Becka's blog

This past year I found some cute gift ideas on various blogs that I read from time to time.

I made some tea wallets for some friends and family members who are tea drinkers. They were fun to make and hopefully will be useful for the recipients. I hadn't made covered buttons in quite a while and found that the little tool that you use to help cover the buttons (it is included with the button forms) has been greatly improved since I last made some. I found this tutorial for the tea wallet.

I also made some table runners for a few people. I took a class at one of our local fabric stores to learn how to make these, but I was able to find some instructions for the basic technique at this source. These were fun to make and I hope to make myself one for next Christmas!

Here are a couple of pictures of completed table runners:

Here's a close up:

I don't always have time to make as many gifts as I did this year, but I started early and enjoyed making them.

How about you, dear readers -- did you make any gifts for Christmas this year? I know of one family where the siblings all make something for each other each year, rather than purchasing something. They have become really creative and learned some new skills over the years.

Becka

While we were in Michigan in December Rob, Mark, Katie and I spent a day at the Henry Ford Museum (which is now just referred to as "The Henry Ford" on the literature they give you.) I had been to Greenfield Village a few years ago when I was up visiting with Megan and her first grade class, but the last time I visited the museum was when Megan was in a stroller.

One thing I noticed that has changed in the quarter century since my last visit is that there are a lot more interactive exhibits now. There seem to be more things that are of interest to children. Katie was a little dismayed to see that they had some of the toys on display she had played with as a little girl!

Here are a few pictures of things that we saw that day:

There was a large special exhibit of things built from Legos, such as this dragon:

There was a model of downtown Detroit made from Legos complete with a running train:

There were many, many old bicycles, cars, airplanes, and trains, such as this one:

We saw the chair that Lincoln was sitting in when he was shot:

They also have an Oscar Mayer Wienermobile:

Here is a boy experiencing what it is like to be a hot dog:

You can actually eat a hot dog in the museum but we chose to eat lunch at the Michigan Cafe instead:

We saw many, many other interesting things at the museum. I would definitely encourage you to go if you are ever in the area. It is very well organized and enjoyable.

In my next post I want to show you something I made for Christmas.

Becka

Pineapples are on sale this week at Aldi and my friend Sandy gave me one. I got to thinking that perhaps it would be helpful if I would post some pictures of how to cut a pineapple. I can remember being rather intimidated the first few times I tried cutting one. So, here you go:

Step #1: Gather your supplies
a fresh pineapple
cutting board
sturdy knife
flexible knife (a friend who lived in Hawaii for a few years gave me this special pineapple knife. It is really great for cutting pineapples and melons.) You could use any thin-bladed knife, like a boning knife.

Step #2: Cut the ends off the pineapple.

Step #3: Cut the pineapple into four pieces, cutting from top to bottom.

Step #4: Using the flexible knife cut the core (the hard, pithy middle section) out of the pineapple. Note: The edges of the core are good for nibbling!

Step #5: Using the flexible knife cut the outer peel off of the pineapple. (If any of the eyes remain you can use the tip of a vegetable peeler to remove them.)

Step #6: Cut the pineapple into cubes.

Enjoy your delicious pineapple!

Becka

I went back to work last week but Rob has still been home on vacation and keeping busy doing little projects (and some big ones as well) around the house. I've been helping with some of the projects after I get home from work, so my blog has been a bit neglected lately. Hopefully I will be a more faithful blogger now that school is getting started up again.

One thing I have been wanting to blog about is our time up in Michigan. We rented a van and Nora, Mark, and Katie, Rob and I all drove up to Michigan together. The days flew by while we were up there. We were blessed with pretty good weather and clear roads which made the trip more pleasant. There was a large rock slide in NC in the fall that has caused a road closure that added about an hour to our trip each way, but other than that we had clear roads and no ice and not much snow.

While visiting Meg, Jim, and Drew we spent quite a bit of time visiting on the Isle of Sodor (where Thomas the train lives with his many train friends.) Drew had some Thomas trains before Christmas and received many more for Christmas gifts. One of his favorite new additions was Cranky the Crane.

He also received this workbench and tool kit, complete with goggles.

In my next post I will tell about another place we visited in Michigan, The Henry Ford Museum.

Becka

It is about 20 degrees cooler than normal here this weekend, so it's a good week to pull out all the recipes for soups and stews.

I made couscous for our supper last night. It is a dish that originates in North Africa and that we have been served many times in France. They even have a special piece of cooking equipment that looks kind of like a percolator to prepare it in called a couscoussière. The stew cooks in the bottom part and the pasta steams on the top.

The name couscous refers to both the grain and the stew that is served on top of the grain. The pasta is available just about everywhere now and is very versatile. You can find larger boxes of it at Middle Eastern grocery stores. You can use the grain as a side dish as you would use rice or potatoes, in salads, and even in desserts -- sort of like a rice pudding. It is very easy to cook -- sort of like you would cook minute rice. You just add the grain to boiling water with some butter or oil then place the lid on the saucepan and let it steam for about five minutes. Then you fluff it with a fork and you are good to go.

The stew probably has as many variations as there are recipes for chili here. Here is how I make it:

Couscous
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
2 small turnips, peeled and diced into 1/2" cubes
6 carrots, peeled and cut into about 1 inch pieces
1 can chick peas, drained or 2-3 cups cooked chick peas
1/2 pound kielbasa, sliced about 1/4" thick
2 chicken breast quarters or 4 thighs, skinned, but bone in
2-3 small zucchini, sliced about 1/2" thick
4-5 cups water
salt and pepper
garlic powder
hot sauce and chicken soup base
1/4 tsp. tumeric
1 tsp. cumin

In large crock pot place onions, turnips, and carrots, seasoning with the salt, pepper, tumeric, cumin and garlic powder. Top with the water, the sliced kielbasa, and the chicken breasts. Cook until the vegetables are tender and the chicken is done (about 4 hours on high.) Remove the chicken to a plate to cool. Test the vegetables for doneness and season the broth with chicken base and hot sauce to your taste. At this time add the zucchini and chick peas and cook for an additional hour or until the zucchini is tender. Bone the chicken and add back in right before serving.

This should have quite a bit of broth. To serve you ladle the stew on top of the couscous and serve with additional hot sauce on the side if desired. It's definitely an acquired taste, but I love the sweetness of the carrots, the slight bitterness of the turnips, the nuttiness of the chick peas and the salty smokiness of the sausage and chicken.

So, if you are in an adventurous mood, give it a try.

Becka