After completing a week of giving achievement tests to my 16 second-graders, I am exhausted. I came straight home every day and took a bath, put on my PJs, ate supper and was in bed by 8 p.m.
I remember taking these tests when I was in elementary school. There was a great deal of importance placed on them just as there is now. We were told to go to bed early, eat a good breakfast, arrive at school on time and have two No. 2 pencils sharpened and ready to work. We are still telling them the same thing.
When I took the tests as a child, there was a time limit for each section of the test. That really freaked me out. I was so worried about not finishing the test that I’m sure I didn’t do the best that I could. Now they are not timed, so that worry is out of the way.
There also seemed to be more interaction between students and teacher during the tests. Reading things orally and guiding them through dictated sections was not something I remember. I felt like they just handed me that book, and I was all alone.
I realized that there were a lot of things that I had not gone over yet with my class. I had explained to them that they weren’t expected to know all the answers, just to do their best. This really bothered some of them, and some of them didn’t really give a hoot!
After a very long week, we had a celebration. All my students had been present every day, they had been on time and had done their very best. They were respectful of those students who took a little longer to finish by working quietly on other things at their desks. We had special snacks and watched the movie “Frozen.” The first grade joined us, and we had a great end to achievement tests week.
The school year is quickly coming to an end. It is hard for me to believe. I can tell by my calendar as well. There aren’t too many days that don’t have some activity posted on that day.
Hope you enjoy today’s recipes. Thanks for reading.
OVEN JAMBALAYA
1 pound andouille sausage, sliced
4 cups cooked, chopped chicken
1 stick butter, melted
1 pound Uncle Ben’s converted rice
1 (14-ounce) can beef broth
1 (10-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (10-ounce) can French onion soup
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 tablespoon Creole seasoning
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brown the sausage in a Dutch oven and drain. Add the chicken, butter, rice, broth, tomato sauce, soup, bell pepper, green onions and Creole seasoning to the sausage mixture and mix well. Spoon sausage mixture into a lightly greased 9-by-13-inch baking dish and bake covered for an hour and 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle with additional Creole seasoning before serving if desired.
LASAGNA
1 pound ground beef
2 garlic coves, minced
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
3 tomato paste cans of water
1 envelope spaghetti seasoning mix
3 cups cottage cheese
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
8 no-boil lasagna noodles
1 pound mozzarella cheese
Grated Parmesan cheese to taste
Brown the ground beef with the garlic in a skillet over medium-high heat, stirring until ground beef is crumbly, and drain. Mix the tomato sauce, tomato paste, water and seasoning mix in a bowl. Add to the ground beef mixture. Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix the cottage cheese, egg and parsley in a bowl. Spread 1/3 of the ground beef mixture in a 9- by- 13-inch pan that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Layer with ½ of the noodles, ½ of the cottage cheese mixture and ½ of the mozzarella cheese. Top with ½ of the remaining ground beef mixture, the remaining noodles, remaining cottage cheese mixture and remaining mozzarella cheese. Spread with the remaining ground beef mixture and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake, covered, for 30 minutes. Remove the cover, and bake for 30 minutes longer.
(Whoever invented no-boil lasagna noodles was a genius!)
CHEESY BEER BREAD
4 cups Bisquick
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
½ cup (2 ounces) grated Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoon sugar
1 (12-ounce) can beer
½ stick butter, melted
1 egg, beaten
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine the baking mix, cheeses and sugar in a bowl. Add the beer and butter and stir until combined.
Spoon the batter into a greased and floured loaf pan and brush with egg. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes or until golden brown.
This can also bake in muffin tins for 10 to 15 minutes.
• Contact Lee Ann Flemming at lafkitchen@hughes.net.
