I can’t believe the summer is going by so fast. I am reading blogs about getting ready for school! Since my son is going to pre-school for the first time, I can officially say, (again) I am not ready for school to start. To pro-long the summer a bit longer, I think we may venture to go peach picking this weekend. (A farm just e-mailed me saying they still have ripe ones on the trees…need to get some to save in my freezer for those peach pie cravings in January!) Have a gander at the these great posts I came across this week and have a happy, healthy, organizing weekend!

:: Home bake some fresh bagels with Julie from Towards Sustainability: Bread Machine: Bagels.

:: This is a great kitchen tool must-have list from Simple Mom: Back to the Basics: 10 Recommended Kitchen Items for the Home Cook.

:: These look so yummy, click on over to Tip Nut to find out How to Make Sun Dried Tomatoes.

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Creating a simple life is like losing the meaning of money by the side of the road, and entering into a life of freedom, joy, and choice…(I didn’t say it would be easy “losing the meaning of money.”)

Simple Mom: The Great Myth

Its Frugal Being Green: Quality Over Quantity

Simple, Green Frugal : Peer Pressure and Food Choices for Young Children 

Have a happy organizing weekend.

I hope you all had a wonderful week! And it is Friday already! This weekend we are planning to go to the park to “celebrate” Tyler’s 3rd birthday with the grandparents and his aunt and uncle. Since he is getting another “birthday” with our mom-group next weekend, we are kind of splitting the super excitement in half. What are you doing this weekend?

Here are just a few of the wonderful reads I found this week in my Reader…enjoy!

TipNut.com 10 Easy Ways to Preserve Herbs

Small Notebook No Spend Month Update: Week 3

Simple Mom 10 Ways You Can Avoid Over-Spending

Tune in next week for my update about my first month toward becoming debt-free. If you missed my posts about budgeting and becoming debt-free, you can catch them here, here, and here. Have a wonderful weekend, Happy Organizing!

Freezing Fruits and Veggies 

Apples and Peaches: Make pie filling per canning recipe directions. Let mixture cool, decant pie portions into Ziploc bags, label, and freeze flat for up to 3 months.

Carrots: Make moist carrot cake muffins that simply need a dusting of powdered sugar for a quick out-of-the-freezer dessert.

Onions: Simply chop, and freeze in 1C measurements in Ziploc bags and freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to use, toss them into the saute pan frozen. (Watch out for a bit of sizzle as the ice crystals melt and evaporate.)

Pumpkin: Scrub clean, slice in half and remove seeds, place in roasting dish cut side down in a 1/4″ of water and cover with foil, roast at 400 degrees F until soft and knife slides right in, cool to room temperature and puree. Line a sieve with a cheesecloth and place over a bowl. Put the puree in the sieve to drain for a few hours to achieve a thick, even consistency. Decant puree to Ziploc bags, label, and freeze flat for up to 3 months.

Zucchini: Usually each plant produces enough to feed a small army, so I make zucchini bread and freeze loaves for unexpected afternoon guests and special treats. Wrap cooled baked loaves in plastic wrap, slip them into a Ziploc bag, label, and freeze for up to 3 months.

Saving Fresh Veggies: blanching is the key to preserving color, texture, and slowing the bacteria that can spoil food. Select veggies that are free from blemishes, not over-ripe and prepare them soon after you get them home. Working with manageable quantities, wash veggies and drain. Blanch as directed below and immediately dunk into ice-water to stop the cooking process. Drain, pat dry with a tea towel, portion into Ziploc freezer bags, seal eliminating all extra air, label, and freeze for up to 6 months.

• Broccoli/Cauliflower: blanch broccoli 1 lb for 3-4 minutes, blanch cauliflower 1 1/4 lbs for 3 minutes
• Green beans: blanch 2/3 – 1 lb for 2-3 minutes
• Peas: shelled, blanch 2-3lbs of peas for 90 seconds.

Source: Canning and Preserving for Dummies, Ward, Karen, Wiley Publishing, 2003.

Baked Goods in the Freezer

In addition to fresh fruits and veggies, I also save baked goods in my freezer. I save time and money using my freezer space and avoid budget-buster take-out meals when I am in a time crunch.

Freeze Pie Crusts for up to 3 months for quiche, peach pies, or mini-berry tartlets. (Recipe adapted from Joy of Cooking, 3rd ed.)

1. Dump in Cuisinart food processor: 2 1/4C all purpose flour; 1T salt; 1T sugar and pulse for 3 seconds
2. Add: 1C butter (very cold, cut into chunks); 1/4C shortening and pulse until pea-sized bits of fat remain
3. Gradually add: 1/3C + 3T water (ice-cold) while processor is running and pulse process until bits are the size of like very, very course cornmeal. (Add more water if necessary, but don’t add too much or the crust will be tough.)
4. Dump out crust dough onto plastic wrap, divide in half, and form into flat rounds. Wrap tightly in plastic and place disks in a Ziploc bag. Label and freeze for up to 3 months.
5. When ready to use, thaw in the fridge and let rest on the counter for 5 minutes before rolling out. (If the dough is too warm after 5 minutes, refrigerate briefly until firm.) Make your pie according to recipe directions.

Make Pizza Dough ahead and freeze for up to 3 months for easy calzones, dipping bread sticks, pizzas, and flat-bread-type sandwiches. (Recipe adapted from Joy of Cooking, 3rd ed.)

1. Combine in large bowl: 1 pkg, (2 1/4t) active dry yeast, 1 1/3C warm water, and let stand for 5 minutes.
2. Add: 3 1/2 to 3 3/4 C all purpose flour, 2T olive oil, 1T salt, 1T sugar,a nd mix until completely blended. (This will be super sticky.)
3. Knead in bowl for 10 minutes until dough is smooth and elastic (it will still be super sticky.)
4. Turn out into oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap to rise in a warm place (75-80 degrees F) for 1 to 1 1/2 hrs.
5. Punch down, divide in half, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, place in Ziploc freezer bag, label and freeze flat for up to 3 months.
6. Defrost in refrigerator, bring to room temp on counter top, sprinkle cornmeal on bench, roll out to 12″ round, let rest for 10 minutes before topping and baking on a baking sheet in a 475 degree F oven for 12-15 minutes.

I also freeze:

Tea bread: Wrap loaf in plastic wrap and then cover in freezer paper, label and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost in fridge, and top with glaze of choice to serve.

Dinner rolls: Prepare dough through the first rise. Divide and shape the rolls, place them in a buttered baking pan, cover with plastic wrap, and slip into a plastic Ziploc bag before labeling and freezing for up to 3 months. Defrost completely in the refrigerator. Bring to room temp, and allow to rise a second time on the counter top before baking them in the oven per recipe directions.

Yeast breads: Bake bread, and turn out on to a cooling rack to cool completely. Wrap in parchment paper, or freezer paper, then slip into a Ziploc bag before labeling it and freezing it for up to 3 months. Let bread thaw completely IN paper wrapping BEFORE unwrapping to achieve best, moist result.

Cookie dough: Prepare dough per the recipe, scoop into individual cookie portion sizes with an ice cream scoop and place on a cookie sheet. Separate mounds, cover lightly with plastic wrap and freeze for 4 hours. Place mounds together in a plastic food storage container, cover tightly, and freeze for up to 3 months. To bake: place frozen mounds spaced on a cookie sheet (greased per recipe directions) and let come to room temp on the counter lightly covered with plastic wrap. Shape cookies and bake-off according to recipe directions.

If the cookies are slice and bake cut from a roll, form roll (and coat with nuts or chocolate if called for) before freezing the dough. If the cookies are roll and cut-out cookies, you can roll out dough flat and roll the dough up into a cylinder before freezing.

Shortbread and cakey cookies are better baked before being frozen. Like baked brownies and blondies, layer cookies in a plastic container with a tightly fitting lid between sheets of parchment paper, label them, and place in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Cakes: Wrap buttercake baked layers tightly in plastic wrap and then waxed/freezer paper- freeze buttercreams separately, tightly sealed so they don’t take on odors.  When ready to use, thaw layers completely IN wrapping  BEFORE unwrapping, thaw buttercream in refrigerator, let soften on counter at room temp for 20 minutes before adding liquors or extracts, and re-whip before using. (Buttercreams may seem to curdle at first, but keep whipping and the mixture will come together again.)

Freeze cupcakes per muffin instructions below. If cupcakes are frosted, let thaw in the refrigerator lightly covered with plastic wrap.

If you are freezing a left-over cake curd and whip cream filings don’t freeze well. Freeze butter cakes in individual portion sizes so you don’t have to defrost more than you need.

Muffins, Bagels and Waffles: Freeze muffins flat on a cookie sheet covered in plastic wrap, and then place in a Ziploc bag, label and freeze for up to 2 months. I like to thaw my muffins in the microwave so they come out nice and warm. Buy bagels when they are on sale, and freeze in a Ziploc bag. Thaw in the toaster oven, or in your fridge. Make an extra batch of waffles, let them cool, stack and place in a Ziploc freezer bag. Label and freeze for up to 3 months. Place frozen waffles in the toaster oven to warm them before serving.

Freeze Soups and Chilies Too

Soup, Cold or Hot! - Make your favorite soup recipe but omit any cream at the end. Decant portions into freezer Ziploc bags. With a permanent marker, note the type of soup, number of portions, reheating instructions, how much cream and garnish to add, and the date. Flatten the bag and freeze for up to 6 months. I have successfully frozen, gazpacho, cream of asparagus soup, and leek soup.

Slow-cooked chilies - My husband LOVEs Cincinnati chili. So I cook up a big batch and freeze the extra portions. Simply thaw the bag of chili, cook some spaghetti just past al dente, top with chili, shredded cheddar cheese, chopped yellow onions, and kidney beans, depending on if you want a two-way, three-way, or four-way.

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For more info on freezing veggies and fruits visit TipNut.com.

A small note: I freeze my liquids and purees flat in their Ziploc bags and then stack the bags like books on my freezer shelves. I find it I can fit more in my freezer and everything is easier to find. Another way to easily identify items in your frosty freezer: color code dishes, herbs, baked goods, and veggies by using different colored permanent markers and draw a colored square on the top corner of each Ziploc bag, or container for easy reference.

Do you have any Save Your Cash In Your Freezer tips? Leave a comment here and share your tip with other readers! Happy Organizing!

Hi all, it has been quite a week! But I have stressing less about my blog and enjoying other blogs more. I am amazed at the creativity, supreme knowledge, and quality of character I encounter each day. I am truly inspired.

For some inspiring thoughts about budgets check out these posts!

:: I am a big fan of this budget concept described by the Chief Family Officer: The Psychology of Having Multiple Savings Accounts.

:: Check in at week 2 over at Small Notebook and see how Rachel and her family are doing during their No Spend Month!  Also check out her post about 20 Tips to Waste Less Food.

:: And for 23 Basic Budgeting Resources, visit Carrie at It’s Frugal Being Green! I really learned a lot.

:: And if you missed my thoughts about going debt-free, be sure to check out:

• Budgeting — It’s a Philosophy
• A Journey Toward Being Debt-Free
• Getting to a Debt-Free Life

About Setting Goals:

:: As a newbie blogger I found this post 9 First Step Goals for New Bloggers by ProBlogger so informative and encouraging. Take a peek!

Some Grounding Thoughts:

:: Creating a Sanctuary at Home by Rachel Ann from Home Sanctuary at A Soft Place to Land is a wonderful reminder about life choices and positive perspectives.

:: I grew up in the country, surrounded by gardens, livestock, free-range poultry, gathering eggs and weeding. (I hated the weeding.) This picture post really brought me back to those summers as a child. Take a peek at Simple, Green, Frugal Co-Op if you’d like a reminder of where you groceries really come from!

::I somehow stumbled into this wonderful afternoon tea tablescape that made me feel so southern! Take a look at Between Naps on The Porch for a wonderful visual delight!

A funny one!

And this just made me go “Oh, my gosh!!!” Read Tidymom’s crazy story about her daughter’s 13th Birthday. Her advice to party planners out there, “Look inside the box!”

Have a wonderful weekend all! Happy Organizing.

Organizing Link Friday….haven’t done one of these in a while, but I just had to this week, since there are some wonderful articles I love on some other topics that interest me. I hope you find them interesting as well! Happy Organizing and have a great weekend!

Organizing

Sherri from Serene Journey posted a wonderful organizing clutter article written by Joe Taxpayer. Head on over and read how she is Managing Common Household Clutter such as left over paint, product packaging, and mail clutter.

Mandi from Organizing Your Way posted a great tip article about Organizing Bath Toys. Check it out!

Organizing Thoughts

Marci from Overcoming Busy wrote a fantastic article entitled Take the Day Off. Some how I had never thought of her concept before reading this eye-opening article. Head on over and take a peek.

I just love this article by Erin Dolan from the Unclutterer blog. Her Ask Unclutterer: Having it all article is some really great advice.

Make it Yourself

From one of my favorite Mama’s of beautiful craft ideas: Mama King’s Jelly Fish Craft. I just think it is so cute…and made from some recycled materials makes it even sweeter.

Rachel from Small Notebook shared her Homemade Chocolate Syrup recipe which I just know my husband is going to love. She also shared her packaging tips to make this project a perfect host-gift. Thanks Rachel!

Carrie from It’s Frugal Being Green posted her recipes for some luxurious Homemade All Natural Face, Body, and Foot Scrubs. They sound wonderfully indulgent, thanks Carrie.

And finally, if you haven’t made it over to The Creative Mama to visit Angie, don’t delay! This week and all next week she is Celebrating Photography with interviews, tip articles and some amazing give-aways! I have been positively drooling over some of the photos from the very talented photographers who share their inspiration and tips each day. Also remember to check out her e-book Project Photography which gives great guidance about how to capture better pictures of your special moments. Thanks Angie for sharing your expertise!

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It is Friday again and this week I have been keeping up with the reader a bit better. Here are a few of the best organizing posts I found! If you have an organizing post you’d like highlighted here, click on the image above for details on how to participate. Happy Organizing Friday!

Organizing Tips

Mandi at Organizing Your Way wrote a fabulous article with some great tips about how to Maximizing Your Kitchen Space: Dealing with Counter Clutter.

 Tanna from Complete Organizing Solutions offers a few fabulous ways to Organize Magazine Pages! I am putting this method to work this weekend.

Cleaning Tricks

This window washing trick from TidyMom I am definitely going to have to try. Thanks Cheryl at Tidy Mom!

I Love Lists!

Mama King  from 4 Crazy Kings offers a fabulously complete craft supply must-haves list that is sure going to help you prepare for any kid crafting project that comes your way!

:: Also check out a new series I know I am going to love: 1 Question, 3 Answers; Organizing Triple Play. Tanna from Complete Organizing Solutions, Mandi from Organizing Your Way, and Laura from I’m and Organizing Junkie are putting their organizing prowess together to offer readers 3 different organizing solutions for one challenge. This week’s topic is “What is that in your junk drawer?” Click on the links above to see each of these organizers’ responses!

That’s it for my Reader round-up.

A totally different note, but still organizing, I am looking at a few weekends of landscaping. Right now, we have two stumps in the front of our town home, and NOTHING ELSE.

It is actually better than when we bought the home. The holly bushes attacked you when you tried to get in the front door and the boxwood shrubs were so out of hand, you couldn’t see the double window!!  Since this project affects our neighbors as well, we have elevated it to high priority. In organizer fashion, I have already made measurements, drafted ground plans and side elevations, researched materials and techniques, and created a budget. I am hoping that the rain holds off this weekend in northern Virginia long enough for us to lay some concrete and pavers. As you can probably tell from my More About Me post, I have some building experience but I have limited landscaping experience, especially when it comes to building retaining walls in a frost area. But, with a couple of professionals in the family (just a phone call away) I feel excited to tackle this project! Wish us luck. (For those of you who have been following a long, yes, this project is in addition to our reclaiming the basement project.) Happy Organizing Friday!

Last week was a little hectic, and yes, I feel a bit behind. I am finally going through my reader and posting some of the best organizing links this week…and whew, here they are.

 Organizer Thoughts:

This post written by Sherri of Serene Journey is entitled On The Concept Of Friction. I just love this interesting take on procrastination, productivity, and all the organizing philosophies I live each day. Also be sure to read her post Household Shortcuts And Handy Hints. I particularly like her tip about how to handle the dryer-monster-that-eats-your-socks-challenge!

Organizing Pets

For those of you who have furry loved-ones, Jeri at Jeri’s Organizing & Decluttering News posted a wonderful 4-part series about Reader Question: Pet Stuff Storage.

Free Organizing Downloads:

I stumbled upon a wonderful free download on Just Something I Made. The author Cathe, is a graphic designer and offers her readers a wonderful set of vintage-style printable labels. To do this craft all you need is some pretty colored paper, a printer, and some spray adhesive, and of course, something that needs a label!

Feng Shui Thoughts:

A couple of weeks ago, I did a week-long series on Feng Shui. I just came upon this interesting article from author Jonathan Mead of Zen Habits. Take a look at his article, Feng Shui On Steroids: Design Your Space to Achieve Your Goals, to learn how you can further enhance your home and improve your life.

Organizing Ideas:

Yard sale season is here and The Nesting Place put together a great tip list entitled How to Yard Sale to help prepare you to bargain hunt like the best of them!

Also, a big thank you to The Creative Mama, and Mama King of 4 Crazy Kings, for the links this week!

Have a wonderful rest of the week Organizers!