Wrapping up December

Christmas has come and gone.  We had a great holiday and are enjoying spending this last week of the year together, DH and I.  

For the first time ever, I have a desire to put all the Christmas decorations away now.  Not that I'm going to do it but it's a weird feeling.  I will start after Januay 1 to consolidate some of the decorations to have them ready to be packed away after the 6th.  It has rained pretty steadily here so we'll have to get some dry weather before I can take down the outside garland.

I have about a billion things I want to do and I probably have somewhere between a month and three months before I will find myself back at work - somewhere.  Next week I will start and formulate a master list.  (We noticed that our water heater MAY be leaking so that could be a high priority in the new year.  Apparently, at 16 it is an old lady!)

If I don't make it back before the clock strikes midnight on the 31st, "Happy New Year!"

A pleasant surprise

Last week, I transferred two of our prescriptions to a new drug store under our new insurance plan.  I really didn't know what to expect because I couldn't make heads nor tails of the documentation.  From what I could determine, there was a co pay of $20 for all generic medications and it went up from there.  

The first two I took, I was told by the pharmacy tech that one would be free (Obamacare mandate) and the other would be $20.  This was very reasonable to me since the cheapest cash price I could find was $33.  When I went back the following day to pick them up, both were free.  I finally got around to going back over to inquire about three more.  After checking, I was told that all three would be free also.  I pick them up tomorrow.

I had spent a great deal of time determine the cheapest way to get these drugs without insurance coverage - just in case.  I love that GoodRX app.  I would strongly recommend that you take a look at it to see if it can save you a bit of money.

If I recall properly, there is one remaining prescription left.  It is not a generic and it is rather pricey at over $100 per month without insurance and with the GoodRX discount.  I was able to get a 90 supply before we discontinued out prior policy so I really don't need a solution until after the first of the year.

As it stand right now, I'm saving almost $50 a month in drug costs.

Thinking about menus and saving money in December

I've just kind of skated through these first weeks of December.  Early in the week, we were still enjoying some remnants of the Thqnksgiving shopping but it's now time to start thinking about grocery purchases for the rest of the month/year.  The over riding goal is to use up as many items in our freezers as possible.  With this in mind, I will be creating a menu for next week and adding to this post in the next day or so.  I will be trying to limit non-sale grocery purchases.

You might ask why we would be doing this and I'll be happy to tell you.  First and foremost, I am not working right now and that means that our income is significantly reduced.  Second, I have stored so many items in my freezers that it is at risk of going bad if it is not rotated.  I wanted to purchase chicken, beef and bacon from Zaycon Fresh but I simply could not justify it when my freezer was full.  It's almost like I need a "reset."

Lastly, cutting back on grocery expenses by eating what is on hand will allow me to purchase some of those special things that we like at the holidays:  a Chik-fil-a nugget tray!

Saturday

Sunday - hamburger steak and red potatoes

Monday - Tostadas

Tuesday - vegetable soup

Wednesday - BBQ pork roast with potatoes

Thursday - leftover soup

Friday - tbd

The pork I bought from Sam's was delicious.  I generously sprinkled it with Applewood BBQ rub and cooked in the crockpot.  I coated it with BBQ sauce and baked it covered in the oven for 0-45 minutes. We ate half on Wednesday and I will shred the other halo, vacuum seal and get it in the freezer tomorrow for future sandwiches.  It was very lean.  Next time, I will cook it on low all day instead of four hours on high followed by low.

A successful Thanksgiving

I've been remiss in posting over the last week or two.  Thanksgiving kinda took over!

With an out of town guest and a large family dinner (actually, two) to organize and manage, there's not much time for other things.  Now, the turkey is out the way and Christmas is moving in.  I've just about got all of the Thanksgiving items put away and I am working on getting the Christmas decorations out.

My first priority this week (11-30 to 12-6) is getting the second quilt top assembled and start on getting the backing on.  I start this morning and hope to get a lot done in the next two days.  I will add some progress pictures over the next few days.

Monday evening:  I have most of squares top sashed and many are sewed together in strips.  There are a few (maybe three) squares that need to be stabilized and cut to size as we assemble the top.  I would love to finish the flimsy tomorrow but it will likely be Wednesday.

A week in review

I've gotten a few things accomplished this week but mostly, I've been caring for my infant grandson, keeping the house in order and working on two t-shirt quilts.  I anticipate getting the top finished on the first quilt tomorrow.  

I have to put everything up every time the recipients come over to visit.

With one done, the second one should be a little easier.  I will probably start on the second on next weekend and hope to wrap it up in two days.  Getting the backing on and quilting (by machine) should not take very long.

Here's how it poked a few days ago....

What happened to Fall?

When I first started planning to take a few months off from work, I decided that Fall would be the best time to do it.  Lots of time to get yard tasks done before the cold weather set in but cool enough to actually do it.  Ha! Mother Nature has played a trick on me.

In the 14 days that I've been unemployed, I think it has rained 10.  Now today, we have cold - not fall-like cool weather - but really cold weather.  It was in the 30s early this morning and we have a freeze warning for tonight.  I did manage to get one bush cut down but so far, that's it.  I got the lawn mowed today and it really needed it after all the rain.  I think I will turn my attention outside tomorrow (if it's not too cold) and get some of my second plant trimmed.  I was going to sew tomorrow but rain is predicted for Tuesday again.

Tomorrow, I will also be making a pot of soup for dinner - steakhouse noodle.  For this, I take a piece of steak and grill it.  Then, I cut it into small pieces and make a soup with sauted onions, a few carrots and celery.  The base of the soup is a beef broth with steak sauce added and a few tablespoons of tomato paste.  Add some whole wheat noodles and you've got one delicious soup.  I will make a small green salad and use the bread dough I mixed up Friday to make a round loaf of artisan bread.  I will probably have enough for two lunches as well.

Friday night I made chicken fajitas.  (We love to go to On The Border for fajitas and margaritas on Friday night.  As we are now limiting our dining out, this was a way to continue the tradition the cheap way.)  I even mixed up some homemade pico and headed up some store bought cheese dip.  Served with a couple of margaritas, DH said it was awesome.  I used one Zaycon Fresh chicken breast which had been filleted.  Half of the breast was plenty for the two of us to have fajitas so I used the second half to make chicken fajita quesadillas tonight.  Same stuff, different presentation.  It was a hit again.  That's really getting your money's worth out of a single chicken breast.

On the menu for this week:

Friday - Chicken Fajitas

Saturday - Fajita Quesadillas

Sunday - Steakhouse Noodle Soup (top sirloin steaks from the freezer)

Monday - Beef Stew with Potatoes and Carrots (freezer)

Tuesday - Salad

Wednesday - Boneless Ribs, Mac and Cheese, Salad (freezer)

Thursday - sweet and sour chicken (frozen dinner)

Friday - TBD

Updated:  a few changes to the menu - we had leftover soup on Tuesday, BBQ chicken on Wednesday and leftover Stew on Thursday.  We're eating tacos Friday.

Fresh Bread and Beans

One of the things I really wanted to start doing again was making fresh bread at least once a week.  I have the book on "..Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day" and used it before.  However, with working full time, I really didn't make bread frequently enough to learn it to the degree I wanted.

I finally got it together enough today to mix up a first batch of dough.  I will be making a pot of soup over the weekend and will make a loaf then.  Nothing goes with homemade soup better than a crusty bread. Eventually, I would like to also make some of the other breads in the book - challah, pizza dough, oatmeal bread, etc.  

Actually, today was pretty productive because I also got two pie crust disk made and in the freezer for the holidays.  Next week, I will be planning out Thanksgiving menu and making anything that can be done ahead.

On a slightly related note, I also want to learn how to made dried beans - especially kidney beans.  We eat a lot of these in soups and salads.  It seems to me that making these from dried would be significantly cheaper than canned.  Second on my list is refried beans.  Then, maybe chickpeas.

A needlecraft makeover

I made two of these pillows about 30 years ago for my Grandmother.  Over the years, my skills have improved and I've learned that patience typically results in a better looking project.  At first, I was going to just wash the pillow so I removed the pillow form and hand washed the cover in he sink.  I was shocked at how dirty it was.  Really, really dirty.  I allowed it to soak overnight in an oxiclean bath.

It was taking a long time to dry so I decided to take it apart and re-work the cover and ruffle.   I started by squaring up the cover.  It was so far out of square, I'm surprised it fit the pillow form.  Then I gathered the ruffle.  (My original workmanship was so poor that the joining edges of the ruffle were raw edges of fabric sewn together.). The ruffle is still not completely evenly gathered but it's close enough.

I hand stitched the cover closed and enclosed the raw edges of the ruffle.  Amazingly, it fits the pillow form even better now.  I'd like to make a mini version of this but I don't think the Aida fabric I have on hand is big enough.  This is a really awful picture but you get the idea.

When the weather saves you money

I got my nest report today from October.  We used 114 less hours or heating and cooling than we used in September.  It always happens in fall and we've been very lucky that we have had warmer than usual weather so far this Fall.  I would guess that both my electric and gas bills for the month covering October will be very low. That will help as I endeavor to reduce expenses as much as possible.

I've also tried to keep my heat use as minimal as possible for November so far.  Since I now have an infant in the house during this week, I am trying to use the power of the sun to keep the house a little warm and will begin to use other things as well.  Baking is one way to "heat" the house during the afternoons.  

A different kind of project

I got two boxes of t-shirts a while back - one for each of the granddaughters.  My task was to create a t-shirt quilt for each of them for Christmas.

I procrastinated starting this because it is something I know very little about.  I know that the girls do not need something that is heavy so my plan is to back it with a fleece and have no batting.  I considered a flannel batting but decided against it because it would need to be pre-shrunk.  I'm still trying to decide if the front needs washing or not.  I think it will ultimately depend on how many t shirts I end up with and what size the estimated piece becomes.  I'd like it to be fairly close to twin size or a big lap quilt.  If I do a border or washing, it will need to be pre-washed.

I'm also contemplating making the backing and/or sashing on both quilts the same and add large initials to the backing that would emphasize their individual personalities.  Alike, yet different in so many ways.

Here's what I have so far.  I bought four yards of interfacing but clearly that it not enough.  I need to find a good sale or a great coupon since this interfacing is over $5 a yard!

Friday Savings on Groceries

KUI saw that Kroger was having one of their Mega Sales where you wave $5 on 10 items.  There were quite a few of these that we use so I thought I could stretch my grocery budget this week by taking advantage of this sale.  Included in my purchase was Domino sugar (also had coupons), Green Giant green beans, Del Monte tomatoes, Stove Top stuffing, yeast, and Garidettos.  I didn't go overboard on the quantities but my $61 of groceries was only $22 after sale prices and coupons.

I saved $38.42!

From Kroger, I went to Publix where I bought mostly sale items and a few necessities.  Of course my purchase was not quite as impressive but I spent $57 and I saved $22 using sales and coupons.

My next stop was the Office Depot.  We have been needing new ink cartridges for our printer for several weeks.  We got a $10 off $50 coupon in the mail so I took that to save $10.  I also cashed in 10 empty ink cartridges (the max for a month) which will result in a $20 credit/coupon at the end of the month.  I'm thinking that I can use that towards some paper or maybe a Christmas gift.  We should not need ink by the end of November.

Overall, I'd call it a successful day.  Not many chores were completed but I got some shopping done which resulted in great savings.  Another way I will be stretching our budget will be using gift cards we have on hand and Walgreens balance reward points towards everyday drug store items.  I'll be watching those Walgreens sales for the next month or two.

Part of our economizing is not eating Friday dinner out.  DH really enjoys our Saturday morning breakfast place so we decided that would be our weekly treat.  A breakfast out is about $25 whereas dinner can be $40 or more.  Tonight we had homemade pizza and salad at home.  It was quite tasty and very little expense since I already had the dough and sauce on hand.  I picked up a little over a half pound of pepperoni from the deli and probably used about 5 ounces on the pizza.  The rest will be going in the freezer for next time.

Anticipation

A few years ago, I discovered that putting my Christmas cactus outside over the summer resulted in beautiful fall blooms.  It apparently thrives in the warm temperatures and bright light but benefits from being under either an umbrella or left on the front porch.

This summer, I repotted the plant into a violet pot (which is actually a little small) and left it on the front porch until the weather started cooling.  It now sits in the guest bath waiting for its beautiful blooms to show.

My first projects

Our master bathroom really needed painting and has for a couple of years.  (I know, that sounds horrible, but it's the truth.  The paint I put on after it was remodeled in 2007 just never was right.  It cracked on the walls and would soak up steam when we showered.  Alł water spots would Be visible on the walls and would actually stain the walls.)

I had great intentions of painting it for some time but let's be honest.  Who wants to spend their only two days a week away from work with a paintbrush in their hands?  Because I will have a newborn with me beginning next week, this was something I needed to get done right away.

I started early Monday morning by cutting in about half of the room filled by a quick roll over the large unobstructed wall and over the shower.  I guess that I spent about 3 hours on this and then left it to dry.  I was really thinking that I would need a second coat but after seeing it the next day, we're good to go.

The second morning, I worked that paint magic around the light fixtures and medicine cabinets (the toughest areas) and then just worked my way through the rest of the room.  

I still need to touch up some of the woodwork but that can wait a week or so.  I used the next lighter shade of the same color which made it easy to go just a little lighter.   Here's the new look:

 Of course, what also happens when you take on a project like this is all the extra stuff that has to be done.  The light fixtures had to be cleaned, the exhaust fan vacuumed and the window and blinds complete scrubbed down.  I spent a little time cleaning out the bathroom closet and lots of laundry.  I wish I could get my shower curtain not to droop but it's just too heavy not to.  I have the same problem in both bathrooms.

A quick post

KToday I begin my sabbatical away from work.  I have a busy week scheduled but I'm going to sneak in a little bit of free time, too.  It's late and I really need to get to bed so this will be short tonight.

Sunday - sausage tortellini, salad, green beans and garlic bread

Monday - pepper steak and lo mein noodles

Tuesday - chef salad with a cup of tomato soup

Wednesday - potato bar (with chili, broccoli, and cheese)

Thursday - roast beef over noodles (freezer)

Friday - TBD or homemade pizza

I am beginning to focus on getting two meal each week from the freezer.  I'd like to also have one meatless or light meat dinner each week.  

This week my major project will be painting the maste bathroom and getting a couple of Christmas crafts finished.  I'd like to get a couple of hours of quilting done.  I want to get my work laundry finished and put away in case I need non-casual clothing in a hurry.

There's so much to do.  More on goals and accomplishments later.

A little bit of an update:  I've been cutting in this morning and just started rolling some of the walls.  I'll probably paint a total of 3 hours today and finish up tomorrow.

Another update:  the bathroom paining (walls) is finished and I was able to clean up this mess and get the shelf back up today

I upgraded the shelf clips from plastic to metal with two screws instead of one.  Hopefully, this won't happen again but I do notice that the upper shelf has those same plastic clips.  Hmmm.

Tomorrow, I move on to cleaning the mold off of our humidifier unit in the basement.  From a prior inspection, it looks like the mold is mostly on the exterior.  There is some dust/gunk in the attached vent pipe so I will attemp to vacuum/scrub that as well.  In a related activity, I will be cleaning all three ceiling fans.  More dust!

Another update:  I got the Christmas stocking finished tonight.  One more project off my list!

One last week before freedom

It's probably going to be a difficult week.  I would normally anticipate full days of training and questions but sadly, I don't think three will be much of that at all.  Part of the reason I am leaving is this weird concept that either I don't do much or that it must not really be that hard.  This has been playing out for years and I've just gotten to a point that I've had enough.  So, as DH says, it's just one week and I never have to go back.

I've spent most of the weekend working on my to do list of goals from last week.  I was able to get most of them done, including getting over half of the driveway pressure washed.  I also got both the kitchen and dining room floors mopped and got the living room cleaned up.  I'm working on the guest room/sewing room and it should be done by tomorrow.

We have overnight guests coming Tuesday night and I'm. Trying to get prepared for that as well.  I have purchased roast for the crockpot for Tuesday night but I really have little planned for the week so we'll just wing it.  Here is a temporary plan:

Sunday - rare dinner out

Monday - take out subs

Tuesday - crockpot Roast, salad

Wednesday - tacos

Thursday - leftover roast

Friday - pizza at home

Goals for the week:

Sewing and crafts

1.  Finish Christmas ornaments (almost there)

2.  Start Maddox's Christmas stocking (pulled out the last one, need Aida cloth)

3.  Piece two large stars for star quilt

4.  Get interfacing for girls' quilts

5.  Mend baby quilt (done)

Housework

1.  Laundry and ironing (working on laundry)

2.  Prep for painting

3.  Vacuum vent in garage

4. 

5.

Yard work

1.  Finish driveway

2.  Pressure wash porch

3.  Wash outside red cushions

Money and budgeting

1.  Expect two drugs by mail (got them, one may need to be returned due to insurance company denying benefits ... Cost may be as much as $1500!)*

2.  Pick up two at Walgreens(done)

2.5. Pick up more at Walgreens (done)

3.  Schedule Michaels drugs for refill before 10/30 (done)

4.  Advise Walgreens not to auto refill for November

5.  Pay remaining October bills (done)

6.  Cancel monthly savings to CapitalOne

7.  Get coupons organized and take to P every time. (Organized need to get into the car)

8.  No food waste

9.  Dr appointments for M and K (k done, drugs picked up)

UpDate:  it's Wednesday evening and sadly, I haven't gotten a whole lot done.  I'm trying to prioritize the time sensitive issues first.

*. I confirmed with the mail order pharmacy that we would not be expected to pay the full price for the drugs.  Effectively, the manufacturer (through coupons to the pharmacy) offers an expensive drug at a reasonable price when insurance does not cover it.

A finished project

It's done.  I have even washed it and now, it's full of wrinkly love.

Fast Craft

I put together a tabletop decoration for the fall today.  I had everything on hand except for the bundle of wheat, which I picked up at Publix for $3.99.

I used a glass container that I already had and put the wheat bundle into it.  It just didn't look right.  I used a shot glass under the bottom of the wheat bundle to force it to spread out.  The around the base of the bundle, I poured some popcorn kernels.  (I had used these before for a fall decoration.)

It still wasn't enough so I added an old bag of dried kidney beans and some whole almonds in the shell that I had also previous used as a decoration.  

I think it came out rather well for a $4 adventure.

A new week

T First, let's address the week's menu:

Sunday - homemade chicken and noodle soup

Monday - Spaghetti and meatsauce

Tuesday - leftover soup

Wednesday - Italian chicken, potatoes and broccoli

Thursday - salad

Friday - tbd

Goals and ideas for the week:

 

Sewing/crafts:

1.  Finish flower quilt with final binding seams (it's done and washed)

2.  Sew patch on DH motorcycle jacket (done)

3.  Mend baby quilt hem (Tuesday)

4.  Organize sewing area

5.  Gather materials for Maddox's Christmas stocking

Housework:

1.  Mop kitchen and dining room floors (done)

2.  Swifter stairs (done)

3.  Vacuum vents and sewing room

4.  Laundry catchup including ironing

5.  Wipe down front window sills (done)

Yard:

1.  Get lawn waste to the curb for Wednesday pickup (done)

2.. Obtain pressure washer and aerator (half done)

3.  Wash red outside chair cushions (done)

4.  Pressure wash front porch

5.  Pressure wash driveway (half done)

Paperwork/Medical:

1.  Get signed up for new health insurance (filled out paperwork and turned in)

2.  See doctor about drug changes and immunization (done)

3.  Refill all eligible drugs (half done)

4.  Overview outstanding medical charges

5.  Expect tag decal for car (got it and put it on)

6.  Organize and update coupons (done)

It's a busy week.  Only 10 more working days and a lot to be done.  I probably won't get everything on this list done but the more the better.  The are additional items from last week that need to be done as well.

We will also be having overnight guests next week so I have some cleaning to do.

Wish me luck!

Oh my stars!

This is the new quilt project that I've started.  I have a lot of the bits and pieces made and I'm starting by assembling the 12 large stars.  (so far, I have three done.). By doing this, I can quickly determine if I

need more of the blue fabrics.  Once the large stars are complete, I will move back to creating more of the red pinwheels.  These are very labor and time intensive.  If I run short of the red fabrics, it would be easy to find more of the solid red fabric and/or find a close match.

I'm not sure I really like the idea of following a pattern so closely.  None of the pinwheels are coming out the correct size.  I think on my next batch, I will use a slightly narrower seam allowance.

As soon as I complete the flower garden quilt, I need to start working on two quilts for the Christmas list.

Menu for the week of October 11th and Goals

I UTSunday - turkey breast, stovetop, green beans - spice cupcakes with divinity frosting

Monday - leftover chili over noodles

Tuesday - leftover turkey breast and fixing

Wednesday - spaghetti with sausage and salad

Thursday - dinner on my own (pizza?)

Friday - dinner on my own (leftover spaghetti)

Saturday - dinner out

DH has an odd schedule this week so I have one night with the kids and two nights for dinner on my own.  As a result of this, I also have not made a trip to the grocery store yet.  I picked up some things at Walmart Saturday that are not available in the Publix: low fat cheese, Borden cheese, promise spread, etc.  Since DD and kids will not be over for dinner tomorrow since I'm sick, I'll stop by the P Monday to pick up the few things I need from there.

A few things I want to get done this week are as follows: 

1).  finish quilting flower quilt and start binding (binding now, should finish by mid-week)

2).  Spend a little time on the star quilt (assembled three large stars)

3).  Determine which stabilizer to use on the girls' quilts and find the best deal (move to next week)

4).  Start some preliminary trimming on the oak leaf hydrangea (completely down to a 2" stump)

5).  Get bathroom paint next weekend during sale (got paint and roller, done)

6).  Consider paint for Lr/Dr (move til next week)

7).  Mop kitchen floor (Sunday)

8).  Put out Halloween decorations (done)

9).  Start Christmas Stocking for Maddox

10).  Locate and/or start Christmas cards and ornaments (next week ?)

Whew!

New goals and an update

YThe last time I posted about goals, I had one four.  I did manage to get three of the four done.  Whoopee!  I had one fail - cooking dried kidney beans.  I gave it a shot and they were severely undercooked and tasteless.  Two things may have influenced the result.  One, the beans were at least two years old and, two, I did a quick soak method, not the overnight soak.  Next time,k I'll try new beans and use the overnight soak.

The only one I did not accomplish was moping the kitchen and dining room floors.  There's always this weekend to get that done.  It's not a glamorous job but it does need to be done.

So, in looking at goals for this week and weekend, here's what I've come up with:

1.  Mop kitchen floor and clean dining room floor

2.  Try beans one more time

3.  Pressure wash half of driveway (weather permitting)

4.  Start cutting back hydrangea

5.  Pick a paint color for the bathroom and buy paint

6.  Write resignation letter and deliver (Friday)

So, as an update, I only got one of these things done this week.  #6 was done and delivered Friday.  I am officially out of a job as of the end of the month.

Menu

A little more planning went into this week's menu compared to last week's.

Sunday - Spicy Chicken Vegetable Soup

Monday - Stir Fry Chicken and Egg Rolls

Tuesday - leftover Soup

Wednesday - Tacos!

Thursday - Cubed Steak and Potatoes

Friday - TBD - pizza

30 Days of Chicken - #9 Spicy chicken vegetable soup

I adapted this recipe last year and we really like it.  It is very low fat and can be made low sodium depending on your choice of ingredients.  Fresh vegetables (carrots, celery, onions, garlic) along with canned tomatoes, cooked chicken and chicken broth spiced with chili powder, cumin, and oregano.

Just the right thing for a cool and rainy night.

October Second

Sometimes it's the little pleasures that bring joy to your life.  I've tried to remember to turn the lights on in my china cabinet the last few days.  For some strange reason, I find the lighted cabinet so pretty with my Christmas China setting inside.  

I looked for this china cabinet for a very long time before I found one that I liked.  I found this one on Craigslist at a good price.  It's not an exact match to my table and chairs but it's close enough.

                                                                      Sitting next to my China cabinet is a quilt ladder my son made.  I keep two quilts folded and displayed here.  You can also see the quilted runner I made on the table for Fall.

October

October will be a transformational time for me.  I am transitioning from full time employee to a stay at home lady of leisure.

Haha!  I will be unemployed at the end of this month and will be focusing my energy on different things during the months of November and December.

After 10 years with my employer, it is time to leave, focus some time on family and personal responsibilities and re-evaluate how I want my work life to proceed.

I anticipate October being difficult so I am trying to add joyful ness and gratitude to my October posts.  During November, I will be focusing on getting some home and creative projects completed.  During November and December, I will be caretaker for the new grandson. 

Today, I am thankful to have a husband who understands the struggles I face at work and who supports this transition.

Choosing a new sewing machine

I had two sewing machines.  One that I purchased in the mid-eighties.  It's a nice domestics Brother with a few special stitches and an electronic display.  It has really served me well over the years but in 2009 it began to have issues and needed service.  The stitches would skip and repeatedly make birds nests.

Because I needed to hen my DD's wedding dress, I put my machine in the shop and bought a cheap Singer machine from Walmart.  It's a very basic machine mostly made of plastics.  I don't enjoy sewing on it because of its light weight.  It feels like it is going to jump off the table.

Since 2009, I've made do with what I had fairly well but I've noticed that the Brother was beginning to have issues.  It smells to me that the feed dogs were not moving the fabric along as it should.  I was having to help the fabric move through the stitches.  I've pieces a few quilts and sewed a bunch of doll clothes over the last year or so and felt that I needed to do something about the sewing machine situation if I was going to continue to sew.

I had a short list of requirements:  basic stitches, bright lights, effective movement of the fabric, ability to do some for (free motion quilting).   Most of the machines offered by the fabric stores were also very light weight models - no big improvement from the cheap Singer model.

I finally found some free time on a Saturday and headed over to the local sewing machine store.  Initially, I was going to purchase a walking foot for my Brother.  I was looking at a $40 investment to try to fix a problem.  While I contemplated my purchase, I asked the sales lady to show me what they had available that was reliable and had the ability to do some fmq.

She showed me a Janome Skyline 5.  I was instantly impressed with the smoothness of the machine and the speed control.  I liked the fact that it could be operated without the foot pedal and had a knee lift.  It has variety of stitches (not the most important feature to me) along with alphabets for simple monograming/labeling.  It came with several feet including a walking foot (important for quilting).  Along with all these features, it has a healthy price tag - more than I would normally considered for a sewing machine.  

After doing some research on reviews and pricing, I found pricing as high as $1300.  My local store sells this for $950 new and mine was a new machine only used for one class.  It still comes with the regular warranty and first year's service.  It was still a stretch to the budget at $850 but my reasonings that I got 30 years out of my last machine.  This one can do so much more and it so much easier to use. 

I've done a little sewing on it - mending and a little piecing - but I really haven't had the time or project to put it to the test yet.  I have two t-shirt quilt projects that I will be starting on soon and have Christmas deadlines.

                                               My new machine on its first day home.

                                                                        This was my test project to make sure I liked the machine.  I was able to machine appliqué the leaves onto the runner then machine quilt the runner diagonally.  Binding was applied by machine and hand stitching.

A menu and goals for the week

This week's menu was thrown together quickly and haphazardly.  I have a few holes but I think it will come together.  I purposefully tried to plan meals from items we already had and thus reducing required grocery spending.  I'm thinking of instituting a Thrifty Thursday .. a pantry meals or a meatless meal.

Sunday - Homemade Vegetqble Soup with bread 

Monday - Barebones Tacos

Tuesday - leftover soup

Wednesday - Spaghetti with Meat Sauce, Salad

Thursday - Salad Bar

Friday - Pizza or tbd

Saturday - tbd

I usually don't make goals for the week because I find that they quickly go south.  I'm going to try four for this week and grow the list each week.  I'm still working so I have just the evenings to work on any projects.

1.  Money/Bills:  follow up on refund from dentist, deposit and hold cash for grocery funds

2.  Creative:  Average 30 minutes each night of sewing, quilting, etc.

3.  Household:  clean floors in kitchen and dining room

4.  Cooking/Food:  cook dried kidney beans

If I can pull off three of the four, it will be a success.

Frugal or not frugal weekend?

I It's hard to pin this last weekend down as eithe frugal or not frugal.

In the not frugal category, DH had the 1000 mile service done on his bike at the dealership.  Definitely, not frugal.  We also ate out a bit more than usual with two of the meals while we were waiting on the bike to be serviced.

In the frugal category, I spent a reasonable amount on groceries despite two trips to Publix, one to BJs, and a stop at Aldi's on Friday.  I would guess less than $100 for all the groceries.  I was able to stock up on mandarin oranges, fresh apples, coffee Kcups, olives, etc.

Also in the frugal category, DH was able to make some modifications to his bike himself without having to pay the dealership's high labor rates.  To make it even more frugal, the parts he needed were paid for by selling some unused items he had around the house.

We were also able to save money because he found some old rain gear he thought he had given away and therefore didn't have to buy new ones.  

I had to buy a new iron.  My old one was actually still working but the cord has been getting too hot and has thrown the fuse a few times.  I was worried that it would start a fire.  I had looked at a few and a coupon came out for a TFall iron at BJs.  It sells for $40 less a $15 coupon.  Not a bad deal.  So far, I really like it.

The cooler weather meant that the air conditioning has mostly been off this weekend.  That will save us money on our next electric bill.  We were able to leave the windows open all day Sunday.  That doesn't happen very often but it was cool and breezy.  We will probably need to turn the a/c on at bedtime since we don't have the new windows upstairs.  It is very difficult to open the windows and there are no screens currently on those windows.  I was hoping that those windows would have been replaced by now, but we've had other expenses and we are trying to put money away to bridge my unemployment at the end of this month.

For dinner Sunday night, I created a pantry dinner (no special purchases) - Vegetable Soup.    I used canned vega less along with some fresh onions, celery and potatoes.  The result was a full Dutch oven full of soup, enough for two dinners.  I picked up a Demi loaf of olive oil Rosemary bread at Publix.  It was excellent but at $1.99 for a very small loaf, I think I can make my own (larger loaf) cheaper.  The Prudent Homemaker has a recipe for the same bread.  Once I have more time during the day, I will get back to bread making.

Enough for now, I have a quilt to be hand quilted and one that needs machine piecing.

Stocking up

I will be stopping by Aldi's on the way home tomorrow specifically to pick up mandarin oranges.  I will likely get a case, 12 cans.  (I got a case of kidney beans there last week.). They also have a great price on apples so I may go ahead and get some of those as well.  I feel like it is too early to be working on applesauce and apple butter but I may go ahead and prep some for dehydrated apple slices.

I will also stock up on paper napkins and some tissues.

Planning for a new week

I got something done today that I've been putting off for a couple of months.  I finally selected and ordered a pair of glasses.  Last time I got glasses, I simply had new lenses put in my frames.  As I recall, it cost me over $300 just for the lenses after my insurance.  Today, I ordered a pair from BJs Wholesale Club.  They were having a sale and there was a pair of frames I liked.  My cost was $311.  I did not use my insurance it I think I can get reimbursed for the covered items.  Even if the reimbursement is a $100, I still come out way ahead.

While we were at BJs, I also bought a three pack of pork loin and some round steak.  We had one of the pork loins for dinner.  It was the best pork I've had in a while - like a tender barbecue pork chop - very lean.  Tomorrow, I will be using about half of the steak to make beef stew.  I will be adding the two remaining pork loins to the freezer along with half of the steak.

I still need to pick up a few random things from Publix tomorrow - milk, deli meat, etc.  I will try to limit my spending to the items we need.  For the rest of the meals this week, I will be relying on items already on hand.

Saturday - pork loin, potatoes and broccoli

Sunday - beef stew with rice,  tomato and cucumber salad

Monday - BBQ chicken or tacos

Tuesday - grilled cheese and tomato soup

Wednesday - smoked sausage, stuffed peppers with Spanish rice

Thursday - salad

Friday - pizza

Oh my, what a week already!

It's Wednesday and it seems like a Monday. (Let's face it, all the work days seem like Mondays to me right now.)

I finished two projects last night: embroidering the new baby's name on his blanket and finishing the hem one fall table runner.  I still have two skirts to hem and a top to mend.  A Hexie quilt in progress and a new quilt to start.

I triaged last night and made some real progress but alas, I will need to do that again tonight, just to stay on target.  

Three day weekends are great but what usually happens is we try to do something extra that throws our whole schedule off kilter.  At least, that's how I'm feeling this morning!

Handwork

I've been working on this project since the first of the year.  Almost completely made from scraps I already had in hand with a few fat quarters throw in for variety.

The pattern is commonly known as Granmothers Garden and was popular circa 1930s depression years.    Presumably, it was a good way to utilize small scraps to create wonderfully artistic works.

Evidence of hexagon quilts date back as far as 1770 England with the first American hexagon quilt dated to 1807. (www.womenfolk.com)

Mine started as a self test.  I had never done any English Paper Piecing.  Once I started, it became a challenge to use as many of my pastel scraps as possible.

Now, I'm at the point of trying to find a finish line.  My shape was a big hexagon but I'm trying to change that to a square or rectangle which will be easier to manage.

As I finish up this project, I will also post a basic "how to."  For further hints or instructions, there are many tutorials available on you tube.

Watch for the "how to" coming soon and my finished quilt in the coming months.

Austerity, coupons, and budgeting

It all starts in September and ramps into high gear at the end of October when I leave my job.

Phase One:  Look at all expenditures for validity, reduce grocery shopping to items for immediate use or stockpile if on sale.  Limit unnecessary expenditures.  Start using coupons where possible.  One "meatless" meal each week.  Proactive use of leftovers and meal stretching.

I've already started focusing on coupons and have used a few so far including my fantastic buy of mustard for 24 cents - twice.  I'm looking for some really good bargains on canned green beans,  tomatoes, corn and kidney beans.  Next, I'll stock up on some canned fruit. (The few cans I have are well past their date.)

Phase Two:  Focus on ensuring limited food waste.  I created a whole meal this week from left over items.  I even stretched a single Zaycon chicken breast into two different meals for each of us.  Stockpile from Zaycon (ground beef and chicken):  I'm seriously considering purchasing a single box of chicken for late October delivery and maybe another box of beef.  Medication pre-purchases:  I found out that the price of my naratriptin decreased from $60+ to just $10.  I've filled it once and will fill it at least once again.

More on this as we go along.

30 Days of Chicken - #8 Chicken and Dumplins'

This is one of our family favorites and I thought I would share the backstory.  My grandmother, a great cook in her own right, fixed chicken and dumplings in just its purest form - chicken, broth and dumplings.  She taught me how to make it including her signature dumplin secret - canned biscuit dough.  She would separate the biscuits into two or three layers and then roll out thin.

In my effort to get more vegetables into our kids, I added some chopped onions, carrots and celery to the pot.  I still use her dumplin technique although I don't roll them quite as thin.  Everyone seems to like this and I've included my recipe, complete with my penciled in comments, below.

Tonight I made this with only two Zaycon Fresh chicken breasts to server three adults and two children.  We'll get at least two lunches as well.  This is a great money stretcher.  Leftovers can be fashioned into a chicken pot pie by adding some peas or green beans and thickening the broth.  A truly flexible recipe.

A steal of a Deal

My daughter in law and I were talking about Aldi this week and she mentioned that Aldi had some specialty hot dogs on sale.  She had purchased several and was thinking about getting some more.

I just happened to go by Aldi the next day and picked up four packages for me.  Later that same evening, I had to run by Publix and decided to price check the hot dogs while I was there.

Those hot dogs that were on sale for $3.69 at Aldi were $5.99 at Publix.  We saved a bundle!

Beef pot pie

We've had the before but tonight was the first time that I've used leftovers for a full blown meal.  I had a large piece of roast beef left over from my most recent crock pot roast.  I vacuum sealed it and stuck it in the freezer.

Tonight, I chopped this up into large pieces, added some cubed potatoes I cooked last night and a can of carrots and green beans.  Top with about a cup to a cup and a half of gravy in a two crust pie.

I baked this for about one hour and fifteen minutes on 350 with a 10 minute blast with the confection oven to brown it at the end.

I served with a mixed green salad and a generous amount of gravy.

30 Days of Chicken - #7 Sweet and Sour Stir Fry

I took two Zaycon breasts and cut into bite size pieces.  Sprinkle with garlic powder, ground ginger and a few tablespoons of soy sauce.  Sit while the vegetables are prepared.

Cut one red and one green bell pepper into bite sized pieces.  Add half an onion cut into vertical slices.  Sauté in a tablespoon of oil in the wok until just barely done.  Remove and add chicken.  Cook over high heat, stirring frequently until the chicken is opaque and is browned.

Mix together the juice of a large can of pineapple tidbits.  1/4 cup of vinegar, 3 Tablespoons of soy sauce and one Tablespoon of corn starch.  For a spicy sauce, add two Tablespoons of Thai Chili sauce and an equal amount of sweet and sour sauce.  Adjust to individual taste.

Add sauce I've chicken and cook until thickened.  Add peppers and onions and half the can of pineapple.  Serve with white rice, fried rice or lo mein.  These are pretty or pictures but you get the idea.

Quick menu plan

Saturday - hamburgers, three bean salad

Sunday - turkey and dressing, fresh green beans

Monday - Chinese chicken (stir fry) with vegetable fried rice

Tuesday - beef pot pie, salad

Wednesday - leftover turkey

Thursday - leftover or chef salad

Friday - TBD 

My grocery budget went bust this weekend.  I did pick up some random things at Walmart and that did me in.  Still have not bought the Publix weekly specials.

30 Days of Chicken - #6 Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Here's a recipe we haven't had in a while and it was time to see it again.  This is my take on chicken enchiladas for a crowd.  Shredded chicken, corn tortillas, cheese and peppers.  Hot and bubbly.

I start by simmering 3-4 small to medium chicken breasts in a pot of water.  Season with salt and pepper, a bit of dried onions and a dash of garlic powder.  You can also add a drop or two Orr yellow color so your chicken has a bit of color.

Once the chicken is tender, shred it with two forks or your fingers.  Mix with one can of Rotel and Set aside  (this can also be done the day before.)  Simply leave the chicken in the broth and refrigerate until you're ready to assemble.

Slice one red and green bell pepper along without half an onion.  Sauté in just a small amount of olive oil until the vegetables begin to soften.

Layer your ingredients as follows: enchilada sauce then tortillas.  Next chicken with Rotel then tortillas.  Next row is cheese and peppers.  Repeat, ending with cheese over tortillas.  Pour a small amount of enchilada sauce over each layer to moisten the tortillas.

Bake at 350 for about on hour to heat throughout.

Adjust the ingredients to suit your family's taste.

Another week is starting soon...

and I'm already thinking about a menu.  Why?  Because I'm starting back to a planning grocery shopping experience with sales and menus as the priority.

I already noticed that quite a few items we routinely use are on sale at Publix this week including Kraft salad dressings.  There's probably a good two months of summer salads left and I am woefully low on salad dressings.  They are bogo this week so I will pick up at least two, maybe four.  We both really like the tomato bacon dressing and I think they also have a sesame dressing we like.

The deli turkey we like (low sodium) is also on sale so I'll pick up some of that, too.  I want to make a quick run to my local produce shop to pick up some local and heirloom tomatoes along with some jalapeño peppers, zucchini and some fresh green beans.  The nice thing about this place is you can buy one or a bushel.  I think I'll also look for some peaches or pears.  I'd really like to can some more pickled pears this fall.

I'm working on a budget for groceries.  I'm thinking $80-100 is a good place to start.  I have a few things I need to stock up on and while I'm working, I need to do a better job of packing lunch and having breakfast and snack items available.

I'm going to be adding more fresh vegetables to our lunches at least once a week:  baby carrots and low fat ranch dip or cucumbers and dip.  I also bought a flat of baked snack bags to have with lunches.  My goal for next week is to take a lunch at least two to three days.  I really failed this week.  I think I took a lunch once.

Even though lunch is cheap at my work, under $5, it's frankly not that good and there is very little variety.  It takes very little time to pull together two lunches compared to the on going brown bag savings.  

Here's my first run at a menu this week:

Sunday - hamburger steak, baked potato, steamed veggies

Monday - spaghetti with sausage, salad, bread maybe green beans

Tuesday - chicken enchilada casserole with shredded lettuce and tomato salad

Wednesday - Chef salad

Thursday - grilled chicken, side and salad

Friday - tbd - out?

Here's. Little update.  I never got to the local produce mart.  I picked up tomatoes at the grocery store.  I also found the Kraft dressing sale confusing.  It really looked like only certain kinds were included in the sale and they did not have the one we like.  I passed on that but picked up four jars of spaghetti sauce that was on sale.

After two trips to the store, I spent just at $100.  I thought I had $70 to spend on my second trip and (with coupons!) I only spent $65.  I need to get back to a single trip each week.  Next week, I'll shoot for a $90 budget and see if I can come in under that.

We have plenty of items for lunch and dinners and a little stocking up as well.  Lots of fresh veggies and some bananas.

Menu

Saturday - meatloaf and mashed potatoes

Sunday - chef salad

Monday - leftover meatloaf

Tuesday - roast beef (crockpot)

Wednesday - Mexican

Thursday - leftover roast

Friday - out

Saturday - pot luck?

Cook once, eat twice!

Stocking the freezer and finding a great deal

My Zaycon ground beef came yesterday.  Pick up was as easy as always.  It was scheduled from 4 to 4:30 on a Friday afternoon and I was a little concerned that would not make it in time with all the traffic on 75 but it worked out ok.

I was very pleased with the way the beef looked once I opened it.  It did have just the faintest of smells but not unlike other ground beef from the store.  It was still a rich red color.  Of course, I noticed that once it was vacuum sealed, some of the liquid is removed from the beef and it does become more brown and less red.

There's 40 pounds in the box, four 10 pound tubes.  I packaged it up into portions: between 8-12 ounce packages, 16-18 ounce packages and a couple that were 20-22 ounces.  Most were vacuum sealed but some of the earlier packages were put into ziploc freezer bags.  This will be the first ones we use because it is impossible to get and keep the air out of those bags.  They already have frost after one night.

I made a batch of 30 Italian meatballs and froze in two portioned packages.  I also mixed up one meatloaf (about a pound and a half) that we will eat tonight.  (A quick update, we ate the meatloaf tonight and it was exactly as expected.  A little fat but no more than the extra lean ground beef at Publix.). It's much faster and cleaner to pack than the chicken.

Another good buy

I was picking up op some prescriptions at Walgreens today and noticed that they had two packages of Dunkin Donuts coffee at half price.  The "expiration date" is four weeks out.  It was only $4.50 for a 12 ounce package of ground coffee in our favorite flavor.  I bought both bags.

When I got home, I put each bag into a quart canning jar and vacuum sealed each bag.  This will keep the coffee fresh for quite some time.  Once I am no longer working outside the home (later this fall), we will be using our reusable Keurig cups instead of the disposable cups to save us a little more money.

How eating at home stretches the budget

FLast night we had a delicious meal at home.  Nothing fancy but DH really liked it and commented several times.

Here's what we ate and the breakdown in costs.

I took about a half pound of ground beef from the freezer that had been leftover from hamburger steaks the previous week.  I usually use at least 3/4 to one pound.  After the beef had browned, I chopped up one small green pepper and about a third of a green pepper and added it to the meat.  It browned and steamed a little but didn't really cook down. 

I added one jar of spaghetti sauce, a little water, about a tablespoon of olive oil and some dried basil and oregano. 

I summered this while I cooked three quarters of a box of linguini.

Served with a small salad made entirely from what was already in the fridge.

Here's the math:

Beef    About $3.50

Sauce.           $1.15 bogo sale

Peppers.        $1.00 Aldi special

Pasta.                .50

Total $6.15 and we got two dinners and two lunches.

Getting back to my main project...

I took the plunge tonight with my Dresden plate quilt.  As I've mentioned earlier, when I got to the top of the quilt I realized that the batting was a few inches short.  The best solution I could come up with was to add a strip of batting at the top. 

Once the quilt came off the frame, I realized that while I was short on the top, I was long on batting at the bottom.  Tonight I trimmed that extra batting off and reattached it to the top.  I carefully laid out the quilt and layered the new and existing batting on top of each other.  My hope was that by cutting through both layers, I would get a clean cut.  It didn't really work out quite that well.

At first, I tried to sew the two pieces by hand but I could tell that that would not work so I went to the sewing machine.  Using my widest, longest zigzag stitch, I joined the two pieces.  I got a little bit of a ruffled effect.  Not sure if this was because the batting had been stretched or just a result of joining the batting.  I used ten billion pins to ease in as much of the fullness as possible.

Now, I have the quilt back on the quilt frame with the are needing to be quilted just on the edge and the rest of the quilt stretched over the frame.  It shouldn't take long to finish up the quilting because I have a long straight line and then the infinity stitch at the end.

Here s a picture of the joining process.

Grocery Budget

Beginning next week, I will be starting on a $100 weekly grocery budget.  For two weeks, I will track my spending and then for the following two weeks, we will be on a struck $100 a week budget.  After that, I would like to go on a $75 per week budget.

I'm not sure exactly how this will go.  I want to start eating some of the older meat products in the freezer and some of the older pantry items.  I have forty pounds of ground beef coming Friday that will need to be portioned and frozen.  I'm going to portion these into 3/4 pound (12 ounce portions).  This is just about right for the two of us and two package will be just about right if we have guests.

I don't need chicken right now but I'm considering ordering another box for the fall just as some extra insurance for our reduced income.

I'm also considering subscribing to the local newspaper for Sunday coupons.  Generally, I don't like this idea but I need a source for coupons.  I may try it for three months and see just how many coupons I can use and if it is enough to to cover the cost of the paper.

I think I will also buy a couple of Publix gift cards and stow them away.  I have a small collection of gifts cards now.  I use these so sort of like a pm emergency fund.  I have. A couple of gas cards, a few small target cards and a couple of rite aid cards.

A beautiful and frugal project completed

Today, I completed a project I have been working on for about six weeks - off and on.  I used this as a travel project during vacation.  I found a set of preprinted pillow cases at Joann's a while back done all in shades of blue and in the clearance bin.  $3.50 for the pillow cases.  I needed five skeins of embroidery thread and they were also on sale that day for 5/$1.  I have exactly $4.50 in this project.

Unfortunately, the edging on the pillow case was a cheap rolled serger edge which didn't seem to be appropriate with all the hours of embroidery work.  I used a couple of 2 inch strips of fabric I had used on the Dresden plate quilt and created a small border much the same way a quilt would be bordered.

Above the strip is folded in half and stitched down about 1/4" from the edge.  Then I ironed the strip over and hand stitched it down on the back side.

The next step made me the most nervous.  Per the instructions, I washed the pillow cases in the washer and dried in the dryer.  I used a couple of color catchers just in case the thread or fabric wanted to bleed.  None!  I gave them a quick iron and now I have a set of pillow cases and two throw pillows that will coordinate with the Dresden plate quilt when it is finished.  I still need to make a bed skirt but I would really like a vertical stripe and I've not been able to find one that coordinates.

Back to it....

I took a little break, not exactly planned but needed.  We also took a family vacation to the 

Taking a full week off work is not something we do often.  I think the last time we took a whole week was 2003 when we went on a cruise.  

We spent a full week at the beach, six days and seven nights.  We had lots of fun and sun and spent time with relatives we don't often see in person.  We were very lucky that no one was sunburned since we went to the beach most every day.

Now that we've had some fun, it's time to buckle down and get some things done.  I need to work on a basic inventory of my pantry and restock as needed.  I've learned a lot in the six years that I've been stocking a pantry and I have definitely learned what we eat the most of and what we don't, even if it's a great deal.  Our favorites are green beans, canned tomatoes and canned kidney beans.  We eat a fair amount of past and sauce, and we do like salads in the summer and soup in the winter.

Our eating habits have also changed in six years.  We now try to eat low or lower sodium and fat whenever possible.  Now some of those convenient foods that we used to eat often are now only a side dish or an occasional treat.  I make my own Spanish rice-a-roni or I use only have of the seasoning packet.  At least half of the tomato products I buy are no salt added.  If I serve a high sodium dish, I try to balance it with something that is low sodium.

While we're still in summer, I am trying to eat more fruit as a snack or dessert.  It's cheaper now and more plentiful.  We've cut way back on our ice cream consumption usually sticking with an individual treat or a super small scoop in a cone.

So, what's the immediate plan?  First, I am focusing on getting the house in order after being gone. A week.  Tonight, I'm washing both dishes and clothes and I mopped the kitchen floor.  I will also be working on getting more things from our trip put away.  Water house plants. (All done.)

Tuesday, I will be working on giving the bathrooms a quick swish and swipe along with another load of clothes.  I also want to mow the yard tomorrow after dinner.  The garbage will be taken to the curb for pickup. (All done.)

Paperwork in on the schedule for Wednesday.  I need to file an insurance claim and pay a couple of medical bills.  (I'm trying not to use our medical savings account now and save it for later - if I can.). I hope to get a few things filed away also.  I will also be planning a grocery trip and printing, pulling coupons.  I am starting to use coupons again for the rest of the year.  I have a goal of 20-30% savings because of coupons and sales.

Thursday I will be clearing the dining room table an putting everything that's there now in its own spot. It makes me nervous when all the horizontal services and full.  Everything on the steps will also be put away and I will gather our give away items for the week.  (I'm starting a biweekly donation program to goodwill.)

More on the pantry planning later this week.  I just needed to get a plan in place.

Update:  I failed miserably on this plan for Wednesday and Thiursday.

30 Days of Chicken - #5 Italian Chicken (baked)

This is one of our family's favorites.  We've been eating this for years and it is super simple.

Coat chicken breasts (I cut the Zaycon breasts in half horizontally) in store bought Italian salad dressing.  Wishbone is our favorite but the Kraft zesty is also good.  Be sure to coat well and leave a little pooled in the pan.  Sprinkle with Seasn-all or seasoned salt.  

Bake at 350-375 degrees for a minimum of 30 minutes depending on your chicken sizes.  I have baked larger pieces for as much as an hour.  165 is the recommended internal temperature.

Turn once during cooking and then again to finish off.  For extra flavor and pleasing presentation, all some extra spices (oregano and pepper) along with some paprika about 15 minutes before removing from the oven.

Best served with potatoes.

(We eat this frequently.  You would think I would have q picture, but sadly not.)