More Than One Way to Look At It

Instructions can be confusing sometimes, but it never occurred to me how befuddling kids might find them...

Pipsqueak got a Smithsonian crystal growing kit as a gift, and being all about "shiny" and "sparkly", this was pretty exciting for her. She said, "Look at all the crystals we can grow! We're going to be rich!" I decided not to burst her happy bubble, and tell her they were worthless.

Sweetie supervised the process and read the instructions aloud, so she would understand what we had to do and what would happen. A week or ten days later, it was time to see what had grown. Pipsqueak was squinting and turning her head and acting like she was afraid of it. When questioned, she said, "I can't look at it!"

"Why?" we asked.

"Because the instructions said, 'No eye contact,'" she stated.

Once we got done giggling, we explained that it was really to "avoid contact with eyes."

When Life Gives You Oranges....

make Orange Chicken.

Serves two to three.

1 large navel orange

1 Tbs. soy sauce

1 Tbs. rice vinegar

2 tsp. light brown sugar

1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes

3/4 tsp. kosher salt

2 large egg whites

1/3 cup cornstarch

3 to 4 Tbs. canola or peanut oil

4 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced (keep whites and greens separate)

Using a vegetable peeler, shave the zest from the orange in long, wide strips. If necessary, remove any large patches of bitter white pith from the zest strips with a paring knife. Juice the orange into a small bowl and mix with the soy sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, and red pepper flakes.

Sprinkle the chicken with 1/2 tsp. of the salt. In a mini chopper or food processor, process the egg whites, cornstarch, and the remaining 1/4 tsp. salt until smooth. In a medium bowl, toss the chicken with the cornstarch batter.

Heat 2 Tbs. of the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet or large stir-fry pan over medium-high heat until shimmering hot. Using tongs, transfer about half the chicken to the pan. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, flipping every minute or so, until the chicken browns and crisps all over and is firm to the touch, 3 to 4 minutes. With clean tongs, transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate. Add the remaining 1 Tbs. oil to the skillet (or 2 Tbs. oil if the pan seems very dry) and repeat the cooking process with the remaining chicken; transfer to the plate.

Put the orange zest strips in the skillet and cook, stirring, until they darken in spots, 15 to 30 seconds. Stir the orange juice mixture and add it to the pan. Let it boil for about 10 seconds and then add the chicken and the scallion whites. Cook, stirring often, until the sauce reduces to a glaze and the chicken is just cooked through (check by cutting into a thicker piece), 1 to 2 minutes. If the chicken isn't cooked through but the glaze is cooking away, add a couple tablespoons of water and continue cooking. Serve sprinkled with the scallion greens.

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A few of you have admired my Wearever juicer. You can own this useful bit of nostalgia, too (although yours will lack the sentimentality and soul of a family heirloom). Ebay has a slew of them here (well, actually 10 of them right now, but that might qualify as a moderate slew).

Sunshine in a Box

And now back to our regularly scheduled blog posts. It seems like a long time since I've done a normal post, but here I am with the holidays packed away in boxes and the tires of my life back in their tracks.

Speaking of boxes, our co-operative market is having their annual citrus sale this week... cases and cases of grapefruits, pink and white, and naval, cara cara, juice and blood oranges, all at rock bottom prices. This might be the highlight of January for me for two reasons: I love food, and I love a great deal. I picked up a case of pink grapefruit and a case of juice oranges, but I'm going back for another case of juice oranges on Friday. I feel like 100 of them just won't be enough. Fresh squeezed is the only orange juice I'll drink; I'd rather not have any than drink the stuff from concentrate. It's too bitter and acidic tasting.

We have a juicer attachment for our Kitchenaid Mixer, which I'd probably use if I was going to make a pitcher of juice. But for a glass or two, I prefer this vintage Waring hand juicer that my mother passed down to me. Just put a half an orange in the hopper...press... and pour. A little pulp can get by, but I don't find it offensive when I have a glass of this sweet, sunny nectar.

My 100th Post

I wanted to do 100 of something, for my one-hundredth post, but all my ideas seemed so daunting…. 100 things about me (I’m not sure I know that many), 100 life goals (might be too ambitious and depressing)… coming up with 100 of anything is hard. A few years ago for Valentine’s Day, I gave Sweetie a jar with 100 slips of paper on each of which there was something I loved about him. I love that guy to pieces but it was hard to come up with stuff after about 75.

Lucky for me, the answer to my post just fell in my lap. I was reading Becky’s blog where she was having trouble with trolls. (I’d never heard of trolls, but now that I have, I’m sure I don’t want them.) Mama Bee’s comment caught my interest, and while perusing her entertaining blog, I found these 100 statements. The ones in bold are the ones I have done.

1. Started your own blog (only 99 posts ago)
2. Slept under the stars (I was in a lean-to, but it was 3 sided so I could see the stars.)
3. Played in a band (high school band and now community band… not too rockin’, huh?)
4. Visited Hawaii (my honeymoon)
5. Watched a meteor shower (we laid on the lawn under blankets in the wee hours)
6. Given more than you can afford to charity. (That would be really hard for me. It goes against my mindset to do anything I can’t afford.)
7. Been to Disneyland (It was Disneyworld, actually x 2.)
8. Climbed a mountain. (Not big, scary mountains, but I’ve done modest mountains that take nearly the whole day round-trip.)
9. Held a praying mantis (Looked at one up close, but I didn’t hold it.)
10. Sang a solo. (Not when anyone was listening.)
11. Spent the night in a hospital (only when Pipsqueak was born)
12. Visited Paris. (Been to France, but we stuck to the country.)
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea. (We were safely moored in a harbor, but we watched it from the sailboat… horizontal lightening… it was fierce.)
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch (Lots… painting, jewelry making, knitting; I’m always experimenting with art.)
15. Adopted a child (Lots of animals, but no children.)
16. Had food poisoning (I’ll skip the details.)
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty (Just floated by in a boat.)
18. Grown your own vegetables (every year that the weeds don’t win.)
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept in an overnight train (I was so uncomfortable; if you ever do this, book a sleeper car)
21. Had a pillow fight (when I was a teenager)
22. Hitchhiked (Are you kidding me? With rapists and kidnappers out there? No way!)
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill (If any of my former bosses are reading this, it was NOT while I was working for YOU.)
24. Built a snow fort (we built an awesome one last year
25. Held a lamb (I hugged one, so I think that’s close enough.)
26. Gone skinny dipping (but never in daylight)
27. Run a marathon (Nope… only felt like I have.)
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice (It’s on my short list of places to go.)
29. Seen a total eclipse (solar). (possibly twice, but one may have been a partial)
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset (saw a lot of sunrises when I was pregnant and later as the mother of an infant)
31. Hit a home run (I’m lucky to hit the ball. An athlete, I am not.)
32. Been on a cruise. (I’d rather just pick an island, stay there and explore.)
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person (I was underwhelmed. I thought it would be bigger.)
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors (As long as I don’t go back more than 100 years.)
35. Seen an Amish community (but I was in high school and didn’t appreciate it enough… I need to go again.
36. Taught yourself a new language (I make sure I learn restaurant language for any country I visit. I don’t want to go hungry.)
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person (We took the photos pretending to push it over instead of hold it up. We're that kind of people.)
39. Gone rock climbing (This is not going to happen. I have a fear of falling.)
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight (on my first vacation with Sweetie)
46. Been transported in an ambulance (and I hope I never will)
47. Had your portrait painted (it was just a caricature)
48. Gone deep sea fishing (not often enough… it is so fun)
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris (see answer to #12)
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling (just snorkeling in KeyWest, the Bahamas, Hawaii and St. John)
52. Kissed in the rain (The first time Sweetie kissed me it was raining.)
53. Played in the mud (every spring in the garden)
54. Eaten in a restaurant alone (it's a great opportunity for people watching and eavesdropping... just pretend you're reading a book)
55. Been in a movie (I assume this doesn’t mean “home” movie.)
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business (I was an Avon lady once. I’m working on starting a business now.)
58. Taken a martial arts class (not coordinated enough… read: klutz)
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies (bought Girl Scout Cookies?)
62. Gone whale watching (Twice, and it was amazing.)
63. Got flowers for no reason (from my Pipsqueak… she always picks wildflowers for me.)
64. Had your heart broken (only a few times)
65. Broken someone's heart (I'd rather have mine broken)
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check (Luckily, I was working at the bank at the time, so they didn’t charge me.)
68. Flown in a helicopter (three times)
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy (too many, probably)
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial (in high school… again, under-appreciated)
71. Eaten caviar
72. Pieced a quilt. (One time and I realized it wasn’t the craft for me.)
73. Stood in Times Square. (The first time, I was bugged-eyed with amazement.)
74. Toured the Everglades (saw a few alligators, but the whole thing had a commercial feel that I didn’t like)
75. Been fired from a job (laid off, but never fired)
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London (I’ve been outside the palace two or three times, but not for the changing of the guards. There’s such a crowd, I’m not sure we’d SEE it even if we were there at the right time.)
77. Broken a bone (Just a toe, two times.)
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car (two out of four car purchases, but I probably will buy used for the rest of my life)
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper (lots of times, but luckily not in the obituary or crime sections)
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House (see answer to #70)
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating (I’m going out on a limb here, but the lobster was alive before I dropped it in a pot of boiling water)
88. Had chicken pox (I wish I could forget about this; I had a really bad case)
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury (Oh, I really want to. How come the people that really want to never get called?)
91. Met someone famous (I sold a newspaper and a Garfield coloring book to Neil Diamond.)
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one (I wish this one wasn’t highlighted.)
94. Had a baby (it was the happiest day of my life)
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a lawsuit (I’ve been involved in more lawsuits than I can count; I was a paralegal for 11 years.)
98. Owned a cell phone (who doesn’t?)
99. Been stung by a bee (more times than I can count.)
100. Read an entire book in one day (I do this a lot. I find many books hard to put down.)

I’ve done 59 out of 100, but there are only 16 more that I would really like to do. Feel free to steal this one for yourself.

Anti-Resolutions

I don't like making New Year's resolutions. They are rarely kept, and I don't make promises or commitments unless I'm sure I can keep them. (We won't include my first marriage.) This year I'm only making anti-resolutions. These I can break soon and actually feel good about it. Here is an example of a few:

• I will gain weight.
• I will be sedentary.
• I will spend more money.
• I will attempt to make the house messier.
• I will not try anything new.
• I will not make any effort when it comes to my appearance.

What would your anti-resolutions be?

The Final Post of 2008

I can't believe how little I posted in December. It was a whirlwind of activity and preparations for Christmas. I got so sick of the phrase "before Christmas". It seemed like it was part of everything I did, as in, "I've got to get these cards out before Christmas," "I need to remember to drop off my car payment before Christmas," and "I hope I don't have a nervous breakdown before Christmas."

Everything worked out... the house looked beautiful, the silver sparkled, the food was sumptuous, the children were happy, and I survived. Were there any problems? You betcha. The @#*! air mattresses wouldn't stay inflated fully. On one, I didn't have the cap threaded properly, so that was easily remedied. The other one, I was using a makeshift cap (an artist's gum eraser jammed in the hole) because someone threw out the cap thinking it was a soda bottle cap. I'm also thinking I won't make lamb shanks again. The flavor of lamb chops is better, and you don't have this huge chunk of meat on the bone sitting on your plate reminding you of something King Henry VII might have eaten.

Usually, I feel sad when Christmas is over, but this year, not so much. I feel relief and peace. Next year, I need to do less or start earlier. I've been enjoying the past week, spending time with Sweetie and Pipsqueak, playing with our new toys, cooking, and sleeping a little later. Maybe the melancholy will set in as I pack away all the decorations.

I'll be back next week/next year with lots more cooking, thrifting, crafting, parenting and Vermont life. For now, Happy New Year to all of you and your families. Thanks for visiting and reading these past few months. I've enjoyed getting to know you through your comments and your blogs.

Unusual Chocolate

We received this chocolate as a gift. The first thing I noticed were the warnings to "refrigerate promptly" and "best if consumed within 7 days". Those are unusual warnings for chocolate, but then I realized that this was unusual chocolate.

You read it right! It's chocolate covered bacon, and it's surprisingly good... crispy and a delightful combination of salty and sweet. You can enjoy it, too, by ordering it from Marini's in Santa Cruz, CA.

Thanks, Mike, for the wonderful gift and introducing us to something new.