What’s Are We Pickling? Red Onions & Habanero

Posted on by Rebecca Barrettfox

And it an old Bubbie’s pickle jar!

 

Ever see yourself doing something stupid, but you keep doing it because it feels good? That is me, eating pickled red onions and habaneros until my tongue bleeds. Like, I see it about to happen, but I keep right on going.

Try them on your sandwiches, tacos, and salads. And straight from the jar, too.

As with most recipes here, this one is pretty loose. You’re going to need:

  • Sliced red onion
  • White vinegar OR 2 parts lime juice, 1 part orange juice, and 1 part grapefruit juice or 1 part white vinegar and 2 parts lime juice
  • 1 or more habanero peppers
  • Plus, maybe: oregano (Mexican, toasted if you like), orange and/or lemon peel, a bay leaf, whole allspice, whole peppercorns

Place the red onion and any spices in a glass jar. Heat the liquid–or don’t–and then add to the jar. Put a slice in the habanero pepper and drop it in, or finely chop it and add it. Try to wait.

Above, we used a combination of white vinegar and lime juice, plus oregano. We kept the habanero whole this time.

 

Building our Christmas forest

Posted on by Rebecca Barrettfox

Goodbye, Christmas!

I realized this year one of the benefits of a live tree: the pressure to take it down.

IMG_4829.JPG

In addition to our first artificial tree, this year we put up a magical forest of conifers on the mantle. We thought we’d build one each day for Advent and tuck a little candy or other prize under each as a way to countdown the days til Christmas, but we couldn’t stop.

This craft is appropriate for kids of all ages.

Supplies: paper in various shades of green, paint (We use black, white, red, rose glitter, and gold glitter paint), brushes and sponges, tape or small stapler

To do (by Lamb):

  1. Paint some of your sheets of paper with fun designs. We used zigzags, stripes, and even leopard spots.
  2. Cut paper into cones. You might have a preferred way to do this, but we never found one we loved. One idea: trace circles of various sizes (use bowls or saucers or plates), then cut out. Cut in half, and bend each into a cone. Secure with tape or small staples.
  3. Build trees out of a single cone, or stack. If stacking, add fringe or a wavy edge to tiers.
  4. If you feel extra creative, decorate by painting on little birds, squirrels, porcupines, raccoons, etc.!

 

 

Foxhole Advice: What to do when you get presents you don’t like

Posted on by Rebecca Barrettfox

January 2,

My grandparents give me lousy Christmas presents each year. They are either things I’m not interested in or presents that are for kids younger than me. (I’m 10.) I know it’s the thought that counts, but my grandparents don’t really seem to be thinking about me when they give me these gifts. Should I just pretend I like their presents or tell them how I really feel?

Don’t Call Me Ungrateful, Please

Dear Not Ungrateful,

In my opinion, the best option would be to either subtly imply that you would like something more to your liking, for next time, or simply return the presents to the store where they were purchased. If they were from a big box store, such as Walmart or Target, buy something you would prefer to the lackluster gifts. Your grandparents are far away and probably won’t notice that you don’t own their gifts anymore. 

Mr. Prickles—

Mr.Prickles

******************

Dear Not Ungrateful,

First, let me say I LOVE the double negative in your pseudonym! But, graver topics are on the floor: Christmas presents.

If you feel like the fits aren’t a good fit for you, then it means that your grandparents are struggling to buy or make what you would like. Help them out by giving them ideas! Decide on one kind of thing that your grandparents could give you and ask for that year after year (or until you grow out of it).

For example, maybe there is a series of books you love (The Nathan Hale series is a good choice if you like history and graphic novels!) or a kind of book you like (like stories about World War II). Many schools participate in Scholastic Book Clubs. Create an account and a wishlist, then share it with your grandparents. They can buy the books online and have them shipped to your school, and when they order books this way, your classroom gets free books from Scholastic. 

Or maybe there is a kind of art supply you like and could always use more of. Things that get used up (paints, crayons, sketchbooks, fancy teas, bubble bath) are things you can always use. 

Communication is the key here. You can tell them what you want without sounding greedy. Try this: “One of my goals for next year is to get better at crocheting so I’m asking people who usually buy me presents to help stock my supply of yarn” or “This year, I’ve really gotten into history, especially the Civil Rights period. If you were thinking about buying me a present, I’d love to read more about this time period.”

Check in with us next year to let us know how this works out for you!

Lamb

Lamb

******************

Dear Not Grateful,

You are kind to care about your grandparents’ feelings. 

This isn’t a problem about Christmas, I think. It’s a problem about the rest of the year. Your grandparents don’t seem to know you well enough to give you a present based on your interests. Let them know what interests you far in advance of Christmas. Better yet, get them interested with you Even though they are far away, you can share some interests in common. For example:

  • Play online chess or another online game together
  • Make a craft together (like each of you piecing half of the squares of a quilt).
  • Set aside time after your favorite football teams play to discuss the game over Skype or Facetime.
  • If you perform in a concert or play, send your grandparents a video of it.
  • Take photos of the artwork you make in school and ask your parents to post them online where your grandparents can see them.
  • Ask your parents to buy you a set of 12 nice notecards and 12 stamps, then paperclip a stamped, addressed envelope with a blank card inside to each month of your calendar. Each time something exciting happens that month, write a short note inside the card (“Band concert today–We played music from Harry Potter!” or “Lost our basketball game tonight, but I scored more points in a single game than I ever have!” or “Earned an A+ on my Newberry Honor diarama!”) several times each week, then mail the card at the end of the month. 
  • As your grandparents get to know what you are good at and what you enjoy, they will become better gift-givers. Best of all, you will get to know each other better! 

Honey

Honey

What Are We Pickling? A month of pickled faves

Posted on by Rebecca Barrettfox

New Year’s Day is celebrated for some folks with black eyed peas. For others of us, it’s pork and sauerkraut. Maybe cabbage is lucky because it represents money? I don’t know, and I’m not actually a huge fan, but I love pickled foods–especially bright, tangy things that make you forget that it’s winter and replace at least some of the potatoes and other root vegetables we’d otherwise be eating.

We’ll be pickling all month. We don’t can because that takes too long, and really, these  things get eaten so quickly that I can’t get ahead of them. If you have a favorite pickled food, please share it because we’d love to add more foods to our pickle canon. C

Caramel corn (not pickled) and soon–to-be turmeric eggs and red beet eggs.