Culinary Exploits with Zucchini

      Tonight I needed to get rid of some previously frozen ground beef, but I wasn't feeling pasta. So, I decided to try something I've wanted to experiment with for a while -- squash "pasta". We had some zucchini in the fridge, which we both love, so I did it! After sauteing/steaming the "pasta" for approximately 3 or 4 minutes, I made spaghetti casserole (layers of pasta, cheese, meat, and sauce) with my new favorite "pasta". I'm so excited that it turned out. I LOVED the meal, and who doesn't enjoy a one-dish dinner? We also had enough left over for a lunch side-dish for the husband. All of this from 3 zucchini squash. :)

Success.

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SWAGBUCKS

So, I've been getting some requests to explain how SwagBucks works, and I thought I would put it here so that I only need to explain it once. For additional questions, email or fb me.

WHAT IS SWAGBUCKS?

SwagBucks is a site by which you earn points and in turn redeem those points for prizes, such as coupons, gift cards, trinkets, etc. The prizes for which I am saving are all gift cards because I believe in using SwagBucks to truly save me money.

WAYS TO EARN: this list is by no means exhaustive -- I'm just hitting what I consider to be the high points.

ONE-TIME EARNINGS:

• I suggest downloading the SwagBucks toolbar immediately -- it lets you search without going to their search page, it has easy links to earning, and you can get random points just for having it.
• Go to the survey page and complete your survey profile. It is a series of mini-surveys about your habits so they can better match you up with outside surveys. You will get a minimum of 5 SwagBucks from each profile section.

DAILY EARNINGS:

• Visit SwagBucks Surveys -- 1 SB
• Proceed through the NOSO tab. That's No Obligation Special Offers. By clicking through, you should earn 2 SB.
• Invite a friend -- You can only earn by inviting 1 friend a day for 1 SB. Any additional invites get you no points, so you might as well wait.
• Take the daily poll. 1 SB

OTHER OPPORTUNITIES:

• I visit the Special Offers section every day (specifically the Peanut Labs tab) because there are often free offers that require only watching an ad video, etc.
• You can also take surveys to earn points. I quickly learned that a survey over about 15 minutes makes me want to die, so I weed out my options by length and then by potential SB earned. 
• You can earn SB by playing games, but my opinion is that the time to SB earned is not worth the effort. 
• You can also earn by watching SwagBucks TV, but again, I believe it takes too long to earn too little. Decide for yourself!

ADVICE:

If you are going to start participating in SwagBucks, ordering freebies, etc., I highly recommend that you go to gmail.com and make an email just for your "frugal" escapades. Mine is frugallagurf@gmail.com. I use this only for savings sites, which means that my REAL email is not tied up in a million offers or updates / day.

Let me know if you have any more questions!

GO HERE TO SIGN UP!

This Post Is For Mikella

So, I've been really sick lately. Like, can't go to work, stuff oozing out my ear, on narcotics, lost 5 pounds in 3 days sick. Haha. BUT, Ms. Mikella Rutter, Athenian extraordinaire would like a blog post. So, for the sake of time (I have to leave for work in 15 minutes and still have to walk the dogs and force myself to eat some yogurt), here it is.

ODE TO THE FLUID DRIPPING OUT MY EAR:
First
You were thicker
Bloody.
You oozed
Now you veritably flow
Bright yellow
Is it the antibiotic
That changed your color?
You make my ear feel weird.

ODE TO NARCOTICS
You
Take my pain away
But you also make me
So sick to my stomach that
I can't eat
Suffice it to say
That
Although I am grateful
I will never be one
To be
Dependent
On you
Or your kind.

ODE TO THE THING REINA THREW UP THIS MORNING
You are
Unidentified and
Really
Really
Gross

Really, Really Scary

SATURDAY SPOTLIGHT: JPM Photography

aka My Brother.


My brother is an amazingly talented young man. Here to tell you about himself is Jarrett Morgan!!!




Bio:

I am a freshman at the Georgia Institute of Technology (though I am transferring to Georgia State to pursue my dream, film work). I have been doing multimedia work ever since I was little, starting with running powerpoints in church when I was in elementary school and being in the video club at my elementary school. When we moved in early middle school, I got involved at my new church and started doing more and more video work. My passion really took off when I discovered my dad's old Minolta X-370 film camera in the winter of some year that I can't remember. Anyway, with my dad's help I learned the basics of exposure and composition while on that trip (while shooting a very expensive amount of film). Well, I decided that I wanted to really get into photography and, around my 16th birthday I bought my first DSLR kit: a used 20D with an 18-55 and a 55-200. I really loved that camera and had it nearly 3 years.

Now, my video passion really took off my junior year in high school when I interned at my church with the incredible Ron Johnson, who is my mentor and an incredibly gifted person. I figured out that semester that I could do this for the rest of my life. As I have gone on since then, my passion has slowly adjusted and molded to come where it is today. I still don't know exactly what I want to do in the industry, but I do know that this is what I want to do.

What exactly is it that you do? What sets you apart from others who do it? 

Well, I started my own photography and videography company type thing and I pour myself into every job I get, doing the best I can for very reasonable prices. I started the company after seeing how ridiculous some of the prices for photos are. I guess that the price and quality point is what sets me apart.

Give some examples (visual) of your work.

well, the best examples are on my website, jpmphotovideo.com. I have more that I am not yet allowed to share as well.

Give your website address and your company's slogan.

as stated above, jpmphotovideo.com. and the company slogan is "for the richness of life" (a play on John Pierpoint Morgan)

How does the internet play into your career? How has it enabled you to enhance what you offer/how you offer it?

Well, I learned a ton of information from the internet. I love searching through the forums and blogs (like Phillip Bloom, Matthew Duclos, and Vincent Laforet) and learning something new every day. The internet enabled me to be the photographer that I am today, it (and the people on it) helped me learn everything that I know now. The internet also gives photographers and videographers a way to share proofs and picture locks with the clients. I can't imagine having to use DVDs again.

Give an interesting/silly fact about yourself. 

I have an awful memory for actual memories, but I can remember facts and figures like no ones business. Just ask any of my friends, haha

As Promised: Mail Disappointment

Everything is disappointment. Sad.

Intro to Me

So, for any of you who may have randomly stumbled upon this blog, here goes the first installment of Intro to Me, otherwise known as Why Hannah Is Not Like Normal People.

I get super excited about getting mail. Someday, however, I will share the daily defeat I feel when EVERY PIECE OF MAIL IS FOR MY HUSBAND. Lame.

Peace out.

RE-VAMP!!!

It's like a remix only it's sexier. :)

THIS IS NO LONGER JUST A COOKING BLOG. Internet lovers REJOICE.

I Am a Slacker

Buuuu. I have been so busy lately that nothing fantastic has happened in my culinary life.

Last night, we (gasp) heated up leftover pizza and pizza rolls.

Tonight, since I had school until 8:00, I stuck with my fail-proof fallback: pasta and cheese always hits the right note with the husband. I put some of the leftover chicken on my half since B doesn't really dig el pollo.

That's pretty much it. Sorry for the blogging failure.

A Day of Quick Eats

     Today was a lazy, sick-ish day, so all I wanted to do was lie around and do nothing. Unfortunately, that was not in the cards. We had a decently productive day getting a new crate for the dogs (one for them to share -- we'll see how that works out) and buying a lot of used books. 

     So when it came time for cooking, I opted for the easy route. I'm all about using leftovers to save time and money, and that is just what I did. For lunch, B wanted my specialty -- pasta with cheese on it -- so out came the leftover whole grain spaghetti! Spaghetti and cheese (not to be confused with my grandmother's much more sophisticated version that has more than three ingredients) is pretty much my Grammy's baked macaroni and cheese recipe with spaghetti instead of macaroni. Take pasta, layer with a good deal of butter and cheddar cheese, bake at around 400 degrees (B and I always argue over whether it is 375 or 425) for between 10 and 20 minutes, depending on the size of the dish. You can add just enough milk to cover the bottom of the pan after the other ingredients -- it boiling is a good sign of when the dish is done if you are using a glass pan.

     For dinner, I decided to make chicken and dumplings, which, for those of you who are not familiar with the deliciousness of chicken and dumplings, is filling, cheap, and easy. Chicken broth and chicken pieces brought to a boil with biscuit dough added in small clumps. Stir a few times, season to taste, and voila -- chicken and dumplings. 

Today's verdict: success.

Day 1: Final Evaluations

• Whole Chicken
• verdict: success
• Mini Tarts:
• My verdict: Good. I'm not a pie person, so I don't have the same perspective as someone who enjoys this kind of treat.
• B's verdict:Pretty good (decently high praise when he knows I made it from scratch)
• Improv Mini-Muffins:
• My verdict: Edible, but missing something
• B's verdict: "They just don't have a lot of flavor"
• WhiteOne: It's no dog biscuit, but I'll take what I can get.

MIni Tarts and Muffins: Using Overripe Bananas

Mini Tarts:
     Inspired by what I saw at not martha's website, I decided to use our two very overripe bananas in mini-pies. However, I rolled the crust a little thick and only had enough for bottoms, not tops, of pastries. So I made "tarts" instead. The filling I made from mashed bananas, half a cup of Giant boysenberry yoghurt (because I discovered that Giant brand yoghurt is one I will not be buying in the future), and some half-melted semi-sweet chocolate chips. It sounds disgusting, but let me tell you -- the filling by itself was delicious, and the best part is that I added no extra sugar (or, in our household, Splenda) to either of these experiments. I popped them in the oven at 375 for about 15 minutes, which could have been shortened by rolling the crust thinner. Overall, they are alright. I'll not be embarrassed to send them to work with B tomorrow, like I seem to do with everything I make from extra bananas around here.

Mini Muffins:
     After making the tarts I had crust to make, I had leftover filling and decided to free-hand some muffins. I added honey and butter, the EggBeater's equivalent of one egg, and a good dose of flower to taste. The batter seemed alright (I always sample batter before cooking anything), so I put them in the oven at 400 for about 12 minutes. The muffins turned out a little heavy and lacking in flavor, but they are definitely edible. They will also be going in to work with B tomorrow.

WhiteOne wasn't sure what to think at first about the piece of muffin she got as a treat, but true to dog form, she ended up eating it. I happened to catch her in the middle of licking her lips. Best praise? :)

Dinner Day 1

     Today I made my first attempt at cooking a whole chicken by myself. I've seen my mother do it many a time and have since read so much about what a great deal it is to buy a whole chicken (especially when you get it at Sam's Club for 89 cents a pound!). From this first analysis, I have to agree. From one ~5 lb chicken, I got the entrée of a two-person meal, a large tupperware (see picture at right of tupperware on my breadmaker for a size comparison, since I can't remember the actual tupperware size) full of leftover chicken, and a good bit of stock (I'm still simmering the water, chicken fat/bones/etc., and onion in the pot, so the verdict on how much chicken stock is yet to be determined).
    
     So, dinner:

• Crockpot chicken
• Sweet early peas
• Garlic cheese biscuits (recipe found online and adapted -- unfortuately, I can't re-find it to credit the original source)
• Sweet tea (of course)

    Husband complained about the lack of variety (only one side?!? the horror!), but he did not complain about the quantity, so I consider the dinner a (very cheap) success.