Attending a birthday party yesterday for a young boy in our church gave me a new awakening.   After our arrival, my two youngest boys immediately headed out to play with the group of kids that were there to enjoy the birthday party at the park.

My oldest, who is turning 14 tomorrow, lingered at the edge of the sidewalk simply gazing at the children who were playing with enthusiasm on the playground.   It struck me hard for the first time that my son really is growing up fast.  I sort of missed seeing him out there playing and running around on the playground.

My oldest son has certainly been a blessing to me.  He loves to help me and still isn’t too big to give me a hug and say, “I love you, Mom”.   If my hubby and I need any “technical” support on the computer, then he is the “go to” man for help.   Above all, if he grows up serving the Lord, then I shall be one happy, content Mother!  (I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. ~ III Jn. 1:4)

We decided to celebrate my son’s 14th birthday early, and so I made a really easy recipe since it was getting late last night.  It’s name is simply, “Chocolate Oil Cake“.  I actually cut the sugar in half, and it was still very enjoyable for us, especially with the delicious chocolate fudge frosting on top.  I’ve shared the simple recipe below with the original ingredients…

Chocolate Oil Cake

1 c. buttermilk (or 1 cup milk with 1 TB of vinegar)

3/4 c. oil

2 eggs

2 c sugar

2 heaping tsp. soda

2 c. flour

1/2 c. cocoa

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. vanilla

Combine ingredients and beat well.  Add the vanilla last.

Bake 350 degrees about 35 min. in 9X13 pan.

Tips for Moist Cakes

I searched online to find a few suggestions for baking “moist” cakes and I thought I would share them with you.  If you have any additional tips or hints, please share them with the readers here.

- Check your cake a few minutes before time is up to prevent overbaking.

- Store your cake in an airtight container.

- One suggestion I found is to bake your cake in advance, let it cool completely, then cover with plastic wrap, store it in the freezer overnight and then take it out the next day to frost it.

- An additional suggestion I found is that you use “cake flour” if possible. (Add 2 tablespoons more of CAKE FLOUR for each cup of all-purpose flour called for in the recipe.)

On “Thrifty Thursday” I thought I would address the subject of paper towel waste.  I decided that this was another area where I could save a few more pennies.  Paper towels wipe up small messes and are just tossed into the trash…hence you can just imagine hearing the little “cha-ching” going on at the paper towel manufacturers.

A few weeks ago, I decided to invest in a couple bundles of white wash cloths that were on sale.  I also bought a tall, white, round plastic trash container (the kind with the swinging lid on top) to toss in my cloths and other towels when they were dirty.  To be honest, I still keep paper towels on hand to grease a pan or to use when I want to serve some cookies but don’t want to mess with little dishes.  But overall, I feel better about being less wasteful.

I have found that keeping these white cloths nearby are really handy and just as easy to use as grabbing  a paper towel.  When my napkins for the table are gone, I plan to put some of these in my little square basket that I keep on the table.  My boys can toss them into my container when the poor little white cloths are done being abused from wiping dirty hands and faces.

P.S. ~ Here’s a little video on this very subject that I saw just today…

Here are some quick cleaning tips for your kitchen to help you keep the mess and clutter to a minimum:

* Clean the kitchen cabinets, stove, refrigerator and counters with baking soda.
* Sweep and mop your kitchen floor.
* To remove skid marks on linoleum rub the spot with toothpaste before washing the floor.
* Remove all clutter from your countertop including dishes, glasses, utensils cups and other items you may have lying around.
* Store as many appliances as you can inside your cabinets to free up counterspace.
* Clean streaks in your stainless steel sink with olive oil.
* Replace your dish rag regularly, as well as the sponge or scrub you use for washing. (Put a wet sponge in the microwave and heat it for a few seconds to help sanitize it in between uses.)
* To remove hard-water build-up in a teapot or kettle, pour in two cups of vinegar and bring to a boil. Let simmer for about 10 minutes, then rinse well.
* To clean the coffee maker: Pour straight vinegar into it as if you are making the coffee, no filter is needed. Turn the coffee maker on as if you were making a pot of coffee. Repeat this with a new batch of vinegar until it runs clear of calcium deposits.

*Just thought you might enjoy this short video…

“How to clean with baking soda“

In many households the kitchen is really the heart of the home. You definitely want to make this room a relaxing family space but also practical to make family meal times and cooking as stress free as possible.

Here’s a few kitchen organizing tips to help get you started:

Organize Your Work Stations: To make cooking easier you want to make sure you have everything you need close at hand.  Designate an area for preparing the meals. It’s good to keep your spices and seasonings close to this area. You’ll also want to have chopping boards, knives and mixing spoons close at hand. Have another area planned for serving and keeping all your dishes, serving spoons, place mats and utensils.

By incorporating work stations into your kitchen and keeping everything you need near each work station, you’ll save a lot of time.

Organize Your Fridge: Clean out your fridge and organize things in categories to make finding them easier when you’re in a rush. It’s a good idea to keep all your dairy products together. Place cold cuts in tightly sealed plastic containers and label them. This will keep them fresh and also make it easier to find. You can do the same thing with cheese and left over foods.

Separate your fruit and salad items from your other vegetables so that you can find them easier. Often times you’ll forget you have those tomatoes in the back drawer and end up buying more. By keeping things organized you’ll waste and spend less.

*Read my post: What’s in the Back of Your Fridge?

Organize Your Pantry: Arrange your pantry or cupboards according to foods. For example: keep all your canned goods in one place and cereal in another. Keep items you use the most within easy reach and put away those appliances you never seem to use. They’re just taking up your counter space!

Plan Your Meals: This is by far the easiest way to organize your meal times. Take a few minutes and write out a meal plan and shopping list for the upcoming week. Buy everything in advance and stock up on items you use regularly and have a long shelf life. Then stick your menu on your fridge, glance at it each morning and plan ahead. Thaw any meat that needs thawing or chop and add your items to your crock pot.

Click here to Get Organized Now -  More Ideas, Tips, Tools And More To Help You Organize Your Home, Your Office And Your Life!

If you’re clueless about what’s lurking in the back of your refrigerator, it’s time to clean it out!  I realize that most people dread cleaning out the refrigerator.  (I think they’re even a little frightened by what they might find in there.)

One of the best reasons to keep your refrigerator cleaned is to help you stay organized.  In simple terms, it saves you money by allowing you to adequately use up your leftovers and keep you from buying an extra bottle of ketchup when you realized that you already had two in the fridge.

The best day to clean out the refrigerator is when you’re planning to do your major grocery shopping. For thrifty-minded moms, this helps you double check on what extra items need to be added to your list.  You may also plan on using some items in your freezer area for that coming week.  It truly is a great time to do some cleanup because it’s so easy to forget what you have on hand.

Over the years, I have found that weekly upkeep works wonders and eliminates most of the dreadful task.  If you haven’t cleaned your refrigerator for quite awhile, plan to do a thorough job as soon as possible.  Once you’ve done a thorough cleaning, you should make plans for a weekly upkeep.

How to do a weekly upkeep:

Divide your refrigerator into four equal parts.  The freezer area should be considered as one part; the refrigerator area should be divided into the other three parts.  Each week do a through cleanup (washing the shelves) in one of the areas.  Then, simply tidy up the other three areas quickly.   Every four weeks your refrigerator will have one whole thorough cleaning.  You’ll also find that by continual maintenance, you won’t have much scrubbing to do at all, especially if you learn to wipe spills while they’re still fresh.

As always, please feel free to share your tips with all our women readers!

Here’s a short video on how to clean a refrigerator:

I love kitchen gadgets!  The reality: you can find yourself loaded down with too many of these kitchen “thingys.”  (“Thingy” is what you call the gadget when you really can’t remember its proper title or what you originally bought the thing for?!?)

Have  you ever bought a kitchen gadget that was a total flop? You probably felt a little cheated…and perhaps you tried to create some other use for the “thingy” so that you could compensate for some of the loss.  Yep, I’ve been there too!

Some people have drawers stuffed full of these gadgets…and when they really need a specific one, they rummage through the drawers frantically trying to locate the thing so that they can get the job done.  Finally in desperation, they grab some other object in their kitchen drawer, shrug their shoulders and say, “I guess I’ll have to make do this this thingy.”

So, you see…the sad truth is, most kitchen gadgets get quite lonely and neglected.

I’m a simple kind of gal though…I like simple, timeless gadgets that don’t take up much space; you can depend on them like you depend on your house slippers…they serve their purpose and they give you a nice, homey feeling.

Some of my favorite kitchen gadgets are:

1. Kitchen timer (It’s uses are limitless…beyond the kitchen!)

2. Handheld grater (Great for cheese, but you can also shred the black bottoms off of those burnt biscuits! lol)

3. Cleaver (Get’s the job done fast! lol)

4. Egg Beater (Quickly mixes my batter and it’s so fun to use!)

5. Wooden spoons (Maybe these don’t qualify as gadgets, but I love collecting them!)

So what are your favorite kitchen gadgets?  Please do share!

Table of Contents:

Introduction……………………………………………………..3

Ingredients……………………………………………………….5

How to Measure the Ingredients…………………………9

How to Measure Flour Correctly………………………..10

Mixing the Ingredients and Making Dough………….11

Shaping the Dough…………………………………………..12

Kneading Bread Dough……………………………………..13

Greasing the Bread Pan…………………………………….14

Baking Bread Without a Loaf Pan……………………….15

Freezing the Dough………………………………………….16

Tips for Choosing the Right Kind of Bakeware……..18

Selecting a Bread Machine………………………………..20

How a Bread Machine Works…………………………….21

How to Slice Homemade Bread………………………….22

35 Bread Making Tips……………………………………….23

Conclusion………………………………………………………27

Helpful Resources……………………………………………29

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