Static

Don't you hate when you pull your clothes out of the dryer and they are full of static? Maybe you're tired of buying dryer sheets, because they can be kind of expensive? Well, here's a new trick.

For static:
Take a piece of aluminum foil (yes, the kind you use to cook with), wad it up in a ball, and stick it in the dryer with your load of laundry.

For that Fresh Scent:
When you buy fabric softener at the store, you can put some of it in a spray bottle with some water. Designate a washcloth as your "dryer sheet." Each time you do a load of laundry, spray your washcloth with some of your fabric softener solution and stick it in the dryer with your load. Voila....clean, no static, fresh smelling laundry!

How Easy Is That?

A tutorial on YEAST

Many people wish they had the patience that it often takes to make homemade bread. "I just have a hard time dedicating my time to letting my bread dough rise twice!" is a common complaint that I have heard. This morning, I made homemade orange rolls for my neighbors (YUM!), and they were so surprised. They thought for sure I had gotten up at 5 am to start on the long, involved process. Thankfully for me, I didn't! I got up at 8, and the rolls were done and ready to be served by 10. So, how do I do it? What's the awesome secret? It is all in the type of YEAST.

There are different types of yeast you can buy from the grocery store. Generally, yeast requires warmth, sugar and liquid in order to (release carbon dioxide bubbles) rise. Yeast is very sensitive...but most of you probably know that...too much heat and it will die, too cold and the will have "stunted growth."

A few Types of YEAST, and a few things to know:
* Regular Active Dry Yeast: Dehydrated yeast that is generally used in bread recipes
* Quick active Dry Yeast (Rapid Rise Yeast): This yeast allows bread to rise in less time than regular yeast. It can also be used interchangeably with bread machine yeast.
* Bread Machine Yeast: Is a different "strain" of quick active dry yeast. They can generally be used interchangeably (this type just works great in bread machines!). If you are using bread machine yeast or rapid rise yeast, you can use the "One Rise Method." Add all your dry ingredients, including the yeast, then add your wet ingredients.


Tips on using yeast:

• Use it before the expiration date
• 1 Package Yeast = 2 1/4 (some sources say 2 1/2) teaspoons
• Active Dry Yeast can be kept in small packages for up to a year or two
• Putting Yeast in the freezer lengthens its "shelf life"
• You can tell your yeast is "active" when it has been added to the warm water and sugar, and the mixture starts bubbling (for sure after 10 minutes)
• Store yeast in a cool, dark place, and in a sealed container
• If you are using the "One Rise Method" (using rapid rise or bread yeast),
• If you are using regular active dry yeast in your bread machine, you should increase the amount to 1 teaspoon for each 3/4 teaspoon of bread machine yeast.
• To use the traditional Two-Rise Method, add sugar to water before stirring in Yeast
• If you want to freeze your dough, and it rises twice...let it rise once, then freeze your dough. When you are ready to use it, allow it to come to room temperature, shape your dough, and allow it to rise again.

ONE RISE METHOD:

For best results, add undissolved RapidRise or Bread Machine Yeast (you can add 20% less yeast than what you would use for dry active yeast, so use 2 teasoons instead of 2 1/4) to all dry ingredients first. Add warm liquids and fat (butter, shortening). You do not have to rise your dough once before you "shape" your dough. Once your bread is kneaded (or mixed in your machine), and it is soft, it is ready to be shaped.

If your dough needs to be shaped (roll out into rolls, braided to make a braided bread, etc), shape it, place it on the pan, then gently cover and allow to rise. Bake according to the directions.

TIPS TO DECREASE YOUR RISING TIME:

If you want to decrease your rising time using regular dry active yeast, try one of these methods:

• Place your dough in a bowl that is slightly oiled, and cover with plastic wrap. Fill your sink with warm (not boiling, but pretty hot) water, until the water reaches about 3/4 of the way up your bowl. Leave the bowl in the sink of water until the dough doubles in size.
• Turn your oven on as if you were going to preheat it to 350 degrees. Allow it to "preheat" for 10-20 seconds, then turn it off. Place your dough in the slightly warmed oven, proving a nice environment.
• Preheat your oven completely to the lowest setting (most ovens are about 170 degrees). As soon as it reaches that temperature, turn the oven off. Place your dough in the warm oven.
• Put a pan of boiling water on the bottom rack of your oven. Place your dough in a bowl, and put the bowl on the rack above the boiling water.
• Or, use try the One Step Method to eliminate the entire "first rise"

One of my favorite bread recipes comes from one of my favorite Blogs: MADE (see the blog for the full tutorial with pictures). So, here are the directions for this bread using regular yeast, and then using bread machine yeast (using the 1 step method).

BRAIDED BREAD (Taken from Dana-Made-It)

Makes 2 loaves

1/4 cup warm water

2 ½ tsp yeast (or one yeast packet)

1 Tbl sugar

1 cup hot water

1 tsp salt

1/4 cup sugar

2 Tbl butter

2 ½ cups flour

1 egg

1 ¾-2 cups more flour

In a drinking glass or bowl, stir together the warm water, yeast and sugar. Set it aside for about 10 min to rise.In your mixer, combine the hot water, salt, sugar and butter and mix. Once the yeast has risen, add 2 ½ cups flour, 1 egg and the yeast.

Mix all together (using your mixing paddle arm.)Add 1 ¾ cups more flour and mix until a ball forms. If the dough is still too soft, add more flour until the dough feels like squishy play-dough. Take the paddle arm off your mixer and put the hook arm on. Turn mixer on to the number “2” setting (if you have a Kitchen Aid Mixer) and let machine knead the dough for 7 minutes. OR knead the dough by hand for 5-6 minutes on a hard surface.Spray a large clean bowl with cooking spray.

Put the dough in the bowl and cover with a cloth to keep from drying out. Place the bowl in a warm place (like the oven with just the light turned on). A good trick my mom taught me is to turn on your oven for just 10 seconds to let it warm up. Then turn it off and put your dough in there to rise. Don't let the oven heat for too long though, or it will bake your dough (rather than rising it). Just a few seconds is all you need to get it warm in there.Let the dough rise for a couple hours.

Punch the dough down and let it rest for 10 minutes. Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray.

Using a knife, divide the dough in half. Starting with the first ball of dough, divide it into three pieces. Roll each piece into a rope about 14 inches long.Pinch the 3 ropes together at the top, braid the ropes, and pinch the ropes together at the end: Squish the braid together slightly and place the braid onto the prepared cookie sheet, sideways. Repeat with the other ball of dough and place on the same sheet. Cover cookie sheet with a cloth and let rise for about an hour.

Using a fork, whisk together one egg and 1 T. water until well combined (also known as an Egg Wash). Dip a crumpled paper towel into the mixture or use a paint brush and paint the egg wash over the tops and sides of the braids. Be careful as you brush that you don't press too hard or you may deflate the loaves. Heat the oven to 350º (remove the rising braids before heating the oven!).Bake for 14-18 minutes or just till they start turning golden brown. Let the bread sit for 5-10 minutes before cutting. Serve with butter and fresh jam. Enjoy!

Braided Bread: ONE STEP METHOD (This is my version, using the one step method)

BRAIDED BREAD
Makes 2 loaves
2 tsp Instant or Bread Machine yeast
1 1/4 cup hot water
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup sugar
2 Tbl butter
4 1/4 cups flour
1 egg

Add all dry ingredients, including yeast, in your mixing bowl. Add Hot water, butter, and egg.

Mix all together (using your mixing paddle arm.) If the dough is still too soft, add more flour until the dough feels like squishy play-dough. Take the paddle arm off your mixer and put the hook arm on. Turn mixer on to the number “2” setting (if you have a Kitchen Aid Mixer) and let machine knead the dough for 7 minutes. OR knead the dough by hand for 5-6 minutes on a hard surface.Spray a large clean bowl with cooking spray (I just mix everything together, and use my dough hook for the whole thing. Then I knead if necessary).

Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray. (Or use a SILPAT!)

(The rest of the directions are the same as above) Using a knife, divide the dough in half. Starting with the first ball of dough, divide it into three pieces. Roll each piece into a rope about 14 inches long.Pinch the 3 ropes together at the top, braid the ropes, and pinch the ropes together at the end: Squish the braid together slightly and place the braid onto the prepared cookie sheet, sideways. Repeat with the other ball of dough and place on the same sheet. Cover cookie sheet with a cloth and let rise for about an hour.

Using a fork, whisk together one egg and 1 T. water until well combined (also known as an Egg Wash). Dip a crumpled paper towel into the mixture or use a paint brush and paint the egg wash over the tops and sides of the braids. Be careful as you brush that you don't press too hard or you may deflate the loaves. Heat the oven to 350º (remove the rising braids before heating the oven!).Bake for 14-18 minutes or just till they start turning golden brown. Let the bread sit for 5-10 minutes before cutting. Serve with butter and fresh jam. Enjoy!

Desire for Homemade Bread. Check.

Bread Machine Yeast. Check.

Flour. Check.

Time Saved? Check.

How Easy is That?

Good Gravy!

Good Gravy! I love gravy...mashed potatoes and gravy, chicken fried steak and gravy, roast beef and gravy, and what would Thanksgiving be without Turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing...and gravy?...you get the picture. But, who feels guilty about putting gravy on things because it has all that FAT? Ok, well sometimes I don't care that much, but sometimes I do. What if there was a way to decrease the fat content of your homemade gravy? I didn't say make it "perfect" or "healthy" necessarily, just better. Of course, I wouldn't be posting this if there wasn't a solution. So, here it is:

A Gravy Separator

A gravy separator is designed to separate the fat from pan drippings (or juices left in your crockpot, if you cook in there like I do), leaving the "flavorful juices" behind.

There are a TON of different styles of gravy separators. The simplest and, according to WiseGeek.com, the most efficient is a "specially designed pitcher with a spout which connects the bottom half of the pitcher. To use the gravy separator, cooks pour pan juices and drippings in and allow them to sit until the fat rises to the top."

To do this faster, and/or a little more efficiently, you can fill the gravy separator half-full with ice cubes. The fat will congield to the ice cubs, which will make the process quicker and easier. Pour your juices into the separator, and wait for the fat to rise. Then just tip the gravy separator to pour out the juices, while will emerge first since the spout is on the bottom of the tool. Some brands of separators include a filter in the spout to catch large chunks in the drippings. (If I cook a roast, I always cook it with a packet of Onion Soup Mix. If you don't like the onion parts, a filter is useful. However, you can also pour the juices through a small kitchen strainer, which works just as well.) I usually pour the liquid from my separator directly into a sauce-pan so that I can thicken it on the stove (with a 1-2 tablespoons cornstarch softened in water).

This type of gravy separator can be very large, which can hold a lot of drippings. They usually contain volume measurements, so you know how much liquid you have to deal with.

*Hint: when you buy a "fat separator," try to find one that is heat-resistent and dishwasher safe. You will likely be pouring hot juices into it, and then you will want to run it through the dishwasher to remove the grease that would otherwise build up.

*Another Hint: If you need to separate fat from a pan of drippings in a hurry and you don't have a gravy separator, stick it in the freezer for a few minutes, just until the fat floats to the top and congeals. Then, you can gently peel it off and discard it, leaving the usable drippings behind.

How Easy Is That?!?

Drop a note to a friend or family member

Nothing makes someones day more than a heartfelt, sincere, note. Some of my most treasured possessions are notes and cards I have received from family and friends expressing a kind sentiment or expressing their love for me. I appreciate these so much and I look forward to birthdays and holidays when I know I might be receiving one. My husband, like many men, has a hard expressing emotion verbally, but expresses it to me in writing. I have kept all of the cards he has written to me over the 29 years we have been married. They mean so much to me and are among my most prized possessions. I like to re-read them and they make me smile every time I do. Likewise I have cards, notes, and letters written to me by my children that I also consider priceless. How often in life do we fail to tell those we love the very most how much they mean to us? We get busy with the menial daily activities and opportunites in which we should be telling those we love how special they are to us drift quietly by. We also seem to forgo telling others we admire them or tell them we notice thier talents or compliment them when we have a kind thought on thier behalf.

I received a wonderful email from a very dear friend a few days ago. It was an email written by someone else expressing how she felt about her mother. My friend forwarded the email to me and said she was sure my children felt the same way about me this young woman felt about her own mother. It made me cry. I have known this dear friend all of my life but we don't see or correspond very often, making this email even more meaningful to me. It only took her a minute or two to forward this email but it made my day, month and even my year to have her share this with me. I will remember how she made me feel for a long time to come, maybe forever. I heard something one time about how someone would never forget how you made them feel. Do we uplift and compliment those around us or do we drag down and depress those who are around us? Do we look for the positive or concentrate on the negative? Do we think about ourselves focusing on selfishness or do we forget ourselves and focus on selfishness?

Drop someone you know a note today. Make someone feel good about themselves and tell them how much they mean to you. You will never know how you might touch someone else for a lifetime. How easy is that?

Labeler

Hi,
I know, I know, I am a slacker. Sorry it has been a while since I gave a good hint. Life sort of crept in and took over, but now I am recommitting to get back to passing along easy ideas.
Today I wanted to talk about my labeler. I used to think that a labeler took too much time to use to label everything, but boy was I wrong. I first saw the idea of using a labeler from Martha Stewart. Who would have thought? But as I have worked on getting organized over the years, many of the professional organizers recommended using them. I use my labeler alot and use it to label things I never would have imagined it would help me with. I use a P-touch labeler and they are available at many places. I got my at Costco and I bouguth my daughter-in-law one for her birthday from there as well. They are also avaiable at Walmart or any other vairety store. They cost about $20 or $25 and are well worth the investment. They are very easy to use and there are unlimited uses for them. I have used it to label my CD boxes, kitchen containers, drawers I wanted to organize, boxes with pictures in them, containers with decorations in them, tabs on notebooks, my various cords, (see post on organizing cords), the pockets of my shoe organizer where I keep my spice packets etc. (see post on shoe organizers), sewing notions, and about a million other things. It is really worth the investment and the time and effort to label things. Once something is labeled, everyone in the house knows where to find it and more importantly, where to put it back. It also saves a lot of time when you don't have to tear things apart looking for something because you have labeled where it is which makes it so fast and easy to find. I was really skeptical about how much this would really help me, but once I decided to try it, I really can't believe I didn't do this before. How easy is that?

A Problem...and A Solution

Sorry for the update Drought! My mom came to visit for a week, and then I had to finish with school! I now officially have my Bachelor's Degree in Nursing (Hooray!)....and more time to blog! Yippee!!

I had a problem. Well, it was actually two problems. But these were two big problems that had been causing me much grief. I was embarrassed when people came to my house.

Problem 1:
This is what my "nook" looked like. A mess, right? Like anybody could even find anything in this mess! Problem 2:
My spice Cabinet was a mess. It actually looked worse than this. We took this picture after we had already stuck one turntable in the cabinet. Let's face it. It took me longer to find the spices I needed when cooking dinner, than it did to actually measure them and add them to a recipe. Sad...but true.

So, it with a LOT of help from my amazing mother

Anyway, here is the result:

And this:

And yes, it still looks like that (my nook is a little messier, due to some current projects), but it has been clean for over a month now! Hooray! My mom is seriously the BEST!

And what I learned from this project?

1: Circles are BAD for organizing (except for a turntable for the spice cupboard). Squares or rectangles are MUCH better. I had a lot of round baskets and stuff...it just doesn't fit well, trust me. There is a lot of wasted space with circles.

2. When you find something you want to organize, measure everything BEFORE You go to the store. This helps make sure that whatever you buy is going to fit properly.

3. Square/Rectangle baskets are awesome. It is SO much easier to get things out and put them back (such as if you have to put a row of things, like my spices. I can pull out the basket, and still reach the spice that is in the back). And use baskets inside your totes!

Inside the drawers, I have long skinny baskets that hold things too. Remember the rule...you should be able to put it away in ONE step (you shouldn't have to move anything). If you want it bad enough, you will spend a few seconds to get it out, but if it's not easy to put away....things will become a mess.

4. Label. Everything.

5. Buy clear totes when you are buying them. You can see what is in the tote that way.

6. The Dollar Store is a GREAT place to buy organizing supplies. We bought tons of stuff at the dollar store. The rest, we found on clearance at Target.

Another organizing tip--Shoe Organizers

I want to introduce you to one of my favorite things:

A SHOE ORGANIZER

Shoe organizers, the kind that have pockets and hang from your closet door, are fantastic! They can certainly be used for pairs of shoes...but around our house, they are used for so much more!

I should almost be a little embarrased to admit how many of these I have in my house, but I have one in every single closet in my house (except one)! Let me tell you the uses I have put these amazing shoe organizers to. Granted, as my life has changed, I have done re-organizing and changing here and there, but I'll give you a few ideas. *Note: there are different sizes you can find, so some have more pockets than others! The above pictures are some pictures of how my mom uses hers. She labels all of her pockets so you can see where to put things. Hers includes seasoning packets, jello, soup mixes, drink mixes, dip mixes, and any other types of things that don't have a home.

1. My Boys Room: I have stored things (depending on my needs at the time) such as socks, shoes, slippers, swimsuits, lotions/creams, pacifiers, nail clippers, brushes, combs, blankets, crib sheets (I roll them up and stick one or two sheets in a pocket), disposable diaper bags, burp rags, hats, bibs, gloves, extra bottles, toys, onsies, medicines (my older son can climb onto the bathroom counter, and can open the medicine cabinet. He cannot get to the top pockets of the organizer, also if I don't want him to know that the medicines are in there, I line the pocket with a paper or cloth so that he cannot tell what is in the pocket), play dough, etc.

2. My bedroom/Bathroom: burp rags (I like to have some in my room too, since my baby is still pretty small), shoes, t-shirts, socks, underwear, etc. If it is in my bathroom: make-up, hair-spray, gel, any other hair products, brushes, combs, my flat-iron, blow dryer, lotions, face-wash, moisturizer, curling irons, hair ties, headbands, washcloths, hand towels.

3. My Living Room: Shoes, socks, gloves, hats, bubbles, umbrellas, sidewalk chalk, slippers, toys, bike air-pump, hats, my work-badge and stethoscope and scissors (I'm a nurse), blow-up pool items (floaties, balls, etc), small blankets to toss over my baby's car seat.

4. My kitchen. I have multiple ones in my kitchen, so I will give you a few ideas.
a. Baby bottles, bottle liners (if you use those type of bottles), bottle brush, baby food, bibs, pacifiers, baby spoons, sippy cups, baby treats (like the puffs, individual baggies of cheerios, biter buscuits, etc), individual little bottles of juice and/or water.

b. SNACKS. I have one entire organizer designated for snack items. I rotate things through, I just can't stand having all the little individual bags of stuff, or granola bars always laying around. But in the box, they take up so much room in the cupboards. So, I keep things like: granola bars, raisins, 100-calorie pack snacks (or make your own individual baggies of cookies or crackers...saves money!!), anything that comes individually packaged (personal bags of chips, goldfish crackers, marshmallows, granola bites, etc), trail mix, nuts, dried fruit, etc. I generally don't fill quite the entire thing with snacks, so I might also add other things. For example, right now I also have baby food in some pockets, and playdough in some pockets.
*If you don't want to buy individually packaged snacks, do it yourself! My two favorite things to use are baggies....and baby-food containers. I save and wash all the little plastic baby food containers I get. They are the PERFECT size for some nuts or trail mix, and are great to pack in your loved one's lunch!!
c. Other: (this is the one where I need my mom to upload her picture....her's looks much better than mine!) boxes of jello, boxes/packages of rice or noodles (like rice-a-roni or whatever), seasoning packets (taco seasoning, gravy mix, anything that comes in a little pouch/packet), nuts, coconut, empty baby-food containers, spices or seasonings, small bottles (liquid smoke, cooking spray, molasses, tobasco sauce, if you buy shortening in the cubes like butter).

Now, you have to make sure that you get the clear plastic ones, so you can see what is in each pocket. My favorite place in the past has been to buy them at Rite-Aid. You can also find them at Walmart, Target, or anywhere like that. The last time I bought one at Target and Walmart it seems like they were about $7 or $8. If you are looking for a smaller one, for a narrow closet or for only a few things (the one in my bedroom that has only burp rags, and a few small things), you can find them at the dollar store! Just decide what you want to put in them, how many you need, and start organizing!! How easy is that?