Favorite Kitchen Gadget

Let me introduce you to one of my favorite kitchen tools. A chopper/cutter/mixer thing.


It makes nice, quick work out of homemade salsa or Pico de Gallo. (Hope I spelled that right. Too tired to check.) Cut your peppers, onions, and tomatoes into one inch chunks and pop into a good sized bowl.
The cutter/chopper/thing scoops up the veggies and with a scissor like motion it cuts them into smaller pieces. You continue to cut until the veggies are the size that you desire.
See the delicious juicy garden ripened tomatoes?! Thank the Lord for friends with gardens!
Chop, chop, chop. I can smell the cilantro and lime juice!
In just a few minutes of time, I have a bowl full of fresh Pico. My tongue is sweating just thinking about the treat in store for my mouth with some grilled fajitas in just a bit. Do you like my favorite gadget? Christmas is coming and this would be a fun thing to add to your gift idea list! Pampered Chef makes them but I got mine at Bed, Bath, and Beyond (with a coupon) for about $15.

Bon Appetite!! : ) And happy Saturday night!

A Fresh Bouquet of Cilantro

My blog has been regrettably neglected for about 9 months. :) But I am BACK!! Perhaps I can learn more about blog design and be less frustrated in the coming weeks. At any rate, I wanted to share an idea with you that I've enjoyed putting to use today. I purchased a lovely bunch of Cilantro at the grocery store in preparation for the Fish Tacos I planned for tonight's supper. One of my magazines suggested that a good way to keep your fresh herbs in good shape...AND enjoy their scent all week long...is to put them in a vase of water and enjoy them on your kitchen counter! Isn't that a splendid idea? So I cut their stems a bit so they could absorb the water better, and plopped them into a glass of fresh water. You are to change the water daily. The smell of Cilantro is one of my favorite scents! So having it on my stove top this week will be a little piece of heaven. Mmmmm. It was so easy to pull out a handful of stems tonight at dinner, rinse them, pat dry and cut them up with kitchen shears. The fresh salsa in which they went was delish. Garden fresh. The Lime-Cilantro candle at the top of this page was a find from Marshalls or TJ Maxx. It. Smells. Heavenly. Mmhmm. So, keep this in mind when you want to buy fresh herbs, or bring in some from your own herb garden. They make a lovely--and simple--bouquet. :o) Blessings, Donna

Simple Holiday Notebook

There's almost nothing more fun than making something cute and useful out of what you have on hand. I like to keep notes of my holiday menus, gift ideas, etc. each year for Thanksgiving and Christmas. But my previous notebook was about 15 years old, and I'd run out of paper. So I took a composition notebook that I had picked up on clearance for .38 at Target, and got busy making myself a new one.


I went through my scrapbook paper, and found this cute page which I'd purchased long ago at the Dollar Tree. Adorable and perfect. I traced around the composition notebook cover and cute out the part of the page that I wanted to be the new cover.


Putting my new cover upside down on newspaper, I sprayed it lightly with photo mount spray (spray adhesive.) When it had dried for 1 one minute, I attached it to the front of the composition notebook.

Finding some cute red and white polka dot paper, I printed a title for the notebook, matted it, and used spray adhesive to attach it, as well as a few little white paper snowflakes that I punched at Archivers one time.

A 'found' red ribbon in my sewing box was perfect for a bookmark. It is glued in the center of the book, and a little snowflake punch on each side of the bottom of the ribbon gives it alittle weight and decor. Here is the planning page for my Thanksgiving Dinner this year, as well as recycling a used orange envelope as a pocket to hold the recipes I am thinking of trying.

Here's a space and recipe pocket for my Christmas 2009 recipes and menu...yet to be determined!

I also have pages of gift ideas for all of the people we buy for. As I purchase one of these items, I will write the price above it and circle the little bullet point beside it. This will keep me organized and on budget...ps...this is MY gift wish list! :)

You can recover a composition note with any kind of cute paper for any purpose. Last year I made monogrammed covers for my 2 teenaged nieces. So cute!

Give it a try...super cute, useful, inexpensive gift don't you think?

Blessings!

Donna

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Polka Dots and Flower Pots

A week ago our neighborhood had about 25 garage sales going on. With glee, I headed out with a zippered pouch of change and high hopes. I found this darling, oversized polka dot mug for just .25. I have a thing for polka dots, especially brown, and pink. Plus I'd decided I wanted to try, once more, to have a little house plant. I do well with outdoor plants, but I'm not as successful with indoor plants.

After looking at Walmart for a cute little indoor plant and finding none, I decided I'd really rather not spend any money on one...so I remembered that Geraniums can be started by cuttings. Google helped refresh the how-to's on that, then I filled up the mug with some leftover potting soil, and cut a nice healthy stalk off of one of my outdoor Gernaniums. You pull off the lower leaves, and tuck the little cutting about 2 inches into the soil. Water, and watch! It should root itself in the dirt, and begin a new plant. I'll know it is thriving when new leaves begin to grow. For just .25 and alittle ingenuity, my kitchen has a fresh bit of life and green in it...I like polka dots and plants.

Garage Sale Finds!

This morning felt like a garage sale day to me. And since we've only been to a few this year, I felt it was worth the late start to school. Craig's List gave me 3-4 to pursue, with hopeful words of 'most things $1!' It was a heady high that I experienced as many things, truly for $1 or less, were just the very things I had on my 'used goods' mental list of things to buy. First up...the lamp above. A lamp in the kitchen adds a warmth and coziness that I was itching for...and this little sweet lamp was just the ticket...for...$1. The brand new fabric napkin, in one of my kitchen colors, came home with me for .10, too. Oh yea.

Also on my mental list of 'things to buy' were toys for my Sunday School class of K-1st graders. Can you believe that this Build A Bear monkey and many outfits/hats/shoes all became mine for just...yep, $1! I will wash and sterilize them, and the kids will have a great time.

I've been wishing to purchase some pieces of fabric for random, spur of the moment craft projects. Pretty green toille, for free. :) A nearly new C'mas towel-.50, a miniature loaves pan-.50, and a glass jar just begging to become something clever-.50. Mmhmm!

Of course I always look for things my newlywed daughter might need. Linds, Tupperware containers for your pantry items...50 cents each. And that thing in the middle? A new Christmas Card holder for your wall. Compact and extra cute...for .50.

Oh boy, did I have fun!! For about $10 total, I got all of the above, plus a nice lamp shade to replace the ancient shade on our bedroom lamp, 2 more sets of toys for my SS class, and a set of very nice mixing bowls from IKEA. Thank you Lord for blessing my frugal soul today!

Got Envelopes?

Pretty, colored envelopes are so cheery. But after they've been written on, is there a way to repurpose them for another use? Yes!

Cut the corners off of the envelope.

Now you've made a cheery, easy-to-spot page marker for any book. I received this fun cookbook from a dear friend in the mail this week. The fuschia colored envelope contained her note. Now I'm using the corners from the envelope to mark recipes in the cookbook that I want to try. :) Sandy, I'll be thinking of you everytime I do one of the 101 Things with zucchini!

Favorite Morning Things

Having time alone with God each morning has always been my daily goal. But at this stage in my life, I am enjoying it in a new way...because it is truly 'quiet' and 'alone.' Gone are the days of busy toddlers and preschoolers. Here is the time of homeschooling only an 11 year old son...so mornings are easier. Now I especially enjoy my time with God...coffee...candle...my Ireland journal in which I record one paragraph about the day before, my Bible, and devotional books. Today there fell a gentle rain, so the morning was extra peaceful and cozy. Sigh. A favorite thing. :)

Another favorite morning thing, is a GOOD breakfast that tastes good and keeps me full most of the morning. Oh, and it must be quick...I don't like to slow down my day by cooking in the morning.

Recently I concocted what might be the perfect breakfast for me! It starts with a newly discovered cereal...Aldi's Natural Granola. At just about $1.59 a box, this cereal is just right--not too sweet--and only has NINE ingredients...all natural and recognizable. Next I toss on a handful of the blueberries I froze this summer. Cold and crisp, just what I like! The finishing touch is a handful of pecan halves (or the nut of your choice). I love the crunch, the taste, and the nutrients/protein they add.

Topped with ice cold milk, this bowl of cereal is a party for my mouth. Yum! And it keeps me full. Important too!

So, what are some of your favorite morning things?

Enjoy this simple, sweet day!