Monday, August 30, 2010

Books to read...

I spend most of my days with adolescent students...who either love to read or hate to read. Well, several of them became obsessed last year with a particular series...and so I read it.  The books were so exciting, it was an easy, fast read for me, and I thoroughly enjoyed them! Even though they are "meant" for adolescent readers, I think anyone could enjoy them!
BOOK 1
BOOK 3
BOOK 2

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Weekend Cat Blogging #273

He climbed in all on his own....



Sam Catams will be my entry for Weekend Cat Blogging, hosted by  Nikita Cat.

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Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Shrimptastic!

This is one of my Ellie Krieger recipes....

Ingredients

* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 1 medium onion, diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
* 2 cloves garlic, minced (about 2 teaspoons)
* 2 (14.5-ounce) cans of no-salt-added diced tomatoes, with their juices
* 1/4 cup finely minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
* 1 tablespoon finely minced fresh dill
* 1 1/4 pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 2/3 cup crumbled feta cheese (about 3 ounces)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.


Heat the oil in an oven proof skillet over a medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes, then add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let simmer for about 5 minutes, until the tomato juices thicken.


Remove from the heat. Stir in the parsley, dill, and shrimp and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the feta over the top. Bake until the shrimp are cooked through and cheese melts, about 12 minutes. 

This will be my entry for Delicious Dishes.

Monday, August 23, 2010

Wow....what do you do with this...

So, today I was teaching the children about "code switching" with regards to formal/informal language. In order to make it more "real" to them, I started with examples of formal/informal restaurants and clothes. Never mind the fact that I had to explain to the kids that Longhorn was definitely not a formal restaurant in the big picture. When I started to ask them for some examples of informal attire (never should have done this...its like a lawyer asking a witness a question he doesn't already know the answer to), and what do I hear...."booty shorts!"  Yes, thats right....booty shorts was one example a young man tried to give as informal attire. Now, I agree totally, but that is so beside the point here. When I shot him "the look" that said....that was totally inappropriate to yell out in class...he looked so pitiful and almost squealed, "but you wouldn't wear them to a fancy restaurant would you?"


Seriously....what am I to do here? I had to send him out into the hallway...and I had to hide my laughing. What would you have done?

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Sunday Scrip

Inspiration for the week to come:

[We pray] that you may be invigorated and strengthened with all power according to the might of His glory, [to exercise] every kind of endurance and patience (perseverance and forbearance) with joy. Colossians 1: 11

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Saturday, August 21, 2010

Weekend Cat Blogging #272

The cutest pick-pocket ever....

Noli was very interested in what my mom had in her purse last night.

This is my entry for Weekend Cat Blogging, hosted by Samantha, Clementine, and Maverick.

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Friday, August 20, 2010

 
 Soo Delicious....


Ingredients

  • 2 teaspoons canola oil
  • 1 large red onion, finely diced
  • Salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 ounces sharp Cheddar, thinly sliced, divided
  • 8 slices whole-wheat bread
  • 3 ounces pepper Jack cheese, thinly sliced, divided
  • 1 large or 2 medium beefsteak or hothouse tomatoes, sliced
  • Cooking spray

Directions

Heat oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Lower heat to medium. Add onions and saute, stirring, until edges are browned, about 10 to 12 minutes. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste.
Place 3/4-ounce Cheddar on 1 slice bread. Spread 1 tablespoon caramelized onions on top of cheese and top with 3/4-ounce pepper Jack. Top with 1 large or 2 medium slices tomato and other slice of bread. Repeat with 3 other sandwiches.
Spray a nonstick skillet or griddle with cooking spray and heat until hot. Place sandwich on griddle and weigh down with a heavy skillet or plate. Lower heat to medium-low and grill until underside is a deep brown but not burnt and cheese is partially melted, about 5 to 6 minutes. Flip sandwich and grill other side, an additional 4 to 5 minutes. Slice in half and serve hot.

This is soooooooo good. 

This grown-up grilled cheese will be my entry for Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum.

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Wordless Wednesday

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Tasty Tuesday =)

Ok...Barefoot Contessa Jambalaya.... (its a long list, but so worth it!)

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound sausage, such as kielbasa or Andouille, sliced (I used chicken sausage)
1 pound smoked ham, cubed (I used chicken breast)
1 tablespoon butter
1 medium onion, diced
1 cup celery, diced
1 green bell pepper, cored and diced
1 red bell pepper, cored and diced
1 cup seeded and diced tomato
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced OR ½ teaspoon cayenne
2 teaspoons diced fresh oregano
1 teaspoon diced fresh thyme
2 tablespoons tomato paste
6 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
3 cups long grain rice, rinsed
3 bay leaves
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6-8 dashes Tabasco (optional)
½ cup chopped scallions divided
¾ cup chopped fresh parsley, divided
¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 pound medium shrimp, deveined (20-24 count) (I left these out)

Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or black iron pot over medium heat, add the kielbasa and sauté for 8 to 10 minutes, until browned. Remove the kielbasa to a bowl, and set aside. Add the ham to the same pot and cook 8 to 10 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove to the bowl with the kielbasa, and set aside. Add the butter, onion, celery and peppers to the same pot and sauté for 8 to 10 minutes, until the onion is translucent. Add the tomato, garlic, jalapeno or cayenne, oregano, thyme, and tomato paste and cook until all the vegetables and herbs are blended well. Add the stock and bring to a rolling boil. Stir in the rice, and add the sausage, ham, bay leaves, salt, pepper and Tabasco. Return to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Add ¼ cup of the scallions, ¼ cup of the parsley, the lemon juice and the shrimp, and stir well. Cover the pot, remove it from the heat and allow the jambalaya steam, for 15 minutes, before serving.

Garnish with the remaining ¼ cup scallions and ½ cup parsley, and a dash of Tabasco, if desired. 

 And....this is what you get......
This will be my entry for Delicious Dishes today.

Monday, August 16, 2010

IKEA =)

Went this Saturday to IKEA with my mom and sister (their first time ever). Walked away with some fun stuff...

Beautiful vase

Some more trivets (super handy), nice sized cutting boards, and my very favorite set of cooking utensils. Seriously, they are just the right size for everything...and only like a dollar per set!
I know my plan was to be all crafty and make pillows for decor...but this one was so pretty...I got two.
This lovely little light will go to my classroom.




But of course the most important part of my shopping trip was passing the "kitty inspection"...
Noli and Oliver approved!

Saturday, August 14, 2010

Weekend Cat Blogging #271

Meet Sam Catams....
The ultimate cat napper.
 This will be my entry for Weekend Cat Blogging, hosted by LB at The Sour Dough.
Thanks to our friend Steven and his photogenic Catams =)

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Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Little Friend....

This little guy (or gal) is soo cute...and very photogenic =)





This will be my entry for Wordless Wednesday, A Beautiful Mess: Wordless Wednesday, and Say Cheese.

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Help me get some books!!!

http://www.donorschoose.org/we-teach/542505.-674134031

I am in desperate need of a classroom library...and welcome any help!!! 

Monday, August 9, 2010

Sigh....

Ok. First post in a week (thanks for the reminder, Mom). The reason behind this is stress. The worst six-letter word I can think of. The first week back to school for me started a week ago. We have had an entire week back now, but only a few hours in the classroom. I have almost nothing done. Fabulous! What a way to start off the year. I do, however, have two wonderful previous students coming in to help me out tomorrow! Hopefully, they will be able to make my room look "cute" while I plan lessons.


This is what I would rather be doing right now!!!

Sunday, August 1, 2010

Sunday Post #2...Byebye Beach.... =(

On one of our last evenings at the beach...we went to Jetty Park to view the sunset. A fitting way to end a fabulous vacation!

Sunday Scrip...



Moreover [let us also be full of joy now!] let us exult and triumph in our troubles and rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that pressure and affliction and hardship produce patient and unswerving endurance.
Romans 5: 3

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