DIY: Spare Change Jar

I made this spare change jar a few months back. I had cleaned out another candle and jar and decided I needed to empty my wallet of all it's change - which needless to say, wasn't too much! The change sat in the plain jar for quite a while before I got bored with the glass.

I enjoy scrapbooking when I find the motivation to do so and I knew I had a lot of scrap paper that could dress up the jar. (I had done a similar project with our date night drawing jar which I'll share soon.) You may have to cut your paper to a different size depending on what candle jar you are using.

My scrapbook paper is 12" x 12" and my scrapbook has 8.5" x 11" pages. The long 3.5" x 12" strip I cut off fit almost perfectly inside the empty candle jar! The best part also is that you can customize this jar pretty easily with different paper for different rooms or even holidays!


1. Roll your chosen paper into a small cylinder to fit into the jar.

2. Gently spread out the paper so it reaches the edges of the glass. Take care not to wrinkle the paper.

3. Put a small dot of glue or use double stick tape where the paper overlaps to keep it in place.

4. Decorate the outside with letter stickers or glue on paper stickers. The stickers I used were on a clear paper, giving a nice see-through effect to show off the paper I chose.

 5. Set your decorative jar any where! It's no longer an eye sore in your home :)


(Quick aside: the "G" on my jar is actually made from a "Q" that I cut into shape since I was all out of "Gs" in these stickers!)

Menu and grocery list making

This is a pretty basic week but my husband my be gone so I tried to keep it to recipes that I have most of the ingredients on hand. That way, if he is gone, I don't have to venture out too much or put too much effort into a meal for one.



Monday: Chicken paninis (this is one of my favorites, so you might see it a lot :) )
Tuesday: Quick frozen meal (busy day before group)
Wednesday: Baked barbeque chicken
Thursday: Herb and garlic chicken
Friday: Pizza
Saturday: Venison burgers (the last of them!)
Sunday: Grilled shrimp


Since I make my menu sometimes a few weeks in advance, this week I put notes next to the recipes with a short list of things I know I don't have on hand and will have to eventually get at the store. Hopefully this cuts the time down in making my grocery list.

Have a blessed week!

Baked Taquitos

This quick and easy meal is modified from a recipe I found - can't remember where. It seemed a little too plain for my liking, so I've added some flavor to it and adapted for our tastes. The best part is it's still simple and contains ingredients I normally have on hand. 

My measurements below make a small amount since this is how many I make for the two of us. It's easily adaptable to your family's size.

Baked Chicken Taquitos

1 large chicken breast

1/2 packet of fajita seasoning, or make your own here.

1/4 C green pepper

2 T chopped onion (if desired)

six flour tortillas

1 C shredded cheddar cheese

Cut the chicken breast into small bite size pieces. If you have leftover shredded chicken, this would work well also. Saute the chicken with the green pepper, onion and fajita seasoning in a skillet until chicken is cooked through and no longer pink.

Start preheating your oven to 350°. Warm the tortillas slightly in the microwave between two damp paper towels to make for easier rolling. Spoon about 1/4 cup of the chicken mixture onto each tortilla. Sprinkle with cheese on top as seen below.

Roll the tortillas tightly and line up on a baking sheet. Spray the top with cooking spray to enhance browning while baking.

Bake at 350° for about 15 minutes or until edges become crispy brown. (They should be a little darker than the image below, but we were late for a meeting and I had to take them out a bit early!)

Serve with sour cream, taco sauce or salsa. Or just eat them plain!

Homemade Fajita Seasoning

I love making fajitas. They are a quick and easy meal with lots of flavor. I also have a few other recipes that use the seasoning packet, but I don't always have it on hand. So, last time I needed a small amount, I looked at the ingredient list from a package and decided to try my own. I figured I didn't have much to lose since I already had a back up!

This recipe makes a pretty small amount. I would say this might be good for a serving of fajitas for two, unless you like it extra seasoned. So please double or triple the batch if needed!

Fajita Seasoning

3/4 t cumin
1/2 t chili powder
1/4 t oregano
1/4 t onion powder
1/8 t salt
1/4 t garlic powder
1 drop of lemon juice

Mix all of the dry ingredients together. Add the lemon juice mixing quickly so the spices don't congeal on your spoon. You may need to "smash" extra wet areas to ensure thorough mixing.

Use in your favorite recipes!

Menu plus my master list

I shared the idea of my master list and this week I decided to make a more permanent and easy to use version rather than my handwritten scrap of paper.

I've uploaded the document for you to download here. I hope this might be helpful for some out there trying to get started with menu planning. You might notice some are in multiple columns, and that's Ok because they can be made with various meats. You've got more meal options than you realize!


Monday: Tortellini with tomato cream
Tuesday: Marinated pork chops
Wednesday: Turkey picadillo (we skipped this a few weeks back)
Thursday: Mesquite Chicken
Friday: Calzones
Saturday: Chicken and veggie soup (same with this one)
Sunday: Greek Chicken Penne


Have a fantastic week!

Use it until it's gone - candles!

I hate wasting anything; even a piece of paper written on one side, I'll write on the back side, just to make sure I use it all.

Well, the other day I lit the candle in the living room only to have it self-extinguish within a minute. Alas, it was gone. So, I got out my candle warmer to melt the candle and use the remaining wax. I did this for a few days and still had the great smell in my home; however, I noticed the level of liquid was not decreasing by much. That's fine, but I was ready to use this candle up and move on to another.

So I was standing there looking at the candle on the warmer and I also see a cute little jar I had cleaned (see here for how I clean my jars). Idea struck! Why not pour the liquid candle into this new, smaller diameter jar so it will burn! And I can also add the three other almost gone candles sitting on the top of my fridge to the jar as well! Here is my finished project:

Thus began my evening project! My husband got me some rope out of the shed and tied a nifty knot that allowed the rope to stand on it's own. (I didn't see him do it and it was covered in wax before I took a picture, sorry!) I would melt a candle and pour it into the jar. It cooled while I started melting my next candle, and then poured it in the jar.

Only one more layer left to go!

All my jars are empty and can now be recycled! What a great project.

 

 

 

If I had thought a little more ahead of time this could even have made a great, inexpensive gift for a friend. I definitely would have used a real wick and made sure to pour the different layers slower and more smoothly to avoid bubbles and discoloration.

Mom's Homemade Chili

Chili was one of my favorite meals growing up. I generally either asked for chili or lasagna for my birthday dinner as a kid. I even had my mom write this recipe up for my kindergarten recipe book which I found recently.

This recipe is pretty loose since that's how my mom cooks and how I've come to learn to cook as well. It's easier and quicker I think to just throw in what looks good and improvise based on what you have. It also means you have a chance to make every time you make the same recipe taste different!

So, for my mom:

Mom's Homemade Chili

2 cans kidney beans; drained

2 cans diced tomatoes (I use one spicy with green chilis and one regular)

2 small cans of Campbell's pork and beans (I'll explain this)

1 small can tomato paste

1 clove of garlic

1 1/2 lb. ground beef

1 small onion

All to taste:

chili powder (I'd say about 1/2 t)

salt (about 1/4 t)

pepper (about 1/4 t)

tabasco (I do about 8 small shakes and my husband always adds more to his)

oregano (about 1/2 t)

2 shakes of Worcestershire sauce

Brown the beef in a skillet. Combine in a pot the remaining ingredients. For the pork and beans, rinse well. My mom always used these beans because they contain pea beans (I think) and the Campbell's are usually pretty cheap. Add in your ground beef. Simmer for a few hours to mix in flavors.

Serve with shredded cheddar cheese and preferably oyster crackers.

My mom always made this on the stove and let it simmer for most of the day, mixing in the flavors. I don't have a large enough pot to hold this all, so I generally place it in my slow cooker and it does the same thing.

It was also always really mild when my mom made it since my dad and brother have light stomachs, so I've definitely upped the spicy factor a bit for us.

Chili is perfect for that cool winter day to warm everyone up. It's just such a homey meal, and everyone makes theirs differently. Enjoy making your own changes to the recipe above!

Menu and more planning tips

I've definitely improved in my menu planning over time. I used to bug my husband with a constant, "what do you want to include on the menu" chorus every time I sat down. I've changed it up by making a "master" list of recipes we like and choosing from that sheet. Not everything is on there, and of course I always like to try new recipes, so with my master list, my staples (like homemade pizza), and new recipes, it makes it easier and even more enjoyable to menu plan!


Monday: Chicken and veggie soup
Tuesday: Baked Cheese Shells
Wednesday: Chicken with rice and steamed veggies
Thursday: Valentine's Day (not sure what we'll do; possibly make dinner together)
Friday: Homemade Pizza
Saturday: Turkey Picadillo with baked potatoes
Sunday: Southwest Chicken wraps (new recipe!)


Hope everyone has a good week!

Scotcheroos!

There probably isn't too much variation on this recipe out there, but this is really one of my favorite desserts from growing up, and I haven't had it in awhile. Both of us were craving it, well, my husband decided he was after I mentioned the possibility of making it! Plus, it helped me use up some pantry items!

Also, I always seem to meet a person here and there that has never had this treat. So you may just be able to introduce someone to a great new dessert!

 

Scotcheroos

1 C sugar
1 C Karo syrup
1 C peanut butter
6 C rice cereal
3/4 package chocolate chips
3/4 package butterscotch chips

In a large saucepan, combine the sugar, syrup and peanut butter. Heat on low and stir until it is well mixed and a smooth consistency. Pour in the rice cereal. I usually do a small amount at a time to keep it moving and hopefully keep the smashing to a minimum.

Pour out the cereal mixture into a greased 9" x 13" pan.

In a smaller saucepan, combine the chips. Heat on low, stirring constantly. I do it this way and the chocolate mixture ends up almost whipped. You can also use a double boiler if you have one, or improvise like I've done before.

Once completely melted, pour over the cereal mixture and spread evenly using a spatula. Don't forget to lick the spoon when you're done! :)

Baked Mac & Cheese

I received this recipe from my sister-in-law awhile back. I'm not sure where she got it, so I apologize to the original source! I haven't made this in a long time, but it was sounding really good so I made sure to put it on my menu. It also helped me use up the macaroni noodles that have been in the pantry for quite some time.

I'm going through and trying to make recipes using up a lot of the things in my pantry. I know it may be a little early since we're not moving until September, but this will help me remember to not stock up at the grocery store. Plus, we aren't planning to take ANY food with us on this move even though I've heard they will move non-perishables. It just makes me nervous to think about some food sitting in our container or whatever for 6-8 weeks or more on its way to Hawaii. Yep, we're moving to Hawaii!

But anyway, food. cheese. yummy. :)

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

8 oz. macaroni noodles
2 T butter
1/2 C dry bread crumbs
1 T flour
8 oz. cheddar cheeses (I use block sharp cheddar cheese for this recipe)
1/2 t salt
1/4 mustard powder
1/4 t pepper (I add more since I really like pepper in my mac and cheese)
1 1/2 C milk

Boil macaroni noodles according to box instructions and drain well.

In a saucepan, melt the butter on LOW HEAT. Stir in the flour, salt, mustard and pepper until blended. Cook for about a minute, stirring constantly.

Sometimes I like to combine the dry ingredients that go in together in a small bowl. 1. It makes me feel like I'm on a cooking show (lol) and 2. It makes it really quick to add everything in. Other times I just measure and pour directly; the choice is yours.

Gradually stir in the milk and cook until mixture thickens. (I honestly have a hard time with the mixture thickening, and it's turned out fine each time. My advice is to give it a little bit of time to try and thicken, and if it doesn't, keep moving on.)

Add cheese slowly, stirring constantly. As you can see in the pictures, the sauce will change a lot of color as the cheese melts.

I started shredding it since it melts better, but got tired since I injured my back lifting weights this week :(

 

Place macaroni in a greased two quart pan. Pour the cheese mixture on top. Sprinkle with the bread crumbs (feel free to use more or less depending on your tastes. I also used seasoned last time and it turned out really yummy!)

Baked at 350° for 20 minutes. It will be bubbly and the bread crumbs should be golden brown.

What's Cookin' this week

Time for my weekly menu!

I thought I'd also share how I make my menu. I try my best to vary it, but it doesn't always end up that way. A few rules I follow for each week:

1. one chicken meal
2. one beef meal
3. one vegetarian
4. Fridays alternate between homemade pizza and homemade calzones
5. look at items that may be leftover from the week before (such as carrots, tortillas, etc.)

Those are just a few things I follow, but if I go off of that, there are only two days left to fill in so it works out pretty good for us :)


Monday: Roast and potatoes
Tuesday: Stirfry
Wednesday: Chicken Gyros (new recipe!)
Thursday: Baked Taquitos
Friday: Homemade Calzones
Saturday: "Gourmet" (haha) Toasted cheese and tomato soup 
Sunday: Pork tenderloin


Quick side note; It's an ongoing argument between my husband and myself; I grew up calling grilled cheese toasted cheese and insist to continue!

Living in the Moment

It's already February. I knew before this year even started it was going to go fast, but I never expected it to go this fast. I feel like every day consists of planning or looking ahead.

A few weeks ago a friend shared some advice she received from someone. We are both getting ready for big moves this summer. The advice was simple:

Don't forget to enjoy the right now.

So simple, but so hard. It seems too easy to pull away from people and events with the thought of "I'll just be gone in a few months anyway." But that's not a way to live because then I'm afraid I'll end up with regrets.

So instead, I've got to make it a daily goal to enjoy my right now. Reflect on the last three years of living here. Sure there is a ton of planning to do with this big move, but I know it will all come together if I put my trust in Him and His perfect plan.

The LORD makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him;

Psalm 37:23

So enjoy today because it will be gone all too soon. :-)