"Mom, you're weird"

I was eating a kiwi the other day in the kitchen when Maria walked in.  She stopped dead in her tracks and said: "Mom, is that the way you always eat kiwis?  Like an apple?"  I paused, surprised that this was the first time she had noticed me eating a kiwi and said "yes", kind of slowly, wondering what the big deal was.  "With the skin and ALL?!", she replied, her mouth gaping.  "Yeah - I like the skin", I said.  She looked at me, looked at the kiwi, said "Mom, that's kind of weird", and walked back out of the kitchen"

So, is that weird?  I guess the fuzziness of the skin in a turnoff for most people (but peaches have fuzzy skins, right?  And no one thinks it's weird to eat them), but it's so tart and juicy, I could never throw it away.  I just cut off the top of the fruit and dig in, just like an apple, eating all the way down to the other end (I don't eat the weird stump thingy - that would be really gross).  I love how the skin adds some tart to the otherwise really sweet fruit and also adds some texture so it's not all mushy.  I don't know - it works for me.  Without their skins, they seem a little bland to me.  Is it really that strange?

By the way, did you know that 1 kiwi has 3 grams of fiber and 141% of your daily need for vitamin C?  141 PERCENT?!  That kicks an orange's butt - crazy.  I've always loved kiwi but knowing this makes me love them just a little bit more.  Super fruit!! 

She's famous! Well, not really...

Maria came home months ago, so excited that one of her works had been chosen to be displayed in an artshow at Oswego College.  Last Friday was the opening reception for the show, called "Generations III"

Did I want to drive 2 hours round-trip to look at something that Maria would bring home later and show me anyway?  Not necessarily...but c'mon, her art was part of an artshow  - it just seemed so official and all (something I never accomplished, that's for darn sure), and she had been excited about this for months - how could we not go and make a little bit of a fuss? 

So we packed up the family and drove out to good ole' Oswego.

Here is a picture of the invitation we got to the event.  When we got there, there were trays of cookies, tropical punch, fresh fruit & veggies, tortilla chips, and spinach artichoke dip.  I'm not sure which the kids were more excited about - seeing Maria's artwork, or the refreshments.  Actually, I'm fairly certain it was the latter.

And here is Miss Maria in front of her artwork displayed on the wall.  She was one of two students chosen from her school to participate.  There was artwork from schools from all over the area, and included work from kids in grade school, middle school, high school and even students from the art department at Oswego State.  We tried having the whole family in there for about 2 minutes (just long enough for everyone to get a peek at Maria's picture), but it became quite clear pretty quickly that this was NOT a place for our Edward.  So Maria and I walked around and enjoyed the art while Lou kept the other two indians crazy out in the lobby, (I'm pretty sure they were doing chariot races in Edward's stroller...). 

Here's a shot of her picture up close.  She did some sort of funky stamping thing with a sponge to make the fish, and the rest was just free-hand.  I don't know that I'd call her the next Monet or anything, but I thought it was pretty neat.  I thought the whole "I'm gonna eat you" was a bit odd, but hey, that's Maria's sense of humor for ya. ;)

So it was neat to see her work up there on the wall all "official-like".  Her teacher was there to congratulate her and take some pictures with her, and Maria was so proud (and so were we!).

There are parts of Maria's personality that remind me a lot of myself, but it's been really cool to see her grow up and have some parts of her that are nothing like me - things that are all her - like her love of art and her fascination with science.  Good stuff. :)  

The one day it snowed this winter...

My sister says that I don't post enough about my kids.  Fair enough.  I probably should do it more often.  I've never wanted this to be a blog that is all about "hey, look how amazing and adorable my kids are", so I guess I've been a little TOO careful in that department, because Aunt Adria tells me that she is not getting her fill of her nieces and nephews. 

So, Adria, here's some photos of the family.  This winter, it snowed ONE TIME that gave us enough to go sledding in (yes, it snowed some other times, but was usually melted by mid-day).  Thank goodness Lou and I took the kids sledding that day - little did we know it would be our one and only chance.

Just a couple of pictures of Edward playing in the snow while he was waiting for Lou to finish getting ready. 

 "See this snow?  I think I should eat it"

 "Mmmm...yummy..."

 Lou and Edward

(sidenote:  I love this sled - it's an old-fashioned runner sled with a canvas backing, so the child doesn't fall backwards out of the sled, and a nylon strap with a buckle that goes around their waist so they stay in place)

Why do some little kids repeatedly take their mittens off when they are outside and then cry that their hands are cold?  It seems pretty obvious to me that if they don't want cold hands, they shouldn't take their mitttens off!  This concept is lost on Edward, and here is one of the many times that Lou helped put his mittens back on.

ZOOM! 

It was a great time had by all.  I was huffing and puffing a little more than usual, as trucking up a snow-covered hill was more than a little challenging at 4 1/2 months pregnant, but it was worth it.

Goodbye, crappy, gyp (sp?) or a winter.  You really sucked this year.  I'm glad we got at least one decent snowfall to go sledding (my girls look forward to playing/sledding in the snow ALL YEAR LONG), but seriously, I expected more out of you.  Better luck next year, I suppose...

Pass the milk please...

Oh, pregnancy cravings.  There are evil ones - like wanting fried chicken or Taco Bell at 11pm.  And then there are the good ones, when all you want to eat is fresh fruit.  Those are the "safe" cravings.

I always spend my entire first trimester HATING food of all kinds.  I hate the smell, the texture - everything about it.  Going grocery shopping and preparing food for my family is absolute torture for those first three months.  Torture, I tell you.

This time around, the only thing I could stomach for breakfast was toast.  And I mean that was IT.  For 10 weeks straight, I ate the same thing for breakfast every day - 2 pieces of toast.  One had cinnamon sugar, and the other had either peanut butter or some sort of homemade jelly/jam on it.  No juice, no milk - just toast.  For ten weeks.  Suffice to say that it got VERY old, but the thought of anything else made me want to hurl.

Usually, cold cereal and milk is one of my favorite things ever for breakfast, but for those very long 10 weeks, cereal absolutely repulsed me.  I couldn't even watch my family eat it without wanting to gag.

Well, guess what I have been craving like crazy lately as soon as I wake up everyday?

 

 You guessed it.  Cereal.  I want it everyday (all day long, really, but I don't allow myself to do that).  Nothing else really interests me in the mornings nowadays.  The kids love pancakes and waffles, and Lou thinks that nothing beats eggs and bacon, but the only things this girl wants is cold crunchy stuff with skim milk poured on top.  Oh my gosh, that bowl of cereal in the morning makes me so happy.  Nothing tastes as good as when you are pregnant and craving it, I swear.

 Just looking at this picture makes me want some.  It just tastes so good to me right now - crunchy, crisp and cold and so fresh tasting.  And there are so many kinds out there - it just never gets old with me.  As long as it's not a sugar cereal (not a big fan of those), I am all over it.  I have to stop myself from eating 2-3 bowls like I want to.

I still make the other stuff for my family, but most of the time, I quietly eat my bowl of cereal while I am cooking them up waffles and pancakes and french toast.  That stuff doesn't interest me right now.

Last week Lou made me this amazing omelet with sausage and spinach and cheese.  It was delicous, but to be honest, after I was done, I felt like something was missing.  What I really wanted was some frosted mini wheats and milk!

Oh, cereal, you are so yummy, especially a good bowl of Cheerios with some sliced bananas.  My mouth is watering now...

Or even better... 

Oh goodness - be still my beating heart... :)

Chimichurri Burger Heaven

I've been restless lately, food-wise.  Tired of my long list of go-to recipes and needing to try something new.  So, I've been guinea-pigging my family - a lot.  Some of my recent AWESOME finds include Southwest Stuffed Peppers (regular stuffed peppers have way too much meat, and, in my opinion, are BO-RING.  These are vegetarian, and my family devoured them - even my carnivore husband raved about them) and Baked Pasta and Broccoli with Ham and Cheesy-Creamy Cauliflower Sauce (whew that name is long, but the dish is ooooohh so good!).

I have a TON of venison that we are trying to go through, and I've been trying to find ways to use the ground stuff (the steaks are easy to use up) in different ways. 

I found a recipe for Chimichurri Burgers and decided to give it a go (I love a big juicy burger...)

What the heck is Chimichurri?  Chimichurri is a thick herb sauce found in Argentinian cooking.  Kinda looks like pesto, and I think it's pretty much Argentina's version of it.  I think it's really yummy.  Plus, it's fun to say - just try it - "Chimichurri".  See?  Don't you feel exotic? 

Here's a picture of some.

For those of you who love pesto, this picture is making your mouth water.  For those of you who don't - you are probably gagging right now.  Hopefully most of you fall into the former category...

Anyhow, so the burgers are seasoned to have a touch of spice (didn't bother my kids one bit - it was very subtle), and the chimichurri sauce is tucked inside the burger (you'll see how in the recipe - it's pretty cool) and brushed on the buns.

I definitely tweaked the recipe a bit to make it better (well, better in my opinion) and my family LOVED the result.  Even our picky picky Josephine gobbled it up (though she "ruined" hers, in my opinion, by putting ketchup and pickles on it, but hey, she was happy with it, so whatever.  And by the way, I LOVE ketchup and pickles on my burgers normally, just not on this type of burger, but I digress...)

Here's the recipe:

Chimichurri Burgers with Grilled Plantains

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons whole cumin seed, freshly ground, or 1 tablespoon ground cumin

• 1 cup lightly packed fresh cilantro leaves

• 1 cup lightly packed fresh Italian parsley leaves

• 2 tablespoons champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar (I used white wine vinegar)

• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper

• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt or coarse salt (sea salt all the way, baby!)

• 1/4 cup canola oil (I did half canola, half olive - seemed like better flavor to me)

• 2 pounds lean ground beef (or venison, in my case)

• 1/4 teaspoon salt (I added a bit more)

• 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper (I added a bit more, maybe 1/8 tsp more?)
• Worchestershire sauce (this is my addition, because after adding just the salt and the red pepper, the meat seemed too plain still, and venison needs a LOT of seasoning to cover the gamey flavor.  Maybe regular ground beef wouldn't need this, but it sure would take good!  Oh, and I didn’t measure this, just added till it smelled right)

• 6 Mexican bolitos or burger rolls, split and toasted (I added the toasted part.  Oh, and I have no idea what bolitos are - I just picked up a six pack of Kaiser rolls at Wegmans)

• Sliced tomatoes and onions (sautéed red onions are EXCELLENT!  I used about ¾ of an entire large red onion, sautéed on low for about 30 min to carmelize but not burn them)
• Sliced swiss cheese (I added the cheese to this recipe.  Lou liked a mix of swiss and American)

• Grilled Plantains (optional)

Directions

Cover the bottom of a small skillet with the cumin; cook and stir over low heat for 2 minutes or until lightly toasted. Remove from heat. For chimichurri, combine the cumin, cilantro, parsley, vinegar, red pepper, and sea salt or coarse salt in a blender container (I used a food processor for this because I was afraid all the dry ingredients would jam up my blender). Cover and blend on lowest speed, slowly adding the oil.

Combine ground beef, the salt, and the ground red pepper and worchestershire sauce in a large mixing bowl. Shape into 12 patties 3-1/2 inches in diameter. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of the chimichurri mixture in the center of each of 6 of the patties. Place remaining patties on top and seal edges.

Place burger patties on the lightly oiled rack of the grill directly over medium heat. Grill for 18 to 22 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in centers registers 160 degree F, turning once halfway through grilling. Toast rolls (optional), then brush them with some of the chimichurri sauce. Top with burgers, cheese, remaining sauce (I didn't do any extra sauce because I thought it might be too much), and tomatoes and onions. Serve with Grilled Plantains, if desired. Makes 6 burgers.

You can just cook these on the stove in a pan, too.  That's what I did, and they turned out just fine.  I cooked them over medium heat. 

Grilled Plantains: To make the Grilled Plantains, bias-slice peeled plantains into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Brush with peanut oil. Grill directly over medium heat for 8 minutes or until centers are just soft, turning once. Drain on clean paper towels. Serve warm.


 I forgot to take a picture of my burgers.  Here's the pic from the website:

Those funky yellow-looking things are the plantains.  I didn't make any because I forgot to buy them, though I think they are absolutely delicious (but heads up - DON'T try to eat them raw).

This isn't really what my burgers looked like, though.  I only put the chimichurri sauce on the buns, not the burger (that seemed like too much to me), and I skipped the tomatoes (I hate raw tomatoes).   Oh, and I added cheese (the swiss mentioned above), because it just seemed like the right thing to do. 

So my burger looked more like this:

Except mine didn't look like it had big piles of cilantro all over it, just the Chimichurri sauce brushed on the buns.  But I just liked the way the cheese looked in this picture.  Oh, and the onions are wrong, too.  I sauteed my onions until they were carmelized (I hate raw onions even more than raw tomatoes) - which means they were buttery and sweet and melt-in-your-mouth texture - perfect.

They looked kind like this:

So maybe this picture is close to my end result:

Okay, maybe not quite because I didn't use a whole-wheat bun, and is it just me, or does that burger look kind of pink?  Oh well, mine came out looking like a combo of these pics.  Juicy burger on a toasted bun brushed with chimichurri sauce, with melted swiss cheese and a plentiful serving of carmelized red onions on top.

If you want to make these (you know you do, by now), I would advise to NOT skip the onions or the cheese (or the toasted bun - burgers are always better on a toasted bun!).  The way they combined with the chimichurri sauce pretty much "made" this burger.  The combined flavor was rich, layered, and heavenly.   Mmmmmm...I want another one right now...

I took a shower...

I was upstairs, in the shower. I had left Edward in his room, and he was reading books quietly. He seemed to be very content, and I figured I could grab a quick shower. Big mistake. When I got out of the shower, I heard a couple of weird noises downstairs. I quickly threw some clothes on and headed downstairs to see what was happening.

When I got to the dining room, I saw this - orange juice everywhere (I could have SWORN that I put it away) - all over the table, dripping onto the floor into a large puddle.  It's hard to tell in this picture, but the uphostered chair in front has a bit wet sticky spot on it, too.  Do you see the whisk broom in the corner?  I found juice in the dust pan (you can't see it in this pic), and the bristles of the broom were sticky wet.  Now I knew that those two things (the broom and dust pan) weren’t out when we had gone upstairs earlier – Edward had gotten those out, obviously in an effort to clean up his mess  (he really enjoys trying to sweep things up lately).  I kind of laughed at the situation, thinking “well, it could have been worse.  Just cleaning up a bit of juice is not too bad, and how cute that he tried to clean it up”.  That’s when I saw the wet juice footprints leading to the kitchen...

I followed them into the kitchen, where the real disaster awaited. Edward had gotten out the plastic containers of powdered sugar AND brown sugar, and had scattered the entire contents of both all of the kitchen floor. There were piles of brown and powdered sugar everywhere, and it was starting to congeal and turn chunky where Edward’s juicy footprints had been.

The sugar tubs are kept in the same lazy susan cupboard with all the leftover containers, and he had taken all of the containers out and thrown them in the sink with the dirty dishes, and had sprinkled sugar all over the empty cupboard afterwards.

His jeans were soaked with juice, as were the bottom of his socks, which were now crusted with chunks of congealed powdered and brown sugar. He was standing in the corner, holding the powdered sugar container (the other sugar contained was on the floor on its side), dumping the last bits of it on the mess.  

I was no longer laughing.  This was NOT funny to me.  I had TWO rooms to clean up, and a sink-full of sticky containers, AND a cupboard, and the two sugar containers and other flotsam and jetsum on the floor, AND a two-year-old.  I was…not happy, to say the least.  I just kept yelling and yelling at him – I was so so angry and there was just soooo much mess.  He just stood there with this “why are you so angry?” look on his face, totally unaware that he had done anything wrong.  I set about cleaning up the mess, and made him sit on the stool while I did so.  I just kept saying “bad boy, Edward – you are naughty.  This was very, very naughty!!”  He said nothing, just kept nodding his head in agreement as if to say “yeah, I know”. 

I set about cleaning up the dining room, then moved into the kitchen, making him sit and wait the entire time (I certainly did not want him off making another mess while I cleaned up this one!).  After I cleaned up the chunks of sugar off the floor, I realized that I would need to wipe down the entire floor, because it was still sticky from the sugar and juice residue.  I took off Edward’s clothes, because they needed to be washed, too, and made him sit in the corner in his diaper while I wiped down the floor again, and again, and again.  It took 3 tries and one final rinse before the stickiness went away.  The entire cleanup of the two rooms, the cupboard, the dishes and Edward took 40 minutes, and I was no calmer when I finished then when I began.  Edward sat silently and watched me the entire time I cleaned up (I’m surprised that he sat still for that long, but he was probably afraid to move!). 

When I was done, he went to get up, and I was so mad, I shouted “NO! You sit back down! You are naughty, and you can just sit there!”  I knew I was being ridiculous – he had sat there long enough.  I was just mad.  He stood up and came over to me so cautiously, with his lower lip quivering and whimpered “mama…” as he went to hug me. I just about melted.  How in the world could I be mad after that?  Here was my little boy who barely talks, trying to apologize in the best way he knew how. I took him in my arms and hugged him and apologized for yelling so much, and we just sat there, hugging each other for awhile - him feeling sorry for making me angry, and me, feeling sorry for getting so angry.  Ahhh, parenthood…

P.S.  I no longer shower when he is awake. ;)

I'd like some nostalgia, please...

Ahhh, Barbie.  Source of so much nostalgia for women all over the world, and yet also a source of controversy amongst the feminist crowd.  I loved Barbies when I was a little girl - LOVED them.  My little sister Adria and I spent hours dressing them, styling their hair, making little Barbie "houses" all over our house and making up dramatic scenarios for our Barbies to act out.

My first Barbie ever was the Great Shape Barbie.  Looking back, I find it hilariously appropriate that this was my first Barbie doll.  Anyone who knows me knows how much I love to work out (always have).  I do still have the doll, but not much is left from her groovy workout clothes.  I have one leg warmer left.  Yes, I kept ONE leg warmer for nostlagia purpose.  Pack rat, I know.

Watch the original commercial for a great laugh:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/buwwEYewQtU

My second Barbie was one of my very favorites - Peaches n' Cream Barbie.  Loved that doll - but the best part was her fabulous dress and matching stoll.  And you gotta love the color - how 80's is that?  I think I still have the doll (but I might be thinking of one of my other ones), but neither the dress nor the stoll survived.  I'm not exactly sure what happened to them... (fess up, Adria - you stole them!  Just kidding.)

Here is the 1985 commerical:

http://www.youtube.com/embed/4MUMk7PwjLs

Dream Glow Barbie was my third.  the Stars on her dress glowed in the dark, as you can see on the box (that is, if you held her under a lamp for a few minutes first).  I have the doll and dress left from this one, although the dress is a little worse for wear (I wonder if it still glows?)

Another fun commercial:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdZc9cl9fMg&feature=related

And what daughter of the 80's could be without the Barbie and the Rockers doll?  Rock stars were such a huge part of the 80's entertainment culture, they couldn't help but come out with a Barbie to reflect that.  I'm not sure which I loved better - the Barbie with her awesomely 80's duds or the super cool cassette tape that came with the doll, with it's totally awesome Barbie rock songs that my sisters and I jammed out to on a regular basis.  I still have the doll and all of her original clothing, but alas, the tape is long gone - how sad.

Okay, last commerical (hey, they are only like 30 seconds long):
http://www.youtube.com/embed/GbxPlKY_hmY

When Maria was a three year old, someone brought the subject up of giving her her first Barbie.  And me, the lover of all things Barbie as a child, found myself suddenly unsure of how I felt about that.  I mean, as a grown, well-educated adult, I knew all the controversy surrounding the dolls amongst the feminist crowd, all the arguments against it's play value.  The doll was too sexual, it objectified women, encouraged vanity and frivolity, and focused on all the wrong attributes when it came to beauty (um 42DDs, anyone?).  And as the mother of a brunette, I wondered, did I want to send the message via Barbie that blonde is beautiful? (I know there are brunette versions, but let's face it, most of them are blonde).  Would I be a bad mother if I let her play with Barbies?  Would I be scarring her for life?  Or would I be an overreactive equally bad mother if I refused to let her own any?  And what would I do if someone else gave her one, like a friend at a birthday party - take it away and tell her it was for her own good?  Did I feel damaged from playing with them?  Is that where some of my body issues came from?  Or was I just overthinking the whole thing?  Sigh.  I just couldn't figure it out, and at the end of the day thought - "aw, just let her play with the dang things".  And I have.  I decided it was not a battle that I wanted to engage in (there would be plenty of others that were more important to me - like overuse of video games, and really offensive dolls like the Bratz series).  And it's a good thing, because she was given about 3 of them over the next six months, and then 3-4 more over the next few years.  I felt like it was okay for her to play with them, and she doesn't seemed obsessed at all with being blonde as a result. :)

Fast forward a couple of years.  I was in Walmart with Maria at Christmastime this past December, when I saw this vintage doll sitting amongst all of the new Barbies on the shelves:

"Oh my gosh, Peaches and Cream Barbie!!!", I screamed out loud (okay, not really screamed, but more exclaimed in disbelief).  For a moment, I was six years old again - staring at a doll with a huge smile across my face.  I showed it to Maria, and told her about the one that I had when I was little.  "She's so pretty", said Maria.  "Yeah, I know", I said, and I felt for a moment like we were both two young girls, staring at the pretty Barbie.  I happened to glance down at the price tag, just cuz I was curious... "50 DOLLARS?!!!", I yelled out.  "Hmph - not that prettty."  And we moved on.

Maria told Lou about the doll as soon as we got home, and I later heard her begging him to buy it for "me" (I'm sure that she wasn't thinking of herself at all - haha).  When she told Lou the price he laughed out loud and said "yeah, right".  I came into the living room and assured Maria that I did not need a Barbie for Christmas.  I had received all the Barbies that I would ever need when I was a kid, had enjoyed them plenty, and that was enough.  I mean, what would I do with a doll at 31 years old?

Well Lou, having the sense of humor (and nostalgia) that he does, gave me the ultimate shocker when I opened this on Christmas morning:

My jaw dropped, and I just sat there staring at it for a minute.  For one second, I had that moment of childhood come back - "Peaches and Cream Barbie - she's mine, all mine!!  Look how pretty she is...", and then suddenly my adult self kicked in and thought "he paid 50 bucks for a doll for his wife?  Is this guy off his rocker?  What the heck was he thinking?!!!".  Lou knows me soooo well, and was quick to explain (before I could even say a word) that he had gotten this doll for a great bargain (about half the retail price) from a woman in California, and I suddenly breathed a little easier.

And then I just had to laugh and enjoy the fact that my husband wanted to bring a little bit of my childhood, one slice of a memory of when I was a little girl, back to me.  And that, to me, was priceless.  We both know I'm not going to take her out and do her hair and carry her around the house and fix her up for a date with Ken.  But...there was something really neat about getting that doll for Christmas.  It was Lou acknowledging the girly girl part of me (a VERY big part of me when I was little).  It was my husband doing something crazy and silly and frivolous just for nostalgia's sake - just to give me a shocker and a cheap thrill on Christmas morning.  And then him reassuring me that he got it for a steal?  Well, that was just the icing on the cake.  Wow, that man knows me...and loves me. :) 

And because of that, this was my favorite gift of all. 

And you have to admit, she really does look fabulous... ;)