lest you be misguided by yesterday’s blissful notes on camp, i must add the following observation about traveling with small children:

vacations are not really vacations. they are simply the act of schlepping all of one’s stuff, one’s kids, their stuff, and all of the responsibilities related thereto, to an alternate location of one’s choice. kids still hit each other, wake up in the middle of the night, refuse to eat growing foods, and stack chairs in the kitchen in pursuit of chocolate. it’s just that on vacation, parents have the pleasure of looking at the mountains or the beach while they are dealing with the aforementioned issues.

however, july in montreat offers a bit of a vacation from the vacation in the form of “clubs,” a kids’ day camp that meets on weekdays from 8:30 to noon and 2:00 – 4:00 in the afternoon. this is the first year that both of my children have attended both morning and afternoon clubs, which officially makes july of 2011 the most time i’ve had away from my children since they were born. i was musing to my friend, anne, about how this absence was affecting  me, and she (the mother of two grown children and three grandchildren) summed it up well.

it’s all about energy. the more energy we have, the better parents we are. when we don’t have energy, we are simply muddling through.

having my children in other people’s care gave me more energy for the times that i was with them. for example, on the saturday when the bird tee-teed all over the dining table and the monkey promptly covered the rest of the table in glue, i reacted with an uncharacteristic sense of calm likened to that of the dalai lama.

when the bird spent thirteen solid days clamoring for his daddy, who was in memphis, i was able to laugh and not get my feelings hurt as i usually do.

the kids did eventually wear me down though. by the end of the trip, even with the added childcare, i was muddling through. the grand finale, marked by two sleepless nights hovered over a croup-plagued bird, returned me to my familiar listless state.

if only there were a couple of extra hours in the day for sleeping or a couple of extra parents in the household for trouble shooting! in the absence of these wish list items, i can offer you only this: my recipe for muddling through in style (adapted from design sponge):

summer elderflower cocktail

ingredients

• st. germain licour
• club soda
• lime
• mint
• gin

directions:

• muddle mint and juice from half of lime in the bottom of a low-ball glass.
• add ice and throw in the squeezed lime.
• add the desired amount of alcohol (about half st. germain and half gin).
• top with soda and stir.

you might want to purchase one of these.

every muddler needs a muddler.

last week’s pantry week was a huge success and a little too easy. our fridge and freezer are no longer avalanches waiting to happen but the pantry is another story. any minute there could be a chocolate-covered-blueberry rock slide in there. something has to be done!

so… this week is modified pantry week. the same rules apply with a couple exceptions:

• one farmers market trip is allowed so that we get enough veggies and don’t contract scurvy.
• i took a cue from my friend tiffany and gave certain pantry items “must use” status. then, i bought a few necessary groceries to make that possible. for example, we now have chicken broth, which was the missing ingredient in several of my most brilliant makeshift culinary schemes.

monday night we had sausage and chicken gumbo using this recipe from the best of cooking light. also, the monkey and i made these tasty glazed  pumpkin cookies.

last night we had chicken pot pie using this delicious recipe from edible memphis’  melissa peterson:

2 ready-made pie crusts

1 T veggie oil

6 chicken thighs

1.5 quarts water/chicken broth (i use much less)

2 carrots peeled and diced (substituted red bell pepper)

1/2 onion diced

2 ribs celery, diced

4 T all-purpose flour

4 T butter or veggie oil

1/4 c. milk

1/2 cup frozen peas (i used leftover lady peas)

1/2 tsp. poultry seasoning (i used much more)

salt and pepper

1 egg beaten with 1 T water

2-3 T grated parmesan

in a large pot, heat oil over medium heat. brown chicken thighs, then carefully add water or broth. boil. reduce heat to a simmer. cover and cook till chicken is fall-off-the-bone tender, about 40 minutes.

remove thighs from broth and set aside to cool. add carrots, onion and celery to cooking liquid. simmer until veggies are soft, about 4 minutes. in a small saucepan, heat 4 T oil or butter. whisk in flour to make roux. add roux to veggies and broth. cook over medium heat until mixture thickens, whisking constantly. add milk.

remove skin from cooled chicken. pull meat from bones. shred and add to vegetable mixture. add poultry seasoning and season with salt and pepper. stir in frozen peas.

place bottom crust in 10″ pie plate. spoon in chicken mixture. place top crust and crimp edges. cut 3 vents into crust. brush with egg wash and sprinkle crust with parmesan cheese. bake at 350 until crust is golden brown, about 40 minutes. cool for at least 20 minutes before serving.

tonight’s must-use items: black beans, red beans, and canned corn. any guesses?

i don’t know whether to be delighted or embarrassed about how well we have eaten during pantry week. let’s face it. my name is mary allison, and i am a food hoarder.

last night’s entree was this double-cheese meatloaf  from cooking light. my lamb, ground beef, and sausage combination worked really well, as did my substitution of front-yard-basil for the called-for parsley. i didn’t get a chance to photograph the meal until it was almost gone, but as you can see, it disappeared fast.

along with the meatloaf, we had some farmers’ market lady peas (purchased saturday before we hatched the pantry week plan) and some broccoli that was nearing its date of expiration.

apparently, i am not the only person who is seeking better organization through eating. many of you have responded to our little pantry week experiment with your own versions of this challenge, and some of you have even sent me your favorite makeshift recipes. here is one that’s in keeping with the meatloaf theme:

elise’s makeshift meatloaf:

add crumbled crackers or oatmeal to hold leftover meat together. add one egg, some worcestershire sauce or ketchup, salt and pepper. put it in a loaf pan or dutch oven and cook at 350 for 45 minutes or until done.

tonight’s menu will feature a return of the lady peas in an unconventional fashion. any guesses where they will turn up?

some of you might have felt a little sorry for me when you read “host a make-your-own-pizza night” on my fantasy to do list. “poor mary allison,” you must have thought. “while everybody else is fantasizing about world travel, lottery money, and fame, this poor, unimaginative girl is dreaming of pizza!”

well, last night, andy and i hosted a make-your-own-pizza night, and i am here to tell you that it was indeed worthy of fantasy, thanks to the recipe for home-made crust, perfected and given to me by my friend, mary.

mary’s recipe was simple and incredibly delicious, and the good news is that she’s given me permission to share it!

thanks to mary for putting in the hard work of perfecting the process so that morons like me can have first-time success. i’m off to eat the leftovers for lunch. yum!