Adventures in Cooking Our CSA Share: Zucchini and Summer Squash

I've been working on this post for a couple of weeks now, as you'll see from the array of collected recipes. And zucchini is still in season! When we came home from our weekend at Ma and Gong's, we had three squash to pick from our garden: a nice plump yellow crookneck, a long (10"?) striped Italian zucchini, and a (gulp!) almost 24" striped Italian zucchini. That last one was hiding, I think, because it would've been there last week; we just didn't see it. I think it will be a perfect candidate for baking if only because it's so impressively sized. And I can seed it and use other zucchini for the stuffing. Ma cooked some of our zucchini this weekend (we took her our entire CSA box): cut in chunks (which are more fun than rounds), stir fried, and topped with a bit of sesame oil. Yummy!

Also, KAF just added their own Chocolate Zucchini Cake to their blog (it looks richer than the one I have below). I have all the ingredients . . . if only I can sneak the zucchini past Sis!

Some notes:

• Zucchini and summer squash can be eaten raw or broiled, steamed, fried, grilled, sauteed, stir-fried, or baked.
• Store zucchini and summer squash for up to 3-4 days.
• Grated or pureed zucchini can be frozen and saved for adding to soups, sauces, and baked goods later.
• I like the smaller zucchini and summer squash.

*These are tried and true; the rest are on my list to try. I have only included here recipes in which zucchini is a primary ingredient; otherwise, I use it in soups, stews, ratatouille, etc.

*Curried Zucchini Soup

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

coarse salt

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons curry powder

1 1/2 pounds zucchini (about 3 medium), sliced 1 inch thick

1 baking potato, peeled and cut into 1" chunks

1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted, for garnish (optional)

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat, adding onion and 1 tablespoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and curry powder ; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Add zucchini, potato, and 4 cups water. Bring to a boil; reduce the heat and simmer until vegetables are tender, 10-15 minutes.

Puree in batches until smooth; serve immediately or let cool. Garnish with toasted almonds.

Great Food Fast, From the Kitchen of Martha Stewart Living

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*Baked Squash

2-3 yellow squash
olive oil or butter
salt, pepper

Preheat oven to 350. Cut squash in half or in even thinner slices, depending on thickness of squash (but not too thin). Spread evenly in pan. Drizzle with oil or dot with pats of butter. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 30+ minutes until tender.

Gommie Hungry

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*Gommie's Zucchini Bread

4 eggs beaten
1/2 cup oil
1 clove garlic, minced
dash pepper
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon Lawry's seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons parsley
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup bisquick
3 cups zucchini, sliced.

Mix in 9 x 13" pan. Bake 30 minutes at 350F, until brown.

Gommie Hungry

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*Zucchini Fries

1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs

2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

3 medium zucchini

water or milk

1 cup fat-free or low-fat spaghetti sauce

cooking spray

Preheat oven to 450°F. Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray.

Place bread crumbs, cheese, and garlic powder in Ziploc bag and shake well to combine all ingredients. Set aside.

Cut each zucchini lengthwise into 8 pieces; cut each piece again in half lengthwise. Fil a pie plate with water; then dip each zucchini stick first in water, then into bag of crumb mixture. Shake until zucchini are coated on all sides. Place on cookie sheet. Repeat with rest of sticks.

Bake on cookie sheet for 10-15 minutes or until brown and tender. Serve with warm spaghetti sauce.

Note: Use 1 medium eggplant, sliced into thin rounds, instead of zucchini.

Eating Expectantly

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TO TRY:

Zucchini Oven Chips

• 1/4 cup dry breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons fat-free milk
• 2 1/2 cups (1/4-inch-thick) slices zucchini (about 2 small)
• Cooking spray

Preparation

Preheat oven to 425°.

Combine first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Place milk in a shallow bowl. Dip zucchini slices in milk, and dredge in breadcrumb mixture. Place coated slices on an ovenproof wire rack coated with cooking spray; place rack on a baking sheet. Bake at 425° for 30 minutes or until browned and crisp. Serve immediately.

Cooking Light

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Layered Zucchini

Ingredients

• 4 cups water
• 6 cups sliced zucchini (about 3 medium)
• 1 pound ground round
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cups low-fat spaghetti sauce (such as Muir Glen Organic)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 cups fat-free cottage cheese
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• Cooking spray
• 1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs, divided
• 1 3/4 cups (3 1/2 ounces) preshredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.

Bring the water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add zucchini; cook 3 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain and cool.

Place the beef and garlic in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook until browned, stirring to crumble. Stir in the spaghetti sauce, salt, basil, and oregano; cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat.

Combine the cottage cheese, parsley, and eggs in a medium bowl.

Arrange zucchini slices in a shallow 3-quart casserole coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle the zucchini with half of the breadcrumbs. Spread half of cottage cheese mixture over breadcrumbs; cover with half of the meat mixture and 1 cup mozzarella. Repeat the layers with the remaining breadcrumbs, cottage cheese mixture, and meat mixture; reserve the remaining mozzarella. Bake at 350° for 40 minutes.

Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella, and bake an additional 5 minutes or until cheese melts.

Cooking Light

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"Zapple" Bars

Filling

5 1/2 cups peeled and diced zucchini

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

2/3 cup packed light brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Crust

2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1 teaspoon pure vanilla

In a nonreactive saucepan, combine the zucchini and lemon juice. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer until tender, about 10 minutes. Add brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Simmer, stirring, for 1 to 2 minutes, until slightly thickened.

Preheat oven to 350F. Butter 9 x 13" baking pan.

To make crust, in a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, and salt. Add the butter and vanilla. Process until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Press half of the crust mixture into the prepared pan and bake for 10 minutes.

Spread the zucchini mixture evenly over the crust. Crumble the remaining crust mixture evenly on top of the zucchini. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until golden brown.

Cool completely on a wire rack before cutting into bars.

The Classic Zucchini Cookbook

Note: A similiar recipe called Sweet Zucchini Crumble appears in the Farmer John's Cookbook, using 4 1/2 cups flour, 3 cups sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 1/2 cups butter, 6-8 cups zucchini (4 large), 2/3 cup lemon juice (about 3), 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg. Directions are almost exactly the same.

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Double Chocolate Zucchini Cake

3/4 cup oil

1 1/4 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups grated zucchini

1/2 cup sour milk or buttermilk

3 tablespoons cocoa or carob powder

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon each cinnamon and cloves

2 1/2 cups flour

small bag of chocolate chips.

Preheat oven to 350F; grease a 9 x 13 pan. Mix all ingredients and bake 30-35 minutes.

From Asparagus to Zucchini

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Zucchini Spice Bread

Nonstick cooking spray

1 large zucchini

1 cup packed light-brown sugar

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

2/3 cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 large eggs

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

3/4 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat a 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pan with cooking spray, and set aside. Grate zucchini on the large holes of a box grater (to yield 1 3/4 cups); set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together sugars, oil, vanilla, and eggs.

Into a small bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and salt. Add flour mixture to egg mixture, and stir to combine well. Stir in grated zucchini.

Pour batter into prepared pan, spreading evenly. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of loaf comes out clean, 45 to 55 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes; invert onto a wire rack, then reinvert, top side up. Cool completely before slicing.

Martha Stewart Everyday Living

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Zucchini Bread

3/4 cup fat-free milk

1 cup shredded zucchini (about 4 oz)

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cups bread flour

1 cup whole wheat

1 tablespoon dark brown sugar

grated zest of 1 lemon

1 tablespoon gluten

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

2 1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeast

Place ingredients in the pan according to the manufacturer's instructions. Set crust on medium and program for Basic cycle; press Start (do not use delay timer).

When baking cycle ends, immediately remove the bread from pan and place on the rack to cool before slicing.

Beth Hensperger, The Bread Lover's Bread Machine Cookbook

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KAF Zucchini Lemon Muffins

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

grated peel of 1/2 lemon

1/2 cup (or more) chopped walnuts

1/2 cup (or more) raisins

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup milk

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 cup (packed) shredded zucchini

Preheat oven to 400F.

Combine flour, sugar, powder, salt, and lemon peel in large bowl. Stir in walnuts and raisins. In a smaller bowl, combine eggs, milk, and oil.

Make a well in the dry ingredients and add wet ingredients. Stir just until barely combined and gently fold in zucchini.

Spoon the batter into a greased, 12-cup muffin tin. Bake 20-25 mintues or until the muffins spring back when you press them with your fingertips.

KAF 200th Anniversary Cookbook

Stuffed Zucchini--Bloodroot

Choose 5 medium sized zucchini. Cut in half crosswise and use an apple corer to make hollow tubes by first working from one side and then the other. Chop 1 medium onion. Saute it in 2 tablespoons olive oil until soft. Remove pan from heat and add to it 1/2 cup raw white rice, 2 tablespoons chopped straight leaf parsely, 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill, 1/4 cup dried currants, and 2 tablespoons squash corings, chopped fine. Also add salt, pepper, and 1/4 cup pignoli nuts. Make a "broth" by mixing 1 teaspoon tamari in 1 cup water and moisten the uncooked rice mixture with a few tablespoons of this. Taste for salt and pepper. Use your fingers to stuff zucchini tubes. Place in a pan and add the "broth" to 1/2" deep in the pan. Cover and refrigerate until dinner time.

Half an hour before serving time, bake zucchini covered in a preheatedc 400F oven.

Zucchini Latkes

Grate 2 medium zucchinis in a food processor or by hand. Grate 1 small onion. Turn into a colander and let drain 5 minutes.

Beat 2 eggs in a bowl large enough to hold zucchini mixture. Squeeze zucchini handful by handful and discard exuded moisture. Add squeezed zucchini to eggs. Add 2 1/2 tablespoons cornemeal, 2 1/2 tablespoons flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, fresh ground pepper, and a pinch each of baking powder and sugar. Stir all together and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Heat 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil in frying pan. Use a fork to pat out small pancakes (4-5") and fry until brown on one side. Turn with spatula, pressind down on trhe latke to flatten it.

Serve with sour cream on the side.

Bloodroot

Rise Up: Gluten-Free, In a Way

Okay, to be fair, this is not a GF bread--it has flour. But I am out of the vital wheat gluten which my favorite bread machine cookbook by Beth Hensperger usually calls for. And so I had to look elsewhere for recipes today, since we are woefully out of bread. This brings me to King Arthur Flour and a recipe from the president's breadbaking dad, Walter Sands's Favorite Bread. I'm hoping, with 4 cups of flour, it doesn't overload my machine, but I can always stop and put it in the oven. But with a high of 90F expected, I don't really want to turn the oven on.

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Walter Sands's Favorite Bread

1 1/4 to 1 1/3 cups (10 to 10 5/8 ounces) water, depending on the time of year (more in the winter, less in the summer)
1 heaping tablespoon (1 1/8 ounces) honey or sugar (1/2 ounce)
1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
1/3 cup (1 1/4 ounces) Baker's Special Dry Milk or 1/2 cup nonfat dry milk granules
2 tablespoons (1 ounce) butter
1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons salt (best the lesser amount, but Dad preferred the greater)
4 cups (17 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

Place the ingredients in your bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer, and program the machine for white or basic bread, or for the dough cycle. Press Start.

If you're using the dough cycle, after the cycle is complete, allow the dough to continue to rise in the machine until it has really doubled in bulk. Remove the dough, shape it into a loaf, and place it in an 9" x 5" loaf pan. Let it rise until almost doubled. Bake the bread in a preheated 350°F oven for 35 to 40 minutes. Cool and offer to a friend.

King Arthur Flour website

Happy Almost Anniversary

To Mama and I, in a few weeks, we'll begin our 14th year as a couple.

And so, with only 5 more opportunities before Babysitter leaves for college, we had a celebratory lunch at the locavore restaurant, The Dressing Room, founded by Paul Newman. It was such a delightful lunch. Tapas in style, with small portions and an a la carte menu, we were in starch heaven: an heirloom grain "risotto" that was so creamy though it was vegan, cornbread with specially-milled corn flour and this amazing honey on the top, sugar snap peas in a light lemon sauce, creamy fresh macaroni and cheese, and the wonderfully corn-y (not corny) grits. Wow. And then there was dessert: pan-seared angel food cake, both crisp and tender, kinda like French toast, and drizzled with that incredible honey, plus a peach/blueberry crisp which would've been better if I couldn't have tasted as much of the skillet, and this smoked sugar ice cream that reminded us of smoked Thai desserts.

I'd love to be able to report that we had a significant and meaningful conversation, befitting the nature of the occasion. But it was much lighter than that--talking about the food, thinking about our upcoming schedule, trying not to talk about kindergarten, relating the events of the morning. But in many ways, it is the details of ordinary life that are important, not just the extraordinary, special occasions.

Though, it's nice to celebrate those, too.

My Church Crone-ys

I like older women.

Okay, sure, my marriage is an exception: Mama is four years younger. But she likes older women, too. So it works out.

What I mean is I really enjoy talking with women who are not at the same point in their lives as I am. When I was a child--a maid, in pagan parlance--I wanted to listen to the mothers, wanting to talk to my mom's friends. Now that I am a mother, I receive so much from the wisdom of crones, or older, wiser women, again in pagan parlance. Similarly, I also find myself conversing with maids, now, when I wouldn't have given young children much attention when I was not much older than a child. That's not to say that I don't enjoy, support, am inspired by, my mother friends. I just like balance.

And Tuesday was lunch with my church Crone-ys. And what a delightful lunch it was! We talked politics, sex, cultural anthropology, recent books, (not much religion, so as to avoid any church gossip or politics), recipes. No word of school, clothes shopping, potty-training, stretch marks, developmental stages, or discipline. Though almost all of them have stories to tell, advice to give (and have, too, on other occasions). Children flow in and out of the conversation; it's not all-motherhood, all-the-time. There's balance, something my Crone-ys help me achieve by encouraging the other aspects of me. And maybe I bring that to them too: a little reminder of daily mothering and having young children.

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Miss M's BLUEBERRY GRUNT*

2 cups soft bread cubes

1/2 cup water

1 Tbsp butter, melted

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs, well beaten

1 pint blueberries

Soften bread with water. Add all but berries. Layer bread mixture and blueberries in a greased, shallow 1 quart pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about 1 hour. Serve with cream.

Yield: 4 servings

*Grunt is baked, uncovered or steamed.

Slump if cooked, covered, on top of the stove.

Another recipe:

BLUEBERRY CRISP

4 cups blueberries

1/3 cup flour

1 tsp grated lemon zest

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1 3/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup butter or margarine

Spread berries in shallow baking dish or a deep 9" pin pan. Sprinkle with lemon rind. Blend remaining ingredients and sprinkle over berries. Bake at 375 degrees for about 25 minutes. If 1/2 recipe is made bake for only 15 minutes. Best served warm.

Yield: 6 servings.

Miss M

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Miss M's Clover and Rose "Honey"

5 lb sugar

Petals of 8 fragrant double roses

6 cups water

12 red clover blossoms

Cherry size lump of allum

20 white clover blossoms

Boil sugar & water until thick & clear (232 degrees) - takes about 1 1/2 hours until sugar is golden. Add alum and boil 4 minutes longer. Remove from stove and add flowers. Let stand 10 minutes. Strain and pour into sterilized jars.

Affectionately,

M

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Watermelon Rind Pickles

3 quarts water

3/4 cup salt

Put in cut rind and let stand overnight. Strain and rinse.

Cover with water and cook until fork tender--drain again.

Combine sugar and spices--

4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon whole cloves

6 sticks cinnamon

But spices in cheesecloth bag. Boil 5 minutes.

Pour over watermelon rind and cook until transparent--about 10 minutes--pack and seal.

my Grandmother J

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(Another) Miss M's Zucchini Table "Pickles"

1 part each: white vinegar, olive oil, and soy sauce

zucchini spears

Combine and enjoy!

Beachday

We joined our Friday Friend at the beach today, a total departure from our usual activities. There are beaches nearby in Fairfield County but we never go. Today we did. And what fun we had! While we didn't spot any rare-to-New-England White-tailed Kites, we waded thigh-deep into the still, calm water and found lots of different-colored seaweed, pretty shells and stones, funky driftwood, dozens of crab shells, many mini minnows. We built a faerie house against a log with all of the above (well, sans minnows), complete with secret library, garden, and swimming pool which Sis lined with seaweed and kept refilling. Then we played in a rushing canal, watching (and catching) our beach buckets float in the currents. But we never did catch a minnow, despite several attempts. We did catch a few hermit crabs but soon let them go. As we returned to our cars (for a snack of Whole Wheat Apricot Bread and potato chips), we spotted a hollowed-out log and decided it made a great canoe. Other pieces of driftwood served as paddles . . . and Sis and Bud were off to China!

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Whole Wheat Apricot Bread

3/4 cup apple or pear juice

6 tablespoon water

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons nut or vegetable oil

1 1/2 cups bread flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup rolled oats

1 tablespoon gluten

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

2 1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeast

1/2 cup finely chopped dried apricots (spray knife with cooking spray first)

Place ingredients, except apricots, in the pan according to the manufacturer's instructions. Set crust on medium and program for Whole Wheat or Fruit and Nut cycle; press Start (do not use delay timer). When the machine beeps, or between Knead 1 and Knead 2, add the apricots. The dough ball will be soft and moist.

When baking cycle ends, immediately remove the bread from pan and place on the rack to cool before slicing.

Beth Hensperger, The Bread Lover's Bread Machine Cookbook

The Bird

The black bird--crow? raven? just some black bird?--squawked at the lifeguard angrily as it charged him, taking the teenage boy by surprise. He'd never been attacked by an angry bird before. "That bird is crazy," he said.

And we all looked up from where we had been enjoying playing in the swimming pool with friends we'd met for a playdate. Indeed, the bird was acting strangely: walking, not flying, squawking, chasing. Strange bird. And so we suggested to the lifeguard that he call animal control. Maybe the bird was hurt (his beak looked odd). Maybe it was rabid (can birds be rapid?).

The bird then demonstrated it could fly, low and uncertainly, over our heads in the pool, landing not far from where Sis and I stood. It began charging her and so I grabbed her with one hand, while splashing water at it with the other. This was a dangerous bird. But it didn't like water and took off to the top of the pool house.

But it came back, coming within inches of a newly arrived woman who had not seen the bird chase the lifeguard or swoop down on Sis. And still the lifeguard hadn't been able to reach animal control or a supervisor who could tell him what to do; he was avoiding calling 911. Which I understand. I mean, what would you say? "Our emergency? It's a bird."

This bird was right out of Poe or Hitchcock, though. It wasn't huge but it was determined and had sharp claws and a pointed beak. And it made another low pass at the pool. At which point, Sis was done. She started keening and begging to go home. The bird departed again; out of sight, but not out of mind. So we packed up and headed to the playground. Which was just not far enough away for Sis who didn't stop keening til we got in the car and drove away.

This is the end of the story of us and the bird, but not the end of the playdate which continued with snacks and puppet-painting at our house. It might, though, be the end of our trips to the pool, of which this was the very first. I'm just not sure when I'll be able to ease Sis's mind about that bird.

Quoth the girl, "Nevermore."

A Day that Will Live in History

“Moral disapproval alone is an improper basis on which to deny rights to gay men and women.”

--Judge Vaughn Walker

The Referee Takes a Time-Out

(Beware: mixed, probably incorrect, bad sports metaphors below.)

I'm tired of being referee.

It's thankless, tiresome, ineffective, frustrating.

But it's my only play in the game.

And I never win.

All day, the kids come running to me complaining about the other, or I go running to them trying to prevent some physical aggression or hurt feelings. It's the worst kind of triangulation, even when our "time ins" revolve around what they should be saying to each other. I desperately try not to take sides, play favorites, whatever, and only want to give them the skills to work things out for themselves. But I'm not gaining any yardage on the field.

Everyone tells me to only get involved if there is blood or the like. I forget the catchy phrases, like "only squeal if it's real." But of course, everything seems real to them. And nobody tells me what to do the umpteenth time Sis knocks over Bud's building or Bud bumps into Sis. Just let them go at it? And what to do when they ask for help? Ignore them? Throw them back in the game with no plan?

That's what everything I read would seem to say to do. An article in this month's Psychology Today on siblings--a fascinating read if you are part of the 82% of Americans who have one--says:

Sibling conflict is necessary, inevitable, and an instrument of self-definition that has a correctable course over time. But parents often subscribe to a short view: They prefer peace in the house. They want their children to be close (or at least quiet). What's more, parents invariably claim they treat their kids equally, even though children can't possibly experience their care equally, as they are at different levels of understanding.

So, if I want to minimize my impossible though well-intended role of treating different children equally so that it is perceived as equal by them, I need to stay out of the middle. And apparently that will be better for them when they grow up, because if they do not reconcile childhood sibling issues they are likely to repeat them. The article contains fascinating (though probably only new to me) information about the discovery of personal identity through sibling conflict, sibling trajectory (the notion that you repeat childhood roles into adulthood but also that sibling relationships follow a normal rise and fall in closeness--and that it's normal for middle-aged siblings not to be close as they raise their own families. They seem to come together again when there are family crises), the effect of parental affection differentials (which are apparently obvious to babies!!), the effect of birth order, and how rare it is for siblings to experience the same family the same because of age differences and circumstances (like divorce). The article never talks about twins, which would be a special subset of the sibling equation, but I can extrapolate the importance of letting kids work out these issues by themselves. Nowhere does the article imply that a meddlesome mom makes things better.

So, I'll be heading back to my bookshelf to re-read Siblings Without Rivalry, which wasn't as applicable when I read it when the babes were toddlers. And remembering all my NVC training. Because I'm just not sure where the line is (especially because I remember the NYTimes article from a few years ago about bullying among siblings being dangerous and all to common). And it's hard to stand by and watch them hurt each other. It's like by just standing aside, I'm condoning it somehow. How do I give them the tools they need without making them rely on me to use them? Is it too early to expect them to work all of this out by themselves with a good outcome (as opposed to the stronger twin always wins?).

There was a glimmer of hope while I wrote this post, though. Sis and Bud were playing a "bobcar" (not sled) race and needed boxes. But Bud also wanted one of the boxes to use for a present for his critter Tango. He and Sis were fighting over the last box. He came in wailing because she took it and so we went back to talk about how they could compromise. When they couldn't come up with anything, I took the box and walked away, leaving Sis happily playing and Bud bereft. Sure, it wasn't completely hands-off because I tried to walk them through working it out; I'm trying to walk the middle path here. About 10 minutes later, realizing she wasn't having as much fun by herself or perhaps that he was still upset, Sis came to me and said Bud could have the box, she wouldn't fight about it. So I said they could have it back and she took it to him. They've been playing alone for an hour.

GOAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!

But I'll be keeping my red cards on hand just in case life in the Hungry house becomes a contact sport.

Spectacular, Exquisite, Humongus Weekend*

The weekend cured one of us of last week's virus and sent another of us back to muscle relaxers--it must have been good!

Saturday we stayed at home, not quite wanting to risk taking Sis out and about, even to a friend's birthday party that afternoon. She was still tired and prone to crashing at odd times; a worst, I worried about her catching something else. So we made the most of it by playing in the yard. Mama went to work on a big grilled lunch, taking advantage of the nice weather. There were vegetables, chicken, roasted garlic for bread, pizza, baked beans, shrimp, cabbage (hey, don't laugh, it was sweet and tasty), even peaches. She really enjoys the creativity of cooking outside, I think.

Meanwhile, the kids and I occupied ourselves by building faerie houses under our pine tree. There were lots of small branches with leaves on the ground, casualties from a wind the night before, that made for perfect camouflage* to hide our little houses. We got fancy with miniature* furniture and gardens*, even food in little shell bowls. We hadn't built faerie houses in a long while and it was fun . . . the kids are much better at creating stable structures, have finer motor skills to add little details.

Then we decided to go float faerie boats down our stream, using sticks and big wax leaves to build the vessels. Sis and Bud climbed up and down the rocks, helping each other to navigate a path across the water. "I need teamwork!" Bud would shout if Sis got too far ahead and he wasn't sure how to follow. She would come back and help. "Twins always stick together," he said. And they did, holding hands, encouraging one another, pointing out wobbly footholds. They concentrated* on the best place to launch their boats for maximum potential, just pleased if the boats didn't sink. Though having fun, they worked up enough of an appetite not to complain when lunch was ready.

After lunch, we played indoors. Mama had designed "Word on the Street" notebooks for the kids, with a page for each Sesame Street vocabulary--they drew pictures and cut out magazines for all the words we've seen on tv (marked here with an asterisk!). The kids also played with the new puppet theater I found at a tag sale for just $5, complete with chalkboard signage and red and white-striped curtains. Sis performed her "Barn Show" in three parts, first with a visit to the CSA garden, second with a meal in the kitchen with all the vegetables, third a family trip to the ice cream parlor, all using her birthday Playmobil sets. Bud used his knights and dragons to put on a war; later he showed his "Green-Headed Schwaubble Worm" Drag picking flowers for his grandmother, Tango the penguin (not a Schwaubble!). And they were in bed by 7 pm!!

The next day, Sunday, we figured Sis was well and truly better, that we could do something bigger, take advantage of the nice weather and one of our last unscheduled weekends before school. So we went to Mystic Seaport. We realized we hadn't been in two years, since the Morgan was put in dry dock for restoration. But Sis remembered it all: the wooden boat toy structures, the children's museum, even that the whaling ship was the Morgan. The girl has a memory like a steel trap.

And it was as much fun as we all remembered, perhaps even more because they've added a few things. The kids loved the new wooden tugboat to climb on and the new Map Spot children's exploration area. There, Bud became obsessed with grids and coordinates, while Sis drew her own maps. They both liked building bridges and canals and using the cranes and driving the simulated car. Then we made wooden boats, painted scenes of the seaport on canvas, and rode in the horse-drawn carriage. I enjoyed looking at the kitchen and parlor gardens of one of the old houses, getting some new ideas for trellises for next year's beans. Mama also created a piece of scrimshaw (on polymer, of course, not actual whalebone) with a knot design; I think she's found a hobby that combines her love of drawing with her love of woodworking. If she can find the right polymer . . .

On the way home, after almost 8 hours walking around the seaport (which is probably why my back is bothering me this week, my PT says), we stopped for pizza at the restaurant with the trains. Mama and I really liked the mushroom pesto pizza and Bud continued his preference for lasagna. Sis preferred the Kentucky Derby Pie, which is like a big, warm chocolate-chip cookie. They napped on the way home, the icing on the cake of a good weekend.

*This weekend was brought to you by Sesame Street's "Word on the Street!"

A Cat and His Penguin

I was taking a mommy-break last weekend from the kids, with the door closed, when this piteous noise erupted outside it. Not the kids wailing for my return, but the cat begging to get in. I opened the door a crack and Albus came bounding in, frantically searching the bed for something. He gave me a few hopeful rubs with his head but still couldn't find what he was looking for: his penguin.

Yes, our cat has a stuffed penguin. And it wasn't in my room. I found it a few minutes later on Sis's bed and brought it to him. He was clearly relieved. He climbed up on it and started kneading it and purring, pure kitty bliss. He does this at least once or twice a day, sometimes even comes looking for it in the middle of the night. I like to think of it as his form of meditating--the penguin calms and centers and rejuvenates him. Not that I know exactly what would upset him so.

Unless he was hiding out in my room for the same reasons I was!

R2-D2

Yep, my droid has arrived!

I've entered professional suburban mommydom with my own smartphone, complete with all sorts of things like a calendar, internet access, navigational tools, and, oh yeah, phone capabilities. It's going to take me awhile to figure it out--so if I don't manage to answer your calls or email, it's probably because I'm deciphering a new app!

The BIG Question

Geez, like death and math weren't enough this week, Bud was on a roll. And he asked me where babies come from. In the car. Sound familiar, Gommie? Almost exactly 35 years ago, in a car, I'm guessing about the time you had Aunt Banana, I apparently asked you the same thing.

"How did I get in your tummy?"

And heaven help me, my answer to Bud wasn't the best. I just couldn't fathom that a 5-year old boy could maturely grasp penises, vaginas, sperm, eggs, and how they all come together in typical circumstances. Yep. Sex. I toyed with a cooking analogy, you know ingredients coming together, "bun in the oven." UGH. Just. Couldn't. Do. It. Nor did, "well, usually, a mommy and a daddy make a baby together." Nope. Not here.

So, I went with our story. Donors, doctors, help. My usual "The doctor helped us have you, along with the nice man we never met." speech. And that seems to have done it for the time being.

Which gives me some time to work on the rest of the answer.

Who would've thought I would be at a loss for words? Or somehow hesitant? Some things are harder than I expected.

Quick Updates

Just a few notes:

• Sis is better, fever-free, but still getting tired quickly. We had a restful Saturday at home (sadly missing a friend's birthday party), grilling and playing, a busier day on Sunday at Mystic Seaport when we saw that she needed distraction more than rest. More on those later.
• I overdid it at Mystic and have agitated my back. My blessed and sainted PT squeezed me in today and says it's that lumbar curve causing trouble this time. So, I'm taking things very gently and gingerly here.
• Gommie's broken foot is ensconced in a big, black boot that has made it (somewhat) possible for her to move around. But she's had to cancel a hiking trip to CO with Pop and doesn't know when she'll get to CT next (esp because I've asked for no visits in Sept, for the first month of school).
• Gong and Ma are recovering from their long flight back to Eastern Standard Time. We're hoping to visit them this weekend.

That's it from here for now.

Welcome Back!

Ma and Gong returned from a monthlong visit to Thailand yesterday. Good luck getting back on Eastern Standard Time!