HOME Girl Tips - A MIRACLE Cleaner for Ceramic/Glass Stovetops!!!!

Well, it's hot!  Here in the middle of the country, it cooled down a bit for a short time, but now it looks like the temperatures are climbing again!  

Speaking of "Hot"...I wanted to talk with you about an amazing discovery I found recently that works wonderfully cleaning something that GETS hot....our glass cooktop stove!!!  (what a segue, huh?  haha!)

We recently moved into a new home that has a glass cook-top stove.  We had one of these when we lived in our home in Florida, and I have to admit I like them better than the gas stoves.  I love that they only heat up in the little circles where you put your pan, so you don't have to worry about burning your hands on the handles, like I had to with a gas stove...I also like that it serves as extra counter space when the heating elements are not on, which allows me extra counter space when I need it!  

The DOWNSIDE to having a glass cooktop is that it gets to looking like THIS!

And it happens all the time...my son, is 12 and loves cooking, but he's a "messy cook" and does NOT love cleaning up when he cooks (I think he gets that from me, though..I'm exactly the same way!)  He somehow always ends up spilling sauce on the hot cooktop, or not wiping the bottom of the pot after filling it with water and before he puts it on the hot stove, OR, that same water boils over because the heat was too high, or he filled it up too much.

I also have had more than my fair share of stovetop mishaps, so between his and mine, we get a pretty yucky looking stovetop.

Before I found this awesome miracle cleaner (when we still lived in our Florida home), I really struggled to keep those burners clean and looking like new.  I mean REALLY struggled....Once it's burned on, it's so hard to just wipe up with a wet wipe.  
I tried all types of cleaners, and nothing worked...I tried scraping the cooktop, but would always get scared I was going to scratch the glass, and they just never looked like new.  

But those days are officially OVER!!!

Presenting the "MIRACLE MIX" cleaner!


Yep!  That's it, just baking soda and hydrogen peroxide!!!   I can get both for about $1.50 and it will last for soooo many uses!

Here's how you use it on the glass cooktop!

First, sprinkle the baking soda around your cooktop.  I usually spoon it out and sprinkle that way, but you can sprinkle it right out of the box if you prefer.  Put extra baking soda where the baked on stains are.

Then add the hydrogen peroxide. you can add it straight from the bottle, or put it in a spray bottle and spray it on.   Your goal is to form a paste with it...making sure there is a little extra paste on those stained areas



Then...you let it sit....for about 10-15 minutes.



I personally don't like to completely let it sit...I end up kind of using my fingers to scrub the burned on areas a bit...I don't know...I just enjoy it.....kinda therapeutic somehow...haha!

You'll see the paste go from white....to 



It's lifting those greasy, stained messes right up!



Then after about 10-15 minutes, you're going to take a damp paper towel or dishcloth and remove the paste.  Here is what the paste looked like when I wiped it up with my paper towel...ewwwwwww!!!!



You may see some white streaks when it dries, but that just means there's still a little bit of the mixture on the stove top...just keep wiping with clean damp cloths, and then dry with a paper towel. It WILL come up!  =)

And when it does....

Your stovetop will look something like this!!!  =D

I must say I was amazed at how well all of this stuff came up!!!   It really does look almost just like new!!!  






Well, I hope this helps you in some way if you have a glass cooktop and have not tried this yet.  It's cheap...it's much easier than scraping and scrubbing, and it really does work!

By the way, this "Miracle Mix" also works wonderfully for those burnt on stains and yuck that gets on casserole dishes and cookie sheets!   No more scrubbing furiously with SOS pads!   =D

Thanks so much for stopping by!   I hope you have a wonderful day!

WHADDA WE EATIN' WEDNESDAY - CILANTRO LIME CHICKEN IN THE CROCK POT

Hey all!

Welcome to another WHADDA WE EATIN' WEDNESDAY!   I know it's been a while!   The weeks seem to go by faster and faster these days and before I know it I've gone yet ANOTHER week without posting!   

But today, I hope to make it up to you with an AWESOME, EASY weeknight recipe that my whole family really loves!

I'm not kidding....when my kids hear that this is what I'm making for dinner, it suddenly becomes a GREAT day!  haha!  They are in great moods, they are singing and dancing around the house, etc!!!  

(I have to admit, I join with them in the musical numbers around the house too, because I LOVE this recipe!!!)

I originally found this recipe on YouTube (shesinherapron is the Youtuber who showed the recipe), and thought it looked great, but decided to do some tweaks to make it even easier to make!  For those of you who know me, you know I like to "SKIP the steps with all the prep"!

Also, one of the things I do with this recipe is double it, put one of the recipes in the crock pot and the other in a ziplock freezer bag to make a FREEZER meal!   Since I already have all the ingredients out, I just add the same thing to the freezer bag and then I have a quick go to meal of this, for super fast prep another night!

Here's what you'll need (this makes dinner for 4 - and enough for seconds...but there are NO leftovers whenever I make this...lol):

1.  Your Crockpot (yep, I know I didn't have to include that...lol)

2.  8 skinless boneless chicken tenderloins, or 4 chicken breasts 

3.  One tube of Gourmet Garden fresh cilantro paste (or one cup of fresh cilantro leaves, but I tried picking all those leaves off the stems and that was a LOT OF PREP!  So the past saves a ton of time)

4 3 tbsp lime juice (or the juice of one lime, but again..that's extra prep in my opinion...haha!

5.  2 tbsp olive oil

6.  1 can of yellow corn (rinsed and drained)

7. 1 can of black beans (rinsed and drained)

8.  1/4 cup of dried minced onion and 1/4 cup water  (or you can chop up half of a red onion...but again...yep...too much prep!  lol)

9.  Cumin

Here's what it looks like in the pot.  Mix together and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4 hours.   



Then serve over rice, or "Cauliflower rice" for me, since I'm trying to cut carbs whenever I can!   Yum, YUMMMMM!




Here's  a picture of the finished product...super yummy!

I hope your family enjoys this as much as mine does.  I'd love to get your thoughts if you try it!  

As always, thank you so much for stopping by!  Have a great day!

WHADDA WE EATIN' WEDNESDAY - Recipe for "Avacodo Egg Salad"! So yummy and healthy!

Howdy All!

I hate that it's taken me so long to post.   Life has truly been, as they say..."CRAY CRAY!"

We are in the process of moving into a new home, which is exciting and stressful at the same time, our family has been passing around sicknesses like they're mashed potatoes at a Thanksgiving Dinner, and when you throw work, kids' activities, and all the other stuff going on...

Wait....no more excuses...who wants to hear that, anyway?!?!

It's time to share this awesome WHADDA WE EATIN' WEDNESDAY recipe!!!

This is one of my new favorite recipes for an easy and healthy weekday breakfast!   It's low carb, gluten-free, full of nutrients and protein.  It's just a winner all the way around!

I call it "AVOCADO EGG SALAD!!!!"  and I also call it...

VERY YUMMY!!

It's very easy to make and doesn't require a lot of ingredients. 

All you need are:

6 eggs

1 avocado (ripe)

1 tsp lime juice (or to taste)

salt and pepper to taste

THAT'S IT!

Here's how you make it

Hard boil your 6 eggs (put in boiling water for 15-17 minutes)

Once you finish, run your pot of boiled eggs under very cold water for a while until cooled down.

(or you can drain and cool the eggs in the fridge for a few hours or overnight)

Peel and chop the eggs into fine pieces.

Cut open your avocado, scrape out the insides, discard the pit, and chop into small pieces

Add the small pieces to the container of egg pieces and SMOOSH together!

Add lime juice and stir in.  I usually add more lime juice until it's the consistency of egg salad

Season with salt and pepper, put on top of some low carb/gluten free toast 

And that's it!  Have I mentioned how easy and good this recipe is?  I have?  Oh, ok...

But it REALLY IS so easy and so good!  haha!

This recipe makes 4-6 servings, depending on how heavily you pile it on your toast!   

The good news is that the lime juice keeps the avocados from browning as fast, but even if it's been a few days and it's a bit browned, it's still really yummy!  I wouldn't keep it longer than a few days, though...which won't be hard because it's so yummy.  I admit, I do struggle with portion control with this stuff!  It's gone fast!  

Here's a pic of the finished product.  So delicous and easy!

I got the reicipe from Johanna Soh on Youtube, who also has a lot of other great healthy recipes on her Youtube channel!  This one is definitely one of my favorites, though!   I am a huge fan of both avocados and egg salad, so this was just a perfect recipe for me!  My version is modified slightly, but not by much.

Hope you enjoy this recipe and please let me know what you think if you try it.  Did it live up to the redundant hype?!?  

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope you'll come back soon, and I'll have some more great recipes coming your way. Have a great day!

TABLESCAPE TUESDAY - Christmas Tablescape

Merry Christmas!  

I thought I'd share my Christmas Tablescape on this Tablescape Tuesday!

This year I decided to go with a red and white theme.  It just felt so crisp and nice for this season!  



I used a plain white tablecloth and decorated it with a red and white chevron wrapping paper runner I found a the Dollar Tree.  You can't beat a cute table runner for 1 dollar!


My centerpiece was a red tray from Goodwill.  Inside the tray were all kinds of goodies.  The red candleholder in the center was a Michael's purchase last year.  To the side are two double-bud vases also from Michael's.  Instead of putting flowers in them, though, I topped them with sparkly ornaments.  Lining the bottom is silver tinsel, silver curly ribbon, more ornaments, and some battery-operated lights that twinkled so nicely in the tray!

The Charger plates were a Walmart purchase a couple years ago, topped with a white dinner plate and white dinner bowl (Dollar tree 2 years ago) crystal goblets and a red and white polka dot bread plate (Ross).

For the backdrop, I put two white christmas trees on some white columns on both sides of the hutch.  They are decorated with red tinsel and ornaments, and white lights.    I love how they turned out.

Here's another view of the other side looking into the living room, also decorated in red and white for Christmas.   To see a better view of the living room.  You can check out my post here.

Wishing you a very Happy Holiday season and a very prosperous New Year!!!  Thanks so much for stopping by!

Monthly Monday Mantle - Christmas Mantle!

Where has this year gone?   I can not believe that Christmas is almost here!   

This post is late in coming, but I hope you'll enjoy seeing what I did with our mantle this year for Christmas!

Having a mantle to decorate this year has been so much fun!   

I wanted to go with a red and white theme!   I was just really liking those colors together this year!

I was really wanting some sparkle and shine this year with the red and white, so I incorporated some silver into the mix.

Using some inexpensive dollar tree items and items from thrift stores along with things I already had and a few craft projects, this came together for not too much money.

Here is the full living room decorated for the season!  It feels so nice to be in this room over the Holidays!

Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a blessed New Year!!!  

HappyThanksgiving! Thanksgiving Tablescape!

Hi there!

First of all, I'd like to take this opportunity to wish you and your family a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Ours has been good.  My mother came into town with a good friend of our family's and my neice!  So with a total of 7 of us for dinner, I wanted to have a nice table set up for the special dinner.

I had a Fall/Thanksgiving Tablescape all set up, but as the date was approaching, I was realizing I wanted a little change from our traditional Thanksgiving Tablescapes I've done in the past.  So...I decided last minute to switch things up a bit!   And here is what I came up with.

 I've been wanting to do a burlap tablescape for a while, and I found some nice burlap runner fabric at Walmart the other day, so I decided to pick it up.  After seeing a few pretty burlap tablescapes on Pinterest, I decided to put my own little twist on one.  

The Centerpiece has  a silver candleabra from Michaels, with White pillar candles wrapped with the remaining burlap fabric from the table runner, some silver curling ribbon and a little silver and white sparkle medalion (one fell off, as you can see...haha!)  on either side of those are my white Ikea pillar candle holders, and on the sides of those are these cute little lidded pumpkin bowls I found at Goodwill.   Such a great find!  Also, there were little glass tealight holders throughout the center of the table to give it some glow.

 Each place setting had my Walmart Silver Charger plates, my white dinner plates and bowls from the Dollar Tree, my little Pier 1 flower bowls (which I ended up using as individual butter dishes for each guest.)   I also used the white napkins with these cute silver napkin rings (6 for $1 at the Dollar Tree!) and my "fancy silverware" from Goodwill (another great find!)

It was a blessing to have family here for Thanksgiving and to serve them at this table!   We all had a lot to be thankful for and we got to share some of the things we were thankful for at the table! It was a nice time!

Now, I'm going to lie down for a bit, because I stuffed myself so full of turkey and fixins, that I'm feeling the need to loosen my pants and kick back for a while!   haha!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!  

This post is being added to...
Tablescape Thursday

TABLESCAPE TUESDAY - FALL/THANKSGIVING Table

Hi and welcome to another TABLESCAPE TUESDAY!

It's been a while!   I can't believe how busy things have been over the last few months...but I'm certainly not complaining.   It's been chocked full of good things, but still chocked full!  lol

Anyway, I thought I'd share with you my tablescape for Fall/Thanksgiving.

Fall is well underway, and the temperatures are changing.

The weather is getting a little (ok, a LOT) chillier!

The leaves on the trees have been turning the prettiest colors! 

I wanted to capture some of those lovely colors in my Fall tablescape.

I hope you enjoy, and I want to wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving and HAPPY FALL, Y'ALL!!!

Thanks so much for stopping by!  Have a wonderful week!  

This post is being added to
Tablescape Thursday