Job Hunting Updates

I've applied tons of places. Dollar General, Subway, Seton University, church childcare, candy shop, pie shop, Denny's. The list goes on and on.

Aldi is having a hiring event tomorrow and I'm going. The paper says cashiers start out a $10/hour. That would be worth the thirty minute drive to work. I'm also faxing in my resume to a retirement community that needs an office assitant and picking up an application for Dino's restaurant whose sign says they are hiring. And, on the 24th, I'm attending a meeting about taking free classes on becoming a realtor.

And...even bigger news? Subway called earlier today and I have an interview on Wednesday!

"Spicy" Meatloaf

We had this Thursday night and it was a hit. While it wasn't necessarily spicy, it did have a nice flavor. The recipe is adapted from the New Day Woman's Cookbook. It called for cooking four hours on high or eight to ten hours on low, but only took about three on high when I made it.

Ingredients:

1 cup Ketchup and BBQ sauce, mixed together with 1tsp of your favorite hot sauce (I used one of the hot sauces I got Mike a few Valentine's Days ago, but I'm sure Tabasco would work fine)

1-1.5 pounds ground beef
3/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 large egg
1.5 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce (we call it "woozie" or "winchester")
2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp salt
1tsp pepper

Put half 1/2 cup of Ketchup mixture with remaining ingredients in a large bowl and mix with hands until well blended. Form into a load. Place in a slow cooker or crockpot and spread the remaining sauce over the loaf.

Cover and cook for 3-4 hours on high or 8-10 hours on low or until thermometer reads 160F.

Five Question Friday

1. What movie could you watch over and over again and not get tired of?


Pirates of the Carribean
2. What's your biggest pet peeve right now?

Hmmm...our mailman constantly delivering the wrong mail to our house.
3. If you had to describe your best friend in five words or less, what would you say?

1. Amazing
2. Stylish
3. Crafty
4. Smart
5. Fun

4. If you did not have to worry about money or go to school what would you do for a living?

Volunteer for nonprofits and be a girl scout leader

5. What is your one "splurge" item, that you will always buy, no matter the cost?

Hmmm...I almost said books and then I thought about chocolate so I'd say it's a tie


PS: That bestfriend I just described? We just started a baking blog together, where we challenge each other to try new recipes!

Midweek Food Review

Since most of the recipes I'm making this week and next are new to us, I ask Mike everynight after dinner if he likes the dish enoough for me to make again. Here are his comments:

Monday night was breakfast, a meal we both love to eat for dinner (and sometimes late night snacks), so it's a no brainer that we want to have this again. And there were plenty of leftover pancakes for us to eat throughout the week.

Tuesday night was chickenburgers served with fries and baked beans. Mike's comment? "They feel like crabcakes. Next time let's have them without the buns." So next time we'll have chickencakes. You can find the recipe here.

Wednesday night we had  Inside Out Stuffed Peppers served over kidney beans, instead of the recommended rice. We both really liked the dish and will probably make it again, although it wasn't as filling as it would have been with the rice. So I  made homemade texas toast from leftover hot dog buns to go with it.

Yesterday we had slow cooker spicy meatloaf. I almost burned it because it was done an hour earlier than the recipe said it would be, but the meat thermometer was reading 200 F so I scooped it out of the crock pot, and into a loaf pan. I put the pan in the oven to keep it warm until Mike came home. And it was a hit! Mike loved it although it wasn't as spicy as I thought it would be. It had a nice flavor though so I hope to post the recipe later.

Games with Swagger

Do you use Swagbucks? Sign up here.

Swagbucks has just released some pretty cool free games, but you have to be a member to play. Signing up is free and easy and the games are fun! The best part? You can earn swagbucks while you play that you can later trade in for some pretty sweet stuff. I usually cash in for the awesome Amazon gift cards. In fact, I just got a subscription to Reader's Digest for FREE with Swagbucks that I earned just searching the net.

Now, I can play games and earn too! (Like I need more games to play!)

They offer a pretty good selection of games and you can opt-in to tournament style as well.

I really like the word games and Logia is currently my time-killing weapon of choice.  It's like tetris and scrablle had a love child.

Go check it out, and use the code SBGames for 30 swagbucks to get you up and going (in addition to the swagbucks you get for creating an account!)

Red Beet Eggs

My husband loves to eat these as a snack and as a side with his meal. I think they smell, but he loves them so I thought I'd try to make them since they are so expensive in the store.

Ingredients:

1 cup white sugar
1 cup vinegar
1 can of red beets
hard boiled eggs, shelled

Boil eggs and then shell them. While they boil, mix the sugar, vinegar and beets into a bowl. It helps if you have a big bowl with a lid. Make sure the sugar is dissolved and add in the eggs. Cover and let them sit for 2-3 days, stirring/shaking/sloshing twice a day to dissolve the sugar. You know the eggs are done when  you cut the eggs opne and they are a pinky purple all the way through.

He Was Right

This may seem a little gross, but I was impressed so I have to share.

I've been dealing with ringworm since I came back from Korea (back in August). I've been through two tubes of Lamasil trying to fight that stuff off. It had gotten smaller but hadn't gone away or quit itching.

The whole time Mike had been trying to convince me to let him spit his dip on my leg and wrap it up.

The other night I was tried of itching and running low on Lamasil so I gave in. He put his used skoal on the ringworm and wrapped it up. And two days later the ringworm was gone.

Maybe I should trust my husband a little more.

Menu Planning Monday

I went grocery shopping today and managed to stay on budget! I did most of the shopping at ALDI and got almost everything we needed for two weeks for around $70. The I shopped at Giant Eagle and Dollar General for things like Dr. Pepper and the frozen lunchens Mike wanted.

So here's what we're eating for dinner (leftovers will be used for lunch the next day):

M- Breakfast for Dinner! This is one of my favorite meals.
Tu- Chickenburgers with fries.
W- Inside Out Stuffed Peppers
Th Spicy Crockpot Meatloaf and Scalloped Potatoes
F Quiche and black eye peas
Sa Mike's Day so probably Beer Butt Chicken
Sun- Tacos for Lunch, Kitchen Sink Dinner

M Cheddar Chicken with scalloped potatoes
Tu Veggie Fried Potatoes (like veggie fried rice)
W Chili
Th Broccoli Skillet
F Quiche
Sa Mike's Day or Frozen Pizza/Spaghetti
Su Mexican Casserole for Lunch, Kitchen Sink Dinner

I also plan on making a batch of corn chowder to have for lunches as well! And Mike wants me to make some Red Beet Eggs for him to snack on.

What are you eating this week?

Single Far Too Long

My husband was an unmarried man for 31 years by the time we got married. And let me tell you, that was way too long. I could probably do a whole blog series on his single-man moments.

Single Man Moment #1:

We made chicken wings last night in the fryer we recieved as a wedding gift from his best man. We only made enough wings for us to eatm but we had thawed the entire bags. He said, "Well, I guess we'll haveto eat them all tonight."

"Why?"

"Don't ya know you can't refreeze chicken?"

Oh boy, he has a lot to learn. He thought we couldn't cook it and freeze them then either.

Budget Friendly Recipes

Okay, here's the deal.

We've got a very small grocery budget until I can find a job. We have all of three spices/seasonings- seasonal, garlic salt and red pepper flakes. And Mike doesn't eat rice. We've got enough foodstuffs to last roughly until Monday/Tuesday, until then I need to find some healthy, budget-friendly recipes. About two weeks worth. I have some cookbooks but most of the recipes any them call for a dozen ingredients, many of which are spices we don't have and can't buy at the moment.

I'd love any suggestions you can offer on how to save money grocery shopping (we're already clipping coupons, and planning to buy dried beans), and yummy budget friendly recipes.

Thanks for all the help!

On the Hunt

Lately I’ve been on the hunt for a job. I started out by applying downtown at every store on the diamond- coffee shops, sweet shops, restaurants, clothing stores. And I’ve applied at a few restaurants uptown too.
And then Friday night Mike introduced me to a state run job search website where we found some great openings for administrative assistants at several places like churches and Seton University as well as an opening for a greeter at a dealership. I hope to mail off resumes for those positions on Monday, fill out a few applications for places like Walgreens and Subway, and the bank next door and then cross my fingers and trust in the Lord to provide.


If you know of any openings in the Ligonier/Latrobe/Greensburg area please pass them along!


As a side note, I checked out a Writer’s Market from the library and have started to search for places to send my poetry and creative nonfiction pieces.

7 in '11

I have 7 resolutions for 2011. I wanted to keep them simple this year so I tried to keep the list short, and make them things that really need to happen in my daily life.

1. Work out an average of 3-5 times per week. This includes the routine I made up over the summer, my pilates book,  exercise tapes, cardio workouts, situps and going for walks.

2. Learn to cook. This includes trying new recipes, modifying recipes to suit our tastes and being able to cook key recipes from memory. This also includes learning to plan meals ahead and becaus of this be able to grocery shop more efficently.

3. Make half of the cards I send.

4. Send treats/care packages to my friends still in Connieland.

5. Get a job! Anything that pays consistently will statisfy this one!

6. Do more craft projects. This includes making a wedding memory box, making cards, scrapbooking and anything else. I'd like to sew stockings and a new hostess apron but that may be too ambitious at the moment.

7. Don't gain weight! I read it everywhere that married couples gain weight. I don't wanna gain weight. I'm hoping that going from an unlimited supply of cookies and ice cream in the dining hall to cooking for myself on a limited budget will prevent me from eating too much junk and sweets.

I MADE dinner!

Yes, I've been making dinner lately, we had frozen mancotti (sp?), hot dogs with baked beans and oven potatoes, tacos, hamburger help...you get the picture.

Well, tonight I made potato bacon and onion quiche with a side of vegetables and toast. It was fabulous! It was the first time I made quiche and I was very nervous. At one point I got so nervous about the flour not mixing in that I called Lyric who advised me to turn the mixer on higher and add some butter.

Rachel's Not a Quiche-tastrophe

Ingredients

3 eggs
1.5 C milk
1/2 cup self rising flour
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup bacon, in pieces
1 cup of grated potato
1/4 cup diced onion
1 cup of grated/shredded cheese- I used the Great Value Fiesta Blend

Preheat to 390 F. Set greased quiche pan on a cookie sheet (this helps prevent splatters onto the floor when you transfer the full pan into the oven..  Cook bacon and then cook veggies in leftover bacon grease. Drain. Beat eggs and mix in flour, butter and milk until well combined. Mix in the bacon, potato, onions and cheese.  Pour into quiche pan and cook for 40-50 minutes or until center is firm.

Looking back, I would have added a full cup of bacon and a full half cup of onions but I was pressed for time as the prep work took longer than I anticipated and I knew Mike would want to eat soon after getting home at 6pm, so if you make this definitely go with a full cup of bacon and at least a 1/2 cup of onions.

Wedding Recap: Getting Ready

The professional photos aren't back yet, but they should be here by New Years Eve. Until then, I'd like to share with you the pictures my friends took. First up? The getting ready pictures.

They're not squeezing me into my dress, but squeezing my dress onto me with tape because it was a little big.

All ready and texting Mike

My shoes signed by all the bridesmaids

Lyric doing her hair

 Bodie was the first to be ready.

 Lyric did my hair.

My sister did my makeup

Hotglue doing her hair.

 The dress before I stepped into it

 It took a lot of teamwork to get my dress to stay

Putting on my earrings

More teamwork!

Veil!

Let's get this thing started!

Watching me get ready!

2011 Word

Leanne at From Chaos Comes Happiness has challenged her readers to select a word to focus on during 2011. Being the word lover I am I decided to give this challenge a go.

2011 is a new year full of new opportunites, possiblities, and challenges. What word should I pick to help me embrace the new year? I started by making a list of words that I thought I might like to focus on. At the top of the list were:

Create

Love

Appreciate

Learn

Simplify

All of the words I think would benefit me this year but I  think that since 2011 brings with it the first year of marriage, I choose Love.

I want to focus on loving my husband and on nurturing our relationship. I want to remember to  love even when times are busy, finances are tight and we are frustrated.

I want to focus on  loving myself. This means exercising, eating healthy,  learning to do my makeup and making time for my friends and hobbies.

I want to focus on my  love of learning and creating. I want to love learning to cook, love taking the 365 photo challenge, love decorating our new home and making our wedding scrapbook

Crossing Off

I've accomplished several things on my list lately.

I've...

gotten married...which means I perfected my vows, and gotten comfortable enough to dance at the reception and been on a girls getaway, met Mike's mom and gotten my makeup done for a natural look. Also, my new social security card came in the mail today so I've offically CHANGED MY NAME !

I sent out Christmas cards that I made and had a real Christmas tree in my new home.

Only 80 more items to go!

Improv Broccoli Casserole

The most loved dish a our Christmas lunch was broccoli casserole. I was delighted for several reasons. First, my mashed potatoes were a bit on the watery side so the broccoli was a chance to redeem myself. Second, the recipe was a bit of an experiment because I usually make it with cream of mushrooms and chopped up mushrooms but unfortunately I married a mushroom hater so I was forced to improvise. Here's what I came up with:

Boil and drain 2lbs frozen broccoli. Mix broccoli with about 8 ozs of chopped onions, 8oz grated sharp cheddar cheese, 1 can cream of broccoli, 1  can cream of onion and 1/4 cup of  butter/margarine. Spoon into a greased pan.

In a seperate bowl crush 36 Ritz like crackers and combine with 1/4 cup melted butter. Sprinkle on top and bake for 20 minutes at 350F.

I'd show a picture but it dissapeared too quickly!!

A Wedding Recap: Decorating

We got up Saturday morning, ate a pancake breakfast and went off to decorate the reception venue.  After decorating I was told someone had to stay in the building all day! Our reception didn't start until 7:30pm! Thankfully my father, grandfather,  the best man and maid of honor stepped up to the plate and each took shifts babysitting the building. After the rest of the bridesmaids and I showered we went over to keep Hot Glue company and I even dried my hair on the dance floor.

 Hanging paper planes made of maps

 Lyric putting together the Carribean centerpiece

 Bodie passed out after hanging too many planes

 Bodie putting together the Europe centerpiece

 Hot Glue tying on planes

 The paper garland about to go up!

 The Europe centerpiece

 The America centerpiece

 K10 put together the Asia centerpiece

 Lu and I made these awhile back but K10 prettied them up with some ribbon

 Threading the planes



Subtle Differences

In a few hours I will have been in my new home of PA for a week. I've begun to notice subtle differences that let me know I'm no longer home. I'm not confident enough to say that they are all North/South differences because some may just be differences within family circles.

1. All of the ice cream shops are closed. The weather I suppouse, but how I would love some Bruster's!
2. No firework stands everywhere.
3. At home we lay folded blankets over the arm of the couch. Everyone's home I've been in here, they are stretched out over the back of the couch, and are adjusted to stay that way even when someone's sitting on the couch.
4. At home only my grandma's house has a toliet seat cover. They are everywhere here.
5. On a similar note, I've noticed a lot of  towels folded over the tops of toliets, asa sort of decoration.
6. Everyone asks me to repeat myself whenever I use ya'll.
7. We have counties and towns. Here we've got counties, towns, territories,  townships and boroughs. I still can't quite figure out the last three.
8. No one refers to me as a "Reb", yet everyone reffered to Mike as a "Yankee".
9. There are lots and lots of instructional signs. On the road and in stores. And boy does Walmart mean it when their sign says "exit". The automatic door won't open from the front side.
10. I got asked if i was "southern custom" to leave the peels in the mashed potatoes by Mike's mother, leading me to think she'd never seen it that way before. Although his dad said he loved them that way. To each thier own I guess.

My First Ever Peanut Butter Pie!

Mike's family is coming over for lunch today and knowing that Mike's dad loves PB pie, I decided to look up a recipe and make one.

Here is what happened:

I made a graham cracker crust with crushed graham crackers and melted butter.

Then I whipped up the good stuff.

Ingredients:

8 oz softened cream chz
1/2 c creamy pb
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
8 oz whipped cream
pb cups

Mix the cream chz, confectioners sugar and pb until smooth. Fold in whipped topping.  Spoon over crust and let chill overnight. Decorate with pb cups.

(If my phone would let me upload pics I would have a pretty picture to share.)