I've had plenty of culinary delights to blog about this last week, but honestly, I've been floating on a wave of rhubarb deliciousness, too blissed out and full to do any significant writing. Rhubarb muffins, rhubarb crumble, rhubarb cake, and even a recipe for rhubarb bread for the bread machine. It's the first garden fruit (or is it a veggie?) to harvest from my garden each spring, and it's juicy tartness is a tangy reminder of the gardening season ahead.
This week I also put in the first half of my garden, a hodge-podge of veggies I've collected from local sales and fundraisers. Tomatoes from the adapted sports team at school. Broccoli and cauliflower from the Kiwanis of Red Wing, and much more from the East Side Co-op plant sale. In addition, on Mother's Day, my guys gave me a lovely self-pollinating plum tree and a red grape vine to add to our urban backyard gardening experiment. I'm also eagerly awaiting an explosion of raspberries that are starting to bloom along the shed, hopefully soon enough to throw together a rhubarb-raspberry pie!
Much of my summer inspiration for recipes will come from the little seedlings I've planted this week. Oh, I have plenty of recipes from the cook book to keep me busy until then, as well as the daily adventures we live, so keep checking back for more:)
Monday, May 21, 2012
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Glooay Booat Chee (Thailand)
Today was a gorgeous sunny Saturday that was spent in equal parts running the usual errands and soaking in the sun in the backyard with Frisbee, a million helicopter seeds, and a good book. We topped the night with grilled cheese burgers, and I made Glooay Booat Chee, bananas in coconut sauce, that we poured over chocolate chip ice cream. As Suki put it, "It's not yucky!"
As one boy came close to falling asleep in his coconut sauce and the other shoveled it down, we all settled down for the night feeling pretty full from our day. Our oldest was exhausted to the point of being unable to lift the bites of ice cream to his mouth. Our youngest felt a little too full, unfortunately, after overindulging in cheese burgers and bananas, and threw up all over his clean pajamas. He immediately felt better, and always a resilient one, marveled at the many facets of vomiting as I held his head over the toilet as a precautionary measure, as his brother used his last strength to turn a few pages of his comic book under the covers.
I think back to my post last weekend about the warnings in my life that I had overdone it on many fronts. This week I took some time to rest. I set some limits to my schedule for the foreseeable future. I took a little time off from work. I took a nap. I read a book. I worked to create a better balance for me and for my family.
My boys are still learning how to regulate the basics of life. How much do I eat? How much do I rest? But they are children, and they need guidence for not just the physical basics, but the emotional ones as well. I adjusted things in my life to be healthier on many levels, including how I model to my guys that sometimes a break, a run, a quiet space is necessary to restore the strength to meet the everyday challenges we face.
As one boy came close to falling asleep in his coconut sauce and the other shoveled it down, we all settled down for the night feeling pretty full from our day. Our oldest was exhausted to the point of being unable to lift the bites of ice cream to his mouth. Our youngest felt a little too full, unfortunately, after overindulging in cheese burgers and bananas, and threw up all over his clean pajamas. He immediately felt better, and always a resilient one, marveled at the many facets of vomiting as I held his head over the toilet as a precautionary measure, as his brother used his last strength to turn a few pages of his comic book under the covers.
I think back to my post last weekend about the warnings in my life that I had overdone it on many fronts. This week I took some time to rest. I set some limits to my schedule for the foreseeable future. I took a little time off from work. I took a nap. I read a book. I worked to create a better balance for me and for my family.
My boys are still learning how to regulate the basics of life. How much do I eat? How much do I rest? But they are children, and they need guidence for not just the physical basics, but the emotional ones as well. I adjusted things in my life to be healthier on many levels, including how I model to my guys that sometimes a break, a run, a quiet space is necessary to restore the strength to meet the everyday challenges we face.
Monday, May 7, 2012
Happy Family Day, Suki!
Every year we celebrate the day we became a family with each child on the anniversary of the day we spent our first night in our home together. If the day is a free summer or weekend day, we plan a simple outing to a park or maybe the zoo to spend time together, but the celebration really ramps up for dinner. We go out and have a meal at a Ethiopian or Thai restaurant, invite extended family, and of course, have a dessert. Today, for Suki's first Family Day, it was cupcakes with pink frosting and sprinkles, with a bonus chocolate treat from Grandma Sally.
Tonight we had a Thai meal at a local restaurant, Sen Yai, Sen Lek, with Grandma and Grandpa, to celebrate our one year anniversary as a family. This culinary tradition is a reminder of our connectedness to our children's cultures, a reminder of the commitment we made to join our lives to these beautiful children, a reminder of the rich flavors and joys that have permeated our lives with each passing moment to make us into the family we are today.
One year ago today our family became complete as we stepped off a plane with our youngest son, Sukris John, and thus began the most complex and complicated relationship of my life. The last year has held a roller coaster of emotion and experience, but here we are a year later, and I know this for sure:
Twelve months ago an apprehensive little toddler followed me up onto the back of an elephant with the spirit of adventure in his eyes and in his heart, as if he was acknowledging, 'So this is what life is going to be like with my new mom.' He has gamely been along for the ride ever since, sometimes with me urging him forward, but sometimes he has been the one to reach out his little hands to pull me close.
It's been bumpy and messy, but we've held on tight because in the end I love this boy and he loves me back, as he loudly declared his evening for the world to hear in a public restroom. Sukris surprises me, and one of the most wonderful surprises of all has been uncovering all the layers of his little personality that I have fallen in love with one silly moment or spontaneous hug at a time.
I've been very honest in my blogging about the challenges of this last year, and tonight my mom asked me what Suki might think of them someday. I hope that he sees that I didn't just bare my soul for all the Internet to see, but I bared my soul for him. Because I want to be the best parent I can be for him, and I am committed to working through any challenge we face, not just survive as a family, but to thrive together in mutual love and respect.
Tonight we had a Thai meal at a local restaurant, Sen Yai, Sen Lek, with Grandma and Grandpa, to celebrate our one year anniversary as a family. This culinary tradition is a reminder of our connectedness to our children's cultures, a reminder of the commitment we made to join our lives to these beautiful children, a reminder of the rich flavors and joys that have permeated our lives with each passing moment to make us into the family we are today.
One year ago today our family became complete as we stepped off a plane with our youngest son, Sukris John, and thus began the most complex and complicated relationship of my life. The last year has held a roller coaster of emotion and experience, but here we are a year later, and I know this for sure:
Twelve months ago an apprehensive little toddler followed me up onto the back of an elephant with the spirit of adventure in his eyes and in his heart, as if he was acknowledging, 'So this is what life is going to be like with my new mom.' He has gamely been along for the ride ever since, sometimes with me urging him forward, but sometimes he has been the one to reach out his little hands to pull me close.
It's been bumpy and messy, but we've held on tight because in the end I love this boy and he loves me back, as he loudly declared his evening for the world to hear in a public restroom. Sukris surprises me, and one of the most wonderful surprises of all has been uncovering all the layers of his little personality that I have fallen in love with one silly moment or spontaneous hug at a time.
I've been very honest in my blogging about the challenges of this last year, and tonight my mom asked me what Suki might think of them someday. I hope that he sees that I didn't just bare my soul for all the Internet to see, but I bared my soul for him. Because I want to be the best parent I can be for him, and I am committed to working through any challenge we face, not just survive as a family, but to thrive together in mutual love and respect.
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Yan Rou (China)
So lately I have been neglecting my inner introvert. I know this because I have been trying to make this recipe, Yan Rou, a very simple stir-fry with marinade, for about ten days now. First, I kept forgetting to take the meat out of the freezer. Then I couldn't find time to actually marinate it, and the meal only made it to the table tonight because leaving the pork in the refrigerator for another day would have been pretty risky behavior.
There are some other significant signs that said inner introvert is in crisis in the face of triple-booked evenings, writing deadlines, and grading overload. Here are a few:
1. This week we ate three meals wrapped in a flour tortilla.
2. I only ran 2 miles this week instead of my usual 10.
3. Today I fell asleep on the couch, in the middle of the afternoon, with the TV blaring, one child playing a noisy computer game, the other pounding blocks on every solid surface he could find, and my husband periodically shushing/yelling at them in turn, all within ten feet of me.
4. In the last month I've read one book, when my average is usually one a week.
5. I asked my husband to make the cupcake treats for day care tomorrow, (though I did lay out the cake mix, frosting, cupcake tins, and decorative sprinkles for him. Oh, and preheated the oven).
6. The thought of attending social engagements on the calendar three weeks from now brings tears to my eyes.
7. Each night I spend a moment trying to rationalize that yoga pants can indeed be acceptable work attire.
8. I haven't been to the grocery store in ten days.
9. Driving more than a mile, for any reason, is exhausting.
10. Today I found a container with three bites of coleslaw in it at the back of the refrigerator. I cannot remember when we last ate coleslaw, and I didn't take the container out of the fridge.
So as I look over this list, I think, good god, I need a day off at the very least, maybe a prescription of some sort, though I'd settle for a vacation...on a beach...with my Kindle...a steady stream of cocktails delivered to me...without my children...husband optional;)
But I can admit all this in good spirits because underneath the Yan Rou recipe in Extending the Table was this six line dinner prayer from Thailand, which we recited as a family before we ate our stir-fry. It was a prayer of thanks for food, the beauty of nature, safety, and happiness.
My life is overflowing with good family, good friends, good food, good health, good home, good kids, good partner, good employment, good creative outlets, good humor, good opportunities, good community, and good perspective. That is a lot of good. Do I need to take time for myself more often? Absolutely! Because I have a lot of good things in my life that I need to enjoy.
There are some other significant signs that said inner introvert is in crisis in the face of triple-booked evenings, writing deadlines, and grading overload. Here are a few:
1. This week we ate three meals wrapped in a flour tortilla.
2. I only ran 2 miles this week instead of my usual 10.
3. Today I fell asleep on the couch, in the middle of the afternoon, with the TV blaring, one child playing a noisy computer game, the other pounding blocks on every solid surface he could find, and my husband periodically shushing/yelling at them in turn, all within ten feet of me.
4. In the last month I've read one book, when my average is usually one a week.
5. I asked my husband to make the cupcake treats for day care tomorrow, (though I did lay out the cake mix, frosting, cupcake tins, and decorative sprinkles for him. Oh, and preheated the oven).
6. The thought of attending social engagements on the calendar three weeks from now brings tears to my eyes.
7. Each night I spend a moment trying to rationalize that yoga pants can indeed be acceptable work attire.
8. I haven't been to the grocery store in ten days.
9. Driving more than a mile, for any reason, is exhausting.
10. Today I found a container with three bites of coleslaw in it at the back of the refrigerator. I cannot remember when we last ate coleslaw, and I didn't take the container out of the fridge.
So as I look over this list, I think, good god, I need a day off at the very least, maybe a prescription of some sort, though I'd settle for a vacation...on a beach...with my Kindle...a steady stream of cocktails delivered to me...without my children...husband optional;)
But I can admit all this in good spirits because underneath the Yan Rou recipe in Extending the Table was this six line dinner prayer from Thailand, which we recited as a family before we ate our stir-fry. It was a prayer of thanks for food, the beauty of nature, safety, and happiness.
My life is overflowing with good family, good friends, good food, good health, good home, good kids, good partner, good employment, good creative outlets, good humor, good opportunities, good community, and good perspective. That is a lot of good. Do I need to take time for myself more often? Absolutely! Because I have a lot of good things in my life that I need to enjoy.
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