A giant thank you to the woman who taught me what it means to be a good mother; I could not do this without your example or your support. And to the tiny girl who made me a mother: you bring joy to my life every day.
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Happy Mother's Day!
I just wanted to take a moment today to honor all the women for whom Mother's Day can be so difficult and painful. For those whose mothers are no longer with them; who are pregnant and wish they weren't; who aren't pregnant and wish they were. For mothers who have experienced the pain of miscarriage or child loss, especially. I am praying for you all today.
A giant thank you to the woman who taught me what it means to be a good mother; I could not do this without your example or your support. And to the tiny girl who made me a mother: you bring joy to my life every day.
A giant thank you to the woman who taught me what it means to be a good mother; I could not do this without your example or your support. And to the tiny girl who made me a mother: you bring joy to my life every day.
Friday, May 10, 2013
Carrot Pineapple Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
It's been a week of firsts: Anne's first time on a plane, first time attending a wedding (congrats, James and Julia!!), first visit to the farmers' market. Yesterday she turned six months old, and it was as if she thought, "I am six months old now, and it is high time I started sitting up unassisted like a big girl." You'd think I would get used to the overlapping and constant milestones, but I just can't seem to catch my breath! Every new thing she does is amazing.
Last night, we had friends over for pizza and half-birthday cake. Sadly, the guest of honor is still working on her purees, and won't be eating any cake for another six months, but we thoroughly enjoyed celebrating on her behalf. (I have the burned finger and shattered pizza stone to prove it; did you know you're not supposed to put a pizza stone under the broiler?)
I've started Weight Watchers again. Five years ago, I lost about 20 pounds on the program, and have since gained it all back (oh hey, baby weight). I thought that since I'm still nursing, and I've been working out with Jillian a few times a week (and trying to get to yoga once a week), that the weight would just continue to fall off. But I had reached a plateau, and I wanted to be more intentional. I share this here only because it's the only way I've ever been successful at losing weight, because I can enjoy the above-mentioned pizza, cake, and beer (oh, I didn't mention that?) without any adverse effects by balancing those choices throughout the day. It just helps to have a portion-control guide. Anyway, in case you're wondering, this cake is 15 points per slice, and I enjoyed every little bite.
Carrot Pineapple Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
adapted from Great Cakes
This is a half-cake for a half-birthday. For a regular two-layer cake, double everything, and fill and frost as usual.
For the cake:
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 cup finely chopped fresh pineapple (about 1/4 pineapple), or well-drained canned crushed pineapple
1.5 cups grated carrot (about 3 medium-large carrots)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
For the frosting:
1/3 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1.5 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon sour cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
pecan halves, for garnish (optional)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter or coat liberally with coconut oil cooking spray one 9-inch round cake pan. Combine flour, baking soda, salt, and spices in a bowl, and toss together. Set aside. Place the eggs in the bowl of a stand mixer, and using the whip attachment, beat on medium-high for about two minutes, until light yellow, thick, and smooth. Slowly add the sugar, beating for about 5-6 minutes until well blended and fluffy. Add vanilla and lemon zest, and stir. With the mixer running, slowly pour in the oil, and then beat for one minute.
With the mixer off, add the flour mixture all at once, and then mix on low just until incorporated, about 15 seconds. Remove the bowl from the mixer and use a spatula to fold in the carrots and pineapple. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and bake about 30-35 minutes, until the sides pull away from the pan and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool completely. Remove the cake from the pan and cut in right down the middle. Wrap the halves in plastic and place them in the freezer for at least an hour or two, or up to a few weeks (see Deb for awesome tips on fancy cakes). This step is optional, but since you are applying frosting to the inside of the cake (the cut side), freezing will help the frosting stay crumb-free. Make sure that you leave enough time for the frozen cake to come to room temperature before serving.
Make the frosting: In a medium bowl, combine the butter and cream cheese. Use a wooden spoon to cream until very smooth. Mix in the lemon zest. Add half the powdered sugar, then the sour cream, then the other half of the powdered sugar, stirring well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla.
Fill and frost the stacked halves just as you would a whole cake, and garnish with a half-circle of pecans; now you have an adorable half-cake!
Yield: 8 slices
Last night, we had friends over for pizza and half-birthday cake. Sadly, the guest of honor is still working on her purees, and won't be eating any cake for another six months, but we thoroughly enjoyed celebrating on her behalf. (I have the burned finger and shattered pizza stone to prove it; did you know you're not supposed to put a pizza stone under the broiler?)
I've started Weight Watchers again. Five years ago, I lost about 20 pounds on the program, and have since gained it all back (oh hey, baby weight). I thought that since I'm still nursing, and I've been working out with Jillian a few times a week (and trying to get to yoga once a week), that the weight would just continue to fall off. But I had reached a plateau, and I wanted to be more intentional. I share this here only because it's the only way I've ever been successful at losing weight, because I can enjoy the above-mentioned pizza, cake, and beer (oh, I didn't mention that?) without any adverse effects by balancing those choices throughout the day. It just helps to have a portion-control guide. Anyway, in case you're wondering, this cake is 15 points per slice, and I enjoyed every little bite.
Carrot Pineapple Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
adapted from Great Cakes
This is a half-cake for a half-birthday. For a regular two-layer cake, double everything, and fill and frost as usual.
For the cake:
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 cup finely chopped fresh pineapple (about 1/4 pineapple), or well-drained canned crushed pineapple
1.5 cups grated carrot (about 3 medium-large carrots)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
For the frosting:
1/3 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1.5 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon sour cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
pecan halves, for garnish (optional)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter or coat liberally with coconut oil cooking spray one 9-inch round cake pan. Combine flour, baking soda, salt, and spices in a bowl, and toss together. Set aside. Place the eggs in the bowl of a stand mixer, and using the whip attachment, beat on medium-high for about two minutes, until light yellow, thick, and smooth. Slowly add the sugar, beating for about 5-6 minutes until well blended and fluffy. Add vanilla and lemon zest, and stir. With the mixer running, slowly pour in the oil, and then beat for one minute.
With the mixer off, add the flour mixture all at once, and then mix on low just until incorporated, about 15 seconds. Remove the bowl from the mixer and use a spatula to fold in the carrots and pineapple. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and bake about 30-35 minutes, until the sides pull away from the pan and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool completely. Remove the cake from the pan and cut in right down the middle. Wrap the halves in plastic and place them in the freezer for at least an hour or two, or up to a few weeks (see Deb for awesome tips on fancy cakes). This step is optional, but since you are applying frosting to the inside of the cake (the cut side), freezing will help the frosting stay crumb-free. Make sure that you leave enough time for the frozen cake to come to room temperature before serving.
Make the frosting: In a medium bowl, combine the butter and cream cheese. Use a wooden spoon to cream until very smooth. Mix in the lemon zest. Add half the powdered sugar, then the sour cream, then the other half of the powdered sugar, stirring well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla.
Fill and frost the stacked halves just as you would a whole cake, and garnish with a half-circle of pecans; now you have an adorable half-cake!
Yield: 8 slices
Friday, May 3, 2013
Garden Update!
Every step of this gardening project feels scary, and yet every time I do something it seems to turn out OK, so onward I go! I find myself constantly amazed; amazed that when I open the seed packets, the seeds look (duh) just like the seeds on the inside of vegetables I've eaten my entire life. Amazed that anything germinates, that they sprout more leaves, survive transplants, and un-wither themselves when I forget to water. I think constantly of analogies between parenting and gardening, and I'm sure I'm not the first. Plants and kids: resilient.
My tomato seedlings are completely out of control, having lost all their baby fat and grown into unruly teenagers. I keep looking nervously at the calendar and the ten-day forecast, wondering when they should move out to the roof. I know they will more than likely be fine, but I known them since they were seeds, you know? Anyway, even as I type this, they are enjoying their first field trip (in the front yard, where I can keep my eye on them). They'll having increasingly long outdoor play times for the next week or two, and by mid-may, they'll move to their forever homes on the roof!
The cool-weather crops are all doing great! I planted sugar snap peas, arugula, and carrots in pots on the roof (the same big pots that will soon house the tomatoes, although I'm not sure how the timing will work out) on March 30. Hopefully I can harvest the arugula before the tomatoes need to go in, and maybe I'll get a few baby carrots. I'm toying with the idea of growing the sugar snaps and tomatoes together for a few weeks, and then direct-sowing some basil when the peas are done. The tomatoes are my real priority, though.
And now, a photo tour!
From left to right, just after planting: arugula, sugar snap peas (x2), and carrots.
Pea seeds: just... peas!
Planting:
LIFE!
Hey, wow, I'm growing a salad! Also, germination in the cold harsh world takes FOREVER compared to germination inside.
Oh hey, guys, you're looking mighty viney today! Good work! (Peas)
Arugula! Looking more and more like the stuff at the grocery.
Tomatoes, from left to right: Mexico Midget, Martino's Roma, Evergreen, and Moonglow
Sweet peppers, left to right: Bull Nose Bell, and Tequila Sunrise.
Are you doing any gardening this year? Starting from seeds, or purchasing plants from a nursery? What kinds? Please share, I'm all ears!
My tomato seedlings are completely out of control, having lost all their baby fat and grown into unruly teenagers. I keep looking nervously at the calendar and the ten-day forecast, wondering when they should move out to the roof. I know they will more than likely be fine, but I known them since they were seeds, you know? Anyway, even as I type this, they are enjoying their first field trip (in the front yard, where I can keep my eye on them). They'll having increasingly long outdoor play times for the next week or two, and by mid-may, they'll move to their forever homes on the roof!
The cool-weather crops are all doing great! I planted sugar snap peas, arugula, and carrots in pots on the roof (the same big pots that will soon house the tomatoes, although I'm not sure how the timing will work out) on March 30. Hopefully I can harvest the arugula before the tomatoes need to go in, and maybe I'll get a few baby carrots. I'm toying with the idea of growing the sugar snaps and tomatoes together for a few weeks, and then direct-sowing some basil when the peas are done. The tomatoes are my real priority, though.
And now, a photo tour!
From left to right, just after planting: arugula, sugar snap peas (x2), and carrots.
Pea seeds: just... peas!
Planting:
LIFE!
Hey, wow, I'm growing a salad! Also, germination in the cold harsh world takes FOREVER compared to germination inside.
Oh hey, guys, you're looking mighty viney today! Good work! (Peas)
Arugula! Looking more and more like the stuff at the grocery.
Tomatoes, from left to right: Mexico Midget, Martino's Roma, Evergreen, and Moonglow
Sweet peppers, left to right: Bull Nose Bell, and Tequila Sunrise.
Are you doing any gardening this year? Starting from seeds, or purchasing plants from a nursery? What kinds? Please share, I'm all ears!
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Lovely Links (April 2013)
1. Peas sprouting!
2. Arugula sprouting!
3. Warm enough for naps in the stroller. Hand on her favorite toy.
4-5. Peas and arugula at the end of the month; amazing what a few weeks will do! They are really picking up steam now that temps are warmer.
6. Flowering trees. Yes yes yes.
We've had our share of showers last month, and May flowers and warm temperatures are here just in time! Here's some of the best I saw online during April:
Shot over a period of 18 months, Italian photographer Gabriele Galimberti’s project Toy Stories compiles photos of children from around the world with their prized possesions—their toys.
I'm so ready to break out the ice cream maker again, and this malt ice cream is the first on my to-try list.
Why the iPhone culture of the 21st century would make a modern-day Breakfast Club impossible.
If you're still sold on the idea of low- or non-fat dairy, this is a must-read. Why it isn't good, in a nutshell: it leads to weight gain, not loss, doesn't protect against heart disease, and is basically just a byproduct that's leftover after dairy farmers make the more valuable full-fat products, like cream and butter.
Pixar's 22 Rules of Storytelling.
I am all over this Asian Chicken and Cabbage Salad.
This letter from a mother of nine to a mother of one made me cry.
How to eat a falafel in Lebanon. When is someone going to invent teleportation so I can do this for lunch?
In honor of Earth Day, Jenny wrote an awesome, awesome post about greening up your bedroom (i.e. your family planning choices). Did I mention awesome?
I made a whole batch of the Pioneer Woman's mango margaritas (thanks to Sarah for making them for me first!!), and stuck them in a plastic container in the freezer for the hot days ahead.
Friday, April 12, 2013
Funny, Beautiful, Interesting, Kind. (Vol. 1)
In the past few months, I have often caught myself daydreaming about how I will parent in the future, as my daughter grows older and our family (hopefully) grows in size. One frequent daydream is of our family at the dinner table as our kids grow, sharing stories from our days out in the world, reconnecting and recharging together. But I know all too well how conversations go when they begin with, "How was your day?"
"Fine."
...Not exactly the sparkling conversation of my dreams, is it?
So with an eye to living intentionally and being present to each moment of our lives, we have started a new dinnertime tradition: Funny, Beautiful, Interesting, Kind. When we sit down to dinner together, each of us (Anne is exempt as of now, although not for long!) has to share one of the following from our day:
- What was the funniest thing that happened?
- What was the most beautiful thing you saw or heard (or tasted)?
- What is the most interesting thing you learned?
- What was the kindest thing you did for someone else?
When you know these questions are coming at the end of the day, you pay closer attention to the happenings in your life. And if the day is half gone, and nothing terribly noteworthy has happened, you can take control! Grab a book and read about something new! Get creative and make someone's day with a random act of kindness! Present to our lives, and intentional about living well.
I'd like to expand this conversation into this space, too. Every Friday, I'll post the answer to one of the above questions, taken from the past week. And I hope you'll join me in the comments, starting today!
The most interesting thing I learned this week: if you lightly brush the leaves of tomato seedlings each day with your fingertips, the plants grow sturdier, stockier stems.
What happened in your week that was funny, beautiful, interesting or kind?
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Baked Rhubarb Oatmeal
Long ago, motherhood -- womanhood -- was a community affair. Pregnancy, childbirth, nursing; these things were not so cloaked in mystique and taboos in past generations. There was support, practice, experience that came with being one of many women living in close quarters. Much of that is lost in our society, or at least it can be. Motherhood can be a time of tremendous isolation, since most of us live miles from our families and friends. I am so deeply grateful for the online communities I have found to give support and encouragement, answer crazy questions, and laugh and cry with me. I am grateful to be able to connect with women who completely understand when I talk about erratic sleep schedules, nursing marathons, and the fact that, to my dismay, my house looks nothing like what I see on Pinterest.
Motherhood is still a community, albeit more Jetsons than tribe. This morning I had coffee with my mom via videochat. We showed each other the progress our seedlings have made, watched my daughter wiggle and squeal, and lamented the caprices of late spring (Michigan got snow again!). Later we went to a bakery to spend time with several other moms and babies Anne's age, whom we met through Meetup.com. While we rocked to sleep at naptime this afternoon, I checked the moms' groups I'm a part of on Facebook, commiserating, praying, and sharing what little advice and experience I've gained in five short months. I checked Twitter for updates on a new baby in the NICU, offered encouragement and more prayers. This may look very different than it used to, but it is essentially the same. I'm grateful for all my little tribes of mammas, living the joy and struggle of raising these tiny people together.
This recipe is adapted from Heidi Swanson's Super Natural Every Day, a fabulous book full of unusual and inspiring vegetarian dishes. The original recipe calls for bananas and huckleberries (which, incidentally, I've never had!). I was craving rhubarb crisp, but looking for something a little more wholesome and substantial that could be eaten for breakfast, guilt-free. Rhubarb probably won't be at the local markets for another month or so, but I cheated last year and froze some. How wonderful it was to look in the back of my freezer and pull out the gift of spring a few weeks early! This would work with any fruit you have on hand; apples, pears, or berries would be lovely. Let me know what you try!
Baked Rhubarb Oatmeal
4 cups fresh or frozen rhubarb, chopped
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1.5 teaspoons cinnamon
2 cups milk
1/4 cup honey
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 tablespoons melted butter
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees, and arrange a rack in the top third of the oven. Butter the inside of an 8-inch square baking dish (or equivalent). Mix together the oats, half the walnuts, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. In another bowl whisk together the milk, honey, egg, vanilla, and butter.
Arrange the rhubarb in the dish and sprinkle the sugar over. Toss the rhubarb a little to evenly distribute the sugar, but not too much; you don't want all the sugar to go to the bottom. Spread the oat mixture evenly over the top. Slowly pour the milk mixture over the top, and thump the pan on the counter gently to evenly distribute the milk through the oats. Sprinkle the remaining walnuts on top.
Bake for 35-45 minutes, until golden and set. Serve warm.
Motherhood is still a community, albeit more Jetsons than tribe. This morning I had coffee with my mom via videochat. We showed each other the progress our seedlings have made, watched my daughter wiggle and squeal, and lamented the caprices of late spring (Michigan got snow again!). Later we went to a bakery to spend time with several other moms and babies Anne's age, whom we met through Meetup.com. While we rocked to sleep at naptime this afternoon, I checked the moms' groups I'm a part of on Facebook, commiserating, praying, and sharing what little advice and experience I've gained in five short months. I checked Twitter for updates on a new baby in the NICU, offered encouragement and more prayers. This may look very different than it used to, but it is essentially the same. I'm grateful for all my little tribes of mammas, living the joy and struggle of raising these tiny people together.
This recipe is adapted from Heidi Swanson's Super Natural Every Day, a fabulous book full of unusual and inspiring vegetarian dishes. The original recipe calls for bananas and huckleberries (which, incidentally, I've never had!). I was craving rhubarb crisp, but looking for something a little more wholesome and substantial that could be eaten for breakfast, guilt-free. Rhubarb probably won't be at the local markets for another month or so, but I cheated last year and froze some. How wonderful it was to look in the back of my freezer and pull out the gift of spring a few weeks early! This would work with any fruit you have on hand; apples, pears, or berries would be lovely. Let me know what you try!
Baked Rhubarb Oatmeal
4 cups fresh or frozen rhubarb, chopped
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1.5 teaspoons cinnamon
2 cups milk
1/4 cup honey
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 tablespoons melted butter
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees, and arrange a rack in the top third of the oven. Butter the inside of an 8-inch square baking dish (or equivalent). Mix together the oats, half the walnuts, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. In another bowl whisk together the milk, honey, egg, vanilla, and butter.
Arrange the rhubarb in the dish and sprinkle the sugar over. Toss the rhubarb a little to evenly distribute the sugar, but not too much; you don't want all the sugar to go to the bottom. Spread the oat mixture evenly over the top. Slowly pour the milk mixture over the top, and thump the pan on the counter gently to evenly distribute the milk through the oats. Sprinkle the remaining walnuts on top.
Bake for 35-45 minutes, until golden and set. Serve warm.
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Lovely Links (March 2013)
Because it was Holy Week when March slid into April, and... better late than never!!
1. Sunrise on the way out of town to visit all the grandparents.
2. Gorgeous huge tree in my parents' yard.
3. SNUGGLES.
4. Sprouts! 3 days after planting.
5. Helping me cook on St. Patrick's Day.
6. Tomato seedling with its first set of true leaves!
Smoky Beet Burgers. Good grief those look amazing.
Betcha didn't think of everything in this post about poison prevention. I saved the number for poison control on my phone.
Dried fava soup with mint and guajillo chiles!! That's reason enough to hope it doesn't stop raining quite yet - more soup weather, please!
"Your 'art' is really just the thing you love, the thing you’re good at, the thing you do that’s authentically you."
I never met a Reuben I didn't like, so I think I can get on board with Hot Reuben Dip.
Creative ways to upcycle wood pallets. One day I will be patient and awesome enough to pull off things like that.
I've never done stuffed cabbage rolls before, but after seeing several iterations lately (like these Asian Stuffed Napa Cabbage Rolls), I must say I am intrigued.
Love how the Church is getting more and more into the online/social media world. Case in point: Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI published an interactive e-book shortly after resigning.
Bees Wrap. Reusable beeswax and cloth food storage alternative to plastic wrap. WANT.
I now have several more reasons to want to visit the Bay Area sooner than later.
Bringing professional musicians into your home for concerts tailored especially for kids? Awesome.
How come all little girls can be princesses... but little boys aren't all princes?
1. Sunrise on the way out of town to visit all the grandparents.
2. Gorgeous huge tree in my parents' yard.
3. SNUGGLES.
4. Sprouts! 3 days after planting.
5. Helping me cook on St. Patrick's Day.
6. Tomato seedling with its first set of true leaves!
Smoky Beet Burgers. Good grief those look amazing.
Betcha didn't think of everything in this post about poison prevention. I saved the number for poison control on my phone.
Dried fava soup with mint and guajillo chiles!! That's reason enough to hope it doesn't stop raining quite yet - more soup weather, please!
"Your 'art' is really just the thing you love, the thing you’re good at, the thing you do that’s authentically you."
I never met a Reuben I didn't like, so I think I can get on board with Hot Reuben Dip.
Creative ways to upcycle wood pallets. One day I will be patient and awesome enough to pull off things like that.
I've never done stuffed cabbage rolls before, but after seeing several iterations lately (like these Asian Stuffed Napa Cabbage Rolls), I must say I am intrigued.
Love how the Church is getting more and more into the online/social media world. Case in point: Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI published an interactive e-book shortly after resigning.
Bees Wrap. Reusable beeswax and cloth food storage alternative to plastic wrap. WANT.
I now have several more reasons to want to visit the Bay Area sooner than later.
Bringing professional musicians into your home for concerts tailored especially for kids? Awesome.
How come all little girls can be princesses... but little boys aren't all princes?
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