Baby It's Cold Outside

     Happy New Year!  OK, so it's been a new year for 18 days now and it seems that the last time I posted a blog, I was working on embracing a farewell to summer and a hello to fall.  It's now mid-January and with the holidays behind me, I'm deep in the trenches folks.  Gone are the crisp autumn days with their flirtatious reds, yellows and oranges.  Everything now is either a chilly steal gray or icy white.  Since I last wrote, we've weathered (quite literally actually) a major hurricane that devastated 1/2 of the tri-state area and displaced us for 2 weeks, a car accident on Christmas Eve that totaled our family van and about 2 weeks of the flu that ran through almost the entire household.  Yay winter!

     I really want to love winter.  Truly, I do.  I was actually born in winter so it should be a time to celebrate.  However, I remember many of my birthday parties cancelled due to illness and in many of my childhood birthday pictures I'm sporting a rather bright red mustache from wiping my nose too often.  Having a birthday so close to Christmas also meant the well-intentioned but totally lame Christmas/Birthday present.  I have to say that one year though it really paid off with a Cabbage Patch Kid and a trip to see Annie on Broadway.  Did I mention that I had the best grandparents ever?

                                      Notice the slight red-stache?  Dig the Holly Hobby plates!


     I guess I have a love/hate relationship with winter.  There are some redeeming qualities.  I love the way everything looks covered in newly fallen snow.  I love how silent the world seems as the snow falls.  It's almost as if you can hear each one of the flakes landing.  I love the smell of fireplaces warming my neighbors homes. I love being the only one on the hiking trails and hearing my steps crunching on the frozen path. Also, there is something so satisfying in a cup of hot chocolate or bowl of savory soup after a day of sleigh-riding. 

                                                            Just needs marshmallows

     I remember the excitement of waking up to snow as a kid.  I'd wait in the early morning gloom to hear how many whistles would blow from the fire station.  After the last blessed blast that signaled a snow day I was too excited to possibly fall back to sleep.  My house was always freezing in the morning as my frugal grandmother who controlled the thermostat for the whole house wouldn't turn the heat back on until around 8 am, so I'd wrap myself in an afghan (strategically made by said grandmother) and make my way to the kitchen.  I could always count on a hearty breakfast from my robe-clad mother who would be drinking black tea as if her life depended on it.  As soon as the hissing of the radiators started, that meant that I could start to get my clothes on, huddling as close to the radiator as I could (geez, you think I grew up during the Great Depression!).  Now, I don't know if snow pants didn't exist in the 80's, but if they did, I didn't own a pair.  I'd don my dungarees (oh yes, that's what my mom called them) and my sweater, and the hat, mittens and boots
(generally quite mismatched)  and head outside into the winter wonderland.  There were some snow storms where I could barely make my way through the snow.   I'd drag my Radio Flyer sled (you know with the wooden planks and red metal blades) to the County Park and attempt to steer that thing away from trees and other children all morning. I could play for hours if only my damn dungarees didn't soak through and the frost bite didn't begin to burn my thighs.  That was always my signal to head home.  The burning of my flesh.  I'd strip off  my soaked clothes and lay them by the furnace to thaw and I'd drink Ovaltine in my pajamas until my my clothes were dry and then I'd start the whole process over again.

     As a former frost-bite victim I have acquired an impressive collection of snow gear for my children.  No child of mine has ever played in the snow without at least 4 inches of thermal, water-proof fluff to protect their chicken legs.  I have bins of the stuff.  Bins upon bins.  When friends come over with their kids, I have enough gear for my kids and theirs and some strangers that may show up.  My kids don't have to pull a rusty sled 8 blocks to a county park.  They're blessed with a pretty amazing sledding track in their own backyard.  They also have snow boards and plastic sleds that don't require a perfect snow terrain to whiz them down the hill.  About three years ago I decided to join them and hot-dog it down the hill...threw my back out for 2 months.  I wish I was kidding.  I'm a bit more careful about sleigh riding now.

     That's not to say that I don't get to have my fun.  When I'm not mopping up the mounds of snow my kids track into the house, or drying my 20th load of snow gear, I get to have my own fun.  I love simmering the Dutch cocoa on the stove for my kids knowing that their Rosy-cheeked faces will be looking for it as soon as they come back in.  I get to go ice skating now as an adult and take my kids with me.  This was something that was never an option in my childhood home of non-athletic and pretty much all-the-time-broke parents.  I also get to watch my kids do something that I have never done (and probably never will)...snowboard.  It's exhilarating to see your children master something that you know would put you in traction if you ever tried it.

     Do I love winter?  No.  I can't lie.  I will be doing a dance with the first sign of a crocus popping its head up through the thawing ground.  However, that doesn't stop me from appreciating the beauty of this time of year.  I love the fact that we're all kind of forced to slow down and spend more time together in our home.  We don't participate in organized sports during the winter so we get to play more games with each other.  I am grateful for my cozy house and am happy to say that I've become quite adept at building a mean fire in my wood-burning stove.  I love my heated seats in my "new" mini van.  I absolutely live to see my children's excitement when they wake up to a white world and watch as their imaginations emerge from their electronics and they build forts and igloos and snow people. 

     I have a confession to make.  This year, late at night during one of our snow storms I was, shall we say...moved.  All of the kids were in bed and it was snowing outside.  The glow from our Christmas lights was playing on the falling snowflakes and I couldn't stay inside any longer.  I put my coat on and went outside.  I just stood there and listened to silence and then I did it.  I allowed myself to dance.  Throwing my arms out wide, I gave in to that inner-child-like rapture and twirled around in the snow.  It only lasted a moment, and I laughed at myself, but I didn't feel foolish.  I still don't.  I felt as if winter and I made peace with each other if even for a fleeting moment.

Welcome Fall, albeit begrudgingly....

Did I ever mention that I don't like change?  Perhaps the only time I truly embrace change is when the warm weather rolls in and school comes to a close.  I find myself welcoming the changes of summer easily and with open arms.  It's like a reunion with a long-lost friend.  The older I get, the faster that reunion comes to a close.  When I feel as if I've just sunk my toes into the warm sand, summer waves goodbye and the lists of school supplies wave hello.

Unlike the ecstatic shopping cart-riding parents in the commercials, I do not find this to be the most wonderful time of year.  I love the free days of the summer months where my children and I can explore the dragon flies' flight patterns in our flower garden, where my garden calls to me each day for a visit, where I can sit on my porch and watch the kids catching lightening bugs (fireflies for some of you) and listen to the frogs sing their summer symphony. 

Once September comes I find myself reluctantly thrown into the realm of tight schedules and a break-necked pace of life that comes with a job and five kids.  Suddenly mornings of loafing in our pj's are filled with alarm clocks screaming before dawn, and rushing out the door fueled with too little sleep and too much coffee along with sun-glare and traffic.  Afternoons of sun-bathing are replaced with work, school and errands being run.  Late afternoons of lazy BBQ's give way to rushed dinners, homework, sports and community events. Evenings of porch-sitting give way to driving all over creation to find the right cleats or desperately needed notebooks.  How can I possibly embrace fall like I do summer?

There was a time, during my youth when the sounds of the crowds cheering on the football game down the street meant seeing old friends again. The smell of sharpened pencils and new paint on old high school hallways were a welcome change to the boredom of late summer.  The smell of fall leaves brought a sense of comfort to me.  When the hissing of my parent's radiators and the scratchiness of a sweater worn out of storage made me feel warm and snug.  The promise of the excitement of the upcoming holidays..Halloween candy, Thanksgiving turkey and football games and the pinnacle of all holidays:  Christmas.

I find that anticipation gone.  The excitement that once came with it is replaced by the stress of being an adult responsible for making it all come together for my children.  The driving to the sports events so they can experience the roar of the crowd, the money to purchase the long list of school supplies and the tuition payments for a better school experience than I had.  The beautiful fall leaves need to be raked and composted.  The radiators only radiate heat if we pay the high oil bill.  The sweaters only come out after a week's worth of dragging bins down from the attic and organizing and sorting.  Holidays are exciting still, but also exhausting and expensive.
                                           

However, I refuse to give in to the negativity that the responsibilities of adulthood bring.  It may take me longer to embrace fall, but I find myself harvesting the last of summer's treasures from my garden and jarring them.  Perhaps it's one small way I can have a taste of summer all year long?  I enjoy the pride I feel while watching my children have their successes and in how they handle their failures in their own school and sports experiences.  I love watching them jump in the piles of raked leaves or when they climb the apple trees in the orchards we visit.  I happily bake apple pies and crisps, filling my house with the smells of autumn.  I decorate my house with pumpkins and share in my kids' excitement over their Halloween costume plans.  I make the 8 hour trek to Ohio every year for Thanksgiving so as to give my children the kind of memories that fill my husband's heart and that have made a place in my own.   I excitedly use my Christmas Club money to purchase gifts for my kids, picturing their smiles on Christmas morning.  Even as the lover of summer that I am, I am not immune to the amazing beauty that fall brings.  The crisp, bright colors of the leaves, the soft muting of the garden's grandeur.  The smells of fireplaces and wet, newly fallen leaves.  The sounds of the summer frogs replaced by the hooting of the evening owls or the howling of coyotes. 

 

I find myself pulling on extra layers and my wool-lined boots and make my way to the one place that I always feel at-home, no matter what season...the woods.  I inhale the subtly changed air with a deep breath and although I miss the salt-air of the ocean, I cannot help but be pulled in to the earthiness of the forest's beauty.  I can see summer's last green breath being transformed into the fiery colors of autumn as a fitting send-off to the beauty and peace of my favorite season.  In nature, fall becomes a rich celebration of summer's life.  It's right there for all of us to participate in.  I hope that I always choose to be a participant, even if at first I'm reluctant.

 

Basil, Garlic, Cheese and Olive Oil...You Can't Go Wrong!

I love basil.  The fragrance is amazing and the flavor is so fresh.  I prefer to use it at the end of a cooked dish or keep it raw to capture that bright characteristic taste.  Pesto is one of my favorite ways to use basil as you don't cook it and it goes with so many wonderful things.  We love to make grilled pizza with pesto, mozzerella and grilled chicken.  Pesto with some crusty bread and roasted vegetables is another great summer meal that is light but satisfying.  Last summer before the hurricane in August I harvested all of my basil and made jars and jars of pesto that I froze.  We enjoyed pesto made with cream sauce, used as a rub for meats and our favorite, pasta with pesto.  This post showcases pesto with pasta.  The original recipe called for a pestal and mortar.  I use my good old food processor!  Easy as can be and your kitchen will smell wonderfully!

1/3c. of pine nuts (if you don't like nuts you can omit them, but they give the pesto a more complex flavor...once I was out of pine nuts and used some roasted almonds I had on hand, it was delicious!) and 4 cloves of garlic....take them for a whirl..

                                                            Add 2 c. of the green stuff

                               1/2c. pecorino romano cheese and 3/4c. of parmesan, salt/pepper to taste

Add olive oil while the food processor is running (I eyeball it till I like the consistency but approx. 1/4c.)  In the meanwhile cook up your favorite pasta (I use spaghetti) al dente.

                                Toss and serve from cute bowl that my Momma painted for me! :)

Not So Healthy But Oh So Good!

Every year I'm inundated with zucchini from my garden.  I'm fine with that though because I have some pretty tasty zucchini recipes.  It's amazing what you can do with this cousin of the cucumber.  This post is about one of the less healthy dishes you can make with zucchini, but I promise you it's delicious!  I'm sure you can make it with less eggs and no oil, but I only make this every once in awhile and it's not like I eat the entire thing so that's my rationalization and I'm sticking with it! 

                             Slice those babies up, skins and all.  You'll need 3c, although I eyeball it.

                                 Dice an entire onion...you can stop there with the fillings or...

                                            Add something yummy like sliced pepperoni!

OK, so it started out pretty healthy but went downhill...4 eggs, 1/2c. of parmesan, 1/4c. of oil and 1 c. Bisquick.  Salt and pepper to taste.  It's worth it!
 

                                   Bake at 375 for 45 minutes and it comes out looking like this....

Add shredded cheddar cheese for another 5 minutes and it looks like this and tastes like heaven!

We Be Jammin'

This really isn't a recipe blog as much as it's proof that making your own delicious jam is so easy!  If you've every wanted to try it out but were afraid to do so, this will show you just how easy it is. 

                                                                  Berries from my garden

Bring to a boil Mason Jars and lids for at least 10 minutes to sanitize them and also so that the glass jars are ready to receive hot liquid.

OK, I know that's a bag of WHITE SUGAR and I use unrefined pure cane in everything, but you need a ghastly amount for this recipe (7 cups!) that economically this is the best way to go.  I figure that at any given time I don't eat more than a tablespoon of the jam anyway.  Live a little!  Oh and that little green box contains powdered fruit pectin.  That will make your yumminess gel.

After crushing the berries, you add the pectin, a little lemon juice and the sugar and cook it all down to a full boil.

                                                                        Fill 'er up!

After you seal your jars, carefully (I use BBQ tongs) place the jars back in boiling water until the little raised button in the middle of the caps depresses.  That means you've created a vacuum and your jams will last.  I store mine in a refridgerator and use them as hostess gifts, going away presents and teacher's gifts.  Whatever jars I can hide from kids that is!

Yes, Kale Can Be Delicious!



Yum!

I came across this recipe via Pinterest a few months ago and was intrigued.  I'm always trying to get greens into my diet because I know how good they are for me.  The blogger who published this recipe couldn't say enough about it and it was easy enough so I had to try it.  I'm so glad I did!  I make a bowl or two of thise a week now and have it all week long.  I'm the only one in my house who will eat Kale and that's OK, more for me!  Although I didn't grow the ingredients I had to share.

You start with a bunch of Kale (generally however they're packaged at the store is enough).  After it's washed you pull the leaves off of the chewy stems in an upward ripping motion.  Then you roll the leaves and slice them into thin strips.  Next comes the entire reason this recipe is so delicous....the dressing!

                                                             You juice one lemon.....

The original recipe calls for two cloves of crushed garlic, I prefer one so I'm not knocking everyone out with my breath all day....

           One teaspoon of this is just perfect for me although you can add more if you'd like.....

                                                                             3 TBS.

               Add salt to taste and whisk with a fork....pour over the kale and mix well...I use a spatula to get it all in there.

                                   About a 1/3c. of shredded parmesan (I just throw in a handful).

And voila!  It really is delcious.  Not bitter, and has a nice bright flavor.  Enjoy!

Been Cookin'



It's been a while since I posted and since then summer has been in full swing.  The usual cast of characters is up to their usual fun........................................

We've played at the park

We marveled at God's beauty

We've been to the beach

We've played in the backyard

We've roasted marshmallows

We've watched the clouds

And.....

 And we've cooked!  That garden has finally started to produce and I've been busy feeding my family and look forward to sharing with my friends.  If you're interested in any of my recipes I'll be posting them seperately in the next couple of blogs.  Happy Summer Everyone!