May-hem....

Tomorrow is the first of May....  May Day!  

To some it symbolizes the worldwide
common worker's struggle,
to others it signifies fresh spring floral bouquets
with a little "ding dong ditch" thrown in
for good natured measure...  

This year, to me, May means endurance...  

While combining hockey, karate, birthday party
and baseball schedules into May,
I realized there will be a lot of back to back events
lined up on most Saturdays and Sundays...  

All of this would be manageable if my tag team partner,
T$, would be there to help out
with ferrying this one there
and the other one here...  

But as luck would have it,
I am on my own most of this month...  

The Boss is on the road virtually all of May...  

It is good...  

I hope his travels brings much needed business to HEAT...  

But still, I feel dread when I pick up on the fact
 that all those late school night hockey games
in the far reaches of some suburb
are all mine... 

I feel cheated when I notice that Mother's Day weekend
is loaded with two baseball games,
a hockey game and a birthday party...  

Part of me wants to crawl into bed,
open a good book
and go on strike for the month of May... 

  I have friends who have been "single parenting"
it for years and they will hear none of this whining...  

"I have been doing this shit for years!" 
They declare...  

And they are right...  

I can choose to be miserable while Kate and I
wait for Jack's hockey practice to conclude at 9pm
on a school night,
or I can see it as time for Kate and me
to bond over a Laura Ingalls Wilder book...  

After all, it could be the dead of winter
while this is going on,
but at least the weather is finally warming
and my gardens are waking up...  

I love that...  

And maybe, just maybe,
T$ will realize that I would love a rain check date
for my lost Mother's Day
and hopefully he will make it happen...  

Regardless, May will come tomorrow
and it will march toward its end...  

We may as well enjoy it! 

What we really savored tonight was Breakfast for Dinner...  

I made pancakes
and they were deeeelish!!!

Thanks to Christineiscooking.com for this copycat version
of Cracker Barrel Buttermilk Pancakes...

All Ramped Up...

 

Ramps...

Aren't they some wild plant that fancy chefs serve 

in their high-falutin' restaurants?   

Grilled ramps with sauteed morels 

over pan seared halibut...  

Braised ramps with leg of lamb...  

Ramp biscuits...  

Apparently ramps are a springtime delicacy 

which are available 

for a very short span of time...  

Not sure if they are as scarce

 as those elusive morel mushrooms...  

Have you ever tasted a morel?  

Cooked up proper, they are fungi heaven...  

The first time I sampled these 

strange looking mushrooms

was over twenty years ago 

in Southern Indiana...  

A dear friend invited me to road trip south

to visit one of her best friends 

for a weekend of horseback riding 

and good eating...  

Along with some picturesque rides in the woods,

 near the same quarry where they filmed "Breaking Away", 

we had a lot of fun 

and we ate amazing food... 

 

Apparently in Southern Indiana, 

you can find morels by the bucketful 

and in those days, 

they were fifteen dollars a pound...

Pricey then and crazy expensive now... 

Someone told me they thought it cost closer to fifty bucks 

to get a pound of morels these days...  

Holy Crackers!  

I think the morels cost more than the pot 

that was being prolifically traded down there...  

Anyway, Mary Jane, (no pun intended) 

knew her way around a kitchen...  

She had her own chickens before it was cool 

to have a coop

and I learned how delicious 

a fresh egg tastes...  

But her morels...  

Good Lord, they were divine...  

She would wash and dry them thoroughly 

before dredging the mushrooms in flour...  

She then sauteed those spongy little morsels

 in pools of foaming butter 

with a little salt and pepper...  

Simple and scrumptious...  

Wait, I was talking about ramps, wasn't I?    

A couple of weeks ago, a foodie friend 

posted that she was making a special dinner with ramps...

I was impressed with her culinary abilities 

and also with her courage for cooking 

with a little known ingredient...  

Ramps look like the leaves from Lily of the Valley plants, 

but they apparently have an onion-y flavor...  

Fast forward to this weekend 

and a neighbor dropped by 

to give me a bag of ramps! 

She saw them at the farmer's market 

and thought I might like them..  

How sweet!  

Oh no....

Now I had to figure out how 

to make the most of these unique veggies!  

A few quick clicks on the Internet and, 

thanks to Food52 

 I found this recipe for Ramp Pesto...  

It is a very simple recipe; 

ramps, olive oil, walnuts, salt, pepper 

and a squirt of lemon... 

The recipe was easy 

and I boiled a pot of rotini pasta 

to try the pesto out...  

It was light, onion-y and a nice change 

from the traditional pesto 

with pine nuts and basil...  

The ramps made a lot of pesto, 

so I think I might use it for grilled bruschetta next...  

Ramps may not be worth their weight in gold, 

like morels, but they are certainly a seasonal treat 

to be experienced...

Copper Pots...

I have a friend who has an adorable dog 

named Chester Copperpot...  

When I was thinking about this post he came to mind, 

not because he is so cute, 

but because of his quirky name...  

He popped into my brain 

while I was polishing my copper pots...  

Why, you might ask, 

were you polishing copper pots 

on such a lovely day?  

Because I am weird, 

duh!  

After I finished cleaning the super disgusting 

greasy grime from the top 

of my kitchen cabinets...  

Don't ever go up there, 

you don't want to see what collects over time...  

I might be scarred for life...  

Okay, if you decide to clean above your cabinets, 

for the Love of Pete, 

please wear rubber gloves....  

It is so gross...  

Anyway, I was on a roll, 

after that nasty job...  

In my peripheral vision were my pots, 

hanging above the stove...  

I clean the copper ones about twice a year, 

so the job is a big one, 

what with all the cooked-on tarnish 

over the past few months...  

Once, while in college,

when I was visiting the parents 

of an old boyfriend, 

 I helped his mother with the breakfast dishes...  

As we were talking, she polished the copper pan

she had just used...  

It gleamed as she gave it a few light swipes 

and she mentioned that she polished her copper pots 

every time she used them...  

Apparently the heat conductivity worked best 

if the copper was shiny and bright...  

Inside, I was aghast...  

What?!  

That was way too much work for me...  

No chance of me having copper pots 

with that kind of maintenance...  

Fast forward a couple of years and I opened a Christmas present 

that was a set of Revere Ware copper pots 

from my mom...  

"These will last you forever, Honey," she beamed...  

Inside I was dreading the daily polish

 they would need...  

As you can imagine, I did nothing of the sort 

and those copper bottoms became black as soot...  

Once when Mom came to visit me,

at my twenty-something

dive apartment, 

she spied my mistreated cookware 

and set to work to return them 

to their justified glory...  

There are a variety of ways to clean the copper; 

coarse salt and lemons, 

catsup 

or my favorite, Bar Keeper's Friend...  

It really does make a difference in cooking 

when the pots and pans are kept clean on the outside 

and I have to tell you, 

my Revere Ware and some other cool copper pots,

Mom has found for me, are the best...  

There really is nothing like nice copper cookware...  

A good friend of mine, 

who is an excellent cook, 

did not know the value and care of his Revere Ware 

and he tossed them when they got cruddy 

on the outside...  

So sad...  

So now my copper bottomed friends 

are gleaming again and I feel good!  

Told you I was weird...  

Will I polish them each time I cook with them?  

Nope, but that's okay...  

They will still get the occasional TLC

 to bring them back to life...    

Yesterday I made this Strawberry Sheet Cake for the kids.... 

Thank you, Farmflavor.com, for this really delicious recipe...  

It tastes so fresh and the color is delightful...  

Enjoy!

Strawberry Sheet Cake

This pink cake with mashed sweetened strawberries and strawberry jello just tastes like summertime.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 25-30 minutes (may take longer; until a toothpick comes out clean)
Total Time: 45 minutes
Difficulty Rating: Easy
Recipe Created By: Karen Norton
Recipe From: Tennessee Home and Farm

Ingredients

• 2 cups self-rising flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup canola oil
• 1 cup milk
• ¼ cup sweetened strawberries, mashed
• 1 small box dry strawberry jello

Strawberry Icing:

• ½ stick butter or margarine, softened
• 3-4 cups powdered sugar
• ¼ cup sweetened strawberries, mashed

 

 

Tips & Notes

This recipe may take longer to bake, depending upon the type of baking dish and oven used. The frosting can be runny because of the strawberry juice. You may need to add more berries or powdered sugar to get the frosting to the right consistency.

 

 

Instructions

1. Mix all ingredients and pour into greased 9x13 pan.
2. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
3. While the cake is baking, make the icing.
4. Mix together all icing ingredients until smooth – may need to add more powdered sugar or strawberries for a spreading consistency. Mix well first before you add extra sugar or strawberries.
5. Once the cake is cool, spread the icing on the cake.
6. Store the cake in refrigerator; it's best when it's chilled for at least 2 hours.

Primo Model Making....

 

Okay, so what was your grade school project?  

What did you have to create 

for a major homework assignment?

 

Did you decide the night before 

was ample time to tell your parents about it? 

Honestly, I'd love to hear from you...  

Those are the best stories!  

For me, it was the mud adobe huts 

Dad and I constructed for the Navajo Indian unit...  

It was messy, but fun to make...

  

Then there was the "United States Parade of Floats"

in fifth grade...  

Each of us was given a state 

and we had to research its particulars 

and reflect the state facts and symbols 

on a little parade float...  

It was right in my wheel house...

Oh, how I hoped for Hawaii, California 

or even mountainous Colorado...  

Instead, I drew New Hampshire out of the bowl...  

My enthusiasm was instantly deflated...  

I mean, no offense, but what is interesting 

about New Hampshire?!  

That New Hampshire was one of the original thirteen colonies 

or that the ladybug is the "State Insect"?  

I might have perked up had I known 

that the world's largest meatball 

was baked in New Hampshire 

or that the state has some strange laws, like:

 

Any cattle that crosses state roads must be fitted 

with a device to gather its feces.

 

You may not run machinery on Sundays.

 

On Sundays citizens may not relieve themselves 

while looking up.

 

You may not tap your feet, nod your head, 

or in any way keep time to the music 

in a tavern, restaurant, or cafe.

 

You cannot sell the clothes you are wearing 

to pay off a gambling debt.

 

It is considered an offense to check into a hotel 

under an assumed name.

 

But I digress...   

 

It was not a favorite assignment, to be sure...

Then there was the eighth grade science project:  

 

Operation Six Legs...

 

We were taught, in class, how to murder bugs in a jar, 

using rubbing alcohol soaked cotton balls...  

 

We had to be skilled in insect extermination 

in order to curate our entomologic taxidermy presentations...  

 

In other words, we had to kill a whole variety of bees,

 butterflies, moths, wasps, 

walking sticks, aphids, and flies...  

 

Then we had to impale them with dressmaker pins,

to a labeled foam core board,

 in an organized, scientific manner...  

 

I cannot properly describe to you 

my intense dislike of this assignment...  

 

There is nothing more lovely 

than hunting angry bumble bees 

on a hot, September day, 

in a dry scratchy field of waist high weeds...  

 

Once caught, my goosebumps looked like hives 

as I watched the bug frantically smash around the jar 

in the throes of death...  

 

Finally the "gas" would sent him to the next world...  

 

I would wait an extra long time 

before opening the jar....

Just in case...  

 

To this day, I cannot stand the smell of rubbing alcohol 

and large, flying insects give me the heebie jeebies...

So, fast forward to Kate's declaration yesterday 

that she must produce something about the Great Wall of China, 

by the next day...

 

Sigh...

  

Thank you, Dear Jesus, for the Internet...

 

Not only did I find an excellent project 

in about 3.2 seconds, 

but the craft was actually doable for a first grader...

 

Many Thanks to Confessions of a Homeschooler , photo above,

for this idea!

 

We were going to build that Great Wall, 

by gum, with styrofoam bricks and some glue! 

The hardest part was locating the bricks, 

thanks to a minor cluster at the craft store, 

but the rest of the elements were readily available...

I set everything out before the kids 

came home from school... 

 

Jack, Mr. Curiosity, could not have possibly stood by 

and not helped, so he did....

 

Kate screamed at him only a few times, 

so I considered that a success...  

 

Kate is still getting the hang of hot glue, 

and with Jack supervising the construction, 

I think it came out pretty well... 

 

 

It was so cute watching Kate carefully tote her Great Wall 

toward school this morning...  

 

Friday, the school opens up to parents 

and all of the kids display their projects...  

 

Since China is the first grade unit of study, 

I am hoping to whip up a quick kimono top 

for Kate to wear...  

 

 

But I have a migraine today, 

so it may not happen...

 

Back in the day, it sure would have helped my parents 

to have the Internet to turn to...

  

 

It saved my ass yesterday!

Cooper...

 

Growing up, we always had cats, dogs, 

fish, birds, hamsters, turtles 

and/or bunnies at our house...  

God forbid we should beg my mother 

to swing by the local shelter to "look" at the animals there

because we just might come home with one... 

She was a soft touch, 

much to my father's chagrin,

 and Mom would fall in love with those sweet, imploring eyes

 behind the cages as much as we did...  

Back then, we had a big yard and

 a big enough house to keep such a menagerie...  

Dad built a hutch, out of an old chicken coop 

that came with the property, for my bunnies...  

The parakeet's cage perched in the dining room

 and my brother's rodents and turtle 

were sequestered in his bedroom...  

In the Seventies, small town dogs were a little freer, 

well, at least our schnoodle, Charlie, was his own dog...  

I don't think he walked on a leash once...  

We let him out the back door 

and he roamed the block until he had had enough 

of sniffing around, doing his business 

and checking out a trash can or two...
  

I am pretty sure the neighbors were not too keen 

on his free range privileges,

 but back then, people didn't make a big fuss 

like they would now... 

Charlie was a low key dog...  

If he were human, he'd be a stoner for sure...  

He would rest his furry head on the window sill 

and if he spied a squirrel,

 Chuck might let out a "Woomphf!"

 and that was about it...  

Piewacket was our first cat I really remember...
  

Named after Kim Novac's cat in the 1960's movie, "Bell Book and Candle",

 Piewacket was a massive, glossy, jet black,

 short haired feline of evilness... 

 Cats weren't declawed in those days 

and he would take out your epidermis 

with one well timed swipe...  

If Pie trained his glowing, yellow eyes on you,

tail a twitchin',

you had better run...  

He was that cranky.. 

Come to think of it, 

Pie's mercurial demeanor was trumped only 

by my grandmother's six-toed, sleek ebony cat, 

aptly named "Lucifer"...

Lucy once won the "Amateur" division

 of the Rock Island County Cat Show...

He was a glossy, beautiful specimen of cat...

But trust me, he was no "Mr. Congeniality"... 

Playing with Lucifer was like letting yourself 

into the panther exhibit at the zoo...

 As a little kid, though, Piewacket was warm and soft 

and he could be so cuddly...  

It was a love/hate relationship with Pie..  

I watched Kate lovingly pet the neighborhood cat, Cooper, 

yesterday and it all came full circle... 

Cooper let himself into a neighbor's house yesterday 

as my friend was welcoming guests

 into her home for brunch...  

Cooper probably smelled bacon 

and thought he was invited...  

Anyway, she shooed him out 

and Kate took notice of this long haired, glorious black cat...  

After calling the number on his tag, 

we learned that Cooper is allowed to roam the streets 

and he wears a GPS collar...  

All well and good, but I worry about him becoming road kill 

in a big city like Chicago... 

 Kate stroked his bountiful fur 

and he rolled over for a belly scratch...  

Clearly Cooper is used to plenty of TLC 

as he was quite lovable...  

Oh, how I wish I could add a pet to the family...

Jack is highly allergic to dogs and cats, 

so it is not an option for us...  

I would love to have small birds like finches or parakeets, 

but when I mentioned it, Tom looked at me 

like I wanted to adopt a Burmese python...  

I say no to rodents of any shape or form...  

There were so many nights when my brother's hamster 

ran endlessly on a rusty, squeaky wheel...

 I mentally devised ways to kill it...  

Then there was the time "Hammie" scuttled 

into the heating ducts of the house...

There is no faster way to enrage your father

 than the sounds of a rodent scurrying 

inside the metal ductwork at two am...

Dad may as well have been able to lift an Oldsmobile 

with the force he used to tear the duct 

from the basement ceiling...

It was not good for Hammie...

Reptiles are a definite NON STARTER for me.....

Shudder!!! 

So, we have three tiny fish in a minute aquarium...

BORING!  

There are family members, who have expressed a million, 

perfectly logical reasons why not having pets is the best plan,

 but I still cling to the belief that a child benefits so greatly 

from a good, loyal furry pet... 

 I wish I could give my kids that joy, 

but it may not be in the cards for us...  

Kate will have to enjoy the occasional Cooper sighting 

to get her kitty fix...

Snacks....

The kids should be making sidewalk chalk masterpieces...  

I should be planting veggies 

and annuals in the yard...  

Instead, we are inside, contemplating lighting the fireplace 

on April twentieth, People!  

Kate and her play date are content to build forts, 

play Barbies and conduct Nerf warfare with Jack...  

T$ is not home 

and I am frustrated with cabin fever...  

What do I do when I am not happy?  

I cook...  

Jack has a buddy spending the night tonight 

and I need to assemble a cache of snacks for the boys...  

Instead of opening bags of chips and cookies, 

I decided to spend the afternoon whipping up 

a few Pinterest inspired home made snacks, 

such as Banana Bread and this cracker concoction...  

The banana bread was a recipe I found in a recent Bon Appetit issue 

about some  woman on a quest 

for the best banana bread in Hawaii...  

I want that assignment...  

Anyway, I made the banana bread 

and it is damn good...

  

Next were the crackers,thanks to Sweet Teeth, made with humble, 

Midwestern type of ingredients 

like ranch dressing mix, saltine crackers, 

canola oil and red pepper flakes...  

Easy peasy and rather tasty....  

Now all I need to do is toss out some cookies, 

maybe Coke floats 

 and the boys will be happy...  

As for Kate, she gets a little spa night from Mom...  

As for me, I am just hoping warm weather 

is on the horizon so I can get outside 

to enjoy spring!

Crack-tastic Crackers

1 – 1 1/4 cup canola oil (you decide how much you want to use)

1 packet Ranch dressing mix

2-3 Tbs. red pepper flakes (I used close to 3…a little warm)

4 sleeves of Saltine crackers (give or take…however many you can fit in your mixing bowl)

1) Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl for a good long while (5-10 minutes), to really get the crackers coated. Eat a few if you want.

2) Lay them out on a cookie sheet and drizzle the yummy, ranchy, peppery oil that’s in the bottom of the bowl, over the top of the crackers.  Bake at 250 degrees for 15-20 minutes, stirring them around about halfway through.

3) Let them cool and store in a big ol’ baggie. Or a few little baggies.  My husband has his bag ready to take to work.

Julia's Best Banana Bread

This simple, moist banana bread can also be baked in three small (5 3/4x3 1/4-inch) loaf pans, which is how you'll find them at Julia's stand; cooking time will be 40-50 minutes. For the deepest flavor, use ripe bananas with lots of freckles.

 

8 servings

Recipe by Julia's Banana Bread Treehouse in Kahakuloa, HI
Photograph by Robert Quitasol

March 2013

Ingredients

• Nonstick vegetable oil spray
• 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 large)
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 350°. Coat a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray. Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk eggs, sugar, bananas, and oil in a large bowl until smooth. Add dry ingredients to banana mixture and stir just until combined. Scrape batter into prepared pan and smooth top.
• Bake until a tester inserted into the center of bread comes out clean, 60-70 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack; let bread cool in pan for 15 minutes. Run a knife around inside of pan to release the bread. Turn out onto rack and let cool completely. DO AHEAD: Banana bread can be made 3 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.

Rainy Day Off....

 

Oh, what to do on this rainy day with no school?  

Sounds like an excerpt from 

"The Cat in the Hat"...  

It's report card pick up day 

and the kids are off, yet again...  

I had grand visions of taking them to a museum 

until I was stricken with a bug which advises I stay close to home, 

if you know what I mean...  

So, what to do?  

Jack would rather stay glued to his IPad, 

ensconced in his headphones...  

Kate, as usual, wanted to be entertained...  

So, I turned to Pinterest for help in my efforts 

to be her Julie McCoy...  

Pinterest did not disappoint 

and I found a fun recipe for Jello play dough...

Thanks to The Play dough Chef, 

we stirred up a strawberry concoction in no time...  

I suppose if you have a plethora of Jello flavors in your pantry, 

you may create a rainbow of colors, 

but red was our choice today...  

Kate enjoyed the process 

and she got a good twenty minutes of tactile fun

 before looking at me expectantly for the next event in the

"Rainy Day Olympics"...  

Luckily, I was one step ahead of her 

and found another fun, 

and less messy idea from Pinterest...  

I discovered a great photo on Flikr,

that illustrated how to make 

a little homemade loom, 

but Made by Joel gave a much better tutorial...  

Of course I came across it after Kate 

and I struggled on our own,

 but in the end, 

she made a sweet and tiny rug for her doll... 

That craft probably ate up a good forty-five minutes, 

so we were to lunch time...  

The Swedish American Museum opens at one pm, 

so if I am feeling better, 

we may give it a go....  

To Be Continued!

So we have returned from the Swedish American Museum 

with mixed reviews...

Kate:  "It was awesome!  

Can we stay longer?"

Jack:  "Mom, did you really think 

I would like this place!? 

It's for little kids!" 

Bummer!  

I had high hopes both kids might enjoy 

learning about how their ancestors emigrated 

from the Old Country.

My dad's background is Norwegian 

and he would probably love this museum, 

even if it focuses on those damn Swedes...

 

You have no idea how many Swedish jokes 

 I have heard...

All in good fun, I suppose and heck, 

Norway is next door, so they are more similar than not...

Don't ya know...

Okay, so I batted 1 for 2 on this idea, 

but after Jack's whining, 

things improved in the immigration exhibit 

and smoothed out once 

they had double scoop waffle cones 

from George's Ice Cream...

There is nothing like rainbow sherbert 

to soothe the beast...

Despite Jack's opinion, the kids section 

of the Swedish American Museum 

is really cool...

It portrays Swedish life in the 1800's 

with log cabins, farms 

and the steamship that carried the immigrants 

to America...  

It is very hands on, 

with plenty of tools, pumps, 

cookware, crops and even costumes 

for the little ones to play with...

Had I brought Kate along with one of her friends, 

they would have been happily occupied for hours...

Note to self, good play date idea!

After the ice cream, 

we stopped by the school book fair 

so Jack could purchase a couple of his picks...

Now he is contentedly perusing 

 "The World's Most Extreme Inventions", 

or something to that order...

Next time we will hit the Museum of Science and Industry...

Overall, I'd say I put some effort

 into this rainy day...

Next are the teacher conferences...

*Gulp*