Big Father's Day Weekend

 "His mercy extends to those who fear Him, 

from generation to generation."

Luke 1:50

This is going to be an ultimate "just do the next thing" weekend. Saturday is a birthday picnic and frizbee golf party for my son-in-law Zac. I think he is 28 today. Sarah has asked me to bring a strawberry rhubarb pie, and other have requested that I bring my custard rhubarb pie, and she asked if I would show up early at her house to help her get ready. So given that it takes 30 minutes to get to Sarah and Zac's house, one hour for the pies to cool down enough to transport, one hour to cook the pies, and one hour to get the pies ready to cook. That adds up to three and a half hours. So given that I want to be at Sarah's at 12 o'clock, then I'll need to start the pies at 8:30.


Then we are going to a movie event at the Lloyd Center Cinema at 5 o'clock, and it will take a half hour to get from the park to the cinema, so I need to leave the picnic by 4:30. We will be watching Indiana Jones, and then there's a discussion group afterwards, which will probably go until 9, and I bet I will be really tired when I get home. But some how I have to get the house tidied up for the Father's Day Sunday dinner for my Dad at 2:00.

On Sunday church is at 9:00, and it would nice to have a Father's Day breakfast for Riley. I should ask him what he would like for breakfast. Or maybe if he'd like, we could go out to breakfast. [I just asked him and he suggested breakfast by the pool, and a breakfast strata. Annie just said that she can make stratas] But I think we will do "waffles in the garden". I'm pretty sure that there's a plug out there. Well actually it's a phone jack - we'll think of something. And maybe we can have bacon and orange juice (which I don't have), and cheese and applesauce. Maybe we can go to the second church service instead of the first, and then Corey can join us, as she has to work at 10:45.

Then somewhere in all of that I need to make two apple pies, and make French bread, etc for the Father's Day dinner at 3:00. The last time my dad came to dinner he make a big point of saying that I should make as many apple pies as possible. I should make a third one maybe for him to take home.

Father's Day Dinner

two roasted chickens
roast potatoes, under the chickens
green salad, with all the extras I can find
salad dressing made without onion, as my dad doesn't like them
French bread
traditional apple pie
rustic apple pie
little apple pie for my dad to take home





I'd love to make a new apple thing, though my dad just wants the basic apple pie. I spotted a recipe by Jamie Oliver entitled Bolognese polenta and apple cake (Bustrengo), which looks very yummy.




Bustrengo

a dab of butter for buttering the tart pan
50g {1.75 oz} polenta (cornmeal)
100g {3.5 oz} flour
50g {1.75 oz} stale breadcrumbs
50g {1.75 oz} sugar, plus extra for dusting
250ml {9 oz}  milk
1 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk, beaten
50g {1.75 oz} honey
28 ml {1 oz or 2 tablespoons) olive oil
50g {1.75 oz} dried cherries (Jamie used figs)
50g {1.75 oz} raisins or sultanas
250g {9 oz} apples, peeled, cored and roughly diced
4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
zest of 1 orange
zest of 1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 350ºF and butter a shallow 8 inch, loose-bottomed cake tin. Mix the polenta, flour, breadcrumbs and sugar in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, mix together the milk, egg and yolk, honey and olive oil. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture, making sure you stir it all together well. Add the figs, raisins, apples, cinnamon, orange and lemon zest and salt, and stir again.

Pour the mixture into your cake tin and bake for about 35-40 minutes. Keep an eye on it – you may need to cover it with some foil if you find that it starts to brown too much at the edges. Before serving, sprinkle over some caster sugar. Then make sure you eat it warm – lovely with a dollop of crème fraîche and a glass of vin santo!

"It occurred to me that some may not know the USMA Honor Code to which Rumsfeld refers. It is:

A Cadet will not lie, cheat or steal, or tolerate those who do.

The Code is taken very seriously, and it is administered by the cadets themselves, with the advice of JAG lawyers. Cadets can be and are sanctioned, even separated from the corps, for what some might consider minor infractions.

Rumsfeld's mention of the Code is very much in keeping with its intent: to produce leaders of character who will do the right thing even when the pressures of battle or other situations make it tempting to cut corners. Along those lines, incoming plebes (freshmen) are taught that there are 4 basic answers they may give when questioned about their behavior:

Yes, Sir/Ma'am.
No, Sir/Ma'm.
I don't know, Sir/Ma'am.
and, perhaps the most important:
No excuse, Sir/Ma'am.

The intent is not to produce robots, but men and women who take full responsibility for their actions."

Robin Burk, May 2004

"Teaching should be such that what is offered 

is perceived as a valuable gift 

and not as a hard duty."

Albert Einstein