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Thanks,

tommy

This is my own version of the dressing & dip commonly known as “Green Goddess”. I just didn’t like that name. My children know green to be GOD’S favorite color, thank you. Dh, though enjoying my homemade dressings, was nostalgic for the days of ranch, so I wanted to invent him something healthy and creamy.

• 1 large or 2 small ripe avacados
• 1/2 bunch of parsley
• 4 green onions
• 3 garlic cloves
• 2 Tbls. parmesan cheese
• 3 Tbls. white wine vinegar (or raw apple cider)
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• 1/3 cup good quality mayonnaise
• 1-2 teas. salt to taste
• lots of freshly ground black pepper

Process in a food processor or blender until smooth. Add a pinch more vinegar if it is too thick.

You could use all yogurt if you don’t want to buy mayonnaise. I understand. I can’t believe NT has convinced me not only to allow the stuff in my house, but to eat it in things. It used to make me gag. Next time, I might try cultured sour cream, just for kicks.

I may be the only mom starting home schooling right now, but I am having such fun, I can’t wait for September (or August in these lone star parts) for no apparent reason. In fact, it seems the most ridiculous thing that our Texas schools end in early May, when it still isn’t too hot, and start back up again in the absolute, abject misery of August, just when the huge, inefficient school buildings take the most energy to air condition. But I digress . . . .

A friend loaned me her copy of Five in a Row, and I just love it! Love it, love it. It fits perfectly with my personality and teaching style. All I need is a central theme and daily task to keep me going somewhere and from that center point, I could go a thousand directions. That is my joy in learning and teaching; how one little story about a duck can teach us about China, drawing water, buoyancy, reflection . .  . . etc. My eldest is completely ready and loves every minute of it, so why not go with the momentum while we have it?

I am attempting to set up two times for schooling during the day. Nothing complicated or terribly ridged, but just an endeavor to build the habit of school into our day so that it is not something random and questionable, but expected and purposeful. Baby Ella naps twice a day and will continue in that pattern for many more months. So during her first nap yesterday, I pulled out a blanket, our rhythm sticks and some flashcards. Giving each girl a pair of sticks we tapped in time singing, “It’s time to play school today, school today, school today! It’s time to play school today at our little home!” They do this song at their gym class every time they transition activities and my girls love it for some reason. It usually works like a charm at home too.

So we all sat on our blanket (this is a great way to define a space and keep them there for an activity) and played flashcards. I have a box full of them from random sources. I would hold up a card and the first one to identify it got to have it. They loved making stacks and arrangements of their prized cards. Fortunately, the oldest didn’t try to beat out the younger every time. She really is such a sweet girl! We played this as long as we could, reviewing colors, letters, numbers and animals, until little tot lost her interest. Then we read a book.

After that the sticks helped us sing that it was time to put the cards away and that it was time to draw today. I helped Elise learn how to draw water while Audrey was praised for her wide use of color. She draws in these tight little focused scribbles. It is so funny! She will bend down very close to the paper and scribble back and forth in little splotches, then come up from the paper with a proud “See!”

As long as they wanted to color, I went about a few household tasks until the baby woke up. Later in the afternoon, when both little ones nap, I worked with Elise on more FIAR activities. We learned about China; how to find it on the map, what they eat, what they wear . . . etc . . . and we started a little notebook for vocabulary, drawings, etc . . . Then I gave her a few worksheets for handwriting to do while I exercised.

I have also really been working to train Elise to help with dinner and set the table every day. There really are SO many things you can invent for your child to help do in the kitchen. Even Audrey is now helping, at 2, wash dishes while I clean up lunch or dinner. She doesn’t accomplish too much, but she is kept busy and happy and feels involved. For my birthday, my m-i-l gave me a big set of matching plastic dishes for summer fun. I moved all the plastic dishes to a bottom cupboard so that both girls can help put away. I let Elise organize it as she liked. That was too fun for her. That little apple did not fall far from the tree.

Elise loves to set the table. I try to help her take pride in how it looks, allowing her to choose which plates and cups will match the tablecloth, etc. . . . The past few weeks have been so, so, so much better as I try to include my children in my tasks rather than dispose of them so that I “can do my thing”.

We shall see if the schooling keeps up this week! It is summer, after all . . .

I am still exploring and enjoying my Nourishing Traditions. Here are a few that have turned out well, even the first try! Although, I can’t promise I didn’t tinker with them, right off the bat. I will try to make note where I did.

• Crispy Nuts p 153 - I am regularly making large batches of crispy almonds, walnuts and pecans. We love ‘em and use them in everything.
• On tap for tonight - Falafel! p506 - and it is TASTY with the Tahini sauce on p148. I LOVE falafel. mmmmmmm. Well, it was just “good” as written in NT, but added with my God’s Great Green Dressing and lots of fresh ripe tomatoes it is superb. I also doubled the amount of parsley in the falafel, making it a gorgeous bright green color. My children really think green is fun now!
• Chicken Stock p124 - A good basic recipe, but I find that Fallon’s recipes lack creative flare and seasoning. I add thyme, rosemary and crushed black pepper to the stock, as well as a teas. of salt to make it more flavorful for drinking. Be sure to add these seasonings after skimming.
• Mustard p104 and Sauerkraut p92 - so far these are the only fermented veggies that I liked well enough to repeat as-is. Although watch out on the mustard, it is spicy hot. I like to stir in some white wine for culinary use to make it a bit thinner and more like Dijon.
• Ginger Carrots - I like these, but WOAH, too much salt. Try 1 teaspoon instead of 1 Tablespoon. Some of Fallon’s measurements seem sloppy in this way.
• Salads - Fallon has lots of basic, tasty salads that remind me to do more than the ol’ basic carrots and broccoli garden variety that we eat too much of ’round here!
• Chicken Rice Soup p199 - a good base recipe for soup. Be sure to add more herbs and fresh pepper. I prefer rice to noodles any day.
• Roman Lentil soup p215 - I really liked this soup; It is inexpensive, tasty and filling.
• Roast Chicken p280 - I use this one pretty much as-is too.
• Chicken Curry p287 - I like this, but as-is makes it too bland. I use half the chicken stock called for and add a 2-inch piece of fresh ginger, grated, in with the spices. Also, double the cumin, coriander and cardamom, and maybe add a cinnamon stick too.
• Sweet Potato Dollars p405 - A nice easy, kid-friendly side.
• Algerian Wedding Rice p472 - I liked this as a base idea. I added a container of sour cream, chicken, and bacon to make for a sweet ‘n savory rice casserole.
• Pancakes p478 - I really like this recipe as-is. I am still struggling with muffins though. I will post when I master a version.
• Carrot Cake p569 - I made this with spelt for Audrey’s birthday and it turned out great. It also was easy on her little system.
• Beet Kvass p610 - Brew up a jar and add a tablespoon to every drink, salad dressing and soup. You will hardly notice it and it adds loads of nutrients.
• Carob Fudge p527 - This is TASTY! Most people really liked it who tried it, dh excepting. It is very rich and lasts a while. I keep it in the freezer, as it becomes more oozing when warm. It definitely satisfies a chocolate attack.

Please share in the comments some of your favorite NT recipes. This book is SO huge, one needs a little help to employ it, no!?

“Research indicates” is not always a very reliable phrase. Science is not without its errors and biases, since it is created, driven and conducted by humans who are not without their errors and biases. Harvard investigates the bias of for-profit funded research.

I awoke this morning to 9 children. It was so much fun!

A few friends and I threw a cooking party. Our four husbands were off for “man night” at a lake house, so we put all the kiddos to bed in various nooks and cranies of my house and spent the night perfecting our nourishingly traditional cooking skills. The older girls spent an hour or two giggling, jumping off beds and such, but they did keep to their room and manage to avoid breaking anything. The babies all slept fairly well, one here, one there, another yonder and a fourth in the closet. Its a big closet. We had a few monitors crackling in the kitchen as we went about our tasks, serenaded by Serene and Pearl’s Peace All Over Me. Six cooking projects and loads and loads of dishes later we sampled our goodies and made it to bed by around 12:30. I hear the men didn’t crash until 1:30. Of course, they were able to sleep in until 10:30. Scandalous!

I would love to host cooking classes. Would that not be such fun! Unfortunately or fortunately, the whole business side of such an idea makes me want to go ahead and give up the ghost now . . . so unless people knock down my door asking, I think I will keep to torturing my friends for free!

Last night’s menu consisted of the following:

• Cookies - We needed a treat to get the ball rolling! (We made them with spelt.)
• Roast Chicken - We couldn’t resist a midnight helping after I made the wine sauce. Too scrumptious.
• Sprouted Spelt Crackers - I may post the recipe someday . . . when I have all that time I keep thinking I will have . . .
• Granola - I promise to post this someday too . . . I made two big batches and have them ready to sell. Email me if you want some!
• Chicken Stock - This is so wonderful for weakened bodies and so nourishing for little ones. I love to drink a big mug of it for breakfast when its done. I will post this one too . . . someday. Its a combo of NT and other stocks I have done from sources like Joy of Cooking and Cooking Light.
• Celery/carrot/beet/apple juice - fresh from the Omega juicer. I don’t juice daily, but when I am feeling run down and in need of a bit ‘o energy, I love the rush of life fresh raw veggie juice will give you.
• Fresh Tea - I am so very excited about making tea from my the herbs I have been growing. Ooo la la, can you taste the difference. It is just delightful. Right now I have Fennel, peppermint, spearmint and anise to use. I dry it in my dehydrator for a few hours and then brew in a French press. It is SOOO easy and I actually almost kind of want it more than coffee. Almost.
• Sauerkraut - Straight from Nourishing Traditions. This is a superb little recipe. I makes a great ‘kraut that most people seem surprised to enjoy. Myself included. I really actually like it!
• Irish Oatmeal - We used the NT recipe, soaking the oats at night and eating a big pot for breakfast. We had 4 moms and 9 kids eating for breakfast! (well, Ella eats only “mommy milk” as my girls say.) I used lemon juice for the soaking, since I was low on whey and . . . blech. Very sour. I am surprised everyone put on a good show and ate it.

Needless to say . . . I need to recover from such an adventure and am off to bed!

Listening to P&P on tape reminds me, poignantly, that we are only able to think as deeply or as extensively as we have the proper and sufficient “equipment” to do so. The materials used for thought are primarily words. Although we may to some extent feel, think and speak in pictures, sounds and scents, the greater portion of our thought life and relationships depend on words. How do we develop a rich vocabulary with which we may have richness of thought and communication? Reading, reading, reading!

This conviction has scooted me down to the library, armed with reading lists from Five In A Row and Sonlight. Who says I have to own the curriculum to read the books!? Part of what kept me from using the library and reading a wider variety of books with my girls is that I am afraid of wasting time and money on dumb books. Ah, the glory of booklists from reputable sources! We have really enjoyed the books from the FIAR list.