Once upon a thyme...

"Across New York City, gardens and miniature farms--whether on rooftops or at ground level--are joining smart boards and digital darkrooms as must-have teaching tools.... The roof at P.S. 41 in Greenwich Village aims to introduce students to green technologies. The elementary school already had container gardens at ground level, but it wanted to expand on the roof. On Sept. 21, the school opened a 15,000-square foot green roof, which uses trays with four inches of soil to grow sedum, a drought-resistant perennial, as well as herbs and other native plants." -- Lisa W. Foderaro, New York Times Saturday, November 24, 2012 I am going to start a research project on herbs with an eye toward publishing am illustrated book for kids 9-12 called ONCE UPON A THYME The Magic of Herbs . First, the Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary definition of herb \(h)erb\ n, often attrib [ME herbe, fr. OF, fr. I, herba] 1: a seed-producing annual, biennial, or perennial that does not develop persistent woody tissue but dies down at the end of the growing season 2: a plant or plant part valued for its medicinal, savory, or aromatic qualities Next, a short history of herbs' medicinal, savory, and aromatic qualities.... Random thoughts on how to capture kids' attention: What makes roast turkey smell so good? What gives that cool, refreshing feeling to peppermint? What's that green grass that makes your cat so frisky? Sage, mint, and catnip! What do they have in common? They're all herbs. They're just three of hundreds of herbs that flavor our food and drinks, can help us feel better when we're sick, and give off scents that affect our mood.

Life of Pi(e)

This was the year my dear, departed mother-in-law Marion saved Thanksgiving. What is the iconic meal without homemade pie? I'd picked out a new recipe for pear-cranberry pie with an oatmeal-streusel topping. Shaking my head sadly at the instruction to use a storebought pie crust, I made the "never-fail" pastry from THE TASTE OF HOME COOKBOOK. Pulling it out of the fridge after its thirty minutes of chilling, I rolled it out energetically. The rolling went fine; flipping it into the pie plate did not. With a single word unprintable here, I gathered it up to try again. Chuck said, "Stand aside. I'm going to channel my mother." He took the rolling pin and began to move it back and forth. I said, "No, no...that'll make the pastry stick." Undaunted, he kept at it with the gentlest of pressure. Marion's spirit did the trick. And the best part of Thanksgiving was preserved...pie for breakfast!

I always knew someday it would come to this

Gracie has gotten used to a homemade treat called "bonies," so her besotted owner will make them for her. Chuck and I are having white chili, so I stuffed a little extra sauteed turkey and red pepper into bleached bones which, frozen, provide hours of entertainment. Nothing's too good for our girl.

And why not?

Grace Georges Goehring met a spider who sat down beside her and bit her on the top of her head. She had a horrible allergic reaction which the vets dealt with immediately. She came home with the last remnants and we'd do anything to make her feel better.

Kitchen Patrol

Cooking by yourself, while it can be restful, is really about as depressing as a lonely setting for one at the dining room table. I enlisted Chuck's help to make the meatballs in tonight's "glorious one-pot meal--he dove in with good cheer. Turning out 50 of them was hardly the onerous duty or punishment "KP" usually brings to mind. "Glorious one-pot meals" is cooking teacher Elizabeth Yarnell's patented method of cooking meat, veggies, and grains together in a Dutch oven at high heat which leaves every ingredient whole and with all its nutrition intact. Anything I've ever made from her book has been delicious. Miraculously, rotini, beef, carrots, zucchini, and yellow pepper were each cooked to perfection in 45 minutes. So easy, even Gomer Pyle could do it!