The Wee Hours

The best part about sinus infections? There is no best part. There is pain, pressure, mucus, and lack of sleep. Today I'm putting that lack of sleep to work checking in on my favorite blogs and decided to put something up here too. But really being awake during the wee hours is not really fun no matter how you spin it. I *think* we are on the down side of this crazy virus, but am knocking on wood as I say it so that I don't jinx things. We are praying for spring to come quickly!

While checking my e-mail this morning I found a forward from one of my aunts. She likes to send on all manners of things and I thought today's was pretty interesting. I'd like to remember some of these ideas (since I tend to 'file' forwards) so I thought I'd post them here. Some of these seemed pretty genius to me!

Better than paper towels and a lot less expensive...COFFEE FILTERS

Who knew! And you can buy 1,000 at the Dollar Tree for $1.00, even the large ones.
1. Cover bowls or dishes when cooking in the microwave. Coffee filters make excellent covers.
2. Clean windows, mirrors, and chrome... Coffee filters are lint-free so they'll leave windows sparkling.
3. Protect China by separating your good dishes with a coffee filter between each dish.
4. Filter broken cork from wine. If you break the cork when opening a wine bottle, filter the wine through a coffee filter.
5. Protect a cast-iron skillet. Place a coffee filter in the skillet to absorb moisture and prevent rust.
6. Apply shoe polish. Ball up a lint-free coffee filter.
7. Recycle frying oil. After frying, strain oil through a sieve lined with a coffee filter.
8. Weigh chopped foods. Place chopped ingredients in a coffee filter on a kitchen scale.
9. Hold tacos. Coffee filters make convenient wrappers for messy foods.
10. Stop the soil from leaking out of a plant pot. Line a plant pot with a coffee filter to prevent the soil from going through the drainage holes.
11. Prevent a Popsicle from dripping. Poke one or two holes as needed in a coffee filter.
12. Do you think we used expensive strips to wax eyebrows? Use strips of coffee filters..
13. Put a few in a plate and put your fried bacon, French fries, chicken fingers, etc on them.. It soaks out all the grease.
14. Keep in the bathroom. They make great "razor nick fixers."
15. As a sewing backing. Use a filter as an easy-to-tear backing for embroidering or appliqueing soft fabrics.
16. Put baking soda into a coffee filter and insert into shoes or a closet to absorb or prevent odors.
17. Use them to strain soup stock and to tie fresh herbs in to put in soups and stews.
18. Use a coffee filter to prevent spilling when you add fluids to your car.
19. Use them as a spoon rest while cooking and clean up small counter spills.
20. Can use to hold dry ingredients when baking or when cutting a piece of fruit or veggies.. Saves on having extra bowls to wash.
21. Use them to wrap Christmas ornaments for storage.
22. Use them to remove fingernail polish when out of cotton balls.
23. Use them to sprout seeds. Simply dampen the coffee filter, place seeds inside, fold it and place it into a zip-lock plastic bag until they sprout.
24. Use coffee filters as blotting paper for pressed flowers. Place the flowers between two coffee filters and put the coffee filters in phone book..
25. Use as a disposable "snack bowl" for popcorn, chips, etc.


I know I've seen some pretty amazing wreaths made out of coffee filters and I've used them in making gift baskets as well. Anyone have any other ideas for coffee filters? Other than for making coffee, that is...

Happy Early Morning!
Heather

Thomas the Train Cake Without a Cake Mold

My friends, that was my challenge. How do you create an adorable Thomas the Train without the standard train cake mold? Or without the fancy, shmancy Williams-Sonoma multiple train car mold? And I didn't want to just make a flat cake and stick his trains on it. That just seemed too simple and I wanted something a little fancy for the boy who LOVES trains and was turning two! I wasn't sure what I was going to do until I saw this. Perfect!

We decided to forgo a birthday part for Little Guy this year because a. I'm just now really feeling like I might be getting back to 100% and didn't need to set myself back by stressing out for his second birthday since he really won't remember it anyway, right? and b. Daddy would be gone for the evening of his birthday and pretty much every weekend day as well for most of the summer-can't have a party without Daddy! So it became a family day full of fun birthdayness from the time we woke up until nap time after lunch. And really, it was enough for Little Guy. He was worn out from his birthday when nap time came and I was glad for his sake that we kept the evening more normal. I think at 2 he could only take so much of the presents, cake, calling grandparents, and totally him, him, him focus. He was becoming a bit of a birthday monster, if you know what I mean! And yet, he loved every minute and still asks for his "choo-choo train birthday cake" and "Thomas train birthday cake" all the time. Makes me glad I figured out a way to give him one!

On with it already, huh? Please excuse the not great photos and backgrounds. New baby in the house, enough said.

First step was to bake two round layer cakes. I just used our favorite chocolate cake recipe. Then I whipped up a batch of butter cream frosting. I really should have made a batch and a half or so, but I got by with one. It was down to the end and took some creativity to stretch it, but I'm glad I did. It's not like we needed MORE sugar. There were only two adults and one 2 year old eating it! I used homemade strawberry jam for the filling because it tastes really, really good with this chocolate cake.

To assemble you cut one layer in half and stack them up in this order...full round, filling on just half of the cake, half round (over filling), filling, and then other half on top. So on one side you have a three layer cake and on the other side you have just one layer. It would have been smart to level the layers before I started, but I was doing this as quickly as I could between nursing, laundry, etc and just ran with it. Because of that my 3 layer part looked like it could slide off at any time and I didn't like the idea of that happening! To solve I stuck bamboo skewers through the three layers to anchor them. I cut the skewers off at cake level and you would never have known they were there. I probably used about 8 or so skewers just to be safe and they were no big deal when eating. I was worried they would be a pain when I was cutting and such, but they never were. Mike saw the cake around now and had no idea how this could become a train cake.



That is the beauty of this cake. Once you see it decorated, it makes total sense (at least it did to me, since I only had a picture to go on), but before it just looks odd! To decorate I first did a crumb layer of frosting. This chocolate cake is pretty crumbly and it needed to have a coat to seal. I left this coat white since many different colors would go over it. I also made sure to pop the cake in the fridge as soon as I was done with the crumb layer as the frosting was getting melty in the heat. I also kept the butter cream in the fridge as much as possible once I started dying it and such to keep it firm enough to decorate.



After the crumb layer I did the green grass layer. Once I had that done I tinted the remaining green a bit darker and used a pastry bag to do the leaves, some shrubs, and some other little grass areas as well as a spot for his big '2' candle. I used a toothpick to sketch out the basic outline of the tree trunk and the tunnel opening in order to have something to work around.



Next I tinted the brown and piped the tree trunk. I did the blue after that and because I didn't have much frosting left I made it bright so I could use the white crumb layer to mix in if needed. On the front I kept it thin, but solid and on the back I used less and kind of swirled it on. It actually looked more like an actual sky with color variation and such. At this point the cake needed a cool down so it went into the fridge while I fed the baby.



I took the rest of the brown and a bit more frosting I scraped out of the bowl (I was working with a very limited amount by this time) and made it the black for the tunnel and the train tracks. The tracks are easily made the right distance if you first lightly push the toy down into the frosting then do your best to keep the right width.



After I got that on, using a toothpick to make the edges meet up with the blue and green nicely, I added a few birds, his birth date and such. The top has "Happy 2nd Birthday" on it and is a bit awkward because of the crazy slope of the cake. Again, leveling would have been my friend! And the words on just on the crumb layer as I had no frosting left to make it pretty before adding the message.


Had I made more frosting I would have done the decorating order very differently. I would have done the crumb coat, then the sky (including over tunnel area), the grass and the top. After that I would have added the tunnel over the sky without worrying about edges, the tree, then the leaves and shrubs and birds and writing. I also would have done some edging on the top and around the base of the cake and probably added some bricks (like our train set) or stones around the edges of the tunnel. All in all the decorating took less than an hour of hands on time and it ended up looking pretty good. More time and skill would have made it a lot better, but I'm no professional and I just wanted to make my Little Guy's day with a cake he'd like.



Right before serving I added one of his Thomas train engines and the candle. Of course, you could also make the Thomas out of fondant or cake and really make it great, but I needed to keep it simple and the toy worked like a charm. Oh, and I'm not a professional cake decorator.

We set the cake in the middle of some of his train track with some of his other trains on the track. (It made for a cute centerpiece and would really look great if you had a whole buffet. I'm thinking a table of food with train track running all over it and round the food. Then a circle of tracks in the middle with the cake in the center. Think he'll be into trains next year?) We lit the candle, sang 'Happy Birthday' and Little Guy blew it out on the first try. He was so, so excited about the cake and that is what makes me the happiest!

Hope you have happy birthdays in your house too!
Heather

p.s. Little Guy figured out how to turn the knob AND push to get doors open yesterday. Previously he would only do one of the two actions at a time. We liked the fact that we could shut the door to the bathroom and Daddy's office and he couldn't get in. Now he can. Yikes.

Zucchini Relish

Which could also be called "The best pickle relish you've ever had that has no cucumbers in it whatsoever!" or "An easy way to use up a lot of big zucchini fast." or "Gift back those zucchini your neighbors hid on your porch without them knowing they are getting zucchini!"

I do not even remember where I first heard mention of making zucchini relish, but it was on a website somewhere this year. "Huh, that's a great idea, if it works" was my first reaction. As everyone who lives in Wisconsin (or most other states) knows zucchini is something that grows really well and really abundantly here. Many people find themselves doing everything they can to just give away the extras. Cucumbers so too, but not with the same prolific zeal that zucchini does. My garden did not feel it right to supply me with EITHER of these items this year, but gratefully the farmer's market does!

We do not typically eat a lot of pickle relish, but after getting a few big zucchini from assorted people and then being able to buy about 6 bigger ones for only $1 at the farmer's market I figured I'd see if I could make some relish myself. (We already had lots of diced and shredded zucchini frozen for winter use.) Since cucumbers are like $2-$3 a pound it made sense to give the zucchini recipe a shot. And the recipe says its delicious and I'll never buy pickle relish in the store again, so it must be worth a shot!

I found the recipe that sounded the simplest with the fewest ingredients here. I liked the fact that I had gotten a bunch of red peppers from our freecycle connection, there were onions in the drawer and cheap zucchini to use. My biggest expense was getting spices (turmeric, celery seed, and dry mustard) but those weren't too bad and really it was just the turmeric that I wouldn't have normally had in my cupboard. The sugar, vinegar, corn starch and black pepper are pantry staples for us as well.

Basically you just grate up the zucchini, onions and red peppers. I used my Kitchen Aid attachment to do the zucchini (seeds, skins and all) and onions. It really wasn't too great with the onions, but I figured it didn't matter how smooshed they were as relish is more about flavor than anything else. I ended up using my little Cuisinart to do the red peppers as they were already in a large dice and I just needed to get them finer. These all get salted and put in the fridge overnight. Or for 2 days as was the case with my first batch!

The vegetable mix gets rinsed, drained, and put in a pot to combine with the other ingredients. This is where the spices, vinegar and sugar all get added.

Mix well and bring to a boil. This cooks for 30 minutes and does get a bit thicker thanks to the cornstarch. When stirring make sure you use a utensil that you do not mind getting stained. I used a wooden one (as I am doing more and more these days) and it is the prettiest yellow color up to the point that the mixture reached! I do not mind at all, but even my enameled cast iron took on a yellow hue for a while. The turmeric is strong stuff so be aware of any drips or where you put your spoon down. You could end up with stains on your counter tops as well.

Doesn't this look like it could be cucumber relish? Smells strong, but good while cooking!

The finished product after boiling and canning. I'm trying to remember, but I think I waterbathed the pints for about 20 minutes. I followed the suggestion that was on another recipe and figured that since this is so similar in texture I should be okay. The linked recipe does not specifically give a time for canning.

I've tried some of this on a sandwich and it was wonderful! I typically only use relish in chicken, egg or potato salad or occasionally on a hot dog. I have a feeling that the 12 pints I've put up will be used up though. The color is great, the flavor is awesome! I actually have a bit of store bought relish in the fridge and when comparing them I found the store bought one to be too uniform in size of chunks, too all one color as it is just pickles with a tiny bit of red something in it, and just too sweet smelling and tasting. This one is just more fun all the way around! And I think it would make a really nice looking gift as the colors and texture make the jar look very festive.

Next year I hope to get lots and lots and lots of zucchini and red pepper to be able to put up a bunch more of this! I originally just did the 6 pints, but when I got a few more zucchinis last week I knew what I'd be doing with those too :) I pulled red pepper out of the freezer and whipped up another batch right away.

Happy Canning!

Heather

Now Why Didn't I Think of That?

I am in the process of trying to de-clutter some things around our house. We have a little home and Mike and I are both clutter bugs. Add in the rummaging I'm doing for the little one and we have too much STUFF in too small of a space. Oh, how we hope that our little guy will not be a clutter bug!

So, I'm going through many, many magazines that I had saved over the last few years. I've got back issues of O, Real Simple and Money Magazine. I'm trying to go through them again and get any information or recipes out that I feel the need to save. Then I'm taking them to work for people to browse while at our Starbucks. After that they are going in the recycling at work unless other people take them home first. I love the fact that they are living at least one extra life!

Today I wanted to share a tip I found in the Real Simple from August of 2005. They did a piece on other uses for appliances that many people have around the house. Some were very obvious to me (using a Crock-Pot to keep hot cider or cheese fondue warm during a party), but others made me go "Why didn't I think of that?" The ideas that really appealed to me had to do with an ice cream maker. Maybe the heat caused these ideas to sound so yummy to me?

So what can you do with an ice cream maker other than make ice cream?

*Make slurpees! Pour a 12 oz can of cola (or other flavor soda) into the machine. Run for 10-15 minutes and when a thick slush has formed scoop into two glasses and slurp away! I'm thinking Mike would LOVE this done with root beer.

*Make margaritas! Pour all your favorite margarita ingredients except the alcohol into the machine. Once frozen add the tequila and triple sec and start the party!

*Make frozen hot chocolate! Make your favorite hot chocolate (homemade or instant) and pour into the machine. After about 20 minutes you can sit back and enjoy the yumminess!

*Make a frozen lime rickey? No idea what this is, but it sounds pretty good. Pour 6 oz of seltzer, 1 oz of simple syrup and 1 oz of lime juice into the machine. Freeze for 15-20 minutes and give it a whirl for yourself!

Don't these sound interesting? I realize that you are using some electricity, but if you compare the price of having some yummy unique treats at home to going out for a 7-11 Slurpee or other frozen goody you are saving some real money. We do not have an ice cream maker, but I think I'm adding it to my rummage sale list!

What fun summer treats do you enjoy? Find more great tips at Tammy's Recipes!

Heather

My Rummage Sale Helpers and Tips

My trusty sidekicks!

I open at work every Saturday morning which means I am there from 4:30-10:30am typically. I do not have the luxury of being able to plot and plan and be an early bird at rummage sales because of this, but considering the benefits it offers my family I'm not going to complain! I've learned to use the time and opportunity that I do have to rummage sale to my advantage. I stop at as many sales as I can on my way home from work. If I work Friday and Saturday I take a different route home each day to maximize the number of sales I'll see.

I LOVE a good bargain and I have a (somewhat self-imposed) small budget so I need to be smart about my purchases, even the ones that are second hand. I do have a good memory and am typically able to know if something I see is a good price and if it is something useful for us, but I realized last year that I needed some help to really maximize my great buys.

My biggest rummage sale goal is to entirely outfit little guy with adorable clothes that I find second hand at a steal of a price. In order to be prepared for what he will need for the next year I've devised a chart. I'm doing my best to avoid having 10 pairs of pants and no shorts for the summer or all short sleeve onsies that fit when winter rolls around. When I did my inventory this spring I realized that I had NO pjs once he got past 12 months and I only had 1 pair of 12 month pjs. I do not know exactly what size he will be during what season so I am probably over buying a bit on things, but I also know that I can recoup the money I'm spending if I sell these items at a garage sale in our neighborhood. My goal is to spend $.25-$.50 per item. I will spend $1 if it is an all in one outfit or a good pair of jeans or khakis or bibs. Pjs I typically spend $.75-$1 on. His heavy fall/winter jacket was $2 (Baby Gap) and the one for this summer was $1 (Polo).

Last summer I bought no newborn size clothes (we got tons as gifts when he was born and they didn't last very long at all!) and focused on getting him things through 12 months. I did pick up things that were bigger when I found them for $.25 or if they were just something I 'had to have'. With gifts and such we have had PLENTY of clothes (I think I counted 40ish sleepers at one point around 3 months). This summer I am focused on 18 month-2T mainly. I am picking up bigger sizes when I find great deals. My main goal is to get through the entire next year until rummage season starts again, so I'm not terribly worried about finding 4T jeans, but if I find them in great shape for a quarter I'm going to buy them. The chart makes sure I don't buy 8 pairs of them.

I've got boxes in the basement that I've got labeled for different sizes. Right now I have a newborn-3 months box, 3-6 months, 9-12 months (lots of these are in his drawers right now), 18 months, 24/2T, and 3T/up. I've also got a box of shoes. I am typically paying about $1 for shoes and most are leather or name brand tennis shoes. We have purposefully not had him in shoes yet, but once he is walking we've got shoes for him to wear. I have 3 pairs of size 4 (what he is getting close to now) and 2 size 5. Then it is hit or miss (6, 6.5, 7, 9, 9). Again, I'm not trying to stock a retail store, I'm just making sure there are things for now and for the next bit and beginning my stockpile for later.

So the chart basically gives me a run down of what I've got and shows me where my holes are. I focus mostly on those and it keeps me from wanting to go crazy when I find 9 month sweaters for $.25. If he's not going to wear it, than I'm not going to buy it! I find that tally marks are good enough for me. I buy pants and bibs that are pretty neutral, so they'll go with most any of the shirts, tops and sweatshirts/jackets. I am trying to make sure I do get at least one dressy outfit in each size so he has something nicer to wear when that is called for. The prices I'm paying may seem low, but it takes patience to find them. Some sales have everything marked for $1 or $2 or even more. Those sales I don't waste much time at and when I find a sale that has the big table of 'everything is $.50' than I settle in and go through it thoroughly! It is possible to find these prices, you just have to go to enough sales and be patient.

This list is something I started doing last year when I had a big case of pregnancy brain! I knew there were specific things I wanted to find, but I was nervous that I would forget them as I often felt like I couldn't remember my phone number. I keep a list all year of things we could use, things we need, and things we want. Typically I have an idea of what the big stuff sells for on craigslist and new and keep in mind what I'd be willing to pay at a garage sale. As I find something specific I cross it off the list. Last summer I crossed almost every item off my list before I was finished! So far I've crossed off the backpack carrier, the outdoor baby swing, and the compost bin (we made one). I've got lots of things on there yet, but the season is still early. I've also got listed somethings that a co-worker is looking for and clothes my sister is wanting for my nieces for school next year. One the right I've got a list of babies from our birth class who are all turning 1 shortly. This is a visual clue to keep my eyes open for specific toys or books that fit their personalities and that I know their parents would appreciate.





I do not buy a ton of my gifts at rummage sales, my focus is on our family's needs. However, I will pick up something for someone if it is what I know they want or need. Most my friends and family know I am frugal and I don't think many of them would be shocked if I got them a second hand gift as long as it was appropriate. The great majority of gifts we give are new, but there are a few exceptions.






So my tips:


1. Focus on the time you do have, not the time you don't have. Try to drive different routes on your way home from work on Friday and Saturday to ensure possible exposure to rummage sales. Do not be afraid to stop and buzz through many sales on your way home from work.





2. Make a list of what your family needs/wants. Know your prices. Ask if you don't see what you need. I'm asking for a canning colander at every sale I stop at this year. Someone will have one!





3. If you want to outfit a child/children make an inventory sheet and keep it up to date. When you come home from rummaging add tally marks for the 'new' purchases as you take off tags, before they are even washed. Think ahead for the whole year. Do not forget things like hats, mittens, snow pants, swim trunks, pjs, socks. They can be bought for pennies at a rummage sale, but are pricey if you need them last minute. Do not be afraid to buy a few years ahead if it is a great deal.





4. Carry cash at all times. You never know when you'll pass a sale on a Thursday that has the perfect $10 leather chair that you've been wanting your whole life. Carry as much cash as you would want to spend on the biggest ticket item you are looking for. I'm looking for a bike trailer, so I'm carrying as much as we would want to spend on that.





5. Be open minded. Last year I bought a bag of baby spoons/forks for $.25. There were about 8 spoons and 3 forks. 2 of the spoons had names on them. My son is not named either of these names and he really doesn't care! The two pairs of capris I bought for $1 fit me just as well as the one pair I bought for $30 a few years ago. Why not keep it out of a land fill and save yourself some money at the same time?





6. Don't be afraid to walk away. There are hundreds of sales every year. Someone will have what you want at a price you want. If you can't live without it, buy it, but really if you didn't have it yesterday chances are you will survive another day without it! If the price seems crazy high don't fight about it, just walk away.





7. Have FUN! The rush of finding a good deal is awesome. The things you'll see are funny. The people you meet are sometimes crazy. Rummaging should be like a scavenger hunt...only with a great purpose. If it is stressing you out or you are beat, go home. There will be more sales another time.





8. Be patient and persistent. You will not find everything you need/want in one weekend. Do not even try. The season is long and the finds are going to be there. Just keep stopping at sales and you'll be amazed at what you find.





9. Delight in the unexpected. Last year I found a Pampered Chef bar server for $.25. Didn't really need it, but always wanted one. I snapped it up and use it and love it. Every purchase doesn't have to be on my list. The list keeps me on track, but I delight in the little finds that make our life prettier, easier or just more fun!





10. Check out some other great bloggers ideas about rummage sales.





Heather

When in doubt, just ask

Today I found out some potentially exciting news! I'm always looking for ways to lower our grocery bill but also am working to introduce more organic produce into our budget. These things are not always very compatible. I read a post recently that suggested talking to your local produce manager... http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/blog/feeding-the-family-hey-mr-produce-man

Well, lucky for me one of our customers is the owner of a grocery store! He stops in on his way to the produce markets everyday. So, why not ask him if he really would sell produce, especially organic produce, by the case? He was not surprised at all. In fact, it sounds like he has done this in the past or maybe does it fairly often. And here I'd been nervous about asking him! If I want produce I just need to e-mail him and he'll get it for me. If I order by the case then he tells me his wholesale price and tacks on about 20% for his time and gas getting it and invoicing it, etc. I'd have the produce within a few days at most. So simple!

My dilema now is figuring out how much these cases will cost. He can give me an approximate cost if I e-mail him what I want. However, he doesn't have a list of prices and I don't want to waste his time giving me tons of prices and then not order anything. I know that organic will be more expensive than our typical loss leader shopping, but it will also be better for us in the long run. My goal is to start getting the 'dirty dozen' organic and then take baby steps from there as our budget allows. The more real we eat, the better. I also figure I can get apples, pears and a few other things from friends and neighbors this fall so really I would only be looking at a few cases to start.

I should mention we can not even begin to eat a full case of fruit before it goes bad. One of my big adventures this year is going to be canning!