A Colorful Way to Get Organized

Another tip I saw on Pinterest was to organize your year week by week. I have no dilusions that this will work as it should, but I am hoping to get it to work atleast a little as any little bit of organization can certainly be hellpful! The idea is to have a folder for every week. In that folder, you have menu's, to do lists, birthdays, doctor appts etc.... basically instead of a planner book, you have it in file folders. I THINK I can handle this. But  I have to make it colorful and fun to even get me started. So I whipped out the folders and the label maker (that always makes everything look organized! BEST PURCHASE EVER!!). And away I went.......

Now on the inside I came up with my own idea. I listed all the things I would want to keep track of and none of them were too terribly long, in fact a post it note would probably do it. Anything longer, I can add a piece of paper if need be. But for the general reminders, small pieces would be best and why have a bunch of them shoved in there. If they are stuck to the sides of the folders already spread out, I can just open, take one look and there you go! PLUS I have the added bonus at the end of the year, of just ripping those off and resetting for the following year OR, if something gets changed, or needs replaced, just lift and be gone! New one easily slides in....if only we had a post it government.....oh sorry, I was dreaming again! So again! I had to make it colorful and fun to motivate me to actually use it!

Last but not least, I used to open the bills, highlight the date, three hole punch them and put them in a binder......ya, done doing that! Half the time, the three hole punch would inevitably punch out something I needed to be able to read. OR the holes did not line up right etc.... not to mention all the work. So I simplified (colorfully ofcourse). I just open them, highlight the date (this really does help immensly when you have to go back to look at something) and stick them in their appropriate folder. Now at the end of the year, I can pull them all out (in order of course) and put them in one big manilla envelope and write the year on it. The best part is when that time frame you need to keep them is up, you can just start a fire and use the envelope as kindling! No more digging for this and that. Btw, I also added the number of them month in the corner, simply because when a bill is dated it is with the numbers not the name and so when I was back filling, it was quicker.

Sooo that is the story of my colorful organization. I LOVE bright colors. They put me in a happy place!

Pinterest Epic Fail....well sort of

So I decided to attempt a recipe I found on Pinterest. Here is the original blog I got it from...   (sorry, don't know to get that nice little different colored link where all you have to do is click on it, so you will have to cut and paste) http://scrambledhenfruit.blogspot.com/2010/11/caramel-stuffed-apple-cider-cookies.html

The picture on there looked so nice. I bought into it! But just like Martha Stewart pictures, the real thing, made by real people, never turns out that way! I should have known better. Working with caramels have never turned out good for me, but I had a surge of optism in me and a cool day begging me to make something "fallish". So Grace and I decided to give it a whirl. 

We followed the directions. We made the dough, formed the dough around the caramels, baked, so far so good. But then.... things were going TOO WELL obviously. The directions said, "When cookies are cool enough to be firm but still slightly warm, carefully twist off of parchment and allow to finish cooling upside down (either on the parchment or on a rack.)" Soooo THAT is what I did! Well, half the time, the carmel just remained on the paper while I lifted the cookie off, the other half I used a spatula (which I had to soak the caramel off afterwards) and had to wipe the carmel back onto the cookie IF the cookie didn't fall apart while doing this, then I had a blob of caramel across the bottom.....

 I think the cookie at the top of the bottom picutre, is what was SUPPOSED to happen.....but as you can see....most did not.... Finally on the last batch out of the oven, I just let them cool on the paper completely and you know what, they turned out great! No problem getting them off either! Lesson learned..... however she was correct in needing to eat them warm, otherwise the caramel gets too hard. So you should warm them either in the microwave or by sitting on top of a mug of hot tea/coffee before hand.
                          

Even Hunter was willing to walk away....ok not really, he was looking at me like he wanted one and by the time I took the picture, he was walking away defeated....just like me!

End review....More trouble than they were worth. They wouldn't be bad or hard without the carmels though, so I may attempt them again without that. But in the meantime, we went back to our old trusty stand by......the ever true chocolate chip cookie recipe....NOT from Pinterest!

A handy little tip...

So there is this pan, it is a square pan. I love my square pan, it is awesome for all kinds of cookng, however my square pan did NOT come with a lid. So if I was in need to "cover and simmer", I was in trouble.

So there was this cookie sheet.... It was a nice cookie sheet, never did anybody any harm, but was not useful because it did not hold enough....so the little cookie sheet was in the pile to go to Goodwill......

So there was this friend, her name is Jenifer. Jenifer is the genius of homemaking! Jenifer was visiting one day and I told her the story of the poor cookie sheet as I was cooking in my square pan. JENIFER told me HER story of how she used things like that as lids for odd pans like my square pan.

Jenifer just saved the cookie sheet from it's certain dimise of the Goodwill bag! And the pan and cookie sheet have been inseperatable ever since!!

 

***Disclosure: do not look closely to my stovetop, it was dirty, we do use it to cook on and it is not easy to get sparkly clean.....it would, however, pass a health inspection which is all that matters to me! :-)

Chicken Pot Pie...winging it!

So I LOVE the chicken potpies you get at the store, however, none of my family do. So I decided they just need a better version of it to fully appreciate the potpie experience. I was going through recipes on pintrest and had an idea, so when I went to the store, I bought a frozen pie crust (it was bottoms only) so then I also went to the refrigerator section and bought a premade rolled up pie crust. Now at this point you may be saying, "why not just make them, it's super easy". Well I would answer by saying,  right after I was married, I tried a "never fails" pie crust from scratch.....it failed, and not only did it fail, it failed EPICLY! I swore off making pie crusts forever! One day maybe, but not now while things are so crazy busy!
          Sooooo anyway! That morning I put 2-3 large frozen chicken breasts in the crockpot with a can of cream of mushroom soup and a can of cream of chicken soup....it cooked all day. About an hour before Supper, I stuck the bottom pie crust in my wonderful new toaster oven,(those really are one of the best inventions, I use mine ALL the time and it does not heat up the entire kitchen! In fact I think my crockpot heats it up more than my toaster oven). Next, while it was cooking, I shredded the chicken in the crockpot. This does not take much effort as it is so tender from cooking. Then , I dumped a bag of frrozen mixed veggies into the crockpot along with some salt and pepper to taste. Once the pie crust is slightly browned, I took it out and poured in the chicken concoction. Filled it to the top! Layed one of the refrigerated pie crusts on top and cut a few slits in it and pinched around the edges. There is no science I have found to this, just do it as you can. Next I ALWAYS wrap foil around the edges of any pie I am baking, or the crusts WILL BURN!! Next I popped it in the toaster oven at 350 for about 45 minutes. When it was done.....oh soooo good! EVERYONE ate it! Although my son picked all the pie crust out, that is fine! I also had enough filling for another pie, which I was going to make and freeze, but my family went for seconds on the filling before I could do that! Simple, fairly cheap, and filling! **will post a picture next time I make it. Wasn't sure how it was going to turn out so I didn't take a pic! But I think we all know what a pie looks like!

Chicken, That's what's for dinner!!

 In my efforts to eat at home more and out at fast food less, I have been trying to come up with healthy...ier, meals but still quick and easy. Since we homeschool, I fix a lunch for the three of us daily and on the weekends, it's up to four with my husband home.

I saw these "chicken nuggets" at the store the other day and my mind automatically popped to the grilled nuggets at chick fil a!  While I had NO expectations they would taste like those heavenly tidbits, I hoped to atleast be able to make them palateable!

So today was the test. I was trying to decide HOW to cook them. I thought, I should have planned ahead and maybe marinaded them last night, but since I was not THAT organized (a process I am still working on) I had to come up with something else. My first thought, "where is that stinkin spray on salad dressing?" couldn't find it..... So to the spice rack I went. I ended up layering the (frozen)  chicken on a foil lined sheet, and sprinkled Famous Dave's Rub on them and then a little salt and pepper....real fancy, I know, don't you wish you were as creative as me....NOT!  Then I popped them in my new toaster oven (that you SHOULD be jealous of, I LOVE IT!!) and tried out the broil button. Halfway through, they were turning white as they should and tons of juice, which i promptly dumped down the drain! then turned them over and popped them back in until they basically looked appealing, brown and slightly, the tiniest bit crispy, but not really too much, but definetly brown!

The kids and I LOVED them! While still not as heavenly as CFA, definetly palatable! AND EASY, CHEAP and QUICK! The things I look for in a meal! haha!

Cinnamon Sugar Pecans

I was in a pretty good mood today. I had beef stew going on in the crockpot, I had finished the dishes, and the laundry had been well underway all day. So I decided to check out pinterest for a recipe I had been anticipating trying. I had bought a bag of pecans at the store a few days before and kept seeing them everytime I opened the cabnet door to get a plate (I did that on purpose so I wouldn't forget to make them). Went onto pinterest to get the recipe and nothing would come up! UGHHH so I had to go old school and actually google a recipe. The first one that came up was on http://www.cooks.com/  I read the reviews and adjusted a few things and in 20 minutes, I had warm, fresh out of the oven cinnamon sugar pecans! ALOT cheaper than you would pay at the mall or the fair!

CINNAMON SUGAR PECANS

1/2 cup sugar

3 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 egg white

3 cups whole pecans (walnuts, brazil nuts, almonds)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine sugar, cinnamon and salt. Whisk egg white until frothy and add the nuts. Toss until well coated. Add dry ingredients and stir well.
Spread nuts on a cookie sheet lined with foil, in a single layer.
Bake for 15 minutes.
Cool and store in an airtight container. Can be frozen.

Repurpose, Reuse

 So I have often heard of going to rummage sales, Goodwill, yard sales etc.... to look for things that not only you need, but things you can make over into things you need/want.... I just always forget! Well, one day I actually remembered. So, while at the local Goodwill, I saw the cutest bed skirt, however it was for a twin bed, which we no longer have any of, but I REALLLY loved the skirt! So I bought it with the decision to remake it into something!

I looked at it, and looked at it and then I figured out, it would be really cute as an apron, however it needed a bit more material to it. My first thought was to use the white fabric already attatched, however it was a bit thin and would not protect my clothes from anything! So I dug in my fabric stash and realized I already had some matching gingham (OFCOURSE I already had gingham, in an assorment of colors, as it is my crack!) and a little sewing here and there, and voila! .......

I LOVE IT!! Made one for my penpal and one for my friend for Christmas, now to get MINE made! I will still have some left over even after that, so I may see a matching one for my daughter in the near future!