From My Kitchen

We love eating just about any variety of soup or stew — especially on cold winter evenings. And I love making soup because we always end up with lots of leftovers for later in the week or for the freezer… so yeah, we eat a lot of soup!

I “discovered” this recipe two years ago when I was making soup to take to school for Dave’s birthday lunch. I wanted something that was a little different than all the “traditional” soups, but still really hearty and delicious. Thankfully, this recipe was a huge hit and my pot was practically licked clean!

This soup is now a regular meal in our fall and winter meal plans. It stores well in the fridge for leftovers, it freezes wonderfully, it’s a complete meal all by itself, and of course, everyone loves it!

I love the idea of using stuffed pasta in a soup as I feel it makes the recipe more filling, and the sausage is a nice change from chicken or beef.

Recipe for Hearty Sausage and Cheese Tortellini Soup:

{print this recipe}

Ingredients

• 1 lb. ground sausage
• 1 medium onion; diced {I used 2 small ones}
• 3 garlic cloves {or 1 t. garlic powder}
• 4 – 5 c. broth or water {I used 2 c. beef broth and 2 c. veggie broth}
• 1 15 oz. can tomato sauce
• 4 carrots; peeled and chopped
• 1 green pepper; chopped
• 1 15 oz. can sliced mushrooms with liquid
• 1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes {I just used 1 quart of my home-canned tomatoes}
• 2 t. white sugar
• 1 T. parsley
• 1 T. basil
• 1 T. oregano
• 1 19 oz. package frozen tortellini {I used cheese, but beef would be good too}
• Parmesan cheese

2 comments →

A couple weeks ago, I had a bunch of apples I wanted to use up because they were getting mushy and a little past their prime. I searched around for an apple bread recipe… and instead, decided on the following Apple Cake recipe.

It’s honestly the BEST apple cake/bread I’ve ever made!  It tasted absolutely delicious plain {for breakfast} and with a dollop of whipped cream {for dessert}! And even though I cut out some of the fat by replacing half the oil with my homemade applesauce, this cake was still SO moist and very dense with a grand total of FIVE chopped up apples!

Recipe for The Best Apple Cake:

{print this recipe}

Ingredients

• 2 c. all-purpose flour
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1 T. ground cinnamon
• 1 T.  baking powder
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 c. white sugar
• 1/2 c. vegetable oil
• 1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce
• 2 t. vanilla extract
• 5 apples — peeled, cored and sliced {I used Cortland apples, but most varieties should work}
• cinnamon and sugar to sprinkle over the top {optional}

11 comments →

I love to bake and Dave loves to eat — so we make a pretty good pair!

However, having a very fussy newborn {who rarely ever sleeps} doesn’t allow me nearly as much time in the kitchen as I would like. So I’ve resorted to making baked goods that start with a box or a bag — saving me valuable time and still keeping our pantry and freezer stocked with plenty of sweet treats.

Even though I may not be baking everything from scratch, I almost always try to add a few special touches to make my treats look and taste less like a boxed mix.

I’ve shared several of my “from a box” recipes before, but these brownie/cookie bars are my newest {and probably easiest} recipe… if you can really even call it a recipe.

Oh, and did I mention they only require about 7 minutes of prep work before they are ready for the oven!!

Recipe for Yummy Brownie/Cookie Bars:

{print this recipe}

Ingredients:

• 1 Family size brownie mix {for a 9×13″ pan}

• eggs, oil and water called for on the brownie box

• 1 package refrigerated cookie dough — I used chocolate chip

**Obviously, you could use any brownie mix and cookie mix… and you could most certainly make your brownie and cookie mixes from scratch too

Directions:

• Preheat your oven to 350*F

• Make your favorite brownie mix according to directions on the box

• Spread in a greased 9×13″ baking pan

• Create flat round “disks” out of your favorite cookie dough and place on top of the brownie batter

• Bake at 350*F for 30-40 minutes or until the middle is set.

Pin It

This “recipe” is a favorite around our house… and honestly, you’d never guess it was from a box!  

What is your favorite “from a box” recipe?

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Make sure to visit the Simple Organized Living Recipe Box for lots more simple, delicious, family friendly, budget conscious recipe ideas!

8 comments →

Ever since Dave and I got married and I started cooking and baking, I’ve had an internal conflict about whether to use butter or margarine.

I know this sounds ridiculous, but any time I’m at the grocery store, I always question which I should buy…

The Conflict:

Butter is more “natural”, BUT it’s also more expensive.

Margarine is much cheaper, I can buy 1/3 less fat versions, BUT I’ve been told it’s only 1 chemical away from being plastic! {not sure if this is true or not}

And because I can’t ever decide, I’ve always just kept both butter and margarine in the house.

We use butter for spreading on breads, pancakes, and for most of my “cooking” needs {sauteing veggies in butter, etc.} But I almost always use margarine or Crisco for all my baking needs {except butter cream frosting for obvious reasons!}

However, now there are all these new products like “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter”, spray butters, spreadable butters, and many more. It’s kind-of overwhelming how many choices there are!

Since I’m definitely not qualified to give any sort of dietary or nutrition advice, I’m wondering what choices you make when it comes to butter, margarine, and all the many other products out there. 

Are you like me and use different products for different purposes, are you a straight “butter” person, do you always use margarine because it’s the most economical choice, or are you hooked on other butter substitues?

Also, I’d love to know if any of you have more knowledge about the health aspects of these different products! 

86 comments →

UPDATE: This giveaway is now closed.

Congrats to Jenni (jrgh17@…)

I will email you shortly!

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not a big fan of super chic or ultra-modern. I live in an old farmhouse, and want it to look like an old {but updated} farmhouse!

However, when it comes to the kitchen, I really like the look of stainless steal; and I REALLY like top-of-the-line kitchen appliances and accessories. They make life so much easier, they make my time in the kitchen more enjoyable, and they help me work quicker and be more efficient {which I’m all about these days!}

So when I received this automatic papertowel dispenser from INNOVIA, I was super excited!

Dave and I are already making plans for our massive kitchen/dinning room renovation that will hopefully take place over the summer, and we’re planning to integrate all stainless steal appliances, so this papertowel dispenser will fit right in.

Now, for those of you who think that automatic papertowel dispensers are just for public restrooms, let me assure you, this papertowel dispenser is WAY too nice for a public restroom!

Here are a few of the product features:

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Hands-free: simply hold your hand to the sensor until the preferred amount of towels is distributed

Smart technology: the dispenser learns the perforations of paper towels, tightens when one is being pulled away for a clean break, and automatically retracts any excess towels

Easy to use, easy to install: the dispenser arrives fully assembled and installs with a few provided screws under cabinets to save space and seamlessly blend into the kitchen’s decor

Stylish: the dispenser comes in a stainless steel finish as well as white, black, red and blue. It is a sleek and sophisticated addition to any kitchen

Accepts All Standard Rolls: standard-size rolls of paper towels are accepted in the towel dispenser

My two favorite features are that it’s hands free {because I’m kind of a messy cook!} and that it automatically retracts any extra papertowels after you rip off what you need.

So today I’m really excited that INNOVIA is giving away another Automatic Papertowel Dispenser to one lucky reader… just enter to win below! 

The Giveaway:

:

Today, one Simple Organized Living reader will win an Automatic Papertowel Dispenser from INNOVIA! 

How to Enter:

.

1. Leave a comment. Why would you love an automatic papertowel dispenser?

2. Like Simple Organized Living on Facebook, and then leave a separate comment letting me know you did {or that you do already}.

If you are reading this in your email or feed reader, please visit the actual blog post to enter. Email entries, Facebook comments, and Twitter messages will NOT be counted.

Prizes:

(1) Automatic paper towel dispenser as described above.

This giveaway ends at 10:00 pm on Monday, 2/6/2012 and is open to all U.S. and Canadian residents 18 years or older. I will use And the Winner Is to select the winning comments at random. Winners will be notified by email and noted at the top of this post. Winners must respond within 48 hours of notification to claim their prize or I will choose a new winner. Please see my full disclosure policy and contact me with any questions you have. Good luck!

276 comments →

Since meat is one of the most expensive things on our grocery list each week, I’m always looking for ways to stretch good cuts of meat in our weekly meal plans. I also like to stock up on meat when it often goes on sale — especially around the holidays {turkey at Thanksgiving, ham at Christmas, etc.}

This year, I managed to get a 16 lb turkey for less than $2.00 and two whole hams for about $4.00 each during those holiday sales {with coupons/rebates/etc}. I already have plans for the turkey in a couple weeks, and last week I used up one entire ham… because we ate it every single day!!

No, we didn’t eat leftovers all week long, and we certainly didn’t have boring, tasteless meals. In fact, when I asked Dave if he realized we had eaten ham every single night, he gave me a shocked look and said he never even noticed! I’m sure our girls didn’t notice either… especially since they both really seem to like ham.

So essentially, I fed 4 people for an entire week {and had leftovers} with one $4.00 ham… pretty impressive

Here’s what we ate.

Sunday = Traditional Ham Dinner

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On Sunday, I made a “traditional” ham dinner with potatoes, sweet potatoes, vegetables, applesauce, roles, etc. Definitely not the most cost-effective meal, but it sure tasted delicious!

Monday = Ham and Chicken Lasagna

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I found a new recipe for ham and chicken lasagna; and since I had a bunch of cooked and shredded chicken in the freezer, I made 2 large containers of this lasagna and put one in the freezer for later. A side salad and garlic bread rounded out our Monday night meal.

The recipe I used was from a church cookbook, but this is a similar one.

Tuesday = Baked Sandwiches

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Ham and Cheese Baked Sandwiches have quickly become one of our favorite weeknight meals — so this was on the menu for Tuesday night {and then we all had them in our lunches the next day}

Wednesday = Slow Cooker Western Egg Casserole

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I shared this recipe with you last week… and seriously, it was so good. Everyone had seconds and we even had plenty left over for breakfast the next morning!

Thursday = Chicken Cordon Blue

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Homemade chicken cordon blue is surprisingly easy to make. Simply pound chicken breasts until they are all quite thin, then layer with thin slices of ham and cheese. Role up the chicken breast, secure with a tooth pick, and dip in breadcrumbs. Here’s a really easy recipe.

Friday = Ham & Potato Soup

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We LOVE soup (especially on cold winter days) and one of our favorites is ham and potato soup. It’s so thick and creamy, and is also great as leftovers.

Saturday = Leftovers

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Even after an entire week of ham, we still all scarfed down leftovers for lunch and dinner on Saturday. Everyone got to pick and choose their favorites from the week and I didn’t have to cook

We still have a little ham left and I’m sure we will eventually eat it on salads or sandwiches…but for one $4.00 ham, I think we ate pretty well for the week!

What are your favorite ways to stretch the meat in your meal plans?

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10 comments →

UPDATE: This giveaway is now closed.

Congrats to the following winners:

1. Lynette R (blssedmomof2@…)
2. Juliet L. (julielawrence@…)
3. Dorcas B. (threebylers@…)
4. Stef V (stefcoupon@…)
5. Katie (Stampinladybug2004@…)
6. Filomena (filomena.serpentina@…)
7. Robin (robin.phelan@…)
8. Jamie C. (jaylc84@…)
9. Jennell (Jennell_hicks@…)
10. Michelle (pmprdmichelle@…)

I will email the winners shortly!

I talk a lot about meal planning — because it’s something I do every week in an effort to simplify one of the busiest times of the day for our family.

I absolutely hate wondering ‘what’s for dinner’ — especially when it’s already 5:00 and everyone is hungry. By this point, it’s too late to defrost something, it’s too late to go to the store for ingredients, and it’s almost to late to make anything that requires prep work. So instead of saving money {and a lot of calories} it just seems easier to go out to eat, get fast food, or make an expensive overly-processed frozen meal from the store.

Sound familiar?  I’ve been there… more than I’d like to admit! 

Thankfully, meal planning helps me to not only plan ahead, but also to make sure I buy the appropriate items from the store, defrost certain ingredients the night before, and save a whole bunch of time, money, wasted food, and stress!

I used to just write our weekly meal plans in my planner, but then everyone would always ask me what we were having for dinner. So when I got the Scrummylicious Meal Planner from the Victoria Chart Company, I immediately posted it on our fridge so everyone could easily see what’s for dinner each night of the week.

So far, I’m a huge fan of his ultra-simple meal planning chart. There is plenty of writing space for each day, so I often write down different meetings or events we have as well — and there is a big blank area at the bottom where I list any items I need to buy on my next grocery shopping trip

I’ve really benefited from using this handy chart, so I’m excited to give TEN of them away today!

The Giveaway:

:

Today, TEN lucky Simple Organized Living readers will win a Scrummylicious Meal Planner from the Victoria Chart Company! 

How to Enter:

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1. Leave a comment. What is your biggest challenge when it comes to meal-planning?

2. Like Simple Organized Living on Facebook, and then leave a separate comment letting me know you did {or that you do already}.

If you are reading this in your email or feed reader, please visit the actual blog post to enter. Email entries, Facebook comments, and Twitter messages will NOT be counted.

Prizes:

(10) Scrummylicious Meal Planners as described above.

This giveaway ends at 10:00 pm on Monday, 1/30/2012 and is open to all U.S. and Canadian residents 18 years or older. I will use And the Winner Is to select the winning comments at random. Winners will be notified by email and noted at the top of this post. Winners must respond within 48 hours of notification to claim their prize or I will choose a new winner. Please see my full disclosure policy and contact me with any questions you have. Good luck!

200 comments →