Cold Cereal and How My Family is Abusing It

We keep the cereal down on the bottom shelf of the closet pantry in the kitchen. We used to keep it in the two little half-cabinets above the stove until the boys were old enough to make their own bowls, and then I moved it down to where they could reach it. If they were going to eat 8 bowls a day, by golly, they could fix it themselves.


The shelf itself is pretty big, holding a 4 slice (2 that work) toaster, the canisters of regular and quick oats, a giant bag of add-water pancake mix, and a stack of plastic cereal bowls along with all the boxes of cereal.


That's right. ALL the boxes of cereal.

A dozen to be exact. All open. Some were duplicates.

When I investigated further, I found that seven of the boxes held maybe a quarter cup of cereal.




Not enough to be considered empty and thrown away, but not enough to fill a bowl either. And instead of pouring out the last few squares of Golden Grahams and then topping off the bowl from a new box, they (the kids) have been pushing the almost-but-not-quite-empty boxes to the back of the shelf and just bringing up another box from food storage.

Hence the 12 boxes of open cereal.

Do they not want to be accused of being the one who ate the last of something?

"Hey it's not all gone...saved those last 10 flakes for you!"

Do they believe the cereal "dust" is toxic?

Okay, I don't like the dust either, but now is not the time to be wasting food.

So I'm melting marshmallows and margarine and whipping up that classic after-school snack:
Rice Krispie/Cheerios/Golden Grahams/Frosted Mini Wheats/Crispix/Frosted Flakes/Cocoa Krispie/Cinnamon Life Treats.

A few extra marshmallows ought to hide all the dust.

Cabbage!

So here's the cabbage that's ready to harvest. Some of the outer leaves are a little bug-eaten, but overall the head looks beautiful.

Except here. Did something get inside? When I pulled a leaf aside, an evil little earwig skittered away.

Lifting another leaf, I found this bad boy. What the heck! Leave my garden alone!!!!

So Cam and Ollie came out to help. Ollie thinks we're harvesting a ball for him to play with.

It rolls away, and it looks exactly like any head of cabbage that I've ever bought. Whew!

And yes, I do see that other snail up in the right hand corner.

I took it inside and called my Mom.

"I harvested a cabbage!" I shrieked, with the same enthusiasm that is usually reserved for the announcement of engagements and pregnancies. "A cabbage!"

Mom was impressed.

I washed my cabbage in the sink, pulling back the first leaf to reveal a tiny earwig. But only one. I pulled a few more leaves and everything looked fine.

I'll admit, that while I was thrilled with my cabbage, I was also a little freaked out at the thought of eating it. I set it on the counter to see if any more bugs would make their way out.

I waited. Nothing.

Here goes. Oh, golly, I'm hoping that a million earwigs don't spill out onto my counter. If they do, I might torch my whole garden.

It's perfect!

Both halves are perfect!!!

Pardon me while I revel in my little agricultural miracle.

Now what? Thinkthinkthink.

I grabbed a few green onions from the garden...

Chop, mix, toast (almonds), crush and stir.

Voila!

Cabbage and Ramen Salad!

Very tasty.

So, How Does My Garden Grow?

Pretty well, I think. Some things are doing great, some, not so great. I'm taking notes and already thinking about what I want to do next year.


This is what's going on right now:


Peppers...green, red, and jalapenos. For the longest time they weren't doing much of anything - looked kind of peaked, but in the last week or so they've started taking off and they have quite a few little blossoms.





This is my teeny, tiny jalapeno. I call him Jose. I think he will be delicious.




We have a lovely patch of carrots... none are ready yet.



Lots of green onions and I think one of these squares is actually red onions.




This is cauliflower. Huge and leafy, and I need to keep spraying it with a pesticide. I couldn't see any little heads of cauliflower, and I was about to pull the whole thing out, but then this morning I saw the tiniest little things that just might turn into cauliflower. We'll see.



These two squares have been planted 4 times with green beans. Nine plants (in each one foot square) have sprouted, grown to 2-3 inches, and then disappeared. Four times. I am ticked. Even the little fence hasn't protected my beans.




This is the bean plant pilferer.





Shhhhhh....Ollie doesn't know about this little square of beans.


Cilantro. Bolted. I suppose I could dry it and shake out the coriander seeds, but I'm not going to. I wanted cilantro.



My cabbage! I've had to spray it to keep the bugs off, but now it's ready to harvest (how cool does that word sound?)



Here's another. I think it's the cutest thing ever.

Tomatoes. So far, a disappointment. The plants seem spindly and they are starting to yellow from the base up. Not much fruit - something called Blossom Drop. I'm still hoping that they (4 plants) can turn around, 'cause really, what's a garden without a good tomato crop?

This is the cherry tomato plant. I've eaten 8 tiny tomatoes off of it. They were so delicious...I want more!

The spinach did pretty well - been adding it to salads.

Red and green leaf lettuce - it's done really well. There was some Romaine that was good, but then it bolted. Snails have also hung out in the green lettuce. Overall, a success.

I think the red leaf lettuce is very pretty.

Oooooo...fresh basil!

Zucchini!! I've harvested a few so far. There is a yellow crookneck squash planted nearby, but so far, no fruit.

There were also three broccoli plants. Ollie pulled out the best one and carried it through the yard, whipping it from side to side, while I chased him. The other two produced about a four inch crown of broccoli each. While I waited to show Troy my broccoli success. they sprouted into a large bouquet of yellow flowers. And they were buggy. I don't think I'll do broccoli again.

And that's my garden...so far.

Any luck in your gardens?

One World Cafe

For several months my friend Susan has been telling me about the restaurant that she and her mother like to go to: One World Cafe

I can almost guarantee that you've never eaten at a place like this...unless you have eaten there.

Last week, tired of Applebees and Chili's and all the other places that Ladies Who Lunch seem to frequent, four of us decided to make the trek downtown to this very unique little restaurant.

And I need to stop calling it a restaurant right here and now. It's a Community Kitchen.

These two guys were running it on the day we stopped by:



From their website, http://www.oneworldeverybodyeats.com/, this is what they believe in:

* We are dedicated to eliminating world hunger.
* We are dedicated to serving organic unprocessed food.
* We are dedicated to feeding and including all members of our community.
* We are dedicated to eliminating waste in the food industry.
* We believe that we can trust our customers to be inspired, honest and fair in their exchange of money and/or work for the fresh, gourmet, organic food we prepare both mindfully and in a heartfelt way each day.
* We will keep believing ...

Definitely not Applebees.

Anyway, as we walked through the doors of One World Cafe, we were met with wide smiles and a warm welcome. The guy on the right - who was wearing his hair in a thick braid down to the middle of his back - eagerly explained how it all worked.

The cold food (different kinds of salads) was in small dishes nestled in larger bowls of ice. There were two large pots of soup and a half dozen chafing dishes with all the hot food. He also pointed out a large dish labeled Free Food -- it had dahl (lentils)and brown rice - a complete protein. Some brown bread and and a bowl of butter and two dessert selections rounded out the offering.

Everything was organic, made from what food was available that day, and mostly vegetarian. There were a lot of cabbage dishes, both hot and cold, a few carrot salads, broccoli, a tofu entree, a green salad with a balsamic vinaigrette, orange slices, roasted potatoes, and several more things that I can't remember. The desserts were apple crisp or something called the Everything Cookie.

So if all that isn't unique enough, here's the kicker: There are no prices. After eating, you put money into a wooden chest, whatever you felt your meal was worth. You also grab a button out of a bowl and drop it into the chest - that's how they keep track of how many people ate there that day. If you are unable to pay, you can work for an hour in the kitchen, or, if it's summertime, you can work in the garden. And for those who can't pay or work...there is plenty of the dahl and brown rice.

I swear I almost started crying as he explained all this. It was really quite touching.

Since they are dedicated to eliminating waste, they served up our plates, assuring us that we were welcome to come back for more. The servings were small, just a spoonful or two, but my plate was filled with colorful, scary interesting food. All the plates and the silverware were mismatched. We served ourselves giant tumblers of water, and there was also coffee and tea provided.

We made our way down the hallway to find a place to sit and eat. It was an old house with tiny hallways and dark rooms filled with a hodgepodge of chairs and tables, couches and end tables. Lamps with dim bulbs and a few windows provided the light. Everything was old, but neat and tidy.

We found a table big enough for all of us and sat down and ate. I really enjoyed my food, especially the roasted potatoes and a cabbage dish that I've since duplicated at home. We were nourished.

I was aware of how we looked - different than the other patrons that were eating right then. We had arrived in a very fancy SUV, we were dressed to go "out to lunch with the girls", we had makeup and nails done, and we carried purses from Kohl's and Target. I don't know about the other ladies, but I was wearing a fragrance from Victoria's Secret.

We were different.

After eating a two inch square of the Everything Cookie (delicious!!!) we scraped our own plates, put our money and a button into the chest, thanked our two hosts, and made our way back out the front door. A backpack, the kind that holds every possession in the world, was leaning up against a post on the porch.

We climbed into the SUV (thanks for driving, Marsha!) and went back to our very different world.

So now I've told you about it, but you really do have to experience it for yourself. It was the most interesting, thought-provoking place I've ever eaten. Give it a try. Check out http://www.oneworldeverybodyeats.com/ and be nourished..

15 Minutes of Shame

Last Saturday started off with a calorie-burning bang. I went to Zumba- a Latin dance inspired exercise class - and worked up a sweat and a very red face. Serious fun.

Ate a healthy breakfast and then went to the grocery store with my mind full of all the healthy items I would be buying. For some reason, brussels sprouts were on my mind. I read somewhere that they are nutritional powerhouses and I was determined to eat them. But as I was driving around looking for a parking spot (it was Walmart on a Saturday morning, 'nuff said) I noticed that both entrances were staked out by cute little girls in uniforms.

Girl Scouts.

Crap.

They had posters and smiles and dynamic little personalities, and they weren't letting anyone by without a strong invitation to buy their cookies.

Again, crap.

I called Troy from the safety of the car.

"I'm about to be attacked."

"What's up?"

"Girl Scouts. At Walmart. They won't let you in unless you buy cookies."

"Just say you're not interested."

"They're at both entrances."

"Just walk on by. Pretend you're talking on the phone."

"But they're cute and smiling. With missing teeth. They have uniforms. And braids."

"So get some."

"I don't want cookies in the house. I bet they have Thin Mints."

"Goodbye."

Why, oh why did the Girl Scouts have to be at Walmart? I just wanted my brussels sprouts and whole grain bread and high fiber cereal and my soymilk.

But the braids...

I bought two boxes.

By the time I got home it was 11:30. The boys helped me put away the groceries (I did get my brussels sprouts, by the way) and as a reward, they got the box of Tagalongs and strict orders to eat them all.

I ate a healthy lunch and then changed clothes and went on a bike ride. Burned a few more calories and froze my ears. Home by 12:30.

The rest of the day went something like this:

12:30-1: Dishes, laundry, various other household things. Not eating Thin Mints.

1-2: More laundry, folding and putting away. Working on a Primary lesson. Drinking water.

2-3: Fixing food for the boys, a phone call, staying busy and NOT eating the Thin Mints.

3-4: Ate a healthy snack, showered and did my hair and makeup. Hey, it's Saturday.

4-4:30: Laundry, glance at the lesson, read blogs while NOT EATING the Thin Mints. Hehehe...I didn't really look at the lesson again.

4:30-5:45 Took Aaron to the doctor and then to Petsmart to buy a new collar for Ollie. He has hidden the old one.

5:45-6: Picked up Cam from a friend's house, came home, heated leftovers for the boys. Took a final load out of the dryer. Drank big glass of water.

6-6:15: Sat down to clear out the Tivo and ate an entire sleeve of Thin Mints.

6:15-6:20: Gave other sleeve to the boys with instructions to eat them all and not let me have any. Even if I begged.

6:20-6:30: Stole one Thin Mint every minute.

6:30-6:45: Rounded out my "dinner" with a half bag of steamed brussels sprouts, angry at myself and cursing the Girl Scouts.

Yeah, that's me.

Do you have a Girl Scout Cookie story of shame? Please share. Tell me I'm not the only one!!!

In Stores Now

Heaven help me, not only is the Valentine's candy 75% off, this is in the stores now:

May I present, the

Easter Trinity of Temptation:

Shiny, solid, name brands only.

Chocolate and peanut butter. 'Nuff said.

Remember licking the pastel shell and rubbing it across your lips like funky blue lipstick?

Me too.

Jelly Beans and Peeps? Please.

Note to Self: Stay out of the stores.

What do you find irresistable as far as Easter candy goes?

Tagged Again

My friend and frequent commenter on Movie Quote Monday, Pinklady, tagged me last week. So just in case there's anything else I haven't already told you...


Ten years ago I was: 29. Cameron had just turned one and I was happily immersing myself in Mommyhood. Seriously, I was having the time of my life with him. I worked at the sign company (part owners) just 2-3 days a week and my sister, Kelly watched him for us. I was Young Women's president in our ward. We were finishing all the paperwork to adopt another baby, and I was getting excited to open up our adoption with Cameron's birthmom. I was happy with my weight (this is significant only because I can pretty much tell you my weight and pants size at every age, also what diet I was following. There have been fluctuations.) and I was doing a step class 3x a week. I was trying my hand at scrapbooking.

5 things on my to-do list:
1. I need to clean out our storage room. This will still be on my list a year from now, just wait.

2. Make a dentist appointment for Troy. He says something's brewing in his mouth, and that's not good. I think I'm still paying on his last dental bill.

3. Continue building up my food storage. The boys call it the grocery store in the basement.

4. Catch up on my tivo. I'm waiting for Troy to be home so we can watch American Idol and Lost together.

5. You know there's some laundry to fold. That is the absolute first thing on my list today. Okay, after I'm done blogging. And after I get back from Sam's Club. And after I do some dishes. Maybe I'll get to it.

3 bad habits:
1. I'm too critical of myself.

2. I let the waiting-to-be-folded laundry pile up. Oh, you probably already know that, so that doesn't count.

2. I spend what we earn in a paycheck to paycheck kind of way. Getting better on that one.

3. I correct Troy's grammar. I can't help myself. He replaces the word loan with borrow, as in "Will you borrow me your nail gun?", and it's like fingernails on a chalkboard until I blurt out the correct phrase. I think he's just doing it to bug me.



If I suddenly became a billionaire: I'd be debt free, with awesome savings and retirement accounts. My family would be debt free. Missions and college would be paid for. That doesn't even touch it, does it? I need to start dreaming bigger.

Things I like to snack on: Well, is it a healthy day or an I don't care kind of a day? If it's a healthy snack, I like blueberries, edamame, and Baked Tostitos Scoops with Walmart brand Peach Pineapple Chipotle Salsa (don't knock it till you've tried it). But I can eat an entire bag of those chips and a whole bottle of that salsa at one time, so that kind of crosses it off the healthy side. If I'm throwing all calories to the wind, I love ice cream, chocolate, chips and dip or salsa, and Flamin' Hot Cheetos. I have no portion control and I need to balance the sweet with the salty.

Places I've lived: Speedway, Indiana - you could hear the racecars going around the track; Salt Lake City, Utah, then on to Sacramento and San Jose, California, and then back to Utah.

Things people don't know about me: I've never had my nails done. I still have a baby tooth that never fell out. That's it...I think I've told everything about me. If there's anything you want to know, go ahead and ask.

I tag Mrs.J and Nora.

The Oddest Thing

Troy had an unexpected day off in the middle of the week - which is actually what we've come to expect this winter. When a bad storm is raging over Donner's Pass, he waits a day before heading out. It saves him driving time, it's safer, and gives him a chance to take care of things that are on his "I'll get around to it" list.

It also means that I have to cook a for-real meal two nights in a row.

But that's beside the point.

With two whole days, Troy's been super productive.

He has:

• changed a few high light bulbs
• fixed the stuck stopper in the bathroom sink drain so we won't have to brush our teeth and spit in the tub.
• cleaned out the slow-draining drain in the tub. It's my hair that's clogging it - sorry, Babe.
• done our taxes
• vacuumed - he's good like that
• played the Crack with the boys, and
• bought new tires for my Explorer

I've needed new tires all winter. Man, I hate spending money on tires. Hate spending money on cars, period. But I really really really did need new tires. It's been a slippery, slidey, snowy winter - we couldn't put it off any longer.

He and Aaron drove off on the bald tires and went to see Les Schwab Tires. Les would cost less, Troy assured me.

Couple hours later they came back home. Four brand-spankin' new, shiny black tires. 235/R17 Toyo All Terrain, white walls out - just in case any men read this.

And of course, one of my anti-sway arms was out (oh whatever!!), and the whole thing ended up costing slightly less than my mortgage payment. Kind of bitter about that.

I went out to oooooh and ahhhhh over my new tires and to give Troy a kiss for caring about our safety. He handed me a bag.

"Here. I brought you something."

The bag was much too heavy for the standard "here, I brought you something" Reese's Peanut Butter Cup or bag of Flaming Hot Cheetos with Limon. I peered inside.

"What the...?"

"They gave it to me. For buying the tires."

Really.

Two pounds.

Now, is that just the oddest thing you've ever heard of?

Got Milk?

Since the first of the year, I've been slowly reorganizing my house. It started with the food storage room and a few closets here and there. In the kitchen, I rearranged some cupboards, made the pots and pans easier to get to, cleaned out the pantry and all the drawers and generally gave everything a fresh start for the new year. It's a work in progress.

I threw out some old things that I just don't use, I moved the pyrex, the bowls and small plates, the bandaids and the medicine box. My family can't find anything, even though I've shown them all the new locations. Several times. I wasn't trying to make life harder - I was just getting things to run more smoothly, without unnecessary items crowding out the everyday stuff. I love having things uncluttered. Meals are easier to prepare and it feels like I can breathe in my kitchen again.

One thing I did that goes under the heading Brilliant, is to move the kids' cereal to a different spot. The boys love their cold cereal at all times of the day, and they were constantly asking me to get them a bowl - they couldn't reach it in the cabinet up above the stove. The bowls were out of reach as well. And sometimes, I just don't want to get up...Mom's tired, you know?

So I took all the kid cereals and all the cheap plastic bowls that they love and put them down on the bottom shelf in the pantry. It's perfect - they can reach them and can have their cereal any time they want. And I don't have to get off the couch.

It's all very organized and kid-friendly:

When I opened the pantry this morning, I found this:

I guess they are looking for ease of preparation too.

Sigh.

A Buttery Breakfast

With the new year, we switched from the slightly-too-early 9 am church schedule to the perfect 11 am block.

When church starts at 9, the boys are lucky if they have a minute to eat a bowl of cereal. Sometimes they polish off a Pop Tart as we drive the two blocks to the meeting house. There's not even time for toast.

But with church starting at 11, there is time for a nice breakfast. Something hot and delicious that makes the day feel a little bit special.

For the last few weeks, the boys have been requesting German Pancakes.

I was introduced to these as a teenager by my friend Valerie. Well, it was actually her Mother, Yvonne. She's the one that made them for us on Saturday mornings after a sleepover.

She called them Hootenannies - which was fun to say, and it made them even more yummy. I'd never seen anything like it. She baked them in a pie pan and when they came out of the oven, the edges had puffed up high and crispy and curled inward in an astounding way. Yvonne, never one to skimp on the use of butter, spread some on the inside and sprinkled powdered sugar over the entire thing.

It was the butter part that I found so unusual. At my house, the butter was for my Dad and my Dad only. The rest of us used margarine or Shedd's Spread. I don't remember wanting the butter or feeling like the margarine was second best. Mom just explained that my Dad grew up on butter and so it was what he liked as an adult. There was a slight implication that we would not like butter, and that pretty much kept us from ever trying it out.

Here at Valerie's house though, it was butter all the way. Butter for everyone! Butter on the table, butter on your toast, eggs cooked in butter, and most definitely, butter on the Hootenannies.

When Yvonne spread the butter (dare I say, slathered) on the hot Hootenanny, it melted into golden pools that absorbed the liberal dusting of powdered sugar. It made a sweet, buttery topping that was perfect for the mild pancake.

I loved those Hootenanny mornings. Thank you, Yvonne!

My boys love them too.

Wanna see?

Check out the edges, all puffy and curled up. Kids love this. Okay, so do I.

This is right out of the oven. My camera kept fogging up.

Let's add the powdered sugar.

Mmmmmmmmmm.....

Oooooooooooo........

Cameron requests half of one on his plate.

He likes the Cut...

-n- Shovel method of eating.

Aaron likes his cut up so he can eat it like pizza. I use scissors for this.

Chomp!

Let's get another shot of that melty, buttery, mouth-watering deliciousness.

Seriously, how could you not love this?

So what do my boys think about as they sit at the counter in their underwear (see note below), devouring this tasty Sunday morning breakfast?

Aaron? He's easy.

He's thinking, "I'm the luckiest kid in the world to have a Mom that makes this for breakfast."

Cameron's thinking: "I wonder what it would be like to have a Mom that didn't

take pictures of me while I'm eating?"

***Note*** I do suggest eating these in your underwear - or at least before you get dressed in your "good clothes". You know...powdered sugar and all.

I also suggest you make some this weekend.

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German Pancakes...aka Hootenannies

6 eggs

1 cup milk

1 cup flour

a few dashes of salt

4 Tb. butter or margarine (yes, margarine will work too)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Put 2 Tb. butter in each of two pie pans; melt as the oven heats up. In a bowl, combine the eggs, milk, flour, and salt. Beat until fluffy (use electric beaters) and smooth. Pour half of the batter in each pan. Bake for 20 minutes. Pancakes will puff up in an amazing and delightful way. Serve with more butter and powdered sugar.

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