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How to Menu Plan When You’ve Done It a Long Time and You’re Tired of Making All of the Decisions
Personal update at the end, skip to it if you prefer. Home Ec 101 has been around a long time, almost 12 years. I have shared many weekly meal plans, but the ones on the site are by no means the only ones I’ve made. When you’re feeding more than a trio, not having a plan…
Read MoreMenu Monday Week 44 – Another Week In the Books
I hope you guys are all doing well. So, my boss repeats an old saying about no plan survives first contact with the enemy. (A quick Google shows that this is from a Prussian military leader, Helmuth van Moltke). This pretty much sums up last week. The sausage skillet was fine, the tuna cakes never happened…
Read MoreMenu Monday Week 43 – Starting Again
I hope you are all doing well or as well as you can. Last week was one of those eye-opening reminders of how I should stop, take a breath and focus on the basics before trying to do everything (that will never happen, but to be honest, I don’t learn). Routines make a busy household…
Read MoreWhy Is My Chicken Stock Greasy?
This question comes from the comments on Why does my chicken stock taste like water? Q: Why is my chicken stock always greasy and watery? When making chicken stock, it is perfectly normal for there to be fat and grease in the stock. To remove this, cool the stock completely in your refrigerator. Because chicken…
Read MoreWilted Spinach Salad with Peppered, Candied Bacon
Spinach salad: 6oz fresh baby spinach 1/2 sweet or red onion sliced thinly 1 granny smith apple cored and cut into bite size pieces (if you are making this ahead of time, store in cold water with lemon juice to prevent browning) 4 hard boiled eggs cut into wedges 7 slices candied peppered bacon Toss…
Read MoreMenu Monday Week 4
Heather says We keep on keeping on. Life got away from us over the last couple of weeks, but it’s the 4th Monday of 2017 and that means a brand new chance to get on track. We have joined a local CSA*, which means we receive a weekly dividend of vegetables. We have limited choice…
Read MoreMenu Monday Week 2
Heather says A few *ahem* years ago I had a teacher whose catchphrase was “Monitor and adjust”. It was her way of having a plan, but rolling with the punches and not going completely off the rails just because life isn’t playing the way you think it should. Last week was one of those weeks…
Read MoreMenu Monday Week 1
Heather says There’s nothing like a new year to rekindle the desire to be more organized, keep better tabs on the budget, and to be more efficient with my time (so we can do more fun things with our evenings together). *Cue up the broken record* Menu planning is a great way to get your…
Read MoreMenu Monday Week 47
Heather says Transparency – About six weeks ago my insomnia got bad enough that I finally visited my doctor. Bad enough is my euphemism for completely out of hand and I wish I’d gone sooner. The funk is clearing and I’m sleeping better which is giving me energy beyond the have-tos. We’d managed to keep…
Read MoreRosewill’s RHRC-13001 5.5 Cup Rice Cooker – On Sale Today
Heather says I was sent a review unit of the Rosewill RHRC-13001 5.5 Cup Rice Cooker. I tested the unit provided and you’ll never believe this. It made rice and it made it well. You’re stunned, just stunned, I can tell. All silliness aside, the Rosewill Rice Cooker works great. We use a rice cooker…
Read MoreCountdown to Turkey Day 2016: The Day Before Thanksgiving 2016
Heather says: Thanksgiving is tomorrow. Are you ready? The people running Butterball’s Turkey Talkline (1-800-BUTTERBALL) are fantastic; feel free to call them if you have ANY questions on Thanksgiving about your turkey. They are happy to help. Seriously, I’d go as far as chipper. Have you figured out your Turkey Day Timetable? For many families…
Read MoreCountdown to Turkey Day 2016: Two Days to Go!
Heather says: Tick. Tock. Your time is running out. However, you’ve been following along with this year’s Countdown to Turkey Day and aren’t stressing, right? Grab your Thanksgiving Shopping List and buy your produce and other perishables. If you went the fresh route, pick up your turkey. Before you head to the grocery store -you…
Read MoreCornbread and Andouille Sausage Dressing
Heather says: The best part of this dressing, aside from it being fabulously tasty is, it’s gluten free! I have several friends who are either celiac or have friends who are. I love when I have a great recipe I can pass along, especially for a holiday meal. I’m not a huge fan of egg…
Read MoreCountdown to Turkey Day 2016: November 13, It’s Time to Get Serious
Heather says The late fall is typically one of the busiest times for me career-wise and yet I insist on dragging y’all through the preparation of hosting Thanksgiving Dinner? Why? Going through the steps helps make sure I don’t forget anything, either. Thanksgiving is my favorite time of year, when we get together and share…
Read MoreServing Dishes and Large, Company Meals -Countdown to Turkey Day 2016
Heather says: I hope you had a great weekend. The holiday craziness kicks off in two weeks. I’ve noticed that many schools are out for the entire week of Thanksgiving this year. When did that start? So far in our Countdown to Turkey Day we have: Decided when and where Located the dining room table…
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