Countdown to Cinco de Mayo!

Next Tuesday Angelenos will celebrate the Mexican holiday of Cinco de Mayo. Translated from the Spanish as the “fifth of May”, this holiday originally commemorated the Mexican army’s surprise 1862 victory over the French army. Nowadays, we enjoy Cinco de Mayo in Los Angeles as a time to celebrate Mexican culture and heritage. There are happenings all over, but nowhere feels as festive as Olvera Street, the birthplace of the city of Los Angeles. Stroll and shop along the plaza and don’t forget to get a freshly made churro from the little cart facing the main plaza. Even if you can’t get down to Olvera street, Cinco de Mayo still provides a great excuse to explore our Mexican-inflected city, listen to a little mariachi and eat wonderful food.

Let’s face it. L.A. would not be L.A. without Mexican cuisine, be it breakfast, lunch or dinner. Imagine our city with no pan dulce, no crusty bollilos, no tamales, no moles, no chiles, no salsas, no frijoles refritos, no guacamole, no burritos, quesadillas, enchiladas or tacos. Imagine no warm corn tortillas. A eeeh!!! It’s frightening to think about.

Calm down and instead, let’s imagine a fiesta! Our students already make a mean guacamole and parents should let them show off their finest recipe for the whole family. You don’t have to spend all day in the kitchen either. Match some homemade guacamole with fresh tortilla chips, add a roasted Anaheim pepper and shredded cheese quesadilla and a spoonful of black or pinto beans and you have a meal that everyone, Mexican-american or not, will devour with gusto. For the more adventurous cooks out there, below are two interesting recipes – one very Cal-Mex and another very “Baja”-- which appeared recently in our local papers. Salud!

Eggplant, Zucchini, Pepper Enchiladas

Note: Dried ancho chiles are available at Latino markets and in the Latino food sections of grocery stores.

Ancho sauce
4 dried ancho chiles
3 large cloves garlic, unpeeled
1 teaspoon dried oregano, preferably Mexican
3/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt

Remove the stems and seeds from the chiles and place the peppers in a glass bowl. Pour boiling water over to cover by 3 inches and let them soak until very soft, about 30 minutes. Drain the peppers and place them in a blender with the garlic and oregano. Strain the soaking water and add 1 1/2 cups to the blender. Puree until smooth. Strain the mixture through a sieve into a clean, shallow pie plate; season with salt and set aside.

Enchiladas and assembly
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, diced
1 medium red pepper, cored, seeded and cut into 1/2 -inch dice
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt, divided
1 medium white eggplant, peeled and cut into 1/2 -inch dice
2 long, slender zucchini, trimmed and cut into 1/2 -inch dice
2 teaspoons dried oregano, preferably Mexican
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Corn oil – enough to reach 1” depth in a 9” nonstick skillet
3 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese
12 (6-inch) corn tortillas

Chopped lettuce and radishes
Crema or sour cream (optional)

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Oil a 13-by-9-inch baking dish. Coat the bottom with about 2 tablespoons sauce. Set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic, onion and pepper. Stir in about one-half teaspoon coarse sea salt. Cook, stirring often, until soft, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the eggplant and zucchini and the remaining one-half-teaspoon salt. Cook until soft, 10 to 15 minutes longer. Stir in the oregano and cumin and remove from the heat.Heat about 1” oil in a 9-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low. With tongs, sweep 1 tortilla through the hot oil just long enough to coat and soften (about 10 seconds). Lift it out with tongs and drain off excess oil. Dredge it through the chile sauce to coat, then lay it into the prepared pan so that half the tortilla extends up the side.

Spoon about 2 tablespoons vegetable mixture down the center, then top with about 2 tablespoons cheese. Roll up to enclose the filling and turn the seam side down. Repeat this process with the remaining tortillas and filling. Spoon any remaining sauce evenly over the assembled enchiladas. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top.

Bake until the tortillas are soft and the cheese is melted, 20 to 25 minutes; do not over-bake. Serve hot, garnished with chopped lettuce and radishes and a drizzle of crema, if desired.


Tuna Tostadas with Chipolte Mayonnaise

Chipotle mayonnaise
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 large egg
1/4 rounded teaspoon salt
1/2 cup light olive oil
1 chipotle chile

Put lemon juice, egg and salt in a blender. Slowly start blending the ingredients, adding oil little by little, until the mayonnaise is thick and you have added all the oil. Add the chipotle chile and blend in. Makes three-fourths cup. You will have some left after making the tostadas.

Tostadas

1 1/2 cups oil (for deep frying)
8 (3-inch-diameter) corn tortillas
2 leeks (about 1 cup sliced)
2 teaspoons olive oil
Salt
10 ounces sashimi-quality tuna, sliced one-fourth inch thick then cut in half, if necessary
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 Hass avocado, peeled, pitted and cut into eighths
1/4 cup chipotle mayonnaise

Heat the oil in a deep skillet to 350 degrees. Fry each tortilla until crisp, about 2 minutes. Drain between paper towels. Set aside.

Slice the leeks (white part only) into one-fourth-inch-wide julienne. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over very low heat. Add the leeks, sprinkle with a little salt and cook until soft but not browned, about 5 to 7 minutes.

Marinate the tuna slices in the soy sauce and lemon juice for 2 minutes. Drain.

Spread 1 1/2 teaspoons chipotle mayonnaise on each tostada. Divide the tuna among the tostadas. Top the tuna with the leeks and add a slice of avocado to each tostada.

Earth Day at Odyssey!

On April 22nd Odyssey will celebrate Earth Day. Teachers Aaron Bergman and Jessica Bilandzija are spearheading all the day's activities and encourage parents and family members to come and lend a hand. Volunteers are wanted and welcome! Take a look at what will be going on:

Urban Garden
Even a concrete urban jungle can produce fruits and vegetables. Come and see how, and even help to make an urban garden here at Odyssey! Come ready to get down and dirty.Meet directly in front of Room 2.

Compost Demonstration
Composting saves landfill space and the products have great uses in gardening, and it’s more than just making a big pile of food scraps! Come and see how composting is done at Odyssey and how you can do the same at home.Meet in front of Room 2, near the compost bins.

Tree Planting
Outside sources are donating trees to Odyssey, but it’s up to us to make sure they take root in good soil! Show the ultimate in tree friendliness and come help plant a tree to make Odyssey a richer place for us all. Come prepared to get down and dirty.Meet on the west end of the north field, near the swings.

Story of Stuff
4-8th grades www.storyofstuff.com We buy things all the time, but where do they come from and were do they go? The Story of Stuff is a 20 minute video that talks about the ecological, social, and political implications of living in a consumer world. Discussion to follow. It’s probably a bit too much for the wee ones.Meet in Room 2.

Compostable Pots
(Every student must bring a cleaned milk carton, the kind that comes with cafeteria lunches. They must all also have the tops cut off.) Come learn how to make a pot for plants that can be put directly into the ground. Learn about eco-friendliness as well as reusing materials in a creative way.Meet on the middle school patio in front of the music room.

Trash Sorting Relay
The winners will have to be quick on their feet and also understand the difference between what is reusable, what is recyclable, and what is junk.Meet on the west end of the north field, near the swings.

7th and 8th Grade Earth Day Science Fair
Every student in the 7th and 8th grades investigated, performed, analyzed, and reported an experiment of their choosing. Most of their experiments have nothing to do with Earth Day BUT they are excited to share with audiences how to go about investigating questions experimentally. Meet in Room 3, Mrs. Khalsa’s room.

Decorate Brown Paper Grocery Bags www.earthdaybags.org
Raise awareness and spread the word about Earth Day! The Earth Day Groceries Project has grown over the past 15 years to 1200 participating schools, and Odyssey will be one of them. Students decorate a grocery store’s brown paper bags and return them for distribution during Earth Day. It’s a simple, profound, and personal way to spread awareness about Earth Day. Meet in the Art Room.

Computer Lab Games
The EPA and the State of California have many age appropriate websites for young earth day celebrators. Learn about Earth Day related topics through games and webquests.Meet in the Computer Lab.

Earth Hour This Saturday

On Saturday, March 28, 2009, at 8:30 pm begins Earth Hour-a global event in which millions of people will turn out their lights to make a statement of concern about our planet and climate change.

Sponsored by World Wildlife Fund, Earth Hour got started just two years ago and is now the largest event of its kind in the world. Last year, more than 50 million participated and the lights went out at the Empire State Building, the Golden Gate Bridge, the Sydney Opera House and the Coliseum in Rome, just to name a few. Even Google's homepage went black for the day! In Israel, President Shimon Peres personally turned off lights in Tel Aviv. This year, Earth Hour will be even bigger-already 2900 cities in 83 countries have agreed to take part including Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville, New York City, San Francisco and Washington DC, with more signing up every day. Around the world cities like Moscow, Hong Kong, Mumbai, Shanghai and Mexico City will turn out their lights. But Earth Hour isn't just for big cities-anyone can participate. To get a better sense of the event, check out this video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjWD8pbK5t8.

Participating in Earth Hour is easy, fun and free. To sign up, visit http://www.earthhourUS.org where you'll learn more including ways you can spread the word about Earth Hour, plus creative things to do when the lights go out in case you need inspiration! We want the US to turn out more lights than any other country in the world during this historic event so please pass this note along to anyone you think might want to take part. Let's all turn out and take action on March 28 at 8:30 pm.

Harvest of the Month Handiwork

Lloyd (7th grade) looking very pleased with his work. Find the recipe for Mexican Pickles in the previous post.

Springtime Eats

Suddenly it’s spring. Yes, we still have cool nights and overcast mornings, but the warm late afternoon sun reminds us that hot weather is right around the corner. Trees are beginning to leaf out and spring flowers like calla lily and astromeria are in bloom in gardens all over Pasadena. There is a lot of activity in the vegetable patch too. All the early greens vegetables are ready to harvest. At the farmer’s markets you’ll find piles of green garlic, chives and spring onions as well as the season’s first snap peas, sugar peas and pea shoots. My favorite is the tender fava beans sold by the bunch. Just open the thick pods and much on the beans inside. A classic Italian snack pairs fresh fava beans with chunks of young pecorino cheese. The two taste delicious together.

The beauty of spring vegetables is in their diminutive size. Baby broccoli, tiny white cauliflower, small spring lettuces and tiny baby beets are harvested and take just minutes to prepare. Knobby celery root is ready to be transformed into soup or salads. Multihued breakfast radishes are in season as well as gigantic white daikon radishes whose mellow taste can approximate a potato when cooked.

This month farmers also pull lots of fresh carrots out of the ground. And contrary to what you see in the supermarket, the colors of farmers market carrots range from white to almost red-orange. Most spring carrots are long and slender with white tipped roots and luxurious green heads. But you also have Thumbelina carrots which are completely round.

It’s pretty easy to get kids hooked on carrots. They are sweet, portable and crunchy. Thanks to the marketing genius of “baby carrots”, many Odyssey students pack carrots for a lunchtime snack every day. That’s a good choice. Carrots are rich in beta-carotene, Vitamin C and are a great source of fiber and potassium. They also deliver vitamin B folate to your body as well as trace minerals like manganese, calcium and magnesium.

We are giving carrots their due this month in our Harvest of the Month program. Our recipe looks south of the border for inspiration. We’ll be turning sweet carrots into something else entirely -- pickles. Mixed with cauliflower, jalapenos, cucumbers and fresh oregano, pickling carrots dresses them up in an entirely new outfit. Spicy, sweet and hot. What more could you want?

Mexican Pickled Carrots

1 lb. carrots, peeled and cut in 1/4" slices on the diagonal
1 head cauliflower, trimmed and separated into small florets
1 pound pickling cucumbers, unpeeled, washed and cut into 1/4" on the diagonal
1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 head garlic, cloves peeled and cut in half
3/4 cup chopped oregano leaves
1 quart white vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup kosher salt
2 Tablespoons cracked peppercorns
3 red jalapeno peppers
3 green jalapeno peppers

Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to boil and blanch the carrots for three minutes. Remove from the boiling water with a slotted spoon to a colander and refresh under cold running water. Drain and reserve. Then blanch the cauliflower, for six minutes, drain and refresh. Put carrots, cauliflower and cucumbers in a large glass container, or three quart sized containers. Add the chopped oregano and mix.

Combine the vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the jalapeno's garlic and onion and return to a boil. Cook a minute longer and pour over the vegetables. Set aside to cool to room temperature. Refrigerate covered -- Will last for one month

Eat Your Words

Just a quick note that March 6th’s Family Book Club night was a huge success. To get the creative juices flowing, families stopped in the community hall first for a dinner of soup and salad provided by Food and Garden parents. Then it was off to class for a lively review of two books – Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Bud, not Buddy. The K-3 crowd held their discussion in tents complete with flashlights.

Thanks to organizers Mia Picerno and Marianne Seiss, along with OCS staff Rachelle Martinez, Carlos Garcia and Director, Lauren O’Neill. Special thanks to our wonderful kitchen parents Karen Merchant, Valerie Barth, Elizabeth Rainey, Gloria Ross and Stephanie Jenniches.

If the event inspired you to start your own family book club, just remember that “good food ends with good talk”.

Book Club Bean Soup

1 lb. dried white beans, soaked overnight in cold water
1 tbs. olive oil
1/3 pound bacon, diced
1 onion, finely chopped
2 carrots, finely chopped
2 celery stalks, trimmed and finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
2 tbs. fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1 bunch parsley, chopped
12 cups chicken broth or water
1 15oz. can, diced tomatoes
2 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. dried chipotle powder
1-2 bunches fresh kale, cleaned, stemmed and sliced into ribbons
Salt and pepper, to taste

Heat a large 8 quart pot with the olive oil. Add diced bacon and sauté until crisp. Remove bacon and set aside, leaving fat in pot. Add the chopped onion, carrot, celery and garlic to the same pot and sauté until the vegetables are softened and slightly brown. Add rosemary and sauté.
Drain the beans and add them to the pot along with the chopped parsley, chicken stock (or water), diced tomatoes, paprika, and chipotle powder. Add the kale and bring the soup to a simmer. Partially cover the pot and slowly simmer for about 2-3 hours, until the beans are soft and fully cooked. Cooking time varies widely based on the age of the beans. Add more water if the soup looks too thick. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.

Feeds six quite well, especially when a salad and baguette are served alongside.

Children and Nature Awareness Month

From Teacher Denise Martinez:

Dear OCS Families. I have read Last Child in the Woods and used some of the research in my thesis. I know some of our parents are active and access the beautiful trails we have available to us, but probably many do not. Wouldn’t it be great to have an Odyssey family hike once a month? We could pack in a picnic (or BBQ at the campsite) and get those who may need a little encouragement to come outside and enjoy nature with their children and others.

I’m reprinting below an article that may get families out: hiking, walking, enjoying!!!


Get Children and Families Outside!
The Children & Nature Network designates
April as Children & Nature Awareness Month

SANTA FE, NM – February, 2009 – April is the second annual Children & Nature Awareness Month, a call to action announced by the Children & Nature Network (C&NN) and Chairman Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder.

This year, C&NN has two goals: First, to encourage parents to form their own Nature Clubs for Families. And, second, to persuade grandparents and others to do their part to reconnect children and nature. Nature Clubs for Families are local groups with a common interest in connecting children with nature. Each Nature Club is unique, with activities that vary depending on location and participants. The gatherings may include meeting regularly at a park—playing, building friendships, and singing with preschoolers and their parents—or home-schooling families, who go on lengthy walks for focused nature study. Elsewhere, families might enjoy a trail hike that combines kid-driven play with spontaneous nature observation. All share basic goals: Going outside in nature on a frequent basis; gathering children, friends and community members to share outdoor adventures; and experiencing the benefits of time spent together outside.

C&NN has developed a how-to guide: Nature Clubs for Families Tool Kit downloadable at http://www.childrenandnature.org/natureclubs/. TheToolKit includes a Quick Start Guide with simple instructions on how to start a local Nature Club for families, and is filled with field-tested ideas, resources, templates and checklists. Included are first-hand stories and suggestions from Family Nature Club leaders who are already enjoying success.

Today, children are far less likely to spend time playing outside, and a growing body of research says children are paying a high price for that lack. Obesity, inattentiveness, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), diminished creativity and depression are just a few of the problems linked to what Richard Louv has called nature-deficit disorder. “Getting kids outdoors more, riding bikes, running, swimming—and, especially, experiencing nature directly—could serve as an antidote to much of what ails the young,” according to Louv.

Throughout the month of April, C&NN will promote the growing network of individuals, organizations and agencies across the country who are rallying parents, educators, youth leaders, and policy makers to work together to make sure all children have the opportunity to experience frequent, regular play and exploration in natural outdoor environments. The Children & Nature Network now has over 7,000 members, regional leaders and partners across the country and aims to turn this nature deficit around.

Visit the C&NN Web site at www.childrenandnature.org to explore the growing list of events and activities, including county, regional and statewide children and nature proclamations, family hikes and “play days.” Post your own events. You also can visit the Web site to find potential speakers for events you may be sponsoring.