When in Rome…

With the Obama’s in Rome for the G-8 summit, I’ve been reminiscing about all things Italian. My darling husband served his mission in Rome and we got engaged on the Ponte Vecchio in Florence. I cried hysterically when we left – like I was saying good-bye to my best friend. I’ve only been once and dream of taking the family back one day. It was a magical place.

Among the millions of reason I married my DH was he could cook – and cook darn good. His pastas and sauces keep our family well fed. The tradeoff between cooking and cleaning the kitchen is a no-brainer – give me dirty dishes any day! However, since our marriage, I have picked up a few tricks. Below is my quick, easy and SNEAKY, marinara sauce. I add some “extras” so the kids get their veggies without knowing it. Homemade tomato sauce is SO EASY and so much better than jarred sauce.

Easy/Sneaky Marinara Sauce

1 28oz can crushed tomatoes
1 15 oz can tomato sauce
1 onion, finely chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic
Dash of red pepper flakes
2 jars of veggie baby food – I use carrots or squash
1 tbsp brown sugar
Olive Oil
Salt/Pepper to taste
Freshly grated parmesan cheese

1. Saute onion, garlic, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper in olive oil until soft (about 7 min).
2. Add both cans of tomatoes/sauce. Make sure you add a little water to the cans to get ALL the tomato goodness leftover on the sides – and add that too. Add your veggie baby food. Bring to a boil and simmer at least 20 minutes or until your pasta is ready. Add the brown sugar 5 minutes before you are ready to serve it. Serve over the pasta of your choice with freshly grated parmesan cheese. (You can add dried basil or oregano, but we prefer it plain. If have fresh basil or oregano growing in the herb patch, I always add it when I’m serving).

If you have left over sauce, it makes great pizza sauce. It also freezes well.


Also, the ONLY pasta we eat in our house is BARILLA. It’s an Italian pasta and is found in all major grocery stores. Last week, our Super Wal Mart had it on sale for $.94 a box! I bought a case. It always cooks perfectly and they have tons of shapes and varieties. Please, whatever you do, do not buy RONCO!! Ahhhh!!!

House cleaning vs. swimming pool

I spent most my Saturday cleaning house. Why spend a glorious Saturday cleaning, you might ask? Well, during the summer while the kids are home, I find I have a hard to keeping up with house work. So, my beloved took the kids to the pool (which I loath) while I mopped the kitchen floor and did laundry. Yes, I must be a tad bonkers to choose laundry over the pool, but that is how much I hate going to the pool (it’s not the pool per se, it’s the bathing suit and all the woman-scaping I must do to prepare myself for the pool – I long for the return of a bloomer bathing suit of the 19th century!)

While I waited on my last load to dry of the day, I thought I would add to my favorite things list.

I blogged on another site about my OCD obsession with laundry…but I didn’t specify what tonics and tools I can’t live without to make my laundry AWESOME!

We live in the South – and the humidity here is overwhelming. Over the past several years, I’ve noticed that I can’t keep my towels fresh. They always smell musty and mildewy. I searched endlessly for a product that would rid my towels of their stench. I tried every product on the shelves, but nothing worked. Or so I thought. Until, I made a trip to Sam’s and discovered this:


What caught my eye was the tag line – “laundry refresher.” Had I stumbled across my towel-stench solution? In addition to laundry refresher, it was also marketed as a disinfectant and air freshener. Who knew? I had to find out so I bought it

I took all my towels out of the linen closet and started in. Three loads later I was convinced: Odo Ban DID IT! For the first time in many years, my towels smelled like towels! Not nasty, old, musty rags. They true test was letting them dry on the rack after a shower. Eureka! My towels dried fresh!

I now use Odo Ban everywhere. It can be used on counter-tops, floors, curtains, rugs and upholstery. I had a sippy cup with milk “disappear” in my car. I found it several days later once my car started reeking. I cleaned the contaminated area with Odo Ban, sprayed the car’s interior, and the sour smell was completely gone. It truly is a miracle product. Hey Odo Ban are you out there? I love your product! Do you need a spokesperson? You’ve found her!

My other “can’t live without” items are dryer balls.


I discovered these quite by accident as well. My father in law gave me a gift certificate to an on-line “green” catalog and this was the only item listed that I either wanted, or I could afford. So I bought them on a whim.

I can honestly say that I love them! My clothes come out of the dryer static free and I do think they have cut down on my drying time. My mother was visiting me last weekend and didn’t have a clue why I had blue rubber, knobby balls in my dryer. But they work, and I will never go back to dryer sheets. I have since found out they have "updated" their dryer balls to include special recipticals where you can insert fragrance sticks. Hmmm...I may have to get the upgrades!

It’s now Sunday, and I am again staring at several more loads of laundry – why does it seem to multiply like rabbits? So, tomorrow, when I start in again, I will be so thankful for two of my favorite products, and even more thankful that the pool is closed on Mondays!

Soap to the Rescue!

As a Mom, I’m always trying to find a cheap way to pamper myself. I’ve never been a big fan of manicures or pedicures (hey, if someone else is paying, I’m all in). It’s a luxury that does nothing for me. I don’t like people messing with my feet. Probably because my feet are so dry and cracked you could find Paleozoic fossils buried in my heels. Not to mention, whenever I go to get a pedicure (like, in 1998), as soon as I roll up my pants I realize, “Ugh! I forgot to shave my legs!” Having women massage your legs with several weeks worth of hair growth -- that, my friends, is so gross. And when you are one genetic link away from being a cousin of Sasquatch, it’s even worse. And why spend $25 on a manicure when the first time you wash dishes and clean the kitchen after dinner they are chipped and mangled.

My private time seems to be limited to the 10 minutes or so I get when I use the shower during the morning. The most effective and cost efficient form of pampering for me is a new bar of soap. So simple. I love unwrapping (or un boxing, as the case may be) a new bar of soap. I love their perfect, unused, smooth shape. I love breathing in the enriching aroma. My soap is sacred. Kids and hubbie are forbidden to use it. They can wash themselves with the multi-pack bars of Ivory.

My go to brand of soap is Dove Go Fresh. Their Grapefruit and Lemongrass line is my favorite, but a close second is Cucumber and Green Tea. They’ve recently introduced a “peach” scent, but I opened a new box this morning and hate it. It smells like really cheap peach jam. The other two scents are refreshing and, as the marketing slogan implies, Energizing! I think you can get a three pack for roughly $3. And they always have coupons in the newspaper for a $1 off. Makes for a fairly inexpensive spa treatment.

My higher end favorites are Kiss My Face Olive and Lavender bar soap and Mrs. Meyer’s All Purpose bar soap. I have lavender growing in my garden, so it’s a favorite perennial scent. Kiss My Face soap works up a glorious lather. And if you get the 8oz bar, it lasts forever. Kiss My Face is available at most high end grocery stores (Whole Foods) and retailers (I think you can get it at Target?). Mrs. Meyers is a recent addition to my collection of spa soaps. I use the home cleaning products regularly, but have never tried their personal products, because they are not carried at my retailer. On Earth Day, they offered free shipping via the Internet, so I placed an order for items I either can’t find or don’t normally use. I ordered two bars of soap (lavender and geranium) – and they are both heavenly. Again, the lather is splendid – like bathing with marshmallow cream (without being sticky!). I opened the lavender bar the day it arrived (in May) and I’m still using it. Kiss My Face and Mrs. Meyers both cost about $4.99 a bar. But they last forever and are far cheaper than a manicure!

My final indulgence isn’t soap, but equally important to my pampering repertoire. Burt’s Bees makes a fantastic French clay mask that I use weekly. It makes me look like a character out of Land of the Lost – but it’s well worth the temporary ugliness.

So, my spa regiment is cheap and satisfying and I don’t have to have a strange women looking at my legs and feet to enjoy it!

Rotten Bananas

I had lots of over ripe bananas this morning, so the only thing to do is make banana bread!

Recently, the popular thing to do is make recipes “sneaky” – adding whole grains and vegetables to normal recipes in a sneaky way so the kiddos don’t realize they are eating healthy. I’ve created a sneaky recipe for banana bread that my kids love. Thought I would share:

Sneaky Banana Bread

Mix together dry ingredients:
¾ c. whole wheat flour
¾ c. all purpose flour
1½ tsps baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
¼ tsp. nutmeg
dash salt

Mix together wet ingredients:
2 or 3 ripe bananas
1 jar carrot or squash baby food (4oz)
¾ c. brown sugar
¼ c canola oil
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla

Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients just until moist (do not over stir). Pour into 9x4 loaf pan; bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes. Let cool 10-15 minutes then take out of loaf pan to cool completely.

Enjoy!!

Mmmmm....Donuts!

In honor of National Donut Day!

Donuts, how do I love thee, let me count the ways…

I love you airy, yeasty, iced and fresh, hot-off-the-line.

I love how your sugary glaze cascades down my shirt when I bite into you.

I love how I can eat an entire dozen without hesitation or guilt.

I love your endless varieties – chocolate covered, creams, jelly-filled, sprinkles, cake, old-fashioned, powdered, crullers, sugared, twists, fritters, bear claws.

I love your holes – especially when they are in a bag making my 3 yr old very, very, happy.

I love you especially today, on National Donut Day when my local donut shop is giving you away free!

I’m on my way my love, please wait for me!