Visit from Naka Girl Scouts

We are busy with a visit from the Girl Scouts from Naka, Japan.  There are 7 girl and 5 leaders visiting and they are on a whirlwind tour of East TN. 

We have already visited the American Museum of Science and Energy, the Children's Museum, and today we are headed to GS Council offices.  Then we bring them Girl Scout camp, another great tradition.  Along the way, we are feeding them typical American fare of pizza, Pulled pork BBQ, s'mores, Girl Scout cookies, Mexican takeout and a Chinese buffet (They loved that!)

You can visit the following page to see pictures, look at each day for detailed photos.


http://oakridgesistercity.org/ (Look under the "Naka Shi Girl Scouts visit Oak Ridge" and then look under each day...these are updated daily)

Also, they were on the news and here is the link to that story!


http://www.wbir.com/story/news/local/five-at-four/2014/07/29/girl-scouts-from-japan-visit-oak-ridge/13327751/

They leave on Sunday and we will all be tired and needing a nap by then...

Chopped Challenge!!

Chefs: Jen, Karen, Marian and Tetsi
Judges: Bogdan, Mike and Sean (with Gabriel and Collin eating leftovers...)

Setting up for the night involved cleaning and moving some things around.  Here is what that looked like.

The appetizer round was organized by Sean and he chose for ingredients: marinated artichoke hearts, canned pumpkin, brie cheese and patty pan squash.  Here are some cooking pictures and following them are the creations that were made.

 

Tetsi gave us crostini two ways.  The first was a tomato and artichoke heart with melted brie and the second was a pumpkin puree over patty pan squash.

Jen made a biscuit with the brie cheese and topped it with a spread of pumpkin, artichoke hearts and shredded patty pan squash.

  

Karen's Chopped Salad, with roasted patty pan squash, pumpkin/artichoke vinaigrette and brie cheesy bread on the side.

Marian's appetizer showcased a side salad with pumpkin/brie dressing, chips and salsa with artichoke hearts and fried patty pan squash with sour cream and thyme.

Unfortunately, Marian was chopped after the appetizer round.  But, then she helped babysit Aggie, which was fun :)

The entree round ingredients were chosen by Mike and they included: mahi-mahi fish, shiitake mushrooms, turnip (a very large one) and coconut milk.  Here are the creations!

Karen made pecan and panko encrusted mahi-mahi with roasted carrots and shiitake mushrooms and turnip mash (with coconut milk and garlic).

Tetsi made a mahi-mahi stack with grilled turnip on the bottom and coconut marinated mahi-mahi and a coconut and mushroom sauce.

Jen created a Thai inspired dish with vegetables (including the turnip) in a Thai coconut-curry sauce, with rice and mahi-mahi bites on the top.

Karen was chopped this round which left Jen and Tetsi battling it for the dessert round.

Bogdan chose the ingredients for the dessert round which were: dates, kettle corn flavored popcorn chips, asiago cheese, and pomegranate juice.

 Looking at the ingredients for the final round...what are we gonna make!!

 Jen made a cream sauce (with dates) with a berry sauce (using the pomegranate juice) she sprinkled with with a cheese and popcorn chip crumble.

Tetsi made cookies with the dates and popcorn chips and topped it with a pomegranate sauce and cheese. 

And the winner is....

Jen!!  Congratulations and thanks to all for a fun night!!

Summer, World Cup and Chopped

Summer swimming along, actually lots of swimming, been at the pool 3 days in a row.  Marian loves to swim, especially late at night.  The pool is open until 10pm and we like to go about 9:15 and turn the lights on in the pool and swim then.  No one is usually there, so it's like our own private pool. Speaking of swimming at night, check out the book I just read, an interesting book.  See the link at the right.

So, yes, people have been asking me if Max (our German exchange student) is excited about the World Cup. Yes, he is and I am glad he is home to enjoy it with his family.  He has a lot to cheer about after today.

We are having a Chopped Dinner party this week.  For those of you who don't know what Chopped is, it's a show on The Food Network and a lot of fun to watch.  The premise is that there are 4 chefs who compete against each other and they each get a basket of secret ingredients.  They are the same for each chef.  They must use these ingredients (unusual sometimes) in their dish.  Marian and I have done it alone competing against each other, and it was so fun.  Now, we are enlisting our friends who will do it as well.  Marian is looking up recipes for fish, since she's never cooked fish and wants to be prepared if we get it in the basket.

Pictures of the night will follow, once it's all done.

Room change, Lindsey Stirling, Amendment 1

Anna and Gabriel have changed rooms and not all is organized, but it's getting there.

Below are photos from the Lindsey Stirling concert that Bogdan and Gabriel and Marian went to. They had a great time and were gushing about the show. 

This is the visit to Uncle Gerry and Aunt Marilyn after the concert. They all had a good time visiting and catching up with each other.

Lastly, Amendment 1 in TN is an important pro-life measure before the people of TN.  Spread the word and share this information!!

Patient Trust

Patient Trust

Above all, trust in the slow work of God

We are quite naturally impatient in everything to reach the end without delay.

We should like to skip the intermediate stages.

We are impatient of being on the way to something unknown, something new.

And yet it is the law of progress that it is made by passing through some stages of instability --- and that it may take a very long time.

And so I think it is with you.

Your ideas mature gradually --- let them grow, let them shape themselves, without undue haste.

Don't try to force them on, as though you could be today what time (that is to say, grace and circumstances acting on your own good will) will make of you tomorrow.

Only God could say what this new spirit gradually forming within you will be.

Give Our Lord the benefit of believing that his hand is leading you, and accept the anxiety of feeling yourself in suspense and incomplete.

- By Pierre Teilhard De Chardin SJ