What’s for Supper? Friday, Jul 18 2008 

Question of the Week and Recipes Stephanie 1:12 pm

I’ve had a great request for this week’s question.  Tell us what you make for supper!  It’s easy to get in a cooking rut, and sometimes a recipe from someone else is just the thing to inspire.

We’ve been enjoying chicken salad on these hot days.

Chicken breast, boiled (or whole chicken, cooked and deboned)

Hard boiled eggs, chopped

Sweet pickle, chopped

Mayonaise

Salt and pepper

Mix all ingredients to taste.  I make mine so it’s moist but not soupy.  Billy also likes chopped apple in his.  I’ve had chicken salad with halved grapes–yummy!

We also enjoy meatloaf.  This recipe is eeeeaasy.  And it passes the husband test–my husband, anyway.

• 2 pounds ground beef

• 1 cup 2% milk OR 2 eggs

• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce–I put in a lot more!

• 1/2 teaspoon dried sage

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon dry mustard

• 1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

• 2 T. or so minced garlic

• Generous shake onion powder

• Handful dry oatmeal–about 1/2 c.

• 1/2 cup ketchup or barbecue sauce

I also add a good shake of dried parsley. Mix everything together except the ketchup. Put into a big loaf pan or shape into a loaf in a baking dish, pour ketchup or bbq all over the top. Bake at 350 for about 1 1/2 hours or till it’s no longer pink in the middle.

 

Question of the Week: Laundry Thursday, Jul 10 2008 

Homemaking and Question of the Week Stephanie 1:23 pm

Laundry is on my mind since our 17-year-old washer and dryer both broke last week. Till the past few months, laundry has been my biggest homemaking challenge. I think I finally have a system that works. So, the question:

What’s your favorite laundry tip?

Here’s mine. It actually came from Melissa, our preschool director at First Baptist Church, and I’ve used it successfully ever since.

Each child has a basket on a shelf above the washer. When the clothes come out of the machine, they are immediately sorted into each child’s basket. When the baskets are full, the kids get to put their clothes away (theoretically–we just as often use out of the basket, but at least they are sorted).

This is my old system:

Now that I have four, I’ve had to modify it a bit.

 

Read-To-Your-Child Challenge and Question of the Week Wednesday, Jul 2 2008 

Books and Education and Question of the Week Stephanie 1:10 pm

Experts say that one of the best things we can do for our kids is to read to them. From my own experience I have to agree. My mom read to us faithfully, often many times each day, a tradition that continued even into high school. (Of course by then we’d moved to grown-up books and took turns being the reader.) We shared so many wonderful stories together through the years.

That said, I don’t read to my children nearly enough. It’s not that I don’t enjoy it, because I do, but too often I get busy and let another day go by without reading to them.

I’m sure I’m the only one who would like to do better in this area (*wink*), but in any case, I’m issuing myself a reading challenge–and anyone who wants to join me. My goal is to read to my kids every day during the month of July, even if it’s just one book. (I know, I’m getting off to a late start. Bear with me.) So feel free to join me!

Now for the question: What is your favorite children’s read-aloud? Tell us in the comments!

Mine:


Blueberries for Sal. I never get tired of this book!