Click the picture or here.  I’d forgotten how funny JibJab could be. You can design and send your own Holiday emails, too.  And yes, I spent waaaaay too much time on this…

Here’s the boxes on my porch when I returned from a short hop to CVS…lots of the Clorox wipes from OfficeMax and “some” Babycakes Waffle Sticks makers from Kohl’s.

Crock Pot© cooking is the best way for lazy people to prepare meals – you toss everything into one pot in the am, turn the knob to high and come back to a wonderful smell and dinner all ready to go – easy peasy!

I wanted to make an Indian-themed dinner, so I started with about 3 cups of split lentils (I used red ones, but heck, use what you have, just make sure you rinse them thoroughly).  Into the pot with a can of diced tomatoes, two of those McCormick spice cards from the freebie at Jewel (I used tikki masala), one jar of medium sliced jalapeño peppers, about a tablespoon of turmeric powder, one medium onion chopped, touch of salt (you can add more later) and one can of coconut milk.  You need to add some oil or fat, so I added a couple of scoops of coconut oil – it’s a mild, slightly sweet fat that works well with many recipes.  Add enough water/liquid to get within a couple of inches of the top.  Let it cook for about six hours before tasting – whoa!  A little bit too spicy, so I added one of those Phillie cooking cream containers from the freezer to temper the bite.  Ladle into bowls and garnish with chopped cilantro.  You can also serve this on a bed of rice, which will tone down the heat even more.  I’m serving it with an order of Naan bread from all those freebie deals at Jewel (which filled my freezer nicely, thankyouverymuch).

And that’s Crock Pot©, not crackpot, BTW…

Our beloved boxer/pit mix dog died this morning, waiting until we got up to say goodbye.  Little Cesar was 12, which is a pretty darn good age for a large dog, but not long enough for us.  Up until a few days ago he was fine, obviously slowing down, but then he just lost the will to live; no amount of fancy food or treats would tempt him.  And although a very large part of me wanted medical intervention, I’ve finally accepted to let him go peacefully, as he wished. I say this because over the years I’ve been unable to release my puppies, going so far as to keep them at home on IVs, waiting for that miracle that would transform a dying senior into a brand-new puppy, just because I couldn’t bear for them to go.  And dogs are like that – they’ll look at you with love and refuse to go rather than cause you pain.  So I finally acted like a grownup and let him die at home, with his family around him, being held by his mother and father.

He was the bestest dog ever.

I bought one of these Babycakes cake pop makers last Christmas from Kohl’s.  Didn’t use it much ’cause I kept getting the batter all over and it made a big mess – easier to just make eggs and bacon!  However, while reading reviews, one person said she used a squeeze bottle to fill the form and it was a “eureka!” moment for me.  You make up one box of cake mix, adding anything extra you might want:  I used a yellow cake mix with lots of powdered cinnamon blended in and then poured (with a funnel) into the bottle.  This was easy-peasy, folks.  Each batch takes about 5 minutes to cook.  I tossed the hotties into a gallon bag of sugar and cinnamon to coat them, then placed them on the rack to cool.  Then into the bowl.  Each mix makes about 7 batches of 12 each.  So now I feel much better about buying that Babycakes waffle sticks maker!  Remember, if you’re making any purchases at Kohl’s, use code CCYT115 for 20% off.  Free shipping with no minimum and no code needed and you’ll still earn $15 for every $50 you spend (after promo codes).

Here’s a great way to have a tasty, hot meal ready and waiting for you when you walk in the door – and for really, really cheap!  I took one breast of the Zaycon chicken and the products shown in picture two.  Sliced the chicken into good-sized cubes and just plopped them into the liquid.  Added a couple of cans of water because I made a big pot of rice in my wonderful rice cooker.  Turn the dial and walk away; your dinner will be ready when you are.  The prices on most of those items can be found by searching the brand names, except for the clams, which were a clearance item from some time ago (hey, probably used overage to pay for them!).  I put in a couple of packages of the smoked chipotle sausages from Jewel (buck a pack), sliced on the diagonal and the 49¢ jar of Ragu from the current Jewel sale.  The olive oil was a Meijer freebie from long ago, and the Wholly Salsa was from a recent Jewel freebie.  Tossed in a couple of slivered onions and some Old Bay seasoning.  And here’s what we had for dinner, on top of a bed of rice.

I told you to print the coupon and enter the Lindsay olive giveaway.  For once I took my own advice  – – and I won!  Just got the email that they’re sending out my coupon.  Add those olives to my stockpile.

You know that Honey Baked Ham review with the $10 coupon I posted last week? Well, the thought of another frozen pizza was just too depressing and I was planning on being too lazy to cook, so we stopped and picked up the roast beef dinner and two sides for the $25.99 special.  So, about $16 after the coupon.  And here’s what it looks like warmed up (it’s already seasoned and fully cooked).

This is definitely more than one meal’s worth of food. and husband is already raving about the taste…

every time I’ve seen David Gregory on the screen tonight I flash back to Dave Chappelle’s Chuck Taylor.

This is PITA holding a four week old Yorkipoo (with gray-blue eyes!) she calls Polar Bear, I call Lottery Ticket and my husband calls, invariably, by another dog’s name. invariably.