Leader Enterprise - April 18, 2011 - Spring Cleaning (appliances)

It's that time of year when we tend to think more about spring cleaning.Something about all that wonderful daylight motivates us to scrub, de-clutter and rid our homes of winter dust bunnies. Doesn't it feel so good to get your house refreshened?

Here's a little 'trick' to cover up burnt toast odor or just to make your home smell great. Simmer a handful of whole cloves, 3-4 whole nutmegs, 4-5 cinnamon sticks, and/or perhaps a few orange or lemon peels in a large pot of water for an hour. But don't just pour this bubbling deodorizer down the drain! Instead, strain the cooled liquid into spray bottles and use it in the kitchen and elsewhere whenever the air could use a little freshening. Voila!


Open windows and doors when you can and 'air out' your home and invite the nice weather inside. Air out the rugs. Get a new brightly-colored dish towel to hang in your kitchen or change out your sponge or dishcloth. Little things can really help add cheer to your home.


I am very fond of practical and frugal tips. My own favorite cleaning tip is for cleaning your microwave with ease. Fill a mug or bowl with water, adding about a tablespoon of lemon juice. Turn it on high for 3-4 minutes, then allow to stand a few minutes while the steam loosens the cooked-on splatters. Wipe out with a cloth, removing turntable to wash in dishsoap. The lemon juice freshens and removes any lingering odors.


My sweet hubby received a Consumer Reports book "How to Clean Practically Anything" and right away, handed it over to me to glean from. (No,I didn't take it personally). I was intrigued by these ideas to clean up the appliances and tools in the kitchen so I decided to pass along these simple cleaning tips to you.


CHOPPING BOARDS: Whether you use a wooden or plastic cutting board, wash it as soon as possible after use in soapy water. Sprinkle some salt on it, squeeze a little fresh lemon juice on it, then scrub the board with the cut lemon to rid it of stains and freshen it too. Disinfect boards frequently by wiping them down with one part bleach and 10 parts water. Be sure to rinse thoroughly.


COFFEEMAKERS: Dried coffee oils can ruin the taste of the best coffee. Be sure to wash the carafe, filter in soapy water. Don't forget to rinse well and dry. To rid mineral buildups in tubes and tank, run a mixture of half white vinegar and half water through, atleast a couple of times. Then run fresh water through a few more times to thoroughly rinse.


BLENDERS: Some parts may be dishwasher safe, but the easiest way is to fill the blender partway with HOT water (not boiling), adding a few drops of liquid dishwashing soap. Place the cover on top and run on high for 20 seconds. Allow to stand 3-5 minutes; rinse with cold water and allow to air dry. Wipe base with soft cloth dampened with water or white vinegar. Dry thoroughly.

SHOWERHEADS: To unclog scaly deposits - vinegar comes to the rescue again!Simmer a metal head for 15 minutes in one part vinegar; 8 parts water, or just let it soak in straight vinegar overnight. Scrub with an old toothbrush and it'll look like new.

GARBAGE DISPOSAL: Grind citrus peels in the garbage disposal to eliminate nasty odors and freshen the drain. Keep water flowing and allow disposal to run atleast 30 seconds after grinding noises stop. Don't forget to wash the rubber gasket too.


It's the time of year for spring fruits and veggies, so I'm going to help you enjoy rhubarb and asparagus a little more with these easy and favorite recipes. Did you know that if you bend a stalk of asparagus when cleaning, it naturally breaks off at the tough part? Give it a try, it works great. We always freeze alot of asparagus in the spring to last us through the winter. Hubby is a great help with this big project, and I'm very thankful. Feel free to substitute fresh cooked asparagus in this recipe.


ASPARAGUS CASSEROLE

1 sleeve Ritz crackers, crushed

4 Tb. butter or margarine,melted

2 (15 ozs) cans asparagus spears, drained

(or 2-3 c.fresh cooked asparagus)

1 (8 ozs) can sliced water chestnuts, optional

2-3 hard-boiled eggs, chopped

1/2 c. evaporated or 2% milk

1 (10.75 ozs) can cream of mushroom soup

Preheat oven to 350. Grease 9"x9" baking dish. In small bowl, mix cracker crumbs with butter; place half in bottom of dish. Layer asparagus, water chestnuts and chopped eggs on top of crumbs. In small bowl, mix milk and soup; pour over top. Sprinkle with remaining cracker crumbs on top. Bake 30 minutes or until bubbly. May sprinkle asparagus with shredded cheese before topping with crumbs prior to baking if desired.


RHUBARB AND MINUTE TAPIOCA

2-1/2 c. diced rhubarb

2-1/2 c. water

1-1/2 c. white sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 c. minute tapioca

Cook all ingredients together in large saucepan; stir occasionally. Rhubarb breaks down when it is done. Cool. May add small can of crushed pineapple if desired. Chill and serve. Keeps well for a couple of weeks in the refrigerator. I always make this recipe with Splenda and it's delicious.


We regularly enjoy fruit/yogurt smoothies for breakfast. This is a healthy and refreshing drink that makes a great breakfast or snack anytime. Very easy and quick too.Add a scoop of protein powder if you'd like.


ORANGE CREAMSICLE SMOOTHIE

1 c. skim milk

1 (6 ozs) container low/non-fat vanilla yogurt

1/3 c. frozen orange juice concentrate, partially thawed

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

5 ice cubes, crushed


Combine milk, yogurt, oj concentrate and vanilla in blender. Blend 15 seconds to combine ingredients. Add ice cubes and blend about 20 seconds longer until frothy. Serve immediately. Serves 2. Each serving = 198 cals., 1.5 gr.fat, 10 gr. protein, 1.5 gr.fiber


Til next time, soak in some rays and Vitamin D-enjoy the sunshine!

An Invitation, A Party & A Potluck - YA'LL COME!!

You are Invited To....

A Potluck at The Better Baker!

I AM THRILLED, BLESSED & HONORED TO BECOME A PART OF AN AMAZING TEAM AT "WEEKEND POTLUCK" LINKY PARTY!

When: Every Friday starting at 7 am and all through the weekend

Where: At 5 great blogs

What to bring: Your favorite recipes! As many as you can carry!

NOW ON WITH THE SHOW...

Last week, we mentioned that we were going to add a new cohost to our Weekend Potluck team. Well… it’s so exciting to announce that we actually added two fabulous blogs to our party. Now, you can also find Weekend Potluck at The Better Baker and Sunflower Supper Club. Please make sure to swing by and welcome them.

The recipe with the most clicks was ~

Grammy’s White Sheet Cake by Eat Cake for Dinner

Recipes that caught our attention ~

Jalapeno Popper Grilled Cheese Sandwich by Galley Kitchen

Mounds Bars by That Skinny Chick Can Bake

And, a personal favorite ~

Skinnified Chicken Pad Thai by Skinny Kitchen

If you were featured today, please feel free to grab the red “featured” button below.

 

Your hosts ~

• The Better Baker~ Marsha
• Sunflower Supper Club~ Kim & Julie
• 4 Little Fergusons~ Tonya
• The Country Cook~ Brandie
• Meet Penny ~ Tabitha

Remember that when you link up, it shows on all FIVE blogs. Plus…

We TWEET. We PIN. We LIKE.

We want you to get as much exposure as possible so that your time here is well invested. Linky Guidelines: If you wish for us to promote your recipe or want to be a featured recipe, you must follow these instructions. Please link up to your exact post and not the main page to your blog. Also, LINK BACK HERE from your post so that others can find the fun. (Need help linking back? Read this.) You can use the button or a direct link within your post. If you have a recipe to share, please be sure that you are following ALL co-hosts (The Better Baker, Sunflower Supper Club, The Country Cook, 4 Little Fergusons, AND Meet Penny) by either RSS feed, Daily Email Digest, Facebook or Twitter. Thanks so much for participating!

{Slow Cooker} Honey Dijon Pork Chops and Apples

I love simple meals...and of course delicious too, and this one really fits that bill. 

We eat a lot of chicken, and occassionally we eat the 'other white meat'.

After getting a very good deal on some boneless pork chops, I was happy to come across this delicious meal at Eat at Home.

Tiffany is my kind of gal (and her last name, King, is my maiden name, so I'm naturally partial to her=)  I think we share taste buds as she surely shares MY kind of recipes.

(Did you know I had to humble myself to marry my husband?  I went from a KING to a BAKER). {grins}

Tiffany also has her own eBook - Feasting in 15. Check it out - it has lots of ideas for speedcooking weeknight dinners. 

OH SO YUM too!

I LOOOVE pork chops with apples too, so I didn't have to think twice about trying this simply satisfying meal.

The recipe also calls for onions, but you can leave them out if you don't care for them.

The only thing I changed was adding a little liquid to the crockpot - apple juice, but Tiffany insists it isn't necessary.

SLOW COOKER HONEY DIJON PORK CHOPS AND APPLES (& ONIONS TOO)

1-1/2 lbs. pork chops, boneless or bone-in

5 small apples, peeled and sliced

1 onion, sliced

3 Tb. honey

1 tsp. dijon mustard

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

generous grinds of black pepper

(we put pepper on just about everything!)

1/3 c. apple juice

Place pork chops in bottom of crock. In small bowl, combine honey, dijon, salt and pepper together. Pour over apples and onions;toss to coat.  Place apples and onions on top of chops in slow cooker. 

Add apple juice. Cook 5 - 6 hours on high or 7 - 8 hours on low.

(I had thin pork chops and they were ready after 4-1/2 hours...on high).

I served it over rice.

Yield: 4 - 6 servings

Linked to Thursdays Treasures
Gooseberry Patch Roundup
Mix it up Monday
Whatcha Crockin Wednesday

Easy Cheese Danishes

Oh my - you are going to love these!

Especially if you are a cream cheese lover like I am!

Crescent rolls are my #2 favorite ingredient...right after cream cheese.

Combine the two and I'm in love for sure.

After seeing this inviting recipe from Brandie at The Country Cook I was dreaming about these...wanting to try them for a couple of weeks...

{Please stop by and pay Brandie a visit.  She is an awesome cook and loves simple and delicious recipes just like I do. She's an all-around sweet southern gal - and has a great photo tutorial at the link above for this simple recipe.}

but knew I'd scarf them all down myself, so I waited for the right opportunity when I could share.

My daughter in love, Lyn, who loves cream cheese as much as I do was here, so I whipped up half a batch, and we devoured all 4 of them. 

It was such a breeze for both of us! *-*

It wasn't long, and Lyn had made them a few times for her family! And....she experimented by spreading with peanut butter and sprinkling chocolate chips on it before rolling them up.

HOW COULD YOU NOT LLLOOOOOOVE THEM???

These melt in your mouth and are quick to fix.  Enjoy them for breakfast, or for a snack. The whole recipe can be easily halved.

You can even dress them up with fruit filling if you so choose.

Your family will love you for sure.

Brandie also has a recipe for Shortcut Apple Danish too. Check it out...

EASY CHEESE DANISHES

Danish:

2 tubes crescent rolls (8 in each)

1 (8 ozs) pkg. cream cheese, softened

1/4 c. white sugar

(I use xylitol)

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 Tb. butter, melted

8 Tb. light brown sugar

Glaze:

1/2 c. powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

4 tsp. milk

Preheat oven to 350. Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray.

In medium bowl, combine softened cream cheese with sugar and vanilla. Mixture should be creamy and smooth when finished.

(I have to confess I was in such a hurry I didn't blend it thoroughly =)

Separate dough into 8 rectangles.  Seal performations. Using a brush or spoon, spread melted butter evenly over crescent rolls.  Sprinkle each rectangle with about 1 Tb. brown sugar.

Roll up from long side; pinch edges to seal. Holding one end, loosely coil each. Now  spread out the dough with your fingers to make room for the filling in the center...

making it as large as possible to hold more filling. 

Place on prepared cookie sheet. Top each coil with about 2 TB. of cream cheese filling. Bake 15 - 18 minutes, or until golden brown.

Mix glaze ingredients in small bowl; stir until smooth and drizzle over each warm danish. (We enjoyed them without glaze).

Linked to What's New Wednesday
     Mix it up Monday
            Melt in your Mouth Monday
     Crazy Sweet Tuesday
Scrumptious Sunday
Mop it up Monday
Breakfast Ideas Monday
Thursday's Treasures

Snickerdoodle Bread

I do think I jumped up and down (while sitting right here in my chair!) when I saw this amazing recipe at Aunt Nubby's Kitchen.

Snickerdoodle Cookies always bring emotions to the surface as they are what I often made as a child, after GETTING to make them when I was in 4-H.

This bread is sooo tasty and I love that it has sour cream in it too.

I made this to serve to a ladies group at church and it was a big hit. Especially with the cinnamon butter that I served alongside it.

MMMMM!

If you love snickerdoodle cookies, you will LOOOOVE this awesome bread. 

It has a crunchy sugar/cinnamon topping that adds a perfect touch.

SNICKERDOODLE BREAD

1 c. butter, softened

2 c. sugar

(I reduced it to 1-1/2)

3 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 c. sour cream

2-1/2 c. all purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 (10 ozs) bag cinnamon chips

(where you find choco chips, but maybe only seasonally?)

2 Tb. flour

TOPPING:

2 Tb. sugar

2 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350. Prepare 2 9-in. loaf pans by spraying with cooking spray. In large bowl, combine butter and sugar; cream together with electric mixer for about 2 minutes until fluffy.  Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.  Add vanilla and sour cream; mix to combine.

In medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon; whisk to combine.  Add flour mixture to creamed mixture, stirring until blended.

Coat the cinnamon chips with 2 Tb. flour, then stir into batter. Spoon batter into prepared pans.  Combine sugar and cinnamon for topping; sprinkle over batter before baking.

Bake 55 - 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center of loaf comes out clean. Remove from oven; let cool 5 - 10 minutes before removing from pans to rack to cool.

Linked to Totally Tasty Tuesday

                Scrumptious Sunday

                        Melt in Your Mouth Monday

         Mix it up Monday

Weekend Potluck