My New Toy

It is the Dyson DC Animal Ball-Technology Upright Vacuum and I love it.  Until about four months ago I had the original Dyson DC17 Animal vacuum, but it was having problems.  I took it to Sears to be serviced only to discover that I had really killed it, it needed a new motor and a new cyclone thing, and a new everything else... the price tag?  $400 plus.  I said no thank you since we didn't spend $400 on that vacuum in the first place.  Killing it is completely my fault... I think I went 1.5 years before I cleaned out a filter... that couldn't have helped! 

I wasn't necessarily keen to get another Dyson since the first one didn't even last 5 years, but after doing some research on the best "Pet" vacuum which showed that Dyson was continually rated the best, we decided to go for it.  We got the Ball version which really is way more maneuverable then your standard model.  The profile is so low I can now get under furniture without having to use an attachment.

This time around I am determined to make this vacuum last, so I will be treating it right and and performing some regular maintenance.

Tips for a Successful Yard Sale

I am, if I do say so myself, a yard sale veteran.  My mom and I have been having yard sales for as long as I can remember and they have always been successful.  The difference between a successful and an unsuccessful yard sale are huge, but the things you can do to ensure success are very simple!

1.  Advertise -- This can mean putting an ad in your local paper or it can mean putting signs up in your neighborhood.  Better yet, do both! 

2. Price Everything -- Whether it is with a sticker, a post it note, or a piece of masking tape, price everything!  If you have more than one person selling, add initials next to the price to make it easier to keep track of who is owed how much.

3.  Price Things to Sell -- This is a yard sale.  Keep that in mind.  I know that you paid a lot of money for these items back in the day, but now you are hocking them to strangers in your driveway.  Price them accordingly.

4.  Be Open to Offers -- Although it is not customary in this country to haggle over prices there is something about a yard sale that brings out a person's inner haggler.  Even if you have priced things to sell, people may offer you less.  Sure you want to make a little money with this endeavor, but yard sales are often more about cleaning out the money than fiscal gain.  If someone asks you if you will take less than what the item is priced ask yourself if you are will to bring it back into the house and store it again before you answer them.

5.  Have Change -- I don't know why people do it, but they do, they will offer you a $20 bill for a $0.25 item.  have change available... it just makes everyone happy.

6.  Tables, Tables, Tables -- People don't like to bend down to look at stuff.  Put things on tables.  Also, so some reason, people don't like to look through racks of clothes, so don't hang (if possible) fold and put on tables.

7.  Have a Partner -- This might be the most important one.  You can go at it alone, but then there is no one to spot you when you need a potty break or a fresh cup of coffee.

8.  Keep Yard Sale Hours -- I crack up when I see yard sale signs that say they will start at 10:00.  Die hard yard salers are out early... take advantage of that.  Sometimes they are so eager to get a look at what you have they will even help you set up... no kidding.

9.  Offer People Bags -- Everyone, no matter how many reusable bags you own, has a lot of plastic shopping bags in their house.  Here is the perfect opportunity to unload them. 

10.  Have a Plan for After -- What are you going to do if things don;t sell?  Have some idea of what you are going to do with things that are left over.  Will you box them up and store them?  Will you donate them to Goodwill?  To some other organization?

Pickles

I will be making these tomorrow, probably during nap time.  This is my first foray into pickled food, so we'll see how it goes.  I will post a more extensive entry with pictures tomorrow, but for the moment I decided to share the recipe I am going to use.  I found it on Cookography and it is for Refrigerator Pickles...

Dill Refrigerator Pickles (From Cookography, 2007)

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lbs Kirby cucumbers (sometimes labeled pickling cukes), cut in half lengthwise
• 2 cups white distilled vinegar
• 2 cups cold water
• 4 cloves garlic, sliced
• 3 tablespoons kosher salt
• 1 good handful of fresh dill (maybe a cup?)
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp chili flakes or a dried red hot pepper (optional)
• 1 tsp black peppercorns

Directions:

1. Place all the seasonings in the bottom of a 2 or 3 quart jar. Add the cucumber halves, stacking as you go. The basic thing to try and arrange them so they don’t float around too much.
2. Measure out the vinegar, water and salt in a separate container and stir until the salt dissolves.
3. Pour the liquid into the jar containing the cucumbers. Make sure the liquid covers all of the cucumbers. Mix up another batch if necessary.
4. Seal the lid tightly and shake for about a minute. Now find a good home for the jar in your ‘fridge
5. Wait for 6 or 7 days, giving the jar a good shake each day.

Things I am Loving Right Now

Stash's Peach Flavored Black Tea... Yum

This Silicone Watch (it just screams COOL to me)

Ore Ida Sweet Potato Fries (Junk food I can feel less guilty about)

Crimina Minds (How did I not know about this show???)

Left Over Easter Candy :)

Update on Updated To Do List

I actually made some progress on my previously posted To Do list.... YEAH!

1.  IRON (for the love of God IRON)
2.  Make tooth fairy pillow for Nate
3.  Make Ice Cream
4.  Make pickles 

In addition I accomplished a few other things, like making some whole wheat pizza dough to keep in the freezer.  The pickles I think I am going to tackle tomorrow.

Updated To Do List

1.  IRON (for the love of God IRON)
2.  Make tooth fairy pillow for Nate

3.  Make Ice Cream
4.  Make pickles

Tasty (Low Fat) Pork Chops

ARRRRG!  I posted this yesterday but blogger somehow erased it... here we go again.

The other morning I pulled out some boneless pork chops to thaw for dinner.  By the time I got around to actually making dinner I only had about 25 minutes to spare.  That was hardly enough time to marinade the pork.  Also, I was looking for a cooking method that I could walk away from for a little bit which meant that grilling or frying was out.  So, I decided to bread the pork and bake it.  Instead of your traditional breading method with flour and eggs and bread crumbs, I decided to slather the pork in Dijon mustard and then press it into bread crumbs.  I baked them for about 20 minutes on 375 (in my convection toaster oven so times may vary).  They were fantastic.  The coating was certainly not crunchy, but it was very tasty imparting an awful lot of flavor.  Best of all, this method added no additional fat and used up two pantry items!!!

Happy Mother's Day

Mexican Chocolate Cupcakes

So I made the Mexican chocolate cupcakes last night and hoo-boy! are they good.

I changed the recipe a little bit and I like the results so I am going to re-post it with my changes:

1 pkg. Chocolate Cake Mix
2 tsp ground cinnamon, separated
1/4 tsp plus 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 Can of  Chocolate Frosting


Preparation Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Prepare cake mix as directed.
2. Add 1 tsp of cinnamon and all of the cayenne pepper to the cake batter and mix well.
3. Spoon cake batter into prepared cupcake liners and pan. Fill cupcake tins no more than 2/3full.
4. Bake cupcakes as directed and cool completely.
5.Frost cupcakes and sprinkle with the left over cinnamon.

Feliz Cinco de Mayo

Although, as I understand it, Cinco de Mayo is not actually a big deal in Mexico, I like to look for any excuse to have themed meals, so here are two Mexican themes recipes.  The first one I have made many times and it is very yummy.  The second I will be making tonight.  Enjoy!

Spicy Polenta Tamale Pie

24 oz. Pre Packaged Cooked Polenta (comes in a plastic roll)
1 (15 oz.) Can Black Beans, rinsed and drained
1 (10 oz.) Can Enchilada Sauce (mild, medium, or hot)
1 (11 oz.) Can Whole Kernel Corn, drained
1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper
1 Tablespoon Dried Parsley
1 Cup Cheddar Cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray an 8X8 dish with nonstick cooking spray. Cut polenta into small cubes. Mix all ingredients together in a medium sized bowl and pour into prepared dish. Bake uncovered for 30-35 minutes. 

It is a very easy vegetarian meal.



Mexican Chocolate Cupcakes
1 pkg. Chocolate Cake Mix
2 tsp ground cinnamon, separated
1/4 tsp plus 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 Can of  hocolate Frosting


Preparation Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Prepare cake mix as directed.
2. Add 1 tsp of cinnamon and 1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper to the cake batter and mix well.
3. Spoon cake batter into prepared cupcake liners and pan. Fill cupcake tins no more than 2/3full.
4. Bake cupcakes as directed and cool completely.
5. Prepare frosting by adding 1 tsp of cinnamon and 1/8 tsp of cayenne pepper to each can of frosting that you use. Mix completely and frost cupcakes.

To Do List....

For this week, there are a couple of things I have been procrastinating on that need to get done.

1.  Take laundry out of the dryer and fold
2.  Put away Laundry
3.  Clean out Closet in Family Room
4.  IRON
5.  Make Tooth Fairy Pillow (not that Nate will be losing teeth any time soon, but still, I want to be prepared)