Signs of Spring 2016

I think Spring has arrived in my yard!  Here are some signs...

Ornamental Poppies

Rose Bush

Tulips

Mini Daffodils

Hyacinth

Crocus

I just might think about cleaning something soon...

Perfect Rice

I don't like a lot of kitchen gadgets.  I don't like lots of "stuff" on my counters.  In fact I'm wary of buying any new fad item that I suspect will end up sitting on a shelf after a short time.

BUT, I have to say that I absolutely love my new rice cooker.  We eat rice often with all of our soups and vegetables.  And I've spent more time than I want to admit scraping rice from the bottom of my pots.

I went to our local bargain store, Ollie's, and bought a $12 rice cooker.  It has a 6 cup (of cooked rice) capacity, more than we would ever cook at one time.  I tried it out and we've been enjoying PERFECT rice for 2 weeks now.

We use Basmati or Jasmine long-grain rice.  Put 1 cup of rice and 1 1/2 cups water plus a pinch of salt in the bowl and turn it on.  By the way, it also cooks Quinoa perfectly.  The ratio is 1 cup Quinoa to 2 cups water.

The lovely thing is that it starts on "Cook" and then magically switches to "Warm" when the rice is done.  I can leave it alone for an hour and when I return for my perfect rice, it's still perfect!! It even comes with a plastic spoon that scoops out the rice from the nonstick bowl wonderfully.  The bowl rinses clean quickly along with the lid.  It also cooks Quinoa perfectly.  The ratio is 1 cup Quinoa to 2 cups water.

I looked online and discovered that you can spend over $200 on rice cookers!!  Who knew?  I think I'll stick to my Rival cheaper model.

If you like rice or quinoa and don't like to clean the sticky pot, try a rice cooker!

The Best Tub and Tile Cleaner

I stumbled upon this simple recipe for homemade tub and tile cleaner.  I've been using it now for a few months and it's my favorite!

The best part is, not only does it clean soap scum and grime well, it's a wonderful preventative.  When I'm done with the tub and shower I spray a little on the walls and let it stay.  It keeps build-up from happening!!  That means less cleaning:)

Here's what I use:

3/4 - 1 cup liquid blue Dawn (original)

white vinegar

16 - 24 oz. plastic spray bottle

Pour the liquid Dawn in first, then add vinegar to the top.  Shake well and you're ready!

I searched for different versions of this cleaner and it's called the "Ultimate, Magic, Wonder" Cleaner by many.  You can add more Dawn if the grime you're cleaning is bad.  If you spray it on and let it sit, it will remove all kinds of dirt.  I read how one landlord uses this cleaner on the nastiest of rental grimy bathrooms!

Coconut Macaroons

This recipe is from Ina Garten.  It's simple to follow.

These are Tony's favorite!

Ingredients

14 ounces sweetened shredded coconut
14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 extra-large egg whites, at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Combine the coconut, condensed milk, and vanilla in a large bowl.

Whip the egg whites and salt on high speed in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until they make medium-firm peaks.

Carefully fold the egg whites into the coconut mixture.

Drop the batter onto sheet pans lined with parchment paper using either a 1 3/4-inch diameter ice cream scoop, or 2 teaspoons.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown. Cool and serve.

Antique Cupboards and Armoires for Storage

I have many antique cupboards and armoires that I use for storage in my house.  If you need storage pieces, consider looking at your local antique shop or thrift store for the right sized piece.  Here are some examples of what we use to store everyday items.

This is the bottom of a "Stepback" cupboard in my foyer.  I keep cards, stationery, maps, batteries, music...
lots of stuff in baskets here.

This is where I keep my Fiesta everyday dishes in the kitchen.  The glass doors are perfect for finding the right dish - and the colors are pretty!

Also in my kitchen, I have a huge armoire...look what amazing storage this provides.  I used to have to store this stuff all over the house.  Now it's all in the kitchen where it belongs.

This is a small cupboard that fits in a nook near my kitchen.  I call this the "landing pad." It houses our phone, cookbooks, candles, note pads, pens and pencils, and my junk-mail bowl. 

Here's a Barrister Bookcase where we keep all our classic novels.  If we read a book we really like and want to keep, this is where it goes.  It fits along a wall between
2 bedroom doors.

In one of our bedrooms I use this antique music cupboard instead of a dresser for guests.  It has 3 shelves inside and fits nicely in the corner and takes advantage of the height.

Thank You Notes

Not long ago I was sweetly surprised to receive 3 lovely Thank You notes from 3 special people.

The first one was from a friend.  She made this lovely notecard by hand-pressing leaves onto card stock.  It's a beautiful piece of art!

The second one was from my daughter-in-law.  The heartfelt sentiments are so special to me.  She also makes her own cards.  They are each unique and lovely.  This one is still on my counter and keeps encouraging me!

The last one was a note from a student of mine.  This young man is very special and has made lots of progress in his English learning.  I do my job with all my heart whether students notice it or not, but it's nice to know he's thankful.

In this age of texting and emailing, I still LOVE to send and receive paper cards and notes.

Is there someone you could thank today?  You won't regret sending a note to someone special!

Christmas 2015 Photos

Here are a few photos of our house, ready for

Christmas 2015:

Our antique feather tree with vintage glass ornaments

Instead of a big tree, we decorated a few small ones in different rooms.

Here's a lantern from my son's wedding.  We use it every Christmas to remember the wonderful day he married sweet Abba!!

Snowmen!

I knitted Christmas stockings for all of us this past year. Everyone chose their own colors - nice:)

Nutcrackers keep watch on the piano.

Here are our favorite Christmas cookies - Gingerbread!!

My mother loved this ceramic Christmas tree - it comes out every year.

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Here's my kitchen door:

The Italian Feast of the 7 Fishes prep:

Our Christmas Eve Seafood Feast was amazing:  fried calamari, monk fish/crab salad, baked stuffed clams, fried orange roughy, broiled shrimp and scallops, linguini aglia e olio, all thanks to Tony and his expertise in the kitchen!

a few more photos: