The Most Important Lesson - Heat Control

When I talk with my boys about their cooking, I asked them what they felt was the most valuable lesson in the kitchen. Both answered quickly and simply- heat control.

My rules were simple about the stove.
Handles in. I am a repetitive teacher. I repeat until I am sick of hearing it then I say it again. But it sticks. And I believe everyone should learn- handles in. It saves so many little ones from being burned! So simple- yet so important. First time learners can saves themselves a lot of pain as well, nothing sticking out cannot get caught up in shirts sleeves or aprons. Handles in. I started saying that and pointing it out to them as early as I could. I cannot really say an age- because there is a stage where they stop being babies and told no, stay away from the stove- to growing enough to see what's actually on the stove and being curious about how to do it. I guess about 10 -ish. If that makes sense.

Beyond this simple rule- I approached the stove like their father approaches tools out in the garage. I am teaching boys after all. And it worked.  I explained the tool (the stove) and we practiced together, then on their own.
 It went something like this:

How to control the heat….

  This was an observation first lesson- Then a hands on second.  I explained the parts of the stove, and oven. Then set down a small sauce pan, a med sauce pan, and a large pot - all filled a bit of  water on each burner-  on the last burner I put on a fry pan with a dab of butter.

 I started the stove starting with the small saucepan burner- I had them look at the flames/burners in comparison to the size of the pans. Up and down. I Compared pans to pots and small sauce pans – adjust flames up and down . Turn on, turn down, turn off. I did it- then turned everything off -and had them do it. Start to finish, one at a time. I asked for high, med, low, simmer, and off.  I had them turn the fry pan to med and then to low- melting the butter. They moved it around with a spatula to spread it around, and I had them watch the areas that heated first. We stopped and turned it off after that. I asked them what they'd do if it felt out of control, or over boiled. I made sure they had handles in and were spatially aware of their body when reaching over.

 We turned everything off. I then Turned on the oven . We got on our knees  for a second and looked at the heat source. We adjusted the racks, and in turn we learned the mitts. They explained it back to me- showing they understood the oven -where the heat comes from ,what’s broil and what’s heat. 

Then we went back to the pots on the stove. I shifted them, so the front two were saucepans - one already filled with water, and we filled one with milk.  They turned on the burners by themselves. We reviewed high, and low, quickly then began: lesson 2: How to Boil water and how to Boil milk- a side by side lesson  for comparison. I did this so they could understand what liquid looks like just before boil point- on both. Then they boiled.

They understood a simmer, and compared  it to rolling boil. We covered the saucepans with a lid and I showed them the steam, condensation, and how much faster a rolling boil occurs. I let the milk boil - and didn't say a word when it started to rise and foam like milk does. This displayed the difference- (Boiling over) when temp turned up or down. By allowing the milk to scald and spit out the lid so they saw  what not to do… worst case scenario. 

After they had proven they could boil, control, and manage the water without fear-we turned everything off and cleaned up the milk mess. 

Then together we made mac n cheese start to finish. They filled the pan with water, started the stove - handles in- watched for a boil, added the noodles....and READ the directions. They st the timer.  I strained the noodles but then returned the whole venture over to them to finish. They completed it with relatively few noodles hitting the counter! And felt pride in what they accomplished. We sat down together and enjoyed a bit for lunch. Their first cooking experience was a success. 

The way I relate this may seem tedious, and repetitive, but it worked. How you walk your child through their first lesson is up to you. My hope is that in relating my experience I can help to encourage others- or take the fear out of where to start for some, and maybe give a tip or two to others. 

Just have fun with it. If nothing else, the experience is worth the smiles at the end.  :)

Bar Soap in the Bathroom

Bar Soap in the Bathroom

Going green isn't always easy.
In changing our household to a greener and less toxic environment, I'm using small baby steps. It has been a wonderful challenge for me.

I know the reasons I want to make a change- I've been doing the initial research and I have read the amount of chemicals used in commercial body products. So for me alone, the change is simple. To change the whole family can be a different issue.

Some steps have been met with resistance from my family members who adore certain favorite products. In particular, convincing my hubby to try new items is not always easy. He has used certain items, like say Lever bar soap, for so long he was convinced that's the only one he'd like. Coming home from work, that's what he wanted waiting in the shower. Period. Done.

Until one day, I just missed the fact he was out. Actually, I didn't do it on purpose. I'd already made a switch to Castile soaps for myself, but I missed restocking his. He had to try mine.

Now, changing bar soaps is NOT one of the problems. Yay! Kirk's Original Castile Soap won him over. It rinsed off easily, he felt squeaky clean, and it worked on it's own accord to convince him. I did nothing, except forget an item on the list. Yay!!

One fantastic change to improve everyone’s health and move to greener household is as simple as switching from Name brand bar soaps to Castile soaps. There are a huge variety of fabulous smelling natural soap bars out there that do the same work on your skin as the Name Brands, without exposing your skin to synthetic toxic chemicals and unnecessary animal fats. A few examples are: Kirks Castile Soaps, or Dr. Bronner's, or Dr. Wood's Castile Soaps. Plus there are many others not containing the extra chemicals, dyes, and fake fragrances.

Castile soaps obey the golden rule for your skin: If you do not recognize an ingredient, your body cannot recognize it either. They are made of 100% vegetable oils, and are vegan approved. You can even find Baby soaps in fragrance free varieties, perfect for the little ones in your life! Mild, gentle, and no toxins!

Castile soaps… Try this simple switch. Your skin will thank you; your body will thank you; and your family will be happier and healthier!





Our favorites are Kirk's Original Castile, and Dr. Bronner's Citrus Bar!

DIY All Purpose Cleaner

DIY All-Purpose Cleaner

I got left with a mess when my boys decided to cook, so I am using my homemade all purpose cleaner to wipe it away! This stuff is fantastic and smells too good! I am such a fan of lemon essential oil, not only does it smell bright and full of energy, I understand it's anti bacterial too! It is now a vital part of my cleaning!

I was left with this:



Before
I used my DIY all-purpose cleaner, and now I am cooking on this! Nice! (Starting a small batch of applesauce and using the peelings to make pectin for jelly later, ;) Yay! )

After: 

All Purpose DIY Lemon Cleaner 

1 tsp washing soda
2 tsp Borax
1/2 tsp liquid soap (Castile soap or dish soap)
2 c hot water
10-20 drops lemon essential oil
pour into recycled spray bottle, cap and shake until dissolved. spray on surface and wipe away!* Works wonders on stoves, and counter tops!

No extra chemicals, no noxious fumes, works fantastic and leaves my kitchen or whatever I clean smelling lemon fresh! I do not recommend it on painted surfaces as washing soda can remove paint- however, works like a charm on my kitchen counters, stove, oven, sink,  dishwasher and refrigerator surfaces, and in the bathroom sinks, tub and toilet! Great stuff and so easy to make! One batch cleans the house plus some!





Notes:
*Use a marker and be sure to CLEARLY label your bottle.  Do not swallow or leave within reach of little ones.Although this is safer than most commercial brands with no fumes involved, borax and washing soda are not edible items and still pose a danger to young ones.
** Use at your own risk. Recipe for DIY cleaner can be found on various internet DIY sites as a greener alternate to industrial strength cleaners. I do not claim sole ownership of recipe, or any rights there of. I am Simply sharing a useful recipe that can help others turn to greener clean.









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