Homemade Convenience Food: White Sauce(Bechemal)

With the rise of convenience food - pre-flavored foods, awareness or popularity of homemade white sauce(bechemal) has been kicked to the side, but not long ago it was one of the first things young people learned as beginner cooks. It the base of many sauces. Make the white sauce and add cheeses(cheese sauce, alfredo sauce), spices, herbs, seasonings - garlic and onions, wine, tomato sauce(creamy red sauce), broth(cream soups), meat drippings(gravy), or use it without the milk to thicken liquids(Roux). There are so many variations, and you can experiment and be creative with flavorings.

Ingredients:

* 2 tablespoons butter(or oil, but it will change the flavor)
* 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 1 cup milk(and/or chicken stock)

See here for complete recipe.

Variations(from bechamel recipe):

* Sauce Aurore (Tomato cream sauce): whisk 1-2 tablespoons of tomato paste into 2 cups of béchamel. Serve with eggs, fish, chicken or vegetables.
* Sauce Crème (Cream sauce): stir 1/2 cup of heavy cream and a squeeze of lemon juice into 2 cups of béchamel. Use over vegetables, fish, chicken or eggs.
* Sauce Dijonnaise (Mustard sauce): add 2-4 tablespoons of Dijon or other mustard to 2 cups of béchamel. Good with fish or ham.
* Sauce Mornay (Cheese sauce): stir 1/4 to 1/2 cup of grated or crumbled cheese into 2 cups of hot béchamel until it is completely melted. Do not boil or the sauce may become stringy. Good cheeses to try are Parmesan, Swiss, cheddar, or blue cheese. Use a good quality cheese or your sauce may be bland. Use for vegetable gratins, macaroni and cheese, eggs and hors d'oeuvres.
* Sauce Soubise (Creamy onion sauce): slowly sauté about 1 pound of sliced white onions in some butter until they wilt completely. Do not allow them to brown. Add 2 cups of béchamel, cover and simmer slowly about 20-30 minutes. Puree, strain through a sieve and serve. Goes well with fish and poultry. An essential component of veal Orloff.
* À la King: an American invention, it's great for leftovers. Just add about 2 cups of chicken, ham, dried chipped beef, peas, mushrooms, etc., to every cup of béchamel. Simmer together and serve over toast or puff pastry shells.
* Béchamel is ideal for creating vegetable gratins. Simply blanch or slowly sauté some vegetables until they are partially cooked. Spread them in a shallow baking dish. Spread a layer of béchamel over the top and sprinkle with bread crumbs. Place in a 375°F oven and cook until browned on the top.
* Add some chopped ham, chopped parsley, some chopped carrots as optional seasonings if you like.
* A little squeeze of lemon juice or a splash of white wine added at the end can brighten this sauce considerably.

Thicker white sauce recipes, and sauce recipes using white sauce as a base. Here too.

I haven't tried this recipe, but here is a low fat version.

Slipcover a Chair with an Inexpensive Drop Cloth

We've used drop cloth for curtains(no-sew) and as no-sew furniture covers. I never got up the courage to tackle a sewn slip cover, but this blogger did, and it turned out nicely! See here for how she did it.

Also see Decorating with Drop Cloths(curtains).

Free Vintage ebook: Winter Camping

Brrrr, you won't catch me doing this. That "soulless and deceitful regulator of modern life" is a good indicator of me staying inside. lol....but for the hardier souls:

  Winter Camping, by Warwick Stevens Carpenter, Macmillan, 1920:

"THE NEW SPORT

IF cold were quite the absolute condition which a materialistic thermometer would have us believe, we should hardly camp in winter. As it is, that soulless and deceitful regulator of modern life has all but subordinated our independence and enthusiasm to its despotic rule. We have become as bats, which are said to retire at a certain temperature to their caverns and hollow trees, there to slumber until a rise of mercury brings them forth, willy nilly, or, like the automatons of the barometer, that can stay in through no fair weather and out in no foul.

Contrary to such unimaginative dictates, cold is quite a relative matter, not to any fixed degree as a standard of comparison, but rather, first, to humidity, a fact of common knowledge, and, second, to whether we are oscillating all day between a super-heated building and out of doors. This second relativity is a chief element in that trans-Stygian conception which holds that as soon as the inhabitants have become inured to extreme heat, the climate forthwith changes to one of extreme cold, and vice versa.

During the last fourteen years I have camped in winter at every available opportunity, in cabins, tents, and lean-tos, and now between black flies, midgets, and all the pests of summer and the problem of warmth in winter, I would quickly choose the latter if I could have but one. Yet companions who were caught out with me on our way to a cabin fourteen years ago expressed gratification at the incident, because, they said, they had learned that it is really possible to stay out all night in the woods in winter without freezing! And we had with us blankets galore, an axe, and plenty of food!

Such ideas regarding the feasibility of camping in the open in winter were far more current ten or fifteen years ago than they are today. Since then winter vacations have become increasingly common and camping in winter no longer excites the wondering comments which our own little expedition into the frozen woods brought forth. In fact, nearly every summer vacation resort is now livened from time to time during the winter months by the more fortunate of its summer frequenters, who return for a taste of that appeal which Jack Frost throws over vacation land."

Downloadable book here. This book is in public domain and is readable online.

Cooking School: How to Cut Up a Whole Chicken

I didn't realize my favorite recipe site, AllRecipes.com had a "Cooking School" section. Here's a useful tutorial: How to Cut Up a Whole Chicken. Check out the other tutorials as well - very helpful.



Image for Allrecipes.com.

Free Homeschool Printable: Vintage SAT Exam for Grades 4-8

Here's something to spring on the kiddos if they complain of boredom mid-year: a SAT exam for 1922. No answers are given. The questions are interesting.

Free and in public domain. You can copy and save(select all, save) and/or paste the HTML page, or use the Plain Text version.

Instant view
Download page

Kitchen Pantry Dry Skin Relief

All natural olive oil is effective at getting rid of itchy dry winter skin. We have sensitive skin in my family, and this natural oil works gently for the children and adults. I've even tried canola oil, but it's a bit too light as a moisturizer for winter. Heavier kitchen oils work the best. Between baking soda baths and olive oil as a moisturizer, I've managed to keep away my daughter's winter rash.

Olive oil is also great for hot oil dry hair treatments. However, just warm it slightly; it gets hot very quickly.

Although we usually get a large sized olive oil at our local Save-A-Lot grocery store, I've seen olive oil at the Dollar Store, so it can be found very inexpensively. I also get a large container of sea salts at the Dollar Store for a natural facial scrub. There is something about winter dry skin and blemishes that calls for a gentle scrub to help turn that flaky skin over.

Also see 15 Household Uses for Olive Oil.

Great Masters Art History Freebie for Elementary School Students: Fra Angelico

Fra Giovanni da Fiesole (1387-1455) (surnamed because of his saintly character " Angelico ") was an Italian Dominican monk. He is said always to have said a prayer before beginning to paint. "The life of this really angelic father," says Vasari, "was devoted to the service of God, the benefit of the world, and duty toward his neighbor. He shunned the worldly in all things, and during his pure and simple life was such a friend to the poor that I think his soul must now be in Heaven. He painted incessantly, but would never lay his hand to any but a sacred subject; he might have had wealth, but he scorned it, saying that true riches were to be found in content. He might have ruled over many, but he would not, saying that obedience was easier and less liable to error. He might have enjoyed dignities, but disdained them, affirming that the only dignity he sought was to avoid hell and gain Heaven. He was wont to say that the practice of art required repose and holy thoughts, and that he who would depict the acts of Christ must learn to live with Christ."


Method. — Show the children as many of the angels as is possible, and allow them to choose their favorites. Tell them the story of his life, giving to them some idea of monastic life. Read to them portions, at least, of Vasari's account given above, and perhaps even bits from Ruskin. (See pp. xvii, 7, 8, 9.)  Read entire lesson here, pages 69-72.

From:
Picture study in elementary schools: a manual for teachers
Author Williams Wilson
Publisher The Macmillan company, 1909
Book free and in public domain - downloadable, printable, and readable online. To print, simply right click on image of page at the link, save or view image, and print.

January studies also include:

Mona Lisa , Leonardo De Vinci
Delphic Sibyl, Michelangelo
Sistine Madonna, Raphael

Free Printable Moon and Stars Kindergarten and Early Elementary Stories

The Wind and the Moon by George MacDonald, pages 245-248.

Linda and the Lights by Emilie Poulsson, pages 404-406.

To print, simply right click on the image of the page, save or view image, and print. Both are in public domain.

Free Printable: The Story of Saint Agnes

"THE story of Saint Agnes is one of the oldest and most authentic, as well as one of the most beautiful, in religious history. There is none, next to the Evangelists and Apostles, whose effigy is more ancient, for representations of Saint Agnes are found on glass and earthenware vessels used by Christians as far back as the early part of the third century. In these early portraits the lamb, which later became her inseparable emblem, does not appear, but there is no doubt as to their identity, for they are inscribed with her name. It is not known just when the lamb was first employed, but all the later painters used it as an emblem of the virgin-martyr's innocence and meekness. It is probable that the similarity of her name to agn us, Latin for lamb, led to this association, the more so on account of her chaste and gentle disposition.

...On her refusal to worship the heathen gods, Sempronius became furious and threatened her with death in terrible forms, even dragging her before the altar in chains ; but she remained steadfast in her faith."

Read entire story at Godey's magazine, 1887 here(pages 22-26).

To print, simply right click on the image of the page, save or view image, and print.

The feast of Saint Agnes is January 21st.

Bamboo Furniture Plans

This DIY project a bit advanced for most people, but a great eco-friendly furniture plan if you are a good carpenter, and have access to bamboo. Taken from a 1920 Popular Mechanics magazine, see pages 789-791.

Frugal Chicken Recipes

"Chicken is an excellent low cost meal ingredient which can be purchased in bulk and stored in manageable quantities in the freezer until required. Try these chicken recipes using various cuts of chicken."

I use versions of these recipes. It was nice to see them all in one place to share. These are wonderful for cost cutting variety when it comes to chicken meals.

Here's another recipe that I found which is very similar to what we cook at least once a week: Til Payday Casserole . This recipe uses ground beef, but I've used other meats such as turkey or chicken. Instead of tomato sauce, I've added a can of mushroom soup without the water. I also use much more spices/seasonings to suit our family's preference.

Thus one is good as well:Fast-n-Easy Southwest Chicken Chili I add black eyed peas to mine.

Geography and Map Skills with Picture Flashcards

I purchased some National Geographic world picture flashcards years ago for around a dollar at a closeout sale. I'm just now using them, and they have come in handy this year for our social studies - Rod & Staff's Understanding Latin America. I've grouped all the South American cards together, and on Monday my son will read each card and locate the places on the map at left.

The cards show a picture of the location on one side, and history and statistics on the other. If you can find these, they are well worth the cost.

I haven't tried this service yet, but it's a free Geography flashcard online program. Create your own, or view existing sets.

Chicken Quarters in a Pot

Bottom's Up! Only .79 cents a pound this week at Save-A-Lot.

Result: About five pounds of shredded chicken from a five pound bag, and half a stock pot of chicken stock. I even cracked a few of the bones for the marrow. This makes for a healthful stock. Boiling the chicken quarters is the best way for me to get every last shred of meat off these leg quarters, not to mention I can skim off the artery clogging skin and fat..

Chicken or turkey stock recipe. 

After seeing this recipe for bone stock, I also made a separate stock from the leftover bones.

Children's Christmas Poem

Christmas Bells

I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old familiar carols play,

And wild and sweet
The words repeat

Of peace on earth, good will to men.

And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom

Had rolled along
The unbroken song

Of peace on earth, good will to men.

Till, ringing, singing on its way,
The world revolved from night to day

A voice, a chime,
A chant sublime

Of peace on earth, good will to men.

Then from each black, accursed mouth,
The cannon thundered North and South,

And with the sound
The carols drowned

Of peace on earth, good will to men.

It was as if an earthquake rent
The hearthstones of a continent,

And made forlorn
The households born

Of peace on earth, good will to men.

And in despair I bowed my head;
"There is no peace on earth," I said;

"For hate is strong
And mocks the song

Of peace on earth, good will to men."

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep
" God is not dead, nor doth he sleep!

The Wrong shall fail,
The Right prevail,

With peace on earth, good will to men!"

~ Henry W. Longfellow


Reading with Expression, 1911, fifth grade

Printable version at Google Documents.

Twas the Night Before Christmas...

'TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house

Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,

In hopes that Saint Nicholas soon would be there;

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,

While visions of sugarplums danced through their heads;

And mamma in her kerchief, and I in my cap,

Had just settled our brains for a long winter's nap,—

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,

I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.

Away to the window I flew like a flash,

Tore open the shutters, and threw up the sash;

The moon, on the breast of the new-fallen snow,
Gave a luster of midday to objects below;
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear
But a miniature sleigh and eight tiny reindeer,
With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be Saint Nick!

More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,

And he whistled and shouted and called them by name:

"Now Dasher! now Dancer! now Prancer! now Vixen!

On, Comet! on, Cupid! on, Donder and Blitzen!

To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!

Now dash away, dash away, dash away all!"

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky,
So, up to the housetop the coursers they flew,

With a sleigh full of toys,—and Saint Nicholas, too.
And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my head and was turning around,
Down the chimney Saint Nicholas came with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;
A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.
His eyes, how they twinkled! His dimples, how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry;
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard on his chin was as white as the snow;
The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke, it encircled his head like a wreath.
He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf;
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself.

A wink of his eye and a twist of his head
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.
He spake not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk,
And, laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod,—up the chimney he rose.

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle;
But I heard him exclaim, as he drove out of sight,

"merry Christmas To All, And To All A Good-night!"

Clement C. Moore

Copy and paste to your own document if you like. Free and in public domain at Google Books.

A Little Christmas Botany

Poinsettia Study:

From Botany: an elementary text for schools:

To examine gum-resin: Mount a little of the "milky" juice of the leaf stem of the garden poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima). It is of a creamy consistency. Examination under the microscope shows that it is not white, as it seems to the naked eye. The particles are yellowish or colorless and are insoluble. These particles are gum resin. They have been emulsified by the plant, making the juice appear white.

398. CONTENTS NOT IN SOLUTION.—Starch is the most abundant of the solid products of the cell. Starch grains have a definite form for each group of plants, and groups can be determined by the form of their starch grains. Detection of adulteration of various products containing starch is accomplished by the aid of the microscope. In potato starch the grains are ovate, with a "nucleus" near one end, as shown in Fig. 391. In poinsettia they are dumbbell-shaped, with two nuclei (Fig. 391).

Books is free and in public domain at Google Books - downloadable, readable online, and printable.

Vintage Santa Coloring Page

Image found in public domain at Google Books. Just click on image and save. This outline of Santa made a very nice coloring page.