New Food Reviews

The family has had to deal with a lot more new food than usual lately. Here's the lowdown.

Ham & 13 bean soup: went over about as anticipated. Everyone ate the requisite one bowl, and I've been eating the leftovers. I don't mind; I liked it, though I think it could have used more vegetables. Next time, I'd make half the beans and double the veg for a batch.

Sara Moulton’s Orecchiette (er, Macaroni) with Broccoli and Chickpeas: not well received at all. Even I didn't think much of it, but that could be that there was too much tomato (I used a big can instead of a small one) and we'd just had mostaccioli the night before. There are lots of leftovers. We've used up some of them by taking out the broccoli, adding some bok choy and chicken broth, and making a kind of soup. I think it would have been better without the tomato & broccoli, and with some other flavors instead. Leftovers for me this week, because I'm trying to use food up.

Mostaccioli: always popular, especially when there's garlic bread. A baguette can be sliced thinly, and since it's a small piece, not a crazy number of calories.

Cod: I floured it and sauteed it in some butter. Both Sarah & Jeff said it tasted buttery, but I thought it had the most delicious fish flavor, like the inside part of really good fish and chips. Looking forward to more cod recipes, especially since it's supposed to be very heart healthy.

Haven't done the Moors & Christians yet. I'm soaking the beans now, and will throw them in the crockpot before we go to church. I'll use as much as I want tonight, but there is so much other food in the house, I'm not going to push them on the rest of the family. The rest of the cooked beans will go in the freezer.

Twice Baked Potatoes: A lot of the ingredients here were a concession for Sarah. Bacon instead of ham, mozzarella instead of cheddar, and spinach instead of broccoli. She thought they were ok, Lauren didn't care for them, but Jeff & I thought they were pretty good. I used the link above as inspiration, but changed it up a bit. Four big potatoes, 8 slices of bacon, a small shallot, a half a cup of milk, no butter, a bunch of spinach, wilted, and 8 oz of part skim mozzarella. I baked the potatoes in the crockpot, and finished them under the broiler, which worked out well. Will definitely make again.

The hockey game last night was fun (Lauren now wants to play hockey next year--we'll see if she remembers this come August), but it wasn't a healthy day for me, despite staying within calories. Almost no fruits or veg. I'll make up for it today. I can't wait for summer fruits to come in season. I'm getting bored with apples, grapes and bananas.

Dinners this coming week include IHOP for Lauren's birthday. I'll have to get requests for meals, and try to include some family favorites instead of so many new things. Sadly, biscuits & gravy will not be on the menu for a while.

I'm looking forward to . . .

. . . being able to get my wedding ring on again (hopefully by the end of the month, definitely by Easter).

. . . being able to dive to the bottom of the deep end of Greg's pool to retrieve swim toys (maybe by the end of August, definitely by June '12).

. . . being able to run through a cold parking lot to get into the warm store (not till next December, hopefully!).

. . . having a family portrait done (next fall, no later than early November).

. . . digging out some of my favorite clothes (next fall/winter).

. . . going for early morning walks that last an hour (this depends on both the weather and my building stamina--shooting for the beginning of May).

As of today, I'm 26 pounds closer to these goals.

How Much is Too Much?

I've been really dedicated to healthier eating since the beginning of February. Lately, I've started adding exercise. My doctor told me to shoot for 1500 calories/day. I've generally been able to do that, though some days are higher and some days it's actually hard to find enough calories. Since then, I've lost 23 pounds. That's good, right? Hmmm . . . maybe too good?

I've heard that your target calories should be 10x your target weight. According to BMI statistics, I should weigh 175. I can say from experience that at 175 pounds, I would look and feel unhealthy. When I came back from Switzerland (now that was a healthy, active lifestyle!), I weighed about 190 or so, I think. When I got married, I was at about 220, which was pretty good for me (bear in mind I'm close to six feet tall and pretty curvaceous, even at lower weights).

So maybe I should be shooting for between 1800 & 2000 calories a day. But 1500 isn't difficult at all, at least most days. And I'm losing really well so far (averaging 1.35% of my total body weight lost per week). I know that when you have a lot to lose, you lose more rapidly at first. I certainly don't expect to be able to maintain 23 pounds every six weeks.

So if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Right?

But I can't shake this feeling like it's too easy, too fast. Am I justifying something that is unhealthy? Or am I just overthinking it and making it harder than it has to be?

Cheap, Healthy, Good

Cheap, Healthy, Good is one of my favorite blogs. It's challenging for me to come up with meals that fit all three criteria, and I get lots of good ideas there. But when one member of the family can't have poultry, another doesn't like (most) meat or beans or cheese, when sodium and calories are issues, and cost is a big issue, it's a little daunting some nights.

That said, we don't do too badly. We all like a wide variety of vegetables, especially salads. Stir fries are a great way to have a lot of vegetables and make a bit of meat go a really long way. We do reasonably well with soups (most of the leftovers go for my lunches, though). I'm starting to do more meatless main dishes, including beans.

• Tonight's dinner is a ham & 13 bean soup.
  
• Tomorrow is miscellaneous, since only two of us will be home, and there are lots of leftovers around.
  
• Tuesday, I'm going to try Sara Moulton’s Orecchiette (er, Macaroni) with Broccoli and Chickpeas. I have a can of chickpeas, but I got a package of the dried variety, and I'm going to give those a try. Any I don't need for the recipe will go in the freezer, to be happily added to my salads & soups as I go.
  
• Wednesday is mostaccioli with a little Italian sausage and a lot of vegetables.
  
• Thursday is something with a bit of cod currently in the freezer (suggestions? there's only 3/4 pound). This is the night Jeff always has Mongolian Barbecue for lunch, and brings home leftovers for his dinner. If I make chicken, it's usually on a Thursday. If I can't think of anything else, I'll fry up the fish with some chips for the kids, and have some leftover soup myself. Kind of low on the "Healthy" continuum, though.
  
• Friday is Moors & Christians (aka black beans & rice--we'll get a little history in there, too!)
• Saturday we're going to a hockey game. The ticket includes a hot dog or slice of pizza, neither of which sounds all that appealing to me, so I'm not sure what I'll eat. I'm also working registration at a Homeschooling Fair (gets me in for free and I get early entry to the used book sale, woot!), so chances are I'll have a big salad for lunch and scarf the pizza for dinner. Once in a while, a splurge totally works for me.

De-Stress

Confession: I'm a stress eater. I eat when I'm stressed or bored. Carbs are my method of choice. Carbs, that is, that are loaded with fat & salt. Rice, potatoes, bread--I can eat huge amounts. Butter is a welcome accompaniment.

I used to walk my stress off, though, which actually was more effective. Eating really doesn't make me feel better once the food is gone. If I walk long enough, I will feel better.

Example: at my last full time job, at a major auto company that shall remain nameless but rhymes with "bored," my boss made me crazy on a regular basis. It got so that I would walk around the outside of the building just so I could stand the sight of him. One time, I was headed back into the building when I realized that I was still ready to kill him. I did another round, and when I came back, I was truly calm again.

I used to love going for walks in the mornings. The quiet was a huge bonus back then. I've been feeling the urge to walk again now that I'm eating better, but it's cold out there! And snowy and icy and some of the sidewalks are flooded.

As we say around here, "Suck it up, buttercup."

I went for a walk with the kids this afternoon. Lauren took her scooter, and we did have to cross the street once to avoid a small lake, but we were gone for half an hour, which was really nice.

Our forecast is for rain/snow later this week, but my goal is to get out for a walk at least twice more. I love my umbrella, so why not? It can't do anything but make life better.

Good Value

I like to plan out my meals. Since I'm keeping a sharp eye on calories, I can tweak how much I plan to eat at different times of day.

Last night, I figured the calories on my mom's pancake recipe, and it wasn't too bad, so I told Lauren we'd have pancakes & strawberries for breakfast.

When I woke up, the power was out. When Lauren woke up, the power was out. When we left to go to her cookie booth, the power was still out. Neither of us had eaten. Could we have made peanut butter sandwiches or figured out something else? Sure. But I really wanted to leave the refrigerator closed to keep all the cold air in in hopes that power would come back on soon.

Our options were limited; we stopped at McDonald's. In general, fast food isn't an appealing choice for me, at least intellectually. Sometimes I WANT A BURGER AND FRIES. But in general, I'd rather avoid it if I can.

We each had a sausage biscuit and I also got her a hash browns. I had no idea how many calories it had in it, but I figured it would be reasonable by fast food standards. When I got home (the power was back on, whew) and checked, I found that one measly sausage biscuit is 430 calories.

Are you kidding me? For that?

My whole pancakes with strawberries breakfast was only going to clock in at 425, and that included butter and a glass of milk! Yeah, it was tasty, but it took me just a few minutes to inhale it. I would much rather have had something more substantial for that same number of calories.

I'm really careful when I shop for food, to make sure I get the most for my money. I need to be just as careful to make sure I get as much ka-pow for my calories as bang for my buck.

SUPER Yum

Now that I'm eating more healthfully, I'm passing on the super greasy hash browns and fried eggs for breakfast. I'm much more likely to have loaded oatmeal (brown sugar & apples) or loaded scrambled eggs (ham, green onions, red peppers, cheese). Lots of food, really tasty.

But sometimes it's nice to have a treat, a splurge. I bought Cook's Illustrated Best Light Recipe a few years ago, but never used it that much. Their recipe for Cinnamon Rolls looked really good, so I decided to give it a try this morning.

Quick Cinnamon Rolls with Buttermilk Icing

Filling:

• 1/3 cup brown sugar
  
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp cloves
• 1/8 tsp salt

Dough

• 2 1/2 cups AP flour
  
• 2 tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
• 3 Tbsp butter, melted and cooled
  

Glaze

• 3 Tbsp light cream cheese
• 2 Tbsp buttermilk
  
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar

1. Adjust an oven rack to the upper-middle position and heat the oven to 425 degrees. Spray an 8-inch-square baking pan and a wire rack with the vegetable oil spray; set aside.

2. For the filling: Mix all the ingredients together; set aside.

3. For the dough: Whisk the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk the buttermilk and 2 tablespoons of the melted butter together. Stir the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture with a wooden spoon until the liquid is absorbed (the dough will look very shaggy), about 30 seconds. Transfer the dough to a floured work surface and kneed until just smooth and no longer shaggy, about 30 seconds.

4. Pat the dough with your hands into a 12 by 9-inch rectangle. Brush the dough with the remaining tablespoon of melted butter. Sprinkle evenly with the filling, leaving a 1/2-inch border of plain dough around the edges. Press the filling firmly into the dough. Using a bench scraper or metal spatula, loosen the dough from the work surface. Starting at the long side, roll the dough, pressing lightly, to form a tight log. Pinch the seam to seal. Roll the log seam-side down and cut it evenly into 9 pieces with dental floss. With your hand, slightly flatten each piece of dough to seal the open edges and keep the filling in place.

5. Arrange the rolls in the prepared baking dish (3 rows of 3 rolls). Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for about 12 minutes. Remove the foil and bake until the edges of the rolls are golden brown, 12-14 minutes longer.

6. Use an offset metal spatula to loosen the rolls from the pan. Wearing oven mitts, place the greased rack over the pan and flip the rolls onto the rack. Let the rolls cool for 5 minutes before icing.

7. To ice the rolls: While the rolls are cooling, line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper (for easy cleanup). Set the rack of cooling rolls over the baking sheet. Whisk the cream cheese and buttermilk together in a large nonreactive bowl until thick and smooth (the mixture will look like cottage cheese at first). Sift the confections' sugar over the mixture; whisk until a smooth glaze forms, about 30 seconds. Spoons the glaze evenly over the rolls.

The lowdown on how it went:

• I don't have an 8" square pan, so I used a shallow oval baking dish.
• My cutting board is exactly 9x13, which helped with rolling out the dough to the perfect size.
  
• It is a very wet, "shaggy" dough, and I did need to use a fair bit of flour, on the board and on my hands, and it did still stick to the board a little, but not too bad.
  
• I also didn't really roll them up tightly enough, so they were a little loosey-goosey in the cutting (I didn't bother with the dental floss, and just used a butter knife). When I lifted them off the cutting board to put them in the pan, a fair bit of the filling did fall out. I took care of that be just pouring everything left on the board on top of the rolls in the pan.
  
• I didn't have tin foil, so I put a baking sheet on top for the first 12 minutes. They came out of the pan easily, and I separated them before drizzling the glaze over the top.
• They aren't super huge, but they aren't skimpy, either. It's actually a really nice portion.
  
• Total time was about an hour from when I walked into the kitchen to when I poured the glaze.
• 280 calories and 4.5 grams of fat.

WOW. So tasty, quick and easy. These are going into steady rotation around here. The kids went crazy for them, but Jeff isn't big on sweets in the morning, so he didn't have any. I only had one, and sent the leftovers to my Dad & Sharon with the kids.

Hat Girl

For Sarah's birthday, we went to The Henry Ford. We all had a great time, as always, though we almost missed the Rosa Parks Freedom Bus. Jeff & I agreed that since we hadn't seen it anywhere, it must have been a temporary exhibit. We told her that the easiest way to settle it was to ask a docent, who happily told her that it was just on the other side of a wall not too far away. So there, Mom & Dad! (no, she didn't really say that, but I bet she thought it)

Since it happened to be a free admission day, we told her she could get something small from the gift shop. She almost got a t-shirt with "When you can do the common things of life in an uncommon way, you will command the attention of the world." George Washington Carver on it, but eventually went for a Union Civil War soldier's cap.

That girl and hats. Last year, on her Girl Scout trip to Mackinac, she got a coonskin cap. The leaders assured me that it was faux, and yes, you can tell that the cap itself is synthetic, but I swear you can feel bones in the tail part. (shudder) When she was about 3, I did a whole page in her scrapbook of her in various hats. Many of my favorite pictures are of her in hats.

On the way home, I said, "I don't think Sarah's going to be a doctor when she grows up. (a frequently voiced ambition when she was younger) I don't think she's going to be a doctor, or a minister, or a botanist, or a baker. I think she's going to be a milliner." After a discussion of what a milliner does, she responded, "I'm not going to be a milliner. I'm going to be a minister . . . who likes hats."

Almost Perfect

Now THAT lived up to expectations.

I just finished a really good, filling lunch. I cut up some ginger and a couple cloves of garlic, and sauteed in a tablespoon of olive oil (yes, I measured). After a minute, I threw in a chopped scallion, some chopped red pepper, and the last of the steamed green beans, also chopped. I let it saute for a minute, then added a tablespoon of brown sugar and one of soy sauce. I put a lid on and let it steam for a bit, then took the lid off and added a cup of leftover cooked rice (it turned out very dry, almost like takeout rice, but I'm not sure why), and turn the heat up full power. I could barely hear anything else above the sound of sizzling. Let it go for a few minutes, then turned into a bowl and devoured it. The only thing that would have made it perfect would have been a few shrimp. But for 430 calories, it worked very nicely for today.

Kind of a Letdown

I've heard so much about roasted curried cauliflower, and been really eager to try it. Maybe it's that nothing could live up to my expectations, but it was just . . . ok. Jeff & Sarah both rated it a "B," Lauren didn't like it at all, and I would have given it a "C." The only part I really liked were the roasted almonds. I think most of us would be willing to eat it again, but no one would look forward to. That's not something I'm going to put into heavy rotation around here.

Tonight, it's Catch & Kill Night. That means there is a fridge full of leftovers that need to get used up in some way. Find something you want, make it, eat.

More Yum

Dinner last night was minestrone soup and focaccia. I liked it more than anyone else, but--as usual--homemade bread is a powerful encouragement. Leftovers are for lunch.

I didn't use a recipe for the soup, just sauteed onions, garlic, carrots, onions & celery in a little olive oil, added some broth, a can of white beans, a can of tomatoes, half a package of frozen spinach (I'm going to try to make Hot Pockets some time this week, too), and a half a cup of Ditalini pasta. Also a little Better Than Bullion Vegetarian and Italian seasonings. I usually put Italian Sausage in as well, but I'm trying to cook meat-free a little more frequently.

The focaccia was good, but not as fabulously crispy as the one my SIL makes--I'm pretty sure she uses a lot more olive oil, and that's obviously not a road I can travel too far down.

Tonight, I'm kind of at a loss. Maybe chili, maybe pork chops or stir fry.

LIfe is Too Short . . .

. . . to eat boring food.

Going back to the doc Friday went about as expected--I had lost a little weight, but my blood pressure was still up a little too high. So the gauntlet was thrown down. She said that she wanted me back in another month, and if I hadn't lost some weight, etc. it was meds for me. She gave me a subscription for a water pill in the meantime, which I can tolerate because I know it's short term. Anyone who knows me knows that I avoid pills when I can. So consider me motivated.

Part of being motivated is trying to remember what I used to make myself for lunches. I can figure out dinners for the whole family, but lunches give me different options. The only two things I could remember were Cold Sesame Noodles and Spanish Rice (which includes lots of veggies). It was kind of frustrating. I remember that I used to eat really tasty lunches when I did Weight Watchers last time.

So I spent some time this afternoon looking through some recipes I've saved and the archives at Cheap Healthy Good. I've also started thumbing through my copy of The Best Light Recipe. And I have to say, I'm really getting excited about food again! The thing is, I like a much greater variety of foods than the rest of my family. Dinners are fairly standard, but since lunches are just for me, I can make whatever I want.

The possibilities are endless! Black beans, garbanzos, quinoa, tuna in tomatoes--the sky's the limit!

I tried two new recipes tonight, both based on Barefoot Contessa recipes. Roasted Broccoli and Roasted Butternut Squash. They both did use some oil, but not a lot. They were reasonably popular, and will certainly be made again.

I still long for carbs & fat in great measure. Birthday season has begun, and that brings a lot of decadent stuff with it. But I'm looking forward to eating stuff that is tasty and healthier. Vive le Yum!

HWoC Saturday

Today, had steel cut oatmeal w/brown sugar & raisins for breakfast, a roast beef sandwich w/a slice of mozzarella & light mayo for lunch, and Roast Pork Loin with Garlic & Rosemary and baked sweet potatoes for dinner. Water to drink. No snacks.

Boring. Boring, boring, BORING. The roast is always good, and I love baked sweet potatoes, but I before that I was standing around the kitchen, trying to forget about the caramel apple dip in the refrigerator. I really wanted some coffee or tea or some other hot thing when we came in from running a couple of errands in the blizzard. We didn't get to Randazzo's because of said blizzard, so I'll have to wait to get some more produce. I might have some grapes tonight.

Boring.

Healthy Week of Cooking

Semi-inspired by the Crazy Week of Sewing from a few years ago.

This week, I'm going to keep track of everything I eat. For accountability's sake, I will post here daily. Everything. What this means is that since I'll have to "fess up," I'll be a lot more likely to stay away from junk food of all kinds.

What brought this on? My blood pressure this morning. It was 176/100. That is just crazy high, especially considering that I've never had blood pressure issues before. The doc gave me a week to see if it was just an aberration. So it's no caffeine and no extra salt for me this week. Oatmeal for breakfast. Lean lunches & dinners, including soups. Tomorrow, we're finally going to pick up the Wii Fit we've been talking about for a month.

Tonight, I had half an avocado and a French Dip Sandwich. Probably a little too much salt, now that I think of it. And definitely not enough vegetables, but I still feel a little crappy, and the price of fruits & veg at Meijer was appalling. I'll hit Randazzo's tomorrow and we'll be in good shape.

Homesick

"I need a vacation," a friend of mine said the other day. I agreed with her--she does need a vacation. I do, too, preferably someplace toasty warm where I can listen to waves hitting a beach.

The ironic thing is, I get vacations fairly regularly. We've been to Florida almost half a dozen times. Last year, we went to Washington D.C. There's a chance we'll go to New Orleans this year (all these relate to relatives in Florida in some way). But every time we plan a trip, a little voice inside my head whispers, "You're never going to get back to Idaho. Never." (The voice also whispers that I'll never get back to Switzerland, but I've kind of resigned myself on that point.)

We started going to the Diamond D when I was about 9 or 10. Idaho can be blamed for the camera that is always in my hand, even now: the first summer we went, I fell in love with the mountains; the second summer, I brought drawing paper (and discovered that I have no talent for drawing); the third summer, I brought my first camera, and the rest is history.

How does this relate to my previous comment that a planetarium made me homesick? No, not the laser light show you might expect (that was in Salt Lake City, anyway). It was the projection of the night sky. All those stars, stars you don't even imagine can exist when you live in a city. The first summer we were at the ranch, I saw a sky so full of stars that it was downright surreal. Sitting in the chair at Wayne State on Monday, looking up at the projections of stars on the ceiling, reminded me of that summer night back in the 70's so strongly it was almost painful.

So why haven't I gone back to Idaho in 20 years? Why haven't I shown my family real mountains, my old house, the diner where I had my first dish washing job, the chapel where my Dad & Stepmom got married, and skies so blue they look airbrushed? $. $$$. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$. The benefit of our previous vacations is that they are relatively short, and we can stay with relatives most of the time. An Idaho trip is inherently longer, and would be all motels. There's also the cost of gas & food. I think the last time we were thinking about it, we figured it would cost about $3K. And that's if we didn't stay at the Diamond D! If we're that close, I'd also want to hit Yellowstone, and Jeff thinks that's close enough to Denver to catch a Colorado Rockies game. That kind of income is not currently disposable, if you get my drift.

Don't get me wrong; I love Michigan. It's gorgeous here, especially in the fall, especially if you get out of the city. Almost all our family is here. There are so many opportunities and events here. I've said that if I could live anywhere, it would be Michigan.

But. I do ache to go back, if only for a visit. It is sometimes depressing to look out at nothing but flat city. It is always frustrating when friends send me pictures of snowy mountains. I just don't see how I'm going to home anytime soon.

Edit: Amy's comment made me realize that I left one important thing out of this post, one thing that Idaho has that no place else does, no matter how beautiful that other place may be or how brightly the stars may shine. Idaho has Pat, one of my best friends ever, who is still friends with me even though I keep talking about coming out to see him and never follow through.

Buncha Sissies

DeathStorm! Snowpocalypse! Run! Run for your lives!

Girl, please. I know the roads are slippery and there have been a lot of accidents. Drifts are nothing to mess with, and that wind is bad. I feel for anyone who has to be out on the roads, and I'm very happy and grateful that my family can stay home today.

But this level of panic, again, is just ridiculous. Seriously, how many times do we hear about a major storm coming in and we get relatively little snow? I've become incredibly jaded toward weather casters. I know predicting snowfall is an inexact science, but I really wonder if these guys know what they're doing.

Now, Idaho. Idaho gets snow. I have a picture of my dad on the roof of our house when I was in college, up to his hips in snow. With a shovel. Because that's what you do in Idaho. You get on the roof and shovel the snow off so it doesn't collapse. Because you get a lot of snow.

One time we drove north to Stanley. We stopped on Galena summit to eat the lunch we brought with us, climbing to the top of the snowdrift at the scenic overlook. When we got to the top, we realized that we were level with the little service building there. Hell of a view, dude. Driving down into the valley, the snow was higher than the roof of the car. Road was beautifully plowed, sky was amazingly blue--it was a great day. You just couldn't see anything other than the road in front of you and the sky above.

And yes, there is an element of "when I was a kid, we had to walk 23 miles to school in the snow, uphill both ways." Whatever. That doesn't change a thing. This "2011 blizzard" is for amateurs.

Tangerine Lemon Curd

One of the blogs I visit with some regularity is Joy the Baker. About a week ago, she put up a recipe for Tangerine Lemon Curd. I am cray-cray about lemon curd, and have always wanted to try to make it, but was put off by the whole double boiler thing. Joy's recipe is super simple--throw all the ingredients in a saucepan and cook gently so as to not scramble the eggs. I liked the idea of rubbing the zest into the sugar, and I knew Sarah would have a good time doing that with her mortar & pestle.

We had a busy day yesterday (more about that tomorrow, including how a planetarium show can make me homesick), and I knew I would want to do something quick and easy for dinner. Around these parts, that means breakfast for dinner. We stopped to pick up some sausage links, eggs, and canned biscuits.

Digression: yes, I know canned biscuits can't hold a candle to homemade. I know homemade biscuits are super easy, cheaper, and don't have unpronounceable ingredients. But I also know that sometimes I don't want to dirty even one more bowl, much less take 5 minutes to measure a few ingredients and then roll out dough and cut it out. Sue me.

But I did want to try something new, and the lemon curd recipe seemed fairly straightforward. We didn't have any tangerines, so I used all lemon. I zested the lemons and put Sarah to work with the mortar & pestle. We threw everything in the saucepan and let it go, whisking pretty frequently over medium/low heat. We strained it afterward, just to make sure it would be nice and smooth, and put it on the table with the rest of dinner.

As with most new things around here, it was a qualified success. Sarah & I really liked it, Jeff & Lauren had no interest in it. That said, I see much, much more lemon curd in our futures, to say nothing of tangerine curd at Christmas and lime curd this summer. Viva la curd!

Unpopular Opinion

Sego lily, Rocky Mountain Elk, sugar beet, Browning semiautomatic pistol. Reminds me of the Sesame Street song: "one of these things is not like the others, one of these things just doesn't belong." Except that they all do have one thing in common; they are all state symbols of Utah, or very nearly so.

States can designate all sorts of things as official symbols. Idaho has a state horse. Michigan has a state stone. Utah is the first to designate a state firearm.

I understand that the Browning has historical significance. And I understand that "There is a huge difference between the actions of a madman using a firearm … [and] patriots using a firearm to defend our country."

But the only purpose of a handgun, as far as I know, is to injure or kill people. Is injuring or killing people sometimes necessary? Yes, I think so. But I think that making a handgun a state symbol glorifies that occasional necessity. I think the "woo-hoo, guns!" attitude is unsettling at best. I'm finding it hard to articulate how I feel about this beyond "man, that stinks."

Another Resolution

I spent a good three hours between last night and this morning deleting pictures, and consolidating folders. The hard drive was so full that we couldn't even burn the pictures from 2009 onto a backup disk. So I do hereby resolve to stay on top of pictures, delete the ones that aren't great, and label folders with useful names. I may not be able to get my basement cleaned up, but this I can do.

Brownie Bag

Lauren made her Brownie Tote Bag today, and did a pretty good job with it! I did the ironing, and a few seams at the end, but other than that, she did all the work herself, and is very proud!Tearing fabric to make strips for the shoulder strap--much easier than cutting!
Sewing the body of the bag.
Attaching the strap.Modeling the finished bag!

Details: this is a very basic bag. No lining, no interfacing. I did have her square the bottom seam, and I did sew along the vertical seams on the edges, but other than that, it doesn't have much shape. It's downright floppy! I somehow cut the strap very very long, and by the time I realized, it was already attached to the bag, so we just folded it over on itself and now it has a little extra padding over the shoulder.

The best part? She loves it, it holds all her Brownie stuff, and I don't think she'll forget it, ever. Bonus: monkeys & cupcakes are cuter than the Absolut logo!

Starting Shakespeare

If you cannot understand my argument, and declare ``It's Greek to me'', you are quoting Shakespeare; if you claim to be more sinned against than sinning, you are quoting Shakespeare; if you recall your salad days, you are quoting Shakespeare; if you act more in sorrow than in anger; if your wish is farther to the thought; if your lost property has vanished into thin air, you are quoting Shakespeare; if you have ever refused to budge an inch or suffered from green-eyed jealousy, if you have played fast and loose, if you have been tongue-tied, a tower of strength, hoodwinked or in a pickle, if you have knitted your brows, made a virtue of necessity, insisted on fair play, slept not one wink, stood on ceremony, danced attendance (on your lord and master), laughed yourself into stitches, had short shrift, cold comfort or too much of a good thing, if you have seen better days or lived in a fool's paradise - why, be that as it may, the more fool you, for it is a foregone conclusion that you are (as good luck would have it) quoting Shakespeare; if you think it is early days and clear out bag and baggage, if you think it is high time and that that is the long and short of it, if you believe that the game is up and that truth will out even if it involves your own flesh and blood, if you lie low till the crack of doom because you suspect foul play, if you have your teeth set on edge (at one fell swoop) without rhyme or reason, then - to give the devil his due - if the truth were known (for surely you have a tongue in your head) you are quoting Shakespeare; even if you bid me good riddance and send me packing, if you wish I was dead as a door-nail, if you think I am an eyesore, a laughing stock, the devil incarnate, a stony-hearted villain, bloody-minded or a blinking idiot, then - by Jove! O Lord! Tut tut! For goodness' sake! What the dickens! But me no buts! - it is all one to me, for you are quoting Shakespeare. - Bernard Levin, quoted in The Story of English, p. 95.

When I signed up for a Shakespeare class in college, I was so excited, because it was being taught by a professor I really liked. I couldn't wait--which plays and sonnets would we cover? Would we lean more towards the comedies or the dramas? No emoticon in the world can convey my disappointment when I discovered that we were going to cover the histories. The histories? Oy. Dull. I didn't do very well in the class, largely because I had a very hard time keeping track of who was related to which person, and who was fighting with the other, and who was an ally. That's not a family tree; that's kudzu.

One of the basic tenets of the classical model of education is an emphasis on the classic literature. In lower elementary, you read a picture book about Hamlet. In junior high, you read a novelization. By the time you get to high school, you're ready to read the original. You're not bogged down by the plot or the characters, because you already know it so well, so you can really focus on the language. It loses a lot of the intimidation factor.

This year, we're doing the Middle Ages & Renaissance for History. When I friend offered to take Sarah to see Richard III for free, I jumped on it. But I knew I had to prepare her for it so that she didn't get lost in trying to follow the plot.

I've found two great Shakespeare resources if your kids (or you!) are just starting out.

Shakespeare: The Animated Tales
This is a 4 disc set, with three 25-minute episodes per disc. I thought it was a great format for introducing the story, and both girls really got into Richard III, down to yelling at him when he went into battle that they hoped he would die. "I hope his mother's curse comes true!" They immediately wanted to watch Julius Caesar, and were disappointed that we had to return it before we had time to watch Hamlet. We have two more discs reserved at the library as well, and I'm sure the last one will also make an appearance in our DVD player eventually. It isn't traditional animation, but that didn't bother us at all.

Shakespeare Stories
The link I included only goes to the Richard III book. There is a whole series of a dozen Shakespearean plays that have been retold for elementary readers. Again, it's a good place to start.

As for full length movies, Ian McKellan's Richard III is amazing. A little too intense for our family to watch right now, though. I'll be very interested to hear what Sarah thinks of the version she sees. We've recorded A Midsummer Night's Dream (with Mickey Rooney as Puck), which we'll watch fairly soon. Lauren is especially interested in that, since she recited his final speech at Salem's talent show a few weeks ago.

When it comes time to do the History Fair this spring, I'm really hoping they want to do something Shakespearean, but in order for that to happen, I would probably be the one to end up doing it!

Practical Project

Lauren's Brownie Girl Scout Leader has recently instituted a very wise policy: if a Brownie comes to meeting without her supplies (Quest book, composition book, 3-ring binder, crayons, pencils, a pair of scissors) more than twice, the mom of said Brownie will have to stick around the meeting while the leader checks the bag to see if all supplies are present. If all supplies are still not present, the Brownie will have to go back home to get the supplies and return to the meeting (or not, depending on the distance involved and mood of the mom).

As I said, I think this is a very wise policy.

Two weeks ago, before the first meeting of the semester, I asked Lauren if she had all her supplies. Quest book? Check. Comp book? Check. Crayons, etc? Check. 3-ring binder? "It's in the car." That sounded a little suspect, but I wasn't going to give her the car keys to go look for it. The next day, I didn't think to ask her about it until we were almost there, and of course she couldn't find it in the car. She got a warning from the leader because it was the first week.

This week, we went through it again, down to "it's in the car." This time, I had the forethought to ask her to check before we got out of the driveway. "Yes, it's right here." But it was too big to put it in the tote bag she'd designated as the Brownie Bag. It was then that I started getting an idea that she might need a different bag.

Fast forward to the end of the meeting, where the leader kindly tells me that Lauren didn't have her binder, again. How was that possible? She (Lauren, not the leader) whined that she hadn't been able to find it, and it didn't fit in the bag anyway. The leader & I talked about some other things, then we went to leave. As we were walking out the door, I noticed what Lauren was carrying: in one hand, her tote bag; in the other, her binder. Are you kidding me? Yep, it was there all along.

As we were walking to the car, I noticed one last thing. The tote she'd chosen had a logo on it: Absolut Vodka. Yeah, that's a charming thing for an eight-year-old to carry around. Tomorrow, Lauren is going to make herself a new tote bag that is big enough for all her Brownie supplies. If I can find an extra zipper, I'll probably throw together a pencil case, as well.

The Best Laid Plans

. . . are still sometimes all for naught.

Last week, I was planning to get some sorely needed new clothes on Thursday, while the kids were with my Dad, but I felt kind of miserable/sick, so didn't.

I then planned to go out on Saturday, but it was snowy and cold, Sarah was getting over being sick, and Lauren was starting to get sick, so I didn't leave the house. I know, Michigan in January, what did I expect?

I planned to make Pioneer Woman's Easy Mulligatawny last night. The kids like my curry, the soup sounded good to me, and I had chicken & broth. Let's reexamine the first part of that sentence: the kids like my curry. If it ain't broke, don't fix it; how many times have I said that? And yet, I tried someone else's reinvention of the wheel. Needless to say, the kids didn't care for it, and asked why I didn't just make curry.

On the bright side, I haven't made that in a while, so that's one less thing I have to think up for dinner next week.

It's an odd curry, more Caribbean than Indian. Sure, it starts with onions & garlic, and is seasoned with ginger, curry, cinnamon, & cayenne, but there are no other vegetables, and it does have apples, pineapple, coconut, and bananas. It gets thinned down with cream, and although I usually make it over rice, the kids are most excited when I take a little extra time and make spaetzle, or spätzli, as they're called in Switzerland, which is where I got the recipe in the first place.

Reason #5,391 I Love Homeschooling

Because we get Medieval Demonstration days, and my kid says, "Mom, I look like William the Conqueror!" while wearing this: Because they get to taste whey after making cheese.
I guess the Vikings liked it, but no one in our group was too enthused.

Because we got to make chain mail key chains.

Because we learned that drop spinning is hard!
Because even though I was with Lauren's group, I still got pictures of Sarah like this:
and this:
Because we got to have an awesome feast with friends and eat meat pie with currants, from an authentic recipe! Sorry no pictures there. Great time yesterday!

Gardening

This is the view from where I'm sitting at this moment. It doesn't even begin to convey house thickly the snow is falling. It's pretty to look at.

And what else would you think of when looking at this scene, but gardening? It's such an obvious connection!

Sarah found some of last year's seed catalogs the other day, and we were talking about what we'd like to put in our garden this year. (Disclaimer: I'm not much of a gardener. I don't really like the digging involved, or the weeding. In other words, the work. The harvesting? I can get behind that!)

We came up with a rather long list, including tomatoes, peppers, green beans, peas, potatoes, onions, zucchini, butternut squash, rhubarb, raspberries, apples, and several herbs. Jeff & I would also really like to put some more landscaping in the front of the house, as well as flowers front & back.

I viewed this list as just a wish list, until I got an sale email from Gurney's yesterday. I took the next step and wrote everything down in Excel, then started looking up prices. The total came to well over $200; I don't know how much shipping & handling on all that would be. I started to edit, taking out the rhubarb, onions, dill, mint, and lemon grass. There are already a lot of new things on that list--we don't need to do everything this year.

I'm trying to decide between a lilac and a butterfly bush. Lilac is my favorite floral scent ever, but they bloom for such a short time.

We've also been talking for a few years about putting in an apple tree. Our yard is totally open right now, and for a suburban house, not a bad size. It's also very sunny. Up until a few years ago, neighbors on both sides of us had large trees. The tree on the right shaded half the yard in the morning; the tree on the left shaded the other half in the afternoon. Both neighbors cut the trees down in the same summer. Now our yard gets no shade whatsoever. It's good for the vegetables--I actually had peppers that turned red instead of staying green that summer! But it's not so good for kids playing back there, and the setting sun shines right into our living room window. We'd like to put an apple tree in the path of that setting sun, and eventually getting some apples out of it would be a nice bonus.

It looks like Pixie Crunch would be a good choice, but apparently, apple trees don't self-pollinate, so we'd need to get a second variety to plant as well. I'm going to call them to double check on this, because putting two apple trees and a substantial garden would eat up a lot of yard space. Jeff wouldn't mind losing some lawn--less to mow!

I'll also order peat pots & seed starting mix, because if we're going to get this much stuff, we might as well start from seed. In the past, I've always waited until Memorial Day and gotten seedlings, so I'm a little unsure of how this will go. I guess we'll find out, and I'll have lots more to blog about! The bonus is that we won't use all the seeds this year, so next year's costs will be considerably less.

I'm also hoping that we'll be able to borrow a rototiller from either our neighbor or my stepbrother, because digging out where the garden will go (different area from previous years) is miserable to do by hand.

Quid Pro Quo

There's been talk lately about homeschoolers getting a tax break.

Would it be nice to get some credit to spend toward buying books? You bet! Would it be nice to have to deal with the regulations & restrictions that would come with it? Not so much!

How do I prove I'm a homeschooler? Would I have to submit my lesson plans, demonstrate how many hours we spend on school work? Does a field trip count? Does bowling?

What if my kids don't pass a standardized test? Would I be required to send them to public school? (Conversely, if public school kids can't pass my test--or even the state test--can we require them to be homeschooled?)

There's no such thing as a free lunch. I'd rather keep my independence and my choices for my family, thanks.

German vs. Latin

When I was in 9th grade, I told my parents that I was going to take German. And Latin. At the same time. Wisely, they told me that starting two languages at the same time was a bad choice. Even at 13, I could concede the point, so I settled for German. The next year, we moved west, and although I continued with German through high school and college, I never did take Latin.

Considering how much German I know, it's kind of embarrassing that my kids don't know more. Every year, I say that I'll get up actual lesson plans and go to town. Every year, I let them listen to various songs & such, but it's never very organized.

So I'm making it official. This semester. Official lessons--I'll even post them here to keep me accountable. They'll still be casual, though. Sarah will be in 7th grade next year, and that's soon enough to expect her to learn to conjugate verbs and know the difference between der, die, and das.

Latin? Well, I actually had that on the list for this semester, too. I borrowed Getting Started with Latin from a friend, and it looks great. But then I decided that if it was too much for me back then, it would be too much for the kids now. Latin will wait until this summer, and we'll do it as a "bonus" thing. I can't wait to read Cattus Petasatus!

Pastie Experiment #1

I make pasties a couple times a year, using this recipe as a starting point. I prefer a beef/pork mix, but frequently use all beef; I don't use MSG; I usually add a few shakes of Worcestershire sauce. I do make the pastry. This last is definitely the most labor intensive, pain-in-the-butt part. When I was making them last week, I was kind of under the gun, because we were having family & friends over for dinner, and I let both my mom and my daughter help with the pastry. For whatever reason, it didn't turn out well. Don't get me wrong; they tasted fine in the end. But that crust was terrible to work with.

So I started thinking of alternatives. My mom really likes the Pillsbury pie crusts, and they're ok, but they still have that faintly chemical, almost plastic, taste to them. I thought puff pastry might be a yummy alternative. But when I got to the store, I was in a hurry, and the first thing I saw was crescent rolls in a can. I know, I know. "You complain about a fake taste in pre-made pie crust, but you're ok with pre-made crescent rolls?"

Well, no, not really. But I got them anyway.

Fast forward to last night, the last night of my current German class, the night I have to get out of the house by 4:30, the night Jeff has a Property Committee meeting at church, to which he'll take the girls. I decide that since these are of necessity going to be pretty small pasties, I'm not only going to dice the vegetables small, I'm going to par-cook them first. I saute the onions, then throw the chopped carrots, potato, and rutabaga in the pan, pour a little water in, slap a lid on, and let them steam a bit. This was the successful, smart part of the experiment.

After the veg cooled down and I added it to the meat with seasonings, I cracked open the crescents. This was the frustrating, irritating part of the experiment. The pieces wouldn't hold together. Besides coming apart at the perforations, they also broke apart in the middle, or smaller pieces broke off from the ends. So I had to piece them together, and patch across the top, making Franken-pasties. They were not attractive, but they were done, and I ran out the door to class.

When I got home, Jeff & girls were not yet back, but I saw there were a couple pasties left. It turned out that both girls ate them, and even liked them! O miracle of cheap, crappy crescents! Jeff also thought they were good, but agreed with me that the crescent part was too rich, and also kind of flimsy.

I won't use crescents again, but puff pastry is still a possibility. So is bread dough, though that really is not in keeping with the original idea. I'd still rather not deal with pre-made crusts, so the real answer might be to just suck it up and make my own crust again. But I like making them smaller, and par-cooking the veg is a good choice.

Maybe next time I'll have pictures!

Feeding the Family

I always say, "I'm not a short order cook. I make one meal. I hope you like it. If not, there's always tomorrow." That said, there are those nights when I make a couple different choices. A lot of this is for my own sake--if I want chicken, I need to make sure Jeff has another option. And of course, Sarah & Lauren have very different tastes. Lauren is the carnivore, and Sarah is the carbo-girl.

Case in point over the weekend. I threw some chicken leg quarters in a roasting pan with some lemon juice, garlic cloves, salt & pepper, and roasted them. I liked them, Lauren really liked them, Sarah barely finished hers. I picked the rest of the meat off the bones and stashed it in the refrigerator. Last night, Lauren requested chicken, and when I asked what else she wanted, heard "Carrots." Sarah made herself soup from some stock, carrots, onions & celery. She didn't add any pasta or rice, but she did go a little overboard on the pepper. She loves grinding up pepper in her mortar & pestle, but this was so much that she couldn't finish the soup.

Both girls like to cook, and are slowly building their culinary skills. Cooking, Nutrition, and healthy meal planning are definitely going to be major themes in this semester's school work!

Resolution

to blog more frequently, at least once a week. This counts as one, right?

Kitchen Duty

I've got granola baking in the oven--my Dad liked the sugar-free version I made him for Christmas so much that he's already finished it and asked for more!

I've got No-Knead Bread rising on the counter--nothing like fresh bread with soup for dinner!

I also have chicken stock simmering in the crockpot--I briefly roasted a half a dozen chicken backs (cost: $0.92) last night, then threw them in the pot with water, an onion, a couple carrots & a couple stalks of celery. It went all night, something I would never do with a pot on the stove. I tried it this morning, and it still doesn't have as much flavor as I'd like, so I'm just going to let it roll on. I don't know if tonight's soup will be creamy potato or chicken noodle, but every soup is better with home made stock. In fact, Sarah has gotten to be quite a broth snob; she really doesn't care for canned broth.

Since any soup that I make tonight is going to have chicken as a main component, Jeff will have something else. We're having my mom & stepdad over, as well as some friends, so I've decided to make pasties. I'll be rolling on those shortly.

I love having a full kitchen!

Christmas pictures at my Dad's house

Book Reviews

Frindle is a book that I'd heard of, frequently, but not checked out until just recently. I got it originally for Lauren. Bookadventure lists it as reading level 3, but when I got it, I realized that Lauren won't be ready to read it independently for a little while yet. Interestingly, ARBookFinder lists the reading level at 5.4. I decided to read it myself, and really enjoyed it, so much so that it's one I'd like to add to our permanent library. Sarah read it very quickly and also enjoyed it. (She also just finished Holes, which is another one I'd like to have on our shelves.)

I read The Tale of Desperaux to Lauren while Sarah was on her Girl Scout trip; another good book, with great themes and characters, but I'm not quite as keen on having it on our shelves. Would I pass it by if I saw it at a used book sale? No, but I wouldn't squeal quite as loudly as if I found one of the previous two.

For myself, I'm making my way through The Core: Teaching Your Child the Foundations of Classical Education. This is one of those "rocket fuel" books: I have to pause frequently to digest what I'm reading. It's giving me a LOT to think about, and inspiring me for the coming school year.

I've just put The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains on hold at the library. I'm very interested in how technology is changing our world, and how this will affect the education I'm giving my kids. More thoughts on this in a future post.

Minority Rules

I'm in a minority of parents with school-age children--I homeschool.

I'm in a minority of homeschoolers--I'm not a fundamentalist, I don't take the bible literally, I couldn't care less if someone is gay, and your political and religious choices don't really matter to me.

I'm in a minority of "secular" homeschoolers--I'm a Christian.

I've always prided myself on being independent, but it would be nice to feel like I had more in common with people sometimes. I guess I need to look at the commonalities more and let the differences go.

Next on the Book Horizon

(ok, so I'm double posting, here/FB. sue me.)

We finished Wolves of Willoughby Chase, and the girls did like it. The weren't put off by the melodrama at all, which shouldn't come as any surprise.

Sarah is off with her Girl Scout troop for the next few days (and I totally forgot to have her stash a couple books in her bag--d'oh!). Here at home, we are going to read The Tale of Despereaux, which Sarah has read already but Lauren & I have not.

I haven't started Redwall yet; in fact, I don't even know where it is right now. I did jam through The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle the other day, which is my next suggestion for Sarah. That's also pretty dramatic, but I liked it quite a bit better.

Lauren's current reading is The Littles, which shares a basic premise with The Borrowers, but is shorter and seems easier/younger ((though Amazon considers them both for ages 9 - 12). She says she likes it, but I still had to nudge her out of a MTH book.

Right now, there are so many novels floating around that I don't even have any more on hold at the library. We have a downright glut of books, which is just how I like it. There is a used book sale up in Rochester tomorrow, though . . .

Books Are My Life

(I've been thinking of dropping this blog and blogging on Facebook instead, since I don't really have a lot of readers and I don't update all that often. Still thinking about it.)

I have an issue with library fines. The issue is, there are fines. Lots of them. This irritates Jeff more than he can say. I see it as a fee for using the library, and a necessary evil considering the number of books we go through (at one point a few years ago, we had 123 books out, and several holds waiting to be picked up). He sees it as lack of organization, and unnecessary. Lately I've been doing a better job of keeping the books together, but it's still hard.

I love children's literature, but haven't been reading as much of it lately. I'm also trying to get the girls out of their reading ruts. Sarah is still obsessed with Harry Potter, and Lauren grumbles if there is anything other than Calvin & Hobbes or Magic Tree House to read. I have nothing against any of those books, but I'd like a little more diversity on our shelves.

I recently found this list: Top 100 Children's Novels and got a lot of ideas for things I'd like us to read. Many of the books that made the list are old favorites of mine (The Witch of Blackbird Pond, A Wrinkle in Time, The Phantom Tollbooth), but some I'd never heard of. I reserved a bunch from the library, and am starting to make my way through them.

I just finished The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, and I have to admit, I'm glad I didn't just hand it to Sarah (it's a little above her reading level, but not much). The book is set in 1832, and reads like a kid's Gothic novel. There is some very archaic sentence structure, and a lot of the vocabulary is outdated. The plot didn't do much for me, but I can't say that it's worse than all those Nancy Drews I tore through when I was 11. I was frankly surprised to see the raves about it on Amazon. It's not something that I'm going to happily reread over and over again.

I'm looking for something to read out loud to the kids before bed. I'm not sure this is it, but I'll see what they think of the first chapter. For myself, Redwall is next on my list; I have higher hopes for it.

Balance

In a weird way, my life is generally in balance. I never have too much of a commodity. My two main commodities are Time and Money. When I have plenty of Time, it's a sure sign that Money is in short supply. When I have enough Money, that is generally a result of being short on Time. Occasionally, I am low on both Time and Money, and those are not good days. I can't remember having enough Time and Money on my hands simultaneously.

Right now, I need to spend some Time so I can make some Money!

Quilting Lessons

I'm making a t-shirt quilt for someone at church, and it's been a true learning experience. I'm hoping to make some more, even as a home business. As a first try, it's turning out ok, but I plan for next time to go a lot better.

Things I've learned:

• make a point of cutting everything very accurately
• cut the interfacing a lot bigger than you need; it's easier to trim it after than not have enough
• make sure edges are even before you sew them together
• go ahead and pin, even if you don't think you need to (see previous)
  
• iron seams as you go
• don't bother with iron-on batting--you won't save any time or effort over pinning in traditional batting (from now on, I'm getting Warm & Natural 100% cotton)
  
• buy twice as much thread as you normally would
• tear, don't cut, the selvage edges off

Will post a picture of the finished quilt once it's all done!

I'm at it again

This time, with a bit of a twist. I wanted to see how little I could get away with spending on groceries for the next two weeks. I plan to make heavy use of what's already in the cupboards/fridge/freezer. These items include:

• 2 pounds of beef sirloin tip steak
  
• almost 6 pounds of country ribs
  
• some colored peppers & broccoli
  
• lasagna noodles, spaghetti noodles, pasta sauce, tomato paste, canned tomatoes
• dried beans
• a can of chickpeas
• a pound of cooked ground beef
• a bag and a half of rice (some of it is going to a rice hand warmer I'm making for someone at church)
• 2 boxes of mac & cheese
• can of tomato soup
  

I went to the store today for milk, eggs, bread, soy sauce, cheese, sweet potatoes, lettuce, apples & bananas, among other things. I had $4.70 in can/bottle returns, and got a lot of stuff for $43. I did get pop, which normally I wouldn't do on such a screamingly tight budget. But Jeff is an admitted pop addict, and if there is pop in the house, he's less likely to want to go out to get some, thus coming home with other things as well. It's a weird kind of investment. One thing I forgot to get was peanut butter. We go through a lot of it, and for some reason, I thought we had two jars. Nope, and we're almost out of the one.

Planned meals for the next couple weeks are:

• Fajitas - this will be Monday, since the meat is no where near thawed yet, but the peppers need to be used up quickly.
• Chili - using the ground beef, spicy canned tomatoes, dried beans, cheese, rice. Leftovers will get incorporated into cornbread muffins. Salad on the side.
• Country ribs - these need to be thawed, marinated, and grilled. We'll have them one night as is, with baked sweet potatoes, and use the rest for fried rice, pulled pork, stir fry, lo mein, and anything else I can think of.
• Spaghetti - I'll finely chop some carrots, onions, & celery, then brown it in a big pan. Add tomato paste, let that brown, then a can or two of diced tomatoes. I'll cook up the Italian sausage and add that. Then I'll take the jarred pasta sauce I have and add that, so I should have tons. Salad & garlic bread on the side, and there will be enough sauce for . . .
  
• Lasagna roll ups - cottage cheese, mozzarella, parmesan, an egg, and some Italian seasoning. Cook the noodles über al dente, and roll up the filling. Traditional lasagna is a little hard on portioning, so I'm hoping this will make it easier. Again, salad & garlic bread.
  
• Breakfast for dinner - always a hit! Scrambled eggs, biscuits, and ham leftover from Easter dinner.
  

I need to do a fair bit of advance prep, like cooking up the sausage and soaking the beans.

After beautiful weather this week, we're supposed to get back to a more standard spring--colder and rainy, so I'm looking forward to still being able to make some cool-weather foods before summer hits. Any ideas for what to do with the chickpeas and the rest of the sirloin?

2nd Grocery Bill

I didn't intend to go grocery shopping again so soon, but Randazzo's had colored peppers on sale for 69 cents a pound. That is crazy cheap, and a friend asked me to pick a couple up for her as well, so I ran in. I ended up getting 6 peppers, 2 lemons, a head of broccoli, some fresh ginger, a jar of honey, some Nona bread, and a dozen eggs. $10.55. I'm happy with that, and it brings my total for the month $30.62.

Tonight's dinner is peach pork chops with broccoli and rice, and I'll cook up some egg rolls from the freezer. Sarah requested biscuits & gravy, so I'll do that tomorrow. We still have some $10 Applebee's cards--maybe that will be lunch after church on Sunday, and we'll have a light dinner. Next week, I'm planning on pot roast one day; thinking of French Dip sandwiches as a leftover from that. Also, ham & bean soup. Gonna have to get to that bread at some point.

Lauren's mild fever kept hanging on all week, getting as high as 103 yesterday. Saw the pediatrician this morning, and she's had her first dose of Amoxycillin already. though of course she still doesn't feel great.

1st Bill

We ran to Aldi to pick up a few things yesterday, and even though I did pick up some splurge items, we made it out for $20.07. For that, we got:

• an individual pack of sunflower seeds (eaten by me and Sarah during lunch at CC today),
  
• a gallon of milk,
  
• a box of frozen french toast sticks,
  
• a box of individual bags of chocolate covered pretzel rings--100 calories per box (this is something I am certain I can make on my own, though portion control will be a big factor),
  
• a box of couscous,
  
• a package of three romaine hearts,
• a couple pounds of red grapes,
  
• brown sugar,
  
• two frozen pizzas (having them in the freezer means Jeff is less likely to go out to satisfy late night munchies),
  
• a bag of flour,
  
• a bag of Golden Delicious apples.

I haven't started any bread yet--yesterday got away from me, and we were at CC today. Well, Sarah & I were. Lauren had a 100.6 fever (NOT 106, as two people misheard me; guess I need to enunciate better!), so Jeff stayed home from work with her. She's doing better now, though she says her throat is still sore.

Tonight's goal is to eat leftovers and start some bread, which I can finish tomorrow. Don't have a plan for tomorrow's dinner yet.

No Bread for You!

Last night's soup was pretty well received. Jeff even took some for lunch today without being nudged. We'll see what the kids think about leftovers for lunch.

While making pancakes this morning, I realized that we are almost out of flour. I made a dozen pasties on Saturday (the kids actually ate them this time!), six of which are now in the freezer. That should keep Jeff through the cold weather. But it ate up a lot of my flour, and being out of flour is not a good thing. If I'm going to start making bread regularly, I'll need to get more flour and yeast. I might have to pester someone with a Costco membership one of these days . . .

But for today, a quick trip to Aldi for a few things (also low on milk) should take care of us. Today's agenda holds a lot of schoolwork, a lot of housework, and a few errands. Dinner will be soft tacos.

This morning I made "maple syrup." For a while, I was buying pure maple syrup. The problem with that is twofold. First, the cost compared to the rate we go through it. Between pancakes, waffles, french toast, and granola (used to make the granola, not to eat it once it's done), we were going through a lot of syrup. Second, I can't get it at Aldi or Randazzo's, my two go-to stores. When I go to Meijer, it's to get all the stuff I can't get elsewhere, and it's an expensive trip. Therefore, I go only when I have to.

I could buy the fake stuff, but I'm not a not a fan of all the extra stuff in it. So I make my own fake stuff. Make a simple syrup by bringing a cup of sugar & a cup of water to a boil. Let it boil gently for a few minutes, then turn off the heat. Add a teaspoon of maple extract, stir, and there you go! I even sprang for a restaurant-style syrup dispenser. I was using a plastic squeeze bottle, but the lid wasn't sealing tightly, so it made a mess.

For a minor cost breakdown, you can figure that a 5-pound bag of sugar is about $2. A 1-oz bottle of maple extract was $3.63. That makes my syrup about $.26 per cup. The dispenser did cost me over $6 (which seriously killed me), but that thing had better last forever. I think that's a pretty good deal for a homemade convenience food!

New Focus

I've been thinking & reading more lately about meal planning, cooking, saving $ on feeding the family. How do you eat for a week for $50? I've always liked reading Hillbilly Housewife, and although her $45 Emergency Menu, I haven't done a lot of the recipes there.

I am about to kick off a big soup season, though. Tonight is going to be Minestrone with Multigrain Rolls (Rhodes), and I've got a package of bean soup mix & a ham bone. I also have some beef bones & some barley. I'm going to cook up some dry beans and freeze them, so that making chili will be easy.

And since I got a Dutch Oven for Christmas, I'm going to give No Knead Bread a try, hopefully today/tomorrow.

I'm also going to post my grocery receipts, with an eye to keeping the budget down to $250. We have a very full pantry right now, so I'm cautiously optimistic.

Minestrone Soup
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 carrots, sliced
2 ribs celery, sliced
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can cannellini beans (I'm using garbanzo beans tonight, because that's what's in the cupboard)
1 box frozen spinach, thawed & excess water squeezed out
1/2 cup Italian sausage, cooked & crumbled
6 cups vegetable broth (I'd use chicken broth if it was just me and the girls eating)
2 cups small dried pasta (I'm using small shells)
parmesan cheese

1. Saute onions & garlic in olive oil in a large pot. Add carrots & celery. Cook for about 5 minutes.
   
2. Add tomatoes, beans, broth, spinach & sausage.
3. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for half an hour.
4. Add pasta; cook another 10 - 15 minutes.
   
5. Serve with parmesan cheese to sprinkle on top (if you have a leftover parm cheese rind, throw it in the pot with the broth)
   

Tomatoes and Beans and Peppers, Oh My!

I got not one but TWO seed catalogs in the mail yesterday. I looked through them while it was snowing. I love a good bit of incongruity!

Last year, I had such big dreams for the garden. I

• dog eared pages in my catalogs (in addition to the must haves of my title, I'd love to do sweet peas, pumpkins, lettuces, gourds, potatoes, cucumbers for pickling, and don't even get me started on the flowers!),
  
• considered starting seeds indoors,
  
• wondered how I could expand the size of the plot without breaking my back,
  
• worried about keeping out the critters (not so many bunnies last year, but there's a wood chuck living next door)
  
• and even dreamed of an apple tree (forgetting that you generally need to plant two close together so that they pollinate).

And yet, I planted nothing. (insert sad frowny face here) This year, I really would like to expand the size of the garden, if only to get it away from the back fence, because there is a lot of vegetation that encroaches on that area.

I've read a lot about lasagna gardening, but I should have started it three months ago. I think it'll still work if I start it once the snow is gone, though.

I do miss having a garden, so I hope I stay motivated this year.

Fresh Start

OK, the start of a new week. Still lots to do, but I feel so much more energized and ready to get started!

The Serger came unthreaded again (of course), and it's the one thread that consistently gives me trouble. I'm going to call the store today and schedule a private lesson on how to use it. It's pricey, but if it means I'll be able to use the machine more effectively, it'll be a totally worthwhile use of my birthday $.

So sewing & baking are at the top of the list this week. Jeff comes home tomorrow night, and he'll be home Wednesday & Thursday as well. Sarah has Spelling Camp tomorrow, and her Girl Scout Party on Wednesday. Lauren has her party on Thursday, and my Dad & Sharon are coming to take them to see the lights Thursday night.

Here's looking forward to a fun, busy, productive week!

Epiphany

One of the things that has been stressing me is this dance for Lauren on Sunday. I was really lost. I knew it didn't have to be Julliard-quality, but I really didn't know what to do at all.

Then I realized--all she needs to do is get out in front of the rest of the choir, smile, and have fun with it. Yeah. Lauren can pretty much do that in her sleep. I realized that what I really needed to do was get out of her way and let her go for it.

So we watched a couple authentic hula instruction videos on YouTube, and also watched the only YouTube file of Christmas on the Beach in Waikiki, which includes a bunch of guys in grass skirts being goofy. She loved it, and has come up with something fairly passable on her own already. We'll go over it a couple more times, but this is another thing that I do not need to have total control over. Yay!

a little overwhelmed

still don't know what to do with Lauren for her solo Hawaiian dance

my mom is recovering well from her surgery (new hip), but hearing her sound so subdued and tired (on the phone) is really odd.

my dad is sick with some kind of bug, and so morose that he's thought about starting smoking again, and is now ready for my stepmom to pierce his ear.

haven't done any sewing

haven't finished photo albums, still can't get good pictures

just not motivated to do much of anything

On my mind

• still need to make three kimonos--realized that I'm stalling because I don't have an official pattern.
• also need to make three more tiered skirts. Luckily, these are total no-brainers. Will need more elastic for the waists.
  
• need to figure out a dance for Lauren to do to "Christmas on the Beach at Waikiki" for church. Know it doesn't have to be authentic at all, but would still like it to look good. Fairly stumped on this, though I've been looking at a lot of YouTube.
• I deleted over 4000 old emails today.
• love this idea. If it's not too much of a pain, I'll end up making LOTS of them.
  
• Jeff's grandma died yesterday. Funeral is Friday.
  
• need to get Christmas pictures of girls ASAP, but no one is in a very cheerful mood today. Also, my flash won't work. And the pictures that I did get won't download (that happens periodically, but I don't know why.)
• so glad the girls found Christmas dresses they love, and that I am not sewing those.
  

Simplify

I've wanted to do/make an Advent calendar for a few years now. Some specific Christmas activity every day just sounded really fun. This year, I even went so far as to come up with 24 activities. The first one? "Start listening to Christmas music!" because it is seriously killing them that their mom is such a Scrooge and won't listen to Christmas music before Thanksgiving. I also had things like bell ringing for the Salvation Army, making Christmas ornaments, watching Charlie Brown and the Grinch, and baking Christmas cookies.

My first idea was to make 24 little fabric stockings. Then, I could "take a day off" and just put some candy in that stocking. Then I realized that it would be easier to just write 24 slips of paper, roll them up, and attach them with ribbon to a streamer. Of course, that sends the candy out the window.

I was telling Jeff the other night that I wasn't sure if I wanted to do it after all. I like the idea, but wasn't sure I was up to the commitment of "this day, you must do this."

At church this morning, both girls got regular paper Advent calendars--no activities, no candy. No problem! I'm glad to be off the hook on this. I have plenty of other stuff going on.

Obstacle Removed

Our Christmas program at church this year is "Christmas Around the World." We already have most of the costumes we need, but we need kimonos for 4 little girls, including Lauren. That's convenient--Lauren already has a kimono from Halloween 2008.

But that still leaves us needing three. A kimono takes a ridiculous amount of fabric--over three 1/2 yards, even for someone as small as Lauren. Blame those crazy sleeves. Brocade fabric is at least $8/yard, even on a half off sale. Um. Yeah, no. I can't expect the church to shell out $75 for three little robes.

I decided to look around for a cotton fabric, more of a "summer" kimono instead of such a formal one. Still, the only fabric I could find was $6 - $8/yard. And if I was going to use cotton, I'd have to make four. It wouldn't be right for Lauren to be in a very luxurious garment, and all the other girls in something noticeably cheaper. This isn't "The Princess and the Peasants."

So I was stumped. It was seriously giving me a fair bit of stress, to figure out what to do. This morning, I went into the costume cupboard and found a huge length of really pretty floral fabric. It would definitely pass for a summer kimono and there was enough to make two for the smallest girls, if I was really careful on the cutting.

I was talking to the Choir director about what she wanted, and the grandfather of one of the little girls overheard us. He said, "If I just give you $30 for fabric, can she keep the kimono when it's all done?" My mouth fell open. "Um. Sure!" I mean, really, why not? It's not like a size 5 kimono is something we're going to need on a regular basis anyway. I talked to another girl's parents, and they're willing to kick in. too. The last girl wasn't there today, but I'll call her parents to find out what color she likes and her size.

So now I only need to make three (if they're all brocade, Lauren can wear hers, of course), and I can get the fabric that will really make it work. Now I need to figure out how much I need to get of each color.

And I need to rethread my Serger. Again.

"Good" news

I'm going to have plenty of time to sew and get ready for Christmas. The classes that were supposed to start this week have been postponed until January. They can't get enough people to commit to a class that runs during the holidays. I get it. But it's very disappointing, to say the least.

How many times have I said that I need a job with more stability & regularity? Again, this comes back to bite me in the butt. A little discouraged today.

Truffles

Dark chocolate truffles.

Dark chocolate truffles with bacon.

Insane, right? But the recipient loved them, even though I didn't have a chance to get them into traditional truffle form, and just gave her a bowl of the mixture. I'm not sure if they're quite mainstream enough for the gift bags this year, but we'll see.

Bonus Time

Remember how I said that Jeff would get the week of Thanksgiving off work, but not between Christmas & New Year's? Well, not only was I wrong about that, he's also getting next week of as well. Working from home on Monday, but that is still at home! So before the end of this calendar year, he has three weeks at home, yay!

Time, time, time

We're busy right now: Classical Conversations goes for the rest of this month before winter break. Happy thoughts that we get enough extra students in January to start a new class, which I can then teach (and get paid for, woo-hoo!)

Although I didn't work last week or this week, classes should resume the week after that and go right up until the week before Christmas. Hopefully, I'll get enough students signed up for the MS Word class, too.

Both girls have dance and Scouts. Although Lauren's Brownie troop only has two more meetings before Christmas, I'm the co-leader for her troop, and we're not only doing her investiture ceremony, we're also having a Tea Party, and a Hat & Glove drive (to donate to Oakland Co. foster care). Sarah's working on her own stuff for scouts, but we're still in Candy & Nut sales, and as soon as that is done, cookie sales are upon us!

On the plus side, Jeff is taking off all of Thanksgiving week (gone are the days when he had paid vacation for the week between Christmas & New Year's, but it was nice while it lasted), so I know the house will be spotless when we have everyone over.

One good time management tool that we're using right now is weekly checklists for the kids. For the most part, they detail school work (which pages to do in their math books, diagramming sentences for Sarah, Tin Whistle practice, etc.) but they also have things like Dance/Stretch. Sarah's dance class this year is considerably more challenging, and the extra practice even this early has been helping. By letting them see what all they have to do, and setting daily goals (we use a highlighter to select the boxes they intend to check off each day), we're getting better about getting stuff done.

Been a While

Blame Facebook.

Now that Halloween is over, my brain has room for other holiday stuff. For example, we're hosting our first ever Thanksgiving dinner this year. Which means I'm cooking my first ever turkey this year. Plus a ham for Jeff, of course. I'd like to make a tablecloth & napkins.

I'm starting to think about Christmas as well, of course. Pajamas, as always, are on the list. I think I might do a small quilt for each girl, also. This tutorial looks like a good one. Trying to figure out what else to buy/make is really difficult right now.

And I'm dismayed to realize that I've done nothing for this year's photo album. I don't even have the pages planned out, which I usually start doing in the beginning of October. I've been taking a lot fewer pictures this year, but don't know why. I'm still committed to the album, but it's not as high on the list this year.

Last major project I'm considering right now is an Advent Calendar. I've thought about it so many times in the past, and have seen many different options. I'm thinking I'd like to make 24 little stocking to string along the fireplace, with an activity or treat in each one. We'll see if that actually happens this year, in that form or another.