Is there a method to the laundry madness?

This is a shout-out to all the ladies (and gentlemen if you do the laundry in the house). I'm looking for a good method for my weekly laundry madness. Apparently seven loads is too much for me to get done in one day. Does anyone have any proven methods to keep up with the laundry? If you are the do-a-load-a-day chick, do you make your family separate their laundry by using multiple hampers? Do you dig through to get all of the undies? What's your secret? Please share. I need help.

Help Me! I'm going crazy.

I'm not sure what my deal is this week, but I've been "off" all week long. Maybe it's because I didn't follow my normal routine on Monday?!?! Or maybe it's because my sink hasn't been shined in days? This morning I get my child out the door and into Ms. Carpool's vehicle for school. Sweet. I can now take my time getting ready and out the door to church for my temporary j-o-b. If only it was that easy...

It took three attempts before I actually on the road to the j-o-b. You know what I mean right? One of those days where you get in the car, back out, forget something, pull back in, run in grab whatever it is and start the process over. I did this THREE times today people...I think I'm going crazy.

I'm headed down the road and apparently went into school autopilot. All of the sudden I find myself a quarter of the way to the child's school. WhAt? What am I doing? Ms. Carpool took the kids!!! I then check the backseat. Correct, no kids. What the heck? I think I'm going crazy.

My day has been off and it makes me feel like I'm going crazy. Please tell me that you do stupid stuff like this too?!?!

The Best Way to Roast a Turkey

Need to fix a turkey for Thanksgiving this year? No problem! I just made one today for my husband's family and it was a hit! Our turkey was perfectly golden brown, tender, and juicy. My favorite Food Network girl, Giada de Laurentis, wrote this recipe. You can find her recipe and a how-to video on the Food Network site.

I made a slight modification - al la Paula Deen - by rubbing herb butter under the turkey's skin. To make the herb butter take 2 TBS of room temperature butter and mix with 1 TBS Herbs de Provence. Use your hand to separate the skin from the breast meat and rub the herb butter between the layers.

Herbs de Provence is something that you can't just run and pick up at your local grocery store. I bought my jar at TJ Maxx for around $5. I know, I know, I should be buying a handbag or jeans at the Maxx, but they have random gourmet foods and spices in the housewares section. Check it out, you might find a treasure or two!

My 21-lb bird took about 4 hours to roast. Make sure you thaw your turkey 3-5 days in advance by putting it in the frig. If it's still slightly frozen, place it in room temperature water to help it defrost quickly. Rinse and pat-dry your bird with paper towels. This helps your basting stick to the bird. Oh yeah, this is important, make sure you pull out all the livers, gizzards, neck, etc. from the inside. One year I forgot to pull out the liver/gizzard packet and baked it inside the bird...oops!

Here is what the turkey should look like before it hits the oven.


You can't make turkey without cranberry sauce, right? And I'm not talking about that gross jelly stuff out of a can. If you really want to wow your family, make this cranberry salad. My Grammy Van has been making it since the beginning of time.

Grammy Van Dyne's Fresh Cranberry Jello Salad
1 lb Fresh Cranberries
2 Apples
1 Orange
1/2 c. Celery
2 c. Sugar
1- 3 oz. Lemon Jello

Make Jello according to directions. Let Jello come to room temperature and then put in frig for 2 hours.

In a food processor pulse cranberries until they are course. (Make the texture whatever you prefer, I like mine course.) Core apples and pulse in food processor until you have reached the desired consistency. Quarter the orange and pulse in food processor along with 2-3 stalks of celery. Add sugar to the cranberry, apple, orange, and celery mixture and let sit in frig until Jello is ready.

Combine fruit and sugar mixture with Jello until combined. Refrigerate for another 2-3 hours until Jello is set.

My Grammy always makes pretty designs on top with shelled and halved pecans. Almonds or walnuts are good too.

Enjoy! Happy Thanksgiving!

Shiny Sink Philosophy

This week I'm going to try and keep a shiny sink. I've been reading and it seems a shiny sink can help one have a better day and become more inclined to keep a tidy house. I've been slacking a bit lately. I'll let you know how it goes. So far my shiny sink makes my heart sing. To read more about keeping a shiny sink and keeping your house tidy, click here.

Homemade Pancake Mix & Syrup

Good lands, child! That’s what my Grammy says when something blows her mind. Like the fact that it’s already November. Ugh. We went straight from Halloween candy to holiday music now filling every inch of the grocery store. Really? Can you play some Thanksgiving music, please? Wait. Is there such a thing as Thanksgiving music?

For the last couple of months I’ve been doing this bookkeeping “gig.” I’m streamlining processes, paying the bills, running payroll, cranking out reports that I don’t really know how to read, and a whole bunch of other stuff. But, I’m discovering this “gig” is totally not my cup of tea. Jenny, if you are reading this – please come back, I don’t want this job forever. I’d much rather be blogging about recipes or my adventures in making 640 loads of laundry soap.

As we all know, the holidays are coming which means some of us might have a ton of family in and out of our house and possibly spending the night. What in the world do you fix for breakfast besides Crockpot Breakfast? Pancakes of course! My mom makes a homemade (and healthy) pancake mix. It’s SUPER simple to make, store, and use. Make a batch and keep it on hand during the holidays…it makes a great breakfast or dinner. (What, you’ve never had breakfast for dinner? You should try it sometime.)

Pancake Mix

4 c. unbleached flour

2 TBS baking soda

2 tsp soda

½ c. sugar

1 TBS salt

1 ½ c. crushed bran flakes (or other bran cereal of your choice)

1 c. oatmeal

2 ½ c. whole wheat flour (stone-ground is best)

Mix together and store in an airtight container. If you use fresh whole wheat flour, it’s best to store it in an airtight container in the frig. It keeps all those good-for-you buggies fresh.

So, now you have the mix. Here’s what you’ll need to actually make the pancakes:

Large Batch: 5-8 people

1 ¾ c. mix

1 egg

1/3 c. canola oil

1 ½ c. milk

Small: 3-5 people

1 c. mix

1 egg

3 TBS canola oil

¾ c. milk

Warm your griddle to a medium-high heat. Use a ¼ c. measuring cup to put your pancakes on the griddle. When the tops start to bubble, it’s time to flip. Serve immediately.

Oh, did I mention my mom also makes homemade syrup?

Sharon’s Homemade Syrup

1 c. white sugar

¾ c. brown sugar

1 c. water

1 tsp vanilla

½ tsp maple flavoring (Watkins is the best!)

¼ tsp almond extract

Bring water, white, and brown sugar to a boil until the sugar is dissolved. About 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and add vanilla, maple, and almond flavorings. Serve warm!

Enjoy!