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Every once in a while a brilliant accident happens. You know the moment when you ran out of something and needed to finish a job, so you took a look around and grabbed the object you thought would best finish the task! We all have had these brilliant accidents happen to us.

Today I received an email that reminds me of just that….a brilliant accident. I want to share with you that object and the many uses it has. Coffee filters! They aren’t just for that morning pot of java.

1. Coffee filters make excellent microwave covers for bowls and dishes.
2. Coffee filters are lint free and are great for cleaning windows and mirrors. Love
   them for this!
3. Place filters in between china to protect.
4. If you break the cork while opening a bottle of wine use the coffee filter to
   filter the wine through while pouring.
5. Place a filter in a cast iron skillet to absorb moisture and prevent rust.
6. Ball up a lint-free filter to apply shoe polish.
7. They make great wrappers for tacos.
8. Place in the bottom of planter pots before you put your potting soil in to
   prevent soil from going through the drainage holes.
9. Place a few on a plate and put your fried bacon, French fries, chicken fingers
   and fried chicken on them to soak out the grease.
10. This is my favorite….Instead of using expensive waxing strips on your eyebrows
    or lip… use coffee filters!

Who would of thought a simple coffee filter that cost less than a penny a piece would have such a
bevy of uses for such a down right cheap price!

Do you have a favorite use for the noble coffee filter? Add one to the list.

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We have a winner! Simplicity Gourmet gave away a $4000.00 honeymoon (including airfare) to Couples Resorts in Jamaica this past Valentine’s Day.  Couples Resorts is the highest rated resort in the Caribbean.  These all-inclusive resorts are awesome, naturally beautiful and personally pampering. Couples resorts have an 83% return rate with their guests.   This past weekend, on Valentines Day, we drew the name from couples who had attended one of our Pink Apron Previews or tastings since January 1st of this year.  The sweetest couple received the free vacation.  Elizabeth Elliott and Clint Hamm from Tennessee received the gift.  They were shocked, appreciative and grateful.  They are getting married July 4^th, 2009 and did not have their honeymoon scheduled yet.  We gave the honeymoon away live via the Internet at Simplicity Internet TV.  You can watch it now on Mogulus (choose from the on-demand menu).  You should have seen their face when I announced to them that they were the winners!  I love Simplicity!  How many people get to go to work and give away a honeymoon?  I’d love for you to be our next recipient of a free Couples Resorts honeymoon.  To make sure you are entered, attend a Pink Apron Preview or tasting in your area.  For more information e-mail info@simplicitygourmet.com. 

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It’s that time of year where “Love” is in there air.  Isn’t it a shame that we go all out and go overboard to express our love on Valentine’s Day, why not be spontaneous and try a random day in April or August? Simple…because we live by “Holiday Etiquette.”  Holiday Etiquette is where we celebrate the holiday as marked on the calendar but we ladies also know we can and will make our own special holidays, which I totally suggest you try!

I have come up with my Top 5 Favorite Valentine’s Day Dates.  This can be for those ladies on a budget or those who are not. Feel free to try them on any random day to make your own “Special Holiday” too.

1.    Movie Night In (this is one of my favorites!): Rent a movie, go pick up favorite fast food, ice cream is optional J, move the coffee table and spread a nice big blanket on the floor with pillows and just maybe an extra blanket for extra curricular activities (wink, wink).  I think this is my favorite because it’s like you’re having a sleep over with your best friend and now it is your fiancé or husband…what more can a gal ask for?!

2.    Groups Allowed: Get a group of couples together and have a fondue party with game night.  This is a wonderful way to have fun on Valentine’s Day but you can still leave the “Special” in the night….just later on after everyone leaves.

3.    Ladies’ Choice: This is your chance to pick what a Valentine’s Day Date should be; either a romantic dinner, dinner and a movie, flower petal trail to room, it’s your choice, so make it count!

4.    Scavenger Hunt: Come up with creative clues to put in his car, at his work, through a text message…anything to get him to the “Treasure” which will be the date for Valentine’s Day.   This can be as elaborate or simple as you want according your taste.  Don’t forget to be detailed, you do want your date to arrive ;o).

5.    Re-enactment: Depending on how long you have been together, you could re-enact your first date.  I love this, I had this done for me and it is by far the one date I truly love and remember.
There you go, ladies, hopefully this will help you out this Valentine’s Day.  Remember, try making your own “Special Holiday” and keep Love in the air, we need more of it!

Have fun!
Tara

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Merry Christmas, Ladies!  My next post will not be until after Christmas, so, I thought I would leave you with a sweet treat idea and a sweet message before signing off until after Christmas.

I read this profound article this week called, “Finding Joy in the Journey.”  I was so touched by the simplicity of its words, that I’ve come to realize that, sometimes, “Simple and Sweet,” are some of the best advice you can give someone.

For instance, take the time to say a simple phrase to a stranger like, “Merry Christmas,” or “Have a Nice Day,” and see what joy that brings to their face.  You may never know how much that truly meant to someone or how it even affected their day.  On the other hand, take “Sweet.” Do a sweet, random act of kindness for someone, like, help the elderly load their groceries in the rain or hold a door open for a mom and her kids.  Trust me ladies, I could kiss ya if you hold the door open for me as I wrestle my two into the store and that’s the honest truth! lol

I really feel that we would be better people if we would do Simple and Sweet things throughout our day and through that, I know that all of us can truly find Joy in our Journey’s which is this life we are so blessed to be a part of.

Below is my Husband’s Favorite Christmas Treat and, ladies, it is both SIMPLE and SWEET! Enjoy!

Golden Graham Drops

Ingredients:

1 Bag of Chocolate Chips, 1 Bag of Butterscotch Chips, 1 Bag of Peanut Butter Chips, 1 Box of Golden Graham Cereal

Directions:

Put the box of Golden Grahams in a large bowl. Melt all the chips together in the microwave. Stir the chips together until smooth. Then, pour the chocolate mix on top of the Golden Grahams and stir it all together. “Caution” this can be a little messy but it is soooo fun! After it is all mix together, line cookie sheets with wax paper and drop a spoonful of the mixture on to the pan and then put into the fridge to harden. Ta-dah! Yummy, Simple and Sweet treats for you to enjoy!

Merry Christmas!

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Day 4:

The facing is going on the cabinets the island has the lazy Susans in. We are beginning to see our kitchen take form. Oh and we just picked up the new convection oven….!

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Day 3:

We have a countertop, back splash decision….OMG it is going to be gorgeous!!!! Really can you believe it? We all agreed on the back splash right away! We really do have great taste! Next thing you know we will all become kitchen consultants….not.

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Kelly and I met through friends at church. Shortly after I met her, I attended her birthday party and there were all of these guys there who wanted to date her. I thought, “There must be something to this girl!”. I began training her at our gym, and our friendship turned into mutual affection for each other. We took it slow, and a year and 8 months after our first date, I proposed.

NATE’S PROPOSAL:

My wife Kelly is a portrait artist, and had won the Best of Show award, as well as other top honors at the Williamson County Fair Art Exhibit. She invited me to come to the awards reception on August 6^th. We had been ring shopping earlier that week, and I was looking for the perfect opportunity to surprise her with a proposal. The afternoon of the reception, I contacted the people in charge of the show and arranged for the mayor of Franklin to present Kelly with the ring box on stage in front of about 250 people. This was no easy task, as we arrived together. It involved a sneaky hand-off of the keys to the car, a performing group to give us 10 minutes of their stage time, and more. She went on stage to accept her award money, and the mayor asked her to open this other gift in front of everyone because he “wanted to see where his tax dollars were going.” As she opened the box and saw my note with the ring that said “You are my sunshine,” I came up on the stage and got down on my knee. I had completely surprised her, and for the first time since I’ve known her, she was speechless. She let out a breathy “YES” and we hugged and cried. The media was there, and they captured photos and video of the whole event. They interviewed us afterwards, and we were featured on the news and in two different newspapers in the following days. We celebrated that night at J. Alexanders and called all of our family and friends.

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I know a lot of families have movie night once a week where they gather around the television for a good movie and have popcorn. So, I thought I would teach you how to make fantastic popcorn using your waterless cookware instead of the microwave…it’s sooo much cheaper and way more fun!

Traditional Popcorn

Utensils: Electric Skillet

Directions: Pre-heat Electric Skillet to 400 degrees. When temperature light goes off, add 3 tablespoons of oil and a 1/2 cup of popcorn. Cover and let pop until all corn is popped.

Makes about 2 quarts; season to your liking

Greaseless Popcorn:

Utensils: Electric Skillet

Directions- Start with a cold skillet, add 1/2 cup of popcorn and turn skillet to 400 degrees. Cover and let pop until all corn is popped.

Makes 2 quarts; season to your liking

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I love the fall…cooler days and nights, beautiful fall color in the trees. It’s the time of year that I enjoying cooking warm, hearty meals. I need my meals to be quick and tasty because I get home later from work and the last thing I want to do is stand another hour over the stove cooking. This meal is a Fall favorite of my husband’s. I have shared this recipe with many friends and they love the simplicity and ease of preparation and it’s just sooooo good for you! I call this my “dump & go” soup!

Taco Soup & Buttermilk Cornbread

1 32 OZ box of chicken stock, 1 28 OZ can tomato sauce, 1 15 OZ can black beans, 1 15 OZ can corn, ¾ cup uncooked rice, 1 LB ground chicken, 1 package dry taco seasonings – If you want a Spicer soup add 2 pkgs, 1 package dry ranch dressing, Cornbread: 1 box Jiffy cornbread mix, 1 egg, 1/3 cup milk or buttermilk, Cooking Spray

INSTRUCTIONS: Fill the 3 qt saucepan with about 2″ of water. Place the colander in the pan and the chicken in the colander. Cover, whistle open, and cook on medium heat. When the whistle sounds, give it a stir and replace the lid. Close the vent and cook for 10-12 more minutes or until cooked through. In the 6 quart, open and dump in the remaining ingredients, do not drain the veggies. When the chicken is done, add to the rest of the soup, place the lid on, vent open (you don’t close the vent for this.) You will cook this on medium low heat until it whistles then turn down to low. Cook on low for an additional 20 -25 minutes. You will want to stir this a few times. The rice tends to sink to the bottom, so, it just needs to have a good stir every so often.

Once you have the soup cooking, prepare your cornbread. Follow directions on the box. I like Jiffy, 1 egg, 1/3 cup milk…I use buttermilk – I like the texture and the flavor better. The thing I adore about this is that I can cook my cornbread on top of the stove. This saves on my electric bill not turning on the oven plus I don’t overheat b/c my kitchen doesn’t get unbearably hot! Spray a small skillet generously with cooking spray so your cornbread will come out easy. Pour the cornbread mixture into your skillet, put lid on with vent closed on medium  heat, between 3 and 5 on most stoves. Cook 10 -12 minutes. When you stick a knife in the middle and it comes out clean you know it’s done!

This makes a wonderfully delicious Fall meal and the left overs are even better the next day. This will easily feed 4 people with hearty appetites! Enjoy and let me know what you think of this dish!

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My family went on a camping trip this past weekend!  I have not been camping in 12 years, yikes!  Needless to say, I was a little nervous about the whole experience.  I had thoughts like: “How am I going to keep the tent clean?” “How do I keep the insects out of my tent?” “I don’t want hot dogs and smores every night (though the smores were pretty darn good), what we will eat?” “What if I freeze?” “How much bug spray is too much?” ”How sanitary are the bathrooms, wait, are there bathrooms?”  Ha, laugh if you want but these are seriously the thoughts I had.

Before I had a total melt down, my husband reassured me that everything would be fine! Did you gals get that he said fine, not good, but fine.  So, I took a deep breath and told myself I will go and do this for the sake of my family.  This did not prevent me from making a list of things to bring that fit on a legal pad piece of paper. If I was going, I was going to be prepared! That’s my motto, Prepare to be Prepared…just kidding…well, not really…

It was cold, ok, that one was actually a rational fear…I think I actually froze one night! On the whole, though, it was one of the most enjoyable times I have had with my family in a really long time.  To be away from TV and Video Games, and get back to the roots of everything was really nice.  It makes you realize how beautiful this earth is and how beautiful family is. Needless to say, yes, I “Wanna Get Away” and go camping again with my family!

With that said, let me share with you some AWESOME camping recipes to keep you from starving or having to eat hot dogs each night. This will add complete simplicity into your cooking and make it eatable at the same time. I hope you and your family enjoy them so very much and remember, cherish these special moments together and create memories that will last a lifetime!

Camp Fire Muffins

6 Oranges & 2 Pkgs. Muffin Mix, any flavor

Directions:
Cut oranges in half and scoop out orange segments (it is the hollowed peel shells that you need, but keep the fruit for use with fruit salad or juice). Prepare the muffin mix according to package directions. Fill the orange peel cups half full of batter. Wrap each one loosely with heavy duty aluminum foil. Place in hot coals and make certain the batter side stays up. Cook 5 – 10 minutes, until muffins are done.

Camp Pocket Dinner

Ground Hamburger or Chicken, Potatoes, sliced, Carrots, sliced, Worcestershire Sauce, Foil Bag, Garlic Powder, Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:

Season meat with garlic, salt & Pepper to your tastes. Shape the meat into a patty, slice potatoes and carrots and toss Worcestershire sauce, garlic, salt & pepper. Place the veggies over the meat and wrap in a foil bag. Cook on the coals until the meat is done and the veggies are tender.

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Cake Donuts, Pineapple Slices, Butter, Brown Sugar

Directions:
Take a large square of aluminum foil. Cut a cake donut in half. Lay a pineapple slice on the donut half. Put a few dollops of butter on. Sprinkle with brown sugar. Put other half of donut on top and seal tightly in foil. Lay on coals for about 10-15 minutes. Open carefully as it will be very hot.

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