Take Time and a Breakfast tart to freeze for quick morning meals.

I know that I am an advocate for families eating together and for families to cook and make meals from scratch but there is a but in there.

Please don't make your self a prisoner in your own home.  Don't let yourself think that everything has to be perfect all of the time.  I personally believe that is a sure fire way to just make yourself down right crazy.

Hints:  When you do have time to make a meal make it a double.  (No, not the drink you might be having.) Make the meal big enough for two times and freeze half of it for a later date.  When you make pasta make enough for another date.  You can freeze pasta and use it in a salad or just run it under hot water and then boil it for a minute or two again for hot items.

But do try as hard as you can, not to make "boxed" products.  Use your own seasonings and spices for meals to create your own version of "helper" type box meals.  Find a couple of simple recipes on line that you can rotate for meals for your family.  It is really important for children to learn to eat what is in front of them and not think everything comes from a menu or a take out bag. 

The recipe below is great to make ahead of time and then freeze for individual servings in the morning when the family is on the run.  These are SO much better than a pop tart or processed frozen item.

It is also a quick healthy meal for those nights you just can not cook. 

Breakfast tarts

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup milk
• 4 medium eggs
• 1 dash pepper
• 1 dash salt
• 1/2 cup chopped broccoli
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 4 medium mushrooms, chopped
• 1 small whole tomato, diced
• 1/2 cup Italian-style bread crumbs
• ¾ cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions

1.    Spray or grease muffin tins (about 12)

2.    Spoon a thin (1/4"), even layer of breadcrumbs into the bottom of each tin.

3.    In a medium sized mixing bowl, crack open all four eggs, and add the milk and beat.

4.    Once all other ingredients are adequately chopped, diced and/or minced, place in a separate bowl from eggs and mix. Add salt and pepper to taste.

5.    Spoon out so that each tart gets a fairly even amount of all ingredients and then pour the egg mixture over each one until they are even and the mixture is gone.

6.    Let the tarts sit a while as this will allow the egg mixture to seep into the bread crumbs and seal the "crust".

7.     Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Bake for 5-9 minutes until egg is solid. 

Did you know?

Did you know that there is an association of FACS teachers?  Yes!

It is call the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences.

This association is filled with professionals in business, extension and educators at the secondary, college and university levels.

These professionals meet on a regular basis through conference calls and annually at a national conference.  The location is revolving and is in Houston in June of this year.

The association develops information for public use in the areas of personal finance, family, child development, nutrition, food preparation, textiles, fashion and public issues of the time.  The association also has a team called "Taking it to the Streets" that works on current topics in the public eye.

This year there will be a preconference on Obesity prevention.

Below is a link to the associations web site.  Some of the reference materials are for public use and can be helpful tools for everyday life.

http://www.aafcs.org/

AAFCS has had several names over the years but the association was started 104 years ago and has been going strong since.  We recommend you check out and support the work that we do.

With love from your FACS teacher,
Jane

There was a time when Family and Consumer Sciences was viewed as a purely domestic field with very little relevance in the business community.  It was associated with only cooking, sewing, and raising babies.

I feel bad about that stigma because during those times there were some very creative, strong women that didn't know how to hone or share their talents.

My Mother and mother-in-laws (my mother in law is an identical twin) were born during the same year.  All three of them were incredible seamstresses.  I grew up thinking sewing was a creative way to express yourself and a great way to save money. 

My mom is gone but my mother-in-laws are still around.  They saved many of the garments that they made and they are incredible designs and works of art.  They rarely used patterns because that was extra money.  They are tailored and sewed with technique one wouldn't believe.  Those two ladies were orphans at the age of 16 and have some incredible stories just about making their clothes because fashion was very important to them.  My favorite is the one were one of them had a date, and needed a new dress so they made one out of the shower curtain in their rental unit.  I wish they still had that one!

My point is, if children want to be involved in the fashion industry they need to know these skills and they should be introduced to them in high school.  I think comprehensive high schools are so much more important that those filled solely with academics.  Giving children a chance to find their passion is so important for individual growth.   I always say if you want to design clothes you must know how to put them together. 

These skills are not just domestic they are technical and they are needed for the fashion industry.

I have several former students involved in fashion and I am proud to say that they are doing well and the skills that they started with helped them ease into their higher education.

I love sewing and fabric.  Designing anything with fabric is just fun for me. 

Here is a link to my Etsy website.  Another shameless plug.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/EmilHansDesigns?ref=search_shop_redirect

With love from your FACS teacher, Jane

Family time is Important but....

Family time is Important but....

When a young couple has children it is very important to make those children your focus, develop rituals with them, have consistent discipline for them and have fun with them.  If you are part of a couple, you also need to make each other the most important thing in your life.

Sometimes when I tell young partners that their relationship needs to continually be nurtured they look at me like I am funny in the head.  When I got married in the Catholic church we were required to take a marriage course.  I of course thought that it was a waste of time but it really was nice.  During those meetings we took the time to really think about our personal relationship and our future.  There was one quote I remember very vividly;  "If you take care of each other and your relationship everything else will fall into place."

I personally believe this to be true.  Many couples wrap themselves in their career, children, activities and then if there is time they try to take care of their relationship.  If you put each other first it can prevent indifference, loneliness, and anger. 

Many couples learn to live in the same house while their children are home and often find their need for each other does not exist once their children have grown.  If you take time for each other and keep open communication lines your life will be much better in all aspects.  This might mean less nights out with the boys or not as many week-ends with the girls but it will keep your relationship strong. 

Look at your relationship from the outside.  If you feel something might be missing, pause and examine what you can do to build it back up to what it once was in the beginning. 

Many years ago a friend of mine found his wife kissing one of his very good friends.  He was of course very sad.  They have four children and he thought they had a pretty good relationship.  I asked him if he thought he treated his wife and their relationship with the same importance he did when they were dating or first married.  He never really answered the question but I new a light bulb went on for him.  They had a great deal to repair but they are still married. I know it was not easy for either of them to fix their home but they did and it was worth it.

 Our bike trip to Niagara Falls 

Marriage is work but it is also fun.  Growing up and old together can be a lifetime of pleasure.


With Love from your FACS teacher,
Jane

A Family Fun Night For Prom

I actually love prom.  I do.  I know it is crazy but it is such an embedded ritual for high school kids in Minnesota.  I didn't go to prom in high school.  It was not a big deal when I was in school and I didn't have a date.  Sad, I know, I was not popular with the boys.  A bit needy I am guessing.  These comments are all in good fun by the way.  I am known for self deprecating humor. 

But I digress.  Back to Prom and a great activity for the family.

I always encourage kids to spend as little money as possible on prom and to go with friends, not a stranger you just asked out to have a date. 

When my younger son was a senior we encouraged him to wear his kilt to save money and I asked his group of friends if they wanted to have meal at our home instead of going out.  Many of them said yes,  some did not, thinking I don't know what, maybe they would get a meal on paper plates.

We set 3 tables in our living room and dining room.

We made menu's for the kids.  They had two choices of meat, veggies and potatoes.

We had a dessert table, we had fake wine, we had water glasses, basically the whole nine yards.  We had little gifts for each place setting.  One of the girls walked in and literally awwwwed.  I laughed because I really can not imagine what they were expecting. 

The mom's wore white and waited on the tables.  The dads did grilling of chicken and steak.  I made the other parts of the meal in my kitchen.

I only charged $7.00 a person and I of course took a hit but I wanted the kids to take a bit of the ownership for this night. 

After the kids left the parents had a party themselves. 

It was a great night and we all had so much fun.  The kids enjoyed their parents, the parents enjoyed their kids...and we enjoyed ourselves once they left.  It is a great way to promote family time during a night that normally just does not promote family time.

Granted I have a pretty big entertaining area in my house but you don't have to have 18 kids at your house.  (Yes, I have a lot of dishes,  it is a sickness and my husband has made it stop!)  It works with a smaller group too.  Think about it; I bet I fed all of those kids for the price of two couples in a fine eating establishment.  Eating out is expensive and really not necessary for a group of kids that are trying to save money for their futures.

Below are a couple of pictures from that night.  Boy the kids look like babies to me.  They are now 23 and 24 years old and well on their way to adulthood.

Table set up a mom taking orders a toast

 the dessert table

I little bit of green goes a long way.

When I was a stay at home mom, yes I did that too, my husband and I were penny pinchers.  Most of the people in our social circle had double incomes in their household.  There were often times that we could not attend or go to functions purely for financial reasons.

One of the things that we did to be able to socialize was a cooking club.  We had two other couples that we rotated with each month.  It was a night out and we always got a great meal shared with good friends.  We were the only couple with children at the time.  We drug them with us, them in their jammies and a good video/movie, a special meal for them and a bowl of popcorn later.

Cooking at home has always been a part of my boy’s life.  I worried about them when they left home because they really never cooked in my kitchen.  To be honest, they knew they had a good thing going on with me and they did not rock the boat very often. 

When my husband and I visited our oldest when he lived off campus we were surprised when he showed us his turkey that he roasted.  He said it was cheaper to roast a turkey and use it as long as possible in many different dishes.  He talked about the other things that he and his cousin made with the 5 other gentleman that lived in the house at Madison, WI.  I quickly blurted…..”Where did you learn how to cook?  You never cooked at home.”  He looked at me like I was crazy and said, “Well, I watched you.”  He still does a lot of cooking and he knows that it is economically wise to do so.

I am proud of that and it really does show that when you cook you are teaching by example. 

I have said in an angry moment or two that I was going on “strike” when the kids were in high school.  To be honest, my mom worked while I was in high school.  I was the oldest and started cooking suppers for my family when I was in 9^th grade.  If we multiply that out I have made around 13,000 family meals in my life time.  (Subtracting 4 year for college) Yes, I like to go out to eat and in my old age I think that I deserve a break once in a while but that is the key.  “Once in a while” 

We have neighbors with young children that go out to eat every single day.  The only thing their kids know is to order off of a menu.  Not only is that expensive but it is unhealthy and does not teach children to learn to eat new things.  That is one of the great things about family meals at home.  They have to eat what you cook or they starve.  Trust me; if a child is really hungry they will not starve they will eat the food set before them.

Be an advocate for family meals and get the family on board.  I know it is difficult and sometimes you just want to quit.  I have been there. 

Cooking saves you money, it is much better nutritionally, and it is better for your family.  Get on board!

With love,

Your FACS teacher,

Jane

If you can read you can cook?

If you can read you can cook?????

There was a time in my life that I repeatedly said, “If you can read you can cook.”  I am rethinking that theory.

Do you want to know why?  Well, you are my captive audience if you are looking at this post so; I am going to tell you.

Cooking and baking has a vocabulary.  It was once assumed that folks in the kitchen would be around someone in their life that cooks or cooked or baked on a regular basis.  Through those individuals one would learn that vocabulary.

This is no longer true.  One can no longer assume that a child or adult knows what the term “cream” means when mixing cookies or cake.  One cannot assume that a child knows they must brown the hamburger before they put it in the chili.  One cannot assume that a metal bowl is for mixing NOT cooking on the stove top.  One cannot assume that everyone knows the bottom of a broiling pan is not a baking sheet.  I know these things because I have experienced many a kitchen disaster.  As FACS educators my co-workers and I have come to prepare for the worst and expect the best in product.

For me and my colleagues this feels like it should be job security.  Yet, it worries me because many people still have the mentality that cooking should be easy enough to learn on your own, or that everyone still cooks at home or that it is should just be done.  Something that we often forget is that assembling food is chemistry and when things are not measured correctly or assembled correctly it just doesn’t work.

If you don’t know how to cook or bake and you are an adult, what should you do?  Read, read, read.  Watch you tube videos, watch cooking shows.  But DO start cooking and baking because the processed food and restaurant food that we are consuming is not good for the function or nutrition of you or your family.

Be brave and step into the “cooking and baking” zone!

My message, SUPPORT the field of “Family and Consumer Sciences” we are a vital part of continued healthy education in our society.  I would love to say that someday we could work ourselves out of a job but I don’t think so.  We teach about many things involving consumerism, textiles, housing, family, conflict and resolutions, children and much more.  We touch many corners and stages of lives.  We are practical, resourceful educators and that makes us vital.

 

CREAM=incorporating air into a fat and sugars until they are smooth and creamy.

BROWN=Frying or sauté` meat until it is brown in color for lamb, pork, or beef or cream white color if poulty.

SAUCE PAN, DUTCH OVEN, FRYING=Cookware using on stove tops.

BROILING PAN=Item used for direct heat cooking.  Often used for meats.

NOTE!:  CRACK your oven when you broil with an electric oven.  This prevents fire.

Take Time for Yourself

I am a firm believer in quality time for yourself and if you in a relationship, time for each other.

I have been married for 27 years in November and trust me it has not all been wine and roses.  But, I do have to say I like my husband and he likes me.

One of the things that I really remember from our marriage course back in the dark ages was the simple advice,  "Do things together."

When you are first married there never seems to be enough money for anything.  Those dates might have been a walk or a picnic but we have always had time for each other.  It is important to put each other first and make each other your first family!  Presently we are in the stage of life where the kids are grown, out of the house, and not married.  No grand kids to worry about and a great deal of fun time on our hands.  We are taking advantage of it!  But, don't be envious because time will go very quickly and you will wonder what happened to all of those years.  Soak them in, because looking back will never be the same as the moment that you are standing in right now.  My husband uses a cheezy saying from an old song but I think that it is true.  "These are the good old days."

Besides spending time with your spouse try to take a few minutes a day for yourself.  Juggling laundry, cooking, work, exercise and children is hard. If you have a hobby give yourself time to do that hobby.  I have many hobbies but when my kids were young I often stayed up late sewing because that was the only time I could carve out of my schedule and get something done.

Don't have a hobby, Read books!  It is relaxing, simple and increases your vocabulary.  I never read until the 1990's when a bunch of neighbors started a book club.  I joined just to be a part of the group.  Once I started reading I could not stop.  I read 2 or 3 books a week.  Sick, I KNOW!

This reading lead me to another hobby that I never thought I would do.  That is write.  One of my friends wanted a man in her life and so I wrote her one for her birthday in the form of a book.  That story lead to self publishing which is great fun and a check on my bucket list.  Even though the novel is never going to be on any book list it has been a great experience and I am even working on a sequel.  See, you are never too old to start something new.

Here is a shameless plug with a link to my book, available on Amazon, hard copy or kindle.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2/186-7150801-3671711?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=perfect+sunshine

With love from your FACS teacher,

Jane

Below is a picture from one of our bike trips.  This was our trip to the "Great Smokey Mountains"

We do have fun!

Recently I put up a post called, "Really You Should Cook".

I would like to give you a couple of links to you tube with professionals that back up what I said about family meals and the importance of them and eating together.

Again I will mention that meals together lower the risk of your children doing drugs, using alcohol, youth pregnancy and mental health issues. 

Children at all ages should find meals enjoyable.  They should not be scolded and they should think fondly of their meals together as a family.  Establishing this tradition will make a world of difference for the future of your children. 

You will also find a marinara sauce that does not come out of a jar that you can use for pizza or pasta in your home.  Make it ahead of time and have it ready to go for those days when you can't remember if you are coming or going.


Here are the links.


 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zE8srXJIo8Q

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_BpPVUbabQ

Italian Sauce for Pizza and Pasta

·       1  can  6 ounce Tomato paste

·       1 can 8 ounce tomato sauce

·       1 teaspoons Italian seasoning

·       1 teaspoons garlic powder or 3 teaspoons crushed garlic

·       ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

·       3/4 cups water

·       1/4 teaspoon salt

·       1/8 teaspoon pepper

 

Bring the sauce to a boil, turn heat down to medium low and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.

      Spread on pizza or use as a pasta topping.

With love from your FACS teacher,

Jane