After Eating Out For Several Days...

...I need to cook when I get home. I had a very busy and exhilarating few days in DC, but eating out gets old pretty quickly. After I got home today I made an early supper for M-S that was OUTSTANDING, if I do say so myself. I had breakfast in the airport and M-S had brunch, so we were both hungry at 4pm. She said this beer cheese soup was BETTER than the Liberal Cup's. Just saying. The chicken and bacon made it a much more hearty soup. We did not use the croutons and instead had crusty bread on the side. Give it a try.

 Bacon Beer Cheese Soup with Chicken
serves 6-8 

6 slices thick cut bacon
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast
¼ cup butter
¼ cup flour
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons ground chile de arbol (or cayenne pepper; to taste)
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 cup beer, Belgian style wheat beer (Blue Moon)
1 cup chicken broth
2 cups half and half
8 ounces mild cheddar cheese, shredded
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
chives
croutons

Warm an 8 cup pot over high heat.  Using clean scissors; cut bacon into pot.  Cook bacon until lightly crisp, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, cut chicken into bite size pieces.

Remove bacon from pan and place on a plate.  Add chicken into bacon grease to cook.  Stir occasionally until chicken is cooked through.  Remove chicken onto plate with bacon.

Cut butter into 1 tablespoon pieces and add to pan drippings.  Whisk in flour and spices.   Add beer, broth and half & half.  Whisk to combine and bring to a bubble.  Add cheese whisk to combine, stir until you have a smooth mixture.  Add Worcestershire sauce, chicken and bacon.  Stir to combine.

Allow to simmer until ready to serve, stirring occasionally.

Garnish with chives and croutons.  Enjoy!

Days Like This One are Pushing Me...

...toward trying to make this kind of work a longer term commitment. Today I walked around Capitol Hill visiting congressional offices talking about ESEA, immigration reform, education funding and the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. I LOVE this work, and it seems that everyday I love it even more. I am, and always will be, a teacher - but I can no longer imagine a time when I am not involved in this important work on behalf of my students and my colleagues. I just keep adding responsibilities because I enjoy the challenge so much. I literally have a meeting just about every day now. I had my first MEABT meeting recently, which was humbling and exhilarating.
     I am up for re-election as NEA Director in May, and if I am successful that will afford me three more years on the front lines fighting for public education. At the end of that term I'll be 54 years old and will have some decisions to make.
     I am now positive that I will want to continue in some fashion, and will be running for a higher office within the MEA. Don't be surprised if I come a knockin' for your support in a few years to help me continue this fantastic journey of advocacy on behalf of students and educational professionals in Maine. I'm in it for the long haul.
~MET

Men's Night

 Dad came out for a visit tonight and enjoy dinner with Baxter and I. We had what can only be called LOADED burgers:

 After supper we talked about several topics, including Thanksgiving, Christmas, baseball, horse shoes, and more. We also went outside to play with the dog.

Baxter loves to play outside, and I think he was showing off for Tut a bit. On Tuesday Dad's horse shoe team is playing in the finals and I've put it into my calendar. Look for a post soon about what will hopefully be a championship.
~MET

Boston Brunch with the Boy...

 ...and his girlfriend, and my wife. M-S and I spent Sunday with Chris and Lauren in Boston, walking around, talking, and eating. We started the day at around 10am here:

 We had brunch at a place called Anthem, which was very good. Then we walked around there looking at the shops and talking. I couldn't help taking a picture of Chris and Lauren with Red:

 Somewhere I have a picture of Sarah and a much younger Chris sitting on the same bench. We walked up toward the Common, and stopped by a cemetery to pay our respects to John Hancock:

 and Paul Revere:

 By the park we began to see a bunch of huge globes painted in different ways:

 We enjoyed checking them out - and there were MANY:

We walked to Newberry St. and down Boylston, enjoying the weather and talking. It was the first time I had been to the site of the bombings, which was weird.  We found an Irish pub to have a drink outside and visit for a bit longer. It was a wonderful visit and Chris seems to be enjoying life to the fullest. Lauren is awesome and may be joining us for Thanksgiving, which will be fantastic. Life is good.
~MET

Beantown Brunch

     I am very much looking forward to the weekend. I have not seen my son for several weeks, so I am going to have brunch with him on Sunday in Quincy Market. I'm taking the Concord down early, shopping a bit, having brunch, shopping some more, and then taking the bus back to Maine. These are the things you do to see your kids when you are my age. Chris and Sarah have jobs, their own health insurance, are helping people, and are both living large. Such a proud dad.
~MET

Confessions of a Maine Peach Farmer

The confession is simple...I don't know what I'm doing. Our peach tree has lots of fruit again this year - twice as much as last year. But, as a result the fruit is smaller. It tastes wonderful and we will use it for salsa and such. The weather also has not been good to this tree. We lost a couple more limbs to the wind this year, and we had to prop up some branches due to the weight of the fruit. Harvest time in the country is always special.
~MET

Dad's New Roomies

My father has a couple of new members of his household. Since my mom died Tut also lost his dog and cat...rough few months. So he decided that he needed to bring some new blood into his house via a local shelter. Pictured above are Sparky and Tobias. I don't know which is which. They both seem to have interesting personalities and I'm sure they will keep Tut on his toes. My father is a great pet owner and his two new boys will be spoiled rotten.
~MET

Looking Forward to This Weekend, and the Days Ahead

     The school year has been fantastic thus far, but I find myself tired at the end of the day. Weekends seem more important than they used to be. This weekend I'll get to finish my yard work, shop for groceries, meet my father's new cats, and get some other work done. There is a lot of activity waiting for me this month:

• My yearly physical with Doc Preston
• A ton of meetings
• My first trip to DC for the NEA Board
• A brunch with Chris in Boston
• Chillin' with Bax while M-S is in Boston

     I'm looking forward to the work and the fun. Next month brings much more of the same - including taking Baxter on vacation! More on that later.
~MET

Very Lucky 13

     Today I've been married to M-S for 13 years. Its been a great ride so far and I'm looking forward to many, many more. One of our friends described us as "perpetually dating"- and I can't think of a better way to go through life with someone. Today we are getting some things done around the house then trying another new restaurant and seeing The Butler. Good times indeed.
~MET