Book Review: Heloise's Kitchen Hints

I'm starting a new feature here at All Things Domestic - Book Reviews! It seems only fitting, since I have plenty of time for reading these days. I can't guarantee that all the books I read are of a domestic nature, and as you'll really see for this first book, I can't guarantee that the books will even be current (!), but I do hope that you will enjoy this feature.

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Heloise's Kitchen Hints by Heloise
(first published in 1963; my copy appears to be the 1965 edition)

This particular book was one that I found here in the old homestead, presumably a book my mother had kept on hand. The book had been thrown into the yard sale boxes, but I rescued it from the yard sale tables this past weekend. It looked too interesting to sell! Well, I read the entire book in about a day. It's written in short easy blurbs and is a compilation of Heloise's own tips, as well as those she had received from other housewives around the country. Some of the tips I already use, some I would never dare to use, and some have simply become outdated thanks to modern advances, either in technology or in cleaning products. On the whole, it was really interesting to read this little snippet about what my life might have been like 45 years ago. I have looked at older cook books before - they are full of ways to stretch a meal, how to tenderize the cheaper cuts of meat and they usually make mention of LARD. Lots of lard. I was pleasantly surprised to see not a single mention of lard anywhere in this book. I wonder if had become outdated or out of vogue by the mid '60s? In any event, it was a handy and interesting little read. What drew me in though, and actually inspired me to read the ENTIRE book, was the introduction. It summarized many of my feelings and thoughts on what exactly a housewife is. Below is an excerpt of that introduction. I hope you enjoy it!

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"Dear Fellow Housewives,

... Thinking of and doing for others should be foremost in our daily lives. In everything we do, whether it be making beds, doing dishes or cooking, we should do it with love.

The heart of a good household - the most sweetly rewarding part of woman's domain and family responsibility - is the kitchen.

If your kitchen isn't an enjoyable place for you, it should and can be! The secret is in learning to do things the easier ways. There is an easier way, a short cut, that can make most tasks more pleasant.

... The pressure or thought of all these hundreds of things we have to do each day is what causes "nerves." Nerves call for tranquilizers. Tranquilizers call for doctors! Save your money! Calm your nerves, and you can get things done an easier way.

You can save, too. Ignore what any neighbor may think of your cutting corners economically. She doesn't pay your bills or balance your budget!

You, the homemaker, are the backbone of the world. If it weren't for you there would be no home, family, or world fit to live in. You are a homemaker: chef ... nurse ... court of appeals, peacemaker, home economist, purchasing agent, budget and record keeper, decorator, hostess.

How else would we have such wonderful experiences and outlets? The mistress of a home is lucky. Bless you!

... Don't try to keep up with any relatives, in-laws, the boss or your neighbors. Just be yourself and do the best you can. And have yourself some relaxation and comforts! You deserve 'em.

... I feel a closeness to all mothers and homemakers - to you!

I share that com up tea or coffee with you every day. I only wish I were in your home, sitting at your table sharing it this day."

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By no means am I saying that women MUST be homemakers!! I am not at all a follower of the "barefoot and pregnant" mentality, and I am NO Michelle Duggar. All I'm saying is that I *enjoy* being a homemaker. I love being at home each day, making our house a HOME and tending our land. The introduction of this book was such an affirmation to me, that there is a place for homemakers in our world, even as most wives work outside of the home. I hope if you're feeling discouraged by the mounds of laundry and the stack of dirty dishes that you, too, can find some reassurance in Heloise's words. Just be yourself and do the best you can - after all, it's YOUR home, not Mary's, or Jane's, or Sue's, or ....... you get the point :)

Watching the Wildlife

This spring, I'm just constantly amazed at all the different wildlife we have around the homestead. I would suspect that a lot of these things were around when I was growing up, but I never saw them or they didn't dare to come as close to the house because there was more activity. But in any case, here's a sampling of the critters we've been keeping an eye on.

First up - the birds. Oh, the birds! There are times when I truly enjoy listening to their chirps and warbles, but I'll admit that there are a few times when I wish that even the birds could be quiet! We have at least one pair of cardinals. They like to frequent the front porch and try to eat from the suet feeder. We have a downy woodpecker and a hairy woodpecker. They both eat the suet, and both the cardinals and the woodpeckers can be quite noisy. These are also the birds who most antagonize our cats ;) We have at least one pair of bluebirds. They built a nest in the bluebird box we hung for them, but unfortunately the babies died before they left the nest. We aren't sure what got to them - whether it was a bad frost that we got, or if a critter of some sort got in there. Some swallows tried to take over the box and it seems they may have succeeded, at least for now. We have a nest in a second bluebird box but we aren't sure what bird it belongs to. There's at least one pair of Baltimore oriels flitting about. You can't miss their bright orange feathers! We've also spotted a scarlet tanager, an indigo bunting, and some gold finches. Of course, there's also the resident blue jays, chickadees, sparrows and nuthatches. We've got more than enough crows and at least one hawk who was very vocal this weekend as he (she?) patrolled the skies above the farm. We get occasional visits from starlings, which is unfortunate. They raid the feeders and harass the other birds, and because they aren't a native species, we don't want to encourage their presence around here. There are geese around the neighboring pond, but they thankfully don't visit our property. I'm not a fan of having to dodge piles of goose poo as I walk around outside. The most recent bird to be spotted, though, is the ruby throated hummingbird. I'm so very glad we have at least one hummer around. My mom was always very fond of them, and we used to sit on the porch and watch their antics as they fought over the feeder and fought for a mate. The hubs and I try to specifically choose plants that will attract both hummingbirds and butterflies - looks like it's paying off!

We also have several different reptiles and amphibians around here. Since we've got two creeks nearby, as well as a pond, we get quite the variety. We have both painted turtles and snapping turtles that have laid nests in the dirt surrounding our barn. The snappers venture over from the neighboring pond, while the painted turtles might very well be resident creatures. I snapped this picture of a snapper earlier this week. I call her Mama Snapper because I'm pretty sure she was here to lay her eggs. We've seen several garter snakes this spring - I'm OK with looking at them after the hubs has discovered them, but I'm not at all OK with being startled by one! We've also got a far assortment of toads and frogs, even the occasional newt or salamander. The peepers (tree frogs) are one of the very first signs of spring around here.

Then there's the mammals - the larger critters we share our land with. Of course we've got deer. Haven't seen any fawns, but I'm sure they're around. We're pretty sure there is a bear roaming our hill but we haven't heard of any recent sightings. We know that there are at least two skunks roaming about, and we're pretty sure where their den is. The hubby accidentally caught one in a Have-A-Heart trap a few weeks ago, and then I saw a different one strolling up our walkway a few nights after that. The one that I saw is unique looking - the white stripes on its back are so broad that they make its back seem to be completely white! These critters have us on our toes at night - no wandering about in the dark for us! The hubby saw what he thinks is a mink this weekend, which is really cool! I haven't seen it myself yet, but still - it's neat to just know that one is nearby. There are foxes further up the hill in our fields, as well as the occasional turkey. (Oops, the turkeys should have been up with the birds!) We've got a few bunnies around, as well as squirrels. The squirrels are quite fun to watch in the winter time, as they try to raid our bird feeders and then chase each other up and down the nearby trees. We have a resident black squirrel, which I think is just really cool! I guess the last mammal worth mentioning might be the groundhog, although we don't care for them and tend to, ahem, exercise "population control methods" when it comes to their existence on our property.

I think that might just about be all of the critters we share the farm with. I'm sure I've probably left one or two out, but I think you get the picture. We are very much not alone around here, and there are times when it's much more entertaining to watch the animal antics than even the best shows on the television!

Conclusions & Ideas

Hello? Hello? Anyone still out there? I’ve reached a conclusion. Well, several. Here goes.

1. I enjoy blogging. I enjoy the writing. I enjoy the capturing of memories and stories and the little random things that make up our day. 
2. I need to blog more often. If I enjoy it, why not make more time for it?
3. But even for as much as I enjoy it, I tend to only feel like doing it in "fits and spurts".

So, I’m going to try something new. A different approach. I’m going to try writing posts as I feel like it and schedule them to post every few days. Hopefully that will accommodate my varying levels of interest when it comes to writing, and it will help to evenly distribute some fresh content on this here bloggy. 

In other words, hopefully the blog won’t be silent for months and months (AND MONTHS) at a time.

I’ve also reached another conclusion. Well, maybe more of a decision.

I think I’m going to start referring to our happy little home as a “farm” or maybe even “the homestead”. Something with more of a “country” feel to it. Do we have crops? Not really, unless you count the two fields the neighbor grows hay on. Do we raise animals? No, or at least, not yet. We’ve contemplated chickens but they’re not on the timeline any time soon. But we do have a pretty large sized garden. And we’ve got a few dozen apple trees. And who could forget the 100+ blueberry bushes! And when you consider that we do have 20+ acres, I think we can safely consider ourselves to have more than just a “home”.

So there you have it. Some conclusions. Some ideas. Some fresh content. 

Hope you’ll come back again soon and check it out!

730 : 365

I regularly read several blogs to gain some inspiration in becoming a better domestic engineer and manager of my household. One of those is The Finer Things in Life. A week or so ago Amy posted here about her desire to eliminate some clutter in her life and in her home, and this desire then took the form of a challenge for her blog readers. I'm here today to let you all know that I am stepping up to the plate and accepting her challenge.

Amy is calling the challenge "730 in 365", based upon the idea of eliminating an average of 2 things per day from her home. However, she does state that the number chosen and the rules followed are up to each individual participant. After all, only the individual knows what she is facing when it comes to her own clutter-monster. I encourage you to go read the posts linked above on Amy's blog to get a better sense of what she's doing and why she is doing it, but for me - this is where I stand.

• We have too much stuff. 
• We have too much stuff that takes up too much space. 
• We have too much stuff that takes up too much space that doesn't get used often enough to warrant it taking up that much space. 
• We have certain goals in mind for the next few years that cannot be accomplished if our house continues to contain an overabundance of stuff.

Every person participating can choose their own number, but I do like the idea of an average of 2 things per day. So, I'm in for the 730 in 365. I may not reach that many, or I may totally blow that number right outta the park, but it's a goal and it gives me something to aim for. Now for the rules, as to what counts to the 730 and what does not.

• Regular household trash does not count. We each use a pair of Q-tips to dry our ears after every shower. Assuming 2 Q-tips per shower and 2 people taking showers each day, you're looking at 4 Q-tips per day right there. Not fair. Doesn't count. 
• Amy doesn't count food in her personal set of rules. I'm not sure how to handle this one. I tend to stockpile food and then end up with things that get tossed because they are freezer burnt or past their expiration date. Maybe I should penalize myself for each item that I have to throw out because I did not use it soon enough? 
• Items that are designated for elimination will only count once they have left my house, and that includes my garage. There are boxes and boxes AND BOXES of things sitting in my garage right now that are destined for a yard sale, but they are still taking up valuable SPACE. Therefore, I don't thing it's right that I consider them in the tally. When we do have our yard sale in the spring, I plan to keep a piece of scrap paper handy in order to keep track of how many items are leaving. 
• "Elinimation" can mean trash, yard sale, donation, or gifting, but really, trash should only mean things which are truly broken, beyond their lifespan, something that just won't sell or something I would not want to sell / donate. Think old socks and underwear in that last category. I would rather recycle something or try to make a buck off it before throwing it out (hey, nothing wrong with honesty!), so trash is kind of a last resort option.

I'm creating a special category for this little challenge (730 : 365) so you can track my progress more easily. I hope to check in periodically with updates as to how this is going. Amy will be hosting monthly link-ups so that those of us participating can share our progress, as well. Nothing like being accountable to others, as well as yourself, to keep you motivated on a year-long challenge such as this.

If any of you out there reading this are interested in participating with Amy and myself, please feel free to leave a comment. You can read more about it all at Amy's blog, and you can grab the Declutter Challenge button there too.

Come tour our new bedroom!

As I mentioned in my previous post, the house that we are moving into is the house that I grew up in. After my mom passed away over 2 years ago, we began cleaning it up and fixing it up. This fall we began work on painting the master bedroom. When my husband took his new job, we decided that it was a good time to do something about the bedroom furniture situation.

The existing furniture in that room was a pair of twin beds, pushed together, with a dresser, chest of drawers and night stand. The bedroom furniture we've been using since we got married is the set that I used as a child, and it was actually my grandfather's set before that. And the bed is only a full size - not fun! So, we decided that since we were moving into the house, it was the perfect time to look into buying some new furniture.

Allow me to present a photo tour of the room that resulted from all this painting and furniture-buying. There are no "before" pics. After painting several other rooms in the house, the novelty of "before" and "after" pictures has long worn off. Let's just say that the wall color was a pale pastel green - think the institutional green of the late 1960's and 1970's. When we began cleaning the room, the carpets were the first things to go. They revealed beautiful wooden floors with very wide planks - over 12 inches wide, with many approaching 16 or 18 inches. The floors were in great shape, but we wanted to repaint everything else. This picture is a close-up of the comforter set that inspired the colors for this room. It's a Ralph Lauren set that I got a great deal on at Kohl's. Unfortunately it has since been discontinued or retired.

The wall color is based on one of the blues within this pattern. The pictures do not do it justice. I don't even remember the name of the paint color, but it also didn't do it justice. The best way I can describe it is that bright blue color of the sky in October, when it's bright and sunny outside without a single cloud in the sky. We decided on this particular color because it was the only blue paint chip that did not morph into some strange purple or gray color when the lighting in the room changed. There aren't any pictures of just the paint color by itself, so allow me to also present to you our new furniture.

Here you can see the bed and 2 night stands. We had to relocate the far night stand because the closet can't be opened, but no worries - it has a happy new home under one of the windows.

Here you can see the dresser with mirror and chest of drawers. You can also really see the floors in this picture. The furniture is a pine that is just a shade lighter than the floors. We couldn't have picked a better color.


The rest of these pictures don't show anything new - they were just me playing around and being "artistic".

Thanks so much for touring our new bedroom! Now, it's time to test out this new bed......

B.W.O.

B.W.O.

It means Blogging Without Obligation.
It means that you blog about what you want to.
It means that you blog how you want to.
It means that you blog for your own reasons.
It means that you blog when you want to.

Even if that means 6+ weeks go by between posts.

Let's just say that it's been some crazy 6+ weeks. My husband has taken a new job, and we are in the process of moving. We are very excited, because not only is this a new job with new opportunities and better benefits and pay, but it also allows us to move to the town that I grew up in. Not just the town that I grew up in, but the very house that I grew up in. It's been a very long journey to bring us to this point, and most certainly not all parts of it were joyous, but we feel so very, very blessed to be doing this. A lot of hard work has gone into getting us, and the house, to this point, and there will be a lot more work to come, but it will all be worth it in the end.

So, that's where I've been and what I've been up to - dealing with all these changes! I'm hopeful that, as things settle out in the next few weeks, my blogging will begin to be more frequent. I do enjoy the process, for various reasons, but sometimes real life gets in the way. That's why I B.W.O.

RECIPE: Pumpkin Spice Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

Pumpkin Spice Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting
As usual, comments are in italics. This recipe was from Betty Crocker's Fall Baking magazine/cookbook from last year. Sorry there's no picture. I'm trying to get this posted in a timely fashion :) My husband and I both agreed that the flavor was almost reminiscent of carrot cake, but obviously without the pieces of carrots.


Bars
4 eggs
2 C granulated sugar
1 C vegetable oil
1 can (15 oz) pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie mix) I used 2 C of cooked & mashed pumpkin.
2 C flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 C raisins (optional)

Frosting
1 8 oz package of cream cheese, softened
1/4 C butter (half a stick), softened
2 to 3 tsp milk
1 tsp vanilla
4 C powdered sugar (That's a 1 pound box, fyi.)
1/2 C chopped walnuts (optional)

Heat oven to 350F. Spray bottom and sides of 15x10x1 pan with cooking spray. (I don't have a pan that size, so I used a pan that was slightly bigger than 9x13 - it was 9.5x13.5. That made the "bars" more like cake, but it was yummy nonetheless.) 

In a large bowl, beat eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin with a wire whisk until smooth. Stir in flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. Stir in raisins. Spread in pan.

Bake 25 to 30 minutes (30 to 35 if using a 9x13 pan) or until toothpick comes out clean and bars spring back when touched lightly in center. Cool completely, about 2 hours.

In medium bowl, beat cream cheese, butter, milk and vanilla with electric mixer on low speed until smooth. Gradually beat in powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, on low speed until smooth and spreadable. Spread frosting over bars, and sprinkle with walnuts if desired. Store covered in refrigerator.

The recipe says that in a pinch, you can use 2 and 1/2 tsp of pumpkin pie spice instead of the cinnamon/ginger/cloves mix.

RECIPE: Cream of Broccoli Soup

Cream of Broccoli Soup
As usual, commentary in italics.

2 and 1/2 C finely chopped broccoli (peel any thick stems)
1/4 C butter
1/4 (to 1/2) C finely chopped onion
1/3 C flour
2 C milk
2 chicken bouillion cubes
1/8 tsp nutmeg (optional)
1/2 tsp salt
1 C Velveeta (I did use Velveeta, but next time I might try cheddar.)

Cook broccoli until tender and reserve cooking liquid. Melt butter in a skillet. Saute onion in butter until translucent and tender, then blend in flour. When flour is incorporated, slowly stir in milk. Add bouillion cubes, nutmeg, salt and cheese. Cook and stir until thickened. When cheese is completely melted and soup is thick, allow it to boil for 1 minute. Add 1 C of the broccoli cooking liquid and stir well. Add broccoli and heat through. Optional: Use a blender, hand blender or food processor to make soup smooth.

1 - As you can see in the picture, I opted to not blend the soup.
2 - I garnished with shredded cheddar cheese.
3 - To round out the meal, I breaded chicken tenders with panko bread crumbs that I seasoned with various spices. I then sauteed the tenders in EVOO - that's Rachel Ray-speak for "extra virgin olive oil".
4 - The recipe came from a great cook book and all-around awesome kitchen resource, "The Practical Produce Cookbook." Yes, the recipe is called Cream of Broccoli Soup, even though it really amounts to Broccoli Cheese Soup. Call it whatever you want - I call it YUMMY.

As a side note, this soup was incredibly easy to make and tasted way better than anything in a can or from a restaurant. If I had used regular cheddar instead of Velveeta, it would have also been all-natural. After I made the chicken tenders, I was actually kinda bummed that I had used the processed (artificial) Velveeta.

Mini-Oktoberfest: Spiced Apple Compote, aka Stewed Apples (RECIPE)

I found this recipe in a free magazine offered by the grocery store that I shop at. As usual, commentary in italics.

Spiced Apple Compote

1 and 1/2 C water (I used a 50/50 mix of water and apple juice.)
1/4 C sugar
1 whole cinnamon stick
3 whole cloves
Peel from half a lemon (You want to avoid getting the white part of the rind when you do this. A gentle hand and a regular vegetable peeler worked for me.)
Juice from half a lemon, or 3 tbsp lemon juice
4 cups peeled and sliced firm apples (I used 4 good sized apples and didn't bother to measure if this was 4 cups worth or not. I used Golden Delicious, because I like their flavor for cooking dishes to be served with a meal - not so much when it comes to baking or applesauce - but they will get soft or mushy if overcooked.)
1/4 C raisins

In a medium saucepan, combine water, sugar, cinnamon stick, cloves, lemon peel and lemon juice. Bring liquid to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Add the apples and simmer uncovered 5 to 8 minutes, or until the apples are tender but not mushy. Remove from heat, remove lemon peel and add raisins. Allow mixture to cool slightly, transfer to a bowl and refrigerate. Remove cinnamon and cloves before serving.

I got this all set up and cooking first, before beginning the other dishes that I made. This was good in the sense that the apples had the chance to cool slightly before we ate them, but it was bad in the sense that I inadvertently cooked them a bit longer than I should have. I did not refrigerate them before serving and don't intend to serve the leftovers cold because I think they are better warm.

Also, if you feel like fishing around in there to remove the whole cloves - be my guest. I left them in there and warned my husband about their presence because I knew if I went on a hunting expedition to dig them out, I would end up mushing the apples even more.

Lastly, the leftovers would be good for breakfast the next day, alone or served on top of some oatmeal. Haven't tried this myself, but the concept sounds yummy so I'm recommending it.

I hope you've enjoyed this mini-series on Oktoberfest types of foods. I enjoy cooking and sharing both the foods and the recipes, so expect to see more of this type of thing around here :) .

Mini-Oktoberfest: German Potato Pancakes (RECIPE)

I got this recipe from my friend, E, who had gotten it from All Recipes. This was the first time I had ever attempted to make potato pancakes, and I experienced some trial and error. I will definately make them again, because they were very tasty, but I will do some tweaking or (ahem) "process improvements" the next time around. See my commentary, in italics, for more info. The picture to the left shows the first tate cake after I removed it from the pan to drain.


German Potato Pancakes

2 eggs
2 tbsp flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
6 medium potatoes, peeled and shredded
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup vegetable oil

In a large bowl, beat together the eggs, flour, baking powder, salt and pepper. Mix in the potatoes and onion. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. In batches, drop heaping tablespoons of the potato mixture into the skillet. Press to flatten. Cook about 3 minutes on each side, until browned and crisp. Drain on paper towels.

Note on potato quantity: My potatoes were of varying size, mainly because I was using some taters that were past their prime and needed to have larger sections around the eyes cut off while I was peeling them. This meant that I used more than 6 actual taters in making this recipe. Because of that, when I mixed the taters with the rest of the ingredients, it didn't really look how I thought it should in terms of the texture - I thought the other ingredients should basically make a "batter" that would hold the shreds together, and that wasn't really the case. I decided to double the batter ingredients and that seemed to help a lot.

Note on forming the tater cakes: When they say "heaping tablespoon", they really mean it. Use a measuring spoon type of tablespoon, rather than a serving spoon type of tablespoon. Bigger tater cakes are much more difficult to flip, and they take a lot longer to cook. Also, because it took me a little while to get thru making all these tater cakes, a lot of liquid came out of the potato mixture while it sat. As I scooped up the mixture, I used the back of a fork to press out as much liquid as possible before I dropped it into the oil.

Note on the quantity of oil: I ended up using a lot more than 1/4 cup of oil. This was partly due to the fact that I used my largest skillet, and 1/4 cup did not even cover the bottom of it. However, the tater cakes also seemed to absorb a significant amount of the oil, so I found myself adding a little bit more oil to the pan before I reloaded the pan with more tater cakes.

Note on cooking: Many of my tater cakes needed more than 3 minutes per side. My recommendation would be to cook them on the first side until they are done enough to hold together. They should be golden brown on that side by that time. If you go by the 3 minute rule, they might not be cooked enough and they probably won't hold together well enough to be flipped over.

Additional note: My husband mentioned, and I agree, that there are tater cakes that are more like mashed taters formed into cakes instead of using the shredded taters. This may be a personal preference or texture issue. I'm not sure which version is more "authentic", but I plan on researching it out of curiosity. I might consider trying the mashed tater version, or even a "hybrid" version, just to see which we like better.

One last note: Serve these with a dollop of sour cream on top for maximum yumminess.