Old Glory or a Grumpy Old Man?
Freedom Bread for the 4th of July!
Freedom Bread
4 Jul 10 by Jenn Martin | No Comments | 55 view(s)Categories: food | Tags: bread, summer
Crispy Gnocchi with Fresh Peas and Bacon
2 Jul 10 by Jenn Martin | No Comments | 407 view(s)Categories: food, garden | Tags: pasta, spring, summer
What do you call it when you have to go the bathroom really badly?
A “pee-mergency”!
And, if you go in the bathroom American and you come out American, what are you while you are in there?
You’re a pee-ing! (European)
New York City
18 Jun 10 by Tim Martin | 5 Comments | 83 view(s)Categories: family, food | Tags: jenn, tim
My wife is an exceptionally committed mother. In the 3409 nights that have passed since Aspen’s birth, Jenn has spent but a handful of nights away from her girls.
- 6 nights to be with her mom as she fought off cancer
- 2 nights to give birth to Oakley
- 2 nights to give birth to Lindy
Seriously, Jenn is hardcore. (Mind you, I don’t believe go away from your kids for a night is a failing on the part of a mother or a father… I’ve been away for the last 8 nights, and I’m sitting in an airport now, but it does show a certain level of commitment on Jenn’s part.)
Finally, though, circumstances presented themselves in such a way that Jenn chose to join me for a long weekend in New York City! How cool is that? So, I thought I’d share with you, our loyal readers, some of my favorite memories from the trip…
Sugar “Snap, Crackle, and Pop” (‘Em in Your Mouth) Peas
17 Jun 10 by Jenn Martin | 3 Comments | 700 view(s)Categories: food, garden | Tags: food, garden
Sugar snap peas are one of our favorite vegetables because they’re easy to grow and even easier to eat. In French they’re aptly named “mange tout” which means “eat all”. No shelling is needed, but if the pods are stringy, remove the strings by snapping off the stem ends and then pulling the strings up the inside curves and down the outside. That’s it – now they’re ready to eat. Easy peasy.
Brothers. And best buds.
15 Jun 10 by Tim Martin | No Comments | 53 view(s)Categories: family | Tags: lindy, words
I’ve been traveling for the last week or so. For whatever reason, I don’t talk to my girls every night. It might be because I just don’t like talking on the phone, and they really don’t like it all that much either. But when we do talk, it’s pretty fun. I’m amazed by how well they do it… what they tell me… even how they sound.
Tonight, I was talking with Lindy about her experience this weekend when she went horseback riding with Brian, Grammie, Grandpa, and Brian’s partner, Maury. And. She. Said. This.
Sour Cherry Turnovers
4 Jun 10 by Jenn Martin | 3 Comments | 980 view(s)Categories: food | Tags: dessert, spring, summer
Forget Dorothy’s slippers. Take a look at these ruby beauties! Fresh sour cherries. Also known as tart cherries – and with good reason. Unlike sweet cherries, such as Bings and Rainiers, these glassy red orbs are too tart for eating out of hand, at least for me.
Strawberry Preserves
27 May 10 by Jenn Martin | 20 Comments | 1,233 view(s)Categories: food | Tags: breakfast, food, spring, strawberry, summer
Earlier this month in Nashville, the rains came down, the floods came up, and a building floated down the interstate. We were lucky and escaped with only a wet basement. However, many more were not so fortunate, including “our” farmers, the Delvins, who lost 70% of their crops, including about 90% of their strawberries.
Philadephia-Style Vanilla Ice Cream with Strawberries
23 May 10 by Jenn Martin | 1 Comment | 384 view(s)Categories: family, food | Tags: dessert, oakley, spring
“Ideal teachers are those who use themselves as bridges over which they invite their students to cross, then having facilitated their crossing, joyfully collapse, encouraging them to create bridges of their own.”
- Nikos Kazantzakis
The Giraffe
22 May 10 by Tim Martin | No Comments | 69 view(s)Categories: family | Tags: aspen, giraffe, lindy, oakley, tim, video
Today was a good day, a memorable one. Like most Saturdays, it started at the market, where we bought some 32 quarts of strawberries… But that’s another post.
From there, to the soccer fields, where the Purple Pandas (Aspen’s team) managed a 1-1 draw against a team that had beaten them 7-1 weeks ago. Yes, the Pandas ended the season on a hot streak.
Next up? Oakley’s team ran into a wall… perhaps the most physical team I’ve seen in U7 soccer. Some of the girls did physical right, clean, others, well, not so much. But Oakley’s team, the Smashing Dolphins played it just right. They didn’t back down from anyone, they went after them, and they dealt with the checking in just the right way… They put the ball in the back of the net 5 times…
From there, we all caravanned to the Martin house for a soccer celebration… I’ve had a great season with two fun teams of girls… some of whom we’re getting to know really well. I’m thankful for that… even in a season where the Panda’s won but one game, the group of girls is growing closer, and that’s pretty awesome to see.
Oakley’s First Grade Year
22 May 10 by Tim Martin | 2 Comments | 39 view(s)Categories: family | Tags: miss drury, oakley, school, video
Every teacher should have to create a video summarizing their year, right? I mean, why wouldn’t they, what with everything else they have to do at year’s end?
Well, the incomparable Miss Drury did just that for her kids, and she shared it with us at their final publishing party. You get to hear the kids talk about the things they’ve learned including the techniques and concepts… complete with some words you may not know.
If you’d like to skip ahead to hear Oakley’s bit, you can click right here. Otherwise, enjoy the video in its entirety.