Heather says: I live near a small city, but my weekly shopping is close to home and the store doesn’t always have the same variety you can find elsewhere. I was happy to see they have begun carrying turkey cutlets. If you haven’t run across them before, they are simply turkey breasts cut across the …
Ivy says: When I first started sewing, my mom gave me her ancient (okay, 1970s, which is about the same age as I am and I totally feel justified in calling ancient) sewing machine and bought herself a new, fabulous machine. Although it’s pretty old, it’s solid, and is a total workhorse. It has served …
Ivy says: Let me tell you, Home Eccers…I love you all equally, but some are a little more “equal” than others. 😉 One of those Home Eccers I love a little more equally is the fabulous Jay of Triple Venti. He writes in today to give us this important piece of information: I thought this …
Dear Home Ec 101,  I have a wee problem, and you’re the only people I could think of to ask for advice. We just moved into a new house; we’re renting, but the place didn’t come with appliances. Given the fact that we’re currently getting by with a shelfless mini-fridge, an electric kettle and a …
Heather says: This is classic, but most of the ingredients are staples, so it can be thrown together on a night that you may otherwise say, “There is nothing to eat in this house!” Add a salad and a crusty loaf of bread and people will believe you know your way around a kitchen. Don’t …
Dear Home Ec 101, I recently purchased a sofa and loveseat from a lovely couple who listed the furniture on a popular online auction site. The set appeared to be in great shape, and I got the furniture for what appeared to be a bargain. When I got them in place in my basement rec …
Heather says: This is a simple recipe that can be expanded with little effort to feed a large family. Simply double or triple the sauce according to the number of pork chops you cook. The sauce below is for 4 -6 1/2″ thick chops, reduce the browning time for thinner cuts. The technique for the …
Heather says: These are not a copy cat recipe for Pecan Sandies, but with some tweaking they may be quite close (a little extra sugar and perhaps almond extract in addition to the vanilla, but I have not tested these thoughts). These cookies are buttery and taste of toasted pecans, simple flavors are sometimes all …
Heather says: If you just can’t decide whether to make oatmeal or chocolate chip cookies this is the joyful union of both. These are a little chewy, a little soft, and a whole lot of chocolate. Ingredients: Â 1/2 cup butter, softened 1/2 cup white sugar 1/2 cup brown sugar 1 cup all purpose flour …
This article about learned incompetence was written 13 years ago. A lot has changed in that time. A lot of what Ivy wrote below is still true today. However, some of the phrasing may not have aged as well. That’s ok. Part of getting older and wiser is learning to do better. As we learn …