Taking a page from the Christmas Book

[cybermathwitch]

To some degree or another, it is still hardwired into our cultural DNA that this time of year (Fall) is a time for preparing for winter, nesting, and community. 

 

Over the summer, the Housecleaning Co-Op some of us did was, overall, a resounding success... but with changing schedules, stress-levels, job requirements and daylight to nighttime ratio, it's not a workable solution right now.  That said, the idea for something a little more flexible, organic, and less specific came to mind... based loosely on the "Christmas Wish Lists" that float around blogs during the holidays.

 

We all have different skill sets.  We all have different things we're good at.  Also, one man's trash is another man's treasure, so to speak.  So here's the idea.  Post a list of your Needs.  It can be anything from ideas to assistance to items to basic company.  Then, peruse everyone else's blogs, and see if they've posted a Need that you may be able to fulfill.  No pressure, no requirements - just assistance if it's possible.  Feel free to repost and refine your lists as you need to throughout the fall and keep checking on other people's lists. 

 

To start:

 

1. I Need to have more shelves and storage space arranged.  I don't know what supplies I'll need or how to do it - I just know where I want shelves and approximately what size shelves I want.  Nothing as fancy as building cabinets or anything, just basic stuff.

 

2. Company in the evenings, to help keep my energy up and keep me on task while I work on getting my home cleaner and more organized.

 

3. Simple recipes that involve a negligible to mild amount of cooking so that I am better equipped to handle dinner-making responsibilities now that my husband is working nights.

 

4. I'm currently very allergic to our couch.  It's got several years of set-in allergens that using the carpet/upholstery cleaner hasn't really helped with much.  Right now we can't afford a new couch, so suggestions as to how to minimize the allergens would be appreciated.

Comments

[tarzanic.livejournal.com]

For number 3, I've been making a lot of the following:

** Baked chicken or pork, couscous, and baby spinach **

1. Chicken or pork: Baste chicken or pork in bbq sauce or put canned cream of mushroom soup on chicken, bake for 30 mi on 400F.
2. Follow directions on box, but I boil 1/2 cup water, add 1/3 cup couscous and take off heat, cover, and let sit for 5min.
3. Add raw baby spinach as the veggie

It takes 30 min total and you can spend 20+ of those minutes doing other things around the house.

** Japanese-style curry (with S&B Golden Curry packets) **

Also really simple: cook chicken, tofu or beef with veggies and add water and some S&B Golden curry. It takes 15-20 minutes and is very yummy. You can buy the packets at many grocery stores and there are directions on the box.

See this for an example of the package.

** Spaghetti with ground turkey **

Brown the ground turkey, add sauce and put on spaghetti. If you add other stuff like green pepper and mushrooms, it tastes great and is still pretty simple.


http://www.realsimple.com has some great recipes too.


For 4, would adding a plastic cover to your couch help? I use pillow (fabric, non allergen) covers at home, but don't know if that works for couches.

Help with 3 and 4

[(Anonymous)]

Sorry to be anonymous...I'm kathrynsknitting on Ravelry...

Have you tried a steam cleaner on your couch? My friend has one of these and cleans all sorts of non-washable things very efficiently. If you haven't you could perhaps hire one.

And for dinner...One Pan Salmon

All you do is put 2 salmon steaks (nice thick ones) into an shallow oven dish with some olive oil. Surround them with some small tomatoes - about 6 each if they're those lovely little ones and if they're big ones just cut them in half. Scatter some black olives around and decorate the top of the salmon with strips of anchovies (from a tin), a little more olive oil and then cook it for 15 - 20 mins in a hot oven.

We have freshly cooked green beans and spinach with it but my daughter actually cooks oven chips and frozen beans in the same pan as the salmon and it seems to be fine and is completely all in one pan.

There are lots of other simple tasty meals that I cook but it's before breakfast here and my mind is blank!

[rainne]

You need NANOWRIMO!!!!!

Are you doing it this year?

I left you a phone message earlier. You probably got it. I'm being a spaz. ^_^

[rainne]

Oh - also - yummy tuna melt!

Take 1/2 of an english muffin and an entire can of tuna (packed in water, drained). Also you need 2 oz of shredded mozzarella cheese, and 1 tbsp of mayo.

Mix the tuna, half the cheese and the mayo in a bowl.

Spray a skillet with cooking spray and get it hot, then put the muffin half in the skillet and put the tuna mix on it. (yes, all of the tuna mix.) Kind of make it flat on the top, and then put the rest of the cheese on top of that. Cover the skillet and heat this until the cheese melts. It's very yummy.

[rainne]

This makes one serving, I should add.

[cybermathwitch.livejournal.com]

I am planning on doing NaNo this year - (sorry - I did see that you had called, but I've spent the last several days in and out of the ER and MD office because of my blood pressure - and I'm currently off of work and on rest at home because of it - so I haevn't had a chance to really get back to anything yet.)
I'm still not sure exactly what I'm doing, however.

Erin's Cheap Quick Recipes

[wodentoad.livejournal.com]

I'm studying to be a Housewyf, so that means I have to feed two people quickly and cheaply and still make it interesting. Since I can't eat any kind of bottom feeder, tuna or such like that for Thomas's safety, I have to avoid it. This week? Octodogs and chicken Parmesan. Also Chicken packets and Taco Pie, which are big hits in my house.

Octodogs: Need Usual hotdog fixins, but I recommend using bread rather than buns. This was inspired by bento with cocktail sausages. If you DO use cocktail franks, cut the legs as quarters, it just works better.

Take your hot dogs and cut them almost in half leaving an inch or two connected at the top, then cut that section in half again. Now the hard part. Cut each of the quarters down once more. Once they are all prepared, fix the *bed* they will be on. I suggest a piece of bread, toasted, decrusted and smothered with chili, then melt some cheese on top of it and some lettuce *seaweed* around it. Relish also works, but anyway... When that's done, get a small saucepan and get some water to a rolling boil. (I hope you have tongs!) Let the dogs boil, only one or two at a time, for about 2-3 minutes, then pull from the water by their heads and set on the *ocean floor* you have created.

Chicken Parmesan: Need: Ready made breaded chicken fillets, spaghetti sauce, parmesan and mozzarella cheeses, spaghetti. (I always use whole wheat store bought spaghetti, it's healthier and tastes better.)

Bake the chicken according to directions, and leave the oven on. While it's cooking, make the spaghetti (be sure to add a dash of oil (olive is best) to the water to keep it from sticking. Once the spaghetti is done, place it into a glass dish and mix in some of the spaghetti sauce. Lay the chicken on top, cover with more sauce, then sprinkle cheeses on top. Bake until cheese is bubbly.

Taco pie: Need: Crescent rolls, Refried beans, prepared taco meat, tortilla chips, mexican cheese blend, sour cream. Lettuce and chives are great but not a necessity. Crushed tomatoes and hot sauce may be added to taste.

Prepare your meat (I add chives here). Preheat the oven as directed on the crescent roll pack. Line the bottom of the dish with the crescent rolls, overlapping as necessary. layer with crushed chips, beans, sour cream (or not, and tomatoes), then crushed chips and cheese, meat, and lots more cheese (and your hot sauce). Bake for 15 mins or so, a tad longer than crescent roll directions tell you. I serve it in a bowl on a bed of lettuce with a dollop of sour cream on top. All of the alternate ingredients can be added at the end or not at all as you wish.

Now, this last one looks horrible when you start but after baking looks Fabulous. I didn't believe it! The trick here is properly preparing your crescent rolls. Yes, it's another crescent roll dish. I keep about four in the fridge at all times. If I can't make something with them, they'll keep or I'll just make crescent rolls.

Chicken Packets: Need: Cream cheese (I replaced this with sour cream, and it turned out fine. Two Tablespoons milk or chicken broth, two tablespoons chives or minced onion, 1/4 stick unsalted butter, 2 cups shredded chicken (I used a single 16oz can of chicken), and a tube of crescent rolls.

Preheat the oven to 350`. Combine cream cheese and butter in medium bowl, beat in milk or broth, add chicken and seasonings (salt, pepper, paprika, whatever). Now here's the trick. I fold my crescent rolls into packets that look a bit like pillow cases with an open end. It's a bit easier to get the filling in. Alternately, and when I tried this it looked great too, is to fold them up into almost a hobo bindle (the handkerchief on the end of a stick) and stuff them that way. Your preference really. Place on an un-greased (Or foil lined) cookie sheet and bake for 20-25 mins or until golden brown.

I hope these have helped. I can cook quite easily for two with these and my shopping bill with baby food, diapers, snacks and all that is @ $80 a week.

cleaning allergens from couch

[dirocyn.livejournal.com]

The answer is different depending on what exactly you're allergic to. If you're allergic to cat pee (like I am) run the upholstry cleaner with 2 cups white vinegar to a gallon of *very hot* (I'm talking 140 +, just don't melt the carpet cleaner) water. Don't worry, the vinegar smell will go away when it dries. That'll make it where the cat can't smell old pee, which should help prevent additional "accidents."

If it's dust mites or pet dander, the vinegar should help quite a bit, too--though the info I'm finding online says use a 3% solution of tannic acid (that would be black tea). Tea will stain fabric, and it will leave a smell, but it'll work. I'd say spray it on with a plain ol' spray bottle, and don't sit on it in work clothes 'till it's thoroughly dried.

If that don't work, start checking Craigslist for a sofa.