By Eliza Cross, on February 12th, 2013%
I thought you might like to see the Valentine’s Day floral arrangement I made for my parents. The asparagus at the store is so beautiful right now, and when I saw a bunch with purple-tinged heads I was inspired to try combining it with purple tulips.
I first trimmed the ends of the asparagus and soaked them in water overnight to allow them to get fully hydrated. I cut the ends of the tulips at an angle and put them in a separate container of water with a copper penny. (Pennies had a high copper content until 1981, so keep your eyes out for an older one that you can put in the bottom of the vase. Tulips like copper, and if you try this trick you’ll be amazed at how the tulips perk up and last longer.)
The next day, I arranged the asparagus in the vase first and then added the tulip stems. I finished it with a piece of ribbon that I tied to a toothpick and tucked near the edge of the vase. Since I already had an extra vase and the ribbon, the total cost for this bouquet was less than seven dollars – $4.99 for the tulips and $1.50 for the asparagus.
How are you celebrating Valentine’s Day this year? Here’s to a day filled with love, happiness and fun.
Hugs,
P.S. Have you entered to win this week’s book giveaway, 30 Days to Grace?
Eliza Cross is a full-time writer and the author of five books about home design and food. She has been blogging about simplicity and sustainable living since 2006.
By Eliza Cross, on February 5th, 2013%
 Soft Chocolate Chip Salted Vanilla Cookies Throughout my adult life, I’ve been on a selfless, never-ending quest for the Holy Grail of chocolate chip cookie recipes. The recipe I’m about to share with you is very close to my ideal—soft, chewy, full of melty chocolate, enhanced with nice vanilla notes, and balanced with the heightened flavor kick that comes from a generous dash of sea salt. Because the cookie dough is made with pulverized oatmeal, the cookies are light brown—meaning you can easily sneak in some whole wheat flour. I used Kamut, a flour made from an ancient wheat grain, which added a nice, nutty flavor.
I’ve made a lot of changes, but the original recipe that inspired this version came from one of my very favorite cookbooks – Ann Hodgman’s Beat This. Her recipe for “The Only Chocolate Chip Cookies” was inspired by the Neiman-Marcus cookie recipe that supposedly cost some poor sucker $250 and made the internet rounds many years ago.
If you’ve been hoarding a bottle of really good vanilla, now’s the time to break it out because you’ll really notice and appreciate the flavor in these cookies. The secret to chewy, soft cookies is to slightly undercook them, and to do that you may need an oven thermometer so you can get your oven heat to just the right temperature.
Shall we get started?
Soft Chocolate Chip Salted Vanilla Cookie Recipe
- 2 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 2 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (1 and a third 12-ounce bags), divided
- 2 sticks unsalted butter
- 1 cup granulated cane sugar
- 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees, and line a large cookie sheet with a sheet of parchment paper.
In a food processor or blender, combine the rolled oats with 1/2 cup of the chocolate chips (reserve the remaining chocolate chips to add later). Process until the mixture is powdered.
In a the bowl of a standing mixer or a large mixing bowl with a hand-held mixer, combine the butter, sugar and brown sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the eggs and vanilla and beat until combined.
In another mixing bowl, combine the whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and sea salt and whisk until combined. Gradually add this flour mixture to the butter mixture while beating with the mixer. Then add the pulverized oatmeal-chocolate mixture. The dough will get pretty stiff at this point, and you may need to use your hands. Finally, add the remaining chocolate chips and combine well—and you will need to do this by hand.
Roll the dough in golf-ball sized balls and arrange on the parchment-lined cookie pan. If you’re a control freak like me you may want to flatten them just a little bit, so they’re less likely to spread into weird shapes or run into each other.
Bake for 11 minutes, quickly turning the pan around halfway during the baking process. You’ll have to have a little faith when you remove the cookies from the oven, because they might not look quite done. The tops should be covered with little cracks, and you don’t want the edges to get browned.
Put the cookie sheet on a wire cooling rack and allow the cookies to cool for about five minutes before you transfer them from the pan to finish cooling. This recipe makes about 36 cookies.
To keep the cookies soft, store them in a tightly covered container and try to eat them within 72 hours (this is never a problem in our house), when they are at their freshest and yummiest.
Isn’t a cookie jar full of homemade cookies one of life’s best pleasures?
Do you have a favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe, or any cookie baking secrets you’d like to share? You know we’d all love to hear from you.
Happy baking and hugs,
P.S. Have you entered our Valentine’s Day giveaway yet, to win a copy of the beautiful, four-color hardback book Colorado Romance?
Eliza Cross is a full-time writer and the author of five books about home design and food. She has been blogging about simplicity and sustainable living since 2006.
By Eliza Cross, on January 30th, 2013%
 By PotteryBarn.com Organizing has many benefits. Along with the inner peace that comes from working and living in a calm space, organized living means less time looking for lost items and a visually pleasing, harmonious environment.
Clearing space is a gift we give ourselves.
Homework assignment #30: Today’s challenge is to spend at least 15 minutes decluttering one area. It can be a small or big project, depending on how much time you want to devote to it. You could simply straighten up your desk, get rid of unnecessary papers and clean your computer monitor until it sparkles. Or spend thirty minutes organizing the medicine cabinet. You could clean out your refrigerator and wipe down the shelves. Unclutter the coat closet. Tackle one wall of the garage. Spend the afternoon straightening up the basement. It’s up to you. Just organize a space, and bask in the rewards.
For inspiration, you might enjoy these websites — with tons of tips and information:
Unclutterer
Organized Home
Get Organized
Creative Organizing
If you clear a space and like the result, be sure to let us know about it!
P.S. In case you’ve just joined us, the January Money Diet is a challenge to take a 31-day break from nonessential spending. Even though January is winding down, you can learn more about the money diet here — and jump right in!
—————————————————————————
Win a Deluxe Happy Simple Living Gift Basket
In honor of the January Money Diet, I’ll be giving away a gift basket chock-full of home and garden goodies and a copy of my cookbook, 101 Things To Do With Bacon. This Friday morning, February 1, I’ll draw one random name from everyone who commented during the month (the cut-off is midnight MST tomorrow, Jan. 31) and that lucky person will win the gift basket. Thanks to everyone who has stopped by this month to share your ideas, thoughts and experiences about taking a 31-day break from nonessential spending.
—————————————————————————-
Eliza Cross is a full-time writer and the author of five books about home design and food. She has been blogging about simplicity and sustainable living since 2006.
By Eliza Cross, on January 29th, 2013%
Homework assignment #29: Today’s challenge is to explore alternatives to your major expenses and make sure you’re getting the best deal in those big expenses you pay for over and over, year after year.
In the next week, research your costs or get new competitive quotes on life, homeowner’s, health, disability and auto insurance, telephone service, internet, cable, trash pick up, etc.
Call your phone or cable providers and ask about bundling discounts. If your employer offers several health insurance plans, take 30 minutes to review the policies and see if you’re getting the best deal. I pay for my own health insurance, and I use eHealthInsurance to easily compare plans and rates each year. If you’ve had the same auto and homeowners’ insurance policies for many years, you might find a better deal by using an insurance broker who represents many different companies. Maybe your cable company offers a better deal on a land line, or vice versa. Sometimes companies will match the rates of their competitors if you ask.
Think about it: if you can reduce even one major expense by doing this exercise, you’ll have more money to invest or pay down debt. Check out the latest deals and see if you can save some money on recurring expenses, and you’ll be way ahead in the year to come.
P.S. In case you’ve just joined us, the January Money Diet is a challenge to take a 31-day break from nonessential spending. You can learn more about the money diet here — and jump right in!
—————————————————————————
Win a Deluxe Happy Simple Living Gift Basket
In honor of the January Money Diet, I’ll be giving away a gift basket chock-full of home and garden goodies plus several books at the end of the month. On January 31, 2013, I’ll draw one random name from everyone who commented during the month and that lucky person will win the gift basket. I hope you’ll stop by often this month and share your own ideas, thoughts and experiences about taking a 31-day break from nonessential spending.
—————————————————————————-
Eliza Cross is a full-time writer and the author of five books about home design and food. She has been blogging about simplicity and sustainable living since 2006.
By Eliza Cross, on January 28th, 2013%
“The remarkable thing about my mother is that for thirty years she served us nothing but leftovers. The original meal has never been found.” ~Calvin Trillin
It just kills me to discard spoiled food that we didn’t eat. One of my goals this year is to make better use of leftovers. The whole concept of “zero waste” appeals to me on so many levels, and utilizing food efficiently is so important.
If you feel the same way, you might enjoy the Leftover Chef site where you can input whatever strange ingredients are lurking in your refrigerator for recipe ideas. Enter ‘turkey, ‘cranberries,’ and ‘onions,’ for instance, and you’ll find an appealing recipe for Turkey Cutlets with Cranberry – Pear Relish.
Do you have stale crackers and chips lurking in the pantry? Refresh them by spreading them in a single layer on a cookie sheet and baking at 300 degrees F for about 5 minutes. Allow to cool and then seal in an airtight container.
What about those stray veggies in the vegetable crisper? Use them in salads or on pizza, or freeze them for your next batch of soup.
Leftover tortillas can be used to make homemade tortilla chips, like this healthy baked version from Savory Sweet Life.
Homework assignment #28: What’s your favorite way to use leftovers? We’d love to hear your ideas!
P.S. In case you’ve just joined us, the January Money Diet is a challenge to take a 31-day break from nonessential spending. You can learn more about the money diet here — and jump right in!
—————————————————————————
Win a Deluxe Happy Simple Living Gift Basket
In honor of the January Money Diet, I’ll be giving away a gift basket chock-full of home and garden goodies plus several books at the end of the month. On January 31, 2013, I’ll draw one random name from everyone who commented during the month and that lucky person will win the gift basket. I hope you’ll stop by often this month and share your own ideas, thoughts and experiences about taking a 31-day break from nonessential spending.
—————————————————————————-
Eliza Cross is a full-time writer and the author of five books about home design and food. She has been blogging about simplicity and sustainable living since 2006.
By Eliza Cross, on January 26th, 2013%
 Handcrafted chocolate truffles – photo by David Leggett Homework assignment #26: Today’s challenge is to make something from scratch that you might normally buy at the store. Here are some ideas to get you started:
Graham crackers
Dim Sum
Pita bread
Latte
Gingersnaps
Barbeque
Hummus
Pizza
Spaghetti sauce
Ricotta cheese
Bread
Granola
Greek yogurt
Bagels
Chocolate truffles
Tortillas
What do you love to make from scratch? If you make something at home this week, be sure to let us know what you create.
By the way, if you’re on Pinterest you can check out all these foods and more on my “Foods From Scratch” board.
P.S. In case you’ve just joined us, the January Money Diet is a challenge to take a 31-day break from nonessential spending. You can learn more about the money diet here — and jump right in!
—————————————————————————
Win a Deluxe Happy Simple Living Gift Basket
In honor of the January Money Diet, I’ll be giving away a gift basket chock-full of home and garden goodies plus several books at the end of the month. On January 31, 2013, I’ll draw one random name from everyone who commented during the month and that lucky person will win the gift basket. I hope you’ll stop by often this month and share your own ideas, thoughts and experiences about taking a 31-day break from nonessential spending.
—————————————————————————-
Eliza Cross is a full-time writer and the author of five books about home design and food. She has been blogging about simplicity and sustainable living since 2006.
By Eliza Cross, on January 25th, 2013%
 Photo: Jamie Hansen “In a recession, people are inclined to keep things, but I feel the opposite. The less I have, the richer I feel. Stuff weighs you down.” ~Béa Johnson
A couple years ago I read the most inspiring article in Sunset Magazine, about the Johnson family in Mill Valley, California. The Johnsons have pared down their possessions and live a wonderfully simple life. The family members are so careful about not consuming wasteful packaging, they generate almost zero garbage.
The Johnsons are big on composting, and this is one way we try to reduce waste. I just love the idea of reusing the kitchen scraps in a way that benefits the garden and keeps stuff out of landfill.
What about recycling? Homeowner Béa Johnson says, “So much recycling really goes to waste, so you need to try to reduce that, too.” They are diligent about taking reusable containers to the store for food and eliminating junk mail, and their tidy pantry and closets would inspire anyone to minimize and simplify!
How much trash does your family generate in an average week? If you coaxed everyone in the household to get on board, could you reduce it by 50 or 75 per cent? Or 80 or 90 per cent? We’re down to about half a can per week, but the recycling bin is full every two weeks when it gets picked up — so we have a long way to go. The Johnsons have motivated me to try harder to reduce our recycling and trash. If they can do it, why can’t we?
Homework assignment #25: Try to reduce your family’s waste to zero this week, and let us know how it goes in the comments section below.
For more inspiration, you might enjoy the Johnson family’s blog, The Zero Waste Home.
P.S. In case you’ve just joined us, the January Money Diet is a challenge to take a 31-day break from nonessential spending. You can learn more about the money diet here — and jump right in!
—————————————————————————
Win a Deluxe Happy Simple Living Gift Basket
In honor of the January Money Diet, I’ll be giving away a gift basket chock-full of home and garden goodies plus several books at the end of the month. On January 31, 2013, I’ll draw one random name from everyone who commented during the month and that lucky person will win the gift basket. I hope you’ll stop by often this month and share your own ideas, thoughts and experiences about taking a 31-day break from nonessential spending.
—————————————————————————
Eliza Cross is a full-time writer and the author of five books about home design and food. She has been blogging about simplicity and sustainable living since 2006.
By Eliza Cross, on January 24th, 2013%
 Photo: WickerFurniture The expenses we pay month after month, year after year, can really add up. Evaluate your ongoing monthly expenses and ask yourself whether you’re truly getting your money’s worth from your hard-earned dollars. Could you eliminate something and pocket the savings each month?
By now you probably know many people who have cancelled their home telephone service, and simply use their mobile phone for calls. How much do you spend each month for a land line? How many quality calls do you receive, and how many telemarketing calls do you receive? Can you still justify the cost?
Are you happy with your cable or satellite TV bill? Some people don’t pay a nickle for cable TV yet still enjoy dozens of free stations. Here’s a great article about how to get (nearly) free TV. Many of your favorite programs are probably online, too. Sites like Hulu and Crackle feature hundreds of movies and free TV shows available on demand. You may even be able to connect your laptop to your TV and watch shows from your favorite networks right on the big screen. I’m not a techie, but I purchased a cable at my local Radio Shack for less than $20, and we were enjoying online TV within minutes.
Speaking of entertainment, do you subscribe to Netflix or another service with a monthly fee? Could you get movies from the library or Redbox instead? And what about subscriptions to periodicals? If you find you’re regularly recycling the newspaper without reading it or letting the magazines stack up, perhaps it’s time to do your reading online or check out publications free from the library.
Does your dog go to the groomer regularly? Learn how to do it yourself, and save both time and money.
Could you cut your own lawn and fire the lawn service? (What about eliminating your lawn altogether and replacing it with hardy clover, xeriscaping — or edible plants?)
Are you regularly using that gym membership, or could you jog, walk and work out at home?
Homework assignment #24: Go through your expenses with a ruthless eye, and see if you can find anything to cancel. Or if you’ve recently found a monthly expense to eliminate, be sure to let us know about it.
P.S. In case you’ve just joined us, the January Money Diet is a challenge to take a 31-day break from nonessential spending. You can learn more about the money diet here — and jump right in!
—————————————————————————
Win a Deluxe Happy Simple Living Gift Basket
In honor of the January Money Diet, I’ll be giving away a gift basket chock-full of home and garden goodies plus several books at the end of the month. On January 31, 2013, I’ll draw one random name from everyone who commented during the month and that lucky person will win the gift basket. I hope you’ll stop by often this month and share your own ideas, thoughts and experiences about taking a 31-day break from nonessential spending.
—————————————————————————-
Eliza Cross is a full-time writer and the author of five books about home design and food. She has been blogging about simplicity and sustainable living since 2006.
|
Buy all kinds of kitchen gadgets from DHgate.com
Get Happy Simple Living Delivered To Your Kindle
|
Happy Simple Living Wants to Connect With You