Bits and Pieces

In an attempt to use up some grapefruit juice, I made citrus bread this morning (adapted from a Fannie Farmer Baking Book recipe). My house smelled fabulous while it was baking, it turned out nicely, and the kids ate it up. It's more of a treat than a bread, but that didn't prevent me from eating 3 slices. I think it'll be really good tomorrow morning toasted with butter.

Last night, I tried a new chicken and lentil dish, and it turned out great, except that the lentils took forever to cook, way longer than the recipe indicated. This happens to me a lot with lentils, and I'm wondering if I'm doing something wrong, or if it's just the kind of lentils that I buy or how old they are. Hmmm.

Porter's preschool is mostly play-based, and so we work on some of the other pre-kindergarten skills here at home. He picks up on things fairly quickly, and it's more fun than anything else. The one thing that he can't seem to understand though is rhyming. He doesn't seem to hear it, no matter how I explain. I tell him to listen for words that sound the same, or have the same ending. And then I will ask him if "glue" and "boat" rhyme, and he'll shout "yes!" And then when I ask if "glue" and "shoe" rhyme (words said slowly with much emphasis), he'll look at me and say "no?" He's just guessing and has no idea. It's funny, I'm not sure how you really teach that, or if it's something he'll just get at a certain point. It seems so obvious to me, but then the world and its words are a lot more new to Porter.

Totally embarrassing confession: This morning, Porter had no clean underwear. I really don't know how this happens as I do laundry every freaking day. But it did. So I dug a few dirty pairs out of his hamper, smelled them to see which was the cleanest, and had him wear those.

I'm Cooking: Grapefruit Citrus Quick Bread, Baked Peanut Pork Chops, Stir-Fried Bok Choy, and White Rice. I'm using this Spicy Peanut Bake stuff on the pork chops, it's a super easy short cut and everyone here likes it.