Yesterday was just what we needed. I woke up ready to make it a better day. I had a feeling that what I needed was a day off, not just a day off from emails, errands, etc. but a day off from being “mom”. Yet, I didn’t want to be away from my family at all. I thought about it and what I decided was that G and I could both use a day off from the rules, the learning, the growth. We are figuring this whole mom-daughter-toddler thing out together and it’s not always easy. Some days, even some weeks, I feel like I’m constantly saying, no, that’s not okay, please don’t, hold on, wait just a second, you need to be quiet/gentle/polite/use your manners… especially during the times when G is challenging me. But we are just doing our jobs to the best of our abilities. After all, it is her job right now to grow, test, challenge, and question. It is my job to mindfully parent her.
I was so happy that it was Friday. TGIF. It’s the weekend! A break from the work, a change in the routine. What’s to say that G wasn’t just as grateful when the end of the week rolled around? We both needed Saturday off, so that’s what we did. I didn’t press her about rules, we played whatever she wanted right when she wanted. If she said, “Let’s dance!”, we danced. It was fantastic. In fact, from now on we are taking Fridays off. Let the week bring what it may, but from now on Fridays are for me and my girls.
So no rules, coffee in bed, a seriously silly dance party, several readings of Pirate Girl, and excessive snuggling rounded out our morning. As soon as Lulu rose from her morning nap we headed out for a little morning hike, my hiking abilities are a bit limited as my foot is still healing, but that was just fine because it was very cold. A short hike with lattes in hand, a picnic that consisted of a couple of kiwis and some pretzels, and lots of make believe was just the thing. Never underestimate the power of fresh air. When we got home the girls had naps and Kyle and I had lunch and talked about some big goals… then Kyle got to work on his studies and I got to work making cookies.
I’d bought some plump Meyer lemons at the store last week with the intention to make my Meyer Lemon Rosemary Shortbread Cookies. As soon as I see Meyer lemons pop up in the produce section, like little beacons of sunshine sent North from California, I pounce on them. I love shortbread, it’s sweet and a little salty, flaky… and you know I love anything that can be equally enjoyed for dessert and for breakfast. The moment the microplane hit those lemons and the fragrant, tangerine-y smell filled the air, I felt better about everything. I doubled my recipe and ended up with 128 little heart shaped cookies. Gigi woke from her nap just in time to help me make the glaze and drizzle it all over our cookies. We let the glaze set, wrapped up 108 of the cookies into neat little parchment packages of six each, and set out with a basket full of cookies.
As we pulled on our warm coats, smiles on our faces, I remembered something that is easy to forget but important to learn, and to relearn… the surest way to feel more positive, happier, and to put a smile back on your face, is to do something nice for someone else. So that’s what we did. We were cookie fairies, first on our street, then in our neighborhood, then we hopped in the car for a few extra special deliveries. It was the one on one time Gigi and I needed, she listened without being chided and I parented without trying. We talked about how great it felt to make surprise our friends and make them smile… we are most certainly going to make it a regular thing.
Ingredients.
3 sticks (1 1/2 cups) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar (plus more for topping)
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
1 tablespoon rosemary, finely minced
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
2 teaspoons Meyer lemon zest
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 egg yolk
1/4 cup Meyer lemon juice
2-2 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar
Directions.
In a stand mixer, whip the butter for a few minutes until it’s glossy and light. Add in the granulated sugar and mix on medium-high for 3-4 minutes, until it has creamed into a frosting like consistency. Add in the cup of confectioner’s sugar and mix until combined. Add in the rosemary, lemon zest, vanilla, and egg yolk and mix until combined. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour and salt, then add it, one cup at a time, to the wet ingredients, mixing until blended.
Transfer the dough to a large piece of plastic wrap, shape it into a log and seal it up. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes… the cooler the dough, the easier it is to work with.
Preheat your oven to 350˚F. Flour your work surface and working with half of the dough at a time, use a rolling pin to spread the dough out into a sheet that’s about 1/4 inch thick. Pick out your cookie cutter and cut the dough into shapes. Simple shapes work best for these cookies. You can also cut the cookie dough into squares if you prefer. Continue until all the dough has been cut out. I found it easiest bake one batch (two sheets) while I kept cutting out cookies for the next round. I laid the cut out cookies on parchment paper and then transferred them to the baking sheet.
Lay the cut cookies 1 inch apart on a parchment paper covered cookie sheet. Sprinkle each cookie with a pinch of granulated sugar.
Bake two sheets of cookies at a time on the upper and lower middle racks of the oven for 20 minutes, or just until the cookies begin to very slightly brown on the sides. Rotate them halfway through baking. It’s important to note that if you have a little dough leftover and only have one rack in the oven, the cookies will bake a bit faster, so keep an eye on them!
Move the cookies immediately to a cooling rack, keeping them on the parchment paper.
While the cookies are cooling, make the glaze. Put the 1/4 cup Meyer lemon juice in a small bowl. Add in the confectioner’s sugar, 1/2 cup at a time until you have a slightly thick but still drizzle-able glaze. Once the cookies are cooled drizzle each one with a little bit of the glaze. Allow to set for about 30 minutes, or until the glaze is firm to the touch. Enjoy immediately! The cookies will store well for a few days in an airtight container. This recipe makes about 40 small heart shaped cookies, be sure to share with friends.
This Roasted Ratatouille is something we make all year round. It’s easy, delicious, and healthy. Enjoy this little cooking video Gigi and I made. You can read about and print the recipe here.
Last week was kind of rotten around here with colds, grumpiness, and disorganization. But somehow we were able to get things in working order this weekend. Everyone is healthy, the house is tidy, and we had a wonderful tiny birthday celebration for Gigi. I even got to read in bed for a good hour yesterday afternoon! So, I’m having a “first day of the New Year” do-over. As far as I’m concerned today is the start of my new year…
It’s a New Year and I couldn’t be happier. This year was amazing and challenging. The ups and downs this year felt more extreme than usual… we welcomed Lulu to our family and what a joy she is! We had so many wonderful experiences with our friends and family. This year was also a very difficult one. My best friend, who I’m blessed to have as my next door neighbor, was diagnosed with breast cancer in August. I didn’t talk about it at all here because it wasn’t my experience to talk about. I’m mentioning it now because I learned from it that we should be doing self-breast exams even if you’re breastfeeding and even if you’re in your early 30’s. That’s maybe my most important resolution for the New Year. I learned more than just that from her, I was so impressed with her sense of humor, her positivity, her strength, her perspective. I hope to take some of her traits with me into this year.
Aside from doing monthly self-breast exams, my main goals for this coming year are to focus on simplicity and self-care. Together Kyle and I are reassessing everything, holding up household items and asking one another, “Do we still use this enough to justify keeping it around?”, as well as taking a broader look at our belongings and lifestyle, “Could we work as a one car family?” We’ve also been talking a lot about what we need as individuals in order to feel less depleted and drained. For both of us that means we need exercise, time to work on our creative projects, a clean house, and a healthy diet. Sometimes meeting these simple needs can seem really challenging but we are trying not to overthink it. As we continue to simplify our work lives, our home environment, and our schedules things will all fall into place.
An urgent focus for me is to get my foot to heal. My foot has been injured since Lulu was born. After hobbling and limping around for the past 7 months, I finally got a complete diagnosis; stress fractures, sprained ligaments, and tendonitis! It sounds intense, and it kind of is, but it’s nothing degenerative and nothing that requires surgery so I actually feel relieved. Doctor’s orders were to rest (which is difficult given that I’m alone with two busy babes all day) and to boost my body’s ability to heal by increasing my calcium and protein intake (which I can totally do)! I think the lesson hidden in the injury is a reminder that if I don’t take care of myself, and even learn to put my needs first sometimes, or I won’t be able to be at my best for anyone else. That is a challenge for me, but something that I (obviously) need to work on this year.
So with a fridge full of farm fresh eggs, vegetables, chicken, yogurt, etc. a pantry loaded with quinoa and whole wheat flour, and a new calcium supplement and order of prenatal vitamins on the way, a clean house, and a growing mountain of things heading to the Goodwill center, I feel ready to take on the New Year.
One of my go to, easy, protein packed meals is to make a big batch of Chicken Salad early in the week. That way, even on my busiest, most frazzled days, I have something on hand that nourishes me. I often stuff it into pitas, make sandwiches with it, or put a large scoop of it on top of salad greens… and I’ve been known to simply eat it straight from the bowl when the day seems pinched into teeny tiny moments to take care of myself.
Ingredients.
3 bone in, skin on chicken breasts
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup mayonnaise or Veganaise
6 green onions, thinly sliced
4 tablespoons dijon mustard
3-4 stalks celery, thinly sliced
palmful fresh marjoram, tarragon, or thyme, minced
Directions.
Preheat the oven to 375˚F. Place the chicken breast on a cookie sheet, drizzle with olive oil and season generously with salt and black pepper. Roast until the interior temperature reaches 170˚. Remove from the oven and allow it to cool.
Meanwhile, prep all your other ingredients. Once the chicken has cooled, remove and discard the skin, and cut the breast meat from the bone. Roughly dice the meat, and mix it in a bowl along with the mayonnaise, green onions, dijon mustard, celery, and fresh herbs. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Pile the chicken salad into pitas or onto your favorite sandwich bread, or scoop it on top of some crisp romaine for a great salad.
This Roasted Butternut Squash Soup is really delicious! It’s one of my fall and winter go-to meals. It also freezes well and makes a great baby food! I’ve also separated out the sections, and included videos for how to make brown butter and how to make fried sage!
ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP WITH BROWN BUTTER AND FRIED SAGE
Ingredients.
2.5lbs butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed
extra virgin olive oil
1 head garlic
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
nutmeg
1 yellow onion, diced
1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
5 fresh sage leaves (plus more for garnishing)
2 quarts low-sodium vegetable broth
unsalted butter
Directions.
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Slice of the top 1/3 of your head of garlic, exposing the tops of the cloves. Place the head (exposed cloves up) on a square of aluminum foil. Pour a few tablespoons of olive oil over the head, sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper. Seal the head in the foil pouch and set it in the corner of a large cookie sheet.
In a large bowl combine the cubed squash, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 tsp of salt, 1/2 tsp of freshly ground black pepper and a pinch of nutmeg. Toss until the squash is well coated in oil. Transfer to the cookie sheet and spread into a single layer. Place the cookie sheet in the oven and roast the squash and garlic, tossing the squash occasionally until the squash is caramelized. Remove the garlic at 1 hour, open the foil and check that it’s nice and golden. Let it cool, or if needed return it to the oven for a few more minutes. The squash usually takes 1-1 1/2 hours. When the squash is caramelized remove the baking sheet from the oven and allow it to cool. Remove the roasted cloves of garlic from the head and set aside in a small bowl.
Meanwhile, heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a large stockpot over medium high heat. Toss in the onion and carrot, season with a pinch of salt and pepper, and sauté for 5-7 minutes until soft. Toss in five chopped sage leaves and stir for 1-2 minutes, until fragrant. Pour in the vegetable broth, the roasted squash, and the roasted garlic cloves. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes.
While the soup is simmering you can prepare the brown butter. Take 1/2 stick of butter and in a small sauté pan, over medium-low heat, gently melt the butter, stirring constantly. It will begin to foam. Continue stirring. The foam will subside leaving you with separated butter. It will look perfectly clear. Continue to stir. The butter will begin to foam up again and will quickly begin to turn a toasty brown color. When it smells amazing and turns a beautiful golden brown hue, quickly transfer the butter to small bowl and set aside.
Wipe the pan clean with a damp paper towel. Pour in 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil and heat until shimmering. Gently place in a few leaves at a time and allow to fry for 10-15 seconds. You don’t want them to brown! Remove using tongs and set on a paper towel to drain. Repeat with the remaining garnish leaves. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and set aside.
By now your soup should be ready to blend. Using an immersion blender purée the soup until smooth. If you don’t have an immersion blender, transfer the soup in batches to blender and purée until smooth. Leave the plug off, covering the whole on the top with a thickly folded towel. This allows some of the steam to escape so you’re not created any pressure.
Finally, transfer the soup to large bowls, top with a drizzle of brown butter and a few fried sage leaves. Serve immediately with a crunchy slice of toast.
We had a really wonderful Thanksgiving. Kyle took Wednesday and today off so we have had lot of family time. We spent part of the earlier week with his family, and the latter half of this week with my family. We spent Wednesday night and Thanksgiving night up at my Dad and Stepmom’s little ranch with lots of friends and family. We get pretty spoiled for the big day, with talented chefs cooking up wonderful dishes, our wonderful friend from Portland brings the most amazing cheeses and treats and incredible champagne. I brought my Sourdough Stuffing, and Salted Caramel Cheesecakes. My Stepmom is a fabulous hostess, the table is arranged beautifully with thoughtful, funny gifts laid out for everyone and there’s a focus on gratitude, conversation, and fun. It’s quickly becoming one of my favorite holidays.
If you’ve hosted your own Thanksgiving and are lucky enough to be in possession of a leftover turkey, you can make this simple and incredibly comforting Turkey Barley Soup. The first step is to make a rich, flavorful broth from what remains of your Thanksgiving turkey. The soup is the perfect remedy for the long cold evenings between the holidays. Cozy up next your Christmas tree with a bowl of this soup and a chunk of crusty french bread.
Ingredients.
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
4 cups shredded turkey meat
1 cup barley
8 cups turkey broth*
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
1 bay leaf
pinch nutmeg
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
Directions.
In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Sauté the onion until softened, about 7 minutes. Add the carrots and celery and sauté for another few minutes. Toss in the garlic, spices and bay leaf and stir together for a minute or two.
Add in the broth, turkey, and barley. Stir together to combine and simmer, uncovered, for 35-45 minutes, until the barley is cooked through but still has a little chew and the broth is slightly thickened and bubbling. Season to taste.
Serve and enjoy.
*I make my turkey broth by cutting and breaking up my turkey carcass into smaller parts, submerging those parts in cold water in large stock pots, adding a bay leaf or two, a couple sliced carrots, celery and onions, peppercorns and a bit of thyme and rosemary. I simmer them on very low heat, partially covered for a few hours until the broth is super flavorful and slightly thickened. I strain it, and allow it to cool. Strip all the meat from the bones and set it aside to use for the soup. Scrape the fat from the top of the cooled broth and discard it. You should have a wonderfully flavorful and gelatinous broth!
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpeg)
.png)
.png){kind=small}
.png){kind=small}