"The true secret of happiness lies in taking a genuine interest in all the details of daily life and elevating them to an art."
~William Morris
(Just a pretty photo I found in my past photos.)
The Difference between Bread Flour and All Purpose Flour:Gluten. There is more gluten protein in the bread flour. But with using cup for cup I have been very successful in using these flours interchangeably. This became necessary for me recently as I was running out of my all- purpose flour, but I had over 20 pounds of bread flour in my pantry. We purchase our organic freshly milled flour from a Mill that has been in operation for over forty years. But it is a drive to get there. I needed flour right then.
The Making of Homemade Baking Powder:
This enables you to have the freshest baking powder at all times. I know I have mentioned the making of this product at least one other time, but seriously you should at the least try it once.
Simply sift together three times,
1/4 cup cream of tartar
2 Tablespoons baking soda
Store in an airtight jar.
Using Brown Rice for a Sweet Pudding Dessert:
I was wanting to bake a Rice Pudding as a winter dessert a few weeks ago and I also desired to use brown rice, which we always eat, without opening the sealed container of white rice in my pantry. As long as your brown rice is fully cooked, tender and moist, you can use it with the best results.
Making Chicken Bone Broth:
Making chicken bone broth can be as simple and as uncomplicated as you want it to be. Chicken Bone Broth is a healthy and deliciously satisfying food using leftover parts of the chicken which can be used in various dishes. I have read several ways of doing this, but I just stay with my tried and true method that I have been doing for years. I collect all my chicken bones and chicken parts we do not eat, put them a freezer bag and store all in the freezer until the bag is full. One morning I will get up and toss all the bones and pieces into a large pot, cover over with water, put on a lid, and bring this mixture to a boil. At the start of a boil, I turn it down to a simmer for 6- 8 hours, minimum. Afterwards, I strain the bones, pour the liquid into a large jar and place in the refrigerator. The strained bones are at his point placed in a crockpot, slightly covered with water with the addition of approximately 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar and left to cook overnight on a low setting. The next morning I strain the bones and place the liquid in the refrigerator beside the other jar. After the fat has risen to the top, I remove from the jars from the refrigerator skim the fat and I take the "bone jelly" to either be poured into ice cubes to freeze, pressure can in jars or use it in a soup. Note: the second simmer from the bones will not be as jellied as the first, but still extremely good to use. Sometimes I will take the whole chicken to make a broth and this is when I add vegetables and spices to the water.
And not to make anyone think my chickens are cannibals, chicken cannibals that is, but my oh my! chickens do love feasting on all that is left! At this point those bones are soft and crumbly between your fingers, nothing left behind in the pen!
Baking Everyday Biscuits:
Because some of my childhood memories involve the ordinary biscuit, the art of biscuit making stands out as being an act that my fulfilling housewifery must attend. My maternal grandmother made a batch of biscuits twice a day for as long as I can remember. Her firstborn, my mother, was born the day the stock market crashed in 1929 at the start of what is known as The Great Depression. My grandmother was young and food choices was scarce. Biscuits were a stable. She told me how they would put wild onions between the slices of a biscuit and that was a treat. As a child we would go to Grandma's house and straight to the kitchen we would go. There on the counter would be the leftover biscuits from breakfast and those biscuits were our "snack" at Grandma's house. I still have a vivid picture in my mind of them sitting on a plate on her kitchen counter all these years later.
Here is Susan Branch's biscuit recipe. While this is quite a bit different from my recipe in that it does not include any butter in the flour mixture, I have enjoyed baking these biscuits periodically because they are quite good. However, I do not add the sugar mentioned in the recipe, and I like to use 3/4 cup of cream and 3/4 cup buttermilk which means you can cut down the amount of baking powder you use.
Vacuums:
Having definite opinions on certain types of vacuums is probably a mainstay of any housewifery skill. I am not partial to those little machines that scurry across your floors and get stuck on pieces of furniture and sometimes end up on a pile of something left on the floor. I want a vacuum I can push across my hardwood floors and carpets, actively engaged.
But the lightweight vacuums of today while they work good, they just do not last. The first Shark vacuum I purchased not that many years ago had to be replaced recently. And of course, there are all new models now. But we finally decided upon one. I should have read the reviews which is something I usually try to do. But this is the one we bought. Overall I give it an eight out of ten. It has excellent suction, which for me is probably the most important feature of any vacuum. It is lightweight and has a large dirt container. The two power levels of hardwood and carpet make it very efficient too. What I do not really like about this vacuum personally and these are small things, nonetheless I will mention them. No light to help you see in tight places and the cord is short and in an awkward place on the vacuum... I find I must hold the cord at all times.
Soaking Oatmeal:
We eat quite a bit of porridge for breakfast. I discovered years ago that the simple night preparation of putting your oats in a bowl with acidic water will neutralize the phytic acid which aids in mineral absorption and digestion. Here is my recipe for two people:
1 cup of dry oats
1 cup warm water
1 tablespoon of yogurt, whey, lemon juice, buttermilk, etc.
The next morning put the soaked oats in a pan, add one cup of water and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. We like our porridge with a bit of sweet so I use maple syrup. Cook until done. The cooking time is greatly reduced with soaked oats.
Then just add the goodies: Butter, fruit, nuts and cinnamon.
Lately, we have been enjoying *Thompson Raisins, walnuts, and cinnamon.But any pome fresh fruit, dried fruit, berries especially blueberries, or even peaches make this a welcomed morning breakfast.
