Cheap Eats — Kale Pesto

by Katy on January 31, 2014 · 23 comments

The downside of mostly cooking from scratch is that there’s not a lot of grab-and-go food. However, I do try and stock the fridge with a few convenience foods, and one of my favorites is kale pesto.

Why not basil pesto?

Because kale is like 1/10th the price of basil, super healthy and I actually prefer the milder flavor of kale. And the best part is that kale pesto is super quick and easy to make, and it lasts for ages in the refrigerator.

The recipe is loose, but it always turns out perfectly.

Kale pesto

Step One: Take 1 bunch of kale and roughly chop it. Do not include the ends of the thick woody stems.

raw kale

Step Two: Steam the kale for 5 minutes or so. (I tend to stop when it starts to smell all kale-y.) Put it in a colander under running cold water and then press the extra liquid out.

steamed kale

Step Three: Place the steamed kale into a food processor with garlic, salt, parmesan cheese and olive oil. How much garlic, salt, parmesan cheese and oil? It depends on how big your bunch of kale is, how garlicy you like your pesto and how thick you like your pesto.

It’s a good idea to start with just a small amount of garlic and salt and then add small amounts until it tastes right. Continue pureeing until the texture is pleasing to the eye and tongue. (What you like and what I like is going to be different.)

Did you notice how I didn’t include any nuts? That’s because I only include nuts when I have them on hand, which is rarely. No one has ever noticed or complained.

pesto puree

This batch of pesto made enough for a whole pan of tortellini and a full 750 ml glass jar.

finished pesto

Step Four: Mix into a pan of warm pasta and enjoy. So delicious and hearty, and dare I say it? Cheap.

Like to eat cheaply? Here are more Cheap Eats recipes:

Katy Wolk-Stanley

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”

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It’s time for another Non-Consumer Photo Essay, because my Instagram account is chock full of non-consumer-y goodness.

Yesterday was a beautiful day to run errands on foot.

Sunny day

I walk past this Alpha Helix sculpture almost every day. It’s in front the house where chemist and peace activist Linus Pauling grew up.

Linus Pauling

A Non-Consumer Advocate reader recently recommended cutting S.O.S. pads in half. After all, you get twice as much of a product when you use half as much! Plus, it sharpens your scissors to cut through steel wool. (Don’t forget to put the pad into the freezer between uses to ward off rust.)

s.o.s. pads

I picked up this 1956 copy of the Better Homes and Gardens Decorating Book at the Goodwill Outlet for a buck. It’s Mad Men-tastic, and very on trend for 2014.

1956 Decorating Book

Because some things never go out of style.

Eames Lounger

I fell in love with these gorgeous antique sewing machine drawers, although not enough to cough up $40 for the whole machine and weathered console. These would be so cute used as storage!

sewing machine drawer

I loved the gilded graphic of a sphinx on the machine itself. So pretty. Even though the face of the sphinx looks like some guy who would be named “Herb” or “Norman” or “Steve.”

What would you name the sphinx?

Sphynx

I was all out of my homemade spreadable butter. Unfortunately, my house is too cold to soften butter, but this trick works perfectly. Place the butter in a bowl, which is then in another larger bowl filled with hot water. Place a plate on the butter bowl, (which I then weigh down with my Pyrex measuring cup.)

Ten minutes or so and you have perfectly softened butter.

warming butter

The spreadable butter itself is simply two sticks of butter, 1/2 cup of cooking oil (I used half canola and half olive oil as that’s what I had) and 1/4 cup of water. Mix thoroughly and then scrape into a lidded container. It will be goopy, but it will firm up perfectly in your refrigerator.

Tip: mix slowly at first to minimize splashing.

spreadable butter

There are always extra sesame seeds at the bottom of the bagel bags which we buy for school lunches. I save the seeds in a jar to sprinkle on homemade bread. And yes, that’s a small artichoke heart jar, which is the perfect size for bulk spices and other small needs. I’ll spray paint the lid black next time I’m doing a project.

Sesame seeds

Katy Wolk-Stanley

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”

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It’s time for another Non-Consumer Mish-Mash, where I write a little bit about this and a little bit about that.

Leftover Magic

I am patting myself on the back for being proactive and getting dinner started early in the day, and even better it will be a meal that uses up a myriad of leftovers. The meal? Black bean chili. (Beans cooked in my pressure cooker, of course!)

  • I’ll add the last of some marinara sauce from last Saturday’s lasagna. Yes, the Italian spice palate is very wrong for chili, but will get masked by the spicy chili flavors. Plus, I splurged on nice New Season’s Market bulk spicy sausage for the lasagna sauce, which will complement the chili.
  • I’ll add a couple packets of red pepper flakes that come with pizza deliveries.
  • I’ll add the last small amount from some El Pato enchilada sauce, (which we use for salsa, as the smooth texture is non-offensive to a certain young family member who gets wildly panicky at the sight of onions.)
  • We’ll sprinkle the too-small-to-dip tortilla chips on top of the the chili, which I save in a glass jar for this very purpose.
  • I’ll whip up a pan of cornbread and call it a day.

A frugal, tasty, healthy cheap meal that cleans out the fridge? Can’t get much better than that!

Next Week to be an Awesome Week of Giveaways!

I have a number of rather wonderful giveaways I’ve been putting together for you guys. Both the deluxe and premier copies of TurboTax and the paperback of Gretchen Rubin’s Happier at Home. I also have a few other goodies I’m working on, so it’s going to be a very fun week!

I’m kind of like Oprah this way. 😉

“You get TurboTax, you get TurboTax, two people get TurboTaaaaaaaaaaax!”

Favorite New Household Tips

Like everyone in the world, I love clever household tips. And the internet seems to provide endless ah-hah moments in the category. Here are a few of my recent faves:

  • Did you know that a dead AA battery will fall over, while a charged one does not? It’s true, I tested it out! Here’s a link with a video.
  • Buzzfeed has a great list of Clever New Ways to Use Your Kitchen Appliances that surely has one ah-hah moment for you. It’s heavy on ice cream, brownies and hash browns, but that plays to my strengths. It includes the tip to shred cooked meat in your standing mixer, which I already do and works fantastically. Tip: Undercook the meat a tiny bit, which is food safe as you’re likely to continue cooking it later in the recipe anyway.
  • Looking to expand your wacky cooking repertoire? How about using your coffee maker? This NPR post has the information about how to use that ever present coffee maker to cook up meals including poached salmon with couscous and steamed vegetables. I kind of want to try this, although my husband would kill me if I added a fishy flavor to his coffee. (Remember the episode of The Office when Dwight hid a fish in the ceiling tiles?)
  • Keep a fillable dish scrubber in the shower filled with half vinegar and half Dawn dish soap. Scrub a little every day while showering, and the shower is simply clean all the time! I do this, and it’s a life changer.
  • Keep your SOS pads in the freezer between uses to prevent them turning to rust.

What are your favorite household tips? Please share in the comments section below.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”

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Today I Am . . .

by Katy on January 28, 2014 · 38 comments

Today I am . . . 

  • Trying to find cheap flights from Portland to Washington D.C. My hard working husband is receiving a national award in D.C., which comes with airfare, accommodation and stipend for two people. However, it’s during spring break, so we’re figuring out how to bring the kids. Unfortunately, spring break means that flights are stupidly expensive.
  • Planning to tack on a NYC trip, where we’ll stay with my sister. I see that the Chinatown Bus service is just $22 per person between the cities. Woo-hoo!
  • Playing fetch with my cat who goes insane for a coiled up pipe cleaner.
  • Pleased that I was able to construct light night’s dinner from leftover lasagna ingredients that weren’t enough for an entire lasagna. Rigatoni pasta swirled with marinara sauce, herbed pureed cottage cheese, (cheaper than ricotta) and jack cheese. Super delicious and I threw it together before I went to work!
  • Planning a day of thrifting and lunch with my mother.
  • Happy.

 

Now your turn. What are you doing today?

Katy Wolk-Stanley

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”

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It’s been over a month since I’ve done a Goodwill, Badwill, Questionable-will post, and that’s due to a couple of factors.

  1. I’ve been trying to not go to Goodwill so often.
  2. Somehow the Goodwill stuff I’ve run across has been has been, meh . . . kind of ordinary.

However . . .

I had an idea to give thrift store paintings to my sons for Christmas. Not to enjoy as-is, but as a creative prompt. Have you seen the trend to take thrifted painting and add crazy stuff to them? It’s freaking genius! Unfortunately, I didn’t come across any worthy ones during the gift giving season, but I spotted this $7 beauty and knew she had to come with with me. The woman is just so incredibly perfect, with her feathered bangs and her voluminous skirt!

Lake girl

The bangs! The bangs!

I wonder how she would feel about a monster or two coming out of the water and from behind the hills?

lake girl detail

I was tempted by this painting of a dead eyed girl holding baby chicks, but the lack of any background detail kept this girlie from coming home with me.

dead eyed girl

I couldn’t resist these vintage bakelite knives priced at 29¢ apiece. Bakelite gets ruined when put through the dishwasher or left to soak, so it’s rare to find them in such good condition. I can see putting these out when we have dinner guests and actually serve need-to-be-spread appetizers.

So very pretty . . .

bakelite knives

These $2.99 vintage bookends caught my eye, and I actually bought them only to return them a few days later. I love the color palette, but they’re oddly light, which kind of kills the functionality of them. Also, I have no good spot for them.

Crap. I’ve started liking them again.

bookends

However, I brought home (and kept) this vintage granite jewelry box. Priced at only $3.99, it will work perfectly on my bedside table to hold my odds-and-ends, bits-and-pieces, accumulation-of-ephemera. Stuff.

The stone has incredible patina, nicely aged without being beat up.

granite box

Something I was not tempted by, and am boldly declaring to be The Ugliest Pair Of Shoes Ever Created.

  1. Part Converse.
  2. Part Victorian granny shoes.
  3. Part stripper heels.
  4. Part rain boots.
  5. Completely hideous.

A Frankenstein compilation for fashion victims everywhere!

shoe hell

I did fall a little bit in love with this vintage lamp. Because what’s better than a vintage rubbery owl lamp with googly-eyes? Because, you know . . . it’s a good idea to repeatedly shake a lamp.

Maybe a good lamp for those living along the San Andreas fault.

“Hoo-ever is shaking me needs to cut it out!”

Said the owl. Lamp.

vintage owl lamp

Have you come across any good, bad or questionable items during your thrifting adventures? Please share in the comments section below!

Katy Wolk-Stanley

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”

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Before and after chair

I’m lucky enough to live in a neighborhood where I can mostly walk my errands, and I’m lucky enough to live in Portland, Oregon where people put their unwanted stuff in front of their homes. And I guess I’ll have to add that I’m lucky enough to live in a climate that has recently been experiencing day after day of sunny dry weather.

Why is all this relevant?

Because wintertime is normally a dormant season for free pile treasure hunting.

But I lucked out last week when I passed by the above midcentury chair while on my way to pick up dinner ingredients. Yes, the fabric was filthy, but it looked pretty superficial, and I liked the chair’s sturdy lines. I snapped a photo for my Instagram account in case someone else took it, and I told myself I would pick it up if it was still there on my way home from the store.

It was.

I follow a ton of midcentury furnishing sellers on Instagram as a way of honing my eye for hidden treasures, and a number of them follow me back. One of them identified the chair as a George Nelson, and a bit of internet searching further revealed the chair as a George Nelson for Herman Miller maple dining chair, which can sell for up to $1000 apiece.

I cannot oversell how disgusting the fabric was, but I own a Bissell rug shampooer, so I figured I would give it the ol’ college try. My first thought had been to reupholster the chair, but I know enough to preserve the original fabric of a valuable piece. I truly did not think I could get the fabric back to an un-disgusting state, as I thought a few of the ground in gummed-up stains were cigarette burns.

I went over the upholstery over and over (and over) again with the hand-held attachment, using Dollar Tree oxyclean in the Bissell’s sprayer. And slowly but surely the fabric brightened and came to resemble something I could sit on without cringing. Not perfect, but pretty damned close.

Bissell

I even got out my Sonicare toothbrush for the particularly stubborn spots, using a demoted brush head.

Sonicare

I was truly amazed by how fantastic the chair looked after an hour of my patented elbow grease.

The wood was still kind of dirty, but I mixed up a mild soapy solution and wiped it down with a soft rag. I then rejuvenated the wood using my trusty bottle of Restore-A-Finish, which works wonders on vintage wood.

And here’s the newly freshened chair, all ready for a new owner. I have it up on Craigslist for $500, although I doubt that deep pocketed midcentury aficionados populate Portland as much as southern California and New York, so I may end up putting the chair up on eBay or Etsy. I do not relish the idea of shipping such a large piece, but apparently it’s not as difficult as it sounds. (Greyhound seems to be the preferred shipping method.)

Craigslist chair

Even if it does take awhile to sell, (it’s a decidedly specialized item) I’m happy to give it a home for as long as it takes.

chair

Trash to treasure? It never gets old!

Katy Wolk-Stanley

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”

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Do You Have A Frugal Role Model?

by Katy on January 23, 2014 · 37 comments

Even though I sometimes have to take a day off from blogging to go to work, The Non-Consumer Advocate Facebook Group seems to be hopping (and popping and locking) 24 hours per day. Luckily, group members are almost always respectful and helpful, which means that it hardly ever requires any moderation.

I woke up today to a fantastic thread in response to this question from reader Dani:

“Did you or do you have a frugal role model in your life? For me, it was my grandmother. She lived through the Depression and was very frugal. She made everything from scratch, grew her own vegetables, sewed her own clothes, etc. My mother likes to say that my grandmother was into recycling before it was popular.”

The answers were amazing! Here’s a small sampling:

“My mother lived through the depression, everything was used and reused until it was used up. We didn’t have indoor plumbing until I was 12 but the outhouse got scrubbed the same time as the kitchen floor. She sewed, used her worn out dresses for mop rags. It’s amazing what she could do without all the things we have now. I never had store bread until I was 12, my mom baked once a week, bread, buns, cinnamon rolls, everything. My parents had a HUGE garden canned, sold and gave away extra produce.”

“My great grandfather started a small Lutheran college and kept it open through the Great Depression and two world wars without any help from the Lutheran Church by extreme frugality. A bunch of people in my family then became teachers or pastors (Lutheran, natch), both professions where education and service are valued over earning. Extreme frugality allowed them to do this. I had a roommate who desperately needed to practice frugality but wouldn’t because it would make her “poor,” and I realized how blessed I was to come from people who viewed frugality as a method intelligent, ambitious people used to achieve their dreams.”

“My parents never threw anything away. When we moved across country, it took one and a half moving vans. Mom was the most frugal, making ends meet while raising seven kids. We all learned that if we wanted something badly enough, we paid for it ourselves but we were also taught that saving was more important than buying.”

“My father was born at the end of the depression in a rural coal mining town. My dad had a 20×20 cabin until I was 10 years old and reuses everything. He is a minimalist and doesn’t like to have too many “things”. He has also composted for as long as I can remember and likes to pay cash for things. He is also retired and lives completely debt free – I hope to achieve that also.”

“My pioneer great grandmother, who homesteaded in Montana, and lived until I was 12. I remember pickling with her, and a root cellar where the canned veggies looked like jewels. I pickle and can every year to this day. Her husband lost their ranch in a poker game, and my impression of her was that she just kept plugging away at a garden and making do, no matter what.”

“Every one of my grandparents and my parents were very frugal AND self reliant. Grandparents raised 7 kids through the depression. My parents grew up through WWII and they all gardened, canned, did without (most things), made their own toys, clothes, quilted, gave each other hand me downs, lived without air conditioning and heat (one room heated) along with their full time jobs….I used to love sitting with all of my relatives and listening to their stories and even to this day, amazed and proud of them. One of my biggest regret is not paying closer attention to them to learn all that they knew. Knowledge that is lost forever to me.”

I wish I has a similar story of an inspirationally frugal grandparent, but my grandmothers were all raised wealthy. One continued this way throughout her adult life, and the other lived in poverty and sadly never figured out how to make it do. I’m realizing this may be part of why I always feel like inventing the wheel.

However, I’m just loving all these responses, which keep coming and coming. But I want to hear your stories as well! Please share in the comments section below.”

Katy Wolk-Stanley

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”

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Happiness Tidbits From Gretchen Rubin

by Katy on January 22, 2014 · 15 comments

Happier at Home paperback

Although I’m normally averse to accepting wintertime evening invitations, I forced myself to break from my sedentary routine and attend a reading last night by Happier at Home’s Gretchen Rubin. (Even though it was in the suburbs, and I hate venturing from my urban oasis.)

And I’m glad that I did.

Instead of a traditional reading from the fresh new paperback of Happier at Home, Gretchen chose to give what was clearly a smooth and well rehearsed talk about happiness. Of course I took notes. A smart blogger would take advantage of all the sparking ideas to flesh out a dozen new blog posts, but I need to leave for work in an hour, so here are the main points that resonated with me:

  • Happy people have habits that work for them.
  • Anything that broadens or deepens relationships leads to happiness.
  • The days are long but the years are short. <– One of my favorites!
  • Although excessive possessions have a tendency to drag us down, possessions do serve to project our identity into our environment.
  • When choosing what has a place in your home ask yourself these three questions, “Do I love it, do I use it, do I need it?”
  • People often approach Gretchen to ask “What is the key to true happiness?” and although there is no one all encompassing answer, she does believe that self knowledge is a close approximation.
  • Happier people are more altruistic, and unhappy people tend to focus more inwardly on their problems. Although negative emotions play an important role in how to be happier.
  • Allow yourself permission to let go of unfinished projects. Gretchen’s example was to scoop up all the origami paper packets and donate them to her daughter’s school.
  • Ask yourself these questions, “Who do you envy?” and “What do you lie about?”

I wish I had time to flesh out these points, but I know that being fired from my job for excessive tardiness would definitely harsh on my happiness. 😀 So please, share your thoughts and responses to these happiness prompts in the comments section below.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”

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It’s time for another Non-Consumer Photo Essay, because my Instagram account is chock full of non-consumer-y goodness.

Like this photo of a chair I picked up yesterday on my way home from picking up groceries. It turns out that it’s George Nelson for Herman Miller and they sell for $1000 apiece on eBay. Can I get a what-what?!

My original plan had been to reupholster it, but now I’m going to just clean the original fabric.

Midcentury chair

My neighbors are having their basement remodeled, and this window and framing was very tempting. I held off though, as one of the windows was cracked. It would look super cute cleaned and hung in the backyard, or with the glass panels replaced with mirror.

Oh . . . the possibilities!

Window

I am forever grateful that the New Seasons Market takes plastics recycling, and that this store is walking distance from my house.

Win-win!

Plastics Recycling

Although I do use my electric dryer during the winter months, I still dry all lightweight clothing on a rack over a heating grate. And since my house is all soccer all the time, this is a significant portion of our laundry.

Winter clothesline

Katy Wolk-Stanley

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”

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Five Things That Make Me Happy:

1) This photo from 1990:

Publicity photo

2) My next door neighbor and I took advantage of some lovely sunny weather to meet up for coffee and go for a walk. Great conversation and terrific company.

3) I extended my outside time by pulling out all the overgrown dead foliage from my garden, a job which I’d been procrastinating since the end of fall. My garden is no longer a slimy embarrassment, and hopefully I soaked up enough vitamin D to last until June.

4) My older son recently discovered Simon and Garfunkel, and I was able to quickly get him a stack of their CD’s from the library.

5) This article about a British couple that discovered a completely intact time capsule Victorian kitchen in their basement.

One Thing That’s Pissing Me Off:

1) I dropped my beloved garage sale pressure cooker on the floor and the handle broke in two.

Pressure cooker

Now your turn. What’s making you happy, and conversely what’s pissing you off?

Katy Wolk-Stanley

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”

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