24 May 2011

Solid Foods

tiny baby; big high chair

Julia has been eating solid foods (a strange name the first foods after breast milk because they really aren't solid at all) for about 2 months now. She has done so well so far.

(left to right, top to bottom: banana, carrot, green beans + acorn squash, rice cereal, green beans, carrots + spinach, spinach + sweet potato, acorn squash, spinach)

We started her on rice cereal. Well, we actually started her on quinoa - WAY too flavorful for a first taste. So back to rice cereal. Then made our way through the moderate selection of vegetables in the freezer, all local and organic, all steamed, Vita-Mixed, and sealed with the Food Saver. She likes the orange vegetables quite a bit and the green vegetables, if they're mixed with the orange ones (2:1 ratio, orange:green).

formerly carrots

She's also tried banana (a favorite), avocado (a sometimes favorite), and apple (too soon to tell). We did give her a solid - truly solid - hunk of apple to gnaw on the other day. She loved that.

nature's lipstick

And last week, I'm proud to report, she ate beets! After she handled that strong flavor so well, I'm pretty sure we can try the quinoa again. We're off and running now!

21 May 2011

Rapturous Radish Sandwiches

A few weeks ago I was making cucumber sandwiches for a potluck. I had a lot of radishes on hand and remembered hearing tell of radish sandwiches, so I thought I'd make some of those, too. I found this recipe, which was a good starting point for my own, more local version (see recipe below). They turned out to be delicious; I was delighted when, at the end of the potluck, there were still some radish sandwiches left for me to enjoy.

bread, sheep's cheese, and radish from Badseed; pea shoots from Brookside

I took my radish sandwiches to the next potluck I went to, hoping again that I would have left overs to enjoy for myself. Finally I realized I should just make my own radish sandwiches without feeling obligated to share. So for the last three days I've had radish sandwiches for lunch and I am still totally enraptured by them.

the mandoline is my friend

Speaking of rapture, I finally decided to blog about these divine sandwiches after Sergio came up with a clever name in honor of today being the supposed judgment day - "Rapturous Radish Sandwiches."

left behind

I think it's easy to bypass the radish as a thing you just put on a salad or some other sideline. But putting them on center stage like this enables you to appreciate their differences - each shade of pink, differing levels of spice, etc. For today's version I used some Cherry Belle radishes from our CSA and some ... I think they were Easter Egg radishes from Badseed. I also used plain sheep's cheese from Green Dirt Farm and incredible Sicilian bread from The New Traditionalist - the incredible new bread vendor at Badseed this year - which I was able to slice (Thanks, Wusthof!) relatively thin, to make for a more delicate sandwich.

tender pea shoot tendril

My pea shoots from the market two weeks ago are still holding up well and tasting wonderful. And the sesame seeds on top of the bread added another layer of flavor, distinct and delicious.

If today really is the end of the world, then I say - what a way to go.

"Rapturous Radish Sandwiches"
serves 2

- some radishes sliced super thin (How many radishes? 3? 6? I don't know - it totally depends on the radish. And you.)
- plain, soft, spreadable Green Dirt Farm sheep's cheese (although the nettle variety would probably be good, too)
- mayonnaise
- pea shoots (which are harder and harder to find the later we get into May, but you could also use arugula if you want to kick it up a notch)
- bread (a nice big loaf, sliced thinly, or I used Bread of Life Multigrain for my lunch on Thursday and Friday - a totally serviceable option for days that aren't special occasions like Judgment Day.)

Do you really need instructions for how to put together a sandwich? Surely not. I'll just say this. Don't skimp on the radishes. They are, after all, the main attraction. I do about 4 layers. Feel free to go crazy if you'd like. I do a good bunch of pea shoots, too, so the flavor really comes out. Um ... what else. I should mention that the sheep's cheese is easier to spread the closer it is to room temp. You can do all mayonnaise or all sheep's cheese - or one on each side of the bread. Be liberal with the cheese, too. Especially if it's the end of the world. What have you got to lose?

If I'm lucky, the world won't end today and you know what that means, right? Radish sandwiches for lunch tomorrow.

20 May 2011

Eight Months

8 months old, can you believe it? Me neither. The report is ...

... I have no idea how much she weighs. More than 15; less than 20?

She is a sitting-up pro, even teaching her friend Owl how to do it.

She continues with a high level of curiosity and is working on her fine motor skills, lifting up every blanket, mat, or Flor tile that you put her on...

She is this close to crawling - at least I think. She's way more wiggly and does the rocking back and forth thing.

And she is still - even more - the sweetest thing I have ever known.

15 May 2011

So What by Miles Davis (by Emily)

I recently wrote a guest blog post on Sergio's blog, "Record Highs." My post is about one of my all-time favorite albums - Miles Davis' Kind of Blue - which we now enjoy on vinyl. Read all about it here!

10 May 2011

Being a Mom

On Mother's Day, Sergio asked me if I enjoy being mom. Several people have asked me that and I always answer yes. But it's never just about "being a mom." It's never about the fundamentals of motherhood - the care-taking tasks, diaper-changing or feeding, the world of the baby - though I do enjoy all those things. It's never about just having a baby, even though I do enjoy having a baby. No, the thing I love about being a mom is, most simply... Julia.

Julia and her mommy on Mother's Day

She never ceases to surprise and delight. I love that we belong to each other, are attached to each other, and are totally changing each other's worlds with each day that passes.

So, yes - I enjoy being a mom. But more than anything, I enjoy being Julia's mom.