Natural Homemade Living

I am going to write a few posts on the preparations and planning for our graduation party. We want to keep it simple yet elegant. The theme of the party (other than the actual graduation) is Shya's Favorite Things. We started with our list of food and treats that she loves to eat. Then we made a list of how we would display them. Since cupcakes will be one of the highlights, we wanted to display them on cake stands. Cupcake stands were crazy expensive, so I decided to make glass cake stands. I've seen these everywhere, but I first saw them on the Nate Berkus Show. I love the cost $2.00 a piece so I made 4 of them for $8.00. I like these because you can reuse them for birthday parties, displaying cakes, cookies, etc. If you want to color your plates, check out our post Simply Cute Cupcake Decoration and Colored Stand , they're so cute with a little color! What you need : 4 glass plates 4 glass candlestick holders Adhesive - glue, make sure it dries clear if using cle...

As you probably know by now, I am an avid coffee drinker. I love love love coffee. I am trying to reduce my coffee spending budget by making my favorite treats at home. Now that the warm weather is here, I like iced coffee and iced lattes. I'm not really into the whipped cream or the frozen drinks, crushed ice is my favorite. A couple of tips first, since you will brew your initial pot of coffee at double strength, you will probably want to keep the remainder of the brewed coffee in the refrigerator for the rest of the week. I keep mine in a Ball jar. You might have to experiment with the flavors since coffee preference may be different for everyone.  Directions for 1 iced latte: Brew enough coffee for about 10 cups - I use bold, dark coffee and almost double the amount of coffee I use for a normal pot of coffee. Let your coffee cool, if I'm not in a hurry I do this, otherwise I just add more ice at the end.  Pour 1/2 cup cooled coffee into a 12 ounce glas...

My spice cabinet is the smallest cabinet in my kitchen but it can be the messiest! I have not replaced all of my spices yet with fresh or organic but I will work on that during the summer. I want to use what I have first rather than throwing it away. I keep a few of my baking supplies in this cabinet like my cornstarch, baking powder, and baking soda. After trying many options I decided to keep all of my spices and extracts in a shoe box size container. This works great for me because I am a natural spiller, extracts and spices always seem to end up spilled on the shelf of my cabinet. So I decided to put them all in a container, then I just take the entire container out, grab what I need and put the container back on the shelf. If I spill, the mess is not on my shelf, I can just clean out the container. It seems like I can't reduce my number of spices so I'm just going to be okay with that, but I must have them organized! I also keep my extra salts, ko...

White Chocolate Mousse I have seen different versions of this recipe, so I've combined a few of them to get this one. It kind of reminds me of the little shot glass dessert samplers from Applebees's Restaurant, but this one is easy to make and is cheaper! Here's what you need: 1/2 c milk 1 (12 ounce bag) white chocolate chips 1 c whipping cream 1/8 c powdered sugar 1 t vanilla extract  Heat milk on stove or in microwave until hot but not boiling. Put the white chocolate chips in a bowl and pour hot milk on top. Let sit for a minute then whisk until smooth. Let it sit until cooled down but not set, it should be thick but pourable. While that's cooling, pour your whipping cream into a chilled bowl and whip until soft peaks form, add powdered sugar and vanilla, continue to mix until stiff peaks form. Slowly fold the melted chocolate into the whipped cream mixture.  Cover and chill.  I used pureed strawberries on top. You could also layer fruit and/or graham ...

Covered Turntable  Covered Tray Here's a quick project that can be done in less than ten minutes for under $10.  I found this adhesive backed contact paper at Target for about $6 for a large roll, and couldn't resist.  I see this pattern everywhere lately on pillows, fabric, wallpaper, etc. So I came home and went a little crazy with it. I found an old tray and a turntable that I use in our kitchen for serving, so I covered them both.  It sticks to just about any surface but can also be removed easily...thankfully!  (I had gotten a little carried away so I had to remove it from a few things!)  If you don't want to paint but need a new look, this is a quick, low cost way to change just about anything! ~Simply Angie

Pancakes are pretty much a staple at our house on the weekends and even some weeknights if we need a quick and easy meal.  If you don't have time to make them from scratch (see Tammi's earlier post  for Homemade or Cinnamon Swirl Pancakes), this is a basic pancake mix that can be stored and made as you need them... and is so much tastier than the box mixes! Here's what you need for the mix: 9 c. flour 1 c. powdered milk 1c. sugar 4 1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 c baking powder In a large bowl or container with a lid, mix all together, shake well and store.  This will make several batches. To make pancakes: use 1 c. mix 1 egg 3/4 c. water (you can add more depending how thick or thin you want your pancakes) 1 1/2 T. oil Makes about 10 pancakes, depending how big your pancakes are.  I usually double it and freeze some, then reheat them in the toaster. I make it the same way for waffles, except I use my waffle iron instead of a griddle.  It's so nice to ha...

A quick organizing project was on the list before I started my baking for the week. I'm just weird like that, I can't work in the kitchen if I'm not organized. What works best for me when I am organizing is to keep like objects together and the items I use the most frequently are the items easiest to access. A few months ago when I decluttered and organized my kitchen, that was my starting point. Once you make the initial time investment, it is easy to stay organized, not too mention the time you'll save every week! Just think of what you could do with some extra time on your hands! About once a month, I spend 30 minutes or less to touch up all of the kitchen cabinets. I also have to change my cabinets depending on the time of year. When I am canning or making preserves, I change things around so they are handy. Here are a few more ideas include these Simply Kitchen Organizing Tips , Simply Organizing Pans and Lids , Simply Organize Kitchen Bowls Lids . You can find ...