The Wright Place

The Salad-of-Wonder

2012-01-25T23:11:00.000-05:00

Have you read any good cookbooks lately?

I have.

I've been on a cookbook binge this month and I can't quite get my fill of all of the new cookbooks that have been produced over the last year. Happily, the local library is full-to-bursting with shelves of the latest and greatest in cookbookery, so other than the eventual late fees that I will pay in a few weeks, this habit of mine is quite economical.

That is, until I come across a gem of a book that I can't bear to be without, then the price increases just a bit.

Which leads us to my latest acquisition:

Cook This Now:

120 Easy and Delectable Dishes You Can't Wait to Make

Melissa Clark is a Food Columnist for The New York Times Dining Section, which is not surprising--her writing is simply good reading. Each recipe in this book begins with an essay of sorts that introduces the dish or the style of food or the inspiration behind its creation. The food itself is simple and fresh, and different from my normal, everyday fare. Others have given the recipes credit for breathing new life into their dinner preparations.

I've read nearly all of the recipes and I heartily agree with the Boston-Globe's opinion of Ms. Clark's food philosophy,

Clark is a gifted raconteur, and a master of a special kind of combination headnote-and-essay that is uniquely her own. That would be enough for those of us who enjoy reading cookbooks. But it’s the recipes that really showcase her easy genius.

Easy genius. That says it all!

Cook This Now is currently earning its keep on my cookbook shelves with a recipe called Honey-Roasted Carrot Salad with Arugula and Almonds. {Ingredient list and printable option are located at the end of the post.}

This simplest of salads and is composed in three stages. First, however, you need to preheat the oven to 400˚.

Part One:
Next, the carrots. Peel about 5 medium carrots and cut them into 1/2 inch rounds. Place them on a baking sheet (covered with parchment paper if you prefer) in a single layer and drizzle olive or canola oil over them (about 1 and 1/2 to 2 Tablespoons). Add to that a sprinkling for 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of kosher salt and about 1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground pepper.

Toss the carrots to make sure all are well coated and place baking sheet in the oven for about 25 minutes. Stir the carrots about three times during the 25 minutes.

Part Two:
Time for the honey. In a small bowl, whisk together 2 teaspoons of honey, 1 teaspoon of water, and a large pinch of salt. Add the almonds and toss to coat. (**If you don't have almonds, make the salad anyway. The almonds add much to the taste, but the salad is delicious without them too.)

Add to the carrots in the oven during the last 5 to 7 minutes of cooking time and stir well. When carrots are caramelized and tender, remove from oven and allow them to cool completely.

Part Three:
Dressing anyone? Whisk the lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Add 1/4 cup of olive or canola oil and mix very well.

To assemble:
In a large salad bowl, add about 8 cups of arugula which is often sold in a plastic box-type container in the produce section with spinach mixed with it. The salad is still wonderful with the arugula/spinach mix, however it is at its absolute best with arugula alone.

To the arugula add the carrot and almond mixture and toss. Finally, drizzle the dressing over the entire bowl and toss to coat. Voila! There you have it. Spring, in a bowl.

The first time I ate this salad was the first time I had encountered arugula on its own. The only other times I've eaten arugula have been when eating a mixed green salad or what my Man calls "Backyard Salad" so named because he thinks the greens look much like the weeds in our backyard.

Arugula, is so so so good. I'm seriously considering growing a crop this summer! I downed the entire salad in two sittings all by myself. I did share a bite with Kate who came asking for more a few hours later, but alas the Honey Roasted Carrot and Arugula Almond Salad-of-Wonder was history.

It's that good.

{Printable Recipe HERE}

Ingredients:
{Adapted very slightly from Cook This Now}

For the SALAD:
1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch rounds
2 tablespoons canola oil (or olive oil)
Kosher salt, to taste
1/4-1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons honey
1/4 cup roasted almonds, roughly chopped**
2 bunches arugula (about 8 cups)

For the VINAIGRETTE:
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
1/4 cup canola oil (or olive oil)

Thanks Tim Tebow...

2012-01-21T23:14:00.000-05:00

Last Saturday, all six Wrights were seated on the couch watching one of our favorite football players take quite a beating on the field. Before things got too ugly for Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos, a wonderful commercial aired that put the certain defeat of the team in perspective.

Yes, the team and their outspoken QB went down in flames that day, but all was not lost. Tim Tebow scored a win on an eternal scoreboard. As a result of his outspoken faith, boldly displayed in the public arena, thirty million viewers got to see this...

Wow, indeed!

To read more about Tim Tebow and his work off the field, click {here}.

Happy Sunday everyone! Praise HIM well!

My Many Excuses...

2012-01-19T23:19:00.000-05:00

Dear Blog Readers,

Thank you so much for turning your heads in our direction this morning...I'm dreadfully sorry to report that there is no fresh post for you to read this morning and I am terribly sorry. I have many excuses for my lapse in posting...a few of which I'd like to share with you now, so that you may choose your favorite.

I gave my students a difficult science test this week and was forced to use blogging time to grade it. {Actually, the test, is harder for me to grade than it was for them to take. I think I understand now all of the true and false and multiple choice tests I took in school. Essay tests are apparently for rookie teachers!}
I am, at this moment (if it is way too early in the morning when you are reading this) most likely hanging on to a treadmill at the local YMCA for dear life, having selected an unwise incline percentage in my pre-coffee state.
I decided that since my man expects me to join him in the morning, way too early, at the local YMCA, that I'd better get to bed instead of writing a blog about a salad that I found in a new cookbook that I fixed for my very own self last week and haven't been able to stop thinking about since. {Peer pressure is such a cruel master when that peer is your Man whom you REALLY don't want to wimp out on in the snowy dark morning and also whom you are pretty certain will buy you a big dark steamy cup of coffee post-YMCA as a reward.}
Instead of writing a fresh new post tonight, I spent a crazy amount of time on the couch with my kiddos. No TV, no games, mostly just a little pretending and a lot of staring out the window at the snow...and maybe a bit of reading, but just a teensy bit.

There you have 'em. Certified excuses, pick one or all of them, as all are absolutely true! If I survive that treadmill in the morning, I'll be back with a real post in a day or two!

"This Can't Be Happening!"

2012-01-16T12:39:00.000-05:00

"I wonder if they have a special alert phrase for when we walk in here," I wondered aloud to my Man as we, for the second time in as many visits found ourselves exiting the local bookstore with a partially dressed child in our arms.

Last time, the mess for the bookstore employees was minimal, the mess for the parents...maximum.

The last time we'd entered the hallowed aisles of our local bookstore, we fell into our usual habit where each family member enters the front door, looking like a normal person and then, once inside, picks up an irresponsible amount of speed with which to reach his or her favorite section.

Molly charges to the "kids' section" with Kate at her heels, Cole heads to the shelves that hold his favorite authors, Meg can be found heading toward the series books near the kids' section and is always looking for something fresh and new. My Man makes a beeline for the religion section and I bid the whole gang adieu and get lost in the literature/fiction section and then in the cookbook aisles.

The religion section is near the children's section, so the kids are in close proximity to their Dad, and he can keep half an ear on them while scanning the shelves and all of us can look at our favorite books. This practice has worked well for us in the years since the bookstore has been in business UNTIL last time...

...last time when from the kids' section we heard, "Oh no! Momeeeeeeee, there's poooopeeeee in my pants! Oh no Momeeeeeeeee!" we all bolted. Poor Molly was in dire straits, obviously still plagued by a stomach virus that I mistakenly thought had run its complete course. All six of us appeared in the center aisle of the store and then Kate and I followed Molly on her awkward course toward the bathrooms.

The bathrooms are in the very back of the store. The.Very.Back. The entire way through the store Molly chanted loudly, "This can't be happening, this can't happen, please don't let this happen...Mommy, I need a fresh pair...did you bring a fresh pair? Mommy, I need a fresh pair, did you bring a fresh pair? Ohhhhhhhhh this can't be happening, don't let this happen."

Poor kid. I didn't pick her up and go running because I was afraid of making things worse for her by rearranging the mess. So knees locked together in penguin-like fashion, Molly finally reached the bathroom and we went inside and got to the work of assessing the situation.

It became clear that Molly's less-than-fresh pair would have to be discarded and her jeans would need to be carried home in a biohazard container. I considered wrapping my scarf around her southern end to provide adequate cover, but soon decided that my scarf would not cover enough territory. Kate was dispatched to get her Dad who had returned to the religion section.

When I gave my Man the situation report, he headed to the car to get the emergency blanket. I told Molly that we were going to have to leave the store and go home.

"Yike (like) dis?"

she exclaimed, looking at her uncovered parts? I explained that her Dad was on his way with a blanket and that she would be sufficiently covered as we exited the store. And exit the store we did, heads bowed slightly, we all filed out offering silent apologies to the unfortunate employee that was responsible for emptying the bathroom garbage cans that evening.

{For a week after this particular bookstore debacle, Molly never left the house without a backpack full of "fresh pairs" which she had packed on her own..."Jutht in case," she told me with a knowing look.}

This time while we were at the store, a telling ruckus drew my Man and I from our prospective corners to find white foam covering two little girls with surprised expressions on their faces. Foam also covered most of the section of the aisle where the girls were standing. Kate handed my Man a deflated version of this...

...Blobby Robby, now Blobless Robby, had exploded.

Kate was thoroughly covered and had to make a trip to the bathroom and remove her sweater and replace it with her puffer vest which would leave her skinny little arms totally exposed on our trip to the car. White foam dripped from Kate's hair and was sprinkled over Molly's head as well.

While my Man was helping Kate with her clothing, Cole was helping me clean up what foam we could with toilet paper from the restrooms.

It soon became apparent that our efforts were in vain, the more we tried, the worse the mess became. I walked to the front desk and explained what had happened and offered to purchase Blobless Robby. Happily, the employee said that that wouldn't be necessary.

Kate and Darrin soon joined the rest of us at the center of the store, and after a short pause for a purchase, we again made our head-bowed walk out of the store.

"If they don't have a code word for us, they should," said he, "I felt like I had to buy something for the trouble we've left them with THIS time."

{Blobby Robby's insides mixed with high quality bathroom toilet paper.}

Pretty Huh?

Last week, my Man and I went on a date. We enjoyed an early dinner out and a movie. Still not quite ready to call it an evening, we headed in the direction of the bookstore. As we approached we noticed lights on and saw employees with vacuum cleaners in action.

The employees may or may not have spotted our approaching van from afar and yelled a single word to one another which, of course, we were unable to hear as we got closer. All I know is that when we got to the store, the doors were locked and the lights were out. Not a soul remained in sight.

Book Joy! (and a video)

2012-01-13T15:31:00.002-05:00

It. is. finally. snowing.

I was wondering if winter would ever get around to it! I love the snow. It makes me feel all cozy inside and puts me in the mood for a big pot of chili and a quiet corner and a good book. You're surprised, I know (wink).

Today I'm determined to cuddle up with a good book and maybe a child or two...or three...or four - all the better to stay warm!

Kate has already polished off a large (for her) book this morning which has been one of my all time favorite books to read to the kids. It was bittersweet to hear her reading it aloud to herself, as I missed the cuddling and the sharing of a grin over all of the charmingly funny lines. Kate's pick for today was...

A Hole Is To Dig and Open House For Butterflies

This book is such a treasure!

It is smart, funny and oh so charming with lines like:

"Toes are to dance on..."

and "Snow is to roll in..." and

"Buttons are to keep people warm."

Illustrated by Maurice Sendak, of Where the Wild Things Are fame, this book will long be one of my favorites.

After he finishes his assigned reading (Treasure Island) Cole, will settle down later today with

The Star of Stone by Italian writer, P.D. Baccalario.

It is the second book The Century Quartet. The first book, Ring of Fire, is one which I plan to pinch from of his bookshelf later this winter and read for myself.

Meg, like her dad, is a non-fiction reader and is currently enjoying a digital copy the young adult book, It's Not About Me : Live Like You Mean It, by Max Lucado.

As for Molly, later today I think we'll settle down with this:

The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats.

While we are thinking about books, and before I get my chili pot all heated up, I thought I would share a video that would appeal to the bookish and non-bookish alike...

Now don't you want to go grab a good book?

Happy Weekend!

{As with all bookish posts, click on the title of the book for more information from the Amazon.com website.}

Pure Joy...

2012-01-09T22:18:00.000-05:00

At dinner tonight my Man asked the kids what one of their favorite memories of Christmas this year was. As each child responded, I saw this memory flicker in Kate's eyes...

The item in the purple box was on the tippy tippy top of Kate's dream list for Christmas this year. The gift was a battery powered dog that barks and walks and wags its tail. Kate named her new pet Cocoa and they, dog and owner, are currently in the process of living happily ever after!

(Photos of Kate and Cocoa by Megan)

Way to Goooooo Mountaineers!

2012-01-04T23:29:00.001-05:00

The Pride...

of...

EVERY...

Mountaineer!

(Even the ones who didn't choose you in a bowl picking contest...oops!!)

Alert Men in the Kitchen!

2012-01-02T21:52:00.000-05:00

We returned home from our Christmas travels eager to watch a big time football game on TV.

Cole's New York Giants were playing my Man's Dallas Cowboys.

The hours leading up to the game involved unpacking, menu planning, grocery shopping, all of that getting-back-to-real-life stuff that is necessary for re-entry in to the regular. On a supplemental grocery gathering trip, my Man decided to create a mini-tailgate party for our evening's festivities. So,
but for one (exciting and yummy and to-be-posted-later) dish that I made, our food last night was solely provided by the men in my life.

If I hadn't told you of the men in the kitchen thing, you'd have figured it out anyway because of the...

...pepperoni and cheese...

...and the pepperoni and cheese...

...and the paper plates and nacho chips.

That, however, is where the typical man-food stuff ended and the skilled-prep man-food began.

Enter, Cole-the-Giant fan who, at the beginning of this football season, discovered this...

...cute little cookbook that my sis gave us a few years ago for Christmas. There are a few recipes in here that have long since made it into regular rotation, but this recipe...

...had not been tried until Cole decided to tackle it...so to speak.

Happily, Cole has mastered this particular selection, making it first for us earlier in the football season, then for a gang of his buds on the occasion of the big LSU vs. Alabama football game, and again last night to add to his dad's tailgate feast!

Ranch Buffalo Wings

{printable recipe here}

Here's what you'll need:

1/2 cup butter, melted

1/4 cup hot sauce (Cole likes Texas Pete but Frank's will do in a pinch)

3 tablespoons vinegar (Cole recommends apple cider vinegar, but use what you've got)

24 chicken wings

1 envelope ranch salad dressing (Cole swears by the Hidden Valley brand)

Here's what to do:

Preheat oven to 350˚. Combine melted butter and hot sauce.

Add vinegar and stir well.

Next, pat those little wings dry with a paper towel.

After the wings are dry, give each one its own bath in the hot butter sauce.

After each wing is coated with sauce, place on baking sheet and sprinkle each wing with the dry ranch dressing mix.

Bake for 40 minutes or until chicken is brown and juices run clear when pierced.

Now all that's left to do is eat the man-feast and...

...watch the Giants cream the Cowboys!

Much fun had by all...

except of course...the Cowboys.

They didn't look like they had too much fun at all.

Thank you gentlemen, it was great!

If Our Marriage...

2011-12-29T20:39:00.001-05:00

Happy 17th Anniversary to my Man...

If our marriage was a person, it would be a teenager with car keys.

If our marriage was a car, it would be a junkyard dweller by now.

If our union was a house, it would be time for some needed renovations.

If our marriage was a grandma-crafted quilt, it would just be getting good and soft and maybe a little frayed about the edges.

If the time marking our togetherness marked instead, the age of a book, that book would not yet be considered a classic.

If our marriage was a clothes dryer ... well, we'd be on our second one!

Our marriage is none of these things of course...our marriage is a marriage...a seventeen year old one.

A seventeen year old marriage that has, in its lifetime been...

full of faith,

full of wonder,

full of trust,

full of expectation,

full of serious conversations,

full of growth,

full of belly grabbing laughter,

tinged at times with...

stress,

tears,

worry and

apprehension

...but not for too long...

Later we filled it with...

more laughter,

teamwork,

a couple of babies,

lots of diapers,

homeownership,

friendship,

sleeplessness,

new adventures,

old struggles,

new challenges,

a few more babies,

a lot more diapers,

and sprinkled in...

lessons well learned

and some not so well learned

a wrinkle or two

and some aches (just a few!)

Our marriage has been full of all those things we vowed to one another that winter evening when we were so

very young,

and unwrinkled,

and un-grey,

and unafraid,

and oh, so naïve

...all of those things we vowed and THEN some!

I love who our marriage has become over these seventeen years.

If our marriage was a motorcycle...

I'd be so tickled to be your sidecar!

~All my love...

...and then some~

Magic Indeed!

2011-12-28T12:31:00.001-05:00

My Man, the children, and I traveled for about 8 hours on the day after Christmas. I had been secretly looking forward to the long drive because of a book I'd been sent to read for review for BlogHer Book Club. I had stolen moments throughout the month of December between baking cookies and wrapping packages to dive eagerly into this book which is entitled The Magic Room. I was eager to have uninterrupted car time in which to finish this well written book.

The book, in the words of its author Jeffrey Zaslow is, "not exactly about weddings, and not exactly about a bridal shop, and not exactly about bridal gowns, its a book about the love we all share with our daughters."

The Magic Room tells the true story of Becker's Bridal Shop, located in the very small town of Fowler, Michigan. Becker's has been owned by three generations of Becker women each operating the store in her own fashion and in her own strengths.

The bridal shop's owners are not the entire story however, as Mr. Zaslow expertly weaves the stories of six brides-to-be as they journey toward the altar with the story of the bridal shop and it's cast of relatable characters. He says that he started each bride's story as she entered the Magic Room and then worked backwards out into her life to tell her story.

Zaslow lays out his purpose for writing this book early in the pages of the introduction saying,

...I came here not just to write about wedding gowns and what they represent. I also wanted to understand the women wearing them, their fears and yearnings.

I resolved to pay less attention to the brides I met whose motives seemed somewhat frivolous, the one more focused on their dresses than their upcoming marriages. Instead, I wanted to find brides and their families whose paths were not necessarily easy, but who have given great thought to the love that guides and connects them.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and may or may not have been a teensy bit tearful at the end. The book is not at all a sad one, but one of hope and of love. It was also full of interesting statistics about the state of marriage in the world at one point relating that "The annual number of weddings in America, which peaked in 1984 at 2.48 million, has declined every year since then." Also, "For women, the average age of first marriage has risen to twenty-six years old from twenty-one in 1970. For men, it has risen to twenty-eight from twenty-three."

I also loved, loved, loved the way the author handled each bride's story with a special dose of respect and tenderness toward the bride and her family, which he gained perhaps from his own experiences as the father of three daughters. Especially touching was the way Zaslow treated the story Shelley, the current owner of Becker's and her family.

I feel as if I could travel to Fowler, Michigan, enter Becker's Bridal and its Magic Room (the room where brides-to-be are invited to enter when they feel they've found THE DRESS and gaze at themselves in the flattering lighting in a vast array of mirrors) and feel like I knew well, its inhabitants.

The Magic Room is one of those books that will entertain, inform, and enlighten while at the same time leave a mark on your heart. It caused me to care about the brides, their families, and about the Becker's Bridal family in a way that I'd not expected as I opened the pages to begin my journey into The Magic Room. If you'd like to see a few pictures of this beautiful bridal shop, click here to go to Becker's Bridal website.

You may be familiar with author, Jeffrey Zaslow's name as the coauthor of the world wide #1 best selling book, The Last Lecture written with Randy Pausch. He is also the author of The Girls From Ames: A Story of Women and a Forty-Year Friendship, which I plan to read soon!

In the interest of full disclosure, I received this book in partial exchange for review for BlogHer. My opinions, however, are entirely my own...as usual!

Join me later this week at BlogHer for more discussions about this fabulous book!

Merry Christmas ~2011~

2011-12-24T23:01:00.001-05:00

Christmas Greetings!

We are in the "Christmas @ Home" portion of Christmas Tour 2011 and loving it. We wish all of you a wonderful Christmas with eyes and hearts focused on the birth of Baby Jesus. We've loved watching the video below and we'd like to share it with you...

~Merry Christmas~

love,

The Gang @ The Wright Place

My Favorite Cookie of 2011

2011-12-20T23:34:00.002-05:00

I've just rolled the last batch of snickerdoodles...ALONE. The factory workers went on strike and really, I can't blame them. This year they produced nearly 500 snickerdoodles. So, when one more batch was requested by the Chief Elf, I decided to go it alone.

Before that final batch of snickerdoodles was produced, however, I happened on to another type of cookie that piqued my interest. My favorite cookie of 2011 is a fun twist on a cookie that we all know and love, the Peanut Butter Blossom.{Recipe for Peanut Butter Blossoms pictured below HERE}

I have never made Peanut Butter Blossoms, they are my sister's signature cookie, and mine will never be as tasty or as perfect as hers, so...I found a cookie that will look adorable on the cookie platter with the Peanut Blossoms on my mom's cookie platter. Enter the White-Chocolate-Kissed Ginger Cookie.

This little bite of heaven is brought to you by the McCormick Spice folks and if anyone knows ginger cookies, I figure it should be the good people of McCormick.

Unfortunately, making this cookie required still more rolling of cookie dough into sugar just like ye old snickerdoodle. My chances of getting help with this cookie? Slim. Very. Slim.

What is a girl to do?

The first thing to do, of course, was to make the dough and get it into the fridge while I looked for a helper that was not yet cookied-out.

Here's what you'll need:
{Printable Recipe From McCormick Here}

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sulfured molasses
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup sugar
1 bag of Hershey's Hugs (white & milk chocolate swirled kisses)

Here's what to do:

First, combine the flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to blend well.

In the bowl of an electric mixer combine butter and brown sugar. Mix until fluffy.

Add molasses, egg, and vanilla. Gradually add flour mixture and mix until combined.

Shape the dough into a thick, flat disc and place in plastic wrap in the refridgerator for at least an hour.

While you are waiting for dough to chill, preheat the oven to 350˚ then send out a request for help baking because after the dough is chilled, it will be time to roll those ginger cookies in sugar.

My one volunteer. She loves ~~baking with her mamma~~ playing in sugar!

Roll chilled dough into 1-inch balls and then roll in sugar.

Place cookies in oven and while they are baking, remove the wrapping from the chocolates.

Bake the ginger cookies for 8 to 10 minutes until they just begin to brown and crack a bit. Cookie should spring back a bit when touched when finished baking.

Remove cookies from oven and immediately press chocolates into their center.

After all chocolates have been placed, quickly remove cookies to cooling rack to prevent as much melting of chocolate as possible.

Let cookies cool for at least 15 minutes, or until chocolate is well set.

Share a cookie or two with your helper and enjoy!

NOTE:

Other cookies we've made and like this year include...

{Click on Cookie's Name for Recipe link}

Cranberry Coins

(Photo Credit: MSLO)

Paradise Macaroons

Italian Polenta Cookies

Cranberry Thumbprints

And...one last one we hope to get to make tomorrow...

Rudolph Cookies!

{Photo credit: Ladies Home Journal}

Happy Baking!

Don't be GROUCHY!

2011-12-18T00:06:00.001-05:00

It's getting down to that make-or-break time in December when it seems that the stress level for many of us gets turned up just a smidge with each and every passing hour. I know that as the clock ticks and pressure builds, my attitude seems to suffer. When my attitude is less than what it should be, others around me suffer too. I never seem to realize what I'm doing in time to stop myself. I do, however, realize it when I experience someone else's grouchiness. I notice the grouchiness of others even more when I see someone being less than gracious to my kids or my Man. I am also very quick to notice when complete strangers are rude to one another.

Sometimes, it just feels good to be a bit snippy doesn't it? Some things just feel better to have been aired. Sometimes it can even be refreshing to say the very first thing that comes to mind when someone says or does something that really melts your butter. It's kind of like a little pressure release valve to just spell it out for some poor soul who doesn't have a clue that they've not been performing according to expectations.

I'm a good one for coming up with a quick, cutting remark. Oh, the conversations I have with folks in my head are so witty and intelligent and self-serving and...um...un-Christian. Every so often a line or two from my mental conversation bubbles up and before I realize it, my ears are hearing what only my brain was intended to. Most of the time, it feels really good to be heard and maybe to shock a person or two with my rapier wit...that is until quietness falls at day's end and I lay my head on the pillow and realize just what I've done.

As Christians, we never have the luxury of being unkind.

My pastor says that from the pulpit sometimes. It's one of those phrases that sounds nice and tidy while I'm sitting in the pew but then sounds a much different note when I feel like being unkind to the pastor or anyone else who might have hurt my feelings. I rationalize that when I've spouted back to someone, I'm teaching them a lesson that they need to learn. I'm teaching them not to treat ME that way ever again! I'm teaching them that I'm as willing as they are to be offensive. Oh, and what about those who are often standing beside me when the urge to let loose strikes, what have I just taught them?

There are times too, like in the middle of December when you still don't have all of your decorations up, your Christmas cards are mocking you from your desk waiting to be addressed, you have a deadline or two ringing constantly in your brain, cookies to bake, and warm glowing family memories to make with your kids sitting round the fire...times when, through no fault of your own or anyone else's, you just feel snarky and feel you have the "right" to ease a little pressure by grouching at those whom you know won't grouch back.

There are those who won't grouch back you know...young children, your husband or wife, the cashier at the store, your best friend, the slow-moving senior adult in line ahead of you at the store who takes four months to count out correct change, your mom...ok, maybe not your mom but you get my point. What good does it do to get my nose all bent out of shape and get all dark and sour inside while on the outside I'm trying to roll snickerdoodles with my kids so that they can then go out into their worlds and spread Christmas cheer...the very opposite of what I've been spreading!

Anyway, I guess what I'm trying to say in my very long and rambling kind of way is...

Be Nice!

Before spouting off at someone, even if you are right, think about how it will make that person's rest-of-the-day. Will they look back on their encounter with you as a heart-filling or a heart-rending one? Will what you've said, or how you've said it have been a blessing to their day?

Smile a bit, too while you're at it. It might be the only happy thing that the tired cashier gets to see all day! I saw an older lady lip synching Christmas carols in the mall the other day, hands waving to the beat as she marched from one store into another. It thrilled my heart which was good, 'cause I ran into an older man later that day who didn't thrill my heart at all...

For the remainder of December, when you feel like giving some soul a piece of your mind, whether deserved or not, consider simply giving that person Peace. Just peace. The peace of a quiet smile. The peace of not returning a harsh word. The peace of a gentle look instead of "the big eyes". Peace. His Peace. Certainly not mine.

Peace on Earth and...

....GOODwill to men

... and women

...and children...especially to three year olds...

...and cashiers

...and senior adults

...and pastors...{and their short-tempered wives}

....and

...and

...and...

I'm pretty sure there's no end to those needing peace...

...peace and snickerdoodles!

I'm on it!

Join me won't you?

"Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid."

John 14:27

It Just Warms My Heart

2011-12-15T08:30:00.000-05:00

Doesn't it just warm your heart...

...to see men at the sink?

Working together to make my job easier.

Using those lovely muscles and all of that elbow grease so selflessly.

I was so happy to see them conquering this task for me, because I just didn't think I could handle...

(please note reflection in window...)

...all of the cookie dough removal from the spoon and beaters on my own!

Thanks guys, you really bailed me out!

Fair Warning!

2011-12-12T23:04:00.001-05:00

My man took the kids out for a few hours last weekend, leaving me home alone for the first time in quite awhile. It took some time to get used to the silence, but eventually I settled right into it and let my brain unwrinkle a bit.

Many hours into the quietness, I received this text...

I really appreciated the fair warning!

One does not ease into the instant return of four children in the same manner as one eases into the absence of them!!

The Snickerdoodle Factory

2011-12-08T23:56:00.001-05:00

The Snickerdoodle Factory wishes to announce that it has begun production once again this year. The Factory is pleased to announce the addition of a brand new team member to the line for the busy holiday season.

Molly Joy is currently serving as a "roller-in-training" under the watchful eye of her ever more experienced supervisor Kate.

Kate has risen quickly through the ranks of The Snickerdoodle Factory crew as last year she herself was low "roller" on the totem pole and in just one short year she is serving in a supervisory post.

The senior management of The Snickerdoodle Factory was unable to attend the opening ceremonies this year as they were detained in grammar and science related continuing education courses. It is hoped that by the week's end The Snickerdoodle Factory will be operating at 100% capacity with all employees participating.

The employees and management of The Snickerdoodle Factory...

...wish you all a very sweet and special Christmas season!!

(Check back soon to see what else we're up to!)

AND for original snickerdoodle post, click {HERE...}

To find a printer friendly recipe, {click here}.

Befitting

2011-12-06T22:09:00.001-05:00

My oldest gal needed a special dress for the Christmas play. I had waited way too long to begin looking. The dress needed to be a flashy number to properly attire the diva-like character that Meg was set to portray. As I looked and looked and as the play's director looked and looked, a problem surfaced. It was a problem that has been presenting itself frequently as my family and I shop for clothes befitting young ladies.

Befitting clothes--ha!

Befitting clothes--good luck with THAT!

Befitting--I must be dreaming!

My Man and I spent a bit of time at the mall on our own the other day seeking this flashy dress for our gal.
It. Was. Depressing.

We sought flashy and fun and colorful, we found fleshy and revealing and suggestive. After a long search, we gave up and returned home sequin-less with no flash and no dress and with little hope in the future of the whole befitting concept!

What gives?

Who is buying these clothes for their little girls? How are there entire stores full of clothing that barely covers a human body turning a profit? It must be because they are spending so little money on actual fabric. I have purchased potatoes in more covering material than in what clothing marketers feel I should dress my daughters.

Again I pondered the target audience for this line of clothing as we went from store to store until, while moving hangers from right to left and right to left in yet another store, I heard a female voice say to a young teenaged girl, "Oh yeah. That's HOT! THAT's the one you're getting!"

Hmmmmmmm, thought I, must be her hip-trendy aunt taking her shopping, surely her mom is coming around the corner in a minute with a bag full of common sense in hand to step in and fix the situation.

The next word I heard broke my heart.

"Mooooommmmmmmm," she said, exasperated and rolling her eyes, she took the ~~swatch~~ dress and headed into the fitting room. I continued my search for something with both snazz and material. The young girl came out of the fitting room and with her back to me, faced her mom AND a man whom I assumed was her father. The mom flitted and fussed over there almost-dressed daughter and the dad remained SILENT.

When we left the store, my girls' dad was not silent, saying something along the lines of, "In a few years that mom is going to wonder what when wrong and when it happened..." I had been thinking similar thoughts, completely flabbergasted at what we'd just witnessed.

My next thought was that perhaps we might find, somewhere on this planet, a flannel turtleneck covered with sequins with a matching prairie skirt? Or even something like these...

Then I began to wonder what kind of clothing options Kate and Molly will be faced with as they stand on the threshold of their teenage years? The optimist in me hopes for a trend that swings back in the direction of more material and less flesh. The realist in me thinks that perhaps Kate has the right plan...

I think we can put this in the category "If you want something done right..."

Shopping with Molly

2011-12-03T23:24:00.001-05:00

When shopping with Molly, it is best not to take your eyes off of her for very long. Actually, it is best not to take your hands off of her for very long. Really, letting her out of the stroller to stretch her legs and then turning your attention to the selection of a loved one's Christmas gift is not at all advisable. If you happen to make such an error in judgement, most likely you will end up hearing an older child say something like...

"Oh my. Mooooommmmmm, look what Molly's doing."

"Busthted!"

"Time to turn on my charming grin."

"Watch, they spin...still not impressed?"

"How 'bout now? You like my hat?

I know, I know, back into the stroller I go..."

Lake of Dreams...Potential Unmet

2011-12-01T12:13:00.000-05:00

When I participated in Christmas and Easter plays as a child, I remember the director continually stressing the importance of the beginning song and the finale. She would say, "We've got to get those two parts down really well because the audience always remembers the first thing they see and the last thing they see." She was right.

The author of The Lake of Dreams must have had similar training. The prologue and the ending of the book were good. I was captured by the cliffhanger at the end of the prologue as well as the could-be-theme revolving around the appearance Haley's Comet. Similarly, the ending was so neat and tidy that I finished the book almost forgetting how tedious the 300 pages between the “opening act” and the "finale" had been.

The book opens in 1911 on the night Haley's comet is to appear in the town of Lake of Dreams. The narrative discusses the fear of the general populace that the comet would poison the air outside. Rose, the central character of the novel is introduced as she, unafraid of the comet’s potential danger, sneaks out of her house to accompany her brother as he sets off on evening adventure that would ultimately change the course of her life.

Chapter one brings the reader to present day Japan as the central figure in the modern story is introduced. Lucy Jarrett, the great, great-niece of Rose, is a woman discontented with her life and maybe with her long term love interest. She wavers into and out of a decision to return to her hometown Lake of Dreams to look in on her mother who has broken her arm in a car accident. Lucy eventually decides to return home where she happens to pick a lock in her bedroom and find papers written by her ancestor Rose.

The entire balance of the novel is the story of Lucy’s obsession with her search for information about Rose and about the stained glass windows that become involved in the mystery. While the simplicity of the plot would seem to provide an excellent framework for a tightly woven tale paralleling the lives of two women each on their search for their life’s meaning, such was not the case.

The story is peppered with unnecessary conversations between characters, unnecessary side-trails that lead nowhere, and characters that are given much space to develop in the story and are then left dangling in the midst of nowhere until the end of the tale where they are grafted back in for a grand finish.

I really wanted to like this book, unfortunately, after the prologue, I had to read nearly 300 pages before the story had any appeal to me at all. The storyline had such interesting potential as did the possibility of the development of the many available themes in the book but it simply did not live up to my expectations.

There were a few positive elements in The Lake of Dreams--I learned bits and pieces of the history of the Women's Suffrage Movement in the US, and I enjoyed the description of the stained glass windows throughout which depicted pivotal moments in the lives women in the Bible. I appreciated the tightly wrapped, if sentimental, ending as well, however, on the whole it is not a book I can recommend as one that readers should invest the time it takes to read the 400 pages.

If you'd like to learn a bit more about this book and its author, click here to go to the BlogHer Bookclub page where The Lake of Dreams is featured.

{This was a paid book review for BlogHer Book Club, my opinions, however, are entirely my own!}

Little Mustaches for Your Dining Pleasure

2011-11-30T01:32:00.000-05:00

"Next time you make this one, you might want to make double," he said having just refereed a squabble over who was to receive the last spoonful of last night's left overs. "This is one of my favorites of the new stuff that you've been fixing. It's great on a cold day."

Well then...can anybody say DO OVER!!

Someone once said that if you can find one good recipe in a cookbook that your family enjoys time and again, then the whole cookbook was worth the price. If that is true, then this cookbook was the deal of the season.

It is particularly full of quick tasty belly-fillers that my gang loves. The recipe for Baked Mostaccioli is perhaps our very favorite to date and it is so simple that it appears often on the busiest of days.

I thought might be a super recipe to share as all of us head knee-deep into Christmas prep!

Baked Mostaccioli
{Printable Recipe Here}

Here's what you'll need:

1 pound package mostaccioli

1 Tablespoon minced garlic

1 pound Italian Sausage (I usually use regularly flavored)

1 (14 ounce) can tomato sauce

1 to 2 teaspoons basil

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 (16 ounce) jar Alfredo sauce

2 cups mozzarella cheese

First, cook a pound of pasta. The recipe is called Baked Mostaccioli so it calls for mostaccioli noodles. However, if are like me you haven't an earthly idea what a mostaccioli noodle looks like. So I looked it up and it is simply a ziti noodle that is cut on a slant.

Here...see...

I also learned that mostaccioli means "little mustache" in Italian! There you have it. Wonder no longer.

If you can't find little mustache pasta at the store, any tubular thing will do, ziti, penne, even macaroni elbows if you are in a real pinch.

While you are waiting for the pasta to cook, brown the sausage breaking it into pieces with your handy dandy Pampered Chef tool or the side of a wooden spoon. When the sausage has cooked, drain it well and add the tomato sauce, the Alfredo sauce, the basil and the garlic powder. (The original recipe calls for a 2 ounce package of spaghetti sauce seasoning, which I have been unable to locate at the grocery story. I imagine that such a package would include at least basil and garlic powder so that's what I use.)

Stir to combine.

Now, let's build.

In a sprayed casserole dish, place 1/2 of the pasta, then 1/2 of the meat sauce, then 1 cup of cheese.

Repeat with the other 1/2 of the pasta, then the other 1/2 of the meat sauce, then another cup of cheese.

(See that big ole bag o'cheese back there with the blue label? It's a mix of mozzarella and a gently smoked provolone and it is super yummy. It's all the rage here at The Wright Place lately, except with that one little Wright who "isn't very into melted cheese right now." We buy it at Sam's Club...the cheese, not the picky eater.)

That's it, you're all finished. Toss that casserole into a 350˚ oven for about 30 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly and irresistible looking. Take it from the oven, throw some green veggies on the plate with it, and enjoy!

Now you're all warm in the belly and ready to take on the Season!

Kindredness

2011-11-27T21:56:00.001-05:00

Our Thanksgiving was to be celebrated in a most lovely setting, a cozy lake house nestled in the hills with the very last evidences of autumn lingering in the air and on the trees and reflecting in the water. However, it was not the scenery to which I was looking forward.

Our Thanksgiving locale was well over an hour-and-a-half's drive from our home and I was eager to enjoy the trip, counting the travel time as an opportunity to read and relax, but the journey was not the thing that made my heart beat a bit faster.

There were three pies traveling with us that I'd had a great deal of fun making and decorating, and a veritable feast that awaited us, but the thought of the taste of those goodies wasn't what drew me.

What I was eager to find,

to experience,

to revel in was

difficult to put into words...

What I'd been anticipating was this...

and this...

and... mmmmhhhhmmmm...

always this...

oh, and who doesn't look forward to a bit of this...

...and of course, this.

I sought time with family...

...kin some call it.

Kin, short for kindred... a group of related persons...of the same clan or tribe...

Kin...having similar or related origin, nature, or character...

Kindredness...that's just what I had anticipated and just what I found on Thanksgiving day.

Kindredness is something wonderful for which to be Thankful...

Kindredness and this particular bit of footage.

Footage of my kin who were responsible for the lovely day pictured above.

Footage celebrating a job well done...

...the Thanksgiving chest bump!

Pie Anyone?

2011-11-23T08:21:00.001-05:00

For the second year in a row, I'll not be fixing any turkey or sweet potatoes for our Thanksgiving dinner. This year we'll travel a few hours to celebrate with my family and last year we celebrated with my Man's family. The year before that, we were with my family where we experienced a bit of painful drama, or rather my Uncle John did {more on that here}.

In the absence of turkey roasting, I am going to contribute a pie or two to the feast. One of our gang's favorite pies of the last year which we discovered on a visit to the Amish country is called Oatmeal Pie, it's kind of like a pecan pie except instead of pecans you add oatmeal. Since my Ant Sab has a nut allergy it (if it turns out ok) should be just the thing.

It's a very simple pie to make and often even the kids give me a hand with the filling.

Here's what you need:

Oatmeal Pie
{Printable Recipe Here}
1 pie crust (for a single layer crust)
1/4 cup melted butter, melted and cooled
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup oatmeal
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
a pinch of salt
1/2 cup water

Here's what you do:

Place the pie crust in to the pie plate. Prick it gently with a fork a few times on the bottom to prevent blisters on the bottom of the pie.

In a mixing bowl, combine all of the rest of the ingredients.

Now your ready to pour into the crust.

You could pop it into the oven at this point and bake at 350˚ for about 30 minutes...

OR you could dress it up a bit, it is Thanksgiving dinner and all.

Gather the extra pie dough and roll it together and take a cookie cutter to it just like you'd do for sugar cookies.

Then, float the pie dough cut outs on top of the pie filling...

NOW pop your pretty pie into the oven for 30 minutes at 350˚...

Serve with ice cream, or whipped topping, or real live whipped cream.

Happy Thanksgiving!

{The other pie I'm making is an Apple Cranberry Pie found here}

Molly on Monday

2011-11-20T21:42:00.001-05:00

Hi everybody! It'th me, Molly Joy.

I learned a new trick that I'd like to show you. If you happened to be keeping' up with the thtuff I'm learning to do, you'll wanna know about thith one.

Mom wath usin' her phone for the pictures so, they're kinda blurry. Thorry 'bout that.

I wanted to learn how to cross my eyes, like Kate was doin' the other day, and well, I figured it out!

Look!

TA DA!!!

(OK, I know it woulda worked better if I'd opened my eyeth a little more, but really, I'm only three!)

That was fun, huh? And now...I'd like to thing a thong for ya!

Make thure you're volume is on!

I learned that at my AWANA club!

Have a happy Monday everyone!

Love,

Molly Joy

(Entertainer Extraordinaire)

Pumpkin CrAzY!

2011-11-15T17:31:00.001-05:00

I been a smidge obsessed by pumpkins this season. I know, you're thinking, everybody goes a bit overboard in October and November with pumpkin-is-ity. I'm here to tell ya, I've not merely gone overboard, I've almost turned my entire family orange!

We've had Pumpkin Snickerdoodles (ehh not so good), Pumpkin Coffee Cake (a hit), White Chocolate Pumpkin Spice cookies (different and yummy), and Pumpkin Bread that rivaled Starbucks' best offering--and speaking of Starbucks, I've had more than my share of Pumpkin Spice Lattes!

I've got a few more pumpkiny adventures lined up for us, but tonight, I'm revisiting my favorite pumpkin discovery so far--Pumpkin Pancakes! These little wonders have the most tender texture and lightness of any pancake I've ever made. They have one extra step that I don't usually take the time to do with regular pancakes, but it is so very worth it and really, it's not that big of a deal. More on that when we get to the eggs.

Here's what you need for a recipe that makes about 20 medium-sized pancakes (we usually have some left over for the freezer). You can easily half the recipe to make less servings!

Pumpkin Pancakes with Molasses-Cinnamon Syrup
{Printable recipe here}

Pancake Ingredients:
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
4 Tablespoons sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice*
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup skim milk
1 cup buttermilk (if you don't have buttermilk, just use 2 cups skim, or whatever kind of milk you have handy)
1 stick butter melted (8 TBSP)
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups pumpkin puree
8 eggs, SEPERATED

Here's what to do...

Begin by heating your skillet or griddle.

The first part is easy.
In the biggest bowl you own, mix the dry ingredients: all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, sugar, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. (If you don't have pumpkin spice on hand, you can use 1 tsp. cinnamon, 1/4 tsp. nutmeg, 1/4 tsp. ground cloves, 1/2 tsp. ground ginger). Whisk ingredients together until well combined.

Next, melt butter and add it to the two cups of milk/buttermilk mixture.

This cools the butter so that it won't cook the eggs when it comes into contact with them.

Now for the fun part. It's time to separate the eggs.

Place the egg yolks in a medium sized bowl and add the milk/butter mixture. Add to that the pumpkin and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture and stir until well combined.

Now for those egg whites...put them into the mixer bowl. If you have a whisk attachment on your mixer, load it up--if not, your beaters will work just fine. If you don't have an electric mixer, I've seen Martha Stewart whisk egg whites by hand with a lovely smile on her face...

Here's how I did it...

Finally, gently fold the egg whites into the rest of the mixture until the egg whites resemble cottage cheese in the mixture.

Now you're ready to cook!

Place about 1/2 cup of the pancake batter onto griddle/skillet and spread around a little to flatten.

Cook on the first side until the pancake begins to bubble slightly, then flip...

...and add butter and syrup,

...and eat!!

We topped our pancakes with butter and Molasses Cinnamon syrup which I adapted from Simple Bites.net here.

Molasses-Cinnamon Syrup

{Printable Recipe here}

Ingredients:

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

4 Tablespoons molasses

4 Tablespoons light corn syrup

1/3 cup water

1 tablespoon butter

Combine all in a sauce pan and heat and stir until combined well. Serve warm. Store extra syrup in the fridge.

{Pancake recipe adapted from The Curvy Carrot}

Autumn, the Year's Last, Loveliest Smile

2011-11-13T22:55:00.001-05:00

See all the sunshine pouring down?

The leaves are gorgeous.

See the lovely...

SLEDS??

School was out for the day and a beautiful day it was. The temperature was perfect and the great outdoors needed a visit from my children. I'd barely suggested that they should take advantage of what was surely one of the last nice days of the season, when I heard the door slam shut behind the last child.

I set about cooking dinner, at a quiet and leisurely pace when just outside of the kitchen window, I was more than thrilled to observe the following activity...

Four sleds + two rakes + seven million leaves + four siblings + one sky full of sunshine = three hours of creative play and one very busy photographer/cook!

{Autumn, the year's last, loveliest smile.}

~William Cullen Bryant

A Bit of Weekend Fun

2011-11-11T22:52:00.001-05:00

I am having a ball these days on a neat site called Pinterest. Pinterest is, at its simplest, an online bulletin board where you can "pin" various images from around the internet so that you can remember where you saw that neat whatever-it-was. I love the visual nature of it and I am really enjoying following the interests of some of the "real life" folks I know and the interests of some of the bloggers I follow.

One of the very best benefits of "Pinning" (what one does on Pinterest, similar to "tweeting" on Twitter) is that people pin FUNNY stuff and since I'm all about laughing, I keep going back for more. Below is one of the funny images that has placed itself in my brain. The truth of it is what makes it so funny to me...

I haven't set foot on any running adventures since I saw this picture. I'm regathering my nerve!!

If you'd like to join in on the Pinterest fun, you are welcome to follow me as I scope out fun things to cook, make, and especially laugh about. My user name is Gretchen Wright. (Click on my name to go to my Pinterest profile.) If you need an invite, email me at the Wright Place's email address: thewrightplaceemail{at}gmail{dot}com and include your email address so that I can send you an invite.

Easier still, just click on that red button over there >>> in the right hand column that says, "Follow Me on Pinterest."

To learn more about Pinterest in general, click {here} for a good overview.

Finally, if you do happen to discover the fun and usefulness of Pinterest, beware, it is awfully, wonderfully addictive. Frankly, I'm telling you about this fun new thing at the risk that you'll not have time to visit here ever again because you just can't bear to stop "pinning". Please, come back and see me soon. Promise?

Have a wonderful weekend!!

Toothsome...

2011-11-09T06:49:00.000-05:00

"I think it's finally ready Mom."
"OK, come here and let me check. Yes, I think it's ready to come out. Go choose your thread."

It's a right of passage here. When you must have a tooth pulled, you get to pick your poison. Kate chose a pale pink with which to lasso her jiggly tooth.

Another loose tooth tradition round these parts is that Daddy MUST be out of the house for the event. Daddy. does. not. do. teeth. Daddy had a meeting, so it was all systems go.

Meg prepped the warm salt water for the swishing after the fact, and Cole stood by for support, hoping the tooth would fly far and fast and he could catch it before it landed.

Molly, curious, remained a few steps removed from the nervous twittering of her older sis.

Twittering calmed, we got down to business and finished our task.

Then there was a little crying, and a lot of swishing, and then...well, the rest is not important except the part where the newly released baby tooth was tucked into its special pillow and bid farewell.

At the end of the matter, the Tooth Fairy in charge of the Special Division of Front Teeth was summoned.

For the first time in many teeth-losings, the Tooth Fairy showed up the very next morning ( and did not have to be reminded daily for the next week as is the norm here lately) and paid handsomely for the tooth.

The next morning, the tooth's former owner was...thooooo thurprithed!

Book Slump

2011-11-05T23:36:00.001-04:00

Source: busybeelauren.com via Tsh on Pinterest

I can't seem to get into any good books lately! I've been reading bits and pieces of some lovely non-fiction, some of which has left a big impression on me, but along fiction lines, it's been famine city! And while being in a book slump is a real bummer for me, it has been utterly distressing for my Man, who has been, of late, walking around with a sack full of books that he is particularly excited about.

"These," he says, nodding toward his bag, "are not just any books, these are rich reading."{A list of these rich books can be found by clicking HERE.}

Then I'd sigh and say, "If only I could get into a good story..." and cast a glance longingly into his book bag. Poor man. It was as if I was accusing him of eating a pint of Ben & Jerry's Oatmeal Cookie Crunch in front of me without offering a spoon.

Days later my book-lovin' Man said to me, "I've not seen you in this kind of shape for a long time...I think I can fix it."

"Hmmmmmm," thought I, wondering what he could do to "fix it." My Man and I read from such opposite sides of the universe, he almost purely Christian non-fiction and I a fiction fanatic with a cookbook added here and there for flavor.

Later that day he announced, "Look for the UPS man in a few days, I've ordered something for you."
"Hmmmmmmm," thought I AGAIN, wonder what he thinks he's on to. I, never one to let things rest began the inquisition, "Fiction or Non-Fiction?"

"I am not answering any questions, you always figure out my surprises and I'm not letting you this time."

Undeterred, "Is it a new book or a classic? How did you come to have knowledge of this book? What color is the cover, and speaking of the cover is is a hard back or soft back? Why do you think I will like this book?"

"Nope," said he, "not tellin'."

The day my new book was to arrive my Man said, "If that book comes while I'm not here, you must wait until I'm here to open it."

"Really?! You've really got me wondering babe..." and apparently, that's just where he wanted me.

"So much for you not being into getting gifts and being surprised," he chuckled.

"This isn't a gift sort of thing, it's a surprise book, that's a whole different ball game," I attempted to explain. Really, it was a treat anticipating a surprise that had the potential to end by book lethargy that had my heart skipping a few beats.

"Have you considered that this book can in no way equal the build up you've created?"

"Yeah, I thought about that, but I think I've done good."

Finally, my package arrived. He got to the box first and opened it and hid it in his coat.

When I entered the room, he handed me this...

It is the fourth in a series that I absolutely adore and that I've mentioned here before entitled I'm Half-Sick of Shadows. The series of mysteries is by Alan Bradley. The star of the books is 11 year-old Flavia de Luce, one of my all time favorite fictional characters. For an introduction to Flavia, click here. I didn't even know that the next book was out! I didn't know that another book in the series was even expected.

Click here for a fun preview video of this fun book.

He got me. I was surprised and excited and touched that he-who-has-NEVER-read-a-mystery had been keeping track of one of my favorite series. He later confessed that Amazon.com sent him a notice that this book was going to come out and that he'd been waiting for a week or so for it to ship.

Nice, right?

He's not a perfect man (I had to change my own porch light and all the other day...), but I've got to tell you, it lights up a little part of the inside of me to know that I was on his radar!

Book slump over!

What Piano Recitals are Good For

2011-11-01T22:03:00.000-04:00

I was baking a batch of White Chocolate Pumpkin Spice cookies while my two big kids conversed.

{Recipe here}

Cole: What is that wonderful smell?
Mom: It's the cinnamon in these cookies I'm baking for Meg's piano recital.
Cole: That's one good thing about going to Meg's recitals, especially the October one...that table full of cookies!
Meg: Is that the ONLY reason you like my recitals?
Cole: Of course not...
Mom: (Thinking to self) Nice, he's gonna say he owes her for all of the time she spends at his ball games...
Cole: Recitals are also a perfect time for a good nap!
Meg: COOOOLLLLE!!
Cole: Errr...after Meg has played of course.

Stinker!

Letting it all Hang Out!

2011-10-29T09:58:00.000-04:00

I was sitting at the computer one day this summer when I heard, "fffphphphzzzzzzttttttt." I turned around to see a cloud of smoke hovering over the kitchen. As I was not, at that time, cooking anything, I became a bit concerned. My concern turned to alarm as a bitter electrical smell overtook me.

Soon, however, the smell faded and the smoke cleared and I could find no area of our home on fire or that looked like it was about to be. On the advice of our personal handyman {my father-in-law, who happened to be here working on various other projects at the time}, I was happy to chalk up the whole matter to way too much dust in the underparts of my fridge. After the men had moved the fridge and swept the offending dust away, we all went back to our previous activities.

Unfortunately, just because one "chalks something up" to "a certain issue" does not mean that the real issue has been settled as I learned the next morning when I pulled a gallon of tepid milk from the large white box that had, until the day before, served as my fridge. My most important appliance had just given up the ghost. My man and I fell into a small bit of "freak out" seeing the dollar signs that purchasing a new refrigerator would require. Not an unreasonable total on its own, but we were in the midst a season of large and costly home repairs, so the addition of this latest expense was sending us in to a bit of a tailspin.

"Funny," said my Man, "When your mixer died this spring {after 17 years of faithful service}I was thinking that the washer or dryer would be the next to go, not the fridge." Funny nothing... two weeks later, two weeks I say, the dryer died. We hadn't even gotten all of the packaging off of the {lovely, larger, luxurious} new fridge.

There was nothing to do but stare at one another, and then chuckle a bit, then sigh. I'm usually a glass-is-half-full kinda gal, so I began to grasp at the positives..."It's July, we have a clothes line, we have clothes pins, it wasn't the washer, usually during the summer sun comes out...."

The next day it became evident that my single solitary clothes line would not come close to meeting the challenge of drying laundry for a family of our size. So...

...I bought more clothes line and more clothes pins.

My Man just grinned and shook his head, "You're gonna have to have a dryer," he'd say.

"I know, I know," I'd answer, "but I just want to give us a little bit of time to recover from the {lovely, larger, luxurious} fridge."

It turned out, that drying one's clothes on the clothesline became the in vogue thing to do this summer in the blog world where I've been known to hang about from time to time. Even Martha Stewart in a "Whole Living Challenge" post included an article about how line drying clothes can save the universe, or maybe just the planet!?

I found more clothesline encouragement on one of my favorite blogs SimpleMom.net which posted a great article on line drying clothes about 4 days before I needed the information. The title of the article is "Five Reasons to Line Dry Your Laundry" and while none of the five reasons was "because your dryer will not start," the author had me psyched up and ready to take on my new challenge.

It wasn't long before I came across another article at SmallNotebook.org that had a VERY intriguing title: "Dry Your Laundry Like You're in Italy"! Well then, that sure made my predicament look much more glamorous.

For the next few months I learned much about drying clothes in my backyard. What I learned didn't have as much to do with the actual nuts and bolts of proper pin placement as it had to do with what I learned about myself and about the world around me. My kids learned a little something too, I'd like to think.

We learned to watch the clouds that approached from the west, would they bring rain or simply float on by?

We learned just how much the angle of the sun from July to August to September could change.

We learned when the rain began not to simply think, "Oh, it's raining..." but instead, "Oh, its raining...HEY EVERYONE to the CLOTHESLINE QUICK!!!"

I know how long it takes jeans to dry on a sunny August day and how long it takes a load of towels to get completely dry on a dreary day in September.

I know how wonderful line-dried sheets smell when I lay my head down on summer nights and I also know that a few sets of sheets drying at the same time really take up a lot of clothesline real estate!

I found out that it's much more fun to fold laundry on the porch than in the basement and therefore, the laundry was much more likely to get folded and put away when taken down from that clothesline than it ever was when taken from the dryer.

I know that if you add white vinegar to your washing machine, your clothes won't be so stiff when they come off of the line. However, if you run out of vinegar, your clothes will become soft and supple just a few short minutes after you put them on.

I learned that I don't care if my neighbors know what color my unmentionables are. They are, after all, unmentionable.

We learned that flapping laundry on the clothes line will not frighten pesky deer away from tomato plants.

I learned that the sun is the absolute best spot treatment...um...under the sun. I've seen formerly stubborn stains disappear from our clothing like magic after an afternoon on the line.

I also learned to think ahead just a little, a skill I've needed to acquire for some time now.

All of us learned what constituted "dirty" clothes and became much better about the frivolous tossing of our still-clean clothes into laundry hampers.

The most amazing thing I learned was that I very much enjoyed, maybe even loved hanging those clothes out there on that line. What a blessing it was to pause for about 10 minutes in the middle of the day and go outside and enjoy the sunshine.

I thought a lot about my grandmothers as I hung those clothes. I wondered what occupied their minds when they were pinning up their laundry. They weren't listening to music on their iPhones like me, but they were probably thinking about what they were going to prepare for dinner and maybe they too were enjoying a break from their kids, just like I was.

Weeks passed by and we were getting along just fine with our new routine. The kids all learned to help. Cole, Meg, and Kate all became old hands at pinning clothes on the line and Molly became skilled at helping us retrieve them when they were dry. "I'll help! I'll help! Wait for me!!!" she'd yell as I went outside with the laundry basket which she would proceed to scoot along the patio as I unclipped clothes and dropped them into the basket.

As the patio beneath our bare feet changed from too-hot-to-tip-toe to too-cold-to-go-barefoot I mentioned aloud that I was really going to "miss this" when we got a new dryer {my Man had recently taken up the cause of convincing me that acquiring a new dryer was a necessary task, not optional one}. "Mom," said Cole, "you can still dry the clothes out here, even if we have a dryer. You'll just get to choose." Oh yeah.

Last week, I ran into my neighbor whose dryer died the same week that ours had, and I asked if they'd gotten a new dryer yet. They had, in fact, replaced theirs but, said my neighbor, who is a mamma to three lovely little girls, "I'm gonna use my clothes line again in the spring, I just loved it!"

A new dryer was delivered to our home early this week. It is nice. It has some fancy new features. There is a pretty little ding when the clothes are dry. It is shiny and there is a light inside of it though I'm not sure why. It dries clothes when it is raining outside.

I began my new dryer's career with five or six loads of towels, followed by loads of sheets, jeans, and brightly colored clothes. By the end of its first day, my new dryer was hoping to get traded to a new household. I imagined it panting with exhaustion and patted it on it's shiny white top and said, "Listen, just get us through the winter and when spring comes you can have a nice long vacation."

Source: etsy.com via Gretchen on Pinterest

The Season Finale

2011-10-25T23:36:00.000-04:00

Since August, the Bandits youth football team has been a large part of life here at The Wright Place.

Cole wasn't the only one busy with his sport. At one time or another lots of other family members were in on the act too!

Meg and Kate joined the "league of sisters" to cheer on the boys...

Kate helped with the water...

Of all of us, we're pretty sure my Man had the most fun.

Friends and family came to games to cheer on the Bandits...

BIG O!!!

Mamma & Pappa

Grandma & Poppy

Sadly, not all of the boys' families were able to see all of the games.

One of Cole's teammates lost his Dad during the season and the Bandits payed honor...

We know now that a bruised and scarred helmet, decorated with the other team's color as a result of hard play is a badge of honor.

We also know that without all of the dedicated families and coaches and players...

the Bandits' season wouldn't have been nearly as special as it was.

The Championship

2011-10-22T13:22:00.000-04:00

Today is the day.

The day that makes all the dirt, sweat, bruises and sore muscles worth it. In an hour we leave for Cole's last game as a Bandit. Happily, this game is for the championship of the league, so at worst the Bandits have earned second place, and at best...well, I kinda think best has already happened.

My growing little Man has loved every practice and every game, no matter today's outcome, he's worked hard and played hard and laughed hard and learned much.

When you add all of these ingredients, you get...

The price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and the determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand.

~Vince Lombardi

Go get 'em Bandits!!

Chewy Bread

2011-10-20T01:00:00.000-04:00

Have you ever found yourself in need of a quick treat to take to an event, or to serve after lunch or dinner? I'm often in this situation but just as often, I don't feel like making the mess of a baking project.

Chewy Bread is the answer! It's a no fuss, little mess, delicious bar-style dessert that takes about 5 minutes to assemble and about 30 minutes to bake. It only uses one bowl and NO MIXER which means that cleanup is over with way before the Chewy Bread comes out of the oven. It's a keeper.

Here's what you'll need:
{Printable recipe here}
1 stick (1/2 cup) melted butter
2 1/2 cups brown sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups self-rising flour
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Here's what to do:

Preheat oven to 300º and spray 9x13 pan.

Melt the butter in a large mixing bowl. Add brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla.

Add the self-rising flour and stir again to combine well.

Pour into a sprayed 9x13 baking pan and bake at 300º for 30-35 minutes.

While Chewy Bread bakes, take five minutes and wash the tools of your trade...

The Chewy Bread will fall a bit when cooling, it is supposed to, that's what makes it chewy. Allow Chewy Bread to cool completely before cutting into squares.

Pair with a hot cup of tea or coffee if you wish, but Chewy Bread tastes especially good with a tall glass of cold milk!

My Sunny Spot

2011-10-18T00:09:00.001-04:00

Remember Garfield and his friend Odie, the dog?

Just the other day Meg and I took advantage of a similar "sun spot" on our living room floor. The day was a bit chilly and the sun coming in through the door made us so warm and cozy...

...think Garfield...

...so content and relaxed, purrrrrring with satisfaction, UNTIL...

UNTIL...well...

think Odie...

Wishing you lots of warm sunshine and laughter today!

The Simplest Soup You'll Ever Make...Really.Ever.

2011-10-13T00:37:00.000-04:00

When we'd first been invited to our friends home the weather had been warm and sunny, but I'd rescheduled time and again and now it was rainy and very cool. The kids were disappointed because they'd held out high hopes of a swim in our friends' pond and an afternoon frolicking with pigs and chickens and kittens (oh my!).

As we entered the front door, however, all disappointment about the weather faded completely. The scent of freshly baked bread and warm soup hit our noses and watered our mouths, sincere conversations about books and homeschooling filled our ears, and the sun peeked from the clouds and invited children out of doors to play right before our eyes. The Wrights lingered long after the delicious meal was served and enjoyed and enjoyed and enjoyed. "Mom," Cole whispered between bowls of soup, "PLEASE ask Mrs. Clarke for the recipe for this soup! It's so good!" Oh and it was.

When I asked for the recipe, our gracious hostess explained that the soup is called "Five Can Soup" and she promised to email the recipe soon. We eventually left the warm hospitality of the Clarke family and headed home, a wonderful afternoon (and early evening!) deeply enjoyed.

The next morning, Cole's waking words were, "Mom, you've gotta email Mrs. Clarke and get that soup recipe, PLEASE!!" Happily, when I checked my email later that day, the recipe for Five Can Soup was tucked into my inbox just waiting for me.

Here's the recipe, exactly as emailed:
{Printable Recipe here}

1. Progresso Minestrone

2. Corn

3. Black beans

4. Mixed vegetables

5. Tomatoes

Here comes the hard part: Open the cans. Whew. Now take a deep breath: Pour, heat and eat.

Since it looked so simple, I thought I'd have Cole make the soup, but he was otherwise occupied, so meet the backup...

I'm not certain if the look on her face expresses her shock at my calling to her, "Molly, come to the kitchen and cook dinner tonight, okay?" or that I was about to let her use a kitchen-grade power tool. Either way, she was up to the task.

You will note, that there are ten cans pictured here. Molly decided that as much as Cole had talked about this soup, we needed to double it. Please also note that I took the budget route when shopping for the ingredients for our meal. This is usually how I roll and this meal was an exceptionally great value! It fed 6 people for 3 meals (including second and third servings...Cole) at a reasonable ingredient cost of $9.00!! Do that math...less than 50¢ per serving.

After showing Molly how to operate the can opener, she got down to business.

Gettin' a bit fancy with the technique...

Our soup is a bit more "red" than usual. We put the tomatoes in the blender to make them easier on some of our more delicate palates.

After warming and stirring, we added a bit of salt and gave it another stir.

I made a couple of loaves of french bread to accompany the soup so that our home would smell like the Clarke's did on the day of our lovely visit.

{Bread recipe here}

Our Five/Ten Can soup was a hit which inspired pride of accomplishment in the heart of our young chef. Weeks later as I was polling the group for dinner ideas for the next week, I heard a little voice say, "Make thure and put MY thoup on the list."

"Your soup? Which one do you want? Which soup do you mean?" we all peppered her.

"MOLLY's thoup!" she insisted looking at us like we were nuts, "The one I made! Did you put that on the listht?"

"I just did, babe. It's on there."

"Thankth! Can you get me thome Lucky Chaarhmth while you're there too?"

"No problem."

Thank you Clarke's for sharing your lunch, your company, and your home with us!

{Thanks too for the recipe!}

Doubly Ours...

2011-10-10T00:41:00.000-04:00

Today was Pastor Appreciation Sunday.

There was applause.

There were generous gifts.

My Pastor-Man was deeply touched.

His voice may or may not have cracked a bit.

He's a funny one that Pastor-Man of mine.

He's genuinely surprised that anyone shows up each Sunday to hear anything that proceeds from the likes of him.

Applause makes him squirm. A lot.

He has not a clue about why he might be appreciated by the church he serves.

Not a clue.

Which makes me wonder a bit about some things...

I wonder, for example, if our church family realizes that the very same guy in the dark suit and the bright tie behind the pulpit on Sunday mornings is the very same guy that gets up early every weekday morning to feed our three-year-old her o'dark thirty breakfast because she's "verwy hungee" so that her mamma can get a few more minutes of sleep?

Do they know, I wonder, as the neighbors must, that he worships with as much vigor and volume on Tuesday mornings with the children as he does on Sunday mornings with the congregation?

Would it be believed that this man, so dapper on Sundays, is the same guy that goes to muddy football practices in heavy rain during the week so that he can hold the tender, mud-caked cleats of his son's teammates so that they can stretch properly?

I'm sure that no one would ever guess that my straight-laced Pastor-Man is a supremely gifted marathon shopper who spends hours helping the women in his life search for "just the right..." purse, shoe, dress, belt, nail polish....

Never in a kabillion years would any of our church family know that their pastor sampled spinach the other evening just because he knew it would thrill the heart of the cook.

Then there was that Easter Sunday a few years ago when, instead of getting ready to preach what many in his profession deem the most important sermon of the church year, my Pastor-Man was in the hosiery aisle of the local Kroger, purchasing a pair of size A pantyhose in Suntan for his daughter who had just destroyed the only pair she owned.

Does anyone know that for years, he has made it his job to get the youngest of us dressed every Sunday, ruffled bloomers and all, until last Sunday when she insisted on dressing herself and broke his heart?

I'm sure that our church family doesn't know about all of these things, and really, these things are not why they appreciate him, nor should they be.

They are, however, some of the reasons why I appreciate him.

I'd imagine that among those of his "flock," his family may well be the most difficult sheep to shepherd. The sheep at the Wright Place are always watching this shepherd of ours, for he is doubly ours. He's our family's leader AND our pastor. We see our pastor at his best, at his worst, at his tiredest, at his most joyful. We see him up front and we see that others are paying attention to what he says and that means something, whether we'd like to admit it or not.

We also see him when there isn't a crowd of folks who know he's "the Pastor" looking on. We see him when the salesclerk gives too much change, when the neighbor is rude, and when the milk gets spilled. We know what books he's reading, what he watches on TV and the websites he visits. We don't miss much, that's our job.

What I'd like to say, then, to my Pastor-Man, is thanks for doing your job. The one for which you were applauded today, and the one for which you weren't.

We love you.

Taking My Family on Food Adventures...Painlessly

2011-10-05T23:24:00.001-04:00

My family is divided along some pretty definite lines. Food lines. Half of us are open-minded, adventurous eaters, the other half, well, let's call them skeptical and maybe even reluctant. The adventurous crowd tends to get bored with the same meals week after week and month after month while the food-fearful gang would relish a predictable schedule of safe favorites.

As the chef-in-residence AND leader of the food-adventurers, I'm always on the lookout for new dinner options to serve to my diverse group of eaters. When I find a fun new possibility, I've learned that it's important to keep a few things in mind when serving the new dish to my family.

First, and maybe most important, have a back up option on hand just in case you've got a major FLOP on your hands. Tonight, I'm fixing a new dish. More than a new dish, tonight we're going international! Since my family doesn't have much experience with the bright, vibrant, flavors of Thai cooking that I've come to love, this meal is A BIG GAMBLE!

My backup: a big pot of left over soup from last night's much loved dinner. If things look like a bust, it will take about 10 minutes to heat the entire pot of soup and save dinner. This takes some thinking ahead, but all of the effort is worthwhile if the end result is a new, interesting dish to add to your family's repertoire.

Second, it is a good idea to have a side dish or two that are tried and tested family favorites. Tonight, we are having Grandma's homemade applesauce, rice, and good 'ole bread and butter to accompany our international fare.

Third, having the pickiest eaters in your family help with the meal preparation goes a long way in tearing down the walls of food prejudice. This is not always the case, but I've found that a child is very much more likely to sample a new ingredient if she is the one who lovingly peeled, chopped, unwrapped, or measured it.

Dessert is an excellent way to reward those brave adventurers who have tried something new. It can also offer consolation to the chef who tried a new dish and ...well...met with less-than-favorable reviews in kitchen stadium. Since we rarely do dessert, this is a big treat. Tonight, we have pie at the ready.

Once you've made all the necessary preparations, fixed your new and adventurous meal, and have called your loved ones to the table-- RELAX. You've done your best, you've taken a chance. If it all goes bust, at least you tried and you've proven that you are no rut-dweller! If your whole family says, "Please don't EVER make this again." Smile and don't take it personally, they didn't ask YOU never to cook again, they just didn't like this particular meal.

I've struggled long with this one. I used to place my whole value as a wife and mother on whether my entire family raved over a meal or whether they hated it. I ruined many a meal this way..."Honey, do you like it?" I'd ask before the first bite had been properly chewed much less swallowed, my eyes never leaving my poor guy's face. "Kids, how's the meal? What do you think? Do you like it? I thought you would, I worked really hard on it."

TRANSLATION: "Do you love me for how good this is? Do you see the weariness on my face, see the tender spot in my heart that awaits your answer?"

No pressure there!! My poor family had to suffer doubly if the meal wasn't a winner. First, they had to try to down the meal and THEN they had to be honest with me about it so that I wouldn't fix it again and thus deal with my utter disappointment and overdramatic feelings of failure. I'd like to think I've grown. A little.

Also remember that if your family turns a thumbs down on a particular food from a more general category, don't automatically cross the larger category off of your list of things to try. If your family tried and disliked chicken enchiladas with red sauce (that took forever to cook and were very labor intensive...I'm over it...really), I'm not going to declare that we "don't like Tex-Mex". I'm simply not going to go with that particular entree again. I'm not even going to say that we "don't like enchiladas" because we do, just not with the red sauce. In other words, don't throw the baby out with the bath water, or don't throw the enchilada out with the red sauce as it were!

I'm a firm believer in writing in books, especially cookbooks. I learned this trick from my mom. Make notes after your family has finished dinner. If you leave the recipe page blank, how will you know if it was a hit or a miss? Note it right there by the title. If it was a miss, can it be adjusted a bit? Did it amply feed everyone or do you need to double it next time? What did you serve with the entrée? All of this information is vitally helpful the next time you are mining your cookbooks for dinner inspiration.

I also like to note if a certain meal was served on a special occasion or on a particularly snowy day. Did I fix this meal to take to another family in need? Did I serve it to guests in our home? I write it all down. Cookbooks have lots of margin space, use it and your cookbook collection will become more and more valuable as the months and years go by. Some of my oldest cookbooks are as much cooking references as they are family timelines and scrapbooks. A valuable treasure to me and perhaps to the next generation of cooks as well!

Happy Adventuring!!

Monday, Monday...

2011-10-03T23:10:00.000-04:00

It was a long, cold, dreary weekend.

So long and cold and dreary was it that I actually looked forward to today, Monday.

The reasons for my Monday mania were:

1. There was Pumpkin Coffee Cake for breakfast from a recipe I found here.

2. My Man has Mondays off.

3. This Sunday, well it was...tricky.

4. Yummy soup was on the menu for dinner (which was made mostly by Molly).

5. There was PIE for a bedtime snack...

6. The kids and I were going to finish a read-aloud book that we've been working on for over a month (which we did NOT accomplish).

7. My Man had big plans to make the children's big seasonal clothing transfer, sparing me from the arduous task (3/4 of which he absolutely DID accomplish =-).

While all of those reasons propelled me toward Monday,

the main reason for my yearning is this...

My Man, Me, and...

Every Monday night at 10 pm we meet on the couch and watch Castle, our show. It's about a mystery writer, Richard Castle, who teams up with homicide detective Kate Beckett to get ideas and inspiration for his ongoing series of mystery novels. The running plot involves a growing-by-centimeters-romance between the two main characters. It reminds me very much of my favorite childhood show Remington Steele.

It's total fun, light-hearted, decent entertainment and a wonderful way to ensure that My Man and I will stop, sit, and share some real estate on the couch as the week begins. Some weeks, it's the only time we're likely to spend in the same room awake AND alone, so we really try to be faithful to this time together.

Monday.

It was good.

This is why...

Gotta go! Our show's on!!

Easy Fish for EVERY Family

2011-09-30T00:15:00.000-04:00

Do you eat enough fish? You really should. Did you know that eating fish once or twice a week will benefit your health? It will. Fish is low in fat and high in protein and also contains Omega-3 fatty acids which fight heart disease and many other common health issues.

Fish has not always been in our regular rotation of meals. Like many others, I was operating under the assumption that if I fixed fish, it would make my home stink for days. I also associated fish with dry lifeless, bland diet food.

However, a few years ago, I came upon a recipe for a fish dish that could be prepared and on the table in under 20 minutes start to finish. That was enough to pique my interest and begin my journey toward introducing my growing family to an "alternative" entree.

I never quite understood where to begin with any kind of seafood that lacked a thick dark brown layer of breading. I firmly believed that Mrs. Paul was in charge of that sort of thing and I trusted her completely UNTIL I turned that box over and looked at the fat content of just one tiny serving!

I headed to the grocery store's freezer section. There I found large bags of frozen fish and I began to work my way through the varieties week after week, month after month until I figured out which fish tasted like what, which were boneless, and which were skinless.

The skinless feature was important to my family as the children turned out to be quite averse to eating fish that still looks very much like a fish and, as it turned out, so was I! I've learned that most bags of fish fillets are well marked as "boneless" and "skinless" and "individually wrapped", but it's always a good thing to read the labels closely...just in case.

I've found that we enjoy tilapia, cod, haddock and many others. Generally the white fish varieties are interchangeable in recipes. Also, I've learned that this kind of fish doesn't stink at all and it beats a chicken breast hands down on moistness and taste--in my humble opinion. Now all you need is to grab a bag o'fillets and get started.

After you get home and open the big bag, you will find individually wrapped fillets. The quickest way to defrost them is to fill a large bowl with cool water and plop those fish into it for about 30 to 45 minutes.

After the fish has thawed, grab some scissors and release them from those little plastic bags. Now, you're ready to create. For ultimate simplicity, place the filets on a foil-lined and sprayed baking sheet, salt and pepper the fish and bake for 15 minutes at 400˚. Remove from oven and enjoy.

Tonight, I tried a new fish dish called Easy Baked Parmesan Tilapia*. My son bestowed upon this meal the much coveted "Double Do-Over" rating. Quite an honor. Really.

Here's what you need:

Recipe adapted from {How Sweet Eats}

(Printable Recipe here)

6 (I used a few more) whole Tilapia (or other white fish) fillets

salt & pepper

6 TBSP butter, softened

1/2 tsp minced garlic

1/2 tsp ground thyme

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Here's what to do:

Preheat oven to 400˚

Defrost the fillets in cool water.

Remove thawed fillets from plastic and pat dry with a paper towel. Place on a foil-lined baking sheet that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Salt and pepper each piece of fish and place in oven for 10-15 minutes.

While fish is cooking, combine Parmesan cheese, thyme, garlic, and butter in a separate bowl.

Stir into a paste. My butter was not soft enough to mix into a smooth paste so I put the entire mixture in the microwave for 5 seconds to soften a bit. (This paste can be made the day before to speed the process even more...)

Remove fish from oven and turn oven to BROIL setting and move your oven rack to broil position.

Gently flip each fillet.

Place about 1/2 of a tablespoon of the butter paste on each fillet.

There! All done...now, put 'em back into the oven...carefully, it's very hot!

Return baking sheet to oven and broil for 2-3 minutes.

READ: DO NOT WALK AWAY FROM THE OVEN! Do not turn your head to explain to a three year old why dogs bark. Do NOT discuss the three phases of science history with your tween in the next room. Do NOT even think about answering a text from your sister.

These actions and many others WILL absolutely result in burnt fish. Burnt fish, in turn, will cause you to cry. Crying while preparing fish will cause you to never fix fish again. Never fixing fish for your family will result in less than optimal health...this is not good. You can do better. You must...they are counting on YOU!

DO NOT STEP AWAY FROM THAT OVEN!

When the fish looks like this, lightly golden-brown and yummy, it's done.

We added a little steamed spinach, warm applesauce, and corn-on-the-cob to our plates, and dinner was served!

(I had a few fillets left over and I'm gonna use those for fish tacos tomorrow!!)

For more information on the health benefits of fish from the Mayo Clinic, click here.

Happy Fishing!

Butterfly, Butterfly

2011-09-28T00:43:00.000-04:00

They arrived in mid-August, a surprise to my girl who'd just begun to add an interest in bugs and such to her already lengthy list of topics.

We opened the box, saw the five caterpillars and their food inside the plastic jar. We introduced ourselves, and after a few days, we discovered that our caterpillars weren't very good housekeepers. They were, however, very good at following directions. Within the specified number of days, three of our new friends climbed to the top of the container, attached themselves to the tissue paper at the top, and formed the letter J with their bodies.

The other two caterpillars were a little slower to the job...

...so we waited.

Finally two days later #4 #5 climbed to the top. After hanging for around 24 hours, the caterpillars began to form their chrysalids (what we commonly refer to as cocoons).

As each caterpillar formed its chrysalis, our excitement grew. So we watched...

...and we watched some more.

Finally, all five caterpillars had made it into their next phase in the cycle. All were in their chrysalids. Next, it was up to us to move them to their new home.

Behold the "Butterfly Garden" future home to our butterflies.

Now all we had to do was detach the tissue disk from the top of the plastic jar that had been serving as home for the caterpillars

and attach it to the netting of the butterfly hut.

No sudden movements!

Mission accomplished.

It was time to wait 7-10 days for the butterflies to emerge.

Seven or eight days later, we awoke to find...

one empty chrasalis and one which had fallen to the bottom.

After closer look we found our first butterfly.

We were all a bit bummed that we'd missed his exit from the chrysalis, but we were still confident about our chances of seeing the other four come forth.

Later that same day, another of the chrysalids began twitching and shaking. We were convinced that this was the moment, so we FaceTime-d our cousins' classroom and invited them to watch with us...

They watched and...

we watched...and

...nothing...

until the next day when, while six Wrights were in the kitchen eating breakfast, two more butterflies joined us...UNNOTICED!!!

During the next few days, the remaining butterflies emerged from their old homes into the new one, each with out being seen by anyone. Sigh.

Painted Lady butterflies live for 2-4 weeks after exiting their chrysalids. Ours lived long, laid eggs, and then one by one completed their cycles.

Happily, our super-sentimental bug-crazy gal was off galavanting at her Grandma's during the final demise of her Painted Ladies.

Additional Information: I ordered the butterflies from a company called Insect Lore and was pleased with the service, the product and the instructions provided. Their website insectlore.com is an excellent resource for information and all SORTS of bug related gear.

During the lifetime of the Painted Lady butterflies, we read lots of books about these amazing insects. Below is a list, linked to Amazon.com of some of our favorites.

Butterflies and Caterpillars

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

and our favorite,

Waiting for Wings

We also colored some butterfly coloring pages which can be found here.

Some fun Painted Lady facts from the Insect Lore website:

~Her scientific name is "Vanessa Cardui L."

~She can lay up to 500 eggs.

~She may travel 1,000 miles in her lifetime.

~She tastes with her feet.

~She has 10,000 eyes.

~She breathes through her abdomen

AND now you know!!

Beautiful and graceful, varied and enchanting, small but approachable, butterflies lead you to the sunny side of life. And everyone deserves a little sunshine.

~Jeffrey Glassberg

The Haircut...

2011-09-25T00:03:00.001-04:00

Once upon a time there was a little girl who had chocolate cake all over her face.

Chocolate cake and Kool Aid, that is.

In addition to all of the chocolate and the Kool Aid was the problem of The Bangs. The Bangs had reached St. Bernard status.

All was not lost, Mrs. Tina, hair stylist extraordinaire, had been called earlier and was expecting the little girl.

As the little girl ascended the swiveling throne of beauty, she flashed her attendants a winning smile. Oh how she loves her throne.

Mrs. Tina set quickly to work and began to fashion a hairstyle reminiscent of a bygone era...

(Kate, September 2010)

As I was saying, the little girl adores her throne!

Honestly, who WOULDN'T be in a super mood wearing those shoes??

Lots of hair fell to the floor and then...

...the little girl got very serious.

Just to here Mrs. Tina...there's an awful lot of hair on the floor, you know.

All done! What a dooooo!

Let's take it out for a spin...

Yep! It's a keeper...

Just like the little girl herself!

The little girl didn't want her hair washed for days because she was fearful that the shampoo would wash away her special hair cut!!

Her mommy was very careful not to wash away the haircut and the little girl lived happily ever after...

An Apple a Day...

2011-09-21T23:54:00.000-04:00

My Mom & Dad have apple trees. So does their neighbor. Two years ago those trees produced...big time. Last year...not so much. This year...bumper crop.

I wanted nothing more this year than to go to my Mom's and "do apples". After plans fell through a time or two, I gave up. Mom lives a few hours away and school had begun at The Wright Academy and, and, and...Apple Day did not happen for me.

Before Apple Day could happen, torrential rains swept across the land. Not to worry, my Mom intended to pick apples, and neither rain nor sleet, nor snow...was going to stop her.

My Dad helped a little too...

At one point, my Mom borrowed and operated a bucket truck from a local business to reach the apples up on top!

With apples gathered, Apple Day commenced and a better cast of characters one need not attempt to assemble. Mom had the All Star Team right there in her very own kitchen.

Lemme introduce you...first the aunts...my aunts...actually one aunt and one ANT. No typo that's the way its always been, ever since at age 5, I made construction paper Christmas stockings and labeled the one for that smiling lady below "Ant Sab."

Ant Sab is my Mom's sister and, therefore my Dad's sister-in-law. Her good friend, the lady in the orange shirt in the photo below, is my Aunt Janice who also happens to be my Dad's sister, my Mom's sister-in-law. (Have I lost you yet? Are you keepin' up?)

Now, both of my aunts, hard at work making applesauce, were flanked at this happy event by THEIR MOTHERS...

my Grandmothers...my parent's parents.

My Mom's mom, the farthest away in the picture above was busy loading quartered apples into gallon-sized freezer bags while my Dad's mom was busy quartering those apples.

This great lady turned 90 last March. My Grandma Martha will turn 90 in a few months. I've learned lots from these women and from the weary ones below as well. (Check out all of that applesauce! Which, by the way is best served partially frozen. No kidding, try it sometime...)

I've learned even more from the lady below in red, the one working the apple-peeler-slicer-corer thingy.

Yep that's my Mom (all dry now).

I love it when she wears red, and mascara, she looks like she's about 24 when she wears mascara. I also love it when she hosts Apple Day.

All of those great women gathered in the kitchen working together making the most amazing applesauce on the planet, "putting up" apples for future use, making apple dumplings for deliciousness down the road, and sharing the efforts of their labor with me and many others to boot! (Happily these dear women had forgotten the story of the Little Red Hen!)

What a heritage!

I'm a fortunate daughter, niece, and granddaughter who is doing her best to follow in the footsteps of these ladies, these grand, giving, hard-working ladies.

I'd be proud for it to someday be said of me...

"You know, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree!"

{Here's an excellent use for these apples, click here for one of my favorite apple recipes.}

Tortilla Soup for the Less Adventurous Crowd

2011-09-19T23:48:00.001-04:00

Today...dreary, chilly, damp.

Soup and crusty French bread...necessary.

Soup of the day...Chicken Tortilla.

~~Challenge...my Man does not like tomatoes, a main ingredient in this dish. Or onions. Or peppers.~~

Happily, my Man loves chicken in soup AND he's a big fan of tortilla chips.

Everything else...well, I can work around it, right?!

You'll need:
(Printable Recipe here)

2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 Tablespoon canola or olive oil
1/2 teaspoon cumin (more or less to taste)
1/2 teaspoon chili powder (more or less to taste)
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 to 1 teaspoon minced garlic
juice of 1/2 lime or 1 Tablespoon bottled lime juice
4-5 cups chicken stock (or 3 - 14 oz cans)
2 cups bottled salsa (shhhhhh don't tell)
1 cup frozen corn kernels
4 oz tortilla chips (for about 2 1/2 crushed)
shredded cheese for garnish

**other ingredients as desired like: sour cream, chopped avocado, guacamole, sliced black olives, jalapenos, black beans...what ever you might add to a plate of nachos!

Here's what to do...
First, pour oil into skillet and heat. While oil heats, cut chicken into bite-size pieces. Add chicken pieces to skillet and sprinkle cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper over chicken.

Add minced garlic to the pan and stir chicken and garlic. Squeeze or pour lime juice over chicken as it finishes cooking.

Pour entire contents into a dutch oven (soup pot) and return to heat. Next, add chicken broth and salsa UNLESS...you are cooking for anyone who may not enjoy tomatoes, onions, green chilies or peppers. If you have such a person at your table, add the salsa to a blender or food processor and puree.

This adds the flavors without all of the objectionable textures.

"Hello...Dad? Mommy just added a whole bunch of salsa to dinner!!"

Add contents of blender to soup pot along with the frozen corn and bring soup to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed (add salt, pepper, lime juice etc).

Crumble tortilla chips into bottom of soup bowls and add soup. Add cheese, and any other toppings desired.

Serve with crusty bread or corn bread. Enjoy!

My Man declared this a Do-Over and said that the level of heat in the soup was just right for him. Next time, however, I'm adding a bit of Texas Pete to my bowl!

Pools and Puddles

2011-09-16T00:00:00.000-04:00

I woke up in a blur the other morning. I stumbled in and pressed the "Give-Me-Coffee-Quick" button on the coffee maker and grabbed my morning devotional. As the coffee began to do its work, so did the words I read from the skinny brown book. The word picture painted for me was that of a pool of water.

"We dig a well," said the author, "but heaven fills it with rain." It was a good reminder as I looked ahead at the duties the awaited me. The work was mine to do, but it was God's to bless, for, as my slim book asked,

"What are the means and ordinances without the smile of heaven? They are clouds without rain and pools without water. O God of love, open the windows of heaven and pour us out a blessing."

Thus bolstered, I met the morning with a skip in my step and praise on my lips. My few moments of devotion had changed my morning perspective. I saw beauty everywhere. I grabbed my camera as the kids finished getting ready for school so that I could record God's blessings in my day...

There were the flowers from my mom's cutting garden waiting for me in the bathroom when I brushed my teeth.

Our little cherry tomato plant, which had recovered from animal attack last month and has been producing a red tomato or two every few days.

My children, gathered 'round to listen to their history lesson on a sunny side porch.

Peanut butter cake, delivered to us by one of our favorite families, for morning snack with hot tea along side.

"Blessings all mine with ten thousand beside..."

I was soaring on the wings of blessing, my heart as bright and cheerful as the sun was warm and...sunny.

Until...remember by devotional and its talk of pools of water...

...the green mug in that picture above was soon to tip over and cover our maps with sticky sweet hot tea which dripped through the table top and covered our shoes and the porch.

No big deal. We stopped and cleaned it up, and got back to work.

Until...remember that green mug up there...after it was refilled with tea, it was knocked to the ground by a student more intent on her work than on her beverage.

(This teacher is not complaining about that!)

No problem. We stopped and cleaned that up too and got back to work.

Except...during that break, Cole found a slug, a big slug and decided that it would make a good pet. I decided it would probably make an educational pet and sent him to see what a slug eats. After providing apple and broccoli and a bowl to Cole's new pal, we got back to work.

Until...it was time for first grade art to come to an end and ...

well...remember my morning devotion about pools of water and about how my work was God's to bless and not mine to fret about?

I'm so glad He's in charge of the puddles.

There certainly were plenty of them for both of us to deal with today.

Know what else I'm glad about? I'm glad I had a moment that morning to lift my chin toward Him first thing. If I hadn't, I might have been a hot steamy pile of discouragement and defeat before lunch time. If I hadn't given up by lunch time, I'd surely have given up after lunch, because things became more difficult as the day progressed. Nothing was earth-shattering, there were just lots of little puddles underfoot and all about. We just kept cleaning them up and getting back to work.

Having taken a small minute first thing had rescued our day.

I really must begin every day like that because into every life, a little rain must fall and I want my rain to be the kind from heaven...the kind that fills the pools...the kind that blesses!

"Oh God of love, open the windows of heaven and pour us out a blessing!"

Morning devotion: Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon. Devotions from this work are also available FREE online here.

Writing about Rules...(& a Molly Pic)

2011-09-13T16:15:00.000-04:00

Remember last month when I read 5 books while on vacation and I only was able to tell you about 4 of them (click here if you don't remember and are curious about the other books...) ?

I read that 5th book as a member of BlogHer Book Club and my review has posted there today!! Yea! The book that I read is called Rules of Civility by Amor Towels whose writing really swept me off my feet!!

Please (pretty please?) click on over to BlogHer for a just a second and take a look at Rules of Civility and why I'm such a fan...Thanks a bunch!!

A really whole bunch... (click here).

(Picture included for my "non-bookish" Mom, who frequently ~~skips~~ scrolls quickly through my book reviews wishing instead to see pictures of her grandchildren...the nerve!)

"The things I want to know are in books;

my best friend is a man who'll get me a book I haven't read."

~Abraham Lincoln

Talking to my Six-Year-Old About 9/11

2011-09-11T01:34:00.001-04:00

“Why are those soldiers from Afghanistan at the game? Wait a minute, what did they say? What people died? Mom, what are they talking about?” Kate pelted me with question after question.

We were watching our college team play football on tv when, at the end of the first quarter of the game, to honor those who had died on 9/11, the cameras zoomed in on a color guard dressed in camouflage standing at attention. The marching band, a group we are accustomed to hearing play our school’s fight song, was playing one of our nation’s fight songs instead.

As “God Bless America” played in the background, I took a deep breath and prepared to answer my six-year-old questioner.

Where to begin?

I have dusty memories of explaining all that I could of the events of 9/11 to our older children a few years ago, but Kate’s world had never been touched with its dark reality.

I began, “Ten years ago, a few months after Megan was born, people who don’t like our country flew big planes--four of them--into buildings in New York and into a government building in Washington DC. The fourth plane was full of heroes who figured out the danger that the bad people intended to do and overtook the plane they were on and gave up their lives to save many others.”

I stopped my explanation there, but my mind continued its backward journey remembering, as all Americans do, just what I had been doing on that awful morning...

I had just finished changing Meg’s diaper and was getting ready to dress her for the day when a strange feeling caused me to turn on the radio in the nursery and tune it to the local NBC station. I heard the broadcasters on the Today Show attempting to report on what was happening. I finished dressing Meg and rushed to the family room to turn on the TV. What I saw, of course, would change things forever...

It was Kate’s voice again that drew me forward once more into the present. With those big blue eyes trained at me she asked the exact question I had asked my Mother many years ago when our nation was dealing with acts of terror wrought by Libya’s Muammar al-Qaddafi,

“Will they come here?”

My Mom promptly took me to a world map and showed me the distance between our country and the country where that decade’s evil seemed to reside. The large gulf that her fingers spanned comforted me, I remember the physical feeling of relief that my new-found knowledge had given me. It never entered my mind as a young child that any airplane could cover the distance between my Mom’s fingers on that map. I was looking for a reason to feel safe, and that map was reason enough.

“Mom, can they get here?”

Oh baby, I thought, I want to tell you a resounding, absolute, “No.” but I can’t answer “No” and be completely honest. They made it to New York, they made it to Washington D.C., they even made it to a field in the state next door to us.

I want to reassure my child, but there doesn’t seem to be enough distance on any map from that Pennsylvania field to my own home for my fingers to be very reassuring.

I answer her, “No, probably not. Those soldiers holding the flag and many, many more like them are working hard to keep something like that from happening again.”

“OK,” she said, and off she went on to her next activity. The sight of the soldiers on TV seemed to have done the same work that my Mom’s map did many years ago.

I wonder, what will she use to reassure her child in years to come when, all of a sudden that child learns of evil in the world. What, dare I wonder, will that evil look like?

I can only pray that whatever form evil takes in the decades to come, there will be in this nation the same spirit of determination and courage in the hearts and minds of its citizens to match that of those who suffered, mourned, healed, and ultimately overcame the unspeakable tragedy this nation experienced one decade ago.

In his address to the nation on September 14, 2001, President Bush described such a people:

“It is said that adversity introduces us to ourselves. This is true of a nation as well. In this trial, we have been reminded and the world has seen that our fellow Americans are generous and kind, resourceful and brave.America is a nation full of good fortune, with so much to be grateful for, but we are not spared from suffering. In every generation, the world has produced enemies of human freedom. They have attacked America because we are freedom's home and defender, and the commitment of our Fathers is now the calling of our time.”

The calling of my time as a mother today involved introducing one of my kids to tragedy that did not even happen in her lifetime but still ten years later casts its long shadow, a shadow that--for a brief moment--flickered on her face.

It will flicker too on the face of her little sister in a few years when her father or I tell her the story of the morning of 9/11 and its significance to her homeland and her future.

However, here in 2011, ten years removed, we can add to the 9/11 story the chapter that follows. The one that includes rebuilding, rebirth, renewal...recovery. The one that reinforces messages like “Don’t quit because it’s difficult,” and “I know you hurt, but get back up,” and “glance back, don’t forget, but move forward.”

Let us never, ever forget what happened to our nation and her people ten years ago--words haven’t been written to describe the horror of it all. Let us also never forget the lessons this nation and we her people learned as a result of 9/11 --mere words can’t be written to capture the enormity of those either. And THAT is something I still need to tell Kate about, the next time I see shadows cross over her little face.

An Itty Bitty Book Review

2011-09-08T23:30:00.000-04:00

I've just finished a book by Dominique Browning entitled "Slow Love: How I Lost My Job, Put on My Pajamas, and Found Happiness."

The title snagged me -- I'm always up for anything remotely dealing with pajamas!

Dominique Browning was living her exceedingly busy and seemingly full life as the editor-in-chief of House & Garden magazine work which she described as "the scaffolding of her life."

The scaffolding, however, collapsed entirely when her magazine, her job, and her only known way of living her life very suddenly ceased to exist.

The ensuing memoir tells the story of how Ms. Browning discovered what she calls slow love "the most sustaining sort of love I have ever known--a love that comes of an unhurried and focused attention to the simplest things."

The reading of this at times poignant, and at times funny tale, was a pleasurable one. Each time I opened the book it felt like I was visiting an interesting acquaintance and hearing in her voice the journey she was undertaking which was slowly leading her to peace.

Mind you, Ms. Browning's peace is not my peace, but that was interesting too. It was enlightening to see another's take on life from a viewpoint decidedly not my own yet with interests that turned out to be much the same.

The joy, was truly in the journey for the author--a journey that led her through baking, purchasing PJs, mint gardening, reading, the end of the author's irritating relationship with "Stroller" who, alas, was not really hers for the loving, and rebuilding a Rhode Island beach home. The new home, like her new life turns out simpler, purer, and much more beautiful than the old one.

**Note: I received and read this book as a part of the BlogHer Book Club and will be participating in ongoing discussions (here) on the many topics contained in this book worth discussing like: what does one do when she looses her job, what does one do in the midst of a trying long-term relationship, the lifestyle the author lived while employed and then while unemployed...please feel free to join the discussion!

My Oh My Spaghetti Pie!

2011-09-06T22:28:00.002-04:00

It happens 100% of the time. We have spaghetti for dinner, everyone eats until their bellies are full and then I have extra pasta and extra sauce staring up at me.

Often, I will just shove the extras into the fridge and plan on eating "Left Over Lunch" later in the week. And while all of this looks good on paper at the time, it rarely pans out and the pasta ends up being lost in the back of the fridge only to be discovered along side of the sauce in all of its fuzzy green glory many weeks later.

The solution = Spaghetti Pie (Possibly one of my first "Do Overs" as a young married gal.)

Here's what you need:
(Printable recipe here)

Cooked spaghetti (about 4 ounces, but you can use a little more or less according to your leftover amount)
2 eggs, beaten
2 Tablespoons of melted butter
1 1/2 to 2 cups spaghetti sauce (if the sauce has no meat, add some ground beef if you choose, that's up to you...you're in charge!)
1 cup of cottage cheese (or, ricotta cheese)
1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese

**This is another one of those versatile dishes, you can add pepperoni, olives, etc.

Here's what to do:

Melt the butter in a pie plate.

Then to the pie plate add the cooked pasta.

When butter has cooled enough NOT to cook the eggs, add the eggs.

Combine until the spaghetti is evenly coated with butter and eggs and loosely press into the pie plate.

(I use my hands to do that, gooey--but it works well.)

Next, grab the cottage cheese or, as in this picture, the ricotta and spread it on top of the pasta.

Follow with the sauce ...

and the mozzarella and any other desired ingredient.

(Please note technique...it is important to stick out your tongue while placing the cheese.

This will also serve to hide some of your Kool Aid mustache!)

Now, you have a choice, you can either serve this up immediately (my Man says that this qualifies as an entirely different meal than simple spaghetti and sauce, I however, am of a different opinion), or freeze it at this point.

To bake: 350 for 20-25 minutes. Don't over bake the spaghetti pie or the noodles will dry out and be tough.

To freeze: Cover with plastic wrap and then a layer of foil. Make certain to add a label and the cooking instructions so that you: 1) don't cook the plastic--not pretty, or 2) have to stop your meal making momentum and send out a search team to look for the cooking instructions before you can pop it into the oven.

From frozen, bake at 350 for 25-35 minutes until cooked through. I like to insert a butter knife directly into the center to check for doneness. If you remove the knife and it is very hot to the touch, it's done. If not give it more time and check again in about 10 minutes or so. You can also set the dish out on the counter an hour or so before you want to bake it and let it defrost a bit.

Enjoy your spaghetti pie and that wonderful sense of accomplishment you must feel by NOT letting good food turn green!!

Happy Labor Day

2011-09-04T23:28:00.002-04:00

Today...may you find rest from your labor.

(This blurry pre-coffee picture is what we awoke to find in the chair beside of our bed a few mornings ago. Kate was upside-down and sound asleep and had kicked the top chair cushion back sometime during her slumber!)

"Come to ME, all who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest." ~Matthew 11:28

Salad Caprese

2011-09-01T21:28:00.000-04:00

When I was in the process of ordering school books when this cookbook...

(which is the next in the series of cookbooks I've raved about here and here and here), jumped into my virtual shopping cart and arrived on my doorstep amongst science books, history books, and butterflies.

Yes butterflies, real ones, live ones, caterpillars actually. More on that kettle of ~~fish~~ butterflies in another post.

Would you believe that this lovely cookbook had in it the first occurrence of the recipe for Grape Salad, the very first recipe I posted here at The Wright Place, that I've ever seen in a real, live cookbook?

It wasn't the Grape Salad that caught hold of my taste buds tonight though. Tonight we made Salad Caprese with tomatoes from friends, basil from beneath our solitary tomato plant, and fresh mozzarella from the grocery store as well as a few other simple ingredients.

Salad Caprese hails from the Italian island of Capri and is a staple on most Italian menus.

Ingredients:

(Printable recipe here)

8 oz. fresh mozzarella, cut into cubes
(I found it already formed in to little "pearls" which worked very well)
3-4 large tomatoes, seeded and chopped into 1 inch pieces
a scant, scant 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil (I used canola oil)
1 teaspoon minced garlic
salt & freshly ground black pepper
2 or 3 or 5 leaves fresh basil, chopped

First into the bowl, the cheese "pearls."

Next, the seeded tomatoes.

(If you're like me and have never taken the time or effort to seed tomatoes before, let me enlighten you. I Googled it, so I know now. You simply cut the tomato into quarters and either use a spoon to remove the seeds, or squeeze the quarters until all of the seeds and much of the juice squirts out. Then just cut the tomato as directed! Who knew?)

Now you're ready for the basil,

the minced garlic,

the salt and pepper, and the oil and vinegar.

All done!

Serve at room temperature.

Simple, pretty, fresh.

Salad Caprese!

Don't ya just love eating in another language?

The Wright Place

The Salad-of-Wonder

Thanks Tim Tebow...

My Many Excuses...

"This Can't Be Happening!"

Book Joy! (and a video)

Pure Joy...

Way to Goooooo Mountaineers!

**Alert** Men in the Kitchen!

If Our Marriage...

Magic Indeed!

Merry Christmas ~2011~

My Favorite Cookie of 2011

Don't be GROUCHY!

It Just Warms My Heart

Fair Warning!

The Snickerdoodle Factory

Befitting

Shopping with Molly

Lake of Dreams...Potential Unmet

Little Mustaches for Your Dining Pleasure

Kindredness

Pie Anyone?

Molly on Monday

Pumpkin CrAzY!

Autumn, the Year's Last, Loveliest Smile

A Bit of Weekend Fun

Toothsome...

Book Slump

What Piano Recitals are Good For

Letting it all Hang Out!

The Season Finale

The Championship

Chewy Bread

My Sunny Spot

The Simplest Soup You'll Ever Make...Really.Ever.

Doubly Ours...

Taking My Family on Food Adventures...Painlessly

Monday, Monday...

Easy Fish for EVERY Family

Butterfly, Butterfly

The Haircut...

An Apple a Day...

Tortilla Soup for the Less Adventurous Crowd

Pools and Puddles

Writing about Rules...(& a Molly Pic)

Talking to my Six-Year-Old About 9/11

An Itty Bitty Book Review

My Oh My Spaghetti Pie!

Happy Labor Day

Salad Caprese

Alert Men in the Kitchen!