Save Food?

Do You Save Food?  Repackage Food? Freeze Food?

I'm talking about a Food Saver of course...LOL!  I use a Food Saver each week to package up foods and such for my freezer.  They really do work well if you haven't tried one!  They keep it fresh so much longer and usually nice and neat so its easy to stack inmy freezer.

Funny story for you...yes I have lots of stories...lucky you eh?

Around 13 years ago my husband and I vacationed in Key West when the kids were very small.  We are night owls of course...great for the Keys huh LOL...anywho we had the tv on late one evening in our room.  For whatever reason an infommercial was on the tv and it was showing off the food saver.  We were both intrigued that we ordered one and it arrived at our house while we were gone.  Ta-Da!  Boy we KNOW how to live it up while we are on vacation...I know you are thinking that right? Haha!  And that was the very first Food Saver version....I have since upgraded to a bit nicer one that's easier to use. But I use it A LOT... I LOVE IT!

HOWEVER I see they have this one below...its black & stainless steel...matches my kitchen..do I need it? NO!  Do I want it? YES! Am I gonna buy it...perhaps...but not right now ;)

**************************

This is my 2nd Food Saver machine...its about 6-7 years old I believe and it still works like a charm.  I buy the rolls to make bags myself...not sure if they still sell pre-made bags or not but I found it was just as easy (and cheaper) to buy the rolls and do it meself.  The rolls come in different sizes and widths so I have a few of each.  Some Costco and Sam's stores carry the machine and supplies so you can check there too...Target and Walmart may too.

I am blessed with a ton of cabinets in my kitchen...when I move I will be a spoiled brat about getting another kitchen with the same amount...just sayin' LOL..I have A LOT of kitchen stuffs.  Our very first house had scant kitchen space and everything was stacked, piled and in other places...drove me NUTTERS so I definitely appreciate this kitchen!  My kitchen island has drawers and cabinets on each side which is nice.  These are on the front side of my island that faces out into the kitchen and are a bit more shallow.  So I store my Food Saver machine and rolls of plasitc in this one along with my cookie cutters, knife sharpeners and extra pans I don't use often.  Easy to access as I don't leave mine out on the counter...I HATE clutter on my counters so I'm very picky about what gets to be out!

I buy flank steak from Costco (these are folded up in the package so they are twice the size they look) because they are cheaper and in packs of two.  But I usually only need one to cook up at a time...so out comes the Food Saver.  

First you have to make yourself a bag to use.  I pick a width that will work best and cut a length of it that will fit...make sure to leave extra room on each side...trust me on the EXTRA ok?

Then you place one end of the plastic into the Food Saver.  Making sure the edge is over the SEALER...that's what will seal the plastic together.

On my version I just hold it down for a sec and select INSTANT SEAL. When the motor slows down I hit the release button and open it up.

Make sure you examine the seal to make sure it goes clean across with NO breaks..otherwise you will have a leaky mess on your hands ok?  Now put your meat in the bag and turn around and seal the other side.  The Food Saver will suck out all the air and seal it tight.  I don't have to hold my machine's top down but for a second and then it does it automatically (on the old one you had to hold it down the entire time...ugh). 

When its done make sure its sealed tightly and correctly...you will recognize how that should be trust me.  If it hasn't cut the end off and try again...hence the WARNING at the top to cut the bag with extra on the sides LOL!  I keep a Sharpie Pen in the cupboard with my machine so I don't forget to date each package...that way I always know.  My brain groweth oldeth so I cannot count on my memory much anymore ahahahaha!

What I Food Save:

Now there are some containers and other contraptions that you can get but I never used them, but you may!

-meats & chicken

 -seafood

-veggies & fruits

-cheese

-rice

-soups 

(I freeze the soup in a ziploc gallon-sized bag first then seal it in a Food Saver Bag otherwise the machine will suck it right out when its liquid)

-anything from the frozen aisle that I may not use right away

Southern Staples!

Some Summer Yums!

To me summer OFFICIALLY begins when I have my first ripe tomatoes either from my garden OR the farmers market.  That is celebration time!  So I was so excited to see 3 large tomatoes ripened in my garden the other morning that I literally SQUEALED for joy!  There is something magical about the smell of tomato plants...I can't really explain it...but if you've smelled them before you know what I mean.  Smells green, clean and yummy!  Yeah I know you probably think I've lost my marbles but it IS one of my fave summer smells along with honeysuckle, cut grass and salty, ocean air.

Southern Staples

So if you're Southern (and perhaps if you are not) there are some sandwich staples you must use for tomato sandwiches.  Duke's Mayonnaise is #1...its the ONLY mayo I keep in the house...is it low fat? Heck no but I pretty much only use it for sandwiches so its ok and I don't like it dripping out of my sammie either.  Now some southerners use butter as well but I don't do butter on my sammies unless its a grilled sandwich.  Some ground pepper and a good, ripe tomato and WHITE BREAD...yup I said white bread.  I don't like Wonder Bread (slap my southern bum) but instead I choose Italian Bread as it has a bit more thickness to it but for me its gotta be SOFT!

Fresh is Best

I cut all my tomatoes with a tomato knife...if you don't have one, well you need one!  They are very thin with a serrated edge that cuts cleanly through the tomato, no smushing of the tomato gosh forbid.  My dad got them for me and my siblings years and years ago before I was even married...he knows how much we all love tomatoes.  Somehow I ended up with two...shhh not sure where the 2nd came from...but we use them A LOT!  You can find them in all styles and prices if you need one...I'd say you need one LOL...if ya asked that is!

Red Delicious Slices of Freshness

Mmmmm thick slices of tomato..I like thick slices on my sandwiches with a thin layer of mayo

on my bread.  Then some ground pepper on top...mmmmmm....looking good so far.

Look!  Its ready for MY mouth LOL!

So good I almost made a second one but instead made one for my son who loves them almost as much as me.  Hubby likes his with cheese...sometimes we add cheese or ham or both and sometimes we toast them.  So many varieties and all soooo good.  But the first 2-3 tomato sammies are PURE...just tomatoes, mayo and pepper for me thank you!

So just sharing one of favorite summer rituals with you!!

What's one of your favorite summer rituals?

Beauty Around You!

 STOP...and Smell the Roses

(well kinda)

Sometimes you have to just stop...smell the flowers AND see the beauty in nature that surrounds you.  Tonight I walked the dogs and the woods were aglow with lightening bugs that the woods seemed to just sparkle.  I was wishing I had my camera and the talent to capture it...amazing!

I rush from one to-do to the next most days but I try to find a few minutes each day to STOP and smell the roses..well kinda...you get what I mean!  It gives me a chance to catch my breath and carry on with my day on a positive note.

These pics are of a beautiful butterfly that was flittering on my butterfly bush the other day.  It was GORGEOUS and I grabbed my camera and was able to capture it in all its beauty for just a moment. Ahhhh and then on with the day......................

Honestly?

Keepin' It Clean!

I'm always looking for good cleaning products either in the stores, thru websites or how to make my own.  I'm big on using vinegar, baking soda and essential oils for a lot of things.   So I've been reading a lot about Jessica Alba's company she co-founded called HONEST Company over the past year and a half.  She's an actress if you didn't know with two daughters and while pregnant with her first she was dismayed by all the chemicals in the products she used.  So she teamed up with some people and created this company to promote good, clean living...no toxicity involved!

 **side note: I'm a total celebrity news junkie...I have gotten People Magazine since I was young and UsWeekly for about 10 years now. Its MY break from reality and just one of my interests, so shoot me!**

I was interested in trying out all the products because the reviews have been very good. So for a $5 investment I got a box of trial sized goodies to try.  For what I received I was pretty impressed with so I signed up for the regular shipments.  You can choose each month what you want for the price you are willing to pay and can cancel at any time.  So for the past few months I've been getting boxes of different products so I could test them ALL out.   Here's my personal reviews, I'm not paid for this nor did I get any of these for free...so its really my honest opinion on HONEST Company products :)

These were my favorite products below...there are MANY more including baby products which I did not test due to the fact I have teens and no babies LOL!

Honest Laundry Detergent

Riley and I both have very sensitive skin and we are allergic to a lot of topical things and harsh soaps.  AND I LOVE THIS DETERGENT!  Not really any smell to it which is nice and so far neither of us has had any itchy issues due to clothes.  And this is with a son who will break into a head to toe rash and hives from nickel buttons on his jeans (I cover them with medical tape on the inside to fix the issue).   So far its cleaned everything really well...no smells or stains left after the fact.

Stain Remover Spray

I have used Oxy Clean spray for a long time.  Problem is I have to wash the item twice if its my son's  (and 9 x out of 10 it is his clothes needing it) clothing because the Oxy Clean will give him hives.  So it worked but caused me double the work UGH.  Well this stain remover is pretty darn good and I've sprayed it on grease, blood, ketchup and mud stains so far with great results.  Best part is he's not allergic to it so only one time thru the wash...YAY me!

Multi-Surface Cleaner

I'm a wiper..an OCD wiper...my mom will confirm this LOL!  I have an issue with wiping counters down and my appliances...multiple times a day.  I cannot help myself..I do the bathrooms once a day as well.  It freaks me out to have dirty countertops that I cook on, or crumbs or grimy greasy handprints on my appliances...sorry NOT in my house lol.  So I go thru A LOT of counter sprays and I use mostly Method cleaners.   On my granite I usually use the Method Granite cleaner which smells like apples...mmmm love it!  But I've been using this as well and in my bathrooms too and it works great..doesn't leave a weird sheen on my counters which is good!

Healing Balm

I use a lot of Vaseline and Aquaphor for boo-boos, rashes, dry skin, lips and blisters.  They work, they really do but I really LOVE this healing balm because it smells nice, its not as greasy and its all natural...BONUS.  I am seriously allergic to zucchini leaves, weird I know...I can grow it and eat it fine but if the leaves touch me I break out into hideous rashes.  I was in the garden the other day and didn't have my gloves on and got some nasty "touching" with the zucchini leaves...UH OH!  I had a hot, feverish rash from my fingers to my shoulder that was soooo painful.  I washed it out good, pulled out the prickers and then applied this balm....OMGosh it helped so fast I was even amazed thank goodness.  Its also good for babies diaper rash...so I've heard...don't have any baby bums around me LOL!

Fruit & Veggie Wash Spray

Speaking of veggies, I also adore this Fruit and Veggie Spray.  It leaves NO odor or film on your food and best of all you can't taste it.  I've tried others out before that are currently on the marker and SORRY but I could smell and taste it and that's GROSS to me.  I just resorted to hot water and I have some friends that use hand soap...ewwww...I don't want to use soap.  But I do want my veggies and fruits from the store to be clean.  I don't use this on my homegrown veggies because I use no pesticides, I just rinse them good.  And I try to buy organic berries since they are harder to clean.  So if you need a good one this is it...really great!

Bug Spray

The bug spray has a great smell...doesn't make you smell like chemicals which I like and uses only essential oils and herbs.  It can be a bit greasy so go lightly on spraying and then you may want to rub it in good.  But I like it and it has proved effective against skeeters and gnats outside so far! So if you are looking for a DEET alternative you may want to try this.

Like I said they have lots of products and I also like the hand soap, dish soap and shampoo but feel that my Method soaps work just as well.  And I use a special shampoo on my hair that I love and its made for my icky fine hair so I won't get the Honest brand again although it worked ok.  I just got the dishwasher pods to try, we have hard water so it will be interesting to see how they do.  The sunblock was good as well and we used that on vacation...didn't irritate my son's skin which was nice but we only used it during walk-about times.  I like to use Neutrogena's Beach 70+ spf for pool and beach days as I know it always works well and my son and hubby are whiter-than-white.  I tan quickly but they just burn so we gotta have the very best coated on them LOL!

Anyway just my 2 cents on the Honest Company!  So if you've seen it and were curious the products are good.  Also check your local stores to see if they carry any if you don't want mailed shipments.  I see my Costco has the laundry detergent and I saw a few of the body products at Target.

A View From the Garden!

Treasures from my Garden

 This was a pic of my tomatoes before I went on vacation 2 weeks ago. Lots of green tomatoes all over my plants. 

This is what they look like now...another day and the large ones will be 100% ready.  I picked about 20 Cherry Tomatoes today for a fresh salad tonight...YUM!

 I grow my cucumbers UP/vertically so they don't take over my whole garden.  I picked two yesterday and this one is almost ready.  Looks like I may have about 50 blooms on these plants...that means I will be canning lots of PICKLES!!

 I planted more lettuce seeds before I left and this is what I came home to.  We had lots of rain so the lettuce just sprang up...will be using this in fresh salads and on sandwiches this week.

 I have 4 large zucchini plants and we've gotten 3 zucchinis off of it so far with many more growing...including the GIANT one below LOL!  I love grilled and sauteed zucchini.  I like to dice it up and saute it with some diced onion, salt/pepper and some red pepper flakes in olive oil.  Then top it with some mozzarella cheese...mmmmm good!

 Yes, Yes...that is a GIANT zucchini from my garden LOL!  I chopped it up and put it in foodsaver bags to use in zucchini bread real soon.  Those were some of the treasures from my garden when I got home.  A few radishes, a few tomatoes, lots of wax beans, lettuce and zucchini.

My zinnia seeds also sprouted up and frame the backside of my garden.  So pretty and good for keeping garden pests at bay along with my marigolds.  Organic pesticide I call them!! 

How's your garden growing?

Flowers of Liberty!

My Fourth of July Decor!

We won't be home for the 4th of July but we will be back from our vacation the day before.  We have our season tickets to the Nationals baseball game for 4th of July and they will have celebrations and fun stuff going on.  Then we will see the fireworks over the Mall in DC from the top of my husband's building where he works...great way to see them without all the crazy crowds. We are staying two nights in DC and just having some fun there.  We go to DC regularly for games and events but its been awhile since we visited some of the monuments and Smithsonians...which I always enjoy and so does my family.  So just a fun couple days added on to our vacation and then we will deal with the REAL world again on Monday LOL!

So I decided to do some early 4th of July decorating around my house...I may disagree with some politics and such that go on but I am very proud to be an American and feel I have been blessed in my life.  I'm always happy to display the American flag when I can!

And these things all SCREAM America to me:  Coca-Cola, blue Mason Jars, and Sunflowers!

So all three go beautifully together.  My Coca-Cola crate I got awhile ago, I have a very old yellow Coca-Cola crate I got many moons ago as well...it gets the royal treatment up top of my cabinets.  I collect vintage Coke items..but I don't go overboard...just a few here & there!  The purple mint flowers are from my garden but the sunflowers are from Wegmans ;)  And I tucked in a small American flag into the bouquet...and amazingly my cat Tucker (yes the flower killer) didn't eat them...maybe he hates sunflowers (good to know).

This is my front porch...I added the pillows (from Target) and red geraniums this spring.  Every year I pick a new color scheme for the porch LOL...I like to switch it up a bit.  I just added two American flags to the pot to dress it up.  My geraniums love this spot on my porch...it gets shade in the morning and then hot direct sun in the afternoon.  Every year I go thru a bunch of plants that don't last LOL but so far so good this year :)

Wishing you & your family a wonderful 4th of July weekend (if you celebrate that is)!!

Be safe, have fun and relax!!