Puzzles

Winter is a great time to do family jigsaw puzzles. When we were small, we used to 'help' my mother do the large 1000 piece puzzles. I'm sure we weren't much help, but we had a lot of fun together. My family did the same. It is even better when the puzzles show places you might like to visit or have visited. You can discuss these at the same time you are doing the puzzle. If your children are younger, do not limit yourself to puzzles the kids can do by themselves. If they are at least 5, they will have fun trying to help you with yours. You might want to start with medium difficulty, 250 piece puzzles and work on up to the more challenging.

Puzzles bring lots of benefits, both to kids and adults. The challenge to deciphering is a great skill to develop. Many adults cannot see the larger picture from smaller pieces, and this is important on the job. Puzzles can help you think this way. Puzzles challenge your perceptions. They can keep your brain growing as you age and ward off some of the mental challenges that can accompany aging. They can be a great interactive family time.

If you are already great at puzzles, you might try alternate solving methods. I prefer to do the edge first and work my way in. This seems the easiest. To challenge myself, I will try to go from the top down. If there are lots of trees and shrubs, this is hard for me as I have trouble distinguishing the greens and darker colors. I do better with the blues in the sky! Might be why I rarely wear green:) You can assign different parts of the puzzle to different people. You can start in the middle and work out, finishing with the edges.

I have a portable puzzle surface my daughter gave me a few years ago. It is a large piece of felt that rolls around a large tube. This way, I can get the puzzle out of the way when I need the table-and keep the pieces away from my cats. My mother has a slightly different surface that is like a large portfolio that closes over the puzzle to keep it in place. These surfaces allow you to take lots of time to work on the puzzle as it will not be in the way. This can be good if you limit the puzzle times to snowy/rainy days or evenings without television, perhaps with nice music in the background.

Happy puzzling.

Menus January 27-February 2

• Sunday
  Stewed chicken
  Multi-grain bread
  Apples brulee
• Monday
  Hot chicken salad
  Peas
• Tuesday
  Winter soup
  Multi-grain bread
• Wednesday
  Kielbasa
  Sauerkraut
• Thursday
  Broccoli-cheddar soup
  Rolls
• Friday
  Grilled tilapia
  Spinach
• Saturday
  Pizza

Stewed chicken-allows you to make a fryer nice and juicy
Cut desired vegetables into chunks-potatoes, carrots, turnips, parsnips, rutabagas whatever you like. Place in slow cooker. Add 2 cups water. Rinse chicken and add to slow cooker. Mix sage, thyme, rosemary, turmeric and rub into chicken. (about 1 tsp each, more or less). Add salt and pepper. Cook on low about 6 hours. Carefully remove chicken (it will probably fall off the bone) and place on platter. Remove vegetables. Pour liquid into saucepan. Mix 2 Tbsp flour or cornstarch with 1/2 cup water and add to liquid. Bring to a boil to make a pan gravy.

Apples brulee: Coarsely chop 1/3 apple per person. Mix with 2 Tbsp vanilla yogurt per person. Add 1 Tbsp chopped walnuts per person and mix well. Divide between ramekins or brulee dishes. Sprinkle with brown sugar. Grill until sugar crystalizes or use brulee torch. Refrigerate until ready to serve if made ahead.

Bone stock: Take bones from chicken and return them to the slow cooker. Cover with water. Add a stalk of celery (and onion if you like it). Add 2 Tbsp vinegar. Cook on low for 12-24 hours. Carefully separate any meat from the bones and discard the bones and celery. Use as stock for the winter soup.

Winter soup: Add chicken broth to stock to make 12 c. Add 1 cinnamon stick, 4 peppercorns, 3 whole cloves to stock. Chop 4 potatoes and 1/2 head cabbage and add to stock. Simmer 1/2 hour. Add 28 oz can diced tomatoes and simmer additional 30 minutes. You can put all but tomatoes into slow cooker in the morning and add the tomatoes 30 min before dinner. Remove the spices and add 2 Tbsp vinegar.

Hot chicken salad: Use about 2c leftover chicken. If you don't have enough leftover, you can use canned. Chop 1 stalk celery and 1 green apple. Add about 2 Tbsp mayonnaise and 1 c shredded cheddar cheese. Place in casserole dish and microwave for about 8 min, until heated through and cheese melter or bake about 350 for about 35-45 min.

Rituals

I went to tea with some dear friends yesterday. We had a wonderful time visiting with each other and enjoying the delecacies that were part of the activity. I had a delicious vanilla tea, some wonderful finger sandwiches, tarts, scones, and conversation. Although Steph enjoys tea and the associated amenities frequently, I am usually limited to enjoying only the herbal tea. Our lives are so busy doing, the we seldom take the time to just be in the moment and enjoy, as we did during our tea. We met at the Bellagio, in Las Vegas and we were so focused on the moment that we missed the excitement as Bill Clinton and entourage went right past us. (He was there for the caucuses today in Nevada). It's funny we missed him, but wonderful how focused we were on each other.

All this got me thinking about rituals. We get so focused on the busy that rituals can help us focus on the now. Afternoon tea is a great way to relax, unwind, and get a second wind for the rest of the day. If you live in cold country, it is a nice way to warm up. I don't drink regular teas, but there are lots of wonderful herbal teas to enjoy. However, I don't usually take the time to have a lovely display, biscuits or scones or a treat to enjoy with it. I think now that this is a shame and would enhance the moment. I plan to add that to my afternoon as often as possible now, making sure that my treat is at least a little healthier than those I enjoyed yesterday. Such indulgence would not be good for my arteries or waistline on a regular basis.

New Victorian Mysteries

I've been traveling and needed to get something to read while I've been out. I tried out 2 books by Tasha Alexander, And Only to Deceive followed by A Poisoned Season. I love the protagonist, a Victorian woman who doesn't fit easily within the structures of society. She manages to solve quite complicated mysteries in both books. You get a good feel for the restrictions Victorian society imposed on women and how difficult it was to get beyond those. These are a different side of the same picture that Anne Perry presents in her Thomas Pitt mysteries. I love those too.

I re-read most of my books as I enjoy the company of the characters in those books. Emily, the protagonist of these two books, is a woman I would love to know. These are probably good reads for a book club as there are lots of things to consider about the place of women, the changing roles of women, making choices, how critical society can be, etc in these books. I will probably read them again in the next month and wish the 3rd was coming out before next summer. If you have teenage daughters, these would be great to read with them. Tweens would probably be good too, if they are at the point of really taking a look a their world. It would be good for young men, but they are really geared toward a female sensibility. Men would benefit by thinking about how they still might be treating women in their lives as the women in these books are treated by society.

Menus for January 20-26

• Sunday
  Baked smothered chicken breasts
  Tortilla chips
  Refried beans
  Green salad
• Monday
  Chicken enchilada casserole with leftover chicken
  Green salad
• Tuesday
  Tomato soup
  Grilled cheese sandwiches
• Wednesday
  Broccoli cheese soup
  Green salad
• Thursday
  Chili with corn chips
  Green salad
• Friday
  English muffin pizzas
• Saturday
  Hamburgers

Baked smothered chicken breasts: 2 boneless chicken breasts per person
Cheddar cheese, jack cheese, cilantro, diced green chilies, diced jalapenos, 1 whole avocado per person-diced , diced tomatoes, chopped black olives, sour cream, salsa
Arrange chicken breasts in baking pan. Cover with shredded cheddar cheese and jack cheese mixed with cilantro, chilies and jalapenos. Bake 350 for 1 hour. Top with diced tomatoes, olives and avocado and return to oven for 10 minutes. Serve topped with salsa and sour cream.

Chicken enchilada casserole: Slice chicken breasts from smothered chicken into bite sized pieces. Mix chicken and toppings from smothered chicken with torn strips of tortilla-either flour or corn- and green enchilada sauce. Place in casserole dish and top with more shredded cheese, sour cream and salsa. Bake 350 for 45 minutes

Thought provoking reading

I've been reading a very interesting book about the various stages of life we pass through: The Human Odyssey, Navigating the Twelve Stages of Life by Thomas Armstrong. He examines the important physical, intellectual and psychological stages we pass through. This comes at a good time for me as I'm at a crossroads offering me new opportunities.

In each stage of life, we encounter opportunities for growth. We can either learn from them and progress, learn to avoid them and stagnate, or not learn and continue to repeat our experiences. In the past few years, I've had opportunities for growth in many different areas. Now, I'm facing some difficult or exciting choices, depending on how you look at them.

I invested quite some time getting a Master's Degree so I could make more serious contributions in the workplace. Do I continue down that same path? I am competitive enough that this is very enticing. I am passionate about learning, about learning that is practical. I home-schooled so that I could put what my daughter was learning in context and it would be practical. Should I switch career paths and become an assistant for home schoolers? I've been asked to start tutoring again-that was my first job during high school. I have an aptitude for figuring out the best way to convey the teachings in math for different types of learners. If I go into assisting home schoolers, it is a risky business. I can tutor parents on how to help teach their kids, do the teaching with them, do it for them, or tutor their kids in specific areas. I know there is a market for this, and I know how technology can assist that. Another option is to resurrect the technology business I used to have. I used to provide technical assistance, like the Geek Squad, but targeted to small businesses. I would teach them how best to use the software and hardware they had for their businesses.

Which dream do I follow-the more practical or the more passionate? How much risk do I dare take? This book has helped me examine the choices I've made in the past, usually the lower risk, although deciding to drop out of corporate life to home school was higher risk financially. As I am applying for jobs that look interesting, I'm pondering these questions. It's challenging having all these choices.

How would you choose?

Menu planning January 13-19

• Sunday
  Baked fish
  Glazed carrots
  Green beans almondine
  Pear crisp
• Monday
  Chicken stew
  Rolls
• Tuesday
  Baked beans
  Green salad
• Wednesday
  Add veggies and noodles to the chicken stew and turn into chicken casserole
• Thursday
  Beanwiches
• Friday
  Vegetable soup
  Ham sandwiches
• Saturday
  Grilled chicken salad

Beanwiches: Toast English muffins or hamburger buns. Pile with baked beans. Top with shredded cheddar cheese. Broil until beans heat through and cheese melts. If the beans are quite cold, warm them first. For those who like a little more 'bite', add a hearty mustard to the rolls before adding the beans.

Grilled chicken salad: Grill boneless chicken. Add to a plate of salad greens, tomatoes, olives, feta cheese, cucumbers (and onions if you like them). Drizzle with balsamic vinaigrette and olive oil.

Little House in the Big Woods-part 2

If you are reading this together like I suggested, maybe you are wondering what things mentioned in the story you can cook together with you kids. These are the things I would try:

1. Make the pancake men like Ma did. Try serving them with molasses instead of syrup as they often did. This can really spark a discussion about the changes in our foods over the years.
2. Try making candy out of maple syrup as they did at the dance/party/sugaring off. Good time to talk about the different sweeteners we use as compared to those they used.
3. Try hasty pudding with maple syrup. Not a favorite of mine. I don't consider hasty pudding a dessert no matter what topping it has. To me, it is just cornmeal mush.
4. Try churning butter-maybe shaking a jar of cream until it churns. We did it that way for my girl scout troop. There are lots of other ways, though.

These different cooking activities can help us better appreciate the many conveniences we have. It is easier to buy than make-as evidenced from how much more expensive maple syrup is now.

Have fun!

Winter reading

With stormy weather around due to winter, this can be a good time to read together as a family. If you have kids under 10, you might try reading "Little House in the Big Woods" by Laura Ingalls Wilder together. Most of your readers will be able to take turns, which increases the fun and improves reading skills.

As you go through the chapters, take some time to contrast their life style with yours. Act out some of the activities. Try making some of the foods mentioned. At a minimum, it gets us away from technology as a constant companion and we might find that we can have fun together. After reading the chapter where Pa is telling stories from his childhood, why not try to do the same? My daughter always loved stories from my childhood and I'm sure yours will too.

Once we discovered the Little House books, my sisters and I acted them out constantly. We were often pioneers, living in a little cabin (often the living room as it had a fireplace). You're not too old to play these with the kids-having them direct you in the story line. Encourage them too. Becoming more aware of the possibilities of imagination can help us promote those skills-and this might encourage innovation in later life as well.

Another benefit is to see how labor intensive daily life was. It is much easier for us to clean the house-we don't usually have to make the soap first-or do laundry. Have your kids try washing something like jeans in the kitchen sink. (They scour the sink well). The washing isn't too hard, unless they are very dirty, but the wringing out is quite difficult. Hanging them to dry will also take a long time. Activities like this can help us appreciate our many blessings and be fun to do together. A side benefit might be a little greater care not to make our clothes so dirty, but that isn't too likely.

Menu January 6-12

• Sunday
  Penne with tomato cream sauce and veggies
  Green salad
  Italian bread
  Chocolate pudding
• Monday
  Vegetable soup
  Italian bread
• Tuesday
  Leftover penne
  Green salad
• Wednesday
  Chicken stew with dumplings
• Thursday
  Leftover vegetable soup
• Friday
  Leftover chicken stew
• Saturday
  Grilled tuna sandwiches
  Cabbage apple slaw