how-to – Page 33 – Home's Cool!

The A-OK Breakfast: Perfect Hard-Boiled Eggs!

Posted on April 11, 2011March 18, 2015 by Katharine

Are you ever too rushed or too un-awake to cook a breakfast? Sometimes I am and that’s when I turn to my secret stash of gold: a small bowl of hard-boiled eggs stored in the fridge.

Hard-boiled eggs are nearly too easy. You just open and eat. If you want, you can really exert yourself and sprinkle on some salt and pepper. Or go all the way and slice them, too.

If I find that slick, greenish coating on the yolk, though, I feel less hungry, fast.

Avoiding the green yolk is easy if you know how to boil an egg. Because breakfast is the most important meal of the day, I love sharing these instructions with anyone who will listen.

To Boil an Egg Hard:

Be sure eggshells are clean and uncracked. Wash with soap and water just before using. Amazing how many folks don’t mind germs on eggs! Germs can be lethal and some parasites do not die at boiling temperatures.
Be sure the raw eggs are old enough. Very fresh eggs that are hard-boiled are difficult to peel. Raw eggs will keep a long while under refrigeration; store-bought eggs are usually several months old before you even buy them. I find that if I keep my hennies’ incredibly fresh eggs at least three weeks before I boil them, they are far easier to peel.
Thick-bottomed Pan
Use a straight-sided pan with a thick bottom. Shown here is a thin, stainless pan with a thick aluminum plate bonded to it.
Pan of Eggs
Load only the number of eggs that will fit in a single layer into the pan.
Extra Inch of Water
Cover with tepid water at least an inch over the tops of the eggs.
Add about 1/8 teaspoon salt to water. This supposedly aids with peeling.
Set pan to heat at medium setting; high heat will crack eggs. Stay nearby and monitor its progress.
Boiling
Once water is boiling, set timer and boil for only one minute.
Cover Ten Minutes
Remove from heat and cover pan for ten minutes.
Cooling Water
Cool immediately under running cold water. Dry and store hard-boiled eggs in refrigerator for up to two weeks.
Ready for Fridge

That’s all there is to it. If you have followed these instructions exactly, you will have instant wonder-food for your breakfasts, any time you want.

And a couple of eggs plus a cup of coffee will cost you about 25 cents.

Homemaking, Who's the mom here?

How to Survive a Virus

Posted on April 5, 2011April 5, 2011 by Katharine

Stuff’s been going around. Every day brings us closer to the eventuality. Sooner or later you will run into one of these bugs and knowing what to do will greatly enhance your sick experience.

One of the first and most important tools for fighting off a virus is Good Health. Having good health generally consists of the following:

Eating good food
Avoiding sugar
Taking vitamin supplements
Drinking enough water
Exercising regularly
Getting enough sleep
Eating enough garlic.

You probably already knew these were good habits, but think of these others, too:

Take your children with you instead of putting in daycare.
Avoid self-serve food situations.
Watch what you touch in public.
Do not shake hands; or else wash afterwards.
Keep your children out of the nursery at church.
Use the fizzed virus prevention medications, when appropriate.
Up the garlic content of your food.

If prevention does not keep you well, though, what are the next steps? Here is what our family does:

We take Oscillococcinum as directed on package.
We take Sambucol as directed on package.
We take vitamin C stir ins, at least one per day.
We take echinacea/goldenseal capsules as directed on package.
For stuffy nose, we use a generic Sudafed by day and generic Benadryl by night.
For congestion we use guaifenesin.
For cough control we use valerian and/or a mentholated rub.

Oh, and we hardly ever have to go to the doctor!

Coffee-ism, Homemaking, Inspiring, Recipes

The A-OK Breakfast – Turning Eggs Into Oatmeal!

Posted on April 4, 2011April 11, 2011 by Katharine

Turning Eggs into Oatmeal? Yes—Check it Out!

Well, I did say low carbs, last week, didn’t I? Yet sometimes I get a hungering for the tastes of days gone by. I remember an egg and oatmeal dish from my youth called Golden Oats. When I looked it up, I found far more oat than egg, a sort of crumbly mix to which you add juice. Too many carbs! What do I do?

I eat oatmeal.

Of course, if I overdid it, I would ruin the diet, so I allow myself about one tablespoon of it. Are you confused, yet? Let’s just have the recipe and get on with it!

A-OK Oatmeal

1 T. uncooked oatmeal
1 T. butter
1 serving stevia powder
1 t. cinnamon
2 eggs
a dash of cream

Brown the oatmeal in the butter lightly, over medium heat.

Whip eggs, cream, cinnamon, and stevia together thoroughly.

Pour over oatmeal in pan, stirring and chopping until eggs are set. Serve hot with additional cream, and a small serving of pomegranate juice, and/or coffee or tea.

Tastes a LOT like a bowl of oatmeal. No need to add sweetener. Of course, in this land of free speech, it is illegal to say the stevia adds sweetness, so I won’t say that!

Blessings of Habit, Husbands, Inspiring

A Rosy Posy

Posted on April 1, 2011March 31, 2011 by Katharine

About a month ago, someone plowed our garden spot. Then he tilled it. Then he harrowed it. Then he marked it into rows. Then he planted and planted and planted. Onions, cabbages, corn, tomatoes, all are out there. Everything is growing. The corn is two inches tall. Last night, I got this gorgeous posy:

It is more than just a clump of radishes.

It is saving and scrimping to buy land.
It is buying and maintaining a tractor.
It is watching weather and planning ahead for planting.
It is keeping a vegetable inventory, to know how much to plant each year.
It is changing diet to fit what grows in our area.
It is walking out to the garden every day to be sure things are okay.
It is stringing irrigation hoses out there and paying for water when the rain refuses to fall.
It is seeding it over in autumn with crimson clover so we either get a cover crop or else some venison.
It is buying and maintaining a small tiller for between rows, later.
It is researching through gardening books for help with pests and diseases.
It is sharpening and oiling the hoe, shovel, and rake.
It is pulling rocks out and chunking them into the ditch.
It is winding twine round and round and round stakes to support plants.
It is shredding piles and piles of newspapers for mulch.
It is staying up late and going out with a dorky “headlight cap” on and covering tender plants before a surprise frost comes.

All of the above, and more, go into the first bouquet of the vegetable gardening season. And here it is, held in the hand that provided it, the hand of someone who, though he doesn’t eat many radishes, knows who does.

radish bouquet — First Bouquet of the Vegetable Season

Blessings of Habit, Coffee-ism, Homemaking, Inspiring, Recipes, Wisdom, Womanhood

The A-OK Breakfast – Veggie Frittata!

Posted on March 30, 2011April 17, 2011 by Katharine

Good morning!

The hardest thing about dieting, for me, is that the only way I can really lose weight and stay healthy is to cut carbohydrates. I dread that. I love chocolate-coated sugar bombs with milk and cream on them. I love pancakes with too much syrup. I love granola bars, instant milk stir ins, and smoothies.

The only way I can make myself follow a low-carb diet is to keep telling myself that sweet = poison. In a way, it is true, for me. Sugar sure is sweet and sure is poison. Most sugar substitutes are, also. Since I stopped allowing sugar past my lips, I have been tons healthier. I try hard to stick to only 10 grams of sugar per day, although I often go up to 15 or 20. Still, I try.

Now, lest we be confused, in my book, starch = sugar. If you paid attention in school, you learned that starch changes to sugar in the body, often as soon as while it is in the mouth. So–no sugar = no starch.

Exit: breakfast as we know it. Enter: eggs, the wonder-food.

Long ago when scientific empiricism ruled, children learned in school that eggs are nearly a perfect food. Soon after that, media sensationalism took over and we all became scared of the egg. Impossible! Now, surprise, surprise! the egg is coming back into vogue, probably because if we want, we can circumvent media tripe by watching the computer, instead, choosing to read the research for ourselves, instead of trusting the interpretation of those who have agendas.

Slowly it trickles down and grows to a deep sea of truth. The truth is, I cannot eat the average donut or cereal breakfast and lose. I ate that way for most of my life, and now, the part of me that processes sugar is worn out. It’s gotta be protein and greens for me.

I have learned, from long years of perfecting my breakfast menus, that I cannot tolerate egg after egg after egg, unless I do something drastic about the boredom. So I collect amazing egg recipes. Thinking others may be in the same boat, I have decided to share, every Monday, how I have beat egg boredom. (Yes, I know today is Wednesday. Minor glitch. Just think–you only have to wait five more days for the next installment.)

Today will be the Vegetable Frittata. It is so NOT breakfast-y, that it shocks the taste buds into sobriety while delivering tons of great nutrients to the fasting body, including one of the most easily digested protein sources, the lowly egg.

Here it is, in all its glory. Adjust it to meet your taste buds and your veggies on hand. Enjoy!

Vegetable Frittata

2 T. olive oil or butter
4″ sprig rosemary
1 or 2 green onions, chopped
1 clove garlic, pressed
1 or 2 mushrooms, sliced
1 small tomato, chunked
2 eggs
grated parmesan cheese (opt.)

Warm oil with rosemary in covered saute pan for a minute. Add onion and garlic and saute briefly, stirring, until clear. Add mushrooms and increase heat slightly. Saute, stirring, until mushroom begins to shrink and brown. Onion should brown, also, and garlic should be nearly overdone. Increase heat slightly and add tomato. Stir and fry until tomato just begins to peel.

vegetable frittata-1 — Just After Adding Tomato

Beat eggs with 1 teaspoon water and add to pan, stirring constantly until done. If desired, contents of pan may be pushed into interesting shapes before egg sets.

vegetable frittata-2 — Prepared with Love

Sprinkle lightly with parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper, if desired, and serve with 2 ounces of pomegranate juice and/or 1 cup coffee or tea. Serves one.

Enjoy!

Okay, I know it’s a shock. Move to a sunny window, close your eyes, pretend you’re in Italy, and learn a new thing.

See ya’ tomorrow!

Home School, Inspiring, Pre-schoolers, Sayings, Who's the mom here?, Wisdom

Why Do People Put Their Children in Schools? Part – 3 – Can We Fix the Schools?

Posted on March 19, 2011June 6, 2014 by Katharine

From all the research that has been done, I think we might, might, might be able to make some progress solving the problems in governmental institutionalization of our children. It would take drastic change, though.

No matter what you are thinking, I meant more drastic than that.

Most classrooms have far too many children in them.

Instead, each classroom would have to reduce to only around 5 children per adult. Many homes have something like that, and national research shows it is the best way to learn. It certainly would be more natural. Some high school children might make do with 10 to 12 per adult, if they were mature .

It’s how the ancient Greeks taught.

Most classrooms have all same-age children in them.

Bizarre! Instead, each child should be allowed to receive the gift of relationships with vastly different-aged others. Most homes have that and the learning potential is expanded when the students are of differing levels of learning. Especially the older ones would learn, truly learn the subjects if they were, in this more organic approach, occasionally in positions to help teach.

We do learn most when we teach, right?

Most classrooms labor under the false assumption that touch, being sexual and subject to lawsuit, should be prohibited.

Instead, we all should acknowledge what we instinctively know, and has been proven, that hugs and pats and other touch, including light corporal punishment, are part of socializing and leaving them out is wrong. Most homes have touch. Remember, orphans who are never touched die, whereas touched children are healthier and grow taller.

To protect the child from the occasional bad teacher, and the teacher from the occasional bad parent, of course video cameras in every room and every hall would be essential. That way, any teacher or child who doesn’t care about God, could realize that Big Brother is also up there.

We have the space, really. We are closing schools every day because we’ve aborted zillions of the children who could have filled them.

We do not have enough teachers, but how quickly they would come if they learned we’d solved the discipline problems, wouldn’t they!

It would take a large staff of volunteers, but what better place to volunteer! Lots of families have become single-income these days, so one spouse must be somewhat free. Then that parent could discover the joy of watching or even helping his or her own child learn things of great value, even about volunteerism. It would be a whole lot like home schooling, and might even get the better results of homeschooling, but would happen at the school.

Or, we could just send them all home, which would be lots more cost effective.