TEENPACT!!!!

The annual TeenPact State Class in Virginia took place a few weeks ago! Holly went back as a returning student, which meant she had additional homework (two essays, one pro, one con, on entitlements). This was Trevor's first year going up for the whole week. This was the first year that Virginia had two separate week-long sessions, each of which had about 50 attendees, plus another dozen staffers.

Trevor's friend Kurt also came along. We all rode up together, dropping stuff off at the boy scout camp prior to heading into Richmond for lunch (Q-Doba!) and then meeting at the conference area near the Capitol.



It was nice for Holly and Trevor to know much more what to expect this time around. The ultra-conservative dress code was a non-issue this year; Holly knew ahead of time what outfits she would wear. Trevor and Kurt raided the closet of Kurt's big brothers' outgrown clothes to take their pick of suits. Really, such a blessing, as Trevor was gifted with two suits and a practically new pair of dress shoes. Too funny that he's 5'9" and still getting hand-me-downs!


Unfortunately, Trevor came down with a cold that he'd been trying to fight. He wasn't feeling well late Tuesday and threw up Wednesday morning (typical of him). We texted back and forth all day, trying to decide to make the three hour drive, or seeing if he could stick it out. Robert ended up driving out to get him; poor kid fell asleep within minutes of hitting the interstate and slept the entire way home. While it was a disappointment that he couldn't finish out the week, it was definitely the best decision.

Judy and I drove back up on Thursday, stopping to pick up the kids' luggage before meeting them in Richmond.

See Sozy-the-bear on Holly's bunk? He goes everywhere with her--even Peru. Seriously.

We stopped for lunch at a fabulous little Greek restaurant, where I had falafel. I haven't had this since we lived in Denver ten years ago! Oh.my.goodness. Heaven on a plate. I replicated it at home and will have to post the recipe.

The afternoon program included a demonstration of the mock legislature for which TeenPact is famous, along with several amazing speeches written by students who'd won mock elections during the week. It's so encouraging to watch these kids in action and to know that they are the next generation to lead our country.

Holly, of course, had a great week and is planning to attend a few events this year that are open only to alumni. Trevor enjoyed himself too but is looking forward to next year when he can go again. We love TeenPact. It's one of those extras that isn't cheap, but it's well worth doing whatever we can to make sure the kids can participate.

Civil Air Patrol

Just a few photos I snapped



when I picked up Trevor one night last month.

And more recipes

When friends came for dinner last month, I had a total of nine people to feed. Four of these were teenaged boys, the smallest of which was Trevor (who is taller than me). I needed something filling, inexpensive and easy--oh, and of course good tasting! I didn't tell Robert I was trying a new recipe. He would not think it was such a good idea, but he turned out to be the biggest fan. He's requested this as our new taco recipe, whether we're feeding a crowd or not.

BETTER TACOS

2 T. oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 large garlic cloves, minced
3 T. chili powder
2 t. oregano
1 T. cumin
3 lbs. lean ground beef
14.5 oz. can petite diced tomatoes (undrained)
salt/pepper to taste
1/4 c. cornmeal

Heat oil in large skillet until shimmering. Add onion; saute until soft, about 5 mins. Add garlic, chili powder, oregano, cumin; saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add beef and cook, stirring often, until it loses its raw color. Stir in tomatoes; simmer to blend flavors, about 5 mins. Add salt/pepper, and stir in cornmeal. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened (almost immediately).

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Although my strategy to try out new recipes is unplanned, it's working. I'm slipping in more and more untried dishes when we have company over. Robert doesn't get as nervous anymore, and things are turning out GOOD!

GREEK TORTELLINI SALAD

2 9-oz. packages refrigerated cheese tortellini (I've been using frozen, which is less than half the cost)
1/2 c. oil
1/4 c. lemon juice
1/4 c. red wine vinegar
2 T. chopped fresh parsley
1 t. oregano
1/2 t. salt
6 hard boiled eggs
1 lb. baby spinach leaves
1 c. crumbled feta cheese
1/2 c. slivered red onion

Prepare tortellini to al dente; drain.

In large bowl, mix oil, lemon juice, vinegar, parsley, oregano, salt. Add tortellini, tossing to coat. Cover and chill at least two hours.

Prior to serving, gently fold in spinach, feta, egg and onion.

Serves: a lot.

More recipes

Kurt made this for Thanksgiving, and we liked it so much that Holly made it for Christmas.

Chocolate Pecan Pie

1 9-inch unbaked pie crust
3 eggs
2/3 c. white sugar
1/2 t. salt
1/3 c. butter, melted
1 c. light corn syrup
1 c. pecan halves
1-1/2 c. semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 374.

Beat eggs, sugar, salt, butter, syrup with hand beater. Stir in pecans and chocolate chips. Pour into pie shell.

Bake until set, 40-50 mins. Cool.

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Thanks to the encouragement of two friends, along with the beautifully simple glass pie plates Robert bought me for Christmas, I gave this a try. It was so easy, and my family sucked this down like they hadn't eaten in a month. Makes a mom feel good to see her family so happy!

Apple Pomegranate Crumb Pie

9 inch unbaked pie shell
6 c. thinly sliced apples
1 T. lemon juice (optional)
3/4 c. white sugar
2 T. flour
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/8 t. nutmeg
seeds from one pomegranate
1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. brown sugar
3 T. butter

Preheat oven to 375.

Place sliced apples in large bowl. Sprinkle with lemon juice if desired. Top with white sugar, 2 T. flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and pomegranate seeds. Todd gently until apples are evenly coated. Spoon into pastry shell.

In a small bowl, mix together 1/2 c. flour and brown sugar. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. (Oh for heaven's sake, I stick the butter in the microwave until it's melted or close to it, and then mash in everything else. Let's keep this simple.) Sprinkle--or loosely spread--mixture over apple filling. Cover top loosely with aluminum foil.

Bake in preheated oven for 25 mins. Remove foil and bake an additional 25-30 mins. until top is golden brown. (Mine took a lot more time.) Cool on wire rack.

Optional: omit pomegranate seeds, and add 1/2 c. raisins and 1/2 c. walnuts (or any combination thereof).

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VALENTINE TREATS!

Oh crunchy, salty pretzels, sweet chocolate--how do I love thee?? (Quite a lot.) These little babies prompted me to join Pinterest. It's my new addiction; at least it is now that these treats are gone.


Ingredients:

square pretzels
Hershey Hugs (can use Kisses, but Hugs apparently soften better
plain M&Ms

Preheat oven to 200

Line a cookie sheet with wax paper. Place pretzels on and top each with a Hug. (I bought a "regular" bag of Hugs, whatever that is, and made 80 candies.)

Bake 4-5 minutes until chocolate is shiny and soft--but NOT melting. They should still hold their shape.

Remove from oven and arefully place an M&M in the center of each Hug and press it down to spread the chocolate.

Allow to cool completely (a few minutes in the fridge works perfectly) and enjoy!

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Last, but not least, Valentine cupcakes that Holly and Trevor absolutely adored. What I love about these is that you can change the cake mix/frosting to suit any occasion.

VALENTINE CUPCAKES (click title for picture)

1 19-oz. package of brownie mix
1 18-oz. package of cake mix (for Valentine's Day, I chose strawberry cake)
1 batch of cake frosting (I used canned, and I chose vanilla)

Prepare brownie mix in one bowl.

Prepare cake mix in second bowl.

Place cupcake papers in muffin tins, and fill each 1/3 of the way full with brownie batter. Top with cake batter so that muffins are about 2/3 full.

Bake at 350 for about 20 mins. until done; cool on wire rack. Frost when cooled. These freeze really well too.

• 1 (19.5 ounce) package brownie mix
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 (18.25 ounce) package white cake mix
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 1/3 cups water
• 3 egg whites

Directions

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line 48 muffin cups with

Recipes to note

I may not be blogging much, but I've been doing a ton of cooking. How can I remember all of these great recipes?

PINEAPPLE SALSA

Healthy, yummy, inexpensive--the perfect food!

2 c. chopped pineapple
1 c. chopped red and/or green pepper
1/2 c. chopped red onion (or plain, or whatever)
1/4 c. lemon juice
3 T. chopped cilantro (as if I could stop at three)
1 fresh jalapeno, seeded, finely chopped (I use jarred)

Blend all ingredients, and if you can stand to wait, let set in a bowl in fridge for 4-24 hours, stirring occasionally, to allow flavors to blend.

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NEVER Buy Pizza Sauce Again!

15 oz. can tomato sauce
6 oz. can tomato paste
1 T. ground oregano
1-1/2 t. dried minced garlic
1 t. paprika

In small bowl, mix tomato sauce and paste together until smooth. Stir in remaining ingredients.

Christmas ornaments!

Yes, I know it's two months after Christmas, but if I don't post these now, it may never happen.

I saw a terrific video on YouTube describing these ornaments that I made with Trevor and Holly. Unfortunately, that web site has been long forgotten. But my craft shopping afternoon turned out to be so surprisingly fun. I headed to Michael's, completely dreading it. The stores are always a mess, and it was Christmas, a time when I try to avoid the stores. And I was alone; no one wanted to come with me. Oh yeah, and it was raining.

It's been a long time since I've been shopping for crafts. My first find was a large circle cutter. I didn't even know these things exist. Imagine a giant hole punch--perfect to make these ornaments--and even better, it was 40% off. I also found heavyweight craft paper with assorted holiday prints. I actually enjoyed the shopping, totally unexpectedly, which made it even more fun. Ooh, and the pretty cording was on a great sale too!

I loved these. I thought they were so cute. It was one more (pathetically desperate) attempt to DO something with Holly and Trevor. They weren't quite as enthusiastic, but I'm sure I more than made up for it. And *I* had a really good time that I'll remember forever. :)


Ever since Holly and Trevor were little, we've bought them an ornament each Christmas with some sort of special meaning from the year that's passed. Sometimes they are fancy, sometimes silly, sometimes perfect fits, sometimes a little more random.

I don't have to say that, each year, we enjoy looking at all the ornaments and remembering back. These are ornaments that will eventually hang on Holly's and Trevor's own trees when they are adults.

Trevor's ornament this year signified his participation in the Civil Air Patrol; Holly's memorialized her missions trip to Peru.


Lastly, Robert and I have always done the same for each other. This is not the first year we've bought (almost) identical ornaments for each other. It was quite the surprise!!

Bird

Robert has a knack for spotting birds. I go through life oblivious to everything, and he's always pointing out things that he actually sees. He spotted this bird from our living room. It was in a tree in the neighbor's back yard, across the street from us.



Drying his wings in the sun, this was taken just after Christmas.

Turkey vultures. Fascinating birds, kind of creepy, doing a job that no one else wants to do.

And that is all . . .

From back in November.

Let us never forget that a 3 degree angle depicting a plane's 4 mile descent over the ground before landing does not resemble this:

L


Just take that L and put it right on your forehead.

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I should make a label for private jokes that will not be revealed publicly!

Sledding!

Beautiful day after the snow!



I was out taking pictures before anyone else (at my house) was out of bed.



Holly's chemistry class had already been cancelled, which opened up our school day quite a bit.



With plans to go sledding, we postponed the start of school work this morning, hopped in the truck, and headed for the nearby sledding hill.



Although I'm sure there was no (public) school today, we were the only people there!


Hahahaha! Holly eats it.


And still has snow on top of her head!



Robert watched from the bottom of the hill.


Lucky ran himself out. He's 11, and we have to lift him into the back of the truck. While he happily lays on his pillow all day long, he loves running free when he has the chance. For awhile, he missed living in the country, where he'd just take off for a few hours. Holly and I were so happy to bring him--he's still healthy, but we never know if it might be the last time he plays in the snow like this!


What a perfect snow. No plans, wet and heavy, melting off the roads early today. It's great to have the opportunity to sled, and it's hard to believe we'll be playing soccer here in six weeks!

First snow of the season!!

Yesterday was in the mid-50s. The snow began falling this morning and should end sometime tonight. Robert's making soup, and we baked a Marie Callendar's Razzleberry pie for dessert. Fire in the fireplace, and the first show of the new Amazing Race season! Perfect night!

Cooking School

Oh, I've been inspired!!

I've recently read two really great books, The Kitchen Counter Cooking School and The Sharper the Knife, the Less You Cry, both by Kathleen Flinn. They aren't cookbooks, and yet I feel like I've become a better cook practically overnight just by reading. During a mid-life crisis/job loss, Flinn decides to enroll in Cordon Bleu, and she shares her story in The Sharper Your Knife. Later, while living in Seattle, and again facing a job crisis, she begins giving cooking lessons to women who know virtually nothing about preparing (even remotely) healthy meals at home.

The first thing I did was subject my family to a taste test. Our regular table salt in one bowl, kosher salt in the other. The kosher salt won, hands down. What an unbelievable difference! The table salt clearly is only good for things like homemade playdoh (not that I make much of that anymore).

I've made this soup; easy, fast, and good. The meat, in particular, was delicious, and even the tomato bits were not bad.

Not-Really Minestrone Soup

1-1/2 lbs. lean beef, cut into bite sized cubes
2 T. oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
2 quarts beef stock
1 c. spaghetti sauce
4 cloves garlic, minced
14 oz. can of beans, drained
28 oz. can tomatoes, undrained
1 T. dried mixed Italian herbs
1 bay leaf
1 can mixed vegetables
1 c. elbow macaroni
grated parmesan cheese

The beauty of this recipe is in its adaptability. What do you have in your pantry and fridge? All the fresh vegetables? Some? Substitute something else, or skip what you don't have. What kind of beans do you like? White? Navy? Kidney? Something else? How about tomatoes? Try fire-roasted, or diced, or Italian style. Nothing labeled "Italian herbs"? Toss in a variety of oregano, basil, thyme, etc. Don't have canned mixed vegetables? How about frozen? What pasta can you use up, instead of macaroni?

Directions:

In a large Dutch oven, sear the meat in oil over high heat until very brown. Remove meat from pan; pour off excess fat. Add onions, carrots, celery, and cook until tender, stirring around the bottom and edges of the pan. Add the stock, browned meat, spaghetti sauce, garlic, beans, tomatoes, herbs and a few grinds of fresh pepper. Bring to a boil, skimming if necessary, then cover and reduce heat to simmer for about two hours. Skim and stir occasionally. Add more water if needed during cooking. Add the vegetables and the macaroni and cook another half hour. Check seasonings, adding Tabasco and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with a bit of parmesan atop each bowl.

Serves 8-10.
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She also included a recipe for no-knead bread. I found a similar one that I could specifically make in my new cast iron Dutch oven. I don't consider myself a baker, and I'm particularly not a bread baker. Although this requires little effort (even less for me, since Trevor did all of the measuring/mixing), it takes time. The dough must rise overnight. I'm making this again, later today.

No-Knead Artisan Style Bread

3 c. regular flour
1 t. active dry yeast
2 t. salt (Kosher, you'd better believe it!)
1-2/3 c. warm water (110 degrees)
Optional herbs: 1 t. chopped fresh rosemary and/or thyme and/or sage

Combine the flour, yeast, and salt in a large bowl and mix to combine. Add the water and herbs, if using, and mix well. The dough will be very sticky and shaggy-looking. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature for 18 to 24 hours.

Generously flour a work surface. The dough will have risen and will be covered in bubbles. Transfer the dough to the work surface and dust it with flour. Fold the dough in half, and then form the dough into a ball by stretching and tucking the edges of the dough underneath the ball.

Liberally flour a kitchen towel (do not use terrycloth). Place the dough ball on the floured towel. Cover with another floured towel. Let the dough rise for about two hours.

Preheat an oven to 450. Place a lidded Dutch oven or deep heavy duty casserole dish (with lid) into the oven to preheat.

Carefully remove the hot baking dish from the oven. Remove the lid and gently turn the dough ball into the ungreased baking dish, seam-side up; shake the dish so the dough is more evenly distributed.

Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and bake until the crust is golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the loaf from the baking dish and let it cool on a rack before slicing.

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These were fun and entertaining books, fun reads that really taught me simple cooking basics. These books have impacted our family. As I type, Robert's beef noodle soup is on the stove cooking. He's searched for years for the best way to get the flavor from the bones--this time, he's roasted them in the oven prior to simmering, based on recommendations from Flinn's books. I'm so encouraged!

Book Reviews

How many times have I said I.must.get.back.to.blogging. Posts that have been sitting on my "Drafts" list for awhile include books I've read during the past two months:

Sisterhood Everlasting by Ann Brashares

The first four books in the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series were written several years ago as young adult fiction. I noticed my library also had books by this author in the adult section and was thrilled to find that there is a new installment in the series.

It's ten years later, and while the girls want to believe they have their same close bond, they don't. Tibby gifts them all with plane tickets to meet in Santorini, Greece at the home of Lena's grandparents. This gathering again puts the girls at the forefronts of each others' lives, pushing them to reevaluate priorities and shed old ways.

It was a complete page turner, and I cried several times while reading. Brashares isn't the best writer or a particularly brilliant storyteller, but she has a genuine talent for describing friendships that sucks me in every time. I hope she picks up this story again down the road; meanwhile, I'll have to be satisfied with anything else of hers I can find.

The Last Summer (of You & Me) by Ann Brashares

Ahaha, another Ann Brashares book, but this was definitely not up to her usual work. Oh well. Continue on!

New Kids: Big Dreams and Brave Journeys at a High School for Immigrant Teens by Brooke Hauser

This looked, even from its title, to be an interesting book, and I ordered it for our Young Adult section. While the story is nice, describing a NYC public school specifically for immigrant teens, the author could have brought this about to be so very much more. I was hoping for something in the vein of Alexandra Robbins' The Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth, but I was left disappointed.

Through My Eyes by Tim Tebow

Nice book about a nice guy who's just beginning to live his life. I am encouraged by any homeschooler-grows-up story, and I particularly admire Tebow for keeping his focus on the true goal.

With so much to read, I had started a few books that weren't worth finishing:

Freefall: A Novel by Kristen Heitzmann

Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell