NorCal Enchiladas or a Return After Many Months!

So, it's obvious that I let this fall aside... I'm not sure what happened really. I meant to take a few days off while I wasn't feeling well and not cooking anything (my husband cooked or we went out for almost 2 weeks!) Then suddenly it was May and I hadn't written anything, but I was just too busy to pick it up again. And now, as we near the end of July, I feel a real need to blog about my day and my food! It is pouring out my pores, and so it must be brought to fruition!

Today was a fairly good day with twins behaving for the most part, but a sick husband threw a wrench into things. It all turned out for the good after a coffee run that seems to have settled everyone down for the evening. As everyone else watches Mulan, I am eating my dinner, taking a break from tying tutus, and typing this up!

I took 3 small zucchini and peeled, speared and cubed them, throwing them into a large saucepan to begin cooking. Then I took 3 ears of sweet corn and cut them off the cob, adding them to the pan. I had some leftover Carne Asada from a few days ago (about 1.5 cups)which I cut up into small pieces and put that into a saucepan with 1.5 small cans of green chili sauce (organic from Whole Foods)! I let the mix simmer in the pan over medium-high heat for about 15 minutes, then began filling the corn tortillas (La Tortilla Factory Flax & White Corn Tortillas) rolling each one in line in a 9x13 cake pan. I then covered the enchiladas with the other half a can of green sauce and with about 1 cup of mixed Light Cheddar and Mozzarella cheese (that my husband so lovingly shredded for me!) I had preheated the oven to 375 and I placed the pan into oven to melt the cheese. We serve with plain yogurt on the side!

They are a little spicy, but oh so good! The twins loved it, but you can probably cut the heat by using less green sauce in the pan to begin with and adding something else (I'm not sure what, but I will keep thinking on it!)

And now I will return to my tutus and my family, having successfully restarted this blog and put my enthusiasm for this meal in print!

Crock Pot Chicken, or Crazy Tuesday!!!!

Today has been a day of change and surprises, which makes life so very interesting. Especially with kids. We woke up in a cuddly mood and stayed in bed for about an after after having awakened (and after I retrieved 2 milk cups to stave off the horrible hunger that haunts our house). Then we finally got up and ate some apple sauce and some mixed berry jam yogurt, while seat-boogying to Pandora kids folk songs. Seeing that the twins were covered in milk drips, yogurt crusts and little tiny specks of apple, and needing a shower desperately myself, I decided it would be a family shower day! So I turned on the shower and undressed both babies, and pt them into the shower. I received a phone call just as I was about to join them in the shower. The PG&E man was calling to say he was 10 minutes out from our appointment. WAIT! what?? Today is TUESDAY??? Oh my goodness, did I forget the appointment? So I jumped in the shower and quickly washed the necessary. As quickly as possible got dressed, and called Moose out of the shower. I dressed him feverishly, and as I was done and about to call Ana out, the phone rang again! So I pulled her out and left the shower running while I rushed to open the door. I apologized profusely and ran back to my room, turned off the shower, and dressed her in 1 minute flat! All the while he went about his business looking at the heater, and checking it out. When I was done, he had his assessment ready: the filter was absolutely filthy! So replacement will be very very necessary.

As soon as that was finished, I carried our wash down to the car with twins in tow and dropped off the promised gas money to Ray's car. Then we went on our way to Burlingame to work. Today was our first day of Milo's new schedule, since he officially moved up another bracket in his swimming (YAY!). His practice is now at 5:15 instead of 4:30. So after wrangling with the boy over how much homework he must finish, and discovering his desperate need for a snack through his strikingly rude attitude, we got to the fun times of playing. Then suddenly it was time to go! So I packed up everyone and everything in the car (with a surprise visit from the Christians bearing Milo's forgotten Valentines), and dropped the kid off at his practice. Then I rushed home trying to beat both the traffic and the financial planners to our house!

When I got home I rushed over to check on the chicken I had previously coated with Italian seasoning and salt and pepper, as well as covering with water, and placing on low. It was very well done, so I turned it off. I quickly cut up some potatoes and placed them into some water to boil, and steamed some kale at the same time. The phone rang alerting us that the planner was here and we let him in, along with his boss, who happened to be with him! Strange, but nice, as they both are very lovely gentlemen. As soon as the potatoes were done I mashed them up with a little yogurt and garlic powder and cut up 2 stalks of kale, and fed the kids. Ray and I ate as soon as our meeting was over. I think I turned the chicken on too early, and that I under seasoned it for the time period, but the meal was delicious!

I am absolutely exhausted from a day of change, which not only I am not exceptional at dealing with, but also throw the twins off and make them even more silly and cuddly than normal! The storm is starting to rage outside, or at least the wind to blow heavily, so I think I'll stop now, and go finish the dishes, before the power goes out and this post is useless! Nos pars.

PS. It appears I was an idiot and completely forgot to press "POST" on the last two posts, so now they are up as well, however needing pictures, which is what I suspect I was waiting for. I will edit in the morning. Thanks for being patient!

Fondue, or Date Night with My Honey

Today was a crazy crazy day! We started it by getting everything ready for our big commute to Kelly's house, via mass transit! Having had no car throughout my college career, I am actually very good at taking public conveyance, but I have never taken the twins and was feeling very nervous. We gathered all our supplies and piled the twins into the stroller and off we went. First we walked to the big bus stop up a stop light on ECR to catch the express bus. We got on the low deck bus with no problems, and two very nice people popped up and lifted the seats for the stroller to park in the wheelchair area. Our driver had a propensity for stopping VERY quickly and the twins were very scared on the bus at first. After about 10 minutes though, they relaxed into the experience and started noticing all the people INSIDE the BUS with us, and it got to be very fun! As soon as we got to the train station, we disembarked from the bus and hurried into the station. After having gotten some coffee for mama and some lavendar cake for the babies, we grabbed our tickets and went under the tracks in the tunnel to the proper side. This is where I started to get very nervous. Most of the trains require you to climb up 5 stairs to the seating area, and have very little areas for wheelchair users, and thus would be very very hard for a stroller. I was not excited about the prospect of getting each kid out and sticking them individually up on the train then grabbing the compacted stroller and STUFF and then finding a seat, so imagine my delight when a low deck "baby bullet" train pulled up to our station for the "every stop" schedule! With the help of two very lovely people I got the twins onto the train in stroller very easily. As soon as the next stop was called, a couple vacated their seats providing us with the golden opportunity of a 4 seater all to ourselves. I quickly unbuckled the twins and unburdened the stroller and collapsed the stroller down, moving everything swiftly to our newly acquired seats! Soon enough it was time for our station to be called, and I repacked the gear with the kids and we disembarked from the train! To the sounds of our yelling goodbye and waving, the train pulled off, and we walked to Kelly's house.

My brother in law generously offered to watch the twins for me while I went and got my hair done, and as soon as they were fed, and diapers changed, and happily playing in the back yard, I left! I got my highlights, my semi-permanent all over color and the most fabulous cut ever!

Then after a little chilling with my babies and my sister and her family, I got all dolled up and went to meet the hubs at the Melting Pot. We thoroughly enjoyed our meal. It started with a shrimp cocktail, then some cheese fondue (Wisconsin Trio with crab, bread, green apples and veggies), then a loverly salad with a raspberry vinegarette, followed by the main fondue of coq au vin with lobster, steak, duck, pork, shrimp, chicken and veggies. The entire meal was accompanied by copious amounts of a California sparkling wine, and was finished by a delightful dark chocolate raspberry fondue with mixed deserts, including strawberries and cheesecake! Ah my mouth is watering and my stomach full just thinking about it! I'm typing this now as I am seriously ready to pass out. I will not be able to post again until Monday as this weekend is jammed pack and I need a tiny break! I'll chat with you all again in the new week! Nos pars!!

Kelly Makes A'Spicy Pasta Dish, or Make Up Post Number 1

Today was a gorgeous day again, so we went for a walk to Starbucks to pick up Daddy a coffee, and some chocolate milks for the twins and take it to Daddy's work for a little chat. Then we went for a nice long car nap, ending just in time to go and pick up Milo from school. After I picked up Milo, we all went back to his house to finish up his homework and play around. As soon as Kelly got home, she jumped out of her car, and Milo and I jumped into it, leaving the twins and Kelly at home. Then I dropped Milo off at swim practice and headed alone to the nail salon to get my beauty on.

I picked out my shellac color and got the nail polish to match for my toes! After having luxuriated in the washing, scrubbing and massaging, I had finished 2 mind-candy rags and was ready for my brow shaping. When we were all done, I paid up and walked on my slippery feet back to Kelly's car to drive myself home. This had taken much longer than I had anticipated and it was now 6:40. When I got back to Kelly's house at 6:45, I still hadn't eaten and decided to not go to BLAST class, as much as it pained me. I didn't want to miss my great exercise, but I hadn't eaten since 10 am, and really didn't think I could get by with no food or shovel it down fast and not throw up!

I sat down to a lovely meal with my husband who had also shown up late. Kelly had started with some ground meat (I think it was beef) and added a touch of Italian seasonings to the mix. Being Kelly, she boiled two boxes of pasta because "there is no way one box is 8 servings"! I personally think that you should always have too much pasta, and not too little, so that no one has to go without, and you can always use the rest later! She added some jar sauce and for the adults, a little red pepper. Oh my goodness was it good! It had a whole mess of flavor and just enough heat on the back end to perk it up!

At the end of all that pasta, we decided to walk down and get some ice creamy stuff at BR. Moose and Ana got mini cones with soft serve, that Moose ate upside down. Kelly got some sorbet, and Ray and Milo, ice cream. I was still way too full from pasta to even THINK about anything more to eat! Then we walked over to grab some allergy meds at Walgreens, because this beautiful weather has all the plants twitterpated, and it is driving our little family up a wall with itchy eyes and runny noses! So having completed our tasks of finding sweet and drugs, we finished off our chilly night walk and headed back to Kelly's for jammies and drove on home. The twins are in bed, and I am soon after. Nos Pars!

Supermarket Meal, or How Terrible it is When I Forget to Prepare

I read an article today that really disturbed me. Strokes in younger people are rising dramatically. While I walk with the twins every day, and run 2-3 days a week and go to BLAST class 2 days a week, I still eat a fairly high fat diet. Our plan was to start by eating mostly whole foods and creating our meals at home, while simultaneously increasing our activity level. Then we were going to take a hard look at what we cook and begin substituting healthier options for the ones we were already working with. We are doing really great at eating whole foods at home, and rarely eating out now. We are doing fairly well at the increasing our activity level. I walk every day and attend my BLAST class, but I am finding it hard to keep my running up. Ray goes to the gym every morning, but has skipped some days when the night was hard.

With this in mind, when I got home from work with the twins, knowing that Ray had an after work meeting and would not be able to join us for dinner, I realized I had completely failed to appropriately plan! I had NO protein-substance thawed, hadn't set up anything to cook while I was gone, and had nothing except some beets, apples and oranges in the fridge! So I piled my cranky pants into their stroller and walked us over to the local supermarket. Saying that I was disappointed at the utter LACK of anything healthy and prepared would be a major understatement. My twins were hungry and I was running out of time! I had to find SOMETHING to feed them that would be already ready to go! The only food they had prepared were aisles of cookies, cupcakes, cakes and other sweets, loaves of bread, mayonnaise-y salads that looked mildly questionable, and deep fried pieces of dead animals and root plants. After circling the market and grabbing a can of organic no-salt mixed vegetables, a slab of cornbread, a box of tissues, and some more of the "delicates" detergent, I ended up back at the "deli". With dissatisfaction, I ordered 5 very over cooked chicken strips, as they were the only thing I thought both I and the twins could eat. I am utterly appalled at the lack of healthy prepared food at the supermarket!




Whole Paycheck, er I mean Foods, while protentious and overpriced, has a great selection of not terrible for you prepared foods. However, being across town, it is not an option I can really entertain. I suppose my best option is going to be overcooking a few meals and freezing them myself, so that all I have to do is pop them into the microwave, into the oven, or onto the stove to have a real meal to feed us. This however is going to take a great deal of planning, and a little time to set into order. Small price to pay for not eating to kill us.

I must end this post rather abruptly as the twins are showering each other with cornbread they grabbed off the counter, and it is quite obvious that it is time for this single-for-the-night mom to put these two to bed. Nos pars?

Shrimp Alfredo, or A Day Gone From Nightmare to Pleasant Dream

Today started out fairly bad again, with everyone in one big bed again after screaming fit and coughing and running noses all night long. I once again had a pounding headache, a sore throat, and to boot, my arms were beyond sore precisely where I had worked them out the night before! Figures! Ray gave the twins a quick breakie while I laid in bed bemoaning the world and all its inhabitants, especially whatever it was that had put me in this state. So once again, as soon as I could I loaded up on Claratin-D, ibuprofen and peppermint tea!

Ray came home at lunch to eat and gave me just a little more time to get ready for the day. I quickly got ready (bless those Aura Casia people and their aromatherapy shower fizzers!) and rushed the now crying twins out the door. In my haste, I evidently forgot to lock our door (nothing taken, whew!). As soon as we pulled onto the road the sweet sounds of toddler snoring began in the backseat! I drove straight to hell and comfort: McDonald's. I ordered two cheeseburger, two plain cheeseburgers, and a LARGE caramel mocha, please. And yes my order IS correct on the screen, thank you. I pull around the corner to park and eat my delicious comfort to ease my pain, and there are only two plain cheeseburgers in my bag. I whip around, and carefully try to keep the sleepers sleeping as I take them INTO the restaurant. I get my two cheeseburgers, put my gigglers back in their seats, distribute the plain cheeseburgers and proceeded to cry in the parking lot, right into my caramel mocha.

As soon as I got to my sister's, I felt so much better! My head had finally stopped pounding, and the soreness in my throat had become bearable. My neck still ached, but repeated lane changes had stretched the muscles out very nicely indeed. Milo was a true gem today, being silly and sweet on the walk home, wonderfully cooperative in getting snacks for himself and the twins, and doing his homework with out even a pout! And the twins, they only caused mild distruction today, and played ever so nicely with each other, even laughing histerically together at Ana's ability to produce snot bubbles on command!

Needless to say, when I got home (after having picked up some goodies at the mail room!!!!), I was ready for some good old fashioned comfort food with my hubs. I put the big pot full of water on to boil and the steamer all set up. First I cut the rough ends off the asparagus, then cut them in half so they'd fit into the steamer. Setting them on to steam, I de-tailed the shrimp them threw them into a frying pan with a little olive oil and some finely chopped garlic (about 6 cloves). I sauteed them until the garlic became soft and slightly translucent. Then I added a whole box of cream cheese (I am seriously trying to rid myself of these!) As I stirred, Ray shredded some parmegianno into the pan, because cheese is just that good! The water in the big pot was boiling so I added the thick spaghetti noodles to the water and set the timer for 8 minutes. As soon as the timer went off, I drained the noodles and threw everything into the pot together! Nummers!

I feel so much more relaxed now, with the twins lotion-jammied-milked-storied and in bed, listening to my husband giggle from our bedroom and the neighbors walk around upstairs. I will be downing a nice BIG glass of OJ before heading to bed early, because I do not need another morning like this. So to you all, good night, sleep tight and do NOT let the bed bugs bite! Nos pars.

Curried Butternut Squash Soup with Salad and Bread, or Day Two of the Gym!

Today started out very bad with two toddlers who were incredibly needy and runny-nosed. I had a sore throat and just was feeling terrible. Ray went into work and as soon as he could see that he wasn't needed he came right home and allowed me to take a little nap, a few pills, and a wonderfully hot shower with a peppermint effervescent aromatherapy tablet. After another nap at noontime and a few more ibuprofen, I felt pretty dang good to go! So to work we went, and it being Monday, it was my night to cook dinner for our families and I must do it meatless for my sister's family!

First I cut the butternut squash into quarters and peeled about 8 cloves of garlic and boiled them all for about 2 1/2 hours in plain water. After the flesh was soft I put 6 cups of the water I boiled them in aside and drained the squash and allowed them to cool to the touch. I then scooped all the flesh off the skins and put it into the now empty pot. I added back the garlic and mashed it well. I added 1 pint of plain soy creamer (and sometimes I blend this with a chunk of wet tofu) and 3 tablespoons of curry seasoning. Then I added about a teaspoon of red Hawaiian sea salt and stirred the soup until it was well blended. I take the 6 cups of boiled water and add it back to the soup until it reaches the right consistency (never actually the whole six cups, but more like 3 or 4). I place the soup back onto low-medium heat to warm up again.

Then I took 4 small-medium tomatoes and cut them into thin wegdes. A large red bell pepper I chopped into 1/4 inch pieces, and shredded the radashio finely. Then I took a bunch of mint and loosely chopped just the leaves, then added about a cup of raw sunflower seeds. I left now to go to my class and the boys (Gavin and Ray) sliced the bread, and washed and chopped the lettuce.

As I sit snarfing down my food, post workout, the twins are being whiny and everyone else is watching something that appears to be supremely hilarious. I have a mini cannoli sitting next to me waiting and a warm feeling that I know will be a delicious soreness in my arms tomorrow, and I am so very glad to be able to eat this delicous food and work out vigorously in order that I may enjoy it for many years to come! Nos pars!

My Mom Cooks Dinner, or Cleaning Out The Storage and Making Some Marmalade.

Today was a day spent at my mother's house for the most part, at least. We did go to Michael's for ribbon, Famous Footwear to get the twins and mommy new shoes, and to Target to get another bag and LOTS of tissues for the allergy afflicted amongst us. Then my mother and I stayed behind at the house while my stepdad went to work, and my dad picked up my sister and husband to do the first load of clearing out the storage unit.

We picked some oranges off of our good neighbors tree (so very very delicious let me tell you! If you have a chance to get some California oranges this year, I would recommend it!) and set to work making marmalade! First we used a vegetable peeler to peel half of the well washed oranges, and one of the lemons. Then we peeled the citrus as well as possible, trying to get most of the "white stuff" off. I cut each of the fruits in half then used kitchen scissors to snip the hard white skin off of the middle of each of the slices, then chopped them all up and seperated the slices throwing it all into a big bowl and keeping all the juice that slipped out. While I was doing this, my mom took the rinds that I had peeled and put them into a pan with some water and baking soda and let them boil for 20 minutes. I got the three biggest remaining oranges and juice them, getting almost exactly 2 cups! We put the oranges, the juice, the rinds, the pectin and 11 cups of sugar into the big pot to boil for about 10 minutes, then as I left to go clean out the storage unit, my mom ladled the marmalade into the prepared jars and fixed the lids, turning them all over to seal.

At our storage unit it was discovered that a large amount of water had entered the unit during our extreme rains earlier in the rainy season, and much of the contents of our unit were not sporting some not so great spots. Mold. Luckily it appears that we had gotten to the unit early enough that the mold had not spread far, and we immediately threw out the offending objects.

After my dad, sister and I finished cleaning out the unit and returned to my mom's house to drop off all the stuff, my dad left to go rest his aching back at his own home. My mom went inside to mind the kids, and make dinner, while the rest of us sorted through the massive pile o' junk on the front lawn, putting things that we wanted to keep into my stepdad's barn, and throwing the rest of it into a big pile for Ray and my dad to take to the junkyard first thing in the morning.

My mom made us pan cooked sausages and potatoes, steamed seasoned Brussel's sprouts, and a lovely salad with carrots, lettuce and cabbage! A basic meal that fed the starving hearty crowd that had just worked all day!

As I sit in my mother's room, typing away on her computer, listening to the random chatter and the sounds of children playing, I am very thankful for a day full of accomplishments and work well done. I love to be with my family and love to be able to laugh and joke with those closest to me. I am so very blessed to be able to share moments like this with my parents, moments where we can work side by side to accomplish what we alone could not. It is something that I look forward to doing with the twins as they grow up, and I am looking forward to each and every day! Nos pars!

Black Bean Shepherds Pie, Or Heading Down to Hanford Tonight

Today was a busy day that saw me doing last minute things to prepare for our trip to the Central Valley for my dear cousin Sorelle's baby shower! She is expecting a girl in early April, and we are just so excited! I can't wait to meet my new little niece! So laundry had to be finished, and put away. Beds stripped and allowed to breath, then remade. Food had to be cleared out. Kitty boxes needed to be cleaned out. The trash and recycling needed to be taken down. Bags must be packed and the car cleaned out. And all while taking care of the twins! Luckily, Milo had a play date after school, and so I need not drive to Burlingame! Sweet!

For our quick dinner before heading out, I put the black beans in to soak the night before, then pulled them out around noon to start boiling. I placed them into the large stock pot and covered them with water and just let them boil stirring every so often for about 4 hours. I put about 10 new white potatoes on to boil, cutting them into 1/2 inch cubes first. Then I took two cubes of muffin sized chicken broth, the kale finely chopped, an onion finely chopped, and some Celtic gray sea salt and black pepper, threw them into the pot, along with a bag of frozen peas that had been sitting in our freezer and really needed to be cooked. I stirred the mix frequently. As soon as the potatoes were ready to mash, I turned the oven to broil and pulled out the last of the cheese curds and a half a stick of butter and mashed the potatoes in their pot. I made sure the "stew" was laying flat in it's pot, then covered the entire pot with the potatoes (making sure not to let them mix, but cover the stew). Then I stuck the entire pot into the broiler and left it for about 8 minutes. It was all ready to serve.

While Ray dipped up the plates, I cleaned out the pot I used to boil the potatoes. As soon as we finished this meal, of which the twins ended up eating the bean and peas out of only, we quickly cleaned all the dishes and changed the twins into their night clothes. Off we went!

I am actually blogging this well into Saturday because I was so incredibly exhausted when we got to my mom's house that there was no way I was going to be able to be coherent about what I had done that day. Perhaps I should have posted last night; probably would have made for a fun read any way! Off to finish cleaning out our storage unit! Nos pars!

Kelly's Delish Italian Dish, or Carb Loading For Our First BLAST Workout!

Today was a beautiful day for sure and we couldn't stay inside so we went for a nice long walk after getting some work done early. Then we went to lunch with daddy at his work. Then drove to Burlingame, and when we arrived, we took a nice long nap in our warm car in Kelly's driveway. Is there any better way to spend your day? I most certainly challenge you to find one! We even walked Milo to swimming, and stayed to play on the bleachers!

Tonight was Kelly's night to cook the family dinner. First she put some linguini in to boil, setting the timer or something (I wasn't home yet, so I have no idea, but it was perfectly cooked!). Then she took cubed breasts and thigh meat, mixing the two because we both prefer the taste of thigh and the nutrition of breast, and sauted it with Frontier Italian herb seasoning and olive oil. As these were cooking, Gavin sliced crimini mushrooms, added them to the chicken pan and allowed them to soften up. As soon as the mushrooms were soft and the juice had started to boil off, we added about a cup of sliced grape tomatoes to the pan, followed quickly by some premade pesto sauce. We then stirred in some spaghetti squash that she had previously gutted, allowing everything to heat up and mix well. We then mixed the pan ingredients with the linguini in two bowls because we made far too much of this deliciousness for one bowl to contain. Oh man, the name of this dish is not a misnomer! Not by far! The heartiness of the ingredients coupled with the strong aromatics of the seasonings and sauce created a superb meal! Superb, I say!

Beginning this week, every Monday and Thursday Kelly and I will be attending Anatomy Personal Training Studio's BLAST class. This is a small fast paced group training class that incorporates cardio and weight lifting in quick intervals. It was amazing. The time flew and I worked up a good sweat without feeling like I was working. I felt myself cheering for the others in the class and wanting to push harder and harder. And when the class was over, I wasn't feeling like I was done! I could do this for sure!

As I sit in Kelly's living room, after having walked back and stretched, I am still feeling warm in my core and loving that feeling. Good food, great family, and a wonderful workout; what more could a girl want? Nos Pars!

Tuscan Family Dinner, or Just An Early Spring Day in the Neighborhood!

Today did not start well with Ana waking up at 5 am whining and crying. After trying for about a half hour to figure out what was wrong with her, Ray had to start getting ready for the day. So he announced that he was going to go grab his breakfast. Ana jumped down from my arms in bed, ran down the hall gleefully shouting "BREPPUST!!" Our poor little girl had been starving and we had no idea! After a little while of sitting staring at the children as they played and crawled on me, I woke up and decided that the day was best started on my end by eating a stack of Denny's pancakes. Yes, I know, not the healthiest, but sometimes you need some comfort. And I will testify before congress that they most certainly must put an addictive substance into those delicious disks of delight, the way that I just can't say no!

Our day continued with our normal routine of picking up Milo, watching him do his homework, driving him over to swim practice and heading home (somehow always much more complex than that simple assessment). I started as soon as I walked in the door by immediately filling my two big pots with water and placing them onto the big burners to boil. I pulled out the artichoke, trimmed them quickly and stuck them into a pot to begin cooking. Next I preheated the oven to 350 degrees. After, I pulled out the chicken breasts, sliced them into 1 inch strips, sprinkled some of my proprietary Italian seasoning on them, then stuck them on the forman grill. As soon as the other pot of water began to boil, I poured an entire box of penne pasta into the water and set the timer for 11 minutes (I always set the pasta timer for 1 minute before I want to take it out so that I have a minute to come back to it). Making sure that the artichokes were flipped and all sides were cooking, I grabbed the white cake mix, stirred 3 eggs, a cup of oil, and a cup of water in a bowl, and put the whole mix into a greased cake pan. Sticking the pan into the preheated oven, I set the other timer for 40 minutes. In the few minutes I had as everything was cooking, I washed a few dishes, pulled out a bottle of 2006 Buena Vista Ramal Merlot, the parmegiana and cheese grater, and a jar of premade-homemade pasta sauce. As soon as the 11 minute timer went off, I drained the pasta, returning it to its pot and adding in the sauce. The chicken was smelling perfect, so I pulled it off the grill and put it aside as well. I grated some cheese into the pasta, then checked and removed the artichokes from their pot.

Ana liked the Artichokes.

Terrence did not, although he did enjoy the pasta and sauce immensely.


After dinner was over the cake was finished, so we pulled it out of the oven and placed it on some towels to the side. We heated up a little milk and mixed it with some softened butter, and made some chocolate frosting. As soon as the cake was cool enough, we slathered on the frosting and served it up! Nothing tastes as good as fresh.

As I finish my third glass of wine, and this blog post, I am thinking about my friends and family in the Midwest who are being inundated with a shocking amount of snow. I hope that soon enough you all get the wonderful sunshine and beautiful blossoms that we got to experience today. May spring come swiftly and calmly, and may it bring you it's wonders in ways that inspire the child in you! Nos Pars!

Crock Pot Pork with Purple Mashed Taters, or How I Learn (Frequently) to Cherish Every Moment

Today was another busy Tuesday, as they always seem to be! I had to go by the bank, then to Kaiser to pick up prescriptions and have a blood draw, stop by Ray's work to say hello, then head up to Burlingame to pick up Milo from school at 2. And of course, I woke up grumpy this morning with a real need for some tylenol and a massage. The twins were rambunctious little anklebiters today, running around screaming and tackling each other. When it was time to get dressed and get us out of the house to go running our errands, they fought like crazy to not have to get diapers changed or clothing on, which is very unlike them. And I still had to put the ribs into the crock pot to cook for dinner! So I grabbed the ribs, 2 small onions and the corno di torro pepper out of the fridge. I placed the ribs onto the bottom of the pot, sliced the onions and pepper onto the ribs, place two muffin sized frozen chicken broth cubes on top, then covered the entire mix with just enough water to fully submerge. I turned the crockpot to low and placed the lid back on it! Finally, delayed a few minutes in our departure, we made our way to Campbell, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, back home to Mountain View, then up to the Game.

Milo was surly to the max today as I was picking him up, even yelling at me twice. He was very upset because his dad had been delayed in his flight home from India by the storms back east, and was therefore unable to pick him up from school as scheduled. After a small lecture on not hurting bugs because you are bigger than them, we took a little "cool down" time before starting in on homework, with a small mishap that resulted in a briefly bloody nose for Ana. And right as we were almost finished, the taxi door slammed closed out front. Out the door Milo ran! Here is Gavin carrying Milo back into the house.



When we got home, I cut up the purple potatoes (about 8 small-medium) and put them into a pot of water to boil, also filling a smaller pot with water and starting it to boil. I filled the steamer basket with one each of red, purple, and orange carrots sliced and peeled. I then grabbed the 4 sugar beets out of the fridge, peeled and sliced them and added them to the basket, then stuck it on the boiling pot and placed on the lid. I removed the meat and peppers from the crockpot then transfered the juice into a frying pan and turned it onto medium heat. I grabbed my trusty sifter and some flour, along with a wire whisk, and began sifting flour into the frying pan and swifting whisking the gravy until it thickened just enough. After it was starting to thicken, I turned off the heat and allowed it to cool and thicken more. As the carrots and beets were done, I took them off the heat. The potatoes finished just about the same time, so I drained them and poured them into a bowl. I added some black pepper, Celtic grey sea salt, and about 1 cup of yogurt (finishing off the jar!) to the potatoes and mashed them to perfection.

As I listen to Ray and the twins rough-house in the living room I am so happy to have our entire family together and that he has never had to be away from us for more than a night or two. It warms my heart to think about how much Milo loves his dad, and how nice it was for them to be back together again after a week and half apart. I will strive to never take any of my family (especially my husband and sisters) for granted and cherish them with all of my heart. Nos Pars!

Potato Crust Quiche, or An Unexpected Day Off Gives Me Extra Time to Work

Today was a cold, sunny day, and I was feeling something warm for lunch, so I pulled out some mozzarella cheese and the last of the cheddar in our cheese drawer, 2 slices of Dutch crunch bread, 2 slices of sourdough rye, and olive oil. I sliced the the mozzarella and cheddar thinnly, and dipped the bread into the olive oil, coating one side only. I then placed one piece of each bread type onto the forman grill (oil side down), layered the cheeses onto the bread, then topped it with the other bread (oil side up), and closed the grill. I took the cooking time to take a black twig apple out of the fridge and peeled and sliced it. When the cheeses had melted and the bread was browned, I took the sandwiches out of the grill to slice them and serve them. Delish!

Since my sister and Milo were feeling sick again today, and had called me in sick with themselves, I took today to catch up on some work that I have been neglecting. I cut the tulle for 6 tutus, and tied three of them during nap time. We played outside for a while as well today, taking advantage of the sun and lack of rain today to run! After an hour outside, this mama was exhausted from running around after the twins and trying to keep them from running both into the lack and into the parking lots. So inside we went for a little quite reading time and picking up of the house, specifically the toys the twins had spread out around the house.

As it was now time to start cooking dinner, I turned the oven to 350 and pulled the red potatoes (about 6 small-medium) out of the fridge and shred them into a bowl. I then pulled out the Black Butte cheese (a spring grass milk aged for at least one year cheese, that has a sharp bite but a very sweet finish) from the cheese drawer and finely shred some onto the potatoes, enough to just cover the potatoes. I added 1 good pinch of black pepper, then stirred up the potatoes in the bowl. I found my favorite small casserole dish and covered the bottom and about one inch of the sides with the potatoes, stuck the crust into the oven to bake for 20 minutes. I then shred about 1/3 cup of the cheese into the freshly cleaned bowl, grabbed 3 white satin carrots from fridge, peeled and shred them on top of the cheese. I took a medium white onion, and finely chopped it until I hit only green and added that to the bowl as well. (I saved the greens for another day.) Then I cracked and scrambled 5 large eggs, and added 3 serving spoonfuls of plain yogurt, then mixed the bowl with a large pinch of oregano, and a large pinch of himalayan pink sea salt. When the 20 minutes was up, which incidentally was exactly when I finished preparing the mix, I added the egg mix to the casserole dish and stuck it back into the oven for 35 minutes, checking to make sure the eggs had cooked all the way. This provided just enough for each of us, and everyone enjoyed it thoroughly (with the addition of some Pepper Plant for the hubs).

We try to eat at least 3 of our dinners in a week as vegetarian or fish meals, because it saves our pockets, our bodies, and our planet. Our pockets because we prefer to eat food that we know has been grown in a sustainable and ethical manner, which tends to be more expensive. Our bodies because it cuts down on the amount of dietary cholesterol we consume and increases the amount of vegetables we eat every week. And our planet because animals take more resources to raise and produce more waste than plant crops do. I am so very thankful that we have the option to eat a meat-light lifestyle. It makes me feel better about our consumption and helps me to pass on the sort of lifestyle we wish to show our children. It helps me to feel better.

And with that I wish you a very happy "Meatless Monday!" Nos Pars.

Market Sunday and Dinner with Heather, Or I Love Rainy Sundays

Market Day!! Hoooooray!!!

Sunday dawned rainy and wet, slightly dim and drip drip dripping outside my window. The twins were very happy to be up and were happy to let us know they were up! So up we got. After showering and getting dressed, we met my sister and Milo at Hobees, where we eat most Sundays before heading to the Market.

The Market was wet and fairly deserted, actually my favorite way to shop. The vendors are so very nice normally, but on rainy days at the Market, they are so much more. I sometimes wonder what the reason for this is. Is it because they aren't swamped with customers and can take the time to be more personal? Is it that they realize that we must be devotees of the Market lifestyle in order to be out in the rain shopping? Is there some sort of innate realization that comes with being seasonal that gives you a real appreciation of the rain, and therefore makes you in a better mood as a result? Perhaps it is something I haven't thought of (most likely!) that makes them more genial on days like this.

We stopped to get some lovely purple, orange and white carrots with the greens on them. Then we moved on to potatoes (purple, red, new white and golden Yukon this week!) and delicious navel oranges. At our favorite meat booth, we picked up some pork ribs and flat iron steak. Then moved on to the Narcissus and daffodil booth! I am beyond addicted to having some of these little fragrant next to my working space at my desk. Sugar beets with their greens, chard, kale, and small white onions with the tops on at the end booth. A small butternut squash, a large tomato (of unknown variety, sorry), a white onion, and a corno di torro pepper. Some black butte cheese from our favorite cheese maker, who promises that the yogurt cheese will be back in two weeks! Eggs, king trumpet and white mushrooms, and some small artichokes from Watsonville rounded out our Market stash. We didn't get any bread or milk from the market today so we stopped off at Le Boulanger and Trader Joe's to pick those up and headed home to drop off the goods.

Then we went to San Mateo to watch Milo swim the freestyle anchor of the medley, and rock it with a 19.4 split! Way to go MILO!!

This evening we had Heather over for dinner, as we haven't seen her in a while and must have an Auntie Heather fix frequently. We seasoned the flat iron steak with fleur du sel, fresh ground black pepper, thyme, and rosemary, and placed it on the forman grill. We sliced the white mushrooms and some onions and sauteed them in some olive oil, then added some balsamic to the pan. When the onions and mushrooms were soft, I poured the last glass of an old bottle of red wine into the pan and allowed it to simmer (just a little too long!), then added a touch of water back into the pan and a generous pinch of salt. We also steamed some white rice and the chard we got today. Heather thinly sliced the steak and we served it on a bed of rice with the red wine reduction over the top. It was delicious!

As we sit around the table, sipping super strong coffee, I feel renewed as another day as finished, and another week has begun. The rain is back and has washed away the grime of the world and left it feeling anew. The rain will bring more good things to the Market and feed us more wonderful food with our family and friends in the future. Let it rain! Nos Pars!

Blue Mango Thia-Sushi Dinner, or How to Hang Out in San Jose All Day

Saturday began with Ray and I taking the twins with us to the San Jose Red Cross to fulfill our every 6 weeks obligation to give blood. It is an interesting time for us, as we have to do some maneuvering to both give blood and keep the twins from going insane and driving everyone in the building up the wall! Ray runs in and gets checked in while I get the twins out of the car, taking my time and playing with them as I go. Then I go in and check in, but have them hold my file until Ray is actually done giving his blood, then he grabs the twins and I get to run the gauntlet! When I am done with my 15 minute after waiting period, we all load up in the car and go! This week, the mostly Chinese nurses in the Apherisis center came out to the waiting area to talk to the twins, give them chocolates and general lavish them with attention! My total hams were eating it up. I learned that if you write out "girl then boy" in Chinese it means "whole" in a good way, and that it is a very lucky thing to have a girl, then boy twins. Nice.

This is a shot of the twins with us in the after donation waiting room, helping me finish my cheezits and oreos. Just about the only time these kids get to eat such decadent and nutritionally void foods! They enjoyed them thoroughly!

After this we ran a few errands and then finally got Miya on the phone so we could hang out with her. We grabbed Pizza My Heart (LOVE me some salad and Primo pizza), and walked up and down Willow Street buying kids things along the way. A trip to the Glen is never without a trip to Kool Kids Couture.

Dinner was at Blue Mango in San Jose with Miya also. Starters consisted of Chicken Satay and Yam Fries, with peanut sauce and a sweet and sour sauce. We had Chicken Pad Thai, Prawn and Scallop Mango Currey, Spicy Garlic Chicken, Brown Rice and White Rice for dinner. Desert was Chocolate Soufle, Exotic Bomba (three layers of Sorbetto rolled in white chocolate and drizzled with milk chocolate), and White Chocolate-Banana Wontons with Coconut Ice Cream. To say that this meal was divine would be a real understatement. It was amazing in a way that only Thai food can be!

As I look back on this evening, I am so happy to have friends who are more like family, like Miya. She is my kids Auntie Mina, and she will always be a wonderful part of our lives. We love her and thank her for our day out in San Jose. Nos Pars.

Leftovers Burritos, or Multicultural Night Becomes a Gastric Nightmare

Today we had planned on having lunch with our good friend Auntie Carey, and going shopping for fabric and yarn at our favorite yarn and fabric shop, The Bobbins Nest in Santa Clara. We were just about to get dressed and go to Santa Clara in order to further those ends, when my phone rang. I answered to my sister Kelly sounding harried. Her son Milo had just thrown up in the hall of his school, and she had to stay at work for a few hours more in order to run off the school paper, then could come home to take care of him. So, I rushed to get the twins dressed, grabbed what we needed for the day and out the door we went.

Milo seemed to be feeling much better by the time we got to him, so we took him home and hung out on the couch until his mom got home. We decided to go ahead and run a few errands that needed to be done for the Multicultural night at Milo's school that night that Kelly had committed to run a Scottish table for. For mostly selfish reasons, I took the kids with us because the twins NEEDED a nap, and were refusing to lay down, sit down or even stand still in place for more than a nanosecond. As we sat in the car outside of Walgreens, with all three kids in the backseat, Milo made that face. You know that face. The "oh my goodness the world has turned upside down and my stomach is about to empty itself in spectacular fashion" look. So I grabbed the twins' car toys bucket, dumped it on the floor of the backseat, and stuck it in front of Milo just in time!

When his mother came out of the store, she saw my face and knew. So home we went again and let the kids out of the car. The twins and I fell asleep on the armchair while Kelly baked cookies and brewed tea. The fashion show was at 7, so at 6:35 I got Milo and Moose dressed in the Scot gear, and headed the kids down to the school, they walked across the stage, then Milo got that look again. So abandoning my kids with Kelly, I rushed Milo home again.




Therefore, dinner did not consist of multicultural foods from the fair, but instead steak and potato burritos made from leftovers from the dinner we made at Kelly's house the other day. We did get to eat a few of the shortbreads with lemon curd and marmalade, as well as some very very delicious tea. And now with my children giggling and wrestling on the floor, about to be dressed for bed and driven home, Milo is laying like a heap on the couch staring into space. I am so glad to have been able to help my sister out and take care of my nephew in a time of need. I am also very glad to have seen my son in a kilt. I hope to have a picture to add to this blog post to make it worthwhile. Nos Pars.

*A big thanks to Lisa Smith for providing the pictures of Milo and Moose in the fashion show!!!*

Italian Dinner Night, or Daddy Takes the Wheel

Today was a Laundro-thon, and if you've ever had to do laundry in a shared laundry room, you understand the complexities built into that sentence automatically. The by the clock drill, checking to make sure that the machine(s) has not stopped functioning, but is still continuing to count down anyway, carrying everything you need back and forth to the room. Now include in this scenario a toddler who insists on going with you to the laundry room, then running up and down the halls after you've finished, making you throw the laundry into your house, then run after said toddler like a crazy person EACH AND EVERY TIME! Now double the toddler.

Luckily I was the luckiest twin toddlers momma with shared laundry in the whole kintire world today! Mrs. Karen Giusti and Mr. S. Marcus Giusti decided that they needed to bring stuff for a certain niece of mine over today, and they offered to fold my GIANT pile of laundry. YES, this is my CLEAN clothes pile. And YES I had more laundry to do beside this! 5 loads to be exact! And YES, our closets were empty! I had done all of our laundry at both my sister's house (and dragged it home) and my house (and worked around the twins). Every time I have tried to fold with the twins awake, they "help" and unfold everything. And when they were napping, I took a shower and got ready for the day and did the other million things that go into making a house run!



So today, my husband (aka the most wonderful man, who I am lucky enough to have married and bore children) took the wheel and made dinner! This is not really unheard of, as Raymond loves to cook almost as much as I do, especially when it's one of his favorite meals on the slate!

For his meal, the man boiled some vegetable based pasta Rotini, Forman Grilled 4 spicy chicken sausages and 1 mild Italian chicken sausage, and steamed organic Kale from our favorite booth at the market. He then mixed the pasta with some handmade pasta sauce and a generous amount of parmeggian-reggiano cheese, finely grated! The kale he topped with pure olive oil and a medium sized pinch of Celtic gray sea salt. He served this amazing meal with a bottle of 2007 Benzinger Soltice Blend (grown on Sonoma Mountain), a wonderful red blend consisting of 60% cab sauvignon, 21% merlot, 11% cab franc, and 8% petit verdot. Mildly tannin-y with a rich dark flavor. I love my husband.

Now as the twins are in the bath, washing off the painstakingly applied red coating from head to toe, I am sipping the remnants of the wine and waiting for the buzzer to go off, so I can put the last load of the day into the drier, and fold and PUT AWAY the second to last load of the day. This day has been yet another truly wonderful one, and I am so very thankful for the family that I married. Nos Pars.

Dinner at My Sister's House, or Two Single-for-the-Night Mom's Make Dinner

So tonight, my hubby has a meeting and my brother-in-law Gavin is on a 10 day business trip to the East Coast and India. So my sister and I decided to pool our resources and make dinner together! I brought new potatoes, 2 corno di torro peppers, a bag full of white mushrooms, tomatoes, Anaheim pepper, a giant carrot, and a white onion. My sister provided three New York strip steaks, olive oil, Raven's seasoning, thin and light tortilla chips, lightly seasoned Brussels sprouts, Hawaiian red sea salt, and Frontier Citrus n' herb no salt seasoning.

I finely chopped the tomatoes, onion, and Anaheim pepper, mixed it with a generous pinch of Hawaiian red sea salt, and served it with the chips for starts, so everyone would stop yelling! : ) Milo and the twins were running around and yelling and it was very destructive. However, Moose decided that the chips were much better thrown on the ground and stomped on than being eaten. We disagreed. He lost privileges of holding the bowl.

I then cut the new potatoes into small cubes (quarter inch approximately), tossed them with olive oil and the citrus n' herb no salt seasoning and baked them at 350 for about a half an hour. I peeled the carrot and chopped it into about 1/2 inch cubes and placed them with the preseasoned (olive oil, garlic, and black pepper) Brussels sprouts into the steamer. I then turned the steamer on for about 15 minutes. We preheated the cast iron skillet in the oven with some olive oil. When the potatoes were done, we covered the bottom of the skillet with Raven's seasoning, put the steaks into the pan and covered them with more of the seasoning. We then put the sliced Corno di Torro pepper and mushrooms into the pan, turned the oven to broil and put the pan on the highest rack.

Desert tonight consisted of a Apple Crustodo from Molly Stones, because we were both too dang tired to even think about trying to cook desert as well!

We always have the best time at Auntie Kelly's house, and the twins look to Milo as their older brother, and he to them as his younger siblings. I am so glad that they will get to grow up with cousins as we did, with my cousins Tony and Sorelle. These two grew up literally around the corner from them, making our family so close. It makes me think about the crazy amount of stuff I've bought for Sorelle's baby and how excited I am to have another niece. Yes, she is Auntie Sorelle to my kids and her daughter will be my niece. Isn't that awesome???

So anyway, my nephew and my children are cuddling/playing on the couch and my sister is cleaning the floors after my children have literally destroyed them with the random debris of the day! So I will put them in jammies, and get out of her way for another night!

As another great day comes to a close, I am so grateful to have my family to share these meals with! Nos Pars!

Michelle Rebecca Joined Us for Dinner, or How Crazy a Food Blog Can Be After a Long Day

As I'm sipping a cup of homemade Caramel Chai Tea Latte (organic cream, handmade caramel, organic free-trade chai tea. totally not the healthiest, but totally what I need right now!), I'm thinking back on how this night went not at all how I had planned, but how lovely it was instead! I apologize for any long winded-ness and the lack of memory of exactly where things were from. I did know, but as I started this blog after Market Day, I simply didn't file the info away in my brain well enough to give you direct info! I promise that after this Sunday Market Day, I will be better at telling you just where everything is from, and much more about what pricisely the varietals are.

Our food day began with homemade applesauce, yogurt from cows in Modesto with Gramma made strawberry jam, and toast from La Boulanger (they make it fresh, and since I haven't had a chance to start a starter, handmade is good enough!). First lunch had cheese curds (lovely lady that I can't remember where she has her cows!), ham (from whole foods), and apple slices (from a local vendor... somewhere here in Silicon Valley... just can't remember where!). Second lunch had more applesauce, and peanut butter (organic from whole foods) sandwiches. Dinner for tonight was Bar-b-que Chicken, Skillet Cornbread, and Steamed Broccoli. Desert was a No-Bake Blood Orange-Caramel Cheesecake.

I began the meal by taking Free-Range chicken breasts and slicing them into strips 1/2 inch thick by 1 inch wide. Then I took some ground Mesquite, 3 cups of tomato sauce (home made), 1/2 cup vinegar, 1 tablespoon of hawaiian red sea salt, 1 teaspoon of organic garlic powder (both of these from Frontier coop), and 1/4 cup brown sugar, mixed well, and slathered all but 1/4 cup of this sauce onto the chicken strips and allowing them to sit in the fridge for the rest of the day. Next I mixed 1 1/2 cups of finely ground turbinado sugar and 1/4 cup of water into a sauce pan, over medium heat until the sugar dissolved completely. Then I turned the heat up to high and allowed the sugar to carmelize. While the sugar was cooking, I took the three blood oranges, cut them in half and juiced them. As soon as the caramel had turned chestnut brown, I mixed two tablespoons of the blood orange juice with 1 1/4 cups of heavy cream, then slowly added this mixture to the caramel. I turned off the heat and stirred for another 2 minutes.

Then I went about my day as usual... doing laundry, dishes, picking up toys, putting twins down for nap, getting them up for nap, two meals, and what-have-you!

During naptime, I took 1 carton of cream cheese out of the fridge. I also took 1 pint of heavy cream and 1/4 cup of finely ground turbinado sugar. I whipped the cream and sugar until it was light and fluffy. I then took the cream cheese, and began to beat it with a little of the extra cream i had on hand until it began to be fluffy, then slowly added the whipped cream into the mix. As soon as the filling was thoroughly mixed I very slowly added the remaining blood orange juice to the mix, then poured the filling into the premade (I know, SHOCK! but I couldn't find the snap cookies!!) pie crust, then immediately put the pie into the fridge. About an hour later, I poured about half of the caramel sauce onto the top of the pie, and stuck it back into the fridge to solidify more.

When the time came for dinner preparation to begin again, I pulled the chicken out of the fridge, the broccoli (organic and locally grown!) out of the crisper, and the pans out of the cupboard! I turned on the heat under the grill and set the steamer up and put the broccoli in to wait for the time to start steaming it!

Then I got a phone call stating that Ray had an emergency at work and would not be able to make it to dinner. Talk about disappointing and frustrating! I had left dishes and laundry to finish because he could help me! ACK! Well, what else is a girl to do but complain to your sister and your BFiF (best internet only friend), and move along!

When the grill was hot, I started placing the chicken onto the grill, ensuring that each piece was covered with sauce before going on. Now is the moment that I remember that the cornbread actually takes the longest and should have been on first! Turning the oven to 350, I took 1 cup corn meal, 1 cup corn flour (both from Frontier coop), 1 egg (local free range hens), 1/4 cup of milk, 3/4 cup of olive oil (extra virgin from a grower in the Seirra foothills), and mix them all together. I poured half the mixture into my cast iron skillet. Then I dug the cheddar (from a lady locally who also makes cheese curds, yuuum!) out of the cheese drawer and quickly shredded some onto the top of the mix, enough to cover the top. Then I poured the rest of the mix onto the top of the cheese, and slipped the pan into the oven, setting the timer to 30 minutes. As the first round of chicken is finished cooking, I placed the strips into the microwave to stay warm and stuck the rest of the chicken onto the grill to cook. Then I turned on the broccoli.

As everything finished, I got 2 phone calls: Michelle was just leaving and Ray was done and could come join us! So I fixed the Twins their meals and let them eat while I listened to the State of the Union address on KCBS, enjoying the "play by play" of the commentators (they tell you when people stand up, who is clapping, and who is picking their nose!)

Dinner was slightly cold, because it took another 25 minutes for everyone to get here, but it was pretty good! The broccoli was overdone, and the cornbread fell apart when I took it out of the skillet. Next time I make that pie, I will treat it as I do pudding pies, and FREEZE it! I served it in bowls because I thought it would be "floppy", but it was just a mess! We put the pie server away and spooned it out of the dish!

All in all the food was great and the company was better! : ) And as the twins went down to sleep without a hitch tonight again, as will I. Good night my friends and family. I hope that you better meals and happy families. Nos Pars.

A New Frontier

For a while now, my husband and I have been striving to eat better. Better for our pocket book, better for our bodies, better in taste, and better for our world. This pursuit has given me immense joy and has led me here. To the blogosphere.

I have always enjoyed food. Eating. Smelling. Cooking. Sharing. The way food brings everyone to the same table. The immense joy that can be shared over (and sometimes because) of it. And having grown up in a predominately agricultural area, I have a very good grasp of what goes into bringing food to your plate. Knowing this, and understanding that the natural flow of seasons with its differing plants and stages of an animals life, it has been my passion to find local, organic, seasonal produce as well as meat and dairy obtained in a sustainable fashion. I wish to pass on a love of food, ourselves, and our planet to my children, and I strive to do it daily. With this in mind, my husband, our children and I hit our local Farmer's Market ritually on Sunday morning. We plan our meals based not on what we feel like we would like to eat this week, but based on what we find and what will help to make these treasures shine as only fresh seasonal foods can.

This blog will be a simple way for me to share our passion with our family and friends when they cannot join us at our table. I plan to update this blog daily with our meals, the end stage of our pursuit and the culmination countless hours of growing, tending, harvesting/butchering. However, on Sundays when the magic begins again weekly, I will be more extensive in my accounts, from offerings, picking and choosing, to deciding the menu for the week. Come with us as we learn about new varieties of our favorite plants, pick the best of the booths, taste the wonders of our region, and create meals that nourish us mind, body, and soul. Welcome and enjoy.