RECIPES-Fast, tasty easy meals-Part 3

MY RECIPES-
The following are some of my recipes that I add to my fix & go combos, see previous post. These meals are quick, tasty and budget minded-some under $10 for a family of six. Add these ingredients to your shopping list to have a wide variety of meals for a couple of weeks.

Cherie’s Best Ever PEPSI Roast!!!!!!

Roast meat-buy the cut you like. I buy about a 5lb chuck roast with a little fat for flavor and tenderness, but most any cut will work in this recipe.

Potatoes peeled and cut into quarters (about 10)
Carrots-I buy the minis, 1lb package ready to go
1 onion-white or yellow cut into stew size chunks
1 clove of garlic
1 pkg lipton onion soup or generic version
1 pkg meatloaf seasoning
1 2 liter of Pepsi
salt & pepper

Put meat in large crock pot/slow cooker, season with salt and pepper, cut potatoes, carrots (if you bought the baby carrots, put in whole) & onions into crock pot. Add package of meatloaf seasoning and onion soup mix. Now add about 2 cups water. Next fill crock pot to the top of the ingredients with the Pepsi, approximately 4 cups. Put the lid on let cook on high for approx. 3 hour. Reduce heat to low and cook for approximately 1 more hour. May need to add a little water during last hours. Cook until veggies are tender and the meat is separating. Approx. YUMMY

Helpful hints:
Next day if you have left over meat, put the meat in a bowl and shred or separate with a fork, add your favorite BBQ sauce & voila you have BBQ pulled beef sandwiches.

German Stew
1 pkg Ekrich or similar brand sausage
10 medium new potatoes (Yukon Gold’s taste great)
1 red onion
½ cup margarine
2 cans cut green beans
salt & pepper

Boil potatoes. Slice sausage into ½ inch pieces.
Simmer butter, onions, green beans & sausage in a skillet until onions are soft & becoming translucent.
Drain potatoes. Add butter, onion, sausage & green beans. Mix together. Flavor with salt & pepper.

Oven Burritos-Beef
Tortillas-flour medium size
1lb ground beef-(use beef from the Fix & GO Recipes)
½ cup chopped onion
1 can Ranch style beans (if your family does not like beans, use a package of taco seasoning
1 jar cheese queso dip
Sour cream if desired

Warm oven to 350 degrees. Brown ground beef with onions. Drain. Add Ranch style beans and warm. Season to taste with salt & pepper. Let cool.
Place a large spoonful of meat/beef mixture onto tortilla, roll into a burrito. Place next to each other in casserole dish. Spoon cheese queso dip over the top of each burrito & spread evenly. Place in oven for 20 minutes. Garnish with sour cream & picante sauce.

Dorito Dinner
1lb ground beef
1 can Ranch Style Beans
½ cup chopped onion
2 cups grated cheese
Sour cream
Lettuce
Tomatoes-diced
1 bag Tortillas or Dorito Nacho Cheese Chips

Brown ground beef with onions. Drain. Add Ranch style beans and warm. In a bowl, crush tortilla chips into bite size pieces. Top with meat mixture. Then garnish as desired with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes & sour cream.

Crock Pot Stew
1 ½ lbs ground beef
3 cans any brand minestrone soup
2 cans Ranch style beans
1 can Rotel-diced tomatoes w/onions & chilies
½ cup chopped onion

Brown ground beef with onions. Drain. Pour meat mixture into crock pot. Add remaining ingredients. Cook on high for 1 1/2 hours or low for 3 hours. Add salt & pepper to taste.

Crock Pot Pork
1-2lbs family style pork steak or pork chops
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1 clove of garlic minced
½ cup sliced onion
8-10 new potatoes, peeled potatoes or Yukon golds quartered
1 1/2 soup can of water

Put all ingredients in crock pot. Cook on high for 21/2 – 3 hours. Stirring occasionally. Salt & pepper to taste.

Crunchy Chicken Tortillas
Flour tortillas
Breaded chicken tenders –popcorn or tenders-I like Tyson, but any brand will work
Lettuce
Tomato
Picante Sauce
Sour cream

Prepare chicken tenders. Put in tortilla. Garnish with following as desired-tomatoes, lettuce, picante and sour cream.


Delicious Oven Baked Chicken Tenders
1 lb boneless chicken tenders- chicken breasts & cut up chicken works also
1 box instant mashed potatoes-try cheddar or herb & butter flavor
Spray vegetable spray or butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease cookie sheet. Make sure chicken tenders are moist. Coat chicken tenders in instant mashed potatoes (use a plastic bag-fill with potatoes mix, drop tenders in & shake to coat). Place on cookie sheet (not touching) Put on cookie sheet. Cook for 10 minutes, then spray with cooking spray or put a very small (about a dime size) pat of butter or margarine or butter on each piece of chicken. Cook for another 15 minutes.

Quick & Easy Meatloaf
1 ½ lbs ground beef
1 pkg stuffing mix (generic or Stove Top)for pork
1 egg
¼ cup milk
1/4 cup water
4 tbspoons ketchup
1 pkg onion soup mix
salt & pepper

Tomato sauce- ½ cup ketchup, 2 tbsp mustard, 2 tbsp. brown sugar- combined in mug or bowl

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Combine ingredients. Press into loaf pan.
Bake for 45 minutes. Pour off grease occasionally. 10 minutes before done cover with tomato sauce.

Quick and Easy Tasty Canned Green Beans-
1 or 2 cans green beans & juice, dab of butter, 1 tbsp bacon bits, garlic powder and 1 tsp powder chicken bouillon. Simmer in medium saucepan while you cook dinner.

Potato Soup
10 potatoes peeled
1 onion chopped
1 minced garlic clove
1 tbspoon garlic powder
1 tbspoon onion powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
butter to sautee
4 slices cooked bacon cut into small quarter size pieces (save & freeze, next time you cook breakfast)
1 small pint or 1 cup half & half
2 cups milk (approx)
2 cups cheddar cheese
Sour cream if desired
Salt & pepper
In a large pot, boil potatoes. Drain potatoes leaving about 3 cups water. Sautee onion and garlic in butter. Add to potatoes. Add half & half, ½ bacon and ½ cheese. Heat over medium heat. Once soup is very warm & bubbling (soft boil, approx.. 20 minutes), add the rest of the dry seasonings. Add milk to desired consistency. Bring to soft boil again. Add salt & pepper to taste Use other ½ cheese & bacon to garnish. Sour cream if desired.
Helpful hints:
Cooked seafood such as, clams, shrimp and fish and a can of corn can be added instead of bacon for a wonderful seafood chowder.

White Chili
4 cups cooked chicken- about 3 or 4 breasts
1 can Rotel (diced tomatoes & chilis)
2 cans great white northern beans
1 onion chopped
2 cans chicken broth (regular size)
1 can hominy or corn-optional

Combine all ingredients in a pot. Add 2 or 3 cups water or additional broth as needed. Cook on medium for approximately 1 hour until onions are cooked. Serve with tortilla chips, a dollop of sour cream & Monterey Jack cheese.

Helpful hints:
The leftovers from this chili can be substituted into the Beef Burrito recipe. Just drain the liquid first! Use Monterey Jack cheese instead of queso sauce.

SAVE MONEY, EAT HEALTHY AT HOME- PART 2

PART 2-

AT HOME-We all have been there…probably on a weekly basis…Cheerleading, soccer, football, meetings, church, long day at work, hurry home…only to have issues…soccer shoes are missing? homework isn’t finished…not to mention stopping at the store...constantly running late…no time to fix a nice healthy dinner…okay, fast food…we will just go through the drive through… DON’T DO IT!

INSTEAD, set aside one afternoon and save your health, money and time!

This part seems detailed, but is really very simple. I will try to explain and break down in the simplest of terms, but the basic theory is to buy quantity of meats, pasta, rice, and vegetables and to pre-prepare meals by having the meat and pastas ready to go. AT THIS POINT, I MAY BE LOSING YOU. I PROMISE THIS IS NOT LABOR INTENSIVE. You already spend the time cooking the meat, pasta and veggies, why not spend a little extra and cook it all at once! I spend maybe 3 hours (often less) every couple weeks, and I save quadruple the money, time and hassle by doing so. Best of all, your family will be ending a lot of fast food meals!

THIS IS ALSO A GREAT PLAN FOR SINGLES, just cook smaller quantities.

BE BRAVE READ ALL!

THE PREPARATION-cooking- this takes approximately 2-3 hours, but you don’t have to be a slave to the stove, you can catch up on TV or fold laundry during the process.
The shopping list is below.

Time to start-get out the chicken!

Helpful hints:
Add about ½ cup water to stretch your marinade. If possible, try to marinade overnight, but otherwise don’t sweat if you don’t have time or didn’t remember.

CHICKEN
Split the chicken into 2 or 3 varieties & marinade in your marinades…leave some unseasoned if desired…this batch can be seasoned at FIX and GO time.

Start separating-I usually do 4 pots (wow, 4 burners on my stove). 3 pots with chicken and my chosen marinade or spice...and 1 pot plain chicken or I grill some chicken. Next time you grill out, grill some extra and freeze.

Here are some seasoning options, see shopping list below for more ideas:
Ott’s-alone or add to the taco recipe, yummy
Caribbean Jerk-our family favorite
Cajun Seasoning
Lemon pepper-put chicken in pot, water, lemon pepper & a little olive oil.
Taco-same, chicken in pot, water, package of taco seasoning, sometimes I add a little picante or rotel, if available.
Garlic-powder or salt & some cloves
Powdered chicken bouillon, add a few teaspoons (its salty, no need for salt, garlic powder, garlic clove
Lime & cilantro
Onion Soup Mix

Now that all the pots have chicken, water & seasoning or marinade in them, turn the burners to medium and let them cook until the chicken is done….you might have to add water as the tastiness cooks down.

When the chicken is cooked, put in separate bowls until cooled.

BEEF AND PORK
Helpful hints:
You can do the following meats, to the ratio that suits your family’s tastes…2 pots ground beef to 2 pork’s or any combination.

Next wash and dry the pans you just used for the chicken.

Divide the ground beef into two or three of the pots. Add onion, garlic and seasoning as above. Brown the ground beef.

While your ground beef is cooking, use your last pot for the the pork tenderloin (in marinade) and simmer the same way you did the chicken.

By the time, the ground beef and pork is well on it’s way to cooking, the chicken should be cooled.

You are ready for the next step.

Take your first bowl of cooked seasoned chicken and cut into bite size pieces. And put into small Ziploc sandwich size baggies. If you have a large family, make 1 or 2 larger sized servings, approximately 1 cup per adult.

Use a Sharpie marker to note the seasoning and meat on the bag. Example: Cajun Chicken.

Repeat for each flavor. Include a little juice/broth in each bag, except for one (works great in salads, better without broth). Put into freezer

Now upon completion of cutting & bagging all the chicken, your ground beef & pork should be done. Set aside in bowls to cool.

PASTA AND RICE
Helpful hints:
Rice is not hard to cook; the secret is having a good pot, with a good lid. Into pot put rice and water in at a 1 to 2 ratio. 1 cup rice 2 cups water. Add a little margarine, 1 tablespoon, put on high until it boils uncovered, the minute it boils, turn your burner to low or simmer & put the lid on the pot. Cook for 20 minutes. Check to make sure rice done & no liquid in pot.

I do not add salt, chicken broth or any flavor other than margarine, as the princess loves white rice, milk & butter & sugar for her breakfast. Wouldn’t quite be the same tasty treat with chicken broth. Otherwise, if your family is not one for sweet rice, go ahead & use chicken broth.

Again, clean and dry the pots, fill with water and boil, (check pasta for cooking instructions) cook as much pasta as your stove will hold. If you are tiring of the process reserve one pot for the rice or two. Sometimes, I am industrious, and do a round of cooking for each.

Now that the rice & pasta are cooking, drain & bag the ground beef into small Ziploc baggies, same as the chicken.

Once the pasta & rice have cooked, drain & cool to room temperature.

Separate rice and pasta into baggies, just as you previously did with the chicken and meats. Use large baggies for the pasta, as this will be used more often.
Put all your baggies in the freezer!!! YOU ARE FINISHED!

NOW THE FUN PART!!!!
I CALL THESE FIX & GO RECIPES:

The first time you do this it will be a learning experience, next time you will be the pro. You will know the size of bags to freeze and the combinations that work for your family. But I assure you that you will save time and money! Instant meals and snacks that just need thawed and combined. Pick a meat, pick a pasta or rice thaw or warm in the microwave. Cook your veggies as needed, add your seasoning, voila! a complete and balanced meal in about 10 minutes. Endless possibilities and lots of fresh healthy QUICK, did I mention QUICK meals ready to go in your freezer. Combine the frozen meats and pastas in the large baggies, with a special vegetable for a nice sit down meal.

To thaw, I place the baggies of pasta in a bowl & microwave. To thaw the meat, I empty from the bag & microwave.

If I am fixing a meal for the entire family, I use a large pot to warm the meat, while I steam or microwave my vegetables, then I combine the pasta/rice and vegetables. Use the large baggies of frozen meat & pasta.

I would love to hear more from the readers, but these are some of our quick fix meals/snacks. All of the kids can fix their own meal or snack if needed in about 5 minutes. The food is healthy; less costly and very little goes to waste!


FIX & GO COMBO’s:

Corkscrew or macaroni pasta & parmesan, little salt & pepper
Pasta, steamed veggies, parmesan season to taste
Pasta, meat or chicken (Caribbean Jerk is delicious), veggies, spaghetti sauce
Pasta, spaghetti sauce-hence why I keep a jar of Ragu in fridge, my teenage boys love this…surprisingly they don’t always add meat.
Pasta, meat or chicken, veggies, alfredo sauce
Rice, meat, veggies
Rice, queso, chicken
Baked potato (microwave), meat, cheese & sour cream
Yukon gold potatoes, chicken, canned green beans
Oven Burrito’s-see recipe below
Meat and a can of Manwich
Pasta. chicken, mushrooms, parmesan
Pasta, lemon pepper chicken, summer blend steam vegetables
Warm tortilla with taco seasoned meat
Warm tortilla, taco chicken, rice
Warm tortilla, taco chicken, sautéed peppers and onions, sour cream
Tacos
Tortilla chips, chicken or meat, lettuce, cheese, tomatoes. ***ADD a can of ranch style beans to stretch & add flavor.
Salad with chicken added.
Seasoned ground beef on toast or buns with bbq sauce
BAGEL or FRENCH BREAD PIZZA-great for after school snacks
Warm oven to 350
On open side of bagels or French bread, spread thin layer of spaghetti sauce, add cooked chicken, beef or pork. Sprinkle with fresh veggies, onions, green peppers, tomatoes. Cover with cheese. Put in oven for 6-8 minutes. Delicious quick snack!!! These can also be made in the toaster oven. I suggest toasting one side first.


SHOPPING LIST: I suggest that you go back through this list & highlight what you need to get started. Also, read through all my recipes below to complete your shopping list. I would also suggest that you shop at your local store that has featured sales on meat, as this is where you will spend the bulk of your grocery money.

Chicken tenders or breasts (boneless & frozen works great) save even more by cooking whole chickens-10lbs work great –
Ground beef-buy the big family pack-again 10lbs works great
Pork tenderloins-these usually come in smaller packages with no bones.-buy the most for your buck you can get.

Pasta-buy enriched good pasta, the few cents difference will not matter. Just make sure you buy 5 or 6 varieties.
Rice-white or brown, either or!

Spaghetti sauce-use your favorite brand, or try a few new varieties. I buy Hunts ($1.00 on sale) in the can & keep a few Ragu’s for special occasions. Don’t throw away the jar, save to store Hunts in the fridge for quick fix meal. It is not recommended to store opened cans in the fridge.
Alfredo Sauce-or make your own & freeze
Couple cans Manwich or similar

Packets of taco seasoning
Marinade for chicken- Buy 2 different kinds-I love the Caribbean jerk marinade in the bottle (salad dressing aisle) Italian dressing works great! Asian w/hint of peanuts is another family favorite
Ott’s tomato dressing
Queso dip in jar- chip aisle

Tortilla chips
Tortilla’s flour or corn
Bread, bagels, pita pockets

Lemon pepper-staple in my house
Powdered chicken bouillon-great to have, harder to find
Parmesan cheese-no the packets you get from the pizza guy don’t count. Go ahead and buy the big container or fresh!
Cheese-I buy shredded/grated Monterey/Cheddar blend and mild cheddar- a few 2 cup packages, depending on your family

Sour Cream
Margarine/butter-word from my mom the retired cardiac nurse, be cognizant of what you are buying…heart healthy is important. Shed’s Spread has the big tub of Country Crock with omega plus
Olive oil

Frozen vegetables-buy to suit your family’s taste-broccoli, summer blend and oriental blends are our favorites.
Microwavable-steam veggies work great!!!
PotatoesFresh veggies-carrots are a must, tomatoes, broccoli, onion, squash, zucchini again buy to your family’s taste.
Veggies for seasoning-garlic, onion, cilantro
Canned vegetables-carrots, green beans, corn-again to your family’s tastes

Potatoes- I buy on sale large quantity, regular & the ever yummy no need to peel Yukon golds

Baggies-gallon, quart and sandwich size
Helpful hints:
Buy good baggies. Buy baggies that have the slide that makes sure they seal!!!

How To Feel Better & Save Money-Part 1

I am the mother of four-well, if you count two adult aged 19 year olds as still needing a mother. Hello! Anyone who has one of these, not yet adults, but all knowing souls recognizes that they probably take more mothering than a new born infant. On with the description…under one roof, we have me and my significant other, the two 19 year olds, both males I might add, a 12 year old, another male! and finally the princess, my 10 year old daughter. Our life can be hectic…As much as I try to be organized, schedules never match, things don’t always go smoothly, and there is always changing plans!

I believe my household is the stereo-typical family, similar to nearly any other household across the United States or the Western world for that matter. We live paycheck to paycheck, sometimes with a little extra, sometimes by robbing from Peter to pay Paul. We are not frivolous, but we do have all the keeping up with the Joneses extras and necessities of life: cable, cell phones, computers, gadgets, family outings, mortgage, and of course car payments. At the end of each month, I often wonder how we make it. Somehow, someway we get by and never seem to really do without.

Which brings me to the reason for this writing, about a year ago, in a casual conversation with a co-worker; the subject of always being sick and tired came up. What? sick and tired, we have all had those words roll off our tongue, but my co-workers point was that she was sick and tired of hearing her friends and family laments and them never changing their lifestyle.

For some reason, this gripe really hit home to me. I wondered if she was secretly slanting the conversation to send a message to me. Was she sick and tired of my griping that I was feeling nauseous every day after lunch? Was she sick and tired of my griping about another bill? Was she sick and tired of hearing that I only had $20 to get me to my next paycheck a week away?

Well, red faced and obviously looking guilty, it was really an epiphany moment for me. I thought about what I spent and what I ate at lunch every day. I looked up fast food restaurant articles. SCARY, the reason you feel tired after eating fast food is because your body is in full gear trying to process the food (breaking down the grease used 100’s of times)! Not only is fast food unhealthy and FATTENING, it’s expensive.

I made one change. I inconvenienced myself once, and have reaped many, many benefits. Now, I never feel nauseous after lunch. I lost my belly fat. I have more energy. A few simple changes that I made drastically changed my health, my bank account and overall my outlook on life.

Next, I took the same theory, and applied it to my home life and voila…healthier kids, more time and even more money saved.

In order to simplify, I have broken down my HOW-TO’s into 2 parts-Work and Home

PART 1-
AT WORK: Stop eating fast food at work. Now this seems really simple, eat lunch at work, but in my circle of friends and co-workers, so many of us just find it way too convenient to run to the nearest fast food restaurant and grab a $5-$10 lunch. If you will just take one day to go buy groceries, and bring them back to the office, you will reap many rewards. Save money, time, gasoline and best of all you will feel better and might even lose a few extra pounds!!! I bet after lunch break you don’t feel that need to move to a South American country and take an afternoon siesta!

Get Started! One day bring a sack lunch to work. Use your lunch break this day to go to the grocery store. The sack lunch is so you won’t be hungry and tempted to go get fast food! Now eat your sack lunch in the car, and go to the grocery store! Buy what you like to eat for lunch. (What other time, do you get to buy groceries only for yourself? Enjoy, buy what you like…not what the family likes!)

Helpful hints:
Buy fruit-grapes, apples, oranges, treat yourself to small quantities of the less bought expensive fruits-cherries, blackberries, strawberries.
Cheese-cubes, slices, soft triangles
Crackers, pita chips, pretzels
Deli meat
Deli salads-potato salad, macaroni salad
Canned soups, pastas
Instant noodles-try some different kinds-a lot of the new Thai flavors are great!
Frozen dinners, even the $1-$3 offerings, are quite tasty, filling and healthy!

Make an effort to buy healthy foods. Buy enough food to last a week or two. Mark your food with your name and place in the fridge at work. Keep your non-spoiling food in your desk, which will help avoid hitting the vending machine in the afternoons. If you have no fridge, I would petition the boss for a small $100 fridge.

This is a very simple plan. One-step to eating healthier, feeling better and saving money. Please comment any other suggestsions and stay tuned for PART 2! The biggie doing this at HOME1

Disney's "Earth" Movie-buy tickets now, tree planted in your honor!

Disney's movie "Earth" will open on the big screen, April 22 to coincide with Earth Week. The film narrated by the great James Earl Jones follows the unbelievable year-long journey of three animal families: the Polar Bears, the African Elephants and the Humpback Whales. This film will be the first in a series of three by Disney Nature and is directed by Emmy-Award winning directors Alastair Fothergill and Mark Linfield.


If you have already had the pleasure of seeing the AMAZING preview in the movie theatres, you will share my opinion that seeing the entire movie on the big screen will be absolutely breathtaking!

Best of all, if you purchase a ticket for the first week of showing, Disney will PLANT A TREE IN YOUR HONOR!!!

I cannot think of a better way to enjoy a fabulous movie, and teach our kids a lesson in planet appreciation at the same time!!!

http://www.disney.go.com/disneynature/earth/

Schick Quattro TrimStyle For Women

Wow, commercials are definitely getting bolder...Hmmm gives an entirely new meaning to keeping the hedges trimmed. For some reason, I just keep thinking of Edward Scissorhands when I watch this video! TOO FUNNY!

Woman Arrested for Dog Porn-Deviant Island Candidate

Stupid people do stupid things. Some people go well beyond the definition of stupid. Some people should just be put on an island to isolate the population from their lewdness, and basic lack of ability to think and act as humans.- A community for freaks. DEVIANT'S ISLAND, if you will, for people who just shouldn't be a part of our society. Skip the counseling, skip the psycho analysis, jail won't change their mutations, just let them go and be amongst their own. That being said, after you read the following article, I think you will agree. The woman pictured above, and the reason for my rant: Michelle Owen, of course, presumed innocent at this time, has numerous "deviant" issues, not to mention possible "mental" issues and would make a great candidate for a one way ticket to said island:

1. Arrested for public intox (while out on a prior drunk driving case).

2. ASKED the officers to check her laptop for porn, in hopes of getting her ex-boyfriend in trouble

3. Had video involving her & her pet beagle, Toby in sexual acts in her recycle bin.

4. She used FOOD to entice dog to participate in video, (will spare the details)Got any nominees?



Related article from The Smoking Gun:Porn Sting Goes To The Dogs

Attempt to ensnare boyfriend comes back to bite Indiana woman
MARCH 18--Meet Michelle Owen. Concerned that an ex-boyfriend had used her laptop to search for child pornography, the Indiana woman asked police to search the computer for illegal images, but had her plan backfire when cops discovered two videos of her engaged in illicit acts with a dog. Owen, 24, was charged last week with two felony bestiality counts in connection with the video files, which a detective found in the laptop's "recycle bin." At the time Owen asked cops to search the computer, she was locked up in the Johnson County Jail on a public intoxication charge (which violated the terms of her release in a prior drunk driving case). Continued: http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2009/0318091dog1.html

Treasures in the Trash

Certain items should not be put curbside for the weekly trash pick-up. In our neighborhood, we have local "treasure" hunters who scrimmage the trash before dawn to find another's throw-away that might be of some value at the local flea market or junk store. Little did I know that my then, 6 year old daughter might be the new upcoming treasure hunter. My eldest son was in the front yard hanging out with his buddies. My daughter asks to break free of my watchful eye, and sit on the curb with him and his friends. I warn him to keep an eye on her, and return to bagging leaves on the other side of the yard. Within a few minutes, mommy gut tells me to check on her. As I approach the front of the house, I can hear her in pure child glee, making Darth Vaderish woosh noises. Baby sister to three brothers, and here she is playing sword. Sword? Sword? She has a sword! A purple sword in her hands. Odd, I don't recall a purple sword? A long, large, odd shaped, purple sword. As I get closer, my son has caught the full view of the Star Wars re-enactment. He is on the ground belly rolling-howling- laughing. To my delayed horror, my daughter has in her hands a large purple female sexual toy. Yes a vibe-rator, not to be confused with vibe-vader! I scream. Daughter puts "toy" behind her back. I scream "drop that". Daughter runs with purple "sword" swinging by her side, the tears already coming. "But, I found it, it's mine!" One more, but this time-mommy-your life is in jeopardy-I am your mother-scream, "drop that", and the "sword" is on the ground. Skipping all the details, the antibacterial soap washing to her armpits, the red-faced sobbing for the devastating loss of her new purple sword, I discovered the Darth Vader purple, can I say, heat seeking "sword" slash "treasure" was found by my daughter in my neighbors trash. Not in a garbage can, but in a paper grocery sack set to the side. I now keep my children in the house on trash day. I find myself daily bestowing the virtues of buying items brand new from the store. And my neighbors? I still smile and wave at them, but I do have a new vision of her and husband-him as Princess Leia and her as lady Darth Vader.

Kia Hamster Commercial

Funny, yet a little creepy!

Not-So Obvious Hot Men on TV

We all know the hotties, the A-list sexy young men that get front page placement by the magazines. The top celebrities who are oh-so pretty. The obvious hotties! But what about those men that pique our fancy, because they have that "something" that stretches a little farther than perfect cheekbones, brilliant smile and six pack abs? That "something" that just can't quite be put on paper, but it's definitely there. Here's my top picks: Anderson Cooper-gray hair or not, around the world with AC, anyday. Simon Cowell (American Idol)-woman radar picks up a "bad-boy". Tom Colicchio (Top Chef)-what woman doesn't find attraction in a man that can cook? Les Stroud (Survivor Man)-rugged and cute, lions and tigers and bears-oh my. Okay readers, your turn, give me your top picks for not-so obvious TV hotties!

Pleeeeaaase, Don't Tell Me You're Christian!

Just a thought, do you shop or get service from a business, because they advertise operating their business on the laurels of being Christian? or Jewish? or Islam? For the sake of this article, I am going to go with my upbringing: Christian. Now to get started, buyer beware! Several businesses in my community proudly stand on the theory that their attendance at church, and running a business makes it a "Christian" business. However, I am finding that this branding is often very misleading. We are taught in our place of worship that religion starts in the home. This being said, if one MARKET'S (let's face it, that's what it is) their business as a Christian business; shouldn't it start from within? Shouldn't Christian values dictate how you make and distribute your profits, run your business, treat your customers and employees? I am discovering that many of these business that gain instant trust by using the Christian-moniker operate more to the side of being un-Christian! Why? Because, these businesses generally get instant credibility, and with instant credibility often comes the short cut to gaining clientele, building trust, and earning a solid reputation in all aspects of a business. The examples I see, don't get questioned on why they are a Christian company, instead they get a loyal following, because everyone wants to "believe". No one wants to think that the Sunday school teacher would over-charge or take short cuts to make a few extra bucks. I would like to suggest that anybody who feels the need to give their hard earned money to any business simply because they call themselves Christian, stop and do some research. Take the time to find out a few things: How do they treat and reward their employees? Where do they donate "tithe" their profits? Do they give back to the community? I am a Christian, but I spend my money where the company practices what they preach, not because they say they are Christian, Jewish or any other religion.

Secret Cooking Ingredients

Calling all those who love to cook. Anyone have a secret ingredient for their special recipes? NO, I am not talking about your special brownies! Yesterday, I made my famous pot roast and as usual, my sons and their friends built in "home cooked meal radar" brought them to my house. Every time I make the roast, we enter the topic of secret ingredients. The secret ingredient to my pot roast is Pepsi, yep Pepsi. I fill the crock pot with Pepsi instead of water (plus one package meatloaf seasoning & onion soup mix). When I make stir fry, my secret ingredient is plum jelly. These secret ingredients are usually undetectable, but the key to someone inevitably saying wow, this is delicious, what is your recipe? Any secret ingredients you're holding out on?

IKEA

Ikea, where do you start and how do you explain? If you haven't "experienced" IKEA stores, then you probably will not understand my depression. Why is it that it just takes one visit to Ikea to make you want to put all your furniture, artwork, rugs and accessories, maybe even your life on E-Bay? New Ebay auction: Mother of four sells all belongings for a new IKEA fresh start or my pitiful attempt at decorating high bidder takes all??? Why is it, that you can wander the Ikea Store for three hours and feel that Ikea inspiration to run home and have this uba ultra organized home? Just curious, do Scandinavians have the market for ADD or obsessive compulsive disorders? Clean, stylish, organized; yes, I wish that described my home as a result of shopping at Ikea Stores. The irony in Ikea is that I enter Ikea so eager and excited to purchase all those things that will change my home (perhaps my life). Yet, I leave with a pittance of trivial trinkets that I probably could have found at Target. Despondent, I exit feeling that I need to get a fung shei advisor before I return. I think IKEA stands for I Know Europeans Annoy!

Arby's Roast Burger Commercial

Ok, maybe I do have a weak stomach, but I don't need national commercials to cause me to want to vomit while I watch my TV shows. The new Arby's commercial touting their new Roast Burger is gross. The commercial shows a greasy haired teenage Arby's employee using a "regular" fast food burger's "greasiness" to slick back his hair! AAARGH! Arby's this doesn't make me want to eat your sandwich, or any other fast food for that matter. Now, when I drive past Arby's, I get queasy. In fact, I am queasy now. Let's see, anyone else feeling queasy?

Must Watch Burn Notice!

I love my Burn Notice. Proof in point, I learned to use my DVR so that I could record the season and any missed episodes. If you haven't caught Burn Notice yet, on USA Network, you should. The show is fresh, fast and sophisticated. The show centers around Michael Westen, a special opt agent who has been left with nothing but questions when ousted from service. His character is sweet, sexy and dangerous. He shows he is the alpha male in every episode. Fiona, Michael's former girlfriend and a former IRA operative, adds some sexual tension between the two. She has that don't mess with me-James Bondish-sex kitten vibe one moment, pouty ex girlfriend the next. Add in Sam, Michael's fun loving, skirt chasing best friend, a chain smoking, hypochondriac mom, Madeline and you have the best cast on TV. Each character could have a series of their own. Every episode, set in glamorous Miami grabs your attention with a plot that has unexpected wit, spy "tricks" and real life moments that bring the "good guys" to victory. Even the usually annoying voice over adds an element of humor to the show. I want to spend a week in the loft, and have some drinks with these character's.

Sell to me!

I have decided that I like to be "sold to". Not that I want some hard pressure salesperson forcing me to buy something, lining me out with facts that I would need a manual to know if they are true. But, I do want the salesperson to act like they care that they are selling me the right product. Case in point, I just stopped into the local beauty supply store to buy some hair color. The sales associate approached me and asked if I needed help. Nah, just getting the regular. Where others might have walked away, she asked if I needed conditioner. (Smart cookie, she surmised that from my positioning in front of the coloring.) Well, let's see, I am female, I strip all the natural goodness out of my hair every six weeks-sure I could use conditioner. Then, instead of shoving me off on the latest and greatest "up-sell" item. She showed me three or four products and told me the pro's and con's to each. She personally had tried them all, of course I believed her. She even suggested I try a sample first. Then, she analyzed the color I was buying and gave me her two cents to try a different shade. Now, I was already buying color...so she didn't need to interact on that decision. I almost felt like I was shopping with a friend. She was no longer the salesperson. My new friend had me spend about $40 more than I had planned. Yep, I like to be sold to.

The Bachelor

What the heck happened on the Bachelor Final last night? Bachelor "fans" know that to bring viewers, drama has to be created by cutting and showing only what the producers want us to see. However, this season, the fans fell in love with the final contestants, because they were both endearing likable people that showed class. The true fan's felt Jason's dilemma of the big decision. The whopper of DeAnna's little visit left us cheering Jason on even more. Cheers, because he didn't go back to her. Someone would be hurt that was expected, but it was going to be with class and dignity. Reality check, six weeks of beautiful settings, glorious dates and romantic interludes is not quite the strongest foundation for a real relationship. But, this great guy was going to get a great girl, no matter which one he chose. Once Jason and Melissa were back to their everyday life, a good dose of getting to know the real person must have set in. Melissa didn't mutter "bastard" so poetically, because all had been peaches and cream. Jason should have left it at that. He should have left us viewer's (lady viewer's, at least) loving and adoring him, pining for him to find the one "real love", cough-cough. Jason should have asked ABC to come back in six months. More ratings, viewer adoration, drum roll please, and announce that the road to love had indeed brought him back to Molly. Nope, instead the entire triangle came off as cheap, tasteless and insincere. Jason-you should have given Melissa the respect to let her lick her wounds in private for a few months. Congrats Molly, you won as option B. ABC should rename the show. Flavors of the season.