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Friday’s Fresh Five (11/20/09)

Posted in Helping Others, In The Kitchen, inspiration, Kids, Organization, Parenting, Style and fashion, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on November 20, 2009| Leave a Comment »

The crisp air and clear blue skies were enough to lure me outside to enjoy the fall weather. This past weekend my husband and I paid visits to two of our favorite local produce haunts. Struble Ranch has just opened for the season with a bumper crop of mandarins and is located on one of the prettiest pieces of property around. Otow’s Orchard grows a multitude of fruits, vegetables, and herbs, but right now is selling fresh persimmons, hoshigaki (their famous dried persimmons), and winter squash. Wherever you live, please support your local growers.

#1 – Mandarin Oranges
According to Peggy Trowbridge Fillippone of About.com:
“Mandarin oranges” is a term that applies to an entire group of citrus fruits. This group, botanically classified as Citrus reticulata, includes such varieties as Satsuma, Clementine, Dancy, Honey, Pixie, and tangerines in general. Most are sweeter than their other citrus cousins (yet there are some tart varieties), have a bright orange skin that is easy to peel, and inner segments that are easily separated. There are seeded and seedless varieties.

Depending on the variety, mandarin oranges are in season from November through June in the Northern hemisphere, with peak season being December and January.

Select fruits that are unblemished and heavy for their size. Avoid those with cuts, soft spots, or mold. Bright color is not necessarily an indication of quality as some are dyed and some naturally have green patches even when fully ripe.

They may be stored in a cool, dark spot for a few days, but ideally should be refrigerated to extend shelf life up to two weeks.

#2 – Identifying Drinking Glasses
My kids are coming home for the Thanksgiving holidays, so the rubber bands are coming out of the kitchen drawer. Years ago I figured out a system to prevent my kids from reaching for new glasses every time they were thirsty. I purchased wide, colorful rubber bands and wrote my children’s names on the rubber bands. As soon as he/she took a glass out of the cabinet, his/her rubber band was slipped onto the glass immediately. This little trick continues to save me a lot of needless dishwashing!

#3 – Wearing Red This Holiday?
Here’s a tip straight from stylists Stacy London and Clinton Kelly, “We love red with silver as opposed to red and gold. The latter combo can look a little too much like a Christmas ornament. An alternative to metallic accessories would be another bright color; accents of violet or light blue look spectacular with a red dress . . . !”

#4 – Consider This
If a man has a talent and cannot use it, he has failed. If he has a talent and uses only half of it, he has partly failed. If he has a talent and learns somehow to use the whole of it, he has gloriously succeeded, and won a satisfaction and a triumph few men ever know. Thomas Wolfe

#5 – Random Act of Kindness
Each of us must do our part to make the world a better place, so how about carrying out a little random act of kindness this weekend? It could be as simple as giving someone a complement. Here’s something I’ve done before: I’ve wrapped up cookies in cellophane, tied them with a ribbon, included a brief note of thanks and stuck them in my mailbox for my letter carrier to pick up.

Enjoy the beautiful fall weather and have a great weekend!

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Tea for Two – Recycling Teacups

Posted in Art and Crafts, Creativity, Gift Ideas, Handcrafted Cards, Jewelry, Recycling, tagged , , , , , , , , on November 18, 2009| 4 Comments »

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Some things are too pretty to throw out. Cracked or chipped teacups fall into that category for me. Recycling or reusing them in different ways seems to be the best compromise and for years I have looked for ways to do this. After much thought and research, I have compiled this list of ways to reuse mismatched cups and slightly damaged teacups:

1. Teacups as Planters
Pack crocus corms tightly with point side up in water over a bed of tiny pebbles. Or drill a drainage hole into the bottom of a teacup and pop in an herb plant. Plant three or more of these and line them up along your sunny kitchen window.

2. Teacups as Storage Caddies
A teacup set in your guest bathroom makes a cute container for small guest soaps.

Teacups can also be used in a bathroom to store small items such as nail clippers and hairpins or used in your bedroom as jewelry sorters for earrings, bracelets, and necklaces.

What about using an old tea cup at your desk for storing paper clips, rubber bands, stamps, etc.?

3. Teacups as Pincushions
I’ve seen old teacups converted into pincushions with attached saucers used for holding buttons, bobbins, etc. Just make a compact ball of stuffing, cover it with fabric and hot glue it to the inside of the tea cup.

4. Teacups as Candy Dishes
Collect and group an assortment of teacups. Place different colored candy in each cup. This would be especially sweet for a springtime luncheon.

4. Teacups as Candle Holders
Put votive candles into an array of teacups for an instant candle-scape indoors or out. Varying the heights of each teacup and saucer set would add visual interest.

5. Teacups as Candles

I haven’t made these myself yet, but I plan to. Basically, a wick is attached to the bottom of the cup, wax is melted in the microwave and then poured into a tea cup. Complete instructions for this project can be found here: http://www.designspongeonline.com/2008/11/diy-project-kates-teacup-candles.html

6. Teacups as Bird Feeders

Check out this website for ways to convert teacups into bird feeders for your garden.

7. Teacups as Decorative Items

Broken pits of teacups can be used in mosaics and in jewelry designs.
Teacups have been converted into bangles, wind chimes, and chandeliers. Look at these clever ideas.

Now that you know what to do with those misfit teacups, don’t forget that tea leaves can be recycled, too. Throw loose tea leaves into your compost pile. Composting tea bags is a little trickier, depending on the type of tea bag fabric used. Used tea bags can also be placed in the bottom of plant containers, especially in hanging plants, to help retain moisture. And remember the old beauty tip of using them as eye compresses. Warm or cold, teabags can help to relax tired eyes. Lastly, donate dried, empty teabags to native artists who use them to create original artwork that they sell to raise money for themselves and their communities. Check out this company in Africa that makes art and useful items out of tea bags. Good for our planet and good for our souls.

Note: I created the photo mosaic teacup card at the top of this post for my Auntie Ella who is a lover of hearts and of tea, but more importantly, is a very special person to me.

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Juggling Three

Posted in About me, Kids, Parenting, tagged , , , , , , , , on November 16, 2009| 6 Comments »

I always say that raising three children is a juggling act. In three ball juggling, there is never a moment when all three balls are in the air simultaneously and that’s pretty much how it is with my three kids. If I can get two of them in the air, or in my analogy, concern-free, then the third is at the bottom and needs a boost up. Not to say that any of my children have huge issues or troubles, but more just a matter of dealing with the curves that life throws at them. Periodically, each of them needs a little parental support and my husband and I are happy to give it. That was the deal when we signed on to be parents. We knew it was a lifelong commitment.

My husband and I always wanted three children. When our first two children were born, we were over the moon with happiness, but in our hearts we knew we had room for one more. When I was pregnant with our third child, a wise friend informed me, that having three kids was not just a simple equation of 2 + 1 = 3, it was more like the chaos theory. Her point was that with two children you achieve equilibrium because you have one hand for each child. With three, there’s always one on the loose and you’re always off balance. Without a doubt, having three is challenging just by virtue of being an odd number. Pairing up for amusement park rides is awkward, packaged toys are often packed in twos, and the two-against-one argument is commonplace.

The thing about having three children is that there has to be one in the middle. Being a middle child myself, I know about threes. I am sandwiched between an older sister and a younger brother, so I am well aware of birth order characteristics. My sister, the oldest child, definitely has the leadership characteristic stamped in her DNA and my brother, the baby of the family, is characteristically comical and entertaining. As for me, three, yes, three, middle child characteristics jumped off the list when I first read it. “Creative.” Yes, I am creative – that’s why I’m a blogger! “Doesn’t like to follow authority.” Hmm, I view it more like I have a lot of questions for authority. “They can usually read people well, they are peacemakers who see all sides of a situation.” I’ve certainly had on the job training as peacemaker in my family.

As a kid, I thought I would never have three children, because I didn’t want to create a middle child. Obviously my husband convinced me otherwise. But as I raised my children, I made a concerted effort to be especially fair to my middle child. The tough thing, though, is life is not fair and will never be fair, so maybe I should have taught my middle child that lesson instead from the get-go. From a middle child’s perspective, it’s all about expectation, therefore middle children are better off if they have no expectations and then they can be pleasantly surprised.

If I had to do it over again, I would still have three, because I cannot imagine my life without anyone one of my children. They are three wonderful individuals marching to their own drumbeats who every now and then need a boost from their parents to get back in the air. Who will be up and who will be down next? Your guess is as good as mine.

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Friday’s Fresh Five (11/13/09)

Posted in In The Kitchen, inspiration, Records, Style and fashion, tagged , , , , , , , on November 13, 2009| 3 Comments »

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#1 – Shop for Less
Shopping in Asian markets is an experience for me. It’s amazing how much cheaper fruits, vegetables, bulk spices, and even meats are in these stores, not to mention the variety of goods available. For example, the Asian market I frequent sells medium-sized frozen prawns by the scoopful for $3.99 a pound everyday! One aisle I am always drawn to houses the home goods. Pots, dish drainers, colanders, cleavers, and more can be had for very reasonable prices. I’ve stocked a few college apartment kitchens with items found here. Dishware can be purchased by the piece, so any size set can easily be put together. Colorful Chinese and Japanese bowls of all sizes and designs appeal to thrifty, yet stylish shoppers.

#2 – Keep It or Toss It
If you need to know how long to safely keep meat, vegetables, and fruit or what the shelf life of herbs and spices are, visit this website. Type in the item in question and search. It also has answers to food safety questions such as, “Are eggs still safe after the expiration date?” Go to www.stilltasty.com.

#3 – Pumpkin Pie Spice
If during this holiday baking season you realize you forgot to buy pumpkin pie spice at the store, don’t worry. Just mix together 1/4 cup ground cinnamon, 2 tablespoons ground ginger, 1 tablespoon ground cloves, and 1 tablespoon ground nutmeg and you’re ready to bake! Combine the ingredients until thoroughly blended. Store in an airtight container.

#4 – Style Tip for Men
Ladies, help your man out by helping him select the right accessories. Here’s a lesson in belt selection. Belts worn with his jeans should not be the same ones he wears with his suits and obviously belts worn with his suits should not be worn with his jeans. Jean belts should be made of a more casual looking leather or of fabric. Suit belts should be made from more refined and polished leather.

#5 – A Quote from Albert Schweitzer
Do something for somebody everyday for which you do not get paid.

My hope is that someone out there in the infinite internet universe is reading and enjoying my blog! Have a good weekend!

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Friday’s Fresh Five (11/6/09)

Posted in Art and Crafts, Community, Creativity, Handcrafted Cards, Helping Others, In The Kitchen, inspiration, Kids, tagged , , , , , , , , on November 6, 2009| 2 Comments »

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#1 – Making Peace, Cards That Is
P1090113_1Being a flower child of the ’70s, I decided to make birthday cards for my sister-in-law and for a friend utilizing paper punches and scraps again, but this time designing them to be in the shape of peace signs. The heart-shaped peace sign was made by stacking large and small, flower-shaped punch-outs from Astrobright paper. The round traditional peace sign consisted of stars punched out of an outdated Hawaiian calender, then color grouped and mounted onto pearlized cream and lustrous aquamarine papers.

#2 – Leftover Halloween Candy Needed
I read an article in my local newspaper about different uses for leftover Halloween candy. The one suggestion that caught my eye was sending the candy to Operation Gratitude. Operation Gratitude will take the candy and put them together with other items to make care packages for American troops. Checking out the website: http://www.OperationGratitude.com, I found that not only did OG need our candy, but it also pleaded, “At this time, our most urgent need is for personal letters, hand-made scarves, Beanie Babies and financial donations to pay for postage.” If you send your candy to OG, why not include a few personal notes? The holidays are coming up for our soldiers, too.

The newspaper article mentions to ship candy by December 5th to:
Operation Gratitude/California
Army National Guard
17330 Victory Blvd.
Van Nuys, CA 91406
Attn: Charlie Othold

#3 – Bet You Didn’t Know This?
I’m just a fountain of information today, but did you know that Ralph Macchio, the Karate Kid, turned 48 this week! This makes me feel old! My sons used to watch his movies and mimicked his famous “crane” move over and over again. And who could ever forget Mr. Miyagi’s “Wax on, wax off” martial arts lesson? Using that strategy didn’t help me back then, when I tried to get my sons to wash our car!

#4 – Are Store Brands As Good As Name Brands? – Bob’s Market Tip
Most of the time, yes. Generally, the quality is the same, but items are just labeled differently. Store brand items are packed by the same companies that pack major brands and store brands cost less because no promotion is needed and they come directly to the store from a warehouse, therefore requiring no middleman. Do not be afraid to experiment. If you find the product meets your standards, you can save a significant amount of money off of your annual grocery bill. Try performing blind taste tests at home to see if store brands taste better than the name brand products. Even Best Foods Real Mayonnaise is packed by a company that packs for private labels.

#5 – A Peace Quote by Jimi Hendrix

When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace.

Peace to all this weekend.

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Doing the Tivo Tango

Posted in About me, Husbands, Recipes, tagged , , , , on October 27, 2009| 2 Comments »

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Every couple of nights my husband and I do the Tivo Tango. It is a well orchestrated dance that consists of fancy footwork, television, and our dog. There are certain evenings of the week were several of our favorite television shows are scheduled for the same time slot. My husband sets the Tivo (digital video recorder) to record the conflicting show on one television set and we sit and watch another show on a different television set. When that show is over, we race upstairs to another room and watch the show that we missed, but was recorded. The neat thing about recording shows is that we can advance right through all of the commercials. On occasion we have been known to run back downstairs to the first television set to watch a third show that was recorded while we were upstairs watching the second show. Confused, yet? The dog doesn’t understand it either, but he follows us from room to room, because he’s just happy to be with us. Doing the Tivo Tango makes it sound like we are television addicts, which we are most certainly not, but being empty nesters now, we finally have complete control of the television remotes, which means we can watch anything we want, any time we want!

Of course, having the stamina to watch all this television requires some fuel. I have been searching for a good kettle corn recipe for some time now and found this one by Scott Hargrove. My husband is the popcorn maker in the family and does not take this title lightly. Just today he went online to buy a crank-type popcorn maker that will make our kettle corn more authentic! I will keep searching for the best kettle corn recipe and after we receive the crank-type popcorn maker, I am going to try a recipe that includes pulverized Heath Bars! It’s got to be good!

Here’s my husband’s adaptation of Scott Hargrove’s kettle corn recipe:
1/4 cup vegetable oil (peanut oil or canola oil works too)
1/2 cup good quality popcorn kernels such as Orville Redenbacher
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1 TBS white granulated sugar
1 TBS brown sugar
Coarse salt (to taste)

Large pot with lid

Directions:
1. Place the large pot on stove and turn the heat on high, add the oil to the pot. Heat oil till it gets very hot (not smoking). Ripples will start to appear in the oil.
2. When the oil is hot, add the popcorn kernels then cover with lid.
3. Watch for kernels to pop, once they start popping, turn the heat down to medium.
4. Carefully shake the pot occasionally to shake any unpopped kernels to the bottom of the pot (where they can get hot enough to pop). This also helps prevent the popcorn from scorching.
5. When the popcorn stops popping, remove pot from heat.
6. Carefully remove the lid so you don’t get hit with hot popping popcorn.
7. Pour the powdered sugar over top. Cover with lid and give the pot a shake to distribute the sugar.
8. Remove lid, add the both the brown and white sugars to the popcorn, cover with lid and shake it up again.
9. Put pot on stove again, low heat, to melt the sugar a bit, shake for about 30 seconds.
10. Take off heat and stir gently with spoon to coat the popped kernels with the sugar syrup.
11. Sprinkle with 3-5 pinches of coarse salt or to taste and stir again. At this point you can also add ancho or chipotle chili powder if you like popcorn with a little kick!
12. Pour popcorn into large serving bowl and watch your show.

If you have a great popcorn recipe you’d like to share, I’d love to give it a try!

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Friday’s Fresh Five (10/23/09)

Posted in Art and Crafts, Creativity, Handcrafted Cards, In The Kitchen, Style and fashion, tagged , , , , , on October 23, 2009| 3 Comments »

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#1 – Can You Guess Which Birthday My Husband Just Celebrated?
Using paper punches and glue, I made this simple birthday card for my husband. I layered the hearts on top of the circles to create the symbol of five as they appear on dice. It’s an easy design that could be used with other numeric combinations. By the way, my husband’s older than ten!

#2 – Simple Color Theory
When trying to figure out what the general complementary color of another color is, whether it is for an accessory you’re adding to an outfit or for a piece of furniture you’re selecting for a room, just think about primary colors. Red, yellow, and blue to be precise. Here’s a simple formula: If the primary color you have is A, then B + C = complementary color. For example, if you are wearing a blue sweater and want to select a scarf to wear with it, then combine the two remaining primary colors, red and yellow in this case, and you get orange as the complementary color. The hues will vary, of course, depending on your color selections.

#3 – A Meat Market Tip from Bob
Have you ever had a recipe which called for skirt steak, but all you could find in the market was flank steak? Or have you ever ordered grilled hanger steak in a restaurant and wondered where it came from? What’s the difference between these cuts of meat? In very simple terms, the main difference between flank steaks, hanger steaks, and skirt steaks is a matter of proximate location. All three cuts of beef come from the belly area of the cow – between the forequarter and the hindquarter. Skirt steaks and hanger steaks come from the forequarter and flank steak is cut from the hindquarter of the animal. All are prized for their flavor, but are less tender pieces of meat and must be sliced across the grain. Fajitas and Chinese stir-fry are popular main dishes made with these cuts of meat.

#4 – Keep Your Fingers
To prevent your cutting board from slipping away as you slice and dice, slip a damp paper towel or a damp kitchen towel between the board and the counter surface. Also, you are more likely to cut yourself with a dull knife than a sharp knife. Keep those knives sharpened to make ease of your kitchen work. Your fingers will thank you!

#5 – A Nice Sentiment Sent By a Friend
Life is beautiful especially with good friends: Good friends are like stars, you don’t always see them, but you know they are there.

Thanks to all of my “stars” and have a great weekend!

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One Month Celebration!

Posted in About me, Recipes, tagged , , , , on October 18, 2009| Leave a Comment »

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What About This? celebrates its one month anniversary today, so in appreciation of all of you who’ve been loyal followers and to those of you who just stopped by for a peek, here’s a bonus post! Your positive feedback and great comments have encouraged my creative spirit. This is my sixteenth post and I can hardly contain all the thoughts and ideas I still have for this blog!

So in celebration of W.A.T.’s one month birthday, I baked cookies! I hadn’t tried this recipe before, but was very pleased with the results. The cookies have a nice crunchy exterior and a soft chewy center – the best of both world’s in my mind! Here are my tweaks to the recipe: I added a half-cup of Heath Bar Bits. I don’t like my cookies overly sweet, so I resisted temptation to add more. I also toasted the pecans ahead of time. Toasting brings out the flavor in nuts. Because I like chunky cookies, I added more coconut than the recipe called for and because I didn’t have a bar of semisweet chocolate to cut into chunks, I used a bag of chocolate chips.

Here’s my adaption of Martha Stewart’s Cowboy Cookies:

Ingredients

Makes about 3 dozen.

* Vegetable oil cooking spray
* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
* 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
* 3/4 cup granulated sugar
* 3/4 cup light-brown sugar
* 2 large eggs
* 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
* 1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
* 6 ounces semisweet chocolate, cut into 1/4-inch chunks (1 cup) or chocolate chips
* 3 ounces (3/4 cup) pecan halves, toasted
* 1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut (more if you like coconut)
* 1/2 cup toffee bits

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or nonstick baking mats; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and baking powder.
2. Beat butter and sugars with a mixer on medium-high until pale and creamy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to medium. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla.
3. Reduce speed to low, and slowly add flour mixture, beating until just incorporated. Beat in oats, chocolate, pecans, coconut, and toffee bits until combined. (Dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.)
4. Using a 1 1/2-inch ice cream scoop or a small spoon, drop dough onto baking sheets, spacing 3 inches apart.
5. Bake until edges of cookies begin to brown, 11 to 13 minutes. Transfer baking sheets to a wire rack, and let cool for 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to racks. Let cool. (Cookies can be stored up to 3 days.)

Enjoy this recipe and thanks for your continued support of What About This?

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Friday’s Fresh Five (10/9/09)

Posted in Helping Others, Style and fashion, tagged , , , , , , on October 8, 2009| 2 Comments »

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Another week has gone by and it’s time for another Friday’s Fresh Five!

#1 A Worthwhile Quote:
Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking. – Marcus Aurelius, 121-180, Roman Emperor and Philosopher

#2 A Market Tip from Bob (my dad)
Although oranges are available in the supermarkets year-round, their peak season is actually October through late March. When selecting oranges, look for thin, smooth-skinned ones versus thick and deeply-pitted ones. Always select firm and heavy oranges. Weight is usually indicative of the amount of juice in a citrus.

#3 An Economical and Environmental Tip:
Buy a foaming soap dispenser. These dispensers require very little soap product, thus saving you money, as well as, saving landfills from additional plastic garbage. I purchased my foam pumps from Solutions.com but any Bath & Body Works Gentle Foaming Hand Soap pump can be refilled with liquid soap and water. Three tablespoons of liquid soap topped off with as much water as needed to fill the container and you’re set for at least a month. You’ll be amazed at how infrequently you have to refill these pumps!

#4 A Style Tip:
Accessories tell your story. I don’t remember where I heard this, but I like it. Whether it’s the red handbag slung over your shoulder or the way you tie your silk scarf, an accessory is an additional opportunity to express yourself. What’s your story?

#5 Do a Good Thing
Give credit where it is due. As you go about your daily activities and you come across someone who has been particularly nice or extraordinarily helpful to you, thank them or better yet tell his/her supervisor. It’s seems so easy to complain, but so difficult to give a deserved pat on the back.

Enjoy your weekend!

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