Simple Peachy Cheesecake Bars

"Cans Make The Meal" is a show I just discovered today on The Cooking Channel.
Apparently, it's a month long show highlighting canned foods, seeing as February is National Canned Food Month. Hmmm....I hadn't even heard! I was impressed with the information Kelsey shared about nutrition and health benefits in canned food that I've always thought was more in frozen foods, if you had to choose between the two.

For example, did you know that many canned vegetables have equal, if not more nutrients than fresh or frozen? Having done her research, Kelsey says that this is true. Here's another fact you may not have known. Canned tomatoes contain more of the cancer fighting compound Lycopene than fresh tomatoes.
Yes, according to Kelsey, this is true, too. Honestly, I never would have guessed!

The show was packed with some really great information. If you'd like to know more for yourself, you can catch the entire episode from a link on this page right here

I want to share a great dessert recipe Kelsey made on the show that is super easy and sounds very tasty. (As a matter of fact, all of her recipes today sounded delicious!)
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 I'm always game for quick and easy recipes that serve up homemade flavor without a lot of time spent in the kitchen. How about you? 

Outdoor Work Stations / Potting Benches II

More great choices for practical and functional outdoor benches that are just downright clever....
(Using a picnic table and its benches, you can make a workstation like this)

....and cute!
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This red table is small enough for my back patio area, and perfect for the amount of work space I would need when potting my backyard flowers.

It's Getting That Time Again

Every Spring I browse the aisles of tables full of flowers at our local box and landscaping stores, looking for the perfect pairings of flowers and colors that interest me. It varies from year to year, and also depends on availability, but one thing is always for sure. I like color, and lots of it! I tend to lean toward the pairing of reds, purples and yellows, but some years, I just don't see enough of what I like, and that gives me the opportunity to get a bit more creative.

I also enjoy choosing flowers that have a long lifespan, such as Marigolds which last clear from Spring until Fall. I generally like the bright yellow ones best.


Geraniums are a favorite of mine for longevity as well, but they can be a bit pricey. Two years ago I was able to buy a slew of them on clearance, because they'd been damaged a bit by lack of enough water. I saw that they could be pruned and most likely brought back, so I grabbed a bunch of them and had great success in nursing them back to hearty, flowery health.

One year, my local Wal-mart actually had an abundance of inexpensive and colorful Celosia. I'd never planted them before, but was pleasantly surprised at the beautiful flowers they grew into, and how little maintenance they required overall! 
Then there are my Begonia's, which I've planted for the last 3 years without fail in memory of my grandmother. And my Morning Glories, Heavenly Blue, which are the most common and most popular variety that people like my father think of when they remember Morning Glories from years ago. He says that nearly every front porch had a strings full of them. This year I think I will put up white lattice on my little front porch between the posts to grow them on for a prettier look. 
 ~ ~
I love knowing that here in the Northeast we've rounded the bend and are over the longest part, and hopefully the worst, of what winter can bring. Now it's on to happier thoughts of bright flowers, sweet scents, and trying my hand at new ideas Dean and I have been talking about doing! 
 

Simple Is Enough

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While watching House Hunters on HGTV this past week, a young woman made a comment that seemed interesting to me. As she was looking out one of the back windows of the flat she was being shown, she had mentioned how lovely it was to see the laundry hanging out on the balconies around her. It had given her a sense of connection, she'd said. A feeling of being "in the middle" of things, of seeing life going on around her and it felt comforting. 
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Her comment has replayed in my mind at least a dozen times since then. I think of how simple and basic the fact of laundry hanging out to dry on a balcony is. How simple.... Yes, that's it. How simple! How uncomplicated, and how real. It speaks of life, of the everyday, ordinary things that sometimes begin to feel too mundane. Yet these are the very things that we long for most when we feel out of our element, and are far away from home. Fresh laundry, a home cooked meal, sitting outdoors sipping on a glass of lemonade under the hot summer sun....

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Maybe we complicate life too much. Maybe we think we need too many things. When it comes down to it, maybe all that's really important are the simple things in life. And reminding ourselves of this from time to time is a good thing to do.

Say What?


In light of a totally new look here at  
~ ♥ Simply Me .... Kimberly Marie ♥ ~



But I had to laugh when I came across this image....
Yep, this would be me most of the time!



You can check out the "Here At Home" tab at the top of the page to learn more about the new look! ☺

An iPad In The Kitchen?

If you ask me if I ever thought I would have an electronic device for a "recipe book", I'd have laughed for sure! But, I recently downloaded a recipe "app" on my iPad that's a pretty neat little deal which I find myself quite interested in. It's the Better Homes and Gardens Must Have Recipes app; a quite simple and easy one to navigate!

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On the left hand side is a drop down menu of recipe categories which is very handy.

  
This particular time I am searching for a recipe for banana bread since I have a few bananas to use up. They even refine the search to give you tutorials if you'd like!


 Ah, here's a simple recipe that I can use. :)


And I'm ready to begin!


You can see how short and simple the recipe was. Not to mention, it turned out a very tasty loaf of banana bread!



I especially like that the features in red along the bottom are very convenient to get to. So far I have a nice little selection of recipes saved, and the list option is a great asset when it comes time for making out the grocery list. I've also explored the how-to section (the tutorials that I mentioned above) and like that you can get some pretty handy pointers, even if you've got plenty of experience cooking and baking! 
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So..... I guess my iPad and I will be hanging out a lot more in the kitchen. ☺

Even A Small Cabinet Helps

Lately we've been battling a bit of extra "stuff" on the kitchen counters. Since my counter space is limited, I need to make the most of it, where I have it! So, I did some figuring and measuring, and decided that there was a small area at the end of the coffee pot counter where a narrow, upright storage cabinet would most likely fit. This prompted an enjoyable trip to the local home improvement store where we were able to purchase a cabinet to meet our needs. (It was the last one they had in stock!)

It would just require figuring out a new place for the display shelf currently occupying that space. Hmm....

Ah! Here is where I could relocate my display shelf, with just a bit of rearranging.

The nearly bare corner actually looks cozy now!

Once home, Dean got right to work putting together our cabinet. The only bad thing was there were only 2 color choices to pick from - white and dark brown. I had hoped they would've had oak, but I settled for white as it at least matched the counter tops. I was on standby to assist, and take pictures, of course! :)



Checkers stopped by during the process for some attention and loving from Dean.

Once all the pegs were in place, each panel of the cupboard was secured into another, and screwed together.

The manufacturer now provides a neat little gadget that helps to hold those tiny nails for securing the back board to the cabinet. How clever!

Once the nail has been tapped in to stand securely, you remove the gadget and finish hammering the nail in.

The final job - screwing the door hinges in place, then hanging the door on the cabinet!
Completed and in place ~ what a beautiful fit. I love how Dean's suggestion of cabinet top accessories really finished off the look!

Look at all that extra space! My heart was so happy with such a little addition that made a huge difference. To date, we have neatly filled all of the shelves and the installation of this cabinet has been a complete success!
  
~ ~
Don't you just love a simple home improvement project?

A Fantastically Clean Dishwasher

A few months ago, my folks and I went shopping to find something, anything, to clean the awful limescale away from the inside of my dishwasher. My attempts to clean it with what I have here had failed, and it was becoming quite nasty looking, to say the least.

Our shopping turned up something I had never even been aware was out there for my sort of dishwasher dilemma. 

Enter FINISH.

It was such an easy procedure, that I had my doubts it would remove the toughest of limescale such as was in my dishwasher. You simply peel the sticker off the small screw cap looking top, insert the container upside down anywhere in the bottom rack and turn the empty dishwasher to it's hottest wash cycle, such as pots and pans. 


I must say, we were in for a pleasant surprise at the end of the cleaning. Not only was my dishwasher sparkling clean, but it smelled amazingly clean and fresh for the better part of 2 weeks! 

Just take a look at the results for yourself:



I was so amazed at how the dishwasher turned out! If you ever need a tried and true solution to your tough dishwasher limescale, I'd highly recommend that you purchase Finish for the job! You definitely won't be disappointed with the results!

Love In Any Language





Je t'aime
Te amo

Ya ti-bya lyu blyu
Ani o hev ot cha
I love you
The sounds are all as different
As the lands from which they came
And though the words are all unique
Our hearts are still the same
Love in any language
Straight from the heart
Pulls us all together
Never apart
And once we learn to speak it.
All the world will hear
Love in any language
Fluently spoken here

"Love In Any Language" ~ Sandi Patti




Buongiorno ~ "Good Morning" in Italian

Good Morning, tea time. You help me to start my day in a nice way.

Good Morning, Romeo. Yes, it's time to play again!



Good Morning, Checkers. Yes, it's morning already! 

Good Morning to you, too, Melissa! Yes, you're still my most cheerful greeter!

Good Morning, Ziva. Yes, you're safe ~ there's nothing to startle you just yet! 

Good Morning, sweet finches. Yes, your welcome singing is as lovely as ever!

~ It's a been a beautiful start to the morning, but now it's time to get on with my day ~

GOOD MORNING TO YOU, MY FRIENDS. 
Yes, I'm so glad you stopped by! 
Have a meaningful and special day. ❤️

A Day In Pictures

Here at home sweet home:

It snowed.......again. No surprise there! It is, after all, winter. But this time it was a gentle, pretty snowfall, instead of the wind driven, lake effect snows we've had of late!


 ~ ♥ ~

 And since Dean has finally returned home from his long, out of state job.....He'll take care of the shoveling today! Phew....
But you'd think we live in Alaska by the way he's bundling himself up ~ Lol! He says being in Florida for so long has spoiled him.....anything under 60 is freezing!! :D


I couldn't help but to snap a few pictures of him "enjoying" the cold and snow. ;) And he can't resist but to smile at my pleasure in all of this!
~ ♥ ~

It was a day to get several loads of laundry done......Mmmmm, I just love the clean scent of laundry fresh out of the dryer!
~ ♥ ~

In between laundry loads, I looked through one of my favorite bird books. I'm getting excited for new ideas to attract birds to my yard this year!
~ ♥ ~

Well, what do you know? I found a large cutting board that I completely forgot I have! Now where do you think I might have found this - perhaps tucked away in the back of a kitchen cupboard? No, silly! It was tucked away in my roll top desk, just where I'd think to look for it, right? 
(Apparently, after having used it as a lap board for my old computer, I never thought to put it back in the kitchen for future use! Wow. I wonder what else I may have hidden around the house?)

Gee, and this is such a nice cutting board to have been without! Since I have a few others, I just never gave the whereabouts of this one much thought! Well, anyways, I'm glad to have it back where it belongs. :)
~ ♥ ~

The house smelled fabulous with the scent of this fresh baked bread. (The loaf didn't even last 24 hours. After all, I'm not sure I know of many people who can resist a slice or two of warm bread just out of the oven!)
~ ♥ ~

And last, but certainly not least, Romeo entertained us with quite a few funny faces....among them was this one. It's like a sideways grin that really cracks Dean up, especially when Romeo is looking quite shaggy like he is now!

Oh, Romeo, you funny little man!
~ ♥ ~

THE END