My lovely days as a SAM parent

Our daycare was closed for two days this week, and I had the pleasure of staying home with my youngest child, just the two of us. Isla is a funny girl. She is talkative and full of conviction. She will claim any good idea that comes through the household as her own. Who knows? Maybe she's right: Maybe it is our desire to make her happy that makes us come up with ideas about picnics and parties. 

Needless to say, these two days were filled with joy. The sun shined, after several days of rain. I had time to do, to wonder, to just be. There were moments when I couldn't help but think, "What would it be like to stay home every day?"

But I'm no fool. I know that the life of a stay-at-home parent is not the endless equivalent of what I experienced the past two days. However, I hope that those of you who spend your days with your children can enjoy as many lovely moments as possible. I wish it for you...

I wish you relaxed grocery runs for cookie ingredients. I wish you patience as you bake together. I wish you mornings where all you have to do is get a batch of cookies baked.

I wish you lunches in the sunshine. I wish you the willingness to feed your child a peanut butter sandwich and cookies for lunch because it doesn't hurt to eat terribly once in a while. I wish you mealtime discussions about ants and honeybees.

I wish you visits from people who interest and inspire you during the day. Or I wish you the escape of a good book. If you need to rely on a movie to distract your children at any point, I wish you the ability to do so without guilt.

I wish you a morning that you can walk to the park, play outside, go to the library, then return to the park — all without checking the time. I wish you a morning where a growling stomach is the sign that you must get going.

I wish you a lunch date at a local shop with cheese and crackers and chocolate milk and ginger beer. I wish you a "who cares?" attitude when the box of crackers tips in the wind, spilling all over the table and chair and cement below you.

I wish you strolls and chats and stories and hugs and kisses. I wish you moments that serve to renew and recharge the way these days renewed me.

Picnic Picks: Spring Day Hike

My first job out of college was at a small home-decorating magazine. (Actually, I worked for a number of small home-decorating magazines, all at the same publishers.) Public relations groups constantly send freebees to magazines of all sizes, and there was an active slush pile in one of the hallways. (Okay, it was really the only hallway...small magazine, small office.)

My favorite longterm picnic partner.

One of the items I picked up—and still have today—was a small 8x8 cookbook titled Picnic: 125  Recipes with 29 Seasonal Menus. Despite not having any glossy photos of food, it called to me. I've always enjoyed a good picnic, and before my husband was my husband, he was the kind of boyfriend who would pack carefully selected food and drive somewhere pretty to surprise me. In a nutshell, picnics are just lovely memories waiting to happen.

Yesterday, my nine-year-old daughter asked if we could have a picnic this weekend. Since I hadn't done my meal planning and shopping yet for the week, I thought, "Why not actually plan something special to eat on this picnic?" What better source for inspiration than Picnic.

The book is organized into 29 individual menus and divided by season. The first menu is titled, "Spring Day-Hike Picnic," and this seemed like a great place to start. (Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure that punctuation is not ideal.) While I did not follow the suggested meal exactly—I used flour tortillas rather than spinach, added cheese and lettuce to the wraps, forgot the carrot sticks at home, and ditched the herbal tea for lemonade—we tried three new recipes from this menu.

I love cooking for this boy!

We had a very tasty picnic, enjoying grilled chicken wraps, artichoke salad, and gingerbread cake for dessert. (All the recipes follow.) The four-year-old ate just one of those things—any guesses?—and depended on a peanut butter sandwich to fill her. But the menu isn't the point of a picnic; it's fresh air, good company, and an opportunity to do something lovely as a family.

The chicken before the wrapping.

I really liked this marinate, and use it plenty this summer. It would be great on fish too!
Grilled Chicken Fillets
8 chicken boneless chicken breast halves
8 flour tortillas
shredded cheddar cheese
lettuce

Marinade
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup mirin (I substituted sherry)
2 T lime juice
2 T sesame oil
2 large cloves of garlic, minced
1 T honey
1 T peeled and grated ginger root

1. Place chicken in a large ziplock bag. Combine marinade ingredients and pour over the chicken. Let marinade for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator. (We marinated it over night.)

2. Grill chicken until done. Let cool slightly and slice into thick slices.

3. Place 4-6 slices of chicken on a tortilla. Top with a couple tablespoons of cheese and lettuce. Fold shut and wrap in flour to transport for your picnic. 

Artichoke Salad

The kids love artichokes, so half of this salad was successful. I would love to play around with some fresh herbs in this recipe, once my garden grows!
Artichoke Salad
three 6-oz. jars of marinated artichoke hearts with the marinate
1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, washed, dried, and sliced
6 sun-dried tomatoes, cut into strips
4 scallions, thinly sliced, including some green tops
1 medium tomato, seeded and cut into bite-size chunks
1 small sweet onion, thinly sliced

Dressing
2 T balsamic vinegar
2 T olive oil
2 T vegetable oil
1 teas. lemon juice
1 teas. sugar
1/2 teas. dried oregano
1/4 teas. salt
freshly ground pepper to taste

1. Combine all of the vegetables in a large bowl.
2. Wisk the dressing ingredients together and pour over vegetables.
3. Let the salad sit for 8 or more hours in the refrigerator.

I would definitely try to serve the gingerbread
with whipped cream. Yum!

Despite the spiciness of this cake, all of the kids enjoyed it. The book described it as moist but sturdy, which is what makes it good picnic food. 
Gingerbread Cake

1 cup molasses

1/2 cup buttermilk (or make your own with 1/2 T vinegar and 1/2 cup milk)

1 egg, lightly beaten

2 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 teas. ground allspice

1 teas. ground cinnamon

1 teas. ground ginger

1/2 cup butter, melted

whipped cream (if you can keep it cold, it is a great addition!)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch square pan.

2. Combine the molasses, buttermilk, and egg in a small bowl. Stir to blend.

3. Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add the molasses mixture and mix well. Add the butter and stir just until blended.

4. Pour batter into your pan and bake for 25-35 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the the center comes out clean. (I had to bake mine closer to 40-45 minutes, but my oven is a bit cooler than most, I think.) Cool in the pan on a wire rack. 

4. Serve with whipped cream.

An open letter to my toilet

Dear downstairs toilet,

I feel I owe you an apology. When you were installed last year, I think I made some promises that I have failed to keep. You were spotless — your porcelain a cool, inviting white. I loved how you looked in my newly renovated bathroom, and I thought to myself, then and there, "I will clean you every week, without fail. You will always be this lovely, gleaming white."

I lied. That didn't happen. It didn't even come close. Heck, I didn't even use a disposable wipe on you once a week. The thing is, I rarely use you, and . . . out of sight, out of mind. I turned cleaning over to the boy who uses you the most for a while, but his cleaning skills are not fully developed, so that wasn't the best plan. And then things really took a turn: We welcomed a black dog into our home, and while I am certain he has never used you, his hair tends to collect all over you.

I'd like to do right by you, toilet. I'd like to give you the shining that you deserve every week — not just when we have company coming. But something huge is getting in the way: I hate to clean.

Cleaning is not fun. It does not come naturally to me, and it tends to take me much longer than the average person. I've tried many thing to make it seem more fun, or at least easier to swallow. I have:

• Tried pretending that I was actually Cinderella. No prince showed up to rescue me, and this idea was quickly abandoned.

• Listened to MPR on the iPod, but I always ended up sitting down, lost in the stories, before the bathroom, you included, was cleaned. What can I say? My mind floats.

• Considered making a deal with myself: No working out when the bathrooms are gross. But the risk of me abandoning exercise was just too great.

• Tried cleaning every single Saturday for a month. This one actually worked. You didn't get nearly so awful, and my cleaning time was cut down simply because you and your friends weren't so dirty. Of course, eventually someone planned something on a Saturday and the pattern broke. Another plan failed.

I have a new plan though, toilet. Tonight, I just happened to enjoy a champaign glass filled with sparkling grape juice while scrubbing your old friend, the upstairs sink. And I was struck with brilliance. Cleaning could become something wonderful if I just enjoyed a glass of champaign while doing it. It is impossible not to smile while drinking champaign. Time to buy some of those mini bottles.

I cannot wait to toast you, my friend. But I just cleaned you, so it will be at least a week.

Kind regards,
Julie

See, toilet, we do spend time together.
(Thanks to my photographer, Noah.)

The lovely thing about being a mom

Today marks my 12th Mother's Day. The first one was a warm NY day, and a nice woman at an ice cream place near Union Square gave me—a young woman, about six weeks from giving birth for the first time — my cone for free.

The lovely thing about being a mom is that you are automatically part of a special club—one that warrants a free ice cream cone when you are on the cusp of joining it. With your membership comes an understanding of the intense pride, protectiveness, and love women feel for their children. No matter how much I read about this before having children, I could not understand it without feeling it.

The lovely thing about being a mom is there are three people here who want me to tell them good night, every night, no matter how crabby I've been that night. What a capacity to forgive and forget!

The lovely thing about being a mom is discovering hobbies you can both truly enjoy together.
These things give you a glimpse at the type of relationship you may have when your children are adults. 

The lovely thing about being a mom (at my house anyway) is you get to decide what your family eats. It is a small but mighty power.

The lovely thing about being a mom is you are going to have the chance to teach your children the things your mom taught you. I'll teach my girls how to put on lipstick. I'll teach my son to fry eggs in bacon grease for a once-in-a-while treat. They are small lessons, but you feel more connected to your mom and sisters, for they too learned the same lessons.

The lovely thing about being a mom is that you get to share your best work with a larger world, just by sending your child to school. As a mom, I just want everyone to see what I see, that my kids have special gifts! Teachers specialize in identifying and praising those gifts. Even better, they help their students discover those gifts for themselves.

The lovely thing about being a mom is that finding beauty in your
everyday life is as easy as looking at your child. 

The lovely thing about being a mom is sharing the job of parenting with dad. Every funny moment, every joy, every moment of pride is made a bit sweeter by sharing it with him.

The lovely thing about being a mom is that at least once a year, you will get a card that helps you see how your children see you. There might be a metaphor comparing you to diamonds. There might be a list of ways your child knows that you love them. One thing is for sure: It will make you tear up and you'll save it forever.

Happy Mother's Day to everyone celebrating today! May you enjoy a day filled with lovely moments.

A LOVELY MOMENT FROM TODAY: My daughter is making cupcakes for me today. It is a lovely gesture, but it has also given me practice in leaving her alone and letting her do it the way she wants to. Oh, why is is so hard to let your children figure things out for themselves!?

My Old Kentucky Home...

Long before there was Pinterest, or Tori Spelling's and Pippa's party books or loads of blogs dedicated just to party ideas, my older sister was throwing the most amazing celebrations for her kids' birthdays. These parties were second only to the incredible Halloween costumes she created for them. I admire her creativity and execution, and I always thought I would be like her when I became a mom.

Unfortunately, the reality of me is different than the dream of me. While I possess a fair amount of creativity and a fair amount of skill, I never allow enough time to do anything as amazing as a robot costume that actually lights up or a Harry Potter party, complete with a talking sorting hat. So I'm a big believer in daily celebrations that allow us to do something fun without costing us extra money and requiring too much time. Usually, this means our celebration is going to be food dependent—we need to eat it anyway!

This weekend we decided to take an interest in the Kentucky Derby, with a KY inspired meal.  As I made up a batch of pecan pie bars for our dessert, my third grader kept asking me why people care about the derby. Thankfully, I couldn't answer. It is like she handed me an opportunity to be one of those parents who are always exposing their children to learning experiences. I just turned the computer over to her and suggested a few areas for her to research. She ended up writing a report of the what, why, and whens of the big event.

Soon it was time for the race. I couldn't decide on who I would cheer for, but finally settled on Revolutionary. Sky chose...Fallen Sky of course. Noah has several choices, including that Normandy Invasion. (Now that is a horse name!) Seeing as how we chose our favorites based on their names, no one picked Orb to win. (Seriously...that was a boring name!)

We all wore our own versions of derby hats, with the exception of the little one, who preferred to wear fancy shoes instead. The evening's cocktail was mint juleps. Turns out I do not care for mint juleps. But we all enjoyed our main dish: Kentucky Hot Browns, adapted from this recipe. This was a comfort dish that will probably make it into regular fall and winter rotation.

Kentucky Hot Browns
4 thick white bread slices 3/4 pound sliced roasted turkey
Mornay Sauce (see below)
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese (or so...more or less as you wish)
3 plum tomatoes, sliced
8 bacon slices, cooked 

Preparation:
1. Preheat broiler with oven rack 6 inches from heat. Place bread slices on a baking sheet and broil 1 to 2 minutes on each side or until toasted.

2. Arrange bread slices in 4 lightly greased broiler-safe individual baking dishes. Top bread with turkey slices. Pour hot Mornay Sauce over turkey. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

3. Broil 6 inches from heat 3 to 4 minutes or until bubbly and lightly browned; remove from oven. Top sandwiches with tomatoes and bacon. Serve immediately.

Mornay Sauce
1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups skim milk
1/2 cup (2-oz.) shredded Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Preparation:
Melt butter in a 3-qt. saucepan over medium-high heat. Whisk in flour; cook, whisking constantly, 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk. Bring to a boil, and cook, whisking constantly, 1 to 2 minutes or until thickened. Whisk in Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper.

A little photo booth fun in our derby hats.
Sky made my hat. See our Derby Day turned into an art project too!

A LOVELY MOMENT FROM TODAY: My two older kids packed their own lunches, rode down to the park, and had a picnic together. Their self-relience is something I'm proud of, but the fact that they got along for over an hour, is a real surprise to me!

Reasons I think cocktails are lovely.

Everything you need for a Moscow mule.

If I made a list of my simple pleasures—of the things that instantly make things more lovely for me—cocktails would be on the list. Not wine. Not even beer. But cocktails.

I love experimenting with new recipes of juices and liquors. And when I say "I love" it, really I mean, "I love asking my husband" to make one of the new drinks I find in my many cooking magazines. Which brings me to the first of my reasons why cocktails are lovely:

1. While I cook about ninety percent of the meals around here, I rarely make our drinks. That is the husband's job. It feels like he is treating me, and he's great at it! First we became obsessed with making our own mojitos. Then there were these fresh whiskey sours from Ina Garten. Lately, we've been enjoying a beautiful New York Sour from Bon App etit. (Seriously, click on the link because this is a pretty drink, and my husband can totally make the layers.)

2. We can have a drink together, even on a school night! It feels like a little date, and who doesn't wish they could go on more dates? Even if you don't drink, I encourage you to find a treat you can share with your partner at the end of your days, because you end up sharing more than just food or drink.

3. Because drinks at home are so much more affordable than drinks or dinner out, I don't feel guilty about enjoying the luxury of quality ingredients--fresh lemons and limes, great rums or vodkas. Each sip is just lovely.

4. And finally, even when the weather is treating you to snow in May, you can be tropical with a daiquiri. Trick the tongue: trick the mind. 

Occasionally, I take charge of the nightly cocktail. And when I do, I make Moscow mules. They are easy. They are refreshing. And they are served in copper mugs, which are lovely. 

For one drink, combine the following:

Juice of half a lime

2 oz vodka

Half a can of ginger beer. (Don't use ginger ale; it just isn't the same!)

A LOVELY MOMENT FROM TODAY: I was home from work when the kids got home from school today, so I was able to have hot cocoa ready and waiting for them. I never regret working out of the home, but I often wish I could surprise them with something lovely when they arrived home from school. Today, I was able to.