Anne's Jambalaya

This is the kind of dish you can leave sitting on your stove awhile, tending to it here and there. It is not a lot of work, but the goodness does take some time, 1-2 hrs depending on how long your caramelize your onions.

2 cups uncooked white rice

3/4 - 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch chunks

½ lb. Andouille sausage, cooked and cut into ¼ inch slices (I used 3 Johnsonville New Orleans Brand Andouille Recipe Smoked Sausage)

1 medium onion, chopped

3 celery stalks, chopped

1 bell pepper, seeded and chopped

2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

1 1/2 t ground cayenne or Creole Seasoning

2 t salt

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 T and 1 t butter

3-4 T Vegetable Oil

1.5 cups chicken broth

2 Bay leaves

1. Start cooking your rice. I used a rice cooker, with a dash of salt stirred in and a pat of butter on top. Feel free to cook it in a pan, however you normally cook your rice (it won’t be cooked in the pot like other Jambalayas).

2. In a medium sized Dutch Oven over medium low heat, melt a tablespoon of butter and start adding the chopped onion. After the onion cooks for 5 minutes, add in a tablespoon or two of vegetable oil. Add in the bell pepper, celery, and garlic cloves and slowly caramelize, stirring every few minutes. The longer the better (1 hour), but if you are in a hurry turn up the heat to medium and cook until your vegetables turn brownish (at least 20 mins), stirring often. Sprinkle with ground cayenne (more spicy) or Creole Seasoning (less spicey) to your spicy preference. I sprinkled with cayenne 2-3 times over one hour which resulted in a medium spicy Jambalaya. Add some dashes of salt and ground pepper. In the last 10-15 minutes add the sliced Andouille Sausage.

3. In a medium pan add 2 T vegetable oil and sauté the chicken over medium heat until cooked through, about 8 minutes. Sprinkle with ground cayenne or Creole Seasoning.

4. Use a slotted spoon to add the chicken in to the dutch oven, stir.

5. Add two bay leaves, the cooked rice, and the chicken broth, stir. Cover and cook on medium low for 15-20 minutes stirring occasionally.

Serves 4-6

Tips on Visiting Wyoming

We had such a great time visiting the Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming this past summer (2011) that my kids are still asking if we can go back *every summer.* Several friends asked me the scoop on planning a vacation there, so I detailed our experience below. My Mom researched our activities and lodging, so she gets all the credit. I am breaking it down into three categories: Transportation, Lodging, and Activities.

First, Transportation. You’ll need to decide if you want to fly or drive there. Definite pros and cons to both. It was a big family trip for us, with my parents and both of my sisters and their families, and we all opted to drive (from northern CA, Chicago, and Michigan). The reason we chose to drive is that my husband LOVES road trips, and there are lots of great sights to see along the way. Also, air fare to Jackson Hole is very pricey to their tiny airport. I was told it averages $600 a ticket. We left on a Wednesday after work from Chicago, drove 6-7 hours and made it to Fairmont, MN where we stopped for our first night. Thursday was another 7ish hours of driving. We made it to the Badlands (in South Dakota) by mid afternoon. We took a 1 hour drive through this scenic wonder, stopping at a few spots along the way. It was very hot there in July and we could not stand to be out of the air conditioned car for very long but you can enjoy a lot of the beauty from the car. The famous Wall Drug is near the Badlands, so we checked that out, met up with our family for dinner, and then went to see Mount Rushmore. We stayed near Mount Rushmore at a nice “rustic” place in the mountains (there is a cheesy touristy area near here you’ll probably want to avoid), the K Bar S Lodge (in Keystone). Friday was a long 9 hours of driving but I will tell you that it was breathtaking and amazing, truly a highlight in my life, never to be forgotten. Driving through billion year old rock formations inspired my soul. We saw snow, waterfalls, and lots of mountains. We arrived at Jackson Lake Lodge in the Grand Teton National Park around 7 that night. It was very exciting to see the “Watch out for Bear and her Cubs” signs along the road. Between the three days of driving to get there, we clocked in about 23 hours of driving.

On our way home we drove the quicker route through Nebraska and Iowa. We made it in two days, 10 hours per day of *boring* driving. The most interesting part was driving though Wyoming (different road than the way there), driving hours without seeing any houses, buildings, or signs of life anywhere. There were two times as we traveled along the two lane highway, where one lane was shut down and we had to wait about 20 minutes while the oncoming traffic used our lane. This is when I started saying “This would never fly in Chicago!” We also saw a beautiful lightning storm (no rain) at night in Nebraska.

On to Lodging. We stayed at the Jackson Lake Lodge, which is the largest hotel in the Grand Teton National Park. It is closed in the winter and you really have to plan ahead to get reservations here during July - August. My mom said there was a pre wait list that she got on in the fall, 1.5 years in advance. Then she had to call again a few months later to get on the real waitlist (she had to reserve many rooms for our large group). We stayed in the lodge with the Mountain View, full view of the Grand Tetons and wildlife frolicking about. My sister stayed in a cabin. Although this would sound preferable, the Cabin was the same size as a hotel room and the view was of a parking lot. There may be cabins with a mountain view though (just avoid the parking lot view!). This hotel is in the center of the park, perfect for hiking, and also has a pool and $5 pony rides. There was a diner in the hotel that we ate at frequently. You are really getting “away from it all” as there is no TV and no A/C. There is more traditional lodging in the touristy town of Jackson Hole 45 minutes away (and fancy places like Four Seasons or Rustic Lodge Inn). Jackson Lake Lodge is just 1 hour to Yellowstone. Jackson Hole is 45 minutes in the other direction, so from Jackson Hole to Yellowstone it takes about 1 hr 45 mins. Our favorite restaurant close by was Leek’s Pizzeria at Leek’s Marina. I have no input about camping or renting a home there other than that it would be nice to have a kitchen. And I hear the campgrounds book up quickly far in advance too. When deciding where to stay it’s really a question if you want to be surrounded by wildlife and hiking trails, then stay in the park. If you want restaurants and shops, stay in Jackson Hole.

The hotels and contact info of where we stayed:

Hampton Inn, Fairmont, MN 507-235-2626

K Bar S Lodge, Keystone, SD 605-666-4545

Jackson Lake Lodge, Moran, WY 307-543-2811 http://www.gtlc.com/lodging/jackson-lake-lodge-overview.aspx

Days Inn, ?, NE (we tried several places that were booked up, we learned that even in NE you need to make reservations in advance during the busy summer travel season)

And finally, the most fun topic, Activities. We stayed for one week and did the following: horseback riding, white water rafting, Yellowstone, gondola ride, calm dinner river float, hiking, fishing, shopping, and a Covered Wagon Dinner show.

1. Horseback Riding- For many of my family members this was their first time riding and a highlight of their trip (including my husband). My kids could not go, as children had to be at least 6 years old. (they enjoyed the pony rides back at the hotel.) The horseback riding was booked through Yellowstone Outfitters.

2. White Water Rafting- The Snake River was especially high in the summer of 2011 due to lots of snow the prior winter. This made our trip wild and we actually flipped our boat. It was very scary and I was glad our kids weren’t there. Different companies have different regulations based on the intensity of the river. Our trip was through Barker-Ewing, a very safe and highly respected company, and I believe they only let teenagers and older on their white water boats the week we were there. Another family we met booked their rafting trip through Lewis & Clark, and they were allowed to bring their 7 year old daughter on the trip. Our boat trip included stopping for breakfast along the river bank. The pancakes were delish.

3. Yellowstone- We left early in the day to avoid the crowds getting into the park. It was just one hour from Jackson Lake Lodge, so we had a full day to enjoy at the park. The geysers were beautiful and lots of fun. There are many spread out, so you drive, park, walk to the geyser, walk back to your car, then drive to the next site, park, walk a ways to the next point of interest, then walk back to your car. So if your kids are very young they may get tired of the walking (under 6). We ran into this problem. I recommend seeing Old Faithful and the surrounding geysers first while they have their energy. I also recommend getting your kids their National Park Stamp books if they don’t already have them. We got many stamps on this trip! One note about bears- a man was killed at Yellowstone by a bear the day after we were there. He got between the mom and her cubs. You can buy bear deterrent. It was $70 at our hotel but we saw it at Kmart for $50.

4. Gondola Ride- We went to Teton Village in Jackson Hole (where all the skiing is) and took a Gondola up to the top of the mountain for spectacular views. In the summer there is Mountain Biking on the skiing hills.

5. Calm Dinner River Float- This is similar to white water rafting but without all the white water. The whole family (including young kids) was able to go on this scenic relaxing tour down the Snake River. This was again booked through Barker-Ewing and included a tasty riverside dinner.

6. Hiking- there are many hikes at all skill levels in the Grand Teton park. I went on a hike around Jenny Lake with my parents and sister. This was a highlight for me. Our kids were not old enough to handle this type of hiking but hiking is the reason I would love to go back. My other sister and brother-in-law went up the steep intense hiking trails. We also saw mountain climbers. I was hiking ahead by myself for a while and very nervous about running into moose or bear.

7. Fishing- the men in the group went fishing at Coulter Bay. You need to buy a license and you can rent a boat there. They did not have much luck.

8. Shopping- the ladies and kids went shopping in Jackson Hole while the men went fishing. Lots of great boutiques and cute lunch spots. I bought a cowboy hat and my sister got cowboy boots.

9. Covered Wagon Dinner Show- We went to the Bar T-5 Covered Wagon Cookout and Show in Jackson Hole. Everyone had a great time with the cowboys and Indians riding around the wagons on horseback. My husband even got picked to be in the dinner show! Bart5.com

My only other notes are to bring lots of suntan lotion (due to the high altitude even my lips got sun burnt), and lots of layers of clothing. It’s warm to hot during the day and very cool at night. A few of us got nose bleeds from the high altitude and I did have shortness of breath (you have to be careful when hiking). Email me or comment with any Qs!

Presentation Day

This month the take home project at Cole’s preschool was to “make a map of a small section of your community, such as your house or the block that you live on.” Trying to get Cole to sit down and draw something, especially something specific, can be quite laborious. Yet all of the other kids in his class were raring to go. The day after the assignment was passed out, half of Cole’s classmates had their maps ready and were very excited to present them to the class. This was quite a change from last year, when the teacher was lucky if anyone remembered to do the monthly project at all. Noah has the same teacher, in a class that meets earlier in the day, and he was supposed to make a map too. He was very excited to make some railroad tracks and scribbles, taping several pieces of paper together to make it extra large. When Cole saw this he picked up on that railway theme and went nuts, drawing green train tracks over many pieces of paper. I looked at their artwork and compared it to what I had seen the other kids draw- their streets, their houses, the zoo, things like that. I thought to myself, “These will just be rough drafts to their very accurate and detailed maps yet to come.” I started drawing our road, trying to get Cole in the spirit. No such luck. He held by his original piece. I decided that Noah’s would be OK, he’s just three. Over the course of a week Cole kept telling me “I already made a map!” So I asked his teacher if it mattered if the map actually resembled much of anything. She said as long as the child did it themselves it was fine. Done. Cole asked me to come in to class with him on the day of his presentation (most of the parents do accompany their child for the presentations). Cole sat on a chair in front of his class and I sat next to him. Cole proudly held up his map and started talking about the train tracks in a cute shy voice that I had never heard before. He pointed out the tracks vs. the roads and the “coupler” on the train. I reminded him quietly in his ear that he had called it “The Green Line.” When he stated this, his teacher gushed “The Green Line is my favorite!” Then she asked the class if they had questions or comments for Cole. Everyone shot their hand in the air excitedly. Cole called on Liam. Liam said with a smile, “I like trains. I have a green train at home.” Someone else said “I like how the tracks have lines on them.” Everyone loved it! I couldn’t believe I almost wrote this version off as trash. I vowed to appreciate all of Cole’s artwork more from now on. Perfectionism has no place in motherhood.

Funny Things My Kids Have Said

Collected over the last few months...

Noah: "All this hard work [making Lincoln Log houses] makes me have to go PEE PEE!!!"

Noah is 3 going on 13. Today I was busy doing laundry and getting dressed. Every other minute he wanted me to go look at his Lincoln Log house, get him a snack, etc. I said "Just wait Noah" and he replied in his most sarcastic voice, "What, do you have to go to BOOK CLUB?!?"

Cole and Noah were eating lunch. We always tell them if they eat this or that healthy food they will get taller, stronger, or smarter. Cole asked if eating turkey will make him taller? I said yes. Noah got this worried look on his face and asked "Is the food I'm eating going to make me shorter?"

Today at story time Cole was playing with a boy named Keller. On the way home I asked Cole "Did you know that boy Keller from before?" Cole said, "Keller? I thought his name was Cuddler."

While we were on vacation using a rest stop Cole said "Mama, why don't you do stand up pee pee?" I was feeling annoyed by another gross bathroom and said straightforwardly, "Because I don't have a weiner." (that is the term the boys use) The next morning we were eating breakfast at the hotel breakfast room. Cole wanted me to try his Honey Nut Cheerios, I said "No thanks" and he said loudly "Why, because you don't have a weiner?"

We saw a mattress on top of a car. John asked Cole, "What do you think they're doing with that mattress?" Cole replied, "I think they're going camping"

Cole said he wanted to go to the jungle and I said I didn't know how to get there. He said "Just do what you do, put it in destination." (navigation)

Today Cole asked why Dada was my husband. I said because we fell in love and got married. Cole replied "You fell in the oven and got married?!"

Sept 9, 2010 Noah and I were driving through boystown after going to the paint store. Noah noticed some pictures of men up on the window of a gay bar (at Belmont/Halsted- Spin) and said, "I want muscles like that! Then I can wrestle in my underwear."

Day at the Martial Arts Center

A few weeks ago I was walking through Lincoln Square and saw a bunch of kids coming out of a Martial Arts Center. They looked so cute in their "gi" that I went in to find out how much the classes were. Oh no, it's not that easy. You have to go in for a private trial class and all that jazz before they will reveal their pricing. Yesterday was that day. All four of us went, a real family event. When we walked in I noticed people bowing to nothing in particular. I got that eerie feeling I get at Michigan football games. I am not the kind of person that likes repetitive hand motions and chants just because everyone else is doing it, feels a little too cult-ish to me. When the kids walk in they have to say "May I please have my attendance card Ma'am?" while maintaining eye contact. They also are required to learn how and where to do the aforementioned bowing. All of this pressure to be polite was odd to me when essentially they are coming here to learn how to knock the lights out of someone. I guess the lessons in "Karate Kid" and "Way of the Peaceful Warrior" were lost on me. I sat in Cole's class. At the beginning he had to chant that he would keep his room clean (sales pitch for the parents? I think so!). Then the teacher began showing him how to stand and would ask him what position he's in. Cole would softly reply "I don't know" while shrugging his shoulders. She would say to use his left foot, he'd use his right. I could tell he was fading fast. Reminded me of soccer when he would run to my lap in the middle of class whining "I'm too tired!" When class was over he stomped on the teacher's mini hand held punching bag square thingy in a "I'll show you!" kind of way. The teacher replied "Cole, was that nice to do?" Out in the hallway Cole and Noah were putting on their shoes and Cole yells out "Where did Karate girl go?" Not very polite or deferential. I felt the kind of embarrassment that I felt in my childhood church if you laughed, coughed, or flinched the wrong way. The social pressures were too much. As "Karate Girl" goes over the 1, 3, or 6 month payment plans, Cole farts. We sooo don't belong here. On the way home everyone is tired and has headaches. John says he doesn't want to spend his Saturdays at a place that smells like feet. He tells me that when his mom signed him up for Karate he hated it so much he would sit outside the center while the class was going on (he walked there by himself, so his mom didn't ever know). Needless to say, we are tabling Martial Arts for now.