Lionden Landing

Before we get to this week's menu I want to recap last week. The lemon chicken pasta was fine but nothing special and certainly not worth the time. Last week's surprise dessert was Tiramisu. Here is the recipe and review. We did not end up making the risotto. I could not find the time to stand at the stove uninterrupted for 30 mins, especially in a week so full with baking. We made lots of Hamentaschen. I tried a new recipe which I really like. I have included the recipe below so I won't forget it. I wanted to make some apricot but got out-voted. They were all raspberry or chocolate. I found a lovely new cookbook at Borders. It is entitled " Crazy for Chocolate " which suits me since I totally am. It was only $2.99 so I bought it even though there is no space on my bookshelf for it. Practically every recipe in it, I am excited about making. One of the best things is that each recipe not only has a picture of the finished product but also pictures of...

This is what it should look like. Mine does not look anything like this. The February 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen and Deeba of Passionate About Baking . They chose Tiramisu as the challenge for the month. Their challenge recipe is based on recipes from The Washington Post, Cordon Bleu at Home and Baking Obsession. Tiramisu is probably Daddy’s favorite dessert of all time. But it is not something I would have attempted at home with out this challenge as motivation. It was a serious challenge to find the appropriate substitutes to make it dairy-free. I love the idea of being able to give him his favorites in a way the whole family can share. Of all the challenges I have participated in, this one provided the most learning experiences - experiences which I will be able to translate to other desserts. Tiramisu I learned has four major components; the ladyfingers or Savoiardi , the pastry cream, the marscapone, and the zabaglione. It...

We went to see the Magic of Mozart a few weeks ago. Froggy fell in love. It was amazing a beautiful to watch. Taking off on that interest, in the typical unschooly fashion, we have been studying the orchestra and the different instuments and the family groups they belong to. We using Carnival of the Animals as our primary source. It is an amazing piece. The book is lively and interesting. Froggy needs something to look at while listening to the music to help stay focused. Each page talks about the track to which we are listening and has her completely captivated. Another great site that helps us is Perfect Pitch which is created by ArtsEdge, the educational foundation portion of the Kennedy Center. It shows how the orchestra has changed over time as well as the families of instruments and their position in the orchestra. Some other books we are using/enjoying in this process are: Meet The Orchestra by Ann Hayes The Story of the Incredible Orchestra by Bruce Koscielniak Musi...

Sunday - Beef Barley Soup and biscuits Monday - Homemade Pizza and salad Tuesday - Tacos Wednesday - Dinner at class - Bake Hamantashen Thursday - Lemon Chicken and Pasta Friday - Challah, Pot Roast, Butternut Squash Risotto (recipe below), steamed broccoli and a surprise dessert ( recipe and review will follow) Saturday -Purim Speil at shul. dinner out beforehand. Butternut Squash Risotto 2 cups water, divided 2 (14 1/4-ounce) cans low-salt beef broth 2 teaspoons olive oil 1/2 cup finely chopped yellow onion 3 cups (3/4-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash (about 1 pound) 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1 1/2 cups Arborio rice or other short-grain rice 1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese 3 tablespoons unsalted butter 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley Bring 1 1/2 cups water and broth to a simmer in a large saucepan (do not boil). Keep warm over low heat. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion; cook 8 minute...

The sweetheart cake did not work at all. The square cake crumbled as it came out of the pan and would not cut so no heart to make. I frosted the round cake, decorated it with sprinkles and everyone seemed to think that was good enough (tm). Our experiment this week is going to be the chicken pad thai. It is again from my favorite cookbook ever Monday - Tacos, Seasoned rice, Black Beans, Salad Tuesday - Out with Friends Wednesday - Class - Froggy will have Mac & Cheese with the Sitter Thursday - Chicken Pad Thai, carrots Friday - Challah , Maple Glazed Salmon , rice, Keem, Broccoli, Tiramisu (recipe to follow) Saturday - Leftovers

Valentines Day - It is technically Saint Valentines Day , a Catholic Holiday. And yet we celebrate it in our house. We should not and I know we should not. There is a guilty feeling in m y stomach as I watch my daughter make cards for her teachers and friends. But we do it. To me it is like Halloween. I along with most of the rest of the country treat them as secular holidays. That is how I grew up. For me there is a big difference between celebrating Halloween and Valentines Day and having a Christmas tree or hanging stockings. Maybe I am deluding myself but it is the same line my mom drew and it works for us at least for now. Part of me wishes I could do away with it. But part of me loves it. I make my daughter a new dress each year. My husband always gets me flowers and chocolate and does something nice for me. I cook a special festive dinner . We bake treats and share our love with neighbors and friends in a way they understand (unlike the Mishlach Manot baskets which...

And annoucing, Keli is the winner of last week's Corningware giveaway . Congratulations. I hope she has as much fun cooking in it as I intend to. So we ended up having this for dessert for Shabbat instead of the crisp. It was an interesting experiment and may have been better if the plums were not so tart. The venison turned out fantastic. Thank you so much Emerson. Ok so technically Valentines Day is next week but I am spending so much of this week prepping for it (mostly with crafts and baking) that I felt the need to share it early. If we ever dig out from all the snow (We got >24 yesterday and more is due on Tuesday), we will be delivering Valetines goodies to teachers and friends as we see them this week. Sunday - movie night - dinner is crudite, puffed pastry hors dervs, and cows in blankets. Monday - Mommy in class - Pizza for the family Tuesday - Salmon Burgers Wednesday - Ravioli for Froggy - Parents eat at class if it happens otherwise Chili for the whole fami...

We are on the go lots and lots. Some say we do "school on the go" rather than homeschooling. Still, I try really hard to keep one morning a week for being at home. The rhythms of week run smoother if Froggy has some down time at home. And I get to clean . I love having a neat, tidy house and this gets me it once a week even if just for a few minutes. Some people clean one room each day or several times a week. Once a week is the best I can manage. I hate to clean but love things sparkly so this is a nice compromise for me. I spend the time between breakfast and lunch cleaning. It is a minimum of two hours and a maximum of four depending on how cooperative Froggy is. Sometimes it is hard to get started but once I do finally get my act together and start I love doing it. And I just keep on going. There is always more cleaning than there is time for. I start with the essentials of what needs to be done, straightening, cleaning the floors (sweeping, vacuuming and washi...

The latest edition of this wonderful carnival is up over at As for My House . It features some great times and stories from other homeschooling families (including us :) I finally got my act to get together) So grab a cup of coffee and get inspired.