A couple of weeks ago I posted a blog entry (Filing Away Last Year) about a wonderful new filing system that was inspired by my friend, Julie Stiles Mills. Since then Julie has written a 3-part series entitled, “Don’t file paper at home anymore” at Pragmatic Compendium. In her charming and humorous style, she goes into a lot of detail on how to easily and efficiently tame the resident paper monster, and (this is the best part) teach other family members how to follow it! Here are the links:
Don’t file paper at home anymore: Part 1
Don’t file paper at home anymore: Part 2
Don’t file paper at home anymore: Part 3
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Super Bowl Bean Soup
This is a great recipe that my dear friend, Jacquelyn Lynn, gave to me a while back. I have tweaked it a little to suit my tastes, but its basically the same as hers. This recipe makes up enough to serve 6-8 people but if you have any left over, it freezes well.
INGREDIENTS:
Approx. 2 pounds browned ground beef*
1 (15 oz) can baby lima beans
1 (15 oz) can butter beans
1 (15 oz) can kidney beans
1 (28 oz) can pork and beans
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. mustard
1 tsp. garlic salt
1 tbsp. dried minced onion
PREPARATION:
Brown ground beef and drain off excess fat. Combine with remaining ingredients in a large pot (note: do not drain any of the beans – add the juices to the pot). Heat to a boil and let simmer (covered) or place in crockpot on low until ready to serve.
*Note: Can use 2 lbs. ground sausage or 1 lb. each of ground beef and ground sausage.
INGREDIENTS:
Approx. 2 pounds browned ground beef*
1 (15 oz) can baby lima beans
1 (15 oz) can butter beans
1 (15 oz) can kidney beans
1 (28 oz) can pork and beans
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. mustard
1 tsp. garlic salt
1 tbsp. dried minced onion
PREPARATION:
Brown ground beef and drain off excess fat. Combine with remaining ingredients in a large pot (note: do not drain any of the beans – add the juices to the pot). Heat to a boil and let simmer (covered) or place in crockpot on low until ready to serve.
*Note: Can use 2 lbs. ground sausage or 1 lb. each of ground beef and ground sausage.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Interactive Grocery Shopping List
MyRecipes.com has a really cool and interactive grocery shopping list that can be found by clicking here. What you do is select different recipes from their site (there are hundreds to choose from), add them to your shopping list, and it will sort and itemize everything. You can also add grocery items that are not part of the recipes like paper towels and laundry soap. Plus you can create and save over a dozen different shopping lists. Try it out!
Also, if you just want a comprehensive grocery list that you can simply print out and use, try the free printable grocery list at Busy Moms Recipes.
Also, if you just want a comprehensive grocery list that you can simply print out and use, try the free printable grocery list at Busy Moms Recipes.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
GodTube is on the Rise
GodTube.com has put a new spin on the acronym WWJD with online Christians asking, “What Would Jesus Download?” It was introduced last year as a video-sharing site that is very similar to the wildly popular YouTube.com, except that it features Christian-themed content only that is very closely monitored. In August 2007, it was identified by ComScore as the fastest growing website on the Internet and is currently attracting approximately 4 million visitors each month.
There are some excellent links to theological debates, inspirational music, comedies, and even cooking shows. I particularly enjoyed the heartwarming video of an adorable little girl reciting Psalm 23, which is one of the site’s most viewed links. Anyone not smiling after watching this must have a heart made of stone.
Although GodTube professes to be non-denominational, the site seems to have a strong Baptist perspective (perhaps because it is managed by Baptist seminary students) and provides some controversial links to videos indicating “Why Pentecostalism is not of God” and declaring “the papacy is not Biblical.”
Overall, I found the site to be a good browsing experience and would feel comfortable with my son and his friends visiting it. Other areas of interest at GodTube are the Virtual Bible (a great resource) and The Prayer Wall where you can light a virtual candle. There are also different ministries and social networking groups you can become part of. Check it out at www.godtube.com.
There are some excellent links to theological debates, inspirational music, comedies, and even cooking shows. I particularly enjoyed the heartwarming video of an adorable little girl reciting Psalm 23, which is one of the site’s most viewed links. Anyone not smiling after watching this must have a heart made of stone.
Although GodTube professes to be non-denominational, the site seems to have a strong Baptist perspective (perhaps because it is managed by Baptist seminary students) and provides some controversial links to videos indicating “Why Pentecostalism is not of God” and declaring “the papacy is not Biblical.”
Overall, I found the site to be a good browsing experience and would feel comfortable with my son and his friends visiting it. Other areas of interest at GodTube are the Virtual Bible (a great resource) and The Prayer Wall where you can light a virtual candle. There are also different ministries and social networking groups you can become part of. Check it out at www.godtube.com.
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Fouled-up Fries
Earlier this month I gave a review of Missy Chase Lapine’s, The Sneaky Chef cookbook. I made her recipe for Crispy No Fry Fries for my finicky son, who is also known around these parts as “The Fry King” because of his obsession with French fries. Much to my delight, he actually liked this healthier version of the standard French fry, so I have made them several times – but with an accidental twist. The second time I made this recipe I tried to do it without reading it again because I was in a hurry to get dinner in the oven and on the table. Here’s what happened:
Instead of using just the egg white as instructed, I cracked the last egg I had, added a tablespoon of olive oil and whipped them together in a bowl. As I was dipping the cut up fries in the mixture, my son (who was overseeing the proceedings) asked if the fries were supposed to be yellow. Huh?! Sure enough, I had included the egg yolk. And did you catch the part where I said this was my last egg?
Naturally I couldn’t let him know I had just screwed up because nary a single fry would pass between his lips. So I calmly assured him that yellow was definitely the color of choice for these tasty taters. And do you know what? He loved them! Insists they are the best fries I have ever made! And I get the same rave reviews each time I make them. So here’s the recipe:
Fouled-up Fries
1 whole egg
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 large russet potato
Salt, to taste
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Wash and cut potato into wedges, sticks or rounds. Whip together the egg and olive oil. Dip potatoes into the mixture and put on a cookie sheet that has been liberally sprayed with cooking oil. Cook for 15 minutes; flip potatoes over with a spatula and cook for an additional 10 minutes. Salt as desired.
Serves 2
*Note: The Sneaky Chef recommends dusting the fries with a tablespoon of cornmeal before baking, but I omitted that ingredient in my version. However, that does sound like an interesting option you may want to choose.
Copyright 2008 Charlene Davis
Instead of using just the egg white as instructed, I cracked the last egg I had, added a tablespoon of olive oil and whipped them together in a bowl. As I was dipping the cut up fries in the mixture, my son (who was overseeing the proceedings) asked if the fries were supposed to be yellow. Huh?! Sure enough, I had included the egg yolk. And did you catch the part where I said this was my last egg?
Naturally I couldn’t let him know I had just screwed up because nary a single fry would pass between his lips. So I calmly assured him that yellow was definitely the color of choice for these tasty taters. And do you know what? He loved them! Insists they are the best fries I have ever made! And I get the same rave reviews each time I make them. So here’s the recipe:
Fouled-up Fries
1 whole egg
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 large russet potato
Salt, to taste
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Wash and cut potato into wedges, sticks or rounds. Whip together the egg and olive oil. Dip potatoes into the mixture and put on a cookie sheet that has been liberally sprayed with cooking oil. Cook for 15 minutes; flip potatoes over with a spatula and cook for an additional 10 minutes. Salt as desired.
Serves 2
*Note: The Sneaky Chef recommends dusting the fries with a tablespoon of cornmeal before baking, but I omitted that ingredient in my version. However, that does sound like an interesting option you may want to choose.
Copyright 2008 Charlene Davis
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Filing Away Last Year
Stress, stress, stress! Good grief, every which way you turn is to be greeted with more stress. There is no avoiding it with sick kids, overextended credit cards, work deadlines, and life in general making its daily demands. So, we need to find viable solutions to deal with all of these hassles. For me, minimizing some of the pressure as much as possible has been the best alternative. And I’m doing that by trying to simplify and streamline specific areas of my life.
During the past year I have worked on my home one room at a time by decluttering and reorganizing everything to its best possible advantage. My mission is almost accomplished and I can actually see the light at the end of the tunnel. The last room to receive a complete overhaul and makeover is my office, which still looks like something from a disaster photo-op. But even in there I have started implementing small strategies to make this an easier transition than it looks. And it looks bad.
For example, last year I initiated a new filing plan that my longtime friend, Julie Stiles Miles (a/k/a The Book Lady), shared a couple of years ago in Bible study. We were discussing the book, Living With Less: The Upside of Downsizing Your Life, by Mark Tabb (Broadman & Holman), and how to get more out of life by choosing to live with less. (This is an excellent book that is scripturally based.) I was complaining about my resident paper monster and how I had several years of filing piled up waiting to be crammed into about a hundred or so folders. Julie’s solution was simple: Don’t do it.
Although I can’t quote her verbatim, I recall Julie saying something to the effect that folders should only be used for paperwork that will be used actively such as bank statements and medical records, and to segregate other types of business and client materials. But to assign a folder to every single piece of paper that will probably never be touched again is unnecessary and time-consuming. Julie recommended sorting the filing by year and then pulling out only the pertinent papers that needed folders. The rest could go into a box or expandable file folder with the year marked on it and set aside for easy access, if necessary. If I need to find something at a later date, I know exactly where to go and look for it.
This filing method has been so liberating! Such a simple solution to an overwhelming task. Now on to the next phase: organizing ALL of these cookbooks!
During the past year I have worked on my home one room at a time by decluttering and reorganizing everything to its best possible advantage. My mission is almost accomplished and I can actually see the light at the end of the tunnel. The last room to receive a complete overhaul and makeover is my office, which still looks like something from a disaster photo-op. But even in there I have started implementing small strategies to make this an easier transition than it looks. And it looks bad.
For example, last year I initiated a new filing plan that my longtime friend, Julie Stiles Miles (a/k/a The Book Lady), shared a couple of years ago in Bible study. We were discussing the book, Living With Less: The Upside of Downsizing Your Life, by Mark Tabb (Broadman & Holman), and how to get more out of life by choosing to live with less. (This is an excellent book that is scripturally based.) I was complaining about my resident paper monster and how I had several years of filing piled up waiting to be crammed into about a hundred or so folders. Julie’s solution was simple: Don’t do it.
Although I can’t quote her verbatim, I recall Julie saying something to the effect that folders should only be used for paperwork that will be used actively such as bank statements and medical records, and to segregate other types of business and client materials. But to assign a folder to every single piece of paper that will probably never be touched again is unnecessary and time-consuming. Julie recommended sorting the filing by year and then pulling out only the pertinent papers that needed folders. The rest could go into a box or expandable file folder with the year marked on it and set aside for easy access, if necessary. If I need to find something at a later date, I know exactly where to go and look for it.
This filing method has been so liberating! Such a simple solution to an overwhelming task. Now on to the next phase: organizing ALL of these cookbooks!
Friday, January 04, 2008
The Sneaky Chef - Cookbook Review
“The Sneaky Chef: Simple Strategies for Hiding Healty Foods in Kids' Favorite Meals,” by Missy Chase Lapine (Running Press), is quite possibly one of the best cookbooks for nutritional eating that I have come across in a long time. The secret to its success lies in pureeing many of the “special” ingredients such as orange puree (sweet potato and carrot), purple puree (spinach and blueberries), green puree (broccoli, spinach and peas), and white puree (cauliflower and zucchini). There are other interesting types of vegetable and fruit purees to be used in the preparation of different recipes, but these seem to be the main ones used throughout the book. My son, the quissential picky eater of all time, did not detect the orange puree I slipped into the Crunchy Chicken Tenders and snarfed those chick sticks up like candy.
As most folks know, “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” and that old adage definitely applies to children; a fact keenly recognized by Lapine. She offers great tips on how to make food appear more appealing and fun like serving the Crispy No-Fry Fries in an ice cream parfait glass, cutting the Fortified French Toast into sticks, or adding rainbow sprinkles on top of the Brainy Brownies. In Chapter 5: “The Sneaky Chef’s Bag of Tricks,” Lapine points out parents are battling against food companies who use similar tricks to get kids to try their unwholesome, pre-packaged cuisine. “This method makes us parents into smart marketers,” she says. “Make no mistake about it – you are competing with multimillion dollar ad campaigns that bombard kids into trying their dolled-up junk food.”
Of course, critics are going to complain that by hiding fruits and vegetables in recipes, kids are not developing a true appreciation for these types of food. My response to that is: whatever. Seriously, I will do whatever it takes to get my son to eat healthy and nutritional food on a daily basis. That includes sneaking in “icky stuff” like zucchini and carrots that were previously fed to the dogs under the table.
One of the best things about this book – aside from the nutritional merits – is that the recipes are easy to prepare. And here at Busy Moms Recipes, we’re all about easy! Don’t be dissuaded by the thought of having to steam and puree a variety of fruits and vegetables. This type of preparation can be done well in advance to be used at a later time – or you can use the instant supermarket puree recommendations found in the book. And, while preparing recipes from scratch using whole grains and organic produce is the better alternative, a lot of folks who are time-challenged can utilize some of Lapine’s Quick Fix options that incorporate pre-packaged foods like boxed macaroni and cheese, SpaghettiOs, and applesauce.
With it’s easy to read format, helpful tip boxes and sidebars, and cleverly disguised recipes, it’s easy to see how this book so quickly made New York Times bestseller list!
Click here for more information about The Sneaky Chef
Copyright 2008 Charlene Davis. All rights reserved.
As most folks know, “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” and that old adage definitely applies to children; a fact keenly recognized by Lapine. She offers great tips on how to make food appear more appealing and fun like serving the Crispy No-Fry Fries in an ice cream parfait glass, cutting the Fortified French Toast into sticks, or adding rainbow sprinkles on top of the Brainy Brownies. In Chapter 5: “The Sneaky Chef’s Bag of Tricks,” Lapine points out parents are battling against food companies who use similar tricks to get kids to try their unwholesome, pre-packaged cuisine. “This method makes us parents into smart marketers,” she says. “Make no mistake about it – you are competing with multimillion dollar ad campaigns that bombard kids into trying their dolled-up junk food.”
Of course, critics are going to complain that by hiding fruits and vegetables in recipes, kids are not developing a true appreciation for these types of food. My response to that is: whatever. Seriously, I will do whatever it takes to get my son to eat healthy and nutritional food on a daily basis. That includes sneaking in “icky stuff” like zucchini and carrots that were previously fed to the dogs under the table.
One of the best things about this book – aside from the nutritional merits – is that the recipes are easy to prepare. And here at Busy Moms Recipes, we’re all about easy! Don’t be dissuaded by the thought of having to steam and puree a variety of fruits and vegetables. This type of preparation can be done well in advance to be used at a later time – or you can use the instant supermarket puree recommendations found in the book. And, while preparing recipes from scratch using whole grains and organic produce is the better alternative, a lot of folks who are time-challenged can utilize some of Lapine’s Quick Fix options that incorporate pre-packaged foods like boxed macaroni and cheese, SpaghettiOs, and applesauce.
With it’s easy to read format, helpful tip boxes and sidebars, and cleverly disguised recipes, it’s easy to see how this book so quickly made New York Times bestseller list!
Click here for more information about The Sneaky Chef
Copyright 2008 Charlene Davis. All rights reserved.
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