Decoupage Scout Sign from a Paper Bag

I take a fabric tote with me every time I shop, no matter what I'm buying. I have dedicated totes that are only for groceries and others for non-food items. Each time I bring a tote shopping, that's one fewer paper or plastic bag that will ultimately be thrown out. 

When paper or plastic bags do enter our house, I do my best to reuse them as many times as possible. And occasionally, they become part of a craft project, like this bag from the Scout Shop. Obviously, you could use any design or logo from your favorite store for this project and you could put it onto lots of different surfaces besides the wood panel that I used. Affiliate links below. 

Decoupage Scout Sign from a Paper Bag

Materials: 

• unfinished wood panel
• Folk Art paint - black
• paper bag with logo
• microtip scissors
• Mod Podge

Steps: 

Paint the wood panel black. While the paint is drying, use the microtip scissors to carefully cut out the design, which in this case was the BSA fleur-de-lis. Apply a thin coat of Mod Podge to the panel where you'll be putting the design, then add a thin coat to the back of the design. Carefully position the design and let the Mod Podge dry, approximately 15 minutes. Add a coat of Mod Podge over the entire surface to seal it. If you'll be hanging this, one coat is fine. If you'll be using it as a desktop tray or something similar, add at least one more coat of Mod Podge after the previous one dries. 

Bake and Be Blessed - Streamlined (No-Knead) White Bread

I recently finished reading a book I thoroughly enjoyed, called Bake and Be Blessed (affiliate link here and throughout the post). Trevor received it during his Confirmation and I finally got around to reading it. It's an unusual book in the best of ways and I wish I'd read it sooner. 

Bake and Be Blessed was written by Dominic Garramone, who successfully merged careers as a Catholic monk, priest, PBS star, and cookbook author. Father Dominic has an excellent writing style and is an interesting person, to say the least. He got a degree in theater before becoming a monk and now has two masters degrees.  

Bake and Be Blessed is part spiritual guide, part cookbook, and part memoir. While I am not Catholic, I found his teachings and reflections to be relevant and helpful. His recipes are appealing, his baking techniques informative, and his personal stories are very interesting. It's a quick read, yet promotes deep thinking. 

There aren't very many recipes in the book - only 6, I think. I started with Father Dominic's recipe for Streamlined White Bread. This yeast bread is beaten rather than kneaded, so there is less active time involved. It felt very strange spreading a yeast batter into pans rather than kneading a soft dough and forming it into beautiful loaves. This is how my bread look just after I put it in the pans. (They're sitting on a plant stand in a sunbeam to rise.) 

I didn't have a lot of hope that those jagged tops would smooth out beautifully when the bread baked. Indeed, I was correct. The finished bread will not win any beauty contests. 

It might win a taste contest though. This bread is delicious and has a great crumb. The recipe below makes one loaf. I doubled it, because two loaves are better than one and there's no extra effort. 

Streamlined White Bread

by Fr. Dominic Garramone

1 pkg. active dry yeast

1 1/4 c. warm water

2 T. vegetable oil

1 tsp. salt

2 T. granulated sugar

3 c. all-purpose flour

Sprinkle the yeast over warm water in a medium bowl; stir to dissolve. Let stand until foamy. Add oil, salt, sugar, and half of the flour. Using a heavy wooden spoon, beat 200 strokes (or beat on medium speed of an electric mixer about 2 minutes). Add remaining flour and stir until thoroughly incorporated. Cover bowl with a clean cloth and let rise in a warm, draft-free place for about 30 minutes, or until doubled. 

Beat the batter about 25 strokes, then spread evenly in a lightly greased 9x5x3-inch loaf pan. Let rise, uncovered, 30 to 40 minutes, or until the batter just reaches the top of the pan. (Do not allow to over-rise or the bread will collapse during cooling.)

Bake in a preheated 375-degree oven 45 to 50 minutes or until loaf is browned and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom. Let cool on a wire rack. 

Asparagus and Potato Soup

Our family loves soup. I make soup more often than any other category of food, particularly in the winter months, but I'm a fan of soup year-round. It's asparagus season now, making this the perfect time for some creamy Asparagus and Potato Soup. This recipe, like all soup recipes, is not fussy. I used sour cream in my soup, but otherwise it is vegan. Feel free to leave it out if you want a vegan dish, or add meat (ham would be delicious) to please the carnivores in your family. Basically, you can add or subtract what you want, change the amounts of the ingredients, make your soup thicker or thinner - anything goes. I used the microwave this time to pre-cook the potatoes before putting them into the soup pot in order to have dinner on the table sooner. You can cook your soup entirely on the stovetop if you prefer. Affiliate links below. 

Asparagus and Potato Soup

2 lbs. potatoes

4 cloves garlic
2 T. oil

3 T. Better than Bouillon Vegetable Base

2 lbs. asparagus

dollop of sour cream

Wash the potatoes, then cut them into thin slices. (There's no need to peel them unless you want to.) Put the potato slices into a large microwave-safe bowl with 4 cups of water. Microwave them for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, mince the garlic. Heat the oil in a large pot and saute the garlic over medium heat until golden. Pour the water and the potatoes into the pot.

Add 4 more cups of water to the microwave-safe bowl, then heat until boiling. Stir in the vegetable base. When it is completely mixed, pour the broth into the pot. Cover the pot. 

Cut the tops off the asparagus and put them into the bowl with 1 cup of water. Set them aside for now. Cut the asparagus stems into 1" pieces, discarding or peeling any woody ends. Add the asparagus stems to the pot. Simmer, covered for 20 minutes, or until the asparagus stems and potatoes are tender. 

Microwave the asparagus tops for 2 minutes or until just tender. Set them aside again. 

Puree the soup with an immersion blender. Adjust the seasoning as needed and/or thin with the asparagus water as needed. Pour off any extra water from the asparagus tops. 

To serve, ladle the pureed soup into bowls. Add a dollop of sour cream to each bowl, stir gently two or three times, then garnish with a generous amount of asparagus tops. 

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Nothing goes better with soup than homemade bread, fresh from the oven. Tomorrow I'll share the bread I served along with the Asparagus and Potato Soup. 

Nine Awesome Restaurant Chains That Aren't in California but Should Be

Our family has a rule that we never eat anywhere on vacation that we could visit at home. We love trying new-to-us foods, particularly regional favorites and local specialties. Many of the restaurants we visit are family-owned, single-location gems, suggested by locals. They are always fantastic. As much as I enjoy them, I'm also always on the lookout for chain restaurants that we don't have here in California. Why? A chain restaurant started with a single location, so for it to grow beyond that original location, it stands to reason that it is doing something right. That is not to say that all chains are good. I can name quite a few that are not. The worst burger I've ever had (and that's saying something) was from a popular (how?!) regional chain. But some chains are absolutely fantastic. Some of the most memorable meals we've had during our US travels have been from local or regional chains. 

Below are nine of my favorites, in no particular order. These are places I've thought about and craved long after the vacation ended, places I would definitely patronize if they popped up in my area. 

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Nine Awesome Restaurant Chains That (Sadly) Aren't in California

Lou Malnati's Pizzeria is considered by many to have the best deep dish pizza anywhere. The flaky, buttery crust is amazing, and the tomato sauce, sausage, and cheese are outstanding. The first Lou Malnati's opened in a Chicago suburb in 1971. There are now 60 locations in Illinois, 7 in Arizona, 4 in Wisconsin, and 4 in Indiana. We first tried Lou Malnati's during our 2018 trip to Chicago.   

The Flying Biscuit Cafe is an Atlanta favorite. Since 1993, they've been serving some of the best all-day breakfast you'll find anywhere. Their biscuits with apple butter alone are worth a trip to Atlanta, but everything else they serve is equally fantastic. Definitely get pancakes with pecan butter and don't skip the grits! There are now 15 locations in Georgia, 5 in Norther Carolina, 3 in South Carolina, 2 each in Alabama and Florida, and one in Texas. We enjoyed The Flying Biscuit Cafe during our January 2022 trip to Atlanta. 

Boise Fry Company should be a destination for all french fry fans, which is to say, everyone! When you order, you choose your potato (Russet, Red, Gold, Purple, Yam, or Sweet) and the style (Regular, Homestyle, Curly, Shoestring, and Po'ball). They have a buffet of interesting (and unusual) ketchups and dips to try with them. Definitely don't skip their burgers or their housemade sodas - they're delicious. The first Boise Fry Company opened in 2009. There are now six locations, all in the Boise area. The first time we ate there was during our Boise trip in the summer of 2015 and we've been back every time we've visited my family in Idaho.

Weber Grill Restaurant is a must-visit place for anyone who likes grilled food. Which again, is probably everyone! Everything they serve is cooked on large Weber grills in an open kitchen. Even the decor is grill-themed. The food is outstanding and it smells SO good. I challenge you to walk by and not go in. Weber Grill Restaurant opened its first location in Illinois in 1989. There are now three locations in Illinois and one in Indiana. We tried it and fell in love during our 2018 visit to Indianapolis. 

Mellow Mushroom is a pizza restaurant that also has burgers, sandwiches, cocktails, desserts, and more. Vegan or gluten-free? They've got lots of choices for you, too. Mellow Mushroom started in Atlanta in 1974. It now has many locations throughout the southern US, as well as a few in the midwest, one in Colorado, and two in Arizona. (Is it coming my way? Fingers crossed!) When I was researching our recent 5-state trip, Mellow Mushroom popped up on must-try restaurant lists in multiple cities we'd be visiting. We went during our January 2022 visit to Columbia and loved it. 

Runza is a fast food restaurant most famous for their delicious Runza Sandwich, which is basically a meat pie in a bread instead of a pie crust. The original is stuffed with spiced ground beef, onions, and cabbage. There are seven other tasty varieties of Runza Sandwich. Runza sells burgers, chicken, and other fast food favorites, but don't bother. You can get those anywhere, but you can only get a Runza at Runza. They opened their first restaurant in 1949 and there are now 80 locations in Nebraska and five in adjacent states. Sadly for all of us who aren't midwesterners, Runza is intentionally not expanding nationwide. We first tried Runza during our June 2017 trip to Nebraska. 

Cook Out is another fast food restaurant. They serve the usual hamburgers, hot dogs, and chicken, but also BBQ, quesadillas, wraps, cheese bites, floats, cheesecake, and an enormous choice of milkshakes, just to name some of the items on their huge menu. Cook Out first opened in North Carolina in 1989; now there are 290 locations in ten states, including: North Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and Mississippi. We enjoyed Cook Out during our December 2021 visit to Alabama. 

Tin Lizzy's Cantina is most famous for their creative tacos. Some feature expected flavor combinations, for those who want traditional Tex-Mex, but you can also find buttermilk fried chicken, Korean barbecue, and Philly cheesesteak tacos. If you're not in the mood for tacos, no problem! There are lots of other mouth-watering items on the menu, not to mention a great selection of drinks. Tin Lizzy's first opened in 2005 and now has 8 locations in Georgia and one in Florida. We ate at Tin Lizzy's during our January 2022 visit to Atlanta. 

Does a restaurant with just two brick-and-mortar locations count as a chain? I don't care, because Coned Pizza is going on my list as one of the most memorable, crave-worthy places I've ever visited. Of all the restaurants above, it is the one I most want to open in my area. Coned Pizza started as a food cart in 2016 with a food truck soon after. The first brick-and-mortar opened in 2018 in a Boise suburb and another followed in 2021 in downtown Boise. We tried Coned during our August 2021 visit to Boise.  

So that's my list of 9 restaurant chains that I wish were local to me. Do you have a beloved local or regional chain where you are? Let me know what it is in the comments!

Trevor's Eagle Project

It's hard to believe, but Trevor has been active in Scouting for almost 10 years. He started in Cub Scouts in 2012 as a first grade Tiger, then moved up through Wolves, Bears, Webelos, and Arrow of Light. In 2017, Trevor said goodbye to Cub Scout Pack 180 and bridged to Boy Scout Troop 482. During the past five years, he has worked hard and moved up through the ranks from Scout to Tenderfoot, Second Class, First Class, Star, and Life. 

The final rank is Eagle. To reach Eagle, a Scout must: 

1. Be active in the troop for at least six months as a Life Scout. 
2. Demonstrate Scout Spirit by living the Scout Oath and Law and provide references. 
3. Earn at least 21 merit badges, including 13 specific required merit badges. 
4. Serve in a position of responsibility within the troop for six months while a Life Scout. 
5. While a Life Scout, plan, develop, and give leadership to others in a service project helpful to any religious institution, any school, or your community. 
6. While a Life Scout, participate in a Scoutmaster conference. 
7. Successfully complete a board of review for the Eagle Scout rank.

While Trevor still has work to do to reach the rank of Eagle Scout, he has completed the largest and most difficult of the requirements: #5, the Eagle project. I described his project planning stages last week; today I'm sharing about the build and installation days. 

On Saturday, a team of Scouts came to our house to construct the raptor silhouettes under Trevor's leadership. He showed them how to project the silhouettes at the correct size and trace them onto plywood. 

The older Scouts cut out the raptors, following all safety guidelines and under close supervision by Trevor and the adults.

The younger Scouts filed the rough edges and prepared the silhouettes for painting. 

They also measured and marked the support pieces...

... and carried materials back and forth between our house and the neighbor's. 

Our neighbor, Curt, was a huge help to Trevor throughout this project. Not only did he act as a mentor during the planning stages, he made two trips to the hardware store with us for supplies that wouldn't fit in our car, let us use his tools and his garage on the build day to have extra work stations, and helped with installation. 

Another task that fell to the younger Scouts was preparing the QR codes that would go on the cages at the Raptor Center, encouraging visitors to (symbolically) adopt a raptor. 

We ended the first build day with the QR codes ready, and all seven raptors cut, filed, and labeled with their support pieces prepped. 

Sunday was all about painting. We had a smaller work crew, which was perfect. 

Each bird got two coats of paint, front and back. They dried quickly in the California sun. 

We moved the birds into the garage and let them dry completely. On Tuesday morning, we applied the labels. 

Then we loaded everything up and drove 25 miles to the California Raptor Center. This is the wall where his silhouettes will go, which is part of the Golden Eagle enclosure. 

Over the next five hours, we hung the QR codes...

... and the raptor silhouettes.

Here, we were arguing about the placement of some of the silhouettes. As the leader, Trevor listened to everyone's opinions and then made his own decision.

The most exciting part of the day came when we needed to mount support beams from the other side of the wall. Trevor sent Steve into the cage with two golden eagles. One, an 8-pound mellow male named Sullivan, was only mildly curious what was up. The other, a 15-pound nesting female named Fuzzy, had a lot to say (loudly) about this intruder.

Steve was safe, of course. The staff entered first with large nets and kept the eagles on the far side of the cage.

He was in the cage for about 20 minutes while Trevor directed everything from the best vantage point.

While they finished hanging the last silhouettes, I visited some of my favorite birds. Meet Kalli. Once I'm a bit better with colored pencils, I'm going to try drawing her. She's as charming as she is beautiful. 

It was so exciting to see the silhouettes mounted on the wall after all that hard work. Here's the before and after:

That represents a combined 198.5 hours of work. That total includes all the meetings, site visits, approval presentations, shopping, building, and installation. Trevor still has a few hours of post-project paperwork to do. 

Plus, we need to make one more visit to the California Raptor Center. We'll be installing the plaque that signifies it as an Eagle project, but more importantly, Trevor will be presenting them with a check. Our friends and family were very generous in their support of Trevor's project and he raised over $500 beyond the materials costs. The money will help the Raptor Center in their mission to rehabilitate injured and orphaned raptors, as well as to care for the non-releasable resident raptors, including Sullivan, Fuzzy, and Kalli. 

If you're local, I strongly encourage you to visit the California Raptor Center and see for yourself what wonderful work they are doing. Then measure your wingspan against the raptor silhouettes. It makes me so happy to think of all the people who will be doing exactly that. 

Good job, Trevor. Only a few more steps before Eagle Scout! I couldn't be more proud of you.