The Damsel in Dis Dress
Posted in cooking, old fashioned on Dec 8th, 2011
Once upon a time, when you wanted to buy some meat for your family, you went to the butcher shop. Things were a little more compartmentalized back then. There were no such things as super-mega-marts that sell everything under the sun. There were cobblers, and chandlers (candle-makers), and millers, and tailors, and yes, butchers. The [...]
Posted in cooking, handmade, Uncategorized on Nov 28th, 2011
Maybe you’re like the Damsel was before she saw the light. Maybe you think there is something magical that makes peanuts into peanut butter–some special process taking elaborate equipment and people in white overalls. And that “natural” peanut butter, costing approximately $123456789, is something even more complicated to make. Gather close, dear students, and the [...]
Posted in cooking, handmade, old fashioned, Substitutions on Jul 23rd, 2011
Homemade ricotta? Really? That smooth, beautiful layer of yum in lasagna? Yes, dear students, it’s possible. And it’s as easy as kindergarten. The Damsel suspects you have everything you need, at this moment, in your kitchen. You could be five minutes away from ravishing ricotta. (Technically, this is called paneer. Ricotta is properly made from [...]
The Damsel would like to introduce today’s substitute teacher–the beautiful Amy lady from Progressive Pioneer. This is a blog that ought to be required reading for Old School students who want to do things the natural way. Know anyone who struggles with dairy? Try this: Almond Milk My mother-in-law, who eats nearly a 100% raw [...]
Posted in cooking, Uncategorized on Dec 28th, 2010
Caramel popcorn is an old school treat indeed. But is there a way to put a new twist on it? After all, the Damsel doesn’t scorn newfangled ways. That is not her objective. She loves it when she can put a new twist on an old trick. She thinks you’ll find this easy and a [...]
Oatmeal–is there a more old fashioned breakfast? The Damsel adores it. Yummy, warm, filling. A true basic food, where YOU control how much (or how little) and what kind of sweetener, milk, raisins, or whatever you want. The three main types of oatmeal available in the typical market are: old-fashioned (rolled), quick and instant. Guess [...]
Posted in cooking, preserving on Nov 22nd, 2010
Ah! This is the Damsel’s kind of project. Easy, quick, big payoff. Making herbal vinegar is as easy as kindergarten. It’s up to you which kind of herbs to use. What herbs do you love? Start there. The Damsel loves sage, and has a boatload of it, so there you have it. Take fresh, washed [...]
Posted in cooking, guest post on Nov 5th, 2010
The Damsel would like to introduce today’s substitute teacher: Maria Rainier. Now sit up and pay attention, because being rude to subs is not tolerated at the Old School. **cough** Just kidding. The Damsel knows you are all model students. Plus, Maria’s going to teach us how to do something perfectly wonderful. I never cooked [...]
This time of year, squash is plentiful and frugal. And while October seems to be all about pumpkins, the other squashes are also there, waiting for a turn to be noticed. Squash…a good thing to fall in love with. Grandma would have approved. After all, they are cheap, easy to grow, they store well, nutritious, [...]
The Damsel wishes she could say she created this severely burned-on mess so she could post about it. In other words, on purpose. Sadly, that is not the case. The Damsel’s crockpot insert is now completely, utterly, physically and emotionally encrusted with a deep layer of concrete food. How can a person clean something like [...]
