So Brian will email me any minute and tell me "no one cares what you had for lunch." I know. I really do. But our long weekend was ALL about food and that rarely happens for our skinny little family. Here are a few foodie highlights (in very particular order):

•breakfast at Wheatfields with Heather and Matt. Good rolls, coffee, and company.
•lunch at Local Burger.
•Ben and Jerry's ice cream.
•bloody mary's snuggled up on the couch for this movie. Watch. it. now. (if you haven't already.)

•pork roast in the crock pot Robot Style. Homemade pitas (recipe found via Stephanie) wrapped around a pile of pulled pork, greens, cilantro and "baja sauce". Washed down with ice cold Corona with lime. I'm still drooling over that meal.

•Easter breakfast- Banana crumb muffins, Mr. Dell's Potato casserole, bacon, juice and coffee.
•Smoked ribs (thank you, Brian!)
•pineapple upside down cake (thank you, Dad!)
•marshmallow peeps and jelly beans (thank you, Easter bunny!)

I gotta go now. I need to take a walk. Oy.

Posted by Alicia at 06:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (20)

even if it's just homemade spaghetti and meatballs.

Well I did complete my February quilt square for the Virtual Quilting Bee on time, and I helped out with a birthday surprise for my dear friend, Grace.

That's all I've got. See you later!

Posted by Alicia at 07:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (12)

She's a happy girl. She had her (family) party and opened her gifts, blew out her three candles and ate yummy chocolate cake. Really yummy. Our family favorite, but we only make it a few times a year. It makes all the other cakes feel bad.

It is Black Magic Cake. The coffee makes it deliciously moist. But it's the frosting that makes this one to die for. Sooooooooo good, like two sticks of butter good. And because a few of you asked, here's the recipe.

Fluffy White Frosting:

Cook five tablespoons flour and one cup milk over low heat until VERY thick, whisking constantly to avoid lumps. Cool COMPLETELY. This is the crucial step. Let it cool for an hour or two. I'm serious. I have had several batches go south because I rushed this step. When it goes south like that, the frosting looks like curdled milk.

Cream one cup room temperature butter or stick margarine (butter is better) with one cup sugar. Beat for several minutes. Beat in one tbsp. vanilla and beat a few more minutes. Add the flour mixture in and whip until light and fluffy. Be patient here too. Sometimes you have to whip for a bit.

Good luck and enjoy!

Posted by Alicia at 02:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (24)

To me, this isn't the right forum for discussing religion. In my little corner of the internet I'd rather celebrate our common goals and interests without alienating anyone. With that said, you may have figured out that we're not particularly religious. BUT I so admire those of you with strong faith and tradition, and we've been slowly trying to create some rituals and traditions that work for our little family.

I decided we should try a special dinner on Saint Lucia Day. This feast day falls on one of our darkest days of the year, and honoring this part of our season by coming together over the warmth of a big meal and candlelight feels right. St. Lucia was said to be kind, devoted, and generous. This is, of course, a hugely simplified description, but those are attributes we can all value, no matter our religious persuasion.

I had a vision of us sitting down enjoying the evening, all relaxed and twinkly, and it went a decidedly different direction: one child moaned about a tummy ache, one fidgeted and complained, there were two unavoidable phone calls regarding the buying and selling of used cars. In the end we did eat a nice meal of veggie chili with all the fixings, fruit, and a pretty loaf of St. Lucia bread. So all in all, it wasn't terrible. I think it's a tradition we can grow into; I just need to set aside my grand expectations.

p.s. Lovely weekending to you all.

Posted by Alicia at 11:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (12)

someone walked down the stairs and yelled at her daddy, "You don't look at me!"
that same someone was angry because she really wanted cereal not waffles. NO! CEREAL!

someone else calmly tried to explain we were out of cereal without losing his cool.
that same someone tried to toast waffles only to find that the toaster is dead.

a third someone had a meltdown because he never has to get dressed before he eats. Never.
that same someone slumps over his oatmeal because he didn't get to stir in the brown sugar himself.

a fourth someone, who last night boiled a chicken carcass, carrots, onion and celery for hours, woke up to a pot of spoiled, cold broth forgotten on the stove top.
that same someone banged around the pots as she poured the valuable broth down the sink.

What to do now? Sigh. Hug the two that have to leave. Promise to shake, shake, shake homemade butter with the boy as soon as he gets home. Snuggle the girl on the porch and wave goodbye. Cancel walking plans. Stay in the jammies. Hang out at home to paint all day (me) and make messes (her). And make Stephanie's granola. Seriously- the smell alone can heal the worst day.

Posted by Alicia at 09:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (17)

Good grief! Must I do everything myself? wink. wink.

These are our favorite oh-so-easy, overnight bread machine cinnamon rolls:

Dough:
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup water
2 T. butter
1 egg
3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 T. active dry yeast
1/4 cup white sugar
3/4 tsp. salt

Filling:
2 T. melted butter
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/3 cup chopped walnuts-optional (My family doesn't like nuts in rolls.)

Frosting:
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 T. butter, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Heat the milk, water, and butter in the microwave. It needs to be very warm, not boiling, and the butter doesn't need to be completely melted. Pour into the bread machine pan and add the remaining ingredients in the order listed. Set the bread machine to the dough setting and let it do it's thing. If you don't have a bread machine, you could do all this the regular way- I'm just not so great at it, so good luck with that.

When it's done, remove the dough, knead it down a few times and roll it out on a floured surface to a large rectangular shape. Brush the melted butter on the dough. Mix the other filling ingredients together and sprinkle evenly over the buttered dough. Roll up and seal the edge with a little water and pinching if necessary. Cut them (I use dental floss- slide it under the rolls, "tie" through the roll to cut them) and place them evenly into a greased 9" x 13" pan. I've found that depending on how thinly you've rolled your dough, 12 or 20 rolls will fit nicely into the pan.

Here's where the overnight part comes in. You can cover them with a towel and let them rise for 30 minutes or so then bake. I'm sure they're even yummier this way, BUT we just don't have the patience in the morning to wait for all of this. I usually make them the night before, cover them with plastic wrap and put them in the refrigerator until morning. Covering with the wrap in the fridge sometimes makes them sweat a little, but it doesn't seem matter.

In the morning remove them from the fridge, uncover and let them rise a little more (for about 20 minutes). They'll puff up in the oven too- don't worry if they look a little pitiful. Bake at 375º F for 20-25 minutes. While they're baking blend frosting ingredients with a hand mixer until smooth- you want it thick. Add a little more powdered sugar if it's too thin. Frost rolls and serve while warm.

Yum Yum! Obviously they're not super healthy, so moderation, people. please. : )

Posted by Alicia at 09:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (11)

I've been having a hankering for Mexican food, so I put together a little impromptu fiesta late this afternoon- chicken enchiladas, Spanish rice and of course, guacamole. Brian's contribution was a few nice tart margaritas. Certainly everything one might need to end the week well.

I made way too much. Anyone hungry?

{Have a great weekend!}

Posted by Alicia at 06:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)

We have temporarily* taken over the care and feeding of my parents' bread maker. My mom has always made homemade bread and I have a few times, but I've never been very good at bread. I'm easily distracted or I get bored and end up botching the rising time. We've really been enjoying this machine. Last night we experimented with the delay setting and woke up this morning to the smell of a loaf of warm, fresh wheat bread.

We've been eating our weights in bread, which by the way, may be increasing rapidly. We've made cinnamon raisin bread, dough for the BEST cinnamon rolls and several loaves of the whole wheat pictured with my lunch here. I know it's not exactly the same, this new fangled machine-made bread, but the ingredients are the same. It makes me feel good knowing that we did make it at home.

Now, to test out my mom's French press coffee pot thingy. Living so close to my parents definitely has its advantages.

*definition of temporarily: until she stomps up to my door and says, "Give me my bread maker back."

Posted by Alicia at 12:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (15)

Between 8 and 8:30 am is my most peaceful time of the day.

Posted by Alicia at 08:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (14)

J's pumpkin. A compost volunteer.

Posted by Alicia at 03:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (15)

I have always loved a nice egg sandwich with cheese (this time muenster) and a sprinkling of pepper on whole wheat toast.

I also love short work weeks- oooo, if only they all were this short.
and play dates. at their houses.

My energy for cleaning is fizzling out, but we're on our fourth car load to Goodwill. I love donating to and buying from second-hand stores. What could be better, really?!

I ADORE this new site. So far it's eerily beautiful and peaceful. Shari's set of black and white photographs is peaceful too. Simply perfect.

Generous people are the BEST. Have you seen how much money the auction is raising? Everything is way out of my price range, but that is quite alright!

I'll be back next week with the last of my handmade gifts and the first tiny baby steps of my new More Art Plan. Happy weekending, everyone! May you all discover, or visit, or do, or create something you love too.

Posted by Alicia at 12:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)

another bowl of soup. This time chicken and dumplings.

A warm helping of comforting goodness. My mom made this often when we were kids. No real recipe to it. Cook some chicken and veggies in chicken stock for awhile. Season to taste. Spoon in some biscuit dough. Cover and cook a little bit more. Mmmmmm.


Whenever I get the camera out to snap pictures of food, Brian ALWAYS chuckles and reminds me about Maggie Mason's book. I know, I know. But I'm domestic. What can I say?

Posted by Alicia at 07:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)

Lately I've been dreaming of soups. stews. chili. On a cold and rainy day like today I just had to have some. A memory of Amy's Potato Cheese Soup popped into my head this morning and refused to leave.

This soup was delicious. (Too bad my photo is not as nearly cookbook ready as Amy's.) It is the perfect comfort food. I didn't have oyster crackers, saltines worked just fine, but as we ate, Brian and I decided that a little piece of french bread cheddar toast laying on the top soaking up the broth would be a perfect touch. Next time. And there WILL be a next time. The kids even ate this soup and I have a heck of a time convincing them to eat most.

I hope the weather stays cool this week. I have more on my mind. Tomorrow? Chicken and dumplings.

Posted by Alicia at 07:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

My mom is incredibly talented. She's artistic and handy and hard working. She's an environmentalist, a nurse, a political activist. The one thing I did not inherit is her cooking skills; she is one outstanding cook. She can whip up incredible meals from nearly nothing. It's amazing.

I asked Brian last night if he was disappointed that I can't cook as well as my mom. He said, "I kind of thought you'd grow into it, but you just didn't." Hhmmpht. Now I'm not a bad cook, and I've always said if you can read, you can cook. But there is some basic meal-whip-together gene that missed me. Must skip a generation. Timing everything well is her other true talent in the kitchen. Everything finishes up flawlessly. She told me once that would come with experience. I've been cooking on my own for how many years? 15? Still hasn't happened.

But I'm trying. Plugging away. Baking bread. Fixing dinners. Making sweets. The organic veggies arrived yesterday (our last week- sniff.) and as she stood there with me in the kitchen looking at them spread on the counter, she made a meal suggestion.

I cooked the tiny little potatoes in a pan with red peppers, onions, and a couple pieces of bacon, added a splash of red wine vinegar, a dash of salt and pepper, and at the very last minute, some chard to wilt in. We ate it with buttered, toasted tortillas. It was pretty yummy. Definitely a step in the right direction.

Thanks, Mom.

Posted by Alicia at 11:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (11)

dismissing early from school for teacher planning day.

walking in the rain. well, some of us scooting.

cutting through the lonely park.

lunching on toasted cheese sandwiches and tomato soup.

cuddling up on the couch for a reading lesson during the little one's nap.
(more about this tomorrow.)

watching the end of "Chicken Little" while the dough rises.

snacking on warm soft pretzels.

with dip.

still to come, dinner with good friends.

Posted by Alicia at 04:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (17)

Wednesday is the day my dad drops off our CSA veggies. We're really enjoying it this year and making a big effort to eat every bit that arrives. We split the subscription with my parents, so they take half of everything.

This evening we had a meal of grilled chicken breasts, carrots sauteed with a little butter and brown sugar, and batter-dipped squash fried in a little olive oil. The kids ate every bit, albeit they both dipped their carrots in ranch dressing. But that's ok. They're terribly skinny little things and could actually use the fat. Tomorrow night we'll finish up last week's green beans and new potatoes with a little onion.

I love our CSA for several reasons. It great to buy local- less energy used and pollution produced from the transport, everything is organically grown, and it's all so darn healthy and yummy. Plus it's cheap, especially since we share with my parents. If I were to buy this produce at Whole Foods all summer, it surely would cost tons more. Mmmmm.

Posted by Alicia at 09:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)

Yesterday was J's half birthday. (5 1/2) We made some yummy cupcakes.

J shares his half birthday with the whole birthdays of two very special people, Tom aka Da (Brian's dad) and Jennifer (Brian's sister). Happy birthday, guys! We love and miss you!

We'll eat one of these for you. Well actually, we already have. Several.

Posted by Alicia at 12:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)