Mother’s Day weekend.  I had a myriad of emotions.  Weird.  I wasn’t overwhelmed by the thought of motherhood on my part, but more so about my mom and her life…and my life as a child.  I teared up a little, I smiled, I closed my eyes and allowed my mind to go back in time, to remember my grandmother’s laugh, my mom’s caress…those things, those emotional moments.

And then, I catapulted myself back to the present and did things like this:     Went to lunch and discovered we were all wearing our boat shoes

Posed for Mother’s Day photos

Posed for silly shots with my baby girl while Papa and Cy were out together.

Watched my children play lovingly with each other

Admired the little faces I helped create.  Enjoyed their sweet kisses and professions of love.  Gushed over little gifts and cards.

Yeah.  My weekend was pretty good if I do say so myself.

]]> http://www.mommyhobbies.com/2013/05/13/of-food-and-love-what-my-weekend-looked-like/feed/ 0 http://www.mommyhobbies.com/2013/05/11/of-food-and-love-coconut-curry-beef-perfect-for-mothers-day/ http://www.mommyhobbies.com/2013/05/11/of-food-and-love-coconut-curry-beef-perfect-for-mothers-day/#comments Sat, 11 May 2013 19:53:55 +0000 Mommy Hobbies http://www.mommyhobbies.com/?p=3806 I’ve made this recipe three times in the past two weeks.  That’s nuts.  And it’s not getting old either.

Mother’s Day is tomorrow and guess what’s in my oven right now?  Yup.  A Dutch oven full of beef, spices, and onion all simmering coconut milk.  (we’re doing Mother’s Day a day early)

This recipe is so easy even papa/dad can make it!  On the original recipe it says that prep time is only 20 minutes, I’d put it closer to 30.  By the the time you brown all the beef and saute the onions, you’re pushing close to a half hour.

I buy my beef on sale and freeze it.  I’ve discovered that thawing the meat, then trying to brown it while it’s still partially frozen really defeats the process of browning.  To get a really good crisp to your beef, make sure you pat it dry before tossing it into the oil.  It works.  Trust me.

The beef smells amazing, but once you put in the onions and start sauteing, the kitchen goes Mojo JoJo status.

This is one of those recipes that will forever be a staple in our house.  It will be the one I pull out when I have plans to host a large party and it’s going to be one of the meals I’ll freeze and save for a rainy.  It’s that kind of meal.

I serve it over Jasmine rice.  *drool*

Coconut Curry Beef ::  courtesy of :: Shewearsmanyhats.com

Serves 6 (I’d say only 4 if you have hearty eaters)

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 pounds beef chuck roast, cut into 2″ pieces
• salt
• 2 large onions, cut into wedges
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon ground ginger
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper ( I only used a 1/4 tsp and it was perfect for the kids)
• 1 13.6 ounce can light coconut milk
• 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
• 1 yellow bell pepper, chopped in chunks (may substitute red or orange bell pepper)
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes
• optional, fresh cilantro for garnish, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 275°F
2. Add oil to a dutch oven or oven safe pot and warm over medium-high heat. Salt beef and brown on all sides. Work in batches if necessary. Remove remove from pan, set aside, covered.
3. Saute onions in the pan for about 5 minutes.
4. Reduce heat to medium, add soy, garlic, ginger, curry and cayenne and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Watch, being careful not to burn garlic.
5. Add coconut milk and brown sugar and stir until combined well.
6. Taste and adjust seasonings to taste.
7. Add browned beef back to pan, stir to combine all together well. Cover and cook at 275°F for at least 3 hours (4-5 hours is even more better).
8. Add bell pepper and tomatoes for final 15 minutes of cooking.
9. Serve over jasmine rice, or favorite rice or pasta.
10. Garnish with fresh chopped cilantro if desired

So Coconut Curry Beef and in-laws it is this year

To be honest, Mother’s Day has never meant anything to me, for myself.  I have never felt like a mother or like I deserved the title.  I think all the accolades and recognition is unnecessary, for me, and it’s embarrassing.  There hasn’t been one Mother’s Day that I’ve stood there thinking, “Wow, look at me, I’m a mom, look at all the hard work I’ve put into raising these children.  *whew* So glad everyone noticed.”
I’ve always looked at Mother’s Day for someone other than myself.  My mom, for instance, or the other precious women in my life who invested in me and sacrificed so much for me.  But, Mother’s Day for me?  No.  Not sure when I’ll ever feel qualified to stand up with other mothers.

It’s only been recently that I’ve even begun to feel the remotest of connections with the word *mother* in relation to myself.  I look at my children much more differently than I did even last year or the year before and most definitely differently from the first breath of Cylas.  When I had Cylas, it was as if another woman had given birth and left this blue, screaming, discontented little object on my doorstep with a little note that said *Good LUCK!*.

I’ve come a long, long way.

It’s been forever since I’ve compared myself to other moms.  Quite frankly, I don’t have enough close acquaintances to do that with and I’m much too busy with my babies’ lives to look around and say, “Shoot, why can’t I be more like her?”  I used to do it– a lot.  Now, only a few times a year do I do that.  It doesn’t mean I’ve stopped evaluating myself or that I feel like I have *arrived*, I’ve just become more satisfied with the love I receive from my children and that soothes most of my insecurities and validates my worthiness as their mama.

The moment I gave birth was when my place in the world was set in stone. (for those who are adoptive, guardian, foster, sister/mom, brother/mom, grandparents, or angel baby mommies, it’s all the same, you ARE a mommy and I’m not minimizing any of those special positions) My children made me special.  They made my life worth mention, because everything I am, they reflect, they speak of the deepest parts of me, they speak of my character in hidden times, they expose the *real* me unfiltered…They are my greatest advocates.  They are who I am.

Being a mom isn’t easy — it smells like poopoo, it’s gooey like snot, it comes in two and three hour night shifts for the first 4-5 years, it smells like baby soap, it giggles, it makes suckling noises, it burps, it screams, it fights, it argues, it loves, it cries, it forgives, it caresses your face, it cares for you, it leans on your shoulder, it whispers secrets in your ear, it’s endlessly hungry, it leaves muddy footprints on your freshly washed floors.
Motherhood is everything — it made me into someone special.

]]> http://www.mommyhobbies.com/2013/05/10/of-food-and-love-my-children-make-me-special/feed/ 0 http://www.mommyhobbies.com/2013/05/03/of-food-and-love-egg-flower-soupegg-drop-soup/ http://www.mommyhobbies.com/2013/05/03/of-food-and-love-egg-flower-soupegg-drop-soup/#comments Fri, 03 May 2013 12:24:53 +0000 Mommy Hobbies http://www.mommyhobbies.com/?p=3797 I’ve made a number of different versions of egg flower soup.  Each version has managed to let me down in one way or another, either it’s too bland or the taste isn’t tasty enough, if you know what I mean.

So, the other day I decided to make pork fried rice and I wanted have a light side dish.  Why not soup?  Sometimes, I have the best luck when it comes to finding good recipes…I scored on this one.

SO easy and delicious.  There wasn’t a drop left in the pan after.  My kids slurped it down with gusto.  My husband had a sloppy grin on his face as he put spoonful after spoonful in his mouth.  It made me happy to see that this was such a hit.

The ingredient that set this recipe apart from the rest was the dried, mined onion.  Mmmm.  Secret sauce I tell ya’.

Egg Flower Soup OR Egg Drop Soup :: courtesy of Allrecipes

• 4 cups water

• 4 cubes chicken bouillon

• 2 eggs

• 1 teaspoon dried parsley

• 1 tablespoon dried minced onion

• 1 tablespoon cornstarch

1. In a medium saucepan, combine water, bouillon, and parsley and onion flakes. Bring to a boil.
2. Lightly beat eggs together. Gradually stir into soup.
3. Remove about half a cup of the soup. Stir in cornstarch until there are no lumps, and return to the soup. Boil until soup thickens.  Garnish with green onion!

Sewing Kit in a Jar

(photo courtesy of MarthaStewart.com)

Photo on a Tote!

(photo courtesy of sayyestohoboken.com)

Cute paint dipped pots for my herbs
(Photo courtesy of www.thelovelycupboard.com)

Or a personalized silhouette (you can have someone do it for only $20)
(Photo courtsey of Pinterest.com)

These are beautiful gifts that I’m sure any mother would love.  I know I would!!  And what I love most is that my children can participate in making these, or picking out the special photo to be made into a silhouette, or choosing the perfect colors for the spools of thread AND the fact that just about any dad (skilled or not) can make each of these gifts happen, too.
Making things for others makes me giddy.

I wrote this post as an entry to NerdWallet’s Mother’s Day Your Way Contest

Although I’ve been silent on my blog, my life has been propelling forward.  There is a lot to write about, not sure I even have the energy to dedicate blog posts to all of the neat things that have happened.  First of all, to my runner friends who read my blog, I ran the D.C Rock N Roll Half.  It was a lot of fun.  The experience wasn’t like the first time, but it was nice to run, literally, down memory lane.  My time was less than impressive, no thanks to my catty hamstring.  She was talking…and my legs were arguing back. 

My life as mommy is getting more fun.  Really, it is.  Now that my son has a mouth full of teeth and his own set of opinions he is the fire in my belly.  While my Roma, she is the wind that encourages Cy’s little fire and creates whirlwinds of questions as she follows me around.  Getting to know my four year old Roma has been amazingly delightful.  And getting to connect on a deeper level with my almost seven year old Cy has been life changing.  There is nothing like looking into your baby boy’s eyes and knowing that he trusts you, that he loves you…that he really, really loves you.   We have shared some of the sweetest bonding moments together.  He has proven to be an honest kid with a kind heart, an infinitely curious mind and a love for his mother’s cooking.  School hasn’t lost its luster, yet, for him, so that’s nice.  Spelling and reading trip him up all the time but math — it’s his Superbowl.  I’ve found he enjoys knowing that numbers are a constant, they won’t ever change.  2 + 2 will ALWAYS equal 4…meanwhile, ‘c’ says ‘sss’ before e-i or y, sometimes, not always and when you’re having a bad day ‘x’ says ‘sss’ too.  Yeah, English, the horrible, unpredictable, finicky mistress of language itself.  He builds, constructs, digs tunnels and collects seeds.  He wants to own an IKEA and he loves soccer.  Lady killer.

If the sun could encapsulate itself and bring a small sliver of its radiance to earth — it would probably turn itself into my daughter.  My golden-haired tomboy diva princess — is that even possible?? — who is full of “brilliant” ideas (now, I put ‘brilliant’ in quotations because she uses that word a lot to describe things like, her dresses, or her mood or anything…).  She gets ‘eskited’ about her favorite foods, friends and or new toys.  She loves her tutu (still) and enjoys talking to herself in the mirror.  She changes clothes three times a day (along with her underwear, socks and slippers) and she’s never short on tasks for me.  I’ve been Daisy. I’ve been her daughter.  I’ve been her sweetie.  I’ve been her mother.  I’ve been a bug.  I’ve even been a puppy and I’ve eaten plastic chips with a side of imaginary soup.  Heart breaker.

I didn’t imagine that I would get to this point in motherhood where my love for these two little pieces of my husband and I would energize me in such a special way.  It’s a new stage of being a mama that I’m loving completely.

Completely.

And then I smile, thinking about the cup I picked up yesterday evening, without paying any mind, took a large swig….TWO large, refreshing swigs before glancing down at the small chunks of whatever floating happily in the bottom.  *stomach lurch*  I am my children’s mom.

You can put this under the: crowd pleaser, kid approved, quick, easy, delicious meal category.  Really.  Listening to my children make satisfied smacking sounds and little noises of pure enjoyment brings a smile to my face.

“Mmm, my favorite!”  Words of my six year old.

I made this last night and it only took about 35 minutes, prep work included.

You can serve this with bread and a veggie of your choice.  We usually pick asparagus.

Chicken in Basil Cream Sauce  ::Courtesy of::  Allrecipes

1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup dried bread crumbs (you can substitute for plain panko crumbs, which is what I did because I was out of bread crumbs.)

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts ( I use about 7 tenderloins)

3 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup chicken broth

1cup heavy whipping cream

1 (4 ounce) jar sliced pimento peppers, drained ( do NOT like pimentos, so, I don’t use them)

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (use the kind you find near the deli and the special cheeses.  It comes in a carton, OR, just buy a small block to grate yourself. Don’t use frozen.)

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil (you can use dried, but only use about a half Tb)

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

1. Place milk and bread crumbs in separate, shallow bowls. In skillet, heat butter or margarine to medium heat. Dip chicken in milk, then coat with crumbs. Cook in butter or margarine, on both sides, until juices run clear (about 10 minutes). Remove and keep warm.
2. Add broth to skillet. Bring to a boil over medium heat, and stir to loosen browned bits from pan. Stir in cream and pimentos; boil and stir for 1 minute. Reduce heat.
3. Add Parmesan cheese, basil and pepper. Stir sauce and cook until heated through. Pour mixture over chicken and serve!

Enjoy.  And don’t hate me, because this is one of those unfortunately good recipes….

Last Friday, I took Cylas out of school early, picked up Roma from pre-k, and we headed to New York.

The performance was to take place at 7:30 that evening in the Italian Academy, a section of Columbia University.  The academy’s current display is Paolo Ventura.  The kids gaped at the photos.

The room it was held in had a small theatrical stage, but that wasn’t where all the action happened.  They cleared a space on the floor, right next to all of us.   I could have touched the viola player with my finger tips.  That would have freaked him out, so, I didn’t…but I could have.

They played Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3 in E flat major, Op. 55 (“Eroica”).  When the conductor raised his magic wand and the music started, I thought my heart would burst.  First, because it was so loud and second, because it was so beautiful.  I almost cried.  There is nothing like having music like that roll through your chest.  It was breathtaking.  My children loved it.  Cylas sat still the whole time just taking it all in and Roma wanted to dance…she cried when I told her she couldn’t.

If you ever have to occasion to support the Praxis Youth Leadership orchestra in any way, do it!  They are providing young people with the chance to perform with seasoned musicians so they can learn and experience life as a professional.  Oh my goodness.  That was a once in a life time experience that I’ll never, ever forget, and I know my children will benefit greatly from it.

This recipe put an end to that.  Was it super quick?  No.  Was it a 30 minute meal I could slap together in between church services?  Absolutely not.  But, if I had an hour…I could totally make these.  As a matter of fact, I did.

All I’m going to say is this — who ever thought of using cabbage to wrap up meat, rice, veggies and whatever other delicious combo was a genius.  I love me some cabbage rolls, y’all.  Gud stuff right thar.

However, I’m used to the Russian version which usually contains beef, rice, carrots, onion…that sort of stuff.  This was very, very good in its own right and my children really enjoyed them.  The recipe also called for plum tomatoes in sauce, I opted to use crushed tomatoes instead.  I heated the sauce then added salt and a little sugar…

When it was all said and done, I decided that these could make another appearance at our table, but I’d like to add a little rice to the filling, just because that’s what we like, not for the taste factor, because the taste was spot on.  I have to say that my favorite part was the Parmesan that she added.

It’s recipes like these make you stop and bow to culinary royalty like Smitten Kitchen.  That woman is amazing.  (this is off her wonderful blog…)

I made these and served it with mashed potatoes…I’m sure it could have been rice, but I was at a loss for a good complimentary carb.

Wrap, heat, enjoy, repeat

Italian Stuffed Cabbage  :: courtesy of::  Smitten Kitchen

Makes approximately 12 cabbage rolls; a serving can range from 2 (petitely) to 3 per person.

1 large savoy cabbage
7-ounce (200-gram) hunk of bread (see above), crusts cut away, torn into small scraps (you’ll have about 3 loose cups of scraps)
2/3 cup (approximately 150 ml) whole milk
14 ounces (400 grams) or approximately 4 plain pork sausages (I used sweet — i.e. non-spicy — Italian), casings removed
1 small sprig of sage, finely chopped
1 small sprig of rosemary, finely chopped
2 tablespoons grated parmesan
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 28-ounce can peeled plum tomatoes (I used a 28-oz can of crushed tomatoes instead)
2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
Tsp of sugar (optional. to add to the crushed tomatoes)

Prepare cabbage: Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Discard any messy or broken outer cabbage leaves and carefully peel 12 nice, large leaves. (I think the cabbage can tell if you’re in a rush, and will tear more easily. Work carefully. That said, a torn leaf will hardly ruin the dish.) Blanch leaves for about 30 seconds to 1 minute (you can do a few at at time), until wilted, and spread out on towels so that they dry and cool.

Make filling: Place bread scraps in bottom of large bowl and pour milk over. Let sit for a few minutes, then mash it gently with a spoon until something close to a paste forms. Mix with sausage meat, herbs, parmesan and a pinch or two of salt and black pepper; I find this easiest with a fork or bare hands.

Make the cabbage rolls: Lay your first cabbage leaf on the counter. If it doesn’t want to lay flat, pare away some of the thickest stalk (with a paring knife or vegetable peeler) to make it easier. Form some of the filling mixture into a golf ball-sized round. Wrap cabbage leaf around it (see Note about shape up top) and pin at the top with a toothpick. Repeat with remaining leaves and mixture.

Make the sauce: To prepare your tomatoes, either break them up with your hands (for bigger chunks), run them through a food mill or roughly chop them right in their can with scissors (what I did here). In a heavy saute pan with a lid or a medium (5 to 6-quart) Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute for about 30 seconds (just until golden, not a moment longer) then add the tomatoes, bringing the sauce to a gently boil. Season with salt if needed. Add cabbage packages, arranging them carefully in the pan so they all fit, cover the pot and gently simmer them for 25 minutes. Remove the toothpicks and carefully turn the rolls over, cooking them for another 25. Remove the lid and simmer for another 10 minutes to cook off some of the wetness. They’re all cooked now, but if you can rest them for another 15 minutes before eating them, the flavors settle and they become even better.

So, my secret is out.  I’m not actually a good cook, I’m merely riding on the aprons of some fabulous chef.

Either way, I stumbled upon this recipe from one of my all time favorite recipe inventor bloggers — Smitten Kitchen.  She is INCREDIBLE!  I’m slightly  embarrassed to post this because her blog does it so much better.  Either way, I’m going to post it and give you my family’s feedback on this tasty winter soup.

Swiss Chard, Sweet Italian Sausage and one cup of Brown Lentils

Finding good recipes can be a bit of trail and error.  But then, you start becoming familiar with different ingredients and how well they compliment a certain dish and you just *know* that the recipe will be a winner.  Two of my fail safe combos are: sour cream, butter and sugar and whenever I see heavy whipping cream with pasta sauce I know dinner is going to be a taste bud raiser.
Now, when I first looked at the ingredients, I groaned with the thought of cooking lentils.  For some reason, I have this misconception that they are SOOO hard to cook.  They’re not.  This soup was done in just over 40 minutes.  So, if you’re nervous about the lentils, don’t be.  The hardest part about this recipe is trying not to eat all the sausage before everything is finished!

There are a three things I learned after making this dish.  One: I should have just put it all into the stock pot to begin with.  Two: Three links of sausage would have been better because the sweet Italian sausage has such a soft taste.  Three: Chop that chard!  The recipe calls for the chard to be cut into strips, but I found that to be awkward and drippy, so next time I’m going to mince it…just about.
::Side note:: I bought one bundle of the chard and used the whole thing.  It was the perfect amount.  cost me .89 cents

My children LOVED this soup.  They are used to greens in their food, so I wasn’t too surprised.  But when both Cylas and Roma were making little contented munching sounds, I couldn’t help but smile.  They both polished off their bowls without a complaint.  I was very, VERY pleased with this dish and it will definitely have an encore appearance in the future.

And, please, for the love of Pete, don’t forget to drizzle the hot garlic oil over the top as well as the helping hand of Romano cheese.
I’m going to be freezing the leftovers, too.  There were a lot.  This serves 6.

Serve hot. Serve on cold days. Eat up!

Mustn’t forget the Romano cheese and the drizzle of freshly chopped garlic in olive oil over the top…

Lentil Soup with Sausage, Chard and Garlic ::  courtesy of Smitten Kitchen

1/2 cup olive oil, divided
4 large links of sweet Italian sausage, casings removed (I used half of this, preferring the sausage to not dominate the soup’s flavor)
1 medium onion, diced
2 celery stalks, sliced or diced
2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced into half-moons or diced
4 cloves garlic, sliced (reserve half for later in recipe)
Kosher salt
A pinch of crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
1 cup brown lentils, sorted and rinsed
2 bay leaves
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
6 cups water
Freshly ground black pepper
3 to 4 cups shredded or thinly ribboned Swiss chard leaves or kale
Grated Pecorino Romano cheese to finish

Heat 1/4 cup olive oil (enough to coat bottom of pot) in a large pot on medium heat. When hot, add the sausage, breaking it up with a wooden spoon until it starts to brown, about five minutes. Add the onion, celery, carrots, first two garlic cloves, a pinch fo salt, and if you like your soup spicy, a pinch of red pepper flakes. Cook with the sausage until the vegetables soften a bit, another 5 minutes. Add the lentils, bay leaves, tomatoes, water, more salt and black pepper to taste. Bring to a simmer and allow to cook until the lentils are tender, about 40 minutes. (It might be necessary to add more water if the soup gets too thick, though we preferred ours on the thick side.)

When the lentils are cooked, add the chard and cook until the leaves are tender, just a few minutes more. Discard the bay leaves.

To finish, divide soup among bowls, then add the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil and 2 garlic cloves to a small skillet and heat over medium until the garlic softens and hisses. Drizzle this over soup bowls, and top with fresh Romano, passing more at the table. Leftovers will keep for several days in the fridge.