Baby love

This little guy came right to me last week at soccer. It was his first birthday, but he made my night!

Drinks with my girl

Great afternoon, after her class, sitting outside.

Scary things

Someone created this.

Someone ordered this.

Someone will buy this.
 

And the'se people Vote.

Recipes - Latin-inspired dinner

We've chosen Peruvian Roasted Chicken several times at Peruvian restaurants over the past six months or so. While this chicken didn't necessarily replicate what we've had, it was certainly easy and delicious, and we'll be making it again.


LATIN-INSPIRED ROASTED CHICKEN 

5 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped (I used jarred)
salt
 4-pound whole chicken
1 lemon, cut into quarters (I subbed bottled lemon juice)
3 T. white wine vinegar
2 T. white wine
2 T. oil
2 T. paprika
1-1/2 T. ground cumin
2 t. pepper
1/2 t. dried oregano

1. Using the flat side of the knife’s blade, scrape and chop and mash the garlic and 1/2 teaspoon of salt into a paste.

2. Pull off any excess fat surrounding the cavity of the chicken and discard it. Rinse and pat the chicken dry, inside and out, and place the chicken on a plate. Rub the chicken all over with 2 of the lemon quarters, then discard the lemon quarters.

3. Slip a finger under the chicken skin at the edge of the cavity and run it along the breasts and thighs to gently loosen the skin. Gently work a little of the garlic paste between the chicken skin and meat, being careful not to tear the skin and rubbing your hand along the surface of the skin to smooth the paste and push it past where you can reach with your hand.

4. In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, the wine, the oil, paprika, cumin, black pepper, and oregano. Place the chicken in a 2-gallon resealable bag and pour the marinade on top. Turn the bird several times to coat. Seal the bag or cover the chicken and refrigerate for 5 to 8 hours, turning the chicken once or twice if you think of it. (Marinade time was key!)

5. Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Adjust the oven rack to the middle position.

6. Transfer the chicken to a baking dish, roasting pan, or heavy frying pan, pouring the marinade into a small bowl and scraping any thick bits of spices that cling to the container into the bowl. Squeeze the 2 remaining lemon quarters into the cavity of the bird and toss the lemon quarters into the cavity. If desired, tie the legs together with kitchen string. Season the chicken all over with 1 teaspoon of salt.

7. Roast the bird in the oven for 15 minutes, then baste with some of the marinade. Reduce the heat to 375ºF and continue to roast, basting every 20 minutes with the marinade and the pan juices, for an hour. (I just basted at first 15 minutes only.) Discard the marinade. Then roast for 15 minutes more, for a total of 1 1/2 hours, until the juices of the chicken run clear when the thigh is pierced with a fork and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 165ºF (74°C). Allow the chicken to rest for a few minutes after you remove it from the oven.


SWEET CORN CAKES 

1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1/2 c. sugar
2 egg whites
3 egg yolks
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
8 oz. fresh white corn (about 2 cups), processed in food processor until very fine (I used one can of sweet yellow corn drained)
2 t. baking powder
2 T. flour

Grease bottom of 9" round pan, or use parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350.

Whip butter and sugar until creamy. Add eggs, one by one, and then add the cream cheese. Whip at high speed for five minutes. Stir in corn, baking powder, and flour.

Pour the batter in the pan and bake for 45 minutes or until the cake is lightly golden and firm. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack.


AVOCADO SALAD

Everyone liked this. It was reminiscent of guacamole, except that the avocado was not mashed.

3 avocados, cut into cubes
3/4 of a small red onion, very thinly sliced and soaked in ice water for 10 minutes to lessen its bite
3 T. finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves, or to taste
3 T. lime juice 3 T. olive oil
Coarse sea salt, to taste

Place avocado, onion, and cilantro in a bowl. In a separate bowl, blend lime, oil, and salt; pour over avocado mixture, toss gently, and serve.

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Original recipes found here and here. 

Tuesday's sky

After the rain.

First game of the season

We play at different fields for spring and fall. While the fall fields are further away and parking is scarce, I love the location. The train tracks run alongside the fields, and the medivac helicopter base is just over the fence.

 

  Headed to the hospital

 Trevor was a line judge in an earlier game.

 

"NO media allowed!" 

(Not really, Robert was doing who-knows-what.)

For the past couple of years, we played the same team each opening game. The schedule changed this season.

And we lost a game that we probably shouldn't have. But we already have a feeling we'll meet up for another battle on the last night of games.

And hopefully, I'll remember to bring my camera. My phone is very handy, but it's not always the best substitute.

Continues . . .

Holly, fanning herself: Oh, I'm so hot!

Trevor:  In your dreams.

Trevor the comedian

Robert:  Where's my tea?  Where did my Earl Gray go?

Trevor: It all went to your head. 

(Gray, get it?)

Robert (not laughing): Who took my tea?  (Rummaging through cabinet.) I've lost my tea!

Trevor: So?  I've lost my Q.

-----------------------------

And Trevor's still alive.  Robert even made tea for him--but not Earl Gray, which is fine, since Trevor doesn't like E.G.

Sign of the times

When Holly and I toured a couple of colleges up in DC awhile back, I was happy to see this sign.  It was right next to the elevator at the hotel.  I thought it was kind of silly, but I was happy to take advantage of the close parking spot.

Checks in the mail

In a not so surprising "coincidence," one part of Obamacare that has already gone into effect mandates health insurance companies to rebate money to customers if the insurance company does not spend a minimum of 80-85% of premiums directly on medical benefits.

(No wonder the entire bill is more than 2700 pages, right?)

So I got my Obamacare refund last month.

 

Yep. A whopping $9.21.

I'm going to take a guess and say this is the stupidest thing that will happen to me this year.

Robert suggested I give it to Romney.  

So I did. I endorsed it to Romney Victory Fund and mailed it off.  

Oh, yes, I did.

 

It wasn't a lot of money, but it was the principle of the whole thing, and I wish it were more.

Recipe - Crockpot Teriyaki Chicken and Bok Choy Salad

This chicken immediately became a favorite of Holly and Trevor's.  It does not need to cook all day, and in fact will take on a mealy texture when it overcooks.  I found cooking at four hours was sufficient, no longer.

Crockpot Teriyaki Chicken


12 boneless skinless chicken thighs (about 3 pounds) (I've been boning and skinning my own)
1/3 c. sugar
3/4 c. soy sauce
6 T. vinegar
3/4 t. ground ginger
3/4 t. minced garlic
1/4 t. pepper
1-1/2 T. cornstarch
1-1/2 T. cold water
Hot cooked long grain rice

Place chicken in slow cooker.  In a large bowl, combine the sugar, soy sauce, cider vinegar, ginger, garlic and pepper.  Pour over chicken.  Cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours or until chicken is tender.  Remove chicken to a serving platter; break chicken up into smaller pieces while moving to platter, and then keep warm.  Place liquid in a saucepan and bring to a boil.  Combine cornstarch and water until smooth.  Gradually stir into liquid and stir until sauce is thickened.  Serve chicken with rice.


*     *     *

Trevor's been seeing bok choy around, and I happened upon this recipe.  The bok choy was good, very similar to romaine lettuce, perhaps a little heartier but still mild tasting.  It's the first time we've ever eaten it, a good introduction.

Bok Choy Salad

1/2 c. red wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil (who uses this, I just sub regular canola)
1/4 c. sugar
1 T. soy sauce
1/4 c. butter or margarine
1/4 c. sliced almonds
1/4 c. sesame seeds
2 (3-oz.) packages of ramen noodles, crushed (I crush while in the packaging)
1 med. head of bok choy, chopped
3 green onions

Whisk together vinegar, oil, sugar, soy sauce for dressing; set aside. 

Melt butter on medium heat in small skillet.  Add crushed ramen noodles. Saute until golden brown; drain on paper towels.

Mix bok choy, green onions, and nuts in a large bowl.  Just before serving, add dressing, sprinkle with the noodle mixture, toss well, and serve cold.

(Original recipe called for twice as much sugar. The recipe calls for the nuts to cook with the noodles in the butter, but I didn't find that necessary.  The first time, I didn't have sesame seeds and instead doubled my almonds.  Another time, I used a mix of almonds, sunflower seeds, and sesame.)

 

Super moon

A super cool photo of the moon last month.  I can't remember if Holly got this or if I did while we were stopped at the red light.

Visit to Callaway

We moved to Virginia five years ago. We moved from Callaway two years ago. Even though I go out to Franklin County three times a week, I haven't been past the town of Rocky Mount or by our old house in two years.

Robert and I went out to see the house, as our tenants just moved.  It's such beautiful country, so serene.

 I probably should have taken a picture of the house, but the front yard was very overgrown and neglected-looking.  I was very pleased with the condition of the inside though. Between the walls, wood floors, countertops, you'd never guess someone else has lived in it for the past two years.  They did have dogs that peed on the carpet, so that had to be replaced. Even so, that's something I can live with, considering the way the rest of the house looked.

We'd love to sell it, but that's not happening right now. However, the rental market is on fire. The new people have already moved in.

I'm glad they only have fish and a frog, no dogs or cats.

And I was happy and relived a bit to find that I don't miss living out there at all. I still have some weird feelings about the whole thing. We laughingly call it our "lost years," and yet it was such an amazing time of bonding for our family. I wouldn't trade it for anything, yet I'm so thankful to be where we are now.

My birthday

My birthday was the week before Trevor's. We had a quiet day at home. I considered planning something, but it had been yet another crazy busy week, and it seemed that we would more appreciate not being on the run yet again. Trevor made Eggs Benedict for me for breakfast.

This kid amazes me. And feeds me.

I opened their gifts: DK perfume, a Lysa TerKeurst book (amazing that Trevor remembered her name!!!!), a car cradle to make it easy to use my phone as a GPS.

 Holly and Trevor suggested we go to the mall, so we did.

We all went to dinner at our favorite local Mexican restaurant, Alejandro's.

 Holly and Robert baked a cake for me the following day.

A sweet friend blessed me with this.

Next year, I'm counting on being able to celebrate my forties again--starting back at age 41.

The new school year and curriculum

I've been somewhat consistent posting this each year in the past, so here goes:

Holly:

As I wrote earlier, Holly will be taking two community college courses, counting as dual enrollment for both high school and college credit.  So far, it's been great.  She's taking Chinese online and spent a few hours last week familiarizing herself with the website, format, and class materials.  She's already turned in a few assignments, and she expressed appreciation at receiving both a grading rubric and a study guide to prepare for her final. The class will meet once a week online, and also team up with language/study partners.

At this writing, she's only had one English class so far. She liked the teacher immediately, and she liked her even more when the teacher said she's not big on homework.  Huh.  I was kind of hoping for that!  Looking at the College Composition course syllabus, it appears it will be an easy class.

English and Chinese are this semester; next semester, she'll be taking Chinese II and a geography course.  Each semester will count as one high school credit.

She's using Lial's Intermediate Algebra by Lial for Algebra II.  This textbook is for use in college remedial math, written directly to the student, with great explanations.  Holly used this series for Algebra I, and I'm sold on it.

She'll also be taking Driver's Ed and counting a P.E. credit.  On paper, it seems like a rather light year, but  in reality, it hasn't been yet and won't be. She's in the final prep for her ACT next week and will retake the SAT in October.  We're also considering the SAT Subject Test in Spanish for November (which will give a back up for a Spanish credit). We've been planning on some sort of community service (honestly, just to have it on a transcript), and she'll be in the throes of college applications shortly.

Trevor:


Trevor is beginning 9th  grade. I'd been praying for something that would be interesting and yet still challenge him.  He'll be using My Father's World Ancient History and Literature. It uses Notgrass's Exploring World History as a spine, spreading it out over a two year span. There are a dozen other books included, so while Trev will still be reading a lot, it will be pages here, pages there, going from selected books each day.  The actual schedule is a bit ??? to get used to (think Sonlight's), but he's already getting the hang of it, and it will give him the independence he needs to achieve his own goals for high school.

We toyed with the idea of using Life of Fred for math, but in the end, I chose the sure thing, Introductory Algebra, again by Lial, the same series Holly is using.  In addition to the textbook (which is written directly to the student), Trevor will be taking an online class once a week for additional instruction. Jann's held my hand through Lial's in the past. I'm thrilled he's in this class, and while he was looking forward to Fred, I think he's pretty on board with this option too.  (I would consider the AlgII class for Holly, but she's already started her math, and the timing would be a conflict for us too.)

With his MFW schedule, I'm not ready to also throw in Biology. That will wait until next year.  Meanwhile, we've talked in the past about him pursuing a subject in which he's passionate and making it into a class.  Hello, Molecular Gastronomy!  Using Alton Brown's show, following up with cooking labs, and tossing in a few additional resources, Trevor will enjoy this science credit.

He'll also be finishing up the second Fallacy Detective book to gain a half credit in Logic, and will count a P.E. credit.  We are considering a foreign language but will wait for everything else to settle down before making a final decision.

And that's it.  Seems a lot shorter than my curriculum-for-the-year posts in the past!

Trevor's birthday suit

As he was coming out of his room, he warned us that he was in his birthday suit.

I know. I about had a heart attack too. Whew!

Fall-ing

The start of fall soccer season. Robert's continuing to coach Holly and Trevor's team. We brought the new doggie. Oh my goodness, she's so stinkin' cute!! She's been carsick in the past, so Holly told Robert he could sit in back with the dog, just in case.

Lakota did well at soccer. We knew she would. I walked with her quite a bit, which she liked. The biggest problem, really, is that she is so cute, everyone is drawn to her. She's friendly enough, and gentle, but she's not lovey-dovey. And she did fine in the car, did not get sick, further confirming our thought that her poor health condition caused her earlier carsickness.

NO idea what he was thinking!

We have a few new players this year, and it was *wonderful* to catch up with a favorite family who is now a part of our team.

School starts early

For as long as I can remember, we've always started school after Labor Day.  This year was different; we began on Monday.

Holly is taking two classes through the local community college. Those classes began this week.  One is online; she's been working on it since Tuesday.  The other is a regular class, in a classroom.  Yesterday was her first day there.  She's enjoying both.

This is Trevor's first year as a high schooler. That means credits, finishing up curriculum, or at least completing a year's worth of work, to satisfy credit requirements. 

It seemed best to go ahead and get started.  It was a fun week, although we just got our feet wet.  Trevor and I only did a brief orientation together on Monday; he had Wednesday and Thursday off for his birthday.  Neither of the kids has their full schedule yet, but I think we'll be going full steam in another two weeks.

I'm seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, but that doesn't make me happy.  I'm enjoying the tunnel just fine, thank you very much.

We're here, we're here!

It's been a crazy busy summer, and I continue to hope to catch up on blog posts soon.

We're celebrating Trevor's birthday this week (along with the first week of school and Holly beginning a few dual enrollment college courses). Kurt came over on Wednesday. The boys were happy to grab a movie from the library, buy a game at GameStop, and hang out all day. Trevor is such a sweetie. I asked him if he was sure he didn't want to do something different to mark his day. He replied that it was already perfect, spending it with Kurt. (lovey dovey mom-face-swoon)  When Kurt's parents came to pick him up, they stayed for dinner.

Later that night, Holly and I (true to form, last minute) went to wrap Trevor's presents. I admitted that a couple of things had fallen through (including something he'd ordered online just that day), and that we only had two small gifts for Trevor to open. Holly was aghast at my unpreparedness--she understands the gift love language, and I clearly don't. I suggested we take a middle-of-the-night run to Walmart, so we left the house at 1:00 a.m. Seriously, a fun time, and it was definitely the best time to shop, with easy parking and no lines!

Trevor opened his gifts in the morning, including money gifts from relatives, a cool backrest/pillow that Holly'd chosen, new set of earbuds, GameStop gift card, Mythbusters t-shirt, and video game magazine.

Trevor's depended on me for the past several years to come through with whatever cake request he makes. Considering that Holly's first birthday cake was such an epic fail, and I didn't dare attempt another homemade cake for nine years, I'm really proud of what I've been able to accomplish more recently in the baking/decorating department. This year was no different, with his wish for a "chocolate chip cookie dough cake." How do you get raw cookie dough in cake? I found an awesome recipe online. The killer was that the cake had four separate, all time consuming, components, but it was well worth my effort.

(Silly blogger formatting, I can't get that to re-center.)

We went to dinner at Trevor's favorite Hibachi Buffet and came home for little, itty-bitty pieces of cake.

I made the two cakes, the buttercream frosting, the fake cookie dough balls for the filling (no eggs), and the real cookie dough for the outside decorations.

A lovely birthday; I can't believe my "baby" is 14 and towers over me.

New nails

Sally Hansen Metallic Nail Polish.

I saw this in a magazine and bought it at the store.  Paint nails with one coat; let dry.  Top with second coat, and hold the metallic jar lid right over your nail to achieve the effect.  The polish contains metal pieces.  Soooo cool!!