Getting There

Slackerdays.

I have posted before about my love of rhythm and routine in our days and weeks. One tradition, if you could call it that, that I have come to especially enjoy is my Saturday morning routine. Chris and I work hard every day of the week, but Saturday we have come to call Slackerday instead.

On Saturday mornings, instead of hurrying to get showered and dressed, do lessons with the children, and conduct shop business, I make the children pancakes and bacon for breakfast. Then, I make myself something yummy with eggs, bacon and cheese--like this perhaps:

And while I munch on it and sip a nice hot tea, I allow myself to linger over reading my favourite blogs and message boards as long as I like. Eventually the kids will start watching a video on tv, and I make my way upstairs to get a long luxurious shower.

After my shower, once I get dressed then the slacking part of my day is over and chores, cleaning, and shopping begin. But I do so enjoy those Saturday mornings! I feel it's vitally important to have some downtime, and having downtime on a regular schedule gives me something to look forward to every weekend.

My collection of antique cookbooks.

Ever since I took my first rather clueless steps into homemaking and cooking at the tender age of 19, I've been an avid collecter of cookbooks. I need all the advice they contain! At first I was happy to add just about any cookbook to my collection--but over time I began to get rid of the more modern, faddish ones, and the ones that tended to use a lot of pre-packaged ingredients, and tried to find more books that featured tried-and-true, old-fashioned recipes. The old style of cooking tended to use simple, whole ingredients and be more focused on good taste and presentation than on satisfying a certain diet fad.

For this reason, I  love very old cook books. And I have started a collection of antiques, which sits on top of a cupboard in my kitchen where little hands can't reach them.

(The bright green one, being from 1966, is hardly an antique, but it's old enough I prefer to keep it safe here as well.)

I do use the recipes in these books sometimes, but what I like the most is the charm of another era that spills from the pages. In the past, homemaking, housekeeping, laundry, and cooking were seen as related skills, and so old cookbooks often contain a great deal of advice for the housewife in running her home. This advice is (as you might guess) sometimes quite amusing to us today, but sometimes helpful as well.

I found all of these at my favourite local used and rare bookstore (see previous post). The first one I found was a 1906 copy of the Boston Cooking School Book, by Fanny Farmer. (This book was originally published in 1896 and is considered an American classic.) This is my oldest book, and it's such fun to look at, especially all the ads in the back featuring everything from corsets to pineapple juice.

There is a dash of green marker on the spine of this one, put there by a little person soon after I brought it home. I wasn't very happy about that, but then I noticed that another little person (likely many, many years ago) had written "Danny" in black ink on the bottom of the book...some things never change!

Next I found a 1930s copy of Mrs. Beeton's Everyday Cookery. This is a "modern" edition of British housekeeping manual, first published way back in 1861, which means it contains a lot of information about managing the servants! It's quite a thick book though, with loads of simple recipes and household tips.

The other day I found Good Housekeeping's Book of Menus, Recipes and Household Discoveries, published in 1922. I just love this one--it contains a lot of good recipes, but in the back is a section called "Household Disoveries" which features tidbits of advice sent into the magazine by readers. There are sections on laundry, sewing, cooking, decorating, etc. As a bonus, stashed inside the front cover were a stack of lovely little booklets of Jello recipes--copyright 1924.

Every time I go back to my book store, I find a "new" old cookbook. I look forward to adding to my collection over the years. Do any of my readers have any antiques sitting on their cook book shelf?

When life gets too stressful...make chocolate chip cookies.

Ah, life...it's never boring, is it? At least ours isn't. We've been really struggling lately to maintain a sense of peace and sanity. Steady employment seems to be perpetually beyond our grasp, and yet bills need to be paid...the children are starting to get stir-crazy as dreary winter drags on...drama has been occuring in the extended family...It's hard to face of all this with bravery and cheerfulness, especially at this time of year when the best of us feel a little sunshine deprived. 

At times like this, I have found the only thing a body can do is take pleasure in the little things to forget about the big things, if only for a moment. Nothing beats a loving snuggle on the couch with a little person does it? Or sharing a laugh with your husband at a well-timed joke. Or curling up with a hot cup of tea and a good book. I've really been trying to take joy wherever I can.

I've also been making a lot of chocolate chip cookies lately. Yes, they're a high-sugar snack, but they're so delicious, they bring a smile to everyone's face, and they're one of the only baked goods my husband will eat and enjoy. Besides, I am not convinced that it is not healthy to eat things occasionally that are good for your soul. If the soul is happy, the body follows suit. :)

Here is the recipe for Toll House Cookies that my mom used to make when I was young. They're easy to whip up, and still as delicious as I remember.

Toll House Cookies.

Mix together and set aside:
2 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

In a large bowl, beat together:
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup of softened butter
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs

Around this time, turn the oven on to 375 F.

Add the dry ingredients to the moist ingredients, and beat until well mixed.

Stir in 2 cups of your favourite chocolate chips, and 1 cup of chopped walnuts if you like. (I usually do half the batch with walnuts, half without for the kids).

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets, and bake for 8-10 minutes, or until they're just starting to brown. If you're not sure if they're really done, take them out anyway. An underdone cookie is much better than an overdone one!

Pour some tall glasses of milk and share your cookies with some little people. And feel happy that chocolate chips were invented. :)

Happy Valentine's Day!

Since making an effort to move our lives away from consumer culture, and towards a simpler way of doing things, I find I enjoy holidays and celebrations more. For example, we made this past Christmas a "Handmade Holiday" and it was the most enjoyable we'd had in many years.

Valentine's Day, humble holiday though it is, is no exception. I used to go out and buy cards and chocolates and plastic decorations for my husband and children, but this year instead of buying decorations we made a mobile out of hearts we had cut out of watercolour paper. I also put up a hand-crocheted banner I bought from an Etsy shop called Sugar Yarn, which is owned by another homeschooling mom of 4. This sweet little banner makes me smile every time I look up at it and think that someone far away made it with their own hands.

(You can just see our mobile in the background.)

For dessert tonight, we have a very yummy New York style cheesecake awaiting us. I made two kinds of brilliantly red fruit sauce to go on top: cherry and raspberry, made from the very last of our local frozen fruit from last summer.

I'm happy that the last of our fruit is being used for a special occasion, but I'm also very sorry that it's all gone! We've decided that next summer we need to freeze and can a lot more fruit.

I am thinking now that the kids would have loved it if we had made heart-shaped sugar cookies. Next year I'll have to remember to do that. I love creating new family traditions. Next year as well, when I am not feeling so largely pregnant and fuzzy-brained, perhaps I'll find the energy to write a little romantic verse for my love. I usually write poems for everyone in my family on their birthdays--it's really quite a fun thing to do if you have a moment to sit down and think. I don't know why I never wrote one for Valentine's Day before.

Well, that's my post for today. Nothing grand. I hope all my readers have a day filled with love!

Book review: The Little House Cookbook.

I have always been fascinated by the pioneer time period, and I also love cookbooks featuring traditional recipes. When I was recently given this book as a gift, I knew it would be right up my alley. I dove right in and read it from cover to cover.

It's a fascinating book with surprisingly, more space dedicated to historical information than to the actual recipes. The book is divided into chapters by type of food; for example, Staples From the Country Store, Foods From the Woods, Wilds and Waters, Foods From Gardens and Orchards, and Thirst Quenchers and Treats. Each chapter begins with an essay detailing the historical information of that type of food at that time.These essays are so interesting!

Then before each recipe is a quote (mentioning the dish) from one of the books, and an explanation of how the dish would have been prepared at that time, by either Ma Ingalls or Mother Wilder. Every single recipe in the book (I think there are 100) is for a food which is mentioned in one of the books--so these recipes are truly authentic pioneer recipes, not modern interpretations of what pioneers ate.

Some recipes are there more for interest than for anything. For example, it's unlikely that I'm going to make stewed jackrabbit anytime soon...but there are many recipes here that I do want to try, especially the breads, cakes and pies.

One thing I found most remarkable about this book was the simplicity of the recipes. People in the past made food to nourish themselves--good, simple food with few ingredients. Spices and flavourings were used sparingly if at all. This is what I personally like. Today's recipes in comparison seem too fussy and fancy, with too many flavours and ingredients masking the simple flavours of the foods themselves.

A cherished addition to my cookbook collection, equally delightful and useful. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is enamoured with the Little House books, even if it is read only for the historical information.

Home Cooking: Perogies.

I am part Ukranian, and so warm, buttery, doughy perogies are to me a favourite comfort food, one that I have loved ever since my childhood when my mother used to make them from scratch.

There are endless variations on this dish, but the kind of perogies I make for my own family are the basic variety that are popular in Canada, stuffed with mashed potatoes and cheddar cheese, and topped with onions, sour cream, and crumbled bacon.

You can buy frozen perogies at any grocery store, but those small, tough, dry, preservative-filled dumplings are nothing like the kind you can make at home, which are large, tender, and delicious! My children especially love my homemade perogies--it's one meal I know I will be eaten up without a single complaint. I think I am going to have to start making a double recipe, because all three children ask for seconds!

If you've never made your own perogies, give it a try! It's really not difficult, and the results make such a satisfying and yummy meal on a cold winter night. As a bonus, it's a fairly inexpensive yet filling meal.

Homemade Perogies

First, make the dough. Put two cups of flour into a bowl. In a separate bowl, mix 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 cup mashed potato (leftover is fine), 1 tsp salt, and 1 tbsp vegetable oil. I like to make this mixture smooth with my hand blender so there are no pesky lumps of potato. Then, dump this wet mixture onto the flour and mix it up. (Note: the potato is there to make the dough more pliable.) 

Knead the dough a bit--not too much!--until you get a ball like this that holds together. It should not be sticky or floury. Add a bit of liquid or flour if you need to. I usually need to add another tablespoon or so of milk.

Let the dough rest, covered, for about half an hour. In the meantime, make the filling. Take 2 cups of hot mashed potatoes (again, leftover is fine, just warm them up) and add 1/4 cup butter and 1 cup of grated cheddar cheese. The potatoes need to be warm so the cheese will melt.

Okay, when the dough has rested roll it out, as thin as you can get it. Use a round object about 3.5 inches across to cut circles in the dough. You can use a tin can, a jar lid, or whatever you have. I used to use the cup from the top of a large thermos, but Chris recently made me this nifty perogy cutter on his lathe. It's made from a solid piece of maple. Isn't it cool?

I love things turned on the lathe, they're so smooth and pretty. :)

 Okay, so once you have some circles cut out, take one and put a lump of potato filling inside. Stretch the dough a wee bit around the filling so the edges meet, and pinch them closed all the way around.

 Place them on a lightly floured dishcloth for now.

Once all your perogies are done, you can leave them sitting there for a few hours if it isn't supper time, or you can cook them right away. (I assume you can freeze them too, but I haven't tried that yet.)

To cook them, just drop them into boiling water. I do half the batch at once. When they rise to the top and are all floating around (like below), they're done.

Take them out of the water with a slotted spoon and arrange on a platter, where you can smother them with melted butter. Or if you prefer, you can pan fry them to make them crispy. I like them soft personally though. Top with onions, sour cream, bacon, or whatever you like. Yum!

Chocolate Covered Pretzels.

We got this idea last Christmas from a library book of holiday recipes, and I think it has become something we make every year. It's so easy, makes an attractive gift, and the combination of the sweet chocolate and the salty pretzel is delicious.

I use the cheap store brand pretzels for this, and they work just fine. :)

Chocolate Covered Pretzels.

Melt some of those white chocolate wafers from the bulk store (the ones intended for melting) in a small pot at a low heat. Stir it constantly, don't let it burn! A double boiler would be great for this too. When it's melted, take some pretzels and dip them into the melted white chocolate halfway. Place on waxed paper on a baking sheet.

The white chocolate will be completely hardened after about half an hour. Now, do the same thing with some milk chocolate or dark chocolate wafers--but dip the bare half of the pretzel in, and after placing it on the waxed paper, drop some sprinkles over top so they stick in the chocolate. Wait a little bit for them to harden, and they're done!

These work well in a decorative tin as a gift for teachers, neighbours, friends, or whomever you like. It's a gift that children can help make, too.

This year, we took the leftover white and dark wafers, melted them and added some crushed candy cane and peppermint extract to make candy cane bark. Also very good and easy to make!

Home Cooking: Macaroni and Cheese.

Did you know that macaroni and cheese was Thomas Jefferson's favourite meal? I can understand why. What says "comfort food" like macaroni and cheese? As the temperature in these parts has now reached regular wintery levels (in other words, very cold!) I find that a nice hot cheesy casserole seems more appealing than ever.

Real macaroni and cheese is a million times better than the instant kind from a box, but I never made it until recently. For some reason I thought it was difficult...but it's not, it's quite simple and makes a great winter meal teamed with your favourite vegetables.

This recipe is my own. I created it by modifying a recipe from The Tasha Tudor Cookbook. Tasha instructs that "It is particularly good when served with a fine smoked ham." I'm sure it would be--but we're eating on a budget right now, so we just ate it with a few slices of back bacon (Canadian bacon I think other people call it?) and a green salad on the side, and it made a satisfying meal.

This recipe makes a lot, so there is plenty to reheat for lunches later on, which I find to be a good money-saving measure.

Simple Macaroni and Cheese

1. Crush some crackers until you have about 2/3 of a cup. (I used 16 soda crackers, but use whatever you like). Mix with 2 tbsp melted butter and set aside.

2. Cook the pasta: I used half of a package of shell pasta, which was about 450g or 1 lb.

3. When the pasta is draining, make the sauce: Melt 1/3 cup butter in a saucepan. Add 1/3 cup flour. Once this is well mixed, add 3 cups of milk, 2 cups of grated sharp cheddar cheese, and 4-5 process cheese slices.* Salt and pepper to taste.

4. Once the sauce is thickened and bubbly, place the pasta in a greased 9 X 13 pan (lasagne pan) and pour the sauce over. Mix gently.

5. Sprinkle cracker crumbs over top. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about half an hour, or until it's as browned as you like it.  Enjoy!

* I know processed cheese isn't very good for you. But my kids really like the smooth texture it gives, and also where I live the slices are very cheap when they go on sale. So it's an economical way to stretch the cheese. But by all means, when you make the recipe use another half cup of grated cheese instead of processed cheese.

Spicy Gingersnaps.

It's that time of year again...Christmas baking! I make these gingersnaps every year...actually though, they don't "snap" at all when you bite into them. They're wonderfully chewy, moist, spicy and delicious! It's quite a challenge, I must admit, to save some of these for Christmas, especially since they taste best while warm out of the oven.

Organic sugar works best for the outer coating, since it has a coarser texture than regular sugar. The original recipe called for vegetable oil, and this time I used a combination of coconut oil and lard, because that was what I had in the house. It worked just fine. I'm sure you can use whatever kind of fat or oil you prefer.

Spicy Gingersnaps.

1 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup molasses
1 egg
2 cups unbleached flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground cinammon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/3 cup white sugar for outside of cookies

Mix together brown sugar, oil, molasses and egg. Combine dry ingredients, and then stir into the molasses mixture. Roll dough in 1 1/4 inch balls. Roll each ball in white sugar before placing about 2 inches apaprt on ungreased cookie sheets. *

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in a 375 degree oven, or until centers are firm. Enjoy!

* It's best to use cookie sheets with edges. I used some flat sheets this time, and some of the balls of dough rolled off into the bottom of the oven when I placed the sheets in the oven. One dough ball I couldn't retrieve, and after about 10 minutes it burst into flames. Which actually was rather entertaining...it burned brightly for quite some time! :)

Pumpkin Spice Bars.

I don't suppose anyone will mind much if I squeeze in one more pumpkin recipe before the autumn is over? ;)

This one comes from an old cookies and squares cookbook my mom had from the early 1970s. I used to love it when my mom would make these, and I love it when I make them now! These are very sweet, so not something you'd want to have all the time, but make a wonderful special treat for fall or winter. The icing tastes like a spicy butterscotch fudge. (Sounds good, doesn't it?)

Pumpkin Spice Bars

Cream together
1/4 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar (I usually use brown)

Beat in
1 egg
3/4 cup mashed pumpkin
1 tsp vanilla

In a separate bowl, stir together
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Mix wet and dry ingredients. Pour into greased 9X9 or 8X8 pan (either will work fine). Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, or until set in middle. Top with Spice Frosting.

Spice Frosting

In saucepan, combine
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 tbsp butter
2 tbsp milk
1/4 tsp ground cinammon
A pinch each of ginger and cloves

Cook and stir until mixture bubbles; simmer for a few moments, then remove from heat. Stir in 1/2 tsp vanilla and 1 cup icing sugar. Pour or spread over pumpkin bars; it will thicken quickly as it cools.

These are always a hit when I make them. Last time, I gave one to Jasper (who is 2), and after finishing it he quickly ran back into the kitchen, took a fork from the drawer, and scooped up a forkful of icing before I knew what he was about. So I figured I'd take a picture of that to go with this post. Okay, I know it doesn't look overly appetizing, but it does show that my children liked it. And these didn't last long, so there are no more pictures anyway. :)

Enjoy!