Nationwide Children's Hospital {Wordless Wednesday}

1. four foot tall carved wooden squirrel from Mansfield Carousel (one of many such characters) greeting visitors to the magical forest 2. color changing lights (that kids control) and lift in rehab room 3. sunlight, edutainment system, and private bath in rehab room 4. working kitchen for families to learn how to take care of child at home 5. car for families to practice transporting children with mobility issues 6. view from a patient room on to underground garage roof garden 7. signage in cafeteria includes diet and allergy information 8. indoor cafeteria seating 9. secure outdoor cafeteria seating 10. another friendly character 11. hidden pictures in magical forest mural

I recently toured the newly expanded Nationwide Children's Hospital with a group of bloggers. Unlike traditional scary and sterile hospitals, I found Children's full of whimsy, hope, light and natural materials. Our guides revealed that modern medical technology, sustainable energy practices, and staff support are behind the beautiful facade.

Though I hope none of you ever have to visit in an emergency, if you do so you'll find your stay full of thoughtful details and the highest level of technology, comfort, and care. Families can tour the new facility at their Community Celebration Sunday June 11, 2012 and view Youtube video from our tour and panel Q&A.

Disclosure: Nationwide Children's provided me with lunch and a few pieces of hospital branded swag. Opinions are my own.

Unfamiliar Fishes, Still Life {Book Hounds}

Today I want to recommend two strange, wonderful books: Unfamiliar Fishes and Still Life: Adventures in Taxidermy. Next week I'll share two food related texts but with our upcoming vacation and many of you perhaps looking for a quirky summer read, I offer these. Unfamiliar Fishes by Sarah Vowell is the strange story of the multicultural settling of the Hawaiian islands. In her characteristic humorous sarcastic tone, Sarah Vowel somehow makes the story of a culture co-opted by religious zealots fascinating. I learned so much in this book including why the Hawaiian language has so many vowel sounds (there are only a few allowed consonants), how Protestant sexual monogamy managed to win over native promiscuity, and how natives spent thousands of hours creating handmade textiles from native bird feathers.

Sarah Vowell immerses herself in a culture while writing about it and intersperses historical text with personal stories of visiting modern Hawaiian islands. These moments are sometimes tender, sometimes funny, and always illustrative.

When we travel to the Big Island on Saturday, I will be more sensitive to the native issues and history because of Unfamiliar Fishes.

In Still Life: Adventures in Taxidermy, author Melissa Milgrom finds herself searching after the meaning of modern and historical stuffed animals. She explores the beginnings of taxidermy when scientists attempted to recreate live animals to show them to the public and the heyday of the 'art' form when museums around the world employed teams of animal sculptors.

Milgrom continues her journey with a visit to a contemporary artist, Emily Mayer, who makes waves in the modern art world by collaborating with Damien Hirst on installations involving everything from cows to sharks preserved in various mediums.

Readers are also treated to carefully-described tours through Smithsonian labs, personal studios of those competing in the World Taxidermy Championship (yes, there is such a thing), and museums of curiousities. From descriptions of the most kitschy versions of mounted fish to conversations with those who truly believe in the art of recreating life with a dead animal's body, Milgrom pulls together a book that is full of wonder and respect for a rarely-examined field of work.

I highly recommend Unfamiliar Fishes or Still Life for readers wanting delve into something that will leave you feeling normal in comparison while entertaining and educating you along the way. Or for anyone wanting to understand a little about how my own quirky preferences work as I was thrilled by these very strange books.

Now I need your recommendations for books to read on our upcoming vacation. I tend towards oddball non-fiction, memoirs, and biographies. Ideas?

Disclosure: Book titles and covers are Amazon affiliate links.

My Clever Grandma {Friday Five}

My father's mother Joyce is one smart lady. She knows how to cook and can everything, is an early and adept adopter of technology, and raised three smart, clever kids. Grandma has always been thrifty, first out of need and now out of habit. Every time I visit, as I did this past weekend, I find new tricks to save time, energy, or effort. Here are five:

1) Enlarge The Hummingbird Feeder - Grandma must have gotten tired of filling the hummingbird feeder at some point so she wisely upgraded the 8 ounce jar to a 2 liter bottle with a little wire extension of the top ring holder.

2) Know Smart Design - My dad told me that this tool rack has been around for decades. With the divided sections and hardware cloth bottom, this sturdy rack is brilliantly designed to hold a lot of garden tools. Alex, can you make me one?

3) Cord Buckets - Keep extension cords in check by winding them into a large bucket. You can't see the small hole on the bottom of the side to allow for one of the ends to stick out. This idea may have come from my Aunt Mo (hand pictured above).

4) Save Everything - Aunt Mo is going to kill me for saying this but Grandma has a lot of treasures in her house among what many would see as a lot of junk. This box of jars I spied in the garage, for instance, clearly contains some of my favorite square vintage jars. There are also some seriously antique lids! If collecting (and using!) canning jars is wrong, Grandma and I don't want to be right.

5) Use That Family - Grandma is taking all of us (her kids, their kids, and my kid) to Hawaii this summer. THANK YOU GRANDMA! Then she decided she needed a little help with yardwork. Guess who showed up and gladly put in 30 people-hours in a single hot morning? My sisters, cousins, parents, and aunt did. I told you Grandma was a smart lady.

Tattler Reusable Canning Lids Review

During nearly every canning class and many weeks at the farmers' market I am asked about Tattler Reusable Canning Lids. I bought some to try at Lehman's an age ago and finally canned my first 2012 batch of strawberry honey jam using the lids last week.

How Tattler Lids Work

Tattlers are a three piece lid system consisting of a plastic lid, rubber ring, and metal ring not included but reusable from the standard metal ring and lid system. The plastic lid and rubber ring must be cleaned and warmed in a simmering pot of water before placing them on the jars.

The glass jar rim must be completely clean and dry for the rubber to seal. The ring is tricky to retrieve from the boiling water and more difficult to center on the rim than the metal lid. Once the ring is placed, the plastic lid must be placed directly on top and the metal ring secured but not totally tightened.

Then jars go into the waterbath as usual. Immediately upon removing them from the waterbath, the rings must be tightened fully, an additional burn-risking step to the standard metal ring and lid system. There is no characteristic 'ping' sound, so seals must be tested manually by picking up the jars with the edge of the lid after jars have cooled completed in twenty four hours. Raised letters on the lid prevent labels from laying flat and most would not want to write on the lid because it is reusable.

Tattlers are reusable, made in the USA and BPA free, claims that standard metal lids cannot make. For people who can often to feed their family the best local food, investing in lids that do not contain a dubious chemical and are reusable makes good sense.

My Tattler Lids Review

One out of seven jars with Tattler lids failed to seal in my first experience. Using metal lids for hundreds of jars in the last decade, I have only had two seal failures. Other canners seem to experience more sealing issues with Tattlers than regular lids too.

I wish the three part lids were easier to use. I scalded my fingertips with boiling water trying to get the lids on center and I still failed with one. Perhaps with practice and a tiny set of tongs, I could learn how to set the lids more quickly and accurately.

I also desperately missed the ping noise. Canning is a multi-sensory experience for me and without the auditory signal that my work was complete, I felt unfulfilled. I didn't like having to wait to test the seal for 24 hours, not to mention that the unsealed jar could be growing bacteria during that time.

To use Tattlers more regularly, I would need to find a new labelling method. I'm against labelling on the jar because labels are hard to remove and difficult to see when organized in boxes on my larder shelves. I'm curious how other Tattler users label their jars.

At nearly a dollar each, Tattler lids are five times as expensive as metal ones. I would not be willing to give away a jar with a Tattler lid except to my most-trusted friends whom I know would return them.

Tattler lids used to only be available with a lengthy drive or by mail order. City Folk's Farm Shop will begin carrying them early next week. City Folk's is offering Hounds in the Kitchen readers a special price of $9.75/dozen regular mouth and $10.50/dozen wide mouth on one package through June 10th. Just tell them you heard about Tattler's here.

Conclusion

Pro: BPA free, reusable, made in the USA

Con: more difficult to use correctly, risk of not sealing, expensive, no ping, harder to label lid

I don't see myself using Tattlers regularly for jam canning, especially as I love to give a jar of jam as a gift. I will reuse the ones I have with highly acidic foods like tomato sauce that are most prone to leaching BPA.

Have you used Tattler lids? What do you think?

Disclosure: I paid for my own Tattler lids to review. The first link in this article is an Amazon Affiliate link. City Folk's Farm Shop is a social media client.

Added to Simple Lives Thursday #98.

Strawberry Jam Ladle {Wordless Wednesday}

I make the jam, she cleans the ladle, I try to photograph my reflection in the ladle - just another afternoon at Chez Hound. Tomorrow, I'll post a review of the Tattler reusable lids I used during canning the strawberry jam.

Rhubarb Shrub, a Drinking Vinegar {Recipe}

Shrubs, also called drinking vinegars, are the new 'thing' in the drink and DIY field. Shrubs are a way of preserving fruit by making them into a syrup with vinegar that was widely practiced by Colonial Americans. The LA Times wrote this week about using shrubs in cocktails. Studies show that raw vinegar may contribute to weight loss, lowered cholesterol and improved digestion. I discovered last year that apple cider vinegar is a cinch to make at home with a little loving neglect.

Where does this all lead? To my newest obsession: rhubarb shrub.

Before you say "I could never just drink vinegar!", as my sisters recently did,  hear me out. The flavor components of a shrub are acid from the vinegar, sweetness from sugar, and flavor from the fruit. What else relies on acid, sweetness, and fruit to quench thirst? Lemonade, the summer picnic staple. Commercial sodas are also sweet, acidic syrups diluted with fizzy water.

How To Make Shrubs At Home

Because I believe in preserving the potential benefits of the raw cider, I make shrub the 'cold' way. Most recipes call for a 1:1:1 ratio of fruit, sugar, and vinegar but I prefer less sugar. Since vinegar provides the preservative effect, there's no reason not to experiment with small batches and find your own perfect ratio.

My ideal rhubarb shrub is 1/2 cup chopped rhubarb with 1/3 cup white sugar soaked in 1/2 cup homemade apple cider vinegar. I leave it at room temperature for 2 days and then move it to the fridge. After the taste is full of rhubarb tartness in a few weeks, I strain out the fruit. Serious Eats outlines several other ways to make fruit shrub.

I drink my rhubarb shrub over ice with fizzy water from the Soda Stream. Surprisingly enough for a girl who likes to drink like myself, I have not delved into the world of mixing alcohol with shrubs but you know I will soon.

Are you a fan of drinking vinegars? Have you made a shrub? Tell all in the comments!

Rhubarb Shrub Time: 15 minutes active, 7-14 days aging Makes approximately 1 cup

1/2 cup fresh rhubarb, washed and chopped into one inch pieces 1/3 cup granulated white sugar 1/2 cup raw apple cider vinegar

1. Mix all ingredients in a clean glass jar. 2. Allow to sit at room temperature for 2 days. 3. Move the the fridge and allow to age for an additional 7-14 days until the shrub achieves the taste you want. 4. Strain out and discard the fruit. Keep the shrub in the fridge and enjoy diluted with water, club soda, or in a mixed drink.

Travel Necessities {Sunday Seven}

This post was going to be a Friday Five list but there are more than five things we wanted to include and my busy Friday and Saturday didn't allow for writing it. Welcome to Saturday Sunday Seven! No matter where we're going - a day hike, 10 days to Hawaii (leaving in two weeks!!!), or a roadtrip to relatives - we pack a few things every time. These travel necessities provide most of what we need to survive extended layovers, small emergencies and detours. Here's what we always have with us:

1. Backpacks - A big one for Papa, a medium sized for Mama and a just right backpack for Lil come with us everywhere. We invest in quality here and our choices reflect our different personalities as well as our sizes. Alex's REI Lookout 40 has a billion pockets and can hold a lot of stuff. My purple Osprey Sirrus is sleek and simple with one big storage area and a ventilated back. Lil carries a now-discontinued REI kids pack.

2. Water and Snacks - Lil likes a camelback-type water reservoir with drinking tube, a lightweight hydration option. Alex and I carry stainless-steel, screw-topped water bottles. In each of our packs we take a granola or fruit bar in addition to any picnic items so that we can refuel if we get hungry. Some of us (ahem, me) are very grumpy when we are hungry. To make dining from a grocery store or farmers' market possible, Alex packs a corkscrew and pocket knife.

3. First Aid Kit - Alex manages our first aid and medical gear in a bag that is always at the ready. Included are bandages, alcohol wipes, ointments, painkillers, antihistamines, a SAM Splint, Quikclot, medical scissors, a needle, iodine tablets, and travel containers for our prescription medicines. We have yet to have a real emergency that required use of the heavier duty equipment but it is a comfort knowing that Alex has our first aid covered.

4. Rain Gear - During college Alex and I both invested significant cash in the first generation of Goretex jackets. We can't stand being sweaty and breathable waterproof fabric seemed like a dream come true. It is. Fortunately a quality waterproof breathable jacket is much more affordable these days. We prefer the Marmot Precip Jacket for their fit, durability (Alex's is over 4 years old now), and light weight.

5. Wool Clothing - Do you wear wool? We discovered Smartwool merino socks in the mid-nineties and finely woven merino wool clothing a decade later. Both improved our wardrobe dramatically because high quality merino wool is breathable, wicks moisture, durable, anti-microbal and amazingly comfortable. We own wool shirts, pants, skirts, and even wool underwear. Wool is perfect for travel because it is lightweight and easily washed and dried in a sink or lake.

6. Walking Shoes - I try to be a shoe minimalist, investing in a few styles of high quality (and expensive) brands. From April through October, I wear Chaco Big-Toe Sandals and flip flops exclusively. Just this week I found a pair of Little Girls' Chacos for Lil so we can walk in matching comfort. Alex has an opposing shoe philosophy and packs half a dozen pairs for every trip. Good thing he can carry his own bags!

7. Entertainment - We pack with two categories of entertainment in mind: on the road and at the site. On flights or during roadtrips, Alex and I keep ourselves entertained with conversation, books or games on our phone. We're intentional about packing small, lengthy activities for Lil. Her during-travel favorites are fun books with mazes, seek and finds, and coloring, Colorforms reusable sticker scenes, Travel Tangoes magnetic tanagrams, and her Samsung Galaxy 5.0 tablet loaded with movies and games. During lengthy trips, we wrap small gifts (stickers, temporary tattoos, small notebook, origami paper, etc.) and dole those out over the course of the travel. We pack binoculars, cameras, nature journals, a travel watercolor set, Ziploc bags for shell collections, and card games for entertainment during the vacation or business travel.

What are your travel necessities?

Road Trip Food: Chesapeake Snack Mix {Recipe}

Every summer of my childhood, when we would go camping with a group of families, my mother filled an enormous tupperware lidded bowl with homemade Chex Mix. Some kids picked out only the pretzels while others left just the nuts behind. Often the bowl was empty after a single evening.

I always crave Chex Mix when I travel. Over the years, I have combined my childhood memories of the crunchy, salty snack with my husband's family's East coast roots to create my own version: Chesapeake Snack Mix.

My mix includes coastal favorites oyster crackers and pecans and Old Bay as the primary seasoning. I also upped the ratio of butter and seasoning to dry stuff because that's the way I like it.

The only downfall of cereal snack mixes is that they have a tendency to be crushed to bits when packed into a bag. That's why I package mine in wide mouth quart jars. When the mix is gone, the jars always come in handy on the trip as a drinking glass, a place for a collection of shells, or a storage container for other snacks.

What snacks do you make or buy for the road?

Chesapeake Snack Mix Makes: 2 quarts Time: 45 minutes

4 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1 cup broken pretzel sticks 2 cups oyster crackers 3 cups multi-grain square cereal (or wheat Chex) 1 cup pecan pieces

1. Melt butter on a large cookie sheet in a 250 degree F oven. 2. When butter is melted, stir in Worcheshire sauce, Old Bay, and salt. Spread pretzels, oyster crackers, cereal, and pecans evenly over the sheet and stir. 3. Put mix back in the oven. In fifteen minutes, stir mix so that everything is evenly coated. Return to the oven. 4. In ten minutes, stir again. If oyster crackers are browned, remove from the oven and allow to cool. Otherwise, leave in oven a few more minutes before removing to cool. 5. Store in an airtight container.

PS. The Kitchn featured my home on a kitchen tour Tuesday with lots of pictures. I hope you click through and enjoy!