Tasty Garlic Parmesan Croutons

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Croutons are so easy to make and are a wonderful way to use old bread that isn't going to get used. And the flavor isn't even comparable to store-bought croutons! Just sayin'! 

It only takes just a few ingredients to make a big batch and they store wonderfully in the freezer. Here is the recipe that I use --

Ingredients:

 

20 cups bread, cut into cubes

    (I use any bread I have left over, including Italian,     multi-grain, whole wheat, rolls, etc)

1 stick butter plus 3 Tbsns

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1/4-1/2 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped

Freshly ground pepper

1/4 freshly shredded Parmesan

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Put your bread cubes in a big bowl. Melt the butter and then mix in the garlic and parsley. Pour over the bread, grate fresh pepper over the entire bowl, and then mix well. Grate fresh Parmesan over the bread and mix again. Lay on a single layer on jelly roll pans (the baking stones work best, as they are better at keeping them from burning). Bake 20-30 minutes, mixing half-way through baking time. 

Let set to dry completely after baking and then pack into small bags and put in the freezer, pulling out bags as you need them. 

I'm Back

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So...after being a bit distracted the last few months, I have returned, with more fervor than ever! And here's why:  I believe these kinds of sites are necessary. Blogs written by Christian women who want the best for their families. Blogs that focus on good stewardship without going over the sustainability cliff (because, let's be honest--we know who sustains the earth, don't we?) Blogs that focus on good food, good health, good fitness, good cleaning--all viewed through the lens of scripture. And so it is with renewed enthusiasm that I will be back again a few times a week discussing the following--

--Homemade recipes for personal care and cleaning that actually work!

--Healthy recipes and gardening tips

--Facts and information on processed and refined foods

--Ideas on family fun

--Thoughts on running business and home

Can't wait to get started again!

~Leslie

An Easy Holiday Centerpiece

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Today I made this centerpiece for my Thanksgiving table tomorrow. I know it looks more Christmas-y than harvest-y, but that means I can use it all month! It was so easy, so I thought I would pass the idea along.

Here's what you need--

• One three-in-one herb pot
• 3 Styrofoam Cones - one medium sized and two small
• 3 rounds of floral foam (one for the bottom of each pot)
• floral pins
• 3 twigs from your backyard
• 2 bags of sheet moss
• 1 small bag of Spanish moss
• glue gun
• small red beads
• red ribbon

INSTRUCTIONS:

Cover each cone with the sheet moss, using the floral pins. If any of the pins are obviously noticeable, you can easily cover it by gluing on a bit of leftover moss. Using the floral pins to attach at either end, wrap the two small trees with the beads. Wrap the larger tree with the ribbon and then make a bow for the top of it, letting the tails hang down over the side.

Put a twig in the bottom of each cone and then put the twig into the floral foam, using hot glue. If the twig moves around or the hole ends up being too big, use some twig leftovers to shimmy it a bit. After the trees are in and straightened, cover the openings with the Spanish moss, hot gluing it in place and trimming off any straggling pieces.

There you go! Easy and elegant!

p.s. this is part of the blog hop over at Frugally Sustainable. Check it out here.

Washing Your Washer

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My dryer stopped working the other week. What a pain! So, after my handy husband tried his best to fix it, I was instructed to call the repairman. Thankfully, he came within a day or two and fixed it right up -- for a hefty price, of course. But it was cheaper than buying a new dryer, so I guess that's good, anyway!

At any rate, as he was handwriting a bill and I was preparing my check, he and I had a little chat about appliance care! And he told me something that I did not know. And just in case you don't know it either, I thought I would pass it along. Here it is:

Wash your washer!

Actually his words to me were: Go buy some HE Washer Cleaner, which you can find anywhere (I bought mine on Amazon, because that is just so easy), and use it every now and then. 

He mentioned 3 reasons why this is a good idea:

1.  It keeps the washer working at its best.

2.  It helps with the oil stains that clothing didn't have before being washed, but somehow mysteriously have after they have been washed.

3.  It helps control the odor and mildew-y smell that is so often present in laundry that is washed in HE washers. 

What he said made a lot of sense. And so guess what I plan to do tomorrow?  Yep! Wash my washer!  Thought you might want to do the same-- that is, unless you knew that already. Then you are way ahead of me!

Have a great weekend--

Leslie

Ten Things You Can Do With Table Salt

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My mom and dad are moving. Any time I go to their house to help my mom sort through things, I bring home various and sundry items that she no longer needs. While going through her cookbooks last week, I came across three books that she was going to give away. They were called 100 Helpful Hints for Salt, 100 Helpful Hints for White Vinegar, and 100 Helpful Hints for Baking Soda.

Of course, I couldn't resist sharing some of the ideas with you! I haven't tried most of these, but you can be sure I am going to. I thought I would share some ideas for salt first, since there seems to be an over-abundance of blog posts full of ways to use white vinegar and baking soda.

Here are ten of the 100 things you can do with ordinary salt:

1.  STOVE TOPS:  Clean burned-on food from a stovetop burner by sprinkling it with a mixture of salt and cinnamon, then wipe immediately. The mixture will give off a pleasant smell and cover up any burnt odor the next time you turn on the burner. You can use this same combination (salt and cinnamon) to soak up a liquid spill on a stovetop burner. Leave it on spill for 5 minutes to absorb the liquid, then wipe away.

2.  CARPETS: Try removing grease spots in a rug with a mixture of 1 part salt to 4 parts rubbing alcohol. Rub hard, going the same direction as nap, then rinse with water.

3.  WOOD:  When a hot dish or water has marred the surface of a wood table, get rid of the mark with a thin paste made of salad oil and salt. Just wipe on paste, then buff slightly as you wipe off with a soft cloth.

4.  RUST:  Make a paste of lemon juice and salt. Apply paste to rusted object, and rub with a dry, soft cloth.

5.  LAUNDRY:  Add 1/2 cup of salt to wash cycle to prevent new colored fabrics from running.

6.  STAINS: The yellow perspiration stains on your white shirts can be removed with a mixture of 1 quart water and 4 Tablespoons salt. Sponge mixture onto stained area, then repeat until stain disappears. Wash as usual.

7.  HANDS: To remove onion odor from your hands, sprinkle on a little salt, then moisten with a bit of vinegar. Rub hands together, and then rinse.

8.  BEE STINGS:  Work a mixture of salt and water into a paste that will stick to a bee sting or bug bite. Apply paste; let sit until dry. This should relieve any itch or pain. 

9.  WINDSHIELDS: Avoid frosted car windows on a cold morning by rubbing them in the evening with a sponge dipped in a saltwater solution. Use 2 tablespoons of salt to 2 cups of water.

10. ANTS: Ordinary table salt sprinkled in areas where ants congregate may help deter them.  

And there you have it!  10 new ideas for simple table salt!  I definitely see on that list a few that I am going to try immediately (the ants have recently been congregating around my kitchen sink like a small army!) 

Do you have any other uses for table salt? I'd love to hear more ideas.

Have a great day!

--Leslie

Find this post on the wonderful blog hop at--

Could You Survive?

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So...here is a question for you:

Could you survive if all of the stores closed and there was no electricity, phone service, or gas?

One of my daughter's teachers mentioned to the class the other day that if anything ever happened here in America, most of us wouldn't even know how to grow our own food. We wouldn't know how to make our own clothing or do our laundry. She was recommending that they learn this stuff - not because she was making a doomsday prediction, but because she knows if anything catastrophic happened, most of this country would be in big trouble.

I tend to agree with her. We are losing the last generation that knew how to grow their own food and sew their own clothing. They cleaned with vinegar and baking soda. They washed their clothing in a big tin tub.

While I know not everyone is going to enjoy homemaking and gardening, it may be wise to learn some basics. Or, at the very least, to have a book on hand, should you ever need it.

Do you have a resource you could turn to should you need it?

We have become mega-consumers, purchasers of the end product, never having any idea how it came to us. To many of us, everything from fruits and veggies to chicken to flour originates from Walmart. Of course, we  all really know they don't.

But if Walmart ceased to exist...could you survive?

Of course, I hope that life will continue on just has it has for a long time - with plenty of stores filled with food and clothing. I hope that we will be able to always use our cars to go places. And I hope that we will never need to cower in our homes consumed with fear.

But wouldn't it be wise to at least give it some thought...just in case?

I just finished a book that took place in the communist era of Romania. Most of the Jews there lived wealthy, comfortable lives - a lot like our own. They had beautiful houses and anything money could buy. Within a few short years, they had lost all of their worldly wealth and were forced to live on the least amount possible. They had to pool their resources, live in drafty old attics or sheds, and even then the Secret Police would find them and demand taxes, stealing the little bits they had left. It was a terrible time. This really happened. I know many of us live in America, home of the brave and land of the free. But things change, sometimes very quickly.

It may be wise to at least consider what we would do, should there be some great catastrophe. And, while we are considering--

Let us live the life we are enjoying today with tremendous gratitude towards God, the One who has so graciously provided it!


--Leslie



Check out the blog hops, where this post is featured:

Sensibly Healthy: Moderation

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So, if there is one thing I have learned about healthy eating, it is that I will only be successful if I approach it with moderation. I know that I am setting myself up for failure if I determine not to eat ANY sugar, or to ONLY eat a certain type of food, or to NOT eat any carbs. I know lots of people have been successful in doing these things. And I am sure it is possible. But is it possible, for most of us, for a lifetime?

You see, my desire to lose weight goes much further than simply losing a set amount of pounds.  I actually need to find a lifestyle that will be conducive to keeping it off for the rest of my life. 

How will I do this? By using moderation. By finding a way of eating that is glorifying to my heavenly father.

Sugar isn't evil. Carbohydrates are not evil. Fruits and vegetables aren't especially blessed by God.

Now, as I say this, I do want to express here that I do believe that foods that are highly processed or use unnatural, chemically based products are harmful to our bodies. I am working to rid my diet of as much of these as possible.

But any food in its natural state is not a bad food. It is simply about moderation.

Now...if I can only be sure to live this and not only write about it! ;)

--Leslie