All - Home-Ec 101

Heather’s Household Truths: Ivy Edition

Ivy says: Black cats truly are unlucky, or else they’re just master destroyers. In the space of 5 minutes, it is entirely possible for one Baby-cat to take down your tablecloth and all your breakfast dishes, then head over to your curtains and take them down as well. Be forewarned.

Cheese Sauce

Dear Home Ec 101,

My three year old son is allergic to eggs and I’m trying to find a cheese sauce for vegetables that is simple, but not greasy.
Can you help?

Signed,
Cheesin’ in Chester
Heather says,

Most of us who grew up in the 1980s can probably sing the jingle for Velveeta, “Cheddar’s greasy, cheddar’s oily.” I am not sure why I’m encouraging y’all to sing as I am not recommending Velveeta. That stuff is spendy and fake, a mortal culinary sin in the Handbook of Heather.

A little flour, butter, milk, and cheddar make a great kid friendly cheese sauce for vegetables. Ready? Good.

What Kind Of Swimmer Are You?

Ivy says: The past year has been one of vast changes for me. Some have been beyond my control, like the death of my grandma. Others I have initiated, like my weight loss/exercise program. All of it reminds me of how people approach a pool that’s somewhat cold. Now, I like to swim in water …

Economic Fear

Heather says: Yesterday I monitored the news as the House of Representatives voted down an economic bailout package. Wall St.’s reaction was swift and concerning, but the reactions I saw through various social media platforms ran the gamut from logical and relevant to, “The sky is falling! The sky is falling and a piece of …

Sunday Confessional

Heather says: Welcome to the “When Home Improvement Projects Go Awry” edition of the Sunday Confessional. Mr. Heather and I are usually competent do it yourself type people. In our old home, a 100+ year old home in Minnesota, we hired out for some major projects. Thankfully, our curent home is newer and thus far …

Retro Saturday: Super Simple Broccoli Soup

Heather says: A non-blogging friend of mine recently admitted that she has never attempted to make soup. After I picked my jaw off the ground, she does know her way around the kitchen, but she finds the idea of soup intimidating. I offered to hold her hand and walk her through a few recipes. You, …

how to remove decoupage or modpodge from clothing

Dear Home Ec 101: I recently made fabulous folders with pretty paper and also a great magnetic memo board with fabric on a silver tray all thanks to decoupage. But I’m a bit of a mess and the decoupage is all over my favorite yoga pants and a cute t-shirt. How can I get it …

Hoagie Roll Tutorial

Heather says:

After getting the hang of basic white bread, these rolls should be a cinch. There are no fancy ingredients, but you will need a rolling pin.

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup warm water + extra for sprinkling
2 1/2 tsp yeast
2 1/2 TBSP olive oil
3 1/2 cups flour (for best results use bread flour)
1 1/2 tsp salt
3 1/2 tsp sugar

Directions are after the jump.

Update On Build A Bear Giveaway

Ivy says: Whoo, the gas shortage in Nashville has apparently shorted my brain out. That’s all I can figure, because I totally forgot to tell you guys when the Build A Bear giveaway ends. Oy. It’ll end at midnight on Thursday, September 25th. I updated the post to reflect that, and also I added a …

Peas and Almonds

Heather says: I used to hate peas. Deep down in my heart I knew the cafeteria ladies despised me each time they plopped a spoonful of wrinkly, mushy peas onto my tray. Thankfully, I have learned that most often it isn’t the original food item I have hated, but simply the manner in which it …