Roasted Veggies and Saffron Rice

I was searching for something to use up a large quantity of produce and decided to stick them on skewers. I love the saffron rice our local Mediterranean cafe makes, so I attempted to replicate it. The resulting rice wasn't even close to theirs, but it was still really good!  If you've got a boatload of produce and access to wooden skewers and a grill, these roasted vegetables are a filling dinner!  Cooking them outside on the grill will ensure that your house stays cool during these last hot days of summer!

Roasted Veggies and Saffron Rice

Rice- 

1 cup rice, uncooked

3 cups water

2 vegetable bullion cubes

5 threads Saffron

Mix all ingredients together in a large saucepan. (Make sure it has a lid.). Bring to a rolling boil. Stir well, cover, and lower heat to low. Simmer, covered for 20 minutes. 

Roasted Veggies

In season produce, cut into chunks

(We used patty pan squash, heirloom tomatoes, red onions, bell peppers)

Wooden skewers

Black pepper (we used a 4 peppercorn blend in a pepper grinder)

Grape Seed Oil

Soak skewers in water while chopping vegetables. 

Thread vegetables on wooden skewers. 

 We put our threaded skewers in a 9 x 13 inch pan as we finished. As we finished one layer of skewers, we sprinkled that layer with Grapeseed Oil, and then ground pepper over top until it "looked good". 

Once all the skewers are threaded, grill on medium high heat, turning as needed. Remove from heat when the veggies are sizzling & the onions are translucent. Your standard for when the veggies are done will be different from mine. I like my vegetables to still be a little crunchy. 

Serve immediately over rice. 

Note- I threaded the skewers first, then started the rice while husband grilled the skewers. Everything was finished at the same time. Total time, prep + cooking = 1 hour. 

How to Bake Pi

Disclosure Notice: This post contains affiliate links.

I am not a fan of "doing" math.  I enjoyed math up until I got to Calculus in college.  That class was my Waterloo, and ever since then I have never willingly picked up a Math book.  Don't get me wrong - I managed to teach elementary school math, and my kids all had it down cold by the end of the year.  I helped my own kids with math through Algebra 2.  So, I do understand Math, and I am good at it.  I just hate the entire concept of reading higher level math text books.  Since both of my boys are Math majors, I decided I would pick up the book and read it and see if I could grasp a deeper understanding of the higher levels of math.

I enjoyed the fact that the author tied Math into something I enjoy - food.  Specifically, baking.  With the detailed explanation tied into some of the more basic concepts of higher math, I was able to make some connections I had not been able to make before. Unfortunately, once I got to the section on Calculus and smaller and smaller boxes, I just couldn't understand.  It's a mental block that I have, not a fault on the part of the author.

I did enjoy the explanation of Topology, though. My youngest son loved Topology.  This section (for me, the Calculus Dunce) was written in such a way that I understood and enjoyed the information.  While I'll never be able to discuss Topology with him, I now understand his fascination with the topic.  If I had ever been capable of passing Calculus, this is would have been my absolute favorite subject.

If you're looking for a book that puts higher levels of Math on a level that the common lay person can understand.

In the meantime, here's how to bake a pie you can really sink your teeth into:

Apple Pie

2 prepared commercial pie crusts
(What, you expected home made?  Do I look like Martha Stewart?)

7-8 Apples, peeled, cored, and cut into thin pieces
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp salt
2 TBSP butter or margarine

Spray a 9 inch pie pan with cooking spray.
Put one pie crust into the bottom of the pie pan.  Press firmly into bottom and sides.

In a large bowl, gently mix the apples, sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.

Pour the apples into the pie crust.

Cut the butter into small pieces and put it on top of the apples.

Gently place the pie crust on top of the apples.  Press together the top and bottom crusts of the pie.  Cut several steam vents into the top of the pie crust.  Cover the edges of the crust with aluminum foil to prevent over-browning of the crust.

Bake 40-45 minutes.  Remove foil for the last 10 minutes of baking.

Birthday Party in a Box

My niece celebrates her birthday next week.  She is also studying abroad in France.  We will miss spending some time with her around her birthday.  Never fear!  We came up with a solution to help her celebrate, even without us!  We packed her a birthday party in a box!  Included in this tiny little box is a tiny little Pinata that we found at Target, candy, candy, and more candy, stickers, and a couple of banners that she can hang in her room in order to make it look more festive!  We also enclosed one of those obnoxious, singing birthday cards that has the Eiffel Tower on the front, and Marie, the little French kitty cat from the Disney movie "The Aristocats".  It plays Happy Birthday with a flair... hahahaha!

I don't know if you can read the words in small print?  It says "some assembly required".

 

We shipped it out on Sept. 1, and her birthday is Sept. 12.  According to the post office, it should get to her before the end of this week!  We kept the box as small and light as we could, as we were worried about the cost of International Shipping.  We were very fortunate - the cost of shipping came up to less than $20.  Not bad for a parcel traveling across the Atlantic Ocean and off to some small village in France!

I hope she has a marvelous time!  

Bon anniversaire!

Book Review: Hitler's Last Days

O'Reilly, Bill.  Hitler's Last Days.  2015.  Harry Holt and Company, LLC.  New York, New York.

Written as a children's book, this well told tale that encompasses the last 90 days of Hitler's life will enthrall you.  Even though we know how the story ends, the in-depth look at the inner workings of the Allied Army and Nazi Germany presented almost side by side will put a very different spin on how you view the end of World War 2.

I especially appreciated that O'Reilly alternated chapters between what was going on with the Allies and what was going on within the Nazi army.  The tale covers the last gasp of the Nazi army, beginning just before the Battle of the Bulge.  Reading through the book, you realize just how close the Nazi army came to winning the battle and potentially changing the course of the war. I came away from the book with a new respect for the genius of General Patton.  If not for his cunning, the war on the European front could have lasted much longer.

I also appreciated the look into Hitler's inner circle in his final days.  As his paranoia and circle of distrust grew, this charismatic leader became a shadow of the man he was.  I don't think I ever before understood the struggles that surrounded the Nazi leadership in its final days.

Curious about the events that surrounded the final days of Nazi Germany?  This book will clarify many points that have been shrouded with the passing of time.  Sometimes, we need to be reminded of what has happened before.  Harsh lessons were learned that should never be forgotten.

Monday Musings

Pet Peeves-

When you get into line at Target and the person in front of you decides that they need to find their Cartwheel deals - as in click on them & add them to their cart AFTER the cashier has rung them up & they're waiting for payment.

When the person in front of you in line whips out their cell phone to argue with the cashier about the online price of items vs what the register shows.  Then when the cashier tells them that they can't change the prices at the register & they need to go to Customer Service and that person refuses to move and threatens to call the police.

How about when the person in front of you is attempting to return something that they bought at entirely different store - an entirely different chain - and claims they should honor the refund because "this store carries that brand". 

And then, when you're all hot and angry because you've encountered all three of these scenarios in quick succession and you are peeved with the nature of humanity, you stop by Starbucks and go to pay at the window and discover that the person ahead of you paid for your order...  I tell you, it just totally takes the wind out of your sails. Especially when there's nobody in line behind you so you can't return the favor.

Even worse, you get home and find out that your wonderful husband has already started dinner....

May your day today be filled with the warmer side of humanity, the kindness of strangers, and some random acts of kindness!

Happy Labor Day!

Thoughts....

I reviewed My Near Death Adventures on my Books for Teens Blog earlier this week.  If you want to read my book talk, the link is above.  It is a wonderfully well written piece of historical fiction that I really enjoyed reading.

But the book got me thinking.  I don't want to head into my deeper thoughts on my Books for Teens Blog, as that blog is intended to be strictly a book talking blog..  So I'm going to share them here.

The books is set in the 1890's.  The mother in the story was abandoned by her husband soon after their child was born.  As the story opens, the mother has been granted a divorce by her husband.  He has charged her with abandonment, and she signed off on the papers in order to move on with her life.

Moving on in the 1890's.  How did a woman do that?  In this story, her brother was in charge of a lumber camp, and he hired her to cook for the winter.  While she was there, her own mother was busy trying to find a husband for her.  Moving on - as in getting a new husband.

So, in the 1890's, what options did women have?

Think about that for a while.  I've been pondering that.  We hear stories of Elizabeth Blackwell, the first woman to become a doctor.  Florence Nightingale, the first nurse.  Annie Oakley, the sharpshooter.  And there's the occasional woman who owned and operated a business owned by her husband that she inherited and ran after the death of her husband. 

But, for the average, every day, run of the mill woman...  What were her options? 

I've made a very fun, well written book into a deeper question.  These questions are mine.  They were not raised in the book itself.  The book is a story about a young boy struggling to come to grips with his new reality in the rough world of a lumber camp.  It is a good story!  It's a Black Eyed Susan Nominee for the state of Maryland!  I recommend reading the book!

It's just that it made me think deeper thoughts about life.  Isn't that the sign of an excellent story?

2016 Resolutions

This was the month that I knocked one of the big items off of my Bucket List.  We went to Niagara Falls!  The falls are amazing - absolutely stunning.  They are just so much MORE than I thought they would be.  Words can't describe the experience of standing by the falls and watching the might and majesty of the river.

The best part of this trip was that all 3 kids were able to go with us!  We had a great car trip, spent a lot of time telling stories and laughing, and we explored new places together.  With the kids growing up, graduating from college, and getting jobs, I just don't know how many more big vacations like this we're going to get.  They are something to treasure!

My 2016 Resolutions:

1) Remodel the Hall Bathroom
Silly girl.  Third year in a row this has been on my list.  I'm still not certain this is going to happen this year.  Our kitchen became a priority this year, and now that we've started it, we need to finish the final touches so that it's not coming back to haunt me in a couple of years!

You can follow the tale of kitchen woes here:
Kitchen Woes
We Have Running Water in the Kitchen
 Progress
Progeress of One Kind and Another
It Only Looks Like We're Not Making Progress
One Step Forward, Two Steps Back







2) Improve My Health
Looking beyond the numbers on the scale, I am going after the big picture numbers that add up to an overall look at my body chemistry and how my body is functioning as a system.  This led me to three separate categories:

a) Lose Inches Off My Waist
My goal for the year was to lose a total of three inches.  That took longer than I thought it would! Eight months to lose three inches.  I'm happy to see those inches come off!  For now, I am content.  Those were 3 very hard inches to lose! 

b) Get My Blood Pressure Down into the Normal Range
YES!!  120/60!  No lecture from the doctor this year, instead I got a hearty "Keep up the good work!"
This time last year, my blood pressure was at 140/80.  Danger, Will Robinson, Danger!

c) Go Down at Least One Clothing Size.  
Not just one size, I'm down 2 sizes now!  Funny story here - I did not buy new shorts at the beginning of the summer.  I figured I was safe, since most of them are elastic waist pants, I didn't worry.  Elastic stretches both ways, right?  A week or so ago, I put my cell phone in my pocket.  The weight of my phone was enough to cause a wardrobe malfunction.  Good thing I was still at home, right?  Did you know - those drawstrings in pants don't actually go all the way around?  They're just decorative.  I'm now wearing capris all of the time.  I have two pairs that are only one size too big on me.  It's a great feeling!


3) Restart my Vegetable Garden
This spring has been so wet, everything that I put into the ground was drowned.  For now, this is just not going to happen.  My herb pot is a success, though!   We went from too wet to super hot with no transition in between.  This is going to be an epic fail.

4) Learn to Pressure Can
SO, we have a glass top stove.  Pressure canners do not work on a glass top stove because they can't consistently keep the temperature up high enough.  This one will be a wash.  Another epic fail.  If I ever do put in an outdoor kitchen, I'm going to make certain I have a propane or gas stove so that I can pressure can - and I'll be able to do it outside and keep the heat out of the house.


5) Daughter's Quilt

I finally have decided upon a format for daughter's quilt!  I kept putting it off because I never could make myself happy with the fabric I had chosen.  While we were cleaning out her room, we found all of her old bandanas from Girl Scouts.  Guess what I'm going to do?  Make a quilt from the bandanas!  I've picked up some extra bandanas that match her history (the cow print bandana, and the John Deere bandana are part of her history).  So, I've got the fabric, and I've got the time!  I'm going to get all of this sewn together this week!  This is going to be one very bright and unusual looking quilt! She has a t-shirt that was her favorite - with cat facts written on it.  I'm going to embroider the cat facts on one of the bandanas, maybe two of them.  We'll see what happens!  I'm looking forward to having the best time planning this quilt out!  Putting this quilt together is going to be a lot of fun!  I can't wait to see what the finished product looks like


6) Clean Out and Organize the Carport
The kids did this for me when they were all home the weekend after Mother's Day.  Thanks guys!

7) Exercise Consistently
4 or 5 days every week.  Even better, I'm now keeping a hard copy journal with me when I go.
I get to visibly see my progress every time I work out.  It's an excellent motivator!

8) Clean Out 23 Things a Week
Originally, the goal was to clean out 23 things a month.  Then I changed it to 23 things a week.  For the entire 52 weeks of the year, that would have required me to get rid of 1196 things for the year.  I met that goal in May. 






I really didn't do that much this month.  Starting a new job, going on vacation, moving kids into dorm rooms and apartments - yeah - that took up a good chunk of the month.  I did get two small bags of stuff to the Thrift Shop this month.  I dropped the bags, containing 46 things off yesterday.

I sent 46 things to the thrift shop.

Total number of items out of the house this month: 46
Items out so far this year:  1764.

 9) Participate in the NoSpenduary Challenge.
Thank God I did this, both in February and in March.  It has literally saved our asses as things continue to break and fall apart at an alarming rate.  I originally found this challenge on the Frugal, Debt Free Life Blog. Bless your heart, Lydia.  Because of this challenge, we have not yet gone down the rabbit hole of massive credit card debt with the huge expenses we've had in 2016:  1 abscessed tooth requiring a root canal.  1 crown for said tooth.  The van needing huge repairs not once but TWICE, (once for the a/c, once because it just stopped working late at night when husband was on his way home from choir practice.), AND 1 leaking, moldy mess under the kitchen sink.


10) Visit One Place on my Bucket List
Niagara Falls!  We spent time on both the Canadian and U.S. side of the Falls.  I loved Niagara State Park.  If you ever have time to go, make a point of heading to the state park and walking the perimeter trail around the island.  It is absolutely gorgeous!

12) Scrapbooking
I need to catch up.  I know I had years that I didn't do this.  I went through all of the albums and found the years that I have not yet finished.  These are the years I am in search of:
2006
2009
2010
2011
2012
2015
I'm chugging along on this!  I've been using Shutterfly, which has a powerful tool for digital scrapbooking.  I've then been holding onto the albums until they offer a deal on pricing, and then I order the books.  I love Shutterfly!  (In the interest of Full Disclosure, they are one of my Affiliate Links, but I was using them LONG before I even began blogging.)

I'm glad I have the opportunity to catch up on my scrapbooking.  When we went to a digital camera, and then I began compiling the kids' albums for graduation and their elementary and middle school memory albums, and my in-law's 50th wedding anniversary album, I fell well behind on the family albums.  As I'm working on 2009 now, I'm discovering why that's such a bad idea.  I don't necessarily remember who all of the people in the pictures were, and I don't always remember what we were doing at the time.

Lesson Learned: Finish albums within 6 months of the event - whether it be an anniversary, vacation, or family year. 


13) Walk or Bike a portion of at least 6 Rail Trails

A Lime Kiln on the NCR Trail.

My excuse for not doing this now is that it has been wicked hot, and those trails are not shaded.  I know, I know, I need to stop making excuses.  But it is really hot....

1) NCR Rail Trail


14) Pay off the big debt and one smaller one-
The big debt is gone.  It's nice to have one monkey off my back! 

The payments on the smaller debt have accelerated.  My goal is to have this paid off by December, but it very well might be Feb. or March of 2017 due to the extenuating circumstances we've had this year.

15) The Recipes Tab
I nicely fixed up the recipe tab so that it is easy to find recipes that I've posted on here before.  For me, this is my online recipe book.  Some of the recipes are my own.  Some, I post direct links to other sites.  You might or might not choose to use it, but I use it on a pretty regular basis, and I've found out that one of the boys does, too.  He likes the fact that most of what I've listed is food he already loves and that everything is fairly easy to make and budget conscious.  (Hey Kiddo!  Glad you stopped by for a while!  Call your mother sometime.  She'd really like to hear from you!)

How are you doing on your goals this year?