Welcome!

Well, here it is! My first blog. I was a little hesitant in starting this, mostly because I'm weary of people thinking I'm vain and view myself as interesting enough to follow and read. While I hope I'm not vain, I certainly don't think I am at all interesting. Nonetheless, people seem to think recipe-sharing would be worth it. So here we go!

On a shopping excursion for work at Michael's, I wondered into the Clearance aisle (hello, always!) and found some Paula Dean products. While I think her accent and creepy laugh can get annoying and she uses entirely too much butter in her recipes, she's got some cute stuff! I threw a recipe box ($3), magnet ($1- "Get Cookin, Ya'll" with measurement equivalents... good times) and adorable vintage apron into my cart and was on my way, completely hooked on this idea. I loved Julie and Julia, but this is not that. I will not be cooking through a cook book, especially Julia Child's.

The teacher in me feels the urge to organize my writing, prepare you for what you're about to read... so I'm going to do just that.

Why am I doing this?
I LOVE to cook, especially bake. There is something about having my own time to create yummy meals and treats for the people I love that brings joy to my heart. It's not a waste of money (like scrap booking-sorry all you scrappers!) because, well, a girl (and her husband) gotta eat! Trying new recipes is always fun, too. I love to taste something new, change ingredients, make things healthier, and, if possible, cheaper. As much as everyone enjoys a new, different recipe, new ingredients can cause your grocery bill to skyrocket. This is something I hate. Most of the time, I spend no more than $40/week on groceries for the two of us, and that includes heaps of fresh fruits and veggies. So, in this blog, I will only be trying recipes that meet the following criteria:

1. Include only pantry favorites/staples I already/usually have and a few more main ingredients.
2. Relatively healthy (this excludes all desserts, of course!)
3. Use ingredients bought on sale (especially meat!) or are relatively cheap all the time.

Pretty user friendly, I hope!

I will try new recipes, list them here, and give any tips I know of for shopping or substitutions. If anything, I hope you can add a few new recipes to your collection!

Our garage disposal has been "broken" since last Friday and couldn't get fixed until today (there was a dish rag and peach pit down there... woops!). Needless to say, Daniel and I have most likely supported several salaries at the Red Baron pizza company. Now that it is finally fixed, I'm back to actual cooking. Nothing special tonight, just grilled chicken salad (as in lettuce salad, not mayo-walnuts-eggs salad) with tons of fresh veggies and fruit for dessert. To christen my first post, I'll leave you with my FAVORITE recipe of all time. I can't believe I'm sharing it, but I guess that's the whole purpose of this blog. Enjoy it- it has become a favorite among many.

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cake!

In a Mixing Bowl, combine:
3 1/3 Cup All Purpose Flour
2 1/2 Cup Sugar
2 Tsp Baking Soda
2 Tsp Cinnamon
2 Tsp Nutmeg
2 tsp salt

Mix with spoon or spatula, make a well in the center. Add:

4 Eggs
1 Cup Oil
2 Cups Canned Pumpkin (1 Can)
2/3 Cup Water

Beat well, stir in:

1 Bag Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips, floured (can use milk chocolate, but I don't know why you'd want to!)


Pour into 2 greased 9x13 pans and bake at 350 for 20-22 minutes, or until passes tooth pick test. Makes 30 LARGE pieces (you'll want it, trust me!) and can be served with a dusting of powdered sugar or cool whip.
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Enjoy!

Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think!