On June 9th, Chris turned 27. On June 10th, I left for northern Minnesota for a few days to participate in a fairly young family tradition called Chick Week. (Only girls attend, for the most part...) In any case, I wanted to be sure that Chris' birthday was extra special this year, with very little packing on my part, and lots of celebrating instead!
Read moreStrawberry Pie.
Strawberries are on sale again. That doesn't entirely mean they're in season locally yet, but they're in season somewhere, and that was enough for my husband to bring home a 2 lb. container from the grocery store the other day. The thing with that many strawberries in the presence of two adults and a toddler...well, we cant make it through all of them quickly enough — they start to grow beards. I decided that this time they'd become a pie instead.
Read moreGranola Bars (or loose granola).
A while back, we bought some granola bars to help tide us over for the long car ride home from wherever we were. Jonathan LOVED them. A bit later, we bought some CLIF bars to have on hand in case of 'emergency' (needing to leave right away and realizing we'd forgotten breakfast, or to help tide through an extra long meeting, etc.). Again, the one bar Jonathan had, he loved. And obsessed over. Nearly daily, he begged that his snack/breakfast/lunch/dinner/whatever could be a CLIF bar. This was getting out of hand! I decided that if he loved granola bars so much, I'd rather make them and know exactly what was in them.
Read moreNew Name, New Address, Same Great Taste.
There are going to be some changes around here. Don't worry, the content will remain of the same vein, it's how you get to it thats changing.
The site is renaming to Life & Sundry. The new address is lifeandsundry.com (the current address will work for a little while, but please switch your bookmarks and such to the new one).
Read moreEgg Fried Rice.
My first real date with Chris was to a school dance. We went on a double date with mutual friends, and we left the pre-dance dining choice up to them. They chose a local Chinese restaurant that I enjoyed and had been to many times with my family. Unbeknownst to me, at this time, Chris hated Chinese food. He was, (and still sometimes is), a notoriously picky eater, and didn't know of a single dish he enjoyed there. He wanted to impress me though, and didn't protest the restaurant choice (especially after I made known that I enjoyed going there).
Read moreNew Quilt.
Guys, I just had to share this with you. I'm not paid anything for this, full disclosure, I just happened to get myself this quilt and wanted to share the deal with you.
These quilts are $20-30 dollars right now, depending on what size you get, and the shipping is $5. They are thin but rather heavy, making for a nice winter quilt with another blanket, or possibly a nice summer quilt all on its own. (Have yet to test this, as I've only had ours a couple weeks.) I bought mine when they were on sale for $12.50 (the queen, we bought the blue one) but at $25 (again for the queen size) they are still a steal. I highly recommend you check them out. Also, these quilts, same prices, are great looking, though I don't own one myself and so cannot attest to the quality, (it's probably good though).
Tender - A cook and his vegetable patch.
Tender - A cook and his vegetable patch,by Nigel Slater
This book is pure romance. Surprised? I was too. Mr. Slater writes of his garden as many would the love of their life. There is a charm in the way he waxes poetic about asparagus, cheerfully grumbles about the friendly foxes that invade his garden, and with surprising frankness names those vegetables he could do without the existence of. Transformed from a young boy who would eat no vegetables other than peas and, if forced, finely chopped carrots, to a man who revels in the hearty flavor of the rutabaga, Mr. Slater shares recipes, tips and tricks to bring out the best in all those that he loves, (and even some of those vegetables he still doesn't.)
Tender has me itching for the day I have ground of my own to cultivate, and hurrying to the store to experiment with those vegetables that I have long thought I hated. (Beets being at the top of that list...) I can't wait to wade through the beautifully laid out recipes provided hear and I mildly lament that this is a library book, and not one I can turn back to infinitely for inspiration,
The printed book is rather larger than I was expecting when I went in search of it. I was expecting a small paperback, perhaps an inch thick, and what I found was a hefty hardcover nearly three inches thick. Not that I'm complaining...this book has a joy to it that very few cookbooks choose to delve into. Humor, too, though that seems to be more pervasive in the cookbook world. All in all, I would heartily recommend that you get this book, especially if you have a love for gardening, as it is equally a gardening manuel as a cookbook. The price tag is higher than I would usually be willing to spend on a cookbook, at $40.00, but in this case it would be worth it.
Picking up.
As I type this, Jonathan is picking up his blocks for bedtime, jumping from place to place rather than walking. He looks as though he's practicing for the long jump each time. He falls down every other jump or so, and just says, "Whoa..." and gets back up and jumps again. He throws his arms back in classic superhero fashion before dashing between rooms to look for more blocks and pauses for a drink of water when he needs it. The actual pick up time is probably tripled by all of this, but I don't really mind. All I can think is that he's not a toddler anymore. At 3 1/2, he's really a little boy.
Read moreDishes.
I always put off doing dishes. It's not that I terribly despise doing them, and I definitely enjoy the result of having a clean kitchen, but there are just so many other things I'd rather be doing. My mom has always taught me that it makes things much easier if you wash dishes as you go, as in washing as you make them, so when you're done cooking you don't have a mountain of dishes left behind. Also, she recommends finishing any meal dishes immediately following said meal. I've never mastered either of these things. Sometimes I think it would make life much easier if I looked forward to them, if I enjoyed the actual washing of dishes act. Who knows...
The Books of Pellinor Series.
The Books of Pellinor are an epic tale of a girl named Maerad (pronounced MY-rad) who discovers that she is expected to save the world she's only recently come to know as her own. It takes place over the course of a year and a halfs time, during which she goes from being an orphaned slave to a free woman who makes family and friends out of those she meets along her way. She also discovers more enemies than she's known could exist.
Maerad is rescued from slavery by Cadvan, a man who she later learns is a well-known bard. In this world, bards have abilities that are intended for use in service to those they live amongst - abilities to heal, promote growth of crops and herds, and create works of art and song, not the least of these abilities. Most still continue in this service, but some have chosen to turn away from that, seeking instead power over all. The leader of these, most often known as The Nameless One, seeks to destroy and rule all in his path. Maerad and Cadvan soon discover that Maerad has been foretold as the one who is to defeat The Nameless One. As she struggles with this destiny, she overcomes seemingly insurmountable odds and grows into a discerning young woman.
These books are intended for a teen/young adult audience, but the level of writing makes them appealing for adults as well. The story is well crafted, engaging and unpredictable. The tale is reminiscent of the Wheel of Time series, though, in my humble opinion, of a better length. Each book is hefty, but with only four, there is an end in sight. :) Overall, I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a fantasy tale. With the exception of rather dark foes and desperate situations at times that dissuades this from being for a young (preteen or younger) audience, there is little within these stories that could cause offense. I highly recommend that you lose yourself in this series as soon as possible.
The Naming, by Allison Croggan
The Riddle, by Allison Croggan
The Crow, by Allison Croggan
The Singing, by Allison Croggan