by on January 25, 2013 • 29 Comments food & drink 
The following is a guest post by Katie Kimball of Kitchen Stewardship.
You know that super simple, two-ingredient party dip that you make with a tub of sour cream and a box of French Onion soup mix? What would you say if I told you there are over a dozen ingredients in that dip?
I hope your reply would be, “What are they?” with some mixture of surprise and curiosity.
I think it’s important to know what’s in our food, and that’s why I’m not making that dip anytime soon.
[Read more...]
by on December 10, 2012 • 42 Comments food & drink 
A note from Tsh: I asked Jessica of Life as MOM to write this next step in our Relaxed Christmas series. Why? Well, she’s awesome, for one, but also because this mother of six knows how to feed an army—she recently released a book called Not Your Mother’s Make Ahead and Freeze Cookbook, and her Christmas e-book, A Simpler Season, is chock full of practical ideas to keep you sane. If you feel a bit overwhelmed about dinner during the holidays (I’m raising my hand here), then Jessica’s your gal.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year.
You’ve heard the music blare from the mall’s speakers or tuned into the refrain from your car. And it is. Christmas is a wonderful season where peace and goodwill abound.
Or at least it could be. Sometimes.
But, it’s also a season of increased busy-ness. In our efforts to craft a jolly holiday, we add more to our plates: Christmas concerts, church plays, holiday get togethers, and office parties. It’s tough to handle the day to day when we squeeze in numerous festivities amidst our daily life. We’re easily wired to short circuit.
One way to plan for peace is to set your family table for success—and I don’t mean making sure you can seat a party of 12.
It’s in our best interests to simplify family meal times so that we enjoy a calm breather and eat nourishing food during this busy—and most wonderful—time of year.
Here are some ideas to help you do that.
[Read more...]
by on October 22, 2012 • 28 Comments food & drink 
Written by Jessica Fisher of Life as Mom.
My freezer is one of my very best friends. I know. Weird. But hear me out.
This weekend I grabbed from the freezer a roll of Gorgonzola-Herb Butter that I had made in advance and froze. Once it thawed, I sliced it and topped grilled steaks. I will confess to adding a pat to my mashed potatoes as well. It made for an amazing meal without a lot of fuss.
The next day, I grabbed a loaf of sourdough bread — also from the freezer — and we made an impromptu panini bar with the leftovers. May I say that that gorgonzola butter makes a fabulous sandwich filling?
I felt like a rock-star chef, but really, I hadn’t done anything that special. At least not this weekend.
That is the beauty of make-ahead and freeze meals. I don’t have to spend inordinate time in the kitchen — unless I want to. Batch cooking allows me to prep many meals at once and store them to use later. In this way, we have lovely, homemade food items at the ready.
Here are some of my favorite things to stash in the freezer:
• Vegetable-Beef Lasagne and Make-Ahead Garlic Bread
• Creamy Chicken Enchiladas and Seasoned Pinto Beans
• Inside Out Cheeseburgers
• Easy Stovetop Ratatouille
• Italian-Spiced Cheesewiches
These are not difficult things to create, but on busy school nights or on weekends when I’d rather be with my guests than cooking, pulling something from the freezer is a boon. It’s like I have a best friend waiting in the wings, ready to hand me a Platter of Awesomeness.
[Read more...]
by on September 28, 2012 • food & drink Giveaways 
Written by Simple Bites contributor Shaina Olmanson of Food for My Family.
Desserts in jars. You have likely heard of these cute little treats or seen them on Pinterest. They are hard to miss. It’s the glare that reflects off the glass, blinding you with their beauty.
I’ve been creating these sweet treats for a few years now with great results. I even wrote a book full of them called Desserts in Jars: 50 Sweet Treats that Shine. My friends and neighbors have been quite receptive to receiving them, and I’ve even had requests for them from adults and children alike. When I don’t show up with armfuls of jars there are cries of protest.
Why desserts in jars, you ask? Why not? In our home, we already use them to drink out of, to store spices, to line the pantry shelves. Still, here are the reasons why I personally love desserts tucked into cute little jars:
[Read more...]
by on September 26, 2012 • 18 Comments food & drink Hospitality Your Home 
Written by contributor Sandy Coughlin of Reluctant Entertainer.
Autumn is a season of work, preparation, beauty and change. You may already be following my Autumn series, but for many, Autumn’s a fresh way of living, as we hunker down into our schedules, warm blankets, fires, and comfort foods.
To some it even brings a sense of loneliness (hand in the air! as I just sent my two sons off to college at University of Oregon). For sure, my cooking is changing now that it’s just my husband, myself and our daughter at home (and our food bill). Cooking for three is way simpler, and our fall meals are stretching nicely now.
But one thing that remains the same is that dinner happens.
Every night.
[Read more...]
I'm Tsh, founder of this blog dedicated to the art & science of living simpler. Founded in 2008, this is an online family of writers exploring what it means to slow down and focus on the important stuff of life. Love a clutter-free home? Absolutely. Still step on LEGO? You betcha. Read more...
Tsh On Instagram…
