Our sources tell us that there will be a lot of blogging about Christmas next week. Remember readers, you heard it from us first. We celebrated Christmas a week early while Babba was in town! He came on business so we stayed with him downtown in his presidential suite, just minutes away from my work! We (mostly Ariel, Abe, and Ben) hit up the National Christmas Tree, the Partnership holiday party, American History Museum, Air and Space M, the Building Museum, Ethiopian, Indian, and Mexican cuisine, the lights at the DC temple, and celebrated Christmas! Enjoy the pictures and movie!
Nonna even made it to Christmas morning with us!
If you want to see the story behind these sardines, watch the video below. The Galli's have a tradition of placing strange foods in stockings. I got pig feet this year (in honor of Portugal) and Abe landed sardines. They weren't as bad as I made them seem--I'm dramatic. The video also contains Christmas Eve footage and an Abe Declaration, or "complicated message" as he calls them.
First solid food on Christmas morning
Abe and his Williamsburg whistle and rocking horse from the Evans family. One happy kiddo.
Pooped on Christmas morn.
After eating at a cool Ethiopian joint with the VA Evans fam.
Yes, you read that right. Andrew Marshall, Esq. had an article in the Washington Post today. While it is attributed to "The Partnership for Public Service," we know who wrote it and that's what matters. Here is a link to the story, but you're welcome to read it here as well.
I guess that journalism undergrad wasn't for nothing!
Alberto Ruisanchez: Fighting those who discriminate against minorities and persons with disabilities
Alberto Ruisanchez ( Perry Houston)
Position: Trial Attorney, Disability Rights Section, Civil Rights Division, U.S. Department of Justice Age: 36 Residence: Alexandria, Va. Education: Georgetown University, B.A.; Harvard Law School, J.D. Awards: Department of Justice Special Commendation Award; Heyman Fellowship Hobbies: Golf, soccer
As the son of Cuban immigrants, Alberto Ruisanchez was greatly influenced by his parents' stories about the lack of freedom under Fidel Castro, and at an early age came to understand the importance of civil liberties and the opportunities offered by this country.
Today, Ruisanchez is putting these lessons into practice by working as a trial attorney with the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department, helping to protect the rights of persons with disabilities and previously working to combat discrimination in voting, housing, and places of public accommodation.
"Working for a government that protects the civil rights of its citizens is very meaningful to me," Ruisanchez said. "My parents always taught me about the rule of law and respecting civil liberties and civil rights. The U.S. government plays a beautiful role in this area that you don't see in many other countries."
During his time at the Justice Department, Ruisanchez has been involved in a number of legal cases that have made a real difference.
In one case, Ruisanchez filed suit against officials in Long County, Ga. charging they violated the Voting Rights Act by requiring 45 Hispanic residents to attend a hearing and prove their citizenship, even though there was no evidence calling their citizenship into question. A federal court entered a consent decree requiring the county to train election officials and poll workers on federal law, to maintain uniform procedures for responding to voter challenges, and to notify the challenged Hispanic voters that no evidence was presented to support the challenges against them.
"When an official doesn't act properly and people are disenfranchised on the basis of their race, that's when the Department of Justice needs to get involved," Ruisanchez said. "This is not only necessary to prevent differential treatment, but to make people aware that they can and should be participating in elections."
In another case, Ruisanchez filed suit charging that a housing authority in Blakely, Ga. maintained racially segregated public housing and harassed African-American tenants. The suit resulted in a consent decree requiring the housing authority to pay $252,500 in compensatory damages, to train employees on fair housing law, and to establish new admissions policies and procedures. The housing director also was removed from his job.
Eric Halprin, a Justice Department colleague, said Ruisanchez has a "passion for civil rights" and is "very focused on the mission of building an effective case."
"To be effective, you have to be able to develop relationships with the witnesses, but you also need to be a careful writer and researcher," Halprin said. "Alberto has this combination. He has the ability to develop the trust with the witnesses and present effectively in the courtroom."
After graduating from Georgetown University, Ruisanchez went to Harvard Law School where he graduated magna cum laude, served as an editor of the Harvard Law Review and then clerked for a federal appeals court judge.
Drawn to public service, Ruisanchez received a Heyman Fellowship that provided him with loan repayment assistance in return for a commitment to spend at least three years in the federal government and to act as a mentor to Harvard law students. The program was created by the late Samuel J. Heyman, the founder of the Partnership for Public Service.
The three year federal service commitment began in 2002 and has turned into a career for Ruisanchez, who said he draws "amazing satisfaction" helping to eliminate discriminatory barriers.
"It's the biggest guy fighting for the littlest guy," Ruisanchez said, referring to the Justice Department and its clients. "The Civil Rights Division has these remarkable resources to stop discriminatory behavior. You're doing it on behalf of someone who has been harmed who wouldn't be able to afford this representation."
While helping to fulfill the promise of equality that his parents lacked in Cuba, Ruisanchez said his sense of satisfaction is tempered by the reality of the work that lies ahead.
"We've made progress, but we still have a considerable amount to do," he said.
Ever wonder why granola is so expensive? I have. Now you can make it for as cheaply as you want (depending on what you add). I've been looking for a good recipe for a while, and now I've found one! I've made it quite a few times.
Mix and Match Granola
“Anyone looking to curb their addiction to cold cereal really needs look no further than this granola recipe. I never thought I’d give it up, having eaten it almost every day for 26 years, but the granola made the road to recovery a short one indeed. I quit cold turkey and have been clean for over two weeks thanks to this stuff—more healthy, more filling, and LOTS cheaper.” -Andrew
Ingredients
4 cups rolled oats, wheat, or barley (any combination)
½ cup sunflower or sesame seeds
½ cup honey, maple syrup, or a thick syrup made with ½ cup brown sugar and 2-3 tablespoons water (I've used agave, honey, maple syrup)
¼ cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla and/or other extract
¾ cup raisins or other dried fruit (optional)
½ cup nuts (optional)
½ teaspoon salt (Optional: unsweetened coconut, raw pumpkin seeds, flax seed, etc.)
Directions:
1. In a large bowl, mix all the dry ingredients together except for the dried fruit. Set the dried fruit aside.
2. In another bowl mix the sweetener, oil and extract together.
3. Add the liquid to the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. The liquids will be absorbed and the granola will become darker and shinier.
4. Spread the granola in a shallow baking pan. Bake at 325°F for 25 to 30 minutes or until fairly dry and starting to brown. Stir every ten minutes while it is baking to keep the granola on the bottom from burning.
5. Remove the granola from the oven and stir in the fruit.
Tips
1. Granola will become crispier and crunchier as it cools.
2. Because of the oil, granola will not stay fresh long. Store in an airtight container and use within two weeks. It will last for six months or longer in the freezer.
Between Thanksgiving and Christmas I'm not eating any dessert foods (the scones I ate for breakfast, so you can see I'm a little lenient). Since Andrew doesn't want to do it with me, I needed additional incentive. The incentive we decided on is shoes (my current shoes are falling apart).
But I don't know anything about good shoes. That's why I'm looking for recommendations!
I'm looking for shoes that:
I really wasn't going to post this, but it's SO GOOD! I know I just did pumpkin, but if anyone else still has pumpkin to use (or if you don't, this is worth the trip for more!) Here are pumpkin scones, from food.com. Apparently it's a Starbucks recipe.
Pumpkin Scones
I’ll quote some of my co-workers who enjoyed the superb scones at our offsite this morning: “Wow! These are amazing.” “No, really, Andrew, these are great.” “I love the glaze. And she made them using a pumpkin patch pumpkin? Incredible!” etc. etc. If I ever get that big promotion, I’m certain the pumpkin scones will have played no small part. As I sunk my teeth into the bready wonder, a vision appeared before me, like unto Nebuchadnezzar of old: “I saw a scone cut out of a pumpkin, which filled the whole earth. And the earth smiled as brothers embraced, enemies made peace, and love prevailed over the face of the earth.”
TO MAKE THE SCONES:.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly oil a baking sheet or line with parchment paper.
Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and spices in a large bowl. Using a pastry knife, fork, or food processor, cut butter into the dry ingredients until mixture is crumbly and no chunks of butter are obvious. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, whisk together pumpkin, half and half, and egg. Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Form the dough into a ball.
Pat out dough onto a lightly floured surface and form it into a 1-inch thick rectangle (about 9 inches long and 3 inches wide). Use a large knife or a pizza cutter to slice the dough twice through the width, making three equal portions. Cut those three slices diagonally so that you have 6 triangular slices of dough. Place on prepared baking sheet.
Bake for 14–16 minutes. Scones should begin to turn light brown. Place on wire rack to cool.
TO MAKE THE PLAIN GLAZE:.
Mix the powdered sugar and 2 tbsp milk together until smooth.
When scones are cool, use a brush to paint plain glaze over the top of each scone.
AS THAT WHITE GLAZE FIRMS UP, MAKE THE SPICED ICING:.
Combine the ingredient for the spiced icing together. Drizzle this thicker icing over each scone and allow the icing to dry before serving (at least 1 hour). A squirt bottle works great for this, or you can drizzle with a whisk.
*I had to add a lot of flour because my pumpkin puree is so watery. I only used the spiced icing, not the plain glaze. It was plenty for us. In fact, the scones are perfectly delicious without any glaze at all, just dipped in milk. Then you can call it breakfast :) Okay, I promise to start going back to healthy recipes!
Also, some pictures from our trip to Williamsburg this last weekend. We had the best time. A big thank you to dear Grandma Vella and Grandpa Evans for providing the place for us to stay! Just the four Marshalls--reading by the fire, watching vintage Mickey Mouse cartoons, walking around the oldest established colony in America (Jamestown), marching in a fife and drummer march, mini-golfing, having a great gospel discussion with a long-time less active, very good man, and cooking and enjoying our own Thanksgiving dinner. Oh, and no Internet. That was a big plus. It reminded me of the whole point of everything else I do. My work, church calling, interests, and purpose all revolve around my family. They are everything and having this quality, calm, happy time strengthened my resolve to do and be better for them.
Lots of dress-up going on in W-burg.
Killer climbing tree. Find me and you get some of your own leftovers.
Abe and I marched behind them.
Living it up in a Q-size bed to himself.
Our friend who was baptized at 12 in El Salvador. We're going to stay in touch.
James River. For Andrew James and Benjamin James.
And she still beat us! Maybe Ben gives her powers. He must have given her powers for that hole-in-1.
T-giving dinner. Ariel made the rolls from scratch (even ground up the wheat for them!) and the pumpkin pie from our Halloween pumpkins. Awesome.
Hummus is one of my staples. Abe and I eat it about every day. We dip veggies or pita bread in it, or use it as a spread on sandwiches or bagels. Just this week I blended in some chipotle peppers and cumin to make a bit of a smokey, spicy variation. It is delicious. I'll bet that there are millions more ways you could eat hummus. I look forward to a lifetime of exploring hummus. Sorry there's no quote from Andrew; he hasn't really given hummus a fair chance. Here's a quote from Abe when I handed him a carrot the other day:
"Mommy-o, we forgot the hummus!"
Ingredients:
·1 16 oz can of chickpeas or garbanzo beans
·1/4 cup liquid from can of chickpeas
·3-5 tablespoons lemon juice (depending on taste)
·1 1/2 tablespoons tahini
·2 cloves garlic, crushed
·1/2 teaspoon salt
·2 tablespoons olive oil
Preparation:
Drain chickpeas and set aside liquid from can. Combine all ingredients in blender or food processor. Blend for 3-5 minutes on low until thoroughly mixed and smooth. Garnish with parsley and olive oil if you want.
Variations:
Add to taste anything you like that you think would be fun. Suggestions include: chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, steamed artichoke heart, curry powder, green onions, black or green olives, basil or pesto, roasted red peppers, roasted garlic, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, or whatever else you can think of!
Pumpkin Ice Cream. From our very own Jack-O-Lantern.
"Ice cream are two of my favorite words and one of my favorite treats. But this is ice cream to the next level. This is Creamy Kinice. It deserves its own category, name, and probably orbit--but I don't have authority to give it one. It's creamy, it's pumpKin, you eat it with your Kinfolk, it's nIce, and it's Ice: Creamy Kinice. I'm tasting it again right now in my brain and loving it." -Andrew
Here's the recipe. My comments are in italics. I know it's a tad more complicated than your usual ice cream recipe, but it is so worth it. You can see where I skipped steps, and it still turned out amazing.
Ingredients:
1 cup fresh pumpkin puree or canned
unsweetened pumpkin puree **(Recipe at bottom)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups heavy cream
3/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
5 egg yolks
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. salt
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
Directions:
In a bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree and vanilla. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or up to 8 hours (I didn’t refrigerate it for that long).
In a heavy 2-quart saucepan over medium heat, combine 1 1/2 cups of the cream and 1/2 cup of the brown sugar. Cook until bubbles form around the edges of the pan, about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine the egg yolks, cinnamon, ginger, salt, nutmeg, the remaining 1/2 cup cream and the remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar. Whisk until smooth and the sugar begins to dissolve.
Remove the cream mixture from the heat. Gradually whisk about 1/2 cup of the hot cream mixture into the egg mixture until smooth. Pour the egg mixture back into the pan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon and keeping the custard at a low simmer, until it is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon and leaves a clear trail when a finger is drawn through it, 4 to 6 minutes. Do not allow the custard to boil. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl (I didn’t strain it).
Place the bowl in a larger bowl partially filled with ice water, stirring occasionally until cool (I skipped that step too). Whisk the pumpkin mixture into the custard. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it directly on the surface of the custard to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 3 hours or up to 24 hours (I didn’t cover or refrigerate it. I put it in the freezer for a little while, apparently not long enough. This was the one step that I skipped that I shouldn’t have. If it’s too hot, it will melt the frozen stuff inside your ice cream maker and then you have to put it in a bowl in the freezer and stir it every once in a while. That actually worked just fine because it was a custard. That’s what you can do if you don’t have an ice cream maker).
Transfer the custard to an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions. Transfer the ice cream to a freezer-safe container. Cover and freeze until firm, at least 3 hours or up to 3 days, before serving (I didn’t wait three hours). Makes about 1 quart (not enough. Double, triple or quadruple this recipe. I was wishing I had saved some for breakfast).
**To make your own pumpkin puree, use 1 large or 2 medium Sugar Pie or other eating (not field) pumpkins. Cut out the stem and quarter the pumpkin lengthwise. In a preheated 400°F oven, bake the quarters, cut side down, in a shallow roasting pan with a little water in the bottom until tender, about 1 hour. Let cool, scrape out the seeds, cut the flesh from the peels, and force it ababethrough a medium-mesh sieve or the medium disk of a food mill. Freeze any leftover puree for up to 2 months.
Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Collection Series, Ice Cream, by Mary Goodbody (Simon & Schuster, 2003).
You can see Ben's first Zrbtts in the video below, among other fun things.
Also, here are some pictures of Ariel's trip to Atlanta from a few weeks back. It was a great visit to Grandma "Gigi" Galli, Uncle Reed, and Aunt Mary Ann!
Finally, we've had some fun with Mom in town last weekend, and Merzi in town this weekend! We took her engagement pictures with Cameron (who's also staying with us while he does an internship here in DC) this weekend.
