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27 September 2010

Lumpia


Directions

In a large bowl, combine the meats, shrimp, carrot, onion, red bell pepper, and garlic. Mix. Gradually blend in the eggs, soy sauce, black pepper, salt, sesame oil, red pepper flakes, and cilantro (if using). Mix with your hands so it is combined well. Do not overwork the meat though. Just mix until ingredients are evenly distributed.
Lay 2 damp (NOT SOAKED), warmed dish towels on a large work surface. Place the opened wrappers between them to prevent drying.
Lay out the spring roll wrapper on a flat surface. (I just lay it on top oft he damp towel.) Scoop about 2 Tbsp. of the meat mixture place it down in the center of the wrapper. Pat meat to form it into a line. Make sure the meat is no thicker than your thumb.
Take the bottom of the wrapper (nearest you) and fold it towards the center. Then take the left and right fold them towards the center as well. Roll it like you are making a cigar. Moisten the edge of the wrapper with a bit of water to seal. Place under the damp towl, seal edge down, to prevent overdrying before cooking. Repeat the procedure for the rest of the wrappers.
Heat 1" of canola oil in a heavy skillet to 300-325°F over medium heat.Pan fry 3-5 lumpia at a time so that you will not bring the oil temperature down too much. Turn with tongs every 2-3 minutes until golden brown all over. Approximately 6-8 minutes.
Drain on paper towels.
Cut in half and serve with a sweet & sour sauce, Asian sweet chili sause, or malt vinegar for dipping.
Alternately, these can be made ahead and frozen. Lower heat and fry while frozen being careful to cook meat through before serving.
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21 September 2010

Tater Tots & Jello

So I've surfed blogs today, clicking share the love linkas and found a bew blog, "Tater Tots & Jello". Design ideas, crafts, organization, and a new giveaway!

i wish I had ONE OUNCE of her creativity and organozation skills! Check it out!!

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Are you going to take the challenge?

20 September 2010

Beer braised pulled pork

My oven is STILL broken so I decided to try my hand at a crock pot pulled pork today. I My husband is in love and plannin on bringing a pot full to the next UFC gathering.. LOL!

Remember: Most recipes you can adjust things to your taste, but don't be afraid to try something new!

Anyone want a crash course in "When good charts go bad?"

I know I am NTNP this cycle.. WHATEVER! I am having charting issues and I don’t like it.

I have an album here: http://www.themommyplaybook.com/forum/album.php?albumid=301 with all my charts since I don’t have VIP FF to put them all on my home page for you.

Just look at my homepage chart VS the other 5 and LMK if you have any clue WTF is up please??

BTW the three temps with circles last week were even higher (+ .2-.3) but i had slept in so I adjusted.. .otherwise it’d look even worse

help??


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16 September 2010

Bobby Flay's Cheyenne Burger - Round 2!!

A lot of the ingredients were in the pantry and the burger itself is a full meal! If you need a little "more" try thin sliced red potatoes in the oven with rosemary, garlic, some s&p, and a little butter!

Use Bobby Flay's Cheyenne Burger Recipe @ Food Network

I followed his recipe FOR THE SECOND TIME TONIGHT!! I even made the BBQ sauce recipe. When I told the fam I was making this again I got "OOoooh! YES!!"

My changes:

I used lettuce and tomato, and he didn't.
I used a white cheddar.
I used light brown sugar, which may be why my BBQ sauce is lighter than his. I actually keep most of these ingredients in my pantry, so I had everything in his sauce recipe other than the dark brown sugar and molasses so I used another 1/2T each of honey and light and called it good.. it was AWESOME! BUT VERY SPICY!
I used regular milk for the onion ring batter, not buttermilk. Didn't have any. (OH THE SHAME!) Just put a 1 tablespoon vinegar and whisk well if you like that tangy taste.
Those of you who don't know Bobby Flay's cooking, he likes it hot! This was great!Photobucket

TTC Update

Well… it still says TTC. Not “Pregnancy”… so it’s still going.  I get a little more frustrated every month, but I’ve adopted a more relaxed attitude this month and I feel a lot better just letting it be. George would say “see told ya!” but honestly it’s not something I can just let go all the time. But it has me frustrated enough right now that I have other things to think about and occasionally I have t0 let go. Occasionally I have to KNOW. It;s just how this thing works. One day, maybe he’ll understand.


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15 September 2010

Bakerella CakePop Cookbook giveaway at WhipperBerry.com

Have you heard of Bakerella ? Have you seen her CakePops Cookbook? I'm dying for it!

If you'd like a chance to win, Visit WhipperBerry on facebook, then see their blog @ http://www.whipperberry.com/ for a chance to win!

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Reuseable Water Bottles

coming soon!!

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Do the Reuse Challenge!

SocialSpark recently asked me to view the "Do the Reuse Challenge" by Aladdin Portable Food Containers.

The challenge is a 30-day commitment to give up disposable paper cups, water bottles, or food containers. Everyone’s welcome to participate (the more, the better!), and 9 families will be blogging about their experience on their website. But I decided to do it here as well. Why? Because I recently decided t go green for 2 reasons:the environment and my pocketbook.

The info for the challenge has some numbers... here's what it says that just ONE PERSON can help stop by accepting the challenge.
  • Seven million barrels of oil are used to produce the disposable bottles Americans go through in one year.
  • In the United States, 50 billion disposable water bottles are consumed per year; 137,000 per day; 1,585 per second.
  • It costs about $165 a year to make drip coffee at home versus $636 to buy drip coffee at your local cafe´.
  • Unless we change our habits, 23 billion paper coffee cups will be thrown out in 2010.
  • Nine dollars will generally cover a decent lunch out. If you buy rather than pack a lunch five days a week, you shell out about $2,350 a year.
Amazing what we can do. And I'm taking it farther than that... here is what I am doing while I "Do the Reuse":

Reuseable Water Bottles (see review here): I have bought flats of bottled water opnly to not have one when I wanted one. I'd even refill the bottles and reuse them... when I could find them. My kids usually had them all over, in teh yard, thrown away, and in toy boxes, and my husband would take them to work. I'm glad everyone started drinking more water, but I was fed up with keeping track of these bottles. So I recently bought a set at Target and store them in a beer bottle carton! Keeps them corraled in the fridge and I'm not paying $6 extra to have a plastic base. Bonus: I always have a water bottle because they won't throw these away and less trash!

Reuseable Coffee Cups (review soon!): This is part of the challenge because it is a HUGE waste. Millions of Americans frequent coffee shops DAILY. Thing of the trash that can be prevented by just bringing your own cup? I also use it at home. I was using disposable cups for the lid, but found a great cup that looks just like the type the coffee shops use, but it's reuseable! Bonus: Cute, functionable, and less trash!

Brew your own Coffee I do this and save money, even when I buy the fancy coffee shop blends. PLUS I can have it every day without driving to the coffee shop. I use my reuseable cup and save on dish washing time as well. Bonus: Always on hand and less fuel wasted!

Cloth Wipes (see review here): Going green for your baby is the way to go! It saves money and prevents landfill waste. I am planning to Cloth Diaper if I ever conceive again, but I use the cloth wipes for my toddler now.  Bonus: Cute, more comfy for them, multitaskers, and and less trash!

I'm sure there is more.. I'll post as I find new things!

Do you want to take the challenge??






Read about the Do the Reuse Challenge here: http://www.dothereusechallenge.com/


See Aladdin's products here: http://www.aladdin-pmi.com/

Like Aladdin on facebook here: http://www.facebook.com/Aladdin.pmi

AND.. by accepting one of the Do the Reuse Challenges you’ll be able to get discounts and free shipping on selected Aladdin products through their website, which will help you save even more. SCORE!

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Sweet Dreams Baby Gear

I'm excited about the review I am doing today because I know the beautiful young woman that created them!  Sweet Dreams Baby Gear was started by a young newly wed aiming to perfect baby products before her own arrived. I say she's hitting the mark! 

I purchased a set of  her baby wipes for my pre-schooler because she has always had troubles going potty and gets a sore bottom wiping with regular toilet paper - and I'm tired of buying baby wipes! Can you imagine a 4 year old saying "Mommy I like these wipees!" when you clean them?? I swear! It's happened!

After dipping them in a solution of water with a splash of her favorite liquid baby soap, I fold or roll them -depends on what mood the princess is in, then I store them in a wipes box (just an old Disney Princess box that the little one liked, though you couls use a wipe warmer, especially with younger babies) on the back of the bathroom sink for easy access when needed. SDBG's wipes are only slightly larger than a store bought wipe, but I can clean her with ONE WIPE per bowel movement. Try that with a store bought wipe! We seperated some, at Kaelyn's suggestion, to use as wash cloths and they work great for that as well.

A small bucket with a gallon of water and a 1/2 cup of baking soda keeps them from staining or smelling before laundry day. The set of 18 (I think..) that I have lasts us the week even if she uses them to bathe her babies or clean chocolate off her finger or wipe the oven door ( a new habit she is developing)...whatever she's using them for, we have plenty. I wash them with our regular bathroom laundry (towels, etc) and they have not stained and there is no lingering smells. The ones we use for wipes (and oven door cleaners), I don't bother throwing in the dryer, I just redip them and put back in the box.

Made with one side of colorful patterned fnannel and one side of bright coordinating microfiber, these wipes are cute as well as functional. AND SO SOFT!! Even the tenderest of bottoms will appreciate this wipe. Perfect for newborns (CAN'T WAIT!) and they'll still be gentle enough for the tenderness of those pesky red bottoms babies get. I can't think of one bad thing to say about these wipes! You have got to try them for yourself.

All in all, Sweet Dreams Baby Gear has a great product for the price and has frequent sales so you can stock up on these wipes!!  Check her out on Etsy at SweetDreamsBabyGear.etsy.com or on FaceBook at Sweet Dreams Baby Gear! Tell her I sent you!


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12 September 2010

Absolutely No Bake Cheesecake

Last weekend my oven stopped working. Maintenance had to order a part for it so the cheesecake I planned on making for Labor Day was a no go. NOT HAPPY!

I'm literally starving for cheese cake... So I made this recipe today!! It's not a "traditional" cheesecake... but it's close enough to satisfy me for now LOL!

Absolutely No Bake Upside-Down Cheesecake

Ingredients:
  • 16 oz softened cream cheese
  • 1 can sweetened condensed evaporated milk
  • 1 sm package of vanilla pudding mix
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/3 c powdered sugar **OPTIONAL**
  • 2 cups of your DRY favorite cookies (no cremes, fillings, etc) crushed
  • 3 tbsp butter
Directions:
  1. Blend cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk on high for 2-3 minutes until smooth and creamy.
  2. Stir pudding mix into milk until mixed and add into cream cheese mixture, blending again until smooth.
  3. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT!! Stick your finger in the mix (LOL!) and taste for sweetness. If you want it a little sweeter, blend in the 1/3 powdered sugar.
  4. Refrigerate 1-3 hours until it firms up.
  5. Meanwhile, in a non-stick skillet, melt butter and stir in cookie crumbs, cooking over medium heat until crispy and dry (like a crumbled pie crust...IF YOU HAVE AN OVEN you can press this into a pie crust before instead of heating and bake at 35o for 15-20 minutes.)
  6. Serve cheese cake filling with crumbs spooned over.

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    09 September 2010

    Shark Navigator Website & Customerservice: Strike out

    So I decided on a Shark Navigator for my anniversary present. yes, I kow, Work for your anniversary? yes. Anything is better than being taken over by dog hair and pine shavings from the guinea pig.

    I chose the navigator because:
    1. Mrs. Booth has a Shark Steam Pocket Mop and I love the way it worked and the craftsmanship. It wasn't made cheaply.
    2. The steam mop came free iwth the purchase of a Navigator at their website.
    3. the website said $ easy payment plans of $49.95 (plus ($40 something for shipping).
    4. The Navigator is the matching vacuum and had great reviews for pet hair.
    5. It's lightweight.
    6. I had a coupon/promo code for 15% off (rregister4) which REALLY helps with that shipping.
    But the website wasn;t giving me the option of 4 payments in my cart. I was showing 1 Navigator + steam combo @ $199 - discount $29.95 + shipping=$215.95 ( Don't quote me.. it was something like that.)

    I hit "next" and it asked for credit card info and no where did it say payments of $XX.xx. SO I called customer service.

    They took my name and phone number and created an account for me in the event we were cut off or if I had further questions. (Ok, they're up to bat...)

    I told him what I wanted and he pul me on hold because his system wasn't adding the free steam mop. (foul ball???) But he got it fixed and tallied the payments state tax, city tax (ewwwww...) and when he gave me a second to talk I said I had a coupon for 15% off to help with the shipping.

    "Ohhhh.. sorry we can only accept coupons online." (Strike 1)
    "But your website isn't giving me the 4 payments."
    "Well I can and they would be $49.95 plud shipping, and tax today you would pay $111 today and $49.95 the next three months." (Strike 2)
    "But that doens't address my concern of saving on that shipping."
    "Yes, but you can only do that online. You could make the 1 time payment and have your coupon." (Strike 3)

    He never addressed the 2 concerns together payment plan + coupon.

    I am still going to try to get the Navigator, but I hope I never have to deal with CS again.

    Shark Products: Still Thumbs Up!
    Euro-Pro (Shark) Customer Service: Thumbs Down!

    These links go through to Amazon.. I may be ordering it from them just to avoid this customer service again... but in one payment and no steam mop /sigh. Maybe I'll have to suck it up.


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    03 September 2010

    Crockpot Chicken Stew

    I'll detail this later but for now, here is my crock pot chicken stew for Angela♥

    Ingredients:
    • 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into small bite-sized pieces
    • 2 cans cream of chicken soup
    ...
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