The Great Camp Out

I survived 13 girls and some siblings (including Bud) in the woods on Friday night.  And they survived the woods!  I know it was the first outside sleepover in the woods for my two and some of the others as well.  It was great.

We arrived around 5 pm and hauled our sleeping bags and stuff up the hill to the campsite; there was a single, big platform tent for the troop downhill from the campfire and several lean-tos for the boys above the campfire.  I actually slept in a lean-to myself, since the big tent was pretty full and the lean-to was easier to sleep in.

But sleep was a long way off.

We made pizza first, with the girls mixing and kneading their dough by hand.  They even wandered the lovely herb garden to find toppings for their pizzas.  "I can't believe we can just pick leaves and eat them!" one said, as they sampled sorrel, onion chives, garlic chives, lemon balm, sage, basil, cherry tomatoes, kale, and other things.  The pizzas were pretty good.  Well, Bud thought it was dough-y but loved all the herbs; Sis got to make hers with no sauce, just cheese.

Next we lit the campfire, which I tended while they went on an extended night hike (the whole event was for their Night Owl badges.)  They had a very exciting time--climbing rocks, watching for wildlife, gazing out at the city below--maybe too exciting, since they were near a tall cliff!   The hike was Sis and Bud's favorite part.  I sat meditating by the fire, listening to the symphony of the forest, and making and eating by myself the best s'more ever.  I only missed hearing any owls.



The kids returned all full of stories and inhaled their s'mores.   We then all shared our experiences with wildlife--turkeys in the yard, hawks on the wing, a bear on the road.  The woman in charge of our group, an outdoorsy woman with shorn hair and an impish smile, told of a deer jumping over her one night as she slept by the fire.  She loves kids, you could tell, and talked straight to them.  (And all the leaders giggled when she made one of our precious snowflakes pick food out of the garbage can for the compost bin and another return a wheelbarrow she had tried to avoid putting back!!!)  And most of them liked her (except a few snowflakes.)

And we sang around the fire--"Baby Shark," "Bear Hunt," my favorite "Barges," "Linger," "On the Loose," and "Taps."  Such a lovely time.

And then there was no sleep.  I could hear the girls all the way up the hill until around 3.  I think Bud fell asleep despite it all.

Then the coyotes started around 4 a.m.  Bud heard them, too.

But I missed the owls hooting at 5 a.m., apparently.

And we were up at 6 a.m. by the fire to warm up.  I had actually been relatively comfortable in my bag, even with the chilly mist--I thought it was great sleeping weather; everyone else was cold.  I loved watching the full harvest moon through the trees and the flicker of the waning fire.  The sound of the girls and the insects and even traffic in the distance were comforting.

For breakfast, the girls gathered eggs in the chicken coop and picked some more herbs.  They also admired the sheep and ducks.  And their parents soon arrived to take them home.

It had been a great camping trip.

And I napped three hours that afternoon.

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"Linger"

Hmmm, I want to linger.
Hmmm, A little longer.
Hmmm, A little longer,
Here with you.

Hmmm, It's such a perfect night.
Hmmm, It doesn't seem quite right.
Hmmm, That this should be,
My last with you.

Hmmm, And come September,
Hmmm, I will remember,
Hmmm, Our Scouting days,
Of friendships true.

Hmmm, And as the years go by,
Hmmm, I'll think of you and sigh.
Hmmm, This is good night
And not good bye.

Hmmm I want to linger.
Hmmm A little longer.
Hmmm A little longer,
Here with you.

"On the Loose"

Have you ever seen the sunrise turn the sky completely red?
Have you slept beneath the moon and stars with a pine bough for your head?
Have you sat and talked with friends, though a word was never said?
Then you're like me and you've been on the loose.

Chorus:
On the loose to climb a mountain,
On the loose where I am free.
On the loose to live my life,
The way I think my life should be.
For I've only got a moment,
And a whole world yet to see,
And I'll be searching for tomorrow, on the loose.

There's a trail that I'll be hiking
Just to see where it might go.
Many places yet to visit,
Many people yet to know.
And in following my dreams,
I will live and I will grow,
On a trail that's out there waiting, on the loose.

Chorus

So in search of love and laughter,
I'll be travelling through this land.
Never sure of where I'm going,
For I haven't any plans.
But in time when you are ready,
Come and join me, take my hand.
And together we'll find life,
Out on the loose!

Chorus

Fall Faerie Fun

It's Faerie Village time again!  We've been for four years now, exploring the grounds of the Florence Griswold Museum in search of all the little faerie houses tucked away (2009, 2011, 2012--we skipped 2010, which was scarecrows.)  This year, the theme was the "Wizard of Oz," more from the book than the movie, which was fine because we'd read it a year or so ago.  The kids are older now and so we let them rn and roam around on their own, knowing they wouldn't wander off or touch anything.  As in earlier years, my favorite houses were those made of natural materials, those tucked into the shapes of trees or the land, and those under the giant oak.   The kids aren't as particular or predictable in their preferences.  

After enjoying all the faerie houses, we went for lunch at Pizza Works, the train station pizza place.  And Sis actually ate pizza, which has long been a food she wouldn't touch.  But she ate three slices of bacon cheeseburger pizza!  We were so excited, even though that pizza isn't always available.  Bud and Mama shared a bacon clam pizza while I liked pesto mushroom.  There was chocolatey Derby Pie and caramel apple pie for dessert.

See Dorothy's house on top of the tornado?

"Follow the Yellow Brick Road . . . . "

I loved the Munchkin village under the big tree, which was made by local elementary students and their art teacher.

More doors and ladders . . . .

My paternal grandfather would dry gourds; Goo has, too.

Can you see the tiny pincushion?  There was a checkerboard elsewhere.

Hot Off the Grill

I think it is my new favorite grilled food: pizza!

Some guys at church said they do it all the time. And so, tired of grilled veggies and frozen veggie burgers, I thought it was worth a try, especially because Mama assured me that it was doable.

Plus, I'd read the article in the NYTimes about homemade pizza, the secret being letting the dough rest overnight to develop a richer flavor.

So, on Friday night, I made my basic pizza dough in my bread machine and left it out in a container at room temperature overnight. The next day, with homemade sauce, slices of fresh mozzarella, and fresh basil leaves, we were ready. I divided the dough in half, spread it in a rectangle, and Mama threw it on the grill before anything else, closing the lid after it. In about 4 minutes, the dough was done on one side, bubbled and crisp, with pretty grill marks. We flipped it, spread the sauce and placed the cheese and basil, closing the lid again. In about 4 more minutes, the pizza was done.

And it was amazing. Not just the best grilled food, but some of the best pizza I've ever had. And so fast and easy. We even froze the second pizza in foil, not able to finish it all, and defrosted it the next day and reheated it on the grill--almost as great as the first day!

We'll be making this pizza every weekend . . . and you can too!

Rise Up: Family Pizza Night

I like the idea of a family dinner night. Something with lots of options and a do-it-yourself vibe. And I love pizza. But I don't usually like homemade pizza--the crust is just never right.

However, for my bread pledge, I wanted to give the homemade crust another go. Especially because I had a lot of great leftover roasted vegetables that I just knew would be good on pizza. And so on Sunday night, starting later than we should have considering we were making dough, I attempted a new pizza dough from the recipe in Beth Hensperger's The Bread Lover's Bread Machine Cookbook. I even made her sauce, which was great. We all had a great time playing with the dough and constructing the pizzas, even though Sis only wanted breadsticks and Bud only wanted olives on his pizza. Following something Mama had read, we put cheese (cheddar, oddly) right on the dough and then ladled the sauce--apparently it keeps the dough from being too soggy (and it did!). We put it all in the oven on my pizza stone and watched it all bake, getting hungrier by the minute.

And it was well worth the wait. Mmmmmmmm! The dough had great flavor and good crunch, though I left it a little too thick with too big of an edge. But that's more about my rolling skills than about the recipe. Bud wanted more than his quarter and Sis loved her breadsticks. Even Mama and I thought it was as good as we'd ever made at home and much better than frozen (even if it still wasn't as good as delivery). And we did it altogether! So we'll be having pizza again . . . maybe again on Sunday night for our new family theme dinner!

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Basic Pizza Dough

1 1/3 cups water

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

3 1/2 cups flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

2 1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeast

Place all ingredients in the pan according to manufacturer's instructions. Program for dough cycle and press Start. The dough will be soft.

When the machine beeps at the end, immediately remove the bread pan from the machine and turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Divide into the desired number of portions. Flatten each portion into a disc by kneading a few times then folding the edges into the center. Cover with a damp towel on the work surface to rest for 30 minutes until the dough has increased about 20% in size.

Roll out and shape the dough as directed in your pizza recipe. Or place the dough in plastic zipper bags and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. To use, let rest for 20 minutes at room temperature before rolling out. The dough balls may also be stored in the freezer for up to three months; let the dough defrost in the fridge overnight before using.

[Note: Most of her recipes have you baking at 450F plus for about 12-18 minutes.]

Essential Tomato-Herb Pizza Sauce

1-2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 yellow onion, finely chopped

2-8 oz cans tomato sauce

1 clvoe garlic, pressed, or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon dried oregano or marjoram leaves (we used Penzey's Pasta Sprinkle)

salt and pepper

Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat and saute the onion until soft and the edges begin to brown. Add the tomato sauce, garlic, herbs, salt, and pepper to taste. Bring to a low boil and adjust heat to low. Simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and cool. Can puree in blender. The sauce will keep in the fridge for 3 days or in the freezer for up to a month.

Beth Hensperger, The Bread Lover's Bread Machine Cookbook