Category: Family

Pirate Invasion!

Mystic, CT has an annual Pirate Invasion, where people dress up as pirates, the shops give away swag to the kids, and the Argia sails into the local dock and “invades” Mystic River Park.

My niece, whom I recently set up with email through jonesling.us, invited us down to enjoy the event.  She’s been so very excited about email, about chatting with me, and about the invasion, that we couldn’t say “no,” even though Megh had a ton of work to do by Monday.

Sadly, I didn’t get any photos of the event – I was watching all four Joneslings (ours, plus our nephew and the aforementioned niece) and Butter.

Email for Joneslings

At my brother’s request, I recently set up an email address for my niece through jonesling.us, just like our own kids do.

She’s so excited about email.  She checks it multiple times per day and sends me emails as fast as I can reply.  We’ve been having a very slow conversation for a couple of weeks now, which is really pretty cool because I didn’t get a chance to talk with her much before.

Now, if I could just get my own kids interested in email again.  They mostly ignore it, probably because the used to sign up for everything under the sun and they now experience the scourge of the internet: spam.

Alpha Child Calls It Like It Is

That’s why they call it Windows — because it breaks so much, like glass.

— Alpha, age 10

Pork Chops and Rice

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cups of rice
  • 3 cups of water
  • half a spoonful of minced/chopped garlic
  • half a spoonful of chicken bullion

Place all above ingredients in a rice cooker, and kick it off. It should be done in about 25 minutes

  • 1/2 inch thick Pork chops
  • 1 Tbsp butter for each chop
  • Italian breadcrumbs (about a cup)
  • Parmesan cheese (enough to add some yellow to the bread crumbs)

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
  2. Heat a large, oven safe skillet on the stove over about low-medium heat.
  3. On a plate, mix the Parmesan and the bread crumbs.
  4. On another, microwave-safe, plate melt the butter
  5. Dip the pork chops in the butter on both sides, and then dredge through the breadcrumbs. Place them on the nice, hot skillet.
  6. Once they are all on the skillet, give them a couple of minutes, and then flip them all over. Cook them for another 3 or 4 minutes.
  7. Place the whole skillet in the oven for 15 minutes (for 1″ chops, 25 minutes).

Serve with the rice, applesauce, and some green veggies. Makes as many chops as you need.

Pasta Twists with Broccoli Sauce

From http://www.momswhothink.com/quick-and-easy-dinner-recipes/pasta-twists-with-broccoli-sauce.html

Ingredients

  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1 medium onion
  • 2 medium stalks broccoli
  • 1 large red bell pepper
  • ¾ pound pasta twists (about 4½ cups)
  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil
  • ¾ teaspoon oregano
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • black pepper to taste
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

  1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
  2. Finely chop the garlic and onion.
  3. Separate the broccoli tops from the stems, cut the stems and tops into bite-size pieces. Coarsely chop the red bell pepper.
  4. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente, 10 to 12 minutes, or according to package directions.
  5. While pasta is cooking, in a large skillet, warm of 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking.
  6. Add the garlic onion mixture and stir-fry until browned, about 5 minutes.
  7. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, the broccoli tops and stems, the bell pepper, oregano, salt, and black pepper.
  8. Stir fry until vegetables are crisp-tender, about 5 minutes.
  9. Add the heavy cream and Parmesan and bring the mixture to a gentle boil over medium heat.
  10. Cook, stirring, until the mixture thickens slightly, 2 to 3 minutes.
  11. Drain the pasta and toss with the vegetables and sauce. Serve with warm Italian bread.

Buttermilk Pancakes

From http://allrecipes.com/recipe/buttermilk-pancakes-ii/

Ingredients

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3 tablespoons white sugar
  • 3 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3 cups buttermilk
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/3 cup butter, melted

Directions

  1. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, beat together buttermilk, milk, eggs and melted butter. Keep the two mixtures separate until you are ready to cook.
  2. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. You can flick water across the surface and if it beads up and sizzles, it’s ready!
  3. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture, using a wooden spoon or fork to blend. Stir until it’s just blended together. Do not over stir! Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/2 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

A Billion Baked Fish Recipes

Baked Fish — More than a Billion Recipes (5x12x3x12x11x12x5x12x12x6 = 1,231,718,400)

From http://www.reddit.com/r/AskCulinary/comments/19x3ak/should_modern_recipes_be_consultative_or/c8s3gqz (Ken-G)

I call this a recipe template. It is a spreadsheet but shown below in text outline format.

Container (choose 1 of 5)

  • Au Gratin Pan
  • Baking Dish
  • Foil
  • Parchment
  • Single Serve

Fish (choose 1 of 12), guideline 1 pound

  • Bass/Branzino
  • Cod
  • Dorado/Mahi Mahi
  • Grouper
  • Halibut
  • Roughy
  • Salmon
  • Scallops
  • Shrimp
  • Snapper
  • Sole/Flounder
  • Tuna

Fat (choose 1-2 of 3), guideline 2-4 Tbsp

  • Butter
  • Olive Oil
  • Mayo

Liquid (choose 2-3 of 12), guideline 1/2 Cup

  • Lemon Juice
  • Lime Juice
  • White Wine
  • Sherry
  • Balsamic Vin
  • Milk/Cream
  • Soy Sauce
  • Fish Sauce
  • Rice Vinegar
  • Mirin
  • Sesame Oil
  • Teriyaki Sauce

Extras (choose 0-3 0f 11), guideline <1/4 Cup

  • Onion
  • Garlic
  • Ginger
  • Green Onion
  • Bacon Bits
  • Capers
  • Jalapeño
  • Olives
  • Marmalade
  • Shallots
  • Sugar/Honey

Fruit/Veg (choose 0-2 of 12), guideline – not too much

  • Tomato
  • Mushrooms
  • Bell Pepper
  • Mango
  • Pineapple
  • Cajun Trinity
  • Creole Mix
  • Parsley/Cilantro
  • Pesto
  • Salsa(Red/Green)
  • Sambal
  • Tabasco

Cheese (choose 0-1 of 5), guideline 1/4-1/2 Cup

  • Parmesan
  • Romano
  • Jack
  • Cheddar
  • Feta

Spices/Herbs (choose 2-3 of 12), guideline 1/2 tsp each

  • Salt & Pepper
  • Basil
  • Cayenne
  • Cilantro/Coriander
  • Cumin
  • Garlic Powder
  • Mustard(Dry/Wet)
  • Oregano
  • Paprika
  • Red Chile Flakes
  • Thyme
  • Wasabi

Crust (choose 0-1 of 12), guideline <1 Cup

  • Coconut
  • Corn Flakes
  • Cornmeal
  • Flour/Egg Batter
  • Panko/Bread Cr
  • Almonds
  • Cashews
  • Macadamia
  • Pine Nuts
  • Pistachios
  • Sesame Seeds
  • Walnuts

Oven Setting (choose 1 of 6), guideline Hotter=Crispier

  • 325° 30-40 min
  • 350° 20-30 min
  • 375° 15-20 min
  • 400° 10-15 min
  • 450° 8-10 min
  • 500° 5-8 min

Meatballs

This is just classic meatballs.

This is one of alpha child’s favorite recipes to make with me. Honestly, I appreciate letting someone else mix the meats, my hands get really cold doing that.

Meatballs

Tasty, tasty meatballs
Print Recipe
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 8 people
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: European
Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lbs ground beef
  • 1 lbs sweet italian sausage may substitute ground pork
  • 2 cloves garlic pressed or finely chopped
  • 1 yellow onion, medium diced
  • 2 eggs large
  • 1 cup Romano cheese or Parmesan, or mixed Parm/Romano
  • 2 cups breadcrumbs
  • 1 cup olive oil divided
  • 1 pinch black pepper

Equipment

  • 1 mixing bowl large
  • 1 15" cast iron pan
  • 1 oven
  • 1 measuring cup
  • 1 garlic press optional
  • 1 baking pan must have sides

Method
 

  1. Combine beef, sausage, garlic, onion, eggs, cheese, breadcrumbs, and pepper in a bowl and mix thoroughly.
    The mix should be very moist, but able to be rolled into a meatball shape and hold it. You might need to dd a little water (up to a cup is sometimes needed) until it's moist enough.
  2. Shape into meatballs.
    I generally aim for 1-2 inches across, or the size when you curl your index finger and touch your thumb. Larger meatballs will need a longer time to finish in the oven.
  3. Preheat oven to 350° F
  4. Heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat.
  5. Fry meatballs in batches in skillet until browned on all sides.
    Add oil as needed between batches.
  6. Transfer meatballs to pan, and finish in oven for 15-20 minutes.

Husk’s Day At Work

The school year is almost over, and Beta thought she might be able to bring her old stuffed husky, imaginatively named Husk, into school.  (This is a very old stuffed friend).

We said, “you may not.”  Beta still thought she could get away with some shenanigans by sneaking Husk to school.  Alas, she didn’t even make it as far as the bus stop out front of our house.

To ensure that he could not lead Beta into bad behavior, we determined that Husk would need to come to work with me.  It was quite an adventure, and luckily I brought a camera with me to document it!

Husk enjoyed the car ride into work.  He even got up on the dash! Husk sitting on my car's dash

Here we are climbing the stairs.  It’s a long climb – three floors – but we got to the top in good time.  I take the stairs every day and Husk — well, huskies are known for their endurance.  The elevator is for sissies.

Husk climbs the stairs

Husk was so excited he tried to open the door for me before I could unlock it.  The red light next to the door means I haven’t swiped my key-card yet.

Husk opens the door

We got right down to work.  Husk typed up emails while I chatted with a co-worker about a problem we’re working on together.

Husk typing on the keyboard

He also took some phone calls.  Husk is very friendly on the phone!

Husk chatting on the phone

When I had to go to a meeting, Husk asked if he could come.  “Well, sure you can!” I said.  “I bet you can help us work through some of these tough problems.”  Everyone was glad that Husk came.

Husk attends a business meeting

We work hard and play harder.  Husk decided to try some of the games in our common room.  We have all kinds of video games.

Husk playing video games

We also have ping pong.

Husk playing ping-pong

Husk made some new friends.  These guys live in the office.  Husk thought that was a little weird, at first, but they were friendly folk and Husk took a liking to them right away.

Husk makes new friends - Ally the gator, and Squirrel

We also have a resident penguin.  It got to go out for a Mardi Gras party because it’s so well dressed.  I guess the best-dressed people get beads at Mardi Gras?

Husk makes a new friends, a penguin

Even after an exciting day like this, Husk started to miss home.  The skies that started out so beautiful turned dark – rain was coming.  He worried that we might be caught in a storm.  The building in the distance is being demolished, and I think Husk worried that they were coming for us next.

Husk gazes out the window, ready for home

Not to worry!  Traffic was light and the rain held off.  We made it home, safe and sound and into the arms of a very happy little girl.

Husk is happy to be home