Defunk your kitchen/bathroom sink

Defunking the kitchen and or bathroom sink

Taking you back to grade school with this kitchen solution….

With all of the things that pass through the sink and disposal, bacteria is sure to build up whether you see it or not and not matter how much you clean out your sink. For years I ran to bleach but no longer. Seriously, I was a total bleach freak! I used to run for the bleach for everything. Remember the man from My Big Fat Greek wedding with the Windex? That was me, only with bleach!  These days I try not to use harsh chemicals and the kitchen sink is no exception.

I've tried the citrus peels, lavender oil, salt etc… Honestly other than the racket I made with the disposal trying to grind the peels, I always ended up having to stick my hand down the drain to retrieve the lemon peels, it didn't really work.

If you have vinegar and baking soda, you can do this. Personally, my kids love to defunk the sinks for me and if I weren't sharing this idea with you, I wouldn't’ bother measuring. But, It’s really a more of a dump and pour type solution. You will probably end up doing that too. Just a sneaking suspicion... 

Directions:

1 Cup baking soda

2 Cup vinegar

Do this on both sides of the sink.

1. Pour baking soda directly into sink.
2. Pour in vinegar and watch and hear the magic happen! ( it should look like a mini volcano, like in elementary).
3. Run water to clear the drain and run garbage disposal for a few seconds.

Don’t worry, the smell of the vinegar dissipates within moments.

Tadaaa! You’re done!

Eat healthy and save a little cash by dehydrating

If you have a dehydrator in the garage sale pile or perhaps in the back of a cabinet, it's time to pull it out!
Stop throwing out your fruit and make a yummy snack for the fam! I try to always use what I have on hand and also try never to waste food but it happens. Sometimes it isn't enough fruit or veggies and other times I have too much. So, for our family dehydrating has helped with school or outing snacks, trail mixes, helped with the sweet tooth and saves a little cash too.

I have never owned a dehydrator before but have always wanted to and have even attempted using the oven to dehydrate some of my goodies. Personally I didn't like it and it made the whole kitchen  warm after several hours of being on, even at a low temperature.

I was browsing at a local Goodwill and spied with my little eye, a Ronco food dehydrator, total SCORE!. Hmmm..
I hurried my little cart down the aisle where I saw the little gem, looked around side to side as if someone was going to intercept my find. I get to the dehydrator, it still had the paperwork and was neatly bundled up. I tested it out, it got warm and seemed to work. Totally worth spending $12.00! I am in second hand store heaven!

It was perfect find on a perfect day! I had lots of fruit to test the unit out on and I have 4 perfectly willing testers at home.

Here goes: 
Apples, bananas, kiwi, papaya, pineapple.
I washed and dried and peeled all the goods before slicing them in 1/4 to 1/8 inch pieces.

Some people use ascorbic acid, pectin, apple juice etc., to stop the fruit from browning as it naturally does once exposed to air (like apples, bananas). I personally do not use these ingredients because I do not mind if the fruit turns a little brown. If I would add anything to help prevent the browning, I would use a lemon bath but that's about it.


When laying the fruit out it's OK for them to touch but not overlap. The fruit will shrink as it dried but will remain moist if they overlap. With this batch, I prepped the trays and fruit in the evening and rotated the trays once before bed and once the following morning.
*Banana chips will not have the same crisp as store bought chips will, as they are not treated or dehydrated at a high temperature.

Once fruit is done to preferred likeness, let trays coll for a minute or two then transfer fruit to an airtight container. I prefer mason jars but you can certainly use any airtight container you'd like.

Most fruit will have a consistency that is somewhat leathery with a slight crisp. The taste is amazing, no chemicals, no preservatives, no added sugar and dried fruit is great as is or is a great addition to trail mix.

Enjoy! 

Summer tomato and egg delight

Tired of plain eggs for breakfast but don't want to head to the market??

Take a look in your pantry! 

 

If you have these ingredients you're in business!! 

• 4 eggs ( I used 4 but you can use 1-4 eggs)
• 1 can of stewed tomatoes? 
• a piece of an onion lurking around in your refrigerator?
• Bagels, toast, English muffin, pita bread or tortillas work for this recipe. 
• oil (just enough to saute the onions).
• fruit or avocado, I obviously added avocado.

*If you prefer fresh ingredients like I do and have them on hand, I recommend using heirloom or vine tomatoes or fresh cherry tomatoes. Here in San Diego they sell these tomatoes in just about every store or at any of our farmers markets. if you're lucky, you have fresh home grown (yum)

*Onion - optional (I rough chopped 1/4)

Lets get started: 

in a pan sauté onions in preferred oil. 

While the onions are sauteing give the tomatoes a rough chop then add to pan on medium heat.

Once tomatoes cook down a little you're going to add the eggs. 

(now would be a good time toast bread and slice your avocado or fruit) 

Now crack 1-4 eggs on tomatoes and cover until eggs are cooked to preferred doneness.

Keep an eye on the eggs, it literally takes just a couple of minutes. 

You're done, time to plate your dish and season with salt & pepper to taste ( I added basil leaves)

 

if you like adding greens to your breakfast, kale and spinach compliment this dish wonderfully!

 

Goes great with OJ, Mimosa , chai or coffee. 

Buen provecho, amigos!

 

Junk drawer... And by junk drawer I mean any flat surface!

Surely you've heard of a junk drawer...

I don't know about you, but in ,my house we  have what is called a junk drawer. Generally this wonderful drawer is full of surprises and is more of a miscellaneous drawer. if it doesn't have a home, the drawer becomes home for the orphaned item(s).

As I sit here helping the kids do homework and wait for the other finish band, I glance around my house and what do I see? Stuff... Just stuff everywhere! If the surface is flat there is something on it. usual suspects, not guilty (of course)...No one did it of course and the maid (aka as mom, that's me) has taken a couple days off while I try new recipes and spend time organizing the kids schedules and get into the groove of this stay at home thing (again).

I want to get a few large garbage bags (it is trash day) and scoop everything into the bags and dump it. I

m pretty sure if I did that I would be glowing with AHA, I told you and within seconds realize I needed something from that blasted pile. That's the way it works! you throw something out to prove a point only to realize you burned yourself because you are the one who needed something from that pile! Grrr!
A part of me wants to see how they would react if I were to throw or hide some of these very important things strewn around the house laying on any and every flat surface throughout the house, that isn't already 4 inches high! I am sure that I would probably get a fit or two out of a couple of my little angels, maybe even my husband (who is never guilty).

The monkeys - 

In my head I am imagining at least one of the twins (8 years old) throwing themselves on the floor  and crying at decibels relatively similar to that of a howler monkey or a banshee, telling me I have ruined their lives as they flop about on the floor like a fish out of water or mirroring what one might think was a true epileptic seizure..(can you see it, have you been there before) Ahh... I won't do that to them, but I will certainly threaten them with it or make the infamous mountainous pile in the middle of the living room with the trashcan right next to it! That usually works and they seem to know what to do when they see it. I almost never have to say anything.
 Heck, I donate all the time and they know it so the pile usually does the trick. I guess I'll be mature about it and go that route (boring) and give them a chance to get it together. after all I can always use the " there are homeless people everywhere who can use this stuff or we can take it to Mexico to donate it" hauntingly similar to my parents tactics when we were kids and wouldn't eat all of our food.. You know, the "there are starving people in Africa" guilt trip.. For the longest time I thought that starving people only existed in Africa  and if I didn't eat my Brussel sprouts they would continue to starve. I never realized we had the same issue in our very own backyards!  oyy vey!

I took a peek in the actual junk drawer and it is relatively organized (it's a Christmas miracle!) compared to the rest of the counter space in my house.
Is it Friday yet?!

Make your own yogurt

I love yogurt, a plain yogurt that is. 
this is a relatively simple recipe for homemade yogurt and the recipe I use quite often.
you will need:

1 quart milk (preferably organic)
small single serve plain yogurt or a plain Greek yogurt works also (use a good quality)

2 quart pot (or larger)

cooking thermometer (candy thermometer if you have one, just clip it on pot)

large bath towel (you will need this at the end)

1 quart milk (I used Horizon organic whole milk but you can use 2% if you prefer). *Whole milk will give you a firmer texture.

4 Tbs. Yogurt

In a pot, bring the milk to about 180F (do not boil)

Once milk has reached 180, Remove from heat and let cool until the milk cools to 115 degrees. 

while milk is cooling, (Optional but recommended) heat oven to about 200-225F. I prefer to use this method. some people prefer not to heat the oven or place it in am already warm room.

If you decide not to heat the oven, just place the towel covered pot in a warm place and do not open dish for about 10 hours.

Once milk has cooled to 115 degrees you can stir in the yogurt (mix well)

Turn off oven. 

Cover pot with a towel and place in warm over.
Place in oven for 8-10 hours. 
** it is important not to open the oven door during this time** trust me, there is nothing to see.

When you remove the pot you will have liquid on top. Don't fret my friend, its supposed to be there. Simply use paper towels or a non fragrant (aka non-detergent) kitchen towel to absorb the liquid. You may want to replace the paper towels after each serving or simply drain each time. 

Chill yogurt for a couple of hours and enjoy as is or with granola, fresh fruit or honey. 
Note* since this is homemade and not processed the consistency/texture will be a little different than store bought yogurt. 

if you like flavored yogurt, simply add cold fresh fruit and give it a quick wiz in the blender and refrigerate. 

Don't forget, if you like my recipes or know someone who might, share my page!

Thanks friends!

Mocha Popsicles

I don't know about you, but I hate wasting leftover coffee. So, here is a super easy way to use your leftover liquid gold. 3 simple ingredients! 

Mocha Popsicles! 
Disguise your coffee addiction by using your leftover coffee in a Popsicle! 
1 1/2 Tbsp. Unsweetened cocoa powder. 
2 cups coffee (strong coffee)
2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk.
In a bowl add (cool/room temp) coffee and condensed milk, mix them slowly add cocoa powder. 
*Don't add too much cocoa or the Popsicle will not freeze well. Pour mixture into mold and freeze.

Finished product:

Since it is made with coffee (unless decaf) I do not recommend giving this to kids. No need to give my already active kids anymore reason to bounce off the walls.

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