Heather Solos's Blog, page 32

The Great Dish Assignment and Do you Know Where People Will Sit?

Heather says:


I hope you had a great weekend. (I did, we took a mini-vacation and I feel rested and truly happy, even after painting the living room yesterday -pictures at the bottom of the post to not annoy people who don’t care.)

 

The holiday craziness kicks off in two weeks and one day, how is your planning coming along?

So far in our Countdown to Turkey Day we have:

Decided when and where
Cleared the dining room table. Is it still clear? Do you have extensions you’ll need? If not clear and search
Invited our guests -begin confirming and getting a head count
Created our Soft Thanksgiving Menu Plan
Begun working on getting the house company ready by paying attention to daily / weekly chores

With your expected headcount in mind, take a look around and decide if you’re going to need more chairs and / or place settings. If you plan on renting these items, start calling today. If you’re borrowing from friends or family now would be a good time to confirm your plan.

Today, depending on how your house and kitchen are organized may be simple or quite the dive into storage.

Grab your Thanksgiving menu plan and at the very least your mental inventory of serving-ware. If you have moved, held a yard sale, or gone on a donating / purging binge, I do recommend that you lay eyes on each piece you plan to use.

Next to each menu item assign a serving dish AND the appropriate serving utensil.

Do not forget your cranberry sauce, gravy, butter, and if you put out crudites or antipasti before the meal, don’t forget those items need a dish, too.

If you find yourself short on serving-ware – begin looking.

If you have lots of storage in your home, check out your local thrift stores for cookware; you still have a little bit of time to find a bargain. If storage is at a premium, go ahead and use disposable/ recyclable roasting pans. Just be careful with this option if you are sitting at a table and passing dishes rather than serving from a buffet. You really don’t want Grandma to end up with a lap full of cornbread dressing.

Got it? One dish for each item + one serving utensil. Never assume you have these items.

While you’re thinking about it, do you have enough storage containers for the leftovers?

See, we’re getting there with this year’s Thanksgiving preparation. You’ve got this.

How are your plans coming along?

 

 

               
CommentsWhere are the living room pics? Thanks for all the Thanksgiving ... by Patty  

Countdown to Turkey Day 2015 – Invitations for All

Heather says:

How is your Thanksgiving preparation going?

Are you staying on top of the weekly chores? Is your dining room table still clear? No? Fix that, I’ll wait.

On Tuesday we talked about putting together a tentative guest list. It’s time to go invite everyone formally. I’m not talking about embossed, fancy cards, but you can do that if you’d like and you are well within Emily Post’s two weeks to two months guideline for Thanksgiving dinner invitations. While I prefer calling my friends and family to make Thanksgiving plans, it’s not exactly a surprise for any of them.

Don’t cold call your invitations.

While it may seem like a great, efficient idea, it may make someone uncomfortable and feel pressured to attend something they’d rather not. Remember etiquette is mostly about making someone else feel comfortable. Don’t call a friend you haven’t spoken to in months and try to force them to accept your invitation. Shoot them an email, mention you’ll be having dinner, and then ask if they would like to attend.

Whatever your method, make your invitations and keep a list of your confirmations. This guest count is an estimate. Remember life happens and sometimes it is the flu and sometimes it’s just someone being inconsiderate, but no shows happen. And sometimes people call at the last minute to see if they can bring their cousin who has two kids and just happens to be in town (even though they knew they were coming three months ago). It happens.

Be prepared.

Have you finished your Thanksgiving menu plan yet?

Still need a little help?

Here are links to the Home Ec 101 Thanksgiving Recipe Collection:

Oven Roasted Turkey
Deep Fried Turkey
Turkey Stock
Apple, Sage, Cranberry Dressing
Andouille Sausage Cornbread Dressing
How to Make Gravy
Broccoli Almond Salad
Collard Greens
Savory Butternut Squash
Oven Baked Macaroni and Cheese
Caramel Apple Pie
Gluten Free Pumpkin Pie (just use a regular pie shell if you don’t want it gluten free)

As I mentioned recently, I have a few more recipes and techniques to add.

If you are looking for vegetarian Thanksgiving ideas, the Home Ec 101 community had some fabulous suggestions. Here are a few of my favorites from that post:

A Vegetarian Thanksgiving from Cheap Healthy Good (fabulous site) suggested by Milehimama

Mark Bittman’s 101 Thanksgiving Side Dishes -not all of these are vegetarian, but Bittman is a go-to for ideas in my world, suggested by Alice Dick

101 Cookbook’s Vegetarian Thanksgiving suggested by Leigh Webber

Mother Earth News A Vegetarian Thanksgiving suggested by CJ McD

What are your favorite Thanksgiving recipe resources?

 

              Related ArticlesCountdown to Turkey Day – Time to PracticeCountdown to Turkey Day 2015Countdown to Turkey Day 2012: The Great Thanksgiving Day Post Mortem and Leftover Tips 

Countdown to Turkey Day – Time to Practice

Heather says

Today is pretty short and sweet, you have a few things to make sure you’re on track for Thanksgiving:

PRACTICE

Take your soft menu plan from Tuesday and go over it. Are there any recipes you haven’t tested? Is there a cooking technique in one that you haven’t tried? Have ever even roasted a chicken? Please try a chicken before you go for the turkey. (There’s a lot less to use up when you start with a chicken, if you’re unhappy with your first attempt)

If the answer is yes to any of these, pick a day this week or weekend and practice. Don’t stress yourself out on Thanksgiving itself. You have enough to think about without worrying if a recipe will come out well or not.

If you’ve never mashed potatoes before, serve that as a side on Sunday.





If you’ve just moved and you don’t know your oven very well, do the toast test and get used to it. (I learned this from Nathalie Dupree and it makes a lot of sense. You buy a cheap loaf of white bread and arrange the pieces in a single layer on a baking sheet. Preheat your oven to 350 and place the baking sheet on the center rack. Then observe the bread as it toasts. What zone gets brown first? Which areas take the longest to toast? These clues let you get to know your oven’s hot and cool spots. Take a picture of the toast to help you remember and tape it to the inside of a cabinet door near your oven in for a reference the next time you bake something.

It’s completely okay to spend $2 or $3 on a loaf of bread to ensure you won’t ruin a future meal. And if you’re really worried about the cost of that bread? Make croutons.  (Wow, I really need to take new pictures of that.)

If you’re trying a gluten-free version of something you’ve only ever made with wheat flour, please give it a trial run, especially gravy. And if you’re testing a gluten-free gravy make sure you’re using the same alternative flour you’ll have on hand on Thanksgiving day. Why? The thickness will vary wildly from mix to mix and it’s frustrating to run out of turkey stock 10 minutes before the food is supposed to be on the table. 

MAKE ROOM

Click this picture for more information!

Throw away, recycle, or donate three – five things that are just taking up space in your house. (And if it’s a set it only counts as one, no cheating.) Why? You’re going to have guests and the holidays are coming, you’ll appreciate the extra space.

Do you have enough containers for leftovers? There’s a special on RubberMaid Storage Containers on Amazon today. (11/6/2015)

START CLEANING

How is that dining room table looking? Is it serving as a landing place for all the odds and ends, piles of mail and homework? Guess what, it is “later;” start putting that stuff away. You’re going to need that table soon.

Are you getting excited for Thanksgiving 2015?

                

The Soft Menu Plan – 2015

Heather says

Today is pretty simple, it’s a pen and paper exercise. We’re going to create the soft menu plan for our Thanksgiving dinner. Why do I suggest this method instead of getting everything set in stone right away? This allows time to go over the menu a couple of times and really think about it.

Here is my Thanksgiving Menu Plan printable, I’m not a graphic designer and it shows. (Heck, it even still has the old logo on it. That said, it works)  The menu plan printable has three columns, one for your ideal menu, another for your guests’ ideal, and finally we have the great compromise.

Why?

If it’s going to make too many people upset that there isn’t any green bean casserole, will it really hurt you to provide green bean casserole? 

Hate on sweet potatoes all you want, some people will be sad if they aren’t there.  You may be cooking and it may be your home, but you’re helping create a memory for each person that shows up. Be a little flexible and a little accommodating when you need to be. 

Please note I said a little. This leads me to the next consideration.

Have you ever noticed that sometimes holiday meals tend to feel like a potluck?

This tends to happen when recipes are chosen at random. Meat? Check. Vegetable? Check. Starch? Check. The seasonings in one dish may not complement the flavors of another which leads to the potluck effect.

Back in 2012, when I last did the great Turkey Day photo shoot, I had an Italian theme:

Antipasti
turkey -brined in apple cider, parsley, lemon, peppercorns, and salt
shallot rosemary gravy
mushroom risotto
sausage stuffed mushrooms
tri-color roasted potatoes with rosemary and parmesan
Brussels sprouts with prosciutto and parmesan (this is just a straight substitution of prosciutto for the bacon)
butternut squash with rosemary (optional drizzle with balsamic vinegar)

In this example, the turkey has a fairly neutral seasoning, the shallot and rosemary gravy is where we start to get interesting. The rosemary in the gravy is also in the potatoes and butternut squash. The savory nature of the meal shows in the risotto, the stuffed mushrooms, and in the earthy flavor of roasted Brussels sprouts.

Typical Thanksgiving at Heather’s

deep fried turkey
gravy
company mashed potatoes
collard greens
shrimp and andouille sausage cornbread dressing
traditional sage dressing
butternut squash
broccoli salad with dried cranberries
Brussels sprouts with bacon

The usual Thanksgiving menu around here has a Lowcountry / Cajun theme with the Andouille sausage in the cornbread dressing showing up again in the collard greens. The cranberries in the cranberry sauce show up as dried cranberries in the broccoli salad and again in the apple and sage dressing. (I’ll be experimenting with gf bread to see if it can create a dressing like experience, if not, it’ll be stricken from the menu, with regret)

Here is a post with some resources for vegetarians.

If you are having guests bring sides, talk to them about the recipes as they are assigned. Not in a micro-manager I have to control everything way, but rather to discover what the main flavors will be. When you know what people are bringing you can adjust the recipes you choose to ensure there is a flow of flavor throughout the meal.

What will you be serving for Thanksgiving 2015?

                

Countdown to Turkey Day 2015

Heather says

Here we are, our 9th Thanksgiving together at Home-Ec 101. Just like we’ve done in years past, I have the Countdown to Turkey Day ready to help you host your Thanksgiving Dinner with confidence. Stick with us and you won’t be the one frantically googling how to thaw a turkey on the morning of the 26th. 

We’ve got almost four weeks to get ready and while it sounds like a lot of time, remember that life loves to throw curveballs. If you are hosting dinner in your home, now is the time to finish any home improvement projects already in progress and solemnly swear not to start any new ones until the leftovers have been safely stored. 

You don’t need the stress.

Today we’re going to start off like we always do, thinking about where, when, and who.

Are you hosting? 

Will your Thanksgiving dinner be held in your home or are you in charge at someone else’s home? Do they know? You should probably get confirmation on this before going any further* with your planning. 

Who will be there?

While you’re making your plan and deciding who to invite, try to remember if anyone has any dietary restrictions. The more time you have to plan around your guests’ needs, the less difficult they will be to accommodate.

If you’re contributing a dish to a meal somewhere else, do you know what you’re expected to bring and how you’re going to get it there? 

Here at Home-Ec 101, Thanksgiving doesn’t look like it used to and that’s okay. This year the kids will be playing with cousins they rarely get to see and that’s more important than me having my way and trying to create a Norman Rockwell holiday picture. 

This year we’ll be having Thanksgiving at my mother’s. While I don’t have to worry about the turkey, I will be schlepping side dishes and this gives me the excuse I’ve been looking for to upgrade my slow cooker. Normally I build a nest out of towels and drive cautiously, fingers crossed, just hoping not to slosh too much. Not this year. 

This is how I know I’m finally getting used to being an adult, I can make compromises without feeling bitter and I look forward to upgrading appliances. Who knew that’s what being a grown up would look like? 

So here’s to another Countdown to Turkey Day, let’s make this year a good one.

              Related StoriesCountdown to Turkey Day 2012: The Great Thanksgiving Day Post Mortem and Leftover TipsCountdown to Turkey Day 2012: The Day Before Thanksgiving 2012Countdown to Turkey Day 2012: Two Days to Go! 

How To Get Rid Of Odors In Material: Home-Ec 101 Guide

Whether the smell is good or bad, material can just soak up odors, and hold on to them for a long time. If it smells good – no problem. If it stinks, we might have to give up that shirt that we’ve loved for a long time; or only wear it when we have a cold and aren’t leaving the house. Maybe one of the following articles can help you with the problem of odors in material and save your shirt; just click on the title of the article that you want to read more of.

Another Case of Musty Odors

After the clothes are confined there for a few weeks, they develop a strong odor that spreads to other clothes which would otherwise not get smelly. We’ve had to resort to banning that one drawer and going through the closets looking for cotton undershirts to re-wash…

Attack of the stinky fish shirt

I recently bought a linen type shirt. I think it is linen. Anyway, it has this scent that smells like fish. I really like this shirt, but my students tell me I stink, and I’d like to keep the shirt.

Don’t Just Cover Up Musty Odors

My problem is that I keep towels that we have used in a closet until I do laundry at the end of the week, and I wanted to know if there is anything I could put inside the closet to keep down the musky smell until laundry day?

Formaldehyde: It’s not just for embalming anymore

Could you please tell me what that awful chemical smell is on some new jeans? How I can get rid of it?

Fresh Smelling Towels

I’ve noticed our towels never smell “fresh”, even when they are straight from the dryer. It isn’t the typical musty or moldy smell you might get when leaving them in the washer too long and not truly stinky but just not nice. How can I make my towels smell better without resorting to “perfumey” detergents or dryer sheets?

Funky swimsuit. And by funky, I do NOT mean James Brown funky.

I found my swimsuit wrapped in a towel in a backpack. The good news is, the backpack’s fine, but the swimsuit smells horribly funky.

Getting Rid of Mildew Odor in Towels

I’m not always great about making sure my towels get dried the same day they are washed. This leads to them smelling like mildew. Will the smell go away? Can I do anything to make it go away?

Help! The Laundry Smells Like Rotten Eggs

I followed all of the advice in your how to deal with stubborn body odor in laundry article and my clothes still stink. There’s sort of a rotten egg odor and nothing I do gets rid of it.

How to Deal With Stubborn Body Odor in Laundry

I have noticed my tops are not smelling very fresh anymore when I perspire.  I usually wash them in cold or warm water with liquid detergent then I hang them to dry.

How to Remove Mildew and Musty Odor from Towels

My towels all smell funky. Is it my teenage son? There is nothing quite like stepping out of the shower to be greeted with a musty, mildewed, smelly towel.

How to Remove Musty Odor from Jeans

For a few weeks I’ve occasionally noticed a musty smell. At first I thought it was something in my house, but I couldn’t ever pin it down. I finally realized it was my favorite pair of jeans!

Mildewed misery

I forgot about a load of wash in the washing machine. Of course, it’s almost the entire wardrobe for both my children and the entire load *reeks* of mildew.

No, I never have smelled mothballs

Recently I bought a nice tote bag at an airport shop while travelling. As soon as I got it onto the plane, I realized it reeeeeeeeeeeeeeks of mothballs.

P.O.ed at B.O.

I’m sick and tired of replacing work shirts every year when the only thing wrong with them is they’ve gone a bit wiffy from being in contact with smelly armpits too often.

Sour Smelling Towels

Why do towels and washcloths smell sour and how do I get rid of that funky odor?

Sunlight as a Disinfectant for Laundry

Click the picture for more tips!

I’ve seen a couple of posts where you’ve mentioned that sunlight is a disinfectant… I wondered if you had any idea how effective it actually is, and whether the temperature outside influences its effectiveness?

What Causes Smelly Sheets?

I have smelly sheets! I wash them and I promise I don’t use too much laundry detergent. Then I dry them and then store them. For some reason as soon as I get the sheets out to put on the bed they smell weird, a little musty. 

Send your domestic questions to helpme@home-ec101.com.

                

Menu Monday – #42

Heather says:

We’ve been working hard on eating a bit healthier around here, lots more produce for breakfast, lunch and snacks. Dinner, for all of football season, has been a bit of a pain. I make dinner, package it up for the oldest, Ray heats it back up at dinner time for the younger three and I eat when I get home around 9 at night. That’s our Monday to Thursday, but thankfully the end of this is in sight.

How do you deal with getting everyone fed when your schedule is temporarily ridiculous?

Here is a menu planning printable that can help make planning and grocery shopping a lot easier. I find if I look at what I have on hand and what I need while I plan our menu, I’m less likely to impulse shop and more likely to use of stuff we already have in the house.

I’d love some more ideas.

In the meantime here’s what we’re having.

Monday – Simple Autumn Skillet

 

Tuesday Garlic and Soy Chicken Thighs, Mashed Sweet Potatoes, Oven Roasted Broccoli

Wednesday – Fake ‘n Bake Pork Chops, Green Beans, Rice

Thursday Macaroni and Cheese, Collard Greens

Friday Chicken Bog, Sautéed Yellow Squash

Saturday Fish Tacos, Refried Beans, Cabbage Slaw, Chipotle Sauce

(This is my photo project this week, hopefully the light and errands cooperate)

Sunday 

Wine Braised Chuck Roast with Balsamic Roast Carrots and Rice or Roasted Potatoes depending on mood.

What’s for dinner at your place?

                

Honey Garlic Sriracha BBQ Sauce – Great for Ribs, Riblets, and Chicken

This sauce would also work well with chicken wings on the grill or in the oven. If you’re looking to use whole chickens, follow the instructions in this post, subbing the sauce for the rub.

Serve with lots of napkins.

  

How To Launder Unusual Items: A Home-Ec 101 Guide

We can’t throw everything in the washing machine willy nilly. I try to consider how I would clean an item and check the tags of clothes before I buy them; but sometimes the item is just too pretty or useful to pass up and I end up with something that needs special care. Following are some articles with information on some items that need special care to clean them. Just click on the title of the article you want to read more about.

How to Care for Fleece

I have a brand new fleece that I actually dropped some decent coin on. Actually it’s not all that new, truth be told.  I just haven’t washed it at all since I bought it *mumble mumble* months ago, because I hate how fleeces look as soon as they start to get pilled up.

How to Clean a Bath Mat After a Toilet Overflow

I was wondering if you could tell me how to clean my daughter’s colorful bath mat?

How to Clean a Down Comforter

I received a duck down comforter as a gift last Christmas. The tag says to have it taken to the dry cleaners, but not only would it be a pain, it wouldn’t be easy on the wallet. Now, I love my comforter. But I’m so terrified to wash it on my own that it hasn’t been washed in a year and a half.

How to Clean Stuffed Animals

I just was wondering how to wash stuffed animals? I want to disinfect it properly, so I was thinking of putting them in the wash…

How to Clean Velveteen

I’m making my husband a velveteen cloak for Halloween, and it’s already got cat hair all over it just from measuring and cutting the fabric. Can I throw it in the washing machine, or does it have to be dry cleaned?

How to Clean Yellowed, Vintage Linens

I have some vintage linens that are a bit stained from time. . . I’m talking things like hankies, towels, fabrics, etc that are yellowed with age. I’d like to clean them up, but not knowing what kind of fabric they are or what has caused the yellow/brownish tint to them, I don’t know what to use.

How to Wash Comforters

I went to go wash my daughters comforter and the washing instructions start out with “Front Load Washer only” – I’ve never seen this before, and I only have a top load washer. I don’t want to ruin the comforter, but I really need to wash it…

Removing Fabric Softener from Baby Clothes

I’m about to have a baby, and while I’m loving all the hand-me-downs we’ve gotten, but I’m at my wit’s end trying to get the stench of fabric softener out of them.

 
Stiff Jeans – Friday’s Ask the Audience

My aunt gave me some jeans, for my husband. They are so starched from the cleaners that they really stand on their own. Can’t even get a leg through them. Tried washing them a bunch but still can’t seem to get the starch out. 

The Standard School Attire Dilemma

We’re left with only about 6 skorts, shirts, and trousers, In lieu of buying, we’ve been doing an extra load of laundry midweek to wash the two or three most-acceptable items. So which is cheaper — 50 percent more loads of laundry for two months, or buying the $15 for trousers or skort?

Click the picture for more tips!

There’s Mildew on My Seatbelts, What Do I Do?

I have an older car that was in storage for about three years, and in that time the upholstery got moldy and had to be replaced. But in the mean time, I have the same seat belts, but they are spotted with mold, which is not pleasant.

Will Silk Continue to Shrink After Washing? 

The polyester lining of the dress now is longer than the dress. Is there any way to fix it, or do I need to bust out the sewing machine and shorten the lining? Also, now that I’ve washed it, will more damage be done if I wash it again, or should I take it to the dry cleaners in the future, in which case, it will probably never be worn again.

Send your domestic questions to helpme@home-ec101.com.

 

                

Let’s Make Soup this Fall and Winter

Heather says:

Cooler weather has finally arrived, yes, even in my little corner of the world known as the Lowcountry of South Carolina. I’m finally in the mood for soups, stews, and chilis.  I thought I would put together a round up of all of the warm and hearty, soup goodness that is already available here on Home-Ec101.com. I’d also love for you to take a moment and comment with a link to your favorite soup, stew, or chili recipe. Just be sure to only leave one link per comment or it’ll get kicked into the spam filter. Sorry, but without that, the crazy spambots -those are automated programs that try to take advantage of sites like this one- would have a field day.

Ready?

Here we go:

 


 
 
 


 
 
 


 
 
 


 
 

Truth be told, though? The one soup I make more often than any other really doesn’t have a recipe I can link to.

It’s a technique that I have referred to in the past as Mustgo or Garbage Soup. It sounds terrible, but it’s also the one soup I get asked to make more often than any other. The sad thing is, that the Mustgo Soup is always a one off. You see, you make Mustgo or Garbage soup from whatever happens to be in the refrigerator that must be used up or tossed.

So it’s always a mishmash of vegetables on the verge, leftover meats, usually chicken or beef stock, and herbs and seasonings that complement the seasonings used to prepare the meat. While I find it easy to cook intuitively, it does take a little bit of practice. You have to learn through trial and error and I don’t recommend going too nuts with the flavor combinations in the beginning. While writing this out, I had an idea. I think I ought to explore different flavor families, as an example, what herbs and spices are usually found in Tex Mex cuisine, so you know which ones to reach for when your Mustgo soup is taking advantage of a little leftover taco meat -does that actually ever happen?

Or if your Mustgo soup has leftover pot roast, what herbs and seasonings should you reach for. . .

Would you be interested in a series like this?

Are you adventurous enough to experiment with the Mustgo Soup concept? Have you before? How did it turn out?

               
CommentsYes, please. I never know what goes with what and end up using ... by sarah janeI would be very interested in a series on matching seasonings. ... by NikitaYes yes yes!!!! by MiriamLOVE that idea of the ice cubes! Thanks! by JenniferAwesome. I make Mustgo Soup all the time, but never thought to ... by JenniferPlus 17 more...