Here's my boy when he was a Wolf Cub Scout in 2001-2002.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Ethan - Bobcat Cub Scout
Yesterday I continued to work on Ethan's Eagle Scout slide show. Here he is as a Bobcat.
Short Ribs in Italian Sauce
modified from a recipe found at: The Italian Dish Blog
This dish is even better made the day before. Making it the day before (or even just early in the morning) allows you to let the dish cool in the refrigerator and let the fat rise to the top, to be easily skimmed off. The original recipe had you cook these in the oven. I did mine in the slow cooker
3 to 3-1/2 pounds of short ribs
salt and pepper
2 tablespoon olive oil, divided
1 large carrot (about 3/4 cup diced)
1 medium rib of celery (about 1/2 cup diced)
1/2 medium onion (about 1/2 cup diced)
3 cloves of garlic, grated or minced
1 heaping tablespoon tomato paste (I used a very small can for a doubled recipe)
1/2 cup red wine
2 cups beef broth
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley plus more for garnish
Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.
Sprinkle the short ribs with some salt and pepper. In a large heavy oven proof pot, warm 1 tablespoon of olive oil and brown the short ribs over medium high heat until a nice crust forms. Remove short ribs from the pot and drain any fat from the pot, but don't wipe the pot out. Lower the heat and add the second tablespoon of olive oil to the pot along with the carrot, celery and onion and a nice big pinch of salt and saute gently for about 5-6 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for one minute more. Raise the heat a little and add the tomato paste and cook it for about 3 minutes. Add the red wine and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the beef broth, bay leaves and thyme and stir thoroughly.
Place all of this in a slow cooker and cook on high for 5 hours. You can also cook them on low for at least 8 hours. Add the 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, stir, cover and return to the oven for another 30 minutes, until the meat is very tender.
Remove the meat from the pot, using a knife and folk separate the meat from the fat and the bone. Shred the meat and st it aside. Strain the sauce in a colander so as to separate out the solid material from the sauce. Add the meat to the sauce and refrigerate, if time allows. This will allow you to remove the fat from the sauce with ease. Heat to serve. I offered it with grits instead of polenta.
Remove short ribs from pot and place in a large bowl and cover. Strain the sauce and pour the sauce into a small bowl. Place the bowls in the refrigerator. After the sauce is thoroughly chilled, skim off the layer of fat from the top. Put the ribs and the sauce into a large saucepan and warm gently on the stove.) Garnish with chopped fresh parsley and serve over polenta.
Short Ribs in Italian Sauce
modified from a recipe found at: The Italian Dish Blog
This dish is even better made the day before. Making it the day before (or even just early in the morning) allows you to let the dish cool in the refrigerator and let the fat rise to the top, to be easily skimmed off. The original recipe had you cook these in the oven. I did mine in the slow cooker
3 to 3-1/2 pounds of short ribs
salt and pepper
2 tablespoon olive oil, divided
1 large carrot (about 3/4 cup diced)
1 medium rib of celery (about 1/2 cup diced)
1/2 medium onion (about 1/2 cup diced)
3 cloves of garlic, grated or minced
1 heaping tablespoon tomato paste (I used a very small can for a doubled recipe)
1/2 cup red wine
2 cups beef broth
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley plus more for garnish
Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.
Sprinkle the short ribs with some salt and pepper. In a large heavy oven proof pot, warm 1 tablespoon of olive oil and brown the short ribs over medium high heat until a nice crust forms. Remove short ribs from the pot and drain any fat from the pot, but don't wipe the pot out. Lower the heat and add the second tablespoon of olive oil to the pot along with the carrot, celery and onion and a nice big pinch of salt and saute gently for about 5-6 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for one minute more. Raise the heat a little and add the tomato paste and cook it for about 3 minutes. Add the red wine and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the beef broth, bay leaves and thyme and stir thoroughly.
Place all of this in a slow cooker and cook on high for 5 hours. You can also cook them on low for at least 8 hours. Add the 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, stir, cover and return to the oven for another 30 minutes, until the meat is very tender.
Remove the meat from the pot, using a knife and folk separate the meat from the fat and the bone. Shred the meat and st it aside. Strain the sauce in a colander so as to separate out the solid material from the sauce. Add the meat to the sauce and refrigerate, if time allows. This will allow you to remove the fat from the sauce with ease. Heat to serve. I offered it with grits instead of polenta.
Remove short ribs from pot and place in a large bowl and cover. Strain the sauce and pour the sauce into a small bowl. Place the bowls in the refrigerator. After the sauce is thoroughly chilled, skim off the layer of fat from the top. Put the ribs and the sauce into a large saucepan and warm gently on the stove.) Garnish with chopped fresh parsley and serve over polenta.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Longboarding
It is unseasonably warm right now, and the kids are loving it. They relish in the opportunity to get outside, strut around in their short and glide along on wings made of trucks and wheels, rather than feathers. 
All is well, until the circling hawks, giddy and drunk with the warm sun, come crashing into each other and tumble down.
Thankfully, that spirit of joy is not broken. They do not draw war poses and attack each other for the folly of their ways, but rather, relish and trade stories of the adventure, complete with wounds to punctuate their commentaries.
{Photos by Ari, photo manipulation and cropping by Ellie.}
All is well, until the circling hawks, giddy and drunk with the warm sun, come crashing into each other and tumble down.
Thankfully, that spirit of joy is not broken. They do not draw war poses and attack each other for the folly of their ways, but rather, relish and trade stories of the adventure, complete with wounds to punctuate their commentaries.
{Photos by Ari, photo manipulation and cropping by Ellie.}
Monday, March 21, 2011
Ethan's Years as a Tiger Scout
This past weekend I began to pull together the photos and memorablia that I will need to create a celebration for Ethan achieving his Eagle Scout. It was fun to see the photos again. It had been a long time since I had pulled out those albums.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
For Japan With Love - A Day of Blogger Silence
It is nearly a week since the triple tragedy is Japan occured. I cannot even really comprehend what it must be like for the people and animals there. In an effort to help raise awareness of concrete ways to help those families, those animals, I am taking part in the "For Japan -With Love" campaign. 
Over 100 bloggers will have a day of "silence" on March 18th in order to reflect on the enormity of that event. The second goal is to pair with "Shelterbox," an organization that sends green boxes of survival gear (a tent, food, stove, etc.) to families in need. You can follow the link above to find out how you can help. Thank you for your consideration.
This was created by the fine folks over at Utterly Engaged and Ever-Ours.
Over 100 bloggers will have a day of "silence" on March 18th in order to reflect on the enormity of that event. The second goal is to pair with "Shelterbox," an organization that sends green boxes of survival gear (a tent, food, stove, etc.) to families in need. You can follow the link above to find out how you can help. Thank you for your consideration.
This was created by the fine folks over at Utterly Engaged and Ever-Ours.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Longboards and Photography - Ellie's Art
Ellie loves the warm, summer like weather and her "instagram" app on her IPhone. She says that it is the best app for photoediting on a phone. I like her style.
Ethan celebrated the approaching spring with the purchase of his own longboard.
Ellie celebrated by taking in the sun.
Ellie shows her style on her longboard - the one that started the trend around here.
Ethan's picking up his own style, too.
Kick and push and glide...
The kids were both inspired a bit by this video:
Ethan celebrated the approaching spring with the purchase of his own longboard.
Ellie celebrated by taking in the sun.
Ellie shows her style on her longboard - the one that started the trend around here.
Ethan's picking up his own style, too.
Kick and push and glide...
The kids were both inspired a bit by this video:
Monday, March 14, 2011
Pipeline Emergency at AVS - Learning a Bit About Plumbing & a Recipe for Blue Cheese Dressing from a Birthday Party
On Friday, the sewer at Alpine Valley School broke. Thankfully, school was out for the weekend. However, next week is super busy one. The problem had to be fixed. Larr and Ethan, along with a plumber, worked all weekend to fix it.
One bright side from the experience is that Ethan got to learn how to use an mini-excavator. What boy wouldn't love that? Also, perhaps the parking in front of the school might become improved.
Some of the digging had to be done by hand. Luckily, Ethan is skilled at digging because he has loved digging since he was a tiny boy.
Ethan, the plumber, communicates the plan of action to his novice crew.
The trench was gross. They had to wade through thick sewage sludge to get the delicate digging done.
They had it operational by Sunday evening, but the repairs to the sprinkler system and landscaping will take a long time. Thankfully Ethan knows how to do most of that.
We ended the weekend with a casual family birthday party. We served a variety of simple appetizers,wedge salad, beef lettuce wraps and Haagen-Daz bars for dessert.
The blue cheese dressing was a recipe from the cooking class/demonstrations that I attend on Sunday mornings at the William Sonoma store in the Cherry Creek mall. It is a good recipe:
Blue Cheese Dressing
via William Somona cooking demonstration
4 oz. Blue Cheese (I used a medium Danish Goat Blue Cheese. If you like a stronger flavor you will find that Maytag or Roquefort are nice*)
1 cup Mayonnaise
1/2 cup Buttermilk
1/2 cup Heavy Cream
2 TBL. Champagne Vinegar (I used Rice Wine vinegar instead)
Salt & Freshly Ground Pepper to taste
Pinch of Cayenne or Smoked Paprika
Crumb the blue cheese into the bowl of a food processor or a mixing bowl. Add in the remaining ingredients and mix well. Makes 2 cups. Keeps well for a few weeks.
* Look for a blue cheese with good, blue veins and a non-yellow cheese.
One bright side from the experience is that Ethan got to learn how to use an mini-excavator. What boy wouldn't love that? Also, perhaps the parking in front of the school might become improved.
Some of the digging had to be done by hand. Luckily, Ethan is skilled at digging because he has loved digging since he was a tiny boy.
Ethan, the plumber, communicates the plan of action to his novice crew.
The trench was gross. They had to wade through thick sewage sludge to get the delicate digging done.
They had it operational by Sunday evening, but the repairs to the sprinkler system and landscaping will take a long time. Thankfully Ethan knows how to do most of that.
We ended the weekend with a casual family birthday party. We served a variety of simple appetizers,wedge salad, beef lettuce wraps and Haagen-Daz bars for dessert.
The blue cheese dressing was a recipe from the cooking class/demonstrations that I attend on Sunday mornings at the William Sonoma store in the Cherry Creek mall. It is a good recipe:
Blue Cheese Dressing
via William Somona cooking demonstration
4 oz. Blue Cheese (I used a medium Danish Goat Blue Cheese. If you like a stronger flavor you will find that Maytag or Roquefort are nice*)
1 cup Mayonnaise
1/2 cup Buttermilk
1/2 cup Heavy Cream
2 TBL. Champagne Vinegar (I used Rice Wine vinegar instead)
Salt & Freshly Ground Pepper to taste
Pinch of Cayenne or Smoked Paprika
Crumb the blue cheese into the bowl of a food processor or a mixing bowl. Add in the remaining ingredients and mix well. Makes 2 cups. Keeps well for a few weeks.
* Look for a blue cheese with good, blue veins and a non-yellow cheese.
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