Wed 1 Jun 2005
If you are dysfunctional as I am in this area you might enjoy all the hard work Kim has done.
My Master Recipe List for Meal Planning
Homemaking
Archived Posts from this Category
Thu 23 Jun 2005
Fri 8 Jul 2005
After our supper tonight of corn-on-the-cob and peach cobbler and that’s all, my dh read-aloud from Redwall.
Martin and Brome are no different than us. We also dream all winter of simple summer meals. Nothing like a British author to make the stomach growl.
From Brian Jacques, ” Martin…’Does she cook anything nice?’
‘She cooks everything nice,’ Brome sighed longingly. ‘Mushroom and chestnut stew, wild onion and leek soup, spring vegetable pasties, nutbread, oatfarl, wheatcob, all piping hot from the ovens, She bakes blackberry and apple tarts, plum maple pudding, elderberry pie with yellow summercream, gooseberry preserv scones, hot with butercup spread-’
felldoh massaged his shrunken stomach as he wailed aloud. ‘Stop, stop! I can’t stand it. All that beautiful food.’”
Sat 9 Jul 2005
Every once in a while I have a success in the kitchen. My latest success is homemade yogurt.
After reading French Women Don’t Get Fat I started researching yogurt makers. Years ago I had a set of those little cup yogurt makers but it was a lot of hassle for a little yogurt. Because the price was right I decided to buy a quart yogurt maker this go round. It has been a grand success.
This morning we are having homemade yogurt over fresh blueberries. Good-for-you never tasted so wonderful.
It is very easy to start a batch of yogurt each day. I am especially happy about this since Christopher is on high-powered antibiotics. Now we can have whole milk yogurt without any added sugar, something virtually impossible to buy at the store, and the kids love it !!
I only wish we were able to pick our own blueberries like this longtime friend. Kerplink, Kerplank, Kerplunk!
Thu 14 Jul 2005
Here is an easy supper sandwich that we are having tonight.
Cut up chicken breast into strips.
Marinate in Newman’s Own flavor of choice.
Grill strips.
Broil/toast rolls or buns of choice.
spread homemade Guacamole on bread.
Add Chicken strips, lettuce, tomato and onion (red onions are nice here) and cheese of choice…I like swiss.
Yum !!
Anyone out there ever make panini’s at home. I would like to try a few different recipes.
Tue 13 Dec 2005
Fill a saucepan with fresh, cold water. Put on the burner and heat until it has a full rolling boil.
In the meantime, fill the ceramic teapot (Brown Betty is supposed to be the best) with hot tap water. This is to heat the pot up before making the tea.
Measure 3-4 teaspoons of loose tea into this infuser.
When the water is boiling pour out the warm water in the teapot, hang the infuser in the pot, and pour the boiling water into the teapot, making sure the infuser is deep in the water not floating on top.
Set the timer for 3 minutes and wait.
Take out infuser(or leave it in and add more water as needed). Add sugar to pot or cup.
Pour small dot of cream into the bottom of pretty cups.
Carry pot, cream and sugar to the living room. Sit in front of lighted Christmas tree, listening to Christmas music or reading a Christmas book.
Invite civilized family member (that would be Emily) to join in.
Pour tea and drink. Pour and drink again. Repeat.
Sat 17 Dec 2005
I found this recipe in a magazine ad many years ago and now it is a family favorite. It is the favorite cookie of several of my boys.
I finally get to add a post to homemaking. I am terribly lacking in that category and I blame it on the fact that I don’t have older daughters.
To think of my poor nerves as I daily suffer the flutterings and twitterings of too many boys. It’s a wonder I cook at all. I daresay we shall all die of starvation when poor Mr Rollins is gone.
( OK, I have been watching too many movies.)
Double Chocolate Treasures
One 12 oz package of chocolate chips (semi-sweet preferred),
1/2 cup of butter (or margarine)
3/4 cup of sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups of oats ( Quick or Rolled Old Fashioned. I use Rolled)
1 1/2 cups of flour
2 tsps baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup powedered sugarHeat oven to 350.
Melt 1 cup of chocolate chips. ( microwave and stir ) cool slightly.
Beat together butter & sugar until light and fluffy.
Blend in eggs, vanilla and melted chocolate.
Add combined dry ingredients, not including powdered sugar.
Stir in remaining chocolate chips.
Shape into 1-inch balls and roll in powered sugar, coating heavily.
Place on ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake 10 minutes. Do not overbake.
Cook on wire rack.
Makes about 5 dozen…..well of course not, I think I made about 3 dozen out of this recipe yesterday.
Tue 20 Dec 2005
Tomorrow is another day. Once again I plan on making cookies tomorrow. Here is my cookie list.
Double Chocolate Treasures
Decorated Sugar Cookies
Crescents
&
Chocolate Macaroons (not really macaroons though)
I posted this recipe last year but since that is not online anymore here it is again. It may be my favorite cookie, unless I have eaten a bunch and then I don’t care for them at all. :sick_ee:
Chocolate Macaroons
1 pkg Devil’s Food Cake Mix
1 cup flaked coconut, toasted
1/2 cup rolled oats, toasted
3/4 cup butter, melted
2 tsps vanilla
2 eggs, slightly beaten
6 Hershey bars ( or several chocolate chips per cookie)
3/4 cup coconutCombine first 6 ingredients
Chill
Drop dough by heaping teaspoons 2 inches apart n ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake 350 for 10 minutes
Immediately top each hot cookie with 1 chocolate square or a few chocolate chips.
Spread to frost
Sprinkle with coconut.
Wed 21 Dec 2005
Sugar Cookies
Ethel’s Sugar Cookies from the Betty Crocker Cooky Cookbook I am working on my 2nd copy of this one. I at least double this recipe.
ETHEL’S SUGAR COOKIES
3/4 c. shortening ( butter)
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2-1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. saltMix shortening, sugar, eggs, and flavoring thoroughly. Stir flour, baking powder, and salt together; blend in. Chill at least 1 hour.
Heat oven to 400. Roll dough 1/8″ thick on a lightly floured board. Cut with 3″ cooky cutter. Place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake 6 to 8 minutes, or until cookies are a delicate golden color. Makes about 4 dozen.
I make the cookies thin in lots of different shapes: bells, santas, christmas trees (the favorite shape), little hands, gingerbread people etc.
After they cool I make icing:
powdered sugar
milk
vanilla (no vanilla in the white)
food coloring
We cover our big dining room table with wax paper and set out the icing and sugars, etc.
We make about 6 colors of icing with extra red, white and green.
We paint the cookies with the icing and add all kinds of sugars and drops to decorate.
We let the cookies dry.
Then my dh and I judge who decorated the best Santa and the best overall cookie.
Then I try and save the cookies from immediate destruction via eating, for our neighbors and friends and also our ain Christmas Eve party.
Thu 9 Mar 2006
Yesterday, Carmon, and before that Jon, discussed the new trend called Crunchy Cons. For a full report you can read Carmon’s words. I like the idea of Crunchy Cons because as someone in Carmon’s comments said it is like adding granola to yogurt, each person adds a different amount of crunchy. The truth is we all think different things are important. And they are. Working out our salvation sometimes means we practice our common principles differently.
I would like to apply that to the homeschool community. Sometimes I think the homeschool community wants everyone to be vanilla pudding. I have blogged about that before. While we never did join ATI we did look just like an ATI family on the outside. We even agreed with many ATI values but we were NOT Gothard followers at heart.
Last week a homeschool mom asked me if I wanted to learn to bake bread. Whoosh, did that bring back a flood of emotions. Of course, I KNOW how to bake bread; I have been homeschooling for 20 years. I know how to buy wheat and grind it and make it. But I don’t. Not at this time. I gave all my Y2k wheat away. I didn’t want that sitting around making me feel guilty for 40 years. At first I told her about having boys and no time. Then she told me about a mom whose boys make all the family bread. Yes, my boys COULD in a pinch be the breadmakers and they DO do all the housework etc. Oh, she said, are you the family that does BASEBALL? I could see immediately that I had been kicked out of the club. Yes, since Doug Phillips has never written about BASEBALL, it doesn’t make the homeschool cut.
Poor Doug that is a big burden to bear. I sure hope he writes about baseball soon.
He could mention that it gives the whole family fresh air and sunshine which in turn brings good cheer. We don’t miss the spring by being indoors too much because of baseball. It helps the children practice submitting to evil authorities (umpires). It teaches teamwork and knowing your place. It destroys visions of granduer made up of castles in the air. There is no crying in baseball; you have to take responsibilty for your own mistakes. It gives parents a chance to cheer for their children and not just bark out orders (you know you bark out orders). It develops muscles but not those obnoxious football ones. It requires skill & intellect; the perfect neoclassical sport. I bet you can guess that I could go on all day. I could.
So those of you who are friends with our man Doug, please pitch him the idea of writing a column on baseball.