Two Crust-y Solutions

They are a common site in kitchens with kids (and probably some grown-up kitchens too):

Chances are, if you are a mom, dad or have ever fed anyone under the age of 10, you know that for some kids, crusts rank right there between brussel sprouts and mushrooms in the category of "you don't expect me to actually eat those, do you?"

Since R has never been a fan of sandwiches, the issue of crusts never really arose.  But my sweet G is a huge PB&J fan.  He eats a lot of PB&Js, but PB&Js without the crusts, of course.  Which leaves me with lots and lots of bags of crusts (yes, I know, you can make the sandwich with crusts and hope that your kiddo eventually says "hey, these crusts taste okay!" and I do try this periodically, but we have yet  to hear G say this.):

Since I'd rather not waste the crusts, especially the crusts of rather pricey gluten-free bread, and since gluten-free breadcrumbs and croutons are expensive, how about a quick way to put your crusts (gluten-free or otherwise) to good use?

There are two easy and tasty solutions to the crust conundrum:  Croutons and Breadcrumbs (which taste waaaay better than canned or store-bought breadcrumbs!).

First, Homemade Crust Croutons:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Take the crusts and cut into fairly uniform, bite-sized pieces.

Add some ground pepper, onion powder, garlic powder and dried basil (about 1/2 teaspoon each to about 6 cups bread pieces--or adjust for your amount of bread):

Add a couple of tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, toss well and spread evenly on a baking sheet, avoiding overcrowding (use two baking sheets if necessary):

Bake 20-30 minutes, turning in pan one time while baking:

Voila--croutons way better than any you buy in the store!  Store in an airtight container a room temperature, or freeze to last longer.

Next up:  Homemade Bread Crumbs:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Then, use a food processor or coffee grinder:

Simply process until the desired fineness is reached:

Place on a cooking sheet or stone and bake for 8-10 minutes, or until desired brownness is reached:

Store in the freezer until you're ready to use!

Life is sweet,
SPC

No More Brown Guacamole

"Ugh, my guacamole always turns brown!" could top a list of First-World problem statements I've caught myself saying.

You've heard of First-World problems, right?  They're some of life's minor complaints and irritants that those of us who have been blessed beyond measure find ourselves uttering because we have it so.  crazy.  good.

Things that folks in many places around the world couldn't even comprehend saying because they have much bigger, larger or more urgent worries.  

So while browning guacamole is far from a catastrophe, it is something that I've tried, unsuccessfully, to conquer for years…until now.

Sweet Pea Husband gave me an idea a few weeks ago, and ladies and gentlemen, I'm here to share with you that it is a fool-proof, easy and simple solution.

The answer?

Water.

Yes, just water.

(Isn't it cool that many of life's issues, whether large or small, often have very simple solutions?)

Here's how it works:

Make up your fresh guacamole.  Need a recipe?  We like making this simple guacamole:

Eat what you want, share what you want or keep it all for later.  Place in a lidded container:

Smooth the top:

Cover with water so no part of the guacamole is exposed:

Refrigerate until you're ready to eat or serve, then remove from the fridge:

Simply pour off the water, stir in any minor residual water and enjoy!:

Same guacamole, one day later!

Because avocado has a lot of healthy oils in it, the water doesn't seep into the guacamole (oil and water don't mix, right?) and any trace of water you mix into the guacamole doesn't change the texture or flavor.

Pretty cool, eh?

Life is sweet,

SPC

The Best DIY Fruit Fly Trap (Easy Peasy)

Summer has a lot going for it, but one thing I cannot stand is the day the fruit flies arrive in our kitchen.

I've tried many different techniques, using wine, dish soap, my oven and vinegars, but this my friends is the easiest and most effective fruit fly trip I've ever tried.

DIY Fruit Fly Trap

2-3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (makes sense to use a *fruit* based vinegar, wouldn't you say?)
1 teaspoon sugar
plastic wrap
small shallow dish
toothpick

First, gather your items:

Then, pour the vinegar and sugar in the small shallow dish and stir for a second:

Cover with the plastic wrap, so it is tight across the top:

Poke holes in the plastic wrap that are approximately twice the diameter of a toothpick (put the toothpick in and make a little circle with it):

Place in your kitchen or an adjoining room at watch with glee as they enter the trap (and don't feel too bad because really, don't fruit flies only live one day anyway?):

Look!  No flies on our fruit!  Victory!

Life is sweet,

SPC

Jack O'Lantern Eureka!

We carved our pumpkins yesterday, since the boys had a scheduled day off from school that was too cold, windy and wet to play outside.

R and G love drawing their Jack O'Lantern ideas on their pumpkins, but they often change their mind and want to do something different.

This year, I had a eureka! moment:  we used a dry erase marker to draw on the pumpkin--this made it easy to draw...

...erase our ideas...

...and redraw...

In the end, G settled on no nose and triangle eyes, but less teeth.

 

 And Mr. Jack O'Lantern wiped up clean!

Life is sweet,
SPC

Homemade Microwave Popcorn

With the cooler weather I am sure many of you have shifted from salads to soups; smoothies to oatmeal; and basically lots of warm weather dishes to comfort, warm-you-up foods.

This is the time of the year I find myself craving popcorn for a healthy snack.  But instead of relying on store-bought microwave popcorn (you can read here about the risks of store-bought microwave popcorn), I have long done my own DIY microwave popcorn, and it couldn’t be easier.

I discovered this easy trick to homemade microwave popcorn years ago, but I wanted to repost the easy peasy instructions along with some pictures to demonstrate how simple healthy microwave popcorn can be!

First, the supplies, brown paper lunch bags, unpopped popcorn kernels and a 1/4 cup measuring cup:

Next, pour ¼ cup of the popcorn kernels into the brown paper bag and fold over 3-4 times, folding about ¼-1/2 inch each time:

Place in your microwave for about 2 minutes, and just like regular popcorn, hit “stop” when the pops:

Pour in a bowl and enjoy!:

Who knew it was so easy to make healthy air-popped popcorn??

Life is sweet!
SPC

Fresh Basil and Walnut Pesto

Got basil?

 

Chances are, if you planted basil this spring or summer, you have a plentiful amount growing in your garden.  And even if you don't have any growing if your backyard, you can pick up a bunch at the store.  Either way, this pesto recipe is another tasty way to enjoy fresh basil.

Making pesto is super easy and can be made at a fraction of the cost of jarred pesto. A store-bought jar of pesto can easily cost 4-5 times the cost of making a batch of fresh pesto at home. Use this fresh pesto recipe for a dish now, and freeze any extra for future use.

Want to know the best part?  Pesto is one of the easiest ways to get dinner on the table...use it as sauce for any protein, as a spread on a gourmet sandwich or wrap, or as a different way to serve a simple pasta dish.

Fresh Basil and Walnut Pesto

1 cup (firmly packed) fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup walnut pieces
2-3 cloves garlic, sliced
zest of 1/2 lemon
3-4 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1-2 tablespoons water
1/4 cup olive oil

Combine all ingredients (using the lower amount suggested for the garlic, cheese and water), except the oil in a food processor.  Pulse a few times, scraping the sides of the processor between pulses.

Once the basil is well chopped, add the olive oil through the hole in the top of the processor while it is running.

Taste the pesto and season with additional garlic, cheese or add more water if necessary.

Making pesto is more of an art than a specific recipe, so keep tasting until you think you have the flavors to where you like them.

Reserve some pesto for immediate use, freeze the rest in either ice cube trays or a cookie sheet for future use.

Makes about 1 cup.

Toss some of this delicious pesto with spaghetti for a quick dinner.

Lastly, if you have some fresh basil sprigs after you make the basil, place them in a glass of water and watch the roots grow.  Voila!  A fresh basil seedling for you to plant and make into a brand new basil plant (for indoors during the winter, perhaps?)!

Life is sweet,
SPC

Tips to Maximize Your Garden Harvest Before the Frost

With the arrival of autumn, I switch gears in our vegetable and herb garden toward trying to maximize our harvest prior to first frost.

As much as I love the changing leaves and cooler temperatures, the shorter days of autumn remind me that our garden's days are numbered.  Save for a couple perennial herbs, it will soon be time to pull out most of our garden and surrender the joy of harvesting food mere steps from our kitchen.

Through the years I've picked up a few ways to get the most out of the waning days of the growing season.  Here are some tips to maximize your harvest before the growing season ends:

Prune Any New Blossoms:  Pruning blossoms that have no hope of maturing before the frost will help concentrate the plant's energy to maturing fruit or vegetables that are close to harvest.  Look for little flowers like these and try to be ruthless:

Prune Any Blight or Yellow Leaves:  Pruning yellowed and wilted leaves likewise will concentrate the plant's energy to producing healthy fruit or vegetables:

Prune the Top of the Plant:  Again, doing so will concentrate the energy to the fruit and vegetables below:

Continue to Pick/Harvest Herbs to Prevent Flowers:  Once a herb plant, such as basil, mint, or thyme grows flowers, it signals to the plant that the growing season is complete, and herb growth will halt.  Herbs will produce more if you continually harvest them. Pick basil before the first threat of frost and make pesto, which freezes great!

Allow Herbs to go to Seed:  Some herbs, such as dill and cilantro, produce seeds that you can use in the kitchen (dill seed and coriander seeds, respectively).  However, I like to leave some seeds on the plant in the garden.  These seeds often produce new plants in the spring.

 

Plant Fall Seeds:  In our area it still isn't too late to plant fall crops like greens, beets, carrots and more, all of which can often last after the first frost:

  

Here's to a successful end of growing season and a plentiful harvest!

Life is sweet,

SPC

What I Learned (About Packing) This Summer

We came back this weekend from our 6th, yes 6th, road trip of the summer.

Before you think we're highfalutin and all, they were mainly trips to family gatherings and we drove each time.  I computed the entire drive time for these 6 trips and we were in the car for...............(wait for it).................  ninety-seven hours.  97!

That's a lot of time on the road!

Since our family is spread up and down the eastern half of the country, we have done more than our fair share of traveling since SPH and met more than 15 years ago.

I like to think I have learned a thing or two from all the traveling we've done this summer and in years' past. So today I share a break from recipes to share my master list of packing advice.

I'm not saying this list will make your packing a breeze, but it will make it go much more smoothly!

Here's what I've learned this summer about packing:

********


1.  Plan before you begin packing:

--Where will we be staying?  Is it with family, or in a hotel?
--Will we have access to a washer and dryer?
--Will we be cooking or eating out?
--What's the weather going to be like?
--Will there be a hair dryer?

God love any place that has a washer and dryer when you are traveling with kids.  Also, if you're staying at a condo or place with a kitchen, take some time to plan out your meals you might be cooking, remembering to bring any kitchen tools that might not be included in the "equipped kitchen."

2.   Plan to have things taken care of with your home while you are away:

--Hold/stop mail and the newspaper, or have neighbor gather them for you.
--Buy or set up a timer on at least one light in your home.
--Plan for someone to help water your plants, if need be.
--Let a neighbor know you'll be gone and give them your cell phone to call you if an issue arises

3.  Begin packing:

--Before you begin packing, save yourself the extra step and begin gathering washed laundry and putting it in a "to pack" pile, if you are able (why hang or put away clothes you will just need to pull out of the closet again?)
--Make a packing list, broken down by:
Clothing (underwear, socks, pants/shorts/skirts, shirts/blouses, sweaters/hoodies, work-out gear, special occasion clothing, shoes, jewelry)
Outerwear/Seasonal (Winter:  jacket, gloves, scarf, hat, boots, snow pants; Summer:  bathing suit/towel, goggles, sunscreen, sunglasses, SPF, bug spray; Rainy:  Boots, umbrella, rain jacket)
Toiletries (remember often forgotten things like simple first aid, pain killers, thermometer, any prescriptions, and everyday items:  toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, contacts/saline, face lotion, body lotion, shampoo/conditioner, make-up, etc...***a good way to make sure you get everything you need is to pull out or write down everything you use for the day or two before you leave, so you don't get to your destination and realize you forgot your razozr**)
Kids  (Favorite stuffed animal/lovey, blanket, pack n' play, stroller, monitor, sippy cups/bottles, etc.  Again, pull out or write down everything you use the day or two before you leave so you remember everything)
Toys/Activities (Books, games, toys, coloring, i Pad/DS, Legos, etc)
Sleeping (PJs, white noise machine, night light, special pillow, ear plugs, etc)
Electronics (Laptop, phone, camera, video camera, iPod, chargers, ear buds, cords, etc)
Snacks/Foods (meals?, drinks, snacks, anything you might need for cooking at a rented condo that you might not want to buy:  salt/pepper and olive oil are easy to pack)
--If your road trip will include an over-night stop before you reach your final destination, include a bag that has all the PJs, clothing and toiletries you will need for just that one night, so you don't have to unpack everything!


4.  Prepare your car:

--Print out or gather maps
--Print out directions (I like to have a hard copy despite using GPS)
--Pack in your car:  tissues, wipes, paper towels, hand sanitizer, 2 bags for trash, hand lotion, chap stick (if you are addicted like me)
--Prepare car entertainment:  prepare CDs, DVDs, books, activity bags (I prepare a bag each for the boys for long trips with activity or sticker books, mazes, Yes and Know Books (invisible ink), Mad Libs, or small toys), Car games (go Momsminivan.com to print out some Car Bingo and other easy car games) and other Creative Car Games that require no materials!
--Gather food and drinks, pack a lunch or dinner if needed or desired.  Don't forget extra napkins and a small garbage bag.
--Remove anything from the trunk that you won't need.

5.  Pack your car:

--Place all the items you need to pack by the car and then treat your trunk or packing space like a puzzle.
--Try to get all the bigger, heavier, boxier items on the bottom and furthest back of the trunk, lighter items on top.
--Use the space by your kids' feet for extra packing space


6.  Before you walk out the door, a final checklist for your home:

--Hold your thermostat at a higher (in the summer) or lower (in the winter) temperature than usual
--Turn of your water main
--Water indoor plants
--Clean out the fridge, if need be
--Empty Garbage and recycling


7.  Two General Tips:

--I like to pack items by rooms of our home...so that when we return home from our trip we can unpack the bags and place them where they can be unpacked eventually.  Better than lots of bags in one big pile!
--If we get back from our trip and I am feeling lazy, I unzip R and G's luggage and place it on their dresser or floor, with any clean clothes still in it, and ask them to choose their outfits out of the luggage until it is empty.

********

Did I forget anything?  I am sure I did, as I feel like each time we travel I pick up a new idea or way to do things.  Please share your best ideas in the comments area!

Life is sweet,
SPC

Happy Brownies and Sundae Toppings

Okay, raise your hand if you're a brownie or bar cookie lover.  Me too.  But really raise your hand if you try and go out of your way to avoid edge pieces.  (See my hand waving enthusiastically in the air?)

I admit it:  if I am at an event with brownies, I slowly scope out the plate before choosing one without an edge.  Edges are hard and can be dry and crumbly, while the inner pieces are chewy-ooey good.

Here's a simple tip for a plate full of edge-less brownies.  First, cut them like so:

Remove the edge pieces, cutting each rectangle in half to make mini-squares.  Freeze the squares, keep the brownies to serve with pride:

After you are done enjoying your brownies, use the brownie edge mini-squares as a perfect topping for a sundae or ice cream treat.  The edge pieces hold up well to the ice cream, and are a fun extra for your little sweet pea:

See that?  Your bowl of ice cream just went from "thanks mom!" to "Wow, thanks mom, can I fold the laundry for you?"*

Life is sweet,
SPC

*Results not guaranteed.  But one can dream, right?

Removing Refrigerator and Freezer Smells

One of the less-than-pleasant tasks of last week's storm and power outage aftermath was de-stinking our refrigerator and freezer.  Man, oh man, they stunk!  Think rotten scallops and an exploded, curdled milk container, and you're on your way to imagining the funk that stunk in our kitchen.

First, SPH and I removed all the spoiled food.  I tried not to get too upset over all the lost food, but it was hard to throw so much out, especially the frozen prepared meals.  Sigh.  "At least no one was hurt and our roof is still intact," was my line.

Next, SPH took out every single shelf and drawer from both the fridge and freezer and placed them outside for an old fashioned scrub down.  We used an all-purpose non-toxic cleaner since the shelves would be holding food, and then let them air out outside for a day or so.

Then, I scrubbed all the little nooks and crannies of the fridge and scrubbed some more.

Once all the mess was clean, it was time to get rid of the smells!  Here are four easy ways to get rid of the funk:

1.  Fresh Herbs/Essential Oils and Baking Soda:  Simply cut fresh herbs (we have rosemary and mint in abundance, so that is what I used) and sprinkle with baking soda, which will absorb foul smells.  Alternatively, mix a few drops of an essential oil such as lavender, peppermint or lemon with the baking soda.  Place in your fridge and close the door.

2.  Coffee and Oatmeal:  The coffee will overwhelm and absorb the foul smells, the oatmeal will help absorb foul smells and help leach our extra moisture.

3.  Newspaper:  Not sure why, but newspaper helped absorb the odor too.  Someone recommended this to me and it seemed to work!

4.  Fresh Air:  Sure, you probably can't carry your fridge and freezer outside, but if you are able, prop open the doors and let fresh air do the trick.  This method works best on minor funks, if you have a super stinky fridge, you probably don't want to try this one.  Be sure to turn the fridge off if you still have power and want to try this technique, as you don't want to waste energy.

After only a day and a half, our fridge and freezer smelled like new again.  Thankfully, the rank smells of last week are a distant memory!

Life is sweet,
SPC