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Turn Thanksgiving Leftovers into a Delicious Pot Pie (From Common Ground Bar and Grill)

If you don’t know what to do with your Thanksgiving leftovers, here’s a great Thanksgiving Pot Pie courtesy of Common Ground Bar and Grill in Allston, Massachusetts.

Common Ground Thanksgiving Pot Pie

serves 8

Here is a great way to use those leftovers from your feast from the day before.  Start with the topping so it has time to cool while making your pie.

Filling:

1 cup carrots                                      1 cup peas2 cups turkey                                     2 cups red bliss potatoes

1 cup corn                                           2 tablespoons of garlic (chopped)

1 tablespoon thyme                       2 qts. caramelized onion gravy

1 cup mashed potatoes                 2 cups heavy cream

2 teaspoon salt                                 1 teaspoon Ground fennel

1 tablespoon black pepper

Sautee garlic, add carrots, corn, boiled potatoes, peas, gravy, and chopped thyme.  Bring to a boil then add the cream, mashed potatoes and seasoning.  Stir til brought back to boil.

Crust:

1 tablespoon baking powder                      1 tablespoon salt2 cup apple corn stuffing                              1 egg

2 tablespoon sugar                                          2 cup flour

½ lb butter

Add all ingredients to mixing bowl then puree.  Place on flat surface and flatten to size of individual serving bowl and cut (should be a ¼ inch thick).  Par cook for 10 min. at 325 degrees..  Cut top of pie to size of serving dish.
Topping : Cranberry jam

1 teaspoon salt                                                 1 tablespoon Orange Zest1 cup Water                                                        2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon                                    2 cups of cranberries

Boil sugar and water, then add rest of ingredients.  Reduce heat to medium and simmer for ten minutes.  Remove from heat, puree and pour into serving dish. Let cool.

Complete:

Pour filling into crust then cover with top crust.  Pinch edges together.   Cook in oven at 325 degrees for about 15 mins. Or golden brown.

Take out of oven, add cranberry jam to top of Pot Pie  And serve to delighted guest.

November 16, 2011
Nutrition IQ Program at Shaws Supermarket and Healthy Recipes for Autumn

I went to a blogging event at Shaws last month and discovered fifteen minutes prior to event that Capability:Mom was going too, which was a nice surprise. It was nice to meet Boston bloggers Maven of Savin’, Masshole Mommy, Mommy Niri, The Coupon Goddess, Toy Queen, Charlene Chronicles and learn about the Nutrition IQ program at Shaws as well as sample healthy snacks and side dishes created by their nutritionist.

We met with Shaw’s nutritionist, Jennifer Shea, who helped develop the Nutrition IQ program which highlights healthy items throughout the supermarket. It’s great for people like me who search for healthy snacks for the kids! Look for these tags which also have nutritional information.

Jennifer also shared some great and delicious healthy recipes. My favorite was the smoothie!

Cinnamon Pumpkin Smoothies

6 ounces Greek Yogurt

1/2 cup unsweetened canned pumpkin puree

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1-2 tablespoons honey

4 ice cubes.

Place ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth. Makes 2 servings and takes 5 minutes to make. Delicious too!

Apple Dip

6 ounces light vanilla yogurt

1 tablespoon raisins

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon natural peanut butter (substitute soy butter if you want to pack it for the kids snack at school)

2 apples, sliced and cored

Mix everything together and serve with apple slices. Serves 4 and takes 5 minutes to whip up.

Saucy Spaghetti Squash

1 Spaghetti Squash

1/2 cup marinara sauce

1/4 cup shared or grated Parmesan cheese

olive oil

salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Halve squash and remove seeds. Spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray or wipe a quick layer of olive oil on pan. Drizzle olive oil over cut sides of squash. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast squash cut-side down until tender, about 45-50 minutes. Use oven mitt to remove from oven, and carefully use fork to scrape out strands of squash into dish. Careful, squash is HOT! Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Top with marinara sauce and Parmesan cheese. If you want to get fancy, you can broil the squash until the cheese is browned.

Individual Apple Pie

1 medium apple

2 tablespoons rolled oats

1 tablespoon raisins

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon brown sugar

Core and dice apple and place into individual baking dish. Mix the rest of ingredients and place on top of apples. Bake at 375 degrees F for about 20 minutes or until apples are tender.

p.s. For those who need more ideas for healthy grocery food shopping, I found these great lists at the Shaws site:

A Shopping List for Losing Weight

A Shopping List for Eating Healthy (or for someone with Diabetes)

A Shopping List for Eating Healthy for Kids

November 6, 2011
School Committee Recommendations from Current School Committee Member Kurt Kusiak

Kurt Kusiak is my Dad Friend and neighbor and, because I have zero interest in politics of any ilk, I turn to him like my personal Godfather to vote his slate. Perhaps I am just lazy and bad with names such that I can’t keep track of so many people and their agendas. On the other hand, I find that my beliefs align with Kurt’s.

My pediatric dentist’s wife, Vicki Danberg, is running for Alderman At-Large in Ward 6. I am also voting for her (assuming that I vote in Ward 6).

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Friends,

Next Tuesday, November 8, is an important election day for choosing the next School Committee. I hope you will take the time to vote since there are very substantial differences between some of the candidates this time around. Voting for School Committee candidates is city wide, so you can vote in every race, regardless of whether it is your ward.

For those of you who may be interested, my recommendations for the three races are:

Jonathan Yeo: Jonathan’s contributions to the School Committee are not replaceable. He has led the negotiations with the teachers union, which has just resulted in the first sustainable teachers contract for a long, long time – saving many millions of dollars and, simultaneously, many teachers’ jobs. He is an exceedingly skilled and experienced member of the committee that we cannot afford to lose.

Sue Rosenbaum: Sue is a scientist that has done diabetes and obesity research at Tufts Medical School and currently works as a clinical trials manager for a start-up pharmaceutical company. She has also been a long-time activist and volunteer improving Newton’s schools, serving on the League of Women Voters, the Zervas and Newton South school councils, as a soccer coach, and as a creative arts and sciences volunteer. During her first term on the Newton School Committee, she has served as the liaison to our legislative delegation at the State House and as a member of the budget guidelines committee, and on the facilities committee bringing needed modulars to the elementary schools. She has also served on the Countryside Elementary School Task Force, which is working to alleviate school overcrowding. She gets things done and achieves positive results without much fanfare, which I like a lot.

Diana Fisher-Gomberg: Diana has been very active in the Newton schools for the past eight years. She has been a very hard worker for several PTOs and School Councils, and she is well-respected and well-liked by many city officials – which is fairly key to getting things done. Her commitment to the school system is clear, she has a good knowledge base already due to her years of interacting with the School Committee and administration, and I think she would make a very good School Committee member.

Kurt Kusiak

November 4, 2011
Newton’s Own Carol Reichert: Book Reading At Newtonville Books Monday (11/7) at 7pm

Join Best Women’s Travel Writing 2011 editor Lavinia Spalding and contributors Marcia DeSanctis, Abbie Kozolchyk and Newton’s own Carol Reichert for an evening of sharing true travel stories from around the world at Newtonville Books this Monday, November 11th, at 7 pm.

Any woman whose passport has been stamped a few times knows the surest method of keeping her travel fire alive: by reading and telling tales from the road, passing them along like a torch in a relay race.

From Travelers’ Tales comes The Best Women’s Travel Writing 2011: True Stories from Around the World –the seventh collection in the annual best-selling, award-winning series that invites readers to ride shotgun alongside intrepid female nomads as they travel the world to discover new places, people, and facets of themselves. The stories in this year’s edition are as diverse as the geographic locations, the common thread being fresh, compelling storytelling from a woman’s perspective aimed at making readers laugh, weep, wish they were there, or be glad they weren’t.

In The Best Women’s Travel Writing 2011, readers will:
* Have lunch with a mobster in Japan and drinks with an IRA member in Ireland
* Learn the secrets of flamenco in Spain and the magic of samba in Brazil
* Deliver a trophy for best testicles in a small town in rural Serbia
* Fall in love while riding a camel through the Syrian Desert
* Ski a first descent of over 5,000 feet in Northern India
* Discover the joy of getting naked in South Korea
* Leave it all behind to slop pigs on a farm in Ecuador…and more.

Editor Lavinia Spalding, author of Writing Away: A Creative Guide to Awakening the Journal-Writing Traveler (named one of the best travel books of 2009 by the L.A. Times) and With a Measure of Grace: The Story and Recipes of a Small Town Restaurant, has put together a collection of tales in The Best Women’s Travel Writing that speaks to the reasons why we embark on a journey, and the many reasons why we keep doing it.

Here’s an excerpt of Carol Reichert’s piece and I highly recommend that you hear her reading. It’s a treat for your senses!

November 3, 2011
Professional Athletes that Lived or Currently Live in Newton UPDATED

There are a lot of professional athletes who have lived or currently live in Newton. I hear urban tales all the times of Red Sox players spotting at the local Supercuts. Invariably, our Newton athletes are gracious about giving out autographs or posing for a photo opp. Thank you! You all make lovely neighbors! Who have you run into? Please leave a comment and your story.

p.s. This list is from Wikipedia. Who did I leave out? Can you please help me out with a comment and I’ll add to the list. Thank you!

Baseball

The following current and former players of the Boston Red Sox:Matt Clement, (former)

Jim Corsi, (former player of the Boston Red Sox, Florida Marlins, Oakland Athletics, Baltimore Orioles, and Houston Astros)

JD Drew, (current)

Mark Loretta, (former)

Doug Mirabelli, (former)

Trot Nixon, (former)

David Ortiz, (current)

Wily Mo Peña, (former)

Jimmy Piersall, (former)

Jason Varitek, (current)

Ted Williams, (former)

Basketball
Danny Ainge, Boston Celtics

Larry Bird, former Boston Celtics basketball player

Tom “Satch” Sanders, Boston Celtics

Jo Jo White, Boston Celtics

Figure skating
Jennifer Kirk

Motor racing
Pete Hamilton former American NASCAR racer

Soccer
Daouda Kante (former) New England Revolution player

Taylor Twellman (current) New England Revolution player

October 20, 2011
Foraging in Newton: Wild Edible Plants Abound at Soccer Fields, Dog Parks and Schools!

Foraging for edible plants and berries is not the first thing that comes to mind when you live in a suburban city like Newton. Yet, the foraging is abundant at schoolyards, dog parks, and soccer fields. At least, that is where I found all these specimens. I don’t know too much about mushrooms and would strongly recommend AGAINST gathering wild mushrooms unless you are an expert. I only include the mushrooms-on-tree photos for their dramatic beauty.

I am an amateur and I read the books below then found plants I thought looked familiar while walking my dog at dog parks and at soccer fields. I took pictures with my iPhone thinking that it would be easier to identify rather than lugging around 4 books. I still am not sure of some of these plants. Looks like I need to take more photos!

These were the books that I used to identify the plants. I am a beginner so again I would caution against eating items found in the wild without positive identification! If you know about any of the plants below or other edible plants found in Newton, please help me out with a comment. Thank you!

p.s. It was this article in Savuer Magazine that got me interested in foraging. The author, Ava Chin, uses foraging as a way of coping with grief. What a wonderfully positive way to remember her grandmother! The plants below were collected by Ava from Brooklyn’s Prospect Park. These plants grow in Newton too! I will add more photos to this post as I find more plants.

These are the plants that I found in Newton:

This was growing in Cold Spring Park in Newton Highlands near the dog park. This could be Chicken of Woods but I am not sure. It is, however, growing off the side of a tree.

This is growing at Cold Spring Park in the off-leash dog park. I think it’s a Serviceberry. The berries resemble long-stemmed blueberries.

This Echinacea plant is growing in front of Peirce Elementary School. It’s a common flower grown in gardens. Some species are used in herbal medicines and some are cultivated in gardens for their showy flowers.

My dog ate these berries when he was a puppy playing at the dog park at Cold Spring Park. I realize now that it is Smooth Sumac berries that the Native Americans used to make a refreshing drink.

I think this is Pokeweed. The young shoots and leafy tips can be cooked as a kind of asparagus-like vegetable. The root, seeds, and mature stems and leaves are dangerously POISONOUS!! I’d stay away from this one!

This was also growing at Cold Spring. I think it’s a Chokeberry. I wish I had a better shot of the leaves to be sure.

From Libby Shaw: The berries on the plant your article tentatively identifies as chokeberry look to me like the fruits of a stubbornly invasive vine called porcelain berry. I know of no other plant that has fruits with that range of colors. The berries reportedly are edible.

Quoting https://askinglot.com/are-porcelain-berries-edible: “For those of you who enjoy bland food with a slightly prickly aftertaste, they would make the ideal snack food, especially if you also enjoy a slimy texture.”

From Libby Shaw: “If you see wild berries that are *bluish-black* [emphasis added] and each of them has a 5-point crown on it, there is a 90 percent chance that what you are seeing are wild blueberries.” (Source: https://plantedshack.com/6-berries-that-look-like-blueberries)

Wild grape leaves were growing at Cold Spring at the off-leash dog park. Libby Park says, “I saw your list includes wild grapes. When they’re good and ripe (dark purple), wild grapes make for an entertaining nibble, if your palate enjoys sour. They make delicious grape juice (I recently made a batch) — but it requires a LOT of sugar, so it’s probably better to grow domestic grapes if you’re working on controlling your family’s sugar intake.”

These Milkweed pods growing in front of Peirce Elementary School will soon release the seeds that float in the wind. When the pods are very young, they are edible as a cooked vegetable.

The Pineapple Weed that I found at Cold Spring resembles Chamomile, a relative which is used to make tea. Pineapple Weed can also be used for colds and to aid relaxation. It’s has a pineapple scent and a slight pineapple flavor.

These are Crabapple trees. The first one is at Cold Spring in the off-leash dog park. The other tree with abundant fruit is at Weeks Field. The crabapples are sour (my kids and I tried them) but they are supposed to be great cooked as applesauce.

Juniper berries (the same ones found in the spice aisle) were growing at Weeks Field along the perimeter.

I think this is Chickory. It’s growing in front of Peirce Elementary School. It’s used as a field green and the root can be roasted and used as a substitute for coffee.

I see Yew berries everywhere in Newton front yards since Yew is commonly used as hedging. The berry is edible but the seed is poisonous. This picture was taken in Newton Centre in the main garden area near the parking lots.

From Libby Shaw: The seeds of yew berries are not simply poisonous, they are highly toxic and can kill a child. No one should be encouraged to eat yew berries, lest they ingest seeds by mistake. See https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29363354/

The Kousa Dogwood has edible fruits and is a common ornamental tree. I found one at Hamilton Field but also at a friend’s front yard.

I thought this was a Bunchberry but upon closer inspection, it is not. There are lots of poisonous red berries so please do not eat any until you have made a positive identification, preferably consulting an expert!

I found this on Washington Blvd. at Warren Park near the tennis courts closer to Myrtle Street. I think this is Bunchberry.

To examine any book more closely at Amazon, please click on image of book.

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

October 18, 2011
Volunteers Needed for Snow Shoveling to Help Local Senior and Disabled Residents
The City of Newton is preparing a list of students and adults willing to volunteer snow shoveling services for your local senior/disabled residents. Students — this is great volunteer experience!!

Students/participants should be aware
- When you sign to be on this list, your name, village and phone # will be made available to those residents, often the elderly, needing assistance w/snow shoveling.
- If you are under the age of 18 you should check with parent(s) before signing up to be on this list.
Return the information below to Parks & Recreation by Tuesday, November 1, by mail, fax or email. Mail to 70 Crescent Street, Newton, MA 02466, (Fax) 617.796.1512 or e-mail: parks@newtonma.gov.

1. Your Name

2. Street address

3. Name of your village (Auburndale, Newton Highlands, Newtonville, etc.)

4. ZIP Code

5. Phone number

6. E-mail address
October 13, 2011
MCAS Results for Newton Public Schools

The MCAS results are in and the results are impressive as usual. Here’s an assortment of information. The big story about the MCAS is the Newton North Junior who caught the MCAS error.

“Michael Safran, 16, a Newton North junior contacted the department to contest the results. Safran, who only missed one question on the math portion, told the paper he checked a pamphlet to see what questions he got wrong and noticed he lost more credit than he should have. Safran then examined how the raw scores were converted to the scaled scores on the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s website.

Mitchell Chester, the state’s commissioner of elementary and secondary education, told the Boston Globe that the testing contractor, Measured Progress, calculated the raw scores of the math portion of the MCAS accurately, but scaled them incorrectly. As a result, the scores of 3,521 students statewide were misclassified with a performance level that was too low.

While education officials said they are working with Measured Progress to address the reporting error, the performance levels for 1,364 students will increase from “needs improvement” to “proficient.” The performance levels of 1,887 students will increase from “proficient” to “advanced.”

Here are the links including a letter from Day Middle School’s principal Brian Turner as an example of how Newton Public Schools handles the test results.

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MCAS results for Newton Public Schools

Newton North Junior Catches MCAS Error, from WickedLocal Newton.com

District as a Whole Outperforms the State , from WickedLocal Newton.com

“According to results, 86 percent of all Newton students performed proficient or higher in English Language Arts – up 1 percent from 2010. Thirty-six percent performed at an advanced level, 50 percent were marked as proficient, 11 percent needs improvement and 3 percent are in danger of failing.

In math, 81 percent performed proficient or higher – up 2 percent from 2010. Forty-eight percent landed in the advanced category, 33 percent performed proficiently, 13 percent need improvement and 5 percent are in danger of failing.”

From Brian Turner, Principal at Day Middle School:

Spring 2011 MCAS Results

You may have already read a letter from Superintendent David Fleishman (found online at http://www3.newton.k12.ma.us/sites/default/files/AYP%20District%20letter0001.pdf), which explain the district-wide 2011 MCAS results. While Superintendent Fleishman’s letter addresses information about the district, I will write specifically here about Day’s students’ results.

Day has now received official scores from the 2011 MCAS assessments, and you may have also received your child’s scores. Day’s results indicate a continuation of high progress for Day overall. The overwhelming majority of our students scored at the proficient or advanced performance levels on both the English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics assessments. In ELA, 97% of Day’s students either 1) scored proficient or advanced or 2) met their annual improvement targets. In mathematics, 91.1% of the students either 1) scored proficient or advanced or 2) met their annual improvement targets. As has been historically the case, our aggregate scores for the entire school for both subject areas continue to meet improvement targets. In addition to aggregate scores, all subgroups in ELA and mathematics met their improvement targets in 2011, save the Hispanic subgroup whose 2011 aggregate ELA and mathematics scores were slightly lower than the 2010 Hispanic cohort’s aggregate scores.

Therefore, our NCLB accountability status in ELA is currently “Corrective Action – Subgroups” and in mathematics is “Restructuring Year 2 – Subgroups,” which means we have two consecutive years to make Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) for all subgroups in order to have no accountability status in ELA and mathematics. While we are happy with the results in the aggregate in ELA and mathematics, we are committed to helping all of our students reach their improvement targets and are committed to closing achievement gaps.

Improvement Plans

Day faculty and staff have worked hard to raise the achievement of all students, and we will continue our efforts to implement effective and supportive interventions for students and provide professional development opportunities for teachers. Listed below are some of the improvement steps we have taken in previous years and will continue for the coming year:

1. A Mathematics Instructional Coach will work closely throughout this upcoming academic year with Day’s mathematics teachers to improve our students’ performance outcomes.

2. A Literacy Instructional Coach will work closely throughout this upcoming academic year with all of Day’s teachers to improve our students’ literacy levels.

3. We will once again provide students with a license to use “Study Island,” an on-line math and English Language Arts skill practice website. The site is web-based, and is available for student use both in school and at home.

4. We will enhance small group mathematics classes for students who need additional supports in the 7th and 8th grades.

5. We will maximize team extension time, identifying students who need extra help during the school day with their regular math or English teachers.

6. We will continue offering homework club and a variety of study groups for struggling students.

7. The teachers’ professional development will focus on collaboratively analyzing student academic data to make informed decisions about curricula, instruction and student support services.

As we analyze our most recent results in more detail, additional action steps will be taken to address the students’ targeted areas of need. As was mentioned in Superintendent Fleishman’s letter, involving parents as partners in the education of their children is an important part of NCLB. We encourage you to become involved in helping us raise the achievement of all Day students by attending parent-teacher conferences, volunteering with the PTO, attending parent meetings and coffees, providing a study area at home and encouraging your child to keep up with his or her homework. These are just some of the many steps you can take to enhance your own child’s achievement.

October 11, 2011
Totally Renovated : 8 Arapahoe St in Newton – SOLD

Thank you to everyone who came to see the house.

It’s sold.

—————————–

New to Market!

8 Arapahoe Road

$699k

Near Intersection of Commonwealth Avenue and Washington Blvd.

Newton, Massachusetts

Please call for a showing. Tai (617) 413-3853 or email tailee100@verizon.net

House: 1680 sq ft

Lot: 5076 sq ft

Built in 1920

Total Rooms: 8

3 Bedrooms, 2.5 Bath

Finished Basement

Colonial Style

Elementary School: Peirce or Williams

Central A/C

High Efficient Combination Boiler/Tankless Water Heater

Washer/Dryer on 2nd floor

New hardwood floors throughout

Master Bathroom with Double Sink. There is a huge walk in slate shower. The flooring is dark grey slate.

Living Room. This elegant, spacious space also has a window seat.

Honed Black Granite and Stainless Steel Kitchen. The appliances are Bosch. The faucet is Grohe. The French Doors lead to a small deck perfect for a BBQ.

Master bedroom. It’s a spacious room with an entire wall of double closets.

Family Room. This room is off the Living Room and is a perfect cozy space for the TV.

Bedroom 1. Larger than bedroom 2, Bedroom 1 also has a new closet.

Bedroom 2. The first room off the stairs, this bedroom would also make a perfect nursery.

The Upstairs bathroom is Carerra Marble and white tile. It has a clean, minimalist look.

The basement is now finished. It can be a great playroom, rec room, office space, gym, den or man cave. It’s just waiting for your touch.

This gorgeous window box graces the large front window outside the living room. It was created by Zoe Forbes of Fleuri Designs. She says that winter is her favorite season to design window boxes, home floral and wreath decorations and container gardens because it lasts and lasts! Though this window box plant and flower collection lasts only the brief fall season, it does evoke autumn!

Front Door

Front of house.

Another View of Front of House.

Back Yard. There’s plenty of room for a playset or lawn furniture in the grassy back yard.

Photography by Sharon Schindler Photography. Her name might sound familiar because she also shot the Newton North High School Coffeetable Book.

October 8, 2011
Get Gorgeous (Your Garden and Home): Fleuri Garden Designs UPDATED2

I walked by the most gorgeously decorated home walking my dog, stopped short to admire it (with my dog protesting), and then realized that it’s my Mom Friend Zoe who is a professional garden (indoor and out) decorator. Those are my words. Her company description is below. She also does gorgeous holiday decorating! And here’s how to reach her: Let Fleuri Garden Designs add instant curb appeal to your home or business with seasonal outdoor arrangements for spring, summer, fall and winter. Centerpieces for your holiday table are also a specialty!

For more information please contact zoeforbes@verizon.net or call (617) 721-0047.

p.s. Her gorgeous arrangements are quite reasonable. She just told me that she could do window boxes for Dream 3 Bedroom House For Sale In One Week for $75 each! Wow! That’s a great price! Stay tuned for images from that! My friend, DesignTrackMind, also commented today at a CoffeeShopBloggers meeting how talented Zoe is. High praise from another talented designer!

October 8, 2011