Sunday, March 28, 2010

Make-Do Monday - March 29 - Tong Holder

So amid my midterms, homework and term projects, 
my blog decided to have a breakdown!  
It does seem to be working now.
 I'm keeping my fingers crossed.  
Thanks to everyone who tested it for me and left feedback.

Now On To Business...............

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At Make-Do Mondays we discuss how we’re simplifying, downsizing, repurposing, buying used, and using what we’ve got.

It’s a carnival celebrating creative problem-solving, contentment, patience and ingenuity. To participate, share your own make-do solution in the comments or write up a Make-Do Mondays post at your blog, then return here to link via MckLinky. Enjoy others’ ideas by clicking on their link in the MckLinky list.




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I am making do this week by trying to use all the little specks of time I can find!

I have a couple of tests this week and stacks of homework to do. This is the last busy, busy homework term- at least I am hoping it is. Next term I have my review class that will help prepare me for the National Pharmacy Technician Certificate Exam. And then 180 hours of extern-ship at an actual pharmacy learning the ropes with hands on experience. That should be awesome!!

Can I say recycle?

I did and I do a bit of recycling. Even if I only use something for a couple of days or even during one meal.

Let me explain..............

So this past week, we purchased an already roasted chicken for dinner one night. Then on Saturday, I stuck the rest of the bird, (meat and carcass) in the crock pot with some chicken broth and water and green chili's to make broth for chicken enchilada soup.

It only took a couple of hours, or did it? I wasn't really watching it cook. When I was ready to start dinner, it was ready for me. So I took the meat off the bones and cut it smallish and tossed it in the simmering broth. I like to use scissors to dice, cut and chop in the kitchen and since the meat was hot, I also used a pair of tongs.

Tongs are messy and even with a lock, they tend to spring open when I least expect them too.  They like to fling droplets and bits here and there.  They are very helpful, but can also be a hindrance. But I love, love, love tongs.  Almost as much as I love my kitchen scissors.  And lots of other kitchen tools.  So because they can be unruly, I put them in a place they couldn't spring out of.......... 

 Take a LOOK:  

They fit perfectly!!  Yes, this is a short handled pair, and they are so convenient!  This particular can had a pull top lid and so the top is very rigid.  The tongs are not top heavy and there was no tipping of the can.  Just an awesome place to put the tongs out of the way as I worked with them.  They weren't taking up a whole lot of space, their footprint was small and doable. 

The only thing that would make this better would be to put a cute cover on the can and maybe glue a plastic lid on the bottom to prevent the can from rusting that awful round rust rings cans tend to leave behind if they are not taken care of.  Even placing a round flat rock in the bottom would keep it upright when I toss the scissors in.  They are a little top heavy.  

In any case, this fix can be for an hour, an evening, a couple of days or a long term solution for the giant tong footprint condenser.

Oh, the enchilada soup was a success.  Easy peasy too.  





Chicken broth from carcass
1 can chicken broth
water
leftover chicken meat
about a 1/4 cup of green taco sauce from Del Taco
1 can diced green chili's
12 or so ounces of enchilada (red) sauce (I used the left over half of an 28 oz can)
1 can nacho cheese soup - 10.5 oz

I think this is all I added this time.  I have put a bit of sour cream, velveeta cheese, onions and green peppers in other batches.  This was more simple and it still tasted awesome to us.  Making do with what we had on hand.

My kids like soup and I don't ever have it enough.  I think it would be great to have a crockpot always going with some kind of soup in it.  Then when the hunger bug hits, there would always be something warm (during the winter) to make our tummys happy.

And soup smells so great as it simmers away and melds together!!!



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1 comment:

  1. Hi Sheri :-} I was mortified for you when I attempted to access your blog and kept getting directed elsewhere. How rude of them!!!!!
    I hope this week of tests, etc. is a F A R smoother week for you!!!

    I was unable to see your pictures :-{ But that could totally be my computer. It is eight years od. What gets me is that the computer itself is fine, and I do not have that much stuff stored in it's memory - but the problem is how much memory all of the 'new' programs take up, and mine can't handle that. Poor thing!!! So we might be replacing it .....

    Anyways, I was unable to see your pictures. I have several crocks in my kitchen for utensils. The ones that hold tongs is an old about inch and a half tall ceramic crock, with a used medium sized cottage cheese container in it. That way, I put the tongs (we have numerous ones, of three different sizes) over the edge of the cottage cheese container. One side of the tongs are then in the cottage cheese container, and the other side are then down inside the rim of the crock.
    In professional kitchens, tongs are an utensil that chefs would NEVER give up / go with out!!! They can be used to stir stuff. To pull pans out of the back of ovens. To pick stuff up with. To hold things in place while you cut them. And even in a pinch, tongs can be used as a funnel of sorts. A messy one, but a funnel none the less.

    Here's a smile for your day - :-)

    ReplyDelete