This page serves as a loosely categorized index for Home-Ec 101 articles that relate to cooking, food preparation and storage, kitchenware, utensils, and food safety.
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This page is a work in progress and is updated as new recipes and tutorials are added.
Menu Planning aka The Meal Plan Primer
How to Menu Plan
The Home-Ec 101 Introduction to menu planning
Learn How to Menu Plan: Part 1
We start very simply with the ideas that every meal eaten at home is a success.
Learn How to Menu Plan (part 2)
Having a plan does not make you a boring person. Having a plan will reduce the amount of energy you spend making decisions by constraining all of that decision-making into one task and making that a routine. You'll find a lot of freedom when panic isn't running the show..
Meal Planning: A Primer (Part 3)
A deep pantry is one way to ensure you are only buying your staples on sale. The secret is to only buy your staples only on sale. Learn how to do this
Choosing Sides, Meal Plan Primer Part IV
Sides can bring a lot to a meal. Here are some tips and ideas to keep your side items interesting without them turning into a burden.
Meal Planning with a Busy Schedule
You say you have no time to meal plan. It's more like you have no time not to! Reduce your stress and overwhelm by planning ahead and making your busy evenings more streamlined.
Menu Planning When Going to the Store Is a Bad Idea
COVID-19 was a learning experience for many of us. However, menu planning is a great tool to ensure you are staying out of the stores as much as possible
Basic Cooking Skills
| Cooking Terms and Definitions | Use the Water Test to Prevent Food from Sticking in Stainless Steel |
| Learn to Make Brown Gravy (Includes time-lapse video to demonstrate the process) | Learn to Make Sausage Gravy |
| Learn to Roast a Chicken | Learn to Make Meatloaf |
| Knife Skills | |
|---|---|
| How to Sharpen a Knife | |
| How to Dice a Bell Pepper | How to Cut Up a Whole Chicken |
| How to Seed and Dice a Cucumber | How to Dice an Onion |
| How to Slice an Onion | How to Dice a Tomato |
Recipes and Tutorials
Sauces, Gravy, and Salad Dressing
Soups and Stews
Salads
Seafood
Chicken
How to Convert Chicken Recipes for Various Cuts
How to Butterfly or Spatchcock a Chicken
Beef
Pork
Vegetables
Here is a great recipe that will go a longgg ways on a cold winter day. And it only cost $5 to make a big pot. 3 cans of tomato soup, 3 cans bean w/bacon soup, 2 cups water (optional), 1 bag of frozen corn or vegetable of choice (or two cans of vegatalbe of choice), 1 lb ground beef/venison/turkey, 1 1b smoked sausage or bacon. Fry meats until cooked. Drain grease. Combine all ingredients in Stew pot, simmer for about an hour. Great served with cornbread. I get all my soups at Save A Lot.
Planting a garden so I can do canning and freezing is our number one goal towards a frugal life for next year. Right now using all we can to make our home the best we can. There was a pile of old metal siding and boards way out in our new field. Ray has used almost all of these materials and been able to enclose a garage on the house. Not fancy, but it works. I bought a $5 Craftsman Gas Weed Eater at a garage sale. Ray cleaned it up and it works great. It is a good thing because until a few days ago there was no yard. Ray has been busy. We are going to be getting ducks to clean our pond. I can’t wait I love critters!
When I lost our home, I was devasted and not sure I could deal with it on top of being sick. I now know, it was a blessing in disguise. We lived in the woods until we could close on the new house. Probably about two months. No running water, no electric, but we were together. During the week, I would stay with family and friends so I could work. Anxiously awaiting Thursday evening to join my family. We had never been apart. Ray even stays at the hospital with me, except for when I had to stay at Mayo in MN. The only time we have been away from the girls is vacation and Mayo clinic. We won’t be doing vacation again because we can’t find anyone good enough to watch the dogs. How funny is that?
To look around our home it isn’t much but it is a home full of love. There are weeks we don’t have much for groceries, but there are so many ways to make meals go alongggggg way. We live very simple. Our vehicles are all at least 12 years old and well worn. With the exception of the beautiful car, my father in law gave us to take to the clinic. But we only use that for special occations. I remember a time as a little girl, I wanted to live like Liittle House on the Prairie. Well, we did that. Now we are just living a frugal, wonderful, peaceful life!
Well, thank you for taking the time to meet my family! Our Best to you and yours!
I should have been more explicit. The “girls” are my four dogs.
I am always looking for new recipes for venison. Any ideas?
Once begun is only half done 😛
View my site if you want Salmon Recipes. 😛 I dig the food safety articles here. Thanks a lot.