Heather says:

I may be the last to know about online audio book rentals through the library.

It’s a parenting sin to admit this, but I hate, loathe, despise, and dread taking my children to the library. Well, not my stepdaughter, but in this scenario she doesn’t count, being above the age of reason and all. The kids are 6, 4, and just turned 3. If going to the library could have a 1:1 adult child ratio, sure it might be a pleasant excursion. Instead it’s a giant headache. I know there are plenty of you out there with more and younger kids and who enjoy library trips; I’m sorry, I just can’t join that club.

Yesterday, as we were leaving the library, with an armload of books, and as I was trying to prevent children from darting into the community room, bathrooms, and out into the parking lot, a sign caught my eye. It announced that audio books were available for free online rental. I got excited, loaded the kids in the car, and raced home so I could check it out.

So, what’s the point of this post? Not everyone has time to read -you will make time for my book when it’s out in March, right?- OK, but what does that have to do with home economics? Audio books are an excellent distraction during the repetitive and mind numbing chores that make up a good portion of responsible living. I hate mowing and weeding, but both are bearable if I can keep my mind from focusing on how much I hate what I’m doing. The same goes for picking apart a chicken, mopping, chopping vegetables, exercising. The list goes on my friends.

I’m curious, is there a centralized list somewhere that shows what libraries participate in programs like the Jasmine Digital Library? Does your library have such a program? Would you take a moment and log onto your library’s web page and see if they offer this service? If so, would you be so kind as to mention the library system you use to help raise awareness?

I’ve done a brief search and it looks as though the digital library used by the Berkeley County Library System (that’s mine) uses different names depending on location. I also see Library Connection in Connecticut and eNYPL for New York.

I know not everyone has a smart phone, but you can still download audio books to your PC or Mac and ebooks to the Nook or Sony Reader, unfortunately it doesn’t seem to be compatible with the Kindle.

I want to shout, “FOR FREE!”, but then my internal realist kicks in and says, “No, Heather this is paid for by your tax dollars.” I’m perfectly fine with that. I hated borrowing books on CD from the library, it just meant more potential for damage fines or late fees.

Oh and if you’re curious, I’m starting off with And Then There’s This by Bill Wasik it’s about viral culture, because I’m nerdy like that. Don’t worry there seems to be plenty of fiction available, but I already have a stack on my nightstand.

Audio Book Rentals Through the Library is a post from: Home Ec 101 ©Home Ec 101.com 2007 - 2010

Dear Home Ec 101,
Should I be cleaning my floor broom?
Can I clean my broom, if I use it on something really disgusting? Currently, I have a synthetic fiber broom, but I suppose the question is relevant for any types.  And then how?
Nasty things I may have to sweep up include:

• sticky foods in the kitchen
• dust bunnies from under the appliances
• occasionally, animal excrement -some of these animals are welcome in my home, some are the pesky invader type

Thanks so much. I love your site, and more importantly, I love that you’re honest and helpful without being snide, overbearing or sarcastic.
Sign me,
Broom Wielder

Heather says:

Yes, you absolutely can clean your broom. While it’s not a chore you need to obsess over, it’s still a good idea. After all brooms are used to clean the floor, not the kitchen counters. However, if the broom has been used to sweep up the droppings of birds or mice, is used to sweep around toilets, or if there are small children or cats in the household, cleaning the broom from time to time is a good idea.

Synthetic brooms are much easier to clean than their straw counterparts. Why? The synthetic fibers don’t absorb water and swell like their straw counterparts. If you have a straw broom, you can use the same steps, just be aware that it will take much longer to dry and that you should hurry through the wet cleaning to keep the straws from absorbing too much water.

Pull as much of the tangled matter off the straw as possible.

Use a hose to spray off any solid, remaining dirt.

Swish the broom briefly in a bucket of soapy water.

Rinse.

Then, if you are particularly concerned about sanitizing the broom:

Allow your broom to dry thoroughly. This can take quite a while for a straw broom.

Just remember in most cases, mopping is the actual germ killer. The role of sweeping is to remove the solid particles that can damage flooring and to make mopping more effective. That said, sanitizing your broom on occasion can help prevent the cross-contamination of surfaces.

For all you TMBG fans out there, I give you: I am Not Your Broom, thanks to @amblin

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

Do You Need to Clean a Broom is a post from: Home Ec 101 ©Home Ec 101.com 2007 - 2010

Heather says:

Life is messy.

A few days ago, I was pulling apart a rotisserie chicken for chicken and dumpling soup. My mother-in-law walked past and commented something to the effect of, “I don’t know how you can do that.” (She didn’t say it in a rude manner, it was just a casual comment).

I replied that I just don’t think about what I’m doing. If as I picked apart the chicken, I focused on  muscles, bone, sinew and fat, sure my stomach would roll.

It’s a lot like any other disgusting chore. When cleaning a toilet do you reach in and think of everything that has gone in the bowl before you? Of course not. That’s like asking to hurl.

It’s the same principle when dealing with food.

The key to doing unsavory chores is you stop your mind from going there.

Usually when I have to do something gross, whether it’s cleaning a toilet or cutting up a whole chicken I listen to podcasts or audio books. I find they do a much better job of taking my mind off of the ickiness of the chore at hand.

Sometimes being squeamish just isn’t an option, whether it’s the budget that says boneless skinless chicken breasts are off the menu or just a heinous mess that must be dealt with immediately. In the cases where the yuck can’t be avoided, how do you get through?

P.S. I’m home! Did you miss me?

Squeamish Talk is a post from: Home Ec 101 ©Home Ec 101.com 2007 - 2010

Heather says:

Long time readers, don’t skip this one. Retro Saturdays give new Home Ec 101 readers a chance to delve into the archives. After working on this site for more than three years, there are almost 1500 posts in the archive. Each week, I’ll try to pull up the best of that week’s posting in years past.

August 2007: A reader asked for a decorating icing that could stand up to high humidity.

August 2008: Ivy helped a reader rid her apartment of cooking odor.

August 2009: Wine Braised Pot Roast for Crock Pot® or Dutch Oven I’d like someone to tell me why I was making a roast in August? This post also explains exactly what a chuck roast is.

Also in 2009, a reader needed advice on how to remove milk splatters from wooden furniture.

This week marks a sort of sad anniversary, I’ve been flying solo with Home Ec 101 since late of August of last year, but in contrast, next week also marks a very important milestone. Ivy left the site due to the fallout of becoming an addict and alcoholic. We live in different parts of the country and I couldn’t see the spiral until things were pretty bad. With a full year to let everything settle out, it’s a little easier to talk about. September 3rd marks a full year of sobriety. Ivy has returned to writing and has started a blog Mama in Recovery. Go, wish her well.

Retro Saturday August 28, 2010 is a post from: Home Ec 101 ©Home Ec 101.com 2007 - 2010

I’m still on the road, hanging out in Minnesota. The lovely Louise Baker offered to guest post and I gratefully accepted. Enjoy!

It’s important to know when you’re moving into a new rental home or apartment, your landlord carries insurance only on his building. It’s up to you to insure anything inside by purchasing renters insurance, or HO-4 as it’s known in the insurance industry. There are five primary reasons every renter should have insurance.

1. Protection From Natural Disasters

If your home is damaged by strong winds, hail, lightening, volcanic eruption, or even a fire, renters insurance will cover your losses. Floods and earthquakes are rarely covered on a renters insurance policy. If you need coverage for those eventualities, make sure you let your agent know.

2. Protection From The Unexpected

Say a small plane hits your home, or a car veers off the road and comes through your front door. Renters insurance will cover those things. Likewise if your home is damaged due to civil unrest or riot, you’re covered. Imagine your hot water heater explodes, smoke from a neighbor’s fire fills your house, a water pipe breaks, there’s an electrical surge that fries your electronics, or the weight of snow causes your roof to collapse. None of these are pleasant scenerios, but they are much easier to deal with if you’re insured.

3. Protection From Mischief

If anyone decides to vandalize your home or to break in and steal your belongs, renters insurance will help make you whole again.

4. Financial Coverage When You’re Without A Home

In the event you’re unable to stay in your home, renters insurance will cover the expenses you incur while your place of residence is being repaired or rebuilt. Most renters policies limit the amount they cover under this benefit to 30 – 40 percent of the policy value. Check with your agent prior to the purchase of your policy in order to ensure that you have enough coverage to sustain you until you can get back into the house or apartment.

5. Protection From Liability.

Imagine your tub or toilet overflows and the water seeps through the flooring and stains the ceiling of the apartment below yours. This is another good time to have renters insurance as it will cover the cost to repair damage to another residence that has occurred due to an accident or negligence on your part. Likewise, If someone slips and falls in your residence or runs into a door and needs stitches, your renters insurance will protect you from that liability by covering the cost of treatment. Insurance will also cover you up to your liability limit if one of those people chooses to sue you in court and wins.

Louise Baker ranks online degrees for Zen College Life. She most recently wrote about the best colleges online.

5 Reasons to Have Renters Insurance is a post from: Home Ec 101 ©Home Ec 101.com 2007 - 2010

Dear Home Ec 101,

There are stacks of paper all over my house. Do you have any suggestions on how I can better organize this mess?

Signed,

Precarious Piles

Heather says:

I am completely guilty of this avoidance behavior. Living in a mess of paper clutter is a sure sign that someone in the home is indecisive or afraid of commitment.

Why?

Papers most often represent decisions or actions that need to be done. Allowing the paper to pile up is the essence of procrastination.

Bills need to be paid, children’s artwork needs to be stored, displayed, or disposed, jotted phone numbers – are these people worth committing to memory or your contact file?- it goes on and on.

There is no immediate, magical fix for your paper clutter problems, but you can begin to develop habits that will counter the build up of paper clutter.

If you have reliable internet, switch to electronic communication for as many services as possible.  Important – this does not mean you switch to auto-pay, if there is a billing snafu of some sort, you want to manually  confirm what comes out of your bank account.

Learn to recognize your avoidance and commit-a-phobe behavior. Sort mail as it comes into the house. Don’t put the whole pile on the counter to deal with later; make the first decisions immediately. Flyers and junk mail go right into the shredder or recycling. Bills go into their appropriate place.

You don’t have to keep every piece of artwork your child ever created. Scan and save their better work and only display their best and most precious pieces. Not every sketch and doodle requires this type of effort. Just because Little Johnny slapped a couple of scribbles down for praise and a hug doesn’t mean you must keep it until the end of time.

Figure out how to back up your electronic data and stop storing scraps of paper out of fear. My friend Michael Carnell of Palmettobug Digital has a great post on how to back up your information.

So these ideas help reduce the incoming paper clutter, but how do you deal with what already exists?

There’s nothing to do except deal with it. It doesn’t have to be all at once. Each day set a goal of dealing with one pile. If those piles are huge, set a timer for 10 or 15 minutes and attack one of the existing piles: toss, scan, or file as needed. Just start making the decisions or the situation will only get worse.

I get it. I know it’s hard, but avoiding it only makes it harder.

Good luck.

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

How to Reduce Paper Clutter is a post from: Home Ec 101 ©Home Ec 101.com 2007 - 2010

Dear Home Ec 101,

I don’t really like honey, but I keep it around for when my grandkids visit. It always gets grainy and I don’t trust that it’s safe for the kids. Is there a way to prevent this from happening?

Signed,

Beelinda

Heather says:

Honey crystallizes over time, it’s just a fact of life.

The more pollen contained in the honey, the faster it will crystallize. Don’t worry, the crystallized honey is safe, but the texture isn’t really that appealing.

You can heat the honey gently to dissolve the crystals and it will be good as new, for a very short time; the crystals tend to reform pretty rapidly. You can either place the container in a warm water bath or pour the honey in a microwave safe container and microwave on low power, stirring occasionally until the crystals dissolved.

Don’t store honey in the refrigerator, this may accelerate the crystallization process. Keep it in a cupboard that has a stable temperature (not over the stove, for example) to get the longest crystal-free shelf life. It is also fine to freeze honey in freezer safe containers, but not really necessary for safety’s sake.

Above all else, remember to never give honey to an infant.

Is Crystallized Honey Safe is a post from: Home Ec 101 ©Home Ec 101.com 2007 - 2010

Heather says:

How do you feel about buying seafood?

I talk to a lot of readers and I know some readers find the process of buying fish intimidating. They don’t know what to look for, don’t know whether to buy farm raised or wild caught. If they do buy wild caught, there are concerns about whether or not the fish was caught sustainably.

How do you know you’re getting a quality product? Sure, some of us who live near the coast have the option of buying it at markets fresh off the boat, but not everyone has that luxury. Even then, it’s hard to know, without grilling the fishermen, if the fish are caught by sustainable methods. For as much as I run my mouth here, I’m actually quite shy and prefer to just buy food without asking a lot of questions. If something feels like a hassle, I really would rather skip the process entirely and I don’t think I’m alone in that sentiment.

If you live in Tennessee, Georgia, North or South Carolina, chances are you live near a BI-LO. If you don’t live in this region, hang tight a second, I’m linking to some easy seafood recipes anyone can use.

For disclosure, I’ve been shopping at BI-LO for years, long before I was contacted by the store. In fact, my general rule of thumb when posting recipes on this site has always been, if I can’t find an ingredient at my neighborhood BI-LO, then I don’t post the recipe without at least a mention that an ingredient may be hard to find. I was recently invited to sample Chef’s Catch, a new line of seafood products at BI-LO Supermarkets. Maybe it’s a sign of how much of a shut-in I became while writing the book, but I was excited to get out of the house and see what they had to say. In a funny turn of events, it turned out I knew the man cooking for the tasting. In fact, I’ve known him since kindergarten, but hadn’t seen him except once in passing in the *gulp* 15 years since I graduated. Small towns and cities are funny like that sometimes.

BI-LO has teamed up with North Coast Seafood, who use line-caught sustainably harvested seafood. To make the purchasing process even easier, Chef’s Catch uses color-coded trays to differentiate the product lines. They have fresh -never frozen- in blue, frozen at sea in purple, and reay to cook -often with marinades already added- in orange. Knowing what you’re getting, for me at least, makes the selection process a whole lot easier. For almost thirty years, North Coast Seafood has participated in the U.S. department of Commerce’s voluntary seafood inspection program so consumers can be assured that the fish has been inspected.

The Chef’s Catch line includes: salmon, tilapia, rainbow trout, steelhead trout, wild ocean perch, cod, haddock, flounder, sea scallops, and bay scallops -mmm, scallops.

For a good portion of my restaurant days I worked in a fancy steakhouse in Minnesota which limited my exposure to working with seafood. I’m sure there are many Midwesterners who love seafood, but when I listed the night’s fish specials I often heard comments like, “I don’t like (insert type of fish here) fish, it tastes like fish.” -If nothing else, waiting tables helped me learn to control my facial expressions.- Beer battered walleye, pan fried walleye, and grilled salmon were the most popular choices. To counter my own inexperience, over the next few weeks (when I get back from MN) I’m going to work on experimenting with other fish, including tilapia, trout, perch, and flounder.

The new Chef’s Catch line is geared to help novice cooks feel confident about purchasing seafood. It helps when experimenting with new foods to know that you’ve purchased quality ingredients.

How do you feel about experimenting with seafood?

Are you always looking for new recipes or hesitant to try because of past results? I love seafood, but it’s definitely a neglected category in our home (except for shrimp, I could probably eat shrimp every day, even if they are as some of my friends call them “sea bugs”).

My.bi-lo.com has some recipes for seafood including oven-fried cod and marinated grilled salmon and will be adding more to the collection.

Here at Home-Ec101.com I have:

• Dilled Salmon
• Salmon with Lemon and Rosemary
• Oven-Fried Fish and Chips
• Fisherman’s Pie – think of it as the shepherd’s pie of the sea

Do you have a favorite seafood recipe? Is it one you recommend to a beginner? Feel free to share the recipe or a link to the recipe in the comments.

Wading Into Seafood is a post from: Home Ec 101 ©Home Ec 101.com 2007 - 2010

Dear Home Ec 101,

I recently ran across your home economics site. It is extremely helpful and visually integrative. I love it. I am a first year home-economics teacher at a Christian Academy. I was wondering if you could give me some tips for teaching high school economics.

You see, I just graduated Culinary School and they thought that I would be the perfect candidate to teach Home-Economics. I would personally love nothing more than to teach Home-Economics. However, the job was kind of thrown on me quickly. More than I’d prefer. I more or less prefer a plan if you will. I’m pretty structured Anyway, I kind of feel loss…What I’m getting to is…Help me please?!?!

I only have them on Fridays at 9:00 am for an hour. On Mondays and Wednesdays I teach Latin all day. I plan to return to school in January hopefully to get my Masters to teach Home-Economics…

So, do you have any ideas on how I can approach this class? I’m so confused, scared and nervous. I would really appreciate it!

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this…

Signed,

Nervous N00b

Heather says:

If I were you, I’d sit down with pen, paper, and what the school expects the students to master in the course. These are naturally your first priority. From there, it’s all about life skills. These are just off of the top of my head. I want to open this up to the Home Ec 101 audience. What would be the most valuable life skill you wish you had learned in home economics?

You may find the articles linked in the footer of this site a decent resource for what Google users seem to find most helpful on this site. Here are some other ideas. If I were laying out the menu plan, I would block out sections based on some of the topics below and fill in based on their interest and the questions that arise.

How to create a budget.

• This may be covered in the economics course, see what is covered and when to avoid repeat / overlap.
• One time expenditures.
• Recurring expenditures
• Emergency funds
• Renters insurance.
• Rent to own is a BAD idea.
• How coupons work / how to use them.

How to read a recipe.

• How to convert measurements – teaspoons to tablespoons to cups.
• Temperature conversion
• Cooking terms: simmering, boiling, braising, roasting, baking, pan frying, searing
• How to double or halve a recipe.

How to read a nutrition label.

• Serving size
• Explain misleading proclamations: example Trans fat free -just because it’s less than the minimum required to put on the label.

Knife skills.

Food safety.

• The bacterial danger zone.
• Safe temperatures for chicken, pork, beef, fish etc

How to menu plan.

Garment care

• Explain the label care guidelines
• How washing machines work -it’s not just a magic box.
• Hemming, buttons, zipper repair.
• Stain removal

I know Home Ec 101 readers are full of helpful advice, I’m leaving the comments wide open for all they have to say. Hear that Home Eccers? Chime in!

What if You Ran a Home Ec 101 Class? A Special Ask the Audience is a post from: Home Ec 101 ©Home Ec 101.com 2007 - 2010

Heather says:
If you are in the market to buy a new electric range, be aware that there is an additional cost to factor into the purchasing decision; you may need new cookware. If you have older nonstick or thin bottomed pans, the pans may have warped which makes cooking on a smooth top range more difficult than it should be.

Thin pan bottoms are an issue with all ranges, but warped bottoms are especially frustrating on ceramic stoves.

With my mother-in-law’s permission I took this picture to illustrate what happens when warped pans are used on a smooth top electric range.

Do you see the large gap between the bottom of the pan and the burner? While the pan will eventually get hot, it will do so in an uneven fashion with hot spots where the burner is in contact with the pan and cooler spots where there are gaps. Unless the food being cooked is stirred constantly it will cook unevenly and may scorch ruining the entire dish.

If you are the owner of a smooth top range and frequently find yourself burning food items, the fault may not be your inexperience. Take a hard look at your pots and pans. Do the bottoms maintain full and even contact with the burner or do they rock? Are they discolered in areas? Rocking and scorch marks are tell-tale signs of low quality or damaged cookware.

Consider investing in a new set.

It doesn’t have to be outrageously expensive, either. Decent quality sets may be found for around $200 and occasionally when lines are discontinued or rebranded they can be found at closeout stores for less. I know, I know, that sounds horrendously expensive to some of you, but it’s an investment. Once you get past the low end sets, quality cookware comes with a warranty, and often a lifetime one at that.

If you are making the jump from nonstick to stainless, be aware that there is a learning curve. Unlike nonstick skillets, stainless skillets usually need to be preheated before adding the food when food is to be browned, sautéed, or pan fried. If this step is skipped, food will stick and it will be a very frustrating cooking experience.

Cast iron may be tempting, but if you have a ceramic or smoothtop range, be aware that the rough exterior of the pans will scratch the cook surface. It may not be noticeable at first, but over time these scratches dull the surface and trap food particles making the surface nearly impossible to keep clean. If you’re dead set on iron, consider enameled iron,and remember it doesn’t have to be Le Crueset. There are other less expensive brands out there. Sometimes a great way to save a few bucks is to buy the offbrand pans and swap out the knobs. Why? The offbrand knobs are frequently not rated for as high an oven-safe temperature as the higher quality brand name knobs.

As always when purchasing knock-off brands, use your judgement and do a little research beforehand. Check to make sure the company hasn’t been cited for using lead in the enamel or other hazardous practices.

Just so you know, the alternate title to this post should be, Flat Bottomed Pans Make the Cooking World Go ‘Round.

The Drawbacks to Smooth Top Ranges is a post from: Home Ec 101 ©Home Ec 101.com 2007 - 2010