Last week was Homecoming at my school. I thought it might be fun to show you a glimpse of what it looks like on Homecoming Friday and at the Homecoming dance. (I'm sorry the photos are not very good. I used my cheap camera and it was on the wrong setting. Bummer!)
This year my school went from a grades 9-12 school to a grades 7-12 school, and so the 7th and 8th graders experienced their first pep rally.
Here are my young kiddos, my 7th and 8th graders.
I have them first hour and they are a great way to start my day.
The band played, the cheerleaders cheered and tried to teach the kids how to respond. At first they were a bit unsure as they were still using their best we-are-in-an-assembly behavior since they did not know that they could be silly in pep rallies. We taught them how to do "the wave." The 7th & 8th grade StuCo kids did their best to run a couple of activities. Some of it was a bit clunky. One girl got lost in the script and cried. Her best friend bounded out of the stands to the gym floor, hugging her and offering reassurance. The kids cheered. They are such good kids. The girl dried her eyes, took que from another girl, and then picked up where they left off. By the end of the hour, they were thrilled and exclaimed with joy and happiness upon leaving to go to class.
At the end of the day we had the high school pep rally. It was fun, too, but much more rowdy. I need to remember to bring earplugs next time. Once again the band played, the flags did a routine, the cheerleaders did a fun routine that included having some of the boys dance with them. There were silly, rigged contests where the seniors won (of course, they always win, that is why it is rigged.) And the kids were so good.
That afternoon there was a BBQ, a Powder Puff (Junior Girls vs Senior Girls Football game), a soccer match, face painting, car decorating, etc. and the Homecoming game. We won 44 to 0. This is the second year that we won, after a 12 year loosing homecoming game streak. It was exciting!
Saturday night we had the Homecoming dance. The kids were lovely, fun and pretty well behaved. They loved doing the line dances. The music as a mix of popular dance music and Mexican line dance music. Many of our Mexican kids going dancing every week, and so most of those kids know the moves to the dances. It was pretty cool to watch. Even the principal danced along. I tried to take a few photos, but it was too dark to see much.
-------- APPLE CINNAMON PORK CHOPS via:Gimme Some Oven
Thick, juicy pork chops are topped with a creamy, sweet, cinnamon-y apple and onion topping. It's comfort food at its best!
PREP: 5 MINS COOK: 20 MINS TOTAL: 25 MINS
INGREDIENTS:
4 Ribeye (rib) pork chops, bone-in, about 3/4-inch thick
Salt and pepper
3 tablespoons butter, divided
2 apples, peeled (optional), cored and thinly sliced
1 large white onion, halved and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Pinch ground cayenne pepper
2/3 cup apple cider
1/3 cup heavy cream
DIRECTIONS:
Generously season the chops with salt and pepper on both sides. Set aside.
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Immediately add the pork chops and cook until brown, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and set aside. Let chops rest for 3 minutes.
Return the skillet to medium-high heat and melt 1 tablespoon of butter. Immediately add the apples and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the brown sugar, cinnamon and cayenne. Stir in the apple cider and cream. Add the pork chops, nestling them into the liquid, and cook until the internal temperature of the pork reaches between 145 degrees F. (medium rare), with a 3-minute rest, and 160 degrees F. (medium), 3 to 4 minutes per side.
Serve the chops with the apple mixture spooned on top.
BAKED EGGS WITH BACON AND SPINACH via:Epicuruous (from Bon Appetit Mag.)
6 slices applewood-smoked bacon
1 5-ounce bag baby spinach
2 whole wheat or sourdough English muffins, split horizontally, well toasted
4 large eggs
4 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
Special equipment: 4 1-cup ramekins
Preheat oven to 400°F. Cook bacon in large skillet over medium heat until crisp; transfer to paper towels. Pour off drippings from skillet; reserve drippings. Add spinach to pan, sprinkle with pepper, and toss over medium heat, 1 minute. Transfer to strainer set over bowl to drain. Brush four 1-cup ramekins with drippings. Crumble bacon.
Place 1 toasted English muffin half, split side up, in each ramekin. Divide spinach among ramekins, then sprinkle bacon over, dividing equally. With back of spoon, shape well in center of each ramekin. Gently crack 1 egg into well in each ramekin, keeping yolk intact. Drizzle 1 tablespoon cream over each egg. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Bake eggs until whites are just set but yolks are still runny, 14 to 16 minutes.
1 cup vegetable oil (or 12/ cup Veg. Oil & 1/2 cup Applesauce)
2 1/4 cups white sugar ( i used 1/2 cup Brown Sugar and 1/2 cup White Sugar as we like our muffins less sweet than the recipes calls for)
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups grated zucchini
1 cup chopped walnuts
Directions
Grease and flour two 8 x 4 inch pans. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
Sift flour, salt, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon together in a bowl.
Beat eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add sifted ingredients to the creamed mixture, and beat well. Stir in zucchini and nuts until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pans.
Bake for 40 to 60 minutes, or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes. Remove bread from pan, and completely cool.
This past weekend was really lovely. We had a special family dinner to celebrate Ethan's birthday. I worked on the large paper ship I am making, I hung out with the family and I went to the Denver Botanic Gardens. That was probably the most fun thing we did.
We kicked off the weekend with a casual, fun family dinner in honor of Ethan's birthday. My mom joined in the fun. She bought presents for Ethan and Kohlton. She gave Kohlton a bag of assorted toys which were immediately put into loud and silly use. We closed up the evening with time around the fire. We have been able to do that nearly every night for a while. I love it.
I spent time putting the sails and rigging on the boat. I will share that later.
On Monday Larr, Ethan and myself went to the Denver Botanic Gardens. I wanted Ethan to see the new succulent and cacti greenhouses. I also wanted to practice photography. Sunlight through leaves and shadows caught my attention and became the thread that united many of my photographs.
The Gardens added some new greenhouses filled with succulents, cacti, etc. that I wanted Ethan to see. I had hoped that we could go inside, but that was not an option. He enjoyed looking in through the glass just the same. It made him especially happy when he saw plants in their greenhouse that he has at home.
The more traditional gardens were fun and the vegetable gardens were inspiring. They made me wish that I had planted a veggie garden this summer.
It was so much fun to go to the Gardens with Ethan again. We used to go often when the kids were little. It had been long enough that Ethan was seeing it with new eyes. It was really fun and interesting to see how he still is drawn to and loves the same parts of the garden as those that attracted him when he was little. I loved seeing his enthusiasm.
Larr, always talented and with good timing, managed to get a photograph of a humming bird who did not seem to notice that we were just a few feet away.
1/3 cup Hoisin Sauce
1/3 cup Soy Sauce
2 Tablespoons Grated Ginger
1 Tablespoon Sriracha
1 Tablespoon Rice Wine Vinegar
3 cloves Garlic, Grated
2 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts, Cut Into Strips
1/4 cup Chopped Cilantro
8 whole Butter Lettuce Leaves
1 cup Bean Sprouts
1 cup Thinly Sliced Red Cabbage
1 cup Julienne Carrots
1 cup Cucumber Slices
2 Tablespoons Chopped Peanuts
1 cup Cooked Thin Rice Noodles
Sweet Chili Sauce, For Serving
For the chicken and marinade: Mix the hoisin sauce, soy sauce, grated ginger, Sriracha, rice wine vinegar and grated garlic in a large bowl or resealable plastic bag. Add the chicken strips and marinate, refrigerated, for 2 hours.
Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat.
Remove the chicken strips from the marinade and grill until cooked through, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a serving platter and sprinkle with the peanuts and cilantro.
For the lettuce and fillings: Set out the lettuce, bean sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cucumbers and rice noodles on the serving platter.
To assemble, use the butter lettuce leaves to contain the chicken and fillings. Add some chili and hoisin sauce, then roll them up and eat!
6 whole Pork Chops (medium-to-thin)
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons Butter
Salt And Pepper
1-1/2 cup Red Wine
1/2 cup Beef Broth (more If Needed)
1 whole Bay Leaf
1 Tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar
18 whole Peeled Garlic Cloves
1 Tablespoon Butter (additional)
Heat oil and butter in a heavy skillet over high heat. Salt and pepper both sides of the pork chops and sear them on both sides until they're nice and golden, about 2 minutes per side. (No need to completely cook the chops at this point.) Remove the chops from the skillet and set aside.
Reduce the heat to medium-high, then throw in the whole garlic cloves. Stir them around and cook them for several minutes, or until they get nice and golden brown.
Pour in the red wine, then add the bay leaf. Stir around and let it reduce, raising the heat if necessary. Cook the sauce for several minutes, or until it's nice and reduced and thick.
Stir in the beef broth (you can add more if it needs the liquid) and add the chops back into the cooking liquid, arranging them so that they're swimming in the sauce. Allow the chops to cook in the liquid for a few minutes, then pour in the balsamic. Shake the pan to get it to distribute, then cook for a couple more minutes, or until the pork chops are done.
Remove the chops from the pan once more, then let the sauce reduce a little more if needed until it's very thick and rich and the garlic is soft. Swirl in 1 tablespoon of butter and sprinkle in a little salt and pepper.
Arrange pork chops on a platter, then pour the whole skillet of sauce (including garlic) over the top.
Serve with a green salad.
*You may substitute white wine for a slightly lighter sauce.
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CROCK POT MEATBALL SLIDERS WITH PEACH CHIPOTLE BBQ SAUCE via:King's Hawaiian
1 pound Package ground turkey
1 pound Ground pork
1 Large eggs
3/4 cup Panko Bread Crumbs
1 1/2 teaspoons Cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons Chili powder
1 teaspoon Paprika
1 teaspoon Garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Black pepper
1 tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup Beer or chicken broth
1 tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil
1/2 Onion
3 Garlic cloves minced
1/4 cup Peppers and sauce from canned chipotles in adobo, minced
2/3 cup Ketchup
1/4-1/2 cup Beer or chicken stock
1 tablespoon Apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon Molasses
1/2 cup Peach Preserves
Pinch of salt
Step 1
For the meatballs: In a large bowl, add the first 10 ingredients and mix with your hands. Once the ingredients are combined, shape into meatballs. You can use a medium sized cookie scooper or 2 tablespoons would work. Add olive oil to a large skillet at medium heat. Brown meatballs on all sides, do not over cook. You just want to give the meatball a nice sear. Cook meatballs in batches - don't over crowd the skillet. Add cooked meatballs to a slow cooker coated with cooking spray. Once all of the meatballs are in the slow cooker, pour in beer or broth. Cook on low for 5 to 6 hours.
Step 2
For the sauce: In a sauce pan set at medium heat, add oil & onions. Cook until the onions are translucent. Add garlic and stir. Cook until fragrant. Add chipotle peppers and sauce. Stir until combined with onion & garlic. Stir in the ketchup, vinegar, water, mustard, molasses, and peach preserves. Simmer for 10-15 minutes. Taste and add salt if needed.
Step 3
Once the meatballs are cooked, remove from slow cooker. Drain out the liquid. Return meatballs to slow cooker and cover with BBQ sauce. Turn slow cooker setting to warm and cover with lid. Let the meatballs sit in the slow cooker for at least 10 minutes. Serve BBQ meatballs on slider rolls.
Makes 8 small pizzas
1 2/3 cups water
1 to 2 teaspoons active dry or instant yeast
1/4 cup olive oil
5 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
If you want to use the pizza dough that same day, use 2 teaspoons yeast. If you are going to let the dough rise overnight, use 1 teaspoon yeast.
Mix the water and yeast together in the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl. Let stand for a few minutes until the yeast is dissolved. Stir the oil into the yeast mixture, then add the flour and salt. Mix with a spatula until a shaggy, floury dough is formed.
Knead the dough on low speed with a dough hook for 5 to 7 minutes, or knead by hand on the counter for 6 to 8 minutes. When kneaded, the dough should form a smooth ball, feel smooth to the touch, and spring slowly back when poked.
Use a pastry scraper or knife to cut the dough into 8 lumps. Grease a baking pan lightly with olive oil or baking spray. Place the dough lumps in the pan and turn them over so they are coated with oil. Cover the pan with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel.
To Make Pizza the Same Day
Let the dough rise at room temperature for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until it has doubled in bulk.
At this point the dough can be used immediately, or refrigerated or frozen for later use.
→ How long the dough lasts in the fridge: The dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. After that it should be cooked or frozen.
To Make Pizza the Next Day (or Later)
If you don't need the dough until the next day, place the covered pan immediately in the refrigerator and let it rise slowly overnight or up to 24 hours.
Before making the pizza, remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for at least 1 hour.
You can also of course remove just one or two balls of dough and return the remaining dough to the fridge. If removing just part of the dough, prepare a baking sheet or countertop surface by greasing lightly with oil or baking spray. Place the dough balls on top, then cover loosely with plastic wrap or a damp towel while they rise.
To Grill the Pizza
Preheat your gas grill with all the burners on high 10 to 15 minutes before you plan to cook. (Alternatively, start a charcoal grill.) Once heated, turn off or lower half the burners, creating an area of direct heat and an area of indirect heat. (Alternatively, bank a charcoal grill to create areas of direct and indirect heat.) Set up a workspace near the grill with space for shaping the pizza and bowls with sauce and toppings.
Working with one piece at a time, pull and stretch a dough ball in your hands into a round. Once it becomes large, drape it over your fists to continue stretching it into a large, thin round. If it feels more comfortable, you can also do this on a greased work surface.
Flip the shaped pizza onto the grill over direct heat. Close the grill. Let the pizza grill until the bottom is just barely cooked and shows char marks, 1 to 3 minutes. Every grill is different, and depending on yours and how long you preheated it, this time could vary.
Use tongs to flip the pizza over and move it to the indirect heat. Quickly spread it with sauce and spread a thin layer of toppings over top. (Don't over-top the pizza as this will interfere with it cooking quickly and completely.) Close the grill and cook until the toppings are warmed through and the cheese is melted, another 2 to 3 minutes. Again, time on your grill may vary. Use your sense of smell; if the pizza smells like it's scorching, open the grill and rotate the pizza into a cooler spot.
Use tongs or a large spatula to slide the finished pizza onto a cutting board. Cut the pizza into slices and serve. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough; as you get into a rhythm, you can start a second pizza over direct heat while the first pizza is finishing over direct heat.
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Vietnamese Pork and Shrimp Rolls via: White on Rice
Pork and Shrimp Spring Rolls
Yield: Serves 3-4Total Time: 45 min
In his cookbook Vietnamese Home Cooking, Charles Phan has a great story behind these spring rolls and how his Mother has a very unique twist by adding a smear of homemade mayonnaise to moisten the wrapper. We suggest you get the book to understand how she does all this, as well as how he makes his full version of the rolls with his peanut dip. The recipe we're sharing today is our own recipe that we serve with our hoisin peanut dip.
For the pork and shrimp spring rolls:
1/2 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
about 1/2 pound (8 oz) boneless pork loin or shoulder
1 (8-10 oz) package dried rice vermicelli noodles or "rice sticks", cooked to package instructions.
1 small head of lettuce
1 medium cucumber, cut into thin strips
fresh herbs: mint, asian basil. Vietnamese coriander, Vietnamese perilla or cilantro
about 12 (8-inch) rice paper wrappers or rice paper spring roll wrappers
For Hoisin Peanut dip:
1/4 cup hoisin ( If hoisin dip is too thick, add water to thin out the dip)
2 heaping tablespoons peanut butter, almond butter or cashew butter.
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
To make the dipping sauce: Combine combine all dip ingredients together and blend well. Add a small bit of warm water and blend again, if the sauce is too thick.
Cook the noodles as directed on the package.
For the rolls, start by preparing the pork. Cut the pork into thin strips and saute in a pan with a bit of butter.
If the shrimp is not precooked, cook or grill it.
Lay out your ingredients and fill an 8" x 8" pan with warm water. This will be used to soften the rice paper wrapper. I have included a video below to help you, should you need it.
Add warm water to a large bowl. Quickly dip each rice paper wrapper in warm water for a few seconds and lay on rolling surface such as a cutting board or plate (they will still be slightly stiff).
Lay your lettuce first on the soft spring roll wrapper, then add the strips lettuce, herbs, cucumber, noodles and pork.
Roll spring roll till you have about 1/3 of rice paper left, then lay about 2-3 pieces of shrimp, cut side up in a row and finish rolling. The shrimp will lay on the outside of the spring roll when you are finished rolling.
Serve with the hoisin peanut dip.
Read more at http://whiteonricecouple.com/recipes/pork-shrimp-spring-rolls/#3od6ptYq2itk7H6Q.99
And just like that, Summer has arrived. Less than a week ago I was still needing a coat when I left for work. I even wore a sweater a few times. It was all of that cold rain. But now, it seems to have moved out, after nearly a month or more of rain every day. And today it was around 80 degrees with our trademark blue skies. Along with that came a nasty, extremely contagious head & sinus cold that makes you feel really terrible. Larr had it a week ago, for about a week. I came down with it on Friday, my last day or work. Ellie and Kohlton became sick on Saturday. We are a sorry lot around here, I tell you! I've mostly spent my weekend sleeping, zoning, or thinking about how soon I will have to sleep again.
Ellie's first day as a crew leader for Jefferson County Open Space begins tomorrow. She has everything at the ready. Now I hope she get a deep and complete night of sleep. It is exciting. I only wish that she was not sick. They will most likely not know that she is ill.
These lovely peonies are from Eleanor's garden. We are working to transplant as much of her garden to our yard as possible since we have to sale the house. That makes us very sad.
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Here's the main dish in Ellie's lunch this week:
4 thick cut pork chops (bone-in or boneless)
¼ cup brown sugar
½ tsp cayenne powder (This might be too much.)
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp paprika
½ tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
(I've put the recipe below as I followed it, but I have also added the changes that I think should be made next time.)
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
In a bowl combine the brown sugar and spices (salt, pepper, cayenne, paprika and garlic powder or whatever spice blend you like).
Remove the pork chops from their package and rub the brown sugar/spice mix all over both sides. Use all of the spice mix.
Heat 2 Tbsp of olive oil in a skillet over medium/high heat. When the oil is nice and hot (it will look wavy in the pan), add the pork chops. Cook the chops for about 5 minutes on each side or until they are nicely browned. (This resulted in the brown sugar burning. Next time I will skip the skillet portion of this recipe and try cooking it in the oven for the entire time.)
If you are using an oven safe skillet, place the skillet in the oven for an additional 5 minutes to make sure they are cooked through. If your skillet is not oven safe (most plastic handled skillets and teflon are not safe in the oven), transfer the chops to a baking sheet lined with foil then place in the oven.
Remove the chops from the oven and drag each side around in the thick glaze that has formed around the chops in the pan prior to serving.
