Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Archive for the ‘In The Kitchen’ Category

Friday’s Fresh Five! (4/16/10)

Posted in About me, Creativity, Helping Others, In The Kitchen, inspiration, Recipes, Recycling, tagged , , , , , , on April 16, 2010| 2 Comments »

This photo says it all. It’s that kind of day. It’s a hula-hooping, sun-shining day and, even though I sound like I live on Sesame Street, I feel that way. Today’s my birthday and I’m celebrating the gift of this very lovely day!

#1 – Gifts That Help
Finding gifts for others can be difficult, but at charitablegiving.com it is not only easy to find unique gifts, it is also helping to fulfill the needs of others. The blog states, The purpose of this blog is to find some of the best stuff you can buy on the Web where a portion of the proceeds are donated to a charity or other non-profit organization in need.

We’ll surf major retailing sites, as well as mom-and-pop sites, to find the best out there. Whether you buy these products as gifts for others or for yourself, you can feel great about your purchase, knowing that you’re not just buying a gift, but helping a great cause too.

Not only does this blog post about products and causes, but it also invites its readers to post about other cause-worthy products. The upside is that you’re exposed to a lot of wonderful products for sale and feel good while buying. The downside is the need to be a smart buyer. Check out the cause and the organization to your satisfaction before making any purchases.

#2 – Creative Gift Wrapping
When wrapping gifts try to think outside the box. Be creative and resourceful. Try to reuse items you have on hand. Here are a couple of ideas to get you going:

Potato Chip Bags:
It’s not as weird as you think! Turn the bag inside out and wash it with soap and warm water. Completely wipe it dry. Wrap your item in tissue paper and put item in the bag. Fold the bag ends in and use double-sided tape to seal. This is a good way to wrap irregularly shaped items and the silver look is interesting. Different sized chip bags for different sized gifts!

Tubes:
Toilet paper tubes, paper towel tubes, wrapping paper tubes – they’re all the same except for length. Wrap your gift item with tissue paper first, then insert into the tube. Either cut paper or cardboard circles and tape to seal the ends shut or just put packing tape over the ends. Wrap the gift in a piece of paper that is 3-4 inches longer than the tube on each end. Twist the paper ends and tie ribbon on twists. This will look more or less like a piece of candy. If you don’t like that look, wrap it with paper and fold down the ends in pleats and tape.

Reading Materials:
Magazines and newspapers are obvious choices for wrapping, but consider old calendars, postcards (wrap these around tubes), and shopping bags.

#3 – Give the Gift of a Book
According to the Concise Oxford English Dictionary, “Bookcrossing is the practice of leaving a book in a public place to be picked up and read by others, who then do likewise.” At BookCrossing.com, “Where 854,720 people in over 130 countries come to share their passion for books with the world,” you can sign up for free to become a member and learn how to begin registering and tracking books left in public places.

#4 – My Gift To You
Here’s a recipe for butter cookies that I’ve had since I was a child. Easy to make and delicious to eat!

1 cube butter
1 cup flour
1 egg
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix all ingredients together and drop by small teaspoonfuls. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Enjoy!

#5 – Consider The Present
Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. And today? Today is a gift. That’s why we call it the present. ~Babatunde Olatunji

Read Full Post »

Friday’s Fresh Five! (4/9/10)

Posted in Gardening, Helping Others, In The Kitchen, inspiration, Recycling, tagged , , , on April 9, 2010| 3 Comments »

My garden is a constant reflection of the saying, “Out with the old and in with the new.” The daffodils are sadly cheerful now, but the freesias have arrived and lend a delicate fragrance to the air. And all that remain of the dangling oak blossoms are the multitude of petals that are chaotically strewn amongst the perfectly formed points of rose buds. Life goes on.

#1 – Your Garden Can Help Others
National Garden Month is sponsored every April by the National Gardening Association (NGA). It is their hope that by encouraging individuals to garden they are making “America a greener, healthier, more livable place.” After reading the article, “Five Ways to Celebrate National Garden Month” these two suggestions stood out as great ways to help others:

Plant a Row For the Hungry
The Garden Writers Association created the “Plant A Row for The Hungry,” campaign that asks garden writers to encourage their readers/listeners to plant an extra row of produce each year and donate their surplus to local food banks, soup kitchens, and other service organizations to help feed America’s hungry. As you plan your vegetable garden, plant a few extra rows that will give you enough bounty to share with your local shelter or soup kitchen. Or, share your garden’s bounty with a neighbor who might need it.

Organize a Flower “Brigade”
Bring fresh-cut flowers to a nursing home, care facility, or a local hospital. If you have some of your own fresh flowers you can bring them or you can buy fresh flowers or see if a local flower grower or florist would be willing to donate to help spread the community spirit!

#2 – Don’t Pour It Out!
If you have a little leftover wine that you just can’t bring yourself to drink, don’t pour it out! Instead, pour it into ice cube trays or very small containers and freeze. When needed, pop these guys out and throw them into sauces, gravies, or stews for added flavor.

#3 – Save Those Tissue Boxes
A while back I wrote in a post about a way to reuse empty tissue boxes. I mentioned that they make great trash boxes for cars. They do, but lately, I’ve been using them on my vanity to throw away used tissues, dental floss, q-tips, cotton pads, etc. Saves me steps to the garbage can.

#4 – Out With the Negative and In With the Positive
I stumbled upon an article on the internet called 18 Tricks to Make New Habits Stick that had some good commonsense advice. One tip that I’m going to try is: use the word “but” to change bad thought patterns. For example, “I’m no good at this, but, if I work at it I might get better later.”

#5 – Dreamers and Doers
“The world needs dreamers and the world needs doers. But above all, the world needs dreamers who do.” Sarah Ban Breathnach

Enjoy the beauty of this day!

Read Full Post »

Friday’s Fresh Five! (4/2/10)

Posted in Handcrafted Cards, Health, In The Kitchen, inspiration, Photography, tagged , , , , , , , , , on April 2, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Quick, how many words can you think of that contain the word “size”? I’ll get you started with capsize, apotheosize, emphasize, downsize, supersized, fantasize, hypothesize, oversized, sizeably, synthesized . . . Okay you take over!

#1 – Calorie Counter
At Calorie Lab you can type in almost any food and it will pull up different calorie counts for that item, depending on restaurant or manufacturer. Alternatively, you can look up a restaurant and search the menu for calorie counts. For example, I typed in lasagna and it pulled up a long list of frozen and restaurant prepared lasagnas and their corresponding calorie counts.

#2 – Making Sense of Portion Sizes
Here’s another site that helps you to make good choices. Meals Matter is a website that has a wealth of information on nutrition, healthy living, meal planning, recipes, creating a cookbook, and personal fitness planning. I read an article called Making Sense of Portions Sizes which has suggestions to help you remember portion sizes:

If you are confused when reading a food label, try relating the portion size of a serving to everyday items. It is an easy way to visualize what a true portion size looks like.
  • Woman’s fist or baseball—a serving of vegetables or fruit is about the size of your fist
  • A rounded handful—about one half cup cooked or raw veggies or cut fruit, a piece of fruit, or ½ cup of cooked rice or pasta – this is a good measure for a snack serving, such as chips or pretzels
  • Deck of cards—a serving of meat, fish or poultry or the palm of your hand (don’t count your fingers!) – for example, one chicken breast, ¼ pound hamburger patty or a medium pork chop
  • Golf ball or large egg—one quarter cup of dried fruit or nuts
  • Tennis ball—about one half cup of ice cream
  • Computer mouse—about the size of a small baked potato
  • Compact disc—about the size of one serving of pancake or small waffle
  • Thumb tip—about one teaspoon of peanut butter
  • Six dice—a serving of cheese
  • Check book—a serving of fish (approximately 3 oz.)

#3 – Mattress Fit for a King
Do your bed sheets never seem to fit? My main issue is that when I am shopping for sheets, I can never remember which king-sized mattress I have. So here’s a little refresher course on mattress sizes for anyone who gets as confused as I do.

King = 76″ wide by 80″ long

California King = 72″ wide by 84″ long (narrower and longer)

Queen = 60″ wide by 80″ long

Full (double or standard) = 54″ wide by 75″ long

Twin = 39″ wide by 75″ long

Okay, my mattress measures 72″ wide by 80″ long – so what size is that?

#4 – Expand Your View of the World
Cool Things In Random Places has great photos of fascinating things in the world. If you need to unwind, just spend a couple of minutes looking through some of these photos!

#5 – A Sizable Quote
“You can’t do anything about the length of your life, but you can do something about its width and depth. ”
– Shira Tehrani –

Hope you find all your Easter eggs this weekend! And remember, not to put all your eggs in one basket!

Read Full Post »

Friday’s Fresh Five! (3/26/10)

Posted in In The Kitchen, inspiration, Photography, Recipes, Travel, tagged , , , , , , , , , on March 26, 2010| Leave a Comment »

I have a contest winner! Someone has correctly guessed the subject matter of my mystery photo! Check next week’s posts for the full story!

Many of my friends and and some of my family are traveling during spring vacation. My daughter is leaving her studies in Greece to visit Egypt and Jordan this week and all I can say is – I am so envious!! To temporarily satiate my travel bug, I’ve come up with a few ways to escape.

#1 – Grab Your Laptop and Camera and Go!!
“Have you dreamed of being able to live and work anywhere you want to? What about traveling the world while earning a living with just a laptop and an Internet connection? Such is the life of a digital nomad. It’s usually exciting, sometimes glamorous, and always inspiring.” You’ll want to pack your suitcase after viewing the colorful, travel-inspiring photos featured in this article “50 Photos to Inspire Life as a Digital Nomad.”

#2 – Say “Please” in Twelve Languages
While you’re traveling, remember to say “please” along the way.

Italian: Per favore
French: S’il vous plaît
Romanian: Va rog
German: Bitte
Spanish: Por favor
Swedish: Vänligen
Czech: Prosím
Greek: Parakaló
Chinese: Mm goi (Cantonese)
Hawaiian: ‘Olu ‘olu
Polish: Prosze
Russian: Pozhaluista

#3 – Brown Sugar
Wanted to make cookies for your trip, but ran out of brown sugar and realized your neighbor was away on vacation? What to do? Just make your own by following these recipes!

Light Brown Sugar: Mix together 1 cup granulated sugar with 1-1/2 tablespoons molasses.

Dark Brown Sugar: Mix together 1 cup granulated sugar with 1/4 cup molasses.

Both recipes make one cup.

#4 – Escape Via the Written Word
At www.thedebutanteball.com authors who have a book debut this year offer their insights on writing. The site states, ” Welcome to The Debutante Ball, a group blog for debut authors, now in its fourth season. Join us daily for our takes on bookish and not-so-bookish topics and celebrate with us as our debuts approach.”

The site is loaded with links to sites that assist writers, but it also has a list of book-related sites such as book bloggers and book websites. It features interviews with famous authors and soon-to-be famous authors. I found it a great place to just nose around, read a little, and discover new books!

#5 – A Quote You Can’t Escape From
I don’t run away from a challenge because I am afraid. Instead, I run toward it because the only way to escape fear is to trample it beneath your feet.
Nadia Comaneci

Hope you have an opportunity this weekend to escape and do something wonderful for yourself!

Read Full Post »

Attack the Stack!

Posted in About me, In The Kitchen, Organization, tagged , , , , , on March 24, 2010| 6 Comments »

I’m a clipper. Not a Los Angeles Clippers fan, but a compulsive clipper of magazine and newspaper articles. This condition, along with high cholesterol, I got from my mom. Thanks, mom. For as long as I can remember, my mom has been clipping articles and saving them for me, my siblings, and now her grandchildren to read.  I don’t mind it really, because it shows that she is always thinking of us.

I started clipping during my college years, because I was building up my recipe repertoire so that I could catch a good man. Well it worked – I got myself a good man, but now I’m a clipper that can’t stop herself! I’m following in my mom’s footsteps by clipping articles that I think my kids will be interested in reading. When they went off to college, I dutifully mailed them their monthly stack of clippings. They’ll thank me one of these days, I’m sure. Their envelopes usually contained funny cartoons that reminded me of them or articles about hometown folks and hometown events so they could stay in touch or sometimes the mom-type safety articles such as not using headphones or cell phones in a storm.

With spring cleaning on my mind, I am determined to attack my stacks of clippings. I clip articles with information that I can use on my blog or ones with helpful gardening tips, but I have to admit, the majority of my clippings are food-related. And worse than that, most are recipes that fall into the dessert category (sigh). What can I say other than I am a lover of desserts? But what a dreamer I am! If I live to be 100 years old, I will never have enough time to test all the recipes I’ve collected. And even if I did live that long, I would probably weigh 500 pounds by eating all the food that I’ve tested! So in an attempt to rid myself of all the stacks of clippings I possess, I am going to be more judicious while rummaging through them. Only recipes that look to give the best results with the least amount of labor will survive to be tested. Difficult recipes and recipes with 50 or more ingredients, I’ll just drool over and then trash them. I’ll test a couple of recipes each week and post the recipe and the results on my blog. No matter what the outcome, I’ll provide you with my honest opinion of each recipe. If the recipe looks good to you, you can always try making it yourself – I’ve been know to screw up a recipe by not reading it correctly!

I’m motivated to attack the stack now. I’m going to power my way through the recipes just like Julie Powell, of the Julie and Julia fame, did. I’m going to start this project just as soon as I finish reading the morning paper . . .

Read Full Post »

The Whole Hole in the Bowl

Posted in In The Kitchen, Recipes, tagged , , , , , on March 22, 2010| Leave a Comment »


Today’s post came about as I listened to one of my sons tell me how much he enjoys making “Hole in the Wall” for breakfast. “Hole in the Wall” is basically a piece of bread with a hole in the center. The buttered bread is placed in a hot skillet and an egg is dropped into the hole and cooked to perfection.

This talk of toast and eggs made me think about all the times that I’ve salivated while listening to my husband and his siblings nostalgically describe their Grammy’s breakfast dish called “Bu-Bu Eggs.” After buttering a slice of toast and tearing it into bite-sized pieces, a soft-boiled egg was gently mixed into the bread and then sprinkled with salt, pepper, and a little Maggi Seasoning Sauce. For those of you not familiar with Maggi Seasoning Sauce, it is a condiment which originated in Europe, but became very popular in Asia, and is steadily gaining popularity in all parts of the world. It is dark brown in color and tastes like a cross between soy sauce and beef bouillon. The main ingredient is hydrolyzed vegetable protein, which is a commonly found ingredient in bouillon cubes.

Discussing eggs and toast can make a person hungry, so I decided to make a “Hole in the Bowl” of my own to eat. Here’s my recipe for it – which I adapted from an All You recipe:

Hole in the Bowl
Ingredients:
Crusty dinner rolls, one roll per serving
Large eggs, one per roll
Butter, melted
Chopped mixed herbs, such as parsley, chives, tarragon, basil
Heavy cream, about 1-2 tablespoons per roll
Salt and pepper
Fresh grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Using a serrated knife, slice off the top of each dinner roll evenly and cut a circle approximately a half-inch from the edge of each bread roll. Gently remove some bread until there is a hole large enough to accommodate an egg. (This step is much like you would do if you were hollowing out a large sourdough bowl for spinach dip).

2. Paint melted butter on the interior of the bread bowls and on the inside of the lids. Arrange rolls on a rimmed baking sheet. Reserve tops.

3. Carefully crack an egg into each roll. You don’t want the yolk to break. Pour a bit of cream gently around the egg yolk being careful not to let it overflow. Sprinkle with herb mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

3. Bake until eggs are set and bread is toasted: 15 minutes for a slightly runny egg or 20 minutes for a more hard-boiled type egg. After eggs have cooked for either 15 or 20 minutes, place buttered bread tops on baking sheet along side the bread bowls and bake until golden brown, about another 5 minutes. Take baking sheet out of the oven and let sit for a couple of minutes. Place tops on rolls and serve warm.

These photos aren’t the best, but let me just say – I devoured the whole Hole in the Bowl!  I dare you to say that quickly five times in a row! Enjoy!

Read Full Post »

Friday’s Fresh Five! (3/19/10)

Posted in About me, Health, In The Kitchen, inspiration, Jewelry, Photography, tagged , , , , , on March 19, 2010| 4 Comments »

Thanks to all of you who entered my contest by venturing your best guesses! Although some of you obviously have some pretty fantastic imaginations, no one has won the contest yet, so the contest continues on! By the range of your guesses, I am flattered that many of you think so highly of my photographic skills. I am now going to offer a little bit of information to guide your future guesswork. And in all fairness, with the additional information presented below, everyone who has already submitted a guess, gets another chance to submit one more guess! Read the information and send your best guess via email to me.

#1 – Contest Redux
Keep in mind that photos posted on my blog are taken by me, a point-and-shoot photographer. The contest photo is no exception. Not only was it taken by me, but it was taken inside my home. That rules out any intergalactic subject matter. And other than the macro feature on my camera, no other fancy camera equipment was used. That rules out serious magnification photography.

The only other thing I can say is that I took an Ambien that night to help me sleep and while I was downloading and color adjusting the photo, the Ambien kicked in!

Here are a few samples of the fabulous, but incorrect guesses from the first week:

A drop of water, 1000 times magnified
Water combined with flash photography
Flash freeze photograph of an atomization process
Cellophane Easter grass on a light table
Seaweed
The Universe
Blown glass
A burst of confetti
Glitter
Paint spray
Illuminated crinkled plastic wrap

Don’t give up! I want to award the prize to someone!

#2 – Comparing Apples to Oranges
From my local newspaper comes this nutrition quiz:

1. Oranges contain how many more calories than apples?
a. 4
b. 24
c. 44

2. How much more of the recommended daily percentage of vitamin C does an orange contain?
a. 78 percent more
b. 8 percent more
c. 128 percent more

3. Which fruit contains more fiber?
a. apple
b. orange
c. same amount

4. Both apples and oranges pale in comparison with bananas (422 milligrams) for potassium, but which fruit contains a higher level?
a. apple
b. orange

5. How much more water is present in an orange compared with an apple?
a. 13 grams
b. 53 grams
c. 103 grams

Answers:
1: a; 2: c; 3: c (3 grams of fiber); 4: b (orange 232 mg; apple, 134 mg); 5: a

#3 – Kitchen Equivalents
Did you know that 8 ounces of uncooked pasta makes 4 cups cooked or that a 13x9x2-inch pan holds 14 cups or that 1 tablespoon is the equivalent of 3 teaspoons?

This information plus more kitchen equivalents is right here at your finger tips.

#4 – Tips for Cleaning Silver
Note: These tips are for silver only and for silver items that have no stones.

Place jewelry in an aluminum pan. Cover items completely with baking soda. Pour boiling water over jewelry. Although you’d like to watch the process, it is better to not lean over the pan, since a chemical reaction is occurring! After five minutes, take items out and rinse with water. Dry. If items are severely tarnished, repeat the process.

If your silver items are larger, put aluminum foil in the bottom of your kitchen sink, shiny side up. Fill the sink with enough boiling water to cover the silver. Add a couple of tablespoons of baking soda. Stir. Place your silver pieces in the solution for about five minutes. Make sure each piece is touching the aluminum foil. After about five minutes, rinse off the silver and dry.

#5 – Changing The World
“As one person I cannot change the world, but I can change the world of one person.”
– Paul Shane Spear-

Make your best guess and have a great weekend!

Read Full Post »

Friday’s Fresh Five! (3/12/10)

Posted in In The Kitchen, inspiration, Jewelry, Photography, tagged , , , , , , , on March 12, 2010| Leave a Comment »

I’m posting the mystery photo again – The contest is still on to see who can guess the subject matter in the photo and win a one-of-a-kind necklace. Read about the contest in my last post. On to other topics! St. Patrick’s Day is next week, so here are a few green facts and some thoughts about rainbows and what’s at the end of a rainbow. Although, it’s not what’s at the end of the rainbow that matters; it’s really everything gathered along the way that’s important. Right?

#1 – Colors of the Rainbow
How quickly can you name all seven colors found in a rainbow? Here’s a mnemonic that I learned decades ago when I was a school girl that will help you remember the sequence of rainbow hues: Think of Roy G. Biv also known as red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet.

#2 – Leprechaun Lore
A bit of leprechaun lore from Irelandseye.com, “If caught by a mortal, he will promise great wealth if allowed to go free. He carries two leather pouches. In one there is a silver shilling, a magical coin that returns to the purse each time it is paid out. In the other he carries a gold coin which he uses to try and bribe his way out of difficult situations. This coin usually turns to leaves or ashes once the leprechaun has parted with it. However, you must never take your eye off him, for he can vanish in an instant.”

#3 – What Color Gold Is At the End of the Rainbow?
Pure gold (24K) is yellow in color, but, because it is generally too soft to be used for jewelry, other metals are added to it to form stronger alloys. As a result, many different colors of gold are made. Here’s a quick review of the different “golds” used in making jewelry.

White gold is a combination of yellow gold and white metals such as zinc, nickel, or silver, or palladium.

Pink or rose gold is an alloy made of yellow gold and copper.

Green gold is created by adding silver to gold.

Purple gold is created with gold and aluminum.

Gold can also be colored by creating surface oxide layers. Because gold does not oxidize in its pure form, base metals have to be added to create blue, brown, and black gold.

#4 – Eating of the Greens
Here’s a list of must-eat greens from Wholeliving.com’s article called Healthy Eating: Greatest Greens:

Arugula
(Beta-carotene, iron, vitamin C)
The potent peppery flavor makes arugula a great salad green that needs little company; also good on sandwiches.

Beet Greens
(Beta-carotene, calcium, iron, vitamin C)
They can be found in bunches or still attached to the beets. Saute in olive oil with garlic, then serve as is or mix with pasta.

Collard Greens
(Beta-carotene, calcium, folic acid, iron, vitamin C)
Long a Southern staple. Boil the chopped, stemmed leaves until tender, and serve with olive oil, lemon juice, or vinegar.

Dandelion Greens
(Beta-carotene, calcium, iron)
A member of the sunflower family. The tangy, slightly bitter flavor can come across as too potent when raw, but the greens are delicious when steamed, sauteed, or stir-fried.

Kale
(Beta-carotene, calcium, folic acid, iron, vitamin C)
Stalks and tough center ribs should be removed from the piquant leaves, which come in many shades and textures. Wonderful in soups, mashed potatoes, or sauteed in olive oil.

Mustard Greens
(Beta-carotene, riboflavin, thiamine, vitamin C)
These greens pack a bite that’s sharp and peppery. Prepare them as you would collard greens, kale, or broccoli rabe.

Spinach
(Beta-carotene, iron, vitamin C)
The slightly bitter leaves may be curled or smooth. Serve raw in salads; use steamed or boiled leaves in lasagna, stuffed chicken, or baked or mashed potatoes.

Swiss Chard
(Beta-carotene, iron, vitamin C)
This member of the beet family has celery-like stalks that are usually white or red. Like many greens, chard can be sauteed in olive oil and served with lemon; it’s also nice in soups and savory pies.

Watercress
(Beta-carotene, potassium, vitamin C)
Small, crisp member of the mustard family that’s slightly bitter with a hint of pepper. Delicious in salads; also good in sandwiches and soups.

#5 – Golden Quotes
“Remember, people will judge you by your actions, not your intentions. You may have a heart of gold — but so does a hard-boiled egg.”
Anonymous

“Sometimes it’s important to work for that pot of gold. But other times it’s essential to take time off and to make sure that your most important decision in the day simply consists of choosing which color to slide down on the rainbow.”
Douglas Pagels

Make sure you enter the contest by submitting your best guess and have a great weekend!!

Read Full Post »

Friday’s Fresh Five! (3/5/10)

Posted in Aging, In The Kitchen, inspiration, Organization, Style and fashion, tagged , , , , , , on March 5, 2010| 1 Comment »

As we breeze into March here are some ideas to get the cobwebs out of your closet and out of your brain as well. When you’re done doing those things, do a little something to feed your soul.

#1 – Brain Power
Exercise your brain with fun crossword puzzles, word bubbles, speed match games, memory matrix challenges, word searches, and sodoku puzzles at realage.com. I could have played them all day, but more appropriately, I need to play them all day! For more creative play, go to this site and try designing your own snowflakes!

#2 – Closet Couture
If you go to closetcouture.com, you can have fun organizing your closet! Create an online closet by either photographing your clothes and uploading the photos to the site and/or by dragging images from provided retailer sites which have clothing and accessories. You can even share your closet with friends.

A nice aspect of this site is you can drag photos of your clothes to the calendar feature to help you keep track of what you’ve worn on which dates, as well as creating visual packing lists.

You can even hire an online stylist to help you develop your style, hone your shopping strategies, or figure out your packing list.

#3 -Tips For Cleaning Out Your Closets
Cnn.com has an article called, “10 tips for Organizing Your Closets” that offers practical tips for organizing different types of closets in your home. I particularly like this practical advice:

Distinguish clothing and shoes that you wear and items that you need to get rid of. You can do this by the golden rule of closet organizing: If you haven’t worn it in a year, toss it.

Also, if it doesn’t fit you well, it is time to get rid of it. Instead of hanging on to your “skinny jeans” until you lose a few pounds, donate them. Then, when you get down to your goal weight, treat yourself to a new, stylish pair of jeans.

If you are on the fence about an item, “flag” the hanger. As you wear each item, remove the flag. At the end of each season, items that are still marked with a flag should be donated. If the item is in good condition and/or if you paid a lot for it, think about selling it at a local consignment store or online at a site such as eBay.

#4 – Feed Your Soul
If you want free art that you just download, print, and frame, then go to Feed Your Soul. Every month a different artist is featured.

#5 – A Soulful Quote
“You have the need and the right to spend part of your life caring for your soul. It is not easy. You have to resist the demands of the work-oriented, often defensive, element in your psyche that measures life only in terms of output — how much you produce — not in terms of the quality of your life experiences. To be a soulful person means to go against all the pervasive, prove-yourself values of our culture and instead treasure what is unique and internal and valuable in yourself and your own personal evolution.” Jean Shinoda Bolen

Read Full Post »

Friday’s Fresh Five! (2/26/10)

Posted in Aging, Community, Helping Others, In The Kitchen, inspiration, Recipes, Style and fashion, tagged , , , , , , , on February 26, 2010| 2 Comments »

The Olympics are almost over! It’s still raining! And the month of February is almost history for 2010! Now it’s time to celebrate the promise of Spring!

#1 – A Photo Sharing Idea
Look into using photo sharing services such as Shutterfly, Photobucket, or Snapfish to bridge the generational-technological photo sharing gap. Your children may post photos on their Facebook page, but these photos are normally inaccessible to grandparents. Some of this is on purpose, of course, because some photos just shouldn’t be seen by other generations! There are some photos, however, that grandparents would enjoy viewing. Have your child set up a photo sharing account and post photos he/she would like to share with his/her grandparents and then email the link to the grandparents. An added bonus is that grandparents can order print copies of photos if they wish.

#2 – Rules For Leftovers
These guidelines are from my most recent issue of Nutrition Action and are worth reviewing:

2 Hours from oven to refrigerator.
Refrigerate or freeze leftovers within 2 hours of cooking. Otherwise throw them away.

2 Inches thick to cool it quick.
Store food at a shallow depth – about 2 inches – to speed chilling.

4 Days in the Refrigerator – otherwise freeze it.
Use leftovers from the refrigerator within 4 days. Exception: use stuffing and gravy within 2 days. Reheat solid leftovers to 165 degrees F and liquid leftovers to a rolling boil. Toss what you don’t finish.

#3 – Fashion Trends
I  just watched Fashionair’s spring summer 2010 trend video and I have to say it’s a mixed bag. Here are my comments about the trends:

Sports – Layered tanks and asymmetrical sports bras are on the runway. This look is better left in the gym or on the track.

White Out – Fresh and clean looking with different whites together, but why not pop the white with some pretty spring color?

Utility and Khaki – This style is really in right now. Cargo pants and military and utility-looking tops. Style is okay, but color is drab, drab, drab.

Lingerie – Corsets, bustiers, and lace. I’ve never been a fan of wearing undergarments on the outside.

Trouser Gown – A  fashion hybrid that I actually thought was well done.

Digi Prints – These printed fabrics could be colorful and interesting.

YouthQuake – Mini and madcap – not for this over fifty chick!

Trench – Not new, but everywhere. One of the few trends I like because of the dress-up or dress-down ability.

#4 – No Sour Cream or Buttermilk?
Your recipe calls for a cup of sour cream, but you don’t have any? Just substitute cottage cheese. To 1 cup of cottage cheese add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and 1/3 cup of butter milk and blend until smooth.  If you don’t have buttermilk just add one tablespoon white vinegar or lemon juice to one cup of milk.

#5 – A Positive Quote
“How you think about a problem is more important than the problem itself. So always think positively.”
Norman Vincent Peale

Enjoy the last few days of February!

Note: The opening photo of a Peace rosebud is for my friend Michelle, an aspiring painter of roses!

Read Full Post »

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »