YARD SALE SATURDAY MAY 23

We had a few good finds this weekend. For the little guy he loved this little bike with training wheels and a helmet for $5. He actually spotted it himself. He’s a pretty good little deal finder. I usually give him a few dollars so when we go to sales he can pick out a couple of things. I usually have to check before he makes his purchases because he tends to pick out the same toys. He’s good at negotiations and somehow convinces most people to sell him his tiny finds for one whole quarter. Lets just say we have a lot of bouncy balls at our house. 😉

Yard sale finds at everyday jenny.com

I picked up this cute 20″X20″ canvas for the playroom for $2. Yard sale finds at everyday jenny.com

This was one thing I was really excited about. An Ikea storage cabinet with baskets for only $15! That’s a steal since each basket usually costs around that. I had to pounce on it because I saw someone headed toward it so I immediately asked the seller how much it was and bought it. I actually had a similar one from Target that wasn’t as nice that I had purchased used for $10 and was able to sell for $20.

A good yard sale tip is that when you see something you like make sure you grab it especially if you want to think about it. Otherwise someone else might end up picking it up and you may realize you actually did want it. Also, make sure to ask about things you are interested in right up front instead of waiting or again you might miss a deal.

Found this Ikea shelf for $15. Other yard sale finds at everyday jenny.com

YARD SALE SATURDAY MAY 16

This weekend was the Daybreak yard sale, which is a super huge community yard sale. Hundreds of residents participate each year and it is one of the best places to find great deals from everything from furniture, to decor, to clothes. This year the forecast was rain which did seem to make the turn out less than previous years, but because of the Daybreak HOA rules they can only have a yard sale on the designated day so there was still plenty. I’d estimate that we went to around 40 different sales on Saturday morning (in previous years we probably went to around 75-100).  One of my favorite parts is that we can walk around to the different sales, so we get our exercise in too! Here are just a few of my favorite finds from this year-

This awesome little kid camping chair for only $1. Yardsale Saturday Camping Chair

This cute little ride on toy for the little Miss for $4Yardsale Saturday Minnie airplane A Petunia Picklebottom diaper bag for $5! I know these go for way more and I actually flipped it for $25 less than two hours later after we got home.YardSale Saturday Petunia PicklebottomI also picked up a bunch of cute little boys clothes for cheap, some fun Disney toys, and a couple other miscellaneous items. I always see a bunch of fun stuff (which we don’t need) but I saw a pretty nice looking Kirby vaccuum for $20, lots of darling kids play kitchens, all sorts of dressers (one was a steal at $20), a ping pong table, cute lamps, an awesome chair, and lots of other great finds.

A yard sale tip- If you see something that you know is a steal of a deal but you don’t need it for yourself, consider buying it to resell. I love to buy items and resell them so I can make a little extra cash for other yard sale items I want.

 

SANPETE MARINADE

I love this marinade for summer grilling. Its super easy, I usually have everything on hand, and it makes some of the best chicken. My best friend growing up went to Snow College which is located in Ephraim, Utah in Sanpete County. Sanpete County is famous for turkey farms. Traveling to visit my friend was the first time I heard of this marinade. I didn’t get a chance to try any when I visited her, but flash forward a couple of years and the company I worked for was having a huge barbecue and our HR director picked up a bunch of Sanpete marinated turkey to grill.  It was so flavorful and yummy and the meat comes out so tender and moist. I usually marinade chicken instead of turkey since it’s much more readily available but turkey is also quite delicious. Try some at your next barbecue and I know you won’t be disappointed.

Sanpete grilled chicken marinade.  Super easy and super deliicious

Sanpete grilled chicken marinadeSanpete Marinade

1/2 cup 7-up or Sprite
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2-3 garlic cloves minced
*3 chicken breasts, pounded flat or 3 turkey cutlets

Combine marinade ingredients in a large ziplock bag. Add the chicken and marinade in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or up to overnight. Preheat the grill to 350 and cook chicken for about 5-8 minutes per side until cooked through. We like to serve with mashed potatoes and corn.

*Tip- I’ve mentioned before that I like to buy my chicken when its on sale then freeze individual breasts in their own ziplock bag. This makes it super easy to pound out once its thawed; just leave it in the bag for no mess!

Recipe Source-Everyday Jenny

NO KNEAD CHERRY CHIP BREAD

When I first started cooking I loved to make quick breads, like banana bread, but I was terrified of yeast breads. I had always heard you could kill the yeast if your water was too hot, it had to be the right temperature for a rise and on and on. So I told myself I would stick with quick breads, no yeast breads for me. Then one day my friend Jen was talking about how she made french bread and bagels and all sorts of different breads and I was intrigued. I asked if she would show me how and so one Saturday she taught me all she knew about breads. It was great. I’m no longer afraid of yeast breads!
After I had learned the basics of bread, another good friend, Rachel, was taking a bread class and had me over to teach me some other bread recipes. This was one of them. It is so simple to make and is very delicious, the only thing you need to remember is to give yourself enough time to make it since you start the dough the night before. The bread has a slight cherry flavor with chewy craisins and sweet melty white chocolate. I’ve had the plain version which is great with a meal, but my family loves this sweet version as a treat after dinner. I hope you enjoy it!

An excellent variation of no knead bread, this sweet cherry chip version is delicious easy, recipe on everydayjenny.comAn excellent variation of no knead bread, this sweet cherry chip version is delicious easy, recipe on everydayjenny.comNo Knead Cherry Chip Bread

3 cups flour
1/2 tsp instant yeast
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 can ( 1 1/2 cups) cherry soda
3/4 cup craisins
3/4 cup white chocolate chips
1 (4-8 quart) covered heavy duty oven safe pot

In a large bowl combine the flour, yeast and salt, mix to distribute evenly. Add the craisins and chocolate chips and mix to distribute. Add the can of soda and stir until flour is incorporated. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest for 18-24 hours. The dough is ready when the surface is dotted with bubbles.

After the 18-24 hour rest, place dough on a well floured surface and sprinkle with a flour, knead the dough about 7-8 times, pulling the dough from the outer edge towards the center, creating tension.
Spray a large bowl with non-stick spray and transfer the dough to the bowl, seam side down. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until it has about doubled in size, about 2 hours.

After the dough has been rising for 1 1/2 hours, preheat the oven to 450 and place the covered pot in the oven while it preheats. The pot needs to be a 4-8 quart heavy pot with a lid.

Carefully remove the hot pot from the oven, remove lid and line pot with a sheet of parchment paper. Turn the dough into the hot pot with the seam side UP. Cover and bake for 30 minutes.
Remove lid and bake for additional 5 minutes to brown top.

*Note if you’re bread is getting too dark at the bottom you may need to adjust the temperature down a little bit

Recipe Source: My friend Rachel, adapted from Jim Lahey

 

OATMEAL CHOCOLATE CHIP (OR RAISIN) COOKIES

I’ve seen the ecard that says, “Raisin cookies that look like chocolate chip cookies are the reason I have trust issues.” But really are raisins that bad? I ate them all the time as a kid.  I mean I love chocolate too-just hand me some chocolate covered raisins and I’m happy (I kid, I kid)!  But the good news for all you raisin haters is you can make these oatmeal cookies with chocolate chips instead. Or if you love raisins like me, you can make oatmeal raisin. Or if you are indecisive, divide the batter and make both. Win, win. I love these cookies because they are perfectly chewy with a little bit of crunch on the outside edge. And they really taste delicious both ways. But my personal favorite is the oatmeal raisin. I prefer to use golden raisins. I think they have a better flavor then regular raisins. The raisin oatmeal version have a hint of cinnamon and they are so dang good. And much less messy for tiny hands. No chocolate covered fingers or faces to wipe up. Try them and see if you love them as much as I do!The best oatmeal chocolate chip cookies or oatmeal raisin cookies, recipe on everydayjenny.com. These cookies turn out perfect every time with a crispy outside and soft middleThe best oatmeal chocolate chip cookies or oatmeal raisin cookies, recipe on everydayjenny.com. These cookies turn out perfect every time with a crispy outside and soft middle

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
3/4 cup butter flavored shortening
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cup flour
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp soda
2 cups old fashioned oats
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
Cream shortening and sugar, and add eggs and vanilla and mix well. Add the dry ingredients and oatmeal and mix well. Add the chocolate chips last. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.Tips:
*Add 3/4 cup chopped walnuts if you’d like (I always do)
*For oatmeal raisin cookies, add 1 tsp cinnamon and replace chocolate chips with raisins (I prefer golden raisins).
 *I like to divide the batter in half right before you add the chocolate chips and do chocolate chips in half and raisins in the other half (adding 1/2 tsp cinnamon to the batter with raisins)
*Use a small ice cream scoop or cookie scoop to make uniform sized cookies.
Recipe Source: RhRecipes

MEXICAN RICE

I love rice. It’s one of my favorite sides and I don’t ever get tired of eating it. I grew up in a home where we ate rice for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I had never made Mexican rice before I got married, but I love this recipe.

Delicious Mexican rice from everyday jenny.com

Golden toasted rice
Mexican Rice

1 tablespoon oil
1 cup uncooked long grain white rice
1/2 cup tomato sauce
2 cups water (or 1 can chicken broth-omit the chicken base/bouillon)
1 tsp chicken base or chicken bouillon
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp taco seasoning

Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add rice and stir often, until rice turns a nice golden toasty color. Add the seasonings and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant, add tomato sauce and water and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low (make sure a simmer is still maintained) and cook for 20-25 minutes until rice is tender. Mix and fluff with a fork.

Recipe Source: Adapted from Kick Off Those Heels N Cook

 

SLOW COOKER SHREDDED BEEF TACOS

We love Mexican food at our house and usually eat some form of it (tacos, enchiladas, fajitas) at least once a week. My friend invited us over for these delicious shredded beef tacos one day and I was hooked. I love that I can throw the meat in the slow cooker and let it cook all day, then prep all the toppings right before dinner. We love to serve ours with pico de gallo, guacamole, sour cream and cheese. I also made a side of Mexican rice tonight with these. I love corn tortillas for the tacos, but the kids aren’t fans so I serve theirs in flour tortillas. Tonight we enjoyed them for Cinco de Mayo, and I made a pineapple/mango salsa to top them (recipe coming soon!) Also if you aren’t a fan of onions, you can leave those out, but I think onions are delicious and they get so soft and flavorful cooking with the beef. Easy, and super delicious slow cooker beef tacos, recipe on everydayjenny.com. These are phenomenalShredded Beef Tacos

1 beef chuck roast (around 2 pounds)
1 can beef broth
1 yellow onion sliced
1 1/2 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 tablespoon cumin
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp garlic salt

Place roast in crockpot and pour beef broth over. Mix together the dry ingredients in a small bowl and sprinkle on top of the roast. Place the sliced onions on top of roast. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours. Shred roast, remove any fat, and place back in slow cooker and allow to cook another half hour in the broth.

Heat your corn tortillas on a small pan sprayed with a little oil or in the microwave between two damp paper towels so they are warm and soft. Serve with your choice of toppings.

Recipe adapted from: Cooking Classy

 

 

YARD SALE SATURDAY MAY 2

One of my favorite things to do is yard sale! Saturday mornings you can usually find me out and about yard sale-ing. I enjoy it so much because not only do I like finding great deals, I like to flip items. I’ll buy things that are great deals and turn around and sale them for more. It’s how I make my money for yard sales for other items I want to keep. I think everyone can find great deals at yard sales. Here are some of my recent finds.

Vintage pyrex- I follow different yard sale groups on facebook so I have an idea of what things typically sell for. One thing that a lot of people collect is pyrex. I found this set for $5 and turn around and flipped it.

YardSaleSaturday3

Globes are another popular item right now. I found this globe for only a dollar! I also turned around and flipped this item.YardSaleSaturday2

I love buying baby and kids clothes, and I found an awesome deal on these cute summer outfits. Only a quarter for each set and they were brand new. Yes really 25 cents! You can’t beat that!YardSaleSaturday1

TRES LECHES CAKE {THREE MILK CAKE}

One of my good friends brought this to a party and I had to have the recipe once I devoured my piece. I’m that person who tastes something and has to find out who made it and ask if I can have a copy of the recipe. She had gotten it from a sweet lady she worked with and was happy to share it with me.  It certainly has some different ingredients (especially the cup of Coke!) but don’t leave it out. I think the cake turns out perfect just the way it is. Its super easy to make and I guarantee that someone will ask you for the recipe!
We love to serve it with fresh strawberries, but the raspberries were on sale today and they are also delicious with it. This would be the perfect way to end your Cinco de Mayo celebrations!Super delicious Tres Leches cake that is easy to make, recipe on everydayjenny.com

TSuper delicious Tres Leches cake that is easy to make, recipe on everydayjenny.com

Tres Leches Cake Recipe

For the cake:
2 cups pancake mix (like Bisquick etc.)
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup Coca-Cola
1 cup vegetable oil
5 large eggs
Mix together all the ingredients (batter will be thin and may have a few lumps). Pour into greased 9X13 pan and bake at 325 for 25-35 minutes, until just golden. Poke holes with a fork while warm.

Three Milks

For the milk part:
Mix together:
1 can evaporated milk
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 can Nestle media crema

*Pour over warm cake & refrigerate for at least two hours or overnight. Refrigerate leftover milk to pour on before serving. Serve with fruit of your choice, such as sliced strawberries.
*Note- in the past when I made this cake I would use this method of pouring the milk over the cake and refrigerating overnight. Now I like to mix the milk and refrigerate it and the cake separately and pour on individual slices right before serving. It is great both ways.