Spring Organizing

I’ve been off the past few days and I’ve had lots of time to do something I’ve been wanting to do for a while: organize. Organizing your house or apartment can seem daunting, and it actually is if you try to tackle all of it at once. Here are some things that help me when I feel inclined to organize.

Having an organization method is very important. It’s not just about where to put things, but how you put them away- Do you use this item frequently? How accessible should it be? Is it breakable or heavy? Do you need to stand on a stool to reach it? Etc. I find that inventing a method for yourself takes time, because it’s about trial and error with what works. I have re-arranged my baking supplies hundreds of times, because I keep finding new ways to organize them as things fall on my head. Also I keep adding to them, or getting rid of things as time goes on.

Another piece of advice I’m finding is that if you haven’t even looked at something for a whole year, then you might consider giving it away. Quick, like ripping off a band-aid, so that you don’t have time to worry about the sentimental or potential usefulness of something. If you’ve got less stuff then it’s so much easier to organize and find homes for it (the only side note to this is things you’ve got for sentimental purposes, which you may not look at often but don’t want to give away).

Finally, don’t try to do your entire place at one time, it’ too much! I put things away hastily after we moved last year because our wedding was coming up in less than two months. And then I promptly forgot about many of our things until they literally came crashing down on my head after having been piled up precariously in a closet (I can’t reinforce how much this happens to me, and what a great motivator it is). I knew where I put things, and I didn’t care that they were messy as long as they were accessible. It’s OK to have certain things in a jumble if you currently aren’t using them. As long as you aren’t tripping on things as you walk down the hallway, then just let them be until you have the time to experiment with an efficient organization method. It’s better to organize well, than to semi-organize and then end up with a mess again.

It’s always best to have helpers!

Busy weeks- Spring is here!

It’s been a couple of busy weeks so I haven’t had much time to think about being domestic, or write posts. I have to admit that not much Zen sweeping has been done in my house, or dishes, but I have been following my own advice on weekday meals at least. Now I need to write a post about how to time manage so I can write posts in time to post them. I may not have said “post” enough times.

In the meantime, here are some photos of spring at my house:

The garden gnome and Testudo are always watching the sunsets together…
Always the best sight to come home to…

Favorite Recipes

Here are some of my favorite recipes that freeze or keep well for leftovers, and are easy to adjust for different likes and dislikes. Hope you enjoy them!

Delicious Sweet Potato Burgers
These are simple, but it takes some time to prepare all of the ingredients. They freeze really well, so I usually double the recipe and then have burgers ready for a few weeks. They taste delicious with some avocado and extra BBQ sauce. Recipe adjusted from Lunchboxbunch.com

1/2 cup of cooked brown rice
1/2 cup-3/4 cups whole peanuts, chopped into bits  (amount depends on how much you like the nutty taste)
1 cup of mashed sweet potato (punch holes in them with fork and microwave on high for 10 mins, turning them over halfway)
1 14 oz can of light beans (white, black eyed peas, navy, etc)
1 tablespoon of dry BBQ spice blend
1 tablespoon BBQ sauce
1 onion, diced
2 tablespoons of parsley, chopped (I’ve used cilantro too)
1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
salt and pepper to taste

Combine rice, peanuts, sweet potatoes, beans, spices, onion, parsley and BBQ sauce in a bowl. Mash until it’s nice a mixed. Make the patties, I recommend making them slightly smaller than the usual size. They will be soft and sticky. Bake in a preheated oven at 400 degrees for about 15 mins or until they are browned. You can also fry them with some olive oil for about 4 mins on each side over medium/high heat.


Hominy and Black Beans with Frybread
This recipe is very easy and tastes awesome. The bread takes a little more energy to make but it doesn’t have yeast so no rising time. Adapted from Sweetlifebake.com.

Frybread
2 cups of flour
4 teaspoons of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 tablespoon of honey
1 cup of milk
oil for frying (I use vegetable oil)

Combine milk and honey in and microwave until lukewarm. In a bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add the liquid and mix until soft dough has formed. Knead gently on a floured surface and divide dough into 6-8 pieces. Form the pieces into little circles, about 1/2 inch thick. Fry on hot oil until browned on both sides.

Hominy and Black Beans
1 20oz can of Hominy
1 14oz can of black beans
1 red or white onion
2 teaspoons of cumin
1 teaspoon of chili powder
2 teaspoon of sugar
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup of lime juice
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar
1/4 cup of chopped cilantro
salt and pepper to taste

Heat the black beans and hominy until bubbly. Combine rest of ingredients and pour over the black beans and hominy. Serve hot or cold over the frybread.

Vegetarian Chili
This is a great recipe for leftovers. It takes some time to make, but it’s very delicious. The recipe was adapted from Simply in Season by Mary Beth Lind and Cathleen Hockman-Wert. This is an awesome book with many good recipes that are divided by season so it’s perfect for farmer’s market shopping.

1 14oz can of navy beans
1 14oz can of chickpeas
1 14oz can of black eyed peas
1 14oz can of kidney beans
1 20oz can of Hominy
1 28oz can of crushed tomatoes
4 cloves of garlic (or to taste)
1 small onion (to taste)
1 sweet red pepper
1 sweet green pepper
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon molasses
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon coriander
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon chili powder (or to taste)
½ cup chopped cilantro (optional)
Shredded cheese to taste (optional)
Olive oil to sauté veggies
Chop onion, garlic cloves and peppers. Sauté in a big soup pot at medium heat until they start to soften. Add rest of ingredients except for cilantro and simmer on low for 40 mins, until it thickens and tastes well-seasoned. Add cilantro and simmer for another 5 minutes, or forget to do it and find that it tastes good anyways. Sprinkle shredded cheese if you’d like, and serve with bread. Delicious!