Like Mother, Like Daughter

I love your chairs! May I ask where you found them...

2009-11-07T13:43:26.750-05:00

I love your chairs! May I ask where you found them and if they are STURDY?

I love your home.

It really comes to life with what you've done to i...

2009-11-07T12:45:49.518-05:00

It really comes to life with what you've done to it. Love it!

I've been using up squash for years in bread and s...

2009-11-07T12:44:23.913-05:00

I've been using up squash for years in bread and soup.

Great advice as usual.

correction: I meant to say two nights each week (t...

2009-11-07T02:00:23.403-05:00

correction: I meant to say two nights each week (that's roughly 8 nights a month!). Whoohooo!!!! :)

How interesting to read of your post about dinner ...

2009-11-07T01:54:27.101-05:00

How interesting to read of your post about dinner menu. I have just re-written mine as our life situation is bit different now, basically busier. I used to make monthly menu and life was smooth sailing. The last two years though, I was not so diligent and lo and be hold, I (and my family) suffered the consequence! My monthly menu now makes much more sense and is also much simpler. I use recipes that only call for regular (or normal) ingredients. I will leave the "exotic" recipes to later in my life when there's only hubby and me. The big different I have already seen with the "new" monthly menu is that I will have two nights not having to cook the main meal but just the side dishes! Yes, dinner menu rocks! :)

I LOVE the turquoise on black combination... but y...

2009-11-06T23:46:41.869-05:00

I LOVE the turquoise on black combination... but you could probably have guessed that from the color of my apartment walls (hey, a basement calls for bright color!).

I suspect the quince has two different colors because one less hearty variety has been grafted onto a heartier variety... we have a rose that blooms with two different varieties due to overzealous pruning. (The variety that was grafted on is called "Handel." How delightful is that?)

I also love it! And it's super fun to have little...

2009-11-06T21:31:43.367-05:00

I also love it! And it's super fun to have little (or not VERY little) turquoise accents all around your house. Such and unexpected, delightful surprise!

I love my menu plans. I began doing this when I f...

2009-11-06T21:18:57.921-05:00

I love my menu plans. I began doing this when I first got married because I was excited to use my new cookbooks and try out new recipes and plus the grocery store was about 20-25 minutes away, so I really needed to make a trip count. However (start ominous music here) when I was morning sick a couple of months ago I lost the habit/strength/nerve/energy, whatever you want to call it, to keep making them. And I just didn't pick it up again until I got soooo darn sick of walking into the stupid grocery store (now a tempting 2 min away) that I thought I would SCREAM if I didn't do something quick!

I have started making menu plans again. I make them over the weekend and prepare a shopping list as I go and then shop on Mondays. I try to take into account things like, guests coming on Tuesday or leftovers from one meal being useful in a subsequent one, but I also write them on a marker board so that I can switch them around if need be. For instance this week I had planned a spiral ham for Monday and it turned out that spiral hams were $3/pound! and so I bought some other more reasonably priced meat, but that meant that pea soup on Tuesday was out, etc. Also, on wednesday when I felt too tired and pregnant to make chinese food I was able to switch with Thursday's menu, breakfast sandwiches, which my dear, sweet husband offered to make for me, as I had already fallen asleep in the easy chair...

Anyway, yes, menus are marvelous. My husband commented to me recently that he feels like we have been eating especially well lately (ie, since I got back on track with my menus) and I know that we are spending far less on groceries and really not throwing out leftovers. Wahoo! ;)

You are so right. Life is better when the meal is ...

2009-11-06T12:35:28.530-05:00

You are so right. Life is better when the meal is planned. Then everything else has a way of falling into place. Less stress when "that time of day" starts to roll around. I like your simple, yet complete plan.
Good idea on using up the leftover squash in the biscuits. Never thought of that one.

I had a dream about you last night...your whole fa...

2009-11-06T10:57:36.906-05:00

I had a dream about you last night...your whole family and my husband were out doing something productive and I was left to cook dinner for you all while you were out. This mommy of 1 so far has never cooked for that many people and I. had. no. menu!! So I made everyone scrampled eggs, hashbrowns and toast. Nary a veggie or fruit in sight! But all worked out well in the end. I didn't think (until I woke up) to check Your menu plan! :D
Have a great day!
Kari

Oh and Tracy's comment cracked me up!

2009-11-06T09:49:55.334-05:00

Oh and Tracy's comment cracked me up!

I'm sorry to have side tracked the conversation wi...

2009-11-06T09:49:26.130-05:00

I'm sorry to have side tracked the conversation with my hand blender fascination, but I just wanted to say that for us it was a safety issue. I had a regular blender that I poured hot soup into one day to puree and it leaked out of the bottom and all over the base, my cabinets and the floor. With little ones running around, I decided right then that pouring hot soup into a contraption like that again was dangerous. Since we don't make a lot of mixed drinks and most hand blenders can be used for smoothies (not if you are using ice though), I actually replaced my blender with the hand blender and haven't missed the regular blender at all. It might not work for everybody, but it works for us.

Charlotte -- it would be easier to grab the thing ...

2009-11-06T09:42:10.818-05:00

Charlotte -- it would be easier to grab the thing and take it wherever. My kitchen has few outlets, being a 19th century artifact layered over bit by bit with nary a thought to "code".

And of course, that also means I have little real storage, so a wall-mounted charger would be helpful. But this is fine, although I did once use it at the stove with the cord sort of draped willy-nilly and melted off some of the coating...the Chief patched it with electrical tape and hopefully we will survive to cook another day.

Anonymous/Susie -- thanks! I will keep telling you what to do, no fear.

Sara-- I knew you were kidding -- who would dare say she didn't know what was for dinner to ME!!! :)

I'm glad you loved your biscuits. I never really went for the add ins until I thought to use my blender. It makes the whole thing lighter...

Anonymous/Linda, your comments always brighten my day!

Shawna -- The food processor is a whole nother discussion. I felt so guilty asking for the stick blender when I already have a blender, food processor, and kitchenaid, but hey. That's how it goes...

Tracy, be strong. We will be there for you!

Pippajo-- So sorry...but think of me as your cheerleader!

Where were you when I scratched and clawed my way ...

2009-11-06T09:30:33.782-05:00

Where were you when I scratched and clawed my way through developing this system for myself four years ago???

This is almost exactly what I do. I have to or it's hopeless! I have often felt like a bit of a loser with my remedial lists and detailed plans (and some of my more organized friends do pick on me a little), but it works and it has revolutionized our lives!

You are so right! And I am so trying those biscuits!

Amen sister! Preach it! I once was lost but now ...

2009-11-06T09:21:21.513-05:00

Amen sister! Preach it!

I once was lost but now I'm found.

I am a believer in family menus. I Have been a believer for over three years now.

But, sisters, my walk has not always been straight and I confess to you now that I have strayed off the path toward the shiny bright lights of chick-fil-a. The siren smell of waffle fries still bekons me, but, with God and my fellow mother sisters' help, I CAN resist. Get behind me waffle fries! You are NOT on the menu until next week when Dad is out of town!

Charlotte: I have a Braun plug in food processor ...

2009-11-05T20:35:12.893-05:00

Charlotte: I have a Braun plug in food processor and really enjoy using it. I have managed to find a home for it and I store all the extra bits in an ice cream pail. Since making a menu regularly and a fit about counter space I have plenty of space for it when I need it. I pop everything into the dishwasher which also makes me happy.
Leila: thank you so much for breaking things up for those of us who IT doesn't just come to easily. What makes perfect sense to some homemakers just doesn't to me, so I'm grateful for the extra steps.

You are hilarious! And clever! Thanks for your gr...

2009-11-05T18:20:06.418-05:00

You are hilarious! And clever! Thanks for your great example and concrete ideas which inspire us to excel at our wonderful job of homemaker. Linda

"But if you are like me, a little scattered, a lit...

2009-11-05T18:07:10.255-05:00

"But if you are like me, a little scattered, a little undisciplined, a little clueless, good at cooking but not at doing things when you ought to"

OK, how did you know that about me?! I thought I had an allergy to menu making, but you may have convinced me to give it a try. I do have sort of a loose idea, since I order most of our food from a co-op that delivers every Monday, but something more concrete would bring more order and freedom to our afternoons, I admit.

Those biscuits will be on the menu for sure!

Second comment of the day---- I was just kidding ...

2009-11-05T16:47:46.888-05:00

Second comment of the day----

I was just kidding about not knowing what else was for dinner. The pork was already defrosting and I would have served the squash on the side. Dh is my garbage disposer. lol.

But seriously, I just made THE BEST BISCUITS EVER! The dry half of my recipe is 2c flour, 1T baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 c butter. Then I added the acorn squash (1.5 c?)and mixed it in. I didn't want to sour my brand-new farm-fresh milk so I used the yogurt I made yesterday and added it just like you said. Again: THE BEST BISCUITS EVER! Light, fluffy, amazing, and that little hint of je ne sais quois!

Leila, Your blog is so inspiring to me. I often f...

2009-11-05T16:18:27.346-05:00

Leila,
Your blog is so inspiring to me. I often feel like I pull up a chair in your kitchen and get the "MOM-sense" I need about alot things. I am a 36 yr old mom to 3 little girls (9,6,&2.5), this is my second year homeschooling and ...well, you have taught me alot. Thanks for your honesty, your gritty humor and nuts and bolts instructions (for those of us who don't know how to do it ALL). Keep writing. I so appreciate it!
Susie in Spokane, WA

OK. Mine was a cordless kind and it did have power...

2009-11-05T16:10:46.358-05:00

OK. Mine was a cordless kind and it did have power when it first came out of the box, but then it started acting up by only staying on for 3 seconds at a time. Ever tried to puree a butternut squash soup at 3 second intervals? :(

What, would you say, is the biggest pain about a corded one? Storage, mobility, or plug access?

Sara -- no throwing away!!! :) Charlotte/Matilda ...

2009-11-05T15:44:09.123-05:00

Sara -- no throwing away!!! :)

Charlotte/Matilda -- Mine is a Cuisinart. It does have a cord, which is a pain, but the reviews on the cordless ones were all like, "not powerful enough", bleah.

Barbara -- yes indeedy.

Mama Kitty -- I love it! That is fantastic. If you read my article about making menus, you will see that I make sure you ask everyone in your family what they dream of! But writing them out -- priceless.

Freckled Hen -- I think red cabbage is so much prettier -- why not?? It costs a bit more, but we are talking about cabbage, here, not filet mignon. I hope you are enjoying your togetherness with your wonderful spouse!

Your photos are stunning, especially the cabbage. ...

2009-11-05T14:53:14.622-05:00

Your photos are stunning, especially the cabbage. It looks much better than the green cabbage I simply cut and boiled for dinner. You have helped me with the menu planning...now I must pay more attention to the great recipes you share.
Thank you for the nice comment you left welcoming my husband home. You are so very nice!

I am just curious what you do about children that ...

2009-11-05T14:28:32.469-05:00

I am just curious what you do about children that are allergic to milk? My children do drink small amounts of soy milk in cereal occasionally because I have 2 that are severly allergic. And all of my babies were born severly lactose intolerant.

Love it!

2009-11-05T13:51:16.337-05:00

Love it!