What's Me-Time?

Ready for Dance Camp

Last weekend I had the tremendous luxury of a day and a half without anyone relying on me. My husband took V to visit her grandparents in the Chicago suburbs so I was left to my own devices. The first half hour or more was spent panicking and turning in circles asking myself "what should I do first?" There have only been 3-4 nights in my daughter's entire life that I haven't been with her (no grandparents in the immediate area, otherwise I'm sure this number would be much higher by now...believe me, it's not that I haven't wanted to send her on an occasional overnight.) So what did I do with my unmommy time?  Went to the farmers' market, shopped some rummage sales and thrift stores, worked in the garden, sat in the yard and read a book, ate whatever I wanted as late or early as I wanted, sewed, stayed up late, watched a spot of TV, slept in, drank a ton of coffee, went to a movie, did some canning.  It was like "Mommy Gone Wild," right?!  Hardly, but I definitely had the chance to engage in everything I love doing and didn't feel rushed in the process.

This week V has a drop-off dance camp downtown in the mornings so I've found myself with even more free-time.  (I could get used to this.)  Honestly, it's been a great practice for BOTH of us in preparation for school this fall.  Leaving her in a room with a bunch of new people produced a little anxiety for her at first, but once I left she apparently opened up and had a great time.  Again, I spent my time doing the geeky things I love to do: went to our city's gorgeous Central Library and poked around at the used bookseller to find some craft and children's books and a couple of paperback novels for myself.  Ended my morning respite at one of my old Brady Street haunts drinking coffee and reading the library book currently in my possession.  Ah!  Felt so good to breathe.  Today it was a little of the same--coffee and reading--but I also spent some time walking along our gorgeous, sparkling lakefront and realizing I haven't spent enough time enjoying it yet this summer.  What will tomorrow morning hold?  Have always wanted to check out Fischberger's Variety so currently that tops the list.

These breathable mornings have helped me feel more relaxed in the afternoons.  I was motivated to get at a sewing project in the pile (literallly, a PILE) of patterns I've cut out and queued up to make for V for this coming school year.  This skirt was a really quick and fun project.  The fabric was a recent cast-off from my mom and the multi-style skirt pattern I got for pennies at the thrift store.  I reached a point of confusion yesterday where I thought I'd found an error in the directions--and went as far as crossing out what I viewed as a mistake--only to reinstate the step a half hour later after I'd erred, ripped out, erred again, ripped out, and finally decided that I wasn't, in fact, smarter than the pattern/designer.  Humbling.

FRONT: V's new skort or as she calls it "squirt."

Back--with adjustable elastic band--made to last.

And a peek underneath.  Can't wait to see this one styled with tights!

Interesting how zukes "sweat" like this when sliced.

The garden took a significant trimming over the weekend and now feels more aesthetically pleasing and ready for its next phase of production.  Blackberries are done.  Tomato plants are toppling over with the weight of their plump still-green orbs, zucchini production has dwindled though holds steady despite the recent identification of squash borer, and basil is pret'near coming out of my ears.  (Do I smell pesto?)  I went ahead and bought some local slicing tomatoes at the farmers' market on Saturday because I really wanted to make this yummy looking spread, which will make its debut on some sort of nosh-plate-dinner (an occasional quick and simple meal option around the homestead) this week.

The rest of my homegrown blackberries ended up dried.
Hope to use them this winter in homemade granola.

Also, I meant to link to this article way before now, but was delayed due to our vacation.  Apparently someone thought my interest in wringing every bit of flavor and function out of our food would make a worthwhile story.  Again, I credit Tamar Adler for her lasting inspiration.

Zucchini Mania!

A friend notified me yesterday that it was National Zucchini Day.  Though I'm a day late in celebrating, I'm sure it's not too late to share another zucchini recipe.  I'm still dealing with the 14 pounds of zucchini I pulled out of our garden upon returning from our one-week vacation.  I'm planning to preserve some zucchini relish this weekend.  Last night I prepared this soup.

Zucchini and Spicy Seeds Soup
Serves 4

This is a super silky soup thanks to the potatoes.  I chose to leave the skins on for more nutrition, but one could also peel them.  I think I'll make a couple more batches of this to freeze for winter consumption.

Soup-er Smooth!

1 1/2 T. grapeseed oil
1 onion, chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, crushed
4 large zucchini, about 1 1/2 lbs. total weight, thickly sliced
1/2 lb. potatoes (I used Yukon gold), thickly sliced
2 c. vegetable or chicken stock
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 T. green curry paste (optional)

Spicy seeds:

3/4 c. sunflower seeds
2/3 c. sesame seeds
1/2 c. pumpkin seeds

Not-too-spicy seeds for garnish

4 T. soy sauce or fish sauce (for a soy-free option...though not vegetarian)
1/2-1 t. chili flakes, or to taste

Heat oven or toaster oven to 300F.  Heat a medium, heavy-bottom stockpot over low heat.  Add oil and heat then add onion and garlic.  Cook 2-3 min. unto golden.  Add zucchini and potatoes and cook 3-4 min., stirring occasionally.  Pour in stock and bring to boil, then turn down, cover with lid, simmer 20-25 min. until potatoes are soft.

Meanwhile, prepare seeds.  Toss with soy sauce or fish sauce and chili flakes and spread over a baking tray; roast in oven/toaster oven 10-15 min.  Take seeds out and toss then return to over 10-15 min. longer until golden brown.

When potatoes are tender, puree soup mixture in a blender or with an immersion blender and add curry paste, salt and pepper to season to taste.  Stir seeds into soup or serve on add to the top of the soup as a garnish.  Serve with crackers or bread.

I've also been trying to get back on the healthy, homemade snacks track and found this simple recipe in my files.  With a few tweaks of ingredients I've made it my own.

Dried Fruit and Pumpkin Seed Bars (Gluten-Free and w/ Vegan options)
Makes 12

1/2 c. toasted walnuts
1/4 c. (combination of) dates and dried apricots
1/4 c. dried cranberries or sour cherries
1/4 c. pumpkins seeds
1 1/3 c. rolled oats
1/3 c. almond meal or ground almonds
7 T. butter or coconut oil
7 T. maple syrup
1/2 c. granulated xylitol (or granulated sugar or Sucanat)

Also great on the go!

Preheat oven to 325F.  Grease a 9x9-inch baking dish.  Roughly shop walnuts, dates, apricots, cranberries/cherries, and pumpkin seeds. (This can be done in seconds in a food processor. The coarser your mixture, the more crumbly your bars will be so I suggest pulsing them well in a f.p. if possible for bars that hold together better.)  Add the oats and ground almonds to the food processor or hand-chopped mixture.  Melt butter/coconut oil in a large saucepan, pour in maple syrup, and add xylitol/sugar.  When it all comes to a rolling boil, add dry ingredients, stir thoroughly, and pour into baking dish.  Press the mixture down firmly and bake for 25-35 min. or until lightly golden on top.  Press mixture down firmly as it cools.  Cut into 12 small bars while warm and leave to cool completely.  Can be refrigerated or frozen to extend shelf life.

Back From Vacation

Dawn along the Tennessee River in Knoxville, TN

We returned late Sunday afternoon from a weeklong trip to Myrtle Beach, SC with my extended family: my parents, brother, sister, their spouses and a total of six kiddos ranging from three to 10 years old.  Two weekends of driving totaling 18 hours--with stopovers in Knoxville, TN on the trip down and Louisville, KY on the return--were worth it to spend time together on the beach, at the pool, cooking and eating, wine tasting, celebrating DIY Girls' Spa Night, Make-Your-Own Pizza Night, a family talent show, and lots of other fun.

Beach and Boardwalk at MB, SC

Urban Wild Edibles in Knoxville--Pokeweed

More Urban Wild Edibles--Pawpaws in the park in Louisville, KY

All the fixin's for DIY Pizza Night when Ben and I cooked

Fresh Papayas and Bananas for DIY Spa Night facials

I also celebrated my birthday while we were away.  My thoughtful brother-in-law made a gluten-free banana cake with chocolate cream cheese frosting that was delicious.  And my wonderful husband made sure my wishes were fulfilled by giving me a subscription to the all-new Taproot magazine and both a wide and narrow mouth Cuppow.  (I was just about to go buy a new travel coffee mug today when I realized I could just use any Mason jar in my current collection and possibly even turn the narrow mouth into a "sippy" cup for V who is trusted these days with glass drinking vessels, especially a sturdy, hard-to-break Mason jar.)

My cake and birthday dress

My bro-in-law did his best with two different size cake pans

Cuppow!

Of course, I returned to a jungle in our backyard and had to get my "machete" out yesterday to whack through the grapevines and winter squash, get the powdery-mildewed coated zucchini back under control, pick a mess of very plump string beans from the raised bed, and give a couple tomato plants some extra support.  There's still a lot of work to be done before my garden party at the end of August, but yesterday was a good start.

Bucket-o-beans!

Zuke mania!

Vera and I finally found time this morning to wash up all the shells we found on our beach trip and identify them as best we could with the Sea Shells of the World guide book I found on my last trip to the flea market.  Ever since reading the chapter book Junonia earlier this summer, V's been interested in finding shells.  While she was sorting them this morning she had fun counting and recounting them while comparing their textures, colors and shapes.  It appears these Atlantic treasures could make a fun natural "toy" for months to come.

Identifying our sea shells as best we could

Bucket of Atlantic Coquinas--some still alive!

I was so grateful for my Monday this week to recuperate from our trip.  Finished unpacking and reorganizing before attending our monthly Holistic Moms Network meeting last night where we welcomed Chad Turner who taught us about the Raw Foods Lifestyle.  During our icebreaker I admitted that I still have a lot to UNlearn from my conventional nutrition education.  He was a wealth of knowledge and a ball of energy in teaching us how to feel our best.  Can't wait to try some of his raw foods recipes and keep juicing and making smoothies.  My favorite line from Chad was that mothers should be considered endurance athletes and therefore should eat a diet to reflect that, one that gives them optimal energy.  Say no more, I'm hooked and will work towards incorporating even more raw foods into my diet and hopefully share some new recipes here.  

Summer Break

The countdown has begun for our official summer vacation. We'll be with my extended family (14 people total!) in Myrtle Beach, SC in no time. We decided to make the 18-hour drive over the course of two days so I've been mentally and physically preparing for this journey for some time.  When we were kids my mom often made us a new outfit or two for a special summer vacation. I finished Vera's hot air balloon top a couple of weeks ago, but really wanted to make something for myself as well. I don't know that I was truly needing to finish it specifically for the trip, but it certainly gave me a deadline and therefore motivation to sew away. And what with this hot weather, it's been great to enjoy the coolness of the basement during afternoons this week.

I found this fabric at the thrift store over the winter. It's not often that I am able to pick up this much yardage secondhand. The design is funky--slightly tribal, slightly 80s, and totally drew me. I had the idea to make it into a long summer dress right away. The pattern was one of the rare new patterns I've picked up in the last several years, but purchased during the fabric store's regular $1 pattern days. So, once again, aside from my sweat equity, the materials cost me very little.

Can't believe the yardage I found!

I thought I'd finish this dress last night so I could move forward with my trip-planning today during the little one's nap time, but after getting as far as I could before the zipper installation last night, I decided to call it quits. I know my history with zippers and didn't want the night to end that way.  Boy, am I glad I made that choice. I returned to the project today with a clear head and after one frustrating attempt at putting in the zipper--and busting it (and the needle's tip) when my needle went off track--I decided it was time to channel my master seamstress mother. Last fall she sent me a handmade zipper installation guide. She basically went step by step on how to install a real zipper and put each tangible step into a three-ring folder and sent it to me. This was a lifesaver again today and I felt like my mom was doing some sort of "sewing Reiki" across the miles. I can't wait for her to see me wear my new dress (maybe on my birthday next week). I usually avoid stripes and plaids like the plague when sewing garments because I know the limits of my patience when it comes to lining things up at the seams. But I was set on using this fabric so I went for it. I was pretty happy with the result. It's not perfect, but I still think it's better than something store-bought. My first thought was that my mom will notice right away, but even if she does she'll likely be excited as usual that I've continued to find time to sew, especially for myself.

If only I could plan to fill this top out like the "model."

It was a tricky pattern at times.  Whew, glad it's over.

This week has also been about cleaning out the fridge.  I came up with broccoli, black beans, winter squash (that had been cellared and we finally cut into it this week), vegetable stock, and preserved lemons that I thought would make a good soup last night (it turned out fair.)  I had some broccoli stalk ends that would otherwise be super tough so I boiled them in some preserved lemon juice then turned them into broccoli basil pesto.  Once again, nothing goes to waste.

Broccoli Basil Pesto
Serves 3-4

I've been using this pesto in wraps, on bagels (with cream cheese, avocado, and sprouts), and will likely dip some raw veggies in it by week's end.


1 c. chopped broccoli florets (or leftover stems), cooked in preserved lemon juice (optional) or steamed
2 T. vegetable broth
1 clove garlic, peeled
1/4 c. tightly packed fresh basil leaves
1 T. toasted pine nuts or almonds
1-2 T. grated Parmesan
Pinch salt and pepper

Put all ingredients into food processor and blend until smooth.  Adjust seasoning as needed.  Refrigerate or freeze in portions.

I'm hoping that everyone's finally getting a wee bit of rain this summer.  We've had slightly more balance between heat and wetness lately.  Enough to keep the rain barrels full, but I know there are many farmers outside of our region of the state who are struggling to make this season productive.  It breaks my heart.  I try to remain positive on the homefront at least.  Lack of rain has kept mosquitoes down and the insect pressure of our garden has been slightly less...although it's just in time for the rain to bring humidity to support powdery mildew among other diseases that may eventually do in my summer squash.  Hoping this season won't be a total wash.