Natural Homemade Living

Who doesn't love pasta? I'm pretty sure I could eat pasta every day. Another favorite and simple summer salad to make is this one. It tastes great and it's pretty too! You can add ingredients or take out ingredients according to your taste. I hope you like it! Ingredients : 1 - 16 ounce package of rotini pasta (I use garden rotini - 3 colors) 1 pint grape tomatoes cut in half 1/2 c calamata olives, pitted and cut in half 1 green bell pepper, diced 4 ounces of turkey pepperoni 3 mini seedless cucumbers, sliced 1 - 8 ounce bottle of your favorite Italian dressing 8 ounces shredded parmesan cheese.   Sea salt and coarse ground pepper to taste. Cook the pasta in salted water until done for 10-12 minutes, uncovered. Drain and rinse with cold water. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and stir in the dressing. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving, I usually refrigerate mine overnight. This makes about 8 servings. Enjoy! Love and peace, ~ Simp...

This was the first cookie recipe my Grandma gave to me. We made these cookies every visit and they are still one of my favorites. I have made just one change and that is the coconut oil, Grandma used butter. If you have a stand mixer and you mix them until the batter is a little fluffy, your cookies will be soft, almost cake-like in texture. Otherwise (as long as you don't over bake them) they will be soft and chewy in the middle! I make them both ways, it just depends on what you like. I have a couple of variations listed at the end of the recipe. Yummy! Ingredients : 1/2 c coconut oil 1/2 c softened butter (not melted though) 3/4 c brown sugar 3/4 c white sugar 2 tsp vanilla extract 2 eggs 1 tsp salt 2 c white flour 1 tsp baking soda 1 bag chocolate chips (12 oz) I use milk chocolate chips 1-2 c oatmeal (you can use the old-fashioned or quick cooking) Mix the oil, butter and sugars together until they are creamy and rather fluffy. Then add in the vanil...

This is the best tasting and prettiest punch you will ever drink! I have been making this awesome punch recipe for years and it never fails. It is so good that you will need to plan on running out of punch before your party ends! I make this for every special family event and I have never had leftover punch. Ingredients : 46 ounces chilled pineapple juice 1/2 quart or 1/2 liter of ginger ale, chilled 1 quart or 1 liter of Sprite or 7up, chilled 1 quart strawberry sherbet, soft but not runny.  Our favorite flavors are pineapple, orange, strawberry or raspberry but you can use any sherbet flavor. 1 quart (sometimes I use 2 quarts if I want a creamier texture) vanilla ice cream, soft but not runny. The ingredient list is for the entire batch of punch. I have always mixed half of the ingredients together in a punch bowl or large bowl and stir until most of the ice cream and sherbet melt. (You can use a potato masher to help mix in yo...

We hope you have been blessed with a family filled Memorial Day weekend! Our party was amazing and of course friends and family make it perfect! We wanted to give you an idea of how you could organize a party of your own. Our goal was to keep things simple while offering a nice presentation, without too much clutter. We used our jars with the chalkboard contact paper for our candy and kept that theme by labeling each food item, we just stuck the contact paper to the table linens. We used the paper flowers from a previous post to border the bottom of the graduation banner. We also displayed Shya's artwork with wooden clothespins attached to jute. Hopefully you can get some new ideas and make your party planning a pleasant experience! Paper flowers start with plates, napkins and forks Glass jars with chalkboard contact paper Gardettos DIY cupcake stands Chocolate cupcakes, lemon cupcakes and sugar cookies Hugs and kisses, skittles and lemonheads...

Lemon cupcakes are so fun for summer parties. If you're looking for a simple, reliable, and yummy-licious lemon cupcake recipe, this is one of my favorites! Ingredients: 1 cup unsalted butter, softened 2 cups white sugar 4 eggs 3 cups flour 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp sea salt 1 cup milk 3 T lemon zest 3 T lemon juice (freshly squeezed is best) Mix ingredients in the order listed. I used baking cups in a muffin pan and baked for 20-23 minutes in a 340F oven. This recipe makes 30-32 cupcakes. I frosted them with lemon butter cream frosting and added a few sprinkles of colored sugar - yummy and pretty! Frosting : 1/2 cup butter, room temperature 4-5 cups powdered sugar 2 tsp vanilla extract 4 T lemon juice (I squeezed 1 lemon) 1 tsp lemon zest 3 T half-n-half or a little more until smooth consistency colored sugar for decoration is optional Mix butter and powdered sugar, then add liquid ingredients until frosting is smooth. You can use a decorator bag or just use...

Welcome to my crazy week! I have too many projects right now with final party decorations, our wood floor is being installed which means my dining room table is in the kitchen (not a good thing), baking cupcakes and cookies, trying to finish my garden, working at my day job, and guests arriving tonight (won't they be surprised at this disaster - good thing it's my sister and her family because they'll understand!) If you've been following us for awhile you know I've been planning details of the graduation party but it seems like there are always last minute items to work on. Today I completed the most simple and fast little project that I've put together in a long time. I've seen this idea on pinterest and many blogs, so I tried it my way and it worked! You will need: A jar or container Baking soda Essential oil I filled my jelly jar about halfway full with baking soda and added 25 drops of orange essential oil. I picked orange because it's fresh an...

With kids being out of school, it won't be long (or maybe you've already heard) "I'm bored!" Here is a fun, easy project for all ages to get involved in making, playing or both...unless you're a teenager, they just won't admit they are having fun!  I know there are lots of recipes for clay and play dough, I think I have tried most of them. This is one of my favorites for clay. This is a super soft dough, easy to clean up, and little hands can squeeze and mold it. It will harden if you leave it out or it can be dried in the oven.  We just keep ours in a bag in the cupboard, or the fridge if it's warm. It will last a few weeks in an airtight bag or container. This recipe was adapted from argocornstarch.com. It makes about 2 pounds (about 6, small fist, sized balls) but can easily be halved. Here's what you need: 1 c cornstarch 2 c baking soda 1 1/4 c cold water 1 T oil  food coloring is optional In medium saucepan stir cornstarch and ...

It's happened to me more than a few times, you'd think I'd figure it out but let's just say I'm easily distracted and sometimes I forget to update my grocery list! This is what happens, I prepare my homemade pancakes (previously posted) for Sunday brunch, they are fluffy and beautiful and I reach for the syrup and realize there are 5 drops of syrup in the bottle! But now, rather than panic, I make my own pancake syrup. I remember my mom making this, so I thought I would try it and guess what? It works and it tastes great!  I usually buy organic maple syrup for about $7.00 a bottle. This is cheaper to make even if you use organic ingredients. It's about the same consistency as real maple syrup. So give it a try and enjoy! 1 3/4 c white sugar (I use organic cane sugar) 1/4 c brown sugar 1 c water 2 Tbls honey 1 tsp maple extract or flavoring 1/2 tsp vanilla extract Heat the sugars, honey and water in a small pan on the stove. Let the mixture come to a boil ...

With soccer games on weekends, we needed something that is easy to eat quickly, and not too messy when you just need some energy between meals and games.  These were great to have along and were given a "thumbs up" by my taste testers! I found this recipe at asouthernmom.com What you need: 1 c oatmeal 1/2 c peanut butter 1/3 c honey 1/2 c Crisp Rice cereal (aka Rice Krispies) 1/4-1/2 c ground flax seed 1/2 c chocolate chips or raisins if you prefer 1 t vanilla Mix all ingredients together and refrigerate for 30 minutes Shape into small balls, crush and compact together(they stay together better this way-I also added just a bit more peanut butter and honey) You can vary the ingredients and amounts for your family. Store in airtight container Since it has been warm I keep mine in the fridge. I think it helps them keep their shape better too. ~Simply Angie

My favorite time of year is here...Garage Sale season!  I was looking for something to use to decorate an end table. I found this flower vase at a garage sale for 50 cents.  I've seen this project several times, but most recently on the Nate Berkus Show, so I bought it to paint the inside.  I used my left over acrylic paint (from my cupboard projects). You may have to add just a tiny bit of water to it if it isn't thin enough to spread around the inside. I rolled the vase around to cover the inside and then set it upside down on a paper plate to drip and let the excess paint run out. (The longer you leave it upside down the thinner your coverage will be).  I wanted mine to be pretty thick so I only left it a couple hours, then turned it over to dry. It takes about 12-24 hours to completely dry inside. Then I wrapped jute around the top.  I  had another vase that was already orange so I wrapped it in jute also. Things always look better g...

I just got my second dishwasher in 4 years,  which I am not very happy about , so I used the free sample of Cascade. Now I remember why I make my own dishwasher soap! I keep searching for the perfect balance of ingredients to find exactly what I want in a dishwasher soap, well I am happy to report this works the best for me. Maybe it's my water that has made this difficult, I really don't know, but I'm happy now! I found the same issue that Angie did, my old vintage glasses come out great but my new glasses still look a little spotted and cloudy. Guess they don't make glasses and dishwashers like they used to, huh? I tried Lemi Shine in my soap and am happy to report, all items were shiny and clean - at long last! * Important Hint: Fill your soap dispenser with Lemi Shine and run your dishwasher (empty) for one cycle to remove any buildup from your previous soap before you wash your dishes. If you don't do this, your dishes will not...

I'm so excited that grilling season is here! This is my simple, side dish recipe for whatever you are grilling as the main course. I usually make these on the grill but I had to make them in the microwave last night because my husband someone forgot to buy propane for the grill. The basic preparation is the same whether you're cooking inside or outside. 8 -10 small potatoes - I use baby blondes or small Yukon gold 1-2 T olive oil 1 tsp garlic powder 1/2 tsp rosemary 1/4 tsp thyme a light sprinkling of Kosher or sea salt I cut my potatoes in half and stir all of the ingredients together to coat the potatoes. If you're cooking them in the microwave, it takes about 4 minutes, I use a glass bowl or microwave safe dish will work. If you are cooking on the grill, just wrap everything in foil, a grill basket works too but I like to keep the olive oil smothering the potatoes while they are cooking on the grill. They usually take about 10-15 minutes, depending on the heat ...

Since we started our adventure to buy less packaged foods and simplify our lives, we have found some really interesting recipes, most of them we share...some are better not passed along!  I am not a fan of the "cream soups" but some recipes call for them.  I found a recipe for a replacement and so far it has worked for the recipes I have used it in.  These ingredients are equal to 8 cans of cream soup.  I store mine in a quart glass Ball jar. Here's what you need: 2 c nonfat dry milk 2 Tablespoons dried onion 1 tsp basil 1/4 c instant chicken bouillon 3/4 c cornstarch 1/2 tsp pepper 1 tsp thyme To make an amount equal to 1 can of cream soup, mix 1/4 c dry milk 3/4 t dried onion 1/8 t basil 1/2 T instant bouillon  1 1/2 T cornstarch 1/8 t thyme dash of pepper Combine all ingredients and mix well. Stir or shake well before using. When you are ready to use it in a recipe, combine 1/3 c of the dry mix with 1 1/4 c cold water. Stir over low hea...

I am working on the graduation party centerpieces for the tables today. Since the theme is Shya's favorite things we are displaying pictures of her at different ages in white frames at each table. She loves clouds, funky shapes, light and fluffy stuff so we decided to use fluffy pillow batting under each centerpiece. I re-purposed a couple of glass cream bottles and some Starbucks frappuccino bottles for vases and added a key charm with ribbon to each bottle for some extra bling! I used 5 charms; family, believe, love, hope, and faith. So each of the guest tables had it's own "life theme". Since we are having many sugary treats at her party, I wanted to decorate the bottles for the centerpieces with something that looked sugary, guess what looks like sugar? Epsom salts...so here is the DIY project. We are using fresh flowers in each vase, but you could display pictures in the vase, a card with a saying on it or one of the graduation invita...

I recently reorganized a cupboard we have over a desk in the kitchen.  I decided that I liked the look of my open cupboard for my dishes so much that I also removed the doors from the desk cupboard too.  Then I realized I needed better ways to store the colored pencils, markers, etc. so they can be found when my kids are doing projects, but still look neat and organized.  I had them stored in labeled boxes, but it never fails that the box you want is the one on the bottom of  the stack! So I moved them into jars, now they are easily accessible and no one gets a box dropped on their head! (yes... this has happened to me). I also used photo boxes to keep receipts, and baskets for camera's, cords etc. The basket on the first shelf is for the things that need to be dealt with, school papers, things to mail, appointments to make etc. Shop your house, use what you have and be creative! ~Simply Angie

I saw this idea for a handy "to go" container for plastic bags, on Pinterest a while ago from tatertotsandjello.com. I thought it would be a good idea for summer, especially for car trips, or wet suits and towels at the beach.   What you need: empty wipes container about 12 plastic store bags Optional: contact paper to decorate the outside  Start by folding the bags in half and getting all the air out. Lay them out, overlapping each bag with the handles from the next bag. (You will have a long line of bags) Fold the handle of the first bag up(this will be the middle and the first bag you pull out) then roll them all together and put them in your container.  I wrapped mine with the adhesive contact paper I had left from my other projects, the original idea was to use fabric and mod podge to cover the outside, but I thought this was easier. Now you have a handy, beautiful portable bag dispenser!  This container would also work for our ...

If you've been following us for awhile, this recipe may seem familiar to you. A variation of the sweet white bread, these hamburger buns or dinner rolls are the best!  Ingredients : 2 cups warm water (110-120F degrees) 2/3 cup white sugar 1 1/2 T active dry yeast 1 1/2 tsp sea salt 1/4 cup melted butter or canola oil 5 1/2 - 6 cups bread flour (I think you could use all purpose white flour) In a large bowl (I use my stand mixer bowl but I let some warm water sit in it first so that my water doesn't cool off when I add the yeast and the water). I dissolve the sugar in the warm water first then add the yeast. Allow it to proof until yeast resembles a creamy foam. It took mine about 15 minutes. Stir the oil into the yeast. Mix in flour one cup at a time and add the salt. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth or use a stand mixer and dough hook on a 2 setting for a couple of minutes then knead by hand for another 2-3 minutes. Shape the d...

It's a beautiful, sunny, calm morning and I find myself awake too early for a weekend! Angie and I wanted to wish you a Happy Mother's Day and hope you are blessed with a perfect day! Maybe you will have a few moments to yourself today to reflect about some of your mom memories. Even if you are not a mom, you have probably influenced a child's life at some time in your life. Or maybe someone has been a great influence in your life that you have looked up to as a mom. We have been busy posting some ideas for Mother's Day this week but most importantly be thankful today for your mom and all of the great moms out there! Oh yeah, and if you're reading this mom, Happy Mother's Day - thank you for all you do, we love you!   My daughter loves my blueberry muffins and I like this old recipe (thank you Grandma) because you can mix it in a few minutes. It takes less than 30 minutes from start to finish! Serve these muffins warm or let them cool and send them to the freez...

My little party planning group (sister and daughter) decided that we are going to use glass jars with chalkboard contact paper to display some of our food on our serving table. We are going to fill them with favorite candy treats and even fruit. After scouring the thrift stores, I couldn't find the jars I was looking for so I waited for them to go on sale. And the timing was perfect, they were on sale at at Pier 1 and Shopko. My sister uses these for every day use and they are so cute to display on your counter tops. My sister bought her jars at Target. She keeps her cereal, scones, pancake mix, biscotti, and cookies in them. All you need to do is cut your chalkboard contact paper to whatever size you want, label them, and pour your favorite food items in them. You can easily change the label when you want to fill them with something different. Try this for a party idea or for your every day storage needs. Love and peace, ~ Simply Tammi and Angie

If you still need a quick, homemade gift idea, this is something you can make in a hurry, you probably have everything you need in your cupboards already. It's also a great project to have the kids help with,  I had an 18 month old "helper" adding handfuls of ingredients and stirring. I have seen several recipes for scrubs but this is the one I made for gifts.  You can also use the recipe we posted earlier for Simply Sugar Scrub. I used a small, wide mouth Ball jar but you can put it in any container with a lid.  This recipe will make one small Ball jar, but can be adapted to make the amount you need.  I used equal parts brown sugar and white sugar. (I used 1/4 c. of each.) 1 T cinnamon  Almond oil, drizzle in enough to make it a paste but not soupy... (unless you like it that way). Coconut Oil (optional) I used about a Tablespoon because it adds extra moisture, it's thick and I like the smell Extract of your choice (optional). It's fine without it, but i...

They're everywhere and I have always liked them but I haven't bought one yet - the infamous picture or memo board. I looked at several styles on Etsy and decided I didn't want to spend $35 for something I thought I could actually do myself. My experiment was a success, it took about an hour (mostly because I had to reload my non-cooperative staple gun) and the total cost was around $3.50. You could make this for Mother's Day and add some of your favorite family photos! I bought a package of 2 artist canvases, size 16" x 20". I used a 40% coupon, so they cost $2.40 for each canvas. I had some left over fabric (about 20 inches by 26 inches) from my shabby chic ottoman project, in our April archives, so I decided to use that instead of buying material (besides I wanted a shabby chic look). You could also re-purpose an item you already own such as a pillowcase, sheet, blanket, skirt, use your imagination! I also had some quilt batting, ribbon, and a staple gun. Y...

Vanilla Cupcakes Vanilla cupcakes are my favorite! So you probably know what that means, I'm really fussy about my vanilla cupcakes. I've changed my grandma's recipe a little, for example she did not use a vanilla bean, yogurt or canola oil. But even with my changes, they still taste great! Ingredients : 1 cup white sugar 1 vanilla bean (inside seeds scraped out) 1 3/4 cup cake flour (you can use all purpose flour just decrease each cup by 1 Tablespoon) 1 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp sea salt 1/4 cup butter, softened 2 eggs 1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt or sour cream 1/4 cup canola oil 1 T vanilla extract 1/3 cup milk 1/3 cup heavy cream (whipping cream) Combine all dry ingredients and whisk together. Add butter and stir on low speed (I used a stand mixer). Mix in a small bowl, the yogurt, eggs, oil, and vanilla. Add to the dry ingredients. Add heavy cream and milk and keep your mixer on low. The batter will be rather th...

If you are looking for a craft idea for Mother's Day, refrigerator magnets are super easy and cute! My granddaughter helped me make these yesterday for her mom. It's a great way to add some bling to the artwork on your refrigerator! Children will need your help for this project; no one needs their fingers glued together!! Directions : We used some old costume jewelry, earrings, pins, and bracelets for our magnets. I snipped off the backs of the earrings and pins to remove the hardware with a pair of needle nose pliers. Then I took the bracelet apart basically the same way. I applied a small amount of super glue to the craft magnets and held them on the jewelry piece for a few seconds. We let them dry magnet side up most of the day before we displayed them on the refrigerator. So pretty! Love and peace, ~ Simply Tammi