Chili: Cook once, eat twice

I swear there is no such thing as a small batch of chili.  I just keep adding things until it is testing the limit of my pan.  There is no recipe, just the way my dad taught me how to make it years ago. The ingredients are pretty much the standard chili ingredients but may vary based on what is hanging out in my fridge. A pot of chili could be based on a the standard chunk of ground beef buried in my freezer or it may be the destiny of the leftover pork roast in the fridge.  I can't take credit for this(props to Rachael Ray) but I do have the most delicious solution to keep from being forced to eat leftover chili for a week straight.  It is a great way to change standard leftovers, a great freezer casserole, and a family favorite.

Chili Hashbrown Bake(my way):

Layer about 1 inch of chili into a casserole dish. Mix half to 3/4 bag of frozen hashbrowns  and 1 C of shredded cheddar cheese together and pour over over top of chili.  Cover and freeze.  To cook, thaw overnight in fridge and then bake uncovered at 375 for 35-40 min or until chili is bubbling and hashbrowns are golden brown.

Cheesy Hash Brown Chili from Rachael Ray Show:

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons EVOO - Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 1 pound ground beef
• Salt and pepper
• 1 15-ounce can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
• 1 1-pound bag frozen shredded hash brown potatoes
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, chili powder and cumin and cook, stirring, until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the tomato paste. Add the beef and cook, breaking up the meat, for 5 minutes; season with salt and pepper.

Add the beans and the tomatoes with their juice and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, partially cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes. Transfer to an 8-by-11-inch baking dish.

In a large bowl, combine the potatoes and cheese. Scatter the potato mixture over the chili. Place the baking dish on a baking sheet and bake until the potatoes are cooked through and the chili is bubbling, about 35 minutes.

I apologize that I had no pictures of my own but we were so excited about having a favorite for supper that I didn't even think to take a picture.  Also, you'll have to forgive my lame recipe on this one. I tend to use a recipe as inspiration and then deviate wildly.  

Some things I've been working on lately...

Ignore the terrible photography on most of these...I really should have got the iphone instead.

Bridal Shower Invite for the sweetest bride I know.

Princess P's 4th Birthday Invite

Bounty from my dad's garden while my parents were on vacation...Produce does not get fresher or cheaper than this!

Goals

This is a long overdue post.  I had originally intended for a post about our goals to be one of my first posts, but it slipped away from me the way most of August did.  I have a renewed enthusiasm for our goals this week though, after Hubs and I sat down and figured out just how much debt we have remaining and an approximate timeline for paying off each outstanding debt. I feel compelled to share them here because they are a huge part of my life--the reason and motivation for the decisions that I make each day whether its clipping a coupon or walking away from a really great sale because I don't need the item or having my mom cut my hair because its free(a savings of $400/year). I'm a pretty open person, so if you don't want to know that much about me I'd stop reading here.

We are facing down just under $10,000(monthly payments of $645! or $7,740/yr-I can't wait to keep that each month) right now which includes a vehicle loan for our only vehicle(a sacrifice we've made in the name of savings), personal loans and credit cards but does not include our mortgage.  Just a few years ago that number was over $30,000.  The average household debt for credit cards alone is $15,956.  It feels darn good to be below that number!

So without further ado, here is our goal plan:

Debt                                              Planned Payoff Month
Vehicle                                                     2/13
Loan A                                                     4/13
Loan B                                                     8/13
Loan C                                                   11/13
Credit Card A                                           1/14
Credit Card B                                           2/14
Loan D                                                    4/14

I now have this great plan to remind me each day of where I want to be in two years and motivate me to work harder and make good decisions.  I have to make sure that I'm not just asking myself and not just Princess P "Now, was that a good decision?"(my second most frequent Mom-ism after "The dog is not your toy!").


"How I going to live today in order to create the tomorrow I'm committed to?" 
-Anthony Robbins, author 

Failure

"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts."
-Winston Churchill

As promised I would fess up if I failed my August budget-which I did, miserably.  My goal was $300 for the month but I stopped keeping track somewhere around $200 near the 10th of the month.  Stuff kind of hit the fan around here after that, hence, my absence from blogging. A new month is just around the corner though so a new budget is in development. We are going to try the cash envelope system for the first time.  I am uneasy about this though because I love being able to track everything online.  I fear that if I cannot track things online I might feel like I am not in control--yes, I have some control issues.  However, what I was doing wasn't working so we will continue to adjust until we find the right plan for our family. I will post the details at the beginning of September and plan to approach it with renewed energy.  

Challenge Week 2: Overambition

Well, its the start of my second week at home. So far it has been great, I'm enjoying Princess P more than I have in years(well, atleast like 80% of time). And much to my husband's dismay I have been getting through my lists and then some. DH actually threatened to block Pinterest on my computer after  I cleaned the kitchen and decided that our cabinets needed a fresh coat of paint.  This epiphany came to me just 10 min before he was due to arrive home from work so I grabbed the ever-handy screwdriver from the top of the fridge(really if he doesn't want me to use the stuff, he should hide it better...like, umm, put it away.)  and feverishly started removing cabinet doors.  Luckily, I am ambidextrous with a screwdriver our I'd have never been able to work through the hand cramp...and he was stuck in traffic for a half hour.  By the time he got home, I had most of the doors off and he was surprisingly submissive.

This week, I'm on to deep cleaning the bathroom.  And after Fez attempted to steal my underpants while I was in the shower, I decided that just maybe I did want that laundry chute that insisted DH wall over six years ago when we remodeled the bathroom.  It is located like four inches above the back of our toilet-awkward!  And it drops to the opposite side of the basement from the laundry room, in the doorway of DH's home theater.  I really would like the laundry pile out of itty-bitty bathroom though, particularly to deter the the furry little panty raiders.  I had to squelch the urge to smash a hole in the wall...DH would have had a coronary.

So my challenge for this week is to put the lid on my Pinterest-fueled ambitions and channel that energy into some money-making and money-saving.

Meal Plan Monday

This week is a pretty efficient menu-minimal groceries and minimal cooking.  Today, I am roasting two chickens and then I am turning the leftovers into a bunch of meals and chicken soup for lunches.

Monday-Roasted Chicken, Potatoes, and Carrots(I may get ambitious and stuff the chickens too)
Tuesday-Crockpot Chicken & Dumplings
Wednesday-Jambalaya & Corn Muffins
Thursday-Homemade Mac'n'Cheese, Broccoli
Friday-Homemade Pizza
Saturday-Leftovers

Here's a fabulous recipe picked up from Pinterest that we tried this weekend-it features one of my favorite things, Hawaiian rolls.  I will probably be making these a lot for our Sunday football potlucks. Sorry, no pic because I didn't think of it until we had polished them off.

Baked Ham & Cheese Sliders

1 pkg of King's Hawaiian Rolls
1/2 lb sliced deli ham
6-8 slices of cheese(Swiss or American work well, but we used what we had on had-colby jack)
1 onion, minced
1/2 stick of butter
3 T of dijon mustard
2 tsp of worcestershire sauce
3 tsp of poppy of poppy seeds

In a sauce pan melt your butter. Add onion and cook until soft. Then add in your mustard, Worcestershire, and poppy seeds. Simmer for 5 mins. Slice your rolls right down the middle. Place them in a pan with foil. Place 2/3 of mixture on bottom of rolls. Add your ham and then your cheese. Place top of rolls and top with remaining 1/3 of mixture. Bake for 20 mins on 350.

New month, New Budget

Scheduled Post that did not post on August 1 as I thought:

It has been a week of changes here-Monday was DH's first day at new job, Tuesday was DH's 28th birthday, and now its the first of August.  New month means a new budget.  I'm going to publish my budget and spending this month so that I'm being held accountable to someone.  I made some reductions based on our stockpile being so well-stocked...and with hopes that I could improve my couponing and dealing seeking skills.

So without further ado, our goal this month is $300.  That includes all groceries, toiletries, and any eating out.

I may fail, but I will promise to fess up and publicly shame myself right here if I do.  With DH's new job we are switching banks, as he is now employed by a bank.  And we are going to have separate accounts for his and hers paychecks which is a big change because we've always pooled our money.  Also, we are getting used to a new pay schedule, so I foresee some possible bumps in the road.  Regardless, I am going to set a $300 goal!

“My fault, my failure, is not in the passions I have, but in my lack of control of them.” 
                                                                                                                                                                 ― Jack Kerouac