Shrek

A conversation from my first year of teaching:

B (a little girl that I had for that year): Ms. Ingram, why aren't you married?
Me: Some people just aren't married.
B: But why aren't YOU married?
Me: Because I have scales under all my clothes.
(What else was I going to say? You can't really explain the perils of dating or even finding a date at that time of my life to a second grader.)
B: (lost in thought for awhile) I KNOW! You can marry Shrek!

Some green-stir fry that maybe even Shrek would enjoy

Tofu with scallions, snow peas and bell peppers in Oyster Sauce
(from Food Network Magazine, March 2010, "11,375 Stir-Fries")

Oyster Sauce
Mix 3/4 cup chicken broth, 1 TBSP cornstarch, 1 TBSP Chinese rice wine or dry sherry, 1 TBSP soy sauce, 3 TBSP oyster sauce and 2 tsp sesame oil.

1. Whisk 1 egg white, 1 TBSP Chinese rice wine or dry sherry and 1 TBSP cornstarch. Toss with cubed tofu (extra-firm); cover and refrigerate, 1 hour.
2. Drain the excess marinade from the protein. Place your sauce, vegetables and protein near the stove.
3. Heat 1/4 inch vegetable oil in a wok or skillet over medium heat. Add the tofu and brown on both sides-do not stir. Transfer to a plate; discard the oil and wipe out the pan.
4. Heat the pan over high heat, 1 to 2 minutes. Add 2 TBSP oil, then 2 cloves minced garlic (or really 4 cloves for me), 1 to 2 TBSP minced ginger, 2 minced scallions and a pinch each of salt and sugar; stir-fry for about 30 seconds. Add then vegetables, starting with the ones that take the longest to cook; stir-fry until crisp-tender.
5. Add the tofu and oyster sauce and stir until the sauce is thick and the vegetables are cooked through, about 3 minutes. Thin with chicken broth, if needed. Garnish with sliced scallions, peanuts, sesame seeds, sliced jalapenos and/or cilantro.

Greetings

We start our mornings with a greeting, some creative way of saying hello to our friends in the class. Usually I show them an idea, a wave, high 5, etc. My class this year has decided they would like to take on their own greetings. First it started with saying hello in Spanish, Urdu, or any other language they know. But these greetings have become more and more involved and complicated. Now it has culminated into this weeks' greeting: pat your thighs twice, clap once, cross your arms, say "Good morning, __" then, at the end, we all say good morning to the teacher. I wonder how much further they will take this. Can't wait to find out!

A recipe that is a lovely "greeting" to the morning:

French Toast for Challah Bread
(from The Best Recipe)

1 large egg
1 TBSP unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 TBSP sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/4 tsp. salt
4-5 thick slices of challah bread

1. Heat skillet over medium heat for 5 minutes. Beat eggs lightly in shallow pan. Whisk in butter, then milk and vanilla and finally sugar, fluer and salt. Continue whisking until smooth. Soak bread without oversaturating on each side.
2. Swirl 1 TBSP buter in hot skillet. Transfer prepared bread to skillet. Cook until golden brown, about 1 minute 45 seconds. Serve immediately.

Problem Solving

I teach my students early to be "problem-solvers." Often this problem-solving begins with many blank stares ("What do you mean 'what should I do about it'?") and many suggestions from me ("You could try looking for the folder you can't find."). The other day, one of my boys shouted "That was problem-solving!!" across the room. They have arrived!

Now, a recipe in which I had to do some problem-solving:

Quattro Stagioni Pizza
(from Food Network Magazine)

Pizza dough (we bought this from the store)
Can of crushed tomatoes
Dried oregano
Salt
Pepper
Olive oil
Diced mozzarella
Basil
Olives
Artichoke hearts
Ham
Garlic Cloves (now we should have roasted these because they came out as raw garlic, but I problem-solved that by eating it anyway. Feel free to use your own problem-solving ideas here)

1. Stretch dough into pizza pan/baking sheet.
2. Top with crushed tomatoes, dried oregano, salt, pepper and olive oil
3. Cover 1/4 of the pizza with olives, 1/4 with artichoke hearts, 1/4 with ham, 1/4 with garlic cloves
4. Sprinkle with diced mozzarella, torn basil and salt
5. Bake until cheese melts, then drizzle with olive oil.

Struggles

A wonderful teacher I work with once told me "Don't rob them of the struggle." And how true! Children learn so much when they struggle and work through a problem. They come out twice as tough and twice as smart on the other side.
Tonight I struggled with my first attempt at braising. You may look at the recipe and wonder what I could be struggling with (overall it's a pretty easy recipe to execute). It was the presentation of it all. Is it supposed to be this wet? Do I drain it or serve as is? Does it actually taste good or is that the cheese? More of an inner-struggle, if you will. So maybe now I'm just a little bit smarter about my cooking.

Cooked Escarole
(from Wegmen's Magazine)
6 cups water
juice of 1 lemon (2-3 TBSP)
6 cloves garlic, minced (and I pinched my finger with our garlic press...all a part of this struggle)
1 TBSP salt
1/2 cup olive oil
15 oz. chopped escarole
3 TBSP shredded Italian cheese blend

1. Add water, lemon juice, garlic, salt and oil to braising pan (I don't think we have one of these so I used a deep skillet) on high
2. Add escarole; bring to a boil. Cover.
3. Cook 4-5 min. until escarole are tender and have changed color.
4. Transfer to serving dish (good luck with this! I recommend a strainer and some tongs); sprinkle with cheese

It's not easy being green...

A few years ago I had a notorious first grader, J. On the first week of school, he continually asked me a question that I couldn't hear or understand. After asking him to repeat it several times I finally conceded (that busy time in the morning will make you do crazy things!). Just a few moments later, J exited the bathroom in a full dinosaur costume; I'm talking...step in, zip up, with hood dinosaur costume. He also put his backpack back on. Shocked, I literally screamed at him...WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! To which he giggled, knowingly, and said "I asked if I could put on my dinosaur costume." Crazy enough...none of my other first graders were phased. It was fine with them that J wanted to be a dinosaur. They really didn't know what I was so freaked out about.
So in a nod to Josh and other moments of insanity that occur in a typical classroom...we have a crazy twist on pizza.

Green Pizza
(from eattingwell.com)

1 lb. prepared pizza dough (we usually use Boboli)
2 cups broccoli florets
1/4 cup water
5 ounces arugula (arugula blend was actually really good), tough stems removed, chopped (about 6 cups)
pinch of salt
freshly ground pepper to taste
1/2 cup prepared pesto (we used Giada's arugula pesto for an extra kick)
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1. Position oven rack in the lowest position; preheat to 450. Coat large baking sheet in cooking spray (we use our pizza stone and don't worry about the coating)
2. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface and then transfer to baking sheet. Bake until puffed and lightly crisped on the bottomw, 8 to 10 minutes (skip this if using Boboli)
3. Meanwhile, cook broccoli and water in a large skillet over medium heat, covered, until the broccoli is crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Stir in arugula and cooking, stirring until wilted, 1 to 2 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Spread pesto evenly over the crust, top with the broccoli mixture and sprinkle with cheese. Bake until crispy and golden and the cheese is melted, 8 to 10 minutes.

Moms

I recently found a note from one of my first graders:
"From: C To: Mrs. Deaton
I love you Mrs. Deaton and you're like my mom and I'm like your daughter and you love me too."
I continue to be amazed how in their simple words young children can say such enormous things.
So, in a salute to moms, here is my mom's spaghetti sauce.

Mom's Spaghetti Sauce
1 lb hamburger (also can add sweet Italian sausage)
1 small can tomato paste
1 small can tomato sauce
1 large can chopped tomatoes
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves crushed garlic (usually more :))
2 bay leaves
4 TBS Worchestershire sauce
dash Tobasco
salt and pepper
Oregano and basil to taste (usually seasoned heavily :))
1 small can mushrooms

Cook meat in olive oil and drain. Add remaining ingredients except mushrooms (leave until last hour). Cook at least 3 to 4 hours (your house will smell amazing!!! As my mom's always did!!)

Hearty....

Teachers need to be hearty. We have to be up and ready to go each morning with kindness, enthusiasm, motivation, devotion and inspiration at the ready. We also need to be full-of-heart for anything from a tiny scratch to much more.
Since being both hearty in heart and hearty in body is a necessity I have found some equally hearty muffins.

Bran Flax Muffins
(from the back of Bob's Red Mill Flaxseed Mill)
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup Flaxseed Mill
3/4 cup Oat Bran
1 cup Brown Sugar
2 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
1 1/2 cups Carrots, shredded
2 Apples, peeled and shredded
1/2 cup Raisins
1 cup Nuts (optional)
3/4 cup Milk
2 Eggs, beaten
1 tsp. Vanilla
1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Combine all dry ingredients in large bowl
3. Combine all liquid ingredients (apples, carrots, raisins, nuts included) in separate bowl
4. Add liquid ingredients to dry ingredients and mix
5. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full and bake for 15-20 minutes