Candy Party

candy party at Kirsch Camp!

It's an annual event at the Kirsches that all the neighbors look forward to every
December between Christmas and New Years. Usually there are about 50 attending
the festivities.

Just in case you're not familiar with CANDY MAKING;

It is an ART... a SCIENCE... and TIMING is EVERYTHING!!!!

This year the tradition is being passed down to the next generation, so Jonathon and his sibs and even a couple of neighbors learned what it takes to be a candy maker in the Kirsch kitchen! 

Dad (John Kirsch) made it look effortless all these years!! But there is a technique that must be developed. It's about patience and then swiftness of movement when Joy (who has been stirring the pot continuously for about fifteen minutes and keeping an eye on the candy thermometer),  yells "HOT CRACK!!" and the sweet bubbling lava is poured onto the marble slab. Now the candy makers jump into action! 

We are teams, all of us, anxiously waiting with our scissors at the kitchen counter that is completely covered in powdered sugar. The first batch is peppermint and the aroma in the kitchen is amazing. It's like a burst of energy. The cutter at his place in front of the marble slab cuts sections and whisks them off the slab to the powdery countertops where we cut like crazy before the candy hardens. We cut little pillows and roll them in the sugar. Each batch that follows is a different color and flavor; anise, lemon, cherry, root beer, clove, cinnamon, wintergreen and tangerine. In between batches the candy is picked up and placed in a big sifter where the excess sugar is shaken off and the candy put in jars. At the end everyone has their very own colorful collection of sweet confection to take home and share!

Here are some pictures from a few years back when John, the Master Candy Maker, was at the helm.

CANDY MAKERS NEXT GEN

Jonathon's First Time at the helm!

Wilson and Clara sifting

Cory and son Drew, Jonathon and Mike

Lorelei, Wilson and Clara

Walking in the Woods

Yesterday the SUN was OUT!!!! Glorious, Gorgeous, Magnificent, FIERY ball of LIGHT!!!!
We loaded up the kids and adults and off we went to Schmeeckle Reserve, a 280 acre sanctuary that protects natural habitats of Central Wisconsin.

As we walked along one of the trails Matt spotted this beautiful Barred Owl. The owl sat for the longest time allowing us to admire and photograph him before he spread his wings and flew back into the woods.

I almost forgot!! We had a family talent show on Christmas night! Clara and Lorelei did a beautiful ballet/modern dance routine, Wilson played the violin, Michael's piano selection was enchanting, Harlow sang us a Pajama Song in his PJ's!  Zia did an improv dance routine to one of her favorite songs and Jonathon and I did a little routine to Taylor Swift's "Shake it Off".

Shake it Off!!

Beth

Beth Ann (Stuart) Parr

October 28, 1954 - December 24, 2012

Beth's Prayer

(as written on Caring Bridge)

I pray our Heavenly Father pours out

His extravagant love and blessings all

over each of you - for whatever it is

you need in your life.

Missing Beth. Always in my heart and never far from my thoughts.

Special Delivery

Yesterday we helped deliver the boxes of food and bags of toys to the families. What a well run organization. BootStrap has been around for over 30 years and not one paid employee!!! Since this all took place inside an airplane hangar the delivery cars and trucks were lined up by family # and color code, when drivers names were called they brought their vehicles around,drove inside, parked by the matching color-coded sign and were loaded up by the Boy Scouts. Our Ford explorer was packed with bags and boxes for three families and off we went! We delivered to families nearby one another and then came back to the hangar for a second load and three more families. We took a quick break and had some homemade chili and pizza and chatted with other volunteers. At the end we left with packages for two additional families that we will deliver today as they were not home this morning. This experience was a wonderful reminder to be thankful for all our many blessings including the food we eat,the clothing we wear, the homes we live in, the cars we drive, toilet paper, soap and so many other things that are easily taken for granted when you've always had them. 

Baby it's Cold Outside!

The weather warmed up quite a bit the last few days and melted most of the snow. All our snow people have vanished! I knew I should have taken more photos. Here's the one that Michael and I built. Michael did most of the work, my contribution was the hands on hips and we packed and chiseled until we got just the right pose or should I say just the right attitude!

Now the temperatures are dropping again and snow is predicted beginning on Sunday and continuing all next week!! This will make for a very lovely white Christmas. Maybe we will be able to rebuild our village of snowmen when the gang gets here from Chicago.

My mother-in-law, Joy, has a very generous heart. Serving others is a big part of her life. One of the ways she does this is through her cooking and baking and we are regularly treated to delicious home cooked meals and yummy desserts. Last night I returned the favor and cooked a meal for the family in my tiny little kitchen here in our "cabin" in the woods. It turned out to be a big hit, so I thought I'd share the recipes. I made Black Bean Soup and Twice Baked Potato Casserole. Mike brought sour dough bread and Joyce got a rotisserie chicken to round out the meal. 

Black-Bean Soup

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
2 large plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons each; dried oregano and ground cumin
1 dried bay leaf
5 cups low sodium chicken stock
3 cans black beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup frozen whole-kernel corn

1 cup (6 oz.) diced smoked ham

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1 tsp hot-red pepper sauce or to tasteSalt and pepper

Garnish:squeeze of lime
dollop of Sour cream

cilantro sprigs
Directions
In a large heavy pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, peppers and tomatoes cook until tender about 5-8 minutes. Stir in spices and toss to coat vegetables. Pour in stock and beans and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes. In a blender, puree half of the soup until smooth and stir back into soup pot. Stir in corn, ham, cilantro and hot pepper sauce. Cook over medium heat 3 or 4 minutes or until ham and corn are heated through. Serve hot with garnishes.

Makes 6 servings

Twice Baked Potato Casserole

Ingredients
10 large russet baking potatoes (about 7 pounds total)
8 tablespoons (1 stick) plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
3/4 pound bacon, cooked until crisp and crumbled
1/2 pound sharp white Cheddar, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
3/4 pound mild Cheddar, grated (3 cups)
1/2 cup finely chopped green onions
3 eggs, lightly beaten
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Scrub the potatoes well and rinse under cool running water. Pat dry with paper towels and prick the potatoes in several places with a fork. Place the potatoes in the oven and bake for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until tender. Remove from the oven and set aside on a wire rack until cool enough to handle.

When the potatoes have cooled, cut each potato in half and, using a spoon or a melon baller, scoop the flesh out of the skins, leaving as little flesh as possible. Place the potato flesh in a large bowl and add 1 stick of the butter, the sour cream, heavy cream, salt, and pepper and mash until chunky-smooth. Add the bacon, cubed white Cheddar, half of the grated Cheddar, the green onions, and eggs and mix thoroughly.

Butter a 9 by 13-inch casserole with the remaining tablespoon of butter and reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees F.

Place the seasoned potato mixture in the prepared casserole and top with the remaining grated Cheddar. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until bubbly around the edges and heated through and the cheese on top is melted and lightly golden. Serve hot.

Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, Emeril's Potluck, William Morrow Publishers, New York, 2004

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/twice-baked-potato-casserole-recipe.html?oc=linkback

Volunteering

Yesterday morning I woke feeling pretty blue. We are approaching the two year anniversary of Beth's passing on Christmas Eve. I'm also missing my friends, my family and my life in Arizona. The perfect cure was a day spent volunteering for a group called Bootstrap.

Susan

Mike and Jonathon

Mom, Mike, Jonathon and I joined in helping to sort toys and wrap presents for local families in need. Mom and I also matched mittens, scarves and hats and pinned them together for the families. There were many beautiful handmade ones but they quickly ran out of scarves and gloves. This may be one of our projects for the coming year!  It was reminiscent of working with Back to School and we felt right at home.

Jonathon and Mom

My mother-in-law, Joy, works in the kitchen feeding the volunteers all day long.

Joy

We worked in an airplane hangar that had been filled
by volunteers the night before with boxes of food and
paper products for each of the families. All the boxes
were stacked in neat rows, families identified by numbers
only. As shoppers shopped and wrappers wrapped,
the bags full of toys were placed next to the boxes of food
for each family. It was a bit like being an elf at the North Pole!

Later this week the toys and food will be delivered to the families.
What joy!

The Inner Journey

Winter; a time for solitude and reflection. I sense it keenly today with the snow and dense fog surrounding us.I can barely see the birch trees outside my window.

It is my intention to start each day with quiet time that includes reading followed with the practice of mindfulness. Today I picked up an old favorite book that deeply touched my heart when I read it many years ago. I wanted to share some thoughts with you from A Seven Day Journey With Thomas Merton by Esther de Waal

Day One - The Call
"...The inner journey, a journey we all must make. Our real journey in life is interior: it is a matter of growth, deepening, and an ever greater surrender to the creative action of love and grace in our hearts.

This is a time apart, a time to be alone with myself and with God. I have given it to myself as gift but also as necessity, because I recognise that this is something that I need for myself, that I want to make a priority in my life at this moment. This is a time to acknowledge my total and utter dependence on God, my need for Him, my great longing for Him...I am coming apart in order that I may find again, and strengthen, that person whom I most deeply and truly am before God. 

...this may be a time for the deepening of love, faith, and prayer.

...so I try not to strive and not to lay any huge burdens or expectations upon myself...the start must be simply to stay still, to accept myself where I find myself, to be open to the present.

...Perhaps in the end it simply amounts to becoming aware, to being totally present to this moment, to being ready to listen... and that in doing so we can find ourself engulfed in such happiness that it cannot be explained; the happiness of being at one with everything in that hidden ground of Love for which there can be no explanations...

...May we all grow in grace and peace, and not neglect the silence that is printed in the centre of our being. It will not fail us."

I have felt the experience of "coming apart" that Merton refers to. A life totally shaken to the core, even uprooted and now the challenge of new birth, growth, strengthening and expanding. This inner journey is hard. I'm not consistent in my efforts or my awareness. But I do have moments, glimpses of peace and deep love and even feeling grounded. Having an open heart and a spirit of gratitude is imperative.