The Rest of August

Sean actually got to have three birthdays this year. We did a Scandia video game/batting cages/minicar race birthday on the Sunday before his birthday with my side of the family (plus Becky & Roshni), then we did a small gathering on Sean's actual birthday with some friends, then we did another family birthday dinner with Sean's side of the family Friday night. Scandia was fun, although they didn't have any air-conditioning inside the arcade. My mom and dad played a first-person shooter together--my mom played with a rather disgusted look on her face (which was awesome). I made Sean's new favorite burger, the Andouille-Beef burger, for his "friend" birthday, and it was generally agreed that they're very tasty.




A couple weekends ago, we took Friday off and went up to Eureka through Sunday. The goals of our journey were thus: to escape the searing heat of Sacramento; to visit Sean's family; and to explore the area's outdoor wonders. The weekend started off with a sense of doom hanging over our heads, because we almost got into three accidents on the way up and because Nate convinced Shelly we were coming on a different weekend (hence, they were not expecting us when we called to say we were 20 minutes away). So: Nate got in trouble and Shelly was a good sport, and everything turned out great (except for everyone else being out of town for a funeral). They led us on all sorts of adventures in the greater Eureka area and generally impressed us with how close they are to all sorts of natural beauty. One of the highlights of the trip was their sewage treatment plant/bird sanctuary. Seriously. You should check it out if you're ever in the area. It was an exhausting weekend (Nate and Shelly have energy to spare when it comes to walking), but super fun. The one disappoint is that apparently local Humboldt County coffee shops can't make a good iced white mocha; we had to give in and just go to Starbucks. Oh well.



To make our August even more exciting, we drove down to San Diego for a quick baby-shower (for my friend Naju)/visit the Martas trip. We had a bunch of fun hanging out with Sharon, Isaac, and Reece at the Wild Animal Park (amazing), and it was great to see my still-skinny-except-for-her-baby-bump friend. We rounded out the day by watching a movie with Sharon & Jake--an unintentionally hilarious stealth-Christian movie that provided ample opportunity for commentary. It was really sad when we left the next day, because Isaac was crying and saying he wanted to go to Sacramento with us. It almost made me cry, too. He drew me a picture later, so I guess all is well now.



That's about it. I decided to not post every new recipe I make, because some of them have been complete flops. However, I made a quick dessert with some leftover berries I had from the farmers' market, and it turned out really well. Here you go (courtesy of Alton Brown):



individual berry crisps
(serves 4)

• 1 cup all-purpose flour (about 5 ounces)
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 cups chopped nuts (walnuts, almonds, or pecans)
• 1 1/2 cups crushed crackers, gingersnaps, or cereal
• 4 ounces unsalted butter, cubed and chilled
• 12 ounces fresh or frozen berries (blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries work well)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch

directions

1. Place the flour, sugar, nuts, and crackers in a large mixing bowl; combine.
2. Work the butter into the dry ingredients, using your hands or a pastry blender, until it is crumbly.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the berries, sugar, cornstarch, and 1/2 cup of the crisp mixture in a medium bowl; stir gently to combine.
4. Divide the mixture evenly among 4 small (7-8 oz.) ramekins. Top each ramekin with 1/2 cup of the remaining crisp topping.
5. Place ramekins on a sheet pan and bake on the middle rack of the oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until fruit is bubbling and topping is browned. Allow to cool 15 minutes before serving.

rating: 5/5 (I decided to change my response system so I wouldn't have to remember what people said....)

critique:
I can't imagine using crackers in this recipe, and I probably wouldn't recommend it. I used cornflakes, and it turned out great. Although the recipe doesn't mention it, this dessert pairs well with some good vanilla ice cream.