Save money by making your own Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits!

Okay, so this isn't my typical blog entry. I've had lots of requests for this recipe(after posting food photos on Facebook). So now I'll post in a centralized location!

Who doesn't love Red Lobster's biscuits? And what better way than making them at home so you can eat as MANY as you want? Besides, you probably have MOST of the ingredients at home! It's quick and easy enough for your kids to help. I've made this numerous times...so I've included my tips in the parentheses.



Ingredients:
2 ½ cups Bisquick baking mix

¾ cup cold whole milk

4 tablespoons cold butter

¼ teaspoon garlic powder (I usually put a bit more! Garlic powder isn't that strong)

1 heaping cup grated cheddar cheese (Put about a cup and a half!)

Garnish ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter, melted

¼ teaspoon dried parsley flakes

½ teaspoon garlic powder

Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

2. Combine Bisquick with cold butter in a medium bowl using a pastry cutter or a large fork. You don't want to mix too thoroughly. There should be small chunks of butter in there that are about the size of peas. Add cheddar cheese, milk, and ¼ teaspoon garlic. Mix by hand until combined, but don't over mix.

3. Drop approximately ¼-cup portions of the dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet using an ice cream scoop. (For CRISPY golden bottoms, brush the pan with butter!)

4. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes or until the tops of the biscuits begin to turn light brown. (I always have to bake my biscuits longer! After the initial 15-17 minutes, take the biscuits out, rip one in half to see if it's cooked. Keep baking for 3-5 minute intervals)

5. When you take the biscuits out of the oven, melt 2 tablespoons butter is a small bowl in your microwave. Stir in ½ teaspoon garlic powder and the dried parsley flakes. Use a brush to spread this garlic butter over the tops of all the biscuits. Use up all of the butter. (I usually take the biscuits out 5 minutes before they are ready and then brush the buttery mixture on top--they are crispier that way. Broil for 1-2 minutes if you don't have the time) Makes one dozen biscuits.

Enjoy! I am getting hungry just writing about the recipe!

Free Chick-Fil-A meals for a year

I've known about this promotion for months, yet I always seem to find out about openings AFTER they've already opened! And I've missed out on two! Hopefully, you will have more luck.

Anyways, here's the scoop.

If you are one of the First 100 people at the grand opening morning of a Chick-Fil-A restaurant, you get a Chicken Sandwich, Waffle Fries, and a Drink each week, for a year (That's 52 meals)

There are some rules set in place, due to large crowds and the popularity of the event.

Check here for upcoming restaurant openings and dates.

P.S. If you live in Jacksonville, FL...there's one opening up this week :)

Good luck!

Denny's and Free Food Days!

At my last university, I discovered the trend that many huge corporations choose one day out of the year and give you free food. For broke college students and anyone working in today's economy, you can't beat that.

In the past, I've participated in Free Cone Day with Ben & Jerry's, Free Iced Coffee Day with Dunkin' Donuts, and Free Slurpee Day with 7-Eleven. Tropical Smoothie also celebrates National Flip-Flop Day (yes, there actually is one!) and gives free Strawberry-Banana Smoothies if you wear flip flops in :)

So, HOW do you find out about promotions?
-Follow the news
-Look for official press releases
-Look for television/print ads
-Check Food Corporations web sites frequently
-Join email lists
-Facebook--social media marketing is changing the world. I usually find out about 75%of these promotions through facebook groups. If you don't know if they are legit, call the local store or check the official web site of whatever company is claiming they are giving free food away.

DENNY'S----------------------------------------------------------------------------

This year, I found out about Free Grand Slam Breakfast Day (2/9/10 from 6am-2pm) at Denny's through my PR professor, and I'm sharing that news with all of you! Here's the link if you don't believe me:

Free Breakfast!

And while you're at it, sign up for their Rewards Club so you can receive ANOTHER free breakfast on your birthday. (If you haven't checked my blog post on e-clubs, scroll down a few posts!)

ALSO, according to their recent press release, the first 500,000 people who sign up for Denny's Rewards Club starting TODAY, will get a FREE burger & fries entree! Now go!

Restaurant E-clubs

Want a better excuse to visit your favorite restaurant? Have you been yearning to try the new place in town...but want to score some freebies along the way? One of the easiest ways to score free food is to join restaurant e-clubs. Many offer free memberships in exchange for a few emails a month (or every few months).

Aside from valuable coupons, many restaurants will email you first about new promotions and specials...before the general public finds out!

Here are some suggestions and what they offer:

-Papa Murphy's e-club: A coupon for buy one get one half off pizza (immediately after you sign up) and free take 'n bake cookie dough on your birthday
-Bruster's Sweet Rewards: coupons about once a month for ice cream! And a heads up on new seasonal flavors...with a coupon to try them!
-Atlanta Bread's VIP e-club: offers about once every month or two.
-Coldstone Birthday Club you get a free creation on your special day!
-Moe's e-worldoffers you a free entree on your birthday, as well as a coupon for a free cup of queso that is normally worth $3
-Firehouse Subs will give you a free cookie with any purchase as well as a free cherry lime-ade with any purchase. I've also gotten a coupon for free chips.
-O'Charley's eclub offers a free appetizer with any purchase.

And don't forget about local restaurants that aren't a part of chains.

For instance, Hyman's Seafood Company (a local Charleston, SC favorite), offers a mailing list (you sign up after you eat) that lets you know when specials are! Some are email inclusive.

For a place that charges between $10-20 an entree, you get quite the savings. For instance, my latest email from Hymans offers an email only invitation for all you can eat snow crab and shrimp, plus one side, coleslaw, hushpuppies, AND homemade potato soup for only $19.95. Imagine what you would normally pay for a meal like that!

In addition to the emails, Hyman ALWAYS has a link to their website for free crab dip

So take a look around and ask local businesses if they offer special mailing clubs or e-clubs. You might find a hidden treasure.

Retail me NOT!

Have you ever gotten those special coupon codes for free shipping or $5 off an order in your inbox or in your mail..just for being a valued shopper? How would you like to have access to ALL of the codes..the ones that everyone else get! Wouldn't it get even better if you were part of a network that SHARED the codes?

Retail Me Not is an online resource that does just that.

And even better...other users (as well as yourself) can RATE whether or not the coupons work.

Just think...electronic coupon! It saves paper and computer ink :)

It's about time you check it out if you haven't already!

I always check the site before I submit any online order. To date, I have utilized codes for victoriassecret.com, thinkgeek.com, half.com (yes, $10 off textbook coupon codes exist!), shutterfly.com, target.com, and even theknot.com.

There are coupon codes for over 40,000 stores. Just try it! You never know what you'll find...and you can almost always enter more than one code in :)

Walmart's Free Samples

I have been getting free samples from Walmart for years!

It's great because not only do you get free trial size (sometimes full) samples..you get coupons too!

All you have to do is fill out an information sheet (don't worry, it takes like 30 seconds!) and be patient. Some arrive in 4-6 weeks.

Check every few weeks because samples rotate in and out. Samples are great because many of them are "travel size" Just pop one in your bag before your flight, hotel stay, or family visit!

Among items I've received over the years:

-Free Kotex/Always Pads of all sizes
-Free roll of Scott toilet paper & disposable wipes
-Shampoo/Conditioner from all major brands like: Pantene, John Frieda Collection, Dove, Aveeno, Sunsilk, Pert, Head & Shoulders, etc.
-Scope mouthwash sample
-Travel size toothpaste
-Lotion from Vaseline, Eucerin, Bodycology
-Dove Deodorant
-Gillette Body Wash & Shampoo for Men
-Old Spice Body Wash
-Skin Degenerist Face Cream
-Biore Face Wash
-Garnier night cream

There are so many more to list, but I think you get the idea. To get these sweet savings, there's no money spent, just time.

The $39 Experiment, or $5, or $100

A couple months ago, I stumbled upon a fascinating site. Tom Locke, an average guy, decided to write to companies and ask for free stuff. At the time, stamps were only 39 cents, so he decided to write to 100 companies. He ASKED for free samples and ended up getting about $272 worth of free stuff.

I decided to fashion my experiment differently. Instead of ASKING for stuff, which sounds needy, I raved about products I like or mentioned products I would love to try.

And with the advent of technology, many websites now feature comment sections online. A handful still require handwritten comments, but my few minutes of scribble was worth what I got in return.

Before you begin, check out who Tom wrote to for ideas

My suggestion is to think about what you use often, think about what you'd like to try, and think about expensive expenses when brainstorming.

Here's my results:

-Nutro (dog food company) sent me $20 worth of coupons. Granted, each bag costs about $50, so this was helpful!
-Nivea sent me two 2oz samples of their NEWEST body wash products after I raved about how great one smelled and how I desperately wanted to try their body wash that featured "diamond powder." Nivea also sent me 3 sets of $2 off coupons!
-Bath & Body Works sent me a 20% off entire purchase coupon
-Sally Hansen sent me $18 worth of coupons for nail polish and beauty supplies!
-Glade sent me a coupon for a free Lasting Impressions start up kit ($7 value) and a free Glade Candle ($2 value) after I wrote in about how much I love their products
-Busy Bone (Purina) sent me several $1.00 off coupons for dog treats

The possibilities are endless. And most of the time, you don't even have to spend any money. Sweet Savings, huh?!