Life Lesson a la Music Class

On Tuesday mornings I take the little man to music class.  This is one of my favorite parts of the week, as we're guaranteed an hour of good companionship and fun in a lovely, air-conditioned room, I love to sing and dance around like the huge dork that I am, and the teacher, Christy, is hands down the little guy's first true love (he gets starry-eyed at the mere mention of her name).  For summer session, Christy has a lovely intern who will take on her own class in the fall.  The intern is sweet, has sparkly eyes and a calm demeanor, and seems to genuinely get a kick out the kids (0 to 5-year-olds at music class can either be hilarious or incredibly annoying, depending on the day).  And today she offered me a great life lesson, completely unintentionally.

Christy is an old pro, and could probably lead music class in her sleep.  She is adored by all the kids, and her role is something akin to Jerry Garcia playing to a packed stadium of Deadheads... she's already a hero just for showing up, making noise, and not passing out before the thing is over.  Today she opened with a few songs, that handed it over to her intern, who instantly and totally froze.  Music played on silently (if that is possible -- what I mean is that it was the karaoke version of the song, because the intern was supposed to provide the words, and the silence was deafening), and she looked increasingly panicked.  Christy gently urged her to start singing, and she finally sang a few words before burying her head in agony and embarrassment.  You could tell every mom and nanny in that room just wanted to run over and give her a hug.  Finally, she pulled it together and sang again, and we all chimed in with so much enthusiasm and loudness, the volume alone conveyed our sympathy.

So, here's the thing... everyone in that room was just an exhausted, overheated mom or caregiver looking for something fun to do and a little help in keeping their little one happy, stimulated, and entertained for an hour or so.  We don't need Pavarotti, we don't even need Raffi... we just need someone else to be the most alert person in the room and give us a break for a few.  We're not judging anyone on their singing or creativity, we're just grateful that the music teacher is there, and charmed by our kids, and giving us a chance to play a tambourine and zone out without being a professional go-go dancer.  All she had to do was say "la la la", and we were ready to join her in a resounding, supportive chorus.

I think you know where I'm headed with this... so many times in life we hold back because we want to be perfect or nothing.  We're afraid to sing out when we have nothing planned to sing, for fear that our freestyling will be inadequate or embarrassing.  We think that unless we are Christy, everyone is going to judge us and think we're not doing it right and wish the pretty blond lady would just take back over already.  And we're wrong.  Nine times out of ten, everyone is pulling for the intern.  The vast majority of people want us to succeed and want to help us get there.  This little microcosmic music incident drove home for me that perfection is truly the enemy of progress.  It is so much better to just open your mouth and sing... whatever comes out, the crowd is ready and willing to hear it and there is a good chance they'll chime right in.  They may even dance around like dorks.  And be grateful to you for just being there and trying.

Anyone who helps with this ball of energy is a hero in my book.

To the wonderful women in my life...

The Sartorialist captured these sisters in Italy, and the shot just says it all about women and our friendships.  LOVE.

Thank you.
For baring your soul to me on the phone on a Monday afternoon.
For watching my son so I can sit at a coffee shop and stare out the window and think my thoughts (and do my work!) for the morning.
For watching my son with so much love that I can travel away for work and not think twice about leaving him.
For inviting me to your home and feeding me when you know I'm home alone.
For being the persistent sender of the best mail ever.
For making me laugh until I cry.
For being the person on the receiving end of my quirky photo texts and responding in kind.
For pouring me another glass of Sauvignon Blanc.
For loving my son to the moon and the stars, and letting it show.
For being the world's best traveling companions.

Vietnam, 2001

For having magical healing powers.
For encouraging me to talk about my birth experience with little J, and for helping me get over it.
For making killer guacamole.
For making work fun.
For pushing me to run another mile.
For sending me a plane ticket (or trying damn hard to).
For hand-me-downs and shared products and heartfelt recommendations.
For commenting on my blog so I know I'm not just talking to myself!
For having a bit of a dark side.
For ordering the dessert.
For being there when we need you.
Thank you.
I feel truly blessed.

Super Soy Sushi Bowl

If a genie appeared from a bottle and offer me three wishes, one of them would likely be to somehow get unlimited, on-demand sushi for the rest of my life.  Sushi is my fave, and I truly could eat it most nights of the week if we won the lottery.  I love the clean flavors, fresh proteins, and light satiety it provides, not to mention the fact that it is one of the few great indulgences in life that is actually good for you.  Since I haven't run into too many genies or winning lottery tickets lately, I'm looking for creative ways to bring Japanese food into our cooking rotation.  We have tatami mats and everything else you'd need to make home sushi, but that is way too much of a production for a weeknight, and better saved for a fun theme party with friends and a variety of cold sakes. For homemade Japanese on a Monday, I'm looking for streamlined recipes with lots of nutrient bang for the buck, and minimal prep work.  A tall order, to be sure, but I was recently inspired by ValSoCal's recipe for a California Roll in a Bowl.

Photo from ValSoCal

Look how pretty!  This would a perfect recipe for company, with big bowls of edamame to start, Kirin Ichiban with dinner, and mochi ice cream to finish.  But since our Monday menu did not include fresh crab (and imitation crab kind of gives me the willies) and I was out of sesame seeds and forgot to get them at the store on Saturday, I made my own little SMJ version.

Ladies and Gents, I give you...
SMJ's Super Soy Sushi Bowl
Serves 4
Ingredients
Like so many great weeknight recipes, this one is component-based.  You can add and subtract based on your mood and the contents of your fridge and pantry.  Consider this recipe a jumping off point...
2 cups sushi or short grain rice
2 cups water, plus more for rinsing rice
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 avocado, sliced
1 carrot, julienned
1 cucumber, julienned
2 scallions, finely chopped
8 slices Baked Tofu (either use my recipe here, or for an even quicker weeknight fix, buy prepared baked tofu at your local health food store -- there are so many fantastic flavors available, you really can't go wrong)
Sesame seeds for garnish (Val also suggests sliced nori sheets, which would be yummy, we just didn't happen to have these in house either)

Directions
1) Rinse and prepare the rice according to package instructions in a rice cooker or saucepan.  Allow to cool for 10 minutes.  Thoroughly mix in the vinegar, sugar and salt.
2) Assemble your bowls!  I created a buffet so that we could each take as much as we wanted of each ingredient.  Each person should get a good base of rice in their bowl, as well as a good handful of each veggie and 2 slices of tofu.  Done.

This was such a fresh and delicious dinner, I can't wait to use the concept as a base for more sushi bowl recipes.  Chopped nori and sesame seeds would really take it to the next level, and I plan to grab those on my next grocery run.  Seared tuna, lightly grilled salmon, or shredded teriyaki chicken or beef would all make great protein components, and shelled edamame and pickled ginger would be great additions as well.  The only limit is your imagination...

Have a happy, healthy Tuesday!

Monday Catch Up

Hello there. 

I'm sorry to have gone AWOL on you there for a moment.  Last week kicked me in the backside just a tiny bit.  The husband had work travel that backed right up to a work trip of my own.  This left me flying solo in the busy days leading up to my trip which required an extreme amount of juggling, patience and creative problem solving, which then blurred into a lovely but rather packed couple of days in Vermont.  I arrived home late on Thursday feeling mildly dazed and quite relieved that this long-anticipated and highly-choreographed week was finally in the rear view mirror.  It was the perfect time for one of the more unscheduled weekends we've had lately, and we all enjoyed a bit of hard-earned downtime.  I spent it...

Wandering through the Copley Square Farmers Market...

 Baking The Barefoot Contessa's Tri-Berry Muffins (throwing in the sugar at the end instead of mixing it with the rest of the dry ingredients gives these muffins an amazing crunchy top... they were a huge hit!).

Finally trying our new local brewpub (thanks for the fun treat P&G!).  I have but five words: truffled blue cheese tater tots.  And two more: dirty martini (the only appropriate way to end such a week).

We made pizza.

We ate fro yo.

We rode bikes and crossed things off lists and took turns sleeping in.  I drank iced coffee and went grocery shopping solo and talked to my sisters for the first time in way too long.  We were generally normal, sane people (a rarity in this house) it was so, so good. 

Now I'm ready for a fresh, new week filled with recipes and musings to share.  Stay tuned!

How was your weekend?

Arugula Almond Pesto

There are problems with going to the grocery store after an excruciatingly challenging, ninety-minute-long hot yoga class.   For one, you're a little light-headed, and apt to forget staple things you really need, like butter (oops).  For another, you're in this wonderfully light, virtuous, yogini state where you think to yourself, "I really shouldn't need anything other than a large bin of arugula and a couple kombuchas to survive this week.  Who needs meat or cheese?"  Um, I do! Flash forward to me last night, long after the fade of the yogini afterglow, wishing desperately that I had not passed up some really phenomenal looking black-and-white cookies and had perhaps scored a nice chunk of gouda while I was at it.

You see, it's a cupboards week around here.  The husband and I both have work travel planned between now and Friday, and with one or the other of us dining alone all week, we didn't need a big grocery haul.  My post-yoga shop was meant to just cover some basics to see us through, plus gather the little man's weekly necessities.  Well, he got his drinkable yogurts, Cheerios and blueberries, but in my yogic state, I really under-shopped for myself, and really, really got way too much arugula.  Why? I still couldn't tell you.  It seemed like a good idea at the time.

When I'm dining alone for several nights, I need something more exciting than a series of arugula salads, so I did what any desperate/creative person would do and made pesto; but this was cupboards pesto, as I had no basil, no pine nuts, and very little parmesan.  I'm so happy with the result that I had to post the recipe.  This pesto is a nutritional powerhouse, so spicy and tasty, and proof positive that necessity is the mother of invention.  I could have planned to make pesto and bought a boatload of basil, and it wouldn't have come close to what I created using just what we had on hand.  Instead of a boring salad, I plan to dine this evening on a tangle of beautiful angel hair pesto with roasted tomatoes.  Maybe my inner yogini knew what she was doing all along.  My inner gourmand thanks her kindly.  Namaste.

Arugula Almond Pesto
Ingredients
2 cloves garlic, peeled
3 oz. arugula (or about 1 medium bag)
3/4 cup whole, roasted, salted almonds
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
3/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Directions
1) In a food processor fitted with the blade attachment, first mince the garlic.  Then, add the arugula and process well.  
2) Next add the almonds and process until smooth, and repeat with the parmesan.
3) Add the olive oil slowly, drizzling through the tube while the food processor is on, until the pesto reaches your desired thickness.
4) Add the sugar, salt and pepper to taste, pulsing between additions to blend thoroughly.

This recipe yields about 12 ounces of pesto, or enough to cover about 2 lbs of pasta (or less if you prefer a really concentrated pesto punch... taste as you go!).  Generally speaking, pesto will store well in the refrigerator for about a week to 10 days and freezes beautifully.  Don't be afraid to think outside the (pasta) box and use the pesto for everything from a sandwich spread to a salad dressing base to a scrambled egg topper.  The possibilities are endless...

Indian Feast

Ever since doing a report on the Taj Mahal in the third grade, I've been captivated, inspired, and intrigued by the colors, flavors, and style of India.

 

I love these photos from Emersonmade's travel blog, and they make me long to be wearing a caftan, turban, and outsized turquoise ring while smoking a bidi and wearing some serious kohl eyeshadow somewhere near Jaipur.  For now, I'll have to settle for cheffing up an Indian feast on a warm June evening in Boston (little man probably wouldn't appreciate the bidi smoke anyway). 

I've talked about our quickie Indian dinners a lot, and tofu tikka masala is pretty much always on our weekly menu.  I saute tofu and petite peas, add greens and a Seeds of Change tikka masala sauce, toast some naan, and call it dinner.  We always enjoy these Indian meals so much that I decided I am ready to delve into a bit of scratch Indian cooking as well.   I stocked up on cumin seeds, garam masala and curry on my last grocery run, and was ready to get started.   So, last night, along with the usual tofu tikka, I made baingan bartha from scratch, based on a recipe from Eat Live Run.

Don't you feel healthier just looking at this ingredient pile?  All veggies and spices... delish.

Massive pile of cilantro on deck next to tofu tikka prep.

Yum.

This meal was nourishing, energizing, and light.  The flavors from the Indian spices are so robust, they really wake up your taste buds and your whole body.  The baingan bartha is vegan and made simply from roasted eggplant, fresh ginger, jalapeno, tomatoes and onions, but you'd swear there is a cup of cream hiding in there based on the creamy and smooth final product.  Admittedly, it was a bit ambitious for me to try cooking this for the first time at the end of a busy Thursday... if you're new to Indian food, I'd recommend saving this experiment for a Saturday.  Nonetheless, I was glad to have put in the effort.  This was a special dinner and we savored it slowly, dipping pieces of warm garlic naan into the spicy sauces, and chatting until the sky was dark.

I need a new camera.  And better kitchen lighting. But, you get the gist... colorful and tasty!

Yesterday was the kind of day where calling for a pizza would have been so much more sane than preparing this meal, but sometimes following your inspiration and diving into the things that make you feel alive (travel daydreams, vibrant colors, and spicy, healthy, vegetarian cuisine) is the sanest choice of all. 

Happy Friday!

Here's to an adventurous weekend of trying new things...

Things I'm Loving about Summer (so far)

There's nothing like a little cold snap to make you really appreciate the arrival of summer.  After temps dipped into the 50s for the last two days, today's sunshine and 75 degree weather has me singing the praises of my favorite season.  Here is what I am loving the most so far...

Alba Botanica Sunscreen

I have very sensitive skin, and their block provides great coverage without being oily, greasy or at all irritating.  I survived a day on the water wearing just one coating of Alba 15, and came away with a nice brown glow and nary a sunburn to be seen.  Made with all natural ingredients and no gross sunscreen smell, I can't say enough good things about this find.

Skinnygirl Margaritas 
Don't laugh.  I daresay that the Skinnygirl 'Rita is my official cocktail of summer 2011.  I bought them because margaritas have always been a favorite summer beverage of mine, and because I love my Bethenny; I wasn't expecting much, but I should have known better!  They are affordable ($12/bottle at our local store, whereas stocking the bar to make a proper 'rita from scratch would cost maybe four times that), easy (pour over ice), so drinkable (perhaps too drinkable... buyer beware... despite the girly packaging these are LEGIT cocktails and should be treated as such), and best of all, only 37 calories a glass.  Cheers, Bethenny!  And thank you.

J Crew 5"Chino shorts

I love these comfortable, durable, flattering, everyday shorts.  They are short enough to feel a bit saucy, but long enough to not attract the stinkeye from other moms at the playground.  They come in every color possible, don't ride up, and are basically my go-to summer mom uniform for things like playground missions and early morning coffee runs.   I'm still rocking mine from last summer, so they were well worth the investment.

Grilled Salads
Every Sunday, the husband grills up a storm.  And every Sunday, I load him up with huge plates of veggies that have nothing to do with our dinner, and he grills them to perfection.  I let them cool, put them in tupperwares, and every weekday I make myself a phenomenal salad for lunch, filled with things like grilled zucchini, grilled corn, and even grilled leeks.  With some mixed greens, cherry tomatoes and a sprinkle of feta or perhaps some chopped baked tofu, these salads fill me up and energize me for the rest of the busy day.  A salad for lunch is nothing special, but tasty grilled ingredients elevate these to gourmet status.  Try it!

A gray pedi

Glamour.com photo

I'm not one to follow nail trends.  I usually go with something classic and red or sweet and pale on my toes during the summer months (fingers are trimmed, bare and buffed, always), but I'm loving this gray thing that is going on right now.  Sleek and sophisticated, it is a fun change from the usual.  I love the OPI pale grays (which, by the way, are pthalate-free, thanks for asking).  For the record, the feet above aren't mine, as my current polish job is over a month old, and you don't need to see that (note to self: give feet love ASAP).

Other things I love...
spending whole mornings outside at the playground with the little man, grilling three nights a week, waking up to sunshine, magical iced coffee (haven't tried it yet???  do it now!  this stuff is the elixir of the gods), thunderstorms, and J.P. Licks Oreo low-fat frozen yogurt.

What are you loving this summer?