The French Connection

Erin's social studies teacher assigned a project that involved ethnic heritage.  I always cringe when my kids are required to pick out one thread of their background and elevate it above the others.  Baird and I both consider ourselves Americans.  His claim to this land goes back even farther than mine, since he has Native American in his background.  His European ancestors have been here since the 1600s, and one of them signed the Constitution.
Among my ancestors are those who founded the Pennsylvania Dutch community.  Others pioneered across the Midwest, naming Crystal Lake and then pausing briefly in the Naper Settlement in Illinois before continuing west into Iowa.  In spite of this rich and diverse background, it was insisted that Erin pick something other than American to "be" for her ethnic report.  She chose to highlight her French heritage, which comes from her paternal great-grandmother.
To that end, Erin needed to make some French food to share with her classmates, and it had to be something that didn't require reheating.  She chose cream puffs.  We made the shells and the cream from scratch.  Cream puffs require a lot of stirring and several different cooking techniques, and Erin did a great job all around.  She stirred and whisked.  She baked the shells.  She separated eggs.  She learned the importance of making sure the spoon used for constantly stirring the cream mixture makes it all the way to the bottom of the pan.  She worked hard on her project, and I enjoyed working with her.  Knowing her teacher's love of all things cream and sugar, I'm sure her hard work will be paid off.