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Gosh, the stuff I do for my fellow ClubMom Mom Bloggers. Here you go Loni at Joy in the Morning, a poem by someone who doesn’t like poetry. However, using the template was easy and fun! (And no, I didn’t get the kids to help. They were too busy fighting over the Alice in Wonderland DVD.)

I am

I am from library books, from Dannon coffee yogurt, and after school snacks

I am from the home on the plains, in the middle of suburbia, on a street where no one cares and everyone moves out

I am from the Atlantic Ocean, and the Pacific too, removing tumbleweeds in the front yard, marveling over perfect Columbine flowers in the Rocky Mountains

I am from the house with the aluminum Christmas tree who grew up going to Charger games, borne to Leslie and Marilyne, growing up with Nathan and Lucie, hanging with their Big Bad Dad

I am from the island unto herself who likes to complain, the iconoclast and good daughter who couldn’t leave until she grew up at 30

I am from the half-and-half family, Hanukkah celebrating church goers, token gentiles in a flock of Jews, married to the doubting son of two preachers.

I am the first generation American born not far from Ellis Island, from gefilte fish to brie cheese, with side orders of grape leaves and fish and chips, a melting pot order to go

From older parents, an English Brooklyn dodger (though Yankees fan) who survived the depression and fought in WWII, the other a little girl in occupied France where Nazis knocked on the door looking for her father

I am the first generation American, with a Jersey childhood and a Southern California adolescence, raising my children at a Mile High

With boxes of photos from weddings to births, stuck away in closets, basements and hard drives, less precious than the flesh and blood people and memories that made them

(Picture courtesy of the U.S. Geological Survey - Central Region.)

It’s Friday’s Feast thanks to Joy in the Morning. Pass the salt!

Appetizer
What is a word that you use that would not be considered common?
Avamacado…or avocado. It’s Nathan’s invented word. He also deemed tomatoes as mamos and soda as sosa, which is actually the Spanish word for soda.

Then there’s wauder, which is the way I pronounce water. Oops, my Joisey is showing.

Soup
What theme of calendar do you have on your wall this year?
The lastest calendar printout from Microsoft Outlook. My calendar changes so rapidly that I have to keep it on the computer and provide weekly updates which I print out and post on the refrigerator door. Everyone has their own color. This summer seems to be on the purple side (Nathan’s color).

Salad
Name 3 people you speak with by telephone a regular basis.
My sister in Switzerland - thank god for 10-10 telephone services. Then there’s my husband who I’m usually calling to remind him about something. Then Mr. Tony, my fellow board member at Carbon Valley Academy. He calls to give me more work to do or arrange a meeting. He’s a stay-at-home dad, so it’s usually lunch with all our kids and possibly a trip to the playground or movies.

Main Course
If you could buy a new outfit for someone you know, who would it be and what would you purchase for them?
The kids, of course. My husband does not need ANYTHING. He owns a zillion t-shirts and has a lovely collection of vintage clothing too. (So do I but nothing fits, unfortunately.) Nathan needs a new Ramones shirt and Lucie must have princess dress up clothes to go along her with her royal pain-in-the-butt diva behavior.

Dessert
What is the last beverage you drank?
Seltzer water. While we have good tasting water here in Colorado, life is more fun with bubbles.

If you still haven’t bought your husband something for Father’s Day, how about an outdoor smoker? We have one similar to this Brinkmann All-In-One Gas Outdoor Cooker. My husband bought this for ME as a Christmas present (ha!) but he tends to use it most of the time. It’s a great thing to do a crawfish boil or BBQ the Thanksgiving turkey. (Not that we’ve ever tried. I’m too scared of burning the deck down - I personally know people who have.)

Honestly, there’s nothing better than homemade barbeque. You can get the kids involved writing the shopping list, and making the brine and rub.

Pulled Pork
(recipe courtesy of Alton Brown at Good Eats)
Difficulty: Easy      
Prep Time: 20 minutes  Inactive Prep Time: 13 hours  Cook Time: 11 hours
Yield: 8 to 10 servings

Brine:

1. 8 ounces or 3/4 cup molasses
2. 12 ounces pickling salt (we used Kosher salt)
3. 2 quarts bottled water
4. 6 to 8 pound Boston butt

Rub:

1. 1 teaspoon whole cumin seed
2. 1 teaspoon whole fennel seed
3. 1 teaspoon whole coriander
4. 1 tablespoon chili powder
5. 1 tablespoon onion powder
6. 1 tablespoon paprika

Directions:

1. Combine molasses, pickling salt, and water in 6 quart Lexan (we used a very clean big plastic laundry detergent bucket).
2. Add Boston butt (also called pork shoulder or pork butt) making sure it is completely submerged in brine, cover, and let sit in refrigerator for a minimum of 8 hours. 12 hours is ideal.
3. Place cumin seed, fennel seed, and coriander in food grinder (I used a mini-chopper) and grind fine.
4. Transfer to a small mixing bowl and stir in chili powder, onion powder, and paprika.
5. Remove Boston butt from brine and pat dry.
6. Sift the rub evenly over the shoulder and then pat onto the meat making sure as much of the rub as possible adheres. More rub will adhere to the meat if you are wearing latex gloves during the application.
7. Preheat smoker to 210 degrees F.
8. Place butt in smoker and cook for 10 to12 hours, maintaining a temperature of 210 degrees F.
9. Begin checking meat for doneness after 10 hours of cooking time. Use fork to check for doneness. Meat is done when it falls apart easily when pulling with a fork.
10. Once done, remove from pot and set aside to rest for at least 1 hour.
11. Pull meat apart with 2 forks and serve as sandwich with coleslaw and dressing or barbeque sauce as desired.

This type of pulled pork sandwich is commonly referred to as “Pig Pile Elvis Style” as this was a favorite of the King of Rock ‘N’ Roll. (The picture is courtesy of The Commerical Appeal’s Bar-B-Q Blog, a great source of information on barbeque contests and recipes.)

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I was one of those kids who preferred a Filet-O-Fish sandwich at McDonald’s over a cheeseburger. But my kids? Paul got Nathan to eat fish once, and he promptly threw it up. Always Little Miss Opposite, Lucie likes mahi mahi and grilled tuna but won’t eat lake trout. Both kids love the fish tacos at Del Taco, go figure.

I have a friend who swears her daughter begs her to buy crab legs and fish fillets, so there must be some kids out there who love fish. But I think most kids wouldn’t go near it with a 10-foot fishing pole. So here are a couple of recipes that may entice them.

This Fish-In-a-Sack recipe comes from Cooking Rocks! Rachael Ray’s 30-Minute Meals for Kids (there’s a more grown up version of this recipe at Foodnetwork.com). The draw here for kids is that you’re cooking food in a brown paper sack and can serve it that way, too.

Fish-In-a-Sack
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

1. 4 brown paper grocery sacks
2. 2 zucchini
3. 4 scallions, chopped or snipped with kitchen scissors into 1-inch pieces
4. 1 cup shredded carrots
5. 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes
6. salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
7. 1/2 c. fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped or snipped
8. 2 to 2 1/2 pounds fresh cod, cut into 4 portions
9. 1 lemon, very thinly sliced
10. 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:

1. Cut each sack in half across, making shorter paper bags; discard the tops.
2. Open the bags up and place 2 bags on each of 2 cookie sheets or baking sheets.
3. Cut a thin slice off of the length of one side of each zucchini (this makes it more stable for you to cut the zucchini); slice them into 1/4-inch-thick disks.
4. Arrange a layer of about 8 disks in the bottom of each sack, like rows of dominoes that have fallen.
5. Scatter a couple of handfuls of scallions, a few tablespoons of shredded carrots, and some whole tomatoes over the zucchini in each bag. Try to keep the amounts even.
6. Season the veggies with salt and pepper as you are working.
7. Add the parsley to the veggies, about 2 tablespoons per sack.
8. Season the fish with salt and pepper and arrange each portion directly on top of the veggies in each sack.
9. Cover the fish with thin slices of lemon. Drizzle about 1 tablespoon of olive oil down over each portion of fish and veggies.
10. Seal the bags by rolling them tightly - but stop rolling an inch or so above the fish.
11. Bake 20 minutes.
12. Place a whole sack on each plate and serve. Cut sacks open at the dinner table to reveal the cooked fish and veggies.

If you have a reluctant fish eater, try serving some sauces on the side. Teriyaki, barbecue, tartar sauce, and even ketchup are all good choices.

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We do a great deal of fishing in our family. My husband has an annual trip with friends to do some deep sea fishing in Mexico. I grew up fishing on the Jersey Shore and in Florida with my dad.

Nathan goes lake fishing here in Colorado with his dad, too. (Yes, he caught that gorgeous rainbow trout all by himself. The flesh was salmon pink and it tasted yummy.)

I look back fondly on all the fishing I’ve done over the years. Two memorable fishing expeditions were with my dad in the Florida Keys when I caught a black tipped shark, and with my entire family on the Jersey Shore as the tall ships came into NY Harbor during the Bicentennial. It’s been fun fishing with Paul over the years, first as we dated and later after we married. We still talk about that trip to La Paz and that was over 13 years ago!

Fishing is a great family activity, and it’s easily combined with books and cooking. For example, you could combine a fishing trip with two gorgeously illustrated books from Sylvan Dell Publishing:

Octavia Octopus introduces basic colors along information on how various sea animals use camouflage to stay safe. The “For Creative Minds” educational section, which is part of all Sylvan Dell books, includes fun facts and a craft. The book has also been checked for scientific accuracy by marine educators at SeaWorld and the South Carolina Aquarium.

If a Dolphin Were a Fish’s Creative Minds section has teaching trivia, crafts and games related to dolphins and other sea creatures. This book has also been checked for accuracy by educators at the South Carolina Aquarium and SeaWorld, and includes a craft, too.

Visit the Sylvan Dell Publishing website to find links to helpful sites, puzzles and games, downloadables, and classroom support. These would all be great links for homeschoolers as well.

Another beautiful fish book is Dear Fish by Chris Gall. This magical fantasy story becomes a true fish tale when a young boy, after a wonderful day at the beach, invites the fish to visit him at home. Some fun activities to do along with this book would be:

• Writing your own fish tale. Have a contest with a friend, parent or sibling to see how outrageous you can get. The wildest story wins!
• Writing a message in a bottle with your name and address (or email address) and letting it go in the ocean. (If you don’t live near an ocean, you could tie a note to a balloon instead.)
• Learning more about the various types of fish in the book. Where do they live? What do they eat? How do they behave?
• Visiting an aquarium.
• Taking dad to Bass Pro Shops for Father’s Day. It’s as much fun for kids as it is for dad, believe me.

Other resources:

• Take Me Fishing
• Tips for Fishing with Kids from the Colorado Department of Wildlife

My kids aren’t big fish eaters, though they do like the fish tacos at Del Taco. I’m hoping to find some recipes that will entice them. I’ll share them with you, Dear Reader, tomorrow.