The Autodidact

  Merry Christmas to you all from the Marino Family! Let's get right to updates on the kids, shall we? In no particular order... Jared turned 18, graduated high school and after working his last summer as a lifeguard, secured a full time job at a locally owned service station, and bought a car! He decided a gap year would be a good idea, as he is not quite sure what he wants to do. He works a lot of overtime, creates digital music and is writing fiction. Natty turned 13, built a house in the backyard, loves creating with Legos and looking up words in an actual dictionary, and is almost as tall as I am! Did you think I was kidding about the house? He actually salvaged all the materials, even the working chimney. He is active in youth group at one church, and as a helper in children's church at another church. Margie, turned 21, and is living on her own. She is working at a daycare with 2-3 year olds and loves it. She says it is an amazing job! She is a natural with children, and...

So, now I have reached a point where I have more kids done with school than kids left to graduate! Jared, my fourth child was officially graduated on 7/11.                                                    The day promised much rain, high winds and gloom, right up until about a half hour before we began. I prepped for the worst case scenario- everyone in the garage or in the house. Honestly, though, if having a safe and dry home in which to have a large party is the worst case scenario, life is not all that bad. But God was good, and held off the bad weather! We gave Jared his Diploma and a little speech, not too embarrassing for him, but certainly very satisfying for me! Following is the text: Jared, Here we are at the end of our educational journey. It has been my privilege to work with you all these years, watching you learn and teach yourself wherever y...

Here is something that doesn't happen often: I tried a new recipe and EVERYONE liked it. I saw it in a magazine, thought it looked good, and tweaked it significantly in order to work with what I had on hand. This will serve 6-8 people.  Sautee a finely chopped onion in olive oil; add a few cloves of minced garlic. Add about 2- 2 1/2 pounds of boneless chicken thighs, 2 teaspoons turmeric, 1 teaspoon cayenne, and 2 1/2 teaspoons salt. Mix well and cook on medium heat for a couple of minutes. Add about 2 1/2 cups short grain brown rice, a can of unsweetened coconut milk, a cup of water and a dash of salt. Stir to incorporate and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cook until rice is done, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, slice thinly a few handfuls of spinach and a half of a red pepper. When the rice is cooked, add the veggies and cover. Set the table and pour the wine. Serve with a squeeze of fresh lime. Delish! Shopping List: 1 onion 3-4 cloves garlic 2- 21/2 pounds boneless skinle...

 Want to dive into mostly guilt-free chocolate goodness? Here you go: Melt 1/2 cup chocolate chips and set aside. I used sugar-free chips. Mix together 1/4 cup butter with 1/3 cup xylitol until well blended. Add 2 eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla and a tablespoon of coconut oil, and melted chips. Add 1 1/4 cups Almond flour, 1/2 teaspoon each of baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add an additional handful or two of more chocolate chips. Blend, then transfer to a greased loaf pan. Bake at 350° for 40 minutes. Let sit in pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a plate or cutting board. But wait, the chocolate goodness is NOT over. Melt about 1/2 cup chocolate chips and a tablespoon or so of butter. (I did use regular chips for this part because I just felt like it). Drizzle over the bread, and lick the bowl. Pour a cup of coffee and enjoy a (mostly) sugar- and gluten-free treat!

 After the success of the   Banana Bread  recently, I thought I'd try a variation. It did not disappoint. Combine in one bowl: 5 eggs 1 1/2 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar 1 Tablespoon vanilla 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon baking powder 3 cups almond flour 1/2 cup xylitol or monk fruit 1/4 cup melted coconut oil 4 Tablespoons cinnamon 1 teaspoon nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon cloves 1/2 cup chopped pecans Stir until blended, put in a greased loaf pan and bake at 300° for about an hour and 15 minutes. Don't forget to add the coconut oil after you melt it in the microwave, like I did. It was quite good without the oil, surprisingly not too dry, and reminded me of Irish Soda bread. Next time, I will add the oil, and I am sure it will be even better. 

Here's a tasty bread that satisfies your craving for banana bread and has no gluten! It is still hot out of the oven and butter is melting on my slice as I write. Preheat oven to 300°. In a bowl combine: 3 smashed bananas 4 eggs 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar 1 teaspoon vanilla 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon baking powder 3 cups almond flour 1/3 cup sweetener (I used xylitol) 2 Tablespoons melted coconut oil 2 teaspoons cinnamon 1 cup or so of chocolate chips if desired. Nuts would be nice too. Pour into a greased loaf pan and bake for about an hour and 15 minutes or when a knife comes out clean when inserted. Let cool a few minutes before removing from the pan. Slather with butter and enjoy! My plate is empty, so I'm going back to the kitchen for more.

*** Greetings to you all as we near the end of another year, a year much unlike other years. This will be a long letter; but you are probably locked in your house with nothing better to do anyway, so enjoy! In January, we said goodbye to our rental property and sold it. It was our first home as a married couple, and we spent 10 years on both sides of the duplex raising our first three children. It was bittersweet and freeing at the same time. Jay was freed up to work on projects in our own home, and the sale proceeds generated cash for big projects, such as a new roof and skylights, new patio and fence!  The patio was the last project of the season, and it was finished in time for us to enjoy it a bit before the cold weather set in. Because of all the work done on the house, Jay did not get to garden as usual, but next year, with a deer proof fence and no interference from projects, he should be good to go! Early on in March, we all leisurely put together a 2000 piece puzzle of his...