The Happy Domestic

I must confess I have been doing much more blog reading than blog writing! One of the many blogs I have been sporadically following made the following comment on budgeting for groceries: "If you are on a particularly tight budget, it is realistic to spend $100-$150 per family member for the month." The author also noted that this includes toiletries, diapers, etc. as needed. So, for our family of 6, not counting the 3-4 times a week we are feeding an extra 2 people, we should be spending... $600-$900?? I realize that this is highly subjective depending on what area you live, cost of food, etc., but this blog post was from July 2008! Here we are in 2011, and when I spend $600 a month for groceries, we are definitely over budget! Is my budget unreasonable? I do cook at least a few meals a week from scratch, and I don't buy pre-made meals. My "fast-food" dinners are things like hotdogs or spaghetti. I also have 3 kids in diapers (one almost done toilet training...

A blog I read recently about the misguided idealization of "Liberty" has coincided with some family issues going on in my life, and got me thinking about the American dream of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Sure, I am Canadian through and through, but let's face it, Canadian culture is greatly influenced by this ideal. Our own Charter of Rights & Freedoms essentially strives toward the same goal, at least in the ways the Charter is being interpreted in courtrooms across Canada today. The focus today is not as heavily on true equality as it is on the assurance of individual rights. This cultural idea that every individual has the fundamental right to do as they please and pursue their own happiness is so ingrained in our society that mere children are being molded into this image of individual entitlement. You see it in the 8 year old throwing a tantrum in WalMart because his mommy said "no" to a new toy... and too often she ends up giving in...

A friend of mine with whom I was sharing the burdens of housewifery and parenting this week made me realize how far I have departed from mainstream North American consumer culture. Shocked by the thought of me spending 2 - 4 hours a day cooking, and trying to help me alleviate some of my time-stress and work load, she suggested I buy more prepackaged meals and convenience foods. This suggestion appalled me, and suddenly made me realize how much I have changed in 5 years. It's not just the fact that nearly any prepackaged food from the grocery store costs four times as much (or more) to buy as to make from scratch; as I ardently protested over the phone, the true costs are much higher, and certainly not worth the savings in time. Consider the ingredients of even a "healthy" prepackaged meal. The list is longer than your fifth grade essays, and half the ingredients are unpronounceable without a graduate degree in chemistry. Then think about the interactions of all those...

Last week, I took the plunge. Pushing aside my habitual procrastination, disorganization and impulsivity, I sat down and created a weekly meal plan. Breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner, dessert or evening snack, and all beverages for each day meticulously planned out to the smallest detail, I then wrote a grocery list based on that plan. I estimated the cost of groceries required. And I had a fit. Here's the thing. My meal plan was based on exactly how much every member of our household eats on a daily basis, and was made up of foods we regularly prepare and consume. Everything was to be made from scratch, and sales and discounts were taken into account. My total came to just about $140. Our weekly grocery budget is $80, but allows for an extra $20 a couple times a month for diapers. How is this possible? I know for a fact that we have not been spending anywhere near $140 a week on groceries. I haven't been eating as much lately due to pregnancy sicknes...

I'm posting this recipe because my mom unexpectedly mentioned how much she had loved this salad one time when she was over... I can't even remember when I served it to her, that's how long ago it was, and I'm shocked that she remembered it. Anyway, mom says she's been waiting and waiting for me to blog it, so here goes. Please note that "Asian" in the title refers to the dressing and style, not to the cabbage. Asian Cabbage Salad 1/2 head of green cabbage, shredded 1 pkg ramen noodles with Oriental or Chicken seasoning* 1 small handful of sesame seeds 1 tbsp vegetable oil 2 tbsp soya sauce 2 tbsp white vinegar 1 1/2 tsp brown sugar approx. 1/4 c vegetable oil Prepare cabbage in a large salad bowl and set aside. In a heavy bottomed pan or wok, heat 1 tbsp oil over medium heat. Break up ramen noodles into small pieces and add to pan, along with sesame seeds. Heat together while stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, until noodles and sesame se...

I have six kids. Seven if you count my husband. Are they all mine? Thankfully, no. But this kind of craziness explains in part why blogging has taken a backseat to real life in the past ...weeks? month? Anyhow. My girlies are turning 1 and 2 in a week and a bit, and I am going to be 28. For some reason I feel like I've been 28 forever and I should be turning 31 by now. We just found out that we have a foster child being placed in our home full time, and she is already staying with us. This is exciting, and so far things have been going well. All (3) of our girls are getting along great and enjoying each other's company. On Tuesday some friends of ours were able to get last minute flights to Alberta to pick up some belongings that have been missed for some time, so we are also looking after their three school-aged children. Despite my initial panic, life has continued on at a manageable but very busy pace. I love to be creative in the kitchen, but cooking for eight (me and h...

In the absence of a productive garden of my own, I have been thriving off the clearance produce at No Frills - a fact I may have mentioned a few times already. Whether you have a garden abundantly producing, or produce abundantly available, all these ripe pickin's require fast use before they spoil. I previously blogged about an episode of peach chutney brought on by this very dilemma, and on a later day this week I was faced with a similar situation in home-grown veggies (or fruit, if you want to get technical). A few much loved friends and family members bestowed on us some very welcome garden goodies - tomatoes and cucumbers. We have been enjoying them freshly sliced with a sprinkle of salt, but as fast as we could eat them, they were heading toward spoilage. So, what could I do? The plump and juicy tomatoes, just starting to discolour in small spots, were the inspiration for a spur-of-the-moment experiment in a " salsa fresca " for pasta, which turned out fantasti...

This is a very quick and easy dinner, about 15 minutes from shelf to table. It's also very kid-friendly. Even if you don't know how to boil an egg, you can manage this one! Pasta Con Salsa Fresca 1/2 pkg (or 450 g) rotini pasta 3 medium-large tomatoes, washed & cored 1 large green pepper 2 large cloves of garlic, crushed 3 tbsp red wine (or balsamic) vinegar 1/2 cup shredded cheese (marble cheddar or fresh parmesan) salt to taste Boil pasta according to directions. In a food processor or large blender, combine remaining ingredients. Chop until sauce is desired texture. Drain pasta and toss with fresh sauce, serve immediately. Serves 4.

These may be a bit too hot for some people's liking, so feel free to adjust down the amount of chili flakes, or omit completely. Also let me warn you, from experience, not to use cucumbers that are too old or already getting soft, as they tend to develop a slightly bitter aftertaste. Freshest is bestest! Spicy Garlic Dills 6 - 8 baby cucumbers (average 5" long) 4 cups (1 litre) cold water 1/2 cup white vinegar 3 tbsp salt 2 large cloves of garlic, lightly crushed 1/2 tsp curry powder 1 tbsp dried dill weed 1/2 tsp dried chili flakes Wash cucumbers thoroughly and slice lengthwise into wedges (4 to 6 wedges each). Fill a large jar or Tupperware container with water, vinegar, salt and spices, and stir well. (Adjust to taste, should be rather briny.) Fill with cucumbers, making sure all wedges are able to soak in pickling liquid. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours before eating, or follow normal canning directions to preserve for later use.

I love, absolutely love, getting ripe fruit and veggies off the clearance rack (49c to 99c) at our local No Frills for next to nothing. I also love their doorcrasher sales - like a fantastic basket of peaches I picked up this week for a couple of dollars. Of course, peaches don't keep very well once they're ripe, so I had to find something to do with them. We've been eating them like crazy, and I have had a good chuckle at my husband peeling the fuzzy skin off his peaches before eating them. It reminds me of my little brother, who used to say "it gives me shiver-ies!" Last night I saw that some of them were starting to rot, so today I set to making peach chutney. I read online that if you dip a peach in boiling water for 30 seconds, the skin slips off easily. So, I blanched, skinned, sliced and chopped peaches this morning, sprinkling them with lemon juice and salt. Then I boiled vinegar and brown sugar with finely chopped onion, cumin, coriander, and a pinch mo...

This is not my recipe. I found it on Allrecipes.com , and it worked so well for me - and turned out no matter how many substitutions I made - that I adopted it as my permanent bread recipe.  I've substituted various oils for butter when I was out of it (just don't use anything a strong flavour, like olive oil). I've even used corn syrup instead of honey. (I imagine molasses would work too, maybe with dark rye flour and a little caraway to make a nice pumpernickel loaf!) I sometimes forget the salt, which doesn't affect the rising or texture of the loaf, just makes it a bit sweeter than my liking.You do need at least half of the flour to be all purpose or bread flour though, for the gluten to make it rise nicely. Notice that I don't use bread flour myself - all purpose requires a little more kneading, but is cheaper and more convenient for me. So, here goes: Bread From Scratch 3 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C) 1 tbsp active dry yeast (quick rising)...

I made a new friend this month, who is as interested as I am in eating healthy, living on a dime, and family matters. You can visit her blog here , which is a fairly recent initiative. Deep in conversation with my new friend, however, I felt convicted of not having spent enough energy blogging about the OTHER "green". While a lot of my blog posts have focused on low-cost living, not so many have talked about our environmental impact. The fact is, my husband and I are both very concerned with living sustainably and practicing good stewardship, and finances are only part of the picture. Maybe I don't blog about eco-friendly living mainly because most of our household choices naturally tend in that direction without much thought. For a large part, frugality is synonymous with sustainability: For instance, buying in bulk reduces waste AND saves money. Cutting down on energy consumption reduces your carbon footprint AND saves money. Saving food scraps for soup and composting r...

A Campbell's soup can recipe provided the inspiration for this recipe, which I frequently prepared in university with whatever leftovers I had on hand. I often used leftover chicken nuggets and breakfast sausages or hotdog weiners for the meat, and whatever leftover or frozen veggies I had on hand, with equally delicious results. Easy Jambalaya 2 cans Campbell's condensed Vegetable Broth with Onions 1 cup minute rice 1 cup frozen peas 1 tbsp vegetable oil 2 boneless chicken breast halves, cubed 2 stalks celery, chopped 1 cup cooked sausage, diced 1 whole tomato, chopped (or 1/2 can diced tomatoes) hot pepper sauce & black pepper (to taste) Cook rice in condensed broth instead of water. Stir in peas, and set aside. Heat oil at medium-high in a large skillet. Add chicken and cook through. Add celery and cook for 2 mins. Drain fat. Reduce heat to low and stir in sausage, tomato, rice mixture, hot pepper sauce, and black pepper. Heat through. Serves 4.

Chili is one of my favourite comfort-foods to make, mainly because it's so forgiving and leftover friendly. My own chili is hardly ever made the same way twice - I usually use beef, beans, veggies, a tomato ingredient, and whatever spices and seasonings I feel like at the time. My most recent chili, however, got a 10/10 from my hubby and was highly praised by our friends and their toddler as well, so by request I actually wrote down the ingredients. Hope you like it. Daddy's Favourite Chili 1.5 - 2 lbs lean ground beef 1 medium onion, chopped 2 large cloves garlic, crushed 1 red pepper 1/2 bunch celery, chopped 1 can diced tomatoes (with juice) 1 can beans in tomato sauce 1 can kidney beans, drained & rinsed 1/4 cup Diana Sauce (Original) 2 dashes Worcestershire sauce 2 dashes Tabasco sauce 1 tsp paprika 1 tsp chili powder 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp black pepper 3 tbsp. flour Scramble-fry ground beef until no longer pink. (Do NOT drain.) Add onions, garlic, pepper & celery, and...

If I could run a free advert in the local personals, it might read something like the title of this post. I am probably one of the most frequent visitors to our local library - but that doesn't mean I get to spend much time there. As a busy mom with a baby and a toddler in tow, my library visits usually consist of dashing in the door with arms full, clumsily dropping books and movies on the counter, and desperately scanning the video and new book racks in a furious 2 minute search for something that looks remotely interesting. Then I juggle my kids and library selections to check them out, stuff the new material into a diaper bag or pocket, and balance my load back out to the car or stroller to get them all home before we have a meltdown. What I would really love is to have a list of books that are guaranteed good reads, from which I can reserve a couple ahead of time and simply dash in to pick them up! So, here are my criteria for a good book. Must contain at least 2 of the follow...

In my neverending quest to stretch pennies, I recently decided to take my mother-in-law's advice and learn to cut hair. It started with a little trim around my ears and bangs last week. My hairdo went from "Shaggy" to chic, and got lots of compliments, which was very encouraging. This is great , I thought, at $35 a cut, I'm never going to the salon again! My husband also has been starting to sport the shaggy look, and since my first haircutting venture had been successful he encouraged me to take the plunge and cut his too. He went out to Canadian Tire and picked me up a set of clippers, scissors, barber comb & cape for $20 (and ended up paying $5 less thanks to an in-store promotion). Dutifully I barbered his hair with bated breath... and managed to pull it off! Okay, his regular hairdresser would probably notice the difference, but nonetheless it looked pretty decent. Maybe these successes made me a little too cocky. "Pride comes before a fall," and my...

Haha! I'm sorry, I'm not trying to be sacrilegious, it's just that after some bread-making disappointments I finally managed to produce a loaf of the most amazing, tall, browned and crusty delicious bread! Yes, I know I am a genius, thank you, thank you, you're too kind. Seriously though, this is a real breakthrough for me. My first non-machine loaf of bread (supposed to be rye) turned out to be a small, hard (inedible) rock. That was last year. When I finally got the courage to try again last week I was able to at least produce something edible (and indeed tasty), even if it was rather too dense, heavy, and slightly doughy in the middle. I even went all out and made half the batch into pizza buns with a bunch of yummy toppings. It wasn't anything like bakery bread though. Any bakery with the audacity to sell such products would be out of business in a week. So, I tried again. Unfortunately I didn't have any bread flour, and the only thing our local grocery sto...

This week I started making my own yogourt. It was ridiculously easy, so easy it made me ask "Why do people go to the store to BUY this stuff?" And the answer, as far as I can tell, is one of two things: Either they're too darn lazy to stir a glass of milk, or they just don't know! I for one had no idea it was so easy, having been fooled by hearing about "yogourt makers" and "starter" once upon a time. Let me let you in on the secret. Pour milk into a container. Add a small scoop of yogourt and stir. Leave it out overnight. That's it. If you need any more details than that, look here . Once I realized that people actually used to make their own (duh!) I saw why it had to be simple, and then I wondered whether other things that our great-grandparents used to make from scratch were that simple too. Um, yeah. Cheese, we all love it, and it's only a few steps away from yogourt. Butter, again all you need is milk. And on a different thread, soap...

Okay, I'm almost embarassed to put this under "Recipes" because there's nothing to it, but I realize that most people like to have detailed guidelines for food preparation. So, here goes. Home-made Yogourt Milk (for the sake of showing proportion, 1 L) Plain yogourt (for the same reason, 1/4 cup) Pour milk into a container that has a lid. Add yogourt and stir well until smooth - a whisk works best for me. Put the lid on, stick it in your oven with the oven light on and close the door. Don't accidentally turn on your oven with the yogourt inside! Notes on ingredients: You can use any kind of milk (or cream, or combination) for this, different fat contents will result in a more or less creamy yogourt. If you are using unpasteurized milk, however, you will need to scald it first to kill any bacteria. For your first batch you should buy plain yogourt that has active bacterial culture listed in the ingredients - this is true for almost all plain yogourt. Yogourt that...

Garden update: My potting flats have seedlings poking up! I have been eagerly hovering over them this weak, anxious for signs of life, with no reward for my efforts - until today. Suddenly this morning there they were, half inch little greenish sprouts coming up through the dirt. Here's the funny thing though - The first seeds I planted were cilantro and watermelon; so far I have salad greens, morning glories and sunflowers sprouting, but no cilantro and no watermelon! What's up with that? Anyway, the first seedlings are encouragement enough for now. If this darn drizzle will stop and Mr. Sun will come out and play for a while I might be able to get the rest of my garden dug up!