Chateau Ste. Michelle Rielsing

Nothing goes better with a great meal than a great bottle of wine (and good company). I like Sauvignon Blanc for cooking and drinking. But, I like Rielsing, too! Consider popping a cold Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling for your next meal. It's slightly sweet, flavorful, and perfect with chicken or fish. It can also be enjoyed by itself, too. And, it's reasonably-priced! I purchased a few bottles at Target for $6.49 each (regular $9.99). The sale runs through Saturday, September 3rd. If you miss the sale, Trader Joe's carries Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling for $5.99 a bottle! And, that's their everyday price. You'll want to drink this when it's nice and cold. Enjoy!

Turkey Soup

I love turkey and not just for Thanksgiving. You can make so many dishes with it: turkey salad, turkey sandwiches, and turkey casserole (just to name a few). I baked a turkey over the weekend, cut it into slices, and used the carcass for soup. There's no rules to what vegetables to use, but I just used what I had on hand: red bell pepper, onions, okra, and canned whole kernel corn. It's a delicious, filling one-pot meal your family will love.

Turkey Soup

turkey meat, 2 to 3 cups, deboned
or use turkey carcass to equal 3 cups
of turkey meat
water
vegetables:
celery, okra, corn, onions, bell peppers, mushrooms
Salt and Pepper to taste
1/4 to 1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper
1/4 to 1/2 tsp seasoning salt
1 1/2 cups Macaroni noodles

Directions

In a large pot, combine turkey carcass and about two quarts (8 cups) of water. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer and cover with lid. Simmer about 45 minutes to one hour until meat comes off the bones easily. Remove bones from pot.
Add vegetables, seasonings, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir in noodles and mix together. Simmer until vegetables are tender and noodles are cooked about 10 more minutes. Ready to serve.

Note: If using deboned turkey meat, combine turkey and vegetables in a large pot and fill with just enough water to cover. Add seasonings, mix together, and bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer. Cover with lid and cook about 10 to 15 minutes. Add noodles and cook about 10 longer. Ready to serve.

Natural Bliss Carmel and Sweet Cream tastes good!

At checkout, I received a coupon for $1.50 off two Carnation Natural Bliss creamers at Target. I bought the vanilla flavor a few days ago, which wasn't as flavorful as I predicted. But, the sweet cream and carmel flavor are great! You can really taste the fresh flavor of real cream in both flavors. It's a nice alternative to other flavored Carnation creamers, which I love in my coffee. You definitely want to give these flavors a try!

Coffee-mate creamer or natural bliss?

I tried Coffee-mate natural bliss for the first time, since I had a $0.55 cent off coupon. I chose the vanilla flavor because I love Coffee-mate French vanilla. It fell short of my expectations. The natural bliss creamer is light, fresh-tasting, and resembles a texture of fresh cream, but didn't have much flavor. But, at 35 calories per tablespoon, natural bliss has fewer calories than the other Coffee-mate flavored creamers. I bought the 16-ounce bottle at Target for $2.39. So far, natural bliss comes in vanilla, carmel, and sweet cream. Hopefully, the other flavors will taste better.

Great sale at Macy's

I love browsing at Macy's and make a habit of looking through the sale and clearance section every time I go. It's fun to look, but I do like to buy sometimes. I was hoping to find a few pairs of Capri pants on clearance, since summer is almost over. It was a "use you Macy's card day," so you got to save an additional 15% off sale and clearance items. This is a great savings, especially on items that are 50 and 70% off. This offer will come again, so if you know Macy's like I do, just check back in a week or so.

Great $2 meal deals at Taco Bell!

I very seldom go to fast food restaurants, but they're great when you want a quick meal without breaking your wallet. I knew I wanted a burrito from Taco Bell to go with some leftover white rice and re fried beans. When I ordered the Beefy 5-Layer Burrito, the drive-through person said "Would you like the meal deal for $2 with chips and a drink?" I thought about it for one second, and said, "sure." I had no idea this offer existed until she mentioned it. The Beefy 5-Layer Burrito is very filling, and at $0.99, is a great deal. But, with a bag of Doritos chips and a medium fountain drink for only $2 is even better! Other $2 Meal Deals are available, too. It's a great value for the price.

Miss the Lane Bryant at Eastridge Mall!

Now that Lane Bryant at East ridge Mall in San Jose is gone, it seems all the good bargains are, too. There's still sale and clearance merchandise at Lane Bryant at Oak ridge and Valley fair Mall, but they don't compare to the bargains I've found over the years at the former east San Jose store. Before the store closed, I purchased two Cacique bras for just over $17.00 and two casual sweaters for under $10.00. Several weeks after my purchases, one woman told me she bought two bras for $7.00! It was fun getting bargains while it lasted.