Long Lazy Weekends

In Melbourne, we are headed into a bit of a strange long weekend.  On Tuesday, the Melbourne Cup race is held, and the city takes the day off.  But what to do with Monday?  It's not officially a holiday, unless you have very wise and sensitive bosses.  In Our School, there is an acknowledgment that very few children are at school that Monday and we should just close.  Ahh the blessings of being independent of the State!

So....four long, glorious days of relaxing.  What should we do?

Sew

Read

Spend time with friends...nibbling on yummy things!

And whatever else may take your fancy!  I'm hoping like crazy that my new Nigella cookbooks arrive tomorrow morning so that I can spend an entire long weekend with them!

Chris Fabry & Glenn Williams talk Parenting, Drugs & Alcohol

Chris Fabry

Glenn Williams

I have just listened to a superb interview between author and radio host Chris Fabry and Glenn Williams, both of whom I have a deep respect for.

I have read Chris's adult fiction books for the purpose of reviewing them and recommended 'June Bug' as one of our book club selections for this year.  His writing is authentic and engaging and brimming with topics that are worthy of discussion.  I just heard his new book 'Almost Heaven' is nearly on bookshelves and I can't wait to read it.  Chris's personal story is incredible and the circumstances surrounding his family's health problems added weight and credibility to 'June Bug'.

Glenn has authored a couple of parenting books and has extensive experience in working with young people in all manner of circumstances from youth pastor to youth worker to psychologist.  He has recently stepped down as COO at Focus on the Family and is starting a consultancy firm that supports not-for-profit organisations.  He has been heard on Melbourne's Light FM over the past few years offering parenting advice, tips and encouragement. I recently reviewed Glenn's newest book "Talking Smack:  Who's talking to your kids about drugs and alcohol if you're not?".  I have recommended this book to all of the Year 8 parents in Our School as 'required reading'. 

This morning when I was checking out Glenn's blog, I noticed he'd tweeted about doing an interview with Chris about his book, "Talking Smack".  Of course, when you discover two men like this having a conversation, you need to check in and have a listen.  And so I did.  Glenn's interview with Chris can be found here.  You need to click on Hour 2 (on the right hand sidebar) and their conversation begins at around 11 minutes in, until the end.  So make sure you have some time!  If you have teens, I would encourage you to listen to this interview together.  If you have younger children, Glenn has some great insight and encouragement about talking to them about drugs and alcohol.

Thanks to Chris and Glenn for sharing your discussion with the wider world!

Review: 'Sarah's Christmas Miracle' by Mary Ellis

Rel is slowly catching up with my reviews...I'm going to have to speed up my reading to get ahead again!  My review for a Christmas novella, "Sarah's Christmas Miracle" by Mary Ellis has been posted here at Relz Reviewz.  If you're wanting to get you mind into Christmas mode, this is a nice quick read to get you started.

Tuesday's Menu Plan: Week Beginning Yesterday!

Yesterday happened in a bit of a blur, I think.  Well it must have, because I didn't get to think much, about sitting at a computer.  Indeed, by lunch time I felt like I'd worked a whole day and then some.  Such is the way of things when you work with children on the Autism Spectrum.  Last week it was one student's difficulties and this week it's another's.  At least they weren't challenging at the same time!

This week's menu is looking thus:

Monday:  Creamy bacon & mushroom pasta
Tuesday:  Meat Pies for the 'men', soup for me.  The girls will be elsewhere.
Wednesday:  Chicken wonton soup
Thursday:  Chicken coq au vin (from the freezer), rice.  Me...out at a work function
Friday:  Sloppy Joe's, salad if we're lucky
Saturday:  Honey soy chicken, rice, stir fried vegies
Sunday:  Roast chicken, vegies

I feel like this week is going to be completely flat out with a couple of evenings out and the anticipation that surrounds the arrival of a new toy for me.

Recipe: Red Roast Salad

 

Yet another weekend of fellowshipping has swept us along.  One planned event, one not.  Both equally enjoyable.

On Saturday evening we had to take a salad to share at a BBQ that was some part birthday celebration and some part end-of-building-the-deck celebration, with friends.  I was uninspired when I did the grocery shopping and reluctant to purchase the myriad of salad items I might've needed to create something, once the day arrived.  I ended up buying just a few things and created a salad that thrilled me even though the kids were unexcited.  What evolved became a Red Roast Salad.

Red Roasted Salad

1 red capsicum

lots of tomatoes

kalamata olives

capricosa mozzarella cheese

fresh basil leaves

olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 180C/350F.  I used a combination of roma tomatoes and mini roma tomatoes.  Slice the large tomatoes lengthwise into quarters and the mini ones in half (lengthwise).  Sprinkle with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, sugar, salt and dried thyme.  Bake for about an hour.
2. Slice the 'cheeks' off the red capsicum and lay it skin-side up under a griller at full heat.  Allow the capsicum skin to blacken.  Remove to a plate and cover with glad wrap.  After about 10 minutes, or when you can handle the flesh, remove the charred skins.
3. Slice the capsicum into strips.
4. Slice the capricosa mozzarella cheese (a paler version of mozzarella).
5. Slice the olives in half lengthwise.
6. Layer the tomatoes, capsicum, cheese and olives with basil leaves that are torn by hand.  Once all the ingredients are all in the bowl, splash a little extra virgin olive oil over the top.

I realise the quantities are a bit vague.  I had an oven tray filled with tomatoes and the one capsicum was enough to go with them.  I used enough olives to scatter throughout without overdoing it.

The salad was completely delicious, filled with lots of my favourite things and indulging my preference for cooked vegetables.  Even a salad can be everything you love, no matter the season. 

Cooking on the Run

 

Fresh Corn Salad ~ photo from foodnetwork.com

You know how some days you can be completely undone by the frenzied busyness, and other days it's somewhat exhilarating?   Yesterday, for me, was the exhilarating version.  Possibly because it began with a few quiet hours at home.

We had our Junior Primary concert last night, which was absolutely delightful.  They are so gorgeous ~ I just know I'm going to cry buckets when that group graduate Year 12!!!!  In between the end of school and 6.15pm, when Miss Mischief had to be there, we had a doctor's appointment to attend (1/2 hour trip each way) and dinner to prepare and eat with friends whom I picked up on my way back.  I had thought fish and chips might be the go....but even that takes time when you have seconds to spare instead of minutes!

In the end I decided upon making dinner.  Around lunch time I realised that I could make salads ahead and set the oven to cook while I was gone.  It was such a beautiful warm day yesterday that fish and chips seemed like a travesty!  Fresh, delicious salads were definitely required.  Especially when I found fresh ears of corn for 20c each in Woolworths!!!!  20c, can you imagine?!

So here's what we ate:

Rosemary and Lemon Chicken Pieces:  I laid chicken drumsticks in a glass roasting dish and splashed a bit of extra virgin olive oil over it.  Then I snipped in some fresh rosemary leaves and some grated lemon rind.  I set the oven to cook those for an hour.

Potato Salad:  Unpeeled potato chunks were cooked until just tender.  The dressing was whole-egg mayonnaise, dijon mustard and fresh chives snipped in.  I thinned it a little with some milk.  Combine the lot in a pretty bowl and refrigerate for later.

Salad Platter:  Chopped up tomatoes, carrot sticks and cheese sticks, with stuffed green olives for the Mum's.  This I prepared in the five minutes of cooking time (the chicken) that remained when we arrived home.

Fresh Corn Salad:  This salad was introduced to us by my SIL when we were in the US.  Oh.  My.  Goodness.  What a salad!  Simple, oh so easy and a balm to the hearts of my corn-loving family.  The recipe is from the Barefoot Countessa and you will find it here.  I prefer it with a small change.  We found the red onions a little overpowering, so this time I made it with spring onions instead.  Perfect.  I suspect that in a pinch you could even used tinned corn.  However, I highly recommend the fresh version ~ it's really not that much more effort than opening a can.  This too was done at lunch time and set in the fridge for later.

The kids have decided I need to use the automatic function on the oven more often.  I decided that as soon as you remove yourself a little from the effort of cooking, that the meal tastes so much better.  Usually the meal someone else cooks tastes so much better, but last night's meal was pretty darn good.  Even if I do say so myself.  And I suspect a little smugness at being so organised added to the flavour.

Conversatiions with Mr Busy

Mr Busy has always been an entirely entertaining little character to live with.  When he's not around, he leaves a void and quiet somberness is all that remains.  Don't get me wrong ~ I long for that quiet on many days.  But I also miss the laughter he leaves in his wake.

At Home:
Mr Busy:  What's for dinner?
Me:  Corn soup.
Mr Busy:  Nigella's corn soup with the corn chip things on top?
Me:  Yep.
Mr Busy:  YES!!!! (hands raised like he'd won Bathurst)

At School:
Mr Busy:  Mum, I don't understand.  Can you help me?
Me:  Sure, what's the problem?
Mr Busy and I then go back and forth between his lack of understanding and me helping him figure out what to do.
Repeat about 20 times in 20 minutes!
Me:  Go and stalk someone else, I'm trying to help other kids too, you know!
Mr Busy:  gives me a hug and a kiss and hops off to visit his teacher.

It seems I've educated him very well at home....at school we've a long way to go!