Keep Brown Sugar Soft

I have tried many'a trick to keep my brown sugar from turning into a solid mass of sweetness.
I've tried bread...
apples...
and even that cute little terra cotta bear...
but nothing has done it quite like marshmallows!

If you're still looking for a good solution then I highly recommend this one.
I'll never go back!

Fruit Fly Trap

For some reason, the fruit flies are ree.dic.u.lous. around here these days. We don't even have fruit on the counter and they're all over the place!
So, on the off chance that you haven't seen this before... here's a fantastic trap that keeps flies at bay or, at the very least, contained.

Place a small piece of ripened fruit in the bottom of a tall glass. {We use a drinking glass.}
Using a piece of 8.5"x11" paper, make a cone with a small opening at the point.
Tape the cone into place so that it fits tightly inside the mouth of the glass.
Run a piece of tape around the mouth of the glass to keep the paper in place.
Sit back and watch it work.
Once you have "collected" most of your flies, pour hot, soapy water into the cup and drown them before dumping it down the drain. 

Another idea is mixing apple cider vinegar, water, and dish detergent in a water bottle. Create the same funnel on the top. The flies will be drawn in and drown. I haven't tried this one but the rumor is it's a great option. 
For a few more pictures, The Idea Room apparently uses it too.

SO GROSS!

Other People's Genius {Backsplash}

I have always L.O.V.E.D. white subway tile as a backsplash. No matter the kitchen or the color, that's what I planned to do once I had a "for ever and for always house". {Waiscotting is my second choice.}
Well, I'm not ready to share the details just yet BUT, I think my "for ever and for always" house is coming sooner than I thought.
I promise. More details when the time is right.
ANYWAY... I've been toying with ideas for backsplashes and have come across some really neat ones. Some are super cheap, others are just simple, and still others are just plain smart.
Enjoy!

The Simple...

Board and Batten: Using thin strips of wood you can add a little something to your wall. This is great if you want to be non-commital about your backsplash or if you're saving up money for something a little more expensive down the road. Some great tips can be found at Funky Junk.

Painted Glass: Looking for something a smidge more modern? How about a glass background. Pick your paint color, paint the back of a piece of custom cut glass and put it up. How? Okay, I don't really know exactly how, but at least the idea is simple!

Wainscoting: So clean and classy with a touch of country. You can go wide board or thing beadboard. This involves some patience but all you need is a sheet of wainscoting that you can buy from Home Depot, a saw, caulking, and possibly small trim, depending on your space.

Tin Tiles: You can purchase tiles like these at Lowes or Home Depot and make it simple or go all out.

{from Do It Yourself.com}

Paint: If you have a color you LOVE, why not show it off? I particularly like the small bit of tile backsplash beghind the stove to change this kitchen up a little.

{found at InspiringDesigns.org}

Chalkboard Paint: Fairly inexpensive and fun! I'm not sure I'd ever actually write anything on there but if your handwriting is nice and you're forgetful, this may be for you!

{from Apartment Therapy}

 {from HGTV}

Wallpaper: As much as I don't love putting up and taking down wallpaper, I kinda love this idea. Especially when it's done in fun prints like these.

The tried and true...

{from Kitchen Tile Backsplashes} 

Tile: Oh, dear while subway tile... how I love thee. 

Then again, why stick with boring white when you can have these?

 

 {also from Kitchen Tile Backsplashes}

{from Bedrock Industries}

 

{from Kitchen Clarity}

 {from Coastal Kitchen}

Bon Jour!

{Strawberry Sauce}

Strawberry season is just about over but if you're trying to take advantage of every last bit of it, I mixed up a really yummy sauce that goes great on just about everything from ice cream to crepes that you may wanna try.

Mix about a cup and a half of rinsed, stemmed, and chopped strawberries and one to two tablespoons {more or less to taste} of real maple syrup in a blender until smooth.

 

Our favorite uses are on crepes and mixed in with yogurt. 

So good!

How I Meal Plan

I don't know about you but I love to plan ahead. I particularly love the free time that comes with good planning however.... I HATE TO MEAL PLAN! Sitting down to decide what I'm going to be in the mood to cook or eat in advance just seems a little crazy to me. Once again, however, the love of free time and saving our budget wins out and I plan anyway.

 {Photo From...}

I'll admit now that I don't always stick to the plan. Sometimes there's last minute changes to our schedule {we're offered a free meal at a friend's house, our extended family has an impromptu pancake night together, or my lack of will power gets the best of me and I just don't want to cook} but this is the general plan that is successful in getting me in and out of the grocery store quickly and keeps me from staring blankly down its aisles wondering what to make and what do I already have at home.
I know there are TONS of resources online. Some cost you, some are free, some work specifically to help you lose weight or find a balanced diet, others are nothing but comfort food. The reason I don't use any of these resources is that, after browsing through many of the recipes, the meals just don't appeal to our family's tastes or they have unhealthy processed ingredients.

So how do I do it? 

Tools: Cookbooks and my computer
Step 1: before I even think of planning, as soon as I get a new cookbook, I go through the entire book with a pack of Post-Its and mark recipes that sound good to me and I want to try.
Step 2: Using MS Word, I create a two column document for each week. Each page will hold my weekly plan, a list of all the ingredients needed for each dish and a shopping list organized by sections of the local grocery store that, once printed, I can organize all the ingredients I need plus other miscellaneous things that I run out of over the course of the week.

 

Step 3: I determine a very vague schedule to follow every week. For example: Tuesday is usually seafood because I shop on Mondays and don't want my Haddock going bad before I cook it. Thursday is usually homemade pizza day since it's my least busy day and I have time to make the dough. Saturday is usually breakfast for dinner because it's easy and I don't like to cook on Saturdays. Sundays are usually slow cooker {SC} days because I sing at church in the mornings and like to come home from church to a finished meal.
Step 4: Time to start going through my recipe books and filling out my menu based on my schedule in step 3. As I pick a recipe and the book or site open, under ingredients I write the name of the recipe, the ingredients needed, and often the book or site I found them on as reference for the recipe.

Step 5: At this point, I often print out my menus and before I go shopping for the week I fill in all the things I'll need to buy for that week.

That's about it! 

P.S.   I've heard some people say they spend more when they meal plan versus "winging it". I can only assume it's because often they have chosen recipes that don't share ingredients. Meaning that if I buy a large package of ground beef, I'll plan for a couple of recipes that use ground beef that week so nothing is wasted. Or if I need to buy lettuce for sandwiches, I often plan for a chef salad later that week.That way I plan for all excess. I also replace basic non-perishables once I see that I'm low and don't usually wait until I'm all out. This way I can make the best of sales on those items and don't have to run to the store when I realize I'm out of something at the last minute.

Buying Organic on a Budget

To put it simply... there are certain fruits and veggies that either have more pesticides used on them or absorb more pesticides when they're sprayed. It's ideal to buy organic but it's usually not the most budget friendly way of eating so if you're overwhelmed by the price tags and aren't sure where to start... here's a good place.

A couple general rules that I'm familiar with are:
1. Plants absorb nutrients through their leaves and roots so things like lettuce and carrots make sense to buy organic. 
2. Non-organic potatoes are often heavily sprayed to keep them from producing roots in storage. There is so much good nutrients in the skins of potatoes but if they're sprayed it's best to peel them.
3. If you have the chance, buy local. When buying at a local Farmer's Market you are much less likely to run into any of the unnecessary pesticides generally used for preservation and are way more likely to find heirloom varieties which haven't been genetically modified.
4. Look for the seal. In order to be Certified USDA Organic a product must not contain synthetic pesticides, bioengineered genes, petroleum or sewage based fertilizers. You can read more about their requirements at the USDA's Organic Certification website.
5. Don't be fooled! Be sure to carefully look over the labels. When something is labeled organic but lacks the seal from the USDA, it may not be as organic as you may think. {Same goes for "All Natural"}. According to the USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service requires that in order to be certified a product must be 95-100% organic. In order to claim that a product  is made with organic ingredients must be at least 70% organic but will not bare the seal. For items that consist of less than 70% each individual ingredient will be listed as organic.

Free Drawer Organizer

I mean every word of that... especially the "cheap" part!

My utensil drawer has been driving me crazy. I can't seem to keep track of my measuring spoons and my can opener so I have to dig which usually results in a cut or defeat.
I saw a great tutorial using balsam wood pieces from the craft store to glue in dividers. Pure genius! BUT I didn't want to spend the money and ... okay, nevermind, I just didn't want to spend the money. So as we were piling up all the Christmas trash to be thrown out I looked at a large clothes box from Macy's and immediately thought to try making dividers out of it. Why not, it's free, right? So after 10 minutes, including pulling everything out of my drawer, making several folds in the thin cardboard, and reorganizing everything to fit... I got this!

 Yes, it's cheezy. Yes, it's a little "ghetto". And yes, it works! 

Yay for free!

Rice Krispies Treat Tip

Yup... I'm apparently hard up for time or content because this, seriously, is today's "tip". I hope it benefits you greatly :) 

When making Rice Krispie Treats... yes, this is about Rice Krispie Treats... the time will come to put them in the pan to cool, instead of using a spoon or buttered spatula, use a large piece of wax paper and press them down with your hands. You can make nice, dense treats that fit the pan perfectly.

And  just in case you are now craving these dilectable treats you only need 1/4 cup butter, 3 cups mini marshmallows or a whole bag of big'uns, and 6 cups of Rice Krispies cereal on hand. If you have 5 minutes you could just get out a large saucepan or small soup pot, melt your butter, then add your marshmallows until melted, an then add your cereal and stir. Of course, you'll have to get a baking dish, 9x11 or 9x13 works just fine, grease it a little and use my handy-dandy tip above to get perfectly flat and sticky-free treats! I wouldn't even bother to let them cool but that's just me.

Have a fantastic day!!

Qiuick Room Temperature Butter

Have you ever been in the mood for chocolate chip cookies but only had frozen butter to work with? If you're impulsive and impatient, like me, this actually happens a lot! Ideally to thaw your butter you would put it in the fridge for 6 to 7 hours or on the counter for 3 to 4 hours. 

 

Thankfully, I'll have learned a couple of tips to shorten the waiting time and get those cookies in my tummy faster. 

a. cut the sticks up butter into tablespoon size chunks and put them on a plate or in a wide based bowl on the counter for 30 minutes

b. unwrap the stick and stand it up on end rather than on it's side 

c. beat the butter with a hand mixer until it softens

d. grate the butter with a box grater

e. DON'T leave it next to an open window when it's cold outside {this most definitely slows the process}

f. place stick of butter in between two sheets of wax paper and, using your palm, knead and work the butter until it's soft

Some ideas are courtesy of DairyGoodness.ca

Chopping Onions {Kitchen Tip}

I love the flavor of onions in a dish.
Unfortunately, onions make me cry.
I like to be done with them as quickly as possible. 
Here's how I do it.

Cut off the bulb {papery end}end of the onion.

Put the onion on the flat end you just cut off and cut the onion in half.

Peel.
Lay one half down on its large flat surface and, being sure not to cut through the root end of the onion} make slices that radiate out from the center like so...

From the top, slice across the onion and you will have great little pieces of onion for sauteing, stews, soups, etc.

For more information: One of my favorite chefs, Alton Brown, did a special on cutting, slicing, chopping, etc. This only has a short "blip" on cutting onions but there are other interesting cutting tips in here if you have 5 minutes to spare. 

  

Oh! And before I go... I bought these beautiful fabrics at JoAnn's the other day. 

 

 Any guesses as to what they'll be used for? You'll just have to wait and see!

Roma Food Strainer - A Tutorial

If you're like me and you grew up with a food mill like this...

Pix Credit

then I completely understand why you may not like the kitchen anymore! Okay, that's a lie. I love the kitchen and encourage anyone to spend lots of time there but this old school food mill is enough to make any kid dread helping mom out with making applesauce and soup or whatever else you make with these things.

Anyway... I've done all the above complaining in order to make the the Roma Food Strainer seem all the better. If you notice in the following pictures, I can even get Sweet Hubs to help in the kitchen with this doo-hickey. That's gold!

So here's how it works and why you should get one if you make soups, sauces, purees of any kind in large amounts.

I use this to make "Dutch" Soup. It's a breeze!  

{Disclaimer: The "old school mill" works just fine and probably isn't all that bad. I just like this one WAY more. You're an impressive gal no matter which you use.}

{Homemade Butter}

I've wanted to try making my own butter for a while now and once I realized how easy it is I had no excuse not to. I mean it... this could not be easier! The only downside is that the butter is only good for a day or two so it's a great idea for dinner parties or big families.

Buy. Pour. Mix. Done.

FIrSt: You need cream. Paturized heavy cream {NOT ultra pasturized}. It needs to be room temperature so leave it out on the counter for an hour or so.
NeXT: Place the cream into a food processor or a stand mixer or a bowl and use a hand mixer or a jar with a tight lid.
THeN: Start processing or turn on the mixer or start shaking the jar.
NoW: Wait. The food processor will take about 6 minutes. The mixer a little longer. The jar method may take up to 20 minutes {The jar may take longer but what a great workout and it doesn't cost you any electricity AND if you have kids you can just make them do it!} While you wait, the cream goes through several stages. After a while it will thicken to the consistency of whipping cream. Keep going. Then it will get to the texture of cream cheese. It will stay at this stage for a while. Keep going. It will "break" and you'll know it when it does. This is when the butter separates into buttermilk and butter.
FiNaLlY: Drain off the buttermilk and save it for bisquits or waffles and if you have a cheesecloth handy, squeeze out as much of the buttermilk as you can. What you're left with is butter!

Thinly Slicing Meat

This is a quick tip from Rachael Ray that I really like...

When cutting meats thin for things like cheese steaks or fajitas, pop the meat in the freezer for 10-15 minutes to solidify it a little so it doesn't slip all over the place while you try to slice it.

All-Natural Peanut Butter

PRoBleM: all-natural peanut butter can be a pain to use...
the oil floats to the top and the bottom gets hard...

SoLuTioN: store the jar upside-down and it will come out nice and smoothe