Quick Tip: organize your sink supplies from Martha Stewart
“Don’t let kitchen rags and dishwashing gloves clutter the sink area. Instead, hang them from hooks screwed to the inside of a cabinet door.”
While I do have some concerns about the moisture build-up under the sink, it sure seems worth a try…
Just collect your supplies & get started. 
Spring the shopping list!
The 4th of July is almost here, and I’m hoping for beautiful weather, great fireworks & (maybe most importantly) good food! Here are some recipes from springpad users to help in your quest for the perfect 4th of July…
Healthy Guacamole Spring the recipe!
Get the picnic started off right with this easy app!
Red, White & Blue Nachos with Fresh Jalapenos Spring the recipe
What’s better than red, white & blue?
Nugget Potato Salad with Horseradish Spring the recipe!
A unique take on a picnic classic!
Linguine Salad Spring the recipe!
This pasta salad is always a crowd-pleaser!
Grilled Chicken with Salmonriglio Spring the recipe!
This simple but amazing recipe sounds perfect for the grill
Grilled Potato Fries Spring the recipe!
While you’ve got the grill hot, drop on these easy potatoes
Strawberry Pie Spring the recipe!
And for dessert, nothing beats strawberry pie!
Do these recipes simplify your life? You tell me.
Tags: 2009, bbq, fourth of july, holiday, independence day, july 4th, picnic, recipe, recipes, spring it!, springpad, summer, tradition
Looking for the perfect summer treat? Granita’s a great, simple alternative to homemade ice cream, and delicious! Check out this amazing recipe!
Spring the recipe!
Ingredients
2 cups pink grapefruit juice
2 cups fresh or thawed frozen strawberries (or raspberries)
1/2 -1 cup superfine sugar (NOT powdered sugar)
Note: The amount of sugar you put in depends on how sweet you’d like the granita to be.
Instructions
First, use the blender to make your sugar superfine, if necessary. Pour all the sugar out into a medium bowl (preferably one with a cover).
Wash and hull your strawberries and put in your blender (doesn’t matter if there’s still sugar residue left). Blend until smooth.
Pour strawberries into the bowl with the sugar, add in the grapefruit juice. Stir well. Pour the the whole bowl back into the blender and blend again, just to make sure the sugar is completely dissolved into the juice.
Put a superfine strainer over your bowl and pour the juice through the strainer. This will strain out any last seeds or clumps.
Cover bowl with plastic wrap (or a top, if it has one) and place in the freezer. Freeze for 4 hours. After 4 hours, take out the freezer and stir well with a fork (this is to break up the ice and give it the grainy texture). Place it back in the freezer and stir it again with a fork every 30 minutes for the next two hours. It should be ready after about 6 hours total freezing time, but keep stirring it regularly until you are ready to serve it.
Source: Back to the Cutting Board
Tags: back to the cutting board, dessert, Emiline220, fruit, granita, grapefruit, recipes, spring it!, strawberries, summer, works for me wednesday
Everyone has a favorite celebrity - whether it’s a famous doctor, a movie star, or in my case - a blogger, everyone looks up to someone. On a recent trip to Baltimore, I was lucky enough to grab lunch with one of my favorite food bloggers, Rachel Rappaport from Coconut & Lime. We ate at the Stone Mill Bakery, where the food was great & the conversation better - Rachel shared some great tips that I’m definitely going to apply to my own blogging career.
From her Blog: “Coconut & Lime started as a place for Rachel to share her recipes with friends. Since 2004 it has grown to one of the top twenty food blogs in the country and is the only one that features only original recipes.”
Lesson 1: Do what you love
This mantra is something we constantly hear, but rarely follow. Regardless of whether you are still in college, beginning your career, or part-way through it, we all need to hear this advice & be reminded that we really can live by it.
Rachel was unhappy with her teaching job, so she quit and started working on her blog full time. It was a gutsy move, but she definitely made the right decision.
Lession 2: You can support yourself financially through blogging
Ok, we aren’t all Dooce, and we won’t all be able to quit our day jobs to blog for a living, but that doesn’t mean we can’t try, right? Whether you join an ad network, get a publishing gig or syndicate your posts, there are tons of ways to earn the money your posts deserve.
Rachel has gained tons of recipe writing and development gigs through her blog, and now writes (and cooks!) full time. What a dream come true…
Lesson 3: Be kind to your readers
This idea is something I personally try to follow. Let’s face it, without readers, your blog would be pretty lame. I know I love getting comments from people who are interested in what I have to say, but sometimes it’s difficult to find the time to respond to each and every one.
Even though Rachel is super busy, she tries very hard to respond to her readers’ questions. Somehow she manages to respond to readers’ questions and comments via email, twitter and directly on her blog - and her readers appreciate her for it!
Are you a Coconut & Lime fan? If so, you should definitely check her out on springpad & maybe even try out her weekly meal planner!
Tags: Baltimore, blogging, coconut & lime, food blog, lessons, lunch, meal planner, monetize your blog, rachel rappaport, recipe, restaurant, Stone Mill Bakery
Many shampoos come with lofty promises of shiny locks and tantalizing scents. While my current shampoo serves its main purpose of cleaning, the initial scent wears off as soon as I leave the shower. Here’s a trick for keeping hair smelling great throughout the day: add some perfume to your hairbrush.
There are lots of creative uses for perfume, including adding a couple spritzes to your hairbrush before brushing! It will leave your hair smelling amazing, just like your perfume.
Right now I’m using The Body Shop’s White Musk, and it works for me!
Has using perfume to keep my hair smelling fresh simplified my life? Not really, but my hair smells fantastic!
Tags: beauty, beauty tips, hair care, health and beauty, perfume, simple, spring it!, works for me wednesday
How do you like to spend your 4th of July? Do you have a family tradition or a favorite recipe? Maybe a favorite place to go or a perfect packing list for the beach?
Share your Fourth of July favorites with other springpad users! Here’s how:
- Sign up for springpad
- Add your favorite thing - it can be a Recipe, Restaurant, Business, List, Event, or anything…
- Send it to me: Either leave the public link in the comments or email me (katin AT springpartners DOT com)
We will write a roundup of favorite things on thesimpleme next week & share the best submissions with all of our users!
Tags: 2009, bbq, business, contest, event, fourth of july, holiday, independence day, july 4th, packing list, picnic, recipe, restaurant, springpad, submissions, tradition
I’m really enjoying meal planning, last week’s meals turned out well and I can’t wait for what I’ve got planned this week!
Monday
Chicken with grilled peaches and arugula Spring the recipe!
Tuesday
Potato Leek Soup Spring the recipe!
Wednesday
Arroz con Pollo Spring the recipe!
Thursday
Chicken and summer vegetable tostadas Spring the recipe!
Friday
Stuffed potato patties Spring the recipe!
And for a special treat
Pomegranate swirl ice cream Spring the recipe!
Has creating a weekly meal plan simplified my life? Yes, I’m saving time and money planning ahead and using the springpad weekly meal planner.
Tags: grocery shopping, meal plan, meal plan monday, org junkie, recipe, recipes, save money, save time, spring it!, weekly meal plan
Quick Idea: Shop your closet from Shoestring
“…now is the perfect time to get creative, get organized, and look fabulous while embracing the Three R’s (reducing, reusing, and recycling) by shopping your own closet.”
Whether you’re taking inventory of what you have, making new outfit combinations or donating the things you don’t want to charity, shopping your closet is a recessionista’s favorite way to save money while remaining stylish.
Looking to spice up an otherwise boring chicken sandwich? Try this delicious recipe - it’s the perfect combination of sweet and spicy.
Spring the recipe!
Ingredients
1 chicken breast
2 tbsp chipotle chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
4 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp hot sauce
1/2 french bread loaf, cut in half both ways
1 tsp cinnamon
6 tbsp honey
6 tbsp fresh cilantro
4 slices havarti cheese
Salt & pepper
Instructions
Pat your chicken dry on both sides and rub with chipotle, salt and pepper, and cinnamon. Heat 2 tbsp oil. Stir in garlic powder and hot sauce. Place your chicken in the pan and cook five minutes. Flip and cook a additional five minutes.
Remove your chicken from the pan and slice into chunks. Return the chunks to the pan and cook an additional two minutes. When your chicken is fully cooked, pour honey into the pan. The honey will melt, and then sizzle. Allow the honey to reduce.
While the honey is cooking, slice your bread. Top with havarti and cilantro. When the honey has completely reduced, place the chicken into the sandwich and serve.
Source: Biscuits and Such
Tags: biscuits and such, chicken, chipotle, recipe, sandwich, spicy, spring it!, sweet
This post comes from our super-organized and very resourceful friend Madison.
Here are my favorite small bags & the things I like to keep in them:
Paisley Makeup Bag Spring this product!
- makeup
- medicine
- hand sanitizer
Polka Dot Pencil Case Spring this product!
- Tide-To-Go pen
- contact case
- glasses
- band aids
It may seem easier to just dump things into your purse when you’re on the go, but trust me, storing your items in smaller bags makes it simpler to find things in a pinch. Also, grouping items that you use together into the same bag helps.
Has using small bags to organize my purse simplified my life? Most Definitely! Everything is neat, organized and accessible.
Tags: keeping organized, organize, purse, small bags, small totes, springit!, totes
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