Children are natural sorters. They look at collections and organize them into categories or order them by size, shape, or color. Chuck gave our niece a basket of toy food. She organized it by color, in rainbow order.
Rainbow Menu!
Maybe her mother will let her sort and organize the refrigerator. Or maybe not.
Why attempt crock pot experiments? Because I can. Because being on break for a week lets me monitor recipes as they cook. Because I teach full time and need to provide a decent supper without much prep time (pun intended). And really, why not?
Sunday’s experiment: Overnight Oatmeal from the cookbook Fix it and Forget it
Monday’s experiment: Breakfast Bake from the cookbook Fix it and Forget it
Crock pot size: 3 quart, 5-6 hours on low
Results: delicious. I cut the recipe in half. A full batch might require a larger crock. The full batch might take longer. This has potential for an overnight bake.
Modifications: I might stretch this with a little more milk and a diced slice of bread. A handful of diced bacon was a good addition. I added thyme and oregano – maybe a little too much oregano.
Wednesday’s experiment: thaw and warm a soup from the freezer.
Crock pot size: I started with the 3 quart and then realized I only needed the smaller size, slightly more than one quart. Details below.
Results: about an hour into the process, I realized I’d overestimated the volume and moved the soup into a smaller crock. The smaller crock is more like the Little Dipper: no heat settings, just plugged in (on) or unplugged (off). Since the soup was already fully cooked, low heat and small crock were enough.
Modifications, general thoughts: I have a freezer full of soups and broths. This is an option that could carry us through a winter, including staff meetings, conference nights, and even help the family cope when I have to travel for standardized testing.
Readers, beyond the standard soups and chilis, how do you use your slow cooker? Do you own more than one?
I usually start the blog year with links to the first post of each month along with a brief summary of the post itself. I decided to try something different for a summary of the year 2014.
2014 threw me more than a few curves. At one point, I posted this:
I entered 2014 with my left eye healing from a detached retina that had been reattached surgically. As January began, I had enough vision and depth perception to see and drive, but it wasn’t fully healed. Wrapping presents while possessing no depth perception was a challenge – no, it was a major hassle.
At the end of January, I had major surgery in the form of hysterectomy. The surgery went well, and all parts healed on schedule. I spent most of February resting and healing and watching the Winter Olympics in Sochi. I learned a lot about ice dancing and learned that Vladimir Putin is really a piece of work.
March came along with a return visit to the neurologist, confirmation of a stroke in 2012, and a referral to another level of specialist: an intervention radiologist. This doctor scheduled a procedure with the possibility of opening a blocked artery by using a balloon catheter and maybe the placement of a stent. This turned out to be the lowest point of the year for me personally. The right carotid artery was 99% blocked. The doctor and his team threaded the needle through the tiny open space, opened it, and placed a stent in the artery to keep it open.
Scary? Yes. Life is precious. And silly posts like these? This one made me laugh out loud – and then stop because laughing was painful.
‘Nuff said.
With the help of family, the garden got prepped and planted.
digging dandelions for bunny
Summer was full of farmers’ markets, weeding and watering the garden, and slowly gaining my strength back. I met a major goal in September: I walked the mile from home to my workplace. I have yet to do that on a regular basis, but I can handle two large flights of stairs without huffing and puffing. I’m taking that as a sign of progress.
November brought a disappointing and disturbing election on the state level. Legislation and outcomes are yet to be seen, and that’s the disturbing part.
Meanwhile, I reached another six month check-up with positive news: the stent is looking good, blood is flowing, and the cerebral aneurysm on the other side isn’t getting any bigger. My left eye can see again, and I haven’t missed the hysterics that were removed last January, either.
The world had a lot of big events and lost some amazing people (Maya Angelou and Robin Williams, to name just two). On a personal level, I stick to the knowledge that life is precious. I look forward to more healing and growing in 2015.
Amigo spent a few nights with a group of men who enjoy singing. He joined them for their Christmas concerts. This was perfect for Amigo. He loves Christmas, loves to sing, and sings very well. He learned the Lead part in the barbershop harmony, got measured for his shiny vest, and got himself ready to join in.
Ready for the Barbershop Bistro show
He plans to continue with the group when they pull together again for the spring. I wonder what they’ll wear?
I was browsing old posts for an encore related to Christmas, and I found several.I also found a little peace in knowing the way some things stay the same. Continuity is good; follow through can be calming in the face of an uncertain future.
Wrapping – or my stubborn attitude toward commercial wrappings and trappings. I gave in and bought curling ribbon because it makes hanging the tags (repurposed greeting cards) so much easier. But I walked past the big rolls of wrapping paper. I stuck to my guns on that one.
Frugal gift giving – I spent money on quality. Both Chuck and I check reviews on expensive products before investing or buying cheaply. I feel like there may be fewer presents under the tree, but they’re worth more and they’ll last longer.
Canning and basic food preservation – I can and freeze summer produce with the goal of feeding the family through the winter. That’s not so different from our ancestors, really. They may not have had the farm markets available that I do, and they didn’t have the huge grocery chains as a back-up, either. The philosophy is the same, though. Quality food preserved in summer will take us through the winter.
Then there is the annual tradition of making and decorating Christmas cookies.
The family decorates!
I was in the kitchen baking the molasses cookies to help defeat the Detroit Lions. Hey, it’s only weird if it doesn’t work.
As seen on Facebook:
shared by at least five on my timeline
“In the tundra, the freezing tundra, the Lions sleep tonight!” – posted by a coworker.
Jordy Nelson responds to his new record, passing Robert Brooks to gain a season-high receiving yardage of more than 1500. “Truly an honor. Couldn’t have done it without my teammates and your support.”
Then there’s this guy. (posted by at least four people on my timeline)
Who is he? He’s not wearing green and gold. His colors are that of stadium staff or security – or maybe part of a TV crew. Whoever he is, I hope he’s available after the bye week. Hey, it’s only weird if it doesn’t work.
This are easy to make, with soft and delicious results. When you’re tired of sweet Christmas cookies, try this stronger flavor. The other options is white sugar and sorghum in place of the brown sugar and molasses. My research tells me the molasses version is more typical of Detroit area moms and grandmas and bakers.
Go! Pack! Go!
If you think I’m a green freak (Amigo does), you may be right. But if you think my attitude toward wrapping paper minimizes the colors in the pile under the tree, you’d be wrong.
Ho Ho Ho! Looks great, ya know!
In case you think I’m obsessive about it, and you’d be correct, take a look at this. I salvaged larger scraps of wrapping paper for later re-use. Compare the pile of reusable papers with the small plastic bag of trash. Not bad, eh?
That’s a creative transformation of a Verizon bag in the background, too.
I did spend a few dollars at the dollar store to buy ribbon and tape. I’m not a total Grinch.
A little time organizing, and we’ll be all set for next year. There will be no need to buy wrapping paper. No need to buy more, family, do you hear me?!
No one fumbles around with the tree in a Green Bay Packer fan household. Diminutive though they may be, these little delights are like prize jewels of the family ornament collection. This roly-poly guy is a jingle bell decked out in Green and Gold and a football uniform.
These two came from a student (oh, she knew me well). They look fragile, but they aren’t. You won’t see them on injured reserve. Tiny and shiny, the crystal snowmen are small enough to fit in a teacup, but they’re prettier near a string of lights that can reflect on their glory.
Sometimes the closed captioning is wrong, and it becomes humorous.
Sometimes it’s the announcer.
There is a media program for the folks who call a football game. It’s a team roster with phonetic pronunciation of the player’s names. Brian Bulaga, for example, is listed as Brian Bulaga (Boo’lahgah). Today’s play by play guy didn’t study the roster before the game. He called him Brian Beluga.
Readers, you’re way ahead of me, I’m sure. We turned it into song, of course. To the tune of Raffi’s Baby Beluga, I give you – Brian Beluga, from the O.K. Chorale.
Brian Beluga on the great green sea.
Block so wild, and you block so free.
Snowfall above, and the turf below,
Just a green and gold guy on the go!
Brilliant, it’s not. Memorable, kinda maybe. But we do have fun watching football.