Rag Tag

Our small change for March is not groundbreaking. It is not original or progressive in any way. In fact, families have been doing this for centuries. I hope you're not too disappointed.

My family is going to make a greater effort to use rags (I know, last month I wrote about trash, this month...rags. Can I bore you any more? But for the sake of the One Small Change challenge, bear with me). We have already cut out paper goods for the most part—we use cloth napkins, dishrags and the like, but I have a confession to make. We almost always have a roll of paper towels in the house. Yes, we buy the 100% recycled kind and use them sparingly, but still. I suppose we keep them on hand because there are some messes that I just can't bear the thought of having to do any more with than just get rid of, and fast. Like cat puke, or a dead mouse dragged in by said cat.

Part of me has been wanting to do away with paper towels for a while now, so I decided that if we just have enough rags, an over-abundance of them, then it would be no big deal if a few needed to get tossed every now and then. So we went through the drawers and found the clothes that were too stained or otherwise destroyed to go in the donate pile. Then we cut them up, making our already-impressive stash of rags even more plentiful.

Now all our cat-related messes and beyond, that I just can't bear the thought of throwing in the wash, can be wiped up with a rag and immediately disposed of. And the rag bucket under the sink will still be overflowing. (Now? I just need to come up with a clever way to store those rags, that would make them more easily accessible. Suggestions welcome.)

Bonus! The girls had fun saving the 'good parts' of the clothes we cut up. The embroidery, buttons, ruffles, and appliques were carefully cut off and gathered up for some future crafty fun.

Use It or Lose It: The Series

Our One Small Change for January was to be more conscious about the food we have in the house, and waste less of it. So, for the past month we have made an extra effort to use up the produce and other perishable foods before they have a chance to rot. With a little imagination, we came up with (and found) some new recipes that include those cast away ingredients in the fridge. I'll be sharing those recipes here in a new series called Use It or Lose It.

I'm starting off the series with this recipe for Savory Tortilla Chips, in an effort to use those tortillas before they turn a fuzzy blue-green.

Start with a handful of tortillas and cut into quarters (the girls love any task that calls for the kitchen scissors).

Coat a baking pan with olive oil (or any cooking oil) and arrange the tortilla pieces in a single layer. Spray the tops of the chips with olive oil and sprinkle with chili powder, curry powder, and salt (use whatever ratios you prefer). Bake at 350° for 4-5 minutes, turn each chip over and return to the oven for another 5-6 minutes. Be sure to watch them closely after 4 minutes, as they can go from perfect to charred in a flash. The chips will be a bit soft when you first take them out but they will crisp as they cool.

The variations to this recipe are endless and, really, you could use whatever spice combo you can come up with. Plain salt and pepper would be great, or a sweet version using butter, sugar and cinnamon sounds delicious, too. Enjoy!

...and February's One Small Change is in the works, stay tuned.