Roger's View of the World, Love and Seafood Gumbo!
Seize the Day! Put no trust in the morrow! — Horace
One of the most fun evenings for children… and now it seems young adults… is Halloween! Every year, I look forward to it and now that we have more children in the neighborhood… the community just seems to be more alive!
Tonight, have a safe and happy Halloween!
Roger Freberg
People are not really all that surprised when a man says he can cook… we’re all getting used to that. It does raise an eyebrow in surprise, when folks discover that your children cook very well… and they naturally ask how ?
Here are a few thoughts:
1) Children — boys and girls alike — enjoy cooking food that they will eat, especially if a) it is something they will enjoy and b) it is relatively simple to make.
I was only a few years old when I cooked up my first pot of rice… it burned at the bottom , I then added butter and I was in heaven!
2) Desserts are usually the first things children are willing to learn. Roughly 80% of all cookies baked are Chocolate Chip, so this is a good place to start. Getting children involved in holiday cookie making, cookies for school birthdays and cake making starts to expand their baking experience!
Karen’s first effort was “Death Cupcakes.” A chocolate cupcake with chocolate frosting smothered with chocolate chips and topped with a “Blow-pop”. Obviously, Karen brought cola to school to add to the excitement of her birthdays!
Both Kristin and Karen enjoyed making Mudbars for themselves and their friends!
3) Personally, I never forget the wonderful smell of bread. Baking bread the old fashioned way or with a breadmaker is a logical next step.
Kristin loved her bread and her yummy cheesey breadsticks!
4) Simple meals are next: learning sandwich making, the art of the barbecue and a home made Pizza are always interesting for children!
My nephew Scott loved my “Meat-za Pizza”! Although I don’t know if he ever made one for himself?
“Bobotie” is an easy ‘fun’ dish to make from South Africa!
5) Children are ready for a more ‘academic exercise”… some people call it ‘learning.’ This is where I present them with a simple cookbook (Better Homes and Garden’s is perfect).
Once you get to this point there is no stopping them … Plus… then even Mom and Dad van take a break now and then! Karen & Kristin have developed their own style.
Roger Freberg
PS. When everyone is ready, Seafood Gumbo is fun to make and can be frozen in many little contaniers to extend the enjoyment for the days ahead!
Shirley Marks Has followed up on her romance “Geek to Chic” with “Honeymoon Husband.”
Now, guys, I know that in your heart many of you although crusty on the outside find a tear or two for a wonderfully romantic story.
My daughters chide me a bit when I pull out some of the sci-fi episodes with severely romantic plots. Star Trek Next Generation’s “Inner Light”, or the original Star Trek “City on the edge of forever” or several of the Stargate episodes where an alternate universe “Carter” is in love with Jack O’Neil. I do have my favorites.
I won’t spoil the plot to Shirley’s book… but let’s just say there is a ‘cad’, a ‘true love’, a ‘misunderstanding’ and a tropical setting. Check it out.
Roger Freberg
Well…. my goal weight at Jenny Craig was 229 and I weighed in today at 229.8. I am down 90.8 lbs. I fit comfortably into a size 30 jeans and at 6’4″ some folks actually call me ‘thin’. This is a word I have never heard. It’s fun to search and see what other things weigh 90 lbs!
I have been slowing my ‘decent’ in weight loss by organizing ‘events’ on the weekends. This weekend it is ‘Paella’ once again and home made Cherry Pie!
Laura’s been on ‘maintenance’ for 7 weeks, Karen’s still working down to her goal… and Kristin is doing well, too!
Roger Freberg
Thanks to no small efforts in the past by organizations like FIRE, Cal Poly students, faculty and the larger community were given the rare opportunity to listen to an alternative point of view… Greg Davis author of “Islam What the West Needs to Know.”
Dr. Davis’s thesis is that Islam is more than just a ‘religion’. It is a geopolitical entity that threatens western civilization. His film is spiced with interviews and ‘exerpts’ from Islamic scripture that are quite challenging.
Here are a few pictures and links from the event at Cal Poly.
It was very sobering.
Roger Freberg