Whoo boy, I have been a bad, bad blogger! Apologies all around. I can sorta kinda explain.
My routines that I talked up in May? Well I've been verrrrrrrry loosely following them in July, and the cleaning routine has been collecting dust. I had some wonderful family visits at the end of June into early July, and I used them as an excuse to become a big ole slacker. Oopsy! Don't get me wrong, I have been cleaning! But I haven't tackled every cleaning project I should. Please don't be scared of my house. :)
While I've been slacking in the routine department, I've been doing pretty well in the food department. I've been doing really well with meal planning, improving my grocery shopping skillz, and dabbling in freezer cooking.
So now I just need to:
a) get back to work on my cleaning routine, and
b) update the flipping blog at least once per week!!
More to come...
Monday, July 30, 2012
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Simple & Tasty: English Muffin Bread
What's that you say? You love homemade bread but don't like all the mixing of dry ingredients, then wet ingredients, then everything all together, then waiting for all the rising action, then... well, you get the point. There are often a lot of steps.
Ohhh and you love English muffins???
Weeellllll then aren't you lucky, because here's the recipe for you: English Muffin Bread
Why is it so easy? Because:
- It's only FIVE ingredients (water, yeast, salt, sugar, & flour)
- It involves only ONE bowl, for mixing everything AND for the first rise
- Mix all 5 ingredients, let rise once, put in loaf pan, let rise a second time, and bake.
See? Easy!! And the results are really tasty. It has the telltale English muffin bread air pockets, it's very light, toasts great, and is super yummy coated in jam.
Find the recipe over at moneysavingmom.com, including freezing instructions! Yep, just bake, cool, slice, and freeze!
Ohhh and you love English muffins???
Weeellllll then aren't you lucky, because here's the recipe for you: English Muffin Bread
Why is it so easy? Because:
- It's only FIVE ingredients (water, yeast, salt, sugar, & flour)
- It involves only ONE bowl, for mixing everything AND for the first rise
- Mix all 5 ingredients, let rise once, put in loaf pan, let rise a second time, and bake.
See? Easy!! And the results are really tasty. It has the telltale English muffin bread air pockets, it's very light, toasts great, and is super yummy coated in jam.
Find the recipe over at moneysavingmom.com, including freezing instructions! Yep, just bake, cool, slice, and freeze!
 |
| The second rise happens right in the loaf pan! |
 |
| Finished product! |
Friday, June 22, 2012
Magical Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Most inconsistent blogger, yes, yes, I know!!!!!! I'll get the hang of this. Some day. Maybe.
Anyway.
Sweet potatoes were $.79/lb the other day which seemed like a good deal, so I bought just over 2 lbs. I decided it was the perfect opportunity to try out a recipe I'd seen on America's Test Kitchen.
Ever watch America's Test Kitchen? It's on public TV, and is a cooking show that walks you through recipes using techniques that they've chosen after a long testing and comparison process. They're like chef scientists, with tasty experiments to share with us. And they're usually pretty simple to make. The other day they made mashed sweet potatoes using such a simple method, that I knew I had to try it!
Aaaanyway, I did. Tonight. And here's what you do! (Note: Unfortunately their recipe is visible only if you are a paying member, but I'll share what I learned from watching the show.)
Peel sweet potatoes, and cut them into approx 1/4" wide strips. You want the pieces to be thin and small, so they layer well. I cut each potato lengthwise once, then a second time. Then I cut the long strips every 1/4" (pieces end up triangle-shaped), and thew the resulting pieces in a medium-sized saucepan.
Apparently the key to making delicious, non-gluey, non-watery mashed sweet potatoes is the liquid! Sweet potatoes contain a lot of water, so you should not add much liquid. They end up steaming themselves to a perfect softness thanks to their own water! Who knew? Thanks, chef scientists!! Scientist chefs? Err...
Aaaanyway again, to the sweet potatoes (I had about 2 lb worth) I added about 4 T butter (I went with salted), 2 T heavy cream, 1 t sugar, 1/4 - 1/2 t salt, and 1/4 t pepper. I mixed them a bit, turned the temp to low (between 2-4 on my stove top), put the lid on, then let them cook, mixing every 10 mins or so. After about 35-40 minutes, I had very soft and mashable sweet potatoes.
Remove them from the heat, add one more T of heavy cream, and mash away with a hand-masher. I did this right in the sauce pan. Piece o cake! Only took a bit of smashing, because they were so perfectly soft.
And the results: Delicious, pillowy, soft, perfect-tasting, mashed sweet potatoes. Nom.
So if you need a new way of presenting sweet potatoes, give this a try! Saves time, money, is healthy, and most of all, super delicious. I paired mine with a super simple roast pork loin, and it was a dynamic duo of delicious. Yep.
PS - Sorry for no photos. I got all excited about making them, then eating them. Then they were gone. Oops.
Magical Mashed Sweet Potatoes:
- 2 lb sweet potatoes
- 4 T butter
- 3 T heavy cream (divided into two portions: 2 T and 1 T)
- 1 t sugar
- 1/4 - 1/2 t salt
- 1/4 t pepper
1 - To sweet potatoes: Peel, then quarter lengthwise and cut into 1/4" wide pieces
2 - Add sweet potatoes, butter, 2 T heavy cream, sugar, salt, and pepper to a medium-sized saucepan
3 - Set saucepan to low, with lid on
4 - Cook for 35 - 40 mins, mixing every 10 mins
5 - Remove from heat
6 - Add 1 T heavy cream
7 - Mash away!
8 - Eat, and enjoy
Anyway.
Mashed Sweet Potatoes
I have to share a most fantastic way to prepare sweet potatoes. The hubs & I lurve us some sweet potato, and we used to eat it pretty often. We were on a sweet potato hiatus for a good long while, but thanks to the new frugal life style, they're back in our lives.Sweet potatoes were $.79/lb the other day which seemed like a good deal, so I bought just over 2 lbs. I decided it was the perfect opportunity to try out a recipe I'd seen on America's Test Kitchen.
Ever watch America's Test Kitchen? It's on public TV, and is a cooking show that walks you through recipes using techniques that they've chosen after a long testing and comparison process. They're like chef scientists, with tasty experiments to share with us. And they're usually pretty simple to make. The other day they made mashed sweet potatoes using such a simple method, that I knew I had to try it!
Aaaanyway, I did. Tonight. And here's what you do! (Note: Unfortunately their recipe is visible only if you are a paying member, but I'll share what I learned from watching the show.)
Peel sweet potatoes, and cut them into approx 1/4" wide strips. You want the pieces to be thin and small, so they layer well. I cut each potato lengthwise once, then a second time. Then I cut the long strips every 1/4" (pieces end up triangle-shaped), and thew the resulting pieces in a medium-sized saucepan.
Apparently the key to making delicious, non-gluey, non-watery mashed sweet potatoes is the liquid! Sweet potatoes contain a lot of water, so you should not add much liquid. They end up steaming themselves to a perfect softness thanks to their own water! Who knew? Thanks, chef scientists!! Scientist chefs? Err...
Aaaanyway again, to the sweet potatoes (I had about 2 lb worth) I added about 4 T butter (I went with salted), 2 T heavy cream, 1 t sugar, 1/4 - 1/2 t salt, and 1/4 t pepper. I mixed them a bit, turned the temp to low (between 2-4 on my stove top), put the lid on, then let them cook, mixing every 10 mins or so. After about 35-40 minutes, I had very soft and mashable sweet potatoes.
Remove them from the heat, add one more T of heavy cream, and mash away with a hand-masher. I did this right in the sauce pan. Piece o cake! Only took a bit of smashing, because they were so perfectly soft.
And the results: Delicious, pillowy, soft, perfect-tasting, mashed sweet potatoes. Nom.
So if you need a new way of presenting sweet potatoes, give this a try! Saves time, money, is healthy, and most of all, super delicious. I paired mine with a super simple roast pork loin, and it was a dynamic duo of delicious. Yep.
PS - Sorry for no photos. I got all excited about making them, then eating them. Then they were gone. Oops.
Magical Mashed Sweet Potatoes:
- 2 lb sweet potatoes
- 4 T butter
- 3 T heavy cream (divided into two portions: 2 T and 1 T)
- 1 t sugar
- 1/4 - 1/2 t salt
- 1/4 t pepper
1 - To sweet potatoes: Peel, then quarter lengthwise and cut into 1/4" wide pieces
2 - Add sweet potatoes, butter, 2 T heavy cream, sugar, salt, and pepper to a medium-sized saucepan
3 - Set saucepan to low, with lid on
4 - Cook for 35 - 40 mins, mixing every 10 mins
5 - Remove from heat
6 - Add 1 T heavy cream
7 - Mash away!
8 - Eat, and enjoy
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Cleaning Routine: Key for Sanity
Now on to the cleaning routine. Like my general daily routine, the cleaning routine has been key to maintaining my sanity. Like I said a month ago, I used iHeart Organizing's cleaning chart as my inspiration, and started with a list that I haven't really changed much:
So am I getting every weekly task done per week? Hahahahahahahaa.... no.
But, I manage to get most of them done. Usually! :) And what I don't get done one week, I prioritize the following week. This has kept me from beating up on myself for missed tasks. Vacuuming has been the hardest to get done, because A) I HATE vacuuming, and B) Annabel is sooooo scared of the vacuum. Good enough reasons to slack, right?
Being that it is the last day of May, I can say that I only have one outstanding monthly task left: Clean refrigerator! Will it get done by the end of the day?Er, maybe. I'll leave it at that. Why yes it did!! Apparently posting my negative feelings towards finishing the last May cleaning task made my brain say: Challenge accepted!! Barney-style. And now every single May cleaning task is done. Big sigh of relief right?
As for quarterly cleaning tasks, I have one month left to do the lone outstanding task: Vacuum mattresses! Woo!!
I may keep adding to the lists going forward, but I can vow here and now that the cleaning routine is here to stay! It's given me a lot of satisfaction to keep the house clean, and to cross stuff off my lists. It's also kept me from going out of my mind trying to remember what I cleaned and when!
MoneySavingMom.com has some recent articles with other great cleaning routine ideas & inspiration:
My Money Saving Mom® Inspired Cleaning Schedule
Q&A: How do you stay motivated to get housework done?
| Weekly cleaning tasks | Monthly cleaning tasks | Quarterly cleaning tasks |
|
|
|
So am I getting every weekly task done per week? Hahahahahahahaa.... no.
But, I manage to get most of them done. Usually! :) And what I don't get done one week, I prioritize the following week. This has kept me from beating up on myself for missed tasks. Vacuuming has been the hardest to get done, because A) I HATE vacuuming, and B) Annabel is sooooo scared of the vacuum. Good enough reasons to slack, right?
Being that it is the last day of May, I can say that I only have one outstanding monthly task left: Clean refrigerator! Will it get done by the end of the day?
As for quarterly cleaning tasks, I have one month left to do the lone outstanding task: Vacuum mattresses! Woo!!
I may keep adding to the lists going forward, but I can vow here and now that the cleaning routine is here to stay! It's given me a lot of satisfaction to keep the house clean, and to cross stuff off my lists. It's also kept me from going out of my mind trying to remember what I cleaned and when!
MoneySavingMom.com has some recent articles with other great cleaning routine ideas & inspiration:
My Money Saving Mom® Inspired Cleaning Schedule
Q&A: How do you stay motivated to get housework done?
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
My Routine: Ready for Prime Time
A month ago, I talked about my efforts to create and try out a routine for my new life as a homemaker. After a month of running my routine pilot, I'm happy to say that it's now in production!
The core of my routine is almost identical to the original, with a few tweaks. The biggest change was in my morning routine. I'm a YMCA member, and had an epiphany a couple weeks ago:
a) As a Y member, I get free child care
b) The Y has some nice showers and changing areas
c) The Y has tasty free coffee
d) The nice Y child care ladies will watch Annabel for me, allowing her to have fun with some other kiddos while I work out, take a shower, maybe even dry my hair!!!, and grab some coffee.
e) NICE
As a result, the routine now looks like this:
The core of my routine is almost identical to the original, with a few tweaks. The biggest change was in my morning routine. I'm a YMCA member, and had an epiphany a couple weeks ago:
a) As a Y member, I get free child care
b) The Y has some nice showers and changing areas
c) The Y has tasty free coffee
d) The nice Y child care ladies will watch Annabel for me, allowing her to have fun with some other kiddos while I work out, take a shower, maybe even dry my hair!!!, and grab some coffee.
e) NICE
As a result, the routine now looks like this:
Morning
routine
- 6:00 Wake up time – Em
- Get dressed for YMCA
- Coffee + breakfast
- Start a load of laundry
- Make Zach's lunch
- 7:15 Wake up time – Annabel
- 8:00 Breakfast - Annabel
- Switch laundry to dryer
- YMCA
- Errands OR fun time
Afternoon
routine
- 11:30 Lunch – Annabel
- 11:45 Nap – Annabel
- Fold laundry
- Clean up kitchen
- Straighten bathrooms & bedrooms
- Cleaning task
- 2:00 Wake up – Annabel
- Fun time!
Evening
routine
- 5:30 Dinner
- Clean up kitchen
- 7:30 Bed time – Annabel
- 10-minute house pickup
- Scoop kitty litter
- Read
- 10:00 Bed time – Em
Homemade Baking Mix: More Delicious Creations
Pancakes & Strawberry Shortcake
I don't have any photos to prove their existence, but I used the homemade baking mix to make pancakes on Sunday using the recipe found on the original homemade baking mix site. Just had to add milk and eggs, mix a bit, and the lumpy mixture produced delicious and luscious pancakes. Fast and easy!
And tonight I used it to make strawberry shortcake, by following the original Bisquik recipe for the cake part and subbing in my mix for the Bisquik! Just took the homemade mix out of the freezer and mixed it right up with the rest of the ingredients. Topped the warm cakes with $.99 strawberries from Aldi and Cool Whip, and the hubby and I were happy campers.
So, yeah. Homemade baking mix = super awesomeness.
Saturday, May 26, 2012
What's In a Name?
Name Changing
Recently I started second-guessing my blog's original name, Annabelly Bea & Me. With my blog, I want to tell you about what works for me as I navigate my new homemaker role, not necessarily to focus on what my daughter (Annabel Bea) and I do together. Of course, she'll play a key role in my blog no matter what. :)I really wanted to name my blog "Becoming the Housewife". But since that name was taken, I present you with my blog's new name: Becoming the Homemaker
I think this name better reflects what I plan to keep writing about, and I hope you dig it! Both the blog, and the new name.
^_^
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)