Mmmmm........Vanilla..........

My mom and dad got back from "their" island late Sunday night. Kevin picked them up from the airport at 11:30pm. They were gone for two weeks, over Christmas, so as soon as Nora got off the bus on Monday, we trekked next door to visit them, see their pictures, and hear about things on Huahine. I know right now you are scratching your heads and saying, "Who-a-what?" Huahine is a tiny island near Tahiti. It has a population around 500. They go there every year and plan to spend winters there when they retire in the next couple of years.

So after a bit of hugging and welcoming back, the kids, of course, asked for their present. Nothing like being straight to the point about things. There was no beating around the bush, no idle chat: they knew Grandma and Grandpa would never come home empty handed and they are fascinated by this island, so they HAD to see what it was this year.

So Grandpa says, "Grandma isn't home yet and I don't know where she put them. But I can tell you this: We bought them from our friend Stumpy. You know why they call him 'Stumpy?' Because his arm is just a stump. You know why his arm is a stump? Because a shark tore it off of him!" Those of you who know my dad know he is quite the story teller. And I have to say-I am really not sure if this story is true or not. I mean, it is totally plausible that a guy who lives on an island near Tahiti got into a little mix-up with a shark. But since Don is such a story teller, I just don't know. I mean, this is the guy who convinced all of the grandkids that there are crocodiles living in his basement, and an even fiercer, more illusive beast called a pocodile, too.

Anyhow, Grandma got home shortly thereafter and, after hugging her, the girls asked her where the presents were hidden. So she got them out and-this is so cool-they are shark tooth necklaces! Fierce! And what is so crazy about shark teeth is that they are serrated. Like a mouthful of knives. And I am honestly a little bit worried one of them will slice her finger on the serrated tooth. But that would make for a cool story I guess.

Here is Nora modeling her necklace. She wore it to school on Tuesday and showed it off to her friends.


So what did my parents bring for me? Well, they brought me 5.6 ounces of vanilla beans. That works out to 36 of the world's most amazing vanilla beans. And-this is so cool-they even showed us photos of the vanilla bean plantation/farm/whatever it is called where these beans came from! Too bad I don't have a copy that I can post here, because it is pretty neat.

So I went online and found a most wonderful website telling me how exactly to turn these things into vanilla extract. And you know what? It is pretty simple. It is basically beans in vodka for six months. So after ECFE this morning, Dana and I swung by the liquor store to get vodka. For the quantity of beans, I needed 1400 milliliters of vodka, so I picked out two 1-liter bottles of decent vodka and brought them up to the register. Dana has never been to the liquor store before and I felt a little weird about it, but I didn't want the beans to get stale and I needed to get the vodka, so I just went with it. Except that as soon as I opened my wallet and took out my check card, I realized I did not have my license. See, we went bowling on Friday night and they held my license while we bowled, I guess because I looked like the type of girl who would bowl and dash. And I forgot to get it back. So he ran my check card through and THEN asked for my ID, which I had to tell him I did not have. Which was incredibly humiliating. I mean, I bring my 3-year old into the liquor store to buy two liters of vodka and then I look like I am underage. He actually said, "I am sure you are 21 but I need to see your ID." And I was like, "I am 31, not 21." I totally get it. I am really glad he did card me. However, it was not my best moment. The crowning glory was when he bagged the vodka and set it aside so I could come back for it after I retrieved my ID. Um, no thanks. Instead, we went to the bowling alley, got the ID and then went to a different liquor store where they didn't think I was a hardcore alcoholic aged 20 or younger with an almost-4 year-old.

Look at all of those lovely vanilla beans! It took me over an hour to slice each pod open, scrape out the "caviar", chop up the pods, stuff everything into the vodka bottles and shake like crazy. And my hands will smell like a little bit of heaven for days. I am supposed to shake the bottles daily for the next two weeks, and then a couple times a week for the next 6 months. I can hardly wait to try it! The vanilla beans smell nothing like the ones from the grocery store. They are incredibly fragrant and sweet. And they were so soft and kind of oily.

Here's what it looked like after I shook it. I am told that within three days, it will LOOK like vanilla. Nora asked to smell it and it just smells like vodka. She was not impressed. "Just wait!" I told her.

So those of you who are mathematical may have noticed that I needed 1400mL of vodka and I bought 2L, which is 2000mL. I had to remove 300mL of vodka from each bottle, both to have the correct amount of alcohol and to make room for the caviar and pods and the water they will produce as they flavor the vodka. What to do with so much vodka? For starters, I made pasta with vodka sauce for dinner. This is one of our favorite meals but it is very fattening so I don't make it often. All of the alcohol cooks off, leaving a spicy, delicious sauce. The kids eat noodles with canned diced tomatoes while we eat this sauce. They LOVE noodles with canned diced tomatoes, lovely girls that they are.

And with that, here is the recipe:

2 Tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/3 cup vodka
1 cup petite diced tomatoes
1/2 cup half and half or heavy cream, your choice
1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Melt the butter over medium heat. Add the red pepper, vodka and tomatoes. Cook for 5 minutes. Add the half and half and cook five more minutes. Add parmesan and stir well. Serve over noodles. Quick, easy and delicious! But like I said, spicy.

New Years Resolution Gone Awry

Allow me to gripe about my New Years resolution for a moment.

I have a really bad habit of using almost all of something and then moving on to the shiny, new replacement while the last bit of the first something sits taking up space in my much too small house. For example, I have three different kinds of shampoo in the bathroom right now. They are all close to gone. Rather than buying new shampoo, I need to use the last of all of those bottles. Got it? Already this week I have used the last of three bottles of dishwasher detergent and three boxes of cereal. I am giddy about the storage I have regained! Just think of the possibilities!

So yesterday I saw the remains of the yarn I used to make Dana's legwarmers. Just sitting there, taking up space in my overflowing yarn basket. So I thought it was time to use up the leftovers on a matching hat. Cute, functional and again with the regaining of space. Except you know what? It wasn't enough yarn to make a whole hat. Nope.

Nora thinks the hat looks fantastic with the needles poking out. She thinks I should let Dana wear it as is. Um, no. Sorry.

So this is how much yarn I have left. I have to knit the stitches on one more needle with the rose yarn, which I am out of. And there is not enough of the periwinkle to finish more than one or two rounds. I have eight rounds left. I am stuck. I am paralyzed with indecision!

I feel I have three options here:

1) Tear it all out.
2) Find something in my yarn basket to finish it with.
3) Buy more yarn in these same colors and finish it .

Option 2 makes the most sense, except that this hat is supposed to match the legwarmers, so adding a third color will mess that up. Plus I know that the only color I have in this weight is black, and black seems like the wrong color to add to this hat.

Anyone want to share an idea or an opinion? I do really like this yarn and would not be opposed to making something else with it. So buying more is kind of OK with me. Except that it defeats the whole purpose of using stuff up that I already have. Darn that resolution!

Wild Rice Burgers and Fries

There is a restaurant in town called Fitger's Brewhouse that makes the most fantastic wild rice burgers. Now that we have kids, we don't get there as often because we like to linger there rather than mowing through our meal as fast as possible before the kids lose interest and begin behaving like imps. And so I invented my own version of the wild rice burger because it is so tasty and popular with the folks in my family and we all eat better in the comfort of our own home, where nobody is judging our table manners.

Rhinosaur River Wild Rice Burgers

1/2 cup wild rice, uncooked
1 egg
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1/2 cup plus extra of fine bread crumbs, seasoned or unseasoned, your choice
salt and pepper to taste

Cook the wild rice according to the directions on the package. Cool to room temp, or, if you are in a pinch, rinse in cold water. I know that washes away some of the vitamins and stuff, but trust me-if you are in a hurry, it is better to wash away some vitamins than to have wild rice and scrambled egg burgers.

In a medium bowl, beat the egg. Add the garlic, salt and pepper and cheese. Mix well. Add rice and mix again. Slowly add the bread crumbs and mix, adding more if needed, until the "dough" sticks together and is not too wet. If your mix is too dry, add another egg and more bread crumbs, too, if needed. I generally use about 3/4 cup of crumbs, but it depends on how big your egg is and how wet the rice is. And maybe how humid the air is. Who the heck knows?

On a cutting board or other flat surface, form the rice dough into four patties. I cook them on a pancake griddle at 300 degrees, six minutes on each side, or until done. After the 12 minutes are up, I throw a slice of cheese on each and continue to cook until the cheese is melty and delicious. If I am with it enough, I will grill the buns as well, as that adds something extra tasty to the mix. Add fixings to your liking.

Dana likes to top her wild rice burgers with stray cheddar bunnies. SHE thinks this looks mouth watering, as you can see.

Nora tops hers with ketchup and home fries. That recipe is pretty basic, but here it is anyway. I made these up, too, but really-you probably made this same recipe up yourself.

Oven Fries

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Cover a baking sheet with non-stick spray.

In a medium bowl, combine:
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
pepper to your liking
2 cloves of garlic, pressed

Slice about 6 potatoes however you like them: fingers, rounds, whatever. Toss them with the seasoned olive oil. Dump it onto the baking sheet and arrange into a single layer. Set the timer for 20 minutes. Check on them at that point. You can stir them up and let them brown to your liking. I usually do about 28 minutes or so, but since everyone's oven is different, I suggest checking on them at 20 minutes, just to be safe.

I want to point out that most nights, I serve healthy appetizers while I cook dinner. We frequently have veggies with or without dip, fruit, etc. Tonight I cut up a fresh pineapple and we ate the entire thing while I cooked. So while there may not be produce on the plates, rest assured that there WAS produce in our bellies.

I have been tweaking the burger recipe for several years and I am not certain I have found the perfect balance yet. So if you tweak it and want to share your changes with me, I would be most appreciative.

My Rockin' Platter

So I was upstairs supervising Dana in the tub this morning, when Nora ran up to tell me someone was at the door. Turns out it was the mailman. He had brought up the mail and a box addressed to me! Yay!

The box was from my Aunt Sol. I initially thought it was a book but as I unwrapped it and felt how light it was, I became puzzled. And then I unwrapped it and my face was made out of sunshine. I swear it was. Because Aunt Sol read here on my little blog that I only have that one platter and it is pink and shaped like a heart, so she thought I should have another one. And my Aunt Sol-she always knows exactly what to get for people. She always has. More on the platter in a second.

I had been meaning to bake some cookies, so the girls climbed onto the counter and mixed them up so I could pose some fresh cookies on the platter. That is how much I love it. Really.

Here is a closeup of the platter. And the cookies. The cookies are nothing special-just Toll House chocolate chunk. I mean, they are tasty, but they are nothing new or creative or anything. But the platter-it is so cool. It is made out of recycled plastic! Like 100% repurposed plastic. The little flecks/specks are other plastic items. It is so fantastic! I am in love with my new platter. And the company name is Zak!, which is funny because my nephew is Zak. Same spelling and everything. And he is the bestest, so of course something this cool would share a name with him.

I mentioned previously that Jessica was in town on a visit. When I went to say good bye yesterday, she handed me this bag of coffee beans. See, last time I was in New Hampshire visiting her, I bought Kevin a bag of local coffee. And when we got back to Jessica's house, we accidentally opened it and brewed up a pot. And she is so nice that she brought me a new, unopened bag to enjoy. Which I will, with my fresh cookies on my fantastic platter. And the mug? It is my favorite. It actually belongs to Kevin, but since I bought it for him I can claim it if I want to. He has had it for about twelve years. The cool thing about it is that when you put something hot into it, the Star Trek guys transport away and become invisible, only to reappear when your drink has cooled. This photo makes me smile because it makes me think of three of my favorite people. And now I am off to brew my own pot of New Hampshire coffee and eat some cookies before I round up the girls to go bowling with Auntie Liz and her niece, Taylor. Happy treating everyone!

Shoe Store

So here I am, busy roasting tomatoes, garlic and onions to make some tasty sauce for noodles tonight, and I go into the living room to see what all the noise is, and I find the girls setting up a shoe store! They used to play a different version of this game, but it has been over a year and this is an improved version orchestrated by the more mature mind of a six year-old.

I love the shelf they made using upturned chairs. Pretty crafty, ladies!

It wasn't long before they realized that they need to branch out to include accessories as well. Here, Nora is busy relocating the shoe department to the floor while Dana stocks hats and scarves on the shelves. Here's to being trapped inside in the cold, with nothing to do but make up games.

New Year's Eve!

We stayed in this year for New Year's Eve, which I guess we usually do anyway. This year, Sam and Liz (my brother and sister in law) had their niece, so we invited them all over, along with Keenan, to watch movies, eat junk food and play board games. We never did make it to the board games...

Around 10:00, Dana said, "I'm tired. Let's go lay in your bed." And so we did. She fell asleep right away. Around 11:00, Kevin took this picture of the big kids snuggling. Don't you love the multi-use capabilities of the bean bag chairs? Awesome!

This was around 11:30pm. Keenan and Diogi, my brother's pit bull, were asleep less than five minutes after this was taken. Nora and I have the same opinion about dogs: we like them from a distance. We do not like dog smell or dog spit. Obviously Keenan and Taylor do not share this sentiment. Then again, I have been known to get a bit cuddly with Diogi. He is a particularly sweet dog and he is hard to resist.

The Acker motto for the new year? Everything will be fine in 2009. *

*This motto is not official and has not been sanctioned by all members of the household. That being said, we are ALL confident that this will be a kickin' year.

Friends!

Our good friend Jessica came "home" for a week with her daughter, Sophie. They came over to play on their first free morning, and we somehow ended up with an impromptu morning party.

The story goes like this: My mom has been best friends with Kathy since junior high. My dad has been best friends with Dan since elementary school. Kathy and Dan married and had Jessica and Charity. My parents married and had me, Alyx and Sam. We all lived in the same duplex when we were really little, so we grew up pretty close. Clearly. We are all still good friends, though Jessica lives on the east coast now.

A couple of summers ago, Jess and Sophie came to visit, and we took some really cute photos of Nora, Dana, Sophie and Ayla, our friend Tara's little girl, on the stairs at Kathy's house. As everyone was getting ready to leave the other morning, the girls were sitting on the stairs and we all had the same thought: An updated stairway photo! Unfortunately, Alyx and Keenan had already left.

So on the top step we have Nora and Ayla. Below them, Dana and Sophie. Charity's daughter, Josie, is on the bottom step.

Another attempt. I actually took about ten pictures and not one came out with everyone looking happily at the camera. But you know what? It isn't easy to coordinate five little girls, particularly when the word of choice during the photo session was "poop!"

A couple of days later, our friend Jodi had a gingerbread man decorating party. The kids took a snack break on her couch and were kind enough to sort of pose for this photo. From left, Ayla, Dana, Sophie, Josie, Miles (Jodi's son) and Nora.

Jess and Sophie left today, which is pretty sad since Dana has decided Sophie is her best friend. She cried when they hugged good bye this morning. They were born nine days apart and are both obsessed with Scooby Doo, so they hit it off pretty well.