I was teased in Home Economics Class

In ninth grade.  See, all the popular girls called me "Betty Crocker"  (haha) because I basically already knew everything that was being taught. 

Actually I was mad at my mom for a number of years because I wanted to take wood shop and she wouldn't let me.  Truthfully, I didn't need the cooking class, although the semester of sewing gave me a few basics that made it so I could read a basic sewing pattern years later. 

As it turns out, I should have worn the title proudly because I can do some pretty awesome things in the kitchen.  Today was a homemaker type day.  I need to cut spending on the food budget and the best way is to bake and can.  The more back to basics I go, the better off we are on the budget.  Especially since wheat is cheap, the grapes out back are free and my family appreciates what I do.

So today, braving the grapevines, I picked enough to juice about 3 quarts.  I was thinking it was five, but it's less.  A two quart pitcher plus another container.  Not bad, hopefully I have enough to do the twelve more pints of jelly I hope to make tomorrow.  There's a bit more juice from last weeks juicing that needs to be used up too.

We had the oldest grind a whole lot of flour this am, which is now mostly used up.  Jane made a breakfast cake, one of Kent's childhood favorites, all ready to bake tomorrow before church.  Then I made four loaves of cinnamon swirl bread, which my family promptly demolished one whole loaf hot out of the oven but the other three were cooled and wrapped and frozen for later.  I also have four loaves of English muffin bread cooling right now.  I haven't sampled it, so I may need to leave one loaf out for morning, you know, just to make sure it taste alright. 

It was nice to bake.  It's nice it's cooled enough so I can bake. When it's 90 and above, I'm not about to heat up the whole house.  It would never cool down at night!

So, I guess it's time to finally pull my Betty Crocker title out and wear it with pride.