Make and Take a Meal

You know, I still have a very fond memory, of when I had our first little one...and the tater tot casserole someone brought over to me after my son was born.  I don't think I'd ever heard of tater tots before I had kids...seriously, I am telling you the truth!  I remember being so entranced with the dish and how everything was in there....I want to say all the food groups or should I say all levels of the pyramid...I don't know, that sounds dumb but you know what I am driving at.  Anyway, our unit used to rally up whenever someone had a baby.  A schedule was put together, and the mom had meals taken care of at least for the first few weeks after coming home...it was great.  I enjoyed it, and I tried to make sure that happened in every unit I was in after that!

Do you do something similar in your unit?  Would you like to share what you do?  I know you can make this as easy or as time consuming as you want it to be.  There was a time where I would have a homemade dessert, maindish, homemade bread, salad and even drinks.  Now, it's more like a maindish that'll have leftovers, still homemade bread and salad....but mostly storebought desserts.  I've found that it's great to add some kids' drinks and grown-up soda....one of the items most likely not to be found in the house of a new baby.....along with toilet paper, papertowels, wipes and diapers.  Of course it was like that in our house!  Always running out of the staples!

I think I have some good recipes that deliver well in my Cooking section.  Keep in mind that casseroles and lasagnas work best.  Try to find out what they had the time before.  It'll work even better if one spouse volunteers to maintain a list of volunteers and what they are bringing...and when.  I sometimes even assemble the casserole, and if I come over early enough, I leave heating instructions.  There's something to be said about a home with the smells of home cooking as it gets closer to mealtime!  I also recommend using disposable dishes....tin and tinfoil for the hot stuff and those plastic containers for everything else.  Even something as simple as pork chops baked in Campbell's mushroom soup and a container full of mashed potatoes can be filling and appreciated.  You don't always have time to make a meal from scratch, but I can tell you, any meal will be appreciated....it's the thought that counts most of the time and speaking for myself...I'll eat almost anything if I don't have the time to cook it myself.  I am not picky and seasoning powder and salt can do wonders for just about anything!

Nostalgia aside, if you have any great recipes to share that are perfect for taking over to someone's house, I would love to hear them!

Tired of cooking...that's me...solutions are here

I don't know if you're like me.  I'll go to our local library and check out half a dozen cookbooks with mouth watering pictures (cause those without just won't do).  I dutifully go home, mark the pages, buy the ingredients and then end up cooking  maybe....2-3 recipes per cookbook with mixed results.  Then, fresh out of motivation for the rest of the week, the dinner rut begins to rear its ugly head!  Family's hungry...always hungry (I have two boys plus hubby), so now what?  How about some easy "cheats" that look like you made a meal and put a lot of effort into it too?

Here are some ideas that have saved me and made my family belly-full happy:

• French bread (I LOVE Belgium for this as it is EVERYWHERE), roast chicken from the grocery store (they do that here too), raw cut-up celery and carrots (with choice of dips), olives (younger son lives on these) and a few rounds of cheese (we tried a wonderful light textured cheese from Brugge last week).
• Anything you can fry up on a raclette grill!  My kids love this thing and it's fun for company.  Get a few types of smoked sausages (even a few hotdogs will do)...cut that stuff up beforehand.  Also slice up peppers, onions and whatever vegetables taste great grilled.  I also have pre-cooked baked potatoes which will be sliced at the table.  Don't forget condiments and sauces and dressings for dipping.  Many stores now have raclette cheese, but we usually bring home a few different kinds too.  The gist is you layer a slice of potato and whatever cheese in your little tray and put it in the slot under the grill.  Up top you'll lay out sliced sausages, veggie slices and watch it sizzle and cause tongues to water.  What a fun dinner!  I sometimes make a few cold salads the day before to also go with this meal if we are having company.
• Boboli-type pizza, sauce (any spaghetti sauce will do), cheese, veggie and leftover lunchmeat toppings.  Kids get to make their own and will then be more inclined to eat their own creations!
• Deli meat platters, macaroni and potato salads from the deli.  Don't do this too often though, as they can be expensive.
• Breakfast for dinner.  We'll fry up some omelettes, and I always keep bacon and pre-cooked sausage in the freezer.  I will also slice up some potatoes and cook them in the microwave a few minutes before I pan fry them in butter and seasonings.
• If you just have pasta and whatever tomato sauce, add cream cheese (the flavored varieties work well) as you heat up the sauce.  It looks and tastes like a rich vodka sauce.
• Sandwiches for dinner.  Grab some fresh rolls before coming home along with some lunchmeats and cheeses.  Try different sauces.  I discovered Andoulous sauce here in Belgium and have been using that instead of mayo lately.  You can even use that great French bread again, layer it with meat and cheese and then put it under the broiler for a few minutes...hot, bubbly and crispy!
• Tortilla wraps in the microwave can be a real lifesaver.  Kids like these as snacks too.  What do you put in there?  You can add heated, mashed refried beans and cheese and serve with salsa or gaucamole or how about prepared chili or Sloppy Joe canned offerings?  We sometimes add whatever cut up veggies we have too.
• If you've got a bag of veggies and frozen chicken breasts or tenders in the freezer, you can put the frozen chicken in the oven after sprinkling whatever seasonings on there.  Once it starts to get light brown, it's done. Stir fry those frozen veggies with the cooked meat and throw in some soy sauce, Asian sesame oil and rice wine vinegar to taste.  Make your rice at the same time in a pot with water.  I boil my salted water (2x water vs. raw rice, so 2 cups of water and 1 cup rice).  I then put in the rice.  Put a lid on it and turn down to the lowest setting.  Set your timer for 15 min and serve with your stir fry.
• A big green salad with my homemade dressing and bias cut pieces of chicken nuggets...yes, chicken nuggets taste and look great in a green salad and it is different enough to make your dish..different.  I even served this once at a luncheon and everyone kept asking how I did the chicken....sssshhhh.

And those are my cheats.  Do you have any dinner meal cheats?

CopyKated Food....mmmmm....

I have a handful of cooking blogs that I like to read.  I'm one of those people who says they like to cook, and every so often, I'll turn out a fantastic meal.  But, for the most part, I secretly get excited when I realize a dinner meal will create some leftovers.  I'd never tell anyone that, face-to-face of course.  Just here.  So, I am ALWAYS on the search for that perfect recipe.  You know the one...the one that you don't have to have written down cause it'll be so easy to remember.  It's always the one you can substitute a few different main ingredients, to make it taste just different enough that everyone thinks it's something different.  And lastly, one that your family just loves and requests again and again.  Honestly, I am still searching for this Holy Grail, but in the meantime, I just recently tried some recipes from these blogs...and they turned out PERFECT and tasted GREAT...those are two big milestones to reach!  So here they are!

I've blogged before how I like Steamy Kitchen's sassy persona.  And, the food photos are to die for because she just has the talent for getting her creations to look so juicy in print.  But the best part, is that her recipes are easy!  I made her Teriyaki Mushroom Sauce with Grilled Salmon.  I made it exactly as described, with her fresh ingredients, and it turned out perfect!  We love to eat salmon, and as an added bonus, I learned that teriyaki sauce is not something that comes in a bottle but is something that you can make, from scratch...very easily!

This next blog, I think I just stumbled onto by accident looking for wives who are overseas.  This ever changing wife is in Turkey with her Air Force hubby.  I like her blog.  Since it's the season for that kind of thing, and I recently had a coffee I needed to bring something to, I blindly baked her Pumpkin Bread and Cinnamon Honey Butter  and whipped up the accompanying honey butter the morning of the coffee (how's that for guts of glory?).  I did like she said, slicing it beforehand and saving the two end pieces for myself...and of course feeding my kids another few slices for breakfast...but the rest DID make it to the coffee.  I came home with an empty basket.  I was a little awestruck.  I think this is the first time I went to a coffee and brought NOTHING back home with me!  So, that night, I snuck downstairs and in the light of the refrigerator, I slathered the last two slices with honey butter and giddily wolfed them down...no one was the wiser, except maybe my waistline and the cat...sigh.

I also recently discovered a fellow American blogging over here in Belgium.  She does share some hilarious stories.  She blogs a lot lately about being pregnant, which I can't relate to right now...but doesn't everyone who is pregnant, so it is truly okay, and she is forgiven:-)    I found some beef-stew-looking meat at the Belgian grocery store labeled Carbonnade and thought of this recipe I had just investigated on her blog that morning (beef + beer)...it must be karma I thought, so I bought the meat and then printed out her recipe.  The author accompanies the recipe with step-by-step photos, which I really liked too, including a photo of her two little ones wreaking havoc in the other room as she cooks (they're cute).  The best part was the heavenly smells wafting through my house all afternoon.  Everyone kept asking what in the world was I cooking and could they stay for dinner.  In the end, my husband said that he didn't like the sweet flavor, and if I ever cooked it again, I'd buy less fatty cuts of meat..too much fat my kids said...and my gravy was lumpy....BUT, it tasted like it was supposed to taste, and I personally thought it was great.  This IS Beef Carbonnade I wanted to shout, and Beef Carbonnade you get in the restaurant tastes EXACTLY like this!  If I ever make it again, I'd make it for company with a smoother gravy (how do you do that with those hunks of bread she puts in there?) and better cuts of meat.  Of course, I also served it with spaetzle cause of the German in me and not fries like most Belgians do.  They eat fries with everything here...YES, they taste fantastic, but you can only eat so many fries I would think!

Do you remember that wonderful smell at the carnival?  No, not that one...the other one of onions, sausage and potato.  I have renamed this next recipe Carnival or State Fair Sausage and Potatoes.  It brings back good memories and was so easy to make!  I threw it all in the baking pan (even mixed it in there) and baked it uncovered in our oven as my family and I sat down to watch a movie over the weekend (yeah, I didn't miss the beginning of a movie for once).  It was a wonderful cozy smell that I confess we still smelled the next morning (so what?)....and we had no leftovers....darn.  Where did I find this recipe?  Over at A Few Short Cuts, where Amanda tells me this recipe only costs just over a $1 per serving...so frugal too!

So, those were the highlights of my week...cooking-wise.  Do you have any to-die-for recipes you found on someone's blog you are willing to share?

The Eggs Saved Me

Of all things, the eggs...if you have eggs, you can come up with something!  From my having no clue what I was making for this get together....I made 48 little mini quiches, and didn't even have to run to the store....love it when a last minute plan comes together.  Here's a way to make mini quiches with ingredients you probably already have on hand.

Okay, so I had breakfast sausage from what was going to be a breakfast casserole I was supposed to make over the weekend.  And, because I got a kitchen torch for my birthday when I lamented I didn't have one, I had four little cartons of heavy cream sitting there, ready to be used (I made Creme Brulee two weeks ago....and had to use the broiler to crisp the top....not the same all my family members told me, hence the torch).

Mini Quiches (makes 48)

1 cup butter, soft
6 oz cream cheese, soft (I had onions & chives, so used that)
2 cups flour
1 lb Italian sausage or bacon (I used breakfast sausage)
2 cups shredded cheese
2 TBS chives (left out)
4 eggs
2 cups half and half (I used cream....I know, more fattening)
1/2 tsp salt (oops, forgot to add that, so they were a bit bland)
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (I used regular...should've used cayenne for more flavor)

-Beat butter and cream cheese in bowl til creamy.  Slowly blend in flour.  Refrigerate dough one hour.  

Cook up your sausage or bacon and drain, set aside.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  

Remove and roll dough into 48, 1" balls.  Press each ball into a greased mini muffin pan (my pan held 24, so had to do this twice).  Keep pressing into each cup, until the dough comes up the sides, forming a reasonably straight topped cup.  Sprinkle sausage or bacon into each cup.  Sprinkle cheese and chives (I omitted chives as they were already in the cream cheese dough).  

In bowl, mix eggs, half and half, salt and pepper.  Blend well.  Use spoon to pour mix over each cup to 3/4 full.  Bake 20-30 minutes or until set.  You know they are done when they get slightly brown.

You can easily bake these the night before and then heat up in the oven the next morning before your event.  As I said, mine were a bit bland, but I think only because I forgot the salt!

What last minute dish have you brought to a potluck?

Free Up Your Oven...and Stove Tomorrow (Thanksgiving)

Freeing up your oven and stove while you try to cook a holiday dinner can be...well, freeing! I still remember the first time I cooked this method, and I can't tell you how less stressful it was to get dinner on the table, no matter how many guests you have! Follow these tips to have a first class meal!

First things first....if you don't already have one.....get a crockpot, preferably two. If you do a lot of entertaining, you really need to have two. Put it on your Christmas list. I got an extra one a few years ago for my birthday and never looked back.

There are three dishes that work absolutely fantastic in the crockpot. You prep them in the morning, get them in there and forget about them until it's time to serve your meal! See the recipes below for great mashed potatoes, green bean casserole and sweet potatoes.

Crockpot Green Beans

1-1/2 bags frozen cut green beans
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/3 cup milk
1 TBS soy sauce
1 can French fried onions

Mix soup and milk in crockpot. Add soy sauce. Add frozen green beans and about 1/2 cup French fried onions. Mixture will be a bit sticky due to frozen beans. Mix well. Put on low setting for about 2 hours. Mix again....should be creamier at this point. Add a layer of fried onions on top and turn to high for about three hours. When you start seeing edges getting browned, and the beans turn a darker green, the dish is ready. If you're not ready to eat, turn it off or to warm setting.

Crockpot Mashed Potatoes

1 pk (3 oz) cream cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
milk as needed
1/4 cup butter
1 envelope ranch salad dressing
1 tsp dried parsley flakes
1/2 bag of potatoes (use # of potatoes for # of guests)

In the morning, boil however many potatoes you usually boil for your number of guests. Mash them in crockpot. Add other ingredients until you get a nice mashed potatoes consistency. Use handmixer if you like. I have even left off the ranch salad dressing packet, and it still tastes rich and creamy. Cook on low til ready to serve. If edges get too browned, turn to warm or temporarily turn off.

Crockpot Sweet Potatoes

4 lbs sweet potatoes (about 10), peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
1/2 cup butter
2 cups packed brown sugar
1/2 cup orange juice
1 TBS ground cinnamon
2 tsp grated lemon peel
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 cup walnuts (optional)
2 cups mini marshmallows or 20 large

Place sweet potatoes in cooker. Melt butter in microwave. Stir in all remaining ingredients except marshmallows and pour over sweet potatoes. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. Sprinkle marshmallows over potatoes. Cover and cook on low for about 10 min until marshmallows are melted.

Do you have any easy and simple recipes you'd like to share this holiday?

Bananas That Never Go Bad

If you're like me, you probably realize that bananas make a good snack, are healthy for the kids, are portable and even taste good. We buy bananas all the time. And every single time...until just recently...I would have to throw away at least one or two bananas, because they had shriveled up into a black nothing. On the one hand, we're always eating one and on the other hand, we always seem to buy a bit more than we need. I hate to waste stuff. Now I've finally found a solution.


I would love to be a baker...I really would. You know the people who can whip up just about anything, without a recipe and with minimal ingredients. But, I am just no baking expert. I used to make banana bread every now and then, but the recipes were either a little too complicated, had too many steps or I was missing an ingredient or two when it was time to throw it together. While we were staying in our new apartment, without our household goods, living on borrowed furniture and lending closet dishes and cooking implements, I decided I wasn't going to waste another banana. I know, where were my priorities? I didn't have a pot to pi** in as they say, and I was worried about the dumb bananas. Well, this was something I could control. Our stuff not being here....I couldn't.

So, here's a banana bread recipe you can do with just minimal ingredients and such. Make it all in one bowl too! Put the wet ingredients in the bowl, one by one and then mash the bananas up the side of the bowl. Add the dry ingredients on the other side and mash the bananas just like the photo. If you want to add nuts, add those at the end, after everything is just mixed! One small note on making quickbreads...stir ONLY until the ingredients are just mixed and let the mixed items just sit and "bubble" a bit while your oven is preheating. This will make for light and fluffy bread, rather than the dense, tough stuff that is overmixed (you only beat cake mix and not quickbreads).

I've made it since then at my German cousin's house, for the movers who were delivering our household goods, back in the States when I had to go back on an emergency and was digging through my brother's kitchen, and I'll continue to make it last minute wherever I go. Most people have the bananas to make this work...you only really need one. The most you'd ever have to buy in someone's kitchen who absolutely doesn't cook is baking soda and vanilla extract. And if you don't want to make the recipe right away, just throw your peeled bananas in the freezer...they'll keep til you're ready. Keep them wrapped in plastic or in a ziploc bag.

Let me know how the recipe works for you. I like to double it myself:-))





The Absolute Best and Easiest Banana Bread Ever

INGREDIENTS

3 tablespoons shortening or vegetable oil

1/3 cup sugar

1 egg

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup mashed ripe banana (about 1 large)

3 tablespoons chopped walnuts

DIRECTIONS

In a small mixing bowl, cream shortening (or oil) and sugar. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with banana. Fold in walnuts.
Transfer to a 5-3/4-in. x 3-in. x 2-in. loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 325° for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely. Yield: 8 servings.
You can find the original recipe here.

Honest-to-God-Minimal-Fuss Crusty French Bread..and I'm NOT a Baker!

I used to love baking things in my breadmachine, and the kids love eating homemade bread, especially when I get up the gumption to make French Toast, but alas...I am not a REAL baker and only a neophyte who cheats with a breadmachine. You know the kind of real baker I mean. The one who can take some flour, water, yeast and maybe a pinch of salt, no recipe and make a nice crusty loaf of French bread that can be slathered with a good helping of butter and devoured almost whole in one sitting. That just tastes divine.

Believe it or not, we don't have a bakery directly close by. I had visions of walking to the local German bakery every morning. It ain't happenin' here...too far of a walk. Breakfast would be long over by the time I got back. So, I racked my brain thinking of what else I could do. Our commissary has a poor selection of breads. You'd be lucky to get an old bag of Wonder white bread over here...plus, all the loaves are half the size they are in the States. I haven't quite figured out why that is they way it is.

Here we were in our new apartment, with only our ACS loaner kitchen stuff and not much else. The oven did come with these wonderfully large cookie sheets. Why I can't find cookie sheets like this in the States? I don't know, but here they are. Perfect...let's make some French bread. So I trolled around online, looking for a good French bread from scratch recipe and found one here.

Here it is again...

Crusty French Bread

2 loaves (change servings and units)

Change to: loaves US Metric

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Ingredients

• 2 cups warm water
• 1 tablespoon yeast
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 5-5 1/2 cups bread flour

Directions

1. 
   

   Dissolve yeast in warm water (110 degrees) and sugar in large bowl; allow yeast to proof or foam (about 10 minutes).

2. 
   

   Add salt, oil, and 3 cups flour; beat for 2 minutes.

3. 
   

   Stir in 2 cups flour to make a stiff dough.

4. 
   

   Knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes.

5. 
   

   Place in oiled bowl, turn dough to coat all sides, cover and let rise until doubled.

6. 
   

   Punch down and divide in half.

7. 
   

   Shape dough into two long slender loaves.

8. 
   

   Grease and sprinkle with cornmeal either a french bread pan or large cookie sheet.

9. 
   

   Place loaves in pan and cut diagonal gashes on top of each loaf (I use scissors).

10. 
    

    Cover and let rise until doubled.

11. 
    

    Bake at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes.

12. 
    

    Note: You can sprinkle or spray water on the loaves during baking if you want a really crunchy crust.

My only change to this recipe, getting an extra helping of flour on the work surface as I formed each loaf. You want to have some visible flour on the outside of the loaf. It just makes it look more artisan.

Hmmm...it looked easy enough. I understood every step, and I didn't need a lot of implements or ingredients. I also had a friend....a long time ago, who was a baker, who would never show me anything much to my dismay...I wanted to learn so badly, but we just never got around to it...but I DID remember something I saw her do once. After you heat up the oven and put the risen loaves in there, splash a quarter cup of water into the bottom of the oven and quickly close the door. Now, I've only tried this with an electric stove, but it creates a nice steam effect which is essential for crisp, crusty and chewy French bread. Then, halfway through baking time, do it again. I ended up with two honest-to-God French bread loaves...and the kicker, is that I've been able to repeat it again and again! We had wonderful submarine sandwiches five days in a row the first week we were in the apartment. My kids were so happy.

So the point of this story...even if you've failed trying something before, just try it again. You might surprise yourself. Also, use what you have and again surprise yourself, that yummy things can be made with minimal ingredients and fuss.

Do you have any similar stories to share?

Never Again Lumpy Gravy

Grandmom taught me this one. For those of you who cook, how many times do you make gravy...and then it ends up being lumpy? If you're one of the unlucky ones, here's how to never have lumpy gravy again.

I make gravy by adding a cup of water and a cup of broth to whatever meat I have cooking in a pot, in a roaster, in the oven. While you are slicing the meat, or even if you're too lazy to do anything more with the meat...just shove it to the side....take a measuring cup or any kind of container...an empty yogurt cup will even do. My grandmom had this cool little plastic measuring cup with a lid...I use an old jelly jar with a lid. Fill it with a 1/2 to a cup of COLD water. Drop in two tablespoons flour...or cornstarch....close lid and shake VIGOUROSLY until it is all dissolved. If you don't have a lid, then use a fork or small whisk instead. Make sure it is nice and smooth. Then pour this concoction into your broth/water mix. Stir pot and bring to a boil...keep stirring til gravy is nice and thick and remove from heat. And there you have it.

Sometimes, my gravy does end up needing more taste, and that's why I just pour in some chicken or beef granules (depending on what I'm cooking) and a bit of salt...perfect gravy.

If you have any tricks to making great gravy, please share with the rest of us.

Nutella Out the Ying Yang

I don't know what else to call it and not be x-rated...ying yang. As many of you know, we have a German exchange student this year...for the whole year...his relatives have sent us cases and then more cases of Nutella. You know, that hazelnut chocolate spread stuff in a jar that kids would eat all day if you let them. I guess the Germans don't know that we have that stuff here now...I think the stuff they sell in the States comes from Canada. I couldn't tell the difference in the taste (but our student swears he can). Anyway, you can buy the Canadian version of Nutella in almost any mainstream grocery store in the States. Now, our two boys are just thrilled that they get to eat Nutella on toast every morning, but ever the inventive mom...I wanted to try something different and needed to find a way to whittle down that stash before we move.

I'm not a big fan of Nutella and toast, but I do like hazelnuts...so after doing some brainstorming and digging through recipe books and online, I found three recipes that use LOTS of Nutella...the dishes look pretty....are easy to make (which is key, cause I am no Chef Boyardee)...and they taste great! I've written out the instructions to make it simple simon for ya. Try them out and let me know what you think.

This No-Knead Nutella and Roasted Hazelnut Challah is just divine. Even I had to keep saying "mmmmm" as we ate it and licked our fingers. It also uses the new...or should I say...newly discovered no-knead bread. You just mix the bread dough in a large bowl, and put it in the refrigerator overnight. The longer you let it fart around..literally, the better it'll taste. This recipe came out of the book, Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois. Here is their recipe, adapted to my liking!

No-Knead Nutella and Roasted Hazelnut Challah

Ingredients

7/8 cups lukewarm water 3/4 tbl instant yeast or bread yeast 3/4 tbl kosher salt 2 lg eggs, slightly beaten 1/4 cup honey 3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour 1/2 cup whole wheat flour 4 to 9 tbl Nutella small handful of hazelnuts 1 egg + 1 tbl water, whisked to make egg wash (or use the powdered egg mix with water)

Directions

In a large bowl, mix together the eggs, water, honey, melted butter, yeast and salt. Stir til it is really mixed up well. Add in the flour and keep stirring til it has the consistency of dough and you have no more flour left. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate it, overnight or more. The longer the better tasting bread you will have!

Flour your hands, then divide the dough in half. I make one challah to keep and one to give away. Shape each blob of dough into a ball by stretching the top and tucking it under. Do that all the way around of each ball. Lay on the counter, covered with a kitchen towel to rest while you roast the hazelnuts.

Roast the hazelnuts in a pan over medium heat (no oil needed). Keep moving the pan so the nuts don't burn. Roast until the nuts are golden brown and smell yummy! Roughly chop up the nuts on a cutting board.

Take each dough ball and roll into a long, even log. Cut each log into three equal pieces. You are going to braid each of these three pieces into two braids after we add the Nutella..remember, I said we are making two loaves here. Don't get confused! Don't try to stretch or pull the dough, as it can easily break. I roll and squeeze out from the center to get my ropes.

Now you get to add the Nutella. No finger licking! It's unsanitary! Take each rope and press an indention all along the middle. Use a butterknife and spread the Nutella in this indentation. Once you have all the Nutella inside each rope, pinch the ends up to seal. It's going to be messy, but that's okay.


Now you're going to braid. Pinch each of the three ropes together and tuck under at one end. Braid to the other side, then pinch and tuck under. Repeat for the other braid.


Cover with towel and let rest for 1-1/2 hours. Twenty minutes prior to baking, preheat your oven to 350F. When dough is ready, brush top with egg wash and sprinkle with chopped hazelnuts. Bake for 25-30 minutes.



I also like the chef who does the Everyday Italian series. Isn't she pretty? Anyway, she makes easy-to-follow recipes too. This is where I found a few more Nutella recipes that got the thumbs up from my two boys, in her book, giada's family dinners by Giada de Laurentiis. At this rate, we'll be able to get through all the Nutella and have happy faces and tummies all around, along with probably a gain of 15 lbs for mom! What we do for our kids!

Nutella Ravioli (see the video with Giada)

Chocolate Pizza with Nutella

When I made the chocolate pizza over the weekend, I used what toppings I had on hand. So I also added Butterscotch chips. You can even add marshmallows or whatever chocolate and candy bar bits you have on hand. Be creative!


Have you ever tried Nutella? Do you have a recipe with extra-ordinary ingredients to share? What kinds of chocolate foods do you and your kids like that may be a little bit out of the ordinary?

Fool Yourself Into Eating Less

You can totally fool your brain into thinking you are eating less than you are. It's funny how what we eat and how much we weigh and how much we look are all directly related to how our brain processes things. Remember those fun optical illusions? Yet another fun way to fool your brain into something else. Did you ever wonder if this could be done with food and if so, how can we go about stuffing our faces less?

Keep these tips in mind to fool your old noggin':

• Drink a full glass of water before you eat any meal. You'll feel fuller faster..hence, less calories get stuffed into your midsection.

• Eat multiple small meals rather than the big three. It's when you get those hunger pangs where you tend to overeat. If you are hungry, you are almost too late to stop yourself! Nip it before it hits you.

• Eat from a blue plate. Scientific mumbo jumbo says that blue is calming and because it's rare to find a piece of blue food, your mind doesn't connect the color blue with food. Try it out. Blue is an appetite suppressant. Along those lines, if you like powder blue, paint your kitchen with it too!

• Sneak in 10" rather than standard 12" plates. Your eyes will think you have more on your plate, and your brain will think you are getting the same amount as you did before.

• Limit your sidedishes to just one. The more choices there are, the more you are inclined to "just try this one and that one..." and pretty soon, your plate is overloaded....you know...like at potlucks and parties. Less choices, less food-loading.

• Use dessert spoons instead of regular spoons. Fooled yet again! Not just dainty but smart too.
  

• Don't put serving dishes on the table and if you must have them there, keep the lids on. This'll trick your brain into "out of sight, out of mind". The more your mind sees food sitting around, the more the tendency is for you to "clean up" and "just one more shovelful".

• Don't be the family garbage can. My dad used to play this role. Whoever didn't finish their food, he cleaned their plate. It was almost comical...until his gut started to grow exponentially! Dish out smaller servings next time, and allow the kids to have seconds. Stay away from the "clean your plate mentality"...that went out with the Dark Ages. If you absolutely hate wasted food (me too), then use small servings and give any extra to the doggie (but not too much...too much human food is not good for them either).

• It's okay to have leftovers. I have a friend who refuses to serve leftovers. Whatever. That is why everyone is so big in that family. There is no law saying you can't serve leftovers...at least once. I know it's many of the husbands that are resistant. If you have to, dress it up a different way or serve a new side dish or vegetable with it. They'll get over it, and they'll eat it.

What do you do to fool yourself?

Non-stick Pans and Canaries - Urban Legend?

I'm sure you've already heard about the lady with the canaries who killed them off by using non-stick, sometimes known by its brand name Teflon, cookware. I know that's why I haven't bought any. If it could kill a bird, what could it do to me and my family? I know birds are sensitive, but I just couldn't get over that minor detail. I happened to do some reading here and there..more here than there lately, and found out there are some myths and things are not totally what they appear to be.

The bottom line is that, yes....non-stick cookware can be dangerous, BUT only if used improperly. Good Housekeeping ran some tests and found out that the coating of these non-stick pans tends to disintegrate at a certain temperature. So, for those of you who like to fry or cook on high heat...nay, nay...don't do that. In their tests, safe temperatures ranged from about 200 deg F to about 470 deg F. When you start getting hotter than that, things start to go badly and the chemicals that can kill birds get leached out and create hazardous polymer fumes...among other things. This is harmful stuff to humans too, not just to Tweetie Bird and his friends.

To eliminate these hazards, keep these things in mind if you plan to continue using non-stick cookware:

• Don't use Teflon (or other non-stick coating) surfaced pots or pans on high....at all! Even an empty pan with or without oil will heat up to over 500 deg F at high heat in under two minutes!

• Don't pre-heat an empty pan.

• Choose a heavier pan over a lighter one.

• Don't use damaged or chipped pans. Throwing them out equals peace of mind.
  

• Keep the airflow going in the kitchen with either a fan or open window.

To read more about non-stick cookware and the latest research, please visit here.

The Only Salad Dressing You'll Ever Need - No More Storebought!

How many of those packaged salad dressings and bottles do you go through a year? You probably get complacent and think you have to get these things. They are convenient. They are tasty...or at least you convince yourself of this. Do you know, you can have a better, cheaper and more satisfying dressing that can be changed many different ways to match your meal? My German oma taught me this goody a long time ago, and it is my most requested item from everyone who eats a meal out of my kitchen.

This vinaigrette is versatile and EASY. The basic ingredients are as follows:

• Olive or salad oil

• Vinegar (apple cider, red wine or balsamic)

• Sugar

• Salt

And those are just the basic ingredients. You always want to remember to do about three parts oil to one or two parts vinegar. For a medium bowl full of salad, I use about three TBS of oil and 2 TBS vinegar. I add a few shakes of sugar and a dash more salt. That would be about 1/2 tsp to 3/4 tsp of each. Go ahead and taste it. You'll see what it needs. I recommend using olive oil, although regular salad oil works well too.

I also like to add:

• Fresh parsley (you can use dried too)

• Onions (and the key trick here, is to cut it up very, very small; use about 4 TBS total)

• Grated Parmesan Cheese (I put this on after I put the dressing, then lettuce in the bowl and before tossing)

• Chives (optional; I use it if I have it)

To dress up the dressing and to make it different you can add:

• Heavy cream or creme fraiche (just a small amount)

• Experiment around with different herbs and minced garlic

• Substitute a fresh walnut or hazelnut oil for some of the olive oil

When I just make a cucumber salad, I add 1/4 cup heavy cream (or yogurt), 3 TBS olive oil, 1 TBS vinegar and some dill and freshly ground pepper. Try adding mint instead of dill for a bit of a different flavor.

What homemade condiments or dressings do you make?

Cooking for a LARGE Group - aka "The Soccerteam Dinner"

After offering all this time to help, I was finally asked to cook a meal for our exchange student's soccer team. I immediately said yes, then panicked about it immediately afterwards. While I was racking my brain, I could not think of an instance where I cooked for more than 10 people...and these were big strapping boys....over 20 of them. Am I nuts? What was I going to make that would be easy, filling, smell good and would be easy to transport? Be sure to hang onto these two recipes. I ended up making the first one - to rave reviews. The second recipe would've worked out as well I think. I always make the second one when making a meal for someone homebound and unable to cook. It also works fantastic for a leftover.

I knew I wasn't going to be home all day, so that threw out the chicken and rice recipe. That one you have to start almost three hours ahead of time. It's mostly baking time, but still, if you're not home, it's obviously not going to work. Where's my crockpot? Where's my other crockpot? I ended up doubling the Southern Pulled Pork Recipe into two crockpots. I knew that other crockpot would come in handy someday. The beauty of this recipe is that it only requires a little advance planning and almost no prep time. You throw the ingredients in there in the morning, the house fills up with the smell of good cooking, and it's just a matter of bringing however many dozen buns and serving utensils with you when you grab the crockpots and go. This is the ultimate home cooked food that smells heavenly and stays HOT for the trip to wherever you have to go.
Crockpot Southern Pulled Pork On Buns

1 TBS minced dried onions
1/2 TBS minced dried garlic
1/4 TBS chili powder
1 bottle tomato based chili sauce (find this next to the BBQ sauces in grocery store)
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 TBS Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp liquid smoke (also next to the BBQ sauces)
1 boneless pork shoulder (2-3 lbs)
4-10 hamburger buns

Place roast in crockpot. Add all ingredients (except buns) and cook on low for 10-12 hours or high for 6 hours til falling apart. Shred meat with two forks and mix up well before serving. Serve with the hamburger buns.



So that was one idea. The other idea I actually had first, but in light of having to start it three hours before it's ready, it wasn't going to work with me not being home this time. Once you get it in the oven, it is low maintenance though. Bake it in one of those disposable tin baking pans and make clean up even easier. You can keep the dish on warm in the oven for awhile if you need to (just add a little more water), but for the most part, the bacon keeps it very moist. Wrap the tray (or trays in this case) with heavy bathtowels, and you are ready to grab and go. I had planned on tripling this (three pans) for the boys.

Chicken and Bacon Rice Bake
6-10 frozen chicken tenderloins
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1-3/4 cup water
1/2 to 1 lb bacon
2 boxes long grain and wild rice
1 seasoning packet from rice

Bake bacon on a cookie sheet at 350 degrees F and save the grease (my husband uses some of the bacon grease to doctor up canned cream soup). Or cook bacon in the microwave on paper towels, pouring some of the grease in your 9x13 baking dish. Put dry rice on top. Put frozen chicken on top. Mix soup with 1-3/4 cup water and pour over chicken. Sprinkle with rice seasoning packet. Cover with foil. Bake about 1-1/2 hour at 400deg. When dish is done, it will look a little runny. Let sit before serving. While it's sitting, I like to take a big serving spoon, cut all the chicken pieces into chunks, and then mix everything up.

The other two moms provided a bagged salad with some prepared dressing and croutons and a hashbrown cheese casserole that the mom swears is easy to make as well. We followed up the meal with pre-packaged cookies from the supermarket bakery, and the boys were happy as clams. Even my two little ones joined into the feast. As I drove home, I was already mentally making notes of what else I could make, should I get called again...hmmm, lasagna or maybe a pasta dish with chicken? I guess the possibilities are limitless. What meals have you made for a big crowd? What travels well and makes large quantities with minimum fuss? Please do share your ideas!

Free Personalized Menu and Fitness Plans

Normally, I like to stay away from processed foods. For the most part, they do have a lot of additives (ie junk that makes them smell and look good) and then they sock you with a higher price on top of that indignity. But, with that being said, you know I'm going to point out a silver lining here. I found a site that has been a big help in my menu planning, and now, they also have a daily fitness plan to get you moving and keep you on track.

I'm talking about Kraft Foods. I signed up for their seasonal magazine, which is full of recipes, menu and snack ideas, plus what's new at Kraft. The magazine comes in my mailbox five times a year. I rip out the pages of recipes I want to try, and dutifully keep track of these recipes like this. I know, I know...a few pages are marketing fluff, but for the most part, I've been pleasantly surprised.

One of Kraft Foods updated features, is their customizable Meal and Fitness Plan. You get recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, desserts and snacks depending on your level of caloric intake. You'll also get a blurb on what to do to burn some calories that day. Be sure to check it out and let me know how it works out for you.

What do you do to get menu ideas? How do you go about planning your menus? Do you have a fitness plan or something you like to do to stay active? Please do share your ideas.

Roasting a Chicken IS Therapy

There is a very short connection between your brain and your nose, if you haven't noticed this already. Remember when the smell of bacon and eggs used to rouse you out of bed? Freshly baked cookies remind me of my childhood. Did you know roasting a chicken can bring instant therapy and healing?

This is actually an excerpt from Jacey Eckhardt's book, The Homefront Club, a book written by a military spouse with lots of light hearted stories and advice.

"Having a really wish-we-never-moved-hate-this-stupid place kind of day? Then roast a chicken. I always do. It's better than Prozac for the unsettled soul. And a roasted chicken takes no culinary talent whatsoever. Rinse the bird off. Dig out its entrails. Stuff the cavity with an onion or a cut lemon and some rosemary and thyme. Add a little salt and pepper. Roast at 325 deg for 25 min per lb. Baste. Because as you go about your chores, as you dig away your life, the scent of Roast Chicken Love will fill your house. It smells so promising, so cozy. So darn homey, you can't help but feel your spirits lift. And it's good for at least two meals."


I can't help but agree! I like to get a small bowl and make a mix of salt, pepper, thyme, minced garlic and rosemary and take a wooden spoon handle and slide some of that mix between the skin and the meat of the chicken. Then, I rub the chicken in olive oil before putting it in a preheated oven. Round out the meal with a pot of fresh steamed green beans and a box of instant potatoes (or fresh if you are so inclined). If you don't know how to make gravy, use a chicken gravy packet. If you want to go the extra step and make it from scratch, after the chicken is done (use a meat thermometer to double check; those thermometers that instantly give you temperatures from your roast or chicken via a cord make GREAT gifts for people who have to cook), put the pan drippings in a pot. I then add two teaspoons of chicken granules and 1-3/4 cups water. When that starts to boil, I take 1/4 cup cold water stirred up with 2 TBS flour, and put that in the pot. Stir and mix and bring to a boil...instant homemade gravy!


As far as leftovers, roast chicken makes great chicken salad or I will use the chicken pieces in a rice casserole the next day (any casserole with instant rice and a cream soup mix)! To make the chicken salad, I take all the chicken off the bone, shred it with two forks, add some mayo and chopped up celery, and that's it. It probably doesn't need any other seasonings either, although sometimes I'll put in whatever herb we have growing in the garden. I've never had a batch of anything-other-than-tasty chicken salad!


What do you cook that relaxes you as it cooks or bakes? What smells bring home childhood memories and good times in your house?

No More Cereal for Breakfast

My family is in a breakfast cereal rut. On weekends, I do play a little Martha Stewart and make eggs to order or a breakfast casserole, but during the weekdays, it just ain't happenin! There really are some other quick and healthy and breakfast ideas that your kids can really sink their teeth into. Here are a few ideas:

• Toasted bagels with cream cheese. For some reason, my son wants these things every morning for the last week. We went to a nice breakfast at a friend's house, and that's what they happened to have. Go figure.

• Hard boiled eggs. Boil a dozen before you go to bed and then refrigerate. My kids like to take the egg slicer, slice 'em up and put them on a piece of toasted bread spread with a thin layer of mayo.

• Fruit salad. Make a bowl the night before. This one's more for me than the kids, but it's refreshing and eye-opening eating a bowl of fruit with a dollop of vanilla yogurt in the morning. I use mostly strawberries, grapes, pineapples, kiwi and then add sliced banana in the morning. Apples and blueberries work well too (just use a spritz of lemon on the apples to keep them fresh). Sprinkle with granola for some crunch.

• Ready-to-blend smoothie. I like a glass of milk mixed with a handful of frozen berries and a few tablespoons of yogurt. Put it in the refrigerator overnight. Blend it up in the morning and enjoy.

• Muffins. There are so many recipes of wonderful muffins out there. You can even hide veggies like shredded zucchini and carrots in them. They freeze well. The night before, I take however many I'll need and put them in the refrigerator and give them a quick toast in the morning before serving. They taste great with margarine or cream cheese.

• Oatmeal. Yes, we all know the instant oatmeal packets. How about a crockpot full of oatmeal that smells heavenly and requires no fuss in the morning? Here are some crockpot oatmeal recipes.

• A banana wrapped with a pita or wrap. Spread the wrap with some peanut butter, put the banana inside and wrap it up. A perfect portable breakfast!

"No Recipe" Meals That Work in a Pinch

I always envied people who could cook a meal without a recipe in sight. I still haven't figured out how they do that, but I can tell you, I do have a few meals under my belt that can literally be thrown together at the last minute, with no thought or preparation needed. As much as some of us like to plan out our life, sometimes life itself gets in the way of that. Be sure to have these ideas in mind the next time you have no clue and before your kids start the "what's for dinner" chant.

Here are some of the favorite meals our family has thrown together at the last minute with ingredients typically on hand. No recipe needed!

• Breakfast for dinner. If you have kids, they're gonna love this. Mine like for me to make pancakes (the kind where you just add water), bacon or sausage and scrambled eggs or omelets. To cut down on grease splattering and the mess, I make our bacon in the oven.

• Instant shepherd's pie. Mix some cream of mushroom soup with a bit of water and mix in ground beef and frozen veggies. Top with prepared mashed potatoes and bake for about 20 minutes on 350 degrees. My kids also like grated cheese sprinkled on top the last few minutes of baking time.
  

• Pasta with Sauce. Always keep a few jars of spaghetti, vodka or white sauce on hand. What could be simpler than boiling some noodles and then adding sauce? Sometimes, I don't even heat the sauce...no one has ever noticed.

• Soup and Sandwiches. The old standy. My kids like their sandwiches grilled in the toaster oven (open face and before you add the lettuce and tomato and such), or if we have grilled cheese, I'll do that on the stove in a pan in olive oil. Mix it up with using whatever cheese you have on hand. No one says you have to use American except for the Kraft people. Or, you can layer a few different kinds depending what you have on hand. We also doctor up canned creamed soups by frying up some small onions in either olive oil or....God forbid...my husband's favorite...some bacon grease! Then add the soup. It gives it a nice homemade flavor.

• Spinach Shrimp with Pasta. Make your pasta, then steam or cook your frozen shrimp. Drain everything, and add it together with part of your spinach dip you didn't finish from the grocery store. I microwave the dip beforehand, to make it nice and creamy before adding. You can also add some more spices, such as garlic powder.

• Baked Potato with Chili and Cheese. Microwave some potatoes or sometimes, if I plan a bit ahead, I will bake them on about 350 for about an hour or so. Use canned chili and your favorite shredded cheese.

• Pork Chops with Cream of Mushroom over rice. Do this dish in the pan or oven, and serve over cooked rice. I make rice by boiling 2x salted water of the amount of rice you need (ie, boil 2 cups water for 1 cup dried rice for a family of four). When water is at a rolling boil, pour in dried rice, stir, cover and turn down to low. Leave pot alone for 20 min. I always try to set a timer so I won't forget. Do this first, then work on the chops. There are also some dishes out there where you mix dry rice, soup, water and uncooked chops. These are even easier, as you just throw everything into a dish and then bake it.

What do you do at home for last minute meals?

Voyeuristic Menu Planning Monday

We already talked about menu planning once before. If you totally don't have any creative juices flowing this week, how about seeing what other people are up to? Go ahead and peek into someone else's kitchen!

Visit the pages below. Not only can you see what bloggers are making this week for dinner, many have links to the actual recipes and sometimes visitors can add their own links too. So, if you are already stuck this week, be sure to stop by for a visit!

Menu Planning Monday

Too Many Recipes

If you don't want to use your brain this week, there are a few sites that do everything but the cooking for you! Get menu plans by email or on their sites, get tailored recipes and a shopping list to print off. Basic menu planning is free on most of these sites. They make their money by mostly tailoring menu plans for those of us who want more control or who are pickier by nature or perhaps they send no ad sponsored emails to those who pay. Either way, take advantage of someone doing the work for you this week!

Menus 4 Moms


Woven Fare (thanks Organizing Junkie for posting about this site)


Cooking.com's Weekly Menu Planner


Dinner Planner (this is a paid site but worth a quick visit)


Some other things to consider while you are thinking about what to cook:

• Actually sit down and think about it; who has sports practice and who has a late meeting? Am I going to be late one day and not be able to cook? You may want to plan for leftovers or soup and sandwiches that day. Stay tuned for tomorrow's blog for more ideas!
  

• Always have a few easy pantry meals onhand, meaning ingredients that are always there and that don't take a lot of effort to prepare. Many pasta dishes work well in this category.

• How about doubling your meals when you cook? Either serve leftovers the next day or freeze the other half for another day.

• Keep track of recipes and menus your family has liked. I actually carry the menus and their ingredients in my day planner.

• Make extra ground beef, chicken, pasta or potatoes or anything that can be used in another dish. I've made tacos, chicken salad, soup, potato salad or a different pasta dish with those leftovers. No need to serve the exact same thing twice. Mix it up.
  

Would you like to share your ideas or recipes? What makes your menu planning easier?

The Lunch Riot

My kids this morning shouted "No more!". It seems we had gotten into a lunch runt. If it wasn't PB&J, it was turkey on cheese. Yes, every once in awhile I packed them a different kind of sandwich, but for the most part...the stuff was incredibly boring. Are you in the same shoes? Here's how to rev up your lunch fare, and avert the next lunch riot.

Start thinking outside the box. Instead of a sandwich, how about this fare:

• Sandwich wrap. Get those flour tortillas and spread them with mayo or cream cheese. Put on your favorite meat choice and add sprinkled cheese. Roll up and wrap with plastic wrap. These also make great party food, either cut into slices (so you have nice spirals) or cut them in half (thru the plastic) and lay them in a dish at an angle.

• Chicken strips. Cut leftover chicken into strips. Pack something to dip them in such as ketchup, BBQ sauce or ranch dressing.

• Hotdog poppers. Cook a hotdog or two in the morning. Cut it up. Use those ketchup packets from the fast food joint. Let them dip their hotdog chunks at lunch.

• Soup. I bought a few small Thermoses a few weeks ago. The little one likes the change of pace with chicken noodle. Heat it up in the microwave that morning.

• Homemade Lunchables. Use your own crackers, cut up lunchmeat and cheese so kids can make their own stackers.

• Salami/pickle rolls. Spread thin slices of salami with mustard, lay a pickle spear on top, then roll and secure with toothpicks.
  

Sometimes, it is just the presentation that is "off". How about presenting the same things a different way?

• PB&J on graham crackers instead of bread.

• Instead of PB&J, make a sandwich with bananas and honey.

• Use a different kind of bread for that sandwich, such as some of the Italian varieties, sourdough, different grains, Hawaiian bread or a nice hoagie roll.

• Use frozen waffles (toasted) instead of bread slices with PB&J.

• If your child likes salads, fill a pita pocket with the ingredients and then send in some salad dressing, so they can pour it over the ingredients themselves.

What else can you put in that lunch to make it special?

• Baggie of cereal. The kids love it anyway, so why not indulge them every now and then.

• Bag of dried fruits. You can get the large slices and cut them up with kitchen shears and put 'em in a bag. The more colorful, the better.

• A hardcooked egg. Make it pretty by slicing it almost all the way thru with an egg slicer, so the pieces look like an accordian.

• Use colored plastic wrap during the holidays.

• Pack zuchinni chips instead of potato chips.

• Cereal bars are okay, and even a Pop Tart every now and then is okay too.

• Make your own granola.

• Don't forget to add a special note, joke or thought. We like to add sayings, such as the ones mentioned in this article.

Here are a few more ideas:

• Easy Lunch Recipes for Kids

• Lunchbox Recipes and Ideas

• Easy Lunchbox Stuffers
  

What do you do to make your child's lunch special?

Store Things Together that Work Together

Sounds simple doesn't it? Then why do you walk the length of your kitchen, more than once, when you make your coffee in the morning? Do you go get your filter, then get the water, then back again and oops..where's the coffee. What if you could do all this standing in one spot?

I think you've already gotten my drift. Let's use coffee making as an example since I already mentioned it. How about putting the coffee maker near the sink, so you can get your water quickly. Store your filters, coffee and mugs in the cabinet above? Hogwash you say or perhaps no big deal? Okay, so you save only one minute a day doing this which translates into, let's see... six hours a year! Hmmm...it IS a big deal.

Along those lines, you can do this with any activity in your house. Put all your baking stuff together. Keep your bowls, whisks, rolling pins and measuring cups in one area. What about keeping pots and pans near the stove? If I had a higher end kitchen, I would surely put one of those faucets over my stove. Have you see those things? Anyway, I'm digressing again.

Go right now...or when you get a chance...stand in each room in your house, and think of the things you do in that room. Or sit down and think about what you do on a daily basis. Write it down. If you are walking all over a room or God fobid, the entire house...then you need to rethink how you do your thing! Take the time to streamline your life, and you'll thank yourself for it.

I think you've gotten the idea, and we can move on. What do you do to streamline your efforts at home? Be sure to read Streamline your Kitchen if you haven't already.

What do you do to streamline your daily life?