Concept Cooking

I like reading recipes & watching others cook. But what I really love, is experimenting. Downside to that is doing something spectacular, and then trying to remember all the ingredients that went into that unique, one-of-a-kind batch. Sometimes NEVER to be recreated. I've tried to be better at documenting successful meals.

If you understand the concept behind a recipe--or the necessary elements, you can play! It is a little like understanding the chemicals and necessary textures/flavors/binders/heat requirements. That is a lot of variety, if you change something in a recipe, you need to balance it. You put in too much flour, you need more liquid. Or it is too wet, you can make pancakes or add more dry ingredients to turn batter back into muffins or cookies. I am still learning. And I think my lack of real recipe cooking has intimidated my children a little. How do you teach them to cook this way? Encourage them to experiment, and talk about what works, and what doesn't...

So, granola day. The concept for granola is to mix grains with a little fat, sugar, and liquid to bind it and cook it. One lady I know uses egg whites as a binder. No fat. Which is a great idea. I've been adjusting each time, trying to find perfect ratio of oats to nuts to bran to wheat germ to butter (YES!) and sweetness.

I do like the taste of butter. And brown sugar makes everything taste better...

This batch, I used 3/4 jar of raspberry jam in the liquid/sugar/fat mixture. Tasty, but the sesame seeds I added are too overpowering. And I could have used more raspberry flavor, omit the maple flavor from the syrup...next time!

Raspberry, coconut, pecan granola, coming to you via package soon!

Your Grandma Sandy Has a New Haircut, Same Job

Official City Council swearing in, after elections. My favorite part was the Pledge of Allegiance. I have confidence in good leaders, trying hard to do the best for the city. Sam's favorite part was the black forest cake afterwards!

We were thanked specifically as a family for all our hard work campaigning for the mayor!

Your Dad Has A Beautiful Beard

When we got married, he had a beard. Very familiar to me.

Changes, Little Things

In the great Babcock Woman Tradition, I did it myself. Then I needed help to fix it. Stabilize it. I really should have waited for the technical planning half of our marriage to help in the first place. It was on his list...and I got impatient. And hurt my back being stupidly independent.

John helped me rearrange them, so doors opened from the inside (I had them reversed, in my desperate search for wall studs in dense plaster). These were salvaged from the wall we took down last Christmas break between the kitchen and dinning room. A kitchen always needs more storage, right? I had to take down a couple of the clipboards, but it gave me space to put my favorite rolling pins!

And as I was decluttering, I found these purple bauble earrings. I vaguely remember Deb and I getting clip on earrings (from Mom one Christmas? Or Grandma Lucy?) and they were painful, but I kept these anyway, loved the color. We used them to play "Boss & Secretary." Which is funny to me now, working in an office...I looked at these painful clip ons and turned them into pierced earrings easily, couldn't figure out why I hadn't tried that years ago. 30+ year old costume jewelry is now wearable!

Found this at the Public Library

One of the best books I have read this year.

Bluefish by Pat Schmatz

No Camera Trip

See the leaves. The PA farmland. The Amish students at recess. The buggies with left-turn signals and orange triangles. The Oreo cows. My crazy van-load order for lunch at Sonic. Happy students. Reverent students listening to a white-haired Mennonite lady bear her testimony of Christ. All for a trip to see a replica of the traveling Israelite Tabernacle-straight out of the Bible at:

The Mennonite Information Center
2209 Millstream Road • Lancaster, PA 17602-1494
Phone: (717) 299-0954 • Toll Free: (800) 858-8320 • Fax: (717) 290-1585
Email: info@mennoniteinfoctr.com

See my seminary blog for details. Wow.

Far Away & Missing & Still Close

My mom called me out of the blue-middle of the afternoon. Perfect time, because I was waiting to pick up Roxie. I had five minutes, and it was fun to catch up on details, hear my mom's excitement for their transfer to St. Thomas, feel her love and exuberance for the work she and Dad are doing to help others.

Our missionary son is doing well. Busy. Facing challenges and dealing with things. We get an email almost every week from him, short, brief messages that all is well. Sometimes photos, that we drool over for details, trying to see what his diciplined life is like.

We skyped with our college son. "Mom, I am cleaning my ears and clipping my fingernails, so you don't have to worry about me. I am fine."

"Are you washing your clothes?" I hesitatingly asked. There is always more on my list of well-being questions.

Max's words were reassuring, but mostly his happy SHAVED (=obeying BYU grooming standards) face made me feel better that he is so far away, out of my reach, beyond my touch, but doing okay without me hovering. He was wearing a suit & tie, looked handsome and ready for a haircut. He excitedly told us about his Sunday School president calling and roommate garbage towers. And even with Skype crashing a half a dozen times, he kept re-connecting and reassuring us he wanted to keep talking.

Our nearly-graduated-from-college daughter is more independent. Further away, in experience, financial stability, emotional needs. We don't get reports on her grooming, the way Max is quick to supply. Or roommates. Or love-life. Or health. Or photos from dances, dates, adventures, classes. Sometimes I facebook stalk and see what others have said, pictures they have taken, and save those photos in a file on my hardrive. Just to have some record of her life, like she is a super-star, and I am trying to follow like a desperate fan, wishing for her attention and regard, missing her so hard it hurts, hoping for a skype date?

WE SKYPED on Halloween, because she called and I told her I had painted my face green, and she had to see it!

How do you let go of adult children? How do you un-involve yourself emotionally and be "available" on demand-if needed, but non-pressuring, non-stressing, non-judgemental, non-involved?

Paraphrasing my mom's advice: pretend they aren't your children, and treat them as adults you care about, someone in your ward, neighborhood. Polite, interested, but let go of the pride and emotional investment.

My goal is to be a better long distant parent. Organize fun family events, keep inviting adult children to join us when they can, ease off the guilt & pressure. Smile. Hug more. Compliment them. (Don't ask them if they are cleaning their ears, or doing their laundry, or have any announcements or calendar plans...) Other suggestions, from you who have left home, what worked, what doesn't???

Our three children still at home: Roxie bird costume, Sam as a "geek" (he probably really does need glasses, so this isn't funny), and Suzu after orchestra concert last night, harping away beautifully!