Home Maid Simple

Tag: kitchen

  • Saturday Thrift Finds

    Saturday Thrift Finds

    We had a very lazy Saturday! I took one Princess and did some grocery shopping, and Mark took the other 2 and got some school work done. Just before lunch a couple came over to look at our Breakfast Nook. They’ve just moved up here to go to college, and were in need of some furnishings.  They were so sweet and friendly, and so in love with my breakfast nook.  If I had to sell it (and I did have to) it was a couple that loved it like I did who I wanted to have it.  YAY! So we made some money off of that, and Mark immediately decided he wanted some chairs for our new kitchen table.  We’ve been using folding chairs. Besides being kind of ugly around a kitchen table, they weren’t all that comfortable or safe with kids climbing all over them. So I sent Mark to the local thrift store, Deseret Industries, to see what he could find. I suggested he look for a small couch as well to give us some seating in the family room.With only spending $10 more than we made off the table, he came home with some chairs that look like they were made for our table, and a corner piece from a couch sectional, that is extremely comfy!

    $20 deal on the couch! Mark and I fit perfectly for some late night cuddling by the fire.  I may find myself sleeping on this as the pregnancy gets more uncomfortable as well. Yeah it’s THAT comfy!

    $10 deal per chair, and we got 4! They are slightly lighter than the table, but not enough to matter. We sat down for dinner, and again the level of comfort rose so much! Mark even hung out after he was done eating for some good family conversation. These plus the folding chairs gives us enough chairs to have company over as well!

  • Tuesday Tips – Plastic pie lids

    It’s time for another Tuesday Tip! I’m thrilled to have found Tip Junkies Tip Me Tuesday to link up with! So if you’re visiting from Tip Junkie, thanks for stopping by! 
    Tip Junkie handmade projects

    I’ve been wanting to get this tip out to you guys for awhile, but somehow everytime Tuesday popped around, I kept forgetting. I blame it on my scrambled pregnancy brain.
    I personally, love french toast! I would eat it for breakfast every morning, if I could. My biggest struggle with making French toast, is finding the right sized bowl, to soak the bread in. All my bowls curved too soon, or were enormously huge.  I remember my mom using pie tins growing up. They really are the perfect size. I just don’t own any pie tins (I do have a deep dish stone pie plate).  I love those premade graham cracker pie crusts though, and around the holidays, I have an abundance of them. One year, I tried using the empty foil pie tin for my french toast, only to realize a little too late, when I cut the pie, I also cut little holes in the foil. 
    This year, it dawned on me though! The pies come with a plastic lid! Normally, I open the pie shell, toss the plastic lid, and usually have no leftover pie. This year, I had some leftover pie, and so I had kept the lid. And then, voila! I realized it was the right size (obviously since it’s the same size as the pie tin itself) for French Toast! 
    So this year, don’t throw those plastic pie lids away during your holiday baking. Hold on to them, and you’ve got instant French Toast soaking bowls. If you make a lot of pies, like me, you could even dispose after each use, saving the washing time. Or you could continue to use forever (which is what I’ll be doing).


    Now go enjoy some pie and French toast! Together if you really feel like it.  I might add here, that apple pie spice makes a great substitution for cinnamon when making French Toast!

    I’m also linking up over at

  • Meal Plan Monday 11/14

    Meal Plan Monday 11/14

    Last weeks menu fell through the cracks! I just got so busy with other things, and ended up improvising at the last minute most days.  It didn’t help I also forgot some of the ingredients for last weeks menu when I went grocery shopping. Aw well, it happens. This week should be much better!
    Monday – Cheesy Broccoli soup in bread bowls
    Tuesday – Pasta and Aspargus
    Wednesday – Chicken Stir Fry
    Thursday – Eating at my parents: Mark will be on his own
    Friday – Smoky Black bean Chicken wraps
    Saturday – leftovers
    What’s on your menu this week?
  • Mock Raspberry Jam and Other Ways to Use Green Tomatoes

    Mock Raspberry Jam and Other Ways to Use Green Tomatoes

    The growing season is ending, but you find yourself with an abundance of green tomatoes still! What do you do with them? Make this mock Raspberry Jam of course. This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated when you click on and make a purchase through them.

    One of my first years gardening as a self-sufficient adult left me with an abundance of green tomatoes. I planted late in the season, and in a corner of the yard that did not receive enough sunlight to ripen the tomatoes.  Not one to waste anything, I was determined to find a way to use these fruits, despite their immature growth. 


     
    You may find yourself with green tomatoes at the end of the season, not because of any mistake on your part, but rather because you had a plant that continued to produce right up to the first frost. So whatever reason you find yourself with green tomatoes, I’m pleased to tell you that this recipe for Mock Raspberry Jam is a winner – as long as you can mentally get past the tomatoes. 
     
    I first heard this recipe for Mock Raspberry Jam on a Saturday morning garden radio show. Joy at KNRS made this jam sound so much better than fried green tomatoes – my only other option at the time – so I whipped up a batch. 
    Mock Raspberry Jam
    Yields 9
    Write a review
    Save Recipe
    Print
    Ingredients
    1. 5 cups green tomatoes
    2. 5 cups sugar
    3. 6oz package raspberry jello
    Instructions
    1. Grind Tomatoes in a blender.
    2. Pour tomatoes into a large sauce pan, and add 5 cups sugar.
    3. Boil until sugar is dissolved.
    4. Turn heat to low and cook for 25 minutes, stirring periodically.
    5. Add 6 oz Raspberry jello, and cook for 1 minute.
    6. Pour into sanitized pint jars.
    7. Wipe rims, and place lids and rings on.
    8. Process in a water bath for 30 minutes.
    Adapted from KNRS Garden Show
    Adapted from KNRS Garden Show
    Home Maid Simple https://www.homemaidsimple.com/

     

     
    They are so delicious! It tastes just like raspberry jam, and the tomato seeds give the same texture as real raspberry jam. Now to get over my mental block of knowing it was made from tomatoes. 

    More Green Tomato Recipes

    Green Tomato Bread from Instructables

    Green Tomato Relish from Homegrown In the Valley

    Oven Fried Green Tomato Caprese Stacks from Southern Plate

    Fried Green Tomato Pickles from The Country Chic Cottage

    How to Ripen Green Tomatoes from Happy Mothering

    How do you use Green Tomatoes?


  • Menu Plan Monday 11/7

    Menu Plan Monday 11/7

    What ‘s on your menu this week?  Link up with the organizing junkie.
    Monday – This one is still up in the air (haha!) It’s either chili, or going out to eat at Chili’s.  They’re having a kids eat free night, plus I have a $10 gift certificate from Savemore.  So we might just be able to afford a family night out!
    Tuesday – Hamburger Helper
    Thursday – Date Night! Kids will have Mac and Cheese
    Friday – Leftovers
    Saturday – Casserole 
  • Sentimental Sunday – Breakfast Nook

    Sentimental Sunday – Breakfast Nook

    Growing up my aunt and uncle had a breakfast nook in their kitchen. It was a small kitchen, and the table fit perfectly in the corner. I have so many fond memories of sitting at the table, eating saturday morning pancakes, making caramel apples, helping make Sunday dinner, and filling our school books out with my other aunt. With all the memories I knew one day I wanted a breakfast nook of my own.  When we moved into this home, I could picture the nook, and all the memories we would make. Since we didn’t actually own a table, we started looking for a breakfast nook, and found one (that was an interesting story you can read about here). 

    The time has come, however to say goodbye to our breakfast nook. I learned that a breakfast nook is not for family dinners, and definitely not guest friendly!  So we began our search once more for a perfect kitchen table.  This time I was impulsive, and bought one without talking to Mark first. I was at Deseret Industries, when my eyes fell on the perfect (albeit slightly worn) table.  It had no chairs, but it did have an extra leaf to extend it. Plus the price was more than right at $20!!  Unfortunately it didn’t fit in the van with the kids, so I had to call Mark and ask him to pick it up sometime before they closed.  Today we ate our first family meal on our new table. We all fit comfortably, and there was plenty of room to put hot dishes away from small hands.

    **If anyone is looking for a breakfast nook, and lives in the vicinity of Utah, I have one for sale.  They make some great memories!!

    I’m linking up with Cha Cha at The Heartfelt Home
    Sit Relax and Read

  • Apple Pie Spice Muffins

    Pinterest has become my new friend lately. I’ve been using it a for awhile, but I caught the baking bug, and pinterest just adds fuel to my fire. Check out these yummy looking and sounding French Toast Muffins!

    My only problem was, I forgot I ran out of cinnamon! Now that should be a staple in every pantry, but I keep forgetting it at the store. So I went through my spices, and pulled out the Apple Pie Spice! It really was good! I think I would’ve preferred cinnamon, but the Princesses gobbled these all up before lunch!  Definitely a hit.

  • Fried Apple Peach Pie

    Fried Apple Peach Pie

    It must be the weather, or the closeness to Thanksgiving, but I’ve started craving pies!  I had one problem, I didn’t want to go to the store, but I only had one can of peach pie filling and one can of Fried Apples.  I decided to throw caution out the door (as I often do when I cook) and mix the two together for a Fried Apple Peach Pie. Princess C helped me make the dough while Princess V was at school and Princess R was napping. I love these special moments I get to have with Princess C. 

    I am not going to give you the dough recipe we used, because it was the one part of the pie no one liked, and it was really really hard to work with. Sorry.
    After we got the dough ready Princess R was up and helped me taste the filling.
    She liked it, and then was mad I wouldn’t let her eat it all before cooking it.
    Before baking
    No it doesn’t look pretty, the dough really was very hard to work with.
    Shortly after baking
    There is less than half left this morning! Turns out apples and peach go pretty well together in a pie, who knew?  Ok maybe I’m just slow and this is a common pie, but it was new to us, and we liked it!
    For my filling I just combined Cracker Barrel’s Fried Apples
    and Comstock Wilderness More Fruit Peaches
    Comstock and Wilderness product
    Happy Holidays!
    Don’t forget while you start your holiday baking, to check out the 2011 Rodelle Baking Challenge! Share your baking stories and you could win a years supply of Premium Rodelle Baking ingredients and a KitchenAid mixer!
  • Menu Plan Monday 10/31

    Menu Plan Monday 10/31

    What’s on your menu this week?  If you plan a menu, make sure to link up over at Organizing Junkie (just click the picture!) to win a $75 visa gift card!!
    Monday – Burgers and Mummy Dogs
    Tuesday – Hamburger Helper
    Wednesday – Chicken Lettuce Cups
    Thursday – Pasta and Salad
    Friday – Bean and cheese Enchiladas
    Saturday – Leftovers (is this a trend or what?!)
    Sunday – Chili

  • Book Review: Feeding the Dragon

    Feeding the Dragon: A Culinary travelogue through china with recipes

    By Mary Kate Tate and Nate Tate

    My thoughts: I LOVED this book! Looking at the cover and title was good enough for me to want to pick it up. I have a few other cookbooks that are country specific with some history in them, but they were fairly boring to read.  When I Feeding the Dragon arrived in the mail, the cover told me this was going to be different, and it was!

    Mary Kate and Nate take you right to the heart of China! You get to see the real culture, people, and the history that surrounds them.  The photography in the book is also stunning. While reading about the culture, I really felt like I was right there with them!  Of course, I probably would’ve died from feral dogs, while Mary and Nate made an escape, but if I had made it, I’d be carrying a branch with me too!  While reading I felt very connected to the Hakka people.  Their homes are built around a central room used for all types of family gatherings, and they have strong focus on the family. What I really loved, though, is how they competely included Mary Kate and Nate and treated them as more family.  It’s what I want my home to be – a place anyone can come and feel like family. 
    Thank you Mary Kate and Nate for this trip to the heart of China, without having to leave my couch.  You have inspired me to search out the heart of the country when I travel (….if I travel…someday I’ll be a world traveler…you’ll see!).

    I have yet to try any of the recipes from this stunning book, but I have my eye on 4 that will be going on our menu very soon!  Youtiao Fried Dough Stick which apparently are like doughnuts, Farmhouse Omelet a very simple dish, Chicken Lettuce Cups because I love the ones at PF Changs, and Mango Pudding because the name accompanied with the picture is just irresistable!

    While browsing the web, I also came across Mary Kate and Nate’s BLOG! Yeah, I love blogs, so I’m very excited to add their’s to my reading list.  You can purchase their book Feeding the Dragon, through their website or by clicking the picture below!

    *This post contains an affiliate link. Thank you for supporting Home Maid Simple