Category: MISC

Give Me 5 Tip or Tricks for clutter and cleaning

Give Me Five tips and tricks for keeping your house clean and clutter free.

  1. Organization – Everything has a place and when you’re done using it, it goes back in its place. Period. This includes newspapers, magazines, bills, filing, etc…
  2. NO Procrastination – When a job needs doing – I do it – otherwise you end up with stacks to sort or chores to do when you should be doing something else.
  3. Use the basics – I don’t spend a lot of time or money on fancy cleaners. I use the same things our grandmothers used like bleach, vinegar, soap & water.
  4. Dishes – this one goes back to #1 – if you use a dish rinse it & put it in the dishwasher. I also do this as I cook and by the time dinner rolls around all I have to do is put our plates in and press start.
  5. Sinks – if you wipe them down after each use they stay cleaner (or at least look it when you have guests.

Menu Plan Monday

MONDAY ~ Lemon Pepper Chicken & Broccoli Rice Pilaf
TUESDAY ~ Twisted Red Pepper Steak & Salad
WEDNESDAY ~ Seafood Salad & Parmesan Rolls
THURSDAY ~ Oven Barbecued Chicken & Potato Salad
FRIDAY ~ Meatloaf with a Kick & Twice Baked Potatoes
SATURDAY ~ Taco Ring Salad & Refried Beans
SUNDAY ~ Sauteed Garlic Shrimp & Salad

I do the memes: Menu Plan Monday hosted by Laura at I’m an Organizing Junkie, Favorite Ingredient Friday hosted by Kathryn at Overwhelmed with Joy, Freezer Food Friday hosted by MJ at mjpuzzlemom, Scrumptious Sunday hosted by Meredith at Mercedes Rocks and Slow Cooking Thursday hosted by Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom. Doing them all make great additions to help keeping me on track and finding so new recipes!

6 degrees of touching

Remember the 6 degrees of Kevin Bacon?

Rex business

maker, transportation handler, distributor, sales person, everyone who tries it on before you……

Well think about the 6 degrees of people who touch what you wear? At least 6!!

Due to my compromised immunity due to this pesky disease called Systemic Lupus and all its chronic conditions that go along with it, I am extremely aware of my surroundings, what I touch, who I hug, where I go, etc… That’s why this disease and I get along so well!

Refuse to patronize businesses that won’t spring for hot water to wash your hands

Tuesday's Romance of Cookery and Housekeeping

APPLE DUMPLINGS

2 apples
1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
4 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons milk
1 jumbo egg

  • Mix the flour, baking powder and salt.
  • Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter.
  • Add the milk and mix to a soft dough.
  • Roll on a well floured board until 1/4 inch thick.
  • Cut dough into 4 squares.
  • Wash, peel and core apples. Cut into quarters and then in half again.
  • Mix together the sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg.
  • Sprinkle over the apple pieces.
  • In each square of dough place 4 pieces of apple in the center.
  • Moisten the corners of the dough and bring them all together and twist gently squeezing them together.
  • Lightly spray the bottom of a baking dish.
  • Place all 4 dumplings in dish and bake 30 minutes at 350 oven.
  • Brush with egg and and bake 5-10 minutes more until golden.
  • Serve with fresh vanilla ice cream or a cream cheese glaze.
Adapted from ‘A Thousand Ways to Please a Husband’
by Louise Bennett Weaver and Helen Cowles LeCron Recipe (page 238)


I do the memes: Menu Plan Monday hosted by Laura at I’m an Organizing Junkie, Favorite Ingredient Friday hosted by Kathryn at Overwhelmed with Joy, Freezer Food Friday hosted by MJ at mjpuzzlemom, Scrumptious Sunday hosted by Meredith at Mercedes Rocks and Slow Cooking Thursday hosted by Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom. Doing them all make great additions to help keeping me on track and finding so new recipes!

Scrumptios Sunday bonus dessert pasta recipe – Noodle Pudding


Scrumptious Sunday hosted by Meredith at Mercedes Rocks
NOODLE PUDDING
better known as KUGEL as you will find over at JOY OF DESSERTS
I gotta try her recipe too – mine never had a topping but Joy’s sure sounds yummy

2 cups dry wide egg noodles
2 beaten eggs
1/2 cup sugar
8 ounce crushed pineapple, drained
1/4 cup golden raisins
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 1/4 cup milk

  • Cook and drain the noodles
  • Combine all other ingredients together
  • Fold into warm noodles
  • Generously spray an 8×8 baking dish with PURE
  • Gently spread entire mixture into dish evenly
  • Bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes

I remember the first time I had this – my little Jewish neighbor brought it over as a welcome to the neighborhood back in 1986. She called it noodle pudding. It was so delicious. I wanted to ask her for the recipe, but I’d just met her and I was young and shy. I made her my floating fruit cake in the same pan she’d brought over and returned it to her to ask for the recipe. I remember how hard she laughed at me. She said it was a Jewish custom to always return a plate, bowl or dish full and of course I could have the recipe. We became fast friends and shared LOTS of recipes before I moved.

Joy is right about the sugar, but I have played with the recipe over the years to keep it sweet while dealing with sugar intolerances. The pineapple has been a good substitute. Another great option is adding the following.
1 teaspoon rum
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

JELL-O LIMITED TIME FLAVORS

Have you seen JELL-O’s new Limited time flavors?
Strawberry Daiquiri, Pina Colada and Margarita. They are so yummy.
I mixed Strawberry Daiquiri with peach chunks and it makes a great snack.

Scrumptious Sunday Pasta collides again with Slow Cooking Thrusday with crock pot Lasagna

Scrumptious Sunday hosted by Meredith at Mercedes Rocks and
Slow Cooking Thursday is hosted by Diary of a Stay at Home Mom.
Crockpot Lasagna

1 1/2 pounds hamburger
1 medium onion, chopped
2 teaspoons garlic, minced jar
14.5 ounce can Hunt’s Diced Balsamic vinegar, Basil and olive oil tomatoes
13.5 ounce can Popeye chopped Spinach
15 ounce can Contadina Italian Herb tomato sauce
2 tablespoons Classico Sun Dried tomato pesto
1 tablespoon Pampered Chef Italian Herb mix or equivalent
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon white pepper
16 ounces ricotta cheese
8 Lasagna noodles, no boil bake
8 ounces mozzarella cheese
PURE

  • Brown hamburger with onion and garlic. Drain off fat.
  • Mix together the diced tomatoes and spinach, juice and all.
  • Whisk together the sauce,pesto and seasonings.
  • Pour the tomato and spinach mixture over the meat mixture and toss together. Allow to drain again.
  • Generously spray the crock pot liner with PURE.
  • Layer as follows & cook on low 3 hours
1/2 of the sauce
noodles broken to fit
meat mixture
noodles
ricotta cheese
meat mixture
noodles broken to fit
other 1/2 of sauce
mozzarella cheese

I cut into here so you could see the layers

I do the memes: Menu Plan Monday hosted by aura at I’m an Organizing Junkie, Favorite Ingredient Friday hosted by Kathryn at Overwhelmed with Joy, Freezer Food Friday hosted by MJ at mjpuzzlemom, Scrumptious Sunday hosted by Meredith at Mercedes Rocks and Slow Cooking Thursday hosted by Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom. Doing them all make great additions to help keeping me on track and finding so new recipes!

Camera Critters ~ On the Outside Looking In

My Friend Misty has started a new meme.

Who can resist critters? Come join us and have some fun.
You can get more information at Camera Critters.

On the outside looking in and none too happy about it.
Remember when we were kids and mom made us get out into the fresh air and sunshine?
That’s all I did here.
It’s been raining so much and they hadn’t been out except to do what was ‘necessary’.
I figured it wouldn’t kill them to get out for a bit.
As you can see from the frowns, they disagreed.

Sweet Goodness Spring time in Paris Swap

I’m still trying to play catch up on my vacation and some things that occurred during it. To start with I owe Tiffany a huge thank you. Her great swap was waiting for me when we got home last week. I love it all, but especially love the hand made Paris clips and matching clip board. There were also a matching journal and note cube. I have to make some great cards with the rubber stamps and the magnet has already come in extra handy.


We also both had the same great thought and sent each other French tip manicures.

There were some ‘postal issues’, but Tiffany’s package is on its way back to Texas and I hope she likes it. I found a great French painting book for her to craft with, some of my favorite Merci’ chocolates and Cre’me Brulee’ mix. I found some yummy French Vanilla Creme’ coffee, a journal, massager, paisley notepad and hand painted journal. I tied it all in a great scarf for her. The hand painted butterfly coffee mug was lost in the ‘postal issues’, but I’m trying to find her another one.

Photo-Hunt Bad Hair

This is Tamira, my maid of honor.
This was at our reception many moons ago.
It was REALLY windy that day.
She’ll hate that I posted this picture, but it really fit the theme!

About the PhotoHunt: A theme is given for each Saturday. Post a photo that best represents the theme. New and old photos welcome but must be from your personal collection and not photos obtained from the web. Play along once a week by posting your photo on your site.