Welcome Back!

Summer Camp

If you were like me growing up, summer camp was the paramount part of every year. Hartland rocked my socks off every summer for 9 years in a row. Some of my best friends are people that I met at Hartland and I have so many wonderful memories of all the fun we had. Last week I went to a conference in Southern California that was so summer campy, I loved it. It was extremely busy, hilariously entertaining and ultimately changed my outlook on teaching, my life and my school. For those of you who are educators, you know that the majority of conferences we attend are a waste of time, just some new jargon to get us through this years observations. But this conference was different. It's hard to put my finger on just what made it so good, but the only concrete example that comes to mind is the enthusiasm of the presenters. The information was good, the program was well thought out but the presenters and the "coaches" made all the difference in the world. I guarantee that you haven't walked into a room full off teachers singing "come on girl, ride that pony" and dancing with complete strangers without some sort of alcoholic libation involved, but it happened on multiple occasions at this conference. As educators we get so bogged down by the system and by other negative forces surrounding us, we forget that one of the key reasons we entered into the profession was to influence people, and it's very difficult to do that without enthusiasm. To conclude this post, I drank the kool-aide and I'm totally in support of this new program. I'm excited to get it started; it's rare to come across a program that I feel this strongly about and I'm stoked! So again, I have committed myself to yet another cause and I know it will work out. But now it's go time, Acadec super quiz this week, History Day, Swim season starts, AP is winding down, I'm taking an online class and now link crew. It will be nice when I don't have a big sticker on my forehead that says "untenured sucker", but until then I will try to stay afloat.

school must have resumed....

because i've been mia for a while. i'm alive, barely! i'm stoked for the new andrew bird album out on tuesday! woot!

Vegan (well...almost) Christmas Dinner

I hope your celebrations were wonderful! Our vegan Christmas dinner was a great success. We had a marvelous time hanging out with friends and family. The menu was as follows:

• Roasted and Stuffed Butternut Squash
  
• Vanilla Mashed Sweet Potatoes
  
• Roasted Winter Root Vegetables
  
• Delicious Yeast Rolls (that almost caught my house on fire)
  
• Mixed Greens with Garlic Olive Oil Dressing
  
• Vegan Butternut Squash Pie (all from scratch, and I'm no baker!)
  
• Winter Fruit Pavlova
  

Enjoy the photos courtesy of my dear friend Charisma

Cute Picture of the Year

Leila on her new bike

Pantry List (Whole and Natural)

This is for my best friend Kristen who recently asked me how to stock her pantry. She is finally a grown up (with a master's degree, congratulations) and wants to start cooking. Here are the things I can't live without to get you started:

Non-perishables

• Canned or dried beans (black, pinto, white, garbanzo). Making dried beans is actually really easy and if bought in bulk can be extremely inexpensive.
  
• Oils (Extra Virgin, Olive Oil, Toasted Sesame Seed, Walnut, Grape seed)
• Canned tomatoes
• Soy sauce (Shoyu)
• Vinegar (Balsamic, Brown Rice, Apple Cider)
• Tahini
• Pasta (it's great to have this on hand!)
• Nuts and seeds (Walnuts, Almonds, Pepitas)
• Canned Roasted Peppers (good in most soups)
• Vegetable stock (always keep 2 on hand)
• Grains (brown rice, white rice, wild rice, polenta, quinoa, bulgur, oats, barley). Buy in the bulk section and it's also fairly inexpensive.
• Pasta Sauce
• Agave nectar
• Cane Juice Sugar
• Flour (white all purpose, whole wheat wheat, bread flour)
• Tea (black, green, herbal)
• Yeast (making a loaf of bread or some quick rolls is easier than you think)
• Baking powder and baking soda
• Unsweetened Cocoanut Milk (for soups, curries etc.)

Spices

• Bay Leaf
• Cardamom
  
• Cumin
• Cinnamon
• Coriander
• Ginger (fresh ginger can be stored in the freezer)
• Nutmeg
• Oregano
  
• Black pepper
• Sea Salt
• Thyme
• Sage
• Rosemary
  
• Curry
  
• Garam Masala
• Chili Powder
• Smoked Paprika

Perishables

• Lemons
• Garlic
• Eggs
• Milk (we drink rice milk, its nonperishable until opened)
• Parmigiano-Reggiano
• Onions (red, white, yellow, shallots)
• Butter
• Mustard
• Frozen Peas
• Frozen Peppers
• Seasonal Fresh Fruits and Vegetables (I've done some homework for you, Kristen)

There you have it, my pantry. It's good to try to buy a few staples each week until the entire pantry is built. With these ingredients, the possibilities are endless and you will never have to go to Carl's Junior again. You're my best friend, Merry Christmas!

Chard and White Bean Soup

I finally finished my BTSA portfolio and now I can officially start my vacation. To kick it off I made an "end of the month" soup that was absolutely wonderful! End of the month soup consists of whatever you find in your pantry or fridge, and this one was especially delicious!

End of the month soup: White Bean and Chard

3 Large Chard Leaves with Stems (ribboned)

1 Can of White Beans

1 Package of Vegetable Broth

1 Large Leek (sliced)

3 Potatoes (peeled and chopped)

1/2 Yellow Onion (chopped)

1 Tablespoon Chopped Thyme

Sea Salt

Olive Oil

Pepper

Place broth and potatoes and a pinch of salt in a large stock pot and bring to a boil. While you wait for the potatoes to cook, brown the onions and leek in a small frying pan with a bit of olive oil and salt. Once potatoes are boiling add the leek, onions, beans and thyme to the pot. Reduce to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes. Once potatoes begin to soften add the chard and continue to cook until chard is wilted and potatoes are soft. Serve with toasted almonds or parmesan cheese on top! 

I hope you try this recipe because it was so delicious! I'll post photos my next big endeavor: vegan christmas dinner! 

Planned Menu:

Roasted Butternut Squash with Wild Rice Stuffing

Vanilla Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Roasted Winter Root Vegetables

Yeast Rolls

Mixed Greens 

Butternut Squash and Honey Pie