Kitchen Is Closing Indefinitely

I'm closing Blogarita's Kitchen down indefinitely. If you want to know the reasons why, you can check out my other blog, which I'm also closing.

Thanks for stopping by here. I did almost nothing to promote this blog, yet I had several thousand hits in the seven or so months it's been up. I think that's because everyone loves food.

I toyed around with the idea of replacing this with a full-on homemaking blog, not just a cooking blog, but at this time in my life, I just don't have the time to devote to doing that kind of thing well.

Maybe some day.

Chicken Lickin' Good

Feast your eyes on this! It's Paula Deen's Southern Fried Chicken Recipe. You can find the recipe here. It's by far the best fried chicken I've had at home.

Sorry for the dearth of posts here lately. I'm busy getting ready for another garage sale, getting ready to go back to work, and working on a new project (to be announced here soon).

Restaurant Review: The Courthouse Exchange

I thought I'd try something new here by doing a restaurant review now and then.

Spouse Guy and I don't go out to eat often -- once a month or so is about it for us. When we go out, we: 1) like to try places we've not tried before, 2) prefer local eateries over the franchises, and 3) try to get a good value for our money.

I'm not saying I'll never write about a franchise restaurant, but most of the places I write about may be of interest only to my handful of local readers or any of you who might have the opportunity to visit Greater Blogaritaville (the Kansas City metro area).

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The Courthouse Exchange
113 W. Lexington
Independence, MO 64050

Type of food: American/Home Cooking
Atmosphere: Casual
Blogarita's Rating (1 to 5): 4.5

Some of our local radio stations sponsor "dining deals" in which you can buy a $50 gift certificate to area restaurants and/or business for half price. One of these dining deals is how we decided to try The Courthouse Exchange. That was back in May. Since we had enough money left on our gift card, we were happy to go back again this past Saturday.

Situated on the south side of the square in historic Independence, MO, the restaurant was established in 1899. Located in the basement of the structure, the decor is an interesting cross between the bar in "Cheers" and an actual courtroom, with hardwood booths and tables, renderings of the Jackson County courthouse during different eras, and photos of Independence native, President Harry S. Truman. It's said he was a regular of the restaurant during his day.

Our first trip was for lunch on a Saturday, and the dining area was busy with patrons of all ages. The restaurant features a separate bar. Like the restaurant, the bar seemed to be a non-smoking area, making it a family friendly establishment, evident by the number of young children who were there. Although the restaurant was busy, the noise level was surprisingly low.

The food at The Courthouse Exchange is home-cooking, pure and simple - no warmed-over canned green beans or instant mashed potatoes here. Portions are very generous; the tenderloins are plate-sized, and one of the kids' meals featured a 1/2-inch thick burger with fries, drink and ice-cream cookie sandwich. The onion strings, pictured above, may be the best onion appetizer I've ever tasted.

Service at the restaurant was great. We were seated quickly, our waitress was friendly and helpful, and our food arrived at the table in short order.

Prices at the Courthouse Exchange are quite reasonable, especially considering the size of the portions. Daily specials, ranging from meatloaf dinners to steak, are even better values. Our tab, which included an appetizer, two adult meals, a kid's meal and drinks for all of us, was just $35. And unlike some establishments, who will not give change for any unused portion of a gift card, they gave us the difference on a new gift card, which we used over the weekend.

This time, I tried a Reuben sandwich instead of the chicken-fried steak dinner I had before, and was just as pleased. Spouse Guy and Sparky are creatures of habit; he ordered a tenderloin sandwich both times, and she ordered the cheeseburger kids' meal both times. I heard no complaints from either of them.

Try out the Courthouse Exchange if you ever have the opportunity. Don't forget to order the onion strings!

The ABCs of Reading

Yesterday Sparky was on a field trip with her daycare to an old-fashioned country school house. While there, she wrote her name with chalk on a small slate. This is a big step for her, because she is only 4 and because she wasn't asked or encouraged to do it by her daycare teacher, Miss Amanda.

She couldn't have done this a month ago, but Miss Amanda has spent a lot of one-on-one time with her. Although already knew, mentally, the importance of reading tutors, having the results right before my eyes just reinforced what I already knew.

I hope Sparky continues to have success in learning to read, and learns to truly love reading. But there may come a time when she doesn't love reading because she's struggling with it. If that happens, I won't hesitate to consider getting her a reading tutor. Her literacy is just too important not to.

This has been a sponsored post.

Why I Gave Sparky Ice Cream For Breakfast

All through the cooler months, Sparky would wake up famished in the morning and wolf down whatever I made for her. Her favorite was a scrambled egg, two pieces of toast and some chocolate milk.

Lately, though, she hasn't wanted much for breakfast. I don't know if it's the warmer weather or if her appetite has changed, but some mornings it's a struggle to get her to eat anything at all.

This morning she asked if she could have ice cream. At first I told her no and offered her other things, all of which were refused. Then I mentally compared a small bowl of ice cream with a donut and decided it couldn't be any worse for her nutritionally. I was right. Here's how a bowl of ice cream compares to some other, more traditional, breakfast foods.

FYI, the information for the donut was just a generic Google search. The rest of the figures came straight from the product packaging or website. The ice cream we had was homemade from a mix and probably nutritionally a little different than store bought. I threw in a couple of tablespoons of dry roasted peanuts for a little protein, but those aren't counted in the information (much like the syrup isn't counted with the waffle).


1/2 cup vanilla ice cream
Calories - 120
Fat - 3 g
Carbs - 21 g
Protein - 3 g
Cholesterol - 10 mg
Sodium - 40 mg
Calcium - 10%

1 glazed donut
Calories - 180
Fat - 8 g
Carbs - 25 g
Protein - 3 g
Cholesterol - 0 mg
Sodium - 250 mg
Calcium - 0%

1 Eggo waffle (before adding syrup)
Calories - 180
Fat - 6 g
Carbs - 26 g
Protein - 5 g
Cholesterol - 15 mg
Sodium - 4 mg
Calcium - 10%

1 oz. Honey Nut Cheerios (before adding milk)
Calories - 110
Fat - 2 g
Carbs - 20 g
Protein - 4 g
Cholesterol - 0 mg
Sodium - 2000 mg
Calcium - 8%

1 Pop-Tart (frosted strawberry)
Calories - 200
Fat - 8 g
Carbs - 38 g
Protein - 2 g
Cholesterol - 0 mg
Sodium - 170 mg
Calcium - 0%


While I don't really consider any of these to be an ideal breakfast, they're foods most of us probably give our kids (or eat ourselves) from time to time. I don't think the ice cream is any worse a choice than any of the others.

I think eating anything for breakfast is better than eating nothing, so I'm not going to worry about a bowl of ice cream now and then.

An Important Resource

As I expand the scope of this blog, I hope to add links to lots of resources that readers will find helpful in one way or another.

Part of living a simple, healthy and frugal lifestyle is living a life free of addictions and dependency. Addictions and dependency are expensive, not only in the obvious sense of the word, but also in terms of lost health, decreased productivity, relationship problems and/or counseling, medical bills and the cost of drug and alcohol rehabilitation.

I hope none of my readers or loved ones ever has to seek out drug or alcohol rehabilitation. But if they do, I hope they start their search with Rehabs.biz for a comprehensive listing of rehabilitation facilities in their area.

This has been a sponsored post.

Have Cats? Save Money

No, this isn't another sponsored post. It's just my opinion on a good product.

We have two cats. A few years ago, we switched to a pine pellet cat litter. The litter is made up of small pellets of pine sawdust. When the cats use the litter box, the pellets turn back into sawdust and absorb the fluids and the odors from both the liquid and solid waste. (The pellets themselves, to me anyway, smell less like pine and more like sunflower seed shells.) A 1/2-inch layer in the litter box would about a week, although I occasionally "scoop the poop" between changings.

It was great; the brand name was a little costly, but because we used so little at at time, it seemed worth it in comparison to regular clay litter or scoopable litter. The odor control alone was enough to make us want to stick with the pine litter.

We were lucky enough to learn that one of the major pet supply stores carried their own generic. We used that for a couple of years. The cost was much less than the brand name, running about $8 for a 20-pound bag. For us, 20 pounds would last 6 to 8 weeks.

Then one day we were in our local farm and ranch store for something and I noticed they had a product called Equine Fresh. It was the exact same pine litter packaged to use in horse stalls. The pellets were just the tiniest bit larger, but that didn't matter to our cats. The best part is the price. It runs about $6 for a 40-pound bag. It saves us more than 60% over the generic we were buying.

Now if I could only figure out a way to save money on cat food.

Crafty Savings

In my spare time, I like to do crafts. My favorites are knitting, crocheting and cross-stitching. It’s always fun to go to a craft store and look at all the new things. But the next best thing is shopping online AND saving money on craft supplies using Joanne.com. coupon codes.

Joanne.com and many other online shopping coupons are easy to find at www.couponchief.com.

After all, who doesn’t like saving money?


This has been a sponsored post.

Spinach Salad With Oranges and Beets

Here's a nice salad to go with just about any kind of meat. We had it with KC Strip steaks. The beets discolored the cucumber slices a little, but it still tasted great. We added a few last minute toppings as well: sunflower seeds kernels, shredded cheese and for Spouse Guy, some bacon bits.


Spinach Salad With Oranges and Beets

Fresh spinach, about 5 ounces, rinsed and stems removed
1 7-ounce can mandarin orange segments, drained
1/2 of 15-ounce can of sliced beets (save rest for another meal), cut into julienne strips
1 small cucumber, cut into slices, then cut into quarters
2 green onions, thinly sliced
prepared Italian dressing

Toss all to combine. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.

Makes 4 - 6 servings.

Going Back To Work

For those of you who don't read my other blog, I've been hired by a food service company that has a contracted with a local university. They've hired me to be their baker and on-campus caterer, but I'm sure I'll be helping with everything else, too.

The position allows for more flexibility and creativity than one might think, and I've already been encouraged to bring in some of my favorite recipes that might be adapted to serve 300 or so students and faculty.

The kitchen is being revamped now, and I start on August 9. Maybe even a few days sooner. In the meantime, I'll be trying to get some things done around here to make my transition back to work more easy. In particular, I'm going to be "cooking ahead" and freezing some meals that will be quick to heat and eat later. I'll share those with you as I make them.

I hope to keep up on my regular posts, too.

Vacation Savings

Our family recently took a trip to Omaha, and it took me quite a while to find Hotel Discounts for our stay. We were looking for a hotel that was both affordable and had the amenities we desired. Cheap hotels that are also clean and comfortable are often hard to come by. The hotel where we stayed was more than adequate, but in order to get the best deal possible, I had to book it “sight unseen”, meaning I didn’t know for sure which hotel chain we’d be getting. As it turned out, it did have the swimming pool we’d wanted, but it was an outdoor pool and the weather was too cool to use it. An indoor pool would’ve been more desirable, but all I was able to find out, in order to get that deal, was that it had a pool of some kind.

I had searched through several of the online travel/hotel locators, but if I’d been aware of Hotelreservations.com, my job would have been so much easier. Their website is a cinch to use, and allows searches based on city, address, or available amenities, like that indoor pool. The search results can then be sorted by best value, price, quality or alphabetically by name. Once a hotel has been selected, reservations can be made online or over the phone.

In addition to hotel reservations, Hotelreservations.com allows users to find and book flights, vehicle rentals, vacation rentals and vacation packages. Because of the nature of Spouse Guy’s work, we don’t have any plans for a longer, farther-away vacation any time soon, but I’m sure the vacation rental feature will come in handy in a few months when we plan a 2-3 day getaway for our 8^th anniversary. I’ve done a couple of quick searches already and have come up with some interesting possibilities. And I feel confident I can find the best rates using Hotelreservations.com.

If you’re planning a trip, check them out:

This has been a sponsored post.

Back-To-School Sales

No one in our home is a student, but we still take advantage of back-to-school sales; they're already beginning in our neck of the woods.

It's a great time to stock up. There are usually discounts on computer equipment, great deals on underwear and socks, and huge savings on office supplies.

This isn't a sponsored post, but many Fruit of the Loom items (socks, t-shirts, underwear) for all ages are on sale right now. Fruit of Loom is offering a $10 store card at K-Mart when you purchase five packages of any of their items. Combined with the sale prices, this can end up being a very good bargain. We were able to get Spouse Guy some much needed colored pocket t-shirts for work at 50¢ each, after the rebate. Unfortunately, the rebate is limited to one per household.

Take a look at those store ads, whether or not you have kids in school. You're likely to find a good deal or two on some things you really need. And if your state has a tax-free school shopping day or weekend,* take advantage of that, too. It's especially helpful when buying big-ticket items such as computers.


*Information on this link may or may not be current.

Changes Are On The Way

Changes are on the way at Blogarita's Kitchen, and among them will be occasional sponsored ads. While some readers may be against ads on blogs, I've decided they're fitting on a blog that will soon be not just about recipes, but about living a frugal lifestyle. Feel free to read them or skip over them as you prefer.

A penny saved may be a penny earned, but a penny earned can easily be a penny saved. Ads on blogs are just one more way to make (and save) a little extra cash.

So many of my blogging friends have chosen Pay Per Post as a way to boost their income that I decided to give Pay Per Post a try, too. Why not make a little money doing something I love?

If you’ve been thinking about ways to make money while you blog, give Pay Per Post a try. You’ve got nothing to lose.

Sparky's Birthday Cake

Today is Sparky's birthday! The theme of her party was SpongeBob SquarePants, and I made a cake to go along with the theme. I'm not very good at drawing, so instead of making a cake that was just SpongeBob, I decided to go with an underwater theme a la the TV show. I guess "the Bob" is no longer THE rage in the stores, and I had trouble finding a figuring or toy I could use as a cake topper. Instead I found a deck of playing cards and used one of those.

For anyone who's interested, here's the play-by-play. It's not the best decorating job I've done, but it may have been the most fun.

Here's the cake with just a light coating of frosting to seal in crumbs and moisture.







Again, I took the easy way out and used a couple of cans of canned frosting. I had to add additional powdered sugar to make it stiff enough to work with, though. I colored a good portion of frosting a medium-light blue, and an equal portion a medium-light green. Then I piped a stripe of each color around the sides of the cake and several stripes of each on the top of the cake, with more blue toward the bottom and more green toward the top. I blended it as I spread and smoothed the frosting.

Next I added the "things". I'm not sure if they are supposed to be starfish or amoeba or just what, but they are in the background of almost every frame of the SpongeBob show.






Using the same blue and green frosting and adding just a little more coloring to each, I piped green shells around the base of the cake and blue ones along the top edge.






The last frosting decorations I added were the aquatic plants. I just winged it and they came out looking alright.







Finally, right before serving, I added the SpongeBob card and 4 candles.


I had fun making it and the kids loved it!

Greek-Style Chicken Pitas

If you like gyro sandwiches, here's a great recipe you can make at home. It's reminiscent of restaurant gyros, but without the expense (or the sometimes too-strong flavor) of lamb.

The original recipe called for pocket pitas, but I prefer the softer pitas without pockets. I made them from scratch using the same recipe I use for Garlic Bread Sticks. Instead of forming them into bread sticks and baking them, I divided the dough into 16 portions, patted each out into a circle about 10 inches in diameter, and cooked them in a medium-hot skillet for about a minute and a half on each side. The leftovers can be used for other sandwiches, or frozen for a later meal.


Greek-Style Chicken Pitas

2 tablespoons milk
1/3 cup finely crushed saltine crackers
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/3 cup dry instant milk (optional -- I added it to increase calcium)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dry oregano leaves, crushed
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 pound ground chicken or ground turkey

*****

1 6-ounce carton of PLAIN yogurt (make sure it is not sweetened and not vanilla flavored)
1/2 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 green onion, thinly sliced
1/8 teaspoon sugar

*****

Fresh lettuce or spinach leaves.
Pita breads


Combine milk, cracker crumbs, onion, dry milk, garlic, oregano, cumin, coriander, salt and pepper.

Add ground chicken and mix well. Shape into 6 oval patties.

Place patties on unheated broiler rack. Turn oven on to broil. Broil for approximately 7 minutes, then turn over and broil an additional 5 - 7 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink inside.

Meanwhile, combine yogurt, cucumber, green onion and sugar. Chill until ready to use.

To serve, slice each chicken patty in half lengthwise. Arrange in center of pita bread. Top with lettuce and cucumber sauce. Roll or fold to eat.

Makes 6 pita sandwiches.