Month: October 2013

Applesauce, 2013

/ Shane / 2 Comments

Once again, we continued our yearly tradition of apple picking and applesauce making.

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We only picked half a bushel or so, and then bought the rest (3 3/4 bushels total).

It used to be that if you picked the apples yourself, they were cheaper (which makes sense because you’re providing the labor). Now it’s totally flipped, and picking the apples is actually more expensive than buying the pre-picked ones. Now you’re paying extra for the “experience” of apple picking, not to mention the hayrides, live bands, pumpkin patches, the whole nine.

Well, we just want the apples.

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We literally opened last year’s last jar of applesauce days before we made this year’s batch, which has never happened before. So we know about how much applesauce we go through in a year. The answer is a LOT. Also, we usually do this in combination with my mom, but this year we were flying solo.

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It took Sara and I long into the night, but we managed to can 43 quarts and 13 pints of applesauce.  That’s a whole lot of applesauce y’all. Our pantry is once again fully stocked to apocalypse levels.

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See you next year applesauce maker!

 

Evie’s Race

/ Shane / Leave a comment

If you recall, last year at this time Evie was preparing for her first race. As you also may recall, Evie was intensely disappointed with her first race. She had taken the race preparation very seriously, and the race organizers very obviously had not, and Evie is not one to miss something like that.

Well, Evie obviously wasn’t the only one who felt that way, because this year they introduced a “real” race for kids, and Evie was much obliged.

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It was a one mile race and it was for real. There was a course laid out, and a biker in front to clear the path. The kids had timing chips in their numbers, and entire legions of fans cheering at the finish line. In other words, it was everything Evie hoped for. After all, these are kids of runners, and they know what a real race should look like.

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(Look at that runner’s stride…she’s a natural!)

Unfortunately, Evie wiped out on the final turn, skinning her knees and hands. I hadn’t seen her fall. Right at the finish line she was all grins and I was hugging her and telling her how proud of her I was. “I fell down, but I got right back up and finished the race!” she proclaimed. I gave her another big hug, but slowly her face crumpled and she started crying. “It huuurts!” she said. She was just feeling all the feelings – pride, pain, happiness, adrenaline – and it was just too much for her little 6 year old body to contain.

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(She made me take this picture)

This was the race I was hoping for last year. I have to admit, I got a little teary eyed seeing her recognize that this was the real deal, and seeing how proud she was. She finished her mile in 11:08 (about the same as the average 12 year old according to some chart Sara found online). She looked so grown up drinking her after-race water with her medal around her neck and her number pinned to her shirt (you know, despite the Monarch butterfly on her face).

She did so great, and it was a great moment in her life. I’m glad I could share it with her.

2013_10_06_9999_45(Yeah, Sara ran a race too or something)

 

Children covered in bees

/ Shane / Leave a comment

The other day I received an email from Ollie’s school. It turns out that the class had taken a walk in the park, and had unfortunately stumbled full-force into a nest of yellow jackets. What had started as a fun little nature walk ended in 21 screaming 3 year olds, covered in bees.

Can you imagine the carnage of an entire preschool class being swarmed by bees? Kids running, kids screaming, kids crying, dogs and cats, living together…mass hysteria. I doubt bedlam is too strong a word.

In the email, one of the children was quoted as saying “They can’t talk so they tell us with their stings!” “WHY DO THEY HAVE TO TELL US SO MANY TIMES?” I assume she continued. All in all, 9 kids were stung. Needless to say, the school nurse was a little busy that day.

Oliver was one of the children who was stung. Apparently a bee or two had crawled up the leg of his shorts and gotten him a few times on the inner thigh. (!!) Of course, it took the nurse awhile to realize he’d been stung, since he was just sitting there smiling and generally in a good mood; she thought he’d been sent down with the other kids by mistake. That boy and his ridiculous pain tolerance (remember how he forgot to mention even once his chronic ear infections?) By the time Sara picked him up from school he had already forgotten which leg had been stung, and he insists that the red welts are “mosquito bites”.

By the time I got home from work, the whole event was a distant memory.

“Did anything happen at school today?” I asked.
“No,” he said.
“Did you go for a walk to the park?”
“Yeah, we did.”
“…and did anything happen while you were at the park?” (You know, such as you and 20 of your classmates being swarmed and stung repeatedly, while everybody ran around and screamed like some kind of a cartoon?)
“Yeah!” said Ollie excitedly, “I found a stick!”

Oh well. Better than being traumatized I guess. Despite living through the Titanic-level disaster scenario of 21 children covered in yellow jackets, his outlook on bees hasn’t changed a bit.

Quote Monday quests for knowledge

/ Shane / Leave a comment

::Ollie having a bad dream::
Me: “It’s okay buddy. What’s wrong?”
Ollie: “I’m just…trying to know some things!”

Me: “What did you make today?”
Ollie: “I made two shooters. Two guns.”
Evie: “Why 2?”
Ollie: “I thought mama and daddy wanted to have some guns.”

Aw, his and hers.

Evie, pointing to Sara’s forehead: “Will I have lines up there?”
Sara: “Yes.”
Ollie: “When we’re oooooold.”

Roasted Butternut Squash & Red Onion with Tahini & Za’atar

/ Shane / 1 Comment

The first Friday of the month is reserved for recipes. You can see additional First Friday Food posts here.

The Reason:

We originally checked out the amazing cookbook Jerusalem from the library, but since then we’ve not only bought a copy, but even given a copy as a wedding present. And on the inside cover of the book-as-a-wedding-present, we said TURN TO THIS PAGE IMMEDIATELY AND MAKE THIS DISH.

It is THAT. GOOD.

This is the best thing you’ve ever eaten in your life. You will never eat anything tastier than this.

The Journey:

I only have one picture of this recipe, because I was originally planning to do a combination with this one and chermoula eggplant with bulgur & yogurt. But forget that, this recipe is too good to share the limelight with another.

Roasted butternut squash & red onion with tahini & za'atar

Ah, just breath it in my friend.

This recipe requires a tablespoon of the Middle Eastern spice za’atar. We managed to find it at a grocery store in Chicago, but if you don’t live where it is available, you can easily order it online. Worth it.

The other tip is that you do not need to peel the squash. I mean, that should be obvious from the fact that peeling the squash is not a step listed in the recipe, but somehow that didn’t stop me. I just assumed it was obvious you’d have to peel it, so they left it unsaid. But no, leave the skin on, no problem at all. It sure makes this recipe a lot easier to make!

The Verdict:

Did you try it? Told you. You can die happy now.

The Recipe:

Recipe from Jerusalem.

  • 1 large butternut squash (2 1/4 lb. in total), cut into 3/4 by 2 1/2-inch wedges (skin on!)
  • 2 red onions, cut into 1 1/4-inch wedges
  • 3 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 3 1/2 Tbsp. light tahini paste
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp. lemon juice
  • 2 Tbsp. water
  • 1 small clove garlic, crushed
  • 3 1/2 Tbsp. pine nuts
  • 1 Tbsp. za’atar
  • 1 Tbsp. coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • Maldon sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  1. Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F.
  2. Put the squash and onion in a large mixing bowl, add 3 tablespoons of the oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and some black pepper and toss well.
  3. Spread on a baking sheet with the skin facing down and roast in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes, until the vegetables have taken on some color and are cooked through. Keep an eye on the onions as they might cook faster than the squash and need to be removed earlier.
  4. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.
  5. To make the sauce, place the tahini in a small bowl along with the lemon juice, water, garlic, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Whisk until the sauce is the consistency of honey, adding more water or tahini if necessary.
  6. Pour the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil into a small frying pan and place over medium-low heat.
  7. Add the pine nuts along with 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook for 2 minutes, stirring often, until the nuts are golden brown.
  8. Remove from the heat and transfer the nuts and oil to a small bowl to stop the cooking.
  9. To serve, spread the vegetables out on a large serving platter and drizzle over the tahini. Sprinkle the pine nuts and their oil on top, followed by the za’atar and parsley.