Rediscovering Water

Mountain water, at least where I grew up, is just as good as the hype.  It made me a water snob, especially when I reached the flatlands here in the Midwest.  I took the water softener one step further and had them install a water purifier as well.  The resulting water was ok, and then we moved close enough to Lake Michigan that the water was acceptable without all the extra fuss.  Acceptable, but not as good as water from home.

I love tea. My grandfather made the best ice tea, and the flavor hot or cold is part of so many great memories.  On my weekly trip to Barnes and Noble, I get a Venti tea, and it always tastes so much better than tea I make at home. I bought the tea bags, and they were scrumptious, but the taste still wasn't the same.  What finally occurred to me was that they used filtered water.  When I checked with my barista she confirmed that the water was elaborately filtered and that did make a difference in the taste.  I thought about it for a week or two and then bought a Zero Water pitcher and fired up our hot pot. The tea was amazing.  Any and all tea is amazing.  

I love you, Lake Michigan, but you are better without the personality.  Thanks water treatment personnel, but chlorine is not delicious. Thank you, Zero-Water people, for increasing the healthy pleasures in my life. Thank you, Janet Tyson, for the gorgeous picture of the lake in winter.  Thank you, Barnes and Noble, for always having great teas on hand. 

Dinner Reservations

Some ideas are stickier than others.  Sitting in church listening to the details of a new project to build a wall around St. Martin DePorres Orphanage got me thinking about Redwall Abbey and Martin the Warrior.  We could put on a Redwall Feast to raise funds.  The idea was so so obvious to me that I assumed it would put itself forward.  I waited for it to be announced so I could volunteer. 

The wall was finished and a new laundry was nearly complete, but the idea still had not been put forward.  In my mind the event was taking shape in ever greater detail.  It kept growing from "A Taste of Redwall" food-centered event to an immersive dinner theater experience.  I kept finding experts and scouting actors, all the while waiting for someone else to speak up for this idea.

Then I began to see that this is my baby, so I put it forward to the St. Martin's Kids committee at church.  They are a very practical group.  They loved the idea and had very helpful questions and 

suggestions.  We all decided to let going forward rest on getting the necessary permissions from the publishers of Redwall.  It was such an intimidating process, but in the end we were green-lighted by Jim Jacques, Brian's brother.   

Pregnant by the Holy Spirit, it's not just for Mary anymore.  

Beastly Day

The National Zoo is always a good time.  It rained off and on all day, but we still got to see all the reptiles, amphibians, and pandas.  The family whistles were great, and the backpacks were helpful.

We enjoy the two sisters on DC Cupcakes, so we had to try some.  They are beautiful and beautifully packaged.  The variety they offer is amazing.

We were supposed to go to the Library of Congress, but no one wanted to go other than me.  Since I took a three hour nap when we got home I can't complain.

The more things change

This is my childhood home.  They put a new red steel roof on it and painted it salmon pink, but that doesn't matter.  The grade isn't as steep as I remembered it, but the stone retaining wall I spent a day watching Uncle Ed repair is still going strong.  My sandbox is gone as well as the fence, but the lilac was still there.  The road isn't quite as busy, though it still worried my husband.  It's beautiful.

We took some time to visit my church/school and my grandparent's house.  Best of all we ate at D'Atri's.  the food is equal to my memories and that is high praise.  Before I became a Catholic I was going to have my ashes scattered over the creek that flows under my old school.  It is still my favorite place in the world.

Pax Potato

There came a morning when I woke up, stepped on the scale and decided it was time to do something about that.  Like everything else there was an app for that, and I found the Livestrong Calorie Counter to be very effective and lost a nice chunk of weight.  As long as I could eat what I like, just less and less often, I coped with dieting very well.  Then I went in to see Doc and he said I really ought to be on the Low Glycemic Index Diet.
There is an app for that too.  The GI diet app helps me track the Glycemic load of all the food I eat.  It allowed me multigrain bread, sourdough bread, and reasonable quantities of pasta.  I can do that.  It's not my favorite having been raised on starch because it is tasty and affordable.  The real struggle didn't kick in until I decided to widen my research and read some books from the library.  The current book forbids potatoes, rice and bread--period.  I'm not sure I can do that.  My Irish grandfather could do things with potatoes that would make you cry.  The bowl they were served in is a hallowed family artifact. Give my mother a pound of hamburger and rice, and you'll have a feast in 30 minutes.  Bread, don't get me started on bread.  We would tease my grandmother and great-grandmother into bread wars, each trying to top the other and succeeding.  It meant fresh hot bread every day for weeks.
I feel like a snob foregoing these basic calories.  I realize it's because my doctor said so, and he's a pretty smart guy. but I can still remember the look on my soon-to-be-ex best friend's face when I failed to understand the part that Ramen noodles played in her diet.  The stupidest thing I ever saw on TV and anyone who has watched TV knows that a pretty serious insult was when Jamie Oliver tried to gross out Appalachian kids with food.  No one thought to hire a guide to local culture?  Don't get me wrong, Jamie is a pleasure to watch cook, naked or clothed, and he meant well, but  when your family has at least one living memory of hunger, you eat anything you're offered and you're trained to.  His "whazzed" up chicken nasties turned into chicken nuggets were just calories and you don't say no to calories.
I guess somehow I have to figure this out.

Optimization

It starts the minute I walk through the foyer opening into the kitchen.  Left or Right?  Left usually.  I snag a 100% Whole Wheat English Muffin from the pantry rack and take a short step to the kitchen table where I grab a knife, a fork and a spoon.  Next comes a diagonal walk across the kitchen to the corner between the dishwasher and the stove.  I pull open the cupboard above the dishwasher and retrieve a small plate and a cup.  The silverware goes on the plate.  The cup stands by on the counter while I use the fork to split the muffin and pop it into the toaster oven.  I fill the hot pot with water and turn it on and then hop the cup over the stove to rest on another counter while I pull down my vitamins.  Currently, I am taking them in order of size and dumping them all out before taking them.  The vitamins go back to the cupboard, and I take two small steps to the fridge when I pull out the milk and the Smart Balance.  (I hate eating foods that require capitalization.)  The milk sits down next to the cup and them Smart Balance goes over to the toaster oven to await my muffin.  I pour 8 oz of milk, take the pills, and replace vitamins and milk in their respective homes.  The toaster has dinged by now, but I still need to visit the tea cupboard next to the fridge.  I pull down my giant mug and fill it with one PG Tips tea bag and the contents of four Splenda packets whose wrappers are trucked diagonally across the room to the trash.  I bring the mug back to the hot pot where I slide in the spoon.  The water can wait, but my muffin is getting cold.  I pull it out and place it on the small plate then butter it with thin curls of Smart Balance.  The water has generally boiled by now, so I pull out the spoon and let the water pummel the tea bag.  As soon as the water is dark enough I dump the tea bag in the trash, pick up the plate with the muffin and go sit quietly somewhere enjoying the last few minutes before I have to get to work.
 Right now that's as good as it gets.  It'll get better.  Managing cooking times is a bit wonky, and I want to reduce the number of times I leave the corner to do something else.  Optimizing things that I do frequently is one of my favorite games to play.  Breakfast is an especial favorite because there are so many variables.  I am also working on the best strategy for showering, settling into Barnes and Noble for writing time, getting through my workout, how best to put on and take off my backpack at different locations, and getting laundry smoothed out--amongst other things.  I used to worry that I was going to get stuck in a routine, but all these plans are about as permanent as a sand castle.  Take the English Muffins for example.  I love them, but Sam's has started to sell them in two packs totaling 18 instead of the 12 I prefer.  I may have to choose a new breakfast item which changes everything.  I think that might be part of the fun of it.

My Life in Apps

I have made no secret of my love for my iPad.  I am not exaggerating when I say my life is changed because of this machine.  I don't know how I'd go back to life without it.  Here is a glimpse of my life as I live it now thanks to all those great apps.

Reminders--I had to have a place to dump all those tasks that need to be done, but not tomorrow.  I may never get the piano tuned, but I'll think about it every time I open this app.
 iPlan Lessons-  teachers book for homeschoolers.
Pepper Plate--favorite recipes, menu plans and instant shopping lists
Pages--holds most of my novel, my poetry, a class on medieval monasticism for co-op and other stuff I want to hang on to.
Storyist--As soon as I finish typing my first draft up, I'll be breaking this program out to play with the next draft.
Meta Notebook--where I stash my notes on the books I'm reading.
ChorePad--keep track of chores and allowance
Cash Flow--keeping track of kids money from work and gifts
Nature Sounds--takes me home quick with my own brew of sounds.  The loon could be better.
Pocket Yoga--best way to learn yoga I've found
Livestrong Calorie Counter--make a difference for me.  I love to fill out charts and these charts put me on the right path.
My Food--it's pretty and it makes me think about what I'm eating.
Notes--I have sixteen.  They range from medical procedures to poems in process to addresses.  I dump everything here.
Divine Office--fills the day with scripture, songs and prayers
iMissal--up-to-date with the latest changes.  Just figured that out.
Prayers--lots of prayers including rosaries.  Great way to fill empty time.
Prayer Journal--more Protestant way of recording what you're praying for and how often.
MeaCulpa--so helpful to the convert.  You work through scrutinies and the results are packaged neatly with all the prayers and such for Reconcilliation.
Facebook--The news I really care about.  "Go, Ian!  Eat those crackers!"
Sam's Club--shopping list and evalues in a fun setting.
ABC News--what else is going on in the world
Magical Weather--charming
Flixster--if you love movies as much as I do this is a must.
Terra Nova--Please don't let it be dead.
ABC Player--when I need a little down time.
Presidents vs. Aliens--too much fun.

The only thing I can't do easily--work on my blog.  Ironic.
That's it.  My life on an iPad.

A Christmas to Dye For

Sometimes the holidays call for a dye job. It started with Mea's red velvet birthday cake which requires an entire bottle of food coloring. It was delicious, so then I wondered if you could make green velvet, and made a sheet cake version for our piano teacher. From there I digressed to sugar cookies, making Red Hot Hearts, Lemon Yellow Stars, Blue Almond Snowflakes, Green Peppermint Christmas Trees, the other flavors got their coloring from ingredients (Gingerbread Men, Chocolate Bears, and Vanilla Snowmen). Anyone have ideas for other flavors and colors?
Finally, it was time for my first Christmas Velvet Cake. I wanted something Dr. Seussian, so instead of splitting the layers I stacked four whole layers, alternating red and green. It was as delicious as it was cheerful. If you decide to try it use the America's Test Kitchen recipe.

Santa Baby

I'm a collector. Nothing pleases me more than a complete set. If I let myself everything becomes a collection, which is why I've limited myself to books and cookie cutters--Comfort Grip Cookie Cutters. If I left it as unspecific as "cookie cutters," I'd have a room full of them. I thought I was doing pretty well, buying only the ones I liked not really expecting it all to add up to much, particularly not to rise in value. But they have.
I was searching for the Christmas stocking they offered last year. It was gone, out of stock, so I thought I'd give eBay a try. The price has certainly gone up from the four bucks I typically spend. As I explored eBay's offerings I found all kinds of great Comfort Grip Cookie Cutters I hadn't known existed going for as much as 80 bucks. Wow, is all I can say. I can also say while I'm not ready to spend 80 bucks to complete the set, I'm not letting any more cookie cutters slide. Who knows which one will be the kids college tuition? And Santa, if you're listening, I've got a list of the ones I'm missing. We could start with the Christmas Stocking.

It's not a purse...

it's a toolbox. Before my first PDA, my purse was a grown up pencil case with a wallet and pens. Recently my purse has been growing. First I added a nook which put almost every book I want to read at my constant beck and call. Then my husband gave me an iPad and all the rest of the world is at my feet. All those terrific apps have taken my compulsive planning to a new level by making it--easy.
The most important app is the most basic and it came with the machine, the Calendar Function. It isn't pretty, but it more than does the job. All my appointments and projects are there whenever I add something new. They come in a few different configurations and I've found them all useful. The information is presented as completely as possible without unnecessary bulk This app plays well with others most importantly with my lesson planning app.
Wikly--alas poor wikly I loved it well. It's color-coding feature is beautiful and practical, but it doesn't work well with other programs. I was hoping to work that one to my advantage by using it for a specific and limited purpose, but the way that Calendar shares some info clutters the screen with unintended items. It's plan to make planning beautiful has left it hampered with too narrow a display. If I could link this app exclusively to my lesson planning app I'd be so happy. It would declutter Calendar and make my school plans beautiful.
iPlan Lessons--if you homeschool, if you teach at all, this is a wonderful thing. All three years I taught professionally I wrote 3 weeks worth of lesson plans, . I always figured I knew what they needed to know. I knew what they didn't, and I knew what resources I had to close the gap. What more do you need? Not so with homeschooling where you are teaching multiple grades and resources can be swallowed up in the general school clutter. Not with iPlan, I've been planning for every day, some subjects a few weeks in advance. Suddenly writing out detailed lesson plans is just a few clicks, gathering information for an easy to execute plan that incorporates all the kids and all the resources, simply. You can organize lessons by date, resource and class. If you teach you will appreciate this and as it is still in development it's only going to get better.
Pepper Plate--this is a dedicated app that amazes me every time I pick it up. I felt the need to get our family menus more organized so I sketched out a crap weekly plan because every work of art needs a beginning. Pepper Plate put it on a calendar and I was thrilled. Then I had some time to enter the fancy Sunday dinner and the ingredient list was just a click away from a shopping list. Adding in other recipes--even "frozen pizza" and adding that recipe to the shopping list means I'm ready to shop whenever or wherever the opportunity presents itself. I can take items off the list by clicking, so a quick spin around the kitchen means I won't be buying a third jug of BBQ sauce. The library of recipes I'm amassing lets me see a day when meal planning for a week is 7 clicks away.
Chore Pad--I have mentioned this before, but it's changed our lives. The kid's responsibilities are all set up on lists and they are rewarded with stars. We assigned a monetary value to stars and a family economy has been born. Stars can be redeemed for rewards or lost for bad behavior. Inspection is simple and instant. We love this.

Crabbies at Bay

Keeping kids happy and busy is a fine art. Too much guidance and the activity becomes work. Too little and many activities become difficult to do. Sometimes you can turn necessities like eating into great opportunities for learning and bonding. It's all a matter of thinking ahead and keeping your eyes open for good possibilities. Here are some of this years favorites.

The Greatest Puzzles Ever Solved--I picked this up off the bargain table at Barnes and Noble as a homeschooler I find so many great things there and this was one of them. Enjoyed by just about everybody it was a great way to pass time between outings, and a lot of history and logic got sneaked in there.

One Stitch at a Time--This vacation wasn't just our little family, we were accompanied by my parents, my sister's family and my sister-in-law's family. That meant eleven cousins, including a cadre of older girls, needed to get better acquainted. This little kit was something I wasn't sure about. It would either be hit all week long or last for about five minutes. It was a hit they made three different stuffed animals for the youngest cousins. It says that it has everything you need on the box, but there is actually a long list of sewing staples in the book. I solved most of those issues with beginner's sewing kit and Kurt picked up enough felt to keep them busy for a couple months. :) It is a great activity for older kids.

Sticker Books--Terribly old-fashioned, but always a hit. I tried to find ones connected to the ocean, but Winnie the Pooh snuck in there somehow too.

Color Me a Song--My youngest was overlooked a bit last summer so this year I made an extra effort with this little machine that plays music according to the speed he colored. He liked it both in the van and at the house.

The Beach--All of us love the ocean. It's why we're there, but it doesn't get much press. We love the beach.

Barrier Island Eco Tours, Crabbing Expedition--I've been checking into this group for twelve years. Every year my dad and I were down we'd purpose to go crabbing for our supper and every year it wouldn't work out. This year I decided we were going, and it was going to be a success. Barrier Island Eco Tours were all they promised. We had such a good time learning about the native flora and fauna and catching 4 crabs by hand. The feast was wonderful, though I could have done with a little less grit. Blue crabs are so sweet and it's been so long since I'd had any it didn't slow me down. Next year I hope to take everyone.

Moving On Up

Nicole Hill always had that sparkle of a woman to watch, even back in the day when we met and she was preparing for marriage. Seven children later, she's managed to bring her family through the daunting task of getting her husband Matthew through college with style and obvious grace. She's sharing that knowledge on a great blog, particularly if you like make-a-head meals. Give it a look. The recipes and home-won wisdom will repay your glance.Climbing Hills

15 Years and Counting

I love celebrating special occasions, but usually I'm the one doing the planning. This year was a major anniversary, so Kurt had done some planning of his own. He set the tone when he bought me a new wedding band. He tricked me into revealing which one I really liked and then he bought it. I didn't know how to keep up with that, so I found the photographer from our wedding, even though he'd gone out of business. I bought all the negatives and proofs. If the local photo place hurries up, I'll have some special pictures for Kurt's desks both here and at work. Kurt's birthday was our next holiday and I took him to the hot tub place. We hadn't been before--it was great.
Kurt's mom agreed to watch the kids for the weekend. The Amway Grand Plaza is as wonderful as everyone says it is. We felt so completely at home. Friday, we went ethnic eating at El Burrito Loco and Sami's Gyro. Everything was good. The Proposal was a fun film, but never really hit the sweet spot. We thought we'd watch an outdoor concert at Rosa Park's Circle, but a light drizzle turned into a downpour and running for it was our only option. Getting a manicure to show off my new ring had been the one important thing I hadn't been able to squeeze into my preparations. Since we had nothing better to do, Kurt sat with me as I got a full mani/pedi. Chocolate covered strawberries and sparkling juice were waiting in our room. Saturday, we slept in, then room service brought us a delicious breakfast. We hurried over to the Cathedral of St. Andrew to attend the midday mass. I'd never been to the cathedral, so I asked the priest to let us look around. We had to hurry because of a wedding--how perfect--but the cathedral is absolutely beautiful. As an artist I find so much support in the Catholic tradition. Our next stop was the Grand Rapids Art Museum. Our last visit was during our engagement. The collection was rather limited then, so we hadn't been back. This visit we were pleased to find the collection much improved and the new building is nice as well. They had great gifts for the kids, and then I needed to sit. I wanted to look cute on this mini-honeymoon and cute hurts. Kurt said to eat light, so we snagged a hot dog and some water for lunch. After a rest stop at the hotel, we went to Kurt's surprise destination--Charley's Crab. We'd last visited them on our fifth anniversary and it was the perfect moment to return. I had their excellent bouillabaisse with saffron. It was delicious and a little messy, but nothing a girl from Maryland couldn't handle. The rest of the evening we spent in the hotel's hot tub with a bunch of sisters from a family of eight. I had a lot of fun exploring their memories of growing up. Kurt alternated soaking with me and swimming laps in the adjacent pool. Our return to our room found more chocolate covered strawberries and sparkling juice and we were lucky to catch The Pursuit of Happyness on cable. Sunday we slept in, again, enjoyed room service, again, and finally prepared to return to home and the kids. A few ordinary errands had to be run, and then we were back to pick up the threads of our daily lives.
It was all just right, one of those rare moments when I wouldn't change a thing.

One Meal at a Time

We have finally eaten at least one of every kind of meal I put in the freezer, so I'm ready to review. The meals came from three sources, family favorites I always make, Fix, Freeze, Feast, and Cook's Illustrated Make Ahead Meals cookbook.
Our family favorites are pretty ordinary, meatloaf, lasagna, taco meat, etc. We do have a standout, Mexican Chicken Lasagna which came from a book titled Fresh Ways with Pasta. I'm not going to review these, because they are the kind of dishes about which everyone has their preferences. Instead I'm going to focus on what I did from the two new cookbooks beginning with the Cook's Illustrated book. We made both versions of the Chicken and Rice Casserole. My personal preference is the spicy black bean and corn version, but the peas and carrots were equally comforting and delicious. These recipes were much more labor than the other recipes, but the reward was excellent flavor. These recipes were worth the extra work.
Moving on to Fix, Freeze, Feast, the labor to produce these meals was very low. Many of the recipes were so simple that all we did was measure ingredients into a freezer bag and label it appropriately. The work once you pull it out of the freezer is generally just as minimal. I highly recommend this cookbook for anyone who is short on time.
Now for the reviews
Apple Cranberry Pork Loin. Nice, but not a knockout. We all enjoyed this dish, but I don't think any of us will be saying, "Man, do you remember that pork loin. We have to have that again."
Beef and Barley Soup This got mixed reviews. Soup lovers thought it was wonderful. Non-soup fans thought it was OK. I liked it, and will fix it again. I think I'll add more barley to it though.
Spanish Rice My mom used to make this, so it was a nostalgic moment. The kids like the gooey cheddar on top.
Sausage Hamburgers. I don't think I found the right sausage, and I didn't think to run it through the food processor. The hamburgers are tasty, but next time I'll use whatever sausage appeals to me instead of trying to replicate the recipe.
Honey Glazed Chicken Thighs. Interesting. The chicken comes out almost black, but nevertheless very tasty. It's also good because you cook it from frozen. Quite a help when you forget, or the meal you planned on isn't properly defrosted.
Cherry Skillet Chicken. I don't like cherries, but my family loves them. The family gave this a six thumbs up.
Tequila Lime Chicken. Very good. We all liked the flavor.
Chicken Broccoli Bake. This replaced a Campbell's Soup recipe, and did so very nicely. This is one of my favorites.
Blackjack Steak. A little too sweet. We like our beef to be salty and savory, and the marinade almost turns the flank steak into candy. We probably won't do this again.
Mustard Oregano Pork Chops. Nice but not memorable.
Salisbury Meatballs. New family favorite. The sauce is great and if you buy the meatballs ready-made there is nothing easier. We all look forward to pulling one of these out of the freezer.
Pecan Roasted Chicken Strips. Worth the price of the book. These are absolutely phenomenal. Everyone loves them. The honey and pecan coating is simple, and delicious. Everyone from the youngest kid to the the grandparents who have been over to help out loves this meal.
Rice Pilaf. This is a pretty good side dish and it cooks from frozen. I'd add a little more salt than the recipe calls for, or you could cook it in stock
Wild Rice and Nut Bake. I had high hopes for this one because it's so like Redwall fare. Alas, we are not as healthy in our habits as The Abbey dwellers are. It was good, but it needed some Tabasco or something to perk it up.
Apples and Cheddar. I should have splurged on the cheese since it's such a main ingredient, but I didn't and the dish was a bit of a failure.
Garlic Mashed Potatoes. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. These are so good. I think I will incorporated them into our holiday meals. All I have to do to have really excellent potatoes is pull them out of the freezer. It could be a lifesaver.

Stocking the Freezer

Getting ready for baby is finally starting to gather steam. We cooked a months' worth of meals and have them all labeled and stashed in the freezer. There are still two or three more big days of cooking ahead. The spaghetti sauce and ground meat meals are all finished, but I still have the chicken and pork meals to prepare. The trickiest part is going to be the chicken casseroles. I like to cook the meals in real dishes instead of aluminum throw away pans, so we freeze them wrapped in plastic wrap in the 9x13 pans and then transfer them to 2 gallon freezer bags. I want to make six chicken casseroles, 2 each of Mexican Chicken Lasagna, Chicken and Rice with carrots, peas and cheddar and Chicken and rice with black beans, corn and pepper jack. I like to buy the meat in bulk, so I have to figure out how to get the dishes all cooked and frozen within the time frame that I can store the fresh chicken in the fridge. I think I'm going to make one Chicken and Rice dish, then the next day empty the pans, make the second, and boil the chicken for the Mexican Chicken Lasagna. Most of the remaining meals are more about mixing ingredients and putting them in various freezer containers, so I should be able to finish everything soon. Thanks, Karen.

Freezing and Thawing

The weather here in Michigan has been unbelievably harsh. As a transplanted Marylander, I've been enjoying the moderating affects of global warming, but this winter has been full on Michigan frozen wonderland. For a few days we couldn't even do laundry because the temperatures were so low the dryer failed to dry things in less than three runs. Vacationing from doing laundry is pleasant until you're vacationing from clean underwear. Thankfully we're back out of the single digits.
My sister has always been one of my favorite human beings. From the first time I spotted her alive and breathing in the hospital nursery I was a big fan. However, we are separated by five and a half years, and that always made relating difficult when we were children. Adulthood has brought us much closer, but there are still times when I wonder if we'll ever really understand each other.
One of my big rituals when preparing to give birth is to stock the freezer with at least a month's worth of dishes--me being me I get carried away and the "month" is actually three months, but this time we have a much smaller freezer. In order to store Christmas provisions, we eat the freezer empty the month before. I was really stuck as to how I was going to get the maximum out of such a minimal space. The usual cook until you drop approach would only have resulted in a chaotic overflow of food we'd have had to eat right then. That's when my sister stepped in.
When my niece was on the way, Karen was finally close enough for me to run down and cook until her freezer was groaning. The entire day was great, and I loved knowing that I'd made her first month with my niece a little simpler. Now that I'm the one expecting, Karen decided to repay the favor, only not with cooking, but with a freezer. It was one of those moments where you feel completely understood and loved. My beautiful freezer is sitting out in the garage waiting for me to get busy.
In honor of such a grand space--that baby has 9 cubic feet--I bought two new cookbooks. Fix, Freeze and Feast has turned out to be surprisingly well done for those of us who are familiar with the pitfalls and pleasures of once-a-month cooking. The authors have dishes that are as easy as measuring ingredients into freezer bags and then thaw and heat. They look delicious. I'll let you know which ones turn out to be better than the lack of effort suggests. The other book, Cook's Illustrated Make Ahead Meals, reflects my desire to upgrade our culinary efforts. I figure a few of their more complex meals will round out the line-up of old favorites and new speedy recipes. All that remains is to make up the shopping lists and get cooking. I love cooking.

Chinese Food

I love Chinese food. It took me a while to warm up to it, but once I got the hang of chopsticks I dived right in. Since Chinese food features vegetables in wondrous variety quite prominently I've clung to the assumption that it is somehow healthier than western food. Until recently we had a Chinese place that would deliver, and I ordered with confidence certain that I was making a much healthier choice than the pizza which was the alternative for ordering in. Unfortunately, we were one of the few who really enjoyed the convenience of delivered Chinese and the restaurant has closed. Finding a new source and accepting that we'd have to pick it up ourselves has been hard.
Recently, I've been on a Cook's Illustrated recipe kick. Two nights a week I try something new from the cookbooks or the magazine. Tonight was Chinese night. Beef and broccoli is one of the few dishes that the entire family enjoys and they had a great recipe for it in the The New Best Recipe's Cookbook. It was wonderful, but all my illusions about the healthiness of Chinese are shattered. There was so much oil, fat in the meat and other stuff that I find myself wondering if I'll ever feel the same way about Chinese again. Also, how do they stand the stress of getting everything to come together at the last minute like that? Stir-fry is a bit fast and furious for me. I'm more of a Crock Pot kind of gal. All in all, it was delicious and educational, but I'm not sure I'll be repeating it any time soon.

Safe Bet

As I was going about my preparations for Christmas, I found I was lacking a source for food inspiration. Normally we've had the cable upgraded throughout the football season, and I've been gathering recipes and ideas there. This year we decided it just wasn't worth it, even for the Wolverines, and I was struggling to get inspired about menu planning.
Some of my menu planning is automatic. Kurt and his brother Peter always make us great pizza on Christmas Adam. My mother-in-law treats us to a dazzling array of pies--my favorite is raspberry. Stuff like that I can just pencil in and forget. The rest of it takes some planning.

I tried browsing Food Network's website, but it didn't have the same appeal as watching The Barefoot Contessa or Good Eats. Sam's Club has an excellent selection of cookbooks, some of them a bit off beat like the above, Church Suppers cookbook. In it I finally found a recipe for a blueberry, cream cheese breakfast casserole that I'd seen on Good Housekeeping and not gotten written down. My Kurt loves blueberries and I can't imagine a better treat for Christmas than a breakfast featuring his favorites. It also has an intriguing recipe for gingerbread waffles that has me thinking. However, all this stimulation just wasn't having the same affect. I needed more.
My favorite PBS cooking show is America's Test Kitchen, but we're in the middle of the local station's fundraising efforts and the schedule is all screwed up. (I want my Masterpiece Theater back! It was just getting good.) I have their Family Cookbook, but I've mined all the sorts of things I do for Christmas out of it. Fortunately Barnes and Noble sent me a coupon for a members extra 25 percent off, so I went cookbook shopping. I found The New Best Recipe Cookbook which is authored by the same group as the America's Test Kitchen guys. It is even better than the Family Cookbook. Each recipe includes an account of their trial and error testing that I find fascinating and the recipes are sensational. I'm now ready to finalize the menu and draw up the monumental shopping list.
I haven't done any baking this year. It's my concession to pregnancy. My hope is to get in the kitchen after the holidays and catch up. Kurt's taken an extravagant vacation this year, so I'll have another week after the big day to pursue holiday pleasures. Here's hoping you are having a very inspired Christmas, and not just about the menus!

Chocolate to the Rescue

Lately I've been having deadlines to meet. This is not my favorite way to work as a writer. I like to have all the time in the world to get something right, however, deadlines to force me to focus on tasks I don't enjoy.
My most recent deadline is self-imposed. As part of my volunteer efforts for Heifer Happening Grand Rapids, I set myself the task of creating their first ever press kit. I wanted to get it out to the area's magazines by the end of July so that I have a prayer of getting into the October issue when our event will be taking place. To that end I've been gathering information and materials and writing, writing, writing.
The last piece of the puzzle was a ready-to-print article to include in the kit, so that editors can just slap my article in their publication and be done with it. I was having a horrible time moving from informational writing to journalistic writing. My hooks were awful, and I couldn't seem to wade through all the mountain of material I'd amassed and get to the heart of it. Finally, I packed up my computer and headed out to the local bookstore where I do my fiction writing. Settling in with hot tea, I wasted several sheets of paper getting nowhere. I had to do something, so I bought a chocolate cupcake. "Aaaah!" The light shown from heaven and suddenly it was all so easy. I have noticed this side-effect of chocolate in the past, but it really is amazing how reliable that particular addiction is. Thank God for chocolate, the deadline's worst nightmare.

Weird Vegetable Night

I decided recently that our family has too small a vocabulary when it comes to vegetables. We needed to get out there and try something new, so I instituted "Weird Vegetable Night." I've been playing it safe so far, asparagus, brussel sprouts, zucchini, but this week it's Swiss Chard. My husband remembers it fondly from his childhood. I'd never encountered it before I joined the family, and even then, my encounters have been of the watch him eat it at his mother's house variety. Anything tastes good with garlic, right? I'll let you know how it goes.