Home making · Uncategorized

Clever Uses for Jars

I love finding simple organizing solutions to little frustrations in my routines. One area was cupcake liners.  It seems that once the packaging for Cupcake/muffin liners are opened, they’re history!  If they didn’t come in a hard plastic covering, I find them crumpled and useless, like our morning newspaper that didn’t make it into the box (bless our carrier’s heart!)!

However, I recently found a clever idea for storing them.

Pop them into a little jar!

muffin liners

I already had this one on hand, so I grabbed the loose and straggling liners in my cupboard and popped them into this little jar.  I love how it has dressed up my pantry shelves!

Jars have become my best friend when it comes to kitchen organization!  Look…

I also still love the jar I store Corn Starch in.  No more corn starch showers all over the counter when I’m baking!  Not sure why I didn’t do  that YEARS ago!

Other things I have stored in jars are:

  • granola
  • pastas
  • brown sugar
  • powdered sugar
  • croutons
  • pretzels
  • popcorn kernels
  • oatmeal

Whatever you have that won’t stay fresh once it’s opened is a great candidate for a jar.  Those cellophane bags for pasta, croutons, pretzels are all frustrating if you try to clip them shut.  I’ve seen jars at The Dollar Tree, Dollar General and TJ Maxx that are so affordable and they make life so much easier AND prettier!

What do you store in your jars?

Denise Signature 150 px

 

 

Cooking · Home making · summertime · Uncategorized

Tempting Your Family with Summer Fruits

There is a saying my girls remember well that I used in our home A LOT.  When they would want dessert, I would say,

“Why don’t you have some nice fruit?!”

They would look at me as if to say,

“Really? That’s not dessert!”

It may not be a chocolate chip cookie, but summer fruits are sweet and full of flavor!  I love summertime for lots of reasons, but all the fresh fruits is one of them!  I love cutting up a variety and having it in a bowl for quick snacks or dessert!  Having a big bowl all ready washed, cut up and ready to eat is far more appealing than the watermelon that has to be sliced every time you want to indulge.

Another  trick  secret to getting your family to eat more fruits like peaches or grapes is to have some washed and sitting out on the counter.  Put it in a pretty tray or bowl and set it on the counter.  They’ll snack on it more readily if it’s within easy reach.

fruit.jpg
The pineapple will be sliced for a rice dish I’m making, then I’ll add the rest to my bowl of cut up fruit! For now it’s serving as a garnish!

This week our Aldi’s had mango’s for forty-nine cents!  That’s a good deal!  Mango’s are so sweet and make a great addition to a taco (if you haven’t tried that as a topping, you really should!) or a fruit salad.  To get the most out of the fruit, here’s the easiest way to peel and chop them:

You slice down on each side beside the long stone in the middle.  Then score each half with a knife.  Pop the skin inside out, then slice off the squares of fruit!  It’s super easy this way!

I have a bowl of fruit in the fridge right now with watermelon, peaches, honeydew, strawberries, blackberries and mango.  My favorite?  Probably the melons – or the blackberries, or maybe the mango… Excuse me while I go have some nice fruit!

What’s your favorite summer fruit?  How do you serve it?

Stay refreshed by slicing up some summer fruits!

8e63c63ac0bc189bf1c68b03c74dbb5f (1)

Home making

Be Sure to Wash These!

pillow washing2.jpg

I’m not sure why I didn’t realize a long time ago that bed pillows can be machine washed and dried!  They really come out of the dryer so soft and fluffy, clean and fresh smelling that I can’t believe I didn’t do this before.  I used to just pitch the pillow and buy new ones!  Now I try to make a regular habit of throwing them in a nice warm wash and getting them fresh once again.

In your spring cleaning, be sure to gather up all the pillows and wash them, a few at a time, then keep up the routine through the year.  Your beds will be nice and fresh and you might even sleep better!

Am I the only one who didn’t learn this until later in life?!

Stay refreshed,