Chinese at home

Having Chinese cuisine at home is a great escape from the go to staples. And no I'm not talking about the kind you order by number in cute little cartons. I am talking made from scratch (Or nearly so). If you not very familiar with Chinese food it's best to start out small. If you venture down the ethnic isle at your local supermarket you will see a pretty wide array of different Chinese related products.  I recommend picking up a stir fry sauce. There are several really good brand from Kikoman's to Iron Chef. When you get home take cubed chicken, beef, pork or even shrimp and some veggies like broccoli, snow peas, and carrots saute with just a little olive oil in a skillet or Wok if you have one then add the sauce. Make a side of instant white rice (or use brown if you are more health conscious) maybe some frozen egg rolls and you have dinner!

If you are feeling a little adventurous try picking up a can of baby corn or water chestnuts. These give the dish a little added crunch and color. If you are ready to make something from scratch try this recipe for pork fried rice:

4 boneless pork chops cut into 1/2" pieces

1/2c chopped carrots

1/2 c frozen peas
2 green onions chopped fine
4 cups cooked white rice
3 eggs
1 Tbsp fresh minced ginger
2 tsp white sugar
3 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1/3c veggie oil

Pour half of the oil into your skillet or wok and saute pork just until it's no longer pink. Remove from skillet and set aside.
Scramble eggs in the same pan (leaving in any oil) until cooked and set aside
Heat remaining oil in the pan place on medium high heat. Stir fry ginger and onion for about 30 seconds.
Add in carrots and cook 2-3 minutes
Add sugar and cook 30 more seconds. Stir in soy, garlic powder, and sesame oil.
Add in pork, eggs, peas and rice and cook for 2 more minutes.
Serve with extra soy sauce and garnish with more sliced green onions if desired.

Saving money when you shop

Who doesn't like to save a few bucks? Especially now with jobs being so scarce and the cost of everything going up. I am going to share a few tricks that I use for grocery shopping.

Tip #1: Coupons
I remember growing up my Mom would get coupon inserts from other people and we would sit every couple of weeks and clip and sort them. Now you can print coupons from the computer (though some stores won't accept them) and some people even do a coupon train. A coupon train is simple; you  get a group of people, cut out and keep coupons you want and give the rest to the next person in line.  Some stores will double coupons up to a certain amount, which make your savings even bigger! Pair that with sales of the week and you can get some really great deals!

Tip #2: Sale Ads
Each week grocery stores and some drug stores or discount markets will print up sale ads. The front page of these ads are the most important. They are the best deals the store is offering that week. Sales like these are known as loss leaders. The store isn't going to make a ton of money on them, but they draw customers into the store. While there getting these sale items most people will inevitably buy more than just what is on sale.

Tip #3: End Caps
These are the ends of the aisle. Avoid them if at all possible! Stores use these to draw people in deceiving them into believing they are getting a great deal. Sometimes you are, but if you travel down the aisle you might find that the sale isn't really a sale at all.

Tip #4: Don't be lazy
You should always look both up to the top shelves and down to the bottom ones. Stores place the higher priced items at eye level. Let's face it it's easier to look straight ahead then look up or even hunch over to see other products. Often times you can miss a better deal if you don't look around.

Tip #5: Buy Generic
I'm sure you've heard it before. Generic is the same as the name brand. Usually it's true and sometimes generic is better! The savings you get when you buy generic is amazing! Some items I will only buy generic are: condiments (excluding mayo or miracle whip), pasta, tomato products (except tomato soup that I am going to eat as is), and paper products.

Tip #6: Check price per ounce

While you might think about buying generic everything and make your shopping trip quick and easy. You need to compare prices and really look at the price per ounce or unit price. If it's not listed just take the price and divide it by how many ounces are in the product. A general rule that the bigger the package the more you save.  One item that I have found that generic is usually more expensive is bacon.

Tip #7: Be a Player
Don't feel that you have to stay faithful to one store. Shop the sale ads at all the stores in your area. Also make a list (mental or on paper) of items you frequently purchase and which store offers the best price. Figure in gas and time too. If you have to drive an extra five minutes out of your way it's probably not worth saving thirty cents on that can of diced tomatoes.

If you follow these tips,  make a list before you go shopping (and stick to it!), and don't go hungry, I can guarantee you will save some money! Try not to stress bout it and turn it into a game to see how much you can save each shopping trip!

Why Not?

About a year and a half ago my loving and creative husband came up with an idea for me to write a cookbook. I thought it would be really easy. I mean after all I cook and eat everyday right?. Well it turns out it's not easy at all! First coming up with a dish, then making it enough times to perfect it, it makes it take a lot longer than I initially expected.  We have a very limited food budget with me staying at home. We make what we have stretch and it helps me to be very creative. Just because you don't have a lot of money doesn't mean you have to eat the same boring food time and again. Ben has been challenging me with "secret ingredients" for a couple months now. We have found that this is a great way to introduce new food to our family and also expand my cooking skills. When we talk about the food I make to friends or co-workers people are amazed at what we eat on a regular basis. A few people have suggested that I start a food blog. So I thought Why Not?

That is my advice to others: Why Not? Don't be afraid to try a new meal. If it doesn't come out quite right at least you know what to change with it the next time. I have had meals that completely flop. Yeah it sucks, but I learn from my mistakes. Cooking food in your home is cheaper by far than eating out. Plus you can customize it to your liking. So please subscribe to my blog, click on the ads (so I can make a little money) and you'll be surprised at what you can learn!