Fine.

I had Amanda find a recipe online and we proceed to make our own homemade tortillas.

Not bad, huh?

The flour tortilla recipe was straightforward, but I would suggest having a marble rolling pin (which is what I used) or a tortilla press (which I will be purchasing).

I always hear the saying ‘never trust a skinny cook’. Not sure I completely agree with that. I mean, Gordon Ramsey isn’t fat. I prefer to say ‘never trust a neat cook’.

But, {yeah, there’s always a but} he prefers corn tortillas over the flour ones. So, tonight I made tacos for Amanda and searched for a different tortilla recipe. I’m fairly sure these were some odd version of corn pancakes. They were edible. They will not be made again. And a huge mess was made. Eh, these things happen.

Oh, you want to know how much it all costs?

Well, the flour was bought on sale for something around $1, but I also inherited an insane amount of flour from my mother when she passed. On average you can get a 5 pound bag of all-purpose flour for around $2. Baking powder is about $1 or so (again, I have several cans in the cupboard). You would think I bake/cook a lot or something. Salt is super cheap and most everyone has this in their house. And water is free! So, for less than 50¢ I made 11 delicious flour tortillas, I know every ingredient, and I saved money. ♫ Love it! ♫

Cooking 101: Homemade Tortillas is a post from: AnneOnLife where life happens quite regularly. If you liked that, you'll love me on and .
© AnneOnLife 2008-2010

I had a date last night.

That’s two weeks in a row, on a Saturday night, too. Last week Dwayne and I planned to go to the movies and have dinner. Since he’s been working 6 days a week we only made it to dinner last week. If you have a Smokey Bones near you, go. They are amazing.

Last night dinner was a bit more simple. After watching Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution I am officially off most fast food.  We didn’t have time for all to wait for a seat at a restaurant yet I wanted something semi-healthy. We had Subway.

Subway for me is pretty darned healthy, too. I had a footlong [actually ate the whole thing, usually I only eat half] turkey, no cheese, toasted on 9-grain honey oat with lettuce, tomato, green pepper, onion, spinach, and a dash of oregano. I added a bag of Harvest Cheddar Sun Chips [still unopened] and a Sweet Tea [my vice]. Next time I may actually forgo the turkey since I’m only in it for the veggies.

Mmm, veggies.

Okay, enough of my dinner.

On to the the movie.

I wanted to see Cop Out, but it was no longer showing at the theater. I had free tickets for a specific theater [I pride myself on being a cheap date]. Since Dwayne paid for dinner I paid for the movie snacks [almost as much as dinner - ouch!] We decided on Green Zone.

I wouldn’t say ‘go out and see this now’. It was interesting and at times dizzying. Mostly, though, it was frustrating. How is it I, an American, go to a movie, made by and starring Americans, about a war and root for, uh, I was rooting for the non-American! I knew he would die. I even knew who would kill him. Oh, and I knew so much more because this is [loosely?] based on truth.

Okay, maybe it’s not even loosely. Maybe it’s real close. I don’t know.

I do know that it made me embarrassed. Yeah, embarrassed to be an American. And I love America. I love what our Forefathers wanted. I love my freedom.

And yet I cannot say The Pledge of Allegiance

Just writing that – allegiance – what does that mean anyway?

If you like war movies, then rent this. Otherwise, skip it.

Dinner and a Movie: Green Zone is a post from: AnneOnLife where life happens quite regularly. If you liked that, you'll love me on and .
© AnneOnLife 2008-2010

I got to pet an ass [insert joke here].

I really want one! I have for a while now. I just need to convince Dwayne and maybe make some money for the additional fencing needs. Oh, and maybe we’ll raise some goats, too. Goat cheese anybody?

Next was the trip through Pigeon Forge in which we learned we lost nothing there. I’m not really sure what the big draw is. As far as our desire to go to Dollywood (just for a change of pace), it will never happen.

Note to Pigeon Forge and Sevierville tourism officials: give estimate of mileage to I-40 because it’s not nice to meander traffic for miles [i.e. 2 hours] in the hopes we will stop at one of your tourist traps along the way. Not cool.

Then we were stalked by some woman in a white car. Fun stuff. We I think she felt we would get the ticket rather than her if the cops caught us speeding. And a woman in a black car attempted to stalk us after we cut in front of her. It was her fault for driving too slow in the fast lane. We lost her pretty quickly. Guess she couldn’t keep up.

Oh, and there was the Beverly Hillbillies wannabes.

Although we were almost an hour late, we were able to pick up Ivy from the kennel at the vet’s and bring her home Sunday. She was a very happy puppy and behaved during the drive home. I think she was just happy to claim her spot on the king sized bed. Yeah, she’s a tad bit spoiled.

What great things have you been doing lately?

Tennessee Trippin’ is a post from: AnneOnLife where life happens quite regularly. If you liked that, you'll love me on and .
© AnneOnLife 2008-2010

This is for…

all of us who ever went to, wanted to, or read about summer camp. For every child and adult. For everyone who loves kids, the outdoors, and innocence. Well, this is for all of you. Enjoy!

Now that’s what it’s all about!

I think.

Video Monday: Summer Camp Food is a post from: AnneOnLife where life happens quite regularly. If you liked that, you'll love me on and .
© AnneOnLife 2008-2010

Thanks to I Am A Money Magnet and Coupon Dad for sharing your Post-it® coupon finds!

Staples Back to School Savings July 25 – 31 is a post from: AnneOnLife where life happens quite regularly. If you liked that, you'll love me on and .
© AnneOnLife 2008-2010

Right now it’s somewhere in the middle which is how I ended up with three cups of coffee sitting in my French Press and no one to drink it. Not wanting it to go down the drain (figuratively and literally) I poured it into containers and in the fridge it went.

It must be fate.

Someone somewhere is trying to tell me something. I have read two posts this past month on the Toddy Cold Brew System. First there was Rachel, who reviews how the cold toddy system works. Seriously, read this before you buy one.

And of course Andrea of Mommy Snacks has a Toddy Cold Brew System giveaway going on right now. Hey, it’s always more fun to win something. {If you’re interested in this you better get to it. The giveaway ends Saturday, July 24th at 9 pm EST.}

Yet, my kitchen real estate will not allow for a traditional coffee maker, a French Press, and the Toddy Cold Brew System. How about you?

But I like my special, ridiculously expensive, I-would-never-pay-this-much-for-anything-else coffee.

Me, too! And now I can have that ridiculously expensive, I-would-never-pay-this-much-for-anything-else coffee without the ridiculous price tag. It’s really simple. I used my Bodum 3-Cup French Press, but you can use a drip coffee maker, percolator, or any other method you choose. Note, you’ll want to have your coffee made and cooled ahead of time.

All right, you’re coffee has been refrigerated and now it’s time to make some yummy cold coffee drink. YaY!

• Put about 6- 8 oz of coffee in a blender
• Add approximately 3 oz of milk (I like soy or almond)
• Toss in a couple ice cubes.
• Add 1/4 teaspoon sugar (optional)
• Add desired flavors. I used a few drops of almond extract and cinnamon, but you can invest in flavored syrups. Just know this is not necessary and you can use what you already have in your cupboard.
• Blend together for about 20-30 seconds or until ice is crushed and drink is desired consistency.
• Pour into your favorite mug or cup (or leave in your little blender and save yourself a dish like I did)
• Garnish with a little spray of whipped cream, shredded chocolate, cinnamon, nutmeg, or whatever your little heart desires.
• Add a straw and enjoy!

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Pre-making your coffee

• The first thing you have to figure out is how strong do you like your coffee. I really don’t want to put hair on my chest, but that’s just me. My French Press says to add 5 scoops of coarsely ground coffee. I add about 2 1/2 and it’s just about perfect for me.
• Next, well, maybe this should be first, choose your coffee. I used Maxwell House. We’re so not coffee snobs in this house.
• Follow the directions on your coffee maker. For mine I added my coffee grounds to my press. Then brought water to a boil on the stove using my mini tea kettle. Once the water comes to a boil, I pour it over the coffee grounds in the press and put the lid on (do not press down just yet). Wait approximately 4 minutes, then press.
• Let it cool a bit, then refrigerate for a nice cold coffee drink.

Need a new coffee maker?

Amazon is running a Buy Three Get a Fourth Free deal on their kitchen and dining items. There is so much more than just coffee makers here. It’s also a great way to start buying those holiday gifts instead of waiting until November and the big holiday rush. And if you have SwagBucks to redeem you can make this an even sweeter deal. It only takes 450 SwagBucks to earn a $5 Amazon gift card.

Disclaimer: No compensation was received for writing this post. All opinions are 100% my own. Amazon product links within this post. SwagBucks affiliate link used. Please see my disclosure policy for more information.

Saving Money 101: Specialty Coffee is a post from: AnneOnLife where life happens quite regularly. If you liked that, you'll love me on and .
© AnneOnLife 2008-2010

And Now For Something Yummy is a post from: AnneOnLife where life happens quite regularly. If you liked that, you'll love me on and .
© AnneOnLife 2008-2010

However you read the name you will definitely want to download this free music sampler if you are a fan of alternative rock. In fact, the very first song Requiem for a Dying Song is what drew me in (after the word dummy, that is). One of the few songs I really like that I actually do not already have mingled on my cherished iPod.

There are 13 songs to fill your ears with musically bliss. Okay, maybe not bliss, but it will fill your ears with something. Could be cotton if you are not partial to alternative rock and bands called Flogging Molly and such.

Here is what you get (as taken from my iTunes this morning):

For those of you with different musical taste…

R&B Music World’s Essence Collection (Amazon Free Sampler)
Folk Rock Sample This Sh*t
Dave Matthews Band sound Paper Trails [Amazon MP3 Exclusive]
French/Spanish Salsa Barbes Records Summer Sampler
Pop/Alternative Mix Vanguard Records Sounds of Summer (AmazonMP3 Sampler)

Amazon has over 1600 songs in their collect of free music and 78 album samplers.

A word of warning to those new to Amazon downloads, you will need to download the Amazon Downloader. This is a small program required to download anything from Amazon. You music will be automatically added to your iTunes list as well. Very convenient.

Disclaimer: All opinions are 100% mine. No compensation was received, but affiliate links were use in this post. Please see my Disclosure Policy for more information.

Free Music: Alternative Rock Summer Sampler is a post from: AnneOnLife where life happens quite regularly. If you liked that, you'll love me on and .
© AnneOnLife 2008-2010

Alright, this post was supposed to be about Amanda and her funnyisms (yeah, I made up that word. ya wanna make something of it?) {insert goofy smiley here} not things-that-gross-me-out-to-the-point-of-not-wanting-to-eat dieting.

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So, in all laziness I decide to search for an image of a can of Chef Boyardee raviolis with the ‘full serving a vegetables’ label instead of just taking a picture of one of the cans in my cupboard. I never found the image I was looking for, but I did find some old posts about a rat supposedly found in a can of raviolis.

For some odd reason Google added the words ‘rat in’ to the beginning of my search. Weird.

This is a bit traumatic for me. See, I have a sensitive stomach. Maybe it’s I have a sensitive gag reflex that goes all the way down to the pit of my stomach. Either way, I now have another addition to my ‘I will probably never ever eat this again’ list. Yippee {sarcasm, people, sarcasm}

Oh, and I did NOT watch the video, so proceed at your own peril. Very dramatic, aren’t I? {insert stupid grin here}

And what was my original post about?

While shopping at Kroger on Saturday I told Amanda she could get some raviolis if she so desired. With a big grin she says, “Really?”

She walks over and starts grabbing the cans and turns to me and says, “What?!” as she points to the label stating there is a full serving of vegetables in every can. I laugh and tell her that’s the new marketing strategy and nothing has changed. She looks relieved and puts the cans in the cart.

I can’t help but be amused by my 17 year old daughter and her complete aversion to anything vegetable.

Image courtesy of Brian Zaikowski & B.Z. Toons

New Dieting Tactic: The Gross Out is a post from: AnneOnLife where life happens quite regularly. If you liked that, you'll love me on and .
© AnneOnLife 2008-2010

Staples has some great deals coming up next week. Last year I filled four backpacks with school supplies plus an extra bag of goodies and donated everything to one of our local elementary schools. And that was after my kids took what they would need AND I still have some things left over. I will just have to donate that much more this year.

Staples Back to School Savings July 18 – 24 is a post from: AnneOnLife where life happens quite regularly. If you liked that, you'll love me on and .
© AnneOnLife 2008-2010