How do we make sustainability more holistic in our lives? When I say holistic, I mean, so that we are looking at the big picture of things when we are making our everyday basic choices. There are so many ways for us to choose sustainability.    It is difficult to have a perfect foot print and yet we are finding ways to contribute while still needing to / choosing to compromise in other ways. As we close this year, I challenge you to look for more ways to make sustainable choices. Starting from wherever you are, look at things like, what you eat, what you clean with, what you put on your body, what you wear, what you bring into your home and how are treat your landscape. Here are some category questions and ideas… Food… Are you buying clean (organic) fruit and veggies? Are the farmers caring for the produce and land they are grown on? Is the meat and fish that you are buying from ranchers and fisherman that care about their sustainability practices? That care about the a...

  My wonderful Mother in law Nancy Moore made these ginger Christmas trees and they are a family favorite. 1 C shortening (she used Crisco, I use butter) 1 ½ C sugar 2 eggs 6 TBSP light molasses 3 ½ C flour 1 ½ tsp each of salt, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves   Cream together sugar and shortening, add eggs and molasses and then dry ingredients Roll out on floured surface about 1/8 “ thick and cut into trees Bake about 6 minutes at 350 degrees   Let cool and then frost with a powdered sugar and milk with just a little vanilla and green food coloring so you can paint it on with a pastry brush.   Shawn MacPherson

  Once upon a time there was a preschool in the bowels of the club.  I know.  I lived it.  A little history.  The post WW2 period brought much development and young families to Seattle’s north end.  Actually, it wasn’t a city yet.  In the late 1940s and early 1950s, the Seattle School District and later the community college system saw a need to develop “playgroups” which would offer parents and there preschoolers time to socialize, learn and bond in a classroom setting.  The catch was each parent would assist the teacher one day per week for the half-day program.  It included a parent education component as well. Back to Haller Lake.  The parent cooperative model thrived in the basement of the Club between 1946 and 1973 and was instrumental in raising Club membership.  Thinking back, Club members were younger and had young children.  There was a true symbiotic relationship between the two.  In 1973 the Club decided not to...

  Cranberry-Pear Crumble Bars – Great Fall recipe! From NYT Cooking (Shared by Patricia Stordeur) Yield: One 9x9-inch pan Ingredients For the filling: 1 pound of ripe but firm pears (approx. 2 large) 2 cups fresh cranberries ½ cup granulated sugar 2 tablespoons orange juice 1 teaspoon vanilla extract ½ teaspoon finely grated orange zest ½ teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger For the crust and crumble: 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 cup light brown sugar, packed 1 cup almond flour 1 cup rolled oats 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1 cup unsalted butter melted and cooled ½ teaspoon almond extract Preparation: 1. Heat oven to 350 degrees and line a 9x9-inch baking dish with parchment paper 2. Prepare filling: Peel, core and chop the pears into ½ inch pieces. You should have about 2 ½ cups of chopped pears. Add pears, cranberries, sugar and orange juice to a heavy-bottomed skillet or saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally until pears soften, cranbe...

  Fall-toush Salad by Smitten Kitchen Submitted by Patricia Stordeur Here is a great fall salad. I love to use it as a side for big holiday meals. These proportions serve 2, so double or triple the ingredients for a larger crowd. Leftovers are also wonderful. Ingredients for the salad: 3 tablespoons olive oil, possibly plus another spoonful 1 1/4 pound delicata squash (one medium) 1/2 pound brussels sprouts Salt and freshly ground black pepper or Aleppo pepper flakes to taste 1 large pita bread Kosher salt 2 scallions, thinly sliced About 1 tablespoon mint leaves, finely chopped About 1 tablespoon flat-leaf parsley or cilantro leaves, finely chopped Additional ground sumac or paprika, to finish   Ingredients for the dressing: 2 teaspoons ground sumac or paprika (but sumac is so much better in this salad!) 2 teaspoons warm water 1 to 2 tablespoons lemon juice 1 small garlic clove, minced 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar 4 tablespoons olive oil S...

 Back in the day, when Northgate had a real Nordstrom store and they sold cookies in the store, they sold a Nordy Bar and this recipe is very close.