Heather Solos's Blog, page 53

Why Are There Holes in the Crotch of These Men’s Pants

Hello, Home Ec 101!

I’m so glad I found you, considering the poor grade I got in school in the class.  I’ve managed along over the years, honing my sewing skills, cleaning skills and, ahem, well the cooking part still would get a well deserved C.

Anyway, I need help or suggestions.  My beloved husband was once a professional cyclist (sprinter).  Needless to say he has huge thighs that used to provide that great bursts of speed around the peloton. Now that he’s older and an IT Guy, he isn’t as fit as he used to be, but his legs didn’t reduce in size.

He wears nice khaki slacks in different weights to work as he never knows if he’ll be working with upper management or in the trenches.  He is wearing little holes that only get larger at the crotch of said pants.

I have taken to ironing on patches in the areas that wear quickest, but it doesn’t really do anything for the outside of the pants.

Are there any suggestions as to how to toughen this area? Are there any tricks or techniques that anyone uses to stay the creation of holes that look good?

Signed,
Crotchety in Crawford

Heather says:

I’m a 6′ tall woman who has a small frame, finding jeans and not spending a ridiculous amount of money is a big challenge, so I can definitely relate.

Off the rack clothing is designed to fit people within a vary narrow range of body types. The trouble is, some of us don’t have off the rack body types.

You have taken the only approach I would recommend with his current pants and obviously it’s not the quality of the fabric or it would only happen with some but not every pair of pants. For future pants,  have him buy pants that fit his thighs with a little bit of room. Take the pants to a tailor and have them take in the waist and taper the legs, if the fit of the rest of the leg is too loose. PANTS! Could I have possibly used the word pants any more excessively in this paragraph?

Here’s a forum where some cyclists are discussing this exact issue, maybe some of these brands would be worth investigating. After a bit of research though I found this is a pretty common problem for men with your husband’s body type and the consensus is to buy the pants larger and have them tailored, they will last much longer.

I’m sorry there wasn’t a quick, magical solution.

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

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Homemade Oatmeal Cream Pies

Heather says:
I want to introduce everyone to Michelle. Michelle, this is everyone. Do you remember back around New Years when I mentioned that I might be looking to add to the contributors here on Home-Ec101.com? Well, Michelle took me seriously, much to my delight. And as an added bonus she actually sews -something that in all honesty I haven’t even wanted to dive into here. I’m all thumbs when it comes to anything crafty, so that is a huge relief all in itself. Say hi and welcome her to Home-Ec101.

She’s wonderful and I hope she sticks around for a while, so be nice. You can visit her at DreamsUnreal.

Michelle says:

Birthday cake, macaroni and cheese, those little cups of pudding, and nuclear war-proof packets of snack cakes: these are only a few of the foods that never fail to conjure up memories of childhood. No matter your age, no matter how mindfully you eat, I bet that there are days you catch a peek at the snack food aisle and consider, if only for a second, grabbing a box of sandwich cookies and making a run for the nearest express checkout (lest anyone judge your partially hydrogenated cravings). Actually, I take that back—I don’t bet, I know. I know because I have been there, my friends. I have felt the shame of craving not food, but food product.

Unlike the stronger of you out there in Internetland, however, I cannot ignore an urge for a specific treat and expect it to just go away. No, I dwell on it—but refuse to actually go out and buy, say, oatmeal cream pies, because chemicals! Plus, they’re really sweet and I’m not even sure if they actually contain oatmeal, cream, or pie. Plus, there’s that whole awkward grocery store scene I mentioned before… So, I do what any good Home Ecaholic would—nay, should!—do: I made ‘em myself!

P.S. Bring these with you next time you go to a party. You may be surprised how many people share our dirty little snacky secret.

 

 

: Homemade Oatmeal Cream Pies

: Adapted from Martha Stewart’s Everyday Food

Notes: Though I don’t normally condone margarine for cookies, it is absolutely necessary to make the cookie turn out bendy rather than crisp. If the frosting is too cream cheese-y for your liking, add—one tablespoon at a time—up to an additional quarter cup of powdered sugar.

For the cookie:2 sticks margarine, softened1 ¼ cups dark brown sugar1 teaspoon vanilla extract2 large eggs1 1/2 cups all purpose flour1/4 teaspoon salt1/2 teaspoon baking powder1/4 teaspoon baking soda1/2 teaspoon cinnamon1/8 teaspoon nutmeg2 cups quick cooking (but not instant) oatmealFor the filling:12 ounces cream cheese, softened6 tablespoons powdered sugarIn either a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment—or a large bowl and sturdy wooden spoon—cream the margarine and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in the eggs and vanilla. The dough may look a little bit curdled at this point; this is normal and will resolve itself.Whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a separate bowl.Stir the flour mixture into the wet ingredients; the dough will be very wet. Stir in the oatmeal, making sure to mix until the dough is well combined and only slightly sticky.Refrigerate the dough for about an hour, or until firm.Preheat the oven to 350. While the oven is heating, scoop the cookie dough into teaspoon sized balls. Place the balls two inches apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Wet your hands with cold water, then flatten the dough balls with your palms. Return the dough to the refrigerator once your baking sheet is full.Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes, or until the cookies’ edges are just beginning to brown.Transfer to cookie racks and repeat the scoop/flatten/bake process described above with the rest of the dough.Once the cookies have cooled, use a hand mixer to whip the softened cream cheese. Mix the powdered sugar into the whipped cream cheese.Spread the cream cheese frosting onto half of the cookies; top with the remaining unfrosted cookies.In either a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment—or a large bowl and sturdy wooden spoon—cream the margarine and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in the eggs and vanilla. The dough may look a little bit curdled at this point; this is normal and will resolve itself.Whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a separate bowl.Stir the flour mixture into the wet ingredients; the dough will be very wet. Stir in the oatmeal, making sure to mix until the dough is well combined and only slightly sticky.Refrigerate the dough for about an hour, or until firm.Preheat the oven to 350. While the oven is heating, scoop the cookie dough into teaspoon sized balls. Place the balls two inches apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Wet your hands with cold water, then flatten the dough balls with your palms. Return the dough to the refrigerator once your baking sheet is full.Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes, or until the cookies’ edges are just beginning to brown.Transfer to cookie racks and repeat the scoop/flatten/bake process described above with the rest of the dough.Once the cookies have cooled, use a hand mixer to whip the softened cream cheese. Mix the powdered sugar into the whipped cream cheese.Spread the cream cheese frosting onto half of the cookies; top with the remaining unfrosted cookies.Makes 36 oatmeal cream pies.

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Simple Philly Skillet

Heather says:

This simple Philly skillet is another in my impromptu, unorganized, and johnny-come-lately decision to really dive into cooking basics here on Home-Ec 101.

I try my best to stay out of the center aisles of the grocery store. Yes, there are some pantry basics on some aisles that I must have, but for the most part, if you want to have a healthy diet, stick to the perimeter, that’s where you’ll find largely, fresh ingredients. Shelf-stable items, in general, are the less healthy choice.

Still, there’s that one aisle and we’ve all walked down it. There used to be that this large, cheerful glove with eyeballs large eyeballs that would stare at customers as they figured out what they’d serve for dinner. Over the years the glove has gotten smaller, but the options have grown. I agree on the premise,  everyone needs a handful of meals that come together as quickly as those options, so I thought it might be fun to do a make-it yourself series based on these skillet meals. You see, trademark is a very big thing, so I’m purposely being vague. These skillets in no way represent an actual skillet living or dead any resemblance to a skillet living or dead is purely -ahem- coincidental?

I am not copying their recipes, first of all because I don’t have access to fun things like stabilizers and I’m helping reduce your sodium intake while I’m at it. Additionally, these items are designed to hit the middle of the palate bell curve. If you make it yourself, you can always increase or reduce the spices and have something much more tailored to your own palate. I look at the title and figure out what *I* think it should taste like and get to work.

Last week’s Taco Skillet was the first and this week we’ve got today’s Philly Skillet and guess what? This version does not have cream of something soup, so it’s super easy to make it gluten free, if that fits your family’s dietary needs. Don’t eat beef? No problem, swap in ground turkey, pork, or chicken. HECK, live on the wild side and use seitan if that’s what you prefer. (When substituting out the beef, you’ll probably want to add the optional Worcestershire sauce, which does have some glutamates in it, but you’re in control of how much goes into your food)

Ready? Oh and for what’s it’s worth, this project does not involve photogenic foods, so yay. (Sigh)

: Simple Philly Skillet

: One dish, Philly skillet, use ground beef, turkey, pork or chicken

1 lb ground beef, turkey, chicken, or pork3 onions, sliced4 bell peppers, seeded and sliced1 rounded tsp garlic powder1 optional tsp salt* only use this if you use homemade beef or chicken stock, otherwise you’ll lose the benefit of reducing your sodium intake1 optional tsp Worcestershire sauce2 cups dried pasta -we used elbows just because.2 cups beef stock -hot- divided (1/4 cup and 1 & 3/4 cup)2 cups milk4 oz provolone cheese**4 oz American cheese**Brown the ground meat over medium heat in a large, heavy skillet. Drain off the fat.Add the sliced onions to the pan and 1/4 cup of the beef stock. Use your spatula or wooden spoon to scrape up any bits sticking to the bottom of the pan. Once the onions just start to look translucent -more clear than raw onions, add the garlic powder and optional salt to the pan. Stir.

Add the bell peppers and beef stock and slowly add the milk, while stirring. Add the pasta and stir often until bubbles appear. Reduce the heat until you have a gentle simmer happening -bubbles coming to the surface but not breaking the surface tension. Any hotter and your sauce will look a little grainy, it’ll work just fine, but it won’t be pretty.Cover. Cook for 10 – 12 minutes until the pasta is done.Add the cheese. Stir until the cheese is melted.

 

Serve

 

**use 8oz of any cheese that you’d like, you’ll have better results with provolone and American because they melt well. Anything like cheddar *real* cheddar and it’ll “break” and you’ll get a grainy sauce. It’ll taste good, it just won’t be pretty, not that this is a pretty dish to start with.

**If you choose ground turkey or chicken, you may want to substitute chicken stock for the beef.

Preparation time: 10 minute(s)

Cooking time: 15 minute(s)

Number of servings (yield): 6

Culinary tradition: USA (Traditional)

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Pork Chops, Fried

Heather says:

Fried pork chops are a quintessential Sunday Dinner and depending on the number of minions you are cooking for, they are fairly low effort. They are less touchy than fried chicken and completely company worthy, especially if it’s the kind of company that will hang out in the kitchen and talk while you burn the rice. Oh wait, that’s just me getting distracted by a 9yo making simple sweet cornbread. Multiple cooks in the kitchen = yay, unfortunately to get there we still have to go through multiple novices in the kitchen which is a wee bit distracting.

It’ll be worth the effort. Eventually.

If you’re cooking for more than 4 people, I highly suggest setting your oven to 200°F and holding the finished pork chops on a paper-towel lined plate. Unless of course you’re making roasted broccoli or brussels sprouts, which I strongly suggest as an accompaniment, then just cover the plate to keep them warm.

I had been planning on making onion gravy, like I serve with country-fried steak, but I realized the kids hate gravy of all kinds -weirdos- and I’m the only one I had to please, so I just sauteed the onions in the same pan I cooked the pork chops and well, I was quite happy. If you want to make onion gravy, by all means, be my guest.

*Novice Tip* The exact cook-time is going to be highly dependent on your stove and your cookware. If you have a gas stove and thin cookware, this recipe is going to be extremely touchy and I don’t recommend trying it without a thermometer.

If you have

: Fried Pork Chops

: Classic Fried Pork Chops

4 – 8 Bone-in Pork Chops, at least 1/2″ thick but not more than 1″ thick1/2 cup flour1 rounded TBSP Garlic Powder1 rounded TBSP Onion Powder1/2 TBSP Freshly Ground Black Pepper1/2 TBSP Kosher Salt1/2 cup – 3/4 cup peanut or vegetable oil *This depends on the size of your skillet. . . as in, use more for a 10″ skillet than for an 8. Mix the seasoning with the flour.

Dredge the pork chops in the seasoned flour and set aside.Save any remaining seasoned flour to re-dredge the chops just before frying.Heat the oil to 350F on my electric stove this is just below medium, but it takes quite a while to get there. While you’re waiting for the oil to heat, make a couple of side dishes. Do not turn the burner to high and wait for the oil to smoke and turn it back down. We can get into a discussion about that later. Just be patient.

 

Cook two or three chops at a time, depending on the size of your pan and the size of the chops. Do not crowd the pan.These chops were 1″ thick and took between 8 – 10 minutes, about 4 minutes a side. If you use thinner chops, it will be less. If you have thicker chops, I recommend cooking three minutes a side and finishing in a 350F oven, covered, to prevent them from drying out.

 

Preparation time: 5 minute(s)

Cooking time: 20 minute(s)

Number of servings (yield): 6

Don’t forget it you want to print this recipe, use the Print Friendly button up there on the right and you’ll easily be able to strip out extra text and photos.

Enjoy! (The 9yo called these “Heaven.”)

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Turkey or Beef Taco Skillet

Heather says:

Taco Skillet?

Yep. We’re Home-Ec 101 here and one of my goals for 2013 is to go back and share those simple recipes that we assume everyone already knows how to make. This is as close to Hamburger Helper™ as you can get without opening a HH box. Sometimes dinner is just thrown together with what’s on hand. This Taco Skillet uses very basic pantry ingredients (including cheese and milk) and is great for those, oh crap, I don’t want to think and I don’t feel like leaving the house, but these people expect to be fed, kind of nights. Steam some vegetables on the side and you’re good to go.

Use ground turkey or beef, it’s up to you, just be sure to drain off the grease. Increase the cheese if you’d like and once you have the concept down, try variations like adding diced onion or bell pepper. Throw in a few handfuls of fresh spinach, a can of black or pinto beans, diced tomatoes. The choice is yours, just remember if you use a packet of taco seasoning to NOT add the salt.

It’s not a pretty dish, but sometimes pretty isn’t needed.

: Taco Skillet

: Simple one-dish, weeknight meal

1 lb ground turkey or beef2.5 TBSP Taco Seasoning or 1 Packet Taco Seasoning1 tsp salt*2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni1.5 cups hot water OR chicken stock** OR Beef Stock**2.5 cups milk***1 – 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese****Heat your skillet over medium-high heat until it passes the water test.Cook the ground beef or turkey in the skillet, stirring frequently until no longer pink.DRAIN off the fat -not into your sink, into a container.Stir in the taco seasoning.Add the water or stock and milk and pasta. Stir frequently, being sure that nothing is sticking to the bottom of the pan. When the mixture starts to bubble turn the heat to medium-low and cover. Cook until the pasta is done, about 10 – 12 minutes. Stir every couple of minutes. -If you use a gas stove and have thin pans, you’ll have to stir almost constantly.Add the cheese and serve.

Preparation time: 1 minute(s)

Cooking time: 20 minute(s)

Number of servings (yield): 6

*Do not add salt if you use a taco seasoning packet
**Do not add salt if you use commercial chicken or beef stock
***Use a total of 4 cups of liquid, feel free to play with the ratios until you find what you like
****I don’t measure the cheese, I just grate about 4oz of cheddar directly into the pan, stir and call it good. Do whatever you’d like

Enjoy.

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No-Salt Taco Seasoning

Heather says:

This no-salt taco seasoning mix recipe is a great way to keep your salt intake under control without sacrificing flavor. It takes all of 3 minutes to put together -5 if you’re the picture taking type- and it makes enough for about 4 recipes calling for a taco mix. Use 2.5 tablespoons of the taco seasoning mix wherever a packet of taco seasoning is suggested.

Keep in mind, when using this as a one-to-one substitution for a packet of taco seasoning that the recipe likely expects there to be quite a lot of salt in the seasoning mix (a little more than 1 tsp for every 2.5 TBSP of mix). You will likely need to add some salt, but you have a much finer control and probably won’t wake up in the middle of the night and stick your head under the faucet trying to guzzle ALL. THE. WATER.  Oh, I’m sure you’re much too fancy and would grab a glass even in the middle of the night, so forget I said anything.

Double, triple, quadruple, whatever you’d like.

 

: No-Salt Taco Seasoning1/4 cup chili powder2 tablespoons ground cumin2 teaspoons paprika1 teaspoon crushed red pepper1 teaspoon garlic powder1 teaspoon onion powder1 teaspoon dried oreganoMeasure and mix.Store in a tightly sealed container.

I don’t measure carefully, I use rounded spoons rather than carefully leveled.

Variation:

 You may, if you’d like add 1 TBSP & 1 tsp ground black pepper, but I prefer to just use fresh ground pepper in whatever the final dish may be

Preparation time: 3 minute(s)

Cooking time:

Diet tags: Gluten free

Culinary tradition: USA (Southwestern)

Enjoy!

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Ideas for Renewing a Stained T-Shirt

Dear Home-Ec 101,

I have a grey t-shirt that has significant memories and it has a grease blotch or something in it. Not sure, honestly. I’ve tried.everything to remove it and give up. The stain is above the belly button location. So an odd place. However, I wondered how I might make a bleach design that would cover the lower half of the shirt.
Any ideas?

Signed,
Crafty in Cranston

Heather says:

Thank you for understanding that sometimes stains are permanent. As frustrating as that can be, sometimes there is no way to remove it.

I’m not exactly the crafty type, but I think you can do something called a mask and spray the shirt with a 50 / 50 bleach mixture to make some pretty cool upcycled shirts.

A quick search on Google gave me this easy project that just requires freezer paper, an iron, bleach, water, and a spray bottle. (And an artistic hand, you won’t find that here, hopefully you can print out a template or something to trace, this girl can barely draw a stick figure.)

I looked it up on Pinterest, because seriously, where else do you go for crafty and DIY ideas?

My advice would be to make sure the stain lies in an area where the color is transitioning so it’s less obvious, like in the example below. The mottling would do more to hide a stain than if you removed all the color and the stain remained.

We all know that ombre is in.

A slightly more in-depth can be found on Saved By Love Creations -again via a Pinterest search. (I did not take this photo, it belongs  to Johnnie, go check out her site)

 

Do not Pin this photo, please. Click the image and go to the craft tutorial itself, so they get the credit.

 

And of course, you know I was attracted to this one.

Who wouldn’t want a bleached t-shirt with a Tardis? I mean, really, who?

Photo Credit Emily from Emmy-Lou.com:

Do not pin this image. Click the image and go to the craft itself so they get credit

I’m pretty sure I can hear Jenn Fowler and Melanie Nelson *squeeing* from here and neither of them are the type to squee.

Good luck with your stained shirt. I hope this idea works out. If not, you could always save it and other t-shirts with memories to turn into a quilt or wall-hanging.

Submit your questions to helpme@home-ec101.com.

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Fixing Scratches in an Enameled Cast Iron Sink

Dear Home Ec 101,

I have a fairly new (less than 1 year old) Scratched in Scanlon
Heather says:

Take a deep breath, I have good news for you, dollars to donuts those are not actually scratches in your sink. I highly doubt you were sitting there with a chisel and hammer purpose trying to gouge your sink. That’s pretty much what it takes to mar the finish of a quality enamel finish. What you are actually seeing is called a “pot mark” and it’s just a scuff from the sink taking a tiny bit of metal off of your cookware.

It’s a lot like when somebody just barely grazes your car in a crowded parking lot and leaves a bit of their paint on your car. A bit of buffing is all it takes to get rid of their carelessness and it’s pretty much all that is needed here, too.

Go ahead and use the recommended cleaner, but find a cork, perhaps from last night’s wine-braised pot roast? Apply the cleaner full strength to the scratch on the cast iron sink and then use the cork to gently scrub the marks away and your sink will look good as new!

Pot marks will likely become a source of irritation over the years, but at least you now know that you have not inadvertently scratched your shiny, new sink. It’s going to look good as new for a long, long time.

Good luck and please let me know how it turns out.

Oh and thanks for letting me know about Method, I’ll be sure to pass that along.

Submit your questions to helpme@home-ec101.com.

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Happy New Year from Home-Ec 101

Heather says

2012 is rapidly winding down, and in all honesty 2012 probably won’t go down as my favorite year ever. I’m looking to 2013 for a fresh, new start.

Are you?

I want to create a community of encouragement around here and I’d like your help on brainstorming ways to meet that goal. How do we interact with one another without relying on a platform like FaceBook (which can take away that community at their discretion) in a way that respects your privacy without allowing complete anonymity, because frankly that’s when some unsavory types may decide to show up and I need, for all of our sake, to have the ability to moderate.

I want to open up Home-Ec a little more to user contribution, but I don’t want to do it in a way that gets abused by people looking to promote their sites on selling insurance or college admissions or what have you. I am in full support of paying contributors -granted at this point it cannot be a lot, but as we get back on the growth path, that will, over time, change to a respectable amount. However, even at this stage, the content has to meet Home-Ec 101 standards. If you want to discuss this with me, feel free to message me privately. Active Home-Eccers will be given preferential treatment.

What are your opinions on this matter?

As many of you know, I have taken on a full-time, grown-up, real, big-girl job with FeedBlitz. I love it. I’m still working at the Irish pub which lets me see actual adults. -One of the major sources of stress / anxiety for me was how isolated I’d allowed myself to become over the years. I won’t allow that to happen again. That said, these things have cut into my ability to work on Home-Ec, but we’re going to figure this out. Right?

Now for the stuff of more general interest.

At this time of year, many people are searching for a cleaning routine or a printable chore schedule and you’re in luck, I have got one just for you. Are you thinking of learning how to cook? Are you determined to start menu planning? Perhaps you’re just looking to start cutting out processed foods?

Are you making resolutions or setting goals?

What are they?

My goals for this site are:

To continue adding recipes, cooking tutorials, and answering reader questions as I have done for nearly 6 years. (Don’t forget, you can send your household and cooking questions to helpme@home-ec101.com)To encourage more of a community feel to Home-Ec 101 without losing the tone or voice.

Is there anything you want to see happen with Home-Ec 101 over the next year?

I can’t promise it’ll happen, but I can certainly listen and give your ideas consideration. And no, I’m not coming over to clean your house. Completely unrelated, I hate it when I make an offhand comment about completing some chore or another and someone pipes up with, “Now come do that at my house.” Dude, I never said I enjoyed doing said task, what on earth makes you think I’m all gung-ho about doing it for you? Chances are it took all my will power to complete the task for myself. Grr.

Do you have any New Year’s  traditions?
I always make hoppin’ john, collard greens, and cornbread for luck and prosperity (settle down, it’s tradition not superstition). If you’d like, I also have a vegan version of collard greens that are ah-mazing.

What do you serve?

Thankfully, the world did not end on December 21. (Please don’t think I actually gave that prediction any actual credence)

That said, it’s important to some basic, rational steps toward emergency preparedness. You’ll thank me during the next actual minor emergency.

Happy New Year. Thank you for everything.

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A Look Back at Method Over 2012

Heather says:

I want to thank Method for being a sponsor of Home-Ec 101 this year. I’m choosy about who I want to work with here. I care about the influence I may have over some of your consumer choices.

After flying out to San Francisco last March and meeting the founders of the company and hearing their story, I felt comfortable with my choice to work with Method. When I met and spoke to Adam Lowry and Eric Ryan, the founders of the company, I felt even better.

I care about what your bring into your homes.

From the beginning I have advocated making healthier, greener choices when it comes to cleaning your home. The most economical of which is vinegar and water, which I still offer up as a useful choice.

However, not everyone wants to smell vinegar. I get that. (Also acidic cleaning solutions are not always the answer)

Method, as a company, makes products that are non-toxic and eco-friendly.

They only offer anti-bacterial cleaners where it makes sense. No, you do not need Tri-closan in your hand soap.

And pthalates, you remember pthalates, right? Yuck.

Remember their Ocean Plastic campaign from last month?

No, one small company can’t make a huge dent in the obscene amount of plastic in our oceans, but they can certainly be the example. They can set the bar and we can consciously choose to use their products and vote with our dollars. As an average citizen and consumer, all the phone calls in the world won’t make a difference, but consciously and consistently choosing to purchase products that align with our values does.

I’ve said it before when I talk about buying locally:

 I see this as frugality in the broadest sense of the term, it’s making an informed choice to purchase the most beneficial product rather than the one offered at the lowest immediate cost. There can be long-term financial impacts caused by short-term savings. . . 

And really this is part of why I don’t advocate the extreme couponing lifestyle. Please don’t take this as a condemnation, because that’s not where I’m going with this. I am -now- speaking from a place where I can make financial decisions that don’t feel desperate, it would be hypocritical to say NEVER do [X ] because in my life I have probably done [X] at some point and have no room to talk or finger point. If -and that is a big, big if- the budget allows me to make a choice based on my conscience, I will. Sometimes there isn’t a choice and I understand that, too.

December marks the last month of Method’s sponsorship of Home-Ec101 and other fine websites you may know (and love). I was -and am- proud to have been a part of their team during 2012 and am giddy with their news coming in 2013.

All I’m going to say, is you may not have to look as hard to find this little start-up that could. Breaking into the consumer product market is an incredible feat and as a company you deserve this.

Congratulations and thank you for all the soap¹.

¹Award yourself one Internetz if you can understand why that line reminds me of Douglas Adams.

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