Saturday, January 21, 2012

Extreme Couponing!

I have been obsessed with couponing. It's not just saving money, it's has become a game. Quite addictive actually. This is my most successful trip yet.
Target:
Champagne:(3) the price was marked incorrectly at  $6.98, so the store had to honor it, originally $14.99.
Napkins:(1) 600ct, on sale for $3.29, $1 off any $3 Up and up purchase
dog food:(9) $5.99/3.5lbs. $5 off coupons
body wash: (2each)$5.49 large and $3.49 small, buy one get one off coupon
total before tax: $93.04, after coupon, $47.20(including tax on full amount and REDcard saving.)

Saturday, January 7, 2012

Breakfast and Laundry

I love eggs benedict, but it's so pricey having it at a restaurant. It's quite easy to make and you can tailor it however you like.
My take: 
2 english muffins, split in half and toasted with some butter
4 slices of british style uncurded back bacon, browned in the skillet
poach 4 large eggs
Hollandaise sauce: 
2 egg yolks
2 tsp of lemon juice, wisk intensely with egg yolk to thicken and slowly pour in melted butter
1/4 cup of melted butter 
pinch of salt and cayenne pepper

and this is what you get: 

I remember now why I don't want to buy cashmere, the hand washing is a hassle. this video really helps
I don't own a mesh drying rack so I put mine on a dry towel in a well ventilated area.


Thursday, January 5, 2012

Russian Chicken deal

I just made a pact with my Fiancé that we do not go out and eat until our trip to New York at the end of June. this is an effort to cut our expenses to the minimum so we can save for the wedding. This may feel a bit impossible, but he's a pretty good cook. There are some exceptions however, I still have a Groupon I gotta use before it expires and maybe we might celebrate my birthday and eat out.

This Russian Chicken is AMAZING! He won't share the recipe. The chicken is cooked in the oven for about an hr and 15mins  with the sauce. We made the no eating out deal while enjoying this delicious meal.

Still enjoying the purple Coach bag.

Monday, January 2, 2012

Happy new year!

Happy 2012. I wish only the good things for everyone!  :) 


The holiday season is all about cooking and spending. With all the gifts and sales, it's really hard to not buy anything. I went to the Coach Outlet and bought a few things, among them is this lavender purse. it great for work and the weekend going out and running errands, very functional. 
the bag goes with the BR sweater I got recently. 




Since my dad had installed the oven in my kitchen, I've been doing a lot of cooking.  I didn't even notice that I don't eat out as often as I used to. That's a good thing on my wallet and my health.
Salmon fried rice and lasagna are stables on my menu, simply because they are easy to bring to work for lunch the next day. 


This year, I have made turkey 3 times, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years. This is truly the perfect turkey. It's the only turkey I ever made and it's perfect every time.  The gravy is made from the juice. it's really simple, just strain the juice in a pot and use flour or cornstarch to thicken it. One important note, I always put the cornstarch or flour in a bowl, mix it with some water and bring it into a liquid form and then pouring into the juices. I learned some hard lessens before when the cornstarch clumps up when it was directly into the pot. 
this is the 22lb Turkey I made for my grandpa on Christmas, I had a extremely hard time flipping it over.  But doesn't it look super delicious? 

This is the New Year turkey, made by request from fiancĂ©'s mom. this one is only 13 lbs.  My arms thanks it.