I have seen online many beautiful recipe binders created by full-time homemakers who have master's degrees in scrapbooking or just great skill in making things look perfect. Daniel and I are part-time haphazard homemakers, both of whom like to cook, so we have had to come up with a method of recipe storage that works … Continue reading Our Recipe Binder
creations
Raisin Bran Bread, Revised Recipe
Two years ago, I developed a recipe for Raisin Bran Bread to use up a bulk purchase of raisin bran cereal whose flakes were so big and hard and rough that it was painful to eat! We love the bread, so I actually bought more of that aggressive raisin bran whenever Costco issued a coupon, … Continue reading Raisin Bran Bread, Revised Recipe
Get your Dawn Scarab T-shirt today!
Daniel recently started using a small digital picture frame as an alarm clock, to help him slay the snooze-button sloth by awakening him with a glowing image as well as music. (Yes, this picture frame plays an MP3. As a picture frame, it's absurdly fancy. As an alarm clock, it's pretty cool.) It's working!!! He … Continue reading Get your Dawn Scarab T-shirt today!
Pizza Box Stained Glass
My five-year-old son loves to play games , but there's another reason he looks forward to attending the same game convention every year: the individual pizzas in the convention center food court! I think they're not that great, but I'm willing to let him eat one each year. Like many fast-food pizzas, it's served in … Continue reading Pizza Box Stained Glass
“Ka” Walkthrough
Back in February, Daniel placed sixth in an interactive fiction game writing contest. His game, "Ka", has now been archived on the site, and the page includes a walkthrough, a series of hints that will help you get through the game. Each hint is hidden under a "spoiler alert" until you click it. This walkthrough … Continue reading “Ka” Walkthrough
Have an Adventure in the Afterlife: Play Ka!
UPDATE: "Ka" now has its own page, including a walkthrough that will help you if you need hints. I recently played the interactive fiction (text adventure) game written by my partner Daniel for the 7th Casual Gameplay Design Competition. It's called "Ka". It's fun, and it's doing well in the contest. Check it out! In … Continue reading Have an Adventure in the Afterlife: Play Ka!
Rambling Sprawl Estates
Due to the troubled economy on Mars, you've decided to break into the Earth pizza market. You've developed an assortment of brands that are nontoxic and nicely inconspicuous...you think. The next step is to test-market your wares in a controlled area where you can closely observe the results. Thus, you have dispatched families of Martians … Continue reading Rambling Sprawl Estates
Try my card game!
Many years ago, I came up with an idea for a game in which you build a map of a suburban area using cards/tiles depicting segments of street. I made a rough prototype, and then my friends the Looneys helped me make a better "alpha deck" on some extra blank cards they happened to have. The next … Continue reading Try my card game!
Tie-dyed Socks!
My son, who is officially four-and-a-half years old today, loves colors and enjoys wearing a variety of colors. He was quite annoyed last fall when we went shopping for new socks and found that the choices offered were white, white with gray toes, black (but only thin dress socks), brown (same), and a variety pack of … Continue reading Tie-dyed Socks!
Organizing Girl Scout Troop Information
This is by no means the only way to organize the paperwork for a Girl Scout troop! It's just the way I do it. Apparently some people think I'm good at it, because I've been asked to give a presentation on the subject at an upcoming leaders' workshop. I hope this system is helpful to … Continue reading Organizing Girl Scout Troop Information
Zucchini Tofu
Here is my favorite tofu recipe. Although it's sort of Chinese-like, I cook it more slowly over lower heat than an authentic Chinese stir-fry, which gives the onions a very different flavor. Quantities are very approximate; basically it's "season to taste". When zucchini is not in season, you can use frozen zucchini, thawed and drained--but … Continue reading Zucchini Tofu
The Concept Catalog
Back when I was working at an invention marketing company, one of the ways we promoted the inventions was the annual publication of a Concept Catalog that was handed out at trade shows and mailed to manufacturers and so on. Each invention got a quarter-page ad, written in a certain format: eye-catching headline, product name, … Continue reading The Concept Catalog
Songs to soothe the savage baby
Nicholas had a very difficult first month: He wasn't used to being in this world outside me, he didn't understand the day-and-night thing, and when he was the slightest bit uncomfortable his immediate response was full-throttle shrieking. One thing I learned during that month--which has proven useful ever since--is that singing may calm him, and even … Continue reading Songs to soothe the savage baby
High-Protein, Vegan Pasta Salad
After some experimentation, I developed this ***NEW!!!***IMPROVED!!!*** more nutritious Pasta Salad. Note that you can reserve some of the cooked pasta and veggies for the Original Recipe treatment and use the Improved Recipe on the rest, thus pleasing a variety of palates or just giving yourself some variety as you eat leftovers. Both versions of Pasta Salad are extremely versatile as to which vegetables you use, which makes this an ideal recipe for summer when your garden or farm-share crate is overflowing and you've got an array of random vegetables to use.
The TV Game
My brother and cousins and I came up with this game when we had been sent to play in an upstairs room at our grandparents' house and were wishing there was a television to watch... One person is the TV. Everybody else sits down facing TV, each holding an invisible remote control. TV stands there looking blank until … Continue reading The TV Game
Red & Green Pockets
This recipe started from one in Diet for a Small Planet by Frances Moore Lappe, a book I highly recommend to anyone who's concerned that a vegetarian diet can't give them enough protein. She focuses on getting multiple sources of vegetarian protein into one meal, in this case peas, peanuts, whole wheat, and yogurt. My modification is more convenient but still delicious, with plenty of protein and vitamins. Our son has loved Red & Green Pockets since he was a toddler!
The Earthling's Handbook 