White Orchid Melody

Most married couples have a plethora of small appliances that they registered for, and received, when they got married.  I’d venture to say most of them never get used.  I saw a quesadilla maker on a registry once.  Really, people, how difficult is it to make a quesadilla in a skillet or griddle?  Most of the ones we received were practical, or I thought they would be anyway.  Even so, it was a few years before I really put some of them to good use.  I did not cook from scratch much when we were first married.  Take the bread machine for example.  I had a fantasy of making delicious homemade bread every week.  Yeah right.  I made a couple loaves and discovered that it just wasn’t that good.  The texture did not compare to the “bakery” bread I could buy at the store.  So, I didn’t use the machine much.  Then a couple years ago, I started making more things from scratch and trying to avoid trans fat and corn syrup as much as possible.  So, I decided to make my own pizza crust.  The first couple times I mixed, rolled, and kneaded by hand.  Kneading by hand is work, by the way.  I can see why my grandmothers just made cornbread, ha!  Anyway, all that work and the dough would not rise.  We just don’t keep our house that warm, between 64 and 67 degrees in the winter.  I even put the dough in a cabinet over the under-cabinet light, so a relatively warm spot, to no avail.  So, I gave up on the pizza dough for awhile.  Then, for some reason I happpened to puruse my manual/cookbook for the bread machine, and it had a recipe for whole wheat pizza dough.  Eureka!  It turned out perfect.  It kneads and rises beautifully.  I just have to pull it out and roll out the crust.  It also makes great breadsticks.  So, then I started using the bread machine probably once a week for veggie pizza.  I roast a mixture of frozen veggies (asparagus, green beans, green peas, broccoli) with some olive oil, sea salt, and cracked pepper.  Then I top the crust with tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, and the veggies.  It sounds weird, but it’s so good!

I consider using the bread machine once a week to be getting pretty good use out of it.  Particularly since we really enjoy the homemade pizza.  It is WAY cheaper than ordering out and much healthier than store bought freezer pizza.  But then when I was reading the Tightwad Gazette, one of the readers mentioned that they didn’t like the bread from the bread machine, but had found that if they used the machine to make the dough, then baked it in the oven, it was much better.  So I thought I’d give it a shot.  I used the french bread dough recipe from my manual, but substituted whole wheat flour for about half of the required flour.  That made it more dense, but it was still surprisingly good.  I think I’ve found another good use of my bread machine–making bread, of all things!  I’m eager to try some different kinds of bread.  I think the wheat french bread dough would actually make good soft pretzels, if I were ever so inclined.  But I’d like to try some of the other recipes, like dinner rolls, italian herb bread, etc.  I don’t have any bread pans, so I’ll probably stick to those breads that I can just roll out and bake on a cookie sheet. 

I made up this recipe for dinner this week and it turned out really good, so I thought I’d share.  I used chicken bullion granules, so technically this is not vegetarian.  I think the important thing is to buy organic animal products and use in moderation.  You could substitute vegetable broth/bullion though.  It was quick and easy.  The most time consuming part is cooking the rice.  I made it earlier in the day so it would be ready to go whenever I decided to make dinner!

Vegetable Wild Rice Casserole

1 cup brown rice
½ cup wild rice
1 lb frozen mixed vegetables (corn, peas, carrots, green beans)

Sauce:
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
¼ c half and half
1 cup water
1 tbsp chicken bullion
Italian seasoning
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Lemon pepper seasoning

Cook brown and wild rice mixture until nearly done.  Meanwhile, in small saucepan, melt butter, mix in flour until smooth.  Add half and half, stirring until smooth.  Mix bullion with water until dissolved.  Add bullion to flour mixture, whisk smooth.  Add seasonings.  Bring to a simmer. 

Combine rice and vegetables in large mixing bowl, and pour in sauce.  Stir well to combine.  Transfer to baking dish.  Toss bread crumbs or crushed crackers with melted butter and sprinkle over top of casserole.  Bake about 20 minutes until heated through.

Serves 4

I’ve been reading a book that I checked out from the library entitled, The Complete Tightwad Gazette.  It is basically a series of newsletters from the 6 year run of the Tightwad Gazette.  It is a compilation of articles and research from the author, as well as lots of helpful hints sent in from readers. 

The tips tend to be about getting the maximum use out of the minimum expense.  So, buying things used (or getting them free from friends/family) and then maintaining them rather than just throwing them out when they need a repair.  This is fiscally and ecologically sound advice.  I once read an article by a “green” home designer who pointed out that spending extra money for “green” was absurd because the most economical choice was usually also the most ecological choice, such as building a smaller house.  The author of the Tightwad Gazette, who titles herself, the “frugal zealot” points out that there are a few cases where buying new is best, such as with freezers/refrigerators (due to improvements in efficiency) and with computers (due to improvements in technology).  But almost everything else, she buys used or salvages from free sources. 

This got me thinking about my business plan for the shop I’d like to open.  I’m working with a consultant on this and have written the business plan and even did a “faux shopping” exercise where I priced out everything I’d need for the shop.  Well, turns out it was going to be much more expensive than I could afford to open.  So, I have a few choices.  One, abandon the idea altogether and find something more attainable.  Two, save up for years and years until I can afford it.  Or, three, find a way to do it cheaper.  I’ve been pondering over that last option for a few months now.  How can I make this happen sooner and for less cash?  I wasn’t really thinking about the business when I started reading this book, but then I read an article in the book about a lady who had started a bed and breakfast.  They bought the 20 room Victorian as a fixer-upper and started by renovating the common areas and a few guest rooms.  As they brought in money from the first few guest rooms, they worked on renovating more.  Meanwhile, they furnished the place with elegant pieces from estate sales, yard sales, flea markets and the like.  They also bartered and traded for certain items.  They had a dream and made it happen on their terms.  How inspiring! 

So it got me thinking about my “faux shopping” exercise.  I’d chosen everything brand new from retail sources.  I’d found the cheapest versions for the look I wanted, but still, I was paying a premium for all that “newness.”  What if I took the time to accumulate the items from a variety of thrifty sources, including yard sales and thrift shops?  How would that affect my budget?  I think it could make a huge difference.  Some of the ideas that appealed to me:

1.  Estate/Yard Sales - tables, chairs, storage pieces, baskets, kid’s paint brushes, decorative items such as faux foliage, flatware, serving dishes, books

2.  Flea Markets - decorative items, furniture

3.  Building Supply (or surplus) Stores - the ReStore, run by Habitat for Humanity, has a random, ever-changing selection of building supplies, from tile to cabinets, to windows.  Some of these items could be transformed into storage and display pieces for the shop.

4.  Home Improvement Stores - reject paints: the ones that people had mixed and then didn’t claim, or that were mixed incorrectly.  This could be great for adding color and fun to the salvaged furniture. 

5.  Other - I’d also like to look into going out of business sales and overstock type outlets.  I’m not sure what exists in this area, but even a trip to Chicago could be worth it, if there were some good sources for used/discount supplies.

The biggest chunk of change in my business plan was the rent on a space.  The area I was originally looking into was fairly expensive and buying was not an option.  But I’ve been considering other neighborhoods, such as close to our own home, where we might be able to purchase as space, rather than leasing.  Ideally, we’d find an old building with storefronts on the lower level and apartments above.  We could rent the apartments to cover some of the mortgage, which would ease some of the business expenses.  Plus if you own the building, you can build out however you’d like. 

We’re not the average entrepreneurs who would need contractors and such to fix up and outfit a space.  That will be a great savings on our part.  If we own the building and are getting rental income from residential space, we can take our time fixing up the retail space without the pressure of that monthly rent outlay.  So the combination of buying our own building and outfitting it with frugal finds gives me hope that my dream of opening the shop in the not so long term future may actually be possible.

In addition to financial fitness for the new year, physical fitness will also be a goal.  I will definitely have some baby weight to contend with, so getting back on a lower calorie meal plan and into an exercise routine will be tops on the to-do list. 

I was using the weightwatchers.com “core” plan last summer and had lost excess weight and felt really good.  Basically it is about eating whole foods: all the fruit, veggies, and beans you want and a limited amount of whole grains.  No processed crap, easy on the sugar.  There is wiggle room, of course.  One can’t live life without chocolate!  But moderation is key.  In contrast, refined carbs have been my comfort food throughout this pregnancy.  That is natural and normal as your body needs the extra fluid and calories.  But my body won’t need all that after the baby is born.  So, I plan to get back on a healthier track with my eating habits.  Then, when the doctor gives his okay, start up strength training and jogging again.  Now keep in mind I haven’t jogged since I got pregnant, so I’ll be starting from scratch! 

http://whiteorchidmelody.com/blog/2007/09/16/how-to-start-jogging/

Yeah, I’ll be doing that again.  Walk, jog, walk some more.  I figure it will take a few months just to get back in good enough shape to get in 15 to 20 miles a week in the form of 3 to 5 mile outings.  Then I’ll start to increase my mileage and I’d like to train for another marathon.  I had about 10 or 15 extra pounds on my frame when I trained for my first marathon.  And we were rehabbing, so I was eating really crappy food like pizza and bean burritos all the time.  I think if I can get down to a good base weight before I start the marathon training, I can improve my time.  Marathon training is not a time to try to lose weight, as your body needs lots of calories to deal with the stress of those long runs.  But losing the weight beforehand can really help once you start the training.  I read in a magazine that one extra pound of body weight puts 4 pounds of pressure on your knees while walking and 25 pounds of pressure on your knees while jogging!  That should be incentive to lose a few pounds!  Anyway, I might consider doing the Lewis and Clark Marathon again.  Really it is an awful course, but it is in September, which might be a good time frame.  There is also the Chicago marathon in October, but the weather is so unpredictable…I could end up running in extreme heat or extreme cold, you just never know!  Otherwise, there is a marathon in Huntsville, AL in December.  I could stay with my family in Alabama and go to that one.  I’m not sure how I feel about travelling to race though.   Then again, I might just take it easy and do a half-marathon for Lewis and Clark and then train up for the St. Louis Marthon next April.  Or maybe the baby will really hate going on jogs with me and I won’t be training for any races!  Things are pretty unpredictable as far as that goes!  But those are my goals none the less.

New Year’s Resolutions are an interesting thing.  They are notoriously broken or forgotten about.  It was interesting just working at the Y last year, seeing all the people sign up at the new year and within a few months fall by the wayside.  I think the issue is that one day doesn’t change who you are or alter your well ingrained habits.  I think desires change as well.  I wanted to post some of my resolutions or goals for the year in a series this week, starting today with our financial goals.

We had a list of goals for 2007, most of which were not met.  I don’t feel bad about that because there were other priorities.  For example, one of the things was to buy another investment property.  But we’ve had a vacant unit for 6 months, so obviously it wouldn’t be prudent to buy another property until our cash flow is better.  That goal is on the list again for this year though.  I think we’d both like to find a property that doesn’t require as much work however.  With a baby we won’t be able to go through the same labor intensive process anyway.  And honestly, I question how much our labor paid off.  On our last building, we finished the work and started the refinance process expecting a certain appraisal.  The appraisal came in low due to the appraiser being overly conservative and running comparables against buildings that weren’t comparable.  Because of that, we weren’t really rewarded for our labor in terms of being able to extract cash for repaying the fix up costs, much less having cash for another purchase.  It was a very frustrating experience.  So, for the next building we may be looking for something that just requires some paint and primping up.  With the market down, we may actually be able to find something that is in decent shape and has cash flow.  Anyway, it’s on the goal list again, so we’ll see what happens. 

Also on my list is to re-read and actually do the exercises from Your Money or Your Life.  I’d checked it out from the library and read it, but I wanted Brian to read it too.  I think the exercises are best if done together as a couple.  So, I bought it for him for Christmas (but I guess it was for both of us).  Anyway, I think we’ll read a chapter at a time together and go through and do the exercises.  I think it would help to bring us where we need to be with our finances.  Not that we really have any issues looming, but with a growing family it will be easy to let expenses slip in here and there.   I guess I’d just like to have a better mental grasp on everything. 

Along with streamlining our finances and saving money, we’ll continue to simplify our life as much as possible.  Brian has been going through the basement pulling things to post on craigslist.org.  He’s sold a couple of things so far.  Whatever doesn’t sell there will be in a big yard sale this spring/summer.  Then whatever is left will be off to Goodwill.  I’d like to purge as much as possible.  A person really needs very little.  We have all sorts of crap we don’t use.  We’ve even talked about moving into a smaller place, a two family unit perhaps, to motivate us to downsize further.  It would actually be nice to get rid of so much junk that the house would feel too big and then move to a smaller space.  That would be more efficient than moving and then trying to deal with whatever didn’t fit!  Either way — whether we stay here or move into a smaller place, it will be nice to have less stuff around.  The other compelling aspect of moving into a two family would be the financial benefit.  Right now we have equity tied up in our home that we could be using to generate cash flow from an investment property, and we also have a mortgage payment.  With a two family, that equity could be transferred into an investment, and while one apartment wouldn’t pay the full mortgage, it would pay a good bit of it.  That would free up cash for us to pay off our student loans faster.  I am very grateful for my education, but it is amazing what a burden those student loan payments are!  It would be nice to have those paid off as soon as possible.  Then once we had the student loans paid off and that cash free, we could consider a single family home again.  I don’t know how likely that scenario is; we are both pretty comfortable in our house.  But it is under consideration.  It is important to think outside the box and challenge preconceived notions about what you really “need.”  Resolving to continue simplifying means constantly asking yourself whether all the stuff in your life adds value or just drains resources. 

I did quite a bit of cooking over Christmas and even more eating!  My stepdad sent us a Honeybaked Ham, which we enjoyed on Christmas eve.  And then I made a giant turkey for Christmas day. 

Yes, giant.  As in, I wasn’t sure it was going to fit in the pan.  The small grocery where I shop only had 20+ lb turkeys.  Way too much for the four of us, I knew.  But the turkey breasts were so much more per pound, that it was exactly the same price to get a breast as a whole bird.  And with needing to stock a freezer for after the baby comes, I figured leftovers weren’t the worst thing. 

So, after taking a day to rest and recover from the holiday, I set out to do some marathon cooking again.  Thursday I did my shopping for all the supplies, and then Friday I spent the whole day cooking.  I found my recipes by googling “freezer recipes” for both turkey/chicken and ham.  I don’t think I made any of them exactly as the recipe stated.  I have a really hard time following a recipe for anything other than baking (when it’s disasterous not to!)  So anyway, I made a Santa Fe Turkey Casserole with turkey, frozen mixed veggies, pinto beans, cheese, tomatoes, peppers and onions; a turkey/veggie/rice dish; a turkey/veggie/cheese/noodle dish; turkey manicotti (recipe was for ham, but I had lots of turkey).  Then I used the ham to make Scalloped Potato and Ham Casserole, cheddar/broccoli/ham wraps, and a ham and pineapple pizza.  Oh, and I made some Vegetable Bean Chowder, which used the ham as well.  Susie was pretty excited to get the ham bone when I was finished! 

Cooking all day is so exhausting, but I know it is worth it to not have to worry about meal planning right after the baby.  I made a menu card listing everything I’ve made so that Brian or I can check that and choose a meal.  I’d read that you can just keep a white board on the outside of the freezer to keep track of what you have in there.  Seems like a good idea if you do this all the time.  But in this case, I probably won’t want to go down to the basement just to see what Brian can thaw for dinner.  I’d rather have something close at hand; and we can just mark things off as we eat them.  I’m curious how the dishes are going to turn out when thawed and baked.  Some better than others I’m sure. 

I prepared this for the family over the holidays and it turned out really good!  I found the recipe at epicurious.com.  I modified it a bit though to keep it simple.  It called for letting things sit overnight and such.  Who has time for that?

Vanilla-Maple French Toast

Servings: Makes 6 servings.

Ingredients
9 eggs
2 1/4 cups reduced-fat (2%) milk
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
3/4 teaspoon salt
12 3/4-inch-thick slices French bread
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
Warm maple syrup

Preparation
Whisk eggs in medium bowl to blend. Gradually whisk in milk. Add 1/3 cup maple syrup, sugar, vanilla, and salt; whisk to blend. Divide custard between two 13×9x2-inch glass baking dishes. Arrange bread in single layer in dishes. Let soak 5 minutes. Turn over, let soak 5 minutes. Heat large griddle or heavy large skillet over medium heat. Working in batches, brush griddle with some butter. Add soaked bread; cook until brown on bottom, about 4 minutes. Turn French toast over; cook until bottoms are brown, about 4 minutes. Transfer to plates. Serve with additional syrup and Warm Berry Preserves (see below).

Warm Berry Preserves

Ingredients
1 1-pound bag frozen unsweetened strawberries
1 1-pound bag frozen unsweetened raspberries
2/3 cup low-sugar strawberry preserves (I use Smucker’s- no corn syrup!)
1/3 cup sugar
water

Preparation
Mix all frozen berries, jelly, and sugar in large nonstick skillet.  Add water about half way up berries. Boil until mixture thaws and thickens but is still chunky, stirring frequently.

We awoke to snow showers and a blanket of white this morning!  I love snow!  Everything seems so still and perfect in a fresh snow.  When I got up at 6am to feed the cats, it was still dusky out and everything was so hushed.  Snow seems to envelop the world and bring everything closer. 

We have about 2 inches and there is more on the way this afternoon.  The more the better, I think!  Maybe if we get enough, it will last until Christmas.  That’s a long shot in St. Louis, where the weather changes so dramatically from one day to the next.  It is supposed to be nearly 60 next thursday!  So, not much chance for a white Christmas.  I guess that is okay.  I want to deliver some cookies and treats to our neighbors and friends, so clear roads are better for that!  And Brian’s parents are driving down, so they’ll appreciate clear roads as well. 

I have a baby shower today.  Hopefully the inclement weather won’t put a damper on the fun.  The roads should be pretty well cleared up by then.  And the second round of snow isn’t coming until later.  I made dark chocolate truffles last night as thank you’s for my shower hostesses.  I hope they enjoy them!  They didn’t turn out very pretty, but they taste good!

I had a marathon cooking session yesterday.  I made 3 dishes of enchiladas and spanish rice, 10 quesadillas, about 20 burritos, and a batch of black bean soup.  Phew!  I was exhausted after all of that!  But it was a good start on the after-baby freezer stash.  We had one of the enchiladas/spanish rice dinners last night.  They turned out really good.  I hope they are as good after being frozen.  I read a couple of different opinions on freezing enchiladas.  One said not to put the sauce and cheese on before freezing, but that is just making things more complicated in my opinion.  I figure you can go to the store and buy frozen enchiladas with the sauce and cheese all over it, so why not at home?  I guess we’ll see come February! 

I guess mending those sheets got me in the mood to sew.  Occasionally I enjoy it.  I had to do so much in school that I got rather burned out and don’t sew very often.  Everyone always asks if I make my own clothes since I’m a fashion designer.  Uh, no.  I like to design things, not sew them up.  It is much more gratifying to draw a picture and have it come back to you all made up!  But anyway, sewing can be useful.  We are planning to cloth diaper our baby.  Not the traditional white squares with pins, mind you.  The world of cloth diapers has come a long way, baby!  These bumGenius are our favorites so far.  We’ll probably stock up on them.  I thought about making my own, but the fabrics aren’t exactly cheap, and the construction is complicated.  Frankly, I don’t think it is worth my time.  Along with the cloth diapers, it is best to use cloth wipes.  Now this is just a square or rectangle of fabric, so it makes sense to make this myself rather than pay a couple dollars per wipe.  I did a little research to determine what type of fabric to use, and saw that terry cloth works well.  We just so happened to have some old towels in the yard sale pile.  They had a couple stains, but hey, I’m making reusable toilet paper, right??  They’ll probably see another stain or two before little one is through with them!  So, I took a big bath towel and cut sixteen 8×8″ squares, and ten 4×8″ rectangles.  I figure I’ll mostly use the larger ones at home, but the smaller ones will be nice for packing in the diaper bag.  Really I have no idea what will work best.  That will be trial and error.  But the towel was very nice plush terry cloth, so they should make good wipes…thick enough for clean hands, and soft enough for happy baby.  Some people keep them in a wipes box with wipe solution (baby wash and water), or you can just keep the wipe solution in a spray bottle and wet them as you go…again, I’ll have to see what works best.  Back to making the wipes, after I cut the squares I finished the edges with a tight zig zag stitch on my sewing machine, so that they won’t ravel and fray.  I used different color thread to liven things up a bit, but you could just do all white.

Step by Step:

1. Find old towel destined for yard sale or trash.
2. Cut out 8×8″ squares, or 4×8″ rectangles, or a combination of both.  You can cut around any bad spots, or holes in your towel. 
3. Set up zig zag stitch on sewing machine (I used the widest zig zag stitch, with a stitch length of 2, so the stitches are close together).
4. Zig zag around all unfinished edges. 

Easy as can be!

Small Wipes

Large Wipes

I thought I’d posted this one before, but don’t see it…who knows?  Anyway, I thought it would be good since it is party season and these make a great party food.  Get little mini pitas (2″ rounds) for appetizers.  If you are making this as a meal the 4″ rounds work well.  These are simple to make, and the filling can even be made a day ahead and reheated prior to stuffing.  Even the most discriminating guests will enjoy these.  No one will even realize they are eating vegetarian!

Thai Pitas

1 pkg Soy Crumble
1 sweet red pepper, finely chopped
2 Tbsp ginger, minced (you can substitute dried)
3 cloves garlic
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp cilantro
3 Tbsp smooth peanut butter
2 Tbsp lemon juice (or lime juice, if you have it)
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp canola oil

Cook soy crumble with red pepper, ginger, garlic, and pepper flakes.  In a small bowl, whisk together cilantro, peanut butter, lemon juice, soy sauce, and canola oil.  Stir into crumble.  Line pitas with romaine lettuce and stuff with mixture.  That’s it.  So easy!