Fruit of the Womb

Partly because my SiL suggested it (so you can blame her), and partly because I don't have anything better to post today (unless you want more recipes), I'm going to tell you a little story. When I first started doing postal letterboxes, one of the first rings that I organized was "Pranks Parents Play". The premise was that everyone create boxes based on tricks parents play on children (okay, lies they tell, if you insist). I created two boxes, the first of which was Watermelon Seeds. You all know how that particular fib goes: "If you eat a watermelon seed, a watermelon will grow in your belly." The stamp was later planted as a traditional and only recently retired. However, that box is rooted in history of a more personal nature.
Being the evil parents that we are, we took the Prank one step farther. What follows is the story, and what might be perhaps a little too much information for some. Consider yourselves forewarned.

The night before I was scheduled for a Cesarean section with my second child, things got a little goofy around our house. After what went wrong with our first daughter (which you may read about Here), it is only natural that we were a bit nervous and on the punchy side. In an effort at encouragement, the discussion turned to how "The fruit of the womb is His reward", and before you knew it, the giggling started and out came the non-toxic paints.

Since I could only see the top half of my protruding abdomen, hubby gamely played along and matched the bottom half surprisingly well. If you knew him, his dublicity would be even more surprising.
Of course, our then 3 yo couldn't quite wrap her brain around what she was seeing.
The intention was to show up at the hospital the next morning and give my OB a surprise he wouldn't soon forget. But my stretched and sensitive skin started itching and I opted to wash it off. It makes a great scrapbook page though.
The moral of the story? Buy Seedless Watermelons.

Heads Up!

The "kittens" and I have been having a number of letterbox related discussions lately and a few changes are in the works. For us, the most important aspects of this hobby are the people, the carving and the hiking. We have spent a good chunk of time on non-traditionals, partly because hiking was nearly impossible and we were bored, and partly in an effort to develop relationships and carving skills. The girls are getting older now, and the surgery should take care of the physical obstacles. Which means:

• We are going to be working on planting a number of new boxes this fall, starting the moment I get a release to start hiking again.
• We hope to improve our "clever clue" track record. So far they have been pretty boring. Recovery time is already dedicated to clue writing.
  
• We plan to post the clues to this blog first. Readers will have access to the clues before everyone else. Feel free to pass on the location of the clues, but not the solutions or locations of the boxes.
• Most of the boxes will fall somewhere between traditional and mystery.
• We hope that all the boxes will be on hikes of one mile or more.

This does not mean that there won't be the occasional trading card made, but they will be few and far between, and most likely, secretive. It also does not mean that we are upset and leaving any site or group. It just means that we are narrowing our focus a bit. That has been our goal from the start.

If you're still reading, then this is for you: I hope to post the first clue before the beginning of next week. It probably won't be a one mile hike, but it is a box dedicated to all of my Avoiding the Laundry readers. Don't miss it!

More Soups

By tomorrow I should be able to post something more interesting than soup. But for today, here you go:

Chicken Tortilla Soup~dump style
6 c. cooked chicken (I usually cook and debone a whole chicken, but you could also use boneless, skinless chicken breasts if you prefer)
2 c. chicken broth
2 cans black beans
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 can corn
1 c. salsa
1 4 oz. cans green chilies
16 oz tomato sauce
Tortilla chips
Shredded Monterey Jack or cheddar

Combine all ingredients except chips and cheese in a large pot and simmer 30-45 minutes. Serve with chips and cheese (and sour cream, green onions, etc, if desired). This soup freezes well.

Slacker Notes** When I cook, I almost always double everything in a recipe except for the meat. Yesterday's Dump Soup and this one are good examples. It ramps up the veggie content for a healthier meal, is generally less expensive and you only make the mess once but have plenty to put up in the freezer for later.
Whenever possible, I also substitute ingredients for fresh-from-the-garden versions that I might have on hand. In this case, frozen sweet corn and home canned or fresh tomatoes.

Garden in a Pot Soup
2 quarts tomatoes
2 lg cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 T dry basil
2 T olive oil
4 carrots
2 onions
3 stalks celery
1 turnip
3 small zucchini
3 small summer squash
19 oz can cannellini beans, undrained
salt to taste
water
5 oz. spaghetti

Chop all vegetables. Combine all but noodles in a large pot with enough water to make "soupy". Cook until tender. Add spaghetti and cook until pasta is done. Serve with fresh Parmesan and Pita chips if desired. This soup freezes well, but you knew that, didn't you?

Dump Soup

For the next couple of days, you're just going to have to be satisfied with recipes. In preparation for the knee surgery, I have been cleaning and cooking like a madwoman. I'll carve again in a few days.

One of our all time favorite recipes is Dump Soup. Now, on the recipe card it says Indian Summer Soup, but we call it Dump Soup because that is how you make it. Even my picky eater loves this soup, and there is no "mommy guilt" because it is also healthy and nutritious.

Indian Summer Soup, aka Dump Soup

1 # lean ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
2 cans corn
1 can each black, pinto, red, and kidney beans, undrained
2 cans diced tomatoes
garlic to taste
1-2 T. taco seasoning
1 carrot, shredded

Brown meat and onion in a large pot. Dump in rest of ingredients, and simmer 45 minutes. Serve with tortilla chips and shredded cheese, if desired. This soup freezes well.
Enjoy!

An Allegory

Cottrina and the Sandbox

Once upon a time there was a little girl named Cottrina who lived with her Mommy and Daddy and seven brothers and sisters. One day at school a friend told Cottrina about a gigantic sandbox in a nearby park. It sounded so amazing that she just had to see it for herself.

When she arrived at the sandbox, she could hardly believe her eyes. It was much bigger than she had imagined. There were seashells and shiny pebbles and even a few gemstones scattered throughout the piles of sand. There were also buckets, shovels, sieves and other toys that could be used to play with the sand. And there were children everywhere, laughing and building and playing in the sandbox.

Cautiously, Cottrina took her shoes off and stepped into the sandbox. The sand was warm and felt wonderful between her toes. The grains glinted in the sunlight as she let them run through her fingers. Cottrina slowly wandered through the clusters of children in the sandbox, carefully watching them. Some of them were building fantastic castles with the sand. Others were using pails to collect the seashells or pebbles. Still others sat in isolated pockets with their backs turned so that she couldn’t quite see what they were doing, which made her even more curious.

Eventually, Cottrina found a spot and settled down to play. Every day that she could, she returned to the sandbox. The sand fascinated her. If she looked at it quickly, it didn’t look very interesting. But when she started examining the individual grains closely, she could see the facets and colors that flashed from inside. They were tiny though, and her thick, clumsy fingers had trouble holding them. She tried to build a castle like the magnificent ones that she could see some of the other children working on, but it seemed that just when she would get started her Mother would call her home. With so many brothers and sisters at home, her Mother needed lots of help.

Some days it seemed easier to just content herself to play with the pebbles and shells. Many of them were just as beautiful as the sand. It was easier to put them down and run home when she was called though. If she had worked all morning on building a tower for her castle, she had a much harder time doing what her Mommy asked with a sweet spirit when she was interrupted. She couldn’t help looking at the castles with longing though.

Cottrina noticed that the children who played with the sand talked very quietly. They taught her to do the same so that her breath did not disturb the delicate sand. The children playing with the pebbles and seashells could talk more boisterously because the pebbles and shells were sturdier than the sand. The children who played with the shells and pebbles were just as much fun as the children who played with the sand. Some of them even played with both. Some of them thought the pebbles belonged on the rock pile and seashells belonged in the ocean. Cottrina had been to the rock pile once, but the children there were not nearly as nice as the children who played in the sandbox

Cottrina kept coming to the sandbox as often as she could. After a while, she was able to build a few small sandcastles. She also collected a pail of seashells and shiny pebbles. The sand was her favorite though. She knew that if she was patient, she would get better at building castles someday. She knew that she would grow up and her fingers would become long and slender. She knew that her siblings would also grow up and they would be able to help with the chores at home too. In the meantime, she dreamed of sandcastles and practiced with pebbles. As long as she could continue playing in the sandbox, she was satisfied.