Lovin Cooking

Tags

coupon, hard anodized, JCPenney, sale, saute pan, skillet

I’ve been using the same pots and pans since 1992 with the exception of 2 skillets that my husband and I received as wedding gifts in 2005.  The pans are pretty worn out and the skillets are warped on the bottom.  It’s time for some new cookware!

I went to the JCPenney Home Store to look around because I had a $10 coupon.  I was suppose to be buying a skillet, but I found a different pan that I thought could double as a skillet.  It’s a cooks Hard Anodized 5 quart saute pan.  I used it that evening for preparing dinner and it was perfect!

However, my husband still wanted a skillet.  I started looking for another $10 coupon so I could buy the matching skillet set.  Luckily I only had to wait a couple of days before finding one and back to the JCP Home Store I went.  I haven’t used the skillets yet, but I’m sure they are going to be great.

The best part was saving $110 because the cookware was on sale and I had the coupons.  🙂

Not Lovin Internet Explorer 9

Tags

favorites, firefox, ie9, internet explorer, microsoft

Let me start by saying I’m not one of those people who resist change and want everything to stay the way it is.  I like changing things up a bit.  Keeps life fresh and interesting.  Change is good.  Well, most of the time.  I made the mistake of upgrading to Internet Explorer 9.  Now some people might like it and that’s great, I’m happy for them.  I, personally, am frustrated with it.

Whose idea was it to move the Favorites from the left side to the right side of the window?  After years of automatically moving my mouse to the left, I can’t get used to sending it over to the right.  I have accidentally clicked on the little star that adds pages to my Favorites bar at least a gazillion times.  Then I have to delete what I added and remind myself that some brainiac thought it would be funny to throw everyone off and move all of my favorites to the right side of the page.

And yeah, it might be more convenient to do searches and type in specific web addresses all in the same box, but all of the buttons crammed together at the end of the box annoy me.  It looks and feels cluttered.  I don’t like clutter.

My husband suggested I try Firefox.  I guess I’ll give it a go and hopefully it will end up in the Lovin category!

Lovin Summer Break

Tags

sleep, summer

I woke up this morning around 9 a.m. and really appreciated the fact that I could sleep all day if I wanted to.  Summer classes were over a week ago, but this is the first week I haven’t had to wake up early for one reason or another.

I’ve been staying up late, too.  I finished watching the Yankees game that went into extra innings without worrying about having to get up early the following morning.  I also stayed up until 2:30 a.m. with my husband over the weekend watching old movies.  I feel like a teenager again!  Stay up late, sleep late.  It’s great!  🙂

I’m telling myself to enjoy it because in 2 short weeks it will be back to school again and I’ll be waiting on the weekends to roll around so I can sleep in!

Lovin Baking

Tags

attachments, baking, ice cream, KitchenAid, mixer, pasta

I think baking is relaxing. It provides me with a little stress relief. (Until I eat what I bake and then I stress over gaining weight!) I’m always looking at recipes online and printing them out with the thought that I’ll make them someday. Last night I decided to make something that I had been mulling over for the past couple of weeks… a pumpkin, carrot, cream cheese bar. It looked delicious and even a little bit healthy. So I whipped it up and the guys loved it.

As I was cleaning up the mess I had spread-out all over the kitchen, I was thinking how much I love my KitchenAid mixer. My mom gave it to me for Christmas last year. I really wanted it, but I wasn’t sure how much I would use it. Turns out I use it quite a bit. It is so much better than a hand mixer! There are even attachments that you can get to grind food, make pasta and ice cream. I might have to ask for one of those for Christmas this year!

Lovin Home

Tags

beach, home, road trip

We just returned home from a long road trip to the Gulf of Mexico. The drive wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it would be. The weather was about 10-20 degrees cooler than here in Oklahoma. (Something about that just ain’t right!) The beach was great! I really love the ocean. I could sit and listen to the waves all day. And the seafood was soooo good!

But…

I am so HAPPY to be HOME!!

Not Lovin Hibdon Tires

Tags

alignment, battery, car, dead battery, Hibdon Tires, mechanic, oil change, salesmen, warranty

I can think of so many things I’d rather spend $700 on besides tires. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a choice… it was time and there was no getting around it. I did my research online and made some calls.  I decided to go to Hibdon Tires because it seemed like the best deal and was close to my house.  Big mistake. 

I’m always prepared for the slick salesmen that try to sell me extra services even though I don’t need them.  It happens every time I get my oil changed.  The tire guy was no different.  (Right up there with car salesmen…  I can’t stand it.  These guys have zero integrity and probably take advantage of their own mothers and grandmothers.)  The sales guy wanted me to believe he was “cutting me a deal” on a warranty and an oil change.  I didn’t bite on the warranty, but I did need an oil change so for $20 I took it.  I guess that opened the door for what happened later. 

A couple hours after I dropped my car off, the sales guy gave me a call to let me know I needed an alignment.  I wasn’t surprised, I had been expecting him to try and sell me at least one more thing.  I told him thanks, but no thanks, it would have to wait for a later date.  He let me know that I should really do it sooner rather than later, but he would tell the guys I didn’t want it done and my car would be ready to pick-up in a few minutes.

I paid for my tires and was thinking to myself, thank God this is over.  I hope I don’t have to do this again for a long time.  I get in my car and turn the key.  Click.  I try again.  Click.  That’s right, my battery is dead.  I go back inside and tell the guys, “you just changed my tires and now my battery is dead.”  One of the mechanics says “oh yeah, I wrote on the ticket that you needed a new battery.”  What the hell?!  My battery was perfectly fine before I got there.  Do I look like a complete idiot?  A different mechanic mumbled something about “it was up on the lift for awhile so that’s probably what did it.”  At this point I was fuming and my 16 year old son was about to lose his cool.   The two mechanics grabbed a battery charger and went out to my car with us.  They charged it for about 20 seconds and it started right up.

I wish I could say everything was fine after that, but it wasn’t.  Everytime I start my car now there is a hesitation.  They have seriously screwed something up with my battery.  I am beyond mad.  There is no excuse for this! 

My husband is going to call Hibdon’s corporate office tomorrow.  We’ll see what happens.

to be continued…

~Update~ 7/28/2011

My wonderful husband spoke with the district manager and worked everything out!  He was very nice and understanding.  Ditto for the manager at the Hibdon location that he went to today (not ever going back to the one that screwed me).  They replaced my battery at no charge.  I feel so much better!  It’s nice to know that there are people out there willing to make a wrong, a right.

Lovin Keurig

Tags

brewer, coffee, hot chocolate, hot drink, K-cup, Keurig, tea

I had been thinking about getting a Keurig brewer for a long time and I finally got one!  🙂  It’s red and looks great in my kitchen.  It is so simple to use, I love it!

I bought the mini which only holds up to 10 ounces at a time because I will only be using it for hot chocolate and tea.

The brewer came with a variety pack of flavored coffees.  I tried the vanilla coffee and added milk and sugar.  It was pretty good and I don’t even like coffee!

I’m looking forward to trying the Apple Cider this fall.

Lovin Peeling Apples

Tags

apple peeler, corer, crust, Pampered Chef, pie, slicer

I remember my mom making the best homemade pies… lemon meringue, chocolate meringue, pecan, pumpkin and apple.  Mmmmm, so good!  After I moved out of my parents house, I knew if I wanted a good pie then I’d have to make it myself.  So I did.  And I’ve been making apple pies ever since.  I usually only make one or two pies a year (it’s not like I’m Mrs. Smith, oh wait, I am!) to fulfill my pie craving.  Although, sometimes I do buy frozen (gasp!). 

The worst part of making apple pies for me is peeling and slicing those darn apples.  Enter Pampered Chef.  Once I discovered there was an apparatus for doing these tasks for me, my life changed forever.  The Pampered Chef Apple Peeler / Corer / Slicer is amazing!  It does all 3 at once saving me over half the time it took me to do it with an old-school peeler and paring knife.  

There is also a handy little stand that you can attach the peeler to.  I held-off on buying the stand when I first purchased the peeler.  I figured I could just attach it to my kitchen counter, but that didn’t work out.  So I bought the stand and it made things a lot easier.

The Pie Crust Shield is also great to have.  No more messing with strips of foil!  I’m a little skeptical on the Pie Gate, but I think I’ll have to try it next.

Luckily, you don’t have to wait for one of your friends to have a party before buying Pampered Chef now…  www.pamperedchef.com

Lovin Margarita Drink Mix

Tags

Crystal Light, Great Value, Hornitos, lime, margarita, margarita mixer, sugar-free, tequila, WalMart

My brother knows I love margaritas and gave me a HUGE bottle of Hornitos Tequila.  (Apparently he wanted to make sure I was supplied for the next 5-10 years judging by the size of this bottle).  I’m always on the lookout for a good margarita mixer and have tried every kind known to man.  I think I have finally found something that will work and without all of the sugar and calories of a regular margarita… it’s a win-win! 

I had heard about Crystal Light making a Margarita flavor only available during the summer time.  I went to WalMart and couldn’t find it, but they did have a Lime Margarita flavor by the Great Value brand so I decided to give it a try.  I mixed it up and it tasted ok (not something I would want to drink on a regular basis).  I added a shot of tequila and was so surprised that it was pretty good!  I drank that cup and made another one.  🙂  I could’ve gone for a third, but I’ve learned the hard way that I have a two drink limit.  😉  I expected to wake-up dehydrated and with a headache, but I didn’t.  I don’t know if it was because of the tequila or because of the mix being sugar-free, but either way I’m excited to give it another try and see what happens!

Lovin State Farm

Tags

free, insurance, OnStar, State Farm

I’ve had the same insurance agent since I was 16 and he’s always been good to me.  I’ve heard horror stories about how some people are treated by their insurance companies so I’ve always felt pretty fortunate to have a good one.  I could probably get a cheaper rate somewhere else, but I just don’t think it would be worth it if something happened and I needed help.  So I stay with State Farm. 

This week they sent me a surprise… 12 months of free OnStar service!  I had OnStar for a couple of years after I bought my Tahoe, but gave it up when I was trying to cut back on stuff.  The service includes automatic crash response, roadside assistance, vehicle diagnostic reports and some other stuff.  I think they’ll even unlock your car if you’ve locked the keys inside.   

It’s really cool to have it again, especially since it’s free!  🙂