Sylvia has written an informative article on making cream soups. Check out her blog to read more.
“Cream soups don’t necessarily contain cream, they are creamy in texture and full of rich flavors. Cream soups are great for warming up a family on a cool evening and they can be remarkably healthy if you follow a few steps in preparing the ingredients.”
The main thing to remember is that you need to get the fluids out of the meat and the meat cooked all the way to the bone without burning the crust on the outside.
Here are the steps I take to make Fried Chicken. Follow them carefully and you will have a delicious batch to serve to your family.
If you do not have buttermilk, you may substitute salt water. But it will taste different than my recipe. The buttermilk tenderizes the meat and gives it a wonderful flavor.
Once the chicken is light golden brown on one side, you may turn down the heat, cover the skillet and allow it too cook a while. It takes about 20 minutes for a thick piece of chicken to cook all the way through on medium high heat.
When the chicken has cooked for 20-25 minutes, you may turn the piece over and allow it to cook on the other side, with the skillet uncovered.
Covering the skillet and cooking helps to cook the meat all the way through. Uncovering it helps the crust to get crisp and to become a deep mahogany brown color.
If you’re not sure whether or not your chicken in done, just take a small sharp knife and cut into the meat at the thickest part of a thigh piece. If the meat is cooked and the juices run clear, the meat is done.
© 1996 Sylvia Britton
If you are a homeschooling Mom, you already know how hard it can be to prepare a good lunch every day of the school week for a groups of hungry children and still be able to get your housework done and assist the children in their own work….and get supper ready!
This is our 16th year of homeschooling and just as with curriculum choices, what to prepare and serve for lunch can sometimes be a matter of trial and error. My goal is to help you along with some of the poor and good choices I have made over the years and give you ideas for lunches so you won’t have quite as many errors as I have had!
Hot Lunch vs. Cold Lunch
While some people always insist on a hot lunch, I think we can find a balance here. There are some days when a cold lunch is just as nice and just as filling. The weather has a lot to do with what we eat. Cold days call for soups and stews, warm breads and muffins. Days when we are rushed for time and have errands to run may be good days for a quick, cold lunch or a lunch that can be packed and taken along.
You can also introduce Tea Time into your afternoon. As a homeschooler, you have that luxury of teaching your children how to slow down and read aloud while enjoying good food, tea and the company of others. Tea Time is a good time to offer snacks.
Here are some quick ideas for making lunch time more managable for your homeschool:
Plan Ahead - Make up your menu at least a week ahead of time. Factor in leftovers and meals for which you can cook once, eat twice. Plan on cooking for lunch and supper at the same time, often.
Set aside Lunch Food - Don’t let your family or yourself pilfer the lunch food during the week. That way you will have what you need come lunch time.
Choose Food that Helps Children Concentrate - Avoid foods that are high in fats and sugars. Choose whole grains, lean meats, fish and vegetables. Even a pizza can be a healthy choice if you make it with a whole grain crust and lean meat!
Schedule lunch for the same time every day. This helps children get into some good habits. Washing hands, cleaning up their work area and helping prepare lunch are all great ways to teach your children how to do things for themselves. Having lunch at the same time every day also teaches your children to wait and to have patience.
Practical Help
I usually plan on three hot meals per school week and two cold meals. Here are some lunch ideas for you to start with:
Hot Meal Ideas:
Whole wheat tortillas with cheese and/or refried beans
Chicken and Corn chowder with crackers
Potato soup
Canned chili beans and brown rice, shredded cheese
Crusty bread with vegetable soup
Whole wheat toast with peanut butter
Whole wheat toast with baked beans spread on top
Homemade chicken nuggets with honey mustard or ranch dressing
Cold Meal Ideas:
Apple slices and nut butter for dipping
Fruit and cheese, crackers
Raw vegetables and dip
Hummus and dippers
Homemade vegetable chips and sandwiches
© 2006 Sylvia Britton
This is the BEST sugar cookie I have ever eaten, and it’s a no-roll type of cookie so you don’t have to refrigerate the dough and wait til it’s firm! The kids can all join in this one, even the very smallest. Hope you use this one often and enjoy it as much as we do!
Makes 48 cookies
Beat sugar and butter until fluffy. Add beaten egg and vanilla. Mix dry ingredients together and add to sugar and butter mixture.
Roll into small walnut sized balls, place on very lightly greased cookie sheet about 1-1/2 inches apart. Press out with the bottom of a glass that has been dipped in granulated sugar. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 350 degrees for 12 minutes.
Let the cookies get as dark as you want them, ideally they are pale yellow with a touch of light brown around the edges.
© 2006 Sylvia Britton
Ingredients:
2 lemons
1 1/2 c. water
16 green tomatoes, parboiled
1 (2″) stick cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon whole cloves
1 Tablespoon mixed pickling spices
2 c. tart apples, peeled and diced
3 c. sugar
© 2006 Sylvia Britton