Re-purpose those Fruit Cups!

I saw an image the other day that was making the rounds of Facebook and it showcased a wide mouth canning jar with tortilla chips on the bottom and a small plastic cup inserted into the top to hold salsa, dip or something similar.  The small plastic cup had a link so that you could purchase them.  I saw the $11.00 sticker price - I am not sure how many you got for that price, but still, I was sure I could do better....

Now being the cheap thrifty person that I am I immediately thought to myself "It looks like a Dole Fruit Cup would fit right in there instead!"  Since I am a Mom of a grade-schooler who takes a cold lunch to school everyday, we always have the fruit cups in the pantry, so I set to work testing my theory.  I also want to add that based upon the comments on the original image another friend of mine (Judy) was thinking the same thing as me.

I set up my test kitchen and I am happy to report that the Dole fruit cups fit like they were made for the canning jars and no leaks either - I shook it, turned it upside down and even left it sitting on it's side for the whole day (yes I went to the day job and left it sitting on my counter by accident).

Free Dinner Planner

I wanted a simple, yet fun weekly dinner planner and this is what I came up with!  This is free for your personal use and free for you to modify for your personal use.

All I ask is that you please leave me a comment if you are planning on using!  Enjoy.....

I Turned My Coat Closet Into Our Pantry

Although we bought our house brand new one of the things it was lacking was a pantry and since kitchen cupboard space is tight I had to put my creative thinking cap on.....
I am the Queen of re-purposing and making do with what I have so, it didn't take very long before the creative wheels were turning and I decided to turn our hall coat closet into a pantry.

At first Hubby and I were going to put in actual shelves, but when we looked at the framing pictures we realized that two of the closet walls did not have any sort of structural support that we could attach shelf supports to.  Attaching the supports to sheet-rock and then putting canned goods on those shelves seemed like a recipe for disaster.  We decided to go with pre-fab shelving.  We ended up with a hodge-podge of different shelves but I made it work and every inch of the closet it utilized.  Next on the agenda is some kind of lighting for the pantry - as you can see it is very dark!

Our coat closet pantry

Upper half of the "pantry".  Notice the "Sikkens" shelving unit -
I "stole" it from the hubby.

I used a shoe/jewelry organizer for all of the small mixes

Lower half of the pantry.....yes, it still could use some more "organization",
but it works for me!

How to Set a Table

I was searching my recipe box so that I could post a recipe this morning, but I ran across a photocopied page out of a high school text book - page 44 to be exact.  I am not sure what text book this was from but I have been packing it around for some 30 odd years as the "proper" way to set a table.  I took quite a few "home economics" classes while I was in high school (it was an easy A grade).

I am of the firm belief that as long as you have the basics in place there is quite a bit of "wiggle room" when setting a table.  I always focus first on function and then on what looks good.  I consider the basics to be the plate in the center, knife to the right (sharp side facing the plate), spoon(s) to the right of the knife and the fork(s) on the left of the plate.  The drinking cup should be just above the knife.  Only put out the pieces that you will be using during the meal - for instance if you are not serving soup you will not need a soup spoon or soup bowl.  The silverware that you will be using first goes the farthest away from the plate (soup spoons and salad forks).

Image Key:

1.  Salad Plate

2.  Napkin

3.  Forks

4.  Butter plate and spreader

5.  Dinner Plate

6.  Glass

7.  Knife

8.  Spoons

9.  Cup and Saucer

Tips on Table Settings:

• Arrange the place mats about one inch from the edge of the table.
• Place china and silver about one inch from the edge of the table.

You don't need to have a lot of money to set a beautiful table, look for items around your house that you can create a table-scape theme from!  Holiday centerpieces can be made by filling a fancy glass bowl with seasonal items - like fruit, pumpkins and gourds or even glass Christmas ornaments or glass beads.  You can also check your local dollar store for items to supplement your table.

My Valentine's Day Table - set up for the whole family.  Notice
that I put the forks and napkin the wrong side - oops!  This was
just a quick table set up so we would have something fun and special
for Valentine's Day !

 

Good luck and have fun with your tablescapes!

Household Helps from 1911.....

Back to my trusty 1911 Book of Kitchen & Household Tips, some of these are humorous, while some of them just might be worth trying.  If you try or have tried any of these, please leave us a comment and let us know what the results were!

• To clean a velvet suit, sponge the spots with pure alcohol. Then suspend the suit on a hanger in the bathroom in such a way that the air can reach all sides of the garment. Turn on the hot water in the tub until the steam fills the room; shut the door and windows; shut off the water, and let the steam do its work for an hour. Then admit the air, but do not touch the garment until it is perfectly dry.

• To remove shine from woolen goods, use gentle friction with emery paper. Rub just enough to raise the nap, and then rub it over with a piece of silk.

• To mend kid gloves, first buttonhole around the rent not so close as in a buttonhole; then overcast, taking up the thread of the buttonhole on the edge, and then draw together.

• To clean men's coat collars, rub with a black stocking saturated with grain alcohol. This will remove the greasy look.

• To freshen a thin dress, dissolve two teaspoonfuls of elastic starch in half a cupful of lukewarm water, and with a soft rag dampen on the right side, then with a hot iron press on the wrong side.

• To clean grease spots from silk, split a visiting card and rub the soft internal part on the spot on the wrong side of the silk. The spot will disappear without taking the gloss off the silk.

• To mend lace curtains, take a small piece of net, dip it and the curtains in hot starch, and apply the patch over the hole. The patch will adhere when dry, and the repair will show much less than if the curtains were mended.

Kitchen Tips from 1911

Found these kitchen tips from an all purpose Kitchen/Household book published in 1911...some of these "tips" may be a little obscure in today's kitchen, but many are still useful today!

• When you wish a fine-grained cake, beat the whites of the eggs to a stiff foam with a Dover egg-beater. If something spongy, such as an angel cake, is desired, use a wire egg-beater, which makes a more air-inflated foam.
  
• Recipes in the older, much-prized cook-books often call for a teacupful of yeast. A teacupful liquid yeast is equal to one cake of compressed yeast.

Seasonal Foods

This was taken from an 1863 Book on Household Management.  Although some items in here may not be of interest to everyone, it is a pretty comprehensive list of seasonal foods by Month!

 TO BE ACQUAINTED WITH THE PERIODS when things are in season, is one of the most essential pieces of knowledge which enter into the "Art of Cookery." We have, therefore, compiled the following list, which will serve to show for every month in the year the TIMES WHEN THINGS ARE IN SEASON.

JANUARY

FISH.—Barbel, brill, carp, cod, crabs, crayfish, dace, eels, flounders, haddocks, herrings, lampreys, lobsters, mussels, oysters, perch, pike, plaice, prawns, shrimps, skate, smelts, soles, sprats, sturgeon, tench, thornback, turbot, whitings.

MEAT.—Beef, house lamb, mutton, pork, veal, venison.

POULTRY.—Capons, fowls, tame pigeons, pullets, rabbits, turkeys.

GAME.—Grouse, hares, partridges, pheasants, snipe, wild-fowl, woodcock.

VEGETABLES.—Beetroot, broccoli, cabbages, carrots, celery, chervil, cresses, cucumbers (forced), endive, lettuces, parsnips, potatoes, savoys, spinach, turnips,—various herbs.

FRUIT.—Apples, grapes, medlars, nuts, oranges, pears, walnuts, crystallized preserves (foreign), dried fruits, such as almonds and raisins; French and Spanish plums; prunes, figs, dates.

FEBRUARY

FISH.—Barbel, brill, carp, cod may be bought, but is not so good as in January, crabs, crayfish, dace, eels, flounders, haddocks, herrings, lampreys, lobsters, mussels, oysters, perch, pike, plaice, prawns, shrimps, skate, smelts, soles, sprats, sturgeon, tench, thornback, turbot, whiting.

MEAT.—Beef, house lamb, mutton, pork, veal.

POULTRY.—Capons, chickens, ducklings, tame and wild pigeons, pullets with eggs, turkeys, wild-fowl, though now not in full season.

GAME.—Grouse, hares, partridges, pheasants, snipes, woodcock.

VEGETABLES.—Beetroot, broccoli (purple and white), Brussels sprouts, cabbages, carrots, celery, chervil, cresses, cucumbers (forced), endive, kidney-beans, lettuces, parsnips, potatoes, savoys, spinach, turnips,—various herbs.

FRUIT.—Apples (golden and Dutch pippins), grapes, medlars, nuts, oranges, pears (Bon Chrétien), walnuts, dried fruits (foreign), such as almonds and raisins; French and Spanish plums; prunes, figs, dates, crystallized preserves.

MARCH

FISH.—Barbel, brill, carp, crabs, crayfish, dace, eels, flounders, haddocks, herrings, lampreys, lobsters, mussels, oysters, perch, pike, plaice, prawns, shrimps, skate, smelts, soles, sprats, sturgeon, tench, thornback, turbot, whiting.

MEAT.—Beef, house lamb, mutton, pork, veal.

POULTRY.—Capons, chickens, ducklings, tame and wild pigeons, pullets with eggs, turkeys, wild-fowl, though now not in full season.

GAME.—Grouse, hares, partridges, pheasants, snipes, woodcock.

VEGETABLES.—Beetroot, broccoli (purple and white), Brussels sprouts, cabbages, carrots, celery, chervil, cresses, cucumbers (forced), endive, kidney-beans, lettuces, parsnips, potatoes, savoys, sea-kale, spinach, turnips,—various herbs.

FRUIT.—Apples (golden and Dutch pippins), grapes, medlars, nuts, oranges, pears (Bon Chrétien), walnuts, dried fruits (foreign), such as almonds and raisins; French and Spanish plums; prunes, figs, dates, crystallized preserves.