Monthly Archives: March 2009

>Comfort Food: Mac & Cheese Bake

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>Daughter is home from college with mono. We’re working through Amigo’s annual IEP. Both Husband and I face increasing challenges in our respective workplaces due to layoffs. We’re secure (for now), but the workload increases and the stress grows along with the workload. What to do? Make comfort food for supper, of course! When I found this recipe, I said, “Cheese? We always have plenty of cheese in the house!” I can reach for these ingredients almost any time; they’re staples in my pantry.

Incredibly Delicious Mac & Cheese Bake

1 can condensed cream of chicken (or celery or mushroom) soup
2 cups milk
1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded Sargento Mexican Blend cheese
1 cup shredded 4-cheese quesadilla blend cheeses (also a Sargento blend)
1 package (16 ounces) macaroni, any shape. I used elbow mac.

1. Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling water. Drain.
2. In a separate bowl, mix condensed soup, cheeses, and milk. Stir in cooked pasta. Pour into a greased casserole dish. Cover.
3. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

The cheeses called for were actually Parmesan and Mozzarella. I had the taco and quesadilla cheeses in stock already, so I used them rather than buy more cheese. Don’t laugh; I have too much cheese in the refrigerator right now because we stocked up at the grocery store and then the BoyChoir fundraiser of cheese and sausage arrived. Whoa, baby, there are a lot of good Wisconsin snacks in our kitchen! I imagine you could use your favorite cheeses as long as you kept the portions the same.

I used a two-quart casserole dish, and it was woefully too small. I was afraid of spilling every time I stirred. Next time I’ll use something bigger – maybe a 13 X 9 pan instead.

I found this recipe in a collection of coupons and made my own changes (of course, as usual). According to the little piece of not-so-junky junk mail, you can find more “homemade flavor” at HomeMadeSimple.com with a search for the word “recipes.” I haven’t tried it yet. Look out family, I might become scary good in the kitchen!

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>Celebrate (25 years of) good times, come on!

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>Husband and I are coming up on our twenty-fifth wedding anniversary. Our 25th! Wow. We’re thinking about celebrating, just the two of us, with a trip somewhere.
We’re not big spenders. Our trip to Nova Scotia last year was part research (his genealogy), part family relaxation and fun. We stayed at a cottage off-season to get better rates, brought our bicycles, and cooked our own food while we were there. The biggest expense was getting there. This time around will probably be similar. We’re not looking at a major expensive trip; we just want to spend time together and make it special.
Husband suggested Seattle. Coffee for me, brew-pubs for him, we’d both enjoy the destination. But it’s a little farther away than we’d planned. You see, Amigo will be at camp and La Petite will house-sit, but we’d like to be within a day’s drive in case of emergency. It can be a long day’s drive, but we’re still thinking of not straying too far away from home.
At the moment, we’re considering putting a pin in the map at home and stretching out a string to make a circle about 400-500 miles from the center.
Our hairdresser suggested we find a bed and breakfast, snuggle into the room for a week, and just relax together. It could work.
Husband said thanks but no thanks to the idea of a dude ranch. I could be talked into Seattle, but it’s a little farther than we want to go this time. Niagara Falls would be fun, but it’s a little on the outer range for distance.
We’re not sure if we want to find a rural cottage or B&B and just take walks and spend couple time, or if we want to go to a big city and explore the museums and restaurants and other exciting experiences. We’re not casino gamblers, so Vegas and Atlantic City are off the list. Shows? We enjoy watching a good quality concert, whether jazz, classical, or a capella vocal, or a musical stage show. We also enjoy watching the sun rise or set over a simple yet lovely beach.
This makes it harder. We’re looking for a long weekend or maybe a week. We don’t know if we want to go country or city, fancy or plain.
Then again, we don’t have to drive. We could take a train somewhere. Husband loves, loves trains! We could go a little farther by train…
Ideas, Internet friends and family? Drop a pin on the map in the heart of Green Bay Packer country and find a one-day drive. Then let me know what you recommend!

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>Wardrobe Function, Laundry, and Life

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>I complained heartily when La Petite brought her laundry home at Christmas. Next time, I swore, she would do her own. Then she got sick. Mono, the scourge of college students everywhere, chose her as its next target.
She kept insisting she was doing alright, didn’t need us to visit, she was getting enough rest, her professors were letting her catch up at her own pace, and the works. Then she relented. “I’m feeling exceedingly mono-y now. Can I come home to rest for a few days?” Of course, we said yes.
We wanted her to sleep, rest, and sleep some more, the only real cure for infectious mononucleosis. If she came home, we could handle all the cooking, the house would be quieter than her apartment, and I could (gulp) wash her growing heap of dirty clothes. I’m not a Laundry SuperHero Mom, but I have learned to be efficient and even eco-conscious with large loads of the family clothes.

Not all families are so lucky. I remember when we were young newlyweds and used the laundromat down the road. When La Petite was born, we owned a washer (after saving our pennies and quarters!), but we had no dryer. I hung everything on racks and lines in the basement of our apartment. There are families, though, who don’t even have those options.

That’s where Tide’s Loads of Hope program steps in. The program was born in the wake of Hurricane Katrina to assist families displaced by the storm. Tide Loads of Hope helps in the aftermath of a natural disaster by providing clean clothes and a sense of comfort to families in need. Tide Loads of Hope truck or vans, a free mobile laundry service, travel to disaster affected neighborhoods. Hurricanes, floods, you name it, people need to wash their underwear. Taking on one piece of the recovery puzzle helps lighten the load, er, the weight on the shoulders of disaster victims.

In the current disaster, the failing economy, donating to charities is down. But if you can spare a dime, Tide Loads of Hope t-shirts support this worthwhile program. Think about it; the more t-shirts in the dresser, the less often you’ll have to wash!

This Saturday morning as I’m alternating schoolwork with my strategic attack on the family mountain of dirty clothes, I resolve to feel grateful that I have a washer and dryer in the basement and I can deal with this major chore in the comfort of my own home. That in itself takes a load off my mind.

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>See you in my dreams!

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>Sleep like a baby? The person who coined that phrase wasn’t a new mom or dad. The phrase should really read “sleep like a rabbit.” Rabbits, like cats, never suffer from insomnia.

Buttercup is as stretched out as she can be and still fit under the table. Yes, she’s that big. She’s waiting for me to go away with the camera, already, so she can nap.

Peanut and Sadie snuggle in a sunspot on their favorite blanket. These tiny bunnies are peeking at the photographer, but they’re not worried. That’s because La Petite took the picture, and she’s their “mama.” They know she’s a safe person.

Remember Tiny Bunny? He could find his way into the strangest places. He napped almost anywhere, too. It’s true, bunnies never have a problem finding a good place for naptime.

Parent Bloggers Network asks about the creative excuses kids use to postpone their bedtimes. My kids are 22 and 17; I’m more concerned about getting them out of bed before noon! The new light goodies from sylvania still look mighty nice. I’m sure the bunnies would enjoy them.

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>Book to self connections.

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>As kids learn to read the words and understand the content, we help them move beyond the basic levels of comprehension by making connections: Book to self, book to book, and book to world.

Sometimes that spills over into my pleasure reading. I was reading Revolutionary Road and as poor Frank Wheeler faced his desk at work I could envision my own. He had an inbox, an outbox, and a stack of papers he referred to as “…stack of things he couldn’t face.”

Mine are more of a to-do and a ta-dah! basket, with the anything in the ta-dah! basket heading directly to its destination. Sounds efficient, right? Well, maybe. But I still have a “…stack of things I can’t face…” sitting next to the computer. In addition, the actual to-do basket has to wait until the planning and grading are done.

Eventually, it all gets caught up, and I can go home and read again.

If I read enough Harry Potter, maybe I’ll find a wand that will help me vanish the stack of things I can’t face.

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>Spring Fever Rhubarb Crunch

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>You’re right, I made this in March. In Wisconsin in March. I made this recipe the day after a snowstorm that dropped five inches of wet, heavy white stuff on us.
I keep rhubarb in the freezer. When it’s ripe and I can’t bake it quickly enough, I dice it and freeze it in one-cup portions. To make this recipe I needed six (6!) cups. Here’s the recipe and the play-by-play commentary.

1 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons finely shredded orange peel
2 tablespoons orange juice
6 cups diced rhubarb (about 1 1/2 pound)
1 Tablespoon butter, softened
2 slices white or whole wheat bread, cut into quarters
3/4 cup finely chopped pecans, macadamia nuts, or almonds
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger or nutmeg (I used both, 1/8 teaspoon of each))
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup melted butter

1. For filling: In a large bowl, stir together the granulated sugar, orange peel and orange juice. My rhubarb was so juicy when it thawed, I wondered if I should skip the juice. I didn’t. Add rhubarb; gently toss until coated. Let the rhubarb mixture stand about 15 minutes or until a syrup forms, stirring occasionally.
2. Using the 1 tablespoon butter, generously coat the bottom and sides of an 8X8X2 inch baking dish (2 quart square). Set the baking dish aside. I had supper in the oven (homemade mac & cheese, mmm), so I put the pan in the oven to let the butter melt.) Set aside.

3. This is the part I changed from the original. I used the right ingredients, but I prepared it a little differently. Place a steel blade in a food processor. Add bread quarters, pecans, graham crackers, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and salt. Pulse a few times until mixture is crumbly. Somehow, it didn’t seem worthwhile to get out my large and heavy food processor for just two slices of bread, so I threw in the whole thing. It worked like a dream, creating a nice and even and aromatic crumble.

-Okay, we take a break here because I did when I baked this for the first time. As soon as I set aside the baking dish and the rhubarb syrup mix and made the crumble, my mac & cheese was ready. I set all three pieces of the dessert aside and had supper with my kids. After supper I finished the rhubarb crunch, put it in the oven, and cleaned up the supper dishes. Maybe that’s why I….never mind. I’ll get to that.

4. Evenly scatter 1/3 of the crumb mixture onto the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Top with the rhubarb mixture. Sprinkle remaining crumb mixture over the rhubarb. Drizzle melted butter over all. Oh, no! I just took the finished dish out of the oven and realized that I completely forgot the melted butter!

Serve with whipped cream or ice cream. Serves 6 — or 4, with a little left over for lunches tomorrow.

I found this recipe in the April issue of Midwest Living Magazine. They suggest modifications such as mixing berries such as blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, or chopped strawberries with rhubarb, substituting 1 1/2 cups of berries for the same amount of rhubarb. I suggest increasing the amount of sugar; mine was a little tart.
They also suggest not forgetting the butter. I won’t tell the family if you won’t.

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>March Madness in a Teacher’s Life

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>It might be March if I spend more time answering parent emails than I do correcting and recording papers.

It must be March if the kids are so over-energetic and unfocused that we jump at any opportunity for a field trip, no matter where and what it is.

It must be March if teachers are drinking coffee and tea at staff meetings after school — with full caffeine!

It must be March if there’s an argument between teachers, principals, and playground staff over who needs to hold kids in for recess — because the kids behaved badly for all!

It must be March when a few low-seniority teachers actually feel lucky to be headed for lay-off.

It must be March when the secretary makes an extra pot of coffee in the office and it’s gone by first morning recess.

It must be March when teachers actually want to take a sick day.

It must be March when you hear muttering in the lounge about inventing a Ritalin salt-lick.

It might be March when people on the calendar committee deny they had anything to do with scheduling the later-than-usual Spring Break.

It must be March when classroom teachers start looking at crisis intervention training as a necessity, not an option.

It must be March when the specialists close their doors and say, “I’m glad I’m not a regular classroom teacher!”

And finally, it must be March when teachers start to plan how to get even on April Fools Day!

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>Inch by inch, Green is a cinch.

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>BlogHer asked members to comment on ways they’ve been “greening” their lifestyles. The post has a sponsor, of course. Doesn’t everybody? I started to comment, realized I’d forgotten my password, and vowed to come back. As time passed and life went on, I couldn’t help but think that my recent Green Growth couldn’t possibly fit in a comment box.

You can tell from my blogs’ names that I’m an environmentalist at heart. Compost Happens, A Mother’s Garden of Verses… no doubt about this blogger’s philosophies. Not at all. Then look through the archives: start with Mom’s Playing in the Dirt Again! and then check out others under the labeles of garden and It’s not easy being green. Green isn’t just a color; it’s a way of life.

I’m not “crunchy” green in the hippy sense, though. I gave in to Husband’s desire to hire a lawn service. We use a clothes dryer, not a clothesline. Our home is air conditioned, although in our part of Wisconsin we are fortunate not to need it often. I drive a minivan, too. Hey, I’m a mom of a teen and college student. We’re always filling the back of the minivan with someone or something.

The pale olive comparison (see above) is here so readers will know that green, like any lifestyle, has limits and levels. Seriously, it’s easier than many people think. Teacher friends like to say “Inch by inch, learning’s a cinch. Yard by yard, learning’s hard.” Incorporating environmental actions step by step, inch by inch, can be easy.

I garden. This section of lawn doesn’t grow grass, doesn’t need mowing, doesn’t need any chemicals. It provides delicious and fresh vegetables for much of the summer.
We compost. Composting is easy, it cuts down on our family garbage, and it produces a nice soil additive each spring for the garden.
We conserve energy by using a programmable thermostat, minimizing the use of the clothes dryer, washing clothes in warm or cold water, and more.
There are more, many more, environmentally friendly practices in my home and family. Really, it’s quite easy to bring green living practices into everyday use.

Back to the top. It would be cheating to simply list the above practices in the comment box on BlogHer’s question. These are not new; they’re habits we’ve built into our lives for years. New and recent additions in my family’s eco-conscious behaviors do exist. For example:

We stopped buying paper napkins last fall. I keep them on hand (well, we haven’t used up the package that was in the pantry when I set this goal!), but we have switched almost 100% to cloth napkins. This was a frugal choice: I bought the first set from a store’s going out of business sale, and picked up a set of holiday napkins in new condition from a thrift store before Christmas. I wash them with the rest of the dirty clothes and towels each weekend – no extra laundry, no additional water/ heat energy used. This decision was so easy I wonder why I didn’t start years ago!

I set a goal last fall of buying No New Wrapping Paper. My family resisted a little, so I didn’t push it on them, but I predict they’ll come around. I reuse gift bags, make tags from last year’s cards, and collect rather than recycle packing material. It worked; I bought no new wrapping paper, and (don’t tell them I noticed), my family didn’t come home with any new paper, either.

My husband and I make a conscious effort to pay attention to buying local, especially in foods. That’s tough in a cold climate like ours, and we’re hoping to freeze more of our garden produce in order to avoid buying produce imported from out of the country. This is a nutrition decision as well as a commitment to minimizing our carbon footprint, as well as noting that local and fresh simply tastes better.

So, BlogHers, are you satisfied with my contribution? I almost hope not. I’m committed to living lightly on the earth, and there are many easy ways to lighten my footprint. In my future I predict a second compost bin, a rain barrel or two for the garden, and possibly a food dehydrater to make the most of my garden yield. Spinning the rabbits’ shedded fur into yarn might not be possible, but I know that inch by inch, my family and I will weave the green consciousness into action.

And action, after all, is what environmentalism is about.

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>Ah, Friday. Friday!!

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What a week! I found myself honestly including clip art in almost all of my emails. When I realized which search terms I’d used, I had to laugh. It was semi-hysterical laughter, of course, with the underlying, “How long is it until spring break??”
To reschedule a parent-teacher conference involving four staff members: circus. It’s true: step right up! Take a look at the drama in the center ring as we try to meld four conference schedules and find one common time that fits the parent’s (narrow) request!
I responded to an email from a co-teacher on the subject of another parent who is so in denial that she has one foot in Egypt: scream.

After we finally got across the tightrope of scheduling by working out a time with three out of four teachers, followed by a time slot when two out of four can continue if needed: relief. This search term got me a batch of buildings and maps, though, thinking of “relief” as texture or architecture, so I tried relax. That did the trick.

In response to a coworker having a rough week: “Could be worse; we could be out of coffee!” Of course, the keyword was coffee.
I wonder what will turn up in the email today? Hm, maybe I really don’t want to know.

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>A rohs by any other name

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>The names have been changed to protect the innocent – and the outrageous.

I received the following note from a parent:

“It really bothers my daughter Preschusz that her name is misspelled so often. It should be P-R-E-S-C-H-U-S-Z, not PRECIOUS.”

What I wanted to write:

Dere Mrs. Preshus’ Mommie;

When your daughter was born and you created a new and inventive spelling of her name, you did her no favors. If it really bothers her to see her unusual name spelled in ways that are more or less unusual than the one on her birth certificate, you might want to consider counseling. After all, she is cursed, er, blessed with this unique name that will be with her the rest of her life. Did you think about this when you named her?

Did you think about the way she’d have to learn how to write her name in kindergarten, how you’d have to teach the teachers how to spell it so they could work with her?

Did you imagine she’d feel precious, er, special having to re-do her name constantly, justifying it to her peers?

Did you think about the bullies who would jump on her name like moths are drawn to a porch light?

How will she feel when little Paula down the road can find key rings and coin purses and bicycle license plates with her name emblazoned on them and poor little Prech, er, Presci, er, whatever-the-heck you called her can not?

How will your little one feel when she’s a teenager and trying to fit in, but her name makes her stand out instead?

When you named your little sweetie with that abominable spelling, you made sure she’ll be bothered again and again by seeing errors on her name. Does she know it’s your fault?

In conclusion, dear Mother of the Spelling from Hehll, I’m not so sure it’s little Precious who is bothered.
I think, very possibly, quite probably, this whole name spelling conflict might be not about her, but all about you.

Sincerely,
The Teacher (or is it TeeChere?) from the Black Lagoon — or rather, Lahguhn

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