Help in the Kitchen

Hello,


Today I have been going through my 5 gallon buckets of beans, oatmeal and wheat to see how they are doing. I think that I will make a dry bean mix.  I have small red, kidney, navy and pink beans.  There are some easy ways to soak or quick soak method.  I like to ferment the beans by putting either vinegar or lemon juice in the water while they are soaking.  They should soak til you see  bubbles (about 24 hours).  This helps change the enzymes to digest better and help eliminate flatulence.  The quick soak method is to cover the beans in cold water in a large pot, bring to boil, turn off when it comes to a boil. Let them rest for at least 15 minutes ( I set a timer, or I will forget). Rinse and then repeat the process 2 more times.  Then add what you want for your beans (meat, onions, garlic seasoning or whatever you want) and simmer til beans are done. I also found as I was searching "how to ferment beans", in Marillyn Beard's blog she adds another option for soaking beans and that is adding baking soda to the soaking water.  It really helps her.http://just-making-noise.blogspot.com/2009/06/legumes-poor-mans-meat.html  Hmmmm. I will have to try that.  I love trying new things. Thanks Marillyn.


So I made some beans from my bucket.  Soaked them and cooked them and they just didn't taste right.  Not bad just not right.  They  did not get as soft as they should.  I even tried to pressure cook them to soften them more. So the problem is that they are too old. I had forgotten that I bought them before Y2K. Silly me.  All my beans are so old. Now I have to think of something else to do with them (not bean mixes, bummer).I hate waste.  I think I will make a bunch of bean bags for our missionary children in Mexico, and put ziplock bags together for the elementary schools for crafts around here. Any other ideas?????? I would love to hear them.

 Since my family size is diminishing I need to down size.  This is difficult. I still buy too much food and can't even fit it all in my ample cupboard spaces.Mostly staples. I buy very little processed food. We cook most things from scratch.  My daughter is helping me make an inventory list of my food.  I need to do this for the freezers too.  I must do some rethinking.  First, I think I will have to let go of these big buckets and reduce their size. Maybe I will only buy enough to fill a gallon jar (per bean type). Also I would be able to see them. Hmmmm.

 Menu Planning.  Wow. Seems monumental at times!  Need some fresh ideas? Need some guidance? I am strong in this area and would be delighted to help you.  We will consider allergies, what foods you and your family like and dislike, dietary restrictions, if you want to incorporating new recipes, budget, space, how long you want a menu for etc. There are many structures for menus and we can discuss them and come up with what you feel would work for you. Email me for pricing.Comments are welcome.Go ahead and leave me a comment. Just click on the blue word comment and the box will pop up to write in.  Thanks.
Til next time... the journey continues......

A bit about organizing and sewing

A Bit About Organizing...

I have had my first job! I thoroughly enjoyed helping to de-clutter, organize and get a list of the things that need to be attended to out of the pile.Things were uncovered that she was looking for but could not find.We cleared off her piled desk and filed the things.  It was so freeing for her. It was very satisfying for me to help.  

In the organizing department I can help you with:

• Closets
• Garages
• Home Office(paper piles, setting up filing system, help prioritizing etc.)
• Kitchen (food inventory, pantry and cabinets)
• Kids bedroom and/or playroom
• Family room
• Craft room
• Extra bedrooms or spaces
• Other

Call or email me for pricing.

How about Sewing, Mending or Ironing...

I love to sew and be creative.  I enjoy recycling and Upcycling (Upcycling is the process of converting waste materials or useless products into new materials or products of better quality or a higher environmental value). I have made pencil pouches out of  a M&M candy bag and a Doritos bag.  I am still working on the pattern but here it is. Just a few of my creations.  Creativity is my middle name. It energizes me.

I have sewn many things such as: pillows, quilts, curtains, place mats, robes, skirts, dresses,  bathing suits, brides maids dresses, wedding veil, aprons, jean tote bags, hanging organizer and too many more things to remember. I mend and iron too, call or email for pricing.Go ahead and leave me a comment. Just click on the blue word comment and the box will pop up to write in.  Thanks.

Beginnings

Coming to  the end of a season and beginning a new one is scary and exciting.  I am excited to see where this idea of "Mama's Extra Hand" (my new business I just started) takes me. I have so many wonderful ideas for helping mom's and families.  Being a mother of 6 myself, with 4 out of the house and 2 at home, have homeschooled for 15 years and been married for 25 years gives me a lot to work with.  I have been in a season of change for the last 5 years trying to figure out "what I want to be when I grow up".  I was working through my feelings of being "needed" by my children when they were young and now being there as a support and presence. They need me in a very different way now but no less important.  Learning to listen more and talk less. And to that I have come up with "Mama's Extra Hand".  It is a service business to help moms in need. When I was raising small children and even now, it would have been great to have someone to come along side of me and help with the overwhelming tasks at hand.  Sometimes just knowing where to start and having someone to bounce ideas off of was great.  I have a wide and varied skill set that I would love to share with you. Among all of this my passion is to teach, learn and share.  This business that I am starting is in its morphing stage.

  My business is 3 part:

classes/workshops for women in homemaking: topics such as cooking healthy, preserving food, once a month cooking (or 1 or 2 weeks worth of meals), home made mixes for kitchen, other topics could include areas in child rearing such as setting up and implementing chore charts, learning styles, personality types, taking care of your child's heart (are they open or closed toward you?) and others.

Classes/workshops for children 
These will include classes on sign language (I am an interpreter for the deaf), children's games around the world, camping, the abacus, cooking, sewing and origami to name a few.


Services for Moms
These include but are not limited to : organizing, decluttering, problem solving/brain storming, menu planning, mending, ironing, sewing, help with homeschooling( ex: grading work), juvenile birthday parties, "Mystery Dinners"*,  and just general help. 
 
* A "Mystery Dinner" is a 4 course meal such that there are guests that get a menu with 16 to 20 items on it.  Each item is named something else. Items will include all utensils, napkin, toothpick, water, coffee, dessert, entree', main dish, vegetable, appetizer, drink, bread and salad or soup.    The guest must choose each item once and put them into one of 4 categories which will be the 4 courses. Because everyone makes different choices on where to put each item they will get different items than someone else in that course.  It is a unique and hilariously fun way to have a dinner party.  Let the Mystery Begin!
  I am in the Salem,OR area and would LOVE to help you.   Contact me and let's see what we can accomplish! Go ahead and leave me a comment. Just click on the blue word comment and the box will pop up to write in.  Thanks.