Favorite lines from Toy Story films …..

The new movie was a great family film and we all enjoyed it. The best part was when Claire turned to me and said, “Go help Woody, Mommy.” If only I could …. This is a hard one for mothers of older boys to watch (tears, tears, and more tears). And it your son is already in that 16 – 20 year old age bracket, take a box of tissues. You will laugh as much, or more, than you’ll cry… but you will need the tissues.

Some of my favorite quotes …

Toy Story Buzz to Woody “You are a sad and strange little man, and you have my pity. Farewell.”

Toy Story 2 Jessie “Sweet Mother of Abraham Lincoln.”

Toy Story 3 Mr. Potato Head “You would not believe what I have been through … tonight.”

Sam’s favorite line from Toy Story 3 (Buzz …upon reawakening from “Demo” mode) ….

“(sniff, sniff, sniff …. That wasn’t me was it?”

Claire reading to Buzz and Woody back in January

Claire reading to Buzz and Woody back in January

The bin of Toy Story Happiness

The bin of Toy Story Happiness

Before …

This is the garden before the 80 degree weather and all the loving attention from Wilson and me.

Before the dirt arrived.

Before the dirt arrived.

This is the garden in process….

Moving the dirt into the garden.

Moving the dirt into the garden.

The kids worked very hard with me to move the “composted topsoil” from the pile in the driveway into the garden.  Due to the low powerlines, the dump truck was only to get within about 8 feet of the garden.

Sam waits for another delivery of dirt.

Sam waits for another delivery of dirt.

Everyone worked really hard to get the garden in early this year.  This pictures were taken on Saturday morning, the first day of Spring Break.  The kids were actually anxious to get out of bed and start working. That never happens!!

As soon as I can get back out with the camera… I’ll post some after pictures.  Good News… after the birds ate the first round of bean and pea seeds we planted in egg cartons a few weeks ago, the second round … hidden in a box by the hose … has sprouted.  :-)

A Toy’s Story

We just realized that this toy, Woody, will be turning 10 in a couple weeks. We hadn’t seen Woody, or Buzz for that matter, in quite a while. Like all toys, they somehow were forgotten amongst the iPods, Wii’s and other new toys.

At Christmas though, these toys were rescued from oblivion by Claire and her cousin, Piper. And since their return to the playroom, even Sam, Sophie and Wilson have enjoyed their presence. They did acheive a new level of playroom status this week. Woody and Buzz were invited to “Library Time” with Claire. She set up her spot and proceeded to “read” The Nutcracker to them.

The biggest laugh this week though came when Claire came out and told me “somebody’s poisoned the water hole.”

The fare out there is not so fair.

Just came across a good website for book reviews about kids books and tween/teen books.  The fare out there is not so fair, so don’t shop uninformed.  The site also points out that there is a big difference between readability and acceptable content.  Just because your nine year old can read it, doesn’t mean they should. If nothing else, the discussion points on the site will provide help for you to talk about some “issues” with your kids. I put the link in the side bar, but here it is again, Book Reviews for parents.

The Crustless Quiche

As many of you know, the men in the house have all been gluten free since December.  Sam has actually been on a gluten free diet for going on 7 years now.  In the interest of “solidarity”, we have tried to make the house a “gluten free zone” since the first of the year.  THAT was a challenge.  Many, many recipes had to be scrapped or revamped to accommodate the diet.  The Crustless Quiche is a new addition to the menu. Mark used to love quiche night, so now we can add it back into the rotation!!!

Here is the basic recipe for the quiche. The tomatoes were a last minute garnish on top and were actually a tasty addition. They were very thinly sliced with a sharp slicing knife. I used organic brown eggs and they tend to be larger than the average “Large” store bought egg. So, if you are using regular eggs, use five instead of four.  Also, you could easily modify this to contain your favorite stuffings … the basic quiche is a good starting place.

Ingredients

Four Eggs (beaten)

1 1/2 C Half & Half or Milk

1/2 tsp Salt

1/4 tsp fresh ground

A Dash of Cayenne Pepper

1/4 tsp Minced Onion

1 tsp basil (or several leaves of fresh basil chopped)

1 Cup Shredded Sharp Cheddar

1/2 Cup Shredded Cheese ( Parmesan, Jack, or Mozz)

1/2 Cup sliced/diced Ham (or Broc, or Spinach, or sauted pepper & onions)

Oil or Non-stick cooking spray

Optional: 1 tomato thinly sliced

Note:  If using Milk only, use 1 1/4 C.  If using a combination of both, slightly decrease the amount of liquid.

Directions

Spray the entire interior surface of a 9 or 10 inch pie dish with non-stick spray, or rub with oil.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium mixing bowl mix eggs, half & half or milk (or a combination of the two), and the next five ingredients together and whisk well.  In the bottom of the pie dish, sprinkle the cheeses and ham (or veggies) evenly throughout the dish.  Pour the egg mixture slowly into the dish.  If you are using a shallow dish, it may not all fit in one dish.  This generally works better in at least a 9-inch deep dish pie pan.  Use a fork to gently wiggle the stuffings around if there appear to be any severely lumpy or bare areas.  If you want to add the tomato slices, now is the time.  Gently place them on top of the quiche and try not to submerge them in the eggs.

You can place this on a cookie sheet, or stone, in your oven to help prevent messy overflow.  You can also place a large piece of foil on the over rack before you put the pie pan into the oven.  If you don’t want to worry about any of that … just place the pie plate into the preheated oven and bake for a minimum of 45 minutes.  At the end of 45 minutes, check to see if the center of the quiche has risen.  If it has, test the center for doneness with a very sharp knife.  If the knife comes out basically clean, remove the quiche from the oven.  If not, wait five minutes and try again.  Variations in ovens may produce different results, so start checking the quiche when you think it looks ready.

Let the quiche stand 10 – 15 minutes before trying to slice and serve it. Enjoy!!

C. Walker
To print this recipe, click on the title above. Then print use your browser’s print function. That way you won’t print the whole blog.

Summer Squash Casserole … it’s that time of year again!

Summer Squash Casserole

Ingredients

4 to 5 Medium to Large Summer Squash (washed and sliced)
1 jalapeno pepper (washed, seeded and finely sliced or chopped)
1 Medium onion (Vidalia or other) cut into this rings and separated
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp fresh ground pepper
1 C Sour Cream
1 C bread crumbs, cracker crumbs-whatever you have on hand (divided in half)
½ stick butter (melted)
1 C shredded cheese – cheddar, or your choice (divided in half)
1 medium baking dish
1 large sauce pan with lid

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place the first three ingredients in the sauce pan. Add water to a two-inch depth and cover. Bring to a boil at medium to medium-high heat. Reduce heat but maintain boil until squash is fork tender but not mushy. Make sure water remains in the pan so that the squash does not burn or stick.

Drain in a colander. Smash in colander, in sink, with a potato masher or large wooden spoon. Stir to encourage draining. Let sit 2-3 minutes to eliminate add’l water. Return mixture to the pan. Add salt, pepper, sour cream, ½ C cracker crumbs, and ½ C cheese to the mixture. Thoroughly combine. Rub the baking dish with oil or butter, or spray with non-stick cooking spray. This helps make clean up easy. Place mixture in baking dish.

Combine melted butter with remaining cheese and cracker crumbs. Spread evenly across the top of the casserole.

Bake uncovered at 350 for 30 – 45 minutes, depending on your desired level of “crispy crust”. Remove from the oven, serve and enjoy!!

I Cooked What?

Those of you who know me well know that the only “greens” I grew up eating were spinach and “salad”. We never ate collards, or “turnip salad”, or anything like them. Mark – however – grew up in Roxboro eating collard greens and turnip salad.

I tried the collard greens once, years ago, during a visit in Roxboro. They had lost all their vibrant green pigment and appeared to have been cooked for several days. I couldn’t eat them. So, despite Mark’s love for the “greens”, I’ve never prepared them for him … until tonight.

We joined a CSA (community supported agriculture) this year and have now had two weeks of produce. So far, the only things I’ve not been able to find some way to use have been the abundance of radishes. Personally, one radish a year is sufficient for me. This week the box included a healthy portion of Flash Collards – and I refuse to waste them. I knew there had to be a way to prepare them that wouldn’t kill them or me. Here’s the recipe I came up with, and it was REALLY good. I even ate some, and liked them. They weren’t the least bit bitter or sour.

Chloe’s Collards

One large bunch of collards
3-4 Tbs of Olive Oil
1 large clove Garlic (minced)
1 Leek washed and thinly sliced
Kosher Salt & Fresh Ground Pepper to taste

Rinse and pat dry the collards. Trim off the end of the stems. Stack the leaves one on top of the other and roll the bunch tightly from one side to the other (like a cigar). Thinly slice the leaves while rolled, slices not more than 1/8 of an inch wide. Set the collards aside.

Heat the olive oil in a saute pan. When it is warm, but not smoking, add the minced garlic and the leek slices. Saute for 2-3 minutes … until translucent, but not toasted or burnt. Add the collards and toss in the oil with tongs. Keep tossing in the pan for 1-2 minutes until the collards are bright green and have softened a bit. DO NOT over cook. Turn off the heat. Add fresh ground pepper and kosher salt to taste. Serve immediately. Enjoy.

One 6 lb. Turkey Breast …

… and a family of six. Just how far will that go? Well, let me tell you. If you’re creative, it can be almost like Thanksgiving in March…. turkey for days. Harris Teeter had a special on turkey breast last week, so we bought one.

  • Monday the turkey breast was roasted.
  • Wednesday the turkey breast was turned into Turkey a la King.
  • and Friday the last pieces will be turned into Veggie Soup using the veggies mentioned a few days ago. (See below.)

    That’s the best $5.70 I’ve spent at the grocery in a while. I think we’ll finally run out Friday.