tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80868156122682642282024-03-13T10:29:47.243-07:00Coppertop KitchenElizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02737989236132853161noreply@blogger.comBlogger243125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8086815612268264228.post-20605500721554880872020-04-23T20:36:00.000-07:002020-04-23T20:38:19.450-07:00Eat-All-Week Chicken<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This whole COVID19 quarantine business is surreal in so many ways. But one thing I didn't see coming was the surge in chain letters. I guess the lack of real human connection and the sudden void of busy-ness has us spiraling back to the olden days. Anyway, I received a chain letter asking for a #quarantinecooking recipe, and I thought... what's better than a recipe? Three recipes in one. Because if you're going to make dinner, you might as well get a few more meals out of it.</div>
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So here's what you do. One night, you roast or grill a chicken. You serve it for dinner with lots of sides (to stretch the chicken!). You make chicken broth. You use some leftover meat for a delicious Cobb salad, and you make soup with the rest. Keep reading for the details, and stay safe and healthy!</div>
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<i><u>Grilled or Roasted Spatchcocked Chicken</u></i></div>
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1 3- to 4-pound chicken (organic is great, but use what you can find!)</div>
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olive oil or soft butter</div>
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kosher salt</div>
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If you've never spatchcocked a chicken, you must try it! It seriously reduces the cooking time on a whole chicken, and helps it cook evenly without drying out. It's not very hard, either. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pod4x5NJoYI">Here's a video showing the basic technique</a>. You can do it with a chef knife, but it's much easier with sturdy kitchen shears. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/TANSUNG-Multifunction-Come-Apart-Scissors-Vegetables/dp/B07BMZRSLH/ref=sr_1_12?dchild=1&keywords=kitchen+shears&qid=1587612171&sr=8-12">These</a> are similar to the ones I have. I like that you can pull them completely apart and put them in the dishwasher - that way they get thoroughly clean.</div>
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Cut the backbone out of the chicken (save it for your bone broth!) and flatten it. Pat dry, then gently separate the skin from the breasts and thighs without tearing it. Use your hands to spread the olive oil or butter all over under and over the skin. Season liberally with the kosher salt, especially under the skin. This helps to season all the way through the meat. Leave it to soak in for about 30 minutes (this process is called dry brining). Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 450 or prep your grill. <b>On the grill</b>: When the coals are ready, bank them all to one side of the grill. Put the chicken directly over the coals, skin side down for 10 minutes, and then flip it over and move it to the other side of the grill with the legs closest to the coals. Cook for another 30-40 minutes, until the meat is pulling away from the bones and the juices run clear. <b>In the oven: </b>Roast for 40-50 minutes, until the juice runs clear. Serve with lots of sides! </div>
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<i><u>Chicken Bone Broth</u></i></div>
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Remove all the meat from the chicken bones and place the bones, the back, and any pieces that came in the little bag into a large pot. I have an instant pot, which I love, but you can use any large pot. Add some veggie pieces - onion, carrot, celery, garlic - and a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar (this helps to draw the minerals out of the bones), and cover the whole thing with water. (Note about the veggies: I've started keeping a gallon-sized bag in my freezer and putting scraps in anytime I have them. Carrot scrapings, onion skins and roots, herb stems, anything that's about to go bad - all of it goes into the pot when I'm making broth!) In the instant pot, set it to manual and cook on high for 4 hours, then do a natural release. This is always an overnight process for me. Otherwise, simmer for 12 hours or longer on low. Strain and refrigerate!</div>
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<i><u>Chicken Cobb Salad</u></i></div>
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mixed baby greens or lettuces</div>
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cherry tomatoes, halved</div>
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crisp bacon, cut up</div>
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blue cheese or feta</div>
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hard boiled eggs</div>
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avocado</div>
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leftover chicken</div>
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Dressing:</div>
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Equal parts olive oil and balsamic vinegar</div>
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Dijon mustard</div>
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honey</div>
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salt and pepper</div>
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Arrange all the ingredients in a bowl, drizzle with dressing, toss and serve!</div>
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<i><u><i><i><u>Chicken Tortilla Soup</u></i></i></u></i></div>
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<i>When I open a can of chipotles in adobo, I use one or two in the recipe and then I line a sheet pan with parchment and scoop the remaining chiles individually onto the parchment. Then I freeze it. After it's frozen, I put the chiles into a container and the next time I need one, I don't have to open a new can!</i><br />
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1 15-oz can diced tomatoes<br />
1 small onion or half of one large onion<br />
3 cloves garlic<br />
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce<br />
3 Tablespoons neutral cooking oil<br />
1 quart chicken broth<br />
1-2 cups leftover cooked chicken, cubed<br />
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To serve:<br />
tortilla chips<br />
diced avocado<br />
chopped cilantro<br />
queso fresco<br />
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Place the tomatoes, onion and garlic into a blender or food processor and puree. Place a large saucepan over medium heat, and add the oil. Pour in the pureed tomato mixture and cook for a few minutes, until it thickens slightly and the color darkens a bit. Add the chicken broth and cook for 10 minutes or so, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in chicken and cook for a minute to warm. Place a handful of crushed tortilla chips in each bowl, then ladle over some soup. Top with avocado, cilantro, queso fresco, and a squeeze of lime. Dig in!<br />
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<br />Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02737989236132853161noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8086815612268264228.post-71580755973453438002018-06-21T05:49:00.001-07:002018-06-21T05:51:17.180-07:00On Reaching Aslan's CountrySometimes kids ask ridiculous questions. Sometimes they ask the same question again and again and... again (why? why? why?). And sometimes they ask a question that is so perceptive, so thought-provoking, that it reminds you how complex, unique, and in tune with the whispers of God these small people are.<br />
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Anne and I have been making our way through the audiobook versions of the Chronicles of Narnia. I read the first couple to her aloud, but after several failures to launch into Prince Caspian, we switched the audios, and my goodness. There is a reason why some people deserve to be paid to do a job. Not only can you easily tell when a Mouse is talking, you can also tell without any mental effort when it's Lucy and not Susan. That's talent.</div>
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We reached the end of The Silver Chair on our way home from playing with friends at <a href="http://www.parkfun.com/facilities/spring-valley/bison's-bluff">a great park in the suburbs</a> the other day, and in the silence afterward, the story began to settle in our hearts and we began to talk about it.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFFsZ5EokPHLnfUQA4sI8Y58QfgzGB4L-YRcSzpXbqC0mwNxZY43E_g9i7mvscjgkeYoJ9J4-McImj3hyphenhyphen7cQiQQyBpK0RYgJ-FmGpDQI7Lxp4BM3I_qWXcbsHBjt9Sm36-4m6VajiofIc/s1600/Aslan-Lion-The-Chronicles-of-Narnia-Wallpaper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="338" data-original-width="450" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFFsZ5EokPHLnfUQA4sI8Y58QfgzGB4L-YRcSzpXbqC0mwNxZY43E_g9i7mvscjgkeYoJ9J4-McImj3hyphenhyphen7cQiQQyBpK0RYgJ-FmGpDQI7Lxp4BM3I_qWXcbsHBjt9Sm36-4m6VajiofIc/s400/Aslan-Lion-The-Chronicles-of-Narnia-Wallpaper.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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In the story, King Caspian is an old man, and just at the end of the book, he dies. After he dies, a great mourning cry and funeral music rise in Narnia, and then Aslan brings the children back to his country. Rather than ruining this part by paraphrasing, I'll just quote C.S. Lewis:</div>
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<i>Then Aslan stopped, and the children looked into the stream. And there, on the golden gravel of the bed of the stream, lay King Caspian, dead, with the water flowing over him like liquid glass. His long white beard swayed in it like waterweed. And all three stood and wept. Even the Lion wept: great Lion-tears, each tear more precious than the Earth would be if it was a single solid diamond. And Jill noticed that Eustace looked neither like a child crying, nor like a boy crying and wanting to hide it, but like a grown-up crying. At least, that is the nearest she could get to it; but really, as she said, people don't seem to have any particular ages on that mountain.</i></div>
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<i>"Son of Adam," said Aslan, "Go into that thicket and pluck the thorn that you will find there, and bring it to me."</i></div>
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<i>Eustace obeyed. The thorn was a foot long and sharp as a rapier.</i></div>
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<i>"Drive it into my paw, Son of Adam," said Aslan, holding up his right fore-paw and spreading out the great pads towards Eustace.</i></div>
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<i>"Must I?" said Eustace.</i></div>
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<i>"Yes," said Aslan.</i></div>
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<i>Then Eustace set his teeth and drove the thorn into the Lion's pad. And there came out a great drop of blood, redder than all the redness that you have ever seen or imagined. And it splashed into the stream over the dead body of the King. At the same moment the doleful music stopped. And the dead King began to be changed. His white beard turned to grey, and from grey to yellow, and got shorter and vanished altogether; and his sunken cheeks grew round and fresh, and the wrinkles were smoothed, and his eyes opened, and his eyes and lips both laughed, and suddenly he leaped up and stood before them -- a very young man, or a boy. (Jill couldn't say which, because of people having no particular ages in Aslan's country. Even in this world, of course, it is the stupidest children who are most childish and the stupidest grown-ups who are most grown-up.) And he rushed to Aslan and flung his arms as far as they would go round the huge neck; and he gave Aslan the strong kisses of a King, and Aslan gave him the wild kisses of a Lion.</i></div>
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<i>At last Caspian turned to the others. He gave a great laugh of astonished joy.</i></div>
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<i>"Why! Eustace!" he said. "Eustace! So you did reach the end of the world after all! What about my second best sword that you broke on the sea-serpent?" </i></div>
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<i>Eustace made a step towards him with both hands out, but then drew back with a startled expression.</i></div>
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<i>"Look here! I say," he stammered. "It's all very well. But aren't you?-- I mean didn't you--?"</i></div>
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<i>"Oh don't be such an ass," said Caspian.</i></div>
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<i>"But," said Eustace, looking at Aslan. "Hasn't he--er--died?"</i></div>
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<i>"Yes," said the Lion in a very quiet voice, almost (Jill thought) as if he were laughing. "He has died. Most people have, you know. Even I have. There are very few who haven't."</i></div>
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An incredible scene. And as we rode along in the car, discussing favorite parts and favorite characters, and just sitting silently sometimes, soaking in that golden glow of a good story, Anne asked this question:</div>
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"Is it good to die?"</div>
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The conversation that followed this question was a great one, about what happens when we die and why that's something to look forward to, how our perspective on Earth is different because we don't experience Time the same way God does, and how our earthly lives are just a brief separation from God. But it was the question that floored me. That is the magic of good stories. They teach eternal truths and help us to plumb the depths of human experience without much effort on our part, beyond using our imaginations.</div>
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We've had a lot of experiences with death this year. My grandmother passed away in the fall, at the age of 96. She was my last living grandparent, and it was hard to say goodbye to her - I felt as though my ties to the past had been cut and I was just drifting out to sea. Back in September, we talked a bit about how Bajee was happier now, how she wasn't suffering and she was glad to be face-to-face with Jesus, whom she had loved for so many years. </div>
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Then earlier this year, we found out we were expecting a baby - a new, much-anticipated addition to our family. And then about a month later we found out the baby had died - no more heartbeat, no more growth. Just pain and suffering and the heart-wrenching truth that half of our children are waiting for us in Heaven. We mourned. It was awful.</div>
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But is it good to die? It has been immensely comforting to me to realize that no matter how I feel, no matter how much I wish we could have held and loved that baby, I know that he is safe, loved, and happy in the presence of God forever. And the suffering brought our family together in ways we would not have chosen and could not have predicted. So was it good? Yes. But it was not easy. Good things seldom are.</div>
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Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02737989236132853161noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8086815612268264228.post-64063037858862741692017-10-31T04:05:00.000-07:002017-10-31T04:05:30.753-07:00Almond Joy Oatmeal {Happy Halloween!}Happy Halloween! This is a busy week for us - Halloween is just the beginning of the "mini-triduum" of Hallowtide: All Hallow's Eve, All Saints' Day, and All Souls' Day. Lots of fun and devotion and proper attention to death are planned. (For more info on how and why Catholics celebrate Halloween, <a href="https://www.wordonfire.org/resources/blog/its-time-for-catholics-to-embrace-halloween/2133/">click here</a>!)<br />
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(Digital download of this coloring sheet available at <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/564364167/sugar-skull-day-of-the-dead-digital?ref=shop_home_active_1">Someday Saints Designs</a>)<br />
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<u>Almond Joy Oatmeal</u><br />
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<i>A special request for "coconut oatmeal" and an abundance of Halloween candy staring me down all day inspired this recipe. Enjoy!</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats<br />
1 15-ounce can coconut milk<br />
2 cups water<br />
2 tablespoons cocoa powder<br />
dash of salt<br />
1/2 cup shredded coconut (I used unsweetened, but you could use the sugary coconut!)<br />
1/2 cup sliced almonds<br />
Sweetener to taste (I used maple syrup, but honey, coconut sugar, brown sugar, or stevia would work!)<br />
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Put the oats, coconut milk, water and salt in a saucepan over medium-high heat, and cook until almost done (5-8 minutes). Add the rest of the ingredients, mix well, and serve! (For an added boost of protein, and to cool it down quickly for little people, I stir in a dollop of greek yogurt.)<br />
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Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02737989236132853161noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8086815612268264228.post-41279400698691725782017-06-02T05:05:00.001-07:002017-06-02T05:05:22.987-07:00Rosy lenses of gratitudeLately I have found myself struggling with a nagging feeling of discontentment, though no conceivable reason can be found for such a feeling. Most noticeably, I feel as though I never quite want to be where I am, always looking forward to or wishing I were doing something else. At breakfast with my girls in the morning, I wish they would hurry up and finish so that we could get on to the next thing. With them at forest school, I get fidgety and bored because instead of "getting things done," I'm stuck digging holes, playing dress-up, or looking at birds and bugs. At the park, I wish they would just play on their own so I could read. I'm not sure how I got stuck in that rut, but last night I figured it out. The antidote to the spreading virus of discontent that has been plaguing my (by all accounts, richly blessed) life:<br />
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GRATITUDE.<br />
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Here's what the three examples above look like when viewed through the rosy lenses of gratitude:<br />
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Because I don't work outside the home, and my kids don't go to traditional school, I am free to let them wake up naturally in the morning and enjoy a leisurely breakfast with them. We can read books and enjoy each other's company, while learning about how to savor a meal together. GRATEFUL.<br />
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We live in a huge, metropolitan city with all its cultural and educational benefits. Since my kids don't get to spend extended, uninterrupted time outside in nature, we found a <a href="https://www.forestplayschoolchicago.com/">school</a> that takes place in a nearby nature preserve, where Anne goes twice a week, just to play outside with other kids and get comfortable with the wild and free outdoors. So important for a city kid. And since Easter, Eleanor and I have joined, giving me time to focus on her and just be at leisure to play in the beautiful springtime forest. GRATEFUL.<br />
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My girls want me to play. I get to be with them. I get to see their faces full of smiles, and hear their peals of laughter when I push them higher on the swings or chase them and tickle them, I get to see them jump and slide, run and dance. We get to go on impromptu adventures anytime we want! And because I'm home with them, I don't have to miss these things. GRATEFUL.<br />
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I'm not saying it won't be hard sometimes, or that I won't ever feel like I'm gritting my teeth and barely making it to bedtime. I am saying that most of the things that arise in my heart and come out of my mouth complaints could be turned on their heads by the simple addition of gratitude. A subtle shift in how I see my world, a huge impact on whether or not I enjoy my life.<br />
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Usually we set aside November as a month for gratitude, but I think I need a reboot. Would you join me? I need help and community. Please share your practical ways to a grateful heart in the comments, and join me in a #gratefuljune on Facebook and Instagram, so that we can savor each moment of this life together!<br />
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<br />Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02737989236132853161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8086815612268264228.post-20395929508410494452016-08-26T20:20:00.000-07:002016-09-01T19:31:21.287-07:00St. Teresa of Calcutta Party! (Shining Light Dolls GIVEAWAY!)<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/65186679@N07/28628436444/in/dateposted-public/" title="IMG_5098"><img alt="IMG_5098" height="333" src="https://c5.staticflickr.com/9/8032/28628436444_189fd67144.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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Happy Friday, friends! Today is Mother Teresa's birthday! She's set to be canonized as Saint Teresa of Calcutta on September 4, so this morning I teamed up with my good friend Chantal (of <a href="https://shininglightdolls.com/">Shining Light Dolls</a> fame) to throw an epic Indian-themed party! We've got a fledgling group of Catholic moms in Chicago (sound like you? <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/147290895428871/">join us</a>!) that started online and is growing fast, and we had yet to plan a get-together, so this was a wonderful opportunity to meet some new people. It was actually pretty easy to put together, and I've got lots of ideas to help you start planning yours. What better way to add to the festivity of a long weekend at the end of summer than to celebrate a new Saint?<br />
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Agnes Bojaxhiu was born into a Catholic family in Yugoslavia in 1910. At 18, she joined the Loreto Sisters of Dublin and took the name Teresa, in honor of St. Thérese of Lisieux and St. Teresa of Avila. She was sent to India and worked as a school teacher. Later, she founded the Missionaries of Charity, an order which became known throughout the world for its work to help the poorest of the poor. Mother Teresa was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize in 1979. She died in 1997 and was beatified in 2003.<br />
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A new <a href="https://shininglightdolls.com/dolls/blessed-mother-teresa-shining-light-doll.html">Saint Teresa Shining Light Doll</a> is also being released just in time for the canonization, so each child at our party received a doll, as well as a copy of Chantal's fantastic new book, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Saints-Go-Chantal-Baros/dp/0996469117/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1472250386&sr=8-1&keywords=saints+on+the+go">Saints on the Go</a>, which features Saint Teresa (among many others)! Would you like one for your child? We're giving away 3, so enter at the bottom of this post to win!<br />
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It was a beautiful day, so in addition to the things listed below, we had a lot of end-of-summer fun in the back yard, and a big baby party in the living room.<br />
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On to party planning! This can be as simple or as elaborate as you want it to be.<br />
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Activities:<br />
<ul>
<li>Marigolds are a symbol of celebration in India, so why not <a href="http://www.craftychica.com/2015/10/paper-marigolds-diy/">craft your own out of pipe cleaners and tissue paper</a>?</li>
<li>Easy as can be: print a coloring sheet (scroll down for a printable!) and provide crayons and colored pencils!</li>
<li>Pray together! Mother Teresa would love it. We used the simple, short prayer from the novena to St. Teresa here: http://www.praymorenovenas.com/mother-teresa-novena/</li>
</ul>
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Food and Drinks:</div>
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<ul>
<li>If you have an Indian grocery or bakery anywhere near you, you can pick up beautiful traditional desserts, as well as snacks and other things from their frozen section. </li>
<li><a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/jamie-oliver/mango-lassi-recipe.html">Mango Lassi</a> - Like a milkshake. Easy, kid friendly, and healthy!</li>
<li><a href="http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Classic-Indian-Samosa">Classic Samosas</a> - Want a little challenge? Make these from scratch (we opted for frozen to save time)!</li>
<li><a href="http://www.connoisseurusveg.com/indian-curry-hummus/">Indian-spiced Hummus</a>, with slices of naan (I found it at Costco!) and raw veggies for dipping.</li>
<li>Chai tea with milk and honey (decaf for kids, great iced or hot).</li>
<li>Mango lemonade and/or pineapple coconut water.</li>
<li>Chicken Tikka Masala with rice (scroll down for the recipe!)</li>
</ul>
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<u>Chicken Tikka Masala</u><br />
adapted from Cooks Illustrated<br />
serves 4-6<br />
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While there are lots of Indian foods that would have been more authentic than this (this dish actually originated in London, not India), it's hard to beat a kid-friendly, crowd-pleasing meal that still has a bit of Indian spice. And I really mean a BIT. I took out every hint of spicy the original recipe had to offer. You're welcome, kiddos!<br />
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Sauce:<br />
3 tablespoons olive or coconut oil<br />
1 onion, chopped fine<br />
2 garlic cloves, minced<br />
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger<br />
1 tablespoon tomato paste<br />
1 tablespoon garam masala<br />
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes<br />
2 teaspoons sugar<br />
salt<br />
2/3 cup heavy cream<br />
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro<br />
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Chicken:<br />
1 teaspoon salt<br />
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin<br />
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander<br />
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts<br />
1 cup plain whole milk yogurt<br />
2 tablespoons olive oil<br />
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger<br />
2 garlic cloves, minced<br />
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For the sauce: In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions and stir until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and stir together until fragrant, about a minute. Add the tomato paste and garam masala and stir together, cooking for another minute until it all blends together. Stir in the tomatoes and sugar, and bring the mixture to a simmer. Simmer for about 15 minutes. In the meantime, prepare the chicken.<br />
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Preheat broiler to high, and place a rack in a foil-lined baking sheet. Spray the rack with cooking spray. In a small bowl, stir together the salt, cumin, and coriander. Sprinkle evenly over the chicken breasts, and rub the spices in slightly so they stick. In a large bowl, whisk together yogurt, olive oil, ginger, and garlic. Using tongs, dip the chicken in the yogurt mixture and coat well. Lay the chicken on the prepared rack and broil until cooked through, about 7-9 minutes per side. Chicken will be slightly charred on both sides. Remove to a cutting board and let cool for a minute or two, then cut into 1-inch cubes.<br />
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Add the cream and cilantro to the sauce, stirring to combine, and then stir in the chicken pieces. Serve with basmati rice.<br />
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<span style="background-color: #bd081c; background-position: 3px 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: 14px; border-bottom-left-radius: 2px; border-bottom-right-radius: 2px; border-top-left-radius: 2px; border-top-right-radius: 2px; border: none; color: white; cursor: pointer; display: none; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; left: 26px; line-height: 20px; opacity: 0.85; padding: 0px 4px 0px 0px; position: absolute; text-align: center; text-indent: 20px; top: 5961px; width: auto; z-index: 8675309;">Save</span><span style="background-color: #bd081c; background-position: 3px 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: 14px; border-bottom-left-radius: 2px; border-bottom-right-radius: 2px; border-top-left-radius: 2px; border-top-right-radius: 2px; border: none; color: white; cursor: pointer; display: none; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; left: 26px; line-height: 20px; opacity: 0.85; padding: 0px 4px 0px 0px; position: absolute; text-align: center; text-indent: 20px; top: 5961px; width: auto; z-index: 8675309;">Save</span><span style="background-color: #bd081c; background-position: 3px 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: 14px; border-bottom-left-radius: 2px; border-bottom-right-radius: 2px; border-top-left-radius: 2px; border-top-right-radius: 2px; border: none; color: white; cursor: pointer; display: none; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; left: 26px; line-height: 20px; opacity: 0.85; padding: 0px 4px 0px 0px; position: absolute; text-align: center; text-indent: 20px; top: 5961px; width: auto; z-index: 8675309;">Save</span><span style="background-color: #bd081c; background-position: 3px 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: 14px; border-bottom-left-radius: 2px; border-bottom-right-radius: 2px; border-top-left-radius: 2px; border-top-right-radius: 2px; border: none; color: white; cursor: pointer; display: none; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; left: 26px; line-height: 20px; opacity: 0.85; padding: 0px 4px 0px 0px; position: absolute; text-align: center; text-indent: 20px; top: 5961px; width: auto; z-index: 8675309;">Save</span>Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02737989236132853161noreply@blogger.com101tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8086815612268264228.post-31488180505813573462016-05-13T06:56:00.001-07:002016-05-13T06:56:57.336-07:00An ordinary, wonderful spring day<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/65186679@N07/26920197571/in/dateposted-public/" title="IMG_8873"><img alt="IMG_8873" height="500" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7493/26920197571_ffa481e501.jpg" width="375" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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I couldn't have predicted that today would be one that I would especially want to remember. We had an extra three-year-old hanging out with us all day, we just moved into a new house and things are still quite chaotic, and I had a dentist appointment scheduled in the afternoon. A hum-drum day, at best.<br />
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I woke up and, suspecting that I would not have a lot of time to myself throughout the day, I immediately treated myself to a shower, complete with hair-washing. I put on makeup and got dressed before going downstairs.</div>
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I made coffee, and as I sat sipping it and reading, I heard Anne wake up. I heard her pad into my bedroom where Eleanor was still sleeping. Anne knows to check and see if Eleanor's head is popped up before talking to her - if her head is still down, she silently creeps back out of the room. She must have been awake, because Anne greeted her in the sing-song voice she saves for her baby sister, then sang the song I sing to them every morning as soon as everyone's awake:</div>
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<i>Good morning to you!</i></div>
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<i>Good morning to you!</i></div>
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<i>We're all in our places with bright shining faces</i></div>
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<i>and this is the way we start out our day!</i></div>
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Unable to resist seeing their sweet faces at that point, I joined them upstairs, and then we all came downstairs for breakfast and read-aloud time. Soon after that, our 3-year-old buddy Evan (son of some of our dearest friends from college) arrived, and he and Anne ran off to play.</div>
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I nursed Eleanor, put her peacefully in her pack and play, and she went to sleep for 2 hours. </div>
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Anne and Evan quickly took up residence in the back yard. For almost 3 hours. As aforementioned, we just moved in, so we don't have a lot of outside toys. I found a plastic tub, a funnel, some plastic cups and bowls, and our sand toys, filled the tub with the hose, and let them have at it. I left the door open and listened as that tub of water morphed from a stew to a "mixture" to a mud puddle (after they dug up some dirt from under our fence and mixed it all together).</div>
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In the middle of this, a huge delivery truck pulled up in our alley and a delivery man maneuvered a pallet full of closet organizing hardware into our garage while the two kids stood transfixed. Their outdoor time ended with them happy, tired, and muddy from head to toe. I carried them inside one by one and plopped them in the shower to hose them down, got them into clean, dry clothes, and made lunch.</div>
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My sister in law stopped by to see the new place, and we had lunch together. The kiddos had chicken nuggets, mac and cheese, and the strawberry-coconut water popsicles we had made in the morning.</div>
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After lunch, I set the kids up with a movie and I cleaned up and unpacked a bit. Eleanor went down without protest for another hour-long nap. This may not seem amazing, but she has pretty much exclusively napped in a baby carrier of some kind for her entire life, so I'm not sure how she knows how to sleep alone. I take no responsibility. She's a magic baby.</div>
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Soon after that, another delivery truck! Another crew of guys unloading and carrying and assembling, and poof! A couch!!<br />
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Then, I enlisted the help of my small cohorts in baking a lemon meringue pie, requested by Anne after several readings of Amelia Bedelia. It turned out just right! So beautiful! So GOLDEN, as Anne will tell you. (Recipe <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/lemon-meringue-pie-recipe.html">here</a>!)<br />
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Jamie got home and as I started to make my way out the door to my dentist appointment, Anne begged to go with me. I told her it would be very boring, but she insisted. As we walked out the door to the car she grabbed my hand, looked up at me and said, "Mamma! We're going on a date!"</div>
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Arrived at the dentist, and it occurred to me that as long as Anne was there, and Eleanor wasn't, she might as well get her teeth cleaned too!<br />
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2.5 hours later, all teeth shiny and clean, and me with half my mouth numb from a new filling (thanks to our awesome dentist for the triple dose of novocain. I love you.), Anne and I waltzed back out to the car, called in an order for takeout sushi, picked it up on our way home, and ate our miso soup, edamame, and sushi in the kitchen together, followed by a piece of lemon meringue pie.<br />
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It was just an awesome day. Not for any one specific reason. I think my expectations were appropriately low. I think I said "yes" whenever I could. I think I ate good food and drank enough water, and that I'm a better mom when I'm not hungry or craving sugar. Thank you, Jesus, for days like this. With nothing terribly remarkable in them, but somehow adding up to something spectacular. May my life be the same. A series of good days, where I did my best, enjoyed the people around me, loved, laughed, baked, played outside. Nothing flashy or ostentatious, just a life LIVED.</div>
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Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02737989236132853161noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8086815612268264228.post-31869229330571076442016-03-23T06:40:00.000-07:002016-03-23T06:40:06.603-07:00Charoset-Inspired Baked Passover Apples<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/65186679@N07/25377956233/in/dateposted-public/" title="IMG_3524"><img alt="IMG_3524" height="333" src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1604/25377956233_1f79fa3b5d.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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It's a feature of my personality, not to want to miss out on anything. I struggle with decisions, because I know that choosing to do one thing means choosing not to do a host of other things. This is especially difficult for me around holiday times, because with little kids around, doing everything is totally impossible. And what's more important? That they have a well-planned craft for each day of Holy Week, or that I remember to take time to sit down and just read the Story with them? To make sure their little minds are absorbing just a little more of the mystery we celebrate this week?<br />
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Amid the chaos of extra church services, cleaning, shopping, and redecorating, I'm trying to cultivate calm. I'm reminding myself that family traditions aren't built in one year, but over a lifetime.<br />
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One spring, when I was in seventh or eighth grade, our church hosted a Passover seder. It was the first time I had been exposed to beautiful rituals of this ancient Jewish feast, and I was blown away. As we read the questions, ate the symbolic foods, and drank sips of wine, I saw in a totally new way what Jesus had done. How he had fulfilled centuries' worth of prophecy. I was moved and changed.<br />
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Every year, I feel a tug to celebrate the Passover like that again, with matzah, bitter herbs, four cups of wine, and the Haggadah to guide us through it. This year, with a 5-month-old and a 3-year-old, though, I decided that all the careful work and planning I would have to complete to make this meal happen would just end up in my frustration over their inability to appreciate it. I'm going to wait. Maybe next year. (Ann Voskamp has a wonderful post about her family's Seder <a href="http://www.aholyexperience.com/2011/04/why-a-christian-family-may-celebrate-passover-a-messianic-seder/">here</a>.)<br />
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But instead of giving up on the idea entirely, I made a seder-inspired meal for Palm Sunday dinner. I would have loved to have it on Holy Thursday, in memory of the seder Jesus celebrated with His disciples before He died, but again - elaborate dinner on a weeknight ups my chances of ending up in tears, so I did what I could to keep both this feast and my sanity.<br />
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The menu:<br />
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Broiled lamb chops<br />
Pilaf<br />
Greek salad (with lots of parsley)<br />
Baked apples and vanilla ice cream<br />
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Charoset is a paste made from apples, nuts, honey or sugar, and red wine, and it's a traditional part of the seder plate; its texture represents the mortar the Israelites used when they were enslaved in Egypt. <a href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/traditional-apple-walnut-charoset-234298">Here's a traditional recipe</a>.<br />
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<u>Charoset-Inspired Baked Passover Apples</u><br />
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5 Fuji apples, cored<br />
1/2 cup red wine<br />
1/2 cup water<br />
1/3 cup sugar<br />
1 cinnamon stick<br />
1/3 cup brown sugar<br />
1/3 cup finely chopped walnuts<br />
1 teaspoon cinnamon<br />
1 tablespoon butter<br />
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Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Arrange the apples in a baking dish with a lid. Combine the wine, water, sugar, and cinnamon stick in a saucepan over medium heat and stir until sugar is dissolved. Set aside. In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, walnuts, and cinnamon, and spoon the mixture into the center of the apples. Top each apple with a small piece of butter, right on top of the filling. Pour the wine around the apples, cover, and bake for about 45 minutes, until soft.Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02737989236132853161noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8086815612268264228.post-85930764149889593862016-03-11T14:15:00.000-08:002016-03-16T19:38:51.695-07:00What's In Our Easter Baskets {Shining Light Dolls + Book GIVEAWAY!}<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/65186679@N07/25709475735/in/dateposted-public/" title="IMG_3494"><img alt="IMG_3494" height="333" src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1629/25709475735_59619b9425.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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Lent seems to go in three phases around here:<br />
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1) Overzealous: "I'm going to give up bread and coffee and sugar and Facebook and TV and laughing and chocolate and alcohol. And gossiping and complaining. It's going to be my BEST LENT EVER!"<br />
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2) Despondent: "Why am I alive? Why am I so desperately weak? Jesus went 40 days without food or shelter in the desert, and then died on the Cross, and I can't even make it through an entire day at home with my kids without tearfully contemplating cocktail hour. I'm a miserable human being."<br />
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3) EASTER BASKET SHOPPING. Also coincides (at least this year) with tolerably warm weather and actual living things popping out of the ground.<br />
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We're deep into phase three, I'm happy to report, having barely survived phase two. And I wanted to share the contents of our baskets with you! I also have an opportunity for three (3) lucky winners to receive the three latest Shining Light Dolls (Our Lady of Kibeho, Our Lady of China, and Our Lady of Aparecida), and a copy of "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0996469109/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0996469109&linkCode=as2&tag=shlidoll-20&linkId=VBQ6TQFPBTW5XZDO">The Virgin Mary Around the World</a>," a board book created by the creative genius behind Shining Light Dolls, my sweet and talented friend Chantal Baros.<br />
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Inside our baskets:<br />
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Anne (3):<br />
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<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Illustrated-Childrens-Bible/dp/0736962131/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1457732680&sr=1-2&keywords=children%27s+bible">The Complete Illustrated Children's Bible</a>. We have a few books of Bible stories, but I was looking for one with longer stories, and a lot more. Most of ours have somewhere in the range of 15-20, and this version has almost 300.</li>
<li>This little <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Toysmith-Battat-Terra-Animals-Playset/dp/B00TYO5W8I/ref=sr_1_1?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1457732846&sr=1-1&keywords=terra+farm+animals">tub of farm animal figurines</a>. I think she'll get a kick out of them.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0824956508?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_act_title_5&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER">Easter sticker and activity book</a>!</li>
<li>Random stuff from Target: Hatch-n-Grow Spring Eggs look so cute!</li>
<li>Chocolate cross and lambs, Anna and Elsa jelly beans, and a Peeps lollipop.</li>
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Eleanor (almost 6 months):</div>
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<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Am-Bunny-Golden-Sturdy-Book/dp/0375827781/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1457733088&sr=1-1&keywords=I+am+a+bunny">I Am A Bunny</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Kidoozie-Peek-N-Peep-Eggs/dp/B007QS9FJQ/ref=sr_1_2?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1457733046&sr=1-2&keywords=hide+and+squeak+eggs">Peek 'n' Peep Eggs</a></li>
<li>A <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/174471652/saint-catherine-laboure-felt-saint">St. Catherine Labouré felt saint softie</a>.</li>
<li>A new sippy cup and some puffs.</li>
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We're also going to give them the three new Shining Light Dolls. Faith formation for little kids seems to be most successful if it's just mixed in with everything else, like it's not a big deal. An undetectable part of their family life. Among my girls' toys, you will find the usual suspects (Anna and Elsa, Cinderella, Snow White, Ariel), along with Our Lady of Guadalupe, St. Patrick, and St. Nicholas. Our religious books are mixed in with all the other picture books. Conversations about faith happen naturally that way. I like it!</div>
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Shining Light Dolls are beautiful, sturdy, and safe and fun for all ages to play with! Baby Eleanor loves them as a teething toy and Anne loves to use them to play pretend games. We love love love them! The designer, Chantal, releases a few more designs a couple times a year. She is doing such a great job, filling a gap for beautiful, cool toys that teach kids (and adults) about our faith. While I'm teaching my daughters, I'm also learning! I had never even heard of the majority of the apparitions of Mary featured in the book. There's always more to explore, and the book and dolls are just a jumping off point.<br />
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I'll also say, with all the hubbub lately about Barbies and other dolls in different shapes, sizes, and colors, these dolls are a breath of fresh air for my impressionable girls. Body shape? Irrelevant (hooray!). Cultural diversity? NAILED IT. </div>
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Enough talking. You NEED to see them!!<br />
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Our Lady of Kibeho:<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/65186679@N07/25614482001/in/dateposted-public/" title="kibeho"><img alt="kibeho" height="500" src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1630/25614482001_2d936280f9.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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Our Lady of Aparecida:<br />
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Our Lady of China:<br />
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You want them, right? OF COURSE YOU DO. Jump in the Rafflecopter to win - make sure to get your entries completed by midnight on Tuesday! Three lucky winners will be chosen on Wednesday, so they'll get to you in plenty of time for Easter. Good luck!<br />
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{UPDATE} The giveaway is closed! Congratulations to Heather, Maryann, and Trish! Check your email for details on how to claim your prize! :)</div>
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<br />Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02737989236132853161noreply@blogger.com95tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8086815612268264228.post-89554806136047061092016-02-03T12:53:00.000-08:002016-02-03T13:00:46.194-08:00H is for... {Honey Muffins}<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/65186679@N07/24746735216/in/dateposted-public/" title="Honey Muffins :: coppertopkitchen.blogspot.com"><img alt="Honey Muffins :: coppertopkitchen.blogspot.com" height="333" src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1509/24746735216_4a6c754338.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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I've thought a lot about "survival mode." About those times in your life, like when you've just had a baby, when you have to get down to the most basic level of what absolutely needs to get done in your life for your family to stay alive. Nothing (or almost nothing) extra. Quick and easy meals. Instacart for groceries. Calling that walk to the park and back your "workout." Leaving clean laundry unfolded in a basket for weeks and calling it a win that it even got washed and dried.<br />
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Truth be told, I think it's the attempted re-entry to normal life that's hardest for me. I want to know what to expect. In survival mode, I don't expect anything, so anything at all feels like a victory. This in-between time, though? The baby is four months old, not a newborn any more by anyone's standards, but still needing me an awful lot. It seems like I have it together every other week. Every other week I'm able to get my house cleaned, make reasonably delicious, interesting, healthy meals, parent successfully (read: with minimal yelling), get to the gym, talk to friends, connect with my husband, get some reading time, drink enough water. On the in-between weeks, though, I feel like a complete and utter failure. <i>I just did this last week</i>, I think. <i>Surely I can replicate what I just did last week!</i><br />
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But then I'm yelling at my 3-year-old, eating cookies one after the other like a crazed starving person, wondering how a family of four could possibly have worn this many clothes since I last did laundry, which couldn't have been more than 2 days ago... could it? It's like last week I was comfortably swimming in this lake, thinking how cool and wonderful the water felt, thinking that yes, I was getting tired, but this work was so worth doing, was even fun! And this week, nothing is perceptibly different, but I am half-drowning, wondering how I'm possibly going to get through another minute, let alone until bedtime.<br />
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This morning, I got back to basics. I listened to my girl instead of getting distracted by my phone. I sat down next to her on the floor and joined her in arranging and rearranging seashells. We read picture books for a good deal longer than I had planned on. We made cookies together, with sprinkles and yellow icing smiley faces. She went down for a nap, and I folded just one load of laundry. Put another one in. Did a few dishes. And just like that, I was swimming again. Because I decided to put love first. Put our relationship first. I put aside my sometimes-compulsive desire to get out the door and give my daughter enriching experiences, and reminded myself that sometimes the best thing for all of us is just to stay at home together, playing and reading and enjoying this fleeting time of life.<br />
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This week, we're focusing on the letter H. H is for...<br />
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How am I going to do this? How will I survive?<br />
Help!!!<br />
Hard. So hard.<br />
Home.<br />
Healthy choices making a real difference. Enough water. Enough sleep. Healthy food. Fresh air. Basics.<br />
Happy. Dancing to happy music, making happy faces on our treats.<br />
Heaven: the end goal of all of this striving. All of this worry, all of this work. So very worth it to bring glory to Him.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/65186679@N07/24405306809/in/dateposted-public/" title="Honey Muffins :: coppertopkitchen.blogspot.com"><img alt="Honey Muffins :: coppertopkitchen.blogspot.com" height="333" src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1453/24405306809_84e8013d2b.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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<u>Honey Muffins</u><br />
from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Super-Natural-Every-Day-Well-Loved/dp/1580082777/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1454531589&sr=8-1&keywords=super+natural+every+day">Super Natural Every Day</a><br />
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These simple muffins are quick to mix together and contain no refined sugar! The addition of millet gives each bite a lovely pop! They are also fantastic on subsequent mornings split, buttered, and broiled until crispy.<br />
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2 1/4 cups white whole wheat flour<br />
1/3 cup raw millet<br />
1 teaspoon baking powder<br />
1 teaspoon baking soda<br />
1/2 teaspoon salt<br />
1 cup plain yogurt<br />
2 large eggs<br />
1/2 cup melted butter<br />
1/2 cup honey<br />
Grated zest of a lemon, plus 2 tablespoons lemon juice<br />
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Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a standard muffin tin with paper liners.<br />
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Whisk together the flour, millet, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the yogurt, eggs, butter, honey, and lemon zest and juice. Pour the wet into the dry, and mix together as gently as possible. The batter will be slightly puffy. Scoop the batter into the muffin cups, and bake for about 15 minutes, until the muffins are golden and beginning to crack on the top. Let cool for 5 minutes in the pans, remove to a cooling rack, and cool completely (or eat warm!).<br />
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Makes one dozen.Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02737989236132853161noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8086815612268264228.post-26612259574734198012015-11-20T14:46:00.000-08:002015-11-20T14:46:25.947-08:00A is for...This week, we started a really low-key, simple homeschool routine for Anne, who just turned 3. I was starting to feel like we all needed just a little more structure, because winter is coming, and if I don't have an alternative ready when someone asks to watch a movie, it's really hard to say no.<br />
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We're using "26 Letters to Heaven" by Sarah V. Park, which has tons of great ideas and a stellar book list for each week. It's a great jumping off point! Each week, we focus on a particular saint, and we memorize a Scripture verse that reflects that week's virtue. We have a little bulletin board where we keep track of what we're doing.<br />
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Here's what this week looked like:<br />
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<u>Saturday</u>: Trip to the library to check out as many of the books on this week's list as we could find.<br />
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<u>Monday</u>: Wrote the virtue ("Amiability") and its definition on a card. Had Anne repeat it. Did the same with this week's Scripture. Read a short biography of St. Anne, printed out her picture, and tacked all three things to the board. Read some books.<br />
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<u>Tuesday</u>: Reviewed saint, virtue, and Scripture. Made the letter "A" out of Elmer's glue, and let Anne cover it with almonds. Read some books. Later, made patterns with red and green apples, and then glued them onto two apple trees I drew.<br />
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<u>Wednesday</u>: Review. Read. Started searching for things that start with "A" in magazines and cutting them out.<br />
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<u>Thursday</u>: Review. Read. Met friends at the nature museum. Later, finished cutting out pictures and made an "A" collage.<br />
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<u>Friday</u>: Review. Read.<br />
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That's approximately 20 minutes a day of "school," and for the rest of the time we did all the things we always do: play, go for walks, cook, read, color, paint, etc. There was still some TV time in every day, but so much less. And if you ask her, Anne can now recite this verse!<br />
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A cheerful heart is a good medicine, but a downcast spirit dries up the bones. -Proverbs 17:22<br />
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My life as a housewife and stay at home mom can feel so repetitive and never-ending. I clean the house. It gets dirty again. I nurse the baby constantly. My family is hungry (at least) 3 times a day. Laundry has to get done again and again. Toys dumped out and cleaned up a million times a day. And it feels really good, at the end of a tiring week, to have visual proof of having accomplished something real with my daughter.<br />
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Oh, and there's also THIS girl. Six weeks old and already smiling at us!<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/65186679@N07/23132079186/in/dateposted-public/" title="Eleanor 6 weeks - SMILING!"><img alt="Eleanor 6 weeks - SMILING!" height="500" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5798/23132079186_416bf73d6f.jpg" width="375" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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<br />Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02737989236132853161noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8086815612268264228.post-86958912546114531912015-11-09T20:13:00.000-08:002015-11-09T20:13:29.324-08:00The Red Party {Anne is Three!}Today is Anne's third birthday, but we celebrated this past weekend with a red birthday party. Anne loooooves red. And she loves cardinals. Ever since last winter when we watched a pair of cardinals visit our front yard feeder, they have had her heart. I had a lot of fun with the theme!<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/65186679@N07/22518809459/in/dateposted-public/" title="Anne's 3rd birthday"><img alt="Anne's 3rd birthday" height="333" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5810/22518809459_be9d6f4f80.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></div>
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The cupcakes were red velvet, of course. A couple days before the party I showed Anne the recipe photo from my Martha Stewart Cupcakes book, complete with traditional cream cheese frosting. Her face fell and she said, very seriously, "I don't want white frosting. I want red frosting."<br />
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Man, am I glad I showed her that picture! Red velvet cupcakes with <a href="http://www.aspicyperspective.com/chocolate-cupcake-recipe-red-velvet-frosting/">red velvet frosting</a>, coming right up!<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/65186679@N07/22922078751/in/dateposted-public/" title="Anne's 3rd birthday"><img alt="Anne's 3rd birthday" height="333" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/623/22922078751_df81b1a3f1.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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Waiting for guests to arrive in her... drumroll please... handmade (by my mom!) cardinal print dress! And hat!!<br />
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We asked the amazing and talented teacher from Anne's Music Together classes to come and provide entertainment. Best money I've ever spent. Anne was ecstatic, and her face as she jumped and laughed and danced and sang, as her beloved Miss Julie sang just for her... I could have watched her all day.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/65186679@N07/22492630948/in/dateposted-public/" title="Anne's 3rd birthday"><img alt="Anne's 3rd birthday" height="333" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/701/22492630948_95fd493b85.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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Happy birthday to you, sweet girl! My life is immeasurably better with you in it.</div>
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Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02737989236132853161noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8086815612268264228.post-9452839008768236212015-10-26T18:39:00.000-07:002015-10-26T18:39:52.080-07:00A New CreationEleanor Catherine was baptized in Christ last Saturday! Sacraments make me so happy to be Catholic. I love involving all my senses in the practice and celebration of my faith: tracing the sign of the cross on my tiny daughter's velvety head, hearing the beautiful words that claim her as a child of God, the delicious smell of holy Chrism that lingers for days.<br />
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{lots of tears as my mamma sang a beautiful arrangement of "Jesus Loves Me" after the baptism}<br />
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Eleanor is blessed to have a surplus of godparents to love and pray for her: my little sister and her husband (not Catholic, but committed Christians who are officially called "Christian witnesses"), and our dear friends Adam and Lauren from college, who are currently stationed in Japan with the Navy. Nolen and Ben looked so so sweet holding her. Even though they're only approaching their first anniversary now, I can't WAIT for them to have babies of their own! And they brought the loveliest, most thoughtful handmade gifts!<br />
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Ben made the cross out of Michigan cherry wood, with Eleanor's initials and baptism date, and my sister made this rosary with beautiful green beads she found at a local shop! It feels like a symbol of Eleanor's spiritual growth. Such special treasures for her.<br />
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{the whole gang}<br />
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Afterward, we hosted a luncheon to celebrate with family and a few friends. Hosting approximately 25 people at your home less than two weeks after having a baby calls for two very important things: help and shortcuts. We had lots and lots of amazing help! Here's what we served:<br />
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<a href="http://www.aspicyperspective.com/italian-beef-recipe/">Slow Cooker Italian Beef Sandwiches (via A Spicy Perspective)</a> <-- So good. Seriously. Make them.<br />
Green Salad with Roasted Butternut Squash, Walnuts, and Dried Cranberries<br />
Kettle Chips<br />
<a href="http://www.fivehearthome.com/2013/11/15/5-minute-5-ingredient-homemade-caramel-sauce/">Apple Slices with Caramel Dip (via Five Heart Home)</a><br />
Veggies and Hummus<br />
Cake! (from the grocery store!)<br />
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I made the beef (a double batch), the caramel sauce, and roasted the squash the day before, so all I had to do on Saturday was get things out and heat them up. Easy peasy. It was an awesome day!<br />
<br />Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02737989236132853161noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8086815612268264228.post-40486051026140227562015-10-14T08:03:00.000-07:002015-10-14T08:03:12.443-07:00In Praise of My Postpartum BodyThe world tells me that my postpartum body is something to be ashamed of and hidden away.<br />
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That I should do everything in my power to get "my body back."<br />
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Let me tell you something: <b><span style="font-size: large;">my body never left.</span></b><br />
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My body is the miraculous, shapeshifting form of a woman. Always has been, always will be.<br />
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My body is still mine. It was mine in the fatigue and nausea of the first trimester. It was mine in the proud swelling and high energy of the second trimester. It was mine in the heartburn and stretch marks and exhaustion of the last few weeks.<br />
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My body built a baby. And then my body did humankind's hardest work to bring that baby into the world.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">I don't want my pre-baby body "back." I bear the marks of a woman who has been on a journey, an adventure.</span></b><br />
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I'll keep this body, with its aches and scars. <b><span style="font-size: large;">I've earned this body doing my life's work.</span></b><br />
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My body and I are good friends. If I listen, it tells me just what it needs. Rest. Water. Good food. Walks outside, a little longer every day. The embrace of my loved ones. Laughter.<br />
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My body is strong, capable. I will carry it with pride, because it is a great gift, and through its mysterious, miraculous transforming I have received the most precious gifts of my life: my beautiful daughters.<br />
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<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02737989236132853161noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8086815612268264228.post-460094410129536922015-09-29T20:42:00.000-07:002015-09-29T20:42:04.046-07:00An Impromptu Michaelmas {Pear + Blackberry Pie}I didn't have any plans to celebrate Michaelmas this year, because with a 9/28 due date I was frankly hoping to be otherwise occupied. But when this morning rolled around with no labor at all, much less a baby, I decided to throw together an impromptu celebration with some of our best friends. It was so much fun that I was really able to enjoy day #1 of being "overdue," instead of just sitting in my extra-clean and well-nested house twiddling my thumbs and poring over <a href="http://trimestertalk.com/42-natural-methods-to-induce-labor-when-postdate-or-overdue/">hilarious lists of things to do to get labor started.</a><br />
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Since I had exactly no plans for today, I had all the time in the world to make a big project out of dinner. We had <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/lemon-and-garlic-roast-chicken-recipe.html">roast chicken</a>, honey-glazed steamed carrots, and green beans. For dessert, a pear and blackberry pie! (Why these foods? <a href="http://www.carrotsformichaelmas.com/2012/09/19/michaelmas-traditions-prayers-food-and-flowers/">Haley has it all laid out for you.</a>)<br />
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And we put our capes of light to good use for the second year in a row! Stickin' it to the devil, one small person at a time. :-)<br />
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There's a beautiful free <a href="http://www.svellerella.com/in-case-u-didnt-read/">downloadable version of the St. Michael Prayer</a> on Carolyn's blog today - check it out! Can't wait to see more of her beautiful work, soon to be available via her new Etsy shop, Brass & Mint Co.<br />
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<u>Pear + Blackberry Pie</u><br />
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My <a href="http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/a-nice-berry-pie-recipe.html">favorite crust</a>, as always.<br />
5 cups peeled, cored, and chopped pears (1-inch pieces)<br />
2 cups blackberries<br />
zest of 1 lemon<br />
juice of 1/2 lemon<br />
3/4 cup granulated sugar<br />
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger<br />
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon<br />
pinch of kosher salt<br />
2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch<br />
2 tablespoons milk or cream<br />
coarse sugar for sprinkling<br />
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Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Combine the fruit, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar, spices, salt, and cornstarch, and add them to the fruit. Toss together gently.<br />
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Roll out half of the pie crust and fit inside a 9- or 10-inch pie plate. Fill with the fruit mixture, and then roll out the second half of the crust and top the pie with a lattice. Brush with milk or cream and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for one hour to one hour and twenty minutes, until the crust is deeply brown and the filling is bubbling. Cool before slicing. Serve with vanilla ice cream!<br />
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<br />Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02737989236132853161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8086815612268264228.post-22857491119642462242015-08-12T13:26:00.000-07:002015-08-12T13:26:07.096-07:00Tart Cherries: Picking, Pitting, and Processing!Our final foray up to northern Michigan for the summer included a mamma-mandated trip back to <a href="http://www.rennieorchards.com/">Rennie Orchards</a> to pick tart cherries! Homemade cherry jam is one of my favorite things to eat all winter long, and there is just something about the fact that I hand-picked and pitted these cherries that makes the jam even sweeter for me. I love preserving the season for later!<br />
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Jackpot! Low-hanging fruit!<br />
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We ended up with about 18 pounds of fresh tart cherries to take home to Chicago with us, and the next day we got right down to business. (Tart cherries don't like to wait around.)<br />
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With <a href="http://www.amazon.com/OXO-Grips-Olive-Cherry-Pitter/dp/B000NQ925K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1439410969&sr=8-1&keywords=oxo+cherry+pitter">this new cherry pitter</a> in hand, we pitted and pitted and pitted! Anne helped, of course. Never underestimate the enthusiasm of a toddler for an excruciatingly tedious task.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/65186679@N07/19898765124/in/dateposted-public/" title="cherry pitting :: coppertopkitchen.blogspot.com"><img alt="cherry pitting :: coppertopkitchen.blogspot.com" height="500" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5663/19898765124_c68967186d.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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Once pitted, the cherries were processed in one of three ways:<br />
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1. Maraschino Cherries, a half batch of this ginormous recipe, using about 5 pounds, and yielding 2 pints and 8 half-pints: http://leapphotography.com/blog/2015/06/maraschino-cherries-home-canning-recipe-boise-photographers/<br />
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Assemble booze, etc:<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/65186679@N07/20527757161/in/dateposted-public/" title="maraschino cherries :: coppertopkitchen.blogspot.com"><img alt="maraschino cherries :: coppertopkitchen.blogspot.com" height="333" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5707/20527757161_38a6ae5a82.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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Bring to a boil:<br />
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Pack the pitted cherries:<br />
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Pour over hot, sweet, boozy goodness:<br />
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Voila!<br />
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2. Tart Cherry Jam, doubling this trusty recipe that I've used for the last 2 years, using about 8 pounds, and yielding 3 pints and 8 half-pints: http://foodinjars.com/2009/07/sour-cherry-jam-recipe/<br />
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3. Frozen pitted tart cherries for pies, etc. Two pies' worth, about 2 pounds per pie.<br />
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The final product:<br />
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Not pictured: one exhausted, cherry-stained, and happy pregnant mamma.<br />
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<br />Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02737989236132853161noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8086815612268264228.post-60277796008900262512015-08-04T06:44:00.003-07:002015-08-04T06:44:49.218-07:00Garden Update {8.3.2015}: Death, Destruction, and Starting Over<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/65186679@N07/20292483321/in/dateposted-public/" title="Garden 8.3.2015:: coppertopkitchen.blogspot.com"><img alt="Garden 8.3.2015:: coppertopkitchen.blogspot.com" height="375" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/366/20292483321_f5d1c8c300.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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Yesterday I went to my garden to check out the damage. It was really bad. Really, really bad. It turns out that the mystery herbicide that was sprayed (and damaged about half the beds in the community garden) was RoundUp, which is not exactly something you want to eat. So the organizers of the garden encouraged everyone with an affected bed to pull out all the plants so the soil can be amended and repaired.<br />
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I am not ashamed to say that I broke down and sobbed as I pulled all my poor, dead plants out of the ground. I am heartbroken, not to mention more than a little angry that all the time and money I poured into this little piece of earth is now rendered a total waste. No ripe cherry tomatoes for Anne to pick off the vine and eat, no little baby pumpkins to make into pie. No pickles, no quarts of sun-warmed San Marzano tomatoes to make into pizza and pasta all winter long.<br />
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I. Am. So. Sad.<br />
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Tomorrow, gardeners will gather to do what we can to fix the soil, and then I guess we will re-plant. What can you plant in mid-August, fellow gardeners? What can I look forward to? Any ideas to help pull me from the depths of despair? I appreciate your help and suggestions!<br />
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*In case you're wondering, here's what we're adding to the soil to help eliminate the toxins and restore it to a place where you want to grow food:<br />
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<div style="background-color: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">- an activated charcoal called Biogize SD to absorb and detox the chemicals that may remain in the soil</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">- Food Safe Zeolite to help further detox the soil and help boost the new plants going in to better take on the nutrients it needs</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">- Garrett Juice, a concentrated organic spray to reenergize the microorganisms living in the soil that will eat toxins. </span></div>
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More to come soon.<br />
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<br />Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02737989236132853161noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8086815612268264228.post-67492078953057363882015-07-28T18:49:00.002-07:002015-07-28T18:49:49.401-07:00Garden Update {July 28, 2015}It is a sad day in the garden, friends. I've been noticing a lot of yellowing and drooping lately, which I thought was due to the lack of rain and the arrival of some really hot days. So I set to watering, thinned and pruned, and then put down a layer of compost and mulch. Then I got an email from the garden manager, stating that there may have been an inadvertent (and totally in violation of the agreement that was set up when the garden was started) application of HERBICIDE to kill weeds along the train tracks. Heartbreaking. The email included some tips as to how to revive the plants, so I'm going to do all I can. We'll see.<br />
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Here's the zucchini on July 22, right after I thinned them:<br />
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And here they are on July 25. Womp womp.<br />
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I'm not totally convinced that it was only the herbicide that caused their sad state. I didn't do any research into the best ways to thin these plants before I started yanking (when will I learn?), and it turns out that beans and cucurbits (melons, squash, cucumbers... aka everything on this side of the garden) have fragile roots and should be thinned early and very carefully. I wasn't so careful. Whoops. I hope that the mulch application will help the roots to reestablish themselves.<br />
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Cucumbers after thinning and staking (I think these cages are designed for peppers, but they're perfect for pickling cucumbers!), July 22:<br />
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Then on July 25 (post herbicide attack):<br />
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The tomatoes were doing so well!!! PLEASE DON'T ALL DIE!!!!<br />
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A new addition to keep us happy, even in the face of minor adversity.<br />
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This video taught me how to prune my cucumbers and tomatoes, to the point where I felt reasonably confident, and didn't mess up more than a handful of times (I think!). I now know what "suckers" are (little extra leafy stems that just steal energy from the fruiting parts of the plant), how to identify them, and how to remove them.<br />
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<br />Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02737989236132853161noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8086815612268264228.post-75425120578968019322015-07-26T19:24:00.002-07:002015-07-26T19:24:28.125-07:00Angel Food Cake with Fresh Raspberry Cream {St. Anne Day!}<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/65186679@N07/19853829139/in/dateposted-public/" title="St. Anne Day 2015 :: coppertopkitchen.blogspot.com"><img alt="St. Anne Day 2015 :: coppertopkitchen.blogspot.com" height="333" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/451/19853829139_e38844e189.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
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We are up at the lake in Michigan for the last time this summer, our last bout of (planned) family travel before little sister makes her big entrance. Today we celebrated the feast of St. Anne, mother of Mary and grandmother of Jesus, and my oldest girl's namesake! It was an absolutely perfect day, warm and sunny and filled with laughter and family. This was the first time I've remembered Anne's name day was coming up soon enough to plan ahead and make something special for dessert!<br />
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Since I'm not at home, I wanted to keep it simple. What is simpler than a cake mix that only requires you to add water? Enter Betty Crocker angel food cake. So delicious, and not perceptibly different from making it from scratch, which requires beating and beating and beating a dozen (a dozen!) egg whites forever.<br />
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And you guys, did you know that you can whip cream with a blender? It's not as fluffy as if you whip it in a mixer with a whisk, but it takes approximately 20 seconds, so it works in a pinch! I folded a pint of smashed raspberries and a little bit of sugar into 2 cups of cream, and served it alongside the cake as a topping.<br />
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Since I didn't have the proper equipment, and I made a lousy judgment call trying to revive it before serving, mine was a lot more like sauce, where I was originally going for fluffy pink clouds. The taste was still amazing. And it made a certain little girl very happy. :-)<br />
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<br />Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02737989236132853161noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8086815612268264228.post-87892664005589170032015-07-22T13:16:00.000-07:002015-07-22T13:16:03.023-07:00Garden Update + Pesto Pasta SaladI missed an update in between, so prepare yourselves, because the garden is getting out of control!<br />
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Here's a photo from July 11:<br />
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Not too crazy, right? Lettuce is coming in, tomatoes are filling out, radishes are a little bit nuts (and were mercilessly thinned).<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/65186679@N07/19301490553/in/dateposted-public/" title="Garden 7/11/2015 (radish)"><img alt="Garden 7/11/2015 (radish)" height="333" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/383/19301490553_a4730ea970.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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Because that's not how you grow radishes. Oops. Turns out if you have extra seeds, you should save them, or give them away, or even throw them away, instead of just tossing them all in the dirt and giving yourself a bunch of extra work to do thinning, and also... no mature radishes.<br />
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OK, one mature radish.<br />
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Not a totally wasted effort, however, because as it turns out, radish greens are edible and tasty! After cleaning (so thoroughly! many slugs spotted.), they are great sautéed and tossed in with scrambled eggs, pasta sauces, wherever you might use spinach or kale (although they are kind of prickly, so I wouldn't use them in salad). And I made a big batch of pesto, which made a phenomenal pasta salad! (Scroll to the bottom for recipes.)<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/65186679@N07/19922443755/in/dateposted-public/" title="Radish Green Pesto! :: coppertopkitchen.blogspot.com"><img alt="Radish Green Pesto! :: coppertopkitchen.blogspot.com" height="333" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/535/19922443755_6a3fce0eea.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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The carrots and lettuce are playing nicely:<br />
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And here's where I start to lose my grip on the situation (from July 21):<br />
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ACK! What is even going on?! OK, a couple of things are going on. The aforementioned radish was harvested, along with most of the rest of the radish greens. We might get another few radishes. Peppers and tomatoes are going like gangbusters, loving the recent heat wave.<br />
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Basil! Threatening to go to seed. Chopped off a bunch of the tops and used 'em for dinner last night. That'll teach them to be dramatic.<br />
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And then there was the time when I almost lost my entire crop of beets to some sneaky, devious, giant weeds that took over their spot in the bed. Being still firmly in the camp of "novice gardener," I was more than a little nervous to pull out of a bunch of uniform-looking, big, healthy, pink-rooted plants that were growing where I planted beets. Are these the beets? I asked myself. Then, after remembering what fully-grown beets look like, I took a deep breath, gave myself a little pep talk (out loud: "Trust yourself!" Oh yes I did.), and pulled them ALL! And lo and behold, what should remain but two neat little rows of the saddest, most sun-starved little baby beet plants you've ever seen.<br />
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Now that I've gotten rid of their competition and thinned them out a bit, I think they'll bounce back.<br />
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I was about to thin the vining plants on the right side, started to, and then totally lost my nerve. (The beet weed episode really took it out of me!) I'm going to make sure to get a lot of advice (from my friends on youtube, and some real gardeners at the local garden center) before going back to stake, prune, and thin those bad boys. More on my findings in the next post!<br />
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Pesto can be made with basically anything dark and leafy, so I went for radish greens, which I had in abundance. Try kale, chard, collards, or stick with the classic basil. They are all delicious.<br />
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<u>Pesto Pasta Salad</u><br />
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1/3 cup radish pesto (recipe follows)<br />
1/2 pound cavatappi, or other short, dried pasta, cooked al dente, and drained<br />
8 ounces fresh mozzarella (I used the tiny balls that come in a water-packed container)<br />
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved<br />
1 bell pepper, chopped<br />
1 12-ounce jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped<br />
olive oil<br />
salt and pepper<br />
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Toss ingredients together in a large bowl and stir to combine, seasoning to taste with salt and pepper, and thinning the sauce as needed with olive oil. Store in the refrigerator for days of easy meals!<br />
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<u>Radish Green Pesto</u><br />
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4 cups radish greens (or other greens, see head note)<br />
1.5 cups grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese<br />
1 cup olive oil<br />
1/2 cup walnuts<br />
juice and zest of 1 lemon<br />
4 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled<br />
salt and pepper to taste<br />
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Place ingredients in a food processor, and pulse to combine, then puree until you reach your desired consistency. Enjoy!Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02737989236132853161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8086815612268264228.post-11609610361257088532015-07-17T12:32:00.001-07:002015-07-17T12:32:21.400-07:00Mint Mojito Iced Coffee<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/65186679@N07/19754186786/in/dateposted-public/" title="mint mojito iced coffee"><img alt="mint mojito iced coffee" height="500" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3720/19754186786_9b012f2cce.jpg" width="333" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
<br />
It's one hundred million degrees outside today, and of course I decided this was the day to pull the jungle of weeds and deadhead the rose bushes. I got totally soaked before I started, trying to fill up the kiddie pool with a hose that got fastened to the spigot weirdly, and I'm 7 months pregnant. I'm sure my sweat- and dirt-stained brow, diaper-clad toddler, and hunched posture made more than one passerby look askance. But the yard work is done! And now I'm in my blissfully air conditioned home, said toddler is napping, and it's time for a little pick-me-up/cool-me-down.<br />
<br />
When we were in California a few weeks ago, we discovered Philz Coffee, a local coffee shop where each cup is individually hand-crafted. From their website: "We wouldn't even call this a cup of coffee; rather 'A Cup of Love.'" Of course, individually-brewed coffee means a high price tag and a long long wait, but when in Rome... you know. My sweet friend recommended this drink when we stopped by on our way back from the farmers market, and after one sip, I knew I was destined to re-make it at home.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/65186679@N07/19159331313/in/dateposted-public/" title="Mint Mojito Iced Coffee :: coppertopkitchen.blogspot.com"><img alt="Mint Mojito Iced Coffee :: coppertopkitchen.blogspot.com" height="333" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/371/19159331313_5ae2cbe29f.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
<br />
A giant handful of smashed, bruised, fresh mint. Ice. Sugar. Milk. Coffee. I declare this to be a cup of love, indeed. Here's to lots more afternoons lounging by the kiddie pool. Cheers!<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/65186679@N07/19159335063/in/dateposted-public/" title="Mint Mojito Iced Coffee :: coppertopkitchen.blogspot.com"><img alt="Mint Mojito Iced Coffee :: coppertopkitchen.blogspot.com" height="500" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3726/19159335063_a2ac85c09a.jpg" width="333" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
<br />
<u>Mint Mojito Iced Coffee</u><br />
<u><br /></u>
Ice<br />
10-20 fresh mint leaves (from 2-3 sprigs), plus an extra sprig to garnish<br />
1 tablespoon maple syrup<br />
8-12 ounces coffee (cool, ideally)<br />
a couple of splashes of half and half (or milk, or cream)<br />
<br />
Layer the mint and ice in a tall glass. Add the maple syrup, coffee, and cream, and use a straw to muddle the mint leaves a bit, releasing more of the minty flavor. Enjoy.<br />
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8086815612268264228" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8086815612268264228" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a>Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02737989236132853161noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8086815612268264228.post-29777391822766497452015-07-13T13:19:00.000-07:002015-07-28T18:54:07.022-07:00Black Raspberry MuffinsWe just got back from a whirlwind two weeks of traveling. We spent a weekend in Indianapolis celebrating my goddaughter Maggie's half-birthday (necessary every year, with a birthday only days after Christmas). Then we flew to San Francisco for a magnificent 5 days of coastline drives, catching up with dear friends, stone fruit (a couple weeks early! such a treat!), and not enough sleep. We were home just long enough to unpack, do laundry, and re-pack, and then headed up to Traverse City for a week. We packed in all of the things a summer in Northern Michigan is made of: a hike in the Sleeping Bear Dunes to a spectacular Lake Michigan view, bonfires, fireworks, the Cherry Festival, ice cream, s'mores, swimming, paddleboarding, and cherry picking. On our last night, we sat on the dock, leaned back, and stared at the sky, velvety black and full of stars.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" data-footer="true" data-header="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/65186679@N07/19047453803/in/dateposted-public/" title="Black Raspberry Muffins :: coppertopkitchen.blogspot.com"><img alt="Black Raspberry Muffins :: coppertopkitchen.blogspot.com" height="500" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3683/19047453803_d89af216c7.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
<br />
Our neighborhood farmers market happened during the two days when we were home in the middle, so I had to stop by. Thank goodness I did, because black raspberry season is incredibly short, and there they were, plump and perfect. I picked up two pints and dragged them home, and got to work making them into delicious goodies. My priorities are suspect, sometimes. I really needed to be cleaning and packing. But you know what? Black raspberries only happen once a year, and I needed to celebrate their magic while it lasted.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" data-footer="true" data-header="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/65186679@N07/19672866891/in/dateposted-public/" title="Black Raspberry Muffins :: coppertopkitchen.blogspot.com"><img alt="Black Raspberry Muffins :: coppertopkitchen.blogspot.com" height="333" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/274/19672866891_c5eb9c3f3f.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
<br />
I have no regrets.<br />
<br />
<a data-flickr-embed="true" data-footer="true" data-header="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/65186679@N07/19642191526/in/dateposted-public/" title="Black Raspberry Muffins :: coppertopkitchen.blogspot.com"><img alt="Black Raspberry Muffins :: coppertopkitchen.blogspot.com" height="333" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/353/19642191526_aef91ea940.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
<br />
<u>Black Raspberry Muffins</u><br />
<u><br /></u>
I made these with red raspberries a few weeks back, so feel free to substitute your favorite berry. The lime zest is the thing that sets these muffins apart. You could use lemon or orange, but the lime is really unusual and special. You could also sub in ricotta cheese or plain yogurt for the sour cream.<br />
<br />
3/4 cup sour cream<br />
2 large eggs<br />
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract<br />
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled<br />
2/3 cup sugar<br />
Zest of a lime<br />
2 cups all-purpose flour<br />
2 teaspoons baking powder<br />
1/4 teaspoon baking soda<br />
1/2 teaspoon salt<br />
1 1/2 cups black raspberries<br />
<br />
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and butter a standard-size muffin tin. Whisk together the sour cream, eggs, and vanilla. Add the melted butter. In a small bowl, combine the sugar and lime zest and use your fingers or a fork to work the zest into the sugar, releasing the citrus oil (and flavor). In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and lime sugar. Add the wet ingredients, and fold together until barely combined. Don't over mix! Fold in the berries gently.<br />
<br />
Scoop the batter into the muffin tins, and sprinkle with coarse sugar, if you like. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove the muffins from the tins and cool on a rack. Serve warm.<br />
<br />
Makes 1 dozen. (When completely cooled, these can be frozen. Your future self will thank you for the quick and easy muffins!)Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02737989236132853161noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8086815612268264228.post-14091515937281181272015-07-02T07:47:00.000-07:002015-07-02T07:47:45.220-07:00Garden Update! {7.2.2015}We left town for a few days, and it rained plenty while we were gone, which means...<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/65186679@N07/19339194641" title="Coppertop Garden 30June2015 by elizaraxi, on Flickr"><img alt="Coppertop Garden 30June2015" height="333" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/285/19339194641_46346aa96a.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/65186679@N07/19329171672" title="Coppertop Garden 30June2015 by elizaraxi, on Flickr"><img alt="Coppertop Garden 30June2015" height="333" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/364/19329171672_5518dec580.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<br />
Things are looking a little more lively than they did when we left! Here are some closeups:<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/65186679@N07/19335204745" title="Coppertop Garden 30June2015 by elizaraxi, on Flickr"><img alt="Coppertop Garden 30June2015" height="500" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/552/19335204745_85cfa53900.jpg" width="333" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/65186679@N07/18712703584" title="Coppertop Garden 30June2015 by elizaraxi, on Flickr"><img alt="Coppertop Garden 30June2015" height="333" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/366/18712703584_097bb0ac7f.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/65186679@N07/19335213095" title="Coppertop Garden 30June2015 by elizaraxi, on Flickr"><img alt="Coppertop Garden 30June2015" height="333" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/500/19335213095_12e83cb13a.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/65186679@N07/18712683984" title="Coppertop Garden 30June2015 by elizaraxi, on Flickr"><img alt="Coppertop Garden 30June2015" height="500" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/447/18712683984_918faccf91.jpg" width="333" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/65186679@N07/19339153221" title="Coppertop Garden 30June2015 by elizaraxi, on Flickr"><img alt="Coppertop Garden 30June2015" height="500" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/256/19339153221_b6c500fd1a.jpg" width="333" /></a><br />
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Above, the visible plants are radishes. Parsnips are still trying to germinate in the same rows.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/65186679@N07/19309084326" title="Coppertop Garden 30June2015 by elizaraxi, on Flickr"><img alt="Coppertop Garden 30June2015" height="333" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/526/19309084326_4bc144c043.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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Who knows what changes another week will bring?<br />
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Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02737989236132853161noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8086815612268264228.post-76061541764716039852015-06-19T13:36:00.000-07:002015-06-19T13:45:15.593-07:00Garden Update! {6.19.2015}I'm so SO excited that I got a community garden plot for the season! Two years ago, I tried to grow a container garden on my rooftop, but it turned out to be a TON of work for not much payoff. There's no water source up there, and I needed to water basically every day to make sure all the pots didn't dry out. It was fun, but exhausting. So last year I did nothing, and I really missed it. This spring, I just barely missed the deadline for all the community gardens in my neighborhood, so when I got an email that a few plots were left at a new one, I pounced! I have a 4x8 plot with full sun, and I could not be more happy. We finished planting this morning! Here's what we're going to try to grow in our overly ambitious (because what other way is there?) garden!<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/65186679@N07/18966727701" title="Coppertop Garden Plan 2015 by elizaraxi, on Flickr"><img alt="Coppertop Garden Plan 2015" height="255" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/303/18966727701_c7da92d794.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<br />
(Awesome kitchen garden planning tool from <a href="http://www.gardeners.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-Gardeners-Site/default/Page-KGPJS">Gardener's Supply Company</a>!)<br />
<br />
Tomatoes:<br />
<ul>
<li>Cherry tomato "Blondkopfchen"</li>
<li>Plum tomato "San Marzano" (2)</li>
<li>Beefsteak tomato "Brandywine Sudduth's Strain"</li>
</ul>
Lettuce "Crisp Mint" (Seed Savers)<br />
<br />
Carrot "Calliope Blend" (Botanical Interests)<br />
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Peppers:<br />
<ul>
<li>Purple Sweet Bell</li>
<li>Yellow Belle</li>
<li>Red Bell</li>
<li>Jalapeño</li>
</ul>
Parsnip "All American" (Botanical Interests)<br />
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Radish "Plum Purple" (Seed Savers)<br />
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Beet "Chioggia" (Seed Savers)<br />
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Cantaloupe "Hearts of Gold" (Livingston Seed Co.)<br />
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Pumpkin "Small Sweet Sugar/Pie" (Livingston Seed)<br />
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Cucumber "Russian Pickling" (Seed Savers)<br />
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Zucchini "Black Beauty" (Seed Savers)<br />
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Tomatoes and peppers (and some basil) were small seedlings, but everything else was just directly sown from seed! We'll see how they do. On the left side, I planted some Empress of India nasturtiums as a front border, and on the left, I sprinkled Red Marietta marigolds all over the place.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/65186679@N07/18773567098" title="IMG_1304 by elizaraxi, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_1304" height="333" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/4/3744/18773567098_59d50a86cc.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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I planted lettuce and carrots in the same rows, and radishes and parsnips together too. Good space-saving technique I read about, since the carrots and parsnips take 2-3 months to mature, and radishes and lettuce just a few weeks.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/65186679@N07/18935009996" title="IMG_1303 by elizaraxi, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_1303" height="333" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/4/3698/18935009996_2db2bb3e47.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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Row markers: popsicle stick + sharpie.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/65186679@N07/18964155961" title="IMG_1307 by elizaraxi, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_1307" height="333" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/555/18964155961_d12a2cac16.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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My little garden helper. We have matching bike helmets!<br />
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Can't wait to see some little sprouts popping up soon!!<br />
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<br />Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02737989236132853161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8086815612268264228.post-9794397259682313972015-05-28T12:54:00.001-07:002015-05-28T12:54:41.968-07:00The Comforts of Home + {Penne with Mushrooms, Asparagus, and Cream}<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/65186679@N07/17714627279" title="Penne with Asparagus and Mushrooms :: coppertopkitchen.blogspot.com by elizaraxi, on Flickr"><img alt="Penne with Asparagus and Mushrooms :: coppertopkitchen.blogspot.com" height="333" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8756/17714627279_dd58465eaa.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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We were away from home visiting family in Michigan for almost a week leading up to Memorial Day. I always forget how exhausting it can be to parent on location. Maybe it's just the inflexible, hormonal pregnant lady talking, but it's hard. We have wonderful families who love us and do everything they can to help out and make sure we're happy. And we always have a great time! But by the end of a longer trip, I am just aching to sleep in my own bed, walk out onto my own street, and settle back into my own routines.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/65186679@N07/18018747280" title="Anne on the boat, Memorial Day 2015 by elizaraxi, on Flickr"><img alt="Anne on the boat, Memorial Day 2015" height="640" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7750/18018747280_eb04229dd8_z.jpg" width="480" /></a><br />
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A basic and foundational part of the way I live out my vocation is the ability (and responsibility!) to feed my family three delicious, nutritious meals a day. Away from my natural habitat, or otherwise deprived of this basic task, I sometimes feel like a castaway.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/65186679@N07/18018169370" title="IMG_5637 by elizaraxi, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_5637" height="500" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7796/18018169370_0d050726cc.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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When I have to forage in a foreign fridge for my sustenance and my family's, it's amazing how quickly I realize that my idea of "staples" is not the same as anyone else's. Please don't misunderstand me: I don't mean to judge other people's choices. I would never expect someone else to have a fridge stocked just like mine would be. People prioritize differently, have different preferences and needs, and buy their food accordingly. But anyone knows that opening someone else's fridge can feel like walking on a strange planet. We have the industrial food revolution to thank for this dizzying variety of possible food choices, and sometimes I wonder if we would be better off without quite so many. But I digress.<br />
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Here are some of our family's basic everyday necessities:<br />
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Coffee<br />
Half and half (for my coffee)<br />
Butter<br />
Bacon<br />
Eggs<br />
Whole milk<br />
Plain, full-fat yogurt<br />
Honey and/or maple syrup<br />
Olive oil<br />
Onions<br />
Garlic<br />
Lemons<br />
Pasta<br />
Cheese<br />
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The fresh fruits and vegetables change from month to month as the seasons change, but we almost always have those things on hand on any given day, and we use them up quickly. What things would you add? What does your list look like?<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/65186679@N07/17713322150" title="Spring salad :: coppertopkitchen.blogspot.com by elizaraxi, on Flickr"><img alt="Spring salad :: coppertopkitchen.blogspot.com" height="333" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5459/17713322150_aa7b91c9ae.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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I'm so glad that the season of deciding what to eat based on what's at the market is back. It is infinitely more fun for me to cook this way, not to mention much more fun to eat. Here's an easy dish I made for friends a couple of weeks ago, based on what I could get at the market that weekend.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/65186679@N07/17713027608" title="Penne with Asparagus and Mushrooms :: coppertopkitchen.blogspot.com by elizaraxi, on Flickr"><img alt="Penne with Asparagus and Mushrooms :: coppertopkitchen.blogspot.com" height="333" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5450/17713027608_e3d0355421.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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<u>Penne with Mushrooms, Asparagus, and Cream</u><br />
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1 pound penne<br />
2 bunches asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1.5-inch pieces<br />
2 tablespoons olive oil<br />
2 tablespoons butter<br />
1 yellow onion, chopped<br />
1/2 pound cremini mushrooms, sliced<br />
salt and pepper to taste<br />
1 teaspoon dried thyme<br />
1 package chicken sausages, split in half and sliced<br />
3/4 cup dry white wine<br />
1/2 cup cream<br />
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese<br />
zest of one lemon<br />
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Cook the penne in boiling, well-salted water. About a minute before the pasta is done, toss in the chopped asparagus. Drain and set aside, saving a bit of the starchy pasta water in case the sauce needs thinning.<br />
<br />
In a wide, shallow saucepan or skillet, heat the oil and butter over medium heat. Add the onions and mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and taking on an attractive brown color, about 10 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and thyme. Add the sausages and cook about 5-6 minutes, until nicely browned on the sides.<br />
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Add the wine and scrape up all the delicious cooked-on goodies from the bottom of the pan. Cook until reduced slightly, 3-4 minutes. Add the cream and cheese, and stir to combine well. Stir in the hot pasta and asparagus, adding a splash of pasta water if the sauce seems too thick. Cook for a minute or two, tossing well to allow the sauce to thoroughly coat the pasta. Turn off the heat and stir in the lemon zest.<br />
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Serve with a simple green salad and crusty bread.<br />
<br />Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02737989236132853161noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8086815612268264228.post-65615821729493008862015-05-20T09:27:00.000-07:002015-05-20T09:27:59.961-07:00Rhubarb Streusel Pie<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/65186679@N07/17897896792" title="Rhubarb Streusel Pie :: coppertopkitchen.blogspot.com by elizaraxi, on Flickr"><img alt="Rhubarb Streusel Pie :: coppertopkitchen.blogspot.com" height="427" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8803/17897896792_8b6cc33187_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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This is it. The best rhubarb pie in the world. Did you hear me? THE. BEST. Perfect crust. Tangy-sweet rhubarb flavored with vanilla bean. Crumbly, crunchy, nutty streusel topping. This afternoon I'm planning to make my fourth in a span of two weeks, because if I'm with people, I need them to be eating this pie. And I need to be eating it. I ate almost the whole first one by myself.<br />
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I mean, I had help. A little. In the person of a tiny baby girl who is making her presence known more and more each day with kicks and jabs to my abdomen.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/65186679@N07/17713305810" title="Little sister by elizaraxi, on Flickr"><img alt="Little sister" height="451" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5328/17713305810_d5839cbf7f_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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I'm a late sharer of pregnancy news online. I so love telling people in person and seeing their reactions; hugs and squeals of excitement and actual congratulations are SO MUCH BETTER than Facebook likes and comments. When mostly everyone knows, and it's starting to be visible no matter what, then I finally share the news online. It's a girl, and she's healthy! I'm feeling great.<br />
<br />
{Apparently, I like to announce I'm having baby girls by sharing recipes for pink vegetables. Last time, <a href="http://coppertopkitchen.blogspot.com/2012/06/radish-pickles.html">Radish Pickles</a>! And more thoughts about the weighty responsibility of raising girls into women. Head over to check it out.}<br />
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Rhubarb season is just warming up in the Midwest, so you have plenty of time to get some reddish pink treasure from the farmers market and make yourself and those you love an amazing pie.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/65186679@N07/17713334200" title="Rhubarb Streusel Pie :: coppertopkitchen.blogspot.com by elizaraxi, on Flickr"><img alt="Rhubarb Streusel Pie :: coppertopkitchen.blogspot.com" height="427" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5458/17713334200_afbb4380cc_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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<u>Rhubarb Streusel Pie</u><br />
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I always, always use Heidi Swanson's <a href="http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/a-nice-berry-pie-recipe.html">pie crust</a> recipe, and it is amazing every time.<br />
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Filling:<br />
5 cups (about 2 pounds) fresh rhubarb, chopped into 1-inch pieces<br />
1 cup sugar<br />
1/2 vanilla bean (or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste)<br />
3 tablespoons tapioca starch (corn starch will also work)<br />
<br />
Topping:<br />
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar<br />
3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts<br />
1/4 cup butter, cut into cubes<br />
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon<br />
1/4 teaspoon salt<br />
1/2 cup flour<br />
<br />
Make the crust and refrigerate it until ready to use (making it a day ahead of time breaks up the effort required to make the pie, and ensures the crust is fully chilled - win-win).<br />
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Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.<br />
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Place the sugar in a small bowl with the vanilla bean (if using), and use your fingertips to rub the sugar along the inside of the vanilla bean, scraping out the seeds and distributing them through the sugar. (You could also do this ahead of time - the vanilla flavor will be more pronounced if you leave the vanilla bean in the sugar for a while.)<br />
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Place the chopped rhubarb in a large bowl with the vanilla sugar (or sugar and vanilla extract/paste) and tapioca starch and stir to combine. Set aside for about 15 minutes, while you prepare the crust and topping.<br />
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In a small bowl, stir together brown sugar, walnuts, cinnamon, salt and flour. Add the butter, and use your fingers to rub it into the sugar mixture until well-combined.<br />
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Roll out the crust and fit it into a pie plate. Decoratively crimp the edges, and pour the rhubarb filling into the crust, being sure to scrape all of the sugar and juice out of the bowl. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the fruit (ahem, vegetable) filling and slide into the oven. Bake at 450 for 15 minutes, then decrease the heat to 350 and continue baking for 50-60 minutes, until the filling is bubbling, and the topping and crust are golden.<br />
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Cool at least 2 hours before slicing, and serve with vanilla ice cream.Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02737989236132853161noreply@blogger.com9