I have such a problem trying to decide whether or not to keep a particular item. I am one of those people that thinks, "I might use it someday, even though it's been 11 years since I last touched it." and searching through some help on the internet, I found this good tip:
Ask yourself these questions over the item:
1. Would you want to frame and display it?
* Yes = Keep.
* No = See step 2.
2. Would you want to take a picture of it?
* Yes = Take picture, get rid of item.
* No = Get rid of item.
If you can take a picture of something that you want to remember, but can't use - do so. Put it in an album with a label. But let it go if it's taking up too much space.
I love that idea!
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
You don't make it from scratch?
So, I've got a friend who used to make fun of me for not making my own spaghetti sauce. He was always surprised and asked me each time I saw him, "You don't make it from scratch?" I think he asked me over and over again because of his age not because he was trying to be annoying.
When we were married, I started buying Delmonte Traditional spaghetti sauce and grew to like it! It was all I ever used and could think of nothing else to try. That is until we started giving up high fructose corn syrup. I think Delmonte's brand only has corn syrup, but still trying to avoid syrups altogether. I even looked into buying the dry mix that you get in the seasoning aisle and just add tomato sauce to it. I'm pretty sure though they still contained high fructose corn syrup solids and a whole bunch of other chemicals we don't want.
This friend of mine, used to tell me, I make mine from scratch. Only I found out that he was talking about buying the spaghetti mix and adding the tomato sauce to it. I don't consider making it that way from scratch, myself!
So, this got me wondering how hard is it to make my own spaghetti sauce. I searched online and found tons of recipes! And decided to be brave and try this one:
I just can't remember which link I found it on.
1 can crushed tomatoes
4 Tablespoons oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cups water
1- 6 ounce can tomato paste
3 leaves fresh basil
2 crushed garlic cloves
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
Saute onions until golden brown. Add rest of ingredients and boil. Lower heat and simmer until desired thickness. Skim off oil. It will rise to top when sauce is done.
Now, I like my sauce a bit sweet, but instead of adding sugar to it, I found I can just add a pinch of baking soda. It starts to bubble up as it reacts to the acid in the tomatoes. I taste it and keep adding it until it tastes like I want it to. The baking soda addition makes it taste sweet without having to add any sugar. Don't ask me how this works, I don't know.
The first time I made this I was in a hurry. You can't be in a hurry when you make this sauce. It turned out good but it was very watery. The other day when I made this, I was in a hurry (I know, I know), but still wanted it thick, so I kept it at a higher heat and stirred constantly. Which made the sauce sputter and spray me occasionally (ouch!), but overall it turned out great!
It makes a lot of sauce. I halved the recipe yesterday and Nick and I both had two plates (the second helpings were smaller than the first) and there was enough leftover for both of us to have leftovers for lunch today.
I also forgot to buy crushed tomatoes so I substituted a can of stewed tomatoes seasoned with bell peppers, celery and onions. I also substituted a pinch or two of basil leaves for the fresh basil. I was mad because I had some fresh basil that I got from my CSA basket and was excited to try it but it spoiled before I could use it.
So, that's the new recipe I use all the time now. I suppose if I could find another recipe to try, I might consider it, but happy with what I've got.
When we were married, I started buying Delmonte Traditional spaghetti sauce and grew to like it! It was all I ever used and could think of nothing else to try. That is until we started giving up high fructose corn syrup. I think Delmonte's brand only has corn syrup, but still trying to avoid syrups altogether. I even looked into buying the dry mix that you get in the seasoning aisle and just add tomato sauce to it. I'm pretty sure though they still contained high fructose corn syrup solids and a whole bunch of other chemicals we don't want.
This friend of mine, used to tell me, I make mine from scratch. Only I found out that he was talking about buying the spaghetti mix and adding the tomato sauce to it. I don't consider making it that way from scratch, myself!
So, this got me wondering how hard is it to make my own spaghetti sauce. I searched online and found tons of recipes! And decided to be brave and try this one:
I just can't remember which link I found it on.
1 can crushed tomatoes
4 Tablespoons oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cups water
1- 6 ounce can tomato paste
3 leaves fresh basil
2 crushed garlic cloves
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
Saute onions until golden brown. Add rest of ingredients and boil. Lower heat and simmer until desired thickness. Skim off oil. It will rise to top when sauce is done.
Now, I like my sauce a bit sweet, but instead of adding sugar to it, I found I can just add a pinch of baking soda. It starts to bubble up as it reacts to the acid in the tomatoes. I taste it and keep adding it until it tastes like I want it to. The baking soda addition makes it taste sweet without having to add any sugar. Don't ask me how this works, I don't know.
The first time I made this I was in a hurry. You can't be in a hurry when you make this sauce. It turned out good but it was very watery. The other day when I made this, I was in a hurry (I know, I know), but still wanted it thick, so I kept it at a higher heat and stirred constantly. Which made the sauce sputter and spray me occasionally (ouch!), but overall it turned out great!
It makes a lot of sauce. I halved the recipe yesterday and Nick and I both had two plates (the second helpings were smaller than the first) and there was enough leftover for both of us to have leftovers for lunch today.
I also forgot to buy crushed tomatoes so I substituted a can of stewed tomatoes seasoned with bell peppers, celery and onions. I also substituted a pinch or two of basil leaves for the fresh basil. I was mad because I had some fresh basil that I got from my CSA basket and was excited to try it but it spoiled before I could use it.
So, that's the new recipe I use all the time now. I suppose if I could find another recipe to try, I might consider it, but happy with what I've got.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Join a co-op today!
Why you should join a local co-op:
Yesterday while my friend was making pickles she was putting in the appropriate amount of dill seed that the recipe called for. She had bought a small container of dill and who knew that it wouldn't be enough. It was about 5 tablespoons worth and she needed 6. So I ran home and got some dill I had bought at the mennonite bulk food store. Comparing the two containers. She probably paid at least a dollar for her container (though the next time I'm at Walmart, I'm going to check to see exactly how much it was) and my container was .67 cents! for three times the amount! I've heard that the mennonite store has since closed, and that is too bad since they had such good spice prices. However, the co-op I am a member of carries a pound for $6! And they are organic too! That is a lot of dill seed! I think I'll see if Jill wants to split a pound with me.
Getting your spices that cheap is one good way.
Saving on gas (or for some, time) by getting it all in one place is another.
Want more reasons?
Yesterday while my friend was making pickles she was putting in the appropriate amount of dill seed that the recipe called for. She had bought a small container of dill and who knew that it wouldn't be enough. It was about 5 tablespoons worth and she needed 6. So I ran home and got some dill I had bought at the mennonite bulk food store. Comparing the two containers. She probably paid at least a dollar for her container (though the next time I'm at Walmart, I'm going to check to see exactly how much it was) and my container was .67 cents! for three times the amount! I've heard that the mennonite store has since closed, and that is too bad since they had such good spice prices. However, the co-op I am a member of carries a pound for $6! And they are organic too! That is a lot of dill seed! I think I'll see if Jill wants to split a pound with me.
Getting your spices that cheap is one good way.
Saving on gas (or for some, time) by getting it all in one place is another.
Want more reasons?
The great meat sale!
So, I've talked before about the meat sale that our local grocery store has everyday. You buy five packages of meat for $25 and I always wondered if it really was a good deal or not. Thinking along the lines of "if it's too good to be true..." I thought they might just put a high price on the label and then write over it "Only $5!" But they don't. You can walk down a bit further and see the exact same meat for the regular price. And no, the food is not outdated or about to go bad. There is nothing wrong with the meat. I asked the guy how they can have these great sales and what he told me made sense, but I just can't remember what he said. I'll ask him again and post his answer.
So, anyways last week, I created a menu of what foods I wanted to have for the next two weeks which I will post up later. I wrote down everything I would need to buy to make the meals and went to Marvin's with list in hand. The $25 meat sale includes chicken, pork, beef. I bought 2 packages of ground beef, 1 roaast, and 2 packages of steak. When we got home, I cut up the meat accordingly to what I needed in the recipes and wrapped it all up in freezer paper. I had 6 packages of steak and 2 packages of ground beef leftover that did not go with a meal, which will be used in next week's planning.
If I do this a couple of times, it shouldn't be too long before I'll have a months worth set aside.
So, anyways last week, I created a menu of what foods I wanted to have for the next two weeks which I will post up later. I wrote down everything I would need to buy to make the meals and went to Marvin's with list in hand. The $25 meat sale includes chicken, pork, beef. I bought 2 packages of ground beef, 1 roaast, and 2 packages of steak. When we got home, I cut up the meat accordingly to what I needed in the recipes and wrapped it all up in freezer paper. I had 6 packages of steak and 2 packages of ground beef leftover that did not go with a meal, which will be used in next week's planning.
If I do this a couple of times, it shouldn't be too long before I'll have a months worth set aside.
Friday, July 18, 2008
Fun day!
Today was a busy day for me. Usually, I am feeling so tired and groggy that I don't get as much done as I'd like.
I washed a load or two and hung up the wash. Then, I cleaned the kitchen area and made the bed. Just in time too because Milo puked on the bed! No more human food for that pup! His stomach just can't take it! And all he had was green beans and potatoes besides his regular dog food, but I should have known better because potatoes usually make him sick!
Then I checked on the sourdough that I had fed the day before. Planned to make some bagels today. It was barely bubbling since I put it in the fridge last night, so I sat it out awhile longer.
My friend and neighbor Jill wanted to make bagels with me, so by the time it was bubbling and ready, she came over. We added the rest of the ingredients, and kneaded the dough. Set it in the bowl and checked on it periodically. It was supposed to take an hour or two to rise double in size.
In the meantime, Jill was making her first batch of kosher dill pickles and invited me over to watch. I brought the bagel dough over along with my wok to boil them in. She made a good sized batch of pickles. I was surprised by how many jars it made because it didn't look like that many cucumbers. They have to sit a week before they are ready to eat and they look delicious! (She gave me two pints by the way! so nice!)
By the time the pickles were done, the dough looked like it had gotten just a bit bigger. It wasn't by any means doubled in size, but since we didn't want fluffy bagels, we went ahead and shaped them. I was planning to take pictures of the whole process but forgot. Maybe next time. It was a lot of fun to make them! A bit time consuming but worth it! Anyways, we shaped the bagels and let them rise.
While they rose, I went home and started to prepare ground beef for supper. Meatloaf and steamed zucchini and squash. I thought I'd make some bread to go with it. The only thing useful about the car right now (since we aren't driving it) is that it raises bread perfectly! I ought to build some sort of box to put the dough in to rise.
Anyways, I headed back to Jill's to finish the bagels. We brought a gallon of water to boil in the wok and boiled them for 7 minutes. Then, they drained on a cooling rack and were sprinkled with garlic bits, poppy seeds, sesame seeds, and caraway seeds.
Into the oven they went and while they baked, I ran back home and punched down the dough and formed it into a loaf. Halfway through that, I realized I was making bagels and didn't need any bread, so I divided it in half and made a small loaf of bread and a small batch of cinnamon rolls. I wanted something sweet to serve for dessert. Since it wasn't my usual sweet bread dough, I added a little sugar to the dough before rolling it out. Put it all back in the car to raise and ran back to Jill's to check on the bagels. Wasn't sure how long it would take them since they were a bit smaller than I thought they'd be.
When I got there, they were just coming out of the oven. They came out all golden brown, shiny, and looking delicious! The texture was just right in my opinion! Not bad for a new recipe and a bit of experimenting!
Jill sent me home with some bagels and I scrambled to get supper ready. It took awhile to get the meatloaf formed and into the oven for an hour. I always forget that I don't have two toaster ovens anymore so I can't bake a meat dish and bread at the same time! I left the bread and cinnamon rolls in the car and planned to bake them after the meatloaf.
Dinner was served shortly after Nick got home and he was delighted to see the cinnamon rolls. I knew he'd like that surprise! After supper, Nick put a sign on the car and I was debating whether or not I wanted to clean it out today or tomorrow, but figured, I better clean it out today since we won't have it much longer and I hate rushing around trying to get things done. I wasn't out there for five minutes before a guy in a truck drove by and then backed up slowly read the sign again and asked Nick some questions about it. After the guy left, we went for our usual bike ride over by the college and past our friend's house. Back home again and I cleaned up the kitchen.
We were fixing to retire for the night when Nick tells me that Walgreens has blinking lights on clearance. I asked him if we were going to go since we plan to go to church tomorrow night and it would be nice to have the lights. We had gone to the bike shop to get some lights but they are closed for a week! Then we went to Walmart but we weren't sure of the quality and they were the same price as the ones the bike shop sells. So, I told him I wanted to go to Walgreens and get at least one of the lights.
We hopped on our bikes and I got to wear the "night" vest with all the reflectors on it. We rode our bikes down there and bought one and some sugar while were there and back home again. Nick just clipped the light to the back of my vest but it came with a strap to put on your arm or leg or where ever.
And that was the end of my exhausting day. Hoping to have another one tomorrow!
I washed a load or two and hung up the wash. Then, I cleaned the kitchen area and made the bed. Just in time too because Milo puked on the bed! No more human food for that pup! His stomach just can't take it! And all he had was green beans and potatoes besides his regular dog food, but I should have known better because potatoes usually make him sick!
Then I checked on the sourdough that I had fed the day before. Planned to make some bagels today. It was barely bubbling since I put it in the fridge last night, so I sat it out awhile longer.
My friend and neighbor Jill wanted to make bagels with me, so by the time it was bubbling and ready, she came over. We added the rest of the ingredients, and kneaded the dough. Set it in the bowl and checked on it periodically. It was supposed to take an hour or two to rise double in size.
In the meantime, Jill was making her first batch of kosher dill pickles and invited me over to watch. I brought the bagel dough over along with my wok to boil them in. She made a good sized batch of pickles. I was surprised by how many jars it made because it didn't look like that many cucumbers. They have to sit a week before they are ready to eat and they look delicious! (She gave me two pints by the way! so nice!)
By the time the pickles were done, the dough looked like it had gotten just a bit bigger. It wasn't by any means doubled in size, but since we didn't want fluffy bagels, we went ahead and shaped them. I was planning to take pictures of the whole process but forgot. Maybe next time. It was a lot of fun to make them! A bit time consuming but worth it! Anyways, we shaped the bagels and let them rise.
While they rose, I went home and started to prepare ground beef for supper. Meatloaf and steamed zucchini and squash. I thought I'd make some bread to go with it. The only thing useful about the car right now (since we aren't driving it) is that it raises bread perfectly! I ought to build some sort of box to put the dough in to rise.
Anyways, I headed back to Jill's to finish the bagels. We brought a gallon of water to boil in the wok and boiled them for 7 minutes. Then, they drained on a cooling rack and were sprinkled with garlic bits, poppy seeds, sesame seeds, and caraway seeds.
Into the oven they went and while they baked, I ran back home and punched down the dough and formed it into a loaf. Halfway through that, I realized I was making bagels and didn't need any bread, so I divided it in half and made a small loaf of bread and a small batch of cinnamon rolls. I wanted something sweet to serve for dessert. Since it wasn't my usual sweet bread dough, I added a little sugar to the dough before rolling it out. Put it all back in the car to raise and ran back to Jill's to check on the bagels. Wasn't sure how long it would take them since they were a bit smaller than I thought they'd be.
When I got there, they were just coming out of the oven. They came out all golden brown, shiny, and looking delicious! The texture was just right in my opinion! Not bad for a new recipe and a bit of experimenting!
Jill sent me home with some bagels and I scrambled to get supper ready. It took awhile to get the meatloaf formed and into the oven for an hour. I always forget that I don't have two toaster ovens anymore so I can't bake a meat dish and bread at the same time! I left the bread and cinnamon rolls in the car and planned to bake them after the meatloaf.
Dinner was served shortly after Nick got home and he was delighted to see the cinnamon rolls. I knew he'd like that surprise! After supper, Nick put a sign on the car and I was debating whether or not I wanted to clean it out today or tomorrow, but figured, I better clean it out today since we won't have it much longer and I hate rushing around trying to get things done. I wasn't out there for five minutes before a guy in a truck drove by and then backed up slowly read the sign again and asked Nick some questions about it. After the guy left, we went for our usual bike ride over by the college and past our friend's house. Back home again and I cleaned up the kitchen.
We were fixing to retire for the night when Nick tells me that Walgreens has blinking lights on clearance. I asked him if we were going to go since we plan to go to church tomorrow night and it would be nice to have the lights. We had gone to the bike shop to get some lights but they are closed for a week! Then we went to Walmart but we weren't sure of the quality and they were the same price as the ones the bike shop sells. So, I told him I wanted to go to Walgreens and get at least one of the lights.
We hopped on our bikes and I got to wear the "night" vest with all the reflectors on it. We rode our bikes down there and bought one and some sugar while were there and back home again. Nick just clipped the light to the back of my vest but it came with a strap to put on your arm or leg or where ever.
And that was the end of my exhausting day. Hoping to have another one tomorrow!
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