Miller Family: Pralines

PRALINES

ALMOST CARAMELIZE 1/2 CUP SUGAR

ADD 1-1/2 CUP OF WATER AND 1 SQ. IN. OF BUTTER

HEAT UNTIL DISSOLVED

ADD 2 CUPS OF SUGAR

COOK TO 230° WITHOUT STIRRING

ADD 1 SQ. IN. OF BUTTER AND 2 CUPS PECANS

COOK TO 238°.

REMOVE FROM HEAT

ADD PINCH OF SALT AND 1 TSP OF VANILLA.

BEAT UNTIL BEGINS TO GET LIGHT IN COLOR AND STICKS TO PAN. DROP QUICKLY ON BUTTERED BOARD OR WAX PAPER.

LOOSEN PAPER BEFORE IT COOLS.

Miller Family: Orange Cookies

Orange Cookies
Ingredients
Rind and juice of 2 oranges – about ¾ cup
½	Cup	Butter	¼	Cup		Orange Mixture
1 ¾	Cup	Raw or mixed white and brown Sugar	3	Cups		All Purpose Flour
3	Large	Eggs beaten	2	Teaspoons		Baking Powder
1	Teaspoon	Lemon Flavoring	¼	Teaspoon		Baking soda
½	Cup	Milk		Dash		Salt
Directions
1.            Cream butter and sugar
2.            Add eggs, flavoring, milk and orange mixture.  Mix well.
3.            Add dry ingredients, stirring but not over-mixing.
4.            Spoon out on greased floured cookie tin or onto a pan with waxed paper
5.            Bake at 350° for 8 minutes.  The tops will brown.
6.            Place balls of dough 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
ICING
1 ½	Lbs	Powdered Sugar	½		Cup	Orange Mixture
2	Tablespoon	Butter
7.            Beat then spread on cookies one minute after cookies are taken from pan
8.            Transfer cookies to wax paper to cool.

Miller Family: Cat Food Cookies

2 c. sugar
1/2 c. milk
1 stick butter
1/4 c. cocoa
1/2 c. peanut butter
3 c. quick oats, uncooked
1 tbsp. vanilla

Combine sugar, milk, butter and cocoa in a saucepan; cook over low heat until mixture boils. Boil 4 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in peanut butter, oats and vanilla. Drop from teaspoonfuls onto waxed paper and let cool.

Weekend

Exams are over! Grades in. Lessons done. I am going to teach about glaciers and watershed (divorsium aquarium?) and have students present to their parents on parent night... not easy, since I don't have a textbook and I've never taught science before! At least I enjoy it :). Enjoy your weekends, friends - wherever you may be.

Paramo Field Trip (13,000 feet!)

On Wednesday of this week, a few other teachers and I took a 3 day, 2 night field trip with 44 of our 6th graders up to the Ecuadorian paramo (ecosystem), where we stayed at a camp that was 3,818 meters (12,526 feet) and hiked up to 4,100 meters (13,451 feet). Surrounded by volcanoes, we could even see into Colombia.

We also stopped and visited the small town of Maravilla, which was settled by Afro-Ecuadorians. They shared their history, pottery, and dances, while their children played with our students in the street. (The story goes that a slave ship traveling to Brazil crashed, and the surviving slaves made their way to Esmaraldas (northern Ecuadorian beach) and settled there. Though there is still quite a bit of prejudice today towards Black Ecuadorians, they are considered a valid part of the society and respected for their culture).

On the bus

With indigenous girls

Handmade Otavalan Tapestries

Otavalan Weaver

Sugar Cane Farm

Sugar Cane Hacienda

Making the "panela" sugar from sugar cane

Guinea Pigs, ripe for the cooking ("Cui)

Milking the cows

Maravilla

Maravilla - the flirting begins

Culture lessons

Handmade pottery

Cabins at Polylepis Lodge

Higher view of Polylepis Lodge

Mud!!!

Muddy boots

Milk at the cheese factory