Why Didn't I Think of That? Wednesday

Each Wednesday I'll share a tip to make your week go more smoothly or just make you say "aha!"

If you like to put your purse in the child seat of your shopping cart instead of carrying it, secure it by looping the "seatbelt" strap through the handle. That way, nobody can grab it if you look away for a second or two.

Better Than Thriftstore Shopping

"What?" you exclaim. "She just wrote about thrifting. What could possibly be better?" Wellll...how about this?

Our county animal shelter had a "Flea Market" today (get it? flea market? da-dum dum). Everything you could stuff into a bag for $7--so here's what we ended up with:

• 5 pairs of pants
• 6 pairs of shorts
• 19 shirts, both short and long sleeve
• 1 Giants jacket (a bit too big for now but I couldn't pass it up!)

I didn't get a chance to look for clothes for the rest of us. Jackjack was melting in the sun and was not enjoying the deals as much as me. But he'll be clothed for the rest of the summer.

How did I hear about this? Friends posted it on Facebook and talked about it at work. Keep your ears open--you never know where you'll find a great deal!

Best Homemade Teriyaki Sauce

This is one of our favorite summer meals. Teriyaki chicken on the barbecue with stir-fried veggies and rice--and it can be on the table in just a few minutes.

Ingredients:
1 cup soy sauce
1 cup sugar or 3/4 cup honey
1 teaspoon grated ginger (2t for extra zing)
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 cup mirin (sweet cooking sake)

Combine all ingredients and heat gently until sugar dissolves. Keeps in fridge for about a week or freezes indefinitely (it won't freeze solid due to the sugar content).

Admittedly, I'm a bit of a teriyaki junkie. Here are some of the ways we use it:

• Marinade chicken or steak (put teriyaki in ziplok before freezing and it will marinade as it thaws)
• Brush on salmon at the end of grilling
• Splash in with shrimp for a stir-fry
• Brush on veggie shishkabobs before grilling
• On a pile of rice for a late-night snack

What's your favorite teriyaki application? Share with us (as our mouths water) in the comments!

Why Didn't I Think of That? Wednesday

Each Wednesday I'll share a tip to make your week go more smoothly or just make you say "aha!"

Mmmmm...summertime means popsicles and lots of delicious icy treats at our house. You can make your own fudgesicles and avoid the cost and mystery ingredients of store-bought ones. Just make a batch of chocolate pudding (from scratch or mix), pour into popsicle molds, and freeze. Eat outside for maximum enjoyment and minimum cleanup!

It's Harvest Time

Garlic harvest time, that is! This is part of the crop that I planted back in October.

This is why you want to grow your own garlic. Each one of those heads of garlic is nearly the size of my hand.

Homegrown on the left, store garlic on the right. That's what I'm talkin' about.

I've brushed most of the dirt off and hung them up to cure in the garage for a few weeks. After that, they'll be ready to trim up and use.

The shallots are still going and won't be ready to harvest for a while. I have some salad vinaigrette recipes that are waiting for these to be ready.

Some of the onions put all their energy into stalks and none into bulbs. Jackjack was playing stand-up bass with the giant stalk on this one. Yes, it's taller than he is!

Garlic wisdom courtesy of Grandpa and Growing Great Garlic: The Definitive Guide for Organic Gardeners and Small Farmers. Check it out!

Why Didn't I Think of That? Wednesday

Each Wednesday I'll share a tip to make your week go more smoothly or just make you say "aha!"

Jackjack could probably eat his weight in strawberries each week. The folks at our favorite strawberry stand probably cheer when they see us coming! This week, I have two strawberry tips for you:

• The first tip comes from BTM reader, Matt. Hull strawberries easily and with no waste by using a drinking straw. Just center the straw on the bottom of the berry and push up. The white part comes out and all of the leaves come off--presto! This makes it easy for kids to prep strawberries without using a knife (for strawberry freezer jam, perhaps?).
• Keep those strawberry baskets and use them to protect your cucumber, melon, or squash seedlings from birds and neighborhood critters.

What else do you use strawberry baskets for? Any more strawberry tips or favorite recipes? Share with us in the comments!

Why Didn't I Think of That? Wednesday

Each Wednesday I'll share a tip to make your week go more smoothly or just make you say "aha!"

We all know how much I love Neighbor Kitty. He's in just about every gardening post, since he's in the garden all the time. The only thing I don't like about him is when he "uses" the garden boxes (and you know what that means).

Use citrus peels for a great, natural way to keep kitties away from your garden boxes. They don't like the smell, and the peels will decompose over time. Now the only challenge is to drink enough lemonade (margaritas?) to generate all those citrus peels!

Win Bonus Swagbucks and Earn Gift Cards

Remember having to look words up in a dictionary or facts in an encyclopedia? Now ask somebody under age 20 the same thing and wait for the blank stare. They probably stopped printing encylopedias once “Google” became a verb.

Which leads me to Swagbucks, our topic for today. I’ve told you about Swagbucks before--they pay you for doing web searches. You randomly earn points (called “bucks”) by searching with them.

 Today the Summer of Swag starts, with tons of extra bucks up for grabs. Don’t miss out!

• Check the Swagbucks blog throughout the day today (Monday, June 7) for Swag Codes that give you bonus bucks. 
• Each day this week, they’ll highlight a high-value Swagbuck amount. Every seventh search winner will get the high-value Swagbuck, so there will be lots of big wins!

I'm less than 100 Swagbucks away from a $50 Amazon gift card, which I'll save for Christmas presents. I'll be searching like crazy this week!

New users get an extra 20 Swagbucks when signing up—just use the code SUMMEROFSWAG. The code is good until midnight on Friday, June 11.

Don’t wait—click the image below to sign up and start winning today!

Seed GROW Project: In the ground and growin'

My Seed GROW Project nasturtiums are planted and doing great! There are a few on each end of my homemade trellis in the front yard garden. They'll climb up along with the snow peas and mini-cukes that are growing in the background, inside their TP tube forts.

I also planted a couple seedlings in Aarini's enclosure, but didn't get a picture of them. I only plant edibles in her house because you never know what she'll munch on! More on those next month (if she doesn't eat them first).



Tune in every first Sunday for updates on my seeds and visit GROW to see reports from across the US and Canada.

I'm growing Nasturtium "Spitfire" for the GROW project. Thanks to Renee's Garden for the seeds.

Thrift Store Shopping Tips & Recent Finds

Dear Mom: Please don't despair. Just because I'm thrift store shopping doesn't mean your grandson will be sleeping under a bridge tomorrow. Thrifting can be fun--plus it's green and economical. Take a look at these finds and you'll see what I mean!

This is the outfit that got me hooked.

Columbia Sportswear sweater, brand new with tags still on: $4 at Goodwill in Marin County.
Ann Taylor sweater tank top: $6 at EcoThrift in Sacramento.
Banana Republic pants: $9 at EcoThrift.

Tip: Go thrifting right after Christmas (extra bonus if you go to a nicer part of town). I'm positive that someone got the Columbia sweater, didn't want it, and tossed it into the "donate" pile.

Ann Taylor knit shirt: $4 at EcoThrift.

Tip: Know what size you wear in your favorite brands. Most thrift stores don't accept returns, and it's easier if you don't need to try everything on.

Banana Republic dress: $19.99 at EcoThrift.

Tip: Be open to finding things that aren't on your list. On this trip, I was looking for work pants. Don't buy something just because it's a good deal, though. Ugly is still ugly, no matter what brand is on the label.

Ann Taylor suit jacket: $8.99 at Goodwill in Sacramento.
J Jill tank top, brand new with tags still on: $4 at EcoThrift.
Ann Taylor Loft pants: $0.98 at EcoThrift. Best markdown ever!

Tip: Know your limits regarding damaged items. This suit jacket had rips in the liner, but I knew I could fix them with my limited sewing skills. If there was a problem with the set of the sleeve though, I would have left it behind.

Can you imagine how much these clothes would have cost if purchased at retail? I'm guessing several hundred dollars (the suit jacket alone would be more than $150). Once you get a pair of Banana Republic or Ann Taylor pants for less than $10, it's hard to pay full price.

Are you a thrift store shopper? What are your favorite thrifting tips? Tell us in the comments!

Why Didn't I Think of That? Wednesday

Each Wednesday I'll share a tip to make your week go more smoothly or just make you say "aha!"

The farmers' markets here in Sacramento are full of asparagus, and it's one of my favorite veggies. Grilled, stir-fried, steamed--it's always delicious. Nothing ruins an asparagus dish more than biting into a stem that's tough and woody, though.

It's easy to avoid this gustatory calamity. Asparagus stems will break in just the right place if you hold them in the middle and snap off the end. Some will be longer and some shorter, but every bite will be delicious.