Tuesday, July 23, 2013

19 (Months) on the 19th



To My Sweet Genevieve,

Another month has zoomed past us and you are now 19 months old.  Last night I was reflecting on all the milestones you have reached during the last few weeks--you've graduated from your high chair to a booster seat at the table, started sitting on the potty before and after bath time, mastered the "ba" sound adding new words to your vocabulary and the most significant (to me at least) is that you are completely weaned from nursing.

I could tell you were almost ready to drop your bedtime snack of "momma milk," then one night you requested a cup of (cows) milk before your bedtime story and after Daddy read your stories to you all you wanted from me was to snuggle, rock and have me sing a few songs.  You were finished--18 months and 1 week after you were placed in my arms and nursed for the first time--it was even a Monday, just like the night you were born.  It was bittersweet for me at first, but I was so glad it was your idea and you have loved coming to get me after your story time with Daddy so I can sing a few songs to you.  You've even started to hum along to "Amazing Grace" and "Silent Night" and sign "more" when you want me to sing it again.

Speaking of signing "more" you can say more now too!  It's still your most common sign and you have even started using it to try to communicate with other children using the sign if you want to play with something when they take their turn on a toy you were eyeing or playing with and when you are having fun playing a game like peek-a-boo, giving high fives or getting hugs.

We did make it back to the library a few times this month to check out books and attended a session about dinosaurs recently which was really geared for kids a bit older than you but you really liked the big fossils and the "dino dig" at the end of the session.  In addition to dogs, cats, birds, squirrels, wild animals and farm animals, dinosaurs have become one of your favorite creatures and you love watching the show "Dinosaur Train" about a family of Pteranodons who tend to break in to song as they explore the different time periods dinosaurs were alive during.

A new favorite song is "The Hokey Pokey" and you are perfecting putting your "right leg in" and you've got the "turn yourself around" down, which we're still trying to capture it on video.

You continue to be very inventive and created your own game that we call "Blockhead" where you put a large soft nesting block on your head so it completely covers your face and walk around running into things and laugh hysterically.  You've gotten so good at navigating our house blind you can go up and down the two stair steps on the main level without trouble.  You also enjoy going "shopping" in your dresser and collect all of your socks and put them in a bag.  You have had a lot of fun helping be in the kitchen especially since we've been hosting frequently now that we're settled in a little more.


We had a great visit with Pappap and Grammy this month.  We did a little shopping and Pappap bought you your first bike and we went on an extra-long hike in Memorial Park when I accidentally took a new path and ended up on the Outer Loop of the park (oops).  We also made sure they sampled our favorite breakfast tacos and went to Rudy's for breakfast one morning.

Your favorite books this month have been The 12 Days of a Minnesota Christmas (a must read for anyone with a Minnesota connection) and Go Dog Go.  Your new words include "more," "bubble," "ball," "ba" (banana), "ball" (clementine), and to Grammy and Pappap's delight, "Pappap" and "ma" (Grammy).

I love you, Vivie and couldn't imagine my life without you and your spunky spirit.

Love,
Momma

Thursday, July 11, 2013

When there's "nothing" in the fridge...

Disclaimer: Both of these dishes involve eggs with runny yolks.  If you don't like eggs fried, poached or over easy,  you really should give them another shot, they are amazing and can transform a rather basic dish into something gorgeous and delicious.  I also think that cage free or even better, farmer's market eggs really make a difference when serving these dishes.  If you're pregnant and craving runny eggs (like I always did) just bookmark this and come back to these recipes after the babe arrives.

As I've said before, I am not a meal planner and I don't really plan on becoming one anytime soon.  I've tried, believe me I've tried, but for some reason it just doesn't work for me.  I do, however, have a couple stand-by recipes for when there's "nothing" in the fridge that I turn to and last week I made one of my favorite "something from nothing" recipes--Dave Lieberman's Santa Fe Enchiladas.

I discovered this dish watching a show on the Food Network  in the days when our TV was tuned into cooking shows rather than PBS cartoons.  I was in love with the dish from the very beginning and went strait to the computer, printed the recipe, made the dish, saved the print out for all posterity in one of my recipe binder and  flagged it so it wouldn't get lost in my recipe collection (at least I'm organized with my recipe hoarding).  Well, that was at least six years ago and it's still one of our favorite dishes I never actually plan on making.

One of the reason it's so terrific is that it's so easy to adapt to what you have on hand and it involves a fried egg on top.  I always have canned tomatoes, eggs, cheese and tortillas on hand, even the day before grocery day (which is exactly when this landed on our kitchen table).

This time around I ended up with the version of Dave's brilliant dish I've shared below.  And by the way, where is he these days?  His show was great, am I the only one who remembers it?

This week I ended up with odds and ends for vegetables, and not much in the way of proteins except eggs, so I turned to my good friend Pinterest for a little inspiration and found this terrific idea for a roasted vegetable salad (I'm slightly obsessed with roasted vegetable right now).  I adapted it to what was left in my fridge and pantry and came up with a brand new recipe that Joe and I both devoured.  
 
So next time your cupboards and refrigerator shelves are looking a little bare at dinner time check the egg carton and see if this weekend breakfast staple can help you pull together dinner.
 
What food "staple" do you always have on hand?  What's your go-to dinner the night before a grocery run?
 
Santa Fe Enchiladas (adapted from Dave Leiberman's recipe)
1 Medium Onion, Sliced
1 Bell Pepper, Sliced
4 Cloves Garlic, Chopped
1/4 Cup Salsa Verde (I've used canned chiles many times as well)
1 Teaspoon Cumin
1 Teaspoon Dried Marjoram (which I've been substituting oregano with lately)
1 Teaspoon Chili Pwder
Salt
1 (28-ounce) Can Chopped Tomatoes (I think crushed works best though)
9 Corn Tortillas (I do not recommending substituting flour tortillas)
1 cup shredded cheddar (about 4 ounces)
4 large eggs

Preheat over to 350 degrees F.

Heat a tablespoon of olive oil or canola oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the onions, garlic, cumin, marjoram until tender, about 5 minutes, add salsa and cook another minute. Add the tomatoes and simmer about 10 minutes, the sauce will thicken slightly.

Char the tortillas slightly over the flame of a gas burner--keep a very close eye on them and flip when they puff up slightly (do not try this with flour tortillas).  If you have an electric stove top, brown in a dry skillet.
 
These are stacked enchiladas rather than rolled, so the assembly is similar to making a lasagna.  
 
Layer some tomato sauce mixture in the bottom of a 9x9 casserole dish then top with three tortillas and 1/3 of the cheese. Repeat this ending with cheese on top. Bake 20-25 minutes until browned and sauce is bubbling around the edges.

While the enchiladas bake heat a medium skillet over medium-low heat and cover the bottom of the pan with canola oil. Break an egg into a small bowl or cup and gently pour them one at a time into the hot oil.  Spoon the hot oil over the tops of the eggs until the whites are cooked through and the yolks are still runny. Use a slotted spoon to remove the eggs from the pan and drain on a paper towel.  I find that it works best to cook them two at a time, and for the little person in our house I break the yolk so it cooks through.  Fry two eggs per person (and one for any egg-loving babies in the house).
 
Scoop out the enchiladas and serve with the fried eggs on top. Enjoy!
Roasted Veggie Salad (adapted from Martha Stewart's Roasted Vegetable Salad)
2 Zucchinis
3 Carrots
1 Beet
1/2 Red Onion
Olive Oil
2 Teaspoons Herbes de Provence
Salt
Pepper
Romaine Lettuce, chopped
White or Apple Cider Vinegar
Poached Eggs

Dressing:
Balsamic Vinegar
Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper

Heat oven to 425.  Slice veggies into 1/4" thick disks (or chop in similar sizes), drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper and the herbes de provence.  Roast for 20-30 minutes, until caramelizing on the bottoms and cooked through. 

While the vegetables roast poach two eggs per person. 

To poach the eggs, fill a high-sided skillet half-way with water and add one teaspoon of white or apple cider vinegar to the water. Bring the water to almost simmering, break the eggs one-at-a-time in a small bowl or cup and gently pour into the water.  Allow the eggs to cook without touching them and remove with a slotted spoon when the whites are cooked.

For the dressing, add equal parts of olive oil to the balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper to taste.  Whisk or shake to mix.

Spoon the roasted vegetables over the lettuce and top with the eggs.  Drizzle with the dressing and dig in!