Heather says:

Wow, this week flew by and I’m going to blame the mid-week holiday. I hope you and yours had a wonderful Fourth and for those of you across the pond and elsewhere, I simply hope you had a pleasant week. (I was going to say summer, but I know some of you are from Australia and New Zealand. This is really starting to mess with my mind, I really just can’t generalize, can I?)

Those tomatoes I thought I’d use for a fearless Friday are still sitting on my counter and I need to get moving with them before heading in to work.

Suggestions? I do have everything on hand to go with the old standby tomato pie, but I think I’m in the mood for something a little different. I’m thinking tomato soup would be good, despite it being approximately 8 million degrees. I think to go with it, I’d like to make grilled cheese with jalapenos a la Closet Cooking. (OMGoodness the nom)

Here’s a look at what we were doing this first week of July in the Home Ec 101 past:

2007 – I introduced readers to the tried and true standby of oven-fried chicken fingers.

2008 – We talked about how hard water spots are pretty much an annoying fact of life and Ivy -remember Ivy?- shared a granny square tutorial that, to this day, remains one of this site’s most popular posts.

2009 – I learned, the hard way, that if you’re allergic to ragweed, chamomile tea may be a very bad idea and on the Home Ec front we talked about why thawing chicken in a water bath is safer than on the counter.

2010- Speaking of chicken, in 2010 I was on  roll and shared a tutorial on how to cut up a whole chicken and we talked about how to keep stainless steel shiny. On the food front I learned about dry roux and used it to make shrimp etouffee and shared how to set up an emergency pantry.

2011 – Have you had chipotle mayonnaise? No? Why not? I hate mayonnaise and could drink this stuff and we also explored why sometimes a gas grill won’t get hot.

Enjoy your weekend!

Heather says:

Know what’s riveting? Not hearing about how I spent last night in fever dreams in which I ran from alligators (anyone feel like analyzing that?) and a random little girl stole my favorite dress. No, riveting is checking out this interesting graph that compares the leading causes of death from 1900 vs. 2010. Yeah, so I’m a little weird, but if you’ve been reading here for any length of time, you knew that. Look at the graph to see what modern medicine and access to clean water has and has not done for us. Additionally, I also wonder how much of the current causes of death are caused by lifestyle and how many just show up because people lived long enough to succumb to the other causes.

That said, I still invite you to check out my old post on Why I Try to Cook from Scratch.  I openly admit that since I started my second job in March that I haven’t been nearly as on top of things, but as I settle into the routine things are getting more “normal.” Just remember, that’s my “normal” not society’s.

Here’s a round up of things that caught my eye this week that are at least tangentially related to Home-Ec101.com’s topics and a round up of what happened this week in a quick blast from the Home-Ec101 past.

Since Saturday is also project day (look at the chore chart) I thought I’d include a couple of  project ideas.

Since it’s only June and breaking 100°F here, I could use fans in every room. There’s just no way the AC is going to keep up. This project looks simple enough to actually do. Thank you Before and After for this simple, yet great idea. How nice will it be to not look at a white and grimy fan? Quite.

Lunch in a Box has advice those of you looking to freeze ground beef in small portions. I look at it, shake my head and say, “Duh, why didn’t I think of that” and yes, this advice is perfect for those of you with only a small freezer.

Crafter Neftolak has a brilliant project for storing small items. You certainly don’t have to get this fancy -you know me, put down the glue gun and back away- unless that’s what floats your boat. I believe the concept would be great for the garage, too -nuts, bolts, washers, etc. I occasionally can, so I’ve always got mason jars around.

Home-Ec 101 has been around for five (gasp!) years. Here’s what we’ve done the last week of June:

2007 – How to Dice a Tomato -Remember you’ll want to have a sharp knife for this tut.

2008- Take a Crockpot on Vacation?

2009- Spring Rolls! Nom! And while I’m looking at this old post, do you think I should bring back Fearless Fridays?

2010- Lowcountry Boil

and finally 2011 - How to Clean Window Sills -they are a frigging pain in the butt and mine are in sore need of revisiting. Bleh.

What are you doing this weekend?

Heather says:

Each week I dive into the archives to share the best of the Home-Ec 101 past.

In 2007:

How to Prevent Mildew in a Front Loading Washing Machine

2008 brought:

How to Clean Stainless Cookware – What is it about March and people wanting to know how to get rid of polymerized fat?

Ivy explained how she does Spring Cleaning in a Bedroom.

2009:

Ivy wrote How to Go Back to Frugality After the Budget has been Blown.

I was in Myrtle Beach and shared some safety tips for vacationing with kids.

2010:

I shared one of my favorite recipes – Marinated Fried Chicken and I added to the Meal Planning Primer with Part IV Choosing Sides.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

Heather says:

I hope everyone has had a great week. Personally it’s been a very emotional one with lots of news of the good, the bad (not unexpected, but still not fun), and the stress of the book’s release. Throw in a little visit from out of town relatives -they arrive in a few hours- and you’ve got a recipe for hectic. I know the posting was a little off-kilter last week, I’ll do my best to get everything back on track for the coming week.

For now, let’s dive back into Home  Ec 101 history and see what was covered in years past.

All the way back in 2007 I shared my recipe for Albondigas, a Mexican Meatball Soup and explained How to Fix a Smelly Garbage Disposal.

In 2008 Ivy explained The Catbox Rule and shared Spring Cleaning Tips for Disastrously Messy Homes.

2009 brought 25 Babysteps to Frugality and Tightwad Tips. Do you think maybe the recession was on our minds?

Finally in 2010 we Dished on High Fructose Corn Syrup and then explained How to Clean up After Potty Training Accidents.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Home Ec 101 Skills for Everyday Living is now in stock on Amazon, order today. If you already have it, please take a moment to review it. Thank you.

Heather says:

Each Saturday I dive into the archives and pull up the best of this week in the Home Ec 101 past. Since home economics rarely has any ties to current events -although more people start looking at the frugal posts when gas prices rise- most of the content is still relevant, even when hiding under three additional years of writing. Maybe someday I’ll figure out a way to get everything organized in an intuitive manner, but until then let’s get started with this week’s Retro Saturday.

In 2008:

We talked about limp lettuce and how to wash and store salad greens in the refrigerator.

We also learned what to do if a child puts regular dish soap in the automatic dish washer.

In 2009:

Ivy helped a reader remove grease stains from clothing and I shared a simple recipe for Spanish rice.

And just last year:

I was recuperating from a particularly bad case of strep. I didn’t talk about it at the time, but I had a not too uncommon reaction where it affected my joints. If you think you have strep, get seen. I know co-pays and doctor visits are expensive, but I promise you don’t want to end up with complications from strep. I’m very lucky, I haven’t had a recurrence since I had my tonsils out in April, but my joints are still healing and the recent cold weather has been an annoying reminder of that fact.

All of that is to say, last year we had a great discussion on the topic of soup and comfort foods and defined the difference between organized, clean, sanitary, and sterile.

Don’t forget, you can send your household question to helpme@home-ec101.com.

Heather says:

I don’t know about the rest of you, but I can’t shake the feeling that 2011 – twenty-eleven (if I catch you saying two thousand eleven, I might have to whap you)- is the future. You know, the future we all thought would never get here. I mean sure, we’ve got our communicators, but I was really hoping for a reasonably priced hover craft at the very least. I want my money back.

Fine, whatever. At least with the power of Google we can dive deep into the Home Ec 101 past and see what was happening this week in years past.

Just last year we kicked things off by talking about discipline and no, it wasn’t a post on parenting. I also began working on adding seasonal recipes to this site, starting off with spinach, feta cranberry salad and leek and potato soup.

Looking further back to 2009, we find removing ink when a pen goes through the washer and a pretty lively discussion on shredded cheese.  Also back in 2009 Ivy talks about cleaning the house when the flu is making the rounds, check out Cleaning with Sickness in Mind.

Our last stop on today’s retro adventure is 2008 and we find out whether or not Food Needs to Cool Before Refrigerating and Ivy gave a really good reason to start decluttering today.

If you missed out on last week’s #Homechat, don’t forget that we’ll be hanging out on Twitter at 9pm EST 6pm PST for an hour. This week’s topic will be focusing on Organizing Tips and Resources.

If you want to check out the first half of last week’s chat Angela England shared highlights on Untrained Housewife and I just posted the second half of the first ever #Homechat.

Enjoy your weekend.