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CHEF JAM ~ and the culinary  caper
FamilyLifeParents

CHEF JAM ~ and the culinary caper

Dinner prep was underway in the Lane’s kitchen. “Jamma, is this how chefs peel carrots?” Molly’s earnest desire to do it right weighed heavily in her question.

Jamma glanced over at her four year old granddaughter, who was running her peeler enthusiastically back and forth on the same spot,  right down to the core, and offered some guidance.

“There. You are doing it perfectly!” she replied, and was rewarded with a brilliant smile.

Finished with the carrots, Molly grabbed the parsnips. Since they looked like white carrots she knew what to do and set about peeling them with the surety of an experienced line cook. Her little sister Greta was busy placing cut up pieces of vegetable carefully on a baking sheet.

“What’s next Chef Jam?”

For about two years Molly had been in training as her Jamma’s sous- chef. She loved her role and was always excited to learn something new. Her confidence was growing with each new job and it showed. Jamma’s heart fairly boomed out of her chest when she heard Molly call out Chef Jam. It didn’t get any better than that!

“Our next task is to cut up a whole chicken.”

With that, Molly’s lips formed a perfect circle and her eyebrows shot up.

Jamma remembered the last time Molly laid eyes on a raw chicken she was afraid to touch it. Now a year older she didn’t even cringe. She ran her hand slowly and thoughtfully down the cool, rubbery carcass as if reading braille, then triumphantly declared,

 “That’s not as creepy as it looks!”

Chef Jam’s first concern was always safety, and she realized since they were about to cut up a chicken, it was time to talk about it. She knew Molly would be eager to learn what it meant.

“Food safety means always being clean when you’re preparing food so nobody gets sick when they eat it. You must wash your hands before you start and in between each preparation and the work station must also be kept clean. This keeps the germs and bacteria away.”

It made perfect sense to Molly, who, along with her sister, and without further prompting, dashed to the bathroom to scrub up. They were back just in time to see Jamma pull out a fresh cutting board and clean knife.

So to the chicken. Jamma showed the girls how to find the joint for the easiest cut, and helped Molly place the blade so she would understand what it felt like to find the soft spot.

Next Molly arranged the chicken pieces on a baking sheet, and was ready to add some flavor. She remembered what seasoning was from a previous lesson and in a blink dipped her hand in the salt bowl and grabbed as much as her little fist could hold, then with a flourish, doused the entire dish.

Now it was time for Jamma’s eyebrows to shoot up, and there followed a lesson on how much salt is actually needed for food to taste good. Molly took it all in, without taking offence, and they set about rinsing off as much as they could. The pepper grinder was much easier to manage.

“Chef Jam, I think we need to add some herbs.”

With that Molly skipped out the kitchen door and returned with some fresh thyme and rosemary. Jamma handed her a small knife and it wasn’t long before the herbs were chopped and the chicken ready for the oven. Then turning to the girls, Jamma said,

“Perfect!  Now we have an hour to play before dinner is ready”.

Sure enough the chicken was still too salty and barely edible. With the first bite they looked at each other’s scrunched up faces and burst out laughing. Even peeling the skin off was only a slight improvement, but at least they had some delicious roasted veggies to fill up their tummies.

Molly and Greta were both pooped after such an action packed day and eager to relax into a few stories before bed.

And Chef Jam? She was pooped as well, but the evening was such a pleasure she went to bed right after the girls, completely delighted. As she laid waiting for her eyes to slam shut, an alarming thought creeped out.

What was she thinking when she called their work perfect?!!

She certainly wasn’t expecting perfection, and she didn’t want the girls to think that was the goal either. The last thing they needed was to think they weren’t good enough if their work wasn’t perfect. What they needed was encouragement, guidance, and to be inspired to always do their best. And the whole experience should be fun not stressful. Simple as that.

Jamma wanted to be a good example for the girls, so laid there in the dark thinking about what she might want to say instead. She decided to replace perfect with wonderful, and vowed to start using it the very next morning. With a big exhale, she felt the powerful influence a single word could have, especially on precious little minds. Thank goodness she was paying attention to her thoughts.

Time spent with her girls was a chance for Jamma to mingle with their bright spirits; to play, to create, to laugh, and to make memories.  Even in the slip-ups there was fun to be had, and today was a fine example. 

Later that evening when Mom and Dad came back from their date night, Jamma was already fast asleep, pleased for what she had shared and learned, dreaming of the next culinary caper.

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Thanks for checking in. I recommend finding some young people to play with and see what they can teach you! The joy is indescribable.

Here’s a recipe for granola bars that are easy for kids to make, with thanks to www.allrecipes.com

I would love to hear from you. Just scroll to the bottom to leave a comment or share your own stories.

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Good Bones
FamilyLife

Good Bones

Until recently I believed that good bones run in our family.  At almost 5’10’ with a “sturdy” build, I was pretty sure I’m made of good stuff.  I take after my Mom’s side of the family which comes from strong Dutch and Russian genes, farmers, hard workers.  And besides, I’ve eaten my weight in cheese in my life.  Surely that’s enough.

Our family had a wake-up call recently when we discovered, quite accidentally, that our Mom has severe osteoporosis. Why this was not diagnosed sooner is beyond me.  After 5 fractures and multiple falls, none of us clued in.  Maybe it’s because she is now in a wheelchair and the family didn’t notice she had shrunk from her full adult height of 5’7″ to 5″2″. I just thought she was looking even more adorable as time passed, and that her diminutive stature was a natural consequence of aging.

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MEET SHEA

MEET SHEA

Author
If I was going to describe myself in one word, I would say creative. I love to write poetry and stories, garden, bead, draw, and study spiritual philosophy. If I keep these in my life, my inner artist and the seeker in me just hum. Only my kids and grandkids fill my heart more, and for that, there are really no words.

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Aphrodite offered up 3 ripe figs today, and along Aphrodite offered up 3 ripe figs today, and along with a sweet peach, I made a spectacular dessert topped with some creamy Gorgonzola. #figs #peaches #gorgonzola. I do love a cheesy and fruity treat.
Barely recognizable, this bumble bee is wearing a Barely recognizable, this bumble bee is wearing a coat of pollen. #bumblebee #roseofsharon #pollen #feedthebees #pollinators
A swath of gloriousness greeted me this morning as A swath of gloriousness greeted me this morning as I headed for the patch to collect some nourishment for breakfast.  Life is good, but I will miss the back forty.  Soon, figs. #roseofsharon #blueberries #patiogardening #summerbounty is worth the wait.
A very happy birthday Sammy! Your second as a mam A very happy birthday Sammy!  Your second as a mama.  Well done.  Xo @sdobo
For dinner….thank you @yasminkhanstories . Every For dinner….thank you @yasminkhanstories . Everyone needs her book Ripe Figs, especially if you love eastern Mediterranean cooking as much as I do. And maybe some grilled figs and goat cheese for dessert?  Perfect. Also thanks to my friend @sandysuto for recommending the dish. #prawns #saganaki #figs #goatcheese
A fine week included great friends, delicious home A fine week included great friends, delicious home made meals, swimming, hilarious bridge games, and a smidge of port on the beach watching the full Buck moon illuminate the seal snuffling and snorting in water. Feeling fortunate and more in love with nature than ever.  #buckmoon #friends #bridge #swimming #songbirds #dreaming #simpleisbest
Sunset over paradise. Tonight the full moon, beach Sunset over paradise. Tonight the full moon, beaching again later.  Let’s see what comes up I can say goodbye to. #fullmoon #chill and #release . @karenmerkas @vernainsta #peace
Life is no longer innocent. One might say even va Life is no longer innocent.  One might say even valuable.  6 more souls lost in Illinois today in an insane act of domestic terrorism.  Biden needs to declare a state of emergency, and in honor of this tragedy, fireworks need to be cancelled tonight everywhere. Instead gather for change. Let’s have silence and remember.  Collective action makes a difference. #presidentbiden #kamalaharris #cnn #dosomething #nancypelosi #msnbc
Handing in my shovel after the garlic harvest. A Handing in my shovel after the garlic harvest.  A trowel is all I need when I move at the end of summer. It’s been a grand 17 years at The Dial.  Sea Park Estates here I come. That said I have excellent shovel skills if anyone needs help. #moving #gardener #freedom #newdigs #newadventures #bestlife
Best line of the day. Elderly woman, confused and Best line of the day. Elderly woman, confused and perhaps a little hard of hearing, is in emerge being checked in.  The nurse asked her, quite loudly, if she has any allergies.  At alto voce she replied “yes, treadmills”. Then she went into a protracted explanation as to what it does to her.  Egad, sweetheart, will be there one day myself, but am going to copy that little gem! #er #sweethearts #stories #bitesoflife #allergictoexercise
Cleared the table and did the dishes after Bubbie’s birthday party, unprompted, their parents must be very proud. #granddaughters #helpers #appreciated #solucky
My favourite new cook book just there on the shelf My favourite new cook book just there on the shelf with others specially selected. I do love #pcc . @yasminkhanstories #realfood
Thank you, I’ll take one of everything! #pcc #ve Thank you, I’ll take one of everything! #pcc #veg #fresh #eatyourveggies
Today I was grocery shopping and the store was bus Today I was grocery shopping and the store was busy. I stood facing the shelves, my back to a nice family, when the force of a greeting roared past my ears.  It seemed to be for me, so I turned to meet the smiling eyes of an 8 or 9 yr old girl desperately wanting me to notice her pink roller skates.  Of course I immediately and enthusiastically appreciated how wonderful her skates were.  This unleashed a long explanation of how hard it is to push a buggy with roller skates on, to which I replied “that is great exercise!” She wholeheartedly agreed, and our brief and delightful exchange concluded satisfactorily. Receiving a beaming smile from this lovely girl notched up my vibrations considerably. #grateful for our #kids #thankful
My first rhubarb haul. ThankYs Ding @dobodonna for My first rhubarb haul. ThankYs Ding @dobodonna for the roots. Can’t wait to stew it up.  Maybe a #strawberry and #rhubarb crostata?  Better get some ice cream. #summerbounty
Why not be delighted. “Everything is always work Why not be delighted. “Everything is always working out for me”. Life in the flow is much happier when not trying to control outcomes. #intheflow #hakunamatata #dowhatyoucan then #letgo
What happens when a 7 year old gets a sewing kit a What happens when a 7 year old gets a sewing kit and a bag of fabric pieces for her birthday. Designed by Viv, hand sewn by Jamma and Viv. 4 fittings and 5 hours later she had a new dress for her party. My own creative spirit was singing. #sewing #granddaughter #creativity #nopattern #solucky
The red maple is doing her thing. What a glorious The red maple is doing her thing.  What a glorious day out with ma. #redmaple #spring #deepbreath
Omg. Can’t move now! I told the installer my D Omg.  Can’t move now!  I told the installer my Dad would approve of his workmanship. Thank you @doors_galore_bc .  Don’t try to do this yourself people. And Galway through my elderly neighbour stopped as one of her tires was low.  He filled and balanced them all with a smile on his face and went back to work #newdoors #doorsgalore .  Now to sell.
Parting is such sweet sorrow, but Brodie went to a Parting is such sweet sorrow, but Brodie went to a lovely family in Richmond. Over all, parting with stuff for the move is much easier than I thought it would be. #makespace #declutter #passalong . My future will be much clearer.

ps Great townhouse for sale here!
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