Traditional Wisconsin Memorial Day Menu

Grilled Brats in Beer and Stuffed Burgers:

These are two of my favorites to make on the grill, thanks to Cook's Illustrated. Start by slicing 4 onions in half inch rounds. Grill them till they start to brown and are nicely cooked. I like to place them on a piece of  nonstick tin foil with a little oil to prevent sticking. In the mean time, in a disposable 9 x 13"  foil pan,  mix together 2 bottles of your favorite beer with 2/3 cup dijon mustard, 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp caraway seeds and some ground pepper. Place that on the grill also while the onions are cooking. Once the onions are done, add them to the beer mixture and start to grill the brats. When the brats are done, add them to the beer and onion mixture and start to grill the hamburgers. For the stuffed burgers I mixed together grated cheese, crumbled bacon, yellow mustard and ground pepper. Sooo Good! We enjoyed all the traditional fixings, four bean casserole, cucumber salad, sliced tomatoes, chips and dip and lots of wine and beer. Next time I make this meal, we'll add fresh sweet corn to the menu. On Wisconsin! Maybe you and G will be here.

R

Naming your child is important and significant

R wrote -Oh I could write a book about naming your child Renotta! At first it wasn't so bad because everyone called me Susie. But as I entered school it was Renoota,Renita, Snata, Grenada. Every year on the first day of school, the home room teacher would read off the names till he came to mine and then there would be the long pause. Even today I have nicknames like Renotla(the result of junk mail misreading my signature) and Ronneta (the result of a pesty phone solicitation call). Renottie is another favorite. I don't mind anymore, in fact I like my name. I was named after my favorite Aunt on my dad's side. The story goes that my father, in his enthusiasm, went to his family and announced I would be Renotta without discussing it with my mother who had just given birth. So Renotta Ruth it was. Ruth being my mom's name.


Sorry, didn't mean for this to be all about me.


You can see I obviously have strong feelings about naming a child. Our new little addition will be Anthony, AJ for short, but I'm sure I will have many other love names for him. I'm looking forward to being Gramotta!

Hi Gramotta -
Anthony sounds like a fine name which ticks all the boxes - good for shortening and with great Italian  alternatives - Antoni or Antonius or just plain Toni. Better than Steig - but will he write such good stories.  More to come. 
Nonna Clara -

Lucky my mother wasn't reading Dracula

Hi R
Romeo - "What's in a name? That which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet" ...


Today we are going for drinks to meet and greet the newest member on the street - Edith Lara (otherwise known as Edie) born 28/5/10.  Her mum is 40, had just given away all the baby stuff, had lined up a job with her youngest at school, then along came Edith, definitely a timeless name, having stood the test of centuries.

Some basic awareness factors to consider when choosing a baby name - from an ex-teacher, now a granny.

•  The name needs to have a positive connotation for you, a  meaningful definition, and be appropriate not only on the playground but as an adult.
•  In general, the number of syllables in the first name should not match the number of syllables in the last name. Common or easy to pronounce last name (i.e. Smith, Jones, Brown),  might find that an unusual or long first name can complement the last name eg Lucinda Brown. Combining a first name that ends in a vowel with a last name that starts with a vowel is usually not the best choice.
• The initials should not spell anything undesirable.What does the first name and last name together say eg Annette Curtin?!! etc)
• Pronunciation and spelling. Your child will need to continually correct an unusual pronunciation. (This is a real pain in the classroom). 
• If a child has a very uncommon or unique name, he or she might feel special from the rest of his friends because the name is uniquely his or hers. On the other hand the unique name might be looked upon as a strange and weird name by his classmates.  (Here, the teacher in me says don't go there.)
• Honour a family member (namesakes.)
  You can use the same name, a variation of the name or a version of a name that relates to family historical/ethnic background eg Ian is Scottish for John etc.  The middle name provides a unique opportunity perhaps to honour a family member when it is not desirable to be used as a first name. It can be a way to settle the name selection between parents. If needed to keep the family happy, the child can be given two middle names. 
• Be conscious of nicknames and variations.  You may want to select a name that can have many nicknames and variations. This will enable the child to have more control of his/her name when older. The disadvantage is that childhood nicknames can linger into adulthood and be uncomfortable. For example, Elisabeth has several nicknames including Liz, Beth, Lizzy, etc. .
• Popularity of the name can affect the child in good and bad ways. With some names being very popular, your child might have several classmates with the same name.
• Stereotypes  - For most people names call to mind a certain personality trait that often comes from a well known name sake be it fictional or real. (Some names invite 'kicking of sand in the face.' Others could be catagorised by the song, 'A Boy named Sue'.)
• Practice the baby's name and hear how it feels. You will say this name thousands of times. You will say it lovingly and in anger. You will whisper it when the child is asleep and yell it when dinner is ready.
• Some say to take in the ideas but keep the final name to yourself until your baby is born or about to be born. At this point it is too late for people to give you negative feedback about the name. Finally, do not let anyone ever pressure you into a name you do not like!  If you have found the perfect baby name, but it does not follow all these rules, then use it anyway. You like the name and that is the most important rule of all.

Phew - I had forgotten the enormity of the number of considerations in choosing a name.  So happy that my mother had considered all these factors - and then named me after a character is the book she was reading when she was pregnant.  Lucky it wasn't Dracula.
Clara

"If we'd stop trying to be happy we could have a pretty good time." Edith Wharton

R wrote -  One of my favorite authors is Edith Wharton. I read anything of hers I can get my hands on. She was the first woman to win a pulitzer. I just finished a short story called "the bunner sisters". Found it on my Kindle...for free.  She wrote about women and life back when it wasn't the thing to do.

Born 1862 New York City
Died 1937 (aged 75)

Occupation Novelist, short story writer, designer


 "If we'd stop trying to be happy we could have a pretty good time."
Edith Wharton

"Beware of monotony; it's the mother of all the deadly sins."
Edith Wharton


Clara says - "A good book is the antidote to monotony; how else can we have the incredible ability to mind read?"

I love having books recommended to me and find myself to be attracted to books by women about women.  Google'd Edith and like the sound of her work  - life was so different for women in that era. Were the women in her books as happy/happier than women today?   I'll have a look in Vinnies (St Vincents Thrift shop, where I buy most of my books, then pass them on to others.  Could go to the library but I tend to take too long to read  a book as I read at bedtime and nod off.  

A group of women, along with the photography tutor (who was wearing a tartan scarf which reflected the colours of his striped shirt), had coffee after class, during which we all confessed to being Thrift shop enthusiasts and ended up going to a "half price" sale where I picked up 'The Historian ' by Elizabeth Kostova.  Looking forward to immersing myself  in a captivating tale that blends fact and fantasy, history and the present. I love books which do that. By the way, what is a kindle?

With or without tights, Russell was great and Kate was strong and beautiful.

Hi R
"..........Feared by the rich  Loved by the poor
Robin Hood, Robin Hood, Robin Hood

It is called a 'prequel' as it concentrates on the story of how and why Robin (prefer Russell, as the name, Robin, means he may have sand kicked in his face DownUnder),  became an outlaw.   
 
Russell did us proud, even without tights or jeggings.  To be quite honest, I didn't really take notice of what he was wearing in that regard, as I was totally mesmerised by all the chainmail - which MM had to help him to remove when it was suggested he took a bath. Not by her, but I don't want to give away the plot.


Maid Marion (a Denim Diva, if ever there was one), was fabulous and what's news is Russell's chivalry, Looooove that word, was in allowing himself to be upstaged so frequently by Kate's Maid Marion, especially her pronounced athleticism - Russ wasn't bad either, although I did think that he could have shown the correct way re Mouth to Mouth at the end, by turning her head sideways etc but it seemed to work, with mouth to mouth morphing into kissing.  (As you do).


I look forward to the "sequel".  Most of us gals/girls will enjoy this movie - with the added bonus that it can be classified as 'His choice', which then automatically, gives you the next choice.  
Clara
  

Brilliant enticing plumage to adorn women.

Hi enticing females
It's clear to me that 'R is as amazing as peacocks!' A question to you all, why is it that the female of our species is the one who adorns herself brilliantly (for whatever reason)?  

One of the most ostentatiously adorned creatures on Earth, the peacock uses its brilliant plumage to entice females.

http://pavementandpastures.blogspot.com/ (Treat yourself to viewing this blog which shows beautiful peacocks in a Wisconsin setting)   However, before you do,  scroll down for some fabulous pieces which R has created and shows in her "one a day" blog, to adorn yourself brilliantly. It's ten days since I posted R's work on this blog, ten days in which she has created, photographed and posted daily. It's fortunate that there is more time in Wisconsin than here Downunder!

Clara

ps - the pieces are photographed in her garden in Wisconsin, which she lovingly tends herself.  
pss - off to see our Russell in Robin Hood.  The review tells me "We knew he had declined to wear tights and he'd spend a lot of time asride a horse....." so looks like we won't see him in 'Jeggings' after all. 

It's Clear to Me...May 15th

Crystal works well with weathered wood.

Baltimore Oriole...May 16th

Fiber Scarf Necklace with beads and pendant

Butterfly Migration...May 17th

Exotic pewter butterfly lands in Wisconsin garden.

Amber Light...May 18th



necklace of chunky amber with pewter pendant. Ale is well
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Clip Art...May 19th

Reversible pewter clip for your favorite scarf, chain or tree branch
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Rock Art...May 20th

Pewter wire necklace with pewter cuff


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The Bead Goes On...May 21st

One of my favorites..necklace of faux amber and pewter pendant with interesting stone from Santa Fe


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
What Goes Around Comes Around...May 22nd

Shibori Dyed Organic Tees














 
 
 
  Nuts About You...may 23rd

Necklace of "nut" beads with pewter pendant






















Santa Fe Style...May 24th

Jadeite pendant wrapped with waxed linen on copper neckpiece




















 
 

 Going Green...May 25th

Going green with necklace of green turquoise, pearls and jadeite pendant.





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Amazing Peacock Tree Flourishes in Wisconsin Garden

Girls - Let's Be Ostentatious and Outrageous like the Peacock!!!

Hi R - On Peacocks  - beautiful images  

Peacocks are amazing.  One of the most ostentatiously adorned creatures on Earth, the peacock uses its brilliant plumage to entice females. Male screams and repeated head movements, raising train, quivering drooped wings, strutting, prancing and presenting back view. ................ Females are believed to choose their mates according to the size, color, and quality of these outrageous feather trains. 

OK!!!!!! ??????? 

(The term "peacock" is commonly used to refer to birds of both sexes. Technically, only males are peacocks. Females are peahens, and together, they are called peafowl.  Suitable males may gather harems of several females, each of which will lay three to five eggs. In fact, wild peafowl often roost in forest trees and gather in groups called 'parties').

Wow - we know they are amazing  - why is this so in nature?  Let's be ostentatious!!!!. More to come. Below is my special scarf/wrap. (I need another word to describe it.)  I actually don't wear it - and bought it when I couldn't afford it but I love it.
Clara

What is Lemongrass, where do I find it and what do I use if I can't?

R asked "How much lemongrass goes into the Thit Lon Rim?" 
Clara - This is a very good question - 2 teaspoons.



What is lemongrass and where do I find it and what do I use if I can't?

LEMONGRASS

(cymbopogon citratus)

Can be grown in a temperate environment or bought at fruit and vege marts.  The straggly appearance of this almost woody tropical grass belies its subtle lemon perfume and balm-like flavour.  Discard the leaves, which are very sharp, and trim the stems to 8-10 cm (3-4 in) in length.  Bruise the stems with the back of a large knife and add to stocks and broths to infuse a delicate citrus flavour, or peel back the outer leaves around the base to reveal the tender white core which can be sliced or pounded to a paste.  Lemongrass loses flavour when dried, but will store in the fridge for about a week and can be frozen.  Two or three strips of lemon peel can be used as a substitute.

Can I substitute pork tenderloin for the pork leg?  I'm not a good meat chopper?

I'm sure it would be lovely, probably wouldn't need as much cooking however, or you could stir fry the recipe, leaving out the water.

Fresh red chilli? I'm assuming a hot chilli.

Yes - the little hot fellas - I am very wary of fresh chilli and often use a bottled variety which is already chopped.  We grow super potent chilli where the sting and heat was still in my finger tips for days.  I use dried chill as well and it is easier to handle but still very potent!

And finally, what in the world is a punnet and a lychee?
A punnet is a plastic container with a lid which holds approx 200 grams of produce (a little less than 1/2 a pound.)  Now when are you guys going to catch up and go metric? Sooooooo much more logical. When I become Prime Minister or Madam President, I am going to standardise the world in these matters.

Lychees


Lychee Description - What is a lychee?R - I'm having hamburgers on the grill with baked beans tonight!

By Bill Mee & Krystal Folino

A lychee is a rare sub tropical fruit originating in South China where the lychee is very important in their culture and is famed as "the King of Fruits".
The lychee fruit is about 1½ to 2 inches in size, oval to rounded heart shaped and the bumpy skin is red in color. Once you peel the skin off, the crisp juicy flesh of a lychee fruit is white or pinkish, translucent and glossy like the consistency of a grape, but the taste is sweeter. Lychees have a sub acid sweet taste and have a wonderful freshness to them that is hard to describe. Lychee fruit is high in the antioxidant Vitamin C and the essential mineral Potassium. We can buy them in season here but they are excellent in the canned form.

Canned Lychee Fruit -  Each can contains lychee fruit that has been peeled, seeded and canned in sugar syrup.

Lychee vely vely goood!  Like baked beans! - Clara

Flowering shrubs still blooming in Sydney Autumn

R's questions "What is your favorite season down under. Winter sounds lovely to me."

I like winter in Sydney when I can bring out my jackets and boots, enjoy cosy open fires, but because the cold season is short the tendancy is to not heat our homes sufficiently for comfort.   Summer is humid with lots of fun activities as it includes Christmas and January which is holiday season. But Spring and Autumn are my personal favourites.  I love the changing landscape, the variety in temperature, the crisp chill in the air with the hot sun on my back. 

Australia is so large, like USA, the full range of climate exists, so I can only speak for the coastal area of the state of New South Wales.  Because Sydney's coastal suburbs are surrounded by seawater, temperature conditions are buffered, and sea breezes keep the hot days cool. Head out west, even a few kilometres, and the extremes are greater. You won't see snow in Sydney, and even frosts are rare near the coast.

We average a metre of rain, 40 inches, each year, but few years are average years. There is no rainy season, and the rain usually goes quickly, but sudden storms can be common, and "showers" means downpours in some places and nothing a few hundred metres away. Learn to live with it.

Flowering Shrubs Still Blooming

Our hottest months are December to February, during the southern summer. Our flowers largely ignore the seasons, so you can usually see about 30 species in flower as you walk along a suburban street, and at least that number species of wildflower can be in bloom any time from May to December, with a few less in January-April. The best time for wildflowers is in August, when a walk over a headland can reveal 60 species in bloom.

 The temperature scale in common use is the Celsius scale, often referred to as the Centigrade scale. If you prefer the Fahrenheit scale, divide by 5, multiply by 9, and add 32, or use this rule of thumb: 0° is freezing, 10° is chilly, 20° is comfortable, 30° is getting warm, 40° is a heat wave.


In summer, the temperature can reach the high 30s on a bad day, and will occasionally drop down to 17 at night, but the summer temperatures are more typically somewhere in the twenties.


In winter, the temperature can go as low as 5 degrees, with a wind chill factor on top of that, and reach freezing away from the coast. Even so, a winter's day when the temperature fails to reach 15 degrees is a cause for grumbling. The temperature, in other words, is generally mild. If you need to wear a coat, be prepared to take it off later, and if it isn't coat weather, it might be handy to carry something warm, as you may need it later, especially if a southerly change comes in.


In winter, the ocean temperature falls to about 15 degrees, while in summer it can rise to about 21 or 22.

There are people who swim the whole year around in Sydney, but these are generally regarded as eccentric: few people swim in June, July or August. Board riders surf all year around in wet-suits, and people will lie on the sand or paddle in the shallows all through the year.

I have to admit that it is close to Paradise.
Clara

Vietnamese Lunch for Wisconsin Long Long Summer

Hi R - To go well with Crunchy Vegetable Salad. This dish is tasty, easy to prepare and can be made a day ahead.

Lemon Grass and Ginger Pork - Thit Lon Rim
2 tblsp  peanut oil
1 large onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tblsp grated ginger
2 teasp finely chopped fresh lemon grass or 2-3 strips lemon peel as a substitute
1 cinnamon stick
1 or 2 small fresh red chilli, (hot!!!!) finely chopped
1 kg (2lb) pork neck (or leg or
2 cups water
2 teasp beef stock powder

Method
Heat oil in pan or wok, add onion, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, cinnamon and chilli, stirfry for 1 min.
Add pork (in 3cm / 1 1/2 inch pieces), in batches until browned.
Add water and stock powder, simmer uncovered, about 1 1/2 hrs or until pork is tender and almost all the liquid has evaporated, stirring occasionally.  (or alternatively cook for 1 1/2 hrs in a medium oven).  Remove cinnamon stick .  Serve with rice or noodles and garnish with coriander or mint.

We finished off the meal with an old favourite of mine because it is light and fresh.  The zesty sauce makes a great base for fresh or poached fruits.
1x 565g (20oz) can lychees
i punnet strawberries, hulled, halved if large
4 just-ripe kiwifruit, peeled and sliced
Ginger Lemongrass Syrup
Drain lychee juice into a pot, add 1tsp minced fresh ginger, 6 stalks lemongrass, cut in 3cm (1in) lengths, and bruised with the back of a large knife, 1/4 cup palm sugar or brown sugar.   Simmer 5 mins, cool.

Mix syrup through fruit, chill for at least an hour before serving. Garnish with mint and  serve with indulgent yoghurt.

Wishing you a long hot summer - you deserve it!  It always amazes me that your winter can be so frigid and yet summer is quite hot.  Sydney's cold is your autumn.

Clara

Crunchy Vietnamese Dinner

Hi R


OK - time to get back to other important matters such as cooking.
We had a Vietnam lunch with friends, who had recently visited there as had my G, so we enjoyed a few delicious fresh tasting dishes from the region.
We have developed a tradition with good friends where we share the joys and burdens of the meal, which works soooooo well since we are all busy........ whether we are retired or not. I have heard it said that some retirees are busier than they ever were; true but great to choose what you want to busy yourself with.

My dear friend offered to do the entree which was CAC MON KHAI VI - Fresh Spring Rolls with Spicy Dipping Sauce. I asked her for the recipe - she laughed and said "They do it better in Cabramatta." Which is probably true since these were superb.

G prepared the pork dish, (recipe perhaps tomorrow) which turned out to be great re entertaining since it could be prepared beforehand. Rice, of course, Asparagus on the side, (for those who may be allergic to chilli, poor things), then the salad.
 A lovely thank you card included the words, "Great company and the most amazing salad."

The recipe morphed from the original, the magic stemming from basic method as is Clara's way ie heavy handed on the fresh, if possible, homegrown herbs, in this case including homegrown lemongrass and fresh mint (actually Vietnamese mint is so easy to grow and gives a peppery flavour), Coriander root (where most of the flavour is), plus stems and leaves. Love the added crunch of chopped celery or carrot, oven roasted nuts or toasted sesame seeds, water chestnuts marinated in the herb mix, or bamboo shoots/Alfafa shoots etc  So it all went together - plus of course some leafy greens -  the rest will follow.


Clara's Amazing Crunchy Vegetable Salad
Serves 6
Vegetable prep - Measures are approx depending on what is available or in season- these veges are great for this dish in whatever proportions you decide,  plus there are other Asian veges out there to be explored. 
Snow peas - 2 handfuls - topped and tailed, and blanched for 1 min in boiling water then refreshed under cold water, 1 lebanese cucumber, sliced, perhaps remove the seeds; red and/or green pepper, sliced or roasted if you prefer; or beans etc leafy greens, ie rocket etc etc included, or even fresh pineapple wedges as I did in this instance. 
Dressing - 3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 cup lime juice
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 teaspoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar or vinegar of your choice
1 tablespoon hoi sin sauce (optional)
Combine, being careful not to overdress the salad,  and top with crunchy sprouts and roasted nuts (peanuts but cashews work well too)
Cheers Crunchy Clara




Visit my website at http://www.babyboomerconnections.com.au/


To view or add comment, click on comments at bottom of page or send an email - clara@babyboomerconnections.com.au

Mommies/Mummies to be - wearing tights/jeggings with tunic tops

Hi R and other friends and new mommies to be
Looking forward to seeing the cute tops and jeans for mommies to be, especially since my daughter is one.  She was going shopping today for the expanding body as she was in a semi - panic when none of her current skinny jeans fit.  Serious stuff, I agree. She was thinking of tights and jeans,  with longer tunic tops  which fits in really well with current fashion, and not unlike what we used to wear in the 70's.
There are so many different types of leggings that have evolved since they hit the market some years ago and now we have “jeggings,” which are just really tight-fitting jeans.
I must admit to needing to wear a longer top if I wear tights as the tops of my legs do not match the glory of the firm muscular calves. 

A few of your fabulous tunics for pregnant women and others too- I know some are winter but that's where we are headed here down under.
Clara
Everything Old is New Again...March 4th

Loom Knit Tunic with Out of Africa Neckpiece













Faux Forsythia...March 14th

Loom Knit Poncho with Hope Springs Neckpiece


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Post Note...March 17th

loom knit silk poncho inspired by shard neck piece













Blue Belle...April 20th

off the shoulder lace knit wrap with robin's egg blue necklace

Jessica - much more than an ordinary girl

Hi R
Yes I was there to watch our lovely Jessica on her homecoming.  As a letter by Keith Cieland said in the Herald, 'Jessica's 210 day round the world performance drives home the reality that great deeds are invariably accomplished through times of challenging loneliness in the face of threatening clouds of self-doubt, mountainous seas of self pity and shrieking fear of failure.
Her achievement stands alongside all explorers of time, space and ideas who have fought the battle of the unknown, whether in the apparent compfort of home, or the blistering rage of the oceans.
Her comment, "You've just got to have a dream... and work hard", encapsulates it all.
Thank you Jessica.'
Well I was there at Georges Heads, below, but actually took most of the photos from the TV at the Buena Vista Pub when she was delayed by rough seas.  A bit desperate I know!
Cheers Clara