Organize Your Messy Car!

Not that you have a messy car.  This is meant for all those other messy people!

We spend a lot of time in our cars.  And once it's messy, it becomes all too easy to just keep on adding to the mess.


Here are a few easy-to-do steps to maintain an organized and tidy car.  So if next week, your boss asks you to drop him/her off somewhere, you don't have to panic and figure out how you can quickly clean the car before the boss gets in it!


Begin by sorting what's already in the car.  No doubt you will find trash that can just be thrown away. Get rid of it and experience the wonderful feeling that you're well on your way to an organized and neat car.  I usually find french fries on the floor of my car that somehow escaped my mouth--however does that happen?  The last time I cleaned my car, I even found the owner's manual. And maybe you will, too!

Decide which things need to stay in your car.  That would be things you frequently use, things you sometimes use, things you need for a particular trip, and things you may need in the event of an emergency.  Everything else can be permanently taken out of your car and stored somewhere else. (garage, attic, etc)


What are the things you don't have when you need them?  Tissues? Cell phone?  Pen?  Paper?  Loose change for tolls?  Those things you want to keep near you in some way.  Other things can be put in the back seat or even in the trunk.  Remember that some items can be put away from your reach at the end of a season, such as ice scrapers.


Find containers you can use to organize and store.  Revel in the fact that you will no longer be hearing stuff rolling around every time you turn a corner or slam on the brakes!

And that's how easy it is.  Now you just have to keep the car clean and organized.  Once you start having things out of place again--or throwing trash on the floor--you will quickly have a messy car again.

How Many Ways Can You Define "Charger?"

Take a few minutes and think of all the definitions you know for the word charger.  This is what I came up with:

charger:  someone who buys something and puts it on their credit card.

charger:  something used to give a battery renewed strength.

charger:   a person or animal that aggressively goes after another person or animal.

charger:  a large dish or platter used as a coaster for other dishes.  Also called a chop plate, service plate, or underplate.

(Can you add another one?)

I like the fourth definition.  Let's talk about a decorative charger plate!  It gets its "decorative" label because it never touches any food directly.  Instead, it acts as an elegant and decorative coaster for dishes or bowls containing food.  Since it doesn't have to hold food, it can be made of materials that regular dishes cannot be made of such as wood, mother of pearl, and even leather.

A charger plate is a unique way to add color or texture to a table setting.  It is also an easy and inexpensive way to do seasonal decorating.

And yes, there is even etiquette for using charger plates!  This can vary depending on the host or hostess.  Generally, the plate should be set when guests arrive.  Some hosts remove it before the food is served.  Others place the first courses on the charger but then remove it before serving the entree.  However, other people like the appearance of the plate combined with the dinner dishes and leave it on the table for the main meal.  Almost all hostesses remove the charger plate before serving dessert.

Pennsylvania Dutch Recipes

The cooler weather the last several days has given me "fall fever" which is not a good thing since the hot weather is said to be returning soon!  One of my favorite things about fall is Snitz and Knepp (Schnitz un Knepp).  Of course, I can eat this comfort meal any time of the year, but I associate it with fall, probably because of the apples in it.

Let me tell you about  Snitz and Knepp!  It  is a Pennsylvania Dutch Recipe consisting of dried apples (the snitz/Schnitz) and flour dumplings (the knepp), so it translates "Apples and Dumplings." 

To make Snitz and Knepp, you start by cooking two pounds of ham covered in water for about two hours. Add 2 cups of dried apples (that’s the snitz/schnitz) that have been soaked in water overnight. Also add the water they were soaked in. Add 2 1/2 tablespoons of brown sugar. Make sure there’s still enough water to cover.


Then you  make the dumplings (the knepp). Mix 2 cups flour, 4 tablespoons baking powder, 1 egg, 2 tablespoons butter, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 cup milk to make dumplings. Drop by spoonfuls into the boiling ham, apples, and liquid. Cover the pan and cook for 15-20 additional minutes. (This is when my mother would shoo me out of the kitchen because, as a little girl, I always wanted to lift the lid and peek, which is a "knepp no-no"!)

Serve and enjoy, being sure to include some ham, snitz, and knepp in each bite!

When I make Snitz and Knepp, I use smoked sausage instead of ham, simply because my mother made it with sausage and that is how I like it.  I usually don't have dried apples on hand, so I just use fresh tart apples, peeled and sliced.

I grew up in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and my heritage is Pennsylvania Dutch.  The Pennsylvania Dutch today are descendants from German-speaking immigrants. The "Dutch" does not mean we are Dutch people from the Netherlands. Rather, the German word for German is "Deutsch." So we are really Pennsylvania Germans or Deutsch.  You can see how the "Deutsch" ended up being "Dutch".  So Pennsylvania Germans are called Pennsylvania Dutch!

Do You Know What Aebleskivers Are?

 (Photo by Stana, Dreamstime.com)

So what are aebleskivers anyway?  (Pronounced "EE-bull-skiv-ers", even just saying the word is fun! )

A holiday in Denmark often begins with a breakfast of these little pastries. They are a pancake, but fluffier.  They are a cupcake, only lighter.  They can be the main course, the appetizer, a snack, or the dessert!  You can fill them with absolutely anything that makes your mouth water, whether sweet or savory.  I'm thinking fresh fruit, pie fillings, chocolate, applesauce, ham and cheese, bacon, sausage, pastry cream, raisins, coconut, peanut butter, honey, Nutella, or pudding.  Soft and fluffy in the center, but crisp and browned on the outside.  Are you drooling yet?

Want to have fun while experiencing fine Scandinavian cooking? Here's what you need.

First, you need a pan made with heavy cast iron or cast aluminum with half-round wells about 2-1/2 inches in diameter.   What you do is, fill each well with batter, about 2/3 full.  Spoon the filling on top and then add more batter.  Or, depending on what you have chosen to put inside the aebleskivers, you can cook them without the filling and inject pastry cream, etc, with a pastry bag or decorating set.  You can also cook them without any filling but dip them in sugar, honey, jam, or whatever you want.

You need a batter.  Either use a mix especially for aebleskivers, or find a recipe for them, or use a pancake batter.  If you choose to use pancake batter, you need to make it lighter. Omit the egg in the mix directions.  Instead, whip three egg whites and fold them into the batter.

The hardest part is probably deciding what to put inside the aebleskivers!  Something savory?  Something sweet?  For breakfast?  For dinner?  For snack?

But don't worry--you can try them all!  Have bacon aebleskivers for breakfast, ham and cheese ones for lunch, and chocolate aebleskivers for dinner's dessert.

The next day try fruit aebleskivers for breakfast and pudding ones for snack.  Your kids will watch for the aebleskiver pan on the counter.  You may even be able to bribe them to clean their rooms with the promise of  aebleskivers! 

BowWOW, Dog Trivia Worth Barking About!

Can you pass a dog trivia quiz?

1.  What dog breed gets its name because it strikes out with its front paws when fighting?

2.  Contrary to popular belief, dogs do not sweat by salivating. They sweat through what?

3.  What is the name of the dog from "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas"?

4.  Dalmatians, with all those cute black spots, are born what color?

5.  Dogs are mentioned at least how many times in the Bible?

6.  What is the name of the dog on the Cracker Jack box?

7.  What was the name of the dog in TV show "The Partridge Family"?

8.  What kind of dog did the TV Series detective Columbo have?

Answers:  (1) boxer,  (2) pads of their feet,  (3) Max,  (4) white,  (5) 14 times,  (6) Bingo,  (7) Simone,  (8) a Basset Hound

Just When You Think You've Won the Rat Race . . .

Returning home from visiting a friend in Northern Virginia, we got in a big-time traffic mess.  What a trapped feeling when you're at a standstill with traffic all around you.  There's no turning around and no turning off.  You can't even go straight ahead.  But what an opportunity to read bumper stickers!  After all, it always seems as though both lanes on either side of you are moving when your lane isn't.  So there are always new bumper stickers to read!

Three that I remember are:

• Just when you think you've won the rat race, along come faster rats.
• I owe, I owe, so off to work I go.
• As long as there are tests, there will be prayer in public schools.

Since then I have taken note of other "memorable" bumper stickers.

• I've run out of sick days so I'm calling in dead.
• I'm out of bed, what more do you want?
• I hate coffee--it keeps me awake at work!
• Keep on working.  Millions of people on welfare depend on you.
• Old upholsterers never die. They always recover.
• i souport bublik edekashun
• I may be fat, but you're ugly, and I can diet.
• Change is inevitable--except for vending machines.
• Money isn't everything--but it sure keeps the kids in touch!
• Due to recent cutbacks, the light at the end of the tunnel has been turned off.

So what's on your car . . . or your neighbor's car?  How about the parking lot at work?  Please comment!

 

It's About Thyme

So what can you do with the herb thyme?  It is very versatile when preparing food.  It enhances eats, fish, sausage, eggs, and cheese and soups.  It blends well with the flavors of garlic, basil, and lemon.  So use it with the fresh garden vegetables you're getting this summer.  Thyme can even enhance some fruit desserts like applesauce, rhubarb and berry cobblers.  Thyme is simple to grow, too, because it actually does best in relatively poor soil. 

There are over 200 varieties of thyme.  My favorite is lemon thyme, which I currently have planted in my back yard.  It has grown like a bush.  When I mow my yard, I purposely mow a corner of it so the fragrance is released and I can smell that amazing lemon thyme scent!

Since ancient times, thyme has been associated with courage and has been used as a natural antidepressant.

In the Middle Ages, ladies embroidered images of thyme on scarves for their knights to wear in battle, believing it would give them courage.  The Romans put thyme in their bathwater to give themselves courage and strength before battle. They also used thyme to treat depression.

So how did thyme get this reputation?  The scent of thyme is invigorating and pleasant. It  is considered a circulatory system stimulant and is said to raise low blood pressure, which is often a cause of lethargy and depression.

 People once believed that fairies made their homes in thyme patches, so families often planted a patch specifically to encourage fairies to feel at home in their garden!

When the Greeks said that someone "smelled of thyme" it meant that the person was elegant, refined, and stylish.  Quite a compliment!

The next time you're feeling depressed or need that extra courage and energy to face the day, try smelling a bit of thyme. Or drink some thyme tea. Let us know how it works!   I'm not sure you'll want to embroider an image of thyme on your clothes like the Middle Ages ladies, but it's something to think about!

Fresh Tomato Soup (with thyme)
(Not as easy as opening a soup can, but certainly better tasting!)

1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1/4 cup flour
2 cups water
6 medium tomatoes, peeled and diced
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Thin lemon slices (optional)

In a large saucepan, cook onion in butter until tender. Stir in flour to form a smooth paste.  Gradually add water, stirring until thickened.

Add the tomatoes, parsley, salt, sugar, thyme, bay leaf and pepper; bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; cover and simmer until tomatoes are tender (approx 30 minutes).  Remove bay leaf.  Garnish with lemon.

This recipe makes 4  servings (1-1/4 cups each serving).