We just watched the Canadian women’s hockey team win gold. I was sad for the team from USA, but I also thought that they should have been trained in how to show good sportsmanship. The crowd was dying to support them, as you could tell from their response to the few US women who bothered to wave to the fans. Every time one of them tried to smile past her disappointment and look up and out the crowd went wild. I also wasn’t too impressed when I heard that the US team had already ordered the gold label bubbly for the after-game party… Guess they’ll be sending that back. They skated well and played a tough game. Tonight, however, it was Canada’s night.
Bethany:
A print of a dog
This is a dog print that I saw on the way to my bus stop.
Cat:
Thanks, Michael and Sylvia
This is a loaf of bread that I baked tonight (as Bethany would say). Michael can take credit for providing the actual method and recipe via his Facebook entry, but Sylvia deserves some of the credit for talking about baking bread and bringing bread baking books with her to the kids’ pottery class, and thus planting the seeds generally.
Andrew:
Standby to roll record....
Yes I know this is an “audio” tape instead of a more proper and dignified video tape. But I wanted to celebrate my brother-in-law’s other line of work as an audio mastering engineer. Chris probably has never even used tapes like this as he was already in the digital age when he was taking classes. This is 5000 ft of 10.5″ tape for 12 tracks of audio. They also had 2″ reels that could hold 24 tracks, which was more standard. Nice to look at on the wall.
Ever since we went to San Diego last November, I have been craving the fresh, warm, paper-thin tortillas they had served with our breakfast at The Green Flash.
These weren’t exactly them, but a healthier alternative which fit the bill. They were moist, not too flour-y, pliable, and mostly: fresh, warm, and paper-thin.
In the whole dinner-scheem of things, they didn’t take too long to make. I used a combination of Wheat Flour and All Purpose Flour; the inital recipe called for two cups of White Whole Wheat Flour of which, I didn’t have on hand. Even with the labor and the substitution of ingredients, it was still quicker than running to the grocery store - my nemesis.
Whole Wheat Flour Tortillas
1 C Wheat Flour
1 C All Purpose Flour
1/2 t Salt (but I will use more next time)
3 T Olive Oil
2/3 C Warm Water
Combine flours and salt in medium mixing bowl or food processor. Mix in oil and then warm water (with the machine running, if using a processor). Let sit, covered, for 20 minutes.
The real directions say to turn the dough out onto a “lightly floured surface,” but when I have made tortillas in the past they were really dry because of the excessive flour.
So, I turned them out onto a non-floured surface. I found there was just enough oil in the mixture to keep it from gluing itself to the countertop.
Cut dough into eight equal pieces. (Cut in half. Then cut the halves in half. then cut those halves in half again and there you have eight almost equal pieces).
Pat each piece of dough into a four-inch disk. Place on the countertop and roll out using a rolling-pin. Because I didn’t use any flour on the countertop, I continuously had to flip the dough over. I flipped and rolled each piece five or six times, or until it was about 1mm thick.
Place rolled-out dough onto griddle, and cook on medium high heat (I had mine set at 350°) for no longer than 30 seconds per side. If you leave it cook for too long, it will turn out like thin crispy flatbread.
Once it goes onto the cook top - you’ll have to work quickly to get out the wrinkles, as they cook pretty fast. This is where smaller tortillas might be easier to work with.
To Flip, I just grabbed the edge of the tortilla with my fingers. You could use tongs or a large spatula too. To keep the tortillas warm, place flat on a plate and cover with a towel.
To keep them, place them in a large ziplock bag and lay flat in the fridge. They reheat nicely in the microwave.
My adorable God Daughter Bella is leaving Long Beach and moving to Missouri. I’m so sad I wont get to see her cute little face whenever I want =( I made her and her mom Lisa a goodbye dinner tonight… Bella liked it!
On the menu for tonight was thin sliced chicken breast with plum sauce & cilantro, mashed sweet potato with pecans and garlic lemon green beans. For dessert I made home made ice cream sandwiches with chocolate chip cookies & sugar free butter pecan ice cream.
I’ve been at home with the GeekBaby for the past week. Half of my two week “vacation” is already gone. It’s my first real experience of stay at homedom. And instead of cleaning or organizing or laundry or doing anything really useful at all, I’ve been cooking up a storm. I miss the lab bench an awful lot.
This week will have the added fillip of my needing to get some actual work-work done while I’m at home. I have 24 hearts worth of histology pictures that need myocyte diameters measured. This sounds more glamorous than it actually is. I’d like to get them all done, but it depends on the whims of my child.
But all these things aside, I find staying at home isn’t much different than going to the lab.
See, working as a research assistant for six or seven years turns out to be excellent practice for motherhood. Whining crying children or whining crying postdocs? The only difference is the power dynamics, at home I’m nominally in charge. Okay, that’s absolutely untrue. In both environments you must stop whatever you’re doing to tend to your postdoc and/or baby. Immediately.
Research assistants also learn about doing dishes that they didn’t make dirty, and picking up other people’s messes, and cleaning up other people’s toxic spills, taking people to the emergency room because they did something unsafe and are now paying for it… the list goes on and on! It’s practically the same job.
So I’ve been soothing my science-y bits with lots of cooking. I made my first ever batch of candy – fleur de sel caramels – and burnt my thumb with molten sugar doing it. I invented a crock pot minestrone recipe. Today I’m doing crab cakes. And to avoid completely overwhelming this blog with cooking, I’m blogging about all the cooking over at Om Nom Nom…
I’ve done more cooking than blogging. GeekBaby lets me cook, since it means he gets to eat. Blogging does not directly translate into eating, so he crawls into my lap whenever I try. Like he’s doing now. I guess it’s time to go.
From what I’ve read, exclusive pumping is the toughest way to feed your baby compared to breastfeeding and formula feeding. From personal experience, it’s certainly time consuming because I’m, more or less, doing both – expressing the milk and feeding my daughter from the bottle. All the benefits of breastfeeding with all the hassle of formula feeding. Time consuming means more need for multi-tasking and short cuts. Today was an especially busy one: laundry, shopping, professional job (I work part time from home), aside from baby duties. And of course we have to eat. My husband is a great cook and shares in the cooking duties, but tonight, and many nights, dinner was on me. Quick and easy for me not only means fast to prepare but also fast clean up, which means few pots and pan. In this case, I turn to the entree salad and tonight I made chicken salads with apples, nuts and blue cheese. The most painful part is the chicken, and tonight I relied on the store-bought rotisserie chicken or as my husband calls it, the cheater chicken. Combine all the components with a light dressing and I feel like I’m contributing the the weight loss of my pregnancy and getting a nutritious meal that will give me the energy to pump and do everything else that supermoms do.
ABOUT THE FRUGAL & FUN FORT WORTH WEEKEND EDITION ~ Each Friday, we post ideas for FREE (or almost free) weekend entertainment
for you and your family. This weekend’s tips include:
• FREE Family Fun, VeggieTales Movie Premier • FREE Pottery Barn Decorating Class • FREE Elmo’s Birthday Party and Storybook Reading
• FREE Cooking Technique Class at Williams-Sonoma
Frugal Weekend Entertainment Option #1
Take in a FREE Movie at the VeggieTales Premier of Pistachio:
The Little Boy that Wouldn’t ~ Keller Saturday, February 20, 2010
Bring your friends and family to the premier of the newest Veggie Tales
movie, Pistachio: The Little Boy that Woodn’t. Northwood Church in Keller
is hosting a pre-release showing of Pistachio on Saturday, February 20th.
The event is FREE and everyone is welcome at this family friendly community
event. Click here to get a preview of the movie.
Details, Details What: This new VeggieTales adventure teaches the importance of
family and obeying parents. Learn more about the movie and premier
at 817.431.2088, x129 or click here. When: Saturday, February 20, 2010 ~ 6:30-7:30pm Where: Northwood Church in Keller, 1870 Rufe Snow Dr.
(Rufe Snow & N. Tarrant Pkwy). For directions, click here. Cost: FREE!
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Frugal Weekend Entertainment Option #2
Learn New Decor Tips at a FREE Pottery Barn Decorating Class Saturday, February 20, 2010
Get new ideas for freshening up your living room for Spring!
Join Pottery Barn for a fun in-store class, where they will share helpful
tips for creating a great living room space. This week’s demonstrations
will teach the art of arranging furniture, choosing lighting accents, and
accessorizing for comfort and style.
Details, details What: For more information, click here. When: Demonstrations take place all day, February 20. Where: Click here to find a Pottery Barn store near you. Cost: FREE!
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Frugal Weekend Entertainment Option #3
FREE Elmo’s Birthday Party and Storybook Reading at Borders. Saturday, February 20, 2010
How Fun! Borders Books and Music is hosting a special birthday party for
Elmo and the kids! Activities include storytime, fun activities and more.
Details, details When: Saturday, February 20, 2010 ~ 11:00am Where: Borders Books and Music, in the Children’s Area.
Directions to your local Borders can be found by clicking here. Cost: FREE!
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Frugal Weekend Entertainment Option #4
Take a FREE Cooking Technique Class at Williams-Sonoma Sunday, February 21, 2010
Learn a new cooking technique!
Winter time is a perfect time to get in the kitchen and try something new.
This week’s lesson at Williams-Sonoma will demonstrate new techniques,
ingredients, and recipes including how to make some old favorite comfort
foods in a fresh new way. You’ll get an opportunity to try delicious
samples, too (My mouth is already watering!)!
Note: You’ll want to call to reserve your spot since class size is limited.
Details, details
What: For more information, click here. When: Sunday, February 21 ~ 1 hour class times vary from store to store. Where: Click here to find a Williams Sonoma store near you. Be sure
to call your local store to RSVP. Cost: FREE!
Enjoy!
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and button down the family finances?
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Bring your friends and family to the premier of the newest Veggie Tales
