the lone home ranger

satisfy your unsweet tooth

2012-02-02T11:37:00.001-05:00

I have been dreaming about this dessert. Tangy yogurt with crunchy granola, juicy orange slices, and tart cranberries, drizzled with ooey, gooey honey. A balance of flavors, perfectly smooth and toothsome with a hint of zing and floral perfume. Perhaps this combination doesn't scream dessert! to you. But after a few weeks of my no-sugar cleanse, I am ready to tip the scales again back to my status quo, the unsweet tooth.

With the exception of a recent glutinous, gluttonous vat of rice pudding I made, my proclivity is to stick with desserts--if I eat sweets at all--that are countered in sweetness by a strong salty, bitter, floral, or spicy flavor. Hence the only way I love chocolate: dark as possible and served either drizzled over tart fruit or pretzels, steeped in spicy Mexican hot chocolate, or baked in a rose or lavender Parisian chocolat. Since Frugal Kiwi satisfies those requirements in her latest endeavor, I think I'll give her dark chocolate grapefruit truffles a try.

I'm calling my dessert a parfait, even though it's a far cry from the French classic meant to be a concoction of frozen cream and syrup. Anyway, it seems better than calling it "yogurt surprise." And hey, I ain't never met nobody who doesn't like parfait (that's my favorite line from Shrek). This dessert couldn't be easier to make, and if tart dessert ain't your thang, make it for breakfast!

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American "parfait"
serves one

1 c. plain Greek yogurt
3/4 c. granola (recipe here)
1 navel orange
Handful of dried cranberries
Drizzle of honey (wildflower is delicious if you can find it)

Remove orange peel with a paring knife. Cut oranges crosswise into slices, then cut those into wedges. Layer yogurt, then granola, orange, cranberries, and honey. For maximum awesomeness, chill in refrigerator for 20-30 minutes. Consume.

(almost) wordless Wednesday: strut

2012-02-01T22:58:00.003-05:00

I had fully planned to take a deserved day of rest from the blog today. Then I rediscovered this picture, and I couldn't deny you the privilege of viewing it.

My baby.

Look at her strut.

You would too if you could pull off a red dress with pink polka dots the way she does. And you can! Check out The Bloggess' traveling red dress for inspiration.

the finish line

2012-01-31T10:33:00.001-05:00

Today is the final day of LoHoRaBloPoMo, my month of daily blogging. What a month this has been, both for the blog and for me! I began sharing my blog for the first time to a wider audience than just close friends and family. Put simply, wow. I am humbled by all the attention the blog has received. A very heartfelt thank you for reading!

Combining the 23-day frugal living challenge with my daily blogging turned out to be a great idea because I had a continual source of inspiration when it didn't come from within. This led to some posts that garnered exponentially higher hits than I'm used to getting. As my aunt said, I may have just found my metier. Here are the top five posts in order of popularity...

frugal shopping without coupons
Babci's bread: cultivating the need to knead (thanks, Mom!)
Annie's orange cake
coming to a freezer near you
the caterpillar non-diet, which I updated yesterday

But never fear, loyal readers who "knew me back when..." I still excel at aimlessly digressing on topics like the mismanaging of my ducks and my current TV-watch-list.

Something I learned this month is that it's okay to pin your own posts in Pinterest as long as you don't solely self-promote. Whoa, man. This news was a revelation to me and quickly resulted in the manic re-pinning by pinners 'round the world of my meatball and kale chip posts (good ones, to be sure).

As I've said before, Pinterest is a good way to get lost down the Rabbit Hole of Ideas. Many of them are great! Others are not so good. I'll put it to ya' this way. If aliens only see Pinterest, I imagine they are going to believe the following about humans: a) all babies are carried in strange objects like shoes and buckets, b) we particularly love big closets and small giraffes in various poses with large giraffes, and 3) we are all stoned and have the munchies 24/7.

In other life news, I decided to become a doula. I'm still trying to think of the perfect name, but in the meantime I've settled into the massive amount of reading required of me over the next few months. And now, apropos to nothing, I am posting another picture of Charlotte and her much beloved snack:

Nom nom cream cheese

Hope y'all had a productive first month to 2012.
xoxo
~J

raising a glass to simpler times

2012-01-30T09:58:00.000-05:00

Today I'm beginning with an aside. Have you joined Bloglovin' yet? I held off joining because it was just one more social media gadget, I couldn't imagine getting yet another username and password, and I already organize the blogs I follow in Google Reader. I changed my mind yesterday because it occurred to me Bloglovin' might be a good way to find new blogs. And it is! If you're thinking of trying it out, you can follow my blog with Bloglovin. Now, onto the topic at hand...

If I've learned anything about myself during this frugal challenge, it's that I enjoy simplifying my life. Rather than feeling burdened by buying less, I feel more free than ever. Nate is feeling it too. In fact, we are so enjoying our new-found freedom that we're willingly cutting out any expense possible. I'm following up on the frugal challenge goals I started out with 23 days ago so you can see how far I've come.

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1. Consolidate my driving trips down to one/day or less to save gas and time.

I did well on driving less and was helped on that score by winter weather and sick kids.

2. Find other forms of (free or cheap) entertainment besides TV. Cancel cable.

Done! I have a stack of library books to read, joined a book club, and we canceled cable. We are still watching TV but only via Netflix, Hulu, and a digital antenna.

3. Learn how to make more food from scratch, like bread, chips & crackers (I can't even pop popcorn!) for snacks, vanilla extract, and seasoned salt.

I am making lots of bread, got the recipe for and made my dad's famous popcorn (will post soon), and am beginning to gather homemade recipes for vanilla, Italian dressing, seasoned salt, and even cocoa and chai!

4. Start using homemade remedies, toiletries, and cleaning products.

I went "no poo"! I also bought borax to make grapefruit scouring scrub, and I'm on my way to making more homemade cleaning products from this e-book.

5. Learn how to make homemade toys to reuse items like plastic bottles and cereal boxes.

I've gathered the boxes and bottles but haven't purchased paint or other materials yet. I am waiting on a budget surplus, which is a new way of shopping for me.

6. Compost.

I am learning as I go. There isn't much happening with it now because I am again waiting on a budget surplus to purchase a pitchfork to turn it and add coffee grounds.

7. Start planning our first spring vegetable garden and manage herb garden better this year.

I admit I haven't pondered this one yet. Who can think about spring when the ground is frozen?

8. Learn about conserving electricity, e.g. via water bottles in the fridge to eliminate fridge cutting on so often.

I added ice cubes and water bottles to our fridge and freezer. I'd like to learn some other tricks too. Anyone know of a good place to find ideas?

9. Find recipes to make large batches of food at once and store in our chest freezer, cutting costs and number of times I have to cook.

I've been doubling recipes left and right and finding new freezer recipes, so our freezer is gradually filling with goodies.

10. Learn how to can and buy necessary items like tongs and ball jars to begin canning.

I started a canning board on Pinterest for inspiration and am learning from my fellow bloggers like Food in Jars and Roving Lemon. Jar-lifting tongs and ball jars are on the "budget surplus list" too.

I consider this frugal challenge only the beginning of our quest to simplify our lives. I was inspired by Design Mom's interview with the couple who bought 90% of their belongings on Craigslist, and I think one of our new goals, to add to the list above, is to buy the majority of things we need second-hand. We already use consignment for the kids' clothes and toys, but most other purchases have been newly manufactured goods.

One of my favorite consignment items, Charlotte's "Marilyn" jacket

When you cut out charge for overhead and sales tax, you can save a bundle. I am proud to say I haven't purchased anything for us at Target/Walmart/Amazon/Insert-Warehouse-Store-Here in 2 months, so it's a start!

In what areas are you simplifying your life? I would love to learn from you!

This post is part of the Homestead Barn Hop, Homemaker Monday, Monday Mania, Natural Parenting Group's Monday Blog Hop, the Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways Blog Hop, Teach Me Tuesday, and Simple Lives Thursday.

quarrel of miniscule proportion

2012-01-29T18:07:00.000-05:00

Do you guys get frustrated when your gimpy, broken-leg husband, couch-ridden in the next room, shouts pearls of wisdom like "Just feed her already!" about your sick, whining baby--when you are already in the process of making her a scrambled egg and all he's doing is watching TV?

No?

Me neither. Just checking.

social media buttons: code for your blog

2012-01-28T08:00:00.000-05:00

Today I am sharing how you can make social media buttons (Facebook, Twitter, etc. like you see on the upper right corner of my blog) appear on your blog. Before I could do that, I first had to figure out how to put html code in my blog without it being interpreted as code. Here's where I went to figure that out.

Rather than tell you all the steps I went through to find these pieces of code and what I did to make sure they were in a line and spaced mostly equally, I am sharing the finished product. Be sure to replace my code (i.e. what you see highlighted in red.) with yours in the appropriate locations, or else you'll be sending people to my pages. Not so bad for me, but not so good for you either.

So here it goes:

<br />
<div class="addthis_toolbox addthis_32x32_style addthis_default_style">
<br /><a addthis:userid="pages/The-Lone-Home-Ranger/152804458160957" class="addthis_button_facebook_follow" href=""></a><br /><a addthis:userid="lonehomeranger" class="addthis_button_twitter_follow" href=""></a><br /><a addthis:url="http://www.lonehomeranger.com/feeds/posts/default" class="addthis_button_rss_follow" href=""></a><br /><a href="http://pinterest.com/justinerows/"><img alt="Follow Me on Pinterest" height="32" src="http://passets-cdn.pinterest.com/images/big-p-button.png" width="32" /></a>  <br /><a class="addthis_button_google_plusone_badge" g:plusone:href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/100319055861196265499" g:plusone:name="" g:plusone:size="medium" href=""></a></div>
<br /><script src="http://s7.addthis.com/js/250/addthis_widget.js#pubid=ra-4f1f180c49681dba" type="text/javascript">
</script><br /><br />

If you don't know how to add HTML code to your sidebar, check my earlier button-making tutorial post that included those steps. Enjoy!

This post is part of Teach Me Tuesday.

spinach manicotti warms my soul

2012-01-27T07:50:00.000-05:00

TGIF! Nate has the day off today; he's been working 65+ hour weeks, so he certainly deserves a "rest," if that's what you call spending the day with the munchkins. In honor of our jump-start on the weekend, I made my spinach manicotti last night. It's splendid dish for winter, hearty and savory and cheesy. I've been making it my own way for years, ever since the hubster and I began our courtship.

Ah, the days of yore. Circa 2003.

Back when we started dating, I was living in a house with friends in Athens, Georgia, and our landlord was the famous Dexter Weaver, aka Weaver D. Even if you don't know of Weaver, you've probably heard of the REM album called "Automatic for the People," which is named for Weaver's slogan at his soul food restaurant, Weaver D's Delicious Fine Foods. Every month I would literally cross the tracks from campus to bring Weaver our rent check; I can't remember if it was some kind of arrangement we had that I should bring it in person or if I just loved going there so much and seeing his smiling face. His warmth is legendary, and I wouldn't be surprised to learn he also coined the phrase "soul food." If Weaver taught me anything, it's that soul food doesn't have to be fried chicken. To attain true soul food, all one need do is cook from the heart. Oh, and of course, "love yo' mama."

There might be better recipes out there, but this one is ALL MINE. I copied it down onto a note card while watching a cooking program in college (my absolute favorite thing to do after early morning crew practice). Remember when you used to write down recipes, by hand? I made little chicken-scratch, barely-readable notes in the margins, things like "More heat!" and "Needs to be cheesier. Cheese on top too?" Eventually the card got splattered enough that I transferred the recipe into my favorite hand-written book, given to me by a cousin and covered in dainty butterflies and pears.

By now, I don't even need to flip open the book to know how it's done. Quite comforting to have the old standbys for which you've memorized the ingredients, isn't it?

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spinach manicotti
serves 4

1 c. hot Italian sausage, removed from casings, browned & drained (you can do this step ahead)
2¼ c. tomato sauce (I like Barilla's "pasta baking sauce")
1 package manicotti shells
15 oz. ricotta cheese
1 ½ c. shredded mozzarella cheese
10 oz. frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1 egg, beaten
2 Tbs. chopped flat-leaf parsley
½ c. grated Parmesan cheese
½ Tbs. Italian seasoning (add fresh herbs if in season; for us, this is winter food)
½-1 tsp. red pepper flakes
Pinch of salt, pepper, and nutmeg

Preheat oven to 375 degF. Heat sauce in the microwave and cook noodles in boiling salted water according to package directions. Wring out spinach in cheesecloth or a tea towel. Mix spinach and remaining ingredients and stuff in cooked pasta. Put ½ sauce on the bottom of a 13” x 9” pan. Add stuffed shells and cover with remaining sauce. Top with more mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Bake for 25 minutes, then crank the heat up to 450 and cook 5 more minutes to brown the cheese. It makes approximately 11 shells; I fit 5 shells in two rows, and one across in the middle, like so:

I make this dish frequently on the same day as Ina Garten’s lasagna and freeze both in those throw-away foil pans for later. I was a baked-pasta-making machine while pregnant both times, but now that I have a chest freezer, I am really in business. If you do decide to freeze it, either defrost it for a day in the fridge, or if you want to cook from frozen, bake for 45 minutes.

After dinner, I spent some time LOLing at one of my go-to giggle-fest blogs, The Bloggess. Did you catch her famous metal chicken post from last summer? Some day I'd like to have a farm, where I will most certainly place a giant metal chicken, whose name will be Sir Frederick Cluckersworth. You see, Freddie's been knighted.

Afterward, we spent the evening watching the marvelous, peachy, wicked Downton Abbey. You can stream the first season on Netflix. Go ahead, add it to the queue now! I'll wait... It's a PBS Masterpiece Theatre production about wealthy, Titanic-era British lords and their servants, like Gosford Park but with dialogue that can be easily understood. In fact, it's written by the same person as Gosford Park.

To give you an idea of what it's like, this is my favorite line in the show so far, spoken by the spectacular Maggie Smith, "But...what is a weekend?"Another classic, also Maggie: "Why do you always have to pretend to be nicer than the rest of us?" Haven't you wanted to ask someone that before? Also, did you notice the local pub is "The Dog and Duck"? My, but I miss pubs. It's nice to see Elizabeth McGovern again. I loved her in one of my favorite John Hughes classics, She's Having a Baby.

Do you love Downton Abbey too? If you haven't seen it, go watch so we can discuss it! What's your go-to "soul food" dish?

Editor's Note: This post is a part of Real Food Wednesday, Simple Lives Thursday, and Fight Back Friday.

you found me how?!

2012-01-26T08:39:00.000-05:00

Image Credit: Morguefiles.com with my own edits

I got the idea to post about the crazy ways people find my blog via Word Nerd Speaks. This is my first installment, aside from the time I laughed about geese and Tim Geithner, of what I imagine will be a more frequent occurrence of the people who find my blog through strange and sometimes hilarious Google searches. The following are some of the #youfoundmehow searches from this month:

1) Chopped episodes and cheeze its

I get that one. But it makes me wonder if I too misspelled cheeze its somewhere on the blog, which are clearly spelled cheez-its. C'mon, get it together.

2) grocery shopping with crazy kids

Indeed.

3) laundry sorter, 4 bag, rod

I'm concerned this person might be premeditating something bad, but otherwise, I get this one too.

4) lone ranger merita bread loaf labels

Huh?

5) "why I love public health"

Amen.

6) putting her to bed

Do it. Early and often.

7) ammoniated boneless lean beef trimmings + mcdonald's uk

Sadly, yes. This would be because of the pink slime post.

8) methuselan meaning

It means a person who is older than dirt. No, not me. Glad I could be of service.

9) nerdy pie

Mmmmmmm, pie.

10) "frugal"...in a million different sentence constructions.

Apparently I served a niche. But what of my extensive knowledge on bathing a cat? Doesn't anyone want to do that?

I've enjoyed daily blogging, but I occasionally find myself (I accidentally first wrote "finds meself," proving the possibility that I have pirate-blood in me) blogging about blogging, which leaves me feeling that I will never be taken seriously by any human being ever again in my life. I promise I have more intelligent commentary to make. Check back soon.

Peace out,
~J

ducks running amok

2012-01-25T17:01:00.000-05:00

We are dreadfully lazy over here. It's actually more like I am lazy, but I like the sound of "we" better. The hubs is potentially flying to 7 different locations in the next few months, 1 of them international, so I guess I should leave him out of it. Like I was saying, I am dreadfully lazy. Yesterday was foggy for me. Even though lil' C slept through the night, I felt like I had been at a rave until the wee hours, proving my insomniac mom is right that the second day after no-sleep is worse.

After shuttling the tiny humans to school and nap, I attended to my morning habit of tea and trail mix--lately Bengal spice tea and breakfast cookies--which I started while living in the UK. Back then, I was very discouraged to learn Brits don't actually eat crumpets on a daily basis; usually it's just an ordinary snack food like a bag of "crisps." Do you make trail mix? I mix up whatever I've got on hand, but my general parameters suggest the inclusion of salt, chocolate, tart, and crunch. This week's includes deluxe mixed nuts from TJ's, pretzels, chocolate chips, dried cranberries, a few dark chocolate-covered almonds (TJ's again), and cheerios and peanut butter puffs for filler/crunch.

While noshing, I did a bit of blogging about blogging and added a new ritual to my routine: stare at the kitty loafing next to me and zone out.

I snapped back with it when Charlie awoke at 11:40, which is about the time I realized that I had to leave in five minutes, and not only had I not packed Vivi's swim bag for her upcoming lesson, but I also hadn't packed us a lunch. A couple of corn muffins and two squirtable yogurts and carrot-apple-sauces later, I was good to go. I am nothing if not the model of responsible parenting.

I'm lucky I made so many soups last week, for now I can sit back and reap my bounty. Last night I took Roving Lemon's suggestion and made a couple of one-egg omelets and some biscuits to serve alongside. Nate loved them and was impressed with my ability to gather useful knowledge from the interwebs. So I've got that going for me.

How goes it on your end? Do you keep your ducks in a row? Mine are a touch unruly.

Your quacking quackeroo,
~J

wordless Wednesday: any box will do

2012-01-25T08:00:00.000-05:00

This is what happens when people stop being polite and start being real. Ha! Not really. It's just some funny places I found my kids recently...

Editor's Note: This is part of 5 Minutes for Mom's Wordless Wednesday link party.

triple b: design your own banners, buttons, badges

2012-01-24T10:56:00.002-05:00

A few days ago I would have never thought I'd be sharing my tips on designing anything using a computer. I'm not the most tech-savvy person. If I can do it, so can you! I'm even new to using the techie lingo; up to a few days ago I'd never even used the words banner, button, or badge in this context. Do you know what these things of which I speak are? Worst sentence construction ev-ah! Laaa diii daaa, moooooving on...

A banner is the top rectangular header for a blog/website and can also be used in advertising. As far as I can tell, buttons and badges are both the little square images you see on the sidebar that are sometimes advertisements, or often are a way for others to put a link to your blog on their blog. If there's a difference between a button and a badge, I welcome the correction.

I even have buttons and a banner now! Most of mine, including the top banner, were made by a friend in the biz, but I made the third button down, the one that looks like this:

Making a button using a photo turns out to be easier than I thought, so I'm sharing how I did it today and linking up with some Tuesday blog carnivals (see list at bottom of post if interested in which ones). Obviously you can use Photoshop Elements, Illustrator, etc. to make your button, but if you know that, then you don't need my help, do you?

You can find button-making instructions in lots of places; just Google "make a blog button." I used three main sources to educate myself:

Blogging with Amy is a great resource for bloggers on pretty much every blogging subject for which I've needed answers. Me no talky goody today. Blurg. Anyway, her instructions are great, if a little wordy. Also, she uses Picnik, and word on the street is that it will soon be gone, so...
I opted to use Paper Heart Camera's instructions that offered another free photo editing service, Photobucket. She does a great job of simplifying the process for putting the HTML code grab box under the button. But as for making the button, she basically begins by saying "So, you take your 125 x 125 pixel square, and then..." Yep, I'm lost already.
My last resource, WikiHow, includes ideas specifically for making banners and is where I found out about BannerDroid, a good resource if you are making flash video banners but not as good for straight-up jpg/gif images. Use Photobucket instead, or else make your banner in BannerDroid and then right-click and save as an image.

Regardless of what instructions you use, the basic order of button-making is as follows:

How to Make a Button

Find the photos you want to use, and put them in their own virtual folder somewhere easy to find, like your desktop. Trust me, it's annoying to keep having to look for them.
Crop photo into a square. If this is a step you need help with, I'm your gal. See below.
Use a service like Photobucket to resize image and add text, border, and other cool features. See more below.
Copy Paper Heart Camera's html code into your blog using her instructions.
Stand back and admire your handy-work. You made a button!

Step-by-Step Button-Making Guide, with pictures

1. Find the picture. I started with this picture of Vivi and her friend Avery at a local farm:

2. Crop picture into a square. I cropped it using iPhoto on my MacBook (Edit>>Crop>>Square), but I'm guessing whatever photo software is on your PC has a similar option.

I knew I wanted to have text somewhere, so I moved the square around until I had some space. This is what I ended up with:

3. Get a Photobucket account (it's free!) and upload your square image. I resize it at the end so that it's not so small while I'm adding text. Click Edit>>Add Text, which looks like this (click the photo if you want to see a bigger version):

Next, I moved the circle down to the space I wanted it in and added text. See below:

Don't forget to select Transparent Background (see arrow) and then select the text font you want (see oval). I selected "Budmo Jiggler," and I have to admit the name was part of the allure.

Next, resize it by clicking resize, then typing in 125 by 125. See below:

4. Copy Paper Heart Camera's html code using her instructions. See below:

5. Add code to your blog. I only know how to do this in Blogger since they are the hosting service I use, but I'm happy to share how I do it. Go to Layout>>Add a Gadget (click wherever you want to put it, I choose the right sidebar)>>HTML/Javascript.

Don't forget to give it a title. I called mine "Grab a Button!"

6. Marvel at your awesomeness. You did it!

p.s. Yes folks, I realize my post title today was particularly lame, but I must bow to the rulers of SEO who tell me that it's a good idea to make boring post titles every now and then, like when I have some learned wisdom to dispense.

croup, there it is (aka. why I didn't sleep last night)

2012-01-23T13:41:00.000-05:00

Yesterday evening I did some yoga in the office while hubs watched the semis or the playoffs or whatever that round of NFL games was called. It was peaceful and uneventful, my kind of evening, and I went to bed early with a book and was asleep by 10pm. I should have known never to trust a calm evening, and sure enough, by midnight the storm was brewing.

Charlotte's coughing startled me out of sleep because of how pathetically weak it sounded. It was as though she was trying to cough with a ball in her mouth. I was so worried that she had something stuck in there, but since there was nothing in her crib but pacifiers, and since she had been sleeping soundly since 6:30pm, it seemed unrealistic. I bounded into her room, and she seemed upset but had a healthy pink face and no fever. Horrible, barking cough continued. Unsure of what to do, I went for the old standby of children's ibuprofen and running upstairs with her to wake Nate up.

Once he calmed my hysterics (middle-of-the-night-baby-sickness is not my forte), he made the excellent recommendation to dial our 24-hour nurse hotline provided by our HMO. Neither of us wanted to go to the ER because we knew it would upset Charlotte and possibly cause her to become even more sick. I got out our American Academy of Pediatrics book (link via picture), which I hardly ever flip through these days but is always helpful to have on hand.

It seemed she probably either had croup or whooping cough, but how to know which one? Luckily the respiratory infections are in the same section, so you can easily compare symptoms and treatments. I knew from public health school that croup was the better one to have, so I rooted for croup going into our hotline call--I sincerely hope that's the last time I "root for croup."

The hotline nurse was fantastic, asking all the right questions, staying calm, and even laughing at my lame attempt at a joke ("I keep telling her five packs a day is too many!"). After determining her airway wasn't blocked by having her sip water, and that she didn't have a fever and looked happy, she said it was likely croup and recommended we speak to our on-call pediatrician. By this time, Charlotte was happily playing with the kitty in our bedroom like it was two o'clock in the afternoon (meanwhile, I resembled a cross between Popeye and Slash).

So what is croup? According to the AAP book, croup is a virus the causes "an inflammation of the voice box (larynx) and windpipe (trachea)," which leads to the labored breath and bark-like cough. The doctor immediately agreed with the nurse that it was croup and gave the thumbs-up to our ibuprofen decision. When I asked about a trip to the hospital, she said "Oh heavens no, definitely not. Just take her outside and let her breathe the cold air." After five minutes of what must be an age-old remedy, she was breathing normally again and asleep within the hour. I, on the other hand, not so much with the sleeping in the nighttime.

Scary stuff. If you'ns out there ever have this happen to you, now you know how to treat croup. Ibuprofen and a chilly walk around the block.

Editor's Note: Amazon links include my affiliate code. This post is part of Monday Mania.

for whom the snow tolls...

2012-01-22T10:23:00.000-05:00

Beantown has been all aflutter for the last month. You see, we haven't gotten much snow yet. There was some aggravating snow back in October when the leaf-and-snow-laden trees cracked under the weight and caused lots of damage, but we hadn't had the winter wonderland, fluffy, puffy, flitty, giddy, perfect snow. Until yesterday.

Saturday is the absolute best day for it to snow. It started snowing Friday night, which is even better, now that I think about it, because you wake up with snow already on the ground. Coming from my childhood in the ATL, I still get excited when I see snow out the window. It hovered at 15 deg F all morning, so it was the beautiful, tiny, sticks-to-nothing snow us southerners ain't never seen a'fore. Well, Nate and I did experience it in Wisconsin, but that fact ruins my hackneyed, deep-fried joke.

Wisconsin '03: This is what you call "butt ass cold."

Sitting on a frozen lake! My face is in there somewhere.

Our 1st time experiencing "teeny tiny snow."

I can't believe those pictures are from nearly 10 years ago! Yesterday was Charlotte's first time walking in the snow, and she got a kick out of it. I'm not positive whether she was more fond of the six inches of fluffy snow or the pretty pink pom-poms on her snow boots.

I'm linking up to Steppin' Out Saturday, so I'll let you in on the secret to Charlie's winter weather attire: Old Navy, baby. Except the mittens, those are Columbia via TJ Maxx. The snow bib was a rare brand spankin' new purchase in September (which is apparently when you purchase such things in Beantown; wait until January like we did last year, and you end up with an ugly black bib two sizes too big. See below). The remaining articles (pom-pom boots, pom-pom hat, jacket) were thrifted at my favorite local shop. You know, the place with the nutty mom. Nate's not fond of the pink camou, but I kinda like that she looks like a miniature deer hunter.

Vivi is already an old hat at the snow thing, so as soon as she stepped foot in it, and I mean it when I say the girl hadn't even laid a hand on it yet, she announced "This isn't snowman snow, Mommy." That's my girl. Err, well, maybe some northerner's girl.

Snow angel action shot.

No matter, I had an excellent time with whoever's kid that was in my front yard. She made snow angel after snow angel, grinning the whole time. I never quite caught her snow-angel-making-face on camera, but it was a hilarious combination of my famous sticky-out-tongue action and a scrunchy thinking face. This is the best shot of it I got:

I entered this photo in Paper Mama's Favorite Photo of January challenge.

Poor Daddy had to watch the fun from inside, since his broken leg is still in a robo-boot. After lots of snow angel making, snow fights, trail blazing, and the world's shortest game of hide-n-seek ("I see you! Now it's my turn to hide." 10 seconds later... "I see you!"), we headed inside for Charlie's nap. Then Vivi and I made pizza, which is something Vivi has been wanting to do ever since she made it at school recently. She gave me pointers along the way:

"Don't push too hard with the rolling pin, Mommy, or you will rip a hole in the dough."

"Just pick up small handfuls of cheese, Mommy, or you'll spill it."

"You should do the part with the sauce because I will make a mess. No! Not like that! Get a spoon."

As for the Bostonians with their panties in a wad, I knew we'd get snow all along. According to the folks at NPR this morning, the last time Boston went a winter without snow was 1997, and they complained the whole season. They ended up having a huge snow storm (complete with green lightning!) on April Fool's Day. Cue Nelson.

Yours in keepin' it real,
~J

do wacka do

2012-01-21T08:00:00.001-05:00

"At my age, you think you've seen it all. Then boom! Somethin' else happens."

-Burt, Raising Hope

Remember how we got rid of cable last week? Yeah, well apparently that doesn't mean we stop watching TV. That 9-10pm hour draws me to the couch like an undertow, and most nights I'm too brain-dead to read my shiny stack of library books. Instead, we've discovered a new show to stream on Netflix, marathon-style: Raising Hope! It took us so long to get on board, despite the literally dozens of friends who told us we should. In case you're also one of those people who can only add so many TV shows to the repertoire at once, let me just say that this one should move up a few notches on your stand-by list.

I haven't done a Top 5 list in a while, so I thought it was about time to share some of the TV shows we've gotten into in the last year or so (note to self: this kind of fluff post is what happens when you decide to blog every day):

Modern Family
Dexter
Breaking Bad
Raising Hope
The Walking Dead

I give honorable mention to Portlandia; it very nearly tied with The Walking Dead for fifth place. If you can't stomach flesh-eating zombies (I can't and still go running out of the room when zombies appear, which is thankfully less often now on the show), stick Portlandia in the fifth slot instead. It's funny but also just about the weirdest show I've ever seen; think Kids in the Hall meets SNL meets anything by Christopher Guest.

General pop culture praise says that we should also be watching Downton Abbey (season 1 currently has 240 holds at the library), Mad Men, Friday Night Lights, and The Wire. We gave The Wire a good long try but got turned off in the second season of incessant boring dockworker stories. Perhaps we'll give it another try. What's on your list?

Image Credit: Fox.com

Editor's Note: This post is part of Friday Fives.

it takes a metaphorical, sometimes virtual village

2012-01-20T08:09:00.000-05:00

Nate is having a long work week, during which he is still in Boston but pretending to be in San Francisco where the rest of his team is working on The Big Project. Cali time means late nights at the office. I can go a couple of days without his husbandly companionship and parental assistance, but usually by day four I am officially unraveling. Last night I was having one of those moments in parenting that we all try not to talk about, where all I want to do is work on my night cheese, and meanwhile I have a child who is insisting on playing the matching game--or infinitely worse, "princesses."

What is a mother to do in such a scenario? Parenting books offer the occasional good idea. Back when she was just turning three, we had a "will you play with me?" terrorist living with us, and we learned to enact 'special play time with Mommy/Daddy.' Fortunately now she plays for much of the day with Charlotte or off in her own little world of make believe. But there are moments, particularly the after-dinner, dark-outside, Charlotte-asleep time of day, in which you're just too tired to play but can't stomach the thought of turning on the TV/electronic babysitter. I find that books aren't good at offering solutions for this time of day.

Thank goodness for friends with tips. I had a girlfriend over for a play date last week (you know, where we chat and do our best to ignore them while they play, preferably upstairs). She has two kids around my kids' ages and another on the way (gulp!), so we have lots in common...'cept for the bun in the oven part. In particular, we both have a love-hate affair with the notion of moving back home, and we also like to bitch about how it feels like being sucked into the vortex of doom to play princesses with our daughters for any length of time. So I was particularly pleased that she shared this educational website with me, where your child can go to play computer games and actually learn in the process.

Why have I never pondered this idea of letting Vivi play computer games? Once my friend mentioned the idea, a memory came whizzing back of when I was sixteen, and my three-year-old baby brother grabbed me by the hand to show me his "hilarious computer game that spoke in a gibberish language called 'panish." We have a six-year-old MacBook that just sits around in the office, so after Charlie went to sleep, I set up Vivi to play. I began by explaining "this is called a mouse, and you...," at which point Vivi grabbed the mouse and started scrolling up and down with her middle finger. Oh. They've been teaching computer at school, and this is the point I realized I'm the old lady. {Shiver}. Anywhos, she played intensely for 30 minutes while I peacefully and uninterruptedly did the dishes in the adjacent kitchen. And it was good. Amen.

There is essentially nothing worse than playing princesses and pretending to be interested that we are once again slaying the dragon and saving the day. Although, there was a funny moment the other day where her doll Jessie (from Toy Story), which has a pull string, asked her if she wanted to "put on a Wild West show." Vivi immediately turned to me and said "What's your wish, Mommy?" She had misheard Jessie's remark as a "Wild Wish Show." Those kinds of funny moments make pretend play less bothersome, but for the most part I am digging into the depths of my soul in an attempt to stay in the moment. Luckily, she doesn't seem to notice or care about my vacant, glazed expression.

If you do find yourself coerced into play time, I enthusiastically recommend eeBoo games. Vivi has an alphabet puzzle, memory game (my personal childhood board game fave), and dominoes, and they are a zillion times better than Candy Land, which recently made an unfortunate, hehem, disappearing act. We also both love the big collections of stories; one of Vivi's frequent requests of late is "alottalottalotta stories in my bed."

Never fear, parents! You too will get through this time. And don't forget, there's always late-night cheese.

xoxoxo
~J

Editor's Note: This is a part of Teach Me Tuesday.

a doula for youla

2012-01-19T11:28:00.001-05:00

Hey there, creative readers! I could use your help. My plan to become a doula is moving full steam ahead, and the more I learn about the field, the more excited I become. The women in this profession are about as calm and empathic as it gets, so I feel more relaxed about paving a new career path than ever before, thanks in large part to their guidance.

Becoming a doula will be the easy part for me. The trouble is I do not have the entrepreneurial spirit. I'm an idea girl, to be sure, but somewhere along the way I tend to lose steam from the obstacles I encounter, and I haven't figured out how to mount the hurtles. I wish I had it in me to take great risks, but as I often say about myself, at the end of the day I'm a paycheck gal.

Sometimes, my brain becomes attached to one thought, and then I can't get The Big Idea (or even The Small, Ridiculous Idea) out of my mind. Does this happen to you? This is my current affliction when coming up with a name for my soon-to-be doula business [n.b.: Even the funny title of this post came from a friend, who suggested the also-hilarious "Ninja Doula" as a second option...in jest, of course].

Take this morning, for instance, when I woke up pondering Bob Marley's song that goes "Don't worry about a thing..." You know the one. I guess I was thinking about it because the lyrics remind me of the service a doula gives a mom-to-be. Turns out the song's called Three Little Birds [n.b.: If you haven't seen the Nick Jr. version of this song, you're missing out!]. I spent about an hour thinking "What a cute name for a doula service!" Then I spent the next hour thinking "What a dumb idea. No one will understand the connection but me," and then I spent the next hour trying to wipe the idea from my brain. Three hours gone, and still I don't have a good idea.

Image Credit: Hello, Good Gravy!

Here's where you come in. I'll give you the parameters for the kind of name I like, then you brainstorm and come up with the fantastic idea. Are you with me? Coolio. I love the word "mama," so it would be fun to have it in the title, but not a requirement. It probably goes without saying that a lot of doulas put birth or baby in their title, so that's another option. I should also probably mention that I might want to take my business into other aspects of parenting, so that's one reason I'm leaning more toward "mama" than "birth."

My mom suggested "Doula Decisions" and "Doula Dame," and I like where she's going with those; after all, alliteration is an always admired attribute. My cousin chimed in with "Birthwise Doula Services," which I love but is basically trademarked by the "Babywise" book series and by a bunch of midwifery schools. I could ultimately choose something that's been taken by others as long as they aren't in my city, but I'd love to have a domain name all to myself.

My other favorites, "mamawise" and "mamasource," have already been taken, so here are some synonyms I found that I like:

Wise: smart, sage, sensible, savvy, clever, bright

Source: dawn, rise, spring, start

Does this get your creativity flowing? There are no stupid ideas, this is a safe environment for creativity, and all that good stuff. Just get 'em out there. I'm ready.

Thanks for your help! You're the best.
Smooches,
~J

just say no

2012-01-18T14:16:00.000-05:00

Find out more about SOPA/PIPA by reading this page. Then contact your members of Congress. Oh, and don't forget to check out the always hilarious The Oatmeal's take on SOPA.

wordless Wednesday: death by monkeys

2012-01-18T08:00:00.000-05:00

Here are recent places I have found monkeys (of the barrel o'). If my family disappears, please alert the authorities to the following potential suspects...

Editor's Note: This post is part of 5 Minutes for Mom's SOPA Blackout Wordless Wednesday Link Party.

colcannon: Irish potatoes

2012-01-17T08:00:00.000-05:00

I have moved to the part of a diet where you begin fantasizing about certain kinds of food. For me, those foods are specifically anything white or sweet, since that's what I'm avoiding. Last night we were skyping with friends, and one of them made a reference to "bread and butter" in a completely non-food related manner, and I flipped out at the thought of eating my mom's fluffy bread and butter. A little self-control now will make the food taste better later, or so I keep telling myself.

When I do begin reincorporating more starch and refined carbs back into my diet, I know what I'm making first. Nate and I both have Irish heritage, so over the years I've been building a repertoire of Irish dishes. I picked up this recipe for colcannon from Tyler Florence years ago; it's one of the only times I've watched his show because I can't stand the number of times he says "alright." Now I've ruined it for you. I've adapted the recipe over the years until it's now something I can make without opening a book. It's pleasantly simple and satisfyingly hearty.

I didn't have scallions or parsley this time, so not the best pic

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colcannon
serves 2

4-8 red potatoes (depends on how big; enough to fill a large saucepan lined with a steamer)
1/2 small head of green cabbage, chopped into 1/2 inch strips
lots of butter
1/2 c. to 1 c. hot milk (the more fat, the better)
leftover bacon or ham, cooked and chopped
handful of chopped scallions
handful of chopped flat-leaf parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Steam potatoes with skins on for 30 minutes or until tender. This cooking process keeps the nutrients in the potatoes better than boiling. Be sure to watch the water level occasionally because you may run out of water and scorch your pan (I have "smoked" these potatoes a time or four).

In the meantime, bring a few inches of salted water in a pot to a boil, add cabbage and boil two minutes. Take the pot off the heat, add 2 Tbs. of butter, and let sit for five minutes or until cabbage is tender. Drain and set aside in the colander.

After potatoes have cooled some, you can peel them. We leave the skins on because we like the texture. Put meat (chopped pieces of ham or leftover cooked bacon) into the cabbage pot and add 2 Tbs. butter. Melt butter and heat meat through, then remove from heat and add potatoes. Smash potatoes with a hand masher; you want them to be lumpy. Add milk, salt and pepper, and more butter as you go, to your taste. After you reach your desired consistency, fold in cabbage, parsley, and scallions.

Dish it up and add another pat of butter to the top. Why the heck not?

Editor's Note: This post is part of Fight Back Friday, Homemaker Monday, and the Homesteading Barn Hop.

a post about compost

2012-01-16T10:38:00.000-05:00

I have always wanted a compost bin, but apartment living or having young babies (i.e. good excuses) have stopped me in the past. Last year I finally got my compost bin; our progressive town offers them at a steep discount, along with rain barrels, which I have yet to buy. This is my bin:

It has a lid that shuts in a way only humans can figure out how to operate; it really works, which is lucky for us, since our raccoons love to open our "locking" garbage can lid. The bin has already quickly filled up almost to capacity. Now the compost inside is hard as a rock, so I won't be turning it for a few months.

I started it on my own with just a few basic tips from a pamphlet the town recycling center gave me. I knew I needed to learn more, but the idea of getting a whole book about composting seemed like overkill. I figured there would be plenty of knowledge around town, and I happily have a good way to tap the source. We have a great resource here called the Arlington List; a funny blogger actually started a new blog recently devoted solely to poking fun at our listserv. When I asked the almighty A-List about composting leaves, paper, and coffee grounds to balance the nitrogen and carbon (and keep the smell down), I got some nice replies. I am sharing the information I got from a neighbor with you so you can learn too:

Do not add both leaves and paper –they’re both high in carbon. It won’t cause any smell problems butit will take a very long time to decompose.

You want a good mix of “green”(high in nitrogen) and “brown” (high in carbon) materials. Thereare lots of websites that can help explain the mixture, what can be composted,etc. As a rule I try to add 2x – 3x the volume of browns to greens. Thishas the affect of heating the pile faster and preventing bad odors. It alsomeans my compost typically finishes with some non-decomposed pieces of leaves butthat’s fine by me.

Getting the coffee from Starbucks is avery good idea and the one down the hill is very good about it. They’rethe ones who helped me with a compost experiment I ran which has beenpublicized by a variety of gardening and homesteading media. My post on it ishere: http://bit.ly/vgiMGn

While that was almost exclusivelynewspaper and coffee grounds, the same would hold true for leaves and coffeegrounds, though shredded leaves are always going to decompose faster.

Do you compost? What are your secrets to fast decomposition and low smell? Are there other tricks besides egg shells and coffee grounds I should know? Do tell!

Editor's Note: This post is part of the Patchwork Living Blogging Bee and Simple Lives Thursday.

Update (1/25/12): This post was a featured favorite on the Patchwork Living Blogging Bee!

the busy and the tired

2012-01-15T18:27:00.002-05:00

"There are only the pursued, the pursuing, the busy, and the tired." -Nick Carraway, The Great Gatsby

We are a house full of injuries this weekend. On Friday during a play-date, Charlie slipped and bumped into the corner of the banister just above her eye, so she got a shiner and a split cut. Luckily, no need for stitches. Then even worse, Nate was playing football yesterday and broke his leg in an accidental spill with another player. So that line from The Great Gatsby about sums up how I'm feeling today.

Speaking of Gatsby, I don't think I mentioned how my book club meeting went at Daisy Buchanan's bar. I'll start by saying any event with a meal composed solely of onion rings and a draught PBR can't be all bad, amiright? I enjoyed having adult conversation, and there was much laughing and off-topic discussions to be had, as was my hope. I happened to mention Gatsby reminded me of a macabre version of Pride and Prejudice, except there is no great redemption or ride off into the sunset at the end. Then we got to discussing Jane Austen and the Bronte sisters. Keeping with the theme of reading books from high school, next up is Jane Eyre! I'm thrilled because I've always wanted to but never read it. Let's hope it's a touch brighter than Wuthering Heights, which took me a combined total of four attempts and sheer willpower to finish.

Yesterday I had a list of meals I wanted to cook, and somehow even with the ER debacle I got most of them done. Have I told you about the lentils I cook for us and the girls?

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lentils with carrots and celery
serves 4

Saute 1 diced small onion, 1/2 cup of carrots and 1/2 cup of celery in a drizzle of olive oil until soft, then add a pinch of salt, a handful of chopped parsley, 2 cups of chicken stock, and 1 cup of brown or green lentils; simmer for 30 minutes. Voila! I still blend up Charlotte's in the tiny food processor because she likes it better with less lumps. In the picture below, we had them in a vegetarian dinner with leftover naan (TJ's!) and Pioneer Woman's sweet-roasted rosemary acorn squash.

Lentils!

I also made dahl, apple and pear sauce from big bags of bruised fruit I bought cheaply from a farm, and yummy soup. While I'm on the subject of cheap food, I'm still doing the frugal challenge, even though I'm not talking about it much. I decided if I write any more about saving a buck, I might stop reading my own blog.

Today there are more playoff games (woo......hoo......yawn), and I suppose if there's one positive effect of Nate's handicap, it's that he has an excuse to stay glued to the couch all day. There's something about a reclining adult that is irresistible to our rug-rats (spell check wanted me to change "rugrats" to "regrets." I'll let you ponder that one for a moment).

It was 7 degF when I woke up this morning, and the radio lady cheerfully reported the weather would be sunny with a high of 19. But her really good news was that with the wind chill, it would feel like minus 7 degrees. Funny thing is that it's 30 degrees in Wisconsin today. We just had to pick somewhere colder to live, didn't we? Sheesh!

There were moments today where I had a headache, and thought the day would never end, and couldn't believe somebody wanted me to do something for them again. I would close my eyes and find that patient part of me that lies deep somewhere past the crazy-haired girl who stomps her feet and slams doors, and I would keep moving. It doesn't help my patience reserves that I'm on day two of my non-diet, and I fantasize ripping the graham crackers out of my child's hand and stuffing them down my throat, I want sugar so badly.

There were some wonderful moments today too. When Vivi's favorite Lady Gaga song came on, the girls and I took hands and danced with abandon in the middle of the kitchen. And yes, I looked like a muppet while dancing. What about it?

In other homesteading news, Vivi and I are enjoying a few new library books:

Limelight Larry by Leigh Hodgkinson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Per our normal routine, we grabbed this book from the display shelf, and it was a great choice! Larry is a peacock who wants to steal the show, but by the end of the book he realizes it's better to have friends than get all the attention. The illustrations are gorgeous, and the dialogue makes me chuckle. The message reminds me of another favorite of ours, The Rainbow Fish.

Every-Day Dress-Up by Selina Alko
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A mom gives her daughter a book about famous women who have made big accomplishments to teach her there are others to aspire to be besides princesses. I may have loved this book more because I understood who each of the women was and because I could use an occasional reminder to filter how many princess-theme stories enter our home. It would be a great book for older Elementary school girls who are ready to learn about historical figures.

How's your weekend? What's the scuttlebutt?

Editor's Note: This post is part of Simple Lives Thursday.

the caterpillar non-diet

2012-01-14T08:00:00.000-05:00

I am not a fan of diets. Starting a post this way reminds me of the time I was a tween (before we were called such), and the girls were gabbing away while changing into swimsuits in our cabin at summer camp. They were all chatting about how fat they were--oh how sad, looking back!--and I chimed in, "Oh I know. I'm sooo fat." I resembled a walking stick bug at the time, only more bow-legged. Even my hair was skinny. One of the other girls gave me a withering glance and taunted, "YOU are NOT fat," then spun on her heel and continued to moan about how fat she was. I had never felt less a part of the in-crowd.

Fast forward to the present day, and I am still mostly excluded from diet talk, only now it is by design. My "diet" is a consistent path I have continued--since as a child in my mother's home--of eating whole, real food, local when possible (okay, the local thing is recent), and little to no junk or fast food. I pride myself on not needing cleanses or other fads to get back on the wagon.

Now allow me to hitch my high-horse up to a post and get down to the business of telling you about the diet on which I am about to embark. The holidays are a gluttonously fantastic season of eating anything and everything in sight. I ate, and ate, and ATE until I made myself sick, quite literally so. At the risk of delving down the TMI trail, I will elaborate a little.

For the past few weeks, I have been feeling progressively worse after meals, and I'm nearly positive an imbalance of gut bacteria is to blame. If you have ever been diagnosed with "Irritable Bowel Syndrome," you know of what I speak. When this problem happened to me a few years ago, after taking antibiotics, I learned the reasons you should always take a probiotic while on antibiotics. A friend who was in the process of a celiac disease diagnosis at that time assisted me with getting on a diet that would put me back on track of having healthy gut flora...

Stomachache face.

...which brings me to the title of my post and what I'm calling my non-diet. I thought of the name when reading The Very Hungry Caterpillar to Vivi last night. If you haven't been privileged enough to read it, I will summarize it for you: the caterpillar is very hungry (surprise!), and he eats a bunch of junk food until he gets a stomachache. Then he wakes up the next day and eats a leaf and feels much better, then he builds a cocoon and becomes a butterfly. The End. I love this story because of its subliminal message, "Eat green food, not junk!," and Vivi loves it because he gets to be a pretty butterfly. Win win.

Back to my situation. I have been eating too much sugar and refined carbohydrates, and the result is I have less energy, frequent bellyaches, and I crave sugar constantly. It isn't fair to place the entire burden on the holidays because there were other factors, namely that I started having frequent PB&J sandwiches (sugar, sugar, and sugar), and we are eating seasonally, so less leafy vegetables and more starch.

Happy, leaf-eating caterpillar!

So, the non-diet. There are some diets that are similar to how I plan to eat for the next few weeks or months, albeit mostly much more strict than my plan; GAPS, Candida Diet, and Paleo are just a few. My basic plan is to cut out sugar, alcohol, some grains (e.g. rolled oats and refined starches like pasta), some meats (e.g. cured and smoked), starchy vegetables (e.g. potatoes, squash), non-citrus fruit, beverages other than water and tea (milk included), additives and preservatives as possible, soy, condiments, and highly-manufactured oils (e.g. soy, canola). I will take a probiotic supplement and focus on eating vegetables, fermented foods like sauerkraut, apple cider vinegar, live yogurt cultures, eggs and fresh cuts of meat, fish, nuts, non-glutinous grains (e.g. wild and brown rice, quinoa), and cold pressed oils (e.g. olive, coconut, sesame, sunflower). Yeah, I'm a carnivorous caterpillar.

Here's what I've got on my recipe list this week:

Winter Vegetable Soup, from my Beekman cookbook
Chicken Boobs with Braised Collard Greens, Beekman again
Meatballs and Celery Root Puree, yup, Beekman
Cabbage and Kale Soup with Farro, Food & Wine
Mushroom Brown Rice Risotto, Cooking Light
Farrotto with Butternut, Gruyere, and Hazelnuts, Cooking Light

After a few weeks, I'll start reintroducing some of the foods on the avoid list, but I will hopefully lessen the amount of sugar and refined starch I eat over the long term. Next year I'll probably be back to doing this routine in January, but I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. Mmmm, salted caramel chocolate pretzel bark. I miss you.

Editor's Note: This post is part of Fight Back Friday, Monday Mania, and Real Food Wednesday.

Update 1/19/2012: I completed my 1-week cleanse today. I am beginning my probiotic supplement tomorrow. In the first few days, I experienced what could almost be called withdrawal symptoms; I had a headache I couldn't shake even with ibuprofen, moodiness, and sudden bouts of anxiety, a rare occurrence for me normally. I am not sure cutting out starchy vegetables and fruit was ever necessary, but I definitely feel better one week into the diet. I have more energy in the evening to clean up, and I fall asleep right away when my head hits the pillow, something that had inexplicably vanished after a lifetime in the past few months. I am planning to introduce fresh and dried fruit slowly and gluten/yeast like grains, crackers and pretzels, although I am still avoiding sugar.

Update 1/30/12: I feel great. Ten days into the probiotic, last night I ate my first bite of sugar and milk (other than my ration of 2 dark-chocolate-covered almonds per day) in a big bowl of rice pudding. It was both a celebration of 2+ weeks without sweets and a test to see how my body would react. I am happy to report that I seem to have recovered fully. We'll see how it goes after my probiotic course ends in four days.

Annie's orange cake

2012-01-13T16:52:00.000-05:00

When I was growing up, there were legendary stories about my great grandparents. Cubby and Grandma, as they were known to most of us, raised eight children through the Great Depression and lived to be 98 and 92 years old respectively, outliving four of their eight children. Can you imagine? Cubby passed on when I was seven years old, so I have a few cherished memories of my days spent in Miami with him, throwing a ball for the dog in the yard or guessing in which hand a dollar, soon to be a gift for me, was hidden.

When someone would cut up a cantaloupe, he'd say "Your mother said we had to get married," and pause long enough for family to think he was about to reveal a shocking secret before then saying, "because she said we CANT-ELOPE." He was always saying amusing things like that.

Everyone called him Cubby, even his own children in his later years; in fact, I was in high school before I somehow finally learned his given name was Cloyde. Grandma's name was Elizabeth Anna, and she went by Elizabeth (that is, before she became "Grandma"). Cubby was the only one who called her "Annie," and I always tear up when I think of them being married for somewhere along the lines of seventy years, and him having a special nickname for her. True love, folks, true love.

Grandma & Cubby talking to Mom on her wedding day.

Cubby was a great story-teller and had some fine experiences in his life to tell about; he created an estate furniture business all on his own and was able to sell it and retire at 45--this, after raising eight children, AND through the Depression no less (I know I said it already, but seriously!). He picked up his family in Maryland and moved them down to sunny Miami, Florida. Want to know his secret? F-R-U-G-A-L-I-T-Y. It's the other lesser-known spice of life.

Years ago, my great uncle recorded a bunch of tapes of Cubby telling old stories about his childhood and working days. My dad painstakingly transcribed all of them into a huge volume that he then made copies of to give to our family; since then, he has done the same for his parents. The stories are all so wonderful, even more so because they are true, and reading my family history has become a favorite pastime of mine.

Great Grandma had a beautiful crystal punch bowl that was passed down to my aunt, from which punch was served to the guests at Vivi's dedication ceremony. Family heirlooms like the punch bowl are great, but I wonder whether the heirloom recipes will survive along with the treasured tangible possessions. I hope so, which is why I'm sharing my great grandmother's orange cake recipe, and why I've dedicated a section on my recipe page to my family's heirloom recipes. My great aunt kept the orange cake recipe alive over the years; according to her, Grandma served this cake at a New Year's Eve party she and Cubby hosted every year.

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Annie's Orange Cake

1/2 c. butter

1 c., plus 1/2 c. sugar

1 egg

Grated rind and juice of one orange

2 c. flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

Pinch of salt

3/4 c. sour milk (buttermilk works fine)

1 c. raisins (optional)

1/2 c. walnuts (optional)

Cream butter and 1 c. sugar, then add egg. Add grated orange rind. Sift dry ingredients together. Mix in a quarter of the dry with the butter-sugar base, add a quarter of the sour milk. Continue, beat well after each addition. If using the nuts and raisins, coat them in flour and add them. Grease a tube pan (Bundt pan or similar), pour batter in, and bake at 350° degF for 45-50 minutes. After done, let cake stand 5 minutes, then pour the juice of one orange mixed with 1/2 cup sugar over the cake. Let it stand until this soaks in, then turn cake out onto a plate.

Editor's Note: This post is part of Teach Me Tuesday, the Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways Blog Hop, Simple Lives Thursday, and Fight Back Friday.

Image Credit: If you give a girl a cookie...

Babci's bread: cultivating the need to knead

2012-01-12T21:10:00.000-05:00

As part of the frugal living challenge, I decided to bake my own bread. My mom has been baking bread since before I was born; to this day, I am consumed with gushy childhood memories at the smell of bread baking. I can't say why I have never attempted my own bread, or even helped her out enough to know the recipe by now, especially considering how much I love to cook. I suppose it has to do with my general disdain for the fussiness and measuring of baking. I love to smell and taste as I'm cooking--a pinch of this and a smattering of that--so baking has never appealed to me beyond easily-mixed, fool-proof recipes like breakfast cookies.

In the beginning, even buying flour and getting out the proper bowl were tough for me, having never done it before. Luckily, I stumbled upon this quick Bread 911 page from the Washington Post, which I discovered when googling whether I could use my biggest metal bowl (answer: no metal bowls! Glass, ceramic, and plastic are all okay).

As I've gotten into the swing of it, I understand now why people continue to bake their own bread over the generations. At once gratifyingly simple (the kneading) and dazzlingly complex (yeast is a fickle creature), bread-making can induce a serenely meditative state. Put on your favorite classical album, or perhaps listen to a good audio book. In my inaugural bake, Tom Ashbrook's melodic voice, of NPR's On Point, served as my means of morning meditation (mmmmmm).

For my first attempt, I made this basic brown bread recipe from a fellow blogger. I love molasses and figured it to be a good match. It's delicious and makes great sandwich slices. Now that I've broken the ice, a new world of recipes, rolls and buns and loaves, is opening up to me. I'm a brand new me! I'm going to dig up my great aunt's recipe for cinnamon rolls next; at the time she gave a roll-making tutorial to my family, I never thought I'd continue the tradition. Three cheers for the survival of heritage recipes!

To jump start your journey into baking, I'm sharing what I've learned in my admittedly short life as a bread maker:

1. Yeast is a living organism, so be sure yours is fresh; it should bubble and foam if it is working. It will only grow in water between 105 and 115 degF warm.

2. If you are adding both oil and a sticky substance (e.g. molasses, honey), measure the oil first; your measuring cup and scrubbing hand will thank you.

3. It will probably take more flour than the recipe says. It IS important to add it in small increments (1/2 c.) when kneading, but it's not important to be careful and level off each cupful.

4. The kneading stretches the gluten, which gives you a better textured bread, so you aren't going to hurt it by punching and pulling; the more, the better.

Look Ma! It worked!

5. Knead at least five minutes or until your arms burn and your dough no longer sticks to the board or your hands. It should also spring back when poked.

6. The bread will release from the loaf pan easily if you grease it before adding the bread and leave it in the pan for 5-10 minutes after it comes out of the oven.

7. Wrap bread in a tea towel and cool completely before cutting. This process softens the hard outer crust and makes it easier to cut into thin, even slices.

A few air holes in this loaf. I didn't punch it hard enough.

8. To freeze, wrap in freezer-safe plastic (I re-use grocery bags or bread bags) and store in a chest freezer for up to 6-8 months. They are lucky to last a week in our house. More bread-freezing tips are available here.

Mom happily shared her recipe for high-rising yeast bread, which is delicious with lots of butter and perfect for dinner parties. It's a show-stopper! "Babci" means Grandma in Polish, and it's what mom called her Polish grandmother who didn't speak any English and is now what Vivi calls mom. This recipe is mom's version of her grandmother's bread, tweaked into her own style of baking:

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Babci's High-Rising Yeast Bread

In a small bowl, add:
1 c. warm water
2 packets of yeast (that's 2 Tbs. if you use a jar)
1 tsp. of sugar

Let the yeast do its thing for at least 10 minutes.

In a large bowl, mix together:
3/4 c. milk
3/4 c. hot water (to offset the coldness of the milk)
1 Tbs. salt
1/2 c. plus 4 Tbs. sugar
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 c. oil

Add yeast water and 7 c. flour (mom likes King Arthur's unbleached white flour; I like the same brand but get "whole wheat white flour"). Keep 1-2 cups of flour on reserve before your hands get messy. Dump the mixture out onto a floured board and knead, adding flour as needed, until it no longer sticks to the board or your hands. Fold, press, fold, press.

Let bread rise in an oiled bowl with a wet tea towel on top for 1 hour. Punch down and let rise again for 30 min to 1 hr. Divide it in half, roll into burrito shapes, and put into greased loaf pans. Cover with a wet towel again for 30 minutes.

Bake at 350 degF for 30-40 minutes; time depends on altitude and your oven.

Editor's Note: This post is part of Monday Mania, Homemaker Monday, Teach Me Tuesday, the Patchwork Living Blogging Bee, the Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways Blog Hop, Simple Lives Thursday, Frugal Friday #1, Frugal Friday #2, Fight Back Friday, and the Homestead Barn Hop.

blessed are the cheesemakers

2012-01-11T07:40:00.000-05:00

A blogger friend wrote a comment a few days ago reminding me of a scene from Monty Python's Life of Brian--love that movie! Watching it again got me thinking about religion and humor. The movie was apparently controversial on its release; it was made the year I was born so I wouldn't know, but so I've heard. Getting up in arms about religious satire is a strange phenomenon. From my perspective, it seems only natural to poke fun at your own faith, just as you would any other area of life, or other faiths for that matter (remember a certain Danish cartoon, anyone?).

It's been necessary for me to hone this point-of-view lately, since Vivi has started making jokes about everything in her life, including her spirituality. The jokes aren't very good; most of them only she gets, but she laughs hysterically every time. I find myself unsure about whether to let her make the ones about God and Jesus (see: Cheez-its), but as I said, it seems to me a little levity couldn't hurt. Here's another recent example of a Vivi joke:

Vivi: Hark the herald angels sing, glory to the newborn monster. Haha!

Hopefully she won't offend anyone in the process of joke-telling. She hasn't as of yet even figured out the word "offend," so I probably have some time before I need to begin explaining. I can only hope other adults are as understanding about her desire to laugh about her world as I am. Here are some other non-religious recent Vivisms:

If you're in the market for a tiny bounty hunter....
Vivi: Mommy, I am eating Daddy's enemies, and they taste good.
Me: Ha! Excuse me? I don't think that's the word you were looking for.
Vivi: What are Daddy's favorite candies?
Me: Ohhhh, you meant M&Ms.
Vivi: That's right, I'm eating Daddy's M&Ms.

Vivi: Listen to this, Mommy, it's a really funny joke I just did.
Me: Ok, I'm listening.
Vivi: Daddy's works during the week, and I don't see him. I see him on the weekend, so it's "SaturDaddy." Haha!

Sometimes there are no words...
Vivi: Daddy, watch how run I can fast! It makes my poop going on.

Vivi: Ow! I bumped into the door, and my soldier hurts.

Glad we got that straightened out...
Vivi: Mommy, where's my kangaroo song?
Me: Pardon?
Vivi: You know, the blue thing that says "Oooooooo" when I blow on it.
Me: Oh, your kazoo! I have no idea where it is.

Bath time...
Charlie: [shrill, ear-piercing screech]
Me: Let's keep our hands to ourselves, shall we?
Vivi: I don't have an elf.
Me: Say what?
Vivi: You said 'keep our hands to our elves,' Mommy, that's just silly.

coming to a freezer near you...

2012-01-10T10:51:00.000-05:00

We freeze food, water bottles, and ice.

Day five of the frugal challenge is about saving on groceries. Although I already posted about how to shop frugally without coupons last week, I did not mention a key player in our grocery savings: the chest freezer. While I lived without one for 14 years, I don't know what I would do without it now.

Why buy a chest freezer? For us, the answer is simple; we wouldn't be able to participate in a meat CSA as we are now. We are also considering purchasing a quarter of a cow to get more bones for stock and grass-fed ground beef, our tots' favorite. While your meat situation may be different, if you are frugal like me, the freezer will provide you many other rewards.

I admit that freezing is not the most environmentally friendly way to store food, but when you consider that we make food from scratch (thereby reducing our package waste and cost of travel) and support a local farm to raise sustainable, humane livestock, I hope it more than evens out our carbon footprint.

The Liberated Kitchen covered the basics on whether a chest freezer pays for itself (answer: yes!). She must have purchased a much bigger freezer for what it cost her. Ours is a 5 cubic ft. unit from Home Depot, which we got on sale for only $99 with free delivery! As LK mentioned in the link above, electricity costs are lower than you might imagine, less than $30/year for us.

Check out Simple Organized Living's list of foods you can freeze. This post has been very helpful to me, as my idea of frozen goods when I started on this journey was a couple of frozen dinners, some ice and bags of veggies, and a packet or two of meat. Now I am basically only limited by space constraints and my imagination! I haven't had a bust yet, and that includes most of a batch of gluten-free cupcakes (not iced) we made for Vivi's birthday last year.

When considering how you freeze things to fit more, check out Dinner: A Love Story's idea of freezing soups and stews flat in ziploc bags. We try to use glass only in our house (jars and pyrex containers), but I do keep ziplocs for the occasion a flat bag makes more sense. Don't forget you can also wash your bags, turn them inside out, and dry them for another use.

Momfilter suggests keeping a "stock pile" of veggie odds and ends in the freezer; when the bag is full, make stock! I've always done that with animal bones, but all my veggies have been going to compost in the past. Now I save the biggest scraps for stock.

Attainable Sustainable even notes you can keep the last bits of several kinds of sauce together and add them to soup as a flavor enhancer. But be sure to follow her tip of keeping like ingredients in separate containers (e.g. Mexican, Italian, etc.) so the flavor profiles match.

You see? The sky is the limit! Did I miss any of your favorite items to freeze? Tune in soon for when I also become a canning wizard (fingers crossed).

Smell ya' later,
~J

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Editor's Note: This post is part of Seasonal Celebration Sunday, Monday Mania, Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways, Frugal Friday, and The Homestead Barn Hop.

hair club for mamas

2012-01-09T08:00:00.000-05:00

Have I told you about my hair? Probably not; I try not to talk much about it. However, I am buoyed by other ladies with more eloquent, confident writing than my own (read: Suburban Matron's discussions of her own post-chemotherapy hair loss), and so I've decided to let you in. I have rarely found anyone discussing the topic of female hair loss on the web, so perhaps I can be helpful.

My hair is falling out, like, a LOT. I don't have cancer or anything, so not to worry. It's happened before, although both of the previous times took place from exactly three to six months after giving birth, when there are several potential reasons for the loss of hair. In fact, even excessive postpartum hair loss is a normal condition, for 40-50% of women, called Telogen effluvium. The great news is that the hair grows back.

The main reason for the postpartum loss is that pregnancy hormones cause women to retain hair that would otherwise have fallen out in normal hair growth cycles, giving pregnant women thick, luxurious hair. When pregnancy is over, that hair plus the normal amount of hair all fall out at the same time. Some lose much more than others, and little is known about why. I happen to think it comes down mostly to how we are each hard-wired to respond to pregnancy and that there's not much you can do about it if you lose more hair than normal.

My own hair loss bordered on the edge of extreme; at my best guess I lose about 60% of my hair each time it happens. Luckily, I start out with a lot, so it's not as noticeable. But believe me, when it comes out in huge chunks in the shower, it is every bit as traumatic. If excessive postpartum hair loss happens to you, you can at least find solace in knowing you aren't alone. Both times it happened to me so badly that I went to the doctor to have blood-work done, which (of course) all came back normal. No answers, just the wait and see approach, and it always grew back eventually.

Me and Vivi, c. 2008: In the midst of hair loss #1.

Cue to present day, and I am in month #3 of losing it (both physically and metaphorically)...AGAIN. This time I have no real reasons, no third baby. After the first go-round of hair loss, I got pregnant again, so who knows what would have happened had I not? And no answers from doctors, AGAIN.

My plan is to stop waiting and seeing and start changing up my routines to see if I can get and keep healthy hair. My first step is to go back on the multivitamin. My hair loss this time hasn't exactly coincided with weaning Charlotte and stopping pre-natal vitamins, but it isn't too far off. So, step #1 is begin taking vitamins again.

Step #2 is to change the way I care for my hair. While I was originally just going to begin using a shampoo bar, the frugal challenge is just the kind of encouragement I need to take the plunge into the "no poo" world. The theory behind quitting shampoo is that it helps your hair follicles return to a more natural, less oily state. Rather than washing your hair with shampoo every 1-2 days, you go 3-4 days between washes and wash it with baking soda, then rinse it with vinegar.

From what I've heard, it's the in-between period when you're retraining your hair that is the hardest, grossest phase to overcome. I've been keeping up with another blogger's attempt at the "no poo" treatment. Here's to hoping for the best!

Update (8:00pm): I can't believe it! After five days of not washing my hair and brushing it a few times a day, I washed it tonight with the baking soda/vinegar combination, and it feels amazing! It does not smell like vinegar, and it brushed out easier than even the best conditioner I've tried. I didn't think I was going to like it at all, and Nate was even more skeptical, but I passed his smell/feel test. If it continues to be this good, I am on the road to being a no-poo convert.

Update #2 (1-30-12): I am still "no poo" and loving it. I wash my hair every three to four days, depending on how much exercising I do, and I make sure only to wash the ends in vinegar to keep my roots from becoming greasy. I am thinking of experimenting with lavender oil to add a scent occasionally, and I'm in the market for a squirt bottle and powder shaker.

adios, Comcast

2012-01-08T08:00:00.000-05:00

Image Credit: allconnect.com

[N.B.: In the process of cutting cable, I had to learn about digital antennas and a bunch of stuff I would have liked to have been told in one place but wasn't, so if you're going to cut your cable too, I'm here to help you out! See update at the bottom]

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We're pulling the plug tomorrow. On cable, that is. We actually don't even have Comcast right now, we have Verizon FIOS, but I've always really wanted to stick it to Comcast, so I'm just going to pretend they're our provider.

You may be wondering why we are getting rid of cable. Amazingly, I don't have to write the reasons, as I was handed the perfect online article in my lap yesterday evening by my aunt. Timing is everything, and apparently I have my finger on the pulse of the winds of change, since just yesterday the Wall Street Journal posted an article titled Cutting the Cord on Cable. It's cleverly written, short, and even includes some ideas for going cable-free at the end.

Our reasons for ending it are similar to the writer of that article. When we watch TV, it is nearly always something we DVRed ahead, like "Modern Family" and "Top Chef." If we aren't watching the DVR, we are either watching reruns of "30 Rock" (available to be streamed on Netflix), PBS (which can be viewed online), or something truly awful (see: River Monsters...or rather, don't see it).

We're actually technically ending cable tomorrow night, right after the last college football bowl game. We aren't hosting a Super Bowl Party anyway, so no harm done there. Here is my plan for what we'll do for digital entertainment instead:

1. We have already purchased a mini display port cable to plug our computer into the TV, so we've given Hulu a trial run. It's not as good a picture as cable, but it's FREE, and we just pretend we're back in the '90s, only with an exceptionally larger TV.

2. Rent movies from the library. We do this occasionally now anyway, but they have lots of great classics we've still never seen (Dr. Zhivago, Raging Bull, The Deer Hunter), plus dozens of TV shows.

3. Stream movies and TV shows on Netflix. Now that they have added many more TV shows, this will serve as our new method of mindless channel surfing. They really need to update how you can manage your instant queue though; one long list of TV shows, movies, and kid stuff is killing us. Are you listening, Netflix? To ANYONE?

4. Join Hulu Plus. We've got one month for free (they sent me an email after I registered). It will allow us to view TV in HD, but other than that I'm not sure it's worth $8/month since we already have Netflix streaming. We'll see.

As for the world outside of TV, it's a place I love and miss. Nate and I disagree on how much TV to watch, so we compromise by staying in the same room, but I am often reading when he's watching. After football is over, he will join me in reading, and we can even put some music on instead of the blasted boob tube. I am currently listening to The Great Gatsby on my iPod shuffle (rented the CDs from the library and burned them, a brilliant tip I got from my uncle years ago) to get ready for a book club meeting next week at none other than Daisy Buchanan's. Clever gals, those book clubbers.

Have any of you taken the no TV plunge? What do you do for entertainment? I wish we could go back to the days when everyone danced and listened to ladies play piano, but I suppose there's something to be loved about the small screen too.

Update (1/10/12): If you are tech savvy, you may know how to go cable-free already; if so, go read Wired or something. The following instructions are for the technologically-challenged among us, like myself. Up until recently, Nate was in charge of all things TV, but now that I'm a home ranger, I'm braving a new frontier. Here are some Q&A to help you out...

DTV Box
Is your TV made after 2005/2006?

If No: You need to get a DTV Analog Converter Box. Don't ask me what it is, just google it.

If Yes: Congrats! Your TV is equipped with a tuner, meaning you don't need the box. Just plug your antenna (digital, not analog) into it.

Antenna
Do you live in a rural or urban area?

If Rural: You probably need an outdoor roof antenna, depending on how rural we're talking. Go to this website, and they'll figure it out for you based on your address.

If Urban/Suburban: You probably need an indoor antenna, but don't take my word for it! Go to that same website and find out for sure.

Editor's Note: This post is part of Frugal Fridays.

top 10 frugal challenge goals

2012-01-07T20:27:00.000-05:00

Having a good weekend? Ours is once again blissfully unfilled, except for church, the gym, and a few odds and ends. Today we spent many hours outdoors at our local park enjoying the unseasonal warmth. Vivi met and became fast friends with a little boy while we happily chatted with some neighbors we've never met and one who I haven't seen in a while due to her giving birth very recently. Oh boy do I love new babies! They make everything okay, you know? That is, when you only have to spend an hour with them.

In keeping with my birthday resolutions, I also met with a doula this morning to get the ball rolling on becoming a doula myself. She was so nice and helpful! I was pleased to hear that I can attend births prior to being certified because that means I can begin after my training workshop in March. I am cautiously optimistic that if my plan works, I will be able to avoid working full time for another year and instead work part-time as a doula.

The frugal living challenge began yesterday, and I came up with some goals I hope to start if not finish by the end of the month. My top 10 goals are:

1. Consolidate my driving trips down to one/day or less to save gas and time.
2. Find other forms of (free or cheap) entertainment besides TV. Cancel cable.
3. Learn how to make more food from scratch, like bread, chips & crackers (I can't even pop popcorn!) for snacks, vanilla extract and seasoned salt.
4. Start using homemade remedies, toiletries, and cleaning products.
5. Learn how to make homemade toys to reuse items like plastic bottles and cereal boxes.
6. Compost.
7. Start planning our first spring vegetable garden and manage herb garden better this year.
8. Learn about conserving electricity, e.g. via water bottles in the fridge to eliminate fridge cutting on so often.
9. Find recipes to make large batches of food at once and store in our chest freezer, cutting costs and number of times I have to cook.
10. Learn how to can and buy necessary items like tongs and ball jars to begin canning.

What do you think? Have you ever tried living more frugally? I tried to put the goals requiring start-up costs toward the end, as truly living frugally is more about enjoying what you have than buying new things. So yesterday and today I've been focused on the first four. I'll be back tomorrow with more about our progress.

Thanks for staying tuned through my odd-ball projects!
Love and hugs,
J

a Beekman cooking challenge

2012-01-07T08:00:00.000-05:00

Last night I made a second recipe from my new favorite cookbook:

The Beekman 1802 Heirloom Cookbook: Heirloom fruits and vegetables, and more than 100 heritage recipes to inspire every generation by Brent Ridge
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I love that this book is divided by season. I also love that it only has 100+ recipes in it. I never feel overwhelmed when flipping through it, and I always come away thinking of the many recipes I am looking forward to making. These heritage recipes are not only simple, but they use real, healthy ingredients; you won't find corn syrup or other modern industrial ingredients. The color pictures are beautiful, and they've even included some recipe cards for you to write your own family's heirloom recipes.

I've decided, as an homage to Julie and Julia, I am going to challenge myself to make all of these recipes in the next year. No, I don't have my sights set on a book or a movie directed by the talented Nora Ephron at the end of this rainbow. I just really love this cookbook and don't want to forget about its existence, as I often do of such books. Thus, the project.

There are two main reasons I think my goal will be more fun to achieve than Julie Powell's: 1) I don't have to make meat jelly, and 2) rather than completing the recipes from first page to last, I plan to make the recipes in each season according to what appeals to us first. The most challenging recipes will probably be the desserts, which I will likely save for milestone events (i.e. birthdays and anniversaries) and holidays. Of course, I will blog along the way.

Today I'm sharing the recipe we made last night, mac and cheese with mushrooms and kale. I am not, however, planning to share the rest of the recipes from the book, as that would involve some serious copyright infringement, and besides, if you want to make them, you should get your own copy! More about food writing and copyright information is available here if you're interested.

We ate our meal alongside a viewing of The Trip on Netflix streaming. We were tipped off by my mom that it's part of NPR/Bob Mondello's Top 10 Movies of 2011. It's a mockumentary about a duo of actors who travel the northern English countryside, eating in five-star restaurants and annoying each other along the way. We loved it, but I should add as a caveat that we may have appreciated it more than most, having lived in the UK and always wanted to see the Lake Country. Oh, and we also adore restrained, dry British humor.

Okay, on to the main course. I am always in search of new vegetarian recipes, but I must admit I was skeptical about one involving mushrooms. You see, ever since I was a kid I hated mushrooms or...the texture of them. I've always loved mushroom broth and cream of mushroom soup. If I close my eyes, I can vividly remember a notorious bland side of wilty, over-cooked mushrooms I was served by a boyfriend's parents once, which I dutifully scarfed down and hid revulsion as much as possible.

I'd like to think my culinary tastes have evolved greatly since then. I've always wanted to like mushrooms, so yesterday I decided to give them another chance. Nasty rehydration process aside (more on that below), I am happily surprised to report I now am a mushroom-lover. This recipe was a great, hearty one to try as my first toe in the water. Cheese makes everything better. Notes are included in the ingredients below in italics, and I adapted the recipe to suit our taste and my cooking preferences.

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Beekman macaroni and cheese with mushrooms and kale
serves 4

3/4 lb. kale, stems cut from leaves (about 5 1/2 c.) [I used a TJ's bag of chopped kale]
8 oz. cavatappi
1/2 oz. (1/2 c.) dried porcini, rinsed [I used TJ's dried mixed mushrooms]
3 Tbs. olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 lb. cremini mushrooms, halved and thinly sliced
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
1/4 tsp. rubbed sage
1/4 c. all-purpose flour
2 c. milk
1 1/2 tsp. Spanish smoked paprika
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. salt
2 1/2 c. (10 oz.) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 Tbs. butter
1/2 c. breadcrumbs

Boil salted water in a large pot and cook the kale in it for 5 minutes. I happen to think this recipe might be healthier if the kale is sauteed, and I plan to try that next time so will update this recipe if I get good results. Keeping the water in the pot, transfer the kale to a colander and shock in cold water, then drain and squeeze out any liquid in a towel. If using whole kale leaves, chop them now.

Boil pasta in kale water according to package directions. Drain.

Meanwhile, combine the dried porcini with 1 cup warm water and steep 20 minutes. With a slotted spoon, lift the mushrooms from their soaking liquid, leaving the grit behind [This is literally one of the most disgusting-feeling things I've ever done. Ick]. Pour the mushroom-soaking liquid through a paper towel-lined sieve into a bowl. Reserve the liquid. Coarsely chop the mushrooms.

Assortment of chopped mushrooms

I deemed these inedible. Too slimy/ugly. I can barely look at them.

These are the edible ones. I'm assuming they're mostly porcini.

Preheat the oven to 350 degF.

In a Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook 2 min. Add the mushrooms, thyme, and sage and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms have wilted and released their juices, about 5 min.

Stir in the flour and cook for 2 min. Add the mushroom liquid, milk, paprika, cayenne pepper, mustard, and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture has thickened, about 5 min. Remove from the heat and stir in the cheese until melted. Add the pasta and kale and toss to coat.

Transfer the mixture to a 9x13-inch glass baking dish, or if you are making the meal for two, you can divide it into two 8x8 or 9x9 dishes and freeze one, unbaked and well-wrapped, for a later date. I did.

Melt the butter in the microwave for 20-30 seconds, add the breadcrumbs and toss to coat. Scatter the buttered crumbs over the mac and cheese. Bake for 30 min, or until the sauce is bubbling, and the top is crunchy and golden brown.

Editor's Note: This post is part of Real Food Wednesdays. There are some great recipes there this week, including borscht, which I think we'll try for the first time since we are recent beet converts.

frugal grocery shopping...without coupons

2012-01-06T08:46:00.000-05:00

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Over the past year, I tried couponing. I occasionally watched that TLC show "Extreme Couponing," and I followed the coupon gurus Coupon Mom and Krazy Coupon Lady (even though I make it a point to keep my distance from people who spell crazy with a capital "K"). I dutifully kept my coupons organized in an accordion binder and bought a Sunday newspaper every week, telling myself I must be saving more than the $14 cost of the monthly subscription. Today, rather than sharing a step-by-step guide for how you too can become a couponer, I'm here to tell you why I stopped.

First I'll share why I started couponing. I felt, and still feel, that it's part of my tasks while staying at home with the girls to keep our grocery spending under control. Clipping coupons seemed like a logical choice, despite the activity holding no joy and considerable pride-eating on my part.

I gagged as I flipped through ads for the most odd and unnecessary products I didn't know still existed, like ceramic figurines of Elvis, Bacos, and Cookie Crisp cereal. I bored holes through cashiers' heads as they told me (incorrectly) that my coupon couldn't be used because of X-Y-Z reasons. You might say I became something of a cashier trainer. I grew to adore self-check-out lines.

I pressed on. In the beginning, it was easy to grow excited when I would see my savings tallied on the receipt. Then, ever the conscientious researcher, I began scrutinizing my purchases. Over time, I noticed that though the coupons did save me some money, it often wasn't that much more than I would have saved buying generic brands when they are on sale. Most of my coupons were bunched in a few of the accordion files, namely breakfast cereals and yogurt, toiletries, medicine, and a few cleaning products.

While I am not one of those who normally falls victim to advertising of fake food products, I did notice our intake of junk food like Triscuits and Cheez-Its went up. However, I will debunk the myth that organic and natural products do not have coupons, as I routinely clipped coupons for Earth's Best baby food, Stonyfield milk, and Tom's of Maine deodorant and toothpaste.

I decided a few months back that while the scales may tip slightly in favor of coupons financially, the joy I take in my daily life is precious and worth more than pennies saved. Cheerios are easy to buy in generic form, and we stopped eating other cereals because of the high cost and little nutritional value when compared to oatmeal. I also save more money buying a big tub of plain yogurt that I flavor myself (healthier too) than I ever did on those individual cups. I'm even considering cutting down on expensive toiletries and household cleaning products and switching to some homesteading classics like baking soda and vinegar. Interested in making your own cleaning products? Check out Frugally Sustainable's how-to e-book guide (full disclosure: I make a percent of the profits by selling Andrea's book on my site. But it's great and only costs $2.99!).

Please understand I'm not knocking coupons or couponers; it simply wasn't for me. Yesterday I stumbled upon a post by The Prairie Homesteader outlining some similar and some different reasons for her choice not to coupon. My journey wasn't a complete waste of time. I've learned some great ideas. From the master-couponers, I gained the following wonderful tips:

1. Grocery stores sales happen cyclically, depending on what foods are popular that they need to move quickly off the shelves. If you buy in bulk, which I still do and wholeheartedly recommend, you can save a bunch by only buying products when they are on sale. Read more here.

2. Drugstore sales often match up with that week's newspaper coupons, so sometimes more than one store has an item on sale. I look at this site for good sales before leaving the house.

3. Catalina coupons are the ones that print for free at the register. I still use these and the ones in the big free coupon book at the front of Walgreen's.

4. Never ever buy diapers that are not on sale. Never! When I was a worker bee, I didn't have time to shop so exclusively bought diapers online and thought I was saving money. It turns out I wasn't. Most stores allow you to use both a store coupon and a manufacturer's coupon (MFG), and there are often MFG coupons on the side of diaper boxes. Follow #2 and 3 above to see what store has diaper sales and bring Walgreen's/box coupons.

5. Yesterday a friend posted on the blog with a great tip for a free online resource. Even if you don't own a Kindle, you can check out Amazon's Kindle on your computer for free! After downloading the app here, you can then download the e-book The Cheapskate's Guide to Grocery Savings - How to Save a Bundle at Supermarkets. Some things I already knew, but it has some great tips I've never heard, like that you can potentially save money by shopping at butcher shops and seafood markets.

I will add one final tip that I didn't learn from couponers but falls into the category of lowering your grocery spending. Eat seasonally, even locally if you can. Don't assume your local farmer's market is more expensive than a grocery store. I save money by shopping at a local farm with an indoor market and buy almost only winter fare such as cabbage, potatoes, and carrots. While we do occasionally splurge on cuties or grapes, most of our fruit is in can, frozen or jar form, the frozen being berries and homemade applesauce I stocked away this summer and fall.

Do you coupon? How do you save money on grocery and drugstore spending?

Image Credit: Eco-officegals.com

Editor's Note: This post is part of Fight Back Friday, Frugal Friday, Monday Mania, the Patchwork Living Blogging Bee, and the Living Well Blog Hop. It was written as Day #1 of the 23-Day Frugal Living Challenge.

living frugally in an official capacity

2012-01-05T08:00:00.000-05:00

I talk often--maybe too much?--about how I try to live as frugally and sustainably as possible. Frugal living is important to me both because of our OITK household ("One Income Two Kids," my own adaptation of DINK, but something tells me it might not catch on) and because, well, I was raised that way. I can think of so many examples from my childhood from which to pull. Let's see, there's...

The oft-repeated story of my grandmother standing up at my dad's wedding rehearsal dinner to announce "I LOVE a bargain!," apropos to nothing [might be a good post for another day]
The other oft-repeated [spoiler: gross!] story of my great grandmother sopping up the remnants of a ketchup bottle with her bread and coffee at the breakfast table
Or, how about the fact that my dad polishes furniture with his old whitey-tighties!

My mom would probably want the record to show that all those stories came from "the other side," but I've got some I could pull from her side too...in a good way! Check out Exhibit A, the creative use of stereo speaker, napkins, and basket to give the appearance of furniture where there is none:

Exhibit A. Circa 1983.

P.S. How thrilled am I to be wearing bunny ears?

Anyway, let's just say frugality is in my blood. Tomorrow I start the 23-Day Frugal Living Challenge posed by Andrea at Frugally Sustainable. Her timing is impeccable. With the economy in such bad shape, IMHO it's high time people start figuring out how to live within their means. What's your take?

Frugality is in the air, and not just via this challenge. Did you catch Design Mom's recent post with pics of the textile designer from Denmark's home? When asked how to maintain your style in the midst of life's challenges, the designer gave this advice:

Save your money and wait to buy the things you really love and want.

I couldn't have said it better; in fact, I'd like someone to needlepoint that sentence onto a pillow for me. Maybe a little pillow I could keep in my purse. Or I suppose I could just write it on the back of a business card and put it in my wallet. But I like my idea of the tiny pillow!

With the new year comes an evaluation of what really matters to us. Rev. David Bryce, of my Unitarian Universalist Church of Belmont, sent an email to our congregation this week that read:

I do not make New Year’s resolutions as such, but I do like to take some time in the period leading up to New Year’s Day to review the past year and think about any changes I might make in my life.

I think it is good to do this, to review our lives periodically and think about what is most important. Among the “sub-questions” about what is most important are: What are the things that are really indispensable? What are the things that are nice but not necessary? What are the things that once were useful but no longer are? What are the things that have not been and that would feed or nourish me or others?

I am looking forward to sharing the lessons I learn from this challenge, and I hope you'll share your ideas with me too. Here's to a month filled with provident thinking and ascetic spending.

Cheers,
J

Editor's Note: This post is part of Simple Lives Thursday.

maintaining my morning-time sanity

2012-01-04T16:30:00.000-05:00

I hope you are warmer than me on this wicked-cold Wednesday. Last night our weather man reported that, with wind chill, it felt like minus 6 degF, and boy did it ever. This morning it was even only in the 20's all the way down at my in-laws' home in Florida! Brrrr. I am managing okay, although I would like to invest in a nose-warmer.

Ever since I started thinking of finding a job later this year, my mind keeps wandering back to the horrid thought of what our household would be like with both of us working. I am fairly sure the organization level of our refrigerator would drop a few pegs, as would our level of clean laundry and, let's be honest, our sanity. Nate and I keep looking at each other and saying "how do people do it?!"

With that state of mind, I decided that one of my 2012 goals should be to learn more recipes that are either made in a crock pot or in large batches ahead of time. I knew just where to start: breakfast. To smooth out my chaotic morning routine, a while back I decreed breakfast would consist of a constant of the following two choices for myself and the girls: 1) oatmeal with raisins and a side of applesauce or 2) yogurt with granola and a boiled egg on the side. I would love it if they would also eat cream of wheat, but as I'm the only one who loves it (or even stomachs it), I have given up that fight. I should add that this set-up does include contingencies for occasional weekend forays into pancakes, banana bread, or eggs and grits, but for the most part we're on a consistent 2-choice breakfast schedule.

After a year of this routine, I am growing a bit tired of the monotony, so I recently added breakfast cookies to the mix. They have been a huge hit, and we now call them "anytime cookies," since I frequently bring them in my purse for snacks. This week I decided to add more variety to the mix and make Frugally Sustainable's breakfast burritos.

They are another huge hit, both with us and the girls! What a relief to have another quick, easy, affordable breakfast option. Go to her site via the link above if you want the recipe. I'll mention a few of my own notes too. I made the potatoes and eggs the first day, and the bacon and cheese a second day, which somehow made it feel quicker. The recipe allows for whatever seasonings you choose for the potatoes, and I found a sprinkle of smoked Spanish paprika and roasted ground cumin gave them an earthy taste, yet not too spicy for a toddler.

My burrito-filling station

Additionally, at the end of the recipe she notes you can freeze them using whatever method you normally do. While I do not have my own go-to method, I opted to wrap them in wax paper (which can be microwaved! Did you know that? I didn't until reading it right on the box) and put them in a 2.5 gallon ziploc.

Apologies for the blurriness, but you get the gist.

Next up will be to try an idea I got from Attainable Sustainable some months back to take oatmeal to work in a mason jar. Perhaps the hubster can be my guinea pig, though his breakfast routine typically consists of a cup of coffee and two cheese sticks when he gets to work.

Do you have any best-loved quick breakfasts that can be eaten on the run?

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(almost) wordless Wednesday: single digits

2012-01-04T13:19:00.001-05:00

See number at the very bottom for how many degrees it was outside my house this morning (hint: it is one more than the number of fingers on a hand)...

Once again, I joined the link party at 5 Minutes for Mom. Stay tuned for a "wordy Wednesday" post later today with my adventures in breakfast-making.

packing up our baby cheez-its, and other January activities

2012-01-03T14:22:00.000-05:00

Have you put away your Christmas stuff yet? It probably goes without saying that I dislike this part of the holidays, but I'm saying it anyway. I miss the cheery atmosphere around the house once I put away all the jingly bells and little crocheted reindeer. But all good things must come to an end, or something like that.

So today I'm boxing it all up, in the midst of a repair guy who's here to "tune up" our big oil tank in the basement, whatever that means, and another guy who collected our donations to the Vietnam Veterans of America, my own sort-of belated Boxing Day celebration. I wish our country would get on board with this holiday! I love to give a big send-off to the old stuff we no longer need. Thank goodness for wonderful organizations that will come to your doorstep to take it off your hands.

I'm trying to get all the boxing up done prior to Vivi's return from school, as she will almost certainly bemoan the loss of every single decoration, particularly her nativity. Did I tell y'all about it? I inherited it from my great grandmother via my aunt, and as it is my only possession of hers and holds great memories of my own childhood, it's a cherished item. I love that the paint is peeling off and that each character has been glued back together in several places.

I enjoyed passing on the tradition of putting baby Jesus in the manger on Christmas morning, and I am kinda optimistic the nativity helped Vivi understand the meaning behind Christmas. Although, after reading the Bible passage and adding Jesus to the manger--always a touching moment--Vivi says, and I quote, "Mommy, Jesus rhymes with Cheez-its!" Oh well, I tried. (Yes, I've seen that episode of Modern Family, but I assure you Vivi hasn't. Makes me wonder if the writer got the "baby cheeses" joke from real life).

I think I will take a page out of Suburban Snapshots' book and find her a nativity she can actually play with, instead of her having to deal with me nearly fainting every time I see her wandering off with baby Jesus or the angel, her favorites. I've heard good things about the Little People set.

Let's see, what else can I report about our January happenings? Oh, I've decided to begin looking for a full-time job. While I'm enjoying my time at home with the girls, we have crunched the numbers and determined there's no way we can afford to put Vivi in a full-time pre-K next year (or even 5 mornings a week, for that matter). September is my goal for having a job, and knowing that it takes people about a year to find a job in this economy--if they're lucky--I feel it's an optimistic goal.

I started the hunt on the interwebs last night and happened upon some unlikely humor. Looking into a health-related data collection aid called REDCap, I stumbled upon this glorious Wikipedia entry, which along with great laughter also unfortunately caused me to spew the sip of water I was drinking onto the laptop. Malevolent murderous dwarfs?! Where do I sign up? [Note: clearly the better definition would have gone with "midgets," political correctness be damned. Alliteration is always the A-list achiever's allocation].

And finally, I'm sharing a new Jacques Pepin recipe with which I'm enamored. Remember when I told you we opted to go with gwumpki on New Year's? Well, I decided we just can't start a new year without some black-eyed peas, so last night we rang it in with beans and greens. M. Pepin calls it "black-eyed pea and kale ragout," but I prefer my less fancy schmancy name. Call it what you want, but don't call it late for dinner! Yuk yuk. I included the recipe below with my own notes in italics.

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Jacques Pepin's beans and greens (aka "black-eyed pea and kale ragout")
serves 6-8 (pshah! serves 4)

1 lb. dried black-eyed peas, picked over and rinsed (I used 2 cans)
1 tsp. salt
1 jalepeno pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped (nah, just chop it into rings and call it done)
8 oz. rind and trimmings from Virginia ham, or pancetta or bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (we didn't get our CSA meat yet, so I got "bacon ends and pieces" from TJ's for $3. Not bad!)
2 onions (about 8 oz.), cut into 1-inch pieces (I diced mine and used the only 1 onion I had)
4 garlic cloves, sliced (about 2 Tbs.)
1 1/2 pounds kale, collard greens, or turnip greens, leaves cut into 2-inch pieces, stems cut into 1/2-inch pieces (I used a pre-chopped bag of kale from TJ's)
Hot sauce (optional) (not optional; you need this for the acid)

If using dried peas:
Put the peas in a small pot, add 6 cups cold water, the salt, and jalepeno pepper, and bring to a boil. Skim off the foam, reduce the heat to very low, cover, and cook for 45 minutes, or until the peas are tender. Most of the liquid will have been absorbed by the peas.

If using canned peas:
Drain and rinse peas and set aside.

Meanwhile, cook the ham or bacon in a large saucepan over medium-low heat until the fat is rendered and meat browned, about 10 minutes. Add the onions and garlic [if using canned peas, add jalepeno now] and saute about 1 minute.

Wash the greens under cool water and add, still wet from washing, to the saucepan, pressing down on the greens so they fit in the pan. Cover and cook until wilted and soft, about 10 minutes for kale, less for collard or turnip greens. Remove from the heat.

At serving time, add the peas and greens together [if using canned peas, add about a cup of water or chicken stock], stir, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes. Serve the beans and greens with hot sauce.

Editor's Note: I joined the Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways Wednesday Blog Hop and Real Food Wednesdays. Check them out!

how'd ya like to hang a stocking on a great big coconut tree?

2012-01-02T08:00:00.000-05:00

We had a great holiday in Florida! It was my first year to celebrate Christmas without my mom and my family, so I was a bit sad at first. However, I must admit I couldn't have chosen a more agreeable place for my in-laws to live than Florida at this time of year. I'm sure I won't be singing the same tune if we ever visit in the summer, when we'll likely be fending off mosquitos the size of sparrows and collecting Nate and Vivi's sweat in a 10-gallon bucket.

The girls had a blast from the very beginning. You could say we had them at "pool." I have a hunch Charlotte is going to be a fish in the water as she gets older, just based on the fact that she tries to run straight into the pool any chance she gets.

Although Santa did not in fact sail in with their presents in a canoe, there were still bookoo gifts to be had. After the onslaught of presents, we settled into a routine of taking walks around the neighborhood and to the local park. Our favorite trip was to a local forest for a mile hike in woods filled with my all-time favorite tree, the American hornbeam (better known where I'm from as the ironwood).

We saw beautiful birds up close, some hawks and sandhill cranes, both mating pairs. Thus, I satisfied both my requirements when visiting Florida: nature walk and bird-watching. If you're interested, you can check out more pictures of our trip in this Flickr slideshow:

There is but a flitting moment,

wherein to hope or to enjoy,

But in the calendar of memory,

that moment is all time.

-Tupper

tending my livestock

2012-01-01T11:00:00.000-05:00

"Everybody's coming back to take stock of their lives. You know what I say? Leave your livestock alone." -Minnie Driver, Gross Pointe Blank

What's on your New Year's Day agenda? Are you cleaning? Shopping? Enjoying the outdoors? Taking stock of your life in 2011?

I find myself periodically checking in over the last week at how the year has gone, so today, I'm taking a page out of every show on NPR this week and recapping the major events of my year on the blog:

January 1, 2011: We moved up to Boston to start Nate's new job. Happy new life!
After a month of looking for work and day care and lots of agonizing, I decided to be a mom full time and to write about taking the plunge on the blog (here's one of my favorites).
Winter also saw Snow-prah Winfrey 2011, the caging of my inner monster, and the posting of my first recipe on the blog, which has become a recurring theme that I cataloged here.
In the spring, I posted my first Vivisms, which seem to be a reader favorite (especially these and these. Oh, and who can forget her journey into Ebonyx?).
Over the summer, we escaped to the Caribbean, I philosophized on my desire to end suffering, and I over-shared for your enjoyment.
The fall brought with it Vivi's first days at preschool, in which I agonized over snack duty.
I love the holidays and all the fun and ridiculousness they bring, as evidenced when I wrote Wonder Woman's beauty secrets, witnessed our goat rodeo, and started a fire in our house.
Last but not least, I changed the name of the blog!

I noticed some themes popping up:

The trials and tribulations of parenting were my constant companion this year. There are too many to list them all, so here are my selections: my top 5 list, creating a good eater, moving to a big kid bed, swimming against the current, and my ode to nap time.
Throughout the year, I wrote a few letters to my girls: Charlie at 7 months and 1 year, and Vivi at 3 years.
In preparation for swimsuit season, I ramped up my gym time and shared some spinning workouts: #1-80's love, #2-here and now, #3-steady state, and #4-upbeat.
I shared some organizing ideas: loves of my life, more loves, and decluttering tips.
As usual, I had several ideas for jobs I could do: exercise instructor, owner of a drop-off play center, or maybe a nurse or doula?
As is also typical of me, I shared some info about health, like how to buy sunscreen and how to avoid pink slime in your meat.
My frugality was displayed frequently in my spring bargain fever, great Mother's Day shopping, and some frugal baking.

Oh, and did you come around here when I did NaBloPoMo in November, that thing where you post every day in a month? Well hold onto your butts because I'm doing it again this month! I'll post every day in January and tell of my attempt to live frugally during my 23-Day Frugal Living Challenge, which starts on the 6th.

Will you join me? I'd love to share more good times with you in 2012. Thanks for riding the roller coaster of 2011 with me. You made my first year as a stay-at-home Boston mom so enjoyable, and I'm looking forward to another topsy turvy year.

In honor of my besties who are spending today in gay Paris...
Bon Annee!

the jackpot question

2011-12-31T20:07:00.000-05:00

It's New Year's Eve! What are you doing tonight? I have never been a go-out-on-NYE type of gal, so true to form, this evening I can be found in comfy jammies waiting on my gwumpki to come out of the oven. We usually make a traditional southern New Year's staple, black eyed peas; the frugal bean is supposed to bring riches to your family for the coming year. My favorite way to cook black eyed peas is in Hoppin' John. Mmmmmm.

But this holiday, since we didn't go to Atlanta and sample my family's gwumpki, we decided to make our own. I added some pictures tonight to the recipe I posted a few months ago.

For the remainder of the evening, I plan to cozy up next to the hubster, who is as we speak cursing at the bowl games. I have my spread all laid out before me with [Nerd Alert!] three new cookbooks I'm flipping through:

For Christmas, Nate got me Jacques Pepin's new book that I talked about a while back,
My favorite food & family blogger co-wrote a book, Time for Dinner, that I checked out from the library, and
I had a gift card to use up, so today I stopped by a book store to buy a book I originally found at the library, called "The Beekman 1802 Heirloom Cookbook." As you can probably tell from the start of this post, I love old family recipes! I feel a separate post coming on about some of the recipes in this book; I'm already excited that it's divided by season.

This has been another amazing year for our family. Thanks as always for stopping by and reading my musings on life. We wish you the merriest, the merriest of new years.

Welcome be ye that are here,
Welcome all, and make good cheer,
Welcome all, another year.

putting the 'rat' in bratty

2011-12-30T18:44:00.000-05:00

I was going to post about our wonderful trip down south, but first I must pause to tell you about what grade-A brats my children are after returning from a visit with grandparents. It isn't as though the grandparents don't realize what they are doing; in fact, I detect a note of freshman hazing in the glint in their eyes and the smile creeping up in their mouths as we open yet another gift.

To be clear, I fully enjoy the grandiose amount of spoiling my kids receive. The more who love them, the merrier. But I do not love the military-style retraining that must happen upon reentry into life as we know it. We sometimes go weeks without a timeout in normal life, and today we've had three. In the last two hours.

Sigh.

My one source of much-appreciated relief has come this evening via a screening of Wall-E, with kid #1 giggling uncontrollably and #2 watching slack-jawed from behind the snuggling clutch of a giant stuffed yellow ducky. Meanwhile, Nate has taken refuge with a friend to a local pub. All I'm saying is, they are lucky they're cute. That's my constant refrain of the last three years. Do you have one too?

Signing off from mommy boot camp,
J

country fried vacation

2011-12-27T21:38:00.000-05:00

Yeehaw and merry Christmas from sunny Florida! We are busy down here enjoying our light and happy hearts. I'm writing to you from a couch coma induced by some Cracker Barrel dumplings and two glasses of Bailey's Irish cream. Sorry I haven't been better about blogging this week, but if y'all are having a holiday week like mine, you're not paying this little site the notice anyhow. I plan to be back before the end of the year with more stories, including the curious/unfortunate incident with the left hand and the bacon grease. I'm fine, just not the most graceful or attentive lady on the planet.

Hope you had as blissful and merry a Christmas as we did.
Smooches,
J

a side effect of listening to The Killers

2011-12-22T10:14:00.000-05:00

It seems like I haven't discussed the mundane details of home life lately, so I know you must be on pins and needles with anticipation, reader. Here goes...

The goings-on are happening in our house. We are headed to Florida on Christmas Eve to be with Nate's family, so Santa is coming to our house tonight, and Nate's taking the day off work tomorrow to do the pancakes and present-opening. All this means I am running amok today to prepare. What is it about the holidays that makes us all loony tunes?

Vivi goes to school twice a week, and when she's not at school, she can be found reading in her princess tent, harassing the kitty, listening to her dinosaur CD for the bajillionth time, and playing with Charlotte. These days, "playing" consists of smothering her with a blanket or whining "Charlie, stoooooopppppp!" Really though, she's a great big sister and seems to care quite a bit about Charlotte's well-being. If Charlotte is fussy, Vivi is almost always the first to suggest maybe she's not feeling well, rather than my go-to diagnosis, "bratty toddler stage." And she's almost always right.

Charlie can also be found bothering the cat, but unlike Vivi, she hasn't yet figured out she should do it with a long instrument from a safe distance. You should see the perplexed look on her face when kitty strikes back; but then thirty seconds later she's back for more. I have to admit, there is something irresistible about that kitty. As I type, Charlie is trying to put a sticker on kitty's face, and kitty is desperately attempting to defend her one square foot of sunlight on the couch. Poor kitty.

The girls had some great leaf-jumping yesterday while I attempted to bag up the suckers. Much to my dismay, a product of living in a compact neighborhood is that there are no wooded corners in our back yard in which to pile up the year's leaves. To top it off, the neighbors to the back of us are grouchy gardeners who are not to be messed with, so I'm trying to do my part and complaining all the livelong day while I do it.

Although I haven't been good about collecting them here, Vivi still says some funny "Vivisms." Generally, they are now full conversation-length instead of the one-liners they once were and often involve a complicated question or two. Here are a few recent conversations.

The exact location of Heaven...
Vivi: Mommy, I know God lives in Heaven, right?
Me: That's right.
Vivi: And I know Heaven is somewhere in the sky, but it can't be higher than the sun because that would be too hot. So where is Heaven exactly?

On Christmas, grandparents, war, etc...
Vivi: Tomorrow is Christmas, and then Saturday we are going to see Grandma and Grandpa and Aunt Katie, right Mommy?
Me: Yes! Are you excited?
Vivi: Yeah. And today I'm going to school, and Daddy's going to work. What are Grandma and Grandpa doing today?
Me: Grandma is probably getting ready for us to come, and Grandpa is working.
Vivi: What is he doing?
Me: He's flying his airplane to help the soldiers come home.
Vivi: What's a soldier?
Me: A soldier is a hero who helps fight a war.
Vivi: Oh. What's a war?
Me: Well, sometimes countries have problems, and soldiers go to help them figure out their problems and stop bad guys from hurting people.
Vivi: Like Batman?
Me: Yeah, kind of like Batman.
Vivi: Oh...(long pause) I got soul but I'm not a soldier...

wordless Wednesday: ham

2011-12-21T08:00:00.000-05:00

I set out to take a picture of Charlie's spaghetti face, and this is what happened...

Editor's Note: I joined the Wordless Wednesday linky party again at 5 Minutes for Mom.

I am becoming one of those bird ladies

2011-12-20T07:28:00.000-05:00

Don't get me wrong, I'm not about to buy top-notch birdseed from the Audubon Society or anything. But I'm feeding the birds, and it's new to me to get pleasure from watching them eat from my kitchen window. Currently we have mostly sparrows, chubby squirrels and the occasional cardinal or blue jay.

In the spring we get cedar waxwings that eat our mulberries, and they are a gorgeous sight.

Anyway, if I start talking about buying suet or shooting squirrels, I'm expecting one of y'all to host an intervention. Consider yourselves warned.

Image Credit (cedar waxwing): Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Portland is full of Christmas spirit

2011-12-19T12:14:00.000-05:00

On Saturday morning we woke with a fire under our butts to DO something, since the weather report said the coming days were going to be f-f-f-freezing. [It did not lie. I am only really typing right now to stave off numbness in my fingers.] We considered going to Portsmouth, NH or Portland, ME; we've been to both places, but I haven't been to either since we've lived here. They are both less than 2 hours away! New England is so small.

While we were considering what we'd do in Portland, Nate came across the Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum's Polar Express Christmas train trip. I am new to the world of The Polar Express. I didn't have the book as a child and, although I'd heard about how wonderful it was, had never read it until getting it from the library this week. Heart-meltingly wonderful!

Going back to the train ride, the tickets were sold out for the day...and a bit expensive for the ROI at our kids' ages. But oh, that reminds me of the best part! While reading the FAQ, I came across this little gem explaining whether the under-twos needed a ticket:

As long as your child can sit on your lap for the ride, they do not need a separate ticket. Please note that children who do not have a ticket will not receive a bell, hot chocolate or a cookie.

And Santa will not look your kid in the eye.

Bhahahahaha! I am not making that up! Ok, I did make up that last line. Are we serious here, folks? How much could an extra cookie and bell cost, really?

We eventually opted to stay home for the day. I did want to let Vivi see Santa, but being the frugal, anti-mall-Santa type, I chose a little children's bookstore in Concord [not far from the corner of Walden and Thoreau Streets. Adorable and quaint do not begin to describe the Concord experience]. Poor Charlie was having a high-fever reaction to her chicken pox vaccine, so Nate stayed home with her.

Vivi had an up-close and personal chat with Santa all about The Incredibles, her favorite movie, and about her favorite character in the movie, Violet. He was jolly and kind, the very best Santa we've seen next to last year's giving of the cheese. I'm pretty sure that one will go down as the best ever. They both surely beat our first experience in the Georgetown Mall, in which Vivi did the traditional infant scream on Santa's lap.

We spent Saturday evening drinking spirits, eating pizza, and chatting with my cousin and her husband, while Vivi and her cousin giggled and banged around upstairs in Vivi's room. General ruckus aside, Vivi has never been easier to watch than at this age, where you can basically not only send her away but give her a toddler to entertain.

On Sunday we met up with my friend, Laid-back Mom, and her family at our local ice skating rink. They are from Canada, and I am not exaggerating when I say their younger son has been skating since he began walking four months ago.

How the pros dress their kids: ski pants and a helmet. Smart!

It was Nate's first experience teaching Vivi to skate, and our friends helped him out a bit in getting her to go faster once she got comfortable. They were impressed with how quickly she picked up the sport and with her stamina.

There's the 19-month-old on skates. A sight to behold.

Future figure skater? Doubt it; with my non-grace, Nate's muscles, and her own bossiness, it seems to me hockey will be the sport for her. And it doesn't hurt that the youth hockey league levels are called squirt, pee wee, and bantam. Cuteness! Charlie loved watching and was itching to walk out on the ice. Nate took her out for a round at the very end, and she beamed the whole length of the rink. My little northern baby!

Hope you had a lovely weekend, friends. Ready for Christmas? We are counting the seconds!

Love and hugs,
J

we are so merry and bright...and a little gassy

2011-12-16T09:00:00.000-05:00

You know how sometimes an experience has to marinate a while before you want to pick it apart? Nate's holiday party was a week ago, so we got all dolled up and took on the town. I wore "the dress," which I bought--along with its matching clutch and heels--six years ago while working at Ann Taylor Loft. "The dress" has been my uniform for most weddings and cocktail parties since then. I plan to continue to don it until it falls apart or goes on strike. See here:

Although my inner frugality nearly always wins the debate of whether to purchase a new evening wardrobe, I secretly still rock and moan in the pre-party hours, worrying I'll stand out in some wrong way that my fashion-challenged sense won't pick up on. What to do during the fretting hours? Make chili!

I've been wanting to try out an Emeril chili recipe, and his turkey and hot sausage chili was wonderfully simple, hearty and satisfying. A great way to use up our hot Italian sausage from our CSA, I might add.

I finally made a jar of Emeril's Essence, which is so big it will now likely follow us in our next six moves. Who knows? Maybe I'll spice up our standard beans and rice with it. Seems like a useful spice mix to have on hand. But never fear, Tony Chachere's, you will always have a place in the seasoning of my heart.

So yeah, when I should have been curling my hair or doing some other prettifying pre-party ritual, I made chili. And then, when I should have been putting on make-up or jewelry, I ate some chili. Because when lipstick isn't enough, an orange stain around your mouth adds that little extra something.

I followed the recipe to the T, except I left out the green bell peppers. No harm done. To save money and the potential of leeching can BPA, I cooked my own beans from a bag of dried ones. I only recommend it if you're cooking on the weekend or if you're a home ranger like me. They take forever, are a big mess, and there are several steps of draining and rinsing. A pain for sure.

Of course, of course, I had to say "BAM!" when pouring in the Essence. This chili was seriously delicious when served with a box of Jiffy corn bread muffins. I wholeheartedly recommend it. As for eating it prior to a night on the town, that could probably be avoided to everyone's liking, particularly your girlish figure.

Emeril's turkey and hot sausage chili
serves 4

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 pound ground turkey
12 ounces hot Italian sausage, removed from casings and crumbled
2 teaspoons Essence (BAM!), recipe follows
1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onions
1/2 cup chopped green bell peppers
1/2 cup chopped, roasted and peeled green poblano or Anaheim chiles
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (12-ounce) lager beer
1 (28-ounce) can chopped tomatoes with their juice (we use petite diced for chili)
2 cups cooked pinto beans, or canned beans, rinsed and drained(we used small red beans)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese, garnish
Tortilla chips, accompaniment

To roast the poblano chile, broil it in your toaster oven for 8-10 minutes on each side until it is sufficiently charred. Let it cool and then peel off the skin. (A more step-by-step version with jazzy photos can be found on the Inspired Bites blog).

In a large pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the turkey, sausage and Essence, and cook, stirring, until the meat is no longer pink, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the onions, bell peppers, and chilies, and cook, stirring, until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic, chili powder, cumin, and salt, and cook for 1 minute. Add the beer and tomatoes, stir well, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 45 minutes to 1 hour, stirring occasionally to prevent the chili from sticking to the bottom of the pot. [sic: The recipe does not say when to add the beans, so I added mine 30 minutes into the simmering].

Remove from the heat and add the cilantro. Adjust the seasoning, to taste, and cover to keep warm until ready to serve.

To serve, ladle into large bowls and sprinkle each serving with 1/4 cup of cheese. Serve tortilla chips on the side.

Emeril's Essence:

2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly.

Yield: 2/3 cup

I am the fiyah startah

2011-12-15T11:18:00.000-05:00

Yesterday the girls were feeling crummy with a virus. Doc thinks it's nothing serious, so the prescription is ice water, honey, and plenty of Pixar. Isn't there something about Pixar films that just feels positive and wholesome? We watched Toy Story 3 and Robots back to back. Well, Vivi watched while Charlotte took the longest nap known to man, and I baked delicious Christmas treats, boxed them up, and still had time left to have a chat with the mailman while I handed them off to him.

Oh, and Robots isn't actually Pixar, but it was cute! Though, I must add that in a non-Pixar children's movie, there is typically an air of "We are making a joke RIGHT NOW. Get it?" going on, and this film is no exception. Still, worth a rent at the library.

In the afternoon, I left the house bra-less and pajama-clad (aka "honey-badgered") to run into the post office two minutes before they closed, and then perhaps more appropriately, to bring my therapist her holiday goodies. Because if you can't be a boob-swinging, striped-panted, half-crazed mess at your therapist's office, then when can you, amirightladies? At least my therapist wasn't in her office when I dropped them off, so I've got that going for me. Winning!

Tonight will undoubtedly end in another evening writing Christmas cards by the fire. In what could be called true home ranger fashion, I am the go-to fire maker in our household. It started with my ability to light a one-match fire when we were camping, thanks to all those pioneering summer camp classes, and it has continued to our first home equipped with a fireplace. Can you believe we've lived in something like 11 places in 10 years, and we only JUST got a home with a working fireplace?

Anywhos, I am looking forward to the snuggling to come. Oh, and I'll note that I first thought our kindling was called "Firelady's Ambiance," which I thought added to the kismet that I wear the fire pants 'round here. Then I noticed it's actually "Fiready's Ambiance," without the L, which makes no sense. So, I plan to ignore that fact and go back to my original name for it. In conclusion, I must share with you the ridiculous photo on the side of said kindling.

How's that for some Firelady's Ambiance?

wordless Wednesday: diary of a holiday photo shoot

2011-12-14T14:00:00.000-05:00

Editor's note: I joined the "Wordless Wednesday" linky party on the 5 Minutes for Mom site. Check out her original post with her Canadian ice skating daughters. This southerner's jaw is still dropped.

same blog, different name

2011-12-13T16:35:00.000-05:00

Editor's Note:
I was planning to share this idea later on, but what I just discovered is that when you buy a domain name to go with your blog, it happens RIGHT NOW. No turning back, y'all. And so, here we go!...

Off and on, I've been considering changing what I call the blog for a while. "Aimless digressions" made a lot of sense back in 2005 when I first started blogging. Back then, I often found myself writing rambling tangents about life in my twenties, travel, politics, and our many moves, but there was no common thread to represent the musings. I quite literally aimlessly digressed.

Much has changed since then, namely that I became a mom. Suddenly, I had this crazy fun and incessantly needy human being to care for, and it made for a lot of writing material. Although I still ramble and digress, I think for the most part my posts have taken on a common theme of the trials and successes of a thirty-something parent. More specifically, I often feel that I am forging a new path in parenthood; I am one of the first of my friends and family in our generation to have kids, and similarly I am one of the first I know to quit my job to stay home with my kids for a time.

Thus, we have arrived at my desire to change my name. I suppose I should say change my name again; for those of you who have been following the blog since the beginning (hi Dad!), there was a short time during our England stay where I called the blog something like "Justine & Nate's Adventures in the UK."

Without further ado, I am proud to present the new me: the lone home ranger. The idea for the name blossomed out of a post I wrote back in September, in which I waxed poetic about being a "stay at home mommy." I eschew that title, ditto homemaker and housewife, which has left me feeling nameless.

That post was a bit long-winded, and looking back it appears to be more of a tirade than I had intended. But here's the gist. Calling myself a home ranger feels much more "me," and although I sometimes feel alone, my blog helps me feel there are compadres out there who are also experiencing life's laugh-out-loud ridiculous, happy, crazy moments. My hope for this blog is that it can be a place we can experience these moments together.

So... what do you think? Like my therapist always says, brutal honesty is the only way we are going to get anywhere. Lemme know your thoughts, brutal or otherwise.

Smooches,
J

frugal baking

2011-12-13T08:00:00.000-05:00

Did you notice my new button in the top right corner? The one that says "23 Day Frugal Living Challenge"? Even though I already consider myself to be frugal, I think we can always do better, so I signed up to begin a frugal living challenge on January 6th. I know I said I was doing birthday resolutions this year, but one can add to the self-improvement list any time, right?

'Tis the season for baking, and even though I'm generally not a baker, Pinterest (aka pothead's paradise) has inspired me to join in the fun. It doesn't hurt that baked goods make great frugal gifts, an eager three-year-old is itching to lick bowls and help roll out dough, and we also have two preschool teachers to give presents to this week.

We began our holiday baking with some gingerbread men, courtesy of a box of Trader Joe's mix. Every time we cut out a cookie man, Vivi would wave and say in a falsetto voice "Hey there, little guy!"

Making cookies is actually a tradition we started last year with Halloween cookies, and Vivi has loved baking ever since. Check out a shot of her inaugural baking experience:

Munchie-kins! Look at that belly.

I continued the baking (without Vivi) using a recipe I found on Pinterest, land 'o good intentions and plenty a yummy dessert recipe. I quickly found one that fit my only criteria: 1) cheap, 2) easy, and 3) including pretzels and chocolate.

Say hello to salted caramel chocolate pretzel bark. You're welcome.

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Thanks to Legume Loyalist for the recipe. I would share it here, but it's an involved recipe with many steps, and they do such a good job of interspersing pictures in the directions that I recommend going straight to the original source.

I must admit, I was a little skeptical that it was going to work out at a few points in the process. First, when the recipe says to "strafe" the caramel, I'm like "Do what?" so I ask Nate if he's heard it, and he says "Only if you're referring to what the military does when doing air strikes." Yes honey, of course that's what I mean. I am sure they are telling me to air strike this dessert. But nevermind. I decided "strafing" must have something to do with moving the pot around like a maniac in fear that the caramel is about to harden. Even though it looked pretty messy, the magical oven-cooking process totally evened it out.

After strafing the chocolate, I was again skeptical, when it looked so gooey and melty, that it was actually going to harden into bark. See here:

But it too magically cooperated, and after an hour of chilling and some breaking, I had for real bark. I may have found a dessert to dethrone our beloved pretzel M&M's. Nate is not one to sing a dessert's praises, but after sampling it I could hear him doing a "What About Bob?" routine in the next room. I'm tellin' you what, this stuff is THAT good.

Do you have any fool-proof desserts that you make during the holidays? Spill it! I could use more than one recipe that doesn't include serious involvement on the part of Trader Joe's.

Think our teachers will like their goodies?

Update 12/14/11: I just tried making a two-batch version, and all seemed to be going well until breaking the bark into pieces. One tray was fine, the other chewy. Dunno what went wrong, but it appears I'm still a bantamweight when it comes to baking. Solo batches only from now on for this amateur.

weekend putzing and crusty steak

2011-12-12T14:54:00.000-05:00

We had a relaxed, do-nothing kind of weekend. The girls didn't seem to mind the cold, so we romped around the back yard for a bit. I really need to get out there and rake the leaves. Why, oh why, didn't I do it when it was in the 60's? Oh yeah, my rake is busted. Santa, if you're listening, I also need a pitchfork to turn my compost. Pretty please!

Yesterday I decided to try out a technique for getting a brown crust on steak I learned on America's Test Kitchen. Did you know ATK is located right here in Boston? I'd love to go visit and watch them film the show. Total food nerd, I know. Anyway, the browning technique didn't really work, and I've decided it's because I couldn't leave the ultra-thin steak in the pan long enough, which resulted in it sticking to the skillet, creating an uber-mess. But blame the cook, not the technique. I've shared it below.

I was hoping to space out the eating of our newly purchased CSA meat, but instead we've been ravenously consuming it daily, and it will shortly be gone. Hey, it's our first month, and a holiday month to boot. January is the month of moderation, right?

One of the reasons I love doing a CSA is learning about new food ingredients I've never seen. Kohlrabi and beets stand out as the best new-found items from our vegetable CSA days; however, it never occurred to me that we would also discover varieties of meat. Today I decided to cook our flat iron steak, which is a relatively new cut of meat just catching on. Didn't know there were new cuts of meat? Me neither, but apparently the science behind butchering is a many-splendored and layered art. Don't try to put it in a box, people.

I started with a simple marinade in the morning (thanks to Kalyn's Kitchen, one of my recent Pinterest finds), and by the afternoon it was ready for the royal cornstarch treatment. A quick sear in our cast iron skillet, and voila, steak salad is served.

This is becoming one of those food blogs, eh?...

steak salad
serves 2

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1 smallish, cross-cut steak, marinade below (flank and skirt work if you can't find flat iron)
baby spinach
shaved carrots
crumbled gorgonzola cheese
fried shallots, recipe follows
balsamic vinaigrette, made with Good Seasons Italian mix (I know, it's Kraft, but dee-licious)

Marinade
Marinate steak for a few hours (up to 24) in a mixture of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, dijon, garlic, dried thyme, dried oregano, and smoked paprika. Remove steak at least 1 hour prior to cooking.

Brown crust technique
According to the masters at ATK, the secret to a brown steak crust is three-fold:

1) Dry, very chilly steak keeps it from overcooking

2) Salt and cornstarch wick moisture and create crust

3) Screaming hot pan/grill keeps it from sticking

I'm adding a fourth requirement: 4) Thick steak.

Pat steak dry with paper towels. Allow to air dry for a few minutes while you mix your rub. Stir together cornstarch and salt in a small bowl (2:1 ratio). Rub mixture liberally on all sides of the steak. Pop steak into the freezer for 15-30 minutes to chill prior to cooking.

Fried shallots
There are probably lots of ways to pull it off, but here's how I do it. For the two of us, I take one palm-sized shallot and slice it cross-wise thinly with my sharpest knife. I pull the rings apart in a small bowl and top them with a few teaspoons of flour. I set up my station with a metal slotted spoon and a plate lined with paper towels.

Meanwhile, my small heavy pot is heating with 3 inches of canola oil over med-high heat to 350 degF (I don't have a oil thermometer but have learned my stove. This is a hit or miss method I don't recommend. Get the thermometer). Test readiness of your oil with a few drops of water; they should sizzle.

Drop in a few of the shallots and gently stir with the slotted spoon to ensure even cooking and keep them from sticking together. Watch closely, as each batch will only need about 2 minutes. Once browned, remove to towel-lined plate and sprinkle with a bit of kosher salt. Enjoy!

Editor's Note: This post is part of Real Food Wednesday.

breakfast cookies

2011-12-09T08:00:00.000-05:00

We like Clif and Luna bars, but they can be expensive and sometimes taste too proteiny for my liking. And have you seen the ingredient list? Vivi loves granola bars (especially the Quaker smores flavor), but I like to cut the sugar by making my own healthier snacks. This recipe was adapted from Ellie Krieger's, with my own substitutions and including some ideas from Cooking Light. If you haven't seen EK on the Food Network, she's a dietician who makes healthy recipes. I sometimes catch her show while at the gym and always come away with great ideas.

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breakfast cookies
makes 9-10 big cookies

3/4 cup whole-wheat flour (I like buckwheat or spelt)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
2 Tbs butter
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup light brown sugar
Squirt of molasses
3 Tbs granulated sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup applesauce
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup bran flakes (like raisin bran cereal) or unprocessed bran
1/3 cup dried fruit, e.g. raisins, cranberries, and/or chopped figs
1/3 cup chopped and toasted nuts, e.g. walnuts, almonds, or pecans

Oven at 350 degF.

Whisk dry ingredients through salt in a medium bowl. Combine butter, oil and sugars in another bowl; mix for two minutes by hand, or if using a stand mixer, on high speed for 1 minute (you're looking for a lighter color). Add egg, applesauce, and vanilla; beat for 30 seconds. Add flour mixture and beat for 30 seconds. Gently fold in oats, flakes, fruit, and nuts (Warning: Sticky dough! Use an ice cream scoop). Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Form balls and use wet fingers to press cookies flat. Bake for 12 minutes until almost set. Let cookies cool 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Editor's Note: This recipe is part of the Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways Blog Hop.

Update 1/20/12: Last week I tried adding 1/4 cup of Bob's Red Mill flax seed meal in place of half the all-purpose flour. The cookies came out a bit more loose than usual but still delicious. Next time I think I'll leave the same amount of flour and add a bit of water to balance the meal. I think this will do the trick. Also go try Dinner: A Love Story's breakfast cookies with quinoa, cherries, and almond extract!

chicken boobs

2011-12-08T15:38:00.000-05:00

This week marked our first month with the meat CSA. YAY! "CSA" stands for community supported agriculture, and it's a way you can support a local farm by pre-purchasing an annual or semi-annual share of what's produced. Even though we are living on a frugal food budget, we feel our food dollars are well spent supporting this local farm. Plus, we actually spend about the same to get our local meat, which has been lovingly cared for prior to its death, due to the money saved on travel and middlemen.

The occasion of picking up our share was met with tremendous anticipation, and we were elated upon opening the cooler. Early Christmas! [Vegetarians, avert your eyes!]

Check out the Chestnut Farms website for the most adorable pics of livestock you've ever laid eyes on. As if it could get any better, we absolutely adore the family who owns and operates the farm. Kim sends out a monthly email updating everyone on how stories on the farm are going. Perhaps in another life I would have made a good farmer because I love reading every last detail. The tale is much too long to include here, but here's one of my favorite snippets:

Farm life by its nature leaves little time for commercialimmersion. Our son Sam, at 13, is stillexcited by an escalator. He has beeninside a mall less than 8 times in his entire life, usually once a year atabout this time as we do a one-afternoon-a-year, get all shopping done, trip tothe Holyoke Mall. Our whole family loads into the car, drives to the mall andseparates while we shop (with a budget and lists). We do allow Sam a trip upand down the escalator for fun, and then move on to the actual stores. Within three hours we are done. Friends find this funny, but as ruralresidents, not only are we an hour in ANY direction from a mall, but we simplydon’t have a need for most of the things that are sold there.

In an era rife with commercialization everywhere you turn, it is so refreshing to know there are still American families who are nearly untouched by modern life. I am inspired by them and hope one day my girls will know a life fulfilled by the things they create or produce, not what they consume.

By now you're wondering how I get from waxing philosophical about my kids' future to chicken boobs. Be patient! I'm getting to it. We don't eat a lot of chicken in our house. If we're not roasting a whole chicken, I usually buy boneless, skinless thighs and make "Mall Chicken," which is what we call Ina Garten's Indonesian ginger chicken recipe because it tastes exactly like the samples they entice you with in the mall food court. YUM.

But this week I was given skinless bone-in chicken breasts in our cooler, so I opted to make a "U" family favorite. Growing up, Nate and his fam called this dish "chicken boobs," and not one to mess with tradition, I am carrying the name forward. It reminds me of my favorite juvenile joke [What kind of bee makes milk? A boobie!]. Getting back to the recipe at hand, the chicken will become incredibly tender, and the creamy, chickeny sauce is perfect to top it and a bowl full of rice or egg noodles. It's a winter delight. Enjoy.

chicken boobs
serves 2 adults and 2 munchkins

2 chicken breast halves, boneless and skinless
1 can cream of chicken soup, undiluted
parmesan cheese, to taste
garlic powder, to taste
water

Preheat the oven to 350 degF. Cut excess fat from chicken. Place chicken in an oven-proof casserole dish. Layer soup, cheese, and garlic powder over chicken. Add about 1/2 cup water (eyeball it) and mix slightly. It will still look thick but will thin out during cooking. Cover and cook for 1 1/2 hours. Stir once or twice as it cooks.

[Note: This can also be made in a crockpot on low for 8-10 hours or high for 5-6 hours.]

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meatballs! get your meatballs here!

2011-12-07T08:00:00.000-05:00

Did you catch this NPR story over the weekend about meatballs? They are apparently surging in popularity around the country in 2011 due to being both inexpensive to purchase and easy to make. They are also surging in popularity in our house because they an irresistible size, shape, and texture for our little munchkins.

I guess I'm hip without knowing it, since I shared my mother-in-law's meatball recipe earlier this year. Didn't know I posted that recipe or where to find it? I hope to have remedied that problem this week by creating a new page on the blog that lists all the recipes I share in one easily-searchable place (click hyperlink or see tab above between "the fam" and "children's stories"). Hope you enjoy it!

Cheers,
~J

Image Credit: Savory Sweet Life

angel hair

2011-12-06T10:51:00.000-05:00

Charlie's hair is finally growing in, and it's curly just like Vivi's was, which combined with her chubby cheeks gives her the appearance of a little cherub angel. I kind of want to dress her in wings and hang her from our Christmas tree, but I guess that's taking it a bit too far. See Charlie's angel hair (yes, I noticed that tiny pun) for yourself:

Don't bother me. I busy shopping.

Can you pat the bunny too, Mommy?

Stopping to smell the flowers.

Her cuteness kills me.

the skinny on school lunches

2011-12-05T14:58:00.000-05:00

Vivi & her prized cider donut. Everything in moderation, right?

Did y'all hear about the recent decision by Congress to consider pizza (i.e. two tbs. of tomato paste) a vegetable and remove limits on serving french fries and tater tots? No fooling, see here for yourself. If you scroll to the bottom of that link, you'll find viewpoints across the political spectrum agree this was a mistake.

What were they thinking? Wait, that's not what I meant, I know what they were thinking. How dare they!

As I mentioned on the blog a while back, both the food bill and the Food Revolution have gotten me riled up. We've got a child on the cusp of entering school, and Nate and I are committed to embracing public school for our kids and using the money saved on education for their extracurricular activities like music and foreign language education. I would love to feel confident that my kids could occasionally eat the school lunch and get the nutrition they need, rather than packing a lunch from home every day. Having said all that, have you seen these lunch boxes from Planet Box? Pretty sweet.

Ever the studious learner, I began my quest for knowledge on school lunches by reading up on its history. I had a hunch the topic was connected to the farm bill and commodities subsidies, but I didn't know just how intertwined they are. Did you know that the current school lunch program was begun as a way to use up surplus commodities? Me neither! Oh, how the plot thickens.

NPR's Here and Now radio program focused on school lunches one day last month. The guest was Sarah Wu, a public schoolteacher and the author of a book about her undercover year spent eating the lunches at hercafeteria. When asked to pick the worst lunch of the year, Wu selected the "bagel dog," which was soggy and served with jello and tater tots.

Ick.

Can you imagine?

Sigh.

I want there to be a day in the not so distant future where counting tater tots and ketchup as two servings of vegetables would be as foreign to my kids' generation as the concept of segregated water fountains is to mine.

Is that too much to ask?

I think not. This goal is possible to achieve, but not without the will of the people behind it. Together, we can make a difference. Cheesy, but true. Signing this petition is a positive first step.

But where do we go from here? For those of you with kids in school, how are you handling the dreaded cafeteria lunch? Or are you one of the few lucky families with a great lunch program? I would love to hear all about it, the good, bad, and even the ugly.

Happy Monday!

a little humor helps

2011-12-04T12:37:00.001-05:00

A few things have crossed my path this week which have given me true laugh-out-loud moments (I mean really, how many times do we LOL when reading a text message?), so I thought I'd share them with you. The first is one that my trusty friend Is it Old? told me is so old it's dead, but I don't care. I'm sharing it anyway! Maybe some of you are even slower at me to be introduced to funny things on the interwebs. It is a website called The Oatmeal; it came to us from someone in Nate's office who thought of him when they read this brain comic. I have been going back to it occasionally for more laughs (see here, or actually, all of these), and it never fails.

My second share is a book I read much of while we watched football this weekend:

Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Carrie Fisher is as delightfully self-deprecating and honest as she is hilarious and insightful. I so rarely get to use the word salacious, but it certainly applies in her accounts of past relationships. I typically shun the autobiographical works of celebrities, but I so loved her talented semi-autobiographical novels that I've read (Postcards from the Edge and Surrender the Pink) that I couldn't wait to read the real deal. Who wouldn't want to know more about a marriage to Paul Simon?

One seldom finds someone with mental illness who is willing to share the details of their struggle in such an open and eloquent way. I agree with the New York Post that "she has expert comic timing and, perhaps more importantly, better stories than most drug addicts." She describes her experience with the mood swings of manic-depression/bipolar disorder, and I sympathize with how troubled her existence must be at times.

My only minor criticism is that she went into a bit more detail than I cared to know about her parents' relationships, but I imagine this addition was for the benefit of the curious generations before me (her parents are the Hollywood celebrities Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher). It is a trivial complaint and one that's easy to forgive given how quickly I read the book. I immediately got her newest book "Shockaholic" so I can continue learning of her tales of having ECT, i.e. electro-convulsive shock therapy.

turkey fricassee

2011-12-03T15:45:00.000-05:00

I know I said I was going to take some time off, but I missed you! Did you miss me? I so enjoyed a stew we made last night that I just had to share it. I hope you find it as delicious as we did.

Do you have a favorite chef? I grew up loving Julia Child, for her easy manner and even more for introducing me to Jacques Pepin, who thereafter has taken his seat at the top of the pyramid and has yet to be dethroned by anyone else. If I met him in person, I think I might faint straight away; seeing as I now live only one town over from him, this has become a distinct possibility for which I'm prepared.

I've blogged before about my adoration of Monsieur Pepin. My obsession recently was taken into a new stratosphere after receiving his new cookbook from the library.

Essential Pepin: More Than 700 All-Time Favorites from My Life in Food by Jacques Pépin

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This encyclopedic cookbook is my new favorite dinner companion. Recently I found very affordable post-Thanksgiving cuts of turkey at Whole Foods, so on a whim I bought a few. Upon arriving at home I immediately turned to M. Pepin's masterpiece, confident that he would have the answer for how to cook them. My instinct was right on the money. In fact, he even says as an introduction, "After Thanksgiving, turkey parts are available for very little money at the supermarket." I also agree with him that his dark turkey fricassee is a "perfect (stew) for cold weather." I included my adaptation of the recipe below, with my own intermittent commentary in italics.

Thanks to Rachael Ray, I always grab a meal's necessary components prior to cooking. The list of ingredients is manageable, and apart from the sundried tomatoes, we already had everything in our cupboards.

[N.B.: A boning or paring knife would be an appreciated tool in the task of removing the skin. I do not have either, so I spent many a curse-filled minute hacking away with a steak knife. I'm quite glad no one was there to witness the spectacle, as they surely would proclaim the moment un-Pepin-like.]

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turkey fricassee

2 large turkey legs, skin removed
3 Tbs. peanut oil [I used canola]
3 c. diced onions
4 c. water
6-8 garlic cloves, crushed and minced
2 Tbs. ginger, peeled and minced
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
2 bay leaves
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 1/2 c. brown rice [I used a tasty Texmati royal blend with wild rice]
1 c. sun-dried tomatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 c. fresh or frozen baby peas

First you'll want to cut the thigh and drumstick apart and cut each leg into approximately 3 to 5 pieces to ensure even cooking. Heat oil over med-high heat in a Dutch oven and add half the turkey in one layer; brown on all sides for about 20 minutes. Transfer to a plate and continue with remaining turkey. Remove to plate.

Preheat oven to 350 degF. Reduce the heat to medium and cook the onions for 10 minutes. Return the turkey to the pot, add the ingredients through tomatoes, and stir well. Bring to a boil and cover. Cook in the oven for an hour or on the stove-top over low heat for about an hour and 10 min., or until all the liquid is absorbed and the ingredients are tender. Stir in the peas and cook for a few minutes.

Bon appetit!

swimming against the current

2011-11-30T13:43:00.000-05:00

Vivi starts swimming lessons next week. We've periodically gotten lessons for her over the years because I have an urgent need for my children to know how to swim before kindergarten. The reason for this desire is as of yet unidentified, but when the flood comes, I will be redeemed (that goes for my capri pants too, to all of you geezers who asked me if I was waiting for a flood. Yes I was. But not really.)

The initial swim lessons took place when she was six months old, and I will never forget that first time because I had to drag both a whiny baby and a whiny husband to the rec center pool. With my frizzy hair, pajama pants, and crying duo in tow, I must have been the picture of new motherhood. Do not go up against my determination, readers. It is resolute. I am the crazy, nasty-ass honey badger. You may complain, but I simply don't care.

Notice how I am really selling it. This WILL be fun!

Looking back, I kind of wonder why I was so ~~insanely~~ admirably purposeful, and I think there were two main reasons. First, I had heard about babies holding their breath under water (remember the Nirvana baby?), and I wanted to discover if it was true. I ultimately didn't find out because even I, the wild-eyed mother on the brink of insanity who had been living for four months with a colicky baby who cried all the livelong day, could not force myself to plunge my baby under the water.

Also, I had a hunch that since it took twenty times introducing any activity for baby Vivi to like it, swimming would be no different. This guess turned out to be true because that first day, she screamed and cried pretty much the entire lesson. And ever since then, if I go too long between trips to the pool, I endure the same screaming and crying all over again.

Ever the patient mama, I endure the drama because I know how proud she will feel when she finally masters swimming. And there's a little bit of me who knows she probably inherited this fear from me. Fear of what, I'm not even sure, but I remember it well. Even with lessons at summer camp every year, it took me until I was in high school to feel confident about diving and swimming strokes in front of my peers. I even faked the monthly visitor a time or three to get out of swimming. TMI? Anyway.

Part of me wants to think it could be as simple as some people have a natural love of the water, and others don't, but anyone who has seen Vivi at the lake or ocean knows this isn't true.

The girl adores the water; it's the pool where her issues bubble to the surface.

Mothering two children has taught me my children come on this Earth with a full package, and it's up to me to decipher it and enjoy the ride. Nothing could provide a better example than swimming, since Charlie took to water like a chubby little fish. She practically flung herself into the ocean the first time she saw it.

Conversely to Vivi, I decided not to give Charlie lessons, figuring I knew enough about it at this point to teach her myself, and it has been so fun. I took her to the pool recently, and she let me lay her on her back, while she lounged as cool as a cucumber, smiling up at the ceiling. On her back! To this day Vivi acts as though you're trying to drown her if you even suggest she roll over onto her back.

Ah well, all in good time. That phrase has become my mantra. If I feel myself swimming against the current, I know it's time to let go of my preconceived notions about how parenthood would or should be and go with the flow. I'm amazed by how true it is; you can try to force your kid into a new milestone, or you can just let it happen. The results will be the same, but your memory of the experience will be completely different.

Today is one of those moments when the patience is paying off. One day Vivi wasn't interested in dressing herself or jumping off the side of the pool or quitting the thumb-sucking, and today she suddenly is. IN ALL THREE, on the same day. I relished in our hour at the pool together, giggling as she ran-jumped off the side into my arms, while the ladies who aerobicize clucked and cheered from the other side of the pool. Then, as we ate our celebratory post-swim grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup, I beamed when she said she wanted to put band-aids on her thumbs to help her quick sucking. Behold the proud mother bear.

And so, I am experiencing one of those times in my life as a parent that everything comes together perfectly. I get to sit back and pretend that I planned it this way. Does this phenomenon ever happen to you? Believe me, it is a rare occasion in my household, and I am grateful...and gloating. What better day to gloat than on the last day of my month of daily blogging? Thanks for reading. I hope you'll stay with me as I take a day or twelve off from blogging to rest.

TTFN,
J

teaching the meaning of Christmas

2011-11-29T15:30:00.000-05:00

With Christmas approaching, there are lots of new lessons for Vivi to learn. We are telling stories about Santa and his elves and reindeer, and of course there are some corresponding questions to answer.

Where is the North Pole?

Why does he come down the chimney?

How can he fly?

As for explaining the meaning of Christmas, I found some nice books from the library to help me teach her about Jesus' birth.

How Many Miles To Bethlehem? by Kevin Crossley-Holland

It can be challenging to discuss the nativity with a three-year-old, and this story beautifully assists in describing the various characters present.

Room for a Little One: A Christmas Tale by Martin Waddell

Vivi particularly appreciates the discussion of the animals, so I got another story focused on their perspective. The pictures are lovely.

But how to bridge the gap from the nativity to Santa Claus? For most of my life I have taken it with a grain of salt that this jolly fat man is part of our American heritage, but I hadn't considered why or how it came to be that way until now. I stumbled upon an interesting essay written in the 1940's by Booth Tarkington about the transformation of St. Nicholas into Santa Claus. It's short and worth a read.

Knowing that St. Nicholas gave all his wealth to the poor is just the sort of meaningful message I was seeking behind the simple "Santa gives to children who have been good" rote dialogue I grew up reciting. Along with joyful holiday traditions like Santa, I also strive to impart my kids with a deeper meaning behind the exchanging of gifts. But funny enough, for all my pondering and explaining, Charlie Brown's Christmas movie is turning out to be our best resource for teaching the meaning of Christmas. If it ain't broke...

tomfoolery abounds

2011-11-28T11:04:00.001-05:00

It's that time again when I report to you the horrible daytime TV shows I am catching while at the gym. Well, this will actually be the first report, but let's make it a regular thing, shall we? I have been catching more TV at the gym than usual lately because I can't seem to remember to charge my iPod shuffle. My routine has become music for a week, TV for a month, and so on.

I don't think I ever watched a moment of Regis and Blondie until last week, when it wasn't even Regis any more. But I've caught enough clips on The Soup over the years that I feel I have the gist. Have you seen it since Jerry Seinfeld has been filling in? Don't. Unwatchable! He is palpably uncomfortable in the roll and holds his cue cards like they are a pile of junk mail. "Nothing in here could possibly be interesting, but here goes!" Ick.

My second report comes from this new talk show called "The Chew," in which famous chefs and minor celebrities discuss and make food. Heard of it? I watched about 45 seconds of it last week, and I'm not exaggerating when I say that I want that minute of my life back. Melodrama aside, it's got an even bigger ick factor than Reeg-cum-Jerry. It stars Mario Batali, another chef I usually like, that Clinton guy from What Not To Wear, and a few others. The moment I witnessed was filmed from inside a refrigerator, with the hosts on the other side trying to decide what they were planning to cook. It was beyond patronizing, like something out of a twisted adult version of Sesame Street, only with no possible chance of learning anything new.

I was going to talk about the Rachael Ray show, but I really have nothing spectacular to say, and I don't want to become one of those mean, snarky girls who doesn't create anything but pokes fun of those who try. But seriously, try harder! Okay, on to some better video content: my kids! (Did that segue work? Let's pretend it did).

I'm sorry to say our Flip video camera, which has given us such great videos since Vivi was born, is on its last legs. You can hear its sad swan song (crackling noise, aka the "phlegm rattle") in some of these videos.

The first was supposed to be of Charlie being cute, but Vivi quickly stole the show as usual.

The next two are of the girls reading and playing in the tent we got forever ago at a sale and forgot all about. Great score!

The last video is of the kids dancing to "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree." Cuteness overload!

on getting Christmas-ey (and sick)

2011-11-27T10:50:00.000-05:00

This was our first Thanksgiving with friends instead of just us or with family, and it was a blast. We had fantastic hosts, and our favorite moment was when all four children were playing quietly with each other in the next room. A whispered "It's happening" was the only mention we made of that magical moment. They ended the fabulous evening by handing us the best holiday gift one could receive. Behold the yummy goodness:

Have you ever seen a more delectable tray of leftovers? They looked even more scrumptious when reheated the following night.

Vivi brought a cold home with her from preschool on Tuesday, and we've been dropping like flies one by one. I am always the last to fall--due to good immunity or stubbornness, not sure which. Last night I went to bed at 7:30pm. I felt ready, so why fight it? I've never been one to stay up past the moment my body's ready to succumb to sleep.

Lest I become that blogger/Facebooker who tells you the minutiae of being sick, I'll move on to cheerier topics. As promised, we decorated for Christmas on Friday, and it was a day of pure joy all around! Our "Bing Crosby" and "Charlie Brown Christmas" stations on Pandora rounded out the event nicely. Vivi relished every moment of hanging ornaments on the fake tree, especially when she was able to flaunt the breakable ones in front of Charlie and then hang them just out of her reach.

We grabbed some garland, berries, and a tiny real tree from the local farm up the street, and I must say they added that special finishing touch to make it feel like the holidays.

My favorite part of the decorating by far was bringing out a gift we received from friends last year. Have you heard of the Elf on the Shelf yet? He comes with a story to explain the tradition. Basically, Santa sends the elf to your house to watch over the children. The kids tell the elf what they want for Christmas, and every evening he flies back to the North Pole to report whether they've been good and what presents were requested.

I noticed on the side of the box that you can actually order him with specific eye, hair, and skin color requests, which reminds me of a story I heard a while back on NPR's This American Life. Elna Baker, a Mormon comedian I love, told a story about working at FAO Schwarz in NY City one Christmas shopping season.

At three and a half, Vivi must be at the prime age to begin family traditions, as she stared with wonder while I read the accompanying story. The best part is that every morning our elf flies back from the North Pole to sit in a new location in the house, so the kids can have fun searching for him every day. I love the mischievious look on his face.

Here's a shot of our elf at his first location on the mantel:

Naming the elf is part of the fun, and my vote for "Dinky" got overruled by Vivi, who chose to call him "Robert." Most puzzling about this name is that we are not aware that she knows anyone by that name. Anyway, Bob the elf it is. Here's where good ol' Bobby sat this morning:

I am looking forward to putting up the nativity scene with Vivi tonight and teaching her about Advent. What holiday traditions are your favorites? Do tell.

baby mine

2011-11-26T08:00:00.000-05:00

There is something kind of funny about pictures of babies crying. Okay, not all babies. Maybe I should have said there's something funny about pictures of first-world babies crying. Because you can relax in the knowledge they have their basic needs met and just laugh at their ridiculousness, you know? I love how even situations as intense as childbirth can seem comical later on.

I wrote recently about the dinosaur CD Nate and I are so sick of hearing. Nate walked into the living room this morning saying "If I keep singing that 'Footprints' song to myself, I'm gonna go nuts." Clearly it's time for that item to take a little nap in the closet of missing/broken things. Do you have a closet like this in your house? It's the one that you keep the stuff you plan to fix some day but haven't gotten round to yet; it also houses the parts that you can't figure out but don't want to throw away. For us parents, it additionally includes the toys you can't stand to see for one more second.

And so, back into the music rotation is an oldie but a goodie, called 'Mary had a Little Amp.' I got it for Vivi when she was a baby, and interestingly it was just about the only music she would fall asleep to in a long car trip. The wonderful thing about this album is that even after listening to it on a continuous three-hour loop while driving to Birmingham, I still didn't want to throw it out the window.

One of my favorites on it is Bonnie Raitt's rendition of "Baby Mine." Remember that song from Dumbo? It's in the scene everyone gets choked up watching when the mommy elephant rocks her baby from inside the jail cell. I can't even write that without becoming verklempt! Talk amongst yourselves; I'll give you a topic. Cheez whiz is neither a cheese nor a wizard. Discuss.

Baby mine, don't you cry.
Baby mine, dry your eyes.
Rest your head close to my heart,
Never to part,
Baby of mine.

Little one when you play,
Don't you mind what they say.
Let those eyes sparkle and shine,
Never a tear,
Baby of mine.

and where, pray tell, ARE the missing heads?

2011-11-25T08:00:00.000-05:00

Occasionally, I'll walk into a room filled with toys that look like this...

Marie Antoinette and her little sister

These ladies used to be Cinderella and Jasmine. I think Vivi improved them, don't you? The most fun times are when I am sweeping the floor and notice a head in my dustpan. Just one of the many sentences I never uttered, nor dreamed of saying, before having children.

This picture is evidence of why I am fond of used toys. In fact, ~~I've~~ Santa has already completed the Christmas shopping, and all of this year's gifts (the three: something to read, wear, and play with) come from my favorite resale shop. All that's left for Santa to bring is the candy and cheese.

Are you one of the crazy people out shopping today? It's ominous enough to me that they call it "Black Friday," so I choose to snuggle in my with little family, decorate our Christmas tree, and eat left-over pie instead. Of course we'll also watch lots of football.

Please share your stories of the battlefield! I love a good tale of lady-on-lady 'bowing for the last Williams-Sonoma holiday hand towel.

In November

2011-11-24T11:00:00.000-05:00

I hope you're having a wonderful day! At about this time we are probably already on the road driving to our friends' house in the country. Because I knew I'd be cooking, traveling, and eating today, I am actually wrote this message yesterday. Sneaky Pete!

Vivi and I have been enjoying another fantastic library book. I love that our children's library puts out seasonal books on display; sometimes I'll grab a book about Halloween or Thanksgiving in the hopes that it can help me enlighten my child on our strange American traditions. We have also gotten in the habit of having a special activity in each month for which we can gather decorations and celebrate, so I decided to get this book about the month of November to liven the mood of this occasionally dreary month.

In November by Cynthia Rylant

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In November has such gorgeous illustrations. The author chooses her few words wisely and paints a picture with the vivid descriptions. Here are a few of my favorite passages:

In November, the smell of food is different. It is an orange smell. A squash and a pumpkin smell. It tastes like cinnamon and can fill up a house in the morning, can pull everyone from bed in a fog. Food is better in November than any other time of the year.

In November, at winter's gate, the stars are brittle. The sun is a sometime friend. And the world has tucked her children in, with a kiss on their heads, till spring.

We have much to be thankful for around here. If the crummy economy has taught us anything positive, it's that we are grateful not for our possessions but for the other real gifts we have. We are every one of us happy and healthy, which is such a blessing. Happy Thanksgiving!

Hugs and smooches,
J

a goat rodeo

2011-11-23T12:54:00.000-05:00

Lots going on here today. Cooking and gyming and buying groceries, but in reverse order. Boston has opted to grace us with its winter fugliness today, so we're having low 40's and drizzle while I try to get the bookoo tasks accomplished. But I'm doing it all with a smile anyway. What can I say? It's my southern charm, I guess.

I'm getting most of my cooking tasks done yesterday and today so I can enjoy the company and football tomorrow with the gang. I'm doing roasted root veggies, spinach salad, cranberry sauce, and two desserts. I've eaten both desserts before, louise cake by a Kiwi friend and chocolate pecan chess pie from my youthful days of yore, but this will be my inaugural attempt at making them myself.

My big cooking dilemmas today are whether to have thyme or sage with the veggies and what kind of dressing to make for the salad (spinach, spicy pecans, dried cranberries, shallots, and gorgonzola). Any thoughts from the peanut gallery? What've you got cookin'?

Let's see, what else is new around here? My new eye doctor ~~scared~~ talked me into letting him dilate my pupils so he could examine my retinas a few days ago. Have you had this done recently? It's been at least five years for me, maybe more, and I distinctly remember last time the doctor made sure Nate was there to give me a ride home afterward. Not this time, though. Oh sure, you can drive at night, you just can't read very well for a couple of hours.

Whoa baby. I don't know what it feels like to be on acid, but if movies are any indication, it must be a lot like having dilated pupils. Every light had a huge halo around it, and I couldn't read a thing, including street signs! It was not far out, dude.

While I was blindly and psychedelically trying to find my way home in the dark, I was also listening to NPR's interview with a new musical group formed by Yo-Yo Ma. They are calling their sessions a "goat rodeo," which is an aviation term kind of like FUBAR but a little less scary military acronym-ish and a little more "Make it work" Tim Gunn-ish. It got me thinking that the term befits my own household. We are a regular goat rodeo, full of missteps, difficulties, and chaos. I might not always have my favorite choice of animal, and it sho nuff ain't gonna be pretty, but I'm gonna ride that sucker, dammit.

Today marks the 1-week home stretch on my month of daily blogging. It's been fun and random, pretty much like I thought it would be. Thanks for keeping it interesting with your comments! I can't say I would have been as gungho without y'all spicing it up a bit.

Gobble gobble,
J

you just need a little dip

2011-11-22T14:15:00.000-05:00

Don't you just love holiday weeks? Vivi's joy for every milestone and event is unparalleled and makes me happy to know her. She routinely gasps at the neighbors' festive decorations and pines for the day when we'll decorate our Christmas tree (Friday...T minus 2 days).

We had a nice conversation on the living room rug while getting her dressed about what it means to be thankful and all the things on her list for which she wants to give thanks. Her Sunday school class helped me out by introducing the topic to her, but I like to pretend it was all my own teaching. When I asked, she promptly replied she is most thankful for "reading." Alrighty then. Later in the day, the teachers gave us leaf cut-outs on which the kids had written what they were thankful for, and Vivi's said "Genevieve is thankful that her mommy and daddy love her all the time." What a kid.

I'm telling you all this as a lead-in to a moment I had with her today. Her preschool had a party in honor of Thanksgiving, and the parents were invited to come a half-hour early to celebrate. All the moms signed up to bring a special snack, but I didn't notice the sign-up sheet until Laid-back Mom asked me what I was bringing. Uh oh.

Sure enough, waiting until the last minute meant the only empty row on the list was for "veggie stix."

Yes, with an X.

I dreaded the snack hand-off because I knew how disappointed she'd be, but I was unprepared for the level of doom & gloom written on her face. She tossed the bag of carrots and celery onto the buffet table, where they solemnly stated their healthy presence amid a sea of cookie goodness.

All you childless peeps out there beware. Parental guilt is the pits.

Then I got a dose of perspective from Laid-back Mom when we arrived to the party. True to form, when I told her what I brought for snack, she shrugged and said "You just need a little dip." Of course! Why didn't I think of that?

Here is Vivi with her best friend in class, Laid-back Mom's daughter:

The party included a recital, which was pretty cute. During the second song on my shaky video, you get the idea that Vivi isn't going on Star Search any time soon, which reminds me. Did you catch the 60 Minutes interview with Taylor Swift? Nate and I were majorly impressed, particularly by the fact that her parents produced such an intelligent, talented beauty at so young an age.

ode to nap time

2011-11-21T14:36:00.000-05:00

Remember when you were a kid, and you stayed home from school for a day - maybe you were really sick or maybe just playing hookie - and as you lounged on the couch, your most challenging decision was whether to watch Gilligan's Island or The Price is Right? Remember that carefree feeling of having nothing to do?

That's kind of how nap time feels for me, except that I have plenty to do. The plenty is draped over every couch and chair and threatening to take up the majority of square footage on every floor of every room; in fact, I think I'm sitting on a plastic animal right now.

I am, however, not going to attend to the mess and will pretend it doesn't exist for a whole hour. I am instead turning my attention to the bag of pumpkin muffins, stick of butter, and stack of books that are sitting in front of me.

The only question I will ask this hour is "Will I pick fiction or nonfiction to read?" I will eat nothing that is good for me. I will not answer the phone.

I am mother, hear me zone out.

Just as quickly as it starts, Vivi's stomps on the stairs signify the end to my hour of peace. Her plaintive request to listen to her "Wee Sing and Learn Dinosaurs" CD for the katrillionth time sends shivers up my spine. I will spare you the assault of my imitation of this music, but here is a sample line from one of the songs: "Deinonychus...with his powerful jaw. Deinonychus....with his terrible claw!" It's a Grammy-winner for sure.

So long nap time, until we meet again tomorrow.
xoxo,
J

I'm all analytical and stuff

2011-11-20T19:31:00.000-05:00

I took a gander at the list of my blog posts to see which ones get more hits. Here are three things I've learned about my blog readers:

1) No one cares about the farm bill,

2) everyone hates Brussels sprouts, and

3) I need to post more baby stories.

I need to produce more babies to accomplish number three. I'm off to tell Nate my new angle on why we should have another child. My dedication to you, dear readers, is fierce.

Another part of my life that I am prone to (over) analyze is the amount of stuff we own. I do this activity on a regular basis in which I wander around the house, shaking my head at the build-up. The toys, the tschotchkes, the random keys, the remaining lined three-hole-punched paper from grammar school. Where does it come from, this load of absolute crap? As someone who loves to purge, I find it maddening that I still seem to own SO MUCH STUFF.

A tip I learned from my dad about the children's toys is to adopt a three-month toy rotation. This concept is likely self-explanatory, but I will briefly enlighten you on the process. I take a box, gather up a bunch of stuff they don't play with on a daily basis, and cart it down to the basement, where it sits until Vivi asks for it or until she's bored with the toys upstairs. Not rocket science, right?

There is an additional wrinkle to this shell game. If the kids never ask about it in three months, and it's a toy we hate, it goes into the Goodwill box. Sayonara, cat piano. It's been real.

Oh, also, don't let your kids see you boxing up the stuff, or you'll inevitably have a drama on your hands, starring your poor little orphan child who really waaaannnnnts that particular toy even though they haven't played with it in a month.

I had just completed two boxes worth of toy rotation when the mailman came with a special delivery of Nate's childhood stuff, courtesy of his parents' purging. I'm 100% in favor of everyone cutting down on the accumulation of things, so I support their mission. But GAWD it is a bunch o' boxes.

There are some wonderful treasures in the bunch! Do you love old wooden toys as much as I do?

I was thrilled to discover that Nate's Uncle Frank had hand-crafted a giant train set for him, and Vivi was as joyful to receive it as I was to open it. Just in time for the holidays. Train sets create a festive mood, don't they? Check out the perfect little details.

Thanks Uncle Frank!

a journey to another time

2011-11-19T10:35:00.000-05:00

We saw Midnight in Paris a week ago. Have you seen it? I love the romantic notion of being able to travel back in time and interact with great authors and artists, especially those with great passion like Ernest Hemingway.

The film got me thinking of what period I would like to experience, if only for a few nights, and in whose company I would choose to be. I have always loved the idea of visiting the Georgian and Victorian eras; the Gothic Revival architecture, the World's Fair, the music, the theater, the dancing. The DANCING. Oh, I would adore the dancing.

I would love to know what Jane Austen was like. Emma, Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice are three of my favorite, oft-read novels. And how about William Blake, John Keats, Lewis Carroll, and of course Mark Twain would have been there on a trip to London. How heavenly!

Have you ever noticed all the childhood nursery rhymes seem to have been created in that era? Every time I read them to the girls I am whisked away in time, and I enjoy the temporary mental travel.

The book I picked up last week at my favorite resale shop has some great old rhymes in it, and the illustrations add depth to the short tales.

After enjoying Midnight in Paris, I finally got Vicky Cristina Barcelona from the library, and I also liked it very much. I might have liked it even better because of the fabulous acting and music. I can't say I agree with Woody Allen's transient view of love, but I can appreciate his artistry.

What's your take? Yea or nay on Woody Allen movies?

Meet you back here tomorrow for some more randomness.
xoxo
~J

approaching the discontent of my winter

2011-11-18T07:20:00.000-05:00

The unceremonious end to autumn has arrived and brought with it the arm-crossing, hurried pace of moms across Massachusetts trying to pick up their kids from school as quickly as possible. Gone already are the days of standing in the warm sun and lazily chatting with each other as one of us (maybe) keeps half an eye on the kids running amok in the parking lot or on the playground.

Oh, and Charlie has slunk off to a corner to eat wood chips in peace.

I miss those days acutely!

Although I whinge constantly about the upcoming weather, I can't pretend that we haven't had a divine--and even prolonged--fall. The girls and I have eaten up every moment of it, all the while gluttonously begging for more.

As the days and my patience grow shorter, I am adding new ways to entertain the kids to my repertoire. You know, so I don't go nuts during the impending abominable snowdump. Temporarily, raking and jumping in leaves is providing some good laughs. Eventually, I'll actually move the leaves to the compost bin. I got a great idea from the Interwebs to request coffee grounds from a local coffee shop to add nitrogen to the mix.

Museums are another newly introduced diversion. I would call my first jaunt into the city (to the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum) only mildly successful, due to illegal picture-taking on the part of Triathlete Mom, followed by constant supervision of the uptight guards. Relax, man! Undaunted, we plan to try again, this time at more kid-friendly options like the Children's Museum and Aquarium.

In the realm of outdoorsy activities, I am fully committed to relying on locals to teach my kids how to ice skate. I've already recruited a friend to the cause. Remember Laid-back Mom, from Vivi's school? She's Canadian, so of course her kid has been skating since she started walking. She gave me a lesson today on the difference between figure skates and hockey skates. Mine are figure, Nate's are hockey, but I really had no idea there was a difference beyond that girls use figure and boys use hockey. Apparently, she has hockey skates because they are warmer, and something else I can't remember. You see? I'm already a wealth of information on winter sports.

a tale of two moms

2011-11-17T08:00:00.000-05:00

I encounter two moms in my weekly rounds who remind me of this crazy/lonely lady. Remember Will Farrell's SNL skit about the guy with voice immodulation syndrome? They're like that character, only less funny.

The first mom is at our neighborhood park, and she chooses not to engage with the other moms in conversation but rather LOUDLY narrates her two-year-old's every movement. "H____, you're going to the slide! Oh, not the slide, the swings! Wow! Now you're sharing your toy. Good job! Oh, you're not sharing your toy. That's ok, you're a good boy!" It is off-putting to say the least.

[Note: Boy's name left out due to unnecessary protection of my blogging anonymity. As if anyone in my city even knows I blog. They don't. Yet.]

Then there's the dad, who sometimes meets them after he gets off work. His behavior is perhaps even more odd than Looney Tunes over there. First I must mention he has the same bowl haircut as his son. Starting at the far end of the park, he briskly bounds across a ball field on his way toward the playground, gripping a backpack and all the while loudly talking to H_____, who has not even noticed him yet. The hair, backpack and loud voice give him the appearance of a giant toddler coming to play. Once, I kid not, he was wearing OVERALLS.

Okay, I kid, I kid! But boy, I have stifled a cough-laugh many a time. They are a pair, these two.

The other momzilla hangs out at the children's library resale shop, which is my little-known quiet rainy-day haven where I can find gently used snow boots and children's books for a quarter. Usually I go there after dropping off Vivi at school, to kill time until Charlotte's little tumbling tots class (the epitome of cuteness, by the way). The other moms are almost always interesting and funny, and the only thing missing is a coffee shop on the corner. I don't think I would ever leave if it had that.

I picked up the most wonderful book of old nursery rhymes the other day, and each and every picture looks like it ought to be framed. It has been bringing up all kinds of warm feelings that probably deserve their own post.

But for now:

See what I mean?

So ok, there's a strange mom at the library shop. She appears to live there, although I'm sure I am mistaken about that. But she could use a shower and a mirror. She carts her kid around in a stroller (a much-too-old-to-be-in-a-stroller kid, I might add) and almost always ignores the kid except occasionally saying "No, you can't get out yet."

But that is not all. Oh how I wish it were all. She wanders about shouting to no one in particular "OOOOOHHH look at this! This is made by a company in Belgium, I didn't know they sold these in America, I wonder who brought it to the store and how they got it, I just can't imagine how it got here, isn't that weird, and it's from Belgium, very rare, very very rare."

I want to tell her she is ruining my experience, but I have seen many a woman get sucked into her vortex so I politely ignore her and avoid eye contact. There is an unspoken rule among us ladies who shop at the library store: if you are sucked in by this lady, you are on your own. Folks, it is dog-eat-dog out there in the world of motherhood.

What's with these women? Lonely, crazy, both?

Or, am I being hypercritical? I try to maintain a Jane Goodall approach to gawking at other families, but I admit to passing judgment on occasion. I guess parents should be allowed to be as excited about their kids' every breath or article of clothing as much as they like, but they detract from my intentional delusion that stay-at-home moms are all fun and cool. And most of them are. But this mental trickery is how I make the internal decision to initiate conversation with the unknown moms in my surroundings.

What say you about nutty moms in your neck of the woods?

on the bellies of grown-ups, and other observations

2011-11-16T09:13:00.000-05:00

Vivi was watching me put my hair in a ponytail yesterday morning, and while I had my arms raised over my head, she said "Mommy, your tummy is getting small so you will have another baby now." I'll let you chew on that one.

An hour or so later, I was driving her to school, and all was quiet in the car except the radio. Out of the blue, Vivi says "I don't want to be a grown-up." This statement is a bit easier to understand if you consider the fact that at the time I was listening to the BBC World News instead of the pop music she prefers.

When I was about Vivi's age, I remember asking my mom to come watch cartoons with me. She politely declined and when pressed further told me she really didn't like cartoons very much. This admission was a revelation for me. Peeling the layers away, you've got the lesson that Mom and Dad might not love everything I love, and then there's the dawning realization that not everyone adores cartoons. Oh the horror! As a kid, I made the leap that if adults don't like cartoons, I don't wanna grow up.

Looking back in the rearview mirror, I recognized that same look of awakening on Vivi's face. And so begins her Piagetian sociocentristic view of the world. I'll say it again, our baby is all grows up.

meet Vladimir and his collection of ceramic unicorns

2011-11-15T08:00:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I purged the office of nonessential paperwork like our 2003 taxes--evidence of our distinguished careers in telemarketing and the retail industry. I came across a couple of large maps I had gotten for free over the years via support of non-profits like Sierra Club and Doctors without Borders. I originally hung onto them thinking one day I might hang them in my kids' room and hope somehow geography knowledge would seep into their brains via osmosis.

I revived the idea of hanging them on the wall, but my hope for Vivi's education has evolved into a dialogue I want to start with her about academic subjects I was uninterested in as a kid, like geography and science. When Vivi saw the maps, she immediately laid them out on the floor and stared for a good three minutes without saying a word. The wondrous look on her face was priceless. Then began the barrage of questions about mountains and great lakes and oceans and "C level."

I am thrilled over her enthusiasm for learning. She almost doesn't care what the subject is, although she does reserve special joy for reading, writing, and music. And now geography! I wonder how much of her is actually just like her Daddy, or whether she just looks and acts so much like him that we have started attributing minor preferences as major persuasions of personality.

Whatever the reason for her zeal, I love the thought that my children are a clean state upon which I can assist in molding a love of education. Like mothers before me, I hope they will shrug off the 'girls are bad at math and science' myth that continues to lurk in the school system. I hope they won't be pigeon-holed into activities and education 'befitting their gender.' I want for them to be challenged in a way that maintains their drive to succeed academically.

Somewhere along the way my own motivation took a steep dive, and I still am not positive of the cause. Even when watching Kyle, my college boyfriend, challenge himself with pre-med courses like organic chemistry, I was still content to take classes like "Fungi: Friends or Foes?" and "The Psychology of Human Sexuality" (incidentally, a class we all signed up for because we heard the prof showed pornos on Fridays).

I want to grab and shake that girl who is so complacent and just looking for a good time and tell her what a great opportunity she's wasting. Don't get me wrong; I have great memories of college and had some wonderful professors. I will never forget the aha moment I achieved in Cognitive Anthropology. But still!

Alas, I didn't intend for this post to become a whiny diatribe of my unsuccessful undergraduate education. On a positive note, I have been enthralled with a few NPR segments in the last week; the first with an economist explaining Greece's collapse, and the second with a Harvard physicist discussing particles in the universe. I enjoyed the learning I obtained and also the fact that both interviewees were women. So you see, young ladies? The sky really is the limit.

lying in wait

2011-11-14T15:12:00.000-05:00

In our household, we are just beginning on the turkey craft projects and making the Thanksgiving grocery list, but all around us Christmas is attempting to steal the November limelight. I never used to understand why folks got so upset about the early celebrating; I mean, who doesn't love pretty lights?

But now, I have a three-year-old, and disadvantages to this practice are rearing their ugly heads. Let's see, how best to describe my predicament? Vivi's style of dialogue about a topic she's fond of is a mixture of Chuck Norris and J Edgar Hoover. She doesn't sleep, she waits. If we have friends or family visiting soon, she will wake me by walking to my side of the bed, leaning down, and whispering an inch from my face, "Guess what Mommy? _______ is coming soon. How many days again?"

Much as I keep Vivi in the dark about visitors until a few hours before they arrive, I like to hide the next holiday around the corner until I feel like talking to her about it twenty five times a day. And so, when I walked into Walgreen's today to find a full-on in-your-face loud display of Christmas paraphernalia and doohickies, I imagined what it would be like to march Vivi over to the manager and tell the SOB, "Here, you take my kid for the rest of the day and answer her questions about when she can have candy and Santa."

Personally, I am a planner so love contemplating the holidays months before they are here. I love imagining the traditions we'll start and the ones we'll revive, what we'll eat and do and play with. Did y'all read Design Mom's post? I'm enacting the brilliant three-gift idea immediately.

With winter just around the corner up here in Beantown, I am ready to begin the holiday invasion. Bring it on, bitches!

occupie my kitchen

2011-11-13T14:55:00.000-05:00

Now this is a movement I can get behind.

Mmmmmmm, pie. I love all pie. If I had to choose one pie for eternity, it would be tough to choose between blackberry (specifically, blackberry pie from Greenwood's Restaurant in Roswell, Georgia), peach, and chocolate pecan. The Kitchn has a chess pie I'm itching to try out, even though I'm what you'd call a cook, not a baker. What's your favorite pie?