friends – Page 5 – Peaceful Reader

Random Spring Break Thoughts and Photos

Mr. PR with Tarah

Blooming in March!

I’ve been back at work for three days now and I’m exhausted.
I’m so close to finishing Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere. Excellent book.
My next read is Mudbound by Hillary Jordan- for book club.
I’m trying to figure out how to use pinterest for a 5th grade project. Any ideas?
I am in the mood to Spring clean and would like a blog makeover. Any ideas?
I “mastered” Google Music and uploaded a slew of my favorite CD’s.
I reorganized the picture folders on my laptop.
I shared sweet potato black bean burritos with two friends at work and it was unanimous eating love!
Through a twitter conversation I enjoyed Beth F’s lunch love for same burritos! Made my day!

Spring Break Photo Journal:

Children’s Museum (in flight)

dramatic like her father.

Ice skating in the mall

Teenage Boy walking the dog
(how nice was it here!)

Bike Riding in my new flirty grape skort from Athleta (it was on sale).
I love skirts and this one is versatile. Now I want it in black.

Spring is here and it makes me so very, very happy.
What’s making you smile these days?

Weekend Cooking; Sweet Potato Black Bean Burritos

It’s up! It’s up! My guest post about Joan of Arc is up at Shelf Employed. Click over and read mine as well as others. Jen Bryant (author of A River of Words; the story of William Carlos Williams) shares the ideas that connect Emily Dickinson and Georgia O’Keefe.

Ah, Spring Break has been a treat of restorative time at home to heal and get some projects done. We invited friends over for dinner on Wednesday night to socialize which gave me the first few days of break to ponder what to make. One of their daughters eats gluten-free so I was looking for something that would be versatile without making my own kids blanch from a lack of carbs. I also had a pile of sweet potatoes on my counter begging to be used so I went to my Pinterest board, Eat Drink and Be Merry to search for something I’d drooled over previously. I’d pinned it from the The Novice Chef via Janssen.

Doesn’t it look delicious (see photo below). Mine were served on a bed of greens as well but I didn’t make the delicate creme fraiche laced on the top All I did to make it gluten-free was to lightly toast a few corn tortillas and add the filling in. I opted to make my own black beans by soaking them a day before and cooking them in my slow cooker the day of; they simmered with bay leaves and half a diced onion. I made a lot and plan to freeze a batch of them in packets of 2-3 for future lunches. I had one yesterday and it was even better than Wed. night. I love leftovers but my family does not; so perfect for me to take to school and reheat.

At the table I served them with my own homemade salsa from last summer (made with my mom), chopped avocado, and a spicy sour cream and green chili dip I created to take the place of the fancier (and more time consuming creme fraiche). They were a hit and this recipe will easily become one of my favorites-it would help if I could just get Teenage Boy to like sweet potatoes. I can imagine this as a great potluck meal.

This post is linked to Weekend Cooking at Beth Fish Reads. Pop over and see what every one else is cooking up!

Source: thenovicechefblog.com via Michelle on Pinterest

Weekend Cooking; Road Trip to peace.

Yesterday I had melted Brie, fresh bread and apple slices.

There was chaos getting to that peaceful spot though.

Groovy Girl began the day sad causing waves of tears and snappy answers from her. It took us a bit to convince her she could take charge of her own mood. She did and we went off to skating a bit late but still there. After her skating lesson, Husband and I had a planned road trip with friends and I was excited to go. A few days earlier husband found out about a peace walk and wanted to participate. Of course, the timing of the event squeezed it right in between skating and our intended road trip, which makes handsome husband think “oh, great we can make it!” Ugh. Love peace, Hate rushing.

I often walk laps around the arena while Groovy skates and I needed a shower and I had less than 30 minutes to get ready for the walk and the road trip. Could I have planned more the night before? Yes. Did I? No. In my rush I spent 3-4 precious minutes trying to get new milk from Hansen’s into the refrigerator cramming it between various water bottles. I should have taken water bottles out but instead somehow managed to spill the small pitcher of margaritas I’d made the night before. I cried as the mason jar spilled it’s contents all over the kitchen rug. Now I had to stop and wipe it all up. What a waste. It wasn’t the loss of the drink (well a little bit) but I dislike rushing and the affects of rushing. I did make it up to take my shower and even though I was sad about spilled “milk” I knew it wasn’t the cause but I still managed to have another mini-meltdown as I was driving back down the highway previously traveled for skating.

Meltdown’s are rarely about what started it and I knew I was nervous about leaving my children for the day and for my husband cramming something more into our day. I sobbed to my handsome and understanding husband-he said “Ill listen as we go…” He did listen yet my feelings still hadn’t resolved as we arrived at the gathering spot. While praying for a peace I realized these things:

1. My children are old enough to be on their own together but it was my first time leaving them for the day without my mom or someone else to consult. They would have to take care of chores, and lunch and dinner on their own. They survived.

2. My husband and I have walked, prayed, rallied for peace from Arkansas, D.C. and Iowa. Of course he would want to walk this walk. The walks purpose is to highlight a Dr. King park we hope to have built in our church neighborhood.

Even though my tears and my brain fought it; the walk healed me and reminded me of what I know to be true. My life is good and we need more peace in our communities both locally and worldly. I left my grumpy bugs behind.

Our road trip with friends to the Amana Colonies was fantastic. We went to Fireside Winery for a tasting, shopped, (I bought pecan maple syrup at the General Store) and root beer here and enjoyed the company of our friends and the fantastic autumnal weather. At both winery and Millstream we were able to sit on the patio with just sweaters. We had a delicious family-style dinner at The Ronneburg Restaurant, which included sides of sauerkraut, German potato salad, beets, coleslaw and dark rye bread. My grandmother would have loved it! The meal was good but the Brie on the patio was my favorite part of the day. Sunshine, a light white wine and laughter made me forgot all about my meltdown.

The margarita recipe:

12 oz can frozen limeade
12 ounces of tequila
12 ounces of water
8 ounces of triple sec (2/3 can)
1 can domestic beer
Ice and Limes as desired

Use the frozen limeade can to measure ingredients. Mix well in a gallon pitcher. If you would like to blend them; don’t add the water and blend. Either way serve in a small glass, with limes and salt. Perfect.

Fall is not margarita weather here but our school published a new cookbook (our second one) and my school friend, Stephanie, had this brag-worthy mix. We toasted together on Friday night while we watched the Cardinals win the World Series. Yeah!!!

This crazy long post is linked to Weekend Cooking hosted by Beth Fish Reads.

One More Birthday Post; The Special Handmade Gift

One day I was bopping around the blog world-and happened upon this post, Mama Made A Dress, by Lisa at Books. List. Life. Have you ever been to Books. Lists. Life.? If not, do stop over she writes about her adorable kids, her books, and her craftiness! Love reading about her life. When I looked at the special pinafore dress she made for the Princess-I left a comment expressing the thought that my Groovy Girl would look great in a bigger size dress and well, as things happen in the blogging world, a conversation started up and a deal was made and a dress created and sent to my Iowa address.

It arrived months ago but I had to wait until September to present it to her. Lisa sent it in a lovely handmade drawstring bag so it was already “wrapped” and ready at her birthday breakfast. She choose to open it that morning and heavens…she loved it. Also Lisa shows a great close-up picture of the pinafore dress in this post as well as a bunch of other sewing items.

P.S. If you look closely to the above photo you can see chocolate near the pocket…Groovy Girl alias Messy Tessy wore the dress for the cake eating portion of her birthday night because she was trying it on for her godmother and viola…it now has cake stain on it. I’m going to have to wash it!

Thank you, Thank you, Lisa! She loves it very much.
Here is the link to her Etsy shop so you can get one too!

My Day

It’s been my birthday (all day) and it has been an interesting day. Three sweet children, all under the age of 10, made me breakfast. I had scrambled eggs and biscuits. I “helped” by taking the biscuits out of the oven and by making the scrambled eggs last night so Groovy Girl and her two cousins could just reheat the eggs. For her, it was extremely important to serve me breakfast in bed and that I could only take the biscuits out of the oven and pop back into bed. We did not have juice so I had Limeade mixed with seltzer-all served on a tray by 3 smiling children. We all ate the eggs from one plate-4 forks. It was wonderful.

I met a friend for coffee/tea and all 3 children played The Amazing Labyrinth while they ate their cookies and Orangina drinks.

I thought I should look up some facts about my sun sign and refresh my memory of what it means to be a Leo. I found some interesting stuff worth sharing.

“There’s an unmistakably regal air to Solar Leos. These are dignified—even noble—folk. Leos have a reputation for being conceited, but think again. Leos do feel important, but this generally takes the form of wanting to change the world in some way—to make the world a better place. They are generally motivated by affection for people, and often have big dreams and plans to make people happy.”
From Cafe Astrology website.

Those lines hit it exactly. It is change that I seek, for me and for the world.

My husband sent gifts from afar. I got a Bonsai tree in the mail and a toaster oven from my children. Some school clothes from my mother-in-law and a pair of one-of-a-kind knitting needles from my friend, V. My mom gave me a book yesterday and bought me lunch and a big waffle cone of Hansen’s ice cream. 30 of my friends wished Birthday greetings on Facebook and a few sent me texts or called. My older brother sang to my mail box-very sweet.

I was taken to dinner by old family friends-they’ve known me almost my entire life and happened to be driving from Colorado through Iowa, heading home to Wisconsin. They brought me a rice mix from WI. It was very special for them to think of me in the midst of their busy travel schedule.
My other favorite August birthday is on Jerry Garcia was on the 1st.
I hope everyone has had a blissful day!
Another Leo website!

Before I fall by Lauren Oliver

I’m doing my best to catch up some YA reading this summer. People talk about these books all year long and I tend to save them for summer. This book was on my to-read mental list and while we were in DC we stopped by my husband’s old neighborhood, Adams Morgan. I went right to the lovely little used bookstore-the name of which escapes me-but a little magic happened and I found Before I Fall on a shelf with a $6 price tag inside. It was a sign.

I pushed back my major beach read, A Summer Affair by Elin Hilderbrand, and started reading, right after we visited the National Zoo, which by the way was missing most of its animals the day we visited. Disappointing. It was hot.

Before I Fall

Lauren Oliver

470 pages

2010

Samantha Kingston has it all; the world’s most crush-worthy boyfriend, three amazing best friends, and first pick of everything at Thomas Jefferson High-from the best table in the cafeteria to the choicest parking spot. Friday, February 12, should be just another day in her charmed life. (inside front cover)

It sounds like quite the life but it took only a few pages into the book to realize Sam leads a crazy life-one that was a little scary for me; a mom of a young girl that will one day soon be a teen. Sam’s a mean girl-she wasn’t always but became one in order to hang with Lindsay and be well, popular. As the reader you know from the beginning of the book that Sam is going to die in a car crash after a party but it gets snagged up in time and she relives that day seven different times, trying to get it right…or at least a little better.

While the characters and their ability to be visciously mean to other people scared me I did enjoy getting to know the characters and the degree to which Sam Kingston is allowed to grow into a more thoughtful person. It’s as if she goes through seven stages of Dante’s Hell in order to get to heaven. While she’s learning we get a peek into what makes the other characters, like Lindsay, mean.

It’s good to know, according to Lauren Oliver, that bullies are basically insecure and choose to lash out due to their own lack of self-esteem. Mentally it is good to know this but it doesn’t help when you are the one made to feel like crap everyday of high school because some other h.s. student has decided to thrash on you. As Sam figures out how to make things better she notices the intricate threads that bind us all together. Beautiful lesson for teens to learn.

The writing is eloquent with lots of gentl emetaphorical comparisons. I loved Kent McFuller-he was a wonderfully written cool-geek! This is a snippet of conversation between Kent and Sam:

…”You remember my old house on Terrace Place, right?” The smile is back. It’s true: his eyes are exactly the color of grass. “You used to hang out in the kitchen and steal all the good cookies. And I chased you around these huge maple trees in the front yard. Remember?”
As soon as he mentions the maple trees a memory rises up, expanding, like something breaking the surface of water and rippling outward. We were sitting in this little space in between two enormous roots that curved out of the ground.like animal spines. (142)

This book should be read by parents as much as its intended young adult audience. There is a ton of drinking, smoking and sex in the book-I know it happens in high school but for this group of friends it was all part of their scene. As a mom all I could think was “please don’t let my child act this way…”

Other thoughts on Before I Fall…

The Brain Lair
Slightly Bookish…she even has a playlist set up for this book.
Fate is Kind Book Review

Lauren Oliver’s website.

Indie Bookstore

Ivy + Bean; What's the Big Idea?

by Annie Barrows + Sophie Blackwell
(2010)

From the book:

“It’s Science Fair time at Emerson School and the kids in Ms. Aruba-Tate’s class are supposed to find a way to cool down the earth. Some kids are making litterbug-eating robots. Some kids are holding their breath for a very, very long time. But what should Ivy and Bean do? Somehing with explosions? Something with ropes? Or maybe something…different.” (inside front cover blurb)

Ohhh, we positively glowed and giggled while we read this book! I won this special copy from a giveaway a few months back (a signed copy!) and Groovy Girl and I read it together. We’ve loved the six other Ivy + Bean books and this was no exception-and in fact this may have been our favorite. We liked that best friends, Ivy and Bean, focused their attention on the science fair project and ways to help the earth. This book is a fantastic introduction to global warming and how solutions are hard to find. It will take more than just one or two ideas from one or two people. It will take many of us, working together, using multiple solutions but certainly alerting future generations to the concept is a great start.

After a dull presentation by several fourth graders, the students in Ms. Aruba-Tate’s classroom are curious about polar bears and their habitat loss. Taking advantage of a teachable moment, Aruba-Tate turns the upcoming science fair into a global warming fair. Every other student team easily decides on a project while Ivy and Bean are long on ideas but none that work. We enjoyed how they kept problem-solving, brainstorming and generally thinking outside the box until they finally come up with the coolest idea ever! I hope Barrows and Blackwell have other books cooking as this one is a hit. Any age person will love reading this newest addition of second graders, Ivy and Bean.

We can all help…Do what you can, one step at a time. Buy some reusable sacks and leave them in your car for grocery shopping. Even better find some second-hand canvas bags and reuse those as grocery bags. Do your laundry at night when usage is low or dry your clothes outside now that the weather is just beginning to warm up. Barrows includes a list of Save-the-earth ideas at the back of the book. Highly Recommended.

Quick Quote:

“Think-how do you cool down a hot thing?” asked Ivy, “Ice cubes! If we could put ice cubes up in the sky, the air would get colder, right?” “Right,” said Bean. “But how are we going to put ice cubes in the sky?” asked Ivy. “Well, in real life, they’d probably have to drop them out of airplanes, but for the science fair, we could just throw them up in the air to show what we mean.” Bean slapped her hand on the table. “Great idea! And easy, too!” (47)

Other excellent reviews:

Kathy @ Bermudaonion
first daughter @ There’s A Book

Weekend Cooking; Recipes for friends

Friends of ours came to visit for the weekend. They live in Indiana, own a bakery and are food lovers like we are. My friendship with Barb predates husbands and children, when her and I waited tables together in Denver, CO. Eventually we both married, had children, she and her husband moved back to Chicago and eventually her hometown in Indiana. She is the one friend who’s visited me anywhere I’ve moved and the year we lived in Chicago she drove in often to visit and helped me find local great stores like Stanley’s for produce. Both of us were vegetarians for years (and years)and moved back into eating meat as local options came available. Now she’s added yoga to her morning routine so we sought out a Saturday morning yoga class at a nearby wellness center as my favorite studio held a pregnancy workshop this weekend.

Friday night after school I grocery shopped for two recipes I planned to make, came home and frantically vacuumed (vacuuming is the one thing I do to make my house presentable) the house (with Groovy Girl and Teenage Boy’s help). After cleaning for about an hour (moving piles around) I poured a glass of wine and started cooking, which is truly the *second best reason for having guests over. I picked two interesting recipes that we would eat on Saturday afternoon that wouldn’t involve me being in the kitchen all Saturday afternoon-the easy place to look for a recipe like that is in my Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker book by Robin Robertson. I wanted a recipe I hadn’t made before and the Pintos Picadillos list of ingredients appealed to me. On Saturday right before dinner I also whipped up this Couscous Salad recipe from Super Suppers Cookbook 2 by Judie Byrd-I talked about this cookbook and the Angel Biscuit recipe in another Weekend Cooking post.

We ate both recipes last night with some spring salad greens and a Newman’s Own ginger dressing, which was delicious!!
Everything tasted amazing and all the adults had second helpings. My kids love Pearl Couscous but didn’t love it mixed with all the veggies. Conversation and wine flowed freely as we discussed a variety of topics and played several board games with our children. They headed home this morning and the house is quiet.

Other food-related news: April’s Vegetarian Times magazine arived in my mailbox on Friday and with all the vacuuming, cooking and hanging out I haven’t cracked the cover but I look forward to paging through it today. I checked out two awesome library books the other day…Earth to Table; Seasonal Recipes from an Organic Farm by Jeff Crump and Bettina Schormann and Reducing Your Foodprint; Farming, Cooking, and Eating for a Healthy Planet by Ellen Rodger. I will be reading these this week and I’m shocked that March is almost finished and April is right around the corner!! Hopefully, warmer weather is just as close cuz I’m still freezing here.

Two upcoming Weekend Cooking posts just waiting in my brain…My husband’s birthday was this week and I cooked several of his favorite meals, including Lamb Korma using an expensive cut of (local) lamb from our small organic store and I made Angel biscuits with a group of students after school one day last week. Oh, and I have to make a coconut pudding for a Haitian dinner on Wednesday!

Enjoy a pleasant and peaceful week…
*The number one reason for having houseguests is the shared conversation~sometimes lively, sometimes filled with laughter and sometimes in stillness.

Namaste~

Weekend Cooking is hosted by Beth Fish Reads-stop over and see what she has to say about pressure cookers and Lorna Sass!

Spring Break (slow down you move to fast…)

We are having a fantastic time in Little Rock, visiting friends and hanging out. Groovy Girl and her friend, S, daughter of V, enjoyed the zoo and a few dress-up playdates. The weather has been chilly and a bit rainy while my mother, back at our homestead, keeps texting me how warm she is sitting on our patio with our dog. Hopefully tomorrow will be warmer as we wake early to climb Pinnacle Mt. together as a family.

I’m reading Lisa See’s Shanghi Girls while we are here and I hope to finish it so the return trip I can begin another book I brought with me. We still have many more adventures before we leave and as always it will be difficult to say goodbye. I did get to eat my favorite catfish tacos today so I’m all good.

Teenage Boy and his girlfriend, Caylee

Midnight Weekend Cooking

Tonight we had friends over for a casual dinner. It’s interesting how you often make friends through your children…our children are all in the same third grade class and have been together in school since kindergarten. Even though it was casual I did clean my house. I made fresh biscuits and two pans of lasagna. And went to a two-hour 4-H meeting with G.G.

The lasagna recipe I’ve shared before (from The Grit)except this time I did make the tomato sauce but the biscuits were a new thing. The day passed so quickly I didn’t even take any photos which would have been sweet as Groovy Girl took cutting out the biscuits and dipping them in butter under her proverbial 8-year-old wing. There was flour everywhere!! I would make these biscuits again. It made a lot and according to the recipe the dough can be stored in the ice box for 3 weeks, which means you could break out a chunk of dough and make a coupla of them each night for dinner.

That recipe came from a book fair cookbook-on sale for FIVE dollars; Super Suppers Cookbook 2; More Everyday Family Recipes by Judi Byrd. I bought it because I was impressed that it had a vegetarian section and more than a few of the recipes had whole grains and beans. It also includes fun menu plans like for parties or well, um, casual dinners. Just like what we had tonight except tonight our friends brought the side dishes and I just took care of the main course. I did also make biscuits, endamame (our appetizer), green beans (kid-friendly veg.) and a spring mix salad. I have “become” my grandmother who never wanted anyone to leave her home the slightest bit hungry! We had plenty! One couple brought a rice pilaf dish with cranberries and the other couple brought cheesecake with fresh blueberries nestled on top a lovely layer of whipped cream. Yum!

Angel Biscuits

Makes 16 biscuits (I think more)

nonstick cooking spray
5 cups of flour
3 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/4-oz package yeast
1/4 cup warm water
2 cups buttermilk
Flour for rolling
1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled

One: Preheat oven to 375 degrees (okay, really you don’t need to do this until you are rolling out the biscuits, but that’s just me). Coat a 13x 9-in pan with cooking spray and set aside.

Two: in a large bowl combine the 5 cups of flour, the baking powder, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Use a pastry blender or two forks to cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Three: In a small bowl dissolve yeast in warm water, add buttermilk. (buttermilk can easily be made with a quick pour of vinegar added to reg. milk). Using a fork, stir until just moistened.

Four: Pat or lightly roll dough to 1/2-in. thick. Cut dough with a floured 2 1/4-in. biscuit cutter, rerolling scraps as necessary and dipping cutter into flour between cuts. Dip each biscuit in melted butter and place in prepared baking dish. Bake 12-15 minutes or until golden. Remove biscuits from baking dish and serve warm.

Plan Ahead: Prepare recipe through Step Three but don’t preheat oven or coat dish. Cover and refrigerate up to 3 weeks. (Bake when ready.)

Easy. I used a mix of whole wheat flour and unbleached white (KAF). I was a bit mortified by the dunking in butter so I tried one pan without dunking and they were fine but not quite as delicious/light and fluffy as the dipped. Duh.

Hope everyone’s having a marvelous weekend. Now for the rest of the weekend I plan on resting and finishing the two books I am reading; She Looks Just Like You by Amie Klempnauer Miller and Bright Young Things by Ana Godberson.