What a Bargain!

I stopped at the grocery store on my way home to pick a few items I need to take in for my work's pot luck dinner on Friday. I recently changed jobs (last Monday in fact) and was pretty much last on the list to sign up. So bring on the turkey gravy and cranberry sauce, haha

In my quest to buy several quarts of gravy, I realized I needed a way to heat and transport the gravy.  I have a really nice 5 quart crock pot, but no way was I hauling it to work.  Kroger (my local grocery store) had a 2.5 quart crockpot with an in-store sale sign of $14.88. I thought that was a pretty good deal. Except it wasn't --initially.

When I finished checking out the crockpot was listed as $19.99 on my receipt. Well that wasn't what the sign advertised! So off to the service desk I went to find out what happened. It turns out their sign was wrong, it was supposed  to be on sale for $19.99.  Except they honored the sale price based on the ScanRight guarantee.  I didn't  pay $19.99 plus tax...Nope...I didn't pay $14.88 plus tax...Nope.  I paid a whopping total of  $5.44-- which is the difference between the wrong sale price and right sale price (with tax). What. A. Bargain!!   And not to mention excellent customer service!!

So now I have a groovy new crockpot on the cheap and no one will suffer the agony of no gravy with their mashed potatoes at the pot luck Friday. And if they intentionally go without gravy, they were just cut from my list of potential friends. Because it's gravy...say it with me...GRAAVVYY!  Whoa...groovy gravy..is that even a thing? Is that even a legal thing?  I must have been breathing a few too many turkey gravy fumes. haha

WHat groovy bargains have you found recently?

Italian Pork Stew

Ciao Bella Cibo... Hello beautiful food

I have been perusing cookbooks lately, well in addition to, using Google to view other blogs and pinterest for new recipes. 

I found a recipe for Spezzatino di Maiale which simply means Pork Stew. The ingredients and resulting flavor can vary by region. It is a rustic stew, so there really is no right or wrong way to make it. Maybe there are some Italian Nonna's out there frowning in disagreement ....

Here are some links to other recipes for comparison

Pork Stew

Pork Stew with Polenta

Herbed Pork Stew

Pork Stew with Cannelloni Beans

I used the ingredients I had available. But I plan on making this again using wine and cannelloni beans. I can only imagine the richness the wine will impart. Or maybe serving it with some creamy parmesan polenta or a nice side dish of risotto...mmmmm

6 medium potatoes cubed

1/3 lb carrots, bite size chunks

2 stalks of celery cut into 1 inch pieces

1/2 cup of diced onion

3 cloves of garlic minced

1 16 ounce can of vegetable stock

1 lb lean pork, trimmed and cubed (I used pork loin)

 2 TBS flour seasoned with salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic

2 TBS EVOO

Toss the cubed pork in the seasoned flour mixture until well covered. Then I stored mine in a plastic bag, refrigerated overnight.

Heat the oil on med high heat. Saute the pork until golden brown on all sides. It will form a slight crust.

1 10.5 ounce package of cherry tomatoes, blanched and peeled

1 can of tomato soup (I was out of tomato sauce)  Don't judge me!

1 TBS garlic powder

2 TBS onion powder

2 tsp Italian seasoning
1 sprig of rosemary

1 bay leaf

Combine all ingredients as shown

Veggies, broth, pork, tomatoes, bay leaf/ rosemary, sauce (or in my case soup), herbs/ spices, and cover.

Set crock pot on low for 8-9 hours. Make sure to take the bay leaf out before serving.

I can tell you the house smelled fantastic when I came home from work. I whipped up a quick batch of parmesan herbed biscuit bread to go with the stew. 

Follow your normal biscuit recipe, add 1/4 additional milk (to thin the batter), 1/3 cup parmesan cheese, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp rosemary, and 1/2 tsp oregano. Spritz pan with non stick cooking spray. Add batter, which will be thick. Spread in pan until until it is an even thickness. Sprinkle a little extra parmesan cheese on before baking. Bake at 425°F for about 20 minutes or until golden brown

The stew was fragrant, the pork tender and all the flavors had melded together. The overall flavor was subtle.  It was the right combination of sweet, spice and savory. A delicious, comforting and hearty meal--perfect for a cold and rainy day.  

Whatcha' got cookin'?

My dog is a jerk

...and maybe the hubbs too. Why you ask?

THIS!!

I told the hubbs, "Please keep the baby gate up so Frazzle doesn't tear anything up in the kitchen." The hubbs did NOT put up the gate and Frazzle DID tear something up.  Fortunately, the toe molding won't be noticeable (unless you are lying on the floor staring at it) but the filler strip needs to be removed and replaced. UGH!

The conversation went like this...

Me:WHO DID THIS?!

"I admit to nothing. Maybe Tovah did it? Hmmm?"

"Uh-uh! It wasn't me!"

"Ok mom--it was Sam-Sam the sneaky cat!"

"Really?!"

"Really? Are you kidding me?!"

Me: "Frazzle--you are naughty and I am very disappointed!"

"(sniffle)...Sorry  Mom..."

I love him but he is still a jerk! And the same goes for the dog! 

I have extra filler strip and I have some paint to touch up the corner of the toe molding. They are the reasons I can't have nice things. Siiighhh.

How about you? Any do-over projects because of jerk animals...or maybe jerk husbands? LOL