Public Library : Beyond Books

One thing that has been such a blessing about the county I moved to in Kentucky is the library.  It has been so much fun to borrow both new and older movies to watch when we need something new.  Some of the things my husband and I have watched is all the superhero movies leading up to The Avengers coming out this summer.  I'm normally not a big movie person, but its becoming a fun, mostly free (gas is what makes it cost something and its close so thats not much) thing to do together at home.  For the most part I'm enjoying the classic action movies that I have not previously seen like the Die Hard movies.  I don't know though how anyone survived 80's/early 90's hearing so much bad language in one movie and it be normal.  Seriously, I don't think I've heard so much bad language in my life as I have in Die Hard and The Terminator.  The Terminator....yeah, lets just say I can normally handle a bit of blood and death in movies as I get it adds to the emotion, action, and adrenaline of it all, but by the end of that movie I was so ready for something happy to happen.  I really liked the story, but it got a little heavy for me.

Yes, I have borrowed some happy "girly" movies from there.   Its also always fun to get kid's movies that I may not have wanted to buy a movie ticket for, but I would not mind seeing.

We are currently borrowing our fair share of books as well.  I'm having a hard time getting back into reading a bunch.  I use to read all the time in middle and high school, but college seemed to burn me out to the point where its a struggle for a book to keep my attention.  I do read the book and all for the small group I am in, but that is currently it.  Maybe my road trip in a couple weeks would be a good time to try and get a couple more chapters read in a book I am currently working on finishing.

Its also been a blessing that the county I live in has reciprocal agreements with neighboring counties so we can get items that our county does not have.  It takes a bit more of a drive, but the option is nice.

Tonight we watched Mission Impossible 1 and 2 after I checked them out from the library this afternoon.

~Amy

My Taco Concoction

Basic burritos are one of those things that my husband and I tend to disagree on in the world of cooking.  I'm perfectly fine with, and prefer, a flour tortila, refried beans, cheese, sour cream, and salsa.  To me this type of burrito is pure tex-mex comfort food.  For my husband though he must have ground beef in it for it to be good enough to eat.  So, this evening I mixed up some ground beef with taco seasoning in it for his burrito.  I had tried one homemade recipe for taco seasoning but it fell a little flat, so I was gonna mix up some from a cookbook I'm borrowing from the library, but it called for coriander which is a spice I did not have.  I finally found one via pinterest that looked promising to give a try.  About the only changes I made was to decrease the salt and pepper a little and to leave out the cayenne pepper.  As much as I've tried I just cannot seem to like the taste of cayenne.  I don't know why this is, and its not like I totally hate the stuff, but I'm just not loving the taste of it in anything I've tried it in so far.  As I already own some I may keep trying it in things, but for now I'm leaving it out of this mixture.      

2 tbsp chili powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp oregano

1 tsp paprika

1 tbsp cumin

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp pepper

(Yes, I know nothing in the recipe is 1/8 tsp but I needed to use it as I could not find the 1/4 tsp )

I only tried a little of it, but my husband said it turned out pretty well.  I added 3 - 3 1/2 tbsp to a pound of ground beef along with a little water to make the spices easier to distribute to all the meat.  It was not super spicy, so I may add a little more red pepper flakes next time or up how much mix I put in, but it was still really good.  

Morning Date

On Tuesdays for the past several weeks my husband has needed to work late.  On one hand it is sad not having him home for dinner, but it also means he does not go into work until after 10am.  It was so nice to have a morning with him.  We've been working on a budget together the past couple days to help us both know where money is going and where we want it to go.  It really is nice to have clearly defined boundaries to spend within so as long as we stay within it I have no fear of if we will have enough at the end of the month.  Due to all this and dinners out being so expensive we never go out to eat on a date unless someone has given us a gift card.  

This morning though after my husband was kind enough to go with me to Remke (local grocery store) to pick up some frozen vegetables on sale he took me out to eat for a breakfast date to Panera for bagels.  He got a cinnamon rasin swirl with plain cream cheese and I got the whole grain with honey walnut (their cream cheese is so good and soft).  It was so nice to just be able to sit together and relax for a couple minutes sharing and enjoying a meal that did not have to be thought of, prepared, and cleaned up at home.  

I am very thankful for the thoughtful husband God has given to me.     

  

Fettuccine in Creamy (errr Milk) Tomato Sauce

Here is a recipe I've made this a couple times in the past couple months I've been married. I used other pastas and its always turned out well. My husband says he likes it with penne best, but fettuccine is what I used tonight.  As I keep tomato sause stocked normally this is something I usually always have the ingredients on hand. Yes, its not the healthiest thing in the world, but it is simple and not the worst thing as far as pasta dishes go.

Fettuccine in Creamy Tomato Sauce
1 Package (12oz) Fettuccine
½ cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (yes, whole garlic would be good, but this is what I have)
½ cup chicken broth
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
1/2 tablespoon butter/margarine
1 cup Milk (I used 2% as thats what I had in the house)
Pepper (to taste)
A pinch or two of flour and dried mustard
A bunch of dried parsley and basil
In a large pot, boil some water with a bunch of salt. Add the noodles and boil according to package directions.

Heat the butter and olive oil in a dutch oven (You could use something else, but I like any excuse to use this as mine is blue) until it melts. I personally use a whisk for this. Turn up the heat a little and add the garlic, flour, dried mustard, and chicken broth to this and cook it down to half. (This will take a little bit of time) Afterward, stir in the tomato sauce and then the milk. Season with the pepper to taste. Turn heat down to low. Add your basil and parsley (no such thing as too much in my book, but whatever you want)to sauce and mix it up well. Drain your pasta and add it to the sauce. Then let it sit for a couple minutes to soak up some of the sauce.

P.S. - This is my first time trying to write out what I do in recipe format. I tend to get an idea for a dish, take a couple recipes that may have some part of what I think will make the dish work, tweak them all together, and then add more of my own depending on what I have to use at the time.

$20 a Week

Well, I guess I should start out by saying what I call a food budget, cause as I've seen online a weekly budget for food can run anywhere up to $125 a week.  Yeah, lets just say my budget is nowhere near that.  Starting this year my budget has been $20 a week with an extra $20 a month if I really need it for something like stocking up on meat cause its on sale and I just don't have the funds yet.  This is not money I always spend though.  Its only an emergency fund.  So far it's gona really well and I've been able to make some really great meals for 2 (plus hopefully leftovers) on this budget.  In the future I hope to keep track of some of projects and recipes I make for future reference.  So far its not been easy, but I'm trying to make due with what funds I am currently provided.

So, here is to the beginning of my journey being frugal and having fun being a housewife.