WINS!!!

A few FAILS first:

The counter...or largest junk drawer in the house.

 Front closet

Hall closet

Now...for a few WINS!

  This is where my herb "garden" is going to go. It's out of kid reach and has a good light source.

 That front closet again. It now has the vacuum in it as well because it ACTUALLY FITS!

 The clean bar/counter. See the basket on the left? That is now a collection basket that will be sorted weekly.

 And...the cutest kid EVER!

Feelin' Feminine 2

I apologize for the HORRIBLE picture quality. I had issues getting photos this morning.

 I had a closer one taken on the timer function...but the style of the dress and my tummy are not friends!

4th Meal MAYhem

Tonight's dinner is a favorite around here: Chorizo, Egg, and Bean Tacos.

Chorizo is a Mexican sausage usually made with pork. Fear not, my kosher friends, it does come in beef as well! Be sure and READ THE INGREDIENTS when purchasing chorizo. Some brands have salivary glands in them and these are things you do NOT want!

The instructions are pretty simple:

Cook Chorizo. It comes in "links" that you peel the casing off of and break up. 

Cook beans. You can buy them already refried; buy a can of pinto beans, cook through, and then mash; or do like I did and cook the beans in a crock pot and treat like the canned beans.

Scramble up the eggs. The recommended amount is two eggs per "link" of chorizo.

Mix the eggs with the cooked chorizo and cook through.

Then make your taco. We like it with ketchup, but plain is good too. Also, it's good with tortilla chips...


To see more click the button:

Feelin' Feminine Day 1

So...forgive the horrid picture quality. I did it myself (again!)

And I know the challenge specifies "head to toe" but I'm barefoot and would have had to zoom out too far just for you to see my paint chipped toes!

Full Disclosure: I may end up taking the overshirt off if it gets too hot in the house today...but the tank top wasn't appropriate for this challenge so I'm wearing it for now. (And I don't plan on leaving the house today)

3rd Meal MAYhem

I worked on my new header today. Tomorrow I may work on a "button" for the Meal MAYhem stuff...

Tonight's Dinner Salmon Tetrazzini

8 ounces spaghetti or thin spaghetti, uncooked
1 can (14.75 oz.) or 2 cans (7.5 oz. each) traditional pack Alaska salmon OR 2 cans or pouches (6 to 7.1 oz. each) skinless, boneless salmon
1 Tablespoon margarine or butter
1 package (8 oz.) sliced mushrooms or 2 cans (4 oz. each) sliced mushrooms, drained
2 cloves garlic, minced or 1 teaspoon bottled minced garlic
2 Tablespoons dry sherry (optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 Tablespoons flour
2/3 cup canned evaporated skim milk OR milk
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions or chives
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Meanwhile, drain salmon, reserving liquid. Break salmon into chunks; set aside. Melt margarine in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and garlic; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add sherry, if desired, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add flour; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add milk and reserved salmon liquid; simmer 5 minutes or until sauce thickens, stirring occasionally. Stir in salmon and green onions; heat through. Drain spaghetti; arrange on four serving plates. Top with salmon mixture and cheese.


I got involved in dinner (and talking to Stefan) and only got a few photos off...

Everything assembled

Sauce pre salmon and chives

 After salmon and chives

Finished plate

I'll be honest: This wasn't a favorite. I used to love Tuna Tetrazzini as a kid (the Hamburger Helper box kind!) but since being with Stefan my tastebuds have changed...I prefer spice! This had flavor, but no heat. That's what bothered me I think. So, I don't give it gold stars and I probably won't make it again.

To my dairy free and kosher readers: I bet you could use margarine and rice milk (don't use soy milk...it's sweet and would throw it off big time) and make this work. It was a quick meal. I think it took about 20mins total? Basically, as long as it takes to boil water and cook pasta!

The Challenge of Feelin' Feminine

The challenge is to wear only skirts/dresses for an entire week of seven days, and then post a photo of your outfits (head to toe) on your blog. If you don’t have exactly seven different skirts, that’s alright. Mix and match with different shirts. We can be not only feminine and modest, but frugal too!

More HERE

*Sigh* And people say children are still innocent?

Pole Dancing Classes For TEN YEAR OLDS

A DANCE studio was today blasted for offering pole dancing classes to children as young as 10.

The sessions, which are being run for 10 to 16-year-olds at
Fusion Dance School in South Shore, Blackpool, have been branded "totally inappropriate" and "disgusting" by parents - including dad Chris Hyde - and community leaders.

While bosses at the school insist "Junior Pole Dance Fitness" is a form of exercise monitored by parents, Blackpool Council's leader says it is premature sexualisation of children.

Coun Peter Callow said: "This is totally inappropriate.

The councillor, who launched the resort's anti-sleaze campaing, added: "This is dressed up as healthy exercise, but there will be parents who think it is extremely harmful for children to be gyrating around a pole in a sexy manner.

"It's not a harmless children's pursuit, this is children acting as grown-ups.

"One of the main responsibilities of a council is to protect children from harm.

"We have every reason to be concerned. If any of these girls roll up to a club already trained up with fake ID, who's to say what's going to happen?"

The Gazette understands there are currently six children – the youngest aged 10 and the oldest 14 – who are taking part in Fusion's six-week course, which costs £30.

Sessions include a 10 minute warm-up, followed by exercises such as the pole spilt – similar to the splits on the ground but holding onto the pole – and pulling the body up the pole.

Concerned Sam Bell, who co-runs FY West Coast street dance classes, said: "10-years-old is a little bit young. There are other dances they could be doing.

"If they can deter it away from the sexual side of pole dancing, it's great for fitness. Maybe the 15 to 16-year-olds would be OK."
Father-of-two Chris Hyde, 38, whose 13-year-old daughter goes to street dance classes in Blackpool, said: "I think it's disgusting someone has come up with this course.

"In this day and age young girls grow up so quickly. I think most parents would be pretty upset if they knew that's what children are doing.

"There is too much exposure to this kind of thing in magazines, on television and the internet. They don't need to be taken to a dance studio to be shown these moves too."

But Carolyn Armstrong, principal dance teacher and owner of Fusion Dance School, said the pole fitness classes were exercise sessions and parents have to sign a consent form before children can join in.

The school, which runs lessons by qualified dance teachers, says it is very specific about asking the children to wear school gym gear and invites parents to watch the classes.

She said: "We don't do pole dancing, we don't do the sleazy side of pole. People get the wrong end of the stick."

What about pole dancing ISN'T sleazy? I'll be the first to admit that Yes, it's exercise. (Hip movements tone your core...ask a bellydancer) Yes, it's difficult. (Holding your body weight up on a pole? That MUST be hard) But is it appropriate? NO.

Personally, I think that the dance classes for "little girls" tend to be a bit over sexual anyway. People seem to think it's cute to dress their 5 year old up in skimpy hot pants and have her shake her butt to Britney Spears. When she's 5 it's cute, but when she's 15 it's trashy? That's a HUGE mixed message. Why not keep it inappropriate throughout the ages?

I remember seeing a special on the news (many years ago) about a "new" Cheerleading competition...the outfits and dances had to be modest. (Of course, it was Christian based. Do you even have to ask?) The girls wore longer skirts and had to have sleeve caps on their tops AND the had to cover their stomachs. The performances were focused on cheer ability and dance and tumbling talent; not the sex appeal of the dance moves. At the time I rolled my eyes (I was 16 and a liberal feminist) but now I look at it and think, "Good idea."

I was glad to hear that the parents were outraged over the classes. However, what kind of person thinks up this sort of thing and thinks it's okay? Let's keep our children innocent for a bit longer shall we?

2nd Meal MAYhem

Tonight's dinner:

Pesto Tilapia

I know that there's evidence for Tilapia being bad...but it's cheap and I'm known to cook with bacon grease so...

Anyway, this is one of those really easy recipes.

You can use the Knorr brand Pesto mix or you can make your own. (If you're avoiding dairy you should make your own! The normal recipes call for Parmesan Cheese) I won't include a pesto recipe because I have yet to find one that I LOVE and can approve. If you use Google and search for "pesto recipes" you'll find plenty.

Preheat your oven for about 375F.

Tilapia fillets waiting for their pesto.

Y

Pesto has been applied.

Special Note: If your pesto sauce is thinner you can marinate the fillets in it for an hour before cooking!

Cook for about 25 minutes...basically until it flakes easily with a fork.

Total dinner: Tilapia, corn, rice

  My husband said Franklin got his turn in the photos last night. So, this is Stefan enjoying dinner!

See, simple! 

Meal MAYhem 1st

So, tonight we're having Macaroni With Beef (that takes you directly to the recipe)

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 8 ounces elbow macaroni
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 cup finely chopped onion
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 2 cans (each 8 ounces) tomato sauce
• 1 1/2 cups cooked frozen or fresh corn (2 to 3 ears)

I cheat a little bit here and there. It's a Martha Stewart recipe and she assumes that everyone can afford fresh and expensive ingredients. I cannot.

Step One: Get that macaroni going. It takes a few mins to get the water to boil and then more time to cook the macaroni. If you start the water at the same time as the beef it all gets done together.

Step Two: Cook the ground beef and onion until both are done. (Ground beef browned and onion translucent) Season with seasonings

Step Three: Add tomato sauce and corn (drain if using canned) I went ahead and just used a 15oz can of each. Yes, it's more than the recipe calls but it worked out fine. Heat until bubbly.

Mommy's helper

Step Four: Combine everything together and serve!

One Satisfied Customer!

Disinfect Those Sponges!!!

If there's anything that bacteria love it is a warm and damp environment in which to grow and thrive. Therefore, that sponge in your kitchen sink is one of their favorite places in your house. Think about it, every time you use that sponge you could be spreading bacteria all over your kitchen! Fear not, there is something you can do about it.

The first, and most obvious, suggestion is to toss it and buy a new sponge. However, if you do a lot of dishes this will get expensive very quickly. Why buy a new one when you can just clean and sanitize the existing problem?

A simple solution is to toss the sponge in with your laundry. However, some sponges cannot survive this kind of cleaning. If you're not careful, you'll just end up with sponge pieces all over your clothing and possibly melted into your dryer. If this happens, you'll have to buy a new sponge anyway! Being as we're trying to avoid spending any extra money, be careful with the sponge in the laundry.

If you have a dishwasher, you can toss the sponge on the top rack when you run your dishes. The hot water and heat of the dry function is plenty to kill any nasty bacteria. Again, the only risk with this means of cleansing is the sponge can fall apart in the wash. A solution to this fear is to toss the sponge in during the heated dry cycle only and bypass the rushing water.

If you own a microwave you can put it to good use here! Set the sponge in the middle and microwave it for a few seconds. Honestly, it shouldn't take more than ten. To me, this is the riskiest form of sanitation because fire is a hazard. Make sure that your microwave is in proper working order and that you do not set the time for very long. Let the sponge sit for a minute or so before removing it from the microwave because it will be hot.

An unconventional solution would be to use the sun to clean your sponge. Set the sponge on a clean surface in direct sunlight for several hours. The heat from the sun should destroy most of the harmful bacteria and get rid of any bad odors.

Another solution is soaking the sponge in different sanitizing solutions. Vinegar is a natural anti-bacterial. Bleach is an obvious choice here as well. However, this can leave the sponge sitting wet on your sink and begin the cycle all over again.

Make sure and clean your sponges as often as possible using whichever method you choose. It will help keep your family healthy!