One Cheap Cookie!

I know my blog is based on my Crockpot, my Wok, and that sort - and these were not made in either of those, but sometimes a CHEAP, homemade cookie is needed. My kids (and I) prefer homemade cookies to Oreos and Chips Ahoy's - and in between paychecks, I cannot afford to get macadamia nuts, and fancy coffee to make awesome cookies. These are a staple in my kitchen, and the kids - they are peanut butter fans like myself. If I could find a way to dip peanut butter in peanut butter I would. :-) So, here is my simple PB COOKIE RECIPE.

1 cup Peanut Butter (I used Honey PB - such a good touch!)

1 cup Sugar

1 Egg

Preheat your oven to 350. Mix the egg and the sugar until well blended. Then mix in the peanut butter until thoroughly mixed. Ball up dough into the size of cookies you want. I like big cookies, and my kids share well. Place on a slightly greased pan. Take a fork and dip it in some sugar, I prefer brown sugar, and press the fork on the cookie in both directions. Cooking times will vary depending on the oven. My cookies took 11 minutes. The house smelled of delicious honey peanut butter. HEAVEN! You can always add a Hersey's Kiss into the middle for a thumbprint Peanut Butter cookie. I want to try the mini Reese's Peanut Butter cups. With the above ingredients, I made 15 medium to large sized cookies.

1 cup of Kroger brand Honey Peanut Butter (The jar cost $1.79, I only used a 1/3 - $0.60)

1 cup of Kroger brand sugar (5lb bag was $2.89, 1 cup would cost $0.26)

1 egg (Dozen cost $1.79, so 1 would cost $0.15)

These cookies cost me $0.41 cents to make since I had a coupon for free peanut butter, but without my coupon it would cost me $1.01 and that breaks down to $0.07 a cookie. These cookies are about the size of the Grandma's cookies that come in the individual packs, so I would say 7 cents a cookie is pretty good! Are they the most healthy choice? No. But, you don't need to avoid EVERYTHING that is not entirely healthy. :-)  It is all about moderation. Hope you enjoy my frugal cookie. :-) Until next time...

New Adventure...

BOWS! BOWS! and more BOWS! Alannah is obsessed with BOWS. And for what I pay for bows at the store, I should be able to make these. SHOULD is the key word. I feel I am a pretty crafty person, but that does not mean I will be able to create BOWS. I will start with simple bows, and hopefully be able to make the little ladies in my life awesome bows. And why blog this you may ask? Well, if I put it in writing, I am more likely to follow through. :-) So, this is my BLOG contract with myself to try and make some bows.

On that note, Hailey, Layla, Makayla and all the other little ladies in my life better look out for some Crook made bows in the mail. Until next time...

Birthday on a Budget!

Malakai's 7th Birthday Party was scheduled to go down on 2/11/12, the eve of his ACTUAL birthday.

This is Malakai when he was new. I would say a couple of
days old since most of his tubes were removed at this point <3


Well, with several scheduling conflicts, and this Momma get a stomach bug that was a killer, we had to postpone the party. But, that doesn't mean I am not going to make the WHOLE weekend about this kid. After all, he did change my life, and his Daddy's life. And with this weekend, I found another thing to blog about - Awesome cheap/free things to do with your kids! And that is what this weekend was ALL about.

Building and Growing at Lowes!

STOP #1} Lowe's Build and Grow - Lowe's does these kid friendly workshops on Saturdays about twice a month. They receive an apron their first time, and each workshop they attend they receive a patch to iron on their apron. On this particular day, they were building Valentine's Day Card Creators. The site suggests ages 5 and up, but you know your child. Alannah has a decent attention span, and she enjoyed her 3 year old self quite well. The workshop had about 30 kids and lasts between 10 and 11. Build and Grow with Lowe's Click on the link to get information on the next one they are offering. It is a racecar, and we are VERY excited!

1 hour of FUN, 2 aprons and 2 kid made creations = $0.00

Malakai getting CROWNED at Toys 'R' Us



The Birthday Boy!



Flying his Spiderman kite!

STOP #2} Toys 'R' Us - Our next stop was Toys 'R' Us. This is an adventure all in itself. There is SO much to play with and look at, you could literally spend HOURS in here. If you sign up for Geoffrey's Birthday Club, your child will receive a birthday card inviting them to the store. Geoffrey's Birthday Club Sign-Up The card instructs them to go to Guest Services, and let them know it is their birthday. And now for the fun! They make a HUGE deal of their birthday. They get crowned, and an awesome balloon. Next, they announce overhead to the ENTIRE store that the birthday child is in the store and that they would be walking around with their crown and balloon. (Malakai LOVED this part) So many parents, kids and employees stopped to wish him a happy birthday. In the birthday card, they receive a $3 off of any purchase gift card. Now, this doesn't seem like much - but, what I find is that my children can't ever decide on the item they want. It's too hard to narrow down. We spent a little over an hour looking up and down every aisle. Ooohing, and Ahhhing at all the AWESOME stuff. This particular day was very windy, and Malakai choose a Spiderman kite, so we could fly it when we got home.

Over an hour of fun, a Birthday crown, a Birthday balloon, and a Spiderman kite = $0.00 (The kite was $2.99, and his coupon card covered it. (Add the 2 1/2 hours of flying the kite that day - Toys 'R' Us gave us 3 1/2 hours of fun)

Malakai, the Birthday King, BK style.

STOP #3 - Burger King - Next was lunch. What better than a free Kid's Meal, that comes WITH a crown and a toy? If you sign up at the BK website, they will send a coupon for a free kid's meal for your child's birthday. BK Birthday Meal. Malakai enjoyed going in, ordering, and paying with his coupon. He felt like a BIG KID. The plus side to this was the toy. It was a Robot Grabbit Hand. And this was one of the toys he was thinking about at Toys 'R' Us, so SCORE one for BK. He wanted to fly his kite, so we got the food to go. Normally, you could spend an hour playing on their indoor playgrounds.

35 minutes of eating, a Birthday crown, a toy and the excitement of getting a "SPECIAL" meal = $0.00

Yay for 31 Flavors!

STOP # 4 - Baskin Robbins - Baskin Robbins is one of those awesome places that celebrates Birthdays, Anniversaries and just regular AWESOME coupons. And the perk with this particular club is there is NO age cut off. Baskin Robbins Birthday Club SWEET! Malakai and I drove to our local Baskin Robbins while the kids napped away. I was telling him about all the flavors. And he was excited to pick one. We spent some time looking at ALL 31 flavors before he picked Chocolate. Seriously? He is just like his Dad. Ice cream is the EASIEST thing to be adventurous with.  We sat on the bench pictured, and we talked while he enjoyed his cone. Malakai must have told me 20 times by now, that this was the MOST awesome birthday EVER. That kind of thing warms a Momma's heart.


1/2 hour of good conversation, a BIG chocolate Ice cream cone = $0.00


This was followed by me preparing his FAVORITE dinner, and a small family celebration with gifts. I know to some these things don't seem like fun, but I pride myself in the fact that my children truly enjoy the little things in life. And this entire day didn't cost me a DIME. (Except gas) And Malakai truly felt like the ENTIRE day was about him. Below, I am going to list links to the other clubs we joined. And the good thing is we got to use these throughout his birthday week.

SONIC Birthday Club
Denny's Birthday Club
IHOP Birthday Club
Wendy's Birthday Club


Others include Marble Slab, Firehouse Subs, Buffalo Wild Wings and SO much more. I enjoy freebies. And, the crazy thing is - I do find myself wanting to go to places that offer perks like these. Thanks, until next time...

Enchiladas a la Crook in a Crockpot (#7)

The only photo of this meal. :-(

Valentine's Day? I love this day. Not for your typical reasons. My kids are still little, and EVERY holiday is an excuse for shaped pancakes, food coloring and crafty fun. So, when I was scheduled to close at work, I wasn't too upset. (That is until I realized that I would be missing a new Glee, New Girl and Raising Hope!)

My husband's favorite thing I make is enchiladas. How to prepare him enchiladas when I am gone to work ALL day? Let's see if my CP can come to the rescue.

1] I took skinless boneless chicken breasts (on Valentine's Eve) and tossed them into the CP with 2 cans of red enchilada sauce, some diced up green chili's and let the CP do its thing on LOW. And in the morning, I got up shredded up the unbelievably tender meat - taste tested of course! It was Momma approved!

2] Warmed some corn tortillas up in a little of the enchilada sauce. Spooned some meat into the middle, rolled up and placed in the CP. I continued until I had finished one layer. Sprinkled sharp cheddar cheese on top with a drizzle of the sauce, and continued to layer. As you can see, I layered in a pyramid design. This was for ease of taking them out.

***My fear is that they would be soggy instead of the slightly crispy that we enjoy. ***

3] I put the CP on LOW, and headed off to work. The hubby said, they were done AND crispy in about 2 1/2 hours. SCORE one for my CP! He topped with a little sour cream, and enjoyed for lunch and dinner.

When I came home from work, I was excited to take a photo, and what I came home to was a single enchilada, an empty CP and 4 red sauced stained plates in the sink. Meal #8 a la Crockpot was a total SUCCESS! Until next time...

My window garden sees some light...

It has been 10 whole days since Malakai and I planted our window garden in preparation of the warmer days and the beginning of our outside garden. In those 10 days, we have had 6 or  7 days of rain, one day of snow/rain mix, and a birthday weekend, and Valentine's Day. :-) Most of the plants have made at least SOME progress. Others, I will have to try my hand at again next weekend. (Since I am off again) I was excited to find a pretty reasonably priced raised bed garden kit at Sam's Club. This will be my choice, unless I get some extra energy and time, and build one.  Below is my photographic overview of my window garden's progress... until the next check in!

Sweet Basil was one of the slowest starters
BUT, finally came to play. :-)

Both Tomato plants are sprouting correctly,
so keeping my fingers crossed!

my Thyme wasted NO time. LOL

Sage was one of those I was talking about.
They don't seem to want to grow.

the Rosemary just sprouted yesterday.

The photo isn't clear, but the Parsley is doing well.

I am excited at how wildly the Chives are
progressing. :-)

the Cilantro was growing downward into the dirt.
I removed some of the top soil, and they appear
to be going toward the sun now.

Cucumbers are the tallest. Eager cucumbers...

Lastly, the Orange Sun Sweet Pepper is
NOT growing at all. This is a sign that the
chili/pepper garden I should have started is
playing tricks on me now. Haha

Superbowl in my SUPER BOWL aka my Crockpot! (#6)

SUPERBOWL MENU a la my SUPER BOWL... :-)

SUPER BOWLS 2012 :-)

1) Little Smokies

2 )Pulled Root Beer BBQ Chicken Sammies

3) Cheesy Bean Dip

OH man! This is DELISH!!!

 

1) Little Smokies - Quite Simple. Add your Little Smokies (we used beef, since some of those eating don't eat pork.) Add your favorite BBQ sauce. We like sweet, so we opt for a Honey version. Place your CP on low, and simmer away. Perfect for Game Day!

2) Pulled Root Beer BBQ Chicken Sammies - I got this from my best friend of 10 years, Beckie Jo. She is a lady that knows my love affair with Root Beer. And I will admit, Root Beer sandwiches seem weird, but I am trusting her on this one. She used pork, and I have found recipes for beef, but today we are substituting chicken since this family LOVES chicken.

WOW! Root Beer and my CP! <3

Chicken (I used skinless/boneless chicken breasts)

1 bottle of  Root Beer (we like the Walmart brand, it's extra sweet!)

2 bottles of your favorite BBQ sauce (I like any that is honey based)

First, you place your meat and enough root to cover the meat in the CP on high. Cook 4-6 hours. Then you pour out 75% of the root beer and add 1 to 2 bottles of your BBQ sauce, and let cook for an additional 2 to 3 hours. I shredded the chicken when I removed most of the root beer. I could be fancy and list all these ingredients that make up BBQ sauce, but HEY... I am a mother of 3, and it's easier to do this semi-homemade! :-) And the verdict - AHmazing! The smell that filled the kitchen was to die for, and this is definitely a regular on the Crook menu now, and I recommend it! The chicken was so tasty and tender! Thanks Best Friend! 

3) Cheesy Bean Dip - pair with corn chips, tortilla chips, and some salsa - a HIT!

1 pound of sharp cheddar cheese

1 can of refried beans (reduced fat, if available)

2 cups of salsa

Fat Free Beans, Low Fat Sharp Cheddar and Salsa
Stir and ENJOY!

Ok, with these I cheated. With only 2 CP's I decided to prepare this in a pot on the stove. I have given the directions for when I prepare it in my CP, but stove top is the same directions. Cut the cheese in small cubes, and toss in the CP with the can of Beans, and 2 cups of salsa. Stir until the consistency is the same throughout. You can put this is a serving dish, or leave in on WARM in your Crockpot so it is perfect throughout the game, and Madonna's HALFTIME performance. :-) Sidenote - we doubled this recipe since we are a family of dippers.

Now, Kelly Clarkson is singing, I am gonna watch and EAT! Enjoy! 

Baked Potato Perfection (#5)

I have strayed from my initial intent of making 30 meals that can be prepared in the Crockpot that are enjoyable for my family of 5. The added challenge is that I do watch my caloric intake, and sometimes that doesn't mesh with a 1, 3, and 6 year old. But, I grew up loving potatoes in every form! (Except hash brown and tater tots... don't ask - they are just WEIRD!) And how can you go wrong with a baked potato? Are they cost friendly? Yep. Calorie Safe? Yep. Kid Friendly? OH YES!

Large Baked Potato - 220 Calories
1 Pat of Butter - 36 Calories
Salt, Pepper and Basil - 4 Calories
Low Fat String Cheese - 60 Calories

This is how I prefer mine, and it is filling at only 320 calories. With the kids (or myself) I will add a couple pieces of grilled chicken (70 calories for a serving size which is all a baked potato needs - Making it 390 calories.) Now on to my Crockpot!



Potatoes, seasoning, foil and Bertha!
Yep, I named my CP!

So, I started with four large russet potatoes. I washed them, and forked them. Hehe... Laid out 4 pieces of aluminum foil for each tasty treat. Take the pat of butter and place one half on the foil. Rub your potato down with the desired seasonings. Today, I used salt, pepper and basil. When the potato is seasoning to your liking place it directly on the half pat of butter. Than add the other half of the pat on top, and wrap your potato nice and tight in the foil.

The wrapped potatoes ready for their steam!

You then have the option of cooking them on high for 2 to 4 hours, or on low for 5 to 6 hours. This all depends on what you are doing while these cook. :-) That is the beauty of the Crockpot. It works around YOU.

Seasoned before its descent into Big Bertha!

I cooked them for 3 hours on high, and I could smell the awesomeness coming for the CP. I checked on the top one by seeing if a knife would easily pierce through, and it did. So I knew then the were done. If I forgot to mention, ZERO water is needed in this recipe.

And the verdict...

These were AWESOME!!! Crispy skin, tender inside and the seasoning was perfect. When I checked the potato to see if it was done, I sliced in half, placed a string cheese in the middle and wrapped it back up. Placed in the CP for another 10 minutes, and it was a wonderful melted potato. I know that you can nuke a potato in the microwave, and that makes life SO much easier - but the taste is worth the wait. While these were cooking I got a lot accomplished:

1) Took a nap

2) Talked to my Dad on the phone (about my Crockpot obsession)

3) Dishes

4) Watched a stupid dance movie. :-)

On my final note before I say adios until tomorrow's Crockpot Superbowl - I know many may think I am crazy with my Crockpot, but I find myself a bored eater. Taking the time and thought that Crockpots require, it limits my overeating. And it helps maintain my weight. Until tomorrow...



EPIC WEEKEND! (sheesh!) and Arbor Day!

Seriously???

Dear three followers :-) I have been counting down to this weekend off since Pre-Thanksgiving. And do not get me wrong, I love the rain - I do. But, and it's a BIG one... this was my outdoor fun weekend. My digging up some dirt, planning the garden, playing with the dogs outside and lots more kind of weekend. As you can see by my lovely weekend forecast - this will not be happening. I was able to head to the store though. I purchased some seed packets, starter pots (that can be planted straight into the dirt come transplant time) and some soil. So get ready kitchen garden - here we go...

These are mainly the herbs that I plan to keep in the kitchen
And a couple of Kids Greenhouses. :-)

The kids greenhouses are Sweet Pepper and Cucumber. The starter pots have Sage, Rosemary, Thyme, Chives and Parsley. Malakai had previously picked out these 'Two Pot Grow Kits' that we got in Sweet Basil, Cilantro and Boy Oh Boy tomatoes. While shopping, I decided that on the patio, I am going to also grow a HOT & SPICY garden with lots of peppers and chili's. :-) I saw this cute one at Walmart, but I figured we can find a cute planter, and paint chili's on it. Just a thought. We still have raised beds, and lots more to get before its complete - but I am starting.

Malakai's 2012 arbor Day Tree

This brings me to Arbor Day. I do not recall Arbor Day being a big deal when I was a child. Now that I know the state of our environment, this saddens me. Malakai came home with a baby tree yesterday, and he is so excited to plant it. I do need to see what type of tree it is, so we know how to best care for the tree. Over 135 years ago, J. Sterling Morton set aside a day for his simple idea of just planting trees. I wonder if he knew that this day would be critical for our environment and for the future of our children. I am excited that Malakai is so excited for this important day. He is an avid nature and animal lover. He has this amazing heart, and that is probably my most favorite thing about him. I know that he will do great things. :-) Now, National Arbor Day is the last Friday is April - but, each state takes a different day to observe Arbor Day that better suites the act of planting trees. (Smart idea!) Mississippi takes the 2nd Friday in February to plant some trees. So, February 10th - we are planting this baby tree of his. I urge you to click on the link I have attached, see when your state is observing this day, and see what you can do to celebrate. Arbor Day Map of Celebration!  I cannot wait to use my homegrown ingredients in my Crockpot and Wok. Pretty soon all my topics will end up in one BIG pot... Until next garden blog...

Garden Plans...

I know, I feel like I have abandoned my blog already - BUT, I have not. Been working a lot this week. Have some days off this weekend, and will blog away. Planning my garden has been quite fun! I am toying with lots of different ideas.

Mason Jar Herb Garden

#1 - My Kitchen Herb garden.  I am in search for Mason jars of all sizes, because I just love the idea of a kitchen full of these cute little plants. And my kitchen window looks out my backyard, and I would love to make it so the backyard garden is visible from my kitchen window. This and the pond in the background will make me a happy camper. And when it warms up, and the horses come back around, we can feed them!

#2 My Patio Garden. This is my new plan. I have thought about adding some furniture to my back patio in preparation for the warm months of pools and whatnot. Well, I can utilize my patio for hanging plants. The small amount of research that I have done says that I can grow the following in a hanging style: Tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplants, beans and peppers. This may be a crazy thing for me to say, but I have never had an eggplant. But, I will try them. I am also looking for some inexpensive plant stands to have some plants on the patio that do not require direct sunlight. At first, I was thinking ferns and those types. But, I have learned that lettuce and spinach will thrive in this type of environment, so I shall thy this on the patio.

At Lowes, for $15...

#3 My Backyard Garden. This will be the bulk of the garden. I have found these cute raised beds for kids. I am thinking of getting three, so each kid will have their own part of the garden. I think they would enjoy that! As for mine, I am still working out the plans, but I have the placement, and my list of seeds to get. And we are heading to Home Depot this weekend for a Kids Workshop, so I am excited to browse. Until next time!