Coming in 2015

I see that it has literally been almost a year since my last post.
Life has been beyond busy, and there just has not been time to post.
I am going to post some updates this year, and try to get those Cleaning Diaries going again.

I love sharing in the blog world and connecting with like-minded people, when time reasonably permits in my life.
As you know this blog is a genuine and heartfelt look at the on-going experience of finding and maintaining organization in life to free us up for the meaningful experiences we seek with family and friends and personal growth.

Some are born into this "dance" naturally, others of us are sensitive to life's changes, or easily distracted, or lower energy people, or have personal issues we are working through, etc that can prevent us from realizing this goal.  If that is you, this is the blog for you to connect with.
A humble, genuine look at the pursuit of organization and cleaning, not as an end to itself, but as a vehicle to the meaningful life we seek.

Get out your calendar, because 2015 is still young and you can plan and organize for some real wins.

Thanks for reading,

Cassie

Cleaning diaries Entry #1Beginning

I have had a growing sense of wanting to finally take control of my schedule in order to get things cleaned up.  You see, I am really a very clean person stuck in a messy person's life.  You would have to be one of us to even understand the statement, but for those of you who don't struggle, l will try to explain.

Overwhelm.  That sums it up perfectly.  Dealing with overwhelm is as all consuming as trying to tackle any new project.  It is at the centre of everything you can see and it clouds your judgement.

I am a busy woman.  I work about 55 - 60 hours on an average week, and it is spread out over 7 days.  The nature of the jobs I have means that I am squeezing in my work where I can, often starting a second round of work at 8:30 at night when most people are sweeping their kitchen floor and organizing for the next day.  Suffice it to say, when you have a day job, a part time business that you operate with your computer on your lunch breaks in the evenings and weekends, and you are on staff part time at the church... it is easy to become overwhelmed and housework starts to fade into a distant priority.  Even though it is a top priority, work and family and social demands seem to push the housekeeping you want to do further and further down the list.

This produces a mild depression because everywhere you turn you see areas you and your husband are desperately trying to keep up with, but haven't quite maintained fully.  You know you are both trying your best, but yet... the house suffers.

I should qualify that I am grateful to have work.  There was a time I would have given ANYTHING to have work when I was unemployed.  So, while my work demands are high, I need to be grateful in these times that I have work.

Now that you have a background as to why I am so overwhelmed and behind, and I suspect that my story is not unique, and that there are many with my story.

Let's start the Cleaning Diaries and journey together to a cleaner, happier home and life.  I know that you are like me and you have an inner Clean Freak that is waiting to break free.  I am not talking about an OCD kind of clean freak.  That is delibitating to life, and no-body wants that sort of issue.  Rather, I am referring to the inner Clean Freak that will naturally keep your life on track and make things easier to manage, therby producing some inner peace and freedom in life.

Your assignment today:  Start a new inner dialogue.  "I am the type of person who...." (Who has to clean the kitchen before bed, who has to dust the car, wipe the winter mud off the floor, etc, etc)   Start talking to yourself as the kind of person you expect to be, and the kind of person you know you are deep down inside.  DON'T let yourself say "how did that get so dirty?  Of COURSE my family would leave that to get ruined.  It figures my family is the one that is disorganized or not ready or messy, etc"  You get the idea.  

Later today I will try to post a new housekeeping assignment and/or reflection.

Thanks for Reading

Cassie

Giada De Laurentiis New Cook Book

Today I just bought Giada De Laurentiis' new cook book.

It's called Giada's Feel Good food

This is a good one.  If you are Canadian, you can find it at Costco for just $20 + HST.

The book is full of fresh new recipes that use all the fresh and healthy ingredients that are so popular right now.  

The book boasts many recipes that are either Vegetarian, Vegan, Dairy Free or Gluten Free.  

It features a modern approach to food and recipes, even how things are served - a burger with no bun...very low carb, if you require that.

Her smoothie recipes use regular ingredients you tend to have on hand in the house, and look fantastic.

Giada's cookbooks are always full of recipes that are very user friendly to the home cook, and also delicious.

Check it out on line at Amazon, or swing by your local Costco and pick up a copy.  You'll be glad you did!

Thanks for reading,

Cassie

Giada De Laurentis Basica Marinara Sauce - Preserving Tomatos

It is the fall season.
For a couple of very busy weeks, we have been juggling the back to school rush and also preserving of tomatoes.  We have made a lot of jars of marinara sauce.

This is just a few of them.  There are many more than in this picture.

I know I haven't been writing for a while, as my life has been very busy, but I hope to post more in future dates.
Our family is on a very focused health initiative, and it is a whole foods, plant based diet.
We aren't quite vegan, but 90% vegan.
We feel better, weigh less, and are saving a bit of money too.

I can't wait to tell you more.  It will have to wait for future entries.

Our marinara sauce recipe is from Giada De Laurentis cookbook (Everyday Pasta) so all credit goes to her - the chef superstar!  Her cook books really have good and user friendly recipes.  I strongly recommend picking up one of her cookbooks to add to your collection.

Here is the recipe, but some of it we made skipping the olive oil to make it even more low fat and healthier, and we did add a bit of onion powder to boost the onion flavor:
We did this recipe, times X3.

BASIC MARINARA SAUCE:
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 small onions, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
2 (28 ounce) cans crushed tomatoes (or 1/2 bushel of fresh roma tomatoes to triple the recipe)
2 dried bay leaves

In a large pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat.  Add the onions and garlic and saute until the onions are translucent, about 10 minutes.  Add the celery, carrots and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper.  Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes.
Add the tomatoes and bay leaves, and simmmer uncovered over low heat until the sauce thickens, about 1 hour.  Remove and discard the bay leaves.  Season the sauce with more salt and pepper to taste.
(The sauce can be made 1 day ahead.  Cool, then cover and refrigerate.  Rewarm over medium heat before using)

Honestly folks - this marinara sauce is so delicious!  Try it today!

Thanks for reading,

Cassie

Waiting for Spring

If you live in Canada, and more specifically southern Ontario, you will know what I mean when I say that spring is just around the corner and you're dying to see it.

We have snow, and then plants pushing up out of the ground, and then is snows on top of them again.

We are so eager to get outside again and clean up all the sticks that have blown into the yard over the winter, but it's still so muddy because the ground is so soft, that the post winter clean up isn't that practical yet.

And now, in late April it's the rain.  One day it's cold and raining, then next day a bit warmer, but still raining.

Half the time the sky still looks grey like this, and we have these little ponds of water in the grass from the melted snow.

The funny thing about the area we live in, is we tend to get these mild winter-like temperatures well into the spring season and then WHAM! It's summer!  In the GTA (Greater Toronto Area) we live in, we don't get very many days of classic spring temperatures between 15 - 20 degrees.  

So what do you do with rainy days and weather that's still a bit too cool?  

- walk the dog like the lady in the picture above is (a Brampton Picture)

- catch up on house projects inside

- Plan your garden and outdoor projects on paper.

So there you have it, hang in there, before you know it the nice weather will be here.

Thanks for reading

Cassie

Dog Walking

Did you get that hint of spring in the air this week?
The weather has lightend up a bit, and there has been a lot of snow melting.

This was really needed as we got so much snow that you couldn't even see over some of the snow banks, and our driveway was losing width to snow banks, which made it hard to park the cars.

Now, we are seeing bits of grass and temperatures as high as 10 degrees!  Yay!

This is our dog Skye.

Windgates is the name of the breeder she came from, in case you're wondering about the name on the photo.

She is also eagerly awaiting spring.  There isn't too much for a dog to sniff when the snow banks are 3 feet high in most places.  And it's too wet to play frisbee because she loves to do this dive-roll action.

I have been doing some reading on Shetland Sheepdogs (Shelties) and they require quite a bit of exercise.  More than we have provided for this little one lately.  In the deep of winter I am guilty of the 10 min around the block because it's cold and dark out.  She would have to wait until Saturday for a proper walk.

My new goal for the spring is 30 minutes every morning and 30 - 60 minutes in the evenings.  This will also help me get back into better shape too.  Good for dog, and good for me.  So far she is enjoying more time outside that what she had in January and February on weeknights.

Do you have a dog?  Have you considered how many hours a day he/she needs walking?

Shelties also require lots of mental exercises.  They are the 6th smartest dog breed and they need a job to do, or else they make their own job of barking at everything in sight, or chasing things.

My next goal is to find some fun games that go beyond the frisbee fetching to figure out how to challenge this sweet friend of ours.

leave a comment if you have a dog and share with me how often you walk yours.

Thanks for reading,

Cassie

Veggie julienne

January 21, 2013
Below you will find a post that I had prepared in December, and for some reason I did not post it.
There is some great looking food and nice ideas for dinner.  Enjoy!
I have been exceptionally busy over the Christmas break and into the new year.  When my responsibilities are busy, I have no choice but to let the blog fall into the category that it really is...a hobby.  Much thanks to all of you who have been checking in and reading.

Going forward into the new year I want to explore more and more on whole foods eating, and also vegetable gardening.  Planning and organizing shopping and cooking to eat foods as natural as possible also.

Dec 6, 2013 
Here is some parts of an awesome dinner we made tonight.

Menu:
Kale salad served with julienned carrots, daikon radish, zucchini, and some red collards.
Purple Organic grown potatoes,
A bit of Chorizo sausage from a local butcher who only uses hormone free, local raised animals.

Purple Organic Potatoes

I should add that our family budget does not allow for organic grown  produce most times.  We found a local grower in Caledon, Ontario, who is supplying produce until December 23rd.  We have obtained purple potatoes, purple carrots, parsnips, red collards, brussel sprouts, 2 kinds of squash, etc.  So cool, and so healthy.  Check out what you can still buy local.  You just might be surprised.  We can buy from this  supplier until December 23rd.  You might find a local supplier that can provide awesome produce for you too!

Try to cook with reduced amounts of oil and substitute water or juice or vinegar appropriate to the dish when cooking/pan searing.    Keep your meat and dairy  to 3-4 oz per day as a total combined, and increase your fibre through whole grains and whole foods, and you'll be on your way to good healthy nutrition.

Plus, this stuff just tastes great, and increases your energy. 

Hopefully the pictures inspire you to get busy in your kitchen.

Thanks for reading,

Cassie

Christmas Tree time

Well,  It's December 1st, and we ALWAYS get our Christmas tree on the 1st Saturday of December, which, this year happens to be December 1st.

This year I think we out-did ourselves.

Every year I want the biggest, fattest, jolliest tree possible.
The record was about 6 ft wide.  This new one is about 7ft wide at the base.

(picture from daughter's facebook!)

Yes, I just HAD to have this tree.  Over the years I have become the family Matriarch of the Christmas Tree.  I seem to trump the opinion of all others.  (I guess my guy is still sweet on me!)  

So every year I walk through the tree lot where we cut down our own tree, and one by one I declare "too short, crooked trunk, there's holes in the branches, I don't want to be able to see through it, that one is skinny!, that one looks like a bulb!, and finally.....this one is jussssst right.!"

The perfect tree must consist of:

1. The classic Christmas tree shape

2. Have very dense branches that make it look thick, lush, and you can't see through the tree.

3. Have a straight trunk. (Crucial to the tree working in the tree stand.  If you've never seen a Christmas tree perform cartwheels a few times a week, just try out a tree with a crooked trunk and you'll know exactly what the cartwheeling tree is all about!)

4.  Must cause a certain delight in the Mom, the Matriarch of the Christmas tree that she is sure she has found the perfect tree.  LOL!

This year, the tree is the fattest, jolliest ever!  

We will decorate it tomorrow after church.  Today was too busy with shopping and a music concert.

What does your tree look like?  Do you like them fat and jolly too?

When we have decorated this beast of wonder I will post a new picture.

Thanks for reading,

Cassie

Tempeh Creole

Tempeh (Tofu) Creole

I recently made this Tempeh Creole for dinner.  It was super tasty and very nutritious too.

I served mine over a bed of rice.  If you are willing to experiment with ingredients you don't normally buy, you can add lots of nutritious options into the menu for your family. 

Try something new today!

 



 

For the Marinade:

• 8 Tbsp. shoyu (soy sauce)
  2 Tbsp. Creole seasoning
  8 slices fresh ginger
  2 1-inch pieces kombu (sea vegetable) ( I didn't have this so I skipped it)
  1/4 tsp. sea salt
  2 cloves garlic, sliced
  6 cups water  ( i only used about 1- 1/2 cup water)
  
  
  For the Tempeh:
  2 8-oz. pkgs. tempeh (tofu - firm brick)
  3 Tbsp. Creole seasoning (I added more of the seasoning to the cooking pot)
  1/2 cup unbleached flour
  4 Tbsp. canola oil
  2 cups chopped onions
  1 cup chopped bell peppers ( I used a red pepper and added it at the last 5 min of cooking)
  1 cup chopped celery
  2 cups peeled, seeded, and chopped tomatoes (I used a can of diced tomatoes, salt free)
  1 Tbsp. chopped garlic
  5 bay leaves
  1/4 tsp. dried thyme
  1/4 tsp. dried oregano
  1/4 tsp. dried basil
  1/2 cup dry red wine ( i subtituted 1 tbs white wine vinegar instead)
  Salt, to taste
  Cayenne pepper, to taste
  Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  3 Tbsp. chopped green onions (I had no green onions to garnish, but it would have been great)
  2 Tbsp. finely chopped parsley
  
  
  • Combine all the ingredients for the marinade.
  • Cut each pack of tempeh into 12 thin slices on a bias and simmer in the marinade for minimum of 45 minutes. Remove the tempeh and reserve the marinade liquid.
  • In a mixing bowl, add the Creole seasoning and flour and mix well. Dredge the tempeh, coating completely.
  • Heat a large pan and add the canola oil. When the oil is hot, brown the tempeh on both sides. Remove from the pan and set aside. (Might need to do this in two batches.)
  • Add the onions, bell peppers, and celery. Cook for 5 minutes, or until the vegetables are wilted. Add the tomatoes and garlic. Cook, for about 3 more minutes.
  • Add the tempeh back into the pan along with bay leaves, thyme, oregano, basil, marinade liquid, and wine. Season with salt, cayenne pepper, and black pepper. Bring the liquid to a simmer, and cook for about 1/2 hour.
  • Remove the bay leaves before you serve. Garnish with green onions and parsley.
  
  Makes 6 to 8 servings
  

More Vegetables

I'm am still reviewing ways to improve both my family's and my own eating habits.
I am becoming increasingly aware that there is so many processed foods and drinks that we eat.  We can make simple choices to improve our health, and even our lives.

So, I'm on the search for whole food and plant based eating, without actually becoming a full out Vegetarian or Vegan.  I want to reduce the quantities of meats and dairy products for health, and increase plant foods and grains.  If you are Vegetarian or Vegan and my last sentence makes you immediately ask why not Vegetarian or Vegan, there's are variety of reasons, but to keep it simple, that's just not where I'm at right now.

My Grandfather is now 99 , still alive, and has been a Vegetarian/Vegan most of his life.  Between his diet and lots of walking, he has lived a long healthy life.  Makes me pay attention.  What factors were his lifestyle choices in his longevity and health?   My brother has gone Vegan in the last year or so, for health reasons.  My sister has been Vegetarian most of her life too.  Anyways, it just makes you check it out a bit when you have people in your life that pursue those food choices too.

Here is a thought, if you were to "BE IN THE HABIT OF ORGANIZING YOUR WEEKLY MEALS" (there's that heart for organizing...) and if you were to plan your meals pretending you were either Vegetarian or Vegan, how different would your plate look?

If you were trying to get your nutrients and sense of satiety from whole foods from plants, would there be a big shift in your quantity of vegetables?  Whole grains? Fruits?
Now if you add back in the meat or dairy you want in a very moderate amounts,  I suspect that you will find that the healthiness of your meals is greatly improved.  You would also need less of the meats and dairy because you would have a greater balance of the other whole foods on your plate.

There are multiple reasons for doing this, for your personal health, for the environment, and if you choose meats, poultry, pork, fish and diary from responsibly sourced places, you even help the welfare of animals.   The animal topic is much broader than this blog entry could cover.
It would cost more per pound of meat or per litre of dairy to shop like this, but if you and your family are eating much more moderate portions of these meats and dairy, your grocery budget would stay the same, and you'll be healthier for it, and voting with your wallet for the well being of animals and our environment.

That's what we're trying anyways.  We found a place near where we live called Howard the Butcher,  Caledon, Ont. and all their meats and dairy are from local farms (local eating is another important thing) and it's all hormone free and anti-biotic free.  Animals treated humanely.

So, where is the best source to find fresh ideas for eating whole foods and plant based?  From the Vegan cookbooks of course! And Vegan blogs.

Here is 2 really cool cook books I found.  I am in no way aligning myself with anyone's political stances, just to be clear, I have not thoroughly checked out these individuals, so if they have some real extreme views I don't necessarily know that.  I am not trying to endorse anything by showing you these books. Just check them out for their value as great cook books that seem nutritionally sound.

1. Bendan Brazier's - Whole Foods to Thrive

Nutrient-dense, Plant-based Recipes for Peak Health

This cook book even has recipes from Vegan restaurants.  I have eaten at Live Organic Food Bar.  Some of their recipes are in here.  Soooo exciting.

2. Alicia Silverstone's - The Kind Diet

A Simple Guide to Feeling Great, Losing Weight, and Saving the Planet.

She has some really nice recipes in this book.  Great to check out.

She also has a website.  The Kind Life.  I haven't done a lot of exploring on her site, but I will with time.

I am challenged to eat better, and get rid of as much processed foods as possible from our diet.

If you are interested in doing the same, these books are probably at your local library, and are a great place to start.

Thanks for reading, and happy eating!

Cassie

Organic Milk

Ok, here is the new challenge for you all.

When is the last time you tasted really good milk?  I mean really good stuff!

2 weeks ago my family stumbled upon Certified Organic Milk. 

Here is a picture of Harmony Organic milk, and another supplier that is farm fresh pasturized Sheldon Milk.  The little one on the left is 10% cream for coffee.

You can even see some the the cream stuck to the side of one of the bottles.  We didn't remove it from the top of the milk properly first.  Oops!

I have been doing a lot of research into health and nutrition matters lately.  Part of this research has prompted me to start looking for ways to buy milk, eggs, meat, poultry etc. from sustainable and responsibly sourced stores.   I don't want my family purchases to support the large production industries that are so hard on animals, and reduces the nutritional value of our food as well.   I will be very open to say that we are still sorting out what our family budget can realistically afford.  It's a time of change in our budget and menu, but we are really trying to buy dairy, eggs and meats/poultry/fish/pork from sources that are local, and animals are treated well.

So, back to the milk.  I bought the milk because the glass jar looked really cool, and I was intrigued as to how a milk can be certified organic.  To be certified organic the animal must have access to outdoors daily and eat grass in the summer and hay in the winter.  Any feed supplements the cow recieves in addition to grass or hay must all be completely organic feed.  The cow can't have any steroids or anything that make her produce milk faster, etc.  After a cow has been living in these conditions for 3 years, the milk the cow produces would be considered certified organic.

I brought some of this milk home to my family and I have manged to produce a bunch of milk addicts!  LOL!

We lined up side by side a glass of milk that you buy in the plastic bags and then the organic milk.  There is NO COMPARISION!  The regular milk was watery and lacking flavour and texture compared to the organic.  Both milks were 2% milk, but the organic was much creamier in texture and the flavour was like milk I remember when I was a kid.

We have now experimented with whole milk 3% and the 2% milk.  No one in my family ever wants to go back to milk from plastic bags, but we all know we can't drink this stuff as freely because it costs more to buy.

So your challenge is to go find a supplier of fresh milk (glass jar is a good hint) and do your own test.  If you are like me, you will find yourself supporting your local dairy farmer, helping be part of the shoppers who choose milk from cows that have had a better life, and you will just be BLOWN AWAY BY THE AWESOME TASTE OF THE MILK!

Whole Foods is a supplier in USA and Canada that you can get organic milk from.  Whole Foods is a more expensive store, but if you can find one close to your home, it's worth popping in there for the milk.
In our area we also have The Apple Factory, which is right on the edge of Brampton - Georgetown.  Also Howard the Butcher in Caledon.

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy some great milk.

Cassie

Assassins's Creed Costume

I have had a crazy busy week.  I wanted to do this post on Wednesday, and I am just completing it now, on Friday.

My daughter wanted a costume for Halloween from the video game Assassin's creed.
The character is Aveline de Grandpre.

This costume was very complex.  My daughter Samantha modified a vest pattern to give the jacket the length and the points on the ends.  We used a sleeve pattern from a blouse pattern for the sleeves that we attached to the vest.

I had to make the pattern from scratch and add all seam allowances, etc to make the shoulder covering.

The hat was made with 2 different hats from the dollar store cut apart and covered with fabric and re-assembled to the hat you see.

This costume was many, many hours of work.  The project was too complex to show pictures of the step by step process.

In any event, the costume was completed and below you will see the work.   Ta-dah!

Doesn't she look fantastic!

The scarf and belt ties made too.  Samantha made the Assassin's Creed belt buckle.

The pictures are slightly fuzzy because I used my cell phone and my hand is not that steady.  Sorry about that. 

Well, that's it until the next sewing project!

I look forward to sharing some more posts with you on meal planning and great food to eat.

Have a great weekend!

Cassie

Veggie bake

I have been contemplating our family diet recently, and looking for ways to improve something that is already pretty decent.  We cook everything from scratch that we can. (okay, we do buy oven fries and the occasional ready made pizza)  For the most part, if it's for dinner, it will be home made and from scratch. Our breakfasts and lunches are quite nutritious and non-processed foods too.

A whole food, plant based diet will promote optimal health.  The thing is, most people who follow a whole food, plant based diet are Vegetarian, or Vegan.  I don't think I can do that, and I guarantee my family won't. There are a few reasons that at this time we won't decide to go completely Vegetarian or Vegan, but I will save that for another entry.
If we were all to prepare meals with the focus first on whole foods, vegetables, grains, fruits, and just leave the meats and cheeses to be used more like a garnish, our diets would become so much more rich in the things our bodies need so much, such as fibre, vitamins and minerals.

I plan to do some entries on how to organize your pantry and shopping towards an "almost Vegetarian" style of eating.  In there we will discuss processed foods and their risks etc.  For now, let's just get those veggies and whole grains and legumes, etc, out of the fridge and freezer and cupboards, and onto our plates!

Here is a Veggie Bake I made last night:

Ingredients:
8 medium sized potatoes                          1/2 sweet potato
1 medium onion chopped                         2 sticks celery, chopped
2 medium carrots, chopped                      8 Cremini mushrooms, quartered
1 medium red pepper chopped                  approx 1 cup snap peas
Olive Oil                                                   Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp ground cumin                                1-2 tsp thyme
1-2  tsp oregano                                         Zest of half a lemon
1 cup water                                                1 tsp boullion broth

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
First wash and chop your potatoes and add to a baking dish

 

Next add the sweet potato, celery and and carrots

 

Take your mushrooms and chop them into quarters.  I sometimes prefer this over slicing because you get to enjoy the texture of the mushroom.  If you have mushroom shy family members, slice finely instead.

 

 Add the remaining ingredients except for the red pepper and snap peas, and about 1 cup of water in the bottom of the baking dish.

This includes using a micro-plane  grater to grate lemon rind, the herbs and spices, oil (for added flavor and to prevent sticking) water, boullion, etc.

Stir this thoroughly until you have the vegetables evenly coated with the spices and oil and water. The water is for the boullion to absorb into, and it also helps to "steam" the veggies as they cook.

You should have a pan that looks like this, ready to go into the oven:

 

Bake in a 400 degree oven for about 40 min.  Stir every 10-15 minutes to ensure they cook evenly and that they don't stick.  I cover my baking dish with an upside down cookie sheet to serve as a baking dish lid for the first half of the cooking.  This helps to "steam" the veggies a bit.

For the second half of the cooking I uncover the dish, stir and keep baking.

In the last 8-10 minutes of baking, stir in the red pepper and snap peas.  This will help them keep their bright colour and crunchy texture.

Your finished baking dish should look something like this:

 

Last night I served this to the family with a home made Barely Risotto.  

We ate some Kale chips as an appetizer.  That was dinner!  Just right for the rainy Sunday night we had.  Lots of nutritious comfort food.

Try adding some more vegetables to you family dinner today!

Thanks for reading,

Cassie

MMMMM.....COOKIES!

Sometimes you just have to make some cookies!
When I was a girl, I think home baked cookies were my indulgence of choice.  This outweighed any desire for ice cream or cake...I just loved cookies.

I even had a t-shirt with one of those decals that you have to go to a t-shirt shop and get by choosing the decal from a book.  The t-shirt said "This shirt stops at all cookie jars"

So, in honour of the cookie t-shirt and fond memories of childhood baked cookies, here is my go-to recipe.  It is from the Mrs. Fields Cookie book.

 

Chocolate Chip Cookies 

1 Cup Butter or Margarine             2 1/2 Cups All Purpose Flour
1 Cup Brown Sugar                       1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 Cup White Sugar                     1/4 Teaspoon Salt
2 Large Eggs                                  2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
2 Cups Chocolate Chips

Method:
- Pre-heat Oven to 350 degrees.
- In a medium bowl combine dry ingredients and set aside.
- Mix together using an electric mixer the butter, brown sugar and white sugar.
- add eggs and vanilla and mix thoroughly.
- gradually stir in dry ingredients.  Be careful not to overmix, you'll toughen the flour.
- Add chocolate chips.

Distribute evenly onto baking sheet and bake for 11-13 minutes.
Cool and remove from tray.
ENJOY!

Your ingredients will look something like this:

Use an electric mixer.  Either a hand held mixer, or a stand mixer like this:

Cookies on the tray before baking:

Baked cookies look like this, time to enjoy!

Enjoy baking, and blessing your family or co-workers and friends with cookies!

Thanks for reading,

Cassie

The air in our homes

Have you ever given much thought to the air you breathe?

The air in our homes can become very stale.  This is not good for our health, nor that of the family and pets we dwell with.

In the work place, the quality of air and its temperature remains one of the comforts that employees complain about most frequently.   People often complain that it's too cold or too hot.  They will also complain with great passion that someone's perfume is too strong and will give them a headache, or that there are fumes from work being done that will make them sick.

Now consider the place we call our own castle.  Our homes.  What do you do to improve the air quality there?

I have an e-reader, and I enjoy exploring very old books free of cost, as you can download these for free.  I am pretty sure you can go to google books and download any old book to your computer too.  I have several books on housekeeping and faith issues.  My curiosity of how people approached life in the past has provided me several hours of fascinating discovery.

In some respects, people have not changed much in terms of our struggles and temptations in life.  People were trying to keep up with the proverbial Joneses 150 years ago, just like they do today.
Life styles and cultural expressions have most certainly changed though.

I discovered in several of my old books that the quality of air was as great a concern in the past as it is today.  In fact, it was probably even a greater concern.  Due to the fact that people burned fires in their homes, they were constantly fighting the soot from fires and the toxins released from burning fires.
Here is a quote from Progressive Housekeeping, written by: Catherine Owen - Copyright 1889.

"Space did not allow me, in speaking of the Monday routine to give details of the bed-room work.  It is perhaps needless to say that, on leaving the room in the morning, the windows should be thrown open, top and bottom, the pillows put on the sill to air, and the sheets also.  The mattress should be half turned over and left so until the bed is made up.  In some very, very neat houses, especially in the country, the beds are made up very early.  I have known the girls of a family to be brought up to make their beds before they leave the room.  It looks neat and nice to leave a chamber in perfect order, but it is not a healthy custom.  A bed requires at least an hour to air it.  During the night exhalations from the skin pass into the bedclothes (I am afraid to say how much of these exhalations weigh, according to science, but it is something much larger than the unscientific mind can easily take in).  If these bedclothes are thoroughly aired in the hot sun or  wind, they pass out, but this cannot happen if the bed is made up again a few minutes after occupation, the mattress, in fact, still warm from it.  This so-called very neat and tidy habit of anti-breakfast bed-making is, therefore, an unclean one.  For myself, in warm weather I think the bed of an adult should be left a couple of hours before being made up."


Here also is some mention of air quality in The Young Mother, written by: William Andrus Alcott   Copyright 1838  (4 quotes below from the chapter on ventilation of the nursery)

"Few people take sufficient pains to preserve the air in any of their apartments pure; for few know what the constitution of our atmosphere is, and in how many ways and with what ease it is rendered impure."

"In a nursery there is the mother and child, and perhaps the nurse, to render the air impure by breathing, the fire and the lamp or candle to contribute to the same result, besides several other causes not yet mentioned.  One of these is nearly related to the former.  I allude to the fact that our skins, by perspiration and by other means, are a source of much impurity to the atmosphere; a fact which will be more fully explained and illustrated in the chapter on Bathing and Cleanliness.  It is only necessary to say, in this place, that it is not the matter of perspiration alone which, issuing from the skin, render the air impure; there are other exhalations more or less constantly going off from every living body; especially from the lungs; and carbonic acid gas is even formed all over the surface of the skin, as well as by means of the lungs.
One needs no better proof that carbonic acid is formed on the surface of the body, than the fact that after the body has been closely covered all night, if you introduce a candle under the bedclothes into this confined air, it will be quickly extinguished, because there is too much carbonic acid gas there, and too little oxygen. "

"Whatever  may be the structure of the room the circumstances of the occupants, or the state of the weather, every nursery ought to be most thoroughly ventilated, once a day, at least; and when the weather is tolerable, twice a day."

and finally..."Fumigations with camphor, vinegar and other similar substances, have long been in reputation as a means of purifying the air in sick-rooms and nurseries: but they are of very little consequence.  Fresh air, if it can be had, is always better." 

Here is my musings on the matter.  I think that because we heat our homes by means of either gas, propane or electricity, and we don't burn fires all the time, and for the most part we don't use dangerous chemicals in our homes, I suspect that most of us don't give much thought to the notion of airing our homes. 

I had a co-worker who told me that his mother would once every month or so, even in the winter, turn off the heat and open EVERY WINDOW IN THE HOUSE to thoroughly air out the house for about 1 hour.  An hour would significantly cool the house.  She felt the small increase in the heating bill was far outweighed by the benefit of the fresh air in the home.

Since doing all of this reading, I must say that I now open windows every chance I get.

Between people and pets, I am sure there is lots of fresh air being used up all the time at home and at work or school, even before we add activities such as cooking or cleaning products or burning a candle because it's pretty.  The more you allow yourself the freshest air possible, the more you will quickly notice when the air is stale.

Practical steps to cleaner air: 

1. Check your furnace filter and make sure it is fresh.
2. Get your air ducts cleaned ( every 3-5 years.  depends how busy your household is)
3. Open those windows every day and let some fresh air in.  Open the kitchen window just a bit.  Enough to allow some fresh air to pass through without quickly cooling the room and causing the furnace to click on.
4. Open your bedroom windows every morning for about 15-20 min.  During this time, leave your bedding folded back in half so the mattress and pillows are exposed and can air out.  By the time you have gotten dressed and done other parts of your morning routine, you can close up the windows and make the bed.
5. Keep up with your  sweeping, dusting and vacuuming.
6. If possible, once a week open several windows on each floor of the house or in your apartment to allow as much fresh air to circulate through as possible. 

Enjoy the gift of fresh air, it can be found in any part of the world!  
Thanks for reading, and I wish you all good health.

Cassie

Messenger Bag - Homemade

This has been a very busy week.  With the week shortened due to our Thanksgiving weekend, and then  extra work in the evenings with our printing business we operate on the side of our day jobs, there was not a lot of extra time this week.

At long last!  I am so excited to share with you the project that has taken me a month and a half to complete.  My daughter's Messenger Bag!

Yup!  there it is.  You can see one happy teenager with her new messenger bag.   All of these photos were taken with my cell phone, so the quality might not be the best.  

This bag is inspired by a bag found in the Windwaker game in the series The Legend of Zelda video games. 

The colours and the swirl pattern are an exact replica of the one found in the game.  There is a little jewel that goes between the two swirls, and we have to add that.  We painted a button gold, and we are going to attach it to the front, at the bottom, between the swirls.

There was many steps to making this bag.  You MUST be organized if you are going to sew, and this project really maxed out my thinking.  All of the pieces had the same shape of the rounded corners and squared off tops.  Some of the cutting directions were not very clear, which left me not too confident when it came to sewing, if I had all the correct pieces cut out.

 This resulted in many a night where I would sit there and read the directions for about 45 minutes trying to figure out which pieces the directions were telling me to use next, and if I sew them, what will the result be.  

Each piece has fusible fleece on the back of it, which is dreadfully expensive, so I was hesitant to just sew and then rip a seam if it was wrong.  

When you sew a dress or a skirt, it is usually pretty obvious what is the front or back of the garment.  The assembly of clothes for sewing is usually pretty straightforward. 

With this bag, since all the pieces were very similar in size and shape; even with every piece carefully numbered and organized into stacks, it was a very overwhelming project to do.

I eventually had to admit to my daughter that I was stalling on the job because I was overwhelmed.  

At least I was able to push through and now she is enjoying her bag to carry her school books every day.

Here are some more pictures of the bag:

Here you can see the detail on the back of the bag.  It has a pocket on the back that seals with velcro.  The handmade piping goes around the perimeter of the bag.

Look at the detail of the pocket panel on the inside flap.  This section alone was a week in the making because it took me forever to figure out what the directions were trying to tell me to do.  Once I figured it out, it seemed so obvious, but I had to get my head around the method the directions were trying to instruct me with. 

There are side pockets, center zipper pockets both small and large.

Here is the inside of the bag.  A zipper pocket in the inside too.

You can also see the detail of the cell phone pocket on the side.

Here is the picture of the bag.  The padded handle, all the piping and design. 

Steps to an organized sewing project:

1. Select pattern.

2. Select fabrics suitable to the project, based on the recommended fabrics described on the pattern directions. 

3. Cut out fabric, following the directions exactly.

4. Stack all pattern pieces in an organized manner.

5. Set up your sewing machine, serger (if you have one) and ironing board and iron.

6. Sew the project step by step, according to directions.  Use all notions such as interfacing, seam bindings, zippers, buttons etc. according to directions.

7. As you sew each piece, carefully fold and return the pattern piece to the envelope as soon as it is separated from the fabric so that you dont' loose any pieces.

8. Press seams as required during sewing.

9. When you have finished your project, make sure ALL of the pattern pieces are back in the envelope so that if you want to use the pattern again, all the pieces are there.  Tidy up the sewing machine and all sewing accessories.

10. ENJOY your new, finished project!

Happy Sewing!

Cassie

Quick Update

My friends in the blogging world....
Thanksgiving was lovely, and I have been a super busy girl for several days now.

I finished the bag I have sewn for my daughter!
All day I have wanted to post about this, and I am still working on other responsibilities at 10:30 at night.  The blog entry will just have to wait until tomorrow.

That is part of Making Your Life Organized...sometimes you can't do everything on your "to do" list realistically, and the fun stuff has to wait.  Blogging is part of my fun stuff, it has to wait.

I really hope that tomorrow I can share my sewing project with you.  Until then, thanks for stopping by.

Cassie

Pumpkin Pie

  Anna Olson's Pumpkin Pie

Every year an essential part of our Thanksgiving dinner and Christmas dinner is pumpkin pie with homemade whipped cream.  Anna Olson's recipe for Pumpkin Pie has become on of my most favorites.  As you prepare for your shopping this week, I thought I'd post the recipe so you can plan for the ingredients.

 

Courtesy of:  Anna Olson - Bake With Anna Olson - THE FOOD NETWORK

Recipe summary

I find that a whole wheat pie dough makes for a crust that browns nicely and stays crispy under the pumpkin filling, and the subtly nutty taste really works well with the autumn filling.

Makes 1 9-inch pie

Preparation time: approx 30 min, plus chilling time for dough.
Cooking time: 10 min + 35 - 40 min
Yield: 8

Ingredients

Crust

3/4 cup whole wheat flour (all-purpose)
3/4 cup cake and pastry flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces and then frozen for 10 minutes
1 large egg yolk
3 tablespoons cold water
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Filling

2 cups pumpkin puree
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
3 large eggs
3/4 cup evaporated milk
1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated fresh ginger
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 egg whisked with 2 tbsp water, for brushing

Assembly

Directions - for crust, filling and assembly.

1. Pulse the flours, sugar and salt to combine in a food processor (or the dough can be prepared by hand or using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment). Add the butter and pulse it in quick pulses until just small pieces of butter are visible and the mixture as a whole just begins to take on a pale yellow colour (indicating that the butter has been worked in).
2. Stir the egg yolk, water and lemon juice together and add this to the dough all at once, pulsing until the dough barely comes together (it should look like a crumble dough). Shape the dough into a disc by hand, wrap and chill for at least 2 hours before rolling. Alternatively, the dough can be frozen for up to 3 months and thawed in the fridge before rolling.
3. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough to just under a ¼ inch thick. Lightly dust a 9-inch pie plate (do not grease) and line the plate with the pastry, Trim the pastry off right to the edge of the pie plate and press it down gently to secure. Reserve any remaining dough for trim and chill it and the pie shell while preparing the filling.
4. Preheat the oven to 400 F.
5. Whisk the pumpkin purée, brown sugar and eggs together, then whisk in the evaporated milk, ginger, cinnamon, clove and salt. Pour this into the chilled pie shell.
6. To create the trim, roll out the remaining pie dough into a long rectangle and cut into strips about 1/3-inch wide. Braid three strips together, gently pulling the dough a little to stretch it as you braid it. You may have to make a few braids to cover the complete edge of the pie. Lightly brush the edge of the pie dough and place the braided dough overtop, lightly pressing. Brush the braid(s) with eggwash.
7. Place the pie onto a baking tray and bake the pie for 10 minutes at 400 F, then reduce the oven temperature to 375 F and bake the pie for another 35 to 40 minutes, until the pumpkin filling is set, but still has a little jiggle to it in the centre. Cool the pie to room temperature, then chill completely, about 4 hours, before serving.
The pie is best served chilled, and can be stored, refrigerated, for up to 2 days.

Yum!  Very delicious.  ENJOY!

Thanks for reading,

Cassie