Freeze your tomato paste pin

By Stephanie

Sometimes I think Martha Stewart lives on a different planet than the rest of us.

The woman has some great ideas, but I wonder how many people have the time, energy, or desire to create something like this.

If you do, I am impressed.

For serious.

I saw this pin about freezing tomato paste to use at a later time (instead of letting it rot in your fridge which may or may not have happened to me a couple (few?) times). But when I realized it was from Martha, well I got a little nervous.

She's just too perfect.

Plus the steps seemed a little suspect to me. I won't write them here (you can read them on her site here), but let's just say they didn't add up in my mind.

When I took the paste out of the freezer still in the can and I was supposed to use the can top to "push" the paste out in a perfectly cylindrical manner, well this was what was not adding up:

The can top is wider than the can itself, which means pushing it through would be, well, impossible.

And then this happened:

I was trying something, anything, to get my frozen tomato paste out of the jar.

When the knife came out, my husband said, "don't break the kitchen."

We're making progress!

Success!

So, as you can see, with a few setbacks, I now have a cylinder of frozen tomato paste wrapped up in my freezer ready to be sliced up as needed for my future cooking needs.

This pin is approved! But, you may have to get creative in following the steps, so I'm giving it 3 out of 5 stars.

Baby's Bottom in a Jar

By Daimi

When someone tells you that they have a cream that will make your face feel like a baby's bottom, you have to wonder if it really lives up to the hype. After my disappointment with the body wash, I'll admit I was a bit skeptical about the recipe that I found from this pin.

I had all of the ingredients on hand, so I was eager to get going on this one.

This recipe was SUPER easy and required about two minutes of my time...which is always a huge bonus in my book.

Put the coconut oil, shea butter*, and 2 - 3 drops of tea tree oil (oops, I added 4) in a bowl.

Mix it all together with the back of the spoon until it looks like frosting. 

That's it. I stored mine in a baby food jar, but not before putting a bit on my face to see how it felt. When I first smeared it on my face I was really grossed out by how greasy it made my face look. I made this early in the day and six hours later my face still looked greasy. I gave it another chance though and put it on right before bed the next time. I was much more pleased with it not having to feel the greasiness of it all day. The next morning my face did in fact feel softer!  I used it for 3 or 4 days before we went out of town and I did not take it with me while we were gone. I also forgot to start using it again when we returned. By the time I remembered my face was starting to break out and I was skeptical about putting something on my face that is so oily to begin with. I love the wonder of all that God has created, because despite putting something that seems really greasy and oily on my face, it actually helped clear up the break outs! I'm not sure if my face feels like my daughter's cute little baby tush, but it definitely feels softer than it did before I started using it, so this pin is approved!

When I review homemade recipes like this I am also looking for whether or not it saves me money as well. I am very happy to say that this is an extremely frugal face cream! A little goes a very long way and there is probably enough to last me at least six months, if not longer. I don't know the exact cost to make it, but it had to of been less than $2. That is WAY cheaper than any face cream you will buy in the store and it took me less time to make it than it would to drive to the store to pick some up. So good scores all around! I'm going to give this 5 stars!

*I got my shea butter on Vitacost.com. I signed up on a referral and got $10 off my first order. It's not the cheapest in town, but with the discount it was a pretty fair price. If you would like to get $10 off your first order (and I will get $10 as well - which means you can refer people and get additional discounts after you sign up!) then click here to get your $10 discount. That link is only good for 60 days, so if it has been longer than that contact me and I'll send you another one.

Homemade and Reusable Dryer Sheets

By Stephanie

A few weeks ago, I was preparing my grocery list when I mentioned to my husband that we needed to buy Bounce dryer sheets.

His response?

No, let's use that pin where you make your own dryer sheets.

Confession - my husband loves Pinterest. He doesn't have an account and so he never repins, comments, or likes, but he can sit all morning and just look at pins. It's nice to have someone so close to share my pin passion with, but it also makes me giggle every time he makes a comment like the one above because, well, guys on Pinterest are pretty uncommon.

Back to the review! I found the pin for making reusable dryer sheets and read the instructions. I had all the materials I needed (thanks to a really weird washer and dryer machine we had in our apartment a couple of years ago - yes, you read that correctly - it's both a washer and dryer... in one machine - you had to use liquid fabric softener and that jug has sat collecting dust in our laundry room ever since we moved).

Our cloth/new dryer sheet soaked in fabric softener
(I used one cap full of liquid fabric softener)

So! Finally! A way to use that fabric softener! Get the instructions here.

The first time I used the reusable dryer sheet, I shut the dryer door, turned it on, proudly walked downstairs telling my husband, well, we did it, we made a reusable dryer sheet... and then I realized, how would I really know if it works?

That load felt soft as usual and fairly static free. We've used it a total of three times now and I guess it's been working... The pin says you can use it up to 40 times and I promise an update to this post several months down the road. But for now I wanted to let you know that it works.

At least I think it does. And so I'm rating it 5 out of 5 stars.

Semi-Homemade Body Wash

By Daimi

In addition to working towards a "real" or "clean" food diet, I am also trying to start making a lot of our soap products and toiletries. I have not gotten as far as making our own bar soap yet (that's coming soon), but I am taking all natural soaps and turning them into other things.

So when I came across this pin to make body wash from liquid castille soap I was super excited. If you aren't familiar with castille soap, it is an amazing soap that comes in both bar and liquid form. It is highly concentrated and can be used for multiple things. If you wanted to use it on its own as a body wash you could, but it is very thin and does not lather much, so sometimes it is hard to tell if you actually still have soap on your bath poof or wash rag...whatever you use. A little goes a long way with castille soap, but I was hoping to thicken it up and make it go even further since it is a little on the expensive side.

After reading through the instructions on Crunchy Betty I realized that I did not have that much castille soap. I had purchased the small bottle, which was only 1/4 cup, so that meant I had to scale down the recipe. I also did not want to do the infusion, so I just started with distilled water (never use tap water when you're making this kind of stuff - you are introducing whatever bacteria is in the water supply if you do) as my base. I also substituted jojoba oil for the almond oil. So here's what I used to make the body wash:

Distilled water, shea butter, jojoba oil, castille soap, & xantham gum

I started by heating up the water, shea butter, and jojoba oil.

It looked like this once it was all melted and mixed up.

Then I added the xantham gum to thicken it up. I had to take this picture quickly so it is kind of blurry.

Lastly, I added in the castille soap.

 

Once I finished it I put it in an old body wash bottle. After using the body wash this pin has been approved!

I approve this pin with mixed emotions though. I approved it, because it turned out exactly how she said it would. I'm giving it a 3 out of a 5 though, because I didn't get out of it what I was hoping to. I had my own expectations going into making it and it didn't meet them, but that has nothing to do with the recipe. Part of the reason I am making our soaps is because I want to save money. If you've ever purchased castille soap then you know it is not cheap. This recipe did not really extend the soap as much as I was hoping it would. I ended up with not even a 1/2 cup. Yes, that doubled what I started with and I will use much less than I would store bought, but I'm cheaper than that. I wanted more. The other thing is that I was really wishing it would have thickened up more than it did. I'm guessing that it might if I would have used more xantham gum than I did, and maybe I messed up the measurements when I scaled it down, but I was disappointed by that. On the positive side, it does feel fantastic! It does lather more now as well, so that is nice. So overall it turned out exactly like she said it would, but I would not make it again, because it does not meet my wants and needs. Hopefully it will last a while though and maybe I will feel differently about it if it does.

My Week of Pinteresting Outfits: And What I Learned

By Stephanie

A recent (and awesome) change at work has me telecommuting full time. The benefits of this are plentiful (and I’m certainly not complaining) but one thing I’ve noticed after doing this for 2 months is that I’m getting pretty casual with my dress.

And, no, I’m not talking to myself.

Yet.

When I had to be in the office every workday I spent a bit more time on getting dressed for work. I was no fashionista in the office, but there’s something about putting on dress pants, skirts, or dresses that makes you try just a little harder than on a Saturday. I’ve noticed as the weeks progressed that my telecommuter’s “uniform” is a pair of jeans, a long sleeve tee underneath a sweater with a pair of Merrells. So easy, right?

But I find myself missing that creative outlet of picking out a cute outfit the night before (yes, I’m one of those people) and I’m almost at the point where I’m tired of jeans. It’s getting serious, folks.

Enter Pinterest. Spend any amount of time on the site and you’re bound to come up with some super cute Polyvore outfits or pictures of girls posing in stylish clothes. I’ve been slowly accumulating Pinterest outfits that: a) I like; b) are made up of items I can find in my closet; and c) are perfect for a person who works at home (i.e., not too dressy).

And so this week I began the Week of Pinterest-ing Outfits. I photographed my outfit each day and here they all are together.

My pinspiration: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday

What have I learned?

1) Blazers are a telecommuter’s (and stay at home mom’s and freelancer’s) best friend. Almost any outfit can benefit from a blazer. For some reason I rarely wear blazers in the winter because I thought they looked funny under jackets. I wore two different blazers this week and *surprise* they looked fine under my winter jacket.

2) Sometimes you just need one more thing. I know about the famous adage of taking off one thing before leaving the house, but seriously for me that would mean going without pants. This week I found that I was wearing the clothes I always wear but a blazer, or a scarf, or a different shirt under a sweater, made all the difference.

3) It takes time. Looking nice takes a bit of thought. I probably spent more time than necessary this week because I knew I’d be photographing my outfits, but if I want to continue this I will have to be willing to spend more time planning my looks.

4) It’s in your closet. The best thing I learned is that I have plenty of cute outfits in the making in my closet right now. I just need to make the connections to get good outfits. No need to shop for a new wardrobe!

5) This kind of contradicts number 4, but I’m ready to buy skinny jeans. I’ve held out this long, but I found way too many cute outfits on Pinterest that involved skinny jeans. I think I’m ready to take the plunge.

In the spirit of Pins Reviewed, I'm giving fashion inspiration on Pinterest 5 out of 5 stars!

Have you used Pinterest to inspire new looks? How did it work for you? Tell me in the comments!

Portobello Philly Cheese "Steak" Sandwich

Original Pin and Original Blog Post

I am always looking for new and exciting meals to make for the Hubster and I. He works hard and is out in the sun all day. Although he would be perfectly fine with eating sandwiches M-F nightly for supper, I have other ideas about what supper should be. I try to make the Mr. something a little more hearty than a deli-meat or tuna special :)

So, when I saw this recipe, I knew I had to try it. I LOVE mushrooms. Anyway you want. That's the way I need it...you know, ala State Farm Journey Commercial The Hubster on the other hand, not so much. He can usually be found picking mushrooms out of dishes or asking me to chop them into smaller pieces when I am cooking with them at home. You know, out of sight-out of mind. 

I think he was a little skeptical when he found out I was making these sandwiches for supper, but he acted excited anyway. His excitement continued when we tasted them and realized how fabulous they were! These were the most delicious guilt-free sandwiches (and hearty to boot!) that we have had in a long time!

Here is the original recipe found on eatingwell.com. My changes and/or comments are in bold.

INGREDIENTS

       

• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 4 large portobello mushrooms, stems and gills removed (see Tip), sliced
• 1 large red bell pepper, thinly sliced (I had one orange bell pepper so I used that)
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh oregano, or 2 teaspoons dried (I only had "Italian seasoning" so I used this instead)
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour (we use whole wheat flour in our house, so this is what I used)
• 1/4 cup vegetable broth, or reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 3 ounces thinly sliced reduced-fat provolone cheese
• 4 whole-wheat buns, split and toasted
• 
  

PREPARATION

1. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring often, until soft and beginning to brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Add mushrooms, bell pepper, oregano and pepper and cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are wilted and soft, about 7 minutes.
2. Reduce heat to low; sprinkle the vegetables with flour and stir to coat. Stir in broth and soy sauce; bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat, lay cheese slices on top of the vegetables, cover and let stand until melted, 1 to 2 minutes.
3. Divide the mixture into 4 portions with a spatula, leaving the melted cheese layer on top. Scoop a portion onto each toasted bun and serve immediately.

TIPS & NOTES

• The dark gills found on the underside of a portobello are edible, but if you like you can scrape them off with a spoon.From a RD standpoint, the gills are packed full of good things for you like Zinc, Magnesium and additional fiber, so I left them on. If you don't like the texture (they can be a little slimy) just scrape them off as stated above!

NUTRITION

Per serving: 268 calories; 10 g fat ( 4 g sat , 4 g mono ); 15 mg cholesterol; 35 g carbohydrates; 13 gprotein; 7 g fiber; 561 mg sodium; 704 mg potassium.

Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin C (140% daily value), Selenium (49% dv), Vitamin A (30% dv), Calcium (25% dv), Potassium (20% dv), Magnesium (16% dv).

Carbohydrate Servings: 2

Exchanges: 2 starch, 1 vegetable, 1 high-fat meat

Onion, Portobello Mushrooms and Orange Bell Pepper

Onions, Bell Pepper and Mushrooms all in the pan!

Finished product! Not as good looking as the original picture, but I can promise you it was delicious.

I will most definitely be making this recipe again! If my mushroom-hating Hubster loves it, you can pretty much bet on anyone liking it, even picky kiddos! In this picture the mushrooms even look like juicy steak, which I'm sure you could pass them off as if needed! :)

Date Tried: 2/10/12

Rating: 4.5/5 

I only give a 4.5 out of 5 because I changed up a few of the ingredients using whatever I had on hand. I'm sure with the ingredients from the original blog, it would have been a 5/5!

How to clean your glass stovetop - Still don't know

By Stephanie

My friend @Christina pinned a how to clean your glass stove top pin last week and I immediately knew that I'd try it. Before we get to the review, I'd like to just take this opportunity to express to you, our dear readers, how much I dislike glass stovetops. Seriously, who came up with this idea? Not only is it a burn accident waiting to happen but it also looks weird (where's the burner?) and cooks pretty unevenly. I cannot wait to one day design my own kitchen and get a beautiful hefty gas range.

Ok enough of that. You're here to read about the pin!

Well, sadly, this pin was denied.

The steps looked too simple... soak a rag in warm water and soap, spread some baking soda on your stove, let it sit 15 minutes then move said soaked rag in dainty circular motions and BAM! clean stove.

I did these things. I soaked, I waited, I scrubbed. I timed myself and I scrubbed my stove in circular motions for about 7 minutes. When I was done and rinsed away all of the baking soda, I unfortunately still had rings. Here's a before and after.

In the original blog post, the blogger says she repeated the steps twice, but after going through the steps one time and seeing basically no improvement at all, I decided against repeating.

Therefore, I'm giving this pin 2.5 stars out of 5 stars, because - technically - the repeat might have made all of the difference (I seriously doubt that, though).

I read some of the 99 comments on the blog post and several people said that a razor blade works just as well and is much quicker. To be honest, the little rings don't bother me too much but I thought if this baking soda tricked work, well, then why not get rid of them?

Did you have better luck on your glass stovetop? Tell me in the comments.