Candied Walnuts

Warning: If you lack self control, do not make these! I am having a very hard time not devouring them, and I really want them to be around to top my salad tonight.

I am notorious for hanging out in the kitchen creating things that I end up loving but that I cannot recreate because I don't remember what I did. That's why I am loving this website. It is holding me accountable for writing things down as I go so I can share them and record them here. I bought some walnuts last night in bulk on a whim. I decided to candy them for a salad topping, but I couldn't find a recipe that looked good. I didn't want Christmas-y cinnamon walnuts, but a more fruity, summer flavor. I came up with this recipe and love it. If you do want a different flavor, this recipe is easy to adapt. Just omit the fruity ingredients, and add your favorite spices instead.

Alicia's Candied Walnuts

approximately 1 cup of walnut halves - can be a little more or a little less

1 cup sugar

1 tablespoon blackberry preserves (you can use any type of preserves in your fridge, or you can skip this entirely)

1 tablespoon orange juice

6 tablespoons milk

1 tablespoon vanilla

Preheat your oven to 350, and toast your walnuts on a baking sheet (approximately 8-10 minutes). Check them to make sure you don't overdo it!

Meanwhile, cook sugar, preserves, juice, and milk over medium heat until a candy thermometer reads around 235 degrees (again, approx. 8-10 minutes). The temperature does not have to be exact. You'll want the mixture to have thickened and to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat, and stir in the vanilla. At this point, dump in your walnuts, stir them to coat, then pour the mixture onto a piece of wax paper. Immediately spread your walnuts out (use a fork, it is HOT!) so they are not touching. Let cool on the counter, then break up and store in an airtight container.

I chose to chop these before toasting and coating, but they work well either way. Also, if you put these in a cute jar and tie it with a pretty ribbon, they'd make a great gift. Enjoy!

Granola

My sister posted the perfect basic granola recipe on her Facebook page. I made it for Chris to take to work, and now he's hooked. As soon as his supply runs out, I make another batch. It's delicious and very, very versatile. Here's the basic recipe followed by the things I added to make this Rocky Road granola. Yum!

Ingredients

18 ounces of old-fashioned oats (not quick-cooking)

1 cup shredded coconut

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 c. chopped nuts (optional)

a few dashes of your favorite spices

1/3 cup veg. oil

1/2 cup honey (more or less depending on your desired level of sweetness...I tend to use less)

4 T. molasses

4 T. maple syrup

2 T. vanilla

In a microwave-safe dish, heat the oil, honey, molasses, and syrup until it is thin enough to stir and combine. Add vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients over the top, and stir to combine. Bake at 300 degrees on a foil-lined baking sheet (or a heavily sprayed sheet - it'll stick) for about 30 minutes. This is the hardest part, as sometimes it cooks faster/slower, so check and stir every 5 minutes or so. It will not be crunchy when it's done, just lightly browned. Allow to cool, and it will become nice and crisp!

For the Rocky Road, add 1/4 cup of peanut butter to the wet mixture. After baking, stir in 1/4 cup of marshmallows and 1/4 cup of chocolate chips stirring to combine.

Other variations: dried cherries and chocolate chips, dried cranberries and white chocolate chips, candied or dried fruits.

FUN website!

If you're a sucker for design and party ideas like I am, this is a great place to spend some time.

My Mary Makeover, Troubleshooting

I think the plan I've come up with is really going to work for me, but I completely acknowledge that there are definitely going to be forces working against me. Namely, Hannah and sometimes Chris. =) I have never successfully run a household filled with children, but I have successfully run a classroom filled with children. My classroom was always neat, tidy, and clean. Here are some of my ideas for keeping the childhood clutter to a minimum:


1) Make sure there's a place for everything. Clutter can't be put away easily if there is not a designated place for it to belong. If your kids are old enough to sort their toys when putting them away, make sure the bins are clearly labelled making it easy for the kids to find the proper spot. In my classroom each type of toy was in its own container. I took a picture of each toy, and put the pic on the front of the bin where it belonged.
2) I have toy bins (baskets, trunks, and other decorative containers) in the family room, Hannah's bedroom, kitchen, and the playroom for toys. That way things can be quickly tossed into a bin instead of organized, sorted, and returned to the room they belong in a pinch.
3) If you have multiple children and, therefore, multiple homes for different toys, I saw this great idea that I will definitely institute when we have more kids. You can personalize them with an initial, decorate them with fabric that would match a child's room, or assign each child their own color to make it especially theirs. Then hang it on their bedroom's door knob to collect random trinkets that have been left lying around throughout the day.
4) When I'm collecting clutter, I typically walk around the house with a laundry basket. I'll go on a mission to find everything that belongs in our master bedroom, put it in the basket, and carry it to that room. I usually repeat for each room. This way you only have to make one trip to each room instead of multiple trips with multiple handfuls.
5) Enlist your kids in the cleaning process. You can assign them age-appropriate chores for the Zone of the day. For example, if it's kitchen day, hand your toddler a bag, and let them go to town picking up crumbs off the floor. Or you can allow them to help to clean the face of appliances by soaking a paper towel in vinegar. They can wipe to their heart's content without having to handle harsh chemicals. Have your preschoolers help with making their beds, sorting laundry, etc. Of course, you'll have to accept an outcome that is developmentally-appropriate. When it's time to pick up toys, make it into a game. You can have a special hat (think decorated hard hats or a silly child-decorated baseball cap or visor) that the kids don for cleaning. Set a timer, grab the hats, and let the kids go to town. And don't forget the power of a simple sticker chart for your little helpers. Let this be a reward-only system and not associated with punishment to keep it fun and upbeat.

I think the thing I'm going to have to keep in mind when Hannah's older (and when we add more children to the mix) is that my standard of perfection will have to be compromised if I want Hannah to help cheerfully. If I go behind her "fixing" her accomplishment, I'll steal the sense of pride. If I demand perfection, I'll end up in the looney bin, and she'll never want to help fearing my disapproval. So a valiant effort should be rewarded and the imperfections ignored.

I hope this system works well for you. If you have any ideas, questions, or concerns, please feel free to comment!

Baby stuff

I heard a great tip a few weeks ago about swim diapers. Did you know that you can wash and dry them with the regular laundry and reuse them as long as they are only wet and not soiled? Awesome money savings! I was a little skeptical thinking they'd lose their elasticity and their ability to hold the urine, but they don't at all. Good as new. Of course, if you so desire, you could just buy the cloth swim diapers. But we got a pack of Pampers swimmies last Labor Day when we went to Georgia (and to my sister's pool) and couldn't find anything smaller than a size 3. Hannah's still in size 3 diapers, and I'm still on the first pack of those diapers we've ever gotten.

Secondly, Hannah got her 15-month shots and the very next day started to cut all 4 canines (eye teeth). I've heard horrible things about these teeth coming in, and Hannah definitely suffered (and she's still at it). She spiked a 101 fever from the shots and teeth combo, and she developed a horrible diaper rash. She would scream and writhe in pain when we'd change dirty diapers, and it was heartbreaking. We ran out of wipes, and Chris went to the store for me. He came back with a different wipe than I normally get (Huggies Naturally Refreshing with Green Tea), and I was leery to try new wipes on such a rashy rear. When I used them for the first time, I was shocked. Hannah didn't even flinch! Her rash was no better than it was when I used my old standard (Huggies sensitive skin - no dyes or perfumes), but she showed no discomfort at all. When we were out and about, she screamed again at the use of the sensitive skin wipes that are in the car. Then again, when we got home, she didn't react at all to the new ones. So, for once, the claim on the packaging seemed to ring true for us. It's worth a shot!

Mary Makeover, Part Three

Do you have a compiled list of everyday chores and Zone chores? If so, it's time to create a routine that will work for you. First, decide which days you'd like to have off. For me, those days are Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. I'll do my best to maintain my cleaning routine Tuesday - Friday.
Next, decide how you want to tackle your list of daily chores. For example, I am already in the habit of loading the dishwasher each night and programming it to run while we're sleeping, handwashing the dishes that need it, then wiping down the sink and countertops. Then in the morning I unload the clean dishes. I'll make my bed as soon as I get out of it, and sweep the floor just after Hannah goes to bed - all routines already firmly established. Once I get into a routine of doing something, it just seems easy, so routines are key for me.
Lastly, carve 30 minutes out of your day that is consistent(ish) to tackle that day's Zone chores. Hannah takes a good, consistent, long nap each morning. Afternoon naps are always iffy. So I'm planning my Zone cleaning for the mornings and not the afternoons. I want to have a time I can count on.
Here's where the Zone cleaning gets flexible. My house is not always picked up enough to just be able to focus on the regular chores. Usually my routine has to involve de-cluttering and picking up before I can get to the table/floor/counter to clean it in the first place. I spend my time de-cluttering and wipe myself out before I get to the cleaning part. In this case, spend 30 minutes in that day's Zone tackling one project. For example, we had a last-minute big family gathering at our house on 4th of July weekend. To "clean" I literally picked up every piece of clutter/extra baskets and bins/etc. and threw it into our bedroom. Instead of cleaning our bedroom the other day, I just spent that time organizing and finding a home for all of the random odds and ends that were thrown in there. I'll clean it the next time that Zone rolls around. It's nice because it doesn't make that Zone overwhelming. Another example of organizing instead of cleaning would be for my guest bedroom. It's not a dusty room, and the floor doesn't get a lot of action, so the cleaning is minimal. The armoire, however, is a disaster inside. So one day I might (emphasis on might) decide to spend that 30 minutes organizing the armoire instead of cleaning.
What about the deep-cleaning issues like the inside of the refrigerator, scrubbing grout, and cleaning blinds? I'm going to use one day per week to do deep-cleaning in one Zone. Next week is deep-cleaning week for Zone 1. So the only day I'll actually tackle more than just the easy surface stuff is Tuesday.

I must say that this plan has made me excited and motivated about possibly being able to consistently maintain a tidy house for the first time in my life. I would really like to have a well-established routine before we introduce even more family members so I can stay on top of stuff and avoid my marathon cleaning rituals before we expect company. Having a consistently clean house seems impossible, and I'm thrilled that this plan is doable. I will be completely honest, though, and share my failings openly. Please let me know if you're using any part of the plan and how it's working for you!

Mary Makeover, Part Two

The next step in my housecleaning planning was to separate my house into cleaning zones. I used these rules when determining the zones:

1) I only wanted to have 4 days of zone cleaning, so I separated my house into 4 zones
2) In order to make the cleaning approximately the same amount of time each day (my goal is 30 minutes or less), I separated the zones accordingly. (i.e. The kitchen takes a long time, the guest bedroom and Hannah's room don't. So the kitchen is one zone by itself, and the secondary bedrooms are grouped together.)
3) Proximity is important so you don't have to lug tools across the house all morning. Make the zones in the same basic area.

I have a 1450 square foot home with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, so four zones are very reasonable. If you have a bigger, more complex house, you'd probably need more zones. My zones are as follows:
Zone 1 - Kitchen and Laundry Room
Zone 2 - Main Living Areas (Foyer, Dining Room, Family Room)
Zone 3 - Secondary Bedrooms, Bathroom, and Hallway
Zone 4 - Master Bed and Bath

The next step was to define all of the weekly maintenance items that need to be done in each zone. These are not the deep-cleaning things that really only need to happen once a month (or less!). Here's my example for the kitchen:
Clean counters and sink
Clean the surfaces of the microwave, dishwasher, and refrigerator
Scrub cooktop
Dust shelves
Clean coffee pot
Clear cobwebs
Sweep and mop floors

Notice that this list does not include things like cleaning out the refrigerator, organizing the pantry, etc. So, in its entirety, my job in the kitchen should take between 15 and 30 minutes.

Happy Zoning!

My Kitchen Decision Progress

Alternately Titled: "Why My Husband is Shaking His Head"I got a resounding lighter-cabinet response from my last kitchen makeover post. I already had the materials I'd need to test it out, so I did one cabinet door yesterday, and I love it! For some reason painting those wood cabinets was intimidating to me...so permanent! But the second the paint touched the surface, I was hooked. I used a color called "Muslin Wrap" which was a muted white, and I made my own glaze with glazing medium and a walnut stain.
Here's why my husband is shaking his head - I don't like the distressed finish on the cabinets next to the distressed finish on the walls. Instead of wanting to just paint the cabinets one solid colors so they coordinate better, I think I want to do the distressed cabinet and paint the walls a solid color. Oh boy. It took us forever to do the kitchen walls. We had wallpaper, a wallpaper border, and some textured walls before. We removed wallpaper, primed the walls, did the texture, painted, then glazed. This alone sounds daunting, but you have to factor that we have a lot of wall space and that our walls are 14-feet tall in the kitchen. Ugh. It took so long to complete. When I was finished, I was not 100% pleased, but it was so much work, we lived with it. The problem is that the glaze is really hard to get to look even and natural when your walls are so big. There are parts where the glaze took differently and is shiny, and places where it's dull. There are places where the glaze dried more before it was wiped off and is smudgy-looking. People say they don't notice, but I do. Also, there are several places that were nicked or were pulled off by painter's tape. I tried to touch them up, but it's very obvious. To really hide the imperfections, the walls would have to be re-done. All this being said, I'm actually considering painting the walls. I would probably do a muted olive green, much like the average between the two tones now but with no glaze. I went to Lowe's last night for a thousand paint chips which I have in the kitchen staring back at me.
I'll definitely keep you posted on the progress as I make up my mind. Thanks for all your help!

My Mary Makeover, Step One

I referenced my new housekeeping plan in a post on my family blog, and I thought I'd share how I've started. I did a lot of searching online, and I decided Flylady.com was the most similar to what I had in mind. It doesn't really fit my lifestyle, however, so I did a lot of tweaking. I needed a routine that:

1) Was very flexible and allowed for days off - if we're invited to do something last-minute, I refuse to let something like chores make me turn down the offer
2) Focused on keeping things neat and organized, not just appearing to be neat and organized
3) Met me where I am, not where I hope to be - I have a long way to go to get my house to neat and tidy, and it's not reasonable for me to have to get it to perfect before I can use a system to maintain it
4) Takes very little time per day - can reasonably be accomplished during naptime and still give me time to workout and shower (okay, I had a hard time saying "workout" with a straight face, but I'm adding that to my goals)
5) Keeps my house looking good all the time eliminating my last-minute hours-long cleaning marathon before company is expected

So, with that in mind, I set to the planning phase. The first step was to determine the things that I need to do every day to keep up with the house. Here is my list:
1) Empty and reload the dishwasher
2) Wipe down the kitchen counters
3) Wipe down the kitchen table and high chair
4) Make the beds
5) Clean up baby toys
6) Use the dust mop to sweep wood floors, and run the Roomba in the kitchen

If you're going to jump in to this project too, start by making a short list of things you would like to accomplish every day.

Yum!

I saw a commercial for Yoplait Whips the other day suggesting freezing them and enjoying them like you would frozen yogurt. It is delicious! Go freeze some today for a cool and healthier summer treat.

Extreme Home Makeover

Okay, it's probably not that extreme, actually. But I need opinions. I've had several home improvement projects on my mind for a long time now, and I just need to make up my mind. First up - the kitchen. We textured and painted the walls long ago, and the counters and cabinets need some work. The cabinets are all solid, sturdy, and functional, so I'm just painting them. But I cannot decide which of my two ideas to go with. I either want to paint them a muted white, then do a chocolate glaze (something like these)or just solid black - something like this:Here are a few pictures of the kitchen. In case the colors aren't true on all computers, the walls are olive green with a walnut glaze. The appliances are stainless, the floors are neutral, and the countertops aren't staying. Alright, what would you do?

Barbecue Chicken Pizza

We've been in a homemade pizza kick for awhile now, and this one was a huge hit. If you've never made a pizza at home before, definitely try this! It's simple and delicious.

Barbecue Chicken Pizza

1 tube Pillsbury pizza dough (found in the refrigerator section with the biscuits in a tube)

1/4 plus 1/8 cup barbecue sauce

1/3 cup cooked shredded chicken

1/4 red onion, diced

1 Tablespoon brown sugar

olive oil

shredded Parmesan cheese

fresh or shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Grease a cookie sheet, and roll out the dough spreading according to package directions. (Note - I used a Pampered Chef pizza stone that I preheated the first time I made this recipe, and it was a disaster. The dough begins to cook immediately, and I was unable to spread it out properly. This time I used a regular cookie sheet that I did not preheat, and it was perfect. I only use the stone when I make my own dough.)

Meanwhile saute diced red onion in olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat until translucent. Add brown sugar, and stir. Turn the heat to lo, and add 1/4 cup of barbecue sauce and shredded chicken, and stir to combine.

While the mixture is warming, spread 1/8 cup barbecue sauce over the dough to about 1/2 inch from the edge. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Then spread the chicken mixture evenly. Top with mozzarella cheese.

Bake at 425 for 13-17 minutes or until the crust is browned and the cheese is brown and bubbling.

4th of July Recipes

We had a really fun extended holiday weekend. Chris' family had a reunion with his mom's siblings and cousin. It was such a great time of catching up, watching fireworks, laughing, and eating and eating and eating. I love family get togethers! We had a big cookout on the 4th, a brunch at our house on the 5th, then a dinner at my sister-in-law's tonight. I tried some new recipes and some old favorites, and I wanted to compile them all here.

Broccoli Ramen Slaw

1 bag prepared broccoli slaw (by the bagged salads)

2 packs Ramen noodles, any flavor

4 green onions, chopped

1/4 cup salted sunflower seeds

1/2 cup white sugar

1/4 cup oil

1/3 cup cider vinegar

In a large bowl, combine slaw, crushed noodles (uncooked), green onions, and sunflower seeds. In a separate bowl, combine sugar, oil, vinegar, and the Ramen flavor packets. Pour the dressing over the slaw about 30 minutes before serving and refrigerate to allow the flavors to meld.

Candy Bar Trifle

1 box of your favorite brownie mix baked in a jelly roll pan or a 9x13

2 packs of instant cheesecake or french vanilla pudding made according to package directions

1 tub of Cool Whip, thawed

a handful of your favorite candy bars

In a large bowl, fold the prepared pudding into the Cool Whip. Cut the brownie into squares, and line the bottom of a trifle bowl. Pour a third of the pudding/Cool Whip mixture on top, then sprinkle with chopped candy bar. Repeat twice more, and refrigerate until it's time to serve.

Grandma Trudy's Strawberry Cake

1 angel food cake (I always use store-bought)

1 pack strawberry Jello

1 tub of Cool Whip

1 pint of strawberries

1 pint of blueberies

Cut the angel food cake into squares, and fill the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Wash and slice the strawberries. Sprinkle about a 1/2 cup of the sliced strawberries among the angel food cake. Make the Jello according to the package directions, and pour it over the angel food cake and strawberries. Refrigerate overnight (or until set). Spread the entire tub of Cool Whip over the cake, then top with the rest of the strawberries and blueberries. Serve cold.

Chopped Antipasti Salad

1 head of Romaine lettuce, chopped

1/2 red onion, chopped

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

3 Roma tomatoes, diced

1 cucumber, diced

1 cup diced fresh Mozarella

1 cup kalamata olives

1/2 cup chopped salami (I just used the thin deli-sliced, but you can use thick-cut)

1/2 cup chopped smoked turkey breast (again, I used thin deli-sliced)

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

fresh ground black pepper

Dressing

1 part balsamic vinaigrette to 1 part Caesar dressing

Toss all ingredients immediately before serving.

For brunch, I served dishes that can be found here.

In the midst of the weekend I also made homemade ice cream that turned out to be out of this world. That recipe can be found here and here. Do yourselves a favor, and go make this now! Delicious.

I hope you and yours had a wonderful holiday weekend! Thank you to all of our servicemen and women who made/make such a celebration possible.