Wait, you want your kids to go back to school?

Every year around this time we become inundated with back to school madness.  Parents start to write about how long the summer has become, and how glad they are that there are only a few weeks remaining until life is back to normal.  School supplies and sales are pervasive in our stores.  The schools send out Welcome Back letters and get their websites in order to get us all geared up for the start of a new year.  Teachers even often get in on the game and post about the new supplies they've bought, the grants they've written or the work their doing leading up to the first PD days and school opening.  Hey Folks.  I have some news for you.  It's JULY!

I know I'm in a priviledged position to appreciate summer.   During my recent trip without my family, upon deciding if it would be a one or two martini night, I was told to enjoy myself because I was on vacation.  My response?  I've been on vacation since June 14th and I'll continue to be off for almost another month.  Summer = vacation.  Summer is a great chance to slow down, to reconnect with friends, to travel, and to tackle those projects that are impossible to handle during the frenetic school year.  It's also a good chance to do long range prep work for the upcoming school year, and to read, read, read, read.

But the best part of summer?  Being with my kids.  This has been the most laid back summer we've had for several years.  We've started a few new traditions:

We added language aquisition to our summer school program.
French for the girl and Spanish for the boy.

Evening movie watching in our redesigned basement - among others...
Les Miserables, Season 1 and 2 of Modern Family, Airplane.

Not a big fan of running, but with these shoes and having the kids as occasional running partners make it better.

Coffee on the deck with the girl - what a way to start the day.

How about you?  Are you eager to put your munchkins on the bus again or are you holding on to the last few weeks together?  I hope it's the later and not the former - these times won't last forever.

Chicks and Eggs

Lots of great little moments happening around here lately... oh - and also the spring CSA, some gifts from the woods and the first offerings from the garden are making for some lovely eating.

Salad In Jars

Do you know about these?  Why, oh why, is this the first year I'm making them.  They're so simple.  Put dressing and a protein (beans, eggs, cheese, chicken, tuna etc.) in on the bottom of the jar.  They put in heavy vegetables, top with greens.  Keep a bowl and fork at work.  Then, when it's time to eat simply dump the salad out into your bowl.  These keep great.  Now that we have lots of greens I make several at a time when I'm alreay making salad for dinner.  In the picture below: spinach with strawberries, eggs and balsalmic dressing; and taco salad.

Yakisoba

Still have a winter cabbage hanging out in your fridge?  Perfect!  Slice up half of the cabbage, chop up some carrots and some green onion.  Stir fry them in the skillet.  Add some cooked baby shrimp.  Add the seasoning mix and soy sauce to taste and heat through.  Cook three packs of Oriental Ramen Noodles for 3 min. (without the seasoning packet).  Mix Noodles and vegis together - serve in bowls with more green onion if desired.   This has become a new family favorite, and it's perfect for a laid back movie night meal - one bowl means easy couch eating and easy clean up later.

Huevos Rancheros

I hope you're drowning in eggs like we are - it's glorious!  During the summer I make Huevos Rancheros from scratch with fresh tomatoes and peppers.   However, at the moment this already simple dish is even easier.  I just open a large can of tomatoes canned with peppers and onions, and dump it in the skillet (crack open a beer at the same time for added enjoyment).  I then crack four eggs into the skillet, turn the heat to low and put on the lid.  While the eggs are cooking (6-8 min.), I heat four corn tortillas on the griddle.  When the eggs are done I put a tortilla on each plate, then an egg, then the tomato sauce, and top with cheese and green onion.  This is a perfect weeknight meal - it's also great for brunch.

Eggs Benedict

Blender Hollandaise is just way too easy to make folks - I might be addicted.  I made this for breakfast on a week day- before 6:30 in the morning- and it's now in my breakfast rotation.  Before making the sauce (because it takes all of about 30 seconds and that includes plugging in the blender), toast an English Muffin, pan fry a slice of Canadian Bacon and poach your egg.  While blending the sauce, assemble - then pour hollandaise on with abandon and dive in.  Swoon!

We were blessed with a gallon bag of morels, so I made spinach crepes filled with goat cheese and chives and topped with mushroom sauce.   The first of the asparagus went in with the mushrooms too.  

Finally, I made a delightful strawberry/rhubarb crumble with the last of the freezer strawberries and the first rhubarb.  It feels like spring for sure.  Tonight I put 2 cups of frozen strawberries, about 2 cups of chopped fresh rhubarb, a few good shakes of cinnamon and a  1/2 c. of sugar to a sauce pan and heated until the rhubarb began to break down and the mixture became thicker (about 8 min.).  While that was simmering I put 2 c. of oats, 1/2 stick of softened butter and 1/2 c. of brown sugar in a bowl and mixed it together with my fingers.  Then, I put the rhubarb into an 8x8 pan, put the oatmeal mixture on top and put it in a 350 oven for about 20 min.  Delish!

And in other news....

Peeps - 6 Gold Stars

Tractor fun while tearing down the sugar camp for the year.

He is risen indeed - Alleluia!

Spring Happenings....

I love winter, but now that spring is finally here I'm really enjoying the warm temps, longer days, greener food, and more time outside.  I'm back to walking in the predawn hours now and I love starting my mornings with the bird's dawn chorus.  I think frequently about blog posts, but then somehow, by the time the evening rolls around the pictures stay in my camera, and the thoughts stay in my head.  So, here's a smattering of what's been going on in our world lately.

Egg Noodles - Why have I never made these before?  I'm never turning back.  They were delicious, simple (eggs, flour and salt) and a perfect use of the over abundance of eggs in the spring.  

Oatmeal Rolls and Chicken Noodle Soup with Watercress

 Kids - both the goat and the people kind.  We got to spend the afternoon with some friend's goats.  Both the girl and I were smitten.  The mower broke a week later.  My solution?  Get goats -  somehow The Woodsman was not as enthusiastic.  Huh - I'm pretty sure goats would be cheaper, and will that mower give me milk.  I think not.  One day my friends... one day...

It's just like Heidi.  Where are Grandfather and Clara?

The Zoo!  A wonderful, if a bit wet, day at the National Zoo with good friends.

See the black and white fuzz ball in the tree?  That's BaoBao - the baby panda.  

You know - it's really hard to get five kids to take a picture.  

Unless you're sneaky and you take one while they're watching the tiger cubs play.

Or while they're deciding if the lemur is male or female...

Or if they crawl on a statue and pose themselves....  If only all the eyes were open.

Concerts, Recitals and Programs:  Last week Spring Chorus concert, this week Spring Dance Recital, Next week Gymnastic Parent program... then done until September.  My how she's grown.

Outdoor Adventures:  Is this the world's longest dandelion?  Inquiring minds want to send it in to the Guinness Book of World Records.  I'll keep you posted.

 Spring Eating:  The big freezer is empty, and only a few freezer meals and a handful of base ingredients remain, so I mostly get to cook with fresh ingredients:  greens, asparagus, eggs and goat cheese are frequent guests at the table.

Clockwise from bottom left - Green Haven Chevre, Asparagus picked a few minutes before in between thundershowers, roasted red peppers from the freezer, pesto cubes from the freezer, last Spring's garlic.

Trip two  - in between storms.  Radish thinnings, green onions, more asparagus, and eggs.  One of the hens has gone broody.  I hate to tell her that we have no rooster.  It kind of makes me wish we did.  She's going to all of this effort, and she won't get anything for her hard work and sacrifice.  Poor bird.

Tradition! Tradition!

At the beginning of the school year, we asked our 6th graders to write poems based on the George Ellen Lyon's poem "Where I'm From".  As part of the process students were asked to reflect on the things that were important to them and their families:  traditions, stories, special family foods, events, etc.  I'm a reading specialist - so I'm used to having kids balk at writing because of the difficulty of transferring thoughts into the written word.  But this year my students struggled for a different reason - many of them have no family traditions.

 

Even though I'm about to enter my 40s there are times when I find myself to be woefully naïve.  I grew up in a family steeped in tradition - some that existed before my birth, and some that were added when my sister and I were girls.  We're raising our kids in the same kind of environment.  As I watched my students struggle to complete the prewriting questions - I wondered if the way I was raised, and the way our family lives is not the norm.  Doesn't everyone live this way? 

 

Tradition has always been important to me.  I think that's one of the reasons I cook seasonally - it's another one of my own mini traditions.  I love comparing this year's events to the ones that have come before them, and now I hear my own children making the same comparisons.  There's a lot of "Remember when..." and "I think..." kinds of conversations happening.

 

My 90 year old grandmother called yesterday to remind me to set my clocks back an hour.  When I answered the phone she didn't say hello, she said... "It's tradition...".  Another one of her favorite phrases - which is now more of a family motto is... "You're building memories".  It's these shared experiences and traditions which hold us together.  They help us learn who we are, they ground us in the love of our families.  They give us shared memories that hold us solidly together.  When the kids leave for college and beyond we'll still be together through our traditions.

 

Halloween:  Carving and Making Our Own Costumes



Old enough to use the knife herself this year!

The annual make my face look just like my Jack O Lantern picture.



Rollers for Glinda hair

The Headless Horseman and Glinda on her way to the Emerald City (from Wicked) - Love that they both chose literary costumes this year!

Grandma's new friend 

Making Apple Dumplings

 Fall Campout and Hike to Tibet Knob

Over 75 friends joined us for our fall campout weekend to celebrate our friendships and our beautiful fall weather.

Farmer Dan demonstrates his bottle opener cap holder contraption.

Girls on the rocks

Overlook with WV in full color

Crafty Girl is a hobbit

Caramel Apples with the Thy Hand Crew

Actually, I think the adults enjoy this tradition as much as the kids.

What are your favorite family traditions? How do you bond your family together?  Hope you build some memories today.

Pittsburgh: Marathon, Gateway Clipper and the Zoo

We were in Pittsburgh, PA the first weekend of May in order to visit with my sister and brother-in-law, and so The Woodsman could run his third marathon.  Pittsburgh is a great city for kids.  If you're looking for a good destination for this summer and you'll be in the area you can't miss with a visit to "the Burgh".  Here are some highlights of our weekend.

 

I always drive the same route through town when we go to visit my sister even though it's no longer the most direct to her house.  I just can't resist driving through Chatham's campus - especially in the spring when it's blooming with hundreds of tulips and is popping with green. Many of the campus buildings are Pittsburgh Robber Barron houses - like Carnegie and Frick, they're regal and ancient - like a beautiful elderly woman all dressed in her Sunday best.  Picture a British prep school and you'll have the image of the campus.   I have so many good memories of my years there.  I'll admit, I like letting Reading Girl see the campus too- who knows, maybe Chatham will be her Alma Mater one day.  But, the other reason to drive that way is that it's the only way I can go where I know I won't get lost. 

 

On Saturday my parents took the kids to the Carnegie Science Center where they spent all afternoon jumping and running in the Highmark Sports Works.  They explored the climbing tower, bungee jumping, and lots of other sports related science activities and information.

 

While they were enjoying some much needed grandparent time (my parents had been gone for a month on a trip to the South West), the other four adults headed to the Strip District.  No, we did not head for an Adult's only bookstore or anything crazy like that.....  The Strip District is an Ethnic food market just a few blocks up from downtown Pittsburgh.  I'm not sure why I forgot to bring my camera along... boo!  You'll have to check out the links for images.  Highlights of our wanderings included:

- the Korean Deli - where I was tempted to bring home several gallons of KimChee - oh the choices

- the Polish Deli - I tried a traditional Polish donut (Paczki), and The Woodsman had his first Periogi.  One misses so many things growing up in the South.  /sigh/

- Penn Mac (Pennsylvania Macaroni Company) - I could have stayed in here for hours!  Every Italian ingredient you could want or imagine - including an entire section of olives in 5 gallon buckets where you could serve yourself.  My sister and I chose to have our lunch here - olives, fresh mozzarella and tomatoes.  I can still taste the deliciousness.

 - Penzey's Spice Company - I happily spent at least 20 minutes sniffing every option, then settled on Zatar (the Middle Eastern Spice used to make Fatoush salad - my favorite), Sandwich Sprinkle (salt and a bunch of herbs - I'm now completely addicted), and Smoked Paprika (which I've been missing since I ran out of my carefully hoarded stash from two Christmases past).

 - A store that only sold sausage.  I really wanted to buy the traditional U.K. sausages used in Bangers and Mash.  Why do the Brits have such great sounding names for food?  Who doesn't want to eat Bubble and Squeak? 

 - Lots and lots of street food choices including a Pizza Roll the size of a ten month child for only two dollars.

 - A chocolate shop with wonderful exotic and imported choices where I bought myself an early Mother's Day present of chocolates that have a shot of liquor (like Grand Marnier or Kirch) in them.  The perfect evening choice - a cocktail and dessert in one.  Don't worry, I have them hidden far, far away from the children.

 

That evening The Woodsman and I went out for dinner to our favorite Middle Eastern restaurant where we ate our fill of Falafel and Fatoush, and then went to bed early in anticipation of the next day.

 

Before dawn we got up, dropped The Woodsman off at the starting point and headed to a Pamela's in Oakland (where they make the best breakfasts I've ever had).  From here, while eating a Chorizo Egg Sandwich and Crepe Style Pancakes with Strawberries, Sour Cream and Brown Sugar, we watched the early elite runners come through.  Something ironic there about that isn't there?  High calorie breakfast, sitting around on our behinds, watching other people get A LOT of exercise. 

 

Kenyan James Kirwa as he approaches the finish line Photo Credit A.P.

If you've never watched a marathon you need to at least once watch the front of the pack.  Those early runners aren't even sweating.  They look as if they're just taking a simple little stroll.  When in actuality they're going about 13- 14 MPH.  Where we were watching was near mile 12 at the top of the first really big hill (and Pittsburgh has some doozeys).  The early runners looked like they could run several marathons - the human body is amazing.  When we were done with breakfast we staked out a spot on the sidewalk to cheer for, and encourage, the other runners and to wait for The Woodsman.  The rest of the family was spread out along the course so we all managed to see him two different times - he looked great and was really pleased with his performance.



 

This was how I found him - totally understandable.  26.2 is a long, long way!

Vertical and smiling - amazing.

Post run celebration at Auntie H's house - don't you love the chalk work on the steps!

After lunch we all headed to the South Side to take a river tour of Pittsburgh on the Gateway Clipper.  This was the perfect family activity (especially since one of us really, really didn't want to do much walking).  Pittsburgh is a really gorgeous city - especially when seen from the water.

Waiting to disembark.

The Point - Pittsburgh's iconic skyline image.

Our favorite Pittsburgh hosts - Thanks guys!

Heinz Field - Steeler Territory

Mom and Dad sporting their new South West Gear (Chaco Canyon and Roswell, NM)



The next morning we headed to the Pittsburgh Zoo before we had to leave town.  I'm so glad that the kids haven't gotten too old to enjoy the zoo.  We got to watch the keepers giving the elephants their baths, and saw a sweet baby gorilla nursing and napping with its mama. 

We ended the trip as we always do, with a stop in Squirrel Hill to pick up real bagels from Brueggers.  Four years in college in the Jewish section of town made me really, really spoiled for good bagels.  I wish I could perfect the art of Jewish bagel making, but alas, it continues to escape me.

Other great kid activities are the Children's Museum (Mr. Rodger's Neighborhood is my favorite - you can get on the trolly), the Carnegie Natural History Museum (in my opinion the best dinosaur display on the East Coast - way better than the National Natural History Museum), the Carnegie Museum of Art (I could stay in the Monet Water Lilies Room for hours), Phipps Conservatory (love the carnivorous flowers) and the National Aviary (Penguins!).

I'm definitely NOT a city girl.  I was glad to get back to open spaces, unlocked cars and quiet nights without traffic, but I loved visiting in Pittsburgh.  Of course 90% of that is the B and B we get to frequent when we visit.  Sorry... I don't think my sister is taking reservations. 

What are your favorite kid friendly cities? 

Happy Travels.

My mom's favorite animals (the giraffes - not the kids).