Archives for January 2015

Valentine Pies

Valentine Pies 2

I love Valentine’s Day. Not because we get all romantic and stuff, but because it’s such an easy holiday to decorate for. 

Throw up some things that are red, pink, or white and you have got yourself some Valentine’s spirit. Not to mention that hearts are everywhere. All the dollar stores are brimming over with decor and treats galore. And the love things makes it pretty cool too. 😉

Our anniversary is just 2 weeks after Valentine’s Day so we never get too mushy on the 14th. But I love helping my daughters get their little Valentine cards and treats ready for school that day.

Ah, yes. The days when you could use cheesy lines and call everyone your Valentine!

I made up these little heart Valentine Pies the other day and I must say they were a hit. I’m sure these have been done before, but I have never made them before now. SO simple. 

I think they would make a great treat for my daughter to take to school on Valentine’s Day!

Valentine Pies 1

I used store bought pie crusts. You know me! I rolled them out and used a $.50 cookie cutter to cut out little hearts. I will use a bigger cookie cutter next time as these were just a taddy bit too small.

I dropped about a teaspoon of canned cherry pie filling into the middle of the heart and topped it with another pie crust heart.

I used a fork to crimp all of the edges. Helps to keep it from coming apart while it’s cooking.

Lastly, I cut a X in the middle to keep it from puffing up in the oven.

Valentine Pies 3

Make these extra tasty by dropping a dollop of whipped cream on top when they are warm! Use any pie filling you’d like or make your own.

Easy as pie!

Valentine Pies
Give your Valentine more than a card. Give them a PIE!
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Ingredients
  1. 2 refrigerated pie crust, brought to room temp
  2. 1 (20 oz) can pie filling, you won't need it all
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 450°.
  2. With first pie crust, cut hearts out and place onto cookie sheet. Add about a teaspoon of pie filling to each heart.
  3. Cut out hearts from 2nd pie crust. Top each pie filling heart with another heart. Crimp closed with fork.
  4. Bake for 8-10 minutes watching to make sure edges don't burn.
  5. Let cool!
Notes
  1. You'll need a heart-shaped cookie cutter and a fork!
Pennywise Cook http://www.pennywisecook.com/

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KitchenAid Classic Stand Mixer $189.99 + Cash Back!

Kicthenaid

I don’t post a lot of deals anymore here on Pennywise, but I wanted to share this one because I am very passionate about something. 

My stand mixer! 

My KitchenAid has been with me through thick buttercream and thin. I wouldn’t want to go through that with any other kinda mixer.

Today at Best Buy, the Deal of the Day is the KitchenAid Classic Stand Mixer for just $189.99! That’s down $60 from the original price of $249. I’m used to seeing them for around $299 so this is a great price.

Now, why not get some cash back on this purchase if you can? TopCashBack will give you 2.25% cash back for this purchase! You purchase just like you would at the Best Buy site only they say “hey! they purchased through us, so let’s give them some cash!”.

To get yours:

  • Head to TopCashBack.
  • In the search bar at the top, type on Best Buy.
  • You’ll find Best Buy at the top and click on the Cash Back button.
  • Then the Get Cash Back Now button.
  • It will take you to the Best Buy site where you can click on Deals > Deal of the Day.
  • Bam- Get your stand mixer!

This deal is good today (1/23/2015) only!


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Easy Fried Rice

Fried Rice 2

 

When my hubby and I were dating, he wouldn’t eat anything but cheeseburgers.

True story.

Date nights with candlelit quarterpounders? Pretty much. He didn’t like anything green, and he especially didn’t like anything foreign.

That is, until you sit him down at a place called Benihana and feed him fried rice. It’s the one thing “foreign” that I could always count on him to eat.

Thankfully he has outgrown most of his picky pants stage and likes to eat a variety of things. But that fried rice is still the only thing he’ll order at a Thai, Chinese, or Japanese place.

I started making this rice soon after we got married for two specific reasons. I just remembered another, so there’s really three.

1) It’s easy. It’s not something you have to think too much about. Just throw it all together in a skillet and boom!

2) It’s really quick. No need to slave over the stove all night.

3) Hubby eats it. Reason enough for me!

Fried Rice 3

This is the perfect meal or side dish to make with leftover rice. It’s best when the rice has been refrigerated and is cold. I have been known to make rice the night before just for this meal.

It really confuses my family.

And then they understand when we have this meal the next night!

Fried Rice 1

I make this with whatever frozen veggies that I can find on sale. Fresh veggies? Of course you can use them, too! It’s such a versatile and easy thing. You can’t mess it up. The variety that I got had sugar snap peas, green beans, red peppers, celery, mushrooms, broccoli, carrots, and onions in it.

Slap an egg in there with your cold rice and add some soy and teriyaki sauce and you have got a really tasty dish.

Here’s the way that I make it, but remember that you can add or take away whatever you’d like.

Simple Fried Rice
Why not make your own fried rice at home? It's simple, tasty, and easy on your wallet!
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Ingredients
  1. 2 c. brown rice, cooked
  2. 1 (12 oz) bag of frozen veggies (stir fry mix is good)
  3. 2 tbsp olive oil
  4. 1 egg, scrambled
  5. 2 tsp minced garlic
  6. 1-2 tbsp soy sauce
  7. 1-2 tbsp teriyaki sauce
  8. salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat in large skillet.
  2. Add frozen veggies and cook until softened.
  3. Add garlic and cook until browned.
  4. Add egg and cook combining into veggies.Then add the cold rice.
  5. Fry over high heat. Add soy and teriyaki. Add salt & pepper to taste.
Pennywise Cook http://www.pennywisecook.com/

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Zucchini Brownies {3 Ingredients}

Zucchini Brownies 2

 The weekend is over. 

How do you like that reality? I don’t like it at all. Seems as though I find myself saying almost every single Sunday evening, that I don’t know where the weekend went. It’s gone in a vapor. Such is life I suppose.

So why not make some brownies to make life more enjoyable?

Warm, gooey, chocolatey brownies. Yes, I think that would make a great Sunday evening pick me up.

Oh, what’s that you say? You’re trying to eat healthier? I got you covered…

Zucchini Brownies 1

These brownies have a secret ingredient that I makes them healthy. Something that some like and some don’t. 

And believe me, if you’re the person that doesn’t like this ingredient, it won’t matter. 

I promise.

You see, these brownies are made with zucchini. Yep, that green, tender, cucumber look-alike stuff. You won’t be able to tell that it’s in them.

Untitled design

I’m not sure that anyone would ever request that big measuring cup of green goo to be placed into their brownies. If you don’t tell them, they won’t even know. 

I did just that. I made these for my family. They gobbled them up with their normal brownie enthusiasm. 

“Mmmmm I love brownies.” 

“These are so good!”

Then after they’ve had their fill, I break the news out on them like a spider monkey.

“You just ate zucchini and you didn’t know it!”

{insert evil veggie sneaking laugh there}

Zucchini Brownies 4

So you see, you have just became a zucchini ninja. Turning dessert time in vegetable time. 

With the quickness. There are only 3 ingredients in the brownies which makes them extra easy and extra quick.

A box of brownie mix. A cup of that green goo, which is just pureed zucchini. And a 3rd cup of milk (any kind you’d like). 

Ninja. Yep.

Zucchini Brownies
3 ingredients including a VEGGIE makes dessert time healthy and tasty!
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Ingredients
  1. Box of brownie mix (18.3- 18.9 oz)
  2. 1 cup pureed zucchini
  3. 1/3 cup milk (of your choice)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to degree listed on brownie mix.
  2. Mix together mix, puree, and milk.
  3. Pour into greased 9x13 baking dish.
  4. Bake according to directions on brownie mix.
Notes
  1. I used almond milk to cut calories in my brownies. Tasted great!
  2. To puree your zucchini, cut it into chunks and throw it into a blender, food processor, or magic bullet thingy.
Adapted from Frugal Foodie Mom
Adapted from Frugal Foodie Mom
Pennywise Cook http://www.pennywisecook.com/

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Chicken and Okra Skillet

Chicken and Okra Skillet 1

Happy new year! It’s 2015 already y’all. Can you believe it? HOW are we already here?

I remember thinking that summer being over was weird. And now CHRISTMAS is over. SO weird.

I have fond memories of my great Aunt Joan always making pickled okra around the holidays. I’m pretty sure that she always made it, but we mostly saw her around the holidays so I just associated it that way. Who knew that a kid would love to dig into dig into a big old jar of homemade okra? 

My kids sure wouldn’t.

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned that I like lots of forms of okra. Fried, steamed, cut, you name it. It’s all good in the okra hood. My husband, not so much. Though for the new year, he is committing to eating better so he decided he would give it a chance. So I decided I would come up with something really tasty to get him on the okra train.

Chicken and Okra Skillet 4

So I made this! My own creation of a few flavors that I thought would go well together. I love what the okra adds to this dish. It’s a bit slimy and soft, but that makes this so good. Gives it a sort of stew texture.

My favorite part? It’s a one-pot meal! You can easily make this whole meal in your skillet. Thank you Jesus!

Chicken and Okra Skillet 2

My husband’s verdict was made apparent when he went back for seconds! I withheld a large smile inside as I watched him dole out the next helping. I told him at the beginning that I thought that he was going to be surprised and he said that he was.

All the ingredients are really simple. Many might be things you already have. This is so quick to whip up so it would make a nice weeknight meal.

Chicken and Okra Skillet
Tomatoes, Okra, and Chicken make a great combination in this easy recipe for a great weeknight meal.
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Ingredients
  1. 1 tbsp olive oil
  2. 2 ribs celery, chopped
  3. 1 small onion, chopped
  4. 2 tsp minced garlic
  5. 1 lb fresh chicken tenders, cut into bite-size pieces
  6. 1 (12 oz) bag frozen cut okra
  7. 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
  8. 1 tsp cumin
  9. 1 tsp beef bouillon
  10. Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. In 1 tbsp olive oil, saute onion and celery over medium heat until translucent. Add garlic and saute until browned. Add chicken pieces and cook until no more pink.
  2. Season with salt and pepper.
  3. Make hole in chicken, celery and onion mixture. Add frozen okra to the middle. Cover and let steam for 5 minutes.
  4. Add can of diced tomatoes, beef bouillon, and cumin. Let simmer for about 5 minutes until warmed through. Season with salt and pepper and serve!
Notes
  1. I use my kitchen sheers to cut up the chicken! Makes it quicker and easier than a knife.
Pennywise Cook http://www.pennywisecook.com/

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