GIVEAWAY--$25 Kroger Giftcard

Guess what?  Because of awesome followers (like yourself), Recipes Of A Cheapskate has now reached 200 fans on Facebook!  Are you a fan yet?  Check out the sidebar ---------->

And now I have a giveaway for you!  Kroger is having an awesome sale soon (Oct 14th-24th to be precise).  All you need to do it buy 5 participating General Mills products and a $5 coupon will be printed off for you to use on your next purchase!  What a DEAL.

Seriously folks.

And I have something here for you to make it even sweeter.  A $25 Kroger giftcard to help you out.  Imagine this: You go buy 5 boxes of cereal, use your gift card, get a $5 coupon.  But you still have money on your giftcard!  So go back, buy 5 more eligible items, get ANOTHER $5 coupon.  Now you have $10 to go spend on something awesome.  Like your own personal halloween candy stash.

So grab your shopping cart, and get shopping!  I think I'll be hitting up my local Kroger store quite often in those 10 days. . . .

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DISCLOSURE: The gift card, information, and additional sample have been provided by Kroger and General Mills through MyBlogSpark.

Cheerios Giveaway!

Do you shop at a club store like Costco or Sam's?  I do, and I LOVE it.  Best price for diapers for one, and quite a few other things!  Since I moved a few years back, Costco is a bit farther of a drive now.  However, I recently learned about a new Costco coming closer to me!  Half the distance I have to drive now!  I'm pretty excited to be able to utilize that store more than once every month or so.

Cheerios has come up with some genius new packaging for their boxes for club stores.  FINALLY.

 Do you see how awesome that is?  Two boxes secured together.  Not two bags in one giant box.  Easier to store, and easier to pour!  They also managed to fit 10% MORE in each bag, use LESS packaging than before (by 200,000lbs), saved 1,000 trees, AND took 130 Cheerios trucks off the road, thus reducing CO2 emissions.

Uh, can we say way to go Cheerios!!

Check out this video about the new packaging.




Do you want to check out the new Cheerios packaging with your OWN set of 2 packages (4 boxes total)?  Well, guess what. . .TWO of you lucky readers will get to a prize pack!!

Use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter.  Winner will have 48 hours to respond to my email before another winner will be chosen.  Winner is picked randomly, and I do screen all entries to make sure they meet the requirements! Disclosure:  Cheerios® cereal, information, and giveaway have been provided by General Mills through MyBlogSpark.



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Giveaway--Pillsbury Mother's Day Package

Happy (early) Mother's Day!  If you're a mom, Pillsbury knows that you're hard working, loving, caring, and above all, deserving of appreciation for all that you do.  To show that appreciation, Mother's Day Pillsbury Ready To Bake! Shape Cookies are especially themed with amazing, extraordinary moms (like you) in mind!  With a little help from a special Disney friend, these colorful pre-cut cookies are our way of saying "thanks for everything mom!"

Quick and convenient, Pillsbury Ready To Bake! Shape Cookies are ready to enjoy in 8-10 minutes and can be found at your local grocer.

Celebrate Mother's Day with everyone's favorite Disney character, Mickey Mouse.

Make this Mother's Day special with Pillsbury Ready to Bake! Shape cookies!  Visit HERE to download a coupon for $1.10 off your purchase.  Go get your mom some cookies!

Winner will receive:

• a VIP coupon to purchase a package of Pillsbury Ready to Bake! Shape Cookies
• Cookie Jar
• Cookie Spatula
• Oven Mitt

Please follow the directions on Rafflecopter Widget below to enter.  Giveaway closes at Midnight on the 12th.  Winner will be contacted and posted within a day, and will have 48 hours to respond before another winner is chosen.  Disclosure:  The VIP coupon, prize pack, information, and additional sample have been provided by Pillsbury through MyBlogSpark.



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Giveaway--Walmart $25 giftcard

NOW CLOSED!!!  WINNER ANNOUNCED VIA RAFFLECOPTER AT THE BOTTOM!!!!


Looking to spice up your weekly dinners or sweeten your next family gathering with an extra special dessert? Bake-Off.com now has 100 new recipe creations from Pillsbury Bake-Off finalists from across the country. Whether you are in the mood forBreakfast & Brunches, Entertaining Appetizers, Dinner Made Easy™, or Sweet Treats, Bake-Off.com has tons of new ideas that are simple to make and sure to wow your loved ones.

• Head to your local Walmart where you can find great savings on refrigerated Pillsbury products including: Pillsbury Original Crescent Rolls, Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls, Pillsbury Pie Crust, and Pillsbury Cookies among other items
• Don’t forget to check everydaysaver.com/Walmart before you head to your nearest Walmart to find additional coupons and offers

Having trouble deciding which of these mouthwatering recipes to make first? Here are just a few of the delicious ones available on BakeOff.com:

• Chocolate and Caramel-Cinnamon Roll Skewers - Do cinnamon rolls one better. Skewer them and drizzle with caramel, chocolate and icing for a most indulgent treat

• Marmalade-Glazed Asian Meatball Cups - Meet a saucy new meatball that's baked on top of flaky crescent dough. With just 6 ingredients, they're super easy

• Mango Salsa Appetizer Bites - Party time! Two-bite pie crust appetizers are loaded with a fiesta of flavors

• Hazelnut-French Silk Turtle Pie - Oh my, turtle pie! A rich flaky pie crust holds a creamy filling with chocolate and caramel

• Caramelized Peach Upside-Down Coffee Cake - Bake up a new sweet peachy coffee cake delight using Pillsbury® sugar cookie dough

Mmmmmm. . .if that doesn't get your taste buds roaring, I don't know what will.  

Want to enter to win this giftcard?  Check out the Rafflecopter below (if you're following in a reader, click over to the blog and check it out!)

Trix Yogurt Giveaway

I have a yogurt addict in my house.  It's true, and it's NOT me.  K-girl, my little 4 year old.  This girl can go through yogurt like you wouldn't believe!  Have you ever watched the TV show Burn Notice?  Michael Weston's yogurt desire is very similar to my daughters.

And that's where this giveaway come in.  Imagine how happy I was to hear that Yoplait Trix yogurt has been reformulated to remove artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners, and high fructose corn syrup!  Now I feel even better about giving my daughter this yogurt.  Plus, what 4 year old can resist those 2 bright colors in every cup?

Here's what is up for grabs, to one lucky winner!

• (1) VIP coupon for a free 4-pack of Yoplait Trix yogurt for kids
• Yoplait branded items including an insulated lunch tote, ice pack, backpack, folder, zippered pencil pouch, pencils, erasers, and pencil sharpener

Enter below via Rafflecopter!  5 ways for you to enter!  (this is my first time using rafflecopter, so if for some reason, it acts funny, bear with me, I'll make sure your entries count (as long as they're valid: 5 entries max per person))

Disclosure:  The Yoplait Trix Yogurt prize pack, information and coupon have been provided by Yoplait through MyBlogSpark. 

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GIVEAWAY--$25 Kroger Gift Card

Happy Saturday to you all!  Going on right now is the Cart Buster Savings Event exclusively at Kroger and the Kroger Co. Family of Stores. You´ll see Big Savings Storewide on some of your favorite brands! And look out for some special offers and coupons only available at the Kroger Co. Family of Stores, and only available for this event!


Ready head out and find the hottest prices around on more than 35 brands, across more than 60 categories from General Mills, P & G, Pepsi, Nestle, Kraft and Kroger Banner Brands. During the Cart Buster Savings Event?  You´ll find great savings in almost every department at the Kroger Family of Stores.

I'm heading out today to get some awesome deals!!  Everyday they have a new daily deal--Today is a free pacakge of wipes with a diaper purchase, and we need those around these parts.  But go check out Kroger's FaceBook page, and their Twitter page to keep up with all their daily deals through the 6th


And now for the giveaway--A $25 gift card to Kroger stores.  


MANDATORY ENTRY:

• Leave a comment here letting me know what that 1 unusual item you always buy at the store--not your standard milk, eggs, etc, but something unusual.  For me?  it's pesto.  I always buy pesto!

ADDITIONAL ENTRIES--Leave a comment HERE for each one you do

• Follow Kroger on Facebook (please do not leave a comment on their FB page, just here!)
• Follow Kroger on Twitter
• Follow Recipes Of A Cheapskate on Facebook
• Tweet about this giveaway, feel free to copy the text below:

Enter to win a $25 giftcard from @krogerco and @krystalsrecipes thru 3/5/12 at  http://recipesofacheapskate.blogspot.com/2012/03/giveaway-25-kroger-gift-card.html  


The nitty gritty about the giveaway:
-Giveaway closes on March 5th at midnight, MST
-winner will be chosen at random, so leave an separate comment on my blog for each thing you do
-winner will have 2 days to contact me or they will forfeit the prize and I will pick another winner
-Disclosure: The Kroger Family of Stores gift card, information, and giveaway were all provided by the Kroger Family of Stores and General Mills/Nestle/Proctor & Gamble/Pepsi/Kraft through MyBlogSpark.

GIVEAWAY: Yoplait Smoothie Package

CLOSED
Everyone wants a sweet treat now and again (or all the time) so why not make it one you feel good about eating?  New from Yoplait, their Chocolate Banana Smoothies are perfect for that!  Just add milk, blend and you're good to go!

Yoplait now has five delicious flavors of their Frozen Fruit and Yogurt Smoothies since adding Chocolate Banana: Triple Berry, Strawberry Banana, Blueberry Pomegranate, and Strawberry Mango Pineapple (this one is currently sitting in my freezer, waiting to be blended up!)

Each package contains live and active yogurt cultures, AND give yous 50% of the recommended daily value of calcium.  Found in your grocer's freezer (by the ice cream), each package contains enough frozen fruit and real Yoplait yogurt to make two 8oz servings (if you feel like sharing. . . .)

Even if you don't win, (or do) check out this link to print a $1 off coupon to give Yoplait Smoothie's a try!

What's in this giveaway?

• A VIP coupon for a free package of Yoplait Smoothie
• Neck Pillow
• Smoothie Tumbler
• Lavender Eye Mask

TO ENTER:
-Tell me what flavor of Yoplait Smoothie you'd like to try--even if it's not a flavor they carry!  I'd love to see a Key Lime Cheesecake flavor. . .mmmmm. . . Just leave a comment!  1 comment per person please.  Giveaway will close Tuesday October 4th at midnight.  Winner will be announced on Wednesday, and have 72 hours to contact me with their mailing info.

Thanks to My Blog Spark and Yoplait for this providing this giveaway.

GIVEAWAY: Gold Medal Brand White Whole Wheat Flour

It seems that Americans are always looking for ways to add more whole grain to their diets.  Something like changing the flour you use from regular white to Gold Medal White Whole Wheat Flour is effortless!  Unlike most whole wheat flour that's made from hard red spring wheat, Gold Medal has made theirs from hard WHITE spring wheat thus giving it a similar taste and texture to all-purpose white flour.

This flour is perfect for family favorite recipes like bread (on my list to make today!), pizza dough, cookies, muffins and brownies.  The product bakes up nice and golden, with a milder flavor than baked goods made with regular whole wheat flour.

Check out Betty Crocker's webpage to find lots of great recipes using Gold Medal White Whole Wheat Flour.  Here's one I can't WAIT to try, AND is included with the recipes in this giveaway!

WHOLE WHEAT-OATMEAL-RAISIN COOKIES
Posted at: http://recipesofacheapskate.blogspot.com
Recipe from: Gold Medal Flour

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 3 cups oatmeal
• 1 1/2 cups Gold Medal white whole wheat flour
• 1 cup raisins, dried cherries or dried blueberries

Heat oven to 350degs.  In a large bowl, beat all ingredients except oatmeal, flour and raisins with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended, or mix with spoon.  Stir in oats, flour, and raisins.  On ungreased cookie sheet, drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart.  Bake 10-12 minutes or until light brown.  Cool 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheets.  Cool completely; store tightly covered.

One of my lucky readers will receive the following PRIZE PACK:

• A VIP Coupon for a sample of Gold Medal White Whole Wheat Flour
• Instructions for conversion
• Gold Medal Cookie Jar
• Recipe Cards

HERE'S HOW TO ENTER:
1-Leave a comment telling me what recipe you'd try with Gold Medal White Whole Wheat flour (1 entry)

INCREASE YOUR ODDS
2-Follow this blog via Google Friend Connect on the right bar.  Leave a comment telling me you started following, or you already follow! (1 entry)

Giveaway will go until Friday, Sept 23rd, at midnight.  Winner will (hopefully) be announced the next day, and will have 72hours to contact me at krystalsrecipes (at) gmail (dot) com, otherwise another winner will be chosen.  Thank you MyBlogSpark and Gold Medal for providing the Gold Medal White Whole Wheat flour product, information, images and giveaway.

Fiber One Giveaway

Fiber One Giveaway  CLOSED!

Myself, along with over 1,000 other bloggers, recently took a survey about our fiber intake recently.  Here are the results!

• 30% thought they were getting the recommended Daily Value of fiber
• 60% said they struggled to get incorporate it into their diets
• 51% said they don't even think about trying to get fiber into their diets
• 21% said fiber is too hard to find in the foods they like
• 45% said they want their fiber to come with honey

I laughed at that last one.  I'd rather my fiber come in the form of chocolate, as long as we're discussing this.  :)  I could probably find it.

Regardless, the average person usually only get 50% of what the Daily Value Recommendations.  There's lots of ways to get more fiber in your diet, and Fiber One has given you one of the tastiest!  1 Serving of any Fiber One cereal gives you at least 30% of your daily value.  Some even offer more than 50%!

Up for grabs is 5 boxes of Fiber One cereals!  Very yummy, the Honey Clusters and Caramel Delight are my favorite!  And I'm not even a cereal person.

CLICK HERE to print a coupon for $.75 off a box of Fiber One

TO ENTER:

• 1 entry per person, just leave a comment telling me if you think YOU get enough fiber in the day.  I know I don't. . .
• Giveaway will close on Saturday the 2nd. Winner will be chosen via Random.org, and will be announced on Sunday.  The winner is responsible to contact me within 72 hours, before another winner is chosen.  

Thanks to General Mills, through My Blog Spark, for proving the information, and product for this giveaway.

Giveaway--$25 Kroger Giftcard

Do you feel like grocery shopping is going to break the bank every time you go?  Yeah, I feel that way sometimes too. 

Through March 12th, Kroger (AKA-Ralph's, King Scoopers, City Market, Dillons, Smith's, Fry's QFC, Baker's, Owen's, Jay C Food Stores, Hilander, Gerbes, Food4Less, Pay Less Super Markets, or Scott's Food and Pharmacy--wow, that's a lot of stores!!) is having their biggest-ever promotion. 

More than 35 brands, more than 65 categories--Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, Green Giant, Old Spice, Nestle, Progresso. . .just to name a few.  Each day Kroger is doing a "Deal Of The Day", and during this promotion, be one of the first 1000 people to click on this deal link to get the coupon for the deal on your store card!

You can also bust out your video camera and "Show Us Your Deals!" by posting a video on YouTube letting everyone know how you save money shopping, and which "Deal Of The Day" you loved. 

HOW TO ENTER FOR THE $25 GIFT CARD
1-Like Kroger on Facebook AND leave me comment telling me how you would plan the save big with this Cart Buster event.  What items would you buy with the $25 gift card?  Tell me in ONE comment. (If you forget to do one of these things, you can comment again, but you will still only get 1 entry)

GIVEAWAY CLOSES ON FRIDAY MARCH 3rd AT MIDNIGHT
(this will ensure the winner gets their giftcard in time to use it on the Cart Buster Event. Winner has 24 hours to contact me, otherwise I will draw again.  Winner chosen via random.org  Only 1 entry per person, as long as they follow the rules.  The Kroger Family of Stores and General Mills/Nestle/P&G provided me with this gift card and info through MyBlogSpark)

Giveaway + Saturday's Party

GIVEAWAY!

Happy New Year to you all!!  Want to hear how I spent my new year?  I listened to K-girl have melt-down after melt-down for an hour (this is was 7pm, no way was she staying up till midnight!) and then the power went out!  It was out for 3 hours.  During this time, Captain Jax went into town to get cell service (I know, we live in the middle of nowhere) and try to call someone to cover his shift at work that started at 11pm.

Meanwhile, I covered the kids with a million blankets, because the house was quickly cooling off with no power.  And then I read a book by candle light.  Yeah, not exactly how I planned to ring in the New Year!

I don't know how many of you actually visit my blog on a regular basis, or if you follow it through a reader (I do most of my blog following through google reader) but if you've seen my blog page, you'll notice I have a button at the top for Hamburger Helper, and a wonderful thing they've got going on right now.  To raise awareness about the national issue of hunger, Hamburger Helper is partnering with Tim McGraw to help Feeding America deliver millions of meals to local food banks through the Show Your Helping Hand campaign.

 On certain boxes of Hamburger Helper, there is a code you can log on and put it.  For every code, Hamburger Helper donates 17cents to the Feeding America program.  I know, it doesn't sound like a lot, but 17cents provides one meal to a food bank!  Hamburger Helper (along with Chicken, and Tuna Helper) are something I keep on hand.  They're affordable, quick, and when food drives come along, I love being able to grab a box, and have almost a full meal to give to the food bank.

This giveaway prize pack includes a copy of Tim McGraw's "Southern Voice" CD, 1 foam hand, 1 box of Hamburger Helper, and a $10 donation made on your behalf to the Show Your Helping Hand campaign.   

TO ENTER:

-Leave a comment.  That's all, I like to make this easy for you.  One comment per person please! 

-Giveaway closed Jan 5th at midnight MST, and the winner will be notified.  

(Prize Pack and information about Show Your Helping Hand Campaign was given to me by Hamburger Helper through My Blog Spark.)

SATURDAY'S PARTY

• Please link to your original POST, not directly to your blog's homepage.
• Anything pertaining to a party is welcome!  Food, drinks, decoration   ideas, theme ideas, etc. 
• Grab the Saturday's party button to add to your post, or link back to this post so others can come here and see the other great party ideas!
• go check out the other bloggers and see what they made!  Who knows, you might find a new blog to follow!

<center><a href="http://recipesofacheapskate.blogspot.com/p/saturdays-party.html" target="_blank"><img alt="Recipes Of A Cheapskate" src="http://i699.photobucket.com/albums/vv352/littlerockflower/SaturdaysParty-a.jpg" /></a></center>

Waffle Trifle, Saturday's Party AND a $50 Giveaway!

WAFFLE TRIFLE

Last night, our dinner was a flop.  K-girl ended up with chicken nuggets, and I was scrambling trying to find something decent for Captain Jax and I, that didn't involve too much effort.

Frozen waffles it was!  But I wanted to showcase these beautiful, handcrafted glasses I purchased through Novica.com.  So I played around and created this waffle trifle.  Quite easy, and would be a beautiful presentation for a breakfast party.

Aren't these glasses pretty?  I love them!  Because they're hand-crafted, they are all different.  Very subtle differences, like the thickness of the glasses, or the heights aren't exactly the same.  But that is what is so wonderful about them!  Our current glasses, that we got for our wedding 5 years ago, I see everywhere.  They are NOT unique!  I hate that, which is why I love these glasses.  My next door neighbor isn't going to have these glasses.

Novica has a wonderful selection of gifts for everyone!  And it helps support artisans across the world, who otherwise would only be local.  They have a corporate gift section, which is where I purchase these glasses from, and have wonderful items.

Do you want to win a $50 gift certificate to Novica?  Here's what you've got to do:

1-Go check out their gifts for mom, their gifts for that man in your life, their jewlery, such as bracelets and earrings, their corporate gift section, ANY of there wonderful sections (tableware and entertaining?  You can never have enough beautiful dishes!)

2-Leave a comment letting me know what you would purchase from there if you received this $50 gift certificate and WHY.  Is it because it's made it Thailand and you feel you have a special bond with Thai items after spending 2 weeks there?  Or because it would just plain look awesome in your home?  Or maybe you're like me, and you like being able to support artisans in their craft.  Let me know :)

(One comment per person please!  Contest closes MONDAY Dec 20th at midnight, winner has 24hrs to contact me to get their code for $50 before another one will be drawn.  This giveaway is sponsored by Novica, who provided me with a gift certificate, and one for my awesome readers.)

WAFFLE TRIFLE
From: http://recipesofacheapskate.blogspot.com/
(amounts per glass)

• 2 frozen waffles, cooked and cut into small pieces
• fresh strawberries or other fruit--cut into small pieces
• whipped cream
• syrup

Starting with the waffles, layer waffles, strawberries, whipped cream, and syrup in the glass.  End with waffles, topped with syrup (or another dollop of whipped cream drizzled with syrup for a beautiful presentation).

(Linked up at: Recipe Swap Sunday, )

SATURDAY'S PARTY

• Please link to your original POST, not directly to your blog's   homepage.
• Anything pertaining to a party is welcome!  Food, drinks, decoration   ideas, theme ideas, etc. 
• Grab the Saturday's party button to add to your post, or link back to this post so others can come here and see the other great party ideas!
• go check out the other bloggers and see what they made!  Who knows, you might find a new blog to follow!

<center><a href="http://recipesofacheapskate.blogspot.com/p/saturdays-party.html" target="_blank"><img alt="Recipes Of A Cheapskate" src="http://i699.photobucket.com/albums/vv352/littlerockflower/SaturdaysParty-a.jpg" /></a></center>

Lemon Pepper Panko Giveaway + Cookbook + 3 Recipes

LEMON PEPPER PANKO GIVEAWAY CLOSED
 (You can still link up to this week's Saturday's party HERE) 

What a joy it was to read through Michael Chiarello's cookbook Bottega.  Throughout the cookbook, interspersed with the recipes, Michael is telling stories about the restaurant (the book's namesake), the people he works with, his family and life.  One of the stories he shared was about emails.  As much as he enjoys reading the emails he receives from customers, and going to different sites where people have reviewed his restaurant, he commented that the surest way to get his attention is to actually write him a letter.  I thought that was great, given the world we live in where even Seasame Street is teaching kids about technology! (yes, I watched that episode with K-girl.  Later Big Bird mentions 'Tweeting on his bird-berry')

I digress though.  The point of this post is to GIVEAWAY something, right?  Thanks to the lovely folks at My Blog Spark, and General Mills, who wanted to share this new product with you, I've got a copy of this book, and a box of Progresso's new Lemon Pepper Panko.  

 I use panko and bread crumbs in my dishes all the time.  It's a staple in my house, and I probably have at least 3 containers in my storage for when I run out.  Whether frying, baking or broiling, this culinary superstar adds a flavorful crunch to create simple, savory recipes. Made from the soft, tender centers of the bread, Progresso Lemon Pepper Panko combines the perfect crunch with effortless flavor to give any dish that extra punch. The large, flaky crumb has a coarser texture than traditional bread crumbs, delivering a lighter, crunchier coating or topping. 

Imagine putting this over a nice slice of salmon, or try Mama Chiarello's Stuffed Eggplant or Turkey Scallopini and Squash Ravioli with Cranberry Brown Butter. (what a spin on Thanksgiving THAT would be!) You can't go wrong with this panko.

The flavors are obvious.  It's not one of those things you taste, and wonder if that's really lemon you're tasting, or if your mind is just creating it.  You can taste the lemon, and the pepper.  It's not over-powering, but flavorful, giving just enough.

I breaded some shrimp in tempura batter, then panko, and had it with some pasta.  Wonderful!  Captain Jax, who doesn't care for fish, ate almost all of the shrimp, he enjoyed the blend of lemon and pepper on them so much.  

CRISPY SHRIMP AND PASTA
Posted at: http://recipesofacheapskate.blogspot.com

• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup tempura batter, already mixed
• 1 1/ 2 lb uncooked large shrimp, tails removed
• 2 cups Progresso lemon pepper panko crispy bread crumbs

Heat the oil in a wok or deep-sided skillet on medium-high heat.  Place tempura batter and bread crumbs in separate bowls. Drain the shrimp in a sieve over another shallow bowl to capture the buttermilk. Dip the shrimp into tempura to coat, then dredge in bread crumbs. Fry the shrimp in hot oil in batches until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels to absorb any excess oil.  Serve over pasta.  If you add a little bit of butter and parmesan cheese to the pasta, it helps to give it some more flavor, instead of plain pasta.


Here's a taste of some of the recipes you'll find in Chef Chiarello's cookbook:

Risotto
Posted at: http://recipesofacheapskate.blogspot.com
Originally from: Michael Chiarello's Bottega

• about 6 cups stock (chicken, veggie, etc)
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup finely chopped onion
• 2 cups rice
• 1 Tbsp minced garlic
• 1 cup dry white wine (I used another cup of stock)
• 3 cups shredded fontina cheese

Bring the stock to a boil over high heat.  Keep at a simmer while you prepare the risotto.  Cook the onion in a pan with the oil, until soft, about 10 minutes.  Add the rice and the garlic and cook, stirring often until the rice is pearly white with a translucent outer layer.  Add the wine (or 1 cup stock) and cook, stirring, until very little liquid is left.  Ladle in a cup of the simmering stock.  Keep the rice at a simmer, and keep stirring often until almost all the liquid is gone.  Ladle in 1/2 a cup of the stock, and repeat for about 25 minutes.  You might have some stock left over.  Taste the rice.  It should be creamy, firm in the center, but no crunch.  Add the shredded cheese and other seasonings (sage, basil, etc).  Use the risotto for the balls.



I have this one my list to make this week!  As soon as I can find more than 15 minutes to cook in my kitchen, I'll be making this risotto, and then making these risotto balls, and pulling out my trusty Panko!



Pesto Arancini Stuffed with Mozzarella
Posted at: http://recipesofacheapskate.blogspot.com
Originally from: Michael Chiarello's Bottega

• 3 cups leftover risotto (or cooked rice)
• 1 1/2 cups pesto
• 4 oz mozzarella
• 2 cups flour
• 2 cups panko bread crumbs
• oil for frying

Mix together the risotto and pesto.  Divide in to 16 portions.  Use about 1/2 tsp of cheese and ball up the rice around the cheese.  Place all the finished balls on a lined pan and place in the freezer for 30 minutes.  Heat your oil up in a large pot.  Dredge the balls in flour, then egg, then panko.  Cook 4-5 balls at a time, until lightly browned--60-90 seconds.  Don't overcook, or the cheese will leak out!
You can fry the day before, and refrigerate overnight.  Reheat in the oven at 375 for 10-15 minutes.

And now to the giveaway.  A copy of Michael Chiarello's cookbook Bottega, and a box of Lemon Pepper Panko breadcrumbs.  THIS IS A QUICK GIVEAWAY!!

• Comment on this post, telling me what you would make with the panko, or if you watch Chef Chiarello on TV, what one of your favorite dishes are he makes.  
• One entry per person please!
• Giveaway will close TOMORROW (sunday) at 10pm MST.  Like I said, it's a quick giveaway!
• Winner of the prize pack will be picked by random.org, and announced on the blog Monday morning.  Winner will have 48 hours to email me their mailing information.  If I don't receive the information, a new winner will be chosen.

Winner of Chocolate

WINNER
Wow, you guys are awesome. I thought I was the only one who's "me time" was in the shower, or going to the grocery store.  So glad I'm not alone in that regard!

Before I announce the winner of the giveaway, I want to remind everyone that the coupon you can get from Pillsbury for $1.50 off, AND share with your friends, only goes through October.  Just another week and 1/2 to save!  When I picked up my desserts from my local Target, they were only $2.50.  Use your coupon for $1.50 off, and they're only a dollar!!  The bitesize brownies (which taste a LOT like cake balls Captain Jax decided) have about a dozen in a package, so that's less than 10cents a bite.  The dessert bowls, with 2 bowls, come out to 50cents a bowl.

Not too shabby for some good chocolate.  So make sure you get your coupon printed and shared soon!

And a quick thanks to Pillsbury and My Blog Spark for giving me the chance to share this tasty chocolate with all of you, my awesome readers.  :)

Through random.org I put in the numbers 1-33 and it spat out. . . .

Number 15!!!  That's practically right in the middle, weird.

Congrats to Amber who said "'I love to run it makes me smile, I think I'll run another mile!' and of course bring home chocolate to eat  :]"

Send me an email with your address Amber, and you'll get your prize pack soon.  krystalsrecipes(at)gmail(dot)com

And stay tuned for another giveaway coming up with Flavored Panko, and a signed cookbook!  Thanks for playing everyone!

Winner!!

Thank you all who entered the giveaway fro Nature Valley Granola Clusters! Through the very scientifically random method we use here, Captain Jax drew a name out of a bowl. :) We're pretty official around these parts!

Congrats to HEATHER!!! Email me a krystalsrecipes@gmail.com with your address and I'll mail off your package! :)

Stay tuned for later today, a wonderful chicken dish made by my brother.

Review and a GIVEAWAY!

I know it's been a while since I've been here, I've had some medical problems that have made it extremely difficult to do much of anything! (I'll explain at the end) But boy howdy, Panda Express has been my best friend!!

MyBlogspark has teamed up with Nature Valley and offered me an opportunity to review their newest product: Granola Nut Clusters. I'm a big fan of Nature Valley granola bars anyway, so I was excited for this chance. I like to buy their big boxes of the chewy ones at Costco. Mmmm. . .

Although, they send me this package before I even moved, and then I had my medical problems and was unable to post, their giveaway has closed. But because I'M the slacker on this one, fully and completely, you won't be getting a package from blogspark. It'll be coming from me!!

all four flavors of the granola clusters will go to a lucky winner!!

They come in four flavors: Nut lovers, Roasted Cashew, Honey Roasted Peanut, and Roasted Almond. I found them at my local grocery store for about $3.50-$4 and I've seen coupons in the sunday newspaper ads for $.50-$1 off! Not too bad.

A few of my favorite features about this:

• They're bitesize. Literally! some things say "bitesize" but it reality about it's 2-3 bites. Like those bitesize candy bars.
• The resealable package. I took these to my brother and some of his co-workers to try out (all about sharing the goodness!) and they were just tossing the package around to each other on the trucks and backhoes.
• You can give a few to your kids! You don't need to try to control a whole granola bar leaving crumbs all over the house while they're eating.

Honey Roasted Peanut one was my favorite. I thought the sweet flavor was awesome, and peanuts are really the only nut I like anyway. Some others (aka-family) liked the sweet and salty mixture. Some thought it was too salty, some thought there was too much honey. The majority did think they were rather hard when biting them. (but that didn't stop them from eating them!)


The box tops is always a wonderful way to support your local school. Just cut them out, send them with your kids or even drop them off yourself! they'll be grateful.

TO ENTER: Just leave me a comment. Any ol' comment. (but I'd prefer the polite ones, and not hate-filled, like the one I just had to delete on another post I had. . .)

Giveaway will close SUNDAY NIGHT AT MIDNIGHT (the 20th)


and this is what has been keeping me from blogging. Actually it's been keeping me from doing pretty much anything but lying around, and begging Captain Jax to pick me up some food from some place since the thought of the kitchen was too much to bear.

so now that I'm getting out of the "everything in my kitchen makes me sick" phase, I'll be started to get back into the regular posting. But bear with me still, I've got some other medical situations with this kid that put me on and off bedrest (which means I ain't cooking!) so I'll still be here and there. Hopefully more here than there. . .the ER kind of sucks.

Now enter to win a box of Granola Clusters!! Lasagna rolls will be coming up on wednesday

Winner!

Thanks for all of you who checked out Tablespoon.com and entered my giveaway!


I did a random number pull out of the 10 entires received and #3 was the winner! Congrats BH!! Send you mailing address to: krystalrecipes (at) gmail (dot) com and that prize pack will be on it's way to you (and you can enjoy all the coupons on the site)

Be sure to come back tomorrow, for another giveaway, this one even bigger. . .it's going to be awesome!

Giveaway!

It's a giveaway time! The great folks over at myblogspark (and general mills) let me in on a little secret that I want to let you in on as well. It's called Tablespoon.com and it's a new website from General Mills where you can find, save, and share recipes you love! I know, there are a lot of recipe sites out there, but frankly, there can never be enough. The more recipes to share the better, right?

Here's what they told me about it:

"When you visit Tablespoon.com, you can:

• View more than 25,000 of the best recipes on the web
• Share recipes easily on places like Facebook and Twitter

When you join Tablespoon.com, you can:

• Add your own recipe creations
• Create your own version of existing recipes that suit your taste.
• Save up to $80 every month with printable coupons from brands you love Rate, comment, and save the recipes you try
  

Bonus! And if that wasn´t enough, if you add your recipes to Tablespoon, your recipe and profile could be featured in a Tablespoon newsletter, which is sent to thousands of subscribers! The Tablespoon team will select some of the highest rated member submitted recipes to be featured in the weekly newsletter. If your recipe is highly rated, it could even be the main feature!"

It's going to be great. To promote this awesome new site, they invited me to join and check it out. Yeah, they gave me an incentive as well. These awesome hot pads, a measuring cup (holds 3 1/2 cups) and a set of tablespoons (duh, I know).

And, to make it even better, I get to give away a set to one of you as well!! Here's what I want you to do to be entered in win this price pack:
1-Go check out the site. Play around on there, search through their recipes, join up! :)
2-Come back here, and tell me what your favorite feature on there is.

I'll tell you what my favorite feature is: Their search smart feature! It lets you choose what you do and don't want in the recipe, how many ingredients you want, what type of cuisine you're looking for, how long you want the cook AND prep time to be, what type of course, the rating, and the contributor (it has recipes from betty crocker, old el paso, muir glen, fiber one. .. the list goes on!)

So head on over to Tablespoon and let me know what you love about it! The contest will CLOSE ON SATURDAY NIGHT AT MIDNIGHT. But stay tuned, I have another giveaway coming up as well! :)

WINNERS!!!

Thank you to all who entered the giveaway! I had such a fun time reading through all of your favorite recipes, and I've compiled a folder with your recipes so I can start trying them out!

But let's not waste time eh? I know you all want to see the winners. Very simple process here, out of just over 50 entries (thanks to all your who started following and blogged about the giveaway!) Captain Jax drew out two winners!


Winner #1: I Am Nacho Mama

Winner #2: Mommy's Kitchen

Here's their comments:

Mommy's Kitchen said: "My favorite is the cheesy ham rigatoni. I love that stuff. I am already a follower so i have that covered as well." (here's a link to the baked rigatoni, it's greatness if you haven't tried it yet!)

I Am Nacho Mama said: "My favorite is the crockpot chicken - so easy and so good.

Congratulations ladies! Email me your address at krystalsrecipes (at) gmail (dot) com and I'll get those books out to you!

GIVEAWAY!!

BIRTHDAY GIVEAWAY!


My birthday is in a week, and I turn 25 (quarter of a century?!? I don't feel like it)

So I figured, it's time for my first ever giveaway

I've been posting for over a year too! I didn't think it had been that long. . .the middle of may was my one-year recipe blog-anniversary.

So to commemorate BOTH these wonderful events, I'm not just giving away one of these beautiful cookbooks

With wonderfully handcrafted recipe pages by ladies all over the country

but I'm giving away TWO of these books

Aren't these beautiful?

They're full books, with 5 sections. Drinks, appetizers, sides, main dishes, salads, and desserts. There's 24 recipes in here for you to try and enjoy!

How could you not want to cook a recipe that sounds as wonderful as this?

Or this one! I love avocados, but Captain Jax won't touch them *sigh*

Mmmmm. . . .


Do you want one of these?

Here's what you've got to do, to be entered to win one of these TWO recipes books.

1-For one entry, leave me a comment telling me your favorite recipe. You can leave the title, link to another site, post the whole recipe, just let me know what your favorite recipe is because I want to try it! (note: it doesn't have to be from my blog :) )

2-Start following my blog for a second entry, and leave a SEPARATE comment telling me you started following me (or you already do!)

3-For a third entry, post about this giveaway on your blog, come back and leave me a comment telling me you posted about this giveaway on your blog, and give me a link back to the post.

And I'm sorry to all my foriegn friends, but I'm a cheapskate, and I can't afford to mail this giveaway out of the USA. So I'm going to have to limit this to residents of USA only. Thanks for understanding, and please keep reading and commenting!!

GOOD LUCK!! Contest will end on July 21, at Midnight (my time, MST). I'll have Captain Jax draw two names from a bowl (because we're pretty technical around here) and post the winners the morning of the 22nd. At which point, the winners will need to contact me with their mailing address.