Home Management Cheat Sheet

The Home Management Cheat Sheet is now available on Scribd.com for only 99 cents.  This one page document includes my morning, afternoon, and evening routines as well as daily and weekly chores on a single 8-/12 by 11 sheet.  The second page (unavailable for preview) defines the terms that are unique to me on the cheat sheet.  This text-only document can be printed on pretty paper or cardstock and is formatted to cut into cards and put on a ring if desired.  The weekly planner is still free and available on Scribd.com as well.

Holiday blessings!

Bekki

White Chicken Chili (No Beans!!!)

Dear Lissy,
Now that crisp fall weather has arrived, it's time to pull out all of my soup and stew recipes.  White Chicken Chili with chunks of tender chicken and chewy hominy is flavorful, but not hot thanks to ancho chile powder.  The selling point for me?  NO BEANS!

White Chicken Chili

Adapted from Woman's World Guilt-free Gourmet

Serves 6

12 oz. chicken breast, cut into small chunks

Salt & Pepper

1 Tbsp. olive oil, divided

1 green poblano pepper, seeded and deveined, diced fine

A plain yellow or orange bell pepper can be substituted

1 large onion, chopped 

1 (4 oz) can chopped green chiles

3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 Tbsp. ancho chile powder

1 Tbsp. Hungarian sweet paprika

1 tsp. garlic powder

2 tsp. ground cumin

2 tsp. dried marjoram or oregano

1 (14 oz) can chicken broth

2 cups milk

2 (15 oz) cans hominy, drained and rinsed

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

Lime wedges, optional

Corn Tortillas or Masa Harina, optional

First, a disclaimer:  This chili is a deep terracotta brown when finished.  "White" refers to the chicken and lack of tomatoes.

1. Season chicken with salt and pepper.  Heat Dutch oven or deep saute pan over medium-high heat.  Add 1/2 of oil.  When oil shimmers, drop in chicken.  Allow to lightly brown, and stir.  When all sides are golden, remove chicken from pan and hold warm.  Do not completely cook chicken or it will be tough.
2. Add remaining oil to pan.  Saute pepper and onion unil soft; season with salt and pepper.  Add chiles, garlic, ancho, cumin, and marjoram (oregano) and heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. 
3. Add broth and milk.  Bring to a simmer.  Add hominy and chicken, reducing immediately to low temperature.  Cover and keep just barely at a simmer until chicken is cooked.
4. At this point the soup/chili is done.  For a thicker consistency, stir in a masa harina a little at a time or cut corn tortillas into thin strips and add to mixture.  We usually leave the chili with a soup consistency broth and break tortilla chips into it before eating.
5. To serve:  Ladle into bowl, top with a sprinkle of fresh parsley or cilantro, and place a lime wedge on the edge of the bowl.  White chili is also yummy with grated cheese, but that ups the calorie and fat counts substantially.

Mom's notes:  

• I almost never used canned broth or hominy in this dish, but rather made my own to cut the cost of the dish. 
• Recipe doubles well.
• We never served this to company because the spices made our noses run all through supper.
• This dish tastes wonderful if you have a head cold.
• Shredded rotisserie chicken works well for this dish.

Lovin' you,

Mom

Camp Cooking with A Personal Stove

Dear Lissy,
The weather is still sultry and humid, but next week is supposed to return to the typical brisk New England fall weather.  I love, love, love to camp and hike during September and October.  Dad is a classic type B, and enjoys the slow rhythm of starting a fire and cooking over coals.  I need my coffee ASAP, and I like the flexibility of making a meal in 15-20 minutes before or after a day of hiking.  I used a little folding metal stand with solid fuel tabs for years, but last year Dad blessed me with a Jetboil.  Hooray!  I can make coffee and breakfast in just under 15 minutes now.  It's a good thing. . .

The all-in-one Flash Personal Cooking System is a canister cooking system designed to store the stove, fuel, stability feet, and pan adapter in the cooking pot.  The cooking pot  comes with a cozy and sippy lid so I can enjoy a ginormous mug of coffee or tea without pouring it into a separate mug.  In this pic you can also see the strainer holes in the lid for draining noodles easily.  Another popular personal stove is the Whisperlite stove series, but it is not an all-in-one.

The stove sets up in seconds by popping the stabilizer and burner onto the fuel canister.  The mug clicks onto the burner with a twist, and will boil up to a quart of water in a couple of minutes.

I set up the AeroPress Coffee Maker coffee maker and express oatmeal cup while I wait for the water to boil. Now I enjoy a cup of java and wait for the oatmeal to cool.

Fitting the pan stabilizer onto the stove allows me to scramble eggies.  The burner turns down very low, so this task is as simple as boiling water.

15 minutes in, breakfast is complete, and after washing one pan, a spatula and my spork, I'm ready to roll.  The AeroPress wipes out with a paper towel, and there's no campfire to extinguish.

I had gorgeous weather for this trip, but it's nice to have a reliable way to have hot meals and beverages in rainy weather or on the trail.  I've used this system more than once to make coffee or a quick meal during a power outage, too.  Remember:  any personal stove requires a well-ventilated place like a porch or picnic table -- don't try to use them indoors or in a tent!

I hope you and your family have many opportunities to enjoy the outdoors.  Cooking for a crowd outside can be a huge chore, but if each teen and adult has a personal mess kit and stove, at least some of the meals are quick and easy.

Love ya,
Momma

The Royal Secret of Success

Dear Lissy,
Tucked deep in Deuteronomy are two verses that offer seven conditional royal promises:

• The king will learn to fear the LORD.
• The king will be empowered to obey God's Word.
• The king will be empowered to do God's will.
• The king will consistently have victory over pride, the root of all other sin.
• The king will not be influenced off the path of righteousness to the right or left.
• He will prolong his life and reign.
• His children will follow after him.

Those promises are dependent on the king doing one simple task: