Waldo

Today we visited the Volunteer Park Conservatory.




On exhibit is Waldo, a flowering Amorphophallus titanium (see below). It is pollinated by dung and carrion beetles that get trapped inside the spathe. At flowering, it emits a powerful stench to attract carrion insects to carry pollen from one plant to another. The stench was horrific! Waldo came to the Conservatory on loan from the University of Washington. The plant was grown from seed sown in 1995, collected in Sumatra, Indonesia. Waldo's corm weighs 110 pounds.

Waldo

useless in Useless Bay

We spent the past few days visiting friends on Whidbey Island....

exploring Sunlight Beach with Abbott and Cal

fun with super soakers

One night we were treated to nine different varieties of pizza made from scratch! It was easily the best pizza I've ever had.

the kids relaxing in the hot tub (adults enjoyed it after the kids were asleep)

sand dollars
(I learned they are black when alive - my first experience seeing them live on the beach!)

Abbott and Cal enjoying chess in Langley's ice cream shop

the guest house where we slept

fun on the beach

the garden

easy ways to find happiness

Happiness, according to Abbott and Cal:

1. throw markers at someone
2. jump on the bed
3. jump on the bed, fall to your knees, and let the force of the bounce stand you up again
4. drink a smoothie
5. bake a cake
6. put together a puzzle
7. read a dora book with your brother
8. sing
9. draw airplanes, color them and then cut them out
10. eat a dum dum from the dry cleaner
11. play tag
12. practice the piano (really!)
13. make a fort in your parents' bed
14. make a fort in your tent
15. play with your stuffies
16. take a toy of your brother's, then run, run as fast as you can
17. play astro boy
18. water the plants
19. smell vanilla
20. smell cinnamon

police officers and pirates!

Here are the lyrics of two songs Cal was involved in writing and performing for a CD at his music camp last week...provides insight into the mind of 3-4-and 5 year old boys! (The girls' songs tended to be about fairies and mermaids and such: "there once was a unicorn with his mommy...")

There was a police officer and he drove around town
and he played the guitar when he was driving
then bad guys broke into a building
and he locked them in jail

Pirates are on the ship and they stole money from the bank
and then they stole all the cash
the paper kind - the green kind
then they stole a basketball from the basketball place.

JT live

(please excuse the lousy cell phone photos)

James Taylor's concert last night at the Chateau Ste Michelle winery made for a magical warm summer night. Alexi and I were both struck by how much we've enjoyed his music over the course of our lives...Alexi remembers listening to him at Exeter; every time I hear "Mexico" I am reminded of being in labor with Abbott.

The show was lengthy, and included several songs off his upcoming album of covers, such as a sweet rendition of "O What a Beautiful Morning" from the musical "Oklahoma!". He was a joy to watch and a generous performer.

Shed a Little Light by James Taylor

Let us turn our thoughts today
To martin luther king
And recognize that there are ties between us
All men and women
Living on the earth
Ties of hope and love
Sister and brotherhood
That we are bound together
In our desire to see the world become
A place in which our children
Can grow free and strong
We are bound together
By the task that stands before us
And the road that lies ahead
We are bound and we are bound

Abbott's choice

Lasagne in the middle of summer might not sound good to you, but it is Abbott's favorite meal, and I wanted Jean to try this unusual version of lasagne - with bechamel! - before heading back to France. I assure you, this is the best lasagne you'll ever taste!

Beef Lasagne
from Pasta & Co By Request by Marcella Rosene

"This is the lasagne we have made and sold for over a decade. Several things set this apart from the dozens of other lasagne recipes. Its sauce is strongly seasoned with oregano. It calls for a thick filling of bechamel instead of ricotta cheese. It uses feta cheese to step up the flavor of the dish. And it takes advantage of fresh lasagne noodles, which can go in the dish without any precooking. Our sales of this product are the best proof that the formula works."

Serving notes: Make a day ahead and bake when needed, or do as we do and freeze. Take the lasagne straight from the freezer and adjust the cooking time accordingly. Be sure to let the lasagne sit for 20 minutes before serving.

*I always double this recipe - I like to have extra to freeze or to feed a large crowd.

Sauce:
1 1/4 # lean ground beef
1/4 cup pure olive oil
1 1/3 c coarsely chopped onions
1 heaping tablespoon oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons finely minced garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons basil
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 cup plus 3 tablespoons dry white wine
3 1/4 cups Paradiso brand crushed tomatoes in puree. (There will be a couple of ounces left in the 28 ounce can. Save it for assembling the lasagne.)
5 ounces frozen spinach (half of a 10 ounce bag), thawed and drained of liquid

Cheese:
3 cups mozarella cheese, grated
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled

Bechamel:
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup cream
big pinch white pepper
big pinch thyme
big pinch nutmeg
big pinch basil
3 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon flour
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons grated Romano cheese

Noodles:
uncooked lasagne noodles, enough for three layers in a 9 inch by 13 inch pan

Topping:
1/4 cup unseasoned bread crumbs
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon very finely chopped parsley

To make sauce, cook ground beef in a saute pan over medium heat until pink is gone and meat is crumbly. Remove from heat and pour meat through a colander to drain off all fat. Reserve meat. In the same saute pan, heat olive oil and add onions, oregano, garlic, basil, salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Cook over medium heat until onions are translucent. Add wine, bring to a boil, and cook until alcohol has evaporated - about 10 minutes. Stir in tomatoes. Add spinach and reserved meat. Continue simmering for a few minutes. Remove from heat and reserve.

Mix together mozzarella and feta cheeses and set aside.

To make bechamel, heat milk, cream, white pepper, thyme, nutmeg, and basil in a small saucepan until it nears a boil. Turn off heat. Melt butter in a medium size saute pan. When foam from butter recedes, remove from heat, add flour, and mix well. Return to medium-low heat and, stirring frequently, simmer for 2 to 3 minutes to cook, but not brown, the flour. Gradually stir in hot milk and cream mixture. Raise heat to medium-high and continue stirring until mixture is smooth and thick - about 5 minutes. Add Parmesan and Romano cheeses and whisk until smooth. This should be the texture of wallpaper paste, not of the white sauce more often associated with bechamel.

To make topping, mix together bread crumbs, Parmesan, and parsley. Reserve.

To assemble and bake:

Preheat oven to 400F.
Spread 2 tablespoons of the tomato juices left in the can of tomatoes on the bottom of a shallow baking dish. Lay in one layer of the uncooked lasagne noodles. Spoon on 3 cups of the meat sauce. Spread 1 cup of bechamel across the sauce in two diagonals. Top with 2 cups of cheese mixture. Lay on another layer of lasagne noodles and repeat, using the same amounts os sauce, bechamel, and cheese. Top with last layer of noodles, and with fingertips, press lightly to distrubute bechamel smoothly in the layers. Using a long metal spatula, "frost" top layer of noodles with remaining bechamel. Be sure to completely cover noodles so that they do not dry out in baking. Sprinkle evenly with reserved bread crumb mixture.

Bake at 400F for about 60 minutes or until sauce bubbles around the edge and top is nicely browned. If top browns too quickly, cover with aluminum foil during last 10 minutes of cooking. If baking the lasagne straight from the freezer, add about 20 minutes more to cooking time.

Once out of the oven, let lasagne set up for about 20 minutes before serving (critical for ease of serving).

compost pail

I've had several requests for the purchasing info of the compost pail I use. The pail is from the Gardener's Supply Company. Happy shopping!

Discovery Park

Mt. Rainier as seen from Discovery Park

could it be due to all the running?

We live within easy biking distance of Discovery Park. This park is a favorite destination for many Seattleites for hiking, biking, and enjoying the natural beauty of Puget Sound. We enjoyed a nice weekend afternoon here.

weekend beginnings

This has been our week for visiting the places we have memberships to, like the aquarium, zoo, and yesterday the Japanese garden.

The boys also got haircuts yesterday.


Abbott has been busy making lego race cars all morning and taking votes on the best car. This one was voted the winner (best looking, I guess), though it didn't end up being the fastest.



Our tomatoes - our first experiment with gardening - are coming along nicely; they seem to love the western exposure and the watering Cal is always eager to do.

What's for dinner

This recipe is my one of my favorite pasta meals, and is reasonably doable on a weeknight. I first made it when Abbott was an infant, while we were living in San Francisco. (The recipe was published by Cook's Illustrated in November 2002, when Abbott was 3 months old.) To roast the peppers: I cut them into 4 pieces, remove the cores and seeds, place on a foil lined baking sheet, skin side up, and broil for 15-20 minutes, until the skin is charred (I use 2 peppers for this recipe). Put the peppers in a bowl with plastic wrap over the top for several minutes to steam, then rub the skins off with a paper towel. I recommend roasting the peppers before putting the water on to boil for the pasta. My family likes this with only a couple of cloves of garlic instead of 9, and I use a pound of mild italian sausage meat instead of 4 oz. Buon appetito!

Orecchiette with Broccoli, Sausage, and Roasted Peppers

11/2002

In this recipe, begin cooking the broccoli immediately after putting the pasta into boiling water. When cut into small pieces, the broccoli takes only a few minutes to cook through.

Serves 4 to 6 as a main dish

	table salt
1	pound orecchiette
4	ounces sweet Italian sausage , casing removed
9	medium cloves garlic , pressed through garlic press or minced (3 tablespoons)
1	cup roasted red peppers (8 ounces), cut into 1/2-inch squares
1/2	teaspoon ground black pepper
2	pounds broccoli , florets cut into bite-sized 1-inch pieces, stalks peeled, halved lengthwise, and cut into 1/4-inch thick pieces
1	tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1	cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese (2 ounces)

1. Bring 4 quarts water to rolling boil, covered, in stockpot. Add 1 tablespoon salt and pasta, stir to separate, and cook until al dente. Drain and return to stockpot.

2. While pasta is cooking, cook sausage in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, breaking it into small pieces with spoon, until browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, roasted peppers, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Increase heat to high; add broccoli and 1/2 cup water, then cover and cook until broccoli begins to turn bright green, 1 to 2 minutes. Uncover and cook, stirring frequently, until water has evaporated and broccoli is tender, 3 to 5 minutes longer. Add broccoli mixture, oil, and cheese to pasta in stockpot; toss to combine. Serve immediately.

The Puzzle Museum

One of the best things about summer for us is the large amount of unstructured time. Research indicates that children need unstructured time every day to promote healthy brain development, creativity, and well-being. It's always a treat to see what the boys find to do; witness the signs for the puzzle museum!

saving the environment, one change at a time

A few months ago I was shamed into starting a system for separating food waste from the rest of our garbage. Abbott's school does this, and he was shocked every time he saw me put an apple core or a broccoli stem into the garbage. I admit I thought it would be too icky, too time consuming, too difficult to take on; turns out all I had to do was sign up for yard waste (our gardener had been taking our yard waste away for us) and buy a small plastic container with a charcoal filter to fit under the sink. The new habit developed remarkably quickly, and I'm proud to say we were consequently able to switch to a smaller garbage can. My next challenge is giving up the printed version of my newspapers; I really like the tactile part of reading, and the ease with which I can scan what's in the paper when it's in print. I even like being able to hold the paper around me like a curtain sometimes. I fear it will be too difficult or time consuming to do all of my reading online. Stay tuned...

play ball!

Our summer wouldn't feel complete without baseball...even if the ending was sad for the Mariners (1-2 in the 15th inning)...

Independence Day

The cake was great fun to make; Cal was giddy with excitement and what isn't fun to do with a giddy three year old? Also, it was delicious to boot. The only problem was the frosting...it didn't survive well sitting on the counter for several hours before serving. If you make this recipe, be sure to refrigerate it if you aren't going to eat it right away! Abbott, Cal, Jean and Alexi did the decorating while I showered.

We learned from Jean that the French are hopeful that Obama will win the election. We talked about the importance of the French in winning the revolutionary war, and the French revolution being influenced by the American.

We had friends over this morning to hang out at the beach with us and have lunch. I had planned to make a pesto pasta salad - realized at the last minute I had about a third as much basil as I needed and had to use some leftover purchased pesto. The hummus I made a special trip to the market to get from Sabra, my favorite place to get hummus from, was only ho-hum, and all the kids ended up wanting peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and nothing else I'd made. Still, it was a nice lunch...well spent time with friends. It helped me focus on the important thing: the time spent together and not how perfect or not the meal was.

Later this afternoon I enjoyed a long chat with my sister via cellphone during a leisurely walk around Greenlake; the boys biked around the lake. I always like talking to friends and family on holidays - the sense of collective relaxation.

My first memory of watching fireworks is of a time in 1975 in Texas at the high school football field. I remember it vaguely as a thrilling experience. This will be Abbott's first fireworks experience he'll likely remember; I'm less certain Cal will remember tonight. (We took Abbott to the fireworks when he was 10 months old but he was sleeping. We had just moved back to Seattle from San Francisco and were staying at the Inn at the Market. We wheeled him to the roof of the Inn for the show in his stroller.)

Later: I loved being able to walk to the fireworks and the sense of neighborhood camaraderie while sitting on the grass. The 10pm show was hard for the boys, who are usually in bed at 7...

low tide

Some of the lowest tides of the year here are happening this week; here's a bit of what Alexi and the boys saw today: