saving a little time in the kitchen

when I look over my blog,  it seems like I spend a lot of time cooking.  I do cook most everyday, sometimes I cook several times a day so I do look for ways to save some time.  If you know me or  read this blog much,  you know I also look for ways to use basic ingredients and to spend wisely. 

We like nuts in our baked goods.  Whole walnuts are a good value, as far as nuts go,  I know nuts are high-priced anymore. 


This is a  12 ounce bag of mostly walnut halves and a few pieces.  The halves are way too big for adding to baked goods. 



so instead of getting out a chopper and cutting board everytime I bake a recipe that we like nuts in,  I chop the whole bag of nuts when I open them. 

then all the extra chopped nuts go into a jar.
I store a lot of things in clear glass jars. 
The label is just a piece of masking tape,  with what is in the jar and the date it was put in the jar. 
If I am going to be baking a lot,  I just keep the jar of nuts in the pantry.  But nuts will go rancid if unused, so if it will be more than a month or before they get used,  I put the jar in the freezer. 

About the label,  I have seen some really cute printable labels online and if I had more free time, I would probably use them,  But for now, masking tape works great.  Just use some scissors to cut the ends straight, that looks much better than tearing the tape.  I use masking tape to label things in the freezer too. 






Lyn asked about the dishes the cut up fruit are in, I showed in them in previous post.  They are from Pampered Chef and work fine as you can see what is in them.  The only thing I don't like about them is the lids are not microwave safe and ruin if used in the microwave.  Mine are the one cup size but I think they come bigger, like 2 cups and maybe 4 cups. 

http://www.pamperedchef.com/our_products/catalog/product.jsp?productId=9792&categoryCode=KW

 my other favorite container for snacks and lunchboxes is little jelly jars - mine are currently filled with jalapeno relish and pickle jalapeno relish though.  I think the jelly jars with screw on tops take up less room in a lunch box and it is very unlikely they would leak. 

More Feb. 14th pictures

Elizabeth looks especially extra cute as she models a special Valentines cap,
crocheted with love,
by her great grandmother RoRo,
hand delivered by her Great Uncle Bert,
just in time for her to wear on her first Valentines Day.

Snaps of my day

This sweet little guy spent the day with me.  Don't you love his blue eyes?

Little ones always look extra sweet when they are sleeping.

While Gavin napped,  I made binding for that quilt I started a week or so ago. 
Do any of you iron on your kitchen counter? 
I don't iron clothes on the counter but I do like to spread out craft projects on a big surface. 
Just be sure to put a couple of layers of towels underneath.

I cut up some oranges and grapefruit- now ready for easy snacks or to add to Jeff's lunch box.
I also mixed up some sugar free Jello in cups -
doing it myself means our snack cups are fresher and cheaper than the readymade ones at the store.

I washed the mud off the bottom of these cute little boots,
No problem for me,  I cleaned lots of dirty shoes when we lived in the country. 



Theo and Gavin accompanied me on my walk. 
We are having warm days now, just some snow left from the highest drifts that are mostly in shade. 





















On our drive to take Gavin back home,  Focus on the Family was on the radio.  Lysa TerKeurst was the guest.  I had never heard of her until Carol from Blessed Cottage recommended Lysa's  free Kindle book Craving God
I really like that book (the first 5 days of it that I have read anyway)   Lysa is also a really funny and heartfelt speaker.  Maybe all of you already know her and have read her other 12 books. 
She is new to me and I am really glad to of found her.  Listening to her on our car ride was encouraging and entertaining. 

change-a-roo



Grandbaby Elizabeth 2011
it looks like she is sitting in a red chair



Grandbaby Gavin 2010 in a white chair
looks like the same chair, but a different color and in a different room. 

hmmm,  these grandbabies must have a grandma that likes to change things around, 
could be worse!



I wonder what color that chair will be in 2012?

Happy Valentines Day everyone.

Sweet things

Nina left us some sweet things on her way to work this morning



carrot, vanilla and chocolate cupcakes, baked in her kitchen on a snowday from   work.  She also left cupcakes at Jeff's work for his coworkers. 



homemade lemon curd 

the sweetest thing of all, baby Elizabeth.
 Nina let us keep the cupcakes and lemon curd but she took the sweet baby back when she got off work. 

Sweet Theo - laying in the hall outside of the room where Elizabeth was napping.
 We sort of got Theo from Nina about 7 years ago,   but he will keep staying with us.