Category Archives: Food

National Blueberry Pancake Day! 

Posted in Food by

Last night, we talked about having blueberry pancakes. We opted for toast and scrambled eggs. 

This morning, I saw it was National Blueberry Pancake Day. And to think we almost celebrated a day early. 

We don't need no stinkin' syrup!

Sweet and delicious


Recipe:

  • 1 1/4 cups flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 Tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 1/4 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/2 Tablespoon butter, melted
  • 1/2 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)

Combine dry ingredients. Mix egg and milk. Once thoroughly mixed, add to dry ingredients. Add melted butter to mixture. Pour a 1/3 cup of batter to a hot skillet or griddle. Add some blueberries to  each pancake. If using frozen berries, make sure to pay the berries dry before using. 

May the Fourth

Posted in Family Fun, Food by

I will be the first to admit that growing up I was not a Star Wars fan. Despite writing a paper in the 10th grade (1995-ish) on the classic hero journey of Luke Skywalker, I didn’t watch any of the movies until 2007. Yes, I knew the main characters and the storyline, but I had no real drive to watch.

Don’t get me wrong, I love SciFi. I’ve seen almost every Star Trek episode, Battlestar Galactica and Doctor Who. I know every episode of Firefly by heart, and can recite every line of Serenity.

I was “forced” (ha) by a guy I was dating to actually sit and watch A New Hope. Now, this guy was a Han fanboy. Han Solo could do no wrong. (After we broke up, he got a cat who was called Han.) I actually wanted to sit and take in the Lucas masterpiece, to soak it in for the very first time, but could not enjoy it at all with Fanboy blabbering through the ENTIRE movie. When it was over he stared at me with wide eyes, waiting with baited breath for my reaction to the film. I mustered a “meh”. I wanted to say that I would have enjoyed it more if he would have just let me watch the movie!! I asked him to leave the movies with me (he had a box set, of course) and I would try again another time. And by another time, I meant as soon as he left.

Not five minutes after he walked out the door, I had queued the movie back to the beginning. I watched A New Hope, quickly followed by The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. The next day after classes, I watched A New Hope again with Zakary.

I enjoyed the films. I didn’t want to tell Fanboy how much I loved them. But I did.

That relationship with Fanboy didn’t work out, which is for the best, but my relationship with Star Wars has just deepened. I now have an amazing man in my life, who enjoys Star Wars in a much healthier way, and a quartet of boys who will indulge their parents in an occasional binge marathon.

I planned on making a cake to celebrate Star Wars day on May 4th. Nothing fancy, just a cake with a couple of lightsabers made with some sparkle sugar on top. But Andrew, our 4-year-old nerdling, wanted a Darth Vader cake, because Darth Vader is his favorite.

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I decided to make a Yoda cake to represent the Jedi.

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I let everyone choose a side (cake). According to which cake was chosen, we tend to a Dark Side kinda family. Take from that what you will.

Veteran’s Day

Posted in Family Tree, Food, Uncategorized by

I used to look cute in hats!

Today is Veteran’s Day in the US.

I come from a long line of military service members.  (Not unlike Lieutenant  Dan from Forrest Gump.) I’m not sure where that comment came from, but that’s the kind of day I have had.

Brief family tree lesson:

I was born in a Navy hospital in Virginia.  I participated in NJROTC in high school.

Both of my grandfathers served in WWII.

Both my mother’s brother and sister served in the Army.  My Uncle Dusty once told me that there was a secret door into Ft. Knox. I have a sneaky suspicion that he might have been joking around, but to this day I have never told another living soul the location of that hidden entrance.  My Aunt Sandy served in Alaska.  She unknowingly opened up my eyes to the amazing untouched vastness of the tundra, and a spirit of adventure that I never knew existed.

My bonus Papa is a retire Marine.

I can trace my paternal linage soldiers in the American Revolutionary and Civil Wars.

Further into the past, I can trace my branches to warriors in England and the Crusades, Vikings and Romans.

Chipped Beef Gravy

So in honor of all of the brave men and women who have served this country, I decided that we would have the mess hall favorite S.O.S for dinner. (S.O.S. stands for S#!T on a Shingle)

Some people call S.O.S. chipped beef gravy.

It’s a quick and easy comfort food, that doesn’t photograph well…

Ingredients:

  • one two ounce package of shaved beef
  • 1/4 cup of butter
  • 1/4 cup of flour
  • 2 teaspoons Onion Onion Seasoning
  • 1/8 teaspoon of freshly ground pepper
  • 2 cups milk

Directions:

  1. Remove beef from package and rinse.  (Rinsing will remove some of the salt used in the processing.  This is a fantastic job for a rambunctious almost 4 year old, if you happen to have one hanging around.)
  2. Cut beef in ribbons and set aside.
  3. Melt butter in pan over medium heat.
  4. Add Onion Onion Seasoning.
  5. Whisk in flour and freshly ground pepper.
  6. Slowly add the milk, mixing constantly.
  7. Gravy will thicken as you stir. Add beef ribbons and let simmer about five minutes.
  8. Serve over toast, biscuits or rolls.