Turkey a la Alton Brown Style
Wednesday, December 3, 2008 | Filed in: Labels:

I didn't follow his recipe exactly, but I did smear oil on the bird and rubbing in salt and pepper.  I put it in at 450 for about 1.5 hours then turned it down to 250 for the remainder of the 5 hours.


That gives it a nice golden color and makes the outside crisp to seal in the juices and the flavor.  Best turkey I ever made!  

This also works with roasts, whole chickens, pork roasts.  I'd lessen the time on the high heat for a smaller roast to about an hour.  

Yum-o!

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Homemade Grape Jelly
Wednesday, November 19, 2008 | Filed in: Labels:

I have a very picky eater who practically live on PB&J.  Since he only eats a few different foods, I need to make sure they are as packed full of nutrition as possible.  Store bought grape jelly is full of icky high fructose corn syrup (HFCS).  I'll blog later on why to avoid HFCS.  In the meantime, here's a recipe for homemade grape jelly from 100% grape juice.  It's super easy and very quick.


  • 3 cups grape juice (Prepared from frozen concentrate is fine)
  • 1 package powdered pectin
  • 4 cups sugar
In a large saucepan combine the prepared grape juice and the powdered pectin. Stir it up to eliminate all of the lumps. Bring the mixture to a full boil over medium heat, stirring some as necessary. Add the sugar and return the mixture to a boil. Boil for a full minute and remove from heat. Ladle the jelly into clean sterilized jars and seal with bands and lids. Process in a boiling water bath for about 10 minutes to seal. Remove the jars and allow to cool before storing on the pantry shelf. Makes about 5 cups.


I am lazier than her I guess and I freeze my jelly.  We've always had more freezer space than pantry room so it made more sense and it's easier.  I save icing and small margarine containers and fill them about 3/4 full and let them sit on the counter until they thicken, usually about 24 hours.  Put one in the fridge and freeze the rest.

Ta da!  Homemade grape jelly with three ingredients.   You can tell all your friends you made it yourself and if they want to believe you pressed the grapes yourself, well, just smile and nod.  We won't tell how easy it really is.

An added bonus is that your house will smell great.

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Product Review - Bargain Headbands
Tuesday, November 18, 2008 | Filed in: Labels: ,

I picked up this headband a few weeks back from Bargain Headbands on Etsy.  Don't let the name fool you, there's nothing "cheap" about these headbands but the price.  The quality and construction are superb.  The only thing I wish were different is that I wish the inside were brown so it could be reversable.    


I get so many compliments on the headband.  Every single time I wear it someone comments on it.  I chose this one because I have a lot of brown and blue in my closet and this headband matches perfectly.

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Cost of a Lightbulb
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Do y'all know how hard it is to find this information out?  Luckily I stumbled upon a site with a cool calculator to see just how much it costs in dollars to run various electirical items.  The national average is 11 cents per kilowatt hour.  Here, ours is considerably lower, I think more like 7-8 cents a kilowatt hour but this gives us a general idea.  


According to the calculator a 60 watt bulb left on for 24 hours a day will cost just under $5 a month in energy costs.  I am so guilty of leaving lights on 24 hours a day in the basement because I forget and in bathrooms for convenience and night lights.  Five dollars a light times 5 bulbs is $25 that I'd much rather use on scrapbooking supplies, take out, or hair dye.  

Not anymore.  Every single light is being shut off if the sun is shining.  As lights burn out we're replacing them with those funky looking low watt bulbs.  The initial cost turned me off, but now I can see the real savings.  I also found an off brand at Target that costs just over $1 a bulb when you buy 5.  Bonus!

It's too early to tell a difference in my electricity bill and besides we moved so I can't compare anyway.

Another bonus is that the bulbs last longer and I don't know about you, but I hate climbing up on a chair to change a light bulb.

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Why?
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Why did I start this blog?


I used to be part of a board that was a very valuable resource for Housewifes/Stay at Home Moms filled with recipes, decorating tips, pampering tips, budgeting and so much more.  Unfortunately that board is no longer around *pouts* so I'm creating this so fill the gap.

I'm very open to ideas on what to feature and articles pertaining to the unique needs to today's SAHMs.  I would also love to have guest writers as well.

I hope this becomes a valuable resource and somewhere SAHMs can come to connect and learn something.

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