Simple Woman's Daybook Entry

Outside my window... An absolutely gorgeous fall morning.  The air is still and the neighborhood is quiet.  I hear the occasional crow...

I am thinking... about how the Pope moved so many people this week.  I'm not Catholic, but his words are for all of us.  I hope Congress listens.  I hope the nation listens.  I hope the world listens.

I am thankful... That the cub scout meeting that I led last week went well.  We have 10 little boys - and they are all full of life yet very sweet.  The object of the meeting was to create *something* out of recycled materials.  Boys this age are not big on crafts... (are they ever?) but I did find a cool project on Pinterest where the boys could create a wolf head, since they are wolves right now.  They were actually excited!  I have all the pieces and parts that they have constructed, now I just need to glue it all together and spray paint it.  They then can add details this coming week.

From the Learning Rooms... Rylan has finally clicked with multiplication, Owen is really getting into math as well - MEP is a very good fit for him and his problem-solving style.  Colin is spending lots of time on ABC Mouse and really enjoying it.  On Friday, I watched a fantastic online discussion given by Julie Bogart from Brave Writer on Periscope, called 'When it all goes wrong in your homeschool'.  It was just the shot in the arm I needed for positive thinking after the first month of slogging through work with the kids.  Even though this is our 8th year homeschooling, sometimes you need to hear that it will all be OK over and over and over again.  This particular discussion is no longer available on Periscope (they only remain for 24 hours), but Julie indicated that she would put it up on the Brave Writer site in the near future.

In the kitchen... I figured out a quick and easy way to create beef stew this past week.  I purchased two packages of Hormel's Beef Tips in Gravy (which would be about the same price as getting stew meat), 32 oz beef stock, bottle of beer, baby carrots, celery, onion, mushrooms and baby potatoes or sweet potatoes.  First saute the onion and mushroom in some butter or oil, and after a few minutes add in some chopped celery.  While the veggies are sauteing, I put the carrots and potatoes (cut into 1 inch chunks) into a pampered chef microwave steamer with a little bit of water, and steamed them in microwave for about 7-8 minutes.  This will cut down on the cooking time, overall.  As soon as the onions turn golden brown and most of the liquid from the mushrooms has cooked off, sprinkle a generous amount of flour over the vegetables and stir until it is mixed in well.  Then pour in a little beer to deglaze the pan, scraping all the good bits off the bottom.  Keep pouring in a little more beer, stir, and then a little more, until the entire bottle is mixed in well.  Add the beef stock, stir well.  Add in the carrots and potatoes - plus the water they steamed in!  Finally, open up the two containers of Beef Tips and scrape all of it into the pot and mix well.  Add a little pepper.  I would nix adding extra salt, there is plenty in the stock and Beef Tips.  Any part of this process can be tailored to what you have on hand veggie-wise.  You can also add some Worcestershire,  a bit of tomato paste... whatever.  When it is all mixed in, cook for about 15 minutes and it should be good to go.  I actually made it twice this week.  Dean needed to take stew with him for Fall Camporee this weekend, so I made a second batch.  It goes together from start to finish in about 30 minutes.  Yummy and kid-approved!

I am wearing... blue silk(ish) pjs from this past Mother's Day.

I am creating... Minion costumes!  Do you know how hard it is to find a large piece of egg-crate foam??  I gave up after visiting five different stores looking for a twin-size mattress foam pad, and just purchased a roll of foam from Hobby Lobby and used a 40% off one item coupon on my phone.  It's not quite as thick as what I wanted, but it will do.  Can't wait to get started. :)

I am going... On a fall hike very shortly.  There is a family fall colors hike at the cub scout camp about an hour away, so we are picking up my dad and then heading up there to join the other families from our pack, and Dean and Jordan will join us as well, since they will be ending their camporee stuff just down the road at the boy scout camp.  Should be a beautiful day!  

I am wondering... If you still get monthly cramps after a hysterectomy. (?)  Three weeks and counting...

I am reading... I visited the Pottermore site yesterday, and read the new bit on there about Harry's ancestors.  Loved it!

I am hoping... That even though I really do love the sunshine, I hope that it starts to cool off a bit and feel more like 'fall'.  I also hope that Rylan's loose tooth comes out today.  It is her first molar tooth to come loose, but it is wedged against her wire band of her braces, so she can only wiggle it in one direction.  She is complaining.  Loudly.  All the time.

I am looking forward to... This coming week.  No extra stuff on the schedule.  It is also my dad's birthday and my FIL's birthday (same day).  I am thinking about taking my dad to the Denver Botanical Gardens.

I am learning... How to shape foam with scissors this week.  Minion teeth...

I am hearing... Clone Wars on Netflix (I think they are actually really good!).

Around the house... Tons of dog hair.  Still!  I hope Abby finishes her seasonal shed soon.

I am pondering... All the advice I heard on the online discussion I mentioned earlier.  Lots of good stuff there - especially the advice that homeschoolers (the parents, really) need to offload the tendency to feel like society's perception of homeschooling rests on their shoulders.  (I do this to myself all. the. time.) Yes, it is a non-conventional educational choice that we've made, but don't feel like you have to live under the constant pressure to always perform at a higher standard in order to prove the skeptics wrong...  This includes making comments to public school parents that your homeschooling experience is above par, even when it isn't.  Even homeschoolers can have bad days (weeks)(months)(year?) and it is okay to be honest with yourself and those you converse with.  Don't put yourself in the position that you must uphold the entity of 'Homeschooling' and push yourself to emulate an impossible, and mythical standard.  Keep it real.  Embrace your messy house, your lack of exercise or balanced meals and the children that refuse to produce stellar work, and just enjoy your choice to be with your children and homeschool them.  You are so lucky to have this opportunity.  Children grow up way to fast, and you need to treasure these years, not be a slave to them.  Good advice! 

One of my favorite things... Telling my youngest, as I put him to bed, about the exciting thing that he will be doing the next day.  He is so cute when he is excited. :)

A few plans for the rest of the week... A hike today, and possibly the Botanical Gardens mid-week.  Then the usual roundup of activities: Lego robotics, ballet, jazz, violin and Nutcracker practice for Rylan, piano and cub scouts for Owen, and boy scouts for Jordan.

Here is a picture for thought I am sharing...

Rylan helped me pick out a fall wreath yesterday, for the front door.  I love fall!!

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Simple Woman's Daybook Entry

 

 

Outside my window... Frost on the grass and a clear blue sky. It will be a sunny day.

I am thinking... About our upcoming trip to OKC for Thanksgiving, about the logistics of the very busy weekend that we leave... and it makes my head hurt.

I am thankful... For the fact that maybe, *just* maybe, we might all finally be getting over our colds. I think three weeks is sufficient penance for whatever it is we did to offend the Gods of cleanliness and sterility.

From the Learning Rooms... Last week Rylan and I finished reading Charlotte's Web - our first novel we've completed together. No - Rylan didn't read to me, but we read and discussed as we moved along. She's not quite at the reading level yet where she could tackle something like that, but she just may be ready for something like Magic Treehouse... I got the Charlotte's Web movie at the library last week and told her we could watch it as soon as we finished. We got to the end of the book (Rylan's reaction to the passing of Charlotte was rather blasé - not sure why...) but Rylan was reduced to tears when the stupid library DVD would. not. play. Luckily I could pull it up on Netflix, and so we watched it as a family on Sunday night. I was very impressed with the movie (the one with Dakota Fanning...) - one of the best movie adaptations ever! I stressed to Rylan the importance of reading the story BEFORE you watch the movie, because a lot of the thoughts and feelings that the author is expressing is lost when it is adapted for the screen. It was very satisfying to hear Rylan name each character as they initially appeared in the movie, and recall what their character traits were. "See that rat, Owen? That's Templeton, and he is very selfish...".

I'm working on number recognition with Owen, and the other day I gave him a set of cards, numbered 1-20 to place in order. He worked off of a number grid that was printed on another card and matched pattern and placement to get the job done. He is very, very particular about how he goes about this. I am confident that he recognizes #s 1-5, and #8 because he looks like a snowman. It is a work in progress. Very sloooow progress.

Dean stayed home on Monday so that he could attend a memorial service that afternoon. I had him work on Jordan's physics lesson with him while I did math with Rylan and Owen. I like when I have the opportunity to get Dean in on the lessons. He is more aware of what we do, and Jordan is more aware of teaching differences. There is dad's over-the-top-way-too-technical explanation, and my let's-consult-Google-because-I-have-no-idea explanation. :)


In the kitchen... we have been surviving on minimal cooking at home, and a lot, A LOT, of takeout. As my energy returns I am in better shape to get to the store and do some cooking. Pushing a grocery cart and carrying groceries is still a painful activity for me (because of the BR), so that plays a huge part in it. Last night I made PW's sour cream beef noodle bake, and it was meh... :/ I'd add more sour cream. I also added green beans and used leftover spaghetti sauce instead of tomato sauce. It still needs more 'oomph'.

I am wearing... comfy pjs. As soon as I finish this I'll change into walking gear and get outside.

I am creating... I'm making a mental packing list for OKC, and among the items is my yarn and circular knitting needles. It's been a couple of years since I knitted last, so it is time to learn to how to cast on again and do the basic knitting stitch. I am in need of a hat for running, as well as maybe a neck (cowel?) type thing, and a ear warmer/headband. Then I can pick and choose based on the weather of the day... I have no idea how to make a hat, but there is always Google and YouTube to show the way! This will be a good way to pass the time on our trip.

I am going... We have a girl scout outing this afternoon - a fire station visit to go hand-in-hand with our current badge - First Aid. Rylan has ballet later this afternoon and Jordan has Lego robotics.

I am wondering...How the kids manage to use 20 different cups in one day... sigh.

I am reading... currently I've been reading different articles about the Common Core. I've been holding this issue at arm's length, thinking that it wouldn't have much effect on us since we homeschool. Now I am not so sure, so I have been cramming on the issue. My gut reaction is 'This is bad. Very, very bad.' Many thanks to various friends for posting different editorials/videos about the issue. Any kind of blanket education policy is bad policy!!

In the garden... dead plants that really, really need to be removed. Anyone?

I am hoping... My gosh the destruction in the Philippines is just heartbreaking. I hope that relief comes soon for the people who are desperate for food and water.

I am looking forward to... the weekend. Not much is going on other than Saturday morning when Dean and Jordan complete Scouting for Food, but I am looking forward to the quiet before the crazy-assed stress of the following week - a busy week and packing for OKC.

I am learning... about Common Core, force, how to convert an Ikea table into a sewing table with a dropped machine placement, and this Ikea-inspired family locker unit! I wish we had a mud room - it is actually very high on my must-have list for whenever we make the move to a bigger house. God help our family budget if I ever set foot in the Ikea that is in Denver... one of these days...one of these days.

I am hearing... Ylvis - The Fox (What Does the Fox Say?). This is the kid's new favorite, and it is an absolute joy to sing and go a little crazy!

Around the house... Last weekend Dean finished tearing out the tile around the fireplace, and we went to the tile store to pick out new tile. I am also looking forward to this weekend because I hope we can finish up this stage of the project - especially since part of the wall is exposed to the studs. I am thankful that the weather is mild right now - otherwise this room would get very chilly!

I am pondering... paint colors for the downstairs. The time to choose is now!

One of my favorite things... changing the looks of things. This part of the house is looking so different, yet in a good way! I can't wait to post pictures when we get it all cleaned up.

A few plans for the rest of the week... Just activities and such. I also need to get the tires checked, oil changed and windshield replaced before we leave.

Here is a picture for thought I am sharing...

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Moroccan Chicken Tangine

So, on Monday morning, while Dean was sawing lumber and building the composter (and the kids were outside "helping"), I enjoyed the relative peace and quiet of the house by trying to knock off an episode or two of America's Test Kitchen from the DVR.  I have 21 in queue right now...

First up was an America's Test Kitchen version of a Moroccan dish called 'Chicken Tangine'.  I have never cooked anything remotely like this.  Ethnic foods for me have been limited to Mexican and ... well, Mexican.  I can't call spaghetti 'authentic' Italian.  I just can't.  There is very little thought process that goes into it (sorry if you are Italian and I've just offended your grandmother).  I'm talking about SPAGHETTI.  Sure, I have a rather ingredient-heavy recipe - but hey - you throw it all into a crockpot and simmer it for hours.  Where's the challenge?

With Chicken Tangine, it was a 21-step process.  And it begins with food prep.  You need six different spices just to get started.  I had all of them, but the age of two of them I couldn't vouch for.  One of the bottles had a label on the bottom with my maiden initials on it.  I put it there in 1992, when I lived with two other roommates and we just stored all of our spices together.  1992.  So that makes that bottle 20 freakin' years old.  I sniffed it.  It smelled vaguely of sawdust.  How is it, in the past 20 years, I didn't use all of my cayenne pepper?  About ten years ago I got into the habit of labeling my bottles with the month and year that I opened it.  I know that about 3/4 of my spices need to go, based on age (most lose potency even just after 6 months).  That is an expensive proposition.  But in ethnic cooking, where spices are the headliners, you can't skimp - so it was off to the store.

Since I didn't have a prep team to dice and measure everything for me, I had to go through the recipe and do it myself.  Toast some almonds.  Mince and mash lemon peel, garlic and salt together until you have a paste.  Slice onions, olives, carrots... and on and on.  Each into it's own bowl until it was all ready to go.

Here is some sage cooking advice that isn't mine, but I know it works:  Prepare all of your ingredients beforehand.  Line them up in little bowls, dishes, spoons, whatever you have on hand.  Because as you see chefs on the cooking shows emptying bowl after bowl of different ingredients into the cookpot as they go - there is a reason, and it's not to look fancy.  It is so you can pay attention to what is going on in the pot.  You don't want your back turned, madly dicing the onions, when you chicken is burning.  Do it all beforehand, so that you can pay attention to what you are doing.

This recipe required ingredients and techniques I've never done before.  Shallots.  I used to dislike onions.  A lot.  I am now reformed, but because of my dislike, I never, never tried shallots.  Oh - my goodness - I have missed the boat!  They are mildly oniony, and they soften like butter.  No kidding.  I am going to plant some.  Immediately.  My usual, pathetic, lame grocery store - soon to be former grocery story, didn't have any.  ANY.  So I pulled up some images on the internet to show Dean, and sent him after some at a different store.  He came through  - I didn't know they could grow as big as the ones he brought home, but they were very good.  So glad I finally tried them.  The other thing I have never done before, believe it or not, is cut up a chicken.  I don't like dark meat, so almost all of the chicken I cook is breast meat, or I buy a whole chicken, jamb it on a beer can and roast it in the oven, and give the drumsticks to Jordan.

I watched the cooking video three times to get down the method of cutting up a chicken.  They make it look soooo easy.  ha.  I had a weak pair of kitchen shears, and a dull chef's knife: a lethal combination.  Luckily I didn't hurt myself.  I couldn't find any of the joints that were supposedly "just right there", or cut out the back bone without hacking into the breast meat quite a ways... Uugh.  I bagged up the backbone, wings and other various bits and pieces in a Ziploc to save for a day that I will make a chicken broth.  I felt like I was left with only a fraction of the chicken that it once was...  but at least I did it.  Next time I will be prepared with a sharper knife.  And a mean pair of scissors.

Next up was to make some couscous.  I've never attempted this before, either.  I had a disaster with polenta a while back and I vowed to stay safe with rice.  And only rice.  I do thank the testers at America's Test Kitchen for finding a way to make it easy and practical - take it out of the box, but not follow the box's directions.  It turned out awesome.

So there you have it: four new things to add to my 40 Things: ethnic recipe, shallots, cutting up a chicken and making couscous.  No wonder it took me two hours to get dinner on the table!

One other piece of advice: If you are already a fan of Fly Lady, you probably already do this.  Partially fill one of your sinks with soapy water, and wash and rinse your cooking dishes as you go.  As you can see in the picture, there were a ton of dirty dishes generated in act of making this recipe.  Most of them could be cleaned with a just a swish in the soapy water and a quick rinse.  I only had two pots at the end - the chicken pot and the couscous pot that still needed washing.  I was thankful not to add anymore to my dish pile.  I still have the perpetual pile next to the sink that never.  goes.  away.

Here is the recipe, from America's Test Kitchen

Chicken Tangine

1. Make your spice blend, set aside
* 1 1/4 tsp paprika
* 1/2 tsp ground cumin
* 1/4 tsp (each) of ground ginger, cayenne, coriander and ground cinnamon

2. Make lemon paste, set aside
Take one long strip of lemon peel (use a peeler and make sure there is no pith), and one clove of garlic and mince both until very fine.  Sprinkle mixture with a little salt and then take the flat of the knife blade (use a nice, wide chef's knife), and wipe it back and forth, mashing the mixture.  The goal is to release the lemon oil.

3. Dice one small yellow onion and place in a bowl, and add two long sections of lemon peel on top.  Set aside.

4. Mince 4 cloves of garlic, set aside.

5. Slice 3 - 4 carrots, set aside.

6. Slice 1 cup of Greek green olives.  (I used Spanish because that is what I had on hand)

7. Pour 1 3/4 C chicken broth into measuring cup, set aside.

8. Rinse one whole chicken, remove bag of giblets and pat dry.  Cut off thigh at the hip joint and then separate thigh from the drumstick.  Remove backbone with scissors and discard or keep for broth.  Remove wings and discard or keep for broth.  Take remaining to halves of breast and divide each into half.  You should have four pieces of dark meat and four pieces of white - sprinkle with a generous amount of salt and pepper.  (Using dark meat is essential to building the flavor in the dish - or so ATK says.  I may try this recipe again, and do so with all breast meat and see if that is so.)

9.  Heat 1 Tbsp of olive oil in a dutch oven on med-high heat until it is just smoking - the chicken should immediately sizzle when you add it.  Add the chicken (it will be crammed) and brown on one side.  Turn and brown on the other.

10.  Remove chicken from pot and set aside.  Drain off all of the oil except about a tablespoon's worth, and then add the sliced onions/two slices of lemon peel.  Saute until brown and softened.  If the pot gets too dry and begins to burn, you can add a Tbsp of water or two.  While you are waiting on the onions, remove the skin from all of the chicken pieces, using a paper towel. (discard the skin)

11.  Add the garlic and saute about 30 seconds, then add the spice mixture.

12.  Stir the onion/garlic/spice mixture until the spices bloom and get fragrant (about 30 seconds)

13.  Pour in chicken broth (be careful - the pot is super hot!).  Scrape the bottom to release leftover chicken bits as you stir.

14.  Add 1 Tbsp honey.

15.  Bring mixture to a boil and then reduce heat to medium and add ONLY the dark meat.  Cook for 5 minutes.

16.  Carefully cover dark meat with the carrots, creating a platform upon which you can place the four white meat pieces.  You are essentially 'steaming' the white meat.  Cover and cook for 10 -15 minutes, until the breast meat measures 160F.

17.  Remove chicken to a plate and tent with foil.

18.  Add the olives and cover and cook for 5 minutes.

19.  Add in the lemon 'paste'

20.  Add 3 Tbsp of lemon juice

21.  Add 1/4 C chopped cilantro and bring mixture to a simmer.

22.  Return the chicken to the pot (including the juice on the plate) and simmer for five minutes until ready to serve.

Couscous:

1.  Toast 3/4 C of sliced almonds in a dry skillet, flipping them around often, until they are a nice golden brown and have a nice, nutty aroma.

2.  Melt 3 Tbsp of unsalted butter in a 2 qt. saucepan.

3. Add 2-3 shallots, sliced thin, and saute until softened.  (about 3 min).

4. Add one clove of minced garlic, cook until fragrant - about 30 seconds.

5.  Add two cups of couscous and stir and toast until couscous has a nice, nutty aroma - about 4-5 minutes.  Be careful - it can go from toasted to burnt in just a few seconds - so stir constantly!

6.  Add 1 C water, 1 C chicken broth and 1 tsp salt.  Stir well and bring to a boil.

7.  Cover and remove from heat.  Let sit for 7 minutes.

8.  Fluff with fork and then add 1/2 tsp grated lemon zest, 2 tsp lemon juice, 1/4 C minced parsley and the toasted almonds.  Toss gently.


Serve the chicken atop a bed of couscous.

(I personally thought the chicken breasts were a little dry and flavorless using this method.  Next time I *might* eliminate the dark meat, and cook the breast meat directly in the sauce)  Otherwise it was a hit.  Even Owen, the pickiest of the kids, had cleaned his plate before I had even finished serving Dean and myself.  I love the complicated mix of flavors and the aroma....oh, the aroma!!  (and wouldn't you know it - I forgot to get an aftershot!)

A girl turns 6

The day ended?  started? at about 1 am, when I inverted cake 2 of 2 out of the batter bowl to cool on the counter.  I made sure dog and cat were accounted for and chauffeured them to our bedroom lest a cake disappear over night.  Then I got up a few hours later, at about 7am, to get this cake decorated!

This cake is a cinch to prepare.  The CAKE part.  I used my tempered glass Pampered Chef batter bowl, and used a Pampered Chef doll cake recipe to make the cakes.  (you have to make two).

Assembling the damn thing is a totally different ballgame.  First of all, there was a huge hollow inside both cakes.  While this may be a good thing for shoving a Barbie into the cake, it does not bode well for stability.  By slicing horizontally through both cakes, I was able to build it up high enough, vertically, to accommodate Barbie's ridiculously long, out-of-proportion-don't-get-me-started legs.  It took an enormous amount of frosting to get all of the layers stacked, but in the end it turned out pretty well.  I wrapped Barbie's torso with some tulle and pinned it in the back,  and then I wrapped her legs in plastic wrap so that she wouldn't get ruined by the cake and frosting.  Then I made several cuts (holding the knife vertically) into the cake and then jammed her in there.  That was a mistake.  Her out-of-proportion-don't-get-me-started hips broke apart the top layer.  So I had to jam left-over pieces of cake into the cracks and smother the whole thing with frosting to cover up the mess.  And then cover that with a ton of fabric flowers.  Because nothing hides cake mistakes better than fabric flowers.  Especially when you suck at icing.

My friend Cheryl loaned me her decorating cake pedestal, and that was a life-saver.  I'm gonna get me one of those.  I like how the hem turned out - those large candy pearl nonpareils gave it a nice touch. I'm kind of wishing I'd done the whole cake that way, but I was out of time.  And also, since I have never made a doll cake before, I think this qualifies as a 40 Things ...  This is #3 on the list of official accomplishments.  I had better get crackin'!!   So what did the birthday girl think of her cake?   Rylan 'liked' it, but confessed that the picture she had of the cake in her head was different.  This one wasn't 'purple enough'.  whatever

This was Rylan's first 'friend' party.  We chose to do a gymnastics party at a local gym.  Rylan and Jordan took a homeschool gymnastics class here last year, and Rylan has been asking repeatedly when she can go back.  So she was excited to hear that we would have her party there.  Rylan invited her Daisy troop pals, and Jordan was able to invite along a friend as well.

Dean was on the floor taking pictures (only one parent is allowed to do so, so I stayed up in the party room and finished decorating and gabbed with the other moms), so he took lots of video, and like, two pictures.  So here is one of them.  Jordan is hopping along a trampoline with Colin.  The group got one hour of gym time, and Colin ran and jumped for the entire time.  Owen was finally ready to join the group in the last ten minutes of their time slot.  Before that he stayed upstairs with me, watching the crowd below and playing with the balloons.  He often hangs back like that. 

Then the girls came up to the party room and we did cake, lemonade and presents.  (I'd show these pictures - but getting iPhone pictures to show up on Blogger never works.  You companies are lame -  and I am so frustrated that I can't figure this issue out...)

So here is finished version of the cake - taken earlier in the day.  The candles will go in the icing swirls in front.

 

 

Sorry for the fuzziness of the photo, but Rylan is holding up a skirt.  The little girl who gave it to her is standing behind Rylan, grinning.  She MADE the skirt. She sewed it herself!  I just can't get over how awesome that is!!!

Rylan had a great time and really enjoyed doing gymnastics with all of her friends.  I was very happy with the way the party turned out, and it fit all of my criteria...

1.  Not at my house

2.  I did not have to cook.  (Cake doesn't count)

3.  It was long enough to get the fun accomplished, but not overly long where bickering can begin

We finished out the day with a dinner at home.  Rylan had asked for steak and potatoes for dinner.  We settled on beer butt chicken (I'll have to explain that some time).  I stupidly tried out a new roasting method (roast at 450F for thirty minutes and then turn the oven off and let it sit for another 30 minutes.)  This was from America's Test Kitchen of all places.  It was an epic fail.   Despite taking the temp and returning it to the oven twice for 25 min. stints, the chicken failed to cook through.  We ended up throwing it out.  We made a meal out of mashed potatoes and gravy, grandma's rolls and corn.  And cake.  Which, after the day was done, Rylan never did have a piece of.  Not even a taste.  Even though it was offered multiple times.  ?? 

Next year?  Cupcakes.

A boy turns 12

Jordan turned 12 on the 9th - just getting around to posting about it!  His birthday fell midweek - so the actual day wasn't too eventful.  There was a fieldtrip scheduled that day for our homeschooling group to tour the local powerplant, so Jordan went with my mom on the tour.  (little ones are not allowed, for safety reasons).  Rawhide is located about 25 miles north of where we live, so it was a nice outing for Jordan and my mom.

I would like to take this moment to share some serious frustration with technology, in general.  The photo of Jordan in a hard had that was supposed to be pictured above was nice.  I wish you could see it.  My mom took it with her iPhone.  When she sent it to me, of course I couldn't paste it in because the picture data is all wonky and it won't copy over.  (don't even get me started on my frustrations with all things Apple)  So I had her send me a jpeg and see if we could do it that way.  And this is what we get.  A fuzzy photo, that you can't even see when I look at the preview of the post.  I hate my techno illteracy.  And the fact that my husband is on a campout this weekend, and is not around to help me fix it.   I'm not happy with Google, Blogger or Yahoo either.  Bleh.

Back to the birthday...

My dad came over later in the afternoon to deliver  1 1/2 yards of garden soil.  (Thanks dad!!)  After many wheelbarrow trips and dirt baths, we finally unloaded the trailer and my dad took the kids for a ride down the street and back.

We cleaned up, I frosted the cake, and we headed out to dinner at Jordan's favorite restaurant: Red Lobster.  (Well, one of two.  He also loves the Hibachi Japanese Steak House, but we did that last year).  We had a great dinner then it was on to cake and presents.  The cake (pictured above) is called Chocolate Blackout Cake.  I got the recipe from Cook's Country, when I saw them feature this cake one day a few years ago.  You need to be a member to see the recipe, but there are several versions all over the place on the internet.  I have the Cook's Country version here... with commentary!

Chocolate Blackout Cake
From the episode: Forgotten Cakes

Serves 10 to 12.

Be sure to give the pudding and the cake enough time to cool or you'll end up with runny pudding and gummy cake.

Ingredients :

Pudding (frosting)
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon table salt
2 cups half-and-half
1 cup whole milk
6 ounces unsweetened chocolate , chopped
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Cake
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), plus extra for greasing pans
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour , plus extra for dusting pans
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon Table salt
3/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1 cup strong black coffee (room temp)
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions :

This is a relatively easy recipe to pull together.  I've made about five cakes now, and I've always had good, consistant results.  I'm a terrible baker, and I can't even mess up this recipe!

1. For the pudding: Whisk sugar, cornstarch, salt, half-and-half, and milk in large saucepan. Set pan over medium heat. Add chocolate and whisk constantly until chocolate melts and mixture begins to bubble and thicken, 6 to 8 minutes. (Be patient and KEEP STIRRING.  It will look all wrong, but as soon as it bubbles the chocolate will melt and the cornstarch will do it's job and thicken it right up.  You will feel the drag on the whisk pretty quickly as it thickens).  Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. At this point serve yourself a small bowl of warm pudding because it's just awesome. You deserve it.  You worked hard doing all that whisking! Transfer pudding to large bowl, and place plastic wrap directly on surface of pudding and refrigerate until cold, at least 4 hours or up to 1 day.

2. For the cake layers: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Butter and flour two 8-inch cake pans. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in bowl.

3. Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in cocoa and cook until fragrant (this is called 'blooming'), about 1 minute. Off heat, whisk in coffee, buttermilk, and sugars until dissolved. Whisk in eggs and vanilla, then slowly whisk in flour mixture.

4. Divide batter evenly between prepared pans and bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool layers in pans 15 minutes, then invert onto wire rack. Cool to room temperature, at least 1 hour.

Yep - you guessed it.  This recipe is all about whisking.

5. To assemble an authentic Blackout cake you do this: Cut each cake in half horizontally. Crumble one cake layer into medium crumbs and set aside. Place one cake layer on serving platter or cardboard round. Spread 1 cup pudding over cake layer and top with another layer. Repeat with 1 cup pudding and last cake layer. Spread remaining pudding evenly over top and sides of cake. Sprinkle cake crumbs evenly over top and sides of cake, pressing lightly to adhere crumbs. Serve and refrigerate any leftovers.

This is just too complicated for me.  I just did a two layer cake (pudding in between) and frosted the whole thing with the pudding - leaving about a cup leftover - which makes awesome pudding just by itself!  I then used a tub of chocolate frosting and piped on some decorations.  The level of fuss you want to deal with is up to you.  Yes it is rich.  It makes your head swim with its chocolately goodness.  That is why I make this cake only once a year.  It is all our tastebuds can handle.  And, it is the birthday boy's favorite.  :)

This is one of the gifts Jordan recieved for his birthday.  In fact, it was the only thing he asked for.  (A gift from his Gma Pat and Papa Van).  Well, this and money of course...  This is the first birthday that Jordan did not put in a request for Lego's.  Strange.  But I think it was a wonderful choice!  We found it here, when we were poking around for a rock-polishing kit.  I love that he is exploring his interests.  He put in a request for the Geology Merit Badge (one of three requests) during scout summer camp next month.  I hope he gets the chance to study it.   It also gives me a good jumping off point for the direction our science studies will go, once he gets back from his various travels this summer.

It was a good day.  I can't believe this boy is twelve.

Bread Machine Recipe 1 of 4: Butter Crescent Rolls

You will not believe how e*a*s*y this recipe is.  My five year old almost has it down pat.  It takes about SEVEN minutes of minimal labor on your part.  If you love soft, dense rolls, this is the recipe for you!

As long as I can remember, my mom has made these rolls.  She got the recipe from her sister, who got it from a fellow USAF wife in the 70's.  Then, several years ago my aunt came up with a way to make it in the bread machine - thus removing any of the labor that goes along with it. 

Ingredient List:

• 1/2 Cup of water
• 1/2 Cup of milk (use whatever % you have on hand - I've even used skim)
• 1 stick butter, cut into eight equal pieces
• 1 egg
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/3 C sugar
• 4 C flour (you can use regular flour - I use High Altitude unbleached flour)
• 2 1/4 tsp yeast (I use Fleischmann's BreadMachine yeast, in a jar)/or 1 packet of RapidRise yeast

About 1 hour 45 minutes before you need the rolls (because they are out-of-this-world-good fresh out of the oven), you can start the dough in the bread machine.

First, get a 2-Cup size glass measuring cup - or use a large glass bowl if you don't have one.  Just don't use a single cup glass measuring cup because it will overflow.  Measure the water in your measuring cup, then add the milk.  Take the eight tablespoons of butter and place them in the cup as well.  Microwave the water/milk/butter mixture for 1 min 20 seconds to 1 minute 30 seconds and then pour into the bread machine pan.

Don't ditch the measuring cup yet!  Crack the egg into the buttery cup and mix with a fork for a few seconds and then pour into the pan.

Then pour in the salt, sugar, and flour.

Then add in the yeast.  I buy it by the jar because I make rolls about 3 - 4 times a month.  I should cut back.  But then life would lose all meaning.

Select the dough cycle (the timer should read 1 hour 20 minutes) and start 'er up!  Check the dough about two minutes after you start the machine, because it is notorious for mixing everything underneath, and leaving this heavy flour layer on top.  Scrape the sides and make sure everything is mixing evenly.  The dough should look like this when the machine gets rolling...

When the machine reaches the end of the dough cycle, go ahead and unplug it. Here comes the hard part.
Dust your counter top with flour, lift out the pan and dump.  (now wipe your brow...)

I use a small shaker, filled with flour, to dust the counter and the dough.

Take the dough and divide it in half.  Roll the dough out into a large circle.  It can be just a tad sticky, so keep the flour handy.  Cut the circle in half, and then half again.  Then cut three wedges in each quarter.  I've found that using a pizza wheel makes this job super-fast and easy - the dough won't stick to the wheel either.  I also use it directly on the counter top (which my mother does not approve of), and it has never left a mark.  I also have nineties-era crap Formica counter tops, so I don't really care...
 

Roll the dough from the wide edge towards the center and place on a ungreased baking sheet.  I do a dozen at a time.  There is no second rising time, so the rolls are ready to pop in the oven as soon as you are done rolling (told you this was easy!).

Bake at 400 F for 8 - 10 minutes.  I prefer my rolls soft and underdone, so I bake mine at 390 F for 9 minutes.  Every oven is different, so experiment and find out what works for you.  I immediately place them on a cooling rack, and place the next twelve rolls (which were already rolled and left waiting in the counter) on the same warm baking sheet and put the next batch in the oven.  I don't try to bake both dozen at once - they never turn out as well for me, even if I switch the pans around halfway... 

And there you have it!  They keep well in the fridge, and you can also make ahead and freeze.  My mom makes a batch, freezes them, and then pulls a roll out here and there and microwaves it to heat it up.

Variations:

You can add herbs to the dough mixture when you add the flour.  I often add a little dried dill, oregano, basil or a dash of sage - just use what you like!

A breakfast variation might be to mix a mash of butter, brown or white sugar and cinnamon.  Spread it into a thin layer on a peice of waxed paper and freeze it for a half hour.  When you roll out the dough, cut the frozen butter mixture into little peices and sprinkle onto the dough and then roll up the cresent rolls.  I just thought of this, so I haven't tried it yet, but gosh that sounds good.  Hmmmm....

Happy baking!!!

When life gives you tomatoes...

You have to draw the line somewhere.  You can only stuff so many cherry tomatoes in your mouth in a day.  And then there are the big ones.  Only so many sandwiches, or wedges drizzled in balsamic vinaigrette or sprinkled with sugar... Why do they seem to ripen ALL at once?  What do you do? 

I developed a tomato sauce routine years ago, when I was averaging 30 plants and had just a garden to take care of - not kids.  Now I am down to a more reasonable 18 (I started with 20).  Two are cherries and the rest are an odd collection of mismatched pairs of either store-bought plants or starts my dad gave me.  I have a new favorite though - German Strawberry.  Oh.  My.  That one is good! 

I begin by doing a massive picking.  I drag out the colanders and pick every red tomato I can find.  This includes the cherries because they have an awesome flavor.  I even pick the ones that have evidence of a bug or two, splits or end rot.  You can always trim that stuff away and use the good side.  A good-sized batch is enough to fill an entire cookie sheet - mounded up in a pile.  That is where I got the name for my routine - the cookie sheet method.

You begin by assembling your stuff....

* A cookie sheet full of a mound of tomatoes. Why a cookie sheet?  Because one cookie sheet (like the one above) will be exactly enough to fill your crock pot - an inch or two from the rim.

* Crock pot, set on high for the first hour.

* slotted spoon for retrieving tomatoes from the boiling water

* A large stock pot filled halfway with water, set to boil

* another cookie sheet

* a cutting board and empty bowl for the stuff you cut away, and for the skins

* a colander in the sink

* an empty plastic bowl in the other sink

* most importantly - a fan!  It's going to get hot standing by the pot of boiling water...

You set up in assembly-line style.  I begin by trimming the tops and cutting away the yucky stuff (if there was any) and then dropping it into the colander in the sink next to me.  Then Rylan (having a helper is great!!) will wash the tomato and put it into the bowl in the next sink.  Rylan is currently suffering from what I call the Cinderella Complex.  She insists on wearing a princess dress while performing menial household tasks.

Take the bowl of washed tomatoes and gently tip them into the boiling water.  The water should be at a full, rolling boil.  Let them stay in the water while you trim up another batch of tomatoes, and rinse them.  That should be ample time for the skin to split on the tomatoes in the boiling water.  The trick is to keep the cycle going continuously.  When you're done washing the next batch, remove the tomatoes from the boiling water and set them on the spare cookie sheet.  Leave them there to cool as you continue the trimming, washing and boiling routine until all of the tomatoes are done. 

At this point. all of the tomatoes should be on the cooling cookie sheet.  If you can, set the tomatoes from back to front as you go, so that you won't inadvertently pick up a hot one and burn yourself.  Pick up a tomato, and squeeze it gently as you hold it over the crock pot.  It should just slip out of its skin.  You might have to give it a little pinch where it attaches on the underside of the tomato.  When you are done, the crock pot should be full.

Add some fresh basil (if you have it) and a good heaping teaspoon of dried oregano, and a teaspoon of salt.  I grew some basil for the first time this year, and it is absolute awesomeness.  It is amazing how it immediately fills the entire kitchen with a heady aroma the second I cut it.  I am lacking in the knife skills department, so I've found a pizza cutter to be a very effective tool for making long cuts like this.  I also use it to cut noodles or wedges for my crescent rolls.

Next step is to take two large serrated knives and work them in opposite directions to cut up the tomatoes until no large chunks are left.  Then cover the crock pot and switch it to low.  Let it go for about 8-10 hours (or even overnight).  Your house will smell amazing as time goes on...  When it is done, the liquid should have reduced by quite a bit and you should see the level in the crock pot drop by a good amount.  Let it cool for a couple of hours.  This time around, I started in the early afternoon.  I got up with Dean around 1 am (he was leaving to hike Long's Peak) and turned off the crock pot.  I let it sit, uncovered, until I got up again at seven, and by then it was cool enough to bag it.

Using a 4 cup liquid measuring cup, ladle out the tomato sauce until you reach 28 oz.  Why 28?  Because that is the usual size of can that is called for in recipes that use diced or crushed tomatoes (like spaghetti, chili, stew and so forth).  Pour it carefully into a quart-sized ziploc, and then seal it - make sure to push all of the air out as you go.  Then lay it flat on a cookie sheet.  Label it and then place it flat in the freezer.  If you don't have the temporary freezer space for a cookie sheet, lay the bag on top of a flat surface, like a pizza box or something.  This way, it will freeze nice and flat.  Then, once it is frozen solid, you can store it upright, or stack several of them together.  To defrost one, I recommend putting it on a plate and leaving it in your fridge over night - or your counter for several hours.   A full crock pot will yield about 6 - 7 of these bags.  This whole process took me about 45 minutes, plus the cooking and cooling time.  The taste is absolutely amazing and well worth it!

I love it best with elbow macaroni.  I just add several ladle-fulls on top of the cooked macaroni in a bowl.  Yum!  Like I said, you can use it whenever a recipe calls for diced, crushed or stewed tomatoes.  Enjoy!