Empty Nest

Our kids had it drilled in their heads from an early age that once they finished high school they were expected to attend college or vocational school. Thanks to a generous (deceased) relative, there was money to help with this. Their alternative was to move out and be self-sufficient. All three worked part time during high school (hard, low-paying jobs) and therefore knew the value of getting a good education.

Our oldest and our youngest both departed right out of high school. Their circumstances were totally different, but both had a burning desire to get away. Each made arrangements to live on their own while attending school.

The middle child (our younger daughter) went a different route. She chose a school that was a five hour drive from home and opted for on-campus housing the entire time she was there. She was the only one of the three that still came "home" during school breaks.

That all came to an end this week. There was much sorting, packing (and unpacking), and sifting through a lifetime of accumulation. Although continuing her education with graduate school, this time she "officially" moved out.

As the proverbial "empty nest" neared I started to have some minor twinges of sadness. Then I stopped to think realistically. Our younger daughter's only about an hour's drive away. I'll probably see more of her now than I ever did when she was in college. Our son is less than an hour away and comes to visit frequently. Our older daughter is busy with her own family, but lives right here in town. The nest might be empty, but our time spent together and shared good times will continue!

Oh....and did I mention all the possibilities in that empty room left behind?!

Success

Remember the pickled squash post last month? It tastes just like I remembered.

Butterfinger Ice Cream

My younger daughter and I teamed up on the dessert for our family gathering Sunday night. Everyone enjoyed it, but several folks said they prefer creamier, richer ice cream.... the kind made with eggs and cooked to make a custard before freezing. Personally, I much prefer something like this which is more of an "ice milk".

Butterfinger Ice Cream
Contributed to Simple & Delicious by Tammy Drost of Cheyenne, WY

1/2 gallon whole milk
1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
1 carton (16 oz.) frozen whipped topping, thawed
6 Butterfinger candy bars (2.1 oz. each) crushed

In a large bowl, whisk milk and condensed milk. Whisk in whipped topping until combined; stir in crushed candy bars.

Fill cylinder of ice cream freezer two-thirds full; freeze according to manufacturer's directions. Refrigerate remaining mixture until ready to freeze.

When ice cream is frozen, transfer to a freezer container; freeze for 2-4 hours before serving.

Beat the Reaper by Josh Bazell

This is the book I won in the June giveaway at Find Your Next Book Here. Jenners' review made it sound like a totally wild ride and now that I've read it, I'll definitely agree with that assessment!

First of all, a warning: this book contains LOTS of profanity! I found that rather off-putting. However, that would be my only complaint about the novel. Yes, it's filled with black humor, graphic "hospital" details and quite a bit of violence, but it all played into the storyline. Besides.... my family loves dark humor and neither my older daughter (an RN) nor my older brother (a pathologist) ever spared us gory details about their work. It makes for interesting dinner table conversation!

The story takes place over the space of one day. However, there are frequent flashback chapters that explain the "whys & wheres" of what's going on in the present. In a nutshell: Dr. Peter Brown (aka Pietro "Bearclaw" Brnwa) arrives for his shift at the hospital and inadvertently walks in on a patient who recognizes him from his former life (before Witness Protection) as a hit man for the Mafia. Before he can stop the chain of events from being put into motion, he's needed in another part of the hospital for an emergency. By the time that is handled, it's too late. The rest of the book is filled with a wild assortment of medical procedures, flashbacks and the effort to "beat the reaper" one last time.

Thanks again to Jenners for offering this as a giveaway. I thoroughly enjoyed it! I saw on IMDb that it's scheduled for the big screen in 2012. I don't have any details since I'm not a paid subscriber, but I did read the name "Leonardo DiCaprio" in relation to this somewhere else.

What Am I ? (#3)

1. My proteins are stored as a liquid, but almost instantly become a solid without clumps on request. Liquidity is achieved with a high salt content and low acidity. Only as the salt is reduced and the acidity increased do my proteins rapidly link together.

2. My draglines are three times stronger than the Kevlar in bulletproof vests.

3. The rings and spokes of my spirals are often coated with glue.

4. Despite only being a few microns thick, I can capture remarkable amounts of water (among other things!).

Have you figured out what I am from my clues? * Scroll down for the answer.





















I am spider web silk!


* Facts provided by the September 2010 issue of Discover Magazine.

Now that's hot!

Yellow Squash Muffins

With less than an hour until supper and a mess of squash on my counter last night, I did a quick search on the internet and found this recipe at Cooks.com. Although I cut the recipe in half, I used all of my squash (without measuring) and I ended up with a dozen muffins. They were quite tasty!

Yellow Squash Muffins

2 lb. yellow squash (about 8 med.)
2 eggs
1 c. butter, melted
1 c. sugar
3 c. all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. plus 2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt

Wash squash thoroughly, trim ends. Cut into 1 inch slices. Cook in small amount of boiling water 15 to 20 minutes until tender. Drain well, mash. Measure enough of the squash to make 2 cups.

Combine squash, eggs and butter. Stir well and set aside. Combine remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Make a well in center of mixture. Add squash mixture to dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened. Spoon into greased muffin pan, filling 3/4 full. Bake at 275 degrees for 20 minutes or until done. Makes 1 1/2 dozen.

A trio of recipes

Here are the recipes we tried over the weekend. Sorry I don't have photos of the first two.

Balsamic-Garlic Chicken Breasts
(Southern Living, July 2010)

4 (6-oz.) skinned and boned chicken breasts
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
2 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1-1/2 tsp. honey

1. Sprinkle chicken breasts with salt and pepper.

2. Melt butter with oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add chicken, and cook 6 to 7 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken, and keep warm.

3. Add chicken broth and next 4 ingredients to skillet, and cook 5 minutes or until slightly thickened, stirring to loosen particles from bottom of skillet. Serve chicken with sauce.


Creamy Spinach Noodle Toss
(Simple & Delicious - Josie Smith, Winamac, IN)

1-1/2 cups uncooked egg noodles
2 bacon strips, diced
2 tsp. finely chopped onion
6-1/2 tsp. all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp. salt-free seasoning blend
1/8 tsp. salt
Dash pepper
1-1/4 cups 2% milk
1 pkg. (9 oz.) fresh baby spinach
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook noodles according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook bacon and onion over medium heat until bacon is crisp. Using a slotted spoon, remove to paper towels to drain.

Stir the flour, seasoning blend, salt and pepper into drippings until blended; gradually add milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Add spinach, cook and stir until spinach is wilted.

Drain noodles; transfer to a serving bowl. Add spinach mixture and cheese; toss to combine. Sprinkle with bacon mixture.


Sour Cream Raisin Empanadas

One refrigerated pie crust

2 Tbsp. sour cream
2 Tbsp. golden raisins
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 Tbsp. sugar
melted butter

extra sugar

Cut pie crust into circles using a 3-in. cookie cutter and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. (approx. 13 to 14 circles) In a small bowl, combine sour cream, raisins, vanilla and sugar. Place a small amount of mixture into center of each pastry round. Gently fold over and seal with a fork.

Brush tops with melted butter then sprinkle with extra sugar. Bake at 425F for about 10 minutes.

2010 Cozy Mystery Challenge

I'm pleased to announce that I've completed the 2010 Cozy Mystery Challege ! Here are the six books I read and the links to my reviews:

Holly Blues by Susan Wittig Albert

Under the Cajun Moon by Mindy Starns Clark

Oolong Dead by Laura Childs

Death at La Fenice by Donna Leon

The Door by Mary Roberts Rinehard

Fallen Into the Pit by Ellis Peters

I love "cozy" mysteries, so this challenge was right up my alley. I bet I'll participate again next year if it's offered!

Sunday Stuff

Between Netflix and RedBox, we've had the opportunity to watch a good movie each of the past two nights. Totally different genres, I can't say which I enjoyed more. Friday night was Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief. Not what most would consider intelligent or thought-provoking, it was filled with fun, action-packed fantasy entertainment. Last night was Invictus. A wonderful "feel-good" movie with quality acting and directing (I love Clint Eastwood on either side of the camera!). Okay....so looking back I probably liked the latter best, but both were worth the time invested in watching.

During the past week our church hosted teams from OMP and sent off a group from our own congregation. This morning during worship the pastor asked all who travelled on the mission trip to stand and be recognized. Then, he asked that anyone who helped in any way with the group that came to our church to stand. Both groups were applauded. Although I helped prepare a meal one night I chose not to stand. This was in part because I hate drawing attention to myself in groups. However, I also have problems at times with the idea that we need to acknowledge every little thing folks do. Aren't we supposed to be doing it to glorify God and not to be recognized? Don't get me wrong..... I see no problem with letting the congregation know which kids (and adults) went on the trip and commending them for their service. However, I'm just not so sure about the second group. What do you think? Do I sound like a curmudgeon?

My younger daughter tried another recipe last week. She changed it around just a bit while preparing it. Although it was good, we've thought of a few additional changes that would make it better. It was submitted to Simple & Delicious by Audrey Arno of Enid, OK.

Tropical Pie

1 can (20 oz.) unsweetened crushed pineapple
2 medium firm bananas, cut into 1/4-in. slices
4 oz. fat-free cream cheese, softened
4 tsp. sugar substitute equivalent to 4 tsp. sugar
2 cups reduced-fat whipped topping, divided
1 reduced-fat graham cracker crust (9-in.)
4 maraschino cherries, halved
2 Tbsp. chopped walnuts, toasted

Drain pineapple, reserving juice. Place sliced banana in juice; set aside. In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar substitute and 1 Tbsp. reserved pineapple juice until smooth. Fold in 1/4 cup whipped topping.

Drain bananas. Arrange half of bananas in bottom of crust. Carefully spread with cream cheese mixture. Top with pineapple, remaining bananas and whipped topping. Garnish with cherries and walnuts. Refrigerate for 4 hours. Yield: 8 servings.