Thought you might enjoy a few snippets of our local news - these things have all happened in just the past week, sometimes I feel like I'm living in the Twilight Zone...
- Bear in a Tree - this might not be strange in other places, but this was near an elementary school just off Atlantic Ave, at the oceanfront! Yep, a few sightings of a black bear down on the resort strip I think were written off to people that were just a little off their rocker maybe, but the next evening it was spotted by 2 police officers, and it was a pretty large specimen. Poor bear was up in a tree surrounded by news crews and someone from PETA dressed in a bear suit and they shot him up with tranquilizers and put a trampoline under him. Problem was, he didn't fall out of the tree. They proceeded to cut branches down until they got him and he was later released into the wild, probably the Blue Ridge mts or the Dismal Swamp. No clue how he arrived here, I guess he wanted to go on holiday like all the other tourists.
- Overturned semi carrying..... blood & plasma?!! Ummm, ew! That was yesterday morning's news during rush hour. Of all things to be called out to, can you imagine the hazmat crew getting that call? What are the chances?!
- School Superintendent apologizes to parents: This one's a doozy - A 2nd grade teacher was teaching a lesson in civil rights the other day and decided that it was a good idea to separate the students into groups, African American and caucasian... then proceeded to "have an auction".... WHAT???!!
Just a few things that cause me to shake my head in disbelief on a daily basis!
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On to the strange food... some of you may know I've been trying to cook more one-pot meals, in part because I can get them going in the morning in the crock pot, freeing up my afternoon time when it's warm out and I want to be in the garden, but also because I am trying to always have leftovers to freeze for quick healthy dinners or lunches for hubby to take to work. At the same time I have been trying out new recipes, adding new veggies, and trying to use more whole grains and less meat. (don't get me wrong though, I will never become a vegetarian!) I really want to learn how to cook lots of different dishes using these ingredients because they are so easily stored, inexpensive, and very nutritious. Jane of 'Hard Work Homestead' and Mama Pea of 'A Homegrown Journal' have been pretty influential in my newly rediscovered love of cooking and trying to get more wholesome grains and such into it and Thomas of 'A Growing Tradition' has inspired me to keep trying on my bread until I get it right!
It's been a daily struggle with the kids peppered with the occasional bright spot... take a look!
This dish was called "Peasant Stew", it is basically chicken pieces cooked in a slow cooker seasoned cumin and pepper, stewed with our canned tomatoes, chiles, beans and cilantro. We topped it with sour cream and more cilantro and it was fabulous! Mine and hubby's opinions, of course. The kids started out whining, but they actually ate this one after bribing them, and said they ended up liking it. But why, oh why do they always have to whine first?!
Finn finally liking it below...
Another night was a meatless dish to serve up on tortillas like burritos. Also, turned out very tasty except I overcooked the barley in the slow cooker. This one doesn't need to be started until about 3-4 hours before dinner, not all day - oops! It has pearled barley, black beans, corn, canned diced tomatoes, green chiles, cilantro, cumin and a few types of peppers.
I pretty much got "Worst Mom of the Year" award for this one!
Hubby and I liked it, of course:)
Listen in on their hate and discontent, love how hubby literally pitches it onto their plate in his frustration with their whining LOL...
whole grains and beans, hmmmmph!
"The beatings will continue until morale improves!"
I dont know, I think you should give into your Husband and let him get the sun oven. You can put your one dish meal in there and think of the electric you will save. You can have it cooking outside with you, plus it is very hard to over cook things. And they have a new one out that folds up like a briefcase, so less storage room. Your going to block my comments, arn't you ;)
ReplyDeleteJane, ENABLER! LOL...
ReplyDeleteHah! Reminds me of some dinners here, except DH & DS are too old for me to Impose My Will on them :( I can't tell you how many meals I've ended up eating all by myself over a period of days!
ReplyDeleteI tried a recipe for refried black beans (from the Food Matters cookbook) - my son looked at me and said "You do realize what this (pan of brown/grey mush) looks like, don't you?" Another full recipe I get to eat by myself. Couldn't even get them to taste it, and they're usually pretty good about at least *trying* new things!
Oh the memories. Wait that still happens here and my kids are teens. UGH!!!!!!!! Maybe I should video them and put them on Facebook. Hahaha. At least now when they try new food they don't throw up all over the table like they used to. Good luck with the new foods.
ReplyDeleteMr. Granny still throws tantrums, just lake that.
ReplyDeleteAlison, I am lucky (maybe?) that my husband will eat ANYTHING... literally! They must really feed him some goo on the ship because I never have to worry about the leftovers. Or maybe he's just bringing them to work and they are all laughing at my expense? :)
ReplyDelete**
Peggi, oh no! Is there no relief in sight LOL? Did you catch that when hubby said "mommy's going to put you on the blog" on the video? Still didn't work apparently!
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Gran, Mr. Granny is just having fun keeping you on your toes! Look, I'm trying your asterisk separators :)
Yes, yes, yes. You MUST get a solar oven (now you can block both of us...) I am really thinking of doing it myself and we only get a fraction of your sunlight! Why is it that they can sound like you're trying to poison them? I guess that is why I love my dogs. They would gladly 'share' my dinner - whatever it is.
ReplyDeleteLOL! Loved the whining video. I have a daughter who doesn't eat fruit. Yup no fruit at all but she'll east vegetables as long as they aren't mixed in with anything else. It's an on going battle. On the good side is the son who pretty much eats anything and everything so at least I know it's not because of our parenting that the daughter is such a picky eater.
ReplyDeleteMe I'll eat most foods and if you throw cheese on it heck I'll have seconds.
No, no, Erin. You must use eight asterisks, or you are not truly OCD! Well, I guess if you consistently use two, you can be considered OCD, just not over the top OCD like Gran ;-)
ReplyDeleteThat looked like a scene from my house... My girls look like they are on archeological digs going through their food sometimes... At least you hubby will fix whatever you cook, mine is almost as picky as the kids. And I wonder where they get it from...
ReplyDeleteOh my heck! You mean your kids are not perfect> Drat I though it was only at my house. You are brave. I say make them try it then if they do not like it ok. I make my kiddos try stuff and I am amazed at how often they like it.
ReplyDeleteGood luck and thanks for the giggle.
Melissa
A bear in a tree would be a nonissue here. I've seen so many bears in trees I kind of think of them like really big squirrels.
ReplyDeleteI
ReplyDeleteFeel
SOOOOO
MUCH
BETTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Gawd, it happens in other people's houses, too!? We're not dysfunctional? We're, dare I say it,....Normal? Be still my beating heart.
Hahaha. Kids are so goofy.
ReplyDeleteYour two guys are just too cute for words. How do you keep from LOL? or do you?
ReplyDeleteToo cute! My two would go from hating something one week to loving it the next. I could never keep up with what they liked or didn't like. They did grow up to like everything though. My grandson will try and eat just about everything...I'm sure that will change as the years go by.
ReplyDeleteI love it when you post those videos! Cracks me up! Yes, hubby slapping it down with authority!
ReplyDeleteMy Dad always said "Eat it or Wear it!" Gee, bet no one ever heard THAT before!