Rat-patootie

Have you seen the movie Ratatouille? I am unnecessarily fascinated by the animated people cooking....it is a cute movie and I really identify with the idea that a food or smell can evoke memories. Food is so much more than just fuel to me, it is a creative outlet, a way to love my family and a way to remember times or people. So with a movie for my inspiration I decided to make some ratatouille with fried polenta, we also had some grilled pork chops and foccacia. It was very good, I think I will try a different type of eggplant next time, this one was too big around to make a pretty pattern with the squash, zuccini, and tomato.

100?

I was going to post about Abbie.....I took a break from cleaning the haz-mat site in the garage to attend Abbie's first cross country running race! Unfortunately I forgot the camera, but she had a great time. The kindergarten, first, and second grade kids start in order and run a one kilometer loop. Everybody gets a medal for finishing and Abbie was in the middle of the pack. There are three more races this fall, this one was all the way out at Two Rivers and I think the next one is in Salcha, but there should be two at Birtch Hill. It will be nice not to have a 30 minute drive! Anyways, back to the title, when I logged in, the dashboard counter said 99 posts! Is this really 100?? How cool!

Yuck

This is what we did yesterday:


Our basement/crawlspace had water in it at some point, we are estimating about two inches at the low points. The water is mostly gone now, but it certainly left its mark. We had to junk a lot of stuff and are discovering a lot of mold. Most of the Christmas ornaments will be salvageable because they are glass, but lots of papers are beyond saving. I haven't found anything yet I am distraught over loosing, a few handmade lace ornaments are pretty moldy but it might be possible to get them clean or sucker Mom into making me replacements. It is a big job to get it all clean and re-packed in plastic totes, and we will be making a dump run today. Next up, better drainage for the basement!

Escapees

Just wondering if those of you with babies are missing anything?


The first item is affectionately named "corn poop" the recipe says it is fresh polenta and my Mom says it is creamed corn. I make it by grilling corn on the cob then cutting off the kernels and simmering them with milk and butter before pureeing. It is sweet smoky and good, whatever you call it. But, it does look a little.....funny. On the plate with sausage is the newest batch of beer mustard, the best for most anything you would eat with mustard. I made it last week and it is already half gone! Again, tastes great, looks funny.
(I didn't take a picture of it, but Zara's kraut is funny too, she had purple cabbage to use up so the kraut is a vibrant maroon!)

Grandma's birthday

Family photo taken at Grandma's birthday party, August 17, 2009.

First day of school!

August 17, 2009...Liam Arron, age eleven and Abigail Rose, age six. Sixth grade and first grade.

Snow white cake

I seem to have become the birthday cake baker for all our friends. This cake was requested by Liam's friend Kelsey for her early b-day party. It is a white chocolate cake with seven minute frosting.The cake was good and the frosting set up correctly this time, but together they were very sweet! I think chocolate frosting with this cake next time. We also had dinner with our friends, a big thanksgiving spread! I couldn't resist this pic of one of their puppies. This is Daisy, a St. Bernard, she is about 3 times the size of our dog and about 100 times more mellow!!

Pets

I like my little dog, but this is my kind of pet! Sourdough culture needs occasional feeding and regular use. A not too hot environment and clean utensils. The best part is, this pets by-products taste great! DeDolle Export culture 2.1

Fair time

I took the kids to the fair yesterday, where a good time was had by all! We didn't get rained on and it was a cool day so there was not a huge crowd. Had time for a few rides and some yummy junk food. Liam climbed the rock wall all the way to the top and really enjoyed the repel down. Abbie got to ride the ponies, her favorite! We listened to the 215th Army Band (the rock section) and admired some exhibits, especially the dolls and legos. It was a good day.

Big oven baking

We had pizza last night for dinner in the outside oven. After all the pizzas were done, I put in a marinated beef roast, bread and sweet potatoes. The oven was a little cool with all that stuff in there but everything got done eventually. The roast was about 4 pounds and took about an hour and a half to bake, the bread and potatoes about 45 minutes. There was lots of family still around so we had to try the fresh bread and roast for a late night snack. The smell of roast and toasty bread was a little too exciting for Liam and we had to hold him back!

Kids fishing

We had our last camping trip of the season last weekend :( We just went up to 40 mile Chena Hot Springs Rd., there is a nice spot where you can camp right on the rock beach. The weather was a little cool and smoky but we only had rain one night/morning so it was a nice trip. The fishing was great!! Liam pulled in the biggest Grayling anybody has seen in a long time and Abbie got to reel in a fish on her pole (with Mom's help). Definitely a successful last trip!

Blue food

Well maybe closer to purple? Had to make something with all those lovely blueberries! It is too hot and smoky to start the jam and syrup then canning process, so I made blueberry pound cake with this recipe. It is good but a little gummy-er than I would like. I think it is closer to a muffin than a cake. It still tastes like ripe Alaska blueberries so I am counting it as a success. (and the berries didn't sink!)