Disney treats

let's see we have Grandpa with his strawberry lemonade, Zoe with her sour apple drink and a chili con carne with fritoes in a bread cone, Zoe ordering popcorn (they have dill pickle popcorn), Tim's ice cream sundae in a trolley bowl and Zoe eating what she said was the best mint ice cream sundae
she has ever eaten...Tim (no pic) got mini churros, and a grape fizzy drink...

Flo's diner

while we were at Disneyland the last couple of days, we knew one thing...where we were going to eat dinner the night we were there...we had been eyeing it ever since Car's Land had opened up and they kind of have a unique menu not really found elsewhere at Disney...

http://disneyland.disney.go.com/disneys-california-adventure/flos-v8-cafe/  info about the diner

http://www.wdwinfo.com/disneyland/dining/menus-detail.cfm?restaurant.ID=610#menu   this is the actual menu, quite extensive...

so we went about 3:30 or so for a late lunch, early dinner and we were surprised at the menu options...
hubby got roast beef with gravy, corn medley, cole slaw and a roll
Tim got the pork loin (cooked in coca cola), peas & carrots, mashed potatoes and a roll
Zoe got the kid's mac and cheese whicj also came with apples & grapes
and I got the turkey dinner with mashed potatoes, pasta salad, roll, and cranberry sauce...

overall we were pleased with dinner and will most definitely go back again to try other items...
the turkey dinner was too much for me, hubby ended up eating my leftovers...

next time I will try the roast beef sandwiches...the shakes looked very good that the table next ot us got...
check out how the iced tea comes to you with the fluff on top...
wanted to add the pickey princess ate everything on her plate and that is surprising, she hardly ever eats everything...

edited to add the prices were not bad...for 4 people we paid about $40.00...not bad when you can get good food at an amusement park...

beer can chicken...

today we had planned on going to the commissary to get groceries for the month of July and we did head that way...our closest commissary is about 20-25 minutes from our house but, out that way is also Sam'sClub...
so in the car, I am trying to cut my coupons and make the grocery list and I looked at hubby and said,
"let's forget about shopping and just go to Sam's, we'll get just what we need for dinner there and get
our hotdogs for lunch there too..."
so that is what we did...we'll go back to the commissary maybe on MOnday and by then I can get the coupons cut and a better grocery list...
so at Sam's hubby went and got our hot dogs (does your Sam's have those really good big hot dogs for only 1.50 with a drink also?) (I know at my sister's store in San Antonio, they don't) but it is such a cheap lunch...and I went to see what I could make for dinner...and I wanted something BBQ...

came up with:

beer can chicken
hobo potatoes
corn
texas toast

for beer can chicken what you basically do is after your whole chicken is washed and seasoned well with your choice of seasonings, you put a 1/2 can of beer (we used the tall ones) and stick the chicken onto the can of beer and put in the middle of the prepared BBQ to roast for about 2 1/2 to 3 hours and it comes out so moist and delicious...

for the hobo potatoes:  what you are supposed to do is put all of your ingredients onto foil and throw them onto the BBQ while the chicken is also cooking but I was lazy and wanted to just do them on the stove top so I could watch them while I washed dishes...here is what I did...
about 6-8 red potatoes, diced
about 3 carrots, sliced
1/2 onion, diced
2 stalks of celery chopped
some cooked bacon

I added the onions to some oil in my new deepdish sauce pan (love it) and when lucid, added potatoes, carrots, celery and let cook in saucepan with lid on till potatoes were tender, and added bacon and garlic salt and pepper...

now it is hot here...in the 90's and for some reason, the past couple of days I cannot eat...the heat iswrecking havoc with my stomach so while everyone else is enjoying the fruits of my labor, I will be watching them with envy, eating my bowl of rice...I hope they enjoy it...

bread links

I tried bread links with the side dish, but found I had way too many to list so started it's own...

1.    http://nancycreative.com/2010/11/07/bacon-cheese-pull-aparts/

2.    http://www.rd.com/food/sour-cream-biscuits/

3.    http://bunsinmyoven.com/2010/07/02/bacon-cheddar-and-chive-muffins/

4.    http://www.justapinch.com/recipe/jeanneben/jeannes-hush-puppies/savory-bread?k=hush+puppies&p=4&o=r

5.    http://messyaprons.blogspot.com/2010/09/pecan-pie-muffins.html

6.    http://www.dishesandsocks.com/2011/07/05/pepperoni-pizza-puffs/

7.    http://www.southernplate.com/2008/07/my-mothers-southern-hoe-cake-recipe.html

8.    http://www.life-as-a-lofthouse.blogspot.com/2011/08/texas-roadhouse-rolls-and-cinnamon.html

9.    http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Parmesan-Knots-2?pmcode=ILIDV02T&_mid=2285942&_rid=2285942.558202.246679

10.  http://www.justapinch.com/recipe/chickofgrace/orange-cream-cheese-bread/cake?source=fork_fb_orange_cc_bread

11.  http://www.southernplate.com/2008/10/pecan-pie-muffins.html

12.  http://bunsinmyoven.com/2011/10/17/pretzel-rolls/

13.   http://www.justapinch.com/recipe/msvivian/southern-raised-biscuits-angel-biscuits/biscuits?k=angel+biscuits&p=2&o=r

14.  http://www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com/2010/03/cheddar-bay-biscuits.html

15.  http://kathiecooks.blogspot.com/2011/07/snickerdoodle-bread.html#more

16.  http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/breads/granola-carrot-bread/

17.  http://blog.fashioned4you.com/2012/05/sour-cream-banana-bread.html

18. http://www.ourbestbites.com/2012/05/homemade-soft-pretzels-and-cinnamon-sugar-pretzel-bites/

side dish links that I want to try...

these I am hopefully going to try this month, but nontheless, I have the links in one convenient place...

1.    http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/wild_rice_cranberry_pecan_salad/

2.    http://www.justapinch.com/recipe/corn-casserole-my-son-calls-it-corn-mac-and-cheese-by-michelle-grein-michellegflorida

3.    http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/breakfastbrunch/hashbrown-casserole-3/

4.    http://bunsinmyoven.com/2011/05/09/cheesy-hashbrown-casserole/

5.    http://bunsinmyoven.com/2011/05/09/cheesy-hashbrown-casserole/

6.    http://www.southernplate.com/2011/05/mamaspotatocakes.html

7.  http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/neelys/southern-creamed-corn-recipe/index.html

8.  http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/patrick-and-gina-neely/cheesy-rice-ball-fritters-recipe/index.html

9.  http://worldaccordingtojiggle.blogspot.com/2011/05/cheesy-potatoes.html

10.  http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Baked-Potato-Casserole-2?pmcode=BCB31VH139&_mid=2108564&_rid=2108564.867600.418823

11.  http://www.rd.com/food/southern-fried-corn-recipe/

12.  http://cassiecraves.blogspot.com/2009/03/mexican-sour-cream-rice.html

13.  http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/sidedishes/perfect-coleslaw/

14.  http://mantestedrecipes.com/recipe/6325/bacon-stuffed-baby-red-potato-bites.aspx

15.  http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/sidedishes/loaded-baked-potato-cassarole/

16.  http://www.delish.com/recipefinder/barley-pilaf-caramelized-onions-4431?click=recipe_sr

17.  http://www.delish.com/recipefinder/corn-fritters-recipe

18.  http://www.julieseatsandtreats.com/2012/03/twice-baked-potatoes.html

19.  http://bunsinmyoven.com/2012/05/14/sour-cream-rice-bake/

20.  http://sunflowersupperclub.blogspot.com/2012/02/cheesy-corn-and-bacon-bake.html

21.  http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/sidedishes/michellee28099s-rice-pilaf/

new Food Network Magazine

picked up the newest FoodNetwork magazine and from the outside, looking in, there appears to be some really good recipes...I have never gotten this magazine without liking at least a couple of recipes...these hamburgers look to die for...

summer fun...rice crispy treats

am trying to give the kids a variety of frugal things to do for summer...went to the store and we passed Rice Krispies and it gave me this idea and Zozo said she had never made them before...growing up I loved these when my mom made them...she made the usual recipe but added a couple of teaspoons of peanut butter to the marshmallows...then she frosted them by melting chocolate chips, butterscotch chips and tiny bit of butter together...this is how I still love them...I love Rice Crispy treats so much that this is usually the first thing I buy myself when we go to Disney and of course you would expect them to be delicious there...they are so thick that you can't get your mouth around them...you have to nibble them a little at a time...the mouse ears shaped ones are pretty cute and good too...

http://www.ricekrispies.com/en_US/default.html#/en_US/default

links to July's menus

1.    http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/main-courses/reliable-fettucine-alfredo-with-chicken-and-sweet-peas/

2.    http://www.southernplate.com/2012/01/chicken-and-wild-rice-casserole-and-becoming-the-crazy-daffodil-lady.html

3.    http://stephaniecooks.blogspot.com/2010/10/chicken-in-walnut-sauce.html

4.    http://stephaniecooks.blogspot.com/2010/09/chicken-pot-pie-pasta.html

5.    http://stephaniecooks.blogspot.com/2011/01/pan-roasted-garlic-and-lemon-chicken.html

6.    http://www.ladybehindthecurtain.com/?p=27024   (spaghetti pie)

7.    http://therickettchronicles.blogspot.com/2010/04/recipe-bbq-beef-sandwiches.html

8.    http://www.thecountrycook.net/2011/09/cheeseburger-soupand-giveaway.html

9.    http://www.gratefulbelly.com/2012/03/simple-swiss-steak.html

10.  http://www.pauladeen.com/recipes/recipe_view/tastes_like_lasagna_soup

11.  http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/main-courses/pork-apples-in-crockpot/

12.  http://www.kayotic.nl/blog/crockpot-chicken-a-lorange

13.  http://www.kayotic.nl/blog/honey-glazed-chicken-bacon-bites

14.  http://www.kayotic.nl/blog/country-club-chicken

15.  http://jamiecooksitup.blogspot.com/2012/02/butter-cream-chicken.html

16.  http://www.thisgloriousday.com/2012/06/sweet-spicy-asian-beef-with-rice.html


the side dishes, breads and dessert links will be posted next...I do this for you guys to find the recipes
very easily but it also is convenient for me too...

July's menus (a few days early) :)

this is a rough draft, some sides to be announced...links will also be posted...see if you can tell which menus were suggested by my 11 year old?

1.   tri tip, hobo potatoes,bread
2.   BG hamburgers, potato salad, beans
3.   BBQ meatloaf, cheddar potatoes, green beans
4.   chicken alfredo w/peas, grn salad, garlic bread
5.   chicken wild rice cass, corn muffins
6.   chicken with walnut sauce, mashed pots, veggie
7.   chicken pie pasta, muffins
8.   lemon chicken, risotto, veggie
9.   spaghetti pie, greenbeans, garlicknots
10.  BBQ beef sandwiches,cole slaw,beans
11.  cheeseburger soup, bread 
12.  simple swiss steak, mashed pots, veggie
13.  lasagna soup, bread
14.  pork chops with apples & onions, rice, veggie
15.  crock pot chicken a la'orange,fried rice
16.  honey glazed chicken with bacon, roasted pots, veggie
17.  country club chicken
18.  buttercream chicken
19.  sweet & sour beef with rice
20.  porcupines, parm noodles, corn
21.  taco salad
22.  chef salad
23.  swedish meatballs, noodles, peas
24.  sloppy joes, tator tots corn
25.  chicken salad sandwiches, mac salad
26.  pot roast over noodles, bread
27.  BLT's, raw veggies, dessert
28.  tacos, rice, beans
29.  fondue, raw veggies, sausages, bread, crackers
30.  tuna melts, or grilled cheese sides tba
31.  meatball sand. sides tba

Nordstroms

Tim took us back to Nordstroms for pot roast on noodles and pink champagne cake...yummy...

2 new food blogs that I love

I found 2 new cooking blogs that will be among my new favorites...check them out:

http://www.mommyskitchen.net/

http://www.kayotic.nl/blog/  I really like this one, as she lives in Holland and it is fun reading her blog...

sausage and potato hash

made dinner tonight and let me tell you it is so nice to have a brand new deep dish teflon skillet (have wanted one for awhile now...) and I love it...so glad I bought it...
what was for dinner?
smoked sausage hash and it was delicious...

I cut up about four red potatoes, and added to oil in skillet, added 1 diced onion, 4 diced carrots and 1 cut up smoked sausage...let cook till potatoes are lightly brown...

delicious

today? corn chowder

today? it was hot, supposed to be in the 90's and I had kids today but wanted something that Tim likes to eat when he got home and this is one of his favorites...

my corn chowder

melt 1 stick butter in pan, add 6 tbs flour and make a roux...add 1 cup chicken broth and 3 cups of milk...keep stirring till thickened...I add 1 large pkg of frozen corn, 1 can of sliced carrots, 1 can of whole potatoes (diced), crisp bacon, and whatever seasonings you like...(I add garlic salt, parsley and pepper...)

very yummy and I cheated by buying an artisan bread to go along with it...

it's what's for dinner...

Friday it was hot and I was kind of stressed and we went to Farmer Boy's for dinner:  hubby always gets the fish dinner, I got a grilled cheese, and Tim got the new Angus burger...I like hubby to get fish, cause I always take a piece of his fish, all of his onion rings and some of his fries...they make really good fish and fries...

Saturday night I was going to cook, but trying to get ready for Disney and I got behind...we ended up going to our neighbor's birthday party and having pizza and fruit and cake...very good...happy birthday to Cliff...

Sunday of course we were at Disney and for a huge treat, Tim took us to Big Thunder BBQ and it was so good...we have found that the all you can eat places at Disney do serve a good meal albiet a little pricey...what they do is you sit on outdoor benches and they bring you all you can eat beans, cornbread,
cole slaw, ribs, sausage and chicken...very good...we left stuffed...

Monday, I was tired and I had 4 kids for a couple of hours and we went to Wendy's...

that is all...

Back Street & (?) & egg salad

Monday morning we got up early and got our errands all done and wanted to go get something eat...
decided on Back Street...
for those of you reading that are not familiar with this place, it is a wonderful little sandwich shop that has been in Riverside forever...started out in a little house, now converted to the restaurant and they expanded to the house next door and that little house is open to eat inside of...it is pretty cool esp in the winter as they will have the fireplace going, lace curtains on the windows, cute little tables and chairs and even books in the bookcase...
they only serve sandwiches (& salads if you don't want the bread) and are only open for lunch...a little
pricey, but well worth the money...with your piled high sandwich, you get your choice of (all homemade) cole slaw, potato salad or baked beans...the potato salad is to die for (like I make potato salad...) there is also a small salad bar filled with fresh veggies, pickles, a pasta salad, a cucumber salad and cranberry sauce... they also offer a wide selection of homemade desserts, the cheesecake and coconut tart being the best in my opinion...I always get a turkey on sourdough and hubby gets pastrami...we have never ever had a bad meal there yet and the wait staff is very good at what they do...love this place and always recommend it to everyone...

so I was going to make dinner...planned on making a sausage and potato bake (new recipe) but Tim calls and said he would like to review a certain restaurant, were we game?  ummm really??? absolutely...
so we went to this place (cannot disclose till Friday's paper comes out) that was wonderful...now I had been there prev. many years ago (say maybe 20 years?) and now since we went again, do not know why I had not been back...you order your food, and then go sit down, we chose to sit outside and a waiter comes with your drinks...the food came in record time and was so delicious...
Zoe had from the kid's menu, grilled cheese and it came with tomato soup (her all time fav...) so she was happy...oh and her's also came with a bowl of fresh fruit...hubby and Tim got the same thing-pot roast served over egg noodles...now I love me some pot roast but tend not to get it while we are eating out...sometimes the meat is covered in gravy that disguises chunks of fat and that really turns me off...
but when their meal was delivered, it looked so delicious that without asking I snagged me a bit off of hubby's plate and it was to die for...I got the turkey, bacon club and it was very good (hand carved turkey not deli meat) but I then had wished I had gotten the pot roast...hubby did give me several more bites...for dessert we chose creme brulee and boston cream cake...both were yummy...
hubby and I definitely will go back there for lunch sometime...I thought of that pot roast for several day afterwards...

edit to add in restaurant we went to:
http://www.pe.com/iguide/dining/dining-headlines/20120607-dining-riverside-s-nordstroms-classic-cafe-offers-gourmet-treats.ece

Tuesday we had a very difficult day, family wise, and it was a long day too so we went to Subway for dinner...

Wednesday was so hot here, says it was in low 90's and too hot to cook so I made egg salad sandwiches...

queen of the BBQ

yes, that is me, queen of the BBQ....this summer I am going to try to do all A.L.L. of my cooking via the BBQ...my kitchen is small (when it is cleaned up from dinner I will take a pic and show you) and it heats up very quickly...and in the depths of summer, well you guys know how horrible it gets here in Riverside...
my favorite story of the heat is the one from several summers ago and it registered 110 degrees and somewhere around here a transformer blew...OMGosh...I really thought I was going to die...we were blessed however that about 6 hours into the catastrophe (yes it is to me LOL) they got ours working...my little's other grandma lived in the next city over and she was off for over 24 hours !!!
so that is just a taste of how much I hate the summer, now do you know why we want to retire in Wa.???
take today for instance, it is in the 80's here and 50's & 60's on Whidbey Island, the Puget Sound is calling my name...
ok...sorry for the rant, back to dinner...
as long as I have charcoal every dinner for summer will be done on the BBQ...I even want to try a pizza on the coals...
so, we were gone all day today in Murietta seeing the littles and we got home and I was wiped out...very tired and the more I sat, the tireder (is that a word?) I got...so I forced myself to get up and this is what I did for dinner...yummy...very yummy...

I took a ham we had bought at the commissary and drizzled honey over it, wrapped it in foil and threw it on the BBQ (slow cooker style)
wrapped up some potatoes in foil, threw them on too...
threw (I love that word) some green beans in the microwave
and some garlic toast on the BBQ
& voila a yummy dinner without too much fuss...
love those kind of dinners...

more to come this summer
that is all...

BBQ

it is still pretty hot here in Riverside, cooled down a tad, but still warm...I try so hard not to turn the air on but I get to a certain point and that is that...it was that point about 2 pm today...only supposed to be in the high 80's but it seemed warmer than that...

when I taught myself to BBQ, I taught myself the slow cooker style where you put charcoal on the sides of the BBQ and put the meat in the middle not directly over the coals and I love to make roasts, etc. this way...today however hubby is not feeling well (?) and so I decided to just do the hamburgers myself and it did OK other than the corn onn the cob falling off the BBQ into the ashy coals (haha)...otherwise all went well...
menu:

bbq hamburgers
bbq bratwursts
baked beans
corn on the cob
& fried potatoes (w cheese and bacon on top)

I am now sitting in front of the air trying to cool down and hoping that someone else will offer to do the
dishes...LOL...

that is all...

TGIF

been a long long hot (very hot week) and I am tired and was helping a friend out today and so I called Tim at work and asked if he would like to go to Friday's for dinner...it is afterall payday for hubby and I today...
we like to hit up Friday's and then Barnes and Noble for the girl's reading materials...

we also like to go to Friday's before it gets packed and Tim has their bonus card which earns him points every time we go...(one time he even earned a go to the head of the line pass) nice huh?

tonight we had:  hubby had fajitas and Tim and I share the 2 for $20.00 and he got the chicken fingers and I get the steak with loaded mashed pots (I eat half and Tim then has a good midnight snack...) with that 2 for 20.00 deal you also get an appetizer and we always get the potato skins and you get dessert too...we have tried every dessert and now stick with the vanilla bean cheesecake...if you have not tried this, OMGosh you must...it has mousse on top of it...to die for...

that is all...

a good late afternoon

hot dog shoppe

so last weekend we needed out of the house...no special reason, just needed out and hubby obliged...problem?  we are running out of new places to try...we do go out a lot to eat and even tho I made a pact this year of cooking more at home, we are still going out a lot...
Tim has a way of finding new places (he is after all a reporter) and he suggested that we head to Corona, where we (or rather I) could hit up JoAnns (hate that they moved from Riverside) and Wal Mart and then we could try this hot dog place...

http://www.pe.com/iguide/dining/dining-headlines/20120601-corona-hot-dog-shoppe-reinvents-the-american-favorite.ece

it was actually a pleasant experience...we are spoiled and when we want a good hot dog, we usually go to Sam's Club where for 1.50 or so (they might have gone up) you get a good sized hot dog and a large drink...we love their hot dogs...
these were pretty good and that chip & mac and cheese thingy was different but tasted good also...
yes we would go back when back in Corona once again...