There is something nice to say about having an echocardiogram - the room for this test was very serene. Often I found myself trying to fall asleep until I was brought back to reality by asking to talk a deep breath and hold it. I can check this off my list of to do's today. Now the waiting part.....
Stopped at Walgreens today in Carbondale and took advantage of the 15% off coupon the store had going on for any product (well with some exceptions), got some great deals but my heart was just not into the Krazy Couponing Princess. I stopped by Golden Goodies - one of my very favorite stores to shop in and closed down my booth. I will continue shopping there because I love it! Bittersweet - my heart is leading me to other things in my life and I except it because it was God driven. When He speaks - I always listen! I guess I have heart on my mind because I have already said it three times. LOL
Tonight is the Spring play at the school - Brodie is a Jester and has the Oriental Trading Jester hat to proof it. I so enjoy watching my boys with their activities.
Okay - I don't know how to separate subtitles in this blogging adventure so I just have to do it Jan's Way for now. As promised her is my thumbs up and thumbs down on local restaurants - I love being corky!!
Fast Food Drive Ups - Thumbs Up!
Taco Bell - Marion
Sonic Drive Up - Marion
Fast Food Drive Ups - Thumbs Down!
Sonic Drive Up - Anna
We all work hard for our money and we do want good customer service! Kindness matters! No excuse for rudeness.
If you love great ice - check out my top ten list:
Top Ten Best Ice Restaurants
10. McDonald's - someone please tell them they need a better soda - come on!
9. Taco Bell - great service, friendly service - bad ice
8. Long John Silver
7. Hardee's - step up your game
6. Hucks on DeYoung Street - really best soda for the money - ice is very good - step it up to crushed
5. Dairy Queen - great ice - but the price - wow - come on who are you kidding
4. The baseball park in Lone Oak, Kentucky - worth the drive
3. Sonic - love Sonic
2. Cheers in Goreville - my almost daily drink of choice
1. Kays Sugar Creek Cafe - Creal Springs, Illinois
I really do have a life - a wonderful life - I just have so much on my mind, to say, to do.......always, Jan's Way!
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Meal Idea for Wednesday Evening
Fried chicken
Mashed potatoes, or baked potato
Fresh green beans from the night before or frozen peas
Country gravy - packaged or home made
Biscuits
Homemade White Country Gravy - Jan's Way
About 2 tablespoons of chicken grease or a little more
2 tablespoons of flour or a pinch more
2 cups of milk
Salt and pepper to taste
Heat chicken grease and add the flour. Stir until you get a smooth paste - this is where you might add a little more chicken grease or a pinch more of flour if needed. After you get a smooth paste slowly add your 2 cups of milk, salt and pepper. Now you need to stay with this stirring constantly -otherwise you will end up with your gravy sticking to your pot. What you are looking for with this gravy is when you drip your spoon in it and tip it over the gravy pours off the spoon with grace. Girl - I know this is so fattening - but now and then...just don't over do it. Use on your mashed potatoes or break apart the biscuits and pour over.
Fried Chicken - Jan's Way
Chicken
Eggs
Flour
Salt and pepper
The amount of the above ingredients will depend on how much chicken you are fixing - just use enough to dip the chicken in and then flour.
Vegetable oil or Crisco Shortening - put enough in your pan to cover your chicken slightly. Let heat up on medium heat.
Dip a chicken piece in flour, then dip it in the beaten eggs, then dip it back in the flour -making sure the chicken is completely coated. Place in oil that is heated to a sizzle. When all the pieces are in the pot turn your heat down to about a Number 4 or a little less than medium heat - cook on side for 20 minutes. (Periodically check this because not all stoves use the same heat source) The key to cooking chicken is to cook it on one side for 20 minutes on low heat then turn it on the other side and cook it for 20 minutes. After the 40 minutes have passed by your chicken should be golden brown crust. At this time use a cooking thermometer and on chicken it should reach 180 degrees to be done. Please double check this - you don't want to eat raw chicken - EGADS! I always cook mine another 10 minutes just to make sure and I always check it for the right temperature. You don't want your chicken to get to a burnt crust stage - that just ruins the flavor. You might not get this right at first. But just keep on trying. It makes delicious fried chicken. My George loves fried chicken and I was determined to get it right.
Shop for:
Chicken - pick out the pieces you like or buy a whole chicken and cut up or purchase already cut up.
Bag of frozen peas or canned peas - your preference
Canned biscuits
Milk
Flour - should have this stocked in your pantry
Eggs for dipping
Baked potatoes or bag of potatoes for mashing - for this meal I would go with the mashed potatoes so you can pour the gravy over them.
Stay tuned for more meal ideas and recipes!
Mashed potatoes, or baked potato
Fresh green beans from the night before or frozen peas
Country gravy - packaged or home made
Biscuits
Homemade White Country Gravy - Jan's Way
About 2 tablespoons of chicken grease or a little more
2 tablespoons of flour or a pinch more
2 cups of milk
Salt and pepper to taste
Heat chicken grease and add the flour. Stir until you get a smooth paste - this is where you might add a little more chicken grease or a pinch more of flour if needed. After you get a smooth paste slowly add your 2 cups of milk, salt and pepper. Now you need to stay with this stirring constantly -otherwise you will end up with your gravy sticking to your pot. What you are looking for with this gravy is when you drip your spoon in it and tip it over the gravy pours off the spoon with grace. Girl - I know this is so fattening - but now and then...just don't over do it. Use on your mashed potatoes or break apart the biscuits and pour over.
Fried Chicken - Jan's Way
Chicken
Eggs
Flour
Salt and pepper
The amount of the above ingredients will depend on how much chicken you are fixing - just use enough to dip the chicken in and then flour.
Vegetable oil or Crisco Shortening - put enough in your pan to cover your chicken slightly. Let heat up on medium heat.
Dip a chicken piece in flour, then dip it in the beaten eggs, then dip it back in the flour -making sure the chicken is completely coated. Place in oil that is heated to a sizzle. When all the pieces are in the pot turn your heat down to about a Number 4 or a little less than medium heat - cook on side for 20 minutes. (Periodically check this because not all stoves use the same heat source) The key to cooking chicken is to cook it on one side for 20 minutes on low heat then turn it on the other side and cook it for 20 minutes. After the 40 minutes have passed by your chicken should be golden brown crust. At this time use a cooking thermometer and on chicken it should reach 180 degrees to be done. Please double check this - you don't want to eat raw chicken - EGADS! I always cook mine another 10 minutes just to make sure and I always check it for the right temperature. You don't want your chicken to get to a burnt crust stage - that just ruins the flavor. You might not get this right at first. But just keep on trying. It makes delicious fried chicken. My George loves fried chicken and I was determined to get it right.
Shop for:
Chicken - pick out the pieces you like or buy a whole chicken and cut up or purchase already cut up.
Bag of frozen peas or canned peas - your preference
Canned biscuits
Milk
Flour - should have this stocked in your pantry
Eggs for dipping
Baked potatoes or bag of potatoes for mashing - for this meal I would go with the mashed potatoes so you can pour the gravy over them.
Stay tuned for more meal ideas and recipes!
Ta Da!
Day two of Jan's Way! Last night I had a terrible fibro night. It is this cold damp weather that gets me down literally, and just am unable to move. Slept in the chair with heating pad - I am my mother's daughter, and am trying to get my muscles to move this morning. I have so much on my plate this week! I am preparing for Casey's First Communion this weekend. So I have been making his communion banner, hemming his pants, cooking, cleaning, First Communion practice, baseball practice and Brodie has a Spring play thingy at the school on Thursday. And right in the middle of all these wonderful events, I go for an Echocardiogram for my Aortic Aneurysm on Thursday. Egads! Could I have anything else? Thankful - to be able to do all this. Every night when I say my prayers - it is now I lay me down to sleep - I pray Dear Lord, my soul you will keep - if I die before I wake - I pray Dear Lord my soul you will take! None of this Hell stuff for me - I want the streets of gold and to see Jesus face!
I just don't know the ends and outs to this blogging stuff. There are several things I would like to comment on each day and then have them in subtitles, but for now all I know is just to type and share. I love scripture, quotes, tips on cooking, coupons, recipes and I feel the need to post a restaurant thumb up and thumb down section. Hey, we all need help out there. If I can be of help to anyone, make you smile, make you think, bring you closer to the Lord, well all I can say is just hang on.........The only way I know how to do things is........Jan's Way! Peace be with ya all!
I just don't know the ends and outs to this blogging stuff. There are several things I would like to comment on each day and then have them in subtitles, but for now all I know is just to type and share. I love scripture, quotes, tips on cooking, coupons, recipes and I feel the need to post a restaurant thumb up and thumb down section. Hey, we all need help out there. If I can be of help to anyone, make you smile, make you think, bring you closer to the Lord, well all I can say is just hang on.........The only way I know how to do things is........Jan's Way! Peace be with ya all!
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Menu Planning
I am constantly trying to save on my grocery bill. Aren't we all? One of the things I do is to make a list of the meals I want to prepare and then base my grocery list off of it. It seems to be working out very well. Here is an example of what I do:
Wednesday
Meatloaf
Green beans
Mashed potatoes
Biscuits
Shop for: Potatoes, ground beef, onions, green pepper, barbeque sauce, canned or fresh green beans, package of Grands Biscuits ( and anything else you need to prepare this meal). Special note: Buy extra potatoes for Thursday nights meal.
Just buy what you need for the meal and any extras for another meal if it works for that weeks menu. It really comes together when you buy a product you can use for two or three meals and always if you can use your coupons for the purchases you make. Never use a coupon just because you have a coupon. What did you save if you use a coupon for a product you are not familiar with and it sits on your shelf forever? Nothing.
Shop smart!
Wednesday
Meatloaf
Green beans
Mashed potatoes
Biscuits
Shop for: Potatoes, ground beef, onions, green pepper, barbeque sauce, canned or fresh green beans, package of Grands Biscuits ( and anything else you need to prepare this meal). Special note: Buy extra potatoes for Thursday nights meal.
Just buy what you need for the meal and any extras for another meal if it works for that weeks menu. It really comes together when you buy a product you can use for two or three meals and always if you can use your coupons for the purchases you make. Never use a coupon just because you have a coupon. What did you save if you use a coupon for a product you are not familiar with and it sits on your shelf forever? Nothing.
Shop smart!
My Way
I have started another blog - this makes my third. However, I am so excited to keep up with this one. I have absolutely no idea what I am doing as far as the design, etc. I just want a place to talk and share some of my thoughts and feelings. In high school I had a column in the schools newspaper and it was entitled, "My Way." This was an editorial column where I expressed some of my thoughts and whenever my teacher thought they were appropriate she would let me publish them. Even in my younger days I had a lot to say about a lot of things going on in the world. So from time to time I will be talking about my kiddos, being a coupon princess, my faith, my concerns, sharing my love for cooking and well just a little of this and that. Promise to myself to keep this one going. Hope you come back often and see what I have on my mind - Jan's Way.
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