Japanese Corn Soup

Yummy!

Kitchen tools needed:

stove

knife

sauce pan (2 qt.)blender

medium stockpot (6 qt.)

can opener

whisk

spatula

measuring spoons

Ingredients needed:

3 chicken bouillon cubes

2 tsp. minced dried onion

1 lb. chicken breast, cubed

2 c. water

6-14.75 oz. cans creamed corn

14.75 oz. whole kernel corn, drained

3 large eggs, beaten

2 c. whole milk ~or~ 2 c. soy creamer

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

Directions:

1. In saucepan, boil water with chicken, bouillon and onion until meat is cooked through (approx. 10-15 min.).  Let cool.
2. Using blender, liquefy/puree on high the creamed corn (2 cans at a time) until smooth.  When each batch is complete, pour into stockpot.
3. Take cooled chicken and broth and put in blender; pulse a few times to shred/pulverize meat.  Add to stockpot along with egg and milk/creamer.
4. Fold egg, whole kernel corn and milk/creamer into mixture along with salt and pepper.
5. Simmer soup on low heat (approx. 10-15 min.) until bubbles begin to form.  Be sure to stir constantly to insure it does not burn on the bottom of pot.
6. Serve and enjoy!

28 Day Organization/Cleaning Challenge (Day 3 - Linen Closet)

Well, I procrastinated, plead and tried bargaining with myself...then, just threw my hands up and said, "Let's roll!"

The much dreaded day of this organization/cleaning challenge, has arrived.  You may ask yourself why I start breaking out in hives over a closet.  I mean, really, it's just a bunch of linens, right?  It's that darn fitted sheet!  We are at odds.  With that said, I decided one little thing shouldn't keep me from achieving a goal and put that fight aside for later.

So THIS is our linen closet.  You might be scratching your head...yes, it is practically empty.  Why, you might ask?  Well, of all the things in our house to fall into the cracks when it comes to upkeep, this is the spot.  It's probably because of that good-for-nothing fitted sheet.  But, I digress...anyway, this is how I started out.  It's quite narrow with a big open space at the bottom, perfect for catching all the stuff that I have no idea where else to put.

I at least have good intentions...
Each shelf has already been labeled as to what type of linen should be placed there (quadrants again, it's a household organizing theme).  We have: Bath towels, hair towels (they are a little smaller and thinner/kind easily wrapped around my head), hand towels, floor/bath mats, washcloths, pool towels and then sheets/pillowcases.  

Every item is white.  I like  to replace things as they wear out, without needing to match them to something as well as being able to bleach.  So, white they are.  It really does make it easier in the long run...I'm not saying to run out and get only white linens but you may want to consider it when/if you are buying new.  I find it makes my life a bit easier and germy'er-free.

In order to maximize how much I can get in (when there is stuff there), I have folded items in a specific way. We don't hang towels on a rack, so I'm only concerned about storage when folding.

Here is how I fold a bath, hair and pool towel:

Step 1: Fold towel in half

by taking the bottom 

hem and fold up.

Step 2: Taking hem, fold
down in half again.

Step 3: Begin folding in
three from left to right.

Step 4: Finish trifold by

folding in on itself, from 

left to right.             

...and here is how I fold a hand towel, floor/bath mat and washcloth:

Step 1: Begin folding in

three from left to right.

Step 2: Trifold again by

folding from right to left.

Step 3: Fold in half from

top to bottom.

When I place things on a shelf, there aren't any finished ends showing...it looks showplace nice.

Here is the finished product...

Along with stocking the shelves, I also purged out some of the unnecessary items from the floor.  Our humidifier had cracks in the tank (which, I'd been unaware of until dusting it off), the baby tub had been outgrown and beach towels have found another location.

As for the sheets...well, that's going to be the topic of another post.  It took me a while (I won't admit to the actual amount of time because you might have me committed), but I have conquered THE FITTED SHEET.

28 Day Organization/Cleaning Challenge (Day 2 - Pantry)

Okay, okay...so I got a little ahead of myself earlier and actually skipped ahead to Day 4's assignment.  Thanks to my co-sponsor, The Family Frontier (thefamilyfrontier.blogspot.com), I'm back on track.  Real-life example of how having someone else along for the journey can be helpful and provide sometimes the support you need!

Anyway, onward and upward...

Today's feat is conquering the pantry.  I myself, keep a tidy and organized one.  So before pictures really looked similar to these after ones, with the exception of adding a few more containers.

As you can see,

I am a labeling fool.  It wouldn't be far-fetched for me to go into a panic if I lost my Brother P-touch 1100.

Like other locations in the house, I organize by quadrants.  It really is helpful to keep like items together.  Another thing I do it keep the items like juice boxes, fruit squeezers and breakfast items at a level that our school-ager can reach.  This way if he needs a snack or something to eat, the foods he is allowed are reachable while the cookies, sweets and chips are up top and out of reach.

28 Day Cleaning/Organizing Challenge (Day 1 - Refrigerator)

Well...let's get started on the 28 Day Cleaning/Organization Challenge! There's no better time than now...

Not too long ago, I "shame cleaned" ours and made the before and after photos public knowledge. I think one of the reasons our fridges get so out of hand is because you close the door and that little light goes out...essentially, blacking it out and making it no longer exist. Well, it's still there! All those half-eaten items and expired condimentts continue to take up shelf space and WILL make it difficult to find what it is you really need the next time you are in there.

Well today, I implore you to take a bit of time and tackle this area of your home.

I personally, took everything out and scrubbed the interior down.  Anything that was removable, went into a sink full of hot soapy water.  Once that was done, I started to pair like food items together.  Because it's easier to find things when they are next to something similar, I decide to organize things and place them into quadrants ...

Here are a few I decided on for our refrigerator:

Condiments

Dairy

Asian/Marinades

Dressings

Vegetables

Fruits

Drinks

  

Then I got my handy label maker out and started typing.

Now it'll be easier to remember where to put things when we food shop or are putting something back after use.

When my husband saw this, he said, "THIS is organize too??!!??"  Why, yes! Be thankful for it, Big Guy.  Because, in the long run, I really think this will be most helpful.

 Here are a few other helpful hints that this Closet Housewife uses:

-Not everything is labeled with expiration dates...mark with the "opened date." This way, you really know how long its been lurking.
-Use Ziploc bags. Not an onion or garlic clove goes into our fridge without being put into one. I use a hole punch to give the items breathing capability but it doesn't let all the paper (skin) to come off and reek havoc in the drawer.

The Closet Housewife's 28 Day Cleaning & Organizing Challenge (List)