Do you know how teenagers will occasionally eat anything that is not nailed down? This week I planned for that and bought extra ribs. It was only my second time using the smoker, and then they took a lot longer than I planned, so all the teens snacked before dinner.… Keep reading...
Cook It
The Turkey Thaw and COVID Safety Check—2020 Countdown to Turkey Day
Under normal circumstances, today’s mission would be to determine how long your turkey needs to thaw if it is frozen and your cooking timetable.
This year, we, unfortunately, have to add another big task to today. This task will be revisited over the next few days.… Keep reading...
Menu Monday: Week 46 and Some Countdown to Turkey Day Turkey Talk
Last week was a failure if you grade on sticking to the plan. It was a win if you judge by lack of trips to the store or drive-through. So, let’s call it a wash and move on to this week.… Keep reading...
Menu Monday: Week 45
Well, we survived the election. If you’re not in the US, I’m sure you heard that it has been a little tense over here. Some people cope by eating all the things. I, on the other hand, tend to cope with stress by not eating.… Keep reading...
Menu Monday 2020 Week 43
October is wrapping up? I can’t believe it, which has nothing to do with the timey-wimey wibbly wobbly nonsense of 2020 and everything to do with it being hot and humid and not at all fall-like here in the Lowcountry of South Carolina.… Keep reading...
Sausage Gravy: a Home-Ec 101 Basic Recipe
My kids call biscuits and gravy their favorite struggle meal. For me, it’s my favorite I-don’t-have-enough-energy-to-deal-with-anything-meal. All of my teenagers now know how to make the gravy themselves, and I keep a few cans of biscuit dough in the fridge for the nights of no energy or time.… Keep reading...
Menu Monday 2020 Week 41
Yes, it’s still 2020. How? Good question.
This month, I took a cue from my friend Amiyrah Martin of 4hatsandfrugal.com. We’ve been friends for a very long time, and I keep up with her on Instagram, you can find me there, too, but I don’t do a lot Home-Ec stuff; it’s mostly family life stuff.… Keep reading...
Menu Planning When Going to the Store Is a Bad Idea
As I write this, many people are under shelter in place orders. While we are allowed to go to work for an essential job, to exercise (walk the dog), to go to the doctor/pharmacy, or to the store, our primary role in this pandemic is to stay home.… Keep reading...
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.… Keep reading...
Menu 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. … Keep reading...
Menu 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).… Keep reading...
Why 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.… Keep reading...
Wilted 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 ingredients in a large bowl, reserve some egg and bacon for garnish.… Keep reading...
Menu 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.… Keep reading...
Menu 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. … Keep reading...