Frudal Fridays - Giant Eagle Cereal/Milk Special

In the Central Ohio area, Giant Eagle grocery stores have a special going on similar to the one at Kroger last week.

If you buy 3 boxes of General Mills cereal, a coupon for one free gallon of milk will print on the Catalina machine. If you buy 6 boxes of General Mills cereal, a coupon for two free gallons of milk will print. Also to sweeten the deal, select varieties of GM cereals are on sale.

I dropped in yesterday, and for $8.25 I walked away with 6 boxes of cereal (3 Regular Cheerios, 2 Chex, 1 new Cheerios Clusters) and 2 gallons of milk. Word to the wise... watch the transaction closely! I went through the self-checkout and had a few problems with everything scanning with the correct price and with the Catalina machine printing the appropriate coupons. However, when I asked for assistance, the cashier was perfectly helpful and gracious.

For our family, this was a really good deal. It's pretty much a given that we are going to buy milk every week, and for the price of 2 gallons of milk, I got a few boxes of cereal for free --- this will really come in handy next week when I have 5 extra houseguests for the holiday weekend!!

P.S. Sorry for not linking directly to the Giant Eagle website or to the specific deal, but their website wasn't responding this morning.

Victoria Magazine

Ahhhh... the return of my favorite magazine, Victoria. I remember the first time I saw Victoria. I was in about the 8th grade, and the lady I babysat for was a subscriber. While the children were napping, I would browse through her old copies, and something in me resonated with so much of what were in those pages. As soon as I had a regular income, I became a subscriber, and I remained a loyal fan for many years. I am anxiously anticipating the release of the premiere issue this November. To make the return even better for me, it looks like the first issue will include a story on "The Romantic French Quarter" --- a part of New Orleans that holds many memories for me. My subscription has already been submitted...

Ladies Finishing School

Here's a little something fun to participate in and learn from.... Elizabeth and Emma are sponsoring an online Ladies Finishing School. This week you can tune into Emma's blog, Charming the Birds from the Trees, for posts regarding Personal Presentation.

Red Beans and Rice

In Louisiana, Red Beans and Rice is a very common dish. It's a creole recipe that is still commonly found in the New Orleans area both in restaurants and homes. Interestingly enough, it was an old custom to make a pot of red beans on Monday... "wash day". Leftovers from Sunday lunch were often used and because the pot was left to simmer all day on the stove, it was easy to prepare while also doing the laundry.

Red Beans and Rice has become a staple in our diet. I make a pot not only on Mondays, but anyday when I know I will be away from the house. I've altered my Mawmaw's recipe to use in my crockpot, making it a perfectly easy slow-cooker meal. To make it even more enticing, this meal freezes very well and is very inexpensive to make. We love to serve cornbread alongside of our beans as well as a pot of snap beans or a salad.

Red Beans and Rice

1 (1 lb) package of red beans
1 lb. smoked sausage or andouille, sliced (I prefer Manda Smoked Sausage, but it's hard to find outside of Louisiana)
1 medium onion, diced
2-3 stalks celery, diced
2-1/2 teaspoons salt
1 rounded teaspoons thyme
1 rounded teaspoons oregano
1 teaspoons garlic powder
3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
6-8 cups water
Rice, cooked

Add red beans, sausage, onion, and celery to crock pot. Add herbs and seasonings. Add water to cover. Cook for 8-10 hours in slow cooker. Mash some of the beans in the pot before serving. Serve over rice.

Garnish with chopped green onions.

Bienvenue a La Petite Maison...

Welcome to The Little House...

My name is Janna, and though I currently live in Ohio, I am not Midwestern. I'm Southern... a native of Louisiana. I grew up among the magnolia trees and spanish moss of South Louisiana, dined on the red beans, sauce piquant, and gumbo from my Mawmaw's kitchen, and celebrated Mardi Gras and LSU football. I drink Community Coffee with my beignets, and I continue to import them both up here to Ohio.

I am the wife of a wonderful, godly man and the mother of two precious little children. I strive to love the Lord with all my heart, all my soul, and all my mind, and I desire to bring Him glory and to make His name known by all that I say and do. I love that God has given me a home and family to care for, and I pray that He will continue to teach me the importance of building a home that rests in Him.

As for this blog, who knows what you may find here! I have a wide variety of interests and may very well post about any ol' random thing. I guess that's one of the fun things about having your very own blog.

So, welcome... And yes, I know it's June, but my little house is most divine in the fall.