To Begin (Again)

There are days when I'm so full of words that I fervently type them on an iPhone note.  There are also days when I have no words at all.  Then there is the startling, overwhelming, amazing, fulfilling amount of time that caring for a baby takes.  I have had no desire to write here for the past six months.  I have had little to say about food except that I have managed to get dinner on the table...most nights.

I am in awe of new mom's who seem to slip seamlessly back into their pre-baby lives.  Evenings out with friends, restful nights of sleep, and perfectly coiffed hairstyles before they walk out the door (stylish diaper bag and baby with no snot on his face in tow).  If you are one of those moms, hats off to you.  If you are not one of those moms, I understand.  Truly, I do.  I am not one of those "together" moms.

Is it okay to admit that these first six months have been challenging?  The truths of new motherhood are easy to read about but much more difficult (and rewarding) to live.  First, feeding a baby is a full time job; it is also the job I love most about being a mother.  Second, dirty diapers wait for no man (or woman).  They will make themselves known at awkward times and places.  Thirdly, new motherhood can feel lonely (and scary) even though you are almost never alone.  Isn't that the strangest dichotomy? 

And truly, I have an amazing, supportive, diaper changing, bottle washing, rock the baby at 2am husband who has made sure I was never alone in this.  I can't imagine how much more difficult it would have been without him by my side. 

There is also the self-doubt.  Did he have enough dirty diapers?  Did I feed him two hours ago or three hours ago?  Is it too chilly outside to dress him in short sleeves?  Will he be scarred for life if I put him in his crib while I go take a shower?  (My fellow mamas--put the baby down in a safe place and go take that shower!  Do not feel guilty about that!)  I'm fairly certain many mothers have these same feelings of falling short.  It's easy to let our minds go to that place where we are not as good as the mom down the street or sitting a few rows in front of us at church.  But here is the truth that we all need to hear:  we are good moms.  We can do this.  We ARE doing it.

This all brings me around to what is happening here on this little space I call my blog.  Is this a food blog?  A mom-blog?   A blog about...anything in particular?  I'm not sure.  I am a person who cooks and eats food.  I'm a mom. I like to garden, sew, needlepoint, read, and chat.  I like to explore and I love to just be at home.  I love my husband and my kids and my dogs.  This blog may be about all of those things.   I considered changing the name of it but as far as blogs go, I've been around a long time!  Three years!  Let's just push ahead here, together, mmkay?

Today I do have some links to share with you.  All of these links are from other mom's opening up about their thoughts on new motherhood (the good, the bad, the ugly, the beautiful).  I hope if you are a mom, or thinking about being one, or know a mom who might need some support, you might find these writers relate-able.

Megan at Sorta Crunchy gets real about (unsteady new) life with twins

Molly at Orangette talks post-partum depression (Thank you for your openness, Molly!)

Motherhood Support is a wonderful parenting blog written by some Cincinnati mamas!

Kath at KathEats shared tea and life thoughts in this post (I particularly related to her work-life balance.  I also feel like every time Alex naps or is occupied I should be doing something like clean the house! answer email!  fold the laundry!  etc etc etc).

A beautiful (seriously, so so so beautiful) poem about breastfeeding from Nicole at And Baby Cakes Three (I love this blog!)

New Mommy Media's podcasts sustained me during my maternity leave!  I found myself counting down the days until new episodes were posted.  I highly recommend them for any stage of parenthood from pre-conception to raising toddlers.

Do you have any blogs, articles, podcasts, or experiences of your own to share?  I'd love to hear them.  Thank you for coming back here, even after all this time.  I'll see you again, soon.

Our 2013 Backyard Garden

We are growing some new plants this year.  I even mustered up the courage to start a few things from seed.  It's been very exciting to watch the garden mature these past few weeks.

It was a wet and chilly spring in Cincinnati so we didn't get our garden planted until late May.  The late start has only been an issue for our broccoli plants; all six of them quickly bolted when the June temperatures jumped above 80 degrees.  I haven't had the heart to yank them out of the garden yet but I am considering what I might be able to put in their place.  To the left of the broccoli, our Brussels sprouts seem to be doing fine and surviving despite the onslaught of insects chewing on their leaves.  

From seed we started bush beans, peas, and carrots!  (Beans pictured above.) I'm extremely encouraged by how well they are all doing, even with the occasional garden invasion of rabbits or squirrels.  The beans are much larger than I expected so I'm hoping that they have enough space.  We have six bean plants and they all have buds on them.

The pea plants have found their way to our makeshift trellis and starting to climb.  I do have a confession to make:  when I opened the seed package I was very surprised to find that pea seeds are...peas!  I know, I know.  Duh!  You really learn a lot about your food when you grow it. 

(Tim laughed really hard when I told him how surprised I was discovering the peas.  I'm glad I can be of some amusement to him!)

We are growing only one lonely tomato.   I doubt very many of these little guys will make it to our kitchen--Tim eats them right off the plant. 

Because of our limited space (the fence around the perimeter is mostly to keep our dogs out of the garden but also rabbits), we are attempting to grow our cucumbers vertically.  This experiment is doing fine so far as the little climbing tendrils are finding their way up our tomato cage.  I'm not sure what will happen when the fruit begins to develop.  This will definitely be a learning experience. 



My potted herbs are growing like weeds for the third year straight.  I've harvested huge handfuls of chives, oregano (oh, so much oregano), thyme, and rosemary.  I have some sparse parsley, a healthy start to my dill, and my basil just didn't make it.  If anyone has ideas on what to do with thyme and oregano, please share them with me.  I have these two herbs in overwhelming excess! 

And if you are a beginner gardener looking for a way to get started, I suggest going with a few herbs in pots of nutrient rich soil.  Rosemary is incredibly hearty and thyme seems to be infallible.  You will gain a lot of confidence and work your way up to vegetables.  (Fresh herbs also make great hostess gifts!)

Want to read some more gardening blogs?  Here are a few blogs I enjoy that post about gardening (and other things):

One Hundred Dollars a Month

Simple Bites

BGGarden.com (an Ohio blogger and gardener!)

Harmonious Homestead (another Ohio blogger and one of my favorites to follow on the web)

How is your garden growing this summer?  And do you have any favorite gardening blogs to share with me?

A Battle Well Fought

Last night I accompanied Tim to a work dinner at the Boathouse.  When we arrived home, the sun had already set and a warm rain had just begun to fall.  As I stepped out of the car, I opened my hands to feel the drops and a memory came back to me like lightening.

The summer before Tim and I met was a bit of a low point for me.  I wasn't entirely happy with my employment and I was lonely.  I was still recovering from a broken heart that had lingered for over two years without healing; back then I had begun to wonder if I would ever feel happy again.  One evening, I think it was a Thursday night, I came home from a work function after dark and stood next to my car in a warm August rain.  It was like I was in some sort of trance, soon completely drenched, and I couldn't will any of my limbs to move.  It was one of those strange moments where I felt outside myself, as if watching someone else contemplate how to fix all cracks in her life.  I must have stood there for a half an hour while the rain fell until a car turned down the street and I snapped back to the present.

I met Tim two months later.

We married a little over two years after that.

And now, three and a half years later, we are expecting a baby soon.

I share all of this with you because every time the baby moves around, stretching his or her limbs, I can't believe how wonderful life can be.  Even I can see all of the differences between the woman I am now and the girl I was back then.  And as I approach my 30th birthday next week, I can whole-heartedly say good-bye to my 20s and all of the struggles and opportunities they presented me.  Last August, I committed (publicly, on this blog!) to living out my 29th year like a Victory Lap, and I think I have spent this time proving to myself that my 20s were a battle well fought.

What about you?  Are you fighting for your life?  I hope you win.  You deserve it.

Around Here (and a bit of news!)

Oh, hello there.  I've missed you.  Lots of time has gone by, I know, and I hope you know I've been thinking about you.  There have been lots of changes since the spring.  I know it's how the world works, and life will always shift and slide, this way and that, but sometimes it still takes me a while to process these changes.

I wasn't as enthusiastic about planting our vegetable garden this year as I was in years past.  I can't really explain why, but I think some of the disappointments and struggles we had last year with squash bugs and a few under performing tomato plants wore me down.  I don't know if it was luck or strong seedlings or the warm weather but our garden is really thriving this year.  We have a Black Prince heirloom tomato potted in a trash can on our patio that is finally beginning to ripen, as well as four other varieties of tomatoes in the garden bed.

The only things we've had a chance to taste were a few of the cherry tomatoes.  Tim popped them into his mouth straight out of the garden and proclaimed them the best cherry tomatoes he's ever tasted.

The tomato I'm most looking forward to is our heirloom Oxheart.  I chose this varietal because my grandmother, who passed away recently, told me her grandfather used to grow them, and she remembers eating them when she was a child.  A bulky, slicing tomato much like a beefsteak, this fruit starts in a shape similar to a strawberry until it fills out to an oblong fruit.  Every time I walk out to the garden and look at this plant, I think of her and how even though she's gone, we are going to be sharing an experience.  It means a lot to me.

Things are changing in our home and family as well.  It's largely the reason I've been absent from this blog for a few months.  I couldn't bear to cook anything with a strong  flavor, heavy aroma, or strange texture from March through June.  You can probably guess what was the culprit.  

Our little Nugget will be coming into the world in the fall, and I'm just starting to wrap my head around the idea of a baby (a baby!) being a part of our family.  Every time I feel the baby move inside my belly I can't believe how different things will be.  Tim and I have just recently started to prepare our house to make room for this little being which is starting to make the whole thing seem real.  Every time I walk past the office--err, the nursery--and see the crib sitting in there, I am reminded that we are bringing a new life to the universe.  It's equally strange and amazing.  


I have been back in the kitchen recently, though I can't say I'm particularly adventurous.  I've made some incredible buttermilk biscuits, Tim's favorite mint brownies, and an easy pork roast.  I know Tim is thankful that I've taken over some of the cooking responsibilities, and we have reduced the amount of take-out in our lives.  I will try not to disappear on you again, and I hope you will let me know what you've been up to lately as well.  


Oh, and not quite an announcement as much as a disclaimer:  we have had a bit of technology drama in our house and the computer that I was editing my digital photos on has given up on us.  Until we bite the bullet and buy a new computer, I will probably be posting photos from Instagram.  I am, however, excited to be attending a digital photography workshop next week and do hope to continue to work on my pictures for the site.  

Monday Links: Gluten Free Beers

Can I just say that 2012 has been my best year ever so far?  I feel healthy, I have so much love, and I am filling my life with wonderful moments.  In fact, just last week when the temperature topped at 65 degrees and the sun was warm on my face, Tim and I sat on our patio, listening to a Spotify playlist that I made for him, a cold beer in front of each of us, and chatted about our days.

Welcome back to my life, Beer.  You are most welcome to keep coming around.

If you are looking for a gluten free beer for yourself or if you'd like to buy something special for when a gluten free friend or family member comes over for dinner, I recommend any of these options.

My very favorite beer is Green's Gluten Free Amber Ale (pictured above).  I ordered it this past weekend at Brazenhead and even my husband agreed that it was a fantastic option as far as gluten free goes.  It really has a smooth, rich taste without being too heavy and no metallic aftertaste.  (Also, I'm so pleased that Brazenhead had several options for gluten free customers including a few gluten free beers and several ciders on tap.  Way to go, Brazenhead!)

I also tried Green's Gluten Free Dark Ale at Dilly Cafe, and I was impressed that it was just as dark and thick as a Guinness.  It had a strong chocolate and coffee flavor at the first taste but finished didn't leave a heavy or sticky mouthfeel.  I thought it was awesome to have the option of a serious dark beer, but I'd prefer it as an after dinner drink rather than something to pair with food.  

Also discovered at Dilly Cafe is DogFish Head Tweason'ale.  It's a seasonal gluten free beer that has a lovely scent of strawberries on the nose but is not overly sweet on the palate.  Also, the strawberry flavor doesn't last much after the first sip, and I appreciated that as I don't usually like my beers too fruity.  It's a medium bodied beer, very refreshing and would pair wonderfully with some simple roast chicken or a salad.  If you can find it, I'd definitely recommend seeking this out!

A big thank you to the Cincy Beer Festival for including New Planet Gluten Free Beer in their vendor list.  I discovered this beer there and all of the selections offered were wonderful.  I particularly liked their lightest beer, the Tread Lightly Ale.  It's the perfect backyard barbeque beer, and it's light enough that it would probably be unnoticeable to any non-gluten free beer drinks that it's missing the gluten!  Locally, it can be found at the Dorothy Lane Markets in Dayton, and trust me--it's worth the drive to check out DLM and get this beer!  (I picked up some on Saturday and it was stacked in front of the beer coolers.)

Lastly, I might as well tell you that in just about every well stocked Kroger that I've been into around Cincinnati, you can find Anheuser-Busch's gluten free beer offering, Redbridge.  It's not my favorite--just like Bud Light was never my favorite--but in a pinch, it's easy to find, not too expensive, and definitely drinkable.  I've picked some up when I just wanted a convenient choice.

I truly appreciate every single one of these companies for pioneering--or jumping on the bandwagon of--gluten free beers!  You all get a big thumbs up from me.

To my gluten free readers, am I missing any of your favorites?

February Culinary Smackdown: Madras Cabbage with Peas

Friends, welcome to this month's Culinary Smackdown: Battle Cabbage.  I decided I needed to make something special to prove that humble cabbage can be the star of a fantastic meal.  And so I made a dish that Tim and I have both been daydreaming about since we ate it last fall.

You may think that cabbage is simply a cruciferous vegetable only to be paired with vinegar (or cream), but I am going to stomp all over those assumptions and invite you down memory lane with me.  Tim and I ate dinner, pre-dietary restrictions, at New Krishna, our favorite Indian restaurant in Sharonville.  Since we dined in, we opted for the buffet, and each got a little scoop of just about everything.  To my surprise, Tim's favorite item was the Cabbage Masala.  It was a little spicy and aromatic and so different from the creamy curried tomato sauces that drenched most of the other options.  I loved it so much I would have been willing to loosen the top button of my jeans to eat a little more.  When else have I ever considered stuffing myself on cabbage?

I picked up some Madras Curry Powder last weekend at Colonel De and opted to use that instead of my usual garam masala.  The main difference in the two spice blends is that the Madras Curry Powder doesn't have cloves in it while the garam masala does.  Oh, and Madras Curry can be spicy--which we like very much.  Overall, it lightened up the aromatics of this dish, but the few whole cloves I threw into the hot oil were just enough for a hint of that flavor.

And so Madras Cabbage with Peas was reinvented for this home cook.  A skeptical Tim, who prefers a big slice of meat with the majority of his meals, was completely satisfied with my make-at-home version.  The beauty of this recipe is that you could use just about any vegetables you wanted.  If you decide to make this with potatoes, you will need to either pre-boil the potatoes or add some water to the pan and allow it to reduce.  I've done that before and you end up with a lovely sauce.  I also suggest chickpeas, cauliflower, or carrots to compliment the curry powder.

And in case you can't find Madras Curry Powder, you could always substitute Garam Masala (just don't add the whole cloves).  I've been able to find the latter at my local Indian grocery store.  Or, if you're inclined to make your own spice blends, the label of my Madras Curry Powder says that it contains (in the order of the label): coriander, cumin, peppercorns, black mustard seeds, chili, fenugreek, turmeric.  I am unsure of the amounts of each.

Madras Cabbage with Peas
serves 4 as main course, 6 as a side dish

Ingredients
2 tbsp canola oil

1/2 tsp yellow mustard seeds
1/4 tsp whole cloves
2-3 small yellow onions, peeled and sliced about 1/8 inch thick

1 to 1.5 lbs green cabbage, cored and sliced into long thin strips about 1/4 inch thick
2 tsp Madras Curry Powder
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
salt & pepper

In a large saute pan, heat oil over medium heat.  Add mustard seeds and cloves until fragrant and slightly brown, about 3 minutes.  Add onion and cook until almost translucent, about 4 minutes.  Add cabbage to the pan and stir occasionally for 6-7 minutes, until cabbage has begun to wilt and even slightly brown.  Sprinkle curry powder, turmeric, and red pepper flakes over cabbage and stir.  Cook for an additional 5 minutes, until cabbage is just barely still firm yet easy to bite.  Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

Serve over rice or with flatbread.  (Maybe even gluten free naan?)

Please check out Grumpy Granny's Host Post for a round up of the entries and the announcement of the winner in a few days on her blog!

Hillbilly Tea, Louisville, KY

I spent the afternoon in Louisville last week.  I was there for work, but I carved out some time in the early afternoon to seek out a unique spot for a late lunch.  After I asked for suggestions on Twitter, a friend  recommended Hillbilly Tea, and I was just a few blocks away so I headed there.

The vibe inside was eclectic and felt thoughtfully curated.  A mix between a farm house and a city loft, the seating was mismatched but cohesively defined the spaces.  An open drink station at the far end of the room created the feeling of being in someone's house for lunch, which I particularly liked.

The menu proudly boasted local food vendors and a huge selection of teas.  Each of the menu items felt authentically Kentucky yet a little modern.  Listed side by side were the (extremely juicy) hamburger that I ordered and a vegetarian forest mushroom pot pie.  Definitely a little something for all tastes.

The chair hanging on the wall, alone and above my visual line, sort of summed up the whole experience for me.  It was fun and unexpected yet warm and welcoming.  I'd definitely go back, especially for the vast tea selection and the spicy sweet potato soup (which isn't pictured because I ate it so quickly).  I brought home a chocolate cupcake sprinkled with fresh rosemary for my husband; between bites he said it was delicious.

You can visit Hillbilly Tea at 120 S. 1st Street in Louisville Kentucky.  During the week they serve breakfast and lunch and on the weekends also have a dinner service.

My Favorite Gluten Free Snacks

The most difficult issue in being gluten free, dairy free, soy free, and whatever-else-free, is that it requires advance planning when it comes to food.  There is very little "fast food" that isn't cross contaminated with wheat (among other suspicious things) and when I'm traveling it can be difficult to find restaurants that I can trust.

As a result, 've become someone who assumes I won't be able to find things to eat.  I even packed a bigger suitcase so I could include snacks when I went to Orlando last month.  And I'm always incredibly grateful when a friend or family member whom I'm going to visit asks me in advance what foods they can have around the house for me.  That's love.

This is an incredibly incomplete, subjective list, but I hope it helps you think about creative, relatively healthy snacking for yourself or a loved one.

1.  Banana with Peanut Butter
This may seem like a throwback to childhood, but a sliced banana with some awesome peanut butter is so satisfying.  It's a little bit sweet and a little bit savory and just right for a quick breakfast, an afternoon snack, or even dessert.    A word of warning:  as with all packaged foods, you must read the label on the peanut butter to make sure it is truly gluten free (for me, as well as soy free).  If you want to make this even more special, look in the natural foods section of your grocery for Earth Balance Peanut Butter with Coconut Oil.  This spread is a life changer!  If that's not available to you or you want to improvise, I recommend drizzling a little honey on top of regular peanut butter.  Very messy yet extremely tasty.

2.  Enjoy Life Snickerdoodles
This company is wholly committed to making allergy friendly products that actually taste fantastic.  Free from 8 of the most common allergens, you can trust that it's extremely likely there is a product from this company that will be safe for you or a friend.  My favorite, the Snickerdoodles, are actually soft and have an excellent spiced flavor.  I've read the label, and I honestly think the secret to the cookies tasting so good is the rosemary extract.  (Rosemary extract! Who would have thunk it?)  Coming in at a close second are their Double Chocolate Brownie Cookies, though I have to eat them sparingly, partly because too much chocolate doesn't sit well with my stomach and partly because they are so addicting that it's hard to stop at just one!

3.  Clementines & Apples
Fruit may seem a bit obvious, but having fruit around is convenient and healthy.  Clementines satisfy my cravings for something sweet and sour, and apples are great to take with me on the road.  I can easily eat them in between business meetings.  I also don't have to worry about either of these foods getting stuck in my teeth, and that is always a big concern for me!

4.  Corn Tortilla Chips
Again, you have to read the label to be sure that the tortilla chips are 100% corn and cooked in corn oil, but a handful of these with some homemade salsa or 5 minute guacamole is the perfect afternoon (or late night) snack.  (Want to make your own 5 minute guac?  In the bowl of a food processor, combine 2 avocados [skin and seed discarded], 1 peeled and smashed clove of garlic, 2 or 3 tablespoons of diced red onion, 2 tablespoons of roughly chopped cilantro, a pinch of kosher salt and a squeeze of fresh lemon or lime juice.  Pulse about 10 times, until avocado is smooth and ingredients incorporated.  It's perfect every time.)

5.  Nuts
A palmful of roasted cashews or candied almonds can stop a hunger crash from spiraling out of control.   I put nuts in a small ziplock bag or reusable plastic container and tuck them into my purse.  I'm especially thankful I have them when I am sitting at a band competition to watch my stepdaughter and everyone around me is eating hot dogs or M&Ms.  They are probably jealous that I thought ahead and brought something more interesting to eat.

6.  Sweetened Almond Milk
You can buy vanilla or chocolate almond milk in "juice box" sizes and they don't need to be refrigerated.  I take them with me when I travel for work (I even took some to Orlando) along with my own Gluten Free Honey Nut (Corn) Chex cereal.  Sure, people look at me strange when I come to breakfast with my own food, but I'm awfully thankful that I have it when I see only danishes and dried up scrambled eggs available at the hotel's continental breakfast.  And a bowl of cereal in the afternoon tastes just as good as it does in the morning.

Now you have seen my list, but what about you?  Do you have a go-to gluten free snack for yourself or a friend that you recommend? 

Wordless Wednesday: Brunch

5B: Believers in Better Beer, Bites, and Blogging

Last weekend I attended the first Cincinnati blogging conference called 5B: Believers in Better Beer, Bites, and Blogging.  It was an inclusive event open to beer bloggers, food bloggers, and general lifestyle bloggers.  I had only met two people in real life who were attending the event, and I was a little nervous.  Would I bring anything to the table?  Would the other attendees have much more advanced blogs than my own?  It turns out most of the other attendees had the same concerns as me.  We were all pleasantly surprised by what the conference offered us.

The word that lingers with me, even several days after the conference has wrapped, is community.  I hope that feeling of being a part of something stays with me as I work to improve my blog and my presence in the food blog community.

Looking for some new blogs to follow?  Might I recommend:  Hounds in the Kitchen, Eat, Drink, and Be Married, Taste and See Cincinnati, Udandi.com,  wine me dine me (in Cincinnati), Ginny Tonic's musings on the Charlie Tonic Hour website, The World in my Kitchen, What's Cookin' Now radio show, Fake Food Free, Eggplant To Go, Cookerati, and Hoperatives.  There were even more bloggers in attendance that I really enjoyed meeting and I hope we all meet again soon!

You Get a Bonus Day

I wish there had been a better time than the night before Valentine's day for me to get around to posting this recipe.  I'm afraid it will get lost in a sea of pink and red recipes and you will never get around to trying this for yourself.

But I urge you to take a stand:  pink food is appropriate 364 other days a year.  And since this year is a leap year, you get a bonus day.  Take that bonus day to treat yourself to Roasted Beet Risotto.

The process of making the risotto was simple enough, especially since I made the beet puree a few days in advance, though it did require standing next to the stove for a half an hour; a sacrifice that I'm willing to make when the payoff is this big.  And when I served it along side some of our favorite roasted chicken and a green salad, Tim thought maybe he had forgotten a special occassion.

Roasted Beet Risotto
recipe adapted slightly from Gourmet, November 2004
serves 6 to 8

Ingredients
3/4 cup to 1 cup roasted beet puree
4 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
1 small onion, diced
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cups Arborio or Jasmine rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
salt & pepper

In a medium pot, bring broth and water to a simmer.  Cover and keep on low heat.

Heat olive oil in a large sauce pan or dutch oven over medium heat.  Add onion and cook until softened, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 3 minutes.  Add rice and cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute.

Add the wine and simmer, stirring constantly, until wine is absorbed.  Stir in 1 ladle (about 1/2 to 3/4 cup broth/water mixture) liquid and stir until liquid is absorbed.  Continue simmering, stirring, and adding liquid, 1 ladle at a time, allowing liquid to be absorbed before adding more, about 20 minutes, until rice is creamy and  just tender.  When there is about 2 ladles of liquid left, stir in fresh thyme.  Add another ladle of liquid and beet puree.

Salt and pepper to taste (about 1 tbsp kosher salt and 1/2 tbsp freshly ground black pepper).  Thin if necessary with remaining liquid.  Risotto should spread in the bowl or plate.  Serve hot.

Just Fishin'

You might think this is a blog post about basketball, especially when you look at these photos.  But I urge you to be open minded.  I'm actually here to talk to you about my dad.  Specifically, my dad taking me fishing.

When I was a little girl, my dad owned a fishing boat.  It was silver and red and reflected the light like the surface of water when the sun hit it.  On Saturdays he used to leave before the sun came up and head off to the lake, early enough for him to be able to put his boat in the water just as the first light was breaking.  I'm no fish expert, but I used to imagine that he needed to get into the fishing channels before the blue gills and catfish woke up.

While he was gone, my mom would assemble an assortment of picnic items: chips and dip, sandwiches, fruit salad, cans of soda, a cooler full of ice; and then she would pack everything (including my sister, my brother, and sometimes even the dog) into our van and drive us to the lake to meet my dad.  

Dad would meet us at the picnic area, parking his boat along the dock.  We'd eat, and then when we were done everyone would pile into the boat, securely fastened into life jackets, and Dad would drive the boat across the lake through the wake area, where we'd have to dodge water skiers and tubers until we reached a quiet channel.

I was never afraid of piercing the little worms with the fishing hook and would volunteer to bait my sister's hook as well (she wasn't as interested in fishing).  Then we'd cast our lines in and wait...as patiently as kids can wait...for our bobber to be pulled under and to feel a little tug on our line.  Dad would help us reel the line in, sometimes revealing that our worm had been stolen and sometimes we would have a silver, slippery fish.  Dad showed us how to hold the fish's fins back while we slipped the hook out of its lip, and then we'd take some pictures of our catch before we tossed it back.

I heard a song on the radio today called Just Fishin' by Trace Adkins.  If you've never heard it, the lyrics are about a man who takes his daughter fishing.  It seems this narrator doesn't know how to relate to his daughter's world of girly things, but he loves to spend time with her.  As I listened to it, it brought a few tears to my eyes, because it made me think of my dad.

He's a lot of things to a lot of people.  He's a husband.  He's a teacher.  He's a high school basketball coach.  (These pictures were taken at a recent game.  My dad is the man in the middle of the huddle.)  But to me--he's just my dad.  He used to take me fishing.

Happy (belated) birthday to you, Dad.  

Orlando

I know, I know.  I teased you with the promise of beets and then I disappeared!  I have good news and bad news.  The good news:  beet recipes--good ones--are still coming.  The bad news:  I was in Orlando.

Okay, that bad news might only be bad news for you if you were suffering in the short blast of winter weather the Midwest experienced last week.  Then you are likely jealous that while you were searching the underwear drawer for your thermal underpants, I spent four beautiful, sunny, relaxing, days at a Disney resort, completely paid for by my employer.  It wasn't all leisure--I spent two of those days in meetings--but hell if it isn't more fun to work in Orlando than it would have been to work at home.  

It was much more fun. 

 

I sat by the pool.

I went to Downtown Disney.

I also went to Epcot.

 

I ate gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, egg-free food at every single Disney restaurant.  They were incredibly accommodating, even sending the chef out to my table to write my order on a special ticket.  I felt like a VIP diner.  Even better than that, I felt healthy the entire time I was in Orlando.  Thank you, Disney.  You can't know how much that meant to me.  

One of the best parts of the week?  Coming home to my darling, who was waiting for me at the airport.  Orlando can't beat that. 

All pics were taken on my iPhone and edited with Instagram. 

The Extent of My Experience

In elementary school, we had to participate in the science fair as an assignment for class.   Science has never really been my strong suit; I was always better equipped to proofread a friend's book report than be someone's lab partner.  I'm okay with it, mostly because I am an excellent proofreader, but I remember envying classmates science fair entries.

My best friend project was paper that had flecks of real flower petals in them.  She did a demonstration for the class on how she made it.  It was amazing.  The purpose of her project was to show that our paper waste could be made into something new and special by recycling it.  My project felt silly in comparison.  I dyed muslin using different ingredients found in nature:  tea leaves for yellow, coffee grounds for brown, red cabbage for purple, and beets for red.  I had to boil my ingredients to extract the color so I couldn't do a live demonstration of the process.  I missed my opportunity to relate it to current events, social issues, environmental concerns, or anything that would make the understanding of dyes important for my classmates to know about.  I think my grade for that project was a B and I didn't win any awards in the fair. 

Between the science fair project and finding them pickled on the salad bar at a local restaurant, that was the extent of my experience with beets until adulthood.  Then they seemed to be everywhere--either finally it became chic to eat beets or I had only just starting noticing them.  I had a beautifully composed beet salad at the Brown Dog Cafe with my friend Sharon, and I was reminded that I do like their flavor.  They remind me of a savory carrot, with a deeper, earthier flavor that fills the mouth with each bite. 

I wanted to make a few different dishes using the small bunch I picked up at the market.  Roasting and pureeing the beets seemed the easiest route to do this, and it was incredibly easy.  I trimmed the root and stem ends from the beets and gave them a good scrub.  I then placed them in a baking dish with about a 1/4 cup of water and covered the dish with foil.  I put them in a preheated 425 degree F oven for about an hour.  Then I took the baking dish out of the oven, discarded the foil, and let the beets cool for about 20 minutes.  With gloved hands--because I knew from my science fair days that beets will stain anything they touch--I peeled off their skins, roughly chopped the flesh, and placed them in a food processor.  I pulsed the food processor until the beets were broken down into very small pieces but not quite down as far as, say, a sauce.  I had about a cup and a half of puree from three medium sized beets. I let the mixture cool all the way down to room temperature and then stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator until I was ready to use it. 

If you make this in advance as I did, you can keep the beet puree for up to a week in the refrigerator in a sealed container or freeze it for later use.  I'll be back in a few days to show you what I did with it!