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Dave Ramsey & The American Frugal Housewife Circa 1950?

This could be me.

(And, that could be Robert in the background, listening to his new Dave Ramsey CD’s while washing his car(truck). Himself. At home. With rags made from his old white t-shirts.)

Just wanted to share some exciting new kitchen goodies and gadgets that I recently acquired. Sadly, I left one of the most fun ones out of the picture – the salad spinner! Oh – it has saved many a dish towel and paper towel in the short amount of time I have owned it! I used to spend a WHOLE LOT of time submerging lettuce in a bowl of water, letting it drain in a colander, and then patting it dry with some sort of towel. That was a lot of prep work prior to the actual MAKING of the salad! I think I’m saving a few steps and some time with this $12.00 investment. (I’ve managed to hold onto a stash of birthday/Christmas money specifically for a few new kitchen items and a new pair of Dansko’s (or two) which has become an annual tradition. It’s all gone now – fun while it lasted!)

And the other fun new items that you see here are a new garlic press, (the old one was chipping – paint chips and pesto, anyone?), magnetic measuring spoons (no chain needed, no more scattered spoons in the drawer), a new grater/zester (had been using a large standing grater for this), a whisk (would you believe I didn’t own a whisk?) and last, but not least, local MAPLE SYRUP! A bunch of my mom-friends sent half gallon jars with a volunteer mom to get fresh syrup from a local sugar shack. I bought only one gallon – for $45, which is a really good deal – prices had been up to $70 per gallon. And as you can see, I’m not doing a very good job of rationing the stuff – I’ve only had mine for a week! I bought a half gallon of grade A and a half gallon of grade B. So far, we’ve only had the grade B, and it is delicious – has a stronger maple taste than grade A. I’m posting a recipe below that is one indication of why so much of this precious commodity is GONE!

This is beginning to feel like a chapter out of
The American Frugal Housewife, 1832 – Dedicated to Those Who are not Ashamed of Economy

Oh! And the other NEW item in the photo is the oven. Our old one (circa 1947) was still working alright, but beginning to show its age. For example, the front left burner decided to stop working at the end of last year. Then, the”broil” feature decided to quit. The rubber seals became very brittle and had all but completely broken off, making the oven a means of not only heating the food, but also the entire house. After we came home from Texas in January, we received an electric bill that was about $100 less than or usual bill. We thought is was due to the new frig and deep freeze some friends had generously bought for us, and they did probably help. But, then we asked our friend who house-sat if she had used the oven at all. “Not once,” was her reply. So, as much as I didn’t want to get rid of my cute retro oven with the double doors, it became evident that it was time!

(Oh – and the rattling frig got fixed by replacement this week!)

And don’t tell Dave Ramsey, but we did put it on our Sears credit card and plan to have it paid off with no interest within the next few months! (Did the same thing with a new washer last year – and just finished paying that one off with no interest, so I guess that meant it was time for another appliance to need replacing! Ugh. Why does that always seem to happen??!)

Here’s the adorable retro oven that now sits in the garage awaiting a new Craig’s List owner! (And I loved how it went so nicely with the retro checked floor. Oh well.)

I actually had it appraised once and found that it is worth about $500. It would be worth even more if it had a fancier style and attached canisters for sugar, tea, flour, etc. as some from the same era did. I really hate parting with it, but I’m hoping the proceeds will go to a good cause like summer day camp for three children!
(Or maybe we should pay off the new oven. Dave can be kind of a downer.)

I can’t believe this entire post is ending up being about my kitchen, but while I’m at it, I might as well also tell you that TJ Maxx, Marshalls, and Pier 1 are where I got deals on all of the small kitchen gadgets. They are better quality, and were priced much lower than ANY I found at Bed, Bath, and Beyond or Linens and Things. I just kept refusing to pay $15 for a lemon zester, and then one turned up for $5 at Pier 1 while I was shopping there for a birthday gift.

And here are the things I didn’t buy, but hope to with the next round of holidays:

a juicer
a good blender
(Mine works OK – but also circa 1950, from my grandmother. Don’t know if I’ll ever let myself buy this one, but it will even grind nuts and grains! Wow!)
an ice cream maker
a set of good knives
a mortar and pestle

I did recently receive THIS from J&K for my birthday, and can’t wait to post an attempt at one of Julia’s recipes!
(When I told Jack that I would whip him up a fancy French dish the next time he visited, he said, “The only French dish I’d like you to make for me are some of those fancy French FRIES.”

And aside from a round of Sunday night pancakes, here’s the recipe that required a good portion of my new maple syrup:
(And speaking of recipes, I’ll try and update the recipe index tonight as well.)

Baked Chicken with Maple Glaze

1 whole roasting chicken
2 Tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper

3/4 cup apple cider

1/4 cup maple syrup

3/4 teaspoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Place rinsed chicken in roasting pan and brush with olive oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake uncovered for one hour at 375 degrees. While chicken roasts in oven, stir together apple cider and cornstarch. Pour this, the maple syrup, and the pumpkin pie spice in a small pot, and bring to a boil. Boil for 2-4 minutes until thickens. Brush some of this glaze over chicken and then continue to bake another hour at 325 degrees – brushing more of glaze on once or twice in the hour. Keep glaze on low heat while chicken bakes. When done, cut chicken into serving pieces, arrange on platter and brush with remaining glaze.

(I doubled the entire recipe for our weekly Bible study/potluck dinner.)

And now let me leave you with some “chicken instructions” from Mrs. Child of early 19th century Frugal Housewife fame…..

“An hour is enough for common sized chickens to roast. A smart fire is better than a slow one; but they must be tended closely. Slices of bread, buttered, salted, and peppered, put into the stomach (not the crop) are excellent.”

and an economical choice for children’s playtime….

“Provided brothers and sisters go together, and are not allowed to go with bad children, it is a great deal better for the boys and girls on a farm to be picking blackberries at six cents a quart, than to be wearing out their clothes in useless play. They enjoy themselves just as well; and they are earning something to buy clothes at the same time they are tearing them.”

Pretty sure Dave would approve.

8 thoughts on “Dave Ramsey & The American Frugal Housewife Circa 1950?

  1. I'm taking the Dave Ramsey course right now and this made me laugh! 🙂 I think Robert should make every couple he councils for marriage do the course! It's good!!! Miss you guys! 🙁

  2. I love maple syrup and the recipe looks great! I wish I could find it freshly sourced around here.

    Danskos are my favorite shoes. I have many pairs and am constantly on the lookout for sales on them.

    We have a Vita-mixer and it is amazing. I bought it 12 years ago and it is still going strong. It is a little spendy, but will last a lifetime.

  3. Why am I not surprised that you are taking the Dave Ramsey course, Cory? And I think you're right about pre-married couples! Can't wait to go and look at your maple syrup pics!

    And Betsy – we have so much in common! Too bad you're not around the corner! Happy Dansko wearing and shopping! : )

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