Calling upon my Common Elegance readers again for some advice.  This time the advice is for a friend.  No really, it is. This isn’t one of those situations where *I* really want the advice and am just coming to you and pretending I need the advice for someone else. Here’s the situation:

My friend…let’s call him Bob–he knows who he is!  Bob is 29 and single.  He often ends up relying on fast food, take out or prepared/frozen foods for his meals because it is hard to fix healthy, fresh meals for just one person without having a mound of leftovers resulting in him having to eat the same thing for days in a row.  (Something he does not enjoy.)

He has asked me to come up with some meal suggestions for him that would allow him to eat better; eat cheap; and not require that he eat the same foods for days at a time.  Frankly…I am at a loss.  I know what I often do when I fix meals for just myself and it looks much like what Bob is doing now. What would you suggest for Bob?

Before you answer, here are a few other requirements:

He doesn’t want things to clutter up his freezer, because he is concerned that things will be forgotten and not eaten, so eating only part of something and freezing the rest really isn’t a great option.

He doesn’t want to spend a ton of time in the kitchen and is a fairly new cook, so the dishes should be easy and not require a lot of exotic ingredients.

He is willing to try new things…within some limits.

He is allergic to shellfish.

Now…give me your best!  What do you have for Bob?

Best wishes for love, laughter and finding the elegance in common things.

I recently put together a simple party snack that we served at our daughter’s prom and at a celebration of life for the father of a dear friend. EVERYONE loved these simple snacks. Some folks even say it’s one of their favorite things to eat..EVER. I had to share so that you can add them to your summer party arsenal.

Open-Faced Veggie Sandwiches

1 Baguette - Sliced thin enough to eat easily, but not so thin that it won’t hold up to spread and veggies

1 8 oz pkg of Cream Cheese- Softened

Mrs. Dash (Original) - To Taste

Garlic Salt - To Taste

1 tsp Milk

1 Cucumber - Peeled and sliced

Grape tomatoes -Halved

Baby Arugula Leaves

Use an electric mixer to blend the softened cream cheese and milk. Liberally sprinkle in Mrs. Dash and Garlic Salt and mix until well blended.

Spread each baguette slice with the cream cheese mixture.

Place one arugula leaf, one cucumber slice and one grape tomato half on top of the spread.

Serve with a smile.

These are very simple and most of the items can be prepared ahead of time for easy assembly just before serving.  The cream cheese mixture can be made a day ahead of time.  The cucumbers can be sliced some time before assembly.  Just halve the grape tomatoes, assemble and serve.

NOTE: when I first made these I used some bread tins that created decorative bread from refrigerated French bread dough.  They were beautiful and the fresh baked bread really added a special element.  However, since not everyone has one of these decorative tins, I have substituted the baguette (and did so for one of the parties) and it works great.

Wishing you love, laughter and the fortune to find the elegance in common things.

If you’ve ever owned a vintage gas stove, or seen a commercial gas stove, you know about the pilot light.  Pilot lights are small flames that remain lit constantly and when the stove knob is turned to light the burners the pilot light ignites the gas to create the burner flame.

For those of you who check (or used to check) Common Elegance with any regularity you know that I have been MIA (Missing In Action) for some time.  Life has had me more than just a little bit busy in recent months and Common Elegance was set aside until I could regain some control and get back into my routine of blogging, cooking, and creating.

The pilot light for Common Elegance has continued to faithfully burn in the background just waiting for the knob to be turned and the flow of gas to be released. Tonight the KNOB WAS TURNED! Bill and I attended a viewing of the documentary “Wide @ Start: High-Technology Adventures and the American Dream” which was followed by a discussion with a room full of inspired, inspiring, intelligent and down right fun group of budding entrepreneurs at Sierra Commons in Nevada City, CA. Sierra Commons is a business incubator providing space, equipment, services and networking. Please visit their website at www.sierracommons.org to learn more about this outstanding organization.

We were initially drawn to Sierra Commons to attend a reception for one of our daughter’s teachers who is also a VERY TALENTED local artist, Chad Wood. You can view Chad’s work at www.ArtByChad.blogspot.com. It was a happy coincidence that the movie immediately followed the reception.

Anyway, while in the presence of this mass of creative people I was compelled to return to Common Elegance and begin sharing with all of you again.  I look forward to putting out some new recipes, tips and other cool stuff that will once again lead us to finding the elegance in common things.

As always, thank you for taking time to visit Common Elegance and PLEASE share your ideas, recipes, or thoughts about things you’ve seen on the site.  I look forward to continuing the quest of community with you all.

Wishing you love, laughter and finding the elegance in common things.

Hello, Common Elegance readers. Time to dust the cobwebs off the old website and return to blogging on a regular basis. The site has been quiet far too long. Excuses are like noses, most everyone has them, so I won’t bother explaining that I’ve been busy with the new job, holidays, household requirements and the like. Let’s just get down to the business of breathing life back into Common Elegance!

I have some things planned for the coming year I hope you will enjoy. I don’t want to lay all my cards on the table just yet, but I will give you a hint: I want to explore my competitive side AND stretch my imagination. Check back for an announcement that will reveal what I’m cooking up.

When Common Elegance was first launched, I had visions of a community site to exchange ideas, inspiration, recipes, tips and techniques. I wanted to bring together a community of people who collectively would work together to find and create elegance in common things. I have been very fortunate and grateful to receive some great feedback, comments and contributions from people who follow the site. However, the dream of a true community site has yet to be realized. So, how do we make that happen? For starters, I am going to up the ante.

I want–no, I NEED outside contributions for the site. So, I’m coming to you all. Show me what you’ve got! Write a guest blog on a topic that falls within the spirit of Common Elegance. Share a favorite recipe and tell us why it’s your favorite. Share an organizational tip. Tell us how to do something better, easier, faster. Write about something that inspires you.  Show us how you connect with your family. Share professional tips you may have for cooking, cleaning and so forth. E-mail your blog to me at Common.Elegance@gmail.com. The subject of your e-mail should read “Common Elegance Submission”. I will accept submissions through midnight January 31st. I will ask Bill to help me review the submissions and we will select a winner.  The winner will receive a $25.00 Amazon e-Gift Certificate.

I hope to receive an avalanche of well written blog posts and hope to use them all! In order for me to consider your submission for the contest and be able to use it on the site, you will need to include the following paragraph at the bottom of your submission:

“I give Common Elegance and it’s administrators permission to publish this post at www.commonelegance.com and share any and all rights to the material contained herein with Common Elegance.”

I know it’s kind of stodgy and all, but hey, a girl has to protect herself and her website!

With your creativity and outstanding ideas we will be able to reach a wider readership and grow Common Elegance to the community site I know it can be! I look forward to seeing what you’ve got to say. Keep an eye on the site to see when we publish what you’ve written. Check back to see what else we’re up to.  It’s time to get busy building a community and realizing the dream!

Best wishes for love, laughter and finding the elegance in common things.

My last entry talked about learning to manage meals after returning to the workforce outside the house.  I received a great suggestion from Crystal to remember to use my slow cooker well and often.  Thanks Crystal! The slow cooker is an awesome tool and I use it frequently.  However, what happens when you’ve not put something in the slow cooker; the meal you have planned won’t work because there’s an upset tummy in the house; and it’s the day before you go to the grocery store, so there aren’t many plan Bs left?

You make Potato Corn Chowder! Here’s what I did:

Potato Corn Chowder

1 large russet potato diced into small pieces (about 1/4 inch squares)

1 can whole kernel corn

1 can evaporated milk

1 tbs dehydrated onion

4 tbs butter

Garlic Salt to taste

Season Salt to taste

Ms. Dash Original seasoning to taste

In a medium sized soup pot melt the butter and add in the potato.  Season well with garlic salt. Saute’ until the potato starts to tenderize. Add the evaporated milk and corn.  Stir well to blend. Season well with season salt and Ms. Dash.  Let cook until potato chunks are tender and the broth has thickened a bit.

The chowder was rich, creamy and very flavorful. Even the teenager loved it!  Rest assured this recipe will be making a repeat appearance in our house. I hope you find it helpul and enjoyable during the cooler weather.

Notes: You could also add chunks of chicken to this recipe or easily morph this recipe into a savory clam chowder recipe by omitting the corn and substitute in a can of canned clams.

Best wishes for love, laughter and finding the elegance in common things.

Sorry for the silence Common Elegance Readers, but life has been busy.  After a little over 15 months of working at home I have returned to the outside workforce.  I am working a part-time job from noon until 5:00 pm Monday through Friday. Doesn’t sound very demanding, right? That is until you factor in driving our daughter to school in the morning; taking my husband to work (remember we’re still operating with one vehicle–by choice); attempting to maintain the house in some order; running school related errands; getting the grocery shopping done so as not to fight the crowds on the weekends; and generally trying to keep the same pace with all things household as before the part-time job began.

I’ve always worked full-time, so I’m no stranger to managing my time and balancing work with household responsibilities.  However, after having some flexibility with my day and working from home for some time, getting back into the swing of being a “modern woman” is proving to be a challenge.

There are some things that I am doing in an effort to maintain my sanity. First, I am working with my husband and daughter to stay organized and in constant communication about appointments and requirements for additional activities so that the likelihood of a “last minute item” showing up and derailing the train are minimized. We are using Google calendar to track appointments, parties, school assignments, birthdays and other important things we don’t want to slip through the cracks. At dinner we take time to talk about the day, things that are coming up and things we need to handle and make sure they get on the calendar.

Second, I have been working to find meals that are easy to fix in the morning before I go to work and will warm up well in the evenings for dinner. Some days have been better than others but I am confident that I will continue to find creative ways to make dinner less of a challenge after a long day.

Third, I am fighting hard to maintain a routine so that things are easier for everyone. While every day has been different so far, I hope to settle in to more of a common routine by the end of the month. I want to continue to maintain my gym routine (although that was derailed some this week by my encounter with a rogue acorn). I want to plan to grocery shop on a specific day, do laundry on another, clean the bathrooms on yet another day, and so forth. The goal is to keep my weekends as chore free as possible so that I can relax and enjoy them with the family.

How do you manage your day? What tips and tricks do you use to stay organized, plan meals, maintain routines while balancing multiple schedules and work? I would love to hear your ideas! Please share.

Until then, best wishes for love, laughter and finding the elegance in common things.

Common Elegance Readers! Just had to share that two elements from our wedding have been picked up by two other blog sites! It warms my heart to see things from our wedding being shared as “cool” examples!

The first was our groom’s cake featured on: http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/2009/10/sunday-sweets-steampunk.html

The second was the cake topper I made for our cupcake tower:http://customcaketoppers.net/2009/10/01/computer-desk-wedding-cake-topper/

Thanks to these great sites for recognizing the unique touches at our wedding!

Best wishes for love, laughter and finding the elegance in common things.

My husband (I love that I can call him that) and I have been enjoying a number of simple meals lately. One of our favorites during the summer months was tuna salad served with a side of caprese salad and some nice crackers or crusty bread. With the passing of summer fresh tomatoes aren’t growing on our patio and the flavor of those in the supermarket aren’t always worthy of a caprese salad.

Last night I served a simple meal that was a little different.
I plated up a variety of sliced cheeses (mozzarella, sharp cheddar, smoked Gouda, crumbly Gorgonzola), sliced salami, apple wedges, green olives, sliced tomatoes and sea salt artisan bread. I made up a small dish of roasted garlic with olive oil and Italian herbs and another small dish of balsamic vinegar. The meal was leisurely and inspired laughter, conversation and relaxation. It was like pizza night for adults.

This all has been, in part, an effort for me to rethink meals. Trying to move away from the idea that every meal has to be a meat, two vegetables, a starch, bread and sauces. It is also an effort to keep things lighter in the evening.  Although with the meat and cheeses the flavors were so good that we couldn’t stop eating–we probably should have stopped before we overstuffed ourselves.

How do you simplify your meals? How are you rethinking what you serve your family for dinner? Please share.

Best wishes for love, laughter and finding the elegance in common things.

I recently posted an entry on Facebook that I was making homemade Texas Chili and homemade cornbread for dinner.  Several of my FB friends commented that they would love to have the cornbread recipe.  Well, before I started sharing family secrets entrusted to me by my new mother-in-law, I felt I should ask her first.  She happily gave her blessing for me to share and you all get to reap the benefit.  The recipe is easy, calls for few ingredients and yields fluffy, moist, flavorful cornbread.

Janet’s Cornbread

1 cup sifted all-purpose flour

1/2 Cup Sugar

4 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup yellow corn meal

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1/4 cup soft shortening

Sift flour with sugar, baking powder and salt; stir in cornmeal. (I use a whisk to blend the ingredients.) Add eggs, milk and shortening.  Beat with a rotary or electric mixer just until smooth, about 1 minute. (Do not overbeat.) pour into greased (I like to use butter.) 9×9x2 inch pan (or 9 inch round pan). Bake in hot oven (425 degrees) 20 to 25 minutes.

It really is that easy to produce perfect cornbread!

Thank you Janet for allowing me to share this wonderful recipe.  Bill and I love it and I am sure all of the Common Elegance readers will too!

Best wishes for love, laughter, and finding the elegance in common things.

This is just for you Crystal!  Although the rest of you should feel free to use it too *smiles*.  I have made this pasta salad for a number of occasions including my wedding reception last month.  You can scale the recipe up easily to meet your needs and use any fresh or canned vegetables you want to add more substance and bulk.  It stores well so you can make it the day before an event and leftovers can be eaten for a day or two after.  The one thing you want to be careful of if you intend to make it ahead of time is NOT TO OVERDRESS THE SALAD!  Meaning–don’t drown your pasta and veggies in dressing.  Add just enough to coat the ingredients and add some flavor.

The recipe as shown below is suitable for a regular dinner at home for three or four or a small gathering of six to eight as a primary side dish.  This is my vegetarian version of the recipe.  You can easily add pepperoni, salami or grilled chicken and/or use tortellini with meat as a filling.

Tortellini Pasta Salad

1 9 oz package refrigerated cheese tortellini

1 small can sliced black olives (or approximately 1/4 cup sliced black olives) drained

1/4 cup sliced green olives with pimentos drained

1 small can sliced sliced or 1 large can button mushrooms drained

1 large zucchini halved and thinly sliced

2 cups grape tomatoes or other variety seeded and diced

2 cups mozzarella cheese cut into small cubes (make sure the cubes are smaller than the tortellini)

Italian Salad Dressing

In a large sauce pot or small stock pot bring enough water to boil to allow tortellini to cook without being too crowded. Add tortellini and cook until all the tortellini are floating to the top and have softened.  DO NOT OVERCOOK! You want the tortellini to be cooked through, but you do not want the pasta to be too soft.

Drain the tortellini and place in a large bowl.  Add enough Italian Salad Dressing to lightly coat the pasta and keep it from sticking.  Set pasta aside and allow to cool while preparing the other vegetables and cheese. It is important that the pasta have time to cool or you will cook the fresh vegetables and melt the cheese.

Add in all vegetables except for the tomatoes.  Toss the pasta and vegetables together adding more Italian Salad Dressing to coat the vegetables and pasta.  Add the cheese cubes and toss to mix well.  Add tomatoes and gently toss to mix.  If you wish you can add a little more Italian Salad Dressing at this point, but DO NOT OVERDRESS THE SALAD.

If you are going to add any meat to the salad, add it at the point you add the cheese and toss. Likewise, if you are going to add additional vegetables, add them when you add the vegetables listed above.

Cover the pasta salad and place in the refrigerator until served.

Enjoy and best wishes for love, laughter and finding the elegance in common things.