Steam Cleaning Furniture

I recently purchased a steam cleaner for refreshing my furniture and carpet. I have rented a steam cleaner before, and it turns out that buying one is quite affordable. It’s also nice being able to use it whenever I want without having to pick one up at the supermarket and dealing with other people’s crud. I used it for the first time the other night, but I couldn’t tell whether it was actually cleaning the furniture or not. But then I emptied the dirty water tank, and it was filthy. There was even some sludge in the bottom. And when I looked at the chair I cleaned in the morning’s daylight, I realized that it had definitely improved. How did I know this? Because the spot I missed stuck out like the dirty streak it is. See it on the front left of the chair cushion?

While I definitely appreciate the newfound cleanliness the steam cleaner has provided, it wasn’t as painless to use as the online reviews made it out to be.  First, I couldn’t help but spray water all over the place. I was covered in cleaning solution, and so were the towels I put down to protect the floor. Second, the cleaner is incredibly loud! Poor Stella tried to escape the racket by curling up on the windowsill behind the curtains. So cute! I also felt a distinct ringing sensation in my ears when I was through cleaning, so I can only imagine what it was like for her!

Overall, I’m really satisfied with the results, and I’m looking forward to having my other pieces of furniture be just as clean. But I’m less looking forward to the actual cleaning process!



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Food for Me-Time

When I’m cooking for myself, I like to make things that are fast, don’t require a trip to the market, and delicious to their core. These aren’t dishes that I’d ever present to another person because they’re often ugly to look at and nutritionally imbalanced. But they sure do make me happy! I’ll present one to you just in case you want to indulge in some guilty goodness the next time you’re alone. My most recent slapped together but delicious dinner was angel hair pasta with tomato sauce, fried eggs, parmesan cheese, and crusty bread.

This personally pleasing dinner doesn’t really require a recipe (feel freeee!) but here’s how I made it. First, chop up a very fresh tomato and put it in a pan with olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper. Let it simmer away until it reaches the consistency you want your sauce to be. Less cooking time for watery sauce and a longer simmer for thicker sauce. I like mine somewhere in between. Then, cook your pasta until it is al dente. Drain it and pour the tomatoes over it. It’s good to let the pasta and sauce sit for a few minutes so the pasta can absorb any leftover juices from the sauce.

While the pasta and tomatoes mingle, fry up some eggs. Keep your yolks runny for an extra treat. When the eggs are done, put them on top of the pasta (it doesn’t even matter if you massacre them like I did) and sprinkle it all with a generous serving of grated parmesan cheese.

To make your dinner even better, eat it with some freshly toasted, crispy bread. If you’re going for a personally satisfying meal, go all the way. With pasta, egg, cheese, and crusty bread, you can’t go wrong!

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Crisped Fingerling Potatoes

There is a lot to love about these potatoes. They are incredibly fast and easy to make, they’re delicious, they have great texture, and they fit in perfectly with both breakfast and dinner. They’re one of a select few potato preparations that David can’t get enough of. I bet you won’t be able to either!

The first thing you have to do to enjoy this fabulous side dish is cook your potatoes. You can bake them or boil them, but for ultimate speed and ease, I like to steam them.

Just put your potatoes in a covered vessel and microwave them for 5 minutes. There is no faster way to cook these fingerlings!

Once the potatoes are cool enough to handle (or using tongs to hold them still if you’re really pressed for time/hungry), slice them length-wise down their centers. Then, heat some olive oil or butter in a pan.

Place the halved potatoes cut side down in the pan.  Give the pan a shake every now and again while you cook the potatoes until the bottoms are golden brown. Oh la la!

Season your potatoes with anything you want- herbs, salt, pepper, cheese. The best part about eating these potatoes is getting to sink your teeth into their crispy but delicate crust. Yumm. Crisped fingerlings are great to pair with anything from chicken to steak to your morning eggs. But I’m also with you if you eat them all on their own. Gobble, gobble!

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