Teatopia

Bone Appetit

Ever tried making homemade dog treats? It's fun and sometimes much healthier. Here are some great links to make the yummy treats your doggy loves.

- biscuits for keping fleas away

- Peanut Butter biscuits

- Microwavable dog biscuits

- And if you don't feel like baking, you order order some homemade treats here at the Three Dog Bakery.

This Coming Week

As I adapt to the pressures of a new job, I try to plan things during the week I can look forward to-- a sort of outlet for the frusterations I often feel at work.

Tuesday: my first paycheck, dinner at Red Lobster, a meeting with my travel agent about our upcoming trip to South Africa, and my favorite show Nip/Tuck

Wednesday: I'm making my favorite soup-- Tomato Dill Bisque-- to take to my parents' house

Thursday: dinner with my grandma somewhere good

Friday: Friday is always a good day simply because it's Friday

Did you notice I'm missing a day? Monday-- I have nothing special planned. I need to think of something. And if all this seems ridiculous, her are the reasons I plan things to look forward to:

-overcrowded classes (32 kids)
-low-level students who need individualized attention that I can't give b/c there are so many kids (these kids are really, really low)
-certain co-workers who are burnt out and nasty
-disorganization at every level
-a classroom that smells of mold and makes me sneeze
-working in a state that is something like #49 for education out of 50 states

Update: I think Kill Bill Volume 2 is coming today from Netflix. Apparently, I have plans tonight. :-) As gory as it is, I like the Asian feel of the movie.

Update: Indian Feast

We had a wonderful meal tonight. I did make everything I planned: meatball curry, palak paneer (spinach curry with fresh cheese cubes), roti paratha, urid (crispy wafers), and samosas (previously frozen) with tamarind date chutney for a dipping sauce.

After days of bland food, lets hope my tummy was ready for this feast.

I had an amazing revelation tonight-- I may not like Columbus too much, but if I had my favorite ethnic dishes at my fingertips like I used to, I probably would not have spent two hours cooking tonight and learning how to make them myself. Anyone can go to a restaurant . . .

Celebrating Friday with an Indian Feast

After a week of feeling yucky, I am pleased that it is Friday. Tonight I plan to do something I love-- something that I have missed this week after a diet of bland things like potatoes, apple sauce, and toast-- cooking and eating! I'm planning to make an Indian feast of spicy meatballs, roti paratha, palak panner (spinach with fresh cheese), samosas (frozen ones), and mago lassies. Mmmmm. . . .

Lost in Anticipation

I know what James will say when I tell him I watched "Lost in Translation" again today. No matter how many times I see it, I never cease to feel that link to the characters. The scenery of Japan I've heard James describe so often never fails to amaze me. I know there are many people who disliked the film, and unless you relate to it in some way, you probably wouldn't. It's rather slow and uneventful and it's a quiet film, which is one of the main reasons I'm drawn to it. It ties together so well the exhiliration of being independent--having time on your own to contemplate life, to explore, yet we still need someone to share life's burdens with. We need relationships to help define who we are.

I never even saw this as a love story until I read reviews of the film. I saw it and will always see it as a bond between two people-- a friendship. Some sort of romantic something is inevitable in most female/male friendships, but I don't think the movie was about that aspect of the friendship. It was about finding someone, in another lonely part of the world, to share a brief, but very significant few moments with.

Sick

I've realized that you just can't be out sick when you're a teacher. Sure, no matter where you work you'll be missed, but when you have 160 kids depending on you, a stranger just doesn't cut it.

After throwing up last night and this morning, I reluctantly went to work after I couldn't get a sub. I pushed through the day and actually began to feel somewhat better-- until I got home. I guess I saved all that sick feeling up for tonight. I need to stay out and rest tomorrow. My stomach aches from heaving. Yet, in many ways, having a sub is worse than going to school sick: messy classroom, badly behaved kids, the students I have to make sure go to silent lunch tomorrow, my 6 kids in for detention tomorrow for forgetting to bring back a signed form, the kids who will get away with not bringing the form in again tomorrow because I'm not there, and worse of all, the grammar game we've been planning for a week. Oh, and I can't forget that I've earned barely enough sick leave to cover the day. When James is sick, he simply "call out sick," but any teacher will tell you, unless you somehow magically, you knew you were going to be out and planned the day, it ain't happenin'.

Darjeeling Figs

Last week I posted this on the teaswap blog, and now that I've tried it, I wanted to share the results. Here's what I posted last week:

For those of you who can get fresh figs this time of year, this sounds like a wondeful recipe. I am hoping to try it this week and I'll be sure to report if I do!

Update: Just wanted to let you know that these were amazing. I boiled the tea loose in the pot, so I had to rinse the figs, so you might want to put the tea in a bag or something. And I definitely recommend making fresh whipped cream. :-) It'll only take a few minutes. Here are the some pics below.

Click below for the recipe:

Poach figs half-submerged in Darjeeling tea at a very low simmer for 10 or 15 minutes.

You want very little agitation of the liquid so they hold their shape.

Let them cool in that liquid, then take them out serve them with cream that's been whipped, cultured or thickened in some way. Add sugar to the cream before you whip it.

Bun Bo Xao

Since our Vietnamese Restaurant closed, I decided the only way I was going to get my Vermicelli beef noodles was to make them myself, so I did.

Click below for the recipe. I hope it makes sense. I cook this by feel, not from a recipe, so I kinda estimated. Tastes good though. :-)

All this can be done ahead:

First, you want to begin marinating the beef. I marinated 1 pound of chopped beef in:

one zested clove of garlic
1/4 soy sauce
3 tbsps. oyster sauce
2 tbsps. sugar
pinch of black pepper.

Next, make this classic Vietnamese sauce that gets poured over your salad after it's been assembled. Make sure you mix it well.

3 tablespoons lime juice (1 fat, thin skin lime)
2 tablespoons sugar
½ cup warm water
2½ tablespoons fish sauce
1 zested clove of garlic
chili oil to taste
carrot threads (carrot matchsticks cut even thinner is possible)

Ok, when you're ready to begin dinner (since the above things can be made ahead), begin soaking rice vermicelli noodles in hot water. Soak for about 30 minutes.

In the meantime, stir fry your marinated beef and one onion.

Julienne romane lettuce and cucumbers and put at the bottom of a deep bowl. Put hot noodles on top to wilt lettuce. Next, add the beef and onion stir-fry on top. Lastly, sprinkle with finely shooped peanuts and pour the dipping sauce on top. You may want to add additional hot sauce for more spice!

Mix and enjoy!

Wacky Shoes

Leave it to me to choose the weirdest shoes possible. I am all about comfort, and things that are just slightly different that what the average person is wearing. Don't get me wrong, I'd like to think that I'm pretty much in style. I shop at places like Old Navy, Gap, and Ann Taylor Loft, but when it comes to shoes, well, I like 'em fun!

South Africa, Here We Come! (I hope)

Well, so much for the research I've done on Thailand, because we ain't goin'! I can always use the info. for a later date because this summer, we have pretty firmly decided to visit a place I have dreamt of for quite some time. I don't know why I didn't seriously consider it sooner. We're planning to go on a two-week trip to South Africa. Because we decided for me to hopefully get pregnant next summer, we wanted oue last trip (at least for a few years) to be one to remember and as much as I want to go to Thailand, South Africa is calling me. I am addicted to my 94.7 highveld stereo South African radio station and I've even become a homebrew fan (a fan of South African music). This will surely be the trip of a lifetime. Where else can you find white, European culture mixed with exotic, African culture? To me, it just seems so strange to have this civilization of white men way down in the tip of Africa. It just seems like such a strange spot to find an English speaking nation full of blondies. (Well, they're not all blonde, but quite a few). It's just so neat!

Check out our itenerary here. Well, hopefully it's our itenary because I'm dying to go!

Bouquet of Herbs

I decided to brighten up my table with some herbs from my garden: rosemary, lemon balm, and mint. Stef was kind enough to leave me her lemon balm since she couldn't take it, so now I have a wonderfully fragrant centerpiece for my table. After searching for a small vase, I decided to use a Starbucks Frappaccino bottle with the labels peeled off. Lovely, I think.

'Tis the Season for Figs!

I'm hoping to get back into my normal routine by actually finding the time and energy to cook something this week. I'm already sick from the billions of germs I'm being exposed to at school and when I'm back on my feet, I plan to make this lovely yet simple dessert. Afterall, this is fig season and I've got to take advantage of it while I can and nothing pairs better than figs and goat cheese!

Click below for this elegant recipe: Grilled Figs and Goat Cheese Drizzled with Honey

16 ripe figs, about 1 ounce each, stems removed
Extra-virgin olive oil
4 ounces fresh goat cheese, cut into 1/4-inch slices
2 tablespoons honey
4 lemon wedges

Thread four figs lengthwise (through the stem end) onto skewers and lightly brush or spray with olive oil.

Grill over Direct High heat until soft and warm, 3 to 5 minutes, turning once halfway through grilling time.

Slide the figs onto individual serving plates. Arrange the cheese slices beside the figs. Drizzle the honey all over. Garnish each plate with a lemon wedge. Serve while the figs are warm.

Closed

Closed: Vietnam Restaurant

Soon to be replaced by yet another country buffet.

At the risk of sounding nasty, there is no class in Columbus.

Egyptian Magic

In the summer I always get dry feet bcause I'm always wearing flip flops. This stuff sounds like it might do the trick!

P.S. TGIF

Happy Birthday Stef!

I meant to put this up before it's almost the 12th, but here goes. . .

HAPPY BIRTHDAY STEF!

Hope you are having a wonderful journey and we miss you!

Lots of Love,
Hannah and James

Mixed Feelings

I was a little disappointed today with the uh, quality of students. How can I say this without sounding like a complete bitch? Lemme just say that my school once housed the cream of the crop. Is it surprising to hear that I had to discipline kids the very first day as did my teammates? I didn't have a bad day and I have a lot of patience, but please. . . acting up the first day? What is in store for me a month down the road when they are really comfortable? The highlight of my day was the IB (gifted) class. Half the class has read all the Harry Potter books. Now that's my dream class!

Bouquets of Sharpened Pencils

Yesterday, as I browsed my new favorite section in Barnes and Noble-- the kids corner-- I was reminded of the phrase "bouquets of newly sharpened pencils" from the movie "You've Got Mail." I even considered tying a ribbon around the stack of newly sharpened pencils in my classroom and putting them in a teacher's mug on my desk. Aaahh, back to school. I am a bundle of mixed emotions- nervous and excited! I love the fall. As I bought crisp apples at the grocery store to day for the first time in a while, I realized that I am entering a new phase of my life. I will be sure to report tomorrow!

My Classroom

It's weird to think that the next time I step foot in my room will be the first day of school. This week we had pre-planning, but I was super busy with all kinds of things to do. Here are some pictures of my classroom. :-)

My bulletin board. I plan to make more fish for it.

My desk- notice the Winnie the Pooh teacher supplies James got me? :-)

This is the wall closest to my desk

The wall closest to the door

The front of the classroom where I will be teaching

How Harmonious is Your Home?

So how harmonious is your home really? Take this feng shui quiz to find out!

News of Late

I've been bad about blogging the last week, but this new job has been keeping me so busy, so here are some important things from the last few days:

Tuesday- my 2nd anniversary. We had a wonderful steak dinner and yummy hummingbird cake (1/2 carrot cake, 1/2 banana bread with creamcheese icing) Yum!

Wednesday- Stef and Mike's going away dinner. We had a great dinner at Olive Garden. We will miss you guys so much, but we're already lookign forward to visiting you in Seattle.

Thursday- Today's Daily Candy advertised these. I love them!

Back to School!

Well, it's that time of year again-- back to school! I used to dread this time of year when I was a kid, but now I'm the teacher and I realize it's even scarier now. I don't dread it because I dislike it, I just worry-- am I prepared? Is my room pretty?

I feel like I'm playing school and it's easy to forget it's finally for real. I'm going to take some puctures of my roon and post them.