Monthly Archives: September 2008

>Reclaiming the Kitchen

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Some people straighten. Some clean. Some de-clutter. Me? I have to reclaim, just like companies reclaim the land after mining. I hope I do a better job than some…but I digress.

Here it is, in full color: the reclaiming of the kitchen table. The “before” picture is first.

The contents of the table reflects the way the day (and week) were going. Whether you can see them or not, these items are all present on the Incredible Bulk of Table Trash.

gift wrapping ribbons
gift wrap tags
small scraps of gift wrap
a wedding gift wrapped in plain off-white paper
large pieces of plain, off-white paper
wrapping tissue in a handful of different colors
1 sweatshirt (La Petite’s)
1 bag of audio books (Amigo’s)
1 cable box, no longer in use
1 cable remote control unit, no longer in use
1 pair khaki pants, tried on but not yet worn (Amigo’s)
1 bag from Steve and Barry’s

Here’s the story. We were headed to my cousin’s wedding. I bought the gift the night before the wedding and then made a trip to Steve and Barry’s because Amigo had, I’m not kidding, nothing to wear. I thought a pair of nice khakis, a white shirt, and a tie would do the trick. While I was at Steve and Barry’s I made the trip worthwhile by picking up a baby gift for another cousin. On my way to the checkout I bought a batch of small items to go in my gift stash.

That accounts for most of the items on the table.

A few days later, it looked like this.

The khakis are still there because Amigo wore the other pair (not visible in the first picture, but still part of the chaos). I hadn’t decided whether to keep or return these (How much would the gas cost to get me across town to the store? More than the $8.98 pants?). Gifts are wrapped, given to one and mailed to the other, S&B bag is hidden in the attic, and wrapping trappings are in their places on their basement shelves. However… the table still plays home to a three ring binder (Amigo’s), shirt (La Petite’s), broken radio (worthy of a post in itself), and still, the cable box and remote control.

Eventually we finished the reclamation effort and set the table. Yes, set the table, as in having an actual sit-down family meal again! Husband was cooking on the grill, we had corn from the farm market, and we were ready to put the table to its intended use again. Oh, I forgot one detail.

The reclaiming of the table called for a celebration. Wine with the meal was most definitely on the menu.

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>Glory, glory, Gloria!

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“Feminism has never been about getting a job for one woman. It’s about making life more fair for women everywhere.”

Said Gloria Steinem, a woman who knows feminism because she defined it, grew it, nurtured it and helped it bear fruit.

I’ve established my liberal leaning, my support for Hillary Clinton, my choice of local candidate for state assembly, and more. I’ve even shared my favorite bumper stickers. When Barack Obama chose Joe Biden as his running mate, I worried a little. Biden has the credentials, the intelligence, the experience in D.C.’s trenches. He’s been on the campaign trail enough to know how it functions. I worried more about the perception of the Old White Guy, the image of Obama picking someone to appeal to the political center.

Then John McCain picked Sarah Palin. Stylish, presentable, and female, the choice seemed to pander to the women who might leave Obama’s camp for someone of their own gender.

Unfortunately for McCain, it’s just not that simple. All politics may be local, but national politics do more than trickle down. What happens in Washinton, D.C. doesn’t stay in Washington, D.C. It floods the nation. Women get that. We know that leadership at all levels needs to be in competent hands, whether male or female, whether black or white.

Michelle (Scribbit) and I have had many a civil conversation about our political differences, and none of those conversations even mentioned Palin’s gender or appearance. Senator McCain doesn’t get that. He doesn’t understand that women vote with their brains, their thoughts, their philosophies. Women don’t automatically pull the lever or punch the chad for the one who wears heels.

A Palin presidency (and make no doubt, it’s possible) would be devastating to women’s rights. Palin in or near the Oval Office would mean one giant step for one woman, but one giant step into quicksand for women.

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>Must get rid of that last bit of peanut butter!

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>Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies with a hint of Peanut Butter

Remember when we bought crunchy peanut butter by mistake and I had to bake cookies? Such a sacrifice it was! Well, a lovely day came along with a cool breeze through the house, no air conditioning needed, and the snack basket was looking a bit empty…you guessed it. Cookie time!

I used a recipe from the Good Home Cookbook, which is rapidly becoming my go-to source in the kitchen, and substituted the remaining crunchy peanut butter for part of the butter. Feel free to readjust the amounts, as long as the proportions are correct.

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs or 1/2 cup egg substitute
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups quick-cooking oats
1 cup walnuts – (optional)
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl and set aside.
3. Beat together the butter, peanut butter, and sugars in a large bowl. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract, then gradually beat in the flour mixture until just blended. Fold in the oats, walnuts, and chocolate chips.
4. Drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto ungreased baking sheets.
5. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until golden brown.
6. Let stand for 2 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Mmm. La Petite would probably eat these for breakfast. Me? I’ll eat them any time of day.

This post was written for Parent Bloggers Network as an entry for a contest sponsored by Brothers-All-Natural. But I must confess: even as I’m baking good things for my kiddos at home, I have a small package of Koala cookies (chocolate, of course) hidden behind my desk at school.

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>Actual "discussion" at the supper table

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>We were discussing, of all things, social skills and social awkwardness.

La Petite: I have good social skills. *Braaap*
Husband: That’s *Braaap* Excuse me. Care to try that again?
La Petite: *Braap* Excuse me. Was that better?
Me: (hides behind napkin and pretends not to be at the table with these two heathens)
Husband to La Petite: She’s going to blog this.
Husband to me: It’s spelled B-R-A-A-P.

Where was Amigo? In the den, already finished with supper, laughing and wishing he could belch on command like his sister and father can.

Happy Love Thursday, everyone. I hope your families are more civilized than mine.

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>Baseball?

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>We were on our way into Miller Park to watch the Milwaukee Brewers play (and CC Sabathia pitch!) when this drove past us.

It’s not really going uphill; I just grabbed my cell phone camera as quickly as I can and aimed out the window. It was a lucky shot.
I think the Hot Dog won the Sausage Race that night. He’s the one with the big smile facing backwards. Cute, huh?
The Brewers? They won, too.

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>Martha Stewart definitely wouldn’t make this one

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>Black Bean and Beef Burritos — well, it started that way.

1 lb. ground beef
I have that.
1 clove garlic
1/4 onion, diced
So far, so good.
1 15 oz. can black beans
In the pantry: can do.
1 cup jarred salsa
We’re out of salsa? When did that happen?
1 package flour tortillas
Okay, the package LOOKED full. I didn’t realize there were only two tortillas in it.
1 tsp. ground cumin
shredded cheese to taste

Based on the recipe and the actual ingredients present in my kitchen, here’s how it went.
Chop the onion. Saute until clear. Add ground beef and minced garlic. Stir and simmer until browned.
Drain beef. Return to pan.
Add beans.
Now here we go with the creative additions.
Add taco seasoning, 3/4 cup water, and 1 can diced tomatoes. (We didn’t have salsa, so this would have to do.)
Start water for….(drumroll)…. pasta. Yes, pasta. Why not? Martha Stewart doesn’t live here.
Add spices (cumin and a little chili powder: All right, already! I didn’t list chili powder in the ingredients! It wasn’t on the original, okay?!)
Simmer beef and bean mixture. Let it thicken while the pasta cooks. I used angel hair spaghetti. Yes, I did.

Reaction from La Petite: “What taste should I expect when I eat this? Mexican or Italian?”
She added parmesan cheese.
Husband added grated cheddar.

I called it Spaghetti Mexicana.

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>Passive vs. Active

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>A passive chore is something that “does itself” while I’m doing something else. I like those chores the best!

Passive chores:
crock pot cooking – cooks supper while I’m teaching school all day
laundry – washes and dries while I’m correcting papers at the kitchen table
cleaning the oven – well, it’s passive if you have a self-cleaning oven.
running the dishwasher – and then comes the tedious chore of emptying it
composting – and it takes a long, long time. But oh, so satisfying!
watering garden – hook up the sprinkler, let it run!
Making coffee – but that’s not really a chore.

Active chores that feel passive:
weeding the garden – I let my mind wander while I weed. I like to think I solve the worlds problems while pulling up clover and dandelions.
harvesting veggies – it takes so little time, but it’s so satisfying.
baking (especially bread in bread machine) – and the house smells so good!
making soup stock – letting the bones and scraps simmer while I blog or load the dishwasher, eventually yields as an end result a tasty soup or stew.

Today, Labor Day, I’ll be laboring in my classroom getting ready for school to start. That’s a very active chore, so maybe I can arrange for something passive to go on at home while I’m working there. Crockpot supper? I’m there!

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