September Acres

Source I'm a firm believer that you can put buffalo sauce on anything and it will taste good.  Cauliflower is no exception.  I have had this recipe hanging on my fridge for months and finally made it tonight. And just as I suspected, it was delicious. I didn't make the cheese sauce but I'm sure it's yummy too. Ingredients Cheese Sauce: 1/3 cup nonfat sour cream 2 tablespoons crumbled blue cheese 1 tablespoon skim milk 2 teaspoons mayonnaise Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper Buffalo Cauliflower: 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 1/4 cup hot sauce, such as Frank's 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice 2 tablespoons olive oil Kosher salt 8 cups cauliflower florets (from about 1 medium head) Directions Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. For the cheese sauce: Whisk together the sour cream, blue cheese, milk, mayonnaise, 1/8 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, about 30 minutes For the Buffalo...

Soup weather is right around the corner.  Or so they tell me.  It's still well over 100 degrees here and probably will be all week. But in anticipation for the cooler weather I wanted to share (again) my corn chowder recipe. I cannot wait to make it this fall. Corn Chowder 2 c. chicken broth or water 2 c. chopped potatoes 1/2 c. carrots chopped 1/2 c. celery chopped 1/4 c onion chopped 1 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp pepper Bacon (about 6-8 strips- or to taste) 1/4 c. margarine or butter 1/4 c. flour 2 c. milk 1 c.  Parmesan  cheese 17 oz can cream style corn 17 oz can corn (drained) Tabasco (to taste) Brown bacon and onion. Set aside. Add water/broth to veggies (minus corn). Add salt, pepper. Cover & simmer 10 min. Do not drain. Make white sauce w/ butter, flour & milk. Add  Parmesan cheese stirring until melted. Mix white sauce with veggies. Add corn and bacon/onion mixture to vegetables. Heat, do not boil.. Sp...

We try to eat healthy around here but still like a little snack every now and then.  I love chips and salsa and this homemade salsa is really quick and yummy (and makes me feel better about the chip part of the snack).  This is also a great way to use up excess tomatoes. Super Easy Salsa Recipe 3 Roma Tomatoes (or any ripe tomatoes you have on hand!), chopped 1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped Banana peppers, chopped - to taste About 2 TBSP of juice from banana pepper jar Fresh cilantro, chopped -  to taste Salt to taste Mix all ingredients together.  Refrigerate for at least and hour. Enjoy!

This is a re-post from my 31 Days of Hospitality Series . It seems like just about every party ends up in the kitchen.  Big or small, it doesn't seem to matter.  Should it?  Does it matter to you?  Sometimes it's hard to steer the guests to another room.  Sometimes it's downright impossible.  If you want to get the group to mingle with your other rooms, try these ideas: Move the drinks out of the kitchen.  Try to set up a 'drink station' in another room.  We have a wet bar in our living room area.  This is a perfect place for us to set up drinks.  You can also set up a drink station on a table in the living room or great room- just remove your usual decor from that table and set the drinks up there.  You can even add a small card table to a corner and make that your drink area.  Likewise, you can take it all outside.  Move the food out of the kitchen. Same idea as moving the drinks out.  Be creative - look at y...

Coastal Living I have spent years painting our house.  Almost 14 years to be exact.  It's a never ending task, I suspect.  I have recently decided that most of my colored walls will eventually be some shade of white. Our house is kind of dark due to window placement which in the summer is a big benefit as it gets so warm  hot here. But I am feeling the need to brighten things up around here and white seems just the ticket. Anyone who's done any painting knows that painting something white is no easy task as there are approximately 8 million shades of white to choose from.  I am currently in the looking/paint chip/paint sample stage and have narrowed the choices for my kitchen/dining area down to no less than 8 options. Stay tuned...

After much trial and error, I have discovered that doing a monthly meal plan works best for me . I only have to sit down once to create a meal plan - not four or five times. I have an idea of what we're doing the entire month which works out perfect for a busy schedule. I can shop ahead - if I plan on making chicken alfredo, chicken enchiladas & grilled chicken in a month I can look for larger packs of chicken, which are often less per pound than smaller packs.  I like to shop every two weeks and knowing what my plans for the month are help me stock up when things are on sale. I use a calendar for my meal plan - I like to be able to see each day on the calendar and I enter what we are having for dinner as well as any activities going on that day.  And I always write in pencil because I usually end up changing at least a couple of days during the month. Here's what my February looks like: Cheesy chicken vermicelli  & steamed broccoli  ...

Over the past few days we've had the coldest temps in 20 years here in Arizona .  Many other parts of the U.S. have been breaking records as well.  When it's that cold out I always love a nice warm meal at home.  But putting that nice warm meal on a cold plate is no fun. To keep things warm I pop my (microwave safe) plates and bowls in the microwave for a little warm up.  One plate warms up nicely in about 30 seconds.  If I am stacking up 3 or 4 I'll start with 60 seconds and add more time until the plates are to my liking.  You don't want them too hot though or your food will cool off before you can handle the plates. :) I also love warming up my mugs for tea or hot chocolate (we still have our hot cocoa bar up) How are you keeping warm in the frigid temps?

No matter the size of our homes or the rooms in it, most of us feel like we could use more space.  Going vertical is a good way to find some extra room. Use space over the door for storing special occasion serve ware. Source We can take bookshelves to the ceiling. Source Vertical space on the back of cupboard doors is perfect for storing items that you frequently use and want quick access to. Where have you been able to find extra space in your home? I'm joining The Nester & 1200 others in the 31 Days Challenge. All of my posts can be found here .

We spent all week getting our kitchens in order so I thought it would be fun to take a break from organizing and enjoy our newly arranged spaces.  We got some limes in our last Bountiful Basket and I wanted to use them in a yummy desert recipe.  I found Neely's Lime Bars (very similar to Lemon Bars but made with limes) and decided to give them a try.  They were super easy and really delicious. You may know the Neely's, Pat & Gina, from the Food Network show "Down Home with the Neely's" .  Not only is their show one of my favorites to watch on the Food Network, their recipes are fun and tasty, with that special southern flare that I love.  They film their show in their home kitchen.   We could all do that now that we've got our kitchens organized, right? You can find the recipe for Neely's Lime Bars here . I loved these lime bars and will definitely make them again.  And again.  And again. I am taking part in The Nester's 31 D...

The refrigerator is probably one of the hardest parts of our homes to keep organized.  It's kind of like a closet in that we can just put stuff in there and close the doors.  Tempting as that is, keeping your fridge organized will pay off in many ways, including: Less food waste .  Think of all the food that gets pushed to the back and is found months (years?) later and gets tossed. Saving money.  Since you aren't wasting food you'll save dough by not having to buy something you already have. Cooking more .  If you know what you have and make a plan , cooking will be less stressful and easier to tackle after a long day.  Cooking more at home will likely save you money as well. I like to keep the outside of my fridge clear.  It gives the illusion of being organized- in the same way making a bed does. Organizing the fridge should be an ongoing process but it all starts with the basics .  A few times a year I really get in there and ...

Organizing a pantry can be a daunting task but just like any other part of your home it's pretty basic ( see a list of organizing basics here). A place for cookbooks, extra dinnerware, table linens and aprons (hung with a Command hook).  Take your pantry overhaul step by step: Take everything out of the pantry.  Wipe down all surfaces before you put things back. Purge . Toss anything that is expired.  I can send my daughter over to help with that - she's like a police dog when sniffing out expiration dates. Donate anything that is not expired but you know you'll never use (like those horrid Yakisoba noodles you got for free with your 10 coupons) to your local food bank.  Only keep what you know you will use. Cereal and chips share a home in my pantry. Sort like items.  Figure out what works for you.  I find that during the holidays I need to move my chips to the cabinet that houses the crackers because my cereal cabinet is full of Chex cer...

Small appliances, in general,  have to be one of the greatest inventions around.  You can slice and dice and julienne.  You can come home to homemade bread.  You can blend the perfect margarita on a summer day. You also have to store said small appliances.  And that can be a problem for some  most of us.  As a general rule, I am a 'if I see it I'll use it' type of gal.  So if an appliance is stored away I am less apt to pull it out to use it (rice cooker, for example).  But counter space is at a premium and I hate having everything on the counter top unless it's used.  A lot.  For me that means the Kitchen Aid and the Keurig get to stay out.  Everything else is put away. My crock pot and food processor are used a good bit but definitely not every day.  I'll admit it was a toss up as to whether to keep the food processor or Kitchen Aid on the counter but I figured the food processor was less likely to land o...

In all of the homes we've lived in, the under the sink area has always been a challenge to keep organized.  I was thrilled that we had a corner sink in this house only to find half of the space taken up with the reverse osmosis system.   It's the little things that always seem to get lost under there.  I purchased one of those plastic shoe boxes for those things and it has worked fabulously.   You may notice that I use my Brother P-touch label maker quite a bit. I've used the labels here to label my box; not so much for me but for anyone else that gets under the sink.  I highly recommend getting one of these.  It will be money well spent. To help keep the under the sink area neat I only keep things under there that are used for cleaning.  And of course, the fire extinguisher - a kitchen must have. We all want our homes to be organized but under the kitchen sink is one spot where safety is super important.  Many cle...

Just the word kitchen gadget makes me happy.  I love to spend time at Williams-Sonoma or even Target perusing the gadget area.  But how much is too much?  Truthfully, most gadgets are not terribly necessary, even though they are fun.  With that said, what I find necessary may not be necessary to someone else.  You may be happy whisking with a fork but I think a whisk is a must have.  Or you may think an apple slicer is a need but I don't mind slicing my apples with a knife. Eight wooden spoons may seem too many to you but I might use and love every one.  The point I am trying to make is that our kitchens are pretty personal spaces. We all have limited storage spaces in our kitchen and many of us fill every nook and cranny with gadgets and dinnerware and small appliances.  And for most of us, something has to give. It's time for a kitchen gadget clean-up. Take all of your gadgets out of the drawer(s) and put them in a box on top of your co...

This week we will be spending time organizing the kitchen.  For many of us, the kitchen is the most often used room in the house.  I find that when the kitchen is not organized I don't feel organized.  In order to get that organized feeling the first thing I do is clear the counters.  Take a look at everything you have on your counters and decide what needs to be out there and what doesn't.  Consider how much you use any small appliances that are on the counters.  My rule is if it's used less than once a week it gets storage space in a cabinet.  If you still feel the need to clear the counter a bit more consider storing anything that is easy to take in and out of a cabinet (a toaster, for example). Once you have cleared your counters I bet you'll feel more organized.  If there was anything you took off the counters that you don't use or need, start a donation pile. Tomorrow we're working on paring down our kitchen gadgets. I'm joining T...

Better Homes and Gardens It seems like everyone is pumpkin crazy this year.  Everywhere you look there is pumpkin spice something for sale.  From the Pumpkin Spice Latte to pumpkin ice cream to pumpkin candles.  Pumpkin is everywhere! Some of my favorites: The Pumpkin Pie ice cream from Safeway .  We tried it for the first time last year and I am hoping that I can find it again this year.  The graham cracker crust pieces swirled in the pumpkin ice cream give it a truly authentic pumpkin pie taste.  Safeway also had a pumpkin yogurt last year that was super tasty. Coffee-mate Pumpkin Spice Creamer .  Move over Starbucks.  This is the perfect way to easily recreate the PSL at home.  I have actually never bought this because I don't buy creamer but I have a friend who buys it (for me, perhaps?) and when we are at her house scrap booking it is my creamer of choice in the fall.  Maybe one day I'll purchase my very own...

I was going through some old blog posts looking for some pictures of my kitchen before we re-did it a few years back.  I came across this one and my first thought was "That's my old kitchen.  I can't believe I lived with it like that."  Isn't it funny how our taste evolves over the years? This is the before. Yuck. This is what it looks like now.  Cabinets painted, new counter tops, new back splash, under cabinet lighting (maybe it's just as well we didn't have that before).  Hard to believe it's the same room.  Here's the entire post on the backsplash reveal .  You'll notice the wall was brown, not yellow, before we put in the back splash.  We painted it after the cabinets were painted and the counter tops were replaced. I sure do like my new kitchen better.  You agree, don't you?

One of my favorite cookbooks is " The Martha Stewart Cookbook" .  I've had it well over 15 years and it's very well used.   One of my favorite and most used recipes is her banana bread recipe (that paper clip makes it easy to find, too).  It's super easy and really tasty.  Even with the 'changes' I make sometimes... As I was trying to use up alot of what I had in my fridge the past couple of weeks, I knew I would be making this recipe because of the bananas that were ripe enough for bread.  I thought I needed to finish some sour cream too but upon further inspection I realized that the sour cream was not usable.  I still wanted to make this bread though and wasn't planning a trip to the market for sour cream. This is why I love this recipe:  while the sour cream is great I have found a few substitutions that work well.  They are:  1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce, 1/2 cup of plain yogurt (greek or regular) OR 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt...

I love kitchen gadgets.  I think most people do. I have been known to buy too many.  I bet a lot of you have, too.  Lots of have to have, trend of the moment type of things ( salad shooter, anyone?)  Things we really don't need . When space is at a premium in the kitchen I always check the gadget drawer and see if I've acquired anything that I'm not using regularly, then I toss it.  I remember seeing Peter Walsh on Oprah once and he said to take all your gadgets out of the drawers and put them in a box.  Keep everything in the box for a month and as you need something take it out of the box.  Once you're done with it and have washed it, put it back in the drawer.  Anything left in the box at the end of the month can be donated.  It means you really don't need it.  A month might be too small of a time frame so you can adjust that.  You won't want a box on your counter for much longer than that! I started thinking about ...