Contraband Chips

Thursday. Spanish 1. Seventh period. 

(This was the same day as yesterday's post. I covered an extra period. Two doors down from the French class.) 

Because Spanish 1, the class was mostly freshmen, and it took some time to get them into the room and into their assigned seats. (I had a seating chart with their pictures.) But then, once they knew what they were supposed to do, they got to work. 

The room was quiet. They were all making a good pretense of working. That's when the assistant principal walked in the room. I looked over, and there was the drug sniffing dog. 

I knew the drill...

We all exited the room. I was the last one out. The students were chatting, as they do.

One girl was in a near panic. Her friend explained...

"She's worried that they're going to find her chips." 

Chips? Unless they were laced with marijuana, no one was going to care if she had chips in her backpack. 

This I did not say. I did say that they weren't looking for food. I assured the girl that her chips were safe. 

Seriously, I'm sure half the students in that room had some sort of food in their backpacks. (They'll pull it out during class time.) 

The assistant principal and dog and dog handler and counselor all exited the room. They let us back in.

The dog hadn't found anything. 

I'm not sure if I was surprised or not. I mean, I wasn't surprised the dog hadn't noticed the chips. But freshmen? I wouldn't have been shocked if they had found drugs. But it was good they didn't. 

Lunch To Go

Does anyone know someone who works as a food delivery driver (DoorDash or Grubhub or any others)? I've got some questions for them...

Friday. Fourth period. The class was "intro to business", although I don't think the students were much of a business mindset. (I covered this class once in December, and they didn't do a whole lot of work then.) 

Fourth period is right before lunch. 

Maeve started right in talking about Raising Cane's. How far away it was. (It's about a mile or so from the adult transition center. Walking distance. We walked it a few times. But from this school it's a bit farther out.) 

But then she got a hankering for In-n-Out. 

Maeve was discussing with her neighbor Nate about what food she wanted to order. 

I pointed out that the office isn't happy with students ordering food in to be delivered. (And this is where being at multiple schools is an issue. A different school has forbidden students to order food, and there is signage to that effect at the door to the main office. But I can't recall if this school has put its figurative foot down on this yet.) Maeve informed me that other students do it all the time.

Very deep sigh. 

Upon further reflection, Maeve decided that she was in the mood for McDonald's. 

Which McDonald's was closest? She logged into her account. Nate was surprised all the info was populated, to which Maeve replied that she was logged into her account. Then there was a debate as to if she could tell the delivery person when to arrive. And finally she had to decide on what she wanted to order. (She settled on Chicken McNuggets.) 

I pointed out that she had an actual assignment to do. She had wasted more than twenty minutes on all these decisions. 

Although, when she wanted the address of the school and Nate suggested she Google it, I pointed out that the address was written up on the wall. (It was on something that the teacher had pinned to his bulletin board.) 

Eventually, the order was completed. Maeve could focus on her assignment now, right? Nope. Now she was watching the progress of her food via the app. 

Then it arrived early. 

Maeve freaked out. Her boyfriend was going to retrieve it for her, but he was going to get out of class five minutes later. She didn't want to go.

Nate suggested she ask for a restroom pass. Um, I heard the entire conversation, which is what they realized. (I suppose I should have told her she couldn't go, but at this point I wasn't going to fight that battle.) 

Maeve did not want to go by herself. (Why? I have no idea.) She begged that Nate go with her. Reluctantly, he agreed. 

Maeve and Nate were not gone that long. But she seemed to think it took forever as they had a hard time getting the bag through the fence that surrounds the school. (At this point Maeve realized that perhaps she should have tipped her driver. I had previously said that one should always tip in these situations.) 

We had less than ten minutes remaining in the period. Maeve was happy her fries were still warm. Nate requested a chicken nugget as payment for accompanying her. She gave him one.

And I noted this in the note to the teacher. 

I really need to hear from delivery drivers about this. Do they frequently deliver to schools? Just in my experience, it's becoming a thing. Do the drivers like delivering to schools? I would imagine the teens are cheap and not very grateful. I'm sure they have some stories.

Out to Lunch

The Friday before Thanksgiving break, we went off campus for lunch. We do this every Friday (and Tuesday). I've already written about things we saw and how taking the bus can get me into trouble. Considering how easy going the class can be, the more interesting things that happen in the class are when we go off campus.

What we do is curricular. The students need to be able to go out and buy things. They should be able to ask for what they need (or want). They need to be understood by the general public. They need to be able to know how much money to use, and they should be able to track their spending. 

Buying food in a fast food restaurant satisfies all of those requirements.

One thing I've noticed is that the boys get a lot to eat. 

It's their money. The whole point is that they get to choose what they want. And I don't food shame. 

But... 

On this particular Friday, five of the students got into one group. Usually the nine students divide into three groups of three, but Sydney wasn't there (see yesterday's post), and the other three were going to their jobs first. The aide and I said if the five wanted to go together, we could certainly supervise the group together. 

We were going to the In-N-Out that's within walking distance of the school, so no bus required. 

But, Pizza wanted to go to McDonald's. 

The McDonald's was about the same distance from the school, just on the opposite side of the street. And we had two staff along, so the aide and I conferred. I'd take Pizza to McDonald's while she took the other four to In-N-Out. (The "other four" were Leanna (who hasn't appeared by "name" on the blog before), Eddy, Flash, and Brittany.) 

I was not shocked that Pizza ordered a 10-piece chicken nuggets or a large fries. I would have ordered the same. What surprised me was when he got the meal which came with a drink he ordered a large soda, and then he added on a large chocolate shake. 

A soda and a shake? Uh... 

I love chocolate shakes. I like to have some water to go with them. But a soda? I mean... 

I asked Pizza the question. Did he want both? He confirmed that he did. And he finished both. 

Ah, to be young and be able to burn off those calories easily. 

I need to be less judgy when we go out to eat. I didn't realize I was, but clearly I am. 

For Show

Government class. They were working on an outline of the U.S. Constitution. (It was actually a great way to make them go through it carefully.)

Certain teachers are fairly strict about things like cell phones and eating in class. Ms. M is one of those. She even has it posted in her class rules:

Note Rule #5

So, when I caught students in fourth period eating in class, I asked them to put the food away. They argued that Ms. M was okay with them eating in class.

Really? That's not what it says in her posted rules.

"Oh, that? That's just for show. Because it's a school rule. She doesn't mean it."

Uh huh. Sure. Let's see how Ms. M reacts to that little tidbit. They really should know by now I write down things like that.

Justification

I was back in the middle school ELD class. (She's a new teacher, so she has a lot of trainings that the district makes her attend.) They were mostly on task and mostly quiet. But a new problem has emerged...

I caught a girl popping something into her mouth.

Eating in class is generally prohibited. (Some teachers are more lax on this than others.) I went over to remind the girl of the rule...

"The rules say no food, drink, or gum," she explained.

This is true. The sign posted in the classroom said as much.

"This is candy."

Uh huh. And candy is food...

"No, it's not food, it's candy."

We went back and forth on this a couple times. My explaining that she was not supposed to eat anything in class getting us nowhere. But then...

"Oh, no, it's not candy. It's a cough drop..."

Uh huh. Sure it is. And she can explain why it only became a cough drop after this argument to her teacher.

Oh, and keep in mind that she did eat the candy...

Do you remember your middle school (junior high school) years? (That's ages 12-13.) What's the silliest thing you ever argued?

Today's A to Z Challenge post brought to you by the letter...

The Mess

I've seen these things on the campuses for a while. Most of this school year, in fact. It's a snack size plastic bag full of red goo. And the students eat this stuff. 

In class. 

I clamp down on them when I see them. Because it's food and they're not supposed to be eating in class. And, it's a big, gooey mess. 

(Students eating in class is generally a bad idea, because they tend to leave their trash everywhere. Add in sticky red goo...) 

So, of course, naturally, some boy managed to get a big red blob on a desk. I made him clean it up, which was difficult as there were no paper towels in the room. Luckily, it was passing period. (This was the only reason he had the mess out in the first place.) 

As I had a captive audience (as he took out a sheet of notebook paper to sub in for a paper towel), I finally had a chance to ask my burning question: What the heck is that stuff? 

It's gummy worms in a slightly moistened Kool-Aid mix. 

I looked it up. Apparently, it's a thing. You can find the recipe online... 

So, um, yeah. If you're into that sort of thing, try it out. Although, I wouldn't recommend it. Not unless you don't mind red sticky fingers and goo that gets everywhere.

Honor System

A girl dropped off her stuff--her backpack and her fundraiser bag. This is so normal as to be unremarkable, although most students keep the fundraiser bags with them. (Students are always selling something for one school-sponsored activity or other. They carry their bag of goodies with them and get sales from hungry classmates.)

The girl's belongings sat undisturbed all period. The bell rang. The class cleared out. And another girl noticed the fundraising bag. She was hungry and she wanted an item from the bag. (She was on her way out to lunch.)

I was not the keeper of the bag. But, I do keep an eye on things to make sure that students don't make off with property that isn't theirs.

I figured the girl would like to make a sale. Hungry girl took two items from the bag. Turns out the bag was labeled, so hungry girl knew who she would have to pay. She promised me that she would pay the girl when she saw her, and she was on her way.

Normally I wouldn't allow this, but I knew I'd have both girls in class after lunch. I made sure to ask the girl if hungry girl had paid her. She had.

It's nice to know that 8th graders can sometimes be trusted.

Making Ice Cream

Yesterday I regaled you with my attempt at homemade Oreos. It took me a while to find the link for the chocolate ice cream post, and while I was at it, I discovered that I had linked to a post on MySpace that was no longer there. But I had reposted it here (this is the very reason why I do the reposts). After fixing those links so that they actually go somewhere, I stumbled across this post, and hey, it's Tuesday. 

This was first posted on June 30, 2008.  

I'm making ice cream again. I don't know how much of this story I've already committed to blog, so let me start at the beginning. Well, in a moment. Right now I need to go and stir...

The recipe calls for "stirring frequently", which means that I pretty much have to hover over the mixture. It has to gain temperature slowly so that the eggs don't turn into a nasty mess. But the stirring is boring, so I have to find things to do while the ice cream is heating, or else I'll go a bit mad. Oh, better stir the thing again...

First I saw the recipe on an episode of Good Eats (great show, by the way). Then I found my old ice cream maker, but that turned out to be a disaster. Then I asked for a new ice cream maker for Christmas. I got one, and I've been making ice cream for myself ever since. And it's time to, well, you know...

I've tweaked the recipe a couple times because the recipe as written is much too rich. Then it was time to try a new variation. My mother doesn't do dairy, but loves ice cream, so I thought I'd try a version using almond milk for her. It's denser (for almond milk doesn't have a heavy cream version), but she says it tastes fine. I haven't tried it myself. (Oh, back to the saucepan...)

Today I'm making the almond milk version. It's finally starting to thicken up a bit (not as much as the milk version), and it's time to dip the thermometer in. Almost 165 degrees Fahrenheit. The target is 170, so I'm closer than I thought...(just a quick check)...It's only been 20 minutes, so either this is starting to go faster for me, or 20 minutes used to seem like such a long time when I started.

I guess buying ice cream is much simpler. It takes a lot less time. But I get a certain satisfaction from doing it myself. Pride of ownership, perhaps...

And now I'm to the last three degrees, the degrees that never seem to climb. It's best if no one is here to watch. I tend to get a bit cranky.

No Good Reason

On Friday I scanned the blogs on my Reader as I try to do once a day. I stop and comment on a few, but the vast majority get a cursory glance before I move on. Catherine Ensley's Words World and Wings had a list of links, and the last one said Homemade Oreos.

Homemade Oreos? I followed that link.

As I read through the recipe I noted that I had most of those ingredients. It didn't seem beyond my capabilities. Next thing I knew, I was in the kitchen going through the baking drawer in my pantry, checking to see if I did have everything.

I was a bit low on unsweetened cocoa powder (yes, I keep that on hand in case I want to make chocolate ice cream), so I needed to measure it to see if there was enough. And that started me measuring out all the ingredients into one bowl.

One thing I don't keep on hand: unsalted butter. But I had salted butter. Not the most brilliant of plans, but I was now committed.

Less than an hour later...

I ended up with about two dozen. I used up the rest of the cocoa powder, vanilla, and sugar (stuff I keep on hand, so I need to put those on my grocery list). And while they don't taste exactly like Oreos, they do taste similar. 

I don't normally jump in and bake just because I see a recipe that I can make. I usually plan and plot and look for the right time to try these things. But I was bored.  

See what trouble I get up to when I'm bored? What sorts of things do you do when you're bored?  

No Ice Cream Today

I'm not much of a cook. I'm not terrible, but I'm not gourmet either. This post (from May 8, 2007) is one of my more spectacular failures.  

Grrr.

I don't know why, but my ice cream maker was calling to me last week. I saw this great ice cream recipe about two years ago on Good Eats, and I've been itching to try it out ever since. I just never got around to it. So, I figured that now was the time.

I got the ice cream maker out of the garage, cleaned it off, and found that the motor still ran. Then it was just a matter of getting ingredients.

I bought the stuff I didn't have. I meant to get to it over the weekend, but I got sidetracked by a headache. Sure, I could have put it off again, but since two of the ingredients are half-and-half and heavy cream, I didn't really have all that large a window. So, on Monday I broke down and did it.

I left the mixture overnight in the fridge, and today I put it in the ice cream churner. I followed the directions. The last direction stated that the thing should stop churning after 40 minutes, but if it didn't to stop it after 50 minutes. So, at 50 minutes (and change) I pulled the plug. I opened the machine. And what did I find? The same liquid I started with.

Grrr.

I'm going over it in my mind. What did I do wrong? I followed the recipe. The liquid is correct. I'm pretty sure. So it has to be the ice cream maker. It must be defective. Though, this wasn't my first time using it. Okay, so it's been several years, but it worked just like before.

It has to be the machine. I'm not that inept a cook. So, into the trash the machine goes. With doubts. And I can only dream of what could have been.

It was the machine. That Christmas I asked for a new ice cream maker, and I broke in my new toy the following January. That ice cream recipe is really good. I've made it several times since, and this ice cream maker still works just fine.

A Very Picky Eater

I've always been a picky eater. Pickier than normal for a kid. And I never grew out of it. In the last few years, I've gotten even pickier still.

It's that time of year again--Blog Action Day. This year's topic is food.

It was in the late '90s when I was first introduced to the book Eat Right 4 Your Type. The book posits that blood types affect the digestive system and that some foods good for one type are "dangerous" for another. I took note of which foods were "highly beneficial" to me and which foods I was supposed to "avoid", but I didn't go much further than that...for a while.

I had a problem with the book. My "avoid" list includes beef and chicken. And corn (including popcorn). There were other things on my "avoid" list that I didn't have a problem with such as coffee, lima beans, and ham, but getting rid of beef and chicken (foods I ate all the time) was too much for me at first.

I had to start it gradually. First I switched from orange juice to pineapple juice (oranges are a no-no for me). That was about as far as I got until a couple years ago when I was reminded of the book. I decided to take another stab at it.

I can have turkey. And many types of fish. Slowly, I started to eliminate the stuff on my "avoid" list. I'm still working at it.

I don't know why I bother. It's not like it's doing anything for me.

Although, I have noticed that it's gotten easier for me to get up in the morning. I'm less tired all the time. And my headaches, while still appearing from time to time, aren't nearly as painful as they used to be. Of course, that could be due to other things I've been doing as well...

Or it could all be working in tandem.

I can do better. There are still foods I should eliminate (getting rid of ketchup is hard). And there are foods (ahem, vegetables, ahem) that I should eat more of.

(If anyone knows a good way to prepare broccoli, I would appreciate hearing about it. Besides slathering it in cheese. I've never been too fond of cheese.)

The book has its detractors and critics. It's an interesting idea, and so far it's worked for me. Anything that helps to improve diet (which is a major factor in maintaining good health) is a good thing. Even if it means I can't eat corn anymore.

Dessert

Yesterday we had a get-together for my birthday.  I got to pick the dessert.  My choice: cake waffles.

I first learned about this concoction online a few years ago.  Take cake batter.  Cook in waffle iron.  So simple. Yet, genius.

I figured this was a no-brainer for my niece and nephew.  I was wrong.  Turns out, my nephew does not like cake.

A 4-year-old who does not like cake?  Seriously?

(I also learned that he does not like mashed potatoes.  Strange child.)

My niece, on the other hand, was all over the cake waffle idea.  We'd both had them before.  She helped me make them (she's nine, so it was well within her ability range.)

The problem with the cake waffles: they look like waffles, so you think waffle, but they're cake.  And one only needs a small piece of cake.  Not 3 cake waffles.  Especially when you're 9.

My niece overindulged, and she paid for it.

So, cake waffles, not such a great idea.  Well, I enjoyed them anyway.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Disaster

On the 4th, my brother and sister-in-law are hosting their annual barbecue.  As I've done for the past couple years, I volunteered to bring chocolate chip cookies.  Yesterday, my afternoon opened up, so I decided to make them then.

The recipe I use is a variation of the Toll House recipe.  Besides a couple tweaks to the recipe, I do the pan cookie variation.  I have made these cookies for years.  I am an expert.

At least, I thought I was an expert.

I mixed the batter.  I preheated the oven in convection mode.  I lined the cookie sheets with parchment.  (I do a double batch, so I need two.)  I put the pans in the oven and set the timer for 20 minutes.

Everything was as I normally do it.

At the 20 minute mark, I removed the pans from the oven.  The tops were a bit darker than usual, but the cookies usually end up being too underdone in the middle, so this was good.  The edges were a bit...well...black, but I could easily cut that part off.  I set the pans aside to cool.

I went back to cut up the cookies (using a pizza cutter--the best tool for the job), and that's when I discovered the awful truth.

I picked up a large chunk of soon-to-be cookie bars, and I looked underneath.  Black.  All black.  Completely charcoal.

I think I screamed.

After examining the whole pan, I found that one side wasn't completely black.  About a quarter of that pan was salvageable.  And the other pan turned out to be okay.  It was dark, but not black.  I would say that that pan was on the over side of done, but edible.

It's a good thing that some of them turned out, because I was not about to make another batch.  I have time.  I just don't know if I want to go through that heartbreak again.  And I'm not in the mood to make another trip to the grocery store.

Making Ice Cream

I'm making ice cream again. I don't know how much of this story I've already committed to blog, so let me start at the beginning. Well, in a moment. Right now I need to go and stir...

The recipe calls for "stirring frequently", which means that I pretty much have to hover over the mixture. It has to gain temperature slowly so that the eggs don't turn into a nasty mess. But the stirring is boring, so I have to find things to do while the ice cream is heating, or else I'll go a bit mad. Oh, better stir the thing again...

First I saw the recipe on an episode of Good Eats (great show, by the way). Then I found my old ice cream maker, but that turned out to be a disaster. Then I asked for a new ice cream maker for Christmas. I got one, and I've been making ice cream for myself ever since. And it's time to, well, you know...

I've tweaked the recipe a couple times because the recipe as written is much too rich. Then it was time to try a new variation. My mother doesn't do dairy, but loves ice cream, so I thought I'd try a version using almond milk for her. It's denser (for almond milk doesn't have a heavy cream version), but she says it tastes fine. I haven't tried it myself. (Oh, back to the saucepan...)

Today I'm making the almond milk version. It's finally starting to thicken up a bit (not as much as the milk version), and it's time to dip the thermometer in. Almost 165 degrees Fahrenheit. The target is 170, so I'm closer than I thought...(just a quick check)...It's only been 20 minutes, so either this is starting to go faster for me, or 20 minutes used to seem like such a long time when I started.

I guess buying ice cream is much simpler. It takes a lot less time. But I get a certain satisfaction from doing it myself. Pride of ownership, perhaps...

And now I'm to the last three degrees, the degrees that never seem to climb. It's best if no one is here to watch. I tend to get a bit cranky.

Chocolate Ice Cream

Yeah, it's winter. This is not the time to be talking about ice cream. But I'm going to anyway. I haven't been working, so it's this or nothing.

I'm not a big fan of Food Network, but I do like the show Good Eats (and I was happy to hear that Alton Brown's contract has been renewed for another 3 years). Occasionally I try some of the recipes, and they usually turn out pretty well. And so when he did his premium ice cream episode, I was drooling. I had to try it.

My first attempt was a fiasco.

So, I dreamed of another ice cream freezer. I found one that I liked, and I asked for it for Christmas. And I got it.

I made the recipe on Saturday. I put it into the freezer on Sunday. And the freezer worked like a dream. It was supposed to take 20-30 minutes, but it only took 10.

I've been enjoying the ice cream for a couple days now. It is so smooth. It is so chocolaty. It's so nice when things work like they should.