Monday, January 17, 2011

A Clean kitchen, Chicken Soup and Becker Style

              I have been trying to organize and clean out my cupboards, I saw an interesting tip/statement to make sure you save money "A clean kitchen saves money". Sounds simple enough, makes sense right? Who wants to cook or prepare a dinner in a kitchen that has stuff all over the counter, dishes in the sink, stickiness on the island? I admit- it is easy for me to keep up with the dishes, Brian helps- when 2 people are doing dishes, it is alot easier to stay on top of them. The cupboards? Easy to keep up with- I find it soothing to clean out and declutter my kitchen cupboards, I know weird right?

             My kitchen table on the other hand- a true disaster area... try as I might- it stays cluttered, I love my kitchen table, a huge long farmhouse looking table with black chairs, it is one of my favorite things in the house- but as far as keeping it uncluttered? Well~ it would be easier to pass up a plate of nachos for me, the left side is filled with legos, books, unwanted things from the newly organized drawer or cupboard, magazines, this weeks Sunday papers, empty canning jars, you name it- anything that is to go downstairs to the basement or family room. Each trip I make downstairs, I try to take something with me. Usually I forget, I come back up the steps and look at the pile and think-" Wow- I should have taken something down with me". I am not perfect- I am sure of that- but I am thinking this is going to have to be a hardcore resolution to not allow anything on the kitchen table except the 2 vintage Amber Glass colored Princess House Fairy lights I have on it as a decoration. There is no other way around it! I will post a pic- so everyone can ewwe and ughhh at the table - knowing full well you all have a place like this in the house. It is okay- I understand, we all need to look at a cluttered area and think "I could clean that up in a minute" it is motivation!

I will obviously be adding the pics once the table is cleaned off- so I am not a total loser!


So- the Menu plan says tonight is Chicken Corn Soup- and believe it or not- that is what is in the crockpot, along with my Reynold's SlowCooker liner! Except- I used turkey meat I had in the freezer- shhhh- I see no reason to give this info to the boys.....
Here is the recipe:
Chicken (Turkey shhhhhh) Corn soup
3 Cups diced cooked Turkey meat
2 Quart jars of Chicken stock
1 Teaspoon of salt
1 Teaspoon of cracked black pepper
1/2 cup of dehydrated soup greens ( from Peights in Belleville- another entire post on how to shop frugally!)
3 Cups frozen Corn- this is from when we did corn in the summer, I had in the freezer.
put it all in the crockpot on low- I normally taste test the soup I make before feeding it to my boys- since all my soup recipes are a work in progress- to make sure the seasonings are right.


                 Don't forget to *like* Becker Style on Facebook- I am running a contest and when I hit  (as of today I had 36 fans) 50 fans I am going to randomly choose a fan as a winner to get a week meal plan of budget friendly dishes along with a box of Reynold's SlowCooker liners- thanks to Margaret's suggestion:) I am working on Reynold's to hand over the free box- but- in the chance that they think I am insane- I will just buy a box for the winner considering I love them that much! You can Like it from right here on the Blog to the left, so make sure to share the Becker Style page with your friends! and follow my Blog- More than likely  I will do the same sort of contest here on the blog once I hit 50 followers!

4 comments:

  1. Looks good! I admire your perserverance! I plan on being a working mom, with a "stay-at-home-mom" philosophy. Thanks for showing me that it can be done!

    xo
    Candice

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  2. Candice! Thank you! trust me - it is more fun to attempt to be a working mom- with a stay at home mentality..I hope you keep reading! And thanks for commenting!
    Amanda

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  3. Your insightful comments took me back to the good old days when the Beckers and the Keirns lived across the street. Brings a smile to my face remembering some of the good times that we shared. Mellon and Deb were the stay at home moms that helped me stay connected to working part time as a nurse. Thanks to those stay at home moms for giving me that opportunity! We all kept eachother grounded in family and church activities. Remember our bands at Christmas time? Remember playing pinocle and my hand signals? Then there were those gourmet meals every month- I can see why some of those habits stuck with our kids! How many can still even remember names of friends we've had for over 35 years! Go for it kids! Cay Griel

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  4. Thank you Cay!!! I will share this comment with "Mellon" I am sure it will make her smile!!!! I am grateful for my job, and where I work, My supervisor is very family oriented and understanding, something that more employers need to be, so I consider myself lucky.
    Bob and Mary Ellen also raised a wonderful son.. which I feel lucky to have as my Husband as he helps me with the house, canning and gardening- those things would never happen with out his knowledge that he gained from being raised in such a loving neighborhood!!!!
    Amanda

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