Leftover Turkey or Chicken

After picking apart the remains of your Thanksgiving turkey or perhaps even a rotisserie or whole roasted chicken use the leftover meat and turn it into this zesty asian-inspired soup.

To slow cooker or crockpot add:
3 cups leftover turkey or chicken
3 cans chicken broth
1 can refilled with water
2 cups chopped carrots
1 cup frozen, chopped spinach
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 cup instant brown rice
1 cup chopped cabbage

Cook in crockpot till done. Yummy!
Side note about the last four ingredients. If you like it less spicy reduce both curry & pepper by half the amounts listed.
Add the rice & cabbage during the last 3 hours, if possible. If they cook the whole time they'll be a little too mushy for my tastes.

Falling back again

The time changes soon. Another 6 months or so gone by and another hour lost on the clock. We 'fall back' and lose an hour on November 2nd, which seems to be coming up sooner than I can believe! Each time change there is always an article or two reminding the population to check the batteries in their smoke detectors but has anyone ever actually followed this advice?

Well this year I am making myself a promise to not only check the batteries but also make a whole twice a year to-do list. Using the "6 Excruciatingly Simple Steps" I am creating my list and I will accomplish it by this autumn's time change. My list revolves around getting and keeping my house sparkling clean. Then when I actually manage to get it all picked up and vacuumed my house will look like one of those supremely immaculate homes that always leave me shaking my head and asking why mine never seems to really shine.
My neighbor Janeille is an awesome realtor and really great at the staging business. Basically she goes in and gets her clients to clean out closets, put out plants and other little tips to make their place look so gorgeous that buyers are sucked in by the cookie scent wafting out of the kitchen and offer up double the list price. OK so maybe not double, but she can really spruce a place up and make it much more appealing to potential buyers. I asked her what could be the difference between the houses that look picked up versus the houses that shout out "a clean-freak lives here!" and her response was genius. Baseboards. According to Janeille the biggest thing that you will never notice is clean baseboards.
I took this gem of wisdom and I am running crazy with it. I am going to have clean baseboards at every time change from now on but there is more. I may be a little too ambitious with my time-change-to-do list since I only have a month, but I will keep you updated on my progress. I didn't get started today because I was out of every grocery staple but it is on like Donkey Kong tomorrow, as soon as Killian and I get back from story time.
Feel free to take my list and make it your own. If you're attempting something similar let me know how it goes! Post your own list here and keep us updated on your wade through dusty curtains and cobwebbed corners.

1. Check all smoke detectors.
2. Replace fridge's water filter.
   
3. Clean out kitchen cabinets. Donate what's unlikely to be eaten and rarely used small appliances.
4. Move and clean behind stove and fridge.
5. Clean all interior windows.
6. Clean all exterior windows. (YIKES!)
7. Get carpets professionally cleaned.
8. Dust all light fixtures and replace at least 1 bulb in each room with a CFL.
9. Get yard ready for winter *directions to follow* including getting all toys boxed up and inside.
10. Clean baseboards!