Simple meals....stuffed pretzel recipe found here; absolutely delicious and everything could be found in leftovers or the pantry
Simple projects....watercolor painted wooden Easter eggs
And simple play....who knew a $1 bag of plastic eggs would provide such hours of amusement?
We're keeping it simple as we head into the last 7 weeks of waiting for this new baby!
Some of the little things that feel like treasure these days....
the garden thinking and planning .....yummy mother and son made scones......some hand-sewn doll love (more about this later)
And some insiring ideas from around the web:
We have a fun and busy day planned here! Some green painting, a little storytelling, and a traditional corned beef and cabbage dinner with Daddy.
We are trying to teach our children more about the lives of Christian saints. It is not something I grew up with, but we think it's a valuable way to teach the history of our faith, and about the heroes of the faith. To that end, I made a little playset of St. Patrick's life, inspired by this article. Mine is not nearly as detailed or lovely (I may have to revamp my St. Patrick along these lines), but it does the job, and my little guy loves to see the story in action. We are using the Tomie De Paola, Patrick: Patron Saint of Ireland, along with the playset, and I find the illustrations particularly luminous. I would like to own this book eventually, and it may be sooner than later as the little girl has just ripped one of the pages of the library copy:)
I'm trying something new this year and making my own "fake" corned beef from the most recent issue of Martha Stewart Living. The spice rub (above) that it marinates in is aromatic, and I have high hopes for tonight. The veggies cook with it, and, with a little potato/apple mash on the side, we have our meal. I hope the kids like it:)
Our Irish soda bread was made earlier in the week for a baking activity, and my little one was fascinated with the measuring cups and flour. Extremely cute; extremely messy!
Much to look forward to today; best be getting on with it!
We finished off our Lenten theme for last week with some pretzels, a traditional food for this time of year in the spirit of fasting. The very simple recipe we used, as below, was mixed after naps, and ready in time for an afternoon snack:
Pretzels
2 1/4 tsp. yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 tsp. salt, 1 T. sugar
4 cups flour
Mix ingredients together. Break off small pieces and roll into long logs; shape into pretzels. Place on parchment covered baking sheet, brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with kosher salt. Bake at 425 for 12-15 minutes.
Our painting projects from earlier in the week became some "stained glass windows" for the family room. Next time we will brush the back of our paper with vegetable oil to make it more transluscent!
This week our theme is St. Patrick!
It's amazing what a few hours of solitude and quiet can do! Yesterday was the most peaceful, nourishing day I've had in many a week. Some time spent alone in my kitchen, with some tea, slow sewing, and slow cooking was just what I needed (read: thank goodness the children are still young enough to nap!). I really enjoy the slow cooking process (minus the slow cooker), but this is a luxury that few days afford. This recipe, that I have been making often this winter, is just the ticket. You start with great ingredients, cook, and simmer, chop, and add, and end up with a healthful, yummy, warm, one-dish meal.
The homemade bread experiment continues after a little break. I've got a batch of four loaves in my bucket in the fridge, ready to pull out at an afternoon's notice. Yesterday, something new was required, so with my basic dough, and a fresh red pepper to hand, we enjoyed Roasted Red Pepper Stuffed Fougasse (from Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day). Sounds quite fancy I think, and Husband was duly impressed, but it was really very simple because the dough was already made.
Looked and tasted good! I was pleased. My bread making is reliably hit-or-miss:)
But don't let all this homemade-ness fool you. Tonight's menu is pizza, with grocery store mix, grocery store sauce, and canned pineapple. While yesterday was a respite, today is teaching me not to expect such bounty everyday!
I seem to be a little out of season with my cooking lately. Many blueberry cakes have been in the works with last summer's frozen blueberry harvest.
And did you know this great trick for cheater's buttermilk? You just squeeze a few tablespoons per cup of milk into a bowl, let it sit for a few minutes, and voila, thick, creamy buttermilk.
Summery Tomato-Basil Soup was also made to celebrate the little boy's birthday, and it was very refreshing with grilled cheese and a green salad. Here's the super-easy recipe for you to try:
Tomato-Basil Soup
2 T. butter
2 T. olive oil
1 medium onion chopped
3 garlic cloves minced
1 cup celery chopped
4 cans good quality diced tomatoes (you could use your own canned tomatoes, or use fresh that have been diced in the food processor)
3 cups chicken stock
1 t. oregano, 1 t. salt and fresh pepper
2 cups basil chopped
Saute the onion, garlic, and celery in the oil and butter until softened. Add the stock, tomatoes, and spices, and bring to a boil. Simmer for 20 minutes. Stir in the fresh basil to taste, and serve with parmesan cheese.
Yum, yum. I'm blaming all the extra time in the kitchen on this....
Plus a new kitchen! We love the kitchen in our new house, for its storage, counter space, and pretty French Blue cupboards. I grew up dreaming of a blue kitchen, and now I've got one!
With all the indoor time that January brings, we've been using this space to the max, and incorporating some new routines into our cooking.
I've been making homemade bread now for a few weeks using the method in Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day. I would recommend it highly; it teaches you how to produce artisan-quality bread with very minimal effort and investment. We only had to purchase a few new tools, like a pizza peel and a large food storage bin. You do also need a baking stone, but we were able to unearth one in our pile of yet-unused wedding presents.
The basic dough recipe calls for all white flour, and this is how DH prefers it, but I've been slowly experimenting with adding whole wheat flour. I prefer the more complex taste that the whole wheat flour gives, plus the added healthiness. I've gotten to a ratio of about 55% whole wheat flour, 45% white flour, and I like it. It still rises and bakes well, it's delicious with soups or stews in the evening, and great for toast the next morning. If you've been interested in making your own bread for a while without a bread machine, I would encourage you to try this book.
The results you can get with so little time or effort still amaze me. Little people like it too. Bread-making has become part of our weekly routine, and we love it.
Husband has decided he wants to make our own yogurt, so he took off with it this weekend, using some words of wisdom from a friend and these general guidelines. It turned out great, we're almost through our 1/2 gallon in just three days, and I love being able to give this super-healthy stuff to the little girl since she is loving food these days.
This too was incredibly easy and I see it being a weekly routine that we can sustain. There's very little hands-on time, which for us is key:) We didn't have to buy any equipment for this either, other than a food thermometer which we've sorely needed for a while now. To keep the yogurt at a steady 110 degrees for its 8 hour "incubation," we submerged the jar of cooked yogurt in a pot of water at 110, then placed that whole set-up in our large cooler. Worked like a charm.
I'm excited that we've found some practical (and frugal) ways to improve the health of our diets. What kinds of food routines do you enjoy with your family?
Not a lot of big things, just small happenings around here. We had a great visit with Grammy, with spoiling for all. Now, it's back to cooking and keeping babies happy, with a little craft therapy for mom in between.
I made a double batch of pesto, the first of the season, and was thrilled to later discover a volunteer basil plant in the middle of my flower garden. So there will be more pesto to come...
Our zucchini plants are out of control, so I'm testing various zucchini bread recipes in hopes of freezing a bunch of loaves for Christmas-neighbor-gifts.
And some knitting has been finished, and some begun....more later....
Doesn't this look yummy? It was. And is.... Pints of blueberries were on sale for $1 each, so husband and I went a little crazy, and he made this pie. Impressive, huh?
I'm making progress on the girl's fall wardrobe: A Fiona Top was completed,
and I'm crossing my fingers it still fits by that time! She's getting big, and I'm having a hard time projecting what sizes to make.
This little Milo Vest will fit for sure....
But the nice thing about wool is you can block it a little bigger or a little smaller to suit!
Things will be quieter around here as I try to re-coup some sleep during the babies' naptime. I'll pop in occassionally when I have something finished to share. Next up, a Little Sister's Dress....
We did a little relaxing, a little baking, and then a little celebrating of a special aunt's birthday. Strawberries are in season, and we are making the most of them!
What are you enjoying as summer begins?
Wife, Mommy, Artist. Inspired by all things vintage, I design nostalgic paper and home goods with watercolor illustration to bring the warmth of the past to modern life.
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