Kari Goes To Mississippi

Ashlyn & I both fear birds, so we're getting our revenge. Well, the ISP at the women’s shelter went really well and ended up being a lot more than just building a wheelchair ramp, although that was one of the things we did. We also cleaned out an old shed that had a bunch of stored items that had been in there for far too long. Three rat bodies were identified amid the piles of turds, urinated on furniture and boxes, and gnawed through clothing and sheets. It was quite disgusting, which means, it was a job that really needed to be done, so despite the ick factor, it really was a productive and rewarding ISP. Oddly, I found an almost dead mouse on our kitchen floor when I went to make breakfast before leaving for the project, which I had to take outside and release to its fate. We knew there were rats and things living in our walls, but hadn’t seen one yet. As in literature, sometimes in life we receive foreshadowings, and that mouse was the beginning of a day filled with ca...

Putting up some sheetrock. Not much to report. I did a great deal of sheetrocking and mudding this week, which was fun and also good experience. Ask anyone in the business and they’ll tell you that mudding is an art form that takes lots of practice to do correctly, so I’m anxious to get as much experience as I can in this program. So far, so good. Yesterday we left work early to go to a house dedication on one of the places that our sponsor organization built for a family of 3. It was the first time I’d seen what kind of houses R3SM builds, because thus far, our work hasn’t strayed from the big volunteer house. It was a very nice little house, and the family was really excited to move in. The family, a mother with 15-year-old twins, has been living in a broken down place for some time, and I’m not sure it wasn’t meant as a garage rather than a dwelling. The new house was built right next door, so they don’t even have to move their garden growing out back. Earlier in the week I se...

Berger Cookies Makes 16 to 24 large cookies For the cookies 8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 tablespoon baking powder 1 1/2 cups sugar 3 large eggs 4 1/2 cups flour 1 cup whole or 2-percent milk For the frosting 3 1/2 cups (21 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped 2 tablespoons light corn syrup 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) chilled unsalted butter 1 1/2 cups heavy cream For the cookies: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer or hand-held electric mixer. Beat on medium-high speed for about 3 minutes, until fluffy. Stop and scrape the bowl down once, or as needed. Add the salt, vanilla extract and baking powder; beat on medium speed to incorporate, then add the sugar and beat to incorporate. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Reduce the speed to low ...

Southwestern Black Bean Burgers (4 Servings) These are incredibly delicious! Burgers : 1 can black beans, rinsed & drained 2 T Light Mayonnaise ¼ C packed fresh cilantro leaves, chopped ½ C bread crumbs, plain & dried ½ t ground cumin ½ t hot pepper sauce Fixin’s : Whole wheat pitas Lettuce Salsa Anything else you might enjoy Mash black beans with mayo until almost smooth with some lumps. Stir in cilantro, bread crumbs, cumin, and pepper sauce until combined. With lightly floured hands, shape bean mixture into 3” patties. Spray both sides of patty with non-stick cooking spray and fry in a hot skillet for about 3 minutes on each side, or until lightly browned. Place on pita and top with your favorite fixin’s for a delicious meal. You can make more than you can eat and then freeze the leftover bean mixture to cook at a later date. Just form the patties, and when you’re ready to eat, defrost for 10 minutes and cook through for about 12 minutes, turning once. Jacquie with ou...

Jacquie & I cracking up over the Bean Burger process. Sometimes, I think I can almost hear my biceps growing. Drywall is HEAVY, and I spent a lot of time this past week carrying 4 ½’ x 12’ sheets (2 together) from one location to another. The weight of dual drywall sheets at these measurements is somewhere in the neighborhood of 175 lbs, not to mention the awkwardness of carrying floppy cement that is easily damageable. As a rule, the “big strong men” carry these boards in pairs, struggling every step of the way, and taking a plethora of breathers and breaks. We girls on the other hand have a system. We work steadily with 3 of us carrying the same load, and though heavy, it’s not TOO heavy, and we end up carrying more than the macho guys this way. Our supervisor was quite impressed. Besides carrying drywall from the front yard into various rooms throughout the house (all first floor, thankfully!), we started the process of putting it up, which isn’t easy in a place with so man...

I made a triple batch of this meat free recipe for dinner this week, and it was absolutely amazing! Good as leftovers too. For 4 servings: 3T peanut oil 2 onions, chopped 2 carrots, thinly sliced 3 garlic cloves, crushed 1 red pepper, chopped 2 bay leaves 1T paprika 3T tomato paste 14 oz canned coconut milk 7 oz canned chopped tomatoes 1/2C vegetable stock 13 oz canned red kidney beans, rinsed & drained 1/2C unsalted cashews (optional) Small handful of cilantro, roughly chopped Salt & pepper Heat the oil in a large saucepan and fry the onions and carrots for 3 minutes. Add garlic, red pepper, and bay leaves and fry until vegetables are soft and brown. Stir in paprika, tomato paste, coconut milk, tomatoes, stock, and beans and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 12 minutes, or until everything is tender. Stir in cashews, cilantro, and salt & pepper and heat through for 2 minutes. Serve with rice.

Looking out the side door on a beautiful morning with fog over the water. Insulation blues Itchiness reigns all over Even under skin Sometimes a haiku can say it all, but this one does not even begin to describe how hellishly itchy and generally miserable it is to install hundreds of feet of insulation over the course of a couple days. And it’s not just walls either, it’s the ceilings as well; tall, frustrating ceilings. Someone’s got to do it though, and hopefully we can finish it up this coming week and then forget how awful it was. Before beginning insulation, I spent three days de-nailing studs, putting up new siding, pulling out old windows, reframing said windows, and installing brand new ones. The house we’re working on is apparently an old whorehouse, situated directly across from the still functioning train station. It’s a gigantic two story house that everyone in town simply refers to as “the big blue house.” Anytime we’re out and about in uniform, people constantly co...