Valarie Budayr's Blog, page 116

A Very Special Rhythm of the Home Announcement

Last Thursday saw the Spring edition of Rhythm of the Home launch and with it a very special announcement. Over the last 3 and half years I've had the most joyous pleasure of writing for this creative and nurturing online magazine and being a part of this incredible community of creative families. 

 

"Rhythm of the Home was created as a collaborative voice, a way to open the world to perspectives on educating and raising our children. It has always been our hope that through sharing the voices of many, we would all one day look back and be proud of the changes that we had made, the new paths we set for the next generation."

Bernadette Emerson and Heather Fontenot

It is with this same spirit of community that Audrey Press is pleased to announce The Rhythm of the Home Book. Soon our favorite online magazine will be coming off the shelf as a book, once again embracing the community it reflects. To see how you can become involved in The Rhythm of the Home book project have a look here.

In this edition I offered up a little dream time magic from one of my favorite book characters the BFG (Big Friendly Giant).  A place to put wishes, dreams and inpirations for young and old alike, you too can become a dream collector. This edition is full of wonderful projects, recipes, and reflections. As we move from winter to spring we see all the potential that new life holds. Here's wishing you many creative moments in the days and months ahead. 

What's For Lunch: A la Dr. Seuss

Oh this past week saw much activity on the Dr. Seuss front. Over at Jump into a Book we hosted the most incredible giveaway of 30 Dr. Seuss books. I'm happy to announce that the winner is a second grade teacher in Florida, Dana Elting.  I can only imagine the surprise on her student's faces when they see all of those books walk into their classroom. I'm sure there are many happy reading moments ahead for many storytimes to come.

Friday was Read Across America day and I went to read to the third grade over at Ft. Craig School of Dynamic Learning. The Lorax was in order and afterwards each child got a lorax mustache, made a recycled truffla tree, and wrapped a penci in a very special sweater. It was lots of fun and every was dressed in a Seuss sort of way. 

After many discussions within my own family about green eggs and how that could really happen, I sort of had to take a stab at it myself. Today's lunch is green eggs the momma version. No food coloring or other "tricks" just good old food. If you don't mind I'm skipping the ham part for a couple of reasons. One I don't like or eat ham and second it would be just too much for my 15/20 minute lunch.

 

Ingredients

 

2 tablespoons flour
¼ cup milk
2 eggs
salt & pepper
¼ cup feta chesse
½ cup fresh spinach, washed,dried and chopped fine
1 pinch thyme
 olive oil





Directions

Gradually mix the milk into the flour, whisk until smooth.
 Eggs, thyme, salt& pepper.
Whisk until very well blended.
Stir in the cheese and spinach.
Heat skillet, add oil.
Over medium heat pour in the egg mixture, allow to firm on the bottom, with a spatula disturb the eggs and flip so you continually get the uncooked egg on the bottom.
Do not over cook the eggs.

What's For Lunch: Oprah Style

Greetings friends. Sorry for my absence last week. The flu bug hit my house and therefore my blogging but don't worry. All of us have recovered and are getting back to normal. 

Before I dish on some incredible news, go put some water on because today's lunch has pasta in it. Don't forget the salt and olive oil.......

Today I'm honoring the goddess of television Oprah Winfrey. Last week I received a newsletter/email update from Oprah saying she was taking her life class on tour. There will be two tapings in St. Louis Missouri and two tapings in New York City. With the speed of lightning I filled out forms for all four show tapings, naming my friend Susie as my guest, and hoped for the best.

For about 12 to 15 years  now or maybe even 20, it depends who's telling the story, Susie and I have always known that one day we would get to meet Oprah, we would be on or at her show, and we would be together. That day has finally arrived. On March 26th Susie and I will be at the Live on -air taping of The Oprah Winfrey Life Class Tour.

Just this morning we discovered that our friend Kim also has tickets to the show and creative wonder teacher and blogging friend Shannon Kinney is on the waiting list for the same show we have tickets too. Wouldn't that be great if Shannon and I could meet? If ever you feel like taking an incredible and inspiring find your "self"  class, Shannon's Inside Out is the one to take. It is so creative and nurturing. I just loved it ! But I digress back to lunch right?

Today in honor of the joy and excitement of going to see Oprah, today's lunch is on her. This is one of her favorites and will quickly become one of yours. It's delicious. Almost verging on divine. 

 Vegetable Carbonara 

Ingredients

1/2 cup frozen green peas, thawed
12 ounces asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
8 ounces uncooked cavatappi pasta
1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated pecorino Romano cheese
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
4 slices turkey bacon, chopped
1 cup chopped seeded red bell pepper

Preparation

1. Cook peas and asparagus in boiling water for 3 minutes or until asparagus is crisp-tender; drain. Plunge into ice water; drain. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain pasta in a colander over a bowl, reserving 1/4 cup cooking liquid. Combine pasta and vegetables.

2. Combine cheese and the next 3 ingredients (through eggs) in a bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Gradually add hot cooking liquid to egg mixture, stirring constantly with a whisk. Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp, stirring occasionally. Remove bacon from pan, reserving 1 tablespoon drippings in pan. Add bacon to pasta mixture. Cook bell pepper in drippings for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add pasta mixture; cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated. Remove pan from heat, and stir in egg mixture. Return pan to low heat; cook for 2 minutes or until sauce thickens slightly, stirring constantly.

The original recipe is from Cooking Light.  I only used 2 eggs instead of 3 and I also added zucchini and yellow squash. I substitued bacon with Turkey bacon. 

Here's wishing you a happy lunch. I'd love to know what you're eating for lunch this week. Please just leave me a comment with a link to your post and I'll come drop by for lunch. Bon Appetit y'all.

The Joy in Doing

Since he was about 18 months old he has loved to beat and drum on things. As a very small boy he would toddle around the house taking all of my plastic containers out of the cupboard. With a wooden spoon he would spend long spells just singing and drumming himself tired.

Two years ago, his sister bought him a drum set as she was heading off to college. They love to play drum duets, or "Playing Stomp in the Basement" as they call it.

Often times friends come over to play "band" and hours of musical talent is enjoyed. It's been wonderful seeing all of them grow as musicians. And me, I have the best view of them all, ....the fly on the wall. They completely forget I'm there.

How thrilling it is to just watch him doing what he loves to do best.......play. There's been no lessons, no performances, just jamming. Playing to the music of all his favorite bands, Coldplay, Queen, Led Zepplin. Ok maybe some of those are my favorite bands, but he likes them too. 

Last week a major milestone passed as "O" played drums with Travis Patton and the Maryville Middle School Orchestra. It was also the first time "O" had ever played his drums anywhere but in our basement.

But that's tomorrow's story. For now all you need to know is he left my house a violinist and came home a drummer. 

To be continued.........

What's for Lunch: Week 1 Red Soup

So my little experiment worked. I've eaten 7 separate lunches this week. Absent were the 4 lunch items I've been eating for 15 years. Thanks to all who commented here and on Facebook. So let's have a look at What's for Lunch.

As many of you wrote in I noticed a theme, and that was you didn't want to spend a whole bunch of time cooking or making lunch when you will have to be back in the kitchen just a few hours later to get dinner together. This had me thinking, what types of recipes could I cook in the same time it takes to make a peanut butter sandwich? 

My first choice Red Soup

1 onion
1 clove of garlic diced
A drizzle of olive oil
2 tbsps of tomato paste
2 1/2 cups of water
1/2 cup of rice either cooked or parboiled
Dried Mint
Dash of lemon juice
Salt
Croutons or dried pita bread


Drizzle about a tsp and a half of olive oil
Dice up the onion and throw it into the pot.
Put the stove onto medium and saute the onion until it's clear.
Throw in the diced garlic clove. 
Put in your 2 tbsp of tomato paste and let it brown up a little. We you saute your tomato paste before putting in the water, it will get a nice sweet taste and the bitterness that can be there goes away. 
Add the water. It's ok to put more water if it looks like it's not enough.
Add the rice and let it cook until done. If I have rice left over from the night before I throw that in. Lunch will be ready in just a few minutes. If you're using Uncle Ben's or Whole grain rice, it will take longer to cook. 
Once the rice is cooked or heated, add the dried mint to taste.
Add a dash of lemon juice to bring all of the flavors together.
Place soup in a bowl and crunch up either toasted pita bread or croutons. I like to take one whole pita bread and place it in my microwave for a minute on each side or until the bread is crunchy. With my hands I crunch it up into bite size pieces.

This lunch took me exactly 10 minutes to make using left-over rice. It really tasted good and hit the spot. I followed it up with a pear for dessert. 

What did you have for lunch? If you're blogging about your lunch choice, please leave the link below. On saturday I'll combine them into next weeks lunch menu. Happy Eating !!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

13

Someone special is celebrating a birthday.

13 years ago today the weather was snowy, rainy, but when they put my baby boy in my arms the sun came out.  

There is a theme among family members today and that is, how did our baby get to be 13? Well he did. Day by day and year by year.

We've had a weekend of festitivies to celebrate his entry into the teenage years. There's no more babies in this house. 

Happy Birthday to our Big Boy. We love you "O" !!!!

The "What's For Lunch" Project

It isn't usually an annual tradition that I get the doldrums in winter but this year I have them. The item which is annoying me the most is lunch. Yep, that's right you heard me. Though there are 7 days in a week, I have a lunch menu which encompasses 4 things, which means I'm eating repeats. Not only is my lunch menu short three days but I've been eating the same 4 lunches for about 15 years. I kid you not.

Don't think it stops there, each one of my children have their 4 special lunch items and their father/my husband ,aka "Fiber Boy" often times skips lunch or eats a veggie sandwich. Clearly we need help. 

Are any of you in a lunch rut? I'm sure not but I'm hoping you'll help me out of mine. I'm on a mission to bring back lunch. 

So by gosh or by golly I'm out to change "what's for lunch" over here.

Please Welcome:

The "What's For Lunch" Project

Starting next Monday, I will be posting my new "what I'm having for lunch", complete with recipes.

Please join me on Mondays by posting what you're having for  lunch on your blog. I'll have a Mister Linky at the end of my post and you can just link to your post there.

Remember the school lunch menu that would come home on Fridays or be posted in the daily newspaper? 

On Saturdays I'll post a Master Lunch Menu with all of your links, giving all of us new inspiration for our mid-day meals.

Please leave a comment below saying "I'm in !!!"

So here's to lunch !!!!!

 

 

The Ultimate Guide to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

"Watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are hidden in the most unlikely places."
-Roald Dahl

Maybe over the last few months you've noticed that I haven't been here as frequently as I use to. Maybe you've noticed I haven't been able to stop by and visit like I use to and all of this has a wonderfully great reason. Over the past year I've been holed up in my studio creating an ultimate and incredible book adventure into the pages of our favorite childhood story Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

The Ultimate Guide To Charlie And The Chocolate Factory is just that: a Guide. A step by step roadmap to a magical world the whole family can enjoy:

Over 20 Crafts and Activities that not only entertain, but educate. Ever wonder where chocolate comes from? Or how gum is made? Conduct experiential activities in the areas of crafting, cooking, and game-playing as well as exploring many facets of candy production.
A story filled with beautiful graphic illustrations including tantalizing Treasure Maps and vibrant tutorials.
A chance to "meet" original Willy Wonka author himself, Roald Dahl.
The option to take Charlie's journey over the course of several days or take shorter journeys if you wish.
The creation of a new ritual of reading time with your family and the opportunity to experience the reading of this imaginative tale as a group activity, not a solitary event.

A unique collaboration between myself, the very talented graphic artist Roscoe Welply and the ever talented editor Bernadette Emerson. We intentionally created Willy Wonka's world ,which leaps off the page and coaxes you and your family to immerse yourselves into this world of inventions, concoctions, and adventure.

Re-awaken the passion and idea of "jumping" inside the pages of this book with the knowledge that each chapter is a gateway into a magical world.

Today I am beyond excited to share this with you, and you must know that you're the first to have a sneak peak. We haven't even announced it yet to the rest of the world. That comes later this week.

It will release in the Spring of 2012. Currently we are looking for people to review the book. If you are interested in doing so, please drop me a line at valarie@audreypress.com. 

To be on the advanced notice list sign-up here. 

 From Audrey Press:

Inspired by the love of a good story, some imagination, a sense of adventure and a good dose of curiosity, children and the adults who care for them can take flight into one of our most beloved books, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. 

The Ultimate Guide presents several experiential activities in the areas of crafting, cooking, and game-playing as well as exploring many facets of candy production, and meeting the author himself, Roald Dahl. Each step and activity leads us further into the story to bring more and more of it to life, leaving a lasting impression of an adventure and journey shared.

 If you have a minute please have a look at our book trailer. Enjoy and thank you always for being here.

One Small Change: Tree Hugger

photo by Larry White Buffalo

For in the true nature of things, if we rightly consider, every green tree is far more glorious than if it were made of gold and silver.  Martin Luther

Do you have a favorite tree? I do. It's the rose cypress just off the North end of my house. Throughout the years I've spent countless hours there with my children playing under it's boughs.

I'm joining Suzy again this year for One Small Change and as always it gets me thinking of just one more way we as a family can lessen our footprint on this planet. 

For my first look at changing small in 2012 I've had to revisit something and that is the idea of paper usage. 

I sort of chalked that one of the list because I'm so dutiful in recycling but last week I did an experiment. I wanted to see how much "unwanted" mail we received every week. Usually I grab the mail, pass the recycle bins, drop off what I don't want, and then head into the house. Out of sight, out of mind.

I was astonished to find this many catalogs in my mailbox after 7 days.

These are all catalogs which I love to look at and read when I'm eating my cereal in the morning. I love all those pretty photos which give me ideas of what to craft, cook, sew, etc. I never ever order out of one of these catalogs unless it's Chinaberry. Love Chinaberry. So when thinking about One Small Change I had to ask myself, is my morning entertainment worth killing a tree over?

The answer simply is no.

So I signed up here to remove myself from the catalog and mail lists. 

And for the sake of disclosure, I also sent an email to Chinaberry asking them not to take me off their list. 

What's your one small change?

Your Invited to the Club

Over the weekend my blogging friend Joy was recommending the book "The Weapons of Mass Instruction." By John Taylor Gatto. Another friend of ours, Eileen ,wanted to read it along with her and then I said, "Can I come too?" 

From this very simple Facebook conversation was born the Mindful Parenting Book Club. I'd be so happy to see you join us and please invite anyone else you think might enjoy it.

Here's some more information.

A New *Free* Virtual Book Club for Mindful Parents!

Join Us and Read Along!

Our First Book to share together will be 'Weapons of Mass Instruction' by John Taylor Gatto. Regardless of your schooling choices – this book will get you thinking about our current educational system and model!Order the book from your library, Amazon or download it to your reader… read it and in between come on over with a cup of coffee to sit in on our Virtual Book Club Facebook Page! Pop on over any time to chat – you're never behind!In addition, our first 'scheduled' book discussion will be hosted by bloggers Eileen Straiton, Valarie Budayr and Joy Blaser on February 4th where we will cover the Prologue through Chapter 1 of our book, asking questions and inspiring others as they read along.