Ping Pong Postcards

Material Monday: New Year's Eve traditions

2008-12-29T11:33:00.004-06:00

We started the tradition of eating fondue on New Year's Eve a number of years ago after some of my coworkers mentioned that that was something their families did. I picked up the vintage avocado fondue pot at our local thrift store. The sauce always burns because the sterno can is way too close to the bottom of the pot but it cleans up easily.

The white fondue set is for chocolate. We usually dip oranges and raspberries and cookies or pound cake.

Another tradition (which I sometimes carry out on my own) is to watch and cry over 'It's a Wonderful Life' one of the best movies of all time.

Wordless Wednesday: DEFINITELY our worst Christmas tree ever

2008-12-24T09:27:00.004-06:00

Still netted and bare...

Rivaling the Leaning Tower of Piza

Wordless Wednesday: Fox in the green space

2008-12-03T20:24:00.003-06:00

2008 Christmas Cookies: Molasses Crinkles

2008-11-30T18:39:00.004-06:00

Abe sez: they're extra yummy and really cute
Molasses Crinkles (makes 5 dozen)
from Mollie Katzen's Still Life with Menu
Wet Ingredients:
2 sticks butter
1/2 c blackstrap molasses
2 c sugar
2 eggs

Dry Ingredients:
1/2 t salt
2 t each: baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, ground ginger
1/2 t ground cloves (not in the original recipe)
4 c flour (I'm happy with the white whole wheat flour I've been using lately; I can't recall the brand name)
1/4 c sugar

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a cookie sheet.
2. Melt the butter in a glass bowl, add wet ingredients and stir until combined
3. In a separate bowl sift together dry ingredients (except the additional sugar), then add to the wet mixture, stirring until combined.
4. Form 1-1/2 inch balls of dough, roll them in the sugar until coated, and place on baking sheet.
5. Bake 12-15 minutes until firm to the touch. Cool and enjoy!

2008 Christmas Cookies: Chocolate Snowflakes

2008-11-30T18:19:00.006-06:00

I first collected this recipe from a cookie exchange at work, probably 16 years ago, but I also found it here (which saved me some typing). These taste like powdered bites of brownie. I like them because butter is not required - nothing against butter, but I don't always have some on hand when the baking mood strikes.

Chocolate Crinkles (make 4-5 dozen)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 (1 ounce) unsweetened chocolate squares, melted
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sifted powdered sugar

Combine sugar, oil, and melted chocolate in a large mixing bowl; beat at medium speed of an electric mixer until blended.

Add eggs one at a time and then and vanilla, mixing well after each addition.

Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Add about one-fourth of dry mixture at a time to chocolate mixture, mixing after each addition.

Cover and let chill at least 3 hours. (I baked a small batch one day after chilling and then returned then dough to the front porch and then forgot it was there for 3 days. They baked up fine even after this neglect.)

Shape dough into 1-inch balls, and roll in powdered sugar. Place cookies 2 inches apart on lightly greased cookie sheets. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 10 to 12 minutes. Cool on wire racks.

Wordless Wednesday: Village Earth

2008-11-26T18:45:00.002-06:00

Material Monday: Running clothes for winter

2008-11-24T21:16:00.002-06:00

Here is what I wore yesterday: Running shoes. Plain old ankle socks. Long underwear with little pink flowers. Cut off below the knee knit pants (yes, the flowers showed!). Long sleeved knit shirt. Another, heavier long-sleeved knit shirt over it. A heavy old black hooded sweatshirt with the hood up at the beginning. A spring-weight jacket. Headband. Gloves.

These were all default clothes partly because I don't know what else to wear, and partly because I don't have a lot of money for gear.

Perfectly adequate, however, at least for the level of cold we had yesterday morning, about 20 degrees, maybe. I did sweat, put the hood down, took off the gloves, but didn't get unbearably hot. Probably a pair of sweat pants would be suitable, or something wind/waterproof . . .

A Sensation-al Run

2008-11-23T08:20:00.002-06:00

See: the blue, blue sky; the sun peeking above the horizon; the smile of my new friend, Blanca, running/walking in the opposite direction from me;
Hear: birds, hidden in the evergreens; the rustle of dry leaves in the grass as I run through them; dogs barking, owners whistling; air and road traffic;
Feel: the crisp, still cold; the sun's brightness; the pavement under my feet; the sweat beginning, under all those layers;
Smell: the "stinkberries" from the ginkgo trees
Taste: Didn't taste too much, and what I did was too gross to write, but just imagine that my feet weren't the only thing that were running . . .; and after the run, of course, the delicious cold of a glass of water.

Line Rider - Try it, you'll love it

2008-11-22T17:59:00.001-06:00

Stumbled across this very fun online game.

Oven Stew

2008-11-19T19:12:00.003-06:00

When I started this blog with Lorraine, I didn't intend for it to become a recipe blog but, for me, that's what it has turned into. I think it's because 1) Writing about food is easy for me 2) It gives a way to keep track of recipes I really like 3) I love to cook and eat simple, tasty food and 4) I imagine that someone out there reading one of my recipe posts might be saying, "That sounds good, I think I'll try that." In other words, recipe posts provide that all important connection with an audience and please don't spoil it by telling me that you don't ever ever think that when you read my recipes.

What's better than homemade beef stew? Beef stew that is finished off by baking in the oven so your husband can put it in when he gets home and all you have to do when you get home is step in and enjoy the aroma. A treat for all the senses and not too hard on the pocketbook.
Oven Stew
1 T olive oil
1 plus lbs beef stew meat
1 - 2 onions, chopped
1 lb mushrooms, washed, and chopped
2 cups, sliced and chopped carrots - medium chunks
6 small red potatoes, cut into eighths or smaller - small to medium chunks
<1 box Progresso beef broth
<1 cup red wine - didn't measure
1 bay leaf
1 t or more rosemary

Brown the meat in the oil in a very large pan. I used my 'wok pan' which has the dreaded nonstick coating but is such a handy size and shape. The meat I had this time was a little fatty, so maybe the oil wouldn't have been necessary or maybe it would be better to buy leaner beef and cut my own cubes. In any case, I like smaller cubes than the butcher does, so I cut the meat before browning it. Special kitchen shears are not necessary; I just use regular Fiskars that I wash with the dishes (or I should say, that Dan washes).

Season the meat with salt and pepper. Add the onions to brown meat and cook them until they are soft and sweet. Add the mushrooms and cook down. Add all the rest of the ingredients and mix. Bring to a boil, remove from heat and put in a large casserole with a lid. Cover and refrigerate.

Instruct your husband to preheat the oven to 350 and bake the stew in the covered casserole for 2 1/2 hours, give or take. Don't expect thick gravy like you'd get if you just opened a can of Dinty Moore. You could try thickening it - maybe by flouring the meat before browning. But I wouldn't bother.

Material Monday: Green Gourmet skillet, Super Glove & bonus frittata recipe

2008-11-17T18:10:00.003-06:00

Every time I use traditional non stick cookware, I cringe a little, as I imagine the dreadful chemicals leaching from the pot into the food. I thought about switching to cast iron but besides the $$$ the pans are just WAY too heavy. That's why I was so happy to find this pan. What a smart idea! The coating reminds my of the enameled spatterware people use for camping but it's very slippery and seems to be really tough so it shouldn't chip as easily. Nothing and I mean nothing sticks to this pan. It's not a cheap item, but I used one of the 20% off coupons I receive on a regular basis from Bed, Bath & Beyond, which eased the pan. So far, I've only purchased the 10 inch skillet, but plan to add more to my collection as the budget permits.
Another recent 20% off purchase is the Super Glove. I guess they sell something much like it on TV and call it the Ov Glove. Please. I would have had serious qualms about purchasing something with a name that precious, but my Super Glove suits me just fine. Now I can really get a firm grip on hot heavy pans which makes baking feel much more secure. I only have one so far; another item for my 'when I have some spare cash' list which looks like it might be somewhere around July, 2014.
Here is a simple and tasty frittata recipe from Everyday Food. Perfect for two with leftovers for lunch.
Apple Cheddar Frittata
8 large eggs (recipe calls for 2 white too but I didn't add those)
4 ounces coarsely grated white cheddar
salt and pepper
1 T butter
2 apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1/8 inch thick slices. The recipe calls for Gala but I used locally grown Fireside apples. One of the best apples around and developed not too far from here. Read more about this interesting apple and my even more favoritest, the Connell Red, here.
1. Preheat oven to 450 and set rack in top third. (Note to self, move rack down one notch from the usual position so handle has room). In a medium bowl, mix the eggs and cheese and season well with salt and pepper. Add the cheese. Melt the butter over medium flame in the skillet and pour the egg mixture in. I put some toasted walnuts in with the melting butter, but they didn't add anything special.
2. While it cooks 1 to 2 minutes, quickly arrange the apple slices in a circle pattern around the middle and then in another course around the edge. Move quicker than I did so you don't overcook.
3. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake until set. For me, this took way less than the 20 minutes called for in the recipe, but I left it on the top of stove too long so the longer timing might be just about right.
4. Let cool 5 minutes before slicing and enjoying.

Friday 5: Colorful Associations

2008-11-07T17:07:00.003-06:00

Just now, I'm reading "Blindness" by Jose Saramago. In it, an entire city is afflicted by a mysterious disease in which everyone suddenly goes blind. What a gift vision is, and how grateful I am each day that the world's beauty is available to me through sight, especially colors -- as well as hearing, smell, taste and sensation!

Lecture over.

Free associations:
1. Name the first 3 things that come to mind when you think RED.
2. Ditto with YELLOW,
3. BLUE,
4. PURPLE,
5. GREEN.

Women's Perspective November Newsletter

2008-11-01T16:55:00.004-05:00

Well, I am having a "technically challenged" day and can't figure out how to get this link in here. I am happy and pleased with the Women's Perspective e-newsletter that came out this week, and wanted to share it with any readers who aren't already on the list. However, making the link isn't working, so I hope you will type in: www.womensperspective.org and click on "Newsletters" and then on the Nov 2008 issue.

It was despis-ed, rejected: Soup Supper Chili

2008-11-01T13:55:00.003-05:00

I spent Tuesday evening making this chili for the Youth Group Soup Supper only to have it returned to me on Thursday, untouched. I was mightily annoyed by this for reasons that aren't worth going into, but was happy to have it on hand last night when we had a houseful of hungry mouths to feed after the Dokime Five Kernels 5K.

Soup Supper Chili- makes 3 quarts
2 slices butt bacon
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
1 T paprika
1 T cumin
2 t oregano
1/2 t ancho chile pepper
1 1/4 t salt
1/2 t pepper
2 lbs ground beef
2 4 oz cans diced mild green chiles, undrained
30 oz can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
30 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cans low sodium beef broth
1/2 - 1 7.5 oz chipotle peppers, in sauce
1 can 14.5 oz diced tomatoes

Saute the bacon for a minute or two in a large dutch oven; add the onion and saute until it is soft. Meanwhile, brown the ground beef in a separate pan. Put the browned beef in a colander and rinse with hot water to remove the fat. Add it to the onion mix along with all the remaining ingredients. After bringing the chili to a boil, reduct the heat and simmer for an hour or so.

The recipe I based this on (which didn't have the beans or tomatoes and used 3 cups of water instead of the broth) suggested adding 2 T cornmeal and 1 1/2 apple cider vinegar before boiling. That might be worth a try next time. Or, increase the ground beef to 3 lbs, add another can of broth or tomatoes and the entire can of chipotles.

Frightful Friday 5

2008-10-31T21:39:00.003-05:00

1. How many trick or treaters came to your door this year?
2. What treats did you hand out?
3. What was your favorite 'treat' when you were a youngster?
4. Tell about your most memorable costume or Halloween event.
5. Did you dress up this year? What as or what would you dress up as if you had occasion to?

Buckeye Bean Soup & Refrigerator Rolls & Chunky Applesauce (Cake)

2008-10-25T11:05:00.005-05:00

Bean soup mix from a friend and apples from the barber plus my standby refrigerator rolls combine to make a hearty fall meal. To make Applesauce Cake (see Everyday Food, October 2003), you first need to make applesauce. See recipe below.

Bean Soup
12 oz pkg Buckeye Bean Soup mix
1 onion
1 T olive oil
4 small carrots
1 stalk celery
4 cups chicken broth
1 lb bone in ham steak
2 cups water
-Soak the beans for 8 hours or more. Rinse several times and drain.
-Chop the onion and saute in the oil. Chop the celery, peel and chop the carrots and add to the onion. Cook until softened.
-Trim the fat from the ham and chop. Add it, plus the broth and the water and the beans to the vegetable mix. Bring to a boil, simmer for a while. Add the seasoning packet and keep cooking until the beans are soft - at least another hour or two.

Refrigerator Rolls
1 cup warm water
2 1/4 t yeast
2 T sugar
2 T olive oil
1 egg
1 t salt
1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cup white flour
-Put the warm water in a large bowl. Sprinkle the yeast on top and let sit for 5 minutes while you assemble the rest of the ingredients.
-Add sugar, oil, egg and salt to the bowl and whisk well. Add flour and mix. Use your hands to incorporate all the flour and knead a few times.
-Put the dough (it will be sticky) in a greased bowl, cover with oiled waxed paper or plastic wrap and proof in a warm place for an hour - until doubled in bulk.
-Place the dough on a floured board and form into 18 rolls. Put the rolls in a oiled 11 x 7 baking dish, cover with oiled plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator. The rolls can rest in the fridge for up to 24 hours.
-Take the rolls out about 45 minutes before you want to eat them and start preheating your oven to 400. Bake for 25 minutes.
-Best eaten very warm from the oven. Adapted from Everyday Food, December 2007.

Chunky Applesauce (made in the microwave)

4 apples - peeled, cored and cut into 3/4 inch chunks
1/4 cup sugar
1 T lemon juice
1/4 t cinnamon
pinch of salt
-Put the apples in a 2 quart casserole, cover and microwave on high for 10 minutes, stirring halfway through. Firmer apples may require more cooking. Mash to desired consistency. From Everyday Food, October 2007.

Material Monday: Kiss My Face Liquid Rock

2008-10-20T21:27:00.002-05:00

While others at the conference headed to the casino or a night club or a show during our free evenings, I headed to Whole Foods Market. I found wandering the aisles looking at all the healthy and innovative and natural food and health care products to be just the refreshment I needed after the glitz of the Strip.

On my first trip there I found this wonderful deodorant to replace the stuff I had brought with me which smelled like baby powder mixed with burned cotton candy. The travel size only cost 99 cents which made it a bargain, too.

I gave up on natural deodorants years ago because they just didn't seem up to the job. But I've given Kiss My Face Fragrance Free Liquid Rock quite a workout over the past week and it hasn't failed me yet. Plus it doesn't leave skid marks on dark sweaters and is Paraben free. I'm not sure what Parabens are, but I learned from a fellow cancer survivor the other day that I should avoid them. Switching over to Liquid Rock is a good first step.

The Wow Factor

2008-10-18T15:50:00.000-05:00

I must have said "Wow" a hundred times yesterday, starting with our first stop and accelerating from there.
Outside the park - Little Colorado River.Prickly pear everywhere.View from Dessert View. Two photos inside the Watchtower.Wow.Mule deer in the village.All wowed out.

Our Vacation in Aruba, or Aruba Myths Exposed

2008-10-18T14:27:00.003-05:00

As we planned our vacation, we were told by everyone we talked to and every website we visited that it never rains in Aruba and that Aruba is outside of "hurricane alley". Unfortunately, we proved them wrong, as Hurricane Omar hit with 7 inches of rain, 70 mph winds, and beach-eating waves. Still, we had some opportunities for sun and fun, as you will see by clicking the link below:

http://picasaweb.google.com/lorraine.antieau/DaveAndLorraineSVacationInArubaOctober2008?authkey=rgfkDukOGQw#

Visiting Edmund

2008-10-16T21:20:00.004-05:00

I skipped the last couple sessions of the conference this morning because I was so anxious to leave Las Vegas behind. It was really giving me the creeps.
I had been looking forward to driving through the desert and had a perfect day for it. The character changed as I drove east, from the gravelly barren hills and plains around Vegas to the thick stands of Ponderosa pines outside of Flagstaff. I hung out at the Hoover Dam for a little while but didn't take the tour offered. Look at the new road that they're building to bypass the actual dam.
I realized as I was driving that I hadn't seen an animal or a bird since I left the Twin Cities. And the drive didn't change that much - I counted fewer than a dozen birds as I drove and though there were plenty of bighorn sheep and elk crossing signs, none crossed my path.
But what's more important than what I didn't see is what I did see when I drove into the Travelodge in Flagstaff - Edmund's smiling face. Seems like a long time since we've seen each other. I'm going to drive him home after his shift tonight and we're going up to the Canyon tomorrow. It will be a treat to spend the day with him.

Wordless Wednesday: Lance Armstrong speaks at Partners 2008

2008-10-15T12:03:00.003-05:00

Count how many times the white team passes the ball

2008-10-13T17:13:00.005-05:00

The keynote speaker showed this video at the General Session this morning, instructing us to watch the team in the white T-shirts closely and count how many times they pass the ball.

Post your count as a comment, if you like. There's more to this clip than meets the eye - don't spoil it if you figure it out. I'll reveal all in a couple days.

One mighty full day

2008-10-12T21:56:00.003-05:00

I'm not sure where to begin telling about the day. It was packed full of excellent learning, starting with the worship service at Grace Valley Church. Pastor Steve Wunderink took the Ephesian Prayer apart word for word, revealing its riches. I especially liked what he said about the Spirit making us bigger on the inside - like a balloon being inflated so that Christ could dwell in our hearts (verse 6). He also traced the Greek words the wind through the prayer: dunamis (power), pneuma (spirit), agape (love), gnoska & gnosis (to know & knowledge), huper (more). And how the word 'Amen' has come down to us unchanged from Hebrew, to Greek, to Latin, to many modern languages. This was excellent grounding for the rest of my day.

I stayed after the service only long enough to chat with the pastor's wife Frankie for a bit and pass on greetings from our church in Baldwin. Then it was back to Mandalay Bay for the lunch buffet where I met up with my colleague Chris. We chatted with several attendees from RealNetworks (the folks who bring us RealPlayer.

The first session I attended after lunch was a panel discussion hosted by Lund Food Holdings, which owns and operates a chain of upscale grocery stores in the Twin Cities. I used to shop at Lund's years ago when I lived in a trendy neighborhood in Mineapolis. It was the one place that reliably stocked Haagen Dasz chocolate chocolate mint. So even though the particular topic under discussion (their 15 week fast launch of Teradata) didn't overlap much with what I'm working on, there was still a connection on a gut level, so to speak.
The next presentation, from 2 data architects from Cisco on 'ELT and Push Down Optimization', landed much closer to home and I'm going to schedule some time with one of the presenters to really pick his brain.
The last event for the day was a cocktail reception for customers and account managers: free drinks and yummy snacks and great giveaways. I would have loved to have won the Lance Armstrong autographed jersey or the Bose outdoor speakers or one of the $100 gift cards but I walked away empty handed. That was the only disapointment of this great day.

The $13.01 Breakfast

2008-10-12T08:56:00.008-05:00

This picture is proof - if you needed any - that there are no bargains to be had from the room service menu. Plus they didn't salt the oatmeal, so it wasn't all that good. Breakfast from here on out is included with the conferencePlus they didn't salt the oatmeal, so it wasn't all that good. Breakfast from here on out is included with the conference but I was on my own this morning and ordering in seemed like the best option.
While I was driving around last night, I checked out the church I plan to attend this morning.
Some of the young people from our local church worked on a service project at Grace Valley Church, which is in a residential neighborhood close to the airport and not too far from my hotel. The church has two services, an 8:30 'Contemplative' service (which is the one I'll attend) and an 11:00 'Celebrative' service. But first, I have to stop by the registration table for my conference badge, so it's time to get moving.

Live from Las Vegas

2008-10-11T17:55:00.003-05:00

I'm on the top floor of the tower at Mandalay Bay and trying to take it all in. Or maybe trying not to take it all in. And certainly not being taken in by it all.
One thing I like is my room - it's the nicest I've ever stayed in, though I can't believe they charge an additional $13.99 per day for wireless internet. Even Holiday Inn Express gives it to you free.
The room has two queensized beds, a very large bathroom, with a tub seperate from the shower, all done up in tasteful jungle decor. Very slick flat screen TV in the bathroom, too, and another large one on the wall above the mini bar. I haven't turned either on yet; I wonder if they charge for that, too.
My rental car is a charcoal Nissan Altima. What I'm losing on the internet charge, I gained by using a coupon code for the rental, that included free loss damage waiver coverage.
It's easy to drive around here, though traffic crawled on the Strip. There are no trees, it's flat and the streets are well marked. I still got lost, but I could always see where I wanted to be since the hotel is bright gold and 34 stories tall. Gaudy would be one word for it.
Aiyeeeeee! I just noticed that the elevators at the other hotel at Mandalay Bay Resort (called The Hotel so I went there first) which is on the left side of the picture has elevators running outside the building. I'm glad to not be staying there.
Time to get my shoes back on and go for a drive. I noticed there was a Whole Foods Market between here and the airport so I think I'll go there for supper. Plus I have to get some new deodarant to replace the ghastly stuff I brought. Smells like those pine tree car fresheners. Ugh.

Wordless Wednesday: Helene Von Stein Lambs Ear & Wood's Blue Aster

2008-10-01T21:11:00.003-05:00

Grape jelly

2008-09-28T06:53:00.003-05:00

1 box of grapes from Stan & Dorothy = 3 colanders of stemmed fruit
3 colanders of washed, stemmed fruit = 3 quarts juice
3 quarts juice + 1 1/2 cups sugar + the contents of one pkg Pomona's Universal pectin = 14 jars of jelly

The jelly gelled, the jars sealed, life is good.

My first race!

2008-09-27T17:49:00.001-05:00

Oh, a perfect day for a run, sunny, and not too hot! I was more nervous than I realized and was so grateful to be with Holly, a veteran runner, who showed me all the logistics and little rituals that go with the territory. The beginning, being in the midst of all those people, was a little nerve-wracking, since I am a solitary runner, but after things thinned out a little, I just pounded along, able to be very focused. My official time was 31:35, but I started pretty far back in the pack of 3,000, so maybe the real time was 30-60 seconds less, and almost exactly what I expected. The worst moment was just at the finish line, when I had a moment of awful nausea, but that passed quickly, and I was able to enjoy the feeling of finishing! My time put me about in the middle of the pack for my age group, not bad for a first outing!

Congrats to Holly, 3rd in her age group!

Many thanks to my supporters, especially Dad and Mom, who have been cheering me along so faithfully!

Love to all!

Friday 5: Fall

2008-09-26T14:06:00.003-05:00

Well, here it is, FALL! As the nights turn cooler and the leaves begin to turn here are a few questions to ponder:

1. What are the sights, sounds, smells, feelings, tastes, that say "fall" to you?
2. What do you love about fall?
3. Is there anything you are less fond of? What?
4. What are some favorite fall memories for you?
5. And what events or activities are you looking forward to THIS fall?

Bonus question: Does the word "fall" evoke different thoughts/feelings/memories for you than "autumn"? Say a few words about why or why not.

Rain, rain, go away!

2008-09-14T09:25:00.002-05:00

It has rained more or less straight for almost 48 hours! The few intermissions have not been long enough for the sidewalks to dry off. Our basement is seeping, the garden is drowning, and yesterday was like a sauna. Today is a bit cooler, but I would have loved to see the sun at least for a little while this weekend.

However, the newspaper and radio and internet remind me that these "reasonable complaints: are self-indulgent whining compared to what so many others experience every single day. Less than 2 miles from my house, some people are in danger of being flooded out as the North Branch of the Chicago River threatened to overflow even yesterday. Expressways and roads were closed, the CTA interrupted, the airport was inaccessible ... Farther afield, there's Hurricane Ike, a train crash in LA, fighting in the former Soviet Republic of Georgia, bombings in Afghanistan, Iraq and India, a plane crash in Russia, landslide in China, execution-style murders in Mexico -- and Africa, that ravaged continent, barely gets a mention.

Besides which, Michigan's football team stinks this year.

The good news is there, just harder to find on another dark and rainy day. Cubs and White Sox are still in the race. In Zimbabwe, the feuding leaders are now sharing power. I'm going to visit Rosemary and work on Women's Perspective for a nice, long weekend beginning Wednesday. Communities working together as storms and floods arrive. Child mortality around the world has declined 27% since 1990.

Well, it's almost time to leave for church, where more Good News is to be had. The best, in fact! Let me never cease to be grateful for all good news or to keep my eyes on the Good News!

Link to Bembo's Zoo

2008-09-08T21:22:00.002-05:00

you'll have more fun visiting this site than reading anything I would write in my current brain defunct condition

HILLS!

2008-09-05T17:56:00.003-05:00

This morning, the weather was perfect for a long run, and Sue and Abe had advised me on routes I could take where I wouldn't get lost or face too much traffic, and I took off down 80th and ran to 240th. I must confess all the numbered streets are a bit confusing. But, as I say, it was a great morning, not too hot, and as I ran east, clouds came and covered the sun, so it wasn't in my face, and waited until I turned around to move away -- very kind.

The thing that was difficult, though, was the hills! Running in Chicago is very flat, and I am not accustomed to any kind of ascent or descent. I was great until about the halfway point, then began to fear that I'd overreached my capacity. I was pretty much trudging by the time I got back to the house, but after a good stretch and a nice, long shower, I felt great and have happily spent the day shopping and eating! Maybe I'll go again tomorrow . . .

First day of school, last day of summer?

2008-09-02T18:13:00.005-05:00

The welcome breakfast went off with only the hitch of not getting there until 15 minutes before we were supposed to start serving, due to crossed communication wires. I'll blog all the recipes and details later this week.

After the breakfast, I unloaded the bare minimum from the car because it was so hot and I was dripping with sweat. I turned the air on in the house for perhaps the 5th time this summer but within two hours, the wind had whipped up a downpour which left behind cool, fresh air. So off went the A/C and open went the windows.

It's too soon to tell, but that mini heat wave might be the last summer weather we'll see this year - the forecast for the next 6 days calls for some pretty chilly lows (44 - brrr!) and very autumnal highs.

(Pretend you don't notice the complete lack of segue) I'm familiarizing myself with our new camera. Two impressions so far. One good: the pictures it takes are often very very sharp (the clarity of this shot of the boys decked out in the new school clothes not withstanding). One bad: it eats batteries. I think that might have more to do with the battery charger than the camera and I will read up on the charger as soon as if I find the box I put the owner's manual in.

My goal for this week is to take pictures everyday in the hopes that soon I'll just be able to pick up the camera and snap a picture without having to think about it. I've used my trusty Kodak film camera for so long that I'm taking awhile to adjust to all the knobs and settings the digital camera has. One thing I've already gotten good at, though, and that's changing the batteries.

Getting ready for the welcome breakfast

2008-09-01T08:05:00.003-05:00

When we first moved to Baldwin, I bought up a bunch of glass 'tea sets'. These are sets of pretty glass plates with an indentation in them, just the right size for matching cups. I haven't used the sets too often, but I'm glad I have them for events such as the school welcome breakfast tomorrow. I'm planning for up to 24 guests. Here are some of the sets drying on the counter...

And here are some all washed up and ready to go in their original display box. Love the name - 'Serva-Snack'.

Decline of a tomato plant

2008-08-31T20:04:00.005-05:00

Tomato plant shortly after potting up.
Everyone who saw it commented on how healthy and robust it was.This was my tomato plant in early July. I was very proud of it.

Here's what it looks like today. What happened to it? One word: 'August'.
Still producing fine tomatoes, though.

Roasted Vegetable Breakfast Strata

2008-08-30T19:35:00.003-05:00

I've been practicing breakfast casseroles this week in preparation for the 'Welcome Breakfast' at Dokime on Tuesday. I'm planning to record the event as a 'Virtuous Meal', but in the meantime, here's a recipe I made up myself. I was very happy with the results and so was Abe - he ate 3 helpings. Note that the picture was taken with our new camera.

Roasted Vegetable Breakfast Strata
1 lb roasted vegetables (see below)
1 lb hot Italian turkey sausage
6 hefty slices of sourdough
1/4 c butter, softened
2 T olive oil (in addition to the oil used to roast the vegetables)
8 eggs
1 cup feta
2 cups milk

1 lb vegetables amounted to:
7 stubby ears of corn, husked and rinsed
1/4 medium zuke, cut into 3/4 inch chunks
1/2 eggplant, cut into 3/4 inch chunks
10 gloves garlic, peeled
1 mediuiml red onion, halved and thickly sliced
12 small plum tomatoes, sliced in half

Preheat the oven to 425 (conventional). Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper (spray the sheet with Pam first so the paper adheres). Put all the vegetables except the tomatoes on the sheet. Pour on 2 T olive oil. Sprinkle with sale and pepper. Move around with a wooden spoon to distribute the oil. Put in the oven for 45 minutes, stirring a couple times.

Move the vegetables aside to clear a place on the parchment for the tomatoes. Place them face down and return sheet to the oven for 15 more minutes.

Meanwhile, brown the sausage.

Take the veggies from the oven to cool. Reset the oven to 450/425 convect. Seperate the garlic from the rest of the vegetables and put a couple cloves in with the butter. Add the olive oil and mix into a paste. Spread on the bread slices and cut the bread into cubes.

Remove the corn kernels from the cobs and skin and chop the tomatoes. Add all the vegetables to the sausage and mix it all together.

Spray a 9x13 glass baking dish with Pam and lay down half the bread cubes. Top this with 2/3 of the sausage mixture. Top this with 1/2 cup feta. Repeat with the remaining bread cubes, sausage and feta. Press down on the the layers with your hand and even out the top.

Mix the egg and milk with a hand mixer in a large mixing bowl. Pour carefully over the layers. Put on the middle rack on the oven. Bake 45 minutes.

As the picture shows, the top of the strata turned pretty black. This was the eggplant skin. Didn't look good but tasted fine. I might consider covering the strata loosely with foil for the last 10 minutes or so, the next time I make this.

Saturday Six: At This Instant

2008-08-30T10:06:00.000-05:00

A trademark expression of a favorite colleague of mine is the jumping off point for today's Saturday's Six:

1. At this instant, I'm feeling....
2. At this instant, the other members of my household are...
3. At this instant, I'm wearing...
4. At this instant, I'd rather be...
5. At this instant, the loudest noise around me is....
6. At this instant, I'm very satisfied with...

Material Monday: from the sublime to the not so much...GUM Soft Picks

2008-08-25T19:42:00.005-05:00

You'll recall my last 'Material Monday' entry was about the Daily Bible Email. Our local kid who questions everything wondered how this post met the 'MM' qualifications and I had a ready answer: 'MM' is about anything material or technological that makes our life here on earth better. Daily Bible Email (sponsored by the National Bible Reading Union) certainly does that for me. I look forward to each day's offering and can sense a deepening appreciation for God's Word.

So there, Mr. Skeptic.

Today's 'MM' winner, GUM Soft Picks, is a more obvious fit and solves another vexing problem for me.

We all know we should floss at least once per day, having been taught this stern lesson in grammar school via the talking toothbrush film strip and the pills that made the spots you missed while brushing turn a sad shade of pink. One hitch: I hate flossing and simply can't bring myself to do it except in the 4 days leading up to a dental appointment. My hat is off to you if you do it regularly.

Since the BWCA trip, when we brushed with baking soda rather than minty bear attracting toothpaste, I have developed a new toothbrushing routine. I noticed that the baking soda treatment seemed to leave my teeth feeling cleaner and my mouth fresher for longer. So I've thrown the Crest away and have continued brushing with baking soda.

I was searching around in the dental care aisle at Wal-mart for other products that would fit my new regime. I found this expensive but dragon-breath-defeating mouthwash there and the GUM Soft Picks. What attracted me at first, was the neat little travel case that's included in each package and how much they didn't look like dental floss.

At $2.40 for 40 picks, this verges on being a luxury item, and you have aim carefully because if you hit your tooth instead of the interstices, you'll bend the pick beyond usefulness. But besides that, they're just about perfect and remove one more item from my list of things to feel guilty about not doing.

Friday 5: Getting to know you

2008-08-22T21:29:00.003-05:00

1. Early bird or night owl?
2. Shower or bath?
3. An hour early, right on time, a minute late or ???
4. Summer, winter, fall or spring?
5. On your day off: do you have every minute planned and get everything done, do you have a long list but end up not doing most of it, do you just wake up and see where the day leads you? Do you plan things with family and friends, or do you enjoy getting away and doing something alone? Will you go to a movie or a play or a concert or a party? Will you ride your bike, work in the garden, go for a run, read a book, do volunteer work, take a class, work on a project (what?), cook a fancy meal?

Wordless Wednesday: wonderful and weird BWCA flora

2008-08-20T20:17:00.004-05:00

Material Monday: DailyBible Email

2008-08-18T21:51:00.003-05:00

Yesterday, our pastor challenged us to increase the time we spend reading the Bible, to just start where we're at and make it more. This was very convicting to me since I realized that where I was at was practically zero.
Since I love things like email and online bill pay and blogging and surfing and online shopping, I figured I could harness technology to get me past this block, so I searched yesterday for 'daily bible reading' and found lots of possibilities. Most are geared toward reading the entire Bible in a year like this one from Crosswalk (which also features an audio feed) but I'm for biting off a smaller chunk, at least to start.
The service I'm trialing is called DailyBible Email from Global Networks. I didn't read any of the fine print so don't know if they have a particular ax to grind, but I like the parallel format (NIV, CEV and KJV) and the low-key approach. Today's passage was so inspiring; it drove home to me what I've been missing by not making this a regular part of my life. Read the passage below and see if you don't agree. One question for you Greek scholars out there: Both the NIV and the KJV read 'cloud of witnesses' but the CEV says 'crowd of witnesses'? Which is more correct? I prefer 'cloud' - it paints an image of being surrounded by saints.

Hebrews 11.29-12.2 from the New International Version (NIV)
29 By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.
30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched around them for seven days. 31 By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.
32 And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, 33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. 35 Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. 36 Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. 37 They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated-- 38 the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.
39 These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. 40 God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.

Hebrews 12
God Disciplines His Sons
1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Saturday 6: Olympics

2008-08-16T09:41:00.002-05:00

We're not able to watch the Olympics (no TV or cable hook up) , so let me partake of the event via this post:
1. Have you been watching the Beijing Olympics? What have been some of the highlights for you so far?
2. Winter or Summer?
3. Which event do you watch and think, 'I would love to be able to do that'?
4. Do you recall any memorable moments from past Olympics?
5. What yet to come competition are you most looking forward to?
6. Have you ever had a brush with Olympic fame?

Building the compost pile (July 26, 2008)

2008-08-16T04:59:00.006-05:00

I made my first compost pile the Saturday before we left for the BWCA. You may or may not be able to see the small collection of pictures here. If you can't, scroll down and click on the link in the album scroll.

Cooking on autopilot: Chicken with Tomato Rosemary Shallot Pan Sauce

2008-08-14T19:10:00.003-05:00

Supper tonight was very much inspired by Pam Anderson's first book, "How to Cook Without a Book". I recently rediscovered her while searching for good granola recipes. What I like about Pam are her very approachable cooking style & writing style; when I read her books, I find myself saying: I can do that! She doesn't call for outlandish ingredients or hair tearing techniques. Another thing to love about Pam is she's not shy about using fat - butter and olive oil.

I bought the chicken breasts I used in this recipe at our local grocery store, owned by the Nilssen family which also runs a meat market in Glenwood City. This means the meat department at the Super Valu is a cut above what you'd usually find at a store of its size and that sometimes they offer chicken that they package themselves rather than getting it from a big processor like Gold'n Plump.

That's how I ended up with two giant chicken breasts for supper tonight. I picked up the smallest package of the no name chicken and it still weighed in a two pounds. I had to double check the label to make sure it was really chicken and not turkey.

The rather more uniform and smaller mass marketed breasts might work even better in this recipe since you'd save then time I spent minutes trimming the tenderloins, etc, but they might not be as succulent.

I'd like to make more meals like this: simple and quick but tasty, but next time, I'll take it a little easier on the fat. Sure smelled and tasted good, though. The sauce ended up being too thin and juicy for a true pan sauce, so call it what you will; I call it delicious.

Chicken with Tomato Rosemary Shallot Pan Sauce:
2 well trimmed breasts
1 shallot
1 beef steak tomato
1/4 cup vermouth
1/2 t finely chopped fresh rosemary
2 T butter
1 T olive oil
scant 1/4 cup of flour

Rice:
1 cup Uncle Ben's Natural Brown Rice
1 T butter
2 cups water

Wax Beans:
1 lb wax beans
1/2 t salt
1 T butter
1/3 cup water

Start the rice: bring water, rice and salt to a boil, set burner to low, cover and cook for 25 minutes.
Trim the beans. Chop the tomato, slice the shallots, flatten the chicken with a potato masher. Salt and pepper the chicken then dredge in flour (put flour in a pie plate).
When the rice is about 12 minutes from being done, start heating the oil and butter for the chicken in non stick skillet on medium heat.
When the rice is about 8 minutes from being done, put the beans, butter, salt and water in a Dutch oven on high. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Uncover and cook until the water cooks off, stirring a couple times.
At the same time as you start the beans, turn the chicken pan up to medium high and place the breasts in the pan. Cook for 4 minutes on one side, flip and cook for another 4 minutes, then move to the serving plates. Turn the heat off the beans and the rice and cover.
Put the shallots and rosemary and vermouth in the pan, deglazing all the yummy brown bits. Reduce by half then add the tomatoes and cook for a minute or two.
Spoon the rice and beans onto the plates. Spoon the sauce onto the chicken and rice. Sit down, say grace and enjoy!

Wordless Wednesday: Baby Cameron at his first block party

2008-08-13T17:12:00.003-05:00

for more of the same:
http://picasaweb.google.com/lorraine.antieau/BabyCameronAtHisFirstBlockParty?authkey=T2RNO_hyjUw

A quiet simple granola

2008-08-10T19:55:00.001-05:00

I’ve recently wearied of my ‘Fiber One and blueberries’ morning routine: blueberries are hard to find and expensive and are not always flavorful; the cereal alone tastes like cardboard and is also pretty pricey. I needed a change.

So I began hunting for an appealing granola recipe. Appealing meaning: readily available ingredients and no need to purchase new equipment (like a food processor which I haven’t had for years or a blender which I haven’t had since I recklessly burned out the motor of my last one trying to make homemade peanut butter). The recipes here came pretty close and reintroduced me to Pam Anderson, a cook I admire, but they weren’t quite the ticket.

I found what I was looking for on Thursday, when Sallie at “A Quiet Simple Life” posted this great recipe. I’ve incorporated a few of Pam’s suggestions into my version below, but it’s pretty faithful to the original so I’ve dubbed it “A Quiet Simple Granola”, in honor of Sallie.

If you’re not familiar with Sallie’s work, sample this recent post (“Fragmented Lives”) and consider adding her blog to your list of frequently visited sites. I’ve been reading her for years, having first stumbled across her original blog called ‘Two Talent Living’, before I knew what a blog was. But I knew what good, thoughtful and thought provoking writing was and that’s what Sallie offers on a regular basis. That, and some dynamite recipes from time to time.
A Quiet Simple Granola
5 cups old-fashioned oats
1 & ½ cups sliced almonds (6 oz package)
½ cup packed light brown sugar
½ tsp salt
½ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ cup cooking oil
¼ cup honey
1 tsp vanilla
1 & ½ cups dried fruit (Craisins or raisins or a mix)
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Mix the oats, almonds, brown sugar, salt and cinnamon in a bowl. Warm the oil and honey in the microwave for one minute. Whisk or stir in vanilla. Carefully pour liquid over oat mixture. Stir gently with a wooden spoon; finish mixing by hand.
Spread granola in two large baking pans (I use two foil lasagna pans). Bake 15 minutes, stir and repeat two more times for a total or 45 minutes. Stir in dried fruit and bake 10 minutes more. Let cool completely, then seal granola in an airtight container.
Makes 9 cups (24 servings).

Pleasures

2008-08-09T10:41:00.002-05:00

This morning I ran 5 miles. Yesterday, too. The weather is cooler these last few days, and much less humid. I believed cooler, less humid air would make me faster, but in reality, I found I was a bit more stiff. Still, the ease of breathing, compared to more humid conditions, makes the run feel easier if not faster.

At the lakefront, there are some fine trees down after Monday night's storms. Sad.

On 3 or 4 occasions, I have had the sneaking pleasure of passing other runners. Oh, how superior I feel then, especially if they are younger, or male, or more fit-looking than I! (Almost everybody!) Of course, this cannot show as I pass, as I would hate for anyone to think I'm feeling what I actually AM feeling! How good it is not to be the slowest person out there!

Mostly, alas, I find myself on the other end of that equation: the one being passed; especially this morning, it seemed as if everyone out there was jogging easily past me, not even breathing hard. Lots of training groups for the Chicago marathon on Saturday mornings, along with other young people who run seriously or maybe just once a week, but I am no competition for them . . .

Still, while the run itself isn't necessarily pure pleasure, the sensations of well-being and virtue that sweep over me afterward are definitely worth the sweat and aching muscles and huffing and puffing.

Friday 5: Summer choices

2008-08-08T17:35:00.002-05:00

1. Peaches or nectarines?
2. Shorts or capris?
3. Pool or lake?
4. Wax beans or green beans?
5. Walk or run or ride a bike?

Sour Milk Chocolate Cake

2008-08-04T08:08:00.003-05:00

Besides not making the cream cheese icing and forgetting to put in the last 1/8 cup of the warm water/baking soda mixture and using old milk without adding vinegar, I made this pretty much as directed here. Mixed it with my handy mixer. The cake rose beautifully and baked in about 48 minutes at 350, conventional. The crumb was very moist, but the cake sliced nicely.
Rather than icing it, we topped in a simple sauce made from local raspberries and sugar, natural vanilla ice cream and, to red line the decadence meter, chocolate sauce. It was so good. I sent some home with Marlys and took a couple pieces to Marge (topped with the raspberry sauce only).

Material Monday: Hamilton Beach 225W Hand Mixer with Snap-On Case

2008-08-04T07:42:00.006-05:00

When I bought this mixer about a year ago at Menard's of all places, I didn't pay anything close to the web prices I'm seeing today. I'm remembering that it was $12.99 or maybe cheaper.
The low price was one reason I bought it plus the snap on case plus the sticker that said it won the 4 Forks Award from epicurious.com plus the fact that I had ditched our previous mixer when we were moving and really needed another. The previous mixer was a hateful object - it splattered all the time, regardless of what it was mixing.
On the other hand, my new mixer makes me smile every time I use it. It runs great, isn't messy and stores neatly. Plus, it was a fabulous bargain. Highly recommended!

We're great-aunts!

2008-08-03T05:13:00.005-05:00

Though the term brings to mind ladies in orthopedic shoes with tissues stuffed into the bosoms of their floral dresses, Lorraine, Cindy and I may now claim the title 'Great-Aunt', thanks to the arrival of Cameron Nathaniel Gray.

Here's the note that accompanied the picture:

Here are pictures of Cameron born today at 4pm. 6 pound 8 ounces. Theresa only had 10 hours of labor and did a wonderful job. Everything went smooth. Thanks for all the prayers.

Ed and Paula

And here's a link to more pictures: Cameron

Friday 5: We all scream for . . .

2008-08-01T12:30:00.002-05:00

1. What's your favorite flavor?
2. Where did you like to eat ice cream when you were a kid?
3. Tell a favorite "ice cream memory" -- or 2 or 3 . . .
4. Where do you like to eat ice cream now? What do you usually order? Sundaes or cones, shakes or ???
5. What other frozen treats do you like? (Dove ice cream bars, Italian ice, Slurpees, etc.)

A lovely wedding

2008-07-27T17:30:00.001-05:00

Danika and Savva's wedding on July 20, 2008, was beautiful. The ceremony at Promontory Point right on Lake Michigan was very thoughtfully planned and their vows were so tenderly and lovingly written and spoken. The reception, at the iconic Berghoff, was lively and lovely. Truly, a day to remember, and we wish them the best!

5 miles!

2008-07-26T15:49:00.002-05:00

This week's cooler, low-humidity days have been great for running. It's really easy to tell the difference when it's less humid: my lungs and muscles just seem to work more smoothly and with less effort.

Last weekend, Holly suggested I not wait til next year to run in a race, but do one this year, and even had an idea for which one: the Park Ridge Run for Charity on Sept 27. She said the terrain is nice and flat for beginners. Since it's a Saturday, and there was nothing on the calendar yet, I believe I'll do it!

Adriana, one of our "coaches" at Curves, encouraged me not to limit myself to running only 3 times a week, unless I'm too exhausted afterward. Really, I'm not, so the only question is how hard it will be on my joints.

I have an appointment with my doctor Tuesday, I'll talk to her about that.

Yesterday was my first 5 mile run ever! I started out at a nice slow pace that I hoped would carry me through the whole run, and it did pretty well. It took about 60 minutes on a warm, breezy, starting-to-be-humid day at the Lakefront. And I felt so good when I finished! Today, I did another 3 miles, and though there are a few little twinges, overall, I'm feeling great!

There must be something to this endorphin thing! I'm a happy girl lately!

Friday 5: Midsummer Nights' Dream

2008-07-25T17:36:00.004-05:00

Credit for this post goes to friday5.org
1. What are some recurring dreams you’ve had?
2. What is the significance of dreams in telling you about yourself?
3. How do you feel after you’ve had one of THOSE dreams?
4. What was the last dream you remember?
5. When did you last dream about something that later happened as you dreamt it?

and a bonus question from me:
6. If you were in a production of the play 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' what part would you like to play and why?

Picture of the wrecked car

2008-07-25T17:25:00.002-05:00

this could be a Wordless Wednesday entry too...

Wordless Wednesday: Four lined plant bug damage on Eastern Wahoo

2008-07-23T19:39:00.001-05:00

Wordless Wednesday: Meadow Rue

2008-07-23T19:20:00.001-05:00

Material Monday (belated): lose a car, gain a Handi-Vac

2008-07-22T21:05:00.006-05:00

Yesterday evening, while Dan and I were out shopping for a Handi-Vac and other items for our trip, Dan took a call on his cell phone. We were in the Spudmobile; Joe had borrowed Dan's car for the day while his was being repaired. I knew the call was from Joe and I knew it wasn't good news from Dan's end of the conversation especially when he said, "Yeah, I'll want to get everything out of there." Turned out that Joe had been rear ended on I94 not too far from Baldwin. Thankfully, he walked away without any serious injuries. But the car was totaled.
Dan really liked that car and is now having to tend the whole chain of tasks something like this sets in motion, not the least of which is shopping for a new car. One thing for sure: the new car will not be a compact; just one look at the smashed Taurus and the unsmashed Joe makes one appreciate the safety of mid sized cars.
There really is no connection between the accident and the purchase of the Handi-Vac, except they both happened on the same night. And the accident drained me of any desire to stay up and blog about anything.
Another busy night tonight, so we haven't used the Hand-Vac yet. We're amused at this safety note on the Reynolds' web site:

Do not use Vacuum Sealer on body of humans or animals.

I promise, we won't.

Shower for Conor and Theresa's Baby

2008-07-17T21:24:00.005-05:00

Well, the quilt TOP was finished for the shower, at least!

It was the biggest shower I've ever been to, over 100 (very nice) people! That baby should certainly be well-supplied, I have never seen such a mound of gifts!! I counted 4 identical baby baths!

Best wishes to Conor and Theresa, and the new little one arriving a few weeks from now!

For more pictures of this felicitous event, click here:

http://picasaweb.google.com/lorraine.antieau/ShowerForConorAndTheresaSBabyJuly132008

3 1/2 miles!

2008-07-17T21:01:00.002-05:00

On Holly's recommendation, I am going to try to do one longer run each week, so yesterday I ran 3 1/2 miles! One stop: I'm like The Princess and the Pea when it comes to anything in my shoes, and there was some microscopic grain of sand or something rattling around and bugging me, so I had to sit down and empty out the shoe. Boy, starting a second time is harder than the first. My muscles just seemed to resist getting moving again!

People have warned me about being careful of my joints, and of course, I am, but truthfully, I have LESS joint pain now than I did before I started Weight Watchers and running.

Today, when I weighed at Curves, I had gained .2 lbs (about 3.2 oz), BUT my fat percentage was down by a whole point, if I remember correctly from last week's weigh-in.

Tomorrow I have a 3-mile run planned, plus the usual marathon of too many errands and chores! A very busy weekend ahead, so I'll need all the stamina I can muster!

Looking good

2008-07-15T19:51:00.006-05:00

We caught Lorraine out running Monday morning when we stopped by on our way out of Chicago. She's looking mighty trim and fit lately.

Here a pic of Mose and Andrea and Grandma playing Farkel.

Hot meal for a hot day: Chinese spare ribs and Kung Pao noodles

2008-07-15T19:24:00.004-05:00

A quick and tasty meal that doesn't heat up the kitchen. Inspired by a recipe in Everyday Food, June 2008.

Shopping list
1 watermelon
1.5 lbs boneless country style pork ribs
1 pkg Simply Asia Kung Pao noodle bowl
1 9 oz pkg Green Giant Simply Steam sugar snap peas (frozen)
5 spice powder
cayenne
hoisin sauce

Put the watermelon in the freezer when you get home from the store.

Wash and trim the pork and pat dry. The rest of this meal goes really fast, so take the time here to do a good job trimming. I didn't and ended up with pretty greasy ribs. One good way to get rid of a lot of fat is rip or cut the meat apart at the fat seams and then trim the pieces with scissors.

Mix 1 T 5 spice powder and 1/8 t cayenne (more if you like it spicy). Add salt and pepper. Rub the ribs with the mix and place in a glass pie plate.

Put the pork (uncovered) in the microwave and cook for 20 minutes. Check for doneness - pork should be opaque throughout. When done, remove from oven, slather with hoisin sauce, tent with foil and let sit.

While the pork is cooking, put the peas in a large glass bowl. While the pork is resting, microwave the peas for 3 minutes. Add the noodles, the sauce and the freeze dried vegetables, 1 T water and stir. Microwave for 3 more minutes and stir. Sprinkle with the peanut topping.

Serve the pork and the noodle dish with tamari on the side. For dessert, serve sliced watermelon (it should have cooled off pretty well).

This meal's virtues are: it's speed, it's not too expensive, one can find all ingredients at Nilssen's (except tamari and 5 spice powder), it doesn't heat up the kitchen, it's easy to clean up after. Made enough for me and Dan and Dan's lunch (a little shy on the noodle dish).

A new purse

2008-07-14T16:55:00.004-05:00

Well, I love purses, bags, totes, etc. so my first Material Monday entry would logically be of that category, especially since I received a lovely new specimen from Cindy for my birthday.

This bag made its debut yesterday as I busily went from church to Conor and Theresa's baby shower. It's a little small, and I like it for exactly that reason: I can't overload it with stuff, and yet it easily accommodated all I needed for a busy day: wallet, keys, cell phone, camera, pencil/pen + tiny notebook, and of course, Carmex, lotion, Kleenex, etc. If I were taking a book, or running errands, I might need something bigger, but this is pretty enough for dress-up, and not too small to be practical.

Another plus: this bag is small enough to fit into a larger one for travel purposes and has a nice sleek profile, to make it easy to get it in and out of another bag for a quick walk to get a snack or a trip to the bathroom.

So it gets high marks all the way around! Thanks, Cindy!

Bought on

http://www.etsy.com/

Friday 5: Summer Retrospective

2008-07-12T16:00:00.004-05:00

Well, here we are in the middle of summer already!

1. What did you love about summers when you were growing up?
2. Did you hate anything? What?
3. What "summer place" would you most like to visit from those years? Why?
4. What is your best memory of this summer so far?
5. Name 3 things you still hope to do before this summer is over.

Material Monday: Chincoteague Clam Digger

2008-07-07T20:32:00.003-05:00

It doesn't look like much but this is my favorite tool for working up the soil. It's got two prongs that are still reasonably sharp. Work the prongs into the soil at the base of small to medium weeds, give a quick yank and no more weed.

We found this on the beach on Chincoteague Island, Virginia when we were there - was it 5 years ago? Besides being a very handy tool, it also brings back memories of a lovely day at the ocean.

Two Thumbs Up Potato Salad

2008-07-07T20:19:00.003-05:00

This recipe gets Dan's seal of apporoval, and that means something coming from a chip off the old Spud.

Two Thumbs Up Potato Salad
8 medium Yukon Gold potatoes - scrubbed

3 HB eggs - see How to make Hard Boiled Eggs
3/4 cup mayo
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar (I use Bragg's - the best!)
1 small jar pimentoes
1/4 - 1/2 red onion finely chopped - see Red Onions That Don't Bite
1 t salt
1/2 t pepper
1/2 t celery seed

Put the potatoes in a large pot, cover with cold water, cover the pot and place on the stove over medium - meduim high heat, bring to a boil, then turn down and simmer for 20 minutes or so. While the potatoes are cooking, chop the HB eggs and mix them along with the rest of the dressing ingredients until well combined.

When the potatoes can be pierced easily with a fork, remove from heat and rinse with cold water so they're cool enough to handle but still quite warm. Don't peel. Slice into bite size cubes, put in a large mixing bowl, pour the dressing over and mix well. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.

Red Onions That Don't Bite

Peel and slice a red onion. Place in a storage dish (either a glass one or one you don't care if it absorbs the onion odor), cover the onion with water, put the cover on the dish and put the dish in the refrigerator. Use within a couple days. Before adding the onion to the dish, rinse it in cold water and dry off with paper towel. Delicious onion flavor without the bite.

How to make Hard Boiled Eggs

These eggs really aren't boiled. Or not for long.

Take 6 eggs and place in pot deep enough to cover them with an inch of water of cold water. Put the open pot on the stove and bring to a boil slowly - heat set at medium to medium high. When water is bubbling, but before it really starts to roll, turn the heat off, cover the pan and let the eggs sit for 14 minutes.

Prepare a sink or large container dish of cold water and ice cubes. Once the 14 minutes are up, place the eggs in the ice water and let sit until cooled off completely. Peel right away or refrigerate until needed. Should yield tender easy to peel eggs without the gray ring around the yolk.

The plants I didn't buy

2008-07-06T20:03:00.004-05:00

As we drove home from Hudson yesterday, with a yellow flowering currant wedged between my feet and a Royal Star magnolia teetering in the jump seat, both purchased at Fleet Farm's plant clearance, Dan looked over at me and said, 'I notice we always come home with plants'. His saying this without any irony whatsoever once again galvanized my love and deep devotion for him.

And so I sighed, but it was not a completely happy sigh. Having the nicest husband in the world and a growing collection of shrubs and trees was not enough to erase the memory of two plants still languishing on the half off rack. This post is a memorial to them,

the precious Miss Canada Lilac

and the luminous Limelight Hydrangea

I keep telling myself I did the right thing, that it was best to leave them for a gardener who had the perfect place for them. But still the sadness lingers as I think about the plants I left behind.

This week in review

2008-07-06T14:05:00.007-05:00

1. Last Saturday we attended, well sort of, the Family Picnic at the Baldwin Care Center. It started pouring just as we (Dan, Abe & I) were leaving the house and we knew we'd have to wait in the food line outside, so we just stayed put until the rain stopped. When we arrived, we found Don and Doreen (Dan's brother and sister-in-law) sitting with Ruth, looking at photos from a recent BWCA trip. We enjoyed our visit with them and Ruth and Brian who stopped by later and with Dean and LouAnn (Dan's other brother and sister-in-law) who arrived even later from Clear Lake, Iowa. Dean told about battling the recent floods at Metalcraft, in Mason City, where he holds down a day job. See story titled 'Businesses are struggling to recover, too'.
In the afternoon, Mose and I caught the last bit of an 50th anniversary open house for some friends from church, Lloyd and JoAnn Doornink. By then the weather was just lovely - bright and summery but cool.

2. Sunday must have been a quiet day...I don't remember it much, though I'm sure it included a nap (for me) and a long bike ride (for Dan).

3. Monday was a typical work day...rode the van too and fro then walked to Sentimental Journey practice at the Senior Center. Only four ladies were able to be there - 3 singers and the pianist.
4. Tuesday, I started my week on call and had a pretty bad first evening. Went to bed in a very bad mood.
5. Wednesday at work was about the same as Monday. The boys returned home in the morning so I had their company in the evening.
6. Thursday was a good day. I drove in on my own and left early for lunch with Chris at India Palace, followed with shopping at Borders, under duress as usual :) After lunch I picked up a citrus juicer at Bed, Bath and Beyond then headed to Hudson for a haircut. I decided a couple months ago that my hair needed more styling than I was getting at the barbershop (very nice cuts but my graying hair needs something more than just scissors). I stumbled upon a very nice salon, called, most unfortunately, El Shaddai House and had my first appointment there on my 50th birthday. Am just as pleased with my second cut.
7. Dan had the day off on the 4th so we slept in a bit and then did yard work. The boys went to a shooting match near Eau Claire. Dan and I cleaned up and went to Hudson to get more Zip Edge and materials for a compost bin (our freezer is overflowing with the kitchen scraps I've been hoarding). I made steak for supper but it wasn't that good. Mose was supposed to work until 11 but got off early because business was slow. Lots of neighbors were shooting fireworks, but Baldwin didn't have a sanctioned display, so the boys (mainly Abe) and I watched a movie instead: Honeydripper. Abe liked it a lot. I thought it was too predictable and too low key...everyone seemed to be sleepwalking except for the young woman who played China Doll.
8. Dan and I worked in the yard all day yesterday, planting shrubs and zip stripping and weeding and watering. It was a lovely sunny day, quite windy. Mose worked 8 hours - his longest shift yet - but it went fast because his 5 (present and former) school buddies were working too. I made a pretty good supper including potato salad' always a hit with Dan. After supper, Abe and I toured the yard and walked out in the country. When we returned, we enjoyed shortcake, topped with the berries Carol dropped off yesterday, while watching my favorite Andy Griffith episode of all time "Barney's First Car". It was Lorraine's birthday and though I thought of her often, the fact that it was her birthday didn't register until this morning.
9. My first thought on waking up was: Oh my, I forgot to call Lorraine yesterday! Sigh. There wasn't much I could do about my oversight at that point and it sounds like she had a great day, anyway.
Usually I walk with Trudy on Sunday morning, but she is out of town, so I had time to give a little TLC to the Wahoo plant, suffering from a Four Lined Plant Bug infestation. I sprayed it with Safer's soap, which I have great faith in.
It was a really nice morning so the boys and I walked to church. Since then it has turned sticky and hot. We've got the A/C on for the first time this year.

Birthday Pleasures

2008-07-06T08:46:00.005-05:00

Being blessed with a summer birthday and not having to work on it this year, I planned a day full of ordinary treats. Here is what I did:

1. Slept in a little bit, followed by -
2. My usual morning routine of Prayer, Gratitude Journal and the Tribune Daily Sudoku.
3. A 3-mile run in lovely cool weather, which ended at Tony's, where I went in and bought a loaf of my favorite French toast bread.
4. After a long shower and bit of pampering, I emerged dressed for gardening, but first made and consumed with pleasure the aforementioned French toast.
5. I then spent 2+ hours attacking the violet infestation that has sneaked into my garden, and planning what I will put in to keep them at bay.
6. After a quick clean-up, Stephen took us to Garcia's for my favorite chips and salsa and steak burrito.
7. A nap and then back into the yard, this time to sit in my comfy chair with books and journal -- and a piece of cherry pie, thank-you, Cindy!
8. Flannery O'Connor is on tap for July's book discussion the 14th, but after 2 stories, I decided she was too depressing for my birthday, so I looked into the books Dave gave me, which look excellent.
9. My beloved trowel had gone missing in the morning's clean-up, so I said a prayer to find it quickly (and without too much mess!) and began digging through the blue bags of yard waste, finding it on my first real delving into the most likely bag!
10. One more clean-up and Dave and I set off for a party at Dan Kopanke's and Kathy Flenz's new place: great Chicago view, excellent food, good company and conversation.
11. Got encouragement in my running from Holly Hart Porter and Danika Kopanke (soon to be Amusin, on July 20!) Also enjoyed throughout the day: birthday cards and calls, the glorious mild and sunny weather, looking at the quilt top for Conor and Theresa's baby, which is now finished and ready to be put together, writing a blog, eating small handfuls of sun-warmed raspberries right off the bush . . .
12. Ended the day as it began, with prayer and journaling and gratitude!

St. Mary's 5K, 2009, here I come

2008-07-05T15:27:00.005-05:00

Some of you know that I started running back in March. Really, I wasn't sure if I would continue; for one thing, some who love me were not thrilled, being concerned about the toll running would take on my aging, overweight body. For another, when the weather got hot and humid, I figured I might lose interest. Well, so far, I've persisted, NOT with the intent of competing, but just for the joy and exercise of it. I broke down and bought running shoes a few weeks ago, and had gradually increased my distance to 2 1/2 miles 2 or 3 times per week.

So last Sunday, Dad called with the news that he had won his age group at St. Mary's in the 5k, an annual event in Saginaw, MI, that he has run for many years. He claims he was the only one in his group, but as in so many arenas in life, showing up is half the challenge! At any rate, he talked to Dave first, who told him I've been running, so when I spoke to him, he asked how far I run, and I said 2 1/2 miles is what I'm doing and all I aspired to and he slyly remarked: "If you increased to 3 miles, you could start running in some races."

Well, I can say "no" to almost anything but a direct challenge, so I immediately responded: "All other things being equal, I'll run the St. Mary's 5K with you next year!"

So now I'm in training! This week, I ran 3 miles 3 times. I am slow as mud. I find it hard to time myself, but it looks like the first mile is about 10 minutes, the 2nd is 11 and the 3rd is 12. So now that I know I CAN run 3 miles without stopping, my goal is to whittle several minutes off my time, and get so that I can put in 3 miles in 27 minutes. Still slow, but something to aim for.

Thankfully, I have a year to get ready!

Friday 5: Summer Sensations

2008-07-04T09:06:00.002-05:00

I probably should fashion a patriotic Friday 5 since today is the 4th of July, but I don't feel like working that hard. Instead, let's talk about what makes summer, summer.
1) what sight says 'summer' to you?
2) what taste says 'summer' to you?
3) what sound says 'summer' to you?
4) what smell says 'summer' to you?
5) what sensation says 'summer' to you?

YIP (Yard in Progress) 28Jun2008

2008-06-28T09:45:00.003-05:00

This week in review

2008-06-28T07:05:00.005-05:00

Two weeks in a row now, I thought I would post a 'week in review' because I hadn't gotten aroung to a Friday 5. But last week, Lorraine beat me to the punch with her Friday 5 and this week, I thought of one I wanted to post (albeit on Saturday morning). However, I still like the idea of a week in review, so here goes.

Highlights from the week of 22 June- 27 June 2008

1. Saturday, I went to a class at Beaver Creek Reserve and built a Leopold bench. All the benches made in class turned out great and what a nice group of people! The power tools made me a little nervous, so I think I will leave most of that kind of stuff to Dan, but I am very proud of my bench.

2. Sunday, the boys and I sang 'Farther Along' at church. There are many different verses to this song, some quite down in the mouth. We chose to sing the more upbeat ones and took it at a pretty fast clip. It was well received. Abe has been bugging me to pull out my autoharp so I dug aroung and found it. Couldn't find my books or tuning wrench, though, which means I really couldn't play it.

In the evening, Mose and I drove to church to drop off a salad for a big funeral there the next day and then drove to the van parking lot so I could sign off for a few days. We parked the car there and walked around town, admiring some beautiful older homes.

3. Monday, I drove in to work with Dan. His day now starts 1/2 hour earlier than it used to which means we had to get up at 3:30 am. That was very grim.

After work, we stopped at a Linder's flower mart nearby to take advantage of their 50% off sale, one of my favorite events of the year. We bought a Goldflame Honeysuckle and 3 cranberry cotoneasters. We'll plant the honeysuckle where it can wind around the lattice under our front porch and the cotoneasters are for the area between our driveway and (new) front sidewalk.

We didn't linger long though so I had plenty of time when I got home to plant my garden. Yes, I put everything in the ground. The mosquitoes feasted on my pasty white flesh, but I was on a roll and they didn't bother me.

4. Tuesday, I drove in with Dan again (the boys were at their Dad's). After work, we drove to REI in Bloomington where we found a couple bear barrels (not beer barrels) for trips to the Boundary Waters (never again will we go there without them). I had thought we'd take mainly freeze dried meals this time, but on seeing the outrageous prices, decided we'd make our own again, but less extravagant, less smelly stuff. I still regret the dark chocolate ginger candies that the bear got to before I did **sniff**.

We stopped at Gerten's, too, another favorite place for plants but, alas, not known for having fabulous sales. We bought two Sea Green Junipers there.

5. Wednesday, we just came home and stayed home. Whew.

6. Thursday, Dan had to get to work by 2:30 am. Needless to say, I didn't go in with him that day.

Dan was exhausted that evening and went to bed right after supper. The boys and I watched Friendly Persuasion, recommended by Lorraine.

7. Yesterday, I worked from home. My boss has a policy now where we can work from home on Fridays, if we don't have to be in the office for one reason or another. 7 people on her team COULD choose work from home and 5 of us HAVE chosen.

I put in a long day. We had Domino's pizza for supper and watched From Here to Eternity, which we loved.

It was a good week. We continue to have really nice weather. It was a little sticky yesterday, but we still haven't turned the A/C on. It rained last night and freshened things up, so I don't think we'll need it today, either.

Friday 5: Jobs

2008-06-28T06:34:00.006-05:00

Mose has a job! He's working at McDonald's and liking it all right so far. He told me that when he left yesterday, the manager told him, "You did a h*** of a job today." I had a good laugh when Mose told me about it, since I could say with certainty that it was the first time he'd ever been told that.

So, what about jobs and you? Tell me:

1. Have you ever had a job with a uniform? Describe it. Did you like or dislike having to wear one?

2. What was your first job? Would you recommend a similar job to a first-job-seeker?

3. What was your worst job? What did you learn from it?

4. What is your current job? How long have you been doing it? What do you like and dislike most about it?

5. What would you like to be your last job?

Friday 5: Classics

2008-06-21T17:11:00.003-05:00

A little late.

1. Do you like classic movies? (For our purposes let's say made before 1960)

2. Why or why not?

3. Which movies from that era are your favorites? Why?

4. Who are your favorite stars from that era?

5. If you had the chance to do a really good remake, which movie would you choose, and which of today's stars would be in it?

Wordless Wednesday

2008-06-18T19:17:00.003-05:00

We are having a lovely summer

2008-06-16T22:57:00.001-05:00

Tuesday

Sunny

Hi 74°F

When your kids are smarter than you

2008-06-16T22:01:00.004-05:00

Reading a post here, got me thinking about how often lately I have stopped to ask myself, "Who is the adult here?" And heard the answer back, "Not you."

Here's one recent example: As Mose and I walked to the car after a trip to the grocery store a couple weeks ago, I let drop some snotty, thoughtless remark about the young man who had rang up our purchases. He had done nothing wrong, I simply didn't like "the way he spoke to me" or "his tone of voice" or some equally uptight nonsense. Mose quickly spoke in the cashier's defense, not putting me down, but explaining how he (Mose) interpreted the interaction. He spoke gently and reasonably and I was silenced by the fairness of what he said and my own smallness.

And another: Abe often asks me to watch or listen to something he finds on the web - either a song he likes or a video clip or picture that makes him laugh. Sometimes, the timing is good for me but more often it's not or I think it's not. On Saturday, he said he had something he wanted me to see at a moment I felt very stressed out. But instead of graciously declining and thanking him for wanting me to share his enjoyment with him, I launched into full blown pity party the theme of which was I wish I had time to sit around all day and surf. He didn't get caught up in my stress but he didn't let me off the hook either. He patiently explained that he knew that I had a lot more responsibility than him, but all I needed to tell him at a time like that was 'No'.

This had never occurred to me before. You mean, I can just say, 'No'? Just give a simple response, rather than one laden with enough emotional baggage to sink a whole afternoon?

It's times like these that I admire my boys most and am awed by God's grace in shaping them into people who are often kinder, often wiser and always less complicated than I am.

Material Monday: Terra Tiller

2008-06-15T21:37:00.006-05:00

I've spent some quality time over the last several days with a tool that looks a lot like this. I'm using it to break up the clods in the dirt I'm moving to make my flower border. And it's also very handy, if you put in on its side, for pulling the dirt around to level the surface.

The border is going to be slightly raised - maybe 3 inches. The area I've marked out measures 4 feet wide and 50 feet long and is just a simple rectangle. It should get sun most of the day and seems to be relatively dry, though it lies not far from patches of ground that are quite spongy.

I've moved a lot of dirt onto the bed in the last couple days. When the tree spade man was here, we had him pile most of the plugs on the south edge of our lot. I didn't have anything in particular in mind at the time, but knew we'd want the fill for one project or another. The idea of sorting the black dirt out of the plugs to make a long border seemed to come from nowhere one day and picked up momentum when I visited the Bluestone Perennials web site and saw they were nearing the end of their spring clearance sale. That was just the motivation I needed to get serious about planning the border.

I wanted something to anchor the bed at each end and had a $25 credit from White Flower Farm burning a hole in my pocket, so we ordered 2 Little King Fox Valley river birches, a dwarf form of the tree that should only get around 10 feet high and form a clump 12 feet wide.

With all the rain over the past several weeks, it's been hard to get out in the yard, but the last two days have been perfect gardening weather, except for the small storm that passed through last night and dumped some more rain down.

I haven't spent a ton of time on the border but I'm pleased with the way it's turning out and figure on another hour or two until it will be ready for planting. I'm aiming for Wednesday evening to start but may get a head start tomorrow night with a couple things. Like the Pink Peace rose Carol gave me for my birthday. That was before I knew where I was going to plant anything besides the trees, so I stuck the rose in a deep pot and it's been happy there. It's wearing a single bud as a topknot. I've been a little leery of hybrid tea roses in the past but by all accounts this variety is healthy and hardy and may grow 6' tall. Wouldn't that be stunning?

YIP (Yard in Progress) 14Jun2008

2008-06-14T15:10:00.002-05:00

Friday 5: Celebrate Your Dad!

2008-06-13T20:42:00.004-05:00

In anticipation of Sunday's big day:

1. What ways are you VERY like your father?
2. What ways are you NOT like your father?
3. How do you wish you were MORE like your father?
4. What life lessons have you learned from your father?
5. What is a favorite "Dad" memory?

A very happy Father's Day to all Dads, Uncles, Brothers, and to all soon-to-be Dads, like my nephew Conor!

Witch hazel = Candy

2008-06-10T18:26:00.003-05:00

I guess if you're a bunny, witch hazel tastes like candy. Which explains why, a couple days after we planted our nice little witch hazel shrub from Winter Greenhouse, I noticed several of the spindly branches snapped off. And why, the next day, all the little spindly branches were snapped off and all that was left was a collecting of blunted leafless sticks. Dan quickly made a cage for what was left of it and for all our other, as yet untasted, shrubs.

The bright side of the story is that I had just read in my favorite gardening book that you should prune a shrub after planting it, advice I seldom bring myself to follow. This time, the rabbits did it for me.

Lasagna supper: reflections

2008-06-09T21:53:00.003-05:00

Here's how it really went:

the friends we originally invited weren't able to make it, so we left a message at our pastor's (also our neighbor) house inviting him. Didn't hear from them, so I was all anxious about it, until I talked to Sylvia, his wife after church, and they said they'd love to come. Had plenty of food, so also invited a relative newcomer to our church to come too. Her husband was working a 24 hour shift at the hospital and she was happy for some adult company and we were happy to have her and her two charming young children.
I bought a bottle of very good wine to go with the meal - Root:1 Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile. Oh it was so nice and smooth. I used my usually sophisticated wine shopping method: look for the right color, look for a good price, look for a good rating and buy the one with the nicest label.
Saturday night I did some prep work but left most of it for early Sunday morning. Worked steady for over 3 hours. I find that I am very very slow but part of the enjoyment is taking my time and pottering about.

Here are the recipes I used as a base:
Pistachio Raisin Biscotti
used walnuts instead and some oat flour; didn't rise at all; had to bake much longer than the recipe called for; yummy
Freeze-Ahead Lasagna Primavera
wasn't a huge hit, but may be worth trying again; use zuchinni or summer squash or asparagus in place of the carrots and only 1/2 the spinach; the sauce took a loooooong time to thicken
Tomato-Sausage Lasagna second time for this recipe; you'd think you'd miss the ricotta, but you don't; used 20 oz of the sausage instead of 1 lb and didn't soak the noodles since they were of the no-boil type. The Hunt's organic crushed tomatoes won the taste test hands down. Wonderful flavor and color and RTU without any mashing.
Sweet Ricotta With Chocolate There was no need to drain the ricotta, and, in fact, it might have been better if it were a little more liquid. The cheese to chocolate ratio was off - needed more chocolate. Next time, I'd used 1/2 the cheese but the same amout of chocolate and would serve it already dished into little dishes. The blackberries and raspberries I served alongside were more popular than the ricotta dish but not everybody is used to the idea of cheese for dessert.
I ran out of parm cheese and didn't want to make the Caesar salad without it so I just threw together a romaine salad with some stuff I had on hand: vine on tomatoes, feta cheese, cuke, kalamata olives and the redirected croutons. Quite tasty.

I'd give the meal two thumbs up but the best part was spending time with my dear family and our lovely guests. We had a very nice time together.

Holy Hollyhocks!

2008-06-07T14:59:00.003-05:00

I'd forgotten that I had added hollyhocks to my Bluestone Perennials order, so when I was at Wal-Mart today and saw some on sale I nabbed them. The Wal-Mart ones are the standard size, which is really what I wanted in the first place. But now I will have plenty of both!

Other finds at the Wal-Mart seasonal closeout: Dahlias: Seattle and Mystery Day, Peony Bowl of Beauty and Hadspen Blue Hosta.

Lasgana Supper

2008-06-07T13:05:00.005-05:00

We're having some friends over tomorrow and I plan to serve a couple kinds of lasagna, my famous Caesar Salad and a ricotta cheese dessert. Biscotti, too, if I get around to making them.

As usual, my recipe source is Everday Food. It's a little warm today to have the oven on but the forecast is for a cooler day tomorrow. I'll bake the biscotti and toast the croutons this evening or early tomorrow.

In conjunction with making this fabulous meal, I am conducting a taste test of four different types of canned tomatoes: Hunts, Flavorite (the store brand), Red Gold and Hunts Organic. The last is crushed, the others are whole, as per the recipe. But I don't know why you wouldn't use crushed, since you need to break them up anyway.

Here's all the stuff I will do ahead:
Caesar Salad

toast croutons
wash and tear romaine
squeeze lemon

Lasagna

shred gobs of mozzarella
removing casings from and brown the sausage (I'm using Jennie-O Sweet Italian Turkey Sausage)
chop one onion
make the red sauce
defrost and squeeze the spinach
clean and slice the carrots
make the white sauce

Biscotti

chop the walnuts

Sweet Ricotta dessert

drain the ricotta
chop the chocolate
rinse the berries

Abe prepared the sun tea (now brewing). We'll serve that to drink plus water and milk. A little wine would go fine with this meal but the folks we've invited are Baptists and don't imbibe.

Both recipes call for NOT boiling the lasagna ahead, a very desirable thing. I'm trying Barilla noodles this time - they're advertised as being the more traditional lasagna shape - short with no crinkling at the edges.

That's the game plan. But right now, I'm going to take a nap.

Sentimental Journey's first public appearance

2008-06-06T21:15:00.002-05:00

The women's community chorus that I've been singing with for the past couple months made their first public appearance early this evening at the Baldwin Care Center. There were 7 of us singing (Pam, Holly, Marna, Eunice, Rebbecca, Cheryl and me) with Margaret playing the piano.

The boys and I were the 'opening act'. We're performing 'Farther Along' at church someday soon (Abe's accompanying Mose and me) and we used this as a 'dry run'. I was happy with how we sounded; Abe did an especially nice job.

I think the ladies did all right, too. We sang for about 1/2 hour. Our program was: 'America the Beautiful', 'Harbor Lights', 'Top of the World' (yes, the Carpenters' song), 'Over the Rainbow', 'Oh, What a Beautiful Morning', 'When I Grow Too Old to Dream', 'Sentimental Journey' and 'Just a Closer Walk with Thee'. I sang tenor on the last. Pretty low for me so I won't say I was especially strong but we sounded fine on the third verse which we did a cappella.

It was fun when the audience joined in. One couple sat front and center holding hands; the woman gazed at her husband from time to time. That was sweet.

We call ourselves 'Sentimental Journey', a name which captures our choice of music, sweet tunes recalling times gone by.

Friday 5: Shoes

2008-06-06T18:53:00.004-05:00

Do you remember the fall of Ferdinand Marcos of the Philippines in 1986 and how his wife Imelda's enormous collection of shoes become a symbol of all that was wrong and corrupt and wasteful? It's said she had 2,700 pairs of shoes.

I'm no Imelda, but I have a lot of shoes and I wish I had more. I have only one purse but many pairs of shoes. If my shoes don't feel right (and I don't mean 'comfortable', I mean 'right') I don't feel right.

Not that I have fabulous shoes or anything or like I'm known as some sort of shoe goddess. But when I'm wearing the right shoes, I feel sense of quiet sense of well being, deep inside :)

Tell me about you and shoes.

1. Describe the shoes you are wearing right now.
2. How many pairs of shoes do you have?
3. What size shoe do you wear?
4. If you were given a Zappos gift card with enough value to buy three more pairs of shoes, what would you buy? Feel free to include links.
5. Write a couple sentences about shoes.

My favorite sighting

2008-05-31T14:58:00.009-05:00

We heard and saw a lot of Mr. Red Eyed Vireo on our birdwalk this morning. REVs are said to be the most numerous summer species in Wisconsin. It was good to (re) acquaint ourselves with this little bird - unassuming and pert and hard to see amongst the tree canopy that grows denser each day.

Mose seems to have an affinity for this little guy - the rufous-sided towhee. He says it looks like a S'more. What's not to love? Dapper and cheery, encouraging us to indulge in our favorite beverage - 'Drink your tea!', or, as the folks at the Reserve interpret it - 'Beaver Creek!' Either way, he's a charmer and he sits still long enough so you can get a good look at him.

But my favorite sighting today was the interrupted fern - Osmunda claytoniana. It it possible I've never seen this before? Perhaps or maybe I just thought it was a fern with some kind of condition. Anyway, it really registered for the first time today and I was struck by it's odd beauty - the dusty gray of the spore bearing fronds against the vivid new green.

The best part of all though, was spending time with Mose and sharing the modest joys of birdwatching with him. Thank you, Mose, for being my birdwatching companion this spring.

Friday 5: Five in a Row

2008-05-30T21:50:00.000-05:00

1. Name one thing you do everyday.

2. Name two things you wish you could learn.

3. Name three things that remind you of your childhood.

4. Name four things you love to eat but rarely do.

5. Name five things that make you feel good.

courtesy of http://friday.criminalgrace.com/

50 Virtuous Meals: early summer steak dinner: base recipes

2008-05-28T16:36:00.006-05:00

Here are the recipes I used as inspiration
shrimp gazpacho
grilled cheese casserole
green bean and bell pepper salad
strawberry shortcake
lemonade

Variations:
I almost ditched the gazpacho because I was running out of time but I'm glad I served it. I used 1 whole cuke and 4 cups chilled V-8 (the low sodium kind). Skipped the garlic and the tomatoes and the onion. Mixed in salt, pepper and vinegar and chilled in fridge in 2 quart casserole until ready to serve. Spooned into soup bowls, topped with shrimp, LF sour cream and cilantro.

I made the casserole, salad and lemonade just as written.

I modified the shortcake quite a bit. Used 3 lbs of strawberries. Doubles the recipe. Used regular muffin tin lined with liners. Uses 8T butter, 1/2 c sugar, 1/4 c oat flour and 1 cup cornmeal (per batch). Skipped the almonds. Mixed each batch seperately but baked them at the same time.

50 Virtuous Meals: early summer steak dinner: intro & prep

2008-05-28T16:35:00.000-05:00

This is the first post in a series I'm labeling '50 Virtuous Meals'. The idea is to plan, prepare and post 50 meals (including dessert) that have virtues that appeal to me. For example: something that freezes well or something that can be made with ingredients usually on hand or something that my family can't get enough of or, in the case of this VM (Virtuous Meal), something that's festive enough for company. These posts may not always be meals, but could be a collection of tried and true cookies recipes, for example, or my favorite things to take to potlucks.
Enough background information, let's get to the meal at hand.
Menu
shrimp gazpacho
steak baked in the oven
grilled cheese casserole
green bean and bell pepper salad
strawberry shortcake with frozen yogurt
iced tea
lemonade
Sounds yummy, no? My mouth is watering even now!
Steps that can be done ahead
shortcake

place butter in bowl to soften
mix dry ingredients
clean & slice strawberries
mash & sweeten strawberries

casserole

slice & butter & cube bread
grate cheese
butter 9 x 13 glass dish

salad

slice pepper
clean beans
steam beans
slice onion and marinate in dressing

lemonade

make ginger syrup
squeeze 7 lemons
squeeze 2 limes

gazpacho

defrost shrimp and remove tails
put V-8 in fridge
chop cucumber
chop roasted red pepper

Summer is here

2008-05-27T21:29:00.003-05:00

You know how I know summer is here? Not because of the temperature, since today's high was 56F with a cool wind and overcast skies. Nope, summer is officially here because I found the first tick of the season on my person today. Only one so far, but now I feel like they're all over. My skin is just crawling.

Tree Planting Slideshow

2008-05-24T16:27:00.001-05:00

Friday 5: Trees

2008-05-23T15:24:00.002-05:00

Since mid afternoon yesterday, we've added 9 beautiful trees to our yard. Look for an upcoming post with pictures soon.
In the meantime, let's talk about trees:
1. What trees do you have in your yard or on your street?
2. Have you ever hugged a tree? Why or why not?
3. Do you have a tree-related memory?
4. When building our new house, we skipped the fancy granite countertops and planted trees instead. If you were building a new house, would you make a similar choice? Explain.
5. If you knew you were going to be stranded on a desert island, what 5 trees would you take with you?

DaVinci lives!

2008-05-22T17:47:00.005-05:00

Last Friday, I had the fun and excitement of observing a "robot-assisted donor nephrectomy" (kidney removal for transplantation into someone with kidney failure) by live feed at the University of Illinois at Chicago. The million-dollar machine is called the DaVinci, and is an amazing piece of machinery. After the surgery, the surgeon, Enrico Benedetti, spoke to the group of dialysis nurses, dietitians and social workers at UIC Transplant Update about the machine and its capabilities.

The highlight, however, came after the end, when I was in a group that accompanied Dr. Benedetti to the training room for the DaVinci, and actually got to try it out myself -- It was astonishing! Looking into the screen, I thought I was working removing rubber rings about the size of a quarter from cones a couple inches tall. When I got off the machine, I saw that the real items I practiced on were tiny! Plus the "hands" can rotate 360 degrees. Such a fascinating experience.

THEN Dr. Benedetti took us onto the transplant floor and we saw the recipient, coming out of anesthesia, and we met the donor, who was pretty alert.

Altogether a great day.

On youtube, you can find demonstrations of the surgery, if you're interested and can stomach it.

Conor and Theresa get married, May 15, 2008!

2008-05-18T16:48:00.002-05:00

It was a lovely, cool evening, and a small group of family and friends gathered in Ed and Paula's backyard to wish them well. May they have many years of love and happiness!

See the photos: http://picasaweb.google.com/lorraine.antieau/ConorTheresaMay1508

Homemade Pizza 2: Postponed

2008-05-18T05:24:00.002-05:00

For several reasons, our Saturday night supper of homemade pizza did not **pan** out. The dough is still in the fridge so I'll either make something else with it or make pizza on another night.

Homemade Pizza 2: The dough

2008-05-17T09:00:00.004-05:00

In the last episode of Homemade Pizza, you'll recall that I vowed to cut back on the volume of dough. So here's the recipe I'm going to try today:

Dough (adapted from the Olive Oil Dough recipe from this really good book)
2 1/4 cups lukewarm water (push the tap all the way back and a little to the left of center)
1 generous T yeast
1 generous T salt
2 t sugar
1/4 scant cup EVOO
5 1/2 cups flour (this time, I used closed to 4 cups of whole grain spelt; the rest all purpose)

Let the water, yeast, salt and sugar brew for about 5 minutes before putting in the oil and flour. Mix with a spoon and hands and put it to rest on the counter for 2 hours. Knead for about 3 minutes, adding barely enough flour to make it workable. Put it in the refrigerator until ready to form and rest again before prebaking and topping.

Friday 5: High School

2008-05-16T23:12:00.002-05:00

The boys and I just got back from a high school graduation ceremony honoring the first-ever graduates from the school Mose attends. Because there were only 3 graduates and because the school families are a bunch of warm and wonderful people, it was less about ceremony and more about celebrating.
How different for my own graduation...or so I suppose, because frankly, I don't remember anything about the event. Which is worthy material for a blog post, but not tonight :)
But still it got me thinking about high school and graduation. Here are five questions in keeping with the theme:
1. What did you plan to do after high school and did your actual life turn out anything like that?
2. How much would I have to pay you to go back - for just a day?
3. If you could sit down for dinner with just one person from your high school life who would it be and why and what would you talk about?
4. What did the fashionable kids wear when you were in high school? What did you wear?
5. What did you learn in high school that has stood you in good stead?