T-2 and counting

I teach 3rd grade Bible class. From the first Sunday in September until the last Sunday in February, my co-teacher(s) and I diligently prepare and deliver over two dozen lessons to give a new group of 8- and 9- year olds a solid grounding in the book of Acts. We discuss who wrote the book, who the main characters are, where the church began, how people became Christians in the first century (and still do today); how the church was (and is) organized, why we have missionaries, and the important work they do. And most of all, we show these children how God's providence and power are seen throughout this amazing story that ties old testament promises into God's revealed plan for spreading the Gospel to a lost and dying world.

I love teaching this age group and helping them see history unfold and barrel straight for them. As always, the clock and the calendar race faster than I would like, and I am now down to two precious classes with this year's "crop" of third graders. We will wrap up with an Olympic event that involves doughnuts, ducks, a foot race and medals and then I will hand them off to the next teacher, and pray they continue to run the race and stay the course. And I will take some time off to recharge my own batteries and once again become a student in an adult class.

Today as we headed for class, it was snowing. In fact, the AP is reporting that 49 states have snow; Hawaii is the lone holdout. It is extremely rare for so many states to have snow simultaneously. I hear the global warming folks are shifting gears - the catchphrase is now "global climate change." Nothing like covering your bets, eh guys?

Last night's early Valentine dinner was marvelous - the "poached oysters with brie and petite croutons" (ahem, oyster stew all glammed up) was a truly memorable appetizer, and I will have to try to replicate it with the bits and pieces of information I wheedled out of the chef.

And next Sunday, company comes for dinner - yay! It should prove to be a good time with good friends. I've even managed to line up dinner guests for March as well...

Is it paste? (Or is it sourdough starter?)

Now I know why some kids eat paste. Flour + water + time = fermenting sourdough starter. AKA paste. Good news: it is bubbling along much better since I got it thicker and "feeding" it a couple times a day instead of just once a day.

Last night we tried a chicken cordon bleu casserole. I know, I know...the words "Cordon Bleu" and "casserole" never belong in the same sentence, let alone the same recipe.

But I don't have a pounding mallet and I didn't have any easy way to flatten the breasts for the classic dish, so I thought I'd give a casserole version a shot.

The idea has potential, but needs some serious modifications: the breasts may be better served by sauteeing for a few minutes to reduce the cooking time and wateriness; bread crumbs (not stuffing mix - it really overpowered the flavors); and a decent white sauce (sans cream-of-anything soup.) And a bit of Dijon mustard in the sauce. We're going to try it again one of these days with those changes and see what happens. I also fixed Spanish green beans. The beans were okay, but it's probably better with more tender snap beans, not Italian-style cut beans, and ideally made with fresh beans and tomatoes, instead of frozen and canned respectively. Read: it was not the best meal I ever fixed. Live and learn.

Next week's menu will have even more chicken dishes - chicken marsala and the old standby hot chicken salad for a make-ahead company's coming dish for next Sunday night.

Alas, my dreams of bagging square Fiesta plates at a deep discount were dashed when I discovered Belk only carries the 3-piece place settings, not open stock. I don't need the mugs or bowls (cute as they may be) and I *do* need salad or lunch-size plates. The hunt continues...

The dreaded four-letter d-word

No, not that one. Another d-word. d-e-s-k. Also answers to "center of my universe," "command central," "arch nemesis," "the black hole," "Bermuda triangle," etc., etc. You get the idea. This relationship is beyond love/hate - it makes the "War of the Roses" (the movie, not the actual war) look like a tale of wedded bliss.

This desk is where I spend the majority of my waking hours, and yet I can't seem to keep any semblance of order, at least not for very long...a day or two at most, and then the detritus slowly builds: papers that should be filed or round-filed, clipped coupons, pens, stamps, paperclips, checkbook, junk mail, is that a bottle of contact lens solution over there? Yep. They all lay here, silently accusing me of sloth and disorganization.

Today is a new day, a time for a fresh start. Today I am cleaning it for real (not just tidying the stacks, or transplanting everything to the floor in my classic Scarlet O'Hara "I'll think about that tomorrow!" maneuver.) Really, truly clean. Filed, tossed, put away. If I'm not heard from in 24 hours, someone put out an APB - you'll know the desk finally swallowed me whole.

In other news, the Dutch oven has been broken in: she gently cradled a pork tenderloin smothered in onions, garlic and seasoning yesterday, at 325 for 2 hours. Yum. The sourdough starter is still going, but it was getting a little watery, so I drained off the hooch and thickened up the flour addition. It bubbles, but doesn't double in size.

Weather-wise, it seems we are deep in the icy frost pocket of winter's thick coat. The 10-day forecast is bleak - the best we can hope for is to edge toward the upper 40s towards the end of the month, but not before we have a few more brushes with some snow next week.

Update: Okay, so it's late afternoon and the desk is *almost* done. (Where have I heard that before?) And as a reward for digging to the bottom? I found a sale ad for new Fiestaware. Square Fiestaware. Be still my beating heart...