Birthday Permutations

We were going into the city to the "dinosaur museum" to see those plus the origami tree, and then Mama and I got sick and realized maybe that would be too much.

Then it snowed. And we thought about going to Sturbridge Village, which is beautiful under snow. But then it was 19F this morning and we realized it wouldn't be fun if it were that cold tomorrow.

So now I think we'll do a stay-at-home family day for my birthday. I see it like this:

4:30 a.m. Kids wake up and, excited about my birthday, run in to wish me a great day. We try to laugh and then send them back to bed.

6:45 a.m. It's officially morning and I get to open the presents (which I'm not supposed to know about) hiding under their beds (which I'm not supposed to know about) from Toys R Us (the store I'm not supposed to know about). Of course, they told me all of it in the first hour.

7:36 a.m. Breakfast is served. Yep, they've let me in bed while they go make breakfast, probably marmalade toast and tea. Perfect. More is not necessary.

7:45 a.m. We settle into bed snuggling to watch some Christmas tv.

9:01 a.m. We head to the store to get supplies for cake and a pinata. I get to choose what kind of pinata it is. And I think the cake will be chocolate. Maybe Bittman's new recipe. Or maybe a box mix!

10:15 a.m. After picking up a latte, we come home to bake a cake and fill a pinata.

11:02 a.m. Cake for snack and pinata candy too!

12:15 p.m. Lunch out. Rolls in olive oil. Salad. Pizza. Dessert just so they can sing to me (yes, I like that). Yum.

1:30 p.m. a short rest time with more Christmas tv, probably new Imagination Movers episode

2:30 p.m. Holiday decorating--we hang the solar icicle lights Mama found outside and put up our tree. My mom always made sure our tree was up by my birthday, the unofficial start of the holiday season (way back when, before it started at Halloween!)

4:00 p.m. Special Christmas snack--hot chocolate and more birthday cake!

4:35 p.m. Computer games? More tv? Playtime? Whatever.

6:00 p.m. leftover pizza dinner

7:00 p.m. bedtime for kiddos

7:30 p.m. birthday with Mama

10:00 p.m. bedtime for mommies

A pretty great day, even if it's not what we had thought it would be.

Icing Live

Okay, I'm not icing anymore, but I did. And I wasn't that impressed. Though, truth be told, I didn't use the recipe quite as written. I did not boil and drain fresh zest; instead, I rehydrated dried peel. But there just isn't that much orange flavor in the icing. So the whole "orange" part of the Orange Butter Cookie gets lost. And instead of being striking white it's kinda the same color as the cookie, which isn't quite as impressive. Oh, well, that'll teach me to be lazy. That said, it is a marvelous butter cookie and so I'll just work on the orange part.

Baking Live, Part 5

It's the round cookie in the middle with the icing and orange peel.

We just conducted an icing-free taste test (I'll ice them in the morning).

They are delicious. The texture is so delicate and soft, but the cookie is not crumbly or too fragile. Now, the orange flavor doesn't shine through much so maybe I underestimated the dried orange peel. But it will be fine with the icing I'll make in the morning. We were both very impressed. Definitely worth the trouble.

Baking Live, Part 4

I was just about to type "Mama, it's safe to come home: the last batch is in the oven and the kitchen is clean" when the phone rang. She'll be home in five minutes.

The cookie tally is at 103, which is a bit more than two batches "should" be, which means my first cookies were big but my last were small. Not that I think you can tell by looking. And that gives us almost 30 cookies to play with. I could freeze them for Christmas Eve cookies at church. Or give them to the staff at my PT place. Or take extras to the swap. Or serve them at my birthday party on Monday.

Or eat them all with my family. :)

Baking Live, Part 3

So, a few notes:

• I like whisking flour and other dry ingredients instead of sifting. I saw it on a Martha Stewart show recently and gave it a try.
• While I didn't need the trick for these cookies, one hint when you have to cover something in non-stick spray is to do it over your open (dirty) dishwasher door. It'll catch the extra spray and get cleaned up in the next wash. Related to tonight, my mixer is above my dishwasher, so I just brush crumbs and mess into the door below.
• I'm trying parchment paper (unbleached, but with silicon) for the first time this week. I didn't want to have to keep washing and drying my silpats. Now, I have had some reservations about the silpats (are we going to find out that silicon leaks toxins too?) and had thought parchment was silicon-free. I guess I'll have to keep looking.
• I've also been a stickler with room temperature eggs/cold butter. Can't say I can see a difference . . . .

But I haven't tried a cookie yet. First, because I think I'm overloaded on holiday food right now. But more importantly, because I want to wait until Mama gets home from her office party. Besides, I can't ice them until they're cool, which will probably be tomorrow morning. And if I try too many, I won't have enough . . . .

Baking Live, Continued

Mama Teacher and I talked on the phone about details the whole time I put the cookie dough on the cookie sheets and while the delicate orange butter aroma encircled my kitchen. Yummy!

The first batch made 40 cookies, instead of 48. I'm sure some of them were too big. But that's okay because I only need 72. So if I do the second batch the same as the first, I'll have 8 leftover. More than enough for Mama and kiddos.

And yes, I had to do the batches separately. Mainly because I didn't think double the dough would fit in my mixer. It probably would have. But better safe than sorry.

I've never worked with cake flour. It is fine, soft stuff. Sure, bleached, my least favorite baking word. I wonder if King Arthur Flour makes a cake flour? My grocery store doesn't carry it.

Wow, "baking live" is hard. Because, well, I'm not baking while I'm blogging. At least, in that respect, Sara Moulton had it easy! (of course, it wasn't easy. And she didn't even always make it look easy, which is why we definitely preferred her show and were so disappointed when it was off air).

More soon . . . .

Baking Live

I used to love "Cooking Live with Sara Moulton," so here goes my attempt.

I'm making Orange Butter Cookies, from The Sweeter Side of Amy's Bread by Amy Scherber and Toy Kim Dupree, which was featured in an article on butter in the NYTimes last year. It was actually the cookie I had hoped to make for our failed cookie swap last year, which I'd forgotten about until linking to that blog a few days ago (which is why I switched cookies at the last minute! I like the circle making this cookie created).

I forgot that the butter was supposed to be cold, not room temp, so it's gone back in the fridge. But my eggs are now room temp, so that's good. I have dried orange peel from Penzey's, not fresh zest, and the container said to use 1/3 of what it calls for--is that 1/3 of any fresh measurements? What's 1/3 of 2 teaspoons? And it doesn't taste so orangey.

Oops, the other host is calling. Gotta go.

-=-=-=-=-

Orange Butter Cookies

1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 2/3 cups cake flour or more all-purpose flour (cake flour gives a finer texture)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter
2 packed teaspoons freshly grated orange zest
1 large egg plus 2 large egg yolks, at room temperature
FOR THE ICING (SEE NOTE):
1 orange
1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
2 to 4 tablespoons whole milk
2 drops almond or vanilla extract
Pinch fine salt

Position two oven racks in top and bottom third of oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

In a bowl, whisk flours, baking soda and salt together. In a mixer, cream together the sugar, butter and orange zest at medium speed until light and smooth, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of bowl frequently. Add egg and mix. Add one egg yolk and mix. Add remaining egg yolk and mix. Stir in dry ingredients just until combined.

Scoop tablespoons of dough onto parchment, leaving more than 1 inch between cookies. Press each one down lightly with 2 fingers to flatten to a thickness of 1/2 inch. Leave any ridges and valleys on top of cookie intact, but smooth the edges.

Bake about 15 minutes, rotating cookie sheets halfway through. Cookies should be pale but baked all the way through. Cool on sheets 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack and cool before storing in airtight containers up to 1 week.

When ready to serve, make icing: Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Peel orange, being careful to remove only outer orange zest, and cut into thin strips. Blanch in boiling water 1 minute; drain. Sift confectioners’ sugar into a bowl. Whisk in 2 tablespoons milk. Whisk in more milk if needed to make mixture thin enough to spread. Add extract, salt and zest, and whisk to combine.

Place cookies on a rack and drizzle icing over each one (make sure there is some orange zest in each spoonful). Icing will settle into cookie crevices; let harden.

Yield: About 4 dozen cookies.
Note: Instead of icing, cookies can be sprinkled with coarse crystal sugar before baking.

Pretty in Pink

We were reviewing our activities for today at lunch yesterday and Sis described how she saw it all, "we'll wake up, play a little, then put on our pretty party clothes, and go to the party."

Okay, her timeline was off a bit--the party is this afternoon, meaning she skipped lunch and rest--but I was more fixated on the "pretty party clothes." She doesn't have pretty party clothes. After buying her a special Christmas outfit for the last 4 year running, outfits that she wore for the hour it took to go to Vespers at church, I decided not to bother this year. She never particularly liked them or wanted to wear them. And now this.

So, late last night, when I remembered to tell Mama the quandry, we strategized about how to acquire said clothes. We didn't want to deprive her of the dress-up factor, realizing that she is severely at a fashion disadvantage with a butch Mama and a granola Mommy, neither of whom give much of a second, or sometimes even a first, thought to clothes usually. I loved dressing up as a girl and envied the fluffy, frilly party dresses a classmate had (Mama had to wear those and apparently hated them). I didn't want Sis to do without, if possible (within reason, which is no doubt why Gommie didn't buy those crazy frilly dresses; I did of course have lovely dresses--just not the ones with layers of petticoats!). I could've run to Target before it closed at 11 pm. Or Mama could have gone during lunch today and had the clothes ready when we got there for Sis to change into.

But then, this morning, I asked Sis about it. What did she want to wear today? Turns out, "pretty party clothes" are pink. And nothing more. Not fancy, not new, not even a dress. She selected from her pile of clothes a plain pink shirt and pink pants. Perfect, she said. It pays to ask, you see. And not to pile on my own issues and fears.

Time to go get dressed . . . . but I don't have anything to wear!

(Oh, and Gommie, because I know you're going to ask. She wears a 5T!)

"Why Are There Monsters In Every Fairytale?"

We were talking about the story of Beauty and the Beast, as I tested the waters for a possible afternoon showing of one of my favorite films. I gave a quick synopsis of the story and Bud interrupted me, "Why are there monsters in every fairytale, Mommy?"

He went on to mention the evil stepmother in Cinderella, a story we had just read a few weeks ago, and witches and monsters in general (they don't, as yet, know too many fairytales).

Well, I said, fairytales are about people solving problems, kinda like the Imagination Movers do, except these aren't ordinary problems but bigger monster-and-witch ones. I started to add, but stopped myself, that these were really ordinary problems writ large, metaphors of our daily existence. But I did mention that the characters in the story learn something and teach us too when they go up against these special challenges.

And they still wanted to watch the movie!

So, we sat down with Beauty and the Beast for rest time (encouraged by the fact that it was made by the Brother Bear people). At the opening sequence, Sis gasped, "Mom, it's beautiful." And so it is, one of the most beautiful films ever made. Sure, they didn't see all of it, as I fast-forwarded through the scary beast parts in the beginning and through the scary Gaston parts at the end, but enough to know they liked it.

Except, "Mommy, I want the beast back," they both said. "I don't want him to die." I explained, through my usual end-of-movie tears, he doesn't die but turns into a human again; that just wasn't an appealing alternative for them. I agree. Most people must, because all the sequels I know about feature the beast not the prince.

Anyway, I hadn't seen the film in a long while, maybe never on our DVD, though we've owned the DVD for a long time. And I realized there's a new song, "Human Again," from the Broadway show, that hadn't been included in theatrical release. It's a good song but was a startling disruption in a movie I've seen so many times. The kids didn't know it wasn't there originally and they liked the humor. Because the household object characters were some of their favorites.

So, we have our first Disney Princess movie under our belts. And I think we all liked it. Though, as Sis pointed out to Mama, "Belle isn't a princess" (which is technically true until the very end). The other films--Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Little Mermaid, Cinderella (though not as much)--have scarier villains, those monsters and witches and stepmothers. We'll have to work our way up to those, starting with the books (which just seem less scary, mainly because the kids control their mental images and can self-censor the scariness, which they might not totally understand; visual images in movies can be daunting, confusing, and just plain scary). And, maybe, a few more viewings of Beauty and the Beast.

Vote for Annise Parker!

Help elect Houston's first openly gay mayor, the first for such a large American city.

Unfortunately, my parents aren't within the city limits and so can't vote, but I imagine they'll be doing it in spirit.

Best political news out of Texas in awhile.

Cookie Swap Countdown

Tomorrow is our playgroup cookie swap, one that we have been preparing for, in some ways, for more than a year. And, as with any big party--and this was has grown to 14 participants bringing 6 dozen cookies each--there are lots of last-minute details. There are three hosts, so we're splitting some of the work and cost, but most of it is falling on Mama Teacher because it will be at her house. I won't detail her efforts here, so as to keep some of the magic alive, but suffice it to say she's giving it her all, plus some!

I'll have a wrap up after tomorrow night, but there are some things I've already realized:

• People don't RSVP well oftentimes--we've had a lot of late RSVPers and lots of non-RSVPers, which makes it hard, especially with a party like this. Except in special circumstances, it's rude.
• 72 cookies doesn't seem like a lot when split 14 ways. We could've gone the one-dozen-per-person route, but even I, baking-fan that I am, think 14 dozen is a bit too many cookies to have to make. Is five of each cookie per person satisfying? We'll see.
• There are always last-minute changes. We realized that our plan for containers for people to put their cookies in wasn't going to be sufficient. So we're off in search of something else today. And, I suppose, this doesn't even qualify as a last-minute change!
• I should've baked earlier in the week and frozen the cookies. Yep, I don't have cookies yet. And I changed my recipe late last night, so I don't have ingredients yet, either! Which means the baking has to go perfectly tonight, with a recipe I've never used (though, the other recipe was new too, and riskier). And my usual sous-chef is going to be out at yet another office party. If it doesn't go well, I have little wiggle-room. Tonight there is no help or support, no running out for back-up supplies for a do-over. Tomorrow, there are 2 hours while the kids are in school in the morning. And that's it. Wish me luck!

-=-=-=-=-

The cookie I'm not making:

Almond Bar Cookies

1/2 cup packed canned almond paste* (about 5 oz; not marzipan),
coarsely crumbled
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sugar
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1 large egg, separated
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sliced almonds (about 1 1/2 oz)

Pulse almond paste in a food processor until broken up into small bits, then add salt and 1/4 cup sugar and continue to pulse until finely ground, about 1 minute.

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-inch square baking pan, then line with foil, leaving a 2-inch overhang on 2 opposite sides, and butter foil.

Beat together butter and remaining 1/2 cup sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes in a stand mixer (preferably fitted with a paddle attachment) or 6 minutes with a handheld. Add almond mixture, egg yolk, and almondextract and beat until combined well, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to low, then add flour and mix until combined. Spread batter evenly in pan with an offset spatula. Lightly beat egg white in a small bowl, then brush some of it over batter and sprinkle evenly with almonds.

Bake until top is golden, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely in pan on a rack, about 1 hour. Transfer with foil to a cutting board, then discard foil. Cut into squares or rounds.

Gourmet.com

Improvement

I feel so much better than I did yesterday morning. Thank heavens. I was getting bored with my sick self. Of course, now there's all the stuff to do that I've ignored for five days. With less time to do it because there was a 90-minute school delay due to snow/rain/wind/whatever this morning (and no it's not pretty--the snow is now slush and the rain is in torrents). But there is less to do because I postponed my birthday party. So, today, we'll sit inside watching the wind and rain swirl about--it would have made a beautiful blizzard!--making candy for teachers and watching Christmas specials on tv.

The only downside: Mama is getting sick.

Of course.

Don't Drink the Water

"But since 2004, the water provided to more than 49 million people has contained illegal concentrations of chemicals like arsenic or radioactive substances like uranium, as well as dangerous bacteria often found in sewage." The New York Times

Okay, I can eat organically and give up canned foods, but where in the world do I get water? It really makes me sad how we are poisoning ourselves. And there's something new everyday . . . .

Down But Not Out

The kids are downstairs playing birthday party with all their stuffed penguin critters, having cake and fish stew. I'm sure there will be a pretend pinata later. They are so excited about my birthday later this week.

But I'm kinda bummed. I had to postpone the party because I just don't feel well enough. I don't want to get anyone else sick, nor do I want to clean the house and go grocery shopping for cake ingredients and a pinata. It's still just a cough, with fatigue, not even any congestion, and no fever. But I feel so blah.

Blah to the point that I'm also bummed to have missed my seasonal flu shot today, advised not to have it since I feel so under the weather. Probably the last chance I had to get one. And we were getting it at Mama's office, which would have been fun to go down there and meet her for lunch. Now it's just me and the kids at home. And they are bored stiff with my sick routine.

There was a lot going on this week--lunch with Mama, my birthday party, then the kids' holiday party at Mama's office and a cookie swap. I'm hoping I feel better enough (and not contagious) for those last two on Thursday and Friday. Plus my family birthday celebration this weekend which was to include a day in the city.

On the bright side, lots of friends have emailed with offers of support and help; one of them just dropped off some soup. And the kids and I managed to make orange-apricot pate de fruits, which, because it is boiled forever, I figure will withstand any germs. I won't handle it again til I'm well. But it looks very good and the spoon tasted delicious (no I didn't double dip!). And there's lots of special tv shows about baking--cookie swaps, gingerbread house contests, holiday cakes--and about music--Riverdance, Andrea Boccelli, lots of holiday concerts in gorgeous European locals (the Priests and also Celtic Women, not my favorites but good enough)--though I usually don't like most of what's on or watch any tv (except what the kids watch), there are some things for me to veg out to. And Mama has been a dear, doing all the cleaning, lots of cooking, coming home a bit early and leaving late, plus doing everything on Sunday as I lay around in bed.

So, all told, I should be well soon. There's care and incentive enough . . . .

-=-=-=-=-

Orange-Apricot Pate de Fruits

*I doubled this from the recipe in my book because I needed extra but didn't have 2 jars of orange marmalade so I added apricot too. The amounts below are for a single, not my doubled, batch.

2 envelopes unflavored gelatin

2/3 cup water

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 cup orange marmalade

vegetable oil for coating pan

superfine sugar for coating the candy.

Oil an 8" square pan. Set aside.

In a small bowl, sprinkle gelatin over 1/3 cup water. Let the gelatin soften at room temperature until needed.

Combine the remaining 1/3 cup water and the sugar in a heavy medium saucepan. Place over medium heat. Stir until sugar dissolves and the mixture comes to a boil.

Add marmalade and stir until it melts into the syrup completely. Add the softened gelatin and stir until the gelatin dissolves completely. Return the mixture to a boil and cook for 2 minutes.

Remove the pot from the heat and pour the syrup into the prepared pan. Place in the refrigerator until the candy is set, at least 4 hours.

Cover the cop of the candy with superfine sugar. Use a wet knife to cut the candy into small squares. Using a narrow spatula dipped in water, carefully remove one square at a time and cover each one completely with additional superfine sugar. Store the pate de fruits in layers, separated by wax paper, in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 weeks.

*Note: The book says you can do just about any fruit that you can find 1 cup of jam or marmalade for.

Bruce Weinstein, The Ultimate Candy Book (I love his ice cream book, too!)

One Invitation, Two Kids

Sis got an invitation in her cubbie at school today, a lovely card announcing a "gingerbread tea" with cookie decorating and stories from one of her classmates.

Bud did not get one.

Which is okay, of course--hosts can invite whomever they choose and no doubt this one is a girls-only thing and, most importantly, I'm glad that Sis will get to go--but it's odd to be on both the "winning" and the "losing" side of the same party, so to speak. It's not, of course, the last time this will happen. It's not even the first time. But when Bud got an invitation last year to an all-boy thing that I knew Sis would enjoy, too, we fortunately already had plans and so declining was easy. And I haven't given it much thought since then. It's odd, sometimes, to think of them as separate. My kids inhabit the same social world--same class, same friends, same activities. While we treat them individually, recognize their differences, we usually function as a coherent, cohesive unit. I know this will change when they are separated in kindergarten, the beginning of their truly separate paths, worlds, selves, if you can ever say that twins are "truly separate." Maybe I'm not ready to start down that road just yet.

Besides the biggest challenge, which is logistical because the party falls when I don't usually have Mama at home to take care of Bud so I can take Sis to the party, the invite poses certain interesting parenting questions. Sure, it is a fact of life that things aren't fair and people are different, that Bud and Sis won't always get to do the same things. But how exactly do you explain it? I don't know the reasons--I'm only assuming it's a gender-thing, but it could just as easily be a space thing or a preference thing--and, really, explaining doesn't actually help. How do you take the sting out of "you can't go"?

Because Bud's not being invited isn't a reason for me to keep Sis at home. I don't really want Sis to miss out on these fun opportunities just because her brother wasn't invited; she needs to do things without him (more, almost, than he needs to do things without her). There will be a time when she is left at home and he goes to a party. And yet, part of me aches a bit inside to have to sever the two and create a disturbance for this party, for disturbance there will be, I'm sure, before, during, and after, something they would have been spared, for now, if a). they'd been singletons or b). different ages or maybe c). the same gender.

So, Sis and I will go and have a lot of fun, but part of me--the Bud's Mommy part--won't be having so much fun.

Until the reverse happens next time.

It's Candy Week!

We're starting candy week, when we make several different candies for preschool and church school teachers, this afternoon with a trip to the store to get supplies. Because we'll be making some or all of these:

• Chocolate-covered pretzels--the kids' number one favorite
• Chocolate-covered apricots
• Buttermints
• Rocky Road
• Peppermint bark
• Chocolate Orange bark
• English toffee
• Non-pareils
• Pate de fruits

More later . . . .

My New Year's Resolution: Ban the Can!

It came to me in a flash, what my New Year's resolution would be: I'm giving up cans. Yep, I'm clearing the house of canned goods and will be using only fresh ingredients or those from jars, boxes, or bags.

Why? I read the Consumer Reports study that the average single serving of green beans has 80 times more BPA than the FDA recommends for a 165-pound adult! And that children eating one or two foods from cans a day receive levels of BPA that cause serious and harmful effects in lab rats.

And this week, Nicholas Kristof writes about the health bill and the kitchen. I had wondered if we weren't bailing the boat without fixing the hole: sure we can provide better health care coverage, which I absolutely believe is desperately needed, but if we are poisoning ourselves at the same time, it isn't going to make us a healthier nation. As Kristof points out, breast cancer rates have soared in the last 40 years, with risks at only 1 percent in 1975 to 12 percent now: that's 1 in less than 10 instead of 1 in 100! As someone at risk--early menstruation, late first pregnancy, overweight, family history--this greatly concerns me (which is why I read about the breast cancer prevention drug with great interest--it cuts risk rates dramatically; I'll be asking about that at my next OB visit).

So, we have already gotten rid of almost all the plastic containers in the house, and not just the "bad" plastics. We've switched to glass storage for everything but iced tea (which we're reconsidering as I type) and school snacks. And now we will be getting rid of almost all of our cans, especially canned soups and vegetables (with high rates, according to the CR study). But also cans of beans, fruits, tomatoes, whatever we have hanging around in the house. Yes, we'll still eat some cans--probably rare Asian fruits you can't get except in sugar syrup, and Ranch-style beans, maybe Ro-tel tomatoes. But only for once in awhile. Because while there seems be some evidence that much of it leaves with 5-9 hours, some stays around (and that 93% of us have some BPA in our bodies!!!!!). Cutting out our exposure to it can do nothing but help.

And, we'll be starting this New Year's resolution now, not in a month.

Out Cold

I'm sick. I thought it was vocal strain because of all the fun at the office party. But that wasn't all. Now there's coughing and congestion. No fever, no trouble breathing. So just your average cold. But very much in my throat.

So, Mama's taking the kids to church this morning--they'll go to class while she fixes the church computer. And then they'll come home. Luckily, we didn't have anything else planned for today. I have to get well for my birthday week!

Bowling Boogie

Bud and Sis love the bowling birthday parties we've gone to, including today's Little Mermaid edition complete with delectable Ariel cake homemade by mom (way to go, Miss J!) and great party favors (you should have heard the kids on the way home--"Mom, I got a necklace! And candy!" and "Mom, I got a crazy straw!").

Mama likes the bowling parties too and will bowl and bowl and bowl with the kids, kept from disappointment by the gutter guards and lighter duckpin balls.

But today, Bud and Sis's favorite part was not the bowling but the dancing. Towards the end of the bowling segment of the party, the lights went down and the disco ball went up. And Bud and Sis boogied to great 80s hits (albeit, sung by some kiddo singers). And they practically freaked when the "Shrek" song, "I'm a Believer," which they only just first noticed on the Macy's parade (despite my having had it on my top rated playlist for over a year), came on. Bud was doing all his moves, jumping up from the ground, "voguing" with his arms, hopping like an "Imagination Mover." And Sis had Mama as her partner, all to herself. Such fun!

Cookie Coup

Hobnails. Crybabies. Joe Froggers. Lots of cookies with fun traditional names.

Peppernuts. Spiced oatmeal cookies. Gingerbread shortbread. Ginger Intensity cookies.

Oatmeal with raisins. With chocolate chips. With nuts. With cranberries. With some or all of the above.

Green Christmas tree stacks. Rudolph cookies with noses. Fun-shaped cookies.

Pine nut surprises. Mexican Chocolate surprises. Chocolate cherry surprises.

Spritz sugar cookies. Iced sugar cookies. Cut-outs in all sizes.

Jam thumbprints. Chocolate hazelnut thumbprints.

Ricotta cream cookies. Mincemeat cookies. Benne wafers. Almond clouds. Almond bars.

And those are just the ones I remember. The bake sale at church this morning was a cornucopia of cookies of all shapes, sizes, and flavorings. I headed to church early to help with set-up while Mama and the kiddos finished icing our Chocolate Hazelnut Thumbprints. The cookie sale is one of my favorite church and holiday activities. And I was especially pleased to be there this morning opening boxes of goodies from members and creating labels for their contributions.

While doing so I made a wonderful discovery, my first cookie coup. The delectably rich almond cookie I had tasted last summer, the cookie which reminded me of those almond horns for sale all over the city, but in an easier bar shape, the cookie for which I had sought the recipe without knowing their origins, the cookie that I had searched for on the internet and had recently found an approximate version for which I purchased the ingredients for next week's cookie swap, appeared in a box today clearly marked with the baker! No wonder I had never gotten the recipe--the baker, a friendly and generous woman--is completely offline and doesn't do computers and so never knew of my cookie quest. And so now I can go straight to her and find out how she made them, for she is free with her recipes and encouraging with her advice. I can't wait!

My second cookie coup was at the tag sale, which I was browsing with the kids during a lull in the activities. There on the table was a two-piece stoneware gingerbread house mold in perfect condition. I snatched it up and asked the price. $4. Which I paid immediately, having visions of creating our own gingerbread house, complete with tree, snowman, bell, etc etc etc, all included in the mold. And it's not just any old mold--it's Pampered Chef!!! It really was serendipitous--the kids have wanted to do another house and I had just copied down Martha Stewart's recipe for gingerbread house dough while at the library with Sis last week.

I also got a set of winter mugs for hot chocolate and soup, as the kids want "real" mugs like the rest of us. I'm not that attached to my new $4 set so if one, or all, of them eventually break, that's fine (and they are more mug-shaped than our more bowl-like "snow snack" set and will probably replace those).

Lastly, I found the best cookie tin. See, at our church's sale, you pay for the tin and then fill lit up with cookies. You can bring your own tin, for a bit off the price, but where's the fun in that? And today I got a giant snowman head tin with a big rainbow scarf. It holds a ton of cookies, which will go to the pediatrician and vet and to friends who come by during the holidays (because almost all cookies freeze!), but more than that it is just cute.

The kids got their own tins, of course, purely for their own pleasure of filling and then emptying. Fun to watch them grasp the tin with their gloved hands and grab the cookies with their "free" ungloved and unhygenic other hands (because they never touch just one!). No one seemed to mind, really. Sis chose all the pink cookies and any cookie with chocolate, though assiduously avoiding anything with nuts. She also picked a few to share with me. Bud just randomly grabbed cookies, filling his tin above it's rim so that there is no way it would close (so I gave them an extra dollar in the till!). Then they sat down and tasted a bit of many of their cookies, only distracted from eating them to help bake some. See, the cookie sale almost ran out of cookies about an hour into the 4 hour sale. So, clever and resourceful church members lit up the ovens and began to make cookies! The kids' job was to unwrap all the Hershey kisses to stick in the cookie balls, which they took quite seriously, never trying a one (Sis even sorted her trash and lined up the kisses!), for which they were rewarded with two kisses at the end. They felt very important helping out with one of their church friends.

And so the morning went, a sweet family tradition in more ways than one.

Gimme That Ol' Time Santa Magic

Sis, as you may know, is Santa-phobic. There seems to be no specific reason for her fear, no traumatic Santa experience; she just doesn't want to be anywhere near a real Santa. It got so bad last year at our church's cookie sale, with a live Santa, that she couldn't be in the same room with him. And she remembered that this year and said she wouldn't go if he were there. Pictures, tv shows, decorations are fine but not a living, breathing Santa. Which is why, for 3 years running, we haven't had their pictures taken with the mall Santa.

But Santa wasn't at the cookie sale when Sis arrived this morning. No, he came in about 2 minutes later while she was still in the front of the room. We tried to usher her away but of course she has Santa-dar and noticed him immediately. And didn't cry, begged to be held, or back away.

No, she waved.

Sure, from behind the sniffing comfort of Real Shirt, but this was progress.

And then, once he was seated in his special chair, she announced that she wanted to go shake his hand. And she did! Marched right up to him and extended her Shirt-free hand. We were stunned and quickly recorded what we thought to be an isolated moment of insanity in pictures.

But it happened again. She wanted to tell him what she wanted for Christmas so she went up and spoke to him. And then agreed to pose for a picture. And then sat on his lap! Eventually, she could do it all without Shirt. And all on her own initiative. We were bowled over. As was Santa, who is a very dear friend of our minister and has long known of Sis's fear. Santa was wonderful with her, very reassuring and gentle but not smothering at all. Just perfect.

By the time we left, she didn't blink to see Santa as he wandered the cookie sale and the halls of church. And it was she who insisted that we go say goodbye and "Merry Christmas."

You'll be getting a picture of the miracle in your Christmas card!

Happy Family Christmas!

To all my extended maternal family in Texas, gathering today to celebrate Christmas as they have done for some 30-odd years, merry Christmas and happy new year to all!

Let it Slush!

The forecasted rain has taken on a denser texture and is slushing and sleeting. It's likely we'll get 1-3" of snow overnight. Thanks, Texas, for sending us some snow!

Mama's Holiday Office Party Tonight

Valet park.

Get handstamp.

See the boss.

*Parmesan pudding puff (* = my favorite foods).

Spinach souffle with caramelized onions.

Duck egg rolls.

Prosciutto BLT.

Chicken taco.

Candied pork belly.

Spicy tuna roll.

Another tuna roll.

Truffled potato.

Ceasar salad roll.

Grilled shrimp.

*Miniature mushroom pie.

Filet mignon cracker.

Lobster roll.

Yellow tail ceviche cone.

Amaretto sour.

Whiskey sour.

Meet coworkers.

Gruyere cheese puff.

Prosciutto puff.

*Cheddar fondue with breadstick.

Another fondue with breadstick.

Cheeses.

Cranberry cheese sandwich.

Mushroom bacon flatbread.

Sweet potato puree.

Creamed spinach

Fingerling potatoes with purple potato.

Fingerling potatoes with sweet potato.

Fingerling potatoes with cheese.

Aged New York strip and 6 different sauces.

*Chopped salad.

Have portraits made.

Mushroom potpie.

Beef and sweet sausage pot pie.

Talk with more people.

Gingerale.

Water.

Seltzer with lime.

Go outside for air.

Asian slaw.

Thai basil vermicelli.

Peanut vermicelli.

*Ponzu frisee with almonds.

Eggplant skewer.

Wasabi beef skewer.

Vegetable dumpling.

Beef shumai.

Take pictures in photo booth.

Mashed potatoes with wild mushrooms cream gravy.

Lox with wasabi cream.

Fried bagel crisp.

Dance.

Spot other lesbians on dance floor.

Find hairband to tie up my hair.

Decaf coffee.

Pick up portraits.

Red velvet mini-cupcakes.

Chocolate mini-cupcakes.

*Raspberry mango tart.

*Salted caramel dark chocolate tart.

Gingersnap cookie sandwich.

*Pear sorbet in cone.

Water.

Head home.

A Hoot of a Good Time

I got to be class parent today, volunteering to help out because the ZooMobile was visiting. The first half of our day was a normal preschool day, with playtime (we hopped from station to station as the kids showed me everything they do) and snack time (I got to sit with them both, went meant changing all the groups around because usually they sit at different tables; all the kids thought that was strange). Oh, and "calendar time," where they mark the day, check the weather, and say the Pledge of Allegiance--and because I was there, Sis got to do the calendar and Bud did the flag. It was cute to see them proudly perform their tasks.

Then the zookeeper came with several covered crates. Now, I have to say that I was really looking forward to seeing the hedgehog they'd seen last year, the main reason I'd signed up to be "zoo mommy" today. And, for Sis, I was hoping for a bunny. But we would both miss out on those, but not, in any sense, miss out. Sure, I wasn't that interested in the walking stick bug, salamander, bearded dragon lizard, or the rat, though I was impressed with the zookeeper's style and information, which kept the whole thing lively and interesting (and under control), which is not necessarily easy with a group of 4 year olds who mainly want to tell you about their pets! They were, though, very interested in all the other creatures, getting to touch most of them (Sis touched all of the ones she could, but Bud would only touch the rat--which is the only one that most of the adults wouldn't touch!).

But then she brought out the screech owl, this tiny little feathered bird with huge eyes, weighing no more than a quarter pound, full grown. I was mesmerized; it really was beautiful. And small, though it can eat mice, voles, and bats even. Did you know that their eyes are so big that there is no room for muscles to move their eyeballs around which is why they are able to turn their heads almost all the way around? Which the bird did several times. I think I'm growing increasingly fond of owls, right up there with cats, pandas, koalas, and hedgehogs in my favorite creatures list, I think, from seeing a real one and then hearing several real ones in the wild in Texas, to the one-winged owl we saw at the nature center, to the owls at the zoo, plus of course owls as the symbol of my favorite Greek goddess Athena, and a sign of wisdom. So, even though there were not bunnies or hedgehogs, I was thrilled to be the zoo mommy today, getting to see the owl.

Oh, and my kids!

Snow, A No-Go

My kiddos love snow. Love, love, love. The pretty falling flakes, the accumulation, making snow people, painting snow, making snow ice cream, making snow candy, having snow ball fights, making angels. You name it, they love it.

Except when it's somewhere else.

And it's snowing in Houston! Gommie just called us all excited. I can name on one hand the number of times snow ever fell from the sky in the 18 years that I lived in Houston--and none of those times did it stick. But today, Gommie and Pop are watching snow fall and it's supposed to accumulate 2-4", a very respectable snow. Practically a blizzard for Texas! And I'm tickled for them.

But my kids are jealous. Pea-green with envy. Pissy and pouty. Grumpy and groany. They want snow here. Not there. And I guess, at the tender age of four, they just don't have much of a sense of happiness for other people's happiness if they don't get some too.

Oh, well. It'll snow here eventually. Just not today.

But I'm glad it's snowing on Gommie and Pop.

Advent Activities: Confession Time

Well, it was a marvelous idea, my "advent activities" basket. But the execution has been less-than-stellar, mainly because I haven't gotten around to actually writing out all those slips and dropping them in a basket. So, instead, I just mentally pick one and try to incorporate it into the day. Most days. For example, yesterday, I bought extra food to give to the food pantry but we didn't deliver it. And, today, we don't really need a separate advent activity because we're baking the last two batches of cookies for our church's holiday bake sale. No time for anything extra. That's not to say I won't get around to implementing the basket idea, it's just a slow start.

Lighting a Candle

Tomorrow a church friend has surgery and so I send electronic good vibes to her and her partner for a successful operation and uneventfully quick recovery.

Adventrues in Cooking Our CSA Share: An Epistolary Post

Dear CSA,

It's been two weeks since I saw you last and I miss you terribly. I had come to rely on your regular box of green goodies that challenged my cooking skills and inspired my menus. You made me feel creative and talented and interesting. Mama noticed, my kids noticed; it was a wonderful 22 weeks. When you left, I vowed to maintain what we had established, but my cooking has been boring.

And now you have come back, in a surprise late-fall return! For three weeks, I will enjoy kale and leeks and broccoli and farm-fresh eggs. I've already been planning more potato leek soup and crispy kale and roasted broccoli and am looking forward to searching out new recipes in cookbooks a friend loaned me today.

I know, it is but a brief postponement of a long winter separation. But I will be glad to have you as long as I can. And I will be back in May ready for another bountiful summer together.

love,

Mommy Hungry

Advent Activities: The Snow Maiden

I didn't think our trip to see a marionette show based on the Russian folktale of the Snow Maiden would be a success because

1. The kids were up at 5:30 a.m.
2. They were getting their second H1N1 vaccination right before the performance.
3. They have always refused to go to puppet shows before.
4. The story has heavy themes of loss and sadness and might also be vaguely scary.
5. It was going to be an hour long.

But, in the end, none of that mattered. They were entranced from the get-go, as soon as they saw the Russian lacquer-box inspired stagecraft and the appearance of the puppeteer in the audience with a short demo beforehand. They both sat on the edges of their seats, completely mesmerized by the puppetry and the story. And indeed, both were fantastic. The puppets were gorgeously rendered, from the flat but lively old man and woman and village children to the three-dimensional, beribboned, delicate and pure but sad ice girl. The backdrops were simple but evocative, with a cabin in the woods in the snow (and a pop-up backdrop for the city later). And the puppeteer herself had both a dramatic and entertaining narration (and a haunting singing voice) as well as an amazingly gentle and subtle way with the puppets. The ways she manipulated the Snow Maiden were simply magical--the doll really became real as she floated, pirouetted, twirled, knelt, cried, danced, and even stood still as a statue. I was as taken with it all as the kids were.

So we stayed afterwards and "met" the Snow Maiden and puppeteer (and the accompanying mandolin-player), even having our picture taken and purchasing the CD with both the narration and the music. The kids almost didn't want to leave. Until they realized they could hear the whole thing again in the car on the way to dinner. And so, marching proudly with the CD clutched in front of him, Bud led us to the car. And we ate at a restaurant a bit of a drive from home just so we could listen to the CD, which perfectly captured the performance. During dinner we even discussed our favorite parts (one of mine was the carriage ride with a cut out of a troika and the Snow Maiden and village children. They liked everything except when she melted.) and planned how we could make our own Snow Maiden marionette. I'm thinking a handkerchief doll, some string, and a pair of chopsticks!

So, while it wasn't one of the Advent Activities in the basket (parenting is all about being flexible and I wasn't sure we were going to see this until, well, after it was over!), it was the perfect holiday outing. I think we'd all go again if we could.

H1N1 Highlights

The nurse looked at them both, "So, who goes first?"

And, just picture it: standing shoulder to shoulder, they each pointed at the other--fingertips almost touching--and said, "S/he does!"

And when I asked who went first last time, they did it again!

Buddy went first, bravely--and of course, intranasal vaccine squirts aren't as scary or upsetting as injections--and then stood by as it was Sis's turn. As she received the first squirt sitting on my lap, he patted her on the head. And then he slipped his arm around her shoulder to reassure her as she was squirted again.

And that really does make it all better.

At least for me.

Meals for Friends

It's a big meal-delivery day for me tomorrow, with meals going to two separate church friends in need. And because both of them have recently had my stuffed shells (which is my go-to for meals for friends), I'm making Fiesta Rice instead. Though, I'm not sure how closely I'll be following this recipe, since I don't have sausage or beef broth. And while a red and green pepper would have been fun for the season, I think I'm going with yellow and red. It's a great recipe because it makes a ton--one batch will feed both families.

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Fiesta Rice

2 lbs spicy Italian sausage, casings removed (we used 1 lb ground turkey and 1 lb sweet Italian turkey sausage)

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons ground cumin (used taco seasoning)

4 onions, chopped

4 green bell peppers, chopped (skipped this part)

3 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced (skipped)

4 cups beef broth

2 packages (about 6 oz each) long grain and wild rice mix (used Zatarains, which is seasoned)

Brown sausage in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, stirring to break up. Add garlic and cumin; cook 30 seconds. Add onions, bell peppers, and jalapenos. Cook and stir about 10 minutes or until onions are tender. Place mixture in slow cooker.

Stir in beef broth and rice.

Cover; cook on LOW 4-6 hours or on HIGH 2-3 hours.

The Slow Cooker Bible

On the First Day of December . . . .

"On the first day of December,

the kids and I had fun,

making holiday wreaths."

With my $4 natural grapevine wreath and my big hedgetrimmers, the kids and I headed outside to make a wreath out of what we could find in the yard. Luckily, this includes a ton of boxwood. And so we set to clipping branches and stuffing them into the entwined wreath base, which was so easy we didn't even need the floral wire I had. Really, the only challenge was trying to get them to lay all the branches in the same direction. We attached a big red bow and, voila, our own holiday wreath. I'm actually pretty impressed with it, considering the ease of creation of low price.

Then we wandered the yard and found ice in most of our outlying toys. I hadn't realized that it had frozen. They loved playing with the ice but then decided they were too cold, so we headed inside and made our traditional snow snack--popcorn and hot chocolate--sorta for practice. I made the hot chocolate off the Hershey box (I can't find my preferred Dutch-processed Droste anywhere this year), which entails a sugar-cocoa slurry added to milk. I added cinnamon (and to mine, dried grated orange peels, though, next time, I will steep and then remove the orange peel. But it was good). Then, we made popcorn balls, instead of just plain popcorn, because Buddy really liked those at Halloween. For this recipe, you make them just like rice krispy treats. And, burning my fingers on the hot mixture, I came up with the idea of scooping them out on waxed paper with a ladle, which provides a vaguely round shape, and then forming them into tighter balls once they've cooled a bit. Bud (and later, Mama) loved them and they were pretty good, though microwaved popcorn just doesn't hold its crunch. Sis remembered that last year we had special snow snack dishes, which I have yet to unearth this year. I guess we had a lot of memorable snow snacks last year; we sure did have a lot of snow.

So, a good kick-off to our advent activities, even if I haven't finished putting together the drawing basket yet. And I'm not sure what today's activity is, except we're heading to a holiday puppet show, which should be fun.

-=-=-=-=-=

Hot Cocoa

1/2 cup suga

1/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa

Dash salt

1/4-1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (my addition)

1/3 cup hot water

4 cups (1 qt.) milk

3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Miniature marshmallows or sweetened whipped cream(optional)

1. Stir together sugar, cocoa, cinnamon, and salt in medium saucepan; stir in water. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil. Boil and stir 2 minutes. Add milk; stirring constantly, heat to serving temperature. Do Not Boil.

2 Remove from heat; add vanilla. Beat with rotary beater or whisk until foamy. Serve topped with marshmallows or whipped cream, if desired. Five 8-oz. servings.

VARIATIONS: Add one of the following with the vanilla extract:

SPICED COCOA: 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon and 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg. Serve with cinnamon stick, if desired.

MINT COCOA: 1/2 teaspoon mint extract OR 3 tablespoons crushed hard peppermint candy OR 2 to 3 tablespoons white creme de menthe. Serve with peppermint candy stick, if desired.

CITRUS COCOA: 1/2 teaspoon orange extract OR 2 to 3 tablespoons orange liqueur.

SWISS MOCHA: 2 to 2-1/2 teaspoons powdered instant coffee.

COCOA AU LAIT: Omit marshmallows or whipped cream. Spoon 2 tablespoons softened vanilla ice cream on top of each cup of cocoa at serving time.

SLIM-TRIM COCOA: Omit sugar. Combine cocoa, salt and water; substitute nonfat milk. Proceed as above. With vanilla, stir in sugar substitute with sweetening equivalence of 1/2 cup sugar.

CANADIAN COCOA: 1/2 teaspoon maple extract.

MICROWAVE SINGLE SERVING: Coombine 1 heaping teaspoon HERSHEY'S Cocoa, 2 heaping teaspoons sugar and dash salt in microwave-safe cup or mug. Add 2 teaspoons cold milk; stir until smooth. Fill cup with milk. Microwave at HIGH (100%) 1 to 1-1/2 minutes or until hot. Stir to blend; serve.

Hershey's website

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Popcorn Balls

5 cups popped popcorn

1-10 oz bag of marshmallows

1/4 cup butter

Melt butter and marshmallows in pot on the stove. Stir in popcorn until coated. Scoop onto waxed paper with ladle. Wait a bit to let them cool some. Shape into balls with hands sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.

the back of Buddy's advent calendar

No 'Yay' For Buddy

Sis was celebratory; it was her day for a singleton outing with me. Then catching sight of her brother's crestfallen face, she said, "There's no yay for Buddy."

Well, that's not exactly true, as Bud and I had his yay last week and will do it again tomorrow. But Sis and I did have fun, spending a long time at the library, playing Bob the Builder computer games. She even made me a virtual birthday cake. Then we had a snack at my favorite coffee shop. As we were leaving she said, ashen-faced, "Don't tell Buddy that I got a rice krispy treat." I'm not sure if she didn't want him to be upset or if she didn't want to share the half she had saved! So I suggested that we buy him one, much like he'd bought her ice cream when he got some. Later that night, after she presented it to him, I asked if he had said thank you to her for buying the treat for him.

And she interjected, "But, Mom, it was your idea."

Crechendo

Sis has recreated the Met's Christmas tree cum Neapolitan creche with her own wooden nativity set, some shoeboxes, and an old Met advent calendar. Oh, and the moose figure from Brother Bear stands in for the deer in the museum version.

Brother Bear Rewrite

Brother Bear, the movie, is back on the scene here. But with a twist. Sis has given it some rewrites. In her new version, Sitka doesn't die, Kenai doesn't kill Koda's mom, and Kenai doesn't turn into a bear. Instead, the three brothers and the bear cub hang out together. It's a lighter, happier version.

Maybe she should be in movies!

Behind

I haven't had much time to sit down to blog, both because my daily free-time has been taken up with errands and evenings filled with chores. Though, last night we had a visitor, a former teacher of the kids who is working on a project involving China, about which we could answer questions regarding holidays and traditions (and loan out our New Year's stuff, which we won't need til Valentine's Day. It's late this year. New Year's, not Valentine's Day, of course). It was delightful to sit and chat with her, though I was nervous beforehand. I mean, a teacher. In your house. Yep, we vacuumed and the like. I think it was the old student in me.

Otherwise, yesterday was great fun: we made a wreath for our Advent activity, hot chocolate, popcorn balls, played with ice in the yard, watched "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." But I'll tell you about that later.

It's a school day, plus parent meeting, vaccination boosters, and other things. And the kids were up before 5:30.