A time for everything.... even deep cleaning!
So, I recently decided that we needed to deep clean some parts of our house, one being behind the beds. Our master bed is a huge four poster solid cherry wood bed and moving it during the weekly bedroom vacuum time isn't practical. Nightstands are the same way. But I dropped something behind the nightstand and yikes!! it was dusty back there! So we picked a Saturday and decided deep clean our bedroom. I started by giving the whole room a good vacuum,and stripping the bed. Then I moved the night stands and vacuumed behind those. The next job was to tackle the bed. This took a lot of man power, but we were able to move the bed away from the wall a few feet, to vacuum and swiffer. The kids happily grabbed all the treasures under the bed, and helped sort through pictures and put away things that needed a better home.. David helped move some old paintings that were under our bed to a new safer location. Next I wiped down the bed frame. Then we pushed the bed back, the biggest part of the job done, and started working on putting the room back together. I cleaned out and dusted the nightstands and a bench at the end of our bed. Next I moved the dresser, cleaned behind it, cleared off the top and dusted it. Finally I gave one last vacuum to all exposed areas, wiped down the walls, made the bed and fluffed the pillows. Deep cleaned Ahhh!
What a great feeling during this busy time of the holiday to build momentum, doing one project, that improves your home and health.
One thing that was the most rewarding for me, was restocking my sick child kit. This is a small kit that I keep in my nightstand. It has a thermometer, Children's Motrin, Pepto Bismol tablets an inhaler for my son and a natural decongestant called Olbas Oil. That way when one of our children wakes me not feeling well, I can quickly and quietly tend to most of their needs without frantically searching all over the house for the thermometer. I keep a second set of medicines in the bathroom so no one is tempted to borrow my mommy set. It works equally well for sick husbands too!
Blessing for a wonderful morning and a great week.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Faithful Provisions
This is one of my new favorite websites http://www.faithfulprovisions.com/. Worth checking out!
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Kale Kale Everywhere!!
If you’ve never had kale this will give you a great reason to try it! Kale is a cool season crop, grows itself almost effortlessly and isn’t prone to pests or fungus so it’s easy to grow organically. This wonderful veggie is loaded with good for you stuff. Our family loves kale, especially my husband. So, here you go….
First if you are new to kale you will find it in the green section of the refrigerated produce isle, near the lettuce, turnip greens, beets, carrots ect. It should be dark green with broad healthy curly edge leaves. Buy a lot it’s cheap and cooks down! I usually fill a large size veggie bag completely full, I’ll walk you through freezing any extra.
When you get it home, you can prep it a few different ways. This is super easy, and my preferred way is to prep it all at once. The first thing you will want to do is wash whatever you plan to use or freeze. For Kale Chips don’t wash until right before you want to make them, you don’t want wet kale to sit in the fridge.
Okay, to prep the kale you need to remove the tough stalks from the leaves. Hold the leaf by the stem and using your thumb and index finger strip the leaf from the stem. The tough stems are inedible. For smaller leaves the finer stem will be tender and cook up with the leaf. This isn’t a daunting task, once you get the hang of it, you can prep a huge batch in just a few minutes.
Cooked Kale
Fill a wide flat pot with water and bring to a rolling boil (If you’re in a hurry a fast simmer will do…). Take freshly washed Kale leaves and blanch in whatever size batches your pot will hold. Make sure you get the kale in and out of the boiling water as quickly as possible. You want to put the leaves for each batch in at one time stir for 10-15 seconds or until bright green and then remove from water. I use a spaghetti spoon to lift the kale out of the boiling water transfer to a colander then run under cold water to keep from over cooking. Blanch next batch… and so on until you are finished blanching all the kale. You’ll notice that after the kale has been blanched its volume has decreased significantly.
To make Cooked Kale, you will need to top 2 cups of blanched kale with 1-2 tbs of honey (to taste), 1 tsp of sesame oil and sesame seeds or pine nuts (your choice).
Reheat kale, honey, and sesame oil in the emptied pot you used to blanch the kale or for 1 minute in a microwave safe dish. You are just heating the kale backup to distribute the honey and oil, give a quick stir top with sesame seeds and serve warm.
Whatever kale is left over can be frozen in quart size Ziploc freezer bags just be sure to pack loosely and remove excess air. I use the quart size bags of my food saver.
To use; thaw in microwave, drain excess water and add honey and sesame oil reheat for 1 minute add sesame seeds and enjoy! Two minutes from freezer to table!
It's super quick, simple and nutritious.
Kale Chips
These are a fun new recipe for us, I HAD to share. Warning these are addictive! Prep kale removing stems and rinsing. Blot dry and place in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Spray or brush with olive oil and top with finely shredded Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 until crispy, about 15 minutes, watch to make sure they don't burn. These can also be prepared with just sea salt, or any spices you like. My husband made some with chili powder and Parmesan yum!, and I plan to try them made with sesame oil and sesame seeds them.
Amazingly good!
First if you are new to kale you will find it in the green section of the refrigerated produce isle, near the lettuce, turnip greens, beets, carrots ect. It should be dark green with broad healthy curly edge leaves. Buy a lot it’s cheap and cooks down! I usually fill a large size veggie bag completely full, I’ll walk you through freezing any extra.
When you get it home, you can prep it a few different ways. This is super easy, and my preferred way is to prep it all at once. The first thing you will want to do is wash whatever you plan to use or freeze. For Kale Chips don’t wash until right before you want to make them, you don’t want wet kale to sit in the fridge.
Okay, to prep the kale you need to remove the tough stalks from the leaves. Hold the leaf by the stem and using your thumb and index finger strip the leaf from the stem. The tough stems are inedible. For smaller leaves the finer stem will be tender and cook up with the leaf. This isn’t a daunting task, once you get the hang of it, you can prep a huge batch in just a few minutes.
Cooked Kale
Fill a wide flat pot with water and bring to a rolling boil (If you’re in a hurry a fast simmer will do…). Take freshly washed Kale leaves and blanch in whatever size batches your pot will hold. Make sure you get the kale in and out of the boiling water as quickly as possible. You want to put the leaves for each batch in at one time stir for 10-15 seconds or until bright green and then remove from water. I use a spaghetti spoon to lift the kale out of the boiling water transfer to a colander then run under cold water to keep from over cooking. Blanch next batch… and so on until you are finished blanching all the kale. You’ll notice that after the kale has been blanched its volume has decreased significantly.
To make Cooked Kale, you will need to top 2 cups of blanched kale with 1-2 tbs of honey (to taste), 1 tsp of sesame oil and sesame seeds or pine nuts (your choice).
Reheat kale, honey, and sesame oil in the emptied pot you used to blanch the kale or for 1 minute in a microwave safe dish. You are just heating the kale backup to distribute the honey and oil, give a quick stir top with sesame seeds and serve warm.
Whatever kale is left over can be frozen in quart size Ziploc freezer bags just be sure to pack loosely and remove excess air. I use the quart size bags of my food saver.
To use; thaw in microwave, drain excess water and add honey and sesame oil reheat for 1 minute add sesame seeds and enjoy! Two minutes from freezer to table!
It's super quick, simple and nutritious.
Kale Chips
These are a fun new recipe for us, I HAD to share. Warning these are addictive! Prep kale removing stems and rinsing. Blot dry and place in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Spray or brush with olive oil and top with finely shredded Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 until crispy, about 15 minutes, watch to make sure they don't burn. These can also be prepared with just sea salt, or any spices you like. My husband made some with chili powder and Parmesan yum!, and I plan to try them made with sesame oil and sesame seeds them.
Amazingly good!
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Happy Organized, Relaxed, Fun Thanksgiving!
I can't believe it's been July since I've last posted to this blog! It has been a busy and exciting fall for our family, hopefully yours too!
My mind has been buzzing with new blog ideas, it's just been a challenge to find time to sit down and share them. We just recently returned from a trip cross country and now that we are back and settled into daily life again I hope I'll have more time to write.
I wanted to share my shopping list with you for Thanksgiving. I typed my list this year so that I can keep it from year to year as a place to start. I play a game every year, and wonder what necessary item I've forgotten. One year it was eggs, another year it was trash bags and another time it was paper towels. So, I'm happy to share my Master shopping list, just in case you are doing some last minute shopping or all your shopping today.
Each year I get more organized and purposeful about the holidays, but I never seem to remember everything in one shopping trip!
We are celebrating Thanksgiving today, since tomorrow we will be volunteering at our local homeless shelter. So, I'm off to hit the treadmill this morning then spend the afternoon cooking. We decided to dress-up as Pilgrims and Indians this year (well we all decided to be Indians!) so I have few final adjustments to my costume. It's been great family fun making our costumes and preparing for our dress up dinner. I would much rather our children remember Thanksgivings filled with adventure and giving rather than big fancy dinners on fine china!
Hope you and your family have a blessed and wonderful Thanksgiving this year.
Brine
Sugar
Evans and Bell from Fresh Market (free range 2.49 lb)- per some recommendation keep bird around 16 pounds to keep it from drying out while cooking. Order 1-2nd week in Nov. Pick up Sunday before Thanksgiving- brine 24 hours ahead allowing 2 hours to rest before cooking and another 30 minutes to rest before carving and serving. Allow 30 minutes to carve unless carving on table.
One idea I'd like to try in the future is to see if I can substitute honey in my pumpkin pie for sugar. In the past I've tried using both natural sugar and sucanat with honey but I've found the size of the granule is an issue with the texture. The larger granules don't melt into the custard and leaves the pie grainy. This is the one recipe that I continue to use white sugar for, so I'm hoping I can experiment a little with honey. If you try it let me know how it works out. Nurtitionally I think it would be well worth the effort!
My mind has been buzzing with new blog ideas, it's just been a challenge to find time to sit down and share them. We just recently returned from a trip cross country and now that we are back and settled into daily life again I hope I'll have more time to write.
I wanted to share my shopping list with you for Thanksgiving. I typed my list this year so that I can keep it from year to year as a place to start. I play a game every year, and wonder what necessary item I've forgotten. One year it was eggs, another year it was trash bags and another time it was paper towels. So, I'm happy to share my Master shopping list, just in case you are doing some last minute shopping or all your shopping today.
Each year I get more organized and purposeful about the holidays, but I never seem to remember everything in one shopping trip!
We are celebrating Thanksgiving today, since tomorrow we will be volunteering at our local homeless shelter. So, I'm off to hit the treadmill this morning then spend the afternoon cooking. We decided to dress-up as Pilgrims and Indians this year (well we all decided to be Indians!) so I have few final adjustments to my costume. It's been great family fun making our costumes and preparing for our dress up dinner. I would much rather our children remember Thanksgivings filled with adventure and giving rather than big fancy dinners on fine china!
Hope you and your family have a blessed and wonderful Thanksgiving this year.
Thanksgiving Shopping List
(Basic list of things not to forget)
(Basic list of things not to forget)
Brine
Sugar
Coarse salt- Box of Kosher in Baking supplies cabinet (buy if needed)
Bay Leaves- buy fresh every Thanksgiving
Whole black peppercorns
Garlic – 6 cloves
2 Onions /plus 2 packs of Cipolline Onions for garnish
1 bunch of fresh Thyme (have never used it- but called for in recipe)
Cheese Cloth
Bay Leaves- buy fresh every Thanksgiving
Whole black peppercorns
Garlic – 6 cloves
2 Onions /plus 2 packs of Cipolline Onions for garnish
1 bunch of fresh Thyme (have never used it- but called for in recipe)
Cheese Cloth
Turkey Gravy -Boston market rated best for flavor in Consumer Reports/ always get it to have as a back up.
Turkey
Evans and Bell from Fresh Market (free range 2.49 lb)- per some recommendation keep bird around 16 pounds to keep it from drying out while cooking. Order 1-2nd week in Nov. Pick up Sunday before Thanksgiving- brine 24 hours ahead allowing 2 hours to rest before cooking and another 30 minutes to rest before carving and serving. Allow 30 minutes to carve unless carving on table.
Stuffing
Peppridge Farms / celery, onion
Pumpkin Pie
Graham crusts and pumpkin pie mix / or pure pack pumpkin
Evaporated Skim milk
Whip Cream/ cool whip
Peppridge Farms / celery, onion
Pumpkin Pie
Graham crusts and pumpkin pie mix / or pure pack pumpkin
Evaporated Skim milk
Whip Cream/ cool whip
Cranberry Relish
Fresh market’s is too good to miss!
Fresh market’s is too good to miss!
Canned Cranberry for kids to make cut outs
Green Bean Casserole (David’s Request)
Green Bean Casserole (David’s Request)
Hanover Canned Green Beans
Cream of Mushroom Soup (low Sodium)
French fried onions
Fresh/ jar of mushrooms
Sweet Potato Casserole
Cream of Mushroom Soup (low Sodium)
French fried onions
Fresh/ jar of mushrooms
Sweet Potato Casserole
2 cans of sweet potatoes
Pecans for topping
Brown sugar
Regular Grocery Items (Especially if having a house full)
Pecans for topping
Brown sugar
Regular Grocery Items (Especially if having a house full)
Milk/ OJ (need milk for many recipes plus drinking)
Eggs (pumpkin pie and sweet potato casserole and brownies)
Butter 2 – 1 lb baking packs and Promise tubs
Bacon
Yeast Rolls- Sister Shubert’s
Ham and Cheese/ slices and specialty cheeses for cheese tray
Misc and Paper Products
Eggs (pumpkin pie and sweet potato casserole and brownies)
Butter 2 – 1 lb baking packs and Promise tubs
Bacon
Yeast Rolls- Sister Shubert’s
Ham and Cheese/ slices and specialty cheeses for cheese tray
Misc and Paper Products
Trash Bags
Paper Towels
Paper plates/ napkins/ cups/ plastic silverware (found silver plastic at CVS in Christiansburg)
Ziploc Big Bags for brining
Ziploc gallon and quart size
Fire Logs
Bleach for spray bottle clean up
Paper Towels
Paper plates/ napkins/ cups/ plastic silverware (found silver plastic at CVS in Christiansburg)
Ziploc Big Bags for brining
Ziploc gallon and quart size
Fire Logs
Bleach for spray bottle clean up
One idea I'd like to try in the future is to see if I can substitute honey in my pumpkin pie for sugar. In the past I've tried using both natural sugar and sucanat with honey but I've found the size of the granule is an issue with the texture. The larger granules don't melt into the custard and leaves the pie grainy. This is the one recipe that I continue to use white sugar for, so I'm hoping I can experiment a little with honey. If you try it let me know how it works out. Nurtitionally I think it would be well worth the effort!
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