Chocolate Crayons & More

Only a preschooler could...

2009-12-05T20:18:00.000-08:00

... after whacking his shin on a footstool and crying and whining about it for at least half an hour, announce brightly, "Owwie ends with an 'e!'"

Dark Days week 3: Comfort food

2009-12-04T11:00:00.000-08:00

Thank you to those who pointed out to me last week that the first law of moving says that one must not try to cook while moving. :) I assure you that after cleaning out the kitchen, we did indeed indulge in some meals out. Moving Van Day was followed by a meal consisting of turkey leftovers graciously given to us by our Thanksgiving hosts, but local fast food franchises also saw some business. Among those was a Hawaiian restaurant owned by our former next-door neighbor, who bought it at a garage sale when he found out that the double-wide refrigerator he really wanted came with a restaurant, but that's another story.

The day after Moving Van Day was one of the hardest because we still weren't done. As Munchkin and I drove to the U-Haul place to pick up Scott who was returning the truck, I was thinking about dinner. There is a locally-owned restaurant we love called The Glenwood. Scott takes me there when I need comfort because he knows the tomato-cheese soup works wonders. They have a nice variety of breakfast foods and light meals on their menu, but we always order the same things, even Munchkin. I don't know how many ingredients they source locally, but the place has a very local feel.

Anyway, I was thinking that we should go there for dinner when Munchkin interrupted my thoughts saying, "Mommy, I have an idea. We should go to The Glenwood for dinner." Naturally, I told him it was a great idea and we should suggest it to Daddy. We picked up Scott and before Munchkin had a chance to say anything Scott asked, "What do you think about going to The Glenwood tonight?"

When the waiter came to take our order, Munchkin said, without prompting, "I want a blueberry muffin! And bacon! And soy milk!" The waiter was great -- he wrote it all down and then asked Scott and I for our orders. Scott got the egg scramble he always gets (the one I copied for this post) and I got the half Alder Street Special with a big bowl of tomato-cheese soup substituted for the little cup of soup that comes with it, like I always do. We all felt much better afterwards.

Riddle's answer

2009-12-03T11:18:00.000-08:00

What do you call a piano with no legs?

Flat.

A little riddle

2009-12-02T11:13:00.000-08:00

Well, we're now half-way done -- we've moved out of our house and into a temporary location until we can find our new house. Whew! The most nerve-wracking part was watching the movers with my grand piano. Scott lightened the mood, though, when he made up a riddle: What do you call a piano with no legs?

Take a guess. I'll post the answer tomorrow.

Counting the days

2009-12-01T11:11:00.001-08:00

Yesterday at breakfast, Munchkin announced, "I know how we can get Christmas to come sooner! Tug on it with a rope!" When I laughed, he added, "We could pick it up with a crane!"

Dark Days week 2: Concoction

2009-11-25T16:51:00.000-08:00

Really, I should call this meal, "Clean out the fridge before you move and cook it all in one frypan." The cookbook where I saw the original recipe named it "Sludge," but I didn't think that sounded too appetizing so I've renamed it, "Concoction." Just like last week's one-pot meal, this one can make use of almost anything you happen to have on hand. I forgot to take a picture, which is just as well since it tastes much better than it photographs.

So here was this week's local dinner. All ingredients came from the Farmers' market except where noted.

Cleaning out the Fridge Concoction
(Serves two adults and one preschooler who didn't like it, but that's his problem)

1/3 lb ground beef (from our share of a local cow)
1 large onion, diced
2 large carrots, peeled & diced
2 cloves garlic, minced (Note: I've been putting garlic in almost everything ever since I heard the Croatians think it wards off the little piggy flu. Hey, it can't hurt!)
1 tomato, diced and bad part cut off
1 cup dried pasta (not local -- I already packed my pasta maker)
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded (I use local Tillamook)
Salt, pepper, basil (not local)

Fry ground beef and onion until beef is no longer pink. Add carrots. Wait a little then add garlic. Add tomato. Add two cups water and bring to a boil. When concoction is boiling, add pasta, basil, salt & pepper and cook uncovered for 10 minutes or until pasta is done. Reduce heat, top with cheddar and cover until cheese is melted. Tell your family it's a gourmet meal.

Board games with Munchkin

2009-11-20T20:33:00.000-08:00

Everything was going great until...

The green little gingerbread man fell over!!! Call the paramedics! Get the truck! Put him on a stretcher! He's hurt! He can't play anymore! Send in the red gingerbread man!

The Purple Elephant in the press!

2009-11-17T11:04:00.000-08:00

A long-time friend (we go all the way back to middle school!) has printed a review of my book The Purple Elephant on one of her blogs. Check it out here or drop by The Purple Elephant website to put your name in a drawing for a free copy!

One local dinner (week 1)

2009-11-15T20:36:00.000-08:00

The 3rd Annual Dark Days Challenge begins today, and I celebrated by cooking an almost an entirely local dinner without even planning it! For those unfamiliar with the challenge, the goal is to eat one meal/week which is made up of only foods found locally. Easy in summer, tougher in winter. Many people preserve summer produce and then use their stored food to create their local meals. I am trying the challenge with the added twist that since we are about to move, I have already used up as much of my pantry and freezer stash as possible. There's still some local food in there, but not much, so I'll be sourcing my ingredients weekly. For my purposes, local means the state of Oregon. We'll see how it goes!

Since we are moving in two weeks, I’ll count my blessings and write up this evening’s dinner for my first post. If I don’t post next week, it’s because the contents of my kitchen are packed and we’re eating take-out. (Shhh! Don’t tell Laura!)

Anyway, I think I’ve posted this recipe before, but it’s become an old standby and it’s sure great on a night we need a quick dinner. I call my recipe “Egg Scramble,“ since I can’t stand Scrambled Eggs. Pretty funny, but this dish contains so much good stuff that I hardly notice the eggs.

I purchased everything but the cheese, salt & pepper at a local farmers’ market. The eggs were huge -- the egg lady said her hens lay really large eggs this time of year, when they aren’t on strike. I lucked out and the chickens were working. I used only three eggs for two adults and a preschooler, but if they had been normal size I would have used four. Here’s my recipe, which I created based on a meal at a local restaurant. I never make it the same way twice. Sorry, I forgot to take pictures.

Egg Scramble

1 medium potato, skin on, sliced very thin (any variety will work, but red is prettier)
1/2 large leek, both white & green parts, diced (you can substitute an onion, but I think the leek tastes better and besides, the green adds color)
1 bell pepper, diced (red or orange is pretty)
1 large clove garlic, minced or diced
2-3 strips bacon, diced (we used up the bacon from our pig long ago so I also bought this at the farmers‘ market)
3-4 eggs
1 cup grated cheddar cheese (I use local Tillamook)
Salt & pepper to taste

In a large frying pan, fry bacon. Remove & drain. In the same pan, fry potato slices in olive oil. When potato starts to soften, add leek. Add bell pepper. Add garlic. Add fried bacon. Crack eggs into a bowl and beat slightly. Add eggs to frypan and stir until they are cooked. Turn heat to low, top with grated cheese, and cover pan until cheese is melted. Salt & pepper to taste. Serves 2. Tastes best with a hot homemade blueberry muffin on the side.

Delayed remorse

2009-11-07T19:50:00.000-08:00

This afternoon, Scott was in the car when Munchkin began asking questions about Christmas lights. They talked a little and then Munchkin was quiet. A few minutes later, he let out a small cry.

Scott asked what was wrong and Munchkin wailed in the pathetic manner only a 4-year-old can that the gingerbread man didn't have legs anymore. At age two Munchkin ate an ornament off our tree, and he just realized what he did. Click here for the original post.

Dennis the Menace moment

2009-11-02T20:26:00.000-08:00

We closed on our house -- all done, signed, and delivered. Now all that's left is to pack, find a new home and move! Before I leave the "selling" part of the process, I had to share one story...

The whole-house inspection by Mr. Scary (not his real name) was almost complete and it looked like we would pass (whew!). The buyer took notes as the inspector walked her around the house making comments. He opened the cabinet under the kitchen sink, pointed to an electrical cord leading to the disposal and told the buyer that it needed to be tied up to something. As the inspector was about to close the cabinet, Munchkin piped up helpfully, "There's a whole bunch of ants in there, too!"

Imagination

2009-10-31T14:00:00.000-07:00

After seeing three boys in astronaut suits at the preschool Halloween party, Munchkin came home, donned a suit which looked a lot like his footy pajamas, and built a spaceship. I was invited on a little trip to the moon.

Everything went fine until the engine broke. I finally got Munchkin to fix it so we could go home, but every time he repaired the engine, he pressed the "go back to moon" button. He said he didn't want to return to earth -- he liked floating on the moon.

I couldn't persuade him to stop pressing the button, so I asked what would happen when we ran out of supplies. If we ate all the food, wouldn't he get hungry? Munchkin didn't miss a beat. His friend Duck had a spaceship grocery store and he would fly up and give us everything we needed. Duck brings food to all the astronauts.

Code silly: Stat!

2009-10-29T20:18:00.000-07:00

While playing "paramedic" the other day, Munchkin asked me to record Elmo's vital signs. I jotted them down exactly as he recited them to me.

Heartrate: 50
Temperature: 90
Respiratory rate ("Mommy, what's repiratory?" "It's how fast the patient is breathing."): 1 mile per hour
Oxygen: 20-21
Blood: 14
Metal: blue

Odds 'n ends

2009-10-28T10:33:00.000-07:00

We sign closing papers tomorrow -- looks like the sale of our house is really going to go through! In the meantime, it's been pretty hectic around here and we still haven't found our next house.

Munchkin's going to be a Workman for Halloween, which is a big deal since up until a week ago he was going to be a fireman like he's been every year since age 2. He wants to be a Lowe's guy. I guess their advertising works.

In the midst of moving, I've decided to do (not so) Urban Hennery's Dark Days challenge again this year. The added twist for me will be that I will be between various houses and trying not to stockpile food for the winter, but still eat local at least one meal each week. We'll see how it goes. Here's the link if you want to join me.

Cute Munchkin story of the week: Scott told Munchkin something he didn't like, like it was time to go to bed or pick up his toys or something. Munchkin ran into his room wailing, "You're ruining my appetite!" Not.

Grace

2009-10-20T19:29:00.000-07:00

Dear God,
Have a nice lunch.
Amen.

-- Munchkin

Scrap Soup

2009-10-12T14:35:00.000-07:00

As we prepare to move, I am trying to use up stored food from the pantry, fridge and freezer. I think it's a little like trying to use up fabric scraps in a quilt. No matter how hard I try, I can never reduce the size of my scrap pile -- I always have to buy some new fabric to complete even a scrap quilt, and the new fabric generates new scraps. And the old scraps get smaller, but never really go away...

I recently dug out a soup recipe that I'd forgotten about. I have no idea where the recipe came from since my copy is hand-written on a scrap of paper. It included only ingredients that were already in my kitchen, so it was perfect for my purposes. But besides that, the soup turned out to be about the most tasty soup I've ever made! Here it is:

Chicken & Rice Soup
1-2 quarts homemade chicken broth
1-2 cups diced, cooked chicken
1 small onion, diced
1 large leek, diced (use both white and green parts)
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 tsp each of dried basil, onion powder, marjoram & thyme (substitute fresh herbs if you have them)
2-4 tsp salt (to taste)
dash of pepper
1/4 cup rice
generous splash of lime juice

Saute onions, leeks & garlic in olive oil. Add broth, chicken & spices and simmer for 1 hour. Add rice, simmer for 15-20 minutes. Add splash of lime juice and salt & pepper to taste.

Cuckoo bird

2009-10-10T19:45:00.001-07:00

The other day, Munchkin was weaving a delightful story about his imaginary friend "Duck," when the story grew sillier and sillier. I finally said, "I think Duck's flown over the cuckoo's nest!"

Munchkin giggled, and then he said, "I just learned a new 'spression!" Giggle, giggle.

Munchkin, begging

2009-10-05T20:31:00.001-07:00

Pleeeeese? Pretty pleeeeese? With sugar? and cherries? and ice cream? and sugar? and a tree trimming truck?

Can't remember what it was, but he got it for being so funny. :)

Back in the saddle again

2009-10-03T13:51:00.000-07:00

After a week filled with countless emails, phone calls, visits to various professionals, and more (at least it seems like more!), we have sold our house again! This time it's to some good friends and I think the deal will go through.

In the meantime, last Friday before I got home and got the message that the previous buyer had backed out, I had taken Munchkin to the park. It was a carefully chosen park -- chosen because it was in the neighborhood I'd really like to live in, and also because there was construction happening across the street from the park. While we were there, a mom walked up, a baby in a front pack and a 3-year-old in tow. Munchkin played with the preschooler while I visited with the mom.

A little bit into the conversation, it came out that she lived in the house next to the construction. Very long story short, it turned out that we bought our car from her husband 4 years ago. At the time, Scott drooled over their neighborhood and thought he might like to live there someday. Well, with the arrival of the new baby, they have outgrown their old house and are building a new house on the adjacent lot. The old house is plenty large, but it has only two bedrooms and they need three. We, on the other hand, only need two bedrooms.

We visited their house a couple days later and loved it. It's the best house we've seen in four months of looking. The only catch, well there's two catches, is that they won't be moving out until the end of next summer, and they have others who are also interested in buying it. They said they'd add us to the list.

We're going back in there next weekend with our realtor and are hoping to decide if the house is worth waiting for. Stay tuned for the next episode of "Life's little twists and turns..."

At least he's honest

2009-09-30T20:12:00.000-07:00

Making a motion across his lips, Munchkin recited, "Zip it, lock it, put it in your pocket!"

I asked if that was what teachers say when they want the kids to be quiet at preschool. Munchkin answered, "Yeah, but it doesn't work. I still jabber, jabber, jabber."

NASCAR, 4-year-old style

2009-09-28T20:00:00.001-07:00

I wasn't here to see it, so this story comes courtesy of my husband, who gave me a couple hours of freedom last weekend while he and Munchkin watched NASCAR.

Scott had second thoughts about letting Munchkin see the race because when he turned on the TV, the first thing they saw was a giant wreck. Munchkin was hysterical - in tears and running out of the room. The Home Depot car crashed! The pretty orange car was ruined and orange was his favorite color! Scott said it was almost as bad as the time he accidentally squished imaginary friend Cat in the stroller.

All was forgotten when Munchkin realized that the pretty blue Lowes car was in the lead. Blue is really his favorite color (this week). Lowes won and the world was OK again.

Easy come, easy go

2009-09-25T21:30:00.000-07:00

Our buyer backed out today. The real bummer is that the way it happened means we have to do a bunch more work before we put our house back on the market. I guess no one ever said this would be easy, but it looked like we were done with this step. Sigh.

10 days

2009-09-18T20:59:00.000-07:00

We sold our house today! Hard to believe, since we listed it on the 8th, but after multiple back-and-forths on the terms, we've got a signed contract. It's been only about 6 hours since we got the news, and already my son's & husband's stuff is back on the floor... Oh well, I'll enjoy not having to swap out towels a dozen times a day while we tried to pretend ours is a model home and not an actual dwelling. :)

So what's next? Well, besides the normal inspections, etc., we need to find ourselves a new house. Preferably before we need to get out of this one. I can't promise how often I'll be posting, but I'll be here.

My new favorite dinner

2009-09-17T21:00:00.000-07:00

It seems like everyone looking for a house decides to come right around dinner time. Either exactly when we would normally eat or, even more likely, during the time I would normally prepare the meal. Our real estate agent said it's OK for us to be around when people come, especially if they come during dinner, but I have a 4-year-old who doesn't want to move, so he says he'll tell people not to buy our house because it's on a busy street. Unfortunately, he's right, and given the chance he probably would tell them. So when people come, we need to get out of here before they arrive.

In the midst of all this, I stumbled on a perfectly easy menu that has an added bonus in that it makes our house smell heavenly. The recipe goes something like this:

About 2-4 hours before dinner time, dice fresh tomatoes into a bowl. Stir in chopped fresh basil, minced fresh garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper, and let sit covered at room temperature until dinner. I've left out the quantities because it depends on the size of your family. I'd just add that you should go easy on the garlic the first time you try it. :)

When you finally get to eat dinner, boil some fresh pasta (I'm currently buying mine, but if your house is not for sale you could try making it yourself for even better results.) On each plate put a generous serving of pasta topped with the tomato mixture and grated Parmesan cheese. If you want, add to the meal a salad and a loaf of good bread. Sorry there's no picture -- my husband devoured every last bite and I didn't think to take a picture until afterwards.

Tale of two dinners

2009-09-15T21:00:00.000-07:00

Well, we did it. After months that felt like a marathon, we finally prepared our house to sell and it is now on the market. Now, all we have to do is keep it clean & tidy for all the hordes of people that will come and look at it. Ha ha. Remember, I have a Munchkin. One day I was washing windows -- not exactly a usual activity for me :) -- and I spotted him "helping" by breathing on my clean windows and "washing" them with his fingers. The best way to keep the house clean is to not be there.

Anyway, we had an end-of-the-summer and whew-we-did-it dinner to celebrate. I didn't realize until afterwards that it was almost completely local. So here's an idea for a wonderful, tasty, end-of-summer dinner. Everything's local except for the marinade ingredients and the sugar.

Broiled T-bone steak: from our cow and marinated with a homemade marinade (we were going to BBQ, but the BBQ is buried in the garage and we were tired)
Corn-on-the-cob: local, and served with local butter
Green beans: local
Fresh peach ice cream: homemade using local cream, milk, eggs, peaches & non-local sugar (the ice cream maker was buried, too, but I guess we were more motivated to find it!)

That was the night before we listed our house. The next evening, we went out to dinner since we had people coming through. The next evening, dinner was interrupted and I don't remember what we did. So the next evening, when Munchkin's preschool offered a free back-to-school BBQ for the families, we decided to attend.

I don't mean to be too critical since the dinner was free, they were trying to do it cheap, and the person who organized it is a very nice person who worked very hard, but dinner was too remarkable not to share. It was...

One small hot dog of dubious origin, barbequed
White little hot dog bun
Catsup, mustard and relish (which I skipped since I don't like goop)
Miniature bag of chips such as Chitos
Can of soda pop
Thin little slices of watermelon

I'm not sure I've ever eaten a meal containing less nutrition. The next morning, I woke up famished. Can anybody top this?