Cheap Thrills: Wolf Hollow in Ipswich

Checked out Wolf Hollow in Ipswich last weekend with Chloe. It's right down Rt 133 in Ipswich just before the turn-off onto the road to Russell Orchards. I'd been waiting until Chloe was old enough to have a hope of sitting thru the hour-long talk that's part of the presentation.

She actually managed to pay attention pretty well. The presentation is given at 1:30 in the afternoon and two wolves are present behind a double fence while the guide talks about wolf varieties and their history with humans. The two wolves are Weeble, the oldest wolf and Nina, a young female. Weeble sniffed around a couple of times, ate some cheese treats and retreated to the shade of a large tree while Nina trotted back and forth constantly making eye contact.

There's a full moon howl on this coming Saturday too: Wolves, reggae, beer and barbeque! Adults, $10.00, kids under 5 free. Event starts at 3pm.

Wolf Hollow Saturday Presentation: 1:30pm
Adults admission: $7.50
Kids admission: $5.00

Cheap Thrills: Wolf Hollow in Ipswich

Beat the Heat: Green Curry

Even though it's hot and sticky outside and the cicadas are screaming, I still can't put down my wok. Standing over a pan-full of frying tofu and vegetables while sweat beads on my forehead makes it even more worthwhile when you are sitting down and eating this awesome vegetarian curry!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup canola oil
4 oz tofu cut into 1-2 inch strips
1 small head of broccoli
2-3 handfuls of green beans
1 zucchini, cut into 1/2 slices
2 or 3 handfuls of mushroom slices

for the sauce:
1/2 medium sized can of coconut milk
1 cube of vegetarian bullion
1-1.5 tablespoons of curry paste (I use Patak's)
1 inch piece of fresh ginger root shredded or 1/2 tsp ginger powder

1 cup of brown rice
2 cups water

Prepare the vegetables and keep them close to the wok for quick, efficient cooking. Heat the oil in the wok over medium heat until it starts to smoke. Add the tofu with a long-handled utensil (to avoid spatter burns) and fry it until it has all browned on both sides.

My general rule of thumb is to add vegetables in the order of their water content. Since the broccoli is the hardest one (least watery) here, add it after pushing the browned tofu up into the sides of the wok. Cook the broccoli until it has softened a little and push it up before adding the green beans. Once they have cooked, add the zucchini slices and the mushroom slices along with the ginger.

Stir-fry everything together for about a minute and then add enough water to cover the bottom of the wok. Add the bullion cube and let that dissolve before adding in the coconut milk and curry paste. Stir the sauce in with the vegetables until everything has blended and then lower the heat and let the mixture simmer for about 10 minutes to blend the flavors together.

Turn off the heat and add the curry to helpings of rice and enjoy outside with a nice frosty beverage. (A crisp white wine is a good choice)

Beat the Heat: Green Curry

Bargain of the week! Hummingbird Feeder

Guess what I found in the "Seasonal" aisle at Shaw's yesterday? $1.49 Hummingbird feeders! It was fairly easy to set up, just needed to climb a tree next to the patio to get the right "hang". I found this site that has some good info about using the feeder and a nectar recipe to boot!

Bargain of the week! Hummingbird Feeder

(Almost) Guilt-Free Waffles!

I got a waffle-iron a couple of Christmas's ago and it's one of the favorite things in our kitchen. Chloe's able to pour in the batter pretty well now and it's fun for her to watch the egg whites turn into foam. I started out with making the traditional recipe that came with the appliance booklet, but it made way too many waffles and used an entire stick of butter. Since someone in the family has to watch their cholesterol (ok, both of us), I've adapted the Whole Wheat Waffles recipe that was also in the Oster booklet.

I should have taken a picture, but these were so good I ate them before I remembered to.

Ingredients:

1.5 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup wheat bran
4 tbs wheat germ
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs, separated
1.5 cups soy milk
2 tbs honey
4 tbs olive oil

Preheat your waffle iron

Mix the dry ingredients together

Beat the egg whites until just stiff

Mix together the egg yolks, soy milk, honey and olive oil

Using a rubber spatula, stir the egg yolk mix into the dry ingredients. Fold in the egg whites.

Pour the batter in about 1 ladle-full at a time into the pre-heated waffle iron and bake.

These are really good with maple syrup and blueberries!

(Almost) Guilt-Free Waffles!

The Lost Art of Real Cooking

I found this via Delicious Days' website. I found a great excerpt here, but you can find it slightly cheaper here. I can't wait to get this! It's the perfect combination of self-reliance, thriftiness, localvore-ness and taste that I've been looking for! I just hope that my attempt at beer won't turn out like this:

The Lost Art of Real Cooking

East Indian Succotash with Brown Rice

I had to use up some vegetables this evening and decided to put a recent purchase of bulk brown rice into the mix as well. Actually came out really good! The texture of the brown basmati rice and the silky coconut curry sauce really took me back to the days of dining out in restaurants that don't hand out crayons (sigh)

Ingredients

1 cup brown rice (dry measure)
2 cups water

1 large zucchini
3 ears of corn
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 med can stewed tomatoes (or fresh)
3 or 4 scallions
1 cube vegetarian bouillon
6 oz coconut milk
1 teaspoon curry paste

Cook the brown rice in either a covered pot or a rice cooker

At the same time, boil the ears of corn for 2 minutes, then remove them from the pot and use a knife to slice the kernels off the ear.

Chop the zucchini and scallions and add them to the oil in the wok. Stir fry until the scallions are soft and the zucchini has browned a little.

Add the tomatoes. Use some of the liquid if you are using canned or add 1/4 cup water if fresh.

Add the corn and simmer everything for a few minutes.

Pour in the coconut milk and add the vegetable bouillon. Stir until the cube is dissolved.

Add the curry paste and stir until blended. Simmer for a few more minutes, then add the stew to the brown rice when it's ready.

East Indian Succotash with Brown Rice

Cooking Green: Double Bake!

Why turn on the oven for just one little batch of cookies or 1 loaf of bread? Get twice as much use out of the same amount of heat by baking two items that cook at the same temperature! Not only will your house smell 10 times better than one of those cheesy scented candles that smell like baked goods, but homemade gives you control over you and your family's intake of whole grains. I've found that buying a sack each of wheat germ and wheat bran and adding a shake or two to some batter is a great way to "sneak" fiber into someone's diet.

Here's two items that lend themselves nicely to the practice of "double-baking": Whole Wheat Bread & Whole Wheat Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies!

First, take out 1 stick of butter so it can soften while you get the bread going:

Whole Wheat Bread

Ingredients

1 1/3 cups lukewarm water
2 1/4 tsp dry yeast (I've found that it's much more economical to buy a jar of yeast rather than the packets)
1/4 cup dry milk
1/4 canola oil
1/4 honey

2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup white flour (this makes the bread lighter)
1 1/4 tsp salt

Directions

In a large bowl, combine the warm water and yeast. Let it dissolve and start its thing while you combine the flours and salt in another bowl.

Pour the dry milk into the yeast mixture, then add the oil and the honey. (tip: if you add them in this order, it makes the honey slide out of the measuring cup easier)

Gently stir the mixture. Then, add the flour mixture. Stir until the dough comes together and then turn the dough onto a floured surface. Knead for 7-8 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic.

Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, turning it once to coat the dough. Cover with a damp kitchen towel and put in a warm place for about 50-60 minutes until the dough has doubled in size.

Lightly grease a 4X8 loaf pan. Take the dough out of the bowl and shape it into a loaf. Place it in the pan and let it rise again in a warm place until the dough is 1" over the top of the pan. (about 45 minutes, during which you can make the cookie dough)

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees, then put the pan in once the dough has risen enough. Bake for 40 minutes total, tenting with tin foil after the first 20 minutes to ensure a good crust.

Let the pan cool slightly and then invert to shake the bread out. Once it's fully cooled, I've found it keeps best when it's wrapped in foil then bagged in a bread bag.


Whole Wheat Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

1 stick butter softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ginger
1 cup dry oats
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup dried fruit such as raisins, cranberries or cherries

Directions

In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugars together (if you are co-baking the bread, just use the same bowl that you let the dough rise in.)

Add the egg and vanilla then mix well

In another bowl, combine the dry ingredients then add to the butter mixture.

Stir in the chocolate chips and dried fruit. Some people might like shredded coconut or chopped nuts too.

Drop the dough by tablespoonfuls onto a lightly greased or non-stick cookie sheet (tip: I usually save the paper that the stick of butter was in to grease the pan if needed)

Bake the cookies alongside the bread. They brown nicely in about 12 minutes and with a little practice, you can have both cookies and bread done at the same time!

On the "vida local" tip, I buy the eggs, butter and honey at local farms such as Connor's Farm in Danvers or Green Meadow Farm in Hamilton. Both places have animals on site so it's worth the extra time and gas to get out there if you make it into an outing with the kids! (Even without kids, it's really cool to see the origin of what you are eating and support local farmers in the bargain)

Cooking Green: Double Bake!

Growing Vegetables Upside Down

Great info in this NYT article about growing vegetables upside-down. I'm not sure I can trust the gutter over the back porch with the weight of a 5 gallon container of dirt though. Still, the yield seems to be better and there's some good pictures of homemade containers that look way better than those lime green topsy-turvy planters.

Growing Vegetables Upside Down

Second Life: Plastic Fruit Containers

Those plastic containers that berries come in are too useful for the recycling bin. I'm hoping that I'll see some marigold sprouts soon!

BTW, the drain tray is the top of a supermarket sushi tray.

Second Life: Plastic Fruit Containers

Second Life: Snack Size-Easy Seed Trays

Tomatoes and Lavender have begun to sprout!

I've been collecting those little snack size containers of Greek yogurt and applesauce all winter mainly because every time I hovered over the recycle container with one its size and shape seemed to cry out "Wait! Are you sure I couldn't be of some other use to you?

Well, actually, yes. I poked some holes in the bottom, filled with potting mix and put the containers in some old tofu and take-out sushi containers. Push some seeds into the mix, conscript your kid to water every day and you've got a great way to show your kids the value of growing your own food and recycling! Bonus.

Second Life: Snack Size-Easy Seed Trays

Clutter Busting: Kid Picasso

Art is messy. Kids are messy. Put them together and you have a big (happy!) mess in the time it takes to dip a paintbrush. It's alway been the biggest clutter-generating activity in the house and I'm slowly learning how to get a handle on it.

Here's what Chloe's art corner in our new place looked like:


Everything had a place, but there were a lot of empty and half-empty containers of random items and taking anything out to use it was a bit of a process. At first I was convinced that I needed some sort of storage system, but once I cleaned the corner out, I knew I could make better use of what I already had.

The first step was to sort everything out into piles:

1: Glitter, glitter glue, glue, foam stickies and pom-poms. (crafty stuff)

2: Finished works of art (to go into portfolios)

3: Paper that could be used for drawing and painting and construction paper

4: Paints and brushes

5: Activity books

6: Potential containers

7: Stamps and ink pads

The next step involved thinking about the best way to store small items. Luckily I had a set of stacking file boxes on wheels that I wasn't using any more. They were conscripted to hold paints (on the bottom) and all the stamp stuff, small craft items, glue and scissors. Like I said in my last post, the muffin trays I used to hold the paint jars were a great way to easily move the paint jars around en masse. Put the paints in the bottom, craft stuff in the top crate and voila! Instant roll-around art cart!

Next I needed a way to contain all the paper and activity books. I simply put them in a canvas fold-out crate and had an easy way to quickly find the right material for Chloe's next masterpiece. Once I consolidated everything I had some containers left over so I put the ones that were past their prime in the recycling bin.

Clutter Busting: Kid Picasso

Second Life: Muffin Tins

Paint Trays!


They stack too!

Second Life: Muffin Tins

Second Life: Gift Wrap Tube

After you've spent all those hours disentangling miles of christmas lights, you can recycle a used giftwrap tube to wind the lights up for easy(er) trimming next year. Just tape the female end of one strand to the end of the tube, then wind the lights around until all the strands are wrapped around. Now tape the male end and wrap in plastic bags for December. When you get them out again, just plug in and unravel as you circle the tree!

Second Life: Gift Wrap Tube

Why Big Box Stores Suck

Sears Saleslady (ringing up kids stuff from clearance racks): "Do you have a Sears Rewards card to save 10% off on purchases today?"
Me (trying to corral rampant 3YO): "No"
SS: "Would you care to sign up for one today in order to save the 10%?"
Me (glancing back at long line): "Uh-no"
SS: "That will be $14.99"
Me (taking out debit card): "OK"
SS: "Are you paying with your Sears Master Card today?"
Me: Um, no I've got this debit-"
SS: "Would you like to take 10 minutes to open a charge card with Sears today?"
Me (starting to sweat with effort of holding onto 3YO's hood and wallet): "No Thanks"
SS: "Are you paying with any Sears Gift Cards?"
Me (swiping DC through): "No"
SS: "Would you like to purchase one and receive $10 back on your purchase today?"
Me (thinking OH MY GOD, IT'S EASIER TO GET THROUGH CUSTOMS IN A COMMUNIST COUNTRY!!!! SWEET JESUS, JUST LET ME BUY MY KID HALF-PRICED "BRAND-NAME" MIX 'N MATCH SEPARATES WILL YOU????) "No. Thank you, not today."
(NOT EVER! UNLESS THERE IS SOMEONE THAT I DESPERATELY NEED TO GET REVENGE ON!)

Why Big Box Stores Suck

Thanksgiving Countdown!

I found some good links for Turkey Day (or, T-Day, as it's known around here)

Need to get out of the mashed-potatoes-green been casserole-canned corn rut? The NYT on-line edition has some great ideas for sides.

Going to someone else's house and don't want to try and figure out what wine goes with stuffing? Turtle Alley, in Gloucester and Salem, sells a chocolate Turkey stuffed with nuts. How awesome is that?

And if the fam is coming over to your place, how to create the right atmosphere? (Unless, of course, your idea of ambiance is a few apple turkeys scattered about) Head on over to Design Lab, Lovejoy Design's new blog. Phoebe Lovejoy Russell has an amazing eye for color and texture and her ideas can easily be adapted to any budget.

Thanksgiving Countdown!

Cheap Thrill of the Week: Magic Birthday Candle!

(please note-This is only a video simulation of the reaction at our house last night)



Great way to entertain a toddler for 6 bucks!

Cheap Thrill of the Week: Magic Birthday Candle!

Second Life:Mesh Hamper

Giftwrap, ribbons, tissue paper, bows, gift bags, what I collectively refer to as "giftcrap" felt like a huge space-hog in our new place, which mysteriously lacked closets and a hanger-rod. In the process of whittling down items and containers in order to make everything fit, I started putting all the giftcrap into one pile on the floor and then it hit me-

Could it all fit into one container?

Turns out, it can!



Tips:

Sort the giftbags however you like, but save a few you're not going to use for gifts to store small stuff like ribbons and tools.

Honestly ask yourself, how many baby showers/bat mitzvahs/quinceaneras do I really go to a year? Then save the appropriate ratio of themed gift bag. Try it, you'll know what I'm talking about.

Second Life:Mesh Hamper

WE'RE MOVING!!!

-Just up the road to Marblehead...

So-I'll still be around Salem a lot since, in my opinion, it's got it going on in a way that Marblehead doesn't. We found a great place for a fairly decent price and I'm going to have my own office instead of a 2X3 foot space in a corner of the living room/den/playroom now! Part of the reason I've been so lax about keeping this blog up-to-date has been the fact that: A)The Chloe has discovered online games and it's hard to say no when I see how quickly she's learning to use the computer from them, and B) by the time she's safely out of the house, I've got so much work piled up that I can't justify the time it takes to crank out these finely handcrafted bon mots :^|

Anyway, here's some moving tips tailored for moving with a toddler:

1) Make Moving Day sound like a really awesome adventure.

Maybe tell them it's like going camping in the new house and pack their sleeping bag and a canteen and flashlight for the first night. Maybe tell them they are going to "discover and explore" a brand new neighborhood in their "explorer ship" (aka moving truck)

2) Get all their friends' contact info for future playdates.

Chloe is old enough to verbalize her fears fairly well and knowing that she will be able to stay in touch with her old buddies makes it easier for her and her friends to deal with separation anxiety.

3) Let them get involved with packing and purging.

Giving a kid a damp rag and letting them clean unbreakable stuff before it goes in the box makes them feel more in control about what's happening. Giving them a box to pack favorite toys in helps too.

4) Take everyone up on those offers to "help get them out of your hair".

Because there's times when you just need to focus on what you're doing and constant pleas to play "train" with 20 cardboard boxes is a bit too much at the moment.

5) Big liquor stores are the best source for grabbing carloads of free packing boxes.

6) Got old clothes, towels, bed linens? Use them for packing padding before you recycle them! Bubblewrap and peanuts don't bio-degrade too well. Also, before you toss some old stuff, think about making something else with it, like a stuffed animal, pillow case, or quilt.

7) (Local tip) Savers, in the Danvers Market Basket plaza, is the easiest way to get rid of kid's stuff. They take toys, books, games and clothes.

8) (Set Dresser's tip) Blue painters' tape is great for labelling everything since it stands out against boxes and bags really well and won't damage wooden surfaces. Make a "packing kit" by using a box or tub and keep your markers, blue tape and packing tape in there so you can easily go from room to room.

WE'RE MOVING!!!

Awesome Gift Idea!

Courtesy of Boing Boing.net, a mother created a stuffed toy out of her child's drawing and the result is achingly adorable. Now I am definitely going to go for that kids-quilt-from-old-baby-onesies idea I've been putting off for the past 5 months!

Awesome Gift Idea!

Second Life: An old floppy hat

My downstairs neighbor's incessant smoking finally drove us to switch our bedroom with our daughter's. (A 3 year-old with a smoker's cough tends to get strange looks at the library storytime) I kept procrastinating because part of the switch involved dismantling a large handmade futon frame that was a refugee from a loft we had built in Fort Point. Even though it was an awkward monstrosity of polyurethaned pine and metal reinforcing "bandaids", it was a reminder of days without kids and spontaneous night-life.

Finally, after transferring about 2 metric tons of stuffed animals acrosss the hall and dismantling and re-mantling the crib, I decided to just tackle the damn thing with a Mikita and, two afternoon sessions later, I was triumphant and the former slumber-barge lay in pieces next to our garbage bins.

One of the side effects of being somewhat of a compulsive clutter-buster is that there always seem to be a few random items that constantly turn up in storage bins and closet bags because I just can't bear to toss them for some reason. Take, for instance, a purple and gray nylon floppy hat. If I were to actually use it as a hat, it would only make me look like the nerd I really am. But, it's a hat that was purchased for me by a friend while in Vietnam in order to help me avoid paying the "roundeye-tax" and everytime I see it, I am reminded of: 1) My friend Phong, who was the coolest guide a girl could have, 2) Travelling throughout the Mekong Delta by motorbike with my husband and 3) Touring the Cu Chi tunnels whilst in the early stages of food poisoning.(not fun, but memorable)

Long story short, I can't toss the hat, but I really wanted to get rid of the old crap lumber and recycle the brass l-brackets, so I grabbed the hat by the brim, filled it with about 5 pounds of used woodscrews and l-brackets, added a manual screwdriver and ta-da! Instant toolbag!

Second Life: An old floppy hat