Hummus

2 cans chick peas
4 large cloves garlic
1 tsp salt
juice from one large lemon
3/4 cup tahini
dash of cayanne
lots of black pepper
1/4 cup minced scallions (optional)

Add all ingredients together and either mash with a fork or use a blender. I use my hand-held Braun "wand", it has a blade at the end which you can use in a glass or a bowl. You can put this in a sandwhich, dip bread or veggies in it, and it carries and keeps well, so it is good to take to parties, especially if you are trying to eat right and your family and friends eat junk food!


Tom is finally at school again. He was out for a whole week with a horrible cough. He is still coughing, but he really needs to get back. He just sat around for a week, I tried to play some games and such with him but I didn't want to make it too fun, and we couldn't go outside or anything. I, of course, started a little cough this morning, so I am really worried I will get it. Unfortunately, I will be the old lady who gets pnuemonia all the time-I get a cough and it always goes deep in my lungs and lasts a full month. Yuck.

I was given a hiking book for the Finger Lakes area this weekend. I really would like to start hiking this spring in earnest, so I need to be in shape. There are lots of short, relatively easy hikes in the book, 4 of them within a 20 minute drive. I can take a dog and go while the boys are in school. Last year I sprained my ankle so bad in April that it took until August before I could really walk any distance. We hiked one Adirondack high peak in October. So all I have of the high peaks are Cascade and Porter. (I am trying to climb all 46) Hopefully this year I will get some more. I think Dave will get his long before I will finish mine, he already has over 20 of them. However, I could try to finish the Fingerlakes trail, which is easier on me since it is flatter, and is closer so I can do a lot while the kids are at school.

Tom wants to also do the Fingerlakes trail, which is more doable than the peaks for him. If I can scout out a few trails for him we can start getting him in shape. I really would like him to be excited by more active things.

My friend lent me her backpack, never used ;-) I thought I would start walking with the pack to get used to carrying a load. I can start at home with a bit of weight in it, and also use it on my day hikes. We have free weights I can use, or maybe a bag of cat litter or something (unused).

Yesterday I took Harriet out for a while. She walked around with me, and followed me across the yard, then we scratched for worms for a while. She is much better at it than me, but of course if I were digging for chocolate maybe I would be better;-) . Maybe I should train her to be a hiking chicken! She is pretty lonely, so I am trying to spend time with her until I decide what to do-if I should leave her inside with us until spring and get chicks or what.

Tom just came home from school, he couldn't stop coughing. We have a doc appt at 1:45, the nurse thought he may have a touch of bronchitis. I do not usually take the kids to the doc for colds and flu's, there is nothing he can do anyway, but Tom is getting worse not better. So, we will see. Well, nothing else going on, at least not in my little world.

In memory

Yesterday I went out to the barn to find Harriet, my banty hen, all alone amid a sea of feathers. Apparently, a weasel got into the barn and killed the other 6 chickens. I am really too depressed to write a recipe, so I am pasting something I wrote elsewhere a few weeks ago.

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'The girls', Don King and Einstien. They are white crested black polish , so they have funny white crowns of feathers on their heads but are otherwise black. They are very independant, and will go after the dogs if they need to. They don't put up with crap from outsiders. Beene is also a polish, she is very responsive to me, and likes to run up to new people and check them out, where the girls don't bother with people unless they get too close.

Harriet is a little black banty, she is very bold, and puts up with no crap from anyone, even though she is the smallest. She comes running as fast as she can, or flies, when you call, where as the others come more slowely. She is really the boss of the flock. Gonzo, a little banty rooster is very affectionate. He loves to jump on my arm and dance his little rooster dance. He will clean his beak on me, and crow sometimes on command.

Florish is a banty cochin, she is a black ball of feathers. She is very passive, you can pick her right up. She is broody, so her instinct to nest is strong. She is not so interactive as the other birds, but I got her later as an adult. Blotts is her mate. He looks similar, and before a few weeks ago was not really personable. But the roosters got in a fight, (little tiny Gonzo kicked poor Blotts ass). Blotts was torn up, so I had to bring him in the house and spend an hour cleaning his comb, beak and feathers. After that, he is very attached to me. He will come running when I visit, and then follows me around. He will let me pick him up with no fuss, and now does the rooster dance too.

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I will miss them dearly, especially my boys, Gonzo and Blotts. Gonzo was the most attached from the beginning, he always loved to jump on my arm and visit, even if it was just for a minute. And I will miss Blotts waddling towards me as fast as he could, just just so he could stand next to me and puff up all handsome. The other day I left out some melon guts for them, and Blotts just stood over them and cried "Look!Look!" for a full minute until Flo came over, then he dived in as soon as her beak hit the pile. He wouldn't eat until she did. It will be very difficult to get a new rooster.

Moors and Christians

Start one cup brown rice cooking according to pkg instruction. Meanwhile, in a skillet, saute 4 cloves crushed garlic, one small chopped onion, a pinch of crushed red pepper, a dash or two of cayanne pepper until the onions are soft. Add one cup peas or chopped green pepper, 2 medium chopped tomatoes, and one can (2 cups) cooked black beans. Add to the rice and cook together until rice is done and liquid is absorbed. Salt and pepper to taste and serve with biscuits and a green salad.

To be totally un PC, we joked at dinner that this should be called Moors, Christians, Indians and Aliens! (think the colors in the dish)
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I started thinking of the boy's article I posted yesterday. I think boys are like an indicator species. The canary in the coal mine, or the liverwort plant in the woods, are the first in the environment to succumb to toxins, or changes in pH or temperature. Since boys are falling behind in school, I think we need to start looking at the environment for answers. Some people think that making the schoolroom more boy friendly is the answer. It may help, certainly, but I think it is a band-aid. Many schools 100 years ago used the sit down and be quiet model and boys excelled. So what has changed? I think we need to look at the greater world.

In this age of "Girl power," where we (quite rightly) encourage girls to be whatever they wish, what have we told boys? Do we encourage boys to be whatever they want? Nurses, teachers, fathers? No, we still encourage them to be traditional males, no pink, no soft careers, no thinking of their own happiness before their careers. Traditional males. A traditional male once was a leader, strong, protective, independant with integrity and character.

But how do we now view traditional males? When you look at the messages boys are getting, it is quit obvious that we do not think very highly of them. Just spend a few minutes watching commercials, or movie titles, or sitcoms. It is obvious that men are feckless dolts who are barely tolerated by their scowling, imperious wives. Or they are evil perpetrators of crimes. Obviously there are exceptions, but by and large if you count the images of men, the negative far out numbers the good.

We criminalize manhood by domestic violence and sexual assault campaigns targetting at boys and men when most studies done by independant agencies show both to be perpetrated by men AND women. A recent survey came out that showed more high school boys have been victims of dating violence than girls. Yet the educational material is still using the male/bad, female/victim model. Boys are told they are a threat no matter what they do or don't do. They are inherantly bad based on their gender.

Marriage is a huge gamble for men. Is it any wonder why men are avoiding it? Who wants to take the 50/50 chance that you will divorce-of that an 80% chance it will be your wife leaving you and keeping the kids. Who wants to take the chance that you will be relegated to a visitor in your child's life?

Also look at the workplace, which has become increasingly hostile to men. Sexual harrassment claims, once needed to protect women, are now used to ruin people's careers with little or no proof. It is no longer about common courtesy, but about absolute control of the work place by a few easily offended individuals.

Add all this and more, and what motivates a young boy to excel? Not competition in the classroom, not goals of working, not goals of marraige and children, not goals of being respected in society. Is it any wonder that boys are retreating into the video world? Their environment has become hostile, and like any indicator species, they are exibiting the signs of reation to that poisonous environment. Until we address the underlying motivators and conditions which are causing the problems, band-aiding them in schools is not going to help.

Homemade flour tortillas

In a bowl, mix 1 pkt or 1 TBS yeast, 1 cup whole wheat flour, 2 cups warm water and 1/4 cup olive or veg oil. Let sit for 10 minutes. Then add another cup of whole wheat flour and 1 tsp salt and stir vigorously. Continue to stir and add unbleached white flour half a cup at a time until it is too stiff to stir easily and the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Pull the spoon out and scrape off the dough. Use your hands to keep mixing the dough, adding half a cup of flour each time the dough gets sticky, until you have a soft dough which feels like your earlobe (feel your earlobe before you start or it will get all floury!) Keep kneading the dough by flattening it, folding it in half, flattening it, etc. You can do this on a floured counter, or right in the bowl. I knead mine for just a minute or two. Let the dough rest on the counter while you prepare the veggies and such for whatever meal you are making, about 15 minutes.

*letting the dough rest makes rolling it our much easier. Dough gets stressed out with over handling, and just like us it clenches up and becomes stiff. We all need our rest, and dough is no exception ;-)*

When you are ready, get a dry skillet, or better yet I use an electric griddle with a no-stick surface. I do not put oil on it. Take a blob of dough the size of a lime and put it on a floured surface. Flatten it with your hand, then with a rolling pin roll it out into a large flat circle. You will need to sprinkle flour to the board and the top of each one to keep it from sticking. Do not be afraid of the flour! The tortilla should not stick to anything, you should be able to pick it up with your hands and move it around without it sticking.

It will probably not be a perfect circle, and that is just fine. I like mine thicker, but play with it and see how thick you like it. Between an 1/8 and a 1/4 inch, depending on what you like. If you want larger tortillas, use more dough, smaller use less. It is certainly not a science. Roll out one or two at a time, depending on how much room on the skillet you have. Place the tortilla on the skillet, which has been heated to medium, or 300 degrees on the electric skillet. Roll out the next one when the first is cooking. When the top starts to look puffy, lift the edge of the tortilla with your hand or tongs to check. It should look cooked, and start to slightly brown a golden color in spots. The longer you cook it, the less soft it will be. If you are making these for dipping cook them longer than if you want to use them as wraps. Flip it when it is done to your satisfaction, then place on a plate and put the next one on. Repeat until they are all done. You can place them in the oven on low if you like, I put the plate underneath the electric griddle (which is on little legs) and it keeps them warm.


I use these with refried beans, veggies and salsa, breakfast burritos, felafel, humus wraps, and dipping in humus. I warn you, once you make these, you will be spoiled and not want to lower yourself to store bought wraps any more. Your husband or wife will probably come by and snitch one to nibble on, so make a couple more than you think you will need. You can always put them in a plastic bag and have a wrap for lunch the next day if you have them leftover. They keep for 3-4 days in plastic. I have not tried freezing them.

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The trouble with Boys

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10965522/site/newsweek/?GT1=7538

This was an excellent article about boys in school. While I feel it left out many causes, it hit on some of the big ones, including fatherless homes, female-centric school methods, and lack of male teachers in elementary education. I am fully supportive of same sex education, that is separating boys and girls for classes. Dispite what some may thing, boys are just different than girls. Not better or worse, just different. I do not think boys should be punished for not being girls, anymore than girls should be punished for not being boys.

I have two boys. While I felt homeschooling had its drawbacks for us, I still seriously wonder if it is a better choice. My older son is still having problems in school with homework and lack of interest. My younger one is still on honor roll, but is really unmotivated by the coursework. At what point do I start to wonder if it is the environment? Fortunately, we have a very traditional school which in large part does respect boys. We picked this home in part because we liked the school system. But even this system must hold up to state standards, which are very female centric. He must take a foreign language for 4 years, but only gets to take autocad as a senior. Nick would much rather take computer classes then language. He got a 98 in autocad during he 6 week into last year, and he would use autocad far more in real life than spanish. His teacher is always assigning love poems and such, and the boys think the whole class is a joke. Spanish is heavily on language skills, which boys struggle with more than girls. To also have the curriculum biased to girls as well makes spanish a real difficulty for the boys.

I have thought about starting a study group for boys here at the house. We have a huge bar with darts and pool table, after studying they could hang out for a while. That way I can help the boys without trying to fight with the school.

I just really worry about what life will bring my boys.

Spicy Tempeh & Broccoli

Cut one pkg Tempeh into strips 1/2 inch wide and and 1-2 inches long. Place in a bowl with 1 cup broth (any kind), 4-6 cloves crushed garlic, 2 TBS Miso, a pinch of crushed red pepper, a dash or two of cayanne pepper and lots of black pepper. Put in fridge and marinade for an hour, stir, then marinade another hour. If you don't have Miso then add some salt and a few drops of soy sauce instead.

Meanwhile grate a large carrot, cut 2 crowns of broccoli into bite sized pieces, and take out a cup of frozen corn. Also cook either brown or white rice, or barley, lightly salted and peppered.

When the Tempeh is done marinating, heat a large skillet to medium with a couple of TBS of olive oil and if desired a couple more cloves crushed garlic, and pour in the tempeh, marinade and all. Fry up a couple of minutes, then add on top the veggies and cover. Check every 4-5 minutes, stirring a bit each time, adding broth or water if needed. When the broccoli is done, mix the whole thing well, to coat all the veggies. Serve over the rice or barley, with chunks of fresh bread or corn bread.
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I made this up because my husband could not stand the plain Tempeh, he ate around it like the kids then fed it to the dogs! This recipe was a hit, even with the kids. Tempeh is very good for you, it has tons of soy protein and fiber, and seems to suck up marinade pretty quickly. I think I might try adding sun dried tomato strips next time.

My husband has been fighting with his cholesterol, as I wrote earlier. He has listened to everything I said about his diet, he is an amazing man. He has self control that is unbelievable. He indeed is eating almost vegan, and it paid off, when he went to the doctor last week. Mind you this is the second time he has been on Lipitor and Zetia together, and it did little but make him exhausted. We go to the doctor, and his numbers are awesome. The LDLs are low, and the HDLs are very good! Total is 163! Yeah!

I went with him to his appointment because the doctor was discounting his exhaustion from the Lipitor. I got pissed, because he truly is tired, and to me what is the point of taking a medication to live longer if you are too tired to enjoy it? Also, I am big on listening to your body, and I worry that his body is telling him that this drug is not safe for him.

So he gets the numbers down, and the doctor tells him it was not his eating right, it was the drugs. Remember that he was on this same combination before and it didn't work. I told the doctor exactly how we were eating, and he took it more seriously, but still wanted to give credit to the drugs. So Dave said he will try one month of taking the Lipitor at night rather than morning, to see if it helps. If not, he is going off the Lipitor and staying on the diet to see if we can maintian the numbers naturally.

The doctor kept telling Dave he was fat. I wanted to dump the canister of cotton balls on his head. I piped up and told him that Dave looks great, that if the doctor wants him to lose weight, take him off the Lipitor, and he will start working out again. I also told him that the only reason he quit working out 5 days a week was the Lipitor, and that he stayed the same size because he stopped eating badly. This same doctor told my son he was fat, in a very crude way. The doctor is an osteopath, which means he is supposed to be as concerned with wellness as with drugs and technology. I think he is forgetting that.

We still have Tess, if anyone is looking for a slightly schizo, very sweet pit bull who can play a mean game of frisbee.