Tonight's Pot Luck Food...

Go on over to Amazon and get yourself a homey lil' cookbook known as "Crock-it". It was self-published twelve years ago by someone with a real job (Barbara Murray, an RN). So it's not full of glossy photos or etc., just cheesy little drawings that have a friendly appeal.

People with real jobs need easy stuff to make to come home to later. This is one of those books. I'm cooking a recipe from it called "Gary's Potatoes" for group tonight. It's basically diced cooked potatoes, chopped green onions, and cheddar cheese mixed up with a sauce of sour cream, pureed soft tofu (ssssssh, don't tell anyone!), garlic, various herbs and salt/pepper, garnished with some more sour cream and cheese/chopped green onion.

I think they'll like it...it smells terrific. I just used potatoes that I had baked the day before in the crock pot.

If you use this book as a guide rather than an absolute directive (I walpretty much always consider a recipe a guide unless I'm baking something, and then and only then a directive) you will find plenty to use in the everyday meals you do.

I'm also bringing a veggie tray, and a really easy fruit salad from Moosewood. Cut up a mango, add a can of drained pineapple chunks or tidbits, and some strawberries or etc. Use a ground ginger/lime juice/honey dressing. If you want to add a banana, put it in right before you serve it so it doesn't turn brown.

Cheap eats...

Is your checking account bare? Heck, mine always is it seems. Spending five figures and then some on educating someone else's kid tends to do that. ;-) (I guess I'm sounding grumpy, I apologize--God have us this job, so it's His job to supply the resources and somehow they always trickle in...but I could sure use a new refrigerator...) *L* I'll wait on Him, I promise...at least I'll try. :-)

Anyway, enough whining. Try the "Pantry Challenge" group on Yahoogroups if you need assistance making ends meet. I never read the posts--mostly people talking amongs themselves--but the "Files" section has lots and lots of recipes for people trying to cook what they already have on hand in the pantry.

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go try to make some more money... ;-)

The big O...

...as in Oprah.

Apparently her people have been in contact with members of a group I'm in , and it looks like that some folks maybe on the show. Actually, it's looking pretty likely.

That would be good, as it would help a lot of people, but the thought of all those people kind of mobbing the group is a little scary. I hope we're big enough and capable enough to handle the likely onslaught.

Edu-ma-cation rant...

You know, I was just thinking about graduation rates in Metro, and I happened to talk to the teenager a couple of houses down. I asked him how things were at his school of zone, and he said "I'm not there this year". He had dropped out, presumably.

Of all the kids I know, who have went through schools on our side of town, I do not know one single one who went to Antioch, McGavock, or Glencliff that has actually graduated. I can think of six or seven who have dropped out. The only ones I know of from my side of town who graduated both went to Hume-Fogg (the academic magnet). Two of my friends' kids graduated from Hillsboro in the Green Hills area, and one more will do so this year.

These aren't good odds, folks, because only a couple of those kids are from what I would call a welfare-type family with an uncaring parent.

The Tennessean reported yesterday that at Overton High some kids sat in the auditorium for THREE DAYS waiting for their registration/class schedules. If we can't do any better than that, it's no wonder kids think that school isn't very important.

In my little town in Minnesota, the graduating class is featured in the local paper. I think maybe one of them did not have post-secondary education plans. But then again, I cannot remember a time when a school bond issue didn't pass in my small town. Schools are kind of the centerpiece of life up there; a good school keeps a town alive.

There is "open enrollment" up there now, where parents choose which school district they can send their children to. Other communities are now sending their childrent to my hometown's school. There aren't any private schools, and they spend a lot more per child there...surely some of that is because the district is a lot smaller, but a lot of it has to do with a higher level of importance placed on education--upper midwest schools are generally in the top five in the nation. Of course, it also helps a lot that they don't really have a lot of low income kids, few ELL students (illegals are inappropriately clogging our schools locally), parents who by and large care about education, etc. If you have trouble with your standardized tests up there, you are placed in remediation (I love that word!) to help you get your scores up.

Honestly, I didn't realize how good I had it growing up. The schools in the South still amaze me, and not in a good way...even nineteen years later...

Hubs must have WAY too high an opinion of me

A couple nights ago hubs was eating the dinner I had cooked for him. I said "how do you like it?" and he said "what, did you hide something in it that I don't like?"

Yeah buddy, that pork roast, green beans, and corn/potato/tomato salad is actually all made of tofu.

I'm not THAT crafty of a cook...*L*

Apparently I ask him that a lot, and he usually figures that this means I snuck something good-for-him past him.

I do try to do that, it's true...guilty as charged... *L*

Breakfasts made easier

Around here the alarm rings around 5:45 or so. Time enough to run around and pack kiddo's lunch (they don't have a cafeteria, let alone a library...don't get me started or we'll be here all day), hub's lunch (gotta save money to send kiddo to the school without cafeteria or library), and get a breakfast churned out for all three of us. Hub is easy, but kiddo usually wants a nice warm serving of leftover meat from last night (hey, kiddo is an interesting kid with interesting taste). Then I jump in the car (unless hub's doing morning shift) for a two hour or so shift of morning school drive.

Breakfast has been a problem for me. Way too much fast food. Now that I have been getting away from fast food I can see both how chunky (beyond chunky!) it has made me and how bad I felt eating it that often. Driving a kid with a major psychological problem around can be pretty stressful and I have often drowned those stresses in beige food.

Still, I don't really have much time. So I have finally found something that works...making sure I get lots of protein and fiber for breakfast. Finally I am not so tempted to give in to the beigeness on the way home, trying desperately to jettison the intense stress of kiddo throwing a big ol fit of impulsive anger/rage, or just being very rude/sullen (unfortunately a lot more than the average teenager) .

If I have no time those Kashi bars are helping out a lot, or maybe some whole wheat cereal with a high protein / high fiber cereal (Kashi Go Lean or Cascadian Farm Weight Management) with some vanilla soymilk (what is happening to me!!! don't tell me I'm going veg?????!!!!).

But I saw Ham On The Street last night and saw something I need to try (while avoiding the yummy looking grilled chocolate sandwiches he made--get behind me satan!) Breakfast Pizza!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_32754,00.html

I would probably do mostly egg whites, and make my own crust in the bread machine. And I bet I could add even more fiber, surreptitiously. But I guess a whole wheat Boboli would do. And it does go without saying that I will need to make this ahead of time. I could probably just freeze slices and microwave them while I'm putting together all the food for kiddo and hubs...

And you know I'm crazy enough to consider breakfast for dinner. ;-)

Oh, here's that chocolate sandwich recipe, I know you want it. ;-)

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_32755,00.html

The next apron...

It's gonna have to be vintage style with something weird like camo just for grins. Found a sixtyish year old pattern so that will be fun.

I'm on a lifting restriction right now post surgery so I can't tote wax for at least a while. But hey, fabric is light. ;-) I shall post pics posthaste...;-)

Haven't been to farmer's market for the last few weeks because of the surgery, so I'm gonna have a passel of new apronage to foist on my customers if this keeps up...*L*

Tonight's Pot Luck

Every week we do a potluck in our small group. Our group has literally been through hell and back it would seem: three cancer scares (one that has come to fruition, one that thankfully didn't, and one pending), a homeless family of seven basically kind of overtaking a member's family's house, serious back problems, a child frequently heading to the emergency room for serious maladies they can't quite seem to diagnose, etc. Oh yeah, and a family that is dealing with major mental illness (five or six people in one couple's daily dealings). And as to which family is the latter one...I'll give ya three guesses and the first two don't count, and if you don't know, you don't know our family very well. ;-)

It is always great to eat together and pray together, Lord knows we need it right now.

Here is what I'm bringing tonight...

Your basic pad thai. Yep, people like it and it is darned cheap to acquire through your local international market. I do have fish sauce and sometimes do make my own sauce, but ya know, I'm lazy about it and often just use the premade sauce, available at the international market. Here's the New York Times recipe I base it on...

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/15/magazine/15food.html?ex=1187236800&en=af6df81c1a761e1e&ei=5070

You'll have to scroll down a ways to get it. Yes, I have found that kids like it generally speaking.

Then I'm making a fab tuna casserole with spinach. I'm no huge Rachael Ray fanatic but the Express Lane cookbook is pretty practical for me. Even my hubby likes it. I don't see it posted on the web but if I do I will include it.

Spending bender...

The hoarder in our life is on a spending bender. I mean MAJOR. Never is it more clear that this is a disease that looks a lot like addictions in general, than when these happen. Problem is they are most of the time it seems...but this one is bigger and nastier. Seems like nothing else matters to them but their stuff. Always the best of everything for themselves, but we know that there won't even be a card for my husband's (their son's) birthday, all under the guise of "I don't have any money to spare."

Who needs hundreds upon hundreds of bucks of kitchen supplies and cookbooks when they don't even have a kitchen in their senior apartment, just as one example of many???

Either this person is losing their grip on reality, or they seem to be one of the most selfish people ever. Just my 2 cents. I'll keep praying for this hoarder and praying for wisdom for us in dealing with them.

Cooking

I have been eating healthier and I can tell that I feel better and am a little smaller. That is cool.

Let me recommend a series of cookbooks to you...if you have been living under a rock or something you may not know of the Moosewood Collective books. Their book about cooking easy stuff for every day ("Moosewood cooks at home") is particular. It won a big vegetarian award, although it is not strictly vegetarian...unless you consider fish a vegetable. ;-P

Besides lots of produce and farmers market stuff, the other thing that works for me is our big old international market. Makes it easy and cheap to eat better. Their international food is of course WAY cheaper than good old K-Roger.

Here's some Moosewood recipes...

http://www.moosewoodrestaurant.com/recipes_archive.html

Two simple words...

Far be it from me to walk around spouting lots of wisdom, but two words have occurred to me and I am pretty sure God gave me this message.

"MORE TIME".

If I woke up this morning, I have been given more time. Some people didn't get more time today. But I did.

You gave me more time. What am I going to do with it? Anybody who knows me knows my life is bizarre. I guess God wants me to keep going and use my time well.

That's kind of cool!

How about you? You got more time today too... :-)

"To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. 8I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name."

--from Revelation 3 ("The Message")

A note of praise along the way

Kiddo finally has health insurance! Kiddo could have had it months ago, but at least they have it now. The most significant, life wounding things haven't been deal with yet, so we continue to pray. Kiddo has had a longstanding problem with their feet and today they finally got to see a real podiatrist about it. After a long time of suffering kiddo had finally went to the "safety net" free clinic before they had insurance, and the general practitioner meant well, I'm sure, but multiple visits had not taken care of the problem and neither kiddo nor their mother seemed to get any followup care information, so kiddo went through several painful and not very useful visits. I'm really hopeful that the foot specialist kiddo saw today (finally! praise God!) will help them finally get some relief.

But now, back to pray more for medical solutions to this kid's REAL problem: a psychiatric one. Seeing kiddo after they work out is both heartening and heartbreaking. It is the one time that adrenaline, or whatever, seems to alter the brain long enough to have some very nice conversations that are completely unlike any other discourse we have with the kid. Then after a little while, back comes the rage, lack of ability to string coherent thoughts together consistently without anger, and etc.