Hounds In The Kitchen » Lil

Travelin’ Hounds

Rachel — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 13:41:38 +0000

Looking for a recipe today? I shared my mother’s Tuna Noodle Casserole with the Columbus Dispatch for their article about potato chip toppings.

After a long draught of travel, this spring is shaping up to be a flood of trips. Check out our itinerary:

February 2 – Cleveland – Fresh Street Pop-up

February 10-11 – Cincinnati – Winter BeerFest and 5Bs Conference

February 18-19 – Granville – OEFFA Conference

end of February – San Salvador Island – Vacation with Alex’s family

March 9-11 – Indianapolis – Big Ten Basketball Championships with my family

mid March – India – tentative business trip for Alex. Lil and I will stay home but may make a few local trips on our own during part of this time.

early April – Harrisburg PA and surrounds – business trip for Alex with Lil and I coming along

mid June – Big Island, Hawaii - Vacation with my family

late July – France – tentative business trip for Alex. If it happens, Lil, my sister Megan, and I will go along.

It’s entirely possible that in the next six months Lil will end up with two new passport stamps and dozens of hotel stays. She will be thrilled.

I am excited too. Seeing the world always gives me new perspectives on life, lots of photo opportunities, and plenty to share with you all.

The beasts will be well taken care of at home thanks to my sisters and neighbors.

I am sure there will be bumps along the way and in all likelihood some trips will be changed or put off to other dates. Rolling with the punches is part of the life lessons included in travel.

Are you looking forward to any trips?

Many links in this post go to my inspiration boards on Pinterest. The thought that I could use pins to track places I want to visit rekindled my participation in this social network. Feel free to follow me there and share your name so I can follow you.

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Travelin’ Hounds is a post from Hounds In The Kitchen.
If you like what you read, please consider supporting us with a donation or visit the Hounds in the Kitchen shop for ebooks and favorite tools. Thanks!

Unschooling Unexpected Benefits and Challenges {Friday Five}

Rachel — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 22:05:56 +0000

We jumped into unschooling without many expectations. Self-education is still an experiment in which we are all learning how to support each other.

As the primary educator, I’ve been surprised to find the following challenges:

Money – I want to do more than we can reasonably afford. I want to travel more, take more classes, and buy more supplies. We carefully select what experiences are the most appealing and invest in those.
Time management – I don’t mean in the ‘we don’t have enough time’ but the ‘what the hell do I do now’ sense of the word management. I am a planner but Lil and Alex are not. They have no trouble filling free time with games, reading, and entertainment but I am often at a loss. We’re working on the right balance to please us all.
Difficult subjects – We are not tracking Lil’s learning per se but I do note where there are gaps and try to incorporate more teachable moments into our life around difficult subjects. For instance, math facts don’t come naturally to Lil. Whether we incorporate addition and subtraction into games, everyday life, or written work, she feels frustrated and wants to give up. I don’t believe that coercing a kid ever results in true learning so we just bear on with sneaking practice in where we can.
News – Goodness I miss listening to NPR news. Now that Lil listens too, I usually have to turn it off. Answering her multitude of questions, ‘who died?’ and ‘what’s rape?’ and ‘why will Texas kill him?’ and ‘the United States army?’, is too hard on us both.
Me time – Of course, lack of time to myself wasn’t unexpected. But until it actually happened, me going for weeks without an hour at home without another person in the house, I didn’t realize how I would feel. I have had to shift patterns in my life because I now almost never have uninterrupted time to write, pay bills, or just think. Strangely the lack of quiet time makes me crave my family more because it just seems too quiet and I am too lost without them.

And of course, there are unexpected benefits:

Stretchy pants wearing – There isn’t much need to dress for class when you teach from morning through the night. I do typically change into public-friendly clothes once a day but I admit to wearing pajama or yoga pants an awful lot of the time.
Educator discounts – Retailers from JoAnn’s to Barnes & Noble to World Market give teachers discounts. This list includes 66 discounts (hat tip Cbus Mom) and I’m sure there are more. Most allow home educators to partake. I appreciate the generousity because homeschooling is an expensive proposition, see number 1 above.
Sleeping in – Lil is the best daughter in the whole world because she loves a late wake up as much as Alex and I do. Seriously, most days we are all asleep past 9 am. We are so NOT morning people that now I wonder if we could ever get her to school before the first bell.
Noticing leaps in understanding – This week something ‘clicked’ and Lil suddenly understood how to read music note rhythm. This isn’t something I taught her because she has resisted my instruction. Suddenly she wanted to learn and BOOM! she was clapping rhythms like a Suzuki champion. I don’t know if I would notice Lil’s progress so distinctly if she were in school.
Support of family – Initially I felt like homeschooling was going to be ‘my’ thing. A truly delightful surprise is that Alex, both sets of parents, and all Lil’s aunts and uncles are taking a role in educating her. They give her learning supplies, experiences, and support in ways that I could not have imagined when we started this year. Thank you, family, for sustaining us both.

Any other unschoolers want to add their benefits and challenges?

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Unschooling Unexpected Benefits and Challenges {Friday Five} is a post from Hounds In The Kitchen.
If you like what you read, please consider supporting us with a donation or visit the Hounds in the Kitchen shop for ebooks and favorite tools. Thanks!

Fizzy Water with SodaStream

Rachel — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 14:27:41 +0000

Remember when I had a SodaStream on my holiday wish list? I put it on there because when I have sinus pain and pressure, nothing is more delightful to drink than some sparkling water. But I have always hated the packaging waste of bottles of water.

My friend Faith saw my list and said “Why don’t you just ask Soda Stream for one? They are promoting them with bloggers.” Duh.

I asked and amazingly the company quickly sent out a SodaStream unit and a selection of their SodaMix flavor syrups.

I spent five minutes setting it up and then had my first drink. I giggled. Fizzy water from a machine right in my kitchen!

How It Works

Lil doesn’t care for sparkling water or sodas but she loves to use the SodaStream. Here’s a quick video of how it works:

Flavorings

SodaStream produces an array of flavoring syrups called SodaMix including common soda knock-offs, a line of all natural (i.e. sweetened with cane sugar) selections, and no-cal flavored water. We found the taste of the flavors to be satisfying when we were looking for a shot of sugar.

The carbonation unit can only handle plain water, so to use the SodaMix syrups you have to pour it in after adding the bubbles. Each package comes with a measuring unit to fill the entire 1 liter bottle.

We found that we prefer to measure a bit of syrup into a glass and then pour soda water on top. We just don’t drink enough sweet drinks to go through a whole liter before it de-carbonates.

Other Uses

Honestly, I prefer the un-flavored fizzy water. Sometimes I enjoy a glass with a twist of citrus or splash of lime juice. Sparkling water makes for a great no-calorie drink.

And of course we also use the sparkle to make cocktails. Limoncello over ice topped with soda water is the most refreshing thing in the world. We top whiskey sours with soda water and mix cranberry liqueur with bubbles. Once our store bought tonic water runs out, I will experiment with making my own tonic syrup so that summer gin and tonics will have a lower environmental footprint.

Is It For You?

The basic SodaStream costs around $100. CO2 cartridges cost $30 for a new cartridge or $20 for a refill. As each cartridge lasts for about 60 liters, the cost of bubbles per 12-ounce glass is $0.12.

It’s hard to adjust for the amortization of the initial $100 investment for the machine because I don’t know how long it will last. The unit is simple with few moving parts so I expect it to withstand many refills.

We typically pay about 60 cents for a 12-ounce can or bottle of club soda. Even if the unit only lasts through two refills, the SodaStream will beat the price of store-bought club soda AND eliminate recycling or reusing the cans/bottles. Plus, there’s no denying that pressing the button and buzzing the water full of air bubbles is fun!

Disclosure: SodaStream provided me with a Genesis Soda Maker, Sodamix Variety 12-Pack, and a half dozen bottles of SodaMix syrups. My opinions remain my own.

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Fizzy Water with SodaStream is a post from Hounds In The Kitchen.
If you like what you read, please consider supporting us with a donation or visit the Hounds in the Kitchen shop for ebooks and favorite tools. Thanks!

Confessions {Friday Five}

Rachel — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 16:05:27 +0000

1. I like to make jam but I rarely eat it.

2. Same with pickles. Hence, my pantry is overabundant and I give many jarred gifts.

3. I failed at worm composting last year. I so don’t like squishy creatures that I hated tending the box and turned the wigglers lose in my compost bin in the summer. I am keeping my awesome One20 Farm composter with the hopes that someday I’ll get over my fear or convince Lil to tend worms for me.

4. I don’t like the way I look on tv or in pictures. Thankfully this video segment on local news about moms who blog with Mikaela Hunt included beauties Amy Turn Sharp, Diane Davis Lang, Susie Owens, and Wendy Hondroulis to counter my awkwardness.

5. Alex is a better cook than I. He makes sauces, garnishes dishes and attempts recipes that I simply do not take time for.

6. (Bonus because I had to share the picture!) I take unwarranted pleasure in bathing the little dog. She hates it but Lil and I smirk as we wash her filthy body.

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Confessions {Friday Five} is a post from Hounds In The Kitchen.
If you like what you read, please consider supporting us with a donation or visit the Hounds in the Kitchen shop for ebooks and favorite tools. Thanks!

Homeschool Report Card Fall 2011

Rachel — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 17:43:15 +0000

One of my favorite tasks when I taught at the Jewish day school was grading and writing report cards. It has to do with my judgmental nature, I think. Of course I delighted in making this report of our first official quarter homeschooling.

Dates: August 2011 – December 2011

Achievements:
Reading fluency
Writing complete sentences
Spelling creatively but understandably
Basic addition fluency
Counting coins
Butterfly life cycle
Plant bulb life cycle
Basic anatomy and dissection principles
Acids and bases exploration
Weight, distance, and volume measurement
Basic American revolutionary war history
Natural and Ohio history
Finger knitting
Hand sewing
Digital photography
Water color painting
Making lardo and many other meals
Literature – Thanksgiving picture books, Winter holiday picture books, Bone series, Saving the Griffin

Classes:
Weekly Creative Movement class
Weekly African studies
Culture of Japan class (6 weeks)
Homeschool gym (6 weeks)

Field Trips:
Ohio Historical Society
Franklin Park Conservatory
Columbus Museum of Art
Columbus Zoo
The Wilds
Urbana, Ohio – Johnny Appleseed Museum, Freshwater Fish Farm, Cedar Bog
Serpent Mound and Murphin Ridge Inn in Southern Ohio
Laura Ingalls Wilder Play
Cuyahoga Valley National Park
Nutcracker School Program
Lawrence Orchards
Branstool Peach Orchard
Apple Hill Orchard

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Homeschool Report Card Fall 2011 is a post from Hounds In The Kitchen.
If you like what you read, please consider supporting us with a donation or visit the Hounds in the Kitchen shop for ebooks and favorite tools. Thanks!

A Six Year Old Makes Lardo & Rat Creature Quiche {Charcutepalooza}

Rachel — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 13:00:00 +0000

The eleventh Charcutepalooza challenge is curing. Alex and I have cured and dried many meats including saucisson sec, fermented chorizo, and coppa.

I asked my daughter Lillian to complete this challenge with me. She’s been around hanging meat for most of her life. Curing requires minimal skill and can be left for days at a time, perfect for the distractable mind of a six year old. Watch how Lil cures lardo:

While the lardo cured and dried, our family began reading Columbus-native Jeff Smith’s iconic juvenile comic series Bone. One character in the book, an adversarial rat creature, is so mesmerized by quiche that he wants to cook the protagonist Bones into quiche, dreams about quiche, and even argues so adamantly about quiche that the Bones repeatedly escape capture. For the rest of the series, the Bones call the quiche-loving, negligent soldiers ‘stupid, stupid rat creatures’.

As Lil says in the video, she doesn’t like lardo raw but loves it cooked like bacon. We cooked some salted, dried back fat into a quiche that a Lil’ rat creature might like – no green stuff or spice. We arranged a few strips of lardo into a star pattern on the center, another recurring theme in Bone.

Alas, our lardo-making daughter did not like the quiche. Alex and I, however, think the the stupid rat creatures were right on: quiche is a great way to enjoy cured meat.

Stupid Rat Creature Quiche
Makes: 6
Time: 20 minutes preparation, 40-50 minutes baking

4 ounces lardo, diced, plus several slices for garnish if desired
5 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup whole milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
10 grinds fresh black pepper
1 cup shredded cheddar
single pie crust (my recipe here)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Cook lardo in a skillet until lightly browned, drain fat.
3. In a mixing bowl, beat together eggs, milk, salt and pepper.
4. Line a 9-inch quiche or pie pan with crust. Tuck under edges and finish with a fork or fingers.
5. Scatter lardo and cheese on the bottom of the crust.
6. Pour egg mix over the top.
7. Bake in oven for 40-50 minutes or until top is browned.
8. Cut into six slices and serve.

This post is a part of the year-long Charcutepalooza challenge. Read below for our other meat-curing adventures and reflections.

Modern Mistletoe: Meat, Marriage, & Duck Prosciutto Pizza
Waste Not, Want Not Squirrel Rillettes
English Pork Pie Photojournal
Almost All-Ohio Mouselline
How to Make Hot Dogs Like a Girl
Mint Lamb Sausage Inspired by Jorgensen Farms
Taco Truck Chorizo Sopito
Red’s Canadian Bacon or Why I Had to Kill a Pig To Eat Meat Again
The Story of the Rachel
Salt Cure Old and New
Cider Syrup Bacon

Added to Simple Lives Thursday.

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A Six Year Old Makes Lardo & Rat Creature Quiche {Charcutepalooza} is a post from Hounds In The Kitchen.
If you like what you read, please consider supporting us with a donation or visit the Hounds in the Kitchen shop for ebooks and favorite tools. Thanks!

Cracking Nuts aka Entertainment in a Snack {Wordless Wednesday}

Rachel — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 14:00:00 +0000

This, my friends, is how Lil occupies much of her time these days: cracking nuts in shells. The only downside is the pile of sharp fragments, some of which inevitably fly across the room and end up on the floor waiting for a bare foot to poke. Sweeping up is a small price to pay for the hours of entertainment, fine motor development, and nutritious snacking.

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Cracking Nuts aka Entertainment in a Snack {Wordless Wednesday} is a post from Hounds In The Kitchen.
If you like what you read, please consider supporting us with a donation or visit the Hounds in the Kitchen shop for ebooks and favorite tools. Thanks!

Jar Jack-o-lanterns

Rachel — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 12:52:58 +0000

When I saw this idea combining three of my favorite things (canning jars, pumpkins, and Halloween), I knew we had to make jar jack-o-lanterns.

I dug out a stash of not-acceptable-for-canning jars (ones without a brand name) and our acrylic paints.

Lil, her friend, and I each painted three jars in shades of orange. The girls played while I painted the top black and let them dry. About an hour later, we painted black faces over the orange.

Lil lined up our jar jack-o-lanterns as the sun set. Tea light candles brought the scary and sweet faces to life.

I love the rustic look and can’t wait to light our homemade luminaries on Beggar’s Night!

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Jar Jack-o-lanterns is a post from Hounds In The Kitchen.
If you like what you read, please consider supporting us with a donation or visit the Hounds in the Kitchen shop for ebooks and favorite tools. Thanks!

Lil is Six!

Rachel — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 02:31:49 +0000

Lil’s kitty cat cake was made by my sister Heather of Taysetee Pastry. Lil’s birthday marks two weeks until my birthday, yippee!

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Lil is Six! is a post from Hounds In The Kitchen.
If you like what you read, please consider supporting us with a donation or visit the Hounds in the Kitchen shop for ebooks and favorite tools. Thanks!

Meal Plan September 19, 2011

Rachel — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 14:00:02 +0000

Ingredients and Inspiration:

We are trying to return to a normal routine after several weeks with lots of events.
Our garden is winding down with only a few tomatoes and peppers left.
I unearthed some old homemade chorizo in the freezer that needs to be used.
Lil’s birthday is this weekend!

Monday – chorizo mulitas, curtido

Tuesday – from-the-garden Johnny Marzetti (food blogger roundup on this Columbus classic coming Wednesday), steamed garden green beans

Wednesday – broccoli and purple potato frittata

Thursday – Tuscan kale and bean soup

Friday – pool and pizza birthday party for Lil’s friend

Saturday – Lil’s birthday dinner at Sushi Ting. I asked what she wanted and predictably she answered “salmon sashimi”.

Sunday – Lil’s 6th birthday! Party with Taysetee Pastry cake, followed by barbecue dinner at my parents’.

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Meal Plan September 19, 2011 is a post from Hounds In The Kitchen.
If you like what you read, please consider supporting us with a donation or visit the Hounds in the Kitchen shop for ebooks and favorite tools. Thanks!