As I noted when I shared my menu for this spring, I’ve tried to focus on easy-to-prepare dishes. My husband loves Louisiana Creole and Cajun dishes, so when I saw that this one is prepared in a slow cooker I knew we had to try it. Ingredients Adapted from the Favorite Brand Name One-Dish Recipes cookbook. 2 cups dried red beans 1 … [Read more...] about Slow Cooker Red Beans and Rice
Keeping the Home
Cost of Homemade vs. Prepackaged Breakfast Sandwiches
Homemade foods tend to be healthier and often cost less than their prepackaged counterparts. Thus, whenever possible, I try to make homemade varieties. Sometimes I wonder if it is really more affordable to make homemade versions. This week my husband and I crunched some numbers so we could compare the cost of homemade versus prepackaged … [Read more...] about Cost of Homemade vs. Prepackaged Breakfast Sandwiches
Spring 2016 Menu
I’m chasing after a toddler and dealing with the fatigue of pregnancy, so I’ve focused on easy-to-prepare meals while planning my family’s menu for this spring. I’ve detailed my menu planning process previously (read about it here). In summary, I develop a new monthly menu at the start of each season. We use each menu for the three … [Read more...] about Spring 2016 Menu
12 Flavorful Ways to Marinate Chicken
We tend to eat a lot of chicken. In fact, we eat so much of it that sometimes I get tired of it! Without a little creativity, it just gets old. Fortunately, there are numerous ways to jazz up chicken so it’s not boring. One of the easiest and most affordable ways to do this is to use marinades. After a few hours soaking in one of these, … [Read more...] about 12 Flavorful Ways to Marinate Chicken
Building a Functional Command Center
Until recently, my husband and I had a chronic problem with clutter on our dining table. Mail, pens, coupons, coins, grocery lists, etc. were always scattered on the tabletop. Our solution to this problem was to create a command center, which is an area in the home designed to keep the family organized. Let me describe the components we … [Read more...] about Building a Functional Command Center
Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Shells
I’ve mentioned before that cheesy dishes tend to be hits in my house. This easy-to-prepare one is no exception. Ingredients 32 oz. chicken broth 1 1/2 cups water 16 oz. small shell pasta 2 garlic cloves, minced 2-3 cups frozen broccoli, partially thawed and chopped 2 chicken breasts, cooked and cut into bite-size pieces … [Read more...] about Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Shells
Why Do Fruits Ripen so Quickly When Placed in Paper Bags?
I’ve always heard that you can accelerate the ripening of fruits by placing them in paper sacks. I know from personal experience that this works quite well, but why is this? The curious side of me can’t help but wonder what is so special about paper sacks. According to this cooking website, paper sacks trap a gas around fruits that … [Read more...] about Why Do Fruits Ripen so Quickly When Placed in Paper Bags?
Revisions and Customizations to My Cleaning Schedule
After sharing back in October of 2013 about my inability to find an effective cleaning schedule, I quickly learned that many of you shared the same struggle! My solution was to develop a cleaning schedule that was unique to my needs. My biggest quibble with the cleaning schedules I had seen previously was that they had various cleaning … [Read more...] about Revisions and Customizations to My Cleaning Schedule
