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Monday, April 30, 2012

VROOOOM!

I love vintage cars and I'm still kicking myself for not listening to my Dad who told me in high school, "If you want an old car, sign up for automotive classes."  "Dad! No way." I said...  (kicking myself again...)  But if I did here are some of my favorites; most of these I've seen right around here in my neighborhood.
Cadillac   2/19/11 The End    9/27/11 Ford 42   7/2/11

Sunday, April 29, 2012

Capturing the Week- This past week seemed to center around food


The kids are creating food out of clay for our kitchen area (donut)




Playing with gravity and ramps

Math without a worksheet (he wanted to add 5 pieces of "pepperoni" to his "pizza")




Wednesday, April 25, 2012

SOME information MUST be kept secret


My drive to work can take up to 25 minutes depending on the traffic.  Often, as I'm sure other people do, I like to read bumper stickers.  Like this one.  I really laughed out loud when I saw this.  Perfect for California!

Then, there are those who should not display so much information. Like this....


Yes, I actually saw this on someone's car the other day.




Monday, April 23, 2012

Them Who Play With Heat

What thoughts run through your mind as you view these two photos?



Shock? Disbelief? 

Four years ago, I attended a Margie Carter and Deb Curtis conference. During one of our meetings a photo similar to this was shown to the group. As each of us responded in disbelief, we listened to the leader and as she asked us "Why?" Of course, most of us responded with "they are children." And yet, as teachers we expect a child to sit at a table for possibly 30 minutes, listen quietly to stories, "use their words", write letters, carry on a conversation, cut with scissors, stay in a line and be able to dress him/herself among other things.  And yet, we make a child eat food off plastic plates, make them drink out of sippy cups and use spoons. 



When children are provided opportunities to use "real" tools and materials of high quality, they feel respected and taken seriously.  When they are trusted and shown how to use and care for these tools and materials, children live up to the responsibility of using them and as a result bring more focus and intention to their work.  Lately in the art area, watching the mounting frustration as children tried desperately to build taller structures by using Elmer's glue, we felt the children were ready for the challenge of using a glue gun.  Children were shown how to squeeze the trigger using their pointer finger; then placing the glue gun back on the table, before placing the object on the glue.  Again, using the pointer finger and a light touch, children were able to secure the object onto their structure. Children were encouraged to look through materials and to decide the placement of objects before applying the glue. 

NOW, what are your thoughts?



Saturday, April 21, 2012

Seitan Wellington- vegan


Hooray to the Spork Girls for another fabulous recipe!! I made this the other night using one portobello,  a mixture of other wild mushrooms- I think it was some Oyster, crimini, button, and some type of Japanese mushroom.  The taste was amazing, the smell so homey and comforting.  I've never made a Wellington before and had been wanting to try one since I saw Jamie Oliver make a Turkey Wellington. So I was eager to try this one.  Instead of the fresh herbs I used dried and I used Cupcake's Red Velvet for the wine.  
Enjoy!

The Recipe:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Mushroom Filling:

1 T non-dairy butter
1 T olive oil
4 C crimini mushrooms, finely chopped
2 shallots, finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped (I didn't add this part and felt it tasted great)
3 sprigs fresh thyme or about 2 t dried or more to your liking)
2 T vegan red wine
1/4 t sea salt
1/4 pepper
2T flour


In a large pan, heat butter and olive oil (I added the thyme to this to flavor the oil). Add mushrooms, shallots, and garlic. Cook over medium heat for about 2 minutes. Add thyme or other herbs- I added oregano and some marjoram, wine, salt, pepper and flour.  Cook until liquid is absorbed about another 3-5 minutes.  Set aside.

The Seitan Filling:

2 Packages "chicken style" seitan
4 sprigs thyme, stemmed and chopped
2 T mustard (I used the gingerbread mustard)
2 T red wine
1 T maple syrup
3/4 C flour, plus more for dusting
grated lemon zest (I left this out as I didn't have one)
1/2 t paprika
1/2 t salt
1/4 pepper

1 package puff pastry

In a food processor, combine seitan, thyme, mustard, wine, maple syrup, flour, lemon zest, paprika, salt, and pepper.  Pulse until uniform about 20 times. (Doesn't look appetizing but trust me, it tastes great!)
On a lightly floured surface (I used some parchment paper but still sprinkle with flour) roll the puff pastry out to about 1/8 inch.  Place mushroom filling in center and spread out, leaving a 1-2 inch pastry border.  Top mushroom filling with seitan filling and fold party over, sealing edges.



Make a few slits in the top and bake for about 40-45 minutes or until golden brown.










Monday, April 16, 2012

My Dream Kitchen

A friend is remodeling his kitchen and it got me thinking, if I ever own a house what would my kitchen look like?  First, it would have to be spacious with plenty of pantry space.  I'm not so sure about the color, I don't know if I would do a clean white, warm orange or a flannel gray color.  Or even have some wallpaper.  There is an episode from Rosemary and Thyme (a British detective show) where someone's kitchen had this beautiful oversized-flower wallpaper.  Oh, the decisions one has to make....

Here is the episode. If you fast forward 9 minutes, 51 seconds, you'll see the kitchen.  Love that paper!



First, the sink. I love this extra large one but....
Or 

Or the Farmhouse sink?


Then there is the floor....

Brick floor, traditional Aga?



See above photo for the stone floor.

Or Hard Wood

Of course, one must have cabinets~


Finding the perfect table would be fun~


This table and the stone floor are good choices as well as the chalk board walls and cabinets. Oh and the chairs :)



The only thing that's definite is the fridge~



I think that about sums it up. Now, I just need to find a house with a 30'x 30' kitchen to fit everything. That shouldn't be hard, right?








Sunday, April 15, 2012

Capturing the Week


It was Spring Break for me this week! Had loads of fun visiting family, relaxing, seeing the Titanic exhibit (no photos allowed), and then heading to a real British Pub for lunch, the aquarium and Sea Port Village yesterday.  I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! xo K















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