Spring Cleaning Checklist - Dining Room

~Dust the ceiling and corners

~Dust the vents and fans

~Wipe down walls

~Remove and clean all art and photographs from wall

~Take down draperies, curtains, blinds, etc, to wash or have cleaned

~Wash all windows

~Dust and clean all lamps and knickknacks

~Dust down all furniture

~Remove and clean all china and serving pieces, looking for chips and cracks that need repair

~Clean any mirrors

~Clean the switchplates

~Clean the outlet covers

~Dust and wash the baseboards

~Clean flooring

Peas, pasta and tuna

The Good Baby has moved beyond the world of pureed food. At first we would give her a little bite of our food here and there of easy things to eat, like rice and still give her some pureed food. Now she has hit the stage where she wants to feed herself and wants nothing to do with purees. So I am making a lot of frozen veggies for her and rice and pastas.

I try to make dinners as simple as possible, cooking for TGB whatever I would cook for us so I don't have to make two separate meals each night. This is a simple dish I made for lunch today.


Ingredients:
1 box of organic white cheddar cheese and noodles
1/2 bag organic frozen peas
2 pouches of light white tuna in water, drained

Directions:
~Cook noodles and cheese according to package directions. When finished add peas and the drained tuna. Heat on low until the peas are warmed through. Serve warm.

Spring Cleaning Checklist - Living Room

~Dust the ceiling and corners

~Dust the vents and fans

~Wipe down walls

~Remove and clean all art and photographs from wall

~Take down draperies, curtains, blinds, etc, to wash or have cleaned

~Wash all windows

~Dust and clean all lamps and knickknacks

~Dust down all furniture

~Remove and dust all books from bookshelves

~Remove and dust all movies and cds

~Clean any mirrors

~Clean the switchplates

~Clean the outlet covers

~Dust and wash the baseboards

~Clean flooring

Chocolate Buttermilk Cupcakes

Since I had made homemade butter a while back, I had some buttermilk left over. After making buttermilk pancakes for The Good Baby, I decided I had to come up with another use of buttermilk.

It was then I realized that Martha Stewart can read my mind. Ok, maybe not Martha herself, but the folks that control her email do. Just as I was thinking what to do with all the buttermilk I had (Fired chicken? No. Biscuits? No. ) I get an email from MS & Co. about the "best cupcakes".

And lo, there was a use for my buttermilk.


Ingredients:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, preferably Dutch-process
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
6 tablespoons buttermilk
1 large egg
1 large egg white
Light Cream-Cheese Icing

Directions:
~Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard 12-cup muffin tin (or two 6-cup muffin tins) with paper liners. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

~With an electric mixer, combine cocoa and 3 tablespoons hot water until a thick paste forms (this process intensifies the chocolate flavor). Add butter, buttermilk, egg, and egg white; beat until combined. Whisk in flour mixture until smooth.

~Scoop (or spoon) batter into prepared tin(s). Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely.

~Use an offset spatula or butter knife to spread icing over tops. Decorate as desired.

recipe by: Martha Stewart

Spring Cleaning Checklist - Bedroom

~Dust the ceiling and corners

~Dust the vents and fans

~Wipe down walls

~Remove and clean all art and photographs from wall

~Take down draperies, curtains, blinds, etc, to wash or have cleaned

~Wash all windows

~Wash all bedding, comforters, mattress pads, pillows, etc.

~Vacuum and flip your mattress

~Clean under your bed

~Dust and clean all lamps and knickknacks

~Dust down all furniture

~Clean any mirrors

~Clean the switchplates

~Clean the outlet covers

~Dust and wash the baseboards

~Clean flooring

~Sort through your closet using the Keep, Toss, Donate or Store method

Homemade Butter

Did you know that organic butter costs $7/lb? I thought it would be cheaper to make butter than to buy butter, at least the organic kind. After searching several stores, I finally found the one in town that sold organic heavy whipping cream. I bought two pints for $6.98.

I had read several different blog post about how to make butter and it seemed fairly easy. You just put the cream in your mixer, blender or food processor and turn it on.

Little did I know just how long it would actually take.

This is when the cream started to thicken. See how it clings to the beater?

This is when you would call it quits if you wanted whipped cream.
The butter has just started to form. This was about ten minutes into the process. I was beginning to worry that I had messed something up since the fat wasn't coming together like I knew it should. But I finally made it to this stage. From here, I put the butter curds in a strainer over a bowl and gently rinsed with cold water.

I added the butter back to the mixer and added a little more water to completely rinse all of the buttermilk away. I processed in the mixer for a few second and gave it a final drain.
This is the finished product. Sweet, beautiful organic butter.
Now here are the details. From two pints of cream I was able to make 2 cups or about a pound of butter. So I saved about two cents making my own butter. But I also got almost 3 cups of buttermilk out of the process. Now I don't know how much I saved there because I don't buy buttermilk all that much and if I do, I certainly don't buy the organic kind since I can't find it.

So I don't know if I will make butter on a regular basis or just buy it already made. All I know for sure is I am super thankful I didn't have to churn this by hand the way my grandma did.

Spring Cleaning Checklist - Bathroom

~Dust the ceiling and corners

~Dust the vents and fans

~Wipe down walls

~Remove and clean all art and photographs from wall

~Take down draperies, curtains, blinds, etc, to wash or have cleaned

~Wash all windows

~Scrub the shower and tub

~Clean the shower curtain and liner

~Scrub the toilet

~Wash the inside and outside of medicine cabinets, linen cabinets, other bathroom furniture

~Wash the sink and fixtures

~Clean the switch plates

~Clean the outlet covers

~Dust and wash the baseboards

~Shake out bathroom rugs

~Sweep and mop the floor

~Empty and wash out the trashcan

How to clean (and organize) your medicine cabinet

How to clean and organize your medicine cabinet:
Carefully check all medicines for expiration date and discard if expired. Do not flush or throw away medicines. See if your doctor’s office will accept and discard of them. Also check to see if your local recycling center will accept them or recycle them during a hazardous household item collection.

Since summer is approaching, make sure your medicine cabinet contains the following:
~Sunscreen
~Aloe Vera
~Insect Repellent
~Insect bite relief
~Allergy medications

Spring Cleaning Checklist - Kitchen

This is the first of several posts I will create each week that will focus on cleaning one room of your house. The kitchen is the most used room in The Good House, hands down. I like to start my spring cleaning with this room just to get the hardest out of the way first. All the other rooms are a breeze after this.

My trick for any whole room cleaning is to start at the top and work your way down. I try to do my spring cleaning on days that are sunny but a bit cool, so I can open the windows to air out the house, but the chill will keep me from overheating and work a little faster.

I also like to turn the on the 80s radio station and rock out while I clean, but Bon Jovi is optional.

Kitchen:
~Dust ceiling and corners of walls

~Dust and clean the ceiling fan

~Wipe down walls, minding spots behind the stove and counter top appliances

~Remove and clean all art and photographs from wall

~Remove all draperies, curtains, and blinds and wash or have cleaned

~Wash all windows

~Dust and clean the tops of the cabinets

~Clean the inside of the oven

~Remove knobs, burners, and burner covers and wash

~Clean the fridge

~Wipe down and clean the small appliances

~Wipe off the shelves inside the cabinets

~Dust and polish the outside of the cabinets

~Wipe down and clean out any drawers

~Clean the switch plates

~Dust and polish the outside of the drawers

~Clean the dishwasher by running an empty cycle

~Wash the counter tops in your kitchen

~Wash the sink

~Clean the outlet covers

~Dust and wash the baseboards

~Sweep and mop the floors

~Empty and wash out the trash can