Big Girl Bed

About a month ago, Audrey started sleeping in her very own 'big girl bed.'

A week later, she shed her pacifiers, leaving them all on the front porch for the 'Pappy Fairy' to pick up and deliver to all the newborn babies. The Pappy Fairy left her a really cool Winnie the Pooh sticker book and Daddy and Mommy bought her a kite. This is a HUGE sacrifice that deserves a little bribery.

Playing in the rain....

On a different note, I am telling you that the 5-minute bread dough is incredible. Not only does it turn out amazing loafs, the other recipes are incredible too. We used the Boule dough for their Caramel Sticky Buns and the European Peasant Bread dough for pizza dough and both were the best I've ever made.

Nudity goes with alot

--Edit: July 15th: since there are so many creepy people on the Internet and we've made our blog public again, the nude picture is removed. You still get the general idea.---

A homemade scarf and platinum shoes look good with nudity.

Or you for evening, you can never go wrong with a glamorous black/metallic scarf and your birthday suit.

Bar-b-que ribs are such a mess anyway, I say why not eat 'em nude?

And when you're using glitter to make your Valentines, it's much easier to make them whilst naked and just shower off afterward.

You know your child

needs a sibling when....

...when they carry around a ceramic statue (that you bought at Ross for $8), cuddling it, wanting to take it to bed and calling it her "baby sister."

Man kids know how to push the 'guilt button.'

The Violet Garden

Toward the end of January, Audrey and I started taking a Parent/Child class at a Waldorf preschool here in Sellwood. We have several friends whose kids attend the preschool itself and L-O-V-E it, but since we don't have plans for A to attend P.S. quite yet, we thought it could be fun to join this instead. 

It is soooo cool. Enchanting and peaceful. Not like any other sort of storytime, playgroup or date we have ever joined. (I leave feeling like I've had a glass of wine.) 'Ms. Jody' leads the class which starts each week with  quiet song while the kids grind grain for the bread that they make for their own snack. Then, the children play in her beautiful playroom which is furnished with all kinds of traditional wooden toys, dolls, etc. --all very well-worn and loved, while the mommies sit and work on a craft (materials provided) and fold linens. (Everything in Waldorf is intentionally done.) Later, we sit at the pint-sized wooden table where the kids knead and form their dough into buns, adding raisins (or eating them all) and even making a roll to take home to daddy. Then, we go back into the playroom to tidy the room, sing songs and listen to rhymes, returning to the table to eat the bread with cinnamon-butter and tea. After that it's time for a puppet show and then outside to play in the uber-cool yard that is covered with hay and contains all manner of fun spots for kids' imaginations to run wild. There are even chickens. It is an absolute kid-heaven.  (There's no regular preschool on Thursday's so the only children are in the P/C class, which is limited to 5 couples.)

Pictures below are in reverse chronological order. 

Audrey and Delilah hold hands on the swing

A eating bread dough. No, not bread. Dough. You'd think I never fed the child. 

Audrey eating raisins instead of putting them in her bread.

Ms. Jody and Audrey grinding grain for the bread

Kneading the dough...

The kiddies 'clean up' after each activity, to the tune of a very mellow song about a gnome who said 'let's clean up our room' 

Oh.

My.

Gosh.

I wasn't sure that I believed it, but it's true. In the quest to bake artisan-quality bread, I stumbled across this book: Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discovery That Revolutionizes Home Baking.

I bought it from Amazon, wondering how any book could get SUCH rave reviews and incredulous that it is actually possible. Well it is. And let me tell you, I've now read quite a few books on bread baking and most of them do require a good deal of time, effort, equipment and materials to be on par with what the authors call for. This book, on the other hand, couldn't make it easier. AND, perhaps the thing that I love most is that they have eliminated every possible step that is not needed--including kneading. (Pardon the pun.) It's CRAZY. You can even mix it in one bowl. The authors may not like me for telling you the secret, but here it is: they have developed a very simple dough recipe that has a very wet consistency and therefore can be stored for up to 14 days in the fridge. So all you do is mix together water, yeast, salt and flour(s)--just barely mixing, no need to knead, let it rise and then store in the fridge. Then you just take a blob out every day, letting it rest for 20 minutes before baking. And bake. And let me tell you-- we baked our first loaf today and devoured the entire thing while still hot. And it actually even looked like the cover of the book. SO SIMPLE! And there's enough dough in the fridge for 5 more loaves.  (I made one batch of boule dough and one of European Peasant dough). Several other super cool things: 1.) Supposedly, the bread only gets better and better as the dough ages in the fridge, creating it's own 'sourdough.'  2.) The book is chalked full of simple variations on the basic recipe (rolls, sweets, etc.) and includes recipes for using bread as a main ingredient, as well as uses for stale bread. 3.) It's a quick read and they completely demystify many of the things that prohibit the common man from attempting artisan bread (that you need fancy, expensive ingredients, etc.) At $4-$6 a loaf for artisan quality, think of how much money you'll save!

I HIGHLY encourage you to purchase the book yourself. In the quest to eat healthier and avoid all those breads with so many preservatives, etc.--this book makes it SUPER easy to bake fresh bread as often as you'd like. Not to mention the fact that making the dough really and truly does only take 5 minutes and you don't have that annoying flour-mess all over your kitchen and multiple rising times, which, for me, has been the primary deterrents from baking bread more often. 

Oh--and a few tips: I have only just discovered the virtue and pleasure of shopping for kitchen stuff at restaurant supply stores. HOLY COW--where have I been all these years? Buh-bye William Sonoma and no--not even Target can beat these prices, not to mention the fact that restaurants expect higher quality than regular consumers. Flour & bread dough storage containers that retail for $16 each (plus lids!) at KingArthur.com sell for $3.50 at my local restaurant supply. 

- I still used my cast iron skillet method, rather than a baking stone + water as recommended and the magical crackle was still there. Will definitely do a showdown test at some point.

- Instead of a pizza peel, I used my wooden cutting board to save a few bucks. On second thought- given my propensity for serious burns and mishaps, may be that would be money well spent. 

In any case, the 5 minute artisan bread baking is a truly groundbreaking discovery for domestic life. 

A revelation.

Everyone around me has probably always known this but has been far too kind to break it to me: I am a dork. 

I have always known that I am a goof, a bit unconventional...and unique in my own way. But isn't everybody?

Over the past few weeks, however, I have suddenly realized that this is far beyond the realm of normalcy. 

I think I may have a mild version Turret's syndrome. You know- the disorder where you blurt out cuss-words and have tics (spelling?) Only in my case, I blurt out abruptly direct questions/comments, etc.--not cruel or even meant to be rude-- just without much filter. Things that no extremely nice person would actually say (Denise!) even if they are thinking them. You may not believe it, but to me this trait has just always passed as openness/sincerity. And instead of twitching, I'm just extremely ungraceful and clumsy, obsessively multi-tasking, to the peril of each and every task. Just now, for example, while I was writing this, I heard a huge splash out in the kitchen. Assuming that it was my very low-end and loud dishwasher, I continued writing. When the lovely smells of lavender and burnt sugar wafted into my senses, I suddenly remembered that I was infusing a pot full of honey on low heat. I ran into the kitchen only to discover honey boiled out onto my entire ceramic cooktop. Burning and scorching...creating yet another mess for myself to clean up.

This is starting to sound like a different disorder altogether. When I was a kid my favorite cough drop was Sucrets. So I think I'll call it that. 

I am a dork and I blame it on my Sucrets.

How is it, exactly, that I have any friends?

I am a dork, suffering from Sucrets. Admitting it is always the first step, right?

Coolest Kids Furniture EVER.

An article about fun kids furniture in the Oregonian highlighted some seriously fun stuff. The Sobey Dresser and Anne Armoire at Straightline Designs are our faves...Bridge cabinet is SUPER clever as are many of their other pieces. Wonder how much they cost? Probably slightly pricier than IKEA. Darn.

P.S. Audrey sleeping in own toddler bed. New posting on this to follow.

Found this hilarious pic taken in Las Vegas- 2002, I believe. 

Elvis is alive peeps.

Symphony of Crackle

"How can you tell how good bread is without tasting it? Not the smell, not the look, but the sound of the crust. Listen. [bread crackles] Oh, symphony of crackle. Only great bread sound this way."

- Colette (Ratatouille)

If you love bread, this tip might just rock your world.

I am by no means a bread-baking expert. That being said, I have baked quite a few loaves and buns in my life. Most Danish people bake their own bread regularly and consider it no big deal. But most my breads & rolls, while tasty, have lacked that elusive and tell-tale crust of true artisan textures.

On a NY Times blog, I have discovered a tip from a famous NYC baker that has completely revolutionized my crusts. And best of all, it is super simple. It is no feat to create culinary masterpieces with tons of time and/or money. Most artisan bakers have amazing ovens, stones, equipment, etc. Simple rocks my world.

See sidebar, 'What's Cookin Hot Stuff' for the tip.

I am on a quest to learn how to make awesome but super quick/easy breads, so that we can have fresh bread more often. If anyone has tips or is interesting in joining me, let me know. 

Choosy Moms Choose Jif

It may be packed with fat, sugar and sodium, but it won't give you salmonella my friends.

Recent Peanut Butter recall does not include Jif.

So anyone who eats Jif does not have to worry.

Don't believe me? See here

Oh and did I mention that I am banned from doing Zumba, or from walking any more than absolutely necessary for 4-8 weeks? 

Susie Homemaker's 

Favorite Things

January 2009

Tied for First Place: 

1.) Zumba. My new favorite way to dance off stress and fatigue. I LOVE it. Not only is it great exercise, but it's a totally fun way to turn off your brain and shake ya bootie.

1.) Waxed paper bags. Unbleached and compostable, these bags are the green choice and best alternative to regular plastic sandwich & snack baggies (which, in interest of full disclosure we still use when necessary).

But put all that eco stuff aside. The very best thing about them: the delightful, crispy sound and feel the wafer-thin waxy paper makes in your hand. $2.95 for 60. Try 'em, you'll love 'em, I promise.

2.) Electrolux Ergo Rapido

It's a stick vacuum so I don't have to choose between leaving oodles of crumbs and fallen food on the floor or getting down my heavy upright (which I still love, by the way) for every little mess. This thing rocks and is available at Costco. 

3.) My good old crockpot.

It's not even a fancy one. The $19 spent over 5 years ago is worth $millions, in my book. Not only is it a mega time saver, but you can make so many fantastic things in it (and not just WT food, either). Which brings me to.....

4.) Gourmet Slow Cooker I & II

These books are awesome. Even if you don't want to follow the exact recipe, they give great ideas for what's possible for the old girl.

Susie Homemaker, MBA

I'm discovering that once you've (for the most part) made peace with the decision to stay home with your young child, it's all about embracing the role with all your heart while trying to stay out of the sanitarium, with all your mind. (Which is why I, a total gym h-a-t-e-r, have finally resigned myself to my fate of becoming a member as I cannot, for the life of me, get my usual pilates routine done without interruption during the course of a day.)

I read a really interesting article in Wondertime magazine once. The female author lamented how she wishes someone had told her how painfully...and fleetingly short this season of life (staying home with young children) would be. Apparently, she'd spent alot of time struggling with the worry/fear that the rest of the world (read: career world), was passing her by...leaving her behind. And what nonsense that turned out to be. So I took her words to heart over the past year and have really decided to enjoy and be fully present in this season of my life--which I have chosen, by the way--rather than trying to straddle so many things that I feel I am doing none of them well. Alas the temptation to do too much is not absent, even from the realm of a stay at home mom, be it via unrealistic expectations for how clean the house should be at all times--to abstaining from some of the fun things to do in our neighborhood. 

Whatever place in life we find ourselves, truer words were never said than these: "Our hearts are restless, until they rest in Thee."

Dinner: Groundnut Stew

Since my breakfast recipe is taking up nearly the whole sidebar, I've decided to post our dinner plans here. 

Have you ever had Groundnut Stew? It's an African Dish aka peanut soup. Super easy and suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuper yummy if you, for example, are a peanut satay-sauce lover.

Here's the basic idea. Today I've made it in the crockpot.

- Brown whatever chicken you have in some butter for just a couple minutes on each side (I usually use either a whole chicken or thighs which have more flavor and stand up to long, slow cooking.)

- Add some chopped onion and garlic (1 or 2 onions, a few cloves...whatever with the exact measurements!) and sautee until tender (a couple minutes)

- If I have them, I also usually add some chopped bell peppers, carrots & celery to the sautee mixture; if you don't have it, don't sweat it but you know how it is: the more veggies, the better.

From here, you have a few options:

-If you want to make the whole thing stovetop, just do all the sauteeing in a stockpot and add the remaining ingredients, simmering for a few hours.

-If you're using the crockpot, I recommend greasing it and using the low setting for 6-8 hours.

- Either way, add your chicken, onions, garlic to the crockpot/pan

- Using an immersion blender (always my preference), a regular blender or a wire wisk and bowl, blend 1 cup peanut butter (I only use Jif chunky cause I wanna stay nice and chunky) with 2 cups boiling water or chicken broth and add to the chicken. (I often make double sauce cause it's sooo yummy.)

To that add:

- Asian Sweet chili sauce (about 1/4 to 1/2 cup)

- 1/8 cup soy sauce 

- salt & pepper to taste

...and a few other options:

- Adding some coconut milk/cream will make your sauce richer 

- You can add a can of chopped tomatoes for a slightly more tangy version 

Then just let all this yummy goodness sit on a low boil/simmer for a few hours. If your sauce looks too thick, add some more chicken broth or water.

You can actually add rice to the stew and cook it directly in the sauce, but Mike adores rice plain so I usually serve atop rice in bowls.

A tangy cucumber salad goes really well with the reach peanut stew. (Thinly slice cucumbers using potato peeler and marinate in a 'dressing' made of vinegar, sugar, salt & pepper. Dressing should be tangy & sweet at the same time. Refrigerate.)

 Extremely simple, extremely good.

That's what she said

Audrey cracks us up nearly every single day now with the things she says. Lately she works in the phrases, " Actually....", "What the heck" and "In fact" as much as possible. 

Other recent utterances...

Situation: Mike trying on funkadelic sunglasses.

Me: singing 70's bow-chicka tune

Audrey: "Sexy!"

???Tell me where in the heck she got that!!!!!!!!

Situation: I was vacuuming up Christmas Tree needles

Audrey: " Are you sucking up the Christmas Tree grass, mommy?"

2 minutes later when she is suspiciously quiet...

Me: " Audrey--where are you honey?"

Audrey: "I'm over here feeding the air."

Me: Quickly turns off vacuum and runs to see what the heck she's talking about only to find her stuffing cinnamon sticks into our floor vents which are blaring warm air.

Side note: could this be an ingenious alternative to room fresheners?

Oh gosh.

The FluSTAR^® system is now tracking moderate levels of flu activity in your area. Doctors report treating an increased number of cases of flu, and you may be at risk of catching it.

ALERT: PORTLAND, OR

Today's Influenza Levels: MODERATE

Stuff like this is not healthy for people like me to read.

I knew it was coming when I saw Phoebes recent post...

What's cooking, hot stuff?

I will be adding a new section to my blog. My sister Kirsten and I will often chat in the late afternoon and ask each other, 'what are you cooking for dinner tonight?' It's really helpful if one of us hasn't already figured out what to fix so I thought that it could be fun to open it up for others to post what they're making (not necessarily every day, just whenever) and thus provide inspiration for all of us. Feel free to jump on in!

Addendum: Ok, it was a nice idea but I can't seem to figure out how to add a gadget that will allow everyone to respond. Can anyone help me on this?

Bacon Geeks: a day for you

(Torsten, can we get an 'amen!'?)

Calling all bacon lovers: check this out!

I saw it on Yelp! 

January 17, 2009. 

If you can get here, you've got a place to stay.

Masterbacon

Have you ever wanted to get together with a bunch of other bacon geeks and just geek out about bacon? What if there was an event specifically catered to bacon geeks to be able to share their favorite bacon treats with the world? Wouldn’t it make sense to make it a competition complete with trophy and prizes? Of course it would.

Masterbacon is just such an event.

One Yelp! reviewer says: "I've never been so sad that I didn't live in Portland."

I wonder if Paula Deen will attend?

Adventures of a 2-year old...

Riding Tonto around the house, naked.

Clog boots from the Hanna Anderson outlet. Cute idea, impossible to walk in. Only bought them because they are clogs; I am otherwise vehemently opposed to heels of any kind, or height, for little girls. No way, no how. 

Audrey and Meg

Audrey "putting a little lotion on."

'Helping' daddy with a plumbing repair.

(To which I reply, 'welcome to my world.')

Driving a tractor at the zoo

Seeing the new baby elephant

Learning how to go on the potty

Picking out her first panties (Thomas the Tank Engine boy briefs

(What was I supposed to say? They were the first thing she picked up at Target, declaring, 'mommy these are beauuuuutiful!!!')

Anniversary

3 Precious, unforgettable, redeeming, adventurous, growing, fun, passionate years with my beloved.

For our anniversary on September 17th, Mike planned a day of fun surprises. First, we went to breakfast at a very unique portland venue: Jace Gace. Part restaurant, part rotating art gallery, the place serves waffles--sweet and savory, beer and coffee--and that's it. It was fantastic! I'd never done the whole 'morgen bier' thing before and oddly, it works well. Somehow the icey cold beer works well with coffee and gravy-slathered waffles.

Then, he'd planned for us to visit Benton Lane vineyard which ranked on the top 100 wines of the world! Even crazier, when there we got a personal tour from the owner himself. AWESOME.

...then after a tour and tasting, my beloved had planned a scrumptious picnic for us in a nearby State Park. 

Meanwhile, Audrey was having a blast with her babysitter, Kara (who we met as a nursery worker at Imago.)

Beeeeeeeeeeeep

This is a test of the emergency broadcast system.

I hereby interrupt this catching up from many months of happenings to address a request (?) received from Mike's cousin, Matt Braden. 

Are you requesting an Obama rant or is something circulating in the family scuttlebutt?