Every now and then I come up with an idea for a truly unique dish—something that is unlike anything I’ve eaten previously. That’s what happened when I thought of Italian Chicken Grilled Cheese Sandwiches while developing our menu for this fall. These tasty sandwiches are easy to prepare and hearty, making them a great addition to our … [Read more...] about Italian Chicken Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
Keeping the Home
How to Sew Simple Rod Pocket Curtains: A Tutorial for Novices
When my husband and I purchased our home two years ago, we went in search of curtains. I was surprised at how pricy they were! Though I have very rudimentary sewing skills, I decided to purchase fabric and sew my own. Now that we are furnishing a nursery, I purchased some cute fabric and pulled out the sewing machine once again. Rod … [Read more...] about How to Sew Simple Rod Pocket Curtains: A Tutorial for Novices
Dare to Prepare: Remaining Vigilant
September is National Preparedness Month. As we did last year, we’re going to take advantage of the national emphasis on disaster preparedness to look at a couple of important topics. Public health experts recommend that all households create an emergency plan and assemble a basic disaster supply kit. Though these sound like good ideas … [Read more...] about Dare to Prepare: Remaining Vigilant
Fall 2014 Menu
The official start of autumn is only a couple of weeks away. In addition to the changing leaves and pumpkin-flavored baked goods, I’m eager to start a new menu. As I’ve shared before, I periodically develop monthly menus. We use each for 3 consecutive months before moving on to a new one (read more on why and how I plan monthly menus … [Read more...] about Fall 2014 Menu
Frugal Ways to Create Variety in Your Meals
If you have a limited grocery budget, chances are you eat many of the same foods over and over again. In my household we eat a lot of chicken, ground turkey, brown rice, apples, and bananas. These are some of the most affordable foods in the grocery store, so they’re our staples. Without a little creativity, our meals would get pretty … [Read more...] about Frugal Ways to Create Variety in Your Meals
Tips for Freezing Casseroles
With our little girl due to be born in just 10 weeks, I’m starting to freeze meals to help us make it through the postpartum period. My husband and I love casseroles, so I’m assembling a number of these. I’m drawing on my previous experience and suggestions in a decades-old Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book to make sure these casseroles … [Read more...] about Tips for Freezing Casseroles
Christmas in July: Christmas Planning Printables
Lists are one of my favorite tools for planning in advance. In today’s installment of Christmas in July 2014, I’m sharing some planning worksheets that I created that are even more useful than lists! If you’ve missed the previous installments in this year’s Christmas in July, you can read them here and here. One list I usually start … [Read more...] about Christmas in July: Christmas Planning Printables
Slow Cooker Hot Fudge Cake
I’m not a huge fan of cake, but when I saw this recipe in a cookbook I desperately wanted to try it. Perhaps it was just because I was hungry. After all, I was thumbing through the cookbook while sitting in a lab waiting room during a 3 hour glucose tolerance test for which I’d been fasting! Regardless of why it sounded good, I’m glad I tried … [Read more...] about Slow Cooker Hot Fudge Cake
