite size pieces (5-6 pieces per biscuit)
drop biscuits into broth and press down with spoon, but DO NOT STIR!
Place heat on med.low, cover and simmer for 12min.(do not stir til time is up!)
Stir broth, test a dumpling and see if it is done,(it will be moist and the consistency of a dumpling not a biscuit, but should be done) it may need a few extra minutes to simmer. You may also need to add more broth or milk if broth has become too thick.
Serve up in a bowl with a good side of veggis!!
This recipe may take you a few tries before you get it like you like it. But, these are the bones of a good dumpling recipe. The biscuits are so much easier than making your own dumplings and I think they taste better than the flat noodle like dumplings from the freezer section, but it is up to what you like. Also, I really do suggest using the rotisserie chicken, it is a lot easier than making your own and it is seasoned perfectly.
Here is our favorite recipe, unfortunately it is one of those recipes where I eye the ingredients and don't really know all the exact measurements(a classic southern cook). However, I have done my best to write down the recipe here!
2 tablespoons Crisco
3 tablespoons green onions chopped
3-4 tablespoons white all purpose flour
Low sodium-no msg chicken broth (2 cans or 1 box)
1/2 Cup milk
Pepper to taste
dash poultry seasoning
1 garlic clove minced
1 can pilsbury butter flavored biscuits (NOT the flaky ones!!)
3-4 cups coarsely chopped chicken(the rotisserie chickens from the grocery store are the best, they are already cooked, tender and taste great! )
Melt crisco on medium heat in large pot
add onions and garlic and saute until soft,but not browned
sprinkle flour on bottom of pot and stir with wisk until bubbly and very light brown
Slowly add chicken broth while whisking constantly so your broth does not get lumpy
Add chicken broth, milk, pepper, and poultry seasoning until you have a good creamy broth you like the taste of.
The broth will thicken as it cooks, so keep an eye on it and add broth or a splash of milk as needed to keep your broth the consistency you like
Stir in the chicken and let the broth come up to a simmer and let it thicken a bit
Cut biscuits into bite size pieces (5-6 pieces per biscuit)
drop biscuits into broth and press down with spoon, but DO NOT STIR!
Place heat on med.low, cover and simmer for 12min.(do not stir til time is up!)
Stir broth, test a dumpling and see if it is done,(it will be moist and the consistency of a dumpling not a biscuit, but should be done) it may need a few extra minutes to simmer. You may also need to add more broth or milk if broth has become too thick.
Serve up in a bowl with a good side of veggis!!
This recipe may take you a few tries before you get it like you like it. But, these are the bones of a good dumpling recipe. The biscuits are so much easier than making your own dumplings and I think they taste better than the flat noodle like dumplings from the freezer section, but it is up to what you like. Also, I really do suggest using the rotisserie chicken, it is a lot easier than making your own and it is seasoned perfectly.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Two great pet products
if you have pets then you know you are bound to run into messes with them. Personally, my two biggest challenges are getting my dog clean after a run at the dog park and cleaning the cats litter box. Luckily, there are pet safe cleaning wipes out there now that really help with these two tasks!
The first product I love is 8in1 brand cleaning wipes for dogs. They come in a plastic container just like baby wipes and I found mine at Target for cheaper than petsmart. Just toss them in your trunk or backseat and they are ready to clean those muddy paws!!
The second product I love are litterbox wipes. These wipes are available almost everywhere now, even from the dollar store! After emptying the litter box you just wipe out the dust and any left over particles stuck to the litterbox. This is SO much easier than worrying about making a safe cleaning solution for the litterbox and way easier than hosing it off and then waiting for it to dry. I know this sounds a little gross, but just wipe out the litterbox, toss the dirty wipe in a plastic bag and wash your hands really well!
The first product I love is 8in1 brand cleaning wipes for dogs. They come in a plastic container just like baby wipes and I found mine at Target for cheaper than petsmart. Just toss them in your trunk or backseat and they are ready to clean those muddy paws!!
The second product I love are litterbox wipes. These wipes are available almost everywhere now, even from the dollar store! After emptying the litter box you just wipe out the dust and any left over particles stuck to the litterbox. This is SO much easier than worrying about making a safe cleaning solution for the litterbox and way easier than hosing it off and then waiting for it to dry. I know this sounds a little gross, but just wipe out the litterbox, toss the dirty wipe in a plastic bag and wash your hands really well!
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