The big Stock Car Stampede was this weekend and guess who got sick. Me. Matt was sick last weekend and obviously shared his germs with me. I did make it to the Calcutta Thursday night to help out but by Friday night I was in bed with fever, chills, sore throat and coughing. Not how I envisioned my weekend to say the least. We were SUPPOSED to have been at the race track all day and most the night Saturday. I'd scored $10 off tickets for both of us for helping with the Calcutta making it an even cheaper fun day out. Matt's lecture to me was that I wasn't going to die if I didn't go to the race track but if I sat in the cold wind and cold temps all day I might. I'm not sure he's got his priorities right but I gave in and curled back up in bed for the day. .
The awesome news that I got this weekend was that my oldest son, Matt, is engaged!!!! He called me Thursday night as I was leaving the Calcutta to let me know he was proposing. I haven't met her but I think her and I will get along fine. She loves him and that's what's important. They called me Saturday night to let me know she'd said yes so that was one good thing about being home. Looks like we're having a wedding around this time next year so I need to save for a trip to Texas.
While I was curled up on the couch with Moo, Luna, and Oreo weighting me down and both Tip and Lacey were laying right next to the couch (they're in cahoots with Matt on this!) my man once again worked miracles and managed to get our furnace going after having to do some minor tinkering. He ended up having to replace a gasket and make a few minor adjustments but he did it and we now have heat!!! It was so cold in the house Saturday that we needed to kick on the heat for a bit to take the chill off. Okay, maybe 50 isn't cold but since I was already having chills it felt like it was freezing. Our nights have been dropping into the 40's and in some areas 30's. Last week we had frost warnings and this week we have freeze warnings. Looks like the heat might get kicked on in the mornings. We need to get another programmable thermostat. The furnace was our biggest concern when we bought the place.
Saturday since I was stuck on the couch I did purchase a new Kindle cookbook to read that sounded interesting, The Poverty Cookbook for Beginners. It was only 99c so I figured I couldn't lose much if I didn't like it. It has a couple recipes in it that interested me and I'll probably try out once I get back on my feet a bit more.
Thankfully I'm feeling better today. Matt took me out for breakfast at Perkin's. It was actually more a brunch for us so it elimated me having to decide what to make for lunch/dinner. He's been homesick for coney dogs so I let him make some for supper tonight. I managed to get our bedroom dusted and vacuumed, and knocked out some laundry. I did get the flannel sheets out, washed, and on the bed for tonight. I woke up 3 nights last week needing another blanket so it was time to put the warmer sheets on. I LOVE flannel sheets. This is my first pair of ultra flannel and it's like sleeping on fleece. Matt finds they're too warm for him unless it's super cold outside so we frequently quibble over when I get to put them on. I need to watch for a sale and get another pair of them as this pair is going to need replacing probably before winter is over.
I got a burst of short lived energy after I woke up from a 4 hour nap and decided to do some baking and knocked out a batch of Addictive Peanut Butter Granola and a batch of chewy granola bars (new recipe). Matt's been asking for the granola for breakfast. Moo is watching from the back of the dining room chair to ensure I'm mixing everything correctly.
I used dark cacao chips (60%) (picked up at Aldi's after Christmas for under $1) in the Addictive Peanut Butter Granola this time since I didn't have the peanut butter chocolate swirl chips I normally use. It looks a lot more chocolate-ey then normal because of the difference in chips used. As soon as this cools off a bit more I'll put it into a Mason jar to store in the frig. We'll put this on yogurt for breakfast in the mornings. I We like Stonybrook French Vanilla Yogurt, sliced strawberries or raspberries and this granola. YUMMY! It's also good on ice cream.
Matt and I both love granola bars but I have a big issue with the price, especially since I like the Kashi ones, which of course cost twice as much. The MYO Chewy Granola Bar recipe was from 2012 Family Guide to Groceries Under $250 a Month cookbook. I got the Kindle Version free at some point but it's $3.49 on Amazon. You can also check out her website at GroceryBudget101.com for more frugal recipes. The recipe for these might be on the website. I did alter the recipe and added 1/2 cup of peanut butter to it. I'd like to try these with some dried chopped cherries and mini chocolate chips next time and maybe add some dried coconut. These are more like a bar cookie then the sticky granola bars from the store. Matt gave them a thumbs up so I'll definitely be adding these to the keeper list.
Matt came up with most the menu list for this week which made it super easy.
MENUS:
Chicken Enchiladas (I planned to make these last week and didn't get them made)
Chicken Noodle Soup (using the chicken carcass after making the enchiladas)
Spaghetti or lasagna, salad, and garlic bread
Roast with carrots and potatoes
I have to work Thursday night so we'll both be on our own that night and we'll decide what we want for the weekend once we figure out what we're doing. It's the Annual Rodeo and we're both planning on attending since neither of us has been to one before. Not sure if we'll be attending Saturday or Sunday at this point.
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