Graduation, Celebrations, Mother's Day and the Moody Blues Concert - Whew, What a Weekend!

It was a whirlwind weekend. Ellie graduated from high school, so that was both a ceremony and two parties. Then the kids managed to put on a really lovely Mother's Day brunch on Sunday and Larr and I went to the Moody Blues concert on Sunday night. It was great, but I am also happy that it is all done.

This year Alpine Valley School had five graduates. That is a lot for our tiny school who usually has one or maybe two graduates a year. It is also the end of an era, with Ellie being the last founder's kid to graduate. She was a mere babe in arms when we signed the lease for the first building we were in. Xander, the one on the left end, wearing a bowtie, was pretty close to being a founder's kid, just missing the beginning by a few years. He is the last of his family to graduate with all three of the kids attending AVS.

Connie was the head of Ellie's Thesis panel. Ellie knew that she wanted Connie to hold that important position in her life since she was young. Connie told a few short stories about Ellie and her speech was very personal.

It took a lot of hard work to get to this point. Going to a small school, each person really has to face him/herself, own up to what he/she does right, reckon with what he/she does wrong - a small community of dedicated learners is a very strong mirror. As a result, Ellie has become a strong, knowledgeable, capable and honorable young woman. Much of what she knows about herself was hard won through dealing with tough stuff. It is exciting to see what she will do next. That is also a little scary.

As is tradition at our school, the parents of the graduates host the celebratory reception. That was a process in and of its own, with five families to orchestrate. It turned out beautifully, but I will save that for the next post. (I want the focus to be on Ellie for this entry.)

Kohlton had a lot of family members come to town for graduation. His Uncle Adam came in all the way from Alaska. It was a surprise that he and Kohlton's Grandma Linda arranged, so that was a surprise for both Kohlton, and his mother, Britt. I am pretty sure that Uncle Adam is one of Kohlton's favorite people, so having him there was a gift in its own right.

Kohlton's grandparents from Boston and Arizona also came to town to take part in the celebration.

The kids were graceful and beautiful this weekend.

Here are the other graduates:

This is Xander with Larr, who is speaking about knowing Xander since he was an infant.

Here is Ian, who took the thesis process to heart and did some deep soul searching, growing and achieving, and all with great humor.

This is Brandon (or Brandy, as many have called him since he joined the school at 8 years old.) with Missa speaking about him. You can always count on the sweetness of Brandon to help you see the bright side of things, offer compassion and be supportive. He has worked through some hard stuff to get to graduation.

And finally Kohlton, the 30th AVS graduate. Kohlton has grown a ton since he joined the school at the end of 8th grade. He has worked hard, done a lot of internal work and really blossomed at AVS. The transformation has been amazing and I am honored to have been witness to it.

We had a great reception, despite the fact that it had rained all week and we had initially planned for an outdoor party. The decorations were lovely and the food was just about right. I think everyone went home happy.

While this was all fun, I am especially thankful for my friend, Natalie, who showed up and was a trooper. She helped us decorate, she and her family attended graduation and both parties, and she stopped me long enough to snap this picture that I am so thankful to have. We were all so busy with the events, that I took almost no pictures. At Ethan's graduation, I did not end up in any of the photos. This time I was determined to have one taken with Ellie and I, and Natalie made that happen. She is the very model of what a best friend is.

Getting Ready for Celebrations - Kitty Approved Decorations and Party Menu Plans

We are gearing up for a big weekend with Ellie graduating on Saturday and Mother's Day on Sunday.

One of Ellie's favorite decorations is the flag bunting that I made for a summer party a few summers ago. She requested that I make more. I was happy to oblige her. I dyed the fabric during spring break, and then have constructed it this week.

I measured the original ones to make sure that they will go together well. Then I cut them out.

Next, I sewed them onto the colorful seam binding.

I don't know how long the original bunting is, but now we have an additional 30 yards. That should suit her just fine. I am happy to see that the bunting is kitty approved.

Tomorrow we are going to graduation. I am the head of the celebration reception at school, and then we are having a party here at home. It is a bit overwhelming, but I think I have it all under control. I have my fingers crossed, just in case.

Here's what we are serving at the party at our house:

Appetizers:
Caprese Toast
Pizza Pinwheels (Ham or Pep.)
Dirt Cups*
Fruit Kabobs (maybe)
Bacon Wrapped Pineapple *
Cocktail Wienies in BBQ Sauce*

Pasta Bar:

Pasta:
Spaghetti
Bowtie
Fettuccine

Sauce:
Marinara
Alfredo
Garlic Butter
Pesto (?)

Toppings:
Meatballs
Grilled Chicken
Sausage
Olives
Broccoli
Parmesan
Peas

Salad
Garlic Bread

Drinks:
Watermelon Peach Spritzer
Iced Tea
Water
Mint & Pineapple flavored water (maybe)
Blackberry & Basil flavored water (maybe)
Beer
Wine Coolers
Wine

and there will be cherry pie, if I can find the time to make it.

Whew, I better get back to getting ready.

Happy Mother's Day to my friends!

Cake, Crazy Train, and Recipes for Watermelon Peach Spritzer and Spicy Sausage Pasta Skillet Dinner

Our life on the crazy train continues, but it is just about to round the corner. All of the special meetings and events that dealt with the high school that I work at becoming a 7-12 grades school have happened. Now we just have to get through to the end of the year, which is hectic in its own way. This is the time when many of my students sort of begin to shut down and some even give up. I am in extra energetic cheerleader mode with some of them. Sometimes I think I care more about their grades than they do.

Last week Ellie made a cake for a bridal shower. It was the first cake that she made for someone that we do not know directly. The bride has a western theme and so she wanted a fence and purple. Originally she also wanted burlap. This was a bit of a challenge for Ellie, but I think the cake came out really lovely and very elegant. My favorite parts are the tiny flowers.

We are also gearing up for two parties this weekend since graduation is on Saturday. I am heading up the reception party committee at the school and we are hosting a party at home. We were hoping for and planning on nice weather, but it looks like it is going to be rainy, as it has been all week, so some of our ideas, especially those dealing with decorations, have to be reconsidered.

I've asked Ellie to figure out what we will serve at the party at the house. We have to have recipes that we can prep. on Saturday morning and then put out after we return home from the celebration at school. It is a bit of a challenge. I had hoped to serve some of the kids' favorite foods, but that simply does not work out. We are hosting the party for Ellie and Kohlton. It just makes sense to combine the parties since they will want to be together on that day anyway. I am adding this drink recipe below. The spicey sausage skillet recipe is a dinner we had a while ago. The guys all liked it. It was too rich for Ellie and I.

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Watermelon Peach Spritzer
via: What's Cooking Love

1 bottle (2 liters) lemon-lime soda
Frozen sliced peaches
Watermelon, cubed
Ice cubes
Instructions

Put about 5 frozen peach slices in the bottom of each glass. Also add about 5 pieces of cubed watermelon to each glass as well. The amount of fruit you can add will depend on your glass size. I found about 5 peach slices and 5 watermelon cubes worked well for my glass sizes.
To each glass also add 2 ice cubes. Then fill up each glass with the lemon-lime soda. Stir each glass to mix the fruit throughout the drink. If desired, place a piece of watermelon on the rim of each glass.

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Spicy Sausage Pasta Skillet
via Plain Chicken

1 tbsp olive oil
14 oz smoked sausage, sliced into 1/4" rounds
1 cup onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 (10 oz) can rotel (I prefer mild, but if you want more spice use the original)
1/2 cup heavy cream
8 oz whole grain penne (or whatever noodle you prefer, I've also used bowtie)
Pepper, to taste
1 1/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
thinly sliced scallions, for garnish

Heat oil over medium-high heat in an oven safe skillet until hot. Add the sausage and onion and cook until lightly browned, 4-5 minutes. Add in the garlic and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds.

Add the broth, rotel, heavy cream, uncooked pasta, and pepper. Stir well. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer until the pasta is tender, 15 minutes. Stir once or twice while cooking. Preheat the broiler while pasta is cooking.

Remove the skillet from the heat, stir in 1 cup of the cheese. Taste, and add salt as needed. Top with the scallions and remaining cheese. Broil until the cheese is melted and lightly browned - about 3 minutes.

My Newest Frida Kahlo Piece of Art, Making Cotton Candy + Chicken Curry with Spring Vegatables, Chinese Broccoli Beef Noodle Stir Fry & Japanese Christmas Cake Recipes

I've spent some focused time during the last few days trying to finish this piece, "Frida in a Shawl," so that it can be included on the poster for the Bella Frida part of the artwalk in Louisville in June. It is very exciting to have this opportunity. This piece is not actually finished, but it is close enough to be photographed. I actually like it better when viewed in person, than viewing the the photograph of it.

Here's what it started out as:

It starts with a drawing based on the following photograph.

Then I colored the image with colored pencils.

And then I added the encaustic wax and the wax covered tissue paper flowers. I really like this piece. Hopefully it will sell, so I might make another one, though a second one would not look the same as the encaustic colors are very organic in the way they combine.

I have an idea for a third piece in this series that I am hoping to start very soon.

We are also getting geared up for Ellie's graduation party. Natalie's kids have lent us their cotton candy machine. Ellie, Kenzie and Katy had fun figuring out how to use it. It was both fun and a bit scary. It was sort of like electric, tasty spider webs.

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I made this for Ethan and I this evening, in between working on the "Frida in a Shawl" encaustic. I worked on the encaustic a little, worked on making dinner while the wax cooled, etc. I served rice cooked in chicken stock. Ethan suggested that next time I make rice cooled with coconut water. That is a great idea.

Chicken Curry with Spring Vegetables
via: Eat Well 101


Serves 6
2 lbs (1kg) skinless chicken breasts, cubed
3 tablespoons olive or coconut oil
Salt and fresh cracked black pepper, to taste
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1 red bell pepper, minced
4 cups fresh spring vegetables: asparagus, green peas, snap peas…
2-3 tablespoons curry powder*
1 teaspoon ground cumin*
1 ½ cups (350ml) chicken stock or vegetable stock
1 cup (240ml) coconut milk
Fresh cilantro, chopped (optional, for garnish)
Lime wedges, for garnish
(Cashews or peanuts for garnish)

* I doubled the amount of seasonings to make it more intensely flavored.

1. Season chicken pieces with salt and black pepper. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the chicken pieces in batches and lightly brown. Remove and transfer to a plate and continue cooking all the chicken the same way. Avoid crowding the pot because the chicken will steam instead of browning.

2. Add the onion, garlic and ginger to the pot and cook about 5 minutes, until softened. Add the bell pepper, asparagus, green peas and snap peas. Cook another few minutes.

3. Add the chicken back to the pot. Add the curry powder and cumin. Cook, stirring for 1 minute. Add the stock, cover the pot and simmer gently, stirring occasionally for about 15-20 minutes. The chicken should be cooked through.

4. Add the coconut milk, and simmer gently uncovered for 5 minutes, stirring until the sauce is thickened. Serve over rice, with lime wedges and chopped cilantro for garnish.

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Ellie and Kohlton made this for dinner and dessert recently. It was a lovely meal:

Chinese Broccoli Beef Noodle Stir Fry
via: Steamy Kitchen

3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons oyster sauce
3 tablespoons Shaoxing wine, sake or dry white wine
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon tapioca starch or cornstarch
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
1 pound beef sirloin, thinly sliced
1 pound fresh or 10 ounces dried noodles
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 large garlic cloves, crushed and finely chopped
1.25 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 pound Chinese broccoli or regular common broccoli, cut into bite-size chunks or florets
Freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 tablespoon each soy sauce, oyster sauce and rice wine. Add the sugar and continue to whisk until completely dissolved. Stir in the tapioca starch and continue stirring until smooth. Add the sesame oil and beef, and mix well. Marinate for 20 minutes. Drain and discard the excess marinade.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook the noodles until 1 minute shy of done and drain. (We'll finish cooking the noodles at the end)

Heat 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil in a skillet or wok over high heat and stir-fry the garlic until fragrant, about 1o seconds. Add the beef and stir-fry until tender, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil and when hot, add the Chinese broccoli, stir frying so that the oil coats the Chinese broccoli. Pour in the 1/4 cup of the stock, turn the heat to medium-low and cover with a tight fitting lid. Cook the Chinese broccoli until tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer the Chinese broccoli to the same plate.

Add the remaining cup of stock and the remaining 2 tablespoons each of soy sauce, oyster sauce, and rice wine to the same skillet and bring to a boil over
high heat.

Add the noodles and cook until the liquid has almost completely evaporated, leaving the noodles lightly moistened,2 to 3 minutes. Return the beef and broccoli to the skillet and toss to mix the ingredients thoroughly. Season with pepper to taste and serve.


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Japanese Christmas Cake
via: Sugar and Snapshots

KASUTERA SPONGE CAKE
2 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons honey
4 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup flour, sifted

STABILIZED WHIPPING CREAM
2 cups heavy cream
4 tsp cold water
4 tsp agar agar or unflavored gelatin
1/2 cup frosting sugar
ALSO NEEDED
1 pint of fresh strawberries, hulled, washed and halved.

KASUTERA SPONGE CAKE
Preheat oven to 350° F
Use a large 5″x9″ loaf pan or 8″ spring form pan. Line it with waxed paper.
Place milk in a small microwave-safe bowl and heat just to warm (about 10 to 15 seconds). Mix honey in the warm milk, set aside.
Fill a large bowl with warm water, set aside.
Using an electric hand-mixer, whisk the eggs in a large bowl, adding the sugar gradually until completely combined.
Place the bowl over the large bowl with warm water, continue to whisk the egg mixture until it becomes light yellow (almost white), remove from heat and add the honey and milk mixture and whisk to combine and cool the mixture slightly
Sift flour, holding sieve nice and high above the bowl to get plenty of air in the flour as it goes down into the bowl, into the egg mixture. Using a large bubble whisk gently fold the flour into the egg mixture.
Pour the batter in lined pan and tap the pan. Tap very gently on the table to release any air bubbles. Bake at 350° F for 10 minutes, then turn down oven temperature to 300° F and continue to bake for about 40 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the middle of the Kasutera comes out clean.
Remove Kasutera from oven and grasping the parchment on both sides of pan lift the Kasutera out, carefully remove parchment and place on wire rack to cool.

STABILIZED WHIPPING CREAM
In the bowl of your stand mixer pour the heavy cream into the bowl and place in the refrigerator to chill bowl and cream.
In a small microwaveable bowl combine the cold water and agar agar or gelatin into the bowl and whisk to combine, keep whisking until the mixture is thick and looks dissolved.
Place in microwave for 10 seconds until warm and continue to mix until cool. It should thicken slightly and not look grainy but smooth and syrup like.
Put the chilled bowl of cream onto the mixer and on medium high speed with a whisk attachment, whisk until almost at soft peak. Add in the sugar slowly to the thick cream, and when it is at the soft peak stage slowly drizzle in the agar agar mixture into the cream until it thickens to desired constancy, I stopped at stiff peaks.

ASSEMBLY
Stabilized whipping cream (above)
Kasutera sponge (above)

1 pint of strawberries, hulled, washed and halved.

In the same container that was used to bake the sponge, line it with wax paper leaving an over hang enough to lift out the cake when assembled and chilled.
Cut the sponge in half as evenly as possible. Place half of the sponge cake in the bottom of the pan. Layer a very thin layer of the whipped cream on top of the sponge.
Arrange the strawberry halves around the entire pan. You can arrange them how ever you wish. I stood them up on the bases.
Layer 2/3 of the cream over the strawberries until you are unable to see the tops through the cream.
Add the last layer of sponge on top of the cream and gently push down to spread the cream in between the berries.
Using 1/2 of the remaining cream spread a thin layer on top of the sponge cake in an even flat layer. Refrigerate for 3-4 hours, You can use the remaining cream to pipe a decoration along the edge of the cake when ready to serve.

When ready to serve. Place your cake container next to your serving platter, and gently lift it out of the pan (or remove sides if you chose to use a spring form pan) and place on the platter. With a kitchen assistant and a large flat angled spatula you can then gently peel down the sides of the paper and lift the cake to remove the parchment on the bottom. At this point you have an option to use the remaining cream to pipe a decoration along the edge of the cake. Gently slice and decorate with extra cream and berries.
Recipes adapted from La Fuji Mama

Of Containers, Ducks, Alexa, Frida and Cleaning - What my weekend was made of

This weekend was mostly about regrouping, trying to recharge and gearing up for the next set of big events that take place in less than two weeks. By Friday afternoon I was spent and nearly voiceless. I was so thankful that it was the weekend. Ellie graduates on May 9th. Ellie and I are organizing the reception at her school and we are hosting a party at our house, too. It is a lot, but graduating is important, so a party (or two) is in order. We are hosting a party for Ellie and Kohlton. It just makes sense to combine them since they will want to be together. We will be meeting some of his grandparents for the first time and we want to make the best impression possible. That means that we are deep cleaning and attempting to declutter our house. This is in contrast to Larr emptying out his father's house. Much of that stuff is making its way to us. The timing is not great, but it is what has to happen.

We are all very sad, but Larr is still in very deep mourning. Integrating some of his parents stuff in with ours makes him feel a little better. The picture above is an example of this, and one I love. The rocks, minerals, shark's teeth, crushing balls, etc. are part of his collection of cool stuff. The containers are from his parents. I love the way it looks. I think him mother would have approved.

The beaker is one of my favorite things brought over. There is a set from when Eleanor worked at the Armstrong Cork Company. Upon close inspection, I found that the numbers were sand-blasted on. It looks like the letter stencil was made by hand. The elegance of the script is just not the kind you would get from a machine.

Their furniture makes this room look more like an office, than the man-cave it was just a short time ago.

On Saturday, Ethan stopped by on his way to working his first night shift. On the way over he encountered a mallard drake that was injured. Ethan thinks that it may have been clipped by a car. It was injured, bleeding a small bit and trying unsuccessfully to cross the road to get to a small pond on private land where its mate was already on the water. Ethan was unsure what to do. He picked up the bird, carried it to near the edge of the pond and left some food for it. Much to my amazement, Ethan said that the bird just looked at him placidly and was very calm as Ethan delivered him to the other side of the road. I don't know if that means that the duck was in shock, or if it sensed that Ethan intended to help, instead of hurt. I called a bird rescue organization. I had to leave a message, so I don't know if they were able to help the bird or not. We certainly hope so, but I don't think we will actually know, short of going to that spot and looking for evidence of carnage from something attacking and killing the duck. It also makes me wonder what happens to the mate that is left behind after one of the ducks die. It was both sad, that the duck was hurt, and gratifying to see that Ethan has a tender enough heart to stop and help a creature in need.

The next day we went over to Don's house. Ethan and James were eating dinner. James has a fun device, a toy, really, called Alexa. It is kind of like Siri for the house. It is Amazon Echo. She is voice activated. You can ask her to purchase and play music, ask her about things like weather, or traffic. You can ask her to tell you a joke or tell her "good night Alexa" and get a response in return. Her jokes are pretty funny in a 3rd grader kind of way. I asked Alexa to tell me a joke and she replied, "Why is 6 afraid of 7? Because 7 8 (ate) 9." When we told her good night, she replied, "Good night and sweet dreams." Ethan is not much of one for lots of computers or electronics, but James is and it is fun to see how they blend their different kinds of fun while living together.

When you say, "Alexa" it lights up and waits for a request. It is really pretty fun.

In between cleaning (I did a deep clean of the living room and a bathroom, complete with a cabinet cleanout and reorganization) I did a little art, working on a second piece for the Frida exhibit in Louisville this summer. It is really kind of exciting!

I colored the second Frida image that I drew, glued it to the craddled board and painted the sides of both pieces. I am also thinking about some way to finish the back in a fun way. All the while I watch, "Frida" with Selma Hayek planning the title role. Frida was an amazing, passionate, fiery woman.

I might try to do a third piece for the show. I am also thinking about creating some coloring pages that kids could color so that they would have fun at the event, too. My art will be part of an artwalk in June. Exciting stuff!

Things I Love - From This Week

This has been a crazy week, just like so many others in my life. There have been some wonderful things.

Early in the week we gathered to celebrate my father's 72nd birthday. We had a nice dinner at the Outback Steakhouse. It was great. My Aunt Rosemary was the one who organized it. My dad is not much for talking, but we had a nice chat. I think he had not seen Ethan since he was about 14 or 15, so I was especially pleased that he was able to join us.

Speaking of Ethan, last night he stopped by the house and shared some of the bagels he made earlier in the evening. He and a friend had bagels, cream cheese and lox for breakfast. It was pricey and not very good, so he gave it a go. I love that he is like that. It is gratifying for me to see that he enjoys cooking.

The kids had gone walking earlier in the week and brought home these flowering branches for me. I don't know what they are, maybe flowering plum, but I love them. I want to draw them. I am thrilled that they brought them home for me. I am certain that carrying them back was a hassle.

On Wednesday, Kohlton successfully defended his thesis. He and Ellie worked very hard to make sure that he would give an excellent speech and he looked so handsome in his new suit. He has come such a long way from the angry young man who joined the school in his 8th grade year. I think his parents were especially thrilled. I loved watching his dad watch him. I don't think Mark had seen Kohlton do a presentation like that before.

And of course there was Victory Pie at Village Inn once it was declared successful. This is a long standing tradition where the non-family members wait for the private deliberations about the potential graduate's credentials for earning his/her diploma. There are usually about 15-25 of us taking up an entire section of the restaurant. We the graduate arrives, we erupt in applauses.

Kohlton is our 30th graduate.

And, as if all of that is not enough, Ellie bought her first vehicle. It is a green 4 Runner with a super turbo something. Larr, Ethan and Kohlton are all suffering from a little truck envy. Larr suggests that we call it the Green Dragon. (I will post a photo of it as soon as I have one.)

I hope you have a lovely weekend. We are going to spend ours moving plants from my mother-in-law's garden to ours. I hope and pray that I can keep most of them alive. It is a big job, but one that has to be done since we are having to sell that house.

Colorado Teen Literature Conference, 2015 + Hamburger/Hot Dog Buns Recipe & Shepard's Pie Recipe

Last weekend I helped put on the 2015 Colorado Teen Literature Conference. My life has been a ride on the crazy train for a while, but I am sure glad that I made going to the conference a priority.

We had two really wonderful Key Note, featured authors. Wendelin Van Draanen, who has written a ton of books, some of them for middle schoolers, and some of them a bit more serious. My current favorite of her books is The Running Dream. However, I have several titles, including Flipped and Swear to Howdy, that I want to read. Her keynote was funny, serious and uplifting.

Wendelin, her husband and two young boys started out living in a tiny, moldy house in a bad neighborhood where homeless people slept on her porch. For ten years she taught math and computer science while raising her family and writing in the wee hours of the morning. For many of those ten years she received many rejection letters. Eventually, a publisher gave her a contract and that book that so many other publishing houses turned down, won a few rewards. She continues to work like this for some number of years, until she was getting enough from writing that she could do that full time. the son of Rob Reiner had to read Flipped for school, and so Rob read along with him. He loved the novel enough to make it into a movie.

One of the things that I love about Wendelin was that, in addition to being kind, understanding and very real, she was also very funny. Sometimes she sang a little when she was speaking. I love this about her. She was also so kind and attentive to the teens at the conference.

We are going to exchange some fun stuff in the mail. She is going to send me a few books on disc for my struggling readers. I am going to make her a small piece of art.

Our other notable speaker was Andrew Smith. I love his books because they are so daring and really put what I think it must be like to be a teenage boy onto the page. I loved his book, Winger. I was thrilled when he talked about the sequel coming out in September.

I thought Grasshopper Jungle was great, too. It was very daring, indeed.

Andrew and his family live in the mountains of California. He is very dedicated to supporting his children and helping them be who they want to be. I loved the stories about how he empowers both of his kids. He, too, writes early in the morning. He gets up at 3:00 so that he can write before he is off to teach a full day of high school English. I admire and am amazed at his drive, his motivation. The teens at our conference loved him, too.

We had lots of other wonderful sessions, too many to list. One of our new types of sessions this year was one about "No More Bored Games." It was a very big hit.

After the conference we dined at Lower 48. The food was hand-made, but the portions were a bit small. The restaurant is really lovely.

My favorite food was the onion chips. They are made from pureed onion that is mixed with tapioca pearls, made into a foam that is put on parchment, dried and fried. They were very, very yummy!

In a few weeks we will gather to look at the evaluations, and then we will take a break and reconvene in the fall.

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This weekend we had a fun family dinner with all of us, Kohlton, James and Uncle Doug. I made hamburgers, hamburger buns and served fruit. I also made a nice Shepard's Pie for Larr's lunch this week.

Hamburger or Hot Dog Buns
via: King Arthur Flour (recipe is half of the original amount)
This made 9 good size buns.

2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 tea active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water (105°F to 115°F)
2 cups warm milk (105°F to 115°F)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoons salt
3 - 4 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour*
e<i>gg wash: 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon cold water
sesame, poppy or caraway seeds or coarse salt (optional)


I made the dough in my bread maker and it worked out great! Here are the directions for doing it by hand:

*We give you this fairly wide variation for a couple of reasons. First, you'll find in the summer that you'll need a bit more flour to absorb a given amount of liquid than you will in the winter. This is because it's humid and flour acts somewhat like a slightly dampened sponge as a result.

Second, this particular dough should be quite slack, i.e., very relaxed in order to make soft and tender buns. So you want to add only enough more flour, past the 6-cup point, to make the dough just kneadable; sprinkling only enough more to keep it from sticking to you or the board.

Mixing: In a large bowl, dissolve the sugar and then the yeast in the warm water. Add the milk, oil, salt and 3 cups of flour to the yeast mixture. Beat vigorously for 2 minutes.

Gradually add flour, 1/4 cup at a time, until the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface.

Kneading: Knead until you have a smooth, elastic dough. Because this dough is so slack, you may find that a bowl scraper or bench knife can be helpful in scooping up the dough and folding it over on itself.

Rising: Put the dough into an oiled bowl. Turn once to coat the entire ball of dough with oil. Cover with a tightly-woven dampened towel and let rise until doubled, about one hour.

Shaping: Turn the dough out onto a lightly oiled work surface. Divide into 18 equal pieces. This is done most easily by dividing the dough first into thirds, then those thirds into halves, then the halves into thirds.

Shape each piece into a ball. For hamburger buns, flatten the balls into 3 1/2-inch disks. For hot-dog buns, roll the balls into cylinders, 4 1/2-inches in length. Flatten the cylinders slightly; dough rises more in the center so this will give a gently rounded top versus a high top.

For soft-sided buns, place them on a well-seasoned baking sheet a half inch apart so they'll grow together when they rise. For crisper buns, place them three inches apart.

Second Rising: Cover with a towel and let rise until almost doubled, about 45 minutes.

Baking: Fifteen minutes before you want to bake your buns, preheat your oven to 400°F. Just before baking, lightly brush the tops of the buns with the egg wash and sprinkle with whatever seeds strike your fancy.

Bake for 20 minutes or until the internal temperature of the bread reaches 190°F. (A dough thermometer takes the guesswork out of this.)

When the buns are done, remove them from the baking sheet to cool on a wire rack. This will prevent the crust from becoming soggy.

Nutrition information per serving (1 bun, 93 g): 206 cal, 3 g fat, 7 g protein, 37 g complex carbohydrates, 1 g sugar, 1 g dietary fiber, 17 mg cholesterol, 255 mg sodium, 119 mg potassium, 2 mg iron, 120 mg calcium, 83 mg phosphorus.




Shepard's Pie

4 cups mashed potatoes
1 lb ground beef
1/3 cup onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 Tablespoons flour
1 Tablespoon tomato paste
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1 can (14.5oz) Beef broth
2 cups frozen vegetable medley (I used bags of peas, carrots and green beans, instead of the medley)
2 cups Cheddar Cheese, shredded
salt & pepper


Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Brown ground beef, onions and garlic in a large skillet on med-high heat. When meat is completely cooked, stir in flour and cook for 1-2 minutes.
Stir in tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce and beef broth. Simmer for 5-6 minutes, or until sauce is thick. Turn the heat off and stir in frozen vegetables and salt and pepper, to taste.
Pour beef mixture into a large, oven-proof casserole dish. Top with mashed potatoes and smooth with a spatula. Sprinkle cheddar cheese on top of mashed potatoes.
Place casserole dish on a large sheet pan (in case the sauce overflows) and bake for 20-30 minutes, or until top is golden brown. Ladle and serve!