Housewife Life

Neiman Marcus Cheese Dip (1955)

Neiman Marcus Cheese Dip is always one of the most popular items on the appetizer table at parties. Made with only 5 ingredients, this dip is a breeze to mix up but tastes like a million dollars.

I love a good appetizer, but I have a special fondness for cheesy, salty apps, like Olive Cheese Bread. Neiman Marcus Cheese dip includes all of my favorite crave-worthy flavors; it is cheesy, salty, and bacon-y, but is even easier to make, and the result is completely addicting. This dip is always a huge hit during a football game or holiday party. Bring this dip to a gathering and you are guaranteed to bring home an empty bowl.

While searching the internet for the origins of this dip (more on that later) I found that it seems that this dip has a few monikers. I know it as Neiman Marcus Cheese Dip, but I have also seen the same exact recipe called Million Dollar Dip floating around Pinterest.

When I originally published this recipe I said I was not entirely sure how the Neiman Marcus dip got its name. It happened to be Halloween when I published this post, and I was busy preparing for the night’s festivities, but I did share a link to this recipe on Twitter, and to my surprise Neiman Marcus actually replied, so naturally I had to ask about the cheese dip’s history, and if it had been served at the flagship Neiman Marcus store’s restaurant in Dallas Texas. Neiman Marcus graciously researched the Cheese Dip recipe for me, and it turns out this Cheese Dip was created by a native Upstate New York Chef, was published in a cookbook that miffed Julia Child, and was indeed served in the Zodiac Room.

Helen Corbitt was born on January 25, 1906, in upstate New York. She grew up in a household where good food was highly valued and generously shared. After her graduation from Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York, with a degree in home economics, she had planned on attending medical school, but those dreams were derailed by the Great Depression. She instead, took a job as a therapeutic dietitian at Presbyterian Hospital in Newark, New Jersey, then went on to Cornell Medical Center in New York, where she persuaded doctors that sick people would respond more favorably to food if it was properly seasoned and attractively served. Helen would move on to become an instructor and manage the tearoom at the University of Texas. She went on to work in country clubs, department stores and even had her own catering business for a period of time while in Texas.

In 1955, after many years of persuasion from Stanley Marcus, Helen Corbitt joined Neiman Marcus as Director of Food Services. At Neiman-Marcus Corbitt’s flair to create food that was visually appealing using only the finest and freshest ingredients made the Zodiac Room at Neiman-Marcus a culinary destination, and one of the most sought-after reservations in Texas .

During her years as the Director of Food Services at Neiman Marcus Helen Corbitt wrote many cookbooks sharing her experiences and recipes from the Zodiac Room. Stanley Marcus secured Helen’s publisher Houghton Mifflin for her first cookbook: Helen Corbitt’s Cookbook: by the Director of Neiman-Marcus Restaurants, and it was decided that her book would be directed to the home cook from the start and the recipes would be simple for the home cook to master. At the same time, Julia Child was also under contract with Houghton Mifflin for her Mastering the Art of French Cuisine. Houghton Mifflin ultimately turned down Julia’s book because of its overly complicated recipes, thinking no one would be interested. Julia ultimately got her book published by Alfred Knopf in ’61. Julia wasn’t very happy with this decision saying that Houghton Mifflin was “more interested in a chef in Texas who was creating jello recipes”.

You can find the original recipe for Neiman-Marcus Cheese Dip in Helen Corbitt’s Cookbook: by the Director of Neiman-Marcus Restaurants, simply named Almond-Bacon-Cheese Spread, the recipe has stood the test of time and is identical to this one (mine has been increased to feed a crowd at a gathering).

For my version, I use real bacon, 5-6 slices is all it takes. We buy a whole freezer pig every fall, so I usually have bacon on hand. But, if you don’t or would just like to skip the mess of frying up bacon, you can easily substitute a 3 oz. package of real bacon pieces, just make sure not to use bacon bits!

Print Recipe

Neiman Marcus Cheese Dip (1955)

Prep Time10 mins

Resting Time2 hrs

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Retro Recipe

Servings: 10 servings

Ingredients

5 green onions chopped
8 oz cheddar cheese shredded
1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
1/2 cup cooked bacon crumbled
1/2 cup slivered almonds

Instructions

Combine green onions, cheddar cheese, mayonnaise, bacon bits, and slivered almonds in a medium serving bowl.
Mix until combined and chill for at least 2 hours. Serve with your favorite crackers.

Notes

If you prefer not to cook bacon you can substitute a 3-ounce jar real bacon pieces (not bacon bits).

Life Without a Clothes Dryer

2 months ago my second-hand electric clothes dryer called it quits. It was a good dryer while we had it. Sure, we ran into the occasional issue, but it was nothing that a quick parts order and Youtube video couldn’t fix.

Because it was summer when my dryer died I figured I would attempt to go the rest of the season drying my clothes au naturale, and why not I already had a clothesline, how hard could it be? I challenged myself to see if I could go the summer without a dryer and if it went well, maybe not even replace my dyer!

I thought I would share the good the bad and the ugly of life without a dryer.

Bumps in the Road

Allergens My son has seasonal allergies to the degree that we have just begun allergy injections yesterday. Live is miserable for him when grass, weed, and tree pollen levels peak. I knew I would not want to hang his bedding on the line, and hanging his clothes in our old musty farmhouse basement didn’t seem like a great solution either. Enter my wooden clothes drying rack, which I have a love/hate relationship with. While the drying rack kind of worked, it was also kind of flimsy. I ended up taking my sons bedding and clothing to the laundromat once a week.

Rain/humidity The biggest roadblock I had on my way to freshly laundered bliss was the uncooperative nature of the weather. This summer was a particularly rainy one, and if it wasn’t raining it had just finished and was humid. I typically do 2-3 loads of laundry a day. Yes, you read that right. I have 3 kids who all do sports pretty much year round, and we live on a farm. Life is messy and dirty here. On days where I could only get one load line dried, I was almost certainly at the laundromat the next day playing catch up.

The Birds and the Bees This one is pretty self-explanatory, and while it certainly wasn’t the biggest issue, there were still times I had to rewash something a bird had hit with, which made me cranky, because as I said this happened to be one of the wettest summers in recent memory, so being pushed back was frustrating.

Time Like I said, I typically do 2-3 loads of laundry a day. I know this sounds like a lot of laundry to some of you, and I agree it is a large portion of my daily to-do list. But, sports and farm clothes, towels, casual clothes, work clothes, and the weekly load of bedding all adds up to just a lot of laundry that needs to be managed on a daily basis. When I have a dryer I can get most of my laundry done before early afternoon, days I wash bedding usually take me until late afternoon, and most of this time is hands off.

The sweet smell of success

Get outside! I find it is easy for myself to get tied up in whatever project or chore I have going on inside the house, and rarely get outside during the day. When I was strictly using my clothesline I was outside up to every hour, hanging clothes and checking for dryness. I did enjoy the multiple trips throughout the day to the backyard to hang clothes and retrieve them, occasionally I did also stop to smell the flowers.

Get those Steps Up All those hourly trips in and out of the house and up and down the steps really did get my daily steps in!

Budget-Friendly Using the dryer adds approximately $97 to your energy bill each year. It is one of the biggest energy-consumers in your home. Having 3 kids, I do between two to three loads of laundry a day and it felt great to put that money back into my pocket by hanging loads to dry on the clothesline after it’s washed.

The smell of line-dried linens There is nothing better than the clean fresh scent of line-dried sheets and towels, in fact, detergent and air freshening companies have been trying to bottle that scent for years.

So how did my trail without a dryer go?

Was it always easy? No. Especially when it rains for a week straight!

Was it convenient? Not really… Not having a dryer right there to toss your wet laundry into really forces you to do some planning ahead in the wardrobe department.

What did I end up doing do?

If you haven’t guessed by now I went out and bought myself a new Maytag Dryer. If the summer hadn’t been so wet, perhaps I would have stuck it out a little longer. I still utilize my clothesline A LOT, especially on bedding day, but, I’ll be honest it is nice to not have to rely on it.

So tell me, because I know there are many households out there that are completely dryer free, how do you do it? Do you ever miss your dryer?

DIY Odor and Bacteria Busting Bathroom Cleaner Spray

I don’t think anyone really enjoys cleaning the bathroom, but it is probably safe to say we all appreciate a clean and pleasant smelling bathroom. DIY Bacteria Busting Bathroom Cleaner Spray, not only cleans your commode but will banish bathroom odors. Made with Castile soap, tea tree, and eucalyptus oils, this is a powerful cleaner you can make at home.

I have to warn you this cleaner has a strong Tea Tree Oil smell, and if you are sensitive to scents you may want to crack a window. I personally think Tea Tree oil has an almost medicinal scent, and if I am totally honest with you I don’t love the scent of this one while I am cleaning. BUT, Tea Tree oil and Eucalyptus oil are essential oil workhorses, and nothing I have ever bought commercially has ever banished my bathroom of urine scents like these two oils. After I clean I do enjoy the lingering clean refreshing scent of eucalyptus, that is what a bathroom should smell like! Which is what has earned this cleaner a place in my all-time favorite homemade cleaners.

If you struggle with unpleasant odors in your bathroom (#BoyMomsUnite) you may also like my Homemade Grout Cleaner, it is a scrub paste that contains baking soda, a known odor absorbent, vinegar a good deodorizer, and tea tree oil which contains strong antibacterial and fungicidal properties.

To use this cleaner I thoroughly spray the toilet and all surrounding areas, because of #boybathroomissues. The tile surround, tile floor, grout, and behind the toilet all get saturated, and then I let it sit to work it’s magic for about 10 minutes, sometimes longer if I get side tracked. Like I said this cleaner has a strong scent, but the Tea Tree Oil and Eucalyptus oils are an effective one-two punch to knock out odors and germs. Using a wet wipe I rinse the surfaces rinsing the wipe as needed, and Ta-Da I have a clean and fresh smelling bathroom.

Print Recipe

DIY Odor and Bacteria Busting Bathroom Cleaner Sray

Cuisine: Cleaning/ Non-food

Ingredients

2 c. distilled water
1/4 c. liquid Castile soap
1 Tbsp Tea Tree Essential Oil
10 drops of eucalyptus essential oils

Instructions

Combine all ingredients in a spray bottle, and shake well.

Recipe Source: The Naturally Clean Home: 150 Super-Easy Herbal Formulas for Green Cleaning

Because I don’t have a lab, and even if I did wouldn’t have the slightest idea how to test the antimicrobial properties of homemade cleaning products, I rely on information sourced from reputable studies on antibacterial effects of different essential oils, here are a couple of links if you are interested in further reading about the antimicrobial and antibacterial properties of Eucalyptus and Tea Tree Oils:

Melaleuca alternifolia (Tea Tree) Oil: a Review of Antimicrobial and Other Medicinal Properties | US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health |2006 Jan; 19(1): 50–62.
Antibacterial activity of the essential oils from the leaves of Eucalyptus globulus against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus | US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health | 2012 Sep; 2(9): 739–742.

Remember, when you use water in a homemade cleaning product without a preservative you always run the risk of introducing bacteria, which is why I use distilled water, while this helps limit possible contamination, you should also use water-based cleaners quickly. If you are unsure how long it will take you to use up this cleaner start out by making half a batch. Also, make sure to check out my post on Getting Started with Homemade Natural Cleaners for more tips and pointers on homemade cleaners use and related safety precautions.

Essential oils, while natural are highly concentrated and there are safety concerns associated with improper use of essential oils. Essential oils should be used with caution, as some can trigger allergic reactions if it comes into contact with the skin for some individuals. Pregnant women should consult a doctor before using essential oils, and care should be taken to always store essential oils out of reach of children.
The DIY cleaning recipes on this website are based on my personal experiences. Obviously, I don’t have a lab to test the efficacy of these products on germs, and I am not a trained chemist or cleaning specialist. The DIY recipes shared on this website are the results of my own research at reputable sources, and experiences within my own home. Information about my cleaning recipes has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Please use your own discretion, based on your own research, when making homemade products.

Daily Schedule for the 50’s Housewife

I attempted the vintage housewife challenge last year but fell short in my efforts once spring rolled around. I have a suspicion all the schedules and lists I am finding online where the typical SUBURBAN 1950’s housewife schedule. I live on a small family farm in the Northeast, we are somewhat rural, but not as isolated as families would be on a Midwestern ranch. In the spring and summer I am out helping my husband with the crops, animals, and harvests, I deliver orders to stores, and also spend a significant amount of time running to get tractor parts and taking kids to sporting events. It is not humanly possible to tackle the daily schedule of a 1950’s housewife for me during the spring and summer months, but winter and fall are a whole different story!

I am undeterred by my previous attempt and trying this again! I have created a simple printable to keep myself on schedule during the day if you are joining me in the 1950’s housewife challenge feel free to print off your own copy and hang it on your fridge: Daily Schedule for the 50’s Housewife

The schedule which has been widely circulated on the interwebz, and greatly debated, but does seem to be an accurate representation of the typical middle-class suburban 1950’s housewife’s day, and will provide structure for my day going forward. I will undertake all my daily tasks as authentically as possible. The typical family only had one car, which means less impulsive trips into town for me. I will manage the household finances frugally, and provide tasty full meals, complete with dessert DAILY. I will also put forth an effort to bring a little bit of glamor to my appearance (goodbye, yoga pants, and messy hair knot! ).

Daily Schedule for the 50’s Housewife:

Throw back the covers
Open up the blinds and windows
Freshen up
Make and serve breakfast
Clean up breakfast
Complete a 10-minute exercise regime
Shower, do hair and makeup, get dressed
Gather a basket for tidying. As the rooms of the home are tackled, pick up items that aren’t where they belong and place them in a basket. Redistribute them where they should be as you enter a new room
Straighten up the living and dining room, including picking up potential clutter, light dusting, fluffing/straightening pillows, and watering plants or flowers
Make the beds
Tidy the bedroom, including light dusting
Hang up any clothes that may be about or ensure dirty ones are in the hamper
Do a light tidy of the bathroom including removing and replacing used towels, refilling toilet paper and soap (if needed) and cleaning the sink and basin area including soap dishes
Review the menu for the current day and the next and compare it to what’s currently available in the home. Make note of anything that needs to be prepared ahead of time or marketing (shopping) that needs to get done
Begin long-advance preparations for dinner (such as making dessert)
Wipe down kitchen work surfaces and inside the fridge
Dispose of garbage
Rinse dish cloths and hang to dry
Sweep or mop the kitchen floor
Handle errands that might take you out of the home (such as marketing, volunteering, going to the post office, getting an item fixed, etc), bookkeeping, correspondence, or indulge in a hobby
If returning from the grocery store, wash vegetables, wrap them and put them away. Place rest of groceries or purchases in their proper place
Have a quick lunch
Start advance food conditioning like crisping vegetables or thawing frozen foods
Handle weekly chore for the day (more on that below)
Set the table for dinner
Arrange the living room for evening enjoyment (such as “the Mister’s” newspaper, book, and cigarettes)
Do a quick sweep of the floors and ensure entrance ways are clear
Prepare a special dish for dinner
Freshen up before the husband returns from work. Consider changing into something more festive if the day dress is plain
Set out a tray with equipment for making cocktails, should “the Mister” want to serve drinks before dinner
Greet husband “gayly”
Serve dinner
Clear table and wash dishes
Pour boiling water down the sink to ensure pipes are flushed
If necessary, pack the husband’s lunch for the next day. Set aside a lunch tray in the refrigerator for yourself if having leftovers
Set table for breakfast
Ensure breakfast foods are available and do any make-ahead preparations for it
Enjoy an evening of relaxation

Also, each day there is a once-a-week chore to tackle, such as:

Use metal polish on bathroom fixtures
Clean and disinfect all kitchen appliances
Scald and disinfect bread boxes and garbage pails and bins
Replace flowers with fresh bouquets

Homemade Sweet Corn Relish

I have had a time this summer keeping up with everything. There is just so much to do, and not enough daylight hours to do it all! I live on a small family farm, and our primary crop is sweet corn. The corn needs to be picked daily, by hand. Once the corn has been picked, it is counted into banana boxes and loaded into a truck for delivery to local grocery stores and farm stands. If you are wondering where I fit into this equation, I am the corn delivery lady. Every day I spend about 2.5 hours delivering the corn. Don’t get me wrong it is not a bad job, but it is time-consuming, and it seems as soon as I am home it is time to go out and pick again!

But I have been very intentional this year about “putting up” food. I squeeze canning and freezing into the small pockets of time I have during the day. I have discovered a love for small batch canning. Small batch canning is perfectly suited for these micro-canning sessions, and it was while scouting the internet for small batch pickling recipes that I ran across this recipe for sweet corn relish, on a whim I decided to try it. Why not? I practically have corn coming out of my ears at this point!

I was so glad I made this relish, it is possibly my favorite canning recipe of the year! Seriously, it is THAT good.

This relish has so much flavor! It is amazing. It was so good I had to make a couple of batches. It is great on tacos and fajitas, I have sprinkled it on salads, and stirred it into potato salad (definitely try that, you will love it!). My husband scoops it straight out of the jar with a corn tortilla, like a salsa. The possibilities are endless here.

The original recipe calls for the corn to be blanched prior to being cut off the cob. But with the 15 minute simmer time in the vinegar mixture, I thought that extra step was excessive, and could possibly result in overcooked corn. After scouting the internet, EVEN more, I found several corn relish recipes that do not call for blanching and decided to skip that step.

Print Recipe

Homemade Sweet Corn Relish

This homemade sweet corn relish is great on tacos and fajitas, sprinkled it on salads, and stirred it into potato salad. It is an easy hot water bath canning recipe, that you will love!

Prep Time30 mins

Cook Time15 mins

Total Time1 hr

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Canning

Servings: 6 half pint jars

Ingredients

2 cups white vinegar
2/3 cup sugar
1 Tbsp salt
4 cups corn kernels about 8 ears
2 cups diced mixed red and green bell peppers about 2 large
3/4 cup diced celery about 2 stalks
1/2 cup finely chopped onion about 1 small
1 Tbsp dry mustard
1 tsp celery seeds
1 tsp ground turmeric

Instructions

PREPARE boiling water canner. Heat jars and lids in simmering water until ready for use. Do not boil. Set bands aside.
COMBINE vinegar, sugar, and salt in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Add corn, red and green peppers, celery, onion, mustard, celery seeds and turmeric. Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes, stirring frequently.
LADLE hot relish into hot jars leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe rim. Center hot lid on jar. Apply band and adjust until fit is fingertip tight. Place jar in boiling water canner. Repeat until all jars are filled.
PROCESS jars for 15 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Turn off heat; remove the lid and let jars stand 5 minutes. Remove jars and cool. Check lids for seal after 24 hours. The lid should not flex up and down when the center is pressed.

Notes

Keep the jars stored in a cool dark place. They’ll keep for at least a year. Once opened, store in the fridge for up to two months.

Recipe Adapted From Ball Fresh Preserving

Motivated Moms Review

I like to think I am a pretty tidy person, but life happens and things can fall through the cracks. If you have spent any amount of time looking for resources to the help you keep a clean house you probably have stumbled upon the Motivated Moms app or MOMO for short. I am always looking to streamline my routine and decided to take this app for a test drive to see how it works, who would benefit from it, and who might want to look elsewhere for guidance.

The MOMO app is available on iTunes and Google Play. I tried out the android version and placed the icon top and kind of the center of my home screen so I could easily access it, and would be more likely to use it.

The motivated mom app is essentially a daily checklist of tasks, it is not an impossible list, but instead a daily list of simple chores, that repeat weekly to help you stay on top of your basic responsibilities without becoming overwhelmed. It’s not meant to keep your home open house spotless. It’s about helping you build habits and routines to be more efficient and purposeful with your responsibilities as a homemaker.

At the time of publishing this post, my test run of Motivated Moms ran for the length of 2 weeks. I decided to try out the “lite” version aka the free version. The App comes preloaded with about 14 daily tasks that are to be done every day, and 3-6 day specific tasks. With the lite version, you can add up to 5 of your own additional tasks daily.

The app includes 2 months of tasks and server access. Additional time and tasks can be added via in-app purchase. The are basics are all listed for you: Change dish towel, Clean kitchen sink, Empty trash, Do Laundry etc. The app also recommends daily bible readings, not religious? You can hide these reminders, but it doesn’t free up any additional space in the free plan, you are still only limited to adding 5 chores of your choosing. Things I would have liked to see on the app? Maybe a notification or status bar that reminds you how many tasks you have yet to complete…

The Downside To The Motivated Mom App

I was hoping to find a more structured long-term plan to make sure everything got done on a routine basis. Everyone’s cleaning challenges are unique, but for me personally when I have struggled with keeping house, at one time or another, it is because I have allowed clutter to accumulate, and have become overwhelmed. Some of this is due to procrastination: “I don’t have the time to deal with this right now”, so it is added to a pile. And despite all my good intentions to deal with that pile at some point in the near future, it tends to just get bigger and bigger.

If I don’t make my bed on a daily basis, nothing happens, there is no cumulative effect. However, if I don’t have a plan to deal with junk drawers full of unneeded items (rubber bands, old batteries, or old keys), closets full of clothes we longer wear, and other family members’ clutter that have a tendency to invade our common spaces, there is a very noticeable difference in the tidiness of our house.

As helpful as some of the chores on the motivated mom app are to some, I don’t need reminders to clip my children’s fingernails, I need to focus on removing the excess in a systemic way, so it will be easier to develop habits to better manage my household. With the lite version I could only see the tasks a week or two ahead of time, and from what I could see once a week there is a recommended spot to declutter, but these seem more like an afterthought, and there doesn’t seem to be a fixed plan or system to slowly declutter an entire house.

Could I have paid for the full version, subscribed to the yearly plan and overhauled all the tasks within the app to fit my needs? Absolutely! Would it be an efficient use of my time? Probably not. There are many free apps that allow me to make lists. I am currently using Trello and a physical paper planner to keep myself organized, and I have to say there is something about the act of using a pen and writing something down that triggers my brain to register the note as an action item.

I don’t want to sound like I am discouraging anyone from trying the MOMO App. I actually think this app could be amazing to someone who is struggling to set routines and create habits. Particularly I could see certain situations where MOMO would be great:

Mom with a new baby – no matter whether is is the first little one or the fifth. A new addition to the family can be a big time of adjustment and can leave you feeling scattered as you adjust to a schedule that is no longer set by you. MOMO will probably help you get things accomplished in the small pockets of time you have available.

Newlywed – Having a Motivated Moms planner can help set the foundation for a lifetime of successful home management.

Family Sickness or Crisis– Mom is sick, a child has surgery, or dad loses his jobs; all of these events can throw the best of us off track. Having this system available can be a blessing during these times.

Organizationally Challenged – For the wife/mom who just can’t seem to set up and implement a system, this is perfect. The day’s and week’s schedules of tasks/chores are not overwhelming. It provides a guideline you can later build on to help you have a clean home and time for life.

Bottom line, this app is great for creating daily routines, but not for those of us looking for an organizational tool to keep track of routine tasks (like housework and declutters) to avoid the snowball effect that results in days of cleaning, decluttering, and organization, this app is a pass.

What are your thoughts? Do you use the MOMO app? Am I missing something?

Lazy Daisy Cake (1940’s Recipe)

Lazy Daisy Cake a recipe from the 1940’s is one of my favorite vintage cakes! I can just imagine a vintage housewife serving it with coffee to a group of lady friends while saying “I didn’t have time to go all out, so I just whipped this cake up”.

The name implies a simple cake, especially with the fuss-free broiled frosting that is so quick and easy. But this isn’t just any plain jane cake. The dense yet fluffy vanilla cake, is great on its own, in fact, it also goes by the name hot milk cake which is good in its own right, but when topped with the coconut-butter-brown sugar topping, there is just something so undeniably good about this cake, it is easy to see why this recipe has stood the test of time.

I really wish I could pin down an exact date of publication for this recipe, but after a lot of Googling all I could come up with are comments on recipes such as: “a staple in my Grandmother’s house“, “Mama’s ‘never fail’ recipe“,”As a child my Grandmother made this for me.” , “been around since the 30’s“. I didn’t feel there was much to be learned about the origins of this recipe, but it was clear that many others know and love this cake, and have for a very long time. I also think it is safe to assume that before boxed cake mixes, this was the original convenience cake.

Lazy Daisy Cake

When I first got married, I found this recipe in a cookbook that was given to me. And in all honesty, the recipe had me at lazy. With a new baby, new house and a whole lot of inexperience in the cooking department I figured any cake that had lazy in the name must surely be easy enough for me. I was wrong, or at least I didn’t fully account for the effect of the lack of sleep from the said newborn baby and forgot the cream in the topping. This was only one of many cooking from scratch failures that happened in the early days, I sure cranked out my fair share of kitchen disasters. The exclusion of milk in the topping wasn’t really a disaster, but the topping cooked to a hard praline candy-like coating, and it took me years to give this recipe another try.

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Lazy Daisy Cake

The classic hot milk vanilla cake with a coconut-butter-brown sugar topping.

Prep Time20 mins

Cook Time35 mins

Total Time55 mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Retro Recipe

Servings: 12 people

Author: Jen

Ingredients

Cake

4 large eggs
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter cubed
1 cup milk

Coconut Topping

1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
3/4 cup butter
1/2 cup half-and-half cream
2 cups flaked coconut

Instructions

In a large bowl, beat the eggs, sugar and vanilla until thick and pale yellow, about 4 minutes. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; add to egg mixture and beat just until combined. In a saucepan, bring milk and butter to a boil, stirring constantly. Add to batter and beat until combined.
Pour into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan. Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
While the cake bakes prepare the icing. In a medium saucepan combine the brown sugar, butter, and cream. Cook the mixture over medium heat until it comes to a boil then turn off the heat and stir in the coconut.
Once the cake has baked remove it from the oven and turn on the broiler. Spread the icing evenly over the cake, then place the cake under the broiler for 3-5 minutes, or until the icing is bubbling all over. Remove the cake from the oven to a wire cooling rack and cool to room temperature in the pan before slicing and serving. Keeps for up to three days in an air tight container at room temperature.

Lazy Daisy Cake

My recipe makes a large 9×13 pan, big enough to take to a pot-luck or to keep in the pantry for your family to snack on through the weekend, it will stay fresh for 3 days at room temperature if covered. But if you don’t want to make that much cake this cake is very easily scaled down, just use a 8 or 9 inch round or square pan and Bake at 350° for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

Dinner is Served, 1950’s Style

My first week as a 1950’s housewife went by so quickly! If you are new here, or just as a recap. I am diving head first into recreating the 1950’s housewife’s typical day. But, because becoming the ultimate 1950’s housewife is a huge undertaking, I will be writing about one specific aspect of the Challenge each week. I will write weekly about my progress or resistance and share it here every Tuesday evening. Follow along on Facebook or Instagram for peaks into my day throughout the week, or sign up to my email list to get my weekly updates delivered directly to your inbox!

Serving Up Vintage Style Family Dinners

I decided that the family dinner was the first topic I was going to delve into here because I feel it is the cornerstone that family relationships are built on, and yet this meal time ritual is quickly slipping away from our society. It’s estimated that only 30 percent of families regularly eat meals together.

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We live side by side with our family, yet it is not uncommon to have no idea about what’s going on in their lives. There’s been at least a million articles written about technology’s impact on our relationships, and they all seem to come to the same conclusion: technology isn’t, bad but the way we use it is. All our tweeting, likes, and follows connect us to people across the world, but also at the same time distance us from the person sitting right next to us, like our families.

This part of the 1950’s housewife challenge was about more than just the food, although I did try to create traditional family meals. I wanted to recreate a nicely set table, and a beautifully prepared meal that would encourage lingering around the table, conversation, and a break from the hustle and bustle of the outside world.

[clickToTweet tweet=”The ritual of family dinner is worth preserving” quote=”The ritual of family dinner is worth preserving”]

I decided we needed to lay some ground rules for our family dinner. I know, it sounds rigid and not fun, but the ritual of family dinner is worth preserving, and honestly no one balked at the rules and expectations, it just wasn’t a big deal.

No Devices: no TV, cellphones, tablets, or any other device that beeps, tweets, or rings.
Begin with grace. If you’re not religious, have everyone share something that they’re grateful for that day.
Family news: everyone takes turns sharing something positive and negative that has happened to them during the day.
Contribute to the conversation. I consider this a life skill, and one day my children will thank me. Each person is expected to bring something interesting to the table that they’ve read or heard during the day.
Help with cleanup. Again, this gets everyone involved and contributing to the family dinner. Why should one person do all the work?
Compliment the cook Ok, so this may be a little self-serving, as I am the cook, but when my kids go to a friends house I want them to be in the habit of doing this, and good manners start at home.

Admittedly, planning meals is a habit I have yet to perfect. It’s not that meal planning is hard, but you need to actually sit down and do it for it to be effective 🙂 To make this easier for me I picked Sunday morning to be my meal planning time. I sit down with the Sunday paper inserts and check the sales for good deals on meats and fresh produce, and build my meals around sale items, and things already in my freezer. I also clip any coupons that are of interest to me. I have found sitting down with a cup of coffee, and leisurely going through the circulars is much more enjoyable than trying to scribble down a list right before I run out the door to the store.

Here is what dinner looked like as my first week as a 1950’s housewife, along with a few observations:

Sunday

Pot Roast, Mashed Potatoes, Gravy, Roasted Carrots. Brownies for dessert.

Dinner went as planned, with the exception of dessert, I had planned on cherry pie, but I couldn’t shake a general worn down feeling. In fact, mid-afternoon, while my roast was in the oven, and my husband was watching college basketball, I dozed off briefly. I should have known at that point something was brewing and went to bed early, instead, I plugged along, and stayed up late to do the laundry that fell behind while the kids were on winter break. Needless to say, the brownies were not homemade, but I am feeling good about this portion of the challenge!

Monday

Baked Split Chicken Breasts, Garlic and Herb Couscous, Green Beans.

I had intended to make my children breakfast before they went to school, but the lurking feeling of unwellness from Sunday had turned into the full blown stomach flu. My oldest daughter stepped up without even being asked and cooked ham and eggs! After a day of rest, and because I had planned ahead (so much thought wasn’t needed) I was able to cook dinner but opted out of dessert.

On a side note, all the confidence I was feeling Sunday was slowly starting to slip away today. I have thrown a couple of loads of laundry in and kept up on dishes, but that is about all. When I am feeling better and completely ready to dive into the 1950’s housewife challenge I am going to have my work cut out for me.

Tuesday

Meatloaf, Homemade Mac-n-Cheese, Beans

Another easy peasy meal, we are enjoying family dinner night, and each other company around the table.

Wednesday

Hot dogs, grilled veggies, potato chips

Thursday is traditionally my shopping day, but I am switching it up this week because I had a hair appointment this morning. So I made a meal plan for next week and did my shopping after I visited the hair stylist. If you have questioned my commitment to this challenge, let me lay your concerns to rest, today I had 3 inches of hair cut off so I can properly style my hair because no 1950’s housewife would leave her house unless her hair was perfectly coiffed. My hair was way overdue for a trim, but it has not been this short (above my shoulders) in a very long time, I haven’t broken out my hair rollers yet and attempted a vintage inspired style, but when I do I will be sure to share photos.

Thursday

Homemade pizza, tossed salad, angel food cake.

Today I really started to get back into my groove after my stomach bug. I deep cleaned both my bathrooms, worked on laundry, and made an angel food cake for dessert.

Friday

Beer Battered Fish Fry, cole slaw, oven baked french fries, Lazy Daisy Cake.

#FishForFriday, it’s a thing, and so easy to do at home!

Saturday

Cabbage Rolls, tossed salad, Italian Bread

My mother made a batch of cabbage rolls, and graciously delivered a huge pan to us for dinner! There are plenty of leftovers so we will eat those Monday for dinner also.

Sunday

Corned Beef, Cabbage, Carrots, & Potatoes, with Rye Bread. Brownies for Dessert

Sunday was the family fun day, my son had a friend over, the girls and I watched a movie, and we spent a lazy afternoon at home. It was a nice break from the hustle and bustle of youth sports, and all the accompanying running around.

Of all the aspects of the 1950’s housewife challenge, reinstituting (or in my case becoming more structured) with the family dinner possibly pays the biggest dividends. After only one week I feel my family is more connected. I know there are many challenges that stand in between any given family and a sit-down family dinner, but I do believe if you can overcome those obstacles you will find family dinner is the time to relax, reconnect, catch up on the day’s ups and downs, all while developing a sense of who we are as a family.

[clickToTweet tweet=”Family dinner is the time to relax, and reconnect while developing a sense of who we are as a family.” quote=”Family dinner is the time to relax, and reconnect while developing a sense of who we are as a family.”]

The 40 Bags In 40 Days Challenge

Last week I undertook the 40 bag challenge, again. I did this last year and because stuff never ceases finding a way into my house, I gladly purchased a new pack of trashbags, set aside a spot in my garage for donations and got to work.

WHAT IS 40 BAGS IN 40 DAYS?

You can find the official challenge at White House Black Shutters. Very simplified it is a rapid fire period of declutter-ation. The goal is to fill up a bag of stuff you no longer need or want — it can be stuff you want to donate, resell or simply put in the trash bin. The bag can be a large trash bag or a small grocery bag, it doesn’t matter as long as you’re filling up a bag and getting rid of it each day.

The 40 bags in 40 days coincides with the 40 days of Lent, each day you pick an area to declutter and fill a bag with stuff to get rid of. It is that simple!

The goal is one bag a day, however, you can have more or less. The 2017 Challenge starts March 1st and goes to April 15th.

I am a big picture kind of gal, and I have already plotted my course based on my trouble areas, and I thought I would share my 40-day action plan with you, in case you are finding yourself in need of a little inspiration. This really is a great ‘boot camp’ style of declutter-ification, and once I got started I found it very therapeutic to let go of so much. And you know what? I don’t miss it, any of it!

I tried to cluster my areas that need work by room, but I will be working in each area according to my estimated time I need to finish a section. Closets will require more time so I will do those while the kids are at school, and save smaller projects for weekends.

My 40 Day Declutterathon

Declutter Adult Clothing (Dressers): There’s only so much space to store clothes, and there is only so long a person can hold on to a leather bomber jacket. If it hasn’t been worn in a year it is out of here!
Declutter Adult Clothing (Closets): Same as dressers!
Declutter Kids Clothing (Dressers): As someone who occasionally struggles with keeping laundry under control, more isn’t always better. In fact, I find it actually works against me. My kids will sort through their clothes looking for a favorite shirt or comfy shorts, dropping whatever else was out of favor on the floor, which would end up in the laundry basket, needlessly adding to the size of Mt. Washmore. I am going to significantly pare down the kids clothes!
Declutter Kids Clothing (closets) Same as Dressers & have kids help!
Kitchen drawers silverware, serving utensils, plastic wrap, storage bags etc.
Kitchen Cupboards and pantry containing food items. Toss expired foods, opened items we didn’t like, and consolidate any duplicates into one container.
Fridge Toss expired foods, opened items we didn’t like, and consolidate any duplicates into one container.
Freezer Toss expired foods, opened items we didn’t like, and consolidate any duplicates into one container. Defrost iceberg that is forming in back of icemaker.
Kitchen Cupboards containing pots and pans, serve ware, and plastic storage containers.
Small Appliances Gather all the small appliances from around the house (don’t forget those you’re storing in the basement, garage, attic, etc.) Throw away or recycle* any that don’t work or are missing important parts. Donate, give away or sell any that you have not used in the past year. *Contact your local town or county government to see if it offers an appliance and electronic recycling/disposal program.
Kitchen Paper Clutter Cookbooks, recipes, owners manuals or any other paper items stored in the kitchen.
Kitchen Linens and microfiber cleaning clothes. Any looking like they’ve seen better days? I send mine to the shop with my husband to use a grease rags.
Kitchen Under-Sink Storage Area Declutter cleaning products, supplies, and other stuff I’ve been shoving under there.
Junk Drawer (s) I have a few drawers that classify as junk drawers that are in need of a thorough going through, I will ruthlessly purge the crap and organize the rest.
Bathroom #1 Declutter vanity drawers, countertop, and other flat surfaces. Toss all garbage that is on the counter (empty toothpaste tubes, tissues, etc.). Throw out any old makeup. Relocate any items that don’t belong on the counter.
Medicine Cabinet or vitamin/home remedies cabinet or cupboard. Go through and discard any that are expired. Our community collects medications at the local police station, contact your local town or county government collection days or locations for turning in unused medications. Or you can ask your local pharmacy if such a program exists in your area or how best to dispose of specific medications.
Bathroom #2 Toss all garbage that is on the counter (empty toothpaste tubes, tissues, etc.). Throw out any old makeup. Relocate any items that don’t belong on the counter.
Front Entry, We don’t have much in our front entryway, but I would like to create a dedicated space to contain all the “out-the-door” essentials for each person.
Front Entry Closet or wherever you store coats and shoes. Throw out any coats and shoes that are ripped, torn, or completely worn out. Give away or donate any jackets that no longer fit anyone in the family. Give away or donate all coats and shoes that have not been worn in the last year (that allows for seasonal changes). Limit each family member to 1 dressy coat and 1 daily coat per season in the front hallway, all others can go in their respective closets.
Back Entry Same as Front Entry if applicable.
Office Desk Pare down desk items, sort papers, relocate items that don’t belong on my desk. I don’t have desk drawers, but if I did I would go through those too 😉
Mail I have a mail shelf that quickly gets out of control, I will deal with this, I will also use this day to contact The Direct Marketing Association’s (DMA) Mail Preference Service (MPS) and opt out of receiving unsolicited commercial mail from many national companies for five years. When you register with this service, your name will be put on a “delete” file and made available to direct-mail marketers and organizations. This will reduce most of your unsolicited mail.
Office Cabinets Shred any unnecessary paperwork with your name, address, or account numbers on it, consult this post on how long to keep tax and financial documents.
Living room put items that don’t belong in the living room away (I’m talking about you kids toys), this is also a good time to give your furniture a good hard look, Does it all fit, or does the space feel cramped ? If there is still too much stuff for the space available now is as good of time as any to make some harder decisions about moving big items or letting them go.
Adult Books and movies or CDs Return any that don’t belong to you. Purge any that you haven’t listened, read, or watched in over a year (or whatever time period you think is reasonable). Purge any that you don’t enjoy.
Dining Room I have to confess one end of my dining room table always has “junk” on it, kids school papers, documents I need to deal with. This is the day I sort it and create a system for dealing with it, that doesn’t involve me looking at it while I eat.
Kids Toys Throw away any toys that are broken or have missing pieces. Relocate items that are mixed in with toys but belong somewhere else. Donate, give away, or sell all toys that the kids have outgrown.
Kids Books and movies or CDs Books are hard for me, I understand they can be special, that being said I don’t declutter these without my kiddos present, I am always surprised at what they are willing to let go and what they value and want to keep. Guide them to donate, give away, or sell all the books and movies that they have outgrown.
Craft, hobby or sewing supplies. We keep ours in a bin that looks like a glitter bomb exploded in it, that I generally avoid like the plaque, but not today!
Laundry Room Recycle any empty detergent bottles that are lying around, Finally toss those socks that have been mismatched for awhile.
Closets Sadly we don’t have many of these in our old farm house, but we do have a couple of under-stairway storage areas I will be tackling.
Linen closet. Bed sheets and pillow cases, throw blankets, any other linens that you haven’t gone through yet.
Kids Backpacks & School Supplies.
Holiday supplies and decorations (includes Christmas ornaments and decor, as well as other holidays, and you could also include things like gift wrap).
Adult Bedroom Clear flat surfaces of clutter: Bedside Stand: Clear off the surface of the night tables and decorate only with those items that are needed, and a couple of pretty decorative items. Go through any drawers and get rid of those items that you do not need, love, or need to access at night. Dressers often the dresser becomes a catch all when things don’t have a real home, find a home for these things or get rid of them!
Kids Bedroom: Clear flat surfaces of clutter. Bedside Stand: Clear off the surface of night tables and decorate only with needed items, and a couple of special decorative items. Go through any drawers and get rid of junk. Dressers often the dresser becomes a catch all when things don’t have a real home, find a home for these things or get rid of them!
Garage- Day 1. The Garage is near the end of the 40 challenge because this is where I am storing my donations. If you don’t have a garage, this could be your attic, a storage closet, or shed.
Garage- Day 2. If you don’t need a second day for the garage (I will!), you could use this day to tidy your front or back porch, sweep walkways, or put away seasonal decor items that may have been outside.
Don’t forget your car! So much junk accumulates in my car, I will use one day to go through and give it a good sorting and cleaning.
Any area of your home that hasn’t been addressed yet. I will use this day to deliver my donation and recyclable items to the proper location.

This is my 40 day plan! As I type this I am well into day 6 and have already cleared the fridge, freezer, adult closets, Master bedroom flat surfaces, laundry area and master bathroom, and I am feeling really good about my progress!

Are you doing the 40 BAGS IN 40 DAYS CHALLENGE? Do you plot out your plan of attack also or just wing it?

The 1950’s Housewife Challenge

Chances are you have seen the “Good wife Guide”. This guide originally started as a chain email (remember those?) but it is now more frequently shared on Facebook. There are usually some remarks about how far we’ve come as a society, and then it usually gets torn to shreds about the sexist treatment of women. I am not here to argue about whether a woman belongs in the kitchen or the boardroom, that decision is personal, and honestly I think a woman belongs wherever she feels the most fulfilled.

This list of the ideal characteristics of a wife has launched many 1950’s Housewife Challenges, women undertake the role of 1950’s super-wife for a brief period of time. I admit I am curious if the soft skills of the 1950’s housewife would have an impact on my marriage, if daily life will run a little smoother in my household if everything is exceptionally tidy, and most of all I am curious will I resent my family’s slobbish tendencies after I spent the majority of my time cleaning?

The Good Wife’s Guide

The following is a viral post that is presented as an excerpt from a 1950’s home economics textbook intended for high school girls, teaching them how to prepare for married life. However, Snopes discredited this claim. While the list may not be an authentic period publication I do believe it to be a relatively accurate reflection of the mainstream vision of a woman’s role in post-war America, and therefore will be using this as a daily guide during my 1950’s Housewife Challenge.

1. Have dinner ready: Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal — on time. This is a way of letting him know that you have been thinking about him, and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they come home and the prospects of a good meal are part of the warm welcome needed.

2. Prepare yourself: Take 15 minutes to rest so you will be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your makeup, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh looking. He has just been with a lot of work-weary people. Be a little gay and a little more interesting. His boring day may need a lift.

3. Clear away the clutter. Make one last trip through the main part of the house just before your husband arrives, gathering up school books, toys, paper, etc. Then run a dust cloth over the tables. Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of rest and order, and it will give you a lift, too.

4. Prepare the children: Take a few minutes to wash the children’s hands and faces if they are small, comb their hair, and if necessary, change their clothes. They are little treasures and he would like to see them playing the part.

5. Minimize the noise: At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of washer, dryer, dishwasher or vacuum. Try to encourage the children to be quiet. Be happy to see him. Greet him with a warm smile and be glad to see him.

6. Some Don’ts: Don’t greet him with problems or complaints. Don’t complain if he’s late for dinner. Count this as minor compared with what he might have gone through that day.

7. Make him comfortable: Have him lean back in a comfortable chair or suggest he lie down in the bedroom. Have a cool or warm drink ready for him. Arrange his pillow and offer to take off his shoes. Speak in a low, soft, soothing and pleasant voice. Allow him to relax and unwind.

8. Listen to him: You may have a dozen things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first.

9. Make the evening his: Never complain if he does not take you out to dinner or to other places of entertainment; instead, try to understand his world of strain and pressure, his need to be home and relax.

10. The goal: Try to make your home a place of peace and order where your husband can relax.

My Take on the 1950’s Housewife Challenge

This challenge is not new, in fact, it has been done numerous times by many different bloggers. Some focus on appearance, other’s on relying less on modern conveniences, both are fun and worthy causes!

My desire is perhaps a little more subtle. After the recent American election, there seems to be such hostility, rules of decorum seemingly thrown out the window. I long for the grace and thoughtfulness that the mid-century woman embodied. I will create a haven at home, nurture my family, and socialize the way women in the 1950’s would have. I will be gracious and kind, striving to make everyone around me feel comfortable and liked.

I will also undertake my daily tasks as authentically as possible. The typical family only had one car, which means less impulsive trips into town for me. I will manage the household finances frugally, and provide tasty full meals, complete with dessert DAILY. I will also put forth an effort to bring a little bit of glamor to my appearance (goodbye, yoga pants! ).

The 1950’s Housewife Challenge:

Week #1: Dinner is Served, 1950’s Style

Want to follow along with my 1950’s Housewife Challenge? Becoming the ultimate 1950’s housewife seems like a big goal, so I will be undertaking one specific aspect of the Challenge each week, adding habits and traits in subsequent weeks. I will write weekly about my progress or resistance and share it here every Tuesday evening. Follow along on Facebook or Instagram for peaks into my day throughout the week, or sign up to my email list to get my weekly updates delivered directly to your inbox!