Monte Cristo Bake

Monte Cristo Bake Recipe

Someone sent me this link, and I have to say, I am really tempted to make this. It's from Ever Parent, and it sounds so yummy....but just reading the recipe makes my arteries hurt a bit. But, if you still have your coupon from Maple Leaf for a free package of bacon like I do, this might be the way to use it up!

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Monte Cristo Bake
Published by Lisa
August 27th, 2010

You probably shouldn’t make this recipe. This recipe is evil, and full of all the things people aren’t supposed to eat. But maybe, if you have a special occasion (like Christmas breakfast) or you need to throw something together for dinner, maybe you should try it. Just once. And then you will declare it to be sinful and delicious, but yes… evil.

There are many versions of a Monte Cristo sandwich, and the version I used to eat at a local restaurant tasted a lot like this casserole version. The sandwich had ham and cheese sandwiched between two pieces of french toast and dipped in real maple syrup. In this version, the ham is replaced by bacon. If you like a certain popular fast food breakfast sandwich that has a touch of syrup flavor in it, you will love this recipe.

I hope you do try this recipe, your family will gobble it up and ask for seconds. (And after you try it, please destroy this recipe and never make it again.)

Yield: 10 -12 servings

Ingredients

* 1 pound bacon – cooked, drained, and crumbled
* 10 slices firm textured white bread, cut into 1″ cubes
* 8 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded
* 8 ounces monterey jack or swiss cheese, shredded
* 8 large eggs
* 3 cups milk
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon ground dry mustard
* 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
* Real maple syrup for drizzling

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Butter or spray (non-stick spray) a 13×9 inch baking dish. Place the cubed bread in the bottom of the dish. Spread the shredded cheeses over the bread cubes, and then spread the crumbled bacon over the cheese.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs and milk, add the mustard, salt, and pepper and whisk until combined. Pour the egg mixture over the contents of the baking dish, making sure all the bread is moistened.

At this point, you can cover and refrigerate overnight or several hours, and just bake it when you are ready for it. Or, you can bake it right away. Bake for 45-55 minutes, until golden brown and puffy. Serve immediately with warm maple syrup for drizzling.

Free Vaseline Intensive Care

If you like Vaseline on Facebook, and then click on the tab that says "What's New," you can sign up to get a coupon in the mail for a free bottle of Vaseline Intensive Care! I got mine already, and I LOVE it! It's perfect for these cold Canadian winters. My skin gets chapped and cracked when it's cold outside, and honestly, this lotion is amazing. It really works, and it doesn't leave your skin super greasy. Also, it doesn't have an overpowering scent, which is nice. Hurry and get yours before the promo is over! Click here.

Deals This Week

So far, here are my favourite deals this week:

No Frills:
*Cashmere Toilet Paper is on sale, 40 rolls (or 20 double rolls) for $5.55. Combine that great price with a coupon for an even better deals - I used a $3 coupon from the company. 40 rolls for $2.55 - it doesn't get much cheaper. :)
*Orville Redenbacher popcorn is on for $2.47 (6 packs). There are coupons out there for $2 when you buy 2, and $2 off. I got 2 boxes for less than a dollar. Keep your eye open for specially marked boxes - you could instantly win prizes, too!
*Dr. Oetker Ristorante pizzas are $3.49. I LOVE these pizzas! There are coupons for $1.50 off the purchase of 2.

Price Chopper:
*Cheerios are $2! Use $1 off coupons if you have them.
*Butter is $2 for a 1 lb package.
*Eggs are 2 dozen for $3!
*Lots of great produce prices this week. Celery $1, Strawberries $2, Tomatoes $1/lb, etc.
*100 Glad sandwich bags are $1. There are $1 coupons out there!

Happy Friday!

Free $20 Amazon.com Gift Card

itsThoughtful has a promo going on right now - for every 15 friends you refer to the site, you will get a $20 Amazon.com gift card! It's absolutely free to join the site, and they actually have a Valentines Day Gift Contest going on right now - the winner gets $500! Check out the site for more details. itsThoughtful.com

Free Audio Books

I saw this on television last night, and had to check it out. Audible.com is offering a 30-day free trial of their AudibleListener® Gold membership plan, which includes 2 free audio books! After the trial period it's $14.95 a month, but there's no obligation - if you cancel before the trial is up you won't be charged, and you still have those 2 free books. I decided to try it out and it was easy! I was able to sign up using my Amazon.com account, and a few minutes had 2 new audio books on my iPod! I chose Room by Emma Donoghue, and A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. It'll be nice to have some new listening material on the subway everyday! Go to audible.com/tvoffer to get this deal.

Breakfast and a Movie, Anyone?

General Mills has a great promo on right now. Inside specially marked boxes are Cineplex coupons, and for the month of February, they're valid for free movie admission! During March it's valid for a free small popcorn or candy, April for Buy 1 Get 1 Admission, and May for a free small drink. Click here for more details and restrictions. This is an excellent way to save some cash if you're a movie goer - I picked up some Multi Grain Cheerios at Walmart for $3.97 (minus a $1 coupon), and Banana Nut Cheerios at No Frills for $3.93 (minus a $1 coupon). So for 6 bucks, I got 2 free admission coupons, and breakfast is covered for a while. If you're going to see a movie anyways, it works out cheaper to buy the cereal and get the movie coupons! There's a movie deal with Old El Paso Products as well, so make sure to check out the details on the General Mills page.

Free Aveeno Shampoo

Hurry on over to Living Well to get a free sample of AVEENO® POSITIVELY NOURISHING™! Living Well offers great freebies all the time, but you have to hurry - supplies are limited!

Stocking Up!

There are some great sales this week (Jan. 20-27), and combined with coupons, you can actually get a lot of stuff free. Time to stock up! Here are my favourite deals this week:

NO FRILLS (Dollar Sale!)

All of these items are $1 at No Frills (Ontario), and there are coupons for $1 off for all of them out there... so if you have them, it's a great time to use them!

Clorox Disinfecting Wipes
Christie Crackers
Minigo
Del Monte Fruit Twists
Egg Creations
Marc Angelo Pork Souvlaki

The No Frills dollar sale is really good - if you can brave the crowds, it is SO worth it. Besides the free stuff mentioned, there's some other great stuff on sale:

Campbell's Ready to Use Broth - $1
*there are Buy 2 Save $1 coupons out there for this product - making each 50 cents!
Vitasoy Soy Beverage - $1
*there are 75 cent coupons for these - 25 cents is an excellent final price!
Barilla Pasta - $1
*there are Buy 2 Save $1 coupons for this
Knorr Sidekicks - $1
*there are Buy 2 Save $1 coupons for this
Leclerc Cookies - $1
There are 50-cent coupons for these

And then the produce! The prices on fruits and veggies this week are great. So much stuff for $1... and chips and Coke are $1 too, if you aren't feelin' the veggies. ;)


WALMART

If you managed to pick up some of the Buy 2 Save $1 Campbell's coupons good on Cream Soups and Broths, make sure to go to Walmart this week. Soup is on for 50 cents, and those coupons make it free. I'm stocked up on soup for a while now! And it's a great item to donate to food banks. There's also a coupon to Save $1 when you buy 3 Blue Band Soups, which includes their Tomato Soup and Vegetable Soup - also on for 50 cents. Use the coupon and they're less than 17 cents each. (Oh, how I wish I had a pantry!)

The other item I picked up at Walmart this week was Secret deodorant. It's $2.57, and with the Buy 3 Save $7 coupon from Brandsaver, it's a whopping 71 cents for 3 sticks of deodorant. (I LOVE the Va Va vanilla scent!) Whenever I find toiletries at this low of a price, I usually buy a bit more than I need, and donate it. Shelters and food banks are always in need of these items, and they can be donated with hardly anything out of your pocket!

Anyways, these are my favourite "hot deals" this week; hope this post gives you some ideas!

Budgeting and Gail Vaz-Oxlade

I've found that sitting down and doing a complete overview of my finances has been the best way for me to see where I have been spending unnecessarily. Write everything down! And keep track of everything. It'll make it easier for you to target areas of your finances that need work.

If you've ever watched "'Til Debt Do Us Part" or "Princess," then you know who Gail Vaz-Oxlade is. She gives amazing advice on how to cut your spending, and get rid of your debt. Check out Gail's website - there's a great resource section with interactive worksheets. They are SO helpful, especially if you are trying to get your finances in order and have no idea where to start. She offers lots of great tips on her website - her site is definitely worth bookmarking!

Happy reading!

Mystery Shopping

I've been Mystery Shopping since 1999, and I LOVE it. I make a lot of extra cash this way. Sometimes only an extra $100 a month, and sometimes twice my rent. There are all kinds of different mystery shops, but basically - you're sent to a location to evaluate service, and then report back to the company who hired you. You get paid for your time, and you often get a free product, dinner, etc. depending on the location you're evaluating.

The most comprehensive list of Canadian Mystery Shopping companies that I've found is here, at Volition - http://www.volition.com/mysteryint.html. Check it out. I would suggest applying for all of the companies, if you're really serious about Mystery Shopping, so that you can keep shopping somewhat steadily.

Happy shopping!

FREE Neutrogena Clinical

Right now, there are a few Mail in Rebate forms floating around for the Neutrogena Clinical kits. This is great, because they retail anywhere from $40-$70, and when you send in the form, they'll rebate you the purchase price, taxes, AND postage.

If you check out this week's Rexall flyer, there is a rebate form found inside - and even better, they're offering a bonus of 50 Air Miles when you purchase one of these kits! So you end up with 4 regular Air Miles, 50 bonus Air Miles, and your money back in your pocket in 6-8 weeks.

Great deal!!

Free $20 Amazon.com Gift Card

Ok - I love Amazon. Absolutely LOVE it. You can get pretty much anything on Amazon. I have to admit, I tend to use the American site more often, as the prices are better, even after factoring in shipping costs.

Right now, itsThoughtful is having a promotion. For every 15 friends that you refer, get a $20 Amazon.com gift card. Sweet!

Check it out here - itsThoughtful

Enjoy!

Stouffers Rewards Program

Stouffers has a great rewards program going on right now. When you enter 12 PINs from specially marked packages of Stouffers, they will send you $25 in free groceries - a $10 gift card, and $15 worth of coupons for free products. Pretty great if you like their products! I like having some of their Lean Cuisines in my freezer - it's easy to grab for lunch at work. The current promo ends January 31st at noon, so there is still time if you hurry! But there will be another round right after this one, so you can hang onto those PINs until the next promotion starts.

Right now, No Frills has Lean Cuisine on for $1.88. So, for $22.56 you get 12 Lean Cuisine entrees, a $10 gift card, and $15 in free products. And, if you have coupons, the deal just gets better! LOVE it.

Check it out here - Stouffer's Rewards

Free Clairol

Another great Facebook giveaway! Clairol is giving away free products on their page - check in at Noon EST daily for your chance to get in on this deal! Yesterday they gave away 25,000 boxes of their Nice 'n Easy Color Blend Foam, and they're giving away 25,000 more today.


Clairol's Facebook Page

Good luck! :)

Free Coffee from Melitta!

Here's a great giveaway for those coffee drinkers out there! Everyday Melitta is giving away 10 coupons on Facebook for a free bag of their coffee (worth $13.99!). You just have to be there at the right time, in order to be one of the first 10 to click the link. I was lucky enough to win a free bag on one of the first days! :) I LOVE my coffee, and Melitta is one of my favourite brands. Free Melitta is even better.

Click here for Melitta's Facebook page.

Good luck!

Group Buys

There are some great sites out there that offer group buy deals. Basically, they offer an amazing deal, and if enough people buy in, it's yours! Some deals I've got recently: $20 amazon.com gift certificate for $10, $40 Body Shop gift certificate for $20, $40 Gap gift certificate for $20, $12 worth of coffee and pastries for $5....and the list goes on. There are deals available all over North America. Check out a few of my favourite sites:

Groupon

Captain Save

FabFind


There are tons out there, and the deals change daily, so make sure to check them often!

Surveys

One way I make some extra pocket money is by filling out surveys, and attending the occasional focus group. It's not a ton of money, but it's something! And every little bit helps, right? I generally make anywhere from $10 - $200 a month. There are so many survey and market research sites out there, it's hard to know which ones are legit. The sites below are my favourite. They send surveys regularly, and they pay up! I've been paid several times by them all.

Web Perspectives

TNS

FocusLine Surveys

Opinion Outpost

Survey Lion

Swagbucks

Global Test Market

Survey Savvy

Those are my favourites. They all offer cash, but some of them offer gift cards as an option as well. I'll often fill out surveys while watching TV, or if I can't sleep. :)

Coupons

A lot of people are scared of coupons. I used to be. And then I decided to commit myself to using them....wow, I am always in awe at how much money I have saved in the past few years, just using coupons.

Sure, buying no name vs. brand name sans coupons can save you a lot. But I have actually found that buying brand name often works out cheaper because of the coupons. And lots of companies out there give away coupons for free products, when they're launching a new product, or trying to drum up some interest.

Every week, I check out the flyers online for good sales, and check out what I have coupons for....if something is a really great deal, I will stock up.

An awesome site to check out when you're starting to use coupons is Smart Canucks - www.smartcanucks.ca - there are forums where people discuss the sales, which coupons to use, etc. This is my absolute favourite site - it helps me save SO much money.

There are some great sites online that allow you to request coupons, and they mail them to you, free of charge.

http://www.save.ca
http://www.gocoupons.ca
http://www.pgbrandsaver.ca
http://www.websaver.ca

Happy Couponing!

The Coffee Factor

Okay, so everyone knows that if you cut out the expensive lattes every day, you can save a ton of cash... This is seriously the best thing I have done. I knew about that latte factor, but I always saw my latte break in the afternoon as well deserved and hard earned. And I figured that it was a small amount of money (MY money), and it didn't make a difference. So....$4 a day, 5 times a week, 50 weeks a year... $1000. The worst part of that is, at my office, we have an industrial espresso machine....so I can make a latte anytime. I just really loved that routine, having a reason to get up and leave the office in the afternoon.... So now, I make my own free latte in my $15 travel mug, and take it outside. And sometimes I make another one for the ride home.

It's a great idea to take a hard look at your habits, and pinpoint areas where you're spending money when you don't have to.

Gift Cards

It happens from time to time...you end up with a gift card to a store you would never shop at. Check out http://www.cardswap.ca/ - you can get cash for your unwanted gift cards! One of many sites like this out there. Such a great idea. Also, buy gift cards at a discount - sweet. :)

Sell Your Stuff!

A great way to earn some extra pocket money is to sell that stuff you have laying around, that you just don't need. Try having a garage sale! It's a great way to get rid of stuff. Take your old books to a used bookstore that buys books - even a few dollars back in your pocket is better than nothing. :) Just finished school and don't need your text books anymore? There are lots of places to sell those, including several websites that will buy them from you - try a site like http://buyback.abebooks.ca - it's even free for you to ship your books to them. And try eBay if you haven't already! I LOVE eBay. It's like a huge, worldwide garage sale. Seriously, you can sell pretty much anything on there - it's been one of my most successful methods of making money. You tend to make quite a bit more on eBay than you would having a garage sale, so it's worth a shot. Chances are someone is looking for that set of teacups that's getting dusty in your attic, or your old button collection. Once you start to understand exactly what people buy and how much stuff is worth, you can take it a step further and start hunting for stuff to sell - second hand stores, garage sales - who knows what treasure you could find and resell for profit! One of my favourites was a tiny dolls I bought for 25 cents at a second hand store - that little doll sold for over $500 on eBay. How's that for a profit margin?? :)

If you haven't signed up for Swagbucks, it's about time!  I absolutely love Swagbucks.  It's a search engine, and so much more.  You can win points for just searching, as well as filling out polls and surveys, taking part in special offers, shopping online, etc.  Then you can trade those points for prizes! They have gifts cards, electronics, etc. - check it out, they have some awesome stuff. I've been cashing my points for Amazon.com gift cards, and since I joined a year ago, I've earned over $200.  Not bad for just searching, which is something I normally do anyways!  And when you refer people, you earn points when they earn points.  :)  Awesome.

Welcome!

Welcome to my blog!  I am always being asked about my secrets for saving money, and earning extra cash, so I figured this would be the easiest way to share them!  :)  Check back regularly for new tips and tricks... you won't get rich quick here, but you'll be surprised at how much money you can save - it really adds up!  And feel free to send me your ideas, because I am always looking for ways to save.  :)  Hope you're all having a happy Monday!