Easy Slow Cooker Chili (recipe)

As promised, here is my recipe for an easy slow cooker chili.  The great thing about this is that there is very little cutting/cleaning of vegetables involved.  Just 1 medium onion is needed.  The rest of the flavor adding ingredients come in a jar, can or bottle.  Instead of chopping up the jalapeno and green peppers I'd normally use, I grabbed a jar of chunky salsa at the grocery store.  The flavors and added texture are already there, ready to go into the pot.

Easy Slow Cooker Chili w/Rice

Easy Slow Cooker Chili, with rice

1 lb lean ground beef
1 medium onion, diced
1- 1 1/2 jar chunky salsa (heat level up to you)
1 T chili powder
1/4 t cinnamon
1 1/2 T Cajun seasoning
1 T garlic powder
1 T worcestershire sauce
1 can diced tomatoes, not drained
2-3 cans light red kidney beans
salt & pepper to taste

Brown beef and onion in skillet.  Add to slow cooker.  Add in the rest of the ingredients, stir.  Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for about 4 hours.
Serve over rice or with your favorite biscuits.  May also be garnished with a bit of shredded cheese and some sour cream.

The slow cooker may not be entirely necessary for this dish, but I like my chili best when the flavors have had a chance to mingle and get to know each other.  The cinnamon and worcestershire sauce were a new experiment to go with my regular recipe and I must say that they brought on a whole new level of flavor and were delicious!

What do you like to eat with your chili?  Do you have any recipes that you'd like to share?  I have another recipe that I haven't made in a while, but got some very good reviews and even won an award.  It's my own little concoction that I like to call "Holy Mole Moo-Steak Chili" and uses a different variety of seasonings and a bit of cocoa.

Honey Chipotle Yams (recipe)

A little back story on this recipe: The grocery store had yams on sale for 39 cents a pound a week or so ago, so I decided to get a few to experiment with.  Prior to this recipe, I'd tasted sweet potatoes/yams prepared in 3 ways: French-fried at a friend's house, baked with mango rum butter at Farlow's in Englewood, FL (quite delicious!!!), and baked into a pie by another friend's mom.  I'd never cooked one myself, but after a bit of Pinterest searching and considering the flavor of the root vegetable, I decided to go with something sweet and spicy.  Thus, Honey Chipotle Yams were born.

Honey Chipotle Yams

Honey Chipotle Yams 
1 yam, peeled and diced         1/16 t cinnamon
1/4 medium onion, chopped    1/8 t chipotle powder
1 clove garlic, minced             1/8 t chili powder
1 1/2 T vegetable oil               1-1 1/2 T honey
Salt & Pepper to taste

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add yam, onion and garlic.  Mix cinnamon, chipotle powder, chili powder, salt and pepper and add to yam mixture.  Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes.  Stir in honey and cover.  Cook until yams are fork tender.

I made this recipe for breakfast one day after waking in a particularly "ready to eat" mood.  As you know, I don't normally eat breakfast in the morning and stick to a cup of black coffee with some sugar.  However, on this morning, I decided to cook something up.  It turned out to be rather filling and kept me going until lunch time... definitely a recipe to add to the stash.

A possible change to the recipe: Adding a bit of ground sweet sausage might add more depth of flavor and some necessary protein, making it into a hash.  Serve with some flaky, buttery biscuits, and you've got yourself a meal.

The honey chipotle yams might make a nice side dish to go along with a spicy roast or turkey.  What would you eat with your honey chipotle yams?

Menu Monday: Leftovers & Multi-purpose ingredients

Welcome to this week's Menu Monday!  I'm up dark and early... can't believe that I'm up before the sun, haha.  Oh well, this is a great time to really look through the ads from the Sunday paper, plan this week's meals and plan my shopping route.  Of course I am nowhere near expert levels of the plan ahead/stick to plan thing when it comes to a menu, but I'm slowly getting better at it and am enjoying the journey.  It's possible that I am merely using the calendar as a basic guide for what to make/when.  For example, before I can make a sloppy cheese steak omelet, I have to make a sloppy cheese steak sandwich.  However, I might decide to use the pork chops up first.  Really, it has a lot to do with what I'm in the mood for each day and what I have in stock.

Dishes to enjoy this week include leftovers from the weekend's chili and beef roast... nothing fancy, they are both delicious on their own and turned out fantastically.  For dinner this evening, I'll make a bit more rice than I usually do to go with my chili.  That way, I'll have some left over for Tuesday's soup lunch without having to dirty another pot.  A quick trip in the microwave and lunch will be served!  Sloppy cheese steaks and smoky Cajun potatoes, sloppy cheese steak omelet, pork chops, pulled pork chop sandwich with slaw, pesto pizza, etc. will also be enjoyed.

I don't purchase pork chops often, but they're on sale this week and I do enjoy them and think they will go very well with some buttered or cabbage and noodles (get more use out of the bag of slaw by using it in 2 or more dishes) and vegetables.  A nice apple pie for dessert on pork chop day might be good too and apples are on sale.  The possibilities are endless.

Check back for my grocery list.

I haven't forgotten that I promised to post recipes for easy chili and easy slow cooker beef roast.  I'm still working on them and will likely go on a recipe posting binge at some point once I get those recipes and others typed up.  What recipes would you like to try?

WMW Bonus: Pantry Chicken Moscato (recipe)

Welcome back for a special Wine Me Wednesday bonus!  Tonight's wine was pretty darn tasty, but I couldn't quite drink it all and got hungry when there was about a glass left in the bottle.

I haven't made it to the grocery store yet this week due to snow and tires in desperate need of changing, so the menu for the week will be experiencing a few alterations.  In place of the chili for this evening's supper and tomorrow's lunch is an easy new dish I'd like to call "Pantry Chicken Moscato."  The chili will be made in the slow cooker for supper tomorrow and probably lunch and dinner on Friday after I get back from the store.

Here is the updated menu:

The grocery list really didn't change much, so that's exciting.  Everything I used in the Pantry Chicken Moscato was already in my freezer or on the pantry shelves.  The only thing to restock is the bag of frozen green beans.  I do like having those around.

Now for the recipe (or some very basic guidelines, i didn't measure anything) to make Jenn's Pantry Chicken Moscato:

Pantry Chicken Moscato

Jenn's Pantry Chicken Moscato

1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/3 can Moscato white wine
1 can chicken breast, not drained
1 handful frozen green beans
crushed red pepper (to taste)
fresh ground black pepper (to taste)
salt (to taste)garlic powder (to taste)
1 T flour/water mixture (to thicken sauce)
rice, prepared

In a sautee pan over medium heat, combine cream of mushroom soup, wine, pepper, salt and garlic powder.  Stir until fully combined.  Cook for a couple of minutes more to allow some of the alcohol from the wine to cook off.  Add canned chicken and broth to sauce mixture, stir.  Allow to heat for about a minute.  Add frozen green beans, stir.  Let cook until ingredients are heated through.  Stir in flour/water and cook for about 10 more minutes.  Once sauce begins to thicken, serve over prepared rice.  Enjoy.

Please bear with me as I continue to learn to write recipes.  When coming up with something new like Jenn's Pantry Chicken Moscato, I rarely keep track of the process while going through it and only mentally note approximate ingredient amounts as I go.  This is something I hope to improve upon in order to provide better directions on how to create some very tasty dishes.

Do you have any suggestions or tips on how to keep track of what you are doing as you come up with new recipes and recipe variations?  Please share in the comments below.  

Wine Me Wednesday: Gallo Family Vineyards Moscato

It's that time again, time for Wine Me Wednesday.  Today's wine is currently being enjoyed courtesy of my good friend Bruce.  He brought it over to celebrate my recent acceptance into the MSW-Direct graduate course through IUPUI.

As Bruce works on his homework assignment that is due tomorrow (he's a typical procrastinating college student), I'm taking a moment to write my amateur review of Gallo Family Vineyards Moscato.

This white wine is very sweet and has a relatively bold fruity flavor.  For a sweet wine, it is pretty easy to drink and we will probably have the bottle emptied in short time.  This is the 3rd Moscato I've blogged about on here... so clearly I'm a fan of the variety and each has had its own unique attributes and flavors. :)  This one is, by far, the sweetest one I've tried yet.  I'm still figuring out what would pair well with a sweet Moscato... any suggestions?

Menu Monday

Happy Veterans' Day to our nation's finest men and women in uniform (and of course, those who have retired or finished their contract honorably)!  Thank you for your service to our country.

This week's menu contains some of my favorites and the slow cooker will be used for at least 2 dinners.  I'd be lying if I said I wasn't excited for this week's belly-warming menu!  Check back later this week for a couple of easy slow cooker recipes: chili and pot roast.

Some of the leftover pot roast will be re-purposed for use in Saturday's burrito bowl dinner.  A quick shred and additional seasonings for the meat to make it "burrito bowl ready", a bed of white rice and black beans and a healthy topping of shredded cheese, sour cream and salsa- can't wait for Saturday's dinner!

This week's grocery list is rather short due to my having a decently stocked pantry.  Here it is: sandwich bread, provolone cheese, beef or pork to roast, bag of potatoes, bag of onions, 1 lb of ground beef, chunky salsa, crackers and lunch meat.

Wine Me Wednesday: Funky Llama Chardonnay

This week's wine feature is an unoaked chardonnay by Funky Llama in Argentina.  I must admit that this was  not one of my favorite drinking wines.  I'm pretty sure that I only purchased it because it was on sale and had a fun name on the label.  The flavor was relatively disappointing.

In an effort not to waste the wine, I decided to use it in a creamy white wine sauce to go with wild mushroom ravioli.  The wine served its purpose and turned out to taste pretty good in the sauce.  However, at a regular price of $8.99 per 750mL bottle, I doubt I will be purchasing this particular variety again.  There are far too many other wines to try and wines I've found that I enjoy that also wear a better price tag.

 With a generous sprinkling of freshly shredded parmesan cheese, the wild mushroom ravioli and white wine sauce turned out to be edible.  Flavor-wise, the sauce turned out pretty well, but consistency-wise, it was a bit too thin.  The thin sauce did inspire an idea to make a creamy white wine soup with chicken and potatoes, though.  More on that later after I've thought about how to go about creating the soup and been successful in its creation.  With a bit of work and recipe tweaks, the sauce will be ready to post.

Bagel, Bagel, Bagel

Bagels are quite possibly one of my favorite foods.  The versatility and variety of flavors provide endless possibilities for a tasty, easy snack or meal.  Next time you're at the bakery and decide to pick up a few, why not try them in one of these recipes?

Pesto Mushroom Pizza & Plain

Pesto Pizza Bagel with Mushrooms
Ingredients:
1/4 cup pesto sauce
fresh mozzarella, sliced
fresh mushrooms, roughly chopped
plain bagel- toasted

Carefully remove hot bagel from toaster and place on baking sheet or a piece of foil.  Spread pesto evenly on each half of bagel.  Scatter mushrooms and mozzarella slices on each half.
Bake at 350 degrees F until cheese has melted (approximately 15-20 minutes).  Serve hot.  Enjoy.

Sweet Cinnamon & Pumpkin

Pumpkin Bagel w/ Sweet Cinnamon Spread
Ingredients:
2 T cream cheese
1/8 t ground cinnamon
1 1/2 t granulated sugar

pumpkin bagel

While bagel is toasting: combine cream cheese, cinnamon and sugar.  Carefully remove bagel from toaster and spread sweet cinnamon spread evenly on each half.  Serve immediately.  Enjoy.

Turkey, Brie & Pumpernickel

Turkey/Brie Pumpernickel Sandwich

Ingredients:

Pumpernickel bagel, toasted

2 slices turkey

2 t spicy brown mustard

1/4 inch slices brie cheese (enough to cover 1 side of bagel)

Carefully remove bagel from toaster.  Place cheese in even layer around one bagel half.  On other half, spread mustard and place turkey.  Put loaded bagel halves together as a sandwich.  Cut bagel sandwich in half.  Serve immediately.  Enjoy.

Each of the bagel combinations tried for this post were very tasty.  I'd have to say that my favorite this time around was the pesto pizza bagel with mushrooms.  It had a very nice flavor and the fresh ingredients went well together.  I will definitely continue trying different bagels and recipes.  They are filling, come in a variety of flavors and are not too expensive.

What kind of bagels do you like to eat?  What do you eat with your bagels?  Please share in the comments section.

Menu Monday: Baking Goodness

Nothing warms a house quite like baking delicious treats.  As the weather is continuing to get colder here on the mountain, I think I'll make a pie this week.  I'll also use the oven to make some pork chops, pizza bagels and a hand tossed pizza.  If there is enough pie crust dough left over, I'll make some "cinnamon rolls" as well.

The grocery list this week: pita chips, lunch meat, cheese, fruit, pizza dough, eggs, milk, ground cinnamon, butter.

Check back over the next day or so for a special entry on bagels, featuring 3 different recipes.

Wine Me Wednesday: Pink Moscato

This is a special entry for Wine Me Wednesday as it also includes a little bit about entertaining and a very simple, versatile recipe.  Sutter Homes Pink Moscato is a sweet and fruity wine.  At $6.99 for a 750mL bottle, it was a great choice for this evening's impromptu dinner party and this week's featured wine.

After a fantastic day of grocery shopping with friends, we returned to my house to enjoy a glass of wine and light meal.  Since wine typically goes very nicely with cheese, grapes and bread, that's what we had.

A buttery brie and fresh mozzarella turned out to be fantastic cheese selections and went very nicely with a homemade Herbed Balsamic Vinaigrette, roasted red peppers and bread.  Grapes added a refreshing note to the meal and rounded everything out.

Grated Parmesan cheese added another level to the vinaigrette which is certainly going to be featured in future dishes.  I greatly enjoy finding and/or coming up with new (and easy, very very easy) recipes.  With 3 ingredients, this dressing/dipping sauce/marinade is almost too easy to make:

 Jenn's Herbed Balsamic Vinaigrette

1/2 cup (or so) flavored oil (with garlic and herbs, I used Wegmans Basting Oil)
1/8 cup (or so) balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup (or so) grated Parmesan cheese

 Combine the ingredients in a bowl, serve with sliced baguette or other delicious bread.  May also be served with meats, salads, etc.

As I "eyeballed" it when I poured the ingredients into a serving dish, the measurements are merely to be used as a rough guide.  One of the beautiful things about a vinaigrette is how flexible it can be, so make yours to taste.  If you have a favorite vinaigrette or idea about how to use it in a new way, please share in the comments below.

Here are two of the combinations we enjoyed with our wine:

French baguette, fresh mozzarella, roasted red pepper, baby basil leaves and vinaigrette.

Rosemary bread, buttery brie, vinaigrette.  Simple and delicious.

Please forgive the blurry image in the picture above ^ ^ ^, I was too excited to try it to take a clear picture.  All in all, it was a nice day and evening.  Delicious foods were purchased and eaten and the company was great.  We will definitely have to do it again soon.

Menu Monday: Rotisserie Chicken Week

Welcome to the second Menu Monday on Solo Culinary Adventures.  This week will feature rotisserie chicken in several meals.  At approximately 3 pounds, the fully cooked chicken costs $5 and can be incorporated into 3 days worth of meals.

A breakdown of how the chicken will be divided over the 3 days of meals:
Breasts: 1 for dinner this evening, 1/2 for chicken salad, 1/2 for chicken burrito bowl
Thighs, Wings, Drumsticks, Chicken Stock: chicken noodle soup

Other items for the week include omelets, homemade pizza, pasta salad, potatoes and mushroom ravioli with a creamy white wine sauce.  Check back soon for a recipe to make the creamy white wine sauce.

My grocery list for this week includes: 1 rotisserie chicken, carrots, celery, cucumber, cream, bananas and another fruit, eggs, mushrooms, yogurt, hummus, pizza dough, cheese, pepperoni, tomatoes, and milk.

What do you enjoy making with rotisserie chicken?  What tips do you have for saving money while eating tasty, healthy meals?

Menu Monday: The First

Welcome to the first installation of Menu Mondays on Solo Culinary Adventures.  After a brief blogging hiatus due to a bit of a speed bump in my life, I am back and ready to continue with Solo Culinary Adventures.  Before we get into it, I will give you a brief overview of the speed bump I've encountered:

To make a rather long story short, the contract I had been working under recently came to an end.  At this point in time, I am experiencing a case of unemployment and have begun searching for a new job. Hopefully things go well and I find something new soon.  Interestingly though, the rather sudden change in my finances has increased my drive to continue Solo Culinary Adventures and find ways to maintain a well balanced diet on a limited budget.

For this first installation of Menu Mondays, I will be shopping in my own fridge, freezer and pantry prior to heading out to the grocery stores.  Once the pantry has been "shopped" I'll come up with a grocery list to fill out the menu for the week.  Disclaimer: I am not a morning person and my stomach is usually not ready for food when I wake up.  So, my daily breakfast consists of a cup of black coffee brewed with my Keurig and 2 spoonfuls of sugar.  Occasionally, I might add a handful of granola to the mix, but that is a very rare occurrence.

After a thorough analysis of what I have on stock in my kitchen, here is my grocery list:
1 lb ground beef, 1/4 lb deli chicken, 1/4 lb deli pepperoni, 1/2 lb deli provolone cheese, hamburger buns, carrots, cucumbers, pizza dough, mushrooms, shredded cheese, yogurt, fruit, pita chips and spicy mustard.

Luckily, I already have most of the ingredients for the items on this week's menu.  Grocery shopping shouldn't take long at all and there are only two stops to make (Aldi for fresh produce and Giant Eagle for the meat & dairy items).  If I come across a better deal on meat options, the menu may be altered somewhat, but here is the basic menu for the week:

Do you plan a weekly menu?  What are some of your favorite standby dishes?  Do you have any money saving tips for a person living on a budget?  Please share in the comments section below.

Happy Eating!

Beef Week- crockpots, specials and guests

On Sunday, I had an urge to make something hearty and delicious for dinner this week and headed out to the grocery store.  As luck would have it, Giant Eagle had a 'buy one get one free' special on its beef roast cuts.  I found 2 cuts that were each a little over 2.5 pounds and looked really nice.  Together, all 5+ pounds of meat only took $16.05 out of my wallet.  Not too shabby of a deal, I must say.

Lately, I've found that the least expensive place to buy decent vegetables is at the farmers market or at Aldi.  Since there isn't a farmers market (that I know of) near my place that is open on a Sunday, I headed over to Aldi.  The potatoes, celery and onions looked great.  I already had a bag of baby carrots and the rest of the ingredients at the house.

What is more hearty and delicious than a good roast?  Not much.  Not much at all, I imagine.  Maybe a nice soup, but that'll be saved for another post. decided to head to the grocery store to find things to make a roast for dinner.  As luck would have it, Aldi's had some nice produce in stock and Giant Eagle had a buy one get one free special on some of their meats... including roasts!  So, I got a little under 6 pounds of beef for $16.05 and plenty of vegetables to hold me (and a guest or 2) over for the next 2 weeks.  Quite a nice score, I must say.

The Chuck Spencer Roast cut felt a bit tougher than usual when I took it out of the packaging to rinse and pat dry.  As a result, I decided to give it a little massage with salt and pepper on both sides before placing it in the bottom of my 4qt crockpot.

My efforts were totally worth it because the roast came out tender as can be without disintegrating.  I was even able to cut it into pieces instead of pulling it apart.

The cut used in the delightful roast pictured above was called a chuck spencer roast, the other was a shoulder roast.  The shoulder roast looked kind of like a big steak and it was extremely tough even after extensive time in the slow cooker and a thorough "massage".  Note to self: never buy a shoulder roast again unless there are no other options.

Wine Me Wednesday- Crispin Cider

Today's star may not be a wine, but it definitely deserves mentioning in this week's Wine Me Wednesday.  While waiting to be seated at the incredibly popular Founding Farmers restaurant with our family, my dad and I stumbled upon a relatively hidden gem across the street.  Wine Harvest is a cute little wine and beer shop that also serves sandwiches and cheese platters at surprisingly reasonable prices.  The staff were very friendly and I surely intend to go back on my next visit to try one of their intriguing dishes.

Since we had plenty of time to stop for a drink before our table was ready, we did.  My dad ordered a glass of one of the darker ales on tap, and as it was relatively early in the day and I hadn't eaten yet, I opted for a lighter beverage.  I gave my request of something light and refreshing to the fantastic bartender and he placed the beautiful glass you see posted in front of me.

Crispin is a light, refreshing, hard apple cider.  As its name entails, it is quite crisp, especially when served in a tall glass over ice.  The price tag for 4 bottles runs roughly $7.00 online and at 1.75 per bottle, the price is definitely reasonable.

I imagine that the beverage would pair rather nicely with a salad comprised of greens, glazed pecans, apple slices, crumbled cheese and a light vinaigrette.  Perhaps a few pieces sliced chicken breast to add a bit of protein to the mix.

All in all, I'd say that Crispin is my new favorite hard cider.  If you're in the mood for a refreshing drink (and of course, over the age of 21 in the USA), why not give it a try?

Wine Me Wednesday: TableLeaf Moscato

Welcome to the first "Wine Me Wednesday"

As you will see by the information in this post, I really need to take a wine tasting class... or drink more wine to have a better idea of what is going on.  Maybe both?  In any case, here is my first crack at writing a review.

TableLeaf Moscato

I enjoyed a delightful new wine from my stash on Sunday (TableLeaf Moscato, $7.99 for a 750 ML bottle).  The white wine had a refreshing, crisp, strong grape flavor.  I suppose it could be classified as a "fruity" wine, a grape is a fruit after all...  yep, definitely need to take that class.

The pairing wasn't my best choice, but that isn't the wine's fault.  A mild cheese and a few crackers would have gone very nicely with this bottle.  However, I hadn't been grocery shopping yet, so bow-tie noodles, some jarred marinara sauce and a piece of bread were an okay option.

To sum it up, the wine was very tasty.  If you're looking for a light, refreshing glass of grape flavored goodness, give this Moscato a shot.

The "No Pots/Pans" Challenge= Obsolete

Good news, everyone!  The "No Pots/Pans" challenge is now obsolete.  I found a rather nice, decently priced set at the "big box store" in the next town over.  It's a 12 pc set by Tramontina, in bronze.  The aluminum is nice and thick and the color is even nice.  I've cooked with the pots twice so far and can honestly say that I think it was a good purchase.  The thicker metal allows the heat to distribute more evenly and retains the heat rather nicely.

There were plenty of cheaper sets at the store, of course, but the cheapness wasn't only visible in the price.  Since this purchase was more of an investment, the roughly $80 price tag was totally worth it.  So far, I am impressed by my new set.  Now for the test of time.

The first thing I cooked in the new pots (after seasoning them of course, per the instructions on the package), was a quick and easy bow-ties with sauce.  Garlic & herb bread and a nice glass of Moscato rounded out the meal.

first meal in the new place

Cooking Challenge 1: No Pots/Pans/Microwave

As I continue to get moved/settled into my new digs, Menu Mondays and Wine Me Wednesdays are on a bit of a hold.  The kitchen is mostly ready to go (pictures will be shared eventually).  I've unpacked/washed/put away the dishes and bake-ware, moved in 2 wire shelves for added storage, filled my filtered water pitcher and stocked the ever-important wine rack with an assortment of whites, reds and blushes.  Once I find a decent set of pots and pans, figure out where to put my microwave, and move in a few more pieces of furniture, the kitchen will be all set and a new challenge can begin.

Having no pots or pans should not prove to be too big of a problem in the short term (and I intend for it to be short term), I still have my bake-ware and a crock pot and there are plenty of dishes out there that require no stove-top cooking.  Salads, crockpot soups and stews, pizzas, breads, and more can be cooked or created without the use of the stove.

Now the challenge is to find recipes that can be easily converted to feed just one person, on a budget, with the occasional serving left over for a next day lunch.  Time to get started!

Stocking the Pantry

What should a single person with limited space keep in the pantry/fridge/freezer?  That is an excellent question.  More to come on this topic.

Welcome

Welcome to Solo Culinary Adventures.  I will be moving into a cute little 1 bedroom house in August if all goes according to plan.  The new digs and blissful privacy will bring on some new challenges, of course.  Namely, cooking and eating healthily, on a very limited budget, on my own.  I tend to be the "pick up something (usually unhealthy but tasty) at a restaurant on my way home" type of gal, especially on work days.  However, that won't be an option as my food budget will be rather tight and restaurant prices are pretty high.  The goal is to get by on $50 or less, preferably less, each week on groceries and household items while not resorting to eating ramen noodles for every meal.  Let's see if I can do it.

For now, I'm in the planning phases- what to stock in the freezer/fridge/pantry, scouring Pinterest and the web for inexpensive but possibly delicious recipes, etc.  Once I'm on my own in the new place, the fun of this blog will truly begin.  There will be 1 special day each week with an almost guaranteed post (provided I don't forget or am not on vacation/out of town on business)- Menu Monday!

Menu Monday- From what I've read on the web, the easiest way to eat healthy on a budget is to put a bit of planning in the line up and weekly menus seem to be a big hit.  I work 10 hours a day/4 days a week and am off Saturday-Monday.  Sunday will consist of planning- browsing ads, clipping coupons, figuring out the best priced foods and developing a menu/grocery list.  On Monday, I'll do the shopping along with any other errands, then post the menu and grocery list right here on this blog for all to view, admire or judge.

On another special day, we'll go with a semi-monthly post devoted to a wine (or other grownup beverage if the mood fits).  The day will be called "Wine Me Wednesday" and it will be a glorious day indeed.

Wine Me Wednesday- Who says you can't enjoy a decent glass of wine on a budget?  Hump day is a day to celebrate with a glass of wine (or 2).   Semi-monthly, I'll provide an amateur's review of an inexpensive ($8-$12) or moderately priced ($12-15) bottle of wine.  Disclaimer: The key word in the previous sentence is "amateur" because until rather recently, I never found a wine I liked.  Feel free to gasp in horror at the thought.

So bear with me as I go through the process of moving once again, finding furniture, building my new wine bar (yes, I'm converting an old tv stand into a wine bar/mini island), and figuring out the budgetary basics and how to regularly cook for myself.