Adventures in Cooking Our CSA Share: A Tale of Two Beans

Compare and contrast:

The Minister's "Baked" Beans

Start a few tablespoons of butter melting in a big skillet on a medium flame. Add some garlic salt, a few chopped scallions, a couple of tablespoons of brown sugar, and heat until melted and mixed. Add some cider vinegar. Add some ketchup and yellow mustard, plus more butter if you need to. Meanwhile, take 2 cans of red kidney beans and rinse and drain them; set aside. When butter mixture is good and bubbly, add beans, stirring to cover. Reduce heat and cover, simmering for as long as you want. Serve when tender to your liking.

The Minister

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My Recipe for Baked Beans

4 slices bacon

½ cup chopped onion

2-1 lb. can Pork and Beans

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon mustard

1 teaspoon ketchup

chopped bell pepper

Cook bacon until crip, drain and crumble. In 2 tablespoons of drippings cook onion and bell pepper unil tender but not brown. Add with bacon to beans and other, mixing well. Put in 1 ½ quart casserole dish. Bake uncovered at 350°F for 20-45 minutes.

Mommy Hungry's Mom

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My minister, who is also a very good friend, couldn't believe I didn't know how to make baked beans. I do, I said, if I had my recipe with me, but it was a Monday night on the side of a mountain and I hadn't brought my cookbook along for making an impromptu batch of beans. We were supposed to be having baked chicken with rice and gravy but had ditched that in favor of cooking sausages and veggies over the campfire. To supplement the meal, we had decided on beans and she thought whipping up some baked beans was a good idea. It was a good idea--yummy and a filling protein for me in lieu of the sausages--but I had no clue how to make them.

I think my mom's recipe has bell peppers and mustard, plus brown sugar, I said. Otherwise, I was fairly helpless. But you read all those cookbooks, she said bewildered. Yes, yes, I do, but for history, entertainment, directions. She said she read cookbooks for ideas, for basics to adapt to her own tastes and ingredients and skills. Just like her mom. Well, I said, as long as I was growing up in her house, my mom cooked from recipes, exactly as written, with exact measurements, and was fairly lost without them (which she contends is no longer the case). Just like me.

Mainly.

Because in the last two weeks, I've been experimenting on my own, making up recipes with ingredients I have on hand, with techniques I've gleaned from tried and true cookbook recipes, and I've been mostly satisfied with the results, as well as perfectly proud of the attempt. I credit our weekly CSA share with giving me the familiarity with ingredients, experience with techniques, confidence to experiment, and, finally, motivation to eat what we have on hand. But because I'm a recipe follower to the core, and so you can make these yourself (and more importantly, so I can have a record of how I did it), I include them here. But you'll notice that my recipes, while in a traditional format, are inching closer towards my minister's way of doing things.

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Lentil-Stuffed Bell Peppers

2-4 green bell peppers, seeded and split in half

1 cup brown lentils, rinsed and sorted

5 cups water

2 cups cooked brown rice

1/2 -1 cup feta cheese, crumbled

1 small can tomato paste

1 small can olives, sliced

salt, pepper to taste

Boil green bell peppers in water approximately 10 minutes, or until beginning to be tender. Meanwhile, bring to boil 5 cups water and then add lentils; reduce to low heat and simmer approximately 10-15 minutes or until beginning to be tender. Mix brown rice, feta cheese, and olives together; set aside. When lentils are done, drain and add to rice mixture. Stir in tomato paste. Taste and season. Mix together, adding a little water if moisture needed.

Place bell peppers in baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. Fill halves with lentil-rice mixture. Top with any remaining feta cheese.

Bake at 350F until bubbly. Serve warm.

Mommy Hungry

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White Bean and Kale Soup

1 lb. dried navy or cannellini beans, rinsed and sorted

6 cups stock

olive oil

minced garlic

1 onion, chopped

1-2 heads kale, de-stemmed, rinsed, dried, and chopped

1 teaspoon liquid smoke

Place beans in 5-7 cups water (enough to cover) and bring to a boil. Boil hard for 5-10 minutes then reduce to a simmer. Note: this is contrary to popular bean wisdom of using either the overnight soak or 5 minute boil/1 hour soak method; but the beans were still great (even better, maybe).

When beans are tender, drain water and set beans aside. In same pot, heat olive oil and saute onion, garlic, and kale. Add approximately 6 cups stock and the beans. Cook until kale and beans are tender to your liking. Season with liquid smoke and any additional salt and pepper (I realized you could also cook the beans with a bay leaf).

Mommy Hungry

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Curried Lentil and Kale Stew

1 lb brown lentils, rinsed and sorted

2-3 yukon gold potatoes, cubed

5 cups water

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

1 onion, chopped

1-2 tablespoons olive oil

1 can crushed tomatoes or 1 can tomato paste (really, just your favorite tomato product)

1-2 heads kale, de-stemmed, rinsed, and chopped

1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

sweet curry powder

Boil water and add lentils and potatoes. Cook until tender, approximately 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, saute kale in olive oil with garlic and onion. Add to lentils when they are tender. Then add tomatoes, garbanzo beans, and 1-2 teaspoons sweet curry powder, plus any additional seasonings. Cook an additional 10 minutes or so. Enjoy!

Mommy Hungry

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Sauteed Garlic Scapes with Wax Beans

garlic scapes, cut into 1" pieces

yellow beans, cut into 1" pieces

olive oil

salt, pepper

Saute scapes and yellow beans in olive oil until they reached desired tenderness. Season to taste.

Mommy Hungry

Sawasdee, Bangkok: Wednesday

I've gotten lots of updates via email from Mama, who is on her third (or is it fourth? or second?) full day in Bangkok visiting her large, extended family (including her 90-year old grandfather, our kids' Lao Gong, and her mother's 6 sisters and brother, and dad's sisters and their children) for the first time in several years. Here's a taste of what she's doing:

• visiting wats, or temples, which are particularly important to her family, including the wat where her father was a monk (a common, temporary practice in Thailand, not at all like becoming a Catholic monk or a Zen priest) and the wat of Gu-pau-tai, the goddess from Mama's family's province in China, as well as the temple of the Emerald Buddha and the temple of the Chinese Lion
• visiting her father's family's factory to wai, or honor/pray to, her deceased patneral grandparents
• trips to restaurants, malls, and markets
• eating a ton of wonderful food, including three different kinds of fish, picked ginger
  (thai/chinese, not the pink stuff), radish, pork jerky (like she
  have at home, but better, pork jerky (flat and crunchy-- 2
  different kinds), fish soup- balls, fish wonton with a slightly
  slippery slimy wrap, in a rugby shape, with fish balls rolled
  (almost cigar like) around a piece of cilantro or celery
• attending an important (is it formal?) traditional Thai dinner with her Lao Gong

We've been emailing her now, since her cousin-in-law gave her an "air card" for email access, but will continue to post on the blog since she's checking that too. For the most part, today, we are hanging around the house, perhaps inflating the little pool, making popsicles in the zoo pop molds, having a deli lunch picnic, etc etc etc. A nice, restful and relaxing day. Hopefully.

Sawasdee, Bangkok: Tuesday

We're home from a wonderful 36 hours in the Berkshires, where we visited the Norman Rockwell museum, the Eric Carle Museum, and stayed at our minister's mountaintop cabin. We cooked on a campfire, built fairy houses, played with walkie-talkies, took nature walks, found an eft (orange salamander thing), made s'mores and ice cream, saw a snake, and had to buy sweatshirts at the local market because it was in the low 50s (or lower) at night.

More later, as I didn't get much sleep because I dreamed that the kids weren't sleeping, even though they were!

Sawasdee, Bangkok: Monday

Mama has made it to Tokyo this morning and emailed us from an internet cafe. Everything is going well so far. I imagine she is just now boarding the plane for the 6-hour leg to Bangkok.

As for us, the kids slept well and we're now up getting ready for our overnight "camping" trip at our minister's cabin. I won't be online until tomorrow night, which is very odd for me because even when we're away from home with Mama, we always have her blackberry. But I'm looking forward to something totally different. And Gommie is excited about seeing the New England woods.

Be well, all.

Zazen

I practiced meditating tonight, something I've wanted to try for a long time but hadn't for a variety of fuzzy reasons, mainly because a). I would forget that I wanted to try and b). I was a bit intimidated by it. Mama had taken a class in transcendental meditation and it sounded very rigid, what she could tell me anyway. So I was a bit timid to try it, not sure about "doing it right" on my own.

I had read steps for meditation in Karen Mazen Miller's Momma Zen: Walking the Crooked Path of Motherhood but then loaned the book to Mama and never followed the steps. But today, Miller posted them on her blog.

And so, with Mama on a plane to Thailand (considering mindfulness, her own family's Theravadan Buddhist practice, and upcoming visits to various wats, or temples, important to her family), the kids and Gommie asleep in their room, my waiting for things to be done so I can go to bed (laundry and rice cooking), I decided to set aside 5 minutes and try the steps. Besides, my world is converging with Buddhism again: I saw the Dalai Lama's How to Practice at the store--how often is that in the book section of your grocery store?

It's going to take practice. I was very aware that I was Meditating, with a capital "M" and probably an exclamation mark. I had trouble settling into it in my chair, noticing various distractions and trying to turn them all off so I could concentrate. Which probably wasn't the right idea, but I needed the lights of the monitor moved away, the laptop lid closed, and even the muted tv turned off (even though I couldn't see it where I was sitting). Even then, I was distracted by the hum of the air conditioner.

But I tried to let some of that enter my head and go away again. Then I had some meta-meditating. Thinking about meditating, wondering how I would blog it. Again, not exactly what I think I'm "supposed" to do, but I tried to just think the thought and not dwell. As the instructions note, I was counting to ten, with inhalations and exhalations, which is surprisingly hard--I would lose count or not do my "yogic" breaths, the ones I used while pregnant that I have seen on the monitor actually lower my blood pressure, which is never particularly high--suddenly I'd be breathing in my chest or breathing too shallowly or quickly or through my mouth. And then I'd be thinking about that. And then trying to let it go. Or thinking about my eyes and what I could see and where I was staring and was it a good spot or was it distracting and so I'd switched to another and then I closed my eyes which she said not to do so I'd open them but then I'd be thinking about what I was staring at again. All of which meant I spent a lot of time in those five minutes thinking about thinking.

How do I feel? I'm glad to have tried it, if only because it was something I have wanted to experience. And I will try it again, if only to practice a few times or even longer before I decide if it's for me. The first time is never the same as the second, or the third, or the tenth. I'd try again now, but I don't think that's the point either. In fact, it feels odd to blog about meditating at all, as if it should be secret, like a confessional or something. Definitely all new territory for me. More later, maybe . . .

Here We Go Again

First there was Celine Dion's "Because You Loved Me," and now there's Josh Groban's "You Raise Me Up." Okay, it's not new, but I'm not sure I'd actually ever heard it before tonight, driving to the store for some last-minute supplies. And it just made me pause and listen. Add this one to that CD, Mama.

You Raise Me Up

When I am down and, oh my soul, so weary;
When troubles come and my heart burdened be;
Then, I am still and wait here in the silence,
Until you come and sit awhile with me.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up... To more than I can be.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up... To more than I can be.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up... To more than I can be.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up... To more than I can be.

You raise me up... To more than I can be.

(Some) In the Papers

Just a little, before I forget:

• I've been a bit discouraged by posts (guest and otherwise) on Motherlode this week. It seems to have taken a subtle and not-so-subtle anti-SAHM stance. First, a guest blogger argued that SAHM fritter away their time at home not taking care of their kids so that hyper-efficient (read: superior) working moms actually spend equal amounts and better quality time with their kids. So why would you stay home? You don't have any real life balance that way and you're not taking good care of your kids. Then, and maybe it's just because I'm sensitive, it turns out that SAHMs don't even manage to cuddle their kids proportionally to working moms (they come out the same, but the periods of time are in no way the same, so I guess cuddle density is lower for SAHMs). So I guess we're not loving either.
• I really enjoyed this article on the death and dying practices of a group of nuns in NY. It really describes how it takes a village not only to raise a child but to die as well.
• Here's a fascinating article on yoga, memory loss, and living in the moment.

Sawasdee, Bangkok: Sunday, Part Two

(because I can't count in Thai!)

We had a good time at the party, no injuries, just lots of fun and then exhaustion. They even fell asleep on the way to dinner but woke with the promise of seeing "our best friend," the babysitter. Dinner went well and now we're getting ready for bed.

I have several things to do tonight, from packing for our trip to getting groceries to make food for our friends (plus making the GF brownies to take). I'm considering a few side trips, in addition to heading to the cabin, mainly two museums, one each day. Probably too much but they're both places I've wanted to see and take the kids (well, at least one; the other I've been curious about since seeing an exhibition in Chicago).

Okay, miles to go before I sleep . . .

Sawasdee, Bangkok: Sunday

Because Mama is accessing my blog while she's away, but not necessarily receiving email, I'll be posting little updates here so she can keep up. Here goes Sunday, thus far:

• We had a good time at church, doing a multi-generational art project in service, which the children all really enjoyed. Part of the service included a video of Susan Boyle's "I Dreamed a Dream." Gommie and I were both wiping tears away, as was the whole congregation. At least for me, it must be genetic. Wonder when it will start for Bud and Sis? I was post-college (after years of teasing Mom). What goes around comes around, I think.
• We shared our birthday cake with everyone. And really enjoyed cake that Miss O had brought.
• There was sad news that J.M., who had moved out West to follow her love has died of ovarian cancer. She was a poetic soul.
• We came home, played some baseball, had some sharing problems, and then had rest time.
• Now we've eaten and are going to the birthday party, then out to dinner at the babysitter's other job.
• For tonight, it's getting ready for tomorrow.

Luk ther!

A Great Day

It's late, the kids are asleep, Mama is in NYC ready for her flight to Bangkok tomorrow, and here I am, awake, watching a Harry Potter movie, alone in bed, having had a long bath (during which I read and article on the history of Istafan, in Iran), not really ready to divest myself of my thoughts of the day except to say that I think the kids had a great birthday, from waking up with Gommie in the house, to finding the giant felt World Map from Mama in the basement, to opening lots of family presents, to taking Gommie on a tour of the zoo, to their party there with playgroup and church friends, and even their babysitter, to petting a chinchilla and riding the carousel, and helping put the candles in their own cakes, to running the maze there a zillion times, dancing a "freeze dance" at a concert, coming home, resting, opening up so many wonderful presents, playing, eating, talking to Pop and Goo and Aunt Banana on the phone, collapsing in bed early.

Well, it's not early, but I'm going to collapse in bed too.

Good night!

Taking The Cake: Happy Birthday Party, Kiddos!

Taking The Cake: Putting it All Together

iced Blue Dinosaur and Pink Bunny cookies on sticks: check

tub o' chocolate frosting: check

tub o' white frosting: check

various and sundry tips, bags, and couplers: check

tubes of pink, red, yellow, and black frosting: check

letter cookie cutters to spell their names: check

two sous chefs to give encouragement, fetch items, and clean tools: check

sketch of my plans: check

cake decorating course book for reference: check

With all my tools in place, I began work on Sis's cake first, as it had more components and seemed the trickier of the two. That, and I mixed green for the bunny garden first and so started by laying down the patches of grass (after putting down the brown path that Sis had requested). The grass is all topsy turvy, not so much a manicured lawn but a big yard where bunnies might roam. There is grass, the path, and several flowers. Plus Sis's name in pink. And then we stuck in 4 cookie bunnies--three pinks and a white--and it all came together, if I do say so myself. Whew. One down, one to go.

Bud's cake was easier, if only because I sprinkled on crushed up graham crackers to mimic desert conditions of "the land before time" instead of laying down a bunch of grass or something, plus a few green fern-like plants. (I thought about using some spare Milk Duds for boulders but we decided it would look like dino droppings. A marshmallow fondant volcano would have finished it off in grand style but was just too much for me this time). Bud's name was in blue. In went four blue dinos--2 T-Rexs (his favorite), a Stegosaurus, and a Brachiosaurus (all from my Wilton animal cookie cutter set)--and it really looked like Dino-land.

We took some pictures--just in case the cake doesn't make it--but the light conditions were great enough to post them here (plus, the kids' names show and I'm not cropping pics at midnight).

So now we just have to transport the things. The cookies came off and will go in a separate (armored) box, along with the spares. The cakes are back in their bakery boxes, ready to go. At least it won't melt them tomorrow.

I can't believe I did it and it worked! I hope the kids are as pleased as I am.

Taking the Cake: The Glue that Binds

Wow, royal icing, even in a bottle, is an amazing substance. Dries like cement. Which is perfect for what I needed: to glue lollipop sticks to the backs of bunnies and dinosaurs. I bent/cut the sticks in half, positioned them in the middle of each cookie (and supported by the other cookies so the sticks didn't just fall off), then slathered the whole thing with two coats of royal icing, making sure there was icing all over the sticks.

And it worked. Those sticks aren't going anywhere.

Gommie is in the House

Gommie has arrived, actually several hours ago, but there hasn't been a break til now to tell you so.

She has settled in as if she never left, though by the kids' extremely joyous reactions you could tell it's been awhile. Or, it could've just been the knowledge that there was candy in that there suitcase. And indeed as soon as we got home, they tore into her stuff like jackals on the prowl. Nothing was safe. Not the Whoopers, both chocolate and strawberry, the Milk Duds, the Pez candy "depressors" (in Mac Truck and Fairy), with extra Pez, including chocolate, and three Hershey bars. Unbelievably, there is apparently even more candy in the suitcase that they didn't find, including Skittles and M&Ms and more Pez "depressors." They must have just been too distracted by the loot they did find. Gommie is a one woman Willy Wonka candy factory, which is pretty much what they'd been telling everyone who asked about their grandmother's visit.

Anyway, they showed her everything they possibly could, repeatedly forgetting she was staying for awhile--drums, basement, aquarium set up, fairy houses--and played several games, including "shark" and the Grumpy Ladybug board game. There was singing and performing; only dancing and tickling seemed to be missing from the usual repertoire of Gommie's first day. Oddly, they kept asking, "are you sleeping over?" and "will you be here tomorrow?" Let's hope they don't have the need to check before 6 a.m.!

Otherwise, Gommie helped with birthday preparations, including keeping me company while I finished the cakes, washing all the bits and pieces I used to decorate the cakes, and then wrapped birthday presents (though, we didn't go out shopping for the presents from Texas yet; we were all too beat).

Now, Gommie is in bed, resting up for tomorrow, which promises to be a long and crazy day. Mama and I are still up, though, prepping for that other big event: her departure for Bangkok.

Post-ibilities

It's going to be a busy next several days, with:

• Gommie's arrival
• the kids' birthday party
• Mama's departure for Thailand
• another birthday party
• a visit to the babysitter at her other job hostessing at a restaurant
• going away for a few days

And then it's only Tuesday! So, don't be surprised by either a). almost no posts or b). way too many.

Favorites 2009

With the twins' birthday quickly approaching, I have realized it's been a long time since I've recorded our favorites in questionnaire form. And because they're turning oh-so-independent-four, I'm including some unfavorites too. So, in honor of the year since I've done this (and here too), here is a current list:

Mommy
Book: Jhumpa Lahiri's The Namesake (recently several books by Geraldine Brooks); Karen Maezen Miller's Momma Zen: Walking the Crooked Path of Motherhood; cookbooks
Movie: I'm sure it will be the soon-to-open Harry Potter film!
TV show: "Cities of the Underworld," the only adult show I watch, and then only sometimes
Song: I actually like a couple of Imagination Movers songs, especially "Have Some Fun Today"

Musician: as always, Indigo Girls

CD: the Mother's Day 2009 that Mama made for me, with lots of relatively recent (i.e. not 80s) pop songs (including Beyonce and Gwen Stefani)
Color: purple, rainbow
Number: 12
Food: I love lentils these days!
Flavor: Chocolate, cardamom, rose, orange/creamsicle; and for savory, sweet curry powder
Animal: sea otters, groundhogs, hedgehogs, cats, koalas, pandas,
Day of the Week: Saturday
Flower: rose
Ice Cream: cookies and cream
Magazine: Saveur (esp The Texas Issue!); Archaeology; Brain, Child;
Restaurant: Bloodroot and Bertucci's (talk about polar opposites)
Toy/Thing: my laptop! breadmaker, iPod
Poet: I'm learning about Mary Oliver
Author: Karen Maezen Miller, of Momma Zen: Walking the Crooked Path of Motherhood and the blog Cheerio Road
Thing to do: blog, cake/cookie decorating
Place to go: craft store, bookstore, Starbucks, OSV, I want to go to NYC again soon
Saying/Words: (more the concepts of attachment and mindfulness and being present in the moment)


Bud

Book: Jungle Drums by Graeme Base (also recently Hands, Hands, Fingers, Thumbs and The Lost Music and any dinosaur book)
TV show: Imagination Movers; Ni-Hao, Kai-lan; Mama Mirabelle (before that Sid the Science Kid and Caillou)
Song: Jai Ho (from Slumdog Millionaire), bagpipe rock by Mac Talla Mor, (also recently "Lady Marmalade" and "Lord of the Dance"); he will also sing and play "You are My Sunshine" and the "huge, enormous Brontosaurus" song

Musician: Smitty the bass player of Imagination Movers

CD: Imagination Movers
Color: blue
Number: 3
Food: "snoodles", mushrooms, onions, bell pepper, olives, as well as lychees, strawberries, blueberries, mandarin oranges, apples, mango, "burritos" (i.e. Dorritos), strawberry yogurt, soup, ice cream/popsicles (unfavorite: beans and anything made of potatoes, including mashed, french-fried, baked, boiled, whatever)
Flavor: strawberry

Animal: penguins and dinosaurs
Day of the Week: "Pajama Friday" because of tv in the morning
Ice Cream: strawberry shortcake ice cream bar on a stick

Candy: skittles, Pez, cherry tootsie rolls
Restaurant: "Chip" restaurant (Tex-Mex) with Spanish rice

Toy/Thing: "Pengy" his penguin; his "fifin' drum" and other musical instruments; his toy bug collection in an old cookie tin (called his "bug pizza"); Diego dinosaur rescue set; tinker toys to make mic stand or car; Yankees hat and shirt; Hot wheels; plastic marine life animals; pink tutu; toy microphone
Thing to do: "cuddle"; play the drums; dance; play hibachi with fake food; make aquariums out of blocks and plastic animals; building fairy houses; having a "deli picnic"; play aquarium; go to swim lessons (and to school) (unfavorite: on certain days, take a bath)
Place to go: any aquarium, Highland games (recently AMNH and Bronx Zoo)
Saying/Words: thumbs up sign; "Mommy, come on/come play with me"; "actually . . . "; "I can do it myself"

Sis
Book: any Magic School Bus book; Dora and Diego phonetics readers; likes to read what we haven't read in awhile
TV show: Imagination Movers, Toot & Puddle, Magic School Bus series (recently Handy Manny and Fireman Sam and Olivia, before that Little Einsteins and Word World and Diego)
Song: anything sung by Mover Dave, and the Imagination Movers's Happy Birthday song

Musician: Imagination Movers

CD: Imagination Movers (and recently the Handy Manny soundtrack)
Color: pink (and red, in a pinch, "because it's like pink")
Number: 3
Food: CHOCOLATE! fish balls, cha siao bao (bbq pork buns), khanom toy (custard cups), fried rice, chicken dumplings (like wontons), mango, carrots, cinnamon raisin toast, chocolate yogurt, and "anything crunchy" (unfavorite: basically, Bud's favorites list such as mushrooms, onions, and bell peppers, but also anything that has sauce or cheese or layers. Or beans.)
Flavor: chocolate
Animal: bunnies! (unfavorite: oftentimes, dinosaurs)
Day of the Week: weekends with Mama (unfavorite: Mondays)
Ice Cream: chocolate

Candy: M&Ms, Tootsie Rolls
Restaurant: Friendly's (for the ice cream!), Bertucci's (esp the rolls) and "chip" restaurant which both have "crunchy" chicken
Toy/Thing: Shirt, Amy the bunny, Handy Manny with tool boxes, Diego sets, dollhouse (or any toy that can be used in a narrative), fake food
Thing to do: paint and arts and crafts; cook and bake (esp cookies); build fairy houses; talking to Gommie on the computer; having a "deli picnic"; play hibachi with fake food; play camp out; play birthday party; chase bubbles; play tickle monster; play "shark"; go to swim lessons (and to school)
Place to go: Old Sturbridge Village and Mystic Seaport and New York Aquarium (recently AMNH and Bronx Zoo); also Trader Joe's
Saying/Words: "No, Bud"; "Gommie!"; "I can do it by myself"

Taking the Cake: The Cookies

We started the cookies for the kiddos' birthday cake on Tuesday, with all three of us rolling out, cutting, and baking half a batch and then later playing with frosting (on Wednesday).

I saved the second half of the batch, just in case the kids wanted the cookies they made (they did), and so made another set on Tuesday night, 7 perfect bunnies and 7 perfect dinos. Which if you do the math means I have three spares of each animal (because they're getting four on a cake, one for each year old).

But I decorated all 14 last night (just in case some break before the party): the dinosaurs are blue, six of the bunnies are pink, and one of the bunnies is white, just like Sis's favorite bunny, Amy. (I cheated and used Wilton White Cookie Icing, in the bottle, adding gel colorings, because it was later than I expected and I didn't want to mess up my kitchen with homemade royal icing.) Tonight, I will add the facial features and such (maybe yellow and green spots for the dinos), though Mama and I differ on exactly what needs to be added. She thinks they're great as an abstraction; I think the kids will like them better with a bit of detail. We'll see. I have a few to practice with.

I also have to attach the sticks to the back of the cookies with royal icing tonight, so I can poke them in the cakes. I had talked to Miss T about options: baking the stick inside the cookie would have meant very thick cookies, but sticks are better than trying to affix the cookies to the top of the frosted cake. So, royal icing as glue it is. And if it doesn't work, I'll prop the cookies up with toothpicks or candles or something!

But I haven't decided if I should do the details first or the sticks first. Gonna be an exciting night . . .

Taking the Cake: The Theory

So, I'm making the kiddos' fourth birthday cake for their party, something I have been hoping to do since their first birthday. Then, they couldn't have cake because of food sensitivies and so they didn't have any (this was before bakeries in the area could do vegan--no dairy and no eggs--and gluten-free and soy-free. Truthfully, I'm not sure any can do all of those right now. Well, except BabyCakes down in NYC, but I didn't know about them then. And cakes there are expensive.). They didn't care much.

I did.

For their second birthday, the ever talented and creative Miss T made a fanciful barnyard cake out of fat-free rice krispie treats with marshmallow fondant decorations and little plastic toys (still allergen free). Last year, she made special cupcakes, with the NY Yankees symbol for Bud and woodland creatures for Sis. With wheat! And eggs! And dairy! And soy! But she's down in GA now, which doesn't make it practical for her to make our cake.

And so I'm going to do it. I'm not sure why this was a goal. Perhaps because I know my mom made my first few cakes, these amazing shaped cake confections decorated with gumdrops and licorice and the like--I don't recall them specifically but I've seen the pictures. And they were special. Besides, it just seems like a mom kind of thing to do, one of those hallmark of mom-dom sitting somewhere in mymind. Anyway, I have prepped for this for awhile now, beginning with a cake-decorating lesson from Miss T more than a year ago for our Groundhog Day party, and then my cake-decorating class this summer. I'm really excited, actually, and have come up with a pretty good idea (having blown through a few), with the kiddos' help.

First, we need two cakes. Sis wants bunnies. Bud wants dinosaurs. Combining them would be . . . awkward. Or gruesome. Plus, she wants chocolate, chocolate, chocolate. He wants vanilla cake with strawberries. If they weren't twins, they could have their cake and eat it, too, so we're getting two cakes.

Secondly, I'm not making the cakes. I'm still a novice decorator and need to concentrate on that. I don't want to get distracted with baking, levelling, torting, filling, and frosting a cake. Two cakes. So I ordered to 1/4 sheet cakes from our bakery, one chocolate and one vanilla with strawberries, neither one decorated. They were surprised, but were willing enough to take my money (the same amount, I should say, as if it had been decorated). At least, regardless of how they look (and I'm worried about meltage), the cakes will taste really good.

Thirdly, the highlight of the cakes isn't the cake but the cookies. Yep, there are going to be a few cookies. Because Bud and Sis aren't just getting a picture of a dinosaur or a bunny on their cakes, they're getting 4 standing up decorated sugar cookies of dinosaurs and bunnies (I let them vote between a flat picture and a standing up decoration. Mama said it was a no-brainer). His are blue and hers are pink (Mama votes for leaving them abstract; I'm leaning towards detailing them). And so, on the cake itself, I'll pipe green frosting for grass for the bunnies (and she wants a path, too) and brown dessert with a few ferns for the dinosaurs, plus their names.

Cute, huh? In theory.

More soon . . . .

Where in the World is San Diego?

Mama had gone to San Diego a few years ago and has been showing the kids the pictures of her visits to the zoo and safari park.

Today, Sis asked if we could go to San Diego, I assumed because of the animals. But no.

"Mommy, do we have to dress up to go there?"

"No, hon, just like regular."

"But isn't everyone dressed like Diego?"

Color Me Happy

Knowing my love of rainbows, Miss T has sent me two links recently, one on a rainbow jello salad made in a bundt pan (funny, the blogger has removed the page, which I'll link to anyway in case it's a glitch) and one for tie-dye cookies. My friend in Chicago used to make rainbow jello cups in those plastic see-through cups every year for proud. And I had seen tie-dye cupcakes by Sandra Lee. But both of these versions are extra fun, perhaps even easier, and thus worth trying. Since I have sugar cookies in the house, as birthday party preparations, I think we'll give those a try today.

P.S. We just made the cookies but I think the icing was too thin, as it didn't quite cover the cookie and all the colors ran together in the bowl. But then, I let the kids dip the cookies in the icing, so it might have been technique more than ingredients! They had a blast, though, so who cares!

Kolaches, Sweet Kolaches

After waiting almost a month, because my issue was lost and the replacement was delayed, and worrying that I would never get it, I have received my copy of Saveur, issue 121: The Texas Issue. And I have been so excited reading all about the food, food history, restaurants, chefs, and recipes of my state: chili, Whole Foods, kolaches, CFS, pinto beans, chuck wagon cooking, German potato salad, BBQ with white bread, dewberry cobbler, Liberty Bar (in S.A.), Texas caviar, pecan pie. There's even a blog I now love, called Homesick Texan, about a Texan foodie who lives in NYC (which reminds me to read through the whole Times's list of 50 best food blogs, as this is one of them.). If I were a better cook and a better writer, it could be me! She even has a whole post about my beloved Ranch Style Beans!!! (she also features Blue Bell ice cream, King Ranch Chicken, Luby's, kolaches, and a whole host of other goodies).

Did I mention kolaches? I'm on a kolache kick. What's that, you say? (and you say it "ka-lotch-eese). It's a sweet yeast pastry filled with various (usually fruit) fillings, primarily Czech in origin and found in Central Texas. My favorites are the apricot, cream cheese, and cottage cheese kolaches from Prasek's. I have my maternal great-grandmother's recipe, from my Aunt T, but now I understand that my mom has procured my Aunt J's mother's recipe as well. I think we might just have to make kolaches when Gommie visits. What's not to love? Sis will love the pastry and Bud will love the filling. And I'm much more comfortable working with yeast. And if that doesn't work, my wonderful mom is apparently bringing some Prasek's kolaches in her suitcase! Which is the perfect gift for a "Tex-pat" like me (for others, see the Homesick Texan's list)!

But back to Saveur. Sure, there are lots of pictures of beef and I just don't eat that anymore (which, among other things, probably disqualifies me from being a true Texan anymore) but I have fond memories of it. Just like I do of Texas: I might not live there (or even visit often) but I love it. And if you come to Connecticut, I'll serve you up some Texas-sized hospitality. Maybe even with some kolaches!

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Great-Grandmother's recipe for Kolatches (her spelling) from Her Friend Mrs. M

(Start the rich yeast dough first, then make all three of the fillings if you want to make a big to-do of coffee-time--any hour of day or night!)

Place in large mixing bowl and blend until softened

1 cake compressed yeast

2 tablespoons water

Add the following and beat until smooth to form a sponge . . .

2 tablespoons sugar

tall can of evaporated milk (note: 12 oz)

1 cup flour (not sifted)

Set above in warm place to double in bulk. Then return to mixer, punch down and mix in the following producing a smooth satiny dough, actually too soft to be handled . . . .

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup soft shortening

2 1/2 cups flour (approximately, not sifted)

Cover dough and let rise until doubled, then punch down in bowl and work out air bubbles. Turn onto floured board (using minimum to retain softenes of dough), and pat or roll out to 5/8-inch thickness. Cut in rounds of desired size; en route to cookie sheet dip in melted butter or margarine. Filling (one or all of the follwing should be cooled and ready to add not (my note: ??confusing??)--pressing a spoonful in center of each round. Makes approximately 4 dozen 2 1/2 to 3 inch kolatches.

Prune or Apricot Filling

Combine as listed in saucepan--then cook, stirring constantly, until thickened . . . .

1/2 cup sugar (or to taste)

1 tablespoon cornstarch

#2 or 303 can of "stewed" dried prunes or apricot halves

Cool before using--with "sweet topping" (details later). Makes enough to fill approximately 2 dozen.

Cottage Cheese Filling

Blend together in bowl, mixing thoroughly with a fork;

1 cup dry ( note: well-drained) fine-curd cottage cheese ("homemade preferred")

2 egg yolks

1/2 cup sugar (or to taste) (my note: it might read 1/4 cup; hard to decipher)

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon melted butter or margarine

Filling is ready to use--with "sweet topping". Makes enough to fill approximately 1 dozen kolatches.

Meat Filling

Place in skillet and cook slowly until well-done and lightly browned;

1 lb bulk pork sausage

1 large onion (finely chopped)

1 clove of garlic (crushed)

1 tablespoon pepper

salt (to your liking)

Drain off excess fa (or remove mixture from skillet) and cool Spoon on dough rounds, but instead of baking open, bring dough up around filling to form rolls--then place, seam downward, on cooking sheet. Makes enough for approximately 2 dozen "rolled" kolatches.

Sweet Topping to be sprinkled over fruit and cheese-filled kolatches is made as follows:

Combine in bowl and mix with pastry blender until light and crumbly:

1 cup sugar

2 tablespoons flour

4 tablespoons butter or margarine

Now, in this order, top each of the fruit and cheese kolatches with "some" of the following:

Sweet topping

Chopped nuts

Melted butter or margarine

When filled, likely the dough will have risen the necessary 10 to 15 minutes--therefore kolatches will be ready to bake.

Bake kolatches (all types) in 400-degree oven 20-25 minutes, or until puffed and nicely browned. Remove and brush or dribble over tops at once melted butter or margarine.

Serve warm or cold--with coffee a must!

For quick kolatches, the up-and-coming Mrs. M uses roll mix, sayin git's not as rich but will do in a pinch.

A note: "From article in newspaper"

(the recipe was typed on lined school paper with a few handwritten notes and faxed to me by Aunt T)

See also Saveur's strawberry kolache recipe, as well as cottage cheese kolache filling.

One Thousand and One . . . Recipes?

Who needs one thousand of anything? Okay, there are those Arabian nights and Scheherazade's tales, but does anyone need 1001 cookie recipes? Or muffins? Or cupcakes? But the titles abound. Even when the numbers aren't quite so high, it's still fairly absurd: 365 Vegetarian Soups, 501 Muffins, 660 Curries, 100 Ice Cream Desserts, 50 Ways to Cook Most Everything. Or even, while not numbered, How to Cook Everything and How to Cook Everything Vegetarian.

It's like gluttony in a whole new way. It's not even really about baking much less eating 1001 cookies or muffins, but owning, collecting, possessing the ability to do so. To have the option. The choice. We Americans love both collecting and choices, as well as cooking, and together, these have combined to create a mania for these comprehensive recipe collections (though, in fairness, the last two, by Mark Bittman, really aren't in the same category as many of the others. But the title connects them to the same trend.).

And I'm as guilty as the next cookbook buyer, owning several of the ones I've mentioned. Note I said "owning," not using, because I buy the books but don't often use them. I just thumb through them for ideas or just entertainment. It's like enjoying the cookie without eating it. Which, I suppose is less gluttonous than actually eating the cookie, but it all stems from the same place, some kind of internal need for satisfaction, satiation, that has not been met. In fact, recently, I came across two cookbooks, one on muffins, one on cookies, which together would have given me more than 1000 recipes, and I was obsessed: in addition to those recipes, there were charts and lists in the back for combining ingredients to make toppings and fillings and frostings and glazes, which would then produce even more variations on the recipes included. I was fascinated, no I was gluttonous. Here were 1000 recipes I didn't have. I wanted them, I needed them.

Until I looked closer. Not only were the recipes somewhat suspect--raw eggs in uncooked frosting, anyone?--but the pictures, when you actually studied them, showed products created by inexperienced cooks--overbrowned cookies, quick breads with huge domed and cracked centers. I had been lulled into liking the books by the sheer quantity of recipes alone, not the quality, which is exactly the problem with these kinds of books.

With our love of collecting and choice, sometimes I think we've forgotten to be picky, to be discerning, to be educated, or just to know when to stop, when enough is enough. More just isn't better. And I'm as guilty as the rest, having many more than 1001 recipes for cookies and muffins and cupcakes and soups and ice cream and vegetables and everything. But I'm increasingly conscious of the ridiculousness of it. And so I left those two cookbooks, the ones on muffins and cookies, at the bookstore, not beguiled by 1001 new things, even with a handy do-it-yourself list in the back. (I'm not giving up cookbooks in general, especially the historical, unique, or essay-based ones. Those offer food for the soul and the mind, and not just food to fill the stomach.)

Though, I did write down a few frostings. Without raw eggs. It's a small step in the right direction.

Green Isn't Always Clean

We use green cleaners, as I think I've mentioned, but I've realized something slowly over the last year or so: the house just isn't clean. The dishes never get as clean, the tub doesn't either. The toilets get dirtier faster. Basically, green cleaners just don't clean. I should add, as well as petroleoum-based toxic cleaners. No surprise there, really, since the toxic cleaners kill just about everything. Which is, of course, one of their problems. Now, sure, the green cleaners get things clean enough and, if I used them frequently, specifically more frequently than I would clean with other commercial cleaners (i.e. more than once a week), the house would probably be cleaner than it is. But I don't want to double my housework just because I want to be green. So, I have come to a cleaning compromise, of sorts, once a month, everything gets the poison; the rest of the month, it's the green stuff. And I was amazed at how shiny things became: the scum in my dishwasher disappeared (when vinegar rinses and citric acid hadn't helped), as did the stuff in my bathtub grout. Mama scrubbed all the green-not-so-clean pots and they shine again. It's not ideal but it's what I have if I want to be green and clean for now.

Color Me Possessive

As my kids have heard me say, sometimes I'm not good at sharing.

And so, the other day, I tested myself: I shared my coloring book. I hadn't set out to share. They were both playing and I was looking for a way to be present without being involved, so I pulled out my mandala coloring book and my new carousel of colors, which I had relocated to the basement as part of my craft studio. That's like throwing chum in the water for my kids, who came right over to the couch (yep, the futon cushions arrived and everything is set up).

I made a decision to share, to let them color in my book with my colors, neither of which I had yet used myself. I realized that if I didn't actually use the book when I found the time, which would be with them, that I never would, which wasn't the purpose of having the book, to leave it uncolored. Consider it an exercise in non-attachment, my testing how I can be unattached to things, especially things like coloring books and colors (or more importantly, my need for control). Now, if you know me of old, you know how hard this was (Aunt Banana can tell you). I'm a bit possessive about (or over-attached to) what I consider my stuff and not very good at sharing. I like my coloring books neat and my colors in order. So, the kids and I ordered the carousel by color family, which they thought was fun, even though I could feel myself getting anxious about how they tried to shove crayons where they didn't fit.

Then we all started coloring, albeit on a page I didn't particularly like. Sis kept telling me which colors to choose and we agreed on pink, with some green and blue, rather like a lotus flower in the water, though I added some purple, too. She did three-quarters of the mandala and I tried out a color pattern in my quarter (practice for the other pages, I kept telling myself).

But then Bud started coloring all over everything. In brown! And I had to lay down some coloring book laws, realizing all the while how crazy I must sound:

• You don't color over other people's pictures.
• You color within the lines (of course, they're 4 and can't quite do that, but let's show some respect for the lines)--if you don't want to color in the lines, get a blank sheet of paper.
• Put the colors back where you got them and don't force them in.

Right, I know, I have a problem, a little coloring book OCD, you might say. But we worked it all out and finished our page, with Bud figuring out that he could do the blue parts. In the end, our picture is beautiful, though not what I had first intended. But I think I treasure more if only because it represents such a deviation from normal for me, such an emotional effort (which sounds silly, we're talking about coloring books, but it's symbolic). You never know exactly where your boundaries are (or how high) until you step over them. And then, sometimes, you move them.

When I showed Mama the picture later, she thought I was nuts to even try it, recognizing what an effort it was (and probably what a freak I seemed to the kids). She applauded my effort to step outside my box, so to speak, but suggested I not torture myself so. She said that I don't have to share everything, that it's okay to have boundaries, to keep something back just for myself. Which, I agree, is absolutely true.

Will I do it again? Maybe.

But only on the pages I don't really like.

I Dream of . . . Meat?

I had the strangest dream two nights ago: I was eating a chicken finger, you know, a crispy, crunchy chicken finger dipped in ketchup, one of my favorite junk foods. As I ate it in the dream, I didn't seem to remember I was a vegetarian until about halfway through. And then I just finished it anyway! And it was good.

I guess that's one of the side effects of being a vegetarian for ethical reasons and not because I don't like meat--thinking and, I guess, dreaming about it doesn't bother me. Usually, it doesn't really tempt me and I don't miss it. But I guess recently, somewhere in my mind, I'm craving some chicken fingers. I could have that dream again, but I won't be eating a real one anytime soon, or forgetting I'm a veg.

Oh, It's a Jolly Holiday

The kids are now obsessed with Mary Poppins. It started during a dinner conversation, I'm not even quite sure how. But soon Mama and I were singing all the songs we knew and telling the story of the magical, flying governess who could jump through pictures, ride flying carousel horses, and have tea on the ceiling. Sis was particularly fascinated, so we found the music on the iPod and started dancing around. Oddly, it quickly morphed into a kind of square dancing, with Mama and I turning both kids, then each other, and then the other kid. Right out of "Chim Chimeree." That's two musicals in one week, which warms our hearts because its one of our favorite musical genres. I know the movie is long but, if we can find a copy on DVD, we might just have to watch it.

Getting Ready

Mama and I are entering the crazy stage of trip preparation, for her travels to Bangkok next week to see her grandfather and whole extended family (but, yes, they are Chinese--from the Chaozhou region of Guandong Province--not Thai, her grandparents having immigrated from as young people).

Anyway, we don't do separation well when it involves long distances and long times, though several factors ameliorate the stress of this trip, including the fact that she'll be taking that 24+ hour trip both ways with her brother Goo and meeting her parents (who own a house there) when they arrive and that Gommie will be here with me to the kids' ultimate delight. But with all the plane crashes recently, plus political unrest in Thailand, we're more anxious than if she were, say, traveling to Key West or San Diego, as on previous (and longer) trips.

We have our to-do lists (for the twins' birthday party, my mom's arrival, and Mama's departure) that we're slowing working our way through. Now time just needs to pass. But in a fit of needing comfort and distraction, we're both doing things to try to make us less tense. She just bought a gadget, a scanner to capture the family's pictures in her grandfather's house so they can have a copy stateside. And I bought several books at the bookstore last night (but not as many as I started carrying around, I should say). And only 2 of them were cookbooks, both, oddly, about soup! The other was a history of Britain through its food, which I had gotten from the library but wanted more time to delve into. So, at least I'll have recipes to try and books to read while Mama is gone.

'Cos, of course, there aren't already lots of books and cookbooks in my house already . . .

The Creaky Doorknob

It's a good thing our little cottage (or bungalow, or colonial, depending on your flair for real-estate speak) is about 90 years old, with creaky floorboards and original door fxtures, because otherwise the kids would scare us to death every morning when they came to get us. At least in this house, we have some advanced notice. Yep, the kids are getting out of their room by themselves these days, after two years of being well-trained to stay in their toddler beds until we came and got them.

I don't even remember when it started but I know who did it: Bud. One morning, after much rattling, he appeared in our doorway. The gig was up. I don't think we knew he'd even been practicing doorknobs. It kind of reminds me of how they learned to crawl out of their cribs: one resttime I heard a lot of giggling and went up to check--lo, and behold, they were naked in the middle of their room, dancing, having for the very first time (and last, as we dismantled the fourth rail, so to speak, that night) gotten out of bed; they never napped again. Last night, he did it twice--once at 4:30 a.m. because he wanted cuddles and then at 6:15 a.m. because he and Sis (who often follows along now in the mornings) were ready to be up. It's much harder to get kids back to bed after they've wandered around the light-filled house a bit and noticed it's not nighttime anymore. (Just like the loss of the nap, I think the days of listening to them chat while they waited to get up are gone. Makes one kinda wistful.)

Not that they actually go anywhere but our room. They won't just go play by themselves and leave us to sleep, nor will they take themselves to the bathroom if nature calls in the middle of the night. Though once, before Mama and I had even gone to bed, Bud appeared downstairs wanting to know why we weren't in our room and asleep (they think we go to bed when they do at 7:30 p.m.; we probably should).

It adds a new kink to family life, if only because just one more bit of our control is sliding away. I'm okay with that, I think. Especially if eventually they'll just go play or go to the bathroom alone. But beware, Gommie, I think, regardless of where you sleep, they'll be coming to get you early, and singing "You Are My Sunshine" when they do!

(Not Quite) Live Blogging the 4th of July, Part 5

5:22 p.m. Having let them sleep about an hour, we unpause "The Capitol Fourth" (which we realized was last year's) right at the fireworks and wake the children up gently. We listen to the requisite "1812 Overture" and Sousa music, watching fireworks explode over the nation's capitol. Then we head downstairs for s'mores.

5:49 p.m. With graham crackers, chocolate, and marshmallows, plus a bag of briquettes and matches, and one unbent metal coat hanger, we go outside where Mama has assembled the new fire pit in the driveway. I also have the sparklers, but when I go to show the kids, they freak out, terrified that I'm going to blow us all up, confusing sparklers with the fireworks we'd seen on tv. They actually wept and pulled at my skirt and begged. So of course I put the frightening things away. Til later. We focused on roasting marshmallows, which was very successful, highly exciting, and quite tasty. Everyone had one, though I never managed to really char one like I liked (it was very windy and the flame died down quickly, though it had been pretty strong, too strong for marshmallows, at first). We also drank Mama's Strawberry Lemonade (to taste: lemon juice, water, macerated strawberries, sugar), which was tasty.

6:31 p.m. After eating all we could (and doing one sparkler, which was more than enough but didn't really cause more tears--they weren't impressed or interested), and talking to some passing neighbors, the kids managed to squeeze in several last games before dinner: swinging, basketball, hide and go seek, "shark" (where I pretend to be scary and catch them), and fairy-house building.

7:16 p.m. We go inside for dinner, some noodles and leftovers. Then the kids, well-napped at this point past their usual bedtime, actually head to play for awhile, dinosaurs and Diego.

8:04 p.m. Finally, we're up to have a spray in the tub and go to bed.

8:26 p.m. The Fourth of July, for all intents and purposes, is over. The kids have been tucked in, Mama and I are off to clean up all the holiday detritus, and then maybe we too will watch some music and fireworks and fall fast asleep.

Happy 4th of July, everyone! Thanks for sharing it with us.

(Not Quite) Live Blogging the 4th of July, Part 4

3:55 p.m. After 4 episodes of "Handy Manny" (during which I mostly sleep), we turn on our taped "A Capitol Fourth."

4:11 p.m. Sis is snoring, sound asleep.

4:12 p.m. Bud is too.

(Not Quite) Live Blogging the 4th of July, Part 3

11:32 a.m. I decided that we should do some sand sculpting, from a recipe I saw in a Scholastic Parent & Child magazine. So, while Mama went outside with the kids and looked for natural embellishments like stones and sticks, I stayed inside and mixed up a batch of what can best be called Sand Playdough. It took longer than I thought but soon we were outside with plastic containers, sticks, stones, and shells, making towers and turrets and gates and doors and window in the warm, sandy goo. Sis sprinkled the whole thing with a covering of loose, dry sand.

12:10 p.m. Mama heads inside to start lunch. (Oh, and I tried a crystallized watermelon slice--it was okay, refreshing but not too tasty. But then, I don't think the watermelon was fully ripe. I would try it again.). The kids and I play with their parachute guys and then with the sprinkler. In the end, I chased them around the yard with the hose, delighting Sis but upsetting Bud. Can't win 'em all.

12:58 p.m. With canopy in place and table set, we are ready to eat outside. Mama, like a short order cook, has made a hamburger (for Sis), fish sandwich (for Bud), veggie burger (for me), faux chicken pattie (for herself), plus oven-baked fries. We put the watermelon on the table, as well as the ramen salad and some three-bean salad we had from the warehouse store. Lunch was served! And it was delicious (even the several flies thought so).

1:46 p.m. With table cleared, we were ready for ice cream. But we had to make it first, in our rolly ice cream ball. I tidied up the kitchen while Mama mixed ice and rock salt (which I'd finally located not at the grocery store but at the department store, next to the ice cream makers) in the outer chamber and then cream, sugar, and vanilla in the inner cylinder. We all went to the shady spot in the backyard and spread out the huge rainbow beach blanket. And, not throwing or kicking it, we rolled the big, plastic, orange ball back and forth between us, playing a game. We named things we liked--colors, animals, food, people, places to go--and, if we couldn't think of something in that category, we just changed categories. The kids had trouble rolling and thinking at the same time, but the ice cream was definitely making progress at the 10-minute mark. We rolled it for 7 more minutes (after Mama stirred it and refilled the ice/rock salt), singing the ABC song, counting, calling each other's names. Then it was done.

2:17 p.m. We were all at the table digging into our delicious soft-serve vanilla ice cream. Sis added chocolate syrup to hers, while Mama, Bud, and I spooned on some of the macerated strawberries from the morning. Wow! What a wonderful taste of summer. I think those sweetened strawberries would be good in lemonade with some seltzer.

2:44 p.m. With the backyard and porch cleared (though the kitchen slightly a wreck), we headed upstairs to start rest time. Whew, I need a rest before s'mores and sparklers!

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Sand Playdough

3 cups sand

1 1/2 cups water

1 1/2 cups cornstarch

old cooking pot

plastic cups, funnels, etc.

seashells and other natural embellishments

Mix the sand, water, and cornstarch together in the old pot over low heat, stirring until mixture is thick and starts to hold shape (this takes at least 10 minutes, or more). It will seem dry at first, then quickly turn wet.

Remove from heat and allow to cool 1-2 minutes.

Shape your castle the way you would on the beach using a shovel, cups, funels, and more (actually, we had trouble getting the sand playdough out of the molds, and just took to shaping it with our hands). Embellish with seashells, etc.

Allow to harden fully at least overnight. A day and a half works great.

Scholastic Parent & Child magazine.

(Not Quite) Live Blogging the 4th of July, Part 2

10:34 a.m. I head downstairs and make Ramen Salad for lunch, from a recipe given to me by a family friend, who passed away from brain cancer earlier this year. Accidentally use red wine vinegar instead of rice wine vinegar. Doesn't seem to matter much. Mama is reading with the kids.

10:56 a.m. Prepare potatoes for Oven-Fried Potatoes. I think I'll sprinkle Penzey's seasoned salt on half and sweet curry powder on the other half!

11:15 a.m. We all sample some strawberry pie--Bud eats the filling, Sis has the crust, Mama and I have "normal" pieces with sour cream.

11:29 a.m. We start getting ready to head outside for the morning. The cats are in their room (still upstairs in the "office", with food and water. The kids are getting dressed. I'm typing here.

Recipes later--gotta get outside!

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Ramen Salad

2 packages ramen noodles, crumbled

1 large package broccoli slaw

1 bunch green onions, chopped

1 cup sunflower kernels

1 cup toasted sliced almonds

½ cup oil

½ cup sugar

½ cup rice wine vinegar

seasoning packets

Combine noodles, slaw, green onions, seeds, and nuts. Mix oil, sugar, vinegar, and seasoning packet together. Pour over salad and toss. Note: this makes a ton; you can cut the recipe in half.

Mr. G

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Oven-Fried Potatoes

2-3 potatoes (baking or yukon)

oil

seasonings

Slice into strips washed, but not peeled, potatoes.

Place potato strips in ice water in refrigerator for 10-15 minutes.

Drain water.

Toss 1 tablespoon of oil in potatoes, totally covering.

Place potatoes on greased (Pam-sprayed) cookie sheet.

Bake at 450°F for 15 minutes or until brown.

Sprinkle with seasoned salt (though, sweet curry powder is really good, too).

Mom

(Not Quite) Live Blogging the 4th of July

5:56 a.m. The kids come into our room (more on how they can now open their door and start the morning this way everyday some other time). I opt to let Mama sleep, as I had my own nap yesterday afternoon, and so the kids and I head downstairs. Breakfast and play ensue.

8:02 a.m. We head to the porch to decorate our windows (and remove the bunny and eggs that were still there!). With red, white, blue, and yellow paint, we make a glorious mess. I paint stars and fireworks, while Sis creates a red (it's like pink) 4th of July bunny and Bud makes his own fireworks explosion. Did I mention the mess? Note: to make window paint, add a little dishwashing liquid to washable children's paints (in about a 1:4 ratio of soap to paint). Don't use water at all, even to clean brushes, as it will create drips and suds.

8:46 a.m. Watermelon! That's our morning snack, a great, big, ripe watermelon. Or, well, part of it. I slice the rest for later. And make Crystallized Watermelon Slices, which mainly involves cutting watermelon into wedges about 1/2" thick and sprinkly them lightly with sugar; then freeze on a wax-paper lined tray for four hours and enjoy!

9:26 a.m. After more play, I begin processing strawberries. Again. Yes, we went strawberry picking yesterday after a local 4th of July festival. But not 13 lbs worth, thank heavens. Because these berries are more ripe than the last batch, almost overripe, we're cooking or freezing them all. Some became our favorite Fresh Strawberry Pie, while others are just being sweetened (3/4 cup sugar to 1 quart hulled, sliced berries) and frozen.

10:01 a.m. Mama woke up, helped me with the last of the strawberries, fed the children another fruit snack--this time, lychee and longan in syrup previously frozen in cans then slightly defrosted and eaten like a slushie--and took over while I come upstairs for some air and space. Whew. Later on the schedule today: making homemade ice cream in our new rolly ball and then eating it with our pie, hamburgers and fries, ramen salad, bean salad, and whatever else we pull out for lunch; then, s'mores--over our brand new fire pit (THANK YOU so much for the wedding present, Cousin S; a note is on the way soon!)--and sparklers, maybe some fireworks on tv (I'm taping Macy's in NY and Boston Pops tonight but Capitol 4th is coming on this afternoon). Double whew.

Go, Go, Go Sis!

When we were sitting in the pediatrician's waiting room the other day, Sis found a book entitled, "Joseph's Rainbow Coat." It was not a standard format, but a shaped book held together with a brad or something like in one corner. She was intrigued.

Turns out, it was a very religious book about God helping people not get angry when other people do them wrong--one side was the biblical story and the other was the modern parallel for kids. It boiled the story down to four sentences, mainly: Joseph had a rainbow coat. His brothers didn't like him and sold him to people who took him far away. Joseph was scared and prayed to God for help. God helped Joseph.

Sis had me read the Joseph part (not the modern parallel) over and over and over again. And I just couldn't figure out what she saw in the story, nothing against the original story, but this was an awful retelling.

She liked the pink stripe in the picture of Joseph's coat!

But then she became intrigued with the rest of it. Why didn't his brothers like him? Why did they sell him? Why was he scared?

So I told her the rest of the story, as I knew it, about Joseph's dreams, the jealousy of the brothers, "being sent away to work for mean people in Egypt" (I mean, that's about all I could say about slavery to a not-quite-four-year-old), then helping the pharaoh (who was dreaming about cows--she loved that part!), becoming really important, and meeting his brothers again at the end.

She wondered if we had the book--I had mentioned the Bible--at home. My mind flashed to those ubiquitous blue-covered, hard-bound Bible stories for children illustrated books found in every waiting room in America in the 1970s. But no, we didn't have a children's version of the Bible (and would have difficulty laying our hands on an adult version for that matter. NOTE to friends and family: PLEASE, no illustrated Bible stories for their birthday! The retellings of the stories are awful and the illustrations are even worse). I told her I had read it but knew it better from a musical.

That's right, I based my biblical teachings on Andrew Lloyd Webber's Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (I'm also partial to The Ten Commandments, but that's a different story). It was the first Webber musical I ever saw, probably three decades ago, in our season subscription back in Houston. With David Cassidy. And I had loved it. I still know all the words. And so I started to sing for Sis the rainbow coat song.

And she loved it. When we got home later, she had me play the entrie soundtrack, conveniently found on our iPod. And she sat mesmerized, asking when Joseph or the brothers were singing, asking about the rainbow coat song, asking why Joseph sang about being scared, paying special attention to the cows in the dream song. Bud, who had really paid very little attention to Sis's Joseph interest, liked the music, with its pastiches of different styles. And so, we listened to it twice through on Wednesday, with sections the last few days.

It's not exactly how I came to love the musical, but it is a fun way to learn the Bible!

I Love Lentils: Lentil-Brown Rice Salad

Note: In streamlining my life and online activities, I've deleted my "I Love Lentils" blog and have imported the posts into this blog. Look for future "I Love Lentils" posts here.

I've been experimenting with a cold lentil-brown rice salad, having been inspired both by Mark Bittman (In a post on Bitten, Mark Bittman shares a lentil salad recipe inspired by that of L'Ambassade d'Auvergne, Paris, with bacon and mustard) and by members of my online vegetarian community. Here is what I have so far, though, oddly I like it warm better. I think that means it needs some additional flavor to really stand out when it's cold.

Lentil-Brown Rice Salad

1 cup lentils, rinsed and picked over

2 cups brown rice, cooked

1/2 cup feta

8 oz can black olives

salt, pepper to taste

Cook lentils in boiling water (unsalted) for approximately 10 minutes or until al dente (or to your liking. I like mine with just a little resistance). Drain and rinse. Add rice, feta, and olives while still warm so that feta partially melts. Season with salt and pepper.

Suggestions have been made for a squeeze of lemon and some fresh herbs like parsley but I haven't tried that yet. I had also considered a splash of balsamic vinegar, next time.

Republicans Are Just Different

So, you have a job and you're looking for another job, sort of in the same line of work, but higher up the ladder.

So, instead of working hard and doing the best you can at the job you have--a job you were elected to and for which you swore to do your duty--you quit (possibly in hopes of a better shot at the topnotch job. Or because there's some dirt that's about to come out about you).

And while you are announcing that you quit, you say you can do better outside your line of work (at least, presumably, until you move up).

How in the world does that mean you are still qualified to climb that ladder, having broken your word, abandonned your duty, and denigrated your line of work?

But then actually being qualified for the topnotch job doesn't mean much to some parties.

-=-=-=

See Gail Collins on it all here.

Made to Order

A recent dinner conversation:

Sis: "Mommy, how did you and Mama make babies?"

Me: "We went to the doctor and got help."

Sis: "Okay, so when I grow up, I'm going to a doctor for help. Then to the hospital. They'll pull the baby out. . . . Mommy, did you order two babies?"

Me: "No, that was just special."

Sis: "I only want to order one baby. . . . They'll pull the baby out and staple me up. Then I get to name the baby. And later I'll work at my pizzeria and it can come have lunch after school."

Treats for a Hot Day

Looking for something tasty for the holiday weekend? Try one of these freezer popsicles:

Lemon or Orange Cream Pops
1-14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup milk
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel
3 drops yellow food color (if desired)

In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients; mix until the sugar
dissolves. Pour into molds. Freeze for at least 6 hours or until
solid.
NOTE: For lime or orange cream, simply substitute fresh lime or
orange juice and peel for the lemon.

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Root Beer Float Pops
2 cans root beer
1 pint vanilla ice cream

Set out the ice cream for 10-15 minutes ahead of time to soften.
Spoon some ice cream into molds. Next fill the containers with root
beer (watch out--it will fizz a little). Freeze for 4-6 hours or
until solid.

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Cream Caramel Milk Pops
1 1/2 cups low-fat milk
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/3 cup caramel ice cream topping at room temperature

Combine sugar and cornstarch in a medium saucepan and gradually whisk
in milk. Simmer over medium heat until thickened, about 2 minutes,
whisking frequently. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla extract.
Transfer to a large shallow bowl; place in refrigerator for about 40
minutes, stirring occasionally. Drop heaping teaspoonful of caramel
topping randomly over pudding. Gently swirl into pudding. Spoon
mixture into molds. Freeze for 4-6 hours or until solid.

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Espresso Frozen Pops

2 cups brewed espresso (or 2 cups very strong coffee)
1/2 cup chocolate syrup
6 tablespoons granulated sugar (because granulated sugar may not
dissolve easily, substitute liquid sugar, available at grocery,
stores, for uniform sweetness)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
6 tablespoons milk

Combine all ingredients in a pitcher. Pour into molds and freeze for
4-6 hours or until solid.

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Natural Fruit Pops

1 cup orange or apple juice
1 cup fresh or frozen fruit of your choice (strawberries, blueberries,
melon, etc)
1 tablespoon honey

Put all ingredients into a blender and mix 20-30 seconds. Pour into
molds. Freeze overnight.

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Dripless Pops
1-3 oz. package Jello, any flavor
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups boiling water
2 cups cold water

Dissolve Jello and sugar in boiling water and add cold water. Pour
into molds and freeze. Add penguin handles after mixture is partially
set. Allow to freeze solid.

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Chocolate Fudge Pops

3 cups milk
2 tablespoons sugar
1-4 1/2 oz. package instant chocolate pudding

Beat milk, sugar, and pudding on low or by hand for 5 minutes. Pour
into molds and freeze for 3-4 hours or until solid.

all of the above from our Zoo Pops recipe booklet
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Lychee-Cran-Raspberry Pops

2 cans lychees, strained
1 bag cranberries
1/2 cup sugar
1 orange, finely chopped zest and juiced
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
32 oz. cran-raspberry juice

In a food processor, combine lychees, cranberries, sugar, orange juice
and zest, and vanilla extract. Process until smooth.

Strain mixture into a large bowl, add cran-raspberry juice and stir to combine.

Freeze in pop molds or use paper cups and wooden craft sticks to make
your own molds.

Freeze overnight.

Ming Tsai

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All-Fruit Pops
2 very ripe bananas, peeled and sliced
1 very ripe mango or papaya (or 3 kiwis), cut into chunks
6 popsicle sticks or molds

Place fruits in blender and process until liquid. Pour into molds and
freeze until solid.

Scholastic Parent and Child magazine

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Raspberry Cheesecake Pops (*this probably works best with paper cups
and wooden craft sticks)

8 oz. package reduced-fat cream cheese, softened at room temperature
1 cup confectioner's sugar
1 cup cold skim milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
12 oz. package frozen raspberries

To prepare pop molds, place eight 5-oz paper cups into a standard
muffin tin. Set aside.
In a food processor, blend cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add
milk and vanilla and process until creamy. Blend in raspberries to
make a chunky mixture.
Divide mixture into paper cups. Cover the muffin tin tightly with
aluminum foil and poke wooden craft sticks or plastic spoons through
the foil into the center of each cup.
Place muffin tin in freezer for at least 4 hours or until frozen solid.
Remove tin, and peel off foil and paper cups. Serve immediately or
store pops in a resealable plastic bag in the freezer.

Scholastic Parent and Child magazine

All's Well That Ends Well

Bud's staple is gone.

He was very good about waiting (quite a long time), distracted by a new sticker book with trains and by the books at the office. Even in the exam room, he did his usual thing, which is drum on the walls and furniture with those wooden throat sticks. He only started to get a little apprehensive when the doctor and the nurse showed up (together, ready for action). But it was over pretty fast. He was actually much more upset about the cream the doctor put on it after the fact than about the removal of the staple with a little plier-like tool. Sis, who had been excited about the whole removal-thing from the beginning, carefully watched and then was intrigued by the staple afterwards: "It looks like an 'N'."

Bud's reaction, as he hopped off my lap and grabbed my hand: "We're leaving now. Let's go get my sticker."

Yep, it's a real head again, folks.