Sometimes I’m not sure which era I live in. In some ways, I totally feel the whole modern woman thing. And in some ways, I think part of me lives in the 1950s. What have I been doing in between watching the Olympics in the evening?
Working on another new quilt, this time for my niece…
… and baking chocolate chip cookies.
I’m all about multitasking, people.
I was reading a fellow HDYDI mom’s blog, Lit and Laundry, and it’s her birthday today! Hooray, happy birthday! Her gift request from everyone in blog-land is a favorite recipe. As I know she’s already seen my Chicken & Couscous Salad, I decided to find another good summer recipe. And you know what? It sounded so good that I might just have to make it myself, possibly tonight or tomorrow. And why not, I was looking for an excuse to have my kids try canteloupe. (I’m actually slightly allergic to melons. Nothing serious, but I wouldn’t exactly be finishing my kids’ leftover canteloupe. But in the salsa? No problem.) And I thought I’d pass it along to all of you… yet another tasty summer recipe, hooray for the grill!
Hoisin and Bourbon-Glazed Pork Tenderlioin with Three-Fruit Salsa (from Cooking Light)
Pork and Glaze
Salsa
Instructions:
It’s a hideous day here in New England. Daniel has picked up his sister’s virus from earlier this week, and has a 101-102 degree fever. Rebecca woke up coughing and crabby. And it’s raining. Awesome. However, we’re supposed to get our first heat wave this weekend, so I thought I’d share what will likely be in my freezer this weekend…
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I love the change of seasons. I tend to get tired of one, by the end, so I’m always ready for the next one to arrive. In particular, I love bringing out recipies that I only make in certain kinds of weather. When it first gets cold, I love making my turkey chili and cornbread, or chicken stew with biscuits. But when it gets warm and I can finally walk around in shorts and t-shirts and sit outside… ahh. I’m ready for a popsicle. Or, as I mentioned a week or two ago, some Chicken & Couscous Salad. Or…
Fresh Strawberry Ice Cream. Even just saying it tastes delicious, don’t you think?
[No, this isn't going to turn into a food/cooking blog. But sometimes, even if my kids can't eat it yet, these things are just too good to pass up.]
Like plenty of newlyweds, we got an ice cream maker as a wedding gift.
It sat in the cabinet for a while, a nice idea but something I never seemed to remember to use. One friend swore it was great for frozen margaritas, but I like them on the rocks, so no go there. Until a friend came to visit from out of town and couldn’t believe we hadn’t made strawberry ice cream yet. So she made it. And I was hooked.
The fresh strawberries, a little lemon juice, and heavy cream… what’s not to love? Oh, this stuff is so good. You simply must take spoonfuls out of the spout in the top while it’s churning. You know, for quality assurance, right? And after it’s frozen solid in the tupperware in the freezer… there have been nights where M just couldn’t stop himself from eating nearly the entire thing. And strawberry is not otherwise his favorite flavor. This is just that good.
This is pretty much straight from the Cuisinart instruction manual / recipe book. It’s not a custard-based ice cream which means it’s pretty quick to make, no waiting for a custard to cool or worrying about getting the eggs just right. You can substitute peaches for strawberries, but I have found that, while you can get away with simply good strawberries, the peach version isn’t really worth making unless you have perfect peaches, right at the height of ripeness. Cook’s Illustrated also has some suggestions regarding macerating peaches in this month’s issue. Anyways, back to the strawberries…
Fresh Strawberry Ice Cream
1 quart fresh strawberries
4 T fresh-squeezed lemon juice
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 1/2 c. 1% milk (I’ve decided 1% makes for the best finished texture, not sure why)
1 1/2 c. heavy cream (do not skimp and make this with light cream)
1-2 t. vanilla
Be aware of the capacity of your ice cream maker, as well as the fact that the mixture will expand in volume as it churns. I used the full quart of strawberries, 1.5 c. of milk, and 2 c. of cream, and I had a bit too much for my 1 1/2 quart machine. Don’t overfill, or you will have a sticky pink mess on your hands. (A tasty one, though!)
Sunday night, we got an unexpected call from my uncle Andy. Turns out he was coming to the area on a last-minute business trip, and was hoping to stop by Monday evening. In particular, he was on strict orders from my aunt to make sure he saw the babies and got a picture.
The timing was cutting it close, 
but when we knew he was on his way from the airport, we kept the kids up a little later than usual so that they could see and be seen. While they were pretty zonked, it was worth it so my uncle didn’t miss them. He is seldom out on the East Coast, so it’s not like he would just see them next week or something. And I’m not sure his wife would allow him back in the house tomorrow without a picture.
It was fun hanging out with him over dinner, telling funny stories about the family. He’s my dad’s younger brother, and that entire side of the family is just plain crazy – in a good way. My uncle Andy in particular was the start of two cherished family traditions: the adding machine, and re-naming people. The adding machine is just that – an enormous mid-century calculator, weighing about 40 pounds. It gets passed around the family like a hot potato at gatherings, the only rule (and I mean only) being that you are not allowed to give it back to the person who gave it to you. With my dad being one of nine children, 24 kids (plus spouses, now) in my generation, and 24 and counting in my kids’ generation… you’ve got lots of choices. 
It nearly always shows up at weddings, bridal and baby showers, baptisms, and certainly Christmas and family reunions. [The photo is my stepmom and stepsister decorating it for my cousin Heather's wedding.] It was once returned to its original “owner,” uncle Andy, when my dad, uncle, and cousin cemented it on a brick pedestal in Andy’s front yard. It was decorated with Christmas lights that winter. That had to have been at least a decade ago, and it was long since chipped out of the cement (there are still a few pieces clinging to it) and continues to make the rounds by increasingly elaborate means.
The other family tradition that is largely owned and perpetuated by my uncle Andy is the fact that newcomers get immediately re-named. Any time a girlfriend or boyfriend is brought to a family event, they are forewarned that they will be called something, anything, other than their real name. And that name will generally stick so hard and fast that, years later when the person has married into the family and has been around seemingly forever, you will have a very difficult time remembering what their actual name is. My cousin’s husband, for instance… he’s as gawky white guy as you can get. Pale skin, red hair, very very funny guy from Indiana. His name? Raúl, the Latin Sensation. My aunt’s Scandinavian husband? Stu. (Sometimes my stepmom calls him by his “full” name, Stuart. Seriously, I have a very hard time remembering his name is really Glen.) And my beloved, M… it took a few tries to find the “right” family name for him, but now it’s settled. Juan Epstein. Because really, how many other Puerto Rican Jews do you know?
So yeah, my dad’s family is crazy. But tons of fun. Yet another reason to consider moving back to Chicago… I’d get to hang out with them, and my kids would know the goofiness that I was lucky enough to grow up with. We shall see.
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Oh, and you want to know what I made for dinner? Of course you do, because it was really good! I made the Enchiladas Verdes from this month’s (July/August 2008 ) issue of Cook’s Illustrated, along with their Mexican Rice recipe. The enchiladas were hard to keep intact when I was serving them, so they looked a little messy on the plate, but no matter. They were super tasty, and the recipe was easily spread out over the course of the day whenever I had a few minutes to spare or the kids were napping.
Today was the first really muggy day of the season. Not my favorite, when the weatherman starts talking about dewpoints. I remember watching the forecast last summer, in my hugely pregnant days, to find out how hideous my day was going to be. Today would have been one of those dreaded days. Not that I enjoyed being so sticky today, but hey, at least I wasn’t pregnant.
The heat and humidity, combined with the threat of severe afternoon thunderstorms, kept us from our longer afternoon walk. Instead, after the PM nap, we slathered on some sunscreen and sat outside for the short while we had before the dark clouds and thunder raced in. I brought out some wooden spoons and metal bowls, finally remembering one of those divinely simple toy ideas… and they were a hit! Not only were the spoons reasonably safe to chew on, but Daniel figured out how to bang it on the bowl after only being shown once or twice. Not bad! A future percussionist? 
And as soon as I knew what a sticky day it would be, I instantly knew that I would make one of my summer standards for dinner. On a day like this, I want dinner to be room temperature at the absolute most. Even better is something that comes out of the fridge, but I need more than a lettuce-based salad to satisfy for dinner. This couscous and chicken salad is a favorite of mine as soon as the weather is warm enough. It’s easy, fast, and tastes even better the next day, straight out of the fridge. Make it at least an hour or two ahead of time, if you can, to let the flavors meld.
Chicken & Couscous Salad
Adapted from a Cooking Light recipe
1 c. uncooked couscous
1 1/4 c. chicken broth
2-3 c. diced or shredded cooked chicken (I like to roast bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts)
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced
1 large or 2 small/medium tomatoes, seeded and diced
4-6 scallions, chopped
parsley, if you have it, chopped
1/4 c. white wine vinegar
2 T. olive oil
1 t. cumin
1 clove garlic, minced
salt & pepper
Obviously, it’s a salad, so put in whatever you think will taste good. The original recipe has radishes and pine nuts, and no tomato. Though I will say that I tried feta one time, and it just didn’t work.
Or bread, or rice, or something other than potatoes.
Alas, the end of Passover arrives this evening. Whew. I know this is an important time to reflect on religion, in particular slavery and freedom and what that means. Especially as someone who didn’t grow up Jewish, but in fact chose to be so as an adult, I almost feel more pressure to be conscious of that choice. Honestly, though, I’m mostly just feeling selfish right now. And hungry.
It’s hard enough for me to eat well on a “regular” day. I haven’t yet figured out good things to have in the house for lunch, so I do a lot of scrounging, or a late fast-food drive-thru when the kids are up from their afternoon nap. It’s not healthy, but it’s easy, so it’s what I do. But when you remove grains from the picture… holy crap, I feel like there’s nothing to eat!
Oh, I know. Whine whine, poor me. Just make a friggin scrambled egg, or get some salad fixings. But I get pretty tired of scrambled eggs (and egg salad), and I’m just not that great at making appetizing “meal” salads. Something I should work on, but not something I had the energy for this week.
I guess that’s what it comes down to. Lack of energy, laziness, a desire for something to just be easy. So much of my time is spent figuring out the kids’ food… four bottles and three “solid” meals every day… that for myself, I just don’t want to think. I want to grab and go. Food for me, especially during the day, needs to be quick. It’s grabbed during nap time, or other brief periods of quiet, in between loads of laundry. This is not the time in my life when I’m going to lovingly craft meals for myself.
Thankfully, after this evening, bread is back on the table. Tomorrow morning, I’ll take the kids to the grocery store and I’ll at least get bread, meat, and cheese for sandwiches. Maybe some tuna. But I know I’ll tire of that, and I know I need more than just a little turkey sandwich to last me the afternoon. I need good, easy snacks on hand, and I’m just not a baby carrot fan.
Anyone have suggestions for their favorite quick and easy lunches or snacks? Mmm, maybe I’ll make some more hummus…
And then, there’s dinner. Anything we eat for dinner (that isn’t takeout) has to be either made (from fridge to plate) in 40 minutes or less, or I have to be able to easily make it in stages throughout the day. Some things work well that way, and some just don’t (as my potato gratin demonstrated last week). Alright, that’s my project for today. Come up with my grocery list for this week, including lunch stuff and a plan for at least a few easy or make-ahead dinners.
Oh, and a moratorium on McDonalds. That just has to stop.
Ah, the first truly warm day. It was upwards of 80 degrees today! Huzzah! Shorts and t-shirts, a walk in the new BOB… Not too shabby.
Food has been especially tricky this week. For one, is it that sort of transitional season where you’re tired of heavy winter foods, but the freshness of summer dishes just doesn’t seem quite right yet. I think it’s because the produce isn’t there yet. For another, it’s Passover. No friggin grains. As if I didn’t have a hard enough time finding something to eat for lunch while the kids are napping, or managing to make dinner. Now, bread and rice and seemingly everything else is off-limits for a whole week! Oh, what a rough life.
Yesterday featured a dismal failure of a potato gratin (note to self: assembling ahead of time and baking several hours later is a bad idea) and roast chicken that took more time than it was worth (tasty, but by the time it was ready, I pretty much inhaled a few bites and returned to Dancing with the Stars). By tonight, I was desperate for a “real” dinner, so M picked up some BBQ on the way home. Yes, I realize the relative hypocritical nature of eating pulled pork, and yet avoiding grains… I’m OK with it. Anyways, the BBQ was good, but I was craving dessert and we had nothing in the house.
And then, it occurred to me. I was kind of warm and uncomfortable, and since we haven’t really opened many windows yet, it was actually even warmer in the house than it was outside. What did I have a taste for? Sorbet.
20 minutes and a trip to Stop & Shop later, and I have my delightful Häagen-Dazs strawberry sorbet. Oh, summer. I am so ready for you.
As I mentioned, I’ve been making all of my kids’ baby food. The freezer is stocked with a variety of colorful ice cubes, waiting to be defrosted and devoured. Not surprisingly, my kids have developed favorites, and aren’t always keen on new introductions. Love sweet potatoes, acorn & butternut squash, apples, pears, and peaches. Not fans of green beans and peas. Alas. But I know they should eat some non-orange (or yellow) foods, so I do what any mom would do: I hide them in something else. Usually my mixer of choice is sweet potatoes. Makes for an unpleasant color when mixed with green beans, but hey, it works. I know they’ve ingested some green veggies.
Well, one day I was out of my trusty sweet potatoes, and they had no interest in green beans on their own. I wanted them to have something green, but they were clamping their mouths shut at the idea. And then, I remembered something I had read on WholesomeBabyFood.com: “Leave your own thoughts of ‘what foods go well together and what foods do not’ behind you as you step into the kitchen to conjure up a meal for your baby!”
Well, OK. If you say so.
And thus, green beans and banana was born. M thought I was nuts. The babies inhaled it. Victory! Now, I fear no mixes. Certainly, avocado and banana was a huge hit back in California. We’ve also found success with carrots and summer squash. Carrots and apples vanished in near-record time (perhaps my kids are part-horse?).
Now that they’re eight months old, I’ve purchased some yogurt for them to try. Oh, just imagine what I can hide in yogurt…!
What weird combos do your kids go nuts for?
Well, I suppose someone in my house should be eating well. For myself and M, I can barely manage hamburgers or chicken on the grill. Last night was quesadillas, which only makes it sound slightly fancier than grilled cheese. I think the night before that was delivery Chinese. So much nutritional value, I hardly know where to begin.
My kids, though… my kids get a three-course meal of fresh fruits and vegetables. Witness the beauty of the trio of purees. To start, a combination of sweet potato and winter squash. In the middle, the prettiest color yet, green beans (I can get a couple of bites in before they remember they don’t like it). And for dessert, oatmeal with apples. Prepared with love, all homemade save for the oatmeal.
And, as always, the sweet potatoes are a huge hit. Sometimes I just can’t resist documenting the mess. This is why we do dinner right before bathtime!
For me and M? Chicken with barbecue sauce on a hamburger bun. At least it wasn’t junk food delivery again.
I’ve decided to make all of my kids’ food. OK, I’m not making my own cereals, those still come from a box. But as far as pureed fruits & veggies, I’m making as much of it as I possibly can. I didn’t really know ahead of time that I’d be “that person.” I have no moral objection to commercial baby foods, except that the times I’ve tried them have been on a dare (at a baby shower), and they were largely nasty. Then I started to realize that I had options other than the stuff in a jar, and that, frankly, homemade baby food isn’t just a crunchy hippie thing to do. (And crunchy, I’m not.) No, I have elected to make as much food for my kids as possible for a number of reasons:
Yes, I’m still talking about the breastfeeding that I stopped more than four months ago. Yes, I do still think it was the right decision for all of us, but that doesn’t mean I’m not still conflicted about it. And it’s not the primary factor behind my decision to make my own food. I actually really enjoy making it. I love seeing something at the grocery store and deciding my kids will try it. But there’s also a variety of reasons that I feel really good about that choice.
I’m not going to completely avoid all commercial food. It’s convenient for a reason. When we go to California next week (yes, we’re flying cross-country with two 7-month-olds, and no, I don’t want to talk about it), I will totally just get stuff from the store. But I’ll also take the opportunity to introduce my kids to the pure joy that is avocadoes. Mmm, baby guacamole.
I think one of the other things on my mind is trying to help my kids enjoy eating healthy, and hopefully encourage positive habits. I don’t plan on introducing juice any time soon (who needs it?), and I definitely won’t be adding any sugar to any of my purees. There’s so much sweet goodness in fruits, I see no need to add calories that are devoid of nutritional value. Yes, some of this is totally related to my own issues/struggles with food. But hey, if I can foster healthy habits in my kids (without being a total nutter), that’s a good thing.
Anyways, that’s what I’m up to. People assume it’s got to be so much work, but it really isn’t bad at all. I can throw some sweet potatoes in the oven or cook some apples on the weekend. Throw ‘em in the Cuisinart, freeze it in ice cube trays, and I’m good to go. The time-consuming part is the actual baby-feeding oatmeal/sweet potato carnage in my kitchen. Actually cooking it is no big deal at all. I get my guidelines (OK’d by my pediatrician, of course) from WholesomeBabyFood.com, if you want to check it out. I admit to being somewhat afraid of meat purees, but I’ll jump off that bridge in a couple of months.
