Deals and Dishes

Denleys Cakes and Cookies

2011-08-12T11:21:00.000-05:00

I am taking a break from blogging at Deals and Dishes to focus on my new adventure "Denleys"! I would love for you all to stop by and take a look around!

Link Up Lounge: July 11th

2011-07-11T00:00:00.003-05:00

I decided to try something a little different with this weeks Link Up Lounge...Lets see how it works out! ;)

It's Monday again! Time to share your blogs, giveaways, favorite recipes, crafts, deals and more! Want to help get the word out? Feel free to add the Deals and Dishes "Link Up Lounge" button to your page. It is not mandatory, but it is very much appreciated ;)!

Also, as an added bonus, the first 4 bloggers to link up (and two bloggers chosen at random) will be featured in the Link Up Lounge Sidebar! So, come on...LINK UP! Just be sure to keep it family friendly and hop around to some of the other great blogs participating.

Denleys Cakes and Cookies

2011-07-05T10:06:00.002-05:00

I promised a few weeks back that I would share Bailey's lady bug sugar cookies with you, but unfortunately they were all gobbled up before I was able to take a picture! =( Lesson learned that is best to take a picture as soon as they are finished being made ;)!

I did however take a few pics of the cookies I made last week for my very first client! Yep, that's right, I am now in the cookie and cake business! Who would have thought! I already have one cookie and one cake order under my belt and I am so excited about the positive feedback I have been receiving from family, friends and complete strangers (lol). I actually never thought or planned that I would make cakes (and I am a huge planner), but it seems like it is rapidly turning into a nice little home business and I am absolutely thrilled. I actually find myself anxious to make my next cake...weird, I know!

Anyways, pictured above are the Hello Kitty sugar cookies I made last week. Although, it took my about 5 hours to make them, I was pretty happy with the results! I used this sugar cookie dough and a new icing recipe called color flow icing that I will be posting in the near future!

If you would like to follow Denleys on facebook, you can visit me here and click LIKE! =)

Link Up Lounge: July 4th

2011-07-04T00:00:00.003-05:00

Happy 4th of July! It's Monday again! Time to share your blogs, giveways, favorite recipes, crafts, deals and more! Want to help get the word out? Feel free to add the Deals and Dishes "Link Up Lounge" button to your page. It is not mandatory, but it is very much appreciated ;)!

Also, as an added bonus, the first blogger to link up in each category (and two bloggers chosen at random) will be featured in the Link Up Lounge Sidebar! So, come on...LINK UP!

NOTE: There are 4 Link Up Categories listed below (Blog Hop, Giveaways, Recipes / Crafts and Deals). Please be sure to add your link under the correct category so that your post can be found easily! =)

Blog Hop:
Do you have a hot blog or any fun post that you would like to share or have you come across another great blog or post that you want us to check out? If so, Link Up! Just be sure to keep it family friendly and hop around to some of the other great blogs participating.

Giveaways:
Are you currently hosting a giveaway or have you found a great giveaway that you would like to share? If so, link up! Just be sure to link directly to the giveaway post.

Recipes and DIY/Crafts:
Do you have a Recipe or DIY/Craft Project to share or have you found a great recipe or project that you would like for us to check out? If so, link up! Just be sure to link directly to the Recipe or DIY/Craft post.

Deals:
Did you snag any great deals this week or did you see a hot deal that you would like for us to check out? If so, link up! Just be sure to link directly to the deal post.

Grilled Artichokes

2011-06-29T20:04:00.001-05:00

My husband and I were able to enjoy a date night a few months back and decided to go out to dinner at Houston's Restaurant! Since date nights do not happen all too often around our household, we decided to take full advantage of dinner by ordering every course (appetizer, entree, dessert and even coffee). Although my first appetizer choice is almost always spinach and artichoke dip, I decided to take a different route this particular night because my husband will not even taste it (not even one bite)! I must admit that I typically view this as a positive thing because let's be honest, if he doesn't eat it then their will be more for me =)!

After looking over the menu, we decided to try out the grilled artichoke and all I can say is wow, what a delicious appetizer! It was so yummy and I couldn't believe that I was actually happy I did not order the dip. Fast forward a few months later and we decided to try out grilling artichokes in the comfort of our own home =). Here's the recipe we used:

Ingredients:

2 large artichokes

1 lemon, quartered

3/4 cup olive oil

4 garlic cloves, chopped

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions:

Mix olive oil, garlic cloves, salt and pepper in an oven safe bowl. Cook in a 350 degree oven until garlic cloves are tender (about 20 minutes). Remove from oven and mash the tender garlic cloves in the olive oil mixture to create a garlic dip.

Trim the tops and ends of leaves from the artichokes, cut in half lengthwise and remove the fuzzy choke. Squeeze a bit of lemon on immediately to prevent browning. If preparing artichokes ahead of time, place them in a bowl of lemon water until ready to boil.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, preheat an outdoor or indoor grill for medium-high heat.

Add artichokes to boiling water, and cook for about 15 minutes or until tender. Drain well.

Brush the artichokes with a coating of the garlic dip, and place them on the preheated grill. Grill the artichokes for 5 to 10 minutes, basting with dip and turning frequently, until the tips are a little charred. Serve immediately with remaining garlic dip.

Link Up Lounge: June 27th

2011-06-27T00:00:00.002-05:00

It's Monday again! Time to share your blogs, giveways, favorite recipes, crafts, deals and more! Want to help get the word out? Feel free to add the Deals and Dishes "Link Up Lounge" button to your page. It is not mandatory, but it is very much appreciated ;)!

Lady Bug Cake for Bailey

2011-06-20T16:10:00.001-05:00

I have been a little MIA the last couple of weeks. Well, let's be honest, since my little man finished school for the summer. I can say that it has been for good reasons though. I have been super busy being a mom, wife, chef, maid, party planner, baker, friend, cheerleader, hostess and so on =).

We just celebrated my daughters second birthday this weekend and I have been feeling a little bummed out about how fast my little babies are growing up. Can I just freeze this age where they still think I am awesome and can hold and snuggle them without them thinking it isn't cool (lol).

Her party turned out great! Even though it was extremely hot outside, she had such a good time playing with her little friends and cousins. I was feeling extremely ambitious and decided to make her a 7 layer lady bug cake! Really, it was 7 layers and turned out exactly as I was hoping. I never knew that I would enjoy cake decorating so much! This is definitely my new hobby!

I would love to see some of your favorite hobbies or cakes that you have made. Feel free to share them with us in the Link Up Lounge!

Link Up Lounge: June 20th

2011-06-20T00:00:00.001-05:00

Velveeta Cheese Sauce

2011-06-14T22:26:00.000-05:00

Although there are many folks out there that love Velveeta Shells and Cheese, including my husband, I am just not one of those people. Don't get me wrong, I love Velveeta and I love shells, I am just not a huge fan of the Velveeta cheese sauce that comes out of that small silver pouch! I much rather cook my own pasta and make my very own Velveeta cheese sauce. It taste soooooo much better and is super easy and inexpensive to make! Here's my recipe:

Ingredients:

2 tbsn butter
2 tbsn flour
1 cup milk
6 oz Velveeta
1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)
1/4 tsp pepper (or to taste)

Directions:
Cook flour and butter over medium heat for about 2 minutes. Add milk slowly and whisk until slightly thickened. Add cheese and stir until melted. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Do you have a recipe you would like to share? If so link up with us in the Link Up Lounge!

Link Up Lounge: June 13th

2011-06-13T00:00:00.000-05:00

Pizza Sauce

2011-06-06T12:39:00.000-05:00

A while back I shared with you my favorite homemade pizza dough recipe and have been wanting to find the perfect sauce recipe ever since. Unfortunately the very first recipe I tried ended in disaster. It really was not good at all...not even a little. My husband said that I got an A+ for presentation but failed for actual taste =(!

After doing a little research, I have finally come up with my perfect pizza sauce recipe. It is so easy (way easier than I ever thought making pizza sauce could be) and it is so inexpensive to make. I don't know why I assumed making pizza sauce would be this drawn out process that called for a million and one different ingredients =)!

Here's my recipe that I really think you (and your kiddos) will love:

Ingredients:
1 can tomato paste 6 oz
6 oz water
1 tbsn sugar
1/2 tbsn onion powder
1 tbsn grated parmesan
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp Italian seasoning

Directions:
Mix tomato paste and water together thoroughly. Add remaining ingredients and stir until well combined.

Note: This is such a great base recipe that can easily be changed to suit your specific taste.

Link Up Lounge: June 5th

2011-06-06T00:00:00.001-05:00

Also, as an added bonus, the first blogger to link up in each category (and two bloggers chosen at random) will be featured in the Link Up Lounge Sidebar! So, come on...LINK UP!

NOTE: There are 4 Link Up Categories listed below (Blog Hop, Giveaways, Recipes / Crafts and Deals). Please be sure to add your link under the correct category so that your post can be found easily! =)

Blog Hop:
Do you have a hot blog or any fun post that you would like to share or have you come across another great blog or post that you want us to check out? If so, Link Up! Just be sure to keep it family friendly and hop around to some of the other great blogs participating.

Giveaways: *Featured on Monday*
Are you currently hosting a giveaway or have you found a great giveaway that you would like to share? If so, link up! Just be sure to link directly to the giveaway post.

Recipes and DIY/Crafts: *Featured on Wednesday*
Do you have a Recipe or DIY/Craft Project to share or have you found a great recipe or project that you would like for us to check out? If so, link up! Just be sure to link directly to the Recipe or DIY/Craft post.

Deals: *Featured on Friday*
Did you snag any great deals this week or did you see a hot deal that you would like for us to check out? If so, link up! Just be sure to link directly to the deal post.

No Deals + Link Up

2011-06-03T15:43:00.002-05:00

No deals for me this week! I have a feeling that I will not be able to shop too much this summer! There is just way too much going on with these little kiddos! I would still love to see how you did though!

Did you snag any great deals this week or did you see a hot deal that you would like for us to check out? If so, link up! Just be sure to link directly to the deal post.

Peanut Butter Cereal Bars

2011-06-01T15:13:00.000-05:00

A while back I was able to snag around 15 boxes of Special K cereal for free, so I have been trying to come up with creative ways to use it up before it expires. My husband does not always have time to sit down and eat a bowl of cereal, so I decided to use the Special K to make cereal bars for him to easily take with him to work in the mornings. The kids really enjoy having it for a mid-day snack as well. Here's the recipe I used, which tasted pretty yummy:

Ingredients:
6 cups of cereal
1/2 stick butter
2 tbsn peanut butter
1 tbsn honey
1 bag of marshmallow 10.5 oz

Directions:
Melt butter. Add marshmallow and stir until completely melted and smooth. Stir in peanut butter and honey and mix thoroughly. Add 6 cups of cereal (I crushed mine a little before adding) and stir until completely coated with marshmallow mixture. Pour into a greased dish and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Cut into bars or squares.

Do you have a Recipe or DIY/Craft Project to share or have you found a great recipe or project that you would like for us to check out? If so, link up! Just be sure to link directly to the Recipe or DIY/Craft post.

Reminder: Custom Blog Button Giveaway + Linky

2011-05-30T21:59:00.000-05:00

Reminder: Would you like a chance to win a Custom Blog Button? If so, simply leave your blog address in the comment section below! It's that easy!

•This giveaway is open until Sunday, June 5th.
•One winner will be chosen on Monday by random.org.
•Feel free to follow Deals and Dishes while you are here ;)!
•Leave as many comments as you would like to increase your chances of winning.

Are you currently hosting a giveaway or have you found a great giveaway that you would like to share? If so, link up! Just be sure to link directly to the giveaway post.

Can't leave comments?!?!?

2011-05-30T10:09:00.000-05:00

I have been having a problem with leaving comments in blogger for about a week now! This includes on my page as well as others. I did a search this morning and finally figured out how to fix it. So, just in case any of you are having the same issue, I wanted to share with you a few tips:

Log out of blogger completely
Log back in at blogger.com
Uncheck the Stay Signed In box

I followed these few steps and can finally leave comments. I hope this helps those of you who may be experiencing the same problem.

Link Up Lounge: May 30th

2011-05-30T00:00:00.002-05:00

Also, as an added bonus, the first blogger to link up in each category (and two bloggers chosen at random) will be featured in the Link Up Lounge Sidebar! So, come on...LINK UP!

NOTE: There are 4 Link Up Categories listed below (Blog Hop, Giveaways, Recipes / Crafts and Deals). Please be sure to add your link under the correct category so that your post can be found easily! =)

Blog Hop:
Do you have a hot blog or any fun post that you would like to share or have you come across another great blog or post that you want us to check out? If so, Link Up! Just be sure to keep it family friendly and hop around to some of the other great blogs participating.

Giveaways: *Featured on Monday*
Are you currently hosting a giveaway or have you found a great giveaway that you would like to share? If so, link up! Just be sure to link directly to the giveaway post.

Recipes and DIY/Crafts: *Featured on Wednesday*
Do you have a Recipe or DIY/Craft Project to share or have you found a great recipe or project that you would like for us to check out? If so, link up! Just be sure to link directly to the Recipe or DIY/Craft post.

Deals: *Featured on Friday*
Did you snag any great deals this week or did you see a hot deal that you would like for us to check out? If so, link up! Just be sure to link directly to the deal post.

$40.00 Challenge + Free Rice

2011-05-27T11:21:00.004-05:00

As I mentioned earlier this week, I am trying to get back into grocery shopping for under $40.00 each week. This is simply my personal challenge to help keep our budget on track.

This week, I only made it to our local grocery store, WinnDixie. Although I did not get the chance to shop for deals at any of the drugstores, I may try to make a trip to CVS tomorrow to take advantage of the $5.00/$25.00 coupon I received in an e-mail yesterday.

My trip to Winn-Dixie was pretty basic. I spent a little less than $35.00 for all of the items pictured above. I really just went to pick up a few items I needed for dinner this week, not for any great deals. The item I was most excited about was the Tylenol Precise. It was on clearance for $2.07 and I had a coupon for $2.00 off, making it only $0.07.

I was also able to pick up two bags of rice for free thanks to a bogo sale Winn-Dixie was having and two $0.50/1 coupons that came in the paper a few weeks back.

Did you snag any great deals this week or did you see a hot deal that you would like for us to check out? If so, link up! Just be sure to link directly to the deal post.

Ice Cream Cone Sugar Cookies

2011-05-25T11:49:00.000-05:00

Friday was my son's last day of preschool (sad face...he is getting so big). To celebrate, his school put on a small graduation ceremony followed by a family picnic. My little one wanted nothing to do with the ceremony. As all of his classmates sung their ABC's, my son looked at me as if he was completely embarrassed that they were making him wear this goofy hat made out of construction paper. I personally thought all of the little kids looked adorable, but he wanted no part of it. His lil sister, on the other hand, was enjoying every bit of it! =)

As soon as the hats came off he was back to his normal self and we all went outside to watch our little ones play with their friends for one last time and to eat up some of the yummy snacks all of the parents brought. I was in charge of bringing cookies, so I decided use Vanilla-Almond Sugar Cookie Dough and Marshmallow Fondant to make Ice cream sugar cookies (mainly because it was the only cookie cutter I had on hand that made me think of summer time)! I think they turned out cute, but it took me quite a while to make them.

As a small thank you, I also packed up a few cookies along with a card for each of his teachers.

Do you have a Recipe or DIY/Craft Project to share or have you found a great recipe or project that you would like for us to check out? If so, link up! Just be sure to link directly to the Recipe or DIY/Craft post.

Buttermilk Ranch Dressing

2011-05-25T10:52:00.001-05:00

Who knew that making homemade ranch dressing could be so easy! I came across this recipe from a reader who linked up last week and I knew right away that I had to give this recipe a try. The results were really yummy and as I said before, so so so easy! Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:
1 scallion
1 garlic clove
1/2 cup of mayonnaise
1/3 cup of buttermilk
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
Chop up one scallion and add it to the food processor with the garlic. Pulse until garlic is minced. Add the mayo, buttermilk and salt and pepper to taste. Pulse until well combined and smooth.

Note: A big thanks to Jennifer for sharing. She came across this recipe from Food Networks 5 ingredient fix.

Just a thought

2011-05-24T14:54:00.000-05:00

Why is it almost 3:00 PM and I have feed the kids, put them down for a nap, cleaned up a bit, washed some clothes and just now realized that I did not feed myself! Man, I'm hungry...lol!

Does this ever happen to you? Please tell me I'm not the only one! =)

Menu Plan Monday...Back Again

2011-05-23T16:04:00.000-05:00

Over the last month or so I have put menu planning on back burner. This has lead to a lot of "What do you want to eat, I don't know what do you want to eat?" conversations that typically lead to take out. This of course lead to a lot of unnecessary spending, so I am determined to get back on track and have a plan in place each week. =) I am also planning to get back on track with my $40 weekly grocery challenge, so you can expect to see that in the very near future as well...probably Friday.

Here is my menu plan for this week! I am getting hungry just thinking about it!

Monday: White Beans with Cheesy Jalapeno Cornbread

Tuesday: Chicken Strip Salad with Homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dressing

Wednesday: Spaghetti with Homemade Meatballs, Corn on the Cob and Garlic Bread

Thursday: Baked Creamy Taquitos, Yellow Rice and Cucumber Salad

Friday: Pizza (Homemade Sauce and Dough)

Do you have a menu plan in place? I definitely think having a plan mapped out can help lower your grocery bill. What do you think?

Custom Blog Button Giveaway + Linky

2011-05-23T13:18:00.000-05:00

Would you like a chance to win a Custom Blog Button? If so, simply leave your blog address in the comment section below! It's that easy!

•This giveaway is open until Sunday, June 5th.
•One winner will be chosen on Monday by random.org.
•Feel free to follow Deals and Dishes while you are here ;)!
•Leave as many comments as you would like to increase your chances of winning.

Are you currently hosting a giveaway or have you found a great giveaway that you would like to share? If so, link up! Just be sure to link directly to the giveaway post.

Link Up Lounge: May 23rd

2011-05-23T00:00:00.001-05:00

Also, as an added bonus, the first blogger to link up in each category (and two bloggers chosen at random) will be featured in the Link Up Lounge Sidebar! So, come on...LINK UP!

NOTE: There are 4 Link Up Categories listed below (Blog Hop, Giveaways, Recipes / Crafts and Deals). Please be sure to add your link under the correct category so that your post can be found easily! =)

Blog Hop:
Do you have a hot blog or any fun post that you would like to share or have you come across another great blog or post that you want us to check out? If so, Link Up! Just be sure to keep it family friendly and hop around to some of the other great blogs participating.

Giveaways: *Featured on Monday*
Are you currently hosting a giveaway or have you found a great giveaway that you would like to share? If so, link up! Just be sure to link directly to the giveaway post.

Recipes and DIY/Crafts: *Featured on Wednesday*
Do you have a Recipe or DIY/Craft Project to share or have you found a great recipe or project that you would like for us to check out? If so, link up! Just be sure to link directly to the Recipe or DIY/Craft post.

Deals: *Featured on Friday*
Did you snag any great deals this week or did you see a hot deal that you would like for us to check out? If so, link up! Just be sure to link directly to the deal post.

Free Tylenol, Snacks and More!

2011-05-20T13:24:00.000-05:00

I went to Rite-Aid earlier this week to see if they had restocked the Tylenol Precise and much to my excitement they did. I was able to score two tubes of the cream for free thanks to my $5.00 coupon and the rain check I picked up from last weeks sale! While there, I also snagged two tubes of toothpaste and a toothbrush for free, plus two bags of Ritz crackers for only $0.19 after coupon! Being that I made a $0.51 profit for each tube of toothpaste. I was able to get all of the items pictured above for free plus I made a small profit! =)

Did you snag any great deals this week or did you see a hot deal that you would like for us to check out? If so, link up! Just be sure to link directly to the deal post.