The Urban Homemaker is epitomized in my own mother. I took it for granted, as a child, and foolishly thought most homes were like mine, with a mother who cooked supper every night, baked the best cookies and cinnamon rolls, and actually said she liked doing laundry and ironing! I did wonder at times why some of my elementary classmates hounded me to trade my lunch for theirs. 🙂
Mom became an urban homemaker when she and Dad married and settled in a big city out West (where her asthma was supposed to be better), far from their families, and the rural lifestyle in the East where they were both born and raised. Despite being raised in a large family, in the country, my mom says she wasn’t much of a cook when she got married. By the time my sisters and I came along though, as far back as my memory serves me, Mom’s food was wonderful! My dad would take us all out “for dinner” (39 cent hamburgers and French fries) once every two weeks when he got his paycheck, so Mom had ample time and experience to hone her cooking skills. She made food from “scratch” as it was less expensive than the boxed variety. She did not own fancy cooking tools, or even a dishwasher (my dad said he had four dishwashers and didn’t need any more)! After our outing at the burger joint, we would go to the grocery store – Dad would hand Mom $40 cash, and she would buy two weeks worth of groceries while the rest of us waited in the station wagon, listening to the radio and enjoying our time with Dad.
So… times have changed, yes. We have been liberated and don’t have to do the mundane cooking and cleaning that was once a natural, necessary task for us. It’s become easy, acceptable, and excusable to let the restaurant chains feed us more often than we cook. Losing the art and skills of homemaking has cost us more than just monetarily; it has deprived us of our innate ability to nurture our families, and it has led to a nation of many unhealthy people.
In a review in Eating Well magazine of Michael Pollan’s latest book, Cooked:A Natural History of Transformation, Pollan says, “Cooking is key to changing our health and the environment.” When asked about a person who just doesn’t have time to cook, Pollan replies, “Well, that same person has an hour for yoga or surfing the Web. We put pressure on the kitchen to save 10 minutes to do something else. I’m just arguing that it’s important – for your health, your family life and your sanity”.
I am truly grateful for my mother and for her beautiful portrayal of homemaking. We don’t all have a mother like mine, but we can all be inspired to learn and grow, and transform the way we look at the task before us of raising a healthy family.
Although my own children have outgrown this activity, we still get to enjoy it now and then when entertaining other young ones! It never fails to bring smiles, and is a safe, economical remedy for those “winter doldrums”!
This recipe, which I’ve had for years, is easily made, with simple ingredients you have in your cupboard, and keeps very well.
Homemade Playdough
1 cup flour
1/2 cup salt
2 T. vegetable oil
2 t. cream of tartar
1 cup water
Few drops of food color
Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan. Cook and stir until the mixture leaves the side of the pan and changes consistency. Dump out onto plate, or counter, and let cool enough to handle. It is fun to work with when it is warm and very soft and does not require extra flour on hands or table like some recipes do. This playdough stays soft and fun for a long time if it is stored in a zip-top plastic bag.
We were hungry for pancakes this morning, and I’ve been wanting to try Marilyn’s Blender Pancake recipe in her wonderful cookbook, Breakfasts for Busy Moms. We were not disappointed! If you haven’t put your Bosch blender to the test yet, try it out with this recipe! It’s AMAZING! Put the ingredients into the blender (all except the baking powder and baking soda) and blend on high speed for 4 minutes. Add the baking powder and soda and blend briefly. Pour batter right from the blender onto a hot, lightly oiled griddle. One recipe makes enough for 4 people, and it got “thumbs up” from the whole family! I used 1 1/2 cups of a cracked 9-grain blend that I’ve had awhile, but a whole 7-grain blend would work great, as well as the combinations Marilyn suggests in the cookbook. Even using just one whole or cracked grain, such as wheat, spelt, etc., would work just fine! Wouldn’t it be interesting to try buckwheat as a gluten-free alternative? I used buttermilk, but for those of you who are dairy-free, fruit juice would work as the liquid. These healthy, hearty, yummy pancakes are a wonderful way to start the day.
MARILYN’S FAMILY FAVORITE BLENDER PANCAKES
1 3/4 cup buttermilk (or fruit juice)
1 egg
2 T. olive oil
1 t. vanilla
2 T. honey
1 t. salt
1/2 cup raw brown rice
1/2 cup pastry wheat or Kamut
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 t. baking soda
2 t. baking powder
Blend at high speed for 3-5 minutes, until smooth. Then add
baking powder and soda and blend in briefly.
Pour batter onto hot, greased griddle and cook until bubbles on unbaked side
begin to break; turn once and cook on second side until done.
I had a bit of a personal challenge this morning. I said to myself, “If I can make pretty darn tasty bread, then I should be able to make crackers!” So here is my morning journey…
3/4 tsp Real Salt (Coming soon to Urban Homemaker)
1 C Water
1/3 C Olive Oil
Sea Salt for topping
Into the Bosch outfitted with Cookie Paddles and then the setting to 1 as I poured the liquids into the dry ingredients. By the time I set my measuring cup down the ingredients were mixed. Roll this amount of dough onto parchment for 3-4 cookie sheets. 2 cookie sheets worth will give you a thicker, softer- less crispy cracker. 3-4 sheets will be the thinness required for the cracker to be cheese spread worthy! Both thicknesses were incredible in taste and are currently being devoured!
Helpful Note: Roll dough onto parchment paper. Makes transferring to a sheet and prepping for the next round~ easy! I used 2 types of rollers a Wood Pastry/Pizza Roller and I used a standard 13″ rolling pin.
Once rolled out I scored the dough with a pizza cutter, knife, or whatever tool you want. Each cracker was stabbed with a fork.
Into the oven 350 degrees for 18-20 min until browned. Watch it! Depending on your type of oven, convection or not, and how the temp is~ just watch so it doesn’t burn.
The end result was beautiful. This is the plain variation with a thicker roll out. I spread the dough on 2 sheets and got a breadier, yet slightly crispy cracker. It is delightful and the salt on top is perfect!
Step 2.. Make a second batch and this time load it with 1- 1 1/2 T of garlic granules or powder and parmesan cheese (1/2C). I used Organic Garlic Granules from www.StrawHatFarms.com . They grow and process several varieties of garlic on the certified organic farm right in Montrose, CO. Chet and Karen Byler are friends of ours and I love their garlic! I bought the glass containers of garlic powder and granules and then refill in bulk. Please see their website for shipping details.
** Note: if adding extras like a parmesan cheese add about 1T water more to keep the dough moist.
Here is the second batch: Garlic, Parmesan Cheese 7 Grain Crackers. They were rolled thinner than my plain batch and covered 3 cookie sheets. There is a crisp and they are completely addicting when eaten with a cheese spread. I took this photo of them cooling so you can see how much in in 1 recipe when using 3 sheets. This was comparable to emptying 2 boxes of store bought crackers.
There you have it.. My personal cracker challenge and thumbs up across the board of family members. I love that I know what went into our crackers and that nothing unpronounceable was in my ingredient list.
Yes, even the Urban Homemaker buys already flaked oats and 7/9-grains.. Until tonight, that is! One of my New Year’s goals was to “flake” or “roll” or to simply “flatten the heck out of a whole grain!” So tonight, as I prepared a granola recipe out of Breakfasts for Busy Moms, I considered taking a hammer to each piece of grain, but then realized there is an easier way… So out came the Flaker for the Bosch and I flaked my 9 grain whole grain for the recipe! I am so impressed with myself and the Bosch Universal as it handled itself perfectly on it’s side and flaked it’s heart out to give our family optimal nutrition and excitement for a Sunday night.
The Bosch is tipped to it’s side with resting pads built onto the unit. The Flaker attachment connects and a lever is flipped as a locking mechanism. When I flaked, I put the Bosch on a “1” setting. Just pour the grain in. The directions do not indicate that the unit be on to flake, but out of habit with the Wondermill I followed that routine.
Few minutes later I had actually “FLAKED!” I ended up flaking 14 C of rolled 9 grain and steel cut oats into flat little flakes. Granola went into the oven, and rolled steel cut oats and about a cup of 9-grain whole grain was set aside for breakfast tomorrow. Please note: I “flaked” steel cut oats because that is what I had. This flaker does not “steel cut” them- it just “rolled” them into flakes. The oats after flaking resembled a beautiful Amish Oatmeal. For us, I added flaked 9 grain to add variety to our hot cereal. It all looks GOOD!
This is the end result. This is steel cut oats & a scant cup of 9-grain.
BEAUTIFUL
Flaked Oats, flaked whole grains can be utiltized in a variety of ways in all the ways you would think to use “oatmeal.” Hot cereals:just adjust water/liquid as necessary. Rolled oats to water is 1:2-3, 9-grain is 1:4, Barley 1:3, etc.
Also- this is just one way to “flake.” I intend to try other tools of the trade, but maybe if you flake with one of them, you could note your experience on our website in the review section on the specific part? Here is a link to the page with a few on them. The Flaker attachment for the Bosch is in the Bosch catagory under the main unit where all the attachments are!
Here’s to being a Flaker! Happy Flaking- Kathy, a Happy Urban Homemaker
My whole relationship with laundry soap has been one of evolvement. Yep, I evolve in what is important and what is not to where finally I arrive at just the right place. I have “arrived” at my current laundry soap status for over 2 yrs and I think I am sticking with it.
Over 6 yrs ago, I went chemical free in our home to minimize any chemicals and to abolish potential health issues associated with toxins in cleaning supplies. The change in the health of one of our children was so major that he was released from a pulmonologist within the month of going chemical free with cleaners in the home. Basic cleaners in the home evolved to many areas in the home. Where I am today is on a soap box talking laundry detergent and cleaning simplicity and safety with children: Nowex Ultra Power Plus Laundry Detergent, Norwex Enviro Cloths and a basic spray: 50/50 water and vinager spray with Tea Tree oil as my fragrance of choice and the natural properties of disinfection. Growing up I was trained that a bathroom smelling like “pine” meant clean, so I trained myself to smell Tea Tree and have the same satisfaction. Plus it insures that my kids really did clean the toilet!
Over the last six years I have left couponing for laundry soap.
I have made several homemade solutions.
And I have tried most everything with a “natural, dye free, no fragrance” label
I was never hugely ” Wow’d” to the point where I felt I arrived.
I “arrived” by a friendly twisting of the arm by a friend. She knew I had a front loader washer and that with Norwex you can get 120 loads out of a $20.99 bag of Ultra Power Plus Laundry detergent. Yes, even with a top loader, you can get 120 loads~ just add a magnet ball. So to get her to stop twisting my arm, I bought a bag….. and folks, I’ve never looked back! Our clothes are clean, they smell fresh, and I save a bundle by using 1tsp of soap per load.
Using Ultra Power Plus Laundry Detergent by Norwex does several things for me: Satisfies me with the stain remover properties, the cleanliness and smell, hits a right price point at $ .17/ load as compared to $ .20-$ .35/load, AND it is biodegradable with no fillers so it is safe for our wetland septic system. Oh- did I say it doesn’t have synthetic fragrances which are one of the top toxins(ponder your dryer sheets, laundry soap, cleaners, etc.) in the home?
See the comparison. I spoke to a group of ladies a few months ago in regard to going chemical free and training your children to clean safely. This visual alone blows me away as it is almost 30 days old. The “Clear” is Norwex Ultra Power PLus, the “cloudy one” is a major market brand that claims being “free” with dyes and fragrances, but nothing about fillers, and the “blue, cloudy one” is again a major market brand with other items added for the sport enthusiast. I know which one I am picking!
Happy Laundry Days, Kathy
If you need arm twisting let me know! Otherwise check out some of the current specials:
gizzards and neck from turkey (optional but more nutritious)
Turkey feet, peeled and talons removed (optional, but if you get past the less than pleasant appearance, they are loaded with gelatin!)
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
2 carrots peeled, coarsely chopped
2-3 stalks of celery, coarsely chopped
scraps of miscellaneous vegetables like carrot tops, leeks, parsley, ends of other vegetables (reduces waste and adds nutrition)
2-4 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
2-3 bay leafs
2 T apple cider vinegar
Instructions
Separate bones into several pieces and place all remaining ingredients in large stock pot, Dutch oven or slow cooker.
Fill with cold filtered water. This is important; starting with cold water is essential. As the water warms up, the fibers start to release all their flavors and let’s face it, it is all about the flavor, right! The vinegar will help impart the vitamins and minerals.
Set on medium-high and bring to a low boil. Remove any scum that forms on the surface (this scum will take away from all that flavor).
Cover and reduce to a low simmer for 6-24 hours. Longer equals more flavor and nutrition.
Let cool and strain with fine mesh strainer. Compost the vegetable scraps, the bones can be frozen and used again later.
Refrigerate and remove any hardened fat on top. You know if have a good batch if it congeals like Jello! Use in 3 days or put in pint or quart jars, bags, containers and freeze, then use for future recipes.
Sea salt to taste afterwards.
Benefits of homemade bone broth
Before our culture became the fast food nation that buys everything boneless and in a neat package, people got their meat from a butcher who sold it to them on the bone. Our thrifty ancestors used every part of the animal and especially the bones. In some villages, the bone would be passed from house to house every night to be put into the family’s soup pot until it was used up. People would make broth and stock out of the bones to use to make other meals or to flavor their whole grains.
Chicken broth using chicken feet
Meat and fish stocks are used traditionally in almost every culture in the world. However, they have almost entirely disappeared from our modern American family kitchen as all of our food has become so processed and “fast.” This is really a shame because it is so delicious, very easy to make and has incredible health benefits.
Bone broth is very easy to make. It takes time to cook it, but you can make a lot of it at one time and freeze it for use as a base for soups, stews and whole grains; or just consume it by itself for a quick and healthy snack or meal.
The main components of bone broth are cartilage, bone marrow, amino acids, collagen and gelatin, and minerals. Cartilage is formed from collagen and elastin proteins and contains glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), chondroitin sulfate, keratin sulfate and hyaluronic acid. It can be used to treat arthritis, degenerative joint disease, inflammatory bowel disease and will boost your immune system.
You have probably heard of the supplement Glucosamine Chondroitin. Lots of people take it to alleviate joint pain. Usually the pill is made up of about three of the most common types of glucosamines. However, there are over 100 kinds that exist in natural cartilage and when you make bone broth, these are released and you get the extra benefits of these (especially when you use knuckles, feet and ribs to make your broth).
Bone marrow is an important source of immune support factors and nutrition in the bone broth. There is research that suggests that it boosts immunity and reduces inflammation; so there may be something to the legend of Grandma’s cure-all chicken soup, after all!
Chicken (or Turkey) feet make great bone broth
Glycine and Proline are amino acids that are present in traditionally-made bone broth. Glycine is an amino acid that is essential for the production of other amino acids. Proline is an amino acid that is used in the structure of collagen (essential for firm skin, ladies!) as well as for bones, ligaments, skin and cartilage.
Collagen makes up about 25% of the protein in the body. There are fifteen types of it. It is the same as gelatin. Gelatin usually refers to extracted collagen. Collagen is what it is called when in the bodily form. Most processed commercial gelatin is made from animal skin and contains MSG. But homemade bone broth has a much more nutritious (and delicious!) gelatin that has lots of different minerals and amino acids.
The biggest benefits from collagen and gelatin are its soft tissue and wound healing properties. It also aids in healing cartilage and bones. Basically, what’s inside and around the bones heals our bones and tissues.
Cooking the bones releases the nutrients into the broth
You have probably also heard how our modern foods are insufficient in minerals due to our depleted soils. Never fear! Real bone broth is here! Bone broth is an excellent source of calcium and phosphorus. It also contains magnesium, sodium, fluoride, sulfate and potassium. So, no need to run out and buy those expensive bottles of trace minerals if you are consuming your traditional bone broth.
This article is contributed by Hans Taub, a life long friend of the Urban Homemaker who is currently pursuing his Nutritional Therapist Certification with the Nutritional Therapy Association; a holistic nutrition program promoting a diet of nutrient-dense whole foods that are properly prepared.
One of my homemaking goals is to use what I have and enjoy the process of finding the recipes which are now becoming traditions. Breakfast is also a favorite mealtime and I have recipes that I am asked to share over and over again. These items may use a same basic ingredient at times, but when you buy in whole grain bulk embrace it!
Special Pancake- aka German Pancake, Puff Pancake:
This recipe is often requested and I make it for guests or just on Saturday mornings when I have more time. I have everything to make this and by the time the oven preheats the batter is ready to go and once again I have used one of my favorite kitchen tools: The Vita-Mix Blender. For small batches of flour, I can quickly mill the soft white wheat for this recipe in the dry blade container and then switch to the wet blender container and mix my batter!
Preheat oven at 425. Spray pan with olive oil, smear bottom of Deep Dish Baker with 1 T coconut oil or butter.
Into blender:
3/4 C milk
3 eggs
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 T sugar
1/2 C freshly milled soft white wheat ( or 1/4 C white flour & 1/4C hard red or white wheat) (Lighter the flour , lighter the rise of the pancake. More whole wheat the denser the pancake, but just as yummy!)
Mix till blended, pour, then bake! This recipe serving will fill a pancake pan. Double it or triple it and use bakeware sizing which is appropriate, i.e. 9×13= doubling, deep dish baker=single, both= triple!!!
Favorite toppings include- but not aren’t limited to: syrup, lemon juice and powdered sugar, vanilla yogurt and fresh berries, jam of any variety. Yogurt with jam is our favorite!
There is more!
On the go?- Make it ahead! or heck, surprise everyone and take it camping already made! I made this dish for 10 of my closest triplet mom friends who came for a girls’ “Mother’s Escape” Weekend, i.e no kids, no husbands, just us girls! and it was a hit. I take it often to brunches with an empty bowl to take home. It is yummy..
Cold Porridge!
I make this for visitors with a blender muffin and fresh fruit! You make this recipe the night before guests or for a camping trip. It is welcomed all through the day!
1/4 C nuts of choice (almonds, pecans, hazelnuts, seeds: pumpkin!)
1/4 C sugar
1 large GREEN apple (unpeeled coarsely grated)
1/3 C raisins or currants (optional)
2 T lemon juice
1/2 C plain yogurt or vanilla
Mix into a pretty batter bowl , cover and refrigerate over night. Garnishes: fresh whipped cream, honey, nuts, muesli, and fruits. This makes 4 large helpings. I double this for when guests are present.
It is 93 degrees in beautiful western Colorado and I have no bread to feed 3 hungry children. Did I say I was busy? Yes, adding work into my normally busy day has made me rethink a few things. So, might I share a few solutions for such a time as this?
Solution #1- buy store bought. Ugh I feel like a failure to do so…. ( go with Solution #2)
Solution #2- make your own!
Use what you have! I have an old bread machine. Time to let it work while I work!
Get a new recipe and try it!
Utilize the Sun Oven– keep the kitchen cool! Keep Mama cool! Have Sun Oven pay for itself! – all pluses!
Homemaker Help
I have a dear friend Chris, who has a wonderful, delightful, young adult daughter, Heather. Heather shared a bread recipe that we devoured in less than a minute after it came out of the oven the last time I was at their ranch. I noticed they have their “old” bread maker work for them with the quick dough prep while they run their Rocky Mountain Christian Filmmaker’s Camp, www.ChristianFilmmakersCamp.com. So I followed suit since I didn’t want to go with solution #1. I went with using what I had and feeling good for doing so.
I put the recipe into my bread machine as stated below and I ran errands. As I walked into the house with arms full of groceries, etc. the timer went off and I was able to take the dough, punch it down and put it into 2- 8″ bread pans. I proceeded to preheat the Sun Oven while I put groceries away and in 10 min or so the dough was at the height recommended by Sun Oven. I spritzed the bread tops with water ( to get a brown top), put the loaves into the Sun Oven and went back to fixing lunch, etc. 40ish minutes later- fresh bread! I made this recipe yesterday in a very hot kitchen (due to my oven being on) on a 90 degree day and made a resolution right then and there to bake in the Sun Oven for the summer.
Heather’s Bread Recipe
by Heather Lawrence, Co-Chef, Main- Baker, Tasty Sweet Maker of the Rocky Mountain Christian Filmmaker’s Camp. Thank you !!!
3/4 c warm milk, buttermilk, kefir (Kathy used powdered milk : see note of being busy above!)
1/2 c warm water
2 eggs
4 c wheat flour (can use part white, part wheat flour) (Kathy used our Hard White Wheat)
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp honey (approximately – I don’t measure this, but I don’t use all that much)
For the Sun Oven: Dough must be up to 1/2″ from top of bread pan.
Put ingredients in bread maker in order listed on dough cycle. At the end of the 90 minutes, shape into two 1 lb loaves, let rise until double (approximately 45 minutes), then bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.
If you are using a Sun Oven.. Allow only to rise to 1/2″ of the top of the bread pan- @10 min. Then into the Sun Oven for roughly 40-60min. My Sun Oven today ran at 300 degrees. Other days I would just watch it as it can be 375 degrees and of course would bake that bread ASAP! So adjust to where you are! Nice thing is Sun Ovens don’t burn!
I bet this recipe will do well in a mixer too! Give it a try!- but if you have an old bread maker, make it work while you work when you need a little extra help! For the record- This bread is so YUMMY! Perfect for sandwiches.
