My Treat

The past six weeks of my life were without a doubt the most fulfilling weeks I’ve ever experienced. I’m going to miss my high schoolers. They were such an awesome group of kids who went above and beyond everything I asked of them. I am sad and proud and overwhelmed with emotion and and and… Thursday was difficult. I could not look at my kids in the eye and tell them how unbelievably amazing they are without completely losing it. I am even getting teary just thinking about the journey we’ve had and the good-byes we exchanged.

Wednesday was the last full work day we spent together. And instead of working I took them downtown to play in the fountain and enjoy a cool treat. Before we got completely soaked (of course I joined in on the fun) I bought them a tiny package of goodness in the form of an ice cream cupcake. Naturally I took a picture first then took a bite then took a look at my shot. Then took another picture and looked over it. I then proceeded to scarf my ICC like it was a matter of life and death, stopping every other bite to wipe pink frosting off my nose. I looked up from my tasty treat to make sure my group was still in sight to find them each approaching their ICCs methodically. Each and every one of them had their ICC completely intact; whereas I had cracked open the chocolaty bottom of mine and it was dripping everywhere.

We all enjoyed our last day together. And thus our summer together came to a close with water fountain fights, ice cream cupcakes, and the company of forever friends.

UPDATE!!

Day 26, money spent thus far: $43.94 + $9.99

So I kinda came in under budget for the challenge... I don't count the $9.99 I spent on ICC because it was my gift to the kids and not something I was going to feast on.

AAAAAND....

I'm at the parents' house so I am throwing in the kitchen towel because no longer need to buy food for the rest of the month! I WIN!! Sort of.. I don't really get anything besides the satisfaction of knowing I didn't spend much on food on account of my eating really cheap crappy food.

:)

This should come as no surprise

As a college student, I can be quite lazy.

Ok. So. Maybe it’s not laziness so much as I put everything of until the veeeeery last minute. My procrastination/laziness sometimes comes from being nervous about classes, work, job interviews, or new recipes. Sometimes it comes from me being a Forgetful Franny. Mostly it’s the latter. But let me tell you.. In the case that I am about to elaborate on there’s no one to blame but myself. I am aware of this and I’m mostly OK with it, but there’s nothing I can really do to change. I think to really grasp what I’m talking about I need to tell you a few tidbits about myself.

I don’t own bread.

I never boil eggs.

I love egg salad sandwiches.

Therein lies a small problem that I’ve had for quite some time.Then I read an entry over at Noble Pig and whatever problems I had vanished, as she almost always does when I read her blog. That, my friends, was when I realized I can have my egg salad sandwiches and not boil eggs. This is what I found:

Scrambled Egg Salad
Adapted from It's All Gouda

7 large eggs, scrambled
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon mustard
1/4 cup chopped green onion
4 sweet pickles (or dill), diced
Salt and pepper to taste

Scramble seven, large eggs in a nonstick pan. Turn them out on a cutting board and give them a good chop.

Add the chopped eggs to a bowl along with 1/2 cup mayonnaise, 1 Tablespoon mustard, 1/4 cup chopped green onion, 4 diced sweet pickles and salt and pepper to taste. Mix until you have your desired consistency.

Refrigerate for one hour or longer before serving on your favorite bread or roll.

Amounts of ingredients will change depending on how many eggs you use. (I only used 3 eggs. And it was one too many for my appetite)

I cannot even begin to tell you how my life has changed. I even went out and bought bread just for the occasion. Bread that is now in my freezer and will probably go uneaten for a month or 2. Two out of three ain't bad.

UPDATE!!

Day 23, money spent thus far: $43.94

I had a craving for cold fruit and to surprise BF with homemade easy cheese danishes, so a trip to the grocery store was in order.

:)

I Think I Like Mexican Food/Mexican Inspired Food More Than I Originally Thought....

This whole Penny Pinching Pantry Raid thing has gotten me obsessing over how much I spend on food.... so I've been eating pasta and date night leftovers instead of going grocery shopping.

After reading a post over at Ezra Pound Cake, I got to thinking how much I love tamales and that I actually had polenta in my cupboard. Thanks to the family, I also had leftover ground beef and an onion.


Instant Tamale Pie
From Ezra Pound Cake & "Moosewood Restaurant New Classics"
Serves 4
1 can of pinto beans with liquid (I used black beans)
1/2 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels (I didn't have corn)
1/2 cup salsa (I used a red onion and some cherry tomatoes I found in the fridge)
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp salt 12 oz prepared polenta (preferably the cheddar-jalapeño variety)
3 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
1 cup grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese
3/4 cup ground beef

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil a 10-inch cast-iron skillet or 11-inch baking dish. Set aside.
2. Empty beans into a large bowl, and mash with a potato masher or fork. Add corn, salsa, cumin, oregano, and salt. Mix thoroughly, and set aside.
3. Slice the polenta roll into 1/4-inch-thick rounds (about the thickness of sausage patties). Arrange the rounds in the skillet, slightly overlapping. Spoon the bean mixture over the polenta, throw nickel-sized balls of ground beef on it, and sprinkle on the cilantro and cheese. 4. Cover and bake for 15 minutes, and then uncover and bake for 15 minutes more, until the beans are bubbling and hot. For a crisp topping, place under the broiler for 2 to 3 minutes. let sit for 10 minutes before serving.




I'm going to go polish off the rest of my pie now...


UPDATE!!


Day 13, money spent thus far: $21.17
Had to buy butter, brown sugar, cheese, beans, and I paid for half of my date night dinner


:)

Just For You

To anyone who has left comments on my blog,

I'm sorry I didn't comment back.
I love that you took the time to read and comment on my blog.
I guess I didn't set it up to be notified by email so I had no idea.
I feel like the biggest rude ever.
Please forgive me.


-Ashley

:)

It Was Inevitable...

My 4th of July post... you know you were wondering where it was/what I made/what I did.

I went home for the 4th. We had a lovely inebriated BBQ badminton bash in which we all wore matching t-shirts and patriotic temporary tattoos. But before I left town I made some festive red and blue M&M cookies.
I could have sworn M&M packaged red and blue M&Ms just for this sort of occasion and, after searching through the seasonal sections in big name discount stores and grocers, I gave in and bought them at a specialty candy store.
I used my favorite never fail chocolate chip cookie recipe and slightly altered it.



Chocolate Chip Cookies (or in this case, M&M cookies)
From Food Network Kitchens How To Boil Water, Meredith, 2006


1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 (12 oz) bag semisweet chocolate chips, or chunks (I used red and blue M&Ms)
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp fine salt

Evenly position 2 packs in the middle of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone sheets (if you only have 1 baking sheet, let it cool completely between batches).

Put the butter in a microwave safe bowl, cover and microwave on medium power until melted (alternatively melt in a small saucepan). Cool slightly. Whisk the sugars, eggs, butter, and vanilla in a large bowl until smooth.

Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt in another bowl. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingedients with a wooden spoon; take care not to over mix. Do not do this->Stir in the chocolate chips or chunks.

Scoop heaping tablespoons of the dough onto the prepared pans. Wet hands slightly and roll the dough into balls. Space the cookies about 2-inches apart on the pans. Push as many M&Ms as you can fit into the balls of dough. Bake until golden, but still soft in the center, 12 to 16 minutes, depending on how chewy or crunchy you liked your cookies. Transfer hot cookies with a spatula to a rack to cool. Serve.




Give this recipe a try! They were a hit!




And now... for an update!



Day 6, money spent thus far: $10.25
Had to buy milk yesterday.
Living on 4th of July leftovers.


:)

Food Challenge!!

Thanks to Susan at She's Becoming DoughMessTic I can take my starving student eating habits and turn them into a challenge!

I've allotted myself $50 for food for the whole month of July. That's nuts. I know. Especially considering my sparse pantry.














Luckily I went home for the 4th of July weekend and brought back all sorts of leftovers.
I bought red and blue M&Ms to make cookies which put a teeeeny tiny dent in my budget...

Day 5, money spent thus far: $6.26

I'm in over my head.


:)