Sweet Mama Jane

Turkey Spinach Meatloaf

2012-01-31T09:49:00.000-05:00

As a child, I hated meatloaf (sorry, Mom). It always seemed dry, bland, and cumbersome to me, and so to make it palatable, I would drown it in a sea of ketchup (sorry, Dad -- he was always a tad grossed out by my ketchup obsession). Now that I'm a bona fide grown-up, however, I can totally see the upside of meatloaf. Though unfortunately named (because, really, who wants a loaf of meat?), it is an inexpensive, filling dish, generally easy to slap together on a weeknight, and it has all kinds of potential to be healthy and a great source of protein at the dinner table.

My favorite meatloaf incarnation bears little resemblance to the dense, oatmeal-studded loafs of the late 70s. Inspired by a recipe I saw in the New York Times years ago, this meatloaf is equal parts spinach and turkey, making it a true nutritional powerhouse. You start off by simmering garlic cloves in olive oil. They become brown and caramelized, and then you chop these little golden nuggets and mix them into the meat, where they add the most complex, lovely flavor. You also sear the loaf in this homemade garlic oil before baking it, adding more oomph to the flavor profile, as well as a delicious, savory crust. Bonus: you're left with a good quarter cup of leftover garlic oil, which is a phenomenal base for a salad dressing or a veggie sauté for another meal later in the week. And because old habits die hard, I stir together a quick glaze of ketchup, dijon mustard and honey to go over the top. Some things about the late 70s were oh-so-right, were they not? Ketchup and meatloaf are a natural combo, even my Dad would agree.

A few final notes:

1) This is an ideal recipe to make in a heavy, cast iron skillet if you have one.

2) I don't have to tell you this, but the best part of meatloaf is the leftovers. The next day, a slice of this between two pieces of soft bread with a dab of mayo is a total comfort food childhood throwback in the best possible way.

3) Unlike the meatloaf of the 70s, this is not a quickie weeknight meal, unless you prep your garlic oil and spinach ahead of time. But if you have the time to spare, this recipe is worth it. Or make it on a Sunday and let the leftover sandwich make your Monday a little more delicious.

4) No matter how you slice it (ha!), meatloaf just doesn't photograph well. I promise this dish is more appetizing than it appears.

Turkey Spinach Meatloaf

Adapted from Troy and Nancy Dupuy, New York Times, August 2004

Serves 4

Ingredients

6 cloves garlic

Extra virgin olive oil

1 pound fresh baby spinach, well rinsed

1 medium onion, chopped

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1 1/2 pounds ground turkey

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 egg

1/4 cup Italian breadcrumbs

Pinch cayenne

1/4 cup ketchup

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon honey

Directions

1. Place garlic cloves in small saucepan, add enough olive oil to cover them, and place over very low heat. Cook about 40 minutes, until garlic is tender but not browned. Drain garlic, and reserve oil. Chop garlic into small pieces.

2. Place onion in a sauté pan over low heat. Cook until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add spinach leaves and salt, and stir until spinach wilts. Line a small baking sheet with several thicknesses of paper towel, and spread spinach mixture on towel and refrigerate to cool.

3. Heat oven to 375 degrees. In a mixing bowl combine turkey, thyme, pepper, egg, breadcrumbs, cayenne and cooked, chopped garlic cloves; mix well.

4. Remove spinach from refrigerator, and chop. Add to mixing bowl, and mix well by hand or on low speed by machine. Form into loaf shape.

5. Stir together ketchup, dijon mustard and honey in a small bowl. Set aside.

6. Heat a heavy skillet, preferably oven-proof. Add a little of the garlic oil and sear loaf top and bottom until lightly browned. Sides can be seared but only if you have a very large spatula to turn loaf easily.

7. Remove the pan from heat, and use a spatula to cover the top and side with the ketchup glaze.

8. Place skillet in oven or transfer loaf to shallow baking dish, then place in oven. Bake about 50 minutes, until a thermometer registers 160 degrees. Remove from oven and serve, or refrigerate and serve cold. Reserve remaining garlic oil for another use.

Mama Ring

2012-01-27T08:59:00.002-05:00

In my world, it seems like everyone and their sister is pregnant right now (something to do with being in my mid-thirties, perhaps?). I love seeing all the newly popped little bellies, as well as the gorgeously huge round ones. I love vicariously discovering all the new doodads and contraptions that have been invented even in the last 3 years since little J's birth (a least one killer new kind of a baby carrier and some serious advances in convertible cribs come to mind). And I love all the ways we can pamper and fete the mamas-to-be among us as they do this physically grueling work of perpetuating our species.

And this, my friends, brings us to the fraught and controversial topic of the "push present". A push present, for the uninitiated, is a gift given to a new mama by the father of her child shortly after the birth as a subtle way of saying, "Hey, thanks, babe, for pushing (or otherwise expelling) our child out of your body. That looked kinda rough. Here are some earrings, since the only pain I had to endure was that of you crushing all of the bones in both of my hands during your contractions. You rock."

In our era of conspicuous consumption, this is a tradition that has spiraled a little out of control, as evidenced by this 10-karat monstrosity famously received by Rachel Zoe after her strangely weight-gain-free pregnancy.
image via Glamour Mag

While I find something odd about spending approximately four to five college tuitions on such a gift (a la Rodger Berman, above), I do love the idea of a special, sentimental something being given to a new mama from the new papa. And jewelry is always a safe bet, as it fits no matter your size, and is such an inherently sentimental thing in and of itself.

The time right after giving birth is a physically and emotionally rigorous one. You're dealing with severe sleep deprivation, your boobs being someone's sole food source, and a litany of pains and discomforts ranging from night sweats to sore nips to things are that are just unmentionable on this weblog. And while some women claim to have never before felt more beautiful than during that time after giving birth, I myself felt somewhat haggard, mush-bellied and intermittently sobby, even while sporting that new mama pride and glow. I can't think of a more perfect time to receive something that says, "you are special, I am proud of you, and here is something beautiful for someone who deserves to be adorned." This trinket needn't be major, or over-the-top expensive, or fancy or otherwise Rachel Zoe-esque; it only needs to be simple, from the heart, and given with gratitude and love. And I think I have the perfect thing...

St. Kilda Lil' Mama Ring

I've posted this ring before, but recently came across it and fell in love all over again. The ring is delicate, sweet, and sentimental without being overly precious. It comes in a variety of metals from sterling silver to gold to platinum and is available with or without a tiny diamond set in the side, so the Lil' Mama ring can suit almost every price range. And I truly think almost every mama would adore this ring; proven by the fact I pinned it on Pinterest the other day, and within 15 minutes it had been liked 24 times and re-pinned 84 times as everything from a wish list item to a mother's day gift for someone's own mom. Ha! I love it! I also love how it is thin and delicate enough that it could be the foundation of or addition to a sentimental "stack"...

via Simple Lovely, who talks about collecting a stack of meaningful rings here

More than anything, this post is born from the awe and love I feel for all the mamas around me right now. Whether they are at the beginning of their journey (tired and trying to figure what they can and can't eat), nearing the end (a certain someone on the hunt for an organic crib mattress this week, I'm talking to you, you gorgeous goddess) or on the night shift doing 2am feedings and still having a smile and a joke in the morning, you all inspire me and make me proud to be among your mama ranks. And grandma and nana, you are the original inspirations, and I love you and am grateful for you. I'd like to place a ring on each and every one of your hard working fingers! Here's to the mamas! xoxo

Power Breakfast

2012-01-25T08:38:00.000-05:00

I go in phases with my morning meal. One non-negotiable element is that the day must be kicked off with a big, bold caffeine hit in the form of either a steaming mug of homemade, organic, double-strength coffee or a delicious skim latte procured at one of my favorite neighborhood spots.

Some people need to eat first thing as well, but I'm not one of them. Ideally, I like to sip water for the first 20 minutes or so after I wake up, then move on to my caffeine fix, and maybe I'll start thinking about food after that. I love a big, eggy breakfast for a treat and I'll order a Benedict-y thing or happily prepare a veggie scramble or a pan of poached eggs for a Sunday breakfast, and the husband's potato hash with a fried egg on top is to die for, as are some of our egg sandwich creations.

However, on a weekday, all that eggy-ness can be a bit much. So, I tend to go in cycles: steel-cut oats or Kashi Golden Goodness make frequent appearances in the rotation, as does Greek yogurt with fruit and honey. But lately, I've stumbled into a stellar breakfast routine that has me feeling like a superhero in the mornings, so I thought I'd share it with you.

This all started with my obsession with L.A. in Bloom's Date Shake, which is a complete and fabulous breakfast unto itself. However, in a new year's bid to take the best possible care of myself, I wanted to scale back on the fat and sweetness of that smoothie, and add a super-nutritious punch. I haven't had Amazing Meal in the house in far too long, so I recently brought it back into the rotation and am so glad I did. Amazing Meal is an organic, raw blend of superfoods and greens in powder form, which you add by the scoop-full to your smoothies and shakes. Each scoop packs a powerful blend of antioxidants, probiotics and protein, and starting your day with Amazing Meal seems to ensure a lasting, robust energy for hours to come.

My new favorite power smoothie:
1 cup almond milk
1 teaspoon almond or peanut butter
1 medjool date, seed removed
1/2 a ripe banana
1 scoop Amazing Meal Chocolate Infusion
sprinkle of cinnamon
1 cup ice
Blend and serve. Amazing!

I don't typically eat lunch until about 1:30 or 2 when the little man is down for a nap and I've finished whatever dealing I set out to accomplish during the morning hours, so I need breakfast to fuel me for a good five hours or so. As phenomenally nourishing as this smoothie is, the warmth and crunch of toast and the extra oomph of some whole grains are what make my new favorite breakfast complete. Right now I'm loving Ezekiel bread for its ability to pack a carb-y punch without being doughy or heavy. Ezekiel products are made completely of sprouted grains and are filled with tons of protein and fiber, but they can still scratch your morning toast itch, and that is brilliant.

YUM.

What's your favorite brekkie lately?

Yes.

2012-01-24T16:36:00.002-05:00

Long Hair Love

2012-01-23T19:43:00.003-05:00

Getting a haircut has been on my to do list for about a month now, but lately I've seen some photos that make me think that I'm going to scratch it right off and hold out for awhile.

via The Sartorialist

via Sous Style

via The Goodwin Project

With no office job to report to these days, I'm asking myself if I actually need to dutifully schedule my quarterly trim. Why not embrace my true inner hippie and let the long hair flow for awhile? This is how I used to roll...

SMJ circa early 90s... holy shnoikes, how was that twenty years ago? Shocking.

And more and more it seems like women of my current age are pulling off the long locks with lots of style and sophistication (see above). I think the key is to keep your hair as healthy as possible, to avoid the dry and droopy look that long hair is prone too when you let it go too natural. These are some of my favorite products for taking the best possible care of long, flowing curls...

So, I think I'm going for it (if only because scheduling a hair appointment/babysitter/etc. is too much for my mid-winter self to want to accomplish at the moment)... the path of least resistance can be beautiful, and everything that's old is new again. My goal is to rock the hippie hair with a polished mid-thirties style this winter. And if that doesn't work, there's always my favorite hat.

New Fave Side: Edamame and Sweet Corn Succotash

2012-01-19T09:07:00.000-05:00

I love Joslyn Taylor's gorgeous, eloquent lifestyle/design/mama blog called Simple Lovely, and while perusing it I have also checked out her side projects: Operation Simplicity and Raising Foodies. I'm particularly drawn to the latter, which concerns trying desperately to cook for and nourish picky eaters, a subject with which I am intimately entangled at the moment. As I scrolled through Raising Foodies for the first time, I came across her recipe for Edamame and Corn Succotash and knew immediately that I had to give it a whirl. It looks like the perfect weeknight/winter side/veg option: a frozen bag o' this, a quickly chopped up that, and you have a restaurant-quality side at the ready in about five minutes. Yes, please.

Here's the exceedingly simple recipe:
Ingredients
1 bag frozen organic sweet corn
1 bag frozen organic edamame
1 small shallot
2 tablespoons butter
1 marinated roasted red pepper
salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Completely thaw the corn and edamame. Saute the shallot in butter. Add corn and edamame and saute until cooked through. Dice red pepper and add to the pan, cooking for a few more minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.
* I also added a heaping teaspoon of chopped fresh thyme, a drizzle of honey and a sprinkle of paprika to my dish as I was feeling creative. All were great additions and probably ones I will use again in the future.

It was love at first sight between this recipe and me, for a few reasons: there is almost no work involved, anything with shallots is gold, a side/veg rich with protein (from the edamame) is always a good thing in my book, and there was the slimmest margin of a prayer that my picky guy would eat this (he has been known not to flatly reject edamame and sometime deigns corn acceptable).

Unfortunately, he was not into it, but the husband and I most certainly were. I served the succotash alongside spice-rubbed, pan-seared, bone-in pork chops and jasmine rice for a special weeknight dinner, but I think this would make a fabulous veggie entree with a great salad on the side, and also would stand up alone as a side to a meat dish without any starch at all. I'm thinking I'll eat the leftovers for lunch today with a fried egg on top and a little shaved sharp cheddar. This is a dish that can wear a lot of hats, and for something so low-maintenance, it's incredibly elegant.

I think the husband said it best, "... you shouldn't call this succotash, because it really doesn't suck, it's delicious. I think you should call it awesome-tash." There you have it. Serve some awesome-tash with dinner tonight! Even your toddler might like it... just don't hold your breath.

Pasta e Fagioli

2012-01-18T14:02:00.003-05:00

Just when I was feeling particularly smug about the lack of mid-winter sickness in this house, I suddenly got a cement-block head and serious case of the sniffles. You may remember that during Baby J's first winter and the one after, all of us were basically sick as dogs from October through April. Things have certainly improved since then, and we had seemingly made it all the way to January without much more than a round of stuffy sinuses right around Thanksgiving. Please remind me next time I say, write or think that to find the nearest, largest piece of wood and knock on it one hundred times. I really don't want to tempt the gods who dole out the winter bugs around here.

When I feel stuffy, bleary, queasy or otherwise under the weather, my go to meal is, not surprisingly, a hot bowl of soup. Said soup is hopefully easily prepared, nutrient-packed and, above all else, comforting. And around here, nothing is more universally comforting than some good old Italian peasant food. Pasta e Fagioli (translation: pasta and beans), is about as traditionally Italian and comforting as it gets. Versions of this soup vary widely from region to region in Italy, so it is a perfect soup to take your own license with depending on what ingredients you may have on hand or according to your mood.

Normally, I'd include more vegetables in the base of a soup, but I wasn't in a chopping mood, so I kept this one to onions and garlic. Traditionally, pasta e fagioli is a vegetarian dish, but I was craving the salty punch of pancetta, so I threw it in the pot. I kept this soup incredibly simple: just those two aromatics, the pancetta, some herbs, tomatoes, beans, pasta, and stock. After chopping the onion and garlic, the rest of this soup mostly involved opening cans and stirring; perfect for my energy level (low) and my need of near-instant comfort food (high).

I encourage you to use this recipe as a jumping off point for your own pasta e fagioli creation: add carrots and celery if you're feeling it, leave out the pancetta if you are a vegetarian or otherwise not down with pork, use a different shape of pasta, or leave out the red pepper flakes for a milder dish... make it your own!

However your soup turns out, I can guarantee you'll create the perfect bowl of winter comfort food to nourish your soul and cure what ails you.

Pasta e Fagioli Soup
Serves 6 to 8
Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 lb. pancetta, minced
1 sweet yellow onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 28 oz. can chopped tomatoes
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon each dried basil and oregano
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
4 cups chicken or veggie stock
1 15oz. can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup dried pasta (I love using orecchiette, but elbow macaroni or ditalini would be more traditional choices)
Parmesan cheese for garnish
Directions
1) In a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium low heat, warm the olive oil. Add the pancetta, onion and garlic and saute, until the onions are soft, about 10 minutes.
2) Add the tomatoes, rosemary, basil, oregano, red pepper flakes and salt and pepper, as well as the beans and stock and simmer for another 30 minutes.
3) Add the pasta to the soup and simmer until the pasta is cooked, about 10-12 minutes more. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese on top.

Fashion Fun

2012-01-16T14:24:00.001-05:00

Happy MLK Day!

Today I'm so excited to announce a new collaboration with Stilista Boston!

Stilista is a Boston styling agency where a staff of talented fashion stylists is available for hire to renew and refresh your look and your closet. Stilista offers services ranging from personal shopping to complete closet overhauls. They also have a fantastic blog written by their team of stylists, and I'm flattered to be guest blogging for them about "mom style". My first post, about the infamous and much feared Mom Jean, went up this morning! This is a time of life where our personal style, as well as our budgets, priorities and body shapes are flux, so moms have unique style conundrums to solve, and I'm thrilled that I'll have a chance to address these periodically on the Stilista blog. Please check it out, and I'd love to know if you have any pressing mom style questions or topics you'd love to see discussed in future posts.

Also on the fashion/Stilista hook-up front: Boston friends, Stilista's Marisa Meloski would like to extend a special invitation to you to attend a private shopping party at Madewell on Newbury Street this Thursday, January 19th. From 7 to 9pm Marisa is offering her styling services, and there will be cupcakes and huge deals (two of my favorite things in life) as well. I attended Marisa's July event at Madewell and found my favorite and most-often-complimented top of the summer for $4 (you can barely get a latte for $4 these days, people! I'm talking serious scores here!). The event is a lot of fun and a great way to catch a peek at coming spring fashions while scoring deep deals on winter ones that, let's face it, still have several months of use left in them before the warm weather blesses us with its return. Please come on out and enjoy! And thank you, Marisa!

Pondering: Backyard Chickens

2012-01-12T09:39:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, as I walked to the store to buy a dozen eggs for the second time in three days, I started pondering the idea of backyard chickens. We'll be moving to a new place when our lease is up in May, and we are both hoping that our new home will include a legit backyard for the child and dog to enjoy. But what if it was also legit enough to include a chicken coop?

Hilarious "mid-life crisis coop" via Backyard Chickens

We're big egg consumers in this family. Not only are eggs an inexpensive and easy-to-prepare protein, they are also tops on the list of five to ten things that our son is willing to eat on any given week. The husband likes to start his day with a couple scramblers, and I love to bake, and often go through two to four eggs a week on my baking projects alone. A rough calculation reveals that we probably spend about $375 a year on eggs, which is kind of mind-boggling, and I'm not sure what chicken upkeep costs are, but I'm fairly certain we'd come out on top in the deal. Clearly, I have a lot more research to do on this topic, but I'm intrigued.

Photo via Yummy Mummy, absolutely one of my inspirations for even considering something like this.

Potential pros of chicken ownership:
1) Eggs! And not your average eggs, but those gorgeous, farm-fresh eggs with the sun-colored yolk and the superior nutritional value.
2) Localvore street cred! Does it get more local than one's own backyard?
3) Teaching the little man valuable lessons about the cycle of life, responsibility and agriculture. The other day someone asked him where milk comes from and he said, "the store." Oh dear.
4) It's very Little House, and I love me some Laura Ingalls, pioneer-worthy projects.

Potential cons of chicken ownership:
1) Looking at their disturbingly weird little feet.
2) Chicken poop.
3) More noise.
4) More beings to take care of (some days, the boys and the dog feel like plenty, and do you have to get chicken-sitters when you go away for the weekend?).

Beautiful, backyard-fresh egg recipe from Yummy Mummy. Seriously, look at that yolk.

Apparently, backyard chickens are all the rage these days, so much so that many cities have enacted laws regulating the practice. As with anything involving other living creatures, this is not a project to be entered into lightly, and I have a lot more to learn before I can even make a proper pitch about why we should become chicken owners. And such an endeavor would certainly be a year or so out for us at the soonest. Still, it is on my radar.

One more from YM, as sister seriously takes the cutest chicken pics, and I may or may not have a small girl crush on her.

Thoughts?

Do you have backyard chickens? Is it a dream? A nightmare?

And do roosters have to be involved? Because I'm seriously outnumbered around here already.

Yours in poultry,

SMJ

Only Emerson could make animal husbandry look stylish.

Imperfect Perfect

2012-01-09T12:52:00.000-05:00

I recently found and fell in the love with the blog Sous Style, which includes in its manifesto a resolution to strive for "the imperfect perfect". I love this notion. Perfection is not only illusory and unattainable, the quest for it is a lead cause of insomnia, stomachaches and driving everyone around you up a wall (in my opinion/experience). And yet, there's something important and energizing about the quest for self-improvement and the notion that if we try hard enough, we can achieve truly great things. To accept that perfection is a myth seems like an invitation to throw in the towel and stop trying, which is why I love this whole "imperfect perfect" thing. To me it says that you can be all kinds of fabulous, marvelous, organized, stylish, healthy and generally exceptional, while still shining love down on your inner dork/slob/glutton, and letting her live in peace and harmony with that more shiny, capable you. To me, 2012 is all about embracing this yin and yang, and seriously letting myself off the hook, while simultaneously challenging myself to grow and do better. I truly believe these goals can co-exist in an imperfect perfect world.


What embodies foodie perfection more than a dinner to celebrate 40 years of Chez Panisse? To me, the wrinkled linen table cloths and wilty flowers from the tables at that dinner scream imperfect perfect. Are they not just as beautiful and a thousand times more earthily appealing than something starched, pert and formal could ever be?

Gorgeous messy up-do= imperfect perfect.

Kids' art just taped imperfectly/perfectly to the wall in an otherwise very polished kitchen.

I am going to start a new series on the imperfect perfect, ruminating on everything from mom bodies to meal attempts/failures to adventures in discount decorating, to whatever else crosses my path and inspires me in this way. I love the idea of seeking out the sloppy sublime.

What is imperfect perfect in your world?

Weekend Wisdom

2012-01-07T14:42:00.001-05:00

That is all.

via The Goodwin Project

Nap Time

2012-01-06T10:12:00.000-05:00

I deeply love the little man's nap time.

I equally love the utterly chaotic moments of the day where I am chasing, wrangling, feeding, singing and playing, but there is something special about the peace in the middle of the day when he sleeps for two blessed hours. I love the complete silence... no music, no noisy chores, no talking, just the heat clicking on and off, and the soft padding of the dog behind me as he follows me from room to room.

I love quietly doing the dishes of the morning with the hot water running over my hands and the satisfying clink of the dishes sliding into their places in the dishwasher. I love carrying the laundry in a wicker basket up and down the stairs (no, I'm not kidding)... as there's something kind of ancient and sacred about the ritual of laundry (although I'm thankful that my ritual involves pushing a button and not beating something clean against a river rock, let's be real). I love brewing a cup of tea and sitting down to write, and pouring my heart out on the page in the silence. I love this time alone with my own thoughts; a time to exhale, to refocus, to settle. I'm also so grateful that on those days where I am really, truly bone tired, I can curl up under a blanket in the silence and close my eyes to rest myself. I love stirring together a big pot of soup, or throwing great things in the slow cooker, or prepping for dinner at this time of day, when I can really take in all of the ingredients and revel in preparing this food for my family. What I love most of all is the way that the warm afternoon light spills in through our apartment windows and makes everything gold at this hour of the day.

There are days I miss my office life: that quiet, orderly place which someone else cleans, with plenty of intellectual stimulation and hilarious co-workers. Some days I panic about my lack of a paycheck or forward motion in my career, and what my prospects will be when it is time to go back to that life. I write this post to return to on days like those, to appreciate all that I have in being at home, and how much I truly love it, and how I want to strive to savor these fleeting days. This silence is a gift, and I need to soak up every minute of it.

The best part of nap time comes at the end, when he wakes up and leaps from his bed into my arms. We sit on the couch and snuggle in silence until his little boy engine revs back up again and we're off to the races for the rest of the afternoon. In those quiet moments where I am holding this warm, sleepy child on my chest, I feel truly at peace. And that means everything.

Fresh Start

2012-01-05T15:21:00.000-05:00

I love how the first week of January always feels like the complete turning over of a new leaf. Some mourn the passing of the holidays into this more Puritan time of year with its resolutions and returns to the gym, but being someone who finds comfort in routine as well as refreshment in new beginnings, this first week of the new year is always one of my favorite times. I love the notion that we all get a second chance to make good on our promises, and an opportunity to truly turn the page on what was in the past and look freshly towards the future.

And after a week of an internet diet, I'm cracking up at the change in content as I catch up on my favorite food blogs. Where a mere seven days ago there was nothing but cheese and cheese and an endless sea of butter and sugar, there is now a forest of kale and green juices as far as the eye can see. That's all good by me... this dive into freshness and good health is just another favorite part of this time of year in my book. Here are some of the healthful recipes I've bookmarked to try as we all get back to normal:


Coconut Pumpkin Stew from the GOOP Cleanse

Mango Cardamom Shake, also from the GOOP Cleanse

Kale Slaw with Red Cabbage and Carrots from Shutterbean

Brussels Sprout and Butternut Lasagna from the Yummy Mummy Kitchen

Redemption Salad from Dinner: A Love Story

Simple Granola from My New Roots

What are you doing to get back on track?

Or did you never fall off?

If so, do tell how that's done.

New Year by the Numbers

2012-01-03T15:07:00.002-05:00

2 flights

2 drives

2 countries

4 states

16 hours in the car

20 loads of laundry

1 unintended, but much needed, break from the world of the internet

4 days hosting my lovely sister

4 days visiting my in-laws in St. Louis

3 days back home to visit with family in from Ohio then

4 days in Quebec with dear old friends to ring in 2012 on a frozen lake

2, 228 listens to "Wheels on the Bus" on the ride to Quebec

3 times the husband and I have sworn that we never want to hear "Wheels on the Bus" again

18 pounds of wine, chocolate, cheese and bread consumed

1 beautiful, hilarious, whirlwind holiday season

The little man with "Santa" at the Southwest Terminal at Logan. Well played, Southwest.

My in-laws' stunning tree. They never fail to blow my mind with their Christmas tidings.


Pure, unparalleled Christmas glee on his new "motorcycle".

Romping in the woods in Canada.

Lake Louisa, Quebec... the happiest place on Earth.

Loving Canada and our time away. Glee all around.

I'd like to say that I return from my holiday refreshed and renewed, but that would be a lie! I actually feel like I have had every bit of fun I have had in the last two weeks, head to toe. I'm looking forward to settling in here at home, returning to our usual routine, and bringing in a bit of health and grounding to round out all the heady revelry of late. 2012 has already been filled with so much happy news from family and friends that I can't help but feel like something special is in the air. So, I plan to ease into this new year rather than take it by storm. Instead of bounding in with resolutions that are made to be broken, I just want to take the best care of myself and my family, be a little easier on myself, and continue to let the joy rise all around me.

I have big plans for this little blog this year, and hope you'll stick with me for the ride!

Lots of love and cheers to a glorious new year,

SMJ

Tortilla Soup

2011-12-19T14:07:00.000-05:00

Tortilla soup is a perfect holiday dish; filling yet light, hearty and satisfying, and full of a robust heat to kill any germs weary travelers may have picked up along their way. Most tortilla soups consist of a thin tomato broth with an underlying punch of jalapeño, punctuated by goodies floating within (usually chicken, some veggies, and crispy tortilla strips that are added at the last minute). I wanted to create a version of tortilla soup that would be smoother, lighter, and healthier than the traditional version, and I am so happy with how this recipe turned out! I daresay it gets 5 husband stars, as it was one of those dishes that gained me compliment after compliment as he took down one bowl and then a second. Love that.

Here's how my tortilla soup is a bit different than your traditional bowl:
1) Rather than leaving the soup broth-y, I added more veggies, and then pureed the whole pot with my immersion blender. I love how this gives a dairy-free soup a smooth creaminess, and I think it was part of why this soup was so satisfying.
2) I really upped the garlic and jalapeño in this recipe. Why? I am tired of being sick all winter. I believe in the immunity boosting properties of these ingredients, and intend to burn us all within an inch of our lives with the both of them this winter. In my defense, the soup wasn't particularly garlicky in the end, just incredibly flavorful, so I say go for it and down a big bowl of this before your next flight.
3) I wanted to forgo the crisy tortilla strips because a) who needs the added fat, and b) bubbling, splattering fryer oil and toddlers don't mix. I added strips of corn tortilla without frying them, and we still got an amazing corn flavor, just with a chew instead of a crunch. Had I served the soup within 20 minutes of adding the tortillas, the strips would have added a slurp-y, noodle quality to the soup, but as our evening played out, the soup simmered for an additional hour before we sat down to eat. As a result, the tortillas totally disintegrated into the soup, but I have to say, I loved the effect this had on the dish. We ended up with an almost bisque-like concoction, even though it contained no dairy, and the delicate chew of the corn in the puree was delicious. Try it this way and let me know what you think!

The best thing about soups like this is serving them with plenty of fixings. I set out shredded sharp cheddar, cilantro, green onions, salsa verde, sour cream and diced avocado. You could also offer a variety of hot sauces, guacamole, or anything else your imagination offers. A big pot of this soup would be the perfect thing to greet your guests with upon their arrival at your door.

And nothing says holiday like margaritas, I always say...

SMJ's Tortilla Soup
serves 6-8
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 red bell peppers, chopped
7 cloves of garlic, minced
1 large or 2 small jalapeños, finely chopped
1 8 oz. can diced green chiles
1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes
4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon each of cumin, cayenne, paprika and oregano
Kosher salt and pepper
5 corn tortillas, sliced into thin strips
Optional: 4 chicken thighs or two chicken breasts, 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt and pepper

Directions
1) Let's start with the optional... I think this would be a phenomenal vegetarian soup, but I made mine with chicken, and it was stellar. I started by pre-heating the oven to 350F, and rubbing 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs with olive oil, and sprinkling them with salt and pepper. I roasted them for 20 minutes until they were cooked through, allowed them to cool, shredded them by hand and set them aside. Alternatively, you could shred half of a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store, or roast off and then shred chicken breasts instead of thighs... the cooking time would just be slightly longer. But seriously, I think this soup would be just as good without any meat at all. Okay, moving on...
2) Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onions and red peppers and saute, stirring frequently, until the onions become translucent and start to caramelize, about 10 minutes.
3) Lower the heat slightly and add the garlic and jalapeño and continue to saute for another 5 minutes until the jalapeño softens.
4) Add the canned chiles and tomatoes and the broth. Puree to your desired consistency with an immersion blender, or in batches in a blender or food processor. I left mine just slightly chunky. Adjust the seasonings to taste.
5) Add the shredded chicken and the tortilla strips, and allow to simmer for about 15-20 more minutes until the tortillas soften. Serve with a variety of fixings... the more the better!

The Gift of Light

2011-12-15T12:58:00.002-05:00

I wanted to share some gorgeous lighting-related gifts that have recently caught my fancy. I love the tongue-in-cheek quality of gifting one of these for for Hanukkah, the Festival of Light, but I think they'd be lovely Christmas treats as well!

photo via Mia Linnman

I'm borderline obsessed with this Etch Candleholder by Tom Dixon. I lower our lights and burn candles almost every night as a peaceful way to end the day. The intricate patterns in this beautiful candleholder create a play of light on the walls that would be breathtaking and thrilling to the little guy as well. I also love that it would last forever, negating the need to buy and replace table candles... you'd only need little tea lights.

Brooklyn artisan Alyssa Ettinger sells these beautiful porcelain-dipped mason jars in her Etsy shop. There is so much to love about them, I hardly know where to begin. So many ladies I know love to re-purpose mason jars for decorating, and this is a really elegant take on that. I also love that these particular jars are Canadian, as I have a special affinity for our neighbors to the north. The gentle glow this gives off is so lovely, and the uniqueness of this find makes it a great conversation piece for the home. She also makes little hanging votive versions which are equally adorable.

Finally, if you are feeling crafty and either have a cool bottle collection and might not mind parting with one or two, or you have a nearby antique/flea market situation with abundance of blue, green or otherwise beautiful glass bottles, this is an awesome DIY project idea to create your own bottle lamps. I think this would be best attempted with a friend/dude who owns a drill, and may need to involve some alcohol and swearing, but isn't that what holiday prep is all about?

Other cool light-related gift ideas: bistro string lights for someone's porch or garden, gorgeous scented candles, origami lights, a cool lamp. And one of my all time fave holiday cards...

via Anne Taintor

Kale Chips

2011-12-14T16:04:00.000-05:00

This is a sugar-laden time of year. Beyond all of the phenomenal cookies and rich hot chocolate that starts to cross our path as the holidays approach, there is the incidental chocolate that sneaks its way into St. Nicholas stockings, advent calendars, your officemate's desk and your life in general. I've found that moderation is key and that indulgence is fine if you can make up for it elsewhere in the day. That's where these kale chips come in.

Kale chips have been all the rage in the world of food blogs and high end gourmet shops for some time, but you are like me and late to the party in trying them, I can't think of a better time than now, when your lunch or dinner deserves a nutritional powerhouse to make up for all that chocolate inhaling you did earlier in the day. I also must insist that you make them at home, since the cost differential is astounding. A bunch of kale costs a whopping $1.50 tops, whereas our local specialty shop sells a bag of kale chips for $8. Come on now. Kale chips are easy to make, and taste like awesome little healthy potato chip doppelgangers. I even think kids might go for these, mine just only happens to eat five things, and kale is not yet one of them. Yet.

I had a plate of kale chips for lunch yesterday and they were filling, satisfyingly salty and crunchy, and totally made up for the fact that I had red wine and pizza for dinner while maniacally stamping holiday cards. They would also be perfect as a between-meals snack at your family holiday gathering when awkwardly timed festive meals call for a light snack at some point in the early afternoon or evening. It just depends on how receptive your family is to kale. Perhaps wearing one of these fetching t-shirts might help make the sell?

Eatmorekale.com

Kale Chips
makes a generous plate full
Ingredients
1 bunch kale
Cooking spray
2 teaspoons olive oil
Kosher salt to taste

Directions
1) Preheat oven to about 375
2) Clean and dry your kale. A salad spinner is the best way to ensure that the kale is really, thoroughly dry. It is important to make sure it is dry, or you'll just have steamed kale! Tear the leaves off the stems into bite size pieces.
3) Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray. Spread out torn kale pieces on cookie sheets.
4) Drizzle with about olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Other fun add-ons could include a handful of parmesan cheese (as pictured above), nutritional yeast, or garlic powder (or truffle salt if you're feeling fancy!)
5) Bake for about 15 minutes, until edges are brown and kale is crispy.

Eat more kale!

Enjoy!

New Little Favorite Things

2011-12-12T08:48:00.000-05:00

Lately I've come across a few little things that make life sweeter. Not a one of them costs more than $5. Check 'em out:

Graph paper post-its, awesome photo via High Straightenence

If you are list maker like me, I think you'll love these graph paper post-its. I saw them on Tracy's High Straightenence blog and knew I had to pick some up. They have totally revolutionized and streamlined my list making. They're the perfect size for daily/weekly/monthly to do lists, and the graphing squares make really satisfying little check-off boxes. I love the post-it quality for sticking one on the top of my planner, which is always by my computer at the ready for the jotting of tasks and ideas. What Type-A personality?

I've always been a dairy milk gal, with a penchant for soy lattes and the occasional foray into hemp milk. However, almond milk kept creeping its way into conversations (one of my glowiest, loveliest friends recently mentioned it is the only milk she drinks + it is a key ingredient in my new favorite breakfast smoothie). I picked up a carton of Pacific Organic Vanilla Low Fat Almond Milk at Trader Joe's, and now I'm totally hooked. I love the mellow, slightly nutty flavor, and the incredible nutritional profile, complete with D vitamins, riboflavin and potassium. Delish.

The Goodwin Project follows pro surfers Daize and Aamion Goodwin and their two young children as they make a year-long trek around the globe. The end result of the travels will be a documentary film, but in the meantime, the family and their crew are blogging as they go, complete with breathtaking photos from all over the world. So far they've explored Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Nepal and Thailand, with a dozen-odd equally amazing stops left to go. Envy aside, I'm loving these travel tales and images, and the underlying message about opening up the world to your children and stepping outside your comfort zone as a parent to keep things creative and stimulating for the whole family; it is altogether inspiring. I can't wait to see the film.

Winter's dryness sneaked up on me this year, due to the mild temperatures we've been experiencing. By Thanksgiving, though, my cuticles were cracked and bleeding from the dry air, which is both incredibly painful and rather hideous. Something had to be done, so I picked up a tin of Badger Cuticle Care in the Whole Body section of Whole Foods, and have been applying it to my hands, massaging it into my cuticles every night before bed. My cuticles have healed completely, and my hands feel soft and smooth. The balm is infused with essential oils of Geranium, Mandarin, Lemongrass and Ginger, so it smells delicious and feels indulgent to slather on. This is the best cuticle remedy I've found, and priced at $5 for a tin that should last a couple months, it's a total bargain.

I wish I was a black coffee drinker. I'm not. Mama needs a little milk and sugar in her morning joe. I'm always looking for ways to make coffee more interesting, so I grabbed some So Delicious Coconut Milk Creamer at the store this week. Two things I love about this product: 1) the sweetness of the French Vanilla creamer negates the need for sugar in my coffee; just a splash of the creamer and I'm good to go. I do realize that the product contains cane syrup, so I'm still getting that sugar hit, but I believe I'm getting far less than if I added regular sugar to my mug, and 2) unlike many other creamer products, this contains no oils or mono or di-glycerides or HFCS, just coconut milk, cane syrup and natural flavor. And unlike half-and-half it is fat-free, plus you get all the health benefits of coconut milk, including immunity boosting properties, which are much-needed this time of year. Win.

I love these tiny, simple treats.

What is your favorite simple pleasure these days?

December Dreamtime

2011-12-09T14:17:00.000-05:00

Insomnia is the worst. I've written about it before... when I stress, my sleep is the first thing to go. This is so unfortunate, as sleep is truly the key to health, sanity, and all good things. And let's be frank, the holiday season, as joyful a time as it is, can also be a time of great stress. On my mind when I lie awake in the dark these days: travel logistics with a two-year-old, holiday budgets, long to do lists, potentially forgotten items on said to do lists, dog-related travel logistics/angst, holiday weight gain, age/aging related angst (seriously, don't even ask), house related concerns, headache-inducing neck pain... the list goes on and on.

The good news is that I've been battling the evil insomnia long enough that I now know how to successfully fight back. I refuse to be ruled by these sleepless nights, and so now if I even have one tossy-turny night, I know I have to haul out the big guns to make sure I can catch up on sleep the next. As such, I have been on a relentless hunt to find natural remedies to help my situation. I've come across some great ones lately, so in case any of you have a case of the December Dreamless-ness, I thought I would share the love. Here are my new favorite ways to ensure quality shut eye, this month and beyond:

1) Melatonin. Melatonin is the hormone our bodies produce to regulate our circadian rhythms. When these rhythms are thrown off for whatever reason, our sleep cycles suffer. Taking a 3mg melatonin tablet before bed can help naturally lull you off to dreamland by mimicking/enforcing the hormonal process that allows us to fall asleep. Melatonin tablets are sold at health food stores and Whole Foods, but you should consult with your doctor if you are on other meds, pregnant or nursing. And, obviously, I am not a doctor so please take my advice with a grain of salt! I'm just sharing that my physician recommended melatonin to me and, for me, it has been helpful.

2) Lavender essential oil. I mix several drops with my Alba Cocoa Butter lotion and rub this into my neck, shoulders and arms before bed. Not only is the moisturizing effect wonderful in this dry weather, the aroma is naturally relaxing and just helps me take that needed deep breath to let everything go before trying to fall asleep.

3) Hot yoga. I recently scored an insanely great package deal for a month of unlimited yoga at the Baron Baptiste Power Yoga Institute in Boston. I have been trying to make the most of it, so I've been going to yoga twice or more per week, having a regular yoga practice for the first time in years. Oh my, I can't even tell you what a difference this has made to my well-being. And, I have to say, I had forgotten how much I really love hot yoga. If you can get past the initial oppressiveness of the heat and the mild grossness of all those sweaty people packed together in one room, you will get a cleansing, soul refreshing sweat like no other from hot power yoga. I'm loving the teachers at this studio and how much more limber my body is feeling. And as far as sleep goes, the yoga buzz from these classes gives way in the evening to the most wonderfully natural rinsed-out exhaustion... the kind that only really comes from intense exercise... and allows my body to truly grasp on to the rest that it needs.

4) Tazo Rest Tea. I randomly picked up a box of this delicious tea on sale, and now I am totally hooked. Rest is an herbal infusion of rose petals, valerian root and citrus, all meant to promote relaxation and restful sleep. I love ending the day with a steaming cup of this beautifully floral tea, and I swear it helps bring on the drowsies.

5) Put it all down on the page and leave it there. My mom got me the lovely journal in the photo above, and I've been trying to use it to do full and complete brain dumps at the end of my day. Whether it is a worry, concern, goal or to do list, I try to just write it all out and then leave it there on the page. Out of my brain, into the book! Once these thoughts spinning through my head are committed to paper, I can let them go for the night. Sounds simple, but it really does help keep sleepless anxiety at bay.

Happy Friday and here's to a restful weekend for us all.

Faux-lognese Sauce

2011-12-07T08:24:00.001-05:00

Apologies, veggie friends. The "faux" in this recipe refers not to the use of seitan or textured vegetable protein to create a meat-like effect in a meat sauce, but to the fact that when I told the husband I was planning on making Gwyneth's Turkey Bolognese for dinner this week, he responded, "That sounds delicious, but it's not Bolognese".

Classic Bolognese sauce includes "the trinity" (carrots, onions, and celery) and this recipe includes only two of the three. Classic Bolognese uses three different kinds of meat (usually pork, veal and beef), and Gwyn's uses just two (turkey and sausage). Finally, classic Bolognese gets finished off with with a generous splash of heavy cream, and since my dinner audience this night included two of the lactose intolerant persuasion, I went ahead and left that out. And while Gwyneth's recipe uses ground turkey and chicken sausages cut in pieces, I used ground chicken (way cheaper and just as flavorful) and I removed the casings from two mild Italian chicken sausages and sauteed the meat with the ground chicken.

I also did a half-dozen other things differently than someone's grandma in Bologna and that didn't resemble Gwyneth's recipe either, so in the end, I had my very own Faux-lognese creation, and it was a delicious one at that. The lack of cream and beef turned this into something far lighter than your usual meat sauce, and the spice blend as well as the fennel in the sausage gave it a really delicate, herbaceous zing that we loved. I tossed it with rigatoni, as that is the husband's favorite pasta, but any tubular shape would work well to capture the rich sauce. With garlic bread on the side and a robust glass of red, this was Friday dinner perfection. Sometimes the classics need to be turned upside down!

SMJ's "Faux-lognese" Sauce
inspired by Gwyneth's Turkey Bolognese from "My Father's Daughter"

Ingredients
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 yellow onions, finely chopped
3 medium carrots, peeled and diced
7 cloves of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, roughly chopped
1 lb. ground chicken (preferably dark meat)
2 mild Italian chicken sausages, casings removed
2 28 oz. cans tomatoes (1 whole peeled with juices, 1 crushed)
1/2 teaspoon each paprika, dried oregano and basil + more to taste
2 bay leaves
1 heaping tablespoon of tomato paste
1 solid glug of red wine (I used a Shiraz Cab blend we had on hand, probably about 1/4 cup)
Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions
1) Heat oil in the bottom of a large soup pot or Dutch oven on medium heat. Add onions and saute gently until translucent, about 10 minutes.
2) Add the carrots, garlic and thyme, and continue to saute, stirring often, for another 10 minutes.
3) Add the chicken and crumble the sausages into the pot. Cook until both brown through evenly, continuing to stir often, about another 5 minutes or so.
4) Add the other spices, the tomatoes, tomato paste and wine. Reduce heat to low, and allow to simmer, covered, for about 4 hours, stirring intermittently.
5) To serve, remove the bay leaves and toss with one pound of cooked pasta. I like an extremely saucy pasta, so this recipe could probably be stretched much farther, or used on one pound of pasta after reserving some to freeze... it all depends on personal preference. Garnish with parmesan cheese.

Stylish Stocking

2011-12-06T10:36:00.001-05:00

Sometimes the best holiday gifts are the little odds and ends that come together randomly. A little unexpected gift from a thoughtful friend or co-worker can make your day: one year in Vermont one of my "work wives" gave each of us ladies at the office a beautiful mug stuffed with a small assortment of different Tazo tea bags and a spot of chocolate and it was awesome. I also love my husband's family's tradition of sharing a stocking filled with small presents to mark St. Nicholas day on December 6, which is part of their Eastern European family heritage. St. Nicholas gifts run the gamut from the practical (we never run out of post-its thanks to that St. Nick) to the perfect (art supplies for the little man! hooray!) but they are just the kind of little treat that sweeten your day and make life a little more fun. The grand holiday gesture has a special kind of sparkle to it, of course, but the stocking stuffers have a little twinkle all their own. And in my Jewish tradition, they are also just the thing to sprinkle across the eight nights of Hanukkah.

An unexpected place to find perfect little treats like this is one of my favorites, Anthropologie. Sure, Anthro also specializes in spectacularly overpriced t-shirts and bazillion dollar housewares, but among those larger treasures, they have some really lovely things for $20 or less, perfect for adding to an office gift swap, your sister's stocking, or just surprising that faithful girlfriend who has stood by your side through thick and thin for yet another year. Here are some of my faves:

After bringing produce home, I like to store non-fridge items in colorful pottery on our counters. I love the tongue-in-cheek element of these Farmer's Market Baskets. They'd be perfect for storing beautiful cherry tomatoes, or fresh picked blueberries in the summer. ($14/each, and they come in 5 colors!)

I'm guilty of mug possessiveness, for sure. Both in mine and my mom's kitchen, there are certain mugs I always gravitate towards for my morning coffee or afternoon tea. These Homegrown Monogram Mugs are a beautiful twist on the classic monogram, and the perfect size and shape for coffee, in my opinion. Branded proudly with your initial, there is no mistaking which mug is yours. Perfect for the office for that reason too! ($8/each)


We always start with little bites when we entertain (or, let's be real, when it's just the two of us), so cocktail napkins are a must. I love the lime green color and the painted flowers on these Tahitian Vine napkins. Guaranteed they'll be used faithfully and forever. ($16 for a set of four)


Anthropologie latte bowls are a classic favorite far and wide, but these Mini Latte Bowls are the new kids on the block, and so adorable. They're the perfect size for ice cream, snacks or dipping sauces, and I love the popping colors! ($20 for a set of 8)

You can't go wrong with a Spoon Rest. Take it from the girl who spent twenty minutes scrubbing Bolognese sauce from her counters the other night. ($20, yet also pricessless).

Happy St. Nicholas Day!

What's your favorite little thing to give?

Hippie Chick

2011-12-02T09:17:00.000-05:00

lots of great little bohemian treats have been catching my eye this week...


love this dress via Simple Lovely. similar vintage ones can be found in this etsy shop! fun!

this cozy maxi skirt looks like a major upgrade to sweatpants for casualwear, while upping the boho factor and negating the shlump. with warm tights or leggings and boots, you could sport this all winter, and it's on sale at jcrew right now! score!

i could write a description of this scent for you, but why not leave it to the olfactory experts? fresh calls its cannabis rose fragrance ultra-sensual, with top notes that burst with the captivating aroma of Bulgarian roses infused with pomegranate flower and Italian bergamot. they say that an alluring blend of cannabis accord, sheer jasmine, and rich dark chocolate make the heart of this sultry scent truly intoxicating, while base notes of white musk, patchouli, and oolong tea leave a lasting sensual finish. truly, the scent of one ravishing hippie chick. sign me up.

i am quite enamored of these Level 99 Wide-Leg Trousers from Anthropologie. hippie-tastic.

i'm smitten with this "Ladies of the Canyon" themed birthday party via Simple Lovely. i need to have a daughter so i can copy this party, or consult a therapist regarding the potential scarring effects of imposing a "Ladies of the Canyon" theme party on your young son. Or perhaps i just need to throw this party for myself? Only time will tell. only one thing I know for sure, i love joni mitchell.

dream living room via Serena and Lily. i really adore their Moroccan Poufs, perhaps because i am a percher and squatter and these allow for just that in such an elegant way. could do without that elk/deer thing on the coffee table, but am otherwise sold.

there is nothing practical about this emersonmade silver dollars dress, but i love it all the same.

may your weekend bring you all the treats your heart desires.

Empowered

2011-11-30T08:33:00.000-05:00

feeling empowered today.

empowered by this idea

empowered by this power breakfast (you must try! delish!)

LA in Bloom: Date Shake from LAinBloom on Vimeo.

empowered by the little man seeing this gorgeous image and saying "it's mom!"

via The Sartorialist

It's nice to know that when you are sucking down a date shake in your brown hoodie and waiting for a Tylenol to make your headache abate, someone might mistake you for a willow-y Italian model. Thanks, dude.

empowered to be heading out on a run on yet another gorgeous late fall day. amen.

Pho Sho!

2011-11-28T11:56:00.002-05:00

I'm happy to report that our Thanksgiving dinner was a smashing success! The surprise scene stealer was not the bourbon turkey or the fougasse stuffing, but the phenomenal balsamic braised brussels sprouts with pancetta from Smitten Kitchen.

The recipe is labor-intensive, requiring about thirty minutes of your undivided attention adding ingredient after delicious ingredient to an aggressively simmering pan, but the end result is well worth the effort: each bite contains something a bit sweet, a bit savory, a little crunchy, a tad tender, and endlessly complex. I would call this a go-to holiday dish for the rest of the season, as well as a perfect special side to accompany any mid-winter dinner party.

And even though I'm sure that your turkey leftovers are dwindling at this point, I had to share the other culinary highlight of our weekend, something that is sure to be a new tradition on every Black Friday to come: turkey pho.

I found this recipe on food52, and immediately knew that I had to try it. I love a leftover turkey sandwich as much as anyone, but I never like the continued sluggish feeling you get from reliving the Thanksgiving over again in leftover form. I also suffered from a bad cold/flu thing for much of the holiday weekend (such a bummer), and was on the hunt for healing herbs and spices to rid my system of the bug. This soup seemed like the perfect hybrid of healing remedy and innovative leftover usage.

On Friday morning I simmered the turkey bones with a carrot, apple and onion from about 8am until 1pm, creating a rich, savory broth. I strained it and allowed it to cool so we could skim the fat from the top. While the little man napped, I shredded a big pile of leftover turkey breast meat by hand while chatting with my mom, who cleaned two heads of lacinato kale and tore it into bite sized pieces. In the evening, as we sipped on prosecco, I toasted a blend of aromatic spices (star anise, coriander, cloves, cinnamon sticks) in a cast iron skillet to bring out their flavor, then let them simmer with my stock, a huge pile of sliced fresh ginger, and the greens of bunch of scallions for the duration of happy hour, then strained the broth again. Finally, I threw in a package of cellophane noodles, the shredded turkey and torn kale. Ten minutes later, dinner was ready, set up with a fixings bar of lime wedges, chopped scallions, chopped cilantro and Sriricha.

Everyone raved over this dinner. It was warming, filling, soothing, and a completely different incarnation for our Thanksgiving turkey. I'm sharing it now because even though our turkey is long gone, I plan to make this soup many times over the course of the winter; I think it is my new favorite version of a cold-mending chicken noodle soup. You also don't need a turkey to make this happen! You could apply the same method to a leftover roasted chicken, or make a delicious vegetarian version by simmering the spices with a veggie stock, then adding all kinds of veggies (matchstick carrots or sweet potato, spinach, bok choy or almost any leafy green come to mind). You could also make a simple seafood version with shrimp. I can tell you that you'll see all kinds of variations of this recipe in my kitchen throughout the coming winter; I'm a little obsessed. So obsessed, that I've decided I may need this shirt:

The perfect stocking stuffer for your favorite foodie.

I'm not saying it is because of the soup, but my cold is gone! And with that I say, bring on the holiday season. And more pho!

Turkey Pho
via food52
This recipe makes 2 big bowls, I quadrupled it to feed our family with planned leftovers.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons coriander seeds
4 whole cloves
4 whole star anise
1 cinnamon stick
1 quart homemade turkey stock (or homemade or store-bought chicken stock)
1 bunch green onions (green top parts only) chopped
1 3-inch chunk of ginger, sliced and smashed with side of knife
1 teaspoon brown sugar, or more to taste
1 tablespoon fish sauce, or more to taste
1-2 cup kale, chopped into bite-sized pieces
1/2 pound leftover turkey breast, shredded
1 bunch (approx. 2 oz.) cellophane/bean thread noodles (or enough flat dried rice noodles to serve 2)
1-2 tablespoon cilantro, chopped- for garnish (optional)
1-2 tablespoon chopped green onions (white parts only), minced- for garnish (optional)
1/2 lime, cut into wedges
Sriracha chili sauce to taste

Directions
1) Toast the spices: heat a cast-iron skillet or frying pan over medium heat. Add the coriander seeds, cloves, star anise, and cinnamon stick and toast until fragrant, about 3-4 minutes. Immediately spoon out the spices into a bowl to avoid burning them and set aside.
2) In a large pot, add the toasted spices and all ingredients from stock through fish sauce and bring to a boil.
3) Reduce the heat to medium-low and let simmer for 20 minutes, skimming the surface frequently.
Taste the broth and add more sugar or fish sauce, if needed. Strain the broth and discard the solids.
4) Add the kale and cook for 1-2 more minutes. Remove from heat.
5)Add the shredded turkey and the cellophane noodles. Allow to sit for a few minutes while the noodles soften.
6) Ladle the broth into bowls. Divide the kale, shredded turkey and the noodles evenly into each bowl. Sprinkle on the garnishes and add sriracha to taste. Squeeze lime juice to taste over the top of your bowl before eating.

Healthy Little Treat

2011-11-23T08:48:00.000-05:00

Holiday weeks, even with all their fun, sometimes leave us feeling a little run down and worked over. The stresses of travel, the indulgences in food and drink, and the removal from our regular exercise and sleep routines can send our bodies reeling. I find the best way to combat this phenomenon is to take small steps to take extra good care of myself along the way. I try to double down on my vitamins adding extra C, to be sure and take a run or a walk whenever possible, and to make a point of staying well-hydrated, especially when I am on chef duty and sweating away in a hot kitchen. My sister recently taught me a trick to make plain old tap water a bit more elegant and nutrient-dense, and you may recognize it from your last spa day or detox experiment. I've been enjoying this yummy, healthy treat all week... simple, lovely cucumber water.

To prepare a batch, simply slice a cucumber, add the slices to a pitcher of water, cover, and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, strain the cukes out, and enjoy. I've been making mine by adding a quarter of a cuke to a mason jar, and drinking straight from the jar as I go about my morning business.

Cucumbers have many health benefits: their alkaline properties combat the acidity common to so many holiday foods, and they are known to prevent water retention and bloating, while adding a dose of vitamins A and C to your water. You could also add thinly sliced lemons to the water, and/or fresh mint. Taking the time to make this delicious addition might make you more likely to reach for the agua and stay hydrated, and I find that these small nods towards self-care have a compounding effect. If you feel like you are taking good care of yourself generally, you're more likely to go for that run, or get that extra hour of sleep that can make all the difference. More simply, your guests may really enjoy this healthy beverage as well!

Happy, healthy Thanksgiving!

Beach Day

2011-11-21T14:25:00.000-05:00

Bright and early Sunday morning, I bundled up to take the little man for a latte and muffin run while dad slept in.

I quickly realized we could both shed most of our layers, as it was going to be an absolutely gorgeous day. With a predicted high of 65 degrees, we knew there was only one thing to do: pack up the car and head straight to the beach.

I love Crane Beach in Ipswich, MA for many reasons. The flat, hard sand and wide expanse of coastline with only the shallowest of waves makes this the perfect beach for children to enjoy, and from October to April, dogs are welcome too. The beach buildings and wide boardwalk steps are emblazoned with poetry to greet you.

And the smooth, blue water and endless sky just soothe my soul.

A boy, a dog, a stick: life is good.

Nothing like a couple hours of good, solid digging.

Chasing the waves.

My three boys. Love.

Living in New England, days like these are a beautiful gift. Within weeks we'll be sitting inside watching the snow fall, and daydreaming of our late November day wearing flip flops on the beach. I can't think of a better way to kick off this holiday week than to press pause on life for a moment and stare out at the water for the morning with my boys.

The best part? Something about the sea air makes us all rest more soundly.

Here's to a peaceful, restful week for us all.

Apron Armour

2011-11-18T15:13:00.002-05:00

Are you like me?

Are you prone to fall down, stumble, trip, spill and otherwise make a mess? Does flour come at you in a POOF of white dust when you accidentally start your stand mixer on high? Did you inadvertently pour half a soy latte into your purse after tripping over your husband's hiking boots when coming in the door with your hands full this morning? (Maybe that was just me). Do you also, despite a deep love of cooking and entertaining, sometimes get a bit of a flustered, unkempt feeling when called upon to quarterback the preparation of an important, fancy meal? If you answered yes to any of these things, let me clue you in to my secret weapon, just in time for Thanksgiving. It's called Apron Armour.

Antropologie apron amazingness... resistance is futile!

Years ago, my sister got me the most adorable apron from Anthropologie. It is turquoise and yellow with deep pockets, and it has a charming matching pot holder mitt. I loved it from the get go, but often forgot to actually put it on when in the thick of a major cooking project. However, last Christmas, I hadn't had time to really think through an outfit when a posse of friends arrived for a cocktail party, so I just threw the apron over whatever I had on, and something miraculous happened. I felt cute! I felt pulled together! I felt like some sort of modern Martha Stewart-June Cleaver-Nigella Lawson hybrid. And I liked it!

Domestic Goddess

Here are the reasons that I think Apron Armour is the key to holiday success:

1) For the most practical of reasons: to protect your clothes, whatever they may be. As I mentioned, I am something of a klutz, and usually spill or drip something on myself while cooking. Even if you are just wearing yoga pants and your sister's college sweatshirt, this can be cause for disgruntlement. With an apron on, you are protected, and don't have to fret a moment about spillage.

2) I found in my Christmas cocktail experience that wearing an apron really did feel like culinary armour; like there was a layer of protection between me and reality, like a football player probably feels when donning his helmet. I know it sounds silly, but I challenge you not to put on a cute apron and not feel imminently more secure. It is just one of those phenomenons it is best not question.

Adorable/flirty hummingbird apron on Etsy

3) Speaking of ~~Tim Riggins~~ football players, there is also something to be said for having the proper gear for any endeavor, athletic, culinary or otherwise. Things like helmets and aprons were made for a good reason: to protect you, and because your activity is infinitely improved by their proper use. Protection is always a good thing.

Gwynnie, I adore you always, but why are you even wearing this foxy apron if your bazillion-dollar white t-shirt is still exposed? Oh yeah, because you are modeling for a photo shoot, not actually cooking. It's okay, I still love you. And I love that apron. And the tea towel. And that branch-y flower arrangement behind you.

In short: wear an apron, feel cute, stay clean, improve your life and your mood.

Trust me on this one.

Thinking Thanksgiving

2011-11-17T15:05:00.001-05:00

This year, I'm the head chef for our family's Thanksgiving. Everyone else is injured, inundated with work, or not naturally prone to the culinary arts, and so I am taking up the helm of this Turkey Ship, and I'm ready to bring it on home with a delicious, yet relatively simple feast. Here is my menu as it stands now:
Nibblies:

Nigella Lawson's Union Square Cafe Bar Nuts (basically warm, spicy, sweet mixed nuts... you can't go wrong)
pomegranate seeds and green grapes
a few hunks of cheese (probably a five-year-old gouda and a triple creme brie from the local cheese dude)
*I like to keep Thanksgiving apps sparing and simple. With so many labor-intensive dishes in the meal to follow, you don't want your guests to spoil their appetites or have a bunch of extra, early prep on your hands.

Dinner:

Bourbon Turkey with simple pan gravy
Joy the Baker's Cranberry Sauce (Pictured above. I'm now more or less stalking Joy the Baker. It can't be helped.)
Fougasse Stuffing (Fougasse is a gorgeous bread made with olive oil, rosemary and sea salt. Our favorite bakery in my parents' town makes a fabulous one, so I'm going to take a basic stuffing recipe and make the fougasse the focus of it, rather than those little Pepperidge Farms crouton bad boys you can pick up at the store. I am totally rolling the dice by making up and not pre-testing a recipe for one of Thanksgiving's centerpiece dishes. This is way ballsy. Pray for me. I'll let you know what happens.)
Smitten Kitchen's Balsamic Braised Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta

Maple Brown Sugar Sweet Potatoes (I am going to completely wing this recipe and will report back, as these could potentially be a winner for all of your holiday season menus).
My mom is also going to make her mother's old-school and much-beloved recipe for a chilled cucumber-sour cream salad.

The areas in which I am still brainstorming are beverages and desserts. Festive cocktails set the tone for the whole day and meal, and I really think you can't go wrong with a bellini. I love to mix prosecco and pomegranate at the holidays because the ruby red color is so festive, but the wine shop on my parents' street also sells a special pear puree, and I'm thinking that would also be mighty good with some bubbly. Why choose?! In an ideal world, we'll stock up on prosecco and both juices. I am also very intrigued by this Hot Vanilla Cider I just spied on Shutterbean:

With so many Knob Creek lovers in the family (hi hubs, hi bro-in-law, hi me), it seems we could hardly go wrong with this fun cocktail.

As for desserts, I'm caught in a Libran indecision land between adherence to the classics (my sister is a sucker for a perfect, flaky crusted apple pie) and food-blog-stalking innovations (see below for Joy's pumpkin pie bars).

I'm also half-inclined to order store-bought desserts from one of many killer bakeries in the area, because with a two-year-old afoot, having never cooked a major meal in my parents' new kitchen, and with all that everyone has been through this fall, trying to make flawless pie dough from scratch along with all those other goodies sounds perhaps just one step over the line. And selfishly, I'll more than get my pie fix when my father-in-law brings on his epic pie-creating magic at Christmas (the man has a gift).

On the other hand, I may just have to try making this Salted Caramel Pie from November's Issue of Food and Wine Magazine. It looks simply outrageous.

Only time will tell.

Special bonus: are you Thanksgiving-procrastinating and only planning your menu now? Does all of the above sound great to you? I'm creating a comprehensive shopping list for my menu and would happily e-mail you that Word doc if you want to play along at home. Leave me a comment or shoot me an e-mail and I'll share the love.

What are you cooking/baking/eating/drinking on Turkey Day?

Distracted

2011-11-16T14:55:00.000-05:00

I'm sorry.

Somehow I haven't blogged in almost a week.

I've been a bit distracted.

Doing what, you ask?

Well...

I've been running a lot, out under the glory of all of these fall leaves. In New England, when the weather starts to change, people tend to panic and spend as much time outdoors as possible, knowing that soon we'll all be shut in behind an endless wall of icy snow (or maybe that's just me). With the help of some mama friends and the husband, I've also been able to do more runs without the stroller lately, which is absolutely phenomenal. My back feels amazing, and the time to think and really run hard while not pushing fifty extra pounds is a complete game changer (so, big shout out to my mama posse and my hubs on that one, my body thanks you kindly).

I also just made these S'mores Brownies from Joy the Baker, which were off the charts obscenely delicious. You add a cup of crumbled graham crackers and a pile of chopped marshmallows to an already decadent brownie batter, then toast a dozen marshmallows on the top. Ob.scene. They may also explain why despite all of the said running (I logged almost 20 miles last week!), my jeans are feeling a bit tight. Funny how that works.

Speaking of Joy the Baker + running, she has a podcast series that I've just discovered and I'm slightly obsessed with it. Listening to her and her bud Tracy gab (in a very Seinfeld-esque way) about the "most important unimportant stuff in life" makes my runs go by in a flash. I actually ran an extra mile and a half last week practically by accident because I was so caught up in their hilarity. If you like to listen to podcasts, check these gals out. I just love 'em.

What else?

I made some of my super delish Tuscan Ribollita to bring to a friend with a new babe. I hadn't made this soup in awhile, and I must say, it is the perfect soup for the season, and very easy to make. Whip up a pot tonight!

Finally, I've been spending as much time outside with this guy as is humanly possible. I realize that it is just wrong for a self-proclaimed environmentalist to be enjoying this current bout of global warming as much I am, but I can't help myself. Seventy degrees in Massachusetts in November?

Don't mind if I do.

More soon, promise.

xo,

SMJ

Fear Itself: Confessions of a Former Badass

2011-11-10T08:55:00.001-05:00

Today I'd like to talk about fear. Not haunted house, scary movie, fear-of-dying fear, but rather the run of the mill daily fears which can keep us from living our fullest and best life. I've been doing a lot of ruminating on this topic lately. Now that the little man is more of a fully-functioning, self-entertaining child than a needy infant, I've had a moment to reflect on life's changes since his arrival, and to discuss them a bit with my husband. Not surprisingly, life now is somewhat unrecognizable to what it was several years ago, and while some of those changes are wonderful, timely, and welcome, in other areas we need a course correction, the primary one being our sense of adventure.

Hubs + me on top of Vermont's Mt. Mansfield in our super-adventure days.

Let me preface this by saying that I used to be a tad bit of a badass. When the husband and I met and got together, I had been working on and off as a wilderness guide for the better part of six years. I guided kayak trips on the San Francisco Bay and New Hampshire's Piscataqua River Basin, I co-lead a months-long backpacking trip for college students deep in the backcountry of California, I solo lead a work crew of high school students and spent a summer building a boardwalk across a marshland with my own little hands. When the husband and I got together, I was running backcountry leadership training programs for the east coast's oldest conservation organization, teaching experienced mountaineers twice my age how to run their wilderness adventure trips. I appeared to be fearless and imminently capable, which the husband has often told me is one of the reasons why he fell for me in the first place.

I will break here to highlight the word "appeared" from the last sentence of the last paragraph, because, here's the thing... I was not raised to be a wilderness adventure person. I grew up in a very cushy New York suburb, and went camping a total of one time in my childhood, with a lovely Mormon family who took me and about 23 other kids on a weekend car camping expedition not too far from where we lived. Mountaineering it was not. I truly fell in love with the backcountry during my college years when I was an environmental studies major and my family took a (cushy) whitewater rafting trip in the summer between my sophomore and junior years. Nights spent sleeping under the stars (and one particularly handsome raft guide) had me crushing on the wilderness lifestyle, and I decided that guiding was for me.

Deep underground exploring Vietnam's Củ Chi tunnels. A bit badass!

From there on out, I had to fight every over-cautious, sheltered bone in my little suburban Jewish girl body to achieve my goal of becoming a Patagonia-clad, deeply tanned, uber-capable badass. I pushed myself hard, and encountered a lot of fear along the way; fear that I've never admitted in the past, but here it is: guiding trips on the heavily marine trafficked, literally shark-infested San Francisco Bay? Scary!!! Being solely responsible for a half-a-dozen teenagers in the midst of a massive lightening storm in the middle of the night with no place to take shelter? Terrifying! On a solo overnight in bear country in the high Sierra? Peeing myself in the tent with nerves. Yet, I did these things, and I felt a tremendous amount of satisfaction as I checked each one off my list. Still, the underlying fear I felt even as I maneuvered in these high adventure circles had me feeling something like a fraud.

Running the 2003 New York City Marathon and continuing to dabble in badass.

Let us fast forward, then, to 2008-2009, when I was pregnant and a new mom. People, this is hands down the most frightening thing any human can ever attempt to accomplish. Gaining 65 lbs and pushing an 8.5 lb human out of your body? Effing terrifying (...and yes, I said 65 lbs. Got something to say about that? Think carefully, or I will sit on you next time I am pregnant). Having your breasts be someone's sole food source? Mighty intimidating! Using a robotic machine to pump milk out of said breasts between meetings in your work day? Yeah. Needing to operate in the world on an average 4.5 hours sleep? Challenging! Having a piece of your heart and soul embodied in another human being out in the world to potentially get hurt in any number of physical and emotional ways every day for the rest of your life? Well, I have no words. It has been an adjustment to say the least, as has both juggling being a working mom, and then coming to terms with being a stay-at-home-mom and the guilt that comes with not making a financial contribution to the family (so complicated, these emotions! I could go on for days!).

Let's be real: my most badass moment to date.

So, this brings us to the present day, and my current thoughts on fear. Last Saturday, over coffee, the husband and I were talking about how different life is now. The badass backcountry chick he was once all moony over is way, way back on the back burner of my personality these days. I wish I was a real, legit, super-mega-total badass like my friend Haley who has been known to hit the backcountry with her newborn in tow, and casually breastfeed against a giant Sequoia, but my nursing tendencies turned out to run more towards sipping a glass of ice water while obsessively watching the Food Network.

Once I kind of got the hang of the new parent thing, we were then mired in moving and other transitions, and slowly but surely, our life has become more safe and predictable, with nary a camping trip to speak of in the last few years, and precious fewer hikes, surfs, and other adrenaline-boosting activities than both of us would prefer. Now, with little guy being incredibly self-sufficient (except for the diapers) and adventure-ready himself, I know it is time to course correct, and become something of a hybrid of the wannabe badass I once was, and the more staid, predictable mom-person I currently am today.

So, how to do this? Well, I'm thinking the answer is baby steps. Yesterday, for example. The hubs needed the car, and I needed to get the little guy across town in a timely manner. The obvious answer? Bicycling! Something which I've been terrified to do with him in the city. I witnessed a horrible and fatal bike accident right after we moved here, and it put the fear of city cycling in me. I love to ride bikes, but am very cautious, and happily let the husband be the one with the baby seat mounted on his handlebars. Yesterday, though, I had to bite the bullet, or lose the most precious commodity in my life, time. So, on went the helmets, and out onto the city streets we went. I definitely messed up the the gear shifting element (not easy to shift when a large toddler is front and center on your handlebars), and probably was biking about 1 mile per hour, but you know what? I did it. And when we reached our destination and I caught my breath, I felt that old, familiar satisfied endorphin rush. And I liked it.

Now the thing is to reconcile our current reality and limitations with the original love of adventure and the outdoors that brought us together in the first place. I've been so busy just trying to survive in the last few years that I've let my sense of adventure slide, especially when the couch is so cozy and the Friday Night Lights DVDs are so plentiful and captivating. I've let that cautious suburban girl in me take over, even though I'm not as fond of her as I am of that tan chick paddling amongst the sharkies in the SF Bay. I've let her take over largely because of fear; irrational mom fears like toddler + campfire or toddler + mountain cliff or toddler + open bodies of water, but also more simple fears, like being cold and uncomfortable when so much else in life is necessarily uncomfortable these days (see: grocery shopping with a two year old boy) or losing another night of sleep to being kicked by the little man in my sleeping bag, when good sleep still seems so, so very precious, fleeting and necessary to our sanity. And in typical fashion, I've gone to extremes, and it's either a backpacking adventure or the couch. Sigh. How do we fall into these traps, even as we're so very aware of their existence?

Sea kayaking with my dad. So relaxing and soothing it can hardly be considered badass, but an adventure nonetheless.

So, baby steps. A small, nearby hike. A mini, short surfing expedition. A carefully plotted morning out fishing. These things must be done, but for some reason, finding balance truly seems to be the most fearsome parenthood challenge of all. And becoming a parent is hardly the only thing that can throw you off your game. A move, an injury, a new job, a bad break-up; any major life event is usually enough to halt your usual routine and make taking it back up a striking challenge. In our case, it has just been years, rather than weeks or months, since the shift occurred, making change all the more difficult.

Are you still with me? All of this pondering leads me to this: a promise to myself and my family to prioritize the effort for balance, and a return to some of things that were important to us before life changed so dramatically. After all, this is all we really have to rely on when life demands a fundamental shift from us: a silent, determined, will power-driven commitment to change. I believe that people can change, but not overnight. These shifts demand a daily nudging, a series of small, almost imperceptible mini-changes which over time grow to mean something truly significant. So, that's where I am... slowing pushing the boulder of post-parenthood life a bit back towards the middle. With some resolve and a little help from my dormant inner badass, I know I can get where I want to be.

How do you get out of ruts and channel your inner badass?


Woods walk last weekend. Perfection. Mini-excursions are the new badass.

Blog-keeping

2011-11-08T14:17:00.000-05:00

So. I've been blogging for just over two years now, if you can believe it. In the beginning, this was something I stole little bits of time for when I could, between pumping at work and commuting two hours a day on treacherous Vermont highways, and learning to become a mom. As time has gone on, I've become more attached to this little place where I can ruminate, create and share, and I've decided it is time to consciously put a bit more time and energy into this project*. Now that I'm at home full-time, I have developed an ambitious list of blog-related housekeeping to attend to, and I've just tackled the first chunk of it and am eager to hear your thoughts!

For one thing, I wanted to make the site easier to navigate, particularly the recipe section. I aspire to author a cookbook one day*, and thought organizing and indexing my recipes would be a good place to start. Going back through 2+ years of cooking projects was so much fun (if slightly tedious), and it was surprisingly satisfying to compile my recipe index. Better still, seeing that list of recipes makes me want to add to and diversify it, so expect more original recipes soon. You can find the recipe index in the new top bar under the blog header, and I hope you find it helpful to your cooking efforts! If it looks like I've forgotten something or I can otherwise make it more user-friendly, please let me know!

Also in the top bar you'll find two other new sections: about and press. I'm hoping to push forward some readership-increasing endeavors soon*, and if you're not my mom or college roommate (hi guys!), I figured you may want to know just who you are reading about when you land here. As for the press section, it is somewhat modest right now, and I've put it up there more or less to challenge/taunt myself into actively working to be more widely published*. I'd like to be more ambitious about my writing in general, and this is my way of throwing down the gauntlet at myself.

*Public declarations of intent are scary, but necessary to my competitive, A-type brain. I've found that the best way to produce results is if I challenge myself to do something and write down my intent. Some of my favorite life gurus have lovingly pushed me to take my writing to "the next level", so here goes...

I could only dare to dream of sporting such a casually tousled up-do and delightful desk bouquet whilst plotting my omnimedia empire...

Veggie Dinner of the Year: Miso-Curry Delicata Squash with Tofu and Kale

2011-11-06T13:43:00.000-05:00

Last night I cooked the best vegetarian dinner I've cooked all year: Heidi Swanson's Miso-Curry Delicata Squash with Tofu and Kale from her new cookbook, Super Natural Every Day.

This dish was so simple to prepare, so healthy, and so flavorful and warming; you must put it in your rotation for the holiday season immediately. On those upcoming nights where you're feeling bloated from your cookie swap or that glass of egg nog you should have just turned down, and you're feeling like you just don't have time to cook with the holiday madness swirling around you, give this recipe a try. It is seriously just the thing. It is also terrifically vitamin-packed to keep the cold weather germs at bay.

As I set out to cook dinner last night, pulling tofu, kale, and squash out onto the counter, the husband and I exchanged knowing glances that read: "Man, wouldn't ordering pizza just be soooo much better than this hippie feast we're about to put together?" But we were determined to stick to the meal plan, so tofu and kale it was, Saturday night party food cravings be damned. I am so glad we did. This light, energizing dinner sings with flavor from the miso and Thai curry. The tofu, squash and potatoes get crispy, crusty and caramelized in the oven, and each bite has an incredible burst of texture and flavor, especially since the delicata squash skin is edible and adds a special chewiness to the dish.

We served the dish over rice, but it would also be wonderful with quinoa or just on its own; the squash and the potatoes provide plenty of carbiness. This is a very filling dish, despite its lightness, which is why I think it is perfect for the holiday season. On those nights when you are really starting to feel gross, this dish will hit your nutritional reset button without leaving you feeling diet-y and deprived. You could also pre-whisk the sauce and pre-prep the veggies to really move this into easy weeknight dinner territory. Try it this week!

Miso-Curry Delicata Squash with Tofu and Kale
from Super Natural Every Day, by Heidi Swanson
Serves 4
Ingredients
12 ounces delicata squash
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup white miso
1 tbsp red Thai curry paste
8 ounces extra-firm tofu, cut into small cubes
4 medium new potatoes, unpeeled, cut into chunks
2 tbsps fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 cups chopped kale, tough stems removed
1/3 cup pepitas, toasted, or tamari pumpkin seeds
2/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Directions
1) Preheat the oven to 400 degrees with a rack in the middle of the oven.
2) Cut the delicata squash in half lengthwise and use a spoon to clear out all the seeds. Cut into 1/2 inch thick half-moons.
3) In a medium bowl, whisk together olive oil, miso, and curry paste. Combine the tofu, potatoes, and squash in a large bowl with 1/3 cup of the miso-curry paste. Use your hands to toss well, then turn the vegetables onto a rimmed baking sheet, and arrange in a single layer.
4) Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, until everything is tender and browned. Toss once or twice along the way, after things start to brown a bit. Keep a close watch, though; the vegetables can go from browned to burned in a flash. (Note: It took me almost a full half-hour longer than this to get the doneness I wanted on my tofu, squash and potatoes. It makes me wonder about our oven! I googled the recipe to see if any other bloggers or cooks noted this cooking time discrepancy, and it seemed to be just me. In any case, cook until the veggies and tofu are brown, no matter how long it takes!)
5) In the meantime, whisk the lemon juice into the remaining miso-curry paste, then stir in the kale until coated.
6) Toss the roasted vegetables gently with the kale, pepitas, and cilantro. Serve family style in a large bowl or on a platter.

*due to a camera fail, photos are via Food is Forever, Chez Pim, and my darling lemon thyme

Mexican Comfort Mush

2011-11-03T16:06:00.002-04:00

So... this is one of those recipes that I debated sharing.

It was Wednesday. I wanted enchiladas, but didn't feel like doing any rolling of tortillas, making of sauce, or scrubbing of baked-on cheese from Pyrex dishes. I also had an afternoon run planned, so I wanted to be finished preparing dinner during the early-afternoon span of nap time, which meant employing the slow cooker. I had a pile of delicious ingredients...

I also had a vague idea of how I wanted to prepare this dish. What did I have in mind? A lasagna-like interpretation of enchiladas, with layers of corn tortillas, black beans, cilantro, shredded chicken, sweet corn and cheese melded goo-ily together through several hours in the slow cooker with a tasty (yet store-bought) enchilada sauce. I poached and shredded a pound of boneless, skinless chicken thighs, then went to work, assembling layer after layer of the above ingredients in my slow cooker.

I then set it to low for five hours, cleaned the kitchen, and went about tackling the rest of my list of things to do. When I had returned from my run, showered, and we had gotten the little man down to sleep for the night, I set about plating our dinner.

I had expected to dish up something that looked like this...


Photo via myrecipes.com

Instead, I served this...

...which is really best described, as the post title suggests, as Mexican Comfort Mush. The tortillas had basically disintegrated, becoming some sort of unintentional polenta. The chicken had all but disappeared as well, as it was so tenderized by the slow cooking process. But the dish smelled fantastic, and it was 7:45 and time to eat something, so I went ahead and served it, already kind of branding it as a failure in my mind before we had even taken a bite.

Here's the thing: it was really delicious. Comforting, warm, nourishing, and full of protein, this dish totally hit the spot, and we both went back for seconds. We kept remarking about how good it was, especially with a little dollop of sour cream on top. It was almost like some sort of really thick, dense, tortilla soup/stew hybrid. I was happy to eat a dish of this for lunch today, and I'll make it again, although I think that I'll continue to tweak the recipe until I get something that resembles more of a casserole than a mush. The concept is a keeper, the execution just needs some work.

Despite its imperfections, I thought I'd share the basics of the recipe with you today in the hopes that maybe you can play along as I work on perfecting it. Veggie friends, you can play too, as I think the chicken was somewhat superfluous, and could have been easily subbed out for shredded sweet potato, or perhaps even tofu. Please let me know if you try preparing this recipe with or without any tweaks, and together we can create slow cooker enchilada casserole nirvana! Or follow the recipe as it is, and get ready for some mushy goodness that you can perhaps serve to someone who has recently had their braces tightened or their wisdom teeth out, or a toddler slightly less picky than my own!

Here's what I started with:

Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Casserole, Take One

Ingredients

10 small corn tortillas, cut in half

32 oz. red enchilada sauce

1 8 oz. package shredded Mexican-blend cheese

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

1.5 cups corn kernels

2 cans of black beans, drained and rinsed

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs

Salt

Directions

1) Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add chicken thighs and simmer until they are cooked through, approximately 10 minutes. Allow them to cool, then shred by hand, or chop coarsely.

2) Cover the bottom of the slow cooker with enchilada sauce. Begin creating layers of tortillas, veggies, chicken, cilantro, sauce and cheese, until you've used all of your ingredients. Make sure that the last layer is covered in cheese.

3) Cook on low for 5 hours. Serve.

Beautiful Things

2011-11-01T14:58:00.000-04:00

Happy November!

I'd like to kick off the month with a random list of beautiful things currently catching my fancy...

I love this delicate Dual Birthstone ring from Ariel Gordon jewelry. I think it would be so sweet to customize it with the birthstones of you and your honey (doesn't hurt that ours are two of my faves: amethyst and tourmaline), or what a perfect keepsake for a mama of two (or you could do both and stack 'em! Love it even more!).

Ina Garten's Old Fashioned Apple Crisp, which I made this weekend, and it was in.sane. The husband called it "the best thing ever". Her secret? Tossing the sliced apples with the juice and zest of a whole lemon and a whole orange. And that every recipe she has ever written is the best of whatever it is, because the woman is a food prophet.


This mojito looks glorious. Summer may be over, but we can still enjoy a rum drink here or there, can we not?

This photo of a Japanese lantern festival took my breath away.

And this poem, which is one of my favorites, always lifts my spirits when I'm feeling down:

Wild Geese, by Mary Oliver

You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting-
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.

Superheroes

2011-10-28T08:54:00.001-04:00

My mom is doing a heroic job of bouncing back from her recent injury (broken arm, followed by shoulder surgery and a lengthy recovery process). She's back at work full-time and so has had to adapt her work wardrobe to fit over a bulky sling. Since temperatures are plunging here and she still has to hang outside for recess duty, she needed a warm layer badly, and jackets aren't cutting it right now. She solved the problem with the most beautiful dark brown wool cape which fits right over her sling, and which she'd better keep one eye on after she recovers, as I'm not-so-secretly in love with it.

After seeing my mom rock this cape so effectively, my friend Angella showed up for a visit sporting an equally fabulous black cape as her winter layer of choice...

Like so many things of this nature, once I became interested in capes via Mom and Ang, I started to see them everywhere. And the more I saw, the more I loved...


Stylish Scot-inspired capeness via The Sartorialist


Parisian chic, also via The Sartorialist


Cozy knit in my favorite hue from The Sartorialist, but booooo smoking (I hate cigs with an intense passion!).

Preggo cape awesomeness via Hatch


My new favorite blogger, Heather of L.A. in Bloom, rocking a toffee-colored Zara cape outside her gallery. Super cool.

I fear if I owned this delicious Sundance cape, it would be literally the only thing I wore for the rest of winter.

Black n' tan J.Crew cape... on sale!

Things I love about capes:

1) They are incredibly forgiving. Be you injured, preggo, or in need of hiding the damage from Thanksgiving, your cape has got you covered.

2) They allow you to swoop dramatically into and out of a room. I really enjoy swooping.

3) Capes seem to be the ultimate in coziness. You can really bundle yourself against the elements in one of these bad boys.

4) They are basically the adult equivalent of a swaddle, affording the same sense of warmth and security.

Clearly, I think I need to add a cape to my wardrobe this winter. And while I realize that I just vowed to venture away from all things black or brown for cold weather, if you're going to be swooping around, it is probably best done in a neutral color, lest your drama veer from chic towards maniacal (its a fine line, friends). Hence, the dark choices above to display my current cape love. I wish I had a photo of my cape-clad mama to include, but between work and PT, she's not currently available for photo shoots. When she's doing better, I'll have to share her cape fabulousness as well. In the meantime, she's truly a superhero. Up, up and away!

Happy Friday, everyone!

What are you doing to make dressing for the cold a bit more fun?

Loving Fall

2011-10-26T14:56:00.000-04:00

Some of my favorite things about our New England fall so far...

Sunny, crisp mornings spent outside.

Family runs around the pond.

Stunning fall flowers at City Feed.

Cuddling on the couch on chilly afternoons.

Re-upping the tea stash, and having a daily cuppa during nap time. Very civilized.

Life Changing, Energy Altering Beef Stew

2011-10-24T12:26:00.002-04:00

I'd love it if I could be a vegan. I can't. Many of my health heroes (see: Kris Carr, Heidi Swanson) are ardent vegans or vegetarians, and I believe them when they say that their vibrant glow comes from green juices and the pure energy of fresh vegetables and fruits. However, for me, there is something about a piece of red meat that totally revives my body. When I am having a particularly draggy moment, the husband will inevitably inquire, "When was the last time you had some beef?" If it has been more than a few days, he'll insist on zipping over to our healthy burrito joint and bringing me some carne asada, stat. It's miraculous how much better and more energized and alive my body feels immediately after that infusion of red meat. In fact, it was steak that initially lured me away from seven years of vegetarianism. The hubs is certain that I have some sort of chemical balance in my body which demands this regular infusion of iron, zinc and B vitamins provided so holistically by our friend the cow.

When I do feel my body needing beef, I go out of my way to make sure that I satiate the craving with local, organic, humanely-raised beef, in a minimal quantity. Not only does this meat taste better, consuming it sits better with me politically (yes, I'm one of those people, but I think you already knew that). I often turn to a beautiful publication called Edible Boston to get dialed into local purveyors and producers of food in our community. It was in the fall edition of Edible Boston that I came upon the most incredible recipe for beef stew.

This recipe comes from Boston local farm manager and author Diana Rodgers, who happens to follow the "Paleo diet". This diet is based on the presumed ancient diet of wild plants and animals that early humans consumed during the Paleolithic era, and consists mainly of grass-fed pasture-raised meats, fish, vegetables, fruit, roots, and nuts, and excludes grains, legumes, dairy products, salt, refined sugar, and processed oils. Hardcore. The funny thing is that in this article Rodgers describes several symptoms (regular sluggishness, digestive issues, blood sugar plummets), that were resolved for her once she started eating like a caveman. The physical phenomenon she evokes is so similar to what I experience with my red meat infusions that I knew I had to dive in and try the recipes that went along with the article.

Photo via Diana Rodgers

We love beef stew in the winter, and I already have two favorite recipes that I prepare (Jools' Favourite Beef Stew from Jamie Oliver, and Ina Garten's Beef Bourguignon, specifically). Both of these recipes involve flour, potatoes, and butter leave you with a very indulged and heavy feeling (which can be quite nice in the dead of winter, but still). Rodgers' recipe simply features beef, carrots, coconut milk and a tantalizing list of aromatics. The ingredient list for this stew was so warming and unique, I knew I had to make a pot of this on Sunday.

Dudes. This stew blew our minds. Our house smelled so insanely good while it was cooking that the hubs texted me specifically to inform me of the olfactory madness going on while I was out running errands. And the flavors. Mmmmm, speechless. I've never had something quite so warming and singularly satisfying. Between the fresh ginger, the Indian-inspired spices and the coconut, I must say that this stew is the culinary equivalent of a deep tissue massage followed by a long soak in a hot tub. After eating a bowl of this, I literally felt like I could bench press the car. Really.

On top of that, it was easy to prepare... just a small bit of chopping and maybe 30 minutes of active prep before popping it in the oven. I did have to invest in a $10 jar of coconut oil for this recipe, but after reading about the Paleo reasoning behind choosing this unprocessed, unrefined oil, I was sold anyway. Did you know most of oils we use are actually rancid by the time they hit our shelves, and devoid of any of the nutritional value of the plants from which they're derived? Coconut oil, besides being incredibly tasty, is nutritionally unsurpassed, and has a ton of uses for everything from beauty treatments to cooking projects.

All that is to say, this soup will be making a regular appearance on our menus throughout the winter. The flavor combination is downright dreamy, and the satiety and sense of well-being it provides in one simple bowl is remarkable. I'll definitely be serving this at many a dinner party to our carnivorous friends. I'm also thinking it is the perfect dish to bring to a new mama friend to rejuvenate her post-partum energy. Truly, this is a magical elixir. Finally, I'll add that I don't think you necessarily need to serve the stew with anything. I had a good-sized bowl and a glass of water for dinner and was absolutely stuffed. And the energy provided by this power dinner propelled me through eight hours of sleep, a four mile run and a trip to the playground before I had breakfast. Amazing. Maybe these Paleo peeps are onto something?

Enjoy!!!

Photo via Diana Rodgers

Curried Beef Stew with Coconut Milk
By Diana Rodgers
This dish is warm and very rich. It will fill your house with the most amazing aroma for hours as it simmers in the oven. Feel free to add different vegetables during the last hour of cooking.
Serves 4–6
Ingredients
5 tablespoons coconut oil
3 pounds grass-fed beef for stew, cut into 1- to 2-inch
pieces
2 medium onions, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons ginger, minced
2 teaspoons coriander
1 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon cardamom
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
4 cups beef broth
1 cinnamon stick
1 can coconut milk (Rodgers calls for full fat, I used light and it was still delicious)
6 carrots, peeled and diced
Salt and pepper to taste
3 tablespoons fresh cilantro for garnish
Directions
1) Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
2) In a large Dutch oven, heat 3 tablespoons coconut oil and brown the beef chunks in small batches.
3) Remove the beef to a bowl and add the remaining coconut oil, onion, garlic, ginger and spices (including cinnamon stick). Cook for approximately 10 minutes, then return the beef and add broth. Bring to a simmer, then cover and place in the oven for about 3 hours. Check periodically to ensure there is enough liquid. If it looks dry, add a little water to cover.
4) After 3 hours, add the coconut milk and carrots. Replace cover and leave in oven for one more hour. Remove from heat and remove cinnamon stick. Salt and pepper to taste and serve, garnished with cilantro.

*Note: I was going out after prepping the stew, not to return until just before dinner, so I added the carrots and coconut milk with the broth and let it all simmer together for the full four hours. It was fantastic this way, but next time I'd like to try it per the recipe, as I'm sure the carrots retain more color and crispness...not sure what effect that timing has on the coconut milk...I'll report back!

Gwyneth's Chicken Milanese

2011-10-19T19:38:00.000-04:00

For my birthday, my sister sent me Gwyneth Paltrow's new cookbook, "My Father's Daughter: Delicious, Easy Recipes Celebrating Family & Togetherness" and I've been obsessed with it since it arrived. From the loving forward by Mario Batali, to the Gwyneth's introduction where she so warmly captures her affection for her family, to recipe after delectable recipe, this cookbook is a winner. I've earmarked dozens of recipes I want to make immediately, many of them simple Asian or Italian-inspired dishes that look perfect for a weeknight.

While I'm no willowy blonde movie star, I feel a kinship with Gwyneth in reading her book: she's a busy, working mom with a foodie palate, an organic obsession, health nut tendencies offset by an appreciation for decadence, and a true love of cooking that comes through on every page. I'm dying to make her Indian-spiced tuna steaks, vegetable paella, sole a la Grenobloise, and every single recipe in the baking section, but I kicked off my Gwyneth kitchen extravaganza with her recipe for Chicken Milanese.

To be honest, I picked this recipe primarily because I was in the mood to beat the hell out of a few pieces of chicken. I don't know how I've come this far in my culinary life without realizing the sheer joy of wielding a meat tenderizer in the evening hours. Whatever you've been through during any given weekday, once you have pounded four chicken breasts until they are 1/6 of an inch thick, you miraculously feel better! I'm also married to an Italian with an affinity for chicken, and therefore can't believe I've come this far without having breaded chicken in our regular rotation. Chicken Milanese is the world's perfect comfort food.

This is one of those recipes that comes together very quickly, so your best chance at being successful rests upon reading the recipe all the way through, being prepared, and making an assembly line to prep.

Gwyneth totally cooks in her sweats, right?

Gwynnie offers four different topping options for the Chicken Milanese, and the one that was most appealing to me in the blustery fall weather featured roasted tomatoes and arugula. The roasting process brings out the best of the sweetness in the cherry tomatoes and tossing them with the arugula wilts it slightly, making the most incredible sweet, peppery, savory topping for the crunchy, warm chicken. We absolutely loved this dish, and I would even dare to call it a weeknight meal. Chicken Milanese just earned itself a regular spot in our meal plan. Kiddies love it too.

Mock her if you must, but I love me some Gwynnie, and I adore this cookbook to no end. You'll see many more recipe inspirations from it here, and I'd bump it right to the top of your holiday gift list, both for giving and getting.

Chicken Milanese with Slow-Roasted Cherry Tomatoes and Arugula
Adapted from My Father's Daughter, by Gwyneth Paltrow
Ingredients:
For the Chicken Milanese:
4 skinless, free-range, organic boneless chicken breasts, washed and thoroughly dried
1 cup milk
2 cups Japanese panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

For the Tomatoes and Arugula:
2 cups cherry tomatoes
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
Coarse salt
2 cups wild arugula
1 tablespoon high-quality balsamic vinegar

Directions:
For the Chicken Milanese:
Place the chicken breasts between two pieces of baking parchment paper. Using a mallet, pound the chicken breasts until they're very, very thin--you should be able to almost see through them--about 1/16-inch thick. Put the milk in a shallow bowl and the bread crumbs on a large plate. Dip each piece of chicken into the milk and then dredge it in the bread crumbs, tapping off the excess. You should have a thin, even coating.

Heat 1/4 cup of olive oil in a large nonstick skillet big enough to hold 2 pieces of chicken in a single layer. Cook for about 4 minutes on the first side, or until evenly browned and crisp. Flip and cook for an additional 2 or 3 minutes, or until the other side is browned and crisp and the chicken is firm to the touch. Wipe out the skillet and repeat with the remaining 1/4 cup of olive oil and the remaining 2 pieces of chicken.

For the Tomatoes and Arugula:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the tomatoes in a small baking pan and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and a pinch of salt. Roast for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they're split and blistered and super sweet.

While the chicken is cooking, toss the arugula with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, the vinegar, and a pinch of salt. Fold the tomatoes into the arugula.

Place one piece of chicken on each of four dinner plates and mound a handful of arugula over each piece, making sure everyone gets plenty of tomatoes.

Pop of Color

2011-10-17T08:44:00.000-04:00

The other day I completed my bi-annual closet swap ritual, where the outgoing season's clothes are wistfully stashed in a large Tupperware bin in the basement, and the incoming season's clothes are shaken out and re-hung in the closet, ready to report for duty. This year, this project made me realize two things:

1) The whole summer came and went, and I pretty much stuck to the same rotation of utilitarian skirts and shorts, and most of my cutest, most summery sundresses never even saw the light of day. How did that happen???

and 2) Whereas in the summer my wardrobe features all hues of lavender, turquoise, white, buttery yellow and soft red, in the winter, my whole closet is black, brown, and gray. Snore.

Exhibit A. Apparently I think that winter = funeral. Hello, Seasonal Affective Disorder.

I believe that my wardrobe evolved to look this way through a mixture of New England pragmatism, mom-based desperation (when you are covered in peanut butter moments after getting dressed no matter what you wear, it is hard to want to branch out beyond the basics), and a genuine dislike of cold weather which makes me want to approach it by shrouding myself in all things dark. However, yesterday, with all of this gray and brown staring me in the face, I realized that it is time for a change. Having accepted and embraced the fact that we choose to make our home in snowy New England, I want to rise up to meet the cold weather with brights that elevate my mood. And my son, lover of all things Elmo, will surely be more responsive to a mom clad in Muppet-esque red than in funereal black, right? Sometimes, just adding a drop of color is enough to change your whole day.

I'm not in an closet-overhauling place at the moment, but I do have a bit of birthday loot on hand for a couple of new pieces, and so I vow that with that and any future opportunities to grow my winter wardrobe, I will steer away from the black and from the tan, and add a pop of color to my life. I turned to polyvore to make myself a little inspirational collage, and just looking at it makes me smile.

What do you do to keep the winter blahs at bay?

Best Trick Ever

2011-10-14T08:29:00.000-04:00

We have a toddler in diapers. We have a dog who goes out in the rain. I like to cook with a lot of garlic.

All of this is to say that sometimes, despite my very best efforts, the house smells a bit.... not so fresh. I have a nose like a fox, so I'm pretty diligent about throwing open windows, burning lovely candles and baking something once a week that makes the house smell delicious, but sometimes we need something a little extra to make the house smell as welcoming as I prefer. Yesterday, with the rain pouring down, the wet dog smell becoming pervasive, and guests on the way, I had to take action.

Love you, bud, but do not so much love the smell of your wet fur.

I always have a few essential oils on hand, and particularly love the scent of lavender, mixed with some lotion and rubbed into my hands, neck and shoulders before bed. I find the fragrance so relaxing, and wanted to infuse the whole house with that pure floral elegance. And so, I've discovered the BEST.TRICK.EVER.

Photo via Aura Cacia essential oils (my faves!)

Did you know that if you put about a cup of water into a saucepan on the stove, add about 5-10 drops of your favorite essential oil, bring it to a boil and then turn it way down and let it simmer, in about 15 minutes, your whole house will fill with whatever scent you've chosen? And not in a cloying, perfume counter, Yankee Candle way; never fear. The stove top method mellows the oil and just makes the softest hint of it fill the air. The effect is unbelievably soothing and so much more effective than lighting candles. I loved the way this worked with lavender, but a peppermint, eucalyptus or clary sage oil would also work beautifully. Next time your living space needs a bit of refreshing, give this method a try! I loved how we became redolent of spa instead of pre-school so quickly. Ahh...

Happy Friday!

Sweet Pumpkin Muffins

2011-10-12T13:02:00.007-04:00

New England is on a fall weather roller coaster right now. One day it is 80 degrees and all shorts and salads and spritzers, the next the temperature plummets and has you reaching for sweaters, squash and slippers. Whatever the thermometer reads, it is mid-October and time for some autumnal activity in my book. So despite yesterday's warm sunshine, the little man and I brought out the mixing bowls, pre-heated the oven, and baked some pumpkin muffins.

Pumpkin baked goods are everywhere right now, as are pumpkin baking recipes. I like this one for a few reasons: it uses a full can of pumpkin, so you aren't left wondering WTF to do with a some tiny third of a can of leftover pumpkin, and the large amount of eggs give the muffins an almost custard-y texture I adore. I realize the two cups of sugar and one cup of butter might be a bit scary, but I feel that sometimes, when it comes to baked goods, you just have to go for it. I also like how this recipe calls only for cinnamon, and not the usual melange of pumpkin pie related spices that so many fall baking projects include. I love allspice, nutmeg and ginger as much as the next girl, but I think the simplicity of this recipe really lets the pumpkin flavor shine through.

The little man loves these muffins for an mid-morning or afternoon snack, but the big man prefers them as a dessert, so I added a half a bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips to the half of the batter. I just scooped out the first dozen muffins, then stirred the chocolate chips into the remaining batter before scooping them. Now, everyone is happy.

Sweet Pumpkin Muffins
Makes 2 dozen muffins
Ingredients
4 eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 15 ounce can pumpkin (just pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling, which is much sweeter)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup butter or Earth Balance, melted
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
Directions

1) Preheat oven to 375F.
2) Beat eggs, sugar, pumpkin, vanilla and butter/Earth Balance together in a large bowl until smooth.
3) Mix dry ingredients together and mix into pumpkin mixture.
4) Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups 3/4 full (because of the 4 teaspoons of leavening agents in the recipe these muffins really rise... so don't overfill the cups or you'll have a hot mess on your hands).
5) Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

*Just one little mom-note to conclude: it may be messy and kind of a pain, but baking with toddlers is incredibly good fun. The little guy was so excited to be included in this project, and kept exclaiming "Muffins are yummy!" "Time to mix!" and other adorable shows of being enthralled. When his dad came home, he went careening up the hallway exclaiming, "We made MUFFINS!!!". He was so proud. Well worth a little flour on the floor. Many more little one-friendly baking projects to come...

Nothing Like Some Comfies

2011-10-10T14:02:00.000-04:00

I must share that my all time favorite pair of comfy/pajama pants are on super sale at J.Crew today.

These pants are luxuriously soft and have been deemed "cute" by the husband (a rarity in the comfy pant category, my friends). They are on sale for $29.99 down from $45, and you can get an additional 30% off today by entering the code "MUSTHAVE" at checkout. That's 20 American dollars, ladies... a steal, I would say. The weather is cooling, and the time for comfy, cozy pants for movie watching, fireside snuggling and general lollygagging is upon us. Get over to j.crew.com and snap these up! This ends my public service announcement.

*And I am not being subsidized in any way by J.Crew for posting this, I just really care that much about your comfort. xoxo

Canned

2011-10-06T14:24:00.000-04:00

My cookbook wish list is ridiculously long (especially considering how many I already have), but what can I say? Some people collect stamps and coins; I collect cookbooks. My cookbook library gives me a certain sensory/OCD/inspirational joy that few other things do. So I had to share a just-out cookbook out that I spied today on The Wednesday Chef which just jumped to the number three slot on my list (behind Super Natural Every Day by Heidi Swanson and Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution, in case you were wondering). Check out Canning for a New Generation: Bold, Fresh Flavors for the Modern Pantry by Liana Krissoff.

The Wednesday Chef's comprehensive review makes this book sound like the canning bible of our generation. Full disclosure: the husband and I love to can. With the help of my mother and sister, we made, jarred and labeled 100 jars of homemade salsa to give away as favors at our wedding. Other years, we have put up pickles and jam, and the whole process is poetic and soothing. The full, humid kitchen, the soft pop of the jars as they seal, the satisfaction of filling the pantry shelves with your hard-earned goodies; we both love this ritual. Since moving to the city, we don't really have the kitchen or pantry space to properly can and store things, and so this harvest is passing us by without a major project on the horizon. That's okay this year, but in our next home, I'd love to get back to preserving as many fruit and veggie goodies as we can get our hands on.

Photo via Canning for a New Generation

That is where this lovely looking book would come in handy. Most canning books are dusty tomes from the seventies that don't take into consideration today's lifestyles and palettes. I'm drooling over the diversity of recipes that this book features, from kimchi to salsa verde, and the eclectic jams from black plum cardamom to tea jelly. I want a wall that looks like the one above. I can't wait to get my paws on this book and get canning!

Breakfast for the Big Chill

2011-10-04T15:03:00.001-04:00

For awhile it was hot here. Really hot. The kind of heat that makes you move slowly and not consider consuming any beverages that are not poured over ice. Even last Friday, I was wearing shorts and a tank top as I went about my daily routine. As our late-arriving summer spread into September, my morning priority after my usual bout of chores was getting us outside to enjoy the sunshine. And so, I fell into a breakfast rut. A delicious and healthy rut, but it basically revolved around my new cereal obsession, Kashi Golden Goodness. This is one of the simpler Kashis, but I love it: tiny little whole grain flakes mixed with rolled oat and puffed wheat clusters. I used to loooove Honey Bunches of Oats, and Golden Goodness is like a healthy, grown-up version of that cereal. But I digress. For most of the summer, I was throwing my Kashi in a bowl with some blueberries, pouring on my milk, down the hatch, and out the door we'd go. Easy. Peasy.

Now, suddenly it is fall. The temps here dropped twenty degrees over the weekend. I love the crisp morning air, and am ready to add some heat and creativity back into my morning rituals, especially now that hunkering down and sipping something for awhile is far more appealing than rushing right out the door bright and early.

For starters, gone are the days of magical iced coffee; it is time for my espresso maker to get back to work. This is the winter where I perfect my latte making! I'm discovering some tricks (you can't tamp down your espresso too hard, and your dairy has to have some fat to it, or it isn't going to froth properly), and I hope to learn more as latte season progresses. I also love how the best professional baristas will make designs in the top of an espresso drink. My favorite is when you get handed a drink with a heart on the top...

Latte from Joe - The Art of Coffee in my sister's 'hood in NYC.

...it's like the coffee dude just wants to start your day with a little love.

So, I've decided to start drawing on my own drinks, both to recreate the coffehouse experience on the cheaps, and to try to add a little love to every morning...


Latte a la SMJ, this morning in my kitchen.

Here we have a large, sloppy heart to represent all the large, sloppy love in my large, sloppy life.

I will report back when/if I improve at latte-heart-making.

For the rest of my cold weather morning fare, I once again find myself drawn to and inspired by the great photos by Jennifer Causey at Simply Breakfast.

I'm so ready for treats like eggs on polenta, toasty bagels with smushed avocado, toast smothered in preserves, and fried eggs on nook-and-cranny-licious English muffins. It is time to slow our mornings down and enjoy a legit breakfast. If Simply Breakfast doesn't inspire you to take the time to cook something proper in the AM, nothing will. And if you need daily inspiration, Jennifer is coming out with a 2012 calendar of breakfasts! This excites me an unreasonable amount. If wanting a breakfast calendar is wrong, I don't want to be right.

Hooray for brisk mornings, a stiff caffeine hit, and a beautiful breakfast with love on top.

What is your favorite cold weather morning grub?

Scones for What Ails You

2011-09-30T07:26:00.000-04:00

Do you ever wake up with a heartsick feeling for no apparent reason? Yesterday was one of those days for me. I spent the morning like I remember feeling as a homesick ten-year-old at sleep-away camp for the first time; a little sad, a little lonely, and like something heavy was sitting in my heart and gut and wouldn't budge. A double latte didn't help. A hard run didn't help. So, I turned to my go-to comfort activity, baking.

Perhaps it was the rain, but I was in a scone-ish mood. I felt like kneading, but not like participating in anything as complex and scientific as bread baking. I felt like something sweet, but nothing as cloying as cookies or blondies. Also, we are visiting friends this weekend, and I wanted to bring something lovely, homemade, and a little out of the ordinary to them, and so these scones were born. Sure enough, after clobbering some dough and letting their sweet aroma fill the house, I felt much better. Standing mixer + oven= therapy. With a rainy weekend in the forecast around here, try these to cure whatever may ail you!

SMJ's Cure-What-Ails-You Currant Scones
Makes 8 scones
Ingredients
2 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup dried currants
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter or Earth Balance, cut in about 10 pieces
1/2 cup cold milk
1/2 cup sour cream
1 egg
1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons sanding sugar, pearl sugar, or granulated sugar
Directions
1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2) Mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, and currants until combined.
3) Scatter the chopped butter over the top of the dry ingredient mixture and beat on low speed until the butter is pebbly in the flour, with some small stone sized butter lumps remaining.
4) In a small bowl, whisk together the milk, sour cream and whole egg until combined.
5) Pour the wet mixture into the flour mixture and beat just until the dough comes together.
6) With your hands, lift the dough from the bowl and start turning it over to collect the flour in the bottom of the bowl. Turn the dough again and again until all the remaining flour is mixed in.
7) Turn the dough out onto a baking sheet and pat it into an 8-inch circle about 1-inch thick. Brush the egg yolk evenly over the entire top of the dough circle. Sprinkle the sugar evenly across the top, then cut the circle into 8 wedges. (At this point, the unbaked scones can be tightly wrapped in plastic wrap and frozen for up to 1 week. Proceed as directed, baking directly from the freezer and adding 5 to 10 minutes to the baking time.)
8) Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until the entire circle is golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool for 30 minutes, then cut into the pre-scored wedges and serve. Scones will keep well for up to three days. Store in an air-tight container at room temperature.

*Notes:
1) This recipe is an amalgam of several scone recipes I found, with a nod to what I had in the fridge and my personal preference in flavors, but the primary inspiration was Joanne Chang's Currant Scone recipe from her Flour cookbook. Flour is a phenomenal Boston bakery that you must visit if you are in town. Wear elastic-waist pants when you go.
2) I used whole milk because that is what we keep on hand for the little dude, and low-fat sour cream because that is what we had on hand from our black bean extravaganza. Feel free to try the recipe with whatever percentage-of-fat dairy you have in the house, I'd just advise that one or the other NOT be low-fat. This is baking, after all. Let's live a little.
3) It goes without saying, but take off any rings before hand-mixing sticky doughs! Doughy bling is not a good look.

Have a beautiful weekend!

Inspiration

2011-09-28T16:00:00.001-04:00

I have always loved the back-to-school, starting fresh feeling that autumn seems to bring. The cooler days make me feel like starting new projects, getting adventurous in the kitchen, and shifting my closet towards cozier styles. Here are some of the current inspirations I've stumbled upon for the new season...

Kitchen Inspiration

I want to cook:

Gwyneth's Hot Niçoise Salad

Dinner: A Love Story's Confetti Brussels Sprouts

Smitten Kitchen's Roasted Tomato Soup with Broiled Cheddar

And one last cobbler, before it is all apple crisp, all the time...

Sartorial Inspirtation

I want to wear...

Effortlessly elegant scarves

A cool wrap bracelet, like this Chan Luu one I spied on a mom at the playground the other day.

Home Inspiration

Longing to decorate with:
Natural elements brought indoors, like these eucalyptus branches.

One bold-colored piece of furniture in an otherwise neutral room, like this awesome turquoise table/desk.

Dinner by candlelight, with rustic votives in Mason jars.

Photo credits, top to bottom: Food&Wine, Dinner:A Love Story, Smitten Kitchen, Jennifer Causey via Simply Breakfast, Style Bakery, Laws of General Economy, Cupcakes and Cashmere, The Selby in Your Place, Apartment Therapy.

What are your fall inspirations?

Slow Cooker Cuban Black Beans

2011-09-26T13:14:00.001-04:00

I love beans. They are a tasty and inexpensive source of protein and fiber with possibilities for endless incarnations in everything from salads to burritos to fancy sides. On Sunday, dare I say it, I may have made my best pot of beans ever. And thanks to my slow cooker, it was ridiculously easy. New England is experiencing a bizarre-o global warming heat wave at the moment, so rather than craving all things pumpkin, I found myself hankering for something island-inspired, and so these Cuban black beans were born.


Photo via Technorati

I often find that bean recipes lack the depth of flavor I am looking for in a main dish. To remedy this, I went big with some ingredients that pack a punch, using a whole bunch of cilantro and six whole garlic cloves in this pound of beans. Don't be afraid! The result is an assertive, delicious, authentic tasting dish that stands out as an entree and will steal the show as a side.

Slow Cooker Cuban Black Beans
Ingredients
1 lb dry black turtle beans
1 large sweet onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
1 8 oz. can chopped green chiles
1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 bay leaf
3 slices bacon, diced (Optional! Veggies can omit this ingredient, you may just want to add a bit more salt to your recipe.)
1 large bunch of cilantro, roughly chopped
Water
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
1) Rinse beans and soak overnight. Even though the slow cooker will cook them completely without this step, if you soak, drain and rinse your beans before cooking them, some of their gaseous properties leach out and are removed, and you'll experience less stomach upset from having a big bowl o' beanies for dinner. Highly advised.
2) Drain and rinse your beans. Place in slow cooker and cover with water.
3) Add all other ingredients except the cilantro. Start with about a teaspoon each of salt and pepper.
4) Set slow cooker to 8 hours on low or 4 hours on high.
5) With an hour left to go in the cooking time, add the cilantro, and taste to adjust for salt and pepper.

I served these beans as our Sunday dinner with basmati rice, sour cream, chopped avocado and hot sauce for garnish (Warning: taste first before adding hot sauce! These beans have quite a kick without it, the hubs and I just love our food practically on fire). They would also make a phenomenal side for any Caribbean or Latin-inspired dish (I'm thinking jerk chicken, fish or tofu, a citrus-y slow cooker Cuban chicken I like to make, spicy shrimp, or shredded beef tacos), and the beans would also be very tasty inside a quesadilla or burrito. This is one of those Sunday suppers that can truly live on through the week in many different meals without anyone tiring of it.

Finally, one more shout out for my slow cooker. I'm a little obsessed with it, as you can tell. Here's why: I chopped things for about 10 minutes on Sunday morning, opened a couple of cans, pushed a button and walked away. As the day went on, the house filled with the most incredible aroma of spicy goodness. Then, all I had to do to make dinner was put on a pot of rice, and we enjoyed a delicious and healthy meal with almost no effort and very little clean-up. I cannot think of a better piece of kitchen equipment for families and all busy, working people!

Viva Frijoles!

Enjoy!

Fall Mom Uniform

2011-09-23T14:13:00.000-04:00

I went for my run this morning in shorts and a tank top, but I know those days are numbered as a chill continues to creep into the Boston air. Fridays are a perfect time for a bit of virtual window shopping and the change of season has be thinking about my fantasy fall mom uniform. What you see above is just one version of it, but involves some of my favorite things: a striped Anthropologie cardigan, beautiful Me&Ro earrings, and glittery Toms because why not? I've shown EmersonMade's gunmetal skinny jeans before, but the more I look at them, the more I want 'em. I also love the detail on the scarf and the delicate shirt from Calypso, one of my favorite shops of all time. For good measure, I've included some Fresh Eye Cream I'm coveting after trying a sample recently. What mom wouldn't want a little help in the under-eye area? I'm also thinking it is time to take this anti-aging stuff a bit more seriously with my 35th birthday just around the corner. The Fresh Lip Treatment is from their new Passion line, another treat I'd love to try. Finally, I fell in love with the engraved Mama ring from St. Kilda after seeing it on Cup of Jo a few weeks ago. The ring is delicate and sweet, and would be the perfect gift for a new mom. Pulled all together, I love this collage of sweet and whimsical fall loveliness.

Happy Weekend Everyone.

Indian-Inspired Butternut Squash Soup

2011-09-21T08:25:00.001-04:00

Barely a week had passed since our busy summer came to an end and my family was collectively exhaling into fall, when my mom fell and broke her arm last weekend. She's very active at work, at home and at play, and while she's putting on a brave face about it, this injury is definitely going to put a kink in her fall. This morning she had to see an orthopedic surgeon to find out what the healing process will entail, so I thought that the little man and I would make a quick run up to New Hampshire and meet her afterward to bring some good cheer and nourishing soup.

It seems like many in their wonderful community are already rallying and bringing my parents meals, so I wanted my soup to stand out in the mix. My parents usually subsist largely on salad and seared fish for dinner, and I know they've received lobster mac and cheese and an exotic chick pea-almond-pineapple stew this week, so I thought I'd bring something more like the simple fare their bellies are used to (and if some of said lobster mac and cheese "accidentally" replaced the soup in my cooler bag, well, oops!).

I went on a fall veggie shopping bender at the grocery last week after the cold snap had me craving all things squash and cider, so I had a large butternut squash on hand as the soup's base. Still, I wanted to give it a little interest, a little special flavor, and not just have it be your run-of-the-mill fall soup. I've been loving the Indian spice Garam Masala lately; it translates to mean "warming spice" and is a blend of things like cloves, cumin and coriander seeds, cardamom pods and cinnamon. Garam Masala gives a delicate, sweet/savory Indian flavor to dishes, and I thought with some coconut milk, it could make a squash soup special. Funny that many of those spices echo those in "pumpkin pie spice", making them a natural accompaniment to squash. Yes, these are the things I think about in my spare time.

I tinkered with various amounts of Garam Masala in the mix, and finally came out with a beautiful soup that I really love. Most of my favorite recipes feature bold, hit-you-over-the-head flavors, but this soup is very delicate and almost aromatic. It is most definitely warming and healing, and the perfect thing to bring to someone feeling under the weather. With cold season on the way, keep this one in your back packet!

SMJ's Indian-Inspired Butternut Squash Soup
Ingredients
1 butternut squash, halved and seeded
1 sweet potato, holes poked into it with a fork
1 sweet onion, peeled and quartered
2 leeks, halved lengthwise and thoroughly rinsed
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 can light coconut milk
4 cups veggie broth
2 teaspoons Garam Masala
2 teaspoons sea salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 heaping teaspoon tomato paste* (optional)
Directions
1) Heat oven to 375F. Place all prepped veggies on a baking sheet and drizzle thoroughly with the olive oil. Roast for about 90 minutes or until fork tender.

2) Removed skins from roasted vegetables and roughly chop. Place in large soup pot or Dutch oven.

3) Add liquids and blend with an immersion blender until smooth (note: if you don't have an immersion blender, you can do this process in batches in a blender or food processor). Stir in spices and tomato paste and adjust to taste.

*One note about the tomato paste: as I adjusted the soup's spices, I just felt something was missing. Knowing that a strong tomato flavor is common in some of my favorite, similarly spiced Indian dishes like Tikka Masala, I added a bit of double concentrated tomato paste from the tube we keep on hand in the fridge. I loved the addition, but it is not necessary. If you buy your tomato paste by the can, it is probably not worth busting into one for this subtle addition.

This soup would be especially delicious served with warm, buttered naan and a crisp, sweet salad (I'm thinking butter lettuce, sliced apples and goat cheese). However, I'm delivering this batch with a dozen homemade chocolate chip cookies because, let's be real, sometimes chocolate is really life's greatest cure-all. Time to hit the road!

A Day in the Life

2011-09-19T15:10:00.002-04:00

The time is 2:12pm. So far today I have: woken up. Brewed coffee. Brewed the husband tea. Unloaded the dishwasher. Made the beds. Started a load of laundry. Changed a poopy diaper. Served the child breakfast. Packed the hubs a lunch. Downed a cup of coffee. Washed the breakfast dishes. Taken out the recycling. Gulped a little bit more coffee. Dressed the child. Caught up briefly with a girlfriend on the phone. Run four miles. Inhaled a bowl of cereal. Taken the quickest of showers. Taken the boy to music class (which includes, but is not limited to, jumping up and down, singing ridiculous songs, salsa dancing, coaxing the boy out from under the counter where the instruments are kept, more dancing while holding a 30 lb. child, more jumping, and trying to keep the child from destroying the teacher's piano). Returned home. Vacuumed the house. Fed the child lunch. Packaged a large pot of chicken chili I made yesterday into dinner and lunch sized portions for easy grabbing. Prepped my lunch. Changed a poopy diaper. Read a story and put boy down for nap. Inhaled my lunch. Furminated dog. Bathed dog with conditioning shampoo. Cleaned bathroom. Taken out trash. Done lunch dishes. Returned e-mails. And now I sit down to blog...

Whew! Let it be known this is not a typical Monday for me. Usually the husband and I spend one day of the weekend doing all of the household chores together, dividing it all more or less in half. However, as this funky economy and our current life would have it, our personal labor situations have changed, with the husband picking up an extra job on the side and my own part-time work coming to an end for the moment. With him working twice as hard outside the home, I feel it is my duty to work twice as hard inside the home, taking on all (or almost all) "home engineer" responsibilities (cooking, cleaning, erranding), so that we regain the large part of our weekends to connect as a family and rest. We had this kind of "normal" weekend this weekend, and it was truly glorious. I'll gladly shoulder a bit more housework on a Monday or a Friday if it gains us the kind of deeply replenishing weekends we need.

Why am I telling you all of this? As I went about my morning, I was deep in thought about my station in life at the moment. With my contract work, my sister's wedding and this busy summer now over, this is the first time in a long time I have had to exhale and reflect. And for the first time since my son was born, my only duty is to care for him and run our household. Concurrently, a hot topic thread has popped up on the local mom's listserve I subscribe to; called "The Grass is Greener", this thread has turned into a really interesting dialogue between stay-at-home, work-at-home and work-outside-the-home moms about how we've come to these decisions in our life and all the complex emotions around them. I live in a very diverse community where moms post to the list about topics ranging from complaining about their maids to wondering when their food stamps will expire, so you can imagine the crazy collage of thoughts and experiences on this topic.

Coming to this station in life and perusing this thread on the listserve, I've become really pensive about my choices, as they are. We fully thought that I would continue on in full-time employment when we moved here, and in many ways our life would be a lot easier if I had been able to land the hot city job we both thought I'd find. My job hunt here was tough, however, and the cost of childcare in the city astounding. By default, I've ended up on the home front. However, I gain a deep and abiding sense of peace in being home with my son, and am happy in many ways that things have shaken out this way. It's hard for me to admit that, because I feel guilty (that I should want to work and somehow be working outside of the home) and freaked out (that time out of the workforce will make it very difficult to return and greatly diminish my earning potential), while feeling simultaneously relieved and incredibly overjoyed to not be in the work and daycare slog right now and to have these precious days with my son. At the same time, I constantly feel that I should be on the hunt for that elusive part-time, work-at-home, flex-hours job that every mom dreams of; and I am... I hope to spend this fall deepening my writing practice and hopefully finding ways to make it more lucrative, and I've applied for some of these dreamy positions, but they are few and far between to find on the job boards.

An interesting sub-topic within this Grass is Greener discussion has been if a SAHM can be a feminist. Interesting, that. The husband and I were both raised by rabid feminists; one of whom was a working mom throughout her kids' childhoods, and one of whom stayed at home for eighteen years before returning to the workforce. We're both heavily influenced by their decisions in so many different ways. I think of myself as a feminist, but at the same time, I do make my husband a lunch every day. Are these two things mutually exclusive? I make his sandwich while he walks the dog, a chore I'm grateful he takes over, as the dog-pulling kills my back and the pre-caffeine poop-scooping is not for the faint of heart. We're on a budget, and me throwing some turkey between two slices of wheat while my coffee brews saves us up to $50 a week on lunches bought out. So, there you have division of labor, there you have a wife with an eye to the bottom line, yet somehow I am embarrassed to admit to you that I do this small housewife-y thing each morning. Sometimes it feels like every decision within my life as a SAHM is so loaded, it can be paralyzing.

What's shaking out of both this listserve discussion and my own thoughts on the matter is how important it is to stand by the decisions that feel right to you. For me, right now, it feels right to be home and right to take on the responsibilities of running our home. It feels right to use this time to try and tease out what I want next in my career and try to push progress along in whatever incremental steps I can manage. It feels right to make my husband a sandwich. The thing of it is to somehow keep everything in balance. To find time to nurture my child and my marriage, and also my professional aspirations, my physical self (see: four mile run squeezed into this manic Monday morning) and my friendships. Most days, at least one of these things has got to give, and it is damn near impossible to prioritize what should go first.

I think the best thing we can do for each other as modern moms, modern women and modern feminists is to keep talking about these pressures and choices as openly as possible, and to not judge anyone on how they choose to execute their own particular brand of life. I take so much solace in the community of moms in my life and in the diversity of our experiences. I'm also interested in how the division of labor shakes out in homes without children. These are loaded topics and the more we share of them, the less fearsome they become.

For me, for now, the boy is waking from his nap and I could use a cup of tea.

Tell me, what does your balance look like?

Taking Care

2011-09-16T15:00:00.000-04:00

Happy Friday!

This week has been all about picking up the pieces and putting our household back together after our exhausting/festive travels north. I've been feeling run down all week, and just trying to take it easy and take the best possible care of my myself so I can get us all back to normal. I've been resting, hitting the sack early, drinking plenty of water, kombucha, coconut water and mint tea, and cooking healthy food. One of my best new healthy food finds has been the highlight of most of my breakfasts this week...

Ezekiel 4:9 English Muffins from Food for Life are my new breakfast fave.

The muffins are dense and flavorful, made entirely from sprouted whole grains like millet, barley, lentils, soybeans and spelt. Sounds like disgusting hippie fare, I know, but I assure you they are incredibly tasty. They're also packed with fiber and protein, and so much more filling and satisfying than your average breakfast carb. Meanwhile, they only weigh in at 160 calories a pop, comparable to a slice or so of boring sandwich bread. These muffins aren't new to the market, they're just new to me, and I wish I had found them sooner.

They're phenomenal just topped with a little Earth Balance.

Or with some cheesy scrambled eggs (my fave is one whole egg + one egg white + Cabot 50% Light cheddar, salt and pepper).

I'm also loving them with good old PB&J. I've been noshing on one of these and a indulging in a little extra caffeine to get myself in gear, then enjoying spending the whole morning outside with the little guy, getting us back in our daily groove. I'm so grateful for this time I have with him, and ready for our fall routine to begin next week. With the new but familiar crispness in the air, it feels like things are about to start fresh. I love that back-to-school feeling.

I've had some requests to share wedding photos here, and if you can believe it, I am sad to say I did not take a single one! Obviously I couldn't capture anything during the ceremony (too busy standing beside my sister and bawling my eyes out), and afterward I was too nervous about my toast to think about taking snapshots. Once the toast was over, I was so relieved that I had a celebratory martini, and then spent the rest of the night on the dance floor! I am hoping that some of my sister's friends share some photos soon that I can post here, or else I'll see if my sister will let me post a professional shot or two when we get those. In the meantime, I can offer you this winning photo from this morning...

Sweet boy.

Take good care of yourself this weekend, and I'll be back to normal posting next week!

Recovering

2011-09-14T15:11:00.004-04:00

It is Wednesday and I am still in recovery mode from my sister's wedding festivities. After three nights back in my own bed, I'm still feeling like all I want to do is curl up for a nap by mid-afternoon. With the help of a triple-shot latte, however, the little guy and I managed to get out the door and spent this morning outside in the park, where I finally had a chance to reflect a bit on the last several days.

I realized I'm so slow to bounce back this week not only because of having so many late nights in a row (not at all used to that), and running around so much all week long (very used to that) but because of my tendency to intensely absorb all the emotions going on around me. I know I am not alone in this. I also know lots of people who are able to participate in other people's lives without feeling as if they are experiencing every emotion as the person directly in its wake. For me, I feel so directly connected to everyone in my family, and am so sensitive to what happens around me, that I walk away from experiences like the past weekend feeling not just like a bridesmaid who tore up the dance floor and could use a rest, but also like the bride, the groom, the father-of-the-bride giving away his third and final daughter. I feel like my husband who ran all over chasing our little guy, and who I swear probably did the equivalent of a marathon by the end of the weekend, and I even feel like my other sister who is probably so turned around by jet lag right now, she doesn't know which way is up.

Sometimes being this tied to the emotions of others is a beautiful thing, and sometimes it is a huge drain. Like most things in life, the ideal is probably a happy medium, a balance I have yet to find. However, feeling so phenomenally tired this many days after returning home has made it clear to me that I need to seek that elusive brand of caring that isn't quite so co-dependent.

When I traveled in Southeast Asia with two girlfriends in 2001, we spent ten days at a silent retreat at a Buddhist monastery. There was no talking, reading, or writing allowed for the full ten days except for one opportunity to meet with one of the monks and discuss any topic we chose. After a week of silence, your inner voice becomes very clear, and I knew exactly what I wanted to ask when given the chance. The Buddhists (or at least the Theraveda Thai Buddhists I learned from at the retreat) believe in non-attachment, or the idea of impermanence, as one of their core beliefs. I tried to imagine what my life would look like if I could master total non-attachment and not become so emotionally involved in things that don't directly, personally concern me; the notion was both exhilarating and terrifying. I asked the monk how you maintain non-attachment to those with whom you are intimately attached without living in a monastery. What followed was a complex answer...

This monk recommended a "compassionate detachment" wherein the love and energy that you give to those around you is not tied directly to your own consciousness. You should act with love, care and grace, but with an eye on the larger picture. She said that sometime the greatest gift you can give to those you love is not give of yourself, even when this feels counterintuitive, because if you cannot give them the whole of your energy, it is then best to keep the whole of your energy focused upon wherever it is being called to a higher use. When always acting with caution and care, you can live in this compassionate detachment and maintain loving relationships without being swallowed whole by them. This conversation was obviously idealized and ten years ago to boot, but still it sticks with me, as does the fact that I am probably farther from this kind of balance than I was a decade ago (being a wife and mother really kind of complicates the whole non-attachment thing, I must say).

Considering all of this in the shade of the trees this morning, suddenly a Kahlil Gibran poem popped into my head. Actually, what popped into my head was Sweet Honey in the Rock's musical version of the poem, but these are the lyrics:

Your children are not your children.

They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.

They come through you, but not from you,

And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.

You may give them your love but not your thoughts,

For they have their own thoughts.

You may house their bodies but not their souls,

For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,

which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.

You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.

For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

To me, this is so profound. This is it, really. Everything that you love is not yours, it is Life's. My sisters, my parents, my husband, my son, all have their own path that I am merely watching. I can house their bodies but not their souls, and my soul too has its own path. As a mother, I want to keep this poem right where I can see it, and if you strip the parenting messages out of it and think of it as a way to relate to the world and those you love, it is kind of like the perfect execution of the advice I received from that Thai monk so many years ago. Love, but don't give yourself completely over to the point where you have nothing left for yourself. Protect your energy, protect your path, that you may have more to give in a compassionate detachment that doesn't wring you dry.

I told you I was still a bit delirious. Time to step away from the computer and take a rest. We will return to things like recipes for taco salad tomorrow. Stay tuned...

Off to Vermont

2011-09-06T10:23:00.000-04:00

The time has come! My little sister is getting hitched, and bright and early tomorrow morning we will load approximately 400 pounds of toddler, cooking and wedding gear into our Volkswagen and head for our beloved Green Mountain State. The festivities are about to get underway, and while I wish I was the kind of blogger who would be posting up-to-the-minute photos on food, fashion and scenery at this shindig, alas, I am not. I am the kind of blogger who will be too busy sipping gin and tonics and sneaking covert puffs of her uncle's cigars to blog this week. There are meals to cook, make up to apply, cousins to chase and speeches to be delivered! So, I'm planning to focus on the week at hand, and take a little break here. I do, however, promise a recap post and return to regular posting next week.

Before I take this little week's blogging vacation, I just wanted to say thank you to all the new readers who have found their way here this past month. There's definitely a new crop of you, and I love it! I especially want to offer my gratitude to the new commenters! While I am not always the quickest at replying in the comments sections, I read and relish each little bit of feedback on this project, so thank you.

I'm off to pack.

Wishing you all a wonderful week!

Start With... Sweet Potatoes

2011-09-01T14:43:00.000-04:00

Just in time for the start of the school year, welcome to my new recipe series, "Start With..."

I often spend Sundays cooking a variety of things for us to eat throughout the week, and learned long ago that if I just make, say, a pot of soup, neither of us want anything to do with said soup by Wednesday. My "Start With..." idea comes from the notion that you can make one versatile big batch item to start with on Sunday, and let it live in many different incarnations throughout the week, each so diverse from the last that your family will hardly recognize it's reappearance. This week, for example, I made a big pot of chile verde on Sunday, which reappeared as carnitas burritos on Tuesday. Ideally, a Sunday dish would have even more ways to vary in appearance as the week goes on, and in the name of that efficiency and creativity, I bring you "Start With..."

To kick us off, I'm starting with something gloriously simple, and found in every toddler-having home I know... the humble sweet potato.

It's hard to think of another vegetable that packs such a nutritional wallop while simultaneously being nature's answer to dessert. Sweet potatoes are an unsurpassed source of Vitamins A and C and beta-carotene, as well as being high in fiber and anti-oxidants. They even have anti-inflammatory properties beneficial to your digestive system. And as the cereal commercial says, "don't worry, your kids will eat it." Finally, these tubers are dirt cheap, even in organic varieties. A nice-sized organic sweet potato can make a filling dinner and only set you back about $2. I love these beautiful taters!

So, in honor of the start of September and the return to cool weather and all things root vegetable, this week let's Start With a tray of roasted sweet potatoes.

Cube six large, organic sweet potatoes, toss with olive oil, kosher salt and pepper, and roast at 350 for an hour until soft on the inside and slightly crisp on the outside. Allow to cool before storing.

Start with your roasted sweet potatoes and then...

Make a quick weeknight soup!

- puree two cups of roasted sweet potatoes with two cups chicken or veggie broth and a splash of milk or cream, and season with a bit of paprika and cinnamon for a classic sweet potato soup.
- puree two cups of roasted sweet potatoes with one cup broth and one can of coconut milk + a teaspoon of Thai red curry paste for a spicy Thai twist.
- puree two cups of the sweet potatotes with four cups of broth, one 4 oz. can of green chiles, two teaspoons chopped fresh ginger, one-half cup creamy peanut butter and allspice to taste for a quick take on a West African peanut stew.
- buy a prepared soup (I love Trader Joe's Creamy Tomato) and throw in a handful of sweet potatoes for added flavor, texture and nutrition.

Make a tasty entree...

Like black bean and sweet potato burritos...

Just smash your roasted taters and warm in a frying pan, stirring in a drained can of black beans, cumin and paprika to taste, and some chopped cilantro. Roll in a tortilla and serve with sour cream, salsa and guacamole if you are feeling fancy.

Or make like one of my favorite local cafes and build this incredible sandwich...

Roasted sweet potatoes (you'd need to slice your cubes into thin pieces) layered on great bread with sliced red pepper, avocado, jack cheese and sprouts. This cafe spreads the while thing with a phenomenal tahini-poppy-yogurt spread I have yet to recreate, but you could improvise with any number of creative condiments, including good ole mayo.

Or get out your nori, sushi rice, some sliced avovado and a tatami mat and roll some tasty vegetarian sweet potato sushi.

Use the sweet potato cubes as croutons to give a salad heft.

One of my favorite salads is sweet potatoes tossed with baby spinach, goat cheese, dried cherries and chopped tomatoes in a balsamic vinaigrette. Serve with a great crusty bread, and you have dinner.

And, of course, you can use your sweet taters as a killer side for any number of quick weeknight dinners...

- crisp quickly in a pan and dip in ketchup alongside veggie burgers (or regular burgers) as rustic and healthy french fries.

- make this Roasted Sweet Potato Salad with Onion, Rosemary and Parmesan from Bon Appetit

and serve alongside a simple grilled pork chop or piece of chicken.

- chop and saute swiss chard in olive oil with a clove of minced garlic, add a handful of sweet potatoes and a generous handful of parmesan for a quickie gratin to serve with fish or another light protein.

- drop sweet potatoes into a baking dish, drizzle with maple syrup, cover with marshmallows and bake until marshmallows are toasted for a fast, weeknight version of everyone's Thanksgiving fave.

Start with sweet potatoes and the possibilities are endless!

What's is your favorite sweet po' creation?

Fall, Emerson Style

2011-08-30T14:09:00.001-04:00

The air has that familiar bite this week. Heat wanes, humidity evaporates, and a breath of fresh, sweet, crisp fall breeze flows through the city. My magical iced coffee supplies are about to be shelved in favor of hot lattes and steaming cups of green tea. And even though no one in this house is going back to any sort of school at the moment, I have an unrequited need to sharpen pencils, buy a Trapper Keeper, and go back-to-school shopping. Truth be told, I will probably be rocking the same ole jeans and sweaters as I did last fall, but while the boys are doing their fantasy football picks, I may as well join in the fun and share my fantasy fall shopping choices, and my number one draft pick for Fall '11 is EmersonMade.

No one does fall quite like Emerson! She embodies the chic, classic yet edgy, modern New England style I adore, and I want one of each thing in her fall collection + some of her business acumen on the side. Here are my favorites from her just-released autumn line...

I love this Olive Wool Day Coat! Not only would it go with all things brown or black, but the fur collar adds that little bit of funk I so enjoy and which keeps me from purchasing the responsible, classic, black trench I probably ought to purchase at some point. But I need this first...

Long have I resisted the pull of the skinny jean. Recently many fashion-minded friends have been prodding me in their direction, and that encouragement plus seeing the cuteness of them on similarly proportioned girls has me almost ready to take the plunge. Were I to boldly steer myself in a skinny jeans direction, Emerson's Gunmetal Skinnys would be my top pick for the job. Love the fit, love the wash, and why not throw in a pair of those hot red heels as well?


I must have these Indigo Bluebells. I just must.

And while I am at it, I shall also take a Bag O' Turtlenecks. Perfect beat poet flair in soft cotton jersey and two to a bag for $48. Don't mind if I do.


Finally, also from the Emerson's Basics collection, I love this dress, which is sold as a Bag O' Three in red, black and navy. With tights and tall boots or leggings and ballet flats and a cozy cardi, you could sport these little frocks well into the fall. To me, this shrieks hip urban mom uniform, which I aspire to acquire and rock!

What's on your fall shopping list (fantasy or otherwise)?

Sending Love to Vermont

2011-08-29T14:53:00.000-04:00

Vermont is the closest place I have ever had to a home state. We moved a lot when I was growing up, and the longest I was ever anywhere at one stretch was about five years. Between my time at university in hippie-haven Burlington, a year spent living in the husband's gorgeous hometown nearby, our time in Central Vermont for law school and after, I've spent a collective eight years in the Green Mountain State, making it my adopted homeland. I got married there, had my son there, and will always have a soft spot for the beauty of the mountains, the rivers and our beloved Lake Champlain. So, my heart is absolutely breaking this morning for all of our dear friends there who have endured epic flooding and so much devastation and loss. The more news I see, the more dire the situation seems.

These videos really moved me. The first shows one of my favorite yoga studios getting hit and the second shows a covered bridge in Quechee which we've crossed so many times succumbing to the river. Many favorite local businesses have been hard hit, and I'm alarmed that we still haven't heard from anyone at the law school. Friends, I hope you are safe.

There's really no place else on earth like Vermont. Please keep the Green Mountain State and all the people there struggling to clean up from this mess in your thoughts today.

A Beautiful Morning

2011-08-23T15:40:00.000-04:00

Today has been one of those unexpectedly perfect days. The little man slept until an unheard of 7am, allowing me 8+ full hours of rare, peaceful slumber. I woke up feeling so refreshed and had a few moments to myself (also rare) before he started calling from his room. Then I brought him into bed with me and we had the BEST and most precious hour-long snuggle and chat. Someday when he is a stinky teenage boy who wants nothing to do with me, I will cherish these moments even more than I do right now. And let me tell you that I never stay in bed until 8am; it just doesn't happen in my current reality. So the morning felt delicious already by the time my feet hit the floor. The little guy then happily played with trucks by himself, giving me time to put a bit of effort into my breakfast rather than inhaling my usual bowl of Kashi (btw - have you tried the new Kashi Golden Goodness? A fast fave for moi.).


I sauteed some baby portobello mushrooms with a drop of olive oil and some fresh thyme.


And made a beautiful mushroom, Cabot Sharp Cheddar and egg white scramble, served alongside delicious whole grain toast spread with Earth Balance. YUM.

Then the little guy and I headed out on a glorious, two-hour ramble. We went to the library, a phenomenal resource that I have sadly underutilized in the year we have lived in this neighborhood.

Me gusta la biblioteca.

But no more! I am now the proud holder of a shiny, red Boston Public Library card, and I came away with a pile of fun new books for the little man to enjoy, as well as Kris Carr's new book, which I've been dying to get my hands on.

Perhaps after my sister's wedding I will embark upon her "21-Day Adventure Cleanse", but not a moment before, I tell you, not a moment before... mama does not do wedding toasts without a rather strong drink in hand.

After the library we communed with nature for a bit...

Jamaica Pond is my own slice of city bliss.

A young Beckham in the making.

We are a family of tree-huggers. Literally.

And then headed to City Feed for a treat. Iced Americano for me, avocado muffin for my buddy. Grateful Dead's American Beauty playing overhead. Ahhh... does life get any better?

I love this store. Call me bohemian bourgeois, I can live with it.

Don't you love it when pure happiness sneaks up on you? I have an overwhelming feeling of joy today. The weather is perfect, and spending the whole morning wandering outdoors was a gift. I am grateful for rest, good food, warm sunshine, and my boys. Happy Tuesday.

Grilled Summer Salad

2011-08-22T16:11:00.000-04:00

Most weeks, I hit the grocery store with a meal plan in mind and solid list of items to procure. Sometimes, though, I'm not so organized, and my trip to the store is much more like an episode of Supermarket Sweep, with me grabbing things from the shelves and getting out of there as quickly as possible. When one of these rush trips occurs, I try to focus my random shopping on the produce section, figuring that whatever I come home with, I'm bound to create something healthy from a good haul of veggies. Last Friday, the week drew to an end, and I still had quite a bit of random produce in my crisper from one of these crazy grocery runs. Inventory included:
6 ears of corn
2 Japanese eggplants
1 pint of heirloom cherry tomatoes
1 orange bell pepper
2 leeks
and 1 bunch of fresh basil

I also had a beautiful loaf of rosemary-olive oil fougasse bead from a trip to a favorite bakery. I stared down these ingredients for quite awhile, trying to make sense of how to use them. Roasted vegetables with a grain of some sort? Tomato and basil pasta with a ratatouille-inspired side dish? Soup? Nothing seemed quite right. Also, it was a summer Friday, and unless there is an outright hurricane happening (and sometimes even in the middle of one), the husband prefers to be standing by the grill with a PBR to celebrate the start of the weekend. What to do?

I took a gamble. I halved and cleaned the leeks and the pepper, brushed everything with olive oil, sprinkled it with salt and pepper, and sent it out to the grill. The husband grilled everything in the photo above except for the tomatoes and basil, which I chopped and put in a large salad bowl. He came back in with meltingly sweet leeks, perfectly charred eggplant, salty-caramelized ears of corn, slightly crisped bread, and a beautifully heat-blistered pepper. I chopped all of these ingredients, removed the nibs from the corn, and tossed them all together with a solid dousing of white balsamic vinegar, a splash of olive oil, and a drizzle of honey.

The result was a little slice of summer dinner heaven. All the flavors married together beautifully, with the char-grilled flavor being the common denominator. This salad was light, complex, and utterly delicious. I served it on a bed of mixed greens, but it was perfection on its own, and we topped it with grated parmesan to take it right over the top. This dish just goes to show what kind of kitchen kismet can occur when you let yourself run wild in an in-season produce section (or at the farmers' market!). I never would have planned this meal in advance, but it is now something we'll make again and again, and it would make an elegant dinner to serve to vegetarian friends with a crisp glass of white wine.

Friday night already seems like a million years ago, but this dish stuck with me, and had to be shared. Sometimes the best recipes are happy accidents!

Summer Bucket List

2011-08-19T07:32:00.001-04:00

These days, I live and die by my MobileMe calendar. We're a little Apple-obsessed, and their web-based calendar tool allows us to manage our whole family schedule simultaneously and remotely. The calendar refreshes itself on our iPhones every fifteen minutes, so if the husband adds an offsite meeting to it and I'm across town trying to schedule a doctor's appointment, I always have the most up-to-date family schedule at my fingertips. This is absolutely crucial for a one car family! Needless to say, I look at this calendar many times a day, and I like to think it keeps me somewhat grounded in time. So imagine my shock when I discovered the following:
1) September is now apparently two weeks away.
2) Football season, the true harbinger of fall in this household, commences in just four short Mondays.
3) My sister's wedding "this fall" is three weeks from Saturday.

Shocking. Where did the summer go?

I've always loved the autumn season, and am excited for cashmere sweaters, butternut squash soup, apple cider, crisp mornings, and cuddling under blankets again. Still, the end of summer is always bittersweet, and I'm not quite ready to let go. August is still kicking, and so I'm determined to seize the day and suck as much summer out of the next few weeks as I can. Which is why, without further ado, I bring you:

SMJ's End of Summer Bucket List
1) How have I gone the whole summer without eating a single sweet, succulent Maine lobster? Luckily the end of the summer is when they are sweetest and best, so this is the perfect item to kick off my bucket list. Shellfish bliss, come to mama...

Photo via getmainelobster.com

2) One of my favorite days this summer was when the three of us packed up early on a Saturday morning and spent the day together at Crane Beach in Ipswich. We built sandcastles, played in the water, made friends with fellow parents chasing toddlers, and worked on our tans. It was glorious. We need at least one more beach day before New England beaches require ten layers of wool for a visit.

Little man digging it up at Crane Beach.

3) Another favorite day this summer involved driving out to western Mass to go blueberry picking with another mama friend and her two little ones. Everything about the day was lovely: how into berry-picking the little guy was (at one point he turned to me with a huge grin on his face and said, "Mom! Berries is FUN!", the phenomenal blueberry smoothie I sucked down for lunch (seriously heaven in a cup), the ridiculous blueberry cider donuts I brought back for the hubs, spending time out of the city in the peacefulness of the farm, and enjoying the company of good friends on a fun excursion. I must go back for one more fix before berry season is sadly over.

So proud of his haul.

4) Speaking of freshly picked fruit... after that trip to the berry farm, I was headed directly out of town for the weekend, and so the fruit was gradually eaten over cereal or in handfuls by the little guy until it was gone. What I'd really like to do is go pick another bounty, and then bake something like this...

Drool. Photo via From Me to You.

Soon it will be all apple goodies all the time. I need some more summer fruit pies/cobblers/muffins in my life before then.

5) One of the best ways to enjoy Boston is by people watching from a tiny table at an al fresco cafe. Restaurants only offer outdoor dining for about half the year here, and that half is quickly winding down. I'm not talking about going out for a four course dinner, I'm talking about slowly sipping a strong cocktail and watching the beautiful people go by (and giggling over the over-the-top fashion).

6) We haven't been out to the Cape since moving back to Boston. One of my favorite memories from the early days when we were still dating and living here was a camping trip we took out on the Cape at the end of the summer.

We ate at clam shacks, attempted surfing in Wellfleet, and snapped this photo of a perfect sunset in Truro. We've haven't taken the little guy camping yet, and an end-of-summer Cape camping reprise could be just the thing to cap off this summer correctly.

There's more where this came from, but these are things at the top of my list.

What do you want to do between now and first frost?

The Mean Reds

2011-08-16T15:54:00.000-04:00

Do you remember the scene from Breakfast at Tiffany's where Audrey Hepburn describes having a case of the "mean reds"? Yes, the mean reds. When you're feeling anxious but you don't know why... this is how I find myself feeling today. I signed in to blog and could hardly believe it had been a week since my last post. It has been a busy one. We've had family visiting, endless excursions (everything from hot yoga, to the Children's Museum, to mornings at the park, to a quickie trip up north), copious kitchen projects, and a boy with a persistent case of diaper rash who is having trouble sleeping as a result. We've had to say some sad good-byes, had some minor worries to contend with, and work I thought I had I don't have anymore. The hubs and I helped a friend cater a two-hundred person wedding late into Saturday night, and I still somehow still feel a bit bleary from that. I feel all at once as if there is so much to do I can't possibly do it all, and like I absolutely must take on more in order to make any progress forward. I guess I kind of feel like this...

I am definitely having a Breakfast at Tiffany's kind of day, but without the will or energy to put on a black cocktail dress and go moon around outside jewelry stores downtown. Instead, I'm looking forward to an evening curled up on the couch with my husband and some comfort food. I may or may not pour a large glass of Sancerre come 5pm. I'm going to get some sleep and focus on gratitude. I'm going to drink a kombucha and clean my house (it is therapeutic, don't ask). I'm going to take some Advil, buck up, put on some Jerry Garcia Band and have a snuggle with my little boy and my furry boy. I'm going to let the reds in for today, and banish them tomorrow. Wish me luck.

What do you do to ditch the mean reds?

Obsessed

2011-08-09T15:29:00.000-04:00

Hi. My name is SMJ and I am obsessed...


...with Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Covered Pomegranate Seeds. Antioxidant-rich and budget-friendly, just a lil' teaspoon full actually satisfies my sweet tooth. Praise be.

...with EmersonMade's pantry. This is what the pantry in my dream kitchen looks like. In fact, I am obsessed with the whole house.

Photos via Design*Sponge

...with Kris Carr's Crazy Sexy Manifesto, a wellness primer and self-care mission statement that inspires and belongs on each and every one of our fridges.

...with the dark blue pedi and perfect latte I got this weekend. Bliss.

That is all.

Vegan Family Meals Winner

2011-08-09T13:54:00.000-04:00

Random.org picked #5 and Jennifer is our lucky winner of Ann Gentry's

Vegan Family Meals: Real Food for Everyone.


Photo via Vegan Family Meals

Please send me your shipping address and we'll get this in the mail right away!
Enjoy!

Stonyfield Summer in a Box Winner!

2011-08-05T09:10:00.000-04:00

Congratulations BecSpark10!

The random integer generator pulled number 3, and all of this yumminess will be headed your way shortly (please e-mail me your shipping address!). Enjoy it in good health!

And thanks to everyone for playing.
Not a winner this time? You have another chance to win goodies... leave a comment below for a chance to get your hands on Vegan Family Meals. Delish

Happy Friday, everyone... have a wonderful weekend.

Vegan Family Meals Cookbook Review + Niçoise Salad Recipe + Giveaway!

2011-08-04T14:48:00.000-04:00

Let me state for the record, this family is not vegan, and not even vegetarian (see: husband slow-cooking six pound pork shoulder for twelve hours last Sunday). However, we appreciate meatless dining, and have definite vegetarian leanings. With a lactose-intolerant husband, and a budget and family history of high cholesterol which logically point to eating less meat, I was thrilled to receive a copy of vegan chef Ann Gentry's new cookbook Vegan Family Meals: Real Food for Everyone as part of her summer blog tour. Ann is the owner of Real Food Daily in Santa Monica and West Hollywood, as well as being a successful blogger and author, and her new cookbook is just gorgeous in every way.

I'm a visual person and a sucker for a good layout and typeface, and so this book had me at the minute I took it from the envelope. The photography is stunning, and I love the funky fabric on the binding. But when I opened it and started examining the recipes, I really fell in love. This cookbook is definitely going to be my go-to source for vegetarian cooking going forward. The recipes are accessible and well-explained, and every one doesn't call for obscure vegan ingredients that average people wouldn't have on hand (sure there are a few chia seed/nutritional yeast selections, but by and large, I think this cookbook really is, as promised, for everyone). The book includes everything from basic breakfasts with amped up nutritional stats to special-enough-for-company dinners, and I appreciate that range. I think Ann might even be my LA/Vegan answer to Ina Garten. And that's saying something. I couldn't wait to get cooking.

As part of the blog tour, I volunteered to prepare Ann's "My Niçoise Salad".

Photo from Vegan Family Meals

I'll warn you in advance, this is not a weeknight recipe, unless you prepare each element in advance. I was determined to make the salad on a Wednesday, though, despite a very busy week, because my mom was coming to stay with us and she really appreciates vegan cuisine and I thought this recipe was right down her alley. So, I sprinkled parts of the recipe into times of the day when I was in the kitchen: setting up the tofu to drain and trimming the haricots verts while the little guy ate his breakfast, throwing together the dressing and prepping the Tofu Chevre while he ate lunch, baking off the Chevre while I worked in the afternoon, and quartering potatoes and steaming veggies during happy hour. If you aren't within an arm's reach of your kitchen, though, I'd save this recipe for a Saturday.

The completed recipe, despite my lack of a professional food stylist and adequate lighting, was absolutely beautiful.

First of all, the shallot-Dijon-thyme dressing is just spot on. It brightens the whole dish and gives it an herbacious bite. I'll definitely make this vinaigrette again just to have on hand for our weeknight salads. This is also the perfect time of year to construct a salad like this one. The organic cherry tomatoes, new potatoes and haricots verts were at the peak of their season and tasted that way. And the Tofu Chevre is really something special. It took awhile to make, but was worth the effort (I didn't peppercorn-crust mine, you might notice. I had to draw the line somewhere. It was Wednesday!!!). Rich, creamy, and perfectly salty from the miso, it is a healthy protein powerhouse masquerading as a fatty, dairy treat. Its only downfall would be that despite following the instructions literally to the letter, my "chevre" was pretty creamy and gloppy, whereas, as you can see from the professional cookbook photo above, Ann's version slices neatly into little disks and actually appears to be goat cheese. I don't know how she did it! None of us really cared how it looked, though, because it was just so delicious.

Sitting around my table last night were three very tired, very maxed out people who were in desperate need of some good nutrition and a little pampering. I was happy that I took the time to make such a special, beautiful dinner that made us all feel nourished and spoiled. We lingered around the table picking at beans and dragging our forks through the chevre again and again, and all agreed that the salad was superb.

I highly recommend Vegan Family Meals based on my adventures with it thus far (I made killer Szechuan noodles from it on Tuesday, so we're now two for two + extra points for just being so darn pretty). And I'm so happy to say that...

One SMJ reader will win a free copy of Vegan Family Meals: Real Food for Everyone!

Just leave a comment below, and I will pick a winner at random next Tuesday, August 9.

If you don't win or feel like waiting until next week, I'd definitely suggest scooting over to Amazon and grabbing a copy. Also, check out Ann's blog for more healthy recipe ideas and inspiration. And at the very least, make this salad! You'll be glad you did.

Happy vegan dining...

Ann Gentry’s My Niçoise
Serves 4
Ingredients
8 ounces slender green beans (such as haricots verts), trimmed
4 medium red-skinned potatoes (about 1 pound total), cut into ½-inch-thick wedges

Vinaigrette:
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
1 small shallot, minced (about 2 tablespoons)
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Salad:
1 large head butter lettuce, leaves separated and larger leaves torn in half
3 ripe tomatoes, cut into wedges, or 10 to 12 cherry tomatoes, halved
Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 log Peppercorn-Crusted Tofu Chèvre (recipe follows), sliced into rounds
1/3 cup olives or kalamata olives
2 tablespoons capers, drained
1½ tablespoons minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions
1) Cook the green beans in a large pot of boiling salted water until they are crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Drain and submerge the green beans in a bowl of ice water just until they are cold. Drain the green beans again and pat dry. Set aside.
2) Place the potatoes in a steamer basket set in a saucepan filled with 1 inch of simmering water. Cover and steam until they are just tender and still hold their shape, about 8 minutes. Set aside to cool completely.
3) Vinaigrette: While the vegetables are cooling, whisk the lemon juice, shallot, mustard, thyme, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl to blend. Gradually whisk in the oil to blend well.
4) Salad: Arrange the lettuce on a serving platter or in a large shallow salad bowl. Place the green beans, potatoes, and tomatoes in a large bowl. Toss with enough of the vinaigrette to coat, then season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon the beans, potatoes, and tomatoes atop the lettuce. Arrange the tofu cheese slices amid the vegetables. Sprinkle the olives, capers, and parsley over the salad. Spoon more vinaigrette over the salad and serve immediately.

Tofu Chèvre
Makes 1 (13-ounce) log
Ingredients
1 (12-ounce) container waterpacked extra-firm tofu, drained and halved
1 large clove garlic
2 tablespoons yellow miso
3 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
¾ teaspoon fine sea salt

Directions
1) Pat the tofu dry with paper towels. Set the tofu in a colander and set the colander over a bowl to collect all the liquid that drains from the tofu. Cover the tofu with plastic wrap, then place 3 heavy cans, each at least 14 ounces, on the tofu to weigh it down. This weight will help extract all the excess liquid from the tofu. Refrigerate the tofu for at least 4 hours or overnight.
2) Mince the garlic in a food processor. Pat the tofu halves with paper towels to absorb any excess moisture, then add the tofu to the food processor. Add the miso, 2 teaspoons of the olive oil, and the salt, and blend until the mixture is very smooth, stopping the machine occasionally and scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl.
3) Lay a sheet of plastic wrap flat on the work surface. Scrape the tofu cheese onto the center of the plastic wrap, then wrap the cheese, forming a log. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
4) Preheat the oven to 375°F. Unwrap the cheese log and place it on a baking sheet. Brush the log lightly with the remaining 1 teaspoon oil. Bake just until the cheese is warmed through, but the center is still creamy, about 25 minutes.
Serve warm or cold.