Close Encounter

So beautiful, only God could have designed it.

No PBJ for me?

If you walk around the grounds of Scone Palace in Perth Scotland, the chance of seeing peacocks is predictably high.  They roam around like chickens except that they have this long tail that they carry around.    Then when they feel like showing off, they spread their tail feathers and display all their iridescence.

I was browsing through old pictures when I was reminded of that encounter with something I have never seen before.   It was not until 2005 on our family's trip to Scotland that I saw a peacock.  Not only that, I was very close that I could take a close up shot.   One thing I learned about nature is that there is always something beautiful about the intricate details of their features. 

If you were given a choice, who or what would you wish to see up close?

                       

Destination: Pending

I mentioned about a possible trip for Brahms and Tim to Haiti.  Yesterday there were dates for three different trips to Port-au-Prince.   We were going to choose from them.  Today we noticed that STEM marked these trips as "pending".  Well... I didn't even have to use my wisdom.  God already gave the answer. 

Destination

A while back, we have changed the nature of our big family trips from tourism and fun to mission and relationship oriented.   Instead of our usual favorite destination, Britain, our travels have brought us to smaller and less visited places like Belize (two times), Turkey, Shonto Arizona, and to places where we have relatives like the Philippines and Canada.  There was no lack of fun and adventure in all of these travels.

Each time a child of ours turns 14, one parent would bring that child to a place where none of us have been to before.  Brahms is fourteen now.  Initially, he was planning to go (or suggest going) cave spelunking and repelling.  However, with the earthquake that occurred last week, Tim and Brahms have been looking at the possibility of traveling to Port-Au-Prince.   Haiti is a huge overwhelming project right now and I wonder...what can my husband and son do?  That question will be answered later but the decision has to be made soon for time is running.  I'm sure my input in this decision will soon be necessary. 

Wisdom...please come to me now. :)

Savory Saturday - Pasta Salad with Smoked Salmon

My children have asked me more than once to compile our recipes into a customized Family cookbook.  It's their desire to bring this "cookbook" with them to college.  What a great idea.  Eating familiar food in an unfamiliar place will help them adjust more easily.  My problem is that a lot of my recipes have ingedients that are estimated.  To write recipes would require that I measure ingredients and time every step of the cooking process.  Time consuming, but I'll try.   

Pasta Salad with Smoked Salmon

Served warm or cold, this salad is a perfect for a busy college student.  It is simple and easy to prepare.  The ingredients can be adjusted according to desired taste.

Ingredients:

1 lb uncooked pasta

baby spinach (desired amount)

tomato, diced (desired amount)

smoked salmon (desired amount)

1/4 c freshly grated Parmesan cheese

6 or more pieces kalamata olives (optional)

1 tbsp capers (optional)

1 tsp lemon juice

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Cook and drain the pasta (aldente).  Lay the spinach in a wide bowl.  Pour the hot pasta over spinach.  Set aside salmon and add all other ingredients.  Toss the salad adding more seasoning as needed.  Top with slices of smoked salmon.  Enjoy your simple balanced meal! :)

Long Break is Over

Avocado-Tomato Panini

As we end the long break, I cant help but thank God for blessing us with the time that my children and I have spent together uninterrupted by long hours of being in school.  Among the things we shared were hugs, kisses, remembrances, eating in and out, working together, watching "Jeeves and Wooster", playing games, joy-riding to nowhere, making paninis, planning, reading, watching birds, riding with a student-driver, frustration in erradicating ants, walking to Starbucks for coffee and hot chocolate, baking and eating cookies, and many more...  

Tomorrow, we will get up early, eat breakfast quickly,  pack lunches, kiss goodbye, go to music lessons again.   Fortunately, there will be evenings when we will be all together once more.

Chocolate Crinkles

First-Experience

 January 4, 2010

Shannon attended driving school for the first time today.  Being my first child, she and I get to experience a lot of things first. Not only it is her first in driving school but it is also my first having a child learn to drive.  I was very nervous when her instructor came to pick her up.  What if he's not the real instructor?  I had to make sure that he identified himself as the person whom the Driving School assigned to her.  I was a relieved to hear him say, "Bruce".  About two hours later, the door bell rings and I was afraid to go open the door for fear that I might be confronted with bad news by a police officer.  I had to ask Tim, who opened the door, "Do you see Shannon?"

Physically she was fine... then she burst into tears.  Obviously, it was very traumatic having to drive El Dorado Hills Blvd. when the only place she's driven up to this point was around the business park on a Saturday afternoon.   Even after swearing not to drive anymore, she managed to drive with Tim in Francisco Drive after dropping off Miriam and Brahms to their music lessons.  I'm sure she was still stressed but not as intense anymore.

The emotions attached to first-experiences are always worth recording...because soon they will turn into jokes.

Savory Saturday - Lamb Kabobs

We were busy today taking down Christmas ornaments and putting them away.  Spent a little bit of time raking some leaves and before we knew it the sun was down.  Grilling is often our solution for hungry tummies when time is limiting.  Moroccan Lamb Kabobs with Mint Yogurt Sauce was for dinner.  Yummy.  This is one of our favorite recipes for lamb.  Our friends who swore they didn't like lamb ate it with gusto.  Make several batches of the spice/seasoning mixture and store in a jar for faster preparation in the future. 

Moroccan Lamb Kabobs*

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 pounds boneless lef of lamb, cut into 1-inch cubes

Mint-Parsley Yogurt Sauce (Recipe also provided here)

Combine all spices and seasonings in a bowl.  Place lamb cubes in a shallow baking dish.  Sprinkle and rub spice mixture into lamb with hands.  Thread lamb cubes into skewers.

Preheat a grill or grill pan to high heat.  Grill kabobs for 3 minutes per side, or until cooked to desired doneness.  Transfer to serving platter and serve with Mint-Parsley Yogurt Sauce for dipping.

Mint-Parsley Yogurt Sauce

1 cup plain yogurt

1 tablespoon mayonnaise

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

1 tablespoon finely chopped mint leaves

2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

Salt and ground black pepper

Combine first six ingredients and season with salt and pepper.  Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. 

Happy tummies make happy faces.