I tell you what, if there is anything that is wrong with this country is that we project our expectations and morals on everyone else. I have been known to do it too but I'm becoming conscious of it.
This story about Obama drinking a beer, sparked controversy. It really set me off this morning. Come on. Really? Don't you sad saps have something better to do than worry about the President having A beer at a basketball game? If you were the leader of the free world in this economy, I'd bet you'd be drinking one too - and maybe not just one!
This country has a rich history of beer. Brewers and beer drinkers have long been a part of the historical fabric of America's early years. Many of our founding fathers enjoyed beer and brewed their own. Thomas Jefferson drank beer. In fact, he added on a brewery at his home in Monticello. George Washington brewed beer and historical records even show his recipe for Small Beer. Have you heard of Sam Adams, the brewer and patriot? Organizational and strategy meetings in those days were held in pubs and taverns.
So what's all the hubbub about Obama having a beer? He's not sitting there knocking back a 6-pack of swill in the Oval Office with his feet on the desk, finger on the button. He's not over consuming and then getting in his car with a campaign worker, ala Ted Kennedy. He's not having his beautiful children grab him a cold one out of the fridge while he watches sports in his underwear, scratching his belly.
No, he's doing what many of the rest of us do. He's taking a moment out of his day to relax and enjoy a beer. I don't care what side of the aisle you are on, give the man a break. I don't know about you but the fact that he enjoys a beer responsibly and moderately makes him a little more human to me. Yes, even the President should be able to enjoy a beer! (though a craft beer, should it be available, should be his first choice!) Nice thing is, he's got a designated driver so at least all the neo-prohibitionists and Madd mothers can't get on him about that.
I, for one, am glad to have another prominent person for children to choose to model themselves after that enjoys a beer responsibly rather than all the drug/gang related cultural icons and loose Hollywood types that seem to be the flavor of the day.
So Mr. President - you go right ahead and enjoy that beer - I, for one, support your right to do so. Cheers~
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
From wimps to clay pots...
Ch: Help me think of a title for my sentence writing this week. I was thinking of something like the book “Diary of a Wimpy Kid”.
Me: How about “Diary of a not-so Wimpy Kid”?
Ch: But compared to some people, I’m wimpy.
Me: Well, everyone out there is wimpy compared to someone. The important thing is that you believe in yourself and know that you are doing what is right. You have a good heart.
DA: That’s right. Having a good heart is really important. Everyone can have a good heart even if they are on the streets selling clay pots.
Me: (trying not to laugh – I mean, really, clay pots?) That’s true. But where did you come up with selling clay pots on the street?
DA: I don’t know, I just did.
Me: How about “Diary of a not-so Wimpy Kid”?
Ch: But compared to some people, I’m wimpy.
Me: Well, everyone out there is wimpy compared to someone. The important thing is that you believe in yourself and know that you are doing what is right. You have a good heart.
DA: That’s right. Having a good heart is really important. Everyone can have a good heart even if they are on the streets selling clay pots.
Me: (trying not to laugh – I mean, really, clay pots?) That’s true. But where did you come up with selling clay pots on the street?
DA: I don’t know, I just did.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
The Art of Valentines
I can remember sitting at the kitchen table surrounded by my mother's scrap fabrics dripping out of bags onto other chairs and the floor. There was lace and ribbon in so many forms and I was so excited about making valentines for my classmates. I painstakingly cut and glued various combinations of these goodies for a week. Each one was designed with great love and excitement at how their faces would look when they looked upon my masterpiece. I worked and worked and worked.
I can remember distinctly some of the fabrics because they came from familiar items my mother sewed. Party dresses, Australian and Hawaiian fabrics, kitchen curtains, satin, yellow terry cloth - all were such an amazing array of colors and textures, it was so fun to pick a starting place!
On Valentine's Day I was so happy to deliver my heartfelt, handmade cards hoping the recipient would see how special they were to me because I individualized each one. That was the last year I made homemade valentines.
I was crushed. Everyone had store bought valentines with clever sayings and popular culture icons. It may not have been so bad if they had just ignored mine and focused on the "cool ones" but being in 2nd or 3rd grade, the teasing ensued. I was devastated. I never made valentines again in school.
Fast forward to my oldest son's first year in Montessori school. Valentines Day was coming and being a hands-on education program, children were requested not to bring store bought but that they should all bring handmade valentines and one for each child. I was delighted! No chance that there were to be a mix of each, all would be handmade. It took at least a week but each child in his class was the recipient of a special valentine designed especially for them. It was so much fun to look at all the creative ideas children thought of on the ones he brought home.
I happily continued this event each year with two children though I must admit that sometimes I felt more like I was running a Valentine's Day sweatshop operation:)
In Nov. '07 the children moved into mainstream schools and I worried as Valentine's Day drew near whether I should move from homemade cards to store bought ones so they didn't have to deal with the drama I endured. Finally, I just asked them what they'd like to do. They wanted to make them. We did. The children took their boxes home with them and opened them at home so they could appreciate their classmates selections and I was happy to see there were other handmade cards!
This year Valentine's Day started to roll around and the boys got all geared up to make cards again, it hasn't occurred to them yet to buy them. Again, they painstakingly cut, pasted, hole-punched and glued special valentines for each person. They penned each person's name carefully, wrote "Happy Valentine's Day" and signed them for 20 people.
I have to admit that this year, I bought candy they could staple onto each card. I think now that maybe that was an insurance policy on my part. If you give someone candy, maybe it's harder to make fun of them. Thankfully, we aren't there yet and everything was just fine...one more year down.
I can remember distinctly some of the fabrics because they came from familiar items my mother sewed. Party dresses, Australian and Hawaiian fabrics, kitchen curtains, satin, yellow terry cloth - all were such an amazing array of colors and textures, it was so fun to pick a starting place!
On Valentine's Day I was so happy to deliver my heartfelt, handmade cards hoping the recipient would see how special they were to me because I individualized each one. That was the last year I made homemade valentines.
I was crushed. Everyone had store bought valentines with clever sayings and popular culture icons. It may not have been so bad if they had just ignored mine and focused on the "cool ones" but being in 2nd or 3rd grade, the teasing ensued. I was devastated. I never made valentines again in school.
Fast forward to my oldest son's first year in Montessori school. Valentines Day was coming and being a hands-on education program, children were requested not to bring store bought but that they should all bring handmade valentines and one for each child. I was delighted! No chance that there were to be a mix of each, all would be handmade. It took at least a week but each child in his class was the recipient of a special valentine designed especially for them. It was so much fun to look at all the creative ideas children thought of on the ones he brought home.
I happily continued this event each year with two children though I must admit that sometimes I felt more like I was running a Valentine's Day sweatshop operation:)
In Nov. '07 the children moved into mainstream schools and I worried as Valentine's Day drew near whether I should move from homemade cards to store bought ones so they didn't have to deal with the drama I endured. Finally, I just asked them what they'd like to do. They wanted to make them. We did. The children took their boxes home with them and opened them at home so they could appreciate their classmates selections and I was happy to see there were other handmade cards!
This year Valentine's Day started to roll around and the boys got all geared up to make cards again, it hasn't occurred to them yet to buy them. Again, they painstakingly cut, pasted, hole-punched and glued special valentines for each person. They penned each person's name carefully, wrote "Happy Valentine's Day" and signed them for 20 people.
I have to admit that this year, I bought candy they could staple onto each card. I think now that maybe that was an insurance policy on my part. If you give someone candy, maybe it's harder to make fun of them. Thankfully, we aren't there yet and everything was just fine...one more year down.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
100 Things
100 Things
1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band - Jr. High flute
4. Visited Hawaii - several times
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity - only once but it hurt so good.
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped - no, but I'd "jump" at the chance;)
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm - stunning!
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch - many times
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train - all over Europe!
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill - define ill, I needed a mental health day.
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice - only dreamed about it
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset - both and they were all memorable
31. Hit a home run - we played ball a lot when I was growing up
32. Been on a cruise - day cruise to Tracy Arm and ferry from Italy to Greece
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors - my mother's Quaker ancestors were from England and Wales
35. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
36. Seen an Amish community
37. Taught yourself a new language
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing - not dangling off the edge of a cliff but I've certainly scrambled glacier moraines
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David - not yet...
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa - not yet, but I intend to!
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance - yes, hurt during a water polo game
47. Had your portrait painted - does charcoal count? My birthday in Moscow!
48. Gone deep sea fishing - Alaska
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling - in Mexico
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud - heck yeah!
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie - I was on Good Morning America, does that count?
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business - trying now
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving - again, I'd "jump" at the chance!
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check - yep, Baylor book store in college
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy - Poppin' Fresh doughboy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten caviar - Russian caviar at a cafe in Greece with all sorts of new friends
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle - it always feels like speeding
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book - not yet!
81. Visited the Vatican - saw the Pope 3 times during Easter week and I'm not even Catholic!
82. Bought a brand new car - still never without a co-signer
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper - often
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating - fish, crab and I've cleaned deer
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous - Bob Hope, Michael Jackson (the beer writer) OJ Simpson when I was a kid and my folks almost ran over Sonny Bono.
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swum in the Great Salt Lake - not yet, maybe this summer!
97. Been involved in a law suit - not by choice
98. Owned a mobile phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day
The point of this is to add color to the things you have done.
1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band - Jr. High flute
4. Visited Hawaii - several times
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity - only once but it hurt so good.
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped - no, but I'd "jump" at the chance;)
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm - stunning!
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch - many times
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train - all over Europe!
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill - define ill, I needed a mental health day.
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice - only dreamed about it
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset - both and they were all memorable
31. Hit a home run - we played ball a lot when I was growing up
32. Been on a cruise - day cruise to Tracy Arm and ferry from Italy to Greece
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors - my mother's Quaker ancestors were from England and Wales
35. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
36. Seen an Amish community
37. Taught yourself a new language
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing - not dangling off the edge of a cliff but I've certainly scrambled glacier moraines
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David - not yet...
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa - not yet, but I intend to!
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance - yes, hurt during a water polo game
47. Had your portrait painted - does charcoal count? My birthday in Moscow!
48. Gone deep sea fishing - Alaska
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling - in Mexico
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud - heck yeah!
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie - I was on Good Morning America, does that count?
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business - trying now
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving - again, I'd "jump" at the chance!
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check - yep, Baylor book store in college
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy - Poppin' Fresh doughboy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten caviar - Russian caviar at a cafe in Greece with all sorts of new friends
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle - it always feels like speeding
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book - not yet!
81. Visited the Vatican - saw the Pope 3 times during Easter week and I'm not even Catholic!
82. Bought a brand new car - still never without a co-signer
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper - often
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating - fish, crab and I've cleaned deer
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous - Bob Hope, Michael Jackson (the beer writer) OJ Simpson when I was a kid and my folks almost ran over Sonny Bono.
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swum in the Great Salt Lake - not yet, maybe this summer!
97. Been involved in a law suit - not by choice
98. Owned a mobile phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day
Wordless Wednesday
Juneau, Alaska: The classic photo of the Mendenhall Glacier with fireweed in bloom. Taken from the Brotherhood Bridge pullout. June 2005
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Death by chocolate
Tomorrow is the Death by Chocolate appreciation luncheon that the 2nd grade PTA parents are putting on for the teachers. Just seeing the list of what will be there makes my stomach churn. I mean, I love chocolate like the next guy but the idea of making a meal of it doesn't exactly have me dreaming visions of chocolate truffles tonight. Chocolate fountain with dippers like marshmallows, fruit and pretzels. Chocolate bars, chocolate truffles, chocolate cake. Anything chocolate goes!
So, I thought I'd add insult to injury. If they love chocolate, let them eat cake! Flourless Chocolate Cake, that is. The recipe makes a to-die for dessert and I appreciate the hard work they do - so let the chocolate madness begin!
Here's the recipe I use from Bon Appetit, January 1999.
Flourless Chocolate Cake
10 – 12 servings
Cake
12 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped
¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
6 large eggs, separated
12 tablespoons sugar, divided
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Glaze
½ cup whipping cream
½ cup dark corn syrup
9 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
Chocolate shavings or Gold-brushed Chocolate Leaves
For Cake: Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter 9-inch-diameter springform pan. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper or waxed paper, butter paper. Wrap outside of pan with foil. Stir chocolate and butter in heavy medium saucepan over low heat until melted and smooth. Remove from heat. Cool to lukewarm, stirring often.
Using electric mixer, beat egg yolks and 6 tablespoons sugar in large bowl until mixture is very thick and pale, about 3 minutes. Fold lukewarm chocolate mixture into yolk mixture, then fold in vanilla extract. Using clean dry beaters, beat egg whites in another large bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining 6 tablespoons sugar, beating until medium-firm peaks form. Fold whites into chocolate mixture in 3 additions. Pour batter into prepared pan.
Bake cake until top is puffed and cracked and tester inserted into center comes out with some moist crumbs attached, about 50 minutes. Cool cake in pan on rack (cake will fall).
Gently press down crusty top to make evenly thick cake. Using small knife, cut around pan sides to loosen cake. Remove pan sides. Place 9-inch-diameter tart pan bottom or cardboard round atop cake. Invert cake onto tart pan bottom. Peel off parchment paper.
For Glaze: Bring cream and corn syrup to simmer in medium saucepan. Remove from heat. Add chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth.
Place cake on rack set over baking sheet. Spread ½ cup glaze smoothly over top and sides of cake. Freeze until almost set, about 3 minutes. Pour remaining glaze over cake; smooth sides and top. Place cake on platter. Chill until glaze is firm, about 1 hour. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover with cake dome; store at room temperature.) Garnish with chocolate shavings or leaves. Serve at room temperature.
I follow the recipe exactly and vary what I may add to the top. This time chocolate shavings, other times I might use fresh raspberries. Either way, it goes great with a rich glass of Porter, a robust Stout and my favorite is usually a pleasant surprise to craft beer neophytes - Smoked Porter. Don't imagine smuggling beer into the teachers' lounge is a good idea and they might notice a small piece missing so I'll have to suffer the lack of both and dream sweet, sweet dreams.
(Hint to teacher: bring a sack lunch and a huge dill pickle to counteract all that sugar!)
So, I thought I'd add insult to injury. If they love chocolate, let them eat cake! Flourless Chocolate Cake, that is. The recipe makes a to-die for dessert and I appreciate the hard work they do - so let the chocolate madness begin!
Here's the recipe I use from Bon Appetit, January 1999.
Flourless Chocolate Cake
10 – 12 servings
Cake
12 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped
¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
6 large eggs, separated
12 tablespoons sugar, divided
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Glaze
½ cup whipping cream
½ cup dark corn syrup
9 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
Chocolate shavings or Gold-brushed Chocolate Leaves
For Cake: Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter 9-inch-diameter springform pan. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper or waxed paper, butter paper. Wrap outside of pan with foil. Stir chocolate and butter in heavy medium saucepan over low heat until melted and smooth. Remove from heat. Cool to lukewarm, stirring often.
Using electric mixer, beat egg yolks and 6 tablespoons sugar in large bowl until mixture is very thick and pale, about 3 minutes. Fold lukewarm chocolate mixture into yolk mixture, then fold in vanilla extract. Using clean dry beaters, beat egg whites in another large bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining 6 tablespoons sugar, beating until medium-firm peaks form. Fold whites into chocolate mixture in 3 additions. Pour batter into prepared pan.
Bake cake until top is puffed and cracked and tester inserted into center comes out with some moist crumbs attached, about 50 minutes. Cool cake in pan on rack (cake will fall).
Gently press down crusty top to make evenly thick cake. Using small knife, cut around pan sides to loosen cake. Remove pan sides. Place 9-inch-diameter tart pan bottom or cardboard round atop cake. Invert cake onto tart pan bottom. Peel off parchment paper.
For Glaze: Bring cream and corn syrup to simmer in medium saucepan. Remove from heat. Add chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth.
Place cake on rack set over baking sheet. Spread ½ cup glaze smoothly over top and sides of cake. Freeze until almost set, about 3 minutes. Pour remaining glaze over cake; smooth sides and top. Place cake on platter. Chill until glaze is firm, about 1 hour. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover with cake dome; store at room temperature.) Garnish with chocolate shavings or leaves. Serve at room temperature.
I follow the recipe exactly and vary what I may add to the top. This time chocolate shavings, other times I might use fresh raspberries. Either way, it goes great with a rich glass of Porter, a robust Stout and my favorite is usually a pleasant surprise to craft beer neophytes - Smoked Porter. Don't imagine smuggling beer into the teachers' lounge is a good idea and they might notice a small piece missing so I'll have to suffer the lack of both and dream sweet, sweet dreams.
(Hint to teacher: bring a sack lunch and a huge dill pickle to counteract all that sugar!)
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