Me encanta el arroz con leche. Es delicioso.
I love arroz con leche. My husband and I have an ongoing "discussion" about it. He likes it soupy. I like it more like a pudding consistency. When I was in Spain I had it frequently -- it was cold and it was delicious -- and it was pudding-like, as arroz con leche should be (I think).
Actually, I prefer it warm, but that doesn't matter.
I made arroz con leche for the first time as a treat for my Spanish class. Here's the recipe:
(I googled it, but made some changes.)
4 c. milk (whole milk is optimal, but if it scares you, use the highest fat milk you are comfortable with... the recipe will still work)
1-1/4 c. water
1 c. rice (it's true ... you don't use much rice at all)
2 cinnamon sticks
1/4 teas. salt
1/2 can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 c. raisins, soaked in water to plump 'em up
2 teas. vanilla
Bring milk and water to a light boil. Stir in rice, add cinnamon sticks and cover and cook on low for about 30 minutes. Then, remove the sticks and add all other ingredients. Continue cooking on low heat for about 10 minutes.
As the arroz con leche cools, it will become more solid. We had it last night and it was a soupy consistency. By morning, it was solid and I had to add more milk.
It's delicious as a dessert or for breakfast. Raisins are optional but delicious. Some recipes say to add butter or a spoonful of brandy before serving. No need -- it's wonderful as is.
The best thing? Another cheapo magnifico food. I made a double recipe for about 5 dollars. If you don't have cinnamon sticks it doesn't matter -- just put a little cinnamon in. Even nutmeg will work in a pinch - I looked at many different recipes. The classic presentation uses cinnamon sticks, however.
Then, you sing:
"Arroz con leche
me quiero casar
con una viudita de la capital.
Que sepa coser
que sepa bordar
que ponga la mesa en su santo lugar."
And you are glad that we have moved on in priorities :)
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Monday, November 16, 2009
Daisy Meeting -- Teach Kids to Sew
My 2nd year daisies are working on their firefly patch. It's a kind of strange patch system, but the basic idea is that a firefly lights the way -- so the girls learn how to do something new. Ideally, they help each other learn something new. We are working on that.
I thought that sewing would be a nice way to start working on this patch. The girls in my troop are 6 -- most have very little sewing experience, but they are starting to have the fine motor skills necessary to sew. Plus, sewing is a lifelong skill and it's something that is best learned from another person.
So, for our meeting we made beanbag turkeys. I cut brown felt into two large circles, cut out some feathers out of more felt and a little triangle felt beak. The girls started by sewing on the beak. Then we carefully placed the feathers -- explaining to the girls that you have to put the feathers on the inside so that they will be on the outside when you turn the turkey right-side out. The girls sewed the turkeys together, filled them with beans, placed googly eyes, and the adult helpers stitched them up (this was a little too difficult for a 6 year old).
The girls were SOOOO proud and busy for the whole time. I was happy to see that everyone finished and was able to bring home a complete bean bag turkey.
So -- can you teach a six year old to sew? Yep.
A four year old? It hasn't worked so well in my house, but if your child rocks a lacing card, it could work.
Should you? Definitely. Kids like to know how to do something useful -- and sewing is a skill that everyone should have.
With real needles? Yep! I told the girls "These needles are real. They are sharp. If you poke yourself, you will bleed, so be careful." And they were. If you are going to teach a real skill, the child needs to use the real tools (to a reasonable extent of course -- don't give a 6 yo a chainsaw to go cut firewood!)
And they like it? For sure! It's kept my kids busy all week :) My son has actually had more fun sewing little bean bag creations than playing video games.
I thought that sewing would be a nice way to start working on this patch. The girls in my troop are 6 -- most have very little sewing experience, but they are starting to have the fine motor skills necessary to sew. Plus, sewing is a lifelong skill and it's something that is best learned from another person.
So, for our meeting we made beanbag turkeys. I cut brown felt into two large circles, cut out some feathers out of more felt and a little triangle felt beak. The girls started by sewing on the beak. Then we carefully placed the feathers -- explaining to the girls that you have to put the feathers on the inside so that they will be on the outside when you turn the turkey right-side out. The girls sewed the turkeys together, filled them with beans, placed googly eyes, and the adult helpers stitched them up (this was a little too difficult for a 6 year old).
The girls were SOOOO proud and busy for the whole time. I was happy to see that everyone finished and was able to bring home a complete bean bag turkey.
So -- can you teach a six year old to sew? Yep.
A four year old? It hasn't worked so well in my house, but if your child rocks a lacing card, it could work.
Should you? Definitely. Kids like to know how to do something useful -- and sewing is a skill that everyone should have.
With real needles? Yep! I told the girls "These needles are real. They are sharp. If you poke yourself, you will bleed, so be careful." And they were. If you are going to teach a real skill, the child needs to use the real tools (to a reasonable extent of course -- don't give a 6 yo a chainsaw to go cut firewood!)
And they like it? For sure! It's kept my kids busy all week :) My son has actually had more fun sewing little bean bag creations than playing video games.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
How much do 6 stitches cost?
Well, the consensus in Gradgreenland is that unless we are dying, nobody goes to the ER. There is an urgent care place pretty close by and they do stitches, so we'll head there if anybody's bleeding.
I promised to report back on the cost of C's ER visit. Check it out (and remember, he HAS insurance, so this is the negotiated rate):
Physician services: 602.00 (the doctor cleaned his wound, gave him a shot of local anesthetic and gave him 6 stitches. Some areas could not be stitched.)
Hospital services: 2161.75 -- adjusted for insurance to 1405.14. I guess this includes the supplies, sitting in a room for a couple of hours, inadequate financial counseling, and the nurse who bandaged the wound.
Yowza -- $2007.15 total. C has a high deductible HSA, so we are responsible for most of that. I will be calling the hospital to see if this can be reduced at all.
Will there be other bills? Who knows.
It seems excessive, doesn't it?
What makes me extra mad is that the whole point of an HSA is that the patient will be able to have control of medical expenses, but I ASKED about the price of various things and nobody was able to give me even the most vague idea.
Keep in mind -- this was all for a cut on the elbow -- a pretty gross bloody cut -- but a non-life-threatening injury. It probably would have been okay, albeit gory, with no stitches at all.
I promised to report back on the cost of C's ER visit. Check it out (and remember, he HAS insurance, so this is the negotiated rate):
Physician services: 602.00 (the doctor cleaned his wound, gave him a shot of local anesthetic and gave him 6 stitches. Some areas could not be stitched.)
Hospital services: 2161.75 -- adjusted for insurance to 1405.14. I guess this includes the supplies, sitting in a room for a couple of hours, inadequate financial counseling, and the nurse who bandaged the wound.
Yowza -- $2007.15 total. C has a high deductible HSA, so we are responsible for most of that. I will be calling the hospital to see if this can be reduced at all.
Will there be other bills? Who knows.
It seems excessive, doesn't it?
What makes me extra mad is that the whole point of an HSA is that the patient will be able to have control of medical expenses, but I ASKED about the price of various things and nobody was able to give me even the most vague idea.
Keep in mind -- this was all for a cut on the elbow -- a pretty gross bloody cut -- but a non-life-threatening injury. It probably would have been okay, albeit gory, with no stitches at all.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Make Something New -- Onion Tart
A few weeks ago I made an amazing discovery -- onion tart. Wow! It's delicious and it's super cheap to make. A friend of mine brought some over and I liked it so much that I kept trying to save it for a time that I could really appreciate it. Because of all my waiting around for the perfect moment, C got to a good portion of the tart before I could.
This month, my goal is to make something new at least once a week. Something I've NEVER made before. I want to 1) get out of my food rut and 2) try to expand my horizons.
Although I am a major proponent of scratch baking, I don't make pie crust. I buy pie crust. It comes in a package, wrapped in plastic and it's pretty darn convenient.
But, what exactly is IN that packaged pie crust? And it's kind of expensive considering what I discoverd when I decided to make my own.
Tonight I made pie crust for my onion tart. All by myself. And I found out something amazing.
Pie crust has 3 ingredients:
-butter
-flour
-some spoonfuls of water
How can that be?
I whipped up the crust very easily. I'm not saying it was the best crust in the world, but I made it myself, and I am proud :)
I filled it with 3 large carmelized onions cooked in a few tablespoons of butter -- all of that mixed with 2 beaten eggs. The recipe I found did not call for cheese, but I had some fancy cheese and sprinkled it over the top.
Yum!
So, if you want to make onion tart, you only need a few ingredients that you probably already have. That is what is so genius about this recipe. All you need is:
onions
eggs
flour
butter
cheese (optional)
bacon (optional)
salt -- the recipe did not call for salt, but I put a little in.
This month, my goal is to make something new at least once a week. Something I've NEVER made before. I want to 1) get out of my food rut and 2) try to expand my horizons.
Although I am a major proponent of scratch baking, I don't make pie crust. I buy pie crust. It comes in a package, wrapped in plastic and it's pretty darn convenient.
But, what exactly is IN that packaged pie crust? And it's kind of expensive considering what I discoverd when I decided to make my own.
Tonight I made pie crust for my onion tart. All by myself. And I found out something amazing.
Pie crust has 3 ingredients:
-butter
-flour
-some spoonfuls of water
How can that be?
I whipped up the crust very easily. I'm not saying it was the best crust in the world, but I made it myself, and I am proud :)
I filled it with 3 large carmelized onions cooked in a few tablespoons of butter -- all of that mixed with 2 beaten eggs. The recipe I found did not call for cheese, but I had some fancy cheese and sprinkled it over the top.
Yum!
So, if you want to make onion tart, you only need a few ingredients that you probably already have. That is what is so genius about this recipe. All you need is:
onions
eggs
flour
butter
cheese (optional)
bacon (optional)
salt -- the recipe did not call for salt, but I put a little in.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Stitches and Wound Care
C had a bike accident last week and was taken to the ER for stitches. This brought up lots of questions:
Q:Why did he have to wait 2 hours with an open bleeding wound before he was given any local anesthetic for the pain?
A: Because they were collecting his insurance information. Duh. By the time I met him at the hospital he was shaky and pale. Pobrecito.
Q: How much does it cost to get stitches at the ER?
A: Nobody knows. But they will be happy to collect your insurance information. If you decide that you would like to leave before the stitching takes place, you will still be charged for triage. How much? No one there can/will tell you.
Q: Should the stitched wound be bandaged or allowed to air dry?
A: At the hospital, we were told to keep it covered for 1-2 days and then let it air. It was too disgusting to look at, so I encouraged C to cover it up. I also consulted a wound care specialist and she told me that it should be covered and to keep antibiotic ointment on it. Nobody at the hospital said anything about antibiotic ointment.
Q: So, who's right?
A: Well, this blog has a lovely visual that explains why it should be covered. However, there is a reference to band-aid at the end, so perhaps that's not non-biased. Familydoctor.org says that it is not necessary to cover the wound unless it will get dirty or unless it covers "a large area of the body". Ick. Dr. Sears says to cover it for the first 48 hours and not to let a scab build up (this is also what we were told at the hospital). Seattle Childrens has similar advice.
Q: Should a wound be covered if it is grossing out other people?
A: Yes. It should also get antibiotic ointment and a dressing change once a day.
Q: Is removal of stitches covered in the mysterious amount charged in the initial ER bill?
A: Call the hospital. They won't tell you.
Q: Can a complete amateur remove stitches at home in less than 5 minutes?
A: Yep. You need alcohol, tweezers and scissors. Make sure everything is SUPER disinfected and clean (obviously). There are instructions all over the internet, and even videos on youtube (blech). All these sources (and I too, of course) say that it is not recommended to remove stitches at home.
Q: Did it hurt?
A: C said it pinched a little on the first stitch but then didn't hurt at all. :)
I think it's really messed up that nobody at the hospital could/would tell us 1) how much the visit would cost, 2) how much just triage would cost, 3) how much the medicines prescribed would cost or 4) whether or not stitch removal was included in the original ER visit. Thanks a lot Seton!
*I will be sure to update on how much stitches do cost. We really would have liked to know. Our health system is ridiculous.
Q:Why did he have to wait 2 hours with an open bleeding wound before he was given any local anesthetic for the pain?
A: Because they were collecting his insurance information. Duh. By the time I met him at the hospital he was shaky and pale. Pobrecito.
Q: How much does it cost to get stitches at the ER?
A: Nobody knows. But they will be happy to collect your insurance information. If you decide that you would like to leave before the stitching takes place, you will still be charged for triage. How much? No one there can/will tell you.
Q: Should the stitched wound be bandaged or allowed to air dry?
A: At the hospital, we were told to keep it covered for 1-2 days and then let it air. It was too disgusting to look at, so I encouraged C to cover it up. I also consulted a wound care specialist and she told me that it should be covered and to keep antibiotic ointment on it. Nobody at the hospital said anything about antibiotic ointment.
Q: So, who's right?
A: Well, this blog has a lovely visual that explains why it should be covered. However, there is a reference to band-aid at the end, so perhaps that's not non-biased. Familydoctor.org says that it is not necessary to cover the wound unless it will get dirty or unless it covers "a large area of the body". Ick. Dr. Sears says to cover it for the first 48 hours and not to let a scab build up (this is also what we were told at the hospital). Seattle Childrens has similar advice.
Q: Should a wound be covered if it is grossing out other people?
A: Yes. It should also get antibiotic ointment and a dressing change once a day.
Q: Is removal of stitches covered in the mysterious amount charged in the initial ER bill?
A: Call the hospital. They won't tell you.
Q: Can a complete amateur remove stitches at home in less than 5 minutes?
A: Yep. You need alcohol, tweezers and scissors. Make sure everything is SUPER disinfected and clean (obviously). There are instructions all over the internet, and even videos on youtube (blech). All these sources (and I too, of course) say that it is not recommended to remove stitches at home.
Q: Did it hurt?
A: C said it pinched a little on the first stitch but then didn't hurt at all. :)
I think it's really messed up that nobody at the hospital could/would tell us 1) how much the visit would cost, 2) how much just triage would cost, 3) how much the medicines prescribed would cost or 4) whether or not stitch removal was included in the original ER visit. Thanks a lot Seton!
*I will be sure to update on how much stitches do cost. We really would have liked to know. Our health system is ridiculous.
Annoying Deer & Hunting Questions
My neighborhood is full of deer. I don't live in the country -- I live in a residential area of Austin -- and I am SURROUNDED by deer.
I like deer. I think they're cute, beautiful, fun to watch, etc. But right now, I am very annoyed by them. I planted a tree -- they ate it. I planted a deer-resistant tree, and before I had a chance to put up a fence around it (ugly) -- they ate half of it. Freaking deer!
Many neighbors feed the deer, which is now illegal in Austin. Herds of deer roam the neighborhood, chomping at will. Can I plant a garden? Not without significant fencing infrastructure. Plus, the deer are starting to freak me out -- the bucks are fighting -- apparently this is the time to look for a lady deer -- and they have lost ALL fear.
I have to go into the front yard to make phone calls because I have terrible phone reception in the house -- frequently I have to run away from a deer that is scaring me -- they walk straight up to me -- looking at me with glazed eyes -- I shout at them and they DON'T MOVE. Ack!
My son likes to chase them -- I've told him that it's too dangerous. Deer can charge, and some of these deer have serious antlers.
So, I wonder.....
Can you hunt the deer? (I'm not a hunter, I'm just wondering.)
No. Illegal in the city limits.
What if you didn't care if it was illegal? (Again, I'm not a hunter, just wondering.)
After some research on the Texas Parks and Wildlife page and some deer processors, it seems that you might be able to tag the deer with your hunting license and bring it to a processor. Or, you could just process it in the backyard and no one would be the wiser. Apparently, you have to field dress a deer anyway, so you might as well finish the job.
But if you get caught, big trouble!
What about the deer that get hit by cars? Can you eat them?
Again, legally -- no. You should call Texas Parks and Wildlife and they will send someone out to pick it up. A few days later. There's currently a large trashbag on the side of our street labeled "Do not touch -- dead deer" Yuck. This varies from state to state.
But if the deer broke its neck and wasn't hit in the abdomen or something like that, again, you could sneak the deer home and butcher it. Totally illegal.
And finally, after googling "Deer hunting Texas" "Austin deer feeding" "Hit deer with car" and other such cheery phrases, I started to wonder -- can you save any money by hunting?
Well, it depends.
There's a post on that very topic at Free Money Finance. The consensus seems to be that it costs a lot of money to hunt -- you need a license, a gun, access to a truck (to transport the deer), and may need to pay to hunt on a hunting lease. Also, you have to pay to have the deer processed (unless you do it yourself). One site I looked at charged $70 to process a deer. That did not include making sausage, etc., which was over $2 a pound -- that's from your own meat! I found that sort of surprising.
But, I guess you could buy a license, go to a hunt on public land and borrow a friend's truck & gun and process the meat yourself. That would be a huge money saver. If you live on land with deer (again, not in my neighborhood, but out in the country), you could hunt for free there too.
Cost: Resident hunting license $25
Archery stamp endorsement $7 (interesting)
Hunter education (required) $15 or you can defer for one year for $10
Rifle/ammunition: borrow rifle; ammunition is surprisingly expensive -- maybe buy a couple of shells (is that the word?) from a hunting friend - $5
OR hunt with bow & arrow -- $0 (borrowed of course)
Annual Public Hunt Permit: $48
Total cost:
for hunting with borrowed rifle & deferred hunter education: $88 if you don't have land
For hunting with borrowed bow & arrow: $90 if you don't have land
This assumes you do the field dressing (which you already have to do) and process the deer yourself. I would assume that needs some equipment & perhaps additional freezer space. All in all, I don't think that hunting is a big money saver over buying meat at the store on sale. Of course, I guess you know where the meat is coming from....
So, how much meat do you get from a deer?
According to this site, if a hunter kills a 165 pound buck (field-dressed weight), he should expect 58.15 pounds of meat. So, let's assume that with borrowing all the needed hunting equipment and buying your friend dinner in exchange (or giving him/her some of your meat), it works out to about $2/pound. If you add in all the time you spend hunting/learning/borrowing/butchering, I hope you really like hunting. And that's assuming that you get a big buck.
But wait! C reminded me that you don't necessarily just go hunting once a year. In Texas you can kill 5 white-tail deer/year (3 max. with antlers). That certainly brings down the price per pound. Again -- you need a big freezer! I don't think you could eat enough deer meat to keep up with 5 deer killed just during deer season.
Now, is hunting a green option?
It doesn't seem to fit in with what many urban greenies do -- go vegetarian. But, since one of the big reasons to go veg is to reduce your impact on the earth (meat requires more resources, water, oil, etc. per pound than plants do to produce), hunting deer, particularly in an area that has overpopulated deer (due to the absence of natural predators) seems preferable to buying meat at the store. That is provided that you don't drive hundreds of miles to hunt deer that are fed deer pellets.
Is deer meat organic?
Well, in the case of my neighborhood, definitely not! (But that's illegal!)
In the wild? Hmmm... hard to say, but it is free range (unless fed pellets) and free of antibiotics.
Disclaimer: I'm not a hunter. I've only had deer sausage a couple of times. I think the deer are nice, but I am very mad about my dead dead trees. The deer population is insane in my neighborhood. Four deer in my front yard last night. Crazy.
I was just curious so I decided to do some research.
I like deer. I think they're cute, beautiful, fun to watch, etc. But right now, I am very annoyed by them. I planted a tree -- they ate it. I planted a deer-resistant tree, and before I had a chance to put up a fence around it (ugly) -- they ate half of it. Freaking deer!
Many neighbors feed the deer, which is now illegal in Austin. Herds of deer roam the neighborhood, chomping at will. Can I plant a garden? Not without significant fencing infrastructure. Plus, the deer are starting to freak me out -- the bucks are fighting -- apparently this is the time to look for a lady deer -- and they have lost ALL fear.
I have to go into the front yard to make phone calls because I have terrible phone reception in the house -- frequently I have to run away from a deer that is scaring me -- they walk straight up to me -- looking at me with glazed eyes -- I shout at them and they DON'T MOVE. Ack!
My son likes to chase them -- I've told him that it's too dangerous. Deer can charge, and some of these deer have serious antlers.
So, I wonder.....
Can you hunt the deer? (I'm not a hunter, I'm just wondering.)
No. Illegal in the city limits.
What if you didn't care if it was illegal? (Again, I'm not a hunter, just wondering.)
After some research on the Texas Parks and Wildlife page and some deer processors, it seems that you might be able to tag the deer with your hunting license and bring it to a processor. Or, you could just process it in the backyard and no one would be the wiser. Apparently, you have to field dress a deer anyway, so you might as well finish the job.
But if you get caught, big trouble!
What about the deer that get hit by cars? Can you eat them?
Again, legally -- no. You should call Texas Parks and Wildlife and they will send someone out to pick it up. A few days later. There's currently a large trashbag on the side of our street labeled "Do not touch -- dead deer" Yuck. This varies from state to state.
But if the deer broke its neck and wasn't hit in the abdomen or something like that, again, you could sneak the deer home and butcher it. Totally illegal.
And finally, after googling "Deer hunting Texas" "Austin deer feeding" "Hit deer with car" and other such cheery phrases, I started to wonder -- can you save any money by hunting?
Well, it depends.
There's a post on that very topic at Free Money Finance. The consensus seems to be that it costs a lot of money to hunt -- you need a license, a gun, access to a truck (to transport the deer), and may need to pay to hunt on a hunting lease. Also, you have to pay to have the deer processed (unless you do it yourself). One site I looked at charged $70 to process a deer. That did not include making sausage, etc., which was over $2 a pound -- that's from your own meat! I found that sort of surprising.
But, I guess you could buy a license, go to a hunt on public land and borrow a friend's truck & gun and process the meat yourself. That would be a huge money saver. If you live on land with deer (again, not in my neighborhood, but out in the country), you could hunt for free there too.
Cost: Resident hunting license $25
Archery stamp endorsement $7 (interesting)
Hunter education (required) $15 or you can defer for one year for $10
Rifle/ammunition: borrow rifle; ammunition is surprisingly expensive -- maybe buy a couple of shells (is that the word?) from a hunting friend - $5
OR hunt with bow & arrow -- $0 (borrowed of course)
Annual Public Hunt Permit: $48
Total cost:
for hunting with borrowed rifle & deferred hunter education: $88 if you don't have land
For hunting with borrowed bow & arrow: $90 if you don't have land
This assumes you do the field dressing (which you already have to do) and process the deer yourself. I would assume that needs some equipment & perhaps additional freezer space. All in all, I don't think that hunting is a big money saver over buying meat at the store on sale. Of course, I guess you know where the meat is coming from....
So, how much meat do you get from a deer?
According to this site, if a hunter kills a 165 pound buck (field-dressed weight), he should expect 58.15 pounds of meat. So, let's assume that with borrowing all the needed hunting equipment and buying your friend dinner in exchange (or giving him/her some of your meat), it works out to about $2/pound. If you add in all the time you spend hunting/learning/borrowing/butchering, I hope you really like hunting. And that's assuming that you get a big buck.
But wait! C reminded me that you don't necessarily just go hunting once a year. In Texas you can kill 5 white-tail deer/year (3 max. with antlers). That certainly brings down the price per pound. Again -- you need a big freezer! I don't think you could eat enough deer meat to keep up with 5 deer killed just during deer season.
Now, is hunting a green option?
It doesn't seem to fit in with what many urban greenies do -- go vegetarian. But, since one of the big reasons to go veg is to reduce your impact on the earth (meat requires more resources, water, oil, etc. per pound than plants do to produce), hunting deer, particularly in an area that has overpopulated deer (due to the absence of natural predators) seems preferable to buying meat at the store. That is provided that you don't drive hundreds of miles to hunt deer that are fed deer pellets.
Is deer meat organic?
Well, in the case of my neighborhood, definitely not! (But that's illegal!)
In the wild? Hmmm... hard to say, but it is free range (unless fed pellets) and free of antibiotics.
Disclaimer: I'm not a hunter. I've only had deer sausage a couple of times. I think the deer are nice, but I am very mad about my dead dead trees. The deer population is insane in my neighborhood. Four deer in my front yard last night. Crazy.
I was just curious so I decided to do some research.
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