Food Friday: Fleischperischkie

Aka: Meat buns

Ingredients

Dough

• 280 ml water
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1 tbsp margarine
• 3 c flour (I usually use 1 each of white, whole wheat, multigrain)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp yeast

Filling

• 500g ground beef
• 1/2 pkg onion soup mix
• 1 c mashed potatoes (2-3 potatoes, depending on size)
• 1 can mushroom soup

Directions

1. Prepare the dough. I have a bread machine so that is how I do it, and these quantities are just right for the machine. If you don't have a bread machine or prefer to work by hand, any white or whole wheat bread recipe will work, too. Just let the dough rise once. While the dough is rising, prepare the filling.
2. If you don't have left-over mashed potatoes on hand, boil two to three potatoes until soft and then mash them. You can just retain a bit of the potato water for mashing; since they won't be served on their own there's no need to add milk or butter.
3. Fry the ground beef in a frying pan until browned.
4. Add onion soup mix, mushroom soup, and mashed potatoes. Stir well.
5. Once dough has risen once, remove from bread machine or bowl. Knead lightly on a floured surface. Divide into about four sections for easy handling.
6. Cut a piece of dough about the size of a large egg. Flatten it out. Place 1 tsp of the ground beef mixture into the middle, then fold the dough over and pinch it shut. (You might need to dab the edges with water to help it to stick.)
7. Place on a baking sheet. When the sheet is full, cover with a tea towel and place in a warm spot to let the dough rise once more. (I often just put it in the oven with the oven light on.)
8. Let rise for about 20 minutes. Once the dough is puffy, bake at 350 degrees F for about 20 minutes or until golden.

These are nice in lunches, as after-school treats, or for a light Sunday afternoon meal served with pickles, cheese, fruit & veggies.

Mustang learns to sew

Back in early autumn, Mustang said she wanted to learn to sew. She’s 8 now (actually 8 1/2 as of last Friday!), so I figured she was old enough to learn to use the sewing machine. I think I was around 8 when I first started sewing.

I had bought a whole bunch of fabric for a variety of projects, including some short lengths of flannel for the kids to use as blankets for their stuffies. Owing to getting two of the (similar) fabrics mixed up at the cutting table, I’d ended up with 2m rather 0.5m of the flannel for Button’s stuffy blanket.

So for a first project I told Mustang she could make a two-sided blanket for her stuffies. We took the 0.5m of panda flannel she had selected and cut a 0.5m length from the extra piece of Button’s snowflake flannel. Put them good sides together and all she had to do was sew around the four edges, leaving a small opening to turn it inside out. We then ironed it out nicely and she sewed the opening shut. This didn’t take long, so at the end of the morning Mustang had a beautiful two-sided blanket for her stuffies!

Since then she hasn't done a lot of sewing, though several of the prezzie projects for friends have involved making a few seams which I have had her do.

One of the bigger projects for which I bought material back in September was to make a fleece outfit for each kid. I had her work with me in cutting out the material for her outfit. Since then the pieces have just been sitting there, as I've been busy working on other projects and the kids prezzie projects have taken priority. But now (finally!) the fleece outfits are next on the agenda - along with a set of jammies for me. We bought flannel for jammies for each of us, and while I sewed the kids' up first thing - Mustang's wearing her new jammies in the photos here - the cut pieces for mine have been sitting there, near the bottom of the priority list.

Hmm, maybe I'll see if Mustang might like to help sew them together!!

What’s up, doc…

Learning disabilities

I’ve been doing some reading on learning disabilities. No earth-shattering revelations as of yet (once you’ve read one book, a lot of the information is repeated in others). So far most books talk about what it is, how it’s diagnosed, how it affects kids (& adults). I’ve yet to find much on treatment or techniques for helping kids learn better. But the one I’m reading now has a few chapters on “treatment” and another one is designed for teachers working with kids with learning disabilities, so I have hope of finding a few ideas.

I also took out a video called “Bright kids, bad grades.” After watching it, I thought Mustang could benefit from watching it too so we did so on Sunday afternoon. She found it very interesting and I think it helped her to see she isn’t the only kid with these kinds of problems. I’ve also started reading her the story bits of a book that combines a story about a kid with LD with other information about LD. She’s finding it interesting too. One section where it describes the tests the school psychologist did with the boy, she got all excited because they were some of the same tests / games the psychologist did with her last Thursday.

Of course, a diagnosis has not yet been made, but I have few doubts. (If it doesn’t come back as an LD diagnosis I will be both perplexed and frustrated, because she simply isn’t learning the way she “should.”)

Work

It’s been pretty hectic for the last two weeks. I am discovering how much politics there is in how decisions as to government funding programs are made… and how that can interfere with the completion of processes designed to move the government agenda forward. Everyone wants/needs time to do their job properly, but the politics sometimes means decisions are delayed and then the resultant (approval) processes get rushed. Much of my current job is process-driven, which is not my favourite thing, but as long as there’s enough content-driven work, too, it’s not too bad.

Camera

As noted before, I’m desiring a digital camera. I would appreciate any suggestions as to a good but inexpensive model that fulfills the following criteria:

• lightweight and compact (but not excessively small);
• capable of close-focus (within appx 30 – 45cm of the object being photographed);
• capable of turning flash on or off as desired; taking photos on delay-release setting;
• does not need to be SLR, though that could be nice if it meets the size and price criteria;
• does not require a super-high pixel rating, but would like larger pixels for sharper/brighter images;
• some zoom capability (optical zoom preferred over digital zoom);
• price of under $250.
  

One month until Christmas

… and when we woke up this morning, a winter wonderland awaited us outside our doors, with a good 10 cm of snow blanketing the ground. (If I had a digital camera yet, I’d show you what it looks like…)

Mustang and Button are getting hepped up for the holidays. I took them shopping for each other’s Christmas present on Saturday – on my own! Not easy when they’re each looking for things and trying to hide them from the other. They shopped in different aisles of the store and once a selection had been made, we hid it in the shopping cart under their coat. Then at the checkout the one whose present was being paid for had to turn away and close his or her eyes… An observant fellow shopper, in line behind us, pointed out to the cashier that she should double-bag the items if they were to be hidden, as the bags were rather see-through.

Then on Sunday afternoon I did some shopping sans kids. When I returned home, I found a good half-dozen Christmas bags filled with prezzies hidden under the sewing table in the croft – prezzies for the stuffies, that is…

I have four days left to finish the first round of Christmas sewing projects. That’s because this year, instead of having a whole mountain of prezzies (I try to limit it, but it always seems to end up as a mountain) on Christmas day, we’re going to split things up into smaller, manageable quantities and give one or two (max three!!) prezzies each Sunday of Advent. Christmas day we will find the Christmas stockings and that’s it. Rather than presents, the focus of Christmas day will (I hope) shift to Christ’s birth and the fellowship of friends and family.

Magical Monday

First day of school (Grade 3 & SK)

(Okay, I know I'm only 2 1/2 months late!!)

Food Friday: Pumpkin Pickles

Ingredients

• 1 pumpkin (the larger the pumpkin the more pickles you will have!)
• cider vinegar
• sugar (2 ½ cups / 625ml for every 1 cup / 250ml of water)
• water
• whole cloves
• cinnamon sticks
• glass preserving jars with snap-top lids and rings (wide-mouth jars are the best but small-mouth will work too)

Directions

1. Peel pumpkin and cut into bite-sized chunks. Put into a large bucket and cover with cider vinegar. Soak for at least six hours.
2. Drain pumpkin shunks. (You can either discard the cider vinegar or save it for next year or for other usus.)
3. Combine 2½ cups (625ml) sugar for every 1 cup (250ml) of water to make the quantity of syrup you need. You’ll need about 1 to 1½ (250 – 375ml) syrup for every 1 litre jar of preserves (I think). (To know how many jars of preserves you can make, you can try filling a jar with the pumpkin chunks to see how many will fit in one jar, then do the math for the whole pumpkin.) Add about 1 tsp /5ml whole cloves and 1 cinnamon stick for every 4 cups / 1 litre syrup.
4. Bring syrup to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Boil for a couple of minutes. Add pumpkin chunks and stir until coated with syrup. (Add as many as will fit in the pot – you may have to repeat several times to use up all your pumpkin!)
5. While pumpkin cubes are cooking, sterilize your clean glass jars. I do this by boiling water in the kettle and pouring the boiling water into the glass jars and over the snap-top lids and rings.
6. Cook until pumpkin chunks are translucent and glossy. Do not overcook!!! They should still be crisp, not mushy.
7. Place your HOT sterilized jars on the counter. Ladle HOT pumpkin chunks with syrup into the jars until almost full. Place snap-top lid and rings on jar. Tighten rings slightly.
   As the pickles cool, you should hear the snap-top lids pop, indicating you have a good seal. If any jars do not seal, you can either reheat the jars and pumpkin, or put them in the fridge and eat that jar first.
8. Store jars of pumpkin pickles in a cool place. These do not have to sit before you can eat them, so enjoy a few right away!
   

Afternoon with friends

Right at the end of summer we met up with a couple of Ethiopian adoptive family friends (who couldn’t make it to the gathering a couple of weeks earlier). One of the families lives on a farm about an hour’s drive from the city and has all kinds of animals rescued from animal shelters. Since Mustang LOVES animals, I invited our family out to the farm. Finney made it a super fun afternoon by inviting SK and her gang of four, as well as Finney’s sister and her kids.

It was a gorgeous late August afternoon. We basked in the sun (and shade, when it got too hot).


The kids (and a few grown-ups) got a soccer game going in the yard. Everyone said Button was a pro – get your autographs now!!


Then there was the pond, complete with frogs…


After playing we had a lovely supper with Ethiopian food made by SK’s nanny.


Then the three of us headed over to Finney’s sister’s place, a short drive away, because she had HORSES!! Each of the kids took a turn riding the pony bareback (being led).

Busy on all fronts

It’s a busy week at work. For the first month after I got back I didn’t have a lot to do, but on Monday I got to work and discovered I had one week to complete a process (preparation of a document) that normally takes six weeks to do properly. So it’s been hectic. Today shouldn’t be too bad, but I expect I’ll be at work late tomorrow and probably Friday, too. Hope I won’t have to go in on the weekend.

The kids’ gymnastics is done, so that gives us one more night a week that’s “free.” Mustang still has horse riding lessons on Tuesdays for three more weeks, and Button has another two sessions of swimming lessons (Laolao or Loaye take him to these in mid-afternoon).

And just 11 days until Advent starts!! I started planning for Advent and Christmas at the beginning of October, when it still seemed so far away. But good thing I did! With a week and a half to go, there are still many preparations to be done – but it’s well in hand and all the prezzie projects are, if not done, then underway. Seeing as Advent stretches for almost four weeks, there is time yet to complete the projects and preparations that come up closer to Christmas. Mustang and Button have finished their prezzie projects for our friends and are over half done their big project for Laolao and Laoye. We spend an hour or two every Saturday morning up in the sewing room working on it. (I won’t say what it is because Laolao might be reading!! But after Christmas I’ll post pix of the various projects.)

On the church front, the Ten Thousand Villages sales are half over. We’ve been having a good year – the best first weekend we’ve ever had (by $10,000!!) and an equally good second weekend. Economic downturn? Not for these shoppers!! I’m helping with the Sunday School pageant, so am busy Sunday mornings leading kids’ rehearsals. Thankfully I have only one more Sunday that I have to teach Sunday School, which will give me more time for the pageant.

Button is adjusting to me being back at work. I’m sure it helps that Laolao and Laoye are here. The temper tantrums and sulks are much less frequent, making life easier for me and Mustang both.

So life just ticks along…

P.S. Tomorrow Mustang has her first appointment with the psychologist to complete the psycho-educational assessment. I'm hoping it goes well.

Local Ethio friends

A week after we got back from our summer holiday we met up with some of the local Ethiopian adoptive families. We took a short hike at a nice marshland, then had a picnic after. About four families made it out.

Here are a few shots of June*, who had just arrived from Ethiopia with her family about one week earlier!! (Or was it three weeks? Anyhow, not long…) She was doing just great.


*as usual, not her real name.

Magical Monday

The local bog, mid-August.

Food Friday: Rote baete blaede borscht

(In English: Red Beet Leaf Soup)

This borscht is similar to Laolao’s Best Borscht, but the use of smoked sausage as a base and the omission of the tomatoes (and use of beet leaves instead of cabbage) result in a distinct flavour for this version.

Ingredients

• 1kg farmer’s sausage (or other raw smoked sausage)
• a bunch of fresh dill (if you get some with the seedheads on it has great flavour)
• 2-3 red chii peppers (depending how hot you want it)
• ½ tsp black peppercorns
• 3-4 potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 large onion, peeled and chopped into large chunks
• leaves (greens & stems) from 4-5 beets, washed and coarsely chopped

Directions

1. Cut farmer’s sausage into bite-sized chunks. Place pieces in a large pot. Cover with water. Add dill, chili peppers and peppercorns. Cook 2-3 hours, until meat is cooked and broth is flavourful.
2. Add potatoes, onion and beet leaves. Cook until vegetables are tender (15-20 minutes).
3. Serve with sour cream in soup, and buns, cheese, & pumpkin or dill pickles on the side.

(Justice, I bet you just threw away the greens from the beets you added to last week’s borscht. Tsk, tsk. Now you know what to do with them as well!)

Happy Birthday, Laoye!

No, Laoye didn’t have eye surgery today. But it is his birthday!! Happy 73^rd, Laoye!

I was given firm instructions that there was to be no birthday party. Well, except for a family celebration. (Why would I plan a party? He’s only 73 – you need a significant year to rate a party!! Maybe in two years’ time I can catch him off guard…)

The picture is from our trip west this summer. Laoye had a wrinkled retina and the beginnings of a cataract. Both were fixed and he’s seeing fine again.

New sleeping arrangements

I have my bed back!!!!

And not just my bed, but my whole room!!

This is an instance of bad turning to good. It all started like this: About a week ago, we were heading to bed (a bit late) and Button – who has been sharing the bed with me pretty much since we got back from Ethiopia ten months ago - got ticked off about something I don’t recall. He went into the other (so-called “kids” bedroom), climbed up to the top bunk, and wouldn’t come down.

He fell asleep there; Mustang & I covered him with a blanket (not entirely necessary as he was almost buried in stuffies!) and left him there. He slept there all night. In the morning, I exclaimed over his spending the night there and commented, “Well, it is your bed after all.” He required an explanation. “That’s your bed” – pointing to the top bunk – “and Mustang’s bed goes here and she will sleep here” – pointing to where her bed is supposed to be.

He was excited and said he wanted to sleep in the top bunk all the time!!! So Mustang got into the action and exclaimed that we should move her bed there RIGHT AWAY and she would sleep on the bottom!!! They would have their OWN ROOM!!

Well, we didn’t move the bed right away, but seeing as she was still keen after school, we moved it after supper. They were both so excited it took them a while to get to bed, but both kids slept in their OWN beds in their OWN room ALL NIGHT!! And most (well, over half) of the nights since.

Miracles do happen.

Advent Calendar activities

I, like many people, have an Advent calendar for the kids. Ours was made by Laolao and features a small pocket for a small surprise to be opened each day from December 1st to 24th.

I’ve always felt an Advent calendar should start on the first Sunday of Advent. I suppose that would get complicated, as the number of Advent days would vary from 22 – if Christmas falls on a Monday – to 28 – if Christmas falls on a Sunday. This year the December 1st-24th convention is not far off, as the first Sunday of Advent falls on November 30th. But one of these years I may make my own calendar that takes into account the varying number of Advent days.

Finding 24 small surprises or gifts can get both complicated (to think of that many different things!) and expensive. But the surprise doesn’t always have to be a purchased gift. Last year, Grace posted a number of ideas for incorporating seasonal actvities as the surprises in an Advent calendar (and other ideas for non-purchased gifts). I was already thinking along similar lines and used some of her suggestions last year. This year I’ve done the same, and added some activities we like to do.

So my list this year includes things like:

• draw pictures and wrap gifts for our three overseas sponsored children (Ethiopia, China, Indonesia);
• make Christmas gift tags using cardstock and stickers;
• get our Christmas tree (we always go to a local tree farm to enjoy the fresh air, a horse (or tractor) & buggy ride, and some hot chocolate);
• make tree ornaments and popcorn & cranberry or paper chain garlands;
• decorate the Christmas tree;
• shop with Laolao for Mommy’s Christmas present;
• make our Advent banners (good for 3 or 4 days!);
• see the holiday lights downtown;
• take a moonlit walk on the night of the full moon (13 December this year);
• make cookies, nuts and bolts, a gingerbread house, etc (good for a few days’ activities);
• make chili one day for an Advent dinner with some friends;
• make invitations to a tea party;
• prepare treats for the tea party;
• host the tea party (see, you can make some things last!);
• go sledding;
• go for a country-side walk;
• special late-night movie night at home;
• a treasure hunt to find movie-night treats.

Not everything is an activity. We do have a few actual gifts, including things like these:

• an Advent bulb plant like an Amaryllis (thanks to Grace for this idea)
• a few little gifts purchased last winter in Ethiopia
• a few little gifts remaining from our trip to China almost four years ago!!
• a new Christmas movie
• some hair ties for Mustang, a little pouch for Button
• a Christmas story written by Mommy (presuming I can get it done in time…)

And when we make craft projects the craft supplies will be gifts, too!

Magical Monday

There is magic in pictures, isn’t there?? So rather than Wordless Wednesday, I will have a Magical Monday. (Seeing as I just can’t stand copying other people… haha.)

Summer Pirate Adventure

Food Friday - Laolao’s best borscht

Ingredients

• 2 or 3 pork hocks
• a bunch of fresh dill (if you get some with the seedheads on it has great flavour)
• 2-3 red chilli peppers
• ½ tsp black peppercorns
• 3-4 potatoes, peeled & cubed
• 1 large onion, peeled & chopped into chunks
• 1 small or ½ large head cabbage, cut into bite-size chunks
• 1 large can stewed tomatoes (or 3-4 fresh tomatoes, peeled)

Directions

1. Place the pork hocks into a large pot. Fill nearly to the top with water. Add dill, chilli peppers and peppercorns. Bring to a boill, then reduce heat and simmer for about 2 hours, until pork hocks are well done and soup is flavourful
2. Remove from heat. Remove pork hocks from broth. Separate meat from bones, skin and fat. Set the meat aside; discard the bones. (You can serve the skin and fat, with vinegar on the side, to anybody in your family who likes that kind of food. In our family, it’s Laoye, Laolao and Mustang. If your family has so such person, discard as well!!) Let broth cool until the fat has solidified on the surface. (You might need to put it in the fridge, or in another cold place, to accomplish this, if you're making it on a hot day - not that we'll many of those for a while!)
3. Skim fat off the surface and discard. Return meat to the broth. Add chopped onion, potato & cabbage. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are done (15-20 minutes).
4. Add tomatoes and heat thoroughly.
5. Serve with sour cream in the soup, and buns & cheese on the side.

I am going to try making “Food Friday” a regular item on this blog. To help keep my posting regular and all!!

(Sorry, Justice, this borscht has no beets!! You could probably add beets if you wanted, though it would change the flavour. But check back next Friday for something you can do with part of the beets!)

Best buddies united

I finally got my latest two rolls of film developed. Dating from early August (still out west) until late October.

Rather than deluge you with pictures now – and because who knows when I’ll get the next film(s) developed!! – I’m going to spread these out over the next several weeks. So you’ll be getting a bit of history mixed in with the current affairs.

As mentioned before, we visited a couple of Button’s Ethiopian friends during our summer holiday out west. I just got the film with our second visit developed, so here are a few pictures of our visit with Jay’s family.





Jay was Button’s bunkmate back at the Transition House, and one of his best friends, so I'd been planning a visit ever since I discovered jay was heading out west. The boys definitely recognized each other, but I was a little bit surprised that they didn’t start playing together right away – not quite the same “buzz” as when we visited Kenean’s family. It took a bit of an “easing in” time.

On the other hand, I wasn’t totally surprised as the boys hadn’t seen each other for seven months, which is a long time when you’re five years old. Jay joined his family in April or May, so he was still at an early stage of learning English and adjusting to his family. But he didn’t seem to be having any problems, and his mom said he was very eager to see Gutton again!

Ten Thousand Villages

Ten Thousand Villages is a fair-trade organisation that imports handicrafts made by artisans in the developing world to Canada and the U.S., and sells them here to people who appreciate the fine work and fair prices. The organisation is operated as an offshoot of Mennonite Central Committee. The handicrafts are sold in stores and at “Festival Sales.” Many of the people who work at both stores and sales do so as volunteers. This helps to keep prices low(er), and it also is in the spirit of fair trade and opportunity for those less fortunate than us.

Button, Mustang and I, as well as Laolao and Laoye, will all be volunteering at one of the Festival Sales this month. This is Mustang’s fourth Villages sale – by now she is an old hand!! It will be Button’s first, and we will see how capable he is (at age five) of actually helping during the sale. When Mustang was five, at her first sale, she helped on the floor for about an hour each time and then would go play with Laoye. Laoye will once again be on standby to take Button to play if he tires of the sale. But we shall see - Button tends to be a good worker most of the time, and if Mustang stays he may want to as well. Last year Mustang (then age seven) was a very good helper – she would flit from place to place, but the Organizers would find things for her (and other of the younger kids) to do, like fetching and carrying. Or she often saw things that needed doing and did them without needing to be asked!! (That never happens at home!) And she did well at modelling the jewellery and scarves… A good model can help to make sales! She may be able to help with some of the wrapping this year as well.

On 26 October we had a “set-up” day at which the kids both were troopers, carrying shelving up from the basement. Then last Wednesday they came and helped unload the supply truck , and on Saturday we all went and unpacked boxes. After an hour or so they got tired of unpacking things, but then helped set up the kitchen for lunch for the volunteer unpackers.

Children are very capable of helping in many ways and often keen to do so. I like to get my kids involved in Ten Thousand Villages as this is one way they can feel a part of the larger church community, learn work habits in a non-home, non-school context, and contribute to society. Even if they don’t realize it yet!!

So if any of you are still looking for beautiful hand-made items to round out your Christmas (or other) shopping list (or if you haven’t started yet!!), why don’t you come out to one of the 49 stores or numerous Festival Sales across Canada?

Fair trade items bought from Villages allow artisans in developing countries to provide food, healthcare, education and housing for their families. Your purchase makes a difference!

And if you live where we do, you can also visit our Festival Sale tea room. Take a break from shopping and enjoy a sandwich, a piece of cake or a cookie, a cup of tea or fair-trade coffee, and – on Saturday November 8th and 22nd – a bowl of homemade borscht! (If you’re lucky you’ll get some of Laolao’s best borscht ever… or one of the cookies Mustang or Button decorated!!

Christmas projects and November blues

While our Christmas will not be completely handmade, much of it will be. I have got the kids working on a few simple projects with fleece, making gifts for all our favourite friends as well as for Laolao and Laoye.. (Won’t say what the projects are, in case anyone is reading!!) I’m working on a few projects myself, with fleece and other fabrics. And some non-sewing projects, such as a calendar for the kids with pictures from our summer holiday, our time in Ethiopia, and home activities.

Speaking of Ethiopia, Hallowe’en was Button’s 10 month-iversary as part of the family. Things are starting to feel very comfortable and we are learning more and more each other’s foibles and how to manage emotions.

This morning Mustang did not want to get up. She doesn’t care for school, and Mondays are her worst days, she said. I said maybe later in the month she could have a “home day” when she can stay and work at home (reading, math, typing, etc.) She immediately jumped on the idea for TODAY!! Well, I said, it would depend on them (Button of course assumed that if it applied to Mustang it would apply to him, too) doing all their morning chores without multiple reminders, AND on whether Laolao agreed, as she’d have to spend some time with them. (Nanny is around, of course, but the kids would want to spend time with grandparents.) In the end, they did their chores pretty well but Laolao didn’t agree, saying they had lots of spunk and energy, why should they stay home?

Mustang took it well enough, but Button was quite upset and clingy to me. Again, I see that he wishes Mommy could stay home. (So do I.) Unfortunately there isn’t any real “spark” between the kids and Nanny. And today, even having Laolao and Laoye just weren’t quite “good enough.” Though when they arrived last week, he did tell Laolao he wished their house were glued to ours…

We resolved the situation by my taking them to the bus stop this morning again (Laolao and Laoye have been doing that since they got here) and we’ll aim for some special after-supper activity today. All will work out.