In praise of Rubbermaid® containers.

I just don't know what I would do without Rubbermaid storage containers.

Camping season starts for the Kings this weekend. And that brings out all my feelings of gratitude to Rubbermaid®. Camping for most people is "roughing it" in tents and cooking with sticks and things. Why put ourselves through that!? Don't get me wrong, we we don't bring a television or a generator, and we do sleep in a tent, but we're not very "crunchy" about camping. We take everything we need to make it comfortable and fun - including the kitchen sink (literally two Rubbermaid dishpans).

One container is the "utility room," and includes the propane for the camp stove, fire making supplies, citronella candles, fly swatter, bungee cords, duct tape and the like. One is the "kitchen" and holds the pots & pans, coffee pot, dish pans & drainer, etc. Then there is the "buffet" which holds the dishes, tablecloths, serving bowls and platters and napkins. Two smaller, clear containers are the "cabinet under the sink" – holding everything from the foil and storage bags to the dish soap and Formula 409. The smallest container is the "silverware drawer." Finally, there's the "bathroom" which holds the sunscreen, bug spray, baby wipes, etc. Everything has a place, and everything is easy to find.

Bob just shakes his head because sometimes he thinks I get carried away. BUT, when we get to the campsite and he asks me IF we brought something and I produce it "voila" out of a Rubbermaid container, he is glad that I do what I do.

Thank you, Rubbermaid. For helping me win the "most organized camper" award.

Mexican "lasagne." Not too shabby.

This was sort of a made up recipe, an adaptation of a couple I had read and liked the sound of. I thought I would share because it turned out well and it was relatively easy.

Preheat the oven to 350º.

For the meat layer:
About 2 lbs leftover roast beef
1 pkg. taco seasoning
1 sm. can diced green chilis, with juice

Shred the beef into a pan. Add the taco seasoning and stir to make sure all the meat is coated. Add the can of green chilis. The juice from the chilis will help it become more "loose."

For the cheese layer:
1 can cream of chicken soup, undiluted
2 cups (1 package) shredded Monterrey Jack cheese
1 cup sour cream
Aprox 1 tsp. each cumin & chili powder

Mix all together in a medium size bowl.

For the dish:
1 cup jarred salsa, divided
4 9" diameter tortillas (I used low carb multi-grain, but I think any kind would be fine)
1 cup shredded "taco" cheese blend

To assemble:
Spray a 9x13 Pyrex dish with non-stick spray. Put about 1/2 the salsa in the bottom of the dish and spread out. Lay two of the tortillas on top of the salsa, they will overlap. Put the beef mixture on top of the tortillas. Top that with about 1/2 the cheese mixture. Pour the rest of the salsa on top of the cheese. Lay the remaining 2 tortillas on top. Spread the rest of the cheese mixture on, then top with the shredded taco cheese.

Bake in a 350º oven until the cheese is bubbly and the top is a light golden brown, approximately 30 - 45 minutes. Serve with additional salsa.

Bob liked it enough to save the leftovers for the next day. That is a good sign!

iPod Shuffle. No bells. No whistles. Perfect.

Okay, I may be the last person on the planet to get a digital music player. But the dogs and cats apparently pooled their money and got me one for Mother's Day. They wisely chose the iPod Shuffle for their human mommy, which is perfect for me.

Unlike the 20-somethings I work with, I don't need all the bells, whistles, screens, options or the like. I just need something that holds about 100 songs, and can block some noise at work when I need to concentrate. In fact, much to their chagrin, I will probably load it right up with Vivaldi and Mozart. The "shuffle" mode turned some people off, but you do have the option of listening to your list straight through or mixing it up, and obviously you control what you put on it to listen to, so to me that's not an issue.

I will tell you that I do have to send mine back for an exchange under the Apple warranty. After walking through some steps in an online chat with a service person, it was determined that my little baby had some hardware issues, so they will be replacing it for me. Thank goodness for easy online registration!

Anyway, if you want a little music, in a teensy little package, for not a lot of money (under $80 for the 512MB) the Shuffle might be just the thing.

Happy cooking accidents happen. My new tequila lime chicken recipe.

If the accident turns out something delicious, just pretend like you meant to do that!

Last evening my plan was to make tequila chicken from a recipe I found on Atkins website. Their recipe called for:

1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 1/2 ounces tequila
1 1/2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

Basically the instructions had you make a marinade, toss the breasts in it for a second, take them out and bake at 400º on a sheet pan. That sounds fine. But I like to vary a bit, and wanted to add some lime juice. I was also not into getting all tense about exact measurements. It's just a marinade after all. So here were my ingredients, mixed right in a shallow baking dish:

few glugs of vegetable oil
big handful finely chopped fresh cilantro
glug and a half tequila (probably about 2 parts oil and 1 part tequila)
half a lime squeezed real good
couple teaspoons ground cumin
some kosher salt, like maybe 1/2 teaspoon
few grinds black pepper
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

I tossed the chicken in the marinade, turned them a few times to coat, left it all right in that dish and threw it in the oven. About 20 minutes in I realized my error. I didn't take chicken out of the marinade. By the time I checked them, they were about 1/2 covered in the marinade, mixed with their own juices. I was a little nervous, but decided to let it go.

This turned out to be the juciest baked chicken I have made in quite a while. Honestly it was almost like the breasts were poached in the liquid, which helped keep them nice and moist. They weren't exactly gorgeous and brown, but I had made an avocado sauce to put on them, so it didn't really matter. (The avocado sauce was one whole avocado, about a half cup of mayo, the juice of the other half of the lime I had cut, some salt & pepper, about a teaspoon of cumin and a shake or two of some dark chili powder... in a blender, delicious).

My next alteration of this recipe will involve pounding the breasts thin, pan searing them in some oil and the spices and probably some garlic, deglazing with the tequila and lime juice and finishing in the oven. Who knows, that might work out too.

I'm starting to relax a bit in the kitchen, which makes it a lot more fun. And when Bob says "you can make that again!" I just hope and pray I can remember how I did it!

The must-have for every purse. The Girl Kit.

Years ago I purchased a little Coach accessory bag in red leather in an attempt to organize my purse. This little bag turned into my Girl Kit. There are many like it, but this one is mine.

The first item, and the cornerstone of any Girl Kit is a Leatherman. Mine is a Leatherman Micra, but these days Leatherman manufactures lots of small utility tools that would be perfect. Find the one you like and put it in your Girl Kit. You will be shocked how many times you pull it out to snip threads or tighten sunglasses. You will also get a kick out of how many times your man asks to borrow it!

The next most important item in the Girl Kit is my mini Mag Lite. Every girl needs a small flashlight. Mine is red, so it's cute, and I think it still has the single AAA battery I put in it 8 or 9 years ago. I don't use it a lot, but it's nice to know it's in there.

Other necessary items in the kit: a teeny pen, a golf pencil, a hotel sewing kit (button, thread, needle, etc), a safety pin, a 2-pack of pain reliever, a few hand wipes, a couple of band-aids, a tiny mirror, small nail clippers, a nail file and a mini-pad. You can modify to your heart's content, and add things that fit. A tiny tin of hand cream, a divot tool and a lip liner have been in my kit.

Stock up your Girl Kit, transfer it to whatever purse you're carrying, and you will win the "Most Organized" award among your friends and family!

Coffee stain? What a pain.

So a co-worker of mine was commenting on the new jacket I’m wearing today (see previous post, Bargain Safari). I threw it on over a white polo tee from LaRedoute, khakis from Target and some new white espadrille slides. Going for the all-natural look and feeling pretty good about myself. She said that wearing the collar up was a good choice, because it hid the big coffee stains on my white shirt. At first I thought she was kidding, but alas. Two big drippy drops right on my pristine white top. Agg.

So I ran to the office kitchen and pulled out one of these little Coffee Wipes. I figured the least it could do is lighten the stains so I would not be so self conscious all day long. My stain had been there a while, because it was almost dry. But, I followed the directions and rubbed and rubbed and blotted and while I now have a big wet spot on the front of my top, the coffee stains are almost gone. I was very surprised, because historically my experience with any kind of wipes like these has been disappointing.

So I checked the package, went to the website and found out that these are different because they are enzyme cleaners, not the usual chemical cleaners. So the way they work is to actually break down the coffee stain. If I had got to the stain while it was still wet, I may have had 100% stain removal, but I will settle for 90-95% so I don't feel like I have a large brown target on my chest all day.

One of these will probably make its way into my "girl kit" so I am prepared the next time. Try them out.

(Girl Kit contents to be covered in a subsequent article.)