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Emerson Publications
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The Family First
Newsletter In this issue:
Freezer Smarts Cooking Under Pressure What
You Ought to Know Before Getting Married
Good morning!
I hope you had a safe and patriotic Fourth of July! We went to a pancake breakfast and flag raising at the church, followed by fireworks at our daughter's in the evening. The rain managed to stop long enough for us to step outside for a little while.
This week I am shamelessly promoting my daughter's new website, www.freezersmarts.com If you're looking for an easier way to manage your meals and eating at home, take a look. If you go to the site, you'll see a free download with five of her easiest recipes PLUS a full 29 pages of information. If you find something you want to buy, you get a 10% discount as a reader of this newsletter.
Freezer Smarts
I love freezer cooking! Ever since my
friend, Brenda, showed me how freezer cooking allowed her to feed her family of
6 for $200 - I have been hooked. Brenda knew that one day spent filling the
freezer with dinners meant 1) less time cooking every night for the rest of the
month, 2) easy cleanup after dinner (just plates & the actual cooking pan or
baking dish!), 3) less impulse eating out, 4) more variety and 5) huge money
savings.
Joey Hall is the creator and owner of
FreezerSmarts.com. Visit her website for your free starter kit, and
be sure to tell your friends about it! Being a Mom is a Career!
Cooking Under Pressure I feel like I’m always cooking under pressure! When I worked outside the home, I think I was more organized with my meal planning than I am now. Many times, however, I would stop at the store on the way home if I hadn’t figured out what I’d cook before I left the house that morning. Working at home, it’s just too much trouble to run out and pick something up at 5 pm. For one thing, this is peak traffic time because all the other moms are out there picking up their groceries for dinner! Well, all those who aren’t in a drive-up lane somewhere picking up food!
I can’t remember married life without a Crock Pot, and it is one of my frequently used appliances. Sunday is the day it gets used the most because I like to come home to a nice meal after a rather long day at church. I usually prepare a roast with potatoes and carrots in the pot, but I’ve even become creative enough to cook lasagna, and my family loved it. I cook the meat, add the tomato sauce, and then just briefly cook the noodles. Assemble everything in the pot and turn it on low. By using the pot instead of my oven, it keeps the house cooler and the lasagna isn’t as dry.
One of the disadvantages to a Crock Pot is that you have to be prepared. You’ve got to get up with the chickens and do all that chopping and peeling. My alternative way to prepare a quick meal is to use my pressure cooker. If you own a pressure cooker, it’s probably because you grew up with a mother who used one! I grew up in a home where the pressure cooker was mostly used for canning, but I have found that there’s nothing better for preparing tasty, tender meat in a relatively short amount of time, without drying it out!
Just this week I made one of my husband’s favorites – Swiss Steak. I put a little unflavored coconut oil in the bottom of the pan, cut serving size pieces of round steak, dipped them in flour, and then browned them in the oil. Once I’d browned both sides, I added a can of stewed tomatoes, a bit of honey, then tightened the lid and attached the weight, using the 10# pressure. I listened until it started to whistle, and then adjusted the heat so it wasn’t whistling constantly. While that was cooking, I peeled some potatoes and put them in a pot to boil. I sliced some fresh cucumbers from the garden and then set the timer for about 20 minutes. At that point, I turned the burners off and waited for the pressure cooker to cool down so I could remove the weight and the lid.
I had bought a huge slab of round steak at the grocery store, so one night we used about half of it for the Swiss Steak, and the next night, I made Pepper Steak. I went through some of the same steps, but this time added other ingredients. While it cooked, I made the rice and sliced the green pepper. When cooking was complete, I added the green pepper, turned up the heat just a bit, added cornstarch to thicken, and dinner was ready!
If you have never used a pressure cooker, please talk to someone who can give you some guidance, or at least read the directions. It’s important to know that you NEVER, EVER try to remove the lid until the pressure has returned to normal. You’ll know that when there’s no more steam escaping through the vent.
Here’s an excellent site with information just about all you’ll need to know about pressure cookers, including some recipes. http://www.fabulousfoods.com/school/cstools/pressurecooker/pressurecooker.html
The key to all of this is being prepared enough to have the ingredients. While the Crock Pot demands that you’re prepared the night before so you can do everything first thing in the morning, the pressure cooker allows you to procrastinate until the end of the day!
Copyright 2007. Joyce Moseley Pierce is a freelance writer and contributor to the Chicken Soup for the Soul series. She’s the owner of Emerson Publications, creator of e-books, and publisher of the Family First ezine. Visit her website, www.emersonpublications.com for more information on being prepared and for helping you turn an everyday expense into an income. Are they paying you what you're worth? If not, contact us. Call 832-201-0863 and listen to a brief 30 second overview. What You Ought To Know Before Getting Married by Michael Douglas It's the same story with the same fairy tale ending. Boy meets girl. Love. Kisses. Miss made Mrs. And everyone assumes that they'll live happily ever after. But do they? If you don't want your marriage to go wrong you should understand that contrary to popular belief, nothing goes right in marriage unless you are mentally prepared for life together. Pointers to help you. Don't waver between, "Should I?" or "Should I not?" Entering into anything half-heartedly can end in disaster. If marriage is not what you want, do not be forced or cajoled into it. Being single has its own charm - the freedom it gives one is a wonderful lure. If marriage is something you do want, be sure that you feel drawn to your partner-to-be. Do not be pressurised into accepting someone you don't have a liking for. Avoid acting in a manner which says, "I'm easily available". Flirtatious behaviour and ways which clearly show that you are an easy catch do not add to your worth. It may tempt boys to have some fun with you but it will send you hurtling down in their estimation. The shy hard-to-get miss has far more appeal. Be wary of Internet romance. It starts as a bit of fun and ends with all fun drained out of your life. In cyberspace one is anonymous and nobody knows what the real truth is. So, don't be dazzled with the novelty and charm of it, but look before you leap into cyberspace. Talk over those cherished dreams of yours with your partner-to-be. The girl's right to a home of her own, to take up a job and related matters do not figure in marriage discussions among elders. It is for her, therefore, to tactfully find out her partner's stand on matters that are important to her. Fiona's was an arranged match and, when George told her they'd be staying with his mother, she spoke out her mind saying, "But I need my own space. If you can't give it to me, this marriage will be no fun and I'd rather opt out of it." They talked this over with his mother and came up with a solution acceptable to both. With prickly matters like these agreed upon beforehand, the marriage stands to gain. Seek knowledge, for it is a safe guide while ignorance can misguide. A girl needs to be mentally prepared to take up her new role as wife, daughter-in-law and mother, but sad to say, she often is not. There are matters - personal, health-related and sexual - that the couple, especially the girl, would like advice on. But parents treat these matters as taboo. In that case, the couple should seek information from books and on-line material or go for counselling. Sound knowledge is the basis of a sound marriage. Being prudish and refraining from talking about intimate concerns can hurt a marriage. Certain questions like when to start a family and how big it should be, did not arise in the past but are inevitable now as present-day couples are driven by personal ambitions and pressures of work. Being very specific about such matters can take a load off the mind. Newly-wed Wendy was deeply distressed and when pressed for the reason, told her husband about her fear that kids may stand in the way of her higher studies. On being reassured that they'd think of children only after she had fulfilled all her ambitions, she was relieved. Such assurances are important, for thwarted desires can give rise to negative feelings in a marriage. Your appearance and looks can send your man's heart racing. So, be graceful and dress decently. Look attractive and smart and, above all, maintain a trim figure even after marriage. Every man likes to show off his wife but a dowdy and badly-dressed woman is someone he'll cringe from. Dressing revealingly, however, is a big no-no. Though men enjoy seeing skimpily dressed women, they don't want their wives to dare and bare. Remember the age-old saying "The way to a man's heart is through his stomach". It was grandma's approach route. It has been tried out for years and has vintage flavour. Why not make it yours by learning to be a good cook? A happy home can bind hearts together. So, master the art of good housekeeping and make your home invitingly bright and warm. "I hate to go home because mine is a filthy place run by a scowling wife," complains a husband as he walks away in disgust. That should remind you that winning or losing a battle on the home front depends largely on how bright your home is and how vivacious you are. Courtship time need not be all romance and moonshine but can be reality-check time. It can be an opportunity for the couple to learn about each other's strengths and weaknesses, loves and hates and anything else of importance. This will not only prepare them to adjust to each other's ways but will also enable them to use their own strong points to offset the weak ones of the other and vice versa. Seeing her fiance spending lavishly on her, Karen knew that he was a spendthrift and pointed out that this could be a hurdle in their marriage. "I'm frugal," she told him," and am adept at saving. So, let me handle the household finances after marriage while you do something you are good at, like choosing the gadgets and seeing to their upkeep." Since it was courtship time, he readily agreed. As feelings are warm during this period, agreements are not hard to reach and small arrangements like this can help marriage click in a big way. Know that lovers' bliss has to end some day. When this happens, flaws are detected, irritation surfaces and anger erupts. Every couple needs to be prepared to handle this stage and to do this, they must be well apprised of certain time-tested ways of interaction that can be helpful. Here are some: Cultivate the I-for-you and you-for-me attitude from the very start. Marriage is neither dominance nor servitude but a partnership. So, partners should learn to forget the egoistic 'I' for the self-effacing 'we', in their relationship. Jane hated to forego her early morning sleep and her husband came to her aid by finishing off all the early chores. This pleased her so much that she readily overlooked the way he threw about his things untidily, and tidied up for him. Such a give-and-take attitude can lessen friction in marriage. Learn to handle your partner's ego with care. Marital relations deteriorate when egos are hurt. Egos need to be cherished with appreciation rather than be crushed by constant fault-finding. During courtship, appreciation is unstinted and everything is rosy. Couples should remember this and they should be firmly committed to putting into marriage what made life so great for them before. Let's face facts. "My wife is a great cook and the dishes she cooks are always great!" brags Dennis to his friends - but he never tells her' so. "My husband has a nasty temper but is very helpful around the house," admits wife to everyone else except her husband. This failure to give due credit to each other builds up resentment in both. Each day offers so many opportunities to every couple to say heart-warming words to each other. If you say them as you readily, did during your courtship, much that goes wrong in marriage can be set right. This is because appreciation is a great mood-enhancer and a healer of emotional hurts. It can be the vitamin A that keeps your marriage in good health. Add spice to your married life with some romantic moments. When two heads come together with antagonism they will soon be at loggerheads, but romance has that magical ability to drive away unkind feelings from the mind. A few quiet moments together, a short walk in the moonlight, a soft touch, a lingering caress, a silent locking of the eyes, sweet nothings whispered into eager ears, do not take time but they make you forget hurts and keep hearts locked in love's embrace. So, give this magic of love a chance to keep things straight. Learn to fight the right way. Fighting is an inbuilt danger to marriage but it need not be an evil that destroys it. I once heard a lawyer and his wife fighting so violently that they could be heard all over the place. Minutes later, they were walking arm in arm to their car. That's how fights should be: just a release for pent-up feelings and forgotten in a flash. Not dragging yesterday's faults of omission and commission into today's quarrel is important, for that would be nagging which really hurts and wounds. Nobody wants to lose an argument, so a little give and take or meeting your partner half-way is a great idea. Marriage, as all will agree, is a 24 X 7 commitment, highly taxing and very demanding with no holidays allowed and no breaks permitted. Such a trying relationship will not flourish on its own. Strange to say, so much time, attention and money are spent on the wedding, which is a one-day affair, while no thought is given to preparing the couple for marriage, which is an exacting life-long involvement. With a little prior guidance and direction, a couple can be emotionally prepared and mentally conditioned to adjust and attuned to each other's needs in living together. When that is done, much that can go wrong in a marriage begins to go right. Michael Douglas reveals the key secrets to a happy marriage and here are some signs to know if your man is ready to tie the knot. Also you can find here a complete wedding planner to make your marriage preparations a real delight.
Michael Douglas is a master coach and relationship expert who is committed to help people building healthy and successful relationships. He has written several informative articles about love, dating, marriage and relationships and he also owns a website Love-Lectures.com where you can learn more about him and his most popular write-ups. Also don't forget to visit his blog at Love-Lectures.com/Blog
Michael Douglas may be contacted at http://www.love-lectures.com or info@love-lectures.com Don't leave your loved ones guessing...record
your information now.
Beach and Sand/Office and Computer
Beach and Sand/Office and Computer by: Arleen M. Kaptur It's summertime and the living is easy - for some but not all. Some keep running to catch that train or fight traffic. Others are making plans for a sand castle with moats and draw-bridges. So, who is right and who is not really wrong, but their priorities are just a bit askew.
Well, when you slip into your business suit and grab your attache case, do you ever think about life other than your portfolio or your bottom line? Do you ever consider that life was not meant to be lived in a cubicle making calls and drumming up business? It was meant to be lived, enjoyed as best one can, and to be shared. Now there is the hard part - to be shared. That means, basically, that if you are lucky enough to have a family and/or friends, then you are blessed indeed. But if you don't tend to the small "miracle" that life has bestowed upon you, then like your front lawn in front of that McMansion, it will dry up from the drought of no gentle rainfall or care and concern. The flowers that could have blossomed in the form of your children laughing and waiting on the drive-way for you to come home, will have vanished like the dew on the flowers in the early morning hours. You are the gardener of your life and only you can decide what are the weeds and what are the blooms.
If there are babies or toddlers in your life, then you know how quickly they change. You look around and they are walking, talking, and soon....well, they will be running off to play with their friends or running off to join a group that offers them friendship and attention. Time waits for no man/woman and neither does life. If you are not there to catch the fragile threads that make up the tapestry of your child's early life, then you will have to contend with the frayed ends that many times can't be made whole again. It may sound a bit harsh, but that is why it is so imperative to stop and smell the sea air at the beach, explain the ins and outs of fishing, and even just hold a tiny hand or carry a little body into the water for the first day of a swimming lesson. It's your life but when you decided to become a parent, it is also their life. Double pleasure and a double sword - depending on how you handle life - especially during the lazy, hazy days of warm weather, sunny skies, and giggles, laughter, and funny faces. ©Arleen M. Kaptur July, 2007
Arleen M. Kaptur has written numerous article for newspapers and magazine. Her new book will be out in 2008
Arleen Kaptur may be contacted at or asnorthwoods@centurytel.net Support Family First - visit our
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questions or comments about this web site.
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