Foodie Friday: Bacon Chicken Pasta Salad

No, your eyes are not deceiving you. It is Thursday. I decided since I skipped last week and since I will be attending a funeral tomorrow, I would post Foodie Friday a day early this week. Enjoy!

While staying at my parents' house, I reverted back to my old ways. When I was younger I took it upon myself to prepare summer lunches for the members of my family when they came home for a lunch break. Since I was at the house during the day this week, I figured I could start the tradition again. Only this time around, I came up with my own recipe rather than resorting to a blue and yellow box that comes with noodles and an orange powder.

Ingredients:

-8 oz penne regata pasta, cooked and rinsed in cold water

-one chicken breast, cooked and cut into inch cubes

-3 Roma tomatoes, diced

-5 slices bacon, cooked and diced

-1/4 c. shredded Parmesan cheese

-15 oz. chick peas

-1/2 c. mayo

-2 T ranch dressing mix

Mix together. Chill. Serve.

Great-Grandma Nana

Little Peachy has gotten to spend time in lots of loving arms lately. Most recently, with her great-grandma, Nana. Can you tell she has held a few babies in her lifetime?

You Are Getting Sleepy . . .

Want to know the secret to sleeping this peacefully? Grandpa. Peachy and I are at my parents' house this week. Its a rough way to pass a day (for both of them.) Wouldn't you say?

Happy Fourth!!

We are headed off on yet another trip. (Just breaking Little Peachy in.) I'll let you know how we traveled when I return. (We made a "little" purchase this week.)

For now there will be no Foodie Friday. Maybe next week . . .

Maybe this sweet picture will make up for it.

CYO: Mop Solution

The star of today's post: Vinegar

I am back and so is my sidekick vinegar. As promised, today's post will detail how I clean my hard floors. (So exciting, I know!)

To begin with, I have my other trusty sidekick, the Dutch Rubber Broom. This is essentially a broom with a rubber head. I also am equipped with two buckets. One is empty. The other has a solution of vinegar and warm water. (I sometimes will also add some Borax to up the ante.) I place several rags into the bucket with the vinegar. Then I wrap the broom head with one of the rags and proceed to mop the floor. Once the rag gets dirty it goes into the empty bucket and another rag is placed on the broom head. (This way you aren't repeatedly dipping a dirty rag/mop into your clean water.) When I have moped all of our floors, I simply pour out the vinegar solution and put the dirty rags into the laundry.

Vinegar's dashing co-star: Dutch Rubber Broom

The dirty rag bucket (Don't judge me for the seemingly uncleanliness of my cleaning buckets. We used them to clean paint brushes and rollers when we painted our home before moving in.)

The clean rag bucket/vinegar solution bucket

I have to admit, I did not come up with this process on my own. You will find this any many more green cleaning ideas in the book "Organic Housekeeping."