Carolina Thanksgiving

We had a nice Thanksgiving dinner today. We were very glad to have Alison, Tobin and Hallie join us. We ate in the late afternoon and took a nice hike (aka walk in the woods) in the morning. Here is an album of nice photos that Tobin took for us.

Nicknames

Beatta and I love Henkka's nickname "Papu" so much that we almost regret not just naming him that to begin with (it means "bean", like green bean, though I like to think of him as Bean from Ender's Game/Shadow). Do Hallie, Ian, and Molly have nicknames? Have they changed much over time?

We may have a winner

I have never been satisfied with the Navy Bean Soup recipe we have - always like the restaurant stuff better. Alison made some the other day and said it wasn't that wonderful either. I ran across a recipe on the net the other day that is much better. Here it is:

1 lb. small white beans - navy or great northern
1 lb. smoked ham hocks ( I used two, wanting more ham)
1/4 cup bacon drippings or olive oil
2 C chopped onion
1 C carrots, diced small
2 T minced garlic
1 14-1/2 oz. can whole tomatoes, chopped
4 fresh thyme sprigs
8 C chicken broth.

Soak the beans in cold water overnight, drain and rinse well.
Simmer the hocks in at least 6 cups water ( to cover) in a saucepan, partially covered for 1 hour, skimming foam as needed. Reserve 4 cups of the cooking liquid.

Heat drippings / oil until hot but not smoking in an 8-quart pot over moderate heat. Cook onions, carrot & garlic , stirring, until the onion softens. Add the tomatoes and thyme and cook 1 minute. Add the beans, broth, hocks and cooking liquid and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally until the beans are tender, about 1 hour.

Remove a cup or so of the beans and mash them or puree in a food processor, and return them to the soup - this thickens the soup. Remove the hocks, shred the meat and return to the soup. Put the soup in the fridge or freezer until he fat can be skimmed off. Season the soup with salt, pepper and a little Tabasco if desired.

Note: I found the soup too thin - next time I'll cut the liquid by at least 2 cups. The recipe also calls for 1 lb. arugula to to be added just before serving. Spinach could be used, too. I didn't use either.

I'd be interested in your reactions.

Happy cooking,
Dad

Fall Leaves

We have been enjoying a wonderful display of fall color. Here are some pictures from our street that Molly and I took yesterday.

Vote for Ryan's personalized plates

Please visit my blog for my students and vote.

Thanks!

Ryan

Historic Moment

Literally moments ago, Beatta announced that an historic event had taken place: She ate, of her own free will and choice, a serving of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. And she didn't hate it. To be honest, I never thought I would see this day--I had resigned myself to the sad reality that it was one of those foods, like peanut butter, root beer, and cherry soda that Beatta would never come to accept as part of a balanced diet.

The magnitude of this event can scarcely be overestated. I have tried for the past six years to get her to enjoy this delicacy of delicacies--indeed, I've slowly worked on her by introducing close substitutes (homemade mac n' cheese), tried different varieties and shapes (Three Cheese, White Cheddar, Spirals, etc...), and on occasion simply tried patience and persuasion.

This guy knows the feeling!

Personally, I feel a major thorn in the side of an otherwise successful marriage has been removed. The clouds have parted and the sun now shines upon our home. We can finally, as a whole family, enjoy a $0.97 yellow dinner together.

Henkka Medley

First some cute photos:

How do you get your kid NOT to smile that weird cheesy smile when you take their picture? He's so funny--smiling like that every time the camera is out, so I can't be annoyed at him. He makes me laugh every day and I'm thankful for such a good boy.

He loves tools and the other day Scott was the most awesome dad ever, and let Henkka play with his tools (Under strict supervision of course).

First trip to the ER:

A few nights ago, Henkka had a a hard time sleeping. He slept ok until we were ready to go to bed at 10:30pm, and he does that often -- wakes up right as we are ready to hit the sack. First I wanted to ignore him, but he was doing his whining noises and those mean that he is not going to fall back asleep unless we go comfort him a little. Scott took the first turn and gave him some painkillers, thinking he was teething.

I took the second shift an hour or two later, when he started whining again. This time he would not go back to sleep, but started having episodes of screaming like he was really hurting. None of our usual comforting tricks worked, so after an hour and a half of constant screaming we took him to the ER at 2:30am. We guessed he had an ear infection and right we were. They put some numbing drops in his ear, gave us some antibiotics and we all got to go back to bed at 4am.
Luckily he slept until 9:30am and after some breakfast made his Buzz Lightyear impression again, which usually means he is up for some fun.

Farewell Sweet Orem

In keeping with the results of the vote staged over the past few weeks, Beatta, Henkka and I are departing our short-lived but well-enjoyed home in Orem for Irvine. We will move around the end of November.

Following in his footsteps

Ian loves to do whatever Ryan does and last Saturday was his dream day. He followed Ryan around mowing the grass the whole time Ryan was mowing. It was adorable to see him yank the chain on his "mower" and adjust the wheel—in fact that was so much fun that every time he passed the tree where Ryan adjusted his wheel, Ian had to stop and adjust the wheel on his mower. A few more photos to enjoy.

Child Abuse

Logan, UT (AP) -A seven-year old boy was at the center of a
Cache County courtroom drama today when he challenged a
court ruling over who should have custody of him. The boy has
a history of being beaten by his parents and the judge
initially awarded custody to his aunt, in keeping with child
custody law and regulation requiring that family unity be
maintained to the highest degree possible. The boy surprised
the court when he proclaimed that his aunt beat him more than
his parents and he adamantly refused to live with her.

When the judge then suggested that he live with his
grandparents, the boy cried and said that they also beat him.
After considering the remainder of the immediate family and
learning that domestic violence was apparently a way of life
among them, the judge took the unprecedented step of allowing
the boy to propose who should have custody of him. After two
recesses to check legal references and confer with the child
welfare officials, the judge granted temporary custody to the
Utah State Aggies, whom the boy firmly believes are not
capable of beating anyone.

Halloween

Here's hoping that you had as much fun for Halloween as we did. Since Ryan taught late, we invited ourselves up to trick-or-treat with our favorite friends from the Raleigh 1st ward. We only wish they lived closer. You can see some pictures that they took here.