Garden Stamp Trial

The stamps finally came and we learned a good lesson. Stainless works a-ok, but I think sterling would be way better.  The softer metal would ensure a good imprint, but this is not too bad for a first shot.  We did our first official label as onion in honor of the 200 onion sets that we planted today.  Yes, we planted and in the ground, not just the mass seeds we have started in the basement!  They will weather a cold snap, but the earth felt warm and ready, so we tucked them in.  Garden....game on! 

Now I'm off to get my game on with the ladies and trivia nite :)

Meatless Monday

When Sidney was six she went through a good eight months or so where she would not eat meat.  She wanted to be a vegetarian and was very adamant about it.  The problem ultimately came as her tastes became a little more picky and we had to explain that she needed to consume certain foods in order to get all of the necessary nutrients.  Since then she has eaten meats, steak tastes pretty good, but still in just moderate amounts.  Back in January, when Charles was at a birthday party, we treated Sidney to lunch at a place called Hu Hot.  It's a Mongolian BBQ where you fill a bowl with any number of items from a large smorgasbord, ladle on some sauces and then they cook it in front of you.  She chose tofu as her protein, and loved it!  Since then she has been on me to cook with more tofu.  Beyond a recipe for a fantastic Asian lettuce wrap with tofu, my repertoire is very limited here.

Over the last couple of months, I've noticed a number of bloggers participating in Meatless
Monday. There was a link in my facebook feed from the kitchn last week to a recipe for Meatless Monday, so we tried it.  Sidney was thrilled with the idea, and as she left for school this morning, reminded me that we were eating vegetarian this evening.  Since immediately after school Sid is participating in battle of the books, I'm doing easy meatless this week.

Pasta a Fagioli
4 T Olive Oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cans chopped tomatoes
1/2 tsp. basil
1/4 tsp. oregano
1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 box pasta (I used twists)
1/2 C grated Parmesan cheese


Saute garlic in olive oil, and then add tomatoes and spices.  While simmering tomato mixture, boil salted water and cook the pasta.  Add beans to the sauce and cook for about five minutes, then stir in grated Parmesan cheese.  Toss pasta in sauce and serve.  I like to add more parm on top and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes.  Enjoy!

Just Hangin' With My Peeps

 I saw this craft on one of the multitude of crafty sites that I follow in my facebook news feed and I can't remember which one.  I think mommy savers, maybe.  Anyway, one of my friends made a couple of these right after and they turned out so cute, that I had to jump on board.  Find yourself a wreath of any substrate and wrap it in ribbon.  I like fat ribbons that have a little bit of wire in the edges.  Then, take out your trusty glue gun and hang up your peeps.  That easy and a simple festive start to spring!  Have a great weekend!

Jambo!

Jambo is Swahili for Hello

This week has been full of kid activities the crescendo last night with the second grade African feast and drumming.  The second grade class does a unit each year that focus' on Africa.  They dig deep into the culture, language, and all components of the continent.  They eat, sleep, breath and more importantly learn amazing amounts of information in a way that is so exciting both for them and for me as a parent. 

 When Sidney went through a couple of years ago, we made a very ornate entree for the feast.  This year Charles insisted on Tanzanian Baked Bananas, simple, delicious, and he was completely thrilled!  We toured the four classrooms (each one decorated in the theme that class had focused on), we ate, we played mancala, and then we danced, sang and enjoyed.

Lucky Diop and his troop of talented drummers and dancers performed for the kids, taught the kids, and got the parents on their feet.  A memorable learning and cultural moment for the whole family.  As an aside, Naima on this years American Idol is a former student of Lucky's!

Happy Weekend!

Do You Moo?

As we develop more and more ideas, I began to think a little bit about what is it that we call ourselves?  I seem to have different id's for most of my digital groups.  I didn't have the forethought, when I dabbled into the different areas of the online world, that I should use one common name to identify myself.  Now as we ramp up things like farm boxes and are testing the waters of up cycled items, I decided that I should get some little bit of marketing or identification to go along with things we give away and hope to eventually sell.  I love these little moo cards!  They have lots of cool designs to choose from or you can create your own by uploading your photographs, which is what I did!  So now we have branded ourselves a little....

The Homestead @

Ray Family Farm

Maybe not short and sweet, but it is what we are, a family making our way on a road less traveled by.