Working Around One Ingredient Part 2

So remember the avocados that weren't quite ripe last week? Yeah, you guessed it, I had to find a recipe to use them (and I also had some cilantro left). With the weather being warmer lately, I thought a salad would make a nice dinner. I found this recipe for a crab salad with avocado, which was pretty good. I may take the advice of some of the reviewers and make it with less lime, and possibly substitute celery or green onion for the red onion. I'm not a big onion fan anyway, but it seemed like a little too much.

Then I had some crab leftover (we buy ours at Trader Joe's and it comes in a 1 lb. tin). I remembered this quiche recipe I made a few weeks back, and it was really good. Besides, we not only had the crab, but also had the cilantro and parsley on hand. I love when that happens! The only thing I did differently was I cheated and used a pre-made pie shell, and also added mushrooms and garlic to the filling. Yum.

Tomorrow for Cinco de Mayo Stein is going to make his enchiladas. We'll have his parents over to partake in the feast and maybe a margarita or two. Happy Cinco de Mayo to you!

Sunday Morning

We couldn't help but open the shades and let the sun in this morning. The sun was shining in a blue sky, and I couldn't get enough of the sight of it streaming though the windows. We had a lazy morning, watching Sunday Morning on CBS, and then eating a yummy breakfast. Before long it was time to get going. Stein went to the Red Wings' game and I had lunch with my friend Linda. I hope you're having a good weekend, whatever you're doing.

It's a Big, Big World

As I stood in front of the computer in the library looking up books on gardening (I'm getting serious about it this year), I could hear someone in one of the cubicles behind me reading aloud. The reading was slow, and deliberate, not unlike any of the kindergarten or first grade children at my school. However, the voice was much deeper, very unlike the voice of a kindergarten or first grade child. I continued to look up things on the computer, but my concentration was interrupted occasionally by the reading behind me. "P-p-p-a-d-d-d-i-n-n-g, p-p-a-d-ing, padding," I heard the voice sound out slowly. "Yes, that's right, padding. Like the padding that is under carpet, like an extra layer," I heard a woman confirm. I extended my time at the computer out of curiosity. Throughout the four or so minutes that I spent there, I heard the familiar coaching phrases that I learned in my teaching program. "Well, it does look like it would sound like that, doesn't it? But actually, it sounds like this." Or, "Yes, when we see the word bone, the o sounds like itself. Remember the silent e rule?" She then went on to explain that bony is a variation of that word.

I realized it was time for me to look for my books, so as I turned around I stole a glance at the pair at the table. The tutor was a middle-aged woman who looked like she could be a retired teacher. The man was a 30? 40? year-old man who towered over the woman. Even though they were sitting at a table, this man was taller by a good foot or so. The expression on his face was one of eagerness and concentration. He was there because he wanted to learn, wanted to unlock this mystery that everyone around him already had.

I thought about this man for the next few days. What was it that motivated to learn to read this difficult language? Was it a job application that he wanted to read himself? Was it the program at his child's school performance? And why didn't he learn to read when he was at a younger age? Did he attend school? Was he tired of flubbing his way through the literate world?

Just the night before I saw this man at the library, I had attended a workshop on literacy. A children's book author talked about literacy, motivation, and keeping kids interested in reading. Her book, called Dream, also talks about cultivating dreams, and the importance of dreaming in people's lives. I couldn't help but tie everything together: the book, the dream, and the man at the library. One phrase stuck out particularly to me during the workshop. As she was talking about literacy, the author said, "Your world is as big as your words."

Think about this. Your world is as big as your words. It struck a note with me. Big time. When I learned to read at a young age, my world got bigger instantly. I traveled to places in this big world, too, just by reading. I already had an idea of what New York City was like before I went there, thanks to Judy Blume. I traveled to Ireland even before I got on a plane, thanks to Frank McCourt. As I have read more and more, and have been in school reading to learn, my world has grown exponentially bigger. At anytime, if I want my world to be bigger, I can pick up a book on anything and just read.

This man at the library has chosen to make his world bigger. At an older age than most, but he is motivated to make it bigger. I'm sure he dreams of the day when his world is going to get bigger. I wish I could be there when he travels to far-flung places just by reading words. He's going places, that's for sure.

Working Around One Ingredient

Do you ever start to plan a meal with just one ingredient in mind? That's the way this week is turning out to be.

Thanks to my friend Kris (of the What's Cooking? blog), we started our week off with a great recipe. In a blog post of hers a couple weeks ago, she talked about a chimichurri recipe that she makes. Stein bought some steak and salmon over the weekend and we had some parsley leftover from something last week, so I thought that recipe would work out great. It was awesome. The combination of the sauce, bleu cheese and steak was so tasty. Oh, and we didn't use skirt steak - I think any steak would be great. Stein said it was okay with the salmon (I'm not a huge salmon fan), but thought it may be better with a milder fish.

The next night, we had leftover tomatoes, and also some basil from the lasagna Stein made last week. I decided to make a tomato/basil salad (our first of the season!), and also pulled some pork chops from the freezer to have with it. Then I remembered the chimichurri sauce from the night before. It was perfect for the pork chops. I just seasoned the chops with salt and pepper before I grilled them, and then put the sauce on top. It was perfect.

Today I saw that avocados were on sale at the store (probably in anticipation of Cinco de Mayo), so I decided to do a recipe with avocados. I also wanted to use chicken, so I looked for a recipe on foodtv.com. I found this one. I did modify it a bit - the avocados ended up not being ripe enough for guacamole, so I used Trader Joe's guacamole and doctored it up with some onion, cilantro and tomato. I also used bagged shredded cabbage for the cole slaw, with the change of 1/4 cup sour cream with 1/2 cup of mayonnaise (we ran out of mayonnaise). When we sat down to eat, Stein wanted to hate the meal (he's not a Bobby Flay fan). He took one bite and said, "Damnit". Man, it was good. The combination of creaminess, smokiness, and a little kick was great.

Any one of these meals would be perfect for guests. We usually make new things for guests (a no-no, I know), but now we have some tested recipes that we can use.

Reminiscing, Reunion

20 years. 20 years? 20 years ago at this time, I was counting down the days that I would be done with high school. It was a bittersweet time, because I really liked being in high school and had a great set of friends I would miss, but I was also looking forward to being in the "grown-up" world of college, to go away, live in a dorm, and start on the academic path to my career.

This past weekend I traveled to Chicago to attend my 20th high school reunion. My friend Linda mentioned that if you asked that 18 year-old 20 years ago what she thought of being 38, she would probably say, "That's old". But she went on to say, "You know, I really like being this age. I think I like it better than I liked being 18".

I have to agree. While there is still so much to learn in my life, I am comfortable in my own skin now. I know more and more about who I am, what I like, what makes me feel comfortable, and who my true friends really are.

Being back in my high school in my 37-year-old (I'm younger than my peers) skin felt good. Not only did I reconnect with other women who shared the four years with me, but I was able to see the building and sort through the memories through my older, and somewhat wiser eyes.

During that rainy afternoon and evening, I was overwhelmed by a feeling of gratitude. Gratitude for the chance to attend such an incredible school. Gratitude for the teachers who dedicated their time to ensure we were all successful and ready for the next place in our lives. Gratitude for the lifelong friends I made there, who accept me for who I am, and whose care and concern is evident on their faces as they listen intently to the stories I tell. Gratitude for the laughter that bubbled over immediately, as we walked down the familiar hallways and saw a locker, or a class picture, or a stairway that reminded us of a funny story.

I went to an all-girls Catholic high school on the north side of Chicago. It wasn't that unusual back then, I would say that a large majority of the people from my grammar school went on to all-boys' or all-girls' high school. My sisters paved the road for me to attend the high school where I went. There really was no question when it came time to make my decision. I would go to the school where they each spent four years, taking the CTA bus there every morning, walking to school from the bus stop with the other girls wearing the same uniform, sitting in classes taught by some of the same teachers that they had.

And now 20 years later? Well, my school has become quite unique. It is one of the few single-sex high schools remaining. Some of the other schools that were all-girls or all-boys have gone co-ed. Some have closed their doors and now house charter schools. Some have closed their doors and now house businesses.

There are two sides to every coin, I know, and I'm not going to get into the pros and cons of single-sex high school education. This post is about my reunion, and I'll continue with that. But I have to say that I am mostly "pro-SSA" (my high school) after hearing the fantastic statistics that were given to us during a speech by the principal. Those statistics made me proud of the place that I spent four years. Proud of the challenging education I received there. Proud to be part of a place that is still revered in the city. Proud to be part of a group of people who still care about me.

I won't bore you with all of the statistics. But how could I not be proud of a statistic like, "1.5 million dollars in college scholarships already secured by the senior class"? I didn't hear what the current enrollment is, but I'm guessing that the senior class is somewhere around 60-70 girls. (This is down from 150 who I graduated with).

While I was in the building, in-between catching up with my friends, I tried to take everything in. I saw details that I missed in the rush of those four years. While I rushed from class to class or volleyball practice, or student council meetings back then, I missed the mosaic pictures on the walls, the beautifully-maintained woodwork around the tall windows and doorways in the classrooms. Sure, I was being reminiscent on Saturday, but these things just added to the pride I have for the place in general.

And the camaraderie. The feeling in the air this past Saturday was so comfortable, so inviting. It didn't matter if you never had a class with someone. The bond of going to our high school together at the same time was enough. We gathered in the study hall, which was cleared of desks, sat at tables, and ate and drank together. We looked through our old yearbooks together, commenting on the whereabouts of various people. Most of the people there have been reconnected already through Facebook, so the initial "what are you doing now?" talk was eliminated. It just felt like a reunion of friends, catching up on the latest in their lives. And did I mention the laughter? Only this comfortable air could allow such laughter. Oh, did it flow. Until my sides hurt.

We're already planning a get-together sooner than five years (when the next reunion will be). I hope it happens. It was so good to be with this wonderful group of women, all from different places and backgrounds, but with a unique bond that brought us together in an instant.

The Green of it All

This is one of my favorite times of the year. This time of the year means so many different things to me. It means warmer weather. It means longer days. It means eating outside. It means sun on my bare arms. After being stuck inside all winter and looking at browns and greys, we just want to do something, anything, just to be outside. Stein and I have been getting some things together in the yard while the weather has been nice. (We still need to do more, like plant flowers and pull weeds.)

But this time of the year also means that all kinds of things are coming out of the ground, or branches, or buildings. Tulips and daffodils are the first brave ones, coming out despite some cold temperatures that continue to linger. Then there are the buds on branches of trees, first looking like bumps and then like fuzz as they start to strut their bright green color. And people come out of buildings to eat at outdoor restaurants, sit on blankets at the park, or just walk around the neighborhood.

One of my favorite things during this time is the bright greens that you see. On my way to and from Chicago this weekend, I saw all kinds of shades of green on the sides of the highway. It made me reminiscent of Ireland, where the shades of green are so unique. I remember flying into Dublin, where the green grass on the ground was so bright it looked fake.

This green comes out overnight, it seems. One day there is a brown tree standing on the corner, and the next day it is covered in bright green buds ready to burst into full leaves any minute. The same thing happened with the seeds I planted in my newspaper "pots". On Friday when I left for Chicago, there were some small sprouts in the pots. On Sunday when I got home, I saw this:

Earth Day

These kids never cease to amaze me. Because they aren't shy about telling me all sorts of things about their lives, I not only hear about things their parents wouldn't want me to know and also about everything that comes into their brains. At any given time, I could hear things blurted out of the blue like, "I got a new shirt." Or "My mom is sick." Or "I saw a big worm outside in the dirt." Or "My birthday is in 3 months." But another thing that amazes me is what they know at such a young age.

These kids know their stuff.

As part of Earth Day this week, I did a project with the kindergartners and first graders. First I read The Lorax by Dr. Seuss. Then I gathered a bunch of scraps of paper from the teachers' work room to do a recycled paper art project. I didn't really have any expectations, except that it may get a little out of hand with glue and scissors. Remember that day with the glue? Well, I got smart. We now have glue sticks.

From the time I explained to them that we were going to be talking about how we need to take care of our earth, they immediately chimed in. We talked about recycling. We talked about animals and how we need to take care of them. We talked about taking care of plants and what they need to grow. And these were only kindergartners.

During the story, I heard so many kids empathizing with the animals in the story. They were actually mad at the Once-ler who made his factory bigger and bigger and bigger, and drove all the animals out of the area.

At the end of the story, I asked them to tell me what they would do with the last Truffula seed. Their answers were priceless. I got a lot of "I would plant it in the ground." But what amazed me was how they built on this concept. One first grader said, "I would give it to my grandma because she loves plants." Another one said, "I would plant it and take care of it, and protect it. Then I would get more seeds from that plant and plant those. And then there would be a lot of trees." One girl talked about an elaborate security system that she would rig up to the plant so that it couldn't be cut down.

Can you imagine if these ideas came to fruition in areas where plants or animals are endangered? I can just imagine some of the kids standing with their hands on their hips and pointing their fingers at the people in bulldozers or people polluting. That would be so fun to watch.