Haiti

Partners in Health is still doing great things in Haiti, but there's another organization we're trying to support now.

The What If? Foundation was started by a woman Karen knows, Margaret Trost, but she sees herself as just funding the Haitians to be self sufficient.

PBS recently ran a great story covering the two organizations efforts.



It's been very nice to see that Xavier in particular has taken this to heart, and prays for the Haitians every night.

Spring Catsup

We have been so delinquent! Sorry. When your instantaneous communication is slow, there's nobody to blame but yourself.

This will be mostly just pictures. What was up?

St. Patrick's Day with the traditional Corny Beef.

In some of our Pretties spring weather everything was Bubbly.

Some startling new science about Grand Haven. Click on the investigator's illustrations to spy all the surprising geological features.

Eggs were colored in the surprising shadeof cats, butterflies, Spider-Man, and the questionable Deadpool. Plus some actual Easter eggs, go figure.







So, this happened:

In what has become a family holiday, Free Comic Book Day was celebrated. The 501st showed up at Lange's, and our favorite Star Wars family showed up. Troopers seemed surprisingly friendly towards the rebel scum. Xavier was surprised to see one of his Tae Kwon Do chums there.



















Scott Rozema generously drew a picture for each of the Goldens in attendance. Match the picture with the recipient.

Hulk Bela

Blackbolt John

Harlequin Xavi

Somewhere along the way a Blue Stripe was obtained.












Recently, we did a whirlwind Chicago visit. The Matisse exhibit was amazing - really taught you about his crucial experimental period. Graham Crackers was visited, but for the first time, didn't snag Xavier's budget. Lego Store, Heaven on Seven and the Field Museum filled up the rest of the whirlwind itinerary. The Mammoth and Mastodon exhibit at the Field is definitely worth your time.

Now that's a Mother's Day shot!

Coming soon: an exciting new JKXY feature! Want a hint? What's full of beans and surprisingly noisy?

Wait, that's a terrible clue...

Madeline La Framboise

The Fifth Grade at Ferry does a special project each year: the Wax Museum. Students choose and research a historical figure and put together a verbal presentation that they then get to give dozens of times to other Ferry students and parents.

Our Miss Bela went off-list and presented Madeline La Framboise. She is an interesting figure from Mackinac Island and Grand Haven history. I'd tell you more, but why not get it from the furrier's mouth...

Lard

So Karen has become a lard rendering maven, on her way to expert status. Here's the video that started us off:

From http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vp0QIo7OOBw

Lard-the most misunderstood of fats.

Home Rendering: Zarela’s Home Rendered Lard

Start with unsalted, frozen lard. We get ours from Creswick Farms, where it is called leaf lard. Cut it into small cubes. Can do this in the oven, but on the stove top you can see the three stages.

• Clear - very white and clear,good for anything you would use butter for, even frosting.
• Yellow (amarilla) - uses for making breads or non-delicate uses of oil and butter.
• Asiento - can spread on tortillas, or use with savory dishes. Has more of a pork flavor.

Cube into 1/2 in size. Be sure to carefully trim any remaining meat if you're doing this for baking. Add to pan. 15 to 20 min, then pour off fat slowly. (Helps to have someone else.) We use a 7-8 setting on the electric range (medium high). It's a judgment call when to pour off, we're still experimenting. You can always pour off more frequently and then combine by color.

Use a strainer or slotted spoon to return any cracklings to the pan. Return to the stove for the second stage. After about 15 min more, pour off separately.

Return to the stove. The bits of lard left will form pork rinds or cracklings - chicharrones. When these turn golden brown and are not reducing anymore, pour off the third stage of lard. This is the stage with the strongest smell, and if you’re not interested in the chicharrones or asiento lard, you can skip it.

2 pounds of lard gives about a pint of clear and a pint of amarillo. And close to a pint of asiento, if you keep going.

CINNAMON ROLLS - Dairy/Soy/Nut free
Dough

2 1/4 tsp yeast

3 cups bread flour

1/4 cup sugar

3/4 tsp salt

1 c warm oat bran milk to avoid dairy/soy allergy. (2/3 warm milk 1/3 c warm water if not)

3 Tbs lard ( I did a bit more)

Make the dough, raise once. (We use bread machine on dough mode.)

Filling
1/4 c sugar
2 Tbs cinnamon
1/3 c olive oil or melted lard

Roll dough out to about 16"x12" rectangle. Cover with oil or melted lard. Spread cinnamon mixture evenly. Roll up to make a 16" tube. Slice in 1.5" wide slices to make rolls. Raise a second time in roll form. Bake at 350 degrees 20 to 25 minutes (stay close to oven at 20 minutes)

Frosting
1/2 cup of room temp lard whipped until almost twice its size.
2 cups confectioners sugar (or more to taste) added slowly, while whipping at slow to medium speed
3 tsp of Vanilla

If your frosting is too thick, add oat milk, a tablespoon at a time, and whip thoroughly in. Adjust sugar to taste. Karen is willing to go up to 4 tsp vanilla (or more to taste) and a tsp of imitation almond extract. (Imitation to avoid nut allergies.)

Or you can make a drizzle kind of frosting with just oat milk, confectioners sugar and vanilla.

Pi

Every year, in honor of Pi Day, the Math and Stats Club runs a Pi your Professor contest.  I am a perpetual also-ran, but this year - I think through the combined efforts of Leah W and Paul F - I won handily.  The club raised $150 in total, so that's a win.  But you probably want to see...  (Click for full size.)

It was cherry.

13

In honor of 13 years today, it's Tripback Tuesday.

For posterity, our vows:

I, ____, take you, ____ to be my wife/husband.

To love you and honor you.

To forgive and strengthen you.

To be faithful to you and

To share with you all that is to come.

To serve God and others with you.

So long as we both shall live.

Best decision I ever made!

Purim

She sees when you're not sleeping, she knows
when you do work... it's Shabbas Queen!

Menorah Man!  With the strength of Samson, 

the aim of David, the wisdom of Solomon, 

and the patience of a Patriarch.

So, Purim!  We celebrated last Saturday with a wonderful crew.  Shabbas Queen and Menorah Man were there leading the festivities.

People arrived and got settled, and we started in on the blessings.  Bread was broken, and we started on the nosh (dried fruits, nuts, the challah and a lentil salad) and the Megillah.  People were enthusiastic groggers even in those paragraphs where Haman was mentioned a zillion times.  The main repast was delicious and generated a lot of great leftovers for the week.  Two kugels, kasha varnishkes, sepphardic green beans and the brisket.   I think we did okay for a bunch of goyim.

Elizabeth definitely had the best costume, as Ms. Kralc, multiple medal winner in snowshoe events at Vancouver for the glory of Slobovia.  Bonnie brought homemade groggers that have joined our family.  Pendells loaned the table we ate on, and Lembkes brought a beautiful phylactery for John to wear while reading the Megillah.  Looked great with the coat of many colors.  Lombardos brought hamentashen that were scrumptious.  People brought a lot for the matonat la'eyyonim, so that's a mitzvah, too.

 

Barukh attah Adonai eloheinu melekh ha-olam,
shehecheyanu vekiyemanu vehigi'anu lazeman ha-zeh.

(Blessed art Thou, LORD our God, Master of the universe, who has kept us alive and has sustained us, and brought us to this season.)

Amen.

Ysabela explains it all.  What's a couple of millenia among friends?