Easy Cheesy - What's Not To Love?

It was La Querencia’s first Common Meal by the kids! It was George’s idea. After consulting with the parents, who all agreed, George asked for volunteers, got many enthusiastic participants, and the planning began.

The first task was creating the menu. All easily agreed on mac and cheese, chicken, salad and dessert (the last one was easy!). George googled “Easy Mac and Cheese,” and, lo and behold, up popped up a very easy recipe! There are just four ingredients: macaroni, cheese, sour cream and one egg. None of this Kraft box stuff for our community! George proposed ice cream sandwiches for the dessert, and everyone enthusiastically voted for those.

Prep work started yesterday after school, with the kids coming to the Common House to bake cookies. Fortunately, we had an abundance of cookie dough that had been sold to community members by several of the girls for their school’s fund raiser. Armed with ice cream scoops, trays and parchment paper, all took turns scooping the dough onto the paper, putting the trays in the oven and then, not so patiently, watching the cookies bake.

After a break for dinners at their homes, the gang reassembled for the great Ice Cream Sandwich Assembly Project! It got a little messy here and there, as the ice cream melted, but all was completed without a hitch.

George did the grocery shopping while the kids were at school. It was an early dismissal day, so when the kids arrived home, they all trooped down to the Common House to set the tables (34 people had signed up!), and combined the ingredients for the mac and cheese. It was off to play, then, with a return to the Common House at 5:00 p.m. for the finishing touches: filling the water pitchers, putting the salad greens in the salad bowls, putting all these plus the bottles of salad dressing on the tables and sautéing the chicken (already cooked and in bite-size pieces from Trader Joe’s) briefly in olive oil and mixing Trader Joe’s pesto sauce in with it.

Still a half hour to spare before 6:00! Belinda and Lilly, to fill up the time, choreographed a dance to do for dinner entertainment. The girls also practiced taking a group bow to acknowledge the “Three Cheers for the Chefs” that was sure to come from the impressed diners!

Show time! There was a special Chefs’ Table reserved for the crew. The food was hot and delicious, and everybody raved!

It was a fun evening, a great collaborative meal—and one that we’re all looking forward to having happen again!

Submitted by resident Pat L-B
Stop by for Open House Sunday 1-3

So progress in the garden marches on

A big thanks to Jeff for filling in the space between the small raised beds with base rock and filling the large raised beds with top soil.

Thanks to Dr Don for mowing the weeds along the west fence and to Jenny for planting her tomatoes along the north fence. George pulled some enormous weed roots. Joe and Sean smashed some pumpkins to add to the compost.

Bryan diligently worked on the irrigation both Saturday and Sunday.

The herb spirals are planted. The tomatoes survived the rain and wind.

The plea for help is to have someone water the non-irrigated garden beds. The best time to do that as the weather gets hot is early in the morning. As soon as the irrigation is complete it will be automated. I would just need help on the days I go to work, which is Mon-Fri and call weekends. Hopefully the irrigation will be done by my next call weekend.

Please let me know if you are free to help me with that chore. I will show you the place that need watering.

There is lots of lettuce in the long beds ready to eat before they bolt or turn bitter. There is also red Russian kale, spinach, and chard. The herbs in the herb spiral are newly transplanted, but should be ready for use soon.

Spend some time enjoying the garden http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fojs69sJLAM

Thanks

Rebecca

LaQ on ABC Channel 30

The story was covered by ABC Channel 30 La Querencia Residents Explain Sustainable Living

The Unitarian Universalist Church of Fresno, Green Sanctuary and Adult Religious Education Committee sponsored Community Building as a Model for Sustainable Living on Sunday, January 24. Guests learned about how cohousing models a sustainable way of life not just by considering well-accepted environmental concerns such as energy efficiency, but also by cultivating an atmosphere of trust, and nurturing a sense of belonging.

Guest Speakers were Katherine McCamant who has designed and developed dozens of cohousing communities and is the architect of the UU Church of Fresno, a LEED Certified church and Jim Leach of Wonderland Hill Development Company, a full-service real estate development company that partners with cohousing groups to address the growing demand for cohousing.

Joe in Youth Symphony makes the magazine

Fresno Scene magazine (the one that featured La Q last month) has a cover-story about the Fresno Youth Philharmonic Orchestra this month:

Joe even shows up in the photos! (page 9 online page 7 hard copy).

-Bryan