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Lunches. Suck.

Posted on September 6, 2016 by pioneerintrees

It’s the night before the first day of school all across Ontario. Kids are irritated that their summer is over but they don’t have to give a crap about lunches because at this stage of the game the parental units are feeling generous with their time and making lunches that their kids might actually like. Truth.

In this household we started with the obligatory chat on the way home from the cabin. “So, what might you want to have in your lunches this year?” Yawning silence. Best friend of 14 yr old daughter says “well I can tell you all of the things she eats out of MY lunch…” OMG why the hell didn’t I think of that LAST year?? Turns out: pasta salad and perogies are favorites. Who the hell would guess that?? Jeez.

So tonight I embark on making pasta salad all 3 of us will like. It goes like this:

No dressing for the 12 year old. Add dressing and tomatoes for the 14 year old. Add peppers for me. Done.

Then I decided that muffins would be a good idea, so I whipped up a batch of blueberry lemon muffins. The kids have both stolen one and they’re ‘good’. Gee thanks.

Love the Pampered Chef muffin pan … makes pro muffins every time.

Finally, I need granola for my own personal survival. I like it with yoghurt and whatever fruit I can salvage. It’s the perfect thing to keep at work and eat whenever I have the chance. This granola is a Deborah recipe … made with coconut oil and maple syrup and cinnamon and a dash of cloves … nice and crunchy and flavorful. I will give you the recipe for this one since it’s insanely good – not like that lame-ass orzo salad that I hobbled together with whatever was in the fridge…

After tomorrow’s lunch everyone is officially on their own. It’s all downhill from here.

You’ve Gotta Be Nuts Granola (odd title, but bear with me)
In a large bowl mix:
3 c large flake oatmeal
1 c slivered almonds (I used sliced, whatever)
1/2 c raw pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
1/2 c raw sunflower seeds
Reserve: 1 c raw pecan halves (you’ll add this to the whole mixture after 15 minutes of baking time)
Melt together:
1/4 c coconut oil
1/4 c butter
Add: 1/4 c maple syrup
1/3 c brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves (go with it)
1/8 tsp salt
Pour the wet ingredients over the dry, mix. Spread onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake 15 minutes at 325 degrees (where the hell is that symbol on an Apple keyboard? Wtf). Add pecan halves and toss. Bake another 15 minutes or till the stuff at the edges is looking dangerously brown. Cool. Store in an airtight container. Eat it and share it and be the granola boss.

Back to Reality Cinnamon Buns

Posted on September 5, 2016 by pioneerintrees

Today we have to leave the cabin and get back to routines and learning and extra curriculars and all of the jobs that I didn’t get around to in the summer. I even got up early in order to maximize the morning here – that’s virtually unheard of. The only other time I got up early this summer was when I had to get up to pee at around 5:30 and through my squinty eyes glimpsed the most beautiful sunrise. I yelled at Paul and we went down to the shore and took it in for a few minutes, snapped a photo, then went back to bed for 2 hours. I really should get up earlier. Today it was misty and mysterious at 7. I wandered down to the boathouse and saw two loons fishing in the bay. They dove and I could watch them scooting around about a foot under the surface. Very cool. Never seen that before!! Of course Paul went for his morning swim off the point, so I had to take more photos…

I puttered around the grounds, picking up more pinecones for the Kindies and filling up the kindling box. Then inside to a warm fire. I figured that if we have to leave, it should be after we’ve consumed a dozen cinnamon buns. Here’s my old faithful recipe, no idea where it came from… been using it for decades:

Jiffy Cinnamon Buns

Filling:

1/3 cup butter, soft

1 cup brown sugar, packed

3 tsp cinnamon

toasted nuts or dried fruit (if desired)

Dough:

2 cups all purpose flour

2 Tbsp granulated sugar

4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup butter, cold, in pieces

1 cup milk, soured with 3 tsp white vinegar OR 1 cup buttermilk

Mix the first 4 ingredients together in a large bowl. Cut in the cold butter till you can’t see it in there anymore. Make a well. Add the cold milk. Stir only till moistened (about 15 stirs). Dump it onto a floured countertop. Sprinkle a bit more flour on top and knead & turn it about 4 times, then spread out into a rectangular shape.

Mix together the first 3 filling ingredients. Spread onto the rectangle. Sprinkle with whatever you want inside the buns. Add raisins if you never want my kids to eat them.

Roll up lengthwise. Cut into 12 pieces – approx. 1″ wide. Put into a greased 9×12″ pan or muffin tins. Whatever floats your boat. Bake at 400 degrees (where the hell is the degrees sign on a keyboard?). Invert onto a platter while still hot or you’ll never get them out.

Eat.

Another Bourbon Experiment

Posted on September 4, 2016 by pioneerintrees

In keeping with my bourbon focus, I put the following search into Pinterest: appetizers, bourbon, savory. Came up with a whole host of very yummy looking things. I wanted to make a chutney or something with cream cheese – something spreadable. After scrolling through, I settled on Bourbon Bacon Jam since I had most of the ingredients at hand. Here they are:

Had to substitute vidalia onion for shallots.

Pretty standard ingredients, and easy to make – all you need is time to cook up the bacon, then onion and garlic, and finally simmer it all down.

Finally, after about an hour and a half it seemed jam-like. Too hot to taste so I just went with it and watched the consistency.

Meanwhile, I needed to figure out what to serve this jam ON. I thought that mini tea biscuits might be easy enough. Since I had time while the jam was stewing away, I decided to try out a new recipe. I use shortening in my “baking powder biscuits” recipe but wanted to try one that used shaved frozen butter. I’ve heard they’re MUCH better. Back to Pinterest for a recipe and off I went.

Turns out, the shaving frozen butter trick is excellent. I’m never going back. (Unfortunately I cut the shit out of my finger when I was trying to get the last bits of butter out of the grater… I have a love-hate relationship with graters.)

Taste-wise, the overall result is VERY good! Hard to describe, but overall, a deep sweet meaty flavor. Like sticky ribs. Paul moaned when he tried it. Lol

Buttermilk tea biscuits and bourbon bacon jam.

Here are the links to the recipes:

http://www.savoryexperiments.com/bourbon-bacon-jam/ and http://foodlove.com/fool-proof-buttermilk-biscuits-from-scratch/

A Summer with Bourbon

Posted on September 4, 2016 by pioneerintrees

This summer one of my staff members gave me a bottle of bourbon as an end of year “here’s to you” kind of gift. [I had been reading a book where a character had been drinking a lot of bourbon, and I must have been going on about it in the staff room.]

After doing a search on Pinterest for promising drinks involving bourbon, I settled on 4 that I thought would be tasty. I stocked up on ingredients to make the drinks, packed them up to the cabin and waited for the right moment to try them out.

I guess I’m not much of a drinker, since I didn’t crack the bottle until peach season when I got hooked on the following recipe:

Bourbon Peach Slush

3 cups frozen peaches

1 cup ginger ale

Squeeze of lime

Bourbon

Then yesterday, when looking for a recipe that I could make for the Treasure Hunt pot luck, I came across one that includes bourbon! Lovely. So I tried it out.

It disappeared really quickly, so I think it was a big hit. Here’s the link: Http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/peach-bourbon-upside-down-cake.html

We’re invited to a lake party today at 5 … everyone is to bring an appetizer. I’m wondering if can find one with bourbon. Stay tuned.

Back to the Cabin

Posted on September 3, 2016May 10, 2020 by pioneerintrees

Survived the first week back to work (as a P, that’s the week prior to Labour Day weekend). Ran a decent PA day with excellent discussions and DOING math during our morning meeting, and had short “Fireside Chats” in the afternoon with staff to find out their goals and concerns and how I can support them this year. It was a long and awesome day! I commiserated afterwards to CB that I forgot to take photos of the fabulous math … she suggests that I have a dedicated photographer next time. I think that’s a great idea. I’m going to put a call in to Rusty on that one.

For now though, we’re at the lake for the weekend. Time for family and the annual Treasure Hunt and the inevitable taking stock of all things done and not done during the summer. We will write in our journal and make a wish list for next year. I’m not too concerned about a lot of work this weekend … for me if it’s not been finished, it’s going to have to wait. (I do not have the same philosophy as my mom, who had the early arriving grandkids doing chores all day yesterday! Annie was thrilled to arrive later in the day lol.)

My favorite finished projects are:

The countertop in the bunkie went from UG to WOAH. We learned a lot about tiling in the process. It’s not perfect, the grout pulled away from the slate in a couple of places (too wet?). But it’s just fine for the bunkie. Especially considering that it used to look like this…

our tiling project — *Not perfect but a great first tiling job if I do say so myself…*

Next will come the backsplash that will be vintage tin ceiling tiles. I have them ready to go but ran out of time.

The other massively great accomplishment of the summer were the three beds that Paul made. Bunk beds in the bunkie and two beds in the cabin. Such a HUGE improvement!! Here’s a before and after in the bunkie:

before and after beds — *So much nicer! Queen on the bottom, twin on the top. Maybe just a wee bit close to the ceiling…*

The old bunk bed had a ladder up the wall (each rung was covered with a piece of carpet). It was facing a different direction, and it was two double beds (the frame was a metal boxspring). We removed the old bunk bed, pulled up the carpet and hard tack linoleum and refinished the floors. Paul and I designed the bed and stole Uncle Ian’s ladder design. There’s space underneath for storage. We wanted the queen sized bottom bunk to have lots of room for “hanging out” so the top twin bed it a tad close to the ceiling. Liam doesn’t seem to mind!

My next favorite accomplishment is the outdoor shower. It used to be a green hose with an antique shower head (a circular ring at the top that had holes in it). I requested hot water … and Paul made it happen. He built a cedar platform as well, and found me a piece of driftwood that I’d requested for a soap and shampoo holder. We decided that we wouldn’t construct walls -it is completely open air. I haven’t been caught in the shower yet, but it will happen some day. It’s inevitable.

Finally, I love my summer weight quilt that is “in progress”. I started with scraps that match the painting and chairs in the front porch. I made a plan with grid paper, then cut the fabric into rectangles and arranged them. Sewed. Found errors in my design. Reorganized. I found an old blanket in the cabin that was thin enough for the batting. Basted together the 3 layers: my funky top, thin batting and a new polka dot backing, and got going with the top stitching. I have a long way to go, but I am not too jazzed about it. Soon enough it will be done. And it will be awesome.

Now off to make a skillet peach cake for the Treasure Hunt pot luck.

It’s Going to be a Tough Re-boot

Posted on August 17, 2016 by pioneerintrees

The other day I went to log-in to my Word app on my own iPad, and alas, I’d forgotten my work login. Worked away at it for a while, considering all different iterations of passwords I have used in the past. It was … just outside of my ability to remember it. I gave up and slept on it. Didn’t help. I texted my BFF who has come to the school to help me sort things on my own systems (and consequently had access to my password – ya, ya, bad practice, I know…) and she couldn’t remember it (no, seriously!). I then called the HelpDesk … and … I forgot the extension for the HelpDesk! They said that the system had been down and to re-try. Nope. Farted around some more and FINALLY found it by going through my computer’s stored passwords.

I. WAS. WAY. OFF.

I’m going to have to scale back on the mojitos and nurse my tech brain back to health.

Summer Ruminations

Posted on August 13, 2016 by pioneerintrees

It’s now August and all Educators begin having school dreams. (I say dreams, but they are not generally pleasant …). No matter the devices we use for keeping school-related thoughts at bay (travel, trashy novels, alcohol … to outline the obvious), they still come. These trigger subtle changes in our foci. When it’s raining we find ourselves thinking about indoor recess, when we hear a great swear-free song we make a mental note – or even hit Shazam and save it. As a P, I find myself collecting various sized pinecones for the Kindies to sort and birchbark pieces for the investigation. I buy EUC books for classroom libraries from online buy&sell sites (EUC stands for ‘excellent used condition’, FYI). And so it goes. I can’t help myself and neither can any other Educator in the world.

The summer is essentially over for us. We’re becoming serious about buying swearing stationary.

As a P of course I think about (stress about) different things than a teacher or EA or CYW would. We all have massive lists in our heads – they are just different. Mine include Who’s up for a TPA (teacher performance appraisal)? I need to learn about the Core French curriculum. Did I book the Consultant to come in? Oh crap I have a student EA starting on the first day. What about the playground? Crap, I need to paint the climbers, paint games on the pavement, buy benches & urns for flowers so the parents can chill closer to the school and not feel left out.The teaching schedules need some tweaking. The PA day is looming … must plan that with the SIP in mind – oh Jesus. When am I going to plan that? Oh, and I still have my summer (professional) reading to do. And so it goes.

And somehow, in the midst of all of this important thinking, pushing on my frontal lobe is that the memo for our first P mtg that said to wear ‘summer casual’. WTF? I have so many questions about that statement.

Best to return to my summer classic. A truly odd book, The World According to Garp, but one that feel obliged to read and makes some sense of before I bone up on proportional reasoning.