Oso-Flaco BRAND Artichoke Label Courtesy of Santa Barbara Arts Commission

Dear Friends,

I was twenty years old before I ever met an artichoke.  My . . . → Read More: Carrot, Meet Artichoke]]>

It is rather awkward to be working with some one whose name and family you do not know.  The same thing applies to foods.  ~The Home Economics Omnibus, p. 14

Oso-Flaco BRAND Artichoke Label Courtesy of Santa Barbara Arts Commission

Dear Friends,

I was twenty years old before I ever met an artichoke.  My boyfriend had taken me home from college for the weekend to meet The Family.  We sat down to a nice family dinner Saturday night but I was in a state of panic.  There were these large roundish green things with leaves all over them being passed around.  I had never seen them and I didn’t know what to do with them.  I quietly confessed to my boyfriend that I didn’t know what those things were.  He proceeded to announce to the table that I had never seen an artichoke before.  I knew they were a good family because they all pitched in to make me feel comfortable and to teach me how to eat them.  I fell in love with artichokes and with my boyfriend’s family.

I don’t know about your local supermarkets but the variety of classic food seems to be shrinking and is being replaced by processed food products.  When I was shopping the other day, I noticed that the canned vegetable section is quite puny and basically consists of corn, carrots, green beans, peas, and baby potatoes (almost all starches!).  The frozen vegetable choices weren’t much better!  The meat case is filled with pre-cooked heat-and-eat entrees.  And that seems to be the general theme of grocery stores now: processed foods manufactured by companies that are willing and have deep enough pockets to rent shelf space from the supermarket (known as “slotting allowances or fees“).  To put it bluntly, stores are really only interested in products that can provide a double dip source of income for them–the sale of the actual product and the shelf rental.

What does that mean for us?  As modern retro women, we know that eating a variety of fruits and vegetables in as close to their natural state as possible leads to better health.  We have to make sure we are proactive and seek out sources to provide that variety–whether it means we grow our own garden, shop at the farmers market, join a coop or community support agriculture group, or politely complain about the lack of choices to key managers–instead of simply relying on the choices that the stores make available to us.

It is also important to introduce a variety of food to children while they are still young.  Sure they may still grow up to hate lima beans (rightly so, I think) but they are less likely to be finicky eaters if they eat a variety of real “adult” food as soon as they are able to do so.  I think our grandmothers would be appalled at the idea of preparing different processed meals for each family member every night (unless, of course, there was a real medical reason for it) or ordering take-out all of the time.

My niece, Baby Alice, acts like my sister is trying to poison her whenever she introduces Alice to a new food (my sister makes most of Alice’s baby food).  She makes all sorts of faces and can be rather dramatic.  But then comes the second bite and then the third and before long, Alice is enjoying it.   I’ve had plenty of parents tell me that they tried to get their children to eat healthier but the kids refuse.  I ask them how often did they try and they will sheepishly admit that it was just once.  It is up to us to set the example of eating healthy and eating a variety of foods.  We have more influence that we give ourselves credit for (and, lest we forget, we are the adults in the parent-child dynamic).

We were raised to try new food in our family.  It is because of that sense of culinary adventure that I tried out the artichokes and am still eating them 30 years later with The Mister.

Lady Luck is not the presiding genius in a kitchen any more than she is in a chemistry laboratory. ~ The Home Economics Omnibus, p. 12

I was cleaning scraps of muslin and patterns and other assorted design class doo-dads off of my office bookshelf next to my desk when my eyes alit upon . . . → Read More: Luck, Be a Lady Tonight!]]>

Lady Luck is not the presiding genius in a kitchen any more than she is in a chemistry laboratory. ~ The Home Economics Omnibus, p. 12

I was cleaning scraps of muslin and patterns and other assorted design class doo-dads off of my office bookshelf next to my desk when my eyes alit upon The Home Economics Omnibus that I had started reading and writing about a year ago.  Alas, as is the case with many textbooks that I have owned over the years, I started reading it with good intentions but then I got distracted and never finished it.    Since this is the time of year when we promise that this is the year, yes, it really IS the year, that we will eat better, I thought it would be appropriate to see what our home ec instructors, Prof. Harris and Prof. Huston, have to teach us about the well-fed family.

I have a confession.  While my older sister was here, we started wondering if one of our younger sisters has ever used a cookbook.  I know she owns them because I’ve seen them on her kitchen bookshelf.  I just don’t know for sure if she has actually used any of them.  The reason I say this is because she confessed to me that she just wings it and never reads the instructions on how to cook food.  Okay, fair enough.  There are a lot of people who are like that.  But, here is the kicker, there are a lot of people like that who are then terribly disappointed with the end results.  Then they lose their confidence and proclaim that they can’t cook.

The fact of the matter is that cooking and baking are based upon the principles of chemistry and physics.  We may wax nostalgic about the grandmother who just put a little bit of this and little bit of that into the bowl and magic happened but we didn’t see all of the other little bits of this and that which turned into doorstops or worse.  Grandmother learned by trial and error how much of this and that to put into her bowl.

Even with all of my experience, I still measure, measure, measure.  Here in The States we still use the open-for-operator-error method using measuring cups.  I hear that in other parts of the world they measure by weight, not by volume, when they cook.  In fact, our home ec professors even said in the Omnibus that there would be a time when we would use the more exact method of weighing our ingredients.

There are three areas that need measuring when we cook:

1. Ingredients. Cooking creates a chemical reaction amongst the ingredients.  We need to have a rudimentary familiarity with the various ingredients so that we end up with the desired results.  For instance, yeast and salt are the Hatfields and McCoys.  They hate each other and the yeast won’t come out to play if there is too much salt.  On the other hand, yeast and sugar are like long lost lovers.  They can’t get enough of each other.  But, if we put too much of either into the mixture, the yeast just gets all showy-offy and goes bonkers.  We end up with something that looks like it belongs in an “I Love Lucy” episode.  Measure, measure, measure your ingredients.  Try the recipe at least once as written before making adjustments.
2. Temperatures. There is no reason, with modern technology, that we should suffer through food borne illnesses due to undercooked food or leathery meat due to overcooking.  We have very good thermometers available at all price points.  But in addition to checking the temperature of our food, we also need to keep tabs on the temperatures of our cooking appliances.  As a new wife 20+ years ago, I didn’t know I needed to check the temperature of my oven and couldn’t understand why my food always seemed burnt!  I then got an oven thermometer and discovered that my oven was 25ºF. hotter than it was supposed to be!  I knew it was time to get a new range last summer when my oven couldn’t hold the temperature at a steady rate anymore.  Measure, measure, measure with a thermometer.
3. Stirring or beating.  Sometimes we stir to mix the ingredients.  Sometimes we beat to introduce air into the ingredient.  We need to keep track of how long we should be stirring or beating.  Did you know that if you whip cream for too long it turns into butter?  That’s not exactly something I’d want on top of my pumpkin pie!

The take home message is that getting lucky in the kitchen means we are like the gambling pros and rely on skill and knowledge rather than chance.

Here is a terrific 4-minute video from AllRecipes.com that shows us how to accurately measure our ingredients:

Click here if the video player isn’t working for you

If we talk at great length about clothes and the place they play in making you an attractive, charming person, don’t think that we believe for one minute that clothes are the most important thing in the world.  They aren’t.  But they can do a great deal . . . → Read More: The Well-Dressed Girl]]>

1950's Ad for J.C. Penny's Separates

If we talk at great length about clothes and the place they play in making you an attractive, charming person, don’t think that we believe for one minute that clothes are the most important thing in the world.  They aren’t.  But they can do a great deal to enhance you.  A person who is well dressed, and knows that she is, loses a great deal of self-consciousness.  She concentrates on people and ideas and forgets herself.  ~The Home Economics Omnibus

I think we’ve become too lazy in getting dressed.  This really hit home for me the day I was catching an early morning (as in 7:00 a.m.) flight.  Near the front of the check-in line (this was in the days before the self-check-in kiosks), a youngish woman was wearing her pajamas and slippers.  I understand the desire to be comfortable, but…really?  The woman couldn’t be bothered getting dressed?

I think clothing designers have also become quite lazy.  The fewer the details and the fitting issues, the cheaper the garments are to make.  Dresses and tops are sleeveless so that (a) the garment requires less fabric and sewing and (b) the issue of sleeves being too tight or too loose are eliminated.  The arm is free to move about the country without feeling restricted.  Making things out of knits is a great boon because the stretchiness masks how ill-fitting the garment really is.  We keep buying and shopping, hoping that the garment will give us confidence but you can’t make a silk purse out of sow’s ear, even if it has a designer label on it.

I know I’ve commented before on “when women dressed.”  And I’m not saying that we have to wear heels and pearls when we are cleaning the house.  But what I am saying is that we need to be a little more cognizant of what our clothes are saying about us.  Our clothing communicates an instant message.  Is it the message we want to send?

One day, several months ago, I saw my reflection in a glass door.  I was horrified.  I had slipped into “sturdy shoes frumpiness.”  Now, individually, each thing that was wearing did not constitute a frumpy label.  But, wearing them together really made me look older and tired…I didn’t think it really reflected how I was feeling inside.  I had become lazy in my choice of clothing.  I was wearing twin-sets that weren’t flattering, given my figure, but were comfortable.  I had on “mom jeans” that had become a little flood-like in their length.  And I had on my closed-back clogs.  My hair had been pulled up into a bun.  And I had on this attire as I was heading to a fashion design class!

I used to be known for wearing classic and feminine clothing.  A good portion of my clothing had an “Audrey” feel to them.   But now….

When I was younger, women didn’t own as many clothes as they do now.  But those clothes were well made and had a purpose.  Women had Sunday dresses and they had house dresses.  And they used aprons to protect their clothing.  As I start to rebuild my wardrobe to be a better reflection of the message I want to convey–vibrant, feminine, and poised–I just have to remember that I don’t kneed to go on a shopping spree.  I just need to choose my clothing carefully.  And when I do that, my confidence will increase exponentially.

True confession time.  Sometimes when I read the blog postings of younger women trying to live like a mid-century housewife, I gasp out loud and say “But, you can’t do that!” when they share their adventures teaching themselves how to sew by redecorating the . . . → Read More: But! But! You Can’t DO That!]]>

For goodness’ sake let’s experiment and practice!  ~The Home Economics Omnibus

True confession time.  Sometimes when I read the blog postings of younger women trying to live like a mid-century housewife, I gasp out loud and say “But, you can’t do that!” when they share their adventures teaching themselves how to sew by redecorating the entire house or making a suit for their husbands and so forth.  Or, their adventures in teaching themselves how to cook.  In my mind, they are jumping off of the diving board without checking to make sure there is water in the pool.

But, you know what?  They are doing “that.”  And doing it successfully.  Why?  Because it is an adventure for them…they don’t know they shouldn’t be able to do it and so they do, indeed, do it.

It makes me wonder where my sense of adventure and the willingness to experiment is.  Where is my willingness to try something and be okay with it not working?  Where did I get the idea that I have to be perfect right out of the starting gate?

When the Home Economics Omnibus was telling us to experiment and practice, it was talking about learning how to be a hostess.  But I think the idea can be transferred to other areas of my life, too.

The next time my mind chatter tells me I can’t do something, I’ll thank it for its opinion and remember that I can at least experiment and practice.

Planning is not cooking but it is management.  Mother gets her day’s work done because she has learned to plan.  In her day, planning or management were not taught in school.  This is where you have an . . . → Read More: Planning is Management]]>

Now, where were we?  Oh yes!  We were going through The Home Economics Omnibus by Harris & Huston!

Planning is not cooking but it is management.  Mother gets her day’s work done because she has learned to plan.  In her day, planning or management were not taught in school.  This is where you have an advantage.  (Page 9)

When I read the above quoted passage, it reminded me of something Kathy had mentioned in the comments section a while ago.  She said that her mother viewed being a housemaker as her job.  She writes,

My mother made lists in order to keep herself focused on what she needed to do. She treated homemaking, including her sewing and handwork, as her job.

This has me wondering, how many of us view homemaking as our job rather than a chore?  Thanks to the media trying to sell us stuff to rescue us from our “daily drudgery,” chores have a rather negative connotation.  What if we thought of homemaking as our career and not “just a job?”  Would we go about our day differently?

When I was a new school teacher, I had to submit my weekly lesson plans to my principal.  He wanted to make sure that the new teachers had plans in place to ensure that our students would meet our learning benchmarks.  As a new professor, I didn’t have to turn in my lesson plans but I carried over my habit from when I was a schoolteacher.  Since then, I have led countless workshops teaching new professors and graduate students how to plan out their courses so that their students learn without too many “uh-ohs” happening during the semester.

And, isn’t that what planning is about?  If we plan, we can manage the daily ups and downs a little easier.  If we ask ourselves, “What can go wrong?” we’ll already have a plan in place to manage the “uh-oh” instead of it turning into a disaster.

What does home management entail?  I think it includes things like financial/money management, physical upkeep of the house and ourselves, meals, vacations/days of rest, and education.

Education?  Yes, education.  Many professional careers require their practitioners to acquire professional development hours in order to renew their license.  And, yet, we don’t necessarily think about professional development when it comes to home management.  But why not?  That “hobby class” offered at the recreation center may provide you with skills that will help you grow as a home manager.  The big box stores like Lowes and Home Depot offer do it yourself workshops.  Even if you aren’t planning on redoing your bathroom, just having an understanding of how the bathroom plumbing works will enable you to save money because you will know when you can unclog that drain yourself (instead of needing to call a plumber).

Many young mothers write to me, wanting to know about resources so that they can be like a 50′s housewife.  I think the unspoken plea is that they don’t feel in charge of their home and want some guidance on how to be an ideal homemaker.  I think a first step is to view homemaking as a career and see both the daily and long-term in our planning.  That way we won’t be buffeted about like a ball in an old pin-ball machine.  Planning means that we are in charge and can remain (relatively) calm and productive no matter what happens.

PS: Click here to read my blog posting on my favorite organization tools

In my last post, I mentioned that the girls . . . → Read More: Food Should Not be So Complicated]]>

My apologies for disappearing again but my grandfather’s death followed by my older sister’s visit and Baby Alice’s dedication (like a baptism only without the water) kept me away (not to mention my schoolwork!).  I’m finally starting to feel like I’m catching up with myself again.

In my last post, I mentioned that the girls in the pretend home economics class were trying to come up with a menu for a Sunday evening party where the guests will consist of teenage boys and girls (so that answers your question, Kathy, about whether the guys will be there or not).  As part of the process, they developed some standards to go by to guide their decision making.

Standards:

1. Food should not be so complicated and fussy that daughter cannot prepare it herself.  It is scarcely fair to ask Mother to work all day–especially Sunday–for her daughter’s friends.
2. The menu should not be so heavy, with so much food that guests feel uncomfortably “stuffed.”  The applies especially to a meal served after a traditional Sunday dinner.
3. Food should not be too expensive.
4. The menu should not call for equipment and utensils which are not found in the ordinary kitchen.

Kathy and Ann were mentioning the importance of being a calm hostess.  I know that I’ve had my own share of meltdowns over the years and I have been wondering ever since I read these standards how many of those meltdowns could have been avoided.

I know I’ve mentioned it before, but one thing that always strikes me is how uncomplicated “special occasion” menus were in the mid-century.  Those menus are a far cry from my own special occasion menus where I’d scour Martha Stewart  and other famous chefs’ cookbooks that I checked out from the library until I created menus that were fit for a television show.  And then I’d exhaust myself trying to make the menu a reality.  And, of course, there were things that always went awry.  Our mothers and grandmothers were taught that menus should not be complicated or fussy.

Another thing that jumps out at me from this list is that we shouldn’t be stuffing our guests as if they were Thanksgiving turkeys.  Of course, if we keep our menus simple and uncomplicated, it will counteract the urge to pile plates higher and higher.

That said, I don’t think menus should rely on chips & salsa and vegetable trays.  I noticed at the pot-luck dinner after Baby Alice’s dedication, everyone was enjoying the chicken, homemade potato salad, and the homemade strawberry pie, and were basically ignoring the chips and vegetable trays.  I’m not saying that chips and vegetable trays don’t have their place but let’s be more cognizant of when we serve them instead of making them a “default appetizer.”

Also note what people were eating at the dinner–simple foods.  It was a hot day and guests were enjoying “picnic-type food”  of fried or flame-broiled chicken, the potato salad, and the pie.  There were other things that were available but those were the items that were being devoured and everyone proclaimed what a great dinner we were having.

Fancy foods may sell magazines and commercials on television, but uncomplicated and unfussy food will enable us to be calm hostesses who get to enjoy our own parties.

“What,” said I, “you mean that I wash dishes because I want to do it?  You mean I . . . → Read More: Who Wants to Do Things that are Unwise or Foolish?]]>

Years ago when one of the authors of this book took a course in psychology, the teacher said that no one ever did anything in this world that he did want to do and I challenged it.

“What,” said I, “you mean that I wash dishes because I want to do it?  You mean I get up at seven because I want to do so?  You mean I study late on a grand moonlight evening because I want to do that?  Oh no.”

We argued for a long time.  Almost, he made me see his side.  In the examination the question was asked, “How many times do we do the things we want to do?”  I wrote–you see I was beginning to be persuaded–”In ninety-nine cases out of one hundred.”  He drew the blue pencil through “ninety-nine cases out of” and let the sentence read “In one hundred cases.”

I agree with him now.  That does not mean I am siding with him because both he and I have been, or are, teachers.  But because I finally see his meaning.  We do everything because it, or something which follows in its train, gives us the result we want.  I wash dishes, not because I want to wash them, but because I want a clean kitchen.  To have that I must get the dishes out of the way.  I get up in the morning, not because I want to do so, but because I don’t want to be late to the office or school.  Not being late is something I really desire, so I do the things which will make me on time.  I study, not because I want to study, but because I want to pass in the examinations, or I want to graduate, or I want to show the boys that girls are good scholars.  I do the lesser things because I have a larger end in view.  And so I say, “In one hundred cases we do the things we want to do.”

You want to be a pleasing person, a delightful hostess, a jolly companion, a girl who can lead in athletics or games or what not.  To accomplish that big purpose you need ot know the lesser things you must do.

This book is devoted to ways and means of doing the lesser things so that you, yourself, make yourself the woman who is your ideal (emphasis added).  That’s a big task.  More power to you.

Pages 5-6, The Home Economics Omnibus

Instant gratification and having a good time is the name of the game in our culture.  Don’t have the money to buy that top in every color?  That’s okay, open a charge account today and you’ll save 10% on your entire purchase (because we know you probably won’t notice we charge 20% interest rate)!  Don’t want to wait until you are home to check your email?  That’s okay, sign up for this wireless plan and you can check your email and surf the web while having dinner with the in-laws!  Want to be turned on by your car?  Then buy this make and model.  And so it goes.

But the wise homemaker knows that sometimes getting to the desired outcome requires lots of little steps that aren’t so fun.  As I’ve mentioned previously, I decided to take a pattern making through draping class during the winter term (I do not recommend doing this).  Very, very late one night, as I was still sitting at my sewing machine and fighting back tears of frustration, my husband put his hand on my shoulder but knew better than to ask if I was still having fun in the class.  I looked up at him and said, “Not all parts are fun but the outcome makes it worth it.”

What are some things that we do that aren’t fun but the outcome makes it worthwhile?

The title comes from the line in the book right before the passage I quoted above.  What do you think it means?

In the next post, I will discuss the Premack Principle.