LaurenandLloyd.com

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Hogwarts for Lutherans

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The signs at McDonalds are not trimmed in oak.

Dang my poor picture-taking skills. Really, dang it. Lloyd mentioned that we visited the seminary, where my brother is the director of development and my father went to school. It’s truly beautiful, and thanks to the generous donations of good people like yourselves (you’re welcome for the plug, Mark), they have made some awesome improvements. The one that made my heart go pitter-pat was the dining hall. No joke – it looked like Hogwarts. It used to have a dropped ceiling but they got rid of that and exposed the vaulted ceiling with the big iron chandeliers and have all kinds of cool seating – big tables, little tables, comfy chairs, a lounge, an internet cafe’ kind of thing – and it looks so dang cool! The joke I used way too much was, “Wanna watch me get punched? (in a louder voice) Boy! This makes me want to be a pastor!” Not funny to anyone else, as are most of my jokes.

Here are my fuzzy pictures that do it no justice.

Can you see the computers in the back?

I showed great restraint and did not check the website from here.

A weird need for pie.

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Crusty, fruity goodness

Last weekend when I didn’t feel so good, I dozed through a pie contest on Food Network show.  Ever since then, I’ve had a compulsion to make a pie.  It’s funny, because I don’t really like pie, but I’ve always wanted to make a kick-butt pie crust.  In my Martha-Stewart-worship days, I tried to make the purist flour/butter/ice water kind, but would freak out about not adding too much water (lest it be tough) and wound up with a pile of dust.  Then Alton Brown had to come along a few years later and make crust with flour/lard (yuck)/shortening/and ice water sprayed onto the dough with a dinosaur spray bottle.  I’d try – again using too little water – and would end up with a pile of unrollable dust.  You’re a big fat liar, Alton Brown, but I still love you.

My mom makes awesome pie crust, and though I’ve asked her for the recipe a dozen times, I never actually made it.  So, being too embarrassed to ask her yet again, I looked on the internet for one with egg and vinegar.  This turned out pretty good, but Mom – if you’re reading this – please post your recipe.  Thanks!  I promise I’ll never ask again!

3 cups of flour, 1 1/2 cups of shortening, 1/2 tsp. salt.  Cut shortening into flour & salt.  In a cup, mix 1 egg, 1 Tbsp vinegar, 5 Tbsp of cool water.   Mix, chill a while, roll.   (Looking back, I think I would have added a little sugar.)

Not up to snuff

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I started feeling a little achy around 5 today, came home and sacked out on the couch around 6 and woke up at 8. It’s 9:30 now and I’m headed for bed. (Annette, if you read this, I don’t need a day off.) Anyway, after I checked the weather just now I followed a link to www.notmartha.org and it frightened me. With the exception of her knitting, I think I’m living this woman’s life – Envirosax, Baker’s Edge brownie pan, stemless wineglasses, Breyer’s ice cream. Spooky.

Good night.

Cooking with Lauren

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I can cook.  I’m not a great cook, but I’ve kept us alive for fifteen years, and that’s saying something.  In my arsenal are a few tried-and true meals, but I’m not a recipe person.  I love, love, love watching cooking shows because they’re always just throwing stuff together and viola! – greatness.  (Except for Alton Brown. I adore the man, but he’s getting way too anal about measuring and having the ‘exactly-right’ ingredient.)  So I’m a throw-together cook, and nothing is ever the same twice.  If the meal actual turns out well I tell Lloyd, “Enjoy it, because you’ll never have it again.”  So here’s tonight’s dinner: Fake-out Runzas.  We happen to have the stuff for it, and I made this once about five years ago, so I’m sure I can make it tonight.

1.  Thaw the hamburger.  I don’t know how much – it’s an eighth of the big thing I got at Sam’s.

2. Start cooking the hamburger.  Cut up the rest of the onion from Sunday’s fajittas, throw it in.

3. Cut a chunk of cabbage up into tiny bits.  I don’t know how much – this is probably too much.

I love chopping stuff!

4.  Oh wait – salt and pepper…. and what else?  Oh yeah, garlic!!  This might be a little dry, so let’s see what’s in the fridge.  Hummus?  Why not? How bad could it be?  Plop some in.  (Note to self:  Maybe wash your hands before taking pictures while cooking.  Camera now smells like garlic.)

Lloyd cooked last night. See the pizza? I need to clean the fridge

5. Realize that the pan you wanted to use is holding stale cookies.  Being too lazy to wash out the pan, use an inappropriate pan.  Line with crescent roll dough.  Dump in the hamburger mixture.  Taste.  Seriously re-think adding that hummus. Too late now.  Hide strange taste with more salt and pepper.  Top with cheese.  We had swiss.  Lloyd hates swiss.

I wonder how it will taste?

6. Put the rest of the dough on top and put in 350 degree oven for….. 30 minutes?  We’ll see.  If you smell smoke, take it out sooner.

Good enough for who it's for

Final result:  Edible.  Lloyd liked it, and I always eat regular Runzas with ketchup, so it was just fine. Serve with a vegetable – another meal down!

Recipes

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Happy Birthday, Dad!!!!!!!!!!!

We had Grandparents’ Tea tonight at the center and it was a success. Usually we have it during the morning and it’s quite hectic – the children who don’t have grandparents come are a little confused and sad, there are way too many people in that little room, and when the grandparents go – the children are sad, and we still have the whole day to deal with. This was much, much better to have it in the evening.

I’m too tired to post a picture. We made cookies for the event, and I was quite pleased with how the oatmeal ones turned out. Using Craisins is key!! Here’s the recipe:

  • 1 cup crisco
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 t. vanilla – mix all that
  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 t. baking soda
  • 1 T. cinnamon
  • 1 t. salt – mix all that, add to wet stuff
  • 3 cups quick-cooking oats – add that to the above
  • a big handful of delicious Craisins

Scoop onto cookie sheet, bake 10 – 11 minutes at 350. Healthy and yummy!

Ok, Karla, cough up that banana bread recipe. Everybody else, tell us how to cook something, too!

Do-overs.

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Out, out, badly spaced words!

The more I looked at it, the more disappointed I was with the spacing, and also with one line. So, miracles of miracles, I’m doing it over. That never happens. I’m a prototype person – make it once and move on. (My family uses the saying, “It’s good enough for who it’s for.”) But I saved the stencils, and since cutting them out was what took most of the time, it will be an easy fix. Sorry, everyone.

It’s an Ode to the Lazy Hermits. I’m changing one line:

  • Some food, some drink, some time to think.
  • A chair, a book, and time to look.
  • A cat, a lap, and time to nap.*
  • We find we don’t need lots of stuff.
  • We’re rich in time – and that’s enough.

* This was originally ‘ cat to pet, we surf the net’.

I’m still working on one more line, so we’ll see how it goes. Whenever I have to cover for Annette at the center and adjust schedules for people, I ask them, “What’s more important to you – time or money? Would you rather stay and earn the money or go home and enjoy the time?” I crave my ‘doing nothing’ time like nobody’s business. I’d rather have an afternoon of watching t.v. and puttering around the house than going anywhere, doing anything, or having anything. Yes, I’m that lazy.

So, what’s your pleasure? Time or treasure?