Lemon Bars!

I made these lemon bars today!!! So tasty!! I used Paula Deen's recipe but made a recipe and a half of the lemon filling and added lemon zest to the recipe! So these are now Jancie's Lemon Bars!!!

Here is the recipe!
Ingredients:

Crust
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup confectioners’ sugar, plus more for dusting
pinch of salt
2 sticks butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing

Lemon Filling
6 eggs
3 cups granulated sugar
9 tablespoons all-purpose flour
9 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon lemon zest

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 9x13x2-inch pan.

Make the crust by combining flour, confectioners’ sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Cut in the butter to make a crumbly mixture. Press the mixture into the prepared pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the filling. Mix the eggs, granulated sugar, flour, lemon juice and lemon zest. Pour this over the baked crust and bake for 25 minutes longer. Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar, if desired, when the bars are done. ENJOY!!!

The Coupon Game

So my new task/goal is to clip coupons weekly and use them to save $ at the grocery store! It's insane how much you can save at the grocery store by doing this. I did some research yesterday on coupons, and found a few websites that have suggestions and tips! My sister in law got me motivated when she told me she spent $30 and saved $40!!! Wowzers!

Stat- 25-34 age group -->78% use coupons! This makes me feel better, I normally feel like a huge distraction in the grocery store with my coupon file...fiddling through expired and current coupons!!! I'm NOT alone!!!

http://www.rd.com/advice-and-know-how/calling-all-coupon-clippers/article10842.html

http://www.nj.com/business/index.ssf/2010/02/the_basic_and_best_strategy_fo.html

I found that some people use the coupon file....other hard core couponers use a 3 ring binder with baseball card slots for extreme organization....uh hmm MELISSA!!!

My first step was get the Sunday paper...clip clip clip --> check
Throw out expired coupons from old organizer--> check
Organize new coupons--> check
Go through Harris Teeters online specials-->check
SHOP!!!

I found that alot of coupons in the paper where things that were on sale at HT this week!!! This may be a no brainer but made me happy! As you read my blog you may find that it's the little things in life that give me that AH HAH moment that Oprah
describes!

I will post back with my results...the savings might be small at first and I'm ok with that...but any savings is a savings right!?!?!

BEERFEST!

April 24th, the ladies of Chapel Hill drove to Raleigh for the yearly BEERFEST! Over 250 beers were available to taste. Everyone raves over Beerfest....here are a few pictures from that night! Katherine drove from Williamsburg, VA for the weekend and we met many new friends!!!

Girlfriends!!!

During my past 25 years, I've come across many people who have had a positive impact on my life....the two girls above Liz and Katherine are two of the many!!!

I met Katherine at UNCG, we lived on the same hall freshman and sophomore year. Katherine and I are quite different but still have so much in common. Katherine taught me to live on the edge a little! We have remained friends through this crazy ride called life. I moved to ECU...she moved to Los Angeles, Ca...I moved to Chapel Hill...and soon she'll be a NC resident again! She's always available to talk about boy problems, jobs, offer advice, etc!

Liz I met at ECU after getting into nursing school. We became friends instantly, not realizing we were both at UNCG prior. Liz and I sat together through classes...cried during the bad times...played during the good times!! We rode together to clinicals as much as possible, basically spent every hour of nursing school together. After graduating nursing school, we both moved to Chapel Hill....her home town and took jobs at UNC Hospital. We later decided to become roommates! We've been there for each other during thick and thin!

Liz and Katherine met each other when Liz and I traveled to LA in May 2009.

Without these girls...I don't know where I'd be! Love ya girls!!!

Mozarella Pasta Salad

Yummy Mozzarella Pasta Salad


Fresh spinach, red pepper, sun-dried tomatoes


Hopefully this is a crowd pleaser!!!


Whole foods makes this Smoked Mozzarella Pasta Salad in their deli..and it is so delicious, but quite pricey! Tonight Liz and Juan are having friends over for a cookout prior to going to BeerFest in Raleigh! I wanted to take something...and I thought pasta salad..then thought Whole Foods pasta salad....yum! I googled for the recipe...and I think my version turned out better!!!

RECIPE:
THE PARMESAN DRESSING
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
3 cloves garlic, minced (1 and 1/2 tsp.)
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
THE SALAD
1/2 pound penne pasta
2 cups packed baby spinach, washed and stemmed
2 small jarred roasted red pepper, diced
1/2 pound smoked mozzarella cheese, diced

Directions
TO PREPARE THE PARMESAN DRESSING
Combine the Parmesan cheese, parsley, mayonnaise, vinegar, garlic, cayenne pepper, and salt and pepper with a hand mixer or in the bowl of food processor or in a blender until the dressing is smooth.
TO PREPARE THE SALAD
In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta until it is al dente. Drain the pasta into a colander, run cold water over it or submerge it in ice water until chilled through, and drain well. IN a large mixing bowl, combine the cooked pasta, spinach, roasted red peppers, and smoked mozzarella.

I used my new food processor...and added fresh red pepper and jarred sun dried tomatoes! Hope the crowd enjoys!!!

The Last Song

Nicholas Sparks book...Miley Cyrus Movie...tear-jerker!!! I can't say I read the book...I tried but couldn't finish it...

I went to see the movie tonight and it touched me on so many levels. If you don't want to have it spoiled stop reading here....

The movie I thought would be a lovey dovey typical Nicholas Sparks type...yes it was lovey dovey, but also showed family struggles. In the movie the family went through divorce, teenage rebelion, and finally death. If you decide to see the movie, make sure you have tissues! It was ironic for me...since my father's anniversary of his death is next Wednesday, April 28th.

My father, James "Jim" Lee Webb passed away April 28th, 2001 after a scuba diving accident in Key Largo, FL. The movie brought back so many memories I had with my dad. While Ronnie and her father shared music and the piano, that was baseball for me and my dad. Dad and I sat through 70+ baseball games per season at Kannapolis Bollweevils, later to be called the Kannapolis Intimidators. We rarely missed a game. Our last game we had to leave the game a little early so dad could meet up with his scuba group to get ready for their trip. I remember telling dad to get some cool pictures and not to get bitten by a shark! Little did I know he would not come back from that trip. The group brought back his camera and many of stories which provided some comfort. The let us know how he talked about his family and how he splurged on dinner the night before with some awesome "Peel and Eat" Shrimp.

This event in my life has taught me many lessons....1. Live each day like it's your last. 2. Always tell your loved ones how you feel about them. 3. Never take life for granted. 4. Life may not always seem fair and sometimes you just don't understand.


Love ya Dad!

Christmas- 12 years ago

That is Smokey....or Smokey Joe! Smokey was my Christmas kitty 12 years ago. He's been a great companion these past 12 years. He grew to close to 17 lbs...the vet called him a mountain lion once instead of a cat due to his size. He went to ECU with me for a few months...then got cabin fever...so we call him a college drop out!

Last Tuesday I took him to the vet and found out he's in bad renal failure. I was a mess Tuesday....spend lots of money on a 12 year old cat, or put him to sleep. The vet gave us some antibiotics, some good food and said watch him. Today, my mom said he looked pitiful. I can't let him suffer. So...this is goodbye, which is so hard.