Wordless Wednesday: November 14, 2007

SEE MORE WORDLESS WEDNESDAYS HERE

Wordless Wednesday Participants

1. ONwebCHECK 2. Green Eyed Girl 3. And Miles To Go... 4. kml 5. Kellyology 6. http://dawnandjimmy.us/blog

7. Blue Momma 8. Blue Momma 9. Paige 10. Dariana 11. Our Happy Happenings 12. Harlekwin

13. Dallas Meow 14. ellen b 15. Diana 16. Mark Caldwell 17. Regina

Check out the new Wordless Wednesday HQ!!
View More Wordless Wednesday Participants

Powered by... Mister Linky's Magical Widgets.

Chatterbox

Our little Zoe is our resident chatterbox. She never stops, unless she's sleeping. Michael says she's going to grow up to be a reporter. She has to tell us everything, even as it's happening.

Yesterday, she had a fever and I kept her home to take her to the doctor. Since Dmitri had strep last week, I figured that's what this was, and I was right. She missed her "special person day" at school, though. The "Student of the Day" gets to lead all the lines and share at show and tell, etc. Last night, she kept insisting, "I'll be fine tomorrow. I can go to school tomorrow and be the special person!"

"We'll see." That's all I'd say.

This morning, however, she poked her head into our room before our alarm went off.

"I'm dressed and ready to go!"

I groaned. "Zoe, it's still dark. Daddy hasn't even taken a shower yet."

"But I feel better!"

"I'm glad. Now go back to your room and wait until Daddy gets up."

Michael turned off the alarm with a sigh.

"Did I tell you about Stef's daughter?" I asked in the dark.

"No."

"She's fourteen now and living with them now. They got her a cell phone--for emergencies."

"This isn't going to turn out well."

"They told her they were sharing minutes and to only use it if she had to."

"Uh-huh."

"Seven hundred dollars later..."

"Oh my god."

Our bedroom door opened again."Daddy, when are you going to take a shower?"

"In a minute."

"I've got my shoes and coat on. I'm ready to go."

"Okay."

Michael asked, "Did they at least take her cell phone away?"

"I think so."

"Mom, today's my special person day, I'm going to bring my whoopsie doll!"

"I know, honey. Can you go back to your room and play until it's time to go?"

"Are you going to take a shower yet, Daddy?"

"In a minute."

Zoe shut our door.

"They're making her get a job to pay it off."

"Good. Jeez. Teenagers."

"I know."

Our door opened again. "Mom, I get to lead the line on my special day, and I get to turn off the lights at nap time. I'm taking my whoopsie doll for show and tell. Can I take a muffin for a snack? We're having hamburgers for lunch today and I told Jordan I'd sit by her. She's my bestest friend. She brought her Bratz doll for show and tell last week. Can I have one? I'm going to ask Santa for Christmas. Daddy, are you going to take a shower yet?"

Michael groaned and sat up. "She is never, never, ever going to have a cell phone."

Agreed!

Everything But the Turkey

Getting ready for Thanksgiving, I thought I'd share some of my favorite recipes... everything but the turkey!

Cranberry Cheddar Spread

Servings: 24

Ingredients:

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

2 tablespoons milk

1/4 teaspoon mustard powder

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 tablespoons chopped dried cranberries

Directions:

MIX together the cream cheese, Cheddar cheese and milk until well blended in a medium bowl.

SEASON with mustard powder and cayenne pepper, then mix in dried cranberries.

USE immediately, or refrigerate for up to 3 days.

* * * * *

Onion Soup with White Wine

This is a delicate onion soup, a nice change from the heartier types which are so well known.

4 large onions, chopped very fine

6 tablespoons butter3 cups chicken broth

1 cup dry white wine

Salt, freshly ground black pepper

Large croutons, fried in butter or oil

Grated Gruyère and grated Parmesan cheese, mixed

Garnish: chopped raw onion, chopped parsley

MELT the butter on a skillet, add the chopped onions, cover tightly and steam over a very low flame until thoroughly puréed and soft.

ADD chicken broth, wine and simmer for 15-20 minutes.

SEASON to taste.

SPRINKLE the fried crouton with the grated cheeses and put under the broiler flame briefly to melt the cheese.

SERVE the soup in a large heated tureen. Put croutons in each soup plate or bowl and ladle soup over them. Pass bowls of raw onion and parsley for garnish.

Serves 6.

* * * * *

Better Than Bread Stuffing

Cut 1 head of cauliflower in chunks and steam until soft. Cut in cornsize pcs.
Saute until solt and then combine with cauliflower:

2 T. Butter

1 cup sausage (about 2 links/ 1/2 pkg Jimmy Dean Sausage - I used sage)

1 cup chopped mushrooms

1 cup diced celery

1/2 cup diced onion

2 T chopped garlic

Add and combine well:

2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1 T white pepper

2 tsp salt

1 tsp each: dried parsley, sage, hot pepper flakes

1. SPOON entire mix into a casserole. Flatten with back of large spoon.

2. BAKE in oven while roasting meat. (I do it by itself in a 350 oven until hot and cheese melts)

3. LET STAND while you get the rest of the dinner ready

* * * * *

Green Beans with Sweet and Sour Red Onions

1 pound slender green beans, trimmed

3 tablespoons butter

1 very large (14- to 16-ounce) red onion, peeled, halved lengthwise, sliced lengthwise

1 tablespoon chopped fresh marjoram

1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper

1/3 cup red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons (packed) dark brown sugar

STEAM beans until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer to plate.

MELT butter in heavy large skillet over high heat. Add next 3 ingredients. sauté until onion begins to soften, about 2 minutes. Add vinegar and sugar. Stir until sauce thickens, about 1 1/2 minutes. Add beans; toss to coat and heat through, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper. Mound in shallow bowl.

Makes 6 servings.

* * * * *

Garlic Potatoes

3/4 cup olive oil

12 medium-size new potatoes (about 1 pound), halved if necessary to keep them uniform in size

24 garlic cloves, unpeeled

6 bay leaves

4 sprigs thyme

4 sprigs rosemary

Coarse salt

Freshly ground black pepper

COVER the bottom of a glass baking dish with the oil. Toss in the potatoes and garlic, making sure both are coated with the oil.

TOSS in the bay leaves and sprigs of herbs and season generously with salt and pepper.

BAKE this dish in a 425°F oven until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork, about 35 minutes.

STIR the potatoes twice during the cooking time.

(When serving, be sure to show the guests how to squeeze the softened garlic and mash it into the potatoes.)

Serves 6

* * * * *

Old-Fashioned Pumpkin Nut Loaf

Servings: 12

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 large eggs

1 (15 ounce) can pure pumpkin

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup evaporated milk

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1/4 cup chopped nuts

Directions:

1. PREHEAT oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.

2. COMBINE flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, salt and baking soda in medium bowl. Blend eggs, pumpkin, granulated sugar, brown sugar, evaporated milk and vegetable oil in large mixing bowl. Add flour mixture; mix just until moistened. Pour into prepared loaf pan; sprinkle with nuts.

3. BAKE for 60 to 65 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes; remove to wire rack to cool completely.

* * * * *

Pumpkin Pie Cake

Servings: 24

Ingredients:

1 (29 ounce) can pumpkin puree

1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk

3 eggs

1 cup white sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix

1 cup butter

1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

1. PREHEAT oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a 9 x 13 inch pan with parchment paper.

2. COMBINE pumpkin, evaporated milk, eggs, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves in a large bowl. Mix until smooth and pour into a 9x13 inch pan.

3. SPRINKLE dry cake mix over pumpkin mixture, then sprinkle chopped nuts and pat down gently. Melt butter or margarine and drizzle over cake.

4. BAKE at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for approximately 45 to 60 minutes. (Be sure to check the cake after 45 minutes because oven temperatures vary.)

5. COOL cake, turn it upside down so the top of the cake will be the crust. Remove the parchment paper. Top with dessert topping (optional) before serving.

False Alarm?

There's nothing like waking up at two in the morning to the sound of an emergency siren...

We immediately thought "Tornado!" but the weather channels said nothing. And it isn't really tornado weather around here lately, although you never know.

I flipped through local channels. What would a siren at two in the morning mean besides a tornado? Nuclear war? A terrorist attack? What!?

We looked outside and saw all the neighbors had their lights on. Clearly, they'd heard the siren, too. It must mean something!

Michael called the local police. And got a recording. Hmph. I looked up the number for the county police department. (I wouldn't let him call 911--it wasn't an emergency. At least, not yet!)

There, we found our answer. Apparently, the local fire department is completely volunteer, so when there's a fire or emergency they need to respond to, the siren goes off to let them know.

Oh.

So it was a false alarm--well, maybe not false. More like... misleading, or at least, misunderstood. Because this is apparently a one-size-fits-all-siren sort of town.

At least now we know where to call when it goes off to find out if it's a fire...or a terrorist attack...or nuclear war.

Good to know!

Greatest Fear

Learning Curve

I'm still trying to reserve judgment about sending the littles to public school.

They're definitely learning a lot.

"Mom, what does 'o-p-e-n' spell?"

"Open."

"What does 'n-e-p-o' spell?"

I raised my eyebrows in Michael's direction and smiled. He's famous for saying things backwards, just for fun. Apparently, it's genetic.

"Nepo."

Dmitri laughed. "That's not a word."

"That's true. It's 'open' spelled backwards."

"What does g-o-r-m-e-t spell?"

(this one was rather impressive - the letters were cursive!)


"Um, it's supposed to spell gourmet...but they spelled it wrong."

Michael interjected, "No, they didn't."

I rolled my eyes at him. "I know how to spell gourmet."

"You haven't heard of the Gormet olive? It's a special kind of olive from Sicely."

"Are you pulling my leg again?" I blinked at him. He loves doing that. "Is this like the time you told me that Art Garfunkle does art?"

"He does! Look it up on the Internet!"

"Can I look up 'Gormet Olives' too?"

"No one's stopping you."

"Mom, what does 'b-a-b-y' spell?"

"Baby."

"Are you and dad going to make another baby?"

"We could."

"Can I watch?"

"Um... no."

"How come?"

"It's kind of like Santa Claus. You know how he can't come until after you're asleep?"

Michael grinned, squeezed my knee and whispered: "And neither can Daddy."

"Mom, what does 'd-r-u-g-s' spell?"

"Drugs."

"Drugs! Those are bad for you!"

"They sell the good kind. The ones that help people get better."

"Oh. Okay."

Yep, they're sure learning a lot...

If It's Broke...

I'm going to jump up on a very unpopular soap box here, so if you're looking for love and light today, you might want to click back right about now...

*ahem*

Oregon Plans to Send Foster Child to Mexico

Now, I feel for these foster parents, who have spent a great deal of time loving and caring for this child. Of course they love him, of course they want to keep him...of course they do.

It isn't their fault the state and federal government have set things up the way they have. Of course not.

However...

In any life situation, I have to question anyone who walks into things blind, who believes everything they're told, who doesn't do their own research or think for themselves. Caveat emptor...buyer beware. You have a brain. Use it. Don't assume everyone in authority is doing the right thing or are out for anyone's interests but their own.

Foster parents are people who want to be parents. For whatever reason, whether they can't have children of their own or they just love children in general, they want children. Period. They aren't ever doing it for purely altruistic reasons, any of them. And foster parents often become foster parents instead of, say, trying to adopt through regular channels here or abroad because it's easy to 1.) become a foster parent and 2.) adopt a child through the foster care system.

When you go through a regular adoption, your odds of getting a 6 month old child (or younger) is small. Your odds of getting immediate possession of that child? Practically none. In foster care, however, newborns are often taken from drug addicted mothers immediately from the hospital. It happens all the time.

Granted, foster parents have no guarantee, like in this case, of keeping that child. But they are often told much different. And, because they haven't done their own research, they are taking advantage of a system designed to take advantage of them as well.

If foster parents really want to ADOPT a child, let them go through a regular adoption process, where they actually have to pay for the privilege instead of receiving huge financial gains for taking a child in. The fact that people who adopt children usually pay out of pocket as much or more than foster parents put into their own pockets from state and federal governments is rather telling.

Yes, the state and federal governments have set up this system. They dangle a carrot in front of foster parents, and keep that same carrot dangling in front of biological parents, and use that carrot to plow their fields from both sides until they've made as much money as they can. Perhaps I sound cynical. I suppose I am.

But the fact remains, it's a horrible system, and it's wrong, on both sides. It should be illegal, and it needs to be stopped.

And the reality is that foster parents don’t foster with the idea that this is “temporary” in mind. They foster with the idea that this is “their” child, because that’s what the state leads them to believe. “The odds are, you’ll be able to adopt this child.” That’s what the state says, and that’s actually the truth. They odds are usually in the adoptive parents' favor.

But when, in cases like these, a next of kin is found who is a suitable guardian for the child, everyone gets up in arms about the system that’s “failing children.”

Yeah, they are. They are failing, they continue to fail. They place children with foster families who end up killing them. They place children back with parents who kill them. They place children in group homes where they’re exploited and abused.

The reality is: the system itself is failing.

And yet, Child Protective Services (CPS) keeps asking for more state and federal money. "Help us save the children!" they cry. It's the same story, over and over, they insist: "If the system doesn't work, we need more money to fix it." And what do we do? We keep throwing more and more of our tax money at them because “it’s for the children,” and they become a bloating, bureaucratic machine that eats children by the truckloads and spits out their remains.

The evidence shows the system doesn't work. We've all seen it, on both sides. We all agree it isn't working, and something needs to be done. Yet we keep throwing more money at a system that we all agree is failing...

What's the definition of insanity again?

It's about time we stop doing the same thing, over and over, expecting different results... don't you think?