All - Home-Ec 101

Ask The Audience: Advise The Newlyweds

Ivy says: Our fabulous commenter Laura wanted to know: What is C.O.R.N? I’m new to the website and have seen this a couple of times. Just wondering. I’m also a newly wed so if anyone has so tips I’d appreciate them! Thanks!!! Well, Laura, I can easily answer the first part of the question, but …

Quick Tip: Using Up Dribs And Drabs

Ivy says: Everyone in my family- myself included- has a bad habit of leaving a bottle of body wash, shampoo, conditioner, etc, etc, etc. about a quarter full and moving on to the next bottle. This is entirely my fault because I constantly buy that stuff when I see it on sale, so we constantly …

Ask The Audience: Household Chores You Hate

Ivy says: Yesterday, between blowing my nose 83,000 times and walking around like a zombie because of the Sudafed and Benadryl combo that works for my comfort, but not for my nerves, I also cleaned up 50 piles of dog poo. Okay, perhaps not 50. More like 5. Still, that’s too much dog poo to …

Heather says: This creamy soup is quite rich, perfect for a chilly evening spent calling Midwestern family and asking, “Hey, how’s the weather up there?” (It was -2F yesterday, sorry about that) Yields: approximately 8 cups of soup Ingredients: 5 cups chicken broth 1 cup wild rice (If you aren’t a huge fan of …

Heather says: From time to time I get emails asking about different cuts of meat: what are they, where do they come from, and how on earth should I cook it? Since we don’t exactly have a huge production budget (it’s my weekly grocery budget after all), these questions are often deferred until the cut …

The importance of scheduling

Ivy says: It’s interesting how many people I know that had problems with their house getting piley over the holidays and now they’re scrambling to catch up on their household chores and routines. I’m included in that group- I’ve been doing a ton of laundry since this weekend and I still have laundry to do. …

Spanish Rice

Heather says: This flexible side dish can round out many Tex Mex meals. The recipe is flexible, what’s important is the ratio of liquid to rice and the technique. Feel free to increase the amount of chili powder, or add a little cayenne to kick up the spiciness. If you are serving beef, change to …

Dear Home Ec 101, Help oh great home ec goddesses! I was making breakfast for the kids, and didn’t have my tried and true apron on. As I am sure you guessed, I got grease on my favorite go to khakis. HELP!!!!!!! I need guidance! Thanks for all of your great tips. Signed, Greasy in …

Ivy Takes The Mr. Clean Challenge

Ivy says:

Awhile back, the people from Mr. Clean sent me a box that told me to take the Mr. Clean challenge. “Interesting,” I thought, and I put the box aside to deal with a bit later. I was cleaning house recently and came back across the box and decided to open it up. It was an interesting challenge- they provided a bottle of the “leading cleanser”- I can’t tell you the brand, but I can tell you it’s one of those “with bleach” kinda deals- and a package of 2 Mr. Clean Magic Erasers with foaming action and the fresh scent of Febreze, haha. Nifty.

To see how the challenge went, click to:

Sunday Confessional: The Free for All

Heather says: Today I am laying my cards on the table. This week’s confession? I can be lazy. Not just a little, I mean deep down in the bones lazy. I have four recipes to post. The pictures? Oh, they are still on the camera. Why wasn’t there a menu Monday last week? Yep, you …