
-Megan Pikula guest post
-Megan Pikula guest post
I believe I am innately bored by many things. Although I appreciate silliness, I tend to find most things wry and just okay. People will criticize this but it’s honest which tends to be the point of everything. Further I would like to add I have read a million self help books and embrace therapy to find the ‘art of happiness and fulfillment.’ I believe in the value of living in the moment. I just require more practice.
This leads me to my next thought; the laws of attraction. My husband is my polar opposite in regards to outlook. Obviously environmental factors have shaped our fundamental differences. My childhood was steeped in dysfunction and the gravity of shitty choices. While Mike’s childhood was perhaps not idyllic for all, it provided him a sense of security and happiness. Mike remarks after most encounters “that was fun.” The other night when he said this I thought to myself ‘that’s overkill, it was a movie.’
I write this post with admiration for the people around me who share this optimistic vantage point. I am in unbelievable envy of merriment and giddiness. Although due to me being myself, I rarely think people’s gaiety matches the life event taking place. Most people who exude abundant happiness seem to approach every day with the same flavor. Of course it’s unseemly to tell people to tone it down when they express happiness from working out or eating at a restaurant.
Today was one of those days where I felt perhaps my true family is with the curmudgeon down the street who waits for the mail-person to deliver in order to rant about his misfortunes. I may not share his negativity but I do get him.
Today my six-year-old and my husband waited roughly three hours outside for dirt to be delivered. My husband was convinced the truck was right around the corner at 2pm. By 4:30 I crossed my arms and stepped outside. I looked at Mike and said “really, you have nothing better to do.” I felt like I was running a group home with my family waiting outside for something, anything to take place. I say this with tenderness because I worked in group homes for years while in college. The residents rarely have an agenda except to wait.
I asked my daughter “what are you doing outside?” She replied with a wide grin “counting red leaves!” To this, I had nothing to add except , “alrighty then.” I did wonder how both father and child found their current activities so amusing. Mike looked over at Anni and smiled “great pile.”
My other daughter is far more like myself. She always seems to have intent and purpose. Mike asked if she wanted to come outside and she asked “why.” When she heard the answer was waiting for dirt, she said “no, I will take a bath.” She’s three.
I am bemused by my in home residents; daughters that differ so completely and love me entirely. And I feel so lucky in love with the goofiest time jack that is Mike.
by Meseidy on March 19, 2010
Yesterday as I stood in the kitchen trying to figure out what to make for dinner I wondered to myself, how do those people do it on those shows where they are given random ingredients and are suppose come up with something genius. I think I stood there for a solid 20 minutes looking in the cupboards and staring into the freezer hoping that I would be struck by some ingenious idea. Then I saw the oranges and it hit me “O-raang Shh-ikun”….that is orange chicken if you can’t understand the accent.
I love orange chicken and I almost always order # 14 Orange Chicken when we order Chinese take out and I wondered to myself if I could make it better at home. This recipe most definitely delivered! Ha ha chinese food…delivered….get it? Am I a dork?
The sauce is sweet, tangy, there is no lack in orange flavor and the red pepper flakes give it just a touch of heat. I thought I would dredge the chicken in corn starch instead of flour to keep it light and also in panko breadcrumbs to give it a little crunch. It was the right call, the chicken came out lightly breaded and still held up a bit of a crunch when tossed in the sauce. Delicious!
Combine corn starch, salt, and pepper. Prepare a bowl with beaten eggs, panko bread crumbs and another with corn starch. Dip chicken in egg mixture, dredge in cornstarch, then again in the eggs and finally in the panko bread crumbs, set aside. Heat pan with vegetable oil to 375 degrees, fry chicken in batches until completely cooked.
As you finish each batch drain cooked chicken in a paper towel lined plate.
In a large saucepan combine 1 ½ cups water, orange juice, rice vinegar, and soy sauce. Blend well over medium heat for a few minutes. Stir in brown sugar, orange zest, ginger, garlic and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil. Combine 3 tablespoons of cornstarch with 1/4 cup of water and mix thoroughly. Slowly stir cornstarch mixture into sauce until it thickens.
Pour sauce over breaded chicken, and if desired garnish with green onions, which I would have used but I didn’t have any.
We loved, loved, loved this and I had to refrain totally gorging myself. At first I wasn’t even trying to make something with posting it in mind, I was just trying to make “something” for dinner, but it was so good I had to share it. I have to say that this is definitely better then takeout. Enjoy!
Chicken
Orange Sauce
Combine corn starch, salt, and pepper. Prepare a bowl with beaten eggs, another with panko bread crumbs and another with corn starch. Dip chicken in egg mixture, dredge in cornstarch, then again in the eggs and finally in the panko bread crumbs, set aside. Heat pan with vegetable oil to 375 degrees, fry chicken in batches until completely cooked.
In a large saucepan combine 1 ½ cups water, orange juice, rice vinegar, and soy sauce. Blend well over medium heat for a few minutes. Stir in brown sugar, orange zest, ginger, garlic and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil.
Combine 3 tablespoons of cornstarch with 1/4 cup of water and mix thoroughly. Slowly stir cornstarch mixture into sauce until it thickens. Pour sauce over breaded chicken, and if desired garnish with green onions.
DRIVE TIME: 2 HOURS
LOCATED BY: RED CEDAR LAKE
BEST FOR: NATURE LOVERS
If your idea of a lake getaway involves cabins, beers resting in an ice-filled cooler, and a rope swing, Wandawega Lake Resort in Walworth County is your summer camp away from home. Minutes from the shopping and dining options of Lake Geneva and the hiking and biking trails of Kettle Moraine State Forest, Wandawega has a colorful history. The site served for decades as a retreat for Latvian priests, until two creative directors at Ogilvy in Chicago bought it in 2004. Tereasa Surratt, one of the owners, has described the resort’s carefully cultivated vibe as “cottage chic at its best. In fact, camping indoors is a nice way to think about it.”
Actually, calling Wandawega a resort may be a tad grandiose, considering that Surratt warns visitors they may encounter ladybugs or caterpillars on their pillows or small critters in the shower. During my stay there one hot summer weekend, I encountered no such pests. In fact, my husband and I spent a long afternoon in the lake and on the dock, serenely unbothered by intruders. When evening came, we bought a pizza (although secluded on 25 wooded acres with a private beach, the resort is still close to civilization) and enjoyed it on our cabin’s deck. The cottage itself was utterly charming, as if Martha Stewart had redecorated an authentically rustic campsite with cheery linens, blankets, books, photos, and quirky ephemera. An air conditioner stood at the ready, but we never turned it on. It is possible to rough it even more by renting the vintage Boy Scout tents, which are canvas cabins on wood platforms, outfitted with beds and chairs.
Perhaps dangling your feet in the lake over the edge of an inner tube doesn’t provide enough stimulation. There’s also basketball, shuffleboard, volleyball, tennis, bonfires, fishing (for panfish, largemouth bass, and northern pike), horseshoes, rowing, and hiking. When Surratt and her husband, David Hernandez, are around, which is most weekends, guests may visit the main lodge and partake of its amenities—billiards, darts, and movies. Here’s a fun idea: Get a crew together and rent the whole place for a weekend. We’ll join you.
Kettle Moraine State Forest’s Northern Unit (262-626-2116) offers tons of hiking and biking trails through the glacier-formed hills of Wisconsin; the Ice Age Visitor Center (920-533-8322) explains it all. If you’re craving classic tourist stuff—fudge shops, adorable boutiques, great restaurants—Lake Geneva is close by; don’t miss a boat tour of the mansions on the lake (800-558-5911, cruiselakegeneva.com). Many of the fab vintage items adorning the Wandawega cabins come from the Elkhorn Antique Flea Market (Walworth County Fairgrounds, 411 E. Court St.; 414-525-0820)—Surratt’s favorite. Catch it if you happen to be around on June 26th, August 14th, or September 25th. Elegant Farmer (1545 Main St., Mukwonago; 262-363-6771, elegantfarmer.com) is a local grocery that’s been lauded by The New York Times and Gourmet for its homemade apple pies baked in paper bags.
W5453 Lake View Dr., Elkhorn; wandawegarentals.com
Rates are $200 to $300 per cabin per night (two-night minimum), with discounts for multiple rooms or by the week. Also available are Boy Scout canvas cabins: $100 per tent, must rent all three tents for two-night minimum.
When my daughter was two and a half and just learning to articulate herself she would ask anyone “you healthy and happy?” My parents thought it so adorable she seemed concerned with the welfare of others at such a young age. One Christmas she went around the table and asked everyone in attendance if they were healthy and happy. She waited for each response before continuing to the next guest. Children are like mina birds at that age, repeating well used phrases they hear. For our children Mike and I did and do wish good health and an abundance of happiness that will shield them from the other ebb and flow that is the natural rhythm of life. I know they will experience their fair share of hurt and loss. Perhaps it’s natural parental ignorance to think a strong immune system and a goofy smile will shield them from the messiness and chaos of life.
I registered my oldest daughter for school the other day and could not believe the summer is almost over and another season will be upon us. I feel anticipation permeate my bones the way cold weather affects an arthritic body. Hope is my mantra at the beginning of this school year. The laundry list grows long as I reiterate to Anni what a great year she will have. I wish for her kindness that is reciprocal, a love for learning and retaining knowledge, friendship and giggles that comfort, the experience of failing and trying harder until you achieve.
The pressure to excel and perform is much greater than when I was young. Today school shootings are rampant in the media. Our youth have to discriminate moral consequences when they are least prepared to understand the ramifications. Kids are texting nude pictures of themselves and facebooking about one another without comprehending how fragile the child ego can be. Children are asked to complete achievement standards to advance a grade. Academic testing is administered as early as kindergarten.
I want Anni to be socially aware without robbing her of the innocence that should be a rite of passage as a little girl. I want Anni to work diligently without concern for measuring up to her peers. Are these expectations too grand or unrealistic I wonder. As I watched Anni this morning wiggling her first loose tooth in the mirror I silently hoped she would be engaged with the pleasures of childhood for a long time. She turned to me and smiled a big goofy grin and exclaimed “the tooth fairy is magic, right mom?”
After taking Anni home from the hospital as a newborn I was overcome with the nervous feeling of loving her so much I felt fearful. I wanted to protect her from the hurts I experienced and knew it would prove an impossible task. I can now articulate what I wanted for my daughter was trite, simple and pure. I wanted her to be happy and healthy. School is another imposing fear, we have to take our children from their protected environment and let other people stongly influence her. I hope she is surrounded by teachers and peers who believe in magic as my little Anni so honestly believes.