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A Few Updates

August 3, 2022 Well, this past weekend was the neighborhood rummage and we ended up running out of time to get everything together. Throughout the process, we realized just how much time, effort, and preparation goes into something like this. While we didn’t have the outcome we were exactly anticipating, we have begun to pivot to using alternative methods like the Facebook Marketplace, Poshmark, and online seller groups so we’ll see how those fare over the coming weeks!We’ve also been chugging along with our outdoor garden – the tomatoes are beginning to ripen, peppers are starting to develop, chives are aplenty, and the heads of lettuce provide enough for us and the neighborhood rabbits. We began to compost last year with kitchen scraps and used coffee grounds and this year were able to take from it to nourish our raised garden beds. During the process, we also noticed we had a few tomatoes, lettuce, and leek “volunteers” (plants that decide to come up again this year from last year), so that was a neat discovery! The mint we planted in a flower pot has already allowed us to enjoy a few delicious mojitos from the comfort of our patio! Lastly, our basil plants have produced such hearty batches that we are ready to begin making pesto!Speaking of pesto, one simple at-home meal prep technique we like to do is use ice cube trays to make homemade frozen pesto cubes. Doing all of the work up-front makes for an easy dinner option during a busy week. We’ll grab a pesto cube from the freezer and toss it in a pan with our favorite ingredients for a pasta night, pair it with a side salad, a bottle of wine, and presto!Want to make your own pesto cubes? Here’s an easy recipe to try!Ingredients
  • 2 cups packed fresh basil leaves
  • 2 peeled cloves of garlic
  • ½ cup of extra-virgin olive oil
  • ½ cup romano or parmesan cheese
  • 1/3 cup pine nuts (skip for nut-free version or sub with your nut of choice, ex: walnut)
  • Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste
InstructionsPulse the basil and pine nuts in food processor several timesAdd the cheese and garlic, pulse several more timesSlowly pour in the olive oil and lightly mixPulse again with food processor, occasionally stopping to scrape the edges downSeason the pesto sauce with salt and ground black pepper, to tasteOnce smooth, eat and enjoy! Ideas: toss with pasta, add a dollop over a baked potato, spread on crackers, a sandwich or a toasted baguetteAlternatively, separate the pesto into an ice cube tray to freeze; once frozen, bag up the cubes and save for later; can last up to 6 months You might also be interested in Whew and wow! This has been quite a challenging and eye-opening process! It has been very hard to do this project as part of a couple when both of us appear... During the week of November 23, we wrote about how we were going to look into options for cost-saving measures. One of those measures was to analyze any... This past weekend, we took our annual trip down to Chicago, which was also paired with a trip to the theater. With being in Project Money, have been more... Something that stands out lately are the number of outlets competing for one’s time, attention, and especially our hard earned money. I don’t know about... If it wasn't so cold out right now, we might not believe that the end of the year is fast approaching, but alas – it is! With that, we have been starting... Initially, we weren’t sure exactly what to write about for this week’s blog post. However, the subject came to us this past weekend as we were reviewing... Many of us enjoy hosting parties with friends and family for seasonal activities and Holidays but don’t want to break the bank doing so! For me and Krystal... I don't know about you, but I, Krystal, grew up in a pretty cold house during winter. We lived in a rural-ish area where natural gas did not run, thus... One thing we’re still working through is being a bit more proactive about unexpected house costs. Sure, we have small savings account for house expenses...