Almanac for Homemakers

March Potpourri for Homemakers We did it everyone! It's the last day of March! Per our Almanac tradition, the last day of the month is a mix of tips for the 1970's Homemaker. "Toddlers love to empty cabinet contents on the the floor. Your defense: Store all breakables in above counter cabinets." What is it with these small humans and playing the contents of the cabinet? My youngest would take out the tupperware and play with them. Stacking the various bowls and lids. He had stacking blocks but did he ever play with them? Let's just say I could have saved some money on toys in those years. "After washing a shower curtain or liner, rinse in a strong vinegar solution to remove soap scum. Then rinse in clear water and spread to dry." By a show of hands, have you ever washed your shower liner or curtain. I swear if I am the only one holding my hand up..... "Keep your old vacuum cleaner when you buy a new one. The ol

Recipe for Baked Alaska "This dessert, usually available only in the 'best' restaurants, is actually no more than cake and ice cream covered with meringue and browned quickly in a hot oven." Sure when you phrase anything in one sentence it can seem super simple, right?! A Brief History of Baked Alaska In 1802, Thomas Jefferson was the first to serve ice cream at a banquet at the White House. Remember he is also the same president who served mac and cheese at a state dinner. It was at this same dinner that he also also reported to have served ice cream in a hot pastry that would be similar to a Baked Alaska. Omelette Surprise was reportedly first invented by Benjamin Thompson Rumford. This was very close to our modern recipe for Baked Alaska. In 1855, the cookbook The Philadelphia Housewife , contained a recipe for Baked Alaska Apple Pie. In 1867, to commemorate the United States purchase of Alaska from Russia, Chef Charles Ranhofe

Buy Food, Not Packaging "When you set out to shop for food or home supplies, resolve to bring home as little packaging as possible." Even in the 1970's people knew that reducing packaging saves money and waste. I found an article from Zero Waste Nerd on ways to reduce your food packaging. Really it makes sense to reduce our packaging especially if you have the option to. If you can't then take advantage of recycling programs. Recently, BBC came out with article about micro-plastics in bottled water. Plastic trash is found all over the world. The bad part is that plastic takes a long long time to decompose. So all the plastic that we put in the environment is now coming back to us. Plastic found its way into our bottled water because it is in our natural water sources. It has been for a long time! Ocean, river, and lake clean up efforts have been underway since the 60's when we started seeing how plastics were effecting the envi

Macaroni and Cheese "The next time you make this 'All American' favorite for the family's main dish or for a company casserole to accompany meat, try our version." Pasta and cheese casseroles have been recorded as early as the 14th century. The oldest medieval cookbook, Liber de Coquina,  featured a dish of parmesan and pasta. One of America's presidents, Mr. Thomas Jefferson, encountered macaroni and cheese in Paris and Italy. He liked it so much that he made a sketch and took notes on the dish. In 1802, He served "macaroni pie" at a state dinner. In 1824, a Macaroni and Cheese recipe appeared in the cookbook The Virginia Housewife  written by Mary Randolph. In 1937, Kraft Macaroni and Cheese hit the shelves marketing "make a dinner for 4 in 9 minutes". ... Today, you can purchase an array of boxed mac and cheese products! Our Almanac gives a recipe but I kind of like mine better, so I will sh

Make Sure Your Family Gets Enough Milk "Milk is an excellent source of calcium, protein, and riboflavin. It also supplies fat and sugar, and contains many other vitamins and minerals." Yes milk is a great package of many things. Vitamins, minerals, fats, sugar, protein. It is almost like some kind of super food. However, It is not essential to have. There are many people in the world that are lactose intolerant. Many of the same nutrients present in milk can be found in whole plant foods. Many food companies like Nestle would tell you that you shouldn't eliminate milk from your diet. As you get older you should go to fortified and low fat milks. BUT Nestle isn't the greatest source when it comes to nutritional advice. You can read here about their: 1. Infant Formula Controvery 2. Environment and Product safety that includes mixing horse meat with beef and stealing water. You can watch a documentary called "Tapped&q

Stuffed Lamb Cushion for Easter "Lamb is a traditional food for Eater. The lamb is a symbol of Jesus. In John 1:29 Jesus is referred to as "The Lamb of God", who takes away the sin of the world." Lamb is also a traditional Passover meal. In the book of Exodus, God was determined to save His people from their captivity in Egypt. The last plague He sent to Egypt was the death of the firstborn. God commanded that His people take an unblemished lamb, kill it, and but the blood of the lamb on their door post.  This would be a sign for the Angel of Death to "passover" the house and not strike their firstborn. It would be after their freedom from slavery that God would institute traditional sacrifice for sins that would involve a lamb. Jesus' last supper was the Passover meal. He and His disciples ate lamb before He instituted the new covenant, teaching His disciples to remember Him in communion.  Jesus would go on to be betraye

Hand Tools Homemakers Should Have "In every home, the man of the house ought to have the hand and power tolls necessary to make household  repairs. But in our opinion the homemaker should have her own basic collection of tools that only she uses - when she decides to undertake a job without waiting on the M.O.H. to get around to it." Ok So a couple of things about todays post 1. Again with the tools Like I didn't hear enough about it  Here And Here And let's not forget this undertaking 2. The idea that women need their own tools is ridiculous This mind set is how we get PINK power tools I mean, how else is my husband supposed to know which drill is mine and his? ... Yes, your home should have some basic tools lying around, BUT What is mine is yours dude. So if I need that measuring tape or screwdriver, I am taking it. Our basic handheld tools are in our laundry room and when I am done using t

Children Have Two Eyes, Two Ears, and Two Feet "They will never have more, nor will they be able to replace what they have. As a parent it is your responsibility to help them safeguard these precious body parts." Typically, if your kids attend daycare or school, there are adults that can help you monitor hearing or seeing issues. These senses are essential for development. If your kiddo has a hard time seeing you might need to make an appointment. Hearing is something that is often overlooked. Pediatricians can do simple hearing tests if you think something might be off.  Today, most newborns are given a hearing test before being discharged from the hospital. Feet. We don't think much about it. Our Almanac suggests that you don't give kids second hand shoes unless they are in really good condition. A good pair of shoes for active kids is important. ... There is nothing here that talks about kids who do weird things. SUCH AS

Serve Breakfast for Less "Breakfast can be inexpensive and still provide its share of the day's food requirements." Here is the scoop on breakfast. According this article from Today , Breakfast is really the most important meal of the day. Our Almanac has this to say about saving your breakfast food budget. 1. Evaporated Milk, Skim Milk, and Buttermilk may be less expensive than fluid whole milk. Evaporated Milk is creamier and thicker with more than half of the water removed. Use it in your smoothies or sweeten your coffee. 2. Buy Less Expensive Eggs Choose lower grade eggs. Grade A eggs are best for boiling, frying, and poaching. Use lower grade eggs for scrambling, omelets, and baking. 3. Fresh Fruits Buy in season fruits that cost less to stock. Otherwise getting frozen is just as good! ... NOW Let's get real. How can you apply these to the real world? For some ideas, you can read here in my previous po

When Does Easter Come? "Easter is a Christian holiday whose date varies each year." In A.D. 325, a church council determined that Easter should be determined by the first full moon after March 21st. Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday after this full moon. Easter can never come earlier than March 22nd and can not be later than April 25th. Our Almanac actually looks forward to April 23, 2000 as the latest Easter would be celebrated since 1943 when Easter fell on April 25th. For us, we can look forward to April 25, 2038 when Easter will fall on the absolute latest date it could fall on. The actual word Easter is thought to be a variation of the name of the goddess Eostre who was celebrated every spring. ... Easter is a season where we celebrate the coming of new things. The rising of the dead. Nature coming back from its winter sleep. OR Hollow Chocolate Bunnies full of disappointment that symbolically remind of us of the empty

Wringer Washer? Maybe You Could Use One "Automatic washing machines have driven wringer and spinner washers from the majority of modern homes" I think we all know someone who had one of these! I still remember hearing people talk about pumping water to take the wash. Using a washboard to clean laundry and then hanging them to dry. Our Almanac post suggests that in the 1970's, if you still have on of these to use them for grimy clothing to conserve energy. If you think that this idea is a product of the past think again! Here is a company that still makes wringer washers! You can even purchase non electric washing machines! These are marketed for people who need one for camping or "living off the grid". You can find a lot of these on Amazon. My Grandma recently told me that she still has her mom's old wringer washer! That would be kind of cool to have one day. I wouldn't really use it. I have 3 kids! They

How to Make Your Own Furniture Polish "You can make a wonderful, time-tested furniture polish, very easily and very cheaply. The formula has been used, both in England and America, for a couple of centuries." Here is the recipe: 1. Melt 1 pound of pure beeswax in 1 quart of pure spirits of turpentine in a double boiler over a low heat. Do not substitute the turpentine or use a compound This already sounds like a lot of work with some danger mixed in 2. Precise proportions are not important.  If you want harder polish add more wax Softer polish add more turpentine This quantity will give you enough to share with a friend! Store in a glass jar! This stuff can dissolve rubber so don't use a lid with a rubber seal. Listen Confession Time I barely polish furniture. IKEA shelving doesn't require it! Also 2018's homemade polish is a mix of using essential oils and other oils. I'm just a bit skeptica

Try Putting Up Wallboard? Why Not? "In the spring one tends to think about the sprucing up the home." In the 70's wood paneling was all the rage. Wallboard or as it commonly called today - Decorative Paneling. There are some seriously cute panelings out there today. Typically, when you think of wall paneling, you think of wooden paneling. I have some in my living room and it is very dated. It's so dark that is great for movie nights but mostly it just feels like a room that is sucking the light from your house. I found an article from Houzz that has some modern looks for us in the year 2018. So if you decide to go the way of decorative paneling, please steer clear of the basic stuff, and go for a nice chic modern look!

Tips on Making Care of Aluminum Cookware "Aluminum cookware designed for service and display is almost always made of polished bare aluminum or porcelain-finished aluminum." Polished Aluminum Wash in dishwasher or by hand with mild soaps Porcelain-Finished Aluminum Wash by hand or in dishwasher. Use almost any type of powder, soap, and even steel wool. Mirror Bright Aluminum Wash with mild soaps. Nylon pads can dull the finish. If you ever have an aluminum pot that becomes blackish on the inside from cooking, try cooking tomatoes or sauerkraut in the pot. Or add two tablespoons of cream of tartar to every quart of water in the pot and bring to a boil. Our Almanac also suggests you see care of aluminum by contacting the Aluminum Association. This association has tips and tricks on caring for popular aluminum. ... Aluminum has been in the news lately! If you haven't heard, the Trump administration had issued tariffs on al

An Irish Fruitcake, Begorra! "It's Saint Patrick's Day. So let's think Irish. For instance, how about an Irish whiskey fruitcake." Ok Begorra isn't a food. It is a euphemism that means "by God". In some Irish counties, saying begorra means "Holy Mother of God". So it's kind of like....slang. You can click here for a recipe for a Traditional Irish Fruitcake , which is called barmbrack. Our Almanac post suggests that you purchase one from Molly O'Rourke's Label! Unfortunately, the company that made these famous fruit cakes has gone out of business. These cakes in a green tin were sought after at one point.  It's almost sad to see them gone and not find much information on their company and how it got started. ... Fruit cakes have been around since the Romans. You might have a loaf that has been passed around the family ever since the first Christmas. Barmbrack is usual

How to Make Your Own House Numbers "Is your house number displayed prominently somewhere on your property? You can buy suitable numbers and put them up. But perhaps a tool-using member of your household would like to make them - as part of the spring spruce-up of your home."   DIWHY House numbers Why buy numbers when you can boast on a blog that you made your own. AMIRIGHT Back in the day, your house number was a sign of pride. Homeownership. Branding.  Look at me I have an address. In our picture today, they suggest that this is a tradition that dates back to our caveman ancestors. When you didn't have a zip code and I'm surprised that they could count to 17. Our Almanac suggests some handsome redwood for your project. "Your local building supply center can sell you the small amount of redwood you'll need." Mostly because this material is long lasting in any weather. You could, at the time this book was writt

How to Be a Smart Meat Shopper "Meat costs put a big dent in our budgets nowadays. So you ought to buy all meats and poultry carefully and take care of them properly until you are ready to cook them." A couple of years ago (or maybe more), some friends and I went all in and bought a cow. We found a farm, picked out a cow, and paid for the meat and processing. It is still the best beef cuts I have ever had and our deep freezer stayed full for about a year. When all that beautiful beef was gone, we had to go back to buying cuts from the store. I don't know why chain grocery store beef cuts are so gross. BUT Then I found out about PINK SLIME ! If you read the WIKI link, you will see that in 2012, a study found that 70% of ground beef as the additive. It is disgusting. BUT It's not just ground beef or processed food. It can be used in steaks and no one knows the difference. I'm talking about transglutaminase or "M