Three

Over 9,000 miles logged this summer, and counting

All in the car, from Iowa to Utah, back to Iowa, to Washington D.C., back to Utah and home to Iowa again. I've driven to Nauvoo and back, and also to St. Louis and back.

I wish I lived in the 1950's and I could make a Jell-O mold and throw on some pearls and invite my friends and neighbors over to watch a slide show of my travels narrated by Robert with colorful commentary from yours truly.

Wouldn't that be fun?

Well pull up a lawn chair and make yourself some fondue, because my blog is the next best thing. Here's a virtual slide show of our trip to the lake with Robert's brother and his family during our last visit to Utah.

Bob and Earl

One of the many crawdads my kids caught. They were so disappointed that I didn't fry them up with some butter and garlic and serve them for dinner.

Creed, Jack, Hailey and Rhett, catching crawdads.

Right now my kids are literally waiting in the car for me to finish my post so that we can drive down to Texas. Gotta go!

Two

It's not Rocket Science

Take three kids,

add a giant cardboard box,

various pots of paint,

on a hot summer day,

mix well,

and Voila!

One

It is not uncommon for a Sunday dinner to consist of two or three families coming over in the afternoon and combining whatever we have left in our cupboards to form something that resembles a meal. We usually have some kind of dip with chips or veggies. One time the main course was quesadillas. Another time our friends brought steaks for all the adults and the kids had pb&j's. It's casual beyond belief and it works. The women don't spend all of their Sunday afternoons preparing a dish to impress each other while the kids get in their way and the men take a nap.

Last Sunday our meal was hosted by someone else, but the theme was the same. I went out to the garden that I never planted and picked a few acorn squashes. (My volunteer squash patch is pictured above to the right of the shed.) I drizzled them in butter and roasted them in the oven.

At the end of the night, I came home with a tray full of oven roasted acorn squash. I guess other people don't like it as much as I do. They were more likely too busy eating the macaroni and cheese that someone else had provided.

Monday night we had Acorn Squash Stuffed Ravioli for dinner. It was a huge hit and since it was ready in under an hour from start to finish, I'm sharing the recipe here.

You'll Need:

roasted acorn squash (could substitute canned pumpkin)

1/3 cup pine nuts

butter

garlic, minced

onions, diced

a couple of sage leaves, minced

goat cheese

wonton wrappers

chives

chicken broth

parmesan cheese

1. Set oven to 400˚. Put the pine nuts on a cookie sheet and roast for about 4 minutes. I set the timer because I knew I'd burn them. Once they are toasted, remove them from the oven and set them aside. Put the cookie sheet back in the oven to keep it hot.

2. Melt the butter in a saute pan. I used about 1/4 cup. Once melted, add the sage, garlic and the onions. Saute until the onions get soft. About 8 minutes.

3. While the butter melts, start peeling the flesh away from the peel of the roasted squash. I used the two squashes I roasted the night before. Place it all in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. You may need to add chicken stock or water to help it along.

4. In a bowl combine the butter mixture with the squash mixture and add the goat cheese. I used, maybe, 1/3 cup goat cheese. Smooshing the goat cheese with a fork helps combine it with the squash.

4. Assemble the Raviolis: Working with four wonton wrappers at a time, lay them out flat. Spoon 1-2 teaspoons of the filling onto the middle of each. (This is where George was sooo helpful.) Dip your fingertips into some water and moisten the edges of the wonton wrappers. Place another wrapper on top of each one with the filling and seal the edges.

5. Remove the pan from the oven and brush it with vegetable oil. Place the raviolis in a single layer on the pan. Brush the tops with vegetable oil and bake for 6 minutes. Turn them over and bake for another 6 minutes. Remove from oven. They will be brown and crispy.

6. Meanwhile, warm up the chicken stock, add the chives. I spooned the broth into bowls and served the pine nuts, the raviolis, and the parmesan cheese on a tray and let everyone assemble their own dishes. We put the raviolis in the broth and sprinkled them with pine nuts and cheese.

This was a meal that I had fun making, but was expecting everyone to hate it. I was beyond surprised by my kids' reaction. They couldn't get enough of it! If you are having a hard time picturing what the finished product is like, it might help to know that Robert said it reminded him of Crab Rangoon. No, I didn't take any pictures.

Make it soon! Your family might surprise you, too.

I probably should have made them on Sunday for my friends, but I was too busy taking a nap and reading Mockingjay.

I promise the mudroom is coming along. It's nearly finished. Here is a peek from a few days ago.

Death by Carbs

How we enjoy Grandma Sycamore bread on the way home from Utah:

It's good to have sandwich fixins available. I love peanut butter and spun honey on my Grandma Sycamore. With a layer of butter (salted, please) as a barrier between the honey and the bread. I like to avoid the crunchy crystals that sometimes form when honey meets bread. Mostly, I like the taste.

Turkey and Cheese are also delicious. I like swiss.

This bread is so good, I confess I enjoy it straight out of the bag. I peel the brown crust off the top first and eat that because it is my least favorite part. Then I eat the soft, middle insides of the slice. And finally, I take the three sides, the three soft and chewy and dense side crusts, flatten them a little with my thumb and my forefinger, and eat them end to end like a piece of licorice.

Sometimes I break a little piece off of the long crust and fold it in half before I consume it.

I decided last week that everyone should have their own loaf. I do not want to share and I don't want to settle fights over the bread rations in the back seat.

I miss mountains and I miss family and I miss dry heat. I wish I could hang out with my sister on a whim, or eat lunch with my mom, or eat my mother-in-law's palabok, or learn more about home renovations from Michelle, or spend time with my nieces and nephews whenever I felt like it. Or go to the Big Red House and drink their soda.

I miss people and places and the feeling of being home so much sometimes that it hurts.

The pain would be so much more tolerable if I could dull it with a loaf of Grandma Sycamore.

Attempting to Organize the 6 of Us

School started this week. Everyone likes their teacher, and they LOVE their School PLANits. If your kids don't have one, you should get them one.

Let me rephrase that.

If you like to be organized and you like your kids to stay organized, THEN you should get one. Especially if they are at least in fourth grade. These systems were designed for kids with ADD or ADHD, but they are great great even if your kids don't have these disorders. After putting the labels on Jack's planner and folders last night, I wanted to marry the thing.

But . . . then I walked back into the mudroom to continue working with Robert on our latest Home Project, and my heart skipped a beat. I don't need to marry my son's school planner, I am already happily married.

Cut to:

Tuesday night, before school started, this what the mudroom looked like:

That is embarrassing.

My eye started twitching in anticipation of starting the school year under these conditions. How could I hand my kids their School PLANit Systems as an organization tool, then ask them to keep them in the warzone that was our mudroom?

I dug out my graph paper and some cardstock and made this . . .

. . . a scale model of what I wish my mudroom looked like. Of course, it would be constructed with screws and not scotch tape, and I would use a level so that the corners would be square. I also made a list of the supplies I would need and estimated the cost. I stared at it, showed it to Robert, we slept on it, and the next morning he was on board. After all, he had two whole days before he had to return to work! Why not take on a crazy project the likes of which neither of us have ever tried? We dropped the kids off at school and went straight to Menard's for supplies.

And also a book about building shelves.

I got to work painting and he got to work building.

We worked on it for two days straight and this morning he went back to his regular job (have I mentioned that he has one of those now? A regular old JOB! Hooray!), and we are nearly done. Hooks need to be installed, some trim needs to be added, and my paint job needs to cure before I can add the finishing touches, but I think we may have done it.

I'll post pictures of the finished product next week, after we have put everything away and added a few design details.

A new mudroom and School PLANits, what more could a girl ask for?

Questions I Asked Today and Things I Thought

a.k.a. Inner/Outer Dialogue on a Summer Day

Ugh, who's up so early?

What time is it?

What am I making for breakfast?

Do I really have to work out today?

I feel like making cookies. I guess I'm working out.

How much longer do I have to hold this pose?

What's this pose called? It should be called El Diablo.

Why are the kids wearing corduroys? The heat index is going to be over 100 today!

Stella? Are you wearing a sweater? Really?

What am I going to make for dinner?

Why is George so grouchy?

How much longer till naptime?

Is that a SMILEY FACE in PEN on my three day old couch?

Where are the bottoms to this swimsuit?

How much hotter can it get?

Is the air conditioner even on?

How can a cookie that tastes so good be so bad for me?

How can I sneak one (three) more cookie(s) without the kids seeing me?

Where are all the combs?

Is the basement carpet soggy?

Why am I the only one who grabbed my towel on the way to the pool?

Do I HAVE to share my towel with you?

Is that woman those children's mother?

I hope she's a 40ish year old nanny, she is way too smokin' hot to have given birth to those children.

Why do I have big polka dots on my swimsuit? I look ridiculous.

Why did I buy a bright swimsuit with a pattern? Why didn't I go for a solid, dark color?

Why haven't I bought a new swimsuit for myself in four years?

How many more years until I can come to the pool and just nap?

How many more years do I have before the kids stop requesting to see my "dives" from the diving board?

How long do I have before their desire for my attention is replaced by a desire for attention from the packs of girls in skimpy bikinis?

Do each of you really need 20 green twisty ties from the produce department?

Do peanut butter sandwiches and cold cereal with a vitamin count as a well balanced, nutritious dinner?

Did you use actual soap in the shower?

Then why do you still smell like chlorine?

Why can't anyone shut the door when they come in the house?

Yuck. Go brush your teeth.

Well, brush them again.

Do it or I'll brush them for you.

Where are all the combs? Brushes? Forget it, just get me a fork. Tonight we are playing The Little Mermaid.

Do you have to fight every single night over my lap space for reading time?

Please don't stop fighting for my lap space too soon.

When did you all get so big?

How did you all get so funny?

How did I get so lucky that out of all the children in all the world, I ended up with you four?

What am I going to make for dinner tomorrow?

And where the HECK are the combs?

Back By Popular Demand

Dear MaryAnn,

Thank you for inquiring about my blog postings, or lack thereof. I offer my apology for the tardiness of my response and beg your forgiveness. My contrition is sincere. See! It comes complete with photographs and a recipe.

Love Always,

Liz

Stella had a Ballet/Tap recital in May. The ballet recitals are so great because the whole school performs one big ballet, each class playing their own parts. This year they performed La Sylphide. It's all very fancy schmancy. This is a picture of the Tap performance.

Why is my little boy throwing a hand sign in this picture? Who does he think he is? He is so weird. In June we took the long way to Utah. We drove through South Dakota and Yellowstone. Some people think Mt. Rushmore is a letdown, but I thought it was amazing. Also, who knew South Dakota was so beautiful? The South Dakotans, I guess. A word of advice: if you ever find yourself driving along the freeway and you notice the bajillion signs advertising Wall Drug! don't get sucked in. Ignore them and drive on. I went there on your behalf and trust me, it's just a big store. I probably should have known, but I was seduced by the billboards and talked Robert into taking me there. We left with a pair of handcuffs, a yo-yo, and a hunk of iron pyrite. I didn't even get my free water.

The kids love love loved Yellowstone and I remembered how much I love love love public lands. Iowa, you are a great place to live, but you do not have enough Wild, Untamed Terrain.

I have my suspicions about Yellowstone National Park. I think it may be really a big zoo masquerading as a National Park. I saw some collars on the buffalo and my theory is that they were shock collars meant to keep the wildlife in.

We spent our time in Utah eating cupcakes, playing with cousins, eating hamburgers (You have In and Out now!) and hiking the trails. We went to a wedding where there was a photo booth, a candy buffet, lots of Diet Mt. Dew, and the bride and groom drove off in a big rig. I drooled over my sister's beautiful kitchen and house remodel even though she still doesn't have a light in the bathroom. That's okay, I don't have a faucet on my bathroom sink. At least she can wash her hands in the dark. I can see my hands just fine, I just have to brush my teeth over the bathtub. I'm rambling now, so here is the recipe I promised. It's a grill recipe, so you don't even need to turn on the stove OR the oven.

Thai Chicken Satay Skewers

Make the marinade:

1/2 cup thai fish sauce (nam pla)

1/4 soy sauce

3 Tablespoons sesame oil

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 Tablespoon garlic (that's like, three cloves or so)

zest of three limes, grated

1 lemongrass stalk, tender inner bulb only, finely chopped (I don't know if I have ever used this ingredient. Everything else I have on hand, but who keeps lemongrass around?)

2 Tablespoons minced jalepeno

1 Tablespoon curry powder

1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro stems (Finally! Something you can use those stems that are left over after making your salsa!)

Mix the marinade up in a bowl. Then slice 2 1/2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breast into 3/4 inch strips and marinate them for 4 to 8 hours. When it's time to grill, skewer the chicken pieces on bamboo skewers that you have, of course, soaked in water so that they won't burn. You can pound the chicken flat with a mallet at this point to make it extra authentic. Grill and dip in peanut sauce. You can make some dip, but I just buy it from the Asian Section of the market.

I think, if you're aiming for authenticity, it should also be served with a cucumber salad, but I don't bother with that. I just slice up a cucumber and sprinkle some salt and serve it on a platter.