The Yearbook

I came across one of my yearbooks the other day. I enjoyed going through it, recalling how things used to be. Our daughter Addie glanced at it and seemed impressed with all the signatures. Then she read, “To a nice kid, …”

“Kid?” and she began laughing hysterically.

I guess a twenty-something has a hard time imagining Mom as “kid.”

Funny thing, sometimes I feel like a kid. I just don’t tell anybody.

Jenn, Here are Those Holiday Recipes

PEPPERMINT BARK

1 12 oz pkg white chocolate chips
24 hard peppermint candies

Crush candies in ziploc bag. Pour into strainer to shake out tiny bits. Set aside larger pieces.
Line baking sheet with wax paper. Microwave chips at 70% power for one minute. Stir. Microwave an additional 10-15 secs until chips are melted. Spread on wax paper.
Put larger candy pieces into melted chocolate and press in. Let stand for 1 hr, then break into pieces and store at room temp in airtight container.


HOLIDAY SPARKLE COOKIES

1 refrigerated sugar cookie tub dough from the store
Red and green sprinkles

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
From the dough, make 18 1 inch balls. Roll in sprinkles.
Set 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheet.
Bake 14 - 16 minutes until edges are set and center is still soft.
Cool on racks.


CHOCOLATE LOGS

1 lb. powdered sugar
1 stick butter, melted
2 cups extra crunch peanut butter
4 cups rice krispies

Mix powdered sugar and butter with a spoon. Using your hands, mix in peanut butter and krispies. Pinch off and roll in hands to make thumb-size "logs."
Refrigerate 1 hour and spread with chocolate frosting.


ROCKY ROAD FUDGE

1 12 oz. pkg semisweet chocolate chips
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 1/2 cups minimarshmallows
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Line baking sheet with wax paper.
Combine morsels and milk. Microwave on high for 1 minute. Stir and microwave an additional 10-15 sec until melted.
Stir in all other ingredients. Drop by Tablespoon onto wax paper.
Refrigerate until firm.

Okay, Jenn, are those EZ, or what...

Becoming Holy

I heard someone speak about becoming holy, and he summed it up very simply:

"Do what you are supposed to be doing, when you are supposed to be doing it, in the way it is meant to be done."

Holiness is definitely a response to God's grace. This person gave a very down-to-earth way to respond. Sounds like a pretty good New Year's resolution for 2009.

Jenn's Chicken Alfredo, Variation on a Theme

Jenn, I've taken your amazing recipe and gave it a few modifications.

Judy, This one's for you:

1)Saute a few chicken breasts in olive oil, add a little water, cover and steam until almost done.
2)Add 1 can of cream of mushroom soup and a few chunks of cheese. Stir until well-blended.
3)THEN, pile a big bunch of fresh spinach leaves over all. Cover and cook until spinach is wilted into the sauce.
4)Stir in a dash of nutmeg (secret ingredient) for a flavor boost.
5)Serve over your choice of pasta (I used shells.)

So simple, soooo good!
I'd recommend a glass of white wine (we had apple cider) and a chocolaty dessert for one outstanding meal.

Thanks, Jenn, for the inspiration. (You know, this may work well with that left-over turkey!)

Our Weekend

Jenn and BF Sean came up for a weekend visit. Jenn came bearing tasty treats from The Cupcake Boutique where she's been working. We're enjoying a few dozen cupcakes, each one with a different flavor and icing. Absolutely gourmet cupcakes.
She and Sean shopped and prepared an outstanding meal of Chicken Alfredo, Jenn's very own recipe. Sean verifies that the recipe has undergone many transformations, and each time it just gets better. I'd say she has this one down to perfection, and I do hope she shares her recipe.
This was also shopping weekend. Geo is in the market for a new man-size leather reading chair. The choice has been narrowed down to a deep burgundy brown leather recliner, the color formerly called "Oxblood," and now "Newport". (I like "Oxblood" so much better.)
The big purchase will be made this week.
Addie met BF Zach's 'rents this weekend for the first time. They had a whirlwind visit with their son before heading back to Maine. She reports all went well.
And today Jenn and I went shopping for new outfits. She found exactly what she loved, and I have a new Take Mom out for a Night on the Town outfit, that will also work for a holiday party.
Soooo good to see Jenn and Sean again. Am Looking forward to being together again for Thanksgiving.

A Take on the Election

Ed Rollins says that the reason to hold an election is to see if the polls are right.

Peggy Noonan has some advice for the undecideds. Think about how you’ll feel the day after the election when all the news headlines are “McCain Wins!” Or how will you feel when you see “Obama Wins!” She predicts that the prospect of a McCain presidency may make people feel depressed, and an Obama presidency will cause anxiety. She goes on to say that more people would rather feel anxious than depressed, so it looks like the undecideds go to Obama.

TV Guide predicts the big winner in this election is SNL.

It’s been quite a ride, and whoever wins - whether it's McCain/Palin or Obama/Biden, do keep your seatbelts fastened, we’re in for rocky roads ahead.

Eternity

I needed a birthday gift, and so I bought a beautiful plant. It is called an eternity plant. It has beautiful green leaves AND it grows anywhere, even in a closet. Best of all, it only needs to be watered once a month.
I'm impressed. I'm so impressed, I am blogging about it.
When you happen to go by a garden center, stop in to see the eternity plant. It's amazingly lovely.

From the Farmers’ Market

Geo and Mom came home from the market today with arugula (in honor of Barak Obama, says Geo), eggplant, and huge bunches of basil.

The eggplant went into the fridge for eggplant lasagna during the week, but the basil went for a quick rinse and immediately into the blender with walnuts, olive oil and a dash of salt for fresh pesto. The yield was two full batches. We sampled the pesto with Italian bread and we will enjoy it later for dinner served generously over pasta, yes, with arugula salad on the side.

We experimented with “eggplant lasagna” a few weeks ago by substituting a layer or two of pasta with sliced eggplant. It came out really well, and tasty enough to try again.

The Farmers’ Market is providing us with quite a feast this week. Next year, I hope to have more veggies from our very own garden. I’ll need to visit M.W. often for continuing horticultural inspiration.

My Angel of a Neighbor

My neighbor is an enthusiastic gardener. Walking Lucy past her home, I met her outside in the yard. “You know, I really want to improve the landscaping in our yard,” said I. She offered to help me out. “I can give you some ideas,” she replied.

Within the week she came over, not only with her ideas, but with her gloves and three sets of pruners. “Let’s just clean some of this up and see what we’ve got,” she said as she proceeded to tackle a jungle of overgrown shrubbery. So I also picked up the pruners and started pruning away.

Four hours and 5 barrels of clippings later, what a difference! The monster of a miniature lilac bush was gone (that’s miniature lilacs, NOT miniature bush, I had learned too late to my great dismay). She and I could actually see definition between the shrubs and some semblance of real gorgeousness.

Now I can visualize how the edging lines should flow, where new plants can go in, and even where to place a new bird feeder. Yup, we’ll add 2 new lilac bushes (planted where they have LOTS of room to grow), and some Asiatic lilies for color.

My neighbor not only rolled up her sleeves (or rather, rolled them down - those barberry branches are sharp!), she provided me with a lot of good information about pruning and landscaping. Best of all, she not only inspired me about gardening, she really inspired me about what it means to be a good neighbor. M.W., let me know when you need an extra pair of hands for weeding, or pruning, or hoeing, and I’ll be there. Thank you, neighbor!

Some Homefront News

J landed a job at one of the local grocery chains – baking bread, buns and bagels. “You know all that bread you see on the grocery shelves…” she says, “I’m the one who’s baking it!” She trained last week, and this week she “flies solo.” So that means she’s on the job by 4AM to fire up the ovens. She’s also in training for frosting cakes. She completed one carrot cake, carrot and all. I think this may mean more cakes in her future. J is fulfilling one of her life-long ambitions, as long as she’s had lifelong ambitions. Along with this report came assurance from her, “Yes, Mom, I’m still going to grad school…”

Rainy Day Rhubarb

Geo, Mom and I were invited to a picnic today. It was quite a lengthy drive to our friends' lakeside camp, and there were reports of possible severe t-storms. We opted out and decided to picnic at home.

I bought some slender stalks of rhubarb for rhubarb custard pie – my current favorite. As I began to prepare it, I realized I had no prepared pie crusts. Not about to roll my own, I relied on my old stand-by Bisquick. Yummy enough to share the recipe, so here goes:

Grease 9” pie pan and preheat oven to 375.
Add 2 cups of rhubarb to the pan.

Beat until smooth: ¾ cup milk, 2 eggs, 1 cup sugar, ½ cup Bisquick, 2 tb soft butter, scant tsp cinnamon and a dash of nutmeg. Pour over rhubarb.

For the topping, in a separate bowl cut 2 tb firm butter into ½ cup Bisquick and ¼ cup brown sugar until crumbly. Stir a handful of chopped pecans into the mix.
Sprinkle mixture onto the pie.

Bake for about 45 minutes, or until an inserted knife comes up clean.
Serve with whipped cream.

My rainy day rhubarb pie!

Too Busy To Blog

A super-hectic few weeks. Addie is now juggling 3, or is it 4, jobs and one new BF; she reluctantly dropped the ECHO volunteer work. Jenna graduated Phi Beta Kappa, celebrated a birthday, moved out of college and into her new condo – sharing living space with her good friends. Oh, and she also worked in a trip to IL with her BF to drive Grandmother’s car 900 miles to VT. (No problems at the border, although the border patrol did question why she had a VT license, her BF had a MA license, and they were driving a WI car into Canada with a destination to VT. No worries, an official letter from Grandmother to smooth the way.)

Mother moved in, making her new home with us in VT. Geo took a sponsored trip to FLA for a few days for a disabilities conference. And we worked a booth at the Business Expo. Somehow we did manage to keep up with our regular employment.

Last night we received a call from our dear friend Phil who is offering to help us out with opening our Kamp on the Lake. I’m ready, let’s bring on those hazy, lazy days of wave-watching, and sunsetting -over- the -islands peaceful late evenings of summertime! Peace with joy.

Bisquick Apple Cake

“Mom, I have such wonderful memories of all the good holiday meals you cooked when we were growing up,” Jenn said to me one day.

“Really?” I asked. “And what did you like best?”

“Those Bisquick rolls. You made them every holiday.”

Bisquick! I had expected her to say the delicious aroma of ham baking in the oven, or the roast turkey with homemade stuffing, or even the heaping mounds of buttery mashed potatoes she loves so much. But, no, Bisquick.

I have to admit I am a fan of Bisquick. It’s just fun to use. (Did I really make Biquick rolls EVERY holiday??)

Well, here’s a new Bisquick recipe I tried for the first time. Quick and fun Bisquick Apple Cake:

Mix together 2 Cups of Bisquick, 2/3 cup milk, one egg, 2 Tbls sugar, AND one can of apple pie filling. Pour into greased pan and top with a blend of 1/3 cup Bisquick, 1/3 cup brown sugar, and 2 Tbls butter. Bake at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes, or until done. Serve ala mode or topped with whipped cream.

Okay, now, for Valentine's Day I'll make this with Cherry pie filling, and for Easter I'll use pineapple pie filling, and for Thanksgiving - how about pumpkin pie filling, and...

Psychology Symposium and Psi Chi

April 25. Friday was Proud Parent Day for us. Geo and I were invited to campus to hear the 3 senior Psychology Honors Rearch presentations. Jenn was up first. Her topic - If studies indicate that married people generally have a healthier life and sense of well-being and happiness than those who are single, what about single people who are in a committed relationship? Can the same be said about them? Do they lead a healthier life-style and and suffer less stress compared to those who are single? She researched and presented the results of her own survey and study of about 150 single men and women. Using power point, Her talk was about 40 minutes. Not only were there faculty in the audience, but also other parents, students, and Jenn's good friends who came in support. She presented like a pro. Afterwards she and the other 2 students were awarded personal plaques for outstanding work.

Next was the Psi Chi Induction ceremony for new members and officers. As the Pres, Jenn lead the ceremony and installation of new members. This too was open for any interested people to see.The President of the college was there, so Jenn also introduced him to give his remarks. I thought Jenn handled it all with style, grace and good sense of humor. Geo said if she can do this, she can do most anything...Thank you, Jenn, for all your hard work, and for making us oh, so very proud.

Disability Awareness Day

April 15, 2008. Geo and I had the privilege of attending a state disability conference dinner with representatives from a variety of agencies and some state legislators. The panel included people with disabilities who are successful advocates advancing disability rights, sharing their experiences and vision for future direction.

We learned that the disability rights movement took as its model the civil rights movement and promotes self-advocacy. One of the speakers gave insights into “inclusion.” He has a disability from childhood that is not readily obvious. He was not able to keep up with the other students in school and was put into special education classes. There he found there were many other students with disabilities, but that he needed to take the initiative to share about his own disability with them for them to know him and begin communicating about shared experiences. He began to realize that he was part of two communities – the disability and the non-disability. Just as he needed to share about his disability with those in his special ed class, he needed to be the one to reach out to persons without disabilities for them to know him and accept him. Prior to this, he felt misunderstood and marginalized.

Geo mentioned to me that so often, a usual approach is for society to “blame” the people without disabilities for not accepting or not understanding persons with disabilities, and not “doing more” for them. Self-advocacy places the responsibility on persons with disabilities to communicate who they are and what they need. Successful self-advocacy also increases one’s sense of well-being and worth.

What is needed in society is for any barriers preventing inclusion to be eliminated. Inclusion makes it more likely that all persons will be valued and able to participate more fully in society. It allows people to understand and accept one another and to communicate for the benefit of all.

One speaker said that sometimes persons with disabilities are looked upon as people to be ignored, healed, or avoided. Rather we need to come to know people as they truly are, accept one another and work toward removing barriers that keep us from understanding one another and allowing all to participate as valued members of a community.

All the speakers were persons with various disabilities, including a deaf person going blind who spoke eloquently by signing. He had an interpreter to assist him. All were very inspiring leaders. I came away from this meeting realizing I still have so much to learn by interacting with the disability community.

Ciabatta

My family knows I am not a bread eater. When I was single, I went for months and months without ever buying bread. I married a guy who can practically survive on bread alone.

This year my bread-loving guy gave me (us) a gift of bread from Zingermann’s in Michigan, home-delivered, along with various varieties of olive oil. The latest rustic loaf arrived on March 26, and included Olave organic olive oil from Chile. After warming up the bread in the oven, we served it with the oil. Instant party, and – oh, so good.

Today we bought a loaf of Red Hen Ciabatta, and we enjoyed it drizzled with the Olave. If I’m going to become a true bread eater, this is definitely the way to go. The Ciabatta from Middlesex, VT is made from organic wheat flour mixed with water and yeast, baked in a jet-steam 500 degree hearth to give the loaf a crunchy crust. With a glass of red wine, Saturday afternoon lunch has notched upwards to a new level. Thank you, Geo.

(For a link, click on title.)

Easter Surprise

An amazing Easter lily was delivered to our family on Friday, a gift from Sean. It’s actually three Easter lily plants in one container, and it’s the most beautiful Easter arrangement I have ever seen. It brought a lot of sunshine into our home on an otherwise rather gray Friday. We will enjoy the flowers all Easter season, and I look forward to planting it outside, hoping for more Easter blooms during the summer. Thank you, Sean, for your very thoughtful amazing gift. Happy Easter to you and your family from all of us.

#24

The 25th is our 24th wedding anniversary. Daughter Addie gave us a wonderful gift – a full year’s membership for two at The Shelburne Museum. We look forward to the 2008 Mary Cassatt exhibit, the members’ tour of the Electra Havemeyer Webb VT home, and the 10 Thursday evenings series of events Sunsets at Shelburne Museum. We may even take in the annual members holiday party promising “ warm fires, cocktails, hor d’oeuvres, and holiday cheer.”
Thank you, Addie, for a gift that keeps on giving!

If the campaign comes to town…

Geo and I will be there. And today the John McCain campaign came to South Burlington. Of course, we made our way up to the front. We shook hands with the Senator and he signed not one – but two – of Geo’s McCain cover magazines (Newsweek and US News and World Report).

We were impressed that he makes good eye contact with each person he greets, that he is warm and genuine. In his speech in person, he comes across with more passion than on TV, and that was fun to see. One piece of news he brought with him - the morning edition of the Washington Post noted he has a record of zero dollars of “pork barrel” spending earmarked for Arizona, while Senators Clinton and O’Bama have millions and millions going to their states. Also noteworthy, today is the day Mitt Romney will endorse his candidacy.

This was the fourth time we have seen Senator McCain. Prior times were in Burlington, Hinesburg and Montpelier. We will frame Geo’s covers and add our McCain memorabilia to our collection.

After the rally we headed to Tiny Thai for a valentine celebration. We stopped at Quality Bakery on the way home to buy a cake to share with Adriene.

Jim, This one's for you...

We had a white-out driving home from church today. Cars were slipping and sliding…Glad to be home.

Jenn had knee surgery, repair of torn meniscus. Is recovering nicely. BF Sean is taking good care of her. Today they plan on seeing CHICAGO at the Flynn.

Geo is invited to an overnite conference on Wed and Thurs, near WRJ, on self-employment. He has a telephonic hearing on Tues. And I need to be on the road 2 days this week, post-poned due to hazardous driving last week. Weather has a way of changing plans.

Addie’s working full-time, plus volunteering at ECHO on Saturdays. She’s applied for a residential museum fellowship, so now it’s pray, wait and see. Plan B is in place, so life is good.

Lucy’s loving her romps in the snow, then stretching out in front of our gas heater. Winter has got to be her fave season of the year.

Most of all, we are really looking forward to our trip to visit friends in FLA. We haven’t taken a vacation by plane since 1999! We are soooo happy to have been invited and to share good times.
Thank you, J and K!

Jenn’s Amazing Cookies

Jenn shared a recipe with me, so easy and so very good:

1 box cake mix
2 eggs
scant 1/3 C. oil

Mix into a batter. Spoon onto cookie sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for about 12 minutes.
Yields 2 dozen cookies.

She loves these because cookies AND cake are combined for one great homemade treat.
Her favorite variation is using chocolate cake mix, then swirling a little peanut butter on the cookies before baking them.
I just whipped up a batch for Geo using spice cake mix and adding a little molasses to the batter. Perfection.
Next I’d like to try vanilla cake mix, add some almond flavoring, and top each cookie with a slivered almond.
Thank you, Jenn, for another classic!

The Fur Kid

I heard somewhere that pampered pets are known as the fur kids of the household. That would be Lucy. But our fur kid Lucy got into big trouble when we were in church on Sunday. She knocked over one of my potted plants - dirt all over the carpet, reached up to the counter to pull down a few slices of bread, and even managed to bring down a plate of oatmeal cookies to devour them in the living room. (She spit out the raisins.) I was not happy. She and I were not on good terms for the rest of the day. I mostly ignored her. Then Sunday night I started thinking about forgiveness, and that forgiveness is not for people only. I knew I needed to forgive the fur kid. So Lucy is back in my good graces again, the plant is re-potted and the dirt scrubbed out of the carpet. Addie says Lucy had a great time on Sunday, a rowdy party of one.

Tiny Jenna's

One of Jenn’s Christmas gifts to Geo was a home-cooked Thai meal – a gift the whole family enjoyed. She prepared Pad Thai, Chicken and Rice, Sticky Rice with Mango, and a Banana Coconut Milk dessert. Recipes were authentic, those she learned from the Pad Thai Cookery School in Chiang Mai. In the center of the table she was sure to include fresh limes, salt, sugar, and hot sauce that we could add to taste. What a feast! One of our fav restaurants is Tiny Thai; George said we were dining at Tiny Jenna’s. I’d say we need to include a Thai meal as one of our holiday season traditions. Hopefully, Jenn, this was the First Annual. Thank you so very much.