Sunset Zaguán

The door is closed for now

2011-01-01T11:31:00.000-08:00

And the rain, rain, rain came down, down, down

2010-12-07T17:16:00.000-08:00

It was pouring rain in Disneyland this weekend, but we had fun anyway! Happy Birthday Rafa!

Mister Four

2010-11-30T09:45:00.000-08:00

Mister Four had his birthday yesterday. It was a big day, with #4 cupcakes at lunch time, and cake and presents and friends in the evening. Mister Four got a special shirt to wear: orange, with a big green 4 on it.

About an hour after going to bed, Mister Four got up and came in to talk to me one more time.

"Mommy, I like birthday. I want to have birthday 5, and birthday 6, and birthday 7," he said, rubbing his eyes and dragging his fuzzy Elmo doll on the floor.

"Of course, baby," I said, and took him back to bed, where he was asleep before his head touched the pillow.

Big boy.

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-25T08:38:00.000-08:00

May we be thankful for health and strength, for sun and rain and peace. Let us seize the day and the opportunity and strive for that greatness of spirit that measures life not by its disappointments but by its possibilities, and let us ever remember that true gratitude and appreciation shows itself neither in independence nor satisfaction but passes the gift joyfully on in larger and better form. ~W.E.B. Du Bois

Please join me in prayers for Baby Madeleine and Baby Vivian.

Sunset Season

2010-11-10T10:01:00.000-08:00

It's sunset season out here in the Sunset District.
Every year in Autumn we get these painted skies in the evenings.
Simply beautiful.

The Iron Foodie Contest

2010-11-02T13:04:00.001-07:00

1. Why do you want to compete in this challenge?

Well, to be honest, I have just about everything anybody could want in life: a wonderful husband and two sweet boys, work I love, a comfortable home, wonderful family and friends...the only thing I've longed for is to be an Iron Chef. I think the Iron Foodie is as close as I am going to get!

2. Limitations of time/space notwithstanding, whose kitchen would you like to spend the day in & why? Julia Child, Thomas Keller, Ferran Adria, James Beard, Marie-Antoine Careme, or The Swedish Chef?

I think it would have to be Julia Child. I have a soft spot for her and great admiration for her work.

3. What morsel are you most likely to swipe from family & friends’ plates when they aren’t looking?

Olives.

4. Sum your childhood up in one meal.

Stuffed bell peppers.

5. The one mainstream food you can’t stand?

Hot pockets.

A Father's Laws of Physics

2010-10-26T09:42:00.000-07:00

Have a good laugh when you read this:
Unpopular Science

Foghorns

2010-10-18T17:09:00.000-07:00

I remember the sound of the foghorn at night when I was a child drifting off to sleep. There were real foghorns in those days, posted at the entrance to the Bay, and they would begin to sound as soon as the fog started to roll in.

I can remember the sound of my grandfather's footsteps on the backstairs. The wooden steps with their black plastic covering would creak as he went down to his workbench to shine our shoes and have a smoke.

I can remember the steady whoosh and click of the pressure cooker in my grandmother's kitchen, and the tick and bell of the old white kitchen timer on the counter.

I can remember the sound of the seashell windchimes at the front stair.

I can remember the high pitch of the engine of my father's truck warming up on cold winter mornings.

I can remember the click of the loose ivory on the piano. The ivory pieces that had fallen off and been glued back on would click against the ivory keys next to them. The keys were made of real ivory. My grandmother was very proud of that.

What childhood memories do children have if they can't hear things like this? When Rafa watches his babies grow and learn, what will he remember most?

The Boy with the Broken Wing

2010-10-13T15:08:00.000-07:00

Same boy, same shirt, same park, two different days: one with a good arm and one with a sprained wrist.

#19

2010-10-10T08:35:00.000-07:00

How did 2 weeks go by since my last post, and me with nothing to say? Well, we changed schools, had a garage sale, sprained a 3-year-old wrist, conducted a survey, painted the house, and got haircuts.

And I'm still on my diet. Yesterday I reached for a slice of french bread as I was serving dinner to the boys, and Louis said in a horrified voice, "no, mommy, don't eat it!!!". How does a 3-year-old know I'm on a diet?

19 pounds gone!

Cures for the Lunch-time Blues...

2010-09-28T13:29:00.000-07:00

Here are some cool tips for lunch packing!

http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/nutrition/nutrition-kids-lunch.php

http://lunchinabox.net/

http://www.lhj.com/recipes/easy/cooking-for-kids/healthy-lunch-tips/

Boys Love Chicken Salad Sandwiches...

2010-09-23T12:54:00.000-07:00

They tell us the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, and I'm setting the bar high, little girls out there. You might not even know who you are yet, but take my advice anyway and start enjoying how to cook, because not only is it good for you, it will keep the others happy too!

Chicken Salad Sandwiches

Toast a handful of walnut pieces in a small saucepan for a couple of minutes over high heat, and set them aside to cool.

Chop up some left over roasted chicken and toss it with a big spoonful of mayonnaise.

Next, peel and chop a nice ripe apple and mix it in with the chicken.

Add 2 big chopped green onions, and a handful of chopped cilantro, or basil, or parsley.

Toss in the toasted walnuts once they have cooled.

Salt a bit, and add a drizzle of olive oil if it looks dry (or more mayonnaise if you really want to).

Serve on big slices of sourdough bread, open-faced or closed.

Look how happy they get -- even abandoning the toys for a minute to finish dinner!

Boys Love Arroz a la Cubana

2010-09-17T16:23:00.000-07:00

Lucinda Scala Quinn has a cookbook about feeding boys and men. I'm interested in taking a look at that...

A perennial favorite around here is Arroz a la Cubana: rice with tomato sauce, an egg on top, fried sausage alongside, and a little bit of fried plantain.

Just look how happy they are!

And how well they eat!

Back in business

2010-09-11T19:05:00.000-07:00

...with a new iPhone and a creamy, manchego-cheesy, yellow tomato risotto for dinner. Look!

Self-portrait

2010-09-05T10:39:00.000-07:00

What Would You Cook Today, If You Could?

2010-08-30T19:47:00.000-07:00

Chorizo slices, hot and caramelized, with sherry
Fava beans with pasta and cream fraiche and lemon
Lentils with ham
Potato Soup
Pizza with eggplant slices
Egyptian Tomato Soup
Arroz a la Cubana
Veal Saltimbocca
Lavender shortbread cookies
Peach ice cream
Chocolate mousse
Fresh bread

And I would also like spinach salad with red onion, big handfuls of juicy red grapes, avocado slices with oil and salt, macadamia nuts, dried sweet cherries, coffee with hot foamed milk, some tempranillo, syrah, cabernet franc....

Can you tell that I'm on a diet? 5 pounds already gone.....

It's been hot!

2010-08-24T09:24:00.000-07:00

Check Out Mosaiclife.net

2010-08-10T13:33:00.000-07:00

I really enjoy these great articles about juggling everything that goes into everyday life with work and family, and the concept of life as a mosaic is lovely. Sign up at mosaiclife.net

YOUR MOSAIC LIFE

The e-newsletter for the woman who does it all

Issue #58

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Me time

Periodically, I am struck by the number of clients that come into my office wanting to discuss the same issue. This past month there has definitely been a repeating theme. And the issue? “Me time.”

Here’s what I have been hearing:

1. You want “me time” – but you feel guilty when you take it.

2. You want “me time” – but t you often spend it with your kids instead.

3. Your spouse wants “me time” – and takes it! And you resent him/her for doing that since you don’t get any “me time” – even though you aren’t taking “me time” anyway. (See items #1 and 2 above!)

Let’s address each of these in turn, but in reverse order. If you are not taking time for yourself but your spouse is taking time for himself, can you begin to see it is an example of your spouse taking care of himself? Rather than creating resentment, it could perhaps engender a wish to emulate him.

Now let’s look at the second point: choosing to spend your free time with your kids. It may be that, if you spend your time wisely – and enjoyably – with your kids, it can be a kind of “me” time. If the time with your kids nurtures you, and is fulfilling, that can be “me” time. For me, the hours spent caring for kids, making them snacks, and picking up after them do not feel like anything but chores. But the hours spent going to the pool with them, or going for a bike ride, or going blueberry-picking are enjoyable for me. So sometimes that family time is actually “me time.” Allow yourself to have fun with your family when you are choosing to spend time together: spend an afternoon not correcting anyone, or reminding your child to say please and thank you, or that there is a better way to accomplish a task. Just go and enjoy yourself and your kids.

But there is an underlying issue in this topic that is worth exploring. It’s important to ask yourself why you are spending that “me” time on the kids (either with them, or on your own but still doing errands for them). Is it because you really want to, or because you feel you should be – in order to be a “good” parent? This is where the “guilt” comes in that I mentioned at the top of the list. Most of the recent data on time use that I have seen shows that we spend more time with our children than previous generations of parents did with theirs, not less, despite the advent of more women working outside the home. In fact, the New York Times reported that “married and single parents spent more time teaching, playing with and caring for their children than parents did 40 years ago.” Maybe it’s time to redefine your idea of what is required to be a good parent.

Were your parents good parents? Did they spend only quality time with you, and lots of it? Or did they let you experience life with kids your own age and encourage you to be able to enjoy yourself with or without them? Instead of striving to be the perfect parent, maybe it would be better to be a “perfectly good” parent. Does being a good parent mean never spending time on you? Do you feel that the only legitimate use of your time is to do something for others?

Perhaps we have become so accustomed to the role of caregiver, to addressing the needs of our family, that we don’t even know what to do with that “me” time. Focusing on yourself might initially feel uncomfortable if you have lost touch with what you like to do for yourself. You might be tempted to fall back into your more accustomed routine of spending the time with – or for – someone else. But that “me” time is important. If it weren’t, I wouldn’t be hearing so many people struggling with it.

What will you do with some time to yourself, once you have let go of the guilt and the resentment that have built up around taking that time? I bet you have a long list. If you don’t, then read “What’s in it for you?” to get you started. If you need some help taking some time for yourself, then give me a call at 301-523-8882 or send me an email at beth@mosaiclife.net so we can figure that out together.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nothing New Under the Sun

2010-08-02T15:04:00.000-07:00

I was going to write a little about how cold we feel right now, in the middle of summer, in San Francisco. It is foggy, damp, windy, and grey. In the car, I have to use both the windshield wipers and the heater, and we have our heavy jackets out for wearing everyday.

And then, all of this started to sound familiar to me, and lo and behold, I said the exact same thing last summer in the first week of August!

Just goes to show you that there's nothing new under the sun, or lack of sun, for that matter. Back to the lavender oatmeal.

Paul the Octopus

2010-07-15T15:31:00.000-07:00

Paul Uses Nine Brains to Tap Into Sixth Sense

Germany Rejects Spain's Bid To Buy Octopus Oracle

Paul the Octopus Gets His Own (Unofficial) iPhone App

Total Wipe-out

2010-07-06T15:36:00.000-07:00

Remember what it was like during summer vacations when you played and swam so hard that you were asleep before Mama could even get your pj's on?

Can She Bake a Cherry Pie?

2010-06-29T22:07:00.000-07:00

Second-grader

2010-06-22T22:09:00.000-07:00

Such a serious reader.

Do you remember eating at the kids' table?

2010-06-19T21:57:00.000-07:00

Pure Joy!

2010-06-16T22:00:00.000-07:00

We're Having a Heat Wave.....

2010-06-13T22:02:00.000-07:00

San Francisco Ocean Beach -- Can you believe it? Looks like LA!

Summer is here...

2010-06-12T10:17:00.000-07:00

for papa.....

2010-06-08T21:48:00.001-07:00

Well, it really doesn't matter much......

2010-05-31T21:40:00.000-07:00

Blues.....

2010-05-15T21:38:00.000-07:00

Hmmmm....

2010-05-05T21:24:00.000-07:00

I need some new patio furniture

2010-04-11T09:41:00.000-07:00

What do you think? Which one is more *me*???

Do you ever get time to yourself if there are young children in the house?

2010-04-05T09:36:00.000-07:00

This is hilarious!

So-called Superfood Really is Super!

2010-03-20T10:08:00.000-07:00

Spring got here, and we've been outside a lot. This is pretty much our only outdoors time for a while, because summer will be so cold we'll have the heater on again between Memorial Day and Labor Day!

To take advantage of the fun and sun, I thought I'd try this Superfood salad from the Leon Cookbook for a backyard luncheon. It is every bit as good as they say!

Superfood, from the Leon Cookbook by Allegra McEvedy

200g broccoli, cut into bite-sized florets

120g peas, fresh or frozen

100g cucumber, cut into slim batons

100g good-quality mozzarella, cubed

20g alfalfa

20g toasted seeds (we use sesame, sunflower, flax and pumpkin)

50g avocado, cut into pieces

30g quinoa, Fairtrade if possible

Small handful flat-leaf parsley, rough chopped

Small handful mint, rough chopped

juice of 1 lemon

4 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

Wash the quinoa well and put in a small pan. Cover with cold water plus about an inch then let it gently simmer until the water's gone - about 15 minutes. Spread it on a tray to cool to room temperature.

Put an inch of hot water into a saucepan with a pinch of salt and cover it. Once boiling, drop in the broccoli and peas and put the lid back on. Drain after three minutes and run the veg under cold water to take all the heat out and keep them good and green.

Now build your salad in layers, starting with the first ingredient on the list and ending up with the dressing (but only dress it just before you eat it).

Chocolate Guinness Goodness

2010-03-17T08:19:00.001-07:00

Okay, lately I've been saying that everything is the best, but this *really* is the BEST!

Chocolate Guinness Goodness from Bon Appetit

* 8 large egg yolks
* 1 cup sugar
* One 14.9-ounce can Guinness Draught
* 3 cups heavy cream
* 7 ounces high-quality bittersweet (70 to 72% cacao) chocolate, finely chopped [NOTE: I actually used cocoa powder here, Valrhona, 3/4 cup]

* Special equipment: Six 8-ounce old-fashioned glasses

In large nonreactive mixing bowl, whisk together egg yolks and sugar.

Open can of Guinness and slowly pour into 4-cup measuring cup, pouring down side of cup to reduce foaming. Pour half of Guinness (about 7/8 cup) into heavy-bottomed 3-quart saucepan. Add 2 1/4 cups cream and whisk to combine. Set over medium heat and heat, whisking occasionally, until bubbles just begin to form at edges. Remove from heat, add chocolate, and whisk until smooth.

Slowly pour hot chocolate mixture into eggs, whisking constantly to prevent curdling. Return mixture to saucepan and set over moderately low heat. Cook, whisking constantly, until mixture thickens and coats back of spoon, about 15 minutes. (Pudding will look separated.) Pour into blender and blend on high for 1 minute. [NOTE: My pudding didn't look separated -- wonder if the cocoa powder had anythign to do with that -- so I skip the blender step.] Divide pudding among glasses, leaving at least 1 inch of space at top of each. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled and set.

Meanwhile, pour remaining Guinness into small saucepan and bring to boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to moderately low and simmer, uncovered, until reduced to 1 tablespoon, about 20 minutes. Pour syrup into small bowl and let cool.

Beat remaining cream until soft peaks form. Add Guinness syrup and beat until combined. Divide cream among 6 glasses of pudding and serve.

Grab your Crockpot and Try This!

2010-03-15T12:29:00.000-07:00

This is the best thing that we have made in a long time! And I was so happy with it because I thought it was a really healthy dinner apart from the 2 tablespoons of cream that get stirred in at the last minute. And then Rafa reminded me that the chicken was sauteed first in a lot of butter (yes, he made this for us for dinner!). So okay, it has its share of butter and cream, but it is still home-cooked, super-easy, and delish!

Chicken with Golden raisins
from: Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
6 bone-in chicken thighs
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup red wine
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup golden raisins

One piece at a time, dredge the chicken in the flour, coating both sides and shaking off any excess.

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When it foams, add the chicken and cook until deep golden brown on both sides, 5 to 7 minutes per side.

Transfer the chicken to the slow cooker. Add the wine to the pan, bring to a boil, and cook, scraping up any browned bits stuck to the pan. Pour over sauce the chicken and season with the with the salt and pepper. Cover and cook on LOW for 4 hours.

Stir in the cream and the raisins. Cover, turn the cooker to HIGH, and cook until the chicken is tender and cooked through, another hour.

Serve the chicken hot, with the raisins and sauce.

I give that a 10!

2010-03-11T11:52:00.000-08:00

If climbing in your crib were an olympic sport, we'd have a perfect 10! Here is an example of the team in action:

Peeking Out for a Look

2010-03-03T12:01:00.000-08:00

Springtime is starting to appear, and I am starting to come out of hibernation. The details are boring, but let's just say that I feel like this little spring shoot searching for the sun!

I Just Signed up for a Kitchen Cure!

2010-02-18T09:34:00.000-08:00

The Spring 2010 Kitchen Cure

Welcome to the Spring 2010 Kitchen Cure! The goal for this special four week express program is to get your kitchen in tip-top shape: clean, healthy and organized. As a result, your cooking will become more nourishing and delicious than ever...By signing up, you are taking your first step toward a successful Cure, and you will also have the chance to tell us a little about where you're coming from, why you're doing the Cure, and what you'd like to get out of it.

The Spring 2010 Kitchen Cure kicks off Friday, February 26th and runs for four weeks.

Picnic Essentials

2010-02-11T15:06:00.000-08:00

When you're 3 years old, you have some good ideas about what's what. For example, when your mom takes you out for an al fresco lunch at the playground, you know exactly what it is you need to pack: three jars of peanut butter and two Hawaiian shirts.

Don't let anyone else carry the bag. And don't, whatever you do, let your mother tell you that you don't really need all that. She just doesn't get it!

For the Love of Food

2010-01-31T21:38:00.000-08:00

On January 26 we celebrated the love of food in honor of a wonderful friend. Here are some of the photos of the family and friends who gathered together to celebrate and share.

In San Francisco:

In Marin:

In San Diego:

photo coming soon!

For Uncle Gregory

2010-01-29T10:44:00.000-08:00

A school project this week involved describing good character traits, one of which was listening to people. Of all the people who surround Rafa, he named his uncle as the one who is the best listener. But he doesn't call him his uncle, he calls him his godfather. Which is true, but it still surprised me.

I never realized, either, that his godfather had such long eyelashes.

Lemon and Soup Season Together

2010-01-27T19:15:00.000-08:00

It's been blustery and rainy around here for a long stretch. Real soup weather if there ever was. At the same time, we have a bumper crop of lemons on our old lemon tree, so it was fun to try to combine the two.

Avgolemono Soup is a creamy, homey, lemony soup that was perfect to warm us in the cold weather and a good use of some of the lemons. This recipe is a combination of two recipes from the Silver Palate cookbooks. In one recipe they called for greens, and since we had some spinach, and it's always a good idea to eat spinach, I added it.

Avgolemono Soup

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
6 cups chicken broth, preferably homemade
1 handful of rice
2 egg yolks
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
2 cups of baby spinach

In a large soup pot, saute onion in olive oil for 5-7 minutes. Stir in rice and spinach and cook for 2-3 minutes. As spinach wilts, add chicken broth and simmer for 20 minutes until rice is softened.

Meanwhile, beat egg yolks with lemon juice. After broth has simmered for 15-20 minutes, slowly add 1/2 cup of broth to egg mixture to temper eggs. Whisk tempered egg mixture back into hot broth, taking care not to bring it to boiling.

I served this hot, but you can also serve it cold. Salt and pepper to taste, although we found that it didn't need any salt or pepper, it was that flavorful!

Coq au Champagne

2010-01-03T10:09:00.000-08:00

Check out the Royal Foodie Joust this month. The ingredients are champagne, orange, and mushrooms. This is my submission:

Coq au Champagne

8 ounces lardons or cubed pancetta
white parts only of 2 large leeks, thinly sliced
1 large shallot, peeled and chopped
8 ounces mushrooms, roughly chopped
10 skinless, boneless chicken thighs
zest and juice of 1 orange
1 bottle sparkling wine (I used Mumm Napa Brut)
1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley

Saute pancetta, leeks, shallots, and mushrooms in 2 T olive oil until softened, about 10 minutes. Add chicken pieces, orange zest and juice, and wine to pan and bring to a boil. Partially cover, turn heat to low, and simmer for 1 hour.

For best results, cool, and refrigerate overnight. Reheat gently over low heat, sprinkle with parsley before serving with rice or noodles or nice crusty bread.

Cinnamon-Sesame Ice Cream

2010-01-01T19:04:00.000-08:00

Every year we get a big box of goodies delivered to the door from Spain, and this year was no different. The Christmas season is a traditional time for baking of special sweets and candies, and my mother-in-law does her shopping for us, packs it all up in a big box, and ships it off to us, and a week or two later we enjoy marzipans, turron, polverones, and my favorite, mantecados.

Mantecados are crumbly cookies flavored with cinnamon and sesame, and they contain 7 million calories per cookie. Since I usually have a significant calorie deficit racked up toward the end of December, I can take in as many mantecado-calories as I want with impunity. Right, in my dreams. Anyway, we went through the mantecados pretty fast, and by New Year's Eve they were all gone. What to do except make up an ice cream recipe that would taste like mantecados with my fancy new ice cream maker?

If you've cooked with sesame oil, you know that it is very fragrant and a little dash goes a long way. So this is a cinnamon-flavored ice cream recipe with just a dash of sesame oil. It may sound strange to you, but the hint of sesame off-sets the cinnamon and sugar beautifully. It's one of my favorite combinations. This would be a wonderful dessert after a paella, or a meal of moroccan flavors.

Cinnamon-Sesame Ice Cream

1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1-1/2 cups whole milk

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix until smooth. Pour immediately into ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer instructions, usually 20-30 minutes. Pack ice cream into a freezable container if you are not going to serve it right away, and store in the freezer. Obviously.

Pizza Lorraine

2009-12-30T18:14:00.000-08:00

I had some ham and leeks left over from Quiche Lorraine for Christmas, and also some creme fraiche, and thought I would try it in a pizza-tart type thing. It turned out very nicely. Try it for a quickie dinner or a nice hors d-oeuvre for New Year's.

Pizza Lorraine

Ingredients for two 8-inch pizzas:
2 leeks, cleaned and sliced thinly
1 shallot, sliced
1/2 cup cubed prosciutto or pancetta
1 container of creme fraiche
1/2 lb grated mixed cheeses (provolone, mozzarella, asiago, etc.)

Use your favorite pizza crust recipe, such as this, or use a pre-made crust. Once again, I used a pre-made Vicolo cornmeal crust.

Preheat the oven to 425, or as directed for your pizza dough.

Saute the shallot and cubed prosciutto in a little olive oil, adding the leeks after 3-4 minutes. Stir occasionally and continue to saute until leeks are softened and just starting to turn golden.

Place your pizza crust(s) on a cookie tray or baking dish. Spread the creme fraiche evenly over the pizzas, and top with half of the leek mixture for each pizza. Sprinkle abundant grated cheese over the top.

Bake as directed for your pizza crust and then let sit for a minute or two before slicing.

Best Holiday Ideas

2009-12-21T10:13:00.000-08:00

I have seen so many good Christmas ideas, crafts, recipes this year but am feeling, as usual, like there's not enough time in the day to do half of what I'd like to do.

Here is a list of the things I'd like to make for the holidays, and I've still got a good week to get going!

Chai Syrup

Ginger Cookies

Agua de Sevilla

Travel Coasters

Foot Warmers

Corn Side Dish

Eggs for Christmas Breakfast

Sparkling Cranberries

Red Carnation Wreaths

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Red seems to be a theme this year. And of course I have to make a Kings Cake. But at least I have until the 6th to make that!

Off to work! Enjoy your holidays!

The Boy Who Speaks in Color

2009-12-11T13:57:00.000-08:00

Mister Three really likes color. He likes it so much that he distinguishes between levels of color already, like magenta vs. purple, or lemon yellow vs. lime green.

He actually converses with us based on his knowledge of colors. When he doesn't know a noun, he just refers to the object by its color. And since he is only 3, there are a lot of nouns that he doesn't know yet. There must be an official linguistic term for this sort of analogy, but I've yet to come across it.

For example, our Disneyland hotel room was decorated with orange, green, and purple. Since he doesn't know the noun "hotel", he tells me that he wants to go back to the orange, green, and purple place.

He likes yogurt, and his favorite brand is from Trader Joe's, so instead of telling me that he wants the Trader Joe's-brand yogurt instead of the Safeway brand, he says that he wants to eat some yellow, not some red.

His stroller is green, but since he's a big boy he doesn't want to use it so much anymore. Now whenever we park the car he says, "Not green, Papa. Hold my hand."

You can see the potential here. When he becomes a baseball fan, he can say, "Not blue. Black and orange!" And when he needs to choose a university, he can say, "Not red and white, red and gold!" Later, when he goes to a bar with his uncle, he can say, "Black and tan." Or, "Brown, straight up."

This kid is going to go places. I just wish I could figure out what it is he's talking about.

A Star is Born

2009-12-10T08:43:00.000-08:00

After Rafa was chosen for Jedi training, Louis was singled out from the crowd to dance with the High School Musical kids. My kids are stars!

A Disney Birthday

2009-12-07T21:09:00.000-08:00

So a couple of days after Mister Three turned 3, we all headed down to Disneyland for Mister Seven's 7th birthday, and we had the most wonderful time.

Mister Seven was chosen for the Jedi Training Academy, and he fought Darth Vader himself!

What an exciting birthday! We spent the week there -- and there are more photos to come!

Mister Three

2009-11-29T12:56:00.000-08:00

Today Mister Three is 3 years old.

Three years ago he tried to come out in Auntie Mickey's car.

I can't imagine life without Mister Three. He makes us laugh all the time.

Sometimes he makes us mad, it's true. But mostly we make him mad. That happens a lot, in fact.

He loves his brother like crazy.

He is a very sweet, smart, wonderful boy. Happy Birthday, Mister Three!

Grieving

2009-11-22T09:35:00.000-08:00

What happens to love that is directed toward someone who can no longer receive it? What if that love comes back to us with the full force with which we sent it? Does it cause pain that way? Is that the pain of grieving?

We are grieving the loss of a dear, dear friend this weekend. He was a figure of generosity and caring, of deep connections and of irreverence, part of the history of who I am and of who my children are. His absence will be remarkable for a very long time.

I've Turned Into a Morning Girl

2009-11-17T19:35:00.000-08:00

I've never been a morning person. I have always been one to hit snooze ten times, to stay under the warm covers as long as possible, to hold in a sneeze so as not to open my eyes and look for the kleenex.

But I have learned, at the late age of 39, that no one else is around in the mornings. It's really quiet. Everybody is hibernating in their snuggly beds. It's cold. And it's really quiet. Did I say quiet? Mornings are quiet. I don't get to do quiet much anymore. Quiet. Quiet and lovely. We've been having such pretty skies in the early mornings of this fall.

The oatmeal is warm, the coffee is milky, and the light is rose-lavender-periwinkle. Sometimes I can see the fishing boats coming in from the night's work.

And it's quiet. Did I mention that part?

Where Does Patience Come From?

2009-11-04T19:33:00.001-08:00

I think it comes from moments like this.

This has been a week of short-tempers on the part of everyone, big and small. It helps to be able to have happy, relaxed moments like this one for the well of patience to refill. We're lucky to have these times, and I have to remind myself of that.

Take a Little Rest, Mama

2009-10-31T10:06:00.000-07:00

It being Friday evening, the end of a busy work-filled week, I was feeling a little tired around 6 pm. I'm sure this never happens to anyone else. Dinner was ready and the boys sitting at the table eating nicely, so I said I was going to sit on the sofa while they finished their dinner.

But when I got to the sofa, the two pillows were already propped up against the arm inviting me to lie down for a minute.

I gave in to the temptation. For 7 seconds. Then somebody asked for a second glass of milk.

Up I got, back to the kitchen, fixed 2 more glasses of milk, 1 requested and 1 preventative, and went back to the sofa. It was 11 seconds this time, before somebody needed another napkin but the napkin holder was empty so would I reach up to the high cabinet and get down some more napkins. "Okay, hold on," I said.

Up I got again, refilled the napkin holder, placed a clean napkin next to each person's place, again preventative measure, and went back to the sofa.

It took a minute and a half for the next necessity. "Mama, booger." This was from the little one. He still skips over the verbs in his sentences most of the time. "Come here," I said. "Give it to me." I put out my hand without opening my eyes and he hands me the booger. I don't even know if it really was a booger. It wasn't very big or sticky if it was.

"Night-night, mama," he says and goes back to the dinner table.

Up next: pit stop. "Mama, I have to go to the bathroom." This from the big one again. "Okay, honey," I say, eyes still closed going on 4 minutes at this point. "Don't forget to wash your hands before you come back to the table." Up he gets, stopping by to look at me lying on the sofa before he goes down the hall. "Are you having a nice rest, mama?"

"Yes, love, I am having a nice little rest."

While he is away from the table, the little one calls over to me, "Mama, on a floor. Dirty, mama." "Okay, honey, bring it to me," I say, putting out the booger hand again to get whatever offering he is bringing now. It turns out to be a little piece of mushroom that had fallen off of his plate onto the floor. "Night-night, mama." He says it again as he goes back to the table.

But as soon as he gets back there he says, "Oh no, mama. Here, mama." Not even bothering to tell me that the next thing has fallen to the floor and waiting for my instruction to bring it to me, he comes. "Here, mama," he says again. Out I reach the booger-mushroom hand, and in he plops a whole, wet, cold, oily tomato slice.

"Aaah!" I jump up to see what the hell he put in my hand. "Floor, mama," he says, smiling softly at me.

"No more night-night, mama?"

And that was the extent of my nap. I poured myself a glass of wine instead. Right, preventative measure.

New Best Cake

2009-10-23T08:14:00.000-07:00

Since there are so many peaches lying around (and by the way, they come from my cousin's garden, not mine), I needed to something quick to cut up and use the ripe ones. I started a bowl full of sugar and peaches for jam last night, and I also made this cake. It was delicious. I used the base from a recipe that I've made many times which came from The Wednesday Chef last year some time, but I added pureed peaches to it. Since it has relatively little butter and sugar, plus whole wheat flour, I don't mind letting the boys eat it for breakfast.

5 peaches, peeled, roughly chopped, and pureed in blender
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons sugar
1 1/4 cup flour
3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease the baking dish. I used a 9 inch Pyrex dish.

Cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. In a separate bowl, whisk the buttermilk, yogurt, egg and vanilla together.

Scrape down the sides of the butter bowl and alternately add the dry and wet ingredients; do not overmix. Gently fold in the pureed peaches.

Pour/spread into the baking dish and bake for 35 to 40 minutes.

Peaches in October

2009-10-20T08:54:00.001-07:00

We had such a cold summer in these parts that the peaches didn't ripen until October. Can you imagine picking peaches and making peach pie in October! It's almost Halloween!

Believe it or not, Sunday was peach pickin' day.

What should we make? We've thought about peach pie, peach jam, peach chutney, peach cobbler, peach bread, peach ice cream, peach bellinis, peach cordial, peach vinegar, and good old peaches'n'cream. Any other suggestions?

Coq au Riesling

2009-10-11T19:21:00.000-07:00

I made a few changes to this dish from Nigella Lawson's column in the New York Times, adding potatoes and shallots, and using prosciutto instead of bacon.

8 ounces lardons or cubed prosciutto
white parts only of 2 large leeks, thinly sliced
1 large shallot, peeled and chopped
8 ounces mushrooms, roughly chopped
10 mini Yukon potatoes, washed but not peeled (the little tiny ones)
10 skinless, boneless chicken thighs
1 bottle riesling wine
1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley

Saute bacon, leeks, shallots, and mushrooms in 2 T olive oil until softened, about 10 minutes. Add chicken pieces and potatoes to pan along with the wine, and bring to a boil. Partially cover, turn heat to low, and simmer for 1 hour.

For best results, cool, and refrigerate overnight. Reheat gently over low heat, sprinkle with parsley before serving.

This was really delicious and hit the spot on a cold autumn night. Plus it was a great make-ahead dish. I love that Nigella Lawson's recipes are so practical for family life!

Oh, and we did have the caipirinhas, for Mama Goose!

Please Help Choose the Menu.....

2009-10-07T21:00:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I need a little advice on menu-planning for the weekend. Which sounds like the better option to you on a fall evening when I get home from work and have 30 minutes to pull together dinner for 8 people?

Menu #1
Caesar Salad
Seafood Cioppinno
Garlic Bread
It's It bars
wine: Zinfandel
cocktail: cosmopolitans

Menu #2
Endive and Roquefort Salad
Coq au Vin
Apple tart
wine: Cabernet Sauvignon
cocktail: champagne

Menu #3
Garlic Soup
Seared Tuna sandwiches on Rosemary Bread
Green Beans
Cheesecake
wine: Pinot Noir
cocktail: caipirinhas

Eggplant and Manchego Pizza

2009-10-04T15:29:00.000-07:00

Did you know that eggplants were introduced to the Mediterranean from North Africa during the Middle Ages? That there is no Latin or Greek word for eggplant, only the Romance albergínia, aubergine, berenjena, and beringela, from the Arabic al-badnijan? (So why do the Italians call it melenzana?)

(I lost the photos of the eggplant and manchego pizza, and can find only a nice photo of some mozarabic pottery and glass, so I'm trying to tie this all together. We didn't really have a linguistic discussion over this pizza, we just ate it all up and washed it down with some nice Ribera del Duero.)

Eggplant and Manchego Pizza

Ingredients for two 8-inch pizzas:
One eggplant, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup tomato sauce (plain, no added italian seasonings, or basil and onion combo, etc.)
1/4 lb Manchego cheese
1/4 lb Mozzarella cheese
3-4 basil leaves, julienned
Use your favorite pizza crust recipe, like this or this, or use a pre-made crust. I used a pre-made Vicolo cornmeal crust.

Lay the eggplant slices on a large plate and sprinkle both sides with coarse salt. Let sit for 30 minutes or so.

After 30 minutes, wipe the salt off the eggplant slices and dredge them lightly in flour. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a skillet and fry the eggplant for approximately 5 minutes each side, depending on thickness. Add additional oil as necessary, but there is no need to submerge the eggplant slices. Drain the cooked slices on paper towels as you remove them from the skillet. This can be done an hour or so ahead.

Preheat the oven to 425, or as directed for your pizza dough.

Place your pizza crust(s) on a cookie tray or baking dish, and spread tomato sauce on top. Sprinkle the Manchego cheese evenly over the pizza, and place as many eggplant slices as fit without overlapping on top. Sprinkle the mozzarella over the eggplant.

Bake as directed for your pizza crust. When the pizza smells good and looks lovely, remove from the oven. Let sit for a minute or two before slicing, seasoning with salt, and sprinkling with basil.

There are words for basil in Greek (basileus) and Latin (basilicum), by the way.

Geek.

I Miss My Boys

2009-10-02T14:35:00.000-07:00

I am away on a work trip, and I really miss my boys. No one kisses me good night. No one calls me to get up in the morning. I have no Coco to hug. I can't wait to get home tomorrow!

Standing in Line

2009-09-27T08:12:00.000-07:00

One of the things that gave me culture shock in my first months in living in Seville is that no one waits in line. Ever.

You don't wait in line to order coffee in the morning, you don't wait in line in the bank. At the market, you don't wait in line, you simply ask the group when you arrive who is the last person there, and then you become the last person until someone arrives after you. When they ask who the last person is, you tell them it was you, and then everyone knows that you are ahead of them, and the conversations about tomatoes, or strawberries, or ham continue.

There is one place, however, where you absolutely must wait in line. If you step out of line, or stand to the side of the person in front of you, or in any other way hint at moving faster than anyone else in the line, someone will yell at you. Tell you to be careful about respecting the line. Put you in your place.

This is when you are waiting for the citybus.

This custom sure was a surprise to me, coming from a city that is very civilized in most aspects, except for riding the bus. In San Francisco, riding the bus can sometimes be a blood sport.

California Girl

2009-09-25T08:12:00.000-07:00

I wanted to start a blog about our experiences in Spain, but it seems like I always end up writing about California. I guess I really am just a California girl.

This is San Juan Bautista, one of the Franciscan missions in California. Those padres really knew how to choose a beautiful location!

Once Again, it's International Talk Like a Pirate Day!

2009-09-19T12:31:00.000-07:00

What's YOUR Pirate name?

My pirate name is:

Iron Mary Rackham

A pirate's life isn't easy; it takes a tough person. That's okay with you, though, since you a tough person. You have the good fortune of having a good name, since Rackham (pronounced RACKem, not rack-ham) is one of the coolest sounding surnames for a pirate. Arr!

Get your own pirate name from piratequiz.com.
part of the fidius.org network

Life is Like a Handful of Rocks

2009-09-14T08:47:00.000-07:00

Life is like a handful of rocks. It's so cool: putting together a collection, moving from one place to the next, grasping as tightly as you can so as not to lose any! Even if you get a little sand under your fingernails, the journey under the sun alongside the waves completes you.

I'm Still Here

2009-09-06T15:43:00.000-07:00

Life has gotten a little out of hand these past couple of weeks, but I'm still here. Schools are starting up, routines have changed, people constantly need stuff. I will blog again as soon as I can, most likely about Manchego and Eggplant Pizza. Meanwhile, please watch the documentary short about Erica, a sweet friend. And sign up on the Registry if you can. Too many friends need donors.

Boy Convinces Grandmother to Feed Him Peanut Butter From a Spoon

2009-08-26T12:58:00.000-07:00

We live with a boy who loves peanut butter. He would eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, if I let him.

Here he is talking his grandmother into skipping the bread and feeding it to him directly with the spoon. Look how excited he is.

Boy = very happy.

Mama = not so happy!

(photos by Dudley Poston, Jr.)

Secondary Injuries and Oatmeal Cherry Walnut Cookies

2009-08-16T16:35:00.000-07:00

Have you ever counted how many times in the course of a day you can be mildly injured by little boys? If it isn't someone banging his head into the corner of your glasses or dropping a train on your kneecap, it's someone else stepping on your little toe with a sneaker or running up the back of your heel with a big wheels. Sometimes it's stepping on a lego in the middle of the hall or sitting on a tow truck under a blanket on the sofa. Little raggedy fingernails scratch your face in the middle of a hug, and little teeth bite your finger because they're so excited about oatmeal cookies.

Oatmeal Cherry Walnut Cookies

3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 cup butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups uncooked oats (quick or old fashioned)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt (optional)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup walnut pieces
1/2 cup dried cherries

Heat oven to 375°F. In a large bowl, beat brown sugar, shortening and granulated sugar until creamy. Add egg, water and vanilla and beat well. Combine oats, flour, salt and baking soda. Add to rest of ingredients and mix well. Stir in cherries and walnuts.

Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake 9 to 11 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Move to wire rack to cool.

If you feel like you've been run over by a truck at the end of the day, these will probably help!

Fence-post French Fries

2009-08-09T13:19:00.000-07:00

Pa has been laying fence-posts all week so I made him some french fries for lunch.

I mentioned a while back that we were redoing our backyard. Because we live with two people who love to run and run and run and run, we needed to build a fence near the stairwell in order to relax when we're out in the backyard with said two people.

Pa is doing this this work, so I started peeling potatoes.

I used nice big russets, and sliced them into long strips. Then I put them in a bowl of water to soak. Soaking them in water for 10 minutes before frying gets them nice and crispy.

So does Evil Chef Mom's method, which I tried today. ECM recommends frying the fries twice--and you know what, ECM is right! This is a really great way to make french fries. (Of course, ECM is always right!)

Here they are frying happily the second time around.

Don't they look yummy? Nothing better than potatoes, oil, and salt...

Fog

2009-08-08T10:54:00.000-07:00

It is so cold and drippy and grey here that we are all feeling the weight of a sunless summer.

This is what it looks like. ALL THE BLINKING TIME!!

It's so depressing that I've been playing lots of irish music, and I added lavender to my oatmeal this morning. It was so delicious. Along with a little bit of honey, it was almost as good as Lavender Shortbread.

Bet you didn't know I was an irish dancer many years ago. Trophy and everything. I'll have to try and find some photos.

On a Lavender Kick

2009-08-05T10:47:00.000-07:00

Do you like lavender? Try it in your tea: Earl Grey with Lavender, or Chamomile with Lavender. They are the perfect accompaniment to what my family says are the best cookies I have ever made in their whole lives.

Lavender Shortbread

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
juice of 1 lemon from the backyard tree
3 cups of flour
pinch of salt
2 teaspoons of dried lavender buds

Preheat oven to 325.

Cream together butter, sugar, and lemon juice.

In another bowl, sift flour and mix in salt and lavender.

Slowly add dry mixture to butter, in three additions, scraping the sides of the bowl carefully. Do not over mix. Batter will be lumpy because it is buttery. That's the good part.

Press batter into a 9-inch pie plate or cake tin or a 9-inch square baking dish. Prick top of cookies with a fork, marking where you will cut them when they're done.

Bake at 325 for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown around the edges. Let cool for a few minutes before cutting. Let cool a few more minutes before eating!

I've been reading about lavender a lot lately. Check here for some lovely photos, and here for an exposé.

Coco is back!

2009-08-02T10:16:00.000-07:00

With some interesting and artful adventures under his belt, Coco is home with his boy.

Come in and tell us about it, Coco.

"Everyone was very nice to me," Coco said.

"When they found me on the floor in the crayon department they said, 'Look at this guy -- he has lost most of his fur! His must be very well-loved and sorely missed. We'd better take care of him for a few days.'"

"They were nice to me, but I missed having someone kiss my nose."

What a happy reunion!

The Further Adventures of Coco

2009-07-23T09:13:00.000-07:00

Coco escaped yesterday. Last seen at Caffe Trieste on Market Street, he seems to have given Pa and Louis the ditch and gone off to do his own thing.

It's a good thing Coco is a San Francisco native, and he knows his way around. He'll never go the wrong way down a oneway street!

I expect after leaving Trieste he probably first went for a walk, maybe to the playground on Octavia Street? I hope he didn't get hit by a car on his way -- traffic moves pretty quickly through there.

I wonder where he went next. Where would you go if you were Coco? If I were Coco, and I got a day to myself, I might go shopping, and then I might go get my hair done, and then talk a walk around the Ferry Building, and then I might go to a movie. After the movie I would pick a lovely place to eat, and have a glass or two of wine. I would stop and get a good book to read with my dinner. I would pick out some place to go after dinner, just to prolong the feeling of being on vacation.

Maybe Coco went over to Flax and explored the art rooms and coloring tables. Or maybe he met some friends for dinner at Zuni Cafe, and ended back up at Trieste for coffee and jazz in the evening.

I don't know if we're ever going to find him. I hope he comes back. Maybe we need to consult a professional.

Coco! Somebody sure misses you and was looking everywhere for you last night!

Stay tuned for updates.....

Yikes

2009-07-22T17:21:00.000-07:00

Check out this recipe from the LA Times. I was intrigued when I saw the headline -- who doesn't want a nice home-baked chocolate fix for under 200 calories?

But then I read the list of ingredients. Who wants to cook like that? Who wants to eat like that? Would you feed your kids all of that chemical junk? Forget it!

Architecture

2009-07-19T17:20:00.000-07:00

Check out this nicely done article, written and photographed by someone very close to me. I borrowed a photo - I hope he doesn't mind!

Learning How to Play Hide-and-Seek

2009-07-12T12:41:00.000-07:00

Rafa is teaching Louis how to play hide-and-seek. It's a good thing that Rafa has more patience than I do, because Louis only wants to do what Rafa does, not what Rafa says.

Case in point:
Rafa wants to play hide and seek, so he explains to Louis that he, Rafa, is going to stand in the kitchen doorway and count to 10, and Louis is supposed to go hide somewhere and wait for Rafa to find him. So Louis nods and says, awethome! and Rafa commences the counting. Louis looks up at Rafa, goes over to the other side of the kitchen door, and starts counting too. One, touw, free, fow, fiy.

No, Louis, Rafa says. Go somewhere. Don't stand here with me. Go hide. Then I'll come find you. So Louis goes over to the other doorway, still in the kitchen mind you, but a little further away, and starts to count again. One, touw...

Okay, Louis. I'll hide, then, if you want to count. You stay here and start to count. One, says Rafa. Touw, says Louis. Rafa runs down the hall to hide. Louis runs down the hall after him, Coco in tow in his left hand.

No, Louis! You said you wanted to be the counter. Stay there! I'm hiding. Louis! Stay there. Papa, will you tell Louis to stay and count?

And Louis just giggles....

Pancakes on a Thursday

2009-07-09T11:53:00.001-07:00

This morning Rafa and I both woke up early. He come in to talk to me, about dreams mostly. Then he asked for pancakes.

It was a work morning, a middle-of-the-week morning, and there were things to do. But we made pancakes anyway, just because we could.

Here are some of our favorite pancake variations:

Oatmeal pancakes
Replace half of the pancake mix with quick-cooking oats, and make as usual.

Lemon pancakes
Squeeze the juice from a lemon from the tree in the backyard into the mix. This only works if you use pancake mix and water, not pancake mix and milk!

Cinnamon-raisin pancakes
Pa invented this one day when there was no more raisin bread. Stir in a half a cup of raisins and a couple of shakes of cinnamon into the mix.

Mixed berry pancakes
Fold some berries (fresh or frozen) into the batter, after you've done the rest of the mixing, or they will fall apart. The berries, that is. And the pancakes will turn out purple.

I guess, since we had pancakes for breakfast today, we really shouldn't have pancakes for dinner too, should we?

tapas

2009-06-30T15:28:00.000-07:00

Tapas are good. In our family we like tapas. Of course, I had already tried tapas before I met Pa, but he is still the expert.

This month's challenge on the A Taste of the Mediterranean site is, you guessed it, tapas!

Tapas are different across Spain -- there are regional specialties, such as more fish in some areas, and more fritura in others. The size of the serving varies from place to place as well. For example, in San Sebastian, you can order an individual slice of bread with a bit of shellfish, while in Madrid you typically order a whole plate of your favorite tapa and share. In Barcelona, where I first had tapas, I remember papas bravas and escalivada being all the rage. In the South in Seville, tapas are individual servings on small plates.

One of my favorite tapas is one that Pa introduced me to -- Espinacas al Rinconcillo. Now, I've written about this before, and I make it a lot, because spinach is good for us, and this is delicious!

Method:
Saute a chopped onion and a bit of garlic in good olive oil, and add 1 tablespoon of curry. When I made the spinach in these photos here, I used za'atar, and it was perfectly savory and spicy.

Add 1 cup of cooked white beans, cannellini or garbanzos, to the saute for a couple of minutes and then add 2 lbs of spinach. Continue on high heat, stirring, until spinach is wilted and sauce is thick and delicious.

Serve with flatbread or breadsticks.

One of my next favorites is one that I had for the first time in Seville, but I don't think Pa was there -- Queso en aceite.

Method:
This works best with an aged cheese. Manchego aged 12 months is a nice choice. Parmesan would also work.

Slice the cheese into single, triangular slices and lest sit 2-3 days covered in good-quality olive oil. I use a jar, as you can see here. Add a few spices, not much, just a few peppercorns and maybe a bay leaf.

To serve, remove cheese from oil and let excess oil drip off. Arrange cheese triangles on a plate and serve with some nice bread for sopping up the extra oil. Yum!

And the third one for this post is Papas Alioli. This is one of my mother-in-law's specialties (she has a great many specialties, but this recipe is actually my father's!).

Method:
Make alioli by mincing 5 cloves of garlic very fine and mixing with 1 cup of mayonnaise and 1 tablespoon of dijon mustard.

Red potatoes work very nicely for this -- boil 1.5 pounds of potatoes, and when cool enough, slice and quarter. Toss with a couple of tablespoons of white vinegar before dressing with alioli. Add chopped celery, chopped bell pepper, and sliced radishes, and stir in alioli until creamy and delicious! Make sure you don't eat this on the day before an important meeting!

Here's a picture of me enjoying my tapas. (Note the fashionably square glasses and dark eyebrows!)

A Face Only a Son Could Love

2009-06-28T11:09:00.000-07:00

Rafa drew a picture of me a couple of days ago. I was taken aback when I saw it, and then a bit dismayed. Do I really look that bad these days?

The thing is, this simple drawing is amazingly accurate. My new glasses are square-ish, and at least I thought, fashionably bold. Rafa has chosen to give them special emphasis in his rendering of me.

My mouth is in fact a bit wide, and my eyebrows are quite dark. I always felt a special affinity with Brooke Shields, and Rafa seems to have looked into my mind and understood that about me.

And most days I do push my bangs off my forehead and over to the side, usually by about 10 minutes after I have done my hair in the morning. So, you see, he is easily able to portray personal habits as well.

It's a bit different from looking like Daphne, but I guess the lesson here is about beauty being on the inside. Although he thinks I look like this, he loves me even so.

My Dream Team

2009-06-22T11:43:00.000-07:00

This is my dream team. I live with them. They are something to behold, their grace, their style, their strength, their smarts.

They work so well as a team, as if they could read each other's minds.

Here they are with their game faces on, trying to look like a tough bunch.

But I have them wrapped around my little finger.

Summer-time Art Projects

2009-06-18T11:44:00.000-07:00

It's summer time. Time for playing and running and drawing and coloring and fun stuff in the kitchen. Getting up a little later and staying up a little later each day. Thinking about vacations coming soon, and swimming pools, and barbecues, and visits with cousins.

Stanford University Commencement 2009

2009-06-15T12:52:00.000-07:00

Publish at Scribd or explore others:

Dance Party

2009-06-09T12:29:00.002-07:00

Even if you have a headache and dinner is burned...

even if people have been complaining to you all day and your socks don't match...

even if you didn't sleep well last night or you can't find your favorite train...

even if there's no milk in the house, and no gas in the car...

there is nothing that a good dance party won't cure!

Event Planning

2009-06-04T11:53:00.000-07:00

I've always enjoyed planning parties and events. In fact, I'm planning a major event at work right now, not because I'm an event planner, but because it was assigned to me! On top of all of my other duties! Yippee!

Here is one of my secret resources for a successful event, every time!

Platinum

2009-06-01T09:05:00.000-07:00

I remember the sound of the foghorn at night when I was a child drifting off to sleep. There were real foghorns in those days, posted at the entrance to the Bay, and they would begin to sound as soon as the fog started to roll in.

I can remember the sound of my grandfather's footsteps on the backstairs. The wooden steps with their black plastic covering would creak as he went down to his workbench to shine our shoes and have a smoke.

I can remember the steady whoosh and click of the pressure cooker in my grandmother's kitchen, and the tick and bell of the old white kitchen timer on the counter.

I can remember the sound of the seashell windchimes at the front stair.

I can remember the high pitch of the engine of my father's truck warming up on cold winter mornings.

I can remember the click of the loose ivory on the piano. The ivory pieces that had fallen off and been glued back on would click against the ivory keys next to them. The keys were made of real ivory. My grandmother was very proud of that.

What childhood memories do children have if they can't hear things like this? What will trigger nostalgia later on for them? Smells, perhaps, and patterns of light. When Rafa watches his babies grow and learn, what will he remember most?

A New Garden

2009-05-25T21:26:00.000-07:00

We are cleaning up our backyard. Rafael has been thinking and drawing, working on a solution for a big space in a cold climate.

We are going to be able to reuse much of the brick and the pavers that were part of the original garden in the 1940s. This makes me happy, because it's green and resourceful and shabby-chic trendy and all that, but also because it preserves the choices of the original owners who left the house to us, and I like to think that they are pleased by the changes.

Dinner Party

2009-05-19T17:47:00.000-07:00

We had a lovely dinner party a few nights ago, but we only took pictures of the kids. Great food-blogging skills, Mama!

First course:
Avocados and vinaigrette

Main course:
Baked Tilapia with Ginger-chili Mayonnaise

Sides:
Zucchini Fritters
Roasted Asparagus and Mushrooms

Dessert:
Pear Tarte, again!

Drinks:
Cosmopolitans
Russian River Pinot Noir

Big girls love cosmopolitans. Little girls love grandpas, even when they are not their own.

Solitude

2009-05-17T17:46:00.000-07:00

Does it mean that I'm a bad mother if all I wish for is some quiet time alone?

Rose Garden

2009-05-13T17:40:00.000-07:00

These roses grow wild in our wild garden.

They don't get much sun. We never water them. They bloom in a cold climate.

They never fail to remind me of the gifts and graces of our day-to-day-life.

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-10T17:28:00.000-07:00

Look at the sweet card they made for me!

Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme

2009-05-04T22:08:00.000-07:00

I have always wanted plant herbs in the garden, and I think I will try to do so this year. Rosemary does very well here, and oregano does too. I love lavender, but the French kind, not the English. It will look lovely near the roses if it will stick there.

It's not hot enough for basil. Thyme and chives ought to do fine. What else should I try? Any suggestions or advice?

First Bloom

2009-04-28T17:55:00.000-07:00

I'm back. It's me again. After concentrating intensely on art history and neglecting my family, I am finally back to my day-to-day life.

The flowers have bloomed since I stopped paying attention.

Everyone says they are happy that I'm back!

We did it!

2009-04-15T15:35:00.001-07:00

Thesis is defended and soon to be submitted.

Thanks, BVM.

Sleepy Head

2009-04-11T21:02:00.000-07:00

Don't you wish you could sleep like this again?

To Seville and Back

2009-04-10T09:47:00.001-07:00

The big boys went to Seville again, and Louis and I stayed home.

I hope they send us a postcard.

i hated the pump!

2009-04-03T21:29:00.000-07:00

did you see this?

Opinion

Judith Warner: Ban the Breast Pump
By Judith Warner
Published: April 2, 2009
New questions about the superiority of breast-feeding over bottle feeding call up even bigger doubts about whether a new mother really ought to pump her own milk.

finally, someone who understands!

Misericordia, founded 1244

2009-04-02T11:08:00.000-07:00

Here is a recruitment video for the Misericordia corps that was founded in Florence in 1244.

Talk about continuity of mission!

Save me from myself

2009-04-02T09:49:00.000-07:00

Next time I say I'm going back to school, please, please, please, don't let me do it.

5-minute It's an Emergency Dinners

2009-03-25T10:06:00.000-07:00

These are the top go-to dinners when everyone is yelling about something and no one can wait 5 more minutes for dinner. Please add more suggestions as they occur to you.

The real question is: why have we been having dinner from this list so often lately?

Grilled Cheese: Enough said.

Crepes with Ham and Cheese: Make crepes. Roll up with ham and cheese slices while still hot.

Crepes with Spinach and Cheese: Make crepes. Roll up with cheese slices and washed spinach leaves while still hot.

Ham Steaks and Fried Eggs: Fry up some eggs. Fry up a ham steak to go along. Drink a beer if you're over 21.

Shrimp, Mushroom, and Cabbage Salad: Saute some sliced mushrooms in olive oil with one or two garlic cloves, not even chopped. Throw in a bunch of chopped cabbage (you know, like the kind that comes in the coleslaw bag!). In another skillet saute peeled shrimp in olive oil for 2-3 minutes. Serve on a big platter, mushrooms and cabbage on the bottom and shrimp over the top. My guys LOVE this. I can't figure out why.

Egg Drop Soup: Whatever broth-based soup you have on hand, bring it to a boil. Drop in one egg per person and let them boil right in the soup, for 5-7 minutes, or longer if you want a hard yolk. Serve one egg per person inside the bowl of soup. This turns the soup into a meal!

Cucumber Salad: This is a good tapa to quiet everyone down. Peel and slice a cucumber. Pour lots of vinegar over the top and a pinch of dill. Slice in a red onion if they'll wait. My guys call this pickle salad.

Antipasto Salad: Throw some salami and cheese slices on a big plate. Add some cherry tomatoes and some olives, and a big scoop out of a jar of giardiniera, if you have one. Celery and carrot sticks work well too. If you have ham, add that, and some fruit will work too, preferably melon or pears. Remember the idea is to get the food out! If you want something more civilized, try this.

Miso Soup: Try this one. Or this one, which I like best.

Corn and Spinach Pancakes: Make some pancakes. Stir some frozen corn and some chopped spinach (frozen or fresh) into the batter. Serve with butter (but no syrup!)

Zucchini Pancakes: Ditto, just add thinly sliced zucchini.

And now for some accompaniment...

New Glasses

2009-03-19T17:03:00.000-07:00

I need new glasses. Which of these looks is best for me?