Fondue or FunDo

Sometimes the best traditions start when you just try something new. And, we love to try new and interesting things at our house. Years ago, I started a "party" tradition with the kids of having FunDo night, our version of fondue. Fondue provides an evening of fun, yum and lots of friends.

Years ago, we started out using the ceramic fondue pots with little burners or candles underneath. Our FunDo has gotten more sophisticated, though, so we invested in electric pots to keep things warm, and giving us more time to spend with guests. Typically, we do a three course fondue event including several cheese sauces, a stock broth for meats and seafood, and two different types of chocolate for dessert.

Preparation takes a little time, but it's worth it! We start the day before and cut up all the vegetables that we will dip and store them in the fridge. Our choices include things like carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, celery, red potatoes, mushrooms, and especially apples (but cut those up the day of). We also do some dessert prep by finding things we would love with chocolate and getting them ready. Some of our yummy choices include marshmallows, pineapple, strawberries, bananas (cut the same day), rice krispie treats, chocolate brownies, cookies, wafers, anything that would taste good in chocolate.

The day of the event, I prepare a big crock pot of stock broth. I've tried many different types, but tend to like a beef based broth with a bit of soy, garlic, onions, green onion and lots and lots of seasonings. Using the crock pot when you are serving many folks allows the broth to be hot, tasty and ready to refill an empty pot at a moment's notice.

Cut up your meat and put it on big platters. Great choices include a nice steak, chicken breast, shrimp (precooked is better with kids), scallops, fish, and lobster. Often, I will season part of the beef and part of the chicken with rubs to flavor them for more variety.

Once the food is ready, you need to focus on making the cheese fondue. I have made them from scratch, before, but typically like to start with what I call a starter fondue cheese, a Swiss variety, and create my own from there. You can buy packets of fondue starter cheese at most grocery stores. Typically, they can be found with the gourmet cheese and it may require you asking someone to find the small boxes. Prepare your cheeses ahead of time (shredding them) so you can make the fondue quickly. I try various ingredients in my sauces from wine, beer, nutmeg, finely chopped pecans, garlic and many different spices. Try a spicy variety by adding crushed red pepper, cumin, tarragon, a few dashes of your favorite hot sauce and some garlic. Complete the sauce by adding some pepper jack cheese. Or how about making a sweeter variety using a Riesling wine, nutmeg, tarragon, and mozzarella?

Fondue night is a great way to have a long engaging evening of fun, conversation and interaction with your family and any guests. When done well, it easily can last two to three hours depending on the number of recipes you use and the number of courses. Our girls love it and often beg for a FunDo party. And, if you don't really want to make it yourself, just check out a local fondue restaurant, like the Melting Pot where you can enjoy the pleasure without all the work.

For fondue help check out these sites:

Recipegal.com

Wikipedia

Recipe Goldmine

Find electric fondue pots at Target where we got ours.

Artsy Fruit & Veggie Displays

Thinking about trying something fun with your table next time you have guests? Checkout this great website on carving fruits and vegetables. Make a lovely display for your friends to marvel over. http://www.mosspink.com/veggies.html

Sewing Matters

My daughter’s friend asked to borrow my Kenmore sewing machine today for a sewing class at CCAD. Shannon is exploring the skills associated with becoming a clothing designer to decide what she wants to do when she grows up. My sewing machine is 23 years old. I bought it when I was a senior in high school from Sears, even before I bought my first car. That gives you some idea of how significant that purchase was at that point in my life.

When I was in middle and high school, I took 6 years of home economics where sewing was taught. While, home economics is not a requirement at my kids’ school in suburban Columbus, I grew up in a rural farming community in Ohio, where it was viewed as a necessity. Little known fact and a bit funny to tell people today, is that I was the president of Future Homemakers of America and member for 4 years. I also was the Future Farmers of America’s “Queen” at my school. So, you can imagine that I was involved in the things that seemed to matter to my community, where the focus was on being handy.

With today’s heavy spotlight on technology and social media, I wonder how many kids today learn some of the basic skills of life, like sewing and gardening. I feel that these skills have been invaluable to me during my lifetime as a creative type and eventually owning an interior decorating business. I’ve sewn everything from my own clothes, to Halloween costumes for my kids and even window treatments for my home. I don’t consider myself an excellent sewer or even someone who does it often. I’m more of a convenience sewer for when I can’t find what I want.

My twelve year-old daughter, Madison, recently asked out of the blue if I could teach her to make a dress. We have finished the preliminary steps of buying, reading directions, preparing fabric and cutting out pieces. We are now ready to start the sewing. I’m delighted that she is exploring this as a sideline craft to her hobby of incessant reading. I value raising independent, well-rounded kids who are not afraid to take a risk and try something, regardless for potential to fail.

So, with all this being said, when you are thinking about what activity to engage in with a child, consider doing projects that create a basic life-skill for the benefits of handiness, hobby and learning to take a risk.

Some interesting sites on sewing:

Sears Sewing Machines

Teaching Children to Sew

Free Sewing Patterns

Butterick Patterns

McCalls Patterns

Simplicity Patterns

Threads Magazine

Turkey Traditions

Soon, I will be sharing my thankfulness with family members like many of you. This year we will have members from both my husband’s and my family gathering at the table. We usually have 20 or more people, bringing the noise and activity level up.

I love Thanksgiving and the joy of being together with family. I love it more than Christmas. For me, Thanksgiving maintains a preciousness free from much of the commercialism, expectations for gifting and harried schedules that black Friday brings upon on.

For years, I have been the “noodle maker” in the family, creating egg noodles from scratch and making a crock pot overflowing of a chicken dumpling noodle recipe. It is a 3 day process to make and hang the noodles up to dry. Various family members call weeks in advance to ask if I will be making the noodles in line with tradition. Their mouths start watering the moment they think about the dish. The family doesn’t know it, but one year I cheated. I bought cans of chicken and noodles because I did not want to let them down and I did not have time to make them. I seasoned up the canned goods with flour, more chicken and lots of spices. My family never knew. My kids and I smirked and holding back laughter every time someone commented on how good they were.

Every year we have had a gravy issue for as long as I can remember. Apparently none of my siblings or spouses learned how to effectively make good gravy. One year someone put powdered sugar in the gravy amidst the madness of too many cooks in the kitchen. Another year, the gravy was so lumpy we could do nothing but make fun of it. And then there was the year we got the gravy "just" right and my nephew dumped it all over the carpet while carrying to the table. Last year we just bought the gravy in a jar. Ahh, some things create a different kind of tradition to look forward to.

In preparation for the big day, the girls and I gather in the kitchen and whip up a bakery’s worth of products to serve for dessert. We make cherry and pumpkin pies, brownie and cake recipes and add in a few specialties like pumpkin rolls. We always have a table or two dedicated to desserts. We usually eat the desserts in “phase 2” of our turkey feast after we've made room for more.

Some families take naps, watch a movie or watch a game after their turkey meal. My siblings are pretty active adults and we often will head down to the basketball court near our home and engage aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews in a rowdy game. Or if the weather does not cooperate, we engage in lively board games full of lots of smack talk. This year, I am predicting a rock band tournament in the basement lounge. I can hear the squeals of “Roxanne” now.

My family is also goofy and growing up with five siblings, we learned to entertain ourselves with very little. So lots of silly play happens when we get together at Thanksgiving. Last year we made up a song and sang it rappin’ battle style to my mother. It was our very own version of “I’m getting nuttin’ for Christmas” full of lots of funny statements about our behavior as children. Verses included lines like, "I pushed Brian down the stairs, accidently cut his hair, dressed him up to be a girl, broke his collarbone with a twirl...Oh, I'm getting nuttin' for Christmas...." Of course all these things were mostly accidents! It was pure comedy as each kid one-upped the other.

Whatever your Thanksgiving traditions and plans hold, I hope that you will infuse the joy of thankfulness into everything you do.

Peace out,

Sandy

Cluck if You Hate Daylight Savings Time

The farmers and I doth protest daylight savings time. It appears that the chickens do not adapt to the changed clock until several weeks have gone by, making the first few weeks of April and the last few weeks of October very frustrating. Cluck!

Creepy Food for Families

Looking for some fun things to do for Halloween? How about getting in the kitchen with the family and making fun food? Every year I get the kids in the kitchen, with the notion of making creepy, creative, theme-based food. We make lots of fun stuff from radish/olive eyeballs inside of icecubes, to ghoulish, breadstick bones. It creates traditions for celebrating the holidays and great memories! Here are links to several sites where you will find everything from mummy dogs to witch finger sandwiches. Have fun!

Pillsbury
AOL Recipes
Family Fun

Some personal favorites:

Melon brain
Kitty Litter Cake
Mummy toes
Worm Sandwiches
Bug juice

Play Time for Adults Too

When was the last time you just played? Silly fun, off-the-wall, surprise-your-family play can create incredible joy, and also lasting memories. Sometimes, I like to surprise my children when they are least expecting it. Here are some of my favorite “fun-filled" moments.

• Serve grapes for dinner in a large bowl. Pick up a few and take them off their stem and ping one or two at the kids and yell, “fruit fight!” (Of course they have to help clean up afterwards!) Mini marshmallows also work well for this activity.
• Play a game where you take turns throwing a grape into each others’ mouths. Invariably, you will hit each others’ noses, chins, mouths, and giggle lots watching the grapes bounce off each other and onto the floor. (Cereal is also good for this one.) You may want the "receiver" to close their eyes if you are worried about aim.
• Make a chocolate cake or brownies and when you are done, leave some batter in the bowl. Use your fingers and wipe some on each other's lips and chins to make moustaches and beards. Take pictures! This also works well with icing, melted chocolate and whipped cream.
• Buy water guns and surprise someone with a water gun fight. (Water balloons are a good substitute as well.)
• Get some sidewalk chalk and sit out on the driveway or sidewalk and draw to your heart’s content.
• Play hopscotch or kickball. One time we made a hopscotch with 100 squares leading all the way around the cul-de-sac.
• Pretend to be mannequins and pose somewhere. Have one person arrange the mannequins by changing the poses. Wear hats and scarves to make it more interesting. It is such fun to juxtapose one perspective into a whole other view of the world, watching people and their reactions!

Consider teaching your children to look at things from a different vantage point. It will be a gift they will take into their adult-hood. I know I’ll never be a perfect parent or spouse, but I always hope that some of the great memories I've tried to help create will stand out in the minds of my family forever.

Fun with Archie McPhee

Our last trip to Archie McPhee's in Seattle was a fabulous fun. Our family can create a great memories doing almost anything. I had my camera in my purse and we had some time on our hands. Add a dash of imagination and suddenly you have instant entertainment. Here are some highlights of our trip to this novelty store for you to enjoy.

All of our daughters enjoyed a race through the costume aisles and posed with their favorite looks. Of course I got in on the act too. Perhaps these photos will give you some inspiration for ways to kick up your heels with your family whether you are at a store or in your own home!

For your own Archie McPhee fun moments, you can go online and buy some fun gag gifts to take home to your family tonight. http://www.mcphee.com/ I totally suggest the potatoe guns, which use real potatoes as ammunition, bug suckers (complete with a healthy dose of protein to offset the sugary carbs), a set of test tubes (to create lots of fun creations by mixing things in the kitchen) and of course some costumes. Remember, this site is great for birthday and holiday gifts!

Decorate with "R-Values"

Sit by a bare window on a sunny day, and you’ll feel the sun’s warmth. Sit by that same window on a cold, windy night, and you’ll feel chilled to the bone! With today’s economic concerns, smart homeowners are continually searching for ways to cut expenses and save on their monthly energy bills. Naturally, the best place to start is to be sure our homes are well insulated. But all too often, while overall home insulation is a priority, windows seems to be neglected. No matter what your climate, bare windows are a primary spot for energy to escape.

Since windows make up 20% of a typical homes exterior and 40% of contemporary home construction, having many large uncovered windows can break your energy budget. This is especially true when these windows face a cold Northern exposure in the winter or a sun-saturated west wall in summer. It’s important to know that many window treatment products have actually been assigned an R-Value. Building materials are assigned R-Values according to each product’s ability to resist heat movement. The higher the R-Value, the better it insulates your home. Most windows have an R-value of 0.9 to 3.0, and can be responsible for 40 – 70% of heat or cold transfer for an entire home. Using multiple layers at your windows, including cellular constructed treatments, can actually increase an R-value by 1 to nearly 5 points! So let’s look at a variety of window treatment options, and cut energy costs at the same time.

Cellular shades: These honeycomb style window shades are the best of the best for insulating your windows. They usually have an R-value of at least three and up to 7! They come in double and triple cell and trap air in the combs to help insulate. Most brands have many colors to choose from, are easy to clean, mildew resistant and require little to no maintenance.

Vertical Blinds: Available in hundreds of colors, textures and embossed patterns, vertical blinds can increase window insulation by 40 to 123% AND block 95-99% of ultraviolet light. R-Values reach as high as 4 for vertical blinds when closed.

Roman Shades: These beautiful shades have contours of fabric that fold and overlap making a roman shade. They provide a 49%increase in window insulation value and can block 99% of UV light. They boast an R-value of up to 3 and can be custom made or ordered from many window fabricators.

These are just a few window choices that will greatly increase your R-value, but consider that putting something over your window, especially during the daytime when you may not be at home, and during the late night when you are sleeping, will definitely boost your home’s energy efficiency by keeping out the sun and keeping out the cold.

Although there are many window covering sources to choose from, I have always loved Hunter Douglas products. Consider their website when choosing your window covering. http://www.hunterdouglas.com/

Resuscitate Your CPR Knowledge

When was the last time you considered the importance of CPR or cardiopulmonary resuscitation? Recently I heard a story about a friend of my children who attempted to save a woman’s life. The boy is twelve years old and was staying at a friend’s house when he discovered his friend’s mom passed out on the floor. He bravely attempted CPR. Although, he was unable to save his friend’s mom, he was honored for his noble attempt and we are all reminded how important it is that both young and old receive a basic training in CPR. Many fire departments provide this training for free or at a very low cost and of course, you can always get training through the Red Cross. Consider enrolling your family members today. For more information on CPR, check out these links:

Wiki CPR
American Red Cross
You tube CPR Video

Open Mindedness Leads to Diverse Life

As my husband often says, “We blend”. My husband is a Chinese Filipino and I am a Caucasian mix of many European classics. We are quite the picture, however, with my light skin and bleached blond hair and his brown sugar skin and Asian characteristics.

I rarely notice people, who are uncomfortable when they see us together, but it does occasionally happen and sometimes their reactions are ridiculous. It often reminds me that I want to be more open minded and more accepting. I’m amazed that people today will openly stare at a mixed couple with oppressive stares hoping that their “opinion” will somehow matter. It brings me however, to today’s blog, which I hope is thought provoking. Do you consider yourself diverse and if so, why? What truly makes you diverse?

When I was a diversity officer in Human Resources, I took a training class many years ago. It was a life altering event for me and perhaps it will be inspiring for some of you. It started with a jar and some beads. Each color of bead represented a different race. We had red, for American Indians, black for African Americans, yellow for Asians, whites for Caucasian, green for all others. This is how the exercise worked if you would like to go through it mentally:

Put 9 beads in the jar (one for each category) for the color that represents the majority of the color of the people at work
At church
The school you went to as a child
The college you went to
In your neighborhood today
For your friends
People you dated
The people in your family
People in clubs you belong to (golf, tennis, rotary, etc.)

Now, if 10% of people at work are any other race, then put a bead in. Do the same for church, neighborhood, friendship circles, past dating, family, etc.

The point of the exercise is to see what color your beads are or how diverse your life is. Are the beads primarily one color? What does this tell you about how diverse your life is? What would you like to do differently? Do you make an effort to include people of different races in your life? How much control do you have over that? Many of us think that we are diverse, but how diverse are we? Most of my jar was white. I was surprised by this. I had friends of other colors, but the numbers were very small, not enough to add beads for the 10% in many cases. Part of it, truly was a function of where I lived and not really anything I felt I could help. But, I realized, when sitting in a crowded room, I didn’t seek out people who were different than me. I realized, I chose what University I went to, what work I employed myself at. It truly is a choice. I decided this was something I really wanted to change and I decided to change it.

Of course this exercise only looks at race, but you could look at age, people with illnesses, religion, politics, and all sorts of other things that differentiate us. The point however is very meaningful in helping us to look at our lives. When I went through this exercise I was very young and it made me look at the world differently. When my daughters were young, I bought dolls for them in different skin colors so that they were exposed right away to a world that was different. Would you intentionally buy Barbie dolls of another color to make sure your kids were exposed early on to the idea of accepting something different? To me, this seems natural. Of course it takes additional action steps beyond just buying a doll that is different, it takes exposing your children to people who are different.

Today, I am proud of the choices my children have made. For example, Ally, our oldest, volunteers for Miracle League (http://www.miracleleague.com/) and plays softball with disabled children so they can have the same experiences you and I have in playing a fun sport. She has also helped out in school with kids who were disabled. Madison, Lizzie and Ally have all been involved with programs to work with the elderly through the school system. Ally, Maddie, Lizzie and Emily have had various friends over the years of other cultures and nationalities, such as Japanese, Vietnamese, Indian, and Russian.

Today, I don’t think about the color of the beads in my jar, because diversity isn't just about color. I just keep an open mind and I know that my life will continue to grow and change and diversity will be inevitable. But, one thing is for sure, Ben and I will never blend!

What’s Your Line?

Understanding what constitutes good design is essential if your home decorating project is going to be successful. The purpose of spending time, thought, effort and money decorating your home is to make it attractive and functional. Comfort is easier to define. Good design is harder to achieve, but it is good design that pleases the eye and what ultimately evokes incredible feelings in people when they walk in a room. Line is the beginning of all design, because it establishes shape or form.

While we’re all somewhat aware of lines, have you ever considered how lines influence mood? You can set the theme of a room by your choice of lines. This is because the human eye involuntarily travels the length of a line, and different lines give different impressions. Here are some thoughts about lines to help you with your design projects:

Horizontal lines are restful. They create a feeling of relaxation and informality, perhaps because a horizontal position is associated with sleeping. Contemporary styles in furniture are often based on horizontal lines.

Vertical lines are formal. They create a feeling of strength and regularity, especially when repeated. They’re undoubtedly associated in our minds with an upright position, thus signifying alertness and conventionality. Think about many of the architectural forms with columns and the formal feeling they give off.

Circles and Squares are static. The eye recognizes these shapes at a glance. Stars and flowers patterns that fit into circles and squares are also static.

Rectangles and ovals give an impression of motion. This is because the eye involuntarily travels around them due to their less regular shape.

Controlled curved lines are happy and romantic and almost always have a lighthearted look. If you want a light and romantic look in your new room, use furniture designed around controlled curves.

Free form curves reflect the flowing lines of nature. These irregular forms are considered contemporary. Just as controlled curves have a fanciful effect, free-form curves create a casual, free and easy mood.

Diagonal lines usually create a disturbing element, unless supported by opposing diagonals or by verticals to give them strength. A variety of diagonal lines used together produce a very busy look, which is often unsettling.

So, next time you are designing, think about your use of lines and how they influence the feeling you want to evoke in the room.