Substance of Living

Spring is here and the farmers' markets are beginning to carry fresh fruits and vegetables.  Hurray for us!  That is, along as all that freshness doesn't end up uneaten. I used to buy, for example, a couple onions and by the time the first onion was completely used, the second or third had gone bad.  Now, I purchase a bag of onions and upon arriving home, all the onions are chopped, diced, sliced, or any combination and frozen.  That way the onions are available and ready for use.  In our house, onions are usually cooked and not very often used raw.  If raw onions are going to be used, say in a salad, then a quick trip to the salad bar in the grocery store is in order.  Perhaps a little extra in cost but no waste. Source: PartSelect When I was asked by PartSelect to share their infograph with you, I didn't really know who they were or their story.  Full disclosure here: I neither was paid nor received any freebies for this post but agreed t...

A Pinch 1/8 Teaspoon or Less 3 Teaspoon 1 Tablespoon 2 Tablespoon 1/8 Cup 4 Tablespoon 1/4 Cup 16 Tablespoon 1 Cup 5 Tablespoon + 1 Teaspoon 1/3 Cup 4 Ounces 1/2 Cup 8 Ounces 1 Cup 16 Ounces 1 Pound 1 Ounce 2 Tablespoon Fat or Liquid 1 Cup of Liquid 1/2 Pint 2 Cups 1 Pint 2 Pints 1 Quart 4 Cups of Liquid 1 Quart 1 Quart 4 Cups 4 Quarts 1 Gallon 8 quarts 1 Peck (such as apples) 1 Jigger 1 1/2 Fluid Ounces (3 Tablespoons)   Abbreviations tsp Teaspoon Tbsp or T Tablespoon oz Ounce C Cup pt Pint qt Quart Hope these charts come in handy for the upcoming holiday cooking and baking season. Tweet this Post Please share me with your friends! If you enjoyed this post, please do a friend and me a BIG favor and forward this email. If you received this email from a friend and you'd like to see more, please sign up today . Don't miss out on future articles. Have Substance of Living delivered directly to your inbox.  THANKS!

August 12, 2012 - August 18, 2012 Day Menu Item Shopping Sunday Chick Pea "Quizza" 1/2 bunch thin leafy greens, such as Dandelion, Chard, or Spinach 4 large Cloves Garlic Sundried Tomatoes Red or other Sweet Pepper, Broccoli or Zucchini Chickpea Flour Monday Gluten Free Roasted Butternut Squash Lasagna 1 Butternut Squash 1 bunches Kale 2 Cloves Garlic 1 Onion (Non-Vegan version: 3 diced and lightly browned Andouille chicken sausages. I used Amy Lu’s from Costco) Mozzarella (shredded) 1 recipe gluten-free homemade lasagna or 1 box of Tinkyada lasagna Tuesday Vegan Ice Cream Cake Gluten-Free Sandwich Cookies 3 Vegan ice Cream Flavors Spring-form Pan Wednesday Tamale Shepherd's Pie 2 1/2 lbs Red Potatoes   Lime 1 Onion 1 Poblano Pepper 4 cloves garlic 8 oz Mushrooms Cilantro (fresh) 1 1/4 lbs Plum Tomatoes (about 6) Corn (fresh or frozen) Dry Red Wine Ground Cumin Crushed Red Pepper Flakes Tortilla Chi...

The kitchen is the hardest working room in the house.  On top of that, it seems to be where we spend the majority of our time. Don't you deserve to be surrounded by pretty, if not completely functional, items in the kitchen while you're working hard preparing meals for your family? Here are some fun projects (easy to intermediate) to make for your family kitchen, vacation home, or to give as a hostess gift.  The great thing about making things is that you can tailor the colors or theme to match your decor. Make and Takes This painted confetti towel looks so fun and would pair perfectly in a retro-kitchen.  Can you see this as a theme for an ice cream party? Angharad Handmade Ever wonder where you put your special cloth napkins?  Missing a napkin to a set? This is a nice two-part tutorial for making a double-sided napkin set and holder. I have to Say over at All Crafts Wouldn't you just love to receive this kitchen set as a gift? Do you kn...

Who knew when we were little that we would grow up to be a CEO (Chief Executive Officer), CFO (Chief Financial Officer), Chief Operating Officer (COO), Financial Analyst, Manager, Chauffeur, Inventory Control Officer, or an Officer of Waste Management?  Maybe not of a large corporation but in one fashion or another, we are all of these titles in our own homes.  We wear so many hats at any given time.  Sometimes it's amazing that anything gets done.  However, when we start at home, we are able to make a larger impact in our community affecting leaders of great companies. We vote with our wallets.   We talk about the high cost of gasoline and yet we have smart phones with outrageous phone bills each month.  We talk about the price of groceries and yet we eat out in restaurants or waste the food that we do bring home. Do we really need to have “up-to-the-minute” information all day?  My husband and I found ourselves (not just once) in a nice res...

When we moved into our cute apartment while searching for our new home, a few things - the pantry being one - were not high on our list.  Once we moved in, it became apparent that unfortunately our temporary home doesn’t have what one would call a pantry.  So, we have truly combined our dining room and kitchen.  I suppose our storage system is much like open-cupboard cabinets.  Very pretty to look at but function and storage must be taken into consideration.  Luckily we had some nice storage pieces.  Glass containers are so much prettier to look at than a box.  So, cereal and pasta went into pretty containers. The metal shelving found its way into the kitchen from the storage closet to hold the canned goods and coffee maker.  These larger coffee makers really are great for company or quickly making a large pot of tea.   The island cart came in from the screened-in patio to hold some extra dishes and non-canned goods. S...

I'm so happy to be able to share this newest recipe with you today.  I'm happy because whenever I start changing ingredients to fit my dietary needs, it's anyone's guess whether it will turn out or be one of those mad scientist experiments.  I, like I'm sure you, have revisited the kitchen counter many times to try again. I've learned to keep the original recipe in tact, take notes of what was changed, the date, and any comments as to how it turned out and thoughts of what to try next time. Anytime Tea Cake Mix together in a medium bowl 2 T Vegan Butter 2 T Olive Oil 1/2 C Dark Brown Sugar, packed 1/4 C Sucralose type sugar 2/3 C Plain Soymilk 1/3 C Orange Juice 1 t Apple Cider Vinegar Allow to sit for five minutes. Mix together in a small bowl 1 1/2 c Gluten Free Flour Mixture 1/8 c Flax Seed 1/4 c Vanilla Soy Protein Powder 1 t Baking Soda 2 t Baking Powder Mix in with the wet ingredients 1 Ripe Banana 1/2 C Coconut ...

"Better keep yourself clean and bright; you are the window through which you must see the world." -- George Bernard Shaw Choose any five (5) days a week to do the following projects.  Try to do at least two items a day and to ensure that they are done, schedule them in your calendar.  Over a month's time, everything should have been done at least once, if not more often.  Some items won't be done at all due to the time of year. I have not scheduled the amount of time each task will take because the size of rooms, number of people in a house, etc.  The first time you do each task mark down how long it took so that you know approximately how long it will take next time.  You will probably find that each task will end up taking a little less time as you get better organized.  You might be able to complete a load of laundry in while you clean the tub, sink, toilet, and floor! Clean out the refrigerator while you're getting dinner ready or or...