A Cook's Quest

We eat a lot of chicken at my house...I mean a lot (many of them are here on the blog). This is thanks in large part to the great deals I get by ordering it in bulk through Zaycon Foods .  Every fall they have a chicken event and this year I am getting my chicken for $1.49 p/lb. The chicken is boneless, skinless breasts that have never been frozen. All you have to do is go to the  Zaycon foods registration page , register, place your order, then pick up your chicken on the day of the event in your area (there is a list of locations on their website).  You don't even have to get out of your car.  Then go home and package it however you like and throw it in the freezer. I don't normally do promotions on my blog, but for this kind of deal I had to share it with all of you.  I mean, who doesn't want chicken for a price like that? Plus, they sell beef, bacon, and regional produce throughout the year as product is available.  I have never been disa...

No I have not forgotten about my little blog.  Though I haven't been cooking much, I HAVE been thinking about cooking and all the delicious recipes I want to make.  My husband has been doing a HUGE amount of cooking lately which allows me to study in the evenings.  I have a pile of recipes ready to try and many hopes that they will be on the computer soon.  There will be a few changes coming though. First, I will not be doing price break downs anymore.  Most of you know that I buy flour, sugar, yeast and spices in bulk, and most of my butter, chocolate chips, and other baking items on sale or free if the timing is right.  I have a freezer stocked with chicken and beef thanks to great sales and the generous Christmas present from my parents.  I only buy fresh fruit and veggies that are on sale and make our snacks at home.  With all that said  you know that what I prepare is at the best price I can get.  The breakdowns are the most ...

At the urging of my friend Michelle B. I am returning to blog land.  I must admit I have missed cooking and blogging and just doing something that has nothing to do with school, work, kids, or my daily life.  There have not been many new recipes in my kitchen but I am working on updating some of the pictures from the early days of the blog, (why did no one tell me how terrible most of them were?!).  There are few things on the list to try soon and I promise as soon I make them I will share them.  Until then, keep trying new foods, saving money and enjoying life!

I don't know about all of you, but I love, love, love Thanksgiving.  I love cooking dinner, I love having everyone around, I love just hanging out after dinner, and most of all I love the leftovers. Because my family are traditionalists when it comes to holiday meals I stick to a pretty basic turkey dinner.  We don't add new dishes very often sticking to the old standbys and favorites that everyone has.   This year we are going to my sister in law Cindy's house.  I am making a turkey to take to her house because she has a small army coming, and I am also making turkey, stuffing, and gravy for my house because I need leftovers.  I have already started planning some great leftover recipes that I plan on sharing with all of you starting next Friday, but if you have a tried and true turkey leftover recipe I would love to get it from you.  So send me your recipes at acooksquest@yahoo.com , tell me what you do with all those delicious leftovers ...

Today I received a message asking me if I was quiting coupons.  I guess my Marinara sauce post indicated I wasn't supportive of shopping for items with coupons. I just want to say, for the record, I am a bargain shopping girl!  I hate paying full price for anything and will buy all my food on sale whenever possible.  My post about the sauce wasn't meant to deter anyone from coupon shopping.  I am a coupon girl and find great joy in saving over half (or more) simply by watching sales and using coupons.  I still intend to bargain shop, but instead of buying prepared foods I will be stocking my pantry with whole foods that are minimally processed.  Sometimes that means I might pay a little more but that is OK with me because I am still saving money. If you want to start coupon shopping, go check out the girls at Fabulessly Frugal .  Without them, I would be lost!

Now, I don't want to alarm anyone, nor do I want to cause mass rushes on local grocery stores but I thought it was my duty as a cook to let you all know that there is a national canned pumpkin shortage.  I know, scary isn't it?  My local grocery store says they can't even begin pre-ordering the canned goodness for the holidays because it is simply unavailable. The New York Times reports, "Heavy rains in the Midwestern states where most commercial pumpkins are grown have caused the problem. Soggy fields have made it difficult for farmers to get harvesting equipment to the pumpkins. As a result, the harvest, which usually begins in the Midwestern pumpkin fields in August, was late in coming. Acres of pumpkins sit still unharvested in Morton, Ill., which the company calls the “pumpkin capital of the world.” Fungus is a big problem, so it is likely many of those pumpkins will be plowed under." So my fellow bakers if you are so inclined, I suggest cooking down your own...

ATTENTION READERS! The family just returned  home from a wonderful week away.  There is just nothing like a good old American road trip.  We had a blast and now it is time for reality to return.  I apologize for the slowness of the blog and can only say that with your help good food is coming!  I have missed cooking very much and can't wait to try some new things, so I decided I want to try recipes that all of you, my readers, love and do a "Readers Recipe" entry once a week.  A few rules: All recipes must be family friendly All recipes must be sent with a story All recipes should be thrifty in some way.  Maybe you are a couponer, grew your own veggies, or eat meat that your husband/family hunted, whatever way just tell me how you save money on this recipe. All recipes need to be submitted to me via email at acooksquest at yahoo dot com 

I just wanted to direct everyone to my side bar, directly above my profile.  I was asked to be featured by Key Ingredient , on their food blog describing my desire to make tasty food on a super tight budget.  Talk about surprised!  Having your blog "found" and noticed isn't an easy feat since there are about a million (give or take a few,) food blogs and websites on the internet.  The feature is located here if you would like to check it out. In case you haven't seen Key Ingredient before (there is a link on the side of my blog) it is a group of food bloggers that have posted their recipes.  On the site you can search by ingredient, save recipes and even post your own.  Go check it out sometime!