Super Easy Steak Marinade

I have a confession to make. Prior to this steak marinade, I was a steak snob. I only ate filet mignon because I don't like chewy, unflavored steak. Then Dave's brother made a variation of this marinade and I couldn't get enough of it. Dave and I made a few changes and now we eat top round/london broil all the time. This marinade is so good, and it makes the steak so flavorful and tender (not filet tender but enough for me to love it) and it's the perfect meal to cook up on the grill during the warmer months. 

Here's what you need:

-minced garlic

-sesame oil

-soy sauce

-Worcestershire sauce

-top round (aka london broil)

Here's what you do:

1. In a dish, place a few drops of sesame oil in the bottom, and put equal parts of the soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce in the bottom of the pan, enough to cover the whole bottom. 

2. Score the steak and place some garlic in the scored parts as well as a little in the bottom of the dish. Wisk the mixture around to make sure everything's all mixed together and place the scored portion of the steak facing downward in the dish.

3. Score the upper part of the steak and repeat all the steps (garlic in the scored part, equal parts soy/Worcestershire). 

4. Let the steak sit for at least a half hour, flipping halfway through. I prefer to let the steak marinade for at least an hour to really get the flavor in there. I would not marinade this steak for more than a few hours, overnight may be too much for this. 

5. Grill the steak to your liking and enjoy!

End of the Week Roundup

Hello! I can't express how happy I am that the week is over, I can't wait to relax this weekend!

1.  Nibbler loves to hang out with me when I make quilts. He doesn't get in the way, he just sits nearby and chills. Saturday I caught Nibbler sleeping with his tongue hanging out while I was stitching some batting to the quilt. 

2. Tuesday night was girl's night with three of my friends, we went out to dinner and then watched The Other Woman, which was hilarious. It was definitely the pick me up I needed after a tough week at work and I'm lucky to have such great, supportive friends.

3. Teen Book Club met this week too and we discussed one of my favorite books, The 13 1//2 Lives of Captain Bluebear. It was so uplifting hearing the teens talk about how much they enjoyed the book, what they connected, how they could literally feel what Bluebear was going through. I definitely left club that night feeling great.

4. I caught this picture on the way to work, the picture doesn't do the sky justice but it was such a beautiful morning. 

5. I love it when the boys lay with me together. It makes me feel so loved!

How was your week?

Simple Ways to Save Money

Who doesn't love to save money? Today I thought I'd share with you some easy tips to save some money (hopefully you don't know all of these already!). 

:: Bath and Body Works will replace wall plugins for free ::

You know, these doo-hickies:

Like anything that gets used nonstop, these plugins stop working from time to time. Instead of getting flustered at needing to buy new ones, take the plugins that do not work to the store, and they'll replace them for free. 

:: Carry store coupons in your purse or car ::

I know what you're thinking: why, if you want to save money would you put coupons in your purse that will promote you into buying something? I put one of those Bath and Body Works coupons in my purse and when I went to the store to exchange my plugins, I walked out with a free lotion thanks to my coupon. If I hadn't thrown it in my purse just in case, I wouldn't have gotten a free lotion in the deal. The point I'm making is, throw it in your purse or car just in case you happen to be in the area, because if you do end up shopping anyway, wouldn't you rather get the discount than not?

:: Speaking of carrying coupons with you, Bed Bath and Beyond coupons do NOT expire ::

I repeat, BBB coupons do NOT expire. Don't throw them out! I bought new towels recently with coupons that "expired" in 2007. I leave them in my glove box just in case I stop at the store for whatever reason. Also, BBB has a great coupon policy, they are probably the best customer service oriented company when it comes to it. There is no limit on how many coupons you can use in one shot either. After Dave and I got married I had a ton of gift cards so I went on a BBB shopping spree and used a coupon for each item I bought, 8 in total, in one order. 

::Never pay for Victoria Secret underwear again::

No, I'm not telling you to steal them. Every couple of months, VS sends out coupons for $10 off a bra and a free panty. I hope that you're established enough in life that you have enough underwear to last you through the week and then some, so it shouldn't be an issue to wait the few months for when a new free coupon comes out. If you are not, then go to Target, Walmart, wherever and buy some Hanes, Fruit of the Loom or whatever that will give you five for the price of one from VS and then wait for your coupon.


:: Sign up for bonus rewards through your local grocery store::

The local chain store around me is Giant Foods. They offer this really great bonus rewards system that gives you 10¢ off each gallon of gas for every $100 you spend every quarter. Now that may not seem like a lot to you, but if you think about it, lets just say you spend $200 every month on groceries, that's $3.20 off a tank of gas each month. Plus, they offer "bonus" buys where you can get money off gas buy just buying a particular item. Again, it's not ground breaking, it's not going to make you a millionaire but it's still saving some money. Dave and I normally wait until the end of the quarter when we have about 60¢ off and then fill up.

::If you haven't discovered ebates, you need to::

Ebates is one of those companies where it seems too good to be true and you wonder how the heck it works...until you get your first check and then you don't really care. Just in case you do, Ebates gets a commission from stores for referring shoppers to their websites, and they share that commission with you. The other nice thing about ebates is that they are always up to date on online codes, so you can save even more money! 

Also, retail me not is another great site to check out before you checkout. If you aren't aware of how it works, you enter in the store you are purchasing from and they will offer up codes to try out. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. I've gotten free trial sized philosophy products by entering in a code through this site. It doesn't hurt to take a few minutes to see what you can get for free or knock off the bottom line!

::If you have a smart phone, there is no reason why you should NOT be googling coupons in store::

I was in Joanne Fabrics one day picking up items I needed to make a quilt, and I decided to google "Joann Fabric coupons" on my phone before I checked out, and was able to find two directly on their site for 40% off and 50% off one item each. All I had to do was show the cashier my phone, she scanned the coupons and I got a discount. So please, take a few minutes before you head up to the checkout line to see if you can save some money...cause if I see you doing it while you're up there I might have to praise you for saving money, then hurt you for holding up the line. 

::Do your homework::

Let me tell you a story about a little chair I fell in love with at Marshalls that would be ideal for the "library" Dave and I are trying to put together. This beautiful chair reclined and was perfect in every way: it was the right size, color, and comfortable. It would  have been a great chair for my quaint little library, and I HAD to have it. Problem was it was $300 and my $25 gift certificate wasn't going to cut it. I tried to reason with Dave, that it really wasn't $300 it was technically only $275 after my gift certificate and that it was a steal at that price. Dave didn't buy my pitch, and I didn't get to buy my chair. He told me to go home and do a little research online and that I'd probably find the same chair for cheaper. 

So I went home and went hunting. I'm only saying this here because Dave rarely reads my blog so I know he won't know I said this but... he was right. I found a very similar chair on overstock for $100 less. 

Moral of the story? Listen to your husband Do your homework before buying a big purchase, you may save money in the long run.

What are some easy ways you save money?


**Please note, the ebates link is a referral link, if you choose to sign up for ebates through this link, I may receive compensation for that. Please also note, if you choose not to sign up through my link, you should still sign up for ebates, cause it'd be silly for you to shop online and not get some free cash back**

Hearty Taco Casserole

This is one of my favorite meals to make. I found the recipe out of a Taste of Home comfort food diet cookbook and slightly modified it.

What you need:

-2/3 cup cooked brown rice

-4-5 Tbs water

-3/4 cup all-purpose flour

-1/8 tsp salt

-2 Tbs cold butter

Filling:

-1/2 lb lean ground beef

-1/2 cup chopped onion

-2 garlic cloves minced

-1 cup water

-1 envelope taco seasoning

-2 eggs, lightly beaten

-1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

-shredded lettuce

-chopped tomatoes

-salsa

-sour cream

What you need to do:

1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Cut in butter until crumbly. Stir in enough water to form a soft dough. On a floured surface, roll the dough into a 12x8 rectangle. Press into a 13x9 baking dish that has been coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400 for 13-15 minutes or until lightly browned.

2. For filling, in a large skillet, cook the beef, onion and garlic over medium heat until the meat is cooked through and drain. Add water, taco seasoning and rice. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, simmer, uncovered for 2-3 minutes or until thickened. Stir in eggs and spread mixture over crust.

3. Cover and bake for 15-17 minutes or until the filling is set. Cut into squares. Top with cheese, lettuce and tomatoes. Serve with sour cream and salsa.

End of the Week Roundup

Normally, I write my posts the night before they go "live". I totally forgot to write this last night, so I'm doing it now, at my desk, at work. Sorry boss!

1. I took this picture of Nibbler last Friday from my iPhone. I really wish I had a good camera, but sometimes I can get some good shots on my phone.

2. Saturday my friend Linda was honored for her excellence in teaching. I took this pic of her son, Christian, and I while mom was giving her speech. 

3. Sunday was so gorgeous out, I had to do a little bit of work on a quilt I was making, but I had to stop and enjoy the day. My hammock was screaming my name!

4. Reason #1,428,457,216 that I want to go see Jimmy Fallon....lip sync battles!

5. They don't normally lay butt to butt, but when they do its simultaneously the cutest and funniest thing I've seen.

How was your week?