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buff-looking copper bottom pans

Oct 14th, 2011 by

Today, the Damsel would like to introduce her old friend, Nathan Wright, as today’s substitute teacher/guest poster. Take it away, Nathan!

One Saturday the chore of washing dishes fell to me. It seemed to this nine-year-old the dirty dishes were especially piled up whenever my turn came around, and I was certain my older siblings planned ways of wriggling out of their required duties. I was definitely wrought upon.

We lived in a small Colorado town that just happened to be a child’s outdoor paradise. And one fall afternoon seemed particularly inviting as my two older brothers left for an adventure—while I ran the dishwater. But instead of just getting the job done, I dawdled. As a kid, I had no lack of imagination even with a sink full of dishes: this spoon was a hydroplane, a glass became an underwater city, capturing air under a wet washcloth resembled a pillow. And the hours wore on.
When my brothers got back from their mountain outing the day was well advanced and I was still working (ha!) on the dishes. As they traipsed through the kitchen they commented that it appeared I was washing the same spoon as when they left! Probably.

These days, I spend a few less hours doing dishes and have found an easy way to clean my copper-bottom pans. The Internet is rampant with various copper tarnish-removing methods using lemon wedges, salt, vinegar, baking soda, flour, etc. but I happened upon this method, which seems much simpler and cheaper, by just using dish soap.
Squeeze a generous spiral of Palmolive Pure + Clear® dish soap directly on the copper bottom. Using regular Palmolive doesn’t work—I’ve tried.
You should see some magical, chemical-reaction results immediately, but use a finger to quickly and evenly spread the soap over the entire copper surface. You’ll see the spots you missed as the soap does its job.
Let the pan sit for a few minutes while you do something else.
Wash as normal and buff lightly with a Scotch-Brite® pad to remove lingering spots. There will be plenty of soap from this process to clean a sink full of pots. So save the soapy water to wash the pans’ insides.
These Revere® pans, once clean, find a place on a pothook, rather than shoved under a cupboard somewhere, because they look so great!
For more “growing pains” stories visit the storytelling sage at:

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Posted in cleaning, guest post, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

a farewell

Oct 9th, 2011 by

The Damsel has debated all day about whether to post about this.

If you are a long-time reader of the Old School, you may recall the Damsel has mentioned the family dog, calling him “The Dog-Shaped Horse” because he’s so big. He’s been the most exasperating, loving, crazy, huge, wonderful pet this family’s ever had.

He reigned over our large backyard by galloping happily around it, hoping, always hoping, there’d be something to fetch. He endured the invasion of his kingdom by a bunch of idjit chickens with about as much grace as you could ask for. The Damsel won’t say he loved them, but he tolerated them.

Last night Hyrum (for that’s his name) died. We think he ate something bad for him, possibly a bunch of raw potatoes from our garden. A lot of raw potatoes would not be a good thing.

We’re devastated, but we’ll always remember how much happiness he brought us. We named him Hyrum when he was just a bitty thing, because to us, that name means friendship and loyalty. He grew into that name with perfection. If a dog can be an example to a human, then he was one for us. Especially of that trait dogs seem to excel at: unconditional love.

We’ll miss you, Hyrum.

Posted in personal | 21 Comments »

how to make chocolate ganache the easy way

Sep 29th, 2011 by

What is it with the Damsel and cake lately? She’s always considered herself more of a pie girl than a cake eater. One possible reason: her friend Annette Lyon’s book Chocolate Never Faileth. The Damsel has been baking her way through this book and well, she’s got the jiggle to prove it.

(FTC disclaimer: the Damsel isn’t receiving anything except smiles and pounds for mentioning this book at the Old School)

Making cake the old school way is a world of difference from the cake-mix-in-a-box thing. Oh, heaven. And the frosting on the cake is the frosting on the cake.

Heh. The Damsel cracks herself up.

So we  first we had chocolate chips masquerading as frosting in this post, and now another version: chocolate ganache. Plenty of options for folks who live in fear of making buttercream frosting.

What is ganache, anyway? It sounds terribly fancy, but simply put, ganache is a mixture of melted chocolate and cream. That’s it. No clouds of powdered sugar or even butter. It’s quite versatile, as you can use it to make anything from a glaze to a truffle. Plus, it’s easy as kindergarten.

Take some thick, rich, calorie-laden heavy cream (whipping cream) and accept it into your life. Frosting ain’t no diet food, and the sooner you make peace with that, the better. 1 cup will make enough to frost a dozen cupcakes plus a little to spare.

Heat the cream to nearly boiling, but don’t let it scorch. It needs to just be good and hot for the singular purpose of melting the chocolate. Remove from the heat source.

Add 2 cups of chocolate chips or other chopped chocolate. Semi-sweet chips make a “dark” chocolatey frosting–not terribly sweet but with an intense chocolate flavor. The Damsel has embraced the dark side but won’t judge if you want to go milk chocolate. The higher quality chocolate you use, the better the taste. You can use flavored chips, too, if you like, or add a drop or two of flavored extract like peppermint or orange.

Stir until the chocolate is melted and the cream is completely incorporated.

Right now the ganache is pretty liquidy. You could pour it over a cake at this point and it would form a beautiful, smooth layer of dark brown heaven. If you want a spreadable frosting or filling between layers, let it cool and then beat it with an electric mixer. The cooler, the stiffer. When it’s cold, it can even be formed into truffle balls. This is the way to legitimately eat frosting all by itself, if you’re the kind who feels guilty about such things.

The Damsel figures if she made the frosting, she gets to lick the beaters. Only a grand-sprog could make her change her mind.

By the way, ganache can be nearly any ratio of cream and chocolate. The 1:2 shown here has the advantage of being yummy+easy to remember.

A tip of the sunbonnet to Lauren for the great Old School post idea.

 

Posted in baking | 21 Comments »

a letter from the administration

Sep 24th, 2011 by

Memo to: Instructor, Old School

Re: Absences

Dear Damsel,

It’s come to our attention that your attendance at the Old School has been spotty of late. The administration is concerned. As our head instructor, we’re sure you realize you need to set a proper example for your students. Continued absences of this magnititude cannot continue. If you feel you won’t be able to improve your attendance record, please contact us.

In light of your long-standing position with us, we want to help rather than punish. Can you let us know the nature of the problem causing your absence?

Best,

Old School Administration

 

Reply: The Damsel in Dis Dress

Re: Absences
Dear Administrator,

The Damsel would like to apologize for her poor attendance. You asked for a reason–well, there was this:

and then this happened:

The Damsel was pretty much blindsided.

And then from out of nowhere, this happened:

The Damsel was rendered virtually helpless.

She apologizes again and promises to improve her attendance.

 

Thank you for you understanding,

The Damsel in Dis Dress, headmistress, The New Old School

Posted in personal | 7 Comments »

backyard chicken adventures

Sep 9th, 2011 by

To recap our story so far:

  1. The Damsel got four chickens in April, and was told they’d start laying in October.
  2. One chicken started laying in July, being an overachiever in all ways. Her comb is quite luxurious.
  3. The Damsel has spent a lot of time looking under bushes and things since then, wondering when/if the other three are laying.
  4. The Knight in Shining Armor has spent a hideous amount of time building the Celestial Chicken Coop, which is still not finished. This means the chickens are “free range” in the fenced backyard.
  5. Four days ago, an egg was found in a new spot, proving that at least two chickens were now laying.
  6. Three days ago, one chicken escaped from the Cottage’s yard, proving that chickens can compress their bodies into the size of a golf ball, causing the Damsel real/actual distress. Happily the chicken wandered back home, reinflated to her normal basketball size.
  7. Two days ago the Damsel continued her search of the yard for other nesting spots since she was having a strong suspicion that furtive egg-laying was going on by the other two chickens. All likely spots checked and rechecked. No eggs.
  8. Every single day since the first one started laying, she has consistently laid an egg in her same little spot without fail.
  9. Yesterday, no eggs in the two known spots. HAS THE WORLD GONE MAD.
  10. Today, the Damsel looked in a very unlikely spot and found:

 

TWENTY TWO EGGS.

Ok, chicken-ladies. How long has this been going on?

Game on.

The perps:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Posted in chickens | 21 Comments »

how to shorten jeans

Sep 6th, 2011 by

People come in all shapes and sizes, and sometimes, well, the jeans are too long.

The Damsel takes note that length isn’t the only thing that can be wrong with jeans.

Being a Child of the Seventies, the Damsel wears jeans a lot, mostly because they are comfortable. These, however, look painful. Will everything be okay if this person tries to sit down?

On the other hand, the Damsel doesn’t understand these jeans at all.  Can someone explain it to her? You can earn Old School extra credit.

If all your jeans lack is the right length, the Damsel has a great tutorial for you. If you’ve ever hemmed jeans before, you know it can be tricky. The fabric is thick and hard to work with. Plus, once you’re done, the hem doesn’t look like a “regular” jeans hem. To solve that, the Damsel points the way to this fantastic jeans hemming tutorial: Altering Jeans Length.

You’ll want to visit this site for the step-by-step directions, with great photos. Notice the resulting “storebought” hem.

With Ashley holding your hand, you’ll have those jeans the right length in no time.

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Posted in sewing | 13 Comments »

chocolate chips = frosting

Aug 23rd, 2011 by

Y’all know about this, right?

Pretend you’ve baked a cake or some brownies, and you’re either too lazy to make frosting or you don’t have time to wait for the cake to cool. (Frosting a hot cake is a sad, sad thing to do…the frosting melts and runs and makes a mess. A hot mess.)

It’s easy to picture not having time to wait for a cake to cool. People are always suddenly having birthdays, it seems. Birthdays always seem to sneak up on the unsuspecting Damsel.

This works especially well for cakes served right out of the pan–like a Texas sheet cake.

Immediately after taking the cake/brownies from the oven, sprinkle a bunch of chocolate chips across the surface. For a Texas sheet cake, 2 cups was not too much.

Wait a few minutes and test the chocolate chips to see if they are all melty by taking a knife and attempt to gently spread them. When they are perfectly melty and soft, the chocolate chips will spread just like frosting. Proceed across the surface, using a gentle hand because the cake is hot and not as firm as a cool cake.

The Damsel really likes this because she’s a dark chocolate girl, and semi-sweet chocolate chips are “darker” than most regular frostings. Less sweet, more chocolatey. Mmmmm. If you are less hard-core about dark chocolate, you could always use milk chocolate chips. The Damsel will try not to judge.

After the cake is very cool, the frosting may crack when you cut it. To prevent this, eat the whole cake while it’s still warm. This is the Damsel’s wish for you.

Posted in baking | 33 Comments »

what’s in the fridge?

Aug 17th, 2011 by

In the olden days, Grandma had an “icebox” — (sometimes oldtimers still call a refrigerator a frigidaire or an icebox) which was literally a box with ice in it.In some areas, people could arrange for ice to be delivered on a regular basis, sort of like milk delivery.

Before electricity, keeping things cold was a challenge. Folks would cut ice out of a lake in the winter and bury it in straw to insulate it, in hopes of keeping it a bit longer. A cold cellar was common — usually, a glorified hole in the ground. If they were lucky enough to live by a cold, running stream, a cellar was sometimes built over it. Or things were just put in the stream to keep cold.

The Damsel fondly remembers eating watermelon chilled in a stream, but although she’s very old, she’s never experienced being without a refrigerator for any length of time. Grandma would be purely amazed at the spacious “iceboxes” we now have. It’s pretty much taken for granted that everyone has one of these nifty gadgets that, for the most part, just work 24/7 without us having to worry or fuss. The main concern is keeping it clean and organized.

These beauties are big enough that we actually LOSE stuff in them. Items can get buried, overlooked, or left to grow hairs until they are unrecognizable. Folks stand in front of them with the door open, gazing in at the bounty of food, while the nice cold air streams out.

Here’s one possible solution:

Write a list of what’s inside, directly on the fridge itself, with a dry erase marker. The Damsel admits she felt weird doing this. She has a strong compulsion against writing on walls. But after taking a deep breath, she managed to do the deed.

She’s not convinced she’ll do this forever, but it cost nothing to try. Time will tell what the compliance level will be at the Cottage, because in order for this to work the best, everyone has to erase the items they take out and consume, and write down the things they buy and put in.

And, it’s not guaranteed to stop fridge-gazing, since sometimes we do that because we don’t know what we want to eat, not because we don’t know what’s in there.

What do you think? Good idea or bad?

Edit: after a week, the Damsel has discovered that some dry-erase markers come off much better than others. Test in an inconspicuous spot before you do something you might regret–like mess up the front of your pretty fridge.

Posted in organizing | 18 Comments »

DIY–free, easy, clever

Aug 4th, 2011 by

Today’s Old School lesson is a hands-on project: how to install a pour spout on a canning jar–great for dry cooking ingredients like sugar.

This is the sort of DIY project Grandma could have really gotten into.

  1. It’s free
  2. It uses up things that would otherwise be thrown away
  3. It’s useful
  4. It’s easy and only takes a few minutes

For this project, all you need is an empty salt carton, a mason canning jar with a screw band, and a sharp knife.

Take an empty salt carton. The Damsel won’t judge if she finds out you dumped the salt into something else just so you could do this project.

CAREFULLY cut around the top of the carton by inserting a sharp knife straight down and moving around the top. Hold the carton firmly.

The cut doesn’t need to be perfect and smooth…just do the best you can without drawing blood. PLEASE. The Old School doesn’t have a school nurse.

Fill a canning jar with some dry, pourable substance like sugar. Fit the cut piece on its top and then screw on the band. The serendipity of this project is that cutting a salt carton around its edge EXACTLY fits a wide-mouth canning jar. Neat, huh?

If you want to use a regular-mouth canning jar, use its lid (not the screwband) to trace a cutting circle onto the top of the salt carton.

The Damsel is pretty excited about using this, since she keeps her sugar in a huge bin in the pantry. (Even though the seven sprogs don’t all live at home, she can’t seem to stop her mega-cooking ways.) This way, she can measure out a little sugar quickly and easily, without having to open the big bin. This would also be a great place to put baking soda, if you’re one of those who succumbed to the call of the Giant Costco Baking Soda Bag.

The Damsel would love to hear any other great uses her students come up with.

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Posted in thrifty, Uncategorized | 52 Comments »

when is a free-range chicken a bad chicken?

Aug 2nd, 2011 by

When is a free-range chicken a bad, naughty chicken?

Come closer, dear students, and the Damsel will tell you.

The Damsel lets her chickens run loose in her large fenced yard, eating mosquitoes and possibly earwigs. For this hope alone, it’s worth the risk they pose to the garden plants. They do like to peck and tear at the tender leaves. But although most of the plants have managed to grow faster than the chickens can peck them down, there is one sad row in the Damsel’s garden.

Behold the chicken devastation.

This was once a happy little row of beets. The Damsel had hoped for a few meals of beet greens as the plants were thinned, and then the rest would be ultimately pickled as shown in this post: Pickled Beets. But the greens have been pretty thoroughly whittled…maybe they’ll recover a bit, but hopes of beet greens are sinking low. Who knows if there is enough left of the tops to support growth of the beetroots?

Yes, the plants could have been covered with netting and thus saved from being pecked to within an inch of their little lives. But with the other, earlier-planted veggies, the chickens pecked at them rather half-heartedly, lulling us to believe they weren’t going to do any serious damage. Then the beets were planted. Before we knew it, the Beetgreen Devouring Festival had begun and it was all everlastingly too late.

Thank goodness the chickens didn’t kill the tomato plants. If that had happened, the Damsel just isn’t sure what measures she’d be required to take. She hopes she will never be asked to choose between tomatoes and eggs. Some choices are just too awful to contemplate.

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Posted in chickens, gardening, Uncategorized | 11 Comments »

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