Almanac for Homemakers

The Children's Hour Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was born on February 27, 1807 He was a world famous poet. You might have heard some of his poems in your lifetime and didn't know it. Click here to read some of his poems! Our Almanac post today is about one of his poems called "The Children's Hour". It was one of the most popular poems taught to children in the late 1800's. The poem is written about his own three daughters. Between the dark and the daylight, When the night is beginning to lower, Comes a pause in the day's occupations, That is known as the Children's Hour. I hear in the chamber above me The patter of little feet, The sound of a door that is opened, And voices soft and sweet. From my study I see in the lamplight, Descending the broad hall stair, Grave Alice, and laughing Allegra, And Edith with golden hair. A whisper, and then a silence: Yet I know by their merry eyes They a

Do Your Children Say "Please" and "Thank You"? "Children's manners, as well as morals and values, are established in the preschool years, according to child educators." When you encounter a youngster who strikes you as being exceptionally polite, you can be absolutely sure he learned it at home. Now that is not to say that when a kid has a public tantrum that they learned that from watching adults. We are just talking about some basic manners here. Kids need constant reminders too! Remind them to say "Yes ma'am/sir, Please, Thank you". This takes all adults in the kids life to reaffirm these behaviors too. I've met my share of bratty kids whose parents are super nice. It was just that the adults in that kid's sphere of influence didn't instill what kind of behavior is acceptable and unacceptable. Then you have kids who just fight you on everything. You can be trying and trying to teach them th

Try These Breakfast Surprises "Most people like a change now and then from conventional breakfasts. Here are a few ways to get variety - and maybe surprises - into breakfast on these wintery mornings." There is not much in today's Almanac reading that you wouldn't find on Pinterest. Breakfast Sandwiches French Toast Yogurt and Fruit Something else you could try is to take on some international cuisine. A Traditional Japanese breakfast would include some steamed rice, egg, and miso soup.  Breakfast in Mexico would be a plate of eggs, beans, chorizo, and tortillas. Maybe some pierogis from Canada. Maybe you are in the mood for something sweet like waffles, pancakes, croissants, or coffee cake. Whatever you choose to do just eat some breakfast, enjoy your coffee, and listen to your family complain. If I have had any experience in trying new things with my family is that one of them will complain about it. 

Check Quality Grades of Vegetables You Buy "Many canned and frozen vegetables are sold under quality grades established and maintained by consumer and marketing experts of the United States Department of Agriculture." Here is my tip on the subject: If you can't buy fresh buy it frozen. This is because the fruit or veg is frozen when the item was ripe. The flash freezing technique prevents moisture loss so it tastes better than the canned variety. Canned vegetables are cooked or blanched before the canning process. Canned foods also have some type of filler like water, oil, or syrup. So you lose some of the freshness of the product. I found a USDA pamphlet on canned and frozen grading that was published in 1969. READ IT HERE! Basically there are Grades A, B, & C A is best B is ok C is trash "Fancy" is also a term used for Grade A products. You just thought it was fancy marketing! EXTRA FANCY This is the best

Taking Care of Your Formica Surfaces "So many homes have Formica laminates on kitchen counters and other surfaces that we want to pass along some good care information from a booklet put out by the Formica corporation." Formica Laminate was invented in 1912. You have probably seen it and abused it in kitchens where you live or have lived. I hate it. It is a flimsy plastic that stains and damages easy. You can get laminate in different styles other than off white. You can get all kinds of fake looks from wood to granite. Our Almanac has some tips on taking care of your liar liar pants on fire counters. 1. Don't use your counters as a cutting board. I didn't really think that this was a thing that had to be told to people but I recently saw a video of a woman cooking on a flat surface stove. ON the stove without a pot or pan. WTF people. 2. Heat up to 275 degrees Fahrenheit So basically boiling water should be ok if some

Kippered Cherries for Washington's Birthday "They want us to celebrate Washington's birthday as part of a long weekend." Earlier this week we were out of work and school because of President's Day. Our nation's first President, Mr. George Washington died in 1799. On February 22, 1800 the nation remembered their first president as this was actually his day of birth. It wasn't until the 1870's that his birthday became a federal holiday. In 1971, the Uniform Monday Holiday Act took effect and such holidays were moved to a Monday in the month to give workers a longer weekend. Washington's Birthday, Veterans Day, Memorial Day and Columbus Day were all moved from their traditional dates. Marketers soon jumped on this opportunity to promote sales on these " 3 day weekends". Celebrate the birthday of our nation's first president by getting free shipping! (No lie. I got free shipping on an order this weekend.)

Getting Rid of Odors in the Kitchen "If an onion odor clings to dishes and pans after use, even after you have washed and dried them in the usual way, scour them well with table salt." Non stick pans coated with polytetrafluoroethylen, more commonly known as "Teflon", have been around since their invention in 1938. Ceramics, cast iron, stoneware, copper, and stainless steel are all common types of cooking surfaces. The best way to clean these guys is follow the care instructions! You may be able to use an abrasive method on your cast iron. It is common to use salt to clean a cast iron pan and keep it from rusting. I wouldn't use the same method on a stainless steel pan. ... Now the Almanac's title today is misleading. They actually do not have any suggestions for your overall kitchen or home odor problem. I'm not sure what odors you tackle at home but let me just guess you are a massive hoarder with junk everywh

Removing Lipstick from Napkins   "Women who really ought to know better invariably wipe their lips and their lipstick on the monogramming of your best napkins." Lipstick is a basic combination of wax, a pigment, and other ingredients. Now You rub that shit all over my monogrammed napkins and you will think that you attended the dinner party of the devil himself. I'm just joking. I don't own monogrammed napkins. I have disposable napkins from IKEA. You can rub your tinted lip wax all over that. I don't give AF. ... Let's just say for our almanac theme today that this happened. All you need is some household ammonia. Dip your lip soiled napkins in some ammonia to cut the grease and the stain should come out with regular washing. ... Here are some fun facts about lipstick. In the year 2010, the FDA took about 400 lipsticks available on the US market and tested them. The test found 1.11 ppm (parts per m

Today's SERVants Are SERVices "Your ancestors may have had a valet, butler, cook, gardener, and several aids amount their servants. Today, however, only the wealthy can afford servants - when they are available,  which they often are not." Yeah so, I'm not sure about this writer's ancestors, but mine were not as fortunate to have the wealth to afford the "luxury" of servants. In fact, many in my generation were called upon for their services to serve those who could pay. As I have written about previously , I hold a degree in Culinary Arts. One of my jobs from that experience was managing catering for an event center. After I took that job I had a call from someone who saw my profile on a job search site wondering if I would be willing to move to the Caribbean to be a private cook. Y'all. Sometimes I wonder where I would be if I took that offer! UGH! I really should have done it too because that catering gig was the p

Recipe for Fastnachts   "Among Germans, the day preceding Ash Wednesday is known as Fastnacht. Germans long ago made a practice of using up all fats in the house before the beginning of lent, when no meats would be eaten. The fats were used for deep frying doughnuts - and the doughnuts themselves became known as 'Fastnachts'."  The word Fastnacht (fost-nokt) translates to "Fast Night". Early in the morning, the Haus Frau (housewife) would start frying up these delicious treats. The dough can be made a few different ways. It can be rolled and cut in different shapes or in the traditional doughnut ring shape. You can see a well reviewed recipe for Nana's Fastnachts here! Typically before Lent all the fat in the home was used up so there would not be meat or meat items around for the 40 days of Lent. This gives a new meaning to "Fat Tuesday" if you have ever wondered why we call it that. F

All About Flapjacks   "The word flapjack is associated with an old custom of making and eating this delicacy on Shrove Tuesday." Now Shrove Tuesday is the day before Ash Wednesday. Ash Wednesday signified the beginning of lent and a season of fasting. So because of the significance of fasting during the lent season, pancakes were eaten in great quantity.  The day in some places is known simply as Pancake Day.   The term Flapjack became associated with the pancake chef's ability to cook the pancake in a skillet without a spatula. Once one side was cooked, the chef would flip the pan, tossing the cake in the air, and catching it on the uncooked side. I'm sure most of you have tried this at least once! I have and I think I was successful a couple of times. Just be careful and have the mop handy when you try.

Nylon - The Granddaddy of Man-Made Fibers   "Ten years of research had preceded the granting of a patent for nylon to Dr. Wallace Carothers. The first truly synthetic fiber, nylon is made from such basic materials as coal, air, and water."   Nylon was first showcased at the 1939 World Fair in New York. In 1940, nylon stockings hit the market.   Everyone and their grandma got in line for these babies. Then the war came.   Nylon was in need for use in the military. Wool and silk were in short supply so a campaign to collect nylon stockings was started to reuse the material for clothing and parachutes. This led to some creativity by stocking-less women.  They would draw seams on their legs or even paint on tinted shades. Today nylon is used in a variety of ways or blended with other fabrics. Now nylon and other synthetics are typically delicate fabrics.  You gotta follow the wash instructions on your clothes people. If you own

This History of Mustard "The delights of mustard as a food accompaniment apparently had been known only a few years before the appearance of the advertisement described in today's historical note." TODAY IN HISTORY On February 15 1768, one Benjamin Jackson advertised in a Philadelphia newspaper that he was "the only mustard manufacturer on the continent. I brought to art with me into the country."  Mr. Jackson came to America from London, England. He sold his product labeled in glass bottles. Benjamin Jackson, from the book Chocolate: History, Culture, and Heritage, was a chocolate and mustard maker. He introduced mustard into his chocolate shop where he also sold other spices and flours. Now the mustard he sold was not like the mustard we have today. He sold bottles labeled "Flour of Mustard" which means that you had to follow the directions on the bottle to mix the powder with hot water to create your condiment. Mustard

St. Valentine's Day "How did this holiday become associated with lovers?" St. Valentine was straight up murdered for his faith and we celebrate by giving each other chocolates. Story goes, my man Valentine was put to the test of proving the power of Jesus Christ Himself by restoring the sight to a daughter of a Roman judge. Valentine succeeded in healing the girl and because of this miracle the judge released all the Christian prisoners from jail. He also converted the judge to Christianity and baptized him. Now since Valentine did this, he got mad popular. This judge brought him to the emperor Claudius II. Claudius wasn't having any of Valentine's faith and demanded he renounce Christianity or be beaten and beheaded. I guess you can tell Valentine did not renounce his faith so he was beaten and beheaded. Now because Valentine died for his faith he was given a martyrdom. However, not much was known about Valentine and this

Tattoo Your Dog for Certain Identification "Tattooing your dog provides permanent, unalterable identification. This is extremely useful if your dog has merely strayed. Humane societies and dog wardens look for tattoo identification." Tattoo-a-Pet was founded in 1972. They are still around stating that a tattoo is better than a microchip on your pet. So here is the scoop. From my Google research, in some states, laboratories are not permitted to use animals that have been tattooed for identification. Essentially, let's say your pet is lost and has no identification. There is nothing stopping that pet from getting picked up for use in lab testing. Mirco-chips....well I don't know. Thank might be something you need to look at. I do know that my microchip for my dog has to be renewed. So not paying and renewing that registration might not protect my pet or get them back to me if they get lost and picked up. If you choose to tattoo your pet

Weights and Measures for Homemakers "An old axiom, 'A pint's a pound the world around,' is a practical reminder of liquid weights. Since there are two cups in a pint, each cup weighs half a pound - or eight ounces." I graduated with a degree in Culinary Arts. I know most of these measurements and conversions as if life depended on it. It sometimes literally did, on the fly with recipes in a kitchen while prepping dishes for a grade. I forget that a lot of people don't cook or don't care for cooking. But really I don't care for using power tools so I have no clue the jargon used for anything related to any hobby that requires tools. There are some other measurements that the Almanac thinks you ought to know "Thread, silk, and yarn are measured in skeins. One skein equals 360 feet." One of those yarn bunches you can get at the store are usually in skein. If they are smaller it is a ball of yarn. &quo

Will Power Tools Make You More Creative "Women are using them (power tools) increasingly to find an outlet for their creative energies and, in these times of high rising prices, to decorate their homes or create unusual display pieces. Women have been operating powered equipment for decades. So it's no big deal to switch on a table-top jigsaw or pick up a powered hand tool and shape silver, copper, wood, plastic, or ceramics." Here we go again If you read this and are inclined to use power tools, please forgive me when I just rant about how I have no desire to pick up a power tool of any kind. It is true what is said about women and operating powered equipment. When it comes to getting shit done we own it. This picture above was taken around 1939 during World War II. These women are welding and look fabulous doing so. Fierce I don't even know what they are doing but they are looking badass while doing it! Anything

Recycle Bacon Fat to the Winter Birds "What happens to the bacon fat produced in your household? Does it all go into the garbage? You can make good use of it in feeding winter birds." Ummm Es-queeze me? So I have never thought about this but most birds are straight up meat eaters. Yeah they will eat seed from a feeder but they love some bugs. In the winter months, bacon fat won't melt as easy and stay solid longer outside for birds to come and enjoy. You can attract some different types of birds to your yard by doing this. I even found a craft on a website for this because of course Click here to make your own Bacon Fat Bird Feeder Here is the good thing about attracting birds to your yard; birds eat and hunt bugs. We used to have some garden spiders but they disappeared soon after the birds found them.  So remember that these birds that come and peck on your feeder are dangerous animals who descended from dinosaurs. They just