Saturday, September 29, 2007

Kitchen Quiz Answers!!

Thank you to all of you who participated in the 1938 kitchen quiz. I especially enjoyed Hootin' Anni's answers. Anni, you made me literally LOL!


Here are the questions again, along with the answers. My personal comments are in blue.

Question: When should the butter be put on the table and the water poured, at the breakfast table?

Answer: The butter and water should be put on the table just before the meal is served. It is especially necessary to wait until the last minute in warm weather. Glasses should be filled three-quarters full. And to think I've been filling them two-thirds full this whole time. ;0) Btw, does anyone drink water with breakfast?

Question: Suppose you accidentally spilled a cup of cocoa at the table. What would you do? What would you say?

Answer: There is an old saying which goes, "The least said, the easiest mended." This advice should be followed after an accident at the table. Of course, you should say some such things as "I am so sorry. Please excuse my awkwardness." If you express your regret briefly and sincerely (for who is not disturbed when an accident occurs in the presence of those before whom he would like to appear well?), you are doing the best you can under the circumstances. To continue expressing your regret in a profuse manner is unpleasant to the other guests at the table.

Question: What is the most important step in dishwashing?

Answer: A class in college studied dishwashing! Does dishwashing seem a strange subject for a college class to study? Their study of dishwashing was very valuable. The class found the sickness, such as influenza, could often be traced to wrong methods of dishwashing. It was found that dishes must be rinsed, or better yet, placed in boiling or scalding water, to make them safe. Boiling water? Ouch! Let's hope they wore some heavy duty gloves!

Question: How should crackers and breads be eaten with soup?

Answer: It is not good manners to break up crackers and drop them in the soup. Crackers should be eaten somewhat as bread. Break off a bit at a time and eat the small piece without dipping it in the soup. Awww....that's no fun! I don't know if I can eat tomato soup without broken up Saltine crackers on top!

Question: How thick should vegetables parings be?

Answer: Most vegetables have thin skins. It is wasteful to pare such vegetables thick. Fall or winter potatoes should be pared as thin as possible. New potatoes and carrots have such a thin skin that they should be scraped. Turnips and rutabagas have a very thick tough skin. Contrary to the rule of paring vegetables, these vegetables should be pared thick so as to remove the thick woody skin. It sounds like we can put away our kitchen rulers! ;0)

Question: Should pie be served for luncheon or for dinner?

Answer: Pie is often served at the close of dinner. If the dinner has been a hearty one, the average two-crust pie is not a wise choice. Good pie crust contains much fat. It is a rich food, and is not suitable for the dessert of an elaborate dinner. It is better to serve pie at the close of a lighter meal, i.e., as the dessert of luncheon or supper. Pie is my very favorite kind of dessert. I see no problem with skipping the hearty dinner and just eating the pie!

Question: What consideration should be shown the meat carver?

Answer: It is not always easy to carve meat. It is especially difficult to carve a roast turkey or chicken. Often these meats are served when guests are present. If the guests watch every move of the carver, he is apt to become embarrassed or uncomfortable. Under such circumstances the carver usually does not do so well as when he works unnoticed. The guest should pay no attention to the carving. Some topic of conversation should be started by the hostess or one of the guests so as to engage the attention of the other guests. I don't know about you, but since the holidays are coming soon, I'm going to be thinking of appropriate conversation topics so as not to embarrass Phillip. Hehehe.

Several of you got the right answers so, congratulations! I enjoyed sharing this fun book with you!

Friday, September 28, 2007

Seasonal Delights Update

If you are looking for "Show and Tell Friday" it is right below this post!!

The end of September is almost here, so if you haven't signed up for your free year of Seasonal Delights head over to SDQuarterly.com to do so!

A "recipe of the week" feature has just begun on the blog. Every Tuesday I will share a new recipe and this past week was Pumpkin Patch Cake!

I'm also excited to announce that the Seasonal Delights forum is now open! For those of you who love celebrating the seasons and holidays or are looking for seasonal tips and ideas, come on over for a visit! SDQuarterly.com

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

"Show and Tell Friday!"



Welcome to “Show and Tell Friday!” Do you have something special to share with us? It could be a trinket from grade school, a piece of jewelry, or a treasured collection. Look around your home for something to share; dig through those boxes in your closet if you have to! Share photos and the story that goes with your special item.

Today I would like to show you my miniature cast iron stove. I keep it on the bookshelf in my bedroom, near my Little House and other pioneer books.


My mom just read an article on these stoves a few weeks ago that said they were made in the early 1900's. I have also heard that they were salesmen's sample stoves.



This particular stove belonged to my Great Grandmother, Irene. She lived in London, England and was the daughter of a preacher. In 1939 she moved to Canada and got married at the age of 20.
Evidently, she was very sophisticated and the canoe trip that her new husband took her on for their honeymoon didn't go over too well. ;0)



The oven door actually opens.



A pail and shovel for the coal.


Tiny pots and pans.


My Great Grandmother passed away in 1984 and my Grandpa (her son) gave the stove to my mom because he thought my siblings and I would enjoy playing with it. When I got married my mom gave it to me, and that's how I ended up with it!

Thank you for looking at my show and tell!



Show and Tell Guidelines

What is Show and Tell Friday?
Show and Tell involves showing something to an audience, and then telling them about it. Your show and tell must be something that you own, and is in your home or garden.

What items work well for Show and Tell Friday?
Here are a few ideas to get you started:
-Childhood keepsakes
-Family heirlooms
-A collection you may have
-A piece of jewelry
-A special gift
-A favorite treasure
-Gardening pictures


What doesn't work well for Show and Tell Friday?
-Posts with no photos have no "Show." Please don't use them.
-Photos of events (trips, vacations, celebrations, etc.)
-Photos of things you are selling or planning to sell.
-Photos found on the internet, graphics or screenshots. Please use photos you take yourself.

There is no place like home is the original home of Show and Tell Friday. Please do not host your own.

Please do not feel that you have to participate every Friday.

How can I participate?
Once you've got your photo(s) and your story, it's easy as 1-2-3!

1 - Publish your "Show and Tell" on your blog, including a link back to There is No place like Home. If you don’t know the link code, email me and I will send it to you.

2 - Copy the link (or "permalink") from your post.

3 - Add it to Mr. Linky, along with your first name. I usually put Mr. Linky up on Friday at 12:00am Eastern time.

That's it! After that, you can start visiting all the other Show and Tell participants!


1938 Kitchen Quiz!

About a month ago I shared a neat book with you called Foods and Home Making by Carlotta C. Greer.


We had a fun kitchen quiz, and I promised to have another one in the future, so get out your paper and pencil! Let's go back to the year 1938...



1. When should the butter be put on the table and the water poured, at the breakfast table?

2. Suppose you accidentally spilled a cup of cocoa at the table. What would you do? What would you say?

3. What is the most important step in dishwashing?

4. How should crackers and breads be eaten with soup?

5. How thick should vegetables parings be?

6. Should pie be served for luncheon or for dinner?

7. What consideration should be shown the meat carver?



Any guesses?

Feel free to copy and paste any or all of the questions in the comment section and answer them there! Or you could post them on your blog but let us know, so we can come and read them!

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

My September Garden

Hello everyone! Thank you for all your wonderful comments on my Memories Monday post! I enjoyed hearing the names that some of you have for the same special snack!

Do you remember when Grace had one lonely morning glory on her vine? Well, as you can see, there are quite a few more now!


The back of the fence is even better!





I think they are putting on a good show for the end of summer. :0)


My pepper plant has been happy with the cooler temperatures.




I found the head of Benjamin's sunflower on the side of the house. A few birds have been snacking away.


Lantana


Asparagus fern and bigonias


Twin violas!


Thank you for looking at my September flowers! I can't believe October is less than a week away!

Sunday, September 23, 2007

~Memories Monday~



"This is where you can share your favorite memories of family, friends, childhood, and life in general. It will be fun to read about special memories each of us have. Pictures would be a nice accompaniment but not required!"
Hosted by Revee, at Country Roads.


Today I would like to share some memories of my Papa. When I was little and visiting my Nana and Papa's house, I always knew where to find him. He would be down in the basement, watching sports or western shows. I never liked when wresting was on, but we did watch plenty of "Bonanza" episodes together!

Some of my favorite memories are from when I was older. The year after I got married (1995), my Nana and Papa came to visit us in South Dakota. I drove back with them to their home in Canada for a three week visit. It was such a fun cross-country trip. My Nana and I tend to get a little silly (crazy!) when we are together and my Papa put up with all of it during those long hours on the road! He also stopped anywhere my Nana and I wanted to do a little shopping! :0)

The last time I saw him was three years ago, when we went up to Canada, for a visit. My Papa has a special way with little ones. The girls and Benjamin were "attached to his hip" our entire visit!

Benjamin was three at the time and still remembers the special treat Papa made for him: a bowl of sliced bananas, with milk and a sprinkle of sugar on top.

Here is another treat (a much healthier one!) that he made for my siblings and I when we were younger. It's called a Man in the Boat.

Cut a square or rectangle out of a piece of bread.


Melt some butter in skillet over medium heat and add the bread.


Crack an egg into center of bread.


Cook until bottom bread is toasted and then flip. When the egg is done, remove onto a plate.


Butter both sides of bread square and toast in same skillet.


Mmm...this is my favorite part!


Now the man has a hat!

This makes a fun lunch!

Thank you for reading about my special memories. We are going up to Canada for a visit next month and I can't wait to see my Papa again!


If you would like to join in for Memories Monday, please visit our hostess, Revee at Country Roads!

~Welcome Autumn!~

Happy First Day of Autumn!!!



For the past few years it has been our tradition to watch Anne of Green Gables on the first day of Autumn. We will make some tea and eat cookies during our special movie time.


Do you like maple? If so, you will love these cookies! They just melt away in your mouth!


I found the recipe from Mandy at Pearl Maple, and she gave me permission to share it with you!



Maple Cookies


1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
½ cup maple syrup (the darker the maple syrup, the richer the taste!)
1 large egg yolk
3 cups flour

Cream butter and sugar together before adding the maple syrup and then the egg yolk. Gradually sift the flour into the syrup & butter mix.

Divide the dough in half, wrap in plastic and chill until firm. This recipe makes a lot of dough, I put some in the freezer for another day!

Preheat your oven to 350F or 180C.



Roll the chilled dough to about 1/8 thin (I rolled mine 1/4" thin).


Maple leaf cookie cutter your leaves, get creative by drawing a knife lightly across them to mark veins. 8-10 minutes in the oven for smaller 3 inch cookies or 10-12 for larger 5 inch cookies. Bundle the scraps and chill again to get the most out of your dough. My cookies were finished in 6-7 minutes.

Thank you for the delicious recipe, Mandy!



Here is the icing recipe that I used:

Maple Frosting

2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons soft butter
1/8 cup maple syrup
3 tablespoons milk

Mix all ingredients together with a whisk until smooth. Add more milk or powdered sugar if needed until you reach desired consistency.

I piped the frosting all along the edges of the cookies.


Enjoy!


I hope you all have a wonderful first day of Autumn!!

"Autumn, the year's last, loveliest smile.” William Cullen Bryant

Thursday, September 20, 2007

"Show and Tell Friday!"



Welcome to “Show and Tell Friday!” Do you have something special to share with us? It could be a trinket from grade school, a piece of jewelry, or a treasured collection. Look around your home for something to share; dig through those boxes in your closet if you have to! Share photos and the story that goes with your special item.

Today I would like to show you two of my special rings. This first ring was a gift from my parents, for my 10th birthday. I'm sure they thought it would be lost by now, but here it is!


The center stone is a ruby and with four diamonds around it. It only fits on my pinky finger now!


This amethyst (my birthstone) ring is also from my parents. They know what I like. ;0) I received it on Christmas day, 1993. It is a special reminder of my last Christmas at home, I got married 6 months later.




Thank you for looking at my special rings!




Show and Tell Guidelines

What is Show and Tell Friday?
Show and Tell involves showing something to an audience, and then telling them about it. Your show and tell must be something that you own, and is in your home or garden.

What items work well for Show and Tell Friday?
Here are a few ideas to get you started:
-Childhood keepsakes
-Family heirlooms
-A collection you may have
-A piece of jewelry
-A special gift
-A favorite treasure
-Gardening pictures


What doesn't work well for Show and Tell Friday?
-Posts with no photos have no "Show." Please don't use them.
-Photos of events (trips, vacations, celebrations, etc.)
-Photos of things you are selling or planning to sell.
-Photos found on the internet, graphics or screenshots. Please use photos you take yourself.

There is no place like home is the original home of Show and Tell Friday. Please do not host your own.

Please do not feel that you have to participate every Friday.

How can I participate?
Once you've got your photo(s) and your story, it's easy as 1-2-3!

1 - Publish your "Show and Tell" on your blog, including a link back to There is No place like Home. If you don’t know the link code, email me and I will send it to you.

2 - Copy the link (or "permalink") from your post.

3 - Add it to Mr. Linky, along with your first name. I usually put Mr. Linky up on Friday at 12:00am Eastern time.

That's it! After that, you can start visiting all the other Show and Tell participants!


Tuesday, September 18, 2007

A Cozy Reading Corner

Hello everyone! I did a little furniture rearranging today. Once the summer is over, I like bring my wicker patio chair indoors until spring.


I thought it was time for a fresh look, so I sewed up some new pillow cases for the pillows using this fabric that I found on the dollar table.


The "after" look of my reading chair.


Here is a full view of my reading corner, which is in Phillip's office. Isn't he nice to share his room with me? ;0)


I have my bird book and binoculars ready for some birdwatching.


I need to put my feeders up soon!


My assistant bird watcher is waiting patiently!


An oil lamp makes the room especially cozy at night.


Thank you for looking at my reading corner!