Friday Food: Done with School!

Friday 

Short version: Sloppy joes, raw radishes, yogurt with maple syrup

Long version: Thanks to state requirements increasing the number of instructional hours in our school year, we had to add a couple of Fridays to the school calendar. This was one of them. I had a small jar of barbecue sauce in the refrigerator, so I made sure to thaw some ground beef and then used the sauce and some frozen diced onions to make sloppy joes.

Those who were still hungry after their sandwich had the yogurt.

Saturday

Short version: Chili

Long version: I made this mostly to use up some lamb stock and canned beans that had been hanging around. It made for a good meal to feed those of us at home, and the two hunters when they came back pretty late from bird hunting.

Sunday

Short version: Birthday lamb steaks, quail, dove, fresh bread and butter, green salad with ranch dressing, pumpkin custard with whipped cream

Long version: The previous day's hunt yielded two quail and two doves. The children gutted and plucked these, and then I just roasted them whole. Both are very small. The quail is all white meat, like chicken. Dove is a very dark meat, like a goose.

This was A.'s birthday. He always likes lamb, so I pan fried some steaks from the back leg and then made a sauce with red wine and butter. I used that sauce on the game birds, too.

It was quite a meal.

Pumpkin custard is just pumpkin pie without the crust. I overbaked it. Boo.

Monday

Short version: Rotisserie chicken, fried chicken, rice, salad with vinaigrette

Long version: My parents arrived for a short visit just after we got out of school. They had stopped at the store before coming and bought two rotisserie chickens and some fried chicken. They got the fried chicken because for the eight of us, we really needed three rotisserie chickens, but there were only two at the store.

Most of the kids chose to have some of the fried chicken, so that was a nice option for them.

Tuesday

Short version: FFA food

Long version: This was the night of the big FFA fundraiser, which is a dinner and an auction. The FFA kids prepare the meal. It was ham, rice, green beans, salad, rolls, and a sopapilla cheesecake.

And then we had the auction. It raised a ton of money for the FFA, which was the point, but man, auctions are so not my scene. So loud.

I spent most of the day baking--mostly for the auction, but also for the next day's birthday and some gifts.

Gingerbread, sourdough bread, chocolate chip cookies, crispy rice treats, pecan pie. This is just the stuff I wrapped up for the auction. There was plenty more left for us.

Wednesday

Short version: Birthday shrimp, chicken, pureed potatoes, green salad with vinaigrette, pecan pie with vanilla ice cream

Long version: Three members of our family have birthdays in the second half of December. This was the youngest son's tenth birthday. He requested the shrimp and potatoes. Some of the family doesn't much care for shrimp, so I also made some chicken and gravy with the chicken I had pulled off bones after simmering the rotisserie chicken carcasses.

I used this recipe for pecan pie again--once again using maple syrup in place of the golden syrup--and it came out much better this time. I think because I chopped the pecans. Or maybe I baked it longer. In any case, it got many rave reviews.

Thursday

Short version: Refried bean quesadillas, still-frozen green beans, leftover bread pudding

Long version: I was at a basketball game until about 5:30 p.m., so when I came home with the basketball player, I just made some quesadillas with flour tortillas, cheese, and canned refried beans. The kids had been eating all day at school, what with making gingerbread houses in the morning, lunch, and then the holiday parties after that. They did not need an elaborate meal. And I didn't want to make one. So that worked out.

I did let them have the last of the bread pudding from the birthday boy's requested breakfast. Not that anyone needed anything with more sugar, but oh well. 

'Tis the season for sugar everywhere.

Refrigerator check:

Might need a grocery run before Christmas.

And now we are on Christmas break until January 6. Alleluia, everyone can SLEEP IN.

Okay, your turn! What'd you eat this week?

The Annual Tree Excursion

If you've been reading here for some years, you'll know that we always go cut our Christmas tree at a ranch about twenty miles away managed by a friend of ours. When we cut it depends on when we have the time and the weather cooperates.

This year, that day was Sunday. It was a beautiful day, about 55 degrees with that crazy-strong New Mexico sun.

Which is why I was of course wearing my crazy New Mexico sun hat.

This year we went in the same way and parked in the same spot, but we decided to go a little bit to the right of the track to get down into the draw. As soon as we started walking that way, I saw a tree.

Looks like a Christmas tree to me.

It was pretty funny that this perfect tree was right there these past few years when we've been hiking around looking for one. I mean, it was literally about thirty feet from the van.

I'm standing next to the tree here, and there's Adventure Van, patiently waiting to take us home.

Of course, the purpose of the tree expedition is not just to get the tree, so we didn't just cut it down and go home. A tree expedition that lasts for five minutes isn't much of an expedition at all. We had to go down to the dirt tank to play.

All the rain we got in the summer and fall filled it up nicely.

After spending some time chunking rocks into the water and running around the hills surrounding the tank, we walked back to the tree and cut it down.

A. had some help this year from one boy who wanted to be sure he was the one sawing when the tree fell, so he could yell "Timber!"

Then home to prop the tree in the metal bucket with rocks, bear it into the house, and decorate it.

Ta da!

I moved the nativity scene under the tree. This prompted the children to inform me that the little star that came with the set wasn't necessary anymore, since the scene was now under the big star on the tree.

No star to be seen.

The star is now with the Three Kings on the bookcase. They will be allowed to join the celebration on Epiphany (January 6).

This year's tree is one of the best we've found since moving here. And the adventure of getting it is always the best part.

Snapshots: For the Woodchuck Man

To my everlasting shame, I did not do my traditional Woodchuck Man* song last year on A.'s birthday. I seem to recall my brain just being fried and not being able to come up with anything.

I'm not doing much better this year, as I only have one verse. But at least I have something! Progress!

Here we go . . .

Who can dig the garden

With a shovel all by hand?

Who can grow a giant pumpkin on his very own land?

The woodchuck man

The woodchuck man can

The woodchuck man can 

'cause he uses what he has and makes it work for him. 

And, since this is supposed to be a snapshots post . . .

The FFA kids were making centerpieces for their Christmas fundraiser dinner this week. It was right outside my office, and it smelled really good with all the greenery around.

In the hallway by the main office. Everyone feels the stress this time of year, I guess.

Poppy stayed home sick one day I had to work. She was very unhappy about this, so I gave her a job: sorting my earrings.

Poppy had a spa day for her stuffed dog and decided they needed "spa cuisine." (That Fancy Nancy book has made quite an impression.) So she made yogurt with strawberry jam, bananas, and pink and purple sparkly sugar.

There you have it! My life, snapshotted. And happiest of birthdays to A.

* The last one was in 2022. It links to all the previous ones.