The super selfish reason I volunteer

You might say that I'm a bit of a joiner. If I'm asked to help out with something, I'll probably say yes, especially now that my children are a little less dependent on me. (I realize that putting that out there may make me a target.)

When you grow up in a small town, I think you are more likely to volunteer. Small towners don't consider it volunteering; it is simply part of your role in a small town. Everyone chips in and has fun doing it.

I volunteer because I feel socially responsible. I volunteer because I believe in the work of the organizations. I volunteer because I want to teach my children that we should help if we are able.

But there is an incredibly selfish reason I volunteer, too. I do it because it's fun. Like really fun.

I can suggest things like, "We should have a 'Let It Go' sing-along," and it happens.

And I get to hang out with people who make things like this.

And who are willing to get together to blow up over a hundred balloons. so that we can do this...

And eventually our fun becomes other people's fun. And best of all, our fun — and I suppose the work and effort, too — makes a difference in the end.

Our Pizza Problem: Solutions 1 & 2

I wish I were a photographer, but alas, I am not.
I hope that all my readers have great imaginations to compensate. 

Shortly after the new year, my husband made a very true and honest confession. He finally admitted that he had a problem: he was addicted to pizza.

I, too, suffer from this addiction, and the five-year-old is on her own path to being a pizza junkie. There are worse vices, I know, but we had recently established some new year’s resolutions. 1) Save more money. 2) Get healthy. Our addiction directly worked against both.

I realize the solution to both resolutions would simply be to cut pizza out of our diet. But come on! Why should the five-year-old suffer like that? So we’ve started a new tradition: instead of our weekly Papa Murphey’s on Sunday, we are making homemade pies!

We are two weeks in, and while I miss the ease of take and bake, I haven't felt like our pizzas are lacking in flavor. Here's what we've been doing:

For our crust, I like this recipe on bon appetit's web site. Pros and cons of this recipe:

PROS
• This recipe makes enough dough for six pizzas! That means that one batch makes enough for two weekends for us. We just freeze the three extra balls and thaw them when we need them. How's that for ease?
• Speaking of easy, you basically mix this up and leave it set for 18 hours. I actually left it for more like 20-21 and it was fine.
• Most importantly, the flavor is great and it is easy to handle.

CONS
• You do need to plan ahead a bit, but if you are a meal planner by nature, you might appreciate being able to get it ready ahead of time.

On our new pizza nights, we make three pizzas for the five of us. One pizza is always going to be a basic cheese, pepperoni, or salami. This is the fall-back pizza for our pickier eaters. The other two pizzas are a bit more adventurous. This week we ate shimp pizza with cilantro pesto and Indian-spiced chicken pizza. Here are the recipes. I'm not going to bother with measurements; don't we just sprinkle pizzas by sight?

Deschutes Chainbreaker made for a nice pair with the shrimp pizza. 

Shrimp Pizza with Cilanto Pesto
1 10-12 inch pizza crust
Cilantro pesto (I used the recipe here...you will have to scroll down a bit to find it.)
Around 8 onces cooked shrimp
Chopped green onions
Shredded Parmesan cheese

Bake as your crust directs. For us that is about 10 minutes at 500 degrees.

REVIEW: This one was tasty, and it would serve as a good appetizer. Next time, I might try it with a chimichurri sauce rather than cilantro pesto. Yum!

I'm fairly certain I used more cheese than it called for. Oh, well.

Indian-Spiced Chicken Pizza
1 10-12 inch pizza crust
Cilantro pesto (The above recipe makes enough for two pies.)
1 Indian-spiced chicken breast (See how I did it below.)
Chopped green onions
Sweet chili sauce
Shredded cheddar cheese

Bake as your crust directs.

My chicken: Sprinkle one breast with tumeric, garlic powder, coriander, and cumin. (Use your own blend, if you prefer.) Throw it in a fry pan and cook through. Slice into bite size pieces. Easy-peasy.

REVIEW: This one will definitely be made again. The chili sauce was a great contrast to the spices on the chicken and the pesto. Restaurant quality, for sure!

This is the sweet chili sauce I used...I had just enough!

A LOVELY MOMENT FROM MY DAY: I got a just-because card in the mail. Just when you are certain their is no warmth  in the season, it comes to you in your mailbox. 

She's just more...

My oldest daughter turned ten this month. I did not get a birthday post written in a timely manner. I suppose this is metaphor for the ways I have been a less-than mother to her over the years. When she was a newborn, I'm fairly certain I didn't feed her often enough. I was used to nursing a baby the way I could nurse her brother, who was a full pound heavier, so an extra hour went by here and there.

When she was a little older, I was mildly depressed due to a number of things that had nothing to do with her. And a depressed momma is a less-than momma.

When she went to kindergarten, it was May before it really hit me that "Holy crap! She's a kindergartner and that is a really big deal!" She was our second child and it was old news for us, but not for her. And as a less-than mom, I failed to recognize it.

I always feel a bit bad that I don't worry as much about her as I have her brother. Perhaps that is the blessing of experience. But I'm inclined to think it may be because, while I'm a bit of a less-than mom, she's a "more" daughter.

When I think of myself at her age, there are so many similarities between the two of us. She just happens to be the "more" version. She's a bit more dramatic. I think she's a bit messier (though I'm not sure that's entirely accurate.)

She's certainly more talented — in music, dance, acting. I can see natural talent and charisma that I never had myself.

She's more curious than I ever was. More creative. Funnier. Better at making friends. Braver.

But the most important way she is more...the more I am most thankful for is how much more she loves herself than I loved myself at at ten. She's confident. When she's joyful, she's radiant. I don't see her wishing she was more like someone else. She just wants to be a bit more of who she already is, and I can't blame her for that.

As her tweens turn to teens, my prayer for her — for all girls, really — is that she can see that her more is more than enough. I want her to remember that the girl I see light up when she makes her family laugh or when she gets to dance in front of a crowd...that girl is amazing! I want her to hold onto that girl and stay familiar with her, because life has a way of making you forget yourself during those years.

That girl is her true self, and I see a little more of her every time I watch my daughter with her friends or have the pleasure of time alone with her. That girl makes me want to be more. And with her in my corner, I'm sure I can be.

A new year

A new year makes me take stock of things.

A new year makes me think about my life's blessings.

A new year makes me think about the last year. 

The babies that were born, the unions that were made.

A new year makes me feel like I can go anywhere, 

because it makes me think about how far I've come.

A new year allows me to believe that I will find more beauty and be more beautiful. 

That I can be a better parent and partner. 

A new year shows me that I have all the means I need to change, should I desire.

A new year shows me that my life is lovely and 

even if nothing were to ever change again, my heart would still be full. 

A LOVELY MOMENT FROM MY DAY: Frittata & mimosas for breakfast, walk with my husband, a bath, and family movie time...all of my day's moments have been lovely. 

This is how Thanksgiving went down.

I may have suffered from a food coma after Thanksgiving. I indulged my every whim...almost. I settled for one piece of pie. I didn't want to go overboard. (See if you still believe that statement by the end of this post.)

It was the first Thanksgiving I've made in a decade, and the first we spent at home in five years. It was a restful, wonderful weekend, filled with fun and leftovers.

I started preparing the Sunday before by baking cornbread to freeze for our dressing. The man of the house asked for a version with shrimp. I settled on this recipe from Food & Wine. I replaced the andouille sausage with a simple pork sausage. The cornbread came out beautifully, and I'll probably use the recipe to accompany our ribs and chili in the future.

Buttermilk cornbread

On Tuesday, I mixed up the dough for our dinner rolls, choosing this simple, no-knead recipe from The Pioneer Woman. You can mix it up two days ahead of when you want to bake them.

I also prepared pecan brittle for one of the pies. Check it out:

I apologize for photos that look really weird. This was kind of pretty in real life.

On Wednesday, it was time to prepare the brine for our turkey breast. Since there were only five (four, if you don't count my recently vegetarian daughter) of us, we opted for the smaller piece of meat. I selected this cranberry-glazed version. 

I also baked pies on Wednesday night. The pecan brittle was for this maple pumpkin pie from Better Homes & Garden. I loved the presentation of this pie, which was the cover shot of the November, 2013 issue, but I should have added some pumpkin pie spice. The pie crust is placed inside a spring form pan. 

I really like how the pie looked, using this pan.
I'll definitely keep the technique in mind for future pies.

We covered the finished product with whipped cream and some pecan brittle, but not until we served it on Thursday... (Slight timeline jump!)

The finished product

The second pie was a sour cream apple. Noah prefers apple to any other kind, and I thought this recipe had some tasty additions with the sour cream and crumble topping. I was right! It was delicious. I might experiment with my baking apple a bit next time. What's your favorite apple to bake with?

Sour cream apple pie with streusel topping

Now that I've spilled the dessert, let's back track and hit some of the main event. Noah and I started cooking Thanksgiving morning. I started with that dough I prepared back on Tuesday. Here are the dinner rolls after rising for a couple hours:

Is it just me, or do they look quite...fleshy?

Here they are fresh from the oven — the perfect pick-me-up in the middle of our cooking.

Just add butter...

Time to talk sides. Noah wanted green bean casserole. I prefer not to used cream of anything, if I can help it. We compromised with the help of Alton Brown. That man is brilliant. This was the best green bean casserole I've ever had. Following the advice of a friend, we opted to buy our onions, rather than try to fry our own.   

Last Easter, I made this recipe for cheesy hash brown casserole. Again, this recipe avoids using cream of mushroom soup, and it was delicious then and better this time. (Because I used the right amount of thyme this time around!) 

Remember that cornbread...well, this is how the stuffing ended up. Next time around, I'll eat half of that cornbread and enjoy a meatier stuffing. But this was pretty darn good as is!

Our brined breast was covered in herbs, then eventually a cranberry glaze. It was juicy and delicious. I would, however, drop the cloves next time. Just my personal preference. 

Sky's selection for our meal was the traditional cookie and pudding salad. Every special event needs it. And she made it all by herself!

I figured we needed some greener vegetables. I made a kale and pomegranate salad that was supposed to change my life. It didn't, but it was pretty good. Also, the colors were lovely!

Finally, I saw this cute tray on pinterest. Cute, right? 

Well, everything was done when I remembered the veggie turkey, and I started throwing relish at the kids and asked them to make it. As they say in pinterest world...nailed it! ;-) It isn't exact, of course, but I think they did great for kids and the shortest time ever allowed. 

Phew! That was a feast for five. After lunch it was nap time, needless to say. Our November had its share of challenges, but the fact remains, we have been blessed with grateful hearts and a lovely life. 

A LOVELY MOMENT FROM TODAY: We decorated our tree today. It is amazing how the ornaments hold so many lovely moments. 

Island of perfect joy

There were very big expectations for this little girl. Her name literally means "island of perfect joy." But no worries...she has delivered.

Our Isla Bliss turns five this week. She is a beautiful, joyful girl. She loves her family and she really loves her puppy, whom she calls "Buddy". She likes to draw, she likes story time, she likes to make us laugh. She is a constant reminder of how precious this time in life is.

In honor of her fifth birthday, here's five lovely things about our baby.

1. She plans to be a rockstar, and she is indeed quite entertaining. But I often think she'd be an awesome nurse. Maybe it the way she can assess a situation and take it upon herself to get it done. I've never known a more independent preschooler, though to be honest, I've only REALLY spent time with three preschoolers, so I may be an undereducated judge. All I know is she's been dressing herself for what seems like years, and for that I'm thankful.

2. Despite this independence, she still happily calls herself my "Big Baby." I'm planning on this continuing for several decades at least.

3. She asks a lot of questions about God and heaven. Even better she has all the important answers, like, "If we hurt someone's feelings and say we're sorry, God still loves us."

4. She thinks her brother and sister are great, and she's the first to give them complements after concerts or other performances. I find this incredibly thoughtful.

5. She's enjoyed a charmed life, with four of us to shower her with attention. But she's returned this grace 100 fold. We all laugh more often and smile a little bigger when she's around. Is she spoiled? Yes. But I haven't figured out how to stop yet. Hopefully, I will before I ruin her.

Five is a magical age. The world is still a place of wonder. Childlike behavior still rules. Yet, as a parent, I can start to see the type of person she will grow into. That is what makes five so exciting. I'm certainly in no hurry for her to grow up, but it is bound to happen, and I just know I'm going to love who she becomes.

A lovely man...

This week, I will say goodbye to someone who I truly treasured. My husband's Uncle Jim has passed away unexpectedly. I find myself wanting to tell everyone what a wonderful man he was, and thankfully, I'm finding that I must have shared that sentiment with many friends over the years, because when I share the sad news, they respond with clear knowledge of who Jim was and how much we cared for him.

Early in our marriage, my husband and I moved to NY. It was exciting, but a little scary too. Though we had married more than six months earlier, it was the move that made me feel like a real grown up. I was moving away from everything familiar.

But we weren't alone out on the East Coast, and that was clear from the very first weekend. We drove our U-Haul to Uncle Jim's in Hamilton Township, NJ--next door to beautiful Trenton. Uncle Jim was my husband maternal uncle. We arrived on what was my college graduation day, back in Vermillion, SD. In order to make it to NY in time to sign our lease and keep the loft space Nathan had found earlier in the month, we had to leave before graduation day. I was disappointed by the timing, but mature enough to get over it in all the ways that mattered.

Jim knew I was missing my graduation day, and he made a point to take us out for dinner to celebrate. I'm fairly certain there was even a toast. I found this incredibly thoughtful, but as I would come to learn over the years, that was just who Jim was. He celebrated others' accomplishments, recognized hard work, and enjoyed spoiling his nephews and nieces (even those of us who he gained via marriage). And man, he was so good at it.

Jim's home became our favorite getaway during our years in NY. He and his girlfriend Cathy welcomed us and gave us a place of peace and relaxation. He made us feel safe by giving us an escape in the days after 9/11. He did these things quietly, asking for nothing in return,  and I now regret not making a point to tell him what it meant to have a place to recharge when life in the city exhausted me.

Jim and I shared a great love of food, and so many of my favorites were introduced to me by Jim. He taught Nathan and I about French pressed coffee. He taught us that rum and Cokes tasted better with a wedge of lime. He taught us that stinky cheese meant great taste. His hosting skills were so superior that he managed to spoil and treat you even when he was supposed to be the guest. Every Christmas, Jim shared salamis and sausages, cheeses and pecans, coffee and chocolates. Every year was another chance to spoil all of us.

A few years ago, Nathan, Jim and I were a team for a family grilled cheese contest.
The team was clearly stacked, but we won. 

The past week I've spent time thinking what it must have been like for my mother-in-law to have a brother like Jim to serve as an example for her children. I have a pretty good idea, because I saw how he was with his great nieces and nephews. He was invested and interested in them. He thought they were as cute and funny and smart as their parents think they are. He was giving. He was so, so smart. He lived to his full potential. He was a great friend and partner. He was the best uncle.

All children deserve an Uncle Jim...