Help - looking after a family of 4

sali_mali

hello everyone :hello:

I may have bitten off more than I can chew and wondered if anyone could help me!

I've come home from uni for the holidays and, because my parents both work full time and my part time job is not supplying me with many shifts, I have offered to be a housewife!

I will be doing the cooking, cleaning, shopping and driving while I'm home to help them out. Unfortunately, I have never singlehandedly looked after a family of four before, help! :eek:

I've made up a meal plan but am used to cooking for one so this may need refining. So far I have...

Lasagne, salad and garlic bread
Egg, HM chips and beans
Beef stew and dumplings (how do I make dumplings?)
Chicken curry/chicken pasta, haven't decided yet
Shepherd's pie (what do I serve it with?)
Pasta bake
Roast dinner (mum can do that one!)

Can anyone suggest any improvements for that?

My next problem is the cleaning. I usually live in a student flat so I only have my bedroom/bathroom and the kitchen/lounge to clean. I give it a thorough all over clean once a week and the rest of the time just take care of surface damage. There are a lot more rooms in this house and it seems to get messier faster! (I'm pretty sure that's my little sister's fault!)

What should I be doing daily (apart from obvious mess) and what can I leave for weekly? This seems like a bit of a stupid question actually, what I mean is, are there any tricks for keeping a clean house without spending about 3 hours a day on it?

Sorry for the long post, I hope someone can give me some tips as I've only ever had to look after one before!

scuzz

Dumplings I'm not too sure on, but I think they involve suet, flour and something else (someone else will help here)

With shepherd's pie, I like some steamed veg. I don't worry with potatoes as obviously they top the pie! Veggies like cauliflour and broccoli are my faves

Cleaning wise - I'd only hoover once a week and have a proper dust once a week. Maybe check the flylady challenge for help on this one though

Uniscots97

Here you go:-


dumplings
100g self-raising flour
½ tsp baking powder
50g Suet, butter or marg (I use soft marg and the dumplings come out light and fluffy)
1/2 pack fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped (Optional)
Salt (pinch)
Freshly ground black pepper

Mix the salt, pepper and parsley in with the flour and then rub in the fat (marg, butter or suet). Easiest way to do this if not using soft marg is to grate the fat into the flour then rub it in. You may need a little water to make it easier to rub through. When done shape into little balls and put into your mince/stew and allow to cook in it for at least 30 mins (leave the lid on on the pan).

Uniscots97

I serve Shepherd's pie with seasonal veg (a choice of 2 usually). Carrots cooked in orange juice are nice for a change.

Uniscots97

What about stir frys or risottos to add to your meal plan?

sali_mali

Thankyou for the help guys. Dumplings look nice and easy, does the type of fat I use change the taste? What is suet anyway? I'll just use marge so they're fluffy like you said!

I'll have a read through the fly lady thread later, I'm just having a tidy before everyone starts coming home

Uniscots97

sali_mali wrote: »

Thankyou for the help guys. Dumplings look nice and easy, does the type of fat I use change the taste? What is suet anyway? I'll just use marge so they're fluffy like you said!

I'll have a read through the fly lady thread later, I'm just having a tidy before everyone starts coming home

Suet is traditionally beef fat (the fat that surrounded the cow's kidneys) and yes I think the type of fat changes the taste but I've never had any complaints about dumplings made with soft marg. Sorry for my numerous posts I kept thinking of things!

sali_mali

Now my little sister doesn't like stir frys but a risotto would be a nice change instead of one of the pasta dishes. Do you have a recipe I could look at? I've never made one before.

FrenchMaid_2

Not sure about dumplings - I would probably do mashed or roast potatoes. Dumplings not done right can be a horrid experience!

FrenchMaid_2

as for the cleaning - I would do one room per day and keep the kitchen and hallway and lounge tidy on a daily basis...

sali_mali

unixgirluk wrote: »

Suet is traditionally beef fat (the fat that surrounded the cow's kidneys) and yes I think the type of fat changes the taste but I've never had any complaints about dumplings made with soft marg. Sorry for my numerous posts I kept thinking of things!

Numerous posts are good, I need all the help I can get!

Little sister just came in from school, looked around and said how nice and tidy the house was. Then proceeded to dump her bag, scarf, coat and shoes in a trail to the kitchen and make a mess of my surfaces whilst making snack :rolleyes:

She'll be getting a smack in a minute!