Our New Year's Eve Date

(The hubby was prepping Gorilla Bread while I was making the Orange Chicken for dinner.)



(Orange chicken...it was fabulous, if I do say so myself.)



(Gorilla Bread, fresh out of the oven.)

Instead of going out, the hubby and I made our own dinner--together. Made a knockoff Applebee's Crispy Orange Chicken recipe for dinner, and Paula Deen's Gorilla Bread for dessert. Eating out wouldn't hold a candle to the awesomeness that was our dinner--and we got to enjoy the prep as a couple. Yay for being frugal!

Orange Chicken (from www.recipesecrets.net)

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 tsp pepper
1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- Oil (for frying)

Glaze:
1 tsp minced garlic
1 1/2 tsp grated orange rind
1 c fresh orange juice
1/2 c hoisin sauce
Dash cayenne pepper
1/4 c granulated sugar
Salt and Pepper to taste

1. Cut your chicken into 2 inch piece and put them into a large
bowl. Add in the egg, salt, pepper and oil. Mix it well and set it
to the side. In another large bowl, stir the cornstarch and flour
together and mix it well. Add the chicken into the flour mix and
coat each piece generously.

2. Pour about a 1/2 inch of oil into a heavy skillet and set it
over high heat. When the temperature is 375 degrees, carefully put
some chicken pieces in small batches and fry for 3 to 4 minutes or
until it’s brown and crispy/crunchy. Carefully remove the chicken
from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain it on paper towels,
brown bags, or however you’d like to drain it. Finish frying the
chicken until they’re all done. Set it aside and put together your
glaze in the next step.

3. Let your oil cool slightly in the skillet and remove all but 2
tbsp. of oil and put it over medium heat. Saute the minced garlic
for a minute, being careful not to burn it so you don’t end up with
a bitter taste. Add the rest of the ingredient in and bring the
mixture to a boil. Make sure to stir this for 3 minutes and reduce
the heat and simmer it until a saucy thick glaze is created. Pour
the glaze over the chicken and serve!

AND..........

Gorilla Bread Recipe (www.pauladeen.com)

1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 8-ounce package cream cheese
2 12-ounce cans refrigerated biscuits (10 count)
1 1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray. Mix the granulated sugar and cinnamon. In a saucepan, melt the butter and brown sugar over low heat, stirring well; set aside. Cut the cream cheese into 20 equal cubes. Press the biscuits out with your fingers and sprinkle each with 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon sugar. Place a cube of cream cheese in the center of each biscuit, wrapping and sealing the dough around the cream cheese. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of the nuts into the bottom of the bundt pan. Place half of the prepared biscuits in the pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, pour half of the melted butter mixture over the biscuits, and sprinkle on 1/2 cup of nuts. Layer the remaining biscuits on top, sprinkle with the remaining cinnamon sugar, pour the remaining butter mixture over the biscuits, and sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of nuts. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes. Place a plate on top and invert.

Happy 2012!!

Wishing everyone a safe, wonderful, productive 2012!! Here's hoping I can keep all of my resolutions, and that, if I stumble, I get back up and start over again!! Looking forward to a date night with the hubby tonight and celebrating with the children tomorrow! Will document the fun!

Back to (Financial) School

I've been struggling a lot with my goals to get out of debt and spending less money.
It's difficult. There's pressure from all sides--commercials tell us we need more, more, more. Friends don't always understand why you don't want to spend even a few dollars and sometimes joke and criticize. If you're an emotional spender, like myself, in times of stress, you find yourself nickel-ing and dime-ing your money away in a futile attempt to feel better for a bit. When money is tight, and you get behind on bills, the feelings of inadequacy are like a kick in the teeth.
And then there's the shame of getting into debt in the first place.
Needless to say, there's a mountain to climb, and it's often terrifying and daunting.
However, my wise hubby shared an analogy with me. I spent six years in college, doing a lot of drudge work, doing things that I didn't want to do, sometimes facing the criticism of others, stress, mistakes, failures, and so forth, all in the pursuit of something greater that would benefit myself and my family someday in the future. I didn't always want to keep going, but I did, and it was worth it.
Finances are very much the same thing. You spent years learning from mistakes, picking up new skills and habits, doing things you don't want to do, making sacrifices, dealing with stress, often for years, all for the sake of a future benefit.
And the thing is, stress and all, I loved being in school, and even contemplate going back--and a lot of times, while in school, I wanted it to be over so badly, but the success and the end goal makes me want to go back. So, when things get me down when it comes to financial goals, maybe I need to relate it to my schooling--something that will take years to accomplish, and strength and hard work I often don't feel capable of--all to ensure a comfortable future for me and my little family.

Bulk Food Locator

For anyone as hooked on buying bulk foods as I am:
Discover Bulk Foods
This is a search site that allows you to look for bulk food suppliers in your area. Check it out!

When You Gotta Go.......

Goob admitted to me that he peed in the air conditioning vent in our floor. Actually, switch out the word "admitted" and change it to "bragged." #pottytrainingrocks

Why My Friends Are Better Than Yours

I volunteer at our local animal shelter. A few days ago, a 16 week old kitten came into the shelter with a very severely injured eye--I'll spare you the details--and the shelter had to raise $700 for surgery, or else the kitten would be euthanized.
I was frantic. We were down to our last $12 in our checking account (because we're awesome), and I was feeling guilty about even going to Taco Bell and spending $10 before I knew about said kitten.
So, thanks to social media, I posted the kitten's Chip-in info, and urged my friends to donate, shared the pic, etc.
Some of my friends, who lives miles away and have never set foot in our shelter, gave to this little kitten, purely out of the goodness of their hearts, even though they will likely never personally see the results. Some of these friends are good friends of mine, and others haven't seen me since I was a kid. But, it's safe to say that I was incredibly moved, and because of them, a life was saved. The money was raised, and the little gal is recovering from her surgery.
It's stuff like this that keeps me from being completely and utterly cynical. It's moments like this that keep me from going completely postal during the holidays. The generosity of others never ceases to amaze me. Yes, it's true--I have the best friends.

Pinterest Project--Crazy Crayons

Goob and I made another Pinterest project this morning...Crazy Crayons. They are pretty on top, but super ugly on the bottom. If unicorns existed, I'm pretty sure this is what their poop would look like.
Instructions: Tear wrappers off of old crayons. Break into pieces and put the pieces into muffin tins (mix up the colors). Heat on 170 degrees in the oven for about 20 minutes. Let cool. Place into freezer for 20 minutes. Crayons should pop out.
(For any of my projects, just look at my Pinterest page for the graphic/instructions. The ones I did today--Stars in a Jar and Crazy Crayons--are under the project listing, "For My Little Boy.")