The Christian Homekeeper

Life got hard around 8-10 years ago. Then it got harder. And when it got really hard, people left.  So in case your life, or a friend’s life, gets hard, here are some thoughts.

People I thought were life long friends left. People who I thought had some kind of spiritual responsibility to stay by my side, also left. People I have known and served God with for over 30 years simply left my life. I guess they left because my life became messy and very hard and it was probably because I wasn’t willing to talk in depth about it. Most people though never even asked.

I’m not angry and I am not bitter now, though I was for a while. I was disappointed for a while. I was sad for a while. But I’m not even sad now because my understanding has been enlarged. And because this is about the ones who stayed.

The ones who stayed are few. They are not all related to me. Some are related and I sort of think that people who are related don’t have any choice but to stay but they do have a choice if they’re adults and they all are. Some are friends who are not related, and both of these kinds of people are super precious to me.

They don’t ask a lot of questions when I say I can’t talk about that right now. They are quiet when it’s needed and they’re always there. They have lives of their own just like everyone but they have taken the time and effort to stay and be present when I felt like I was losing my mind and when I was grieving and searching for light. When I just needed a hand to hold and to feel that hand in mine.

More than anything I see now that Jesus also stayed. He has become an even deeper Friend. I realize that everyone who has stayed with me through this valley is very much like Him. Some more than others but they all have His traits and the characteristics of a loving, caring, helpful  friend.

Life is still very hard but I am living it better. I’m learning about life, people, faith, what is important and about God Himself. I’m grateful for that.

If you ever go through what sometimes people call “hell on earth”, believe me, people will leave because nobody wants to walk through hell.

But there is a Friend who sticks closer than a brother and there are people out there who will come and stay with you while you walk through it. Jesus will be first in line, so call out to Him. Let Him in and He will stay with you while you weep and wonder. Call out to Him to bring you a friend who stays. Don’t dwell on those who left. Look around at those who stay and thank the Lord for them.

And if your friend goes through a hard time, be the one who stays. Don’t allow a friend to simply fade away and disappear. Ask questions, even if you don’t get answers. Persist and pursue them. They may reject you, but I think it’s so important to try.  I hope I can be a friend like that if I am ever called on.

This has been a really different kind of year for us.  Lots of doctor appointments, calls to EMS and health issues for my husband.  He had a stroke September of 2023 and life has not been the same for either of us since.  Add in a few extenuating circumstances of life and it’s actually been a very difficult year for us both. 

But we’re thankful for so much. I have made it a habit to count my blessings frequently through the week and to offer up praise to the Lord daily. He has not been silent in all of this, He has spoken through His Word, His people and our circumstances.  

We had Thanksgiving last year but looking back I feel like I was walking through that holiday and Christmas in my sleep. This year is better, I’m more with-it, more present. 

Today I am getting things ready for Thanksgiving Day. We have our bunch coming and 4 extras. 18 in total which is not the biggest Thanksgiving meal I’ve prepared but it’s plenty big enough.

Two of my sons are getting a table and extra chairs from the place I used to work today. I’ll put the chairs and table in the hallway til Thursday. My house is LITTLE y’all but we usually make it work.

I have the turkeys defrosting. I didn’t realize how good that cooler is. They’ve been in it with some ice since Wednesday, it’s now Saturday and they’re still frozen!  So I’ll work on getting them thawed so I can brine them starting Monday.

Yesterday I washed and prepped all the vegetables that I’ll be using for Thursday’s meal. I usually chop the onions and celery too at the same time but I just washed and trimmed everything. I’ll chop them Tuesday.  I use the food processor for that.

I also cooked some collard greens yesterday. We ate some last night and some for lunch today. They are so very good!  The rest will go in the freezer til Thursday. I’ll reheat them while the gravy is making.

Another thing I do ahead is boil eggs for stuffed eggs. That’s “deviled eggs” for most of you. I don’t mind calling them deviled eggs. Deviling is simply a cooking term for mixing things up really well. But my sweet mother-in-law called them stuffed eggs and I guess it stuck with me.  Anyway I will boil the eggs and separate the whites from the yolks, make the stuffing and put it all in the fridge unassembled. I’ll assemble them Thursday.

I use the Traditional Turkey Brine most years, this year as well. If you make it ahead of time, you can heat the water to dissolve the salt better and the brine has time to cool off. You don’t want to put hot brine on your turkey.

I’ve made dressing today and corn casserole for one of my daughters. She has a company Thanksgiving this Sunday she’s taking food to.  We had some chia seed pudding for lunch. I made it yesterday and we added some frozen fruit to it.

To make the pudding I used 1/2 cup almond milk and 2 1/2 tablespoons of chia seeds, 1 teaspoon of maple syrup and put it all in small jars. I shook it like crazy and refrigerated it. After a couple of hours I shook it again. It was really tasty with the frozen mixed fruit.

I’ll start cooking our meal in earnest come Tuesday. I’ll bake pies,  bake sweet potatoes, chop veggies and put together the dressing to refrigerate til Thursday.

On Wednesday I’ll smoke two small turkeys and roast the big one. After they’re done I’ll carve them up and put them in broth in big pans in the fridge. They’ll reheat nicely on Thursday while I’m baking the casseroles.

That’s my coming week. I hope you’re having a pleasant time getting ready for your Thanksgiving. I’d love to hear from you so please feel free to leave a comment for me.

Let all that you do be done in love. 1 Corinthians 16:4

Do all things without grumbling or disputing Philippians 2:14

Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men,  knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve. Colossians 3:23-24

If your kitchen is ready for a good heavy cleaning, Here is the link to the Kitchen Spring Cleaning Instructions.

However, if you need a good daily method for cleaning your kitchen, this is the page you need.

Our plan is simple. We want to get a clean kitchen that is as germ free as possible, has no obvious places for germs and vermin to live and is prepared for the next day.

Here are some recommendations for keeping your kitchen cleaner and more orderly throughout the day

Number one – The kitchen is a work area. There’s nothing wrong with having decorations in one’s kitchen, but if those decorations take up valuable counter space or wall space, best to move them to another more appropriate room.

Set Yourself up to succeed – Every morning, start your day by drawing up a sink of hot soapy dish water. This sink of very hot soapy water will serve you all day long as you clean spills, wipe up after working and keeping the surface areas clean.  You may have to change it once during the day depending on how many dishes you usually do or how much cleaning your do with the soapy water.

Clean as You Go – You’ve heard it before and it’s true. You must clean as you go in order not to overwhelm yourself with cleaning at the end of the day. Teach yourself to wipe down and clean all day long while you are in the kitchen, to put dirty dishes in the sink immediately after using them, to pick up and keep areas clean all day. This is something that no one can do for you, you have to discipline yourself.

Don’t be haphazard – You don’t have to cook that way.  So many cooks have ingredients every where, tools slung here and there. Get all your ingredients out, measure them into small containers before you begin cooking and put away the ingredients as soon as you are finished with them. This will really help you to not only be an organized cook, but will keep your kitchen cleaner, longer and it will be easier to clean up after you’re finished cooking.

Now, let’s start the daily cleaning process. After you’ve cooked and used your kitchen all day long, it needs a good clean.

The first four items on this list are done all together. While you’re putting tools away, you’re putting away food and you’re putting things where they go.

*Take all items back to their place. Organizing and putting things away is probably 90% of cleaning the kitchen. Once everything is put where it belongs, you’ll be surprised how much better it looks.

*Store all food. While you’re putting things away be sure all your food items are stored properly.

*Put all tools that do not need to be washed in their proper places. 

*Pick up all paper trash, dispose of it.

*Place all food scraps in an appropriate container. I like to use a lidded container so that I can take the scraps to a compost bin. Non-compost food is put into a grocery bag or other disposable container and then in the trash. Some “food trash” is actually not trash. I save vegetable peels and trimmings in a container in the freezer to make vegetable broth and soups.

*Dust out dining area chairs and wipe crumbs off table.

*Wash all dishes or run the dish washer. I wash my dishes by hand and I like to give them a final rinse in a disinfectant solution of bleach and water. Dishes disinfected in this way should be allowed to air dry.

*While dishes dry or machine is running, make a pan of cleaning solution and hot water.
Use whichever cleaner you prefer. I have some natural homemade cleaner recipes here.

New Homemade Natural Cleaners

Homemade Anti-Bacterial Scouring Powder

Homemade Natural Cleaners

*Choose a clean rag and begin to wipe down the dirtiest areas first, such as stove tops and countertops. Rinse your rag well between cleaning the surfaces. Change your cleaning water as often as you need to.

*Next, move to the other appliances that you have used this day, such as microwave, toaster, refrigerator and mixers. Give everything a good wipe down.

*Using your cleaning solution, wipe down all tables and other work surfaces. Replace table decorations such as centerpieces or placemats. Don’t forget to wipe down the dining table and chairs, pay attention to the handles on the chairs.

*Put away clean dishes. Make sure that they are completely dry before storing them in cabinets. Moisture encourages bacteria growth and insects. Rinse out your dish drainer if you use one, dry it and put it away.

*Clean your sinks.  I use a scrub-type cleaner that won’t damage my stainless steel sinks.  I have a recipe for it here.

*Sweep the floor.

*Make a mopping solution. I suggest that you find a good container to use as a mop bucket, store it away and use it only for mopping. I like ammonia and water for mopping, but some floors will be damaged by ammonia, so use whatever cleaner you prefer. I mop my kitchen every day. It doesn’t take much time. But it helps me keep the floor clean and grease-free.

*Wash out your kitchen rags with dish soap and rinse them in a bleach/water solution. Just 2 qts of water and 1 tablespoon of bleach will give you a disinfecting solution. Squeeze the solution though the cloths several times. Wring out your rags and cleaning cloths and hang to dry. Or wash your cloths in the washing machine with detergent and bleach.

After you have tweaked this routine to fit you and your kitchen, it will go fast and you can do it every day after your evening meal. it will keep your kitchen cleaner, longer.

May God bless you as you serve Him in your home!

Remember that commercial for Shake and Bake? The little girl with the big Tennessee/Kentucky accent saying, “And I helped!” But it was more like “In ah hayelped!” I loved that commercial. I sounded just like her.

I have always liked Shake and Bake.  I bought it for quite a while. I used it on chicken and pork. Then I started making my own. You can find recipes all across the internet, but this is how I make it.  I think it’s really tasty.

Here’s my recipe for homemade shake and bake to use for pork. This is actually enough for 4 or 5 big pork chops so I’ll use some and store the rest in in a jar. You can double or triple your shake and bake and store it, too.

1 – 1/2 cups plain, dry breadcrumbs

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon ground celery seed, I crush it using a mortar and pestle

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

If you want to, you can add 1/2 teaspoon of ground sage. It’s very good with pork but I didn’t add it this time.

Mix it well and store it in an air tight container if you’re doubling or tripling the recipe and want to use it later.

To use it for pork chops:

You’ll need about 1/8 cup of cooking oil of your choice, I use avocado oil. You’ll need 2 big pork chops, I use bone-in chops that are thick. Heat your oven to 425*F.

Drizzle a baking sheet with the oil.
Place the coating in a plastic bag.
Wash the chops and let some of the water drain off.
Put one chop at a time in the bag with the coating, shake it around til coated.
Put the coated chops on the prepared baking sheet.

Bake at 425* F for 15 minutes, turn the chops over and bake another 10 minutes or a little longer so that they’re nice and brown.

Be sure to discard the leftover coating mix after using it.

These chops were extra thick so I checked their temperature, that’s what that metal stick is in the photo. Cook pork to an internal temp of 145*F.