Sep 30, 2013 |
A month ago, I shared with you a few suggestions for stocking up the pantry to easily provide for your family and company without having to go to the store at the last minute. These tips are also great for those times when inclement weather or lack of transportation interferes with your daily schedule.
But what about those non-food needs? A well-stocked cabinet not only covers emergency moments, but can also provide some fun family time. Pretend you’re going camping: turn off the lights, the TV, the computers and see what you can do without electronics.
Batteries for flashlights and portable radios are essential. If you don’t have a gas stove, you may want to invest in a small outdoor grill. But if the weather’s too cold, there are alternatives for indoor cooking. A fireplace can be a great gathering place for roasting S’mores (with adult supervision, of course!).
Water and personal care products are essential. One of my favorite fun moments is stocking up at the local store in the Travel-Size section. One small plastic box holds all the shampoo, conditioner, lotion, and toothpaste a person needs for two weeks. Don’t forget body wash and deodorant! Face and body wipes are also great.
Aside from the necessary items, how do you pass the time when there’s no electricity? Cards and board games are great!
Family Fun Time
Are your kids creative? When I was a child, our favorite Christmas gift that we could count on each year was our Creation Boxes. Mom and Dad would get a cardboard file box for each of us kids, and fill them to the brim with blank paper, construction paper, notebooks, paper, pens, colored pencils, crayons, glue, scissors… pretty much the ultimate scrapbook kit before there were such things. We built our own kingdoms, created our own games, and wrote our own stories.
I’ve created another PDF Checklist to start you on your way to a well-stocked emergency kit. Not to mention, some unplugged family fun!
Did I forget anything? What are your favorite items to add to the list?
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote.
You may also enjoy reading:
Stocking up the Pantry
Sep 3, 2013 |
It’s only September, but chatter has it that winter will be wearing out its welcome with voracity this year. I’ve talked with many gardeners over the past few months who tell me their baskets are less than bushels-ful. The Farmer’s Almanac has the country abuzz with their predictions of an earlier, colder, and longer winter.
Creeping Clouds
Now’s the time to start stocking up on those food items that can get you through any storm. They’re handy when there’s unexpected company. They’re reliable when you can’t get to the store. And most of the items are inexpensive, which allows you to save up now for those Big Feasts later.
Meal planning isn’t just about buying foods you need for a meal. It’s also about creatively using the foods you already have. I’m a big fan of mix-n-match foods that don’t cost a lot. Plus ~ Bonus! ~ most of these staples are multi-functional:
- Malt-o-Meal and Instant Oatmeals go well in travel tumblers for a warm, on-the-go Breakfast. Mix with a spoon of syrup for more flavor
- Puddings and gelatins offer a delightfully light texture for a snack or dessert
- Cream soups are warm and hearty on their own yet also blend well with rice or over meats
- Dried beans, once prepared, can be served in soups or with meats.
- A can of drained vegetables tossed with pasta adds color and taste to your main dish
- Diced canned tomatoes can be a side dish, added to a casserole, or served on toast
Breakfast Bruschetta
It’s also important to stock your freezer with foods you can easily prepare. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are a must-have at Bedford Manor. They can be quickly grilled, fried, baked, slow-cooked. Added to soups. Cut into strips. Placed on rice and pasta. Mixed into your Mac ‘n Cheese. The very versatile chicken breast is definitely worth the cost.
Chicken Mac ‘n Cheese
A few pieces of meat in the slow-cooker topped with a bottle of BBQ sauce, served alongside a helping of vegetables makes a great meal. Leftovers? No problem. Toss the meat into a serving of pasta. Or mix the vegetables into a soup.
A strategically stocked pantry and freezer can help you out of many food worries: When you need a quick fix for company. When your kids and spouse are having a snow day. When the car breaks down and you don’t want to spend any more money for a week. And when you want to save your bucks for the bigger Holiday menus.
Feel free to download my PDF Checklist before your next shopping trip. Really. I made it with you in mind. This list is by no means exhaustive, and can easily be changed to suit your household’s dietary needs and taste buds. You’ll also want to include items you typically keep in your refrigerator and kitchen cabinets: milk, butter, eggs, sugar, flour.
Are there other items that are staples in your pantry and freezer? How do you mix up your quick-fix meals?
As always,
~Happy Eating!
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
You may also enjoy reading:
Clipping Coupons
How To Eat For Free And Have Fun Doing It (Or, How Printing Coupons Gave Me a Really Great Weekend!)
Winco Wins
Meal Memo in a Jar
Apr 20, 2013 |
I love Lowe’s Home Improvement Stores. I especially love their Garden Centers.
I Love Lowe’s
This morning, we drove over to get yard plants. There’s a feel to walking through Lowe’s Garden Centers. The sprinkler-induced humidity. The welcome birds being chased by feral cats. The families planning together. The newlyweds picking their first flower pot.
I love walking through Lowe’s. Away from computers and electronics. Away from televisions and radios and outside interferences. It’s a way to briefly reconnect with reality. Earth. Nature.
I love breathing in the pungent aroma of Privet followed by the fragrance of Jasmine. The color explosion on each display table brings together possibilities I wouldn’t think of on my own.
Garden Centers are my Happy Place.
And now, they’re my Nature Field Trip.
As we walked past tables of flowers I saw a small bird. Only it wasn’t a bird. But it could have been. I was confused. I’d never seen anything like it. I didn’t know they exist. It was like that scene in Jurassic Park when the gates first open and the scientists enter another world. A world they knew about, dreamed about, but the real experience was far beyond any expectations.
I. Saw. This.
Hummingbird Moth
It’s a Hummingbird Moth. And yes. It looks exactly like a Hummingbird. And exactly like a Moth. It captured my attention for a quarter of an hour as I watched it flit from bright flower to bright flower, sucking the nectar and pollen. It wasn’t afraid of the people walking by. It wasn’t distracted by my stretched-out hand. It had one job: to help pollenate the flowers and drink the nectar.
And while I enjoyed my morning at Lowe’s picking up Photinia to plant under the picture window, it’s the Hummingbird Moth I’ll always remember.
Hummingbird Moth
Next paycheck, I think red flowers are on the shopping list. My yard could use a Hummingbird Moth.
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
Sep 2, 2012
When I first bought Bedford Manor, there were three trees in the front yard.
Before I moved in
Before moving in, I had the overgrown Juniper shrubs, Lily garden and miscellaneous items removed. The Fruitless Mulberry closest to the driveway grew so quickly, there were times driving into the garage felt like a trip on Disneyland’s Jungle Cruise. We made the decision last year to have it cut down [you can read about it here].
That resulted in the stump that I surrounded with scalloped brick and tried to utilize as a flower garden.
Stump Garden
Unfortunately, Southern California just went through one of the hottest heatwaves we’ve had in years. Which means that my potted flowers, the seeded flowers, and anything else that was supposed to grow, didn’t.
And in a hilarious turn of events, the tree stump began to reflourish. Even after two summer haircuts.
It Doesn’t Know It’s Dead.
Two days ago I decided it was time to stop playing pretend, and I made some drastic changes to the yard. First, I moved the scalloped brick to the side of the house. Then I cut all the new growth emitting from the stump.
I now have a stump. Not a garden. Not a pretend garden. Not a hedged-in dirt plot. A stump. It still needs a little more care to finish (drilling and salting). But thankfully it will cease to overrun my happy home.
Stump Growth
And I’m actually okay with that. Without the brick and the overgrowth, my yard is actually starting to look more like a yard again.
I’m so ready for Spring planting. My Italian Desert designs will come to life. I’m thankful that I have fall and winter to prepare the yard.
So much to do, so little time.
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
Jul 3, 2012
Remember about six weeks ago when I brought home some vegetation that looked promising? And then it didn’t?
Well, with some hard work, cooperating weather (less heat), and some Miracle-Gro and water, my crops are starting to, well, crop.
It took a full month of delicate, tedious care and prayer, and now my three plants are beginning to bear food. The tomato plant already blessed us with two beefsteak tomatoes last week, but I thought that would be all for this year.
Until this morning. I went out to diligently water, and in my pruning, peeking, and pouring, I found all these glorious new beginnings.
Fred the Tomato
Edgar the Eggplant
Gigi the Green Pepper Plant
I’m thinking in about a month, I should be enjoying some really wonderful Ratatouille from The Unemployment Cookbook.
Next year I’m going to invest in a raised-bed garden and plant some other types of produce like maybe potatoes and lettuce and zucchini. I’ll also try my hand at more upside-down planting with berries and grapes and such.
My mouth’s watering just thinking about it.
Do you like to garden? What are some of your gardening tips?
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she ate wrote!
