The weekly “little of this, little of that” feature here at Like Mother, Like Daughter!
(This will all look and work better if you click on the actual post and do not remain on the main page.)
In haste I took some pictures of something I call sausage-poached eggs. Because I don't like using more than one pan if I can help it, but sausage can tend to make eggs stick when you try to fry or scramble them up without washing out the pan first, I figured out this tasty way to be lazy!
After you make your sausage (patties or links, doesn't matter) , take them out and add some water to your pan. Boil it up, scraping up all the little bits of sausage stuck to the pan with your metal spatula (the right one is hard to find; I recommend yard sales and thrift stores, because the old-fashioned flexible ones have been driven out of the market by the stupid plastic ones required by non-stick pans — I wrote about it all here).
Break your eggs into the sausagey water. The grease from the meat will keep the whites together nicely, which is always a problem with conventional poaching.
You could put a good number of eggs in there — I was doing three, but I could have done six. The fat also keeps them separate.
The water should be just simmering; cover and cook for 4 minutes.
Et voilá!
This way they are perfectly cooked* with a nice sausagey flavor, and only one pan for the whole operation!
*If I were to be self-critical, I would say that these could have used another 30 seconds and I could have gotten a little more light in the pic to bring it into better focus. But honestly, I just wanted you to know the method, and they were amazing and super duper tasty, so I will let it pass!
Next week I will not be posting here — I'll be in Denver for the Rocky Mountain Catholic Home Educators' Conference. I'll be offering the keynote speech on Saturday morning and another talk later before lunch. Will I see you there?
On to our links!
- Louisa May Alcott is a taste — the reader has to be ready to enter the idiom of flowery Victorian prose, so foreign to our ear at the moment. But if we can suspend our stark post-modern requirements, we may be edified. The Art of Beautification explores a theme dear to my heart in Alcott's Jack and Jill.
- Librarians Without Chests: A Response to the ALSC’s Denigration of Laura Ingalls Wilder — a text-based inquiry into Laura Ingalls Wilder's supposed unacceptable views. Really worth a read, since the librarians' objections are by no means unusual in our day and age. We seem to want not only that those who went before us be found perfectly politically correct; we can't even allow them to explore them in their own way. Even when they reach thoughtful conclusions, we are not satisfied — yet I wonder how our own unexamined biases will stand the test of time.
- Here in the US we are at least nominally able to try to help women going into abortion clinics and appeal to their escorts to give both mother and child a chance at life. There are definitely obstacles (especially here in Massachusetts where a de facto buffer zone, still in place despite a Supreme Court win, keep praying witnesses and sidewalk counselors at a frustrating distance). But we can do it — we can have pregnancy help centers, offer leaflets, and pray. Many babies are saved and many women are rescued from the pain of killing their own child. In the UK it's not so. My friend Clare has asked that you read and share the story of Alina, a young Romanian woman who was helped by witnesses to keep her daughter and who seeks to challenge the new ruling against any — any! — effort to help women seeking abortions there. Here is the Twitter feed of the pro-life group there (with a little video from Clare). Clare writes:
The abortion lobby absolutely have us caught in a bind and they are crowing. American pro lifers have considerably more brio & confidence than we do and the US Christian culture has not collapsed as dramatically as it has here. We really need America right now to promote our appeal on the media. We need to find philanthropists here & abroad who are willing to donate to preserve the remnant of pro life activity in Europe and nurse it back to life. We need encouragement ( Alina particularly) and we need to know that we are not alone.
- The experience recounted in this article about how classic cartoons contributed to cultural literacy is mine as well. Missing perhaps is the reality of the time, when the works referenced (in the article and in the cartoons) were all around. People listened to their records, which tended to be of great works of music and particularly opera and jazz; the radio was on more, and often, if it wasn't music, it was classic stories you'd be hearing; the books on children's shelves were almost exclusively old classics. That said, the cleverness of the animation captured interest and helped the child get from point A (not being aware of this adult world of culture) to point B (being aware! and loving it). It's interesting that the generation that grew up on all that took it for granted, but failed to pass it on. Sad.
From the archives:
- Strawberry rhubarb pie — I posted one I made on Instagram (not a great pic, sorry). Here is my method for what is truly the greatest summer pie of all time, sweet and tart, deep and bright red, flakey and buttery.
- Read this, not that! Books for your voracious reader. (Too long, didn't read: get the old books.)
Happy feast of St. Kateri Tekakwitha, a favorite of ours!
We’d like to be clear that, when we direct you to a site via one of our links, we’re not necessarily endorsing the whole site, but rather just referring you to the individual post in question (unless we state otherwise).
Emily says
One of my favorite things about Madeline L’Engle’s novels is that music is ALWAYS on in her stories, and good music. It inspires me to keep house like Dr. Murry and Mrs. Austin! 🙂 My mom would play classical music for us, and I grew up with that–but yes, so few people do it nowadays!
Stephanie L Forbes says
The Jack and Jill article…a thousand times yes!
Shyla says
Well this is brilliant! Would have never thought to do it like this! Keep sharing all of your secrets! Xoxo
Salome Ellen says
I will have to try the sausage-poached eggs. I have had success in scrambling eggs (with added milk) over very low heat, scraping the pan and curds of egg constantly with a silicone scraper. The eggs turn brown, but the flavor is amazing. Now I have choices!
Dixie says
The Wilder news is so disheartening. It seems nothing matters but “virtue signalling.”
Helen Hawersaat says
Honestly, I have lost all faith in librarians, as a set. Last summer, I asked one for recommendations for good children’s books that would hold the attention of an 8-year-old boy who was hesitant to read, and she suggested Captain Underpants and The Diary of a Wimpy Kid.
The decision about Laura Ingalls Wilder is just so mind-bogglingly dumb. I pity any kids with parents who agree with the sentiment!
Emily D. says
It’s not just librarians, it’s what kids in general are reading….I was told a fourth grader was “too young” for the little house books. What?!?!? I read the first one when I was six!
Laura Ayars says
yes this exactly. I HATE shallow, foolish children’s books. What I don’t understand is that in the Rocky Ridge books, Laura participates in a debate about the way Native Americans and African slaves were treated… and she sure doesn’t approve of either!
Laura Ayars says
(doesn’t approve of how either were treated, to clarify!)
Emily says
Yes, exactly! I loved the Rocky Ridge books….
But people who try to white-wash literature, and the beliefs of people 100+ years ago, are going to leave kids with nothing left to read. Sigh.
Lisa G. says
I work in a library, and I also deplore the shallow books of today. But, we are expected to keep buying new books, and have to get rid of the old to make room. If a book – classic or not – hasn’t been checked out in two years and the shelves are crowded, it has to go (whether we enjoy ditching it or not). And when someone comes in and asks for recommendations, they are far more likely to be looking for something current; most are not like Helen (above) who is aware of the importance not only of reading, but reading something good. It’s sad. And then there are the parents or grandparents who come in with the school’s reading list, and they can’t get beyond the idea that these lists are just suggestions, and there is a world of reading out there, so if the book isn’t in, they are confused and crestfallen.
Ladies, all I can say to you is – thank God you know what’s important, because so many out there are clueless! 🙂
Anel says
My Afrikaans speaking boys of 14 and 13 here in South Africa, thoroughly enjoy the Wilder books. This past weekend, I demanded 15 minutes of reading from my reluctant reader before doing something else of his choice… an hour later, he was still reading and yelling downstairs he needs to finish a certain part of the book first. {smiles and hearts}
Ann says
Thank you for referencing the wonderful article regarding consolation for homeschoolers. Fr. Rutler’s comment is exactly what this homeschooling mother of four needed to hear at this moment! God bless!
Thrift at Home says
Well, that is a clever poaching method! And those look like homemade English muffins – be still my heart.
Sandy says
As for metal spatulas for cast iron… I discovered that a “fish turner” is a thin and slotted metal spatula, perfect for cast iron cooking!
Anel says
I loved the link about the 17th century art on women. Almost mesmerising… I was intrigued about the quote above the door: “This is in Saint Jerome’s vale, if you wish to repair to patience and meekness. For we must first descend if we wish to be raised.” Of course the last part is clear and speaks so deeply to me personally, but how can I understand the first part? Thanks, Leila, for your thoughtful links. Anel
christineguest155 says
Did you guys see this? I haven’t studied it yet, but when I saw the title in my feedly feed, I thought, oh, that’s the work Auntie Leila is always referring too. https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/evangelicals-guide-humanae-vitae-human-life/ I think the new books by Julie Roys and Nancy Piercy are along these lines too.
Leila says
Christine, that’s so interesting that an Evangelical is posting the encyclical — the whole thing! Wow.