Cents and Sensible Eats

Eating sensibly while travelling and doing so on a tight budget isn't always easy... but it can be quite delicious. Every road trip we take I really try to plan what we are going to eat for the 3 to 5 days that we are travelling well in advance. Travel days are the worst when it comes to meals, mostly because I always seem to make us late for our departure time. So breakfast tacos and salty snacks and fruit seem to be our meal plan during the actual drive.

By the time we get to the hotel, it's usually dinner time. Rather than take the easy way out and pick up a greasy bag of fast food, I prefer to cook if I have any strength left in me. This is why I LOVE my
rice cooker. In all honesty, I wasn't crazy about it when my husband got it. I thought to my self, "great, an appliance that makes one thing and one thing only." But, the more we travel the more things we learn to cook in it.

This trip's recipe is one pot pasta dinner that can be enjoyed cold with a fresh salad the next day. The ingredients can be purchased at most grocery stores pretty readily. Since we were headed to Sulphur Springs this trip and I wanted to make sure I had the supplies I needed as soon as we got to the hotel, I packed the dry ingredients I'd be needing in the "kitchen box". The kitchen box is a Rubbermaid tote that is filled with the basics for cooking on the road. The veggies and the proteins traveled frozen, in a small cooler. We packed the bag of organic greens on top so it stayed cool enough to keep them from wilting.

For this dish you will need the following...

1cup  whole wheat rotini pasta (gf or regular is fine too)
1 9oz container of crushed tomatoes (don't forget a can opener if you buy canned)
8oz water
1/2 tsp dehydrated/freeze dried minced onions
1tsp paprika
1/2tsp Kosher salt
1/8tsp garlic powder  
1tsp olive oil
3/4 c vegetarian chick'n (Quorn is my protein of choice) or diced cooked chicken
8 oz of frozen vegetables Mediterranean Blend

Garnish
10 Cherry Tomatoes, halved
1Tbsp Parmesan Italian spice blend

Into the rice cooker pot, add the pasta, crushed tomatoes, olive oil, water, freeze dried onions and spices. Flip the switch to "Cook" and stir the ingredients before covering. About 10minutes into your cooking time, check the pasta and stir in the frozen precooked protein of your choice and the frozen vegetables. Cover the pot and let it cook until the switch flips back to "Warm". Let it sit for another 5min in the cooker on "Warm". Any residual moisture should be absorbed into the pasta without it overcooking.

We got 2 servings from this as our hot meal on Thursday. I really wish we hadn't been so hungry after that 7hr drive... 'cause I forgot to take a picture for you. We did get two additional servings with a salad and fresh made pita chips the next day.. which are the pictures you see in this post. The crushed tomato will make for a lighter sauce, which means it's perfect as a cold pasta salad too. The cost of 4 servings came to under $12 total. Not too bad, considering that we would have spent at least $7 each for fast food meals. We also had enough frozen veggies, Quorn, pitas, tomatoes and fresh veggies for the next day's dinner.

When you try this, don't forget to share your spin on this recipe. We'd all like to know how it turns out for you.

 I'll post the "home made pita chips" in a few days.

Tickets to the Gun Show!

Okay... maybe we don't really need tickets. But since we were already near Dallas for my husband's final exam at "fire school", we decided to take full advantage of the opportunity.  It's not like it isn't one of our favorite things to do on a weekend. If you didn't already know, I sell stuff at gun shows every now and then. No, not guns.... "bullets" and other shiny objects.

There are a couple of things that I love about gun show weekends. One is the morning drive. While y'all are still snuggling or waiting for that pot of coffee to be ready, we're on the road, enjoying the sunrise and the scent of the morning dew on the blades of grass and the dawning of a new day as we drive down the highway. Those moments feel like G-d is letting us know that He's got our back, and it's all gonna be alright.

The other two are music blasting on the stereo (with the obligatory loud off key singing)... and of course spending time with my husband. 

... yeah, I know... our "selfie game" needs work. 

If you happen to see us at a gun show, don't be shy, stop by the booth and say hello. We'd love to meet you.

Trippin’ on the Road Less Traveled

Living in The Great State of Texas, you grow up being accustomed to going on long drives (we’re talking 3hrs or more each way) just to go have lunch or spend a few hours with friends or family. It’s a big state with lots to see and do. When my husband and I were newlyweds, and broker than broke, we would gas up the car (something we could afford easily at $.99 a gallon), pack a lunch, and pick a highway. Our favorites were always the back roads. The little CRs (country roads) and FMs (farm to markets) that work their way across the state like gossamer cobwebs that are found only when you stumble upon them.

One of our first drives was from IH10, up to Hwy16 in search of the perfect field of Bluebonnets. That trip ended up going full circle. We took the curves and hills on HWY29 across to Georgetown and back down IH35 to San Antonio. I never did take any pictures on that trip and I really wish I had. We did find something far more precious, an entire day with zero distractions, and lots of laughter and the simple pleasure of being in the moment. As you can probably guess... that was before cell phones and Facebook.

Taking these roads less traveled is our favorite way to see this wonderful state. On these roads you find things you didn’t know your heart needed to experience, like the lady that lives just north of IH10 on our way to Spring, Texas. We’ve seen on several trips. Her home is a grey wood frame house surrounded by green pastures. We typically make this drive in early spring or mid autumn. The mornings are cool enough to still be covered in dew at 10am. We’ve seen her feeding a flock of what, from a distance,  looks like a big flock of chickens. That is, until you get close enough to see that it is a flock of Snowy Egrets in the dew covered field just past her garden gate.

Earlier this year, we made this drive it was smack in the middle of rodeo season. If you are not from Texas you are probably thinking that every day is rodeo season, and that is mostly true. We refer to February and March as rodeo season because the biggest rodeos in the state take place during those two months. If you are on the road at the right time you’ll catch up with one of the Trail Rides that cuts across Texas for the Houston Rodeo. On our February trip this year we were lucky enough to give the “Saltgrass Trail Riders” from Brenham, Texas the right of way. 

Our most recent trip could have been about an hour and a half shorter. But, that would mean staying on a big highway with everyone else. Where is the fun in that?? The purpose of this trip was for my husband to take a final exam at school in Sulphur Springs, TX. It was just before getting to Waco when we started to get antsy. That’s when I told my husband that I wanted to go to Gun Barrel City. Heck, why not? We’d already been to Ding Dong, Tx. It was a road we’d never taken and we’re spontaneous like that (or at least we try to be). So off the Interstate we went... but not before seeing proof that the grass is greener on the other side. 

                            

The detour took us from Waco, across to Corsicana. Along that road, we took in the quaintness of Hubbard Texas. In case you didn’t know it, Hubbard is the “Victorian Crossroads of Texas”. We didn’t stop to see the old Victorian homes, but we did enjoy the tree lined drive through town. 

Our drive through Silver City was brief. So quick that I missed the city limits sign that I wanted to take a selfie with. Then… on to Corsicana, home of the Collins Street Bakery. For those of you who may have never heard of it, they are known for… fruitcake. I am a bit of a fruitcake freak so I have to make sure we come back this way when the store is open.

Next, the winding Farm to Market Roads, 1603 and 1129. That stretch of road was so peaceful. There weren’t many cars on the road and it was basically hay fields, and these frilly white wildflowers on bright green leafy stems that dotted the landscape at first, then became rolling hills of sea foam green. I really wish I hadn’t forgotten my camera. The one on my cell phone wasn’t very good for stopping motion or distances. As would be my luck, the best fields were either behind a stand of trees, and vanished as soon as we were driving past open pastures. Or, they were on the opposite side of the road... with a double yellow line so… making a u-turn for a photo was not an option.

There was also this odd looking structure that I'm pretty sure is a grain silo. It loomed ominously in the middle of a field and those windows at the very top reminded me of watch towers. It was kind of creepy. What do you think?

Driving down Hwy 85 was more of the same. More hay, pastures, and those sneaky flowers!! When we continued onto Hwy 334 we crossed what I called “The Lake with No Name”. It’s actually Cedar Creek Reservoir, but I’m a dork and “The Lake with No Name” sounds more intriguing to me. This brings us to my personal goal for this trip, Gun Barrel City. Let me tell you about this drive!!  The causeway is about 2miles long and there is WATER EVERYWHERE!!.. and just a tiny strip of road that you are travelling. I just love drives like that... but then again... that might be because I love being around water. In fact, I was soooo excited, that I completely missed the Gun Barrel City sign!! I thought to myself... “NOT AGAIN!! This is Ding Dong all over again!” (I missed the marker there too.)

But… my husband… my wonderful husband… light of my life... my reason for living… he wasn’t about to let me accept defeat. No siree Bob! Not him. He was determined to help me get my photo. Did I mention that we have traveled over 268 miles at this point? Not to mention that we still had another 70 miles to go. THIS is why I married him! He understands my “crazy”. All for this photo.

After that... the trip just zipped by. The next town on the road... Mabank. Yes, we shot from Gun Barrel over to Mabank. *pun intended* From there it was on to Canton. Yep the home of First Monday Trade Days. Those markets are MAHOOSIVE!! Junkin’, yet another reason to come this way. Just be warned, if you venture past Canton, there is a place just outside of Eaton that really stinks. The Emory Compression Station. Peeeeyew! It's a natural gas relay station along a natural gas pipeline. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Do you know what didn’t stink on this stretch of road? This guy!! We drove behind him for about 5miles. Watching him cruise down the road in this great state made me smile. I love that he put the biggest American flag that he could get on his motorcycle and went for a ride. Sharing the road with him was a privilege. He loves this great country… and so do we. 

After all that, we finally made it to the hotel. Friday is his final and then Saturday we head home… with another little detour. And if you happen to be feeling adventurous, pack a lunch, make sure your camera is charged up, gas up the tank and take the scenic route every once in a while. I promise, you won’t be disappointed. 

Shopping for Fabric

As you can see... I went shopping for fabric. I wish I could say that I'm going to make something, but that is not the case. I just don't have the patience for it. Lucky for me, my Tia Gloria looooves to sew. What am I gonna ask her to make? An apron for an Art Jewelry Retreat next month (more on that later). I like the "idea" of an apron, but I don't really like wearing them. But, since I'm probably going to get dirty, I suppose that I am going to need one.

I found the first five at Wally's. It's not my favorite place to shop, but I found a location that doesn't leave me feeling like I hate the world and wanting a spiritual cleansing.

So, after a few stops, here is my "short list" of options.

I'm kind of keen on this shade of pink.

The pale chartreuse damask is nice too.

I was drawn to nice mix of colors and prints first.

Our next stop was Hobby-Freaking-Lobby! That place is like CRACK!! You go in for one thing and leave wanting to buy everything.. or at least I do.

I love me some Toile, but I'm not sure that I'm "that girl". It might be a little too fru-fru for me.

Okay, I'm realizing that I might have a think for damask prints.

I saw this one and immediately thought of my friend Katie. She loves orange so much.. that she got married in a drop-dead-gorgeous coppery orange ball gown. (trust me, Autumn in Ohio and that dress!!.. amaze-balls)

This was nice too. It reminded me of my grandma Tita. I'm not sure why, but it just does.

After a headache (the entire store wreaked of epoxy/paint/solvent fumes) and a "contact high" at HfL,  it was time to head to Hancock Fabrics. I can't say I found anything I couldn't live without... until I saw this burlap print in the upholstery section. It isn't cheap ($24.99/yd )and will probably need a muslin liner, so it's not exactly practical for an apron. I might have to get it for another project later.

I did narrow it down to a style of apron that I can work with. I like the one the model is wearing.. with a small side pocket for my phone and a modification in the neck strap. I'll be adding a D-ring closure to make it easier to adjust without untying the whole thing. 

The color and print choices are insane! So I need your help, please.

In Honor of Dia de la Mujer....

Let us honor the all of the women,
 not just the scientists, the leaders, the doctors, and the ones that history teaches us about.

Where would we be without the women in our day to day lives...
the ones that shaped our lives?

So, here is to the ones that gave us life,
and if you were a hyperactive kid that tested ALL boundaries...
occasionally threatened to take that life back. 

(and, no, she wasn't serious just frustrated at my total lack of regard for the rules.) 

To the ones that taught us to laugh loudly (and sometimes inappropriately)
to love wholeheartedly.. to the ones that taught us to sew and to sow..
and taught us to cook real food.
To the one that wore a red cape to church on Sundays
(and ran around after Temple like a superhero to make her friends laugh,)
 and her sisters that taught us that learning is never ending,
and that scaring the pants off of someone really is the best remedy for the hiccups. 

If the women in your life are like the ones that were part of this "Tribe",
 they taught you to feed chickens, build stuff (yes, with a hammer and everything),
 change out the cut-offs under the sink and so much more. 

There are the ones that will wake before the roosters,
 to cook for a family of four or make breakfast for a crowd of 20...
 on just a cup of coffee.

If you are really lucky,
 these women will teach you that there is no such thing as hard work
 when you are doing what you love. 

... and family is what really matters in this world.

So today, honor them, celebrate them, call them, write to them, but most importantly... 

let them know that they are appreciated and loved.

Whether they are here or saving a seat for us on the other side..

I truly hope that you've had the kind of women in your life 

like the ones that I've been blessed with.

My Love, Honor, and Respect to you all, 

Road Trippin'!

Omg!! Am I really blogging more than once a year??

My husband and I took a few road trips last year and hopefully will be taking a few more in the coming year. I've been taking pics of what I've found to make our hotel stays a little more like home and our drives a little less tedious. I'll try to share what has worked and some pics from the road as well.

The first one comes from our trip to Sulphur Springs, Tx.

Ever noticed that musty hotel smell? No matter how clean they are...some hotel rooms just smell funky. Yeah, that's rights... I'm starting this post off with hotel funk. Well, that is an easier and cheaper (under $4) fix than travelling with your Scentsy and waiting for the wax to cool because you forgot to unplug it until right before you are checking out. What is it? It's your car vent clip!!

It's super inexpensive, they are easy to pick up pretty much anywhere and if you forget to put it back in the car... no big loss. 

Travel hack #2... is also under $4. It's an LED night light.

If you are travelling with another person, this will keep you from either tripping over a piece of furniture or startling the bejeezus out of them when you have to turn on a lamp to keep from accidentally killing yourself on the way to the bathroom at 4am. If you have kids (we don't) it will probably be a comfort to them when they wake up in the middle of the night. There are some that double as a flashlight in a power outage. They cost a little more, but if you don't have a flashlight in your travel kit like we do, it might be good to spring for the upgrade.

#3 is a Food Hack

We are trying to make an effort to eat less junk food when we travel. So when we are travelling for more than 48hrs, we try to book hotels with a fridge and a microwave. Also, I take my Rice Cooker!

These are available at grocery and at everything-under-the-sun-marts for less than $24. If you are trying to eat healthier this is how you keep that up when you travel.

This spaghetti dinner was 1 small bag of thin spaghetti (broken in half), and one jar of chunky pasta sauce. I made 5 servings for a couple of dollars each. Since my husband has to have protein with each meal, I browned up 1 lb of ground beef (3 servings) and froze it for the trip. Plus, it was an extra "ice pack" in the cooler.

#4 is also a rice cooker hack. CORNBREAD!!

I hate to tease you with this one... but I'm going to have to do it. The photos of the ingredients and step by step, didn't happen. I was so excited to try it that I forgot to take the pictures!! I'll take those on another road trip. 

Speaking of road trip, it was a loooong one!! 356 miles and almost 7hrs.

If you're from Texas you know that anywhere worth going means you're going to travel at least 100 miles.. if not more.. and you're going to make some stops along the way. 

And last but not least.. anywhere you drive... you are bound to find road construction. Which is what inspired this selfie. 

Don't get used to it... they don't happen often. 

Blog Diggity Blog!!

Hey y'all!! .. and Happy New Year!! I can't believe it's 2015 already. It seems like just a week ago it was 2014. I'm excited about the start of a new year. I have some stuff I want to accomplish for 2015. Hopefully I won't procrastinate too badly and actually get some of them accomplished. This year I hope to finally make the time to take some metalsmithing lessons at the Southwest School of Art ( https://www.swschool.org/communityclasses/adult ). I'm also hoping to branch out into vintage/antique/junk shows with the bullet and key jewelry.. and maybe get back to doing some gun shows again. Fear, as in fear of rejection, is what has mostly kept me from expanding my horizons. I took November and December off from shows. Probably not my best move.. but it was necessary. I haven't really made anything new over the last few months and if you haven't noticed.. the website is down until I decide what I want to do with it. Google will probably penalize me for it, and since I don't know which animal is running the zoo (penguin, panda, or a cyclops), I'll worry about that later. There is much to ponder for now.. in the meantime... how about some Mexican food!? 

One of my husband's favorite meals is Entomatadas. Think Enchiladas without the kick. They are super easy to make and easy on the purse strings too. But I will be honest... my favorite part is... leftovers!!

Cheese Entomatadas 
12 corn tortillas (do NOT substitute flour tortillas because they get gummy and that's kinda gross)

2 1/2c of grated Panela cheese

1 1/2c of grated Colby Jack cheese

1c of canned Tomato soup

1/2c of water

2Tbsp olive oil 

2 tsp paprika

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

Begin by heating up the condensed tomato soup, 1/2c water, and the dry ingredients in a hot skillet. Stir periodically and simmer until the sauce coats the back of a spoon. While that is getting started, in a second skillet, heat up the olive oil (do not let it smoke) and dredge the corn tortillas through the oil and stack them on a plate. 

This will keep them from breaking later. I usually let the sauce cool for a couple of minutes before getting rolling. Don't forget to mix your cheeses and set them aside.  

Once your sauce is done and your tortillas pliable, begin by coating your baking dish with a thin layer of sauce. Begin to preheat your oven to 350* at this time. Place one tortilla in the sauce and place about a Tbsp of cheese blend about 1/3 down on the tortilla. Take the edge closest to the cheese and begin to roll. You'll be coating and filling the Entomatadas in one step. Continue this process, adding more sauce to the baking dish as needed. Once all of your tortillas are filled and rolled, take the remaining tomato sauce (hopefully it won't be too much) and evenly coat the top of them and sprinkle the remaining shredded cheese over the top. 

Bake your Entomatadas for about 25 minutes, or until the cheese on top is melted. Serve with rice, refried beans, and a small salad... 

Buen Provecho! 

~ Substitutions ~

If you are not a fan of cheese filled foods, please feel free to substitute shredded roasted chicken or turkey. Use part of the sauce on the alternative filling just to make sure they have a little added moisture.

**Please resist the urge to drown these in chili meat... it's not traditional and they really are wonderful without it.