Make Ahead Meals – Cheesy Chicken and Rice w/broccoli

June 24th, 2011

I have recently entered the wonderful world of motherhood. My days of spending an hour or more preparing a gourmet dinner are now over and I am coming to have an ever greater appreciation for the ease and convenience of Make Ahead Meals. So I am beginning a new category where I will post all of my successful recipes, starting with this one that I came up with last night…

Cheesy Chicken and Rice w/broccoli

One can of campbell’s cheese soup

1/2 cup of milk

1/2 cup cheese

1 head of broccoli, lightly steamed (or sub frozen)

2 cooked chicken breasts, cubed

1 cup cooked rice (I used half brown and half white)

salt and pepper to taste

Mix together the soup and milk. Add all other ingredients except the cheese and mix them all up. Pour into a greased 9×9 baking dish. Top with the cheese. Cover with foil and throw it in the fridge to cook for dinner. Cook at 350 for about an hour. Remove the foil for the last 10 minutes of cooking time. Let stand for 10 minutes after it comes out of the oven. Serves 2

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Cleaning Toilets with Rocks and Vinegar

October 2nd, 2010

Who new? Maybe my grandmother… In my quest to avoid harsh chemical products, yet still keep a clean house I have come across this beautiful gem. I was actually at Longs searching for something strange like ammonia dioxide  when I came across the pumice scouring stone. It looked a bit odd to be next to the comet so I picked it up and had a look. It seems that you use this thing to scour your toilet bowl and remove those nasty rings. All I have ever known about cleaning a toilet is chemicals and toilet brushes and I must admit, an ugly ring had developed over the years and though I had scrubbed and scrubbed I couldn’t get rid of it. So I bought the rock. I looked up natural toilet cleaners online and found someone that said vinegar did the trick. So I dumped some vinegar in, donned the trusty yellow cleaning gloves and got to work with the stone. Lo and behold I now have a toilet bowl so white and clean you could eat out of it! Here’s exactly what I did…

  1. Pour 1 cup of white vinegar into toilet bowl (toilet should be at least half full, if it’s not add a small bucket of plain water)
  2. Let it sit for about 30 minutes
  3. Scrub with normal toilet brush
  4. Glove up and scrub any stains off with pumice scouring stone. (I was a bit timid at first as I was afraid I would scratch the toilet bowl. What I found was that you needed a bit of pressure but not too much. The pumice crumbles as you go. Go easy at first and you will get a feel for it).
  5. One more scrub with the normal brush
  6. Flush and inspect. Hit any last stains with the rock, and final brush if necessary.

Clean and fresh!

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Natural Ant Remedy

October 1st, 2010

No matter what I do, I cannot rid my house of ants without the nasty kind of pesticides that no one wants around. So, now 3 months pregnant, the nasty stuff is off limits from now on – in the house at least – and I need to figure out a natural solution. I have tried borax mixed with sugar, organic citrus repellent, dusting the underside of the house with borax powder. So far nothing has worked. So I just learned a new one – Coffee! So my plan is to make cute little coffee pouches to place strategically around the house. Will it work? That remains to be seen. I will let you know once I know. If anyone else out there has any suggestions please share!

** update – so I went and got a pair of pantyhose and dumped a bunch of crappy kirkland coffee grounds into the legs, chopped each leg off and tied it closed. A little bit of fine grounds leak through the hose but I figure, no harm in that. I laid my little coffee sock puppets along a wall that has been a constant plague of little single ants. I don’t get the long trails, just a bunch of random ants scouting around (impossible to figure out where they come from or what they are after). One day later and there are no ants on the wall! This could be the solution!

*******FINAL UPDATE!!!! It Didn’t work :( :(  Ants are back, crawling over my coffee pouches…. RATS! Foiled again!

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Homemade Granola

November 6th, 2009

So good, so easy and so much cheaper then buying a box – especially in Hawaii where cereal product prices go up with the price of oil!

Delicious homemade granola over yogurt and sliced banana. The perfect breakfast.

Delicious homemade granola over yogurt and sliced banana. The perfect breakfast.

There are so many options as far as flavorings and extras when you make your own granola. I found a fantastic article on usaweekend.com I’ve included recipe’s below.

I chose to make Classic Granola except that I used 1/2 cup chopped pecans and 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds and I left out the raisins. There are so many different options and you can mix and match the flavors you like best. I used what I like and happened to have on hand. Once you have the basics down get creative, go crazy!

Master Granola Recipe (makes 1 quart)

Adjust oven rack to middle position, and heat oven to 275 degrees. Coat a 9-by-13-inch metal pan with cooking spray, then set aside. Mix oats, wheat germ, brown sugar, salt and Extra Ingredients –except dried fruit — in a bowl. In another bowl mix syrup, oil, water and any Flavoring indicated below. Drizzle over oat mixture, and stir to combine. Pour mixture onto prepared pan. Working a handful at a time, squeeze cereal to form small clumps. Bake for 30 minutes. Stir in dried fruit. Continue to bake until golden brown, about 20-30 minutes longer. Let cool. (Granola can be stored in an airtight tin for up to two weeks.)

2 cups old-fashioned oats (do not use quick oats or instant)
1/2 cup wheat germ
2 Tbs. dark brown sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cup maple syrup
3 Tbs. flavorless oil, such as vegetable or canola
1 Tb. water
Flavoring  and extra ingredients (see below)

1. Classic Granola
Extra Ingredients: 1/3 cup chopped walnuts, 1/3 cup sweetened flake coconut, 1/3 cup dark or golden raisins
Flavoring: 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
You can replace the 1/4 cup of maple syrup with 2 Tbs. each of maple syrup and molasses.

2. Crunchy Granola
Extra Ingredients: 1/4 cup slivered almonds, 1/4 cup sunflower seeds, 2 Tbs. sesame seeds, 6 Tbs. currants
Flavoring: none

3. Granola with Tropical Flavoring
Add the coconut along with the cashews and banana chips.
Extra Ingredients: 1/4 cup chopped roasted unsalted cashews, 1/4 cup chopped banana chips, 1/4 cup sweetened flake coconut, 1/4 cup chopped dried pineapple
Flavoring: 1/2 tsp. ground ginger

4. Granola with Cherries and Almonds
Extra Ingredients: 1/3 cup sliced almonds, 1/3 cup sweetened flake coconut, 1/3 cup dried cherries
Flavoring: 3/4 tsp. almond extract

5. Trail Mix Granola
Extra Ingredients: 1/4 cup chopped roasted unsalted peanuts, 1/4 cup sweetened flake coconut, 1/4 cup dark or golden raisins, 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips*
Flavoring: none
*Stir chips into the granola only after it has completely cooled.

6. Orange-Berry Granola with Pecans
Extra Ingredients: 1/2 cup chopped pecans,1/4 cup dried cranberries, 1/4 cup dried blueberries
Flavoring: 1/2 tsp. finely grated orange zest

7. Pear Granola with Hazelnuts and Vanilla
Extra Ingredients: 1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts, 1/4 cup chopped dried cherries, 1/4 cup chopped dried pears
Flavoring: 1 tsp. vanilla extract

8. Orange-Flavored Granola with Pistachios, Mangos and Dates
Extra Ingredients: 1/2 cup chopped roasted pistachios, 1/4 cup chopped dates, 1/4 cup chopped dried mangos
Flavoring: 1/2 tsp. finely grated orange zest and 1/4 tsp. allspice

Check out the full article for cooking tips and nutritional information.

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Something you should always buy at Goodwill

November 6th, 2009

I am a tried and true Goodwill girl. I was raised by an absolute thrift store master and she taught me well. There is more good to Goodwill shopping then a great deal. It’s also very very GREEN! Think about it, reduce, recycle, REUSE! I continue to discover more and more things at the local thrift shop that I used to buy new. Today’s discovery: PLASTIC CLOTHES HANGERS!!!

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They sell them by the bundles. We all know by now that plastic doesn’t biodegrade. Recycling is good but what is even better? You get the picture. So next time you find yourself in need of a hanger or twenty, hit your local Goodwill or Salvation Army for a batch of perfectly good, used hangers. And if you can’t get over the fact that it’s been holding up some strangers clothes before yours, throw them in the bathtub with some disinfectant soap. Your children’s children will thank you for lessening the amount of plastic they have to find a place for on this Earth.

Plastic

PS. I try to buy all of my plastic goods second hand. Other great green Goodwill buys – laundry baskets, garbage bins, and plastic kitchenware of all kinds.

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Determined to Grow Lettuce in Hawaii

November 1st, 2009

Gabe and I have been living in our adorable Manoa cottage for 3 years as of the 15th day of this month. During this time we have tried and tried to get a decent crop of salad greens growing… in Manoa, home of delicious and plentiful Manoa lettuce. However, every seedling or starter we bury in our lush garden comes up bitter and awful! I’m thinking this may be due to the previous owners soil conditioning which was geared to the award winning hibiscus that still bedeck our yard. Or maybe a need for more water? Regardless, I am determined to get some fresh greens going! So as of October 29, 2009 a potting soil filled planter of seeds sits upon our lanai. I will keep said planter well hydrated and I would love some lettuce advice!

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What to do with Leftover Pizza Dough

October 30th, 2009

We had a couple of friends over the other night for homemade pizza and I went a little overboard on the dough making. Suffice to say we had A LOT leftover. So I thought I’d see what else you can do with pizza dough….. Oh how I love the wonders of this stretchy mix of yeast and flour and water!

First off, let me talk about the wonders of homemade pretzels. I’ve been meaning to find a recipe for them but hadn’t gotten around to it yet. So I thought I’d roll out some of my dough and have a go. Easy as can be I rolled out a couple of dough snakes, twisted them into a pretzel shape, mix up one beaten egg with 1 tablespoon of water for a quick egg wash and sprinkle with coarse salt (I used Hawaiian sea salt but kosher salt is perfect, too), onto the pre-heated pizza stone (or cookie sheet) in a 350 degree oven and about 15 minutes later, when they are a beautiful golden brown color – delicious homemade pretzels!

For my next trick I wrapped some dough around a couple of hot dogs and brushed with egg mixture for that lovely golden color. Again onto the pizza stone for about 15 minutes. So easy and so yummy!

pretzel-hotdog

My final and most amazing trick was what got me on this whole kick in the first place. My Italian husband adores that show Everyday Italian, partly for the food and partly cause the chick on the show is hot. Anyways, one day she made doughnuts using pizza dough. You can refer to the official recipe on the Food Network page (I’ll include it below as well). I was amazed at how delicious they turned out and how easy they were to make! Mmmmm, fried dough….

doughnuts

So many wonderful things (besides pizza) can be made with pizza dough! Stay tuned for my latest obsession, homemade Hot Pockets!

Here’s the doughnut recipe by Giada De Laurentiis of Everyday Italian from the Food Network website:

Ingredients

  • Vegetable oil, for frying
  • Olive oil, for frying
  • 1 pound prepared pizza dough
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions

Pour equal parts of vegetable oil and olive oil into a large frying pan to reach a depth of 2 inches. Heat the oil over medium heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 375 degrees F.

Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/2-inch thickness. Using a floured 2-inch cookie cutter, cut out doughnut rounds. Using a floured 1-inch cookie cutter, cut out a hole in the center of each doughnut. Gather the dough scraps and re-roll to cut out more doughnuts.

Whisk the sugar and cinnamon in a medium bowl to blend. Set the cinnamon-sugar aside.

When the oil is hot, working in batches, fry the doughnuts until they puff but are still pale, about 45 seconds per side. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the doughnuts to paper towels to drain. Cool slightly. While the doughnuts are still warm, add to the bowl with cinnamon-sugar and generously coat each 2 times with the cinnamon-sugar. Serve warm.

Alternately, cool the fried doughnuts to room temperature. Stir 3 ounces milk chocolate and 1/4 cup whipping cream in a heavy small saucepan over medium-low heat until the chocolate melts. Set aside until the chocolate sauce comes to room temperature but does not set. Dip 1 side of each doughnut into the chocolate mixture. Sprinkle with finely chopped toasted almonds or crushed espresso beans and set aside until the chocolate is set.

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All Purpose Cleaner

October 13th, 2009

We are finally out of the store bought stuff and I’ve been meaning to try this for ages. I mixed up a batch and cleaned my bathroom. It feels a little different – not as slick, and it seems to be a little less sticky so picking up hair is a little bit tougher but overall I think I love it. I was a little worried it would smell vinegary but it’s not at all. Compared to the harsh chemical stuff the smell is wonderful – so fresh and clean!

All-Purpose Cleaner: Mix 1/2 cup vinegar and 2 teaspoons borax (or you can use 1/4 cup baking soda) into 1/2 gallon (2 liters) water. Transfer to spray bottle. Store in cool dark place.

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Baking Bread – Italian Herb Bread

October 7th, 2009

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There is nothing like the delicious aroma of fresh baked bread. No way fresh baked bread could be an easy process, right?

People have been baking bread for thousands of years – It can’t be that much of a mystery!  I decided that I need to learn this ancient and mysterious artform. I have made a fair amount of loaves in the past year with a varying level of success. I definitely have learned that I shouldn’t be intimidated by a little bit of yeast, water and flour.

My latest bread version came from s’kat on my favorite recipe site, recipezaar.com. This bread was fairly easy to make and it turned out delicious!

Italian Herb Bread

makes 2 loaves

Ingredients:

Directions:

  1. Mix yeast, warm water and sugar together in a large bowl. Set aside for five minutes, or until mixture becomes foamy.
  2. Stir in olive oil, salt, herbs, garlic powder, onion powder, cheese and 3 cups flour into the yeast mixture.
  3. Gradually mix in next three cups of flour. (Dough will be stiff). Knead for 5 to 10 minutes, or until it is smooth and elastic.
  4. Place in an oiled bowl, turning to cover sides with oil. Cover with a damp linen towel, or plastic wrap. Let rise for 1 hour, or until dough has doubled.
  5. Punch down to release all the air. Shape into two loaves. Place loaves on a greased cookie sheet, or into two 9×5 inch, greased pans.
  6. Allow to rise for 1/2 hour again, until doubled in a warm place.
  7. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.
  8. Remove loaves from pans and let cool on wire racks for at least 15 minutes, before slicing.

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Homemade Dish Soap

September 23rd, 2009

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In another attempt to reduce the amount of plastic bottles I bring into the house I am on a mission to make my own dish soap. A quick internet search brought a couple of easy solutions:

Liquid Castille Soap

  • 2 cups liquid castille soap
  • a few drops of essential oil
  • 1/2 cup water

Combine all the above ingredients in a reused plastic bottle or glass jar and shake to combine. Shake well before using.

My review: I like liquid castille soap. It is sold in bulk at my local health food store, Down to Earth, and it’s easy on the hands. I actually found that it didn’t need the 1/2 cup of water, even without I think the consistency is too watery. I tried peppermint essential oil because that’s all I had in the house. Peppermint dish soap didn’t really do it for me so I’m thinking I’ll try it with orange or lemon. It definately gets things clean but we seem to go through it really fast because it’s so watery.

Pros: Easy to get, easy to make, gets things clean, good for sensitive skin.

Cons: too watery, went through a lot quickly so not the most economical.

Solid Soap Shavings

You can also use your leftover bits of bar soap to make a liquid soap that’s suitable for dishwashing.  Chop the soap bits up into very small pieces, or grate it into thin strips first.

  • 2 cups of soap shavings
  • 2-3 cups of hot water
  • 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice

Place shavings in a small bucket or bowl. Cover with hot water and let it sit for several hours or overnight to soften. When ready, stir and mash the soap shavings until smooth. Add more hot water to dilute to preferred consistency. Stir in lemon or vinegar (helps to cut grease). Pour into squeeze bottles or other containers. Shake well before use.

My review:  I had a bunch of bar soap that someone gave us when they moved (Dial and Safeguard). I hate wasting things like that but this stuff is too harsh on my skin to use in the shower so I was happy to find a good use for it. This turned out kinda wierd. First, After soaking overnight the whole thing hardened up into a large bowl shaped bar of soap! I added more hot water and mashed it mixed it and tried my hardest to get it to a smooth consistency. Eventually I dumped it into my spaghetti strainer to get out the lumps! This did the trick. I mixed in the vinegar, all good. The thing is, the actual end result is this crazy, gluey, globby consistency – kinda like nice smelling slime. It works great though, just a wierd consistency. I somehow managed to make a whole 2 liter bottles worth of it (maybe four bars of soap was overkill) so I’ll be using it for a while!

[digg=http://digg.com/health/Homemade_Dish_Soap]

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