For the Love of Carrots

It was 10 minutes before dinner and I wanted another veggie for our fancy hot dog and baked beans dinner. So I figured why not roasted carrots? We have one who can't quite chew raw carrots yet or I would have served carrot sticks and called it good.

Slice carrots; thinner is better, but it's not critical. {kind of like my waistline----->}



Drizzle with olive oil, S & P and mix with your hands to coat. And here's a little secret, instead of washing my hands after, I rub all that olive oil in like lotion and then just give them a quick rinse.
In the oven at 400 degrees until edges start to brown, which isn't long.



A half eaten dinner is kind of grody, but I was so busy eating I almost forgot the after pic!

These guys loved the roasted carrots. And true to kiddo form the next time I made them they didn't.

What's your go to side dish 10 minutes before dinner?

Three Handy Things For My Summer Kitchen

I try my best to avoid getting sucked in by the siren that is Pinterest. There are so many lovely, handy and interesting pins.  A girl could get lost for days!

Here are a few of my favorites I've been using this summer.

1.  Growing green onions in water from The Burlap Bag.

Wild and crazy

This will keep your salads, quesadillas, eggs, and such.very happy. Mine sit next to the sink, not near a window and do fine for weeks. I just change the water every few days. That's it.

After a trim

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2.  Cooking corn on the cob in the oven from Riches to Rags

Sisters

When my friend Caroline pinned this I thought "how is it possible I grew up in Indiana and I don't know this method?!" Well, let me tell you it's the only way I cook corn now. Throw it in the oven with the husks still on at 350 for 30 minutes. The husks slide right off and the corn is juicy and delicious. Done.



3.  Cook a whole chicken in the slow cooker from good (CHEAP) eats

Throwing the whole bird in the Crock Pot means I hardly have to touch or think about touching raw chicken. This makes me happier than it should. And the chicken comes out perfectly. No more dry chicken, ever. (Or wire hangers. Name that movie.)

Have you found any winning ideas on Pinterest lately?

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Clean Your Stove, the easy way

Do you have nasty looking burners on your stove, like this:

Turn your gas stove on as low as the flame will go and in about 30 minutes, it will look like this:

 

Isn't that amazing?  I am easily impressed.  Here ends the infomercial.  Happy Labor Day!

WFMW Butter Wrappers

This may seem silly, but hey, it works for me. We love butter at our house and use it freely and with a smile. When I open a stick of butter I throw the wrapper in a ziplock bag in the fridge.

Then, when I need to grease a pan I grab one of the wrappers and just go to town.

No, I'm not throwing a gang symbol. Just trying to grease and take a picture at the same time.

Now get on over to Rocks In My Dryer and check out some other ideas.

Do You Like Apples?

I was reading Meredith's blog yesterday and she made this apple cake from Smitten Kitchen sound so good I had to make one today.

Even though I forgot the vanilla and had to use a Bundt pan instead of a tube pan, it still turned out to be delicious. That's my kind of recipe, very forgiving.

It's not a pretty cake, but my goodness is it tasty.

How do you like them apples?

A Dessert A Day Keeps The Doctor Away

This might not be a gourmet cherry pie, but I made the crust from scratch (last Thanksgiving. I made two pie crusts, used one and just found this one in the freezer!)

Baking is one of my favorite things when I have a newborn. Probably because I have such a sweet tooth when I am nursing. Who am I kidding? I always have a sweet tooth, I just like to pretend it's because I am feeding a hungry, hungry hippo.

No Rack Spice Rack

For years I have had daily fights with my spices. They would usually win. I would dig through the cabinet, some would jump out and spill, others would hide in the back, some would stay front and center...and the one I needed was never front and center. Well, no more fights. I bought these spice jars at World Market, broke out the P-Touch and lined them all up marching band style in a drawer. I smile at these guys everyday, and I'm pretty sure they smile right back.

How To Keep A Baby Busy

Keeping Noah busy while I cook dinner makes for a happy mama and a happy baby.

How about a mixing bowl with a few noodles. Now that sure looks like fun!

Using Up The Leftovers

I love it when I can make a new delicious meal out of leftovers. Maybe you won't think this is too creative, but it tasted so flippin' good I had to take a picture.

Steak Fried Rice!

What is your favorite leftover creation? Is there a meal you make knowing there will be leftovers to make a completely different meal?