Mom's Cafe - The Convenience of Dining at Home

I like to call my kitchen "Mom's Cafe". We have regular menu items you can get anytime, and I have a few specials I pull out from time to time. Every in-home dining facility needs a steady menu of favorite recipes that are quick & easy to prepare. I try to keep all of the ingredients on hand for these 'convenience foods'. When life throws me a curve, I grab all of the ingredients and throw them together without having to really think about what I'm doing, saving myself a lot of time & stress.

Convenience food means different things to different people, and I have developed my own philosophy. Convenience food can be prepared and served faster than it would take to go to a fast food establishment. From the time Hubby walks in the door to the moment we sit down to eat food we've ordered out takes at least 45 minutes. Economy is important -- I hate to spend money that could have been saved through a little planning. Cheap fast food for all 5 of us will cost at least $25. Nutritional quality is also a priority. We'll have 3 teenagers eating us out of house & home by next year. Sometimes I make something full of empty calories that will stave off the 14-year-old son's appetite for an hour, but I still want his body to have all of the basic building blocks needed for healthy growth, so I only do this when I'm feeling like he might start nibbling on ME if I don't provide calories RIGHT NOW. A convenience food will take me less than 45 minutes to prepare, will cost as little as possible, and will be nutritionally wholesome & nourishing.

Following is a Q & A form that outlines the process I use to evaluate menu offerings I can provide at Mom's Cafe vs. all of the 'convenient' dining out options available to us. If you like to fill out questionnaires, please copy the one that follows and use it to enable your thought process.

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-Beginning of freely copyable content

1. What is your family's top choice for 'fast food'? _______________
2. How long does it take to get there from home? ____________minutes
3. How much do you spend for a meal if everyone is hungry? $_______
4. On a scale of 1-5, with 1 representing the poorest quality and 5 representing the highest & yummiest values possible, analyze the food your family typically orders & a few other factors:

• Calories [empty or packed with nutrition?] 1--2---3---4---5
• Vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, etc 1--2---3---4---5
• Fiber [low or high] 1--2---3---4---5
• Fats ['bad'/lard or 'good'/olive oil] 1--2---3---4---5
• Yum Factor [how good does it taste?] 1--2---3---4---5
• Affordability $25+... $20-$25 ... $10-$20 ... $5-$10 ... $5 or less
  
• Cleanliness [dining area, bathrooms, staff, etc] 1--2---3---4---5
• Service you normally receive 1--2---3---4---5

If your family frequently dines out, you might wish to use this 'quiz' to analyze all your favorite places to eat. Now, take the information you have collected and answer the following questions:

• Do you have a meal you can prepare from start to serving that takes less time than your answer to question 1 above?
• What is it? _________________________
• Using the same ratings as above, rate your in-home restaurant's menu item and dining environment:
• Calories [empty or packed with nutrition?] 1--2---3---4---5
• Vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, etc 1--2---3---4---5
• Fiber [low or high] 1--2---3---4---5
• Fats ['bad'/lard or 'good'/olive oil] 1--2---3---4---5
• Yum Factor [how good does it taste?] 1--2---3---4---5
• Affordability $25+... $20-$25 ... $10-$20 ... $5-$10 ... $5 or less
  
• Cleanliness [dining area, bathrooms, staff, etc] 1--2---3---4---5
• Service you normally give 1--2---3---4---5

Now, compare your results. I Use something like a highlighter or a check mark to show which restaurant won in each rating category. I'm pretty sure that your in-home restaurant facility easily beat the outside competition!

-End of freely copyable content
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Continue to analyze your recipes and try to find at least 5 that are quicker & easier than eating out. It's a good idea to identify these 'emergency standby' recipes & meal ideas so you are sure to have everything you need when the next crisis strikes. The ingredients are usually things in the freezer, cans, or on your pantry shelves. For instance, I prefer to use freshly chopped onions rather than dried; but, I always keep minced dried onions on hand because they are so convenient. When I am pressed for time, I can use 1/4 cup of Dried Minced onions for each chopped onion a recipe calls for -- this eliminates cleanup of a saute pan, a cutting board, a knife, and a trip to the compost pile.

Another thing you can do to eliminate preparation time is pre-mixing ingredients. If your family eats corn bread regularly, mix all the dry ingredients in a sealable container and attach a recipe card reminding you exactly what perishable items you need to add just before popping it in the oven. Also include the oven temperature, pan size needed, cooking time, and anything else you need to know. This saves having to spend time looking up the recipe in a book or your file. Also, you save time by making the mess for the dry ingredients only once. Time yourself & drag everything out on the counter, get all the measuring cups & spoons, put a pile of containers at one end. How long did that take? If it took 3 minutes, then putting together 11 pre-mixed containers saves you 30 minutes of prep time later. Figure that it will take twice as long to put it all away & clean up, at 6 minutes, and you've just saved another hour for a grand total of 1-1/2 hours!

If this has inspired you to expand the menu at your in-home restaurant, then I highly recommend you read "Once a Month Cooking" and "Dinner's in the Freezer". They come up as the top 2 choices if you go to Amazon.com, category 'books' and search for the first title.

Basic Cake From Scratch

As I've mentioned before, food allergies are a big issue at Thistle Farm. Whenever a manufacturer 'improves' their product, I get to spend oodles of extra time at the grocery store reading ingredients to make sure the improvements won't make anyone sick. About seven years ago, the cake mix people went on a major 'improvement' binge and made all of my trusted brands unsuitable for our family. I thought, "Phooey on them! I'll make up my own recipe."

A few things you need to know before you bake this cake:

This recipe is equivalent to TWO box cake mixes, so it feeds a crowd. If you want a normal, two 8" layers recipe, then cut this one in half.

This is a little more work than a box mix, but think of all the preservatives you won't be feeding your family. Also, you won't have all that cardboard & plastic bag trash.

If you measure your ingredients by weight, your cake will be consistent. I personally find that it makes a smaller mess & is easier to put ingredients together using weights instead of measuring cups.

Homemade cake will never be the same texture as a box cake. If you think a sweet & light muffin has a better texture than a Hostess Twinkie, then you will probably prefer my recipe to box mixes. If you are addicted to the box cake texture, then you will need to choose between serving your family a more nutritious & wholesome product or giving them a texture they are used to with all the extra chemicals. If you think texture will be an issue, introduce this recipe in muffin form. If they like that, then serve it as a 'coffee cake' next time [sprinkle cinnamon sugar generously over the top and chopped nuts if your family eats nuts]. If they like that, then make your own Birthday Cake using the recipe or offer to teach your aspiring chef how to make a 'real' cake.

One last thing - if you only eat homemade cake for about a year, then the next time you have a box mix cake, you will probably be able to taste the chemicals and box mixes will be ruined forever for you.


Basic Cake - Makes 10-11 cups of batter
[Equal to 2 box cake mixes - fills a 14" diameter circle pan perfectly for a sheet cake]

Get out two mixing bowls - one for wet ingredients & one for dry ingredients. If you have a stand mixer, use the mixer's bowl for the wet ingredients and a separate bowl on the side for the dry ingredients.

Pre-Heat Oven to 325 degrees F. An accurate temperature is important enough to justify investing in an oven thermometer [I think it's about $5-10]. If your oven is too hot, you will get a volcano peak in the middle of your cake [this makes writing 'Happy Birthday' in frosting very difficult...]!

Grease & Flour your pans.

Put into the 'Wet' bowl:

6 eggs
[315 grams] 1-1/2 cups oil
1 Tbls. Vanilla
[350 grams] 1-1/2 cups milk, water, soy milk, or juice
1-1/2 tsp. salt
[450 grams] 2 cups sugar {there is 1 more cup sugar later for 3 total cups in recipe}

Whip Wet ingredients on high until doubled in volume. You want to see a foamy mass of tiny bubbles in the lemon-yellow liquid. A hand-held mixer may not be able to double the volume, but try for at least 5 minutes before you give up. The tiny bubbles you are making help lighten the cake, & so are very important. I put the Wet ingredients in my stand mixer & turn it on while I put together the dry ingredients, and that is usually a perfect amount of time for whipping the wet ingredients.

In your Dry Bowl, sift together:
[Yes, you really need to sift it]

[650 grams] 5 cups unbleached flour [you can use 'cake' flour for super light cake texture, but it doesn't taste as good and all nutritional value is pretty much gone]
5 tsp. baking powder
[200 grams] 1 cup sugar

Using pastry blender or dry wire beaters, Cut in:

[250 grams] 1-1/3 cups vegetable shortening

When the shortening is fully mixed into the dry ingredients it will look like coarse cornmeal. You won't see any blobs of shortening, and a handful will press together if you squeeze it, but will crumble easily & brush off your hands.

Gently pour the Dry ingredients bowl into the Wet ingredients bowl. DO NOT OVER MIX! The directions on the back of box cakes that say 'beat on high for 2 minutes' are just wrong, and it makes a very tough cake. You want to preserve as many of those tiny bubbles you whipped into the Wet ingredients as possible, and you just want to gently coat every crumb of the Dry ingredients with easy stirring so that your batter is smooth and fully blended but not full of giant bubbles from rough mixing. This is a step that can be done by hand. It takes no more than 20 seconds on my stand mixer's lowest setting to fully blend the batter.

Pour batter into prepared pan(s). Fill each pan no more than half full.

Bake ~15 minutes for "muffins"
~20 minutes for 8" layers
~40 minutes for a 14" diameter sheet cake

The cake is done when it has pulled away from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If you touch it lightly in the center, your finger will feel a firm resistance and will not make a permanent dent.

Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes before turning it out onto a cooling rack [unless it is a sheet cake that is going to travel in its original pan to its dessert destination - it's OK to leave the cake in the pan to serve]. If you wait too long to turn the cake out of the pan, it won't release cleanly & could tear itself up.

Frost & fill as desired.

What to do with leftovers...

If you have a cake that tore itself to bits coming out of the pan or just a lot of plain cake left over, cut or break into 1" cubes and layer it in a clear serving bowl with whipped cream, pudding, fruit, or anything else that might sound yummy. It's called Trifle, and it is a great way to take a broken or too dry cake disaster & turn it into a culinary success with a huge 'WOW' factor!

Chili Recipe

I think of Chili as more art than science. Even when I religiously follow the recipe, the chili is different every time. I imagine this has to do with how many different spices a good chili recipe will contain - the quality & freshness of your spices will definitely make a huge impact on the finished product.

Chili can be a very economical dish to prepare. The more preparation you do ahead, the lower your costs. Using dried beans instead of canned ones is a huge money saver. If you can get TVP in bulk, then it will be much cheaper than any of the meat options. If you are a gardener who cans your produce, put up a few quarts of your own pickled peppers - it's really quick & easy and it looks beautiful on the pantry shelf!

The NIGHT BEFORE you want to serve chili:

1 cup black beans
1 cup pinto beans

"Look" the beans [it's what Grandma called the process] for any small rocks, dirt clods, and any beans that look yucky [you can throw the inferior beans & dirt in the compost pile]. Rinse the beans in a colander and cover with water to soak overnight.

IF you forgot to soak your beans, you can:

"Look" dry beans, rinse & cover with boiling water. Let stand covered for about 60 minutes, or simmer for 45 minutes before draining & adding to crockpot.

Cheat, & use 4-15 oz. cans of beans from grocery store, drained & rinsed

NEXT MORNING in your crockpot, put:

[If you want the chili done lots sooner {about half the time}, bring all your ingredients to a boil on the stove top before pouring carefully into your crockpot.]

Drained Beans
2- 28 ounce cans tomatoes [Crushed, Diced, Whole, Sauce... it's a personal choice]
1/2 cup dried minced onion [OR] 2 diced onions
3/4 cup diced bell pepper
1/4 cup diced pickled peppers [OR] 3 chili peppers diced [I use the mildest ones I can find; if you want mild chili, then also get rid of the seeds!]
2 Tablespoons Honey [OR] 4 Tbls. Brown Sugar
2 Tbls. Molasses
1 tsp Garlic Powder [OR] 8 cloves of garlic minced
2 tsp Cumin
2 Tbls. Chili Powder
1 tsp Paprika [careful - this ingredient can really crank the heat up]
1/2 tsp ground Sage
2 tsp Basil
1 tsp Oregano
1/4 tsp Thyme
Ground pepper to taste {1/8th - 1/2 tsp}
1/4 cup vinegar from pickled peppers
1/2 cup diced carrots
2 cups water

Optional Ingredient:
1 Tbls Cocoa Powder [this gives the chili a 'cooked over the campfire' taste]

Vegetarian Option - 1 cup TVP barely covered with boiling water to hydrate
Cheap Meat Option - 1 lb. Ground beef cooked with any fresh ingredients thrown in after it has been browned
Gourmet Meat option - Any lean steak cut into 1" cubes and browned before adding to pot - saute any fresh ingredients in the same pot afterwards, adding 1 Tbls. Olive oil if needed to prevent sticking.

Cook until beans [and any meat ingredients] are tender. Check your crockpot manufacturers suggestions for the correct temperature settings & times to use. FYI - My crockpot cooks this recipe in about 8 hours set on Low.

Before Serving - Check the salt level by tasting. My recipe calls for 2 tsp. of salt, but I wait to add it at the end since the canned tomatoes & pickled peppers both add sodium [canned beans will also add significant sodium].

SERVING SUGGESTIONS:

Side Dishes:
Green Salad [a creamy dressing will balance a spicy chili]
Corn Bread with Honey-Butter [1 Tbls. Honey blended into 1 cube softened butter] on the side
Over Rice or Pasta
Pass Saltine Crackers

Garnishes:
A sprinkle of grated cheese over each bowl
Finely minced mild onions or green onions
1 Tbls. Sour Cream or Plain Yogurt [If your chili is WAY TOO SPICY, this can cool it down]

Dessert:
If you have tender mouths in your house, they would really appreciate an ice cream chaser to put the fire out on their tongues!

A "Pocket Thingy"

I've been working on purse design for the past 3 weeks, and, while I love working up prototypes, I love it much more when the first one is perfect. The first attempt was a tiny "Hatbox Purse" -- it will need to be mostly disassembled before it actually works & I can't decide if I should just start over or not. The second is a "Candy Box Purse" -- it is getting gorgeous, but fails to meet the basic durability criteria.
In my attempt to design purse #3, a "Valentine's Purse", I have decided that needlepoint would be both durable & beautiful, as well as easy to make for anyone with basic needlepoint & sewing skills. This will hopefully be offered in future as a pattern here [as long as I have learned enough from the mistakes in designs #1 & #2!].
I have chosen a tone in tone scheme in a pink to red color scheme. This means that if I get my yarns mixed up I might never get them sorted properly again -- some of the colors are extremely close. I decided I needed a way to keep my yarns organized & even portable while there would be no chance of accidental mix-ups. So, I set aside the purse for a couple of hours & made a "Pocket Thingy".

Here is a free pattern for "Pocket Thingy Part One" -- everything you will need to know to design your own "Pocket Thingy". The construction instructions will be in "Pocket Thingy Part Two"

STEP ONE

What do you need to organize? A "Pocket Thingy" [hereafter referred to as PT] is good for many different purposes. I have one hanging in my closet that I made from a commercial pattern years ago that holds my unmentionables. People who carry briefcases have a very formal PT. My daughter needs somewhere to store her electronic gadgets, pencils, etc -- an office organizer PT. I needed to keep 7 yarns separate, so I have a craft roll PT. This is very important to remember: The things that need to be organized will dictate how you will make your PT. You probably think, "Duh", right now; but, I get in the midst of these things & forget my original plan/goal for a project & usually end up doing something that seems so clever at the moment of inspiration which makes it impossible to accomplish the original goal I had.

So --

• Collect the items to be organized together in a container
• Decide if this will be a permanent wall-hung organizer or a portable organizer
• Write down a SAM goal to help you focus
  
• S- Specific
• A- Achievable
• M- Measurable

A SAM goal for my needlepoint yarn caddy would look like this:

"I need a portable carrier for my needlepoint project that

• Is durable [can protect my project supplies]
• Has at least 7 pockets
• Allows me to see what is in each pocket
• Allows me a way to label each yarn color for any project
• Uses things I have on hand [I had no car to run go buy something]
• Is small enough to carry around with me anywhere
• Is simple enough to complete quickly so I can get back to my needlepoint!"

My PT fulfilled these goals. I used heavy upholstery fabric on the outside. I put in 8 pockets made of clear vinyl so I can see both the yarn & the color code number on the label I put in with each color. I used an upholstery scrap left from a Christmas project, tightly-woven burlap for a supportive interfacing, a neutral beige fabric scrap that would never snag my yarns, some bias binding tape I inherited from Grandma, a vinyl remnant I had picked up 'just in case', and a yard of ribbon from my scrap box. When rolled with my canvas safely rolled inside is is about 5" in diameter and about 12" long -- very portable. The entire project from design concept to completion took about 3 hours.

PASTE PICTURE OF MY ROLLED UP PT HERE

ALSO PASTE PIC OF MY OPEN PT HERE

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If it will help you, Copy & Paste this form to your computer, print it out, & use it for your design process with my cyber-blessing. If you use "narrow margins .5" in Word, it's only one page.

What will I organize? _____________________________________________
How many pockets will it need? ____________
On a scale of 1-10, with 1 being totally practical and 10 being an heirloom work of art my PT will be a:
----1----2----3----4----5----6----7----8----9---10----
[Keep in mind that the higher the quality the greater the investment of time & possibly $$$. Practical does not ever have to equal ugly; but, if you have a Victorian decor, and the PT will be visible, you will need to make it blend in with your life which will equal many hours of extra detailing. I'd say my PT was about a 3-4 on the scale because that's how long it took to make something sturdy out of pretty fabric]
Circle one:
Portable ------OR------- Wall-Hanging

If Portable:
What is the max. size? Width_____" x Length_____" x Thickness or Diameter______"
How will I close it?
---Snaps ---Zipper ---Buttons ---Velcro ---Ties ---Other______________
Where do you plan to take it? __________________________________________
Any special rules [i.e. If I intend to take it on airplanes, will the airlines let me?]____________________________________________________

If Wall-Hanging:
Where will it hang? _______________________________________________
How much wall space is available? Width_____" x Height_____"
Do I have a curtain rod or dowel rod to hang the PT? [Save yourself stress - get the rod first!]
Is it wide enough or will my PT need to be narrower? Max Width______"
Will it support the weight of the items you will place in the pockets? [Test it if in any doubt. Put everything in pillow case & use safety pins or clothes pins to attach the pillow case to the rod temporarily. Balance the rod between two chairs. If it sags at all consider getting a stronger rod.]
How big around is your pole? _______" [Your finished hang tabs have to be longer than this by at least 1/4". Example: If my pole's circumference is 3", I would add two 1/2" seam allowances and an extra 1/2" for a total of 4 1/2" of length for each tab.]
How many tabs will I need? [The heavier your items or the narrower your tabs, the closer the tabs need to be. 3" - 6" is a reasonable range.] ____________tabs spaced every ________"

State your SAM goal: I will make a PT to organize _________________________________________________________

My PT must do these things
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________

If all proceeds as planned, I want to spend no more than ______ hours on this project.

[This is the end of the copyable form]

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STEP TWO

Now that you have the 'brain ache' from the planning process, you get to do something more fun. Grab the container of stuff you collected and find [or make] a clean surface. A table is great, but the floor works, too. A self-healing mat with measurements on it works great. If you want a full-sized pattern, put a large enough piece of paper down before you start laying out your things.
I've already finished my prototype PT, but my daughter wants one now. I'll use hers as an Example as we make our PT's together. I copied the form above in STEP ONE & we filled it out together.

Example of my Daughter’s Design Sheet for her PT:

What will I organize? Ipod, Game Boy, Cell Phone, Wallet, Brush, pony tail elastics, journal, pencils, pack of cards

How many pockets will it need? 10

On a scale of 1-10, with 1 being totally practical and 10 being an heirloom work of art my PT will be a: 6 [Ribbons as Trim, Pretty Fabric, No beads, Blue sheer fabric with chenille dots for pockets, Creamy white background fabric

Wall-Hanging
Where will it hang? Inside Clothes Closet
How much wall space is available? Width 12" x Height 30"
Do you have a curtain rod or dowel rod to hang the PT? YES
Is it wide enough ? YES How wide? 24"
Will it support the weight of the items you will place in the pockets? YES

How big around is your pole? 2" My tabs are 3” finished length , 4” cut length

How many tabs will I need? 5 tabs spaced every 3" = 20” of ribbon for tabs

Daughter's SAM goal: To have a PT to organize things I use the most.
My PT must do these things:

· Be cute, but not frilly

· Functional, but ornamental.

· Must match my room

If all proceeds as planned, I [Mom] want to spend no more than 4 hours on this project.

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Here is what I came up with for my STEP TWO. This is a picture of my daughter's stuff laid out. I used low-tack tape so I could write notes about measurements on my self-healing mat.
IMPORTANT: Notice how all the rows of pockets line up at the bottoms. Each row will need to be sewn down individually in this design, but that won't be too hard. If your pockets don't line up either vertically or horizontally, your PT will take forever! If pockets are aligned both vertically & horizontally, sewing them down is quick & easy.

PASTE PICTURE OF HER STUFF LAID OUT HERE

A few things to keep in mind as you work on your PT layout:

• I think the Wall Mounted PT hangs better if it taller than it is wide. If you still crave a square or wide rectangle, you may need to secure the bottom as well as the top in some way to prevent curling, or you may need to add a little pocket at the bottom to insert a 1/4" dowel or piece of wire coat hanger.
  
• PT's are not the best thing for heavy loads. They are great for all the little things that get lost in drawers [like sticky notes and scissors]. They also work well for keeping all of your specialized tools ready-at-hand. Maybe I need one in my kitchen to get things off my counter...
• Bulky items will probably need pleats or gathers at the pocket bottoms so the PT will still hang flat on the wall when filled.
• You will be a much happier person if you design your pockets in straight horizontal rows. Try to group things that need similar pocket depths together.
• Heavier things need to be put in your lower pockets.

STEP THREE

Make decisions about how you will construct your PT. My Example piece will be sewn. If you want an almost instant PT, you can buy 'fabric' that fuses two different materials together. The only brand name I can think of right now is 'Wonder-Under', and your local shop will probably have it stored with the interfacings. You can buy it by the yard. Your local shop should have instructions available for its use as well as useful advice. I have used it to fuse vinyl to calico to make a washable surface like 'oil cloth', and to laminate fabric together to provide stiffness and to prevent fraying. If you fuse your layers together, the only sewing in this project happens when putting on the pockets and either hanging loops or ribbon ties. The fused fabric can be stitched around the edges, but if done properly it is supposed to hold together on its own [but I always sew it because I believe in over-engineering everything!].

If you choose to use vinyl, it would be wise to invest in a Teflon-coated presser foot for your sewing machine. It is possible to sew vinyl [and other 'sticky materials] without this foot by using tissue paper on top of or under any vinyl & then tearing it off [but it is totally not any fun with all that extra work, & it is harder to see what you are doing, too]. I've done it both ways & I LOVE my Teflon foot.
STEP FOUR

Gather all of your materials together so we can start sewing with my next post "Pocket Thingy Part Two".