On the Table

I am back to doing weekly menus with school starting soon we have to get back on a schedule and this really helps

Monday- Flounder with Bread Crumbs and Vegetable Tian
Tuesday- Grilled Jerk Chicken with Mango Salsa *dinner at family Group home
Wednesday-Dinner at Church
Thursday-Bourbon Glazed Baby-back ribs with Fresh Corn and Sweet Potato Fries
Friday - Pizza Night

A Honey of a Day

Last week we harvested the first of our honey from our bee hives. Herman, Dan's bee mentor, helped us with the first batch. We have now cared for hives from establishment of a hive to harvesting honey. Now if we can keep our hives healthy and happy to harvest again we will be doing good.

Removing of the first frame most bees should be gone but you still have to be careful of the hangers on. Jack oversees the whole process
The honey is sealed off with a wax seal that must be removed to get the honey

Cutting away the wax seal. Wax, comb and honey all go into a bucket together

Look at that beautiful honey

You would not believe how heavy these frames are they are full of honey at least 5 pounds



Everything goes into the first straining this removes all the big stuff

Next it is run through a fine mesh then it is ready to bottle. This year we got 48 pints from our 2 hives next spring it is possible to double that number...honey anyone?

When we were done we invited a few neighbors over for an evening of biscuits and honey

Now if we could some how fit a cow in the back yard we would be the land of milk and honey.

Back Yard Splash Bash

This weekend not only did we celebrate the 4th but we celebrated Caleb's 7th birthday. Wow 7 where have the years gone? This year we decided to have smaller simple birthdays so for Caleb we had a backyard splash bash. Everyone came with water gun, or should I say cannon have you seen the size of some of these, in hand for a free for all.

We also got the new slip n slide surfer for the kids to play on, surfing on it proved to be harder than advertised espically since our back yard is not level. Mostly the younger kids used it as a splash pool so it was not a total waste.

Of course Jimmy did give it a go with the raft instead of the skim board

Dan and I made about 300 water balloons that were used in a game of capture the fort adults vs kids, the kids won but I think the adults had a lot of fun.


Even Jack joined in on the fun, when your birthday is in July it just screams BACKYARD SPALASH BASH!
Top it all off with a little ice cream cake and you have a good start to year 7.
Happy Birthday Caleb!

Then the next day we celebrated the 4th with some Red White and Blueberry Cupcakes,what a weekend!

Kids Night

Since I started doing cooking classes at the community school Caleb has begged to come and I promised him I would teach him to cook. So I decided this summer the kids would make dinner one night a week, they get to plan the menu and cook the food the only rule is it must be a complete menu and it can't be cheeseburgers every week.


So this week was our first dinner that the kids made they chose Macaroni and Cheese with ham and broccoli. Even though the temp was about 95 that day and mac and cheese really did not sound good I agreed. I printed off the recipe and taught them how to read the recipe and follow the directions...lesson in reading at the same time.



They learned how to make a white sauce aka bechamel, and how to boil pasta. I know some people might laugh at me but I just think the earlier you start the easier and what talents and interests can develop. And besides don't they just look so cute in the chef hats? Caleb will tell you he only has a small one because he is a junior.





When asked what they learned Caleb said you have to stir the sauce a long time. Ella lost intrest about half way through but Caleb held out to the end.


Fannie Farmer's Classic Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
1 (8 ounce) package macaroni
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
1 cup cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
fresh ground black pepper, to taste
2 cups good quality shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup buttered breadcrumbs


Directions
1 Preheat oven to 400°F.
2 Cook and drain macaroni according to package directions; set aside.
3 In a large saucepan melt butter.
4 Add flour mixed with salt and pepper, using a whisk to stir until well blended.
5 Pour milk and cream in gradually; stirring constantly.
6 Bring to boiling point and boil 2 minutes (stirring constantly).
7 Reduce heat and cook (stirring constantly) 10 minutes.
8 Add shredded cheddar little by little and simmer an additional 5 minutes, or until cheese melts.

9 Turn off flame.
10 Add macaroni to the saucepan and toss to coat with the cheese sauce.
11 Transfer macaroni to a buttered baking dish.
12 Sprinkle with breadcrumbs.
13 Bake 20 minutes or until top is golden brown

I am going to make them their own "cook book" with the recipes of everything we make this summer and some of these cute pictures.

Turning brown

Summer is in full swing here at the Loudon's it's hot and our days are lived at the pool. We are all looking well browned, maybe a little to brown.

My friend Debbie was reading to her children about Noah and how after the flood they were the only people left on the earth and God told them to repopulate the earth. So her oldest asked the obvious question "so everybody comes from Noah?" Yes says Deb, "well what about black people where do they come from"...dreaded question. So Deb takes them to answers in Genesis which shows how all people have the same DNA even though skin tones vary and skin color is really an adaptation to environment in which these people settled. So our differences are a result of our bodies adjusting to the environment over time.

C ponders this for a moment and says..."Don't you think Mrs. Pam has gotten darker since we've known her?" Guess I better start using some more sunscreen!

Look what we found

With summer on the way here in Birmingham our vegetable garden is in full production. We have enjoyed lettuces, peas, beets, and carrots but my favorite of all times to harvest has been the potatoes.


Last week Ella and I dug around the potato plants in search of potatoes imagine the excitement as we found beautiful red potatoes. "I found one mommy" Ella shouted "me too" I chimed in and another...from all the excitement and shouts you would think we had discovered a cache of rubies in our backyard. And as I'm in the backyard digging out my dinner I have that Gone with the Wind moment "God as my witness I'll never go hungry again" Sometimes I wonder what world I live in...but I like it where something as simple as digging potatoes can bring joy, excitement and inspiration. Who knew potatoes could be so much fun!

Catching up

For the next week or so I am childless Caleb and Ella have gone to Arkansas to spend some time with the grandparents. This was not an easy thing for me to do, but I decided it is important for both the children and the grandparents.


So this has become my time to play catch up on all those things that have been pushed aside for so long and so here I sit at the computer with a quick update on our lives and all the things we have been up to in the last month, it is also a time to think about my kids and how much I love them.

Ella had her little recital last month and she did a great job, she has enjoyed ballet so much this year and it has been just too cute to watch. Of course the day before her recital she fell running down the hill and bashed her lip just in time for pictures that's always the way it goes.



Caleb has decided he wants to learn to skate....imagine his fathers pride! For those of you who may not know back in the day Dan was BIG in skating, taught skating, organized skating groups and promoted skating and roller hockey. So like father like son!


So he has been practicing on Jimmy's drive and he is getting much better, I love to see Dan get out and just play with the kids.





of course Ella's in on the action



I love to see Dan on skates...it reminds me of the guy I first fell in love with



Of course it was mom that put on the helmet!
So now my blogging is caught up...what's next?