Late Night Snack

One of my major vices is salt.  I love a good savory snack and prefer a potato chip to a cookie.  So in the spirit of salty snacks I present to you the best evening snack, popcorn.

Delicious Popcorn!

But I won't settle for microwave popcorn (one reason is because I don't have a microwave); I only like my popcorn made on the stove.  I can't describe why homemade popcorn is sooo much tastier, but it's easy to make and makes me feel better that I can avoid some of the unfamiliar ingredients in a bag of the microwave stuff.

To make this excellent snack, head to the grocery store and buy a bag of popcorn kernels and some corn oil.  You can substitute vegetable oil if you don't have corn oil.  Pour about a tablespoon (make sure the bottom of the pan is covered) of oil into your medium sized sauce pan and heat on high.  Once the oil is hot, but not boiling, drop in your popcorn kernels and let the magic happen.  Throw the top on the pot and let the kernels go until you don't hear anymore popping sounds.  Remove from the heat and put into a large bowl. I usually just add salt, but you can melt some butter and toss with the hot popcorn.

Now that you have your popcorn, watch some Thursday night TV/football and get ready for the last day of the work week!

If you aren't reaching for popcorn, what is your favorite late night/tv snack?

-Tomorrow is Friday!

Cat in the Bathtub

Welcome to Pumpkin Wednesday, my most favorite day of the week!  With the weekend on the horizon, I still have a lot of cleaning to do, so today, I write about ways to keep your house clean and still pet friendly.

As you already know, Pumpkin spends a lot of time in places she is not supposed to be.  Take for example: the bathtub. (If I could, I would insert a footnote about how the kitty is NEVER happy to be in the tub when there is water though)

So Curious!

As part of my goal to be more environmentally friendly, I have tried a variety of cleaning products.  First, I tried some of the homemade products, for example using baking soda on rough surfaces, like the bathtub.  I also tried using vinegar to wipe up the counters.  However, there were times when I just wanted a spray or gel cleaner because the homemade stuff wasn't really doing the trick.

So, at Target a while back, I stumbled upon the Method brand of cleaning products.  This line of products was started by two guys who realized no one enjoyed cleaning with heavy fumed, harsh chemical products.  Their company strives to be "green"all the way from the ingredients, to the packaging, and even their office practices.  After perusing a few review websites today, it seems that their claims of being eco-friendly hold up, which makes me happy that I am actually helping the environment (even if means shelling out a few more dollars).  While I too am often skeptical of green claims, this company provides a way you can change your behavior just a bit, and still help make the planet a little healthier.

If you're in the market for some new all purpose cleaner I would highly recommend the Pink Grapefruit Multi-Purpose Spray!

I love this stuff, and as you can see it's time to buy more!

As Pumpkin stays safe from toxic fumes in the bathtub,  tell me what are your favorite environmentally friendly products?

-Yay for Thursday!

Fall Cleaning

Now that summer seems to be officially over (at least here in Cleveland) I am forced to tackle my most hated task, putting away my summer clothes.  There is something so simple about getting dressed in the summer.  Throw on a pair of shorts, or a cute sun dress and you are out the door.  Once fall hits you have to decide if you will be dressing for cuteness or warmth, always a difficult choice.  As I am cleaning out my closet, and putting my strappy sandals on the top shelf of the closet, I started thinking about other products I use that don't change with the seasons, but that definitely have a shelf life.

Let's start with the disposable toothbrush.  The American Dental Association advises you should get a new disposable toothbrush every three to four months.  My main problem is that I never remember when I started using a new toothbrush, but apparently when the bristles are starting to look worn, it is a sign your disposable toothbrush needs to go...

Sponges, both bath and kitchen, most certainly have an expiration date.  This article recommends if you can't remember the last time you replaced your bath sponge, it's most likely time for a new one.  And don't be fooled because you have a mesh sponge, those are also susceptible to the bacteria that like to grow in bathroom areas (they should be replaced every 8 weeks).  If you don't like the thought of throwing a sponge away, you can always switch to a washcloth, fully cleanable in your washing machine.

As for the ol' kitchen sponge, I'm far more aware of when it needs to get tossed, usually because it has stunk up the entire room.  But according to those in the know, your kitchen sponge should be replaced every week or two.  Experts also suggest disinfecting that sponge using a tablespoon of bleach in a quart of water.

For the ladies out there, I know cosmetics can be pricey, but don't hold onto that mascara for too long.  While we all know the tube of eye make-up is no longer good when it is dried out, Consumer Reports Health Blog suggests you throw out your tube every three months.  

And finally, you may be surprised to learn that the carton of milk in your fridge can be consumed past the "sell by" date.  According to the Dairy Council of California milk should last 5 to 7 days past the "sell by" date assuming you stored the milk in a working refrigerator.

So next time you are using some of your disposable products, try to remember the last time you replaced them and if you can't, consider it a sign....

 With that in mind, what is your best (and likely embarrassing_, "whoops I should really have thrown that away" story?

-Halfway through the week!

Good Morning Breakfast

I am posting before 9 AM on a Saturday morning.  While this as a major accomplishment I cannot guarantee it will happen very often/ever again...

This morning my boyfriend and another one of his man friends took off for South Bend, Indiana to watch the Fighting Irish take on the Stanford Cardinals.  As they had to leave quite early, I wanted to be nice and make them breakfast.  I knew my man would be running late, so I decided to make breakfast sandwiches to go.

I'm obsessed with the McDonald's Egg McMuffin (but seriously, how could you not be?), so I tried to create something similar, but used sausage and bacon in lieu of the traditional canadian bacon.

To make my version of the egg McMuffin, I toasted the English muffins in the toaster oven (best appliance ever) and then brushed them with some melted butter.

Next I cooked some meat products, sausage and bacon, in small pieces.

Bacon AND sausage.  Melted butter bottom right corner.

Then I cooked the eggs like you would an omelette, making a giant flat piece of egg the size of the pan.  To make the eggs easier to assemble, I used the round top of a jar to cut out round pieces of eggs.

My substitute for a ring mold.

I added American cheese to the English Muffins in the toaster oven so they would be warm enough to allow the cheese to melt. (American cheese is one of the best melting cheeses!)  Lastly, I assembled the egg and meats between the now cheesy-buttery muffins. After a quick wrap in tinfoil they were ready to go!

I apologize for not having a picture of the final product, but the boys were in a hurry to get on the road.

Speaking of on the road, what is your favorite portable breakfast?

-Yay for the Weekend!

Pets and their Fur

One of the few downfalls of having a pet is most certainly the pet hair.  Not a day goes by that I don't have to double check my outfit, my bag or my shoes for black and white fur.

Despite my best efforts of disciplining the Pumpkin, it is nearly impossible to restrict her from certain parts of the apartment...

The Desk Chair

My shoes

Even my papers

Needless to say, I cannot control the cat.  But I do have to control the cat hair so I will not be deemed a cat lady simply by my appearance.  My current strategies are:

• Vacuum. A lot.  I have two vacuums, a trusty Oreck upright for the floors, and a GE canister vacuum with attachments for the furniture.  
• I have always been fascinated by this, the Dyson Pet Hair Vac.  But in doing some research I stumbled onto the Consumer Reports Blog, (which gives you just enough information to make you want to subscribe for all the content and product ratings) that doesn't rate the Dyson vacuum as the best in its class.   Yet another lesson to make sure you do your research before you make any appliance purchase.
• Dryer sheets.  If something has cat hair on it, I can always give it a quick toss in the dryer with a dryer sheet or two.  Something about science and static electricity makes this work, although this method is not foolproof.
• Lint Rollers.  I have two.  One by where I keep my car keys, and one in my car.  You can never be too sure that you haven't contaminated your hair with cat fur.
• Although I have never used this product Consumer Reports also suggests the Pledge Fabric Sweeper is the best inexpensive method for pet hair removal from small surfaces like couches and chairs.  If you're skeptical, take a look at this in-home test.

As I am proof-reading this post, I realize I do sound like a crazy cat lady.  But the goal here is to share information, so all you other 20-something cat ladies/pet owners, what are your secrets for keeping your pet's excess fur to a minimum?

-Almost to the weekend!

It's Pumpkin Wednesday!

Don't feel like going to work today?  Want to hide in a paper bag?

I love crinkly paper bags!

Well get through the day and Pumpkin's Post will be waiting for you tonight!

Go to Work!

-Love
Pumpkin Kitty

Cooking/Baking and Blogging or Blogging and Cooking/Baking?

I can’t decide if I am cooking more because I am writing this blog, or if I am writing this blog because it gives me an excuse to cook more.  Either way, I know my boyfriend is happy, and I will be writing another cooking/baking post J

This weekend, my boyfriend went to the historic West Side Market here in Cleveland to purchase a few items for our Saturday cookout.  While he was there, he brought home some Gala apples because it is most definitely apple season.  

I decided to get fancy and try to make apple pies, and not just any regular pies but mini apple pies.  It’s not clear how this idea came about, but who doesn't appreciate a "mini" desert.  Although I have a well stocked kitchen, I don't own any tart pans.  Still committed to this mini apple pie idea, I headed to the  internet to search for alternatives.  One site suggested muffin pans as a perfect substitute for tart pans.  Satisfied I could make the muffin pans work, I found a recipe on a vegan cooking website, made a few pro-dairy changes and cheated a bit by using store-bought pie crust.

To avoid ultimate failure, I also added an old standby ingredient to the pies: homemade whipped cream.  This relatively simple treat is both amazingly tasty and delightfully simple to make.  You can impress your friends without too much effort and cover up any mistakes you made in the baking process.

Here’s the easy recipe:

Ingredients:

1 half pint container of heavy whipping cream

1 tablespoon powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

You will also need:

1 hand whisk or electric mixer

1 metal bowl that has been chilled in the refrigerator

Directions:

Pour the cream into the cold metal bowl.  Add the vanilla and powdered sugar.  Beat (either with the hand whisk or the electric mixer) until stiff peaks have formed.  Refrigerate for a few moments and serve with your favorite fruit, ice cream, cookie, granola etc.

Op, the oven timer just went off.  Let’s go see how the pies turned out…

I started with just making three little pies (we had to try one).
I made a traditional top and one with the lattice top.

They look decent, and my boyfriend says they taste delicious with the homemade whipped cream.  I'm always skeptical about my baking ability so I will chalk this success up to a good recipe

Apple pie always makes me think of fall.  What instantly makes you think of the autumn season?

-Almost halfway through the work week!

Birthdays and Cookouts and Tailgating, Oh My!

Whenever you have an action packed weekend it’s not easy to head back to the office on Monday.  Normal beginning of the work week tiredness is even more unavoidable when much of your weekend fun happens on Sunday funday.

This weekend my friends and I took part in an NFL tailgate.  It was the opening weekend in Cleveland and the City was out in full force in orange and brown.  This was my first NFL tailgate and the dedication of the fans was unreal (I unfortunately saw a man wearing a Browns thong…) and the company was awesome.

However, having gone to a small Division III college, I don’t have the same tailgate resume as my state school friends.  Nonetheless, I did learn a few things that I'll be keeping in mind for my next trip back to the Municipal Parking lot…

A few Lessons Learned:

#1.  Remember to plan ahead if you are heading to a Sunday tailgate.  Most states do not allow alcohol sales before noon or 1pm on Sundays, and others prohibit it entirely.  Plus, you need to make sure that you bring some snacks to contribute to the group.  You can never underestimate how happy your friends will be to see you show up with a bag of potato chips.

#2. Arrive at your designated tailgating area early.  Getting a tailgating space is a process that is similar to the struggle for land in the Wild Wild West.  Also, the earlier you get in the quicker you can complete item #3 listed below.

#3. Stake out your territory.  Bring a card table or folding chairs to use as you establish the boundaries of your “base camp.”  The goal, I believe, is to establish as much space as possible for your group.  Gaining a large amount of territory will also prevent other tailgaters (typically “dudes”) from playing catch with a football near your head.

#4. Bring some delicious homemade tailgate food.  If you’re looking for a simple yet tasty recipe try out these “Classy Pigs in a Blanket” recipe courtesy of Lauren H.

Ingredients: 

Hillshire Farms Kielbasa Sausage

Pillsbury crescent roll dough

Preheat oven to 375.  Slice up sausage into bite sized pieces.  Roll out the dough and cut it into strips wide enough to hold the sausage.  Wrap each piece of sausage in dough.  Place sausages on cookie sheet and bake for about 15 minutes until golden brown.  Serving suggestion: BBQ sauce.

What are your secrets to a successful tailgate?

-Best wishes for a wonderful week!

Tornadoes and Voicemails

There is probably nothing more exciting than getting a voicemail these days.  It seems reasonable to think there is something important when someone in today's age of fast texting and twittering actually takes the time to leave you their name, number and a detailed message.  

So today I was pleasantly surprised when I reached into my bag after being away from my phone for 2 hours to find I had not just one, but two voicemails!  As I dialed in and entered my password though, the messages I got were not a job, or a long lost call from a friend, but were a pre-recording from my little sister's college!

Being the overprotective big sister, I immediately panicked after voicemail number one told me there was a threat of severe weather in the area her college is located.  But voicemail two most certainly kicked my anxiety into high gear!  The recording on the phone just wanted to alert me that there was a tornado warning in the county where her college is located, but not to worry they would be seeking shelter!

I quickly hung up and called my sister, who seemed a little bit nervous, but was feeling more upbeat since the RA's let everyone leave the basement of her dorm room! BAH!

What does this have to do with anything besides me being a nervous wreck at the age of 25?  After all was said and done, these two voicemails were my cue that I was listed as one of my sister's emergency contacts.  Good to know, for all future emergencies and times of inclement weather.

To make my anxiety seem productive, I'd recommend everyone makes sure your ICE (in case of emergency) numbers in your cell phone are up to date, and throw a little card with your emergency contacts in your wallet.  And for good measure, make sure you let your emergency contacts know they are in fact your lifeline :)

Also, in preparation for the last day of the work week, here is my favorite commercial on TV.  Enjoy!

-Can't wait for the weekend!

Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday

In trying to figure out what to post everyday (well 5 days a week) it seems wise to have one go to topic each week.  So, in a search for ideas, I thought what better than to head to my friends' blogs for inspiration!

For example:

• My very good friend Katelin, has a blog and publishes Hollywood news every Tuesday
• Another wonderful friend Jen, has a blog in which she writes about things she loves every Wednesday
• And my boyfriend's favorite sports blog (with an emphasis on college football) has Midmajor Monday where he can learn about all the non-BCS football schools...

With these topics in mind, I have decided that I must write about something I know, and know well.  So for my posts on Wednesday, I have decided to write about what I know and what I love...my kitty, Pumpkin!

Hello Pumpkin! Welcome to the Blog!

A quick bio for Pumpkin Kitty (Yes, her name is Pumpkin even though she is NOT orange)

Date of Birth: August 2007

Sex: Female

Breed: Barn Cat

Favorite Toy: The Crinkle Mouse

Pumpkin has a very cushy life, but has her fair share of adventures.  You can look forward to all my crazy cat lady stories and of course, more pictures every Wednesday!

-Best wishes as you head towards the weekend!

Dinner for Two

After putting out the garbage last night, I was reminded that I waste waaayyy too much food.  I feel guilty because that moldy watermelon hurts the environment and my dwindling bank account balance!  When I think about how much I threw away just this week it makes me shudder because I am most certainly an "average consumer."

A quick search of the internet suggests researchers have encountered a variety of obstacles when making models about how much food/energy/resources gets wasted from throwing out food.  But almost all of the numbers suggest that a great deal of food never reaches our table.  The Oberlin College Resource Conservation Team recycling facts list that Americans dump more than 21 million shopping bags of food into landfills each year!

With the economy the way it is,  I am even more concerned about how to avoid the extra spoilage.  There are plenty of tips and advice out there that range from buying seasonal produce to making more frequent trips to the grocery store.  

So in the spirit of saving food from becoming refrigerator orphans, I used my day old produce in a delicious although certainly not authentic pad thai.  My recipe came from allrecipes.com and with a few alterations (used spaghetti instead of rice noodles, added some red bell pepper and snow peas instead of sprouts and got by with using oyster sauce instead of fish sauce) the final product wasn't half bad.  My boyfriend even gave it a rating of 6 out of 10 (what that scale really means he's still working out)..

Mmmm Pad Thai

And as the highlight of the meal, my boyfriend helped prepare the chopped peanut garnish

Who doesn't love the SlapChop?

So in the spirit of conservation, what is your favorite pantry/refrigerator clean out meal?

-Almost halfway through the week!

I promise I'll start on Monday

During the weekend I find myself saying I will start (fill in the blank) on Monday.  Usually its something like going to the gym, getting back to the diet I am always trying to stick to, or finally throwing in that load of laundry that has been sitting in the hamper for too long...

But today I decided I have to start writing.  I believe Sean Connery in Finding Forrester said it best when he said "The first key to writing is to write!"

So here I am getting started.  It seems most appropriate to talk about what this blog will be about, but honestly I'm not quite sure exactly where I am headed.  But I suppose I can at least begin with why I got the itch to start this project.

I am the daughter of an honest to goodness real-live homemaker.  That's right, my mom was a stay at home mom and she taught me everything I know.  Even more impressive is that she has a degree in Home Economics making her my authority on all things domestic.  For me, I've always loved helping cook, bake or prepare for a party, and when all the fun was over I tolerated the terrible chores of cleaning the kitchen and folding the clean clothes.

Now as a 25 year old, all done with school and living really really on my own I want to share some tricks, tips and advice for all your modern domestic needs and wants!

Best wishes for a wonderful week!