Category Archives: family life

>A thousand words on work-home balance

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If a picture is worth a thousand words, this post is actually worth five thousand words toward illustrating a typical weekend’s to-do list and the feeling of ta-dah! when it’s done.

First: the laundry room with work in progress.
Next item on the list, but going on concurrently with laundry: schoolwork. Reading papers, math tests, all in need of correcting and then recording in the gradebook. Thank goodness for remote access; I can record all of these scores while watching the Olympics!
Ah, the good feeling when work is nearly done. Below are three baskets full of clean and folded clothes: one for me, one for Amigo, one for Chuck. If you look closely, there’s a stray dryer ball in Chuck’s basket. It got stuck in the sleeve of his sweater. Oops!

And finally, the table is empty of school papers! They’re all corrected, scored, recorded, and packed in my schoolbag for Monday. The package in the back is a to-be-mailed pack with two books requested from Paperbackswap.com. I included them with the schoolwork because they’re both teacher books.


Did I say the table was clear? Cleared of school files, but not totally clear. While waiting for the washer to fill and the detergent to dissolve (oh, I lead such an exciting life), I’ve been (are you ready for this?) purging the clutter on the basement shelves. Today I found an ancient, older-than-Amigo box of cancelled checks. They’re destined for the shredder now, if the old shredder can handle the volume. Maybe I should just start a fire in the fireplace; the job might go faster!

Uh, yes, that’s a gin and tonic beside the checks. Don’t judge me; the lime is a good source of vitamin C.

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>I failed Eat-In Week.

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>Yes, I did. I confess. It was timing, really. I couldn’t make it happen. Here you are: the excuses.

I had three evening commitments on top of teaching the full week. Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday night were all staff development or class nights. When I have one of those nights in a week or even two, it’s time to bring out the crockpot. Three? No time to prepare the crock, much less plug it in for the day.

Results: I bought myself deep fried cheese curds (stop laughing; they’re a delicacy in Wisconsin during the winter) after a three hour class in analyzing running records for reading instruction. The second night of classes Amigo went out to a (local) fast food joint for a perch-wich and fries. The third (well, really the first night) Husband had a day off and cooked, for which I am very grateful. Without him, it might have been frozen pizza – or worse.

I normally treat myself to a Jo to Go coffee on the occasional (I admit it, frequent) Friday mornings. The rest of the week I set the kitchen coffeemaker and bring my own little thermos to school. I’ve built a good habit of saving money and reusing my thermos and coffee mugs. This week? I’ve been through the drive-through three times. Three. They’re starting to greet me with “The usual?” instead of “Can I help you?”

When I did cook, it was wimpy. A can of soup instead of homemade, frozen chicken patties on buns, leftover potato wedges (I did make them, they were good) and a can of baked beans. This is not my usual locavore standard. The most creative dinner was Sunday’s casserole: leftover spicy rice, cream of mushroom soup, a handful of frozen peas and a chicken breast cooked up together.

I made my own lunch four days and made a second sandwich to take to class Thursday night. But then… I ordered out with the rest of the staff on Friday. We do it as a team; order from a sub shop or restaurant that delivers, varying the place each week. This week, despite Eat In Week, I’m joining the order-out crowd.

Confessions aside, this week is unusual. Since I began moving our family to a more local and fresher food supply, we’ve cooked largely at home. A meal out is an occasion, not an everyday deal. A Special Week isn’t really the reason we eat in at our house; it’s a philosophy that’s becoming routine. Eat In Week, for all its good intentions, is just another gimmick. The real good comes from making eating in the norm, not the exception.

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>Potato wedges or striped spuds?

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>I’m looking for something new, but not too new.
Something different, but something that uses cooking staples I have in the house.
Something tasty, but easy to cook.
A side dish to go with a simple supper, probably a chicken casserole.

There. Is that specific enough?
Oh. I didn’t think so.

I pulled out a family standard: an elementary school’s fundraiser cookbook. With half a bag of potatoes in the back hallway, I can make either of these. Advice, readers? Which one sounds the best?

Baked Potato Wedges
These look simple, and I keep the ingredients on hand most of the time.
3 large baking potatoes
1/4 cup oil
paprika
garlic salt
pepper
grated Parmesan cheese

Pour oil in ziploc bag. Scrub potatoes and cut into eighths for form wedges; blot edges dry with paper towel. Place in bag and shake to coat with oil. Place on baking sheet, skin side down. Sprinkle with seasonings. Bake at 425 F. for 30-40 minutes.

-The credit for this recipe belongs to a teacher with three young children. I imagine it’ll be simple, yet tasty.

Striped Spuds
At a glance, I question the cooking method. I usually dice or peel my potatoes before cooking. This calls for boiling in the skin. I wonder if it makes a difference in the final result?

6 potatoes
2 cups sour cream
1 1/2 shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 bunch green onions, chopped

Boil potatoes in skins until tender. Peel and mash in large bowl. Stir in sour cream, 1 cup of cheese, salt, pepper, and onions. Turn mix into buttered casserole. Top with leftover cheese. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees F. for 30-40 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes before serving. Makes 10 servings.

Well, bloggie friends and Internet acquaintances, what do you think? I have potatoes in the pantry; what’ll it be?

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>Tummy Troubles no more

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>What’s your passion? What have you always dreamed of doing but have never had the resources? Those are the questions that Prilosec wants people to answer. Yes, Prilosec – the “Official Sponsor of Everything You Do Without Heartburn” promotion.

This promotion caught my eye not because Brett Favre was a spokesperson for the brand at one time, but because Amigo was a major consumer of the over the counter antacid when he had major tummy troubles at age 16. Teenaged boys don’t usually lose 40 pounds in a time span of six weeks, but he did.

Several months of a bland diet with no dairy, many bottles of acidophilus, and daily doses of Prilosec OTC, and test upon test upon test, he gradually regained his health.

The “Everything You Do” campaign, however, isn’t about illness. It’s about people’s passions, ideas, and wishes. It’s about sponsoring people’s dreams and helping them take their hobbies or interests to the next level. It’s about ordinary people, folks like me and you.

In categories like Arts & Crafts and Food & Cuisine, applicants ask for support to buy equipment or supplies in order to create their art and reach a larger audience. Many suggest that reaching an audience is an exciting opportunity, a chance to spread enjoyment and knowledge. Some in the Home and Garden category suggest that sponsorship will allow them to share their blooms and produce. Generosity is a popular motivation: read the Pets and Animals section and look for the Rescue operations.

If I applied, I might ask for funding to take a leave of absence from my teaching job and work with Husband to write our parenting memoir; its working title is Educating Amigo. We believe the story will be inspiring and helpful to other families raising children with disabilities and *ahem* educational to educators.

If you’re interested in applying or voting for projects, look for more information and inspiration – in the “Official Sponsor of Everything you do without Heartburn.”

I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Prilosec OTC. Mom Central sent me a small gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.

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>Zesty Orange Cookies

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>I tried it, and it worked. I took the original Zesty Lime cookie recipe and tried it with orange zest and orange juice, and the cookies are delicious. I kept the lemon extract in for the tartness. The orange peel was freshly zested, and the juice freshly squeezed. Oh, the kitchen smelled good! Here it is: yet another way to use the case of oranges from the choir fund-raiser!

Zesty Orange Cookies

1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
2 eggs or 1/2 cup egg substitute
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup orange juice
1 Tablespoon grated orange peel
powdered sugar for dusting (I only needed a few tablespoons)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cream butter; beat in sugar and extracts. Add eggs; mix well. Gradually add flour; mix well. Blend in orange juice and peel. Drop rounded teaspoonfuls of batter onto greased cookie sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Cool on pan for 1 minute, then transfer to wire racks and dust lightly with powdered sugar. Mmmm. Makes about 6 dozen.


This recipe is based on Zesty Lime cookies in the 2009 WE Energies Cookie Book. I can’t wait to try a few more.

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>Tyler’s Ocean

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>For La Petite’s friend Tyler, who is in his last days. Tyler’s Ocean collection is being organized by Tyler’s good friend and former roommate, Eric. Here is Eric’s letter and request.


One thing Tyler really wanted to do again was see the ocean one last time. Unfortunately that is now impossible. However, with your help, we can do the next best thing for him. We can bring the ocean to him. I don’t know exactly how much time we have left but I speak for all of us when I say that I’m not going to just sit around and do nothing while I wait for his time to come. Tyler is still here, this is NOT over, and we can still help him.

So here is the plan. We need ocean pictures. If you have pictures of the ocean, we need them! We are going to take all these pictures and cover his entire room with them. This way Tyler can be at the ocean with all of his friends.

The first way and probably the easiest for everyone is just to email them to an email account I set up just for this. The address is TylersOcean at gmail dot com. This saves people trips and hassles. With your help we can give Tyler something as close to one of his last wishes as possible. With just a little effort you can help us bring Tyler the ocean! –Eric

This is not an anonymous Internet urban myth; this young man is La Petite’s friend. If you have ocean pictures that you’re willing to share, you can send them to Tyler’s Ocean.

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>Random Rummaging

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>Dearest Darling Husband, a.k.a. Chuck, suggested holding another rummage sale in June of this year. I responded, “What?! Already?! But…but…” So he explained his rationale.

1. Daughter will be coming home from college. Economic woes will probably mean she’ll live here for a while. We’ll sell of anything of hers that we can’t store, and we don’t have much room for storage.
2. We may be remodeling a bathroom and building a new and improved laundry room. This could lead to more “usable junk” hitting the rummage tables.
3. I’ve been cleaning the bookshelves and the basement with a quiet vengeance. If there’s a rummage sale looming in our future, I’ll save a few for sale rather than donate them to thrift stores.
4. We’ll have an extra twin size mattress and box spring. It’s a long story, including daughter moving home and in-laws downsizing to a condo and teen’s bedding still in decent shape – don’t ask.
5. In the cleaning process, I’ve emptied two file cabinets. They can go.
6. We’ve lived here for 14 years now: the longest we’ve ever been in one location. It’s time to seriously stop stashing (it’s not hoarding yet- I hope) and purge.

Meanwhile, I’m still cleaning the basement. It’s not the most efficient method, but it’s working. It has to do with laundry – a cliffhanger of a plot, not. Every time I’m starting a load of laundry, I take a minute or two while the washer is filling and the detergent is dissolving, and I empty a box from the storage shelves. The contents either go in the garbage, the thrift donation boxes, or the Save crates. So far, very little has needed saving. As each box moves off the shelf, I have storage space for: my spare crockpot, canning jars, shopping bags for the summer markets, and other newly and truly important things.

On the rummage list so far:
*a stack of Berenstain Bears books. My kiddos and my preschool students enjoyed them, but they’re of limited use now that my own children are 17 and 23 and my students are in fourth grade. Rather than post them all of Paperbackswap, I’ll set up a book box at the sale. If nothing else, it’ll keep young kids busy while their parents browse.
*various luggage pieces. I have several messenger bags that I no longer use. I can keep one for judging music festivals, and the others will hit the rummage tables.
*twin mattress and boxspring (see above)
*lunch bags and coolers: I have several that are still good and look good, but I no longer use them.

So far the list is fairly small and all cheap items. If this is all we have by June, we’ll donate to a thrift store rather than put the time and money into a sale. Chuck feels confident we’ll have more of the Big Stuff by then, especially with the daughter’s impending move. Okay, dear, I’m willing to wait.

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>Pumpkin Cookies!

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>They’re out of season. The pumpkin came from a can, not fresh or frozen. I was feeling a small amount of guilt in my locavore, seasonal heart as I softened the butter and started mixing in the egg.

Then La Petite came by and looked over my shoulder. “Mmm, oatmeal cookies?” “Pumpkin cookies with oatmeal.” “Even better!” she proclaimed.
Then Chuck chimed in from the computer. “With chocolate chips?” “Yes, I was planning on it.”

I felt a lot better.

This recipe is so old the card is tattered. I really ought to type it up in a Word file like so many of my favorites. I’ve made these since my kiddos were really little. In fact, I’d feed them to my kids for breakfast when they were very young. Cookies for breakfast? Don’t judge me; these cookies are healthier than a poptart!

Great Pumpkin Cookies with Oatmeal and Chocolate Chips

3 cups unsifted all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour
2 cups quick oats
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups butter or margarine, softened
2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg or 1/4 cup egg substitute
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 16 oz. can solid pack pumpkin
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Combine flour, oats, soda, cinnamon, and salt: set aside.
Cream butter; gradually add sugars, beating until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla; mix well.
Alternate additions of dry ingredients and pumpkin, mixing well after each addition. Stir in chocolate chips.

Using a cookie scoop or a 1/8 cup measure, drop dough onto lightly greased cookie sheet.
Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes, until cookies are firm and lightly browned. Cool on racks.

Optional: frost and decorate. Cream cheese frosting works well with these cookies.
Another option: replace chocolate chips with raisins.

Amigo was coming down the stairs as I pulled these out of the oven. He had two as soon as they cooled. Despite the non-locavore nature of the beast, these cookies hit the spot on a cold winter Saturday night.

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>How much Zest is too much?

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I got a citrus zest file for Christmas!

The timing is great; we picked up a case of oranges from Amigo’s high school music fundraiser in mid-December. I’ve been eating at least one orange or grapefruit a day, and then I zest the rind of the orange so we can use it in cooking or baking.

Chuck (he of the cool shoes) walked into the kitchen today and said, “Dear, you’ve put aside enough orange zest to last us a decade. Stop, already!”

I put it to you, dear Internetters. Foodies, locavores, eco-conscious cooks and bakers, here are the questions raised in my zesty dilemma.

Does orange zest (or any zest) freeze successfully? Can I grate and freeze these aromatic peelings and use them later?
Is there any use for grapefruit zest? I have a case of grapefruit, too, but I’ve never seen grapefruit zest in a recipe.
How much is too much orange zest? No, never mind, don’t answer that. I’ll find out for myself.

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>Best Banana Bread

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>I posted a banana bread recipe long, long ago. Banana bread is a standard in my repertoire, and I can almost make it in my sleep. Almost.

When La Petite was in high school, our house was one of the hangouts for the kids. I learned that they were more likely to hang at the homes of parents who fed them, so I kept baking. It worked. One day a coworker and fellow high school mom asked me for my banana bread recipe. “What do you put in it? Alex keeps raving about it!”

I tried an experiment, though, that didn’t work so well. It was one of “those” weeks: the weeks when we don’t have time to eat the bananas, much less bake them into bread. I tried the Frozen Banana option. Supposedly they’ll look gooey and awful, but will bake up well. Well, almost.

I called it the Incredible Collapsing Banana Bread. I thought it was done, but it wasn’t. the toothpick test came out clean, but the bread fell in the middle and tasted terrible. It was underdone in a big way. What happened? The only thing out of the ordinary was the frozen bananas. All I could think of was, “Were they too cold? Not the right consistency? What went wrong?”

I approached this dilemma with two tools: increased baking time and smaller pans. My mother (who witnessed the drama of the incredibly collapsed banana bread) gave me tiny bread pans for Christmas. I split a double batch of banana bread between one full-sized pan and three tiny ones. The tiny ones finished quickly, and the big one appeared done. Learning from experience, I let the big pan sit in the still-warm oven for ten minutes before calling it done. It worked.
The third tool (okay, three changes) was this: I made sure the banana goo was completely thawed and at room temperature before mixing and baking.

Well, here goes. Bake it as you wish; but thaw your bananas and use a smaller pan.

Daisy’s Banana Bread

2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup margarine or butter, softened
3 eggs or 3/4 cup egg substitute
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 medium-large bananas)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 2/3 cups flour (I like 1 cup all-purpose flour and 2/3 cup whole wheat)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
(optional) 1/2 cup chocolate chips and/or 1/2 cup walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8 or 9 inch loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray.
Beat the sugar and butter/margarine in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, bananas, and vanilla. Beat until well blended.
Mix together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Stir into the banana mixture just until moistened. Blend in chocolate chips or nuts. Pour and scrape batter into the loaf pan.
Bake the 8 inch pan for 60 minutes, 9 inch pan for 45-50 minutes or until toothpick test comes out clean.
Cool 5 minutes. Loosen sides of loaf from pan. Remove from pan and cool completely on a rack before slicing.

Warning: Teenagers in house will inhale this. Make two if you want some for yourself.

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