Pecked by Ducks

I am totally procrastinating. I need to be answering e-mails and writing proposals and completing my linked in profile. But today was Quinn’s first official day of school. And while it wasn’t as traumatic as a week ago Monday, when I took him in for a full day of assessment and let him (after much pleading) ride the bus home, I am still reeling a bit from the hugeness of it all.

So last Monday (not yesterday, I keep thinking today is Monday because of the holiday) I took Quinn to his assigned assessment day. He got to read and do math and show off his Spanish, and I suppose, get assigned to a teacher and a classroom. I filled out paperwork and tried not to freak out that I had let him talk me into letting him take the bus home.

Finally I couldn’t think of one more question to ask, any more papers to fill or find any more pamphlets to request and I had to leave. I waved good bye to my sweet boy, threw him an air high-five when the assessor told me that he had just sounded out for her a four syllable word, plastered a smile on my face and forced myself to walk down and out those long institutional hallways. (Of course he had happily called “bye mommy” and not looked back.)

I was going to be okay. I really was. I got in my car. Pressed the “home James” button on my GPS and started driving. I’m fine. I’m totally fine I told myself, Really, I’m totally fine. Until that frickin’ GPS drove me right past the only Krispy Crack Kreme Doughnuts in a 150 mile radius.

Now, I am in the tweightloss #2 challenge. I had been on the South Beach Diet for 2 weeks and I had survived the death of my beloved Grandmother and sitting Shiva without breaking my diet once. This means that I ate corned beef, pastrami, pickles and coleslaw with the occasional omelet thrown in for good measure for 6 frekin’ days straight. This is while being surrounded by lox, fresh bagels, cream cheese, capers, tomatoes, white fish, brisket, kasha, Danish, coffee cake, home made rugalah and every other delish - must have that now - delicacy I could have possibly craved. Could not one Jew bring a green salad for Pete’s sake? Oh, and the fresh macaroons! They seriously almost broke me. But I powered through and at my tweigh-in Monday morning before I took Quinn to school I was at -7. Woot!

Then that frickin’ GPS drove me right past the only Krispy Kreme in a 150 mile radius. (Thank goodness it is 30 minutes away from my house and I don’t get into town much.) So I ate 3 doughnuts and a low-fat milk (because it is less fattening of course) while crying the whole way home. <sigh>

My baby. My first precious, vulnerable, sweet, smart, delicious baby. I know he is not scared, I know he loves to learn, I know he is in the best school I could possibly find with a philosophy I support. I just worry with every fiber of my being. Will the kids tease him, will he know how to deflect bullies and make friends. Will he get scared riding a bus for 45 minutes, will the teachers look out for him and steer him in positive directions.

But most desperately of all, I hope he doesn’t hate it as much as I did. I mean, I went to 13 schools by the time I was in college and I didn’t attend 2nd or 4th grade (I know, I know everyone always asks me “military family?” no… hippies) and I was abysmally socially awkward (as only children raised to say what they think and miss social cues for inappropriate behavior and to forget to wear shoes or underpants to school can be) and I know I haven’t ill prepared him for the world. But still. I worry with every fiber of my being. And eat Krispy Kreme Doughnuts apparently.

So tonight, we were celebrating Quinn’s big first day and I asked him what special treat he wanted. He said apple crisp. I think he picks this because he gets to use the apple peeler/corer/chopper, but that’s fine with me. (Even if this time I can’t have any.) So when Deb asked on twitter about peaches and apples, I immediately though of this recipe and what a good distraction it would be to post. Here is my Vermont Apple Crisp recipe. It is the usual Shitarayn mish-mash of recipes and local ingenuity perfected by my mom, my sisters and me during our time living in Vermont, where “everything tastes better with maple syrup”.

Vermont Apple Crisp

Preheat oven to 350*

For the Crumb:

2 cups rolled oats (not instant)

1 cup all purpose flour (I particularly like King Arthur because they use a grinding process which retains it’s nutrients naturally and is not artificially enriched)

3/4 cup maple sugar ( maple sugar, not syrup, but you can use brown sugar if you don’t have maple)

1 tsp cinnamon

1 cup butter, very cold cut into small cubes

½ - 1 cup very small chopped walnuts or pecans

• Crumble butter, oats, cinnamon, sugar and flour together with your hands until butter is completely mixed in.
• Add chopped nuts and crumble some more.

For the Filling: (do this last so the apples don’t brown)

3 lb bag of apples peeled, cored, and sliced thin (I like mackintosh, but any crisp apple will do. Honey crisp, jonagold, braeburn, are my favorite alts, but again, anything will do)

1 Tbs cinnamon

1 cup maple syrup - only real or don’t bother and preferably grade C or if you have to B. I guess if you only have A it’s okay, but really at that point, again, why bother. (I know, I know I’m a maple syrup snob)

1 -2 Tbs All purpose flour

• Mix flour (with a fork or tiny whisk) slowly in to the maple syrup (between 1 & 2 Tbs depending on syrup grade) until the syrup is thick but pourable consistency.
• Add cinnamon, pour over the apples and mix.
• Place apples in baking dish and cover with Crumb topping, patting the topping down as you go.
• Place on middle rack and bake until lightly brown (about 30 – 45 minutes)

Serve with good vanilla ice cream, real whipped cream or even Vermont cheddar cheese.