Tasty, Easy-to-Make Sprite Chicken

Cooking can be really fun, but after a long day, it can also be really annoying. You don’t have to resign yourself to eating Spaghettios out of the can after your boss made you stay late and there’s no time to put dinner on the table (that just adds insult to injury) – just grab some sprite coupons and whip up this piece-of-cake recipe for Chicken in Sprite (trust me, it’s fantastic) courtesy of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

RECIPE

4-5 pieces of chicken (drumsticks are good)

1/2 can of sprite (NOT diet. That won’t be delicious)

1/2 cup cranberry juice

1 small can pineapple slices

6 fresh dates, halved

6 pieces dried peaches or apricots (optional)

1 tablespoon cornstarch

½ cup cashews

DIRECTIONS

Mix everything but the chicken together in a large bowl. Just throw it in there and stir it around for a sec (I promised you this recipe was easy, remember?). Put the mixture in a Ziploc bag, then put the chicken pieces in the bag with the marinade. Let it sit for half an hour while you take a shower or enjoy a glass of wine or whatever. Remove the chicken from the bag, place it in a baking pan and cook at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. The dish goes great with noodles or a green salad. Whoever thought Sprite coupons could be such a tasty dinner solution?

15 Minute Cookout Solution: KFC-Style Coleslaw

         

           It’s not summer without a cookout, and it’s not a cookout without coleslaw. You could bust out a few KFC coupons and pick up some slaw for your next get-together, but there’s something about home cooking that really adds to the experience (plus, you can claim the praise when guests ooh and aaah over it!).

            Here’s a recipe for killer coleslaw based on KFC’s killer side dish that’s sure to compliment your next cookout perfectly.

INGREDIENTS

            8 cups finely-chopped cabbage (approx 1 head)

            ¼ cup carrot, shredded

            2 tablespoons minced onion

            ½ cup mayo

            1/3 cup white sugar

            ¼ cup milk

            ¼ cup buttermilk

             2 ½ tablespoons fresh-squeezed lemon juice

            1 ½ tablespoons white vinegar

            ¼ teaspoon black pepper

            ½ teaspoon salt

INSTRUCTIONS

            For a really scrumptious slaw, the cabbage and carrots need to be very finely chopped – aim for pieces the size of rice.

            In a large bowl, combine mayo, sugar, buttermilk, milk, lemon juice, vinegar, salt and pepper. Beat until smooth.

            Add cabbage, carrots, and onion. Mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours minimum. This recipe serves 10 to 12.

            Who wants to spend time slaving over a hot stove when it’s already hotter than a firecracker outside? This recipe rocks because it’s quick, easy, and inexpensive – the perfect pot-luck contribution that’s also a universal favorite. Of course, if you can’t be bothered to chop cabbage, you can always print out a few KFC coupons and grab some on your way to the party – but then all credit goes to the colonel! 

Coolest Job Ever: Dunkin Donuts Head Donut Dude

            What’s the coolest job in the world? There’s probably not one right answer, but Rick Golden’s job description comes pretty close. Rick is the Research and Development Manager for Dunkin Donuts Bakery, which means he’s responsible for creating the tasty treats you use your Dunkin Donuts coupons on!        

         Rick says his donut-creating team calls him the “Ambassador of Dunkin Donuts” and “Manager of Donut Excellence,” but he’s basically a donut-loving dude with a cool job.

         He started working in the original Dunkin Donuts location in Quincy, Massachusets when he was just 14 years old. From the store level, he moved up in the company and became an Operations manager and then donut baker before joining the company’s culinary team. He earned a degree in restaurant management while working his way up, but Rick thinks that the familiarity he gained with the brand from a young age got him to where he is today.

         Rick likes donuts because they make people smile. He says his research team seeks to make donuts that are first and foremost delicious but that are also simple enough that they can be replicated in individual stores.

         Rick also acknowledges that a lot of donut innovation comes from the people who use Dunkin Donuts coupons most – the customers often provide inspiration for baked creations. That gives me hope that, though I’m already ten years too old to get my foot in the door at Dunkin Donuts like Rick, I might still be able to make a splash in the donut world. 

YUM! Copycat Arby's Sauce Recipe

                   

       I’ve heard that Arby’s has had trouble keeping up with other fast food chains in the competitive arena of the economic marketplace, but I think they could help keep themselves in the black if they bottled their sauces. As a kid I’d always choose Arby’s when my mom let me have fast food, and I thought I really loved their chicken fingers – but as it turns out, I really liked the Arby’s sauce (and the curly fries, if I’m being totally honest). That stuff is good on sandwiches and chicken and fries and eggs and you name it – I know this because every time I go in and use Arbys coupons I grab about a million packets of Arbys sauce, so I have enough to bring home for later.

Until they decide to sell Arby’s sauce by the bottle, I’ve decided it’s better for me to make my own Arby’s sauce than get banned from my local restaurant for being a sauce thief. This recipe is pretty darn close to the real thing, and it keeps for a couple of weeks.

INGREDIENTS:

            1 cup ketchup

            ½ teaspoons Tabasco

            2 teaspoons water

            ¼ teaspoon garlic powder

            ¼ teaspoon onion powder

            ¼ teaspoon salt

            ¼ teaspoon pepper

To make the sauce, just mix all the ingredients in a saucepan and cook over medium heat for 5-10 minutes, stirring constantly until the sauce comes to a boil. Remove from heat and let cool before enjoying – I bet you won’t be able to tell the difference between this and the stuff you get with Arbys coupons!

Chill Out With Your Dog This Summer

Everyone loves popsicles in the summertime – even dogs! When the mercury rises, you can mix up your dog’s dietary routine from the usual Kibbles and Bits coupons with this “pupsicle” recipes. They’re pet safe, super refreshing, and easy to make with ingredients you have on hand. Bon appétit!

Basic recipe:

         1 banana, ripe

         4 cups natural orange juice

         ½ cup plain yogurt

Puree all the ingredients in a blender and pour into ta popsicle mold. Freeze & feed to your favorite pet! You can mix it up by substituting peaches, watermelons, blueberries or strawberries for the banana.

Savory popsicles:

         If you had chicken for dinner, your dog can enjoy it for dessert! Let the leftover chicken carcass simmer in a pot of hot water for an hour and a half. Cool, pick the meat off, and discard the bone. Combine chicken broth, mashed up carrots/peas/corn or other leftover veggies, pour into popsicle mold, and freeze. These can be a bit messy and are best served outside.

Lazy pet owner’s recipe:

         Cube some watermelon, put it in a plastic baggie, and put it in the freezer. This cool all natural treat is the easiest way to let your dog enjoy a sweet taste of summer!

        

If you don’t have a popsicle mold, you can freeze your pupsicles in a small Tupperware container or empty single-serve yogurt containers. Remember that these pupsicles can’t substitute for the well-rounded meal Kibbles and Bits coupons provide, so feed them to your dog only as a special treat. 

Easy Tips For A Fabulous Family Dinner

     
      Feeding a family can be tricky, especially if you’ve got finicky eaters on your hands. How can you ensure that even the choosiest children get the nutrition they need? Just use a few Prego coupons and these clever tips to create meals so scrumptious no one would every guess they’re also healthy!
       Plan your plates. Your family will eat better and you’ll be more efficient if you take an hour or two each weekend to plan the family’s meals for the coming week. Create dinner menus and base a shopping list around the meals you plan to serve, then shop for all the ingredients you’ll need to get thorough the week at once. You’ll save time and energy wasted when you have to throw meals together at the last minute, which often entails hurried grocery runs.
      Go Sicilian! Potatoes are a kid’s favorite veggie, and you can turn them into a quick and scrumptious supper. Just cook baking potatoes in the microwave and top each one with half a cup of pasta sauce, cooked veggies, and sprinkle with mozzarella. In less than five minutes you’ll have a tasty, wholesome Italian take on the classic baked potato.
      Do double duty. Next time you bake your favorite recipe, double it! Freeze the extra in individual portions, which are great to have on hand when you don’t have the time to cook or when everyone is too busy to sit down together for dinner.
     Raise the bar. The pasta bar, that is! A pasta bar is a fun, easy meal for family dinner and even bigger get togethers. Kids love assembling their own meals (and adults like it, too!). Boil a couple of different types of pasta, heat up an array of different frozen veggies, put out a couple of types of protein (cooked meatballs and grilled chicken are a great way to round out the meal), and serve with a variety of sauces and cheeses. No two dishes will be alike, but everyone will be happy and well-fed by the night’s end.
       For more great cooking tips and money-saving Prego coupons, check out the Campbell’s kitchen website: http://www.campbellskitchen.com.

Cereal Cocktails: 3 Ways To Make Breakfast Yummier

         Does your morning routine ever seem a bit … boring? Eating the same cereal all the time can be a bummer. Sure, you can use cereal coupons to try new flavors and mix up the routine, but you’d just be swapping one plain old cereal for another. Instead, try these cereal cocktails, which are more nutritionally complete (and more delicious) than cereal alone. Diversity is a beautiful thing.

           For those with a sweet tooth: Mix ½ cup cheerios with ½ cup special K. Top with t tablespoons of walnuts, ½ cup sliced peaches, and drizzle with one teaspoon of honey. Add milk as desired.
           Warm things up with this treat: Stir 1/3 cup canned pumpkin pie filling with 1 crushed graham cracker into one cup of cooked plain oatmeal. Sprinkle with a bit of cinnamon and voila – guilt-free pumpkin pie for breakfast.
           Pack a crunch: Mix ½ a cup of Wheaties with ¼ cup lowfat granola, ¼ cup trail mix, and a sliced banana. Add milk as desired.
         After trying these yummy recipes, you’ll probably come up with loads of inventive ways of your own to mix and match with cereal coupons, yogurt, fruit, nuts … the possibilities are endless. You’ll be a cereal mixologist in no time!

Rice Peepsie Treats

I recently did a bit of long-overdue spring cleaning and found some reasonably embarrassing things in my pantry – among them, some Peeps which should have met their delicious demise last month, along with their pastel-colored marshmallow brethren. Being a budget-conscious gal, I never let anything go to waste when I can help it, so I went online and found the most brilliant (and really common-sense, I can’t believe I didn’t think of it) way to turn your past-due peeps into a tasty twist on a favorite dessert. Round up your Rice Krispies coupons, your old Easter candies, and a bit of butter – that’s all you’ll need to make “Rice Peepsie Treats!”
INGREDIENTS
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
3-4 dozen peeps, or a mix of peeps and plain marshmallows equal to ten ounces
6 cups Rice Krispies Cereal

In a large saucepan, melt the butter at low heat. Add Peeps (and marshmallows, if you’re using them) and stir continuously over low heat until melted. Remove from heat and mix in Rice Krispies until well-coated. Spread into a 13x9x2” pan with a buttered spoon or spatula and let cool, then cut into two inch squares.

I like these treats because they give the traditional Rice Krispies a colorful twist, and they’re just about the easiest recipe in the world (besides peanut butter and jelly, I suppose). And don’t miss out on these Rice Krispies coupons when you make your Peepsie Treats – a coupon or two will make this recipe cheap-cheap-cheap to make (haha …peeps are chicks, chicks go ‘cheep’ … ok, I’m stretching the joke a bit….just go eat your dang dessert).

Cheerios Apple Cinnamon Crisp

My parents have a couple of apple trees in their backyard, and when the apples are ripe, we eat apple EVERYTHING. I love it at first – fresh apples, apple pie, apple cobbler, baked apples, apple chips …. after a few days, I’m appled out. This year, we’ll be using the apples from our backyard and Cheerios coupons to make this Apple Oat Crumble, courtesy of the recipe people at General Mills. Having one more recipe might stretch my apple-consumption capacity a bit.

INGREDIENTS

         4 cups sliced, unpeeled apples (3-4 medium apples)

         2 cups Cheerios cereal

         ½ cup quick cook oats

         ½ cup brown sugar, packed

         ¾ teaspoon cinnamon

         1/3 cup butter, firm and unmelted

HOW-TO:

         Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

         Arrange the apple slices evenly on the bottom of an ungreased 8 or 9 inch square pan. In a medium bowl, crush the cereal and then mix in oats, brown sugar and cinnamon. Cut in butter – small slivers work best. Sprinkle this mixture over the apples.

         Bake 30-35 minutes. Cover with foil and bake another 10 minutes.

        

         I like this recipe because it takes about ten minutes to throw together, and with ice cream, it takes about as long to disappear. With a few Cheerios coupons and the apples from my parent’s yard, this recipe is almost free to make – and it’s yummy enough that I’m actually excited for those apples to get ripe.

         

Dr Pepper Cupcakes are Delicious, Duh!

Cupcakes are all the rage right now. Dr. Pepper is delicious. Soda coupons rock. Tell me something I don’t know, right? Well, here’s a recipe that combines all three of those excellent things to create a treat greater than the sum of its parts: Dr. Pepper Cupcakes!!!!! There are more ingredients in this recipe than in the usual cupcake recipe – perhaps because there are 23 flavors in Dr Pepper? Don’t be intimidated, though – the cupcakes are yummy enough to be worth the work!

Here are the ingredients you’ll need to get cooking:
FOR THE CUPCAKES
1 cup of butter or margarine
1 cup Dr Pepper soda
½ cup buttermilk (or, ½ cup milk and 1 tablespoon orange juice)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 tablespoons cocoa
1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
2 cups flour
2 cups white sugar
FOR THE ICING
¼ cup butter
3 tablespoon cocoa
¼ cup Dr Pepper soda
1 bag powdered sugar (you won’t need it all, but enough to make the frosting thick)
Here’s how ot make the cupcakes:
Heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
Heat 1 Cup of butter and Dr Pepper in medium saucepan. When butter is melted, pout into a bowl and add cocoa, cinnamon, flour and sugar.
Mix eggs, buttermilk, soda and vanilla in a bowl. Add this mixture to the butter mixture, then pout into paper-lined cupcake tins.
Bake for 30 minutes. remove cupcakes from pan, and cool while you prepare the icing.
To make the icing, heat remaining Dr. Pepper, butter, and cocoa in a saucepan and stir until well blended. Stir in the remaining ingredients, adding sugar as needed until the icing reaches a thick consistency. Ice cupcakes and serve.
These are a fun twist on traditional cupcakes, and the finished product definitely carries the flavor of the soda it’s named for. It may seem weird to eat Dr Pepper at first, but I can promise you’ve never had anything like it! If you’ll be making these cupcakes, don’t miss out on these soda coupons – just because you’re going all-out in the kitchen doesn’t mean you have to go for broke at the grocery store!

An Ode To Magnificent Marbits

The problem with Lucky Charms is the same problem that every cereal has -- there just aren't enough marshmallows in it. Lucky Charms has an undeniable advantage over almost every cereal on the market in that is does have some marshmallows in it -- I just wish there were more. I think Lucky Charms also has an advantage over its marshmallow-containing competitors in that it bears the distinction of being the original marshmallow breakfast cereal -- sorry, Count Chocula and Marshamllow Mateys, but you're kind of encroaching on Lucky's turf. Plus, I always seem to find the best Lucky Charms coupons, so I'm biased towards it in that regard. Anyway....

I knew I was not the only person to have thought that cereal marshmallows are quite possibly the world's most perfect food, so I did a bit of research online and found all sorts of marshmallow madness is just waiting for those who choose to pursue it. There are sites where you can buy giant bags of nothing but cereal marshmallows -- see those bags in the picture above? Nothing but mallows!! These bags look like the result of the kind of cereal-factory production accident that children dream of, and they only cost eight dollars a pop. And if you think these little babies are only good for cereal enhancement, you're thinking too much inside the box.

The marshmallow's manufacturers suggest dozens of delicious things one could do with an endless supply of marshmallows. Just imagine: with all the time you'll save ordering marshmallows direct instead of using Lucky Charms coupons to buy multiple boxes of cereal just to get enough marshmallows, you'll be able to whip up such exotic creations as cereal marshmallow mac n' cheese (i'm not kidding -- they list it on the site) and cereal marshmallow pancakes. Or, you could put them in your hot cocoa, mix them into a batch of brownies, or make a bowl of Wheaties edible -- whatever suits your fancy. How? Get your cereal marshmallow fix at www.cerealmarshmallows.com.

The Amazing Three-Tiered Trix Cake

Inspired by an episode of Extreme Couponing, I went a little grocery-crazy. I bought enough cereal, canned soup, and deodorant to keep and army well-fed and smelling fresh for a fortnight. Unable to resist awesome Trix coupons, I created a bit of a problem for myself: I over-stocked my pantry to the point that I had to start keeping groceries on my bookshelf, in my dresser, and even under the couch. I really cant resist a deal! I understand that true extreme couponers create store-rooms to remedy this problem, but my apartment is too small for me to dedicate extra space to my excess cereal. When faced with a glut of boxed breakfast, I decided to look up alternative ways to eat cereal. This recipe is my favorite of all the ones I found, because it’s a piece of cake (literally and figuratively, of course!).

Ingredients:
2/3 cup butter or margarine
14 cups marshmallows (yep—fourteen! You’ll see why)
20 cups of Trix Cereal
2 boxes Fruit Roll-Ups, for decorating
Directions:
Line three round cake pans with foil, leaving foil hanging over the edge of each pan for easy cake removal. You’ll need a 6x2” round pan, a 8x2” round pan, and a 10x2” round pan to make the cake tiers.
Melt 1/3 cup butter in a 4 quart microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high for about one minute, add 7 cups of marshmallows ad mix. Microwave another 2 minutes, or until marshmallows are metled. Add 10 cups of cereal and mix to coat.
Press into the biggest cake pan. Repeat the above melt-and-mix procedure using the remaining cereal, butter, and marshmallows and spread remaining mixture between the two smaller pans. Allow to cool for at least one hour.
To assemble, remove the layers and stack on a large cake plate. You can use fruit snacks and extra cereal to create the frosting-like decorations – get creative!
To serve the cake, you’ll need a serrated knife to cut the pieces – serve by layer and enjoy!

I know you want to get your hands on some Trix coupons after seeing this recipe, right?! It’s so simple, but the combination of colors in the cereal and the fancy presentation really packs a punch. I think this cake would be perfect for a kid’s birthday party – what do you think? Would you make this cake?

My Jamocha Shake Addiction

I’m a vegetarian, so there’s not much for me on the menu at most fast food joints. But I confess: I frequent the roast-beef outpost Arby’s on a regular basis. I’m not defying the vegetarian credo and sneaking beef sandwiches on the side, I’m just addicted to those Jamocha shakes. I must use an Arbys coupons or two a week – its embarrassing, but some of the people there actually know me and know my order. One medium Jamocha shake, please!

            If you haven’t had one, you’re missing out – it’s a chocolate-y, coffee-y ice cream dessert that’s a grown-up take on its plainer counterparts. It’s been a favorite on the Arby’s menu since its introduction in 1964 – which means Arby’s was pioneering spiffed-up coffee drinks long before McDonald’s even came to the scene. Can you tell I spend a lot of time thinking about these shakes?

            I decided it was time for me to break free of my Arby’s addiction by learning to make my own Jamocha shakes. After a bit of trial and error, I’ve come up with the following recipe: .

            3 cups vanilla ice cream
            1 cup cold coffee
            1 cup milk
            1 tablespoon sugar
            3 tablespoons chocolate syrup
Combine the coffee, milk, and sugar in a blender.  Add the ice cream and chocolate syrup and blend until creamy.

            The flavor of this recipe is spot-on, especially if you use a good strong coffee. I’ve found that blending too long can make the shake too watery, which is woefully un-Arbys. Part of the Jamocha magic is that those shakes are always so thick and creamy that you almost need a spoon to eat them. If you’re patient, you can wait for the ice cream to soften up a bit and then mix it all together by hand to get the right texture.  If you don’t want to bust out the blender, you can still get your Jamocha fix with these Arby’s coupons – tell them I sent you :)