4 months ago, my eldest son's fiancee and daughter moved into my house, due to a stroke of bad luck for them. Despite the typical changes, having a small one in the house again after so many years of not, a good deal of accommodation has been made. 5 adults, 3 teens and an infant (now toddler) makes for a very full, very chaotic home, at times! My office and mudroom have become their living space, as our 4 bedrooms were already occupied - all of my crafts, books, papers, photo albums, etc. have been relocated to my extremely cramped bedroom, for this. Accommodation!
Our two biggest struggles have been housework sharing and cooking something for family meals that everyone will enjoy. I struggle with OCD, on a daily basis, so there really hasn't been a solution I've found or created to help me manage the housework issue. Cooking, however, has been a challenge that I've faced rather valiantly - so I believe, anyway! My future daughter in-law and my daughter are both exceptionally picky. My daughter only likes Asian cuisine and chicken. She hates several veggies, and most comfort foods - though she does enjoy turkey and roast, thankfully. My daughter in-law likes chicken, broccoli potatoes, fast food and authentic Mexican cuisine. She hates several veggies, doesn't eat fruit for the most part, and only picks at most traditional meals. For me, the biggest challenge in feeding my crew is that if I don't prepare something that the two girls will at least pick at, they don't generally eat anything that day. They both tend to avoid eating throughout the day, until dinner. I want them both healthy and eating properly, so menu compromise is the name of my daily game. Thankfully, my daughter decided she needed to be picky, a few years ago, so I've had some time to hone my skills of accommodation and learn a few tricks to mealtime. No, every family meal does not please every family member, by any means - but it's compromise and a reasonable attempt. Except for pizza night - then all bets are off, and what comes out of the oven is what's available! Accommodating 7 very different eating habits and taste preferences presents quite a challenge, especially when they all vary so greatly, but with some extra time, care and attention, it can be managed - and not break the bank in the process. Budgeting for unexpected company and picky eaters will be a post all its own! If you would like to share any tips or tricks to picky eaters or accommodating large family mealtimes, feel free to comment - I'd love to hear what you have to say! Until next post, Cheers!
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It's hot, sticky, usually humid...but there are so many good thing about summer, especially in the Pacific Northwest, that you can almost forget about the parts that make you miserable.
My favorite aspects of the warmer season are all the produce that become available, as well as the creativity in the kitchen. Making filling, healthy meals that won't heat your home unnecessarily is a challenge I love to face! One of my favorites is cool veggie pizza - it's quick, easy, healthy and satisfying. AND, as an additional bonus, your body doesn't realize that you aren't cheating on your diet! :) The produce bounty amazes me, every year, even though I know what to expect. Like magic, once we have our first day with a temperature over 80 degrees, there are signs everywhere you go for farmer's markets or you-pick orchards/farms. Berries, melons, corn, beans, apples, broccoli and cauliflower - the list just grows longer, with the season - a canner's dream come true, right in our backyard! Speaking of backyards, it has been a small dream of mine to begin my own small scale garden, but sadly it didn't happen this year. It would be so wonderful to walk out my side door and pick fresh goodies from my own garden where I control everything that touches my produce! For now, however, I'm content with purchasing locally grown food, and enjoying it with my family. A little treat to leave you with: Quick & Easy Fruit Pops Dice up some of your favorite fruit, reserving that wonderful juice! Toss into your food processor (I love my Ninja!) until mostly smooth, then mix with that reserved juice and a small amount of water or coconut/almond milk for a creamier treat. If you prefer your pops to be a bit sweeter than natural flavor, add a small amount of sugar or white corn syrup. Pour into small paper cups and set into your freezer for about half an hour, or until tops are just past a slushy state. Pop a small popsicle stick into the center of each cup, then let freeze until solid. Enjoy yourselves, this week! Remember the sunscreen, water safety practices, and stay hydrated! A few weeks ago, I checked out a book from my local library, not really expecting much but a few tidbits of 'oldschool charm.' It touts timeless bits of household wisdom, and some of the tips date back to the late 1800s, so I didn't hold too much stock in what I'd find, being perfectly honest. However, I've been very surprised! I've found so many tips and tricks that are still sound and practical to this day - some I'd already learned in my youth from my grandmother, and many that I hadn't heard of before. I have to say, I'm quite pleased. so much so, that I will purchase my own copy to have on hand in my home.
1,000 OLD-TIME HOUSEHOLD HINTS Timeless Bits of Household Wisdom for Today's Home and Garden By the editors of Yankee Magazine pages: 348 Detailed Resource List and Index There are sections detailing tips for managing time and space in kitchens, entertaining, preserving and even garden care. Vinegar as a cleaning agent, as well as a natural pest control spray. Peroxide as a silver polish, as well as a toothpaste in a pinch. This book is full of useful tips. Yes, there are some things that are certainly outdated, and frankly, dangerous... but so many years ago, hazards we think of as commonplace today weren't known. There are also some interesting factual tidbits of the times, such as hemline lengths and styles for women in the early 1900s that were seen as revolutionary and risque. A mix of informational old writings, coupled with practical hearth and home tips, I love this book! It will surely have a home on my shelf, for years to come. This week didn't start out nearly as smoothly as I had anticipated it would, to say the very least! It began with an exploding 2-gallon pot of homemade barbeque sauce and a shattered lid, and just got more eventful/exciting/pathetically disastrous from there! Once that mess was cleaned up, I began the lovely chore of cleaning my walls. As always, an adventure within itself - why does no one (teens and young adults in my house) understand that it is NOT imperative to run your muddy/food-laden hands along the wall on the way up or down the stairs? The insanity!
All day, if it wasn't one thing upsetting my usual calm, it was another. I have terrible OCD, so when my calm pool is rippled, things tend to snowball in seemingly bizarre ways to the outsider, and I lose the desire to do much other than sit on the sofa with a dog or three or read/watch something I can get completely engrossed in for awhile. A long while, at times. Today was fairly close to being a tsunami, rather than just a ripple, so I'm sure you get the idea of my mental state by midday. Tomorrow will be different. Not necessarily better, but guaranteed different. On Thursday, I leave for my annual break of being everything to everyone at all times, and focus on myself exclusively. And, inevitably, miss the chaos more than is sane. While away, I'm going to hunt down some new cookbooks, as well as some new kitchen toys to review for you upon my return. Until the 23rd, cheers to a lovely lived-in home and a lull in the daily disasters! I'll be out of town, this weekend, for the graduation of my beautiful goddaughter, so my post is a bit early..but better early than forgotten!
This past week in my house has been positively insane!! Many changes have been made, including the move of my daughter-in-law to-be and 10 month old granddaughter into our crazy domain. Needless to say, between regular daily chores and cooking and watching the baby, I haven't had time to can or bake. I did manage to do a lovely barbeque beef jerky, a few days ago - it didn't last long! A few of us couldn't keep our paws out of the bag! Next week, I'll begin my weekly check-in here on the progress of my most recent batch(es) of homemade vanilla. I'm trying something different, so I'm interested to see how it will turn out, in a few months. More on that, though, later! I've added a section under the recipes tab for some of my family's favorite Amish recipes, for you. I hope you enjoy them as much as we do! We have Amish heritage, which was only recently discovered, but I've been very interested in every aspect of their daily lives and wholesome foods for years. Perhaps one day, I'll venture out to chase down some of my roots and completely immerse myself for awhile. For now, I'll daydream and eat some of the most amazing dishes available! Everyone have a safe and lovely week! I'll post again, soon. Cheers! I also prepared 2 pints of fruit juice for syrup rendering, as well as dehydrating 3 pounds of apricots. Sadly, those didn't turn out as they should have, but as with everything else, a reliable success rate is usually established through trial and error. Next adventure: jerky & pickled veggies!
Last week, on a lark, I checked out a book from my local library (yes, books still come in physical format!) entitled "1,001 Old-Time Household Hints - Timeless Bits of Household Wisdom for Today's Home and Garden." I've always enjoyed learning ways that generations in the past had of doing everyday things, and I've always been of the opinion that we over-complicate just about every darned thing we can. In the grand quest for 'efficiency,' we've actually made most daily projects/chores take longer and cost more - both financially and physically. And for all the spouting and touting that the 'healthier' crowd has been spreading about in recent years, the way that most people eat in current times is far less healthy than it ever used to be!
Let me share a few of the gems I've found in this book, in this post and the next; some are things I've actually been practicing in my own home, since I first learned how to cook and clean as a young child. Use Toothpaste For Wall Repairs There's no need to buy a new can of spackle to fill those two or three small nail holes in your wall, before painting. Spread a dab of non-gel toothpaste into each hole. The paste hardens and can be lightly sanded smooth in the same way as standard light spackle, and holds a coat of paint wonderfully. Brew Up A Fresher Room A room or house with a fireplace that's unused for several months (in a vacation home, for example) will often develop a slightly sooty odor as a result of drafts blowing through the house, even when the damper is shut. "The Old Farmer's Almanac for 1914" has this advice: Crumple old newspapers, put them in the fireplace and sprinkle coffee grounds over the papers. Light the pile and let it burn completely. The coffee aroma will clear the sooty smell from the room. Old-Fashioned Soap To Clean Showers Wash your shower stall with a laundry product that your great-grandmother probably had in her home: Fels-Naptha Bar Soap. Wet the bar and rub it with a non-abrasive scouring sponge. Scrub your shower walls and rinse clean. No film, no hard/soft water stains or dirt will be left behind. Warm Your Water A simple tip from "Houseplants and Their Care (1887), by Hugo Mulertt, will help you keep your tropical or desert houseplants both happy and healthy. "Water cold from the well or pump is not suitable for plants. Rainwater is best. The best rule in all cases is to use water warm to the hands." Simply fill buckets and allow them to sit indoors overnight. This also allows any chlorine in the water, which may cause leaf tips to brown/burn, to evaporate as the water warms to room temperature. Old-Time "Band-Aids" (this one is definitely worth the giggle!) The next time someone moans and groans about how much it hurts to yank an adhesive bandage off, remind them of this bygone alternative: In The Housekeeper's Hand Book (1915) it reads, "Bleeding of severe cuts may be stopped by the application of quantities of salt and flour, spread on thickly. This will answer in a moderate cut always. Cobwebs are used successfully also." Cabbage Cocktail During the Great Depression, this recipe was presented in The Service Cook Book (1933), and certainly seems to be a bit unusual. The F.W. Woolworth Co., the lovely folks to whom this was an exclusive publication for, suggested that diners should preface their meals with Sauerkraut Cocktail. The recipe: Combine 1/2 cup shredded fresh tomatoes, 1 cup sauerkraut, a few drops of meat sauce, 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice and 1/2 cup sauerkraut juice. This was to be chilled and served in small, decorative cocktail glasses. While a great many "life hacks," as they're currently termed, from the past are truly laughable to us moderners, there are still a vast collection of useful everyday tips and tricks that are worth their weight in gold. Using white vinegar for chemical-free cleaning, for example, or properly seasoning your cast iron cookpots with rendered lard or mineral oil are still great pieces of advice from our forefathers. Well, foremothers, but this isn't a game of the sexes! Look for more quips and tips, in my next post - I'm not finished, yet! It's mid-spring, and that means all the yummy farmer's market produce is back! For the last few weeks, I've been watching all of the local stores, biding my time until jars and other supplies are at the seasonal low pricing, and stocking up. I've been visiting local produce suppliers (I don't have a garden, sadly), watching the sales and ripeness progress. And finally, the boon hit! My kitchen is going to be crazy, this weekend, and likely through next week Tuesday or Wednesday, with a frenzy of canning. My list, so far:
I love the fact that canning my own food is not only healthier for my family, but also that it's budget-conscious. I've been adding up how much pre-packaged items that I typically prefer to make myself cost in the store. Even when those items are on sale, I still save anywhere from $30-$65 in a pantry-stocking market trip! That's money that my family can use to order in once a week, make an extra payment on a credit card, or go out for an evening of family entertainment. For me, canning also gives me a sense of deeper connection with generations past. Just 3 generations ago, my family relied on canning and otherwise preserving food, just to get by. It wasn't an unnecessary chore or a hobby, it was a way of life. And a very important one, at that! Produce, meat and grains were plentiful in only one or two seasons out of the year, so every bit that could be saved for later use was. Granted, I don't 'need' to preserve food. I can easily go to the market and purchase pretty much anything I desire or need for a meal, on any given day, year-round. But the satisfaction I get from doing the work myself, to ensure that I know exactly what goes into my family's bodies, as well as touching a piece of the past, means so much more to me that I find it not only enjoyable but personally necessary. I'm driven to do it, albeit on a smaller scale than our ancestors did, and I can't imagine going back to being a 100% mass-marketed supply consumer. Is it inconvenient, at times? Absolutely. Is it a lot of hard work? Indeed! Is it worth all the trouble? For me, yes. ******************************** For anyone who doesn't can, but is interested, or anyone who has canned for years but isn't quite up to speed on the latest safety guidelines for food preservation, here's a link to the information.: http://nchfp.uga.edu Where safety is concerned, you can NEVER have too much information. Safety standards change fairly often, and just because a process worked or was deemed 'the way' in the past does not make it a safe practice. Just because no one ever got sick from grandma's improperly canned veggies, doesn't mean that she did it correctly. She got lucky, and so did anyone who ate that food. It only takes one cluster of bacteria to make a person very ill - or even be fatal! Please, if you're going to can or otherwise preserve foods, make sure that you know the current safety guidelines, so that you minimize your risk of harming yourself or anyone else, as much as possible. |
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