Legendary Homecoming Mum Ideas

WE ONLY HAVE TWO WEEKS LEFT BEFORE HOMECOMING AT OUR HIGH SCHOOL HERE IN TEXAS. AS USUAL I HAVE BEEN SAVING PICTURES OF DIFFERENT MUMS AND IDEAS, GEARING UP TO MAKE MISS ELIZABETH'S MUM. SHE WAS NOMINATED FOR HOMECOMING QUEEN SO I WILL NEED TO CONFIGURE HER MUM SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT THAN WE HAD PREVIOUSLY PLANNED. THOUGHT I WOULD SHARE WITH YOU ALL WHAT I CAME ACROSS IN MY ANNUAL HUNT; JUST IN CASE YOU DECIDE TO MAKE YOUR OWN MUMS AND ARE IN NEED OF A LITTLE INSPIRATION. I LOVE PUTTING MY OWN FINGERPRINT ON E's HOMECOMING MUM. HERS IS UNIQUE AND THERE WILL NOT BE ANOTHER ONE LIKE IT....ANYWHERE.  GOOD LUCK AND HAPPY GLUING!

CHIPBOARD LETTERS AND CHAINS.

CHAINS AND BOWS.

 

I LIKE THESE CHAINS.

HELLO!

I LIKE THE BACKING ON THIS MUM.

CUTE  HOMECOMING KING AND QUEEN MUM.

GREAT ARM MUM FOR A BASEBALL PLAYER.

PRETTY COOL COLOR.

LOVE THE POLKA DOT BOWS AT
THE END OF THESE CHAINS.

I LIKE THE RIBBON IN THE MIDDLE OF THESE 3 MUMS.

GREAT CHAINS.

THE MUMS ARE TRI-COLORED AND LOVE THE ALTERNATING COLORED LOOP CHAIN.

GREAT BACKING.

LOVE THIS ANIMAL PRINT.

K-RAZY ABOUT THIS COLOR SCHEME!

CUTE BACKING TO THIS MUM.

CHIPBOARD LETTERS. PICTURES
PUNCHED OUT IN CIRCLES.

THE GIANT CHIPBOARD LETTERS ON
TOP OF THE MUM ARE GREAT.

I LIKE THE ALTERNATING COLORED LOOP CHAIN
AND THE FEATHER BOA.

THE LARGE LOOPED HOMECOMING IS NICE.

THIS TULLE BACKING IS SO DIFFERENT, LOVE IT.

CHIP BOARD LETTERS CAN BE FOUND

ON THE SCRAP BOOKING ISLE.

I LOVE EVERY DETAIL OF THIS FOLLOWING MUM.

LOVE THESE PICTURES AND CHRISTMAS TINSEL.

 GREAT DISCO BALL!

 ALL RIGHT, I KNOW THIS IS NOT A MUM BUT I LOVE THE COLOR SCHEME AND POLKA DOTS.

 

I LIKE THE BACKING AND UNUSUAL BRAID. 

ARM MUM FOR A GUY.

RIBBONS, BRAIDS AND BOWS.

RUFFLE BACKING, I LIKE.

 FEATHERS AND BOWS.

 

 LOVE THIS PICTURE PLACED IN

THE MIDDLE OF THIS MUM.

 

 COLORFUL ISN'T IT?

LOVE THE FEATHERS AND COLOR.

MISS E LOVES BUTTERFLIES!

I REALLY LOVE THE BACKING ON THIS

MUM ANDTHE TRI-COLORED MUM ON

THE VERY BOTTOM RIGHT.

 

THESE NEXT TWO MUMS ARE DIFFERENT,

FEMININE AND LOVELY.

 BOWS, CHAINS AND ROPES.

THERE ISN'T EVEN A MUM HERE, JUST LOTS

OF LOOPY RIBBON, I LIKE IT.

THESE NEXT TWO MUMS ARE WORN AT THE HIP, LOVE THAT IDEA!

LOTS OF IDEAS, MAKE YOUR OWN MUM

AND SAVE YOUR MONEY........

.........YOU'LL BE GLAD YOU DID!

ENJOY!

the domestic curator ~ ronda

Steak Salad with Sugar Snap Peas

Are you searching for a quick, yet delicious, idea for dinner? Recently I came across Martha Stewart’s Steak Salad with Sugar Snap Peas. Eating salad in our house is nothing new,  we eat them fairly often. I stock our fridge with salads every 3-4 days. Salad is our son's first choice for lunch and it's nice to have them on the ready to pull out for a quick meal OR snack. A bit more healthy than a bag of chips and I'm glad of that. These salads are wonderful anytime of day but what about a hearty salad for dinner. What then? This Steak Salad recipe from Martha is just the ticket for a light dinner.

I add steamed sugar snap peas to our salad, I ADORE SUGAR SNAP PEAS and they are a welcome addition and wonderful idea. Include your favorite greens and vegetable; this is not a recipe that needs to be followed exactly. Aim to include colorful veggies for the best presentation. Fresh corn cut from the cob is a nice delicious touch. Use whatever cut of beef you prefer, I usually get a top loin, rib eye or the less expensive sirloin tip steak. You can fire up the grill or choose to pan fry your steak in a heavy iron skillet. No rules cooking is my favorite form of cooking. I can do whatever I WANT! It's very liberating!

Steak Salad with Sugar Snap Peas is a good idea to keep in mind for one of those hot days when vegetables are plentiful and you don’t want to heat up the kitchen. It's a family favorite in the Porter Household. I hope your family enjoys it as well.

Steak Salad with Sugar Snap Peas

Serves 2

Ingredients

4 ounces sugar snap peas

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar

1½ teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 peeled garlic clove, finely minced

3 cups arugula

4 radishes, trimmed and sliced

1 carrot, sliced with a peeler

½ of a red pepper, cut into bite-sized pieces

½ pound sirloin tip, rib eye steak, about ¾-inch thick

What To Do

• Bring some water to a boil. Place a steamer basket with the sugar snap peas over the boiling water. Cover, and steam for 3 minutes. Rinse, set them aside to drain while you prepare the rest of the salad.
• Whisk the olive oil, vinegar, and mustard together. Add the garlic to the dressing and whisk to blend.

•  Put the arugula, radishes, carrot, and red pepper in a large bowl. Keep chilled in the fridge as you cook the steak.

• Heat a skillet, preferably cast iron, over medium heat for about 10 minutes, until it is hot.
• Generously sprinkle salt into the skillet. Pat the steak dry with a paper towel and add it to the skillet.
• Cook the steak for 4 minutes.
• Turn the steak, and cook for another 3 minutes.
• Remove the steak to a cutting board and cover with foil. Let it rest for 5 – 10 minutes. The steak will continue to cook a bit during the resting period.

• While the steak is resting, toss the salad well with about half of the dressing. Divide the salad between two plates.
• Pat the sugar snap peas dry with paper towels and add them to the salads.
• Slice the steak, and add it to the salad. Drizzle the salads with the remaining dressing and serve.

Try Steak Salad with Sugar Snap Peas for dinner........

........you'll be glad ya did!

ENJOY!

the domestic curator ~ ronda

The Savvy Traveler: Packing On The Go

 We have a few rules we stick to when traveling. Some of them born from common sense and others learned by years of sheer stupidity. SO.....Let's talk luggage. My knowledge of packing a carry-on has come from years of traveling with TOO MUCH luggage. When we arrive at our destination I ALWAYS find without fail that I have over-packed. Not only is this a major pain to haul through an airport but now it's costing extra MONEY to check a bag when you fly. I'm not a fan of over spending....and I'm not too hip on carrying heavy objects either. 

You have to ask yourself, 'Would I rather stand here waiting on my luggage'

OR

'Would I rather hop off the plane with my luggage, ready to go'?

SO RULE #1: Only pack what you can easily carry all by yourself AND carry it onto the plane for free. Check NOTHING! Saving money, space, time and unnecessary aggravation {you never know when the airlines might lose your luggage}, it's really the only way to travel. As Mr.P and I walk past all of those poor individuals who are waiting at the luggage carousel, I secretly take a measure of pleasure in knowing we can be two of the first out the door....or four if the kids are traveling with us. A huge misnomer some have about packing light is that you will not have the right clothes for every occasion. Not true. You can pack a standard carry on bag with 10 days worth of functional clothing and come away looking stylish ready to meet every situation with confidence.....you just have to know HOW to go about it. Follow these Step-by-Step instructions and you too can be a Savvy Traveler.

STEP ONE: Folded clothing takes up too much space. Instead, tightly roll everything, which also minimizes wrinkling. A standard regulation size carry-on will hold three pairs of shorts, three pairs of dress pants, one skirt, two pairs of casual pants or jeans, three nightgowns, three bathing suits, one sarong, two lightweight sweaters, four dresses, 9 casual shirts, six dress shirts, a clutch, toiletries and two pairs of shoes. You'll be wearing your third pair of shoes, as well as a third pair of jeans, a tenth shirt and a third lightweight sweater.

  

STEP TWO: Continue rolling your clothes and set them aside.

STEP THREE: Shoes go in first. Pack them along the edges of the bag, then begin putting in jeans and pants to form the bottom layer of clothing.

STEP FOUR: Continuing packing with lighter clothes, forming more layers, packing garments tightly.

STEP FIVE: The lightest items are last and make up the top layer of clothing.

STEP SIX: Toiletries and purse go on top. In the top mesh part of the suitcase, I place in my underwear, bras, and belts....smaller items that might get lost elsewhere. The bag closes easily, no need to sit on it, and you're ready to go!

Check it out! Here’s the same bag packed with the same items, but folded in the traditional manner. Amazing isn't it?

Don’t forget to utilize the outside pockets!

I ALWAYS ALWAYS, well since 2006, carry anything liquid, such as toiletries, in the OUTSIDE zipper pocket of my carry on. Making it convenient and quick to whip out for the security screening and quick to put away without disturbing the rest of my bag.

And there you have my 100% packed carry-on!

So what's in your bag?

Learn to carry less and you will become a more contented traveler...  

believe me on this.....you'll be glad ya did!

Happy Travels!

ENJOY!

the Domestic Curator 
Ronda

Cod Provencal ~ J's Favorite Fish Dish!

I  was digging through my recipes about 3 months ago when I came across a tattered and torn page pulled from an old issue of Martha Stewart's Living. As luck would have it I happened to have all of the ingredients needed to make this one dish wonder....it was a big hit in the Porter house.  A refreshing switch from the comfort food I usually crave. A wonderful heart warming dinner low in calories and high in flavor...it's Mr.J's favorite fish dish. That's saying a lot, he will eat anything with fish in it....cooked OR raw!

Cod Provencal
After making this 'fish dish' a few times I began putting all of the zucchini under the fish. The zucchini cooked in this amazing broth is tastier than the zucchini cooked on top of the fish. I'm giving you this recipe in it's original version, you cook it for your family and decide which is better.......You'll be glad ya did!

SERVES 4

INGREDIENTS

• 4 cod fillets (6 ounces each), skinned
• 1 lemon, halved
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
• freshly ground pepper
• 2 T extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 small onions, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 small zucchini, thinly sliced
• 4 medium-ripe tomatoes, thinly sliced
• 2 t fresh thyme, plus 3 sprigs

WHAT TO DO

• Preheat oven to 400F. Place cod fillets in a nonreactive dish, and squeeze lemon on top. Refrigerate for 15 minutes. 
• Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt, and season with pepper. 
• Heat 1 T oil in a medium Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions; cook until golden brown, about 12 minutes. Add garlic; cook for 3 minutes. Remove from heat. 
• Top with half the zucchini, tomatoes, and thyme. Drizzle with 1.5 tsp. oil, sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt, and season with pepper. Add cod and remaining zucchini, tomatoes, thyme, oil, and salt. Season with pepper. 
• Bake, covered, for 10 minutes. Baste with the juices, and bake, uncovered, for 15 minutes more.

This is the page I tore out of MSL.

This is a closer look inside of Martha's stewing pot.

It really is a delicious meal that is extremely easy and quick to make!

A rather spur of the moment meal for us. ENJOY!

ENJOY!

The Domestic Curator
Ronda

Caribbean French Toast Topped With Pineapple Banana Compote

Caribbean French Toast is sweet, warm, crispy, creamy and filled with the tastes of the tropics. This perfect breakfast dish contains a host of island flavors including lime, coconut, pineapple, vanilla, and banana. This is THE ideal recipe for breakfast or brunch because most of the prep-work is done the night before, taken from the fridge to the oven the next morning. While CFT is baking in your oven, the most divine aromas fill your home and it looks very impressive when plated, ready to serve your family or guests. What's not to love about that?

 

Caribbean French Toast was born from a simple but effective recipe for Coconut Toast. Sometimes this can be one of the hazards of  being a cook....you usually find yourself thinking somehow you can make that recipe even BETTER. On occasion, that philosophy works in your favor and others not so much. So what makes Caribbean French Toast so fantastic? A buttery syrup made with both lime and pineapple juices, dark brown sugar and coconut milk serves as the base and over the top you pour a rich egg custard flavored with exotic vanilla and then sprinkled with coconut. This is no ordinary french toast.....this is french toast, bread pudding and macaroons all rolled into one. YUM IS RIGHT!

It sits in the fridge overnight so that the bread can soak up the flavors, then bakes to a golden brown.

While the toast bakes, you make a warm banana and pineapple topping.

Caribbean French Toast 

The soft and custard like French toast has crisp coco-nutty crust and the fruit topping finishes the Caribe flavors perfectly. Take a bite and you'll feel those warm breezes on your cheek. What could be nicer?

 

Ingredients

4 tablespoons butter

½ cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons molasses or corn syrup

 zest of 3 limes

juice of 3 limes

1/3 cup juice drained from the can of crushed pineapple

½ cup canned coconut milk

2 eggs

3 egg whites

1 cup milk

1/2 tablespoon vanilla

1+ cup flaked coconut, however much you desire

1/2 loaf French bread, cut into inch thick slices
 

What To Do

Line a 9×13 inch baking dish with non-stick foil.

In a medium saucepan over low heat combine the butter, brown sugar, molasses or corn syrup, lime zest and juice, and pineapple juice. Cook about 5 minutes, until the butter and sugar have melted. Remove from heat and stir in coconut milk. Cool. Pour into the baking dish.

In a mixing bowl, mix eggs, egg whites, milk and vanilla. Blend well. Arrange the bread slices in one layer over the lime mixture and pour the whipped egg and milk mixture over the bread. Sprinkle with the coconut. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes prior to baking and allow to return to room temperature.

Bake uncovered at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes or until golden brown. If needed, place under broiler to give the coconut a slight toasting. Watch so it doesn't burn.

 

Place 2 slices of the baked Lime French Toast on each plate. Top with Pineapple Banana Compote and garnish with a bit of sifted confectioners’ sugar.

Pineapple Banana Compote

Ingredients

 1 large banana, sliced

4 tablespoons butter

8 oz can crushed pineapple in juice, drained completely,

reserving  some of the juice for the French Toast

 

What To Do

In a saute’ pan, melt the butter. Over medium high heat cook the banana in the butter until golden and softened. Add the pineapple and stir to combine well. Heat just until the pineapple is warm.

Tuck into this most tropical of breakfasts

and image the warm trade winds!

 

You'll be glad ya did!

 

ENJOY!

the domestic curator ~ ronda

 

Forget To Eat?? ME? NEVER! 10 Easy Meals For When You Forget To Eat!

Last night at our first high school football game of the season another mom, no names are necessary, mentioned she was really hungry because she had forgot to eat lunch. She says this happens often, her forgetting to eat, and her husband has to bring her food sometimes as a reminder. A reminder to eat. I politely nod as if I understand. But the whole time I'm nodding my mind is RACING. FAST. NON-STOP. I SIMPLY DO NOT COMPREHEND THIS CONCEPT.  AT ALL!

This was the most ridiculous thing I had ever heard! Who forgets to eat? Seriously. WHO? I was working hard NOT to laugh at my friend. Thinking this would be the rude and an unkind thing to do - I instead decide to zone out thinking about Saturday morning breakfast in the P's household, what was I going to cook? Blueberry pancakes with Maple Syrup and crispy hickory smoked bacon? Yes, it sounded like a good idea to me. Oh, pardon me, what did you say? I must have missed her telling us what a huge problem this had become for her. I just wanted to scream - but instead smiled, took a deep breath and began dreaming of our Blueberry Pancakes! I wonder if she noticed my eyes glazing over. Or did she see that little bit of drool rolling slowly out of the left corner of my mouth? If that poor woman only knew what I was thinking. I don’t think I’ve forgotten to eat since, oh, let me see – NEVER. 

Bradley's hoodie that Elizabeth cherishes. It STILL smells like his cologne!

Eating regularly gives me the strength to get out of bed when E hops in the shower at 5:15 am. Food gives me the stamina to simultaneously get her breakfast and lunch, load the washer and dig out her favorite hoodie that is in fact still IN THE DIRTY CLOTHES PILE!  "Gosh MOM! You were going to wash Bradley's hoodie? I can still smell his cologne on it, what were you thinking? You almost ruined IT!" Food gives me the en energy to drag my rear in and out of the shower and put on something other than the t-shirt I’ve worn for the past two days straight. Food gives me what patience I have left to coax my daughter into finding a pair of shoes OTHER than her old stinky Converse tennis shoes that she and her friends have 'decorated'! Standing over me, claiming she doesn't know where any of her nice shoes are, I crawl around on my hands and knees desperately looking for at least one of her new pair of shoes that she NEEDED for school and now in fact refuses to wear. With my head under her bed, she sighs and rolls her eyes, and I am thankful for that hot bowl of oatmeal I ate for breakfast.

E's artwork on her OLD Converse.

As long as I’ve eaten, I have the staying power I need to take care of my responsibilities at home. Running to the store because someone in the house needs socks, wash the clothes, cook the dinner, help with homework - as long as it's NOT math - listen to the latest high school drama scene, I HATE THE DRAMA, talk with Jared - if I can catch him, love on the fat cat, and Mr.P, do my daily 'walk through', picking up, putting away what I can and then to be informed that indeed I had bought the WRONG socks. I can keep my cool, most days, because I am a mom who “remembers to eat”. I’ve discovered that satisfied tummy = capable Mom - most of the time. Some of the time.

What to eat? That is the question.....

Even if by some earth-shattering anomaly it were to turn 2:30 pm and it had slipped my mind to eat lunch - I’m pretty sure that by simply walking through the kitchen, the pantry doors would swing open, the fridge would buzz and light up, and the fruit sitting on the counter would roll off and land at my feet.

This dude is hard-core! He sits out in the wilderness

and drinks his own urine! UH....NO THANKS! I think I'll pass on that.

You've seen those reality shows where people are lost in the woods trying to survive and live off of three drops of water collected on a leaf....and by Day Three you begin to par-TAY because finally you are going to get a good meal of roast skunk? Nope, not me, you've got the wrong girl! I. WOULD. DIE. Literally DIE before they ever got the film out of the camera and back to the studio. I'm a gal who loves to NOT ONLY COOK BUT EAT AS WELL!!

Forget to eat? Me?! NEVER!

IF YOU FORGET TO EAT.......here are a few quick ideas to fill your tummy and NOT one of them has to do with roasted skunk or drinking your own urine!

Grilled Sandwich

Scrambled Eggs

THE BIG SALAD

Canned Soup

Pasta, any kind

Microwave Nachos

Baked Potato, cooked quick in the microwave

Toast, Jam and Milk

Cereal

Hot Oatmeal

Your possibilities are really endless, eat something soothing, comforting and warm if you can. 'IF' you do forget to eat, your working capabilities will be slightly off, your attention span gone and you will become extremely tired. Get something quick and wonderful to eat.....you'll be glad ya did!

ENJOY!

THE DOMESTIC CURATOR RONDA

small bites, energy, stamina, responsibilities, fuel, eat to live, silly, fun,