Conversation Questions

It just doesn't get much more beautiful than Missoula, MT

In 2008, when Dylan was old enough to really start traveling (7), we took the first of many summer trips to a national park.  We visited our old friends the Ballews in beautiful Missoula, MT, then spent four wonderful days in Yellowstone National Park.  Doug and I had visited Yellowstone once before, in 1990, when we were first dating.  It was a blast to return with our kids.  We had a tremendous time; we hiked, we white water rafted, we rode horses, we swam in rushing streams, we explored geyser basins, we biked.  It was a phenomenal trip.

The only blight on the trip was Doug's and my dawning realization that our kids had become terrific travelers but were not very good conversationalists.  Not that unusual for their ages, I suppose, but there were a few incidents that made us to realize we couldn't assume they'd know how to interact with people they didn't know well, or any adults for that matter, and that we really had to teach them these skills.

Hence the birth of conversation questions.  Here's how it works.  During dinner, Doug or I will announce that it's time for conversation questions, then wait out the inevitable grumbling and complaining that ensues.  And then we start. The rules are these:  every person has to ask one other person at the table a question.  It can't be a yes or no question, and it has to show interest in the other person.  So "do you like pizza" is out, but "what do you like about rock climbing" is in.  "Do you like sports"' doesn't measure up, but "why is football your favorite sport" is great.  After you give your response, it's your turn to ask someone who hasn't been asked.  We've been doing this for years now and the funny thing is that everyone grumbles but then hates to lose the floor.  And when they say, 'ok we get it now, we know how to do it, we don't need to do this anymore' we insist that practice is essential and this is a skill you will always find valuable and will use your whole life.  New job, friend's wedding, first day of school - knowing how to come up with conversation questions comes in handy!

Some of our most memorable dinner conversations have come from this simple exercise, like when Dylan, then 8, asked my Dad, "Jidoo, I mean, surgery?  I don't get that.  How do you cut into people's guts and not barf 24/7?"1  Classic.  They've found out about Grandma Holt growing up on a dairy farm and having to get up and milk the cows,2 and about doug's childhood memories from visiting the farm3.  We learned about Grammy growing up in a house with 12 siblings and one bathroom4, about Uncle John sneaking out of the house in high school5,  what Doug and I remember most about college6, about me growing up in a house with six girls7,  about why Dylan loves football8, what Corey experienced in the hospital in Nicaragua9 and about Noah's backpacking trip to Yosemite10.

(answer key below)

So on the menu tonight?  Conversation questions, and this easy and delicious meal. 

 Roasted Shrimp and Orzo - Barefoot Contessa

Kosher Salt & Good olive oil

 3/4 pound orzo pasta (rice-shaped pasta)
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (3 lemons)
Freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds (16 to 18 count) shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 cup minced scallions, white and green parts
1 cup chopped fresh dill
1 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled, seeded, and medium-diced
1/2 cup small-diced red onion
3/4 pound good feta cheese, large diced

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Fill a large pot with water, add 1 tablespoon of salt and a splash of oil, and bring the water to a boil. Add the orzo and simmer for 9 to 11 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it's cooked al dente. Drain and pour into a large bowl. Whisk together the lemon juice, 1/2 cup olive oil, 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Pour over the hot pasta and stir well.

Meanwhile, place the shrimp on a sheet pan, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to combine and spread out in a single layer. Roast for 5 to 6 minutes, until the shrimp are cooked through. Don't overcook!

Add the shrimp to the orzo and then add the scallions, dill, parsley, cucumber, onion, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Toss well. Add the feta and stir carefully. Set aside at room temperature for 1 hour to allow the flavors to blend, or refrigerate overnight. If refrigerated, taste again for seasonings and bring back to room temperature before serving.

Our go-to Easy Summer Dessert
Soften your favorite ice cream (it's super helpful if you live a block away from Hartigan's)
Get a graham cracker crust and some really good hot fudge sauce (Trader Joe's = the bomb)
Heat up the sauce a bit and layer the bottom of the crust, add softened ice cream, add another layer of hot fudge and put it back in the freezer.  Serve as is or with whipped cream and berries.  YUM

answer key:
1 - shoulders shaking with laughter, my dad explained that surgery is problem solving, they clamp so there's not  a lot of blood, and that you just zero in on the area ' the guts' you need to work on
2 - cold, early, constant, it's what you had to do every day
3 - shooting a rifle for the first time and watching the old pink toilet his grandpa teed up  burst into a million pieces
4 - not a lot of long showers, suffice to say
5 - he got caught
6- too many to tell  but last week's post shared some of mine.  One of doug's most memorable stories involved a fetal pig.
7- not a lot of long showers, but we kept the Kimberly Clark company in business.
8- the contact
9- sketchy facilities, amazing Amigos staff
10-amazing place, amazing Apogee staff