This week for dinner, I'm featuring two well-loved English dishes, fish and chips and sausages and beans. Let me regroup those: (fish and chips) and (sausages and beans). Actually, you could eat all those things together but I prefer to spread the cholesterol and great taste over two days instead of one.
* Fish and chips
We are big fans of fish and chips. Alfie and I have searched all over London for good fish and chips, but other than one divine place at St. Katharine's Docks (which we can't remember the name of), we've concluded that the art of fish-and-chipping is slowly dying (Although the Harry Ramsden's takeaway is pretty decent). The best fish and chips in the world is actually right here in California, at Barbara's Fish Trap in Princeton-by-the-Sea. The stuff I make at home is nothing like genuine F&C (we don't have a deep fryer, so there is no way I'm going to get anything close to Barbara's), but we like to pretend we're eating the real thing.
* French bread pizza with caramelized onions, mushrooms and goat cheese
* Sausages and beans
* Beef with broccoli and rice
How 7-year olds make money
The Pea and her classmates have been brainstorming on ways to raise funds to buy food and supplies for a class party, and their teacher is incorporating the process into their Social Studies unit on markets, producers, consumers and services. The goal is for each child to raise at least $5.00 by providing some sort of service to their parents. Here is what The Pea came up with:
1) Clean up after my brothers (Cost: $2 per mess).
2) Read to my brothers (Cost: $0.50 per book).
3) Brush my hair with the bad brush (Cost: $0.80)
4) Make really cool crafts for you (Cost: $1.00 per craft).
5) Make things for the poor (Cost: $0.10 per 10 crafts).
Yup, that's my little Warren Buffet.
1) Clean up after my brothers (Cost: $2 per mess).
2) Read to my brothers (Cost: $0.50 per book).
3) Brush my hair with the bad brush (Cost: $0.80)
4) Make really cool crafts for you (Cost: $1.00 per craft).
5) Make things for the poor (Cost: $0.10 per 10 crafts).
Yup, that's my little Warren Buffet.
Photo Hunt: Together
I like it when we bike to the park together. I like it when the kids splash through puddles. I even like it when Alfie finds a gigantic puddle and decides to lead the kids in a round of "bike through the puddle and see who makes the biggest splash". But at that point, the togetherness ends. I'm quite happy to watch -- and quite happy that I didn't have to bike home with my clothes absolutely soaked.
By the way, I think the honor of "biggest splash" might have to go to Jammy. Or maybe 3Po. Both fell off their bikes straight into the water.
For more togetherness, click here.
Alien love
I couldn't resist posting this little Halloween flashback for Love Thursday. When Jammy and 3Po trick-or-treated around Santana Row , they got a bick kick out of holding each other's tentacles (probably the only time they've willingly held hands). And don't you think those big yellow symbols on their chests look sort of like hearts?
For more images of love, click here.
Mashed Potatoes, Mimosas and More: a Leapfrog party
Silicon Valley Moms Blog parties are usually a lot of fun, and the latest one, sponsored by LeapFrog, was no exception. Our sister site, the Chicago Moms Blog, held a family-themed LeapFrog event recently, but I'm kind of happy that ours was held at a very small, child-unfriendly conference room at the Four Seasons. After all, I rarely get a chance to spend some child-free time with my blogging peeps.
We knew we were going to have a good time when we were offered mimosas and red wine even before entering the party room. We feasted on ahi tuna rolls, prosciutto and melon, and the big hit of the night, a mashed potato bar. If you don't know what that is (and I didn't until that night), you choose from 3 different kinds of mashed potatoes -- including a purple kind! -- and a yummy toppings like roasted garlic, sour cream, sauteed mushrooms, caramelized onions, (I'd better stop. Alfie and the kids had pasta and tomato sauce that night so he might feel bad if he realizes exactly how much better my dinner was than theirs. I still need him to babysit for future bloggy events), and more.
The other big hit of the night (what? bigger than a potato bar??) was the spirited discussion on the importance of early literacy skills, led by Dr. Anne Cunningham of UC Berkeley's Graduate School of Education. The SV Moms are passionate about their children and education in general, so it's no surprise that practically everyone in the audience chimed in on topics ranging from bedtime reading, improving opportunities for low-income students, challenging gifted children, and working within the bounds of No Child Left Behind. It was a fascinating discussion. My main take-away? That it's ok for 3Po and Jammy to doodle on paper or spin the wheels on their Matchbox cars while I read to them; they're still soaking it all up.
I really appreciated the fact that no attempt was made to plug Leapfrog products during the main discussion; it was just an engaging exchange of ideas about literacy in young children and in our public schools. Not that Leapfrog needs such a hard sell in this technology-loving community. In fact, I found out that almost all of my blogging sistahs already own several Leapfrog products. Still the Leapfrog people let us try some of their products and even gave us a few (ok, more than a few) to take home to our kids. Thanks, Leapfrog, for sponsoring such a great night!
For more Leapfrog products (and a coupon), visit my review site, Bonggamom Finds.
Here's my vote, where's yours?
I'm really bummed that my US citizenship application did not push through in time for me to vote in today's elections (blame an interview appointment that conflicted with a trip abroad, a rescheduling notice lost in the mail, and the frustrating, inexplicable delays). But if I were allowed to go into a polling booth today, here's how I would vote:
Elected Officials:
President/VP: Barack Obama/Joe Biden
US Representative, District 14: Anna Eshoo
State Senator, District 11: Joe Simitian
State Assemblymember, District 21: Ira Ruskin
Judge, Office No. 8:
Santa Clara County Board of Education Trustee, Area 1: Grace Mah
Hmmmmm..... who should we vote for president in the most important election of our time? Let's see...... the war in Iraq needs to end .... we need a healthcare system that doesn't bankrupt people.... it's been proven that the financial markets actually DO need a bit of government intervention..... rich people need to help out the people who made them so stinking rich in the first place...... we need a leader who can restore the US's reputation around the world ..... the country needs a change from George Bush..... was there any doubt that I'd vote for Obama/Biden?
As for the rest.... I'd vote to keep the incumbents because haven't heard anything negative about their performance so far. And I'd vote for Grace Mah because I've seen her in action, campaigning for Mandarin immersion in Palo Alto schools, and I know this girl gets things done.
Below are the measures I support (I have left out a number of measures because I haven't done enough research on the issue to have an intelligent opinion one way or the other)
California State Measures:
Prop 1A: No
High speed trains sound great, but the need for local public transportation is much greater.
Prop 2: Yes
Yes, we're prepared to pay higher prices in exchange for better animal treatment standards. Besides, have you seen the state of chicken farms in China? Remember where the avian flu came from? Do you want to risk all sorts of diseases coming from crowded conditions like that?
Prop 4: No
This was a Really Tough One, I think the toughest of all. I'm Catholic and I'm pro-choice, but I'm against abortion (Wha-ha-hat? For explanation, I refer you to Joe Biden's brilliant, rational and compassionate defense of his pro-choice position, which is exactly how I feel). If my teenage daughter got pregnant I'd want to know about it so I could do everything I could to discourage her from getting an abortion. But notification is not consent. If The Pea really wanted to go through with it, there would be no way I could stop her anyway. Teens who will not or cannot tell their parents they are having an abortion will simply ignore this law and find a way to go through with it anyway. So they need to have access to safe and legal procedures. Yes, the measure does have an "out" that allows minors to bypass the requirement, but it requires spilling all your secrets to a judicial court, or telling Social Services that your legal guardian has molested you. Like any girl is going to opt for that!
Prop 8: No.
Let people live their lives the way they want to, they're not harming you! Whatever your religious views on same-sex marriage, this is a legal issue. Your church can say marriage is between a man and a woman and condemn all homosexuals to hell, it's their business. But that's church and this is state, and all couples should be treated equally under law. Otherwise, it's like having different water fountains, oh yes, they're both water fountains so why should you complain if you have to use your own water fountain and not mine? Even though my water fountain gives me cold, filtered water and yours gives you warm tap water, they're still the same......
Santa Clara County measures:
Measure A: Yes
Do I want to be in a hospital during a minor earthquake and have the ceiling collapse on me? Heck, no. I hated paying an arm and a leg for the seismic safety upgrade of our 1920's house -- but we did it anyway. When safety is at stake, it's an easy decision. And besides, we'd spend a whole lot more to rebuild the house.
Measure B: Yes
The Valley needs more public transportation, and the systems that already exist need to be connected. How else are we going to ease the congestion on our roads and pollution in the air?
Palo Alto city measures
Measure N: No
Sorry, I love the libraries, but it's just too much money in a time when there's not enough money to go around. I said yes on Measures A and B, and there's just not enough in our budget for Measure N. Sacrifices are being made all around, and this is a luxury we'll have to forego. Better yet, get rid of the branch libraries and concentrate resources on a single library (and yes, I'd be happy to drive from North Palo Alto to a single, new and improved Mitchell Park library).
For all you US citizens -- you don't know how lucky you are. You are in a privileged position to make a real difference in how your money is used, in how your state is run, in what direction your country takes. Heck, the US is such a powerful nation that your vote can even affect the way the world turns. So USE that vote! If you don't want, it, I'll gladly have it!
Elected Officials:
President/VP: Barack Obama/Joe Biden
US Representative, District 14: Anna Eshoo
State Senator, District 11: Joe Simitian
State Assemblymember, District 21: Ira Ruskin
Judge, Office No. 8:
Santa Clara County Board of Education Trustee, Area 1: Grace Mah
Hmmmmm..... who should we vote for president in the most important election of our time? Let's see...... the war in Iraq needs to end .... we need a healthcare system that doesn't bankrupt people.... it's been proven that the financial markets actually DO need a bit of government intervention..... rich people need to help out the people who made them so stinking rich in the first place...... we need a leader who can restore the US's reputation around the world ..... the country needs a change from George Bush..... was there any doubt that I'd vote for Obama/Biden?
As for the rest.... I'd vote to keep the incumbents because haven't heard anything negative about their performance so far. And I'd vote for Grace Mah because I've seen her in action, campaigning for Mandarin immersion in Palo Alto schools, and I know this girl gets things done.
Below are the measures I support (I have left out a number of measures because I haven't done enough research on the issue to have an intelligent opinion one way or the other)
California State Measures:
Prop 1A: No
High speed trains sound great, but the need for local public transportation is much greater.
Prop 2: Yes
Yes, we're prepared to pay higher prices in exchange for better animal treatment standards. Besides, have you seen the state of chicken farms in China? Remember where the avian flu came from? Do you want to risk all sorts of diseases coming from crowded conditions like that?
Prop 4: No
This was a Really Tough One, I think the toughest of all. I'm Catholic and I'm pro-choice, but I'm against abortion (Wha-ha-hat? For explanation, I refer you to Joe Biden's brilliant, rational and compassionate defense of his pro-choice position, which is exactly how I feel). If my teenage daughter got pregnant I'd want to know about it so I could do everything I could to discourage her from getting an abortion. But notification is not consent. If The Pea really wanted to go through with it, there would be no way I could stop her anyway. Teens who will not or cannot tell their parents they are having an abortion will simply ignore this law and find a way to go through with it anyway. So they need to have access to safe and legal procedures. Yes, the measure does have an "out" that allows minors to bypass the requirement, but it requires spilling all your secrets to a judicial court, or telling Social Services that your legal guardian has molested you. Like any girl is going to opt for that!
Prop 8: No.
Let people live their lives the way they want to, they're not harming you! Whatever your religious views on same-sex marriage, this is a legal issue. Your church can say marriage is between a man and a woman and condemn all homosexuals to hell, it's their business. But that's church and this is state, and all couples should be treated equally under law. Otherwise, it's like having different water fountains, oh yes, they're both water fountains so why should you complain if you have to use your own water fountain and not mine? Even though my water fountain gives me cold, filtered water and yours gives you warm tap water, they're still the same......
Santa Clara County measures:
Measure A: Yes
Do I want to be in a hospital during a minor earthquake and have the ceiling collapse on me? Heck, no. I hated paying an arm and a leg for the seismic safety upgrade of our 1920's house -- but we did it anyway. When safety is at stake, it's an easy decision. And besides, we'd spend a whole lot more to rebuild the house.
Measure B: Yes
The Valley needs more public transportation, and the systems that already exist need to be connected. How else are we going to ease the congestion on our roads and pollution in the air?
Palo Alto city measures
Measure N: No
Sorry, I love the libraries, but it's just too much money in a time when there's not enough money to go around. I said yes on Measures A and B, and there's just not enough in our budget for Measure N. Sacrifices are being made all around, and this is a luxury we'll have to forego. Better yet, get rid of the branch libraries and concentrate resources on a single library (and yes, I'd be happy to drive from North Palo Alto to a single, new and improved Mitchell Park library).
For all you US citizens -- you don't know how lucky you are. You are in a privileged position to make a real difference in how your money is used, in how your state is run, in what direction your country takes. Heck, the US is such a powerful nation that your vote can even affect the way the world turns. So USE that vote! If you don't want, it, I'll gladly have it!
The sweet rewards of doing your civic duty
As if you needed an extra reason to vote..... go to participating Ben & Jerry's shops on voting day -- that's tomorrow, November 4 -- tell them you voted and they'll give you a free ice cream cone.
Now playing in the kitchen
For this month, at least, I've decided to shamelessly copy a great idea from a couple of my favorite foodie blogs, CityMama and This Week for Dinner. For the next 4 weeks I'll be posting my meal plan for the week. I'll list down the dishes I plan to cook from scratch, and maybe write a little bit about a couple of them.
I've actually been doing this for a couple of weeks (planning, not posting) and I've found that I really like it. It really lessens the stress of figuring out what to eat five minutes before I cook it, and it has cut down on impromptu visits to the grocery store.
I know, I know, I'm acting like I've discovered a new planet (when I bragged about it to my sister, she told me she's been doing it since she got married 10 years ago). But I'm the kind of cook who doesn't like recipes, with all the reading and the measuring. I like to just throw things together. But I've realized that I can still do that; all I'm doing with the meal planning is deciding in advance which things I'm going to throw together.
So here goes... my menu for the week of November 3:
* Sausage, cauliflower and white bean stew
I think there's some fancy French name for this but that's what I call it. This is one of my favorite dishes. My grandmother's cook makes this all the time in the Philippines and would give me the recipe if I asked her, but as I said, I don't do recipes. I just kind of figured out what sorts of things go in it. My version probably has a lot less olive oil, garlic and spanish chorizo so it doesn't taste as fabulous -- but it's healthier, and still pretty darn good.
* Teriyaki chicken and rice
* Torta Espanola (potato omelet)
* Roast pork loin and potatoes
So why only 4 dishes? Because we usually have enough leftovers from these 4 meals for at least 1 Leftover Night, and I like to leave the other 2 nights open. Because there will be at least 1 night that I don't feel like cooking. Because that's what canned soup or Trader Joe's noodles or takeout is for. Because I still like to be spontaneous and throw together something at the last minute. Get out the chopping board and turn on the stove, supper's a-comin'!
I've actually been doing this for a couple of weeks (planning, not posting) and I've found that I really like it. It really lessens the stress of figuring out what to eat five minutes before I cook it, and it has cut down on impromptu visits to the grocery store.
I know, I know, I'm acting like I've discovered a new planet (when I bragged about it to my sister, she told me she's been doing it since she got married 10 years ago). But I'm the kind of cook who doesn't like recipes, with all the reading and the measuring. I like to just throw things together. But I've realized that I can still do that; all I'm doing with the meal planning is deciding in advance which things I'm going to throw together.
So here goes... my menu for the week of November 3:
* Sausage, cauliflower and white bean stew
I think there's some fancy French name for this but that's what I call it. This is one of my favorite dishes. My grandmother's cook makes this all the time in the Philippines and would give me the recipe if I asked her, but as I said, I don't do recipes. I just kind of figured out what sorts of things go in it. My version probably has a lot less olive oil, garlic and spanish chorizo so it doesn't taste as fabulous -- but it's healthier, and still pretty darn good.
* Teriyaki chicken and rice
* Torta Espanola (potato omelet)
* Roast pork loin and potatoes
So why only 4 dishes? Because we usually have enough leftovers from these 4 meals for at least 1 Leftover Night, and I like to leave the other 2 nights open. Because there will be at least 1 night that I don't feel like cooking. Because that's what canned soup or Trader Joe's noodles or takeout is for. Because I still like to be spontaneous and throw together something at the last minute. Get out the chopping board and turn on the stove, supper's a-comin'!
Adios, Daylight Savings
Ahhhh...... thanks to the end of Daylight Savings Time, I got an extra hour of sleep today. The mornings have gotten colder and darker and the temptation to sleep in has gotten greater and greater. Of course, it also means that Alfie and I will stay up an hour later because we aren't sleepy yet, so it all evens out. But for now, I'm going to enjoy that extra time I can snuggle up in bed.
Since I can't celebrate Halloween anymore, I'm going to blog
I always suffer from a mild case of Halloween withdrawal symptom; after a whole month of candy, parties and cheesy decorations, November seems flat and uneventful. The prospect of taking down all the decorations I've painstakingly put up is like being faced with a basketful of wrinkled clothes to iron.
So this year, like the year before, I'm joining National Blog Posting Month and attempting to post to this blog every day in November. NaBloPoMo has grown to a yearly phenomenon -- you can pick any month to attempt your daily posting challenge, and bloggers are given a different theme for every month to guide and inspire them. But there's a special place in most bloggers' hearts for the original November NaBloPoMo, and I suspect the ranks of daily bloggers will swell this month.
Last year I blogged for all 30 days. This year I have more posts to write, more blogs to maintain. Will I make it? I don't know. But I'm sure gonna have fun trying.
So this year, like the year before, I'm joining National Blog Posting Month and attempting to post to this blog every day in November. NaBloPoMo has grown to a yearly phenomenon -- you can pick any month to attempt your daily posting challenge, and bloggers are given a different theme for every month to guide and inspire them. But there's a special place in most bloggers' hearts for the original November NaBloPoMo, and I suspect the ranks of daily bloggers will swell this month.
Last year I blogged for all 30 days. This year I have more posts to write, more blogs to maintain. Will I make it? I don't know. But I'm sure gonna have fun trying.
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