Soccer Snacks - How it is done

A few weeks I volunteered to bring snacks for the soccer game if no one else could. The issue is that I am now a full time working mom and should not volunteer such things.

The game was a rare weeknight game. I got out of work late and had completely forgotten that said I would bring snacks. Well, crap.

Since this is me we are talking about, and I am crazy, I did not just want to phone it in with apples and Goldfish like I did the first time.

I had seen watermelon on a stick and knew that is what I wanted with some cheese sticks for protein. However, the Randall’s on the way did not carry Popsicle sticks. As I ran through the store (still talking to Sonia) I debated using bamboo skewers.  You can tell I was not thinking correctly. Surely someone would poke a friend’s eye out and even if I broke the pointed tip off that seemed like a bad plan. So I thought plastic spoons. I could stick the smaller end in the watermelon and they could hold onto the spoon.

Love. It. 

Did I mention that I did not have time to go home and assemble these? So I did what any normal person would do: I bought a knife and some Ziploc containers and made these in the back of my car.  I’m sorry, was someone just saying if there was ever a time to phone-it-in this would have been it? You are correct. I managed to miss basically the entire game fixing up my snacks.

However, I don’t care.  Zach had eight games and eight practices. I was tortured supportive through them all save this one and I have YEARS of sporting games ahead of me. I decided to make myself happy with the snacks this time.  And I was.

So were the guys. They loved the watermelon though I think Zach and Tyler ate the lion’s share. OK really they were excited about the juice and who could blame them?

I really don't know why they are standing so close to each other. I just said to stand next to each other so Tyler's grandma could take a photo for me. She knows I have a blog to maintain.

For my garden loving mother-in-law

Every season my mother-in-law, Olivia asks me if I would like some new plants and then lists what she is thinking of bringing. I always say yes.

Because she then comes and plants them for me. Usually with some help from Zach. But never with help from me (she is so lucky to have me). She plants them where she knows they will get hit with the sprinkler because I am obviously not going to traipse out there and water them. She then reminds me to turn on the sprinkler (again, so lucky). And I love it. I love having veggies the boys and I can pick and herbs to use when cooking. I never have to buy chives again. Ever.

She has a bigger garden in her backyard. So this year for mother's day, when I started looking around for gifts for her and my mom, I spotted some homemade plant markers. You know I loved these:

Not only would I have to buy polymer clay but I love how simple they are. However I am trying to de-hord my crafting supplies and not buy more so I pinned the idea but nixed it for this.

Next I spotted these and initially I liked the kid involvement aspect and how bright and colorful they are. Liv likes bright and colorful.
 

 

I was thinking through all the craft supplies I have when I thought of the large rocks flanking our sidewalk in the front yard (terrible). What if I combined the two above ideas and have the boys paint rocks and I could stamp them?  

Bright and colorful for Liv but I had to buy one of those mini-stamp set I have been coveting at JoAnn's. My handwriting is simply not an option. HAD to buy them. Not to worry, I had a 50% coupon so it was a minimal investment and they are tiny so don't take up much room. I know, I know....call TLC.

The boys really enjoyed it. We walked to the front yard and both boys were instructed to pick rocks that had as flat a surface as possible. James was really just excited to get to pick up rocks and throw them into a bag.

Then we set up in the driveway and I let them paint their little hearts out with acrylic paint. I put James in pants I didn't care about which was good, as evidenced by the first photo, but Zach stayed clean in his smock.

James really was going to town. He painted about 4-5 rocks at one time. I kept asking him if he was done which he consistently replied, "NO". Not nicely, naturally.

And the finished product! A couple coats of spray polyurethane and they are done. 

The stamps do take some getting used to but I love them and will be stamping many things in the future. Spoken like a true horder.

Articipe

One of my cousins is getting married. I remember when she was born and have watched her grow up, as I have done the same. She is the daughter of Aunt Vickie so you know she is special.

For one of her wedding showers the theme was "kitchen". I was going to get her a handful of utensils that I love and gift cards to the restaurants around where she will live, which just happens to be in my neighborhood. She is young and does not cook (yet) and I really thought she could use that more than some plates or a chafing dish.

But my mom suggested I get her what I got my mom and sister for Christmas. For them I had one recipe from each of my grandmothers made into art via Articipe on Etsy. I picked my Jane's ham and cheese casserole (that is my favorite thing she made) and my Granny's chocolate chip cookies (my dad's favorite thing). I then gave my mom and sister a framed copy of each with a picture of my sister, me and our Jane for Lauren and my Granny and baby Lauren for my mom. Scene. Stealer.

As if I would have it any other way.

So when my mom suggested that for Stephanie's shower I create one for her, I knew it was the perfect gift. And it would obviously be the best gift at the shower. Win-win.

Erin with Articipe has a six month lag time for new orders so instead of doing another one of Granny's recipes I just had the chocolate chip cookie one reprinted. My dad sent me some photos of a little Stephanie at Granny's house and one of Granny in the kitchen. I think she will love it as much as we do!

The only issue? The night of the shower I had to sprint out of the house so James would not see me and forgot the gift. And once we are out of the house there is no going back in. Not a chance in hell.

So I still have the frame nicely wrapped at my house. She is getting married in three weeks so it might turn into her wedding gift if I can't get it to her soon.

And I am keeping those utensils I got her. That was actually not my choice. The boys started using the spoonulas as swords and James was whisking Norman last time I saw the silicon whisk.

I miss you Cookie

Does anyone else remember the hip mom's magazine Cookie? Anyone else maybe scream at their husband about its demise? I knew we were friends for a reason.

Cookie was this awesome magazine that was a step up from Parents. "It was the go-to resource for modern parents, offering not only high style for kids, but also meaty and interesting stories and essays about the shape and face of the modern family" says the Huffington Post.  So, so true. You didn't feel like you were reading the same magazine that women read in the 80s. It was fresh and young with a mix of working mom stuff and stay at home mom stuff. In a word: Awesome. And I miss it.

So I was pretty excited when a few of the editors wrote a cookbook in 2010 Time for Dinner: What to Cook. Many of the recipes are right out of the magazine. They are written by moms who like to cook but often don't have time. So they have options like "cook once, eat 3 times" and "if you have this (name an ingredient) make this (with 4 options of what to create)". They, of course, also have options for moms who like to cook and do have time.

My go-to recipe from the book calls to me for its sneaky use of tofu. No one in my family knows there is tofu in it and it is going to stay that way. Oh don't worry, Alex doesn't read my blog. He says he is "living the blog" so he doesn't need to read it.

Anyway, this is a family favorite. It is filling, has (sneaky) tofu, veggies and is really good. I do add chicken for Alex so he thinks it is a meal. Yes, you vegetarians are not eating "meals" in case you were wondering. Only if an animal dies can it considered dinner. I think you are "snacking" which in Alex's mind is the worst. THE worst.

Rigatoni Casserole with Tofu (shhhhhh)
with some modifications from Cookie

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 shallot, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 pinch dried oregano
1 (12- to 14-ounce) package firm tofu, drained
1 large egg
1 pinch grated nutmeg
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 (10-ounce) package frozen spinach, defrosted and drained
1 (1-pound) box rigatoni, cooked al dente and drained
1 pound fresh mozzarella, grated (about 4 cups)
3 ounces grated Parmesan (about 3/4 cup)
2 cups chopped chicken (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion. Sauté for 1 minutes, then add the garlic and cook until the onion is translucent, about 2 minutes more.

3. Add the tomatoes and oregano. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, in a blender, process the tofu, egg, nutmeg, salt, and pepper until smooth.

4. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and fold in the spinach, cooked rigatoni, tomato sauce, chicken (if using), 1 cup of the mozzarella, and 1/2 cup of the Parmesan.

5. Drizzle a coating of olive oil into a 13-by-9-inch baking pan. Add the pasta mixture and sprinkle the remaining cheeses over the top. Bake until golden and bubbling, 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before slicing.

Jump Zachary, Jump

As I have mentioned we spend a lot of time in our driveway. So I have to keep coming up with new games to keep the boys entertained out there.

I remembered the pop pop game that I had for Zach when he was little and thought a similar but less taxing (for me) game could work on the driveway.

It is very simple really, I just drew the letters of the alphabet on the ground in random order and then called them out. Zach then ran or jumped from letter to letter. He is getting a lot better with letter recognition and he liked this game.

I spotted another version of this idea on Pinterest and I might try that next time. Especially if I can figure a way for him to pull James in the wagon. Just for my fun.

Don't say I am not using my education degree. Look at those perfect upper case letters.

Parenting Boys

I just read this blog post that I spotted on Facebook and aside from making me get all weepy it really got me thinking about parenting the boys. Because it has to be different than parenting girls (you know all the girls I have raised). Obviously I don't have a clue what it is like to parent a girl, but I am a girl so I do remember some things about us troublesome drama queens.

But parenting boys? I barely understand the boy I am married to most days, how in the world am I supposed to know what to do with two additional ones? But my rant is really not about my inadequacies as a mother (we all know those), it is about just the daunting task of raising two men.

I feel a huge responsibility to raise a man. A man that is kind and generous but also strong and capable. A man that is smart but knows that women are just as smart and sometimes smarter. And I would like them to be compassionate and good huggers. We know that is an uphill battle in my house....

Every time I read something about bullying or standardized test scores I get more and more terrified. What if James stays this way and is a bully? What is someone tells Zach he is not the smartest boy ever and he listens? I want to cry.

While the post did not give me all the answers it gave some actions. And I like actions. Then I got to the last part of the post about the mom being home base. It was just what I needed to hear. That they will be OK. That I will be OK

Eh, and if not, it at least made me feel a little better and the task a little less daunting for today.

"You are home to him.  When he learns to walk, he will wobble a few feet away from you and then come back, then wobble away a little farther and then come back.  When he tries something new, he will look for your proud smile.  When he learns to read, he will repeat the same book to you twenty times in a row, because you’re the only one who will listen that many times.  When he plays his sport, he will search for your face in the stands.  When he is sick, he will call you.  When he really messes up, he will call you.  When he is grown and strong and tough and big and he feels like crying, he will come to you; because a man can cry in front of his mother without feeling self-conscious.  Even when he grows up and has a new woman in his life and gets a new home, you are still his mother; home base, the ever constant, like the sun.  Know that in your heart and everything else will fall into place. "

Meyer Lemon Pound Cake

I spotted some Meyer lemons at the grocery a while back and used them (unfortunately) in a Lemon Chicken and Orzo recipe. So this time I decided to find recipes that are just for Meyer Lemons. When I was Googling for a Meyer lemon recipe I came across my new favorite blog: FoodieCrush. She compiles recipes and groups them by category from food bloggers.  She also tests them and her photos are gorgeous. I spent way too long reading and pinning that day.

I thought of my citrus loving boy and wanted to try this pound cake. I have never made pound cake before and didn't realize how much butter is in one. Wow. Good thing I buy butter in bulk at Costco. And once he looked like this, there was no turning back.

We forgot the owl apron my mom gave him. And the dog apron his Ollie gave him. At least those were his night clothes. Wait, maybe that was not a great thing.

 

Meyer Lemon Pound Cake
with slight modifications from Brown Eyed Baker
Yield: 8 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients:
For the Cake:
1½ cups cake flour (You know I did not have this; so Joy the Baker tells you how to fake it)

1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1¼ cups granulated sugar
2 tablespoons Meyer lemon zest
4 eggs
2 teaspoons Meyer lemon juice
1 cup unsalted butter, melted
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract

For the Glaze:
½ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup Meyer lemon juice

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9x5-inch loaf pan; set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
3. Add the sugar and lemon zest to the bowl of a food processor; process until combined, about five 1-second pulses. Add the eggs, lemon juice and vanilla; process until combined, about 5 seconds. With the machine running, add the melted butter through feed tube in a steady stream. Transfer the mixture to large bowl. Sift the flour mixture over eggs in three additions, whisking gently after each addition until just combined.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F and continue to bake until deep golden brown and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, about 35 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking time.*
5. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, bring the sugar and lemon juice for the glaze to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until thickened slightly, about 2 minutes.
7. Remove the cake from the pan and place on a wire cooling rack. Using a toothpick, poke holes all over the top and sides of the cake. Brush the lemon glaze all over the top and sides of the cake.** Allow the cake to cool to room temperature, at least 1 hour. The cake can be stored at room temperature, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, for up to 5 days.

*It took longer than 50 minutes for mine to be done and it was a tad dry. OK I forgot about it. Shhhhh. 
** I also did not use the glaze as I don't like soggy cake. And it was delicious without it.