Dept of Home Economics: Saving Money on Breakfast

When did breakfast cereal -- even the kind you have to make the effort to cook -- get to be so expensive?  That's what I wanted to know the last time I went shopping for steel cut oats.  Find out how I saved big over at My Life In Food: A Culinary "Art" Journal.

Dept. of Home Economics: Healing Herbs

Did you know that in addition to being delicious, cinnamon does lots of good things for the body?  The next time you sit down to a piece of apple pie, you can call it health food.

Get the scoop at My Life In Food: A Culinary "Art" Journal.

Dept. of Home Economics: Healing Herbs

 In days of yore, every housewife knew how to treat illness and keep her family healthy with herbs and home remedies.  Did you know that you can make a tea from something that is probably growing in your yard right now that is rich in vitamin C and is good for winter illnesses such as coughs, colds, and sinus congestion?  You can read about it over at My Life In Food: A Culinary "Art" Journal.   

Dept. of Home Economics: Soup From Leftovers

Here at Old Maid HQ, it's often a challenge to cook fresh vegetables before they go bad, and to eat leftovers without expiring of boredom.  When the fridge gets too full, I make Use-It-Up Soup.  Check out how to make it over at My Life In Food: A Culinary "Art" Journal.

Now you know what to do with the vegetables from that crudite platter everyone ignored on Christmas Day in favor of the potato chips and onion dip.

Dept. of Home Economics: More Fun With Broccoli Stems

Not a fan of Cream of Broccoli Soup?  Fret not, Gentle Reader.  There a lots of other things you can do with your broccoli stems instead of throwing them away.  Check out some ideas at My Life In Food: A Culinary "Art" Journal.  Plus, there is a Jane Austen quote and I take a couple of shots at Martha Stewart!

Dept. of Home Economics: Cream of Broccoli Soup

Did you know you can make delicious soup from the broccoli stems you usually throw out?  It's cheaper than the stuff from a can, it tastes better, and it's better for you!  Check out the recipe at My Life In Food: A Culinary "Art" Journal.

Dept. of Home Economics: The Incredible Egg Carton

It's the little things.  Specifically, it's the little things lying around the house that are tough to corral and keep organized.  So it was with my jewelry making supplies -- until last night, when I made an omelet for dinner.

I washed and dried the empty carton from my Little Rhody Natural eggs, and then cut it apart to create three storage trays.  You could leave the top on if you want storage with a lid; I wanted to be able to place them flat in the storage drawer that I take out of its cabinet and bring to my table when I'm ready to make jewelry.  The egg-shaped sides stack nicely, provided they are not too full.
Here are some uses for your empty egg cartons that I came up with just off the top of my head, but there are probably a lot more:

• Desk drawer: Use one or more sides to organize paper clips, binder clips, erasers, sticky notes, etc.
• Craft and sewing supplies: With or without lids, you supplies will be neat and organized.  No more ransacking drawers looking for one specific thing -- or worse, buying something you forgot you had.
• Tiny toys: I'm thinking of Barbie's accessories or all those pieces for the Littlest Pet Shop -- but anything tiny and easily lost can be stored in egg cartons.  Let the kids get creative and decorate the cartons with stickers.
• Girls' hair accessories: You'll be able to find barettes, snap clips, and ponytail holders, even on a busy morning.  Let your daughter get creative with decorating the outside of the carton.
• Kitchen junk drawer: One or more trays will neatly store batteries, matches, restaurant business cards, rubber bands, twist ties, etc.
• Jewelry: if you're a gal who keeps jewelry in the top dresser drawer -- or a guy with tie tacks and cufflinks you want to store -- a plastic egg carton is the perfect see-through storage solution.
• Home repair kit: Keeping those screws, nuts, washers, etc. organized might make it less likely that you and your significant other will fight while fixing something.  Might.  I'm not making any promises.

Dept. Of Home Economics: Organization

I love a clean and organized home, don't you?  Mary Agnes up there always kept her home spotless and tidy.  Me? I try.  In general, I enjoy organizing more than I enjoy using the system I set up, so things tend to slide gradually into a state of disarray.  Then I get to have the fun of organizing again, so at least that's something.

This week, with kids going back to school and a hint of Fall in the air, I've been in the mood for a clean start, so to speak.  I've been cleaning and organizing like a madwoman, starting with my bedroom closet.  After reading some organizing tips online and drooling over fancy closet makeovers by companies like California Closets, I realized that part of my problem has been working with the existing closet setup instead of taking a couple of facts into account: that my tiny walk-in closet has to store more than clothes, and that I need more space for folded items than I do hanging items.  The double dresser I already have is full to bursting; however, a California Closet makeover isn't in the budget.

So I went to Walmart, and for six bucks and change I got one of these babies to increase the space for things like tee shirts now and turtlenecks later on.  (I already have a small dresser for lingerie in the closet, as well as a free-standing shelf unit that holds folded jeans.)  What I like about this new shelf is the fact that I can slide it across the bar as the seasons change and I need to hang different things.  Essentially, I created a coat closet on one side of it -- which will require more space once the wool coats come out of their storage bins.

Then I hung a tension rod (available in the aisle where shower curtains are sold) under a shelf that is at a right-angle to the existing rod, creating about 2.5 feet of extra hanging space for blouses and short skirts.  In a tiny Newport closet, that's a LOT of real estate.

I also came to the conclusion that despite my best efforts, keeping a shelf that is above my head organized is difficult at best.  I bought four or five plastic shoe storage boxes -- available in-store for $1 each -- to corral things by category: products for cleaning the upstairs bathroom in one, wardrobe maintenance items (shoe polish, mending kit, etc.) in another, and so on.  Now I can find the Static Guard when I need it without having to go downstairs for a stepstool.

I suppose the truly organized (or, ahem, obsessive-compulsive) would put a lid on each box and then label the front with a fancy printed label.  I used the boxes more like baskets so they could hold more and things with oddball shapes would fit in them.

Walmart.com has a lot of organizational products available.  So does Target.com.  The Container Store has more stylish options than were in my budget at the moment, as does The Pottery Barn.  Organize.com also has some great options.

An important thing to keep in mind is that items designed for one area of the home can often be used in another.  For example, a wire mesh pencil cup would make a cute makeup brush holder.  I use a pair of pretty drinking glasses.  It's called "repurposing" and Mary Agnes was a master at it. Because really, the thriftiest way to keep things organized is to use what you already have.

Dept. Of Home Economics: Vinegar

Sometimes your tummy is unhappy. Maybe you ate too much garlic at an Italian restaurant last night, maybe you just got over a bout with the 'flu, maybe nerves or acid reflux are rearing their ugly heads. Fret no more, gentle readers. Auntie Maria has a remedy for that. It's cheap, it's easy to concoct, and you probably have the ingredients already in your cupboard.

1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp. honey (or more to taste)
1 cup hot water

Stir the apple cider vinegar and honey together in cup or mug. The vinegar will begin to break down the honey and make it dissolve more easily. Add hot water and stir well. Sip when cool enough to drink. Believe it or not, it's delicious. Repeat 3 times a day until symptoms improve.

Now, don't be silly and try this when you've got an active stomach virus, and don't take it instead of going to a doctor if your symptoms get worse. But for relief of short-term stomach pain and nausea, this remedy really works.

According to EarthClinic.com, 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar dissolved in 16 oz. of water and sipped throughout the day can help with allergies, arthritis, gout, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and more. Models drink this concoction to help with weight management. I tend to think models look better than I do because of superior genetics combined with consuming far less cheese and chocolate. But it's worth a try.

White vinegar is great for all kinds of things around the house. You probably already know it's great for cleaning windows. But it can do so much more.

I like to mix white vinegar with a little baking soda to make a paste (it will foam like crazy, so use bigger bowl than you think you need). This mixture is great for scrubbing the sink, removing stubborn stains from countertops (spread it over the stain and let it soak for a few minutes), and any time you want a little muscle but you don't want to use an abrasive cleanser. I've even used it to remove the stains left on a hardwood floor by magazines that got wet.

Vinegar. It's cheap, it's versatile, and it's probably already in your kitchen. Mary Agnes would approve.

Dept. of Home Economics: Retro Beauty with Pond's

Okay, so it's not on a par with worrying over global warming, but I've been having a tough time lately finding an eyemakeup remover. The problem is that I wear waterproof mascara every day. I live on the coast in Rhode Island where mist, fog, and rain happen -- sometimes all in one day -- so unless I wear waterproof mascara it gets all Rocky Horror Picture Show up in here. There is really only one liquid makeup remover in my price range (cheap) that works on waterproof mascara, and I've been having trouble finding it. What's a bargain shopper to do?

Well, the last time I was in the skin care section of Ye Olde Walmarte, I spotted a jar of Pond's Cold Cream. I thought if it worked for the pancake makeup classic Hollywood beauties wore in the movies, it will probably work on waterproof mascara. Sure enough, it says it does right on the label. And since a 6.5-ounce jar costs under $5, I what did I have to lose?

Pond's Cold Cream removed my eyemakeup (including waterproof mascara) like a charm. I wiped it off with a cotton square and then followed up with my usual skin cleanser. Using it as a makeup remover only, I've probably got a year's supply in the jar, so it's a cheaper than the $30 or so per year my previous product cost.

Cold Cream is a little too thick for me to use as a facial cleanser this time of year, but I'll definitely try it in place of my usual cleanser during the winter when my skin is dry. I might even be able to skip applying night cream (which I use in the winter) and that would be an even bigger savings.

Fun fact: Betty Grable used Pond's Cold Cream on her legs to get them photo-ready. Or at least she did in this vintage ad that probably made every man in America want to kill photographer Walter Sanders who is applying the cream to her legs. It's not for nothing that 20th Century Fox insured those legs for a million dollars.

Pond's Cold Cream: after 97 years, it's still a great product and it's still a bargain.

New Feature: Department of Home Economics

Meet my grandmother, Mary Agnes, circa 1950.

My grandmother was Mary Agnes -- or, more properly, Maria Inez in Portuguese. She usually went by Agnes, as the family already had a Mary in the brood by the time my grandmother came along (they were very Catholic). Doctors, clergy, and the like tended to call her Mary. I honestly don't know if she preferred it or it was due to a level of formality. In any case, I am calling her by both names here because I like double names, and also, because I am the last of a long line of women named Maria, Mary, and Marie.




It is from Mary Agnes -- and my mother, Marie -- that I learned most of what I know about home economics. And since times are tough and we are all looking for ways to live better with less, I've decided to share what I know. I'm hoping that my mom will chime in with a guest blog or two, as well as a certain friend of mine who shall remain nameless at this point, but who can make furniture she picks up in the street on trash day look like a million bucks. I plan to pass along tips, recipes, ideas, book recommendations, and that kind of thing.




I'm using the picture of Mary Agnes as my icon, because what I am thinking of is, for the most part, old-fashioned common sense and know-how. Also, I love a pretty apron. For those of you who are not interested in this feature, when you see my grandmother on your blogroll, you know to move on to something you find more interesting.




For those of you who are still with me, let's begin.


Herbal Olive Oil


I know I can't be the only one this happens to: you buy a certain herb for a certain dish and you use about a tenth of it and then spend the next week looking for ways to use it up until it sadly wilts and dies in your refrigerator. Here's an easy-peasy option to use up what's left. The amounts are purposely vague because it's a "use it up" recipe.


Ingredients


Olive oil: this is where you bring out the good-but-not-great stuff. I like extra virgin oil, but the expensive stuff is meant to be enjoyed as is. By all means, use what you have. This is not about using up, not buying new. And if you prefer the taste of some of the lighter olive oils, go with that.


Leftover herbs: either a single type, or a blend that you enjoy together, such as basil and thyme. Experiment and see what you like best. About a half cup of stems and leaves per two cups of oil works well. Eyeball it. No need to chop, just check them over and remove anything wilted, and then throw the herbs in, stems and all. You can even use just stems if that's all you've got left.


Clean jars or decanters with tops: Bonus points if you're reusing something that would normally go in your recycle bin.


Method


1. Place the oil and herbs in a saucepan, and bring just to a simmer over medium heat. Watch it like a hawk, because it can suddenly go from barely simmering to a full-on boil, and, well, unless you plan to throw the oil over a wall at some attacking Huns, you don't need that. Also, the oil tends to get cloudy if you let it boil. (Cloudiness will not affect taste, but it won't look as pretty or last as well. )


2. Once you see some slight bubbling (usually around the herbs), take the pan off the heat. Slap a lid on it and let it steep for one hour. This is an excellent time to catch up on your blog reading.


3. Strain the oil into jars and cap. I usually strain it into a large pyrex measuring cup first, then pour it into the jars.


Storage


You want to use the herbal oil up within about two weeks. Refrigerating it stretches that a little, but has the disadvantage of solidifying the oil, so it needs to warm a bit before you use it. I've discovered that it freezes well, with no loss of flavor.


Uses


Use this oil as you would any olive oil in cooking, salad dressings, etc. It's great for dipping bread into (I like to pour a little into a dish, then add some salt and pepper, but that's up to you). I always make more than I can use because I have yet to meet anyone who didn't appreciate getting some as a gift.

*** I had an added recipe for garlic-infused oil here, but my mom brought it to my attention that there is a botulism risk associated with it. I've made it several times before and I'm still here and healthy as a horse, but I don't want to take a chance that anyone might get sick because of botulism in the garlic you use.