H.I.

What a weekend! We survived!

Big game on Sunday. Our son’s first football game – cancelled. Thanks Irene! I think it was just as well. To be honest, he was having second-thoughts about playing and said he was going to quit. I told him he could not quit. The team needed him. He is a first-string player. I did not want to stand in the rain to watch the game. I would have but I am glad I did not have to. Smile! Then he said I didn’t have to go. I told him, I was not going to miss a game. I also talked to him about practice and how it is different than the actual game. The games are fun. They are hard but they are fun. So now his first game will be Sunday, September 4. Three more practices to go before he hits the game field.

We were quite busy on Saturday. We all slept in – even the Big Guy! Then we went to the electrical store to look at lights. We mowed the lawn, cleaned gutters, and weeded the gardens. Our son was a big help. He asked to learn how to push mow. I let him push the mower a few times. Then he asked to help his father clean the gutters. He enjoyed getting up on the roof. He now wants to climb up there at night to lay there and watch the stars. Not sure that will happen. It would be just as enjoyable to spread a blanket down and lie on the ground and gaze at the stars. No fear of falling off a roof and getting injured. It was a beautiful, sunny day. We enjoyed the outdoors and had a nice dinner followed by a peaceful evening.

The rains came sometime in the wee morning hours. I heard the pitter-pitter of the rain drops. I heard swish-swish of the tree branches. We woke to a dark, wet morning. I wanted to crawl back into bed and stay there all day. It was a long day. I did get up. I did loads of laundry, I baked cookies, I made dinner, I cleaned, I sorted, and I read, knitted, puttered. I made dessert. Sunday was a long day. Irene came and went. We had a day of rain, rain and rain. Gusts of wind and lots of rain. No power outages. No downed trees. Our basement and garage stayed dry. We are thankful for that.

H.I. Hot Fudge Pudding Cake and Irene. What a mix, huh?

It was a perfect way to end the day. A keeper. Chocolately, fudgy, hot cake over vanilla ice cream. Yummy!

Hot Fudge Pudding Cake
1 ¼ cup sugar, divided
1 cup flour
7 Tbsp. Hershey’s cocoa, divided
* (I used Wilbur's Breakfast Cocoa - it has a richer chocolate flavor)
2 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
½ cup milk
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract
½ cup packed light brown sugar
1 ¼ cup hot water

Heat oven to 350˚F. In a medium mixing bowl, combine ¾ cup sugar, flour, 3 Tbsp. cocoa, baking powder and salt. Blend in the milk, melted butter and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Pour the batter into a square 8x8x2-inch pan.


In a small bowl, combine the remaining ½ cup sugar, brown sugar and remaining 4 Tbsp. cocoa; sprinkle mixture evenly over batter.


Pour the hot water over the top. DO NOT STIR!




Bake 40 minutes or until center is almost set. Remove from oven and let stand 15 minutes.



Spoon into dessert dishes, spooning sauce from the bottom of the pan. Garnish as desired.



This is a rich dessert. Small servings are recommended but ENJOY!

Practice, practice, practice

Are you familiar with that old saying, Practice makes perfect?

To be good at anything, you need to practice.
It takes time. Dedication. Commitment.

It is a hard lesson to teach. A lesson that both of our children have difficulty wrapping their brain around. They want to be GREAT at whatever their particular interest may be – football, baking, drawing, running – right away. The first time they try an activity they want to ace it. Then they get upset because they cannot reach their expectations. They put too much pressure on themselves. They get discouraged quickly. Too quickly. Patiently, we have to explain to them that their father, myself and any other person, cannot do something perfect on the first try. Just give it your best shot each and every time and you’ll reach your potential. Just give it the best you have.

Since they are living the lesson now, I think they are starting to understand that practice does make one better. They improve a little each time at practice. Our Little Big Guy has football practice three times each week for 2 hours. That is a long practice for a 7 ½ year old. And at first, he wasn’t sure about committing to the sport. He wanted to play. He did not want to play. A few weeks back, we asked him to go to practice one more time and then he could tell us whether he wanted to quit or continue. We are proud to say, he is not a quitter. I think the team concept unnerved him a little. He was afraid he would not be good enough. We told him you are playing to have fun, to learn the game and be a good sport. It’s not about winning but how you play the game. It’s all about effort and still having fun. With each practice, he has become more confident. He knows what to do and what is expected of him. He listens and executes. He loves it and comes home pumped and excited. It’s hard to get the guys to stop talking and demonstrating. Practice nights make it a late night for our son. He falls into bed asleep!

Monday night, he floated into the house. His sister and I failed to notice. Yes, we heard them come home – talking loudly and dropping equipment to the floor. Then he loudly asked us, “Did you notice my jersey?” With that, you bet we did. Number 43 . What a sharp jersey too! I had the camera out so I asked if I could take a picture. This is what I got...




After snapping one, he wanted to get his football. Only two more practices before his first, FIRST, game this Sunday. We’ll be supporting the whole team and cheering #43 on.




Go Panthers go!

While the guys were at practice, our daughter was practicing herself. She was in the kitchen. Baking. She wanted to bake all by herself. So while I washed dishes, she dirtied dishes. It was a great night in the kitchen. She went to work and did not ask many questions. I watched her from sink side; trying not to hover. She did not like my way of filling the cupcake forms, but it worked. She wants a scoop like the scoop the bakers use on Food Network Cupcake Wars. That show is currently her favorite! Once the cupcakes were put in the oven, we mixed up the frosting together. She now knows my secret to homemade frosting. No secret, but because I pulled out a recipe instead of mixing ingredients up until they tasted right...she knows! She added green food coloring, filled the frosting bag and set to work. I left her to practice her technique as I took Ruddie out to play.

She did a fantastic job! The 24 cupcakes look marvelous. She'll be treating our daycare family to some tomorrow. I am not surprised but more importantly, she was pleased with the finished results. Makes me happy!









Some of her decorated cupcakes. Great job, don't you think?



Looks like she is pleased.

The night ended with each of us eating a deliciously decorated cupcake!

Here's to practice. I look forward to the next time she wants to practice...so are her brother and father.

August 17

Today
Just another day...just another Wednesday
Oh I wish you were here
I’d call
We’d sing Happy Birthday to you
We’d laugh
We’d visit
I’d sit back with my camera and capture the moments
Those funny faces you’d make with your grandchildren
The same faces you made with the three of us
I love those pictures
Treasured moments...time frozen within white borders
Today instead of calling you, I pray
My heart hurts
My eyes water
Twenty five years ago this September
The call came
You were no longer with us
The pain never ceases
Never goes away
I miss you
The years that should have been
For us and for our families
I love and miss you Dad

Lucky Recipe 7

After the last recipe failure, I haven’t been ready to jump right back into the baking routine. The heat and humidity haven’t been on my side either. The last couple of weekends, my mornings were spent somewhere other than the kitchen. After all, aren’t you allowed to sleep in on the weekend? Well, at least one weekend morning?

I did some community service. It was voluntary. I did not commit a crime. I volunteered to work on the new middle school playground. I got to dig in the dirt, help carry and hold huge structures, spray water on the concrete mix, talk with various teachers and meet other parents. It was a hot morning. It was incredible to see the playground come to be. It was wonderful to be a part of the community that came together to work hard all day to give our children a new play area. We have a supportive community and that is one of many things I like about our school district. Parents and extended family are involved in our childrens’ education. In so many ways they give their time. It felt good to help with this large project that not only the school children benefit from but also the community.

And life has been crazy! CRAZY. We are adjusting our schedules. I am trying to find quick, healthy dinners for three weeknight meals. Our new schedule is to rush home, gather football gear, eat and then go to football practice. The Little Big Guy was excited when we picked up gear. He was excited about the first practice until we drove past the field and we saw a huge group of kids on the field. His comment was “maybe I shouldn’t play football.” He has gone through a range of emotions and yet he still gets excited the night of practice.

The Big Guy has been going through a range of emotions. He has also gone on a few spending sprees. Was I aware of all the cool football gear that wasn’t available when he played football? Well, NOT exactly. I went to most high school football games but I went to socialize. Not really watch the game. And by the way, does the Little Big Guy really need that? I think it’s appropriate to say, our household has gotten caught up in football fever. I took our Little Big Guy to practice last Wednesday night because the Big Guy had to take Ruddie to the vets for a routine checkup and shots. Apparently, Ruddie whines when he gets to the vets and doesn’t stop until he leaves. Whimpy puppy but he has already caught his first bird. Great bird dog in the making! He may be whimpy (all babies cry when the get shots and does anyone really like going to the doctors??) but he is cute! The three of them are in the guest room watching a movie.


Talk about cute – doesn’t this just make you smile? All that equipment makes my little man appear so big.


Look at those shoulders!




So now that I have found my way back to the kitchen, I once again gathered ingredients to measure, pour, and mix together to create something tasty (hopefully).

I made a Warm Gingerbread with Lemon Glaze. This recipe was torn from a Cooking Light magazine, although I don’t know what issue it was torn from.

The house smelled so good while it baked. Certain smells take you places – like fresh cut grass, hay bales, baking bread, and gingerbread. I sat in the kitchen just basking in the delicious scent-filled room. I was anxiously waiting to pull the pan from the oven and top it with cream to eat. Forget letting it cool! However, I pulled myself together and let it cool, poured the lemon glaze over the top and waited even longer. We had dinner to eat. Our last ham. It was delicious. Another delightful savory, kitchen smell. (I am not sad as our pigs went to market on Friday so soon our freezer will be full of thick bacon, pork chops and more ham).

So after dinner, clearing the kitchen and washing dishes, I made a cup of tea and cut a slice of gingerbread and topped it with some cool whip. The flavor was very good. The texture was a little dense. I was disappointed as I wanted a light gingerbread. Light, airy and full of ginger-spice flavor. It is not a bad recipe but we opted to discard it. You can decide. Here’s the recipe.

Gingerbread:
1/3 cup butter, cut into small pieces
2/3 cup hot water
1 cup light or dark molasses
1 large egg
2 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
1 ½ tsp. baking soda
1 ½ tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. ground cloves

Glaze:
1 ½ cups powdered sugar
6 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

Topping:
1 cup frozen whipped topping, thawed
Lemon slices, optional

Preheat oven to 350˚F.
Combine butter and hot water in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk until the butter melts. Add molasses and egg, and stir with a whisk until blended. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, salt, and cloves. Add flour mixture to the molasses mixture, stirring just until moist.

Spoon batter into a 9-inch cake pan coated with cooking spray. Bake for 30 minutes of until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool gingerbread in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes.

Combine sugar and lemon juice, stirring until well blended. Pierce the top of the gingerbread liberally with a wooden skewer. Pour glaze over gingerbread. Cool completely.

Top each serving with the whipped topping. Sprinkle gingerbread with cinnamon and garnish with lemon slices, if desired.


Yield: 12 servings.

Ripped another one off...

It’s August already.

Am I the only one that feels like I just ripped June from my calendar?

Now July is gone too. The days and months of 2011 are flying by. School is right around the corner. I need to plan a day or two off to go school shopping. Then the mornings get a little busier with lunch pails, backpacks and do you have everything you need for school today?, before we walk out the door and start our day.

Tonight we have a mandatory meeting. Our little big guy will be playing football this year. Tonight we find out just what we have jumped into! Equipment pick up was this Saturday and he has been putting it all on and playing catch. Saturday afternoon, he fell asleep on our bed with his arm wrapped around his helmet. Just what did we get ourselves into?

Pictures say a thousand words. They can also bring tears to ones’ eyes, laughter to your voice and silence in stunned awe.

Here is what I see:
- My little boy is no longer little.
- He looks so damned cute in all that equipment.
- He’s trying to look so cool and yet, he’s just a young boy.
- He’s anxious to hit the field.
- Nervous because he wants to do everything right.
- He wants to have fun.

Yet I question our decision to let him play. Is he too young? Will he get hurt? He's only 7 ½ years old. I keep telling him he'll need to run fast on the field. I don’t want any injuries. No trips to the emergency room. I just want him to have fun. Learn what it means to be a team player. Learn to play the game that he loves to watch. I know he’ll do fine (it's me I'm worried about).

I'll be there with him on this new adventure, behind the steering wheel and at the sideline. Go Little Big Guy go!