Breakfast

It's the end of spring break here and I haven't been shopping in awhile. Yesterday my kids said "when are you ever going shopping, there is no food in this house". Luckily Reese came home with bananas yesterday and they were appeased for awhile.

This morning found my son pacing around the house saying "I'm so hungry, I'm so hungry". Poor guy. I offered toast, no he didn't want that. Finally he went for some cereal which he then proclaimed was STALE! Being the good mom that I am and loving to cook so much (notice the sarcasm) and since I did get up early today and had a little extra time I offered to cook my three STARVING children fried eggs.

Well, I learned an important lesson this morning. You leave six eggs on high to cook themselves, it just doesn't work well. I had to go do my hair you know. When I arrived back in the kitchen I found burning, rubbery eggs. Thank goodness the smoke detectors didn't go off and I had just enough time to hurry to McDs for our favorite sausage McMuffins!

Paybacks

In September 2007 Heather and our friend Holly visited me in Germany. It was just turning cooler- the time of year when the weather is great in the daytime and really cold as soon as the sun sets.

Tim had been deployed to Kuwait since May (he returned the day before Holly and Heather left for America), so some of the household To-Do list was left undone. Such as refilling the oil tank. It was bone dry, which meant we didn't have any heat, aside from rather ineffective space heaters.

Heather is one of those perpetually cold people, the kind that shivers under blankets in an 80 degree room. You can imagine what she endured those two weeks (with the exception of a quick jaunt down to Rome where I'm sure she found the weather more agreeable). Poor girl. She was so gracious though, and kept a happy smile on her face, even as she tucked the blanket more tightly around herself as she read on the couch.

Now I'm staying with her.

Do you think I'm cold?

No.

At first I thought she was paying me back for her cold German stay by leading me to a sweltering room on the top floor, but now I think she's showing me what she would have appreciated on her visit to me. Maybe it's just kindness... maybe she's seeking revenge!

But, of course, I'm kidding. I'm so gratfeul that Dan and Heather have allowed me to stay with them and I've been as comfy as can be. Sure, it gets a little toasty in my corner of the house, but I'm truly not complaining. I think there are some temperature control issues in the house, so while I'm sweating it out at night, she's actually shivering in her room. I'd offer to trade her rooms, but I'm thinking she wouldn't be willing to give up her beautiful new bedroom, and I doubt Dan would appreciate sleeping on Ian's cot.

Heather and I have made two "meals" together: chicken, mashed potatoes and veggies on Saturday night, and granola yesterday. I just love eating with Heather's family: they aren't exactly vegetable fans, and as a newly converted vegan, our ideas of meals clash and harmonize in interesting ways. I have some pictures to post later of her family's reactions to avacado and coconut milk. I'm sorry to say I missed getting a picture of Heather scraping her spinach into the garbage. That would have been one to enlarge and hang on the kitchen wall!

Love you, Heather! Thanks for everything. It's been fun!

Business Name Contest

A couple of friends here in England have been urging me to start a scone delivery service for the past few weeks. Today the urging intensified after I dropped off my latest pumpkin scone creations. My sweet friend J said, "It's not so much that you need to make money as the world needs to eat these scones!" It may be the best compliment I've ever received on anything I've baked.

So the wheels have started spinning in my head, and there are so many things to think about: legal/tax issues, work space, ingredients, baking tools, costs and charges... and that's just the short list. To start, I'm going to be making scones for my friends and see how it goes. I already have orders for 3 dozen just between two of my friends. If I expand to selling outside my circle of friends I may need to become official which could require finding another space for the baking other than my own kitchen.

But here's the fun part: I need to decide on a name for my proposed new business! And that's where I'm asking for your help. Any ideas? Be creative and submit as many ideas as come into your mind. If I choose your idea, I'll think up a prize and send it your way!

Cheers!

Breast Milk Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream

I'm already of the opinion that PETA usually goes a bit over the top with their ideas/activities/philosophies, but this is more than even I expected: they have written a letter to the founders of Ben and Jerry's ice cream and asked them to replace the cow's milk in their delicious frozen treats with human milk! Click HERE for the full story.

Would you eat ice cream made from breast milk?

Is This Weird?

One disadvantage to living in Europe for more than five years is that sometimes I'm not sure what's "normal" and what's oddly European. For example, I couldn't remember if people in my hometown parked in the road and if cars traveling on the road sometimes had to take turns in order to drive around the cars parked in the road. I'm told they don't generally do that, while I experience it every day. Food products, health and beauty products, gadgets and technology, tv shows, day-to-day behavior... I've lost touch with mainstream America.

So I wondered if this product I found at the English grocery store is unique to Europe or is also in America. Onken BIOPOTS Wholegrain yogurt has little kernels of cooked barley, wheat, oats, rye and rice so it's chewy. It boasts 3 different bio cultures, which is why I bought it. As my mom would say, "It's good for the gut." It's tasty, and great for the body, except that it's whole fat yogurt. A low fat version would be nice.

I really like yogurt with granola, so I guess this is about the same, only the grains are soft and chewy rather than crispy.

Anything else like this in America that you've seen?

Today is the First Day of the Rest of My Diet

It's that time again. I've yo-yo'd down... or it it up?... and now it's time to work my way back in the other direction. Last summer, when Tim was in Kuwait, I lost nearly 15 pounds- all of which have found there way back home.

Sunday I allowed myself a small piece of cake and a cup of coffee, then I started being good. Until Tim bought me an ice cream cone at a church youth fundraiser. THEN I was an angel. Until Kristine reminded me that I owed her a just-us-girls cream tea. Unfortunately, the place we were planning to go was closed, so we went to Tesco and bought a pack of scones, clotted cream, an assortment of jams, and decaff tea, since our tea party was going to be in the evening. I had a blast- Kristine's the sweetest and funniest daughter I could have asked for- but instead of the one scone with clotted cream and jam I would have had out, there was a whole dish of them and I had seconds. As Mark Twain said, "I deal with temptation by yielding to it."

Ah, but today's a new day. I've made it past breakfast and so far, so good.

I think the key is forgetting about food. That's hard for me because I eat when I'm happy, I eat when bored, I eat when I'm distracted, I eat when I'm hungry, I eat when I'm not. So I've assigned myself the cleaning and arrainging of my bedroom. It's right across the hall from Tim's music room and it catches all the odd things that don't fit in there. There were 3 keyboards leaning against walls, just to name three of about 30 things right inside the door that didn't belong there. I relocated most of it and finished half the room. Today I'm going to find a home for the hundreds of cd's that Tim said two months ago would be stacked near my side of the bed for "just a day or two."

I'm back to feeling like my room is a haven and I'm not even done. This dieting thing is turning into a really good idea. Now to see if I lose any weight.

Lemon Poppy Seeed Muffins

Another recycled post from my old blog. I'm making these today and probably won't take any pictures.

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

2/3 c sugar
Grated zest and juice of one lemon
2 c flour
2 t baking powder
1/4 t baking soda
1/4 salt
3/4 c sour cream
2 eggs
1 t vanilla extract
1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 T poppy seeds

1. Rub lemon zest into sugar until well blended. Whisk in flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
2. In separate bowl, mix together sour cream, eggs, vanilla, melted/cooled butter and lemon juice.
3. Add liquid mixture to flour mixture and stir only until just blended. Stir in poppy seeds gently.
4. Divide between prepared muffin tins and bake at 400 for 18-20 minutes or until golden.

For icing:

1.Mix together 1 c sifted confectioners sugar with 2-3 T lemon juice or water. Drizzle over muffins when cooled.

Source: Baking From My Home To Yours by Dorie Greenspan

~Reese

Chocolate Earl Grey Cookies

A recycled post from my old food blog:

I read last year about how chocolatiers were mixing chocolates with tea and it struck me as absolutely brilliant. That led me to popping a dark chocolate Dove into my mouth, followed quickly by sip of strong Earl Grey tea. Delicious! I also experimented with hot chocolate mix dissolved into brewed Earl Grey tea, but with very little success. Maybe I should have tried steeping the tea in full-strength hot chocolate... Anyway, it's been awhile since I discovered the intriguing flavor combination and it had slipped my mind. Today I was posting at Poetical Curiosity when, for some unknown reason, it came back to me. Right about the time I hit "Publish" lightening struck my brain and within an hour we were munching on Chocolate Earl Grey Cookies.

Chocolate Earl Grey Cookies

1 c butter or margarine
1 c sugar
2 T pulverized loose Earl Grey tea
1 t vanilla extract
2 eggs

2/3 c unsweetened cocoa powder
2 c flour
2 t baking powder

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Pulverize tea in a coffee grinder or food processor.
2. Cream together butter and sugar. Add pulverized tea and vanilla extract.
3. In separate bowl, mix together flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder.
4. Add flour mixture to creamed ingredients. Mix well.
5. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto baking sheet and bake for about 8 minutes. Makes about 3 dozen cookies. The cookies are very soft and brownie or cake-like.


~Reese

English Scones

My son returned from UK Day at school, raving about some English scones he had eaten. I asked him to bring me the recipe, which he managed to do, and it is that recipe that I followed to make my scones. The recipe says it is from an English cook, passed down from her Aunt Bridie.

They are unlike the Irish and Scottish scones I've made, which are usually cut into triangles before baking, or a large circle of dough scored into wedges and baked then broken into triangles. These are much more like American biscuits, only heartier. I think it's because of the bread flour that is used. They are almost like dinner rolls in texture.

This is the first time I've come across a recipe that calls for baking powder and a rising or resting period before baking.

English Scones

• 3 1/3 c bread flour
• 2 T baking powder
• pinch salt (I must confess to using about 3 large pinches! A pinch doesn't seem like enough for 13-15 scones.)
• 1/4 c margarine or butter
• 1 1/4 c milk

~Sift together flour, baking powder and salt.
~Add margarine/butter and fine to a fine texture (I try to make the butter pieces vary from the size of raw rolled oats to small peas.)
~ Mix together to form a soft dough. You may need to add a feel drops of milk to pull it together.
~ Cover with a tea towel and let it rest for 20 minutes
~On a lightly floured surface, roll to about a 3/4" thickness. Cut out with 2" cutter and place on nonstick baking surface.
~Brush each scone with beaten egg.
~ Leave to stand for 20 minutes.
~Meanwhile, preheat over to 450 degrees.
~ Just before putting the scones in the oven, brush each one more time with the beaten egg.
~Bake for approximately 15 minutes.
~Makes 13-15 scones. Excellent served piping hot with butter and honey or jam.

~Reese

Another Day, Another Ramble

Some days I wake up and find that three posts have already lodged themselves in my brain and are banging around in there, anxious to get typed out. Other days, it's nearing bedtime and I'm still trying to think of something interesting to say.

I've been known to skip around the internet looking for nifty tidbits to pass on; I'd let you know my usual cyber route but then you'd have no need to come back to Crazyville. Today I only came across a few items of interest, and they weren't brilliant: the lost parrot who told the vet his address, the bull that ran through the back door of a German family's home and reeked havoc before running out the front door. Odd, maybe, but nothing to write home about.

So, I thought I'd ramble about absolutely nothing for a bit.

I'm all into Zip It purses at the moment. My daughter came home from school, all excited about this odd purse, so I bought her a smallish sized one and one she uses as a school book bag. (eBay is my favorite place to find them.) Then, I grabbed hers one day as I was heading out the door to the park... and didn't give it back until my own came in the mail last night.


Cute, eh?! It unzips into a long zipper. I'm thinking it's the perfect purse to travel with, as I always struggle to keep my purse flat enough in my suitcase until I get to my destination and take it out again. Unfortunately, it doesn't double as a bra.

I recently finished The Last Chinese Chef and was pleasantly surprised by the read. I learned more about gourmet Chinese cuisine than I had ever known before, and the story line was interesting. The picture on the front cover is what initially caught my attention at the library; sometimes the cover art isn't much of an indication of the substance inside (I think I just rewrote a famous saying), so I'm happy to report that it was a good book.

One thing I took away from the book is how eating in China is always done in a group, in a communal way and that both casual and formal relationships are forged and solidified with the tradition of eating together. I felt challenged to recommit to family dining, especially weekend breakfasts- which our family finds immense pleasure in. So, off I went to find a griddle to replace the one I left in Germany. I found an Emerilware Cast Iron Double Griddle and love it! I made a big weekend breakfast for the first time last Saturday since moving to England. Here is the aftermath of that project:

We were all full and happy, enjoying each other's company. We even left the tablecloth on and used the nice British placemats (which are just like seriously oversized coasters with cork on the underside). On Sunday, I flipped the griddle over to the grill side and grilled up delectable pork chops for lunch. Another satisfying family meal.

I've enjoyed listening to Ravi Zacharias' messages today on my iPod from Focus on the Family. They were entitled Why We Must Remember Parts 1, 2, 3 from April 29, 30 & May 1st. You can hear them by going to Focus on the Family, clicking on Broadcasts and browsing through the recent broadcasts. Mr. Zacharias is an inspiration every time I hear him; he is being used by God all over the world. I highly encourage you to seek out these podcasts and take a listen.

I leave you with this last thing, a verse Mr. Zacharias referenced in his message. It is Jesus speaking in John 19:14b:

"Because I live, you also will live."

That is a scripture I will be praying for several individuals in my life who need to see the life of Christ manifest in their situations. God said it. I believe it.

Bless you! Cheers.

~Reese

A Valuable Pause

After my extremely short visit (barely more than a handshake and a greeting) with the Pain Management Specialist yesterday, Tim and I took advantage of a few hours by ourselves. We stopped by a French cafe in the town we were in and had dinner together. Alone. It was a cherished pause from everyday life.

I'm grateful for some time away, even if the cause was a (literal) pain-in-the-neck!

The only issue I had with the whole experience was one of the words painted on the mirror behind Tim. Can you see the problem? It drove me nuts the whole time I was there. (Anyone coming to suspect I've watched a bit too much Monk?)

And in case anyone's forgotten what a Big Day the 24th is, here's a reminder:

See you all there?! (What do you think it would take to get Heather to eat a snail? LOL!)


~Reese

Square Watermelons!

Aren't these watermelons interesting? They are grown in the clear cases pictured below in Japan to fit the precise dimensions of a Japanese fridge! The cost: the equivalent of $82! (A regular watermelon in Japan is $15-25.)

I Can't Help But Love This Candy Bar

I'm not really into candy bars. At all. But my daughter bought me one of these a couple days ago and I'm hooked. It's perfect - sweet and salty all in one. I never thought Hershey's had anything to offer that I'd go gaga over. Here is proof that we all have our weaknesses.