Nancy on the Home Front

A Mini Spatula Review: My Favorites

After unpacking from our cross-country move I have realized we have too mush “stuff” even have de-cluttering for the last few years. One thing I found too many of was mini-spatulas. I decided to take a hard look at the ones I really like and pass the rest along. First I needed to do a mini spatula review and find out which one I really liked!

Growing up I think my mother only ever had one spatula in the house. I had never even heard of mini spatulas. Several years ago I saw a set of mini spatulas for sale in a little store and thought how perfect. This is a mini spatula review.

The set I purchased has worked so well over the years. The mini spatulas are perfect for cleaning out small jars of condiments or jam. I would hate to be without them now.

As spatulas do, one of my mini spatulas started to get worn out and there were cuts along the edge and really needed to be replaced. Finding a replacement was not that easy. The set I had purchased originally has been redesigned and I’m not sure I like the new version. The handles on the original set were square while the handles on the newer version are round. I know it doesn’t make a lot of deference but the square handles were easy to set down and they would stay in place, no rolling around.

I was also disappointed because my favorite mini spatula is no longer made. The design was that of a typical spatula but a mini version. The spatula is slightly curved which makes it so easy to get every little bit out of a tiny jar. The brand I really like is Tovolo and they are found on Amazon. By far Tovolo is a superior product, even if they no longer make my favorite mini spatula.

Several years ago I was also given a mini spatula made by Dream Farm. The design is unique in that the handle has a bend in it, I guess to lean on a jar? It also has a tsp. measurement on the handle, which is perhaps how much the mini spatula holds? This brand is also well made and functions well but for some reason I don’t use it that often.

If you are looking for a mini spatula or have never had one in your kitchen I would strongly suggest the Tovolo product. They last for years and you will find many uses for these tiny spatulas. If you are interested in learning more about my other favorite kitchen items check out my Amazon Storefront.

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For more information, please see my disclosure policy. Thank you for supporting Nancy On The Home Front.

Goal Setting Week 21 Update

Goal setting is an ongoing process and I constantly remind myself to enjoy the process and not think I have to complete all my goals in one week! The process of unpacking and making this house our home has been much more time consuming than we realized it would be! We are now down to hanging artwork! And yes, we still have large bags of packing material in our living room.

Continue to monetize my blog. This is my ongoing goal. Have you taken the time to check out my page on Amazon? This page is where I put all the items I just love, from favorite cookbooks to gardening tools. Please check it out. Another aspect of this goal involves increasing my readership. If you enjoy reading my blog, please recommend it or share with your friends. I sure appreciate all my new subscribers!

2. Create a cookbook. You may remember this goal was on my list last year and I finally put it aside. My goal for this year is to have my cookbook ready by November 2019. Considering how fast time is flying by I am realizing that I need to break this goal down into bite size pieces. My office is pretty much set up, I have a new computer desk and it’s time to get cracking on this goal! No more excuses!

3. Have 20 minutes of exercise at least 5 times a week. While it’s not been hard to get exercise in while unpacking and setting up our home my next aspect of this goal is to find a local gym or pool to join. I would love to find a pilates reformer class.

4. Explore ~~ten~~ 6 parks or hiking trails in the state of Washington or Oregon! No new parks this week. Looking forward to re-visiting some of the parks we enjoyed in the past!

5. Incorporate 20 7 new recipes into our dinner plans with the focus on healthy eating. Finally getting back on track with meal planning! Made two news recipes this week, a delicious Taco Bean Soup which I cooked in our crock pot and a delicious Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breast. If you are interested in the recipes let me know and I will be glad to share them!

6. Read 35 16 new books this year. Read Reader Player One, by Earnest Cline, a book which my son recommended. It is more of a science fiction type of book and not something I usually read. However it was enjoyable and gave me a small glimpse into the gamers world.

7. Complete ~~Four~~ 1 knitting or sewing projects this year. Just one more project to complete and I’m hoping it’s the mitten that I’ve started. However this is getting put on hold for a bit.

8. Visit family on the west coast. Been so busy with our immediate family we haven’t had a chance to connect with the entered family yet!

9. Explore ~~Six~~ 5 new museums in the area. Found out we actually have a little museum right in our town, the Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals. It sounds worthy of checking out.

10. ~~Find A New Home~~ COMPLETED! Wonderful to have this goal completed! Our new house is finally feeling much more like our home. the majority of the unpacking is behind us and we just have some art work to hang on the walls. So nice to have this goal completed!

“To reach a port, we must sail—Sail, not tie at anchor—Sail, not drift.”
Franklin Roosevelt

This post may contain affiliate links. These affiliate links help support this site.

For more information, please see my disclosure policy. Thank you for supporting Nancy On The Home Front.

Cinnamon Raisin Sourdough Bread

When we lived in Vermont I had purchased a sourdough starter from King Arthur. It performed well and I had it for several years. I made all sorts of delicious breads, biscuits and even a sour dough cake. Unfortunately when we put our house on the market I let my sourdough go and it eventually had to be discarded. I really missed making cinnamon raisin sourdough bread.

Recently my daughter started her own starter, which did very well. She shared some with me and I am once again enjoying having a sourdough starter on hand. Recently I made Cinnamon Raisin Sourdough Bread, which was amazing. Very easy to make and it was gone in a day, it was that good! I’m going to make it again, but next time I will make two loaves. I found the recipe on the King Arthur website, their recipes have never failed me.

This bread makes the best toast but I’ll bet it would be equally as good grilled in a Panini with peanut butter and apples.

Cinnamon Raisin Sourdough Bread

Ingredients:

Dough:

½ cup sourdough starter
3 cups flour
2 ½ tsp. instant yeast
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 ¼ tsp. salt
1 large egg
5 Tbsp. soft butter
2/3 cup lukewarm water

Filling:

¼ cup sugar
1 ½ tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. flour
1 large egg beaten with 1 Tbsp. water
½ cup raisins

Instructions:

Make the dough. Combine all the dough ingredients and mix and knead to make a soft, smooth dough. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and allow to rise for 1 ½ to 2 hours, until it’s just about doubled in bulk.

While the dough is rising, make the filling by stirring together the sugar, cinnamon and flour.

Gently deflate the dough and transfer it to a lightly greased work surface. Roll and pat the dough into a rough rectangle about 6 x 20. The dough will be sticky, just do your best. Brush the dough with the egg/water mixture and sprinkle evenly with the filling and raisins. Starting with the short end, roll the dough into a log. Pinch the ends to seal and pinch the long seam closed. Transfer the log, seam side down, to a lightly grease 9×5 loaf pan. Cover and allow to rise until it’s crested over about one inch over the rim of the pan, about one hour.

While the dough is rising preheat your oven to 350. Bake the bread for 40-45 minutes, cover lightly with aluminum foil after the first 15-20 minutes. The bread’s crust will be golden brown and the interior will be 190 on a digital thermometer.

Remove the bread from the oven, and gently loosen the edges. Turn it out of the pan. If desired you can brush the top surface with butter. Allow the cinnamon raisin sourdough bread to cool before slicing.

Goal Setting Week 20 Update

Goal setting is not always easy when you’re in the midst of unpacking! I have to say that unpacking is almost harder than moving! We have been unpacking everyday since we moved in and there are still things in boxes. However the upstairs is all set up and the living room kitchen area is almost there. Just have to hang some art work and I can start working outside in the garden!

Continue to monetize my blog. This is my ongoing goal. Have you taken the time to check out my page on Amazon? This page is where I put all the items I just love, from favorite cookbooks to gardening tools. Please check it out. Another aspect of this goal involves increasing my readership. If you enjoy reading my blog, please recommend it or share with your friends. I sure appreciate all my new subscribers!

2. Create a cookbook. You may remember this goal was on my list last year and I finally put it aside. My goal for this year is to have my cookbook ready by November 2019. I am slowly getting my office set up, I am so thrilled to have my own little space. Right now I’m working at a table but I’ve got everything I need at my fingertips!

Goal setting is not always easy wen you are in the midst of unpacking!

3. Have 20 minutes of exercise at least 5 times a week. No problem getting exercise these days. Most days I am getting my 10K steps! Mother’s Day we took a break and went to Astoria with my daughter and her family. Our weather has been beautiful. It was nice to get steps walking around outside rather than back and forth from the garage getting boxes to unpack!

4. Explore ~~ten~~ 6 parks or hiking trails in the state of Washington or Oregon! In addition to walking around Astoria we also explored Fort Stevens State Park. Beautiful scenery.

There were signs warning of that we were in cougar country! Not something I’ve ever seen before!

5. Incorporate 20 9 new recipes into our dinner plans with the focus on healthy eating. I wish I had a fabulous new recipe to share but meals have been hit or miss lately! I love my kitchen and can’t wait to really start incorporating some new recipes into our meal plan!

6. Read 35 17 new books this year. I finished reading Marilla of Green Gables by Sarah McCoy. I really enjoyed this book. The author did a great job following in the footsteps of the original writer of Anne of Green Gables, L.M. Montgomery.

7. Complete ~~Four~~ 1 knitting or sewing projects this year. My mittens are put on hold while I unpack. Of course in all the unpacking I came upon a few more knitting projects that I just might have to add to the list!

8. Visit family on the west coast. We actually have family in Portland, a cousin of my mom’s and we are invited for dinner as soon as we get settled. There is also talk of a family reunion this fall!

9. Explore ~~Six~~ 5 new museums in the area. Found out we actually have a little museum right in our town, the Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals. It sounds worthy of checking out.

10. ~~Find A New Home~~ COMPLETED! Wonderful to have this goal completed! Looking forward to having the packing behind us and not a daily activity!

“Who aims at excellence will be above mediocrity;
who aims at mediocrity will be far short of it.”
Burmese Saying

This post may contain affiliate links. These affiliate links help support this site.

For more information, please see my disclosure policy. Thank you for supporting Nancy On The Home Front.

Making a Sourdough Starter

If you are lucky you have a friend that can share some of their sourdough starter with you. You can also purchase one from King Arthur, which I have done in the past. I used to make the most amazing sourdough biscuits with the starter. Recently my daughter made her own sourdough starter and then shared some with me. Making a sourdough starter was much easier than I thought.

Making your own sourdough starter is a week long process and you have to throw away a little of the starter each day. However by day seven you will be able to use the discard to make your own sourdough bread, biscuits or whatever you like!

Day One

Combine 50g flour and 50g water in a clean bowl and stir together until fully combined. Cover and leave at room temperature overnight.

Making a sourdough starter was much easier than I thought.

Day Two

To the sourdough starter add 50g of water and 50g of flour. Stir together until fully combined and then cover and leave at room temperature overnight.

Day Three

Throw away 100g of the starter. To the remaining starter add 100g of flour and 100g of water. Mix together until fully combined, cover and leave overnight.

Day Four

Throw away 150g of the starter. To the remaining starter, add 100g of the starter and 100g of the water, Mix together until combined. Cover and leave overnight. The starter and should have a pleasantly sour smell with small bubbles starting to appear on the surface.

Day Five

Throw away 200g of the starter. To the remaining starter add 150g of flour and 150g of water. Mix well, cover and leave overnight.

Day Six

Throw away 250g of the starter, to the remaining mix add 200g of flour and 200g of water. The starter should be quite active and full of little bubbles and smell slightly sour.

Cover and leave overnight.

Day Seven

The starter should now be quite active, full of bubbles and ready to use. Remove the amount of starter you need for your recipe. Weigh the remaining starter and ad the same weight of flour and the same weight of water to the starter. For example if you have 200g of starter, add 200g of flour and 200g of water to the mix. When working with a starter it is always best to have a smaller amount of starter left behind. I think it stays healthier. Share some with a friend or neighbor and have fun experimenting with the various sourdough recipes.

If you keep your starter at room temperature you will need to refresh it each day. However you can also store your starter in the refrigerator for up to ten days.

Take your starter out of the fridge a day before you plan to bake. Refresh your starter as mentioned in day seven. Leave at room temperature overnight and it will be ready to use the next day.

Friday I will share the Cinnamon Raisin Sourdough Bread I’ve been making. It is a great way to use up your starter!

Finding a CSA

First of all what is a CSA? CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. A farmer grows produce and then offers a certain number of shares to the public. Shares usually consist of a box of vegetables. Each week you receive a box of seasonal produce throughout the farming season. How do you go about finding a CSA?

You can ask around or just do an online search of local CSA’s in your county. You might be surprised just how many there are! In the greater Portland area there are over 50 CSAs! In doing a search for local nurseries and garden centers we found a farm called Pumpkin Ridge Garden that offered CSAs.

For years we have grown all our own vegetables and I have preserved the abundance. This year with moving into a new home and experiencing a new growing zone we decided to support a local farmer and sign up for a CSA instead of trying to rush starting our own garden. This will allow us to eat ultra fresh food and experience new vegetables that we may have not grown before.

Doing a search of local CSAs came up with several CSAs but one was in our new hometown! Before signing up we decided to meet the local farmers and see their set up. I contacted Pumpkin Ridge Gardens to see if I could visit their farm. James and Polly Gottesman were more than happy to show us around. Walking their beautiful property we could see evidence of the end of growing season and the gearing up for a new growing season!

James and Poly have been the owners of Pumpkin Ridge Gardens since 1990. They have been building the soil with organic techniques since the beginning. From 1990 to 2002 they were registered as organic growers with the state of Oregon. They grow their vegetables in accordance with the organic standards established by law and use only materials approved by organic certification organizations. This state program has been discontinued. While their farming techniques have not changed, federal law prohibits them from calling their produce “organic” without third-party certification.

After walking around their farm we were so impressed by the work they were doing and their commitment to provide organic produce for their clients! They may not have third party certification, but they are certainly practicing good organic growing techniques. After meeting James and Polly and seeing their beautiful farm we decided right away to sign up for a CSA.

Finding a CSA was new to us, and we look forward to participating in this year round CSA. Pumpkin Ridge Gardens have a wonderful website and once you join the CSA there is a recipe database in case you run out of ideas on how to enjoy the various vegetables. The first delivery will be Friday June 7^thand I can’t wait!

Goal Setting Week 19 Update

The move is behind us! The unpacking is in full swing. Not a lot to report on the goal setting update.

Continue to monetize my blog. This is my ongoing goal. Have you taken the time to check out my page on Amazon? This page is where I put all the items I just love, from favorite cookbooks to gardening tools. Please check it out. Another aspect of this goal involves increasing my readership. If you enjoy reading my blog, please recommend it or share with your friends. I sure appreciate all my new subscribers!

2. Create a cookbook. You may remember this goal was on my list last year and I finally put it aside. My goal for this year is to have my cookbook ready by November 2019. I am so excited, once we are settled in our new home I will have my own office and will no longer be working at the kitchen table. This cookbook is going to be completed!

3. Have 20 minutes of exercise at least 5 times a week. Well I have gotten over 10k steps each day since we moved! Lots of exercise moving boxes and unpacking! Not very exciting but it’s exercise! See all those little stars, those are the days I met my goal of 10k steps!

4. Explore ~~ten~~ 7 parks or hiking trails in the state of Washington or Oregon! I recently got the new National Park Pass so you can be sure that we will be doing some exploring, just not this week!

5. Incorporate 20 9 new recipes into our dinner plans with the focus on healthy eating. Nothing to report this week, some nights we have a bowl of cereal! Too exhausted from unpacking!

6. Read 35 18 new books this year. I am currently reading Marilla of Green Gables by Sarah McCoy. If you are a fan of Anne of Green Gables you will love this book. Almost done and a wonderful relaxing book to read at the end of a busy day.

9. Explore ~~Six~~ 5 new museums in the area. As soon as we get a few more boxes unpacked we’ll be checking the local museums out! I did hear that our local library is very active so we’ll have to see what museums they suggest!

10. ~~Find A New Home~~ COMPLETED! Wonderful to have this goal completed! Now to finish unpacking and make this home a home!

“It is not enough to take steps which may someday lead to a goal; each step must be itself a goal and a step likewise.”
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

This post may contain affiliate links. These affiliate links help support this site.

For more information, please see my disclosure policy. Thank you for supporting Nancy On The Home Front.

What’s For Dinner?

Do you have a problem with not planning your meals ahead of time and all of a sudden you’re asking yourself what’s for dinner? Each week the average family in our country throws away three pounds of edible food in the garbage. Multiply that times the number of our households and it adds up to thousands of tons of food going in the landfill.

What can we do to help reduce the amount of food going into landfill and help answer the question of what’s for dinner? Start by looking at one week at a time and making a list of the meals you plan to eat. Once you have a list of the meals you plan to make use that meal plan to make a shopping list.

Take the shopping list with you when you go to the grocery store. You will then have all the food you need to prepare the meals for the week ahead.

If finding time to grocery shop is difficult, consider ordering groceries or meal kits online and having them delivered to your home. An unpredictable schedule can make it difficult to plan. Start with just one or two meals a week. That way, ingredients don’t go uneaten and spoil in your refrigerator.

Leftovers are great for lunch the next day. If you don’t like leftovers, stick to recipes that make just enough servings for your family. There are online recipes and meal planning apps that allow you to adjust the recipe for the number of servings. You can also try making things that mix and match with different ingredients. For example a roasted chicken can be used later in a soup.

Not everyone likes to cook or enjoys being in the kitchen. By doing a little planning you can be in and out of the kitchen as quickly as possible. Look for recipes that can be made in fewer than thirty minutes and have only a few ingredients.

If planning specific meals ahead of time just isn’t your thing, it may help to keep your kitchen stocked with items you can use to put together different meals.

Keep cans of beans and tomatoes and boxes of pasta and grains in your pantry. Freeze meat to keep it until you are ready to use it, and stock your refrigerator with versatile fresh ingredients like lemons, limes, garlic, ginger and parsley.

Look at your meal plan and see if there is anything you can do ahead to make the week easier. Perhaps there are onions that need to be chopped. You can cut up onions and store them in a Ziploc or other container.

I like to marinate chicken ahead of time. You can even place the chicken in a Ziploc, add the marinade and pop the chicken in the freezer. The day you are planning to cook the chicken, take it out of the freezer and let it thaw in the fridge. It will be all ready to cook by dinnertime. I usually take our chicken out of the freezer the night before as our freezer does such a good job and the meat needs a little more time to thaw!

There are many notepads you can buy to place on your fridge to jot down dinner ideas and shopping lists. By doing just a little bit of planning you will answer the age old question of what’s for dinner? – and help solve the problem of too much food going to the landfill!

Sheet Pan Pancakes

I love having company and I enjoy cooking breakfast for everyone. At least I did when we lived in Vermont. I’m looking forward to being in our own place once again and being able to have company come visit. One of the challenges of making breakfast for company is being able to have the breakfast done all at once so you can enjoy sitting with everyone. Baking pancakes on a sheet pan instead of pouring them on a griddle means they’re done all at the same time, so you can sit down at the table too. This wonderful Sheet Pan Pancakes serves 6. It would be perfect for a Mother’s Day brunch or Father’s Day brunch. The lemon and blueberry is a perfect combination!

Sheet Pan Pancakes

Ingredients:

½ cup melted butter, unsalted and divided.
3 cups of blueberries, divided
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
½ cup sugar, divided
2 cups of flour
2 Tbsp. baking powder
½ tsp. Salt
4 large eggs, separated
15 oz. Ricotta cheese
2 Tbsp. lemon zest
1 cup whole milk
Powdered sugar
Maple syrup

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 425. Grease a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray and line with parchment paper. Spray the parchment paper with oil as well. Set aside.

Combine 2 cups blueberries, the lemon juice and 2 Tbsp. of sugar in a medium bowl. Let sit for 15 minutes or so, or until the juices get syrupy. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in another bowl. In a third bowl beat the egg whites until soft peaks form.

In a fourth large bowl whisk the egg yolks, ricotta, remaining 6 Tbsp. sugar, 6 Tbsp. melted butter, the lemon zest and milk to blend. Gradually add the dry ingredients, whisking until smooth. Gently fold in the egg whites and blueberry sugar mixture. Spread the batter in the prepared pan, smooth the top. Used a 10×15 inch pan, you probably could use a slightly larger pan as my pancakes were a little thick!

Bake until the center is set and springs back when touched, about 12-14 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven. Set a rack five inches from the heat and preheat the broiler to high. Brush the remaining 2 tablespoons of. butter over the top of the pancake. Broil until golden brown 30-60 seconds. Cut into 12 squares and dust with powdered sugar. Serve with the remaining blueberries and maple syrup. Next time you have a houseful of company serve sheet pan pancakes and be able to sit down and join your company!

Cinnamon Raisin Sourdough Bread

Ingredients:

Dough:

Filling:

Instructions:

Day One

Day Two

Day Three

Day Four

Day Five

Day Six

Day Seven

Molasses Crinkles with Crystalized Ginger

Ingredients:

Directions: