Super quickie!
Ivy says: Remember I wrote that my grandma had saved thousands of peanut butter lids? Now I know what she must have been saving them for.
Appropriate Funeral Attire: Ask the Audience
Heather says: I will be attending the funeral of a friend on Monday. Due to being pregnant or nursing for the past five years, I have nothing I can just pull out of the closet. My church clothes are all light in color (think khaki, camel, and white). I would highly appreciate any fairly specific …
How About Some Pillow Talk
Dear Home Ec 101, I have two boys and a husband, and their pillows usually only last a year. I get the heebie-jeebies when I start noticing stains. I think they occasionally drool in their sleep, have sweaty heads, and the preschooler is prone to midnight nose bleeds….ew. (My pillow is pristine, of course.) When …
How to live on less: repurposing items
Ivy says: Today in the “How to live on less” series, let’s talk about repurposing items. This is a lesson learned from our Depression-era moms and grandmoms. The idea is to take items that have been used for one thing, and turn it into something else. This can be as simple as using a (washed …
In a Bind With a Beater
Dear Home Ec 101, I own a Kitchen Aid Professional 6 Qt. Stand Mixer. It is a nickel color. I accidently placed the burnished aluminum paddle/beater attachment in the dishwasher to wash (it can only be hand washed in warm soapy water). It also went through a rinse of white vinegar. Eeeeek!! When I removed …
Bread Making: Meet the Yeast
Yeast are tiny one-celled fungi. There are both benevolent and obnoxious strains. One can find yeast commercially for brewing, as a nutritional supplement, and for baking. In bread making, yeast digests sugars and creates carbon dioxide. The structure of the dough traps the gas, giving yeast bread its loft and softness. Too little yeast will …
Frying bacon is actually not rocket science
Ivy says: I might be the last person on earth to discover that frying bacon is easy peasy. When I was a kid at home, my mom always microwaved the bacon. That takes forever and you constantly have to pour off the bacon grease, which is a pain. I asked mom once if you could …
Bread Making: Introduction
Heather says: Over the coming weeks I will be posting a series of tutorials on bread making. If you are a novice baker, I invite you to attempt the tutorials in order. While I admire those who would like to begin by tackling 12 grain with sprouted wheat, may I suggest you practice on the …
How to live on less: The series
Dear Home Ec 101, I lost my job due to downsizing. The economy is so bad that I had a hard time finding a new job, and when I finally did find a new job, it was with less pay and fewer benefits. I’ve run up my credit cards and I owe a fortune. I …
Keep the Super Glue Lid from Sticking!
Dear Home Ec 101, Is there a trick to not supergluing the lid onto the superglue tube? They have a tendency to turn into a one-time-use product! Signed, ~Stuck on You Heather says: There actually is a very simple solution for this problem. Coat the threads of the cap with petroleum jelly. Super glue is …