Weekending

We are all enjoying a warm, blustery, springy kind of day. I hope you are, too.

We made butter!

It was 8:30pm. Bed time for most seven year-olds in the world, on a school night.

We were having one of the last chit-chats of the day on the couch.



I was re-telling the story about our missed-opportunity to attend a butter-making class over the weekend. And how our friend down the street, Linda, had taken her kids. And how she was telling me the simplicity and speediness of butter-making.  She even went through the steps with me. It sounded almost too easy.




"She said it only takes about 7-8 minutes of agitating the cream!" I told the family. Their eyes widened.


"That's all? Can we do it now, Mommy? Do we have cream? Can we do it NOW?" Inquired both children.


"Yes, we have cream! And yes! Let's try it!" Who was I kidding? I was as excited about trying it as they were.

And just like that, we were all in the kitchen putting cream in a glass container. With the lid closed, we began to shake.



And we shook, and we shook, until there was nothing more to shake (the cream had solidified. It didn't quite look like butter yet, but something more like cream-cheese. We were a little puzzled, so what did we do? We googled.

That was when we learned that one can also make butter in a food processor. And that the cream will go through different stages...until, poof!, butter and buttermilk separates.

So, leaving the cream-cheese that we made earlier, we gave the more modern method a try.

Before 9pm rolled around, we had made butter. And those little sleepy hands rolled some into balls.



Why had we not done this before? Who knows! We had our own homemade butter with toasts this morning.  "This tastes like real butter!" The happy children exclaimed.

Up next... cheese and yogurt. If butter is this easy... those can't be that hard, right?

Sick or Snow Day

This little man is staying home with me today, due to...snow...no, actually, he is not feeling his best. But you would not know looking at him here, loving the new dusting on the ground.

Not to worry, I will keep him inside, warm and snug for the rest of the day.

First Snow

Isn't it amazing? The calendar turned to December, and boom!, just like that, it started snowing.

The kids were ecstatic, jumping around, sticking out their tongues to taste the first flakes.

Who needs Christmas when this white stuff makes them this happy?!

Holly Season

We actually have a holly bush in the front of our house. When we first arrived, the berries had just developed, still green and young. The kids noticed them, but did not think too much about them. After all, those prickly leaves will keep anybody away!



But now, oh boy, they are among the few green leaves left alive. To celebrate the beginning of the new season, we brought some of the branches inside for the holiday spirit that these holly berries bring.

Happy December to all!

Broken Record

Am I going to sound like a broken record if I told you that we are (yet again) having beautiful warm fall days over here?



It feels like a Santa Cruz November day: cool nights, warm days.



Look at this tiny zinnia that has made it through many frosty mornings.



And these lucky children who still get to wear shorts and T-shirts and play in the backyard. Backyard! And tree! That is the big difference between our life here and our life back in California, isn't it?

I know. Talk to me again when we are in the middle of an ice storm... Although I do look forward to taking photos of icicles. Just think! Lovely frozen icicles hanging from the roof. I can picture them already...

But how much happier I am (we all are) on a day like today!

Post Halloween Blondies

I may not be excited about Halloween, but I won't ever say no to a piece of blondie!

What's a blondie? Well, think of it as a brownie that tastes a little like chocolate chip cookie! Now do you still question my love for blondies?

So, despite our efforts to get rid of as much Halloween candy as possible (by giving it away to others), we are still left with handfuls of stuff around here. This recipe is a good way of getting rid of some of that stuff! You can add any kind of chocolate covered candy you would like. Here, we used Kit Kat Bars and Twix (we don't like nuts in our cookies/ brownies, but don't tell Jim that!).

Post Halloween Blondies

Wet ingredients
1/2 cup melted butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg

Dry Ingredients
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup chopped up Halloween candy (we used Twix and Kit Kat bars here)
several small marshmallows on top for decoration

Preheat oven 375 degrees F.

In a bowl, mix wet ingredients together. In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients together before adding it to the wet ingredients. Add the chopped candy and mix well. Grease an 8x8 baking pan and fill with the batter, making sure to spread it evenly. Sprinkle marshmallows on top.

Bake for 30 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool 10-15 minutes before cutting into squares. Served warm with a glass of milk or a cup of tea! Happy non-Halloween!

Growing

There is something growing around here...

Cherry Tomato Jam

We are expecting some frost tonight...our first one, I believe. And yet, we still have so many cherry tomatoes that are trying to make it just one more day!

Our dear Claire was inspired in the garden yesterday. She wanted to can tomatoes... which we have done a lot of this season already, and there is not enough to can anymore. But those cherry tomatoes! Something must be done with them before they go to waste.

Tomato Jam. It just popped into my head just like that. Not that I had made it before... but why not? Can't be too hard right?

The little chef got it all together: the harvesting, the cleaning, the chopping, the stirring. I was just the sous-chef. The result: brilliant. It went very well with the Alaskan Cod I made (and did not plan to have tomato Jam on the side). It was just meant to be.

Claire's Cherry Tomato Jam

Two cups of ripe cherry tomatoes

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

a pinch of salt

Wash and slice cherry tomatoes into halves. Combine all ingredients and let simmer for about 15 minutes. Let cool, and serve!

Last Fresh Pesto!

For the first time in a while, we have our own basil plants that are prolific, delicious, and oh so fragrant!

It is going to be heart-breaking to see the first frost-bites on these little plants...so, I am not going to wait for that. Instead, I am going to harvest them before that dreadful day, turn them into pesto and freeze for a mid-winter's feast (or two or three or more!).

I generally don't measure my ingredients for pesto. It it by taste, and may vary from person to person (you may like more nuts and less cheese, more garlic or a miniscule amount). Here is a basic way we make ours at home:

Ingredients:

• Bunch of fresh basil leaves, washed and drained
• Handful of nuts (we like tamari almonds, or walnuts)
• One clove of garlic
• A good amount of grated Parmesan Cheese
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• A squeeze of lemon juice

I generally start with the nuts, cheese and garlic in the food processor, and mix that well. Then add a lot of olive oil so you get a consistency of a thick soup. Add the basil leaves next, then salt and pepper to taste, and squeeze in lemon juice at the end. You may need to add a bit more oil, or water works, too, if it is still too lumpy. Remember, taste as you go. You can tweak it with less or more of each ingredient, depending on your liking.

Freshly made pesto over a well-cooked (al dente) pasta is one of the most delicious dishes ever! Try it now before the season is over. Or like I said, make it, freeze it, and celebrate summer in the middle of January...because it will be summer somewhere in the world!

The Piano

An important inanimate object became part of the family a few weeks ago. Thanks to craigslist, we didn't have to break our bank account to be owners of a piano (a perfectly fine piano especially for little fingers!).

Also, thanks to Ted, the piano teacher, there are actually some real music and tunes being played to sooth the ears (rather than causing headaches).

Maybe someday, this can be heard in our home. Wouldn't that be lovely?

Home away from home

We are taking a short little trip East to one of my 'homes'.

Oh, home is such a complicated phenomenon for me. It is so many things and it involves so many places and people.

Home is where my family is. Home is where I feel most comfortable. Home is where I feel most familiar, most myself. Home is where I have years of memories, good ones and bad ones. Home is where I feel a sense of place. Home is neither here nor there. And yet, I have so many homes everywhere.

So, I am home here, for the weekend. It's good to be without a car and yet be able to get everywhere. It's good to reconnect with my life partner without interruptions. It's good to see the old 'hoods, and some familiar faces.

Before I know it, I will be ready to go back home again.

Reward

We are finally getting some of our own cherry tomatoes!

Playing around

The days are still warm. The first graders still have no homework (!!). The neighbors can still play a little (after they are done with their homework).




It makes every parent happy to see their children with such joy! (And to see the tomatoes ripening. Hurry up tomatoes!).