Jerry Liguori: Hawks from Every Angle: How to Identify Raptors In Flight
John James Audubon: Audubon's Birds of America Coloring Book
Lisa Bonforte: Fifty Favorite Birds Coloring Book (Dover Coloring Books)
Thornton W. Burgess: The Adventures of Sammy Jay (Childrens's Thrifts)
Priscilla Belz Jenkins: A Nest Full of Eggs (Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science, Stage 1)
Priscilla Belz Jenkins: Falcons Nest on Skyscrapers (Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science 2)
Enid Blyton: Enid Blyton's Nature Lover's Book (Centenary Fiction)
NATIONAL AUDUBON SOCIETY: National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mammals
NATIONAL AUDUBON SOCIETY: National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Seashells
NATIONAL AUDUBON SOCIETY: National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Insects and Spiders
The Speedwell
The Mayflower
The Pastry Chef
The Perfectly Fluted Crust
The Pie Assistant
The Sustenance for the Cooks
The Apples
The Cheerful Potato Peeler
The Inquisitive Onlooker Gaping at the Pies
The Marshmallower
The Spiced and Sugared Apples
The Pumpkin Pie Man
The Professional Candle Lighter (aka Altar Boy) and The Table Setter
The Place Cards
The Pies
The Young People Toasting Marshmallows
The Happy, Thankful Family at Table
Hope your Thanksgiving was a Happy and Blessed one!
Just a few simple paper things we've been enjoying lately-
I got the idea to keep a small book of new or interesting words we come across in our reading or elsewhere. I am frequently encountering new words, and sometimes even after I look them up I can't remember what they mean (I'm old). Anyone can add a word to the book along with a brief definition. (You know how we love having books to write in.)
I thought it would be fun to have a book to look through over and over again not only for vocabulary building but also the delight of recalling where the words were encountered.
My original thought was to have a word for each day, but most days end up having several words.
Adding related words is natural as well, as the dictionary can be so interesting.
This is indeed proving to be fun and everyone enjoys flipping through it from time to time to see what's new in there. I used a ready made set of tiny cards on a ring that I had on hand, but it's easy enough to make your own. I made a couple of similar books with a pack of index cards and an inexpensive scrapbooker's hole punching tool, like so:
Just punch as many holes as you can at a time and when you're done with your stack, slip them on a binder ring.
Kateri found them irresistible and asked if she could have one and of course I said yes. She then proceeded to draw pictures and write lists of characters and scenes from Siegfried which we recently watched.
Which brings me to my next point about little paper things- Having neat little blank books and cut papers and things ready to use and easily available is very enticing for young writers and artists. Just like we try to keep fresh ATC's on the art table, it's nice to have materials ready for writing. I have this pretty glass tray that I keep stocked with little books like the ringed cards. I also made up some booklets just by folding a stack of colored paper scraps and machine stitching down the center to fasten them. Little people love making tiny books like this - pictured is one of Kateri's that she's filling with wild flowers out of the field guide. In addition I keep a stack of paper scraps cut to approximately the same small size, handy for lists or memos or love notes and the like. I like to hack off any clean useable paper before tossing stuff into the recycle bin and the resulting scraps go into this attractive little dish.
Encouraging note writing is always a good thing.
And finally, since it goes along with the paper theme I'll show you my latest method of managing chores. With both boys in college I needed to re-do my chore assignments, so I typed the chores all out on colored paper - one color for each of us womenfolk. Then I punched them all out with a scalloped puncher. (Hint - if you need templates for making punches or stickers or anything this site has a ton of blank templates in multitudinous sizes.) Each person has their own little stack of scallop tags (kind of like a scrapbooker's combination of PEGS and Chorepacks)
It's very simple - when a chore is completed the person puts the tag in a little bowl.
The advantage of the tags is that I can take out tags that don't need to be done on a certain day - like if it's raining I just take out the laundry tags, or if we're very busy I can take out anything that's not essential. The little ones like it because they can carry the tags around and know what to do next. I can easily look in the bowl and see what's done and what's not. If I need to re-assign who does what or add a new chore it's as easy as making a new tag, not a whole new chart of some sort. And I like that I don't have to print out new charts every week and you don't have to find a pen to check something off. So for now it's working very nicely for us in its simplicity. I freely admit I have some girls who use the tags, some who won't touch them, and I might be the one who likes them best. I find it very encouraging to put my little tags in the bowl as I work through my daily tasks and watch my little pile shrink. I'm simple like that.
My ironing board cover had gotten scorched and was literally in shreds so I decided to make a new one. My vintage ironing board belonged to Michael's grandmother, and it is a bit larger than modern boards and thus hard to purchase a cover that fits well.
I determined I didn't want to spend any money and so I picked some thrifted fabric from my stash. I am also all about 'quick and easy' when it comes to such utilitarian projects - by using two layers of fabric it's very easy to make a casing for the elastic in spite of the odd and curvy shape of the cover. I used elastic in the cover as that's what my most recent cover had, although I remember my mother's old covers having cording that you had to pull very tightly like a drawstring. I think elastic is much easier. The cover will be reversible, so if you wanted to use two different fabrics that would work as well. Just be sure to choose fabrics that are 100% cotton so it can withstand the high temperatures of the iron. If you are going to use batting under your cover for padding, I suggest you use cotton batting for the same reason. I didn't use any new padding in mine - I left the old cover in place and just cut off the shredded top layer of fabric like so:
My piece of fabric was about 50" x 60", and I made the cover out of two layers of the same fabric. I folded the fabric in half with right sides together, then I traced around the board with a piece of chalk. Then I cut out the two pieces of fabric together approximately 4" outside of the line I drew. (If you have a very fat ironing board thickness-wise, you might want to add an even larger allowance.)
You should have two layers of cut out fabric, about 3 1/2 - 4" larger than the ironing board tracing on all sides like so:
Next stitch the two pieces, right sides together, with a 3/8" seam allowance, stitching all along the three sides of the 'U' shape of the board, leaving the straight back edge open.
Next turn the cover right side out, and press well. Turn in the raw edges of the straight back open part, about half an inch or so, and press.
Now stitch again around the whole 'U' shaped perimeter of the cover, half an inch from the edge. This will be your casing for the elastic. Next stitch the open straight edge closed, topstitching close to the edge - do not sew past your other stitching but leave the casing open so you can put your elastic in. Using a large safety pin, thread your elastic into your casing. I used 3/8" elastic which fits comfortably inside the 1/2" casing. It should look like this:
It's a loooong way around and your fingers will get tired of elastic threading. When you've got all the way around to the other side, fasten your pin so that the elastic can not come unthreaded, like so:
Now put the cover on your ironing board, and puuull the other end of the elastic until the cover fits well. Adjust your elastic and fabric gathers so everything is nice and smooth and without wrinkles.
Fasten the other end of the elastic with a pin and cut it, leaving a bit of tail sticking out.
Then stitch back and forth, zigzagging over the elastic ends well to hold them in place. Then trim the elastic.
I also recycled the velcro straps from my old cover - I just cut them off and sewed them onto the new cover in approximately the same places, but I'm not really sure this was necessary.
Also not necessary, but how could I resist - a little bit of vintage flower power trim added to the straight back end of the cover.
And if you know me, you know that's my favorite part.
Do you have your copy of Alice Cantrell's lovely calendar yet? Alice was so kind and generous to share this little gem - a whole year's worth of her delightful watercolor illustrations in a handy calendar. I've printed one out for myself, and it's fun to see them popping up on other people's desk's as well. I enjoy the cheery pictures so much I thought of another use for them. You know how we girls like to keep track of certain things from month to month, but not necessarily on the wall calendar? ;-) Behold the mini-calendar-
I printed out Alice's calendar in miniature - I adjusted the page scaling to 'multiple pages per sheet' and set it to print four pages per sheet like so-
Then I cut them with the paper cutter and prepared to connect the pieces in a year-long line. I needed to trim a bit from the top and bottom of each section to get them to line up properly - check them out before you actually tape them to make sure everything matches. You can leave them with three months on a page, or fold them tiny into a twelve way accordion style:
If you want to fold them down to one month on a side you need to also trim the side edges of your sheets before you tape them - hold your pieces up to a window and make sure all the months are aligned properly.
Once I was sure everything was trimmed up evenly, I taped them together on the back with packing tape, leaving a tiny gap so they fold easily.
I gave them a final trimming after they were taped to square things up.
Then I folded the little one up. A scoring blade in the paper cutter or folding tool is handy, and voila - a sweet little mini-calendar for you or your girls. Thanks again, Alice!
1. I am winning the war against the Japanese beetles that have invaded my yard, and I'm trying mightily to avoid the Sevin. Handpicking is working well and if you see me wandering in my yard with my red Solo cup full of suds, know it's not ale or even root beer but just soapy beetlejuice. I go outside a couple of times a day and hit all their favorite spots - the raspberries, the pussywillows, the crepe myrtle, the astilbes, the zinnias (oh, my poor zinnias). Every day there are fewer beetles. I am winning. (As this post is supposed to be about successes we will not discuss the groundhog who is actually living in my vegetable garden.)
2. I am making slow but steady progress in cleaning out and organizing all of the drawers and cupboards in my kitchen. Today we even tackled one of the drawers which could be considered a minor Junk Drawer with all of its doodads and thingamabobs that you don't know what to do with because even though you have no idea what they actually are they Look Important so you can't throw them out. I also discarded oodles of old syringes found in said drawer (fear not - they're oral syringes).
3. My daughters went outside to play and left me inside with all of the taffy they made and I didn't eat it all.
Stop by Faith and Family to check out all the other Small Successes and Terrific Triumphs! Go, Moms, go!
We had such a good time on our strawberry picking outing in June that we planned to return to the same farm for more picking. (Did you read Elizabeth's inspiring and informative article about these memorable family times in the fruit field?) And so last week we actually went cherry picking twice. After the first batch of 39 pounds was cooked or tucked away in the freezer for winter cobblers and all the pie was eaten we realized we wanted more pie. So we went back and picked just a few more - another 18 pounds. Here are some pictures and things we learned along the cherry way.
Cherry orchards are beautiful, idyllic places to be on a hot summer day.
Cherry trees are nice if you are wearing brown pants and want to camouflage yourself as a tree.
Picking cherries is easier than picking strawberries as you don't have to bend down.
Even though they are certainly not blueberries, you still have to say ker-plink, ker-plank, ker-plunk with every cherry you drop in the bowl. You also have to run through the orchard and hide now and then to make sure there aren't any bears, large or small.
Even rangers like to pick cherries as long as Farmer Maggot isn't around.
You might find some lovely surprises in the cherry trees,
as well as some most unusual nests.
Picking cherries makes you happy.
Sometimes you have to stretch up really high to reach the cherries.
Sometimes you don't actually get to pick cherries when you go cherry picking, but you have the privilege of holding down the branches so a little person can carefully do the job.
Sometimes you just have to go off chasing the little one when she decides it's time to 'fly like a birdie'.
We don't cry over spilled cherries - we just laugh and pick them all up.
Lots and lots of cherries make a pretty sight.
If you were foolish enough to wash your hair right before cherry picking a kind ranger may lend you his cloak to keep the gnats from swarming around your flowery smelling head.
But beware - he'll most certainly take your picture if you try to dash about in the field making your cloak fly.
It takes a long time to pit 39 pounds of cherries.
But taking turns is nice and a handy dandy cherry pitter is worth every penny.
Lattice topped pies certainly look beautiful but the best tasting pie is with French crumb topping made with lots of butter and just a bit of almond extract. Not that we are opinionated or anything - that's just the general consensus here. Deciding on whipped cream or ice cream is up to you. :-)
There are also a few more ideas for using sour cherries over on my cooking blog.
Outside my window...It's an overcast, misty, chilly morning. I can see Mrs. Killdeer scuttling about searching for breakfast, and a lonely tree swallow sitting atop the nest box post. It lost its mate a few weeks ago and is still in mourning. Soon the four geese will waddle up the road like they do every day for their morning stroll.
Messiah is blaring throughout the house, the bread machine is whirring, big girls are helping little ones dress dollies and Jonathan is parked in front of his laptop in the kitchen catching up on Fr. Z. I raise my teacup in a toast and unite my bliss with mothers-of-college-students everywhere who are basking in the presence of their scholars home for the holiday. Jonathan does commute but he usually heads out to 7:30 Mass before his siblings are awake and often doesn't return until they are asleep again. Needless to say Eliza is very happy and wouldn't let Josiah take her out of the car with a No! Jon-a-fin! I happily anticipate hearing lots of those over the next few days.
I wanted to share my new cloth napkins with you because I am so pleased to have finally made them:
I have wanted to switch to cloth for quite some time and I had bought pretty yardage for the project. I made about three napkins and the rest of the cut pieces have been sitting on my sewing table for ages. I enjoy the sewing but the task of ironing all of those edges was quite daunting - just the thought of turning and pressing twice those narrow hems and my fingertips can practically feel the steam burns. And then the other night I was surfing around on crafty blogs and saw a link for a napkin tutorial on reversible napkins. Did you hear me smack my head and let out the biggest, gleeful duh? I didn't even go read the tute - just the word was enough to make me realize I could make napkins without all those pressed edge hems. Yippee! So two Wiggles videos later I have a dozen lovely reversible napkins - and they feel much nicer than single layer ones as well. I also like how they look with my new fall coasters. Now I just need a clever basket liner like Jenn's.
Along the domestic lines you might be interested in my recipes for cranberry orange salad and our favorite pumpkin crumb pie over on my cooking blog. They are Thanksgiving favorites here.
Now I need to go make more tea. I asked Jonathan if he wanted a cup of tea with his cinna-scone and he said I might as well make him one. It's nice to know he can still sound like a teenage boy. ;-)
Grab your sun hat and stroll over to see The Simple Woman who has all of this week's links here.
Outside My Window...I hear the raucous coming and going of a very loud red winged blackbird. It seems to be singing the praises of the sunflower seed we put out on the deck.
I am thinking...about how hard it is for me to make sentences with all of the singing and dancing going on in here at the moment...
I am thankful for...the lovely weekend we had celebrating a birthday Friday, a special day Saturday and topped off by the boys' piano recitals on Sunday.
From the kitchen...we made chocolate chocolate chip scones for tea time. I'm planning on a salad of fresh lettuces and spinach from the garden with a tomato and rosemary focaccia for supper.
I am wearing...a sky blue knit skirt topped with a watercolory floral shirt in mixed blues, black Mary Janes with lacey patterned socks, little blue earrings.
I am creating...the beginnings of the picture in my mind of what our summer break will look like. We still have school work to finish up and then evaluations to get through before we are done, but I can dream!
I am going...to get more seeds in the ground despite a busy week ahead. I am determined to keep 'planting in succession' to keep the harvest coming in our vegetable garden.
I am reading...Prince Caspian still (blush).
I am hoping...to get a decent amount of work done this week despite the many outside engagements
I am hearing...The bread machine whirring and my little girls dancing along to Dvorak, adding a few extra notes on the piano now and then for good measure.
Around the house...warm breezes are flowing in through billowing curtains along with streaks of late-day sun.
One of my favorite things...enjoying the first produce from the garden and seeing the first blossoms from the flowers I grew from seed.
A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week...cardiologist appointment, dentist, take dinner to a friend, first Thursday Caelorum, spreading more mulch, catching up on laundry before the rains due later in the week...
Here is picture thought I am sharing...anticipation.
This is such a delightful way to share the pages of our days and to peek at those of other mothers. Many thanks go to our thoughtful hostess, The Simple Woman, who has all of this week's links here.
Outside My Window...The sky is overcast and threatening to rain on the three loads of laundry I have hanging outside. But there are little bits of hazy blue that give me hope the rain might hold off.
I am thinking...how thankful I am that right now in my life I can think about these simple things.
The joys and cares are all of the everyday, ordinary variety and as Alice once said, I am grateful for the status quo.
I am thankful for...Eliza munching on Cheerios at the moment. It is so hard to get her to eat - it is downright exciting whenever she feeds herself something. How's that for simple?
From the kitchen...I made raisin muffins this morning so Jonathan would have a snack to take with him as he went off to play organ for a funeral Requiem Mass. I will refrain from telling you how many I just ate with a cup of tea for 'lunch'. :-)
I am wearing...A very old cotton floral skirt that I made many years ago, a yellow top and matching cardigan, and my new brown Mary Janes.
I am going...To be staying in until the sniffles and such around me subside.
I am reading...Prince Caspian, in hopes of seeing the movie like my children want me to.
I am hoping...the colds and mild fevers that the children have resolve just as suddenly as they arrived, and that if Eliza gets sick too it won't be severe.
I am hearing...Eliza singing along with the Flower Fairy Alphabet, tooting on her pretend horn in all the right places.
Around the house...Is a lot of evidence that we have been spending many weekends working outside and not getting the inside chores accomplished.
One of my favorite things...Watching my children have fun together, from the two littlest singing and dancing together to the big ones working on an Edward Lear inspired film: Once there were five children named Franz, Violet, Gertrude, Amelia and Porkpie George who wanted to dig to China...
A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week...Finish planting, get the floors scrubbed, tweak the chore routines, buy more seeds, get some beading finished and start some sewing.
Here is picture thought I am sharing...First Chore:
You may want to drop in on my kitchen blog for some timesaving hints. I've just put up a post on storing baking things and one on recipes.
Teacups by Lydia
Remember these flowers?
I cut them back hard.
And then I waited, patiently bearing their barren-looking ugliness.
In due time, little green shoots began bursting forth from the seemingly dead stumps.
And then one day...
And now I have this pleasing sight to cheer me-
Hope springs eternal in the heart of every gardener, indeed.
I'm just getting around to my post-Christmas-posts. If you have a moment, please stop by my kitchen blog, A Little Something, for a peek at us baking A Lotta Cookies. How I do wish you could visit in person!
In honor of the Fall Feast to be celebrated at The Virtual Kitchen on Tuesday I am posting a couple of our fall favorites. Everyone delights in fall cooking when turning on the oven provides a bit of welcome warmth to take the chill out of the kitchen air. Appetites are hearty, garden produce is bountiful, and steaming hot tea tastes just wonderful. Even more wonderful than it did all summer. Here are two of our culinary heralds of fall.
Rice Pudding
Comfort food doesn't get any more comforting than this!
8 eggs, slightly beaten
5 cups cooked rice
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
4 1/2 cups whole milk
1 cup raisins, or more
Preheat oven to 325. Mix all ingredients in a lightly buttered four quart oven safe bowl. Place the bowl in a shallow baking pan and fill to about an inch deep with boiling water. This provides steam during the cooking process. Bake for approximately 60-90 minutes until done. A knife inserted near the center should come out clean. Delicious served warm. My husband likes his with milk on top. I do not, but it has never come between us.
10/26/07 7:10pm
7/26/07 7:36 pm
All gone!
Mom's Pumpkin Spice Cake
I just made one of these yesterday but I did not get a photo. I won't bother to show you the now empty cake platter. 'Nuf said!
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 can pumpkin (15 ounce)
2 1/4 cups flour (I use half whole wheat)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cloves
Preheat oven to 325. Grease and flour a bundt pan. Beat butter, oil and sugar in mixing bowl with a wooden spoon. Mix in eggs, then pumpkin. Add dry ingredients and stir until blended. Spread in prepared pan. Bake approximately 45 minutes or until it tests done. Cool 10 minutes, then remove from pan.
Prepare an icing with 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon cloves, and enough milk to make a proper drizzling consistency. Drizzle over cake. Enjoy with a cup of tea! You knew I'd say that ;-).
A big thank you to Kristen, our ever gracious hostess!
We enjoyed a lovely walk today in the splendid fall weather. As Monsignor said this morning, the cool, crisp autumn air is invigorating - even for a ninety-five-year-old. (!) It is interesting to walk through our neighborhood and admire the lushly landscaped yards interspersed with wild, overgrown empty lots. A bright splash of red caught my eye amidst the palette of browns in one of these barren parcels. Someone had prematurely dumped out all of their summer potted annuals and masses of flowers were resting peacefully in a tangled, colorful jumble, unaware of their rejection.
The girls started picking them up by their well-knit root balls, Look at this one! Look at that one! They are full of flowers!
Soon we were up to our old tricks. It amused me how the girls ran for the wheelbarrow with glee. They didn't question my intentions or marvel at my proposition. They delighted in hauling home all of the cast-offs, sticking them in pots and giving them a much needed dousing.
My deck has been transformed by the masses of adopted blooms. Here are a few:
It makes me think of a scene out of The Gardener.
I've always wanted to learn how to overwinter geraniums. I should get plenty of practice!
I really thought lemon poppy was my favorite scone flavor until I made these yesterday. They came out so good I had to share my recipe. Jonathan tells me I've never iced scones before but it seemed like quite the natural thing to do at the time.
Cranberry Orange Drop Scones
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 heaping tablespoon dehydrated orange peel, reconstituted in a bit of water
4 cups flour - I used half whole wheat
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup plus an extra splash of buttermilk
2 teaspoons orange extract
1 teaspoon vanilla
Craisins - approximately three handfuls
Preheat oven to 400.
Mix dry ingredients with butter using pastry blender. Mix in the eggs, flavoring and buttermilk and craisins. Stir just until blended. Drop onto cookie sheets in scone-sized dollops. I made two dozen scones and they were done after fifteen minutes. Baking times will of course depend on size and your oven. They should be lightly browned. Transfer to a rack to cool a bit.
Mix up an icing of about 1 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar and 1/4 cup or so of orange juice. Add the juice a spoon at a time until you get a thick but spreadable icing. Spread icing on warm scones and enjoy with a cup of steaming tea. These are really wonderful served warm from the oven and still delicious when tea time rolls around again in the afternoon.
I thought I would share this recipe I made up today as it turned out so yummy. I had bought two bunches of bananas, one green and one yellow, and then Michael had also bought a bunch. When the bananas are starting to go, don't go bananas but make some
Use up the Bananas
4 large ripe bananas, mashed
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1/4 cup softened butter
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350.
Mash the bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Stir in flour, salt, powder and 1/2 cup of the chips. Stir just until mixed. Spread into a greased 12 x 17 x 1" cookie sheet/jelly roll pan. Bake for 20 minutes or until done lightly browned on top. After removing the pan from the oven, spread the remaining cup of chips on top of the hot cake. If you happen to have more chips in the bottom of the bag that you are trying to finish you can of course use more. ;-) Let them melt for a few minutes and then spread them around. Serve warm cake with a glass of ice cold milk.
Plastic primates and friends are optional.
I finally feel like I can provide peeks into the corners of our new house-turned-home. This favorite spot is in the sitting room, a huge bonus room off the master bedroom. This will eventually become the sewing room, once we have a working machine. For now it is a cozy place to sit and read or perhaps crochet or do a little hand sewing. I love the floral garland over the window. Jonathan, who won't allow me to hang faux flowers on the wall in the music room, declared, It's not as bad as I thought it would look. What a guy. I also explained to him that the curtains are not too long - that is called puddling. ;-)I made the heart wreaths to get in more flowers.
The rocking chair goes back to the days before we were married. I was working with my father, a carpenter, at a house right on the beach. In the sand underneath the deck I spotted this old cast away rocker. My newly-engaged-and-about-to-marry-a-grad-student self inquired of the owner if I could have it. He of course had no use for the decrepit, peeling, sand caked item so I brought it home with glee. Michael painstakingly stripped it and re-finished it. You can't see it in the picture but it even has a bit of decorative carving on the headrest - quite a trick to get the old paint out of there. It actually has a hole in the seat where the cane used to be. I think I may have tried to replace the lattice but now it just has a piece of plywood filling the spot. I've spent many hours rocking sick or fussy little ones in this little ole rocker, so I'm quite fond of it despite it's lowly past.
My father made the little round stool, now Kateri and Eliza's favorite spot to set up a tea party.
Of course the sweetest thing in the corner is Kateri breezing through.
Thanks for dropping by and peeking in!
Long, long ago in a sandbox far, far away three siblings played happily in a sandbox of galactic proportions which their beloved Grampy had made. Alas, though the sandbox was long and wide, still conflict arose amongst the peace-loving preschoolers. The boys wanted more space in the sandbox for their winding highways and byways and threatened to encroach upon the territory of the little girl. This was chubby-cheeked Lydia, who refused to budge from her perch where she carefully fashioned her delectable looking, though sandy, confections.
It was then that she uttered her now-famous line:
A pie is more important than a road.
She said it nonchalantly, a mere statement of fact. Nana captured the moment on her then new-fangled video camera verifying that those were indeed Lydia's words. It has become a standard oft-repeated line in our family, giving us a chuckle and warm memory of that Mars-versus-Venus moment. When the raspberries are ripe and dropping from the bushes, we couldn't agree more with little Lydia's astute observation. Lydia is of course a big girl of twelve now, and with the help of her trusty assistants has been turning out more than a few raspberry pies. Just yesterday she and Mary Rose made three of them, but for some reason they are not available for photographing at present. But here's a piece-
And here's the recipe-
Raspberry Pie with No-roll Crust
We like this recipe because you just pat the crust into your pan - no rolling, no fussing. It's just child's play - easy as pie. Really. We also prefer the taste and nutrition of butter instead of shortening, and this recipe gives you a tasty cookie-like crust.
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon sugar
Scant half teaspoon salt
½ cup softened butter
3 ½ tablespoons milk
Mix crust ingredients together and pat into a pie dish – I use a 9 ½” Pyrex pie pan. Push the pastry up the sides with your fingers and form a nice edge. Prick the crust all over with a fork.
4 cups (approximately) raspberries
1 cup sugar
3 ½ tablespoons minute or instant tapioca
Mix filling ingredients gently and pour into crust. The berries should be level – you don’t want the filling mounded up like an apple pie or you’ll end up with a raspberry volcano in your oven. Bake approximately 40 minutes in a preheated 375 degree oven. The crust should be a nice golden brown. Let cool. Serve with (what else?) whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
Have your tea ready! No sand needed.
The pickin's have been rather sparse around here lately, and Jonathan recently remarked that we ate better during Lent. (!)
Hmmm...
As is often the case with commentary by the children, he nailed it precisely on the head: Mom doesn't bake because she's not hungry because she's always eating so much chocolate...
Ahem. Moving right along with this blog post -
We get home from morning Mass at ten every morning but most people are already feeling a little eleven o'clockish. The tea drinkers generally long for a little something to appear on the plate to keep their mugs company, and the milk drinkers are just plain hungry. People are looking for a Quick and Easy Delicious Something and they want it Soon. As soon as I take out a mixing bowl a Certain Someone will query how soon will it be ready? and should I put the kettle on yet? They don't even know what It is yet.
So today I made an old favorite standby, what we affectionately call "Yums". I don't remember which child named them long ago, but basically they are a quick version of cinnabuns, simply made with a sweet biscuit dough.
Preheat oven to 375°F. Blend together 1 stick of butter, 4 cups flour (I use half whole wheat), ½ cup sugar, and 1 tablespoon baking powder. While you are going at that mixture with your pastry blender, you might have a little helper to mix up the cinnamon sugar: stir two teaspoons of good cinnamon into half a cup of sugar. If you are fortunate to have another helper, that one can get started on the wet ingredients: break an egg into a glass measuring cup. Add a splash or two of vanilla, whisk it a bit with a fork, and add milk to make one cup. Gently mix this into the nicely crumbled dry ingredients just until dough holds together. Roll out into a rectangular sort of shape. Spread dough with a stick of softened butter and then sprinkle with the freshly mixed cinnamon sugar that your littlest helper prepared. Roll up along the long edge into a probably somewhat untidy but friendly shaggy log. Slice into nice fat cinnabuns and place on cookie sheet, around 25 or so depending on how big you make them. Bake for approximately 18 minutes or until done (lightly browned). While they are baking your assistant can mix up the icing: one cup of confectioner’s sugar with enough milk to make a spreadable icing. My helpers always play the game of adding too much milk – oh dear it’s too runny! Must add more sugar – drat now it’s too stiff – needs more milk etc. until they’ve practically doubled the icing amount. But no one ever complains. Don’t forget to put the kettle on while the Yums bake. Try to let them cool a bit before spreading with the icing. Kateri thought these were downright Yummy!
An even simpler and faster version of this treat is Flat Yum. (We are just so creative with our titles, no? I’m pretty sure a Boy named this one.) You can just roll the dough out right on the cookie sheet into a freeform about half an inch thick. Spread with the butter and cinnamon sugar and then cover generously with sliced almonds. You can use almond extract in the dough instead of vanilla if it’s handy. Bake and ice in the same manner. Cut into square-ish pieces and serve. I can almost smell those delicious toasted almonds on top...
Edited to add: a picture of Flat Yum! (So embarrassing, but that's really what they call it.) Please note that if you are accustomed to salt in your baked goods you would probably want to add about half a teaspoon to the above recipe. It is easiest to roll it out right on the cookie sheet, preferably one that is rimless. Easy as, well really a whole lot easier than, pie.
The kitchen is buzzing with activity and my little aproned busy bees are aflutter with excitement!
The boys have actually voluntarily cleaned their rooms! You can see the floors! This is huge. Makes me want to say the A-word!
But back to the kitchen...
Three dozen eggs are cooling and awaiting their colorful hues.
The Lily Mints are being shaped with care. The Birds Nests are sitting pretty.
And Jonathan is getting the Kalacs started. After lunch break we'll start on the poppy and nut rolls...
Birds Nests
In a large glass bowl combine
¼ cup butter
¼ cup peanut butter
¼ cup chocolate chips
Microwave until melted.
Add 4 ½ cups marshmallows and microwave until melted, about 30 seconds more. Stir until blended. Then mix in 4 ½ cups chow mein noodles. Butter your hands and shape mixture into little nests. Set them on wax paper and add candy malted eggs or jelly beans. They will set and dry a bit after they cool so they’re not so sticky. One recipe makes about 18 nests.
If you double this recipe (we always do) you’ll need two bags of noodles. These are a fun and easy treat for the children to make. We have also made them for a bird themed birthday party, and they would also go along great with any bird study. Buy some extra ‘robins egg’ malted eggs now while they are available if you wish to make them again later in the year.
My Grandmother’s Kalacs
This is the Hungarian version of Easter bread. It’s similar to any of a number of traditional Eastern European sweet breads, rich in eggs and milk, made for the holidays. As written this recipe makes two large round loaves. You guessed it – we always double it and make four.
¾ cup butter, melted
2 cups warm milk
4 teaspoons yeast dissolved in ¼ cup warm water
7 cups unbleached flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3 beaten egg yolks
Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add the milk and yeast mixtures and knead 10-15 minutes. We double this recipe and mix it in our electric mixer for about 15 minutes. Form into a smooth ball, cover and let rise at least until doubled. Deflate and divide in two pieces. Flatten out each piece and sprinkle with about a third of a cup of cinnamon sugar and a handful or two of raisins.
I just sort of roll the dough up from the edges and seal in the goodies, then I flip it over and give it a final rounding with my hands. Place loaves on greased cookie sheets and let rise until doubled. Brush with beaten egg. Bake in a preheated 350 oven for 45 minutes or until done. Their crusts will be dark due to all of the sugar and dairy. Try to let it cool at least a bit before slicing. Some like it buttered, some are scandalized at the thought. If by some chance it is not all gobbled up while fresh it is delicious toasted. Splendid with tea! We will of course be exercising a final push of Lenten self-restraint and saving it for Easter breakfast.
Hope you are having a happy, holy, Holy Saturday!
We have been making slow but steady progress in getting unpacked and settled here. When we first looked at this house we called it The Big House to distinguish it from other houses. When it became apparent that we were going to purchase it we simply called it The House. If we were meeting with the builder or realtor or something we would say we were going to The House. We recently realized we now call our former dwelling place The House. Which means that this house is now, drum roll please, Home.
We have been trying to refresh and upgrade our furnishings a bit as this is such a nice, new fancy house. We can’t quite bring ourselves to slap a three foot white board on the kitchen wall, or plaster maps all over the place, or decorate with plastic baskets full of Cuisenaire rods and fraction circles. We still have those things of course, but they now live happily hidden away in cupboards.
But some things are part of our way of life and cannot be changed. We still have a reading nook on the living room floor, so I guess it will never qualify as a formal parlor. We’ve upgraded to natural baskets for the books and some new posh tasseled pillows that look like they came off of Lasaraleen’s litter.
Yes sir, things are getting downright cozy around here and everyone feels very much at home.
Jonathan should have realized that if he chose to wash dishes in such a, um, relaxed manner then surely he’s just asking to be photographed. Oh, the perils of having a Mother Who Blogs!
Here’s a peek at another random bit of Home. The girls have their own bathroom now, so naturally we decorated it with pink. I purchased some cute mugs at the craft store for a dollar each – one for toothbrushes and one for decoration with some flowers. When they get dirty they can just pop in the dishwasher – no more of those impossible-to-clean fancy toothbrush holders! I printed out the Morning Offering on pink cardstock, Lydia decorated it, and then I popped it into a plastic frame (another dollar find at the craft store). Despite the rush to get ready for morning Mass they will have a nice reminder to say morning prayers.
One last note, just so you know. You can take that scone recipe and change it to Cranberry Orange Scones. Use orange peel and orange extract instead of the lemon, skip the poppy seeds and add a cup of craisins. I asked Jonathan which flavor he thought was better. He said the ones that are warm and fresh from the oven. Practical guy, no?
Thanks for visiting and have a blessed day!
During Lent we give up sweet treats like cookies and cake and chocolate (but not Chocolate Eyes). But I have growing children who, like Pooh and Hobbits, take six meals a day when they can get them. So we do still eat muffins and scones for elevenses and vanilla ice cream for bedtime snack. Many of my recipes are still at the old house, so today I made up these:
Lemon Poppy Drop Scones
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon dehydrated lemon peel, reconstituted in a bit of water
¼ cup poppy seeds
4 cups flour - I used 3 cups white and 1 cup whole wheat. I would usually use more whole what in scones but it tends to mask the lemon flavor.
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup plus an extra splash of buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla – Lemon extract would have been nice but I couldn’t find it. Add it to the buttermilk.
Preheat oven. I usually bake scones at about 400. With my fancy new convection oven I used 375. Mix dry ingredients with butter using pastry blender. Mix in the eggs and flavored buttermilk. Stir just until blended. Drop onto cookie sheets in scone-sized dallops. I made 18 rather big scones and they were done after fifteen minutes. Baking times will of course depend on size and your oven. They should be lightly browned. Utterly delicious with a cup of tea! And yes, Dad, we saved you some!
It's been over a year since we began our quest for a new, larger house. With our family of nine in a three bedroom house it was rather cozy. Actually it was quite crowded and we felt like mice in a maze. We had a crib and two pack-n-plays in our bedroom. It was so crazy in there I had to climb up on top of a night table and then jump down into a square foot of floor space in order to get into my closet. The front hall closet was approximately 18" wide. We were forever tripping over coats and boots and fleeces that always fell off of their hooks on the wall because there were about four times as many coats as hooks. The kitchen table was also the main learning surface and so meals were often taken with family members peering at each other across the table through mountains of books - the classic homeschool kitchen table. We could never really tidy it all up and put things away because there was no place to put it all.
And so we set out with these grand ideas of buying another house. We didn’t think it would take very long. After all, we found and purchased our current home during the span of a three day house-hunting trip. We started looking at listings online. Everything looked so lovely compared to our little house - just pick one and buy...
But it all turned out to be so complicated. So many of the larger homes are now built on teeny weeny lots. Instead of being claustrophobic inside our house we could get claustrophobia driving through the developments. So many of the newer homes don’t seem to be built for anyone to actually live in. Listings boast ridiculous things like “Master bath to die for!” And then you find an 11x11 bathroom, which happens to be the same size as the supposed living room. As the realtor commented, you’re expected to stick your two fancy wing chairs in there and never set foot in it again. We spent many Saturday mornings wasting away the hours looking at houses that wouldn’t work for us. Every house had a glitch. Or a ditch. After looking at several houses proximate to drainage ditches it became the standing joke with our realtor. Michael took to using Google Earth to rule out houses near holding ponds. There was one house we actually went back to look at a second time, with hopes of buying. But we then realized we couldn’t fit our kitchen table in the kitchen! Everyone knows the kitchen is the heart of the home, and no one wants a heart that is too small.
We looked at some doozeys. We’ll never forget Cabbage House, though some in the family insist it was Radish House. Need I say more? There were numerous variations of Balcony House; great for playing Sound of Music, but just visiting produced nightmares in my acrophobic children. Then there was the house with the built-in idol cabinet. We ran for the holy water after that one. We really loved one house, but the lot was so steep even our realtor joked we would lose the children as they rolled away down the hill. And at the bottom was the drainage pit.
We wondered if we were being too picky. But it’s hard to spend such a huge amount of money on something you don’t really like. I was often tempted to downright fret. What are we going to doooo? Okay, perhaps I succumbed to said temptation on occasion, with a bit of whining thrown in for good measure. Patience. Patience. The Lord kept trying to teach me patience and I’m a sloooooooow learner. But...
Glory be to God, whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine. Glory be to Him from generation to generation, in the Church and in Christ Jesus. Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21
This was the verse that stuck in my head and came to my mind spontaneously over and over again through it all. Infinitely more than we can ask or imagine. Well, now, I would ponder to myself; why should He give us infinitely more than we can ask or imagine? We don’t deserve anything.
For Michael, it was all very simple. (He’s a man.) He saw it like the Wedding Feast at Cana. Mary simply pointed out they have need of more wine. And he saw her simply pointing out they have need of more house.
Well, He gave us this
Our realtor personally sent us the listing, which didn’t come to us automatically as it was way beyond our price range. I responded with an email to Michael, “Is this some sort of joke? Did we win the lottery or something?” But Dear Husband thought we should go look at it, because it had everything on our wish list. Facing north, good size level lot, lots of bedrooms, no balconies, good location, big kitchen, even a front porch! So we went.
I didn’t like it.
It was just too much. Too big. Too luxurious. Too expensive. I remember muttering to Michael, “Get me out of here.” It was overwhelming.
And so we started inquiring about another house the same builder was working on. But it was much smaller. Not a private lot. Michael said maybe we could swing the Big House. We never could have even considered it a year ago. But maybe... He wanted to look at it again. “Wwwhhhyyy?” I wwhhiiiined. “It’s got everything we’ve been looking for,” he wisely replied. So we went to look. “What do you think?” my Dear Husband asked me.
“I love it! What was I nuts before? It’s gorgeous!”
“I’ll buy it for you, Dear.”
(After living with me for over twenty years he’s got quite a handle on this Patience thing.)
And so here we all are. After a little back and forth our offer was accepted. A few alterations had to be made: a wall to close off the Music Room, a tiny bit of a stair balcony to close off. Within a few weeks we closed, and then we decided to move Sooner rather than Later. Why stay in the Mouse House? Michael called movers late on a Monday afternoon. They had a cancellation and could move us that Friday! We packed up as much as we could in three days so we could move and start living here. In a couple weeks we’ll finish up and move the cellar and garage contents.
I’ll never forget waking up that first morning in our new house. The sun was streaming in our bedroom windows, gleaming on the hardwood floors, Michael bringing me my fresh hot tea as always, Mozart wafting through the whole house via the Nutone. I asked Mary Rose how she liked sleeping in a real bed. “It feels like I’m in a hotel,” she sweetly replied. I know how you feel, dear.
We’re still pinching ourselves.
Glory be to God, whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine. Glory be to Him from generation to generation, in the Church and in Christ Jesus. Amen!
When I was a little girl, all of my Birthday Cakes were vanilla ice cream cakes with chocolate crunchies in the middle. This was fine with me, because I loved those cakes and they were always a treat. But when I was in college and my parents visited on my mother's birthday, I actually baked a chocolate birthday cake. And then my friend Michael said we had to decorate it. He then proceeded to mix up numerous tiny bowls of colored frosting. Next he rolled miniature cones of waxed paper and filled them with the frosting. I watched in amazement as he wrote Happy Birthday in lovely script and covered the cake with flowers and vines as he skillfully wielded his little wax paper cones. I was enchanted. Of course I married this clever man. And since then, for over twenty years, we've had countless homemade birthday and every other occasion cakes.
Now, don't get me wrong. Our cakes don't look like they came from Wilton graduates, because they don't. But they are delicious, made with real butter and eggs, and taste wonderfully homemade, because they are. We have a giant 11x15 cake pan that we use for all special occasions. For chocolate cake we just double the recipe on the back of the Hershey Cocoa can. For white cake we use the following recipe, absolutely delicious alongside Turkey Hill Vanilla Ice Cream. (Guess we're partial to local brands.)
Vanilla Cake
As written, I think this recipe makes three 8 or 9" rounds, though I've never tried it that way. We double this recipe to make a large 11x15 cake. Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour your cake pan.
Beat the egg whites until stiff. In a large mixing bowl cream butter and sugar, add yolks and vanilla. Gradually mix in dry ingredients and milk. Fold in egg whites. Spread into prepared pan and bake until cake tests done. Start checking it after 25 minutes, but it usually needs at least another 10-20 minutes more. Top will be a lovely golden color. Cool for a while then turn out onto a rack to finish cooling before frosting.
Frost with Buttercream Frosting:
For a large cake we use 2 sticks softened butter, 10 cups powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon vanilla, and sufficient milk. Beat together into frosting. :-)
The children are now most often the ones to make each other's birthday cakes. Most recently we had a Narnian dwarf atop Josiah's birthday cake, made by Jonathan. And here is the cake Jonathan made us for our 20th Anniversary last August:
Here is a cake Jonathan made for our Monsignor T. on the occasion of his 94th birthday. It has the diocesan coat of arms, as he is the oldest priest in our diocese.
Narnia fans can't just go out and get a chocolate Wardrobe cake at a bakery, like this one Lydia made for Mary Rose. Or a cake with a lily and a rose like this one I actually made for Kateri Therese's baptism:
And here is the aircraft carrier made for Josiah by Jonathan, with frosting fingerprints texturizing by Eliza.
So there you have almost a year's worth of our Family Style Birthday Cakes. The children have a great time making these for each other, creating memories and traditions as well as yummy cakes. And for all of us, it's downright Lovely.
Thank you to Cheryl for hosting this most delicious fair! Pour another cup of tea and stop by some of the other lovely blogs for more Loveliness of Baking.
I've been tagged for my first meme by dear Katherine! I've been having lots of fun since joining the blogosphere and I hereby tag Bridget and Suzanne.
Aprons – Y/N?
Whenever I’m cooking. I’ve heard my grandmother never boiled water without one, so I guess I’m like her.
Baking – Favorite thing to bake:
Cookies! Scones! Cinnamon buns! Although favorite baked thing to eat is Jonathan’s bread hot from the oven with homemade raspberry jam. Ahhh, summer...
Clothesline – Y/N?
We use drying racks, not a line. Neither my mother, nor any of my aunts, had a drier so I don’t either.
Donuts – Have you ever made them?
Yes, a few times. Someday I’d like to make Hungarian fank.
Every day – One homemaking thing you do every day:
Make lots of tea!
Freezer – Do you have a separate deep freeze?
No.
Garbage Disposal – Y/N?
No, we compost.
Handbook – What is your favorite homemaking resource?
The 4Real ladies inspire me!
Ironing – Love it or hate it?
I don’t mind it but I can’t find time for it. Love those wrinkle resistant men’s shirts!
Junk drawer – Y/N? Where is it?
In the kitchen, of course.
Kitchen: Design & Decorating?
It’s pale blue with a floral border, of course.
Love – What is your favorite part of homemaking?
Sitting down with my family to enjoy whatever wonderful things we have baked for the day, with a fresh hot cup of tea (of course).
Mop – Y/N?
Isn’t that what teenage boys are for?
Nylons – Wash by hand or in the washing machine?
In my house the term “hand wash” only refers to washing one’s hands.
Oven – Do you use the window or open the oven to check?
Open the door.
Pizza – What do you put on yours?
Lots of mushrooms and red peppers; black olives, purple onions and tomatoes too if I have them.
Quiet – What do you do during the day when you get a quiet moment?
Fall asleep in my nursing chair….
Recipe card box – Y/N?
I actually have this ridiculous enormous expanding file stuffed with all sorts of clippings and scribbled recipes (from when someone says, “Mom, that was good! Write it down!). Someday I hope to copy the recipes, transfer it all to a nice binder and discard the historical artifacts.
Style of house –
Traditional colonial.
Tablecloths and napkins – Y/N?
Cloth tablecloths and paper napkins.
Under the kitchen sink – Organized or toxic wasteland?
Somewhat organized.
Vacuum – How many times per week?
Theoretically once a day in the kitchen, twice a week in the living room, weekly everywhere else.
Wash – How many loads of laundry do you do per week?
Around a dozen.
X’s – Do you keep a daily list of things to do that you cross off?
No.
Yard – Y/N? Who does what?
I am the head gardener, both flower and vegetable, but I delegate much to my helpful family. My teenage son mows. My dear husband tills. Jonathan and Lydia enjoy pruning the raspberries together. Everyone helps with weeding and spring/fall clean up. We enjoy working hard together outdoors.
Zzz’s – What is your last homemaking task for the day before going to bed?
I log off the computer, turn off the lights and music, and carry the sleeping baby upstairs. I try to put out my husband’s clothes for the next day as he really appreciates that, but it depends on the baby staying asleep.
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